Sunday, June 18, 2017

Don't Make a Scene: The Big Sleep

The Story: Harry Jones. Poor Harry.

He's not in The Big Sleep for very long, but the little man makes a big impression. Of all the murders in that convoluted movie, his is the most memorable and poignant; not only is it one of the film's few homicides that happen on-screen, but it is also a temporary oasis from the kaleidoscope of intrigues, plots and secrets.

Of all the "big sleeps," Jones' death is voluntary, an act of self-sacrifice to save the woman he loves, viper though she may be. Jones stands out as a somewhat tarnished knight in a world creaking with rust and corruption. He even wins the respect of the film's protagonist, detective Phillip Marlowe, who doesn't dole out that attribute as a habit.

Raymond Chandler describes him in the novel on which the film is based: "He was a very small man, not more than five feet three and would hardly weigh as much as a butcher's thumb. He had tight brilliant eyes that wanted to look hard, and looked as hard as oysters on the half shell. He wore a double-breasted dark gray suit that was too wide in the shoulders and had too much lapel. Over this, open, an Irish tweed coat with some badly worn spots. A lot of foulard tie bulged out and was rainspotted above his crossed lapels."

Jones is played by Elisha Cook, Jr., a character actor, here at the age of 42, 16 years into his 58-year career supporting in horror films, drama, and noir for directors as diverse as Robert Wise, John Huston, Stanley Kubrick, William Castle, George Stevens, Dorothy Arzner, Otto Preminger, Tay Garnett, Robert Siodmak, Don Siegel, Roman Polanski, Philip Kaufman, Sam Peckinpah, Steven Spielberg, even John Ford. And Hawks, more than any other. In his time, he was on the receiving end of some of Bogart's Sam Spade's violence in The Maltese Falcon, gunned down in the street by Jack Palance in Shane. He even defended Captain Kirk in his court-martial in "Star Trek."

Some of the dialog from the scene comes from Chandler, but the line that haunts most isn't his, but could have come from Faulkner or Brackett or Furthman, or Hawks, for that matter. Right after he swigs his shot of poison, Jones laughs, a strangled, painful laugh. "What's funny?" his killer asks him.

"Nothing's funny," Jones says without the hint of a smile.

"Nothing" here isn't just the absence of something. It's much more nihilistic than that and as black as pitch in an already dark-hearted film-noir. "Nothing" is a metaphor for death, and a far more powerful one than even "the big sleep" of the author's.

"Nothing's funny:" the line is as cold as a tombstone and as cold as Jones will be in a few minutes...and as cold as the heart that Jones is taking the hit for. Whatever it is he drinks here, it probably isn't as bitter as that.

The Set-Up: Shamus Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) has had a bad few days. He's been in the employ of one General Sternwood, who has lived long enough to see his family spoiled by the rewards of his life. His concern: the blackmail of his daughter Carmen (Martha Vickers) by one A. G. Geiger over gambling debts...and other things...a job that would usually be handled by the general's other concern: his "whatever-he-was" employee Sean Regan, who has gone missing for a month without so much as a "fare-thee-well." 

Seems easy enough. Find the blackmailer and pay him off. But, Regan disappeared for a reason and Marlowe has to find that reason or else he'll suffer the same fate. It's easy enough to find a guy who can't be found, but not when you're surrounded by those who don't want him to be found. Marlowe has been feeling a little crowded lately and he notices a car he's noticed before. And Marlowe does what Marlowe always does—he looks where he shouldn't be looking.

Action!

