1 00:00:54,096 --> 00:00:56,891 I telegraphed and phoned 2 00:00:57,683 --> 00:01:02,480 I sent air mail special, too 3 00:01:03,063 --> 00:01:03,981 Yeah, I know. 4 00:01:04,064 --> 00:01:10,946 Answer was goodbye There was even postage due 5 00:01:14,700 --> 00:01:18,245 I fell in love just once 6 00:01:18,913 --> 00:01:21,624 And then it had to be with you 7 00:01:22,374 --> 00:01:23,709 Triple rhyme. 8 00:01:26,212 --> 00:01:31,926 Everything happens to me 9 00:01:36,931 --> 00:01:38,349 Oh, fuck. 10 00:01:42,061 --> 00:01:43,104 Yeah. 11 00:01:43,187 --> 00:01:44,897 WQXR notes the passing 12 00:01:44,980 --> 00:01:47,567 of one of America's foremost songwriters, 13 00:01:47,650 --> 00:01:51,946 Lorenz Hart, who died last night at Doctors Hospital in Manhattan 14 00:01:52,029 --> 00:01:54,073 from complications of pneumonia. 15 00:01:54,156 --> 00:01:56,909 Mr. Hart was 48 years old. 16 00:01:56,992 --> 00:02:00,747 For over 20 years, Hart and his partner, Richard Rodgers, 17 00:02:00,830 --> 00:02:03,499 Rodgers wrote the music, Hart the words, 18 00:02:03,582 --> 00:02:08,713 combined their respective geniuses to create a string of musical-comedy hits. 19 00:02:08,796 --> 00:02:12,008 Often referred to as America's Gilbert and Sullivan, 20 00:02:12,091 --> 00:02:15,303 Rodgers and Hart will be remembered for such songs as, 21 00:02:15,386 --> 00:02:18,264 My Funny Valentine, The Lady Is A Tramp, 22 00:02:18,347 --> 00:02:22,602 Where or When, With A Song In My Heart, Isn't It Romantic?, 23 00:02:22,685 --> 00:02:25,104 My Heart Stood Still, Bewitched, 24 00:02:25,187 --> 00:02:28,191 I Didn't Know What Time It Was, Manhattan, 25 00:02:28,274 --> 00:02:29,692 and Blue Moon. 26 00:02:33,737 --> 00:02:36,073 Okla-Okla-Okla-Okla-Okla 27 00:02:36,156 --> 00:02:38,534 Okla-Okla-Okla-Okla-Okla 28 00:02:38,659 --> 00:02:41,621 We know we belong to the land 29 00:02:41,704 --> 00:02:42,872 Here comes "grand." 30 00:02:42,955 --> 00:02:46,792 And the land we belong to is grand And when we say 31 00:02:47,293 --> 00:02:50,963 Yow! Ayipioeeay! 32 00:02:51,046 --> 00:02:54,509 We're only sayin' "You're doin' fine, Oklahoma!" 33 00:02:54,592 --> 00:02:56,552 I need a drink. 34 00:02:56,635 --> 00:02:58,888 -Lorry. -I'll see you later, Mom. 35 00:02:59,013 --> 00:03:00,138 L-A-H-O-M-A 36 00:03:01,223 --> 00:03:06,229 Oklahoma! 37 00:03:06,312 --> 00:03:07,437 Yow! 38 00:03:50,648 --> 00:03:55,111 All right. For the last time, put the letters on the table. 39 00:03:55,194 --> 00:03:58,197 "If Laszlo and the cause mean that much to you," 40 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:00,074 "you won't stop at anything." 41 00:04:00,950 --> 00:04:03,911 All right, I'll make it easy on you. 42 00:04:04,703 --> 00:04:07,874 "Go ahead, shoot. You'd be doing me a favor." 43 00:04:07,957 --> 00:04:10,626 Just remember, I got this gun pointed at your dick. 44 00:04:10,709 --> 00:04:13,211 Oh. That's my least vulnerable spot. 45 00:04:15,005 --> 00:04:17,508 Jesus Christ! How many times have we seen that picture? 46 00:04:17,591 --> 00:04:19,802 Worst line in Casablanca? 47 00:04:19,885 --> 00:04:23,097 "Well, a precedent is being broken." 48 00:04:23,847 --> 00:04:28,394 "A precedent is being broken"? How can you break a goddamn precedent? 49 00:04:28,477 --> 00:04:31,855 Do they even speak English over there in Hollywood? 50 00:04:32,439 --> 00:04:34,942 Still, you have to love Claude Rains. 51 00:04:35,025 --> 00:04:37,612 He makes that picture. 52 00:04:37,695 --> 00:04:39,488 -Sure. -You know why he's so great? 53 00:04:39,571 --> 00:04:42,283 He's a leading man, and he's short, 54 00:04:42,366 --> 00:04:44,869 which proves you can be both. 55 00:04:44,952 --> 00:04:46,162 And I love this. 56 00:04:46,245 --> 00:04:47,830 He says to Ilsa, 57 00:04:47,913 --> 00:04:52,835 "Mademoiselle, he's the kind of man that, if I were a woman 58 00:04:52,918 --> 00:04:55,962 "and I were not around, I should be in love with Rick." 59 00:04:56,922 --> 00:05:00,259 Think about it. Whom does he end up with at the end of the picture? 60 00:05:00,342 --> 00:05:04,221 Who's strolling away together arm in arm into the fog? 61 00:05:04,304 --> 00:05:05,848 You're saying Rick and Captain Renault... 62 00:05:05,931 --> 00:05:07,224 What do you think goes on over there 63 00:05:07,307 --> 00:05:09,644 at the Free French garrison in Brazzaville? 64 00:05:09,727 --> 00:05:12,021 That is a scene they can't show you. 65 00:05:12,521 --> 00:05:15,065 Okay. Best line in Casablanca? 66 00:05:17,526 --> 00:05:19,695 "Nobody ever loved me that much." 67 00:05:19,778 --> 00:05:21,405 Isn't that magnificent? 68 00:05:21,488 --> 00:05:24,700 Six words. "Nobody ever loved me that much." 69 00:05:24,783 --> 00:05:26,827 And, really, who's ever been loved enough? 70 00:05:26,910 --> 00:05:28,371 Who's ever been loved half enough? 71 00:05:28,454 --> 00:05:29,625 Would you get me a shot? 72 00:05:30,914 --> 00:05:31,958 Larry, you told me under no circumstances... 73 00:05:32,041 --> 00:05:33,000 I'm just going to look at it. 74 00:05:33,083 --> 00:05:34,293 Take the measure 75 00:05:34,376 --> 00:05:36,587 of its amber heft in my hand. 76 00:05:36,670 --> 00:05:39,297 -You told me not... -Just give me the drink. 77 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:46,389 Did I tell you what Elizabeth told me? 78 00:05:46,472 --> 00:05:48,265 That's the girl I'm meeting here tonight. 79 00:05:48,348 --> 00:05:50,184 -You mean the one you... -Eddie, Eddie, Eddie. 80 00:05:50,267 --> 00:05:53,521 -What? -Show some class, all right? 81 00:05:53,604 --> 00:05:55,940 Her mother is going to come walking in here any second. 82 00:05:56,023 --> 00:05:57,608 -Sorry. -Seriously. 83 00:05:57,691 --> 00:06:02,279 I... I adore this girl. And, I'm telling you, this is beyond sex. 84 00:06:02,362 --> 00:06:04,532 -What's beyond sex? -I don't understand it. 85 00:06:04,615 --> 00:06:08,744 She's completely undeserving, but isn't that the way it always is? 86 00:06:08,827 --> 00:06:11,622 "Irrational adoration." That's the phrase she came up with. 87 00:06:11,705 --> 00:06:13,541 She's a poet, too. Did I tell you that? 88 00:06:13,624 --> 00:06:16,127 Oh, and would you give me a shot of club soda? 89 00:06:16,210 --> 00:06:20,089 I'll drink one and admire the other. 90 00:06:20,672 --> 00:06:22,424 So, this girl... 91 00:06:24,259 --> 00:06:26,678 You really, you know, 92 00:06:27,596 --> 00:06:29,765 with a 20-year-old college girl, huh? 93 00:06:29,848 --> 00:06:32,727 It is more complicated than you could possibly imagine. 94 00:06:32,810 --> 00:06:34,353 Uh, leave the bottle. 95 00:06:34,895 --> 00:06:36,731 It's a visual poem. 96 00:06:36,814 --> 00:06:38,357 You're not giving me any details here. 97 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:40,735 You know what my secret goal is for the rest of this year? 98 00:06:40,818 --> 00:06:42,445 -What? -I'm serious. Really. 99 00:06:42,528 --> 00:06:45,823 My secret goal is to stop being so scared. 100 00:06:46,907 --> 00:06:49,660 -Elizabeth Weiland. For... -Those are mine! 101 00:06:49,743 --> 00:06:53,205 Jesus! That is all you get for five dollars? 102 00:06:53,288 --> 00:06:54,956 Plus delivery, yes. 103 00:06:56,750 --> 00:06:58,169 Lorenz Hart? 104 00:06:58,252 --> 00:07:01,338 You know, I kind of think I've heard that name before. 105 00:07:01,421 --> 00:07:05,259 You just earned yourself a dollar tip, kid. 106 00:07:05,342 --> 00:07:07,718 A precedent is being broken. 107 00:07:09,221 --> 00:07:13,559 Hey, she gave this to me. Mailed it all the way from New Haven 108 00:07:13,642 --> 00:07:15,895 because I said I wanted something she'd actually touched. 109 00:07:15,978 --> 00:07:18,355 Christ! It's like I'm 17 again, 110 00:07:18,897 --> 00:07:19,899 except I never was 17. 111 00:07:19,982 --> 00:07:23,026 I went directly from childhood to washed-up. 112 00:07:24,194 --> 00:07:27,706 -Eddie, get the kid a drink, would you? -No thanks. I'm... I'm working. 113 00:07:28,115 --> 00:07:30,117 Oh, Christ, that's when you should be drinking. 114 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:32,328 What's your name? Sven, am I right? 115 00:07:32,411 --> 00:07:34,955 -Troy. -Ooh, even better. 116 00:07:35,038 --> 00:07:36,957 Listen, Sven, are you free tonight? 117 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:38,959 Eddie, would you get the kid a goddamn shot? 118 00:07:39,042 --> 00:07:40,127 -Yeah. -'Cause I am throwing 119 00:07:40,210 --> 00:07:42,630 an enormous party at my place. 120 00:07:42,713 --> 00:07:44,882 All of show business is going to be there. 121 00:07:44,965 --> 00:07:48,636 I've booked the Golden Gate Quartet. I'm serious. 122 00:07:48,719 --> 00:07:50,721 I want you to show up, bring a friend, 123 00:07:50,804 --> 00:07:52,014 bring a dozen friends. 124 00:07:52,097 --> 00:07:55,017 It's going to be like nothing you've ever seen before. 125 00:07:55,100 --> 00:07:58,938 I'm up at the Ardsley, you know? 91st, on the Park. 126 00:07:59,021 --> 00:08:03,150 Just tell the desk clerk that you're with Lorenz Hart's party. 127 00:08:03,233 --> 00:08:05,111 You're going to need to know the password. 128 00:08:05,194 --> 00:08:07,243 -Are you ready for the password? -Mmm-hmm. 129 00:08:10,282 --> 00:08:13,285 "Nobody ever loved me that much." 130 00:08:14,328 --> 00:08:15,704 Slow! Oh. 131 00:08:16,663 --> 00:08:19,081 Now that is a beautiful sight. 132 00:08:21,668 --> 00:08:22,741 What, you don't drink? 133 00:08:23,253 --> 00:08:25,589 After one whole quart of brandy 134 00:08:25,672 --> 00:08:28,759 Like a daisy I awake 135 00:08:29,343 --> 00:08:30,427 You know that song? 136 00:08:30,510 --> 00:08:32,138 Uh, no, no. 137 00:08:32,221 --> 00:08:37,935 My funny Valentine Sweet comic Valentine... 138 00:08:38,018 --> 00:08:40,062 I really don't listen to the radio that much. 139 00:08:40,145 --> 00:08:41,230 You said you know my name! 140 00:08:41,313 --> 00:08:43,899 -You don't know one Rodgers and Hart song? -I know... 141 00:08:43,982 --> 00:08:44,817 I just can't really remember... 142 00:08:44,900 --> 00:08:45,818 I'll take Manhattan 143 00:08:45,901 --> 00:08:47,987 The Bronx and Staten... 144 00:08:48,070 --> 00:08:51,157 We were on the cover of Time Magazine! 145 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:53,992 My picture is on the wall right... 146 00:08:55,077 --> 00:08:56,954 Eddie, where's my picture? 147 00:08:57,037 --> 00:08:58,038 They move 'em around. 148 00:08:58,121 --> 00:09:00,170 -What do you... -Well, how about this one? 149 00:09:02,709 --> 00:09:04,712 Blue moon 150 00:09:04,795 --> 00:09:05,921 I know that one! 151 00:09:06,004 --> 00:09:09,466 You saw me standing alone 152 00:09:10,634 --> 00:09:13,929 Without a dream in my heart 153 00:09:14,596 --> 00:09:17,266 Without a love of my own 154 00:09:17,349 --> 00:09:19,768 Worst goddamn lyric I ever wrote! 155 00:09:19,851 --> 00:09:22,813 -You wrote that? -Wasn't even supposed to be the title. 156 00:09:22,896 --> 00:09:24,315 I like that song. 157 00:09:24,398 --> 00:09:26,483 Hmm. I'll take my tip back. 158 00:09:29,319 --> 00:09:31,487 I want you at my party, Sven! 159 00:09:34,491 --> 00:09:36,410 Doc Bender said to me the other night, 160 00:09:36,493 --> 00:09:39,079 after I told him I'd proposed to Vivienne again, 161 00:09:39,621 --> 00:09:41,081 "She turned me down, again," 162 00:09:41,707 --> 00:09:44,418 he said... "Larry, make up your mind." 163 00:09:44,501 --> 00:09:46,837 "Are you homosexual or heterosexual?" 164 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:49,089 I said, "Doc, I'm am bisexual." 165 00:09:49,172 --> 00:09:50,925 He said... "What the hell does that even mean?" 166 00:09:51,008 --> 00:09:52,676 I said, "It means I can jerk off" 167 00:09:52,759 --> 00:09:54,470 "equally well with either hand." 168 00:09:54,553 --> 00:09:56,513 Oh, Larry! There's a lady present. 169 00:09:56,596 --> 00:09:59,474 Well, women can use either hand, too. 170 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:04,188 But to be a writer, you have to be kind of Omni-sexual, don't you? 171 00:10:04,271 --> 00:10:08,275 You have to have, inside yourself, you know, everyone on earth. 172 00:10:08,358 --> 00:10:10,110 Men, women, horses. 173 00:10:10,193 --> 00:10:13,822 How can you give voice to the whole chorus of the world 174 00:10:13,905 --> 00:10:17,575 if the whole chorus of the world isn't already inside you? 175 00:10:20,037 --> 00:10:25,459 Eddie, what do you call a tireless, relentless homosexual? 176 00:10:25,542 --> 00:10:27,710 "Indefagitable." 177 00:10:29,588 --> 00:10:34,718 To the great and glorious past, when it all mattered so much. 178 00:10:35,802 --> 00:10:37,054 Mmm. 179 00:10:37,137 --> 00:10:38,889 Keep playing. You're good. 180 00:10:39,431 --> 00:10:43,227 -Oh, thank you. I'm an aspiring composer. -"Aspiring"? 181 00:10:43,310 --> 00:10:45,359 -That means you're breathing, right? -Mmm. 182 00:10:46,021 --> 00:10:48,857 I better take your name down in case I need a new partner. 183 00:10:48,940 --> 00:10:51,109 Hey, did you go to the opening tonight? 184 00:10:51,693 --> 00:10:55,281 Oklahoma! With an exclamation point, no less. 185 00:10:55,364 --> 00:10:58,784 Fact. Any title that feels the need for an exclamation point, 186 00:10:58,867 --> 00:11:00,619 you want to steer clear of. 187 00:11:02,412 --> 00:11:03,914 What did you say your name was again? 188 00:11:03,997 --> 00:11:07,293 Uh, Morty Rifkin. But I go by the name of Morty Rafferty. 189 00:11:07,376 --> 00:11:09,961 No one could possibly guess you're Jewish. 190 00:11:17,636 --> 00:11:18,929 Wha'dja think of Oklahoma? 191 00:11:20,263 --> 00:11:23,183 What did I think of Oklahoma? 192 00:11:23,934 --> 00:11:26,312 Well, Knuckles, 193 00:11:26,395 --> 00:11:29,648 Knuckles O'Rifkin, that's what I'm going to call you, 194 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:33,152 I saw the show a couple of times in previews in New Haven, 195 00:11:33,235 --> 00:11:37,197 back when they were still calling it Away We Go! Exclamation point. 196 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:40,325 And I felt sure Dick was gonna call me, 197 00:11:41,118 --> 00:11:43,704 "Larry, we're in big trouble." 198 00:11:43,787 --> 00:11:47,374 "I need you to funny up the show. We need some big comedy numbers." 199 00:11:47,457 --> 00:11:48,834 And I was all ready to say, 200 00:11:48,917 --> 00:11:53,213 "Dick, instead of all this corn-pone Americana," 201 00:11:53,296 --> 00:11:56,425 "let's do a send-up of corn-pone Americana!" 202 00:11:56,508 --> 00:11:59,386 I was already writing lyrics in my head. I couldn't stop. 203 00:11:59,469 --> 00:12:00,637 And did he call you? 204 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:03,807 Are you kidding? He was too busy writing more hits. Huh. 205 00:12:05,434 --> 00:12:08,312 I sat in my box seat tonight and watched 206 00:12:08,395 --> 00:12:11,148 "Oklahomo, exclamation point"... 207 00:12:11,231 --> 00:12:13,650 ...down there, glittering in all its pink lights 208 00:12:13,733 --> 00:12:17,029 and all those cowboy hats and twirling lassos, 209 00:12:17,112 --> 00:12:21,450 and I knew two things with absolute certainty. 210 00:12:21,533 --> 00:12:23,410 It was a 14-karat hit 211 00:12:23,493 --> 00:12:26,914 and it was a 14-karat piece of shit. 212 00:12:26,997 --> 00:12:29,291 Oh. Friend of mine saw it in previews, 213 00:12:29,374 --> 00:12:31,710 said it was one of the best shows he's ever seen. 214 00:12:31,793 --> 00:12:35,672 The show is fraudulent on every possible level. 215 00:12:35,755 --> 00:12:37,925 And this is not jealousy speaking, okay? 216 00:12:38,008 --> 00:12:44,473 I watched that show tonight and I felt this great sinking in my heart. 217 00:12:44,556 --> 00:12:49,520 And all around me people are roaring. They are roaring at third-rate jokes. 218 00:12:49,603 --> 00:12:52,481 I wanted to grab the audience by the shoulders and say, 219 00:12:52,564 --> 00:12:56,776 "What are you laughing at? Come on! Demand more!" And... 220 00:12:57,736 --> 00:12:59,571 Rodgers is a genius. 221 00:12:59,654 --> 00:13:02,241 I say that without one second's hesitation. 222 00:13:02,324 --> 00:13:03,951 You're a piano player. You know that I'm right. 223 00:13:04,034 --> 00:13:05,243 Yeah, he's pretty good. 224 00:13:05,827 --> 00:13:07,037 Pretty good? 225 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:11,500 There is no one with his range, his inventiveness, 226 00:13:11,583 --> 00:13:17,131 great soaring masculine melodies building like pile drivers. 227 00:13:17,214 --> 00:13:19,383 I mean, Rodgers is a cold-hearted son of a bitch, 228 00:13:19,466 --> 00:13:21,176 but he can get a melody to levitate, 229 00:13:21,259 --> 00:13:25,931 and that is the hallmark of great art, levitation. 