No Down Payment (1957) Movie Script
No Down Payment (blows whistle)
(organ playing)
-BOY: You want to make a bet on that?
-GIRL: Yeah!
Ill bet you $2.00.
(scoffs) Thats not a lot of money.
GIRL: I bet you $5,000.
(blows whistle)
Oh, David.
(church bell chiming)
-Daddy! Daddy!
-DAD: Hi.
-Daddys going to hell when he dies.
-He will not.
Hes going to hell and burn up
cause he wont go to church.
-GIRL: Daddyll go to heaven.
-BOY: Not if he doesnt go to church.
-GIRL: Im gonna tell Daddy on you.
-BOY: Go ahead and tell.
Daddy!
Mother, isnt Daddy
going to hell when he dies?
Run along in the backyard, Harmon.
Come on, Sandra. You go with Harmon.
Must you wash your car on Sunday morning
where everyone can see?
Cant you wait until church is over?
Honey, this is our own driveway.
Im not washing it in front of the church.
Its the same thing.
Okay. Next Sunday
Ill wait till the afternoon.
Well, lets go in and have some lunch.
Okay.
Hey, Betty?
Come here. Somebodys moving in.
Hi.
BETTY: Welcome to Sunrise Hills.
Why, hello.
Hi. Im Betty Kreitzer.
lm Jean Martin.
This is my husband, David.
-Hi.
-Herman. Everybody calls me Herm.
-How you doing, Herm?
-Fine.
Well, how do you like your new house?
Oh, were very excited about it.
Well, just a little bit nervous,
you know.
Its quite a responsibility.
Oh, thats all right.
Nobody in this development is allowed
to own a house they can afford.
Were having a barbecue tonight.
Would you join us?
Youre sure
we wouldnt be putting you out?
No. Ill just throw a couple
extra steaks on the re.
Why dont you drop in around 7:00.
Were gonna have some drinks rst,
and youll have a chance
to meet the other neighbors.
-Thanks.
-Listen, David.
Cant I help you
carry some of this stuff in?
Oh, no. Thanks, Herm.
Well manage all right.
-Well, well see you later, then.
-DAV | D: Yeah.
Well, if there is anything
you do need, just give a yell.
Thanks again.
-See you later, Isabelle.
-Okay, Betty.
Right down there.
-Is this where you want it, honey?
-Mm-hmm. Right here.
Okay.
-All right.
-Yeah.
(woman giggling)
(giggling)
WOMAN: Ooh!
Have you got to go to the station today?
Yeah.
Everybody else got a ve-day week.
You got a seven.
In the army it was seven days a week,
24 hours around the clock.
This is a snap.
Yeah, but it means we cant go anyplace.
Ive spent too many years
in too many places.
Got to buckle
Got to buckle down in one spot.
Its the only way to make good.
-You got to go right this minute?
-Well, I should.
Do you always do everything you should?
You want me to be a success,
dont you? Hmm?
-You already are with me.
-Oh, baby.
I got to get to work.
(western playing on TV)
Your lunch is on the table, Mike.
Mommy, I want to watch TV.
Please, Mikey. Mamas xed you
-No, I want to see TV.
-After lunch.
Why dont you give him
his lunch in here?
Because Dr. Greenspun
says thats a bad habit.
Hmm. Why dont you get Dr. Greenspun
to come over here and feed him?
(turns on TV)
(whistles)
Isabelle, can you spare some butter?
Sure, Betty. Its in the refrigerator.
-Hiya, Betty.
-Hiya, cowboy. (kisses)
-Hi, Jerry.
-Hi.
Please, Jerry, its only the afternoon.
I got a rough day
ahead of me, honey.
But it doesnt look right.
Betty knows its only medicinal.
Look, do you have to start now?
Youve got a whole days work
ahead of you.
Isabelle, is this all right?
-Yeah.
-Thanks a lot.
-Betty.
-Hmm?
I cant seem to get Mikey
to eat his lunch.
Mikey? (clears throat)
Howd you like to have lunch with us?
I want to see TV.
Well, now, look, right after lunch,
theres a great western on TV
with cowboys and Indians,
and you can sit and watch it
with Sandra and Harmon, huh?
-Okay, Mommy?
-Okay, Mikey.
Ill bring him back around 2:00, okay?
Thanks, Betty. Bye, Mikey.
Bye, Mommy.
I got to be on my way, honey.
I wish you didnt have to work on Sunday.
I wish I didnt have to work, period.
Dont be late for Hermans barbecue, huh?
I wont.
(music playing on stereo)
Getting awful hard to buy
the right kind of charcoal
for real good barbecue.
Fifteen hundred barbecues here,
and probably half of em
are broiling steaks tonight.
-Lets play another game.
-Yeah.
-Lets play another game.
-Okay. All right.
Leola sure has a way with kids.
Yeah, shes just a big kid herself.
When are you gonna start
a family of your own?
Soon as I get
that chief of police appointment.
Troy, you know, thats not much of a job.
Were only going to have a ve-man force.
I dont know, Herm.
Sunrise Hills is gonna be
a city on its own someday.
You got a great future with a big company.
You know, you got a real future.
You ought to think about that.
You ought to think about that
before giving it up.
No, I dont like being
an organization man.
I like to make my own decisions.
-Hi!
-DAVID: Hi.
Come on in. Come on in.
David. Jean.
Listen, I want you
to meet Troy Boone.
Troy, this is Jean and David Martin.
-Hello.
-Hi, Troy.
How do you do? Leola!
I want you to meet the Martins.
-Thats my wife, Leola.
-Hey.
-Hello.
-Hi.
Troy here runs that big
service station in Sunrise Hills.
Oh, yeah.
-Dave, huh?
-Uh-huh.
Well, you drop by sometime, Dave.
Ill give you a credit card.
Well, thanks, lwill.
We went by this morning.
-Thats really quite a layout.
-Thank you.
Troy runs that place like it was
a marine outpost on Guadalcanal.
I got a bunch of good boys.
Two of em served with me
all through the Marianas campaign.
This guy has got enough medals
to open a hock shop.
You ought to see his garage.
It looks like a museum
of the Japanese war.
Yeah, the worst day of my life
was putting on civilian clothes.
Whered you see action, Dave?
Uh, my outt never left the States.
Oh? Where was you stationed?
Los Alamos.
Dave there invented the atom bomb,
didnt you know?
I only worked on the computations.
I didnt really know what they were for.
-Oh, no kidding?
-Mm-hmm.
-Well, what you working on now, Dave?
-Electronics.
What kind?
Oh, its called automation.
Were developing a machine
thatll do the work of about 500 men.
You gure you can get a machine
thatll do most everything, huh?
Not quite everything.
HERMAN: We oughta had
one of those machines on two Jima.
We couldve sat in front of TV
and watched the war go by.
Oh, uh, Isabelle,
I want you to meet Jean and David Martin.
- | sabe | | e Flagg.
-Hello, Isabelle.
Theyjust moved in today.
Oh, just the two of you?
So far, but were hoping.
This is a great place
to raise children.
-Can I help you, Betty?
-Sure. You can help set the table.
Come on. Let me get you guys
a real drink. Come on.
-Hey, how are the martinis over here?
-Theyre doing great.
Good.
One great thing about it is
that weve all got so much in common.
Were all about the same age.
We all have nice homes.
All our husbands are doing very well.
Jerry and I kicked
across half of this country
before we found the spot
that we wanted to settle in,
and we think Sunrise Hills
is just the living end.
(tires screech)
(horn honks)
(car door slams)
Hey!
JERRY: Baby!
-(chuckles) Jerry.
-Baby.
Hiya, doll.
Whats cooking?
Looks like youre
already half-broiled.
Had to get the customer tanked up
so he wouldnt hear the engine knocks.
Mm-hmm. Well, youre smeared
with lipstick, doll.
She thought I went along with the car.
What could I do? I had to be friendly.
Herm!
Jerry.
What do you say, Betty?
How about a scotch?
Try a beer.
Im agreeable if you are.
Betty.
(whistles)
Hi, Daddy.
(groans)
What do you say, Daisy Mae?
Hows Lil Abner?
You know something, Jerry?
You ought to be in vaudeville.
Aint you heard, honey?
Vaudevilles dead.
-Thats what I mean.
-Arrgh!
Hey, Troy.
Listen, when are you gonna break down
and buy that station wagon
Leolas been drooling for?
Well, Ill tell you.
Ive been saving up my Green Stamps.
What are you gonna do?
This used car business is shot.
Im gonna get me in something else.
Jerry, with your gift of gab,
you could sell anything.
I cant sell you.
Im an oddball.
I dont like to buy on time.
What are you gonna do?
If everybody was like you,
wed all be running around barefoot
and shooting squirrels for our dinner.
Think thats bad?
On me it dont look good.
I got bunions.
Well, well, well, well, well.
You must be slumming.
Hi. Im Dave Martin.
This is my wife, Jean.
-How do you do, Jean?
-Hello.
Jerry Flagg.
David, want to buy yourself
a good used car?
No money down, nothing to lose.
Just change your name,
go away, hide, quit yourjob,
and the nance company
will never know where you are.
By golly, I dont know
why I didnt think of that.
-How you folks doing?
-Fine.
Hows the barbecue coming?
Great. I got a good, even re going now.
Hows the world treating honest John?
Sensational. But itll improve.
Oh, I dont know. It looks to me
like everybody around here
is living a pretty wonderful life.
Yeah, I dont have any worries
that money wont cure.
Oh, I dont think any of us
are going to be millionaires.
-Were all living well.
-Sure.
Were only 25 years in debt, thats all.
Thats beside the point.
You know, 20 years ago, none of us
could have afforded a house like this.
I think we were born at the right time.
Well, when I nished grammar school,
my family was on relief.
My old man was in a ditch for the WPA.
I had to work nights
to get through high school.
I got a job with the Chicago Tool Company.
Bang, right away the next year,
I get drafted.
I dont call that
being born at the right time.
Well, we were all caught in the war,
but were here now,
and everybodys doing great.
Thats right. Youre doing great, Herm.
Only you dont know it.
Youre fat as a pig.
Well, I guess we do have more security
than our parents ever had.
When I was a kid, I used to think
that cold beans poured over stale bread
was real good eating.
Now Ive got job security, life insurance,
health insurance, government bonds,
steak every night
for dinner when I want it.
Theres not many guys who really have
to sweat to get a decent living.
Not anymore. Not in the States.
Can you x my radio, Dad?
-The battery shot again?
- | just put in a new one.
Maybe I can help you with it.
Help yourself.
Why wont it play?
Well, this is a transistor radio,
and, you know, it has some circuits in it
very much like the kind
Ive been working on.
I think maybe theyre
just out of alignment.
How does a little thing like that work?
Well, theres a crystal of germanium there
that comes into contact
with a very ne wire,
and that collects the electrons.
Then the ow is controlled
by radio impulses.
-JERRY: Do you understand that?
-Mm-mmm.
-(radio plays)
-There you are.
Thats a very nice radio.
-Excuse me.
-Gee, thanks.
Cant let all this good music go to waste.
Thanks, Troy.
Not at all, maam.
Were gonna eat in a little while, Jerry.
I feel lousy.
lneedit
Well, now, dont look so sad, doll.
Youll get wrinkles.
I want to help you, and I dont know how.
Just take care of Mike.
Maybe hell get on a quiz show,
win $64,000,
and all our troubles will be over.
-Youll ruin your health drinking so much.
-Mm-mmm. Not me.
Im strictly a social drinker.
Well, now, dont look at me
like Im an alcoholic.
Ive been keeping track
of the amount of liquor that you consume.
Ive checked it with Dr. Greenspun.
He says if you keep it up,
you will be an alcoholic.
And what does the good doctor recommend,
that I join A.A.?
Dr. Greenspun says
theres only one way to quit:
thats completely and forever.
But I like to drink.
It does things for me.
It makes me feel like Im somebody.
You dont want to take that away from me.
Im losing you, Jerry. I know it.
No.
No such luck, doll. Youre stuck with me.
I want to help you.
Im sick of myself, doll.
Well, then tell me what to do.
What can I do?
You can pray I get a good break.
Please be serious, Jerry.
Youre getting on my nerves, Isabelle.
Leave me alone.
-Please, Jerry.
-Leave me alone.
You dont want any help.
All you want to do is drink
and chase after every tramp in town.
Well, you keep it up,
and you wont have me to come back to!
Well, I know a place where old Jerry Flagg
can lay his head any day.
Mommy! Mommy!
Mommy!
What are you all looking at?
None of you ever ght
with your wives?
Heres to Sunrise Hills,
the place for better living
for young lovers.
Okay, come on, everybody.
Come on. Chow time.
Come on, Jerry. Get a plate.
(whistling)
Boo. (laughs)
-Herm.
-Hmm?
Please, Herm.
Herm, not here.
Honey, if not here, where, huh?
Honey, listen, Ive got to nish
cleaning all this up.
Come on, you can do that tomorrow.
-Hey, Betty
-No, no, its late.
No, its never too late.
You know that. (chuckles)
Herm.
Herm, youre drunk.
Oh, no, Im not drunk.
No, honey, I cant I cant leave
all this beer and the martinis
and the bourbon and scotch,
and all this stuff go to waste.
I cant do that.
You know, Ive got to nish
this stuff up. (laughs)
Now Im positive youre drunk.
Im not so drunk that I dont know
I got the sweetest, best-Iookin,
desirable wife in this Sunrise Hills.
Do you know what I mean?
Yes, darling. I know what you mean.
All right.
Hey, listen.
-Herm.
-What?
Please put the glass down.
(laughing)
(glass hits oor)
Jerry was certainly loaded
tonight, wasnt he?
Oh, he was just acting smart.
I dont know why I didnt cut in
instead of waiting for Troy.
