Sleepless in Seattle Page #3

And further and further back as they soar into the air

and leave the frame.

The night sky.

Stars twinkle.

And now tilt down to see the United States. It looks

like a cross between a satellite photo and a drawing by

Saul Steinberg.

A light goes on in Baltimore.

A light goes on in Seattle.

They are the only lights on the map.

EXT. BALTIMORE SUN BUILDING - LATE AFTERNOON - CHRISTMAS EVE

As Annie comes out of the newspaper building with WALTER

JACKSON, a tall, handsome man who wears a hat. They're

carrying an armful of Christmas presents. They're

walking toward the parking lot.

WALTER:

The short one with black hair

is your cousin Irene --

ANNIE:

-- who's married to --

WALTER:

Harold, who ran away with his

secretary but came back --

ANNIE:

-- because Irene threatened to

put the dog to sleep if he

didn't --

WALTER:

And your brother Tom is a

psychology professor and is

married to...Betsy --

ANNIE:

-- who is the most competitive

woman in the world --

They put the presents in the backs of their two cars and

pull out together.

EXT. A HOUSE IN BALTIMORE SUBURBS - NIGHT

Christmas lights twinkling as the two cars pull up in

front of a comfortable upper middle-class house and park

their cars. They get out assembling presents.

WALTER:

Your Uncle Milton lost all his

money in a Puerto Rican

condominium that went belly up,

don't mention the IRS or the

Federal prison system. Your

mother is Barbara, your father

is Cliff --

ANNIE:

I hope he doesn't get out his

slides.

WALTER:

Am I what they had in mind?

ANNIE:

They're going to love you.

As they start toward the house.

CUT TO:

CLANGING ON THE WINE GLASSES.

AND PULL BACK TO REVEAL:

INT. ANNIE'S PARENTS' DINING ROOM - NIGHT

BARBARA:

Everybody! Annie has an announcement --

ANNIE:

Walter and I are engaged!

And the family's at the diner table. Annie's family is

a completely normally-looking WASP family -- only

everyone is a little eccentric. Annie's mother BARBARA,

a beautiful gray-haired, fantastically cheerful woman,

claps her hands together. Her father CLIFF, who's at

the head of the table next to her, gives Annie a kiss.

Annie's brother TOM and his wife BETSY are at the table,

along with cousin IRENE and her husband HAROLD. UNCLE

MILTON, who's Irene's father and Barbara's brother.

There are about FIVE CHILDREN there, too.

IRENE:

That's wonderful, Annie. I

hope it lasts... for years

and years.

BETSY:

(the competitive one)

Do you have a ring?

ANNIE:

No. Not yet.

BETSY:

Oh. Well. How will anyone

know?

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