BROADWAY JESUS, Christmas Party -- 1977 by Hugh Wreisner

BROADWAY JESUS

A celebration for Christmas by Hugh Wreisner
An audio-visual entertainment presented at the annual Christmas Party December, 1977
© 1977 by Hugh Wreisner
All rights reserved.

The guests have all arrived and had at least one drink. As show-time approaches, they seat themselves in the living room facing the windows which look out to a panoramic view of the Chicago skyline. At the extreme left of the window area is a floor-to-ceiling Christmas tree, lavishly decorated with ornaments, tinsel and hundreds of small lights. However, the tree is as yet unlighted. Over the right half of the window area a movie screen is suddenly lowered, signalling the beginning of the show.

DIALOGUE VISUALS, MUSIC AND SOUND EFFECTS

House lights are extinguished The first slide appears: CLOSE-UP OF A RED VELVET THEATRE CURTAIN.

Simultaneously, the music begins: A large orchestra playing this phrase ( with novocal) "There's NO business like SHOW business". At the end of the phrase, the music fades out in a swirl of harp arpeggios. As it does, the RED CURTAIN BLURS.

Immediately, a huge fanfare begins and the "studio logo" blurs in, looking suspisciously like the old Warner Bros. logo.

A new set of fanfares begins, each cued to the following slides:

1. and now ....

2. and now . . .

3. And NOW ! !

4. "In association with Robert Altman''

5. "Hugo Wreisner presents "

6. "The"

7. "1977"

8, "Tree"

9. "Lighting"

10. "Extravaganza"

11. BROADWAY JESUS

( With this, the main title music begins. It is fast, joyous, exciting. Much like the overture of a Broadway musical but with a slightly darker shading. It continues through all of the title slides, each of which is bordered in white light bulbs, the backgrounds alternating between red and green and, in special cases, gold!

12. "A celebration for Christmas"

13." Starring Mary Seibel"

14. "with"

15. "Carol Burnett"

16. "Howard Duff"

17. "Dina Merrill"

18. "Mia Farrow"

19. "Lillian Gish"

20. "and"

21 "special"

22. "guest"

23. "star"

24. "Mr William Guthrie as Broadway Jesus"

25. "Music by Alex North"

26. "Aaron Copland"

27. "Irving Berlin"

28. "Produced and directed by Hugh Wreisner "

29. "PROLOGUE"

The music comes to a glorious finish onslide 28. Then, suddenly, it becomes very strange indeed. A weird wind rising and falling. Is it wind or an electronic effect ? The word, "Prologue'' blurs out totally.

Nothing happens visually for a few moments. But the strange music continues. A soprano choir ? A harp plucked here and there ? It is hard to identify the sounds but the effect is weird, strange and expectant !

A NEW SLIDE comes on, still totally blurred.(It has been pointed out that this slide resembles the face on the Turin shroud. This is quite accidental but makes a very nice effect since at this point the audience truly does not know what to expect. I think that in the actual performance there was a certain' fear that this was going to be very serious and 'holy' and not fun like last year. Nice. )

The weird music continues and as the slide comes into focus we see that it is a shot of large, tall buildings in some, obviously, very large city. They are hard to make out as the light is very dim.... before sunrise? After sunset ?

NARRATOR:
( unidentified, but obviously Hugo himself)
In the beginning .....

The earth was void and empty...
FIVE.SLIDES follow. The sky is brightening ( but never gets very bright ) and we are plainly hovering over some large modern city. Near the end, the Sears Tower is recognizable. The best guess is that this is just before sunrise.

And darkness Was over the face of the earth. But the Spirit of God. Hovered over the darkness... And God said:.. Accompanying the slides, the Narrator speaks.

"Let .... there... be.... light!" After the word, "Light", there is one last pluck of a harp ( ? ) very high, and suddenly the soundtrack is filled with the sound of a jet plane getting louder and louder, closer and closer. In bright daylignt we are flying in over downtown Chicago; the famous buildings, the lake etc. all clearly identifiable. The city looks a bit grubby. As the sound of the plane fades away, we settle on a lovely shot of the centerof the city... by the river, near Marina Towers.

Silence......

NARRATOR:
And there was light, BUT: A cymbal crash! And a threatening chord !A shot of the skyline ( as seen from Hugo'swindows ) bathed in a gold light. The musicstarts repeating the three notes of A Chicago,Chicago" (( 'that toddlin' town")) increasingin intensity and obviously building up to something horrible. Some kind of evil coming.We see dark buildings in silhouette, and theskyline cowering under terrifying thunderclouds. This climaxes in another great cymbalcrash and we see a red traffic light, closeup,with the words, DON'T WALK, in forbidding red. Dark, faceless facades of huge buildings.

An ominous chord in the horns and we see theHEADLIGHTS OF A CAR coming directly at us !

There is a scream of tires skidding on the street!

HOWARD DUFF:
(angrily) Hey! Watch it, buddy ! ! Then, suddenly, we are on the street near the Wrigley Building, many cars, taxis etc. Bright, broad daylight.

Christ ! ! ! Howard Duff's face appears, close but very blurry. The music is suddenly all big city percussion and movement, sweeping us along.

HUGO:
Wha.. . . What happened ?

HOWARD DUFF:
( contemptuously) You almost walked into that car.

HUGO:
I. . ..I didn't see it.Thank you for....

