Rose

Series
Work In Progress
Original Broadcast Date
1986
Cast
Joe Frank
Format
Serious Monologue, Narrative Monologue, 59 minutes
Preceded by:	Dreamland
Followed by:	Why I Don't Love You Anymore
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Her clock radio starts playing at six thirty in the morning.

Rose, also known as An American Flower, is a program Joe Frank produced as part of the series Work In Progress. It was originally broadcast in 1986.

Synopsis

Joe tells us about Rose, the 30-something (at least 32, at most 37) manager of a (garden) nursery in Santa Monica. She lives in the San Fernando valley. She has a lover, a man. She drives an '83 Honda Accord.

8:50: 'The drive to work is a ritual she's performed many times. She never gets on the freeway. She knows all the back roads and parallel side streets in her area… When she hits Sunset it's like reëntering civilization and she turns onto Montana.'

10:00: 'there's a country club she passes'

11:40: 'She knows that she's addicted to grass. She can't imagine not doing it but she doesn't know why she has to do it so much.'

12:20: Someone recounts sitting in his apartment with at least one other person, a woman, in the late afternoon, where they can hear the ocean:

'We sit in my apartment in the late afternoon overlooking the parking lot, the sound of the ocean in the distance. The sun is going down now, casting long shadows across my floor on the wall. I look out at people strolling back from the beach; the ocean shimmers in the sunlight. We drink coffee. She smokes cigarettes and talks in a soft, thoughtful, relaxed, and yet, I think, extremely controlled manner. I don't think that even she's aware of it. This room is a microcosm of the world. She talks and I listen.

'"Do you know that you were very angry at her?" He says this, leaning back in his easy-chair.

'"What do you mean?"

'"Because she's forced you to expose yourself. You couldn't hide your disfigurement from her so she compromised you - and you hate her for that."

'"I know that. I told her myself how much easier it was before I met her. You're not telling me anything I didn't think of already."

'"You've been hiding behind your voice and words."

'"Of course I have."

And she comes to my room in the afternoon. She talks and I listen.

14:50: Joe describes the nursery Rose manages, the work she has to do. The boss is there 10 minutes a week, leaves the rest to Rose. She'd like to quit; the job stresses her so much.

22:00: Joe recounts Rose's birth, her childhood.

23:00: 'They [her family] didn't have a lot of money.'

23:10: 'She had a small Shepherd and Siamese cats. And all the animals got ringworm and she got it too. And they had to put all of the animals to sleep because they couldn't afford to treat them except of course for her. And she still has little round scars on her arm.'

23:20 'then she got measles and when that was over the muscles in her left eyes stopped working and she wore a patch over her right eye to force the left one to work. And she became nearsighted'

23:50: After her ophthalmologist's appointment, 'her mother would then take her to Norm's, a restaurant across the street for a big lunch.'

24:00: 'She grew up in a tract house in Reseda where attractive land was bought by a developer and a bunch of little houses were put in… it stood on ⅓ of an acre and they had the best skateboard driveway in the neighborhood.'

26:20: 'Rose got into trouble twice at school once when she was a member of the student Peace Union in the war resisters League. She was only 11 years old in the seventh grade. …This was in 1961.'

28:20: When she was 18 she corresponded with an inmate at Soledad, a maximum-security prison; he was a friend of her older brother. She drove up to visit him. He recommended that she meet a friend of his, Detroit, who lived in San Francisco. She did, and they became lovers. Detroit was a pimp, alcoholic, and drug user. After their relationship ended she moved back to LA.

37:30: Someone recounts sitting in his apartment with at least one other person, a woman, in the late afternoon, where they can see the ocean:

'We sit in my apartment in the late afternoon, overlooking the parking lot. I can see the ocean in the distance. I watch the people walking by beneath me. She smokes cigarettes. She talks in a soft, thoughtful, voice.

'I ask him, "Why are you smiling? What's funny?"

'"Nothing is: my smile is ironic?"

'"I'm supposed to be comforted by that?"

'You have battle scars not only battle scars but I am embattled. And I'm losing the war.

'"Don't look at me."

'"No - I will not stop looking at you. I will look at you whenever I want to."

'It's not my fault, the things that happened to me are not my fault. But you know I don't really believe it. Sometimes I feel I'm getting what's coming to me. I haven't been good enough. I've been too selfish. She'll play whatever game you want her to play. She's a good friend, a companion, because she can give herself over. That's one of the reasons she's so important to you.

'And I want to lose myself in you. I want to be injected into your bloodstream to swim everywhere inside you.'

