Original subtitles

WUSA

Each little bird that sings

He made their glowing colors

He made their tiny wings...

First the man took a drink, friends.

Then the drink took a drink.

Then the drink took the man!

Now that could've been the end of the story.

But because there's a power greater than ours,

that young man was able to raise himself up

and walk again in the sunlight of grace.

Dearly beloved...

That young man... was myself.

Amen!

So if you'll all just follow Brother Todd here,

he'll take you downstairs and get some decent nourishment.

Brother Todd...

Uh we have met, have we not?

Yeah, we've definitely met, Farley, you owe me a hundred bucks.

Cool it, Rheinhardt.

Well they ain't no work here. Or there's work, but we got a full crew.

Whyn't you try one of the joints in the French Quarter?

They got a pretty big turnover.

Thank you.

Well you know I had to get outa New York in a hurry.

The cops seemed to think

that you had swindled some ladies a little,

and they were very anxious to speak with you.

Ministers run a terrible risk with neurotic old women.

- They really do. - Yeah.

And while we're on the subject, how about my hundred bucks?

Oh now, Rheinhardt, if I had a hundred bills to give a man,

I'd be in California or Arizona where the action is.

Sorry to hear that.

'Cause I'm down to fifty and my wedding ring.

Oh, dear boy if I had it,

I wouldn't be holding out on you, you know that.

Okay then.

What's shakin' down this way?

Sorry baby, but we're just not hiring anybody right now.

- Well say listen, I can mix drinks. - Sorry, honey.

Do you know who Matthew Bingamon is?

Yeah. He marries movie stars.

He owns a baseball team. He also owns WUSA

and the Station Manager is a guy named Noonan.

The New Patriotism is his idea.

It's not like the old patriotism, Rheinhardt. It's a bit more extreme.

I'm for everybody doin' his own thing.

All right. Go and see Noonan then.

Uh but if you come upon a spot for an old trouper,

you will let me know, won't you?

Sure, Farley.

Hey!

How about fifty of that hundred you owe me?

- Now, Rheinhardt, I just don't... - Hey!

Just a minute, I think I may just have about...

Now here's thirty dollars. Honestly I just can't spare more.

Buck up, mate. The world doesn't come to an end

when you're down to your last fifty dollars and a gold ring.

You're right, Farley, that's when the world really begins.

And, Rheinhardt, if you want to talk about that drinkin' problem,

don't hesitate to call on me.

You're a prince! No, you really are! You're just like your picture.

Mr. Rainey! Welcome. Please come up.

Mr. Clotho? I'm Morgan Rainey.

I've come to pick up the forms on the Welfare Survey?

After you, sir.

They-they-they told me at the office to-to get in get in touch with you

but they, they didn't tell me much more than that.

They ain't much more to it than that, Mr. Rainey.

I've amassed some facts and figures for your employers

and you're gonna feed 'em into the machinery of the State.

Well, to tell you the truth, I don't even know

what-what the sta-statistics are about.

I wouldn't expect you to know, sir.

When-when-when I have done field work before...

I've always tried to-to-to be in some contact with the-the people involved.

I was wondering

if I could meet some of the folks that we're surveyin' for a few...

interviews and meetings that might humanize it a bit.

Don't you think they know what they're doin' downtown, Mr. Rainey?

What the hell'd you play such a sad song for?

Why I just liked it.

Only thing I can't stand's a dame sittin' around a bar cryin'.

Oh no, I don't do that. Listen, I'm a laugher. I laugh all the time.

Listen...

How would you feel about we go and get somethin to eat, hmm?

Well I dunno.

Well are ya hungry? How would you feel about... a steak?

Hell, we didn't even begin any serious drinkin' yet.

Oh hey, we could do that later.

Now how would you feel about a nice, sexy steak?

Steak and eggs?

- Steak and onions... - ...and eggs.

- Yeah. - Hey, Harold, d'ya hear that?

The man wants to talk to you. Outside.

- We're going to have some steak... - Knock it off!

Hey, honey, where you goin'?

Yeah?

Y'all what they call independent-minded?

I don't think I know what you're talkin' about.

- You don't? - No.

- My, my... - I was in an automobile accident.

Sorry 'bout that.

If we ever see you hustlin' around here again independent,

you gonna have another one.

You never got your steak.

No, I never did get my steak.

You know people don't usually buy ya anything to eat anyway.

They'll buy you enough whiskey to make you slosh around like a barrel.

Well they'll buy you seven hours of shuffleboard game

but if you're hungry, you just forget it.

I think it's a question of morals.

Oh is that what you think it is?

I was pullin' for you, I'll buy ya a steak.

I just think you earned your nourishment.

What're you, one of those guys who like to watch people do things?

No, I'm the opposite of one of those guys.

What?

- Come on. Christ! - No, I'm not as hungry as I was.

Come on.

Boy, I think you the one oughta had somethin' to eat.

I didn't know you was so juiced.

- It must be a change in the humidity. - What do you do?

I'm a communicator.

Must be a new kinda thing.

Hey?

Listen, I don't know why you standin' there carryin' all that stuff around.

Whyn't you go on home and get some sleep?

