JOE
I guess it was five A.M. A homicide had been reported
From one of those crazy mansions up on sunset
Tomorrow every front page is going to lead with this story
You see an old time movie star is involved,
Maybe the biggest star of all
But before you read about it, before it gets distorted
By those Hollywood piranhas, if you wanna know the real facts
You've come to the right party
JOE
Let me take you back six months,
I was at the bottom of the barrel
I'd had a contract down at Fox, but I'd fallen foul of Darryl
Now I had a date at Paramount,
Along with about a thousand other writers
If it didn't come up roses, I'd be covering funerals
Back in Dayton, Ohio,
I'd hidden my car three blocks away
Turned out to be a smart move.
Let's Have Lunch [ Top ]
JOE
Hi there, Myrion
MYRON
How's it hanging?
JOE
I've got a date with Sheldrake
MYRON
I'm shooting a western down at Fox
JOE
How can you work with Darryl?
MYRON
We should talk
Joe
Gotta run
BOTH
Let's have lunch
MARY
Hi, Mr. Gillis
JOE
You look great
MARY
I'm up for an audition
JOE
Sheldrake is driving me insane
MARY
Don't forget me when you're casting
JOE
We should talk
MARY
Gotta run
Both
Let's have lunch
JOE
Morning, Joanna
MARY
Hi there, Myrion
JOANNA
Who are you meeting
MYRON
You look great
JOE
Sheldrake, but do I need it?
MARY
I've spent the last month fasting
JOANNA
I'm handing in my second draft
MYRON
I'm shooting a western down at Fox
JOE
I'd really love to read it
MARY
Don't forget me when you're casting
JOANNA
We should talk
MYRON
We should talk
JOE
Gotta run
MARY
Gotta run
BOTH
Let's have lunch
BOTH
Let's have lunch
JOE
Yeh, I have an appoinment with Mr. Sheldrake
JONES
Name?
JOE
Gillis, Joseph Gillis
Jones
All right, sir, you know your way?
JOE
Yeah
IST FIN.
We want the key to your car
2ND FIN.
You're way behind the payments
1ST FIN.
Don't give us any fancy footwork....
2ND FIN.
Give us the keys
JOE
I only wish I could help. I loaned it to my accountant
He has an important client down in Palm Springs
Felt like shooting the breeze
1ST FIN.
Are you telling us you walked here?
JOE
I believe in self-denial, I'm in training for the priesthood
2ND FIN.
Okay wise guy, three hundred bucks
1ST FIN.
Or we're taking the car
2ND FIN.
We have a court order
JOE
I love it when you talk dirty
SAMMY
Bless you, Joseph
SAMMY
That you, Sammy
SAMMY
How do you like my harem?
JOE
How come you get such lousy breaks?
SAMMY
One learns to grin and bear 'em
GIRLS
This is the biggest film ever made
JOE
What're you planning?
ANITA
Temple Virgin
DAWN
Handmaiden to Delilah
JOE
Let's have lunch, gotta run
You've got to find me a job, I'm way behind with my payments
I thought you were meant to be my agent, I need some work
MORINO
I only wish I could help, this town is dead at the moment
There's been this slowdown in production....
JOE
Who is this jerk?
MORINO
He's my wunderkind from Broadway,
Every major studio wants him
YOUNG MAN
Playing one against the other....
JOE
What I need is three hundred bucks
MORINO
Maybe what you need is a new agent
JOE
Hello, Artie
ARTIE
Joe, you bastard!
JOE
You never call me anymore
ARTIE
Found a cuter dancing partner how are things?
JOE
Not so great
ARTIE
Will this help? Twenty bucks?
JOE
Thanks! you're a pal!
ALL
Good morning, Mr. De Mille
MYRON
Good morning, C.B.
SHELDRAKE
This is Sheldrake, bring some water,
Get me that shithead Nolan
Nolan, sweetheart, great to talk, this draft is so much brighter
You're the best, even so, I've hired another writer
SECRETARY
Mr.Gilis
SHELDRAKE
Joe! What the fuck bring you here!
JOE
You wanted to see me
SHELDRAKE<BR> I did? What about?
Joe
"Based Loaded" It's an outline for a baseball picture
Sheldrake
So, pitch
JOE
It's about a rookie shortstop. He's batting .347
The kid was once mixed up in a holdup.
Now he's trying to go straight
SHELDRAKE
Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I think I have read this
Somebody, bring in whatever we've got on....
JOE
"Based Loaded"
SHELDRAKE
......"Based Loaded"
JOE
They're pretty hot for it over at Twentieth
Sheldrake
Good
JOE
But can you seeTy Power as a shortstop?
ENSEMBLE
Let's have lunch
BETTY
Here's that "Based Loaded" material, Mr. Sheldrake
I made a two-page synopsis for you,
But I wouldn't bother to read it.
SHELDRAKE
Why not?
BETTY
It's just a rehash of something
That wasn't very good to begin with
SHELDRAKE
Meet Mr. Gillis, he wrote it
ENSEMBLE
We should talk
SHELDRAKE
This is Miss Kramer
BETTY
Schaefer, Betty Schaefer. And right now,
I'd like to crawl into a hole and pull it in after me
JOE
If I could be of any help...
BETTY
I'm sorry, Mr. Gillis, I couldn't see the point of it
JOE
What sort of material do you suggest? James Joyce? Dostoyevsky?
BETTY
I think pictures should at least try to say a little something
JOE
I see you're one of the message kids.
I expect you'll have turned down"Gone with the wind"
SHELDRAKE
No, that was me
ENSEMBLE
Gotta run
BETTY
And I guess I was disappointed.
I've read some of your other works
And I thought you had some real talent
JOE
Yeah, that was last year. This year I felt like eating.
BETTY
Well, I'm sorry, Mr. Gillis
SHELDRAKE
Thank you, Miss Kramer.
Well, looks like Zanuck's got himself a baseball picture.
ENSEMBLE
We should talk, gotta run, let's have lunch
JOE
You've got to give me some work, I'll take whatever's on offer
There must be some shit that needs a rewrite, throw it my way
SHELDRAKE
I only wish I could help, there's no spare shit at the moment
Remember the greatest writers starved in Garrets,
Didn't care about pay
JOE
Are you trying to be funny
SHELDRAKE
I believe in self-denial, give a man some moral backbone
JOE
Can you loan me three hundred bucks
SHELDRAKE
I'm sorry, Gillis, Good-bye
JOE
I just love Hollywood
MYRON
Morning, Joanna
CLIFF
Where've you been hiding?
SAMMY
Hi there, Lisa
MYRON
How're you doing?
KATHERINE
I hate this weather
CLIFF
You look great
LIZ
RKO are O.K.
MARY
What are you doing?
JOANNA
You look great
GIRLS
This is the biggest film ever made
CLIFF
I'm trying to make my mind up
MARY
Guess I was born to play her
DAWN
What is my motivation?
JOANNA
You look great
SAMMY
They're taling nominations
LIZ
You should go work for Warners'
MYRON
Is your new script with Sheldrake?
MORINO
I'm very close to Sheldrake
ARTIE
We shoot next month
SAMMY & others
Gotta run
JOHN
Let's drive to Vegas this weekend
JOANNA
Let's have lunch
ANITA
You look great
JOANNA
I'm handling in my second draft
MARY
It's between me and Dietrich
KATHERINE
I've landed a big broadway show
ADAM
I'm gonna work for Metro
CLIFF
Let's have lunch
MARY
Let's have lunch
GIRLS
Let's have lunch, this is the biggest film ever made
Myron
I'd really love to read it
Cliff
I'd know just how to light you
John
Let's have lunch
JOHN/LISA
It won't work
MORINO
Let's pencil Thursday morning
GROUP 1
We should talk
GROUP 2
Gotta run
CHORUS
Let's have lunch
Hi! Good morning, aren't we lucky?
