♪ I never cared much for moonlit skies ♪
♪ I never winked back at fireflies... ♪
[Ernie] Hey guys, we've been bought out!
Sunday 10:00 p.m., mark your calendars.
What does that mean, "bought out"?
We've been hired for a big fancy party with big fancy Hollywood types.
Four hours, you all get a hundred bucks plus tips
while you enjoy what I guarantee
will be one of the most interesting nights
-of your life. -[employees chuckle]
Wait, wait, you're not talking about a George Cukor party, are you?
-How'd you know? -Hang on, hang on.
What happens at a George Cukor party?
George is a motion picture director extraordinaire.
He works very hard, so on Sundays, just like Yahweh, he likes to kick back.
[chuckling] He invites all kinds of folks!
Writers, directors, agents, producers, you name it!
Movie stars, like Tallulah Bankhead...
Mr. Hitchcock, you're a gentleman to say so,
but I can assure you, I'm as pure as the driven slush.
[all laughing]
[Ernie] ...Vivien Leigh, and regular Joes like yours truly.
It's a bit of a caste system.
The stars get French wine,
the guys like us, we get the swill from California.
Then...
at 10:00, the boys start showing up.
Attention, my dears, we have some new guests joining us.
[Ernie] Guys trying to make it in the biz. Pump jockeys, like us.
USC football players, who will do anything to make it in this town!
By midnight, most of the ladies have gone home,
though Tallulah usually sticks around.
Oh.
[both laughing]
I mean, it's just all real laid back.
You know, cocktails.
Everybody getting to know each other.
Folks head out to the pool.
More cocktails.
It's all a lot of fun.
[yelling] Whoa!
Ya, ya, ya!
[all cheer and laugh]
Then, eventually, the fellas start pairing off.
They find a quiet place, maybe, to get a little bit more intimate.
Wait a minute, hold on. So you're saying...
these fellas are queer as a French horn, right?
What an astute observation, Jack.
It's just we talked about this, Ernie, you know?
I don't really go for that.
These fellas...
they're not allowed to be who they really are.
Think about it.
You like women, right?
-Yeah. -Well, let's say
you're not allowed to like girls.
You get caught kissing a girl in a bar.
You're lucky if they throw you in jail,
'cause somebody could easily beat you to death instead.
You're treated like an outlaw,
and there's nothing you can do about it, except hide.
And then...
here's a party,
where you're allowed to like a girl, kiss her,
find a quiet corner to make love to her.
You'd be at that party, Jack! I know you would.
These are the great artists of our time. They make the world go around.
And they gotta spend their whole lives in hiding? [blows air]
Come on. That's not fair.
[softly] No.
So...
we provide them...
a service.
Huh?
They kick back, be themselves for the night,
and then you get paid 100 bucks and go home.
What's wrong with that, huh?
I'll see ya Sunday! Don't be late!
[big band music playing]
[bell dings]
["Paper Doll" by the Mill Brothers playing]
[Roy] I just can't believe I let him do that to me.
I know he's a heavy hitter in this town,
but I think I might have made a big mistake.
Mistake? You just signed with Henry Willson,
the biggest agent in Hollywood.
Like it or not, that's how it works in this town.
And fellas like us...
well, we gotta make our own rules by breakin' some of 'em.
One second he was telling me I had to change my name, and...
the next thing I knew, he was getting down on his knees!
Wait...
-You got a new name? -Yeah.
Rock Hudson.
That's spectacular.
I love it. Can already see it on a marquee.
-Yeah? -Mm-hmm.
[Archie] Eat up, Rock Hudson.
Wow.
Thank you.
Now, my momma, she makes a better biscuit.
But I reckon my gravy's every bit as good as hers.
-Mmm. -[Archie chuckling]
-What you think? -Mmm!
It's delicious, Archie.
[Archie laughs]
I haven't had somebody fix me a meal since I was...
I don't know, five years old!
What are you talking about?
Your momma never cooked for you?
No, uh...
She was a little...
crazy.
You know, that...
that's what drove my dad away.
And my stepdad, he didn't have any use for me.
He-- he told me I could find the ice box just as well as he could.
So I'd fix my own meals, you know,
which I actually liked at first.
You know, it was...
it was nice doing something by myself.
I guess, I-- I...
I miss somebody taking care of me.
You're so goddamn sexy.
[chuckling] What do you mean?
I think you could be right for Peg.
The boyfriend part.
I mean, looking at you right now,
-you'd be perfect for it. -Yeah?