Well, theyre all a very friendly bunch.
You have a knack for making friends.
How do you like our new neighbors?
If tonights a sample,
its going to be very lively here.
I must admit I liked it.
Well, you were certainly
in the middle of it.
Well, Troy didnt have to interfere.
I could have handled Jerry.
And I couldnt?
(chuckles) Idiot.
How are things at the plant?
Oh, they could be better.
Whats the matter, David?
Oh, its Verdun.
Hes on my tail again
to leave the lab and go into sales.
Well, why not? Theres more money
in the sales department.
Now, look, Jean, weve been
all through that before.
But, David, we could use the extra money.
Im an engineer, not a salesman.
David, what is bothering you?
Good night, Jean.
41...
-Honey, youre gonna wear yourself out.
-42...
Gotta keep in shape. 43...
-Aw, you know you got a nice gure.
-45...
Yours aint bad. 46...
-Thank you.
-Youre welcome. 47...
48...
You know, I like David and Jean.
Theyre nice.
They wont live here long. 49...
Why not?
50. (grunts)
(sighs) Theyre the lucky ones.
Everything comes easy
for people like that.
Maybe they deserve it.
Theyre both college graduates.
You smoke too much.
Yeah.
Add up both our educations,
we cant even get a high school diploma.
Hey, maybe we ought to go to night school.
We got something
they dont teach in school.
Right now, I wouldnt
trade places with anyone.
Its better than night school.
You tell em, honey.
I stutter.
(car horns honking)
Morning, Dad!
Hi, Mike.
Whyd you sleep in the car all night?
Shouldnt you be in school by now?
The bus didnt come yet.
Are you gonna buy me
that bike you promised?
Youll be riding it after dinner.
A bicycle costs a lot of money, Mike.
He said hed get it today.
Didnt you?
I cross my heart, Mike.
(bus horn honks)
Bye, Dad.
Bye, Mom!
Bye, Mike.
Honey.
-(door closes)
-Aw, honey.
Im really gonna get on it today
and knock off some nice, fat commissions.
Youll see.
What can I bring you tonight, baby?
You dont have
to bring me anything, Jerry.
Honey.
Im sorry about last night.
I just had one too many.
Then why do you do it?
I dont know.
I do it for a charge
when Ive had a bad day.
Ive had a lot of bad days.
Then why stay on a used car lot?
You could get with a new car agency.
Yeah, and have a straight salary
and small commissions?
Thats no good.
Youd have a steady paycheck.
Yeah, for the rest of my life.
This way, I got a chance
to make a killing.
Remember the week, doll,
I knocked down over 800 bucks?
How long has it been since then?
Youve brought home nothing.
Cant you do like Herman and Troy?
Theyre company men.
Theyve got no ambition.
Twenty years from now theyll still be
peddling hardware and pumping gas.
-Maybe get a 10-buck raise.
-But their futures secure.
They can live without worrying about
where their next dollar is coming from.
And theyre gonna grow old
living here in Sunrise Hills.
Doll, this is just a stopover for us.
Someday were gonna move
to a ne neighborhood
where important people live.
I know it. I got it in me.
I believe in you, Jerry.
I wont let you down.
Ill see you tonight, dear.
All right.
Good-bye.
Hi.
Good morning.
Well, it looks like a nice day.
Yes, it does.
Well, I come home for lunch.
Anything I can get for you
at that store?
Oh, I got a list a mile long.
I gotta do it myself.
If it gets too heavy to carry,
drop by the station.
Ill have one of the boys drive you home.
-Thanks. Ill manage.
-Youre welcome.
(whirring)
Hey, were all out of bacon.
ls sausage okay?
(shuts mixer off)
(laughs) Place is a mess.
It sort of gets away from me
every time I cook a meal.
You forgot to plug in the coffee again.
Oh, no. Well, I guess
Im just not myself today.
-Hey.
-Hmm?
You know what lets do?
Lets just pick up and go
on a vacation someplace.
You nuts?
Well, honey, I havent been out
of this house hardly since we moved in.
Got my future here.
I cant go bouncing around
like a gypsy on a vacation
and jeopardize my whole career.
All the boys in the station
get a couple of weeks off.
I dont know why you cant.
City councils meeting this week
with my chief of police appointment.
I gotta be here.
Didnt you serve long enough in uniform?
What do you want to be a cop for?
(chuckles)
Chief of police aint just a cop.
Its an important job.
Mm-hmm. When you get busy
down at the station,
I get kind of lonesome
sitting here all by myself.
Why dont you make friends,
like with Jean?
You could learn a lot from her.
Whatd Jean want to waste
her time with me for?
Then develop a hobby.
Find something you want to do.
I know what I want to do.
Whats that?
Be a mother.
We can have a kid.
When can we?
Just as soon as I get
that chief of police appointment.
You mean that, Troy?
Youre not just saying it?
I dont lie, Leola.
I wish we could have kept our kid.
If you wanted that kid so bad,
whyd you give it away?
Now, look,
when I followed you to San Francisco,
I didnt ask you to marry me.
All I wanted was enough moneyjust
just to pay the hospital bills.
One hundred dollars, thats all I needed,
and I could have kept my baby.
They couldnt have give that kid away
unlessn you signed them papers.
I know the law.
Now, who was it told you
to sign them papers? Who?
Well, where were you?
Where were you when the baby was born?
Its own father never
even bothered to show up!
I did try to get that baby back. I tried.
I went to the hospital,
but some other couple already adopted it.
They wouldnt tell me who.
Its...
Its the law.
Come on and have your breakfast.
No, Im
Im late for the station.
You gonna be home for lunch?
No, Ill grab a sandwich out.
Someday... Ill make you proud, Leola.
(voice breaks) Real proud.
(knocking)
Hi. Just dropped by
to see if youd like to go shopping.
Well, thank you. Its my
my day to clean the house.
Uh, but how about some pancakes?
Well, Ijust had breakfast with David.
Well, then, how about some coffee?
Sure. Ill keep you company.
-Jean.
-Hmm?
Could I ask you something?
Sure. What?
Every time I start to say or do anything,
it always comes out wrong, but...
Do you think Im just a good-natured slob?
Oh, who told you that?
Well, all the men think so.
Jerry Flaggs been on the make for me
ever since the very beginning.
Well, Jerry got out of line
with me, too, last night.
Yeah, but you see, he was loaded.
With me, he acts that way when hes sober.
Well, whats wrong with being attractive?
Nothing, the way you are.
But men dont go around grabbing at you.
No, they usually
take off their hats rst,
but its all leading up to the same thing.
Maybe.
Its just that I never cared
about any man except Troy,
and Ijust want to hold on to him.
Now, whos taking him away from you?
Somebody like you could.
Davids not just my husband.
I happen to be in love with him.
There | go again, saying the wrong thing.
Here, have some more coffee.
Hey, Mark.
Listen, I got a great idea for today.
How about you letting me
have a little advance?
Lets try to move a couple
of cars today, huh, Jerry?
I got to have 30 bucks in a hurry.
I promised my kid a new bike today.
You forget youre into me for 200 now?
Im going for coffee. Bring you some?
No, thanks.
Fred.
Yeah, Jerry.
How about letting me have
a couple of thou until Sunday?
Sure. Want it now?
Can I help you folks?
-Were just looking.
-Take your time.
We dont believe
in high pressure on this lot.
Sure is a beauty, isnt she?
Why dont you get in,
put your hands on the wheel?
I dont believe I caught you folks name.
Burnett, mister and missus.
This is the most
powerful motor on the road.
Nothing can pass you in this car.
Were not buying, just looking.
Howd you like to drive this car out now?
Right now, with nothing down
and no payments for 60 days.
Howd you like that?
Is your old car paid for?
All paid for.
I think I can let you
have 450, $500 on that.
How much is this car?
You can afford to pay $62.11
a month, cant you?
Why, sure, we can.
But how much is the car?
3,395 new, and this babys
just as good as new.
You can have it for... 2,795.
Uh-uh. I couldnt spend
that much money.
You got to think of it
as an investment, Mr. Burnett.
Its like buying a home, you know?
What matters is, are you getting
top value for your dollar?
And this car represents top value.
We can pay 62.11 a month, Paul.
Where are you employed,
Mr. Burnett?
Little Johns hamburger place.
Im a short-order cook.
My wife works there, too.
How long have you held this position?
Three months.
I quit my otherjob becau
Thats all right. As long
as youre gainfully employed,
I can work out all the details
with the nance company.
Why dont you step into the ofce?
Come on, Liz.
Say, just to make it
look good for the boss,
can you make a token payment?
-How much?
-Oh, $50.
I aint got 50.
$40?
What do you have, Liz?
Just the 20 you gave me this morning.
$30 will do. You got 10?
Mmm, just about.
You mentioned a nance company.
Whatll their charges be?
6%, same as a bank.
Nothing more?
A few minor charges,
but theyll be absorbed
in your monthly payments.
Nothing to worry about.
Can we drive it out today?
Soon as you sign the papers.
-Hi, Jean.
-Hello, Herman.
Oh, let me take that for you.
-No, Im just gonna catch a cab, so
-Say, listen, let me try something on you.
Now, does this display
make you want to buy something?
Yes. Its just great.
Good. Thats all I want to know.
-See you later, Herman.
-III see you.
(bell rings)
-Hello.
-Hi.
Would it be too much trouble
dropping these off at my house?
Ill drive you.
No, its all right. I can walk.
Its just the bundles.
Im going home anyway.
Ed, get my car ready.
-ED: Yes, sir.
-Would you like a Coke?
No, thanks.
Nice place.
Yeah, well, its, uh its a living,
but it aint what I want.
Oh, no, of course.
You want to be chief
of the police department, dont you?
Why, it seems such a thankless job.
Oh, I dont know.
Too many drunks driving,
too many stickups,
too many punks
shoving good people off the sidewalk.
I hate to see things like that.
Was it different in Tennessee?
Oh, a lot.
Each man knows whats his
and keeps to it.
Used to walk an extra mile
to school every morning,
cause the fellow that owned
the farm next to ours
wouldnt give my old man permission
for us to cross a small patch of land.
Sound like a hick to you, dont I?
No. I think youll make
a wonderful police chief, Troy.
Well, I guarantee youll be able
to sleep nights with your doors open.
Come on. Hop in the car.
Ed.
Dont you guys goof off.
Ill be right back.
You all right?
All right.
(bell rings)
Mama, look!
I see it.
-Christmas in July, Mike!
-Daddy!
When the old man makes you
a promise, he keeps it.
Its all yours, boy.
Gee, thanks!
Its bought and paid for.
-Hey, watch yourself!
-I will, Daddy.
Where did you get the money?
Honey, I had a great morning.
Very good, Mike.
I took the afternoon off
to celebrate with you.
Wow!
What do you say we throw a wingding
for the neighbors tonight?
Jerry, we cant afford that.
I told you I had a great morning.
I feel like sharing my good luck
with everybody in Sunrise Hills,
but since Im a sound, practical man,
why, uh, lets just have
the neighbors in, huh?
Did you get the commission?
No. But they signed the papers,
and Markhams good for it.
A party costs a lot of money,
even a small one.
Come on, doll, lets have some laughs.
You and I will have a good time, huh?
Well, if were gonna have a party,
I have to do some shopping.
Thats my baby. Live it up.
Were in the money, doll.
Look, Dad! No hands!
Very Watch yourself. Very good.
Thanks, Troy.
I can manage now.
Anytime.
Thanks again.
Good-bye.
(knocking)
Come on in, lko.
-Can you spare a minute, Herm?
-Sure. Hows the family?
Oh, ne. Just ne.
You know, Betty keeps
talking about this, uh
What do you call that dish
your wife xed the other night?
When are you gonna
invite us to dinner again?
Well, thats just the problem, Herm.
Were gonna have to move.
It takes me an hour and a half
to drive in,
hour and a half to get back home.
Three hours traveling a day
doesnt leave me much time for my family.
You ought to move closer in.
You got a permanentjob here.
You know that.
We found the place we want.
We put in our application six weeks ago,
but nothing has happened.
Well, you have them check with me
on your credit rating.
Its not our credit
thats holding it up, Herm.
Wheres the house?
Here. Sunrise Hills.
Oh, yeah?
Look, I know they dont sell
except to white families.
Yeah. I think thats so, yeah.
But maybe you could help.
You live here.
Youre manager of the store.
Youre on the city council.
I dont carry that kind of weight.
Listen, arent there other nice places?
You know, someplace
Yeah, lots of nice places,
but I dont know of any I can get in.
My wifes after me.
Since I work here
in the Sunrise Hills Shopping Center,
she feels that we should live here.
lko, Id like to have you for a neighbor.
You know that.
But these subdividers,
how do I sell them on the idea?
Everyone here has a lot
of respect for you, Herm.
If you can get some of them to speak up,
maybe theyd sell me a house.
lko, arent there any other houses,
in some neighborhood where theyre
not gonna kick up such a fuss?
Now, wouldnt that be wiser?
I earn my money, Herman.
Ive got a right to live
in the house that I can afford.
Im a GI.
I qualify under the same bill,
like all you Gls here.
Times are changing, lko.
In another few years, we could
In another few years,
my little kids will be big kids, Herm.
I want them to have the good things now
when they need it.
lko, you know I feel the same.
Are you going to help me?
Well, l-let me think about it.
Can I tell my wife that you might help?
No, you cant tell your wife I might help.
I dont want you to lie to your wife.
You mean you wont even try?
No, I didnt say that.
What are you saying, Herm?
Id like to know.
Im saying just what I said a moment ago
that l l I got to think about it.
Im sorry, lko.
Sure, Herman.
Sure.
HERMAN: Ikos the best man
Ive got in the whole store.
He built that window display
on his own time nights, Sundays.
He never asked me a cent for it.