Listen, just 'cause you bought me a steak

doesn't mean I gotta invite you upstairs, does it?

But that's what you're waitin' for, right?

- Hey, Pretty. Hey! - Hi.

Hi, Stud. Hey, anybody want to buy a wager?

Yeah. Whyn't you give him one? His lucky day.

How many did you want?

Two. Any two.

Hope you get lucky.

Y'know out in the street before there was this guy?

Yeah I saw 'im.

I thought he had a bunch 0' rings on his fingers.

That's over now.

- Where you from? - West Virginia.

I'm from Pennsylvania. Same mountains.

The hell they are!

- What's a communicator? - I used to be a musician.

- D'ya make any money? - Never made a dime.

You must not've been any account then.

- I practiced all the time. - That must've been nice.

Yeah it was.

Well...

You got yourself in here all right, no gettin' around that.

What's your name anyway, buddy?

Hey, buddy?

Hey, buddy!

I'll be damned.

Morning.

My name's Rheinhardt. Mr. Noonan is expecting me.

- Through that door and to the left. - Thank you.

You must be Rheinhardt.

Well what can you do for us, Mr. Rheinhardt?

Well, I usually work in a musical format.

But I can work the news and I can edit wire copy, I can do pitches.

It's a powerful package.

I used to work the small stations and you get to keep your hand in.

- But we're not a small station. - No.

Y'see, the difference between us and other stations

is we know what we wanta do.

Most of 'em don't, you know but we know pretty much exactly.

You mean it's not amateur night.

Yes. Yes, that's very well put.

See we have a situation right now where we're ready

to bring someone in off the streets and let him show us what he can do.

I mean we'll listen

but we can't provide a lot of time and sympathetic understanding.

What do you want to listen to?

Well now why don't you take five minutes of news off the ticks

and we'll tape it, then we might have something to talk about.

Let's go do it.

Mr. Rheinhardt... We have a point of view here at WUSA.

You know about our point of view?

Yeah, I know about your point of view.

Where d'you think your boyfriend is at?

I couldn't tell ya.

Maybe ya said somethin' to make him sore, and never even knowed it.

I do that all the time. Sometimes they don't even come back.

I wouldn't even care if he did anyway but he left all his stuff in my room.

Oh I had some bad ones, that's the truth.

I had the worst sonsobitches you ever saw.

Hey!

Whaddya think about the bomb, Clyde?

- What? - What do you think about the bomb?

You don't give a rat's knicks about the bomb 'cause you're not a liberal.

She don't look like a liberal to me.

See, there's one thing I'm into. That's the dignity 0' mankind.

And if there's one thing that I object to

it's discrimination on the basis of race, color or creed.

Because I'm a Liberal, ain't that great?

I think you better go in there and sober up, bud.

Hi, Stud.

Well where-a you been?

- I got a job. - Communicatin'?

I work for WUSA.

I'm part of a pattern in somebody's head.

- Whaddya do? Announce? - Like that.

And then there's music.

And every hour on the hour there's news.

And the news is always bad.

Well listen, don't let it get you down. You're doin' better than I am.

I'm not a pattern in anybody's head and I cannot get a job in this town.

- What kind of job you want? - Oh barmaid, waitress.

I'm too dumb for the Phone Company

and too old for the Five and Dime.

- How long you been doin' that? - A while.

I'd say it was a longtime, mister.

Down here?

Dallas, Fort Smith, Okie City, all over.

Where'd you get cut?

Texas.

Man cut me with a oyster-openin' thing.

'Cause I said the first thing that came into my head.

You can't do that in Texas.

- Yeah but how was I to know that? - Married?

Yeah I was married. Somebody shot the boy.

We were real young

and he used to fight when he got drunk so somebody shot 'im.

You married?

I rented a place in the Quarter, I'm goin' down there.

- Can I go with you? - Yeah.

- Why can I go with you? - 'Cause you want to.

Damn, mister, I think you doin' the right thing.

I'm sorry.

- Can I help you? - Oh well I tell ya, I got a plan.

Why don't you go over there and I'll stay here, okay?

Sorry.

That boy is gonna be late for his job at the morgue.

It's nice.

I like it.

Y'know this is the second time I bought things to set up housekeeping.

I sure hope it turns out better this time.

Hope you're not gonna sober up and change your mind.

Hey.

Y'know, I've had a lotta hands put on me... All kinds.

Most time I just wanta be some place else.

But I don't wanta be some place else now.

You're into the big clean American sound of WUSA,

the sound of a decent generation.

All right, you clean and happy livers, that's us for another PM.

And while we're all counting the hours,

think about wrapping your teeth around a Big Daddy Frozen Pecan Pie.

You'll get a big payoff in rich natural goodness every time.

Now we'll leave you with one message. The Big Message.

The future of America is up to you.

The children of the night, what beautiful music they make, huh?

Yeah, I think I'm zeroed in to the Big Pulse,

I can hear all those dirty feet tappin'.

They're all delighted upstairs.

They must have big things in store for you.

Yeah, I think they've got big things in store for everybody.

I'll see ya, Swinger.

You come for her?

Oh no. We-we're working on a survey.

You come, Bon Dieu? You come now.

Right here.

