( Full Transcript) Brian Clemens' Thriller 4.6 Where The Action Is

[michaellevenson]

In a private mansion, a huge place, the residence of Walter Burns, multi millionaire, a poker game is nearing its conclusion.
Both players are American, Burns and Tommy Vaughan, sitting opposite each other around a green baize card table.
The dealer is a stunning blonde, ilse, a lady with a Germanic accent.
Burns is obviously winning, the large pile of cash next to him is testament to that.
Vaughan, sweating profusely pushes forward into the pot his last wedge of dollars.
V " 100,000 all-in"
ilse" 100,000 to you"
B " I guess I'm forced to see you Vaughan"
Vaughan turns up his cards,
ilse " full house aces high"
V " guess I win"
Burns reveals his cards, four queens.

B " I guess you lose Mr Vaughan"
Vaughan is panicking,
V " come on Burns, you're not serious!"
B " we explained the house rules very clearly Vaughan"
Vaughan looks around him, three more men are in the room watching, like Burns all wearing tuxedos and bow ties. These are Zac, Pursell, and Winters, all work for Burns, all staring unfriendly at Vaughan, more about these three later.
ilse has brought a silver box to the table, she opens it, inside two revolvers.
ilse " two guns, one with blanks, the other loaded with real bullets, we place them on the table, spin the table, when the table stops you pick up the gun nearest you and fire"
ilse places them on the table, in special indentations for the guns to fit. Burns spins the table top, the top goes round and round, Vaughan a look of horror on his face, the table stops, Vaughan picks up a gun and fires at Burns.
Just blanks,
B " you lose again Mr Vaughan"
V " please Burns, no, please!!"
Burns takes aim and fires.
Vaughan dead, Burns get up and looks down at the body.
B " one thing I can't stand is a bad loser, ( to ilse), and one thing you love honey bunch is a winner....a winner!"


In a more traditional London casino, Eddie Vallance is at the roulette wheel, he is doing well, his pile of chips healthy, he pushes them , all of them onto the table. The ball spins, he wins again.
E ( to croupier) " let them ride one more time"
Croupier" I'm sorry sir, the house limit"
E " please"
The croupier looks in the direction of a gentleman watching, the guy nods.
Cr " okay sir"
The ball spins again, this time Eddie loses, the whole lot.
E " oh well..easy come easy go"
He stands up and wonders over to the bar. ilse is there looking glamorous.
ilse" you lose well mister?"
E " Eddie Vallance I learn to lose as well as win, gambling is my living, I'm a professional"
ilse" there are many games of chance, many venues, London,Paris Vegas,...my room, come on Eddie"
E " I don't remember saying yes to that"
ilse" I bet you", she leaves, Eddie does indeed follow,
E ( to himself) " that's the second bet I've lost tonight"

 

[michaellevenson]

In ilse 's room in the hotel above the casino,
ilse " pour me a drink Eddie, I'll change into something more comfortable, vodka on the rocks please"
Eddie pours two drinks while ilse is changing.
E " you know if I'd won big tonight I wouldn't be here. I'm careful accepting invites from beautiful ladies when I have a full wallet, trouble usually is in store, a waiting boyfriend"
ilse comes back in having changed into a little black number.
ilse" you would have turned me down?"
E " right"
ilse" I bet you wouldn't"
E " I wish you wouldn't bet on sure things, it erodes my confidence. Anyway why me?"
ilse" you're handsome"
Eddie is drinking, ilse puts her glass down and turns the record player on.
E " you're not drinking"
ilse" no, the bottle was drugged"

Eddie suddenly staggers about, his legs affected as he slumps on the floor. ilse opens her door, Zac and Pursell, two of Burns henchmen come in.
They pick Eddie up, he is conscious but helpless as they guide him out of the room.
ilse " don't bruise him, he's nice"
Eddie is kidnapped, put in a car and driven off, the next unwilling guest of Walter Burns.


It's not until the following day, at noon that Eddie wakes up, in a bedroom in Burns mansion in the English countryside. He slowly gets off the bed, still wearing his evening clothes, his wallet is on the dresser, his money all intact. He opens the door and goes along a plush corridor to the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs two men talking, Pursell and Winters, one a henchman and Winters, always in a black suit and bowtie is the butler.
W " Mr Burns has invited the Fosters over on Thursday, so he'll probably want you to pick them up"
P " okay", Pursell nods upward , both men see Eddie looking down on them, and leave.
Eddie goes down the stairs to the front door, opens it and steps out. The house is set in huge grounds. Zac , wearing a brown casual suit approaches.
Z " good morning sir, not too pleasant a day is it sir"
E " where am I ?"

