The Black Dahlia
Written by
Josh Friedman
Based on the novel by
James Ellroy
CREDITS ROLL OVER
Black and white newsreel footage from the 1930s. Clips
from
prize fights featuring two different boxers against
various
opponents. One a light heavyweight--pure finesse, a
counterpunches; the other, stouter and stronger, a
headhunting puncher.
The intercutting of the two fighters suggests a
possible
showdown at the end of the newsreel. No such luck.
END CREDITS
CLOSE UP ON:
A TRIPLE CARBON LAPD "INCIDENT REPORT" FORM trapped in
an old
Corona typewriter. The keys pound letters into the
blank
spaces.
INCIDENT: THE ZOOT SUIT RIOTS...JUNE 10, 1943...
REPORTING OFFICER...DWIGHT "BUCKY" BLEICHERT
EXT. BOYLE HEIGHTS - EVERGREEN AND WABASH - DUSK
A WORLD WAR II ERA PERSONNEL CARRIER transports twenty
silent
LAPD officers into the heart of downtown Los Angeles.
The
sounds of glass breaking and men screaming serves as
backdrop
for their arrival.
We focus in on BUCKY BLEICHERT, 26, (The counterpuncher
from
the newsreels) as he jumps from the carrier.
Bucky's minus his gun but plus a WWI tin helmet and a
three
pound truncheon.
BUCKY'S POV:
Hundreds of in-uniform GI's use baseball bats and
two-by-
fours to beat the shit out of Zoot Suit-wearing
Mexicans.
Most of the cops wander to the edge of the race riot
and
hobnob with the pockets of MPs and Shore Patrol who've
chosen
to "restore order" by cheering on their countrymen
against
the outnumbered but equally fierce zooters.
Sailors shatter streetlights and shop windows. Darkness
falls
quickly on what Bucky rightly realizes is chaos.
Suddenly Bucky's RUNNING--
away from the action...
down a side street and onto a
QUIET RESIDENTIAL BLOCK.
He slows to a jog, trying to gather his thoughts. And
then a
voice:
VOICE
Bleichert! Bleichert!
EXT. A BUNGALOW COURTYARD - SAME
A POLICE OFFICER has THREE MARINES IN DRESS BLUES and
ONE
ZOOT SUITER cornered in a center walkway.
The marines swipe clumsily at the officer with their
two-by-
fours as he bobs back and forth on the balls of his
feet,
dodging the blows like the ex-fighter he is.
VOICE OVER
I already knew him by reputation, had our
respective records down pat: Lee
Blanchard, 43-4-2 as a heavyweight,
formerly a regular attraction at the
Hollywood Legion Stadium.
The terrified Mexican stands frozen on one side of
Blanchard,
trying to avoid the entire mess as the policeman
parries the
marines' blows with his own truncheon.
LEE BLANCHARD
Code three, Bleichert!
Bucky runs into the courtyard and immediately wades in,
fending off the marines' blows to jab at them with his
stick.
VOICE OVER
And he knew me, Bucky Bleichert, light-
heavy, 36-0-0, ranked tenth by Ring
magazine in 1937 fighting no-name
opponents in no-man's-land division.
On instinct, Bucky drops his baton and begins wailing
on the
marines with his fists, connecting hard punches with
soft
midsections.
VOICE OVER (cont'd)
In our first year at Central we'd never
spoke--but people spoke of us. Opinions
about a fantasy Bleichert-Blanchard
fight, and who would win.
And now Blanchard moves in, lashing vicious truncheon
blows
to the shoulders of the marines, sending them one by
one into
a heap.
VOICE OVER (cont'd)
I'd heard almost all of 'em: Blanchard by
early KO; Bleichert by decision;
Blanchard stopped on cuts--everything but
Bleichert by knockout.
The marines reduced to rubble, Lee Blanchard turns his
attention to the Zooter: he slaps handcuffs on him and
leads
him away. He motions for Bucky to follow.
Lee turns back to the marines:
LEE
To the halls of Tripoli, shitbirds.
One of them flips Lee off. The Zooter kicks him in the
chest
as Lee pulls him away from them, laughing.
The three men start back toward the riots. Gunshots can
be
heard. Palm trees blaze up into the night.
LEE (cont'd)
(re the Zooter)
Bucky Bleichert, meet Senor Tomas Dos
Santos, subject of an all-points fugitive
warrant for manslaughter committed during
the commission of a Class B Felony.
Snatched a purse off a hairbag and she
keeled of a heart attack.
BUCKY
You come all the way down here to roust--
LEE
(smiling)
I came all the way down here same as you
did.
(jerks a finger to the riots)
Keep from gettin' killed. Happened to see
those jarheads beatin' on a good collar--
(nudging Dos Santos)
Habla Ingles, Tomas?
The man shakes his head "no".
LEE (cont'd)
He's dead meat. Manslaughter Two's a gas
chamber jolt for spics. Hepcat here's
about six weeks away from the Big Adios.
Been better off getting a couple cracked
ribs from our Privates First Class back
there.
Blanchard spies a home with newspapers stacked on the
front
porch.
LEE (cont'd)
We'll never get him booked tonight.
