[♪♪♪]
WOMAN: Here's what I found out.
That all of life is a learning experience.
Everything is part of a big master plan.
But sometimes it's... Well, it's hard to read.
I mean, it's like if you get too close to the screen,
all you can see is a bunch of little dots.
You don't see the big picture until you stand back.
But when you do,
everything comes into focus.
Hi. My name is Suzanne Maretto.
No, wait. I'm sorry.
Suzanne Maretto is my married name.
My own name
is Suzanne Stone.
That's my professional name.
Suzanne Stone.
It's not like I have any negative feelings about the name Maretto.
Maretto is the name, after all,
of my husband,
who I loved very, very much.
[SNIFFLES]
Um... Heh.
Sorry.
It's also the name of his parents, Joe and Angela Maretto,
and of his lovely and talented sister, Janice Maretto,
who have been like a second family to me
and who I regard as I do my own family,
particularly since my recent tragedy.
And who, just through knowing and being related to them,
have given me what I think is a very valuable insight
into the different kinds of ethnic relationships
that are part of the very things that I've been trying to explore
as a member of the professional media.
First impressions in one word? You really want to know?
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
[WOMAN GROANS]
WOMAN: Wet.
[WHISTLES]
Four letters, begins with "C."
JOE: Larry, it's a girl.
You've never seen one of them, huh?
JANICE: Cold.
Cold. C-O-L-D. Cold.
Yeah.
MAN: What did you think of Suzanne when you met her?
I just didn't get the Suzanne thing.
I mean, all the girls around town thought Larry was really cute.
I mean, they all used to hang out at the restaurant on the nights
when my dad would let Larry and his dopey rock band play there.
Just, uh, you know?
[BAND PLAYING "SUSIE Q"]
MAN: ♪ Oh, Susie Q ♪
♪ I'm comin' to you ♪
♪ I love you My Susie Q ♪
♪ I love the way you walk ♪
♪ I love the way you talk ♪
♪ I like the way you walk I like the way you talk ♪
♪ Susie Q ♪
♪ Say go back home ♪♪
Laura Risley, I remember. She really...
Peggy Holden. I mean, she's kind of a slut.
But, I mean, he could've had anybody, basically, is what I'm saying.
But I don't know. Suzanne, blond.
I don't know.
[MOTORCYCLE ENGINE REVVING]
Well, yeah, sure, I could've said some things.
Well, to tell you the truth, I did say some things.
Yeah, it's my brother.
But in a very subtle way.
Larry, what do you think of Angela Raguzzo?
She's all right. She's hot.
LARRY: Why?
She wants you to ask her out.
Look, sis, don't try and fix me up with people. It's embarrassing.
All right.
What do you think of Dana Defalco?
You want me to go out with a girl whose father's in the mob?
Who says he's in the mob? Everybody.
Everybody. So? Don't you want a little excitement?
I got all the excitement I can take. Oh, with who? The ice maiden?
You don't know what you're talking about.
I don't? No.
Okay.
Inform me.
Well, it's none of your business.
But, Suzanne, she looks, you know, very fragile and delicate, right?
Mm-hm.
But when we're... When we're...
I mean, when I'm...
Look, I don't even know why I'm telling you this. Details are too graphic.
But let me just tell you, she's like...
She's like a volcano.
You mean, people come from miles around
just to watch her explode? Heh-heh-heh.
Is that it? Very funny.
Like Mount St. Helens? Very funny. Ha-ha-ha!
Man, when he says to me...
I'm gonna marry her.
Wait a minute. You what?
"You what?" I said. And then he says...
I'm telling you, sis, she's it.
She's the golden girl of my dreams. Oh, God.
And I did one of these:
Which I regretted right away, because, you know, he looked at me
with that kind of doggy look that guys get.
I'm just kidding. I'm kidding.
She can't even bowl.
Yes. Yes.
Let me tell you something, all right? Yeah.
She's like... She's like, uh, a delicate china doll.
Larry, you ever try kissing a doll? You know, they don't kiss back.
She's like one of those porcelain figurines that Mom collects.
She is so pure and delicate
and innocent.
You just have to look at her, and you wanna take care of her
for the rest of your life.
Yeah, I can see that.
So...
Anyway, so when she, Suzanne, says to me...
If you're actively seeking a career in the professional ice skating field...
In the spotlight, so to speak.
- I think you have to maximize your positive features.
Mm. Sure. So, what I'm saying
is that a qualified plastic surgeon
could just snip away those little beauty spots or facial blemishes,
whatever you call them. You'd see how much better you'd feel.
JANICE: You know, commenting about my face and stuff. I, you know...?
I knew where she was going, Miss Fixer-Upper.
I believe that Mr. Gorbachev...
You know, the man who ran Russia for so long?
I believe he would be in power today if he'd done what people suggested
and had that big purple thing taken off his forehead.
[LARRY LAUGHS]
I firmly believe that.
I hope to interview him. We'll discuss that
along with other more pertinent international things, you know?
I'm telling you, sis, she's gonna be the next Barbara Walters.
JANICE: Oh, is that right?
SUZANNE: Well, Barbara does have many admirable qualities.
A wide range of knowledge of current events,
and a sympathy for people's feelings,
which is a trait so many people have who are of the Jewish persuasion.
Isn't she something else?
So, yeah, that was it.
I mean, a done deal, finito.
He was a goner.
The point is that, for instance,
Connie Chung, who is married, I believe,
to Maury Povich, the well-known interviewer, doesn't say,
"Hello, this is Connie Povich with the news." Now, does she?
And I don't think she would be embarrassed by it,
because she's already pretty ethnic when you think about it.
Or to take another example,
someone who doesn't have an ethnic bone in her body.
There's Jane Pauley,
who I strongly relate to
because, you know, we have similar physical traits.
Although I don't have to struggle with the weight problem like she does.
And she also, to the best of my knowledge,
has never identified herself, audience-wise,
as Jane Trudeau,
even though her husband, Mr. Trudeau,
is a prominent cartoonist of some kind,
and not, as so many people believe, the ex-president of Canada.
So, what I'm saying is this:
There are some people who never know who they are
or who they wanna be until it's too late,
and that is a real tragedy in my book,
because I always knew who I was and who I wanted to be.
Always.
EARL: Okay. Who wants to be on TV? There she is.
CAROL: Oh, look at who's looking at herself.
EARL: Just look at that. Suzanne, look there.
CAROL: Look there. Come here. Look at the camera.
EARL: See? CAROL: Look at what a darling.
EARL: Oh, sweetheart.
CAROL: Can't you get it focused better than that?
WOMAN: And we're back with the families of Suzanne and Larry Maretto.
Mr. Stone.
Mr. Stone?
At first, I have to admit we...
We didn't think too much of it, the relationship.
I mean, here was our daughter, a college graduate.
Junior college, yes, but with good grades and a degree in...
FAYE: Electronic journalism.
Exactly.
And here was this young man,
a good boy, obviously,
but, still, a boy whose education was...
limited to high school.
And I remember saying to her, "Honey..."
I'm worried that you don't know what you're getting into with this kid.
Dad, I'm not a little girl anymore. I know that, sweetheart.
All I'm saying is that we come from pretty different backgrounds.
"For all you know, his family could be mixed up with the Mafia or something."
[AUDIENCE MURMURING]
I'm sorry, Joe. No problem, Earl.
I was just being... No, no. No. I understand.
[WOMAN SCREAMS]
Oh, I understand. Please.
Of course, she just laughed at me.
[LAUGHING]
Dad, don't worry. Well, I have to worry.
That's what dads do.