Z " the home of Walter Burns sir, we have a swimming pool round the back if you'd care to, I can provide you with some trunks sir"
E " look I was drugged..."
Z " you certainly slept well sir. You may also walk in the grounds sir, but not outside them"
E " who says?"
Z " Mr Burns sir"
E " I've never heard of a Walter Burns"
Z " Walter Burns a gambling man sir, one of the five richest men in the world sir"
E " tell Mr Burns thanks but no thanks. That looks like a road over there, I can be out of here in five minutes"
Z " I'm a bit of a gambling man myself sir, I'll give you ten to one you don't make it"
E " you're going to stop me?"
Z " no sir, Henry is"
E " Henry?"

Zac points up to the side of the house. A bald guy armed with a rifle is leaning out of the window.
Henry " good morning sir"
Z " he won't kill you sir, just a leg wound, we're not permitted to kill you sir!"
Zac wanders off, Eddie plays safe and retreats back to the house.

 

[michaellevenson]

Eddie enters the bedroom he awoke in, Winters is there, holding a grey suit.
W " I think this should fit you sir, the clothes you're wearing are suitable for the evening games sir, but this is for more casual wear if you prefer"
E " who are you?"
W " Winters sir"

E " okay Winters how did I get here?"
W " I think we both know the answer to that sir"
E " but why?"
W " you're an honoured guest of Mr Burns"
E " I'm a prisoner here, will I meet Burns?"
W " it's on the cards sir"
E " and you work for him?"
W " not exactly, I was a gambling man myself, I encountered Mr Burns sir, he won me!"
E " he what!"
ilse pokes her head into the room,
ilse" Eddie, nice to see you again, lunch is ready, come"


ilse and Eddie enter the dining room, Burns is seated, a balding man, grey beard, in his fifties.
B " Eddie, Eddie, a delight to meet you, come in, glad you could join us"

E " I didn't have much choice"
B " the drugged drink? Just a little gamesmanship Eddie, that's how to win, take the ascendancy over your opponent and keep it. You're not going to be sore are you Eddie?, now Eddie, or Mr Vallance if you prefer"
E " no Eddie is fine"
B " okay, you can call me , Wally, or Mr Burns, but most round here call me Daddy, got a good solid sound to it"
E " what is it you want Burns?"
B " your company Eddie, ilse tells me you're pretty cool on the roulette table. That your main game?"
E " no poker"
B " draw or stud?"
E "stud"
B " me too, I'm probably the best poker player in the world"
E " I doubt that Mr Burns"
B " you're thinking of Tommy Vaughan?"
E" I was thinking of me"
Burns laughs at this,
ilse" we'll have to put it to the test Eddie. Want a drink? from a bottle with an unbroken seal"
E " vodka neat"
ilse pours the drink.
B " I thought we might start off with some dice , then some backgammon, build up to the big poker game"
E " maybe they'll be no game. Picking me up as you did I don't have a lot of cash on me."
B " my method of getting you here may be unconventional but I'm prepared to pay for the privilege of playing you Eddie"
ilse puts on the table a small wooden casket, inside are bundles of cash.
E " there must be 30 or 40 grand there"
B " 50,000 dollars, that'll be your stake money, I prefer U.S. dollars, as Italian is to opera, dollars is to gambling, a universal currency"
Meantime, Winters the butler has opened the front door, he looks longingly at the road about quarter of a mile away. Suddenly he makes a dash for freedom, Henry at the upper window takes aim and fires, Winters hit in the leg.
Back at lunch the gunshot is heard.
B " sounds like Henry got himself a rabbit"
Eddie looks a bit concerned, what has he landed himself in here.