HOWARD DUFF:
There something wrong with you ?

HUGO:
Well, there's something wrong alright.

HOWARD DUFF:
Yeah. If I were you I'd just go in someplace and sleep it off. You shouldn't be walking around in traffic.

HUGO:
Yah. I guess I'd better. Could you ...Wait ! Where should I go ?

HOWARD DUFF:
Anyplace. Broadway Jesus maybe.

HUGO:
(confused ) Where ? But Howard Duff is gone.The music climaxes and we see nothing but faceless facades of buildings, mostly in closeup. Not a single human being is visible.

The music in this sequence alternates between pounding, rushing big city music and a lost, wistful bnely music.

It is lonely now and Hugo is apparentlyaround groping in the crowd. He 'gropes' Carol Burnett.

CAROL BURNETT:
Watch it ! We see a bright, but blurred slide of her in profile.

HUGO:
( embarrassed ) Oh, I beg your pardon.

CAROL BURNETT:
Just keep your hands at your sides,buster.

HUGO:
I'm very sorry. Really. Could you just tell me something ? Is it dark out ? Same picture of Burnett but closer, darker.

CAROL BURNETT:
Dark ? No. It's a perfectly gorgeous sunny day.

HUGO:
Well.. . it seems... it seems dark to me.

CAROL BURNETT:
Really ? Well, I'd say have your eyes checked. See a doctor. Better yet, Broadway Jesus.

HUGO:
Who ?

CAROL BURNETT:
(moving off ) Broadway Jesus. She is gone and the music is pounding again.

HUGO:
Miss ? Miss ! ! Where'd she go ?

MISS ! ! ! ! !
Music breaks up like a troubled dream and a woman answers his last desperate call. It is Dina Merrill. She is polite but icy cold.

DINA MERRILL:
Yes ?

HUGO:
Oh, excuse me. I thought you were the other one.

DINA MERRILL:
Oh. ...... Sorry:

HUGO:
Could you help me... uh.. . cross the street ? I'm having some difficulty.

DINA MERRILL:
So I see, You should carry a white cane or have a dog or something. Another closeup of her, very blurry.

HUGO:
Well this all just happened. All of a sudden. I don't know what to do.

DINA MERRILL:
You should probably try to contact Broadway Jesus.

HUGO:
Who ?

DINA MERRILL:
Well they say he's marvelous. It's worth a try. Good luck And she too is gone. More facades.

HUGO:
(shouting after her ) But .... where is this guy ?

DINA MERRILL ( calling back ) Oh I imagine he's in the phone book.

HUGO:
But ...... ! ! ! ! More pounding music. More faceless buildings. Then a wistful pause in the music. . . high, sad, slow strings. And we see Mia Farrow. .

MIA FARROW: Oh don't ask me. Go to Broadway Jesus. She disappears immediately.

HUGO:
( desperate) Wait! I don't understand you ! !

LILLIAN GISH: Young man ! In the predicament you're in, all you can do is Ask For Help. Go to Broadway Jesus ! She has the fiery eyes and irritating certitudeof a religious fanatic. She disappears.... .

HUGO:
( panicking ) Please...... Wait ............. EXPLAIN !!!!!!

The music is sad and wistful again. The city incredibly lonely. Then, out of nowhere, Mary appears. ( Looking as she did in thefilm, "A Wedding") . She is friendly and curious and very matter of fact.

MARY:
Can I help you ?

HUGO:
(vastly relieved ) Oh! Yes ! !

MARY:
What seems to be the trouble ?

HUGO:
Well, I'm ... I'm sort of lost.

MARY:
Well where do you want to go ? Do you have the address

HUGO:
Well mostly it's ...I can't see!

MARY:
You're blind ? Are you blind ?

HUGO:
( at a loss ) Well I wasn't ... but. . . until ...

MARY:
(checking him out like a doctor) Can you see me ?

HUGO:
Well, kind of. It comes and goes.

MARY:
Hmm. Do you have pain ?

HUGO:
Well, not "pain", . . . but I hurt.

MARY:
Vertigo ? You feel dizzy ?

HUGO:
Yeah. Sort of. ..... I'm frightened I'm very frightened ! ! ... JESUS ! ! ! A huge thunderclap and the sky shot, brighter fills with lightening. Another lightening but not as scary. There is a hint of gentle rain starting to fall but this fades out immediately and the slide blurs out. Silence.

MARY:
Do you want to lie down ?

HUGO:
No! I just want to get going. I want to see!

MARY:
Okay. I don't think we've got a medical problem here. Take hold of my hand, okay ? Blurred lightning slide remains on.

HUGO:
Okay. . . . Who are you ?

MARY:
I'm Mary.

HUGO:
Yeah ? Can you help ?

MARY:
Not directly, but I think I know who can.

HUGO:
Who ?

MARY:
Broadway Jesus.

HUGO:
( let down) Oh "Broadway Jesus!" Who in the hell is Broadway Jesus ?

MARY:
Well, he's the one that can do it.

HUGO:
(muttering) Broadway Jesus.

MARY:
Wait a minute. What's your name ?

HUGO:
"Hugo"

MARY:
( amused at the odd name ) "Hugo"?

HUGO:
Well.....

MARY:
Okay, "Hugo", You can't see, you don't know where you're going, you're dizzy.... Are you nauseous ?