-Mm-hmm. -Tell me about it.
It's the part of the boyfriend, you see?
The one who says "Don't give up, Peg! Put down the bottle!
Get out there and audition!"
What makes you think you can sit down uninvited and interrupt my lunch?
Because I'm the guy for the role, Mr. Samuels, I know it!
I'm handsome, I'm all-American...
All-American?
Well, that's me you're describing!
Let me be blunt.
I've already seen your screen test, and it's really, uh...
Well, it's about as bad as a screen test could possibly be.
Well, you're bad.
For some reason, Miss Kincaid seems to think that you could become a star,
and, myself, um... I don't see that.
But sometimes she sees things that I don't, so,
I'm willing to give you an audition.
You are? That's wonderful.
Do you have any words of advice?
Yes. The next time you see someone sitting alone, having their lunch,
don't just assume that you can sit down and start talking to them.
[chuckling]
I'm sorry. I meant about the part.
I don't know. Learn the lines. That's always a good start.
That way, when you audition, you'll be able to listen and respond,
without even having to think for the next line.
Yeah, yeah, that makes a whole lot of sense.
Because this isn't the kind of part you give to a handsome kid who can't act.
Whoever gets this part is gonna become a star.
Do you know why?
Because he's the one who says, "Why, Peg, why?"
He's the one that finds her body
crumpled up underneath the Hollywood sign under the "H," and...
he... he cradles her in his arms, and he screams to the heavens...
Peg. Peg, why?
No, don't-- don't-- Don't do it for me now.
[shouting] Peg, why?
So?
Well, so?
So what?
Well, did I get the part?
I'm the writer, Rock.
[softly] I hate to break it to you,
but you're fucking the least powerful person in Hollywood.
Oh, hi, Henry.
[Henry] Where were you?
Uh--
I know you certainly weren't at a library.
Uh, yeah, I was, uh, out with-- with a friend.
A friend?
Let me tell you a story.
A few years back, there was a hot new babe on the scene,
by the name of Lana Turner.
Guess who gave her that name? Me.
Her real name was Julia Jean Turner.
That's a real Idaho pig-fucking name.
Anyway, guess what she did?
Our first meeting, she kept me waiting for 20 minutes.
When she sat down, I told her, "You ever keep me waiting again,
not only will our relationship be over, your career will be over.
I will destroy you.
I will fucking annihilate you."
And guess what?
She was never late again.
Always five minutes early.
Sorry, it won't ever happen again.
You bet your ass it won't.
You treat me with the respect I deserve because I am not just a star,
I am a star maker.
I will not sit here and be treated like garbage just 'cause I ain't a studio head.
'Cause I'm the real power in this town.
And it's Lah-na Turner by the way.
Lah-na, not Lan-na. Lah-na Turn--
If I ever hear you say "Lan-na" Turner,
you thick country piece of shit, you're fucking fired.
Understood, Mr. Willson. Yeah.
Lah-na.
-Lah-na. That's-- -Now... [sighs]
I gotta have a frank conversation with you.
[Henry sighs]
Are you jerking off?
Don't look at me that way.
Everyone has urges
and I need you to masturbate at least once a day.
I'll give you a day's notice if I don't want you to
'cause I might ask you to do it in front of me,
but I can't have you hard as a rock headin' over to some molly house, okay?
Never! If you get arrested at one of those places, you're fired.
Any time you think about going out, you go home, tickle your pickle,
read a fucking book for once, and go to bed.
There's vice squads in this town.
Cops go hunting for fellas like you.
Now...
I've got something for you.
Oh...Is-- is that Peg?
How did you know?
Well, I-- I heard about it. Uh, from-- from friends.
From friends? Who are these friends?
Are they actors?
Actors are pieces of meat.
Anything you hear from another actor, you disregard it.
Listening to what an actor has to say
is like taking career advice from a farm animal.
The only things you hear are from Uncle Henry, you got that?
Good.
Now there is a part in this script for you.
And if you'd played your cards right,
I might have been able to get you a screen test.
But you're late to this meeting.
Probably 'cause you were out fucking some actor,
which you could get arrested for, which puts my reputation on the line--
Know what? Fuck it, you're fired. Get the fuck out.
No. No, please, Henry.
I-- I-- I'll-- What can I do?
I'll do anything.
[sighs heavily]
If you really want a screen test,
you'll put Tuesday night on your calendar.
My place.
Uh, but Tuesday is tonight, Henry.
I know.