 

[michaellevenson]

Later that evening, Burns and Eddie are playing roulette. Burns seems to have a dedicated room for different games. In the roulette room ilse spins the ball. Burns has a considerably larger amount of cash in front of him compared to Eddie.
E " this can't mean anything Burns, winning your own money back"
B " it's your money Eddie, payment in advance so to speak. Anyway the intrinsic value of money is not important, it's the challenge that thrills me , the gamble, it gets my adrenalin going"
Burns stands up, large bundles of cash in each hand.
B " it's getting late I'm going to bed"
E " one more spin Wally, after all you didn't officially close the game"
B ( to ilse)" okay honey"
One more spin, Eddie wins. ilse removes one of the bundles from Burns and gives it to Eddie.
E " yep, it is late goodnight. You can't win them all Burns, but make sure you win the last game"
Eddie leaves, Burns furious, thumping his fist on the table.
ilse" Daddy, don't be so silly, he's just the opposition we've been looking for"
Eddie enters his bedroom, Winters is there folding clothes neatly, he is hobbling about the room.
E " so you were Henry's rabbit. Best time to escape Winters is at night, plenty of shadows"
W " also the dogs sir"
E " dogs?"
W " Doberman pincers sir, trained to kill, not even Mr Burns goes out at night into the grounds"
ilse comes in , Winters leaves.
ilse ' goodnight Eddie, well played tonight, but Daddy Burns is still the big winner round here"
E " so far"
The next morning ilse and Eddie are in the heated pool in the basement. ilse just completed a few laps underwater. Eddie applauds as she surfaces.
E " well done"
ilse" could you do better Eddie?"
E " I reckon I could do four lengths under"
ilse" bet you you can't"
E " okay, what do I win?"
ilse" something nice"
E " promises promises "

Eddie dives in, and swims four lengths, he surfaces,
E " right, something nice"
ilse" many people say my smile is the nicest thing about me"
E (playfully) " why you...."

Onto poolside walks Burns, Zac and Pursell.
B" morning Eddie, how long could you hold your breath under water for?"
E " a couple of minutes I guess"
B " what if there was 10,000 riding on it?"
E " well that might give some extra power to my lungs"
B " I bet you 10,000 Pursell here can beat you Eddie"
E " okay you're on"
Pursell is horrified,
P " Mr Burns I can't swim! Please Mr Burns"
Burns nods to Zac, who pushes Pursell in , fully clothed.
Pursell struggles, thrashing about in the water, he makes it to the side. Eddie at one end of the width of the pool, Pursell at the other.
B " okay,..now"
Both men dip under, Eddie coolly holding his breathe. Pursell struggles, bubbles coming out of his mouth, he can't hold on much longer.
Burns looks to Zac, who then kneels down, bends over and grabs Pursell 's head, pushing him down. Eddie surfaces, and looks over to what is happening to Pursell, if looks could kill.
B " that's 10,000 you owe me Eddie"
Zac drags Pursell up out of the water. ilse gives Eddie a smile,
ilse" I told you, Daddy is a winner"


Later at lunch,
B " we're even Eddie, you won at the roulette wheel, I won at the pool"
E " not exactly I scored"
B " scored?"
E " yeah, I learned valuable information about you Burns"
B " games of chance is all about luck Eddie"
E " for you perhaps, you gamble for fun, I am a professional, I don't discount luck but I don't rely on it, I rely on skill too"
Eddie gets up and walks over to Burns, quick as a flash he puts one hand on Burns forehead the other under his chin.
E " 10,000 says without looking you don't know what shoes you're wearing"
B " er...suede polo boots"


E " wrong, brown lace ups with a wedge. I just got my 10,000 back"
Eddie releases him, Burns looks down,
B " hey these are black"
E " another thing Burns, if you're going to bluff do it with conviction"
Eddie leaves, Burns looks at ilse who smiles, Burns this time sees the funny side.

 

[michaellevenson]