230 00:13:26,014 --> 00:13:31,228 I've got a beautiful feeling 231 00:13:31,311 --> 00:13:33,730 That's the moment. You hear that? 232 00:13:34,439 --> 00:13:35,691 When your spine glows 233 00:13:35,774 --> 00:13:40,070 and the whole apparatus of songwriting suddenly breaks free from gravity. 234 00:13:40,153 --> 00:13:44,074 There's maybe five people on the planet that can pull that off, 235 00:13:44,157 --> 00:13:46,576 and that son of a bitch is one of 'em. 236 00:13:47,452 --> 00:13:53,040 And then, oy... Words by Oscar Hammerstein II. 237 00:13:54,626 --> 00:13:56,378 What can I say about Oscar? 238 00:13:56,461 --> 00:13:58,839 He's going to come striding in here any second, 239 00:13:58,922 --> 00:14:00,174 all seven and a half feet of him, 240 00:14:00,257 --> 00:14:02,968 and, you know, Dick deliberately went with somebody tall this time, 241 00:14:03,051 --> 00:14:04,845 you know that. 242 00:14:04,928 --> 00:14:06,430 But what can I say about Oscar? 243 00:14:06,513 --> 00:14:09,975 He's so earthbound, 244 00:14:10,058 --> 00:14:13,312 and let's face it, most of us are earthbound. 245 00:14:13,395 --> 00:14:15,856 But there are moments, I swear to God, 246 00:14:15,939 --> 00:14:17,941 there are moments in my work 247 00:14:18,024 --> 00:14:20,110 when I have made something bigger than myself. 248 00:14:20,193 --> 00:14:21,653 I agree, definitely. 249 00:14:21,736 --> 00:14:24,740 Thank you. The words were bigger than the music, 250 00:14:24,823 --> 00:14:26,492 bigger than the characters who sang them, 251 00:14:26,575 --> 00:14:30,203 and they approached, for maybe one-half second, something immortal. 252 00:14:31,204 --> 00:14:33,999 Excuse my limitless self-regard, but they did, 253 00:14:34,082 --> 00:14:37,044 and if nobody else is going to say it, then I'm going to. 254 00:14:37,127 --> 00:14:40,380 I have written a handful of words that are going to cheat death. 255 00:14:40,463 --> 00:14:43,008 Spoken with the modesty of a true lunatic. 256 00:14:43,091 --> 00:14:45,219 Hey! When Shakespeare wrote, 257 00:14:45,302 --> 00:14:47,513 "Not marble nor gilded monuments" 258 00:14:47,596 --> 00:14:50,307 "Of princes shall outlive this powerful rhyme," 259 00:14:50,390 --> 00:14:52,935 did people say, "My God, what an ego"? 260 00:14:53,018 --> 00:14:57,564 No, they said he is a genius, and he knows his work is going to last. 261 00:14:57,647 --> 00:14:58,774 So now you're Shakespeare? 262 00:14:58,857 --> 00:15:02,361 Look, Oklahoma! is going to win the goddamn Pulitzer. I know that. 263 00:15:02,444 --> 00:15:04,738 High schools are going to put it on from now till doomsday, 264 00:15:04,821 --> 00:15:07,616 because it is so inoffensive. 265 00:15:07,699 --> 00:15:10,827 But really, who wants inoffensive art? 266 00:15:10,910 --> 00:15:12,079 Knuckles... 267 00:15:12,162 --> 00:15:14,248 ...are you listening to me? I'm trying to answer your question. 268 00:15:14,331 --> 00:15:17,334 Is that why God put us on the planet, to not offend people? 269 00:15:17,417 --> 00:15:20,170 The problem with Oklahoma! is this, 270 00:15:20,253 --> 00:15:23,173 and the problem was right there in the original play, 271 00:15:23,256 --> 00:15:24,841 Green Grow the Fucking Lilacs. 272 00:15:24,924 --> 00:15:27,511 And Dick first showed that play to me, all right? 273 00:15:27,594 --> 00:15:30,013 He asked me to adapt it first, and I said no, 274 00:15:30,096 --> 00:15:31,848 and I don't mind that it's nostalgic, 275 00:15:31,931 --> 00:15:33,809 but Oklahoma!, exclamation point, 276 00:15:33,892 --> 00:15:37,104 is nostalgic for a world that never existed, 277 00:15:37,187 --> 00:15:42,192 and do you really want to write a show where the main character's name is Curly? 278 00:15:42,275 --> 00:15:44,736 Oh, here's an idea for a song. 279 00:15:44,819 --> 00:15:47,258 "Hey, Moe! Hey, Larry! I Just Stepped in Cow Shit!" 280 00:15:50,909 --> 00:15:52,786 I mean, am I bitter? 281 00:15:54,537 --> 00:15:57,123 We write together for a quarter a century, 282 00:15:57,666 --> 00:16:00,586 and the first show he writes with someone else 283 00:16:00,669 --> 00:16:03,714 is gonna be the biggest hit he ever had. Am I bitter? 284 00:16:03,797 --> 00:16:05,465 -Larry... -Fuck yes. 285 00:16:05,548 --> 00:16:09,177 But I need to tell you about Elizabeth. 286 00:16:09,260 --> 00:16:10,554 I need to cleanse my heart. 287 00:16:10,637 --> 00:16:12,055 Here we go. The 20-year-old... 288 00:16:12,138 --> 00:16:14,224 She's going to come in here any second. 289 00:16:14,974 --> 00:16:17,019 Uh, Rodgers is gonna be here tonight, right? 290 00:16:17,102 --> 00:16:20,188 -Don't worry, I'll introduce you. -Oh, that'd be great. 291 00:16:20,271 --> 00:16:21,898 I'm trying to get somebody to listen to my songs. 292 00:16:21,981 --> 00:16:24,276 Well, listen and learn. 293 00:16:24,359 --> 00:16:27,612 I'm telling you about Elizabeth. 294 00:16:28,697 --> 00:16:30,782 There's something appealingly... 295 00:16:31,783 --> 00:16:33,869 ethereal about her face. 296 00:16:33,952 --> 00:16:35,203 What the fuck does that mean? 297 00:16:35,286 --> 00:16:37,914 Look, I got her all these presents. 298 00:16:37,997 --> 00:16:40,125 You bought her something from Klein's? 299 00:16:40,208 --> 00:16:41,960 She's gonna love this. 300 00:16:42,043 --> 00:16:43,503 Yeah, but that's used shit. What are you doing? 301 00:16:43,586 --> 00:16:44,921 This is an authentic first-edition. 302 00:16:45,004 --> 00:16:46,840 You don't understand the magic 303 00:16:46,923 --> 00:16:48,091 and the mystery of this girl. 304 00:16:48,174 --> 00:16:51,511 "I have been waiting for this my whole life." 305 00:16:52,053 --> 00:16:54,931 It's what Somerset Maugham says in that thing, you remember? 306 00:16:56,474 --> 00:16:57,392 -Me? -Yeah. 307 00:16:57,475 --> 00:17:01,396 "There's always one who loves and one who lets himself be loved." 308 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:03,565 That's the truth, isn't it? 309 00:17:03,648 --> 00:17:04,816 Of course, you know you're in trouble 310 00:17:04,899 --> 00:17:06,318 when you're looking for the meaning of life 311 00:17:06,401 --> 00:17:08,987 in a book with the word "bondage" in the title. 312 00:17:10,321 --> 00:17:11,740 Larry... 313 00:17:14,534 --> 00:17:15,827 She's a girl. Right? 314 00:17:16,369 --> 00:17:19,706 Okay. See, I always thought that your interests went more towards... 315 00:17:20,290 --> 00:17:21,416 My interests? 316 00:17:22,625 --> 00:17:24,544 So now you're going to analyze me? 317 00:17:25,128 --> 00:17:27,005 Thank you, Doctor Bacardi. 318 00:17:27,881 --> 00:17:30,217 Look, I met her at rehearsals for By Jupiter. 319 00:17:30,300 --> 00:17:31,468 And she's not an actress. 320 00:17:31,551 --> 00:17:34,262 She's a college student. Sophomore. 321 00:17:34,345 --> 00:17:37,265 Yale. Not the general school, that's for the guys. 322 00:17:37,348 --> 00:17:40,519 This is the School of Fine Arts! 323 00:17:40,602 --> 00:17:44,064 Bohemian goddesses in gray smocks 324 00:17:44,147 --> 00:17:47,526 mixing paint in morning light. 325 00:17:47,609 --> 00:17:49,652 She's all of 20 years old. 326 00:17:50,195 --> 00:17:51,238 And you're what? 327 00:17:51,321 --> 00:17:53,030 A youthful 47! 328 00:17:55,074 --> 00:17:56,702 You know what I call her in my letters? 329 00:17:56,785 --> 00:18:00,038 "My irreplaceable Elizabeth!" Can you believe it? 330 00:18:00,121 --> 00:18:02,666 If I could write what's in my heart this second, 331 00:18:02,749 --> 00:18:05,627 I would have the entire audience levitating. 332 00:18:05,710 --> 00:18:07,713 Oklahoma! would close in shame 333 00:18:07,796 --> 00:18:10,507 if it could hear eight bars of what's in my heart. 334 00:18:10,590 --> 00:18:12,843 And I've been in eight bars tonight, so I know what I'm talking about. 335 00:18:12,926 --> 00:18:14,260 Go! 336 00:18:14,928 --> 00:18:18,014 Last summer, I found myself awake at 4:30 in the morning. 337 00:18:18,097 --> 00:18:19,975 And all I had done the previous five hours... 338 00:18:20,058 --> 00:18:23,103 What the hell are you lookin' at your watch for? 339 00:18:23,186 --> 00:18:26,189 -Larry, I'm working here. -What the hell do you think I'm doing? 340 00:18:26,272 --> 00:18:28,316 And I'm not even getting paid. All right. 341 00:18:31,945 --> 00:18:32,863 More flowers... 342 00:18:32,946 --> 00:18:34,531 Oh. Eddie, get Sven another drink! 343 00:18:34,614 --> 00:18:36,032 ...for Richard Rodgers. 344 00:18:36,115 --> 00:18:38,160 Jesus, how much did those cost? 345 00:18:38,243 --> 00:18:40,829 Sixteen dollars. Plus delivery. 346 00:18:42,455 --> 00:18:45,542 "Dick, I've got a beautiful feeling, everything's going your way." 347 00:18:45,625 --> 00:18:46,877 "Love, Dorothy." 348 00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:48,628 She's quoting Oscar? 349 00:18:55,718 --> 00:18:59,639 I write with her husband for 24 years, 350 00:18:59,722 --> 00:19:01,725 and she's quoting Oscar? 351 00:19:01,808 --> 00:19:05,437 91st on the Park, The Ardsley. We'll be going late. 352 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:07,522 All right. Well, thanks again, fellas. 353 00:19:11,609 --> 00:19:12,610 Good evening. 354 00:19:24,831 --> 00:19:27,709 Indulge me for one second. 355 00:19:27,792 --> 00:19:30,253 Let me recreate for you, Elizabeth. 356 00:19:30,336 --> 00:19:32,714 Enough! Did you screw her or not? 357 00:19:33,214 --> 00:19:36,301 Show some class, Eddie. Knuckles, may I speak with you? 358 00:19:36,384 --> 00:19:37,677 Oh, sure, yeah. 359 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:39,888 So, did you screw her or not? 360 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:46,936 Elizabeth! 361 00:19:47,979 --> 00:19:48,897 Larry! 362 00:19:48,980 --> 00:19:51,399 My irreplaceable Elizabeth! 363 00:19:51,482 --> 00:19:52,692 I'm so happy to see you. 364 00:19:52,775 --> 00:19:53,944 Ah... 365 00:19:54,027 --> 00:19:56,488 -Do you like the hair? -I love it. 366 00:19:56,571 --> 00:19:58,824 -It's much better than the red. -I think so. 367 00:19:58,907 --> 00:20:02,661 I mean, I liked the red, too. But this is much more other-worldly. 368 00:20:02,744 --> 00:20:03,954 I have to go set up for the party. 369 00:20:04,037 --> 00:20:06,164 No, no, no. I got you some flowers! 370 00:20:06,247 --> 00:20:07,541 Aww. 371 00:20:07,624 --> 00:20:10,293 -I'm overwhelmed. -Well, I have that effect on people. 372 00:20:10,376 --> 00:20:12,754 -I have so much to tell you. -Like what? 373 00:20:12,837 --> 00:20:15,507 -I've been writing in my journal again. -I hope you let me read it. 374 00:20:15,590 --> 00:20:17,467 No, no, no, no. The big one. 375 00:20:21,095 --> 00:20:23,290 And these are what Richard Rodgers is getting? 376 00:20:23,848 --> 00:20:26,810 Larry, my mother would die if she saw this. 377 00:20:26,893 --> 00:20:29,187 -With your permission. -Permission granted. 378 00:20:31,439 --> 00:20:34,025 -That guy I told you about? -Cooper? 379 00:20:35,151 --> 00:20:36,695 -It finally happened. -No! 380 00:20:36,778 --> 00:20:38,112 Yes. 381 00:20:38,905 --> 00:20:42,742 On my birthday. The night of my 20th birthday. 382 00:20:42,825 --> 00:20:45,036 Pretty dramatic actually. You could write a play about it. 383 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:47,205 A musical. He Has Risen. 384 00:20:47,789 --> 00:20:49,749 -Larry... -It's an Easter musical! 385 00:20:49,832 --> 00:20:51,334 It's very religious! 386 00:20:52,752 --> 00:20:54,588 Let me clarify by saying it almost happened. 387 00:20:54,671 --> 00:20:55,881 Clarify immediately! 388 00:20:55,964 --> 00:20:58,174 -I'm gonna tell you the whole story later. -No, no, I demand 389 00:20:58,257 --> 00:21:00,510 to know the shorthand version now. 390 00:21:01,260 --> 00:21:03,162 -The shorthand version? Okay. -Mmm-hmm. 391 00:21:05,181 --> 00:21:07,600 The skin on his back was flawless. 392 00:21:08,142 --> 00:21:09,143 Gotta run. 393 00:21:10,311 --> 00:21:12,981 You're going to introduce me to Richard Rodgers, right? 394 00:21:13,064 --> 00:21:14,065 Before the evening is over, 395 00:21:14,148 --> 00:21:16,359 you're going to get a huge handful of Dick. 396 00:21:16,442 --> 00:21:18,361 Larry! You're so vulgar! 397 00:21:19,946 --> 00:21:22,115 Handful of Dick, that's funny. 398 00:21:22,198 --> 00:21:23,408 -Hey... -Hmm. 399 00:21:25,702 --> 00:21:28,204 I'm writing an entire musical about her. 400 00:21:28,287 --> 00:21:32,083 It's inspired by those Frank Capra war pictures Why We Fight. 401 00:21:32,166 --> 00:21:33,501 This one will be called 402 00:21:34,127 --> 00:21:36,254 Why We Fuck. 403 00:21:36,337 --> 00:21:39,049 And the big ballad at the end will be 404 00:21:39,132 --> 00:21:41,925 The Skin On His Back Was Flawless. 405 00:21:44,137 --> 00:21:45,847 Of course, when you're 20, 406 00:21:45,930 --> 00:21:49,184 what other commodity do you have to trade in on except your body? 407 00:21:49,267 --> 00:21:51,644 You haven't done anything, right? 408 00:21:52,770 --> 00:21:56,065 Can you imagine what Elizabeth would write if she saw my back? 409 00:21:57,358 --> 00:21:59,235 "The skin on his back" 410 00:21:59,318 --> 00:22:02,656 "looked like a white bed sheet someone had thrown-up on." 411 00:22:02,739 --> 00:22:06,868 "His pecker looked like the horn of a retarded unicorn." 412 00:22:10,371 --> 00:22:11,539 Just one... 413 00:22:12,665 --> 00:22:14,709 to get me through congratulating him. 414 00:22:14,792 --> 00:22:16,127 Larry. 415 00:22:17,378 --> 00:22:22,425 To the skin on her back like every other part of her, 416 00:22:22,508 --> 00:22:24,177 flawless. 417 00:22:27,096 --> 00:22:28,348 Wow. 418 00:22:28,431 --> 00:22:33,895 How can so much pleasure be compressed into so small a container? 419 00:22:33,978 --> 00:22:37,273 That's it. Absolutely no more. Agreed? 420 00:22:43,071 --> 00:22:45,031 God! I miss Gershwin. 421 00:22:49,077 --> 00:22:53,623 I bet I saw Porgy and Bess more times than any other person in this city. 422 00:22:53,706 --> 00:22:55,625 Best line in Porgy, 423 00:22:55,708 --> 00:22:59,712 "When Gawd made cripple, He mean him to be lonely." 424 00:23:02,507 --> 00:23:04,634 Did you ever think your entire life is a play... 425 00:23:04,717 --> 00:23:06,302 -Hmm. -...and that, you know, 426 00:23:06,385 --> 00:23:07,887 99% of the people in it, 427 00:23:07,970 --> 00:23:09,389 they got no lines, you know? 428 00:23:09,472 --> 00:23:12,058 They're just like extras. 429 00:23:12,141 --> 00:23:16,813 And you, you're just an extra in their play. 430 00:23:17,313 --> 00:23:19,274 Deep. Very deep. 431 00:23:19,357 --> 00:23:21,234 -I got thoughts, too, you know. -Really? 432 00:23:21,317 --> 00:23:22,569 I thought you were just an extra. 433 00:23:22,652 --> 00:23:25,196 Will somebody get these fucking flowers off my bar? 434 00:23:25,738 --> 00:23:26,739 Okay! 435 00:23:30,326 --> 00:23:32,161 You've got to see her as I did. 436 00:23:33,079 --> 00:23:35,623 -I just seen her. -No, the first time. 437 00:23:35,706 --> 00:23:37,375 If you can't see that, 438 00:23:37,458 --> 00:23:40,503 you can't understand what this whole night is about. 439 00:23:40,586 --> 00:23:42,172 I'm beginning to think you didn't screw her. 440 00:23:42,255 --> 00:23:46,051 I want to practice this trick on you before I do it for her. 441 00:23:46,134 --> 00:23:47,719 And I'm not showing it to her as a trick. 442 00:23:47,802 --> 00:23:51,973 I'm showing it to her as an experiment to prove 443 00:23:52,056 --> 00:23:54,434 there's an extra-sensory link between us. 444 00:23:54,517 --> 00:23:56,144 She believes in all that horseshit, you know, 445 00:23:56,227 --> 00:23:58,354 talking for 20 minutes about psychokinesis. 446 00:23:58,437 --> 00:24:00,148 I don't understand a fucking word she's saying. 447 00:24:00,231 --> 00:24:02,358 I'm sitting there, nodding, thinking, 448 00:24:02,441 --> 00:24:05,110 "Is she really wearing a grape-colored brassiere?" 449 00:24:07,822 --> 00:24:10,784 And later, I'm going to teach you boys my own card game. 450 00:24:10,867 --> 00:24:13,703 -Cocksucker's Rummy! -Larry, language. 451 00:24:13,786 --> 00:24:15,663 Ooh, you're offended by the word "cocksucker"? 452 00:24:15,746 --> 00:24:17,916 All right, I won't use it. I give you my word 453 00:24:17,999 --> 00:24:19,375 as a cocksucker. 454 00:24:19,458 --> 00:24:23,088 But let me tell you about the first time I saw her. 455 00:24:23,171 --> 00:24:24,798 I think I'd rather see the card trick. 456 00:24:24,881 --> 00:24:26,299 Me, too. 457 00:24:26,382 --> 00:24:29,302 You know what the sexiest thing on the planet earth is? 458 00:24:30,219 --> 00:24:31,805 A half-erect penis. 459 00:24:31,888 --> 00:24:33,723 Jesus Christ, Larry, nobody wants to hear this. 460 00:24:33,806 --> 00:24:34,891 I'm not talking to you. 461 00:24:34,974 --> 00:24:36,226 -Who you talking to? -Me. 462 00:24:36,309 --> 00:24:38,353 I got to talk to somebody interesting. I mean it, though. 