All language subtitles for Where.The.Truth.Lies.2005.720p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX]

Downloaded from
YTS.MX

Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

ANNOUNCER (OVER SPEAKERS):
Live, until they drop dead ...

(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

...from the beautiful
Carlou Theater

in the heart of sunny
Miami Beach, Florida,

it's the Veterans Day
Polio Telethon!

And now, please
welcome your hosts

the beautiful, the talented,
Lanny Morris

and Vince Collins!

(BAND PLAYING FUN JAZZ MELODY)

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERING)

Do you realize, Lanny,
we have to present ourselves

in front of
these lovely people
for the next three days?

Oh. Hello, lovely people
for the next three days.

-Look at you.
You're a disgrace.
-What?

Look, your hair's a mess,
your shoes aren't shined,
your shirt's not pressed.

Look at your tie.
It's not even straight.

Look at yours.
It doesn't even clip on.

AUDIENCE: Oh!

Now...

I'm upset.

You know what
happens when I get upset.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.
No, no, no. Please.
Please don't hurt me, Vince.

I've had a terrible day
already. All sorts
of bad things have happened.

I don't wanna be hurt again.

-Oh, you've been hurt already,
have you?
-Yep, it hurt bad.

And what happened,
pray tell?

-Want me to pray or want me
to tell?
-I think you better pray.

(LAUGHTER)

-I saw this stranger...
-I don't know whether
you're singing or speaking.

(IN SING-SONG)
* Leave my pad

(PHONES RINGING)

* And I said, "Baby, what
explanation do you have?" *

There's always
a woman involved.

* And she said, "Hmm"

-Next time?
-Next time.

* And I said
"There will be no next time"

That's what you said
last time, Lanny,
and the time before that.

* That was the last time
for me

You have to make sure
there's no first time,

then there can't be
a next time.

* Said there'll be
no next time

Or a last time.

* That was
the last time for me *

Let's hope so, Lanny.

Lanny Morris,
ladies and gentlemen.

(MELLOW BLUES PLAYING)

(COOL JAZZ PLAYING)

(TIRES SCREECH)

(HORN HONKS)

VINCE: My manager
sent me over
some of your work.

It's funny how you're
really in them a lot.

Whenever I read
one of these interviews
where the writer says,

"This is how I felt
the morning I woke up
to meet the pope"

"This is how I felt when
the pope greeted me,

"and how he reminded me
so much of my friend Mike"

I always think,
"Who the fuck is Mike?"

So who are you?

KAREN:
I was a young journalist

with a few awards,

a couple of cover stories

and a desperate need
to prove myself.

If you look through my work,
you'll see I try to present

a balanced view
of my subjects.

I leave the conclusions
to the reader.

I'm not sure
we like balance.

Or leaving
the conclusions
to the reader.

I'm used to being publicized,
not analyzed.

It would be your words.

We'd publish it
as a transcript.

My questions,
your answers.

If you say it,
I can use it.

If you don't, I can't.

And they're gonna pay me
a million for this?

An excerpt will be published
in a magazine

as a way of amortizing
the investment

they'll be making
in the book.

They're looking
for some...

...provocative stories
for the first issue.

Any thoughts on what
these provocative stories
might be about?

The breakup.
Why Lanny and you split.

And the girl.

Maureen.

What happened
to Maureen O'Flaherty.

KAREN: No one had ever
been able to pin Lanny Morris

or Vince Collins
to the girl's death.

All that was clear

was that Maureen was found
dead in their hotel suite.

(CLICKING TYPEWRITER KEYS)

It was unthinkable to me
that Lanny and Vince

could have had
anything to do with it.

They were my heroes.

GIRL: "The reason
I consider myself
to be a miracle girl

"is because
I had the good fortune

"to meet Lanny and Vince
when I was sick.

"Their love of life
is what gave me hope

"and it's hope that gives us
the power to live."

Thank you, Lanny.

Thank you, Vince.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERING)

LANNY: Come on,
let's hear it for her.

LANNY: Denise handled
publicity for
the polio foundation.

And it was her idea
to plug the girl's story
on the telethon.

The day before,
it was my idea to plug Denise
at the Miami Versailles Hotel.

LANNY: You can tell
a lot about a woman

by the way she acts
when you're having sex
and room service comes in.

See, some girls will sit up
and light a cigarette

like there's nothing
funny in the world
about her being naked.

It's obvious we were
in the process of screwing

so why not let
a complete stranger
into the room?

Come on in.

Oh, then there's the kind
that will pull the sheets up
over their head

and act like they're asleep.

Where would you
like it, sir?

Sweetheart,
wherever you'd like it.

Then, of course,
there's the ones
who scrunch real flat

thinking that the bed
will look empty.

With Denise,
it was kind of hard
to tell which way she'd go.

Can I have your autograph,
Mr. Morris?

Sure.

Should I make it out
to Maureen?

I mean,
your autograph on the bill.

Okay.

I mean, I'd love
to have your autograph.

And maybe a few minutes
of your time.

I'm a huge fan and

well, I was thinking about

writing an article on you
for my campus paper.

I'm the editor.

Any interview requests
go through me, honey.

You know,
it's just a college paper.

Thank you.

No, thank you.

Thank you, Maureen.

LANNY:
I say goodbye to Maureen,
knowing I'd see her again

close the door
and then turn
to look at Denise

thinking, "I know this girl
from every college town
we have ever played."

They're called career girls.

The absolute easiest lays

in this great nation of ours.

Now, since
you're reading this,
you'd be interested to know

that my favorite catches
were the intellectuals.

They'd be the ones
in the straight black dresses,

severe black hair.

Your basic neurotic,
eyeglasses, cool jazz, liberal

"I'll fuck any black guy as
part of my personal apology

"for racism in America" type.

Anyhow, on this
particular night, we're in
a club in New Jersey

it's the '50s,
and I'm mingling
with the crowd.

Now, when I say "mingling,"
what I mean is

I was scouting
for who I would sleep with
that night.

Didn't matter if the girls
came with dates.

That was Reuben's job.
Reuben is my valet.

I never figured out
how Rueben helped them
get rid of their dates

but they were always gone
by the second show.

Reuben could clean up
any situation.

Excuse me, miss.
May I say that I think

you have the most beautiful
eyes I have ever seen.

Thank you.

Notice I say,
"I think you've got the most
beautiful eyes I've seen."

that's because
I haven't actually
seen them yet.

I've been too busy
staring at your cans.

(LAUGHTER)
Now, Lanny.

GIRL: I can't believe
he just said that.

That is completely
unacceptable.

Madam, I do apologize.

I apologize,
ladies and gentlemen
for my friend's behavior.

You cannot speak that way
to a perfect stranger.

LANNY: Look,
her husband's not offended.

-VINCE: He's not?
-No, of course
her husband's not offended.

Her husband's not here.
This lucky guy
is her boyfriend.

And even he's not offended,
and do you know why?

Well, I can certainly
hazard a guess.

What the hell is hazard
a guess?

For chrissake, Vince,
this is America.

We don't say,
"hazard a guess."

We say "yes"
or we say "no."

MAN: Well, I say
"no" to you, Morris.

Excuse me, sir?
Could you repeat that?

I don't think
the entire audience heard you.

Go back to where
you came from, bastard!

LANNY: I get hecklers
all the time,

but this schmuck
came off personal.

Where did he think
I came from?

Bastard! Bastard!
He called me a bastard.

Now, it doesn't show
from the front, Lanny.

Now, please, would you
kindly not mount me?
It's very disagreeable.

