Garbo Talks (1984) - full transcript
Estelle is a one-person protest army: she goes to jail over grocery prices, shames construction workers for catcalling at passing women, and won't cross a picket line for her son's wedding. She also loves Garbo films: when she learns she has a brain tumor and six months to live, she decides she must meet Garbo. Her dutiful son Gilbert, a Manhattan accountant named for Garbo's co-star, hires a paparazzo to show him Garbo's flat, stakes it out, gets a job delivering food there, seeks her on Fire Island, and tracks her to a Sixth Avenue flea market. As his obsession distances him from his wife, he's drawn to a struggling actress he meets at work. Can he find Garbo? If so, will she talk?
I'll take you
far away from Paris,
where there are no unhappy
memories for either of us.
Yes.
Where the sun will
help me take care of you
and make you well again.
We'll go back to the country
where we were happy
all in one summer.
Oh... Oh, if only we could.
If only we could.
We can, we will, as soon
as you're well enough.
(GROANS)
(GASPS) Oh.
(WEAKLY) I can't.
(ESTELLE SOBBING)
Nanine. Nanine!
Nanine,
get the doctor quickly.
The doctor...
(MOUTHING)
If you can't make me live,
how can he?
No, no.
Don't say such things,
Marguerite. You'll live.
You must live.
Perhaps it's better
if I live in your heart,
where the world
can't see me.
If I am dead,
there'll be no
staying of our love.
(SHUSHING)
Don't think such
things, Marguerite.
Even if we can't go
to the country today...
God.
...think of
how happy we will be,
how happy we shall be again.
Think of the day you found
the four-leaf clover
and all the good luck
it's going to bring us.
Think of the vows we heard
Nichette and Gustave make
and that we're going
to make to each other.
This is for life,
Marguerite.
(ESTELLE SOBBING)
Marguerite.
Marguerite.
Don't leave me.
Marguerite, come back.
Come back.
(HUMMING)
(SNIFFS)
Oh, God.
I had to
go to the credit
department on seventh.
There's this line
of people waiting.
I had other things
I could've been doing.
Finally, I tell
someone the problem.
She says,
"This could've
been handled in belts."
And no one seemed to care.
No one apologized.
No one said,
"Miss, I'm sorry
for the inconvenience."
(SIGHS)
Well,
in California,
somebody would've apologized.
In California,
a salesperson
has feelings.
Gillie, I want to
go home to Los Angeles.
I want us both to go.
I talked to Dad.
He'll give us the money.
There's so much
to do in California.
Anything you
could ever want in life
is an hour's drive away.
Gillie?
(GROANS)
(WHISTLES)
Where's my coat rack?
Elaine, have you
seen my coat rack?
Elaine, have you...
Elaine, have you seen my...
You're not Elaine.
I'm Harriet.
Hi. Where's Elaine?
I don't know.
This isn't my calculator.
This isn't my typewriter.
Who are they?
(HUMMING)
You were moved
down the hall, Gilbert.
Room 2601.
(BELL DINGS)
Elaine, what's going on?
Kellerman got a promotion.
They moved him
into your office.
I'm supposed
to work in here?
It doesn't have a window.
It's got
a Rauschenberg.
No, I can't
work in there.
I just handle
the Xerox, Gilbert.
But it...
Mr. Plotkin?
I came in...
Oh, we moved your office.
We needed the
space for Kellerman.
I knew you'd understand.
Yeah, but...
Things like offices
mean a lot to Kellerman.
He's a little
too image conscious.
Not like you, Gilbert.
You could do
a fine job anywhere.
You can
balance ledgers in
the middle of Sardi's.
I'm working on
a raise for you.
If we get it, you
take me to Sardi's.
(PHONE RINGS)
Gilbert Rolfe.
Wha... Oh, no. No. No.
Right away. Right away.
Oh!
What's the matter?
My mother's in jail.
Again?
Hey, I'm thirsty.
Uh, I said I'm thirsty.
Who do you have to pay off
to get a little water
around here!
I'd understand
if we were in the desert,
I wouldn't push for water.
I'd accept
the given fact.
But we're
in the middle of
New York City here.
We're at
10th Street
and 7th Avenue.
There must be
an empty paper cup
and a leaky hydrant
somewhere in
the neighborhood!
They don't
give you nothing
in detention, honey.
Not true.
I was arrested
last month in Brooklyn.
They gave me a sandwich
and some cigarettes.
It was mozzarella cheese.
Yeah.
I'm here for Estelle Rolfe.
I'm her son.
Oh, yes.
Bail's $500.
Sign both copies.
Estelle.
I told you I didn't want
you to come down any more.
I could take
care of myself.
Mom, what am
I supposed to do?
Your lawyer calls me
at the office.
He leaves a message
with the receptionist.
Do you know how
embarrassed I was?
There's no need to be.
Okay, your court date
will be the fifth of
next month.
There's nothing in life
to ever be embarrassed about.
I always taught you that.
Mom, you live in
a world of your own.
No, I got company,
maybe not you.
Water, water everywhere
and not a drop to drink!
What did you do?
I stole
a box of frozen
zucchini from the market.
They caught me when I left.
Why did you do that?
They were changing
the prices of the lettuce
that was already
on the shelf.
I said to the manager,
"Did you make
a pricing mistake?"
He said, "No. There was
a frost in Arizona and
prices had gone up."
And I said,
"But not for the lettuce
that's already on the shelf."
I was
planning on buying
two heads of lettuce.
The difference was
64 cents.
The zucchini costs
exactly 64 cents.
How much was bail?
$500.
I'll give you a check.
What's it like being
assigned to the ghetto?
Oh, Mother,
for God's sakes.
Do they assign you
to the ghetto?
Sometime.
Sure, when there's
an arrest to be made.
They're using you
because of your race.
It's unfair.
You shouldn't stand for it.
They're making you
into a traitor to
your own people.
Let's go.
Mom, is this
ever going to stop?
Is what ever
going to stop?
Oh, Ma, come on.
Marching to Washington,
getting arrested, lying
down in front of cars...
Gilbert, that's who I am.
You are who you are,
I am who I am.
Since I was six years old,
always crusading,
always making trouble.
You wouldn't let me go on
a field trip to a steel mill?
There was a strike
against it.
Everybody else got to go.
Everybody came home with
a little box of nails
except me.
What did you miss?
That is not the point.
Gilbert, listen,
I like what I'm doing.
I don't mind going to jail
for something I believe in.
It's a privilege.
Privilege?
Did it ever hurt you?
I was always there
when you needed me.
Was a meal
ever not waiting for you?
Were you ever sick alone?
Look, Mom, all I'm saying is,
why don't you just
relax a little?
I'm relaxed.
Let things take
care of themselves.
Things don't take
care of themselves.
Mom, take it easy.
If your generation would
be a little more active,
I could take it
a little more easy.
You hungry?
One beef and
broccoli, please.
(SIGHS)
(GROANS)
How's Lisa?
She's fine.
Her father, the Beverly
Hills contractor?
Mother.
He cheats on
his income tax.
You don't know that.
He wears tinted glasses.
She still want to
go back to Los Angeles?
Uh-huh.
You know,
the sun brings
out the best in her.
Mom, how come
you never liked Lisa?
Tennis is one way
to get through life.
How's your father?
He's fine.
Claire?
We're going there
for dinner Sunday.
Claire still make cakes?
(JACKHAMMER WHIRRING)
(MAN WHISTLES)
MAN: Look at the little
brown fox, huh?
(WHISTLING CONTINUES)
Hey, happy tits,
come up and sit
on my face!
Hey, I got
an electric tongue
and it never gets tired!
Mother, come on.
(BEEPING)
God!
Who wanted a girl
to sit on their face?
Come on, one of you wanted
someone to sit on your face
so badly you screamed
it all the way down
to the pavement.
Who was it?
I got all day,
and I can come
back tomorrow.
You mean the guy
who whistled at that girl?
Yeah, that's what I mean.
Yeah, that was me.
Well, that girl
couldn't come.
She was late
for an appointment.
So I came instead.
I hope it's okay?
Which one of you has
got the electric tongue?
Uh... Guess that was me.
You plug it in or
does it run on batteries?
Now, listen, I...
You know, we were just...
What?
Just...
Just a joke.
You think
you got some special
right to act like animals
just because you
work up high, huh?
You think because
you build buildings,
you're exempt from
showing a little class?
You want someone
to sit on your face?
Roll up your car
windows and scream
it out on the highway
and stop demeaning
yourself in public.
If your head's in the toilet,
don't blow bubbles.
Come, we'll ride down.
(JANE EXHALING LOUDLY)
(KNOCK ON DOOR)
Excuse me.
Elaine said I could
find the Irving readout...
It's right over
there by the window.
(EXHALING LOUDLY)
Hi.
Hi.
I'm Jane Mortimer.
Uh, Gilbert Rolfe.
Are you new?
Uh-uh. I was up on 27,
but they're moving us around.
Are you okay?
Uh-huh.
You're not
having a seizure or
anything, are you? I...
My breathing exercises.
Huh! One.
Huh! Two.
Huh! Three.
I'm really an actress.
Huh! Four. Huh! Five.
Hey!
I... O... U.
(EXHALING) Could you
hand me my cork, please?
It's right there
in the drawer.
Your cork?
Yes, please.
(CONTINUES
BREATHING EXERCISES)
Thank you.
(GARBLED)
Now is the time
for all good men
to come to the aid
of their country.
This deepens the voice.
An actress has to
do many, many voices.
And now is the time
for all good men
to come to the aid
of their country.
This is from my
first bottle of champagne.
Could you help me up, please?
Thank you.
Um, would you
like to try this?
No, thank you.
Uh, was there
anything else?
That was all.
Could I see that picture
of Garbo in your window?
(CHUCKLES)
It's from Grand Hotel.
It's from Mata Hari.
Grand Hotel.
I own the shop.
No, it's from Mata Hari.
It's the scene
in the prison cell
where she has a reunion
with Rosanoff
just before
they take her to the
firing squad to be executed.
Look at the costume,
it's Mata Hari.
It's $35.
This isn't rare.
I've seen it before.
Then buy it before.
The frame makes it higher.
I'll take it
without the frame.
I don't
sell it without
the frame. It's $35.
It's Mata Hari.
Go to the movies.
It looks beautiful
and it smells good.
Shrimp Wilshire.
I got it
in an article on
California cooking.
It's delicious.
Best I've ever tasted.
Your father likes shrimp
and I try to make him happy.
Mmm, I spoke
to my parents.
They send their regards.
Oh, thank you.
My father's
dying for us to
move to Los Angeles.
He's offered Gilbert
a fantastic job.
Lisa.
He doesn't
want to take it.
I have a job.
You know,
so often in life,
we have to do what
makes someone else happy.
It's called give and take.
You know my philosophy?
It doesn't cost anything
to give someone else
a little joy.
Ah.
Bravo.
How's your mother?
She's been having
migraine headaches.
She got arrested again.
How'd you find out?
We still know
the same people.
Shoplifting.
Wasn't exactly
shoplifting.
What would you call it?
She got caught with
beans in her pocketbook?
Zucchini.
What'd she have to do
that for?
She's got money.
She still has the
building in Flushing.
She cited
an injustice.
Uh-huh.
You know
Claire and I are having
an anniversary next month?
Ten years.
It's a long time, huh?
Dad.
Yeah.
What made you
fall in love with her?
Claire?
Mother.
Mmm.
It was the way she danced.
How'd she dance?
I met her at a party once.
We were teenagers.
How did she dance?
She danced with everything.
Her whole body,
her whole being, everything.
When she danced,
she didn't think
of anything else.
She still watching
her weight?
Yeah.
She's always
watching her weight.
God, we had fun.
The day we got married,
went down
to the courthouse
to get the license.
They sent us to a clerk.
His name was
William Albert.
She wouldn't let him
write the license.
She doesn't trust men,
she says, with two
first names.
God, we had fun.
Two first names.
I don't know,
we started drifting apart.
Always got outraged
by one thing or another.
She couldn't take life
as it comes.
And I got tired, that's all.