HUGO:
Umm. A little. Yah.

MARY:
Well, "Hugo", just trust me.Broadway Jesus. A new slide comes on. A bright, elongated vertical blur.

HUGO:
But ....

MARY:
Right here. This door. ((She knocks on it for him. )) The blur comes into focus and we find our selves in a dark, musty, dusty, corridor of an ancient office building. The only light comes through the dirty frosted glass of the office door on which we read, neatly lettered: " B. JESUS"

HUGO:
But ...........

MARY:
( her parting words ) Just go in and talk to him. Her footsteps fade out down the hall.

NOTE: Although we never actually see Broadway Jesus, it is clear from what follows that he is a Damon.Runyon character. Sort of a Broadway cab-driver type, with a definite NewYork accent. He is probably middle aged, gray and balding, a completely unassuming, guileless man. Simple, childlike, ready to do anything for anybody. Full of delight in the smallest things.

BROADWAY JESUS: (musically)
Yeah ? The screen goes blank the moment his voice is heard and remains so throughout this scene. The audience sits in total darkness, seeing nothing, absorbed in the dialogue.

HUGO:
(opens door and calls) Hello ?

BROADWAY J.: ( calling back)
Come on in. Come ye into my kingdom, such as it is.

HUGO:
(entering the main office) I .... uh.. . (startled) Oh! Jesus Christ!

BJ:
( friendly) Yeah? What can I do for ya ?

HUGO:
(flustered ) Uh..... well....I ......

BJ:
((i. e. Don't stand in the door blubbering)) Come in! Come on in. Have a seat.

HUGO:
( inarticulate ) Uh ...... Mmmmmmm.

BJ:
Wanna cuppa coffee ?

HUGO:
Yeah. ....Okay....

BJ:
Good coffee. Instant, but good. I boil it a little after.

HUGO:
( tentatively ) You're ..... "Broadway Jesus" ?

BJ:
Right ! And you are .... ?

HUGO:
''Hugo"

BJ:
"Hugo" ? (( a bit amused )). Well, Hugo, sit down here and have a cuppa coffee.

HUGO:
Are you' ......

BJ:
What ?

HUGO:
Are you.... Jesus Christ ? ((spooky))

BJ:
( very matter of fact ) Yeah. Yeah.

HUGO:
But how ..... ?

BJ:
Some peanuts ? I got peanuts here. Sound of peanuts poured from jar into bowl.

HUGO:
You're really, I mean you're the real Jesus Christ ? !

BJ:
Yeah. Usually I got bread an wine. But today, coffee and peanuts. You shoulda called ahead. Now what can I do for ya ?

HUGO:
( mouth filled with peanuts) I mean: You're Jesus Christ !

BJ:
Thou hast said it. Here's your coffee.

HUGO:
Thank you. Is this the Second Coming ?

BJ:
The what ? OH! Oh, no. No no. Not the big biggie. Not yet . Not for awhile. . . . .I don't think. Only the Father knows for sure.

HUGO:
But what are you doing here ?

BJ:
Oh. Well, for years now I always come down to Chicago for my birthday.

HUGO:
Oh yeah ? When's your birthday ?

BJ:
( incredulous ) December twenty fifth.

HUGO:
December 25th ? That's Christ..... All of this runs together, practically simultaneously.

BJ:
( with enormous pleasure) Yeah !

HUGO:
Jesus Christ!

BJ:
(singing happily) "Another openin', another show, in Philly, Boston or Baltimo' " ... but Chicago's the best. Believe me, I been all over.

HUGO:
The best for what ?

BJ:
The lights! My birthday lights. In Chicago, terrrifffic !

HUGO:
( starting to get the point ) You come down to Chicago, every year, to see the Christmas lights ?

BJ:
( with relish ) Mmmmmm. I LOVE 'em. It's show biz ! !Read your bible. What's the first thing I ever made ? Light. Right ? Light. Let there be light. Let there be bright lights ! "There's NO bizness like SHOW bizness."

HUGO:
( cheering up in spite of himself, he starts to laugh )

BJ:
I also made the Stars !

HUGO:
(laughs harder)

BJ:
( absolutely sincere ) What's funny ?

HUGO:
( still laughing) Well, I guess I never thought of it that way. I...

BJ:
( not quite getting his point) Well it was always "That Way". The night I was born. (( It's as if he's describing a lavish Busby Berkely production number )) W e had that BIG star. Remember ? It moved around ! FAAAAnntastic ! ! And we had all those angels ? A multitude of the heavenly host. All singin' away ! Them shepherds. We knocked 'em dead! ! "There's NO bizness like SHOW bizness" !

HUGO:
( completely at ease now, laughing)

BJ:
Hey! You know Matthew 5:14 ? Lemme read. ya Matthew 5:14. (( Picks up book and reads, with some difficulty )) " You are... the... light... of " ... the world.

HUGO:
( with quick, sober reverence ) Oh. Yeah.

BJ:
No, wait a minute. Here comes the good part. " A city . . . glowing. . in. . the... night for... all to see. " Ha HAH ! How about that ! "Chicaaaaago"

HUGO:
(laughing happily ) Hey! If you're so crazy about Chicago, how come they call you 'Broadway Jesus" ?