LANNY: Vince plunges
straight into quoting
some lines I wrote

from a song
from our first motion picture.

I happen to be honored
to work with this jerk

LANNY: Is that a compliment?

VINCE: I never frown
with this clown

LANNY: Never, never, never.

I get a kick from this...

(LAUGHTER)

...friend of mine.

Fine, but don't give
the mike to this kike.

AUDIENCE: Oh!

-Well...
-WOMAN: Just relax.

VINCE: It's not often
we get topped by
a member of our audience,

but tonight,
this gentleman has done
the near impossible.

What is your name?

It's Joe.

Joe, we were just wondering
if you'd be a great sport

and help us out on stage.
What do you say, folks?

(APPLAUSE)

Go on, Joe.

Joe here is going
to play a crazy
high school professor

who's about to give
Lanny and I our final
high school exam.

So if you'll just excuse us
while we help Joe change

into his crazy-professor
outfit.

Lanny, a little
costume-changing music

if you please.

(LANNY SINGING)

* I'm just a gigolo

* And everywhere I go

Step this way.

I'll have a quiet word
with my partner

about the way
he spoke to your wife.

JOE: Completely unnecessary.

Just this way.

* There will come a day

* When youth will pass away

* What will they say about me?

(VINCE GRUNTING)

(JOE GROANING)

* Life goes on without me

You call any Jew
on this planet
anything you like.

But nobody calls
my partner a kike.
Do you understand?

(SAXOPHONE PLAYING SOLO)

LANNY: Boffing ladies and
bashing gentlemen.

I tell you, there was
nothing under the sun

Vince and I wouldn't do
for each other.

Are you finished?

MAN: Thank you, Mamie.

I'm sorry about that,
Miss O'Connor.

We just needed to be sure
you didn't take any notes.

Lanny gave me very specific
instructions on that point.

I don't understand
why he'd want me
to read this.

Why would he ever want
anyone to see
this side of him?

When you contacted us about
meeting Lanny for your book,

it wasn't simply a question
of letting you know

he wasn't interested
in speaking with you.

I believe my client wanted you
to understand that he, in fact

was completing a book
of his own which would serve

not only as his autobiography

but also as the definitive
account of the joint careers
of Morris and Collins.

You've had, at first hand,
a sample of Lanny's
writing voice.

Yes, I have.

Such a book, Miss O'Connor

this raw, this honest

would make your own
efforts look...

Well, there's been some
very nice translations

of the Bible
over the centuries,

(CHUCKLES)

but they would run a very poor
second in popularity

to the discovery
of the actual
Ten Commandments.

BONNIE: Single best part
about teaching grade two

is the difference
between the bright ones
and the dumb ones

isn't so obvious.

What's so great about that?

The results of my work
as a teacher
aren't so depressing.

Also, there's no
homework to correct
in the evenings and...

well, none of the kids
know how to use drugs.

KAREN: Bonnie had come
from New York
to visit me that summer.

We'd been best friends
since kindergarten.

At school we started the
Lanny and Vince Fan Club

raising almost $200
for that year's telethon.

ANNOUNCER: All of you send in
a bit of your allowance.

Just a little bit.
A dime, a nickel, a penny.

Every bit helps.

LANNY: The goal
of the telethon that year
was $3.9 million,

which was
a lot of dough at that time.

Thank you, Tom.
You're a prince among men.

VINCE: Whoa, whoa, Lanny.
There are children watching!

Where does he get his energy?

LANNY:
To remind viewers of the goal

we agreed the telethon
could run 39 hours nonstop.

The show would begin
at 9:00 p.m. on Friday

and finish at noon
on Sunday.

We paced it so that
Vince and I were together
for the kickoff,

most of the day Saturday

then the big finale
on Sunday with us bleary-eyed

and weeping as America
got ready to go to church.

Lanny, Lanny.
What are you doing?

I'm ordering a pizza.
I'm starving.

No anchovies on mine, Lanny.

Hey, so who are you
talking to?

I'm talking to little Suzie
from Whittier, California

and she is going to donate
three weeks of allowance.

-How about that, folks?
-ANNOUNCER: Suzie
from Whittier, thank you.

-Thank you.
-Three weeks of allowance.

Surely, that's a challenge
for all you...

LANNY: See, what you have
to understand is
that Vince and me

were essentially
a boy-girl act.

I was the tramp,
ready for any sort of action

and Vince was the gentleman

always trying to make me
behave myself.

I was pleasure,
and he was control.

I was rock 'n' roll,
and he was class.

His presence
gave America permission
to like me.

KAREN: My deal with
the publisher
gave me first-class travel

a luxury I'd never enjoyed.

Is there any chance
of switching
to a window seat?

Sorry, we're completely
booked in first.

But these center seats
are really wonderful.

See...if you push here.

-Can I show you?
-Sure.

The chair swivels
to the left and the right.

And this converts
to a full-sized dining table

during our
Pan Am platinum service

with damask linen
and silverware by Fornari

so you don't have
to eat off a tray.

Again, that's only
for these center seats.

How does that sound?

KAREN: At that time,
when you traveled
first class

people would always ask you
if you met someone
famous on the flight.

-Mr. Morris.
-Thank you.

You're welcome.

KAREN: Though he would
later accuse me of
engineering this, I didn't.

It just...happened.

Reuben. So they record
these songs in a studio

that I am paying for.

Songs that are
recorded for me,

that they are
contracted to provide.

-Are you with me here?
-IRV: Yes, Lanny,
it's just that...

LANNY: No, it's just
that nothing, Irv.

Please, let me finish.
So, they record...

KAREN: I read an interview
where Lanny was given credit
for insisting his butler

travel in the same class
and stay at the same hotels
as his boss.

The valet's attentiveness
was impressive.

Looks like you'll be having
dinner with Lanny Morris.

-Hello.
-Hi.

We should get a waiter
to slide a matchbook
under the airplane.

There we go.

That should hold.

This is my friend Reuben.

-Hi.
-Hi.

And this is also my friend,
technically speaking
and business manager, Irv.

Hi.

My name is Lanny.

And what's your name?

Bonnie. Bonnie Trout.

What do you do, Bonnie?

I teach.

And what do you teach?

-Second grade.
-Well, we have a lot
in common.

You teach second grade,
I went to second grade.

-Irv, you went
to second grade too?
-IRV: Many times.

Tell me, Miss Trout

I don't mean to be impolite

but I was wondering

how a second-grade
schoolteacher affords
to fly first class.

Well, I have a pass

that allows me free use
of the subway on weekends

and the hot lunches
at school are only 50 cents.

And I'm the mistress
of a wealthy married man

and when he and his wife
go on vacation,

he treats me
to a first-class trip
in the opposite direction.

But look at me, talking
only about myself.

What do you do for a living?

I'm a French impressionist
painter out of Tahiti, mainly.

But I'm just doing that
to pay the bills.

My ambition is to be
a stockbroker in Paris.

-I don't get it.
-KAREN: Paul Gauguin.

He gave up being
a successful stockbroker

to become a painter
in the South Seas.

You think the average
person knows that?

Well, we're not talking about
the average person, Irv.

KAREN: In some ways

he had never stopped
being a hero to me.

That's why it was impossible
to think he might
also be a killer.

Well, this has been great.

I'm gonna see you
inside your apartment.

-There's really no need.
-Don't be silly.

I'm not gonna try to come in.

Promise.

You've been away from your
apartment for how long now?

Ages.

Well, you never know
if somebody's broken in
while you were gone.

''ll just see you
inside your door.

Believe me, I'm...
I'm not trying
to seduce you.

I have to do the Today show
at 7:00 a.m.

