Nightfall (1956) Movie Script

- Chicago, sir?
- Evanston?
No, no call for Evanston.
Nightfall and you
Lovely you
Underneath a wreath
of heaven's pale blue
You are poetry
You are melody
You're a prayer
that's granted
I'm enchanted
Nightfall and dreams
Lovely dreams
Underneath a wreath
of golden moonbeams
In those hours small
You're my all in all
You're my poem
Of nightfall, dear
- Got a light?
- Yeah.
Good.
Thanks.
Ah, those buses always run late
at this hour.
Traffic.
- It's gonna be a hot one tonight, huh?
- Yeah.
Oh, I wonder how they stand it
in the tropics.
They're born into it.
Yeah. Yeah, I guess
that does make the difference.
That's for me, though.
You know, the tropics?
Have you ever been there?
During the war.
I didn't make it.
Bum ticker.
- See much action?
- A little.
Uh-huh.
Where were you?
- Okinawa.
- Oh.
The furthest I ever got
off Hollywood Boulevard was Yosemite.
We used to go up there
in the summers, you know,
before things got tough.
- Hard going, huh?
- Ah, lately.
- What do you do for a living?
- Research.
I'd better be getting home.
My wife will think I stopped off
to get a couple of shots.
Thanks.
Is this one free?
She's alone,
if that's what you mean.
Vodka on the rocks
with a lemon twist.
A little twist or a big twist?
You look like the big-twist type.
What would you think if I asked you
to loan me five dollars?
That's what I thought.
What makes you think
I've got five?
You smell like you just came
from a barbershop.
A man doesn't go to the barbershop
when he's down and out.
You're very bright.
I'm in a silly spot,
that's what I am.
Look, I forgot my wallet or I lost it.
I don't know.
But I do know that man
is gonna want his money.
I can't sit here all night
with a warm martini.
I understand.
How about letting me
buy you a cold one?
From that last remark,
I can see you don't understand.
I'll send it to you
in the morning.
You sound as if you mean it.
Here's my license.
You can copy
the serial number down.
Marie Gardner.
807 North Normandy.
The serial number is usually here
in the upper right-hand corner.
So it is.
Please!
Oh, everybody seems pretty busy.
Thank you.
Check, please.
Seventy. Out of five.
Wait a minute.
Can I buy you a drink?
No girl ever has.
What's that you're drinking?
- A vodka.
- And I'll have another martini.
Do you mind if I just look?
See anything familiar?
Familiar looks very different.
Do you make it a habit
of rescuing girls in bars?
Only girls who drink martinis
on empty purses.
How come you're in here
in the first place?
My girlfriend stood me up
for dinner.
I didn't want to eat alone.
But it's all right to drink alone.
I was hoping I'd run
into somebody nice to talk to.
A girl like you?
The men I usually run into
don't wanna talk to anybody
but their wives.
Or secretaries.
They seem to think
conversation's old-fashioned.
You sound bitter.
Case hardened.
Guys have probably
been swarming around you
ever since your second teeth
came through.
Maybe you're disillusioned,
I don't know.
But I don't think to the point
where you're ready to throw all men aside.
Do I hear a click?
Yes.
I, uh, like to skip
all the jockeying around.
It saves a lot of grief later on.
What makes you think
there's gonna be a later on?
I mean like dinner, maybe?
As long as we understand each other.
I'd certainly appreciate it.
You sound like a man
with a problem.
Vanning.
Jim Vanning's my name.
Yeah, I got problems.
Who hasn't?
- Would you like a booth?
- Yes, please.
Hello, Mrs Fraser.
Hello, Mr Fraser.
- Tired?
- Yeah, a little. Yeah.
- Anything new?
- Still checking.
Vanning still there?
Yeah. Yeah, I talked
to him tonight.
You talked to him?
Well, you know, I went up
and asked him for a light.
Did he say anything?
Nothing I could use.
My, it's a tough one.
I took your brown suit
to the cleaner's today.
- Uh-huh.
- You could use another pair of shoes.
Well, I'll wait for the sales.
You never buy
yourself anything.
I do all right.
You do fine.
Someday you'll be important.
Honey, there's nothing important
about being an insurance investigator.
Boy, I wish this one
was over with.
- You'll handle it.
- Hmm... Thanks.
He didn't get much work done
this afternoon, you know.
He just kept walking
up and down his room.
He kept looking at a calendar he's got
tacked up on the back of the closet door.
Do you think he knows
he's being watched?
I had the glasses on him.
He... he kind of grows on you.
You know what I mean, Laura?
It's almost...
Well, almost like he needs protection.
What you need is a drink
and some lamb stew. Come on.
OK.
You know, I still don't understand it.
A lot of nice people get together
in bars and restaurants.
Yeah, to cry on each other's shoulders.
And go back to their wives
the next morning.
Is that a question?
Do I look like a married man?
You've told me so little about yourself,
you might be any one of several people.
Or the creature
from "20,000 Fathoms".
I was just curious.