What you tellin' her? How she know what you talkin' 'bout?

I'm sorry.

Do you deal in children?

I don't even know any children.

Is the baby yours?

The child's the male offspring of a client.

I may undertake his upbringin'.

And you know, things bein' the way they are,

I think I may bring 'im up as a girl.

I really may.

The old, the old woman out back...

- ls she one of our clients? - Oh yeah.

Is it in here that she's... dyin'?

I'm sure it's in there.

Maybe only machines can read it.

Mr. Rainey. the entire community is gratified by your concern.

Done a lotta runnin' in my life.

'Sides there's somethin' in my nature that pisses people off.

Y'know sometimes I feel like I'd just like to run to water and drown.

Don't.

Don't drown. Don't let 'em force you to extremes.

You gotta be like me, you gotta be a master of disguise.

You chase me to water, I'll grow gills

and disappear into a flurry of fins.

How come you gotta be a master of disguise?

I mean why are you a master of disguise

instead of a clarinet player like you're supposed to be?

Let's just say it's an imperfect world.

What the hell kind of answer is that?

I couldn't blow Jingle Bells now.

Maybe you never were really any good. Were ya?

Oh yeah I was good. I was hot stuff.

That was my thing and it was pretty goddamned elegant.

Well how'd you lose it then?

I didn't lose it. It doesn't work that way.

I went to school to nuns.

I learned to play clarinet from nuns, and they believe in grace.

They believe that if you can wiggle your ears or...

Or run faster than other people or if you can blow clarinet better

you have what they call gratuitous grace.

It's free, dig? But you can't get rid of it.

I mean it's not up to you.

Maybe that's what your whole life gets to be about,

which is a pain in the ass.

'Cause you have to hassle it, you gotta wrangle it.

Otherwise, see, it turns bad inside of you

and poisons you and you sort of die of it.

Me, I couldn't wrangle it.

Maybe I didn't have the time.

Maybe things were weren't moving fast enough,

maybe things were moving too fast, I don't even remember any more.

I had it made and I woke up one morning,

I looked down, and fell off my life.

So now you think it's easier just being a drunk?

Helps me sleep.

You got a lot 0' spite in you, Rheinhardt.

You're not gonna tell me how it is, are you, friend?

You think I don't understand, but I do. Least I think so.

Even if I don't know a friggin' thing about grace.

- Hi. - Hi.

- I hope I'm not disturbin' y'all. - Not at all. Come on in.

Have some ice cream here. Strawberry. If y'all would like some?

Why sure, come on in. I'll get some bowls. Take a seat.

- It's very nice here. - Yeah, we try to keep it clean.

I don't mean to be nosy but there's somethin' I wanted to ask you about.

Go right ahead.

You know I-I-I work for a survey of City Welfare clients?

We thought you worked at the morgue.

No I-I don-don't.

Yeah that's, that's true. We were indulging in a fantasy.

No, I don't work at the morgue.

But I've heard you on the radio, Mr. Rheinhardt.

I know that you work for WUSA

and I keep hearing that station

make a lot of charges about the welfare structure in town.

In fact I heard you read an editorial about it the other day.

But I just cannot understand what evidence your-your people

could have to support such charges like the ones you make.

I couldn't tell you, friend. At six o'clock I read an editorial

and at nine o'clock another hack reads it.

- It's got nothin' to do with us. - I see. Oh I see.

But aren't those editorials pretty vituperative?

Yeah.

That's the way it is down there.

Rheinhardt, don't put the man on.

Listen he doesn't believe anything he hears down at that station.

You don't believe it? That-that must be very hard uh for you.

Well, belief is a very subtle and delicate thing.

It's very hard for me to understand how you can do it.

Don't let it bother ya.

Well, I just thought it was somethin' I had to ask you.

What is this social service work that you've been doing?

Well, I was workin' in Venezuela for a while.

And when I came back from there, I had...

About of illness.

And I wanted to get back in contact with people again

so I took this job with the welfare survey.

There isn't much to it, carrying forms around

which I cannot read 'cause they're for machines.

Well what'd you do in Venezuela?

Well, I was there for six months

and well I don't know if what we did came to anything, but...

There was this barrio we worked in

that was on a on a cliff over the Jata River

and we built a fence

to keep the kids from fallin' in.

And I had the basketball team

which I, y'know, our barrio did, I coached them.

Well I-I guess that that was the high point of my achievement.

Say. Hey you're not in this for the money, are you?

What?

No I figured, I had a feeling that you weren't.

No, I had the feeling when I saw you with your ice cream

that we were in the presence of the Somehow Good.

I guess I shouldn't have invited myself in, I'm sorry.

Listen, don't let him get to you, mister, he's just bein' smart.

- I apologize. - No, I apologize.

I was no I was just bein' smart to show off in front of my girl.

Uh don't go off and leave all your ice cream!

No really, it's not even strawberry.

- Well what are you tryin' to prove? - Prove?

Not to prove anything.

Just tryin' to stay alive.

And human.

Hey!

I just want you to know, I hope you make it.

- Whaddya say, fella? - Hi're you?

Fine.

Mr. Rheinhardt, I'd like you to know

you've added immeasurably to my listening pleasure.

That's good of you to say that.