They want me
in Makeup at 6:15.

KAREN: Bonnie had moved
to New York
for the teaching job

a little over a year ago.

I had never visited her
and had no idea if this
was the right place.

Which floor?

Why, um...

-Four-D.
-Forty?

It only goes up to six.
(SNICKERS)

Four-D, uh...

-Four-D, the fourth floor.
-Ah.

(GIGGLES)

Which way?

-Guess.
-Why?

It's a test.

A test?

Okay.

This way.

So why didn't
we take this elevator?

Doesn't work.

(CLEARS THROAT)

Well...

Good night.

No, I'm going to see you
into your apartment.

And then I'm gonna leave you
alone until tomorrow.

(KEYS CLINKING)

I never get which key
goes in which lock
the first time.

Hey, looks like
they fixed it.

(OBJECTS CLATTERING)

You okay?

Maybe we should
turn on a light.

Whoops.

Well...

I'm going to leave you now
because I have...

I have Reuben and Irv
waiting in the limousine
downstairs and

I should get some sleep
for the Today show.

So...

It was lovely
to meet you, Bonnie.

(BAND PLAYING FESTIVE MELODY)

BOTH:
* We may not go far

* But sure as a star

LANNY: By the end
of the telethon,
we had no voices.

Thirty-nine hours
of nonstop entertainment.

A telethon was
a superhuman feat.

We weren't just heroes,
we were gods.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

A couple of the boys
were there to make sure
we got out alive

to make the flight
to New York.

(REPORTERS YELLING)

Everyone. Listen. Listen.

Gentlemen. Gentlemen, please.

Gentlemen, if I could just
have your attention.

Everyone, Mr. Collins
and Mr. Morris

will answer questions
at the press conference

at the Palace Del Sol.

Gentlemen, there will be
plenty of time

to answer your questions
at the Palace Del Sol.

Thank you,
we will answer your questions
at the press conference.

Thank you for coming.

LANNY: We had a full police
escort, along with
several bodyguards

who were there to protect us
from any thoughts we might
have had of going AWOL

prior to this press conference

A pair of New Jersey's finest
walked on either side of us

as we entered
the lobby of the hotel.

See, it was an indication
of how legitimate the Mob
had gone

that they could
bring in the local police

to guard the facade
of their racket.

The local chief was a man
named Jack Scaglia.

WOMAN: And of course
, the two gentlemen
on my right

who need no introduction,

have come here directly
from their record-breaking

polio telethon
in Miami, Florida.

So the first thing
I'd like to announce
is that Mr. Sanmarco...

LANNY: I wish I could tell you

that Sally Sanmarco
was a slim, 6' 6'' guy

who looked like a prince
and spoke
with an English accent.

Then I wouldn't seem
to be falling back
on the stereotype.

The trouble was,
Sally was straight out
of central casting.

A gangster
who looked and talked

just like you would expect
from the movies.

How did it feel to raise
all that money for polio?

It felt great.
It felt really great.

LANNY: From a publicity angle,
and in terms
of giving him legitimacy

this was a huge
coup for Sally.

Like I said, we were gods.

We'd only been in the New York
area for an hour or so,

during which time
we were constantly watched
by police and reporters

which ended up being
a good thing for us.

SALLY: We got you
our best bridal suite.

Fucking nice, huh?

People talk about
having fancy apartments
and hotel rooms

on the West Side of Manhattan.
What do they see?

Fucking New Jersey.
Here, you see
New York City.

(WOMAN SCREAMS)

LANNY: Unfortunately,
Vince and I were acquainted

with the dead girl
in the bathroom of our
hotel suite in New Jersey.

Her last name was O'Flaherty.

KAREN:
Her first name was Maureen.

BONNIE: Karen, we decided
to trade apartments,
not identities.

Why didn't you
make up a name?

KAREN: Bonnie, I was looking
at a five-hour flight.

I didn't wanna make up
a life story that wasn't
attached to anything.

Well, I returned the offense.
I got to pretend I was you.

-What do you mean?
-You received a package.

Messenger service.
I signed your name.

-Who's it from?
-No return address.

-Want me to open it?
-Sure.

That's good. I already did.

It's a manuscript.

"Excerpt from
the Memoirs of Lanny Morris."

Hey, all your dreams
are coming true.

He's writing you
love letters already.

Bonnie, I need
to know what he's written.

- Well, I'll send it to you.
-No, now. Before he calls me
tomorrow.

(SIGHS)

-Please?
-All right.

(CLEARS THROAT)

All right.

Here we go.

"Let me explain to you
why two very famous guys

"just finishing a nationally
broadcast telethon ended up
in New Jersey."

(WILD JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING)

LANNY: For years,
the Palace Del Sol was one of
the centers of mob prosperity.

Needless to say, a major
headliner in the showroom

helped legitimize
the entire operation.

PHOTOGRAPHER:
Give her a kiss.
Yeah, beautiful.

One more, guys. That's it.
That's great. Thank you.

LANNY: Now, Vince and I
needed help
in keeping us up all the time

and in the way of thinking
in the '50s

anything you didn't take
with a needle was okay.

It wasn't serious, serious.
It was like running
a red light.

Everyone used bennies.
Vince added them to
his morning coffee like sugar.

Not that you could tell.

When we did finally
decide to flatten out

we'd take
two or three Tuinals,

or three or four
"Threeinals."

They were really good.

Between the moment
you took them
and passing out

it felt really sexy.

* One day

* Why doesn't somebody man up
and pick this man up?

* Put him on the street
give him something to eat

* Make him a little more neat
Introduce him to his mother

* Make him believe
he has a part

* In the great human education

* Teach him a little bit
about conversation

* Validation, vindication

* For God's sake,
send this man somewhere

* where he can have
a bit of self-belief

* Something like the Army
where he can be sent
to exotic places,

* Kill exotic people

* Give him the very model
of a modern major general

* Teach him about equations
both simple and quadratical

(APPLAUSE)

* About binomial theorem he's
teeming with a lot of news

* Teach him the square root
of the hypotenuse *

(INDISTINCT)

Sure.

-Enjoyed the show.
-Thank you.

That must have been
good for you.

LANNY:
The walls of the Blue Grotto

were made of a mixture
of plaster and Styrofoam.

Flammable as all hell.
But the boys
had learned it was cheaper

to give the inspector
200 bucks and a ringside table
to our show

than to spend thousands
of dollars on fireproofing.

Besides, it was always vital
in a business enterprise
of this sort

to have the option to torch
the place
at a moment's notice

should the need
present itself.

One night, after our show,
we were taken
to Sally's office.

We wondered
what we had done wrong

but what we had done
was done good.

Sally started going on about
how much he liked us

how he thought we were
a good fit with his crowd

meaning that we brought in
an audience of heavy drinkers

adulterers and gamblers.

So, what we want is
for you boys
to come back here

three months from now
and open our new
showroom for us.

A two-week,
exclusive limited engagement

that we want you to do for us
for six weeks.

LANNY:
God help you when a killer
takes a shining to you.

I looked at Vince
and scratched my nose, which
meant our strongest "no."

That's a very great honor,
Sally.

-You're damn
fucking right it is.
-The thing is, uh...

We're just trying to cut down
on the nightclub work
at the moment.

We turned down the Sands
so we could do a TV special

and the only reason
we still work the Versailles
is out of friendship for you.

What dates were you
thinking of?

We open November 15th.

Sally, any other day
we would be here
in a flash

but, you know, that's the day
right after the next polio
telethon.

I mean, we always take
two weeks off
right after that to recover.

-Right, Vince?
-At least.