I worked plenty hard,
I wanted peace and quiet.
And she wouldn't give me that,
the damn fool.
If she would've
changed just a little,
meet me halfway.
Claire.
She's a good person,
she's a good wife.
Worships the ground
I walk on.
What more can
a man ask for?
She still wear
orthopedic shoes?
Yeah.
She always
had lousy feet.
Hi. I'm going
for a sandwich.
You want to come?
I probably should
tell you, Jane.
I'm married.
I just
invited you to
eat a sandwich.
Oh... Uh, okay.
I think elevators
are very sexual,
don't you?
I have this fantasy
that I'm in an elevator
all alone with this man
that I've never met
before in my entire life
and he just keeps
staring at me.
All of a sudden,
he reaches out and
he touches my breast.
Well, I think it's
very inappropriate,
but I don't stop him.
The elevator's
moving really slowly,
we're at the
World Trade Center,
and he just
keeps on touching me.
We're at the 30th floor
and he's feeling my waist,
the elevator
keeps going up, his
hands keep going down.
By the time we're
at the 70th floor, we're
actually having relations
and he just
leaves without even
telling me his name.
(MAN COUGHS)
(ELEVATOR DOORS OPENING)
Gilbert, we're here.
Do you like working
in that dark little room?
It's not that bad.
Boy, I'd get
claustrophobia.
I'm studying at the
neighborhood playhouse.
I'm really
only accounting
until something breaks.
I need the work.
People like you
shouldn't have to work.
You are prehistoric.
Thank you.
Actually, I'd like
to be kept, but...
I'm not the type.
I'd like to keep you,
but I don't have
the money.
Well, one day,
when I'm very,
very rich,
I'm going to stay
home all the time,
just learning Moliere
and ordering
oyster-white veal
from Fraser-Morris.
Hmm, Moliere
makes me laugh,
and, well, Fraser-Morris
is where the very, very rich
buy all their tomatoes.
Lisa, that was very good.
It's the first time
I've ever cooked Chinese.
It took me
three hours.
Chop, chop, chop,
chop, chop, chop,
chop, chop, chop...
Why don't you go
into the living room
and I'll serve coffee.
Three hours.
She could've
read War and Peace.
Where's my purse, Gilbert?
Look on the hall table,
will you?
Bring me a glass of
water, too, will you?
GILBERT: Mom,
are you all right?
Yeah, yeah. I just have
a little headache,
that's all.
(PHONE RINGS)
Gilbert Rolfe.
Oh, Dr. Cohen.
Yes, how are you?
What is it?
You can't operate?
There's no way.
You can get other opinions,
but there's nothing
to be done.
That's an attitude
she won't understand.
Why didn't Dr. Cohen
tell me himself?
What does he think
I'm made of, butter?
(SIGHS)
Estelle Rolfe.
Not Estelle Rolfe.
You know, I know
everybody's got to die,
but I really thought
I was going to be
the first exception.
Dr. Cohen wants you
to go in the hospital.
Mom, Lisa's father knows this
neurosurgeon in Beverly Hills.
I have Dr. Cohen.
Mom, this man is
a leader in his field.
He works miracles.
I don't believe
in miracles.
Come on, Mom.
You've got to have hope.
Honey, I got hope.
I don't believe
in miracles.
You work
with what you got.
You don't always win.
I've always accepted
the given fact.
(PHONE RINGS)
Hello?
Oh, hello, Doctor.
Yes? Okay.
Just a minute, please.
He's gotten you a room at
Murray Hill Hospital.
He wants to know...
I'm not going to Murray Hill.
The dieticians are non-union.
Mom!
No.
Could you get her
into someplace else?
She doesn't like
Murray Hill Hospital.
Why? I don't know why.
Yes, okay.
No, we'll be here.
Mom, Dr. Cohen wants
to start cobalt treatments.
I know all about cobalt.
Ma, you don't...
You don't feel a thing.
No, that's not what I mean.
My hair.
There is a chance
it'll come out.
I just had it dyed.
Watch this.
How long have I got?
It's hard to tell.
You could go on
for quite a while.
Don't give me that.
How long have I got?
Four to six months.
I'll be back tonight.
Well, I called
Mr. and Mrs. Kozinski
and they want to know
if you felt like visitors,
so I told them
I thought it might be better
if they waited
a couple of days,
give you a chance to
settle in, get comfortable.
They were terrific.
They said they would
look after the building,
keep an eye on
things for you.
Gilbert, I want
to meet Greta Garbo.
Yeah, I want
to meet Garbo.
Mom, are you kidding?
No.
Mom, that's impossible.
It's not impossible.
She lives right here
in New York City.
Mother, why don't you just
concentrate on getting better?
Oh, I want to meet Garbo.
Why?
Why shouldn't I?
I'm dying.
She wants to meet Garbo.
It's like
a last wish.
It's not
my last wish.
I have a lot more.
Just short on time.
How about lunch?
Oh. Uh, I'm sorry, I can't.
Oh, okay.
Gilbert.
Mr. Plotkin.
You were an hour late
coming in this morning.
I let it pass. But now
you're 20 minutes late
coming in from lunch.
I'm very sorry,
Mr. Plotkin.
This is not
a library, Gilbert.
AUTOMATED VOICE:
The number you have
called is out of service.
Please check your
telephone directory
and make sure
you're dialing correctly.
(DOG BARKING)
Mr. Dokakis?
Mr. Dokakis?
(DOOR LOCK OPENING)
Who wants him?
I do.
I don't
need an accountant.
I use the short form.
No, um, Mr. Dokakis,
excuse me.
Are you the same man that
took photographs of
Greta Garbo?
She can't sue.
I stood 50 feet away.
I know the law.
You can't
deprive a man
of his livelihood.
No, Mr. Dokakis.
Mr. Dokakis, please?
(LOCK CLICKS)
Mr. Dokakis,
I've got to talk to you.
(SIGHS)
Mr. Dokakis,
my mother is dying.
She is in
New York Hospital,
Room 808 right now.
She has a brain tumor
and she wants to meet Garbo.
(DOOR LOCK OPENING)
You think I'm going to
say something wise-ass,
don't you?
I'm not going to say
anything wise-ass.
You want something,
call my agent.
(DOORBELL BUZZES)
(DOORBELL BUZZES)
(DOORBELL BUZZES)
(DOORBELL BUZZES)
Miss Sonya Apollinar?
(WHISPERING) Yes.
Miss Apollinar, I need
to hire a client of yours.
You wish to hire
a client of mine?
Yes.
(BUZZING)
Don't do this to me.
Go on. Come on.
Just for a little while,
then I'll come back.
We'll go out to dinner.
Go on, let's get in there.
(POUNDING ON DOOR)
Coming!
I just... Coming.
Una momento.
Come in, please.
(STAMMERING)
Please, just come in.
Mi casa es su casa.
Please. (CHUCKLES)
You'll have to forgive me.
Uh, I'm...
I'm redecorating.
Just all goes so slow,
doesn't it?
See... (CLEARS THROAT)
Won't you sit down?
Please?
Hmm?
Sit.
(CHUCKLES)
I want to hire
Angelo Dokakis.
But of course. Angelo.
A brilliant photographer.
And what is the nature
of this assignment?
I want to talk to him.
Uh-huh. Do you mind
if I ask about what?
I need to find someone.
Ah. Whom do you wish to find?
Greta Garbo.
But of course.
(CATS SNARLING)
Oh, excuse me, just...
Just a minute.
(SNARLING STOPS)
I've got to get a dog.
I'll do anything.
I don't care about the cost.
Oh? Well, I mean,
is that all you want?
To find Garbo, hmm?
Well, that shouldn't
be so difficult. I mean,
naturally, I can help you.
One must simply know
where to look.
Mr. Dokakis charges
$250 a day,
one week minimum,
plus expenses.
Okay. That's okay.
It's okay.
It's okay. (CHUCKLES)
It's okay.
Believe me, it's...
It's no problem.
I wish
all my assignments
were such a breeze.
(MEOWS) Oops.
I'll need a retainer.
$500 to start.
I'll write you a check.
Could you
make my commission
check out separately
to cash?
I... $50.
Sit down.
Here. You can use...
You know, Angelo
is very, very particular
about the work
that he chooses to do.
Could he start right away?
Oh, well, I just don't
see any reason why not.
The check.
(LAUGHS)
Oh.
Hello, Mr. Plotkin.
Hi, this is Gilbert.
Mr. Plotkin, I am so sick.
Yeah, I can't come in today.
I knew you'd understand.
(COUGHS)
Thank you, sir.
That's where she lives.
The 10th floor.
I've never been inside.
You took pictures
of her there?
I took them with
a telescopic lens
from over there.
I rented a room.
She's got several rooms.
They're empty, mostly.
Is this it?
You just
wait around all day
hoping she'll come out?
If you're lucky, all day.
Sometimes it takes weeks.
I followed Princess
Margaret for a month.
All around
the Caribbean.
I caught her sunbathing
without a top.
If she'd rolled over,
I'd be a millionaire today.
(LAUGHS)
I mean it.
What's she like,
your mother?
I don't know. I...
The quiet type, huh?
Yeah.
Mine, too.
How long she been sick?
A few weeks.
She started
getting headaches.
Sometimes she'd
lose a step and...
Little things.
Yeah.
What time is it?
Uh, 6:15.
6:15?
Listen, Rolfe,
for all I know,
she isn't even here.
She spends a lot
of time in Spain.
Spain?
Fire Island, France,
Antigua...
(GROANS)
It's 5:30.
I could meet
you again tomorrow,
but I won't take
any more of your money.
Besides, you know
where she lives.
But you're
making a mistake.
Even if you see her,
she'll disappear
the moment she notices you.
She's totally inaccessible.
Angelo.
Stay just
a little longer.
I'm tired of
chasing people,
renting hotel rooms,
helicopters.
I'm tired of
spying on them.
The way
they look at me,
so condescending.
It just doesn't
make sense anymore.
I'm sorry
about your mother.
Sounds like a nice lady.
It was raining
cats and dogs.
I saw the Goodyear blimp
pass by right outside
my window there.
(SIGHS)
The Knicks beat
the Celtics, 97-96.
(GROANS VERY LOUDLY)
I want an eclair.
Please, honey, bring
me an eclair, would you?
My turn?
Yeah.
I'm having trouble
holding things lately.
I got a terrific word.
There are two checks
to Angelo Dokakis.
One for $450
and another for $675!
What's this check
for cash, $50?
A check for $75, cash?
Our balance is $600.
We have no money left.
Gillie, you know what we are?
Oh, my...
Do you know what we are?
No.
Oh, Gilbert.
What?
I can't say it.
Oh, God in heaven,
I can't say the word.
What are we?
We are
poor.
Lisa, can you take care
of the maintenance
this month?
Are you serious?
To cut into
the principal?
My father says it's
like spitting on God.
What are you doing?
I'm sewing.
I know you're sewing.
What are you sewing?
Tell me what you're sewing.
Tell me this minute!
Can I help you, sir?
Acme delivery.
This is for Miss Garbo.
There's no one
here by that name.
I know for a fact that...
There is no one here
by that name, sir.
Okay, then this is for
the lady in apartment 10A?
There is no lady in 10A.
You're aware this job
pays minimum wage?
Yes. I've made my peace
with that.
You supply
your own uniforms.
No problem.
No problem at all.
You can
buy Guthrie's clothes.
You're about the same size.
I'll speak with Guthrie.
Guthrie's dead.
Oh.
This is a part-time job.
Yes.
You must be here at 2:45
for the afternoon deliveries.
Yes, sir.
2:45, not 3:00.
I understand, sir.
You don't harbor
any resentment toward the
upper class, do you, Rolfe?
No.
Good. We don't
tolerate rudeness.
There's still a place
for the rich in New York City.
Excuse me, Mr. Plotkin.
What can I do
for you, Gilbert?
I would like to
start work earlier,
earlier than 8:30.
I have a job in the afternoon.
I'd like to leave here
by 2:00.
Well, we have
an open start policy.
You can start
anytime you want to,
as long as you
put in eight hours.
What time did you
have in mind?