[♪♪♪]
If you ask me, I'd say that Larry appealed to a side of her
that you wouldn't ordinarily know was there.
It was a kind of a... What? Uh...
A wild side.
Well, not wild, but, uh...
[♪♪♪]
[BOTH MOANING]
Wild.
I thought he would marry... I don't know.
You know, like, a nice Italian girl.
But like the guy in The Godfather says,
"This is America, okay?
The melting pot."
Anyway, one day, Larry comes over to me. He says...
I'm gonna tell you something, Pop. She's going places.
She's got goals. You know, she's studying stuff.
She's sending out résumés all the time.
Did I show you what she gave me for my birthday?
JOE: "You Can Be The One."
The one what?
Well, the one anything. That's the point. It's self-motivation.
It's from that guy on TV, the millionaire
with all the houses and yachts.
You know?
Sounds pretty serious, Larry. Serious? Pop, I sold my drums.
You sold your drums? Yep.
JOE: And he did. He sold his drums
and he turned himself right around just for her.
[♪♪♪]
FAYE: The veil Suzanne wore,
she had copied from a picture in a magazine.
The exact same one Maria Shriver wore at her wedding.
[SHUTTER CLICKS]
Larry was, uh... He was so proud, you know,
because Suzanne, she designed the wedding rings
all by herself.
You want me to describe them for you?
They were round and gold.
I mean, big fucking deal.
LARRY: Come on, Suze, let's go!
I'll still never find a guy like you, Dad.
LARRY: Suze.
What?
[♪♪♪]
We got a postcard from Suzanne
every single day that they were on their honeymoon.
And it very much surprised us that they went to Florida,
because Suzanne was never one to lie around the beach.
But Larry was very much into boating and fishing,
and I think she just wanted to make him happy.
That's a pretty little lady you got there.
Yes, sir.
We've been married for four days and, uh, 18 hours.
I wouldn't let her out of my sight for very long.
LARRY: Well, she can't go in the sun.
It's not good to tan when you're on TV.
TV? What show is she on? Have I ever seen her?
Not yet, but you will.
[♪♪♪]
[DOOR OPENS]
SUZANNE: Hi, honey.
Suzanne.
Did you miss me?
Hm?
Did you dream about me, baby?
Suzanne.
Ahem. It must've been a pretty successful honeymoon,
because when they came back, they were...
Radiant. Exactly. Radiant.
JOE: Larry took money he was saving in case he wanted to go to college,
he put a down payment on that condo over at the Heights.
CAROL: And he bought her that pretty little Mustang.
ANGELA: Yeah. JOE: Yeah.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
Hi. EARL: How are you?
JOE: Good, good, good. SUZANNE: Come in.
Hey, Mom.
MAN: So you thought Larry changed a lot after he and Suzanne were married?
Totally. It was like suddenly, you know, he went from Van Halen
to Jerry Vale overnight.
I don't know. She didn't have any... Well, she thought she had taste, but...
[SIGHS]
Barquettes with leek chiffonade.
This is the dish that they serve
in Johnny Carson's favorite restaurant in Hollywood.
Well, hey, if it's good enough for Johnny...
[SILVERWARE CLANGS]
Well, was that some meal or what?
Oh.
I say Julia Childs better watch her back
or she'll be looking for another job, huh?
Oh, Larry.
Well, I won't be doing this every night.
I'm planning to start this exercise class so I can get rid of a few pounds.
From where? Your feet? Heh-heh-heh.
On TV the camera adds five pounds. ANGELA: Is that true?
I didn't know that. Did you know that, Joe?
No.
Talking about exercise, I gotta go.
LARRY: Hey. JANICE: I gotta rehearse.
I got a rehearsal at some god-awful hour all the way over in Norwalk.
CAROL: What are you rehearsing, dear?
Janice has a job in the Ice Follies.
They're going on tour in September. Hey, sis, that's fabulous.
JANICE: Thanks.
I'm just one of the chorus, you know, now, but...
Well, actually, I do skate this one medley.
It's kind of a, you know, salute to great TV shows.
I skate the Peggy Lipton part in The Mod Squad number, you know?
Peggy Lipton? Yeah.
I get to wear a blond wig and everything, you know?
CAROL: How exciting.
JANICE: Yeah, they're talking about, like,
well, maybe a TV special this year, so...
Now, listen. Hang on, everybody.
Because, well, we've got
a pretty important announcement ourselves to make,
and I think congratulations are in order.
[SCREAMING]
JOE: Larry.
Oh, honey. Wait, wait, wait. Cut, cut, cut.
It's not that.
You're not...? No, I'm not pregnant, for God's sake.
Oh.
Suzy's got a job. JOE: What?
LARRY: Over at WWEN, the TV station.
The first woman they ever hired. Isn't that right?
That's right.
Yep, our Suze is on her way now,
and nothing is gonna stop her.
CAROL: Oh, honey, I'm proud of you.
EARL: That's great.
We're proud of you.
EARL: Great. Great.
SAL: So how are the newlyweds? Oh, they're doing great.
Thanks, Sal. Yeah, cute kids.
Aren't they just? Yeah.
Did you like the barquettes? The what?
With the leek chiffonade. Was it okay?
We never did them before,
but she showed us this recipe in a book, so, pfft, no problem.
I never told anyone.
Even Joe.
So she couldn't cook. There are worse crimes,
as we all know.
You're not anybody in America unless you're on TV.
On TV is where we learn about who we really are,
because what's the point of doing anything worthwhile
if nobody's watching?
And if people are watching, it makes you a better person.
Marry me. Mary, say yes.
I thought she was like a goddess of some kind.
Like Lady Di before she dumped the prince
and went nudist and everything.
Suzanne bought me this dress, which I hope to fit someday.
[WOMAN SCOFFS]
Suzanne Maretto was a beautiful human being
with real dreams and "aspiritions."
[♪♪♪]
Suzanne used to say, "Opportunity is always knocking.
If you aren't listening, its knuckles get sore,
and it moves to another house."
Something like that.
She said that even on her honeymoon
she had Larry take her to this hotel
in Florida where there was gonna be this kind of convention
of all these big-shot TV people
that she'd read about in a magazine.
Which, of course, she didn't tell Larry, because she didn't want
to maybe hurt his feelings about her attending to her career
while they were bonding sexually, so to speak.
MAN: So the German reporter says to the Hungarian editor,
[IN GERMAN ACCENT] "Of course she's always smiling.
She gets faxed at least 10 times a day." Boom!
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING AND APPLAUDING]
[IN NORMAL VOICE] Thank you. Thank you.
I know that's a silly joke,
but it does illustrate our central thesis today,
which is "Here and Now in the Fast-Moving Computer Age."
It's the...
[♪♪♪]
In our fast-moving computer age,
it's the medium of television
that joins together our global community.
And it is the...
It is the television journalist who serves as messenger,
bringing the world into our homes
and our homes into the world.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
Thanks a lot.
MAN 1: The point is, Miss... Stone.
Miss Stone. Suzanne.
Suzanne Stone. That's a good name.
Now, that's a name you can remember.
The point is, Suzanne,
if you want it bad enough you'll get it,
but you gotta really want it.
You gotta be able to do things that ordinary people wouldn't do.
Mm. You see what I'm saying?
Hm. I think so.
How about another of those?
Oh, um... I don't know about that. Sweetheart?
WAITRESS: Yes. Give us another all around, okay?
Okay. Heh, heh.
Anyway, when I was at the network,
there was this gal from some 10-watt station in the Midwest
where she did the weather.
The weather.