BJ:
( This is easily explained ) Oh. That. Well, for years I went to New York. You know, the Great White Way, all that stuff. But nowadays. . poor New York.... I hadda relocate. I mean, what if they had one of their blackouts on my birthday ?

HUGO:
Yeah. Well. I suppose you've got a point there.

BJ:
( solemnly ) Sure. God-Is-Light, kiddo. Gimme Chicago anytime.

HUGO:
( singing ) "Your kind of town"...

BJ:
Yeah ! ! Lemme show ya. Come on.

HUGO:
What? The lights ?

BJ:
Yeah. We'll just walk up Michigan a couple of blocks.

HUGO:
Well, I'd love to, but I have this problem.

BJ:
Oh ? Well, then first we'll take careof the problem, then we'll look at the lights. What can I do for ya ?

HUGO:
( embarrassed ) Well... uh.. . Lord, that I may see.

BJ:
Ohhhh ! Easy! Ya got it. Your faith has healed ya. Zzzzzzzzzzzap !How's that. A slide comes on but it is practically the same as the blank screen. Near darkness.

HUGO:
Zap no good.

BJ:
You're kiddin'.

HUGO:
No. I'm still blind as a bat.

BJ:
Nah nah nah nah. C'mere. Look outthe window. You don't see nothin '?

HUGO:
Nope.

BJ:
You don't see all those birthday lights ?

HUGO:
Not a one. I'm a hopeless case.

BJ:
Oh cheer up, for Christ's sake. Yourtrouble is you're not openin' up youreyes and lookin' enough. The eye's a muscle, ya know. You gotta keep usin''em t'keep 'em in shape. Come on now: Look.

HUGO:
Yeah....

BJ:
Look.

HUGO:
I'm lookin '. .

BJ:
LOOK !

HUGO:
Ah ! A single light appears on the dark screen.

BJ:
Ya see somethin ' ?

HUGO:
Yeah. A light !

BJ:
Keep looking.

HUGO:
Oh ! ! Another light.

BJ:
Keep Lookin ' ! !

HUGO:
Haaaah ! Another light. From this point on, more and more lights appear, "shining but not illumining'' They just keep quietly appearing and increasing in number throughout the remainder of the dialogue.

BJ:
Keep lookin'! ! !

HUGO:
Hey! This is great ! !

BJ:
(relaxing) Well. I'm glad we got that straightened out. You still lookin ' ?

HUGO:
Oh, yeah. It's wonderful. Hey thanks a lot.

BJ:
You're welcome but lissen I wanna tell you something. You gotta keep lookin'.

HUGO:
OH.... I will.

BJ:
Yeah, but I mean you gotta like practice. Keep the old lookers in shape. I'm gonna give you an excercise. You do this five minutes every day. You gotta Christmas tree, right ?

HUGO:
Yah.

BJ:
Lotta lights on it and stuff .

HUGO:
Oh yeah Well, I don't have it turned on yet..

BJ:
( stunned ) You got a turned-off Christmas Tree? Oh boy! Is that dumb ! ! Nobody lights a lamp and puts in under a bushel. You put it on a stand .... where it can give Joy to everybody that walks into the room. You go home and turn on your Christmas tree just as bright as it'll go --and you'll be fine. (( muttering)) That's what was wrong all along....

HUGO:
Really

BJ:
Well sure. Ooooh, look at the time. I gotta get back up. But we can still see the lights. Let's go.

HUGO:
Okay! The door opens and closes. They seem to be walking down the corridor or a staircase. Lights keep appearing. Getting brighter and more numerous.

HUGO:
Hey, do you really believe all the lights are to celebrate your birthday ?

BJ:
W ell.... I don't know, you know. But I'll tell ya one thing. They never do it for Buddha, babe. C'mon. You still seeing okay ?

HUGO:
Yeh. More and more.

BJ:
That's cause it's gettin' dark out. The darker it gets, the brighter the lights.

HUGO:
Hey, what happens if I go blind again?

BJ:
Oh you won't.

HUGO:
Yeah, but what if ?

BJ:
Well you won't! Because, kiddo, the light shineth in the darkness .... and the darkness will NEVER put it out. C'mon ! A single golden globe fills the screen.

We hear the outer door open. And see the traffic sign, green now, with the word "WALK" shining brightly.

Now the full orchestra sweeps in with a marvelous crescendo. We see the Chicago skyline at night ( again, as viewed from Hugo's actual windows ). The first shot is almost abstract ( a vertically-jiggled time exposure ), then a normal shot on a very clear night with all the millions of light shining brilliantly.

Then we slowly zoom into the city, which of course become more and more dazzling the close we get. The music is childlike, relaxed and innocent. Every six beats the slide changes with a happy cymbal crash ((Ksssh!)) and we soon see not only the lighted windows and the street lights but Christmas lights all over everything ! This reaches a climax on north Michigan where all the trees are drenched in what seem to be lighted raindrops. Then the big Christmas tree at Congress and Michigan.

Suddenly the music softens and once again we see the skyline from Hugo's window. But this time there is a ribbon of gold light sweeping up from the buildings and vanishing in the sky high above them. This slide remains on. We hear a plaintive violin softly intoning "There's No bizness like Show bizness like No bizness I know". Then more instruments take up the tune and pick up the tempo. Hugo's shadow appears on the screen as he walks through the room to the window. He slowly lifts the screen ( which is also a window shade ) and there of course is the exact same picture, but this time it is the real thing, the actual city. He stares out at it for a moment as the music builds and builds. Then he looks to his left, at the turned off Christmas tree, kneels and turns on two of the five rheostats. The music now has human voices in it, no real words yet. He jumps up to the window again and yells "Happy Birthday", then finishes lighting the tree as full orchestra and chorus sing with enormous verve: Let's go on with the show "..... and the houselights come up.

