Rich Man, Poor Man - Book II (1976) s01e02 Episode Script

Prescott, Julie Prescott.
I'm a photographer with Life Magazine.
- Is this it? - That's it.
I'll make a routine appearance in court, but to all intents and purposes, you are divorced.
- Wes, it's Rudy.
- Hey, how are you doing? Why don't you come down? I'd like that, only I've got this math exam tomorrow and I've gotta put in more study.
- Meaning you haven't cracked a book? - Yeah, right.
It's a lead-pipe cinch that the next man in the White House will be a Republican.
And it's going to be Nixon.
I've got it staked out for you to be his key speaker in New York State.
Marsh, I'm quitting politics.
Those crazy days in college when we were rooming together.
Getting drunk and chasing chickies around.
When you kept me from moving up in the office that time, I got pretty teed off about it, but I think you ended up doing me a favour.
He's doing beautifully.
In charge of Daddy's affairs in the Southwest.
We're in trouble.
In the past six months, three operations have collapsed.
The answer is somewhere under that mountain of paper on my desk.
All right, fellas.
A few announcements.
Mrs Martindale will be giving tea for the seniors at our home on Friday at five.
Wesley, if it's any comfort to you, I can assure you that this is not the first time I have seen an undressed male.
Hello, Duncan.
Hello, Rudy.
- What's the news from Washington? - Have you checked your back lately? - What do you mean? - There might be a knife in it.
(sighs) That trouble your electronics firm has run into.
- What'd you find out? - The army's raising hell.
They're screaming for that missile targeting system Westco developed.
I understand we've had some shipping problems.
The stuff was supposed to arrive in Vietnam last month.
- I know.
- It hasn't! - I know.
- I got onto the shipping people.
The equipment left San Francisco on schedule.
They've got manifests.
Well, what's the problem? It was unloaded at Cam Ran Bay.
After that, it just vanished.
What do you mean, "vanished"? You mean disappeared, stolen? The army's not sure.
There's not much we can do about it, is there? That contract is Westco's major source of profit.
You've lost three companies.
You wanna lose another? Doesrt it strike you as peculiar? Things are going along fine, then all of a sudden, everywhere you look the roof starts to cave in.
Duncan, are you just gonna stand there and take it? (sighs) I've gotta go back into hospital tomorrow for more tests.
There's nothing I can do.
You can send somebody over there to find out what is going on! All right, I'll find somebody.
Duncan, you've got somebody - me! Half a dozen of us from the Senate are going over to Vietnam for fact-finding.
While I'm over there, I'll get into it.
You know, Rudy, I was looking forward to having you around again.
I want somebody to talk to.
Duncan, are you all right? You ever think about dying? No, not much.
I I did when my brother was killed.
Well, I do.
I think about it a lot.
And frankly, it scares the hell out of me.
You You'll outlive us all.
(Rudy) You've got no records at all of shipments from Westco? I went through the sheets.
Nothing.
If it came in here, I'd know about it.
That stuff didn't just vanish into thin air.
Sir, you don't know Nam.
- Where to next? - You tell me, Hanshaw.
For a week now you've been watching me get the run-around.
Guys out there are dying.
Back here it's all con games, selling stuff on the black market, grabbing for payoffs.
You wear a combat infantry badge, you saw action, and what? You paid your dues, you're off the hook? If the poor bastards out there are sold down the river, it's none of your business? Is that it, Hanshaw? Is that the way it works? Why? It's not clothing or medical supplies you can sell on the black market.
You didn't check it off on your list when it came in.
Why? I don't know what you're talkir about.
OK.
OK, we'll do it the hard way.
A guy gave me 500 bucks to see it disappeared.
A guy? What guy? I don't remember his name.
His name was Mungo.
Last I heard, he went back to the States.
He was a shipping agent down at Cam Ran Bay.
Who for? Vogel, who for? An outfit called Tricorp.
(man) Let's go! Out of the way! Hurry! Come on, let's go! Come on! Watch his leg! Let's go! Come on! Let's get him in, come on! (Rudy) Hold it.
Hold it! Hey, Julie! Rudy? Oh, my God! I don't believe it.
What are you doing here? - Are you in Saigon? - For tonight.
- Where are you staying? - Uh, the Continental Palace.
I'll pick you up at nine.
Billy? Billy! Oh! Hello, Mother.
Well, if you'll just come this way, Madam, I have a perfectly splendid table for two.
- You care for a drink? - Iced tea'll be fine.
Uh, one big M and iced tea.
