THE BIG SLEEP sereenplay by William Faulkner, Leigh Brackett, and Jules Furthman from the novel by Raymond Chandler Directed and Produced by Howard Hawks140 The Big Sleep CAST OF CHARACTERS PHILIP MARIOWE. . .. . . . "Doghouse Reilly" ~- private detective, working for the D.A. husky, confident, well-dressed but not flashy. 38 years old -- unmarried. GENERAL STERNWOOD. . ... .. Old -- obviously dying; only in his fierce eyes seers to be life. A widower; a millionaire with two daughters: Carmen and Vivien. CARMEN STERNWOOD. ... .. About 20; sullen; always biting her thumb. VIVIAN STERNVOOD.. ..... Mrs. Rutledge -- spoiled, execting, snert, ruthless, with a habit for getting married. She is beeusiful, giving the impression of strong will and strong emotions ~~ the dangerous + unpredictable type. + Sternwood butler -- thin, silver- heired, gentle -- en intelligent face, ‘He writes the checks in ‘the Sternvood menage. Sternwood chauffeur -- hendsomé, poyish-looking -- in love-with Carmen; at one time wanted to marry her, but was prevented . — by Vivian and re-hired as their chauffeur. He doesn't like the game Geiger is playing with Caren. OWEN TAYLOR, 2... ee SHAWN REGAN. ... ...... Ex-brigade commander of the Irish-Republican Army -- at one ‘time rum-runner from Mexico. A big guy ~~ tell and heavy aa ex-bootlegger. Friend of the Generel. ARTHUR GWYNNE GEIGER... . ‘Tn his early 40's, Medium height, fattish, soft all over -- 1 ry ram marr aeeaeeeee ey my ee mm NYAGNES, . 2. JOE BRODY... . - PROPRIETRESS IN SECOND BOOKSTORE CAROL LUNDGREX . . BERNIE OLS... .- EDDIE MARS.» ss MONA. MARS 6... ‘EDDIE MARS' THUGS. (roe oo Ogu o The Big Sleep 141 2 Charlie Chan moustache; his left eye is glass. Operator of a smut bookstores blackmail racket on the side. Herd-Locking, expensive bionde, working in Geiger's bookstore -- with a phony venees Middle-aged, importent-Looking incongruously furtive and nervous in manner. His face well-fed, haggard and lined. Small, dark, shrevd-faced woman. Dark, hendsone kid -~ Geiger's shedow. AD.A.'s man -- dapper, slightly fleshy man‘ -- his clothes ere expensive -- but elways a little wrong. He's pleasant and affable to all -- respects courege -- loves no man. Operator of the Mars Cypress Club at Les Olindas. Hendeome, hard, horsy-Leoking man, wears beautiful, expensive, restrained clothes. He owns the house Geiger lives in. Badie's blonde wife who supposedly ran away with Shewn Regan. She's tall, blonde, strikingly beautiful -- a woman who knows her way around, yet shows a certain dignity and finesse. One a bodyguard . . . young, good- looking, pale~faced boy; the other -- older, slim, deadpan. District Attorney -- wears evening clothes. | |V : L io cr CO iL 142 The Big Slee} ig Pp . - CAPTAIN CROWAGER. .... . Of the city police homicide tL detail. In plain clothes. He is a cold, hatchet-faced nen. CAPTAIN GREGORY. ...... A slow, burly man who looks stupid but who isn't. Also in plain clothes. ABBA... .. +... Secretary in Gregory's offices a middle-aged woman. LARRY COBB... . +. = A big, blonde expensive-looking men; Vivien's escort to the Casino, Drunk in the car. HARRY JONES. ........ Small, hardly 5 feet -- in cheap snappy “undervorlé" suit. In his wizened, ugly face there is honesty, reliability, cqurege and dependability. He comes to Herlowe with a "streight" proposition. Tee) Nels pa lee a) (aol lel CANINO........... Mona Mars' watchdog. He does the dirty jobs for Eddie Mears. ART HUCK... . 0. + +. e: Operator of the Huck garage and paint shop -- the "Mars j hide-out". A gaunt, hard fece. GIRL TAXI-CAB DRIVER... .~ Smart, competent girl. - LIBRARIAN. ......... ‘Typical -- in Hollywood library. 1 BARMAN AT MARS CASINO waa n CROUPTER =" " MAN AT GAMBLING TABLE -- beside Vivian CROWD IN CASINO a THUG MOTORCYCLE COPS MEDICAL EXAMINER ‘UNIFORMED DEPUTY GUARD AT PIER 4, STRETCHER BEARERS ro 2 PLATNCLOTHESMEN i EW. Pr rm f 1ie | i The Big Sleep 143 FADE IN ESTABLISHING SCENE EXT, STERNVOOD PLACE It 1s e millionaires house, big, sprawling, Californie style, with clipved lawns and gardens, on a hill above the now abandoned ofl field waich was ‘the family's wealth, A small coupe drives up to the door and stops, and Philip Marlove gets cut: We just have tine to establish hin as he approaches the door --- a husky, self- confident man, well-dressed but not flashy INSERT: BRASS DOORPLATE ANOCKER WITH A. BELL BENEATH lettered STERIMOOD CLOSE SHOT . EXT, FRONT DOOR MARLOWE as Norris opens the door. NORRIS is thin, silver-haired with a gentle intelligent face. NORRIS: (noléing the door) Good morning, sir, MARLOWE: I'm Philip Marlowe. General Sternwood sent for me, NORRIS: (opens door, steps aside) Yes, Mr.