CUT TO:
LEE JIMMYING THE FRONT DOOR...
INT. THE KITCHEN - LATER
Tomas Dos Santos cuffed by his ankles to a radiator.
The
three men are on their second fifth of Cutty Sark
swiped from
the kitchen cupboard.
Dos Santos sings a drunken Spanish version of "The
Chattanooga Choo Choo" before slumping to his side and
passing out.
Bucky covers him with a blanket.
LEE
Tom here's my ninth hard felon of the
month. Six weeks he'll be sucking gas. In
three years I'll be working Central
Warrants. Jewboy Deputy D.A. over there
wets his pants for fighters. Promised me
the next spot he can wangle.
BUCKY
(not impressed)
Impressive.
LEE
(not impressed either)
Wanna hear something more impressive? My
first twenty fights were stumblebums
handpicked by my manager. My girlfriend
saw you fight a couple times over at the
Olympic. Says maybe you could take me.
Lee gets up and wanders into the living room. From the
kitchen Bucky watches Lee stare out at the flames.
BUCKY
Whatta we do about the Mex?
LEE
We'll take 'em in the morning.
BUCKY
You'll take him.
LEE
He's half yours, partner.
BUCKY
He's all yours. And I'm not your partner.
LEE
(without turning)
Someday.
DISSOLVE TO:
A CLOSE UP OF TOMAS DOS SANTOS' FACE
screaming in silence.
AS WE PULL BACK TO REVEAL
Tomas Dos Santos dying in a large Plexiglas GAS
CHAMBER.
Bucky stands in the back of the room, forcing himself
to
watch. He can't stand it and leaves.
IN THE FRONT ROW
Lee also watches, elbows on knees and chin in hands. He
can't
stand it, either. He stays.
IN THE HALLWAY AFTERWARDS
Bucky watches from afar as men in suits shake Lee's
hand and
brush imaginary lint off of his BRAND NEW SERGEANT'S
STRIPES.
Their eyes meet briefly as Bucky retreats to daylight.
Another TRIPLE CARBON FORM FILLED OUT ON THE CORONA...
Transfer and Promotion...Sergeant Lee Blanchard...
Highland Park Vice to Central Warrants...Effective
10/14/46
EXT. 2ND AND BEAUDRY - DAY
An extremely bored Bucky Bleichert gives a man a
speeding
ticket and sends him on his way.
EXT./INT. RADIO PATROL CAR - MOVING
Bucky drives as a ROOKIE COP chatters in the seat next
to
him.
ROOKIE
Yep, three years in the Canal Zone.
Nothin' but skeeter bites and drunk
fights over three-dollar skank tail...
INT. THE CENTRAL MUSTER ROOM - DAY
Bucky sits at his desk filling out a form as the rookie
cop
prattles on in the background.
ROOKIE
...fights over three-dollar skank tail...
AN OLDER OFFICER
walks by the rookie and rolls his eyes. Catching
Bucky's
look, the cop throws him a shadow punching one-two.
Bucky
smiles thinly. Returns to his paperwork. Then another
cop
passes by and breaks into a bob-and-weave. Bucky looks
puzzled and annoyed.
He grabs a third cop walking by (TOM JOSLIN).
BUCKY
Somethin' up, Tommy?
TOM
You, that's what.
(off Bucky's look)
You know Lee Blanchard over at Central
Warrants?
Bucky nods.
TOM
His partner's toppin' his twenty and
goin' for early retirement. Word is the
felony D.A.'s lookin' for a bright boy to
fill the spot. Christ knows why but it's
down to you and Johnny Vogel for the
spot.
Bucky takes a surreptitious peek across the room at
JOHNNY
VOGEL, fat, slick-hair and bad skin.
BUCKY
His old man Fritzie's a Central Dick.
TOM
(chucking Bucky on the chin)
But who'd look better when they bring back
the boxing team, eh Buckaroo?
Bucky shakes his head, dismissing the whole thing.
INT. THE RADIO PATROL CAR - ANOTHER DAY
Bucky drives on as the rookie talks and talks...
VOICE OVER
Warrants was local celebrity as a cop.
Warrants was plainclothes without a coat
and tie, romance and a mileage per diem
on your civilian car. Warrants was going
after the real bad guys and not rousting
winos and wienie waggers in front of the
Midnight Mission.
INT. BUCKY'S GARAGE - NIGHT
Bucky hits a speed-bag, building up a sweat.
VOICE OVER
I told myself I didn't care.
He hits the bag faster and faster.
INT. THE CENTRAL MUSTER ROOM - DAY
A desk officer hands Bucky a note.
CUT TO:
INT. CITY HALL - CHIEF OF DETECTIVES OFFICE - LATER
A secretary leads Bucky into an office with CHIEF OF
DETECTIVES THAD GREEN etched on the pebble glass door.
Inside the office: Lee Blanchard, ASST. D.A. ELLIS LOEW,
and
CHIEF THAD GREEN. They all sit in matched leather
chairs.
SECRETARY
Officer Bleichert.
She exits. An awkward silence.
LEE
(getting to his feet)
Gentlemen, Bucky Bleichert. Bucky, Chief
Thad Green, Deputy DA Ellis Loew.