Look at you.
I mean, look at you.
Can I I'd like to have a hug.
Can I have a hug? You're kidding.
When were we ever on a hugging basis? Well, maybe now's the time to start.
Oh, you won't believe what happened today.
I ran into Rudy out here! It's old home week.
Sergeant? How come you've got Officers' Club privileges? I help run the place, make sure there's plenty of steaks, country music in the jukebox.
Provide the brass with a home away from home so they can pretend they never left? Yeah, you got it.
So, how are things in the foreign correspondent business? Well, I just got back from the la Drang Valley.
A bunch of poor, bewildered Gls trying to hold an acre of hell.
You've seen more of the war than I have.
But then, I still have high hopes of coming home to a hero's welcome.
Thank you.
I keep trying to find out if there's a medal for playing all the angles.
Hustling a fast buck.
That bothers you? Yeah, well, right, you know, I'm a taker.
But I come by it naturally.
You never knew what it was to give.
Look, I know I wasrt much of a mother, Billy.
And I'd give anything to be able to change that.
But that's done.
Billy, I'm not the same now.
I know who I am.
I like what I am.
- Yay, team.
- I love you.
And I'd like to be a mother to you if you'll let me.
But I won't be your victim.
You know the first time I learned I could never depend on you? I had the measles.
I was six or seven years old.
You remember? Mm-hm.
You were out somewhere, and I'm lying in bed.
I was scared, sick.
I was waiting for you.
I was praying for you to come home.
Seems like a million years later and I finally hear you come in.
And you're standing in the doorway of my bedroom, but you don't come to me.
You just stand there and you ask am I all right? Seven years old, I was.
And I remember thinking: "OK, right.
" "Yeah, I know who you are.
" "You're the lady who doesn't come in.
" "You just stand there in the doorway.
" Billy, that's (sings "It's All Right With Me") Somehow the bugaloo doesn't do it for me.
This is what I call dancing.
That place in the Village where they played the old tunes Eddie Condors.
That New Year's party, you played your trumpet.
"Stardust".
I don't think Harry James had too much to worry about.
Oh, don't put it down, it was beautiful.
You were beautiful.
All the years we were together, I know there were nightmare parts, but I can't remember them.
We did have some lovely moments.
No, don't.
My hands are shaking.
It's like when I was 15 and I went to my first dance.
It gets so complicated when you're married.
And so simple when you're not.
See ya.
So, like your talent is for singing, mine's for spotting talent.
What I'm gonna be is a producer.
(woman) That's far out! OK, here we go.
Watch your step.
Ooh! Yep, I've made all kinds of connections here.
People who can open doors for me.
- I'm gonna get into the record business.
- That's where the bread is.
It's wide open.
There are guys no older than me running $50-million companies.
I'm going up.
I don't care who I have to sweet-talk or walk over.
Oh, you tough guy.
(laughs) So, what's on the agenda? What would you like to be on the agenda? That French place? All right.
And after that? What would you like after that? - Thanks for the lift.
- Senator! Senator Jordache! - Yes? - This just came for you.
Take my jeep.
Julie? - (moans) - Julie? How you doing, kiddo? You know, I walked out of that hotel room this morning and I found myself thinking I know, so did I.
Maybe maybe we didn't try hard enough.
Oh, God, hold me.
I'm I'm scared.
Rudy I I know it was my fault about Tom.
- But I didn't mean to I didn't know - I know.
And Billy Poor Billy, I gave him such a hard life.
He didn't deserve that.
Hey, look, look.
When we get back to the States, we're gonna spend some time together.
We'll goof around like the old days.
Why don't we go to the Museum of Modern Art, see Charlie Chaplin movies? - You promise? - Oh, I promise.
Eat fettuccini at that joint on Ninth Avenue? The one in the back of the macaroni factory.
All the cousins are waiters and Grandpa does the cooking, right? The first time we made love, remember? That room at the Delmonico.
Afterwards, you couldn't find your shoe.
(laughs) (gasps) Oh, my sweet.
I do love you.
(gasps) (groans) Billy! Billy.
I'm sorry.
Nobody knew where to get hold of you.
Look, the last thing she talked about was you.
She hoped we'd find a way to be friends.
I don't know if you've thought about what you'll do when you get out of the army.
I'd just like to let you know that if you wanna come to Whitby, that you have a welcome.
Come to Whitby? I don't believe you.
I really don't believe you.
Man, you are incredible.
The person I cared most about in this life, my father, and you wiped him out.