Eddie is playing pool by himself in the billiards room when Winters comes in.
W " that was superb sir, but dangerous, you beat him"
E " everyone loses Winters"
W " but not him, don't you understand he's psychologically incapable of losing. If we are to escape sir it will have to be tomorrow morning after the dogs are brought in, tomorrow evening will be the big game , poker, and Mr Burns never loses at that even Tommy Vau.."
E " were you going to say Tommy Vaughan?, has he played here?"
W " please sir forget I said that"
Burns enters,
B " that was clever Eddie, you're the closest to my style I've come across. I enjoyed it"
E " well if you enjoy losing 10,000 I can provide pleasures for you a plenty"
B " it's not the money, the thrill of gambling, the turn of a card, a roll of a dice is what I live for. I was 21 when my father struck oil, suddenly I had so much money I could never lose. That's when gambling lost that tang, that edge, it was terrible, like losing an eye for a pretty woman, or a hunter impervious to the lion or a heavyweight champion who couldn't be beaten. I need someone to pit myself against, someone who's a real gambler like me..."
E " like Tommy Vaughan?"
B " why d'you mention him?"
E " you mentioned him at lunch the other day"
B " oh yes, right, Tommy Vaughan, he wouldn't amount to much against me Eddie"
E " played him have you?"
B " no no , not had that privilege"
E " I'd fix you a meet, but he has dropped outta sight, no one has seen him in months"
B " yeah , you do that Eddie whenever he resurfaces"


Eddie takes a walk in the grounds, ilse and Burns watch from an upstairs window. Burns puts his arm around her, she pulls away.
ilse" not now Daddy, after the big game tomorrow....if you win"
Eddie has reached a clearing in the woods around the house, he notices something, a patch of ground recently dug up and reburied, a coffin sized patch of ground. He looks up Winters is staring at him about 50 yards away. Winters turns and hobbles quick as he can back to the house, in through the French windows into the billiard room. Eddie follows promptly.

E " how many Winters?"
W " what sir"
E " bodies buried out there"
W " three sir"
E " is Tommy Vaughan one of them, WELL IS HE!!?"
W "yes sir, don't tell them I've told you"
E " we're leaving, tomorrow at 7 when the dogs are in"
In his bedroom Eddie removes his shoes, takes out his keys and uses one as a knife, he prods at the heels of both shoes. The bottoms slide away, a hidden compartment in his shoes! He takes out two pieces of a silver metal object. The two pieces clip together to form a handy little gun, loaded with a single bullet. The escape is on.


Early at dawn the next day Zac is bringing the Dobermans into their pen. They look vicious, Zac has to wear protective gloves as he carries raw meat for them.
Z " shut up you brutes"
He flings the meat into the pen and the dogs run in and devour it in seconds, the pen is locked securely.
Eddie opens the door of his room, steps out quietly, but ilse opens her door, in her nightie.
ilse" you won't make it Eddie"
E " where's your confidence in me darling"
ilse holds up a bracelet, jewelled ,
ilse" bet you one thousand against this bracelet you don't make it. Now I'm going to have a bath, a long one"
She saunters off to the bathroom.
Eddie descends the stairs, Winters is waiting, and looks at Eddie's tiny gun.
W " does that thing work?"
E " if it didn't I wouldn't be here, come on"
W " what about Henry?"
E " I'll deal with him, wait here"

Henry the bald headed rifle man is on patrol at the window, he hears something behind him, too late, Eddie knocks him out with one punch , then returns to Winters.
The escape begins.

 

[michaellevenson]

Zac turns the corner of the house and into Eddie and Winters.
E ( pointing gun)" nice and easy Zac, come on Winters lets go"
Eddie sticks the gun in Zac's back and they set off across the lawn towards the road. Eddie not realising Winters hasn't followed. They go past a tree, and from behind it appears Pursell with a rifle and Burns is there too.

B " morning Eddie, nice try"
Eddie is marched back to the house, Winters is there looking sheepish.
E" why Winters?"
W " I'm sorry sir, I was offered a side bet that you wouldn't make it"
Winters holds up ilse's bracelet,
W " must be worth 10,000 at least. I couldn't turn it down, I am a gambling man sir"
E " I forgot the best advice my shrink ever gave me, never gamble on a woman "
Later Eddie is stretched out on his bed, ilse comes in.
ilse" I hope you're not angry with me Eddie"
E (sarcastically) "nah, of course not, you just stopped me getting out of here that's all"
ilse" you are angry with me, I wouldn't want to lose you before the big game"
E " I'll be there"
ilse" you really take losing well Eddie, I remember saying that when we first met. You know how to lose, unfortunately I'm not sure you know how to win Eddie"