Well, I would like
to come in at 7:00.
7:00 to 2:00?
Yes, sir.
That's seven hours.
I'll make up the difference.
I'll work on Saturday.
The office is
closed on Saturday.
I won't take a vacation.
One can't use
vacation time.
It's the rule.
You could come in
at 6:00.
6:00? Nothing's
working at 6:00.
The computers
are down at 6:00.
Well, come in, anyway.
Gilbert,
are you crazy?
I don't believe it.
What's happening to me?
What's happening
to my life?
I won't come out until
you take that thing off.
Honey, try and understand.
No. I won't be part
of this circus anymore.
Am I being unfair?
If I'm being unfair,
just tell me so.
You're not being unfair.
This is too much.
You're making me
a nervous wreck.
Oh, I'm starting
to ovulate.
I can feel it.
Now, Mrs. Jacobs
at 51st and Madison,
Mrs. Harrison,
the same building,
one floor down.
52nd and Park, Mr. Blaustein.
Double down to 49th,
the Waldorf.
Miss Moore
has an apartment there.
We send her biscuits and
Perrier water every Tuesday.
Jacobs, Harrison,
Blaustein, Moore.
Always get a signature.
Don't forget that.
Yes, sir.
Hi.
Hi.
Oh, hi.
You know,
I never see you anymore.
You eat lunch at 10:00.
I come in early.
I need my afternoons free.
Oh.
I'm up for a role.
Oh?
Yeah.
As You Like It.
Joe Papp.
Oh.
Good luck.
Thank you.
Well, I'll be
seeing you, huh?
Krebs on 56th,
Detweiler on Second and 55th,
Bluttman, next door, on 55th,
Kronhauser on 53rd,
Cavaleri on 53rd
and Brown on 50th.
Rolfe, this order
for Brown on 50th...
When you arrive,
you tell the doorman,
"I'm from Fraser-Morris
and I have the order
for Brown."
Then you look at him
and ask,
"Are you from Oslo?"
Do you understand?
Yes, sir.
I say I'm from
Fraser-Morris and...
No, no.
You must do it
exactly as I say it.
I'm sorry.
"Good afternoon.
I'm from Fraser-Morris..."
There's no good afternoon.
You say,
"I am from Fraser-Morris
and I have the order
for Brown.
"Are you from Oslo?"
You won't get in otherwise.
I'll have to
send somebody else.
I don't wanna make two trips!
Yes, sir.
Don't ask me to explain.
One day, maybe,
when I know you better.
I'm from Fraser-Morris
and I have the order
for Brown.
Are you from Oslo?
10B. Service elevator's
downstairs.
10B.
Miss Garbo,
Miss Garbo.
Miss Brown, Miss Brown,
please, please.
(MUTTERING)
Fraser-Morris?
This order's for Miss Brown.
Thank you.
I'll take it.
You're not Miss Brown.
I work for Miss Brown.
Mr. Morganelli
told me distinctly
these were to go to
a Miss Brown and
no one else.
It's quite all right,
believe me.
Miss Brown is away.
You'll have
to give them to me.
I'd like to leave
a note for Miss Brown!
Please!
Rita around the corner
came to see me today.
She gave me
a manicure. Look.
Mom, I've been
trying to find her.
Do you think you will?
I'm doing what I can.
I can't promise anything.
Give me a kiss.
Oh, I'm gonna miss you.
I'm gonna miss you so much.
Mom, don't be afraid.
You know, I'm not afraid.
I'm mad.
I'm not gonna
get to know
who the next president
of the United States is.
Me, of all people, hmm?
I got a right to know.
Angelo, this is Gilbert.
I'm fine, thank you.
Angelo, listen,
you have got to help me.
I am desperate.
Yeah, you said
she goes to an island.
Fire Island.
Oh, God, I am so stupid.
I couldn't remember.
All I could think
of was Elba.
You still got
a pulse, Estelle.
What do they pay you?
$7.10 an hour.
How do you live on that?
Oh, got three boyfriends.
Why don't you ask for more?
It's all in the contract.
When's the contract up?
One year, two years.
You wanna keep making
$7.10 an hour?
Are you kidding?
Nobody's gonna
change it but you.
Me? I'm Esperanza Gonzales
from San Juan.
I've got two kids.
I live in Queens in
an apartment with
my sister.
Who's gonna
listen to me?
Hey, Sanchez?
Mmm-hmm.
When is our contract up?
What contract?
We've got a contract, stupid.
When is our contract up?
What contract?
Jesus.
The dog is peeing
on your leg.
(EXCLAIMS)
You want a pair of pants?
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm Bernie Whitlock.
Gilbert Rolfe.
I'm not gay.
I am.
Guess the whole boat is.
With rare exceptions.
So, what do you do?
I'm an accountant.
I'm working my way up
from the mailroom at
Bloomingdale's.
You know,
that was a joke.
Actually,
I work in the men's
department at Alexander's.
Sometimes I lie,
I say Bloomingdale's.
Depends on what crowd I'm in.
This is
my third year
on the island.
The people are friendly.
The older I get,
the less I care
about sex.
I'm looking for someone
I can talk to.
That's hard to find.
What about you?
What about me?
What are you looking for?
We're all looking
for something.
You're not gonna
believe me.
I'm looking
for Greta Garbo.
You're looking for
the Garbo?
Mmm-hmm.
Is this a joke?
No.
Mind if I ask why?
It's a long story.
It's gotta be.
I saw her once last summer
walking along the beach.
She was wearing
a big hat and sunglasses
and a long, flowing cape.
Yeah, she was...
She was walking along
in a light rain
without an umbrella.
I don't think anybody
even knew who she was.
But then, all of a sudden,
she just disappeared into
a house
and I never
saw her again.
Excuse me. Would you
remember the house?
It was along here
somewhere.
I didn't take
that good a look.
Please, it is
very important.
Would you have dinner
with me tonight?
I'm sorry, I can't.
I just hate to eat alone.
So does my mother.
She goes to a restaurant,
she looks to see
if someone else
is alone.
If they look interesting,
she asks them if she can
join them.
And what if they say no?
She'll ask someone else.
One rejection,
I lose my appetite.
It might've been
that one there.
You mind if I ask you
a question?
Why are you
looking for Garbo?
My mother wants to meet her.
Your mother's a trip.
Yeah.
I thought you were doing it
for an autograph.
Good.
What about the pants?
A present.
Look, if your mother
ever wants to meet me,
I'm at the Queens
Boulevard branch.
In Queens.
(SIGHS)
Miss Garbo, please.
There is nobody here
of that name.
This is the
Von Klammer residence.
I have got to talk to her.
There is no Garbo here.
Look, she is here.
I know she's here.
(BOAT MOTOR RUNNING)
Wait.
Wait.
Wait, please.
Wait!
Wait!
Wait!
Wait.
What time
is the next ferry?
7:00 in the morning.
You been up all night?
What do you think?
I slept
on the beach
at Fire Island.
What were you doing
at Fire Island?
Looking for Garbo.
Looking for Garbo.
Mr. Plotkin called.
You didn't go
to work on Friday.
You didn't
call to say you
weren't coming?
I know.
Gilbert, is there
another woman in
your life?
No.
Are you sure?
What?
I said,
are you sure there's not
another woman in your life?
I'm sure.
Those things happen.
People change,
lose interest.
Listen,
I'm from California.
I went to visit
your mother last night.
Her hearing is worse.
She didn't recognize me.
I couldn't tell if it
was intentional or not.
Gillie, I spoke
to my mother and Dad.
They're concerned about me.
They want me to come home.
Dad offered to come here
and get me and take me back.
Naturally, that
isn't necessary.
I'm a big girl now.
What did you say?
I told them
I wouldn't come until...
After Estelle...
I try and do the right thing.
I don't always succeed,
but I do try.
You know something,
Lisa.
You don't have
to try anymore.
If you wanna leave,
why don't you just leave?
You don't have to
wait around for
Mom to die.
I'll tell you something.
When Mom first met you,
she said
you were affected,
you were pretentious.
She didn't like you. She...
What did she say?
What?
I told her
you spoke two languages.
She said, "Yes.
English and Gucci."
The feeling's mutual.
My parents have never been
so embarrassed in their
whole lives.
Your mother wouldn't cross
a picket line for her own
son's wedding.
You gonna go through
this again?
The bartender's union
was striking the Beverly...
We offered to get her
into the laundry room,
but she wouldn't budge.
She does not
cross picket lines.
Her own son's wedding.
That is the way she is.
I'll come back,
if you want me to.
I think
it's better this way.
I feel really sad.
We had a perfect marriage.
All I wanted was a home,
children and security,
but...
Lately with you, it's been
one surprise after another.
I don't want
surprises, Gillie.
Next agent over, please.
I paid the difference.
I didn't want your father
to think I was a schmuck.
He will, anyway.
How's this, Estelle?
A little more brightness.
Okay?
Fine.
Can I get you
anything else?
Mmm-mmm.
Estelle, our contract is
up the first of the year.
They want to raise us
from $7.10 an hour
to $7.90.
None of us knows
what to do.
We don't wanna make waves.
Make waves.
We don't wanna
start something.
Start something.
Okay.
Excuse me.
I'm looking for
Estelle Rolfe.
Oh. Mrs. Rolfe is resting.
She's not supposed to
have any visitors.
I won't stay long.
I'm her husband.
Ex-husband.
Jenny. You will
have to make it short.
Yes, thank you.
(SOBS)
You damn fool.
MAN 1 ON TV: Williams
got away from Woodson,
got it to Bill Cartwright
for the jam and he's fouled.
What a terrific pass
by Ray Williams
and, also,
it was very alert
of Bill Cartwright
to anticipate that pass.
MAN 2 ON TV:
Yes, it was.
Here you see Ray Williams
moving without the ball,
Woodson going
for the steal.
Now, this
breaks the defense down
as Ray starts to the hoop.
Here comes
Meriwether with a nice
little pass to Cartwright.
He's fouled right there
as he hits...
LEON: Oh, Ninotchka,
don't take things
so seriously.
Nothing's worth it, really.
Please. Relax.
I beg you, Sergeant.
Smile.
What?
Will you smile?
Why?
Well, just smile.
At what?
At anything.
At the whole ridiculous
spectacle of life,
at people being so serious,
taking themselves
pompously,
exaggerating
their own importance.
If you can't think
of anything else
to laugh at,
you can laugh at you and me.
Why?
Because we're an odd couple.
Then you should
go back to your table.
No, I can't leave you.
I won't, not yet.
Not until I've made you
laugh at least once.
Ha, ha.
Now go back
to your table.
Oh, that's not a laugh.
I mean a laugh
from the heart.
I know. I'm going to
tell you a funny story.
Wait a minute.
Let me think of one.
I've got it.
It seems that there were two
Frenchmen who went to America.
On which boat?
Let's drop it.
I don't think you'd care
very much for that one,
anyway.
(MUSIC PLAYS)
(ALL APPLAUDING)
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
Believe me,
Elizabeth Rennick
is the forgotten
genius of film.
Come on, Adolph.
You've gotta be kidding.
No, no, I mean it.
Elizabeth Rennick was
every bit as good
as Garbo.
MAN:
He never stops.
He never stops.
She appeared in a lot
of the Garbo pictures.
Little parts.
You know,
some actresses
start out playing bits
and work their way
to the top?
Well, she did
just the opposite.
(ALL LAUGHING)
Poor soul.
She comes here often
to watch her old flicks.
(DOORBELL BUZZES)
GILBERT: Jane?
Gilbert?
Yeah.
How do you
find an actress?
I'm an actress.
I mean,
a particular actress.
You call Actor's Equity.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All actors
are listed with them.
But today is Saturday.
It is?
They're closed.
They are?
You can call them
on Monday.
You just ask
for membership.
Membership?
Then you tell them
who you're looking for.
Who I'm looking for.
Then you look it up.
I can look it up.
Are you free?
I pictured you
with someone rich.
Rich men are so peculiar.
They always order
California wine
and then defend it.
Aren't you married?
We're separated.
She's in L.A.
She's been there
a few weeks now.