~Marlowe.. Will you come in?* MARLOWE: _(entering) Thanks. DVD. FORMAL HALL SAME OPULEN? BIG-SCALE STYLE MARLOWE -~ Yas Norris shuts the door, tekes Merlove's hat. MORRIS: WiLL you sit here? I'l1 tell ; the General you have come. MARLOWE: Okay.144. The Big Sleep Norris exits. Marlowe looks about, interested and curious, sees something, moves toward i CLOSE SHOT MARLOWE as he stands before a portrait, examining it with curious interest. It is a portreit of General Sternwood, in regimentals, beneath crossed battle-torn cavalry pennons enda sabre. He is still staring at the vortreit when et a SOUND OFF, he turns and sees CARMEN STERNIOOD approaching. Ste is ebout 20, in slacks, something sullen end hot about her. She stops atout 10 feet from him and stares at him, biting the thumb of her left hand. MARLOWE: Good morning. CARMEN: (after a moment) You're not very tell are you? MARLOWE: I tried to be. CARMEN: Vot bed looking, though -- you probably know it. MARLOWE: ‘Thanks. He goes to a cheir-end sits down. When he looks up, he sees Carmen epproaching, still staring at him. = CARMEN: (approaching) What's your name? MARLOWE: Reilly -- Doghouse Reilly. CARMEN: (beside the chair now) That's a funny name. Are you a prize fighter? MARLOWE: No, I'ma shamus. amr tse trJit tai tJ tl ti tu Liss 7 L J The Big Sleep 145 CARMEN: A whee? MARLOWE: A private detective. CARMEN: You're cute. As she speaks, she sits suddenly on the arm of his chair. As she does so, Merlowe rises, shifts the chair in doing 0, so thet to her surprise, Carmen finds hersel? sitting in'the chair itself, She steres up, surprised end then angrily, is about to speak again when they toth see the butler.” He has just entered noiselessly, stands beside the chair. On Norris' face there is now e curious ex- pression of grief, sadness. Cernen glences up at Ain, rises quickly as if he hed reprimanded her with words, and. exits. Marlowe looks efter her, thoughtful, a little grim. NORRIS: The General will see you now. MARLOWE: (ooking after Cermen) Who was that? BUTLER: Miss Carmen Sternwood, sir. 5 MARLOWE: You ought to wean her, She Looks old enough. a BUTLER: Yes, sir, This way, if you please. They exit through French doors. EX, REAR LAWN SAME WEALTHY SCALE Garage at one side, beyond it a tremendous greenhouse. The butler is leading Marlowe along the path tovard che greenhouse. A chauffeur is weshing a car before the gerage. We establish him in passing -- a handsome, boyish-Looking man, OWEN TAYLOR. Marlowe follows the butler on to the greenhouse, looking at the tremendousVid t i i i —D 146 The Big Sleep | > - size of i: +2 the butler opens the door and stands Ly isis for ““rlove to enter, - INT, GREED -VSE CHOKED WITE ORCHID PLANTS L | tendrils -~ oranches, ‘the place is oven-hot, deep r | sweat, gres’. vith gloom. Nerlove is already reacti L | +. ready mopping his face with his hendke | cy i ‘MARLOWE: Ly | (mopping neck, following I | butler) couldn't we have gone around this? WIE: I (over shoulder; welking on) ‘he General sits in here, sir. 8 MED, CLOS: HOT GENERAL STERNOOD in a whee)’ .sir in center of the greenhouse, in a cleared space abo. which the plants crowd and hover. The GS GENERAL ic “ne man we saw in the portrait, though older, and obviow..s dying, so,that only his fierce eyes seem to have any |. Even in the terrific ‘eat his body is wrapped in % traveling rug end a heavy batarobe, his made gnarled brs lying like deed gnarled twigs on the rus, his fierce vyes following as Norris leads Merlowe in. NORRIS: (stopping) ‘his is Mr. Marlowe, General. : mmm me eee ‘The Genere! does not speak, only the fierce eyes stare at Marlowe vo the butler pushes a wicker chair up - behind Marine's legs. _ - ‘STERNWOOD: lrandy, Norris. f : (bo Meriowe) - How do you like your brendy, sir? tT MARLOWE: L (sitting down) lust with brandy. Worris takes Marlowe's hat, exits. WW =a mm 1 x oa