Bucky shakes their hands, nodding to each. Chief
Green
gestures for him to sit.
CHIEF GREEN
Read this aloud, Officer. It's running in
Sunday's Times.
BUCKY
"Before the war, the City of the Angels
was graced with two local fighters, born
and raised a scant five miles apart,
pugilists with styles as different as
fire and ice. Lee Blanchard was a
bowlegged windmill of a leather slinger--
CHIEF GREEN
Skip down to the fire and ice part.
BUCKY
(searching, finding)
"Mr. Fire and Mr. Ice never fought each
other, but a sense of duty brought them
together in spirit, and both joined the
Los Angeles Police Department." Blanchard
cracked the baffling Boulevard-Citizens
bank robbery case in 1939 and captured
thrill-killer Tomas Dos Santos; Bleichert
served with distinction during the '43
Zoot Suit Wars--"
A glance to Lee...
CHIEF GREEN
Skip to the end.
BUCKY
"Both men made great sacrifices to serve
their city, and on Election Day, voters
are going to be asked to do the same
thing--vote on a five million dollar bond
proposal to upgrade the LAPD's equipment
and provide for an eight percent pay
raise for all personnel. Keep in mind the
examples of Mr. Fire and Mr. Ice. Vote
"Yes" on Proposition B."
CHIEF GREEN
Whattya think?
BUCKY
Subtle.
Blanchard and Green smile; Loew frowns.
ELLIS LOEW
Prop. B's looking like a loser right now.
But if we can drum up some publicity we
may he able to get it passed in the '47
Special. We need to build up morale in
the department.
Impress voters with the quality of our
men. Wholesome white boxers are a big
draw, Bleichert. You know that.
Bucky looks to Lee.
LEE
Fire and Ice.
LOEW
Ten rounds. The Academy Gym. Three weeks
from now. Right before the election. All
the gate to charity. After that, we bring
back the interdivisional boxing team.
Wholesome fighters.
LEE
Wholesome.
CHIEF GREEN
Are you in, Bucky?
LEE
It's not like you'll last the ten rounds
anyway.
Bucky eyes Lee quickly, assessing his larger but
slightly
softer physique.
All the remaining eyes are on him.
BUCKY
I'm in.
Back slaps and congratulations all around.
LOEW
I'm betting on great things from you,
Bleichert. And if I don't miss my bet we
may be colleagues soon.
BUCKY
Uh, yes sir.
EXT. THE CITY HALL PARKING LOT - MINUTES LATEER
Bucky exits and sees Lee leaning against an unmarked
car
talking with a striking woman in an auburn pageboy cut.
Lee waves Bucky over.
LEE
Bucky I'd like you to meet Kay Lake.
BUCKY
Hello.
FAY
I saw you fight a couple times. You won.
BUCKY
I always won. You a fight fan?
KAY
Lee used to drag me. I was taking somme
art classes so I'd sketch the boxers.
Lee puts his arm around her.
LEE
Made me quit fighting the smokers. Didn't
want me doin' the "vegetable shuffle."
He staggers around like a punch-drunk fighter.
BUCKY
I'll try not to hurt you.
A flicker of anger in her eyes.
LEE
Sure make Loew happy.
BUCKY
He's got money on me, I gather?
LEE
Seems that way.
BUCKY
And if I win I get Warrants?
LEE
Seems that way.
Bucky shakes his head. Turns to Kay.
BUCKY
What do you think of all this, Miss Lake?
KAY
For moral reasons I hope the LAPD gets
ridiculed for perpetrating this farce.
For financial reasons I hope Lee wins.
And for aesthetic reasons I hope you both
look good with your shirts off.
Bucky and Lee break into laughter. Bucky sticks out his
hand.
Lee takes it.
BUCKY
Luck short of winning.
LEE
You, too.
Bucky tips his hat to Kay and turns to go.
KAY
Luck, Dwight.
He stops at hearing his real name. But he knows she's
waiting
to see his reaction so he keeps walking...
BUCKY'S BOXING MONTAGE
--Bucky hits the heavy bag in the police gym while Lee
spars
in the background
VOICE OVER
The 77th Street lieutenant tapped as
official LAPD bookmaker had Lee as an
early 3 to 1 favorite...
--Bucky runs through Elysian Park with two pound
weights on
his ankles.
VOICE OVER (cont'd)
...while the real bookie line had Mr.
Fire favored by knockout at 2 1/2 to 1,
and decision by 5 to 3.
--Bucky spars with a fighter, peppering him with jab
after
jab.
VOICE OVER (cont'd)
Even the dicks in Ad Vice had suspended
bookie shakedowns because Mickey Cohen
was raking ten grand a day and kickin'
back five percent to the advertising
agency promoting the bond issue.
--Cops exchange betting markers during roll call...
VOICE OVER (cont'd)
I was a local celebrity again.
EXT./INT. BUCKY'S CAR - LINCOLN HEIGHTS - DAY
Bucky pulls up in front of a small ugly house in a
tired
neighborhood. He exits the car carrying a cardboard box
full
of canned goods and old girlie magazines.