-I mean, we're tired.
-SALLY: That's the way
I want you.

After the fucking telethon,
we fly you up from Miami

hold a press conference,
all fucking exhausted

so people know
what heroes you are.

I'll keep a suite for you
with the best hookers I got.

Your own personal cathouse.

And I'll have them send you up

a shipment of lobsters
and stone crabs.

-You like lobsters?
-Love them.

And a case of these
special grapefruits

that I get special down there.

The most delicious thing
you ever tasted in your life.

Juicy, thin skin.

LANNY:
Months later, on the night
before the telethon in Miami

we got back to our room
and found that Sally

had been more than good
to his word.

Laid out around the room
were various crates

bearing the addresses
of their destination.

Our suite at
the Palace Del Sol
hotel in New Jersey.

VINCE: (IMITATES SALLY)
"You like lobsters?
See you in New Jersey."

(IMITATES SALLY) "Thin skin,
fucking most delicious
fucking thing

"you ever had
in your fucking life."

BONNIE: "What I thought
was a box of beach balls

"turned out to be
the thinnest-skinned,
dripping-wet grapefruits

"I'd ever tasted in my life.

"The 6-foot crate was filled
with fruits of the sea

"slowly shifting over
a bed of ice."

Yeah, this is Lanny Morris.
Send up three steaks,
all right?

Yeah.
Make them rare this time.

-Yeah, rare.
-Like bloody.

Bloody.
And a couple of bottles
of that champagne.

-Make that three.
-Three bottles of champagne.

And can you make sure
that Maureen delivers them?

Yeah, Maureen.

LANNY:
We called down for Maureen

the room-service girl
I'd met earlier

who wanted the interview
for her school paper.

She brought up three steaks,
one for her

as her last official
delivery of the day.

As much as I love lobster

seeing all that shellfish
nestled on ice in the crate

put me in the mood
for hooves, not claws.

The interview for Maureen's
campus paper went better
than expected.

Vince and I popped
some Tuinals

to insure that
we would sleep like babes

after we wore off the general
horniness that the pills
first give you.

Vince bought insurance
on his bet by having
a few babes on hand.

Well, not exactly
on his hand.

That wasn't his preference.

BONNIE:
"Not exactly on his hand.
That wasn't his preference."

"Not exactly on his hand?
That wasn't his preference?"

"The Tuinals, coupled with
a nice amount of booze

"guaranteed us
the sleep of the dead.

"Late the next morning,
Maureen was sent packing

"and Vince and I prepared
ourselves for
that night's broadcast."

Well, I guess this
is one story

my kids won't have
to give a book report on.

Thanks.

Must be weird to find out

that the object of all
your adolescent fantasies
is a pig.

He's not like that.

Oh, so it's just the way
he describes himself.

KAREN: She was right.

Which was the real Lanny?

I'd find out later that
the story of the hookers
in the hotel suite

was a complete fabrication.

That night,
Maureen was alone.

(PHONE RINGS)

(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)

(PHONE RINGS)

(PHONE CONTINUES RINGING)

Hello?

So how did you like
the show?

Lanny?

The Today show.

You did watch,
didn't you?

-The show.
-You didn't watch.

Wow, that's scary.

You see,
when you're a star

you live in terror,

wondering if it's all
over yet.

You keep looking
for the signs.

You're shooting a scene
from a movie
on a New York street

and a crowd doesn't form.

You meet a girl on a plane
and tell her

that you're gonna be on the
Today show the next morning

and she doesn't
wake up early to watch.

It's very scary.

Hey, you know,
I mentioned you on the air.

(CHUCKLES)

-You did?
-Yes, I proposed to you
on the air.

Your apartment building
is probably surrounded
with photographers

at this very moment.

You're kidding.

Yes, I'm kidding.

So,

what time would you
like to meet?

Stanley, this is Bonnie.
Bonnie, Stanley.

Nice to meet you.

Is the food almost ready,
Stan?

Yeah. I'll bring it right out,
Mr. Lanny.

I was very hungry,

so I asked Stanley
to prepare us
something special.

That sounds great.

Tell me,
what kind of a meeting

does a schoolteacher
have to go to
during the summer vacation?

I'm exploring the possibility
of another job.

-Something in publishing.
-How did it go?

Okay.

Have you ever thought
about writing a book?

-About what?
-Your life.

Sure. When I'm dead.

No, seriously.

It would have to be published
after I died

when I wouldn't care what
anybody thought about me.
(CHUCKLES)

So, what would you
write about, if you were
going to tell the truth?

In my book?

Well, the truth is,
I've met four presidents.

Each one of them seemed
like they were
totally out of it.

Like they had no idea
what was going on.

Even JFK left me
unimpressed. I felt like
I was with the boss' son.

You don't think
you could say that?

Not if I was planning
on living in this country.
No, no.

I don't think
that Judy Garland
was such a great singer

after she turned 16.

That quiver, you know,
it was like she had
no control over it.

I would get killed
for saying that.

Or that Marilyn Monroe
was no better an actress

after she studied with
Lee Strasberg than before.

I'm saying
what really happened.

Having to be a nice guy

is the toughest job
in the world
when you're not.

This is a lamb
in tea sauce.

This is twice-cooked pork
with shredded,
pickled cabbage.

Kung Pao chicken.

And this is
Kung Ping Loh Haa

lobster in tangerine peel
for you and your lovely
lady friend.

You shouldn't have
done that, Stanley.

I don't eat lobster.
I'm Jewish.

But you eat pork.

-Do you have a problem
with that?
-No, I just thought...

No shrimp, no lobster.
They're disgusting.
Take it away.

I will pay for the dish,
but take it away, please.

I'll change it.

I'm sorry, I...

I should have asked.
Maybe you love lobster.

I'm fine.

Have you ever had
Szechwan cuisine before?

It's from the northern part
of China.

It must be strange for you.

If you complain to a waiter,

you're not just some jerk
at table five,

you're Lanny Morris.

I know that everyone
dreams about being famous

but it would be interesting
to know

what it's like
to relinquish all anonymity.

-Gets me a date.
-Does that bother you?

That people only wanna
be with you
because of who you are?

As opposed to?

Well, the real you.

LANNY: The real me.

The real me was brought up
as a nice middle-class kid

which is not the easiest thing
in the world

when you are extremely poor
and living in a slum.

The real me spent
most of his time getting
the shit kicked out of him

and dreaming about
something better.

Like being here
with someone like you.

KAREN:
Fifteen years ago, he had,
for one brief moment

made me feel like
the most special person
in the world.

"The miracle in my life
is not that I survived polio

"and am standing here today.

"No. The reason
I consider myself
to be a miracle girl

"is because I had
the good fortune

"to meet Lanny and Vince
when I was sick."

KAREN:
It was a moment
seen by millions of people

but felt only by me.

That moment
had changed my life.

I was about to find my own way
into Lanny's book

after he had found
such a powerful way into mine.

Checking out today?

Is there a message
for Bonnie Trout?

-From one of our guests?
-Yes, Lanny Morris.

I'm afraid not.

Are you sure?

Oh, yes, I'm sure.

Do you need a cab?

I still don't understand
why Vince Collins

is willing to be involved
in such an expose
of himself.

Vince is a realist.

The days of his box-office
power are drawing to a close.

Given the amount of money
we're offering...

And it's because
the investment
in Mr. Collins is so large

I've compiled
a list of questions

we'd like the miracle girl
to ask.

I don't wanna look
at your questions.

I have my own approach.

Ms. O'Connor, we're not
paying a million dollars
for your approach,

we're paying for what
Vince Collins has to say.