She's probably
very tan by now.
Gilbert, I don't...
I don't want you to
take this too seriously.
Being with
someone permanently
just isn't in my plans.
(PHONE RINGS)
Hello. Actor's Equity.
It's for you, Mr. Goldhammer.
Membership. Goldhammer.
Hi. I'd like an address
for Elizabeth Rennick,
please.
Who's calling?
Gilbert Rolfe.
Gilbert Rolfe? I'm not
familiar with that name.
It's a personal matter.
It's very urgent
that I reach her.
Personal.
I'm sorry.
I can't give out
that information
unless I'm familiar with
your company.
(PHONE RINGS)
Membership. Goldhammer.
Yes, this is
David Barrick's office.
How may I help you?
I need an address
on Elizabeth Rennick.
Didn't you just call?
No.
Are you
a casting director?
Uh, yes, I am.
Then look it up in
your player's guide.
Yes?
Mr. Goldhammer?
Yes.
How do you do?
I'm Marian Lane.
Who?
We met at the Tony Awards.
Oh, I haven't been to
the Tonys, not in years.
It was some time ago,
but, oh, I remember you.
Why, you're the backbone
of this organization,
as I recall.
Most people don't know
I exist.
Oh, I certainly do.
You're one
of those people
that you can never
quite get out of
your mind.
Thank you.
Our phones are out.
I'm working for
Jimmy Nederlander now,
and he needs
some information
on Elizabeth Rennick.
Nobody's called for
Elizabeth Rennick
in 15 years.
It's going
to be the chance
of a lifetime for her.
She's very old.
Mr. Goldhammer, what
a sense of humor
you have.
Her number.
(PHONE RINGS)
ELIZABETH ON
ANSWERING MACHINE: Hello.
This is Elizabeth Rennick.
555-8318.
I am not at home.
I'm rehearsing a new
production of Romeo
and Juliet
in which I've been
cast as the nurse.
I turned
the part down
several times
'cause I...
Well, I don't do
supporting roles,
but Joe Papp, the brilliant
producer of A Chorus Line,
kept calling back
and finally, I said,
"Okay, I'll give it a try."
We're at
the Delacorte Theater in
Central Park for rehearsals,
which I expect won't
take more than two weeks,
if everyone
behaves professionally.
Sometimes these
off-Broadway companies
are a bunch of animals,
smoking dope,
and everyone trying to
get into everyone's pants.
No one cares
about Shakespeare,
but if all goes well...
Excuse me. I'm looking
for Elizabeth Rennick.
(SHUSHING)
MAN: Miss Rennick, we're
ready for your scene again.
Miss Rennick!
Stand over here.
That's it.
Right here.
Fine. Good. Good.
Okay,
and please
try not to wobble!
Nurse, where's my daughter?
Call her forth to me.
Now, by my
maidenhair...
Maidenhead,
Miss Rennick,
not maidenhair!
I want to
cut that line.
We can't cut it.
She's been making
that same mistake
all week.
You can't
remember your lines!
I forget my lines once!
You remembered them once!
It's not working!
All right, everybody,
lunch, one hour!
Miss Rennick, please,
I need your help.
Are you and
she still friends?
Do you ever see her...
I never should've
lent my name to
this fiasco.
Yes. Miss Rennick,
would you call her for me?
Call who?
What are you
talking about?
Garbo.
Miss Garbo.
Yes. She gave me this ring.
It's real gold.
Oh, it was
very generous of her.
Well, considering that
she still has the
first nickel
which she ever made.
You know
the flea market
on Sixth Avenue?
Well, you might
look for her there.
She always
loved a bargain.
(GASPS) You're...
I'm sorry.
That's solid sterling.
$175.
MAN: Hey,
did you see her?
Did you see her?
WOMAN: Isn't that...
MAN: I don't know.
I think it is.
(CHATTERING)
Can I have a minute
of your time, please?
I'm not a reporter
or anything.
It's about my mother.
You've gotta
listen to me, please.
My mother is very sick.
She is
at New York Hospital,
room 808. She has a tumor.
She doesn't
have much time.
She has no time.
The doctor
does not think
she will last the week.
She has this crazy wish.
She wants to meet you.
I have been
looking for you
for three months.
She just wants to see you
before she dies, that's all.
She just
wants to look at you.
I don't know, just see you.
Please.
Please come with me.
Just a few minutes,
that's all.
Five minutes. One minute.
Please. There's not
even time to think
about it.
She loves you so.
She loves you,
maybe even more than me.
That's her.
I can't believe it.
It's really you.
It's you.
If I'd have
known, I would've...
I would've
had my hair done,
had somebody
give me a manicure.
You met my son?
He's a good boy.
He works very hard.
I don't know what to say.
I mean, you're here,
I don't have words.
Must be 30, 40 years.
Oh, I bet people
have told you this till
you're blue in the face.
I've loved you ever since
the first time I ever
saw you.
We were living
on Eastern Parkway,
that's in Brooklyn.
My father
gave me 10 cents
to go to the movies
with Wanda Sternhagen,
my girlfriend.
My father
didn't have much.
Ten cents was
a lot of money to him.
He had six mouths to feed.
We saw
Flesh and the Devil.
Your name was Felicitas
von Kletzingk, remember?
What a name.
I never forgot it.
It stuck in my head.
You know, movie names
don't usually stick
in your head.
There I was
in the balcony of
the Loew's Pitkin,
with Wanda Sternhagen
in Brooklyn and I was
Estelle Garbo,
eating a corned-beef
sandwich
out of a brown paper bag
and Wanda kept saying,
"Shh,"
because the brown paper bag
kept rattling.
It's easy
being Estelle Garbo
when you're in the balcony
of the Loew's Pitkin
in the dark.
Nobody could see my
double chin and my
huge bust.
Not like yours. Nice.
I shouldn't have been
eating a corned-beef
sandwich, anyway.
I was a fat kid.
I needed to
lose some weight,
but show me anything
from a delicatessen,
especially corned-beef.
You had me in
the palm of your hands.
Every time you moved,
I sighed.
You walked from one end
of the room to the other,
it was as if your feet
never touched the ground.
Wanda and I saw
every movie you ever made.
She thought I loved you
because I had big feet, too.
It's true.
I wore size 10.
I was only going on
12 years old.
Wanda moved away.
Her father got a job
in Trenton.
Before she left, I took
her to lunch and a movie.
We went to
see a revival
of Wild Orchids.
We sat through it
four times
because we didn't know
how to say goodbye
to each other.
I wrote you
a letter once.
I never wrote to
any other movie star.
I didn't get an answer.
That's all right.
That's all right.
I didn't take it
personally.
You know, you're not gonna
believe this, but it's true.
I married my husband
in 1953.
It was a small wedding.
It was in the house.
My mother
cooked for a week.
My aunt cooked for a week.
Everybody came.
Then, afterwards,
Walter and I took the
train to Atlantic City.
That was
our honeymoon.
Some honeymoon.
Two nights. I didn't
plan things right,
you know?
Female times.
So there
we were in Atlantic City
and I couldn't do anything.
I was a virgin.
Walter was a virgin.
We had to
stay that way
a little while longer.
We didn't have
anything to do.
So, I bought a newspaper.
Anna Christie was playing.
It was the only movie
of yours I hadn't seen.
Garbo talks.
"Give me a whiskey.
Ginger ale on the side.
"And don't be stingy, baby."
Walter and I had Gilbert.
I named him
for John Gilbert.
When I came out
of the delivery,
I was so exhausted,
I could hardly move.
I could
hardly even open
my eyes. The TV was on.
They were playing Camille,
and all I kept looking at
were those
heavy skirts of yours
going back and forth
and back and forth
and back and forth.
Walter and I
got a divorce.
World's a crazy place
to live in, isn't it?
He thought
I was eccentric.
Day I came home from the
lawyer's, I cried all day.
I walked around the house
all day. I couldn't find
a place to sit.
I took three baths.
I don't know.
You love somebody,
you have a child,
and then it's over.
Why? I don't know.
It's crazy.
I turned on the TV.
They were playing
Queen Christina.
That close-up
of you at the end,
I thought it would never end.
I mean, it just
went on and on and on.
Oh, God, how I hated you.
I really hated myself.
I thought
if I looked like you,
if I had that face,
if I had those eyes,
I wouldn't be so alone.
And those arms of yours,
those long, thin arms
that go on and on
and on forever
like as if they're never
gonna end.
I would've been jealous
of anybody pretty that day.
Just your luck they were
playing Queen Christina.
You care anything
about basketball?
The Knicks are
out of the playoffs.
I'm not entirely
happy about that.
World is full of
little injustices.
They either bother you,
or they don't.
Me, they bother.
You know, a couple years ago,
I saw a picture of you in
a magazine.
You were in Paris.
You were walking in a park
in a black hat.
I bet you got
a million hats.
I went to Paris. Twice.
You got nothing on me there.
Of course,
you were with
Aristotle Onassis.
And I was with
the B'nai B'rith tour.
Oh, Gilbert.
Gilbert, Gilbert, Gilbert.
Oh, God, Gilbert!
You know what she told me?
She told me that
her father was very
poor, just like mine.
He worked in
a factory in Sweden.
He made auto parts.
And she loves delicatessen,
only she likes cold chicken
better than corned-beef.
And what else?
Oh, she hated biology.
She hated biology.
And, God,
how I hated biology.
And I can't remember
everything else she told me.
We had such a good talk,
Gilbert.
She told me that
she was born in September.
I was born in September,
you know that, don't you?
And she told me that
her living room is red.
Her living room
is red, Gilbert.
And what else? What else?
What else?
Her living room is red
and she hates war.
She hates anything
about war and violence.
Damn it.
But anyway, she said
that we were very much alike.
Except for the feet. You know
she hasn't got big feet
at all.
She wears size 7AA.
She showed them to me.
Well, she sure got it
all over me there.
I'm very busy now, Gilbert.
I have to talk to you,
Mr. Plotkin.
Later, Gilbert.
I have to
talk with you now.
Shepard, I'm leaving.
I am not saying this
because I am upset.
But yes, I am upset.
Of course I'm upset.
I am very upset.
You took my office away
and you gave me
a depressing little room.
It's not your fault.
I allowed it to happen.
The light fixture buzzes.
There's a dull hum
all day long. You know.
You wouldn't fix it for me,
no matter how many times
I asked. It's okay.
You reduced the staff,
and you
gave me enough work
for three people to do.
And if I didn't finish,
I got that speech about
consolidating my time.
Don't worry about it.
It is not your problem.
I sat there
and I listened.
Didn't I?
You deducted a half-day's
salary because I was late.
No problem.
I allowed it to happen.
You made me
come to work at
6:00 in the morning.
There was nothing to do
at 6:00 in the morning
and I said to myself,
I said, "Plotkin is
enjoying doing this
to me."
But then I said,
"No. Rules are rules.
"The man is
only doing his job.
"That's okay.
A man has to
do his job."
You've been great.
You really have.
I wish you
the best of luck.
I'm not angry.
I have no resentment.
You've been great.
But we are who we are.
I am who I am.
You are who you are.
So, go fuck yourself,
Shepard.
(DOOR CLOSES)
JANE: I got the part.
GILBERT: Yeah? Great.
Yeah.
They kept
calling me back
and calling me back.
I thought they'd never
make up their mind.
Great. Great,
great, great.
I quit.
You quit? You, too?
Yes. I can do better.
I think I can do
a lot better.
What are you
gonna look for now?
I don't know.
The sky's the limit,
though.
I'd like you to
come to opening night.
Sure.
They're going
to talk about my
Rosalind for years.
I'm going
to be the best Rosalind
that anyone has ever seen.
You already are.
Gilbert, you're
not part of my world.
My career consumes me.
I mean, there's just
no time for a relationship.
You understand that,
don't you?
Oh, sure.
Good.
I mean, maybe
I'm denying myself,
but, boy, acting is
so full of sacrifice.
Every day, I give up
something for my art.
You're simpatico.
I really like that.
Oh, I'm famous
for my simpatico.
(LAUGHS)
I don't know
what it is about you,
but you make me laugh.
