more please.
ever act?
we need indians for a norman steele western.
think about it, fink. writers come and go; we always need indians.
what!? ted okum doesn't know shit. they've assigned me enough pictures for a goddamn year. what ted okum doesn't know you could almost squeeze into the hollywood bowl.
get me lou breeze.
lou? how's lipnik's ass smell this morning?.  yeah?.  yeah?.  okay, the reason i'm calling, i got a writer here, fink, all screwy. says i'm producing that wallace beery wrestling picture – what'm i, the goddamn janitor around here?.  yeah, well who'd you get that from?.  yeah, well tell lipnik he can kiss my dimpled ass.  shit! no, alright.  no, no, all right.
okay kid, let's chow.
don't worry about it. it's just a b picture. i bring it in on budget, they'll book it without even screening it. life is too short.
sure he did. and he forgot about it before your ass left his sofa.
wallace beery. wrestling picture. what do you need, a road map?
look, you're confused? you need guidance? talk to another writer.
jesus, throw a rock in here, you'll hit one. and do me a favor, fink: throw it hard.
yeah. fink. come in.
wuddya got for me – what the hell happened to your face?
like hell it is; there are no mosquitos in los angeles. mosquitos breed in swamps – this is a desert town. wuddya got for me?
on the beery picture! where are we? wuddya got?
getting started! christ jesus! started?! you mean you don't have anything?!
what do you think this is? hamlet? gone with the wind? ruggles of red gap? it's a goddamn b picture! big men in tights! you know the drill!
understand shit! i though you were gonna consult another writer on this!
bill mayhew! some help! the guy's a souse!
a souse!
souse! souse! he manages to write his name on the back of his paycheck every week!
you thought! where'd you get that from? you thought! i don't know what the hell you said to lipnik, but the sonofabitch likes you! you understand that, fink? he likes you! he's taken an interest. never make lipnik like you. never!
are you deaf, he likes you! he's taken an interest! what the hell did you say to him?
well he's taken an interest! that means he'll make your life hell, which i could care less about, but since i drew the short straw to supervise this turkey, he's gonna be all over me too! fat-assed sonofabitch called me yesterday to ask how it's going – don't worry, i covered for you. told him you were making progress and we were all very excited. i told him it was great, so now my ass is on the line. he wants you to tell him all about it tomorrow.
who said write? jesus, jack can't read. you gotta tell it to him-tell him something for chrissake.
projection.
 jerry? ben geisler here. any of the screening rooms free this afternoon?.  good, book it for me. a writer named fink is gonna come in and you're gonna show him wrestling pictures.  i don't give a shit which ones! wrestling pictures! wait a minute- isn't victor sjoderberg shooting one now?.  show him some of the dailies on that.
this ought to give you some ideas.
eight-fifteen tomorrow morning at lipnik's house. ideas. broad strokes. don't cross me, fink.