To me.

What he has to say to me.

Greg, this is not
as easy as it looks.

If you go to Vince Collins
and ask him
a series of questions

you'll come back here
with a 300-page press book.

Well, as I've
always understood
this company's policy

while the book
is being written

the relationship between
the author and editor
is sacrosanct.

This isn't your typical
book deal.

We've really just leased
an oil well called
Vince Collins

and granted Ms. O'Connor
the right to tap.

I think we have
a responsibility
to...monitor the drilling.

(KNOCKS ON DOOR)

-Hello.
-Mrs. O'Flaherty?

Yes.

My name's O'Connor.
I'm the one writing the book.

The book will be
centered around
Vince Collins.

I'll be asking him
a lot of questions.

I wanted to know
if there were any

you'd like to have
answered yourself.

Maureen and I
planted this tree
on her fifth birthday.

(CHUCKLES)

Father did most
of the digging, of course.

She'd be 38.

I'm 59, myself.

If she were alive now...

we'd be talking
about things,
back and forth

like two women.

Like you and I are doing.

And Maureen's father?

Frank died six years ago.

He took his own life.

One night,
just before he died

he dug up the earth
around this tree

he took the urn
with Maureen's ashes in it

and spread them around
its roots.

So this is my daughter.

This is what
I have of her.

-MRS. O'FLAHERTY:
Are you Catholic?
-KAREN: My... My mother was.

MRS. O'FLAHERTY:
Then you will understand
my dilemma.

Our faith
offers an afterlife.

A daughter
needs her mother.

So I have to live out
this life as far from sin
as I can manage.

I'll never see
my husband again.

He's consigned
himself to hell.

But what if Maureen
killed herself too?

She's in hell,
with my husband.

The life I'm trying to lead
will bring me
to heaven's grace

only to hear
their screams of torment.

KAREN: Chief Scaglia,
you were in the hotel room

when they found
Maureen's body in the tub.

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

So was Sally,

so was Lanny,

so was Vince.

And there was also
a PR lady there
from the hotel.

How do you think she died?

Oh, she died in an auto
accident two weeks later.
It was terrible.

Uh, no, Maureen.

-How did Maureen die?
-She drowned.

-Why?
-What do you mean, why?

Well, you and I take baths
all the time.
We don't drown in them.

You and I do not
mix sleeping pills
with booze.

-She committed suicide?
-Overdose is the official
story.

What's the official story
on the fact that the staff
of the hotel in Miami

all seemed to know
she delivered room service
to the boys' suite

three days before and was
never seen alive again?

What happened to her?

How did she end up
in a hotel room in New Jersey?

Sally never had any problem
moving girls around. Okay?

He had two hotels.

-So Sally arranged it?
-No, I don't think so.

You see,
she was brought up there
as a reward for the boys

and I think
she started to party
just a little too early.

She was a student.
This was a summer job.

Listen to me,

the Palace Del Sol was very
important to Sally, okay?

He launched his new wing

with a push
from Lanny and Vince

and this stupid girl
shows up dead.

She's not gonna come back.
We do the best thing
for all of us.

We speed up the investigation
and we cremate her. Okay?

End of story.

AIRHOSTESS 1: Here you are.

AIRHOSTESS 2:
Here's your lobster.
Bon appetit.

-Enjoy.
-Looks great.

"And Sally said,
I'll have them send you up

"your own shipment
of lobsters.

"You like lobster?"

LANNY: We said we did
because we really did.

You shouldn't have
done that, Stanley.
I don't eat lobster.

Were there any signs
of violence on her body?

No, no. There were
some small scratches
on the torso.

MRS. O'FLAHERTY:
Why did my daughter die?
Did she kill herself?

What had they done to her
that would make her do that?

KAREN:
What had they done?

Once upon a time

when terrible things
happened to people,

they were left as a mystery.

Even the tabloids
kept a distance.

Some things
were allowed to be left
just the way they were.

Any trouble with
the directions
I gave you?

Only the parts where
I had to turn.

Sorry.

It's the price of seclusion.

VINCE: You haven't
switched over to cassette?

Actually, it's my dad's.

And what does he do?

He was a journalist too.

He did a big story
on you once.

Followed a little
girl who had polio.

You took her
under your wing...

And now she's
interviewing you.

He must be proud that
his daughter's making such
a name for herself.

I'd like to think so.

-He died last year.
-Sorry to hear that.

-Would you like some coffee?
-Sure.

Are you alone here?

Yes. The thought
of having live-in help
is a little poisonous to me.

Why's that?

Well, I'd have to
talk to them...

Ask them how
their family was doing.

Hear about this and that,
introduce them
to the guests,

and tell them
how their family was doing.

All so that I would
seem to be a nice guy.

Which is an awful
lot of work.

Considering what I cherish
most in life these days...

Is not to have to
be Vince Collins.

No Reuben in your life?

How do you know
about Reuben?

He was in a lot
of the material
I've been looking at.

No, I never had a Reuben.

Lanny always
paid him directly.
He was Lanny's man.

Right.

You know,
what I like is to...

Read...

Think.

It's to have
the freedom to...

Get up and leave
without telling
anyone about it...

Any time of day.

Or even having
to say goodbye.

To be backstage, surrounded
by acrobats,
actors, magicians...

...it was intoxicating.

You know,
I was only 12 years old.

That's a...

That's a pretty
impressionable age.

To hear all these
stories of touring...

KAREN: My father
always told me
that nothing had meaning

unless it could
be put on the record .

VINCE: I also
like the idea of...

KAREN:
Yet things had changed .

As Vince had pointed out
at our first meeting

it had become
fashionable to put
yourself into the story.

The question
became how far you
were prepared to go .

-Excuse me. That's not mine.
-Oh, I'm sorry.

Aren't you Miss Trout?

We've met,
on the plane to New York.

-Reuben.
-CASHIER: Excuse me, sir.

Can I leave you
for just a second, please?

I'm so deeply sorry,
Miss Trout, the way
you were treated.

-He could've left a note.
-Of course.

Miss Trout,
I would like you
to understand something.

I have a great loyalty
to Mr. Morris.

He's treated me very well.

I'm very grateful.

He has done
wonderful things
for many people

and I have been privileged
to work for him.

But I do have
certain principles

especially about
how women are to be
treated and respected.

Mr. Morris can be
very attentive,

but once he has a woman...

Oh, God, I think
it's almost a sickness.

When he left you
that morning...

You may have felt bad,
but believe me, Miss Trout...

To have him
out of your life...

Is the best thing
that could have
happened to you.

At that point,
you may have felt
your life was wounded.

(SOFTLY)
It wasn't.

It was saved.

KAREN: Vince ,
I was very clear about this
from the beginning .

I ' m not out to play
games with you .

This is why
you ' re being paid
such a huge amount of money .

VINCE: This isn ' t
entirely about money ,
you know .

A million dollars
is more than the gross
of your last film.

You know, I was somehow
under the impression
that my entire life...

Might have been of more
than passing interest.

But if my fleeting
encounter with a girl
named Maureen O'Flaherty

is all you really
want to talk about,

then that's what we'll do.

I have to make an appearance
at the clinic tomorrow.

We can come back
and talk after that.

It's wonderland.

I imagine you
might remember that.

* One side makes you larger

* And the other side
will make you small

* I asked one side of what?

KAREN: He was right .
I did remember Wonderland .

-You ready?
-Ready.

KAREN: When I was a girl ,
the entire hospital

was devoted
to children with polio .

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERING)

Since that time ,
it had become
a clinic for kids

with a variety of different
physical handicaps .