You are one of the few people around

who realizes there's such a thing as swinging news.

Oh thank you, it's all in the wires. It's really happening, sort of.

Well sure it is. But when people hear the news treated right

they respond to it, like they do to music.

It's a matter of emphasis, isn't it, Rheinhardt? It's a matter of beat.

- I couldn't agree with you more. - I'm glad that's the case.

Because our pattern's gonna be a part of your life now.

Of course you'll continue to work in your musical format,

that's what you do best. But oh boy I'm so very pleased

with the calibre of work you've been doing for us

that I think we may expand your sphere of activity a little.

There's only one thing I can think of that'd slow you down.

That'd be you takin' me for a damn fool.

- I wouldn't do that. - 'Course you wouldn't.

That'd be one helluva mistake.

Every now and then we come out from behind our glass walls

and mix with the folks a little.

We hold an old-fashioned patriotic revival,

we introduce a few celebrated speakers, there's music,

everybody sings a few good old songs.

We're thinkin' we might put you in the pivot there.

- That'd be interesting. - Sure enough.

You think he's the right style for our folks, Bing?

I think he's class, that's what I think.

- I think that's our folkses' style. - Absolutely, Bing.

Jimmy talks about 'our folks' he means the people we're tryin' to reach.

These people are hurting, Rheinhardt. They don't really know

what's hurting them, we're trying to help 'em find out.

- Oh well put, Bing, uh... - They need us. We need them.

Deep down I think they're aware that the kind 0' politics

we have in this country today is just not gonna work any more.

We've got a new kind or you might call it an old kind, new.

If they're made to think about it enough,

they're gonna come to see it's what they want too.

- So we hit the issues, Crime... - The decline of Patriotism.

Welfare chiselin'.

Welfare chiseling. Cal here is our specialist on that.

We try to keep them thinking with us.

We have a number of young candidates committed to us,

like young Jimmy there.

Talented professionals like you, Rheinhardt.

We've got the dedication, we've got the money, we've got the air time.

Boy, we think it's just about time we happened.

Mr. Rainey... Who's gonna be the object of your concern today?

Pick anyone you like.

You can fill in the background when you get back downtown.

That is if you can figure out how to read this letter.

Oh I guess I'd like to see anyone who has the time.

Everyone around here has lots of time. Follow me, Mr. Rainey.

His name is Robert Lee Rainey.

They call him Hollywood.

Well my-my-my name is-is...

Rainey too.

Are you-are you receivin' welfare benefits?

He's receiving his sister's welfare benefits.

He dresses up and cashes her checks.

That's a damn lie.

The man don't look twice, he cashes the checks, he knows they're good.

I handle my sister's business affairs. I have powerful attorney.

You mean power of attorney, sweetie.

A powerful attorney is what you need

when you get caught swindlin' the welfare.

What does your sister do for money if you're takin' her checks, see?

- She has men. - So do you.

Somebody complain on me?

Well? Who complained on me?

Oh it's nothin' like that. It's just part of a survey.

I had a baby.

They say I had... TB or somethin'.

Now they keepin' her in the hospital.

Jes' how come they can do that?!

Well, that must be their procedure.

Procedure.

I read about this this girl in college.

She had a baby.

And she killed it. And then...

She put it in a shoebox.

Man, I just can't figure out those people.

Procedure.

Procedure...

Folks say you act funny, Mr. Rainey. Some think it's 'cause you're scared.

Maybe I'm doin' the job wrong, I'm no professional.

O I don't know if the job has anything to do with it.

You know how it is, man some folks you're inclined to look twice at.

- I'm inclined to look twice at you. - I can't help that.

Maybe you not in the best of health.

Me, I hate to see concerned young people throwin' their health away.

I'm-l'm-l'm all right now.

When I came back from South America I had a bout of illness.

Maybe you a religious man?

I don't know. I have always thought

that without God, we keep findin' the insect in each other.

We-we tear like insects.

But they say, Mr. Rainey, that God is in the insect.

No! No.

God is in man.

Hey, that boozin' is really gonna get the best o' you, good buddy.

One time I woke up in a room full of turtles.

No, it was really full 0' turtles.

Look, some day we'll go to Tibet

and we'll sit on a mountain and we'll work it all out.

- Me too? - Yeah, you too.

You gonna be around for a while, aren't you, Rheinhardt?

Sure.

I don't ask questions like that, do I?

No. No you don't.

- Does your wife drink? - Yeah, she drinks.

Does she make it with other people?

Yeah, she drinks and she makes it with other people.

I don't see how you can blame 'er, because I mean you're not there.

I don't blame 'er. She didn't make it with other people when I was there.

She didn't even drink very much.

Yeah.

You feel very bad about leavin' 'er, don't you?

If I was there, I'd feel a lot worse.

You got-you got no right to be so cooled out,

I mean nothin' is free, Rheinhardt.

I don't need you to tell me that.

Well you want to live, don't you?

Or is that somethin' low grade?

Listen, friend...

Things being the way they are, I take it by the day, I got no plans.

I leave it to other people

to mess up their heads with strategy, playin' tricks on themselves.

I got an adjustment I like it, dig?

- Now don't knock my adjustment. - Well...