Thanks.
What time is it?
Early.
I have an 8 o'clock sitting in the morning
and a 12 o'clock fashion show.
You're a model?
How do you think
I pay the rent?
Well, I should have figured.
Your being a model, I mean.
Believe it or not, I'm an artist.
Soup cans or sunsets?
Soup cans, toothpaste, automobiles,
and girls once in a while.
I bet you must be good at it.
I freelance,
work at my own place.
I do all right.
I have a rush job
for a magazine story.
You wouldn't pose for me,
would you?
I'm expensive.
But, for you,
I'll waive the fee.
You're actually smiling.
Back there at the bar,
you acted as though you had
some big trouble on your shoulders.
They come and they go.
- Troubles?
- Smiles.
Would you write your phone number
and address for me?
I forget things.
Not important things, I hope.
How about tomorrow?
All right.
Pick me up at Robinson's, Beverly Hills.
I should be finished
around 2 o'clock.
OK.
Is this the later on
you were talking about?
The first part.
Any questions about the... rest of it?
You mean the later, later on?
No questions.
Providing you don't ask any.
OK.
All right, Rayburn.
Thanks, miss.
You can go now.
You did a nice job
getting our friend here so relaxed.
Why, you...
You do your talking later.
You run along home now,
and forget you ever saw this character.
You're not gonna run anymore,
are you?
Don't!
Come on, we'll all go down to the beach
and get some breeze.
We're gonna need clear heads.
You've been giving us
a bad time, Rayburn.
Or what are you calling yourself
these days?
Anyway, you cost us a lot of money
trying to find you.
And it ain't deductible, either.
Will you shut up?
I don't mind that.
I like the way you handled yourself.
One, you didn't go
to the police.
Fat chance!
And two, you didn't make trouble.
You just disappeared.
I like that, too.
Only it's a little too soon
for you to disappear.
And now all you gotta do
is tell us what we want to know,
and we'll let you out
and you can go home.
We're not even
gonna tell the cops.
I got a picture of that!
You're going to tell us
sooner or later.
That's something I can't do.
Well, that's cos you're tough.
But after we get you
where you're not so tough anymore,
you're gonna tell us.
You'll say anything
we want you to say.
I'm not trying to get hurt.
If I knew, I'd tell you.
That's in the hearts
and flowers department.
You know where that
will get you!
Nowhere.
Then we'll all be nowhere.
He's too tough, John.
A lot too tough.
What do you say, John?
I say he's too tough.
I'm not tough.
I'm scared stiff.
Oh, now he's being funny.
You wanna drive, John,
and let me sit back there with him?
No, you take it easy, Red.
You hold on a little while,
you can have your fun later.
Fun?
The tougher they are,
the more fun they are
Tra-la
Feel better?
Yeah.
Look, Red,
tonight's his night.
Might be a short one,
might be a long one.
But he's gonna keep breathing
until we get an answer out of him.
You got that?
Oh, John, you got a soft spot.
Like the top of your head!
That's your whole trouble,
you know that?
The top of your head never closed up
when you were a kid.
Neither did your mouth.
Smart boy.
No identification.
No address.
That way, if he's got it where he's living,
we don't know where he's living at.
What about laundry tags?
Now, what if you found a mark
on his collar?
What would you do with it, huh?
Well, now the police are always
tracing guys with laundry tags.
Huh.
Well, well, well.
Marie Gardner.
807 North... Normandy.
It must be the one
he was with tonight.
Welcome back, friend.
Why don't you get it over with?
That's a switch. What do you think
I'm gonna do, kill you?
Yeah. Yeah, I think
you're gonna kill me.
It could have been any time
since last winter. So it's tonight.
He's acting pretty cool.
Why not?
With 350,000 clams,
why couldn't he be cool?
I guess it's the money, huh?
It gives you that nice,
easy feeling?
I don't know where the money is.
Now say that again.
Say it over to yourself
and see how ridiculous that sounds.
"Don't know where the 350,000 is."
That's the way it is.
- Nice suit.
- I like it.
- Pick it out yourself?
- Yes.
- Expensive?
- Not bad.
Not the kind of suit I'd buy if I had
all that money you're talking about.
Now, listen, you've got
a fair amount of intelligence.
You're on one side, I'm on the other.
So, we'll take it from there, huh?
Now, if you wanna stay alive,
in order for you to have a nice,
long, happy middle age,
you're gonna tell us
where you put that cash.
Then we're gonna keep you here
until we get it.
Then we'll let you go.
Make sense?
Makes wonderful sense,
but I can't tell you where the money is
cos I don't know where it is.
Does that make sense?
No, no, it doesn't.
I can see a man misplacing a tenner
or maybe even 100.
But it just don't tabulate
he's gonna let a big boodle like that
slip through his fingers.
And that brings us to another angle.
If you lost that loot,
you lost it up in Wyoming
in the Jackson Hole country.
And that means
you wouldn't be here,
because if you didn't have it,
you'd be up there looking for it. Right?