We do a bigger gross on garden supplies
than any of the other branch stores.
Now, if a man is good enough
to work in Sunrise Hills,
he ought to be good enough to live here.
I like lko.
I like his wife. I like his children.
But is it up to us, Herm?
Honey, thats what everybody says.
Well, who is it up to?
The subdividers have a right
to put restrictions in there, dear.
No, they dont. Oh, no, they dont.
The Supreme Court has held
that these restrictions
are pure discrimination and void.
Well, so theyll nd some other excuse
not to sell him a house.
Now, you know that, Herm.
Listen, I got this idea, Betty.
l was thinking I was thinking if we
got up a delegation of homeowners
and went to see the subdividers
Who would you get?
Oh, the Martins.
Im sure the Martins would see it our way.
Well, theyre about the only ones.
The Boones, the Flaggs,
theyd never agree to it.
No, not right now, no,
but they might if we worked on them.
Are you sure youre prepared
to ask Troy and Jerry
to have a Japanese for a neighbor?
Are you sure youre
prepared for it yourself?
Betty...
how can you call yourself a good Christian
and speak like that?
Herm, that has nothing to do with it.
There are other things to consider.
What do you mean,
the devaluation of our property?
We have a responsibility to our children,
to our neighbors.
What are they going to say?
Honey, maybe if you went over
to see this Reverend Norton
that youre always raving about.
Now, heres a chance for this guy
to do some real good.
Dont you bring the church into this.
What good is the church
if it cant teach a person
to lend a helping hand to some human being
that really deserves it?
What else is the church for?
Well, how would you understand?
You never go.
Yeah, maybe your ne reverend
does something for lko,
and I might see some reason to go.
You want to strike a bargain with God
before you even believe in him?
Well, God doesnt do business that way.
Well, if God only does business
in his own store,
then this boys gonna keep
washing his car on Sunday!
All right, if you feel
so strongly about it,
then you do something about it yourself,
but dont you yell at me,
and dont you yell at the church,
because I know youre just as worried
about this whole thing as I am!
(turns on TV)
(western playing on TV)
Come on, Betty. Lets go over
to the Flaggs, to the party.
Im sorry, Herm. Im just not up to it.
Betty.
Betty, please go with me.
Come on. I cant stick around
the house any longer.
Come on. Please go with me, honey.
Come on.
Well, Ill go and check on the children,
and you run along rst, Herm.
Ill meet you at the party.
Okay.
Verdun was after me again today
to handle that Cagle deal.
Is it so hard to handle?
Well, not for Verdun, it isnt.
All he has to do is sit in the ofce
and avoid the unpleasant part of it.
You mean a lot of people will be red
if Cagle puts in automation?
Thats right.
But, David,
thats not your responsibility.
Maybe not.
All I have to do is convince myself
Ill be happy if he has 500 people red.
Well, if you dont sell your machine
to him, somebody else will.
You know, Im a good electronics engineer.
Next year, Ill be a little bit better.
But thats not enough for you, is it?
Darling, theres nothing wrong
with being an engineer.
Its just that I think you
could be so much more important.
I like what Im doing right now.
I dont want to settle for that.
We should have excitement and change
and things to look fonNard to.
What kind of excitement?
Like when you were 18
and the phone kept ringing?
You got singing telegrams
and guys came around six deep,
and I had to wait in line?
I liked those times.
I like thinking about them.
-I was young and pretty and
-Well, youre still young and pretty.
You never tell me.
Look, I married you.
I live with you.
And I love you.
I suppose you think Im vain.
Im not clever.
I cant do anything special.
Its just that Im attractive
and I hang on to it.
Mm-mmm. You push it.
What if I do?
l-lm sorry, David. I didnt mean that.
If you trying to scare me, okay.
Im scared.
I just dont want to lose you, Jean.
Oh, darling,
a mans just got to take one look at me
to know who I belong to.
ISABELLE: David! Jean!
Come on over!
Come on. The partys starting.
Have you got a date tonight?
Oh, uh, incidentally,
I accepted that selling assignment.
Im leaving for San Francisco
in the morning.
Oh! (chuckles)
I believe in money!
I believe in money and livin it up.
You show me a man who has no money,
and Ill show you a poor man!
Ha ha ha ha.
No, what this country needs
is easy credit.
No man should have
to pay cash for anything.
No money down is the secret of prosperity.
Thats what I think.
Hi! Come on in! Give the party some class.
No, if only the banks would loosen up,
then every man could have
everything he wants now,
not when hes old and washed up.
Now! When hes young and washed up!
Another funnyjoke. Just made it up
off the top of my own head.
What do you say we have some music?
Okay. Ill turn it on.
From now on, the customer I concentrate on
is the man who is at broke,
because, to him, money dont mean nothing!
-(swing playing)
-Hey, Dave,
may I have the pleasure
of dancing with your wife?
This time, Im sober.
Certainly.
Hey, Dave, you rock?
Yeah, well, Im a little bit rusty.
Well, come on, lets oil it up.
J / saw her jivin 20 the dn'vein rock J
J / took one look 1
1 My heart went knock-knockknock .f
J / blinked my lights and honked my horn J
1 But she kept rock/n and aro/lin on .f
1 She kept on jivin
to the drive-in rock .I
-f The drive-in rock, the drive-in rock J
-( | aughs)
J It really makes the drive-in rock .I
J You pick your chick,
you drop your dime J
J You have yourself
a crazy smhg/h time .I
(doorbell buzzes)
Jlrevvedmyrodf
.f To show m y pipes aint stock 1
J / let her die
and ipped the keys to lock 1
J The carhop said, Whats yours tonight? 1
JAnd / said, baby, baby,
thats all nyht .f
.I Ill eat inside
and dig the drive-in rock .I
J The drive-in rock, the drive-in rock J
1 It really makes the drive-in rock .I
.I'l walked nyht in, but Im no fool J
J / took my time with baby
and played it cool 1
Come on in. Join the party.
Im not alone.
Hi.
You got me
in a ne jam today.
Whats the beef?
Mr. Burnett showed his boss
that contract on the car you sold him.
Thirty-eight percent carrying charges.
I told you 100 times, I dont deal
with these cutthroat nance outts.
Mike, look, the guy couldnt make
a decent down payment.
I had to nd somebody
to pick up his paper.
You know, no bank would.
Now, look, Im no gypsy.
Ijust opened here in Sunrise Hills,
and Im not gonna have you ruin
my reputation for one lousy sale.
Dont get your pressure up.
Well get this whole thing
straightened out, Mr. Burnett.
Why dont you come down to the lot
tomorrow morning, say about 10:00
Oh, no. No, Were straightening
this out right now.
I want you to give him
his money back.
Now? How can I get it back now?
I dont have it now.
Mr. Burnetts a reasonable man.
He knows were good for it.
Were not leaving this house
till you give him back his money.
Ill write you out a check, then.
I want the cash. I dont want
to be chasing you for a bum check.
Well, Ill see what I can scrape up.
And take it easy, will you?
I got company inside here.
(music playing)
(car door slams, engine starts)
-(tires screech)
-(car drives away)
Im sorry I had to disturb you
in your home, Mrs. Flagg.
I understand.
I have $30 I can give you now.
The rest Ill see you get later.
I want you to know that your husband
didnt do anything dishonest.
He Well, he was just
pushing too hard.
Good night, Mr. Markham.
Good night.
- | sabelle?
-Jerryjust drove off.
I think I know what bar he went to.
Will you go with me?
(chuckles) Isabelle, hes okay.
I cant get him
to come back home by myself.
Oh, all right.
Ill go with you.
-Betty?
-Yeah?
Honey, Im gonna drive Isabelle.
Ill see you later.
BETTY: All right.
Is anything the matter?
Oh, no, no, honey. I wasjust gonna
go over and check the kids.
What you lookin for?
Well, I was looking for the ice.
(humming Funeral March)
(laughs)
Oh. Cold.
Whats the matter?
Im kind of dizzy.
Must have been something I et.
-Got a cigarette?
-Mm.
Why dont you try a little coffee?
Who wants to sober up?
Uh-uh.
You light it for me.
(swishes drink)
(gargles)
Is that what they do in South Carolina?
Tennessee.
-Thank you.
-Mm-hmm.
I like you.
Youre a nice guy.
Thank you.
And Im not saying that
because Im on the make either.
I like you cause youre a nice guy,
and thats all.
Why dont you, uh, knock off that drinking
the rest of the night?
What for?
Troy likes to see me drunk.
Yeah, he really does.
See, Troy likes to lecture people.
He likes to tell them
what to do and how to do it.
You know, he even tells me
how to make love.
Oh, honey, come on, were grown-ups.
Anything wrong about
talking about making love?
No. No.
Its just that I dont think Id like
to have Jean going around the neighborhood
telling about us, thats all.
(giggles)
Well, thats okay.
Im ignorant and...
I can say anything I want to
and nobody pays any attention.
-Where you goin?
-lll be right back.
Jean.Jean?
Come on over, Dave.
Troys garage is a regular museum.
Oh, you dont want to go over there.
Hes just showing off
all his old war mementos.
You dont want to see
a lot of swords and ags.
Oh, I dont know.
I thought it might be interesting.
Whats the matter, Dave?
Dont you trust your wife?
Okay, I trust my husband, too.
Come on. Lets have a drink.
(glasses clinking)
Most of the guys
bought their stuff in the PX.
But everything in this room,
I I picked up, actually, myself,
in an actual combat area.
Everything you see.
Now, that
that I got off a
a little Jap colonel at Luzon.
He was a nervy little guy.
We blew up his bunker with a bazooka.
He come runnin out stark naked
with this sword.
(chuckles)
I tried to take him prisoner.
And did you?
One thing I cant stand,
its a poor rieman.
Ive seen a lot of guys
empty their carbine at a man
and still leave him kicking.
You want it?
Keep it.
No, Id Id rather not, thank you, Troy.
Well, I bet you dont remember the war.
The big war, I mean.
I should think youd want
to forget those experiences.
Only the civilians want to forget the war.
The guys that actually lived it,
they got it tattooed right here.
If I didnt have my memories,
Id crawl into my car
and turn on the exhaust pipe.
You think it makes me feel like a man
greasin cars and cleanin toilets
in gas stations?
You dont mean that, Troy.
You dont know me.
No, maybe I dont.
Only last night I was telling David
what a safe feeling it was
having you as our
our next-door neighbor.
And now?
Wait a second.
Dont you go walkin out of here
like I just shined your shoes
and you give me a dime.
Thats uncalled for.
I got my pride, lady.
Maybe thats all I got,
but Im hanging on to it.
You become offended too easily, Troy.
You You shouldnt.
Its Its immature.
I dont mind being told off by you.
You got a way of doing it thats nice.
You ever teach school?
No. Why?
You remind me
of a school maam I once had.
I was a big, rough kid,
and I used to give her a bad time.
She was always as sweet
as Juneberryjuice.
Sure remind me of her.
Same color hair.
Same soft eyes, too.
You trying to sweet-talk me, Troy?
Yes, maam.
Youre not a school kid any longer
and Im not your teacher.
So, anyway, so this went on,
and nally I was sitting there
in the middle of the bed, buck naked
(laughs) painting my toenails,
my brother walks in with 16 Boy Scouts!
(laughing)
Oh, their faces!
Oh. Oh, God.
That was the nice thing
about being a member of a large family
you sure never got lonesome.
See, my mother had eight kids.
She had ve girls and three boys.
Well, I had another little brother,
but he died when he was little.
That was funny.
His name was Jody.
He He died of, uh
what do you call it pneumonia.
You know, just think,
today he couldve he couldve taken
one shot of penicillin,
he would have gotten
over it like a cold.
But we didnt have
any medicine in the house.
We didnt even have any aspirin.
All we had was sulfur and molasses.
(laughing)
Thats terrible.
Well!
Did he tell you how he won the war?
Youre stinko again.
Ooh, I do love a rened man
who uses elegant words like stinko.
You better put it to bed.
Now, look,
this is not your house,
and I am a guest here,
and so you cant boss me around.
Uh-uh!
Hey, no, no, no, no. Come on.
You cant go. Come on, stay.
Sit down.
Come on, now, be a good kid.
Could you stop acting like a policeman?
Besides, we gotta wait for Jerry.
You comin, or do I carry you?
Oh, thats right.
You just go right ahead
and show the Martins
what a big, tough guy you are.
You know, when I told Troy
before we were married
that I was pregnant
wham he knocked me down.
Didnt you, big guy? Hmm?
Finish your drink
and then well go home, hmm?
Okay, lets all have a drink. Come on.
Right now. Well all have a drink.
Well, whats the matter,
aint I good enough to drink with?
All right.
I might as well be bad now,
cause Im sure gonna get punished
when I get home.
Im thirsty.
Now, you come right here
to your old Aunt Leola
and well give you a drink of water.
I want a Coke.
Ill get it for you, Mike.
I want it in a bottle.
Okay.
Isnt he cute?
Mmm! Such a cute kid, isnt he?
You know, mine would
have been about this age.
Leola.
If I wanna talk about my baby,
Im gonna talk about him.
Jean.
Jean, would you tell me something?
Do you think if people adopt a baby,
they can love him
just as much as if he was theirs?
Of course.
DAVID: Come on, Mike.
I mean I dont mean if hes an orphan,
but I mean, if they know
thats hes got a mother and father
who just didnt care anything about him?
Why dont you just go outside
and yell it to the whole neighborhood?
I just want to see him.
I dont want to talk to him.
Ijust want to see him once.
Can we go now?
(crying)
Oh, but I want my baby!
Please!
Will you excuse us, please?
I want my baby!
Ill stay with Mike
till Isabelle gets back.
Ill stay with you.
(car drives up)
(dog barking)
(car door closes)
(footsteps approaching)
JERRY: Doll?