["Salome's Dance of the Seven Veils" playing]
Isadora...
She danced...
from her groin!
The emotion, it exploded out of her!
Salome!
Henry, I gotta say, I'm... I'm pretty bushed.
Shut the fuck up, I'm dancing.
[panting]
Mr. Willson...
You want to go to bed, huh?
[Henry] Okay.
Come on.
Well, Henry, that's a tiny bed. I'm-- I'm pretty tall.
[groans] That's okay.
I like to make spoons.
[grunting]
[Henry exhales]
[Roy grunts quietly]
-[bell dings loudly] -[Henry groans]
Where do you think you're going?
Uh, Vic Tanny's.
I got a membership. I'm going to do some bodybuilding.
Good.
You're doughy.
Henry, I'm going to get that screen test, right?
Of course, honey.
But first, you're coming to George Cukor's on Sunday, for a party,
where I will personally introduce you to the director
and the head of production at Ace Pictures.
-Golly, thanks, Henry. -Don't mention it.
Now, get outta here, fatty.
[exaggerated] And you've got a man!
A man who wants to love you if only you'd let him!
Don't use your hands.
This will be in a close-up.
Your eyes are going to be what makes you a star.
Act with your eyes.
Now take it back.
It's all right, Jack.
[sighs]
And you've got a man!
A man who wants to love you, if only you'd let him.
-Who? -Who?
Who's the fellow who's holding you in his arms, right now?
Who's the fella who should've walked out that door a thousand times, but won't?
It's me, Peg! Me!
I won't walk away, 'cause I can't walk away.
You've been cast in the role of the girl I love,
and I'm your fella, no matter what.
Yes.
Yes, then you pull her in for a kiss.
Good.
Can you feel the difference?
I...
I don't know. I guess. I think so?
There's a new movement coming, Jack.
A whole new style of acting. Naturalism.
Happening now in New York.
The old leftover acting, from the silent pictures...
the posturing, the obvious indicating...
will soon be a thing of the past.
Now, you're good for this role, that's true.
But you're never going to be cast in a picture this important
just because you're good.
You need to be the best.
That's all we'll do today.
Miss Kincaid.
Thank you.
I can't tell you how lucky I feel to have a mentor like you.
It's what I do.
[chuckles] Yeah.
But you need more than me.
Henry Willson just telephoned me.
He's good friends with Dick Samuels.
He's going to put his new client up for this role...
Rock Hudson.
If you don't get somebody like Henry in your corner,
you're not going to stand a chance.
Miss Kincaid, how would I go about getting someone like Henry Willson?
Maybe it's time for you to put on your good suit
and meet some people in town.
What are you doing Sunday?
Sunday?
Uh, nothing. Nothing at all.
[knocking on door]
[Ace] Yes?
Dinner is served, Mr. Amberg.
Okay, I'll-- I'll be right there.
-[door closes] -[exhales] Oh, God.
Have you seen this?
Howard Hughes got his Spruce Goose off the ground.
That guy's a fuckin' lunatic.
-Where have you been? -You know, reading scripts.
I've decided to gather some of the ladies of Hollywood
to cheer up Eleanor Roosevelt.
She still hasn't gotten over the whole Lucy Rutherford thing,
and I hear lately she has a real hangdog look about her.
It's called her face.
Charming.
I want to say something.
[clears throat]
I know neither of you want me to be an actress.
Mummy doesn't because she never made it
and she knows I'm more beautiful, and more talented.
You selfish piece of garbage.
[clears throat] And Daddy doesn't
because he thinks the only thing actresses are good for is putting out.
No, no, no. I said they were all whores.
John Wayne fucked Mae West to get his first part,
and nobody bats an eye.
Right. Well, look, I've already gone and changed my name
so that nobody knows I'm the studio head's daughter.
And you went and put me in those acting classes for which
-I have been very grateful! -Uh-uh, no.
I put you in the acting classes
not because I thought you had talent,
but because I thought you'd realize what a hard life it was,
you'd come to your fuckin' senses,
and you'd meet some guy on the lot and get married!
Somebody like, uh, Dick Samuels!
-Dick Samuels? -[Ace] Yes.
That's who you should marry, Dick Samuels.
He's a genius.
-He's quite the catch. -Yes, darling. Talk to Dick.
Well, look, there's-- there's a role I want.
Peg Entwistle.
[Avis] Wow.
That's the first time you've ever shown any initiative.
It feels good, doesn't it?
I, for one, am all for it.
