Int. Stratton Oakmont III - outside Jordan's office - day 125

(FEB `95)

 

Donnie stands talking with Jordan's assistant, Janet.

Jordan approaches under a head of steam.

 

DONNIE

There he is.

 

JORDAN

(a quick hug; then)

Steve here yet?

 

DONNIE

On his way. Very excited.

 

JORDAN

Good. Cuz we have a problem.

 

He indicates out to the Bullpen. Donnie and Janet look.

 

JANET

(incredulous)

Is he wearing a bow tie?

 

In the Bullpen WE SEE a young Stratton Broker in a bowtie

cleaning a small goldfish bowl on his desk.

 

JORDAN

He's got nothing better to do on

the day of the biggest IPO in this

firm's history?!

 

Jordan watches as Donnie marches toward the Broker in a

bowtie...

 

 

INT. BULLPEN - CONTINUOUS 126

 

DONNIE

The fuck you doing?

 

BROKER IN A BOWTIE

(bewildered)

Cleaning my fishbowl.

 

DONNIE

Oh.

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Donnie nods, turns to go, but suddenly he turns back and

thrusts his arm in the bowl, grabbing for the squirming

goldfish. The Broker in a bowtie looks on, horrified.

 

DONNIE(CONT'D)

On new issue day?! On

cocksucking, motherfucking

new issue day?!

 

Dozen of Brokers and Sales Assistants look over as Donnie

snatches up the fish. Holding it by its tail, he jumps *

up on the desk of the Broker in a bowtie. Now the entire

Bullpen looks over.

 

DONNIE(CONT'D)

This is what happens when you fuck

with your pets on new issue day!

 

With the flair of a showman, Donnie pops the fish in his

mouth, swallowing it whole. The Brokers cheer wildly.

Donnie jumps down, gets in the face of the Broker in a

bowtie:

 

DONNIE(CONT'D)

Now take your bowtie, get your

shit and get the fuck out!

 

Bowtie is stunned. And as Donnie storms off, we PUSH IN

on Jordan, watching from across the room.

 

 

INT. STRATTON OAKMONT III - JORDAN'S OFFICE - DAY 127

(FEB `95)

 

Jordan finishes a phone call as Donnie enters with STEVE

MADDEN, 30s, dressed in wrinkled navy blazer, cargo pants

and T-shirt, a baseball cap over his scraggly, thinning

hair. Jordan smiles, crosses to greet him.

 

JORDAN

The Cobbler. Ready to get rich?

 

STEVE MADDEN

Hey buddy.

 

And as they ad lib greetings, settle in at the couch:

 

JORDAN (V.O.)

Steve Madden, the shoe designer,

was a childhood friend of

Donnie's, but I didn't hold that

against him. Remember those ads,

those giant-headed girls with bug

eyes wearing those big clunky

shoes?

 

127A INSERT - a quick series of Steve Madden ads. 127A

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JORDAN (V.O.)

He came to me a few years earlier

when he was just starting out, so

I became a silent partner in his

company, buying an 85% stake for

only a million bucks.

 

 

INT. STEVE MADDEN SHOES - DAY 128

 

WE SEE various stores, all packed with teenage GIRLS

buying shoes and boots.

 

JORDAN (V.O.)

The company blew up and we were

now taking it public. It was the

biggest deal we'd ever done and

the hottest IPO on Wall Street.

 

 

INT. STRATTON OAKMONT III - JORDAN'S OFFICE - DAY 129

(FEB `95)

 

Jordan and Donnie sit with Steve Madden in mid-

conversation.

 

DONNIE

--which is why they need to meet

you.

 

JORDAN

You gotta get `em fired up so

they'll push the shit out of this

stock.

 

DONNIE

Let them feel your passion.

 

 

130 INT. STRATTON OAKMONT III - BULLPEN - DAY (FEB `95) 130

 

Bustling with activity. With Jordan and Donnie looking

on from nearby, Steve Madden approaches a microphone on

the raised platform, in his hands several shoe boxes.

 

STEVE MADDEN

(into mic)

Uhhh... excuse me...

 

The place slowly comes to order.

 

STEVE MADDEN (CONT'D)

For those of you who don't know

me, my name is Steve Madden. I'm --

 

ONE BROKER

We know who you are!

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Steve clears his throat, looks over at Jordan -- he's

terrified. Jordan motions for him to calm down.

 

STEVE MADDEN

I uh, I'd like to start by telling

you about my background in the

shoe industry.

 

ANOTHER BROKER

Nice fucking hat!

 

STEVE MADDEN

I uh... first started working in

the shoe industry, in a shoe

store. When I was sixteen, my

friends were out chasing girls,

but I was learning about women's

shoes.

