Film Idea for Simon Rodia and His Towers at Watts by

•fluxrs^lfljr
7tie
rm
*^0
olwpk
h«ia
beMi
atudyiiif^
hi»
with
Te a t a i ^ a y * *
p m p W f f e a t u r i n g t h e ^ e o o o ^ Ve n s e t t l e e s e y I l e a d l a o n r d e d b u t
notloeable In m waste basket (or perhaps her Itmoh is wranped
In it)« She longa to ei^ hln If he la an Amerlean oltlaen* but
thla la not her rl^t«
San, aenaitlire to wibratlonst looka up« audflMaly worried*
S A * Yo u g o t p a y t a x t o w 6 t e 7
OLKnX JJo* Thla la a free country*
34tt (suaplelotts* the la not friendly) Thla texpaynE**
^*ho la? vnio pay thla tax?
C T. - ^ T R K P r o p e r t y o w n e r s p a y t a x e s * T h o s e w h o o w n t h e i r o w n
home* Or real estate* Those who own land* 'ffw are
the ones who pey taxes* (she says it with obwious
a n p r o Ta l * )
SAM (gairsfty) (gravely) I an taxpayer*
Clerk responds with gratifying amaement and new reepeot*
9 s i a fi n i s h e s t h e d o o u n e n t * B r e q u l r s n e n t s a n d h a n d s I t o v e r
for hor Inspection*
( r e a d i n g a l o u d ) S l n o n H o d l a * ( ? ? h e a o o e n t a t h e fi r s t
syAsbbfta syllable*)
SIM AKsdexaya* Ho*I)K^*^*
OEKiW: T sorry*
^AM (nodding Indulgently} That's all rlg^t*
Bom In nooe^ Italy* (She glanoos at hiisy again with
approvslf these anttrehlsts were not Ronanst were they?)
C L B R X ( r e p e a t s b i r t h d a y, n o d a t e » y e a r ) ( H o p e a t s t h e y e a r
and ntmber of his naturalisation) Hold up your right
hand* t>o you swear that these statesients are true,
to the best of your knowledge?
*^AM (right bend elevated) T^e* X ewear*
Veil, that's it* (She Mtllea st ht«)
SAM (hesitates) Oon't T get sonething?
BTHK
-^at?
B A M I d o n ' t k n o w * I t e y b e a l i t t l e fl a g *
BBHX TPlagf'
101476 7f50 wa
BAM A llttl* Amrlesn flag to show that I an ^ rogiatope^
▼o t a p . t a n f t t h a t e o n a t h l n g ?
Yo u t c b m a r a i ; ? l a t a p a ' 1 v o t o r a s o f t h i a n o n o n t * " ^ h a f c
inoro do you noadt
BAM (Qgpaaaboly)h '^all^ it would ba nioe to Sava a
l l t t l a A n e r i e a n fl a g .
But alooa It ia obwloua ha la not going to gat aay^ag but
t h l a a l a r t e * a a m l l a h a l a d a t a p m l n a d t o b a a a t l a fl a d * H a
stffPta to laava tha rooa* ^an ha paaohaa the naln aa:it»
hovoTer^ ha pauaas* frowning* Slowly ha makoa hla way book
to tha olark behind tha eountar* She looks waivy aurprlaod
and whan aha raglstara hla axpraaslmi^ ona of grin datarmtnationt
har amllag/ vaalahaa*
S A M ( w i t h d l f fl o u l t y ) I g o t t o t a l l y o u #
Tha olark aaaa now that ha la not thraatanlng^ but apologatlo*
Mew ha looka Ilka tha woabagmia foraigner aha raaognlaad In tha
fi p a t p l a a a * B h a l a r a a d y f o r b i n *
BAM
I..,T
tall
11 a *
T h a o l a r k p l a k a u p h l a a f fi d a v i t * S h e h a s k n o w n I t a l l a l o n g *
BAM
t
an
not****
CLKRK X thought ao* (Data ready to tear ^ tha dooumnt)
BAM •••bom in Roaw* HoyI (aaelng what she Intenda to do)
\1bat you do tharat
Tha olark haa torn tha ahaat*
(«|i|«iadxaiwikad 9u:>PAllad)
Yo u d l a f p a n o h l a a n a i
OtBWC (ahookad) ^at did you aayt
9AM (linking aha la raferring to hla uaa of a **blg* word)
X told yout X been to sohool* I know aosae Innortant
worda*
ir??ir (oonfuaad) Ho*••what you 8ald***boforo* Hot bom in
Honat Bat you wawa
BAM (apologatloally) A ta troth to tell* I waa bom In
vary amall town* vary little vlllaga* oa■•^
(tMRK (gathering horaalf together) ftit you are a naturallaad
Anarloen oitlaant
BAM "Haturallsod*" That la a good word* (Hla aplrita ore
rlalng*) There ia a word thay aro giving to nllk nowt
i0l57«
SAM
(oontf!)
