COURAGE Opening

COURAGE

A Play in Two Acts

Characters

The five main characters are all in their early to mid-forties.

 

Neil Barton	A screenwriter. Pleasant-looking, not especially handsome. Like most writers, a chaotic dresser.
Arlene Haynes	A movie star, and Neil’s wife, Stunning, dresses more Manhattan sophisticate than Hollywood star.
Timmy Burke	A comic. Conspicuously well-tailored, younger-looking than the others.
Sam Powell	A director. A large man, a little bit bearish, imposing in appearance.
Larry Keller	Their lawyer. An impeccable dresser, and in looks, just the fraction short of perfection to make him irresistible to every woman he approaches.

The Sentry                      A hulking, not-too-bright actor in his 20s.

 

The time is 1951 through 1959.

The locations are Hollywood and New York.

 

 

ACT I Scene 1. Lights come up on the living room-dining room of Neil and Arlene’s Beverly Hills home. Arlene stands before a mirror rehearsing lines from a play, running through them so rapidly we can’t decipher them. She alternates between gesturing speedily and reshaping her hairdo with her hands. Neil stands at the table, a toolbox open before him, repairing a toaster and feeding her cues in a quick, flat monotone. Beyond the table, Sam gestures with a script as he backs Timmy into position.                SAM              ARLENE It means– we’re the servants of “They could not have comprehended the history. Some revolutionary new significance of that confrontation, the invention, some new configuration vastness and treachery of the waters of power– here, stand here, good– they had chosen to sail. Nor that in and the individual has no choice that one brief moment of decision, each but to change to accommodate it. would be changing the course of his life.” Take television, for example.               NEIL Think of it. From now on, the “No etcetera etcetera surrender.” country- the entire human race-               ARLENE will be bound together as never “But none of them escaped the tragedy of before… OK, now, you’re going that day. The courageous among them to have to cheat it just a sacrificed their lives, while the little bit left. others, succumbing to the enemy and abandoning their comrades, denied themselves immortality and faith in themselves as warriors, and in so doing, forfeited their souls.” NEIL               Perfect. Want to do it again? ARLENE             No. She starts looking around for something. SAM             Think of it. The same words, the same images, the same hopes and terrors reaching every single household from the exact same source of power. Think of the changes, think of the influence– TIMMY Think of the goddam electric bill. NEIL           Whatever happened to practice makes– ARLENE           Neil, where’s the newspaper?

 

Sam and Timmy stiffen for a second, then relax as Neil holds up a single clipped-out column and hands it to Arlene, who accepts it as if this were a matter of course.

NEIL

I underlined the good part for you.

ARLENE

Thanks.

(Reads and is delighted with something)

Did you see this? Hedda called Joanie Crawford

an ^“aging starlet.” Hah! Nobody loves an aging starlet.

TIMMY

Nobody loves? I’ll tell you what fuckin’ nobody loves-

SAM

Timmy, I guarantee you, you have absolutely nothing to worry about–

(Neil suddenly makes an unholy racket shuffling through nuts and bolts in the toolbox, then picking up the toaster and shaking it as he looks inside. The others turn and stare at him.)

NEIL

It’s all right. Go on– just pretend I’m not here.

(They keep staring.)

NEIL

These things are guaranteed to work, why not hold them to it?

SAM

(To Timmy)

I happen to know for a fact that you’re going to be absolutely brilliant in this piece.

TIMMY

That’s not what I–

NEIL

Besides, this happens to be the ideal past time for a writer. Requires a subtle combination of logic and persistence.

(Meanwhile, Arlene subtly checks her wristwatch once or twice as she continues rearranging her hair. She sees something in the mirror that stops her cold. She raises her fingers to her temple, checks to make sure the men aren’t watching, plucks out a strand of hair and unobtrusively lets it slide to the floor.)

SAM

As I was saying, I know you understand the impact this kind of exposure can have on your career- millions of people watching you–

TIMMY How many?

SAM Millions.

NEIL

Right between the pitches for the crunchy peanut butter and the frost-free Frigidaire.

ARLENE

We know, dear, television is cheap and tawdry and we’re absolutely out of our minds to be doing it. How can we possibly resist?

TIMMY

Besides, they’re givin’ me a crack at a serious part here. I couldn’t buy myself a serious part in a picture.

ARLENE

Besides, we’re only doing it once. And besides, since when do we not stick together?

(Neil makes more noise. Sam summons Arlene, and addresses her and Timmy.)

SAM

Duchess, I want you to take a look at this second act floorplan, I think we have time to make it through this opening bit once or twice…

NEIL

Who’d you say wrote that masterpiece?

SAM

(Testy)

Charlie Jacobson.

NEIL

You know, if they handed out Nobel Prizes for Distinguished Achievement in Hack Melodrama, this guy’d be a shoo-in.

TIMMY

Are millions gonna be watching – – –

SAM

Now, this is where you’re going to be standing.

You’re going to have to play it extremely tight.