- Well, what about me? - You don't ask questions like that.

Oh, you are a smart-mouth bastard, aren't you?

That's a put-down. You put me down, I'm gonna jump in the lake.

You wouldn't jump in the lake, you damn posey dude.

Believe it. No one's more dramatically self-destructive than I am.

You wouldn't jump in the lake. But I would jump in the lake.

- You're drunk. You can't even swim. - The hell I can't!

- Hey! There are alligators in there! - Sharks, not alligators!

- Boy, you're tryin' to kill me. - Hello, Easily Led.

I got your number, you're a mankiller.

How about little ole me gettin' smart ole you to jump into the lake!

What's he doin'?

He's just tryin' to get back.

Hey . What you dam' '?

I was lookin' for Mr. Clotho.

Pops, won't you tell Clotho one 0' his gentlemen callers is here.

I don't 'preciate you bein' here, Roosevelt, you know that!

I come to spend my money on the good wine.

Our outspoken black press gives me the day off.

- I thought I had you fired. - They must have forgot.

Well you can hang around, just use your mouth to drink with.

How about it, Mr. Rainey? Any more sightseein' today?

L-I guess I don't wanta see anyone I don't have to.

If I didn't know you like I do, I'd be disappointed in you.

Roosevelt, this is Mr. Rainey.

He's one of those concerned young white folks

who walk through fire and water for the negro race.

Yeah. I saw him at it the other day.

Bye-bye, Mr. Rainey.

Just tryin' to get back.

He say you work on a newspaper?

There are some things I'm tryin' to make sense of,

they mean a very great deal to me and...

You know, things get funnier every day you live.

They don't get no better, dig? But they sure as hell get funnier.

What what is this? Who is Clotho? What's what's going on here?

There is a definite pattern of discrimination

in many parts of the United States.

- Man, for God's sake talk straight! - Don't you tell me 'talk straight'!

That's a straighter answer than you deserve.

Shit! You stand here in the middle of Clotho's place

and say nobody's treatin' you right and what's goin' on.

Damn, man, you the boss.

How about I ask you what's goin' on?

Look, I'm only one man,

and I-I-I don't pretend to be innocent of anything that's happenin' here.

I'm just tryin' to find out what these people are and what they usin' me for.

Well, little brother...

Clotho runs the Big Store for all them Mr. Charlies downtown.

If they want somethin' to happen in our happy little community,

why Clotho's here to make it happen.

Like right now they want a lot of people cheatin' on the welfare.

They don't have to go around botherin' themselves with who is or who isn't.

Whatever they need, old Lester's goin' give 'em.

You see, there ain't no survey.

There ain't nothin' bein' surveyed.

There's a bunch of politicians whose current thing

is gettin' a lotta bloods kicked off relief.

And you hear about it on the radio.

On old WUSA.

You gonna get up there and whistle Dixie for us next week?

Yes, sir!

Am I drivin' you to drink, Rheinhardt?

I wouldn't say that.

Thanks for comin', folks. Bye! See ya!

I think I oughta mention we're liable to have trouble next week at the rally,

considerin' the neighborhood. That's absolutely confidential.

You don't mean you expect the whozits to try to break in, do you?

Well, Jack, I got the best security money can buy but you never know.

Something can always turn up.

Not such a bad thing if it does. That's the trouble with you, Jack,

you're show biz, you don't know what a real crowd's all about.

- I don't think that's true, Bing. - Why sure it's true, Jack.

Take that boy now, he knows his way around the turpentine.

Just an honest technician.

You know, we got a lot o' folks around right now

that're not gonna be with us very long.

Body'd think we're in the dream business.

We're in the reality business. We're a movement now.

And this station exists for that movement not the other way around.

You boys had better get a good grasp on that

because it's gonna get pretty obvious once we really start to roll.

If you can't stay in the saddle, you're gonna get left.

If you get left, son, you better get the hell outa the way

because what's comin' behind us is like to run right over ya.

I believe I can handle anything that comes up.

Sure, Jack. You're all right, buddy.

Sometimes I think you talk a little tougher than you are.

He doesn't give a damn!

He'll say anything about you in front of anybody.

- Even me. - Look, I didn't mean it that way.

Listen, does he ask questions about me? Do you know?

Do you think he's got somebody spying on me?

- Yeah. Me. - What?

No. No, if it was you, you wouldn't tell me about it.

I'm gonna tell him you said that. Don't joke about a thing like this.

What else is there?

I'm sorry.

Rheinhardt, I want to talk to you.

Who's out there? They cool?

I wouldn't exactly call him cool, but I don't think he'll have us busted.

I just want to know what's goin' on at he radio station you work for?

What does it got to do with Calvin Minter

and the research he's doin' on the welfare situation?

Calvin Minter, I remember him.

He has a happy face and he sucks things for his breath.

Well he's got some kind of a plan

to make to make publicity for himself by starving people outa town.

They all got plans and it's pretty weird.

I want to find out more about the plans.

lam not the one who knows about the plans,

but speaking for myself, I got no plans of any sort, whatsoever, at all.

I'm not tryin' to compromise you, but you're the only person I can ask.

I'd sure hate Rheinhardt to be the only cat I could ask.