ON THE PORCH OF THE HOUSE
a bony old man sits in a broken chair, aiming a BB
pistol at
some balsa wood airplanes scattered in the yard.
ON BUCKY'S FACE
disgust and sadness.
This is DOLPH BLEICHERT, Bucky's father. Bucky
approaches,
pulling a chair up next to his father. Up close it's
even
worse: white skin stretched tight over blue veins,
yellow
rimming his rheumy eyes. Flecks of dirt and vomit on a
filthy
shirt.
BUCKY
Papa?
DOLPH
Guten tag, Dwight.
BUCKY
Speak English, papa.
DOLPH
Englisch Schiesser! Amerikan Schiesser!
He aims the BB gun and fires at an airplane: the gun's
empty.
Bucky enters the house. Half-eaten cans of beans on the
dining room table, an entire legion of broken balsa
wood
airplane kits. Alley cats wander in and out of the
kitchen,
nosing their faces into open tuna fish cans...
BACK ON THE PORCH
Dolph leans on the porch rail. Bucky returns.
BUCKY
Say something, Papa. Get me mad. Tell me
how you can fuck this place up so bad in
one month.
DOLPH
Du, Dwight? Du?
BUCKY
Speak...English. Papa, please.
He searches his father's eyes for a response and gets
none.
He surveys the house again. Somewhere in the corner of
his
eye we see the glint of an idea...
INSIDE THE HOUSE
Bucky on the phone.
BUCKY
...He's had another stroke. If you could
just come by and clean the place up and
keep an eye on him for week or so...a
hundred dollars is fine. No more than ten
days. I promise. I do. Thank you.
INT. THE POLICE BOXING GYM
Bucky leans against a wall watching Lee spar. Studying
him.
Mentally fighting the sparring partner's fight.
VOICE OVER
He was better than I thought. It made
what came next easier.
INT. A BANK - DAY
Bucky sits at a desk with an assistant manager and
fills out
forms. The manager counts out approximately $4,500 in
cash.
Bucky slides him the forms. The manager slides him the
cash.
INT. THE GOOD LUCK BAR - NIGHT
Bucky slides into a booth across from PETE LUKINS.
PETE
So...I'm surprised but I'm not so
surprised. I hear you been lookin' good.
Better'n people think.
Bucky pushes an envelope across to Pete. He looks in
it.
PETE (cont'd)
I guess what I hear is correct. Then
you'll be wantin' to place this with
Mickey Cohen's indie. He's got Blanchard
2 to 1--
BUCKY
I'm not bettin' on me, Pete.
PETE
(a beat)
Oh.
(another beat)
Then as a friend I feel it's my duty to
tell you this: you better make it look
good.
BUCKY
Knockout between rounds eight and ten.
Pete nods his head, thinking.
PETE
Dragna's got a guy really sold on you.
Even money. Best you're gonna get.
BUCKY
Thanks, Pete.
Pete sticks out his hand.
PETE
Luck.
BUCKY
Short of winning?
PETE
Luck.
Bucky takes his hand.
INT. THE BOXING GYM - DAY
Bucky takes apart his sparring partner with a series of
lightning quick counterpunches.
VOICE OVER
I'd almost finished the Police Academy
when the background check turned up my
father's German-American Bund membership.
Pressured by the FBI goons to confirm my
patriotism, I gave the Alien Squad Sam
Murakawa, a guy I'd grown up with, in
order to secure my LAPD appointment.
EXT. DOLPH BLEICHERT'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Bucky watches from across the street as AN OFF-DUTY
NURSE
tries to get Papa Bleichert to eat a sandwich.
VOICE OVER
The old fuck never knew any better. Never
knew what he cost me. Or Sammy, who'd
died at Manzanar. I was a good fit in the
snitch's jacket and with a little
alteration I slipped easily into the
whole suit.
INT. THE BOXING GYM - DAY
Bucky watches Lee spar. His quick eyes spying:
--scar tissue over Lee's right eye
--Lee dropping his left when throwing the right hook
--Lee tucking his elbows too tight and opening up his
ribcage
VOICE OVER (cont'd)
I had traded Warrants for a close-out on
bad old debts, the eight grand I was
gonna clear enough to maintain the old
man in a good clean rest home for three
years; the late round tank job enough to
convince myself I wasn't a complete
coward.
INT. THE BOXING GYM - DAY
Kay approaches Bucky as he studies Lee.
KAY
At least he looks good with his shirt
off.
She waves to Lee between rounds. He blows a kiss back.
BUCKY
Where's your sketch pad?
KAY
I was never very good. Ended up with a
degree in History. Masters. Lee's fight
money paid for it.
BUCKY
Education's an expensive habit to kick.
(beat)
He shouldn't have quit fighting.
KAY
I asked him to. Besides, catching
animals gave him a sense of order. You
have a girlfriend, Dwight?
BUCKY
Saving myself for Rita Hayworth.
A roar from the gym onlookers. Lee's sparring partner
hits
the deck, blood spraying from his mouth.
BUCKY (cont'd)
Quits fighting for you. Puts you through
school. Quite a guy. Quite a pair.
KAY
(flirting)
We're not getting married if that's what
you're wondering.
BUCKY
Why not? Shacking's against the regs.