I hope Daddy does give you that part
so you can see your face up on that screen, 40 feet high,
as the audience recoils in repulsion.
Daddy, can I just get a screen test? Please?
You know something?
I think that's a good idea.
I will give you a screen test. You know why?
Because then you will see with your own two eyes
that you do not have what it takes, sweetheart.
Ace Amberg! If you so much as consider it--
Hey! Hey!
I run the studio!
You run this house!
I run the fuckin' town! Okay?
That's it!
[stage bell rings]
Mr. Schlossen, I just had a question about the scene.
Uh-huh?
I've been Mrs. Cooper's maid for several years now.
So, when she faints,
I don't think I would run out of the room and say that original line.
-I'd feel like I want to go get help. -No, it's funnier as it's scripted.
[crewman] All right, quiet, everybody!
Let's roll camera.
-[crewman] Rolling! -[stage bell rings]
And... action!
Well...
if one of you gentlemen has a pen, I'm ready to sign.
Telegram for Mrs. Cooper.
Oh, how lovely.
Whatever can it be?
[gasps]
Oh, this telegram says that...
Andrew is alive.
Oh, they've found him alive!
[lawyer] Mrs. Cooper! Mrs. Cooper!
Did she say Mr. Cooper is alive?
[gasping] Oh!
She done fainted! Let me go get some smellin' salts!
[whimpering]
-Cut! -[stage bell rings]
Oh, I think she was right. That line is so much better.
Who cares what you think?
You say the lines as scripted or you can get your ass off this set!
-[sighs] -Do you hear me?
Yes, sir.
You do it again, and you're fired.
That's a wrap. I'm going home.
[crew man] Okay, folks. That's our day.
[door opens]
-[Raymond] Hi! -[door closes]
I'm home.
[Camille] Hard day at work?
[Raymond groans]
Pre-production is killing me.
Parks and Recreation won't let us shoot at the actual Hollywood sign.
We might actually have to build our own.
I was thinking...
that you...
should let me screen-test.
Oh, for, uh...
which part?
For Peg.
Oh, honey, I-- I don't know how that would work.
She was white, she was blonde, she was from London.
But I have an idea.
-So she's not Peg anymore. She's Meg. -Okay, I'm listening.
-Does that feel good? -Feels so good.
Oh, Christ, that's good.
[breathing heavily]
So she's Meg Ennis from Mississippi.
And the story's the same,
except now it's not a biography,
it's a parable about how Hollywood treats an outsider.
Oh, that's good. That's really good. Oh, that's good. Oh!
I'm the best actress at Ace Pictures.
-You are the best, baby. -You know it, and the studio knows it.
You're the fucking best, baby.
-So you'll think about it? -I'll think about it. It's a great idea.
No, really.
I genuinely, genuinely think it's a great idea.
Really.
So...
I heard you're getting a screen test.
I'm getting one too.
Um, it's not a done deal yet,
but I'm going to do whatever it takes to make it happen.
In the meantime, I think...
I think you and I should rehearse together.
They look for chemistry in those tests, and if you and I...
click,
we could ask to screen-test opposite one another,
and we'll both have a leg up on our competition.
You free Sunday?
Oh, Claire... I would love to.
I have to go to a party on Sunday.
What? A...
Wait, it's not...
George Cukor's party, is it?
Yeah.
Wow, that was fast.
Rain check, then.
Oh...
Yeah.
-[cigarette sizzles] -Ah, fuck!
So now whenever anyone asks me, "Tallulah, is Errol Flynn a homosexual?"
I say, "What can I tell you? He never asked to suck my cock."
[all laughing]
So you and George met at the Farmers Market?
I thought you had a girlfriend.
Do things happen at the Farmers Market that I'm unaware of?
Oh, yes.
You're oblivious because you don't have to lurk in the shadows.
And I said, "George is still my director!"
And for all the scenes, the real ones,
the ones that really needed my heart and soul,
I came over here and I rehearsed them with George by the pool.
Jack, try to spend some time with Henry.
Do you shop at the market?
Never been.
It is still his movie, I don't care what anyone says.
Thanks, Viv, that's sweet of you.
Don't eat a bunch, I'm gonna introduce you to Vivien.
I'm sorry, I never got your name.
Oh, I'm, uh-- I'm Jack Castello, I, uh...
Miss Kincaid invited me.
Nice to meet you, Jack.
Noel Coward.
Pleasure to meet you.
Would you just look at Richard?
He's the most perfect gentleman.
Style, whole demeanor.