- You took my mother away from him.
- What? You walked into our lives with your chequebook and offered my father a job if he'd never see me again or my mother.
You think I don't know? - Billy, that's not the way it was.
- You turned him into a nothing! When he cracked up in that car you gave him, that wasrt an accident.
That was suicide.
And now you want me to be friends? Well, you're out of your mind cos I hate your guts.
Slut! You filthy, disgusting slut! Now, Mr Martindale Ow! (sobs) Dad, I'm I'm sorry.
When I heard about Julie I'm very sorry, Rudy.
Eddie, they took forever with these transcripts.
Oh, Rudy, I I don't believe you've met Porter from my office.
Rudy Jordache, Maggie Porter.
How do you do? Not bad.
If I hadrt been watching for it, I wouldn't have noticed.
What? Oh, that look a client gets when he's expecting a male lawyer and Porter turns out to be me.
- Shall we get down to it? - Yeah.
Um, excuse me.
Now, those three companies that went under.
In each case, the chief competition was the same.
Tricorp International.
- Tricorp? - Mm-hm.
Conglomerate of nine subsidiary companies, headquarters Dallas, Texas.
What I have here is one of a number of tapes of a private telephone conversation between a DeeCee executive and a representative of Tricorp.
- Ready? - Mm-hm.
(man) I want the date when Calderwood's boys take an option on that property.
(Brad) You wanna know how fast you have to move to grab it from under us? Well, hell, yes, I can get you that.
Oh, yeah, boy.
I can fix it so as you can knock our brains out.
(Brad) That's right, your old pal Brad's the one that sold DeeCee down the river.
Why? (laughs) What's to keep me from cuttir myself in on a big deal? Loyalty.
Family.
- Friendship.
- Oh, whoa, now hold on there, buddy boy.
(laughs) You've got a hell of a nerve to be talkir about loyalty and friendship.
You and ol' Duncan Calderwood, the gold-dust twins, sittir back there in the East, - pilir up all the dough.
- You haven't done too badly.
Sittir up there, all cosy and tight together, playing God.
The old man says, "I wonder if this Brad's got the stuff to run the company?" "What do ya think?" You say, "That dumb redneck?" And I end up messir around down here in the weeds.
Tell me, Brad, what do you get out of it? I get plenty.
At the DeeCee stockholders' meeting, there'll be a motion to sell the whole lock, stock and barrel of it over to Tricorp.
You can bet your bottom dollar it's gonna pass.
Go ask your old girlfriend Virginia.
What's Virginia got to do with it? Her daddy dies and she inerits all the stock and gets a votir majority, and I think Well, probably, yeah, it's probably already happened by now.
What are you talking about? Old mars got leukaemia.
We got a call here at two o'clock in the morning.
Doctors don't give him but two, three hours to live.
Duncan? Duncan, can you hear me? It's good to see you.
I knew you'd come back.
Just the two of us.
You remember the shopping mall? Yes, I remember.
That was the beginning of it all.
And now you've come to take over.
No, Duncan.
I didn't come back to take over.
I just wanted to be with you.
I counted on you.
You deserted me.
No one to talk to.
I need you, you're in Washington.
Duncan, I had to live my life.
And leave me to do it all by myself.
Now it's it's too late.
Everything is too late.
Now, get outta here, I got a lot of work to do.
(Rudy) The community's expanding.
We've got to expand with it.
But a shopping centre out by the lake? Why go into competition with myself? Because if you don't, somebody else will.
(Calderwood) If you're wrong, I could lose a lot.
Everything, maybe.
(Rudy) I'm not wrong, Mr Calderwood.
Oh, by the way, a young lady nosing around here, some photographer, says she's a friend of yours.
- Photographer? - There she is.
Hello, Rudy.
Don't old friends get kissed hello around here? I said it to you a long time ago, and it's as true now as it ever was.
I've loved you ever since I can remember, almost.
I've never really considered any kind of life for me that didn't include you in it.
What it amounts to is sexual advances to my wife and an unprovoked assault on my person.
Wesley? Well, it goes without saying that Wesley has been expelled.
All right, fella, go to your room and pack.
Now, I don't wish St Timothy's subjected to unappy scandal.
Nor do I think it the kind of publicity a senator's family should have.
Very generous of you.
You've always been a devoted patron of St Timothy's.
How much? There is no need to put it so crudely.
Frankly, I think the whole thing is pretty crude.
- I'd like to speak to Mrs Martindale.
- That is out of the question.
She's under doctors' care, very close to a nervous breakdown.
