Graft Pitch Doc

OVERVIEW

It is basically impossible to understand America in 2021. In Graft we will use the San Francisco of 1906 to try to help us understand.

Trump and his cronies have committed outrageous crimes, stolen money, enriched themselves, caused suffering, and apparently colluded with our enemies. Will anything be done? Do criminal acts have consequences for the powerful? Are we going to just “move on” and try to pretend all is normal?

The Pandemic is still not over. The death counts continue to mount. Even as we get vaccinated, we are left with conspiracy theories, hostility, confrontations. No one is untouched by death or mourning. There are mass shootings, police violence, racial hatred. As eager are we to go back to “normal,” we have utterly failed to come to grips with this America and how we got here.

But it’s too soon to tell those stories. They are too present, too searing, too painful. The body politic is diseased and broken and apparently unfixable.

Graft is a historical thriller that allows us to enter another world, encounter another world-shaking disaster, confront another form of corruption, so we can view our struggles and ourselves in another light. Ultimately, it offers a sight of redemption, of possibility for healing.

For a show so centered on courts of law, it’s fitting to let the Lady Portia speak to us from The Merchant of Venice.

The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
’Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy.

SETTING

Like American today, this San Francisco is a city split into two — an “overworld” and an “underworld.” The city of mining millionaires, legitmate merchants and hard-working people. And the city of whores, gamblers, drunks, pickpockets. In this city: the Railroad controls everything; prostitution is blatant and pervasive; anti-Chinese prejudice is prevalent; newspapers can’t be trusted (yellow journalism); robber barons continue to rob; unions are weak and workers are exploited; and everyone is terribly aware of the frontier justice handed out by Vigilance committees in the recent past.

MAIN CHARACTERS

Abe Ruef — External problem: He’s facing prosecution for his corrupt bribe-taking. Terrible solution: Cover everything up.
Internal problem: Struggles with deep-seated worthlessness. Internal solution: Deny/push down all self-awareness/responsibility.

Fremont Older — External problem: Corrupt government. Terrible solution: Go after the full scope of corruption.

Internal problem: Black and white view of right/wrong. Internal solution: Expand sense of empathy and justice.

Gene Schmitz — External problem: Wants to be mayor but doesn’t want to work. External solution: Pursue celebrity, tour world,

Internal problem: Unmoored from realistic vision of himself and reputation.

Internal solution: Create persona to suit, escape .

Carla — External problem. She’s stuck in the life.External solution. Betray Gene.

Internal problem. She deserves the life she lives. She believes she’s evil.

Lily. External problem. Abused by Bassity.External solution. Work for Mrs. Cameron.

PLOT OVERVIEW

San Francisco before the earthquake was ruled In the aftermath of the Earthquake, the public trust was clearly drawn in black and white. Save lives and property. Rebuild out of the ashes a new 20th century city that would aspire to all the potential and possibility of the new century. Instead, the men in charge exploited the disaster, raped the citizenry and paid and received outrageous bribes.

With corrupt leaders controlling the levers of power and the press unable or unwilling to speak truth to power, it would appear that there would be no punishment for the wicked.

Except for one newspaper editor, who, driven by an obsessive (self-righteous?) drive to out graft, launched a prosecution that would eventually unearth the corruption not only of the mayor, the board of supervisors and the city boss but the complicity of every major public utility and the monopoly Southern Pacific Railroad.

By the end of the tale, only one person would do time in prison — the Jewish boss, Abraham Ruef. The system would protect the wealthy, the well-connected, those with leverage. A man like Ruef without friends, of an outsider group, would find himself made scapegoat. The corporations used their money to ensure the election of a friendly DA and all the “real” grafters escaped.

And so, the venal Ruef is locked away and the powerful are not too discomfited. And so it goes.

But there is still a chance for redemption — for us as for them. With all other avenues of justice shut off, Older crusades for Abe’s early release as more just than the scapegoating of one politician. For all of those that want to close the book — look forward, not back, as our politicians are fond of proclaiming, this is not a welcome effort. Older and his wife are ostracized, banished from society. Eventually, Older goes prevail. Abe gets his early release and writes his memoirs for his old enemy’s paper.

101

Teaser: Old images of the Earthquake.

Act 1.

1. All out for the whorehouse!

2. Abe/Gene — planning election

3. Older interviews Lily for crib article.

4. Older/Crothers fighting over publishing crib article. Older wins.

5. Gene goes to Carla.

6. Abe goes seeking candidates and is rebuffed because they show him the Bulletin accusing Abe/Gene of whorehouse.

ACT TWO

1. Abe pulls Gene from Carla. Abe is going to stop the Bulletin now.

2. Abe inspects the candidates for supervisors. Not impressed.

3. Crothers attacked.

4. Older rescues, Crothers says get him.

5. Abe to Langdon?

6. Gene to news boys.

7. Newsboys strike and attack.

Act 3.

1. Bulletin is all fucked up. Crothers distraught.

2. Older goes to Herrin, Dems, Repubs. Pick unity candidate Partridge.

3. Rally — three cheers for the north bay hoodlum

4. Heney speech — I know Abe is corrupt.

5. Grand jury — Abe hauled Heney in for libel. (Maybe fb to wild west.) Older can’t prove he’s guilty now but he will.

6. Abe wins.

7. Victory/demon parade.

Act 4.

1. No petty grafting.

2. Big Jim/Abe: I’ll pay them part of “special” fees.

3. Older distraught over the loss.

4. Abe to Ford/Calhoun. Now you have control, we want our franchise. Abe negotiates for big bribe.

5. Older goes to DC.

6. Caruso sings at the opera.

7. EARTHQUAKE.

8. Caruso runs for the ferry. Cora alone. Gene officious. Abe cowardly.