Safe in their hotel room in Oregon, Towne and Payne settled in for the evening. “I want to write a movie for Jack,” Towne told her. That is, he wanted to write a leading-man part for Nicholson, his first. Jack had had his share of big roles in small movies and small roles in big movies, but he never played a big part, the romantic lead, in a big Hollywood movie. Towne would change that. “What kind of movie?” “A detective movie. Maybe Jane Fonda for the blonde.” “What’s it about?” “Los Angeles. In the thirties. Before the war.” He was still thinking about Raymond Chandler, about the Los Angeles
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