Why-why do you do it?

Yeah, Rheinhardt, how come you work for those degenerate creeps?

They are some of the finest people in the community.

It's true, they are terrible when they're aroused.

Man, they're terrible all the time.

She speaks like an extremist 'cause she doesn't see the Big Picture.

Now speaking as a communicator, in my opinion,

there's deep confusion in the popular heart and mind.

Explanation numbers are very big.

Me, I think it's great.

Yeah it's, it's like a study in sheer Existential a-morality.

I speak to the troubled heart. I bring music...

- Who's that? Are they cool? - It's all right, man, they're cool.

You haven't got enough talk or whiskey to hide behind.

You know better than they know.

I can't believe you're such a bastard that you've lost your humanity.

I want you to tell me what's happening!

- He wants to know what's happening. - Somebody always raises that question.

You wanta know what's happening?

Dig. I'll tell you what's happenin'.

How do the fish live in the sea? That's what's happening.

Look in the penny arcades, man.

Look in the taco stands, that's what's happening.

Yeah. Look in Walgreen's.

Remain calm. All the important decisions have already been made.

You know, this cat is an athlete of perception.

I'm gonna tell him what's happening.

What's happening, Rainey, is that things are gettin' chilly.

Rheinhardt!

Yeah, one by one the warm weather creatures

are gonna topple dead with frozen eyelids.

Creatures of the cold will proliferate.

The air will become thin and difficult to breathe.

Wow, that's great!

The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will be screwed.

Rheinhardt!

I want an answer from you.

- He's freakin' out. - No, he's about to make a statement!

Don't stop now.

You are the voice of Christian witness in this Slough of Despond.

My God, you are an evil fool!

Oh you try waking up in a room full of turtles.

You're good at special pleadin'. But there's people hurtin' beside you.

Yeah. There's you!

I'm not even evil. Whaddya say, troops? ls Rheinhardt evil?

- No. - Great!

You hear that, you cornpone Christ?

I'm just a drunk.

That's too bad

but the value of everyone else's life didn't change because you became one.

What do you know about the value of any life, you crippled freak '2!

I mean drunks can be dirty,

but they don't leave a thick smelly film of piety around 'em!

I put it to ya, this creature's God's skunk!

Arouse his conscience and he stinks!

It doesn't matter what I am.

But human life is a gift.

The muck of the earth was raised up to consciousness.

Blood was made warm.

We know that!

I mean, warm blood and gifts and humanness.

We all had that trip, man. None of us could swing with it.

Sure. That's over now anyway. Quit your job at the morgue

and get Bogdanovich to turn you on to somethin' else.

You'll feel like a million dollars.

Hey, Rainey!

These people don't understand ya.

But I'm a moralist, like you.

I know your anguish and I got no right to deny it.

So lemme give you an alternative.

Drop dead.

Rheinhardt, don't do that.

Drop dead! While you're among friends.

Now that's a valid alternative.

Well... You are all put-down artists and you sure put him down.

Not at all. No, when someone says somethin' that's a drag,

I gotta try to say somethin' that's a worse drag!

Aw Christ!

- Wow, that was a heavy scene. - What was that all about?

You didn't have to cut him up like that!

Forget it.

Well, why are you so mean?

Self-defense. Self defense.

- You're about as drunk as it gets. - That's right.

And no moralizing twitch is gonna bleed all over me!

God, I hate whiners, they're evil!

Why don't you have him busted then? You run with all the big people.

That's good.

That is very good.

What do you wanta eat?

I wouldn't want you to think that by feeding me

that you were adding to the troubles of the world.

For God's sake!

'Cause I can walk out any goddam time!

I can walk outa anything, I know how it's done!

You don't think I would?

You sonofabitch!

I'm gonna go out and put some people on.

You're gonna put on one too many people an' you gonna get yourself...

Shot?

Like that lint-head that married you?

I swear, you must be some kinda killer!

You must have talked that kid into gettin' himself shot!

Jesus!

It's no help.

Like the poker player says, no help!

- Were you looking for something? - My name is Morgan Rainey.

- I want to see Mr. Calvin Minter. - This is a private club...

Just tell him I'm Judge Alton Rainey's nephew,

and that his office directed me here.

- Hey! So you Alton's nephew, huh? - See I can get to you, Mr. Minter.

It's just a matter 0' findin' the right door.

'Course you can, boy, what is it you want?

I been workin' on your survey. Your survey of people on relief?

I've been workin' on it all this spring.

- Well, that's mighty fine 0' you. - It's a fraudulent survey.

It's a device for throwin' people off relief at random.

It's a political swindle and you thought it up.

This must be the latest thing in shakedowns.

It's a fraud, isn't it? There's no real information bein' collected.

Look, Rainey, whatever information you may've come into

about our survey about me, I mean it's worthless.

I'll decide what it's worth.

What the hell's the matter with you? ls your uncle after me?

No, my-my uncle isn't after you, I believe I'm after you!

Good afternoon, sir. I'm your Bunny Celeste.

May I take your cocktail order, please?

- No. No. - Thank you, sir.

I want to hear you tell me: what have I been doin' in those slums all year.