Wyoming's a big place.
350,000 is big money.
Most people I know would be up there
with a magnifying glass
going over every inch
of the state.
We're getting nowhere.
Now put yourself in my place.
I'm real hungry for that cash.
I'm so hungry for it,
I'm even liable to cut you in for a slice.
50,000.
How does that sound?
It sounds great, but I tell you
I don't know where it is.
That final?
As far as I'm concerned,
they're his final words.
No, not yet.
Not final.
Get up!
Now, don't get any ideas
about night watchmen.
You got all the company
you're gonna get right now.
Come on!
Ben?
It's OK, honey.
Go back to sleep.
- Can I get you something?
- No, no, thanks.
What is it?
Why can't you sleep?
Oh, angles.
Angles I can't figure.
Aw, you'll work it out.
Yeah. With what I've got now,
I could take him in tomorrow.
With what they've got on him
in Chicago,
it's 100-to-one he'd get the chair
and the money would still be missing.
That's why it's hard
to go to sleep.
- Well, if that's what he deserves.
- If!
Is there an "if"?
If I could only talk to him,
really talk!
You know, get him to tell me
just what happened.
Ben, you're doing all you can.
Yeah, that's what's driving me crazy.
It's the best shadow job I've ever done.
I know every move he makes.
It's gotten to the point
I can drop him at night
and pick him up again
in the morning.
I know he likes split pea soup
for lunch.
He leaves a dime tip when, you know,
sometimes he should have left 15 cents.
He washes his own socks at night.
He goes to sleep with the radio on.
And, oh, incidentally,
it's got a bum tube.
The static is terrible.
Yeah, I know everything about him
except what I need to know.
He's clever then, living the way he does
and hiding the money.
Maybe.
Or maybe he's innocent.
You keep feeling that, don't you?
He can't be alone in this.
There's gotta be more
than a single in the picture.
I've been walking in his footsteps
for three months,
day after day,
hour after hour.
I've been through his room
when he was out.
I've been living his life, practically.
You know, I feel as if I understand
this man, as if I really know him.
I'm glad you followed me, Ben,
11 years ago.
Really glad.
Yeah, and you'd be even gladder
if we could get back to sleep tonight, huh?
Oh, honey, look at the time.
Once every five seconds, watch.
One, two, three, four, five.
How's your memory now, friend?
Now think back.
You were out camping,
Wyoming, just you
and your pal, the doc. Right?
And maybe you'll remember
what you did with the money.
Our money.
'...could give the area
its first below-freezing night.
'The highways are expected
to become icy and very dangerous.
'Special bulletin from the ranger station
in this area.
'Campers are advised
to leave as soon as possible
'to avoid the danger
of being snowed in.
'Now turning
to the international scene...'
We'd better pack up
and get out of here.
Temperature's dropping
below freezing.
The weather station reports a snowfall
of eight inches in the mountains
and more coming.
They're closing down the highway
north of here.
If that cold front moves in on us,
we're really in trouble.
Cold or no cold, Doc,
right now we're gonna eat trout,
fried the only way to fry them.
Plenty of butter and bread crumbs.
Well, I've always been
a cornmeal man myself.
Doc, you stick to the medicine.
I'll stick to the cooking.
That's a deal.
Well, what do you think
we ought to do?
Do what the man says.
Take the road south,
first thing in the morning.
We haven't even had two weeks of this,
and I could use two months.
No deadlines to meet, no art directors
calling in the middle of the morning.
How about you?
You ready for surgery?
Far from it.
Anyway, we came
to do some hunting.
What's it gonna look like if we get back
to Chicago without a set of horns?
How about that big buck we saw
yesterday morning across the valley?
Standing there
like the Statue of Liberty.
A beauty, wasn't he?
- Why didn't you shoot?
- Why didn't you?
Hey, you know,
I think you're right.
The bread crumbs
are better than the cornmeal.
- Great coffee, huh?
- Eh.
Better than I ever got
in the Navy.
You know, you'll make some gal
a good husband.
Oh, yeah.
She just hasn't come along yet.
Is that it?
Yeah, I guess that's it.
Well, you'll know it
when she does.
Just like I knew
Eva was right for me.
Of course, I suppose 20 years
does make a lot of difference.
Probably a lot of people figure
that I should have married
someone more my own age.
Oh, what's 20 years?
Has she ever said
anything about it to you?
No. Why should she?
Well, you're our best friend.
You know, I've been wanting to talk
about this ever since we got up here.
I figured that up here,
away from everything
and everybody,
that I could tell you
how much I appreciate...
- Doc!
- ...your strength of character.
Eva's still young,
and she hasn't shaken herself down yet.
And some other man
might have...
It's been a good ten days.
Good for all of us.
Look!
He's gonna go over!
- You got the car keys?
- They're in the car.
You two are pretty lucky.
Anybody else down there?
No.
There now.
There, let me have a look
at that arm.
We'll get this coat off.
Careful now.
Come on, it's all right.
This goes with my job.
There we go.