-Hi. How are you?
-Fine.
-Hows Mike?
-Hes ne, too.
-Are you hungry?
-No, no, not a bit.
Mm-hmm.
I couldnt come home.
I was feeling so punk.
Ijust hung around a few hotel lobbies.
They were empty, and...
got me feeling so jumpy,
I just kept walking.
I sat down on a replug.
Dont you know, a squad car came along
and they told me to move on.
-Mm-hmm.
-Well, that really got me.
I told them they werent
talking to some wino.
-Do you need that?
-No.No.
And they can put you in jail
just for sitting on a replug.
So I moved on.
But I thought it all out.
And all our troubles
boil down to one thing.
Money.
Money. How to get a bundle of it.
Well, you cant do it by working for it,
thats for sure.
And if you break the law,
its only gonna wind you up behind bars.
Thats for sure, too.
So I kept walking, kept thinking,
and all of a sudden, the idea hit me.
Im going to organize
a buyers service for used cars.
Ill start out with ads in all the papers.
All it costs to become
a member of my group is one dollar.
Just pin a dollar
to a letter and mail it to me.
For that one buck, Ill tip em off
on how much they should pay
for the model they want,
and Ill even tell them
where to go to get it.
Ill give them the lowdown
on what to look out for in a used car,
and Ill tell them how
the nance companies put the gyp on them.
Now, that thats a lot
of valuable information for a buck, right?
All Ill need to start out with
is just a few people,
then the idea will grow
just like a chain letter.
People will tell their friends,
and theyll tell their friends.
Honey, I gure theres
over two million used cars
sold every year right here
in California alone.
If only 10% of these become members,
thats $200,000 right there.
Why, Ill have to open an ofce.
Ill have to have a lot of girls
to open the letters that come in.
And then Ill be able to branch out.
Ill have ofces
in every one of the 48 states.
Then when Ive got one million members,
thats one million dollars,
just to begin with,
and thats only the beginning.
Come to bed, Jerry.
With an organization like that,
Ill be able to manufacture my own car.
Ill have one million members
just to start out with.
Theyll be able to order their cars
direct from me at factory price,
and all Ill take for them
is the one single dollar
annual membership fee.
Thatll save them $1,000 apiece on a car!
Im gonna call it the Flagg car.
Isnt that a great name for a car?
The Flagg car?
Its a great name for a car.
Doll, all our worries are over,
and from here were just in clover.
Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!
Whats the matter?
Im through with you, Jerry.
Right here and now, Im through with you.
-Yes! Yes!
-No,no.
-Just tell me what to do, Isabelle.
-Youre supposed to know what to do.
-lve had nothing but bad luck here.
-Stop blaming it on bad luck!
-Well, then what is it?
-Get a job! Any kind of a job.
Be a milkman or a laundryman
or go to work in a factory
where you can bring
a paycheck home every week!
Youre never gonna make a million,
so stop dreaming about it!
Youre just another guy
like Im just another housewife.
Nothing big or wonderful
is ever gonna happen to us.
I stopped pretending when Mikey was born.
Why cant you?
When I married you, I made you a promise
that someday you would have the nest.
Every man makes that promise to every girl
when they get married.
Sure, I wanted it to come true,
but thats not the reason I married you.
If I can forget about it,
why do you have to hang on?
Because I believe in myself
even if you dont.
Im not gonna give up
just when the going gets rough.
I know I can break through.
I got it in me. I can feel it.
And a man cant be wrong
about how he feels.
And Jerry Flagg is not
just an ordinary man.
There are not millions like me.
And youre not just an ordinary housewife.
Youre Jerry Flaggs wife,
and thats going to mean something.
My kid is not gonna grow up
and have to tell his friends
that his father works in a factory
or hes a milkman.
No, sir. No, sir!
Daddy, whats the matter?
Dont you have school tomorrow, boy?
You should be in bed.
Daddys gonna
take good care of you.
Youre gonna get back to bed,
get back to sleep
so youll be healthy and strong.
You want to do good in school,
dont you?
Sure, you do.
Be a big, strong guy?
And then if some guy
starts acting wise around you,
youll be able to take care of yourself.
When you can take care of yourself,
youll be a big man, respected.
People will look up to you.
Everybody will say,
There goes Mikey Flagg,
a big man in every way.
(sobbing quietly)
(vehicles passing)
(car horn honks)
(horn honking)
Ed.
Man, you look like
the chief of police already.
You dont need a new uniform.
Yeah, all it needs
is a couple of gold braid stripes.
Hey, uh, whos the company putting in
as the new station manager?
You.
Youre kidding.
I picked you and they okayed you.
Thanks, Troy.
Wait a second, Troy.
This is the rst time I ever heard
about this college degree requirement.
Believe
What does a college degree have to do
with what kind of chief of police Id be?
Didnt I try to get them to change it?
I tried to get them to take
a vote on it, Troy.
When I turned in
my application for this job,
I said I only had
a grammar school education.
I didnt lie about it.
Then why did this council meet
to throw this college stuff in my face?
We didnt look at that application
until this afternoon.
If one of us guys would get paid for
working on the council
Where were those guys when I was crawling
on my belly through Guam and Guadalcanal?
If it wasnt for guys like me,
Sunrise Hills would be
a Japanese rice eld today.
Listen, Troy, theres hardly
any difference in pay
between the chiefs job
and a regular ofcer.
Were gonna have a ve-man force,
so that thing is just a title anyway.
Let me go in there and recommend you
for an ofcers position.
I know when Ive been given
the short end of the stick.
Youre trying to talk me out of it.
It wont do you no good.
-Im trying to talk some sense into you.
-Well, you cant, mister!
Lets go have a drink then.
Come on, let me buy you a drink.
I only drink with my friends.
(western playing on TV)
-Hi.
-Hi, Daddy.
Hi.
Hi.
What kept you so long?
I had dinner ready an hour ago.
The council turned down
Troys application.
Not enough education.
Pretty soon, a guys gonna have to have
a masters degree to clean toilets.
He was so sure hed get it.
So was I.
Wasnt there anything you could do?
I tried, honey,
but that charter reads black and white.
Lets eat.
He had no right getting sore at me.
Well, he counted on you.
I did all I could.
Well, then, what are you
so worked up about?
Well, Troys my friend.
lkos wife called me this morning.
Iko hasnt spoken to me since yesterday.
She asked me again.
And she said not to say
anything about it to lko.
Why do they have to call us?
Well, I guess they dont have
anybody else to turn to.
Its murder down at the store.
lkos right. I know that guy is right.
Hes driving me crazy,
but what do we do?
Stick our necks out again like with Troy?
Wind up having Iko hate us
when it doesnt work out?
It wont be easy, but it think
well feel a whole lot better.
Do you know what were
letting ourselves in for?
Itjust seems right to me.
Well, Im glad to see this
hasnt spoiled your appetite.
(brakes screech)
(rock and roll playing)
J / blinked my lights, / honked my horn J
1 But she kept rockin and rol/in on .f
1 She kept on jivin
to the drive-in rock .I
J The drive-in rock, the drive-in rock J
1 It really makes the drive-in rock .I
(turns off music)
Give me a drink.
Get out of those clothes.
We aint goin nowhere.
You didnt get the appointment?
Thats okay.
I didnt want you to be a cop anyway.
Well, honey, its a jerk town,
and youre too good for that job.
Come on. Come on, lets go out
and have some dinner, huh?
How could I get mixed up
with such a dumb broad?
Okay, so Im a dumb broad.
Lets go out and have some fun.
Didnt I ask you to get me a drink
when I come in?
Hmm?
Heres to us
still the best people on the block.
Common dirt.
Common Tennessee dirt.
And it shows.
Honey, do you have to beat
yourself down like that?
I think Im gonna reenlist in the army.
Youll get over that by the morning.
Maybe we ought to go back home.
I still got 40 acres there.
Will you get out of that dress?
How many times I gotta tell you?
Honey, in an hour
youre gonna want to go out to dinner,
and Ill just have to change
all over again.
Whered you get that outt?
Youve seen this before. It aint new.
Do you have to show everything you got?
Does it make you feel better
to beat me down?
Its about time you and me had a showdown.
About what? What have I done?
You think Im pretty stupid,
dont you? Hmm?
You think all this time
I swallowed that sh story of yours
about that kid being mine?
Listen, Troy, I said I wouldnt say
anything about that again.
Now, dont start in on me.
(footsteps depart)
I wanna talk about it.
You think Id have give away that kid if
I thought it was my own esh and blood?
I think you couldve done worse.
I think you couldve killed it.
Thats one reason why I gave it away.
I ought to break your neck for that.
Why dont you try it?
Its busted.
I told them to come and x it.
Now its busted.
Was that kick worth $100?
Ill break everything and anything
in this house if I feel like it.
I paid for it.
Its mine!
All mine.
Will you please dont drink anymore?
Lets go out to dinner, please?
-You want to go out to dinner so bad?
-Yes, I do.
Well, you just go ahead.
Have yourself a good time. Here.
Pick yourself up some jerk
like Jerry Flagg and have yourself a ball.
Take the car!
I dont want you pinched
for walkin the streets.
Hello?
Hi.
Oh, Troy.
I just dropped in to say hello.
Oh. Wheres Leola?
Out celebratin.
Oh. Well, youll have
to forgive me now, Troy. Im busy.
You could offer me a drink.
No, we we have no liquor in the house.
You gonna throw me out?
No, Im not gonna throw you out.
Youre leaving.
-In a minute.
-Now.
You hate me that bad?
No, I dont hate you. Its
Its just that I dont entertain men
while my husbands out of town.
I aint askin to be entertained.
I just want someone to talk to.
-You have a wife.
-She walked out on me.
-Please go, Troy.
-In a minute.
You afraid of me?
No, l-lm not afraid of you.
Im disappointed. I
I thought you were a gentleman.
Aint nothin. No more aint nothin.
Good night, Troy.
No.
No, please dont.
No, no. No, please dont.
(sobs)
(sobbing)
Oh, Betty!
(sobbing)
Jean?
(sobbing)
Jean, its all right. Shh.
Jean.
Its all right.
Jean.
Jean, what is it?
Whats the matter, dear?
Troy.
What about Troy?
He He He came to the house.
He forced me to (sobbing)
BETTY: Who are you calling?
-The police. Who else?
-No!No!No!No!
-Operator, get me the police.
-Dont call the police!
I want David!
I just want David!
All right, Jean.
Where is David staying in San Fran
Where is David staying in San Francisco?
At At
At the St. Francis, I think.
HERMAN:
All right, all right, Ill get him.
Jean, dear, dont you think
I ought to call your doctor?
No, no, no, no! Ijust want David.
I dont want a doctor.
-...at the St. Francis Hotel.
-Hes calling David, dear.
Thats right. Shh.
-Daddy, whats the matter?
-Go to bed.
-Im hungry.
-Sandra, Sandra, run along to bed.
Didnt your mother tell you
to go to bed? Go to bed.
Im hungry.
Sandra, do you hear me?
Now, go along. Go on.
Oh? Uh...
No, operator, you can
just cancel that call.
Thank you very much.
He checked out. Is he ying back?
David ying back, Jean?
Jean. Jean, darling,
is he ying back?
He went by train.
HERMAN: Then he wont be back
till early this morning.
Whats the matter with Jean?
All right, come on. Right on up.
Come on.
Jean, darling, come along.
There we go. There we go.
-I want David.
-Yes, dear.
I want David. Please get me David.
(car door closes)
Whats the matter, Herm?
Leola, is Troy at home?
Yeah, I guess so.
I just left cause he was
in kind of an ugly mood
cause he didnt get that job.
I know.
Is anything wrong?
Its nothin that wont wait.
You sure?
Yeah, its nothin.
Good night, Leola.
Good night, Herm.
Troy?
Troy?
I dont know what to do.
Last night, I couldve killed Troy.
And this morning, I dont know.
Other men have disappointments.
They dont become animals like Troy.
Somethings gotta be done about him.
Oh, I think that should be
up to David and Jean.
David and Jean.
Jerry and Isabelle.
Troy and Leola.
You and me.
I guess owning a house and a deep freeze
is not the whole answer.
Whats wrong, Herm?
Whatever it is,
it makes us afraid to help lko.
It makes Jerry afraid
hes not gonna make it.
It makes Troy afraid
hes gonna be a nobody
unless hes wearin
some kind of a uniform.
Afraid. Afraid.
Now, if we can nd out what that is,
I think we got the answer.
Herm, are we any better
or any worse off than
than anybody on this block?
Honey, you and I are what
the insurance statistics call average.
Good morning.
-BETTY: Oh, morning, honey.
-HERMAN: Good morning.
l-l think Ill go home now.
David should be home soon.
Is there anything I can do for you?
No, thanks.
Now, listen, if you need me
for anything at all today,
you just call me at the store, okay?
-Bye, Betty.
-Good-bye, honey.
-Want some coffee?
-No, Betty.
I want to be there when David arrives.
l I cant tell you how much
I appreciate all youve done.
Oh, Jean, you dont have
to thank me for anything.
-JERRY: Hey, Herm.
-Yeah?
-Hey, you got a minute, Herm?
-Sure.
Listen, Im in a kind of a bind.
Isabelles threatening
to take the kid and leave me.
-Jerry, I cant spare you too much.
-No, no. I dont want a loan.
I want a job.
Doin what?
Well, Im a pretty fair salesman.
Jerry, we only pay 85 bucks a week.
-lll take it.
-No commission.
Ill take it.
Level with me. How long you think
youre gonna stick on this job?
Well, I I cant fox
a good friend like you, Herm.
As soon as Isabelle cools down
and as soon as I run
into a hot proposition, well, I
But while Im with ya,
Ill give ya a fair shake for your money.
If you could stick with us a couple
of years, youd have a real future.