Well, I tell you, you way off base comin' up here, boy.

I mean, you try to shake us down, we give you great big trouble.

What have I been doin' all year? I want you to tell me!

Our survey is M. T. Bingamon's operation. I'm actin' for him.

Now, boy we can stomp on you and your whole damn family an' you know that.

Anyway, nobody cares

about that collection o' unwed mothers ans pimps you got down there.

That is, nobody but the goody-goodies.

- Say, lemme ask you somethin'... - I have you. I have you.

I have your name and the sight of you, but I want your boss.

I get it. You one of them fanatics, huh?

Yeah, well, you shouldn't'a been allowed in here.

You see, we don't deal on a personal basis,

we don't have nothin' to do with personalities.

You-you have a personal involvement with me.

And so has your Mr. M. T. Bingamon.

Really, look, I'm gettin' a little tired 0' this.

I don't care whether you're a eightball or anarchist

or whatever the hell you are, but you gotta get one thing straight.

You cannot come into a public place an' try to shake me down! Forget it!

I wish I could shake you down. I wish I could grind you

and shake you to powder, but if I can't, I can teach you fear.

I think you afraid of me already.

- Me, afraid 0' you? - That's right!

Well lemme tell you somethin'. It's you that's gonna be afraid.

You an' all the dirty little scum like you!

That's right. You gonna lie in bed at night an' just quake.

Everybody in this whole country that's outa line is gonna learn fear.

There are some people in this country who are gonna learn fear,

and people who're gonna unlearn it and that'll be very shortly!

Now you just wait a minute. You get rid of this idea real quick

that you can come in an establishment like this, and threaten businessmen,

'cause when we got business with people like you, you know what we do?

We go an' we grab 'em like that

an' we drag them in there by the teeth, that's what!

Let's have a little arrangement between us, Mr. Minter.

I'll remember you in these places like this!

And you remember I'm out there, okay?

Okay! You bet your boots I'm gonna remember, fella.

'Cause uh you a sick man, you gonna need a lotta treatment.

There may be a price I'm gonna ask of you.

What price?

Hey! What're you talkin' about? What price?

The WUSA Loyalty Forum can be your way

of standing up for Faith, Flag and Family.

Talk to your neighbors about our programs, keep informed,

and make a point of attending our WUSA Patriotic Revival.

And now we'll leave you with one message, the Big Message:

the future of America is up to you.

Morgan Rainey! You here?

Rainey! Rainey!

- You Rainey? - Yes. Yes, that's right.

You come out, stand over by that wall there.

- Didn't you sign a loyalty oath? - Yes.

- Wasn't that a perjured oath? - No.

Wasn't you arrested on a morals charge in Tampa, Florida?

No.

You in serious trouble, you know that?

We'll have a look at your apartment now.

Uh well that's-that's fine if you have a w-warrant.

You ain't makin' it easier on yourself causin' us all this unnecessary work.

- We're comin' back tomorrow. - Maybe sooner than that.

If I was you, I wouldn't be here.

How'd you make all this rhubarb for yourself?

I asked too many questions.

Yeah. Well that'll do it every time. What'd you find out?

I found out there's a man I have to do somethin' about.

Well don't say anythin' else, okay?

You come on in. Come on. Come in.

Damn!

Oh stop it! The house gonna fall down.

Rheinhardt isn't here?

Listen, if you wanta see Rheinhardt, you just have to come around

when he comes up to change his clothes.

Not that it'd do you much good then, 'cause he's always paralyzed drunk.

Who's this you gotta do somethin' about?

A man. Some some kind of man.

Some kind of evil fool that's gotta be stopped.

Take it easy. Don't do anything too far out, baby.

'Cause that's what you are, you're a baby, an' you're gonna get run over.

Dearly beloved...

Let us ask that we be sustained against the darkness outside.

Enable us, Lord, to suppress the vileness

that daily assails us as we pursue the righteous way.

Instill in us a sense of dedication

to the principles of Faith, Flag, and Family.

Give us the strength to struggle

against the godlessness and disloyalty wherever they appear...

The agent and the lackey of those

who would deprive us of our birthright.

Let us hold high the sacred banner of our land

and preserve it from the profane hands

of those who seek it to trample it in the dust!

Attention! This has been declared an unlawful assembly.

You are hereby ordered to disperse.

What are ya?

I'm a gunslinger, a quick-draw artist. Professional.

Make good money?

Yeah, I make enough to pay for my divorce, I'll tell you that.

Are you the good guy?

Well, there ain't no such thing as a good guy or a bad guy.

We wear the costumes. Me, I wear white,

the other guy wears black with a little pasted on mustache.

'Course if folks wanta root for me, why I don't mind.

Well, like they say, kid they say

that the only beast in the arena is the crowd.

No, that's bullfightin'.

Let's make our selves feel at home with a few sacred songs from the...

From Clean Doorstep '2!

Beautiful, man, beautiful. I dig your beard, man, it's beautiful.

Peace, you all!

Peace! Peace!

Aw man, I don't think this is gonna work.

Do you know Abide With Me?

Oh yeah, Abide With Me, sure, man.

Well, let's get to it.

Get it on!

Who are those people?

My Gospel group.