* And you know
you're going to fall *

KAREN:
Once a year, the children
would put on a pageant

playing different characters
from Alice in Wonderland.

Vince ,
in his continuing support
of the hospital

had hired a band
and a singer .

* ...to call Alice

* When she was just small

Who is that?

I don't know.
She's good, whoever she is.

* Get up and tell you
where to go

(APPLAUSE)

* And you've just had
some kind of mushroom *

Karen, do you mind if
we start this conversation
tomorrow?

I'm just...

I'm not feeling
all that well.

-Vince
-In fact, it won't make
any difference over there.

The office will be closed.

They've been working late.

Then they've been working
much too hard.

First thing tomorrow.
First thing.

(SIGHS)

I hope your editors
were reasonable.

(SCOFFS) Reasonable?
No, they weren't.

We can go
as late as you like.

That's good.

It might take us
into the evening.

I had a feeling
that might be the case.

So I've ordered a hot and cold
smorgasbord to be brought in.

We can work through dinner,
if you like.

-We'll be having company?
-Yes.

I have...

...a surprise for you.

Actually, this is
a fairly big deal
for me as well.

I've asked Lanny
to join us today.

(QUIETLY)
Lanny?

Well, this is something.

(SIGHS) Neuman and Newberry
will certainly be getting
their money's worth.

I thought
that if I was going
to discuss something

that had such an impact
on our lives...

It would be fair for Lanny
to hear what I had to say.

Given that we've
never talked about it.

I'm sure I'll have
lots to ask him.
When is he coming?

He should be
here any minute now.

This is very exciting.

Shit.

(PHONE RINGING)

-BONNIE: Yes?
- Bonnie, I have to talk fast.

I need you to do
exactly as I tell you and
I can't tell you why, okay?

BONNIE: Sure .

(PHONE RINGING)

Excuse me, that might actually
be him now.

(CLEARS THROAT)

Yes, hello?

Yes, thank you.

(HANGS UP)

That was my office.

There's a woman.
A friend, a relative of yours?

She said she called
on a number you gave her.

She's gonna call back.

(RINGING)

(CLEARS THROAT)

-Yes?
-BONNIE: Hi , kiddo .

Listen , your brother
Clifford has just been
rushed to the hospital .

He was doing construction
work , when a thing .

-A steel girder?
- That ' s it .

So , you better
come to the city
and make your peace with him .

I booked you on the next
flight to San Francisco .

I ' m waiting here for you
in front of the terminal .

They reserved me
a seat on the next flight
to San Francisco

-I'll drive you there.
-No, no.

Sharon is waiting
at the airport for me.
You can't stand Lanny up.

Please give him
my deepest apologies.

(GASPS)

-Hey.
-Please, I can explain.

You've broken the law,
Bonnie-fucking-Trout.

You've assumed
another person's identity
for the purposes

of getting information
from a business competitor.

Obviously I lied
about who I was.
I'm sorry.

It was a huge untruth.
It wasn't planned.

I was just freaked out
about suddenly being
on the plane with...

With you and...

And how did you get the seat
behind me on the plane?

-It was pure coincidence.
-Bullshit!

It's true.

(SIGHS)

How could you...

How could you have
just left me at the hotel
like that?

You were asleep.

Reuben woke me
to say I had to be
a substitute performer

at a charity concert
at the Hollywood Bowl.

I had to get
the first flight out.

You could have
left me a note
or called.

-I did leave you a note.
-Where?

I don't know
why we're even
talking about this.

I don't like you.

All right? I wish
we had never met.

Hello, Vince.

What the fuck's going on?

Vince, a few days
after we first met

I found myself next to Lanny
on a flight to New York.

It was a complete
coincidence.

-He asked my name...
-And she lied.

I had just finished
reading the first chapter
of Lanny's own biography.

His lawyers had let me see it
in the hope of discouraging
our own project.

As a reflex,
since I knew he would
view me as the enemy

I gave him the
name of a friend of mine

whose apartment I was
staying at in Manhattan.

I thought I just had to
get through the awkwardness
of the flight itself...

-But the trouble is...
-You slept with him.

-Vince...
-You slept with
my ex-partner.

Technically.

Doesn't sound
like things were
particularly technical.

Now, you listen
to me, sweetheart.

Vince doesn't always do
what's best for Vince.

That's why he needed me
here today.

The story of this girl
is the most painful
thing in his life.

What happened
to her, Lanny?

(SCOFFS)

Well, you're
not gonna find out.

Not now.

Not after what
you've done to him.

Vince.

(WHISPERS)
Oh, shit.

Vince

I made a terrible mistake
in New York.

I apologize to you
more than I know how to say.

I'm so sorry.

Vince, the realization
of your life story

shouldn't be threatened
because of my failings.

Please let me continue
to work with you again.

I'll help you tell
your story right.

Come back tonight.

Let me think about it.

-How do you like the wine?
-It's magnificent.
What is it?

1961 Haut-Brion.

People make
a big deal of 1959

but I don't think
there'll be a year
as special as 1961.

It was a great year
for French wines.

Will you join me?

What are they?

They're like very
mild-mannered
Quaaludes.

Must've done
a few of those
in your time, right?

Are you sure
they're okay with alcohol?

Oh, they're even better
with alcohol. Believe me,
I'd know.

Come on in, honey.
The water's fine.

KAREN: All my life , I ' ve h
this idea that I could always
be in control .

Ever since I was sick,
I had this sense

that I could make my body
do anything I wanted.

If I could will
my polio away

I ' d certainly
be able to will away
the effect of any drug .

(CHUCKLING)

Do you mind if
I close the drapes?
The sun's in my eyes.

It's moonlight.

Go ahead.

(GIGGLES)

(LAUGHING)

ALICE:
* One pill makes you larger

* And one pill
makes you small

* And the ones that
Mother gives you

* Don't do anything at all

* Go ask Alice

* When she's 10 feet tall

I remember you.

You're Alice.

In Wonderland.

(CHUCKLES)

Oh, I don't know.

I'm really stoned
out of my head already.

Is it good?

(COUGHS)

Jesus, Vince.
It's like monster grass.

Do you get this
stuff all the time?

All the time.

(CHUCKLES)

(BOTH GIGGLING)

You're Alice.

You're so beautiful.

She's ours.

Isn't that so, Alice?

I'm yours.

KAREN: I had always been
fascinated by how some
women could cross the line

between who they were
and who they would
let themselves become .

Maureen .

Alice .

And now ...

Me .

Morning.

That was not a Quaalude
you gave me.
I've had Quaaludes.

Mmm... I said it was
like a Quaalude.

And you didn't
take one yourself.
You palmed the pill.

Somebody had to drive.

Don't worry,
you won't get pregnant.

Not from Alice,
and certainly not from me.

I never took
off my pants, as you may
or may not remember.

There are laws against
drugging people.

Oh, please.
You took it voluntarily.

Nobody slipped it
into your drink.

And you chased it
with one of the most
expensive wines in the world.

You're just in a dither
because you've discovered
you can swing both ways.

You see...

I needed to get
something on you.

Of course, your behavior
with Lanny might have been
even better than this, but...

But I'd already
set the wheels in motion.

And as I was dying to see
you and Alice get it on...

Well, these are just a sample.

(SIGHS)

Why would she
agree to do this?

Doesn't she want a career?

Well, it's your career
I'm worried about.

You're a journalist
playing loose
with the rules.

She's just a vulnerable
young singer you seduced.

A promising...
Oh, good heavens...

Promising artist
that I happen to manage.

You met her through me...