The companys opening up
a lot of branch stores.
-They need new managers.
-No,no.
I just cant see myself
stuck behind a counter all my life.
-Okay, hop in. Ill show you around.
-Okay, boss.
(door opens, closes)
(footsteps approaching)
DAVID: Oh, hi, honey.
Oh, what a trip.
Hey, how about getting
a little breakfast ready?
Ive gotta change
and get back to the ofce.
What a session I had with Cagle.
You know, he turned me down twice cold?
Well, Ijust kept hammering away at him.
I dont know what got into me,
but the minute I stepped into that ofce,
it became a matter of life and death
for me to make that sale.
The odd part was
that my heart wasnt really in it.
Neither was Cagles.
Ooh, what a nightmare.
It was just like watching a car,
seeing it coming towards you,
and not being able to get out of the way.
We knew how that meeting was gonna end
before it ever started.
It does convince me, all right.
Im getting out of sales
and going back to the lab.
From here on, Ill make em
and let old Verdun sell em.
David, something happened last night.
Whats that, honey?
I cant tell you if you wont listen.
Oh, Im listening.
Well, turn it off!
(shaver turns off)
While I was alone last night,
Troy forced his way in here.
He was drunk, and he
I stayed all night at Bettys.
She said to tell you rst
before doing anything.
Oh, David.
-David!
-Im gonna go see Troy.
Oh, darling,
what good will it do now?
Itll do me good.
David!
David!
(clanking)
-lll break it.
-(groans)
You want me to break it?
Your wife told you about last night, huh?
Well, thats only half the story.
Why didnt you ask me?
I couldve told ya I didnt do anything
she didnt want done.
How about the night
she come to this garage?
I didnt have to drag her here.
And how about the time
she come to the lling station
with a bag full of groceries
and asked me to drive her home?
I dont run a cab service!
Thats the trouble with you college guys.
You think you got it all made.
You think that once
you put a ring on her nger,
you can keep a woman and hold her forever.
Well, you cant hold a woman forever
just admiring your brains.
You better get hep to yourself, mister.
I might be the rst,
but I aint gonna be the last person
shes gonna run to.
(groaning)
Now, you wanna go off
your rocker, you go ahead.
You buy a gun and shoot me.
Thatll get rid of both of us
and give little Jeanie
a clear eld to play tag day.
Liar! Liar!
Im no good for you.
David, how could we go on?
How can we go on living
together in this house
and and acting as if nothing
had happened when it did?
-It did!
-Jeanie!
Listen to me, darling.
Violence comes
into a lot of peoples lives.
You can get hit by a runaway truck.
You can get caught in a re,
but that doesnt change you.
You dont feel deled by it.
You dont feel ashamed by it.
You just face it
with the people who love you.
David, Ill never ever be able
to forget what happened,
and neither will you.
Darling, listen to me.
I love you.
No reservations. No qualications.
Now, youve gotta know that,
and youve gotta lean on it
and depend on it.
Oh, I want to.
Whatevers gonna hit us
is gonna hit both of us.
Oh, thank you.
Oh, thank God for you.
lfl did, I did. lfl didnt, I didnt.
Youre still holding that rst time
against me, aint you? I was drunk then.
l was drunk! I dont remember!
Havent you ever been drunk?
Troy! Troy, would you please
just answer me one thing?
-All I wanna know is was it Jeans fault.
-I was drunk. I was drunk. Drunk!
Look, Troy, I dont care
how mean you get to me,
but if you start fooling around
with other women,
Im not gonna take that.
-You hear me? Im not gonna take it!
-Were gonna get out of here, Leola.
Were gonna go back home,
back to Tennessee.
-Troy, stop it!
-Thats what were gonna do.
Troy, look, would you
tell me what happened?
You start packin, honey.
You start packin,
and Ill go nish the car.
-Troy!
-Start packin!
(door slams)
(clanking)
Troy, Im not going with you.
You aint meanin that, Leola.
I never wanna see you again
as long as I live.
Baby, look, I told you it wasnt my fault.
-Troy, please.
-It wasnt my fault, I told you.
Ill go inside and change clothes.
Ill get cleaned up.
-Well talk this all over.
-Troy, dont, please.
You cant walk out on me
cause Im your husband.
-Leola, you cant walk out on a husband.
-You walked out on me for good last night.
But Ill make it up to you, baby.
Ill make it up to you.
Please dont.
I need you. I need you, Leola.
I love you. You cant leave me.
Dont ever leave me!
-(sobs)
-(grunts)
(groaning)
(screams)
-Leola!
-(screams) Troy!
(screaming) Help me! Help me!
Help! Help me!
Help!
Help him!
Call an ambulance!
Please!
Help!
(groaning)
Help. Help, please.
Please.
(sobbing)
LEOLA: Im sorry.
Leola.
(organ playing)
REVEREND: Im glad
you were able to come today.
Its a great pleasure to have you.
Thank you. I enjoyed your sermon.
Short, just about right for me.
My daddy
wont go to hell now, will he?
No, son, of course not. (chuckles)
Good-bye.
(organ playing)
-BOY: You want to make a bet on that?
-GIRL: Yeah!
Ill bet you $2.00.
(scoffs) Thats not a lot of money.
GIRL: I bet you $5,000.
(blows whistle)
Oh, David.
(church bell chiming)
-Daddy! Daddy!
-DAD: Hi.
-Daddys going to hell when he dies.
-He will not.
Hes going to hell and burn up
cause he wont go to church.
-GIRL: Daddyll go to heaven.
-BOY: Not if he doesnt go to church.
-GIRL: Im gonna tell Daddy on you.
-BOY: Go ahead and tell.
Daddy!
Mother, isnt Daddy
going to hell when he dies?
Run along in the backyard, Harmon.
Come on, Sandra. You go with Harmon.
Must you wash your car on Sunday morning
where everyone can see?
Cant you wait until church is over?
Honey, this is our own driveway.
Im not washing it in front of the church.
Its the same thing.
Okay. Next Sunday
Ill wait till the afternoon.
Well, lets go in and have some lunch.
Okay.
Hey, Betty?
Come here. Somebodys moving in.
Hi.
BETTY: Welcome to Sunrise Hills.
Why, hello.
Hi. Im Betty Kreitzer.
lm Jean Martin.
This is my husband, David.
-Hi.
-Herman. Everybody calls me Herm.
-How you doing, Herm?
-Fine.
Well, how do you like your new house?
Oh, were very excited about it.
Well, just a little bit nervous,
you know.
Its quite a responsibility.
Oh, thats all right.
Nobody in this development is allowed
to own a house they can afford.
Were having a barbecue tonight.
Would you join us?
Youre sure
we wouldnt be putting you out?
No. Ill just throw a couple
extra steaks on the re.
Why dont you drop in around 7:00.
Were gonna have some drinks rst,
and youll have a chance
to meet the other neighbors.
-Thanks.
-Listen, David.
Cant I help you
carry some of this stuff in?
Oh, no. Thanks, Herm.
Well manage all right.
-Well, well see you later, then.
-DAV | D: Yeah.
Well, if there is anything
you do need, just give a yell.
Thanks again.
-See you later, Isabelle.
-Okay, Betty.
Right down there.
-Is this where you want it, honey?
-Mm-hmm. Right here.
Okay.
-All right.
-Yeah.
(woman giggling)
(giggling)
WOMAN: Ooh!
Have you got to go to the station today?
Yeah.
Everybody else got a ve-day week.
You got a seven.
In the army it was seven days a week,
24 hours around the clock.
This is a snap.
Yeah, but it means we cant go anyplace.
Ive spent too many years
in too many places.
Got to buckle
Got to buckle down in one spot.
Its the only way to make good.
-You got to go right this minute?
-Well, I should.
Do you always do everything you should?
You want me to be a success,
dont you? Hmm?
-You already are with me.
-Oh, baby.
I got to get to work.
(western playing on TV)
Your lunch is on the table, Mike.
Mommy, I want to watch TV.
Please, Mikey. Mamas xed you
-No, I want to see TV.
-After lunch.
Why dont you give him
his lunch in here?
Because Dr. Greenspun
says thats a bad habit.
Hmm. Why dont you get Dr. Greenspun
to come over here and feed him?
(turns on TV)
(whistles)
Isabelle, can you spare some butter?
Sure, Betty. Its in the refrigerator.
-Hiya, Betty.
-Hiya, cowboy. (kisses)
-Hi, Jerry.
-Hi.
Please, Jerry, its only the afternoon.
I got a rough day
ahead of me, honey.
But it doesnt look right.
Betty knows its only medicinal.
Look, do you have to start now?
Youve got a whole days work
ahead of you.
Isabelle, is this all right?
-Yeah.
-Thanks a lot.
-Betty.
-Hmm?
I cant seem to get Mikey
to eat his lunch.
Mikey? (clears throat)
Howd you like to have lunch with us?
I want to see TV.
Well, now, look, right after lunch,
theres a great western on TV
with cowboys and Indians,
and you can sit and watch it
with Sandra and Harmon, huh?
-Okay, Mommy?
-Okay, Mikey.
Ill bring him back around 2:00, okay?
Thanks, Betty. Bye, Mikey.
Bye, Mommy.
I got to be on my way, honey.
I wish you didnt have to work on Sunday.
I wish I didnt have to work, period.
Dont be late for Hermans barbecue, huh?
I wont.
(music playing on stereo)
Getting awful hard to buy
the right kind of charcoal
for real good barbecue.
Fifteen hundred barbecues here,
and probably half of em
are broiling steaks tonight.
-Lets play another game.
-Yeah.
-Lets play another game.
-Okay. All right.
Leola sure has a way with kids.
Yeah, shes just a big kid herself.
When are you gonna start
a family of your own?
Soon as I get
that chief of police appointment.
Troy, you know, thats not much of a job.
Were only going to have a ve-man force.
I dont know, Herm.
Sunrise Hills is gonna be
a city on its own someday.
You got a great future with a big company.
You know, you got a real future.
You ought to think about that.
You ought to think about that
before giving it up.
No, I dont like being
an organization man.
I like to make my own decisions.
-Hi!
-DAVID: Hi.
Come on in. Come on in.
David. Jean.
Listen, I want you
to meet Troy Boone.
Troy, this is Jean and David Martin.
-Hello.
-Hi, Troy.
How do you do? Leola!
I want you to meet the Martins.
-Thats my wife, Leola.
-Hey.
-Hello.
-Hi.
Troy here runs that big
service station in Sunrise Hills.
Oh, yeah.
-Dave, huh?
-Uh-huh.
Well, you drop by sometime, Dave.
Ill give you a credit card.
Well, thanks, lwill.
We went by this morning.
-Thats really quite a layout.
-Thank you.
Troy runs that place like it was
a marine outpost on Guadalcanal.
I got a bunch of good boys.
Two of em served with me
all through the Marianas campaign.
This guy has got enough medals
to open a hock shop.
You ought to see his garage.
It looks like a museum
of the Japanese war.
Yeah, the worst day of my life
was putting on civilian clothes.
Whered you see action, Dave?
Uh, my outt never left the States.
Oh? Where was you stationed?
Los Alamos.
Dave there invented the atom bomb,
didnt you know?
I only worked on the computations.
I didnt really know what they were for.
-Oh, no kidding?
-Mm-hmm.
-Well, what you working on now, Dave?
-Electronics.
What kind?
Oh, its called automation.
Were developing a machine
thatll do the work of about 500 men.
You gure you can get a machine
thatll do most everything, huh?
Not quite everything.
HERMAN: We oughta had
one of those machines on two Jima.
We couldve sat in front of TV
and watched the war go by.
Oh, uh, Isabelle,
I want you to meet Jean and David Martin.
- | sabe | | e Flagg.
-Hello, Isabelle.
Theyjust moved in today.
Oh, just the two of you?
So far, but were hoping.
This is a great place
to raise children.
-Can I help you, Betty?
-Sure. You can help set the table.
Come on. Let me get you guys
a real drink. Come on.
-Hey, how are the martinis over here?
-Theyre doing great.
Good.
One great thing about it is
that weve all got so much in common.
Were all about the same age.
We all have nice homes.
All our husbands are doing very well.
Jerry and I kicked
across half of this country
before we found the spot
that we wanted to settle in,
and we think Sunrise Hills
is just the living end.
(tires screech)
(horn honks)
(car door slams)
Hey!
JERRY: Baby!
-(chuckles) Jerry.
-Baby.
Hiya, doll.
Whats cooking?
Looks like youre
already half-broiled.
Had to get the customer tanked up
so he wouldnt hear the engine knocks.
Mm-hmm. Well, youre smeared
with lipstick, doll.
She thought I went along with the car.
What could I do? I had to be friendly.
Herm!
Jerry.
What do you say, Betty?
How about a scotch?
Try a beer.
Im agreeable if you are.
Betty.
(whistles)
Hi, Daddy.
(groans)
What do you say, Daisy Mae?
Hows Lil Abner?
You know something, Jerry?
You ought to be in vaudeville.
Aint you heard, honey?
Vaudevilles dead.
-Thats what I mean.
-Arrgh!
Hey, Troy.
Listen, when are you gonna break down
and buy that station wagon
Leolas been drooling for?
Well, Ill tell you.
Ive been saving up my Green Stamps.
What are you gonna do?
This used car business is shot.
Im gonna get me in something else.
Jerry, with your gift of gab,
you could sell anything.
I cant sell you.
Im an oddball.
I dont like to buy on time.
What are you gonna do?
If everybody was like you,
wed all be running around barefoot
and shooting squirrels for our dinner.
Think thats bad?
On me it dont look good.
I got bunions.
Well, well, well, well, well.
You must be slumming.
Hi. Im Dave Martin.
This is my wife, Jean.
-How do you do, Jean?
-Hello.