- Is she? - Yes.
Most upsetting.
You sit there and you tell me that Wesley is some kind of a sex-crazed thug.
- I don't believe it.
- I beg your pardon? He's no angel.
But he's not Mack the Knife, either.
- If you intend to take that attitude, I'II - You'll what? - Gotcha! Gotcha! Gotcha! - (muffied screams) (laughs) - Maria! - Oh, my God! It's Antonio! It's your little brother! It's Tony! - I scared you, huh? - Oh, you scared the life out of me! - Just like when we was kids, huh? - Oh, you never change.
You come, you go, I never hear a word from you! - When did you get back? - I just got off the boat this morning.
And your eye, what happened to your eye? Uh That was a long time ago.
(sighs) I got in a fight with this gorilla on board ship.
That's terrible.
I beat the hell out of him for it.
And then we made port in France, and it turns out that he's got this rich, big-shot brother senator from Washington - and he got me thrown in jail.
- In jail? Five years.
Yeah.
Five years.
Five years in that stinking hole, caged up like an animal.
And if I open my mouth, they put me in solitary, and they put these handcuffs on me and then the wires on me, and then they give me these electric jolts and I can't hit back and I can't do nothir! - Nothir! - You're with me now.
I'll take care of you.
I'll take you to a doctor, I'll get your eye fixed.
There's nothing to fix.
It's out.
I have no eye.
Hey.
Hey.
Hey, Maria.
How's it with you, huh? What do you? What? Are you still a book-keeper? - (laughs) - Huh? A different place from the last time you saw me.
This this one's an import house - Italian groceries, olive oil, cheese.
Well, let me tell you, let me tell you one thing.
12 years at sea, 12 years at sea, I learned one thing - boy, if you're a workir stiff, if you're a workir stiff, they treat you like garbage! You want something? A glass of wine? I've got some wine.
Big-shot senator.
Got the connections, thinks he can do anything he wants and get away with it.
I'm here with a hole in my head, he's walking around somewhere, and he thinks he's got it made.
Anthony.
Five years.
Five years he kept me caged up like an animal.
And he thinks that's the end of it.
Al futuro, senatore.
To the future.
What do you mean, I'm pushing you? I'm not.
All I'm asking is what you promised me in Nam.
Introduce me to that guy from the record company.
So introduce me to somebody else! You said you had lots of pals in the record business.
Hey, listen, dude, you made me a promise.
You better not back Murphy! Murph! Sit down.
If it's of any interest, I didn't swallow too much of Martindale's story.
Woman in her 30s gets involved with an 18-year-old boy, I have some idea who did the seducing.
You know what this is? The cheque for Mr Martindale to get your record squared.
It's my mess.
There's no reason you should take the rap.
You're right.
You're right.
OK, now, how do you propose to get into another school? I don't.
You're the one that picked St Timothy's.
It wasrt my idea.
You think someplace else'd be any different? A bunch of kids beating their brains out to get grades that'll satisfy Mama and Papa.
- And get themselves an education.
- I know a dozen dudes that go to shrinks, at least three who have ulcers, one who committed suicide because he flunked geology! Geology! If you don't go to school what are your plans? - Get a job.
- At what? - Digging ditches, anything.
- For two bucks an hour? - I can do fine on two bucks an hour.
- For how long? At 18, sure, you can live on pizza.
What'll you do when you have a wife and kids to support and you're still digging ditches? What's wrong with working with your hands? I like it.
It's no lower than sitting in some office! What do you know about working in an office? You never had to work in your life! No? I worked on the boat with my father! At least he did what he felt like, not what others expected! - You think you know about him.
- I lived with him! So did I, from the day he was born! And he did a lot of dumb, destructive things in his life! - Just leave my father out of it.
- You brought him into it! I'm just telling you, don't treat him like a legend.
He hurt a lot of people, including himself.
If you're gonna copy him, don't copy the destructive parts of him! Look, there are certain rules in this house.
I expect you to follow them.
- Under my roof, you'll do what I tell you.
- Like hell I will! (knock at door) - Where are you planning on going? - I don't know.
I don't care.
Wes, you wanna get a job, OK, you can work around here.
Wesley don't go.
I don't want you to go.
I need I need you.
(both laugh) Are you hungry? Starving.
(doorbell) Hi.
I was wondering if you're still taking in boarders.
You said I had a standing invitation.
Come in.
- Billy, Wes.
- Hi.
How's it goir? Well, be it ever so humble, there is no place like home.