he: A Novel(88)

And he, once again, had Ruth in his life.

I could never bear to be alone, he thinks. It was a blessing when it came to Babe, but a curse with women.

An exchange returns to him, from The Flying Deuces: he and Babe by the banks of the Seine, Babe excoriating him for his failings as a friend. He believes that he may have written the words, or adapted them from what was presented by the writers, but he cannot always tell. The mind plays tricks. He could go to his notes, but he is tired, and he does not trust his legs to support him. What is important is that Babe speaks the words, and now, in the quiet of the Oceana Apartments, silently he mouths them in turn: Do you realize that after I’m gone you’ll just go on living by yourself?

He does not live by himself. He has Ida.

But still he is alone.





172


He goes to see Chaplin’s latest picture, The Great Dictator. It has been four years since Chaplin released Modern Times. He admires the bravery of The Great Dictator, even if its politics are too overt for his liking. He could not make a picture like it, but he would not wish to, either.

He glimpses Alyce Ardell on the street as he leaves the theater, but she does not see him. He has not spoken to Alyce Ardell since his reconciliation with Ruth. He may never speak to Alyce Ardell again.

He enjoys being with Ruth. They have discussed the possibility of remarriage, and she is not averse. But if he is to remarry, his finances must be in order. A new contract will be required. He knows that Babe will concur because Babe is in trouble with the IRS over unpaid taxes. Ben Shipman is holding off the IRS for now, but a settlement will have to be agreed.

He arranges to meet Ben Shipman at Ben Shipman’s office.

I’d like to know what progress is being made on a new deal, he says.

Ben Shipman is not an agent; Ben Shipman is a lawyer. But for these two men, Ben Shipman would be willing to go from door to door on bended knees to extoll their virtues. Instead, his clients have hired the Orsatti Agency to negotiate on their behalf. The Orsattis have a tangled history with the Mob. Victor Orsatti is formerly married to June Lang, who divorces him to marry Handsome Johnny Roselli. Handsome Johnny Roselli kills a guy in Sicily, which is why Handsome Johnny Roselli is now in Hollywood, setting up a protection racket on the major studios. Meanwhile Frank Orsatti, Victor’s brother, is a former bootlegger, a pimp, and an enforcer for Louis B. Mayer. The Orsattis make Ben Shipman nervous. Ben Shipman is convinced they make his client nervous too, which is why he is here asking Ben Shipman about progress rather than putting the question to the Orsattis directly.

I thought you were in no particular hurry to get back to work, says Ben Shipman.

– Circumstances have changed.

– Changed how?

– I’m considering getting married again.

– Married to whom?

– Ruth.

Ben Shipman knows that he has been seeing Ruth. Ben Shipman was hoping it might be a passing phase. Ben Shipman has nothing against Ruth, beyond the hours spent arguing with her attorney over alimony, but marrying her again seems like a drastic step.

– It’s only a year since you divorced Vera.

– It’s been more than a year.

– You know, there are men who remain married for most of their lives, but they usually try to stay married to the same woman. You seem determined to acquire as many wives as possible. Not that I’m counting, but you’ve been married four times to three women, and that’s not including the Russian ceremony and the Mexican jaunt. Have you ever considered just not being married? Try it. Who knows, you might like it. The women might like it, too.

– Ruth and I are getting along just fine.

– Then why spoil a beautiful thing?

– We’d like to give it another try.

– Jesus. Seven times. Seven times you’ll have said ‘I do.’ You think that’s normal? What are you, a sheik?

– Ben …

– All right, all right. Last word: if you’d never married, you’d be a wealthy man by now. I’m just saying. It’s not too late.

– I want to get back to pictures.

Okay, says Ben Shipman. I’ll make some calls.

In the end, it is Fox that comes through for them. Fox doesn’t have a reputation for comedy, but it’s a big studio.

What are they offering? he asks Ben Shipman.

– Fifty thousand dollars. One picture, with the option on a second. Non exclusive. You and Babe are free to work elsewhere, if you wish.

– What about artistic control?

– It’s not in the contract, but they’ve agreed to it.

– Shouldn’t it be in the contract?

– I can go back and renegotiate, but it’ll cause delays. They seem straight.

Ben Shipman is an honest man. It is in Ben Shipman’s nature to believe what Ben Shipman is told, except in a court of law. If the Fox executives aver that Ben Shipman’s boys will be allowed the same degree of control over their pictures that they enjoyed under Hal Roach, Ben Shipman has no reason to doubt it, and if the Orsattis have any objections to the deal, then Ben Shipman has not been informed. It does not strike Ben Shipman that the Orsattis may simply not care.

And so Ben Shipman consigns his charges, his friends, to the pit.





173


He and Babe make Great Guns.