You're so off-center.
I love it.
Oh, my God. Gilbert,
do you know who that is?
Oh, it's Greta Garbo.
Oh, my God,
she's coming this way.
Oh, Gilbert,
I can't look, I can't.
How do you do,
Gilbert?
I'm fine,
thank you.
I don't believe it.
Gilbert, you are
something else.
far away from Paris,
where there are no unhappy
memories for either of us.
Yes.
Where the sun will
help me take care of you
and make you well again.
We'll go back to the country
where we were happy
all in one summer.
Oh... Oh, if only we could.
If only we could.
We can, we will, as soon
as you're well enough.
(GROANS)
(GASPS) Oh.
(WEAKLY) I can't.
(ESTELLE SOBBING)
Nanine. Nanine!
Nanine,
get the doctor quickly.
The doctor...
(MOUTHING)
If you can't make me live,
how can he?
No, no.
Don't say such things,
Marguerite. You'll live.
You must live.
Perhaps it's better
if I live in your heart,
where the world
can't see me.
If I am dead,
there'll be no
staying of our love.
(SHUSHING)
Don't think such
things, Marguerite.
Even if we can't go
to the country today...
God.
...think of
how happy we will be,
how happy we shall be again.
Think of the day you found
the four-leaf clover
and all the good luck
it's going to bring us.
Think of the vows we heard
Nichette and Gustave make
and that we're going
to make to each other.
This is for life,
Marguerite.
(ESTELLE SOBBING)
Marguerite.
Marguerite.
Don't leave me.
Marguerite, come back.
Come back.
(HUMMING)
(SNIFFS)
Oh, God.
I had to
go to the credit
department on seventh.
There's this line
of people waiting.
I had other things
I could've been doing.
Finally, I tell
someone the problem.
She says,
"This could've
been handled in belts."
And no one seemed to care.
No one apologized.
No one said,
"Miss, I'm sorry
for the inconvenience."
(SIGHS)
Well,
in California,
somebody would've apologized.
In California,
a salesperson
has feelings.
Gillie, I want to
go home to Los Angeles.
I want us both to go.
I talked to Dad.
He'll give us the money.
There's so much
to do in California.
Anything you
could ever want in life
is an hour's drive away.
Gillie?
(GROANS)
(WHISTLES)
Where's my coat rack?
Elaine, have you
seen my coat rack?
Elaine, have you...
Elaine, have you seen my...
You're not Elaine.
I'm Harriet.
Hi. Where's Elaine?
I don't know.
This isn't my calculator.
This isn't my typewriter.
Who are they?
(HUMMING)
You were moved
down the hall, Gilbert.
Room 2601.
(BELL DINGS)
Elaine, what's going on?
Kellerman got a promotion.
They moved him
into your office.
I'm supposed
to work in here?
It doesn't have a window.
It's got
a Rauschenberg.
No, I can't
work in there.
I just handle
the Xerox, Gilbert.
But it...
Mr. Plotkin?
I came in...
Oh, we moved your office.
We needed the
space for Kellerman.
I knew you'd understand.
Yeah, but...
Things like offices
mean a lot to Kellerman.
He's a little
too image conscious.
Not like you, Gilbert.
You could do
a fine job anywhere.
You can
balance ledgers in
the middle of Sardi's.
I'm working on
a raise for you.
If we get it, you
take me to Sardi's.
(PHONE RINGS)
Gilbert Rolfe.
Wha... Oh, no. No. No.
Right away. Right away.
Oh!
What's the matter?
My mother's in jail.
Again?
Hey, I'm thirsty.
Uh, I said I'm thirsty.
Who do you have to pay off
to get a little water
around here!
I'd understand
if we were in the desert,
I wouldn't push for water.
I'd accept
the given fact.
But we're
in the middle of
New York City here.
We're at
10th Street
and 7th Avenue.
There must be
an empty paper cup
and a leaky hydrant
somewhere in
the neighborhood!
They don't
give you nothing
in detention, honey.
Not true.
I was arrested
last month in Brooklyn.
They gave me a sandwich
and some cigarettes.
It was mozzarella cheese.
Yeah.
I'm here for Estelle Rolfe.
I'm her son.
Oh, yes.
Bail's $500.
Sign both copies.
Estelle.
I told you I didn't want
you to come down any more.
I could take
care of myself.
Mom, what am
I supposed to do?
Your lawyer calls me
at the office.
He leaves a message
with the receptionist.
Do you know how
embarrassed I was?
There's no need to be.
Okay, your court date
will be the fifth of
next month.
There's nothing in life
to ever be embarrassed about.
I always taught you that.
Mom, you live in
a world of your own.
No, I got company,
maybe not you.
Water, water everywhere
and not a drop to drink!
What did you do?
I stole
a box of frozen
zucchini from the market.
They caught me when I left.
Why did you do that?
They were changing
the prices of the lettuce
that was already
on the shelf.
I said to the manager,
"Did you make
a pricing mistake?"
He said, "No. There was
a frost in Arizona and
prices had gone up."
And I said,
"But not for the lettuce
that's already on the shelf."
I was
planning on buying
two heads of lettuce.
The difference was
64 cents.
The zucchini costs
exactly 64 cents.
How much was bail?
$500.
I'll give you a check.
What's it like being
assigned to the ghetto?
Oh, Mother,
for God's sakes.
Do they assign you
to the ghetto?
Sometime.
Sure, when there's
an arrest to be made.
They're using you
because of your race.
It's unfair.
You shouldn't stand for it.
They're making you
into a traitor to
your own people.
Let's go.
Mom, is this
ever going to stop?
Is what ever
going to stop?
Oh, Ma, come on.
Marching to Washington,
getting arrested, lying
down in front of cars...
Gilbert, that's who I am.
You are who you are,
I am who I am.
Since I was six years old,
always crusading,
always making trouble.
You wouldn't let me go on
a field trip to a steel mill?
There was a strike
against it.
Everybody else got to go.
Everybody came home with
a little box of nails
except me.
What did you miss?
That is not the point.
Gilbert, listen,
I like what I'm doing.
I don't mind going to jail
for something I believe in.
It's a privilege.
Privilege?
Did it ever hurt you?
I was always there
when you needed me.
Was a meal
ever not waiting for you?
Were you ever sick alone?
Look, Mom, all I'm saying is,
why don't you just
relax a little?
I'm relaxed.
Let things take
care of themselves.
Things don't take
care of themselves.
Mom, take it easy.
If your generation would
be a little more active,
I could take it
a little more easy.
You hungry?
One beef and
broccoli, please.
(SIGHS)
(GROANS)
How's Lisa?
She's fine.
Her father, the Beverly
Hills contractor?
Mother.
He cheats on
his income tax.
You don't know that.
He wears tinted glasses.
She still want to
go back to Los Angeles?
Uh-huh.
You know,
the sun brings
out the best in her.
Mom, how come
you never liked Lisa?
Tennis is one way
to get through life.
How's your father?
He's fine.
Claire?
We're going there
for dinner Sunday.
Claire still make cakes?
(JACKHAMMER WHIRRING)
(MAN WHISTLES)
MAN: Look at the little
brown fox, huh?
(WHISTLING CONTINUES)
Hey, happy tits,
come up and sit
on my face!
Hey, I got
an electric tongue
and it never gets tired!
Mother, come on.
(BEEPING)
God!
Who wanted a girl
to sit on their face?
Come on, one of you wanted
someone to sit on your face
so badly you screamed
it all the way down
to the pavement.
Who was it?
I got all day,
and I can come
back tomorrow.
You mean the guy
who whistled at that girl?
Yeah, that's what I mean.
Yeah, that was me.
Well, that girl
couldn't come.
She was late
for an appointment.
So I came instead.
I hope it's okay?
Which one of you has
got the electric tongue?
Uh... Guess that was me.
You plug it in or
does it run on batteries?
Now, listen, I...
You know, we were just...
What?
Just...
Just a joke.
You think
you got some special
right to act like animals
just because you
work up high, huh?
You think because
you build buildings,
you're exempt from
showing a little class?
You want someone
to sit on your face?
Roll up your car
windows and scream
it out on the highway
and stop demeaning
yourself in public.
If your head's in the toilet,
don't blow bubbles.
Come, we'll ride down.
(JANE EXHALING LOUDLY)
(KNOCK ON DOOR)
Excuse me.
Elaine said I could
find the Irving readout...
It's right over
there by the window.
(EXHALING LOUDLY)
Hi.
Hi.
I'm Jane Mortimer.
Uh, Gilbert Rolfe.
Are you new?
Uh-uh. I was up on 27,
but they're moving us around.
Are you okay?
Uh-huh.
You're not
having a seizure or
anything, are you? I...
My breathing exercises.
Huh! One.
Huh! Two.
Huh! Three.
I'm really an actress.
Huh! Four. Huh! Five.
Hey!
I... O... U.
(EXHALING) Could you
hand me my cork, please?
It's right there
in the drawer.
Your cork?
Yes, please.
(CONTINUES
BREATHING EXERCISES)
Thank you.
(GARBLED)
Now is the time
for all good men
to come to the aid
of their country.
This deepens the voice.
An actress has to
do many, many voices.
And now is the time
for all good men
to come to the aid
of their country.
This is from my
first bottle of champagne.
Could you help me up, please?
Thank you.
Um, would you
like to try this?
No, thank you.
Uh, was there
anything else?
That was all.
Could I see that picture
of Garbo in your window?
(CHUCKLES)
It's from Grand Hotel.
It's from Mata Hari.
Grand Hotel.
I own the shop.
No, it's from Mata Hari.
It's the scene
in the prison cell
where she has a reunion
with Rosanoff
just before
they take her to the
firing squad to be executed.
Look at the costume,
it's Mata Hari.
It's $35.
This isn't rare.
I've seen it before.
Then buy it before.
The frame makes it higher.
I'll take it
without the frame.
I don't
sell it without
the frame. It's $35.
It's Mata Hari.
Go to the movies.
It looks beautiful
and it smells good.
Shrimp Wilshire.
I got it
in an article on
California cooking.
It's delicious.
Best I've ever tasted.
Your father likes shrimp
and I try to make him happy.
Mmm, I spoke
to my parents.
They send their regards.
Oh, thank you.
My father's
dying for us to
move to Los Angeles.
He's offered Gilbert
a fantastic job.
Lisa.
He doesn't
want to take it.
I have a job.
You know,
so often in life,
we have to do what
makes someone else happy.
It's called give and take.
You know my philosophy?
It doesn't cost anything
to give someone else
a little joy.
Ah.
Bravo.
How's your mother?
She's been having
migraine headaches.
She got arrested again.
How'd you find out?
We still know
the same people.
Shoplifting.
Wasn't exactly
shoplifting.
What would you call it?
She got caught with
beans in her pocketbook?
Zucchini.
What'd she have to do
that for?
She's got money.
She still has the
building in Flushing.
She cited
an injustice.
Uh-huh.
You know
Claire and I are having
an anniversary next month?
Ten years.
It's a long time, huh?
Dad.
Yeah.
What made you
fall in love with her?
Claire?
Mother.
Mmm.
It was the way she danced.
How'd she dance?
I met her at a party once.
We were teenagers.
How did she dance?
She danced with everything.
Her whole body,
her whole being, everything.
When she danced,
she didn't think
of anything else.
She still watching
her weight?
Yeah.
She's always
watching her weight.
God, we had fun.
The day we got married,
went down
to the courthouse
to get the license.
They sent us to a clerk.
His name was
William Albert.
She wouldn't let him
write the license.
She doesn't trust men,
she says, with two
first names.
God, we had fun.
Two first names.
I don't know,
we started drifting apart.
Always got outraged
by one thing or another.
She couldn't take life
as it comes.
And I got tired, that's all.
I worked plenty hard,
I wanted peace and quiet.
And she wouldn't give me that,
the damn fool.
If she would've
changed just a little,
meet me halfway.
Claire.
She's a good person,
she's a good wife.
Worships the ground
I walk on.
What more can
a man ask for?
She still wear
orthopedic shoes?
Yeah.
She always
had lousy feet.