Jerry Flagg.
David, want to buy yourself
a good used car?
No money down, nothing to lose.
Just change your name,
go away, hide, quit yourjob,
and the nance company
will never know where you are.
By golly, I dont know
why I didnt think of that.
-How you folks doing?
-Fine.
Hows the barbecue coming?
Great. I got a good, even re going now.
Hows the world treating honest John?
Sensational. But itll improve.
Oh, I dont know. It looks to me
like everybody around here
is living a pretty wonderful life.
Yeah, I dont have any worries
that money wont cure.
Oh, I dont think any of us
are going to be millionaires.
-Were all living well.
-Sure.
Were only 25 years in debt, thats all.
Thats beside the point.
You know, 20 years ago, none of us
could have afforded a house like this.
I think we were born at the right time.
Well, when I nished grammar school,
my family was on relief.
My old man was in a ditch for the WPA.
I had to work nights
to get through high school.
I got a job with the Chicago Tool Company.
Bang, right away the next year,
I get drafted.
I dont call that
being born at the right time.
Well, we were all caught in the war,
but were here now,
and everybodys doing great.
Thats right. Youre doing great, Herm.
Only you dont know it.
Youre fat as a pig.
Well, I guess we do have more security
than our parents ever had.
When I was a kid, I used to think
that cold beans poured over stale bread
was real good eating.
Now Ive got job security, life insurance,
health insurance, government bonds,
steak every night
for dinner when I want it.
Theres not many guys who really have
to sweat to get a decent living.
Not anymore. Not in the States.
Can you x my radio, Dad?
-The battery shot again?
- | just put in a new one.
Maybe I can help you with it.
Help yourself.
Why wont it play?
Well, this is a transistor radio,
and, you know, it has some circuits in it
very much like the kind
Ive been working on.
I think maybe theyre
just out of alignment.
How does a little thing like that work?
Well, theres a crystal of germanium there
that comes into contact
with a very ne wire,
and that collects the electrons.
Then the ow is controlled
by radio impulses.
-JERRY: Do you understand that?
-Mm-mmm.
-(radio plays)
-There you are.
Thats a very nice radio.
-Excuse me.
-Gee, thanks.
Cant let all this good music go to waste.
Thanks, Troy.
Not at all, maam.
Were gonna eat in a little while, Jerry.
I feel lousy.
lneedit
Well, now, dont look so sad, doll.
Youll get wrinkles.
I want to help you, and I dont know how.
Just take care of Mike.
Maybe hell get on a quiz show,
win $64,000,
and all our troubles will be over.
-Youll ruin your health drinking so much.
-Mm-mmm. Not me.
Im strictly a social drinker.
Well, now, dont look at me
like Im an alcoholic.
Ive been keeping track
of the amount of liquor that you consume.
Ive checked it with Dr. Greenspun.
He says if you keep it up,
you will be an alcoholic.
And what does the good doctor recommend,
that I join A.A.?
Dr. Greenspun says
theres only one way to quit:
thats completely and forever.
But I like to drink.
It does things for me.
It makes me feel like Im somebody.
You dont want to take that away from me.
Im losing you, Jerry. I know it.
No.
No such luck, doll. Youre stuck with me.
I want to help you.
Im sick of myself, doll.
Well, then tell me what to do.
What can I do?
You can pray I get a good break.
Please be serious, Jerry.
Youre getting on my nerves, Isabelle.
Leave me alone.
-Please, Jerry.
-Leave me alone.
You dont want any help.
All you want to do is drink
and chase after every tramp in town.
Well, you keep it up,
and you wont have me to come back to!
Well, I know a place where old Jerry Flagg
can lay his head any day.
Mommy! Mommy!
Mommy!
What are you all looking at?
None of you ever ght
with your wives?
Heres to Sunrise Hills,
the place for better living
for young lovers.
Okay, come on, everybody.
Come on. Chow time.
Come on, Jerry. Get a plate.
(whistling)
Boo. (laughs)
-Herm.
-Hmm?
Please, Herm.
Herm, not here.
Honey, if not here, where, huh?
Honey, listen, Ive got to nish
cleaning all this up.
Come on, you can do that tomorrow.
-Hey, Betty
-No, no, its late.
No, its never too late.
You know that. (chuckles)
Herm.
Herm, youre drunk.
Oh, no, Im not drunk.
No, honey, I cant I cant leave
all this beer and the martinis
and the bourbon and scotch,
and all this stuff go to waste.
I cant do that.
You know, Ive got to nish
this stuff up. (laughs)
Now Im positive youre drunk.
Im not so drunk that I dont know
I got the sweetest, best-Iookin,
desirable wife in this Sunrise Hills.
Do you know what I mean?
Yes, darling. I know what you mean.
All right.
Hey, listen.
-Herm.
-What?
Please put the glass down.
(laughing)
(glass hits oor)
Jerry was certainly loaded
tonight, wasnt he?
Oh, he was just acting smart.
I dont know why I didnt cut in
instead of waiting for Troy.
Well, theyre all a very friendly bunch.
You have a knack for making friends.
How do you like our new neighbors?
If tonights a sample,
its going to be very lively here.
I must admit I liked it.
Well, you were certainly
in the middle of it.
Well, Troy didnt have to interfere.
I could have handled Jerry.
And I couldnt?
(chuckles) Idiot.
How are things at the plant?
Oh, they could be better.
Whats the matter, David?
Oh, its Verdun.
Hes on my tail again
to leave the lab and go into sales.
Well, why not? Theres more money
in the sales department.
Now, look, Jean, weve been
all through that before.
But, David, we could use the extra money.
Im an engineer, not a salesman.
David, what is bothering you?
Good night, Jean.
41...
-Honey, youre gonna wear yourself out.
-42...
Gotta keep in shape. 43...
-Aw, you know you got a nice gure.
-45...
Yours aint bad. 46...
-Thank you.
-Youre welcome. 47...
48...
You know, I like David and Jean.
Theyre nice.
They wont live here long. 49...
Why not?
50. (grunts)
(sighs) Theyre the lucky ones.
Everything comes easy
for people like that.
Maybe they deserve it.
Theyre both college graduates.
You smoke too much.
Yeah.
Add up both our educations,
we cant even get a high school diploma.
Hey, maybe we ought to go to night school.
We got something
they dont teach in school.
Right now, I wouldnt
trade places with anyone.
Its better than night school.
You tell em, honey.
I stutter.
(car horns honking)
Morning, Dad!
Hi, Mike.
Whyd you sleep in the car all night?
Shouldnt you be in school by now?
The bus didnt come yet.
Are you gonna buy me
that bike you promised?
Youll be riding it after dinner.
A bicycle costs a lot of money, Mike.
He said hed get it today.
Didnt you?
I cross my heart, Mike.
(bus horn honks)
Bye, Dad.
Bye, Mom!
Bye, Mike.
Honey.
-(door closes)
-Aw, honey.
Im really gonna get on it today
and knock off some nice, fat commissions.
Youll see.
What can I bring you tonight, baby?
You dont have
to bring me anything, Jerry.
Honey.
Im sorry about last night.
I just had one too many.
Then why do you do it?
I dont know.
I do it for a charge
when Ive had a bad day.
Ive had a lot of bad days.
Then why stay on a used car lot?
You could get with a new car agency.
Yeah, and have a straight salary
and small commissions?
Thats no good.
Youd have a steady paycheck.
Yeah, for the rest of my life.
This way, I got a chance
to make a killing.
Remember the week, doll,
I knocked down over 800 bucks?
How long has it been since then?
Youve brought home nothing.
Cant you do like Herman and Troy?
Theyre company men.
Theyve got no ambition.
Twenty years from now theyll still be
peddling hardware and pumping gas.
-Maybe get a 10-buck raise.
-But their futures secure.
They can live without worrying about
where their next dollar is coming from.
And theyre gonna grow old
living here in Sunrise Hills.
Doll, this is just a stopover for us.
Someday were gonna move
to a ne neighborhood
where important people live.
I know it. I got it in me.
I believe in you, Jerry.
I wont let you down.
Ill see you tonight, dear.
All right.
Good-bye.
Hi.
Good morning.
Well, it looks like a nice day.
Yes, it does.
Well, I come home for lunch.
Anything I can get for you
at that store?
Oh, I got a list a mile long.
I gotta do it myself.
If it gets too heavy to carry,
drop by the station.
Ill have one of the boys drive you home.
-Thanks. Ill manage.
-Youre welcome.
(whirring)
Hey, were all out of bacon.
ls sausage okay?
(shuts mixer off)
(laughs) Place is a mess.
It sort of gets away from me
every time I cook a meal.
You forgot to plug in the coffee again.
Oh, no. Well, I guess
Im just not myself today.
-Hey.
-Hmm?
You know what lets do?
Lets just pick up and go
on a vacation someplace.
You nuts?
Well, honey, I havent been out
of this house hardly since we moved in.
Got my future here.
I cant go bouncing around
like a gypsy on a vacation
and jeopardize my whole career.
All the boys in the station
get a couple of weeks off.
I dont know why you cant.
City councils meeting this week
with my chief of police appointment.
I gotta be here.
Didnt you serve long enough in uniform?
What do you want to be a cop for?
(chuckles)
Chief of police aint just a cop.
Its an important job.
Mm-hmm. When you get busy
down at the station,
I get kind of lonesome
sitting here all by myself.
Why dont you make friends,
like with Jean?
You could learn a lot from her.
Whatd Jean want to waste
her time with me for?
Then develop a hobby.
Find something you want to do.
I know what I want to do.
Whats that?
Be a mother.
We can have a kid.
When can we?
Just as soon as I get
that chief of police appointment.
You mean that, Troy?
Youre not just saying it?
I dont lie, Leola.
I wish we could have kept our kid.
If you wanted that kid so bad,
whyd you give it away?
Now, look,
when I followed you to San Francisco,
I didnt ask you to marry me.
All I wanted was enough moneyjust
just to pay the hospital bills.
One hundred dollars, thats all I needed,
and I could have kept my baby.
They couldnt have give that kid away
unlessn you signed them papers.
I know the law.
Now, who was it told you
to sign them papers? Who?
Well, where were you?
Where were you when the baby was born?
Its own father never
even bothered to show up!
I did try to get that baby back. I tried.
I went to the hospital,
but some other couple already adopted it.
They wouldnt tell me who.
Its...
Its the law.
Come on and have your breakfast.
No, Im
Im late for the station.
You gonna be home for lunch?
No, Ill grab a sandwich out.
Someday... Ill make you proud, Leola.
(voice breaks) Real proud.
(knocking)
Hi. Just dropped by
to see if youd like to go shopping.
Well, thank you. Its my
my day to clean the house.
Uh, but how about some pancakes?
Well, Ijust had breakfast with David.
Well, then, how about some coffee?
Sure. Ill keep you company.
-Jean.
-Hmm?
Could I ask you something?
Sure. What?
Every time I start to say or do anything,
it always comes out wrong, but...
Do you think Im just a good-natured slob?
Oh, who told you that?
Well, all the men think so.
Jerry Flaggs been on the make for me
ever since the very beginning.
Well, Jerry got out of line
with me, too, last night.
Yeah, but you see, he was loaded.
With me, he acts that way when hes sober.
Well, whats wrong with being attractive?
Nothing, the way you are.
But men dont go around grabbing at you.
No, they usually
take off their hats rst,
but its all leading up to the same thing.
Maybe.
Its just that I never cared
about any man except Troy,
and Ijust want to hold on to him.
Now, whos taking him away from you?
Somebody like you could.
Davids not just my husband.
I happen to be in love with him.
There | go again, saying the wrong thing.
Here, have some more coffee.
Hey, Mark.
Listen, I got a great idea for today.
How about you letting me
have a little advance?
Lets try to move a couple
of cars today, huh, Jerry?
I got to have 30 bucks in a hurry.
I promised my kid a new bike today.
You forget youre into me for 200 now?
Im going for coffee. Bring you some?
No, thanks.
Fred.
Yeah, Jerry.
How about letting me have
a couple of thou until Sunday?
Sure. Want it now?
Can I help you folks?
-Were just looking.
-Take your time.
We dont believe
in high pressure on this lot.
Sure is a beauty, isnt she?
Why dont you get in,
put your hands on the wheel?
I dont believe I caught you folks name.
Burnett, mister and missus.
This is the most
powerful motor on the road.
Nothing can pass you in this car.
Were not buying, just looking.
Howd you like to drive this car out now?
Right now, with nothing down
and no payments for 60 days.
Howd you like that?
Is your old car paid for?
All paid for.
I think I can let you
have 450, $500 on that.
How much is this car?
You can afford to pay $62.11
a month, cant you?
Why, sure, we can.
But how much is the car?
3,395 new, and this babys
just as good as new.
You can have it for... 2,795.
Uh-uh. I couldnt spend
that much money.
You got to think of it
as an investment, Mr. Burnett.
Its like buying a home, you know?
What matters is, are you getting
top value for your dollar?
And this car represents top value.
We can pay 62.11 a month, Paul.
Where are you employed,
Mr. Burnett?
Little Johns hamburger place.
Im a short-order cook.
My wife works there, too.
How long have you held this position?
Three months.
I quit my otherjob becau
Thats all right. As long
as youre gainfully employed,
I can work out all the details
with the nance company.
Why dont you step into the ofce?
Come on, Liz.
Say, just to make it
look good for the boss,
can you make a token payment?
-How much?
-Oh, $50.
I aint got 50.
$40?
What do you have, Liz?
Just the 20 you gave me this morning.
$30 will do. You got 10?
Mmm, just about.
You mentioned a nance company.
Whatll their charges be?
6%, same as a bank.
Nothing more?
A few minor charges,
but theyll be absorbed
in your monthly payments.
Nothing to worry about.
Can we drive it out today?