Probably cost him a stripe.
KAY
I have to go, Dwight. Good luck tomorrow
night.
BUCKY
You didn't answer my question--
KAY
(a throwaway)
Lee and I don't sleep together, Dwight.
She keeps walking. He just stares...
INT. BUCKY'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
A half-eaten steak and two beers gone. It's six hours
later
and Bucky's still thinking about Kay's exit line.
Restless.
He grabs his jacket.
INT. HEARST BUILDING - HERALD-EXAMINER MORGUE -
NIGHT
Bucky flashes his badge to a late-night clerk who
escorts him
into the newspaper's morgue. Pulls a bound stack of
newspaper
clippings and gives them to Bucky. He begins poring
through
them...
A newspaper photo of a BANK shifts into live action:
A GRAINY NEWSREEL-TYPE FLASHBACK (SLO-MO)
An armored truck idles in front of the
Boulevard-Citizens
Bank. Three men dressed in guard uniforms run out of
the
front of the bank, an alarm keening in the background.
Three police cars converge on the scene and a gun
battle
ensues... Two of the bank robbers are shot as the third
man
(the one carrying the money) jumps into the truck. The
truck
takes off, able to escape when someone from inside the
truck
throws open the doors and pushes the naked and bound
legitimate guards out the back and into the line of
pursuit...
VOICE OVER
With no lead on the two escaped men, the
heist quickly went from page one to page
five. Two weeks later...
A newspaper clipping headline: "Tip from Ex-boxer cop
breaks B-C Bank Job"
A still photo of Lee which becomes live action as...
INT. A SMALL VENICE BEACH APARTMENT - DAY
(FLASHBACK)
A younger Lee and four other cops tear apart a small
flat. In
a closet they find BANK GUARD UNIFORMS, BANK BAGS, and
a
small stash of MARIJUANA.
VOICE OVER
One of Lee's snitches fingered Bobby
DeWitt, a greasy little pimp with a yard
long rap, as the brains behind the bank
job.
CUT TO:
FLASHBACK: A HATCHET FACED MAN (DEWITT) LED BY
HANDCUFFS
THROUGH A GIANT CROWD...
VOICE OVER (cont'd)
DeWitt howled frame-up the entire trial,
never ID'ing the driver or coughing up
the dough, even after damning character
testimony from some of his employees,
including one Katherine Lake, formerly of
Sioux Falls, South Dakota and looking to
go straight.
FLASHBACK: LEE LEADING KAY FROM THE COURTROOM, HAND
ON HER
ELBOW...
VOICE OVER (cont'd)
DeWitt got ten to life at San Quentin;
Lee got Kay, or maybe the other way
around.
BACK TO PRESENT: Bucky walks through downtown L.A.,
hands
stuffed in his pockets like James Dean...
VOICE OVER (cont'd)
They both got a few weeks in the gossip
pages before Kay dove into her college
education and Lee down the hero's road
ending in Warrants and a shack job with a
woman he loved but wouldn't touch...
Bucky passes A WHORE on the corner, their eyes meet for
a
moment and he walks on.
VOICE OVER (cont'd)
You come off a winning fight. Sweat-
drenched, tasting blood, still wanting to
go. The handbooks who made money on you
bring you a girl. A pro, a semi-pro. You
do it in the dressing room, or a hallway.
The eleventh round of a ten round fight.
And when you go back to an ordinary life,
it's just weakness, a loss.
Bucky turns back to give the whore a second look but
she's gone.
VOICE OVER (cont'd)
To a fighter, sex tastes like blood and
resin and suture scrub. I wondered if
some day that would ever be different.
CUT TO:
A HAMMER HITTING A BELL
and the fight is on.
INSIDE THE PACKED ACADEMY GYM
Cops and mobsters sit shoulder to shoulder, cigar smoke
like
L.A. haze as
LEE CHARGES BUCKY, the big man trying to cut of the
ring.
Bucky engages, dodging Lee's thundering blows and
peppering
back with counterpunches...
**The general fight storyline is this: a very even and
brutal
match see-sawing back and forth, Bucky doing all he can
to
make it into the middle rounds. Somewhere around the
fourth
or fifth round his competitive juices take over and he
begins
trying to win at all costs. The two men hurt each other
badly, and in the eighth round it's anybody's fight.
Bucky punches toe-to-toe with Lee, abandoning his
strategy.
Lee knocks Bucky out.
INT. BUCKY'S BEDROOM - DAY
Bucky lies in bed, radio playing jazz. He looks
horrible--
face swollen, lip split, stitches across his nose. He
sips
whiskey from a bottle through a straw.
The phone rings and rings. He refuses to answer it...
INT. A REST HOME - ANOTHER DAY
Bucky, bruised but somewhat better, stands in the
hallway of
a very nice rest home. He surreptitiously watches his
father
as the old man tries to grab at a nurse.
EXT. THE REST HOME - MINUTES LATER
Pete Lukins waits outside on the porch for Bucky.
PETE
Well?
BUCKY
He'll catch on soon enough.
The scene widens behind the two men and we see the sign
on
the facility:
KING DAVID VILLA
Jewish stars adorn the sign.