Hi. I'm going
for a sandwich.
You want to come?
I probably should
tell you, Jane.
I'm married.
I just
invited you to
eat a sandwich.
Oh... Uh, okay.
I think elevators
are very sexual,
don't you?
I have this fantasy
that I'm in an elevator
all alone with this man
that I've never met
before in my entire life
and he just keeps
staring at me.
All of a sudden,
he reaches out and
he touches my breast.
Well, I think it's
very inappropriate,
but I don't stop him.
The elevator's
moving really slowly,
we're at the
World Trade Center,
and he just
keeps on touching me.
We're at the 30th floor
and he's feeling my waist,
the elevator
keeps going up, his
hands keep going down.
By the time we're
at the 70th floor, we're
actually having relations
and he just
leaves without even
telling me his name.
(MAN COUGHS)
(ELEVATOR DOORS OPENING)
Gilbert, we're here.
Do you like working
in that dark little room?
It's not that bad.
Boy, I'd get
claustrophobia.
I'm studying at the
neighborhood playhouse.
I'm really
only accounting
until something breaks.
I need the work.
People like you
shouldn't have to work.
You are prehistoric.
Thank you.
Actually, I'd like
to be kept, but...
I'm not the type.
I'd like to keep you,
but I don't have
the money.
Well, one day,
when I'm very,
very rich,
I'm going to stay
home all the time,
just learning Moliere
and ordering
oyster-white veal
from Fraser-Morris.
Hmm, Moliere
makes me laugh,
and, well, Fraser-Morris
is where the very, very rich
buy all their tomatoes.
Lisa, that was very good.
It's the first time
I've ever cooked Chinese.
It took me
three hours.
Chop, chop, chop,
chop, chop, chop,
chop, chop, chop...
Why don't you go
into the living room
and I'll serve coffee.
Three hours.
She could've
read War and Peace.
Where's my purse, Gilbert?
Look on the hall table,
will you?
Bring me a glass of
water, too, will you?
GILBERT: Mom,
are you all right?
Yeah, yeah. I just have
a little headache,
that's all.
(PHONE RINGS)
Gilbert Rolfe.
Oh, Dr. Cohen.
Yes, how are you?
What is it?
You can't operate?
There's no way.
You can get other opinions,
but there's nothing
to be done.
That's an attitude
she won't understand.
Why didn't Dr. Cohen
tell me himself?
What does he think
I'm made of, butter?
(SIGHS)
Estelle Rolfe.
Not Estelle Rolfe.
You know, I know
everybody's got to die,
but I really thought
I was going to be
the first exception.
Dr. Cohen wants you
to go in the hospital.
Mom, Lisa's father knows this
neurosurgeon in Beverly Hills.
I have Dr. Cohen.
Mom, this man is
a leader in his field.
He works miracles.
I don't believe
in miracles.
Come on, Mom.
You've got to have hope.
Honey, I got hope.
I don't believe
in miracles.
You work
with what you got.
You don't always win.
I've always accepted
the given fact.
(PHONE RINGS)
Hello?
Oh, hello, Doctor.
Yes? Okay.
Just a minute, please.
He's gotten you a room at
Murray Hill Hospital.
He wants to know...
I'm not going to Murray Hill.
The dieticians are non-union.
Mom!
No.
Could you get her
into someplace else?
She doesn't like
Murray Hill Hospital.
Why? I don't know why.
Yes, okay.
No, we'll be here.
Mom, Dr. Cohen wants
to start cobalt treatments.
I know all about cobalt.
Ma, you don't...
You don't feel a thing.
No, that's not what I mean.
My hair.
There is a chance
it'll come out.
I just had it dyed.
Watch this.
How long have I got?
It's hard to tell.
You could go on
for quite a while.
Don't give me that.
How long have I got?
Four to six months.
I'll be back tonight.
Well, I called
Mr. and Mrs. Kozinski
and they want to know
if you felt like visitors,
so I told them
I thought it might be better
if they waited
a couple of days,
give you a chance to
settle in, get comfortable.
They were terrific.
They said they would
look after the building,
keep an eye on
things for you.
Gilbert, I want
to meet Greta Garbo.
Yeah, I want
to meet Garbo.
Mom, are you kidding?
No.
Mom, that's impossible.
It's not impossible.
She lives right here
in New York City.
Mother, why don't you just
concentrate on getting better?
Oh, I want to meet Garbo.
Why?
Why shouldn't I?
I'm dying.
She wants to meet Garbo.
It's like
a last wish.
It's not
my last wish.
I have a lot more.
Just short on time.
How about lunch?
Oh. Uh, I'm sorry, I can't.
Oh, okay.
Gilbert.
Mr. Plotkin.
You were an hour late
coming in this morning.
I let it pass. But now
you're 20 minutes late
coming in from lunch.
I'm very sorry,
Mr. Plotkin.
This is not
a library, Gilbert.
AUTOMATED VOICE:
The number you have
called is out of service.
Please check your
telephone directory
and make sure
you're dialing correctly.
(DOG BARKING)
Mr. Dokakis?
Mr. Dokakis?
(DOOR LOCK OPENING)
Who wants him?
I do.
I don't
need an accountant.
I use the short form.
No, um, Mr. Dokakis,
excuse me.
Are you the same man that
took photographs of
Greta Garbo?
She can't sue.
I stood 50 feet away.
I know the law.
You can't
deprive a man
of his livelihood.
No, Mr. Dokakis.
Mr. Dokakis, please?
(LOCK CLICKS)
Mr. Dokakis,
I've got to talk to you.
(SIGHS)
Mr. Dokakis,
my mother is dying.
She is in
New York Hospital,
Room 808 right now.
She has a brain tumor
and she wants to meet Garbo.
(DOOR LOCK OPENING)
You think I'm going to
say something wise-ass,
don't you?
I'm not going to say
anything wise-ass.
You want something,
call my agent.
(DOORBELL BUZZES)
(DOORBELL BUZZES)
(DOORBELL BUZZES)
(DOORBELL BUZZES)
Miss Sonya Apollinar?
(WHISPERING) Yes.
Miss Apollinar, I need
to hire a client of yours.
You wish to hire
a client of mine?
Yes.
(BUZZING)
Don't do this to me.
Go on. Come on.
Just for a little while,
then I'll come back.
We'll go out to dinner.
Go on, let's get in there.
(POUNDING ON DOOR)
Coming!
I just... Coming.
Una momento.
Come in, please.
(STAMMERING)
Please, just come in.
Mi casa es su casa.
Please. (CHUCKLES)
You'll have to forgive me.
Uh, I'm...
I'm redecorating.
Just all goes so slow,
doesn't it?
See... (CLEARS THROAT)
Won't you sit down?
Please?
Hmm?
Sit.
(CHUCKLES)
I want to hire
Angelo Dokakis.
But of course. Angelo.
A brilliant photographer.
And what is the nature
of this assignment?
I want to talk to him.
Uh-huh. Do you mind
if I ask about what?
I need to find someone.
Ah. Whom do you wish to find?
Greta Garbo.
But of course.
(CATS SNARLING)
Oh, excuse me, just...
Just a minute.
(SNARLING STOPS)
I've got to get a dog.
I'll do anything.
I don't care about the cost.
Oh? Well, I mean,
is that all you want?
To find Garbo, hmm?
Well, that shouldn't
be so difficult. I mean,
naturally, I can help you.
One must simply know
where to look.
Mr. Dokakis charges
$250 a day,
one week minimum,
plus expenses.
Okay. That's okay.
It's okay.
It's okay. (CHUCKLES)
It's okay.
Believe me, it's...
It's no problem.
I wish
all my assignments
were such a breeze.
(MEOWS) Oops.
I'll need a retainer.
$500 to start.
I'll write you a check.
Could you
make my commission
check out separately
to cash?
I... $50.
Sit down.
Here. You can use...
You know, Angelo
is very, very particular
about the work
that he chooses to do.
Could he start right away?
Oh, well, I just don't
see any reason why not.
The check.
(LAUGHS)
Oh.
Hello, Mr. Plotkin.
Hi, this is Gilbert.
Mr. Plotkin, I am so sick.
Yeah, I can't come in today.
I knew you'd understand.
(COUGHS)
Thank you, sir.
That's where she lives.
The 10th floor.
I've never been inside.
You took pictures
of her there?
I took them with
a telescopic lens
from over there.
I rented a room.
She's got several rooms.
They're empty, mostly.
Is this it?
You just
wait around all day
hoping she'll come out?
If you're lucky, all day.
Sometimes it takes weeks.
I followed Princess
Margaret for a month.
All around
the Caribbean.
I caught her sunbathing
without a top.
If she'd rolled over,
I'd be a millionaire today.
(LAUGHS)
I mean it.
What's she like,
your mother?
I don't know. I...
The quiet type, huh?
Yeah.
Mine, too.
How long she been sick?
A few weeks.
She started
getting headaches.
Sometimes she'd
lose a step and...
Little things.
Yeah.
What time is it?
Uh, 6:15.
6:15?
Listen, Rolfe,
for all I know,
she isn't even here.
She spends a lot
of time in Spain.
Spain?
Fire Island, France,
Antigua...
(GROANS)
It's 5:30.
I could meet
you again tomorrow,
but I won't take
any more of your money.
Besides, you know
where she lives.
But you're
making a mistake.
Even if you see her,
she'll disappear
the moment she notices you.
She's totally inaccessible.
Angelo.
Stay just
a little longer.
I'm tired of
chasing people,
renting hotel rooms,
helicopters.
I'm tired of
spying on them.
The way
they look at me,
so condescending.
It just doesn't
make sense anymore.
I'm sorry
about your mother.
Sounds like a nice lady.
It was raining
cats and dogs.
I saw the Goodyear blimp
pass by right outside
my window there.
(SIGHS)
The Knicks beat
the Celtics, 97-96.
(GROANS VERY LOUDLY)
I want an eclair.
Please, honey, bring
me an eclair, would you?
My turn?
Yeah.
I'm having trouble
holding things lately.
I got a terrific word.
There are two checks
to Angelo Dokakis.
One for $450
and another for $675!
What's this check
for cash, $50?
A check for $75, cash?
Our balance is $600.
We have no money left.
Gillie, you know what we are?
Oh, my...
Do you know what we are?
No.
Oh, Gilbert.
What?
I can't say it.
Oh, God in heaven,
I can't say the word.
What are we?
We are
poor.
Lisa, can you take care
of the maintenance
this month?
Are you serious?
To cut into
the principal?
My father says it's
like spitting on God.
What are you doing?
I'm sewing.
I know you're sewing.
What are you sewing?
Tell me what you're sewing.
Tell me this minute!
Can I help you, sir?
Acme delivery.
This is for Miss Garbo.
There's no one
here by that name.
I know for a fact that...
There is no one here
by that name, sir.
Okay, then this is for
the lady in apartment 10A?
There is no lady in 10A.
You're aware this job
pays minimum wage?
Yes. I've made my peace
with that.
You supply
your own uniforms.
No problem.
No problem at all.
You can
buy Guthrie's clothes.
You're about the same size.
I'll speak with Guthrie.
Guthrie's dead.
Oh.
This is a part-time job.
Yes.
You must be here at 2:45
for the afternoon deliveries.
Yes, sir.
2:45, not 3:00.
I understand, sir.
You don't harbor
any resentment toward the
upper class, do you, Rolfe?
No.
Good. We don't
tolerate rudeness.
There's still a place
for the rich in New York City.
Excuse me, Mr. Plotkin.
What can I do
for you, Gilbert?
I would like to
start work earlier,
earlier than 8:30.
I have a job in the afternoon.
I'd like to leave here
by 2:00.
Well, we have
an open start policy.
You can start
anytime you want to,
as long as you
put in eight hours.
What time did you
have in mind?
Well, I would like
to come in at 7:00.
7:00 to 2:00?
Yes, sir.
That's seven hours.
I'll make up the difference.
I'll work on Saturday.
The office is
closed on Saturday.
I won't take a vacation.
One can't use
vacation time.
It's the rule.
You could come in
at 6:00.
6:00? Nothing's
working at 6:00.