Ellen, why don't you just fuck him?
You're about a minute away from everyone calling you an old maid.
"Old maid"?
You know perfectly well I've been married.
It's not my fault he was run over by a streetcar.
Vivien, I'd like to introduce you to a client, this is Rock Hudson.
-Pleasure. -Hi.
So I take it you're in Gone with the Wind?
-Yes, yes... -Are you fucking kidding?
She's goddamn Scarlett O'Hara, you fucking hayseed.
Oh, Henry, it's all right.
I didn't know she was English.
My advice, when dessert arrives, make an excuse and go home.
I'm always out of here by 10:00.
Perhaps I should refresh his memory.
-Oh, Jesus. Here we go again. -"Fiddle-dee-dee!
War, war, war.
This war talk's spoiling all the fun at every party this spring,
I get so bored I could scream! Besides, there isn't going to be any war."
-"Not going to be a war..." -You do not want to die in a single bed.
People will talk and you know it. Old maid.
God, Avis, you can be a vile drunk.
"As God is my witness, they're not going to lick me."
Old maid.
[door bell rings]
[Ernie] Pretty swanky, huh?
-You look great, kid. -[Archie chuckles]
It's gonna be a hell of a night.
Mrs. Amberg.
Avis, sweetheart.
Ernie, baby. [giggling]
[both moan]
You're not leaving, are you?
[Ellen] Yes, I'm going to drive her home.
We had a little bit too much to drink tonight, didn't we, Avis?
-[Avis giggling] -All sheets to the wind, I'm afraid.
Good night, Ernie. See you soon?
I'll see you real soon.
Wish I could stay to see those USC boys.
-[Ernie chuckling] -Oh! Ah! [giggles]
[Ellen] Come on.
There's my boy!
-Is Tallulah around? -Yes, out by the pool, but listen...
I just put Vivien down in the guest house. She's having one of her episodes.
-Mm. -She's always had a soft spot for you.
I'll go say hello.
Hi, I'm George.
Welcome.
[indistinct chatter]
Jack.
What the fuck are you doing? You just walk in?
I told you, we all meet outside, then we come in together.
No, Ernie, see, uh, I actually got invited to this, so I'm not working tonight.
Fuck you. You're on the clock, you got it?
Go keep Tallulah Bankhead happy. All right?
[man] It's not warm, it's freezing!
[all cheering]
Sidecar, please.
Hi.
[stutters] You're directing Peg, right?
I'm-- I'm Rock Hudson, I'm trying to get an audition.
Oh. Raymond Ainsley.
I got to say, you, uh...
you got the right look.
Yeah?
Well, I signed with Henry Willson last week, and he gave me the script.
Another one of these, please.
Sure you don't wanna have some water, Mr. Samuels?
Don't you fucking tell me what to drink. Why are you still here?
I'm, uh, talking to Rock over here.
Well, go home, I already told you.
I'm sorry, I-- I...
Have I offended you?
I'm, uh... [chuckles]
I'm sorry. I'm-- I'm going to go.
Well, that's a capital idea.
I'll just leave after I finish this drink if that's all right with you.
-Archie. -Hey.
What are you doing here? I didn't know you knew George Cukor.
[chuckles]
Well, I don't.
I'm here working with the boys from the gas station,
if you get what I'm saying.
You gotta do what you gotta do to follow your dreams.
I admire that.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Rule number one at industry functions: you drink water. Got it?
Dick is getting nice and liquored up, so...
go comb your fucking hair.
You look like a nelly farmhand who just fucked a sheep.
[door opens]
Martini, please.
Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not a heavy drinker.
Sometimes I can go for hours without touching a drop.
[laughing]
I'm Noel.
Archie.
-Pleasure to meet you. -I take it you work at the gas station?
I'm also a screenwriter.
'Course you are.
-[man] Whoo! -[all exclaim]
[both chuckling]
Now who are those guys?
Quarterbacks from the USC football team.
And I suddenly have an interest in sport.
Archie.
Excuse me.
What are you doing here?
I'm working.
-What are you doing here? -I didn't have a choice. Henry invited me.
-I don't-- I don't like you being here. -I can't just leave.
It's my other job, and I need to keep the lights on, so--
-I don't like other guys touching you. -You don't control me, Rock.
[Henry] Is there a problem here, Rock?
No, there's no problem.
[Noel clears throat]
I hate to be forward,
but would you like to join me for a little slow dance inside?
I'd love to.
[knocking on door]
-Oh, Ernie! -Hiya, babe?