People weep and hug each other and say Merry Christmas to the surrounding air. The party has begun.

	House lights are extinguished The first slide appears: CLOSE-UP OF A RED VELVET THEATRE CURTAIN.
	Simultaneously, the music begins: A large orchestra playing this phrase ( with novocal) "There's NO business like SHOW business". At the end of the phrase, the music fades out in a swirl of harp arpeggios. As it does, the RED CURTAIN BLURS.
	Immediately, a huge fanfare begins and the "studio logo" blurs in, looking suspisciously like the old Warner Bros. logo.
	A new set of fanfares begins, each cued to the following slides:
	1. and now ....
	2. and now . . .
	3. And NOW ! !
	4. "In association with Robert Altman''
	5. "Hugo Wreisner presents "
	6. "The"
	7. "1977"
	8, "Tree"
	9. "Lighting"
	10. "Extravaganza"
	11. BROADWAY JESUS
	( With this, the main title music begins. It is fast, joyous, exciting. Much like the overture of a Broadway musical but with a slightly darker shading. It continues through all of the title slides, each of which is bordered in white light bulbs, the backgrounds alternating between red and green and, in special cases, gold!
	12. "A celebration for Christmas"
	13." Starring Mary Seibel"
	14. "with"
	15. "Carol Burnett"
	16. "Howard Duff"
	17. "Dina Merrill"
	18. "Mia Farrow"
	19. "Lillian Gish"
	20. "and"
	21 "special"
	22. "guest"
	23. "star"
	24. "Mr William Guthrie as Broadway Jesus"
	25. "Music by Alex North"
	26. "Aaron Copland"
	27. "Irving Berlin"
	28. "Produced and directed by Hugh Wreisner "
	29. "PROLOGUE"
	The music comes to a glorious finish onslide 28. Then, suddenly, it becomes very strange indeed. A weird wind rising and falling. Is it wind or an electronic effect ? The word, "Prologue'' blurs out totally.
	Nothing happens visually for a few moments. But the strange music continues. A soprano choir ? A harp plucked here and there ? It is hard to identify the sounds but the effect is weird, strange and expectant !
	A NEW SLIDE comes on, still totally blurred.(It has been pointed out that this slide resembles the face on the Turin shroud. This is quite accidental but makes a very nice effect since at this point the audience truly does not know what to expect. I think that in the actual performance there was a certain' fear that this was going to be very serious and 'holy' and not fun like last year. Nice. )
	The weird music continues and as the slide comes into focus we see that it is a shot of large, tall buildings in some, obviously, very large city. They are hard to make out as the light is very dim.... before sunrise? After sunset ?
NARRATOR: ( unidentified, but obviously Hugo himself) In the beginning ..... The earth was void and empty...	FIVE.SLIDES follow. The sky is brightening ( but never gets very bright ) and we are plainly hovering over some large modern city. Near the end, the Sears Tower is recognizable. The best guess is that this is just before sunrise.
And darkness Was over the face of the earth. But the Spirit of God. Hovered over the darkness... And God said:..	Accompanying the slides, the Narrator speaks.
"Let .... there... be.... light!"	After the word, "Light", there is one last pluck of a harp ( ? ) very high, and suddenly the soundtrack is filled with the sound of a jet plane getting louder and louder, closer and closer. In bright daylignt we are flying in over downtown Chicago; the famous buildings, the lake etc. all clearly identifiable. The city looks a bit grubby. As the sound of the plane fades away, we settle on a lovely shot of the centerof the city... by the river, near Marina Towers. Silence......
NARRATOR: And there was light, BUT:	A cymbal crash! And a threatening chord !A shot of the skyline ( as seen from Hugo'swindows ) bathed in a gold light. The musicstarts repeating the three notes of A Chicago,Chicago" (( 'that toddlin' town")) increasingin intensity and obviously building up to something horrible. Some kind of evil coming.We see dark buildings in silhouette, and theskyline cowering under terrifying thunderclouds. This climaxes in another great cymbalcrash and we see a red traffic light, closeup,with the words, DON'T WALK, in forbidding red. Dark, faceless facades of huge buildings.
	An ominous chord in the horns and we see theHEADLIGHTS OF A CAR coming directly at us !
	There is a scream of tires skidding on the street!
HOWARD DUFF: (angrily) Hey! Watch it, buddy ! !	Then, suddenly, we are on the street near the Wrigley Building, many cars, taxis etc. Bright, broad daylight.
Christ ! ! !	Howard Duff's face appears, close but very blurry. The music is suddenly all big city percussion and movement, sweeping us along.
HUGO: Wha.. . . What happened ?
HOWARD DUFF: ( contemptuously) You almost walked into that car.
HUGO: I. . ..I didn't see it.Thank you for....
HOWARD DUFF: There something wrong with you ?
HUGO: Well, there's something wrong alright.