And had your way with her.

What do you want from me?

You're going to continue
writing the book.

I'm going to continue
telling you juicy stories,
funny stories...

Heart-tugging stories.

And you're not going
to ask me a single question

about what happened
to the girl
in New Jersey.

You're going to go
to your publisher,
say you tried every angle

but you could find
nothing odd or suspicious
in what I told you.

I'll even try to spice
it up a little,

talk about how the night
before the telethon,

I wanted to sleep
like a babe
so to cover my bets,

I kept a few babes
on hand.

Well, not exactly
on my hand,

and that's not my
preference, as you might
have gathered by now.

So you get your bestseller,

I get my million.

Everyone goes home happy.

You've dreaded talking
about Maureen O'Flaherty
since we met.

If it's something you're
so desperate to avoid,

why would you ever agree
to do this book?

I need the money.

Vince, anything you say
in my presence
is mine to use.

Everything you said
last night and everything
you've just told me.

And since I'm also
allowed to include
contextual background,

I can write about
how you set me up,

how you tried to blackmail me.
I'll even include
those Polaroids.

It's your word against mine.
We have a contract.
Everything's in my words.

We've agreed to your answers,
but there's nothing to stop me

from putting
any information I want
into a question I ask.

Information that
I'd like to be
public knowledge,

or that the police
might wanna look into.

Would you like me to fire
one of my loaded questions,
on the record?

Sure.

Vince,

in your suite
at the Versailles
Hotel in Miami,

was it your or Lanny's idea

to put Maureen's body
into the case containing
shellfish and ice

and have it shipped
to New Jersey?

No answer, Mr. Collins?
So noted.

Oh, and incidentally,
by not answering

you're in violation
of your contract.

What a shame.
I understood you needed
that money.

(GASPING)

(SCREAMS)

(VINCE SOBBING)
Oh, no. Oh, God.

Oh, God.
Oh, God. Oh, God!

(WHEEZES)

(COUGHS)

(VINCE SOBBING)

Was that how
you murdered Maureen?

(PANTING)

Ask Lanny.

(SNIFFLES)

He's the one who knows.

KAREN:
It wasn ' t that hard for him
to get the suite he wanted .

The Versailles was
still one of the fanciest
of the hotels along the beach .

But by then ,
its era had passed .

Thank you, sir.

All the furniture was new .

It had been 15 years.

But the floor plan

was still the same .

In that spot

that was where the truth
had come out .

That was why she had to die .

Are you Japanese
or Chinese?

Vietnamese.

The kitchen tell me
you famous person.

Why you famous?

They didn't tell you my name?

No.

What is it?

Lanny Morris.

It's a Jewish name,

but I'm a nebbish.

You ordered three bottle
of champagne.

You want me
to open one now?

Or wait until friend come?

Open all three.

Are you really famous,
Mr. Morris?

In my day.

Before your time,
I suppose.

I come from
the north of Vietnam.

In my town,
there is no television.

KAREN: She explained
that American movies had been
banned where she grew up .

She got better tips pretending
she was Madame Butterfly

than by telling people
where she was really from .

What did you do,
Mr. Morris?

I made Vince Collins' life...

Very difficult.

KAREN: She didn't understand,
but her policy was not
to linger in the rooms

of solitary gentlemen .

He signed
the room-service check
under Lanny's name.

Thank you.

There was no ice or water
left in the buckets

when his body was discovered
the next morning .

He had dumped the ice into
the bathtub and died in it .

He must have felt
there was some poetry in it .

His plan was to drink
enough champagne

with enough sleeping pills

so that ending things would
become an acceptable idea .

He could manage that .

He knew for certain
he couldn ' t manage
anything else .

Hi.

(SIGHS)

I thought you were
gonna be out all afternoon.

(SNIFFLES)

I'm sorry.

It's okay. Um...

This was under the door.

What is it?

Chapter three.

LANNY: John , as my lawyer ,
I want you to know that this
next chapter...

(DOORBELL RINGS)

...is to be read
after Vince and my death,

and is only to
be used under the most
extreme of circumstances .

We knew we wanted to make
an early night of it

with the telethon starting
the next day , so Vince
suggested we dine in

so Maureen
could do the interview
for her campus paper .

This is a gift for us
from the audience

from the people,
the people that are out there.

Sooner or later you gotta say,

"We wanna
give something back."

I think that's
really important.

Not many people would take
the time out to do that.

Thank you.

LANNY: She actually
hid her tape recorder
in the room - service cart,

because she didn ' t want
the hotel to find out .

We finished the interview
and then asked her to stay .

To help us get into the mood ,
I did a Tuinal ...

Then she did one ...

And Vince,
he did two, because
he was always doing two.

We got into the second
of the three bottles
of Moet we'd ordered.

We thought it would be
better to keep the action
to neutral territory.

God...

She was beautiful.

I chain - locked
the front door
to the living room

to make sure
that housekeeping,
eager to turn down our beds,

didn't walk in on
an employee having
a menage a trois

with the hotel's headliners.

Then I went to chain-lock
the door to Vince's room.

I took a quick shower,
I put on my robe,

and brought a robe
for Maureen, in case she
felt a little bashful.

So much for bashful .

I threw the robe on the bed
and moved into the room,

half - worried that they would
finish without me .

(ROMANTIC JAZZ PLAYING)

Watch it there, compadre.

It's a little hard to tell
who's who,
under the circumstances.

I'm the one that's more
than a little hard,
you dumb fucking limey.

Well, I'm the one
with a foreskin.
Don't you forget that.

Whoa-whoa-whoa.

Hey. Watch it. You got
the end zone there, Vince.

-Come on, come on. Fuck.
-You're gonna like it.

-It's like from another planet
when you come.
-(MAUREEN GRUNTING IN PAIN)

-Get the fuck off me.
-I'd never hurt you.

-I'd never hurt you.
-Get the fuck off me!

-No, trust me.
It's like double the sex...
-Get the fuck off me!

We don't fuck, Vince!

We're buddies, we're pals,
we're partners, we're a duo.

We love each other,
but we don't fuck!

We're fucking stars!

-We can travel together.
-Okay.

We can hang out together,
we can live together,

but we can't be queers!

It's not funny!

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

About?

About your nose.

It's not broken, is it?

It's how I am.

Guess the question is,
who's gonna pay me?

LANNY: This surprised me .

The girl was not a hooker .

My wallet was
on top of my robe .

I took out some money .

I don ' t remember how much .

I don't think so.

That's more than you would
make in a month of tips.

I'm not looking for a tip.

What the hell
are you saying?

Honey, I'm in
my last year of college.

This is a summer job.

I wanna write.

I wanna be a journalist.

So I could either
use this information

or I could use
a lot of money.

I promise you
this will only cost you once.

I'm so tired,
I don't even think
I'm going home.

I think it's the Tuinals.

Hey, Lanny,
don't take it personally.

You were a great lover.

You have got
the cutest little butt.

I guess Vince
thinks so too.

Night, Lanny.

LANNY: I would never
see her alive again.

I put a "Do Not Disturb" sign
on my door,

fastened the chain lock,
in case the maid didn't read.

I left a wake-up call
for 8:00,

and went to sleep
knowing that a telethon

was the least of the ordeals
I was going to have
to face in the morning.

-(PHONE RINGING)
-(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

The Tuinals had really
conked me out

and I slept through
my wake-up call
that morning.

The operator had called
Reuben down the hall

to see if he could
wake me but...

He couldn't get in because
we had chain-locked
all the doors.

Hey-hey-hey...

Reuben!