[both chuckling]
Where's, uh, Larry?
Oh, I don't know. London?
I'm afraid we've started to grow apart.
He doesn't like my moods, and that doesn't leave much of me to like, now does it?
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
I was hospitalized recently, but I'm doing much better now.
And I've got a great piece of material.
Tenns wrote a magnificent play called A Streetcar Named Desire.
It's about to go up in London.
The role is Blanche DuBois.
In a lot of ways, she's another highly strung Southern belle like Scarlett.
Oh, that role threw me off the deep end for two whole years.
Can I, uh, ask what you're doing?
I am organizing my bracelets.
I really do have a lot of them.
A casting director once told me that my hands were mannish
and gave me an absolute complex about it.
So, now, I never go out without a bangle or two
to help cut the line, see?
-Vivien... -See?
I think you're having a case of the trembles again.
When I get like this, I just...
I can't stop.
You and I...
-have been through this before. -Yes, yes.
We just need to feed the kitty a couple times.
Oh, yes.
[big band music plays]
[all cheering]
[Henry]All my life I wanted to look like that.
Work on my muscles.
[chuckling]
Charles Atlas kind of stuff.
-Well, why didn't you? -[Henry] Oh, I don't know.
At some point I just knew that I'd never be a beauty like that.
I'd be the guy who helped the beautiful people.
Look at them.
They look like chiseled Greek gods, don't they, Dick?
Henry, you're a vulgarian.
Good night.
Shouldn't you have left hours ago? Something kept you here.
What is that?
What are you implying?
You've always been such a mystery to me.
Not a whiff of scandal about you.
And yet, here you are,
gazing in wonder at the statues,
like in a museum.
Fuck you.
Excuse me.
Oh, Rock.
Rock Hudson, you remember Dick Samuels, head of production at Ace Pictures?
Hi, yeah.
Always a pleasure.
Rock was wondering if you and he could go someplace private
and talk about careers and such.
Rock, why don't you take Dick to that cottage back there? It's quiet.
Why would I do that, Henry?
Rock's just a young actor.
New on the scene.
You sure could use some career advice, couldn't you, Rock?
Yeah, is-- is that all right with you...
Mr. Samuels?
Sure.
Why the hell not?
[woman giggling]
What are you doing?
Nothing.
Just admiring the furniture.
It's all Billy Haines.
-The decorator. -Oh.
Used to be a silent film star.
He was on contract.
But then Louis Mayer found out which way he swung the bat
and he told him, "Dump the fag boyfriend or you're fired."
You know what Billy said?
He said, "Go fuck yourself. I quit."
Then he started a decorating business.
His first clients were Joan Crawford and me.
You don't hear a story like that very often in this town, do you?
Someone queer who stood up for himself...
and won.
Mr. Willson, I'm, uh... I'm Jack Castello.
Miss Kincaid said I could use your help.
I'm a new contract player at Ace Pictures, but I don't have an agent
or anything like that.
[Henry sighs]
So, we're talking business, huh?
[Jack chuckles]
Well, we can't talk business here.
Let's take a walk.
Oh, sure. Yeah.
[Henry] Mmm!
To Jack Castello.
I actually like that name.
That means "castle," doesn't it?
[Jack] Mmm.
Jack Castle. What, now, that's a name.
All right. Let me get a good look at you.
Mm-hmm. Okay.
-Take the pants off. -I beg your pardon?
Are you hard of hearing?
Take your pants off.
I want to see what I'm working with.
Not bad.
You mind if I suck it?
No, I'm sorry. I'm not... I'm not doing this.
Yeah you are, Jack.
You should be flattered.
I'm married. I got a wife at home.
You think I give a fuck?
I can't keep doing this to her, all right?
You were my way out of this.
I've been doing this. I've been running around behind her back.
-I've been lying to her. -Why do you think you're doing that?
'Cause I don't love her.
I don't love her.
I...
Look, we met during the war, you know? I was being shipped out. I was...
I was terrified. It felt like the world was ending,
I wanted something to hold on to.
I wanted somebody I could pray to see again.
It's different now. Everything's different.
I don't want the same things.
What is it you do want?
I wanna be somebody.
That's why you need me, Jack.
Fate has brought us together.
Why do you...
No.
I'm not doing this.
You're fucked without me, Jack.
I can make that dream of yours come true.
Don't you think I know that?
But it ain't gonna mean anything if this is what I do to get it!
[snickers]
[groans]
Fuck you.
