Five Television Plays (David Mamet). David MametЧитать онлайн книгу.

      Grove Press

      New York

      Copyright © 1990 by David Mamet

      Introduction copyright © 1988 by David Mamet

      A Waitress in Yellowstone copyright © 1984 by David Mamet

      Bradford copyright © 1988 by David Mamet

      The Museum of Science and Industry Story copyright © 1975 by David Mamet

      A Wasted Weekend copyright © 1986 by David Mamet

      We Will Take You There copyright © 1983 by David Mamet

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Scanning, uploading, and electronic distribution of this book or the facilitation of such without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. Any member of educational institutions wishing to photocopy part or all of the work for classroom use, or anthology, should send inquiries to Grove Atlantic, 154 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10011 or [email protected].

      CAUTION: Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned that these plays are subject to a royalty. Each are fully protected under the copyright laws of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and all British Commonwealth countries, and all countries covered by the International Copyright Union, the Pan-American Copyright Convention, and the Universal Copyright Convention. All rights, including professional, amateur, motion picture, recitation, public reading, radio broadcasting, television, video or sound taping, all other forms of mechanical or electronic reproduction, such as information storage and retrieval systems and photocopying, and rights of translation into foreign languages, are strictly reserved.

      First-class professional, stock, and amateur applications for permission to perform it, and those other rights stated above, must be made in advance, before rehearsals begin, to the author’s agent: Ronald Gwiazda, Abrams Artists Agency, 275 Seventh Avenue, 26^th floor, New York, NY 10001.

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Mamet, David.

      Five television plays / David Mamet. — 1^st ed.

      Contents: A waitress in Yellowstone—Bradford—The Museum of Science and Industry story—A wasted weekend—We will take you there.

      1. Television plays, American. I. Title.

      PS3563.A4345A61990812’.54—dc2089-25661

      eISBN: 978-0-8021-9147-2

      Cover design by Jo Bonney

      Grove Press an imprint of Grove Atlantic, 154 West 14th Street, 12^th floor, New York, NY 10011

      Distributed by Publishers Group West

       www.groveatlantic.com

      Contents

      INTRODUCTION

      A Waitress in Yellowstone or Always Tell the Truth

      Bradford

      The Museum of Science and Industry Story

      A Wasted Weekend

      We Will Take You There

      Introduction

      I GREW UP in the Golden Age of Television. I remember nightly and weekly exuberance and excellence: “Your Show of Shows,” “Gun- smoke,” “Medic,” “Have Gun Will Travel,” “Twilight Zone,” “The Jackie Gleason Show,” et cetera. Reviewing these shows after twenty or thirty years is instructive and sobering—they stand the test of time—not that each show is a comic or dramatic masterpiece, but many are, and the bulk of the entertainment is well designed, and executed with spirit.

      These shows of the fifties and many of the sixties are, and it is in this that they differ from today's television, honestly done. They are, in the main, honest attempts to dramatize, to cheer, to divert, to entertain. It was inevitable that the Bad Money drive out the good, that a drama broken every eight minutes by an advertisement the revenue from which funded the drama should eventually become a teaser for that upcoming advertisement. It was inevitable that the primacy of the ad revenues would bring about a whorehouse mentality in the Television Industry: “Give em as little as you can, and get em out of here as soon as possible” and that the pimps and hucksters would not only achieve dominance over, but eventually eliminate those drawn to television as a new theatrical form.

      Television executives are the worst people I have ever met in my life. Their conversations with me over the years have always started, “Mr. Mamet, we are so honored that you would even consider writing for television” for which unsolicited and totally false asseveration they then proceeded to make me pay at length.

      I would love to write for television. I love the form. I grew up with it. As a child I watched television ten hours a day. It was my dramatic training. I can imagine no greater fun than having my own television show and writing and directing for the same actors and characters every week. I was in at the conclusion of the “Hill Street Blues” series and had the time of my life. The “Hill Street” script, A Wasted Weekend, here included, is the only piece of television writing I ever did which got made.

      Lovely exciting medium. What a shame.

      Sour grapes? Most certainly. As I said, I love the form, and I wish I could have played along.

      David Mamet

      1988

      A Waitress in Yellowstone

      or Always Tell the Truth

      Dramatis Personae

      RANGER

      WAITRESS

      OLD MAN (OLD COUPLE)

      WINNIE MAGEE