I yelled for Reuben
to wake up Vince
while I worked on Maureen

trying to make myself believe
that she was still sleeping .

LANNY: Fuck.

LANNY: No, no. Fuck.

LANNY:
The autopsy revealed the drugs
and alcohol in her body

but I knew
it wasn't enough to kill her .

All three doors
to the suite

were chain-locked
from the inside
when I found her.

I hadn't touched her.

That's how I know
that my former partner
and friend, Vince Collins,

murdered Maureen O'Flaherty.

You must have guessed
by now that Vince
and I had found a way

to relocate Maureen's body
to New Jersey.

This is the one criminal act
the both of us committed ,

but we were in
a panic and needed
to create an ironclad alibi.

(WOMAN SCREAMS)

The crates were delivered
to our room.

The publicist had
opened the crates
for a photo op .

But the official story became

that she found Maureen ' s
overdosed body in the tub .

A police officer called
Scaglia was there
to witness the whole thing .

ANNOUNCER:
Live, until they drop dead...

During the telethon ,

I kept telling myself that
I could forgive Vince
for two reasons .

First of all,
I don't think he could have
known what he was doing.

He was completely out of it,
even more than usual.

The second is that
he was terrified

that this incident
would become
public knowledge.

In those days,
the slightest hint that
he could swing both ways

would destroy his
show-business career
in an instant.

As it was, it was
only to destroy us.

We completed the telethon,

but we both knew
we were finished.

The marriage...was over.

There was a moment
in the middle of the telethon

where I actually broke down.

I just couldn't
control myself.

I remember I mumbled
something to a little girl

who was recounting
her experiences
with the disease .

I don't remember
what I said

but I do remember
feeling worthless.

Everyone thought
that my tears were for her.

It made for a great
picture in the papers
the next day.

Mr. Morris will see you now.

I expected to see you
at Vince's funeral.

Kind of heartless
of you not to show up,
don't you think, Karen?

Considering you're
probably the one
that drove him to it.

I won't answer that.

So don't.

So get the fuck
out of my office.

Lanny, I have interview
material with Vince up until
the moment he met you.

It would be great if this

warm, funny side of Vince
could reach the public.

And what the fuck
do you know about Vince's
warm and funny side?

What about the warm
and funny fact
that he killed himself?

-Why would he do that?
-I don't know.

That's the answer
I'm giving you
and anyone else that asks.

"I don't know."

But you do know,
don't you, Lanny?

Whatever I know, sweetheart

I'm writing in my book.

Except you're never
going to finish your book.

You don't have to.

The person who needed
your book is dead.

You had always written
the material
for your shows.

Every single
word was rehearsed.

The book was a manual,
a set of notes

so Vince would
get every detail
of the official story.

"A couple of extra
babes for him
to sleep with that night.

"A few of them on hand.

"Well, not exactly
on his hand.
That wasn't his preference."

-So, what's your point?
-He quoted
that very line to me.

Quoted it from your
manuscript as if he were
saying it for the first time.

You wrote it because
you loved him.

And feared for him.

And feared for yourself.

And then you wrote this...

Where...

Where the fuck
did you get that?

-Delivered to my room.
-Bullshit. You stole it.

Maureen O'Flaherty
was killed in the Versailles
Hotel, in your room,

the night
before the telethon.

The night before we met.

Get out of my office.

Miss Trout?

KAREN:
We walked through the deserted
backlot of the studio,

and I confessed
that I wasn't Bonnie Trout.

That I was writing a book
about Vince Collins.

And that I was trying
to uncover the secret

behind what happened
to Maureen O'Flaherty.

I told him what I found out .

He prayed that he would
be forgiven

for having been there
as the murder was concealed.

Miss O'Connor,

I have a tape recording
of the night
Miss O'Flaherty was killed.

She had brought a machine.

-For the interview.
-Yes.

I found it as I was
getting rid of her things.

She kept it on?

Could you use this tape
for your book?

Of course.

Miss O'Connor...

Is it something...

Oh, my...

Is it something
I could sell?

Reuben, I can't speak
on behalf of my publishers

but I'm sure that we can
settle on a price.

Oh, thank you, Miss O'Connor.

VINCE: I'll even spice
it up a little,
talk about how

t he night before the telethon ,
I wanted to sleep like a babe .

So to cover my bets ,

I kept a few babes on hand.

Well, not exactly
on my hand.

That's not my preference,
as you may have
gathered by now.

I need the money.

Did you have
a figure in mind?

Would you think
a million dollars
would be too much?

Vince was being
paid a million
dollars for his life.

This is one night.

The most important night.

KAREN:
You could have left me a note
or called me.

-LANNY: I did leave
you a note.
-KAREN: Where?

Lanny left this for me
at my apartment.

It's his version
of what happened that night.

On its own,
it's absolutely
useless to me.

I could have
typed it myself.

But if it matched
what's recorded
on your tape,

it would make it priceless.

Which is why
you sent it to me.

You just said
Mr. Morris left it
at your apartment.

He was surprised I had it.

Like he was surprised
I hadn't found the note
he left for me at the hotel.

The note you must've
disposed of as you were
tidying the room.

REUBEN: I told you how
he deals with women.
I was afraid.

Really afraid of what
he might do to you.

KAREN: Maybe you were
afraid of what I'd...

I'd do to him. And to you.

Why would I be
afraid of a schoolteacher
called Bonnie Trout?

Because you knew
I was Karen O'Connor.

When I woke up,
you folded my clothes

and placed my pocketbook
on the bed.

The pocketbook that had
my name and the letter
from my publisher.

I was writing about the one
thing you wanted to have
total control over...

Collins and Morris.

You made me
abandon any thought
of trying to contact Lanny.

You made me feel like I was
less than nothing to him

because you were playing
your own complex game.

And what exactly
was this complex game
I was playing, Miss O'Connor?

You were in the room.

That night.

Lanny had a robe.
He dropped it on the bed.

After Maureen
asked for money...

The wallet was on top.
It had been folded.

Well, I always,
always arranged
Mr. Morris' things.

After he went to bed.
You were there before.

How would I get out?
All three doors
were chain-locked.

Through Vince's room.

Then, the next morning,

you must have chain-locked
the door before you
went to wake him up.

LANNY: Fuck!

Lanny let me
read the first chapter.

Vince sent me the second.

And you stole this.

To whet my appetite.

MAUREEN: I wanna write.

I wanna be a journalist.

So I could either
use this information,

or I could use
a lot of money.

Is that why
you killed her?

To protect them?

KAREN: For 15 years,

he tormented
Vince and Lanny .

He could never
blackmail Vince while
Sally Sanmarco was alive,

so he waited until Sally
died to activate
his retirement plan...

A million dollars
from Vince.

A million dollars
for the same tape
he offered to me.

He would never
get his money,

and I would never
see him again.

He had taken her life,

and with it her
mother's heart,

and her father's mind.

And now,

all that remained
of Maureen O'Flaherty...

Was a tree
in her mother's garden.

Your daughter
learned something
about Vince Collins

that he didn't want
anyone to know.

Because of that
she was killed.

If it's of any small comfort,
she probably didn't suffer.

I want people
to know about this man.

I want them to know
why he killed her.

There is someone
in all this,

who is totally innocent
of any involvement

in the events of that night,

but whose life will be made
infinitely worse if I tell
the truth at this time.

I wanna protect this person
from any further pain.

I promise you...

I promise you
I will write down
the truth that I've learned,

but I have to
let matters lie
until this person has died,

and the truth
can no longer touch them.

I saw no indication
on her face

that she knew
I was talking about her.

You're a very special girl.

Forgive me.