463 00:24:38,436 --> 00:24:40,814 A half-erect penis is a promise. 464 00:24:40,897 --> 00:24:43,942 A fully-erect penis is an exclamation point. 465 00:24:44,025 --> 00:24:47,529 As a writer, it offends me. It's too loud, it's too adolescent. 466 00:24:47,612 --> 00:24:49,030 The story's already over. 467 00:24:49,113 --> 00:24:53,783 But a half-erect penis, is it going or is it coming? 468 00:24:56,412 --> 00:25:01,000 But women appeal to me precisely for their absence of penises. 469 00:25:01,083 --> 00:25:02,168 Me, too. 470 00:25:02,752 --> 00:25:06,631 Oh, they live in a much more interesting emotional landscape than we do. 471 00:25:06,714 --> 00:25:09,384 A landscape we can only dream about. 472 00:25:09,467 --> 00:25:12,387 But this evening is not about landscapes. 473 00:25:12,470 --> 00:25:15,515 It's a portrait of Elizabeth, and only Elizabeth. 474 00:25:15,598 --> 00:25:16,641 Here we fucking go again. 475 00:25:16,724 --> 00:25:18,434 Wait, you saw that she was beautiful, right? 476 00:25:18,517 --> 00:25:22,563 I mean, if not classically beautiful, then, what's the right word... 477 00:25:25,524 --> 00:25:26,567 Nice tits. 478 00:25:27,485 --> 00:25:30,987 Small but very inviting. 479 00:25:32,073 --> 00:25:33,658 I wish I could paint her. 480 00:25:33,741 --> 00:25:37,871 That seems to me the most intimate way of looking at a person. 481 00:25:37,954 --> 00:25:39,455 At the same time, the least sentimental. 482 00:25:39,538 --> 00:25:42,333 To accurately reproduce the planes of her face, 483 00:25:42,416 --> 00:25:45,628 the two tiny freckles on her left cheek. 484 00:25:47,380 --> 00:25:50,383 You look familiar. I've seen your picture somewhere. 485 00:25:51,842 --> 00:25:52,843 You're a writer? 486 00:25:55,096 --> 00:25:57,765 Well, then you will appreciate this story. 487 00:25:57,848 --> 00:25:59,766 Because it concerns the... 488 00:26:03,187 --> 00:26:04,188 Ineffable? 489 00:26:05,231 --> 00:26:07,025 That's the perfect word. 490 00:26:07,108 --> 00:26:09,818 Christ! You're E.B. White! You're "Andy" White! 491 00:26:12,113 --> 00:26:15,909 I cannot tell you how much I enjoy your essays. 492 00:26:15,992 --> 00:26:18,369 Nothing has given me more pleasure. 493 00:26:18,452 --> 00:26:20,788 -I'm in love with your language. -Thank you. 494 00:26:20,871 --> 00:26:22,081 I'm in love with your punctuation. 495 00:26:22,164 --> 00:26:23,750 You can't move a single comma. Am I right? 496 00:26:23,833 --> 00:26:26,169 I mean, you're a musician, White. 497 00:26:26,252 --> 00:26:27,378 You're the musician. 498 00:26:27,461 --> 00:26:31,966 You know, you, above all people, will appreciate this story. 499 00:26:32,049 --> 00:26:34,344 This girl, Elizabeth. 500 00:26:34,427 --> 00:26:37,138 I... I can't do my act for her. You know what I mean? 501 00:26:37,221 --> 00:26:40,183 She wouldn't be interested. She never asks me about me. 502 00:26:40,266 --> 00:26:43,186 Never. And it isn't so much indifference, I think, 503 00:26:43,269 --> 00:26:44,854 as much as we both recognize 504 00:26:44,937 --> 00:26:47,023 that she's legitimately more interesting than I am. 505 00:26:47,106 --> 00:26:48,816 And I genuinely mean that. 506 00:26:48,899 --> 00:26:50,735 Did you guys see her hair? 507 00:26:50,818 --> 00:26:54,489 That's what I first noticed when she walked into the theater last July. 508 00:26:54,572 --> 00:26:57,700 It was as if she were breathing different air than I was. 509 00:26:58,617 --> 00:27:00,787 -I like that. -I'm telling you, White, 510 00:27:00,870 --> 00:27:03,164 she would make a great musical! 511 00:27:03,247 --> 00:27:06,584 And not one goddamn corn stalk in the whole show! 512 00:27:06,667 --> 00:27:09,420 And, hey, fellas, just for the record, 513 00:27:09,503 --> 00:27:12,757 "The corn is as high as an elephant's eye" 514 00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:17,095 is the stupidest lyric in the history of American songwriting. 515 00:27:17,178 --> 00:27:19,639 Yes, it makes perfect sense, and, yes, it scans, 516 00:27:19,722 --> 00:27:23,685 but the image of an Oklahoma cornfield 517 00:27:23,768 --> 00:27:26,562 with a fucking elephant standing in the middle of it? 518 00:27:26,645 --> 00:27:29,107 -I like elephants. -Yeah, we all like elephants, Eddie. 519 00:27:29,190 --> 00:27:31,025 Look, Andy, I need you to see this. 520 00:27:31,108 --> 00:27:32,735 I'm listening to her talk, 521 00:27:32,818 --> 00:27:34,821 but I couldn't tell you a single word she said 522 00:27:34,904 --> 00:27:36,864 'cause all I'm really thinking is, 523 00:27:36,947 --> 00:27:39,534 "Wait till you feel the warmth of her glance," 524 00:27:39,617 --> 00:27:42,412 "pensive and sweet and wise." 525 00:27:42,495 --> 00:27:46,708 I was writing about her when I wrote that lyric. 526 00:27:46,791 --> 00:27:50,669 Three perfect words, in the perfect order. 527 00:27:51,337 --> 00:27:55,466 And, you tell me, what other lyricist could've gotten away with "pensive"? 528 00:27:55,549 --> 00:27:56,634 What song was that? 529 00:27:57,301 --> 00:27:59,345 Just telling you, when I'm good, I'm really good. 530 00:27:59,428 --> 00:28:01,889 Just the sound of it! That's what a writer does. 531 00:28:01,972 --> 00:28:06,977 We wear our vulnerability like a cloak for all the world to witness. 532 00:28:07,728 --> 00:28:09,105 I like the word "cloak." 533 00:28:09,188 --> 00:28:11,148 That's 'cause it's an antique like us. 534 00:28:11,899 --> 00:28:13,265 Can I get you another drink? 535 00:28:15,736 --> 00:28:16,779 Sure. Why not? 536 00:28:16,862 --> 00:28:19,073 I can think of a thousand reasons why not, 537 00:28:19,156 --> 00:28:21,326 but they can't compete with the reasons why. 538 00:28:21,409 --> 00:28:24,037 Eddie, pass the Lord and praise the house physician! 539 00:28:24,120 --> 00:28:26,539 Another round! Just a little, just... 540 00:28:28,541 --> 00:28:32,170 You know what I loved in that essay you wrote about Florida? 541 00:28:32,253 --> 00:28:33,337 That line. 542 00:28:34,046 --> 00:28:39,135 "The sea answers all questions and always the same way..." 543 00:28:39,218 --> 00:28:41,554 "'So soon?'" 544 00:28:41,637 --> 00:28:43,056 Jesus. 545 00:28:43,139 --> 00:28:47,017 To take a sound and transform it into what? 546 00:28:48,144 --> 00:28:50,229 A sigh of eternity. 547 00:28:51,439 --> 00:28:52,898 My diminutive gift. 548 00:28:54,024 --> 00:28:59,447 To the poetry that pours down on us from a thousand unexpected sources. 549 00:28:59,530 --> 00:29:00,948 To your poetry. 550 00:29:01,824 --> 00:29:02,783 Hmm. 551 00:29:06,996 --> 00:29:09,832 Look, she's 20, I'm 47. 552 00:29:09,915 --> 00:29:12,794 Let's discuss this like two sensible alcoholics. 553 00:29:12,877 --> 00:29:16,672 It was in the beginning, everything was exactly as it seemed. 554 00:29:16,755 --> 00:29:19,592 I was her mentor, and I suppose I was, you know, 555 00:29:19,675 --> 00:29:22,011 the "grand old man" of the theater in her eyes. 556 00:29:22,094 --> 00:29:24,764 I'm over at the Shubert rehearsing By Jupiter, 557 00:29:24,847 --> 00:29:26,891 the show is a holy mess. 558 00:29:26,974 --> 00:29:29,185 And I'm having this debate with Johnny Green 559 00:29:29,268 --> 00:29:30,978 about the lyrics to Give My Regards to Broadway. 560 00:29:31,061 --> 00:29:35,316 I remember, as a kid, falling in love with that song. 561 00:29:35,399 --> 00:29:38,319 Give my regards to old Broadway 562 00:29:38,402 --> 00:29:41,072 And say that I'll be there 'ere long 563 00:29:41,155 --> 00:29:44,033 I knew instantly, even as a kid, 564 00:29:44,116 --> 00:29:47,912 that what gave that line its speed, its inevitability, was the inner rhyme. 565 00:29:47,995 --> 00:29:50,665 And not just the "there, 'ere." But the other one. The "way, say." 566 00:29:50,748 --> 00:29:52,417 The line should logically be, 567 00:29:52,500 --> 00:29:55,253 "Give my regards to old Broadway and tell them that I'll be there." 568 00:29:55,336 --> 00:29:58,005 But to change the verb to "say," 569 00:29:59,423 --> 00:30:00,740 it made all the difference. 570 00:30:01,300 --> 00:30:02,967 Knuckles, do you know any Cohan? 571 00:30:04,637 --> 00:30:08,599 Over there! Over there! 572 00:30:08,682 --> 00:30:12,520 Send the word, send the word Over there 573 00:30:12,603 --> 00:30:17,108 That the Yanks are coming! The Yanks are coming! 574 00:30:17,191 --> 00:30:21,070 The drum drum-drumming everywhere... 575 00:30:21,153 --> 00:30:25,116 We'll be over We're coming over! 576 00:30:25,199 --> 00:30:29,954 And we won't come back 'till it's over, over there! 577 00:30:30,037 --> 00:30:32,206 You know what the Yanks really sang in the Great War? 578 00:30:32,289 --> 00:30:35,584 "We won't come back. We'll be buried over there!" 579 00:30:37,378 --> 00:30:38,629 And they were. 580 00:30:39,296 --> 00:30:43,300 Total number of deaths in the Great War, 37 million. 581 00:30:44,843 --> 00:30:49,015 I think maybe the adjective "great" should never precede the word "war." 582 00:30:49,098 --> 00:30:50,933 Amen to that. 583 00:30:51,016 --> 00:30:54,061 What does God think when he looks down on his creation 584 00:30:54,144 --> 00:30:56,230 and sees that under the noblest of motives, 585 00:30:56,313 --> 00:30:59,150 we sent 37 million people to their grave? 586 00:30:59,233 --> 00:31:01,986 That's why it's raining all the time. God is weeping. 587 00:31:02,820 --> 00:31:04,697 Well, I'm a patriot. I am. 588 00:31:04,780 --> 00:31:06,824 I mean, you're a soldier. God bless you. 589 00:31:06,907 --> 00:31:09,368 But how many are going to die this time around? 590 00:31:09,451 --> 00:31:11,500 Will we even be able to put a number on it? 591 00:31:12,162 --> 00:31:14,749 I'm on leave. Taking care of my mother. 592 00:31:14,832 --> 00:31:16,459 She's more terrified than I am. 593 00:31:16,542 --> 00:31:17,752 When do you ship out? 594 00:31:17,835 --> 00:31:21,250 In two weeks, they're sending me back to that hotbed of enemy activity. 595 00:31:22,006 --> 00:31:23,257 Bradley Beach, New Jersey. 596 00:31:23,340 --> 00:31:25,176 I'm teaching Morse code at the Hotel Grossman. 597 00:31:25,259 --> 00:31:29,472 Bradley Beach, where enemy agents stroll the boardwalk 598 00:31:29,555 --> 00:31:32,808 disguised as elderly Jewish women in furs. 599 00:31:32,891 --> 00:31:33,893 I used to play hide the sausage 600 00:31:33,976 --> 00:31:35,770 with a girl from Bradley Beach. 601 00:31:35,853 --> 00:31:36,937 Oh, yeah? 602 00:31:37,521 --> 00:31:39,982 Did you read that piece in Life about Guadalcanal? 603 00:31:40,065 --> 00:31:42,109 -Mm-mm. -How before the battle, 604 00:31:42,192 --> 00:31:44,195 the soldiers were skipping silver dollars in the water 605 00:31:44,278 --> 00:31:45,613 instead of stones 606 00:31:46,071 --> 00:31:48,324 'cause they knew they were never coming back. 607 00:31:51,493 --> 00:31:53,746 I couldn't enlist. My eyes. 608 00:31:53,829 --> 00:31:55,873 What's the matter? They open? 609 00:31:57,499 --> 00:32:00,586 Speaking of people who are not coming back, 610 00:32:00,669 --> 00:32:02,254 I would like you to read this. 611 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:04,539 It's from the By Jupiter playbill. 612 00:32:11,180 --> 00:32:12,181 Out loud! 613 00:32:17,102 --> 00:32:18,187 Uh... 614 00:32:18,270 --> 00:32:19,647 "Rodgers and Hart, 615 00:32:19,730 --> 00:32:22,267 "they're as different as a dachshund and a dromedary." 616 00:32:22,399 --> 00:32:26,028 "One likes opera and home life, the other goes for night clubs and people." 617 00:32:26,612 --> 00:32:28,114 "One is married and has two children," 618 00:32:28,197 --> 00:32:30,199 "the other is single and supports bartenders." 619 00:32:30,282 --> 00:32:31,784 You're welcome, Eddie. 620 00:32:33,243 --> 00:32:35,621 "The little fella, that's Larry, smokes cigars," 621 00:32:35,704 --> 00:32:38,291 "big, black, small, brown, any kind." 622 00:32:38,374 --> 00:32:41,043 "While Dick, that's Rodgers, only uses cigarettes." 623 00:32:41,627 --> 00:32:45,464 "One goes to bed about 4:30 every morning, the other never dissipates." 624 00:32:45,547 --> 00:32:47,800 Perfect verb, right? Mmm. 625 00:32:48,759 --> 00:32:51,012 "Despite their physical and temperamental differences, however," 626 00:32:51,095 --> 00:32:53,924 "their intellects complement each other like ham and eggs." 627 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:57,351 "Their individual songs number well over a thousand." 628 00:32:57,434 --> 00:32:58,519 A thousand songs? 629 00:32:59,436 --> 00:33:01,272 "They disagree violently, but they never fight," 630 00:33:01,355 --> 00:33:04,358 "and in the 20-odd years they've been practicing their craft," 631 00:33:04,441 --> 00:33:06,527 "they have never worked with anyone but each other..." 632 00:33:06,610 --> 00:33:07,695 Until now. 633 00:33:08,946 --> 00:33:10,114 Impressive. 634 00:33:10,656 --> 00:33:11,907 I wrote it myself. 635 00:33:11,990 --> 00:33:16,161 And not one single mention of Blue fucking Moon. 636 00:33:17,162 --> 00:33:21,208 I sent Elizabeth some of my sheet music. No response. I don't get it. 637 00:33:21,291 --> 00:33:22,293 She's a bitch. 638 00:33:22,376 --> 00:33:24,920 That's what they're gonna put on my tombstone. 639 00:33:25,003 --> 00:33:28,382 -"She's a bitch"? -"Lorenz Milton Hart. 640 00:33:29,049 --> 00:33:30,009 "He didn't get it." 641 00:33:30,092 --> 00:33:31,927 And people will come to my grave site and say, "You know what?" 642 00:33:32,010 --> 00:33:34,305 -"I didn't get it either." -I definitely didn't get it. 643 00:33:34,388 --> 00:33:37,642 -Hey, Larr, I get it! -So, listen. 644 00:33:37,725 --> 00:33:40,061 Elizabeth and I had a weekend. 645 00:33:40,144 --> 00:33:41,604 We actually did. 646 00:33:41,687 --> 00:33:45,983 One passionate, transcendent weekend, end of last summer 647 00:33:46,066 --> 00:33:47,735 before she went back to Yale. 648 00:33:48,235 --> 00:33:54,075 It's the closest I've ever felt in my life to pure selflessness. 649 00:33:54,158 --> 00:33:56,452 It was nuanced, it was deep. 650 00:33:56,535 --> 00:33:58,245 How deep exactly? 651 00:33:58,328 --> 00:34:00,748 Listen, clown. I met her, 652 00:34:00,831 --> 00:34:04,209 and the first thing I said to her was, "Excuse me," 653 00:34:04,793 --> 00:34:08,087 "but you have the best style of anyone in this theater." 654 00:34:09,423 --> 00:34:11,384 I wish I had a photograph of that moment. 655 00:34:11,467 --> 00:34:15,052 I wish I had a photograph of every moment I've spent with her. 656 00:34:16,054 --> 00:34:20,434 I'm having trouble getting this right. I'm trying to pin down... 657 00:34:21,435 --> 00:34:23,687 Oh, Andy, help me. What's the right word? 658 00:34:24,396 --> 00:34:25,396 Enchantment? 659 00:34:26,732 --> 00:34:28,400 And you know how hard that is. 660 00:34:29,359 --> 00:34:32,780 I couldn't believe that it was me she wanted to talk to. 661 00:34:32,863 --> 00:34:34,573 I kept looking around the theater, 662 00:34:34,656 --> 00:34:36,867 there must be somebody else she's interested in. 663 00:34:36,950 --> 00:34:40,329 But no! She's plunking herself down in the theater seat right next to me, 664 00:34:40,412 --> 00:34:43,582 as close as modesty will allow. 665 00:34:43,665 --> 00:34:46,669 And my heart is actually racing. 666 00:34:46,752 --> 00:34:50,089 And I don't ever feel this way, not for men or for women. 667 00:34:50,172 --> 00:34:55,010 But she's wearing this yellow sundress, 668 00:34:55,093 --> 00:34:57,763 and it is hot in the theater. 669 00:34:57,846 --> 00:34:59,807 And she's talking to me for hours. 670 00:34:59,890 --> 00:35:02,977 Bare leg draped over the armrest. 671 00:35:03,060 --> 00:35:05,521 And I know this sounds like I'm some middle-aged putz 672 00:35:05,604 --> 00:35:07,064 with a crush on a pretty co-ed, 673 00:35:07,147 --> 00:35:09,024 and maybe that's what it is. 674 00:35:09,107 --> 00:35:10,359 But you know something? 675 00:35:10,943 --> 00:35:15,364 Maybe that's not what it is. 676 00:35:15,447 --> 00:35:18,534 Sometimes I feel... and don't laugh, 677 00:35:19,201 --> 00:35:23,705 after a lifetime of blindly colliding into strangers, 678 00:35:24,456 --> 00:35:26,041 we've finally found a friend. 679 00:35:27,417 --> 00:35:29,628 Maybe that's the definition of enchantment. 680 00:35:30,462 --> 00:35:33,758 One light-filled weekend! 681 00:35:33,841 --> 00:35:36,719 I've got to finish telling you this before she comes back. 682 00:35:36,802 --> 00:35:38,220 Are you listening to me? 683 00:35:38,303 --> 00:35:40,014 Yeah, she got her legs draped over the thing. 684 00:35:40,097 --> 00:35:42,725 It was as if all the love lyrics I had ever written 685 00:35:42,808 --> 00:35:46,979 had, like, some sort of verbal ectoplasm, suddenly taken human form. 686 00:35:47,062 --> 00:35:48,063 Ecto what? 687 00:35:48,146 --> 00:35:49,148 That might be her mother. 