Gospel group? Man, they're stoned outa their minds.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would now like to introduce

Mr. WUSA himself, Matthew T. Bingamon!

Thank you, folks. Thank you very much. Thank you, thank you.

We are proud to take you back through the pages of history,

to a tradition of the Old West

which has helped to make our country great.

You tell it, folks.

That's right, that's right.

Thank you very much.

We'll be bringing you

the Southwestern Freestyle Killer Quick Draw Contest,

between two national champions.

With us to referee we have

one of the great re-creators of that tradition,

a great star and a great American,

Mr. King Walyoe!

Thank you. Thank you.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, from up in Shreveport, Louisiana

we've got Rusty Fargo...

And out of lndio, California... Sidewinder Bates!

Both champions, ladies and gentlemen, both faster than the fastest.

Gentlemen, are you prepared to commence your combat?

All right, boys, make your moves.

Up there! That's where the shots came from, up there!

No pictures, please! Brothers and sisters...

Get outa my way!

- Let's get 'im outa here. - Say something, Rheinhardt.

Fellow Americans...

Fellow Americans!

Let us consider the American way.

The American way is innocence.

In all situations we must display an innocence so vast and awesome,

that the entire world is reduced by it.

When our boys drop a napalm bomb on a cluster of gibbering slants,

it's a bomb with a heart

and inside the heart of that bomb,

mysteriously but truly present,

is a fat little old lady on her way to the World's Fair.

And that lady is as innocent as she is fat and motherly.

You smart-mouth bastard!

Americans...

Our shoulders are broad, and sweaty.

But our breath is sweet.

Look out! He's got a gun!

Americans, remember,

no matter what anyone says, we're okay.

Only in America can a people say, 'We're okay.'

Now I want you to say that with me.

We're okay.

Come on now, say it with me.

We're okay!

Wait, wait, I can explain...

Don't whisper it, say it loud. We're okay!

We're okay!

Terrific.

They're shooting each other in there! Not that way. That's where they are!

Hold this, will you? We'll get busted for sure.

Come on, let's get the hell out of here!

No, go this way!

Guard! Hold those people back there now.

See that my guests get out of here safely.

Tell the Press we'll have a statement for them first thing tomorrow morning.

Now let's go, fellas. Come on, come on, come on.

This man is dead.

Okay, everybody outside! Come on, come on, come on!

Move along!

Come on now, Miss, you can't sit there.

A perfectly beautiful hustle crumbles at the core.

- What do you do now? - I go to the airport.

I always keep informed about plane departures, it's an old habit of mine.

Coming along?

No. I can't, there's someone I gotta check out.

Make it soon, old son.

Or you'll find yourself in someone's conspiracy theory.

Dangerous times, what?

Violence, disorders... Nobody's straight these days.

Right here.

Oh and, Rheinhardt... Stay alive.

- She's clean. No spike marks. - No weapons.

Just the marijuana. That's a felony charge.

That's fifteen years in this State.

Where'd you get the fancy slicin'?

Answer up, girl!

On the road.

They'll want you for Court in the mornin'.

Pay her no mind. You won't be here long,

so behave yourself and enjoy your privacy.

You make any trouble, you'll go uptown with a troublemaker's rep,

and they'll fix you up.

Are you gonna behave?

Leave her alone! She ain't right in the head.

Now behave yourself, you hear?

Oh, Mom...

Rheinhardt...

I'm there.

My God, I'm there.

Evolution's a gas. Hah, it's beautiful.

Things have heads, y'know why? Because when you're goin' anywhere,

you gotta be able to deal with what's there.

And to deal, you gotta get your dealies in on the scene first.

I mean you gotta lead with your dealies.

You gotta be able to deal with what's there, right?

- Right. - It's beautiful, Rheinhardt.

I mean it makes so much sense, man.

What a world!

Hey, there haven't been any cops here, have there?

No, not to your place.

There were some over there, at Rainey's.

They took a lotta stuff. Writing, things, I dunno.

You know... I been around, I seen a lotta things, man,

I never saw anything like that stuff last night.

You think that's the way things are gonna be?

If people want it that way, that's the way it's gonna be.

Rheinhardt? Rheinhardt!

Rheinhardt!

What?

Well, what?

I'm just gonna tell you one thing, Rheinhardt, you can figure it out.

Geraldine is dead.

The cops come around to the hotel this morning.

Because she's such a good girlfriend to you, Rheinhardt,

she give 'em my address 'stead 0' yours.

She got busted last night and she hung herself up in her cell.

They made me go down there. I saw 'er.

She got nobody, Rheinhardt. Gonna put her in the Potter's Field.

How'll that make you feel, Rheinhardt? Sad?

Oh what the hell you mean, sad?

Well you know, real sad.

Yeah, I know what you mean.

- She hanged herself? - She hung herself up with a chain.

O, Lord receive your servant Geraldine what's-her-name...

What can I say, dear, now that I've said I'm sorry.

You must be so sad.

What's happenin', Rheinhardt?

- I was out there, it's sad. - Yeah, that's one way to put it.

But don't worry about it, Rheinhardt, everything's dying.

Not me. I'm a survivor.

Ain't that great?

WUSA

THE END