[SNICKERS]
So she comes up to New York
in her best Donna Karan dress-for-success knockoff,
blond hair all done up in a French twist,
and an audition tape in her imitation leather briefcase,
along with a letter of introduction from her station manager.
And it says,
"Please give your most serious consideration
to the bearer of this letter."
Miss So-and-So.
"Who is of moderate intelligence,
who has some experience in broadcasting,
and, more importantly,
who can suck your cock until your eyes pop out."
[GASPS AND LAUGHS]
[CHORTLING]
[CHUCKLES]
And you know who that gal is today?
Who?
[WHISPERS INDISTINCTLY]
[GASPS]
Is that true?
It's true.
And here comes the best part.
Yes? MAN 2: This is the best part.
About 10 years ago, I'm at some TV conference somewhere
and I run into that station manager
and I congratulate him on his letter-writing skills.
And he doesn't know what I'm talking about.
[WOMAN LAUGHS]
Why doesn't he?
Because, sweetheart, he didn't write the letter.
Oh. Heh, heh.
Oh. Who did?
She did. She wrote it herself.
Oh.
Oh, I see.
It's good, isn't it? MAN 2: I love it.
[MAN 2 & WOMAN CHUCKLING]
[LAUGHING]
I watch your show all the time. MAN 2: Everybody does.
So, uh...
What do you think, Suzanne?
What...?
What do I think about what?
Well...
[DOOR OPENS]
Suzanne.
[♪♪♪]
Suze.
Hi, honey. Suze.
Where were you?
I couldn't sleep.
When I put out the sign for a gal Friday,
I figured I'd be interviewing high-school dropouts
who wouldn't mind going to the mall and picking up doughnuts
and emptying the ashtrays. That kind of thing.
And this is when we first meet Gangbusters.
That's what George and I called Suzanne.
[ED LAUGHING]
Uh, not to her face, of course.
[♪♪♪]
Mr. Grant, I am the woman you are looking for.
My name is Suzanne Stone Maretto,
but I, um, plan to use Suzanne Stone as my professional name.
I'd like you to look over my résumé,
which details both my educational background
and my references in the media field.
Mr. Grant, I can make you a solemn promise
that I will be dedicated and committed to this job.
Whoa. Hang on a second, Suzanne.
We're only looking for someone to answer the mail, run errands.
Minimum pay, no benefits.
Oh, money is not my main concern, Mr. Grant.
I just want a chance to contribute something.
I think you'll find I have very valuable ideas about programming.
Whoa, whoa. No.
You're not hearing what I'm saying. Take a look around you.
I mean, Suzanne, we're talking local cable station here.
Oh, I just want a chance to get my foot in the door.
Everybody has to start somewhere.
Do you know where Edward R. Murrow started?
No. No, I don't.
No.
No. Well, neither do I offhand. But I don't think it was at the top, do you? Hm?
I live only five minutes away from here.
I will be willing and eager
to respond to any newsworthy emergency you put in front of me.
Uh...
Mr. Grant, this is a dream I have had all my life.
I will do anything to get this job. Anything.
This is my associate, George.
Oh.
Pleased to meet you, George.
Well, we'll think about it.
I believe that my assets...
Hey, I said we'll think about it.
And we will. Okay.
Okay? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Okay.
[♪♪♪]
I believe that in our fast-moving computer age
it is the medium of television that joins together the global community,
and it is the television journalist who serves as messenger,
bringing the world into our homes and our homes into the world.
It has always been my dream to become such a messenger.
I look to you, gentlemen, now
to make that dream a reality.
Jesus Christ.
Gangbusters.
Fucking gangbusters.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
[ALARM BUZZING]
LARRY: Hey.
Hey, come on back to bed. I gotta go to work.
Come on, 10 minutes. I gotta go.
Five minutes. I gotta put my face on.
Come on. Put your face on me. Two minutes.
Take your hand away.
[BARKING]
SUZANNE: Come, Walter.
The dog was a cute little thing, now wasn't he?
She was just crazy about that dog.
ANGELA: It was darling.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
[GASPS]
[SUZANNE SQUEALING]
Oh, hello.
[MOTORCYCLE ENGINE REVVING]
[MOTORCYCLE DRIVES AWAY]
She named it Walter after Walter, um...
Is it Cronkite? The guy who used to be on TV.
I think he was Dan Rather's uncle or something.
It was like a hairball puked up by some demon from hell.
There wasn't much to do.
Most of the time she just sat over there and worked on her file.
Her idea file.
She had so many ideas.
[♪♪♪]
This is the presentation on that idea with me going to movie theaters,
talking to the people coming out to see what they really think.
An actual, um, ahem,
vox populi, if you know the term.
Here's the memo on that children's show with me as the hostess
and the live, in-studio animals.
If you could look it over tonight. Give me your thoughts in the morning.
A couple of pages outlining that concept
for interviewing everyday citizens, like mailmen,
school crossing guards,
to inform our citizenry on what kind of services are available to them.
After a few months, she wore me down.
I let her do the evening weather report, which she was fine at.
With the preparation she put into it,
you'd think she was covering D-Day. Ha-ha-ha.
GEORGE: Six, five,
four, three,
two, one.
You're on.
Good evening from the WWEN Weather Center.
Weather Center?
The heavy system we were expecting
[ON TV] Moving down from the north is not gonna show up after all,
because the high-pressure system
is going to be moving up to the north.
The temperature for tonight will remain unseasonably cool
with patches of fog in the morning and probably...
Hey, come on. Let's have some quiet here.
The winds are at seven to 10 miles per hour and sunrise will be at 6:12.
That's it for your up-to-the-minute weather report.
This is your WWEN weather person saying
I'll be with you again tomorrow evening, rain or shine.
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING ON TV]
I never really gave a rat's ass about the weather
until I got to know Mrs. Maretto.
Now I take it very serious.
If it rains
or there's lightning or thunder
or if it snows,
I have to jack off.
MAN: Uh... Hm...
Oh, right. Sorry.
[NAILBOMB'S "WASTING AWAY" PLAYING]
♪ No values anymore ♪
♪ Nowhere to turn Wasting away ♪
♪ Right down on you ♪
♪ Wasting away ♪
♪ Suffer more, somebody still ♪
♪ Found release locked away ♪
♪ Right down on you ♪
♪ Wasting away ♪♪
[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]
Today's guest, Mrs. Maretto,
is a representative of our local television station, WWEN.
SUZANNE: On-air correspondent. I'm sorry?
Well, actually, I'm an on-air correspondent.
Well, that's fine.
Anyway, Mrs. Maretto has asked to have a few words with you,
and I know that while I'm gone you will give her your best attention.
Here's my best attention.
[STUDENTS LAUGHING]
Did you say something, Russell?
No, Mr. Finlaysson, I didn't.
I didn't.
[DOOR OPENS THEN CLOSES]
Well, first of all, I would like to thank you all
for extending me the courtesy of your time and attention.
I got something to extend.
[STUDENTS LAUGHING]
And I would like to say that I hope you'll all be as excited
about the project I'm here to propose to you as I am.
First of all, I want to ask
have any of you actually ever been on television before?
Not counting home video, of course.
No one?
[RUSSELL SLURPING]
I was.
[STUDENTS LAUGHING]
SUZANNE: What's your name? Lydia Mertz.
And how did it happen that you made this appearance?
Oh, it was down at Benson's Electronics.
They have this video camera in the window
and when you walk by they take your picture.
[STUDENTS LAUGHING]
Well, Lydia, this may come as a surprise,
but that is how some of our most famous personalities started out.
Just seeing what they look like, accidentally.
Is that true? Absolutely.
Now, I am producing a television documentary
about kids just like yourselves,
because it is teenagers like you
who are the future of our nation.