688 00:35:49,231 --> 00:35:50,774 She cannot hear this. 689 00:35:51,859 --> 00:35:52,902 What about me? 690 00:35:52,985 --> 00:35:54,528 You're just an extra. 691 00:35:54,611 --> 00:35:56,113 Okay, but I still get paid, right? 692 00:35:56,196 --> 00:35:57,948 Absolutely. 693 00:35:58,991 --> 00:36:01,577 It's important to me that I nail this down. 694 00:36:02,369 --> 00:36:04,622 It was a boiling hot summer weekend, 695 00:36:04,705 --> 00:36:08,250 and I asked, with all the casualness I could counterfeit, 696 00:36:08,333 --> 00:36:11,879 if she'd like to, you know, escape the heat of the city, 697 00:36:11,962 --> 00:36:14,590 spend the weekend with me on Lake Dunmore in Vermont. 698 00:36:14,673 --> 00:36:18,344 And without a moment's hesitation she said, 699 00:36:18,427 --> 00:36:19,802 "I'd love to, Larry." 700 00:36:21,013 --> 00:36:23,891 Oh, I'm telling you, Andy, this is my type of girl. 701 00:36:23,974 --> 00:36:26,227 I'm sorry, excuse me, I'm babbling, 702 00:36:26,310 --> 00:36:31,690 but how else do you describe the actual present tense 703 00:36:31,773 --> 00:36:33,358 of falling in love? 704 00:36:34,610 --> 00:36:35,819 Is that what this is? 705 00:36:36,945 --> 00:36:40,324 Maybe. I mean, I haven't done anything wrong, okay? 706 00:36:40,407 --> 00:36:44,286 I haven't violated the Mann Act or even the Middle-Aged Man Act. 707 00:36:44,369 --> 00:36:46,247 I bought her this painting of Lake Dunmore, 708 00:36:46,330 --> 00:36:48,165 bought it off this old salt Vermonter. 709 00:36:48,248 --> 00:36:51,126 I bought it so that she might remember. 710 00:36:51,209 --> 00:36:53,355 I once did a little canoeing up around there. 711 00:36:53,962 --> 00:36:55,589 Hey, Larry! 712 00:36:59,468 --> 00:37:00,552 And then? 713 00:37:01,428 --> 00:37:04,306 Act Three. Later that day, 714 00:37:05,015 --> 00:37:06,642 she's in the warmth of the cabin. 715 00:37:06,725 --> 00:37:10,020 There's a pennant from Fort Ticonderoga pinned to the wall. 716 00:37:10,103 --> 00:37:14,692 She's wearing this blue men's work shirt with the sleeves rolled up. 717 00:37:14,775 --> 00:37:18,487 All of her suddenly available to me, 718 00:37:18,570 --> 00:37:22,324 this gift of youth and brain 719 00:37:22,407 --> 00:37:24,034 and clavicle. 720 00:37:24,117 --> 00:37:26,453 I touched her shoulder, 721 00:37:27,621 --> 00:37:30,165 and as some hack once scribbled, 722 00:37:30,248 --> 00:37:32,209 "My heart stood still." 723 00:37:33,251 --> 00:37:36,213 She took my hand and said, "Larry", 724 00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:39,758 "let's save this for another day." 725 00:37:41,176 --> 00:37:42,803 And all I can tell you, my friend, 726 00:37:42,886 --> 00:37:48,809 is there is a real possibility that tonight is "another day." 727 00:37:54,231 --> 00:37:57,566 Clearing back a little bit. Ladies, beautiful, beautiful! 728 00:37:58,652 --> 00:38:01,405 Rodgers! Rodgers! 729 00:38:01,822 --> 00:38:03,073 Yeah, beautiful! 730 00:38:03,824 --> 00:38:04,825 Okay. 731 00:38:05,617 --> 00:38:06,744 I appreciate that. Thanks. 732 00:38:06,827 --> 00:38:07,870 Hey, thank you so much. 733 00:38:07,953 --> 00:38:09,371 I appreciate it. Thank you. 734 00:38:09,454 --> 00:38:10,539 Bravo! 735 00:38:12,374 --> 00:38:14,460 Thank you so much. 736 00:38:14,543 --> 00:38:17,462 Now, time for the real performance of the evening. 737 00:38:26,221 --> 00:38:28,682 Eddie, Eddie. Eddie, get rid of this! 738 00:38:33,228 --> 00:38:34,396 Hey. 739 00:38:34,479 --> 00:38:35,731 So, did he fuck her or not? 740 00:38:35,814 --> 00:38:37,191 He thinks tonight might be the night. 741 00:38:37,274 --> 00:38:41,278 Oh... Larry. Larry, Larry. 742 00:38:41,945 --> 00:38:43,780 What do you think she sees in him? 743 00:38:44,322 --> 00:38:47,451 I think she sees a rich and famous guy who can help her career. 744 00:38:48,785 --> 00:38:51,080 I think she recognizes she's being adored 745 00:38:51,163 --> 00:38:53,957 by one of the great appreciators of beauty. 746 00:38:54,875 --> 00:38:57,002 -You know what else I think? -Yeah? 747 00:38:57,919 --> 00:39:00,089 I think she is wearing a grape-colored brassiere. 748 00:39:00,172 --> 00:39:03,091 All right, Rodgers. Gentlemen, please let's get one. 749 00:39:03,967 --> 00:39:06,428 Beautiful. Come on. All right, big smile! 750 00:39:07,304 --> 00:39:09,306 -Beautiful. -Dick! Dick! 751 00:39:09,389 --> 00:39:13,060 My God! The show is going to run 20 years! 752 00:39:13,143 --> 00:39:15,854 It's going to be bigger than Abie's Irish Rose! 753 00:39:15,937 --> 00:39:18,691 -We'll see. -And much more goyish, so it can tour. 754 00:39:18,774 --> 00:39:20,526 Well, thanks for coming, Larry. 755 00:39:20,609 --> 00:39:22,152 -Oh, Oscar! -Larry. 756 00:39:22,235 --> 00:39:24,989 You get taller every time I see you. 757 00:39:25,072 --> 00:39:27,783 What can I say? The lyrics are brilliant. 758 00:39:27,866 --> 00:39:31,412 Poetic when they need to be poetic, funny when they need to be funny. 759 00:39:31,495 --> 00:39:34,832 Not a rhyme out of place, easy on the ear. 760 00:39:34,915 --> 00:39:37,960 I'm just a fool when lights are low 761 00:39:38,043 --> 00:39:40,671 Perfect! Did you hear me applauding? 762 00:39:40,754 --> 00:39:42,798 I think you were the loudest person in the entire theater! 763 00:39:42,881 --> 00:39:45,592 That's because I loved it more than anyone else in the entire theater! 764 00:39:45,675 --> 00:39:47,594 -Let me get you boys a drink. -Oh, no, thank you. 765 00:39:47,677 --> 00:39:49,805 -Um... -Larry, you got two minutes? 766 00:39:49,888 --> 00:39:51,056 Give us a minute. 767 00:39:51,139 --> 00:39:52,390 Excuse us, Oscar. 768 00:39:57,604 --> 00:39:58,605 Um... 769 00:40:00,065 --> 00:40:01,233 So, uh, Dwight Wiman and I 770 00:40:01,316 --> 00:40:03,152 have been talking about bringing back A Connecticut Yankee. 771 00:40:03,235 --> 00:40:04,236 Terrific! 772 00:40:04,319 --> 00:40:06,864 Yeah, I'm thinking of asking Vivienne Segal. 773 00:40:06,947 --> 00:40:09,867 Oh! Mein Gott! Oh, it's gonna run longer than Oklahoma! 774 00:40:09,950 --> 00:40:11,577 I'll buy 50 seats myself. 775 00:40:11,660 --> 00:40:14,537 I've got a new title, Ohh, Camelot! 776 00:40:15,789 --> 00:40:17,624 Well, I think we're gonna stick with A Connecticut Yankee. 777 00:40:17,707 --> 00:40:19,418 Camelot Exclamation Point? 778 00:40:19,501 --> 00:40:21,420 Okay, come on. I'm being serious here. 779 00:40:21,503 --> 00:40:23,922 I'm always serious. That's why people find me so funny. 780 00:40:24,005 --> 00:40:26,717 So I was thinking, if you feel up to working, then maybe... 781 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:28,427 -I've never felt better in my life, Dick. -Congratulations, Dick. 782 00:40:28,510 --> 00:40:31,930 I don't want to bother you. I just... We all just loved it. 783 00:40:32,013 --> 00:40:33,265 -Oh, you did? -It's going to be a big hit. 784 00:40:33,348 --> 00:40:34,558 Oh, thank you. Thank you. Appreciate that. 785 00:40:34,641 --> 00:40:36,060 -It's Gladys, right? Yes. -Yes! Yeah. 786 00:40:36,143 --> 00:40:38,270 Yes, nice to see you. Um... 787 00:40:40,230 --> 00:40:43,567 Yeah, I was... I was thinking, um, not just a revival, 788 00:40:43,650 --> 00:40:44,860 I was thinking a whole new book. 789 00:40:44,943 --> 00:40:47,529 We were thinking four or five new numbers. 790 00:40:48,530 --> 00:40:49,490 That I write? 791 00:40:49,573 --> 00:40:51,283 Of course, that you write. That we write together. 792 00:40:51,366 --> 00:40:53,786 It's been 16 years, you know that, since we did that show? 793 00:40:53,869 --> 00:40:57,164 -It needs updating, don't you think? -1927! The Vanderbilt! 794 00:40:57,247 --> 00:40:59,666 Yeah, it can be the new Rodgers and Hart show for the fall. 795 00:40:59,749 --> 00:41:01,835 -New gags, new songs. -New references. 796 00:41:01,918 --> 00:41:03,796 We'll satirize the whole war. 797 00:41:03,879 --> 00:41:05,756 Rationing, rubber drives, nylon drives, 798 00:41:05,839 --> 00:41:07,758 a new number for Vivienne. 799 00:41:07,841 --> 00:41:08,884 -Go easy with the satire, Larry. -Very nice job. 800 00:41:08,967 --> 00:41:10,010 -Hello, nice to see you. -Very nice piece. 801 00:41:10,093 --> 00:41:11,095 Appreciate it. Thank you. 802 00:41:11,178 --> 00:41:13,889 There came a lull then Cordell Hull sent orders from above 803 00:41:13,972 --> 00:41:17,684 I'm sorry, girls, put down your pearls 'Cause now we're rationing love 804 00:41:17,767 --> 00:41:19,186 And how do we get Cordell Hull into Camelot? 805 00:41:19,269 --> 00:41:20,270 Who cares? It's funny! 806 00:41:20,353 --> 00:41:23,148 Dick! From the New York Journal-American. 807 00:41:23,231 --> 00:41:27,361 "As enchanting to the eye as Richard Rodgers' music is to the ear." 808 00:41:27,444 --> 00:41:28,445 -Okay. -Yeah, it's nice. 809 00:41:28,528 --> 00:41:29,613 That's good. Good start. 810 00:41:29,696 --> 00:41:31,698 So, uh, are you up for that? Are you feeling healthy? 811 00:41:31,781 --> 00:41:33,367 Is that something you could take seriously? 812 00:41:33,450 --> 00:41:36,161 Yeah. I'm on the wagon, Dick. I'm serious. 813 00:41:36,244 --> 00:41:39,164 Been drinking ginger ale all night. 814 00:41:39,247 --> 00:41:42,668 Well, except for this second 'cause this second we have to celebrate. 815 00:41:42,751 --> 00:41:45,796 This is the greatest musical in the history of American theater. 816 00:41:45,879 --> 00:41:48,090 No, no. I'm not drinking with you, Larry. 817 00:41:48,173 --> 00:41:49,675 Okay, okay, all right. 818 00:41:49,758 --> 00:41:51,801 Weegee! Weegee! Shoot this! 819 00:41:53,053 --> 00:41:54,972 -What? Oh, no. Larry, I got to... -No, no, no. Hey. 820 00:41:55,055 --> 00:41:57,224 Rodgers and Hart, together again! 821 00:41:57,849 --> 00:41:59,851 All right, closer! Come on, closer! 822 00:42:03,438 --> 00:42:04,565 I want ten copies of that. 823 00:42:04,648 --> 00:42:06,400 Great. Write me a check. 824 00:42:06,483 --> 00:42:07,818 Yeah. 825 00:42:07,901 --> 00:42:09,194 So, you... you think you're up to that? 826 00:42:09,277 --> 00:42:11,321 It's the best idea I've heard in 16 years. 827 00:42:11,404 --> 00:42:15,993 At the same time, I think we should be dreaming about something completely new. 828 00:42:16,076 --> 00:42:17,119 Don't you agree? 829 00:42:17,202 --> 00:42:19,246 New Rodgers and Hart, something people haven't seen before. 830 00:42:19,329 --> 00:42:20,413 Something big! 831 00:42:20,997 --> 00:42:22,249 Let's start with the revival first. 832 00:42:22,332 --> 00:42:24,543 -Absolutely. -We'll take it one step at a time... 833 00:42:24,626 --> 00:42:25,961 -Yeah, but... -...because I really think 834 00:42:26,044 --> 00:42:27,462 -Hear me out. -...we can have a future together. 835 00:42:27,545 --> 00:42:29,464 Who doesn't think that? 836 00:42:30,340 --> 00:42:34,678 But I want to be one of those composers who works with, uh, you know, 837 00:42:34,761 --> 00:42:35,762 other lyricists. 838 00:42:35,845 --> 00:42:37,514 Like Arlen, Kern. You love Kern. 839 00:42:37,597 --> 00:42:39,141 I love Kern. I wanted to be Kern. 840 00:42:39,224 --> 00:42:40,893 But we have to work like professionals, Larry. 841 00:42:40,976 --> 00:42:42,436 Since when haven't I worked like a professional? 842 00:42:42,519 --> 00:42:45,355 I want to work at specific times in the morning, at my office. 843 00:42:45,438 --> 00:42:47,900 -I want to adhere to a schedule. -Yeah. That's what we do. 844 00:42:47,983 --> 00:42:49,484 I don't want to spend any more time looking for you, Larry. 845 00:42:49,567 --> 00:42:51,153 -Well, I'm right here. Small as life! -You know what I mean. 846 00:42:51,236 --> 00:42:52,654 I don't want to be calling up your mother 847 00:42:52,737 --> 00:42:54,114 at nine o'clock in the morning, so that, 848 00:42:54,197 --> 00:42:55,574 maybe, you might roll out of bed at noon. Right? 849 00:42:55,657 --> 00:42:57,492 -Dick... -I just don't want to do what we did. 850 00:42:57,575 --> 00:42:58,994 That's all I'm saying. 851 00:42:59,077 --> 00:43:00,620 It's a business, that's all. 852 00:43:01,454 --> 00:43:02,831 Maybe I shouldn't bring it up tonight, but I don't know, 853 00:43:02,914 --> 00:43:04,541 -I wanted... I wanted to... -All I want is to... 854 00:43:04,624 --> 00:43:06,210 That was your best one yet. 855 00:43:06,293 --> 00:43:07,836 -Really. -All right, thank you. 856 00:43:07,919 --> 00:43:09,254 -Who is that? -All I want is to write a show 857 00:43:09,337 --> 00:43:10,588 we both love. 858 00:43:13,091 --> 00:43:14,009 Yeah, I feel the same way. 859 00:43:14,092 --> 00:43:16,637 Dick! Burns Mantle just called it 860 00:43:16,720 --> 00:43:20,515 "The most thoroughly and attractively American musical comedy" 861 00:43:20,598 --> 00:43:21,600 "since Show Boat." 862 00:43:21,683 --> 00:43:22,809 -Since Show Boat? -Yeah. 863 00:43:22,892 --> 00:43:24,770 Wow. That's good. 864 00:43:24,853 --> 00:43:27,194 -Truly spectacular. -Thank you, nice to see you. 865 00:43:27,480 --> 00:43:29,191 I have to fall in love with a show, Dick. 866 00:43:29,274 --> 00:43:31,610 I have to want to write that show more than anything in the world, 867 00:43:31,693 --> 00:43:35,489 to be in that audience, sitting there not missing a single word. 868 00:43:35,572 --> 00:43:37,282 All right, well, we start with A Connecticut Yankee, 869 00:43:37,365 --> 00:43:39,326 -four or five numbers, and we go... -Okay, look. 870 00:43:39,409 --> 00:43:42,162 Here's what I'm thinking. The Adventures of Marco Polo. 871 00:43:42,245 --> 00:43:44,373 Dick, Dick! Wonderful show. 872 00:43:44,456 --> 00:43:46,291 Oh, thank you so much. Nice to see you. 873 00:43:46,374 --> 00:43:48,877 Just... just big. Bigger than Jumbo. Epic. 874 00:43:48,960 --> 00:43:50,963 A three-ring musical circus. 875 00:43:51,046 --> 00:43:53,507 The show lasts four hours with a dinner break! 876 00:43:53,590 --> 00:43:58,387 It's grand comic opera. And the stage set is the world! 877 00:43:58,470 --> 00:44:00,931 -Uh-huh. -We satirize everybody. 878 00:44:01,014 --> 00:44:03,016 And you get to satirize them musically. 879 00:44:03,099 --> 00:44:05,519 We send up every national musical cliche there is. 880 00:44:05,602 --> 00:44:08,105 The France number, the Italian number, 881 00:44:08,188 --> 00:44:10,107 when they get to the Heart of Darkness, 882 00:44:10,190 --> 00:44:12,943 the cannibals are doing Porgy and Bess. Boom, boom. 883 00:44:13,026 --> 00:44:15,487 Bess, you is my dinner now! 884 00:44:15,570 --> 00:44:16,571 Jesus, Larry. Come on. 885 00:44:16,654 --> 00:44:19,449 This show is going to have the scope of a novel. 886 00:44:19,532 --> 00:44:22,995 It will be the greatest challenge you've ever had as a composer. 887 00:44:23,078 --> 00:44:26,999 And what grounds it all, what lets the audience enter this story 888 00:44:27,082 --> 00:44:28,083 is the girl. 889 00:44:28,166 --> 00:44:29,835 -Uh-huh. -This ethereal girl 890 00:44:29,918 --> 00:44:32,004 whom Marco Polo has left behind. 891 00:44:32,087 --> 00:44:34,339 She's half his age... 892 00:44:34,422 --> 00:44:39,344 ...but it's the first time he's felt that inkling of love in years, maybe ever. 893 00:44:39,427 --> 00:44:40,887 He swears in the first scene. 894 00:44:40,970 --> 00:44:43,015 We set this up like Benedick in Much Ado... 895 00:44:43,098 --> 00:44:45,267 -Right. -He swears that he's beyond 896 00:44:45,350 --> 00:44:47,477 the reach of any woman. He scorns love. 897 00:44:47,560 --> 00:44:49,479 And we do a whole number satirizing love songs. 898 00:44:49,562 --> 00:44:53,317 No. Larry, I want to write shows that have some emotional core to them... 899 00:44:53,400 --> 00:44:55,736 -Dick, great music. Great show! -Hello, how are you? 900 00:44:55,819 --> 00:44:57,696 Thank you. I'll take that. You're a tough critic. 901 00:44:57,779 --> 00:44:58,780 -Thank you. -Thank you. 902 00:44:58,863 --> 00:45:01,992 Remember, we established in the first scene that he's anti-love? 903 00:45:02,075 --> 00:45:04,536 Then he meets the girl. She's a sort of free-spirit, 904 00:45:04,619 --> 00:45:08,332 Scandinavian-looking with two freckles on her left cheek, 905 00:45:08,415 --> 00:45:10,000 -it's absurd. -Don't do that. 906 00:45:10,083 --> 00:45:12,961 She lives socially, psychologically, sexually 907 00:45:13,044 --> 00:45:16,965 in another universe than he does, but he is slain. 908 00:45:17,757 --> 00:45:22,554 He stands there paralyzed in the light of her pale green eyes. 909 00:45:22,637 --> 00:45:26,224 This is the greatest explorer in the history of the world, 910 00:45:26,307 --> 00:45:30,812 and none of it means anything to him unless it's a way to make her see him. 911 00:45:30,895 --> 00:45:34,524 That is the emotional core of the story. 912 00:45:34,607 --> 00:45:36,234 -Okay. -We take this legendary, 913 00:45:36,317 --> 00:45:37,444 larger-than-life man, 914 00:45:37,527 --> 00:45:39,071 and we make him bleed. 