Going to work with Cukor
Paramount is paradise, movies from A to Zukor
We should talk, gotta run
GROUP 1
Let's have lunch
GROUP 2
We should talk
GROUP 1
Gotta run
GROUP 2
Gotta run
ALL
Let's have lunch
JOE
Come to get your knife back?
It's still there, right between my shoulder blades.
BETTY
I read one of your stories, wasn't it Scribner's, some magazines.
Title-something with windows
JOE
It was 'Blind Windows' if that what you mean
BETTY
That's right, I really liked it
JOE
I'm all warm and runny inside
Betty
Let me pitch it to Sheldrake
JOE
I may be broke but I still have my pride
BETTY
Come on, get off your high horse,
Writers with pride don't live in L.A.
Silence, exile and cunning, those are the only cards you can play
JOE
Sheldrake won't buy this story, he likes trash with fairy lights.
Jesus, think of the effort trying to get him to heighten his sights.
BETTY
Every movie's a circus, can't we discuss this
Schwab's Thursday night?
JOE
What for? Nothing will happen,
I gotta go now, fight the good fight,
BETTY
What's the rush?
JOE
See those Gorillas?
BETTY
Yes, what about them?
JOE
Do me a terrific favor, keep them amused while I escape
BETTY
If you're at Schwab's on Thursday
JOE
Done, look, those guys are after my car,
If I lose that in this town, it's like having my legs cut off
BETTY
Let's duck into the soundstage
1ST FIN
Hey, come on Gillis, give us the keys
BETTY
Shhh! Please be quiet, Mr. De Mille is shooting right over there
1ST FIN.
So what?
BETTY
He's working on 'Samson and Delilah'
They're doing a red hot scene with Hedy Lamarr.
You want to stay and watch?
1ST FIN.
No
2ND FIN.
Relax, we got five minutes
BOTH FIN. MEN
Hey, hey, come back here...
JOE
What a lovely sight!
At the end of the driveway:
A great big empty garage.
This thing must burn up 10 gallons to a mile.
JOE
Christ, where am I?
I had landed in a garden of some palazzo
Like an abandoned movie set.
VOICE
You there! Why are you so late?
MAX
This way.
JOE
Hey look, buddy, I just pulled my car....
MAX
And wipe your feet!
VOICE
Max! Tell him to wait!
MAX
You heard. If you need my help with the coffin, call me.
JOE
Hey, wait a minute....Hey, buddy...
NORMA
Any law against burying him in the garden?
JOE
I wouldn't know.
NORMA
I don't care anyway.
NORMA
No more wars to fight
White flags fly tonight
You are out of danger now
Battlefield is still
Wild poppies on the hill
Peace can only come when you surrender
Here the tracers fly
Lighting up the sky
But I'll fight on to the end
Let them send their armies
I will never bend
I won't see you now 'till I surrender
I'll see you again when I surrender
Now don't you give me a fancy price just because I'm rich.
JOE
Look, lady, you've got the wrong man.
I have some trouble with my car,
I just pulled into your driveway.
NORMA
Get out.
JOE
O.K. I'm sorry you lost your friend.
NORMA
Get out of here.
JOE
Haven't I seen you somewhere before?
NORMA
Or shall I call my servant?
JOE
Aren't you Norma Desmond?
You used to be in pictures. You used to be big.
NORMA
I am big. It's the pictures that got smal.
Once upon a time not long ago,
The head of any studio knew how and when to play his aces.
Now they put some talentless unknown
beneath their sacred microphone.
We didn't need words, we had faces.
Yes, they took all the idols and smashed them.
The Fairbanks, the Gilberts, the Valentinos.
They trampled on what was divine
They threw away the gold of silence.
When all they needed was this face of mine.
JOE
Hey! Don't blame me, I'm just a writer.
NORMA
With on look I can break your heart
With one look I play every part
I can make your sad heart sing
With one look you will know
All you need to know
With one smile I'm the girl next door
Or the love that you've hungered for
When I speak it's with my soul
I can play any role
No words can tell the stories my eyes tell
Watch me when I frown
You can't write that down
You know I'm right
It's there in black and white
When I look your way
You'll hear what I say
Yes, with one look I put words to shame
Just one look sets the screen aflame
Silent music starts to play
One tear in my eye make the whole world cry.
With one look they will forgive the past
They'll rejoice: I've returned at last
To my people in the dark
Still out there in the dark....
Silent music starts to play
With one look you'll know all you need to know.
With one look I'll ignite a blaze
I'll return to my glory days
They'll say Norma's back at last
This time I am staying I'm staying for good
I'll be back where I was born to be
With one look I'll be me.
NORMA
Now go.
JOE
Next time I'll bring my autograph album.
NORMA
Just a minute, you. Did you say you were a writer?
JOE
That's what it says on my guild card.
NORMA
And you've written pictures?
JOE
Sure have. Would you like to see my credits?
NORMA
Come over here, I want to ask you something.
Just what sort of length is a movie script these days?
JOE
Depends.
NORMA
I wrote this, it's a very important picture.
JOE
Looks like six very important pictures.
NORMA
It's for De Mille to direct.
JOE
Oh, yeah? And will you be in it?
NORMA
Of course. What do you think?
JOE
Just asking. I didn't know you were planning a come back.
NORMA
I hate the word. It's a return.
JOE
Well...fair enough.
NORMA
I want you to read it.
JOE
You shouldn't let another writer read your stuff.
He may steal it.
NORMA
I am not afraid. Sit down. Max!
Bring something to drink.
MAX
Yes, Madame.
NORMA
I said sit down! It's about Salome.
Salome: the story of a woman.
The woman who was all women.
Salome, what a woman, what a part!
Innocent body and a sinful heart,
Inflaming Herods' lust,
But secretly loving a holy man.
No one could play her like I can.
JOE
Well, I have nothing urgent coming up,
I thought I might as well skim it.
It's fun to see how bad bad writing can be,
This promised to go to the limit.
NORMA
There's so many great scenes. I can't wait.
A boiling cauldron of love and hate.
She toys with Herod
'Till he putty in her hands
He reels tormented through the desert sand.
JOE
It sure was a real cheery set-up
The wind wheezing through that organ
Max shuffling around and a dead ape dumped on a shelf
And her staring like a gorgon.
NORMA
They drag the Baptist up from the jails.
She dances the dance of the seven veils.
Herod says: I'll give you anything.
JOE
Now it was time for some comedy relief
The guy with the baby casket.
Must have seen a thing or two, that chimp,
Shame it was too late to ask it.
NORMA
Have you got to the scene where she asks for his head?
If she can't have him living, she'll take him dead.
They bring in his head on a silver tray.
She kisses his mouth, it's a great screenplay!
JOE
It got to be eleven, I was feeling ill,
What the hell was I doing?
Melodrama and sweet champagne
And a garbled plot from a scrambled brain;
But I had my own plot brewing.
Just how old is Salome?
NORMA
Sixteen.
JOE
I see.
NORMA
Well?
JOE
It's fascinating.
NORMA
Of course it is.
JOE
Could be it's a little long
Maybe the opening's wrong
But it's extremely good for the beginner.