Soon as you sign the papers.
-Hi, Jean.
-Hello, Herman.
Oh, let me take that for you.
-No, Im just gonna catch a cab, so
-Say, listen, let me try something on you.
Now, does this display
make you want to buy something?
Yes. Its just great.
Good. Thats all I want to know.
-See you later, Herman.
-III see you.
(bell rings)
-Hello.
-Hi.
Would it be too much trouble
dropping these off at my house?
Ill drive you.
No, its all right. I can walk.
Its just the bundles.
Im going home anyway.
Ed, get my car ready.
-ED: Yes, sir.
-Would you like a Coke?
No, thanks.
Nice place.
Yeah, well, its, uh its a living,
but it aint what I want.
Oh, no, of course.
You want to be chief
of the police department, dont you?
Why, it seems such a thankless job.
Oh, I dont know.
Too many drunks driving,
too many stickups,
too many punks
shoving good people off the sidewalk.
I hate to see things like that.
Was it different in Tennessee?
Oh, a lot.
Each man knows whats his
and keeps to it.
Used to walk an extra mile
to school every morning,
cause the fellow that owned
the farm next to ours
wouldnt give my old man permission
for us to cross a small patch of land.
Sound like a hick to you, dont I?
No. I think youll make
a wonderful police chief, Troy.
Well, I guarantee youll be able
to sleep nights with your doors open.
Come on. Hop in the car.
Ed.
Dont you guys goof off.
Ill be right back.
You all right?
All right.
(bell rings)
Mama, look!
I see it.
-Christmas in July, Mike!
-Daddy!
When the old man makes you
a promise, he keeps it.
Its all yours, boy.
Gee, thanks!
Its bought and paid for.
-Hey, watch yourself!
-I will, Daddy.
Where did you get the money?
Honey, I had a great morning.
Very good, Mike.
I took the afternoon off
to celebrate with you.
Wow!
What do you say we throw a wingding
for the neighbors tonight?
Jerry, we cant afford that.
I told you I had a great morning.
I feel like sharing my good luck
with everybody in Sunrise Hills,
but since Im a sound, practical man,
why, uh, lets just have
the neighbors in, huh?
Did you get the commission?
No. But they signed the papers,
and Markhams good for it.
A party costs a lot of money,
even a small one.
Come on, doll, lets have some laughs.
You and I will have a good time, huh?
Well, if were gonna have a party,
I have to do some shopping.
Thats my baby. Live it up.
Were in the money, doll.
Look, Dad! No hands!
Very Watch yourself. Very good.
Thanks, Troy.
I can manage now.
Anytime.
Thanks again.
Good-bye.
(knocking)
Come on in, lko.
-Can you spare a minute, Herm?
-Sure. Hows the family?
Oh, ne. Just ne.
You know, Betty keeps
talking about this, uh
What do you call that dish
your wife xed the other night?
When are you gonna
invite us to dinner again?
Well, thats just the problem, Herm.
Were gonna have to move.
It takes me an hour and a half
to drive in,
hour and a half to get back home.
Three hours traveling a day
doesnt leave me much time for my family.
You ought to move closer in.
You got a permanentjob here.
You know that.
We found the place we want.
We put in our application six weeks ago,
but nothing has happened.
Well, you have them check with me
on your credit rating.
Its not our credit
thats holding it up, Herm.
Wheres the house?
Here. Sunrise Hills.
Oh, yeah?
Look, I know they dont sell
except to white families.
Yeah. I think thats so, yeah.
But maybe you could help.
You live here.
Youre manager of the store.
Youre on the city council.
I dont carry that kind of weight.
Listen, arent there other nice places?
You know, someplace
Yeah, lots of nice places,
but I dont know of any I can get in.
My wifes after me.
Since I work here
in the Sunrise Hills Shopping Center,
she feels that we should live here.
lko, Id like to have you for a neighbor.
You know that.
But these subdividers,
how do I sell them on the idea?
Everyone here has a lot
of respect for you, Herm.
If you can get some of them to speak up,
maybe theyd sell me a house.
lko, arent there any other houses,
in some neighborhood where theyre
not gonna kick up such a fuss?
Now, wouldnt that be wiser?
I earn my money, Herman.
Ive got a right to live
in the house that I can afford.
Im a GI.
I qualify under the same bill,
like all you Gls here.
Times are changing, lko.
In another few years, we could
In another few years,
my little kids will be big kids, Herm.
I want them to have the good things now
when they need it.
lko, you know I feel the same.
Are you going to help me?
Well, l-let me think about it.
Can I tell my wife that you might help?
No, you cant tell your wife I might help.
I dont want you to lie to your wife.
You mean you wont even try?
No, I didnt say that.
What are you saying, Herm?
Id like to know.
Im saying just what I said a moment ago
that l l I got to think about it.
Im sorry, lko.
Sure, Herman.
Sure.
HERMAN: Ikos the best man
Ive got in the whole store.
He built that window display
on his own time nights, Sundays.
He never asked me a cent for it.
We do a bigger gross on garden supplies
than any of the other branch stores.
Now, if a man is good enough
to work in Sunrise Hills,
he ought to be good enough to live here.
I like lko.
I like his wife. I like his children.
But is it up to us, Herm?
Honey, thats what everybody says.
Well, who is it up to?
The subdividers have a right
to put restrictions in there, dear.
No, they dont. Oh, no, they dont.
The Supreme Court has held
that these restrictions
are pure discrimination and void.
Well, so theyll nd some other excuse
not to sell him a house.
Now, you know that, Herm.
Listen, I got this idea, Betty.
l was thinking I was thinking if we
got up a delegation of homeowners
and went to see the subdividers
Who would you get?
Oh, the Martins.
Im sure the Martins would see it our way.
Well, theyre about the only ones.
The Boones, the Flaggs,
theyd never agree to it.
No, not right now, no,
but they might if we worked on them.
Are you sure youre prepared
to ask Troy and Jerry
to have a Japanese for a neighbor?
Are you sure youre
prepared for it yourself?
Betty...
how can you call yourself a good Christian
and speak like that?
Herm, that has nothing to do with it.
There are other things to consider.
What do you mean,
the devaluation of our property?
We have a responsibility to our children,
to our neighbors.
What are they going to say?
Honey, maybe if you went over
to see this Reverend Norton
that youre always raving about.
Now, heres a chance for this guy
to do some real good.
Dont you bring the church into this.
What good is the church
if it cant teach a person
to lend a helping hand to some human being
that really deserves it?
What else is the church for?
Well, how would you understand?
You never go.
Yeah, maybe your ne reverend
does something for lko,
and I might see some reason to go.
You want to strike a bargain with God
before you even believe in him?
Well, God doesnt do business that way.
Well, if God only does business
in his own store,
then this boys gonna keep
washing his car on Sunday!
All right, if you feel
so strongly about it,
then you do something about it yourself,
but dont you yell at me,
and dont you yell at the church,
because I know youre just as worried
about this whole thing as I am!
(turns on TV)
(western playing on TV)
Come on, Betty. Lets go over
to the Flaggs, to the party.
Im sorry, Herm. Im just not up to it.
Betty.
Betty, please go with me.
Come on. I cant stick around
the house any longer.
Come on. Please go with me, honey.
Come on.
Well, Ill go and check on the children,
and you run along rst, Herm.
Ill meet you at the party.
Okay.
Verdun was after me again today
to handle that Cagle deal.
Is it so hard to handle?
Well, not for Verdun, it isnt.
All he has to do is sit in the ofce
and avoid the unpleasant part of it.
You mean a lot of people will be red
if Cagle puts in automation?
Thats right.
But, David,
thats not your responsibility.
Maybe not.
All I have to do is convince myself
Ill be happy if he has 500 people red.
Well, if you dont sell your machine
to him, somebody else will.
You know, Im a good electronics engineer.
Next year, Ill be a little bit better.
But thats not enough for you, is it?
Darling, theres nothing wrong
with being an engineer.
Its just that I think you
could be so much more important.
I like what Im doing right now.
I dont want to settle for that.
We should have excitement and change
and things to look fonNard to.
What kind of excitement?
Like when you were 18
and the phone kept ringing?
You got singing telegrams
and guys came around six deep,
and I had to wait in line?
I liked those times.
I like thinking about them.
-I was young and pretty and
-Well, youre still young and pretty.
You never tell me.
Look, I married you.
I live with you.
And I love you.
I suppose you think Im vain.
Im not clever.
I cant do anything special.
Its just that Im attractive
and I hang on to it.
Mm-mmm. You push it.
What if I do?
l-lm sorry, David. I didnt mean that.
If you trying to scare me, okay.
Im scared.
I just dont want to lose you, Jean.
Oh, darling,
a mans just got to take one look at me
to know who I belong to.
ISABELLE: David! Jean!
Come on over!
Come on. The partys starting.
Have you got a date tonight?
Oh, uh, incidentally,
I accepted that selling assignment.
Im leaving for San Francisco
in the morning.
Oh! (chuckles)
I believe in money!
I believe in money and livin it up.
You show me a man who has no money,
and Ill show you a poor man!
Ha ha ha ha.
No, what this country needs
is easy credit.
No man should have
to pay cash for anything.
No money down is the secret of prosperity.
Thats what I think.
Hi! Come on in! Give the party some class.
No, if only the banks would loosen up,
then every man could have
everything he wants now,
not when hes old and washed up.
Now! When hes young and washed up!
Another funnyjoke. Just made it up
off the top of my own head.
What do you say we have some music?
Okay. Ill turn it on.
From now on, the customer I concentrate on
is the man who is at broke,
because, to him, money dont mean nothing!
-(swing playing)
-Hey, Dave,
may I have the pleasure
of dancing with your wife?
This time, Im sober.
Certainly.
Hey, Dave, you rock?
Yeah, well, Im a little bit rusty.
Well, come on, lets oil it up.
J / saw her jivin 20 the dn'vein rock J
J / took one look 1
1 My heart went knock-knockknock .f
J / blinked my lights and honked my horn J
1 But she kept rock/n and aro/lin on .f
1 She kept on jivin
to the drive-in rock .I
-f The drive-in rock, the drive-in rock J
-( | aughs)
J It really makes the drive-in rock .I
J You pick your chick,
you drop your dime J
J You have yourself
a crazy smhg/h time .I
(doorbell buzzes)
Jlrevvedmyrodf
.f To show m y pipes aint stock 1
J / let her die
and ipped the keys to lock 1
J The carhop said, Whats yours tonight? 1
JAnd / said, baby, baby,
thats all nyht .f
.I Ill eat inside
and dig the drive-in rock .I
J The drive-in rock, the drive-in rock J
1 It really makes the drive-in rock .I
.I'l walked nyht in, but Im no fool J
J / took my time with baby
and played it cool 1
Come on in. Join the party.
Im not alone.
Hi.
You got me
in a ne jam today.
Whats the beef?
Mr. Burnett showed his boss
that contract on the car you sold him.
Thirty-eight percent carrying charges.
I told you 100 times, I dont deal
with these cutthroat nance outts.
Mike, look, the guy couldnt make
a decent down payment.
I had to nd somebody
to pick up his paper.
You know, no bank would.
Now, look, Im no gypsy.
Ijust opened here in Sunrise Hills,
and Im not gonna have you ruin
my reputation for one lousy sale.
Dont get your pressure up.
Well get this whole thing
straightened out, Mr. Burnett.
Why dont you come down to the lot
tomorrow morning, say about 10:00
Oh, no. No, Were straightening
this out right now.
I want you to give him
his money back.
Now? How can I get it back now?
I dont have it now.
Mr. Burnetts a reasonable man.
He knows were good for it.
Were not leaving this house
till you give him back his money.
Ill write you out a check, then.
I want the cash. I dont want
to be chasing you for a bum check.
Well, Ill see what I can scrape up.
And take it easy, will you?
I got company inside here.
(music playing)
(car door slams, engine starts)
-(tires screech)
-(car drives away)
Im sorry I had to disturb you
in your home, Mrs. Flagg.
I understand.
I have $30 I can give you now.
The rest Ill see you get later.
I want you to know that your husband
didnt do anything dishonest.
He Well, he was just
pushing too hard.
Good night, Mr. Markham.
Good night.
- | sabelle?
-Jerryjust drove off.
I think I know what bar he went to.
Will you go with me?
(chuckles) Isabelle, hes okay.
I cant get him
to come back home by myself.
Oh, all right.
Ill go with you.
-Betty?
-Yeah?
Honey, Im gonna drive Isabelle.
Ill see you later.
BETTY: All right.
Is anything the matter?
Oh, no, no, honey. I wasjust gonna
go over and check the kids.
What you lookin for?
Well, I was looking for the ice.
(humming Funeral March)
(laughs)
Oh. Cold.
Whats the matter?
Im kind of dizzy.
Must have been something I et.
-Got a cigarette?
-Mm.
Why dont you try a little coffee?
Who wants to sober up?
Uh-uh.
You light it for me.
(swishes drink)
(gargles)
Is that what they do in South Carolina?
Tennessee.
-Thank you.
-Mm-hmm.
I like you.
Youre a nice guy.
Thank you.
And Im not saying that
because Im on the make either.
I like you cause youre a nice guy,
and thats all.
Why dont you, uh, knock off that drinking
the rest of the night?
What for?
Troy likes to see me drunk.
Yeah, he really does.
See, Troy likes to lecture people.
He likes to tell them
what to do and how to do it.
You know, he even tells me
how to make love.
Oh, honey, come on, were grown-ups.
Anything wrong about
talking about making love?
No. No.
Its just that I dont think Id like
to have Jean going around the neighborhood
telling about us, thats all.
(giggles)
Well, thats okay.
Im ignorant and...
I can say anything I want to
and nobody pays any attention.
-Where you goin?
-lll be right back.