915 00:45:39,154 --> 00:45:43,450 Mr. Rodgers, my name is Robert Heffner. I'm the Mayor of Oklahoma City. 916 00:45:43,533 --> 00:45:45,410 Eve and I have traveled all the way to New York 917 00:45:45,493 --> 00:45:46,703 -just to see the show. -Okay. You know... 918 00:45:46,786 --> 00:45:48,955 Welcome to New York. We're finishing a conversation. 919 00:45:49,038 --> 00:45:51,458 He'll be with you in two minutes. Does that sound good? 920 00:45:51,541 --> 00:45:53,919 Two minutes, I'll be right with you. Thank you, I hope it was worth it. 921 00:45:54,002 --> 00:45:56,213 -It certainly was. -Good to see you. Thank you. 922 00:45:56,296 --> 00:45:57,881 All right, so come on. Come on, come on, come on. 923 00:45:57,964 --> 00:46:00,717 And they end up together? Come on. 924 00:46:01,718 --> 00:46:04,596 That's what the audience is waiting around to find out! 925 00:46:04,679 --> 00:46:06,390 That's the engine that's driving the whole story. 926 00:46:06,473 --> 00:46:07,808 All right, well, look, Larry, 927 00:46:07,891 --> 00:46:09,226 if you're willing to write it, 928 00:46:09,309 --> 00:46:11,228 really write it, and rewrite it, and rewrite it again, 929 00:46:11,311 --> 00:46:12,604 then, you know, it could work. 930 00:46:12,687 --> 00:46:15,148 But I'm not gonna beg you for this, Larry. You know? 931 00:46:15,231 --> 00:46:16,274 We work for 15 minutes, 932 00:46:16,357 --> 00:46:17,651 you're out the door looking for a cigar store. 933 00:46:17,734 --> 00:46:18,777 -It drives me... -Okay. 934 00:46:18,860 --> 00:46:20,278 It drives me really crazy. I don't like it. 935 00:46:20,361 --> 00:46:22,447 -I don't want to do it anymore. -We've worked like that for 24 years. 936 00:46:22,530 --> 00:46:23,532 Congratulations, Dick! 937 00:46:23,615 --> 00:46:24,699 That's exactly what we've done for 24 years. 938 00:46:24,782 --> 00:46:26,368 -Thank you. -About time the Guild had a goddamned hit. 939 00:46:26,451 --> 00:46:28,328 Yeah. You're absolutely, absolutely right. 940 00:46:28,411 --> 00:46:30,497 Anyway, I'm not going to... I'm not going to fight with you, Larry. 941 00:46:30,580 --> 00:46:32,499 -Who's fighting? -I don't know. 942 00:46:32,582 --> 00:46:33,583 With a war on, 943 00:46:33,666 --> 00:46:36,586 do audiences really want to watch cannibals singing Porgy and Bess? 944 00:46:36,669 --> 00:46:38,422 And what do audiences want to watch? 945 00:46:38,505 --> 00:46:41,340 Cowboys a-whoopin'-it-up at the box social? 946 00:46:42,800 --> 00:46:44,386 Well, yes. Apparently. 947 00:46:44,469 --> 00:46:45,720 Oh, that's right, I forgot. 948 00:46:45,803 --> 00:46:49,141 Oklahoma, exclamation point, addresses the urgency of a nation at war. 949 00:46:49,224 --> 00:46:52,477 I think every serviceman in that audience tonight 950 00:46:52,560 --> 00:46:53,812 thought about what we're fighting for, 951 00:46:53,895 --> 00:46:55,564 even for a second or two, he thought about it. 952 00:46:55,647 --> 00:46:57,232 And what is it we're fighting for, exactly? 953 00:46:57,315 --> 00:47:00,400 Feisty little girls in gingham dresses who can't say no? 954 00:47:01,736 --> 00:47:04,072 -Okay. All right. -Dick, Dick, Dick. Come on. 955 00:47:04,155 --> 00:47:06,283 Just between you and me, 956 00:47:06,366 --> 00:47:09,744 those characters are unrecognizable as human beings. 957 00:47:09,827 --> 00:47:12,080 I think plenty of people recognized them. They recognized love. 958 00:47:12,163 --> 00:47:13,582 He needs rescuing, big time. 959 00:47:13,665 --> 00:47:16,626 They recognized, uh, family. They recognized pride in their country. 960 00:47:16,709 --> 00:47:18,795 You're starting to sound like Yankee Doodle Dandy. 961 00:47:18,878 --> 00:47:20,881 I think there's significantly more there to recognize, Larry, 962 00:47:20,964 --> 00:47:22,340 than a bunch of singing cannibals. 963 00:47:22,423 --> 00:47:24,176 But cannibals are much funnier, admit it. 964 00:47:24,259 --> 00:47:25,927 Dick, you want to come and read these! 965 00:47:26,010 --> 00:47:27,512 -Yeah, hang on! Hang on. Be right there. -Okay, okay, okay, okay. 966 00:47:27,595 --> 00:47:30,265 Okay, okay, okay, okay. I know exactly what you mean. 967 00:47:30,348 --> 00:47:32,225 Just tell me... What do you really want to write? 968 00:47:32,308 --> 00:47:34,060 What's your dream show? 969 00:47:34,143 --> 00:47:35,145 -My dream show? -Yeah. 970 00:47:35,228 --> 00:47:36,521 Oklahoma! 971 00:47:39,941 --> 00:47:40,942 I mean, next. 972 00:47:43,194 --> 00:47:46,614 Uh... We're talking about getting the rights to Liliom. 973 00:47:48,032 --> 00:47:49,409 -The Molnár play? -Yeah. 974 00:47:49,492 --> 00:47:51,203 -That was cornball in 1909. -Yeah? 975 00:47:51,286 --> 00:47:53,413 You really want to write a musical about a carnival barker 976 00:47:53,496 --> 00:47:55,081 who beats up his girlfriend, 977 00:47:55,164 --> 00:47:56,917 -dies, comes back... -I think it'll work. 978 00:47:57,000 --> 00:47:59,503 Yeah, and at the end, all the dead people could take off their halos and go, 979 00:47:59,586 --> 00:48:01,087 "Oh... Purgatory!" 980 00:48:01,170 --> 00:48:03,423 Look, I will do it if you force me to. 981 00:48:03,506 --> 00:48:04,841 -It's just in my heart of... -No, I'm not forcing you to. 982 00:48:04,924 --> 00:48:06,217 Oscar's going to do it. 983 00:48:08,469 --> 00:48:11,556 What does Oscar know about turn-of-the-century Budapest? 984 00:48:12,390 --> 00:48:14,517 He's going to Americanize it. 985 00:48:15,310 --> 00:48:16,728 He's going to modernize it. 986 00:48:17,604 --> 00:48:19,116 We're going to set it in Maine. 987 00:48:19,355 --> 00:48:22,442 Maine? Right, with all due respect, modernizing Molnár 988 00:48:22,525 --> 00:48:24,361 -is a deeply... -You got to read this! 989 00:48:24,444 --> 00:48:25,528 Is it the Times? 990 00:48:26,321 --> 00:48:28,490 Burton Rascoe's World-Telegram review. 991 00:48:28,573 --> 00:48:29,616 -It's a rave. -Good. 992 00:48:29,699 --> 00:48:31,910 -We'll have the Times any moment. -Okay. 993 00:48:31,993 --> 00:48:33,787 Larry, I've got to go. The Times is coming. 994 00:48:33,870 --> 00:48:34,871 Okay, okay. 995 00:48:34,954 --> 00:48:37,040 -Wish me luck. -Mazel tov! 996 00:48:37,123 --> 00:48:38,374 As they say in Maine. 997 00:48:40,627 --> 00:48:42,837 Hey, Dick. That was perfect. Oh, thank you. 998 00:48:42,920 --> 00:48:44,588 Nice to see you. Did you enjoy it? 999 00:48:59,979 --> 00:49:03,942 What does Dick Rodgers know of Maine? He was bar-mitzvahed for Christ's sake! 1000 00:49:04,025 --> 00:49:06,236 How long are they going to keep selling that fairy tale? 1001 00:49:06,319 --> 00:49:09,155 "Have faith, have hope, the dead will arise to comfort us!" 1002 00:49:09,238 --> 00:49:10,782 Like fuck they will. 1003 00:49:11,282 --> 00:49:13,451 Give me another shot, Eddie. A real one. 1004 00:49:16,329 --> 00:49:18,539 Join me for a shot, Andy? Please. 1005 00:49:23,503 --> 00:49:24,837 How ya holding up? 1006 00:49:25,797 --> 00:49:29,134 You know how in a marriage they say "for better or for worse"? 1007 00:49:29,217 --> 00:49:32,846 I think in terms of my life, I've entered the "for worse" part. 1008 00:49:32,929 --> 00:49:37,309 And it happened so quietly I didn't even recognize it. 1009 00:49:37,392 --> 00:49:38,758 Have you ever felt that way? 1010 00:49:39,560 --> 00:49:41,062 Every day of my life. 1011 00:49:43,356 --> 00:49:44,733 Thank you. 1012 00:49:44,816 --> 00:49:46,901 Sometimes I think, "Even God is finished with me." 1013 00:49:46,984 --> 00:49:48,486 I've had my hits, 1014 00:49:48,569 --> 00:49:51,615 I've loved a small, dear collection of people. 1015 00:49:51,698 --> 00:49:53,575 And now he's turned the page. 1016 00:49:53,658 --> 00:49:55,827 I feel superannuated. 1017 00:49:56,661 --> 00:49:59,122 "Superannuated." That's a good thing, isn't it? 1018 00:49:59,205 --> 00:50:00,957 It means your dick doesn't work. 1019 00:50:02,709 --> 00:50:04,758 -Must be why I don't know that word. -Hmm. 1020 00:50:07,922 --> 00:50:09,298 Put me on the list. 1021 00:50:20,226 --> 00:50:22,421 You notice the birds are back in Central Park? 1022 00:50:23,563 --> 00:50:26,232 Hmm. What are you working on these days? 1023 00:50:26,315 --> 00:50:27,942 Children's book. 1024 00:50:29,068 --> 00:50:30,987 Must have burned myself out writing those essays, 1025 00:50:31,070 --> 00:50:32,155 it's not going well. 1026 00:50:33,197 --> 00:50:34,616 I think, as far as my writing goes, 1027 00:50:34,699 --> 00:50:36,451 I've also entered the "for worse" part. 1028 00:50:36,534 --> 00:50:38,703 What's your story about? 1029 00:50:38,786 --> 00:50:40,204 I wish I knew. 1030 00:50:41,539 --> 00:50:43,291 The journey everybody takes? 1031 00:50:44,625 --> 00:50:48,087 Searching for what's perfect and unattainable? 1032 00:50:48,838 --> 00:50:49,881 The ineffable! 1033 00:50:50,465 --> 00:50:53,426 Probably too elusive an idea to put into a children's book. 1034 00:50:53,509 --> 00:50:54,969 I have a line for you. 1035 00:50:56,262 --> 00:50:59,849 "He chased her around the bed all night before concluding" 1036 00:50:59,932 --> 00:51:01,226 "she was ineffable." 1037 00:51:01,309 --> 00:51:03,019 Sure you don't mean "uneffable"? 1038 00:51:03,561 --> 00:51:05,396 Better. 1039 00:51:08,191 --> 00:51:09,401 You know, I'm in the park every morning, 1040 00:51:09,484 --> 00:51:11,861 liberating this mouse I keep catching in my kitchen. 1041 00:51:11,944 --> 00:51:14,614 -Yeah? -I have this little glass box 1042 00:51:14,697 --> 00:51:17,450 that captures the mouse but doesn't kill him. 1043 00:51:17,533 --> 00:51:19,619 And every morning I walk into my kitchen, 1044 00:51:19,702 --> 00:51:21,830 and there he is, at the bottom of the refrigerator. 1045 00:51:21,913 --> 00:51:25,750 My little brown mouse, happily eating the cracker I left for him. 1046 00:51:25,833 --> 00:51:28,128 And every morning, I carry him down to the park, 1047 00:51:28,211 --> 00:51:31,631 open the box. He leaps out ten feet, scurries into the underbrush. 1048 00:51:31,714 --> 00:51:34,551 And then the next morning, I'll be damned, 1049 00:51:34,634 --> 00:51:36,720 he is back in the box! 1050 00:51:36,803 --> 00:51:38,388 How do you know it's the same mouse? 1051 00:51:38,471 --> 00:51:39,472 Well, he certainly looks the same. 1052 00:51:39,555 --> 00:51:43,935 He has that same New York look of doomed hopefulness. 1053 00:51:44,977 --> 00:51:48,105 But how does he get up the 19 floors? 1054 00:51:49,398 --> 00:51:50,910 Maybe he's tipping the doorman. 1055 00:51:53,528 --> 00:51:55,430 You know, this morning he wasn't there. 1056 00:51:55,947 --> 00:51:59,116 Just the cracker lying in the box. 1057 00:52:00,201 --> 00:52:02,036 I actually missed the little fella, I really did. 1058 00:52:02,119 --> 00:52:04,330 I think I've started to identify with him. 1059 00:52:04,413 --> 00:52:06,290 Does he have a name? 1060 00:52:07,291 --> 00:52:08,960 I'm calling him Stuart. 1061 00:52:09,043 --> 00:52:11,212 With a "W" or a "U"? 1062 00:52:12,213 --> 00:52:16,842 Hmm. A "U." Nothing fancy. Just a regular middle-class mouse. 1063 00:52:20,680 --> 00:52:22,807 I think you'll have to excuse me. 1064 00:52:22,890 --> 00:52:26,185 All this jubilation has gone to my bladder. 1065 00:52:29,313 --> 00:52:31,983 "Agnes de Mille works small miracles" 1066 00:52:32,066 --> 00:52:36,279 "and devising original dances that fit the story and the tunes." 1067 00:52:36,362 --> 00:52:38,448 "Oklahoma! is fresh..." 1068 00:52:38,531 --> 00:52:40,658 -Okay, I got something funny. -Hmm. 1069 00:52:40,741 --> 00:52:43,161 What do you call a tired homosexual? 1070 00:52:43,244 --> 00:52:45,246 I don't know. 1071 00:52:47,498 --> 00:52:48,708 Fuck, I forgot. 1072 00:52:49,500 --> 00:52:50,793 That's really funny. 1073 00:52:52,920 --> 00:52:56,464 "The play's spine-tingling, out of this world!" 1074 00:53:04,432 --> 00:53:07,993 You know, when Atkinson wrote that review for Pal Joey, you remember that? 1075 00:53:08,561 --> 00:53:10,647 "Drab and mirthless." 1076 00:53:10,730 --> 00:53:14,317 "Can one draw sweet water from a foul well?" 1077 00:53:15,401 --> 00:53:18,571 I cried. That's how hurt I was. 1078 00:53:18,654 --> 00:53:22,242 I cried in Vivienne Segal's arms. 1079 00:53:22,325 --> 00:53:23,743 She hugged me and said, 1080 00:53:23,826 --> 00:53:27,455 "History is going to prove him wrong, darling." 1081 00:53:27,538 --> 00:53:29,374 Wasn't that the sweetest thing in the world 1082 00:53:29,457 --> 00:53:30,708 for someone to say? 1083 00:53:32,126 --> 00:53:34,175 And she actually calls me "darling." Hmph. 1084 00:53:34,629 --> 00:53:35,922 Wow. 1085 00:53:36,005 --> 00:53:37,257 Time magazine wrote, 1086 00:53:37,340 --> 00:53:39,467 "For those who can park their morals in the lobby," 1087 00:53:39,550 --> 00:53:41,177 "Pal Joey is a wow." 1088 00:53:42,178 --> 00:53:44,639 What kind of piece-of-shit praise is that? 1089 00:53:46,432 --> 00:53:49,352 -I'm talking about Pal Joey. -Right. 1090 00:53:49,435 --> 00:53:50,645 I didn't see that one. 1091 00:53:51,270 --> 00:53:54,565 Wolcott Gibbs, he loved the show. 1092 00:53:55,149 --> 00:53:57,610 He said it was, "A song and dance production" 1093 00:53:57,693 --> 00:54:01,197 "with living three-dimensional figures," 1094 00:54:01,280 --> 00:54:04,784 "talking and behaving like human beings." 1095 00:54:04,867 --> 00:54:07,203 -Ah, see? There you go. -Mmm-hmm. 1096 00:54:08,412 --> 00:54:10,540 You're still going to introduce me to Rodgers tonight, right? 1097 00:54:10,623 --> 00:54:13,793 Urination for me has turned into a two-act play 1098 00:54:13,876 --> 00:54:15,251 with a brief intermission. 1099 00:54:18,798 --> 00:54:23,427 Oh, I love Vivienne. God help me. 1100 00:54:24,095 --> 00:54:25,554 Her compassion. 1101 00:54:26,555 --> 00:54:28,604 Oh, did I tell you she calls me "darling"? 1102 00:54:28,975 --> 00:54:31,269 We were up at the Starlight Roof. 1103 00:54:31,352 --> 00:54:36,441 I turned to her and I said, "Vivienne, will you please marry me?" 1104 00:54:36,524 --> 00:54:39,235 That's what I told her. Right to her face. 1105 00:54:39,318 --> 00:54:42,989 Can you imagine having the courage to say that to a woman? 1106 00:54:43,781 --> 00:54:45,950 I've never had the courage to even dream of saying that. 1107 00:54:46,033 --> 00:54:47,535 Mmm-hmm. Yeah. It was a moment. 1108 00:54:47,618 --> 00:54:52,665 Let me tell you. 2:00 a.m., the band was playing I've Heard That Song Before. 1109 00:54:53,374 --> 00:54:56,419 She said, "I love you, darling", 1110 00:54:57,211 --> 00:54:58,713 "just not that way." 1111 00:55:01,007 --> 00:55:03,426 "Not that way." 1112 00:55:04,051 --> 00:55:06,596 Three little words. 1113 00:55:06,679 --> 00:55:10,307 Ten little letters that mean, 1114 00:55:11,058 --> 00:55:13,894 "Game over, schmuck." 1115 00:55:14,770 --> 00:55:17,482 Ah, "Think it over," I told her. 1116 00:55:17,565 --> 00:55:21,818 I took her hand in mine, her nail polish was pale gray... 1117 00:55:27,616 --> 00:55:31,494 Now... I can drink. 1118 00:55:34,498 --> 00:55:38,252 May I remind everybody what Mike Todd said about Oklahoma! in New Haven, 1119 00:55:38,335 --> 00:55:41,631 "No laughs, no tits, no chance"? 1120 00:55:41,714 --> 00:55:45,051 We have a chance now. All right, read that out. Okay, wow. 1121 00:55:45,843 --> 00:55:48,721 Wonderful. This is what Nichols said in the Times. 1122 00:55:48,804 --> 00:55:51,224 "Wonderful is the nearest adjective, 1123 00:55:51,307 --> 00:55:53,267 "for this excursion of the Guild 1124 00:55:53,350 --> 00:55:57,230 "combines a fresh and infectious gaiety, a charm of manner, 1125 00:55:57,313 --> 00:55:59,691 "beautiful acting, dancing and singing," 1126 00:55:59,774 --> 00:56:04,195 "and a score by Richard Rodgers which doesn't do any harm either," 1127 00:56:04,278 --> 00:56:06,821 "since it is one of his best." 1128 00:56:12,203 --> 00:56:15,790 "Mr. Rodgers's scores never lack grace, 1129 00:56:15,873 --> 00:56:21,212 "but seldom have they been so well-integrated as this for Oklahoma! 1130 00:56:21,295 --> 00:56:27,260 "He has turned out waltzes, love songs, comic songs and a title number" 1131 00:56:27,343 --> 00:56:30,722 "which the State in question would do well to adopt" 1132 00:56:30,805 --> 00:56:32,514 "as its anthem forthwith." 1133 00:56:37,228 --> 00:56:41,107 "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning, and People Will Say We're in Love" 1134 00:56:41,190 --> 00:56:44,609 "are headed for countless jukeboxes across the land." 1135 00:56:47,863 --> 00:56:52,618 "And a dirge called 'Pore Jud', in which the hero of the fable 1136 00:56:52,701 --> 00:56:55,788 "tries to persuade his rival to hang himself 1137 00:56:55,871 --> 00:56:58,666 is amazingly comic. 1138 00:56:58,749 --> 00:57:03,337 "The Farmer and the Cowman and The Surrey with the Fringe on the Top 1139 00:57:03,420 --> 00:57:09,510 "also deserve mention only because they quite clearly approach perfection." 