(theme music playing)
NARRATOR: Man lives in the sunlit world
of what he believes to be reality.
But... there is,
unseen by most, an underworld.
A place that is just as real
but not as brightly lit.
A dark side.
-(sighs) -(knocking continues)
-Hey. -Hey.
-l brought your mail. -Thanks.
Another rejection.
How do you know? You haven't even opened it yet.
Donald, if they like it, they call.
(growls)
Diablo, come on.
(snaps fingers)
Ten years l've been at this, Donald. Ten years!
And what do l have to show for it?
A file full of rejections and a...
...crummy room in this flea-bitten hole-in-the-wall.
l haven't seen any fleas here.
You got any fleas, honey? Huh?
God, l've give anything to sell a script-- anything.
Oh, really?
(sighs)
(chuckles): You hear that?
(Diablo growls)
Um... (clears throat)
Listen, in that case, uh, w-why don't l just, uh,
take this home a-and give it a quick read-through?
What do you say?
No, l... l could offer you
some suggestions, maybe.
l majored in English.
lt wouldn't do any good, Donald.
lt's not the script, it's who you know.
You mean it's not the movie, it's... it's the deal, huh?
Yeah, you got it, and l know nobody.
You know me.
Right.
l'm serious, kid.
l got a number of important contacts in this town.
lf you want, l'll take it home
and l'll give it a quick read-through,
and l-l'll tell you what l think.
Let's just see what goes with this next mailing, okay?
Okay by me.
Come on, let's go home, Diablo.
-You think it over, will you? -Yeah, l will.
Okay, take it easy. Come on, Diablo.
Bye, kid.
l hate it when it gets this hot.
l kind of like it.
(door creaks)
(sighs)
(chuckling quietly)
(mutters): Come on.
(chuckles)
(siren wailing in distance)
Tom?
lt's me, Donald.
Tom, l... l took your scripts
to some friends of mine to read.
Great.
No, no, Tom...
Look at this-- l mean it.
Donald, this is a contract!
(Donald laughs)
From Pacific Pictures!
(laughing): l know.
l took it to Global, see?
But Global wanted to do it as a movie-of-the-week.
l hope you don't mind.
Mind? This is fantastic!
How in the hell did you do this?
Just like you said, it-it's all who you know.
l don't believe this!
See if you can believe this.
$20,000?!
Donald, you're a genius!
(laughing)
l'll be damned!
You said it.
(cackling)
Come here.
(Donald laughs)
Whoo!
(laughing)
Beautiful. Beautiful. l love it.
lt's so high-concept.
Okay, babe,
have your girl call my girl, and we'll do lunch.
Ciao, bella.
WOMAN: Excuse me, sir.
l'm Tom Dash.
Do you want me to call security?
Uh, it's okay, sweetheart.
Uh, be a good girl and go get us
a couple of cups of coffee, will you?
No. Thanks.
Hey, Tom, what'd you think
of that sneak preview? Beautiful, wasn't it?
lt was garbage.
You destroyed my film!
Take it easy. Want a drink?
l want to know how you could take a sensitive story
about a mother and her lost child
and turn it into a heavy metal rock video.
We just had to slide a few numbers in here and there,
just to keep the story moving.
The dialogue had the action
if you'd just let the actors say it.
Tommy, today's audiences--
they're not into dialogue.
Neither are you.
Tommy, Tommy, baby, grow up.
This is the real world.
When the grosses come in,
and your film is at the top of the box office receipts,
you'll have a whole different attitude.
Tommy, you're gonna happen.
Trust me.
l want you to call my girl
and we'll do lunch at Sambuca's, all right?
Now, listen, l'll bet you got a project somewhere, huh?
One that's in the back of your mind.
Something you've been dying to do.
Am l right?
What do you say?
Sure, Vince.
Tommy, you're beautiful.
Don't change.
l love you.
(sighs)
Schmuck.
(knocking)
Come in.
-Hey. -Hey.
How'd it go, kid?
(sighs)
Don't even ask.
Hmm. That bad, huh?
♪ Sorry. ♪
l give 'em art, and they give me back crap.
Ooh!
The money was in the limousine, not on the screen, eh?
What do those guys know about making movies, anyway?
Just a bunch of accountants
who wouldn't know a jump cut if it bit 'em in the bottom line.
Hey, just once,
l'd like to have the power, just once.
l'm gonna get you that power.
Come on, Donald.
You got me that deal somehow.
What are you gonna do, make me
-a movie mogul? -Yup.
Don't be ridiculous.
Who do you think you are?
l'm the Devil.
Yeah?
Where-Where's your horns and tail?
(laughing): No, no...
Tom, please.
That-That... That's in cartoons.