NEIL

Timmy, can I get you a drink or something? Blur your vision a little, it’ll only look like a couple hundred thousand…

SAM

If you don’t mind, we are trying to squeeze in a 11tt1e work here while we still have time.

NEIL

Sure, go right ahead. You’re not bothering me.

(He makes more noise.)

SAM

We can only afford one camera for this — and behind you they’re going to be setting up for the next scene. Remember, the camera’s going to be locked. You stay right there and don’t move.

TIMMY

Like we’re in front of a fuckin’ firing squad.

ARLENE

Aw, come on. You pay attention to this nice man, Timmy. He’s the best in the business.

(To Sam)

D’you love me?

SAM

How could anyone possibly not love you?

(They enjoy a quick bear hug. Sam looks from Arlene to Timmy for a second.)

SAM

OK, kids, let’s try one.

(Sam crosses down to where Neil is standing. Arlene and Timmy refer to the floorplan as they position themselves.)

SAM

Duchess, you just give Timmy his cues. Now, Timmy, remember everything I told you.

(A hardcover book sits on the table. Sam has to move it in order to place his script down flat.)

NEIL

Here, let me get that out of your way.

SAM

What is it?

NEIL

Jacques Bourget. Timmy brought a couple of his novels back from Europe for me. Talented man. If he wrote in English, he’d be me.

SAM

(Aside, to Neil)

So far, this actually seems to be working.

NEIL

Just keep ^‘em talkin’, boss. We’ll be getting to the punch line soon enough here.

TIMMY

(Dismayed)

Ar-lee-een!

ARLENE

Timmy! Take it easy!

TIMMY

Oh, Mommy. What’re we gonna do?

SAM

OK, positions, kids.

(Aside to Neil) Look interested.

(Pause)

I can’t possibly keep this going on my own.

NEIL

That’ll be the day.

ARLENE

Just hit your marks and say your lines. And quit worrying.

SAM

Half an inch left, Timmy, Good. Fine. (Aside to Neil)

I wish I knew what the hell could be  keeping Larry.

NEIL

Probably pawing someone else’s wife instead of mine for a change.

ARLENE

We are not stupid people, Timmy. We’re going to do just fine.

SAM

OK, Arlene, give him his cue.

ARLENE

“… dadadadadadadada moment of decision, each would be changing the course of his life…”

TIMMY

(Trying, but a little flat)

“No, my lady–”

SAM

Wait a minute. Look, Timmy. Look where I told you. Perfect. Fine. Now, I want you to really think as you say those words. Think. About facing a life-or-death struggle, all alone. Confronted by so many enemies, they couldn’t even count them. Knowing that in an instant, everything they ever had or loved could be destroyed. OK, Arlene, cue him again,

ARLENE

“… the course of his life.”

TIMMY

(Vastly improved)

“No, my lady, They only saw the enemy advancing upon them– and theirs was to choose among battle, retreat or surrender.”

ARLENE

“But none of them etcetera ” . . .forfeited their souls.”

TIMMY

“They were all of them good people at heart, I believe, forced by the circumstance of history into decisions the ordinary human never need ponder. . . But more of this later. Lady Rebecca has just now arrived.”

ARLENE

“Lady Rebecca. We must then to our duties.”

SAM

Magnificent, Timmy. Absolutely brilliant.

ARLENE

Everybody’s going to love you!

TIMMY

Neil, does all this look OK to you?

NEIL

You underestimate yourself, Timmy.

Habitually. I think you’re a lot better prepared for this than you realize.

TIMMY

(Relieved)

Thanks.

(Can’t stand it any longer) So what the fuck are we gonna do?

         ARLENE                                 NEIL

Aw, Sweetie – – –        Why don’t we just wait–

 

SAM

Listen. Larry should be here any minute now, and before he gets here, there is just one thing I’d like to say.

(Lowers his voice)

I owe every one of you an apology. I was the one who dragged you all into this. Now–they’re going to ruin every one of us, and we all know that I’m the one responsible for what’s about to happen.

NEIL

Knock it off, I just gave the Melodrama Prize to Charlie Jacobson- you tryin’ to make a liar out of me?

ARLENE

Sam, don’t be ridiculous. We–

SAM

I know it may sound ridiculous, but I do feel that since I was–

ARLENE

Sam, Enough already, OK? Nobody blames you. This is not your fault.

NEIL

We were all adults, Champ. We knew what we were doing.

TIMMY

I don’t. What the hell did we do – – – rob a

goddam bank? Hey. Get a load of this suit.

You think this is a pretty nice set of threads?

They start to say yes, but he cuts them off.

TIMMY

You know how much this getup cost me?

Two hundred dollars. Two. Hundred. American. Dollars. What the hell kind of Communist walks around in two hundred dollar suits? Christ– I come from nothing, pull myself up by the bootstraps to where I’m wearin’ two hundred dollar suits on a weekday, I got a house, a boat, two ex-wives burnin’ up the alimony, half a dozen cars and a fucking horse, and they got the gall to say I’m un-American? How the fuck much more American could I be?