1140 00:57:09,593 --> 00:57:11,053 Read that part again. 1141 00:57:12,763 --> 00:57:16,225 "...because they quite clearly approach perfection." 1142 00:57:16,308 --> 00:57:17,977 Put that on the marquee! 1143 00:57:18,561 --> 00:57:21,187 "Quite clearly approaches perfection." 1144 00:57:24,400 --> 00:57:28,444 Come on, everybody! Party upstairs! Cake and champagne. 1145 00:57:38,873 --> 00:57:41,250 Oh, Oscar! Bravo, bravo. 1146 00:57:41,333 --> 00:57:43,377 Congratulations. Oh... 1147 00:57:48,883 --> 00:57:50,301 Can I speak with you for a moment? 1148 00:57:50,384 --> 00:57:51,385 Can we talk later, Larry? 1149 00:57:51,468 --> 00:57:53,930 No, no, no. It's just a second. I have something important to say. 1150 00:57:54,013 --> 00:57:55,930 Just a moment with the musical genius. 1151 00:57:58,684 --> 00:58:01,729 I just have one thing I want to tell you, Dick. 1152 00:58:01,812 --> 00:58:06,025 Uh... Just one second, Dick. It's important. 1153 00:58:06,650 --> 00:58:08,361 I remember when I first heard about you, 1154 00:58:08,444 --> 00:58:11,072 you were just Morty Rodger's little brother. 1155 00:58:11,155 --> 00:58:13,157 -What, were you 17? -16. 1156 00:58:13,240 --> 00:58:14,784 -Yeah, I was 23. -Swell job. 1157 00:58:14,867 --> 00:58:16,327 Yeah, you were the wise old man on the mountain. 1158 00:58:16,410 --> 00:58:18,538 But when I first heard you play your stuff, 1159 00:58:18,621 --> 00:58:21,415 I knew you had it. 1160 00:58:21,498 --> 00:58:23,376 I wasn't entirely convinced that I had it, 1161 00:58:23,459 --> 00:58:26,003 but I heard something that afternoon. 1162 00:58:28,047 --> 00:58:31,300 Originality, melody, grace... 1163 00:58:32,760 --> 00:58:34,303 Oh... 1164 00:58:34,386 --> 00:58:37,765 Come on. Come on, Larry. Stop it. Come on, what's the matter with you? 1165 00:58:37,848 --> 00:58:41,644 You worked your whole life for this night, Dick. 1166 00:58:41,727 --> 00:58:44,605 Nobody's worked harder. And nobody deserves it more. 1167 00:58:44,688 --> 00:58:46,399 All right, thanks. Thanks, Larry. Thank you. 1168 00:58:46,482 --> 00:58:49,026 All right, that's what I wanted... Just go... 1169 00:58:49,109 --> 00:58:50,903 ...enjoy your party. 1170 00:58:50,986 --> 00:58:52,697 -Hey, look at me. Look at me. -Mmm-hmm? 1171 00:58:52,780 --> 00:58:55,032 We're going to do A Connecticut Yankee, all new. 1172 00:58:55,115 --> 00:58:57,160 -Yeah, yeah. -We're gonna write four or five new songs. 1173 00:58:57,243 --> 00:58:58,494 -I have ideas already. -Right? 1174 00:58:58,577 --> 00:59:01,122 Yeah, yeah. And if I get some pages down for Marco Polo, 1175 00:59:01,205 --> 00:59:02,289 can I send them over? 1176 00:59:03,707 --> 00:59:07,670 You have to ask me that? Larry, I owe my professional life to you. 1177 00:59:11,298 --> 00:59:14,719 Summer journeys to Niagara And to other places 1178 00:59:14,802 --> 00:59:17,597 Aggravate all our cares... 1179 00:59:17,680 --> 00:59:19,515 You remember we heard that on the radio for the first time? 1180 00:59:19,598 --> 00:59:22,185 In your parents' living room. Our first hit. 1181 00:59:22,268 --> 00:59:24,979 That was one of the most astonishing moments of my life, Larry. 1182 00:59:25,062 --> 00:59:28,941 -I was 22. -And I'm telling you, I swear to God, 1183 00:59:29,024 --> 00:59:31,444 our best work is still ahead of us. 1184 00:59:31,527 --> 00:59:33,529 Yes, the new Connecticut Yankee! 1185 00:59:33,612 --> 00:59:35,156 Yeah, yeah. And bigger stuff. 1186 00:59:35,239 --> 00:59:37,074 -Dick, get up here. -All right. I'm coming! 1187 00:59:37,157 --> 00:59:39,694 I mean, Marco Polo is going to be a show about joy... 1188 00:59:40,286 --> 00:59:44,039 but a hard-earned joy, an unsentimental joy. 1189 00:59:44,915 --> 00:59:47,695 -Something wrong with sentimental? -What? It's too easy. 1190 00:59:50,296 --> 00:59:52,047 Oklahoma! is too easy? 1191 00:59:52,798 --> 00:59:55,092 The guy actually getting the girl at the end is too easy? 1192 00:59:55,175 --> 00:59:57,803 You've just eliminated every successful musical comedy... 1193 00:59:57,886 --> 00:59:59,013 ...ever written, Larry. 1194 00:59:59,096 --> 01:00:00,097 Then it's too easy for me. 1195 01:00:00,180 --> 01:00:01,839 Did you hear the audience tonight? 1196 01:00:02,224 --> 01:00:03,225 Yes. 1197 01:00:04,268 --> 01:00:06,562 Sixteen hundred people didn't think it was too easy. 1198 01:00:06,645 --> 01:00:08,397 You're telling me 1,600 people are wrong? 1199 01:00:08,480 --> 01:00:09,940 I'm just saying... 1200 01:00:11,066 --> 01:00:16,989 that you and I can do something so much more emotionally complicated. 1201 01:00:17,072 --> 01:00:19,200 We don't have to pander to what audiences... 1202 01:00:19,283 --> 01:00:21,244 -Oscar and I are pandering? -No. I didn't say that. 1203 01:00:21,327 --> 01:00:23,496 -Irving Berlin is pandering? -I love Berlin. 1204 01:00:23,579 --> 01:00:26,249 -White Christmas is pandering? -Well, I don't believe White Christmas. 1205 01:00:26,332 --> 01:00:28,334 Okay. 1206 01:00:28,417 --> 01:00:30,127 Well, maybe audiences have changed. 1207 01:00:30,210 --> 01:00:32,046 Well, they still want to laugh. 1208 01:00:32,129 --> 01:00:33,839 They want to laugh, but not in that way. 1209 01:00:33,922 --> 01:00:35,507 -Not in what way? -In your way. 1210 01:00:36,592 --> 01:00:38,344 They want to laugh, but they also want to cry a little. 1211 01:00:38,427 --> 01:00:41,264 They want to... they want to feel. 1212 01:00:41,347 --> 01:00:42,389 Hmm. 1213 01:00:44,641 --> 01:00:46,310 You're my oldest friend. 1214 01:00:46,393 --> 01:00:49,229 You're... 1215 01:00:50,522 --> 01:00:52,316 -you're unique. -Hmm. 1216 01:00:52,399 --> 01:00:54,301 Sounds like you're writing my obituary. 1217 01:00:54,985 --> 01:00:57,780 -I'm just saying. -I'm right here, right now. 1218 01:00:57,863 --> 01:01:00,783 -Ready to work. -Yeah? 1219 01:01:00,866 --> 01:01:02,118 Hmm. 1220 01:01:02,201 --> 01:01:04,591 And you're willing to go back to Doctors Hospital? 1221 01:01:05,662 --> 01:01:08,249 I don't need to go back to Doctors Hospital, 1222 01:01:08,332 --> 01:01:11,502 and I don't need a psychiatrist either. 1223 01:01:11,585 --> 01:01:13,546 -Thank you very much. -We were just trying to help you, Larry. 1224 01:01:13,629 --> 01:01:15,715 Who's we? You and Oscar? Help me? 1225 01:01:15,798 --> 01:01:17,216 Oscar? You think Oscar had anything to do with it? 1226 01:01:17,299 --> 01:01:20,636 Oklahoma! is going to be the biggest hit of your career. 1227 01:01:20,719 --> 01:01:23,014 -You don't know that. You don't know that. -You got that asshole Kron 1228 01:01:23,097 --> 01:01:24,974 to manage my money. Now I'm incapable... 1229 01:01:25,057 --> 01:01:26,767 I did that at the insistence of your brother, Larry. 1230 01:01:26,850 --> 01:01:27,852 Teddy literally begged me... 1231 01:01:27,935 --> 01:01:30,104 Well, maybe you and Teddy should write the lyrics. 1232 01:01:30,187 --> 01:01:31,813 I did write the lyrics. 1233 01:01:32,815 --> 01:01:33,941 What is that supposed to mean? 1234 01:01:34,024 --> 01:01:36,777 By Jupiter? Have you conveniently blocked that out? 1235 01:01:36,860 --> 01:01:38,070 Blocked what out? 1236 01:01:38,153 --> 01:01:41,532 How Logan and I begged you for extra choruses, extra verses, 1237 01:01:41,615 --> 01:01:44,702 and you were so drunk that you didn't even show up. 1238 01:01:44,785 --> 01:01:46,537 So, yes, I had to write the lyrics. 1239 01:01:46,620 --> 01:01:49,415 -You didn't write one fucking word... -How would you know? 1240 01:01:49,498 --> 01:01:51,125 -...of that show. -How would you know, Larry? 1241 01:01:51,208 --> 01:01:52,918 You weren't around to even... 1242 01:01:53,001 --> 01:01:54,003 You know what? 1243 01:01:54,086 --> 01:01:56,047 I'm actually not going to argue with you tonight, 1244 01:01:56,130 --> 01:01:57,173 -if that's all right with you. -I like to argue. 1245 01:01:57,256 --> 01:01:59,008 Well I don't. I don't. 1246 01:01:59,091 --> 01:02:00,467 Look, I am sorry. 1247 01:02:01,510 --> 01:02:04,013 I don't care if somebody attacks me. 1248 01:02:04,096 --> 01:02:06,307 It doesn't mean anything to me. 1249 01:02:06,390 --> 01:02:10,186 But nobody can attack my work. It is all I've got. 1250 01:02:10,269 --> 01:02:12,513 Your work is brilliant. That's not the problem. 1251 01:02:15,274 --> 01:02:18,652 Your work has been brilliant since the day I met you. 1252 01:02:19,903 --> 01:02:21,238 Do you still remember that? 1253 01:02:22,322 --> 01:02:25,639 You, standing there in your carpet slippers and your stripy bathrobe? 1254 01:02:26,618 --> 01:02:30,872 Yeah, with the five o'clock shadow at 11:00 a.m. 1255 01:02:33,292 --> 01:02:36,462 I'll remember that till the last day of my life. 1256 01:02:39,298 --> 01:02:41,091 Okay. 1257 01:02:48,265 --> 01:02:49,266 -Larry, I got to go upstairs. -I know. 1258 01:02:49,349 --> 01:02:51,934 -The whole company's waiting. -Of course. Of course. 1259 01:02:53,103 --> 01:02:54,522 Four or five songs, yes? 1260 01:02:54,605 --> 01:02:56,732 I'm telling you, I'm having ideas already! 1261 01:02:57,774 --> 01:02:59,693 A big comedy solo for Vivienne 1262 01:02:59,776 --> 01:03:03,572 about how she's killed off every single one of her previous husbands. 1263 01:03:04,948 --> 01:03:05,866 Might be funny. 1264 01:03:05,949 --> 01:03:08,827 We can call it To Keep Our Love Alive! 1265 01:03:23,884 --> 01:03:25,594 -You okay, Larry? -Mmm-hmm. 1266 01:03:30,474 --> 01:03:31,517 What happened to White? 1267 01:03:31,600 --> 01:03:34,019 -Left. -"So soon?" 1268 01:03:34,561 --> 01:03:36,897 There was so much more I wanted to say to him. 1269 01:03:36,980 --> 01:03:38,982 Maybe he was an extra, too. 1270 01:03:39,942 --> 01:03:40,984 One more? 1271 01:03:41,860 --> 01:03:42,945 Last one, Larry. 1272 01:03:45,030 --> 01:03:47,658 Do you know the ineffectual blues? 1273 01:03:49,993 --> 01:03:52,078 That's because I haven't written it yet. 1274 01:03:54,957 --> 01:03:58,335 They should put my picture on that bottle. 1275 01:03:58,418 --> 01:04:02,465 "The Whiskey That Made Lorenz Hart Unemployable." 1276 01:04:02,548 --> 01:04:04,508 "Buy War Bonds." 1277 01:04:11,056 --> 01:04:13,559 You know, I've started to hear things wrong. 1278 01:04:13,642 --> 01:04:16,645 The other night, I was listening to this singer go on 1279 01:04:16,728 --> 01:04:18,397 about "her cigarette heart." 1280 01:04:18,939 --> 01:04:21,775 And I thought, "Now that is an original metaphor," 1281 01:04:21,858 --> 01:04:23,569 "'My cigarette heart.'" 1282 01:04:24,278 --> 01:04:26,738 Then I realized she was singing "My secret heart." 1283 01:04:27,531 --> 01:04:30,326 I can't remember anything anymore either. 1284 01:04:30,409 --> 01:04:32,870 That should be the title of my autobiography, 1285 01:04:32,953 --> 01:04:35,539 "Stop Me If I've Told You This Already." 1286 01:04:36,206 --> 01:04:39,084 And we'll print the entire text twice. 1287 01:04:45,549 --> 01:04:47,801 No, I'm serious. I've seen her do it before. 1288 01:04:47,884 --> 01:04:50,804 As long as there's no dancing later on in the night. 1289 01:04:52,431 --> 01:04:54,016 You better watch yourself... 1290 01:04:54,099 --> 01:04:56,936 My irreplaceable Elizabeth! 1291 01:04:57,019 --> 01:04:58,103 Larry! 1292 01:04:59,062 --> 01:05:00,814 -Do you like it? -It's... 1293 01:05:00,897 --> 01:05:02,941 Oscar Hammerstein just said I was a gem! 1294 01:05:03,609 --> 01:05:06,445 He has such a way with words. 1295 01:05:07,195 --> 01:05:09,031 George, this is Lorenz Hart. 1296 01:05:09,114 --> 01:05:11,408 I am legitimately honored to meet you. 1297 01:05:11,491 --> 01:05:14,954 Would you mind if I spoke to Elizabeth alone for two minutes? 1298 01:05:15,037 --> 01:05:16,705 And then she's all yours. 1299 01:05:16,788 --> 01:05:17,957 It would be perfectly all right 1300 01:05:18,040 --> 01:05:20,834 as long as you promise me your autograph before I go. 1301 01:05:20,917 --> 01:05:22,294 George is a senior at Yale. 1302 01:05:22,419 --> 01:05:24,921 He's studying music, but he wants to be a director. 1303 01:05:25,047 --> 01:05:26,382 A director. Well, what's your name? 1304 01:05:26,465 --> 01:05:27,466 George Hill. 1305 01:05:27,549 --> 01:05:31,470 Here's my advice to you, future director, George Hill. 1306 01:05:31,553 --> 01:05:32,805 Do you want my advice? 1307 01:05:32,888 --> 01:05:33,972 I'd be honored. 1308 01:05:35,057 --> 01:05:37,601 Be careful of love stories. 1309 01:05:38,352 --> 01:05:41,063 Think about friendship stories. 1310 01:05:41,146 --> 01:05:44,733 That's where the really enduring stuff lives. 1311 01:05:45,817 --> 01:05:47,986 -Thank you. I'll remember that. -Hmm! 1312 01:05:51,156 --> 01:05:52,717 Catch up with you later, George. 1313 01:05:55,160 --> 01:05:56,453 My mother just gave me this. 1314 01:05:56,536 --> 01:05:58,438 I was really touched she gave it to me. 1315 01:05:59,414 --> 01:06:01,458 My well-tempered clavicle. 1316 01:06:01,541 --> 01:06:03,210 Careful. My mother... 1317 01:06:04,002 --> 01:06:05,504 Okay. All right... 1318 01:06:05,587 --> 01:06:09,883 Sorry. Now, I know your birthday isn't until November 19th. 1319 01:06:09,966 --> 01:06:10,968 I'm a scorpion. 1320 01:06:11,051 --> 01:06:13,846 I never doubted that for a second. 1321 01:06:13,929 --> 01:06:16,140 Did you get the sheet music I sent you? 1322 01:06:16,223 --> 01:06:20,311 Ah, I was so busy with exams, I put them away, honestly, and... 1323 01:06:20,394 --> 01:06:23,856 And then I kind of forgot about them. But now I've got the time. I promise you. 1324 01:06:23,939 --> 01:06:25,441 I'm going to get a friend of mine 1325 01:06:25,524 --> 01:06:27,318 to play every single one of those songs for me. 1326 01:06:27,401 --> 01:06:29,111 Take your time. 1327 01:06:29,194 --> 01:06:31,572 That's the wonderful thing about art, isn't it? 1328 01:06:31,655 --> 01:06:32,864 It waits for you. 1329 01:06:33,865 --> 01:06:35,951 Thank you for all the letters you wrote me. 1330 01:06:36,034 --> 01:06:37,828 I really enjoyed reading them. 1331 01:06:37,911 --> 01:06:40,956 My roommate couldn't believe I was actually corresponding with Lorenz Hart. 1332 01:06:41,039 --> 01:06:43,792 I remember in Vermont, you were drinking red wine. 1333 01:06:44,668 --> 01:06:47,713 Malbec. It's a big Yale drink. 1334 01:06:48,463 --> 01:06:51,925 You ask for the French Malbec, and then you act 1335 01:06:52,008 --> 01:06:54,178 as if you can actually tell which vineyard it came from. 1336 01:06:54,261 --> 01:06:55,929 Oh... 1337 01:06:56,722 --> 01:06:59,308 Don't mention Vermont around my mother, okay? 1338 01:06:59,391 --> 01:07:01,830 She doesn't know anything about our little getaway. 1339 01:07:02,394 --> 01:07:04,229 Actually, thank goodness. 1340 01:07:04,312 --> 01:07:07,399 She doesn't know about 90% of what's going on in my life. 1341 01:07:07,482 --> 01:07:10,069 Well, I feel privileged that I do. 1342 01:07:10,152 --> 01:07:12,446 Or that I did, back in August. 1343 01:07:13,363 --> 01:07:15,783 I've got much more stuff to report on since then. 1344 01:07:15,866 --> 01:07:19,495 Well, tell me about the guys. That's what I'm interested in. 1345 01:07:19,578 --> 01:07:24,333 Honestly, I'm much smarter than most of them. 1346 01:07:24,416 --> 01:07:27,795 So I sort of sit back and watch them trying to impress me. 1347 01:07:27,878 --> 01:07:29,380 It's pretty entertaining. 1348 01:07:29,463 --> 01:07:31,799 If I were a college guy, I think I would be afraid of you. 1349 01:07:31,882 --> 01:07:34,927 This intelligent, mercilessly observant, 1350 01:07:35,010 --> 01:07:37,554 wickedly unsentimental beauty sitting there, 1351 01:07:37,637 --> 01:07:40,599 evaluating me from somewhere behind those green eyes, 1352 01:07:40,682 --> 01:07:42,309 annotating all my gaucheries. 1353 01:07:42,392 --> 01:07:44,269 My God, I would be terrified. 1354 01:07:44,352 --> 01:07:46,271 Hey, I'm not that intimidating. 1355 01:07:47,481 --> 01:07:49,900 Tell me more about this Cooper. 1356 01:07:52,194 --> 01:07:53,237 This is embarrassing. 1357 01:07:53,320 --> 01:07:54,530 I love it when you're embarrassed, 1358 01:07:54,613 --> 01:07:57,408 you get this scarlet blush that washes up over you, 1359 01:07:57,491 --> 01:07:59,701 and a second later it's gone. 1360 01:08:00,202 --> 01:08:02,287 This one might last considerably longer. 1361 01:08:02,370 --> 01:08:04,415 -I'd love to... -Elizabeth. Hello, Larry. 1362 01:08:04,498 --> 01:08:07,543 I hope I'm not interrupting anything too weighty. 1363 01:08:07,626 --> 01:08:10,086 Well, weighty affairs will have to wait. 1364 01:08:10,837 --> 01:08:12,297 She's a gem, isn't she? 1365 01:08:12,380 --> 01:08:13,757 Please, Mr. Hammerstein. 1366 01:08:13,840 --> 01:08:15,592 I'll only bother you for a moment. 