Daily Dialogue — March 7, 2015

A helicopter lowers into the scene behind to men driving in a convertible.

MEYER: Look out!
NERVOUS MOTORIST: What?
MEYER: They’ve spotted us.
NERVOUS MOTORIST: Who have?
MEYER: Don’t stop driving, man, keep going.
NERVOUS MOTORIST: What is this?
MEYER: Helicopter. They’ve seen us.
NERVOUS MOTORIST: What helicopter? (Turns around and see the chopper.) That’s a police helicopter.
MEYER: Yeah, that’s what it looks like. They always use them.
NERVOUS MOTORIST: Who always uses…
MEYER: Who do you think? Now, look, I don’t want to talk about this, but I gotta. They got me hemmed in.
NERVOUS MOTORIST: Who? Who has?
MEYER: Will you shut up and listen? All right, I’m going to break a rule, a rule that says we must never reveal our true identity. but this is a matter of life or death, this is a desperate situation.
NERVOUS MOTORIST: What is?
MEYER: Will you shut up and listen? Now look, I haven’t got much time, so if you love your country, if you’re a patriot, you’ll listen, and listen hard. You gotta get to a phone and make a call.
NERVOUS MOTORIST: I got to get ot a phone?
MEYER: Yes, you got to call Intelligence. Central Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C.
NERVOUS MOTORIST: What on earth–
MEYER: Now, listen! You tell ’em you heard from X-27. You got it? X-27. X-27 told you to tell them they’ve made three attempts on my life today, already. They had me down a silver mine. They tried to drown me. Can you handle a gun? Now, look– Oh! Good, there’s a cafe. Pull right in there. You’ll use that phone.
NERVOUS MOTORIST: I don’t think l want to get involved–
MEYER: Will you shut up! You’re in no danger. They’ve never seen ya. Now, pull in.

The car pulls off the highway.

MEYER: All right, good. Now, look, get to a phone. Tell the operator “emergency priority,” and then ask for the CIA. All right, jump out. Come on, come on. You’re in no danger. They don’t know you. You’re all right. Now look I’ll duck the car and come back for you. For God’s sakes, man, don’t stand in the street. They’ll see you. They’ll spot you! Move it. Go! Hi-yeah! Go!

The Nervous Motorist runs to find a phone while Meyer drives off.

— It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), William Rose & Tania Rose (story)

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Chase. Today’s suggestion by Will King.

Trivia: Film debut of Jonathan Winters.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary by Will: “Two of Hollywood’s best character actors doing what they do best: Phil Silvers as the fast-talking con man and Don Knotts as the overly-anxious rube.”

Note: I used to own over 1,000 hard-copy screenplays. Gave almost all of them away when I moved back East. Only kept 20 of them. One is It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

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