DISSOLVE TO:
CLOSE SHOT - PLYMOUTH COUPE -PARKED AT CURB -DAY (RAIN)
the same car which was following Marlowe yesterday.
Marlowe passing, recognizes it, pauses, thoughtful, walks on.
EXT. HOLLYWOOD STREET - MOVING SHOT - MARLOWE
as he passes the mouth of a narrow alley two men step out quickly.
THUG Say, mister, would ya please...
One of them saps Marlowe expertly -
- they drag him out of sight.
EXT. ALLEY - A DEEP DOORWAY (RAIN)
Marlowe is dazed, but not out. He fights, but the two boys give him an expert going-over, very quickly and efficiently.
Marlowe goes down onto the wet bricks. One of the mean leans over him.
THUG (gently) This is just our way of saying, "Lay off." Get it, Marlowe? Lay off.
He boots Marlowe in the stomach -
- the pair of them depart while Marlowe is getting rid of his breakfast.
Presently, while Marlowe is trying unsuccessfully to stand up, HARRY JONES comes up to him. Harry is small, hardly five feet, in a cheap snappy 'underworld' suit. Yet in his wizened ugly face there is independence, honesty, reliability, courage.
He helps Marlowe to his feet, steadies him, hands him a handkerchief. 
MARLOWE(still groggy --wiping his face) You the guy that's been tailing me?
JONES Yeah. My name's Jones. Harry Jones. I want to see you.
MARLOWE Swell! Did you want to see those guys jump me?
JONES I didn't care one way or the other.
MARLOWE You could've yelled for help.
JONES A guy's playing a hand, I let him play it. I'm no kibitzer.
MARLOWE (grinning) You got brains. Get my hat, will you?  
MARLOWE Help me up to my office.
INT. MARLOWE'S OFFICE -- MARLOWE AND JONES
Marlowe removes his coat and hat, hangs them up. Jones watches him. Marlowe is reasonably steady now, gradually getting his wind back.
MARLOWE Might as well take yours off too. We might be here a good while, unless I get another case.
He goes to the desk, sits down, lights a cigarette, pours a stiff shot from the office bottle, then starts to riffle through a small stack of mail on his desk. Jones watches him. he opens top letter, reads it.
JONES That working over they gave you was the best I've seen. And I've been around too. Used to run a little liquor. Rode the scout car with a Tommy gun in my lap. Tough racket.
MARLOWE Terrible!
MARLOWE Sit down. You make me nervous.
JONES Maybe you don't believe me.
MARLOWE What do you want?
JONES(approvingly, man to man fashion) That's better. I've got something to sell, cheap. For a couple of C's.
MARLOWE Don't let me stop you.
JONES (baffled) Don't you want to even know who I am?
MARLOWE I already know. You're not a cop.
MARLOWE You don't belong to Eddie Mars, because I asked him. So you must be one of Brody's friends. So Agnes is loose again, huh?
JONES (taken aback) How'd you know that? She's a nice girl. We're talking about getting married.
MARLOWE She's too big for you. (She'll roll on you and smother you) 
JONES That's a dirty crack, brother.
MARLOWE I suppose you're right.
MARLOWE Maybe I've been running around with the wrong people. Cut the babble. What do you want?
JONES If you're looking for something, will you pay for it?
MARLOWE If it does what? 
JONES Helps you find Regan.
MARLOWE This is getting funny. I'm supposed to pay you two C's for telling me I'm looking for Regan. People have been telling me that for days. I don't even pass out cigars anymore.
JONES Do you want to know what I've got, or don't you?
MARLOWE I don't know. Two C's buys a lot of information in my circle.
JONES Would you pay it to know where Eddie Mars' wife is? Would you pay $200 for that, shamus?
MARLOWE I think I might. -
MARLOWE Where? -
JONES Agnes found her.
JONES She'll tell you, when she has the dough in her hand.
MARLOWE You might tell the cops for nothing.
JONES (quietly) I ain't so brittle.
MARLOWE (speculatively) Agnes must have something I didn't notice.
JONES (quietly, with dignity even) I ain't tried to pull anything. I came here with a straight proposition. Take it or leave it. One right guy to another. You start waving cops at me. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
MARLOWE (quietly too) I am. -
JONES Have you got the money? -
MARLOWE Where's Agnes?
JONES You know Puss Walgreen's office? Fulwider Building?
MARLOWE No, but I can find it.
JONES Will you be in shape to meet me there in an hour? -
MARLOWE I guess so. -
JONES You bring the dough. I'll take you to Agnes.
MARLOWE Okay - 
JONES Okay.
He exits.