Now, let's see here.
All right.
Well, that feels
just like a simple fracture.
I'll put a temporary splint on it.
Oh, you're really lucky.
This could have been an awful lot worse.
Well, you got a point there.
- Uh, get me a couple of flat sticks.
- All right.
- The man here says we're lucky.
- Yeah, we're loaded with luck.
- Here, Doc.
- Oh, those are fine.
Here, put this one here.
All right! All right!
Come on, come on. Snap it up!
Will you shut up?
I'm trying to think
of what we gotta do.
We'll take you into Moose.
It's only about seven miles from here.
I want to get some X-rays
of this arm.
Oh, that's all we need.
There we are.
I'll have to take your tie.
It won't make much of a sling,
but it'll do temporarily.
Fix the sling, Doc.
- Whose car's that?
- Mine.
Give me your wallet.
Come on, give me your wallet.
I'll need your registration,
driver's license.
I wouldn't drive anyplace
without that.
Here?
Too public.
Well, the snow'll cover 'em over,
and the roads will be closed.
Nobody'll be coming in here
until spring.
I said it was too public, Red.
You guys camped around here?
Don't make me use my head,
will you?
Let's go.
Look, why don't you just take the car
and leave us here?
We don't know who you are
or anything about you.
Well, you've had
plenty of time to think.
How about it, coming back?
Well, maybe we can get this thing
straightened out
and everything will be fine.
And dandy.
Don't forget the dandy.
Oh, yeah, dandy.
What do you say, John?
This is what they call
a point of no return, friend.
Suppose you knew you were
gonna get killed if you didn't talk.
Wouldn't you talk?
Would I talk?
I'd be a one-man filibuster.
You think I wouldn't?
I think you're sore.
I think you're sore
cos we caught up with you.
Either that or you're one
of those birdbrains
who figures it's a trend
to be brave or something.
All I can tell you,
it's still up there.
Where up there?
I don't know.
Well, just let me put
one of his feet in, John. Just one.
He's not fooling.
When Red was a kid,
they didn't have enough playgrounds.
He's sort of an adult delinquent.
I've seen him in action.
How are you
at belly shots, Red?
Or do you only shoot at backs?
Red!
Go ahead, Red.
Pull the trigger.
- Yes?
- Vanning.
- Go away!
- Please!
What do you want?
- A few honest words.
- From you?
- There's an explanation due.
- I don't wanna hear it.
The only thing you'll hear
is yourself talking, start now!
You need a doctor.
Nice place.
I'll try not to bleed over everything.
There might be one doctor I know
I might reach at this hour.
Skip the milk
of human kindness routine.
Remember me?
I've already been set up
in Alley One.
I'm back from the wars, honey.
I'm a vet!
How'd you get tied up
with those two?
You don't belong in the picture with them
and you know it as well as I do.
Money!
Sure. That's why you did it,
you did it for money.
Do you always answer
your own questions?
Then why did you help them?
I wasn't helping them.
And so what if I had been?
What difference would it make?
You did something wrong.
You were running away,
and you were bound to be caught.
That's all I know.
That's all I wanna know.
Are you being clever
with me again?
I'm not the clever type, Jim.
It is Jim, isn't it?
Give me a light.
What did you do? How did you
get yourself involved with the police?
Police?
You thought they were police?
Weren't they?
That's why you took off so fast.
I came here...
I came like a homing pigeon.
I didn't even look up
your address.
I must have remembered
it from the bar,
from your driver's license.
But that piece of paper you gave me,
they must have it.
And they'll figure
I came back here.
Look, you can't stay here.
Put something on
and pack a bag.
Or are you thinking nice people don't run?
They stay. Call the police.
That's exactly what they do.
Right now two men
are coming over here
to pull you out
of your respectable little world so fast,
you won't know what hit you.
So, call the police.
Maybe you'll be all right tonight
but what about a week from tonight?
- Or next month?
- Why me?
I used to ask myself
the same question, "Why me?"
Because you were unlucky enough
to talk to me tonight.
You've gotta trust me.
I'm trying to.
Believe me, I'm trying.
It would be easier
if I knew about the men.
I'll tell you about them
when you dress.
Leave the door open a little
so you can hear me.
I'm waiting.
- Can you hear me now?
- Not too well.
Any better?
Much better.
It was in Wyoming
last winter.
Doc Gurston, a friend, a good friend
and I were helping these two men.
Their car had gone off the road.
Better kill
those bedroom lights.
- I won't be able to see.
- Pack in the dark.
You were saying their car
had gone off the road.
And they made us
take them back to our camp.
OK.
OK, over there,
over there by the fire.
Sure.
- Sure. Why not?
- Why not what?
A shooting, then suicide.
That way, it keeps us clear.
You surprise me.
It's this mountain air.
I always think better.
I like it, Red.
That's neat. Real neat.
I don't know what you two have done
that makes you so desperate.
Are you scared, Doc?
I should be.
But I can't believe this is happening.