INT. BUCKY'S APARTMENT - DAY
Bucky stands in front of his mirror clipping at his
stitches
with scissors. He hears a voice outside his window.
VOICE OVER
Hey. Canvasback!
Bucky recognizes the voice and goes to the window.
EXT. THE COURTYARD - SAME
Lee Blanchard, his own bruises fading, stands in the
yard.
LEE
You gonna hide in there another week?
Ain't you bored yet?
BUCKY
Gettin' there.
LEE
Wanna work Warrants with me?
BUCKY
What?
LEE
Harrell's been callin' to tell you. You
been hibernating--
BUCKY
But I lost. Loew's deal--
LEE
Don't you read the papers? The bond issue
passed yesterday. Want the job, partner?
Off Lee's devilish grin:
VOICE OVER
Mister Fire. Mister Ice. The hero and the
snitch.
CUT TO:
INT. CENTRAL WARRANTS - MORNING
A door marked "DETECTIVE'S MUSTER ROOM". Bucky, wearing
his
best SPORTS COAT AND SLACKS, pushes through the door.
INSIDE THE MUSTER ROOM
Full of the LAPD's plainclothes hotshots. All stand and
give
Bucky a standing ovation. Lee's there, too, playing to
the
crowd.
On the blackboard at the front of the room: 8%!!!
CAPTAIN JACK TIERNEY is at the podium.
TIERNEY
(as introduction)
Officer Bleichert, the men of Central
Dicks, Homicide, Ad Vice, Bunco, et
cetera. I'm Captain Jack Tierney. You and
Lee are the white men of the hour, so I
hope you enjoyed your ovation. You won't
get another one until you retire.
Everyone laughs. Tierney raps the podium and speaks
again.
TIERNEY (cont'd)
Enough horseshit. This is the felony
summary for the week ending November 14,
1946. First, three liquor store
stickups...
Tierney begins the summary as Bucky's eyes wander
around the
room, taking in his new surroundings... Older men,
coats and
ties... He tunes back in...
TIERNEY (cont'd)
And here's a collar'd please Cap'n Jack
to no end. Sergeants Vogel, Koenig, have
you read the SID memos on the Bunker Hill
burglaries?
FRITZ VOGEL AND BILL KOENIG, both hulking and
unpleasant-
looking (Fritzie being the elder version of his son
Johnny).
The two men shake their heads "no". Tierney
disapproves.
TIERNEY (cont'd)
Set of latents at the last break-in ID's
one Maynard Coleman, two sodomy priors. A
surefire baby raper. Highland Park's got
four child sodomy unsolveds. Maybe he's
our boy, maybe not. But between that and
the B&E's I'd put Maynard as a high
priority lamster right now. There's a
list of his known associates on the
bulletin board. Let's all take a look...
INT. THE MUSTER ROOM - LATER
The meeting's breaking up. A tall, elegant man (RUSS
MILLARD)
and a squat disheveled man (HARRY SEARS) approach
Bucky.
RUSS MILLARD
(introducing himself)
Russ Millard, homicides. Wife and kids
thank you for the raise, Officer.
Bucky smiles a dumb smile, not knowing what to say.
RUSS MILLARD (cont'd)
(re the other man)
My partner, Harry Sears.
HARRY
(stuttering)
Y-y-y-yes. Th-th-thanks Officer B-B-
Bleichert.
Before Bucky can answer ELLIS LOEW grabs him by the
elbow and
leads him away.
ELLIS LOEW
Officer Bleichert. Welcome to Central
Warrants--
When he gets him out of ear shot:
ELLIS LOEW (cont'd)
You shouldn't have slugged with him. You
were ahead on all three cards.
BUCKY
The proposition passed, sir.
ELLIS LOEW
Yes but some of your patron's lost money.
Play things smarter here. Don't blow this
like you blew the fight.
Bucky's about to respond when Lee saves him--
LEE
Ready to roll, canvasback?
He grabs Bucky and they head out the door.
INT. LEE'S CAR - LATER
Lee cruises them through downtown, rambling about the
job
description.
BUCKY
Why'd you really quit fighting?
He pulls the car into a parking lot of a Mexican
restaurant.
LEE
(matter of fact)
Benny Siegel bought out my contract,
scared off my manager. Said he'd get me a
shot at Joe Louis if I'd take two dives
for him. I said no, joined the Department
'cuz Jew syndicate boys won't kill cops.
Anything else?
BUCKY
(as they exit the car)
One more. What are we doin' here?
LEE
While you were dancing with Ellis at
muster I checked Maynard Coleman's KA's
on the bulletin and recognized the name
of a fence. Think he tends bar here...
INSIDE THE RESTAURANT
Lee and Bucky slide into a booth on either side of
BRUNO
ALBANESE, halfway through plate of huevos rancheros.
LEE
Bruno Albanese?
BRUNO
Who wants to know?
LEE
Police officers, Bruno. Let's make this
fast so I don't have to watch you eat.
Lee slides the Maynard Coleman mug shot to Albanese.
LEE (cont'd)
We know he sells to you and we don't
care. Where is he?
Albanese burps.
BRUNO
Never seen 'em before.