NORMA
No, it's a perfect start,
I wrote that with my heart
The river-bank, the Baptist and the sinner.
JOE
Shouldn't there be some dialogues?
NORMA
I can say anything I want with my eyes.
JOE
It could use a few cuts.
NORMA
I will not have it butchered!
JOE
I'm not talking limb from limb,
I just mean a little trim
All you need is someone who can edit.
NORMA
I want someone with a knack
Not just any studio hack
And don't think for a moment I'd share credit!
When were you born?
JOE
December twenty-first, why?
NORMA
I like Sagittarians. You can trust them.
JOE
Thanks.
NORMA
I want you to do this work.
JOE
Me? Gee, I don't know, I'm busy.
I just finished one script and I'm about to start a new assignment.
NORMA
I don't care.
JOE
I'm pretty expensive. I get five hundred a week.
NORMA
Don't you worry about money. I'll make it worth your while.
JOE
Well. It's getting kind of late.
NORMA
Are you married, Mr...?
JOE
The name is Gillis. Single.
NORMA
Where do you live?
JOE
Hollywood. Alto Nido Apartment.
NORMA
You'll stay here.
JOE
I'll come back early tomorrow.
NORMA
Nonsense. there's a room over the garage.
Max will take you there. Max!
MAX
Yes, Madame.
NORMA
Take Mr. Gillis to the guest room.
We'll begin at nine sharp.
JOE
Now this is more like it.
MAX
I made up the bed this afternoon.
JOE
Thanks. How did you know I was going to stay?
MAX
There's a soap and a toothbrush in the bathroom.
JOE
She's quite a character, isn't she, that Norma Desmond?
MAX
Once, you won't remember, if you said Hollywood,
Here was the face you'd think of,
Her face on every billboard,
In just a single week she'd get ten thousand letters.
Men would offer fortune for a bloom from her corsage
Or a few strands of her hair.
Today she's half-forgotten,
But it's the pictures that got small
She is the greatest star of all.
Then, you can't imagine,
How fans would sacrifice themselves to touch her shadow.
There was a Maharajah
who hanged himself with one of her discarded stockings.
She's immortal caught inside that flickering light beam
Is the youth which cannot fade.
Madame's a living legend;
I've seen so many idols fall
She is the greatest star of all.
JOE(V.O.)
When he'd gone, I stood looking out the window for a while.
There was the ghost of a tennis court with faded marking
And a sagging net.
There was an empty pool where Clara Bow and Fatty Arbuckle
Must have swum 10,000 midnights ago.
And then there was something else;
The chimp's last rites, as if she were laying a child to rest.
Was her life really as empty as that?
ALL
Every movie's a circus on the wire without a net
JOANNA
Coffee?
MYRON
I'm up too early, shooting at seven, I gotta go
ALL
Movies
BOY
What's wrong?
MARY
Can't get a screen test,
Don't you hate it when a yes-man says no?
ALL
Movies
GIRL
Good part?
BOY
I'm a policeman "Hang up, punk" that's all I say
ACTOR
First time, you work on the lot there
ACTRESS
I must say R.K.O are O.K.
ALL
Movies.
BOY
Then what?
GIRL
He pressed a button, out of the wall fell a four-poster bed.
ALL
Movies,
MYRON
Busy?
JOANNA
They shot my screenplay
MYRON
Isn't that great?
JOANNA
No, they shot the thing dead.
ALL
Every movie's a circus on the wire without a net.
BOY
Lonely?
GIRL
That's how I like it.
BOY
Can't you be nice?
GIRL
Why? We're not on the set.
ALL
Movies
ARTIE
Hey, Joe, what are you, slumming?
JOE
Here for a meeting
ARTIE
This time of night?
ALL
Movies
JOE
Yeah, it's some studio smartass,
You know I'm famous for being polite.
ALL
Movies
ARTIE
Guess what? I'm getting married.
JOE
Congratulations
ARTIE
She'll be right back.
ALL
Movies
ARTIE
Fact is we were just leaving
She's been stood up by some uppity hack.
ALL
Movies
JOE
Married, who would have thought it?
Why don't you look happy?
Come on, be brave.
ALL
Movies
ARTIE
It's this movie I'm shooting.
JOE
You first assistant?
ARTIE
More like a slave.
ALL
Every movie's a circus.
ARTIE
But this is a circus movie as well
Problems, nothing but problems.
Animals, actors, two kinds of hell.
ALL
Every movie's a circus on the wire without a net.
BETTY
Well, hello, Mr. Gillis.
ARTIE
You two have met?
JOE
I'm the uppity hack.
ARTIE
And she's the studio smartass.
BETTY
What's going on here?
BARMAN
Artie, they're calling you back.
BETTY
I just reread "Blind Windows"
It needs some real re-working, of course.
If we fixed up the opening
ARTIE
Call up the wrangler, pay off the horse.
JOE
Girl meets boy, that's a safe beginning
BETTY
It's nearly closing, I thought you weren't going to show.
JOE
So did I, I felt it might be kinder
BETTY
What are you saying?
JOE
Come on, Miss Schaeffer, you know.
BETTY
What?
JOE
Every time I see some young kid
Dreaming they'll produce a masterpiece
I just want to throw them on the next train home.
BETTY
Never thought you'd be so condescending,
JOE
Sorry, Miss Schaeffer, I don't come here to fight.
BETTY
Girl meets boy, if that's how you want it.
She's a young teacher, he's a reporter. It's hate at first sight.
JOE
It won't sell, these days they want glamour;
Fabulous hairess meets handsome hollywood heel
The problem is, she thiks he's a burglar.
Would yo believe it? A wedding in the last reel.
BETTY
It doesn't have to be so mindless.
You should write from your experience
Give us something really moving; something true.
JOE
Who wants true? Who the hell wants moving?
Moving means starving
And true means holes in your shoe.
BETTY
No, you're wrong. They still make good pictures.
Stick to your story, it's a good story.
JOE
O.K. Miss Schaeffer; I give it to you.
Betty
What do you mean?
JOE
It's what I said. I've given up writing myself. So you write it.
Betty
Oh, I'm not good enough to do it on my own.
But I thought we could write it together.
Joe
I can't, I'm all tied up.
Betty
Couldn't we work evening? Six o'clock in the morning?
I'd come to your place.
JOE
Look, Betty, it can't be done, it's out.
Let's keep in touch through Artie.
That way if you get stuck, we can at least talk.
Write this down, I'll give you some ground rules.
Plenty of conflict but nice guy don't break the law.
Girl meets boy, she give herself completely
And though she loves him
JOE/BETTY
She keep one foot on the floor
BETTY
No one dies except the best friend
No one ever mentions communists
No one takes a black friend to a restaurant.
JOE
Very good, nothing I can teach you
We could have had fun fighting the studio.
BETTY
Yes, Mr. Gillis. That's just what I want.
ARTIE
What a nightmare, good to see you.
Come to my new year party.
JOE
Last year it got out of hand
ARTIE
Guaranteed bad behavior
JOE
See you then
Betty
Don't give up, you're too good.
JOE
Thanks.
MAX
Where have you been?
JOE
Out. I assume I can go out when I feel like it
MAX
Madame is quite agitated. Earlier this evening,
She wanted you for something and you could not be found.
JOE
Well, that's tough.
MAX
I don't think you understand, Mr. Gillis,
Madame is extremely fagile. She has moment of melancholy.
There have been suicide attempts.
JOE
Why? Because of her career? She done well enough.
Look at all the fan mail she gets everyday.