Why, we haven't even had
our second cup of coffee.
Oh.
I'm scheduled to perform an operation
in Chicago, Monday.
We were driving into Moose tonight
to call my wife
and tell her we were leaving
in the morning.
It's no use, Ed.
We were only
trying to help you!
Oh, this is very sad.
This is strictly downhill.
Shut up, Red.
You got a point, friend.
You're entitled.
A man shouldn't die
unless he knows he's got a reason.
And you boys got the best.
You see, Red here and me
pulled a bank job, real sweet.
No prints, no identification.
No previous criminal record.
We gotta protect that, see?
We wouldn't want to get a bad rep.
We got about 300 grand
right here.
So, try to see it our way,
will you?
OK, Doc.
I'm gonna count to five.
You run.
When I get to five,
I'm gonna shoot.
You got the picture?
Hold it!
One! Two!
Three!
I never could count
past three.
Oh!
You didn't get your second cup
of coffee either, did you?
Go ahead.
Well, don't say I didn't ask you.
Is your car paid for?
- I just got it.
- Oh, you're lucky.
You won't have to make
any more payments.
Give it to him.
Turn around.
Sit down!
Don't look back here,
just look straight ahead.
Now, here's the action.
I'm gonna toss you a shell.
Now, you pick up the shell,
put it in the chamber.
Then you pick up the rifle.
You look it straight in the eye,
then you push the trigger.
How do you like that?
I give you the perfect suicide.
I won't do it!
I'll tell you why you're gonna do it.
If I have to work you over
from back here,
I figure it's gonna take me five,
maybe six rounds to finish the job.
So, make it easy on yourself.
See? Clean, quick!
Come on, Red.
Quit playing around.
You decide.
Want me to start counting
like for the doc?
I'll be in the car.
Why are you holding us up, buster?
Oh!
You're thinking maybe
a quick trywith the rifle, huh?
You wanna try?
Well, go ahead!
Go ahead! Try!
Give me a minute
to get used to the idea, will you?
Oh, no, that's too long.
Half a minute!
OK.
Come on, Red.
'Red's shot bounced
a piece of rock off my skull.'
It looked like I was a goner.
At least they thought so.
They drove off.
Hey, do you got a back door?
Marie Gardner.
Afraid of a girl?
Maybe Vanning's inside.
He's not that stupid.
Now, you're taking things too easy
to suit me. I don't like it!
Oh, a model, huh?
Yeah, they all carry
these portfolio things.
"Compton Model Agency,
Dunkirk, 73899."
That's all we need.
Oh, you're smooth, John.
Real smooth.
Yeah, I got a soft side.
A guy can't have
everything, can he?
Nope, I don't suppose he can.
- Hello.
- 'Ben?'
- Yeah.
- 'You're... you're not here.'
No, well, you fell asleep, honey,
so I got dressed and I came over here,
- and it's a lucky thing that I did.
- 'Ben, what time is it?'
Oh, about 4am.
Talk about intuition.
I told you he was getting ready
to make a move.
'Is he still there?'
Yeah, yeah,
there's a girl with him, Laura.
My hunch is beginning to pay off.
I told you I didn't figure him
to be in this thing alone.
Look, honey, you'd better stick
around the apartment today, see,
in case I have to call you
in a rush, you know,
and get you to pack a suitcase
and bring it to me over here.
'Where are you going?'
I don't know, Laura, but...
well, I've got a hunch it's gonna be cold.
Now, look, you pack a bag for me,
honey, huh? And then go back to sleep.
'You still have enough coffee
in that penthouse you're renting?'
Yes, yeah, sure, coffee,
dancing girls, everything!
OK. Goodnight, hon.
- There.
- Thanks.
You should have met
a nurse tonight, not me.
- Is that the, uh...?
- Oh, I'll take it.
My laundry.
- What on earth are those?
- Sock stretchers.
And they talk about women!
Did you say
you had an early call tomorrow?
Uh-huh.
I'll get you some sheets.
This will be yours.
You can't imagine how many times
I've stood here and watched it get dark.
I know how every shadow falls.
The telephone pole,
the rooming house across the street,
that old iron fence down there.
And every night,
I got that much closer to tomorrow,
my chances got that much better.
What's tomorrow, Jim?
Mind if I...?
Tomorrow?
Maybe the next day,
they open up the roads
to the spot where we camped.
The snowploughs have been up there
two weeks now.
I've been waiting for weeks
for that date.
I get within one day of it and bingo,
I gotta run into those two.
Maybe you've forgotten.
Organised society has a department
for your kind of complaint.
P-O-L-I-C-E?
OK, let's say you're the police.
I tell you two strange men
have a wreck.
A doc and I run out
to help them.
They shoot the doc,
wipe the prints off the rifle,
try to make me kill myself.
It sounds like
a nice routine case, doesn't it?
An everyday occurrence?
Things that really happen
are always difficult to explain.
You haven't heard anything yet.
There I was,
'coming out of...
I don't know how long.
'No motion, no nothing.