-Fuck you, Jack. You're done. -Pfft!
It's over for you now. You're done.
[Dick] Winnetka, huh?
["Sometimes I'm Happy" playing]
I've been to Winnetka, it's nice.
[sighs] I-- I just can't believe I said that about Vivien Leigh.
Of course I've seen Gone with the Wind, I just... I didn't recognize her.
-She didn't look the same. -Don't be so hard on yourself.
♪ Sometimes I'm happy ♪
♪ Sometimes I'm blue... ♪
-[chuckles] -♪ My disposition ♪
♪ Depends on you ♪
♪ I never mind ♪
♪ The rain from the sky ♪
[Dick sighs]
Your heart is racing.
I'm-- I'm just a little nervous, that's all.
[chuckles nervously]
After we do this...
we can talk about me getting into a picture,
right, Mr. Samuels?
[exhales]
[glass shatters]
Put your clothes on.
-I'm sorry? -You heard me.
I am not this person, and neither are you.
Put your goddamn clothes on!
I want to know your real name.
The last thing I wanna do is upset you, Mr.--
Richard! My real name is Richard.
Now tell me your real fucking name, because it isn't Rock!
Roy.
Roy Fitzgerald.
Henry came up with "Rock."
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
[breath shuddering] What have I done?
[groans]
All of my life, I've been a good man.
I've been a company man.
Which meant...
that I couldn't be who I really was
because then I would get fired, so...
And the loneliness that comes along with that, I just...
I just accepted it, year after year.
I've been pretending to be someone else.
Just like you're pretending now.
You play the part that they've written for you...
and then suddenly...
suddenly, it's...
[stammering] It's...
it's just too late!
You're lost.
And...
the person that you were, the...
the person that you wanted to be...
is just swept...
far out to sea
and you're standing on the shore...
You're watching the pers--
You're watching the person go under,
and there's nothing you can do about it. It's just...
It's just too late.
And you hate yourself, because...
you're the one responsible for letting it happen.
Because you wanted people in this town to love you.
To accept you.
[Roy sniffles]
Don't become me, Roy.
[Roy] Okay.
[sniffles] Don't let Henry do anything to you.
Whatever he's been doing...
don't let him do it anymore.
I shouldn't have come in here.
I'm sorry.
Nothing happened here tonight, Mr. Samuels,
except you being a good man. That's all.
You're about the first good man I've met in Hollywood.
Now, don't you fret, okay?
Let's get you a taxi.
[Archie] Ah!
-Oh, yes, yes, yes. -[Noel chuckling]
[Archie chuckling] Oh, yep. Yes.
Get your hands off of him, please.
-Rock. -I beg your pardon.
Hands off. That's my boyfriend.
Well, I didn't know you were taken.
If I had, perhaps I wouldn't have wasted my evening.
Rock, you can't do that.
I don't belong to you.
Well, I belong to you.
Dance with me.
-Folks are gonna see-- -I don't care.
I don't care about that.
I care about you.
I love you.
No one's ever said that to me before.
Don't say anything, Archie.
Just dance with me.
[door opens and closes]
[Raymond sighs]
-[Camille] How was the party? -Oh, George Cukor...
I tell you, what an absolute gem.
I talked to him about Peg.
I told him about the look that I was going for...
Raymond, I've been thinking, and I owe you an apology.
I shouldn't be manipulating you to put me into your movie.
-Forget that I even-- -What are you talking about?
Stop it. Please.
Come on. That's-- that's just nonsense.
Camille, last night's conversation got me thinking.
Made me examine...
what we are.
And...
Honey, I'm not just...
sleeping with an actress.
I'm head over heels in love with her.
[Camille] Mm-hmm.
And I hope to marry her one day.
And I so,
to my very core, believe in her.
That's why I think...
you...
need to be in that spotlight.
Your name needs to be on that marquee.
I want you to be the star of Meg.
Really?
You're a star, Camille.
You're a star, and of course you're right for this part.
I'm just so embarrassed it took me this long to see it.
And I'm sorry.
I'm going to get you that screen test,
I don't care how hard I gotta fight to make it happen.
[both chuckling]
[Henrietta] How was the night shoot?
It was good.
It was good, um...
Went longer than I thought, you know? But...
we got everything.
I thought you'd be asleep.
I tried, but these two decided to have a boxing match.
[crying] I'm sorry, Hen.
For what?
You deserve so much better, and...
I'm sorry, and I promise I'm gonna do better.
Come on.