MAX
I wouldn't look too closely at the postmarks if I were you.
JOE
You mean you write them?
MAX
Will you be requiring some supper this evening, sir?
JOE
No. And Max
MAX
Yes. sir?
JOE
Who the hell do you think you are,
Bringing my stuff up from my apartment
Without consulting me?
I have a life of my own-
Now you're telling me I'm supposed to be a prisoner here.
MAX
I think, perhaps, sir,
You will have to make up your mind
To abide by the rules of this house.
That is, if you want the job.
JOE
I started work on the script
I hacked my way through the thicket
A maze of fragmented ramblings by a soul in limbo
She hoverd there like a hawk
Afraid I'd damage her baby.
NORMA
What's that?
JOE
I thought we might cut away from the slave market...
NORMA
Cut away from me?
JOE
Norma, they don't want you in every scene.
NORMA
Of course they do.
What else would they have come for?
Put it back.
JOE
I'd made my first big mistake
I'd put my foot in the quick sand
It wouldn't be a few days paste and scissors
This would take weeks.
The house was always so quiet
Just me and Max and that organ
No one phoned and nobody ever came
And there was only one kind of entertainment on hand.
Max, what's on this evening?
I hope it's not one of her weepy melodramas.
MAX
We'll be showing one of Madame's enduring classics:
"The Ordeal Of Joan Of Arc"
JOE
Oh, God, we saw that last week.
MAX
A masterpiece can never fall
She is the greatest star of all.
NORMA
This was dawn, there were no rules, we were so young,
Movies were born; so many songs yet to be sung.
So many roads still unexplored;
We gave the world new ways to dream.
Somehow we found new ways to dream.
Joan of Arc; look at my face, isn't it strong?
There in the dark, up on the screen, where I belong.
We'll show them all nothing has changed,
We'll give the world new ways to dream
Everyone needs new ways to dream
JOE
I didn't argue, why hurt her?
You don't yell at the sleepwalker
Or she could fall and break her neck.
She smelled of faded roses,
It made me sad to watch her as she relived her glory.
Poor Norma, so happy, lost in her silver heaven.
NORMA
Nothing has changed
We'll give the world new ways to dream
Everyone needs new ways to dream
JOE
In December, the rain came. One great big package,
Over-sized, like everything else in California;
And it came right through the roof of my room
Above the garage.
So she had me move into the main house.
Into what Max called " The room of the husbands"
And on a clear day, the theory was, you could see Catalina.
And little by little I worked through the end of the script.
At which point I might have left;
Only by then those two boys from the finance company
Had traced my car and towed it away;
And I hadn't seen one single dollar of cash money-
Since I arrived.
NORMA
Stop that! Today's the day.
JOE
What do you mean?
NORMA
Max is going to deliver the script to Paramount
JOE
You're really going to give it to De Mille?
NORMA
I've just spoken with my astrologer.
She read De Millle's horoscope; she read mine.
JOE
Did she read the script?
NORMA
De Mille is Leo; I'm scorpio.
Mars is transiting Jupiter,
And today is the day of closest conjunction.
JOE
Oh, well, that's all right, then.
NORMA
Max
MAX
Yes, Madame
NORMA
Make sure it goes to Mr. De Mille in person.
JOE
Well....
NORMA
Great day.
JOE
It's been real interesting
NORMA
Yes...hasn't it?
JOE
I want to thank you for trusting me with your baby
NORMA
Not at all, it is I who should thank you
JOE
Will you call and let me know as soon as you have some news?
NORMA
Call? Where?
JOE
My apartment
NORMA
Oh, but, you couldn't possibly think of leaving now, Joe.
JOE
Norma, the script is finished.
NORMA
No, Joe, No, it's just the beginning, it's just the first draft;
I couldn't dream of letting you go, I need your support.
JOE
Well, I can't stay.
NORMA
You'll stay on with full salary, of course.
JOE
Oh, Norma, it's not the money.
Yes, of course,
I'll stay until we get some sort of news back from Paramount.
NORMA
Thank you, thank you, Joe.
JOE
So, Max wheeled out that foreign bus
Brushed the leopardskin upholstery.
He trundled along to Paramount
To hand Cecil B. our hopeless opus.
My work was over I was feeling no pain.
Locked up like John the Baptist.
NORMA
Hurry up, the birthday boy is on his way.
This is a surprise celebration
I hope you've remembered everything I've said
I want to see a total transformation
JOE
What's all this?
NORMA
Happy birthday, darling. Did you think we'd forgotten?
JOE
Well... I don't know
NORMA
These people are from the best men's shop in town.
I had them close it down for a day.
JOE
Norma, now listen!
NORMA
I'll leave you boys to it.
MANFRED
Happy birthday, welcome to your shopathon
JOE
What's going on?
MANFRED
Help yourself, it's all been taken care of,
Anyone who's anyone is dressed by me.
JOE
Well, golly gee.
MANFRED
Pick out anything you like a pair of
You just point, I'll do the rest
I have brought nothing but the best
You're a very lucky writer
Come along now, get undressed
Unless I'm much mistaken
That's a 42-inch chest
JOE
I don't understand a word you're saying
MANFRED
Well, all you need to know's the lady's paying
It's nice to get your just reward this time of year.
JOE
Get out of here!
MANFRED
And all my merchandise is strictly Kosher
When you've thrown away all your old worn-out stuff,
JOE
Hey, that's enough
MANFRED
Perhaps you'd like to model for my brochure
I have just a thing for you chalk-stripe suits
SALESMAN 1
In black
SALESMAN2
Or blue
SALESMAN 3
Glen paid trousers
SALESMAN4
Cashmere sweaters
SALESMAN 5
Bathing shorts for Malibu
SALESMAN 6
Here's a patent leather lace-up
SALESMAN7
It's a virtuoso shoe
MANFRED
And a simply marvelous coat made of vicuna
JOE
You know what you can do with your vicuna
NORMA
Come on, Joe, you haven't even started yet
JOE
You wanna bet?
NORMA
I thought by now he'd look the height of fashion
He always takes forever making up his mind, don't be unkind,
I thought you writer knew about compassion
I love Flannel on a man
MANFRED
This will complement his tan
NORMA
We'll take two of these and four of those
MANFRED
I'm still your greatest fan!
Very soon now we'll have stopped him looking like an also-ran
JOE
You're going to make me sorry that I'm staying
NORMA
Well, all right. I'll choose, after all, I'm paying.
MANFRED
Evening clothes?
NORMA
I want to see your most deluxe
JOE
Won't wear a tux
NORMA
Of course not, dear, tuxedos are for waiters.
MANFRED
What we need are tails, a white tie and top hat
JOE
I can't wear that
NORMA
Joe, second-rate clothes are for second-raters
JOE
Norma, please
NORMA
Shut up, I'm rich
Not some platinum blonde bitch
I own so many apartments
I've forgotten which is which
JOE
I don't have to go to premieres
I'm never on display
You seem to forget that I'm a writer
Who cares what you wear when you're a writer?
NORMA
I care, Joe, and please don't be so mean to me.
JOE
O.K. all right.
NORMA
You can't come to my New Year's Eve party
In that filling- station shirt
JOE
I've been invited somewhere else on New Year's Eve
NORMA
Where?
JOE
Artie Green. He's an old friend of mine.