HOWARD DUFF: Yeah. If I were you I'd just go in someplace and sleep it off. You shouldn't be walking around in traffic.
HUGO: Yah. I guess I'd better. Could you ...Wait ! Where should I go ?
HOWARD DUFF: Anyplace. Broadway Jesus maybe.
HUGO: (confused ) Where ?	But Howard Duff is gone.The music climaxes and we see nothing but faceless facades of buildings, mostly in closeup. Not a single human being is visible.
	The music in this sequence alternates between pounding, rushing big city music and a lost, wistful bnely music.
	It is lonely now and Hugo is apparentlyaround groping in the crowd. He 'gropes' Carol Burnett.
CAROL BURNETT: Watch it !	We see a bright, but blurred slide of her in profile.
HUGO: ( embarrassed ) Oh, I beg your pardon.
CAROL BURNETT: Just keep your hands at your sides,buster.
HUGO: I'm very sorry. Really. Could you just tell me something ? Is it dark out ?	Same picture of Burnett but closer, darker.
CAROL BURNETT: Dark ? No. It's a perfectly gorgeous sunny day.
HUGO: Well.. . it seems... it seems dark to me.
CAROL BURNETT: Really ? Well, I'd say have your eyes checked. See a doctor. Better yet, Broadway Jesus.
HUGO: Who ?
CAROL BURNETT: (moving off ) Broadway Jesus.	She is gone and the music is pounding again.
HUGO: Miss ? Miss ! ! Where'd she go ? MISS ! ! ! ! !	Music breaks up like a troubled dream and a woman answers his last desperate call. It is Dina Merrill. She is polite but icy cold.
DINA MERRILL: Yes ?
HUGO: Oh, excuse me. I thought you were the other one.
DINA MERRILL: Oh. ...... Sorry:
HUGO: Could you help me... uh.. . cross the street ? I'm having some difficulty.
DINA MERRILL: So I see, You should carry a white cane or have a dog or something.	Another closeup of her, very blurry.
HUGO: Well this all just happened. All of a sudden. I don't know what to do.
DINA MERRILL: You should probably try to contact Broadway Jesus.
HUGO: Who ?
DINA MERRILL: Well they say he's marvelous. It's worth a try. Good luck	And she too is gone. More facades.
HUGO: (shouting after her ) But .... where is this guy ?
DINA MERRILL ( calling back ) Oh I imagine he's in the phone book.
HUGO: But ...... ! ! ! !	More pounding music. More faceless buildings. Then a wistful pause in the music. . . high, sad, slow strings. And we see Mia Farrow. .
MIA FARROW: Oh don't ask me. Go to Broadway Jesus.	She disappears immediately.
HUGO: ( desperate) Wait! I don't understand you ! !
LILLIAN GISH: Young man ! In the predicament you're in, all you can do is Ask For Help. Go to Broadway Jesus !	She has the fiery eyes and irritating certitudeof a religious fanatic. She disappears.... .
HUGO: ( panicking ) Please...... Wait ............. EXPLAIN !!!!!!
	The music is sad and wistful again. The city incredibly lonely. Then, out of nowhere, Mary appears. ( Looking as she did in thefilm, "A Wedding") . She is friendly and curious and very matter of fact.
MARY: Can I help you ?
HUGO: (vastly relieved ) Oh! Yes ! !
MARY: What seems to be the trouble ?
HUGO: Well, I'm ... I'm sort of lost.
MARY: Well where do you want to go ? Do you have the address
HUGO: Well mostly it's ...I can't see!
MARY: You're blind ? Are you blind ?
HUGO: ( at a loss ) Well I wasn't ... but. . . until ...
MARY: (checking him out like a doctor) Can you see me ?
HUGO: Well, kind of. It comes and goes.
MARY: Hmm. Do you have pain ?
HUGO: Well, not "pain", . . . but I hurt.
MARY: Vertigo ? You feel dizzy ?
HUGO: Yeah. Sort of. ..... I'm frightened I'm very frightened ! ! ... JESUS ! ! !	A huge thunderclap and the sky shot, brighter fills with lightening. Another lightening but not as scary. There is a hint of gentle rain starting to fall but this fades out immediately and the slide blurs out. Silence.
MARY: Do you want to lie down ?
HUGO: No! I just want to get going. I want to see!
MARY: Okay. I don't think we've got a medical problem here. Take hold of my hand, okay ?	Blurred lightning slide remains on.
HUGO: Okay. . . . Who are you ?
MARY: I'm Mary.
HUGO: Yeah ? Can you help ?
MARY: Not directly, but I think I know who can.
HUGO: Who ?
MARY: Broadway Jesus.
HUGO: ( let down) Oh "Broadway Jesus!" Who in the hell is Broadway Jesus ?
MARY: Well, he's the one that can do it.
HUGO: (muttering) Broadway Jesus.
MARY: Wait a minute. What's your name ?
HUGO: "Hugo"
MARY: ( amused at the odd name ) "Hugo"?
HUGO: Well.....
MARY: Okay, "Hugo", You can't see, you don't know where you're going, you're dizzy.... Are you nauseous ?
HUGO: Umm. A little. Yah.
MARY: Well, "Hugo", just trust me.Broadway Jesus.	A new slide comes on. A bright, elongated vertical blur.
HUGO: But ....
MARY: Right here. This door. ((She knocks on it for him. ))	The blur comes into focus and we find our selves in a dark, musty, dusty, corridor of an ancient office building. The only light comes through the dirty frosted glass of the office door on which we read, neatly lettered: " B. JESUS"
