Daytime. A clock in the city strikes 12 noon. Waken by the clock, Joe stirs in his bed. As the clock continues to ring he rises in bed, looking out the window as the sunlight streams in. He grabs an alarm clock, looking at the time, and shaking it.
JOE Holy smoke, the Princess interview-[Ann stirs, half-asleep, with a questioning "hmmm?"] eleven forty-five. [Ann makes annoyed noises as she buries herself back into the pillow] Oh, shut up.Joe jumps up, pulling the curtain back to see outside. He rushes to the wardrobe but stops, going through his clothes laid over the chair, retrieving a piece of paper. He puts it back as goes back to the wardrobe to get his clothes.
Outside the window of an American News Service office. Mr. Hennessy comes to the window, looking down onto the street several stories down to see Joe getting out of a taxi, hurriedly paying the driver. He then sits at his desk, looking through the morning papers. The headline of the Rome American article, accompanied by a picture of the Princess, reads: "Princess Ann Taken Ill: Press Interview Cancelled". Another paper, in Italian, has an article, also with a picture of the Princess. Joe arrives in the newsroom, reaching for a phone on a desk.
NEWSMAN. Hi, Joe.
SECRETARY. Good morning, Joe.
JOE. Hello, honey. [He goes over to the secretary, borrowing a drink of her coffee as she holds it].
SECRETARY. Mr. Hennessy has been looking for you.
JOE. Uh-oh. [He takes some bread from her desk, ripping off a piece and giving it to her, keeping the rest] Thanks a lot, hon. [He knocks on the door behind the secretary].
HENNESSY [from inside, angrily] Come in. Joe braces himself, exchanging a worried glance with the secretary, and then marches confidently into the office.