[Jack sniffles]
I love you.
You know that, right?
[sniffles]
Let's go to bed.
[Dick] So your mother is from the Philippines.
Why didn't you mention this before?
I didn't want to risk being put in a category, so I-- I hid.
I was ashamed of who I was.
But I'm tired of playing it safe. I want to be different.
I want to be who I am and I want to start taking risks.
Camille Washington is the best actress for this role, and you know it.
I insist that she be given a screen test.
If that doesn't happen, then...
then I don't direct the picture.
It's as simple as that.
Thank you for your time.
[door opens and closes]
Well, he's right, you know.
Of course he's right.
[Ellen exhales]
Which is why we're going to do it.
[Ellen chuckling] My God.
What the hell will Ace say?
-This could get us fired. -Oh, please.
I'd love to see him try to run this studio on his own.
That imbecile can barely read.
I didn't fight for Anna May Wong.
I didn't fight for a lot of people.
I want to fight again.
And Ace can't stop us if you and I are willing to fight.
Richard, I could kiss you.
This is exactly what this studio needs right now.
Something no one saw coming, something new, something fresh.
Let's test her and see how she does.
God, I love it when you talk like a mogul.
It's almost convincing.
Watch it, Kincaid, or I'll fire you.
[kisses, laughing]
You wouldn't dare.
Rock, I wanted to apologize about last night.
I had too much to drink and I crossed a line.
I should never have sent you off with Dick
and I'm sorry.
That's all right, Mr. Willson. Nothing happened.
Really?
Shit.
Kinda wish it had.
Could've used it against him.
Anyway...
uh...
Oh, as for Peg, I think I can get you this part.
Your screen test has to go well, but I'm in Dick's ear about it,
and Ace Amberg's wife, Avis? She's a close friend of mine.
Mr. Willson, I don't-- I don't know what to say.
Let me say something, then.
You bring out something in me, Rock.
Something I haven't felt in a long time.
You're something...
You're some-one I can believe in.
Someone who needs me to be the best I can be.
It's been a long time since I felt that.
It was a long time ago now.
Even feels longer than it was.
I met somebody.
Trent was his name. Trent Durkin.
But everybody called him Junior.
He was so good-looking.
I couldn't believe he had eyes for me.
And when he smiled, it just--
[chuckling] ...it just lit up a room.
You couldn't take your eyes off him.
And he cared for me.
I was a nothing then, but...
he thought I was somebody, he really did.
And that is something I never thought would happen.
I thought my life would come and go
and I would never know what that felt like.
He and I...
[sighs] ...we were inseparable.
We lived together.
Junior wanted to be a movie star.
And I wanted to be the one who made that happen.
One night...
he was killed in a car crash.
I cradled his body.
And I kissed him.
And I told him I loved him.
[breath shuddering] But he was already gone.
Something in me just broke.
You know what I mean?
I couldn't even remember what it felt like to love him.
And there's something about you, Rock.
It makes me remember what that felt like.
To have Junior.
And I know you're not him.
You're nothing like him, actually, but...
meeting you...
My life has a purpose again.
I have a passion again.
You are my passion, Rock Hudson.
I'd kill for you, kid, and I ain't foolin'.
I'm gonna make you the biggest star in the world.
Um, Mr. Willson, I don't know what to...
Well, I'm speechless.
Make yourself useful and grab me a tissue, you big galoot.
I'm crying like a baby over here.
[pours drink]
Mmm! Oh, that's much better. Thank you.
So...
[sniffles] So, the screen test.
-Friday morning. -What, this... this Friday?
Yeah.
Oh, thank you, Mr. Willson. I can't thank you enough.
Well, do you remember what I said about actors?
How they're garbage, can't be trusted? You can't be friends with them?
I didn't mean that.
God, you're new in town, you could use some friends, probably.
Yeah.
Yeah, that'd be nice.
-Oh. -[Roy chuckles]
Good, I was hoping you'd say that.
Come here.
I got a couple of new clients I want you to meet.
Rock, this is Rory Calhoun and Tank Meyers.
Boys, this is the fella I was telling you about.
Hiya, Rock.
Nice to meet you.
[Roy] Hi.
-How you doing? -Uh, good.
Uh, H-- Henry, what's going on here?
Nothing's happening. These are just your new friends.
You're gonna sit over there on the bed
and I'm gonna watch while the three of you, you get acquainted.
So what were you fellas talking about?
Um... football.
Oh, yeah? Got a couple of real professors here, right?
[big band music playing]