And, after all, I used to be a teenager myself once,
back in the Dark Ages. Heh, heh.
So I would like to find out about your way of life.
How you feel about your education,
how you feel about things like peer pressure,
how you feel about drugs,
um, rap music.
Pussy?
[STUDENTS LAUGHING]
Do we have to get permission slips from our parents for this?
No. No, that wouldn't be necessary.
Hey, when did your folks learn to read and write?
Hey, read this, shitface.
[STUDENTS GROANING AND LAUGHING]
All right. All right.
[STUDENTS CHATTERING]
All right, all right, all right.
I am going to put this list on your bulletin board.
And any of you who think this project
would be as meaningful as I know it can be
just put their names on it.
And I would also like to thank you all
[CHATTERING STOPS]
For your interest.
Everything settled then? Yes.
Well, then let's give Mrs. Maretto our thanks
and a round of applause.
Thank you. Thank you.
[SCHOOL BELL RINGS]
Sign up.
[NAILBOMB'S "WASTING AWAY" PLAYING]
Suzanne.
I'd never really signed up for anything before
except an after-school Weight Watchers program,
which I was asked to leave anyway because they said I wasn't motivated
and because I gained 11 pounds in three weeks.
But this was different, because it turned out to be
the most important thing I ever did.
[CLATTERING]
FINLAYSSON: Now, here's some advice, Russell dear.
That nice Mrs. Maretto is married to a boy
whose father is a pillar of the Italian-American community,
and if he knew how you had insulted
his only beloved daughter-in-law,
he would make one phone call
and a man would show up in the middle of the night and turn you into a eunuch.
You know what a eunuch is, Russell? Of course you don't.
But you can find it in the dictionary.
If you don't know how to spell it, look it up
under "nutless wonders."
So I'm thinking, there must be some simple way
for you to make it up to Mrs. Maretto
for your offensive behavior.
What do you think? Hm?
Wow, a eunuch.
♪ Suffer more, somebody still ♪
♪ Found release locked away ♪
♪ Built up high ♪
♪ Right down on you ♪
♪ Wasting away ♪♪
I have to say that the staff at WWEN
responded with total enthusiasm to my project
and gave me excellent support
both editorially and technically.
I think they could sense immediately
that I was onto something important in a sociological sense.
She must've taped God knows how many hundreds of hours
with these three dorky kids
who, from what I've seen, would have a major struggle
just reciting the days of the week in proper order.
Forget about social insights.
Here, I'll show you.
[CLEAR THROAT]
This is Teens Speak Out project, tape one, take one.
JIMMY: No, no, no.
I'm Suzanne Stone and these are...
All right, now, let's just say something in general about ourselves.
LYDIA: Like what?
Like what do you plan to do with your future, Lydia?
[RUSSELL HAWKS AND SPITS]
I don't exactly have a plan.
SUZANNE: Well, you must have aspirations of some kind.
What? A dream, a life goal.
RUSSELL: I can tell you Lydia's big life goal.
Yeah?
It's to fuck the New Kids on the Block.
That's a dirty lie. Russell.
I don't wanna hear language like that. It is offensive,
and it is unsuitable for broadcast under FCC regulations.
You got that? Yeah.
LYDIA: Anyways, it was Mötley Crüe.
All right, Lydia.
LYDIA: Just for your information. What about you, James?
James?
James.
Huh?
I think you get the point that it's not, "Mike Wallace, eat your heart out."
But I have to say I've never seen more persistence.
I, uh... I once said to her...
What about...? What about we call it a night?
Uh...
Just need to get this reel cleaned up.
An hour, maybe two. You go ahead. I'll lock up.
Don't you have that nice husband waiting at home for you?
Well, he knows how much this means to me.
He works full-time at his dad's restaurant, so he gets home real late.
Well, Suzanne, I sure pity the person who says no to you.
No one ever does.
[♪♪♪]
Why are you tying her up again?
Why is she tied up again?
WOMAN: Just leave her alone.
Untie yourself.
Leave her alone. If she runs away...
MAN [ON TV]: As Scripture says, God is the light.
JIMMY: Ouch. Fucker. And that light, friends, is heaven.
Heaven is waiting for you.
SUZANNE: James?
James.
See, nobody ever called me that before.
All anyone ever called me was
Jimmy or Jimbo or other stuff.
My mom told me that I was named Jimmy
after this old movie star she liked
named Jimmy Dean.
But...
Well, when anyone ever asked me, I always said that I was named Jim
after Jim Morrison of The Doors,
because, you know,
he had this great kind of life,
like, just traveling around and writing his songs
and having women beg him to do it to them,
even to take his, uh...
organ out on-stage.
The kind of life that I always thought I'd like to have.
RUSSELL: I bet he jumps her all the time, you know?
Like after dinner, just bang, right on the kitchen table.
Fucking during even.
Yeah. Maybe both.
Those skinny bitches, they can't get enough of it, you know?
They're always wanting it. That's a medical fact.
JIMMY: Yeah.
RUSSELL: It's because the nerves in their body are all bunched up in their snatch.
You know what I mean? They're all right up in there, so they're all whack.
I don't think that's true.
What are you, a doctor?
She's a perfectly nice person.
You think she's gonna make you a big movie star, huh, Lydia?
Just to be on TV will be something nice.
It will be something different.
I got something different for you right here, all right?
You're a disgusting pig. Yeah.
[SNORTING]
[GLASS SHATTERING]
You know what we should do? We should get some money out of her.
What makes you think she's got any? What, are you shitting me?
Her husband, Mr. Fucking-Big-Cock,
owns a fucking guinea restaurant, all right?
Look at the car she drives. Look at her fucking fingernails.
Big, red, sculpted, glossy nails.
She got plenty of money. That's rich-bitch stuff.
Yeah, maybe.
You think she's some kind of hot shit, don't you?
She just looks... What?
Clean.
All right, come on. They're ready. Larry, Larry, Larry.
Kids, stop it.
ANGELA: That's a real pretty outfit, honey.
Thanks.
Hey, Suze. You want one of these? No, thanks.
No? What about one of these? You're going in the pool.
No, thanks. ANGELA: Heh-heh-heh.
Sure is great with those kids. He's gotta stop eating junk.
He's getting a rubber tire around him like some old man.
He'll make a wonderful father someday.
He calls them love handles. I call them flab.
What about you? Me? You think I look fat?
No. What about the idea of kids?
That's what I mean. Well, I love kids.
I absolutely love them,
but a woman in my field with a baby has two strikes against her.
Say I'm in New York, right... New York?
Well, for instance. And I'm suddenly called on some foreign assignment
like a royal wedding or a revolution in South America.
You can't run from place to place with your crew
and conduct serious interviews with a big, fat stomach.
Or say you've already had the baby, and you've got this blubber,
these boobs out to here.
Oof. It's just so gross.
[BOY SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY]
Hey, careful. Hey.
[LARRY BELCHES]
LARRY: Excuse me. Hm. Nice.
You having a good time?
Well, I want to get out of the sun.
I have to go prepare my show.
I sure would like to have a couple of them around the house.
What do you think, Suze?
Suze. What do you think?
I think if you wanted a babysitter, you should've married Mary Poppins.
[DOOR OPENS]
Hi, Ed. Wake up, George.
Let's hit it.
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING ON TV]
Hi, everybody.
This is Suzanne Stone with your late-night, sign-off weather report
from the WWEN Weather Center.
I don't think I need to tell you that today was a hot one.
That old mercury zoomed on up to 91.
That's a record-breaking temperature for this date.