It
tslls
u&
eXl
about
ft»
tho
nan*
-I'V
1
k n o v a l l a b o u t X i o t t l o P a s t o u r * B u t H » l a l Ye n e h *
(Blamissaa hla with a eeatiara*)
E F W ( a e To r a l y ) I b u d i d n ' t o n a w a r « y q u e a t l o t w A p o ^ y o u *
fi-natupaliaad*.•«•
S A M O h . S u r a . ( Ta i l s b a r t h a d a t a a n d t h a n t w b e p o f h l a
ottlaanaMo atatua)
Sha
hands
a
naw
a f fl d n a l t
to
fi l l
out.
SAM I got ^^o do it all oaap agtalnt
0L1?nK (without apology) *»*« olty of your blpth lan't
isBDortant.
SAM I'm juat tailing you and now you ara tolling rao.
Tkilmr^optant. (under fala btreath) That'a why X amy
I n fi r s t p l a e a .
San oontlnues to print with graat aara.
10. San la walking olong Orend 3traat« up on Bunkar Rill. Ha
looka with new ayaa upon tha honaa hca*a9 rooooo« aplandldly
Indlwldualf honaa ownad by aowabedy. (^11 nead to ohebk
on status of Banker Rill at tiuo luSO^Sl perlodf wore thay
atartfng on a deolinat)
sAm« sitting on ourb bafora one house in partfeoular. Studiaa it.
S A M M o w t h a t l a a h o u a a t o l l v a I n . Yo u g o t t o p a y t a x e s
to live la » houaa lika that. But It'a a bagltmlng.
(*mihka that owar) M6w» why I say that?
9 0 . A t t h e P. V ! « d e p o t . ( T h a l A e n e m u a l o o f t h a S a d C a r l a h t p ^
now.) %m la standing at tha hub* so to speak* of a spoked
wheel leading to all the deatlmtlona in tha aaaa areal
S a n t a M o n l o a * S a n Ta m a n d o * H o l l y w o o d * M l l n l n g t o n * a t e .
Ha looka fron ona alga to another. '4!han his eya allghta on
Wilmington* the nualo aaema to surge with new proMlsa.
Whan hla aye departs* tha nualo saaaa to fall Into diahamony.
S a n l a s t a n d i n g a t t h a W l l n l n g t o n t l o k a t w i n d o w.
91. Han la riding on tha train* next to the window* faolng west.
Tha train has stopped at tha IDSrd Street station. San alts
fi d g e t i n g . O n e w o u l d t h l r k h a i s w i l t i n g f o r a g r e a t d a e l a i o n
t o b e m a d e . H e l o o k a i m p a t i e n t l y o u t t h e w i n d o w. S u d ^ i e n l y
he brlnd^tena*
S A M A m a n d a i I w i l l fi n d e n o t h e r a e a a h e l l f o r A n a n d e .
Somawhftt at ease now* he ralaxea aa the train oterts up.
The thane nualo is strong now as the traek loaves the main
l i n e a n d t u r n s o n t h a s p u r t o w a r d t fl l m i n g t o n . I n s e c o n d s
It pai'SMe « few hiaddled oottggea* one atuaoo house and lot
^Ith a For Sals .