NORMA
I can't do without you, Joe, I need you
I've sent out every single invitation
JOE
All right, Norma, I give in
NORMA
Of course, you do
And when they've dressed you
You'll cause a sensation
SALESMEN
We equip the chosen few of movieland
MANFRED
(The latest cut)
SALESMEN
We dress every movie star and crooner
From their shiny toecaps to their hatband
MANFRED
(Conceal your gut)
You won't regret selecting the vicuna
SALESMEN
If you need a hand to shake
If there's a girl you want to make
If there's a soul you're out to capture
Or a heart you want to break
If you want the world to love you
MANFRED
You'll have to learn to take
SALESMEN
And gracefully accept the role you're playing
MANFRED
You will earn every cent the lady's paying
SALESMEN
So why not have it all?
MANFRED
Now that didn't hurt, did it?
SALESMEN
The lady's paying!
Joe
Max, you've pulled the stops out.
It looks like a gala night aboard S.S. Titanic.
Will we play spot the actor?
As if we are visiting a gallery of waxworks?
Max
Would you rather I mix for you a dry matini
Or shall I open a champagne?
Joe
Max, don't be evasive, who's she invited to the ball?
Max
Madame herself made every call
Norma
Here. Happy New Year.
Joe
Norma, I can't take this.
Norma
Oh, shut up. Open it. Read what it says.
Joe
"Mad about the boy"
Norma
Yes, and you do loook absolutely divine.
Joe
Well, thank you.
Norma
I had these tiles put in, you know,
Because Rudy Valentino said to me, it takes tiles to tango. Come on.
Joe
No, no, not on the same floor as Valrntino!
Norma
Oh come on. come on. come on.
Get up. Follow me.
And one, two....and one, two, one two together.
And one....
Don't lean back like that.
Joe
Norma, it's that thing. It tickles.
The Perfect Year [ Top ]
Norma
Bring out the old, bring in the new
A midnight wish to share with you
Your lips are warm, my head is light,
Were we in love before tonight?
I don't need a crowded ballroom, everything I want is here
If you're with me, next year will be the perfect year
Joe
Before we play some dangerous game;
Before we fan some harmless flame
We have to ask if this is wise
And if the game is worth the prize
With this wine and with this music
How can anything be clear?
Let's wait and see, it may just be the perfect year
Norma
It's New Year's Eve, and hope are high
Dance one year in, kiss one good-bye
Another chance, another start
So many dreams to tease the heart.
We don't need a crowded ballroom,
Everything we want is here
And face to face, we will embrace, the perfect year
We don't need a crowded ballroom, everything we want is here
And face to face, we will embrace, the perfect year
Joe
So, what time are they supposed to get here?
Norma
Who?
Joe
The other guests.
Norma
There are no other guests. Just you and me.
I'm in love with you, surely you know that.
Joe
Norma....
Norma
We'll have a wonderful time next year.
I'll have the pool filled up for you.
I'll open up my house in Malibu,
And you can have the whole ocean.
I have enough money to buy us anything we want.
Joe
Cut out that "us" business
Norma
What's the matter with you?
Joe
What right do you have to take me for granted?
Norma
What right? Do you want me to tell you?
Joe
Norma, what I'm trying to say is that
I'm the wrong guy for you;
You need a big shot, someone with polo ponies, a Valentino...
Norma
What you're trying to say is, you don't want me to love you.
Say it! Say it!
Joe
Max. Get me a taxi.
I had to get out, I needed to be with people my own age,
To hear the sound of laughter and mix with hungry actors,
Underemployed composers, nicotine-poisoned writers,
Real people, real problems, having a really good time.
This Time Next Year [ Top ]
Artie
Hey, Gillis! We'd given you up.
Let me take your coat.
Jesus, Joe, what's this made of? Mink?
Who did you borrow this from? Adolphe Menjou?
Joe
Close, but no cigar. Hey! It's quite a crowd.
Artie
I invited all the kids doing walk-ons in "Samson and Delilah"
Betty
Where have you been hiding?
I called your apartment. I called your ex-agent.
I was about to call the Bureau of Missing Persons.
Joe
Well, they always know where to find me.
Richard A.
Hey, Sammy!
You gotta say your new year's resolution out loud.
Jean!
Jean
By this time next year, I'll have landed a juicy part
Steve
Nineteen fifty will be my start
Richard T.
No more carrying spears
Mary
I'll be discovered, my life won't ever be the same.
Billy Wilder will know my name
And he will call me all the time
Katherine
'Til he does, can one of you guy lend her a dime?
Alisa
Just an apartment with no roaches and no dry rot
Anita
Where the hot water comes out hot
Both
That's my Hollywood dream
Richard A.
Your resolution
Joanna
Is to write something that get shot
With approximately the plot I first had in my head
Myron
But you'll get rewritten even after you're dead.
Richard A.
Artie!
Artie
It's a year to begin a new life
Buy a place somewhere quiet, somewhere pretty.
When you have a young kid and a wife
Then you need somewhere green far from the city
It's rambling old house with a big apple tree
With a swing for the kid and a hammock for me.
Sammy
Behold, my children, it is I, Cecil B. De Mille,
Meeting me must be quite a thrill,
Adam
But there's no need to kneel
Sammy
I guarantee you every girl in my chorus line
Is a genuine Philistine
Sandy
They don't come off the shelf
Sammy
I flew everyone in from Philistia myself
Betty
I have some good news, it's "Blind Windows"
Joe
You don't let go
Betty
I gave Sheldrake an outline, Joe, and he swallowed the bait.
Joe
Well, Hallelujah!
Betty
While you have been buying vicuna coats,
I have been making a lot of notes,
Now there's work we should do...
Joe
Betty, you're forgetting that I gave it to you
You remind me of me long ago
Off the bus, full of ignorant ambition
Thought I'd waltz into some studio
And achieve overight recognition,
I've seen too many optimists sinking like stones
Felt them suck all the marrow clean out of my bones.
Betty
I love "Blind Windows" but I can't write it on my own.
Can't we speak on the telephone?
All my evening are free.
Artie
Hey, just a minute, I'm the fellow who bought the ring
Betty
Artie, this is a business thing it's important to me
You'll be on location in Clinch, Tennessee.
Please make this your New Year's resolution for me.
All
By this time next year I will get my foot in the door
Next year I know I'm going to score an amazing success
Cut to the moment when they open the envelope
Pass the statuette to Bob Hope and it's my name you hear
We'll be down on our knees outside Grauman's chinese
Palm prints there on the street immortality's neat!
This time next year, this time next year.
We'll have nothing to fear contracts all signed
Three-pictures deal yellow brick road career
Hope we're not still saying these things this time next year.
Joe
You know, I think I will be available in the New Year.
In fact, I'm available right now.
Betty
Joe, that's great!
Joe
Hey, Artie, where's your phone?
Artie
Under the bar
Joe
Hey, Artie,
You think you could put me up for a couple of weeks?
Artie
It's just so happens we've got a vacancy on the couch
Joe
I'll take it.
Max
Yes?
Joe
Max, it's Mr. Gillis, I want you to do me a favor
Max
I'm sorry Mr. Gillis. I can't talk right now
Joe
Listen, I want you to take my old suitcases...
Max
I'm sorry, I'm attending to Madame.
Joe
What do you mean?
Max
Madame found a razor in your room.
And she's cut her wrists.
All
Three, two, one, Happy New Year!
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne
We'll take a cup of kindness yet for the sake of auld lang syne
New Year's Eve (Back At the House on Sunset) [ Top ]
Norma
Go away.
Joe
What kind of silly thing was that to do?
Norma
I'll do it again! I'll do it again! I'll do it again!
Joe
Attractive headline:
"Great star killed herself for an unknown writer."