ilse goes down stairs,Eddie watches her go, then sneaks into her bedroom. He opens the dresser, looking for something. He takes out a make up case. It is rectangular, black plastic, inside is eye shadow. He pockets it and goes back to his room.
In his room is a transistor radio, using his keys he unscrews the back of the radio revealing the printed circuits and other wiring.
That evening Zac has released the Dobermans again, and Eddie has finished his tinkering.
He has removed the eye shadow from the case and replaced it with a piece of a circuit board and other wires.
ilse comes in,
ilse" for the big poker game tonight Daddy Burns insists on formal evening wear"
E ( holding his little device behind his back) " okay, mustn't upset Daddy must we"
ilse" we dine first then we play. Eddie I hope you win really I do"
A bit later Eddie sneaks unobserved into the card room. He takes out his device, opens the velvet curtains and places it on the window sill.
During dinner Burns is telling one of his gambling anecdotes.
B " that Texan cleaned me right out, he had four fives, I lost 2million that night. Still I invited him here, got my revenge, I took him for three million"
E " wow, now he's buried in the garden!!"
A stony silence ensues for a moment or two, Burns glares at Eddie, then turns to ilse,
B " you haven't been too nice to me lately honey, I like it when you're too nice to me"
E" perhaps a good run on the cards will do it, after all ilse loves a winner"
B " then she'll love me after tonight"
E " or me, after all it's an even chance"
B " yep, it's even, (standing) okay mister I'm ready for some poker, what about you?"
In the card room;
ilse is dealer, Zac Pursell and Winters are there too, all in tuxedos.

B " okay, the house rules Vallance stud poker, aces high or low, no stake limit"
E " for a poker player you talk too much Burns"
ilse deals the first hand, the game starts.
E " I'll start with one thousand"
B " kind of cautious Eddie"
E " so was Mythrus"
B " Mythrus? where does he play? "
E " Crete, about 1200 BC , he was cautious, ending up taking the whole island"
B " you're talking about war Eddie "
E " that's right Wally"
Eddie fixes him a hard stare.

 

[michaellevenson]

The game is progressing, Eddie is running out of cash, he's losing. Eddie studying his cards hard.
B " what's the matter Eddie, this game too rich for your blood mister"
E " no no, this hand is just dying to be played. See your ten thousand and raise ten thousand"
ilse " ten thousand to see"
B " I don't want to see that garbage he's holding. See your ten, and raise twenty thousand"
ilse" 20,000 to you Eddie"
E " here's 8000, and I'll give you a marker for the rest"
B " no markers Eddie"
E " my bank will verify the amount"
B " no markers, but we'll accept payment in kind"
E " kind, what's that? All I have is my clothes and my watch"
B " wrong Eddie, you have you. How many times have gamblers said , I bet my life on that, hell I've said it many times"
ilse " on three occasions he meant it"
B " I'll take you as collateral Eddie"
E " what am I worth?"
B " one million dollars , what about it Eddie, your life or mine"
ilse" if you win you walk away with one million and the pot"
E "and if I lose?"
B " another little game which we haven't told you about"
ilse " but you still get a chance"
B " that's right Eddie, an even chance. What do you say"
E " you play one hell of game Burns, the ultimate challenge for someone with so much money he can never lose"
B " that's right Vallance, there's no thrill in winning without the possibility of losing"
E " you're on Burns I accept"


E " your twenty and raise twenty"
B " I raise one hundred thousand"
E " that's a lot of money Burns"
B " you can afford it, you're playing with a million dollar stake now"
E " yeah, and my life, your one hundred thousand and raise one hundred thousand"
B " I raise two hundred thousand"
E " the suspense is killing me, I'll see you for the two hundred thousand"
Eddie lays his cards, full house queens high. Burns reveals his cards, four kings.
B " you lose Vallance, I wonder if you'll be as cool Eddie with the next little game I've dreamt up"


ilse brings to the table the silver box , she opens it to reveal the two revolvers.
ilse. " two guns, one loaded with blanks the other real, we place them on the table, and spin the table, when it stops you pick up the gun nearest you and fire"
B " it's an even chance Vallance, better than even, because you get to fire first"
ilse. " and Daddy gets the same chance as you"
Eddie picks up the guns, one in each hand.
E " l like to examine the deck before I play. "
He opens up both guns to look at the bullets, satisfied he returns them to ilse.
E " I suppose at this point Tommy Vaughan cracked up, he played sweet poker but any sign of violence and he went to pieces"
B " went to pieces? he literally begged me "
E " I won't give you that satisfaction Burns"
ilse places the guns on the table, Burns grabs the table and spins it, the top spins round. Zac, Pursell, Winters ,all watch avidly as Eddie's games with Burns will soon end one way or another.