Lee sighs. And then grabs Bruno by the back of the neck
and
jams his face into the hot cheese and goo of his food.
Bruno's arms flap back and forth as Lee drowns him in
his
food.
Finally Lee shrugs and pulls Bruno's face out of his
food,
blood from his nose mixing with the grease of the
enchiladas.
BRUNO
Versailles apartments. Sixth and St.
Andrews.
EXT. THE VERSAILLES APARTMENTS - MINUTES LATER
Lee and Bucky pull up and look for a parking spot just
as
MAYNARD COLEMAN trots down the front stairs and gets
into a
car.
BUCKY
Right there!
They ease the car back into traffic and follow
Coleman's car
from a safe distance. Bucky picks up the two-way radio.
Lee
gestures for him to put it back:
Coleman's pulling into the parking lot of THE POLAR
PALACE,
an ICE SKATING RINK. They follow.
Coleman exits his car, eyeing a group of kids carrying
ice
skates and heading into the Polar Palace. He follows
them
inside...
The two men follow...
INSIDE THE POLAR PALACE
Children skate around on the ice with a giant polar
bear
suit. Lee and Bucky scan the area--not an adult in
sight. Lee
spots some stairs leading to the restrooms and gestures
to
Bucky, who hustles down them.
ON THE STAIRCASE
Maynard Coleman, carrying a stuffed bunny rabbit, walks
up
the stairs toward Bucky. Just as the two men pass Bucky
PULLS
HIS GUN and puts it to Coleman's head.
BUCKY
Police officer. You're under arrest.
Coleman throws his hands in the air; the bunny drops to
the
ground. Bucky cuffs Coleman and leads him up the stairs
as
Lee comes down from above.
A small voice from below Bucky:
VOICE OVER
Let go of him! Let go of him!
Bucky looks down to see A SMALL BOY pounding on his
leg. The
kid's hysterical.
BOY
Let go a my daddy! Daddy!
The resemblance is unmistakable. Two generations of
Okie
white trash. Bucky continues marching Coleman the elder
up
the stairs as Lee snags the kid, both the father and
the son
crying like babies.
INT. THE HALL OF JUSTICE JAIL - LATER
Lee and Bucky fill out a release form for the desk
officer.
Bucky looks up to see BILL KOENIG and FRITZ VOGEL march
by
with barely a nod.
LEE
They got here fast.
(off Bucky's look)
The confession.
INT. CENTRAL WARRANTS - LATER
Lee finishes typing up a report on a manual typewriter
while
Bucky talks on the phone. He hangs up as Fritz Vogel
and Bill
Koenig return.
LEE (cont'd)
(re the two meatheads)
Play nice. They've got juice with Loew.
KOENIG
(stupid and proud)
He confessed. Kiddie porks and the
burglaries. Fritzie says we're all
getting commendations.
Bucky's POV: both Koenig and Vogel have small bits of
blood spattered on their white dress shirts.
VOGEL
Ellis loves the kid angle.
LEE
You talk to Ellis?
VOGEL
He's only "Ellis" to lieutenants on up,
Blanchard.
LEE
Least I don't call him "kike".
VOGEL
(flushing)
C'mon, Billy.
The two men push by with barely a nod in Bucky's
direction.
BUCKY
Play nice. Hm.
LEE
Shitbirds.
HARRY SEARS approaches their cubicle. He looks a little
drunk. (And when you get to know him you'll realize
that when
he's drunk he doesn't stutter.)
HARRY
Russ says good collar today.
The men nod thanks. Bucky notes the lack of stutter and
the
presence of a liquor smell.
HARRY (cont'd)
And Lee--I heard something you oughta
know--I was over at County Parole--Bobby
DeWitt got an "A" number. He'll be
released to LA around mid-January.
Lee bobs his head slightly as Harry moves off. He's
disturbed
but covers quickly--
LEE
You like pot roast?
EXT. A BEAUTIFUL DECO HOME - NIGHT
Lee leads Bucky up the walk. Bucky's impressed with the
house.
LEE
Don't say anything to Kay about DeWitt.
It'll upset her.
INT. LEE AND KAY'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
A doll's house of Danish Modern furniture, fresh
flowers and
polished mahogany wainscoting.
BUCKY
You takin' bribes, partner?
LEE
Fight stash.
Kay arrives from the kitchen, smiling broadly at Bucky.
She
takes his hand.
KAY
Hello, Dwight. Glad you could make it.
And holds his hand about two beats than usual...
INT. THE DINING ROOM - LATER
Kay brings in the food. Bucky walks around the room,
checking
things out.
FAY
Fairy tale come true, isn't it?
BUCKY
Hm?
FAY
The house. You and Lee partners. Fairy
tale.
BUCKY
Can't say I believe in fairy tales.
KAY
Then you've never really had to. Lucky
man. (beat) Lee! Dinner!
INT. THE DINING ROOM - LATER
The food is finished. So is a bottle of champagne. Kay
pops
another one, hitting Lee in the chest with the cork.
Everyone
laughs hysterically. They fill the glasses again.
LEE
A toast...To Proposition B!
BUCKY
To the Bleichert/Blanchard rematch!
Bigger than Louis/Schmeling!