Tomorrow promises to be more of the same,
with relevant numbers way up in the 90s
humidity to match, and maybe just a hint of a breeze or two.
[♪♪♪]
Won't be much help with this heat, the kind of heat
that makes me want to head for that swimming hole with my friend James,
strip off everything, including my panties,
which you can see through anyway,
poke my soft, pink tongue in his mouth,
slide my hand way up the inside of his leg
until he's so hot that he rolls over on top of me,
and I'm yelling, "James," his name.
James.
What are you doing to me
with your big, fat, hard...?
[BEEPING ON TV]
Oh, Jesus.
[GROANS]
Listen to me, Larry. Okay.
[♪♪♪]
So she finishes her little docudrama,
whatever the fuck it is. She sends it off to someone in New York,
and while she's waiting for an answer,
you should, forgive the expression, knock her up.
Knock her up and then...
Whoa, whoa. Whoa. Los Angeles? What does Los Angeles got to do with it?
A course in what?
Advanced media?
Advanced bullshit, Larry.
Look, I'm sorry. You're my brother, okay?
I know you love her and you want her to succeed and all that,
but sometimes, man, you just gotta say no.
What do you mean, how? N-O, that's how.
MAN [ON TV]: Comes to the right of the key, throws up a hook shot.
It's good!
And the score is again tied here in the first half at the Palace.
With the ball, Skeeter Jones brings the ball to the...
LARRY: Suzanne? - Bounce pass to Meadows...
Yeah? Jump shot on the way, bingo!
Unbelievable play.
What are you doing?
Just sitting here, waiting for you.
Larry, I asked you to please keep your feet off the coffee table.
We gotta talk about some things, Suzanne.
What kind of things?
I think you know what kind of things.
No. No, I don't.
Larry, can't this wait until tomorrow? I'm really tired.
No.
What?
No, I don't think it can wait. No.
[♪♪♪]
Sit down. We're gonna talk about this stuff.
The thing is, I think we got this great future ahead of us.
I just want to make sure we both understand what the priorities are.
I think Pop's gonna let me take over managing the restaurant.
And I got a lot of exciting ideas,
like introducing some new menu items
and bringing in some live music on the weekends
and maybe... Maybe even one night a week,
open house for local singers and comics,
which you, with your TV background, you could help me with.
You know, maybe shooting the acts
and then maybe selling the tapes,
which you could edit yourself, back to the performers.
I talked to my folks about it, and they thought it'd be a great idea.
Great idea. Really.
And believe me, Suze, I am not selling short what you're doing now.
I mean, the weather report stuff,
which you're really good at.
But let's face facts.
It's probably not gonna
lead to any big network offers.
Now, this way,
we could be working together in both our respective fields,
doing what a family is supposed to be doing.
A family, that's what I'm talking about, Suze, huh?
What do you think?
Um...
[♪♪♪]
I'll think about it.
It's true that the road my husband and I chose to travel on
was paved with many speed bumps.
Larry said he would never stand in my way, whatever happened.
But the word "failure" is not part of my vocabulary.
My commitment to my career or my marriage, or whatever,
has always been 110 percent.
Regardless of how fast I was growing in my vocation, I would never leave Larry behind.
The word "divorce" was never mentioned.
[♪♪♪]
Ta-da. What do you think?
Oh. Wow. Like the color?
Yeah. It doesn't make me look fat?
No. I think I'm gonna get it.
Oh, Jesus. Heh-heh-heh. Mr. Maretto is going to...
Mr. Maretto? Pfft. Yeah, right.
Let me tell you something, Lydia.
No. No, you wouldn't understand. Maybe I would.
[SCOFFS]
Well, you grow up, you know?
You think it's all gonna be like a fairy tale.
Like you're Sleeping Beauty and along comes this Prince Charming.
And he looks at you and it's nighttime.
And he smiles at you and kisses you.
Yeah, I know that story.
And then...
Then you wake up,
and it's daylight,
and you look at him.
It's just when you work all day, trying to perfect yourself
and create something meaningful, you expect support.
Does anyone say, "Did you have a good shoot?" Or "How's the editing?"
Or anything of that nature?
I guess not.
No.
I mean, the point is,
Larry is a nice guy, you know,
but he just doesn't know a thing about television.
Let's get out of here.
Mrs. Maretto bought me lots of nice stuff,
like this ankle bracelet, for instance.
And a bottle of real expensive perfume.
A "scent," she called it,
which I'm saving for a special occasion.
No one ever really bought me stuff before
except my mom's boyfriend, Chester,
who got me for my birthday when I was 12,
a bottle of something called Garden of Eden body oil,
which he said would be good for my skin
and which he wanted to show me how to use,
which I let him do.
He did other things for a while.
When I was 13, I got this mild case of T.B.
And he wasn't so interested anymore.
You just have to block that out of your memory,
like some scary TV movie where you change the channel
and you pretend like it never happened.
The whole thing will be like a bad dream.
Yeah, anyway, my mom keeps this gun hidden up in her closet
because of all the sex-fiend killers around.
And one time, I told him if he didn't leave me alone,
I'd get it out and I'd shoot him.
I mean, he didn't give me any more trouble or anything.
Now I guess I wish I hadn't told her all that
because maybe it put some ideas in her mind or something.
I don't know.
I just told her stuff I'd never told anyone, because she was my friend.
She was my only real friend.
Where are you going?
Oh, I told you, hon.
Pop and I are going up to the trade show in Freeport.
We're leaving from the restaurant. I told you.
Yeah. Right. Right.
Look, are you gonna be okay? Sure.
Suze, will you think about what we talked about?
I have been.
That's great, hon, because I believe
I got something here that's really gonna work.
And you know who I want with me by my side, don't you?
Who? Who? My best girl, that's who.
My beautiful little lady.
Look, I left the phone number on the fridge.
And don't forget to lock the garage.
SUZANNE: Bye.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[♪♪♪]
[CAR ENGINE STARTS]
[CAR DRIVES AWAY]
[MOANS]
[ENGINE RUMBLES]
[DOORBELL RINGS]
Hi.
You know what I'm thinking, Larry?
Why don't we get some artificial plants for the restaurant?
Good idea.
We don't have to water them.
Exactly.
[STRAWPEOPLE'S "WINGS OF DESIRE" PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS]
SUZANNE: Come on, Liddy.
I can't do this, Mrs. Maretto.
Yeah, of course you can.
You just have to let your natural sense of rhythm take over.
♪ Nothing is wrong ♪
I don't think I have one of those.
Yeah, she really stinks at this. SUZANNE: Here.
Watch me. Watch me.
Watch my hips.
You can do that.
Can't you?
[CHUCKLES]
I can't do that. SUZANNE: Of course you can.
You just have to move. Move your body.
Come on.
Come on. Relax.
Relax. You're like a stick.
I can't do this. Move your hips.
No, I gotta sit down. This is... This is making me feel all funny.
Come on, James.
Heh.
SUZANNE: Come on.
Over here.
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah ♪♪
[JIMMY CHUCKLING]
SUZANNE: Come on, James.
I'm dancing.
SUZANNE: Liddy?
Yeah?
Would you do me an enormous favor?
Sure. What?
Walter hasn't been out for hours.
Would you take him for a walk around the block?
Yeah. Sure. SUZANNE: I'm gonna go upstairs.
Take my sweater off.
It's really hot in here. Yeah.
SUZANNE: When you come back, I'll fix us something to eat.
Okay.
Oh, and, Liddy?
Don't let him come back until he's done his business, okay?
Like a good little boy.
[JIMMY CHUCKLES]
[SUZANNE GIGGLES]
I'm back.