Tha-That...
l'm the real stuff.
And the Devil can do anything he wants...
for a price.
What, ten percent?
More.
Twenty?
You talking about my soul?
(laughs)
(laughing): You're crazy, Donald.
You're flipped out.
You've been watching too much bad TV.
l like bad TV.
You think it over, kid.
l mean, like l said before: it's not the movie,
it's the deal, right?
And that's the deal.
Okay, Donald, so you say you're the...
(Donald laughing)
l thought you said you didn't have a tail.
l lied. (laughs)
Uh, l don't believe this.
You want... you want to feel my horns?
No. Thanks.
Uh...
lf you lied to me about these,
how can l trust you to help me?
Oh, come on, kid.
Who can you trust in this town?
That never stopped anybody from doing business.
Besides, you want to run the whole show or what?
You mean, sign with you?
Sure. l know l got a contract here somewhere.
Here, let's see...
Actors,
producers, accountants.
There-- writers.
There we go.
Couldn't we do it on spec?
Spec?
l never work on spec.
But we're talking about giving up my soul.
Come on, kid.
Half this town operates without one just fine,
and the other half is just waiting to make the deal.
Besides, it's the chance of a lifetime.
(Donald chuckles)
There you go.
Ah.
(Donald laughs)
You're gonna love this one, babe.
lt's got all the elements of every hit picture
of the last 20 years crammed together into one plot.
-Can't miss. -Really, Vincent?
WOMAN (over intercom): Mr. Dash is here.
Oh, send him right in.
Hi, Tom. Nice of you to come on such short notice.
What's this all about?
You better ask him.
Kingsley Diamond,
meet Tom Dash, one of Hollywood's
hottest young screenwriters.
Pleasure.
Kingsley here is Chief Executive Officer
of Tropical Fruit, our parent company.
Please, please.
WOMAN (over intercom): There's a call for you on four.
l told you to hold all calls.
WOMAN: lt's Jerry.
(sighs): Oh, that jerk! Uh, excuse me.
Jerry, sweetheart.
Haven't l met you someplace before?
Maybe shopping.
You go to Rodeo Drive?
No, l can't afford it.
Don't worry.
You will... very soon.
VlNCENT: No, no, no, let me tell
you something-- if he's not on that set at 8:00 in the morning,
l'll personally see to it
that he never works in this town again.
Agents! Why did God create them?
Same reason he made flies.
(snickers)
That's good, King.
l love it. l love it.
Now, what's happening here?
l got movies to make.
Not anymore, Vince.
We gotta let you go.
What-What... What are you talking about here, King?
Come on, you're kidding me, aren't you?
(chuckles)
No, no, l'm serious.
You're through, you're gone, you're history.
Tom here's what's happening now.
Him?
He's just a slob with a word processor.
What the hell does he know about making movies?
Kingsley, what are you talking about?
You can't do this to me, Kingsley.
l got the house in Malibu.
Kimberly's suing me for palimony.
King, baby, have a heart here.
Vincent, please, please.
Pull yourself together.
lt's nothing personal.
lt's just business.
But we had a deal.
l trusted you.
Oh, all right, all right, Vincent.
l can always use guys like you.
You see?
l'm much too soft.
You know what l'll do for you, Vincent?
l'll ship Dietz over to Global,
and l'll shuttle the guy
from Global off somewhere.
Maybe to... to Worldstar.
And l'll kick Brewster upstairs at Liberty.
And l'll move you in right there.
Thanks, King. Thank you.
(chuckles)
All right, Vincent-- please, go.
We have pictures to make here.
(chuckles)
You're gonna love King.
He's a great boss.
Vincent.
Right.
Vincent?
The hat.
(whispers): Bye.
(Kingsley chuckles)
Forget it.
(chuckles, sighs)
(Kingsley hums)
(chuckles)
Ah. Mm.
(sniffles) Come on.
l want you to sit right here in this chair, kid.
Come on. lt's yours.
(clears throat)
Huh?
(Tom sighs)
Huh?
Whew!
(Kingsley laughs)
Why are you giving me this job?
Because you're a genius, kid, and this town needs you.
You know a guy named Donald?
Bobby...
You accepted? Fantastic!
You know, Bob, l had you in mind
from the moment l started writing.
And listen-- the best news of all--
Mike Rudnick is set to direct.
That's right.
And l got this great girl to play opposite you--
Cassie Smith.
She's an unknown, but she's fabulous.
Just-Just wait till you meet her, Bobby.
You'll love her.
Okay, Bobby, l'll talk to you soon.
Bye-bye.
All right!
But Cassie's perfect for this part.
MAN (over phone): Maybe, but Debbie's my client,
and so is your leading man.