1367 01:08:15,675 --> 01:08:17,803 Larry, I just wanted to say... 1368 01:08:18,512 --> 01:08:21,515 Well, firstly, I recognize this must be a difficult night for you. 1369 01:08:21,598 --> 01:08:25,018 No, I'm a professional, Oscar. We're both professionals, 1370 01:08:25,101 --> 01:08:27,062 we understand the nature of our business. 1371 01:08:27,145 --> 01:08:31,483 Larry, did you really like the show? I don't think I do the comedy numbers 1372 01:08:31,566 --> 01:08:33,736 half as well as you do. They're not my strength. 1373 01:08:33,819 --> 01:08:37,822 I laughed my ass off. I had to have it re-attached. 1374 01:08:39,074 --> 01:08:41,618 Larry, we're the same age, but you were always the teacher. 1375 01:08:41,701 --> 01:08:43,996 -No, Oscar. I... -No, your whole career, 1376 01:08:44,079 --> 01:08:45,706 -you showed us the way. -Well, I doubt... 1377 01:08:45,789 --> 01:08:47,332 You liberated us all. 1378 01:08:47,415 --> 01:08:50,919 You made American songs finally sound like American speech. 1379 01:08:51,002 --> 01:08:53,630 Stop. I dislike eulogies, especially my own. 1380 01:08:53,713 --> 01:08:56,007 Oscar, tonight is your night. 1381 01:08:56,633 --> 01:09:00,220 A hit for you and Dick is a hit for all of us. 1382 01:09:00,303 --> 01:09:02,973 People finally want to go see shows again. 1383 01:09:03,056 --> 01:09:05,893 Real shows. Dick and I were just tossing around a few ideas. 1384 01:09:05,976 --> 01:09:09,604 -Wonderful. -Yeah, we have this idea for a big... 1385 01:09:10,689 --> 01:09:12,399 Marco Polo show... huge... 1386 01:09:12,482 --> 01:09:14,109 -Wow. -...a kind of musical circus. 1387 01:09:14,192 --> 01:09:16,862 Dick's excited about it. 1388 01:09:16,945 --> 01:09:18,405 He said you're adapting Liliom. 1389 01:09:18,488 --> 01:09:20,199 Well, if we can finagle the rights. 1390 01:09:20,282 --> 01:09:21,366 Sounds exciting. 1391 01:09:21,491 --> 01:09:24,203 -Elizabeth told me she's your protégé. -Stop. 1392 01:09:24,286 --> 01:09:28,957 "She's the promised kiss of springtime that makes the lonely winter seem long." 1393 01:09:29,040 --> 01:09:30,042 Oh, please. 1394 01:09:30,125 --> 01:09:33,545 -You wrote a great lyric. -For a show that didn't run three months. 1395 01:09:33,628 --> 01:09:35,714 -I saw it twice. -You... 1396 01:09:35,797 --> 01:09:38,133 You know what we're talking about here, Stevie? 1397 01:09:38,216 --> 01:09:40,552 Very Warm for May. Produced by Max Gordon. 1398 01:09:40,635 --> 01:09:41,929 Music by Jerome Kern. 1399 01:09:42,012 --> 01:09:44,638 Alvin Theatre. 59 performances. 1400 01:09:46,016 --> 01:09:49,978 This is my neighbor. He's a kind of a walking encyclopedia of musical theater. 1401 01:09:50,061 --> 01:09:52,856 Well, I'm a kind of walking pneumonia for musical theater. 1402 01:09:52,939 --> 01:09:54,900 -Nice to meet you. -Pleasure to meet you. 1403 01:09:54,983 --> 01:09:56,902 He wants to write musicals when he grows up. 1404 01:09:56,985 --> 01:09:58,487 Who's your favorite lyricist? 1405 01:09:58,570 --> 01:09:59,738 -Oscar. -Mmm-hmm. 1406 01:10:00,488 --> 01:10:02,699 Of course. And what do you think of my work? 1407 01:10:02,782 --> 01:10:04,326 I like it. It's funny. 1408 01:10:04,409 --> 01:10:05,494 Thank you. 1409 01:10:05,577 --> 01:10:07,138 Can be a little sloppy at times. 1410 01:10:07,829 --> 01:10:10,165 He's very tired. It's been a long day. 1411 01:10:10,248 --> 01:10:13,335 Come on, Stevie. It's a long ride back to Doylestown. 1412 01:10:13,418 --> 01:10:15,504 -You want to go to the bathroom? -I'm not tired. 1413 01:10:15,587 --> 01:10:17,589 He asked me what I thought of his work. 1414 01:10:17,672 --> 01:10:19,883 "Weighty affairs will just have to wait"? 1415 01:10:19,966 --> 01:10:22,093 I so regret not having children. 1416 01:10:22,886 --> 01:10:25,138 Cooper. 1417 01:10:25,221 --> 01:10:27,307 -I can't believe I'm telling you this. -Tell me. 1418 01:10:27,390 --> 01:10:29,726 You have to remember, I've had a hopeless crush on this guy 1419 01:10:29,809 --> 01:10:30,853 for over a year. 1420 01:10:30,936 --> 01:10:32,520 Hold this. Come here. 1421 01:10:33,688 --> 01:10:38,151 Renee, may I buy five minutes of privacy, please? 1422 01:10:39,069 --> 01:10:40,487 {\an8}Anything for you, Larry. 1423 01:10:50,538 --> 01:10:51,665 Thank you. 1424 01:10:53,875 --> 01:10:56,920 Tell me what he looks like, I'm trying to visualize him. 1425 01:10:57,837 --> 01:11:00,090 Apollo? Blue eyes. Tall. 1426 01:11:00,173 --> 01:11:02,384 So, basically, the skin on his back 1427 01:11:02,467 --> 01:11:04,011 -was flawless... -Stop. 1428 01:11:04,094 --> 01:11:07,973 It's the night of your birthday. Tell me everything. 1429 01:11:08,056 --> 01:11:11,810 -A group of my friends are taking... -Boyfriends, girlfriends? 1430 01:11:12,435 --> 01:11:13,604 -Mixed. -Okay. 1431 01:11:13,687 --> 01:11:16,063 Come on, Larry, I'm a college lady. 1432 01:11:17,357 --> 01:11:21,319 So they're taking me to Mory's, which is technically no women allowed, 1433 01:11:21,903 --> 01:11:25,407 but they smuggle us up those backstairs like so much heavily-scented contraband, 1434 01:11:25,490 --> 01:11:30,829 and, of course, one of the girls has brought along her date. 1435 01:11:30,912 --> 01:11:31,997 Cooper? 1436 01:11:32,580 --> 01:11:36,126 Which is both destroying me and exhilarating me. 1437 01:11:36,209 --> 01:11:40,005 I mean, he's there. Near me. 1438 01:11:42,048 --> 01:11:43,425 The evening is getting late, 1439 01:11:43,508 --> 01:11:45,606 empty wine bottles are filling up the table. 1440 01:11:46,594 --> 01:11:48,597 Half of us are underage, 1441 01:11:48,680 --> 01:11:51,600 but we're flirting so shamelessly with the waiter that nobody seems to care. 1442 01:11:51,683 --> 01:11:54,769 -Drinking your French Malbec. -Exactly. 1443 01:11:55,478 --> 01:11:57,564 I'm nothing if not a good student. 1444 01:11:58,148 --> 01:12:01,735 That's why everybody loves you, Larry. You're the best listener I ever met. 1445 01:12:01,818 --> 01:12:05,280 That's because I have absolutely no interest in myself whatsoever. 1446 01:12:05,363 --> 01:12:07,616 Back to your tale of natal debauchery. 1447 01:12:07,699 --> 01:12:09,784 Empty wine bottles filling the table... 1448 01:12:11,119 --> 01:12:12,454 -So it's late. -Mmm-hmm. 1449 01:12:12,996 --> 01:12:15,915 -And Marjorie... -The girl who came with Cooper? 1450 01:12:16,791 --> 01:12:18,418 She's left to go home and study. 1451 01:12:18,501 --> 01:12:19,795 Aww... 1452 01:12:19,878 --> 01:12:22,213 People are staggering out one by one. 1453 01:12:23,048 --> 01:12:24,257 It's midnight. 1454 01:12:25,258 --> 01:12:27,719 And I find myself sitting right next to him. 1455 01:12:27,802 --> 01:12:29,262 Take your time. 1456 01:12:30,013 --> 01:12:33,558 You know, there's no place else on earth I'd rather be 1457 01:12:33,641 --> 01:12:36,186 than sitting right here with you. 1458 01:12:36,269 --> 01:12:38,522 Oh, did you get my letter? There's a party at my place tonight. 1459 01:12:38,605 --> 01:12:40,774 Oh, I think I've got to stay here and help my mother... 1460 01:12:40,857 --> 01:12:42,192 It's not getting started till late. 1461 01:12:42,275 --> 01:12:45,195 You'll have plenty of time to work the room here. 1462 01:12:45,904 --> 01:12:49,491 I've got the Golden Gate Quartet showing up. Promise me you'll come. 1463 01:12:49,574 --> 01:12:51,159 320 Central Park West. 1464 01:12:51,242 --> 01:12:54,538 You said you wanted to design sets and costumes, 1465 01:12:54,621 --> 01:12:56,832 everybody in New York theater is gonna be there. 1466 01:12:56,915 --> 01:12:58,249 Okay, back to Cooper. 1467 01:12:59,584 --> 01:13:01,586 Okay. 1468 01:13:02,295 --> 01:13:03,671 We leave Mory's together. 1469 01:13:04,589 --> 01:13:08,134 It's a perfect November night. A fingernail clipping of a moon. 1470 01:13:09,094 --> 01:13:12,472 He's got his arm around me. We're both a little drunk, 1471 01:13:12,555 --> 01:13:15,434 stumbling in and out of each other's arms. 1472 01:13:15,517 --> 01:13:18,812 He's wearing this red and green flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up. 1473 01:13:18,895 --> 01:13:20,230 Not that you noticed. 1474 01:13:21,189 --> 01:13:22,315 He's looking good! 1475 01:13:22,398 --> 01:13:24,442 -And you? -Um... 1476 01:13:25,902 --> 01:13:27,073 It's my birthday, right? 1477 01:13:27,737 --> 01:13:30,240 -I'm supposed to be looking good. -Tasty. 1478 01:13:31,616 --> 01:13:34,578 So I'm leaning against that flannel work shirt, 1479 01:13:34,661 --> 01:13:36,329 and I'm telling you, 1480 01:13:36,996 --> 01:13:39,623 I can smell the maleness coming off of him. 1481 01:13:40,917 --> 01:13:45,421 I remember thinking that huge purple letters should have lit up the sky... 1482 01:13:46,923 --> 01:13:48,216 -"Desire." -Okay. 1483 01:13:48,299 --> 01:13:49,301 Hold on one second. 1484 01:13:49,384 --> 01:13:51,678 I have to go find some ice-water and pour it down my trousers. 1485 01:13:51,761 --> 01:13:53,513 You may need some extra ice. 1486 01:13:54,222 --> 01:13:56,975 We end up in the basement of his fraternity, 1487 01:13:57,058 --> 01:14:00,228 in this tawdry sort of derelict bar. 1488 01:14:00,311 --> 01:14:03,315 God only knows how many acts of depravity have taken place down there. 1489 01:14:03,398 --> 01:14:04,941 And here comes one more. 1490 01:14:05,024 --> 01:14:06,191 Oh, yeah. 1491 01:14:08,695 --> 01:14:11,281 So I've been watching this guy for a year, 1492 01:14:12,365 --> 01:14:16,578 dreaming about him, and now, here it is. 1493 01:14:17,453 --> 01:14:19,873 The night of my birthday, 1494 01:14:19,956 --> 01:14:22,709 the only light is coming from this dim little lamp 1495 01:14:22,792 --> 01:14:25,503 with horses and jockeys printed on the shade. 1496 01:14:26,212 --> 01:14:28,261 I mean, really, Larry, what's a girl to do? 1497 01:14:29,048 --> 01:14:30,258 Happy birthday! 1498 01:14:32,969 --> 01:14:34,970 He begins to take off his clothes. 1499 01:14:41,769 --> 01:14:43,438 You really want to hear this? 1500 01:14:43,521 --> 01:14:45,648 Uh, I'm mildly interested. 1501 01:14:47,817 --> 01:14:48,902 It's humiliating. 1502 01:14:50,361 --> 01:14:52,020 'Cause basically nothing happened. 1503 01:14:53,239 --> 01:14:54,365 Nothing? 1504 01:14:56,242 --> 01:14:57,953 Like you and me at the lake house? 1505 01:14:58,036 --> 01:14:59,120 No. 1506 01:15:00,163 --> 01:15:02,358 That was a deliberate decision we made, right? 1507 01:15:02,874 --> 01:15:07,045 Based on what? Rationality? I mean, as rational as you and I ever get. 1508 01:15:09,505 --> 01:15:10,757 But this... 1509 01:15:12,008 --> 01:15:15,511 This was based on the fact that he couldn't get the rubber on. 1510 01:15:16,137 --> 01:15:17,931 Oh, no. 1511 01:15:18,014 --> 01:15:19,307 He tried. 1512 01:15:20,225 --> 01:15:21,684 -He tried again. -No. 1513 01:15:22,602 --> 01:15:25,230 -I tried. -Oh, stop. 1514 01:15:25,313 --> 01:15:27,232 It was the worst 10 minutes of my life. 1515 01:15:27,315 --> 01:15:29,401 It felt like 10 hours. 1516 01:15:29,484 --> 01:15:30,485 Oh, I'm sorry. 1517 01:15:30,568 --> 01:15:33,196 And you know what the worst part was? 1518 01:15:35,615 --> 01:15:38,076 He just wasn't there, you know? 1519 01:15:39,535 --> 01:15:42,205 He kept mumbling that it was, um, the wine. 1520 01:15:42,288 --> 01:15:43,414 That, um... 1521 01:15:44,207 --> 01:15:47,668 ...the rubber was too small, if you can believe that. 1522 01:15:49,003 --> 01:15:51,882 And this whole time what's clear to me 1523 01:15:51,965 --> 01:15:56,844 is that he just... hasn't sufficiently... 1524 01:15:58,471 --> 01:16:01,099 I don't know what the right word is. Maybe... 1525 01:16:03,017 --> 01:16:06,104 "he-just-doesn't-love-you-enough" is the right word. 1526 01:16:07,272 --> 01:16:10,108 I mean, there's no way around that one, is there? 1527 01:16:10,984 --> 01:16:13,903 When the girl loves the guy with all of her heart, 1528 01:16:14,988 --> 01:16:17,448 and he just doesn't return her feeling? 1529 01:16:18,658 --> 01:16:21,119 Do you have any idea what that feels like? 1530 01:16:21,202 --> 01:16:23,329 "Nobody ever loved me that much." 1531 01:16:24,622 --> 01:16:28,376 I brought into that basement a year's worth of adoration, 1532 01:16:29,419 --> 01:16:31,421 yeah, studying his photograph, 1533 01:16:32,588 --> 01:16:34,591 memorizing his phone number. 1534 01:16:34,674 --> 01:16:38,511 And there he was, this half-drunk junior 1535 01:16:39,595 --> 01:16:42,766 who couldn't even pretend to love me... 1536 01:16:42,849 --> 01:16:46,602 And... I wouldn't have minded if there'd been... 1537 01:16:47,687 --> 01:16:49,856 some... passion underneath. 1538 01:16:49,939 --> 01:16:52,567 Or even empathy. 1539 01:16:54,068 --> 01:16:56,821 There was nothing. 1540 01:16:57,655 --> 01:17:01,409 Just... that lamp with the horses on it. 1541 01:17:02,577 --> 01:17:06,915 You deserve so much better. 1542 01:17:06,998 --> 01:17:08,124 Yeah. 1543 01:17:10,126 --> 01:17:12,321 I asked my roommate about it the next morning, 1544 01:17:12,670 --> 01:17:14,422 you know, girl to girl. 1545 01:17:15,548 --> 01:17:20,303 She said that men sometimes can't perform because they're too nervous. 1546 01:17:23,389 --> 01:17:26,268 I wish I could believe that to feel a little bit better about myself. 1547 01:17:26,351 --> 01:17:27,810 But... 1548 01:17:28,311 --> 01:17:31,106 ...he was not nervous. Not in the least. 1549 01:17:31,189 --> 01:17:32,274 He had his eyes shut. 1550 01:17:32,357 --> 01:17:35,485 As if he were trying to dream me into somebody he really wanted. 1551 01:17:35,568 --> 01:17:37,487 I felt stupid. 1552 01:17:37,570 --> 01:17:38,947 I felt debased. 1553 01:17:39,030 --> 01:17:41,616 I felt furious at myself that I could allow him 1554 01:17:41,699 --> 01:17:44,660 to make me feel so worthless. 1555 01:17:45,995 --> 01:17:48,123 We tried a few creative alternatives. 1556 01:17:48,206 --> 01:17:49,832 Oh, no. 1557 01:17:51,167 --> 01:17:53,753 It got uglier and uglier. 1558 01:17:54,462 --> 01:17:58,633 Finally, he said, "Elizabeth, I owe you a rain check." 1559 01:18:00,593 --> 01:18:01,928 And that... 1560 01:18:02,553 --> 01:18:04,722 That was my 20th birthday. 1561 01:18:06,099 --> 01:18:07,225 Ta-da. 1562 01:18:07,308 --> 01:18:08,476 Jesus wept. 1563 01:18:11,312 --> 01:18:12,439 But it gets worse. 1564 01:18:12,522 --> 01:18:13,648 I don't think I can take it. 1565 01:18:13,731 --> 01:18:15,066 Okay, I can take it. 1566 01:18:15,149 --> 01:18:19,444 But just tell me in a way that doesn't make me ashamed to be a human being. 1567 01:18:21,656 --> 01:18:23,071 That's going to be difficult. 1568 01:18:24,200 --> 01:18:26,494 About a week later... 1569 01:18:26,577 --> 01:18:28,538 ...everybody's leaving for Thanksgiving. 1570 01:18:29,831 --> 01:18:32,583 He gives me a call. Would I like to have dinner with him? 1571 01:18:33,376 --> 01:18:36,046 You know me. No pride. 1572 01:18:36,129 --> 01:18:40,007 I say, "Sure," and make my way over to his fraternity again, 1573 01:18:41,175 --> 01:18:43,928 which sits under this huge gingko tree. 1574 01:18:44,679 --> 01:18:46,806 The leaves have turned yellow, 1575 01:18:46,889 --> 01:18:49,642 the trunk of the tree is black from the rain. 1576 01:18:50,351 --> 01:18:53,354 I'm thinking this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. 1577 01:18:54,272 --> 01:18:55,940 I remember saying to myself, 1578 01:18:56,774 --> 01:18:58,860 "God is giving you a second chance." 1579 01:18:59,819 --> 01:19:00,904 We go up to his room, 1580 01:19:00,987 --> 01:19:03,448 his roommate has already left for the holiday. 1581 01:19:04,240 --> 01:19:05,658 The door clicks shut, 1582 01:19:06,826 --> 01:19:07,827 and suddenly... 1583 01:19:09,245 --> 01:19:11,873 there's no more discussion about dinner. 1584 01:19:11,956 --> 01:19:13,833 Rain check cashed! 1585 01:19:13,916 --> 01:19:15,210 In spades. 1586 01:19:15,293 --> 01:19:17,003 I mean, it's suddenly pouring. 1587 01:19:17,086 --> 01:19:19,339 We're practically tearing each other's clothes off. 1588 01:19:19,422 --> 01:19:21,174 There is no conversation. 1589 01:19:22,049 --> 01:19:23,301 And this time... 1590 01:19:24,719 --> 01:19:26,262 there is no difficulty. 1591 01:19:27,388 --> 01:19:30,642 Not the first time. Not the second time. 1592 01:19:30,725 --> 01:19:32,310 Stop it. 1593 01:19:34,187 --> 01:19:38,108 He says to me, "Happy belated birthday, Elizabeth." 1594 01:19:38,191 --> 01:19:39,275 Mmm. 1595 01:19:40,943 --> 01:19:44,906 And you want to hear the unbelievable ending to this sordid little story? 1596 01:19:46,699 --> 01:19:48,409 That was the last time I saw him. 1597 01:19:50,495 --> 01:19:53,789 That was November. Over four months ago. 1598 01:19:55,249 --> 01:19:59,379 I was absolutely sure he'd call. If only to have sex again, right? 1599 01:19:59,462 --> 01:20:01,714 No. Never. 1600 01:20:02,548 --> 01:20:04,259 I thought he'd write. 1601 01:20:04,342 --> 01:20:05,551 No. 1602 01:20:06,302 --> 01:20:07,846 So I call him, of course. 