HUGO: But ...........
MARY: ( her parting words ) Just go in and talk to him.	Her footsteps fade out down the hall. NOTE: Although we never actually see Broadway Jesus, it is clear from what follows that he is a Damon.Runyon character. Sort of a Broadway cab-driver type, with a definite NewYork accent. He is probably middle aged, gray and balding, a completely unassuming, guileless man. Simple, childlike, ready to do anything for anybody. Full of delight in the smallest things.
BROADWAY JESUS: (musically) Yeah ?	The screen goes blank the moment his voice is heard and remains so throughout this scene. The audience sits in total darkness, seeing nothing, absorbed in the dialogue.
HUGO: (opens door and calls) Hello ?
BROADWAY J.: ( calling back) Come on in. Come ye into my kingdom, such as it is.
HUGO: (entering the main office) I .... uh.. . (startled) Oh! Jesus Christ!
BJ: ( friendly) Yeah? What can I do for ya ?
HUGO: (flustered ) Uh..... well....I ......
BJ: ((i. e. Don't stand in the door blubbering)) Come in! Come on in. Have a seat.
HUGO: ( inarticulate ) Uh ...... Mmmmmmm.
BJ: Wanna cuppa coffee ?
HUGO: Yeah. ....Okay....
BJ: Good coffee. Instant, but good. I boil it a little after.
HUGO: ( tentatively ) You're ..... "Broadway Jesus" ?
BJ: Right ! And you are .... ?
HUGO: ''Hugo"
BJ: "Hugo" ? (( a bit amused )). Well, Hugo, sit down here and have a cuppa coffee.
HUGO: Are you' ......
BJ: What ?
HUGO: Are you.... Jesus Christ ? ((spooky))
BJ: ( very matter of fact ) Yeah. Yeah.
HUGO: But how ..... ?
BJ: Some peanuts ? I got peanuts here.	Sound of peanuts poured from jar into bowl.
HUGO: You're really, I mean you're the real Jesus Christ ? !
BJ: Yeah. Usually I got bread an wine. But today, coffee and peanuts. You shoulda called ahead. Now what can I do for ya ?
HUGO: ( mouth filled with peanuts) I mean: You're Jesus Christ !
BJ: Thou hast said it. Here's your coffee.
HUGO: Thank you. Is this the Second Coming ?
BJ: The what ? OH! Oh, no. No no. Not the big biggie. Not yet . Not for awhile. . . . .I don't think. Only the Father knows for sure.
HUGO: But what are you doing here ?
BJ: Oh. Well, for years now I always come down to Chicago for my birthday.
HUGO: Oh yeah ? When's your birthday ?
BJ: ( incredulous ) December twenty fifth.
HUGO: December 25th ? That's Christ.....	All of this runs together, practically simultaneously.
BJ: ( with enormous pleasure) Yeah !
HUGO: Jesus Christ!
BJ: (singing happily) "Another openin', another show, in Philly, Boston or Baltimo' " ... but Chicago's the best. Believe me, I been all over.
HUGO: The best for what ?
BJ: The lights! My birthday lights. In Chicago, terrrifffic !
HUGO: ( starting to get the point ) You come down to Chicago, every year, to see the Christmas lights ?
BJ: ( with relish ) Mmmmmm. I LOVE 'em. It's show biz ! !Read your bible. What's the first thing I ever made ? Light. Right ? Light. Let there be light. Let there be bright lights ! "There's NO bizness like SHOW bizness."
HUGO: ( cheering up in spite of himself, he starts to laugh )
BJ: I also made the Stars !
HUGO: (laughs harder)
BJ: ( absolutely sincere ) What's funny ?
HUGO: ( still laughing) Well, I guess I never thought of it that way. I...
BJ: ( not quite getting his point) Well it was always "That Way". The night I was born. (( It's as if he's describing a lavish Busby Berkely production number )) W e had that BIG star. Remember ? It moved around ! FAAAAnntastic ! ! And we had all those angels ? A multitude of the heavenly host. All singin' away ! Them shepherds. We knocked 'em dead! ! "There's NO bizness like SHOW bizness" !
HUGO: ( completely at ease now, laughing)
BJ: Hey! You know Matthew 5:14 ? Lemme read. ya Matthew 5:14. (( Picks up book and reads, with some difficulty )) " You are... the... light... of " ... the world.
HUGO: ( with quick, sober reverence ) Oh. Yeah.
BJ: No, wait a minute. Here comes the good part. " A city . . . glowing. . in. . the... night for... all to see. " Ha HAH ! How about that ! "Chicaaaaago"
HUGO: (laughing happily ) Hey! If you're so crazy about Chicago, how come they call you 'Broadway Jesus" ?
BJ: ( This is easily explained ) Oh. That. Well, for years I went to New York. You know, the Great White Way, all that stuff. But nowadays. . poor New York.... I hadda relocate. I mean, what if they had one of their blackouts on my birthday ?
HUGO: Yeah. Well. I suppose you've got a point there.
BJ: ( solemnly ) Sure. God-Is-Light, kiddo. Gimme Chicago anytime.
HUGO: ( singing ) "Your kind of town"...
BJ: Yeah ! ! Lemme show ya. Come on.
HUGO: What? The lights ?
BJ: Yeah. We'll just walk up Michigan a couple of blocks.
HUGO: Well, I'd love to, but I have this problem.
BJ: Oh ? Well, then first we'll take careof the problem, then we'll look at the lights. What can I do for ya ?
HUGO: ( embarrassed ) Well... uh.. . Lord, that I may see.