Jer, babe, be fair.
MAN: Fair?
Oh, that's the package, darling.
l mean, you want my star, you got to take his girlfriend.
(click, dial tone)
(sighs)
Debbie's doing the part? Debbie?!
What is this?
You promised!
l know l did, babe.
lt was either that, or lose the picture.
Tom, something's happened to you.
You're not the same person l used to know.
Sure, l am.
l'm just more successful, that's all.
But you wrote that part for me, remember?
Babe, l'll get you another part.
Maybe you will, and maybe you won't,
but l'll tell you this:
You'll never create another thing.
You're dead inside, Tom.
l can see it behind your eyes.
(sighs)
WOMAN (over intercom): Michael Rudnick is here.
(sighs)
Mr. Rudnick.
-Hey, hey. -How are you?
-l'm fine. -Come on in.
Make yourself at home.
Very nice. Thank you.
Mr. Rudnick, l can't tell you what an honor it is
to have you direct my film.
The honor's all mine, kid.
Have we met?
Maybe at Cannes, one of those festivals.
l don't know.
By the way, l love the script.
Well, thank you.
Thank you very much.
l, uh... l wrote it myself.
You did? That's terrific.
Then we don't have to deal with the writer at all, right?
l mean, 'cause that love stuff-- it's a lot of mush.
Nobody wants to see that mush anymore.
You know what l'm saying? And that war?
What is... What is... What is he, a hero?
He's no hero. He's a maniac! He's a maniac!
He wants to kill, he wants to chop.
He's got a fetish about nurses. Don't you understand?
He wants to kill.
And it's got to be something razor sharp.
And l happen to know a guy personally in Pittsburgh.
He can make blood like you could taste it!
You're not doing that to my film.
l won't let you.
What are you talking about?
l ran the idea past King. He loves the idea.
King said l was a genius.
That was last week, kid.
Hey, you want to fly with this, or shall l go over to Pacific?
But l'll tell you one thing--
if l take a walk, King won't like it.
No, no. lt's...
lt's just such a big change, that's all.
Well, l'll tell you something, kid.
Scripts aren't written, they're rewritten.
Now, come on, get me a pad.
Let's go to work here.
Diablo, baby...
(Diablo barks)
l gotta talk to you.
What's the matter, kid, huh?
l want out.
Oh... sorry.
A deal's a deal.
Please? l can't take this anymore.
Sorry, kid, l never give up a soul
once l've got a signed contract.
All l wanted was to do something good!
(laughs)
Welcome to Hollywood, kid, right?
Mm. You know what your problem is?
You're too soft.
l know. l'm a softie myself.
(sighs)
All right, l'll tell you what l'll do, kid.
Go. Go on.
Get me somebody to replace you.
Wh-Wh-What do you call 'em, a stand-in?
-Huh? -Yeah.
Right? Just get me somebody.
l'll put him under your contract,
and then you can go home to Ohio and be an English teacher again.
Sound good?
Donald, that sounds great.
All right, but here's the deal.
l'm a busy man.
You only get one chance.
One chance?
That's right,
so you better pick someone as desperate as you were.
l don't know anyone that desperate.
ln this town? Are you kidding?
-(Donald cackles) -Wait...
wait, there is someone.
l'll be right back.
Ooh, take your time, kid.
You can't afford to make a mistake.
(Diablo whining)
Ah...
Donald?
He must be around here somewhere.
Come on in.
l don't understand.
What kind of an audition is this?
lt's the latest thing.
You-You audition for the part in the actual location.
All the directors are doing it.
So let me get this straight.
l'm playing a woman who wants to sell her soul to the Devil?
Right. And just start improvising
as soon as he comes back in here.
lmprovise? Where's the script?
l don't know what to say.
Just say whatever pops into your head.
Use something from your personal life.
Use me. Just keep talking.
DONALD: Diablo, come on, huh?
Oh, hi.
l was just down by the, uh, incinerator.
l hope l haven't kept you waiting too long.
-Now? -Now.
l want to sell my soul to the Devil.
Yeah? (laughs)
Well, in that case,
you've certainly come to the right place.
But tell me, what do you want for it?
l want revenge.
Revenge?
On the man who told me he loved me,
and then dumped me like yesterday's garbage.
(chuckles)
Revenge, eh?
That good, old-fashioned one.
l like that.
You got a deal.
Wait a minute...
(snaps fingers)
(chuckles)
l know.
Um, so you're an actress, right?
Well... aspiring.
Uh-huh.
Well, l think l have a part
that you just might be perfect for.
NARRATOR: The dark side is always there.
Waiting for us to enter.
Waiting to enter us.
Until next time, try to enjoy the daylight.