1603 01:20:07,929 --> 01:20:09,097 Mmm. 1604 01:20:09,180 --> 01:20:11,229 He couldn't get off the phone fast enough. 1605 01:20:12,642 --> 01:20:14,060 So I wrote to him. 1606 01:20:15,645 --> 01:20:18,148 -A four-page typed letter. Single-spaced. -Oh, no. 1607 01:20:18,231 --> 01:20:19,649 No response. 1608 01:20:20,274 --> 01:20:24,320 I tell myself it was like a fever dream, you know? 1609 01:20:25,279 --> 01:20:27,490 And maybe the fever finally broke. 1610 01:20:28,616 --> 01:20:31,619 And it all sounds sane and sensible. 1611 01:20:34,038 --> 01:20:35,456 But you know something? 1612 01:20:36,916 --> 01:20:40,503 If he called me right now, right this very second, 1613 01:20:41,921 --> 01:20:43,965 I'd drop everything in my life and... 1614 01:20:45,091 --> 01:20:49,304 drive three hours, drive 30 hours just to spend one more night with him. 1615 01:20:49,387 --> 01:20:51,347 What is the matter with me, Larry? 1616 01:20:51,430 --> 01:20:55,351 Why would you drive 30 hours to see someone who treated you like that? 1617 01:20:58,271 --> 01:20:59,981 Because I'm in love with him? 1618 01:21:01,148 --> 01:21:02,149 You are? 1619 01:21:03,109 --> 01:21:06,696 It's illogical. Obsessional. Pathetic. 1620 01:21:07,697 --> 01:21:10,331 And this is not the first time this has happened to me. 1621 01:21:11,117 --> 01:21:12,618 It keeps happening to me. 1622 01:21:14,412 --> 01:21:16,872 I feel like I can't see people clearly. 1623 01:21:18,165 --> 01:21:21,002 I wrote a song once, years ago, 1624 01:21:21,085 --> 01:21:23,171 called The Heart is Quicker Than the Eye. 1625 01:21:23,254 --> 01:21:25,590 It's not a great song, but it's a good title. 1626 01:21:25,673 --> 01:21:27,842 And it's true, I think. 1627 01:21:28,676 --> 01:21:34,432 The head has nothing to do with the madness of love. 1628 01:21:34,515 --> 01:21:36,642 And... 1629 01:21:37,184 --> 01:21:40,480 It doesn't matter at all about worthiness, does it? 1630 01:21:40,563 --> 01:21:44,108 We invest our hearts in worthless stocks. 1631 01:21:44,191 --> 01:21:46,361 And we know they're worthless. 1632 01:21:46,444 --> 01:21:50,656 But we cling to them like little children clutching their little stuffed bears. 1633 01:21:51,741 --> 01:21:54,785 Oh, Elizabeth. 1634 01:21:56,829 --> 01:21:58,080 Tell me truthfully. 1635 01:22:00,124 --> 01:22:01,626 How do you feel about me? 1636 01:22:04,962 --> 01:22:06,047 How do you mean? 1637 01:22:07,214 --> 01:22:08,215 I mean, 1638 01:22:09,216 --> 01:22:12,470 at the lake house, with the light burning off the water, 1639 01:22:14,096 --> 01:22:16,098 we talked through half the night, 1640 01:22:17,266 --> 01:22:19,060 and I touched your shoulder... 1641 01:22:19,852 --> 01:22:22,480 Did you actually love me a little bit that night? 1642 01:22:23,773 --> 01:22:25,358 You know I love you, Larry. 1643 01:22:27,985 --> 01:22:29,195 You do? 1644 01:22:32,531 --> 01:22:35,826 Just... not that way. 1645 01:22:43,834 --> 01:22:48,005 You said you'd drive 30 hours to see Cooper. 1646 01:22:49,340 --> 01:22:51,801 How many hours would you drive to see me? 1647 01:22:52,635 --> 01:22:55,345 Oh. My hands are shaking. 1648 01:22:56,889 --> 01:22:59,392 I feel something wiser and deeper for you. 1649 01:22:59,475 --> 01:23:01,811 -Mmm. Thank you. -Respect. 1650 01:23:01,894 --> 01:23:05,857 Gratitude for the generosity and selflessness you've shown me. 1651 01:23:05,940 --> 01:23:08,860 No one has ever been more interested in my life than you have. 1652 01:23:08,943 --> 01:23:12,530 I don't deserve a friendship like yours. I am so grateful for you. 1653 01:23:12,613 --> 01:23:14,699 I will be grateful forever. 1654 01:23:14,782 --> 01:23:17,452 I'm grateful to you, too, for resurrecting me. 1655 01:23:17,535 --> 01:23:19,078 Stop. 1656 01:23:19,161 --> 01:23:20,455 Larry! There's people out here. 1657 01:23:20,538 --> 01:23:22,081 One second! 1658 01:23:27,086 --> 01:23:29,046 Can I ask you something? 1659 01:23:30,214 --> 01:23:32,592 Something that's probably too personal for me to ask? 1660 01:23:32,675 --> 01:23:36,137 Too personal is the only thing that I'm interested in. 1661 01:23:36,804 --> 01:23:39,640 Uh... My mother... 1662 01:23:40,349 --> 01:23:43,311 You know, she works for the Guild, she knows everybody. 1663 01:23:43,394 --> 01:23:46,189 So she saw us spending time together last summer... 1664 01:23:46,272 --> 01:23:48,232 I see where this is headed. 1665 01:23:49,483 --> 01:23:52,654 She said to me... I don't... I don't know how to say this. 1666 01:23:52,737 --> 01:23:53,821 Just say it. 1667 01:23:56,115 --> 01:23:57,116 Okay. 1668 01:23:58,576 --> 01:24:00,453 She said to me, more than once, 1669 01:24:00,536 --> 01:24:03,414 "Elizabeth, not only is he twice your age," 1670 01:24:04,498 --> 01:24:08,336 "but I don't think his primary interest is women." 1671 01:24:08,419 --> 01:24:09,628 What did you say? 1672 01:24:10,755 --> 01:24:13,132 I said, "Look, Mother, I know what I know." 1673 01:24:13,215 --> 01:24:14,759 "And I know what we're both feeling." 1674 01:24:14,842 --> 01:24:17,094 Mmm-hmm. What are we both feeling? 1675 01:24:21,390 --> 01:24:23,100 "Irrational adoration?" 1676 01:24:25,186 --> 01:24:30,357 And what may I ask does your mother think she knows of my primary interest? 1677 01:24:31,525 --> 01:24:34,278 I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. 1678 01:24:35,112 --> 01:24:36,280 Please forgive me. 1679 01:24:37,740 --> 01:24:42,453 To all our mothers. May they remain mercifully silent. 1680 01:24:43,704 --> 01:24:45,832 I apologize. That was stupid of me to have asked. 1681 01:24:45,915 --> 01:24:48,000 And I do know what I know, and what I feel. 1682 01:24:48,793 --> 01:24:50,878 Here's what you tell that mother of yours, 1683 01:24:50,961 --> 01:24:52,422 as she sits by the fire, 1684 01:24:52,505 --> 01:24:55,425 wistfully counting up her royalties from Oklahoma! 1685 01:24:55,508 --> 01:24:59,261 You tell her that Larry Hart is drunk with beauty. 1686 01:25:00,346 --> 01:25:02,431 And italicize the word "drunk." 1687 01:25:02,932 --> 01:25:05,560 Drunk with beauty, wherever he finds it. 1688 01:25:05,643 --> 01:25:10,189 In men, in women, in the smell of cigar stores, 1689 01:25:10,272 --> 01:25:15,069 in the impossible beauty of a 20-year-old poet 1690 01:25:15,152 --> 01:25:19,990 with pale green eyes and two tiny freckles on her left cheek. 1691 01:25:24,787 --> 01:25:25,871 Are you all right? 1692 01:25:26,914 --> 01:25:29,333 It's... 1693 01:25:29,416 --> 01:25:31,335 ...my cigarette heart. 1694 01:25:31,418 --> 01:25:33,713 Larry, Dick Rodgers is looking for his coat. 1695 01:25:33,796 --> 01:25:35,047 Coming. 1696 01:25:51,981 --> 01:25:53,107 Introduce me? 1697 01:25:53,190 --> 01:25:56,235 Thank you, Renee. 1698 01:25:56,318 --> 01:25:58,529 Wonderful, thank you so much. 1699 01:25:59,196 --> 01:26:03,492 Dick, I want to introduce you to my protégé, Elizabeth Weiland. 1700 01:26:04,910 --> 01:26:06,078 Your protégé? 1701 01:26:06,954 --> 01:26:08,247 -Hello. -Hello. 1702 01:26:08,330 --> 01:26:10,708 Well, you've got yourself a damn good role model there 1703 01:26:10,791 --> 01:26:13,169 if you can stay away from the bourbon. 1704 01:26:13,252 --> 01:26:17,965 Mmm. She's interested in writing and set design and costumes. 1705 01:26:18,048 --> 01:26:19,466 Okay, really? 1706 01:26:19,592 --> 01:26:21,760 Mr. Rodgers, the show tonight, 1707 01:26:22,469 --> 01:26:23,971 I thought it was magnificent. 1708 01:26:24,054 --> 01:26:25,139 Well, thank you. 1709 01:26:25,222 --> 01:26:27,391 It was as perfect a musical show as I've ever seen. 1710 01:26:27,474 --> 01:26:29,811 Well, that's a lovely compliment. 1711 01:26:29,894 --> 01:26:31,938 Your mother's with the Guild, am I right? 1712 01:26:32,021 --> 01:26:34,357 -Yes, Theresa Weiland. -Yeah, Theresa, yeah. 1713 01:26:34,440 --> 01:26:37,233 -Right, so you've seen a lot of shows. -Too many shows. 1714 01:26:39,153 --> 01:26:40,154 Yeah. 1715 01:26:40,237 --> 01:26:41,322 I know what you mean. 1716 01:26:41,906 --> 01:26:44,534 But tonight what I saw was what I'd always hoped a show might be. 1717 01:26:44,617 --> 01:26:47,453 Uplifting. Smart. Magical. 1718 01:26:47,578 --> 01:26:51,237 Larry, this is the most perceptive young woman you've ever introduced me to. 1719 01:26:52,458 --> 01:26:54,165 -I've had a good teacher. -Mmm-hmm. 1720 01:26:54,835 --> 01:26:56,420 So, what do you write? 1721 01:26:56,503 --> 01:26:58,422 At this point, poetry mostly. 1722 01:26:58,881 --> 01:27:00,675 It's very strong. 1723 01:27:00,758 --> 01:27:02,468 And you do set design, too? 1724 01:27:02,551 --> 01:27:03,928 -I'm studying. -Right. 1725 01:27:04,011 --> 01:27:07,890 Well, I'd love to... read some of your poems. 1726 01:27:07,973 --> 01:27:13,145 Uh... See your sketches. This is my... This is my private number. 1727 01:27:14,647 --> 01:27:15,731 I'm flattered. 1728 01:27:16,440 --> 01:27:19,861 I haven't seen Dorothy around. Is... Is... Is your wife here? 1729 01:27:19,944 --> 01:27:22,238 No, she's headed back to the apartment. We're all going to meet up there 1730 01:27:22,321 --> 01:27:24,198 to look at the late reviews, Larry. 1731 01:27:24,281 --> 01:27:27,702 Yeah, so I'd love for you to join us, Elizabeth. 1732 01:27:27,785 --> 01:27:30,621 It would be refreshing to have someone of the younger generation amongst us. 1733 01:27:30,704 --> 01:27:32,707 And maybe you can explain to me, Elizabeth, 1734 01:27:32,790 --> 01:27:35,334 why exactly the young girls scream over Sinatra. 1735 01:27:35,960 --> 01:27:37,670 I don't scream over Sinatra. 1736 01:27:37,753 --> 01:27:39,797 No, she screams under Sinatra. 1737 01:27:39,880 --> 01:27:41,673 Okay, Larry! 1738 01:27:43,217 --> 01:27:45,344 Larry, of course, you're welcome to come. 1739 01:27:45,427 --> 01:27:49,098 Oh, I'm going to try to make it, I'm just throwing a little soirée over at my place. 1740 01:27:49,181 --> 01:27:50,558 I've got the Golden Gate Quartet coming... 1741 01:27:50,641 --> 01:27:54,437 Well, I can't compete with Larry in the soirée department. 1742 01:27:54,520 --> 01:27:56,606 -I'd love to stop over. -You would? 1743 01:27:56,689 --> 01:27:58,232 Dick, you coming? 1744 01:27:58,315 --> 01:27:59,692 Yep, yep. 1745 01:27:59,775 --> 01:28:00,985 Do you have a ride? 1746 01:28:01,068 --> 01:28:02,695 You know what, I can take her in a cab later. 1747 01:28:02,778 --> 01:28:04,405 We're going right now if you want to come with us? 1748 01:28:04,488 --> 01:28:06,198 -I'd love to. -Great. 1749 01:28:06,991 --> 01:28:09,285 Just let me inform my mom. 1750 01:28:09,368 --> 01:28:11,244 The dutiful daughter. 1751 01:28:14,039 --> 01:28:17,418 Wow. She is... She is so lovely, right? 1752 01:28:18,585 --> 01:28:20,379 She's really striking. 1753 01:28:20,462 --> 01:28:22,757 Are you... Are you and she... 1754 01:28:22,840 --> 01:28:26,760 Oh, no, no. I mean, I'm in love with her, 1755 01:28:27,428 --> 01:28:30,347 but, uh, everybody's in love with her. 1756 01:28:31,557 --> 01:28:33,267 Just not that way. 1757 01:28:33,350 --> 01:28:34,435 Okay. 1758 01:28:38,522 --> 01:28:39,648 Hmm. 1759 01:28:44,028 --> 01:28:45,488 So we'll see you later on tonight? 1760 01:28:45,571 --> 01:28:46,905 Absolutely. 1761 01:28:48,907 --> 01:28:50,492 Mmm-hmm. 1762 01:28:51,493 --> 01:28:52,661 Hmm. 1763 01:28:53,871 --> 01:28:55,247 Thank you for everything. 1764 01:28:56,957 --> 01:28:58,501 Mr. Rodgers. 1765 01:28:58,584 --> 01:28:59,918 Miss Weiland. 1766 01:29:02,004 --> 01:29:03,047 Thank you. 1767 01:29:03,839 --> 01:29:05,693 And we'll see you later, Larry, right? 1768 01:29:08,927 --> 01:29:12,890 "With a song in my heart, I behold your adorable face!" 1769 01:29:35,245 --> 01:29:38,499 You ever meet someone, and you know instantly 1770 01:29:38,582 --> 01:29:42,795 that both your lives are going to be irretrievably altered? 1771 01:29:42,878 --> 01:29:46,923 Just as I suspected. You are a sentimentalist. 1772 01:29:48,842 --> 01:29:50,052 When do you get off work? 1773 01:29:50,135 --> 01:29:51,679 I got to lock this joint up. 1774 01:29:51,762 --> 01:29:54,598 Ah, what about you, Knuckles, you're done here, right? 1775 01:29:54,681 --> 01:29:56,058 Not yet. 1776 01:29:56,141 --> 01:29:59,770 Oh, 'cause I am throwing an enormous party at my place tonight. 1777 01:30:02,898 --> 01:30:04,733 I forgot to give her the presents. 1778 01:30:07,861 --> 01:30:10,031 I'm having such trouble with sleeves recently. 1779 01:30:10,114 --> 01:30:12,407 I have arthritis in this shoulder. 1780 01:30:13,367 --> 01:30:15,416 I'm going to have to start wearing a cloak. 1781 01:30:15,869 --> 01:30:19,832 I mean it. Single-handedly, I'm going to bring back the cloak. 1782 01:30:24,670 --> 01:30:30,092 You're going to see me on opening nights with a top hat 1783 01:30:30,175 --> 01:30:35,139 and a cloak, flitting through the fog with a silver-tipped cane. 1784 01:30:35,931 --> 01:30:37,975 You boys are coming tonight, right? 1785 01:30:38,058 --> 01:30:41,228 She's going to be there. I'm telling you, she will. 1786 01:30:41,854 --> 01:30:43,147 She'll arrive late. 1787 01:30:43,230 --> 01:30:47,401 And get this, 'cause this is the remarkable part, 1788 01:30:47,484 --> 01:30:50,988 sometime late, maybe around 5:00 a.m., 1789 01:30:51,071 --> 01:30:53,407 after a little too much Malbec, 1790 01:30:53,490 --> 01:30:56,577 she's going to turn to me and say, 1791 01:30:56,660 --> 01:30:59,789 "Hey, Larry, what are you reading?" 1792 01:30:59,872 --> 01:31:02,208 "Hey, Larry, when's your birthday?" 1793 01:31:02,291 --> 01:31:04,919 For the first time in her life, 1794 01:31:05,002 --> 01:31:08,964 she's going to be interested in me. 1795 01:31:09,798 --> 01:31:11,967 It has to happen sometime, right? 1796 01:31:12,050 --> 01:31:14,303 All the other guys have disappointed her. 1797 01:31:14,386 --> 01:31:17,514 But I never will. I'm just... 1798 01:31:18,557 --> 01:31:20,976 a little touch of Larry in the night. 1799 01:31:22,561 --> 01:31:25,104 Knuckles. Some travelin' music. 1800 01:31:29,568 --> 01:31:30,569 Blue moon 1801 01:31:32,863 --> 01:31:36,200 You saw me standing alone 1802 01:31:36,825 --> 01:31:37,743 Wise guy. 1803 01:31:37,826 --> 01:31:41,205 Without a dream in my heart 1804 01:31:42,873 --> 01:31:45,918 Without a love of my own 1805 01:31:47,211 --> 01:31:51,381 Well, it's a helluva lot better than The Surrey With the Fucking Fringe On Top. 1806 01:31:52,174 --> 01:31:55,260 Larry, you coming uptown to Dick's with us? 1807 01:31:55,427 --> 01:31:57,971 Oh, no, you go on ahead, I'll be up there later. 1808 01:31:59,014 --> 01:32:03,394 You knew just what I was there for 1809 01:32:03,477 --> 01:32:07,355 {\an8}You heard me saying a prayer for 1810 01:32:08,690 --> 01:32:11,944 Someone I really could care for 1811 01:32:12,027 --> 01:32:16,365 That's not bad. Triple feminine rhymes, and they all make sense. 1812 01:32:16,448 --> 01:32:19,284 And then suddenly you appeared before me 1813 01:32:20,410 --> 01:32:23,997 The only one my arms will ever hold 1814 01:32:25,082 --> 01:32:27,376 And I heard somebody whisper 1815 01:32:27,459 --> 01:32:29,587 Please adore me 1816 01:32:29,670 --> 01:32:34,675 And when I looked The moon had turned to gold 1817 01:32:34,758 --> 01:32:36,426 Blue moon 1818 01:32:43,809 --> 01:32:48,563 Larry, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. 1819 01:32:49,147 --> 01:32:50,565 "Isn't it romantic?" 1820 01:32:51,441 --> 01:32:52,609 Not really, no. 1821 01:32:56,655 --> 01:32:59,909 You know, it wasn't even supposed to be called Blue Moon. 1822 01:32:59,992 --> 01:33:03,370 I called it The Bad in Every Man. 1823 01:33:03,453 --> 01:33:06,248 We wrote it for this movie, Manhattan Melodrama. 1824 01:33:06,331 --> 01:33:10,252 Jack Robbins, formerly "Rabinowitz," he had his name circumcised over at MGM, 1825 01:33:10,335 --> 01:33:12,254 he hears the song, he calls us into his office, 1826 01:33:12,337 --> 01:33:13,923 he lowers his pastrami, says... 1827 01:33:14,006 --> 01:33:17,009 "Dick, I love the melody. 1828 01:33:17,092 --> 01:33:19,470 "Strong as anything you've ever written. 1829 01:33:19,553 --> 01:33:23,933 "But, Larry, those words, they're too artsy-fartsy!" 1830 01:33:24,016 --> 01:33:27,436 "They're not too artsy-fartsy for me. I know how brilliant you guys are." 1831 01:33:27,519 --> 01:33:29,980 "But you have to write for the schmucks in the dark." 1832 01:33:30,063 --> 01:33:31,565 "Nobody's going to sing that lyric." 1833 01:33:31,648 --> 01:33:33,317 So I said, "What's wrong with it?" 1834 01:33:33,400 --> 01:33:36,237 He said... "I can't even remember the fucking title!" 1835 01:33:36,320 --> 01:33:39,156 "Boys, give me something I can promote." 1836 01:33:39,239 --> 01:33:41,575 So I say, "What do you want me to call it?" 1837 01:33:41,658 --> 01:33:42,660 Blue Moon? 1838 01:33:42,743 --> 01:33:45,787 Punchline, biggest hit we ever wrote.