Norma
Great star has great pride
You must have some girl;
Why don't you go to her?
Joe
I never meant to hurt you, Norma,
You've been good to me,
You're the only person in this stinking town
That's ever been good to me
Norma
Then why don't you say thank you and go?
Go, go. Go!
Joe
Happy New Year
Norma
Happy New Year, darling.
Sunset Boulevard [ Top ]
Joe
Sure, I came out here to make my name
Wanted my pool, my dose of fame
Wanted my parking space at Warners'
But after a year a one-room hell
A murphy bed a rancid smell
Wallpaper peeling at the corners
Sunset Boulevard, twisting Boulevard
Secretive and rich, a little scary
Sunset Boulevard, tempting Boulevard
Waiting there to swallow the unwary
Dreams are not enough to win a war
Out here they're always keeping score
Beneath the tan, the battle rages
Smile a rented smile, fill someone glass
Kiss someone's wife, kiss someone's ass
We do whatever pays the wages
Sunset Boulevard, headline Boulevard
Getting here is only the beginning
Sunset Boulevard, jackpot Boulevard
Once you've won you have to go on winning
You think I've sold out?
Dead right I've sold out.
I just keep waiting for the right offer
Comfortable quarters, regular rations,
24-hour, five-star room service.
And if I'm honest I like the lady
I can't help being touched by her folly
I'm treading water, taking the money
Watching her sunset....well, I'm a writer
L.A.'s changed a lot over the years
Since those brave gold rush pioneers
Came in their creaky covered wagons
Far as they could go end of the line
Their dreams were yours, their dreams were mine
But in those dreams were hidden dragons
Sunset Boulevard, frenzied Boulevard
Swamped with every kind of false emotion
Sunset Boulevard, brutal Boulevard
Just like you, we'll wind up in the ocean
She was sinking fast, I threw a rope
Now I have suits and she has hope
It seemed an elegant solution
One day this must end, it isn't real
Still, I'll enjoy a hearty meal
Before tomorrow's execution
Sunset Boulevard, ruthless Boulevard
Destination for the stony-hearted
Sunset Boulevard, lethal Boulevard
Everyone's forgotten how they started
Here on Sunset Boulevard
There's Been a Call / Journey To Paramount [ Top ]
Norma
There's been a call. What did I say?
They want to see me right away
Joe, Paramount, they love our child, Mr. De Mille is going wild
Joe
Well, that's wonderful, Norma
Norma
But it was some fool assistant, not acceptable at all
If he wants me, then Cecil B. himself must call
Joe
I don't know if this is the time to stand on ceremony
Norma
I've been waiting twenty years now
What a few more days, my dear?
It's happened ,Joe, I told you so, the perfect year.
Now, let's go upstairs
Joe
Shouldn't you at least call back?
Norma
No; they can wait until I'm good and ready
Joe (V.O.)
It took her three days and she was ready
She checked with her astrologer, who sacrifice a chicken
She dressed up like a Pharoh, slapped on a pound of make-up
And set forth in her chariot, poor Norma, so happy,
Re-entering her kingdom
Max (V.O.)
If you will pardon me, Madame,
The shadow over the left eye is not quite balanced.
Norma (V.O.)
Thank you, Max
Guard
Hey, that's enough of that
Max
To see Mr. De Mille.
Open the gate.
Guard
Mr. De Mille is shooting.
You need an appointment
Max
This is Norma Desmond.
No appointment is neccessary
Guard
Norma, who?
Norma
Jonesy?
Jones
Why, if it isn't Miss Desmond.
How have you been, Miss Desmond?
Norma
Fine, Jonesy, Open the gate
Jones
You heard Miss Desmond.
Guard
They don't have a pass.
Jones
Stage 18, Miss Desmond.
Norma
Thank you Jonesy.
And teach your friend some manners.
Tell him without me there wouldn't be any Paramount studio
Jones
Get me stage 18, I have a message for Mr. De Mille
Heather
Mr. De Mille?
De Mille
What is it?
Heather
Norma Desmond is here to see you, Mr. De Mille
De Mille
Norma Desmond?
Heather
She's here at the studio
De Mille
It must be about that appalling script of hers.
What shall I say?
Heather
Maybe I could give her a brush
De Mille
Thirty million fans have given her the brush.
Isn't that enough? Give me a minute.
Norma
Won't you come along, darling?
Joe
It's your script. It's your show. Good luck
Norma
Thank you, darling
Heather
Miss Desmond
De Mille
Well, well, well,
Norma
Hello, Mr. De Mille, the last time I saw you,
We were some place terribly gay. I was dancing on the table
De Mille
A lot of people were. Lindbergh had just landed.
Norma
You read the script, of course,
De Mille
Well, yes....
Norma
Now, I know how busy you are during shooting,
But I really think you could have picked up the phone yourself,
Instead of leaving it to some assistant.
De Mille
I don't know what you mean, Norma.
Norma
Yes, you do.
De Mille
Come on in
As If We Never Said Goodbye [ Top ]
Voice
Miss Desmond? Hey, Miss Desmond!
Up here, Miss Desmond; it's hog-eye!
Norma
Hog-eye! Well, hello!
Hog-eye
Let's get a look at you
Norma
I don't know why I'm frightened
I know my way around here
The cardboard trees, the painted sea, the sound here
Yes, a world to rediscover
But I'm not in any hurry, and I need a moment.
The whispered conversations in overcrowded hallways
The atmosphere as thrilling here as always
Feel, the early morning madness
Feel, the magic in the making
Why, everything's as if we never said goodbye
I've spent so many morning just trying to resist you
I'm trembling now you can't know how I've missed you
Miss the fairy tale adventures
In the ever-spinning playground
we were young together
I'm coming out of make-up
The lights already burning
Not long until the camera will start turning
And the early morning madness
And the magic in the making
Yes, everything's as if we never said goodbye
I don't want to be alone that's all in the past
This world's waited long enough I've come home at last
And this time will be bigger and brighter than we knew it
So watch me fly we all know I can do it
Could I stop my hands from shaking?
Has there ever been a moment with so much to live for?
The whispered conversations in overcrowded hallways
So much to say not just today but always
We'll have early morning madness
We'll have magic in the making
Yes, everything's as if we never said goodbye
Yes, everything's as if we never said goodbye
We taught the world new ways to dream
Paramount Conversations / Surrender [ Top ]
Betty
Well, hello, Mr. Gillis, where have you been keeping yourself?
Joe
Someone's been doing it for me
Betty
And meanwhile "Blind Windows" is stuck on the shelf.
You said we'd work together
Joe
New Year's crisis, what can I say?
Betty
Always full of excuses
Joe
Promise I will call you later today
Betty
You said that last time
Joe
Look Betty, I won't let you down
Betty
I guess I'll just have to trust you
Sheldrake
You're Miss Desmond's German Shepherd?
I'm the one who's been calling. The name is Sheldrake.
A couple of weeks ago, I was looking out of my office window,
I saw you drive onto the lot, and I said,
that's exactly the car I've been lookingfor,
great for my new Crosby picture.
So, I made a few inquiries,
I've just been calling you for two weeks.
Doesn't she ever pick up the phone?
You know, outside a museum,
You don't see that kind of quality anymore.
We're willing to pay,
At least a hundred dollars a week....
Max
It's outrageous, you insult her,
How can you be so cruel?
I forbid you to approach her
Sheldrake
You're insane
Max
Go away, go away!
Norma
Did you see how they all came crowding around?
They still love me and soon we'll be breaking new ground
Brave pioneers.