BJ: Ohhhh ! Easy! Ya got it. Your faith has healed ya. Zzzzzzzzzzzap !How's that.	A slide comes on but it is practically the same as the blank screen. Near darkness.
HUGO: Zap no good.
BJ: You're kiddin'.
HUGO: No. I'm still blind as a bat.
BJ: Nah nah nah nah. C'mere. Look outthe window. You don't see nothin '?
HUGO: Nope.
BJ: You don't see all those birthday lights ?
HUGO: Not a one. I'm a hopeless case.
BJ: Oh cheer up, for Christ's sake. Yourtrouble is you're not openin' up youreyes and lookin' enough. The eye's a muscle, ya know. You gotta keep usin''em t'keep 'em in shape. Come on now: Look.
HUGO: Yeah....
BJ: Look.
HUGO: I'm lookin '. .
BJ: LOOK !
HUGO: Ah !	A single light appears on the dark screen.
BJ: Ya see somethin ' ?
HUGO: Yeah. A light !
BJ: Keep looking.
HUGO: Oh ! !	Another light.
BJ: Keep Lookin ' ! !
HUGO: Haaaah !	Another light. From this point on, more and more lights appear, "shining but not illumining'' They just keep quietly appearing and increasing in number throughout the remainder of the dialogue.
BJ: Keep lookin'! ! !
HUGO: Hey! This is great ! !
BJ: (relaxing) Well. I'm glad we got that straightened out. You still lookin ' ?
HUGO: Oh, yeah. It's wonderful. Hey thanks a lot.
BJ: You're welcome but lissen I wanna tell you something. You gotta keep lookin'.
HUGO: OH.... I will.
BJ: Yeah, but I mean you gotta like practice. Keep the old lookers in shape. I'm gonna give you an excercise. You do this five minutes every day. You gotta Christmas tree, right ?
HUGO: Yah.
BJ: Lotta lights on it and stuff .
HUGO: Oh yeah Well, I don't have it turned on yet..
BJ: ( stunned ) You got a turned-off Christmas Tree? Oh boy! Is that dumb ! ! Nobody lights a lamp and puts in under a bushel. You put it on a stand .... where it can give Joy to everybody that walks into the room. You go home and turn on your Christmas tree just as bright as it'll go --and you'll be fine. (( muttering)) That's what was wrong all along....
HUGO: Really
BJ: Well sure. Ooooh, look at the time. I gotta get back up. But we can still see the lights. Let's go.
HUGO: Okay!	The door opens and closes. They seem to be walking down the corridor or a staircase. Lights keep appearing. Getting brighter and more numerous.
HUGO: Hey, do you really believe all the lights are to celebrate your birthday ?
BJ: W ell.... I don't know, you know. But I'll tell ya one thing. They never do it for Buddha, babe. C'mon. You still seeing okay ?
HUGO: Yeh. More and more.
BJ: That's cause it's gettin' dark out. The darker it gets, the brighter the lights.
HUGO: Hey, what happens if I go blind again?
BJ: Oh you won't.
HUGO: Yeah, but what if ?
BJ: Well you won't! Because, kiddo, the light shineth in the darkness .... and the darkness will NEVER put it out. C'mon !	A single golden globe fills the screen. We hear the outer door open. And see the traffic sign, green now, with the word "WALK" shining brightly.
	Now the full orchestra sweeps in with a marvelous crescendo. We see the Chicago skyline at night ( again, as viewed from Hugo's actual windows ). The first shot is almost abstract ( a vertically-jiggled time exposure ), then a normal shot on a very clear night with all the millions of light shining brilliantly.
	Then we slowly zoom into the city, which of course become more and more dazzling the close we get. The music is childlike, relaxed and innocent. Every six beats the slide changes with a happy cymbal crash ((Ksssh!)) and we soon see not only the lighted windows and the street lights but Christmas lights all over everything ! This reaches a climax on north Michigan where all the trees are drenched in what seem to be lighted raindrops. Then the big Christmas tree at Congress and Michigan.
	Suddenly the music softens and once again we see the skyline from Hugo's window. But this time there is a ribbon of gold light sweeping up from the buildings and vanishing in the sky high above them. This slide remains on. We hear a plaintive violin softly intoning "There's No bizness like Show bizness like No bizness I know". Then more instruments take up the tune and pick up the tempo. Hugo's shadow appears on the screen as he walks through the room to the window. He slowly lifts the screen ( which is also a window shade ) and there of course is the exact same picture, but this time it is the real thing, the actual city. He stares out at it for a moment as the music builds and builds. Then he looks to his left, at the turned off Christmas tree, kneels and turns on two of the five rheostats. The music now has human voices in it, no real words yet. He jumps up to the window again and yells "Happy Birthday", then finishes lighting the tree as full orchestra and chorus sing with enormous verve: Let's go on with the show "..... and the houselights come up.
	People weep and hug each other and say Merry Christmas to the surrounding air. The party has begun.