'And then I... I remembered!
'I went to get Doc's bag,
so I could patch myself up.
'Patch myself up?
'It was a way out.
'Somehow they'd taken
the wrong bag,
'taken Doc's bag
and left the money behind.
'I could drop this satchel
on any police desk and say,
"'Find the men who stole this,
"'and you'll find the men
who killed the doc!"'
Hey!
I knew
I had the bag with me.
I must have dropped it someplace.
Maybe near that shack.
Well, can't you remember?
No. It started to snow
pretty hard.
I got into Moose by morning.
A ranger had already found
Doc's body and my rifle.
They were looking for me.
Well, right then and there you should
have told them the whole story.
It doesn't check. What, boogeymen
with a bag full of money?
They must have left footprints.
The snowfall covered 'em.
Well, you should have shown them
the wrecked car.
The car they were driving.
That still doesn't put 'em
on the spot with me.
No, Marie, I needed a witness,
something that could talk.
You know, something
like that satchel full of money.
And there was another little detail.
Doc Gurston had a young wife.
She'd written me
some indiscreet letters.
The Chicago Police found them
in my apartment.
Look.
My prints checked out
with those on the rifle.
Did you love her?
Doc and I were old friends.
Is that an answer?
Somehow I find it very important
that you believe this right now.
I might have been looking,
but she was shopping.
And it never went
any further than that, believe me.
I believe you.
I rode freights south
to New Orleans
and got a job on the waterfront,
changed my name to Wilson.
Then I went west
to Dallas.
Drove a truck there
for a while.
Finally, I came out here,
bought myself some paints
and holed up right here.
Changed my name to Vanning.
Finally, after about a month
I got my first assignment.
You know, the payoff,
Eva, that's the doc's wife,
she puts up a reward
for my arrest.
I guess she could afford it.
She inherited a quarter of a million
without ever leaving Chicago.
You said you were going to Wyoming
as soon as the roads were cleared
to find the money.
Why does it have to be tonight?
- Because they got to me.
- But you got away.
They get to you once,
they get to you again.
Anyway, I'm scared.
You don't know what it is to live
with your back against the wall, Marie.
Inside, you change.
You really change.
I'll get those sheets.
I'm always meeting
the wrong man.
It's a talent...
...forming what the psychiatrists
call "doomed relationships."
Meaning me?
You won't quit?
I can't.
They caught up to me tonight.
Sometime, I'd like you
to meet my girlfriend.
The one who stood me up
for dinner tonight.
They tell me I can get a bus
through to Moose, Wyoming.
We're expecting a clearance on that run
along about 9 or 10 tonight.
- How much?
- One way?
No, round trip.
39.11. One?
Uh, two, please.
Gate Three.
11:05 tonight.
Hey, I just started.
Oh, excuse me, I wondered,
uh, has my buddy been here yet?
A young fellow about six feet tall,
a grey suit and with blond hair?
- Yeah, you just missed him.
- Oh. Did he pick up the tickets?
- Yeah.
- Uh-huh.
I think you can still catch him.
He's probably still in baggage.
Oh, right. What time
does the bus leave tonight?
Gate Three, 11:05.
All right, thanks.
Thanks very much.
'Underneath,
a handkerchief linen chemise top.
'The new look of back interest
'and the open effect
toward the back of the coat
'around the dcolletage.
'Her violet cloak gives the new
heavily flowered effect.'
189. Who's wearing 189?
I am.
Out you go, honey.
'Our next mannequin is wearing
one of the new slim sheaths
'in pale, pale beige linen.
'It has a double-breasted
button effect in the front,
'the back panel
is slightly contoured,
'buttoning just under the knee.
'The perky little white piqu bow
under her chin
'sets off a large brim sailor
of rough straw.
'She has been beautifully accessorised
in tones of pale beige.
'Notice her gloves
and slim shoes.'
Go.
Over there, honey.
The beige chiffon, number 372.
- What time is it?
- 1:30.
How many more changes
have I got?
Three.
Can't he wait till 2 o'clock?
That's just it.
I told him to meet me here at 2.
Oh, we'll be finished
by then, honey.
You know me,
never off one second.
Aren't you ready yet? Hurry! Hurry!
You're on right away.
'This next lovely little dress,
'suitable for a summer afternoon,
'is in the tones
of soft, soft peach and beige.
'It has three-quarter sleeves,
a high neck
'and a beautifully, softly flowing skirt
of tiers and tiers of chiffon.'
Go.
Number 18.
Loretta will help you into it.
Oh, your company is here.
They were asking when you'll finish.
They?
Frankly, honey, it's none of my business,
but a girl like you?
These two
look like unmatched bookends.
- Where did they go?
- They said to stay around.
Mrs Lipton, please
send me in right away.
Well, fast as you can,
skin in number 18.
'Our mannequin's dress is a ball gown
of electric blue starched chiffon.
'The gown has the very new look
of high in front, low in the back.
'The uneven hem line
has been brought back from the '20s.