The table stops, Eddie picks up the gun nearest him and stands in front of Zac, he aims at Burns and fires. Nothing...blanks.


Burns picks up his gun, still seated he aims at Eddie, and pauses.
B " no I don't think you will beg Eddie."


Eddie spins to face Zac and fires, a bang and a flash, Zac falls temporarily blinded, Eddie now holding gun fitted with silencer. He points it upwards.

E " come on Burns, your shot"
Burns points his gun but doesn't fire.
E " come on Wally, kill me"
ilse " why don't you fire Daddy, you can still win"
E " nah, he won't fire, because then everyone will know, Daddy Burns the world's greatest gambler is a cheat. Two guns, both loaded with blanks, one set tricked up to look real, but anyone familiar with guns can tell by the weight that they're just blanks. Make a loud bang, enough to cover Zac shooting them from behind with this gun"
ilse(in tears) " tell them it's not true, DENY IT!"
Burns says nothing, he sits paralysed almost with shame and humiliation. ilse grabs Burns gun and fires into the table. They are just blanks.
ilse (crying) "cheat, CHEAT YOU CHEAT"

E " that's not all he cheats at. I've had you psyched out from our first game"
Eddie grabs Burns jacket sleeve and pulls, playing cards fall out onto the table.
B " who are you?"
E " Eddie Vallance professional gambler, and a patient man, which is a virtue for a gambler and a detective"
B " detective?"
E " you didn't find me ilse, I've been onto you for weeks. I'll get my fee from Vaughan 's estate, Tommy was a friend, he always paid his debts and.."

Zac has recovered and leaps up and grabs Eddie, holding him tight. Burns walks up to him.
B " I'm going to kill you Vallance"
E " you haven't the nerve"
Burns strikes him across the face drawing blood.
E " you're running out of friends Wally. Zac maybe not, but the others are seeing something in you they didn't know was there"
B " they'll do as I tell them, besides the price on your head still stands, one million dollars. Who is going to turn that down, one million, why Vallance they'll tear you limb from limb to get a piece of the action"
E " you're too late Burns. You don't think I played this single handed do you, without an ace in the hole. Tell Zac to get off me and I'll show you"
Burns nods, Zac releases him, Eddie pulls opens the curtains to reveal his device he planted earlier.
E " everything that's been said in this room has been recorded. A direct line to the police"
Burns tries to grab the box, Eddie drops it and stamps on it. Burns picks up the pieces, just fragments of plastic and wiring.
Z " sir, when he produced that gun we went through all his possessions with a fine tooth comb"
B " yeah, right this is just a toy you've tricked up Eddie, it's no transmitter"
E " are you sure?"
B " you're bluffing"
E " the police are outside now"
B " I didn't hear any sirens"
E " sirens? to tip you off Burns. No they'll surround your house , then break in and shoot you down. This is one scenario you can't buy your way out of"
Winters heads for the door.
B " stay where you are Winters. Its a bluff"
Zac nervously looks at Burns , feeling the heat,
Z " I'm sure your right Mr Burns , but if not we don't have much time"
Zac is worried as are the others.
B " it's a bluff, I'm a gambling man a winner"
ilse " this time though you'll have to play it straight without cheating"
Burns pushes Zac aside and opens the French windows,
B " I'll show you all, no one is out there, I'll prove it"
Burns runs out,
Z " NO MR BURNS THE DOGS!!!"
There's a horrendous scream, barking dogs jump up to the window, a mixture of dog saliva and blood running down the glass. Eddie quickly closes the windows and pulls the curtains closed.
E " mmm, I've just been devalued, I'm no longer worth a million dollars"
ilse " you WERE bluffing"
E " and you sweetheart are an accessory to murder. You'll get about ten years"
ilse " really? Me and an all male jury. Wanna bet Eddie?!"


Cast;
Eddie Vallance....Edd Byrnes
Daddy Burns....James Berwick
ilse.....Ingrid Pitt
Winters....Trevor Baxter
Zac....George Innes
Pursell....Frank Coda
Henry....Oliver McGreevy
Tommy Vaughan....Larry Cross

 

[michaellevenson]

Thriller (1973)