Published in the January 18 – January 31, 2017 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Marty Cheek

Marty Cheek

The upcoming inaugural of Donald Trump brings up a recollection that about a decade ago, I aspired to a career as a screenplay writer. I dreamed of creating romantic comedy stories for the silver screen. For two or three years, I focused much of my time and writing ability learning the craft of movie story-building and character dynamics.

I churned out nearly a dozen scripts — most of them lousy. I even traveled down to Los Angeles a few times for “pitch” conferences held in hotel ballrooms where ultra-lower tier representatives from studios are forced to hear wannabe screenwriters try to sell them on their story concepts.

One lesson I learned is that audiences really want to meet larger-than-life characters who emotionally engage them as they step for a couple of popcorn-munching hours into the cinema screen world.

I recalled a reporter friend of mine once telling me about his experience interviewing the businessman Trump in his Fifth Avenue Trump Tower for a profile story. My friend told me Trump was by far the most over-the-top personality he had ever met, a man of disarming charm and ruthless ambition. The conversation inspired me with an idea for a story about a Trump-like New York City multi-billionaire named Manny Hart — popularly known as “Manny the Manipulator” and “Heartless Hart” — who owns a global real estate empire.

I spent a month or so developing the characters and the basic story-line (called a “treatment) for a screen story titled “Cross Country.”

The idea developed into a buddy-film where one morning outside the Fifth Avenue entrance of Hart Tower, Manny the Manipulator steps into a yellow cab. The cabbie is a young man named Richard Levins and Manny asks him to drive him across the United States from New York City to Union Square in San Francisco.

Richard balks at the fare and order Manny out of the cab. It’s Christmas time and he does not want to drive across the entire width of the country in a taxi with a man he absolutely detests. Manny offers him a million dollars to get him to his destination by midnight Christmas Eve. Richard reluctantly agrees. Earlier that morning he had a fight with his girlfriend Liz when he learned that she was pregnant. Richard had studied architecture in college with dreams of building beautiful buildings, but now he is struggling financially and knows he won’t be able to take care of a child, so the money might make his life easier. Liz just recently got hired for an entry-level job in the public relations department of The Hart Organization, one more reason Richard hates Manny.

For five days, Manny the Manipulator and Richard spend hours driving along Interstate 80 through the heartland of America, staying at night in motels and having comical adventures with the people they meet in the various states they pass through. When they reach Reno, Manny lets Richard know he needs to officiate at the grand opening of his new casino in the Nevada city. As they pull up to the grand entrance, Richard sees the gold letters “HART” spanning the building. He asks Manny why he has to put the Hart name in big gaudy letters on all his skyscrapers, golf resorts and casinos. Manny tells him cheerfully that it wasn’t the buildings but “branding” that made him his billions.

In the last stage of the cross country cab trip, Liz, who was at the Reno casino opening, joins the two men. During the ride across the Bay Bridge into San Francisco, Liz and Richard learn the real reason Manny wants to get to Union Square by Christmas Eve midnight.

The billionaire 26 years ago met a woman one Christmas Eve in Union Square and had a short-lived love affair with her, producing a daughter. He intends to meet his daughter in the square as the clock turns midnight. “Does she know you’re coming?” Liz asks. “Probably not,” Manny replies. “Then how do you know she’ll be there?” she follows up. “Who knows? Maybe some angel might produce a miracle for Christmas,” Manny says.

As midnight approaches, there’s no parking around Union Square. Richard pulls to the curb and lets Liz and Manny out and they walk through the plaza. The two stand by the towering Christmas tree as a lone street performer sings “Silent Night.” The midnight hour strikes. Manny looks around Union Square and Liz says softly, “She’s not here, Manny.”
“It was a crazy idea,” he said. “Quixotic. Once in your life you find someone …”

Liz gives him a hug and whispers “Merry Christmas.”

Back in the cab, Richard drives them to the airport where Manny’s private jet is waiting for him — “Hart” emblazoned on the side. A middle-aged woman steps out of the plane and respectfully greets Manny. The billionaire says goodbye to Richard and Liz. He tells them it was his “happiest Christmas Eve ever.” Manny gets into the jet and Richard and Liz return to the cab. Just as they’re about to get in, Richard puts the clues together. He realizes the middle-aged woman was the passenger he had dropped off at Hart Tower a moment before Manny had stepped into the cab for the cross country ride.

Richard figures out who Manny’s daughter really. It’s Liz, produced from the love affair 26 years ago.

Manny had manipulated events in order to spend a few precious minutes with Liz in Union Square that Christmas Eve night. Richard runs to the plane, frantically waves it to stop as it taxis toward the runway. Manny climbs out of the jet and hugs his daughter. He hands Richard something and the cabbie opens it and finds a diamond ring inside. He asks Liz to marry him, and she kisses him passionately as Manny smiles at the happy ending.

Now with Donald Trump’s presidency, the story will obviously never be made into a movie. I don’t want to risk being sued by the guy. But if it were, I might rewrite the ending a little bit for comical effect.

After Liz kisses Richard, she turns to Manny and asks, “Now what do you plan to do, Mr. Hart?”

He shrugs. “Don’t know. Maybe I’ll run for president … make America great again or something.”

Richard rolls his eyes in disgust and groans,“God help us!”