EXT. FULWIDER BUILDING - ESTABLISHING SHOT - EVENING (RAIN)
Marlowe enters
INT. FULWIDER BUILDING - LOBBY - MARLOWE
It is deserted. Marlowe pauses at elevator, the door is open. a shabby old man is asleep on the stool. Marlowe goes on.
CLOSE SHOT - AT FIRE DOOR - MARLOWE
pushes the door open. enters stairs, door closes behind him.
INT.  CORRIDOR - (DIM) - MARLOWE
standing flattened against a wall beside a door lettered
L.D. WALGREEN -- INSURANCE
JONES' VOICE (beyond transom) Who are you? What do you want?
CANINO'S VOICE I wanted to see you.
JONES' VOICE Who are you?
CANINO'S VOICE I work for Eddie Mars. My name is Canino. Canino? -
JONES' VOICE Sure! -
CANINO'S VOICE (purring) I thought you would remember.
Marlowe steals quietly back along the wall, reaches another door, pushes it quietly. It is locked. He takes out his wallet, removes his driver's license from the celluloid, takes the envelope and slips back to the door-lock, opens the door carefully and quietly, enters, shuts the door.
INT. OFFICE - (DIM) - MARLOWE
...as he stands beside an inner door which is slightly open, a light burning beyond it. Through the crack in the door Marry Jones can be seen, sitting behind a shabby desk. The other man, CANINO, is not in sight at this angle. Jones is sweating; he cannot help that. But there is no fear in his voice and he is not trembling either.
JONES' VOICE What do you want?
CANINO'S VOICE Why have you been following that detective, Marlowe?
JONES' VOICE Who says I've been? -
CANINO'S VOICE I do! That was a mistake, your mistake. Eddie Mars don't like it. Sit down and quit stalling!
CANINO'S VOICE Why are you tailing Marlowe?
JONES All right, there's no harm telling. It was for Joe Brody's girl. She's got to get out of town, that takes dough. She figured she could get it through Marlowe.
CANINO'S VOICE Why would he pay?
JONES You know about the night the kid bumped Brody? The young Sternwood girl was there. Only Marlowe didn't tell the cops that.
JONES Agnes figured it was railroad fare as soon as she could get hold of him. - You get it? -
CANINO'S VOICE Sure I get it. -
CANINO'S VOICE Where's this Agnes? -
JONES What do you care?
JONES What do you want with her? What's she got...
His voice stops. He sits back, staring Caninio off, shows terror now despite himself, but still no fear.
CANINO'S VOICE What's the matter, Jones? Ain't you ever seen a gun before? Where's the girl?
CANINO'S VOICE You want me to count to three, like a movie? Where's Agnes?
JONES You win. She's in an apartment...at 28 Court Street.
JONES Apartment 301. I guess I'm yellow, all right.
CANINO'S VOICE You just got good sense. I ain't going to hurt her. Not if everything's like you say. You're nervous, ain't you? -
CANINO'S VOICE I think maybe you need a drink. -
As Canino's hand comes into sight setting a whiskey bottle on the desk, Marlowe steps quickly back.
JONES I don't think so...
CANINO'S VOICE You got a glass?
JONES Over there. At the water cooler.
As Canino enters, Marlowe steps quickly out. Canino crosses the open door. We now SEE HIM; a stocky, vicious man in brown: a killer.
ANOTHER ANGLE - MARLOWE FLATTENED AGAINST THE WALL
beside the door. Jones cannot be seen now, only Canino as he takes the glass from the water cooler and crosses the door again. Now he too is not visible.
Marlowe follows him by SOUND ALONE as he returns to the table, clinks the bottle against the glass as he pours the drink.
CANINO'S VOICE There you are, pal. Drink her down.
Jones' breathing can be heard as he pants. When Canino speaks next, his voice is a little sharper.
CANINO'S VOICE Well, drink it!
CANINO'S VOICE What do you think it is, poison? I bet that Agnes of yours wouldn't turn it down.
JONES No, I'll bet she wouldn't.
CANINO'S VOICE What's funny?
JONES Nothing's funny.
SOUND as Jones drinks, dies, the glass CLINKS as he drops it, his body thuds as he falls forward, gasps, chokes. Marlowe starts forward, catches himself. The other room goes dark.
CANINO'S VOICE So long, Jonesy.
SOUND as Canino leaves it: his feet, the other door opens, closes again.
GLASS DOOR - MARLOWE'S ANGLE
MARLOWE Information, give me the phone number of apartment 301, 28 Court Street. Thank you.
OPERATOR: One moment, please.
OPERATOR: Courtview Apartments.
MARLOWE Office, this is Police Identification Bureau, Wallace speaking. You got a girl living there named Agnes Lowzier?
OPERATOR: Nobody by that name here.
MARLOWE Have you got a brunette with green eyes, kind of slanted... ...either alone
MARLOWE ...or with a little guy, weighs about 115 pounds...wears a gray hat and gray suit?
OPERATOR: Sorry. Nothing like that.
MARLOWE Oh. Somebody just gave out the wrong address. Thanks.
MARLOWE You did all right, Jonesy. But you left me high and dry.
(Phone rings)
MARLOWE (indistinct) Yeah?
Agnes Who is this? -
MARLOWE What did you say? -
Agnes I said, "Who is this?"
MARLOWE Hello, Agnes. This is Marlowe. Marlowe, the man you want to see.
Agnes Is Harry there?
MARLOWE Yeah, he's here. -
Agnes Put him on, will you? -
MARLOWE He can't talk to you. -
Agnes Why? -
MARLOWE Because he's dead. Your little man died to keep you out of trouble. I got your money for you. Do you want it? -
Agnes Yeah, I want it. -
MARLOWE Have you got a car? Where can I meet you?
Agnes Rampart and Oakwood.
MARLOWE I'll be there in half an hour.




Pictures by Sidney Hickox and Howard Hawks

The Big Sleep is available on Warner Bros. DVD and Blu-Ray.


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