The computers
are down at 6:00.
Well, come in, anyway.
Gilbert,
are you crazy?
I don't believe it.
What's happening to me?
What's happening
to my life?
I won't come out until
you take that thing off.
Honey, try and understand.
No. I won't be part
of this circus anymore.
Am I being unfair?
If I'm being unfair,
just tell me so.
You're not being unfair.
This is too much.
You're making me
a nervous wreck.
Oh, I'm starting
to ovulate.
I can feel it.
Now, Mrs. Jacobs
at 51st and Madison,
Mrs. Harrison,
the same building,
one floor down.
52nd and Park, Mr. Blaustein.
Double down to 49th,
the Waldorf.
Miss Moore
has an apartment there.
We send her biscuits and
Perrier water every Tuesday.
Jacobs, Harrison,
Blaustein, Moore.
Always get a signature.
Don't forget that.
Yes, sir.
Hi.
Hi.
Oh, hi.
You know,
I never see you anymore.
You eat lunch at 10:00.
I come in early.
I need my afternoons free.
Oh.
I'm up for a role.
Oh?
Yeah.
As You Like It.
Joe Papp.
Oh.
Good luck.
Thank you.
Well, I'll be
seeing you, huh?
Krebs on 56th,
Detweiler on Second and 55th,
Bluttman, next door, on 55th,
Kronhauser on 53rd,
Cavaleri on 53rd
and Brown on 50th.
Rolfe, this order
for Brown on 50th...
When you arrive,
you tell the doorman,
"I'm from Fraser-Morris
and I have the order
for Brown."
Then you look at him
and ask,
"Are you from Oslo?"
Do you understand?
Yes, sir.
I say I'm from
Fraser-Morris and...
No, no.
You must do it
exactly as I say it.
I'm sorry.
"Good afternoon.
I'm from Fraser-Morris..."
There's no good afternoon.
You say,
"I am from Fraser-Morris
and I have the order
for Brown.
"Are you from Oslo?"
You won't get in otherwise.
I'll have to
send somebody else.
I don't wanna make two trips!
Yes, sir.
Don't ask me to explain.
One day, maybe,
when I know you better.
I'm from Fraser-Morris
and I have the order
for Brown.
Are you from Oslo?
10B. Service elevator's
downstairs.
10B.
Miss Garbo,
Miss Garbo.
Miss Brown, Miss Brown,
please, please.
(MUTTERING)
Fraser-Morris?
This order's for Miss Brown.
Thank you.
I'll take it.
You're not Miss Brown.
I work for Miss Brown.
Mr. Morganelli
told me distinctly
these were to go to
a Miss Brown and
no one else.
It's quite all right,
believe me.
Miss Brown is away.
You'll have
to give them to me.
I'd like to leave
a note for Miss Brown!
Please!
Rita around the corner
came to see me today.
She gave me
a manicure. Look.
Mom, I've been
trying to find her.
Do you think you will?
I'm doing what I can.
I can't promise anything.
Give me a kiss.
Oh, I'm gonna miss you.
I'm gonna miss you so much.
Mom, don't be afraid.
You know, I'm not afraid.
I'm mad.
I'm not gonna
get to know
who the next president
of the United States is.
Me, of all people, hmm?
I got a right to know.
Angelo, this is Gilbert.
I'm fine, thank you.
Angelo, listen,
you have got to help me.
I am desperate.
Yeah, you said
she goes to an island.
Fire Island.
Oh, God, I am so stupid.
I couldn't remember.
All I could think
of was Elba.
You still got
a pulse, Estelle.
What do they pay you?
$7.10 an hour.
How do you live on that?
Oh, got three boyfriends.
Why don't you ask for more?
It's all in the contract.
When's the contract up?
One year, two years.
You wanna keep making
$7.10 an hour?
Are you kidding?
Nobody's gonna
change it but you.
Me? I'm Esperanza Gonzales
from San Juan.
I've got two kids.
I live in Queens in
an apartment with
my sister.
Who's gonna
listen to me?
Hey, Sanchez?
Mmm-hmm.
When is our contract up?
What contract?
We've got a contract, stupid.
When is our contract up?
What contract?
Jesus.
The dog is peeing
on your leg.
(EXCLAIMS)
You want a pair of pants?
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm Bernie Whitlock.
Gilbert Rolfe.
I'm not gay.
I am.
Guess the whole boat is.
With rare exceptions.
So, what do you do?
I'm an accountant.
I'm working my way up
from the mailroom at
Bloomingdale's.
You know,
that was a joke.
Actually,
I work in the men's
department at Alexander's.
Sometimes I lie,
I say Bloomingdale's.
Depends on what crowd I'm in.
This is
my third year
on the island.
The people are friendly.
The older I get,
the less I care
about sex.
I'm looking for someone
I can talk to.
That's hard to find.
What about you?
What about me?
What are you looking for?
We're all looking
for something.
You're not gonna
believe me.
I'm looking
for Greta Garbo.
You're looking for
the Garbo?
Mmm-hmm.
Is this a joke?
No.
Mind if I ask why?
It's a long story.
It's gotta be.
I saw her once last summer
walking along the beach.
She was wearing
a big hat and sunglasses
and a long, flowing cape.
Yeah, she was...
She was walking along
in a light rain
without an umbrella.
I don't think anybody
even knew who she was.
But then, all of a sudden,
she just disappeared into
a house
and I never
saw her again.
Excuse me. Would you
remember the house?
It was along here
somewhere.
I didn't take
that good a look.
Please, it is
very important.
Would you have dinner
with me tonight?
I'm sorry, I can't.
I just hate to eat alone.
So does my mother.
She goes to a restaurant,
she looks to see
if someone else
is alone.
If they look interesting,
she asks them if she can
join them.
And what if they say no?
She'll ask someone else.
One rejection,
I lose my appetite.
It might've been
that one there.
You mind if I ask you
a question?
Why are you
looking for Garbo?
My mother wants to meet her.
Your mother's a trip.
Yeah.
I thought you were doing it
for an autograph.
Good.
What about the pants?
A present.
Look, if your mother
ever wants to meet me,
I'm at the Queens
Boulevard branch.
In Queens.
(SIGHS)
Miss Garbo, please.
There is nobody here
of that name.
This is the
Von Klammer residence.
I have got to talk to her.
There is no Garbo here.
Look, she is here.
I know she's here.
(BOAT MOTOR RUNNING)
Wait.
Wait.
Wait, please.
Wait!
Wait!
Wait!
Wait.
What time
is the next ferry?
7:00 in the morning.
You been up all night?
What do you think?
I slept
on the beach
at Fire Island.
What were you doing
at Fire Island?
Looking for Garbo.
Looking for Garbo.
Mr. Plotkin called.
You didn't go
to work on Friday.
You didn't
call to say you
weren't coming?
I know.
Gilbert, is there
another woman in
your life?
No.
Are you sure?
What?
I said,
are you sure there's not
another woman in your life?
I'm sure.
Those things happen.
People change,
lose interest.
Listen,
I'm from California.
I went to visit
your mother last night.
Her hearing is worse.
She didn't recognize me.
I couldn't tell if it
was intentional or not.
Gillie, I spoke
to my mother and Dad.
They're concerned about me.
They want me to come home.
Dad offered to come here
and get me and take me back.
Naturally, that
isn't necessary.
I'm a big girl now.
What did you say?
I told them
I wouldn't come until...
After Estelle...
I try and do the right thing.
I don't always succeed,
but I do try.
You know something,
Lisa.
You don't have
to try anymore.
If you wanna leave,
why don't you just leave?
You don't have to
wait around for
Mom to die.
I'll tell you something.
When Mom first met you,
she said
you were affected,
you were pretentious.
She didn't like you. She...
What did she say?
What?
I told her
you spoke two languages.
She said, "Yes.
English and Gucci."
The feeling's mutual.
My parents have never been
so embarrassed in their
whole lives.
Your mother wouldn't cross
a picket line for her own
son's wedding.
You gonna go through
this again?
The bartender's union
was striking the Beverly...
We offered to get her
into the laundry room,
but she wouldn't budge.
She does not
cross picket lines.
Her own son's wedding.
That is the way she is.
I'll come back,
if you want me to.
I think
it's better this way.
I feel really sad.
We had a perfect marriage.
All I wanted was a home,
children and security,
but...
Lately with you, it's been
one surprise after another.
I don't want
surprises, Gillie.
Next agent over, please.
I paid the difference.
I didn't want your father
to think I was a schmuck.
He will, anyway.
How's this, Estelle?
A little more brightness.
Okay?
Fine.
Can I get you
anything else?
Mmm-mmm.
Estelle, our contract is
up the first of the year.
They want to raise us
from $7.10 an hour
to $7.90.
None of us knows
what to do.
We don't wanna make waves.
Make waves.
We don't wanna
start something.
Start something.
Okay.
Excuse me.
I'm looking for
Estelle Rolfe.
Oh. Mrs. Rolfe is resting.
She's not supposed to
have any visitors.
I won't stay long.
I'm her husband.
Ex-husband.
Jenny. You will
have to make it short.
Yes, thank you.
(SOBS)
You damn fool.
MAN 1 ON TV: Williams
got away from Woodson,
got it to Bill Cartwright
for the jam and he's fouled.
What a terrific pass
by Ray Williams
and, also,
it was very alert
of Bill Cartwright
to anticipate that pass.
MAN 2 ON TV:
Yes, it was.
Here you see Ray Williams
moving without the ball,
Woodson going
for the steal.
Now, this
breaks the defense down
as Ray starts to the hoop.
Here comes
Meriwether with a nice
little pass to Cartwright.
He's fouled right there
as he hits...
LEON: Oh, Ninotchka,
don't take things
so seriously.
Nothing's worth it, really.
Please. Relax.
I beg you, Sergeant.
Smile.
What?
Will you smile?
Why?
Well, just smile.
At what?
At anything.
At the whole ridiculous
spectacle of life,
at people being so serious,
taking themselves
pompously,
exaggerating
their own importance.
If you can't think
of anything else
to laugh at,
you can laugh at you and me.
Why?
Because we're an odd couple.
Then you should
go back to your table.
No, I can't leave you.
I won't, not yet.
Not until I've made you
laugh at least once.
Ha, ha.
Now go back
to your table.
Oh, that's not a laugh.
I mean a laugh
from the heart.
I know. I'm going to
tell you a funny story.
Wait a minute.
Let me think of one.
I've got it.
It seems that there were two
Frenchmen who went to America.
On which boat?
Let's drop it.
I don't think you'd care
very much for that one,
anyway.
(MUSIC PLAYS)
(ALL APPLAUDING)
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
Believe me,
Elizabeth Rennick
is the forgotten
genius of film.
Come on, Adolph.
You've gotta be kidding.
No, no, I mean it.
Elizabeth Rennick was
every bit as good
as Garbo.
MAN:
He never stops.
He never stops.
She appeared in a lot
of the Garbo pictures.
Little parts.
You know,
some actresses
start out playing bits
and work their way
to the top?
Well, she did
just the opposite.
(ALL LAUGHING)
Poor soul.
She comes here often
to watch her old flicks.
(DOORBELL BUZZES)
GILBERT: Jane?
Gilbert?
Yeah.
How do you
find an actress?
I'm an actress.
I mean,
a particular actress.
You call Actor's Equity.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All actors
are listed with them.
But today is Saturday.
It is?
They're closed.
They are?
You can call them
on Monday.
You just ask
for membership.
Membership?
Then you tell them
who you're looking for.
Who I'm looking for.
Then you look it up.
I can look it up.
Are you free?
I pictured you
with someone rich.
Rich men are so peculiar.
They always order
California wine
and then defend it.
Aren't you married?
We're separated.
She's in L.A.
She's been there
a few weeks now.
She's probably
very tan by now.
Gilbert, I don't...
I don't want you to
take this too seriously.
Being with
someone permanently
just isn't in my plans.
(PHONE RINGS)
Hello. Actor's Equity.
It's for you, Mr. Goldhammer.
Membership. Goldhammer.
Hi. I'd like an address
for Elizabeth Rennick,
please.