'Her midriff is wrapped
in electric blue velvet.
'Our mannequin is wearing a ball gown
designed by Jean Louis.
'The gown is a slender sheath
of mauve sequins,
'worn with one of the very new
Capris collared capes
'of yards and yards
of multi-coloured organza.
'A beautiful symphony in shades
of mauve and pink and deeper cerise.
- OK?
- Yeah.
Let's go.
But didn't you say
one dollar and 30 cents?
- Come on, come on!
- No, ma'am. One dollar and 40 cents.
It's on the receipt
in your hand.
- Let's go.
- Oh, oh, yes. Here it is.
My apologies, young man.
Just head out.
I'll tell you where to go.
Last night, you said
I should have met a nurse.
What you just did back there
was pretty effective first aid.
Mrs Lipton must be furious.
She runs the show.
Meet one of her favourites, number 18.
650 dollars' worth of sequins.
Mrs Lipton's never seen
what a.45 can do to a set of sequins.
I wanna stop at a surplus store
and pick up a pair of jeans
and a jacket and some field boots.
It's gonna be pretty cold
where we're going.
Yesterday, my biggest problem was
how I was going to break a date
with a fellow I know
for tonight.
Of course, I could call him up
and tell him I can't make it.
I'm on my way to Wyoming
in a pair of field boots
with a man
that's wanted for murder.
If I left you here,
they'd find you in no time.
Even if they didn't,
I'd still wanna go with you.
You're the most wanted man
I know.
Good morning,
ladies and gentlemen.
We'll be stopping for breakfast
in a few minutes.
It'll be a 30-minute stop.
I hope you all had a good night's rest.
I'm glad I'm not a man.
Have to face that every morning.
That's where you're wrong.
You're gonna have to face that
every morning of the rest of your life.
Is that a proposal, sir?
I don't have any real right
to ask you, I guess.
Do you think
I'd let you get away now?
After spending two of the most
unusual nights of my life with you?
Hey, haven't I seen you
someplace before?
- I was just thinking the same thing.
- Yeah?
Got it! Couple of nights ago,
on Hollywood Boulevard,
Las Palmas, remember?
I asked you for a light.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
You were waiting for a bus
- and we talked about the tropics.
- Sure, sure, that's it.
Oh! What're you doing here?
I was just gonna ask you
the same thing.
Oh? I'm on my way up to Butte,
Montana, to see about a job.
I didn't notice you.
You on the same bus?
I guess so.
I didn't see you either.
Hey, you'd better snap it up
if you want some breakfast.
You know, these boys stick
right to schedule. I'll see you, huh?
We'll be in Moose
in a little while now.
You got your driver's license
with you?
Serial number
still in the upper right-hand corner?
When we get off, I want you to go
to Charley's, a garage.
He's got cars for rent.
Rent one.
Where will you be?
There's a church at the edge of town.
I'll be hanging around there somewhere.
Just honk the horn.
I'm glad we got rid
of those two characters.
Yeah, what makes you think
we did?
The next stop is Moose,
Wyoming.
We'll be there
in about 10 minutes.
You can get a fine view
of the mountains from this little town.
The Alps of America,
that's what they're known as,
rising vertically 7,000 feet
above the valley floor.
The highest peak
is 13,766 feet.
What do you want?
Does the name Rayburn
do anything for you?
Is it supposed to?
Hey, let's take a little walk, huh?
Who are you?
Well, my name's Fraser.
Ben Fraser.
So what?
I work with the police.
Oh. Well, what'll we do now?
Well, we, you know,
walk a little, talk a little.
About what?
You're taking me in?
Well, there's more to it
than that.
Well, you're the doc.
That's funny you should say that.
You know, I always wanted to be a doctor,
always wanted to help people.
You picked a great way to do it.
Anyway, now I want you
to help me.
Look, just take me in, will you?
Take me in.
Come on. We'll walk.
I'm tired. More tired
than you know, Mr Fraser.
To tell you the truth,
I'm glad you finally caught up with me.
Now will you please
just take me in?
You're getting a little monotonous
with that "take me in" routine.
Hey, come on.
You know, I've had my eye on you
for quite some time.
- Where's the girl?
- She's not in this.
- Oh, how do I know?
- I just met her.
Well, how do I know that?
You might have known her before.
Well, there's something I do know.
A man with 350,000 dollars
doesn't sit up all night
with a set of watercolours
to meet an agency deadline.
And I watched you
ordering dinner.
Picking out the hamburger
instead of the filet mignon.
It must be kinda tough
to pass up those shrimp cocktails.
- What kind of a cop are you?
- I didn't say I was a cop.
Did you ever hear
of Bankers Blanket Bonds?
No.
Well, look, suppose
you knock off a bank.
The bank don't lose the money.
They're covered by a bond.
My company does.
They've got to pay back
every penny.
Insurance, huh?
I started up in Seattle.
The only trail I had
was a sequence of stolen cars.
I finally found the last one.
It had Washington plates.
Back the road up there a ways.