[LYDIA RHODES' "LIVE IT COOL" PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS IN DISTANCE]
Hello?
I have to use the bathroom.
[SUZANNE CHUCKLES]
♪ I like this groove I like this groove ♪
♪ I like this groove ♪
♪ Mm, mm, mm ♪
♪ It's kind of funky ♪
♪ I like this groove I like this groove ♪
♪ Think I'm gonna dance Let's do it ♪
♪ Fabulous ♪
♪ Let's do it ♪
[SUZANNE PANTING]
♪ Go on, go on, go on ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
[JIMMY MOANS]
♪ Be cool, be cool ♪
♪ Gotta play it by the rules ♪
[SUZANNE MOANING]
♪ Play it right ♪♪
[JIMMY PANTING]
SUZANNE: Oh, yeah.
It was like I was in one of those...
Okay, you know those great movies
where everyone is coming out of their graves?
With, like, half their faces missing
and their eyes hanging out and their lips falling off?
You know those?
JIMMY: I think I'll get sick.
And they're all walking around,
like, real slow like this.
They're all walking like this and kind of grunting.
[CHATTERING]
MAN: Come on, now.
SUZANNE: Oh, this will be great.
And they're all looking for the same thing.
For regular live people, to eat their flesh
and drink their blood and all.
Come on, James. Smile. Smile.
[LAUGHING]
And they can't help themselves
because they're dead
and that's just what happens.
That's what I felt like.
[SUZANNE SOBBING]
You gotta tell me what's wrong, please.
[♪♪♪]
James, do you think about me when we're not together?
All I do is think about you.
When I'm not with you, I'm not alive.
Mrs. Maretto,
you're the best thing that ever happened to me.
I can't do this anymore. What?
I can't go home every night and have him try to touch me.
And all the time I'm just thinking about you.
About us.
And when I push him away, he has this temper.
What do you mean?
Does he hurt you?
Oh.
There were these women, you know,
on The Sally Jesse Raphael Show the other day.
They were all wearing disguises so their husbands couldn't find them.
They were living in shelters, and I thought I could live in one of them.
If they let me bring Walter with me, I could live in one of them.
Someplace in another state where no one even knows who I am.
Look. Couldn't you just get a divorce?
And then... But then he would get the condo.
And he'd get the car. And he'd take Walter from me.
He'd take Walter. Listen.
I know you think I'm just a kid, but...
I could never do anything bad to you
or ever hurt you.
A guy that does that to someone like you
doesn't deserve to live.
That's the truth. He doesn't deserve to live.
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
No. I suppose you're right.
He doesn't.
[LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S "SWEET HOME ALABAMA" PLAYING ON RADIO]
Oh, fuck! I love this song!
Don't you love this song?
I don't know.
Whoo!
♪ Big wheels keep on turnin' ♪
♪ Carry me home to see my kin ♪
♪ Singin' songs About the Southland ♪
♪ I miss Alabamy once again And I think it's a sin, yes ♪
♪ Sweet home Alabama ♪
♪ Where the skies are so blue ♪♪
[♪♪♪]
Mrs. Maretto used to let me drive around in her car
even though I didn't even have a learner's permit.
Because she said when she'd be living in California
and doing her TV shows, she'd make me her assistant,
and I'd have to drive her around places
and help her answer her personal fan mail.
I guess this is the most exciting time of my life.
It was like living in a really great movie,
except it was kind of X-rated
on account of all the sex stuff, you know?
Hey. Oh. Don't stop.
You didn't answer my question.
What question was that?
Did you talk to Russell?
Uh... Yeah, I did.
Well, what did he say?
He wants a thousand dollars.
Is that all? And some CDs.
[JIMMY PANTING]
Oh, come on. Did you get the gun?
No, not yet.
Why not?
I don't know. I guess I thought you'd ask Lydia or...
I can't ask Liddy. You have to ask Liddy.
Don't you understand?
I guess so, but I thought...
Do you want me to keep doing what I was doing?
Yeah, please. Okay.
Then you have to do what you have to do.
JIMMY: Oh, God.
So when will it happen? Ow. Oh, come on. Please don't...
I just want to know when. Let's just do this.
I don't know.
Whenever. Jesus. Oh.
Look, if you don't know, I guess I'll have to find somebody who does.
Oh. Mrs. Maretto, you have to understand. This...
No. I think I do understand.
Obviously you're not the mature individual that I thought you were.
No.
Actually, I just had a thought.
Maybe a better way to go on the whole thing.
What's that?
Russell.
What about him?
Russell's enough of a man to take charge of the situation.
Well... He looks at me in a certain way.
I think he'd be very appreciative of what I could do for him.
What do you think?
I think we could probably do it next week.
Is that soon enough?
Would you really do that for me, James?
Anything.
And then we can be together.
And you can sleep over.
And we could do anything we wanna do.
Anything? Yeah.
[CHUCKLING]
[MOANS]
Anything.
[♪♪♪]
Got it? Yeah, Angela, stand back.
Tell me if it's straight.
Oh. It looks great.
[LARRY WHISTLES]
LARRY: Hey, Walter.
Five.
[♪♪♪]
Walter.
Four.
Come on, boy.
Let's go for a walk.
Three.
[LARRY KISSING]
Walter.
Two.
One.
[LARRY GRUNTING]
Hi, everybody.
This is Suzanne Stone, live. LARRY: What do you want?
Don't fucking move.
LARRY: Just take whatever you want and get out.
Come on, Jimmy. Now. Wait.
[WALTER BARKING]
Just wait.
Okay, take the watch. It's a Rolex. I know it's a fucking Rolex.
Think it's the first time I've seen a Rolex? Give me your fucking chain.
Hey. Give me your chain.
[SUZANNE MOANING]
SUZANNE: You've probably noticed it's been another beautiful evening
with a slight chill in the air
and those autumn temperatures right about where they should be.
Now, Jim. Now. Do it.
No, no. No, please. No, wait. Give me your ring.
My ring? RUSSELL: Give it to me.
LARRY: Look, man, I can't give you my ring.
My wife will kill me, man.
She'd kill you? Suzanne would kill you?
Hey, you know my wife?
SUZANNE: The good news is...
Oh! RUSSELL: Jimmy, now. Do it.
Now. Fucking now, asshole. Do it.
God, forgive me.
So for the next few days, it should be just about perfect
for boat season weather.
Well, that's about it for tonight. I'm Suzanne Stone saying...
I'll see you tomorrow, rain or shine.
[♪♪♪]
And if you'll allow me, just a personal note.
Um, a special greeting to my husband, Larry,
on this, our first anniversary.
Good night, honey.
Come on.
[PHONE RINGS]
ANGELA: Hello.
[ANGELA SCREAMS]
Oh, God!
MAN: Folks, that's it.
[CROWD CHATTERING]
[PHONE RINGING]
Hello.
Anything?
BEN: We got a little dirt. Who knows?
And this. What?
I don't know.
Feels like pieces of shell.
MAN: Janice Maretto? Yeah, that's me.
Telephone call at the desk. Oh, okay.
[CHATTERING]
Hello.
What?
Oh.
Thank you.
[RECEIVER CLATTERS]
[WHIMPERING]
MAN [ON TV]: Hey, wake up.
We're open right now.
All Saturday night around the clock.
Was there an incident at the restaurant?
Some guy came in and drink too much
or said something to him? No.
MAN: Five-piece, all-wood dinettes in Colonial, oak and white.
Your choice, 297.
WOMAN: Complete king bed set: Mattress, box, frame, 297.
MAN: That's Tom Peterson. WOMAN: And Gloria too.
ANNOUNCER: And that concludes our broadcast day at WWEN.