10X576
4il5
nM
-10-
Saa saas the sign Imt it doesn't ir^^ppess hia* The stuooe
house vftS oertsfinly not beautiful* H» has in nlnd that house
on Bunkep Hill* Nov* If there was a For Sale sign on itj
H o s e r o u n g e s i n a T > o c ^ e t a n d n u l l s o u t « w a l l e t * ^ Vo n t h e
wallet he takes a worn bankbook* Opexu It up* note the
tx^ansaetlons* not regular and painfully snail anounts* over a
period of several years* The preaent savings is a nodost , ,
f ^ * J l s t h e t r a i n p r o g e e s s e a * Ya r n ' s e y e a e e n a t o f e l l o n a l l
sorts of Thr Sale signs* A wonnn next to hin is reading
with great Interest a large ad in the newspaper* la
the word snleshed over the page*
^* Se»xiszSBtl±e*zare*fc)iexeHB«p*BtBlBrtiiexbmuiexeeslsiUnBBxEttt*
Sem is in his bathroon* staring at his faoe in the nirror*
Be ia espeeially s^gardlng his mustaehe* A newspaper ollpping
o f B e r t o l o o i e o Va n s e t t i l i e s o n t h e t o i l e t s e a t * H e p u t s h i s
hand over his nuataehe* trying to envision Mnself thus bald*
The thouf^t siokens hla* Be quits the room and heads for the
kltoben*
He takes a bottle of red wine from a cupboard and not bothering
to pour It out decently drinks a healtby gulp from the nesk of
the bottle* Then he pours out a glass* a tsAlsss a very
beautiful wine glass that moat once have belonged to a set*
This he drinks down greedily*
He starts to sing Figaro's aria* then checks himself*
f j A H ( r e n e i fi b e r l n g t h e a u p e x * v l s o r a t w o r k ) F i g a r o *
(Swears in Italian) (Hours out wore vine)
Sam got to do something fast he go mad*
He goes into the living room snd sits with the bottle and the
glass* He looks angrily at the fotn* wslls* Then stares up
at the mottled ceiling with its stained nlastfU"* at the
u g l y o v e r h e a d l l i ^ t fi x t u r e * ( o a l s o n l n e T )
H A * ( s i t t i n g u p , h o r r i fi e d ) T h e y p u t m a d p e o p l e i n
places worse than this* (He puts down the bottle
and glass and assumes a desperate* prayerful attitude)
Oh* Hosa* Hosa* Hosa*
54* Ban
ars
But
Bo*
is standing before the nirror
streaming down his face* Be
when he cones to the center*
he can't do It* Be will leave
on his face*
a g a i n I n h i s b a t h r o o m * Te a r s
is shaving off his niustaohe*
under his nose* he hesitates*
a memory of his mustache
He puts away the rasor* splashes witch hasel over his face*
He looks at tl^ newspaper ollpclng and with an Italian oath
crumbles it Into a ball and throws It Into the toilet snd
fl u s h e s I t a w a y *
His
face
is
murderous*
TYtdn-y 101&76 5l05 «w •20~
S«n Is In R h«ber«lRal»ry# Rs buys s grsy fedors with •
dark bXus bend, Hs looks awful In It# ?ls woars the bat
out# Carrying Ma beloved osp In Ms clenched fist*
With his mustache all but shaved off end wearing this fedora
he looks like « new man* A man of oonsequenoel
^ Is talking to the occn^pant of the house on Bj^r Hill*
The action 1» in pentcmimst but ws can easily tall that the
house is not for sale and that even If It were Ite price
would be out of the <|uestlon for Sam's bankbook*
He walks sway. Ids bubble burst*
Hs rides down to Mil Street on the Angel's Plight end ^o
gUcpoe of the windows belonging to Ms building where he
l i v e s fi l l # h i m w i t h d i s g u s t .
On the sldftwelk iws, the site of the streetcar «tlrs
A flash of the stucoc house and lot just past the X09rd Street
stop* Sale" now looms Isrgs in his consolousnsss*
Ha Is In the neighborhood of 107th street makl^ It^Mes*
But the people hsre speak Sptnlsh and nsBard him and (ns
thlKka his new fedorsj with s\isplcion* Hs takes off the
hat and crushes It unlsr his srnplt*
How, aorosa the street, he sees someone, a man, ambll^
toward and Into the stucco house* He hurries ^
pantcmlne we sec the animated discussion* It ends wltn «
baialshaks*
The ^Pbr Sale" sign Is uprooted.
Sew Is moving In. Havlne no furniture, his only slaable
possession Is en old tmaok, steel-banded*
Sum is excaolnlng hi# property. Ws gather for the first time.
^ tests the pluwblng. ho<dcs Into the olossts,
flreplsos. tiO<dC8 out the wlr^oar. Hs sees s weed-flllsd
pls-shaped yard about a ouprter of an aero*
Be atepa out the back door nnd stares at this plsce*
Somahow It fllla him with a strange new sense of power*
Ts It the power of poeassslont
SAH Ho, T don't think so* (Me eyes explore, Ms feet
walk the cubits of his land*)
Tt la evening. A oreacent moon. Sam la atending In Ms
yard looking up*
How he sits. HOw he Xlos down full length and stares up St
the sky* visions of all the besutlfbl things he has seen
I n M s l i f e o c i a s n o w t o m i n d * A fl a s h o f t h e S l s t l n e C M i p e l