Then a little further up, the rangers
discovered the body of a doctor.
They claimed a man
by the name of Rayburn,
a commercial artist
from Chicago, killed him.
But I figured it otherwise.
- You figured otherwise?
- Mmm-hmm.
How come?
- Know what these are?
- Ejects.
That's right.
From a.38 automatic.
I picked up these two
up there by the campfire.
Only, the doctor was killed
by a bullet from a 30-30 rifle,
so these don't figure.
Except... for one thing.
One of the bandits up in Seattle
was carrying a.38 automatic.
Yeah, Red!
And one of the men that followed you
out of Robinson's.
Well, then somebody
must have seen him in Seattle!
You see, when they
stuck up the bank,
he pegged a shot at one of the tellers
who started to go after him.
Well, he missed the teller,
but I picked this up in Seattle.
The mark of the firing pin
on this one
is the same as the two
I picked up there by the campfire.
All right.
Start talking.
I'm ready to listen.
I wanna hear everything.
Every move, the whole business,
right from the beginning.
I'm happy to meet you,
Mr Fraser.
Well, maybe we can put each other
on the starting line now, huh?
The money?
It's out there somewhere.
Incidentally, what should I call you?
Art or Jim?
Might as well make it Jim.
I get to like it better all the time.
Are you gonna come with us,
or are we gonna go with you?
Well, I'll go with you
under one condition.
We charge off the car
on my expense account.
OK.
Cutback's just up there.
You have a gun?
No. We never use them.
That's why we pay taxes,
so the police can carry them for us.
Let's go.
I remember climbing a fence like this
and crossing a pasture.
Uh-huh.
Look at those prints.
It can't be anybody but them.
You'd better stay here, honey.
That's gotta be the shack
over there.
It might be around here someplace,
I remember I stopped and rested.
It's all here.
I just counted it.
You're unlucky, fella.
You're not lucky at all.
It's a little soggy,
but it's gonna dry out, I guess.
One more minute,
two maybe at the most...
We'd have been gone!
Oh, yeah.
You got a bad sense of timing.
- Who are you?
- A friend of Vanning's.
Boy, that makes you unlucky, too.
Well, we'll tie 'em up
and leave 'em here.
Don't get worried.
There's snowploughs around here.
There'll be a road gang in
by night.
- Well, my way's sure.
- And noisy.
You can hear a shot
for 10 miles here.
We'll tie 'em inside.
There's rope there. Come on.
Come on! Come on!
Come on!
Hear a shot in the mountains,
so what?
- It could be some kid hunting squirrels.
- Go on in.
Vanning, too.
He ain't paid his bill yet.
Are you gonna do
like I tell you, Red?
OK, OK.
One thing at a time.
Put your hands
behind your back.
I worked for a guy one time.
He owned a yacht.
He used to sit out
in the stern of that thing,
smoking cigars,
soaking up the sun.
He was a big man, real big.
As for me, a Pacific.
Say, about a 40-footer.
Diesel power plant on it.
Go around from island to island,
look 'em all over,
and I'd pick one out for myself.
All for me.
You wouldn't stay there.
You'd start thinking about another bank,
another 350,000 dollars.
No. Not me,
I wouldn't come back.
What are you gonna do
with your end of the money, Red?
I'm going to set up
a scholarship at Harvard.
OK, sweetheart.
Here she comes.
Put it away, Red.
You're still soft on Vanning?
Come on, finish tying them up,
all of them.
You don't like me, do you?
No. I've had about
all I can take of you, Red.
After we split up this loot, I don't
wanna have to look at you anymore.
Well, why don't you like me?
Don't crowd it!
No. I-I-I gotta know!
I gotta know real bad!
I'd feel better
if you'd put that rifle down.
Maybe.
How about you put yours away first, huh?
What do you say, Red?
I got a mind to make you
an extra belly button.
The gun, Red.
Come on.
Well, you're asking for it.
I'm in an asking position.
You know, we could stay like
this all day.
We could.
Or we can start something, huh?
See how we make out.
How'd you like that?
All right, you play it your way,
I'll play it mine.
I'll tell you what I'll do, Red.
Remember when you shot the doc,
how you counted?
Well, I'm gonna do that now.
I'll count to three. See?
You don't put that away
by the time I get to three,
I'm gonna kill you. Right?
One... Two...
OK.
OK, boss.
I'll give you two minutes,
three at the most.
It's not gonna take me
that long, friend.
It won't take the federal agents
any longer than that to move in here.
Now let me tell you
a funny story!
Hold it, Red!
I could kill you easy now,
couldn't I, Red?
You don't know how many times
I've thought about this.
Every time I thought about it,
I pulled the trigger.
But I'm not going to
unless you move.
Stop!
I'm surprised those federal men
of yours haven't shown up.
I'd be very surprised
if they did.
You see, uh...
I forgot to call 'em.
That bag full of money
looks kinda small out there, doesn't it?
Sitting out there,
all by itself.
It does now.
Let's go keep it company.