KAY
To fairy tales!
BUCKY
(abruptly, drunk)
To...us!
He's referring to all three of them--something which
doesn't
escape or displease anyone. They clink glasses and
drink.
ANOTHER LAPD TRIPLE CARBON INCIDENT REPORT:
JANUARY 10, 1947...Raymond "Junior" Nash...
INT. ELLIS LOEW'S OFFICE - MORNING
Lee and Bucky enter the Loew's inner sanctum where they
are
joined by Russ Millard and Harry Sears. A stack of L.A.
Heralds sit on the desk, the top one folded to the
headline:
"Criminal Division's DA to try for Boss's Job in '48
Primary?"
Bucky's look of disgust says it all just as Loew walks
into
the room--
LEE
Goin' into politics, Ellis? Give us a
quote. (as FDR) "The only thing to fear
is fear itself."
Loew smiles thinly and hands over a photo and a rap
sheet.
ELLIS LOEW
Here's the man to fear.
ANGLE ON THE MUG SHOT AND RAP SHEET:
RAYMOND "JUNIOR" NASH: Statutory raps, armed
robbery,
felony mayhem...Texas State Prison...Alcatraz...
The cops are impressed.
BUCKY
Give us the good news. He's in LA and
actin' uppity?
ELLIS LOEW
Witnesses made him at a stickup near
Leimert Park over the weekend. Pistol-
whipped an old lady. She died about an
hour ago.
RUSS MILLARD
Anything common in the sex beefs?
ELLIS LOEW
Negro girls. Young ones. All the
complainants have been colored.
LEE
Seeya in Leimert Park.
As they walk out...
ELLIS LOEW
Sergeant Blanchard? Try not to kill the
man. I'd like to do it in court.
Lee flashes a demon smile.
EXT. CRENSHAW BOULEVARD - DAY - LATER
A montage of shots as Lee and Bucky cruise south on
Crenshaw
Boulevard. The beginning of the post-war boom.
VOICE OVER
From November through the New Year, Lee
and I captured a total of eleven hard
felons, eighteen traffic warrantees and
three parole and probation absconders...
On Crenshaw's northern end, once grand and now
dilapidated
houses in the process of demolition, their faces
replaced by
giant billboards advertising department stores, jumbo
shopping centers and movie theaters.
VOICE OVER
After tours of duty, Lee and I would go
to the house and find Kay. Sometimes she
made dinner for us, other times the three
of us would go dancing, or see a flick.
Southbound, older wooden structures looking more and
more
unkempt. Empty lots...
VOICE OVER (cont'd)
Always she'd be there, never in between
us, but always in the middle. It was the
best time of my life.
EXT./INT. THE CAR - A FILLING STATION - CONTINUOUS
Lee pulls the car into the parking lot. Jumping out of
the
car--
LEE
This grand tour stuff's for shit. I'm
callin' in some favors.
He heads to a payphone and beings pumping coins into
it.
BACK IN THE CAR - MINUTES LATER
Lee gets back in the car. He's pale, sweating.
LEE
Got a tip. Snitch a mine says he's
shacking with some poon in a crib near
Slauson and Hoover.
BUCKY
It's all colored down there--
LEE
We fuckin' roll.
He pulls out.
CUT TO:
EXT./INT. THE CAR - HOOVER AVE - MINUTES LATER
Lee and Bucky roll up on four men loitering on a
corner.
Three are black and one is white.
LEE
Hopheads. Let's shake 'em for an address
or a name.
As Lee and Bucky exit the car, the four men immediately
start
the slow walk to the wall, arms over their heads. The
white
guy glances at Lee:
WHITE HOPHEAD
What the---Blanchard?
LEE
Shut up, shitbird.
Lee pushes him closer to the wall and starts frisking
him.
Bucky starts with one of the other men, pulling out
some
marijuana cigarettes.
Out of the corner of his eye, Bucky sees the black man
closest to Lee reaches for something shiny in his
belt--
BUCKY
Partner!
Bucky pulls his .38...
THE WHITE GUY swings around and LEE SHOOTS HIM twice in
the
face--
THE FIRST BLACK MAN pulls a SHIV free and BUCKY SHOOTS
HIM in
the neck--
ANOTHER OF THE MEN goes for his trousers, fumbling for
something as BUCKY SHOOTS HIM THREE TIMES.
LEE
Bucky duck!
Bucky hits the cement and gets an upside down view of
Lee and
the last man drawing guns on each other--Lee's three
shots
cutting down the man before he can fire his tiny
derringer.
Bucky pulls himself to his feet, stumbling past the
blood-
covered sidewalk and vomits in the gutter.
FROM THE DISTANCE: THE SOUND OF SIRENS.
Bucky pulls out his badge and pins it to his jacket
pocket.
Behind him, Lee is busy turning the dead men's pockets
inside
out--scattering shivs and reefers onto the sidewalk
away from
the blood.
All the while Lee cries like a baby.
INT. THE 77TH ST. DETECTIVES' STATION - LATER
Bucky and a Detective exit a de-briefing room. Bucky
looks
worn but composed.
DETECTIVE
Thank you for your time, Officer. And
your police