De Mille
Those were the days
Norma
Just like before
De Mille
We had such fun
Norma
We gave the world new ways to dream
Both
We always found new ways to dream
De Mille
Let's have a good long talk one day
Norma
The old team will be back in business
De Mille
Sorry, my next shot's ready
Max
Mr. Gillis....
Joe
What's the matter, Max?
Max
I just found out the reason for those phone calls from Paramount.
It's not Madame they want. It's her car.
Joe
Oh my God
Norma
Now, you remember, don't you? I don't work before 10
Or after 4.30 in the afternoon
De Mille
It isn't entirely my decision, Norma.
New York must be consulted
Norma
That's fine. Ask any exhibitor in the country.
I'm not forgotten.
De Mille
Of course you're not
Goodbye, young fellow.
We'll see what we can do.
Norma
I'm not worried. It's so wonderful to be back.
Betty
Was that really Norma Desmond?
De Mille
It was
Heather
She must be a million years old
De Mille
I hate to think where that puts me.
I could be her father.
Heather
Oh , I'm sorry, Mr. De Mille
De Mille
If you could have seen her at seventeen
When all of her dreams were new
Beautiful and strong, before it all went wrong
She's never known the meaning of surrender.
Never known the meaning of surrender.
Girl Meets Boy (Reprise) [ Top ]
Joe
How about they don't know each other
He works the night shift and she takes classes all day?
Here's the thing, they oth share the same room,
Sleep in the same bed, it work out cheaper that way.
Betty
I've feeling you're just kidding
But to me it sounds believable
Makes a better opening than that car chase scene;
Girl meets boy, borrowing her toothbrush
Or oversleeping or at her sewing-machine
Joe
You know, it's not bad, there are some real possibilities
Betty
Who's Norma?
Joe
Who's who?
Betty
Sorry, I don't usually read private cigarette cases.
Joe
Norma's a friend of mine; middle-aged lady,
Very foolish, very generous
Betty
I'll say; this is solid gold "Mad about the boy"
Joe
So how's Artie?
Betty
Stuck in Tennessee.
It rains all the time, they're weeks behind.
No one know when they'll be back
Joe
Good
Betty
What's good about it?
I'm missing him something fierce.
Joe
No, I mean this idea we had.
It's really pretty good
Back to work
Betty
What if he's a teacher?
Joe
Where does that get us?
Don't see what good it would do
Betty
No, it's great, if they do the same job
Joe
So much in common, they fall in love, wouldn't you?
Betty
Yes, but if he's just a teacher,
We lose those scenes in the factory
Joe
Not if he's a champion for the working man,
Girl likes boy, she respect his talent
Betty
Working with someone can turn you into a fan
Joe
This is fun, writing with a partner
Betty
Yes, and it could be...
Joe
A helluva movie
Betty
Can we really do this?
Both
I know that we can!
Eternal Youth Is Worth a Little Suffering [ Top ]
Astrologer
I don't think you should shoot before July 15th.
Right now is a perilous time for Pisces
If you wait 'till Venus is in Capricorn
You'll avoid a catalogue of crises
Masseur 1
I need three more weeks to get these thighs in shape
No more carbohydrates, don't be naughty
Masseur 2
We'll soon have you skipping like an ingenue
You won't look a day over forty
Beautician 1
We have dry heat, we have steam
Beautician 2
We have moisturizing cream
Beautician 3
We have mud-packs. we have blood sacks.
Beautician 2
It's a rigorous regime
All
Not a wrinkle when you twinkle
Or a wobble when you walk
Beautician 3
Of course, there bound to be a little suffering
All
Eternal youth is worth a little suffering
Analyst
Listen to your superego not your id
Age is just another damn neurosis
I'll have you regressing back to infancy
And back into the womb under hypnosis
Doctor
I inject the tissue of the fatal lamb
The formula's the one Somerset Maugham owns
Just a modest course of thirty-seven shots
And you will be a heaving mass of hormones
All
No more crow's feet, no more flab
No more love handles to grab
You'll be so thin they'll all think you are
Walking sideways like a crab
Nothing sagging, nothing bagging
Nothing dragging on the floor
Of course, there bound to be a little suffering
Eternal youth is worth a little suffering
Of course, there bound to be a little suffering
Eternal youth is worth a little suffering
Of course, there bound to be a little suffering.....
Who's Betty Schaeffer? [ Top ]
Norma
Is this what you're looking for, by any chance?
Joe
Why, yes.
Norma
Whose phone number is this?
I've been worried about the line of my throat.
I think this woman has done wonders with it.
Joe
Good
Norma
And I have lost half a pound since Tuesday
Joe
Very good
Norma
Now it's after nine, I'd better get to bed
Joe
You had
Norma
Are you coming up?
Joe
I think I'll read a while longer
Norma
You went out last night, didn't you, Joe?
Joe
I went for a walk
Norma
You took the car
Joe
I drove to the beach
Norma
Who's Betty Schaeffer?
Joe
Surely,
you don't want me to feel as if I'm a prisoner in this house?
Norma
You don't understand Joe, I'm under a terrible strain.
It's been so hard I even got myself a revolver.
The only thing that stopped me from killing myself
Was the thought of all those people
Waiting to see me back on the screen.
How could I disappoint them?
All I ask is a little patience, a little understanding.
Joe
Norma, there's nothing to worry about,
I haven't done anything
Norma
Of course you haven't,
Good night, my darling
Joe
I should have stayed there, poor Norma,
So desperate to be ready for what would never happen
But Betty would be waiting,
We had a script to finish one unexpected love scene
Two people, both risking a kind of happy ending.
Betty Office At the Paramount [ Top ]
Betty
T-H-E-E-N-D-! I can't believe it, I've finished my first script!
Joe
Oh, stop it, you're making me feel old.
Betty
It's exciting, though, isn't it?
Joe
How own are you, anyway?
Betty
Twenty-two
Joe
Smart girl
Betty
Shouldn't we open some champagne?
Joe
Well, the best I can offer is a stroll
To the water cooler at the end of the lot
Betty
Sounds good to me, I love the back lot here.
It's all cardboard, all hollow, all phony, all done with mirrors.
I think I love it more than any street in the world.
I spent my childhood here.
Joe
What were you, a child actress?
Betty
But my family always expected me to become a great star.
I had ten years of dramatic lessons, diction, dancing,
Everything you can think of;
And then the studio made a test.
Joe
This is the saddest story I ever heard
Betty
Not at all. Come on, I was born two blocks from here.
My father was head electrician at the studio until he died.
My mother still work in wardrobe.
Joe
Second generation, uh?
Betty
Third. Grandma did stunt work for Pearl White
Joe
I guess it's exciting, at that, finishing a script.
Betty
What?
Joe
Are you all right?
Betty
Sure
Joe
Something's the matter, isn't it?
Too Much In Love To Care [ Top ]
Betty
I had a telegram from Artie
Joe
Is something wrong?
Betty
He wnats me to come out to Tennessee.
He says it would only cost two dollars to get married in Clinch.
Joe
Well, what's stopping you, now that we've finished the script...
Hey. why are you crying?
You're getting married, isn't that what you wanted?
Betty
Not any more
Joe
Don't you love Artie?
Betty
Of course I do.
I'm just not in love with him any more, that's all.
Joe
Why not? What happened?
Betty
You did. When I was a kid I played on this street,
I always loved illusion,
I thought make-believe was truer than life,
But now it's all confusion
Please, can you tell me what's happening?
I just don't know any more.