Your community access station serving Little Hope
and the greater Hope County area.
["THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER" PLAYING ON TV]
You don't have to talk to those people if you don't want to.
[♪♪♪]
[CHURCH BELLS TOLLING]
[PRIEST SPEAKING IN LATIN]
That's what surprised me.
That he didn't put up much of a fight.
I mean, for a guy with such a mean temper.
When I was standing in the hall
with the gun,
I was trying to keep from being too nervous
by thinking about Mrs. Maretto
and how we'd be together for the rest of our lives.
[SCOFFS]
PRIEST: Let us take leave of our brother.
JIMMY: Living in California, Florida, somewhere,
lying around on beaches where everyone goes topless
and working on her TV show.
PRIEST: When the love of Christ, which conquers all things,
destroys even death itself.
Amen.
[ERIC CARMEN'S "ALL BY MYSELF" PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS]
♪ All by myself ♪
♪ Don't wanna be ♪
♪ All by myself ♪
♪ Anymore ♪
♪ All by myself ♪
♪ Don't wanna live ♪
♪ All by... ♪♪
I just knew.
I don't know why I knew. I just... I just knew.
It was like a light just went off in my head, and I knew she'd...
I knew she just got rid of him.
Just got in her way.
[SNIFFLING]
Anyway, um...
So, um...
Yeah, and then I didn't see her again. That was the last time I saw her.
Suzanne.
I'm sorry. Could we...?
Could we stop for a second?
[DOORBELL RINGS]
[SUZANNE SIGHS]
What do you want, Liddy? Just to talk.
Look, I'm really busy right now. What do you want to talk about?
What we're gonna do. We?
You and me and Jimmy.
I'm scared. There's nothing to be scared about.
You and I and Jimmy are gonna stay miles away from each other.
That's what we're gonna do. Well, he's here.
Here? Shit, where?
Across the street.
Jesus Christ. Get in here.
Get in here quick.
Now, you listen to me. You tell James to stay away, all right?
What is the matter with you people? Don't you watch Mystery Theater?
He says that he needs to see you and that he's dying of love.
[SIGHS]
Tell him to call a doctor.
And Russell wants his money and his CDs.
Oh. Really? You tell Russell if he doesn't keep his mouth shut,
he's gonna be playing his CDs in the gas chamber.
Suzanne. What else? What do you want?
Just to be like before, like we were.
Lydia, we can't be like we were.
We have to forget we ever knew each other.
Go on, get out of here.
What about the TV show in California and everything?
Oh. Jesus, Liddy. Get real.
God.
[WHISPERING] What happened? What did she say?
[JIMMY & LYDIA SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
Did you tell her I love her? Yes, I did.
She said you were sick and you needed to see a doctor.
[JIMMY GROANS]
[CAR HORN HONKING]
Ed. Ed.
Hello, Suzanne.
Look... How's it going?
Ed, I'm real unhappy I haven't been able to give you an exclusive on everything.
Pardon? I mean...
There's all these news markets just clamoring for attention
and I have to consider future possibilities.
Of course. You know, I understand absolutely.
Good. Good. Ed, I need to collect my tapes.
With the publicity, I've decided to finish my documentary...
Well, there's gonna be a slight problem.
Problem? The cops took them.
What do you mean? They came and they took them away.
Why would they do that?
They said it was standard procedure. But those tapes belong to me!
Well, technically speaking, Suzanne, those tapes actually belong to us.
I mean, to the station, until such time...
I'll show you the section that piqued the cops' interest, you might say.
SUZANNE: Today we're talking about sexually transmitted diseases
and teenage attitudes toward them.
Would anyone like to start it off?
Personally, I'm against them.
[STUDENTS LAUGHING]
Let's see if we can be more specific.
What do you think of when I say the word "AIDS"?
BOY 1: Queers. BOY 2: Perversion.
The old Hershey highway.
[STUDENTS LAUGHING]
Settle down, children.
What about you, Liddy?
Supposing you were in a sexual relationship with a student.
Would you expect that person to wear a condom?
LYDIA: I don't know. I mean...
I guess it would depend on, you know, what kind of person he was.
Yeah, a blind person.
[CLEARS THROAT]
How about you, James?
Are you personally concerned about AIDS?
Oh, um...
Well, in my present situation...
Well, in the relationship I got going,
I don't worry about that type of thing.
She's not that kind of person.
She's very clean.
[STUDENTS MURMURING]
That's the piece Geraldo used with some minor editing.
And itwas on First Edition and American Justice.
We made a few bucks on this one, and got a nice credit.
MAN [ON TV]: - In the Holy Spirit, I want you to bow down...
BEN: Arms straight up.
Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for my life.
Think a little bit about your life. Think about what you can part with.
A dollar? Ten dollars? A hundred dollars?
How important is Jesus in your life?
[♪♪♪]
As you can imagine,
I was shocked beyond comprehension.
I mean, to think that these disadvantaged youngsters
who I had taken under my wing and spent my time with
and who would only stand to ultimately benefit
from my media savvy...
To think that they might be responsible for this heinous crime?
It simply boggles one with disbelief.
Of course, I realized,
and I hope this doesn't sound callous,
that the upside to all this, assuming justice prevailed,
is that I would have an extremely marketable commodity.
Something that even PBS would take an interest in.
Which would mean a smaller audience,
but a much larger prestige factor.
MIKE: Want to tell us about it? JIMMY: I got nothing to tell.
MIKE: Your friend Russell told us plenty.
Like what?
He said your dick was bigger than your brain.
Heh, heh. Oh, yeah? He really said that?
BEN: I don't think he meant it as a compliment.
MIKE: Fucking amateurs.
Who? Listen, as career criminals,
you guys flunk out of kindergarten.
Your prints are on the gun.
Your pal left a trail of clam shells all over the murder scene.
BEN: You boys did everything but leave a business card.
MIKE: There's Larry Maretto's blood all over those shoes you wore.
Yeah. And pieces of Larry's brains.
He used to beat her up all the time. MIKE: Uh-huh.
He said he was gonna kill her. I'm sure he did.
We were going to California because
she said I had real potential in TV because of my voice.
Doing what with your voice? JIMMY: Sports.
Like being a sports announcer.
So when did you start banging her?
It wasn't like that. MIKE: What was it like?
It was just...
We were...
BEN: You were what?
In love.
[CRYING]
[♪♪♪]
We were in love.
MIKE: How many times? How many times did you do it, you and Mrs. Maretto?
I don't know.
Lots, I guess. BEN: Where?
In her bed? In her and her dead husband's bed?
Yeah, sometimes.
MIKE: Where else?
In her car.
In her car? Yeah.
And once at school.
Jesus Christ. At school, huh?
JIMMY: Yeah. In the back of the gym.
And once late at night at the station where she does her weather reports.
And twice at the motel on Piedmont.
Oh, and the back of Russell's truck. Heh.
And the movie theater on Hayworth.
Oh, a couple times at her parents' house
when they were away on some vacation or something.
And...
Also in the field behind the gas station.
But, uh...
Probably where you get your doughnuts and coffee and stuff.
It's close.
Suzanne?
Hi, Liddy.
Is it my imagination, or is that diet working, huh?
You lost a few pounds in there? Ha-ha-ha.
I don't know. I haven't been eating much lately.
What's this about talking to the police?
I just figured that Russell would tell them everything, so...
SUZANNE [OVER HEADPHONES]: Look. No one's gonna believe anything Russell or Jimmy say.
They're just a couple of punks.
They wouldn't be in this deep shit if they kept their mouths shut.
There's no evidence that we're involved.