40:20: She had a relationship with another pimp until his liver burst.

41:20: Another strange interlude:

'"Why are you smiling? What's funny?"

'"Nothing is: my smile is ironic."

'"What's happened to you is, well…"

'"Don't look at me."

'"No - I will not stop looking at you. I will look at you whenever I want to."

'I want to roll down another hill with you and never let go. We're all battle-scarred, all damaged goods. We're all wounded. I've never known anyone who wasn't.

'"You know, I just filled my bladder with water about an hour ago and my bladder just about burst. And now my colon's getting the business. Do I get anything for this, like a candy or a present when this is all over?"

'"We'll think of something."

'"I should hope so and I'm thinking what is all this stupid banter? Why don't you just shut up instead of trying to be cute or whatever is you're trying to do."

'"Self-loathing - I guess - I'm just nervous."

'"Don't be too hard on yourself."

'Here's my blood I can't give you my body just yet. I hope my blood passes this test - I've always had problems passing examinations.'

44:30: Joe tells us about Rose's friend Katie, a nursery school teacher, who's getting married. A few weeks before the wedding Rose visits her at her house on Laurel Canyon They make love.

Katie's parents fly everyone to their home on Cape Cod for the wedding. The night before Katie takes Rose to see her old boyfriend, David. They drink wine, visit a lighthouse, skinny-dip, have a threesome. Katie leaves, tells Rose to stay with David. Rose and David make love. In the morning Rose and Katie make love.

51:40: Joe talks about desert plants: ephemerals and creosote.

53:10: Someone recounts sitting in his apartment with at least one other person, a woman, in the late afternoon, where they can see and hear the ocean:

'We sit in my apartment in the late afternoon, overlooking a parking lot, the sound of the ocean in the distance. The sun is going down now, casting long shadows across my floor and the wall. I look down at people strolling back from the beach. The ocean shimmers in the sunlight. We drink coffee. She smokes cigarettes and talks in a soft, thoughtful, relaxed voice.

'"Do you know that you are very angry at her?" he says, leaning back in his easy chair.

'"What do you mean?"

'"Because she's forced you to expose yourself - you couldn't hide your disfigurement from her. So you see she compromised you and you can't help hating her for that."

'"I know that. I told her myself how much easier it was before I met her. You are not telling me anything I didn't think of already."

'"You've been hiding behind your voice, your words.'

'"Of course I have."

'It's not my fault, the things that happened are not my fault. I can't really believe it.

'"Don't look at me."

'"No I will not stop looking at you. I will look at you whenever I want to."

'I want to lose myself in you. I want to be injected into your bloodstream where you can't see me. We're all battle-scarred; we're all damaged goods; were all wounded; I have never known anyone who wasn't.

'Here's my blood. I can't give you my body, not just yet. I hope my blood passes this test.

'I drive along a Pacific Coast Highway late at night - up and down the highway.

'We sit in my apartment in late afternoon. I listen to the ocean. It's getting dark. It's quieter outside. I watch her mouth moving - I can't hear her talking anymore. I wonder if she knows. And after she leaves it's back in the car and up and down the highway.'

Legacy Synopsis

The story of a pot-smoking nursery worker, her daily life, her communist parents, meeting a guy in prison and dating his friend, Detroit. Joe speaks both sides of a dialog: "What's funny, . . . don't look at me. . . I just filled my bladder. . . " Sleeping with Katie at her wedding. Ephemerals in the desert.

Music

• "She's Leaving The Bank" - Ry Cooder (from Paris, Texas, 1985) | YouTube [Intro]

• "Wings Over Water Part 6" - Stephan Micus (from Wings Over Water, 1982) | YouTube [12:17]
• "Paris, Texas" - Ry Cooder (from Paris, Texas, 1985) | YouTube [14:52]

• "Wings Over Water Part 1" - Stephan Micus (from Wings Over Water, 1982) | YouTube [22:24]
• "Dream Within A Dream" - Propaganda (from A Secret Wish, 1985) | YouTube [41:33]

Additional credits

The original broadcast credits state: "[R]ecorded and mixed by Tom Strother."

Commentary

Who's talking in the interludes? The narrator talks in the first person, mentions a woman. A 'he' says 'Do you know that you are very angry at her?' - who's that? Is the narrator talking to himself? Joe had a club foot, made his living with his voice and words, lived in Santa Monica near Montana Avenue - does he allude to himself? Is he talking to himself? I can imagine it all as internal monologue.