Who's calling?
Gilbert Rolfe.
Gilbert Rolfe? I'm not
familiar with that name.
It's a personal matter.
It's very urgent
that I reach her.
Personal.
I'm sorry.
I can't give out
that information
unless I'm familiar with
your company.
(PHONE RINGS)
Membership. Goldhammer.
Yes, this is
David Barrick's office.
How may I help you?
I need an address
on Elizabeth Rennick.
Didn't you just call?
No.
Are you
a casting director?
Uh, yes, I am.
Then look it up in
your player's guide.
Yes?
Mr. Goldhammer?
Yes.
How do you do?
I'm Marian Lane.
Who?
We met at the Tony Awards.
Oh, I haven't been to
the Tonys, not in years.
It was some time ago,
but, oh, I remember you.
Why, you're the backbone
of this organization,
as I recall.
Most people don't know
I exist.
Oh, I certainly do.
You're one
of those people
that you can never
quite get out of
your mind.
Thank you.
Our phones are out.
I'm working for
Jimmy Nederlander now,
and he needs
some information
on Elizabeth Rennick.
Nobody's called for
Elizabeth Rennick
in 15 years.
It's going
to be the chance
of a lifetime for her.
She's very old.
Mr. Goldhammer, what
a sense of humor
you have.
Her number.
(PHONE RINGS)
ELIZABETH ON
ANSWERING MACHINE: Hello.
This is Elizabeth Rennick.
555-8318.
I am not at home.
I'm rehearsing a new
production of Romeo
and Juliet
in which I've been
cast as the nurse.
I turned
the part down
several times
'cause I...
Well, I don't do
supporting roles,
but Joe Papp, the brilliant
producer of A Chorus Line,
kept calling back
and finally, I said,
"Okay, I'll give it a try."
We're at
the Delacorte Theater in
Central Park for rehearsals,
which I expect won't
take more than two weeks,
if everyone
behaves professionally.
Sometimes these
off-Broadway companies
are a bunch of animals,
smoking dope,
and everyone trying to
get into everyone's pants.
No one cares
about Shakespeare,
but if all goes well...
Excuse me. I'm looking
for Elizabeth Rennick.
(SHUSHING)
MAN: Miss Rennick, we're
ready for your scene again.
Miss Rennick!
Stand over here.
That's it.
Right here.
Fine. Good. Good.
Okay,
and please
try not to wobble!
Nurse, where's my daughter?
Call her forth to me.
Now, by my
maidenhair...
Maidenhead,
Miss Rennick,
not maidenhair!
I want to
cut that line.
We can't cut it.
She's been making
that same mistake
all week.
You can't
remember your lines!
I forget my lines once!
You remembered them once!
It's not working!
All right, everybody,
lunch, one hour!
Miss Rennick, please,
I need your help.
Are you and
she still friends?
Do you ever see her...
I never should've
lent my name to
this fiasco.
Yes. Miss Rennick,
would you call her for me?
Call who?
What are you
talking about?
Garbo.
Miss Garbo.
Yes. She gave me this ring.
It's real gold.
Oh, it was
very generous of her.
Well, considering that
she still has the
first nickel
which she ever made.
You know
the flea market
on Sixth Avenue?
Well, you might
look for her there.
She always
loved a bargain.
(GASPS) You're...
I'm sorry.
That's solid sterling.
$175.
MAN: Hey,
did you see her?
Did you see her?
WOMAN: Isn't that...
MAN: I don't know.
I think it is.
(CHATTERING)
Can I have a minute
of your time, please?
I'm not a reporter
or anything.
It's about my mother.
You've gotta
listen to me, please.
My mother is very sick.
She is
at New York Hospital,
room 808. She has a tumor.
She doesn't
have much time.
She has no time.
The doctor
does not think
she will last the week.
She has this crazy wish.
She wants to meet you.
I have been
looking for you
for three months.
She just wants to see you
before she dies, that's all.
She just
wants to look at you.
I don't know, just see you.
Please.
Please come with me.
Just a few minutes,
that's all.
Five minutes. One minute.
Please. There's not
even time to think
about it.
She loves you so.
She loves you,
maybe even more than me.
That's her.
I can't believe it.
It's really you.
It's you.
If I'd have
known, I would've...
I would've
had my hair done,
had somebody
give me a manicure.
You met my son?
He's a good boy.
He works very hard.
I don't know what to say.
I mean, you're here,
I don't have words.
Must be 30, 40 years.
Oh, I bet people
have told you this till
you're blue in the face.
I've loved you ever since
the first time I ever
saw you.
We were living
on Eastern Parkway,
that's in Brooklyn.
My father
gave me 10 cents
to go to the movies
with Wanda Sternhagen,
my girlfriend.
My father
didn't have much.
Ten cents was
a lot of money to him.
He had six mouths to feed.
We saw
Flesh and the Devil.
Your name was Felicitas
von Kletzingk, remember?
What a name.
I never forgot it.
It stuck in my head.
You know, movie names
don't usually stick
in your head.
There I was
in the balcony of
the Loew's Pitkin,
with Wanda Sternhagen
in Brooklyn and I was
Estelle Garbo,
eating a corned-beef
sandwich
out of a brown paper bag
and Wanda kept saying,
"Shh,"
because the brown paper bag
kept rattling.
It's easy
being Estelle Garbo
when you're in the balcony
of the Loew's Pitkin
in the dark.
Nobody could see my
double chin and my
huge bust.
Not like yours. Nice.
I shouldn't have been
eating a corned-beef
sandwich, anyway.
I was a fat kid.
I needed to
lose some weight,
but show me anything
from a delicatessen,
especially corned-beef.
You had me in
the palm of your hands.
Every time you moved,
I sighed.
You walked from one end
of the room to the other,
it was as if your feet
never touched the ground.
Wanda and I saw
every movie you ever made.
She thought I loved you
because I had big feet, too.
It's true.
I wore size 10.
I was only going on
12 years old.
Wanda moved away.
Her father got a job
in Trenton.
Before she left, I took
her to lunch and a movie.
We went to
see a revival
of Wild Orchids.
We sat through it
four times
because we didn't know
how to say goodbye
to each other.
I wrote you
a letter once.
I never wrote to
any other movie star.
I didn't get an answer.
That's all right.
That's all right.
I didn't take it
personally.
You know, you're not gonna
believe this, but it's true.
I married my husband
in 1953.
It was a small wedding.
It was in the house.
My mother
cooked for a week.
My aunt cooked for a week.
Everybody came.
Then, afterwards,
Walter and I took the
train to Atlantic City.
That was
our honeymoon.
Some honeymoon.
Two nights. I didn't
plan things right,
you know?
Female times.
So there
we were in Atlantic City
and I couldn't do anything.
I was a virgin.
Walter was a virgin.
We had to
stay that way
a little while longer.
We didn't have
anything to do.
So, I bought a newspaper.
Anna Christie was playing.
It was the only movie
of yours I hadn't seen.
Garbo talks.
"Give me a whiskey.
Ginger ale on the side.
"And don't be stingy, baby."
Walter and I had Gilbert.
I named him
for John Gilbert.
When I came out
of the delivery,
I was so exhausted,
I could hardly move.
I could
hardly even open
my eyes. The TV was on.
They were playing Camille,
and all I kept looking at
were those
heavy skirts of yours
going back and forth
and back and forth
and back and forth.
Walter and I
got a divorce.
World's a crazy place
to live in, isn't it?
He thought
I was eccentric.
Day I came home from the
lawyer's, I cried all day.
I walked around the house
all day. I couldn't find
a place to sit.
I took three baths.
I don't know.
You love somebody,
you have a child,
and then it's over.
Why? I don't know.
It's crazy.
I turned on the TV.
They were playing
Queen Christina.
That close-up
of you at the end,
I thought it would never end.
I mean, it just
went on and on and on.
Oh, God, how I hated you.
I really hated myself.
I thought
if I looked like you,
if I had that face,
if I had those eyes,
I wouldn't be so alone.
And those arms of yours,
those long, thin arms
that go on and on
and on forever
like as if they're never
gonna end.
I would've been jealous
of anybody pretty that day.
Just your luck they were
playing Queen Christina.
You care anything
about basketball?
The Knicks are
out of the playoffs.
I'm not entirely
happy about that.
World is full of
little injustices.
They either bother you,
or they don't.
Me, they bother.
You know, a couple years ago,
I saw a picture of you in
a magazine.
You were in Paris.
You were walking in a park
in a black hat.
I bet you got
a million hats.
I went to Paris. Twice.
You got nothing on me there.
Of course,
you were with
Aristotle Onassis.
And I was with
the B'nai B'rith tour.
Oh, Gilbert.
Gilbert, Gilbert, Gilbert.
Oh, God, Gilbert!
You know what she told me?
She told me that
her father was very
poor, just like mine.
He worked in
a factory in Sweden.
He made auto parts.
And she loves delicatessen,
only she likes cold chicken
better than corned-beef.
And what else?
Oh, she hated biology.
She hated biology.
And, God,
how I hated biology.
And I can't remember
everything else she told me.
We had such a good talk,
Gilbert.
She told me that
she was born in September.
I was born in September,
you know that, don't you?
And she told me that
her living room is red.
Her living room
is red, Gilbert.
And what else? What else?
What else?
Her living room is red
and she hates war.
She hates anything
about war and violence.
Damn it.
But anyway, she said
that we were very much alike.
Except for the feet. You know
she hasn't got big feet
at all.
She wears size 7AA.
She showed them to me.
Well, she sure got it
all over me there.
I'm very busy now, Gilbert.
I have to talk to you,
Mr. Plotkin.
Later, Gilbert.
I have to
talk with you now.
Shepard, I'm leaving.
I am not saying this
because I am upset.
But yes, I am upset.
Of course I'm upset.
I am very upset.
You took my office away
and you gave me
a depressing little room.
It's not your fault.
I allowed it to happen.
The light fixture buzzes.
There's a dull hum
all day long. You know.
You wouldn't fix it for me,
no matter how many times
I asked. It's okay.
You reduced the staff,
and you
gave me enough work
for three people to do.
And if I didn't finish,
I got that speech about
consolidating my time.
Don't worry about it.
It is not your problem.
I sat there
and I listened.
Didn't I?
You deducted a half-day's
salary because I was late.
No problem.
I allowed it to happen.
You made me
come to work at
6:00 in the morning.
There was nothing to do
at 6:00 in the morning
and I said to myself,
I said, "Plotkin is
enjoying doing this
to me."
But then I said,
"No. Rules are rules.
"The man is
only doing his job.
"That's okay.
A man has to
do his job."
You've been great.
You really have.
I wish you
the best of luck.
I'm not angry.
I have no resentment.
You've been great.
But we are who we are.
I am who I am.
You are who you are.
So, go fuck yourself,
Shepard.
(DOOR CLOSES)
JANE: I got the part.
GILBERT: Yeah? Great.
Yeah.
They kept
calling me back
and calling me back.
I thought they'd never
make up their mind.
Great. Great,
great, great.
I quit.
You quit? You, too?
Yes. I can do better.
I think I can do
a lot better.
What are you
gonna look for now?
I don't know.
The sky's the limit,
though.
I'd like you to
come to opening night.
Sure.
They're going
to talk about my
Rosalind for years.
I'm going
to be the best Rosalind
that anyone has ever seen.
You already are.
Gilbert, you're
not part of my world.
My career consumes me.
I mean, there's just
no time for a relationship.
You understand that,
don't you?
Oh, sure.
Good.
I mean, maybe
I'm denying myself,
but, boy, acting is
so full of sacrifice.
Every day, I give up
something for my art.
You're simpatico.
I really like that.
Oh, I'm famous
for my simpatico.
(LAUGHS)
I don't know
what it is about you,
but you make me laugh.
You're so off-center.
I love it.
Oh, my God. Gilbert,
do you know who that is?
Oh, it's Greta Garbo.
Oh, my God,
she's coming this way.
Oh, Gilbert,
I can't look, I can't.
How do you do,
Gilbert?
I'm fine,
thank you.
I don't believe it.
Gilbert, you are
something else.