If this real, how should I feel? What should I look for?
Joe
If you were smart, you would keep on walking
Out of my life as fast as you can
I'm not the one you should pin your hope on
You're falling for the wrong kind of man
This is crazy, you know you should call it a day.
Sound advice, great advice, let's throw it away.
I can't control all the things I'm feeling
I haven't got a prayer if I'm a fool,
Well, I'm too much in love to care
I knew where I was, I'd given up hope,
Made friend with disillusion
No one in my life, but I look at you,
And now it's all confusion
Betty
Please, can you tell me what's happening?
I just don't know any more.
If this real, how should I feel? What should I look for?
I thought I had everything I needed
My life was set, my dreams were in place
My heart could see way into the future
All of that goes when I see your face
I should hate you, there I was, the world in my hand
Can one kiss kiss away everything I planned?
I can't control all the things I'm feeling
I'm floating in mid-air
I know it's wrong, but I'm too much in love to care
Both
I thought I had everything I needed
My life was set, my dreams were in place
My heart could see way into the future
All of that goes when I see your face
This is crazy, you know we should call it a day.
Joe
Sound advice,
Betty
Great advice,
Both
Let's throw it away.
I can't control all the things I'm feeling
We're floating in mid-air
If we are fools, well, we're too much in love to care
If we are fools, well, we're too much in love to care!
Joe
What's the matter there, Max,?
You waiting to wash the car?
Max
Please be careful when you cross the patio.
Madame may be watching
Joe
Suppose I tiptoe up to the back stairs
And get undressd in the dark, will that do it?
Max
It's just that I am greatly worried about Madame
Joe
Well, we're not helping any, feeding her lies, more lies.
What happens when she find out
They're not going to make her picture?
Max
She never will. That is my job.
I made her a star and I will never let her be destroyed.
Joe
You made her a star?
Max
I directed all her early pictures.
In those days there were three young directors-
Who showed promises;
D.W.Griffith, Cecil B. De Mille and-
Joe
Max Von Mayerling
Max
That's right
New Ways To Dream (Reprise) [ Top ]
Max
When we met she was a child, barely sixteen
Awkward and yet she had an air I'd never seen
I knew I'd found my perfect face
Deep in her eyes, new ways to dream
And we inspired new ways to dream
Talkies came, I stayed with her.
Look up this life, threw away fame.
Please understand, she was my wife.
We had achieved far more than most
We gave the world new ways to dream
Everyone needs new ways to dream
Joe
Are you saying you were married to her?
Max
I was the first husband
So I play this game, keeper of the fame
Sharing with her one last dream
Didn't you think I knew, It never could come true?
She'll be the very last one to surrender
I will not allow her to surrender.
The Phone Call [ Top ]
Norma
Hello, is this Gladstone 9281? Miss Schaeffer?
...Hello, Miss Schaeffer, you must forgive me for calling so late,
But I really feel it's my duty. It's about Mr. Gillis...
You do know a Mr. Gillis?
Well, exactly how much do you know about him?
Do you know where he lives? Do you know what he lives on?
I want to spare you a lot of sadness.
I don't know what he's told you
But I can guarantee you he doesn't live with mother
Or what you'd call a roommate,
He's just a...I can't say it.
Poor Betty, you ask him, I'd love to hear his answer....Joe
Joe
That's right, Betty, why don't you ask me?
Norma
Don't
Joe
...Or better yet, come over and see for yourself.
Yes, right now.
The address is ten thousand eighty-six, Sunset Boulevard
Norma
Don't hate me, Joe, I did it because I need you.
Look at me. Look at my hands. Look at my face.
Look under my eyes.
How can I go back to work if I'm wasting away?
No! Don't stand there hating me, Joe,
Shout at me, strike me, but say you don't hate me...Joe, Joe.
The Final Scene [ Top ]
Joe
Come on in
Betty
What's going on, Joe?
Why am I so scared?
What was that woman saying?
She sounds so weird, I don't understand...
Please, can you tell me what's happening?
You said you loved me tonight
Shall I just go? Say something, Joe.
Joe
Have some pink champagne and caviar,
When you go visit with a star the hospitality is stellar
Betty
So this is where you're living?
Joe
Yes, It's quite a place,
Sleeps seventeen,
Eight sunken tubs
A movie screen,
A bowling alley in the cellar.
Betty
I didn't come to see the house, Joe.
Joe
Sunset Boulevard, Cruise the Boulevard,
Win yourself a Hollywood palazzo
Sunset Boulevard, mythic Boulevard
Valentino danced on that terrazzo
Betty
Who's it belong to?
Joe
Just look around you
Betty
That's Norma Desmond
Joe
Right on the money that's Norma Desmond
That's Norma Desmond
That's Norma Desmond
That's Norma Desmond....
Betty
Why did she call me?
Joe
Give you three guesses,
It's the oldest story in the book
Come see the taker being took
The world is full of Joes and Normas
Older woman, very well-to-do
Meet younger man, the standard cue
For two mechanical performers
Betty
Just pack your things and let's go
Joe
You mean all my things? Have you gone mad?
Leave all these things I've never had?
Leave this luxuarious existence?
You want me to face that one-room hell
That murphy bed, that rancid smell
Go back to living on subsistence?
It's no time to begin a new life
Now I've finally made a perfect landing
I'm afraid there's no room for a wife
Not unless she's uniquely understanding
You should go back to Artie and marry the fool
And you'll always be welcome to swim in my pool
Betty
I can't look at you any more, Joe.
Norma
Thank you, thank you, Joe,
Thank you....thank you
What are you doing, Joe?
You're not leaving me?
Joe
Yes, I am, Norma
Norma
You can't! Max!
Joe
It's been a bundle of laughs
And thanks for the use of the trinkets
A little ritzy for the copy desk back in Dayton
And there's something you ought to know.
I want to do you this favor,
They'll never shoot that hopeless script of yours,
They only wanted your car.
Norma
That's a lie! They still want me!
What about all my fan-mails?
Joe
It's Max who writes you letters
Your audience has vanished
They left when you weren't looking
Nothing's wrong with being fifty
Unless you're acting twenty
Norma
I am the greatest star of them all
Joe
Goodbye, Norma
Norma
No one ever leaves a star.
Reporter
And as dawn breaks over the murder house,
Norma Desmond, famed star of yesteryear,
Is in a state of completely mental shock
Norma
This was dawn, I don't know why I'm frightened
Silent music starts to play
Happy New Year, darling
If you're with me, next year will be...next year will be..
They bring in his head on a silver tray
She kisses his mouth...she kisses his mouth...
Mad about the boy!
They'll say Norma's back at last!
Max
Madame, the cameras have arrived
Norma
Max, where am I?
Max
This is the staircase of the palace
And they're waiting for your dance
Norma
Of course, now I remember;
I was so frightened I might fall...
Max
You're the greatest star of all!
Light!
Camera!
Action!
Norma
When he scorn me I knew he'd have to die
Let me kiss his severed head
Compromise or death, he fought to his last breath
He never had it in him to surrender
Just like me, he never could surrender
I can't go on with the scene; I'm too happy.
May I say a few words, Mr. De Mille?
I can't tell you how wonderful it is
To be back in the studio making the picture.
I promise you I'll never desert you again.
This is my life. It's always will be. There's nothing else.
Just us and the cameras
And all you wonderful people out there in the dark.
And now, Mr. De Mille, I'm ready for my close-up
This time I'm staying, I'm staying for good
I'll be back where I was born to be
With one look, I'll be me.