I wasn't anywhere near the house.
And if they did find out anything, you know who'd be in trouble, don't you?
You would. Heh, heh. What do you mean?
If you hadn't gotten your mother's gun,
Larry would still be alive, wouldn't he?
But you asked me to. No, I didn't.
No. Jimmy did. Don't you remember that?
But you asked Jimmy, and you told Russell that you'd pay.
No, I don't think so.
SUZANNE: Now, you listen to me.
I never gave Russell any money. Do you understand?
The way I remember, it was your plan all along. You and Jimmy.
You had this fixation about me, and you were getting a kick out it,
like people with your sexual problems tend to do.
Russell went along with you because Russell is basically an evil, little fucking scumbag
who, I'll bet, you were having some kind of sex with in spite of your lesbian tendencies.
Wait a minute! Wait for what?
I thought we were friends.
[CRYING]
Well, okay, then.
Hm?
Can you take some advice from a friend?
You keep your fucking mouth shut.
[CHUCKLING]
It's their word against mine. Who are they?
A bunch of 16-year-old losers who grew up in trailers
whose parents sit around drinking and screwing their cousins.
[CHUCKLING]
I'm a professional person, for chrissake.
I come from a good home.
Who do you think a jury would believe?
LAWYER: Thank God we still have legal procedures in this country.
The court has wisely ruled this is a clear case of police entrapment.
The tapes were found to be inadmissible evidence in the courtroom.
[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
My client was granted bail in the amount of $200,000,
which was steep, but at least she will be able to assist us
in the preparation of her defense.
[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
REPORTER 1: Do you have a statement? You have something you'd like to say?
REPORTER 2: Suzanne. Suzanne, please say something.
I just wanna say...
It's nice to live in a country
where life, liberty
and all the rest of it still stand for something.
Thank you. What are you gonna do now?
I'm gonna go home and walk my dog. Thank you.
REPORTER 3: How are you gonna address the questions?
Will you take the stand in your defense?
Suzanne, did you get those kids to kill your husband?
I loved Larry Maretto
with all my heart.
But the fact is...
my husband had a serious cocaine problem.
There.
I've said it.
I finally said it.
I believe that while I was making my documentary
Teens Speak Out,
James and Russell became acquainted
with my husband without me knowing
and got him addicted to drugs
and became his main supplier.
[ON TV] And when he tried to break free of them,
or maybe when he told them
that he was thinking of turning them in to the law...
they killed him.
I had no intention of revealing this dark side
of my late husband's character
because I wanted to spare his parents the pain.
But I just don't have a choice anymore.
I have to defend myself with the truth.
[♪♪♪]
There were times when...
[SUZANNE SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ON TV]
SUZANNE: And I know someday when my fight is over,
I will be joining my husband
in the heaven that he so fervently believed in.
And that was the last time that we...
The last time we saw her. SUZANNE: And that...
That pretty well brings us up to date.
Until your phone call,
which I must say wasn't entirely unexpected,
since in the last few days a number of interesting offers for my story
have been literally pouring in from the networks
and some major movie studios.
I totally understand why we'll be keeping this meeting confidential
until such time as we may come to a mutually beneficial agreement.
And I have to admit,
that I really do enjoy
this spy-story aspect of our first rendezvous, if I may call it that.
Because I think that being a good investigative reporter
is very much like being a kind of secret agent.
I hope you enjoy viewing this document,
which I believe could serve as the first draft
that you Hollywood people are so richly rewarded for.
Well, I guess that's a wrap.
[CHUCKLES]
[♪♪♪]
Come on, Walter.
MAN: Suzanne? Yes.
Finally. The famous Suzanne Maretto.
Oh. How nice to meet you.
[JOINTS CRACK]
Ow. Heh.
Did you come all the way from Hollywood?
I came a long distance to see you.
Who's this?
Oh.
This is Walter.
Walter. Hi, Walter.
[GIGGLING]
I don't know why, but I thought that you'd be older,
running a big studio and everything.
Well, I am older.
[♪♪♪]
Come on out. I want to show you something.
Okay.
I brought my tape.
MAN: Let's go. Let's go for a walk. Come on.
[SUZANNE GIGGLING]
Whoa.
Where are we going?
To show you.
What?
Whoa.
It has to do with your story. It is so funny.
SUZANNE: I don't see why we have to go here.
Yeah.
[♪♪♪]
And this is for you. Thank you very much.
You're welcome. It looks good. Thanks, Mrs. Maretto.
[PHONE RINGS]
Maretto's.
[SPEAKING IN ITALIAN]
I understand.
Thank you.
[♪♪♪]
JIMMY: I'll be here
every day for life.
Plus 30 years, if I live that long.
Russell copped a plea and got only 16 years.
I miss him.
He was my friend.
And Lydia too. She was okay.
Mostly Mrs. Maretto.
And the weird thing is
now it's hard for me to even remember what she looked like.
You know?
Except when I dream about her,
which I do every night.
I dream I'm at a baseball game,
and I'm way up in the broadcasting booth.
And I'm calling all the plays.
And she's sitting right next to me
with her hand on my leg, feeling me up.
I can hardly wait to get to sleep at night.
Suzanne used to say that you're not really anybody in America
unless you're on TV.
Because what's the point of doing anything worthwhile
if there's nobody watching?
So when people are watching, it makes you a better person.
So if everybody was on TV all the time,
everybody would be better people.
But if everybody was on TV all the time,
there wouldn't be anybody left to watch.
That's where I get confused.
Anyhow, they're flying me to go on Oprah next weekend.
I hope she's gonna give me some diet tips.
And Phil Donahue called too.
To tell you the truth, I'm kind of nervous about that one,
because I honestly can't follow what he's saying most of the time.
There's some others too that I can't really remember offhand.
But it's really something when you think that I'm the one who's gonna be famous.
Suzanne would die if she knew.
WOMAN: End sticks.
[CLAPBOARD CLICKS]
[DONOVAN'S "SEASON OF THE WITCH" PLAYING]
♪ When I look out my window ♪
♪ Many sights to see ♪
♪ And when I look in my window ♪
♪ So many different people to be ♪
♪ Then it's strange ♪
♪ So strange ♪
♪ You got to pick up every stitch ♪
♪ Must be the season Of the witch ♪
♪ Must be the season Of the witch, yeah ♪
♪ Must be the season Of the witch ♪
♪ Oh, when I look Over my shoulder ♪
♪ What do you think I see? ♪
♪ Some other cat lookin' over ♪
♪ His shoulder at me ♪
♪ And he's strange ♪
♪ Sure is strange ♪
♪ You got to pick up every stitch ♪
♪ You got to pick up Every stitch, yeah ♪
♪ Beatniks are out to make it rich ♪
♪ Oh, no ♪
♪ Must be the season Of the witch ♪
♪ Must be the season Of the witch, yeah ♪
♪ Must be the season Of the witch ♪
♪ You got to pick up every stitch ♪
♪ The rabbits runnin' in the ditch ♪
♪ Beatniks are out to make it rich ♪
♪ Oh, no ♪
♪ Must be the season Of the witch ♪
♪ When I go ♪
♪ When I look out my window ♪
♪ What do you think I see? ♪
♪ And when I look in my window ♪
♪ So many different people to be ♪
♪ It's strange ♪
♪ Sure is strange ♪
♪ You got to pick up every stitch ♪
♪ The rabbit's runnin' in the ditch ♪
♪ Oh, no ♪
♪ Must be the season Of the witch ♪
♪ Must be the season Of the witch, yeah ♪
♪ Must be the season Of the witch ♪
♪ When I go ♪
♪ When I go ♪♪