 

KALIL PETER DEBLASIO

*

Move the mike closer. We can't fucking hear you!

 

He moves the mic; feedback SCREECHES through the bullpen.

 

STEVE MADDEN (CONT'D)

Sorry... Anyway, my first job

was at a shoe store like I said

where I worked in the stockroom.

You know, I can honestly say I've

been a lover of women's shoes

since I was twelve--

 

BROKER #4

Freak!

 

STEVE MADDEN

No. Heh-heh. Not like that.

I mean somehow I became fascinated

with the endless design

possibilities for women's shoes--

 

 

BROKER #5 BROKER #6

Queer! Get a fucking life!

 

Boos, hisses. Steve looks at Jordan, who motions for him

to speed up. He grabs a shoe from one of the boxes.

 

STEVE MADDEN (CONT'D)

This shoe -- the Mary Lou -- is

the one that really put me on the

map. It's a black patent leather

variation of the Mary Jane, but--

 

SPLAT! A half-eaten grapefruit lands at Steve's feet.

In a flash, Jordan rushes over, grabs the mic--

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JORDAN

All right, let's hear it for Steve

Madden and the wonderful Mary Lou!

 

Huge applause, with stomping feet; howling, etc.

 

JORDAN (CONT'D)

Okay, now that you got that out

of your system, I want you to know

why Steve is so completely off the

fucking wall... It's because this

man is a creative genius. Steve's

power, his gift -- is that he

creates trends. Artists like

Steve come along once a century!

Elvis! Andy Warhol! Giorgio

Armani! Who knows how high this

stock could go? The 20s? The

50s? The 80s?

 

Applause; war whoops. Jordan motions for quiet.

 

JORDAN (CONT'D)

I want everybody to look down.

See that little black box in front

of you? It's called a telephone.

Now I'm gonna let you in on a

little secret about this

telephone -- it won't dial itself!

That's right -- until you take

some action, it's nothing more

than a worthless hunk of plastic,

like a loaded M16 without a

trained Marine to pull the

trigger. And in the case of the

telephone, it's the action of you,

a highly trained Strattonite, a

killer who will not take no for an

answer! A person who will not

hang up the phone until his client

either buys or fucking dies!

 

The Brokers go crazy. Jordan looks around.

 

JORDAN (CONT'D)

I don't care if you graduated from

Harvard or Bumfuck University or

never got past fourth fucking

grade! That phone is the great

equalizer!

(pause; looks around)

There is no nobility in poverty.

I've been rich, and I've been poor

and I choose rich every time.

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JORDAN (CONT'D)

At least as a rich man, when I

have to face my problems, I show

up in the back of a limo wearing a

$2000 suit and $40,000 gold watch!

 

Jordan takes off his GOLD WATCH, flings it to the Crowd.

Brokers go nuts, fighting over it like a home-run ball.

 

JORDAN (CONT'D)

And if anyone here thinks I'm

crazy, get the fuck out and get a

job at McDonald's, because that's

where you fucking belong! But

before you depart this room full

of winners, I want you to take a

good look at the person next to

you, because one day in the not-so-

distant future, you'll be sitting

at a red light in your beat-up old

Pinto, and that person's gonna

pull up in a brand new Porsche,

with their gorgeous young wife at

their side. And who will you be

next to? Some ugly beast with

three days of razor-stubble in a

sleeveless moo-moo, crammed in

next to you with a carload of

groceries from the fucking Price

Club!

 

He scans the Brokers; they're on the edge of their seats.

 

JORDAN (CONT'D)

So you listen to me and listen

carefully. Are you behind on your

credit card bills? Good. Pick up

the phone and start dialing. Is

your landlord threatening to evict

you? Good. Pick up the phone and

start dialing. Does your

girlfriend think you're a fucking

loser? Pick up the phone and

start fucking dialing! I want

you to deal with your problems by

becoming rich! I want you to go

out and spend money! Leverage

yourself, back yourself into a

corner, let the consequences of

failure become so fucking

unthinkable that you'll have no

choice but to do whatever it takes

to win!

 

The Brokers go absolutely APESHIT.

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JORDAN (CONT'D)

You have an obligation here,

people! To your clients! To this

firm! An obligation to yourself,

godammit! You ram Steve Madden

stock down your clients' throats

and make them choke on it till

they buy 20,000 shares! Be

aggressive! Be ferocious! Be

telephone fucking terrorists!!

 

Before Jordan is even finished, the Brokers GO BERSERK,

some already dialing their phones.

 

JORDAN (V.O.) (CONT'D)

At 1 p.m. we opened the stock for

sale at $4.50 a share. By 1:03

it was over eighteen dollars.