Jean.Jean?
Come on over, Dave.
Troys garage is a regular museum.
Oh, you dont want to go over there.
Hes just showing off
all his old war mementos.
You dont want to see
a lot of swords and ags.
Oh, I dont know.
I thought it might be interesting.
Whats the matter, Dave?
Dont you trust your wife?
Okay, I trust my husband, too.
Come on. Lets have a drink.
(glasses clinking)
Most of the guys
bought their stuff in the PX.
But everything in this room,
I I picked up, actually, myself,
in an actual combat area.
Everything you see.
Now, that
that I got off a
a little Jap colonel at Luzon.
He was a nervy little guy.
We blew up his bunker with a bazooka.
He come runnin out stark naked
with this sword.
(chuckles)
I tried to take him prisoner.
And did you?
One thing I cant stand,
its a poor rieman.
Ive seen a lot of guys
empty their carbine at a man
and still leave him kicking.
You want it?
Keep it.
No, Id Id rather not, thank you, Troy.
Well, I bet you dont remember the war.
The big war, I mean.
I should think youd want
to forget those experiences.
Only the civilians want to forget the war.
The guys that actually lived it,
they got it tattooed right here.
If I didnt have my memories,
Id crawl into my car
and turn on the exhaust pipe.
You think it makes me feel like a man
greasin cars and cleanin toilets
in gas stations?
You dont mean that, Troy.
You dont know me.
No, maybe I dont.
Only last night I was telling David
what a safe feeling it was
having you as our
our next-door neighbor.
And now?
Wait a second.
Dont you go walkin out of here
like I just shined your shoes
and you give me a dime.
Thats uncalled for.
I got my pride, lady.
Maybe thats all I got,
but Im hanging on to it.
You become offended too easily, Troy.
You You shouldnt.
Its Its immature.
I dont mind being told off by you.
You got a way of doing it thats nice.
You ever teach school?
No. Why?
You remind me
of a school maam I once had.
I was a big, rough kid,
and I used to give her a bad time.
She was always as sweet
as Juneberryjuice.
Sure remind me of her.
Same color hair.
Same soft eyes, too.
You trying to sweet-talk me, Troy?
Yes, maam.
Youre not a school kid any longer
and Im not your teacher.
So, anyway, so this went on,
and nally I was sitting there
in the middle of the bed, buck naked
(laughs) painting my toenails,
my brother walks in with 16 Boy Scouts!
(laughing)
Oh, their faces!
Oh. Oh, God.
That was the nice thing
about being a member of a large family
you sure never got lonesome.
See, my mother had eight kids.
She had ve girls and three boys.
Well, I had another little brother,
but he died when he was little.
That was funny.
His name was Jody.
He He died of, uh
what do you call it pneumonia.
You know, just think,
today he couldve he couldve taken
one shot of penicillin,
he would have gotten
over it like a cold.
But we didnt have
any medicine in the house.
We didnt even have any aspirin.
All we had was sulfur and molasses.
(laughing)
Thats terrible.
Well!
Did he tell you how he won the war?
Youre stinko again.
Ooh, I do love a rened man
who uses elegant words like stinko.
You better put it to bed.
Now, look,
this is not your house,
and I am a guest here,
and so you cant boss me around.
Uh-uh!
Hey, no, no, no, no. Come on.
You cant go. Come on, stay.
Sit down.
Come on, now, be a good kid.
Could you stop acting like a policeman?
Besides, we gotta wait for Jerry.
You comin, or do I carry you?
Oh, thats right.
You just go right ahead
and show the Martins
what a big, tough guy you are.
You know, when I told Troy
before we were married
that I was pregnant
wham he knocked me down.
Didnt you, big guy? Hmm?
Finish your drink
and then well go home, hmm?
Okay, lets all have a drink. Come on.
Right now. Well all have a drink.
Well, whats the matter,
aint I good enough to drink with?
All right.
I might as well be bad now,
cause Im sure gonna get punished
when I get home.
Im thirsty.
Now, you come right here
to your old Aunt Leola
and well give you a drink of water.
I want a Coke.
Ill get it for you, Mike.
I want it in a bottle.
Okay.
Isnt he cute?
Mmm! Such a cute kid, isnt he?
You know, mine would
have been about this age.
Leola.
If I wanna talk about my baby,
Im gonna talk about him.
Jean.
Jean, would you tell me something?
Do you think if people adopt a baby,
they can love him
just as much as if he was theirs?
Of course.
DAVID: Come on, Mike.
I mean I dont mean if hes an orphan,
but I mean, if they know
thats hes got a mother and father
who just didnt care anything about him?
Why dont you just go outside
and yell it to the whole neighborhood?
I just want to see him.
I dont want to talk to him.
Ijust want to see him once.
Can we go now?
(crying)
Oh, but I want my baby!
Please!
Will you excuse us, please?
I want my baby!
Ill stay with Mike
till Isabelle gets back.
Ill stay with you.
(car drives up)
(dog barking)
(car door closes)
(footsteps approaching)
JERRY: Doll?
-Hi. How are you?
-Fine.
-Hows Mike?
-Hes ne, too.
-Are you hungry?
-No, no, not a bit.
Mm-hmm.
I couldnt come home.
I was feeling so punk.
Ijust hung around a few hotel lobbies.
They were empty, and...
got me feeling so jumpy,
I just kept walking.
I sat down on a replug.
Dont you know, a squad car came along
and they told me to move on.
-Mm-hmm.
-Well, that really got me.
I told them they werent
talking to some wino.
-Do you need that?
-No.No.
And they can put you in jail
just for sitting on a replug.
So I moved on.
But I thought it all out.
And all our troubles
boil down to one thing.
Money.
Money. How to get a bundle of it.
Well, you cant do it by working for it,
thats for sure.
And if you break the law,
its only gonna wind you up behind bars.
Thats for sure, too.
So I kept walking, kept thinking,
and all of a sudden, the idea hit me.
Im going to organize
a buyers service for used cars.
Ill start out with ads in all the papers.
All it costs to become
a member of my group is one dollar.
Just pin a dollar
to a letter and mail it to me.
For that one buck, Ill tip em off
on how much they should pay
for the model they want,
and Ill even tell them
where to go to get it.
Ill give them the lowdown
on what to look out for in a used car,
and Ill tell them how
the nance companies put the gyp on them.
Now, that thats a lot
of valuable information for a buck, right?
All Ill need to start out with
is just a few people,
then the idea will grow
just like a chain letter.
People will tell their friends,
and theyll tell their friends.
Honey, I gure theres
over two million used cars
sold every year right here
in California alone.
If only 10% of these become members,
thats $200,000 right there.
Why, Ill have to open an ofce.
Ill have to have a lot of girls
to open the letters that come in.
And then Ill be able to branch out.
Ill have ofces
in every one of the 48 states.
Then when Ive got one million members,
thats one million dollars,
just to begin with,
and thats only the beginning.
Come to bed, Jerry.
With an organization like that,
Ill be able to manufacture my own car.
Ill have one million members
just to start out with.
Theyll be able to order their cars
direct from me at factory price,
and all Ill take for them
is the one single dollar
annual membership fee.
Thatll save them $1,000 apiece on a car!
Im gonna call it the Flagg car.
Isnt that a great name for a car?
The Flagg car?
Its a great name for a car.
Doll, all our worries are over,
and from here were just in clover.
Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!
Whats the matter?
Im through with you, Jerry.
Right here and now, Im through with you.
-Yes! Yes!
-No,no.
-Just tell me what to do, Isabelle.
-Youre supposed to know what to do.
-lve had nothing but bad luck here.
-Stop blaming it on bad luck!
-Well, then what is it?
-Get a job! Any kind of a job.
Be a milkman or a laundryman
or go to work in a factory
where you can bring
a paycheck home every week!
Youre never gonna make a million,
so stop dreaming about it!
Youre just another guy
like Im just another housewife.
Nothing big or wonderful
is ever gonna happen to us.
I stopped pretending when Mikey was born.
Why cant you?
When I married you, I made you a promise
that someday you would have the nest.
Every man makes that promise to every girl
when they get married.
Sure, I wanted it to come true,
but thats not the reason I married you.
If I can forget about it,
why do you have to hang on?
Because I believe in myself
even if you dont.
Im not gonna give up
just when the going gets rough.
I know I can break through.
I got it in me. I can feel it.
And a man cant be wrong
about how he feels.
And Jerry Flagg is not
just an ordinary man.
There are not millions like me.
And youre not just an ordinary housewife.
Youre Jerry Flaggs wife,
and thats going to mean something.
My kid is not gonna grow up
and have to tell his friends
that his father works in a factory
or hes a milkman.
No, sir. No, sir!
Daddy, whats the matter?
Dont you have school tomorrow, boy?
You should be in bed.
Daddys gonna
take good care of you.
Youre gonna get back to bed,
get back to sleep
so youll be healthy and strong.
You want to do good in school,
dont you?
Sure, you do.
Be a big, strong guy?
And then if some guy
starts acting wise around you,
youll be able to take care of yourself.
When you can take care of yourself,
youll be a big man, respected.
People will look up to you.
Everybody will say,
There goes Mikey Flagg,
a big man in every way.
(sobbing quietly)
(vehicles passing)
(car horn honks)
(horn honking)
Ed.
Man, you look like
the chief of police already.
You dont need a new uniform.
Yeah, all it needs
is a couple of gold braid stripes.
Hey, uh, whos the company putting in
as the new station manager?
You.
Youre kidding.
I picked you and they okayed you.
Thanks, Troy.
Wait a second, Troy.
This is the rst time I ever heard
about this college degree requirement.
Believe
What does a college degree have to do
with what kind of chief of police Id be?
Didnt I try to get them to change it?
I tried to get them to take
a vote on it, Troy.
When I turned in
my application for this job,
I said I only had
a grammar school education.
I didnt lie about it.
Then why did this council meet
to throw this college stuff in my face?
We didnt look at that application
until this afternoon.
If one of us guys would get paid for
working on the council
Where were those guys when I was crawling
on my belly through Guam and Guadalcanal?
If it wasnt for guys like me,
Sunrise Hills would be
a Japanese rice eld today.
Listen, Troy, theres hardly
any difference in pay
between the chiefs job
and a regular ofcer.
Were gonna have a ve-man force,
so that thing is just a title anyway.
Let me go in there and recommend you
for an ofcers position.
I know when Ive been given
the short end of the stick.
Youre trying to talk me out of it.
It wont do you no good.
-Im trying to talk some sense into you.
-Well, you cant, mister!
Lets go have a drink then.
Come on, let me buy you a drink.
I only drink with my friends.
(western playing on TV)
-Hi.
-Hi, Daddy.
Hi.
Hi.
What kept you so long?
I had dinner ready an hour ago.
The council turned down
Troys application.
Not enough education.
Pretty soon, a guys gonna have to have
a masters degree to clean toilets.
He was so sure hed get it.
So was I.
Wasnt there anything you could do?
I tried, honey,
but that charter reads black and white.
Lets eat.
He had no right getting sore at me.
Well, he counted on you.
I did all I could.
Well, then, what are you
so worked up about?
Well, Troys my friend.
lkos wife called me this morning.
Iko hasnt spoken to me since yesterday.
She asked me again.
And she said not to say
anything about it to lko.
Why do they have to call us?
Well, I guess they dont have
anybody else to turn to.
Its murder down at the store.
lkos right. I know that guy is right.
Hes driving me crazy,
but what do we do?
Stick our necks out again like with Troy?
Wind up having Iko hate us
when it doesnt work out?
It wont be easy, but it think
well feel a whole lot better.
Do you know what were
letting ourselves in for?
Itjust seems right to me.
Well, Im glad to see this
hasnt spoiled your appetite.
(brakes screech)
(rock and roll playing)
J / blinked my lights, / honked my horn J
1 But she kept rockin and rol/in on .f
1 She kept on jivin
to the drive-in rock .I
J The drive-in rock, the drive-in rock J
1 It really makes the drive-in rock .I
(turns off music)
Give me a drink.
Get out of those clothes.
We aint goin nowhere.
You didnt get the appointment?
Thats okay.
I didnt want you to be a cop anyway.
Well, honey, its a jerk town,
and youre too good for that job.
Come on. Come on, lets go out
and have some dinner, huh?
How could I get mixed up
with such a dumb broad?
Okay, so Im a dumb broad.
Lets go out and have some fun.
Didnt I ask you to get me a drink
when I come in?
Hmm?
Heres to us
still the best people on the block.
Common dirt.
Common Tennessee dirt.
And it shows.
Honey, do you have to beat
yourself down like that?
I think Im gonna reenlist in the army.
Youll get over that by the morning.
Maybe we ought to go back home.
I still got 40 acres there.
Will you get out of that dress?
How many times I gotta tell you?
Honey, in an hour
youre gonna want to go out to dinner,
and Ill just have to change
all over again.
Whered you get that outt?
Youve seen this before. It aint new.
Do you have to show everything you got?
Does it make you feel better
to beat me down?
Its about time you and me had a showdown.
About what? What have I done?
You think Im pretty stupid,
dont you? Hmm?
You think all this time
I swallowed that sh story of yours
about that kid being mine?
Listen, Troy, I said I wouldnt say
anything about that again.
Now, dont start in on me.
(footsteps depart)
I wanna talk about it.
You think Id have give away that kid if
I thought it was my own esh and blood?
I think you couldve done worse.
I think you couldve killed it.
Thats one reason why I gave it away.
I ought to break your neck for that.
Why dont you try it?
Its busted.
I told them to come and x it.
Now its busted.
Was that kick worth $100?
Ill break everything and anything
in this house if I feel like it.
I paid for it.
Its mine!
All mine.
Will you please dont drink anymore?
Lets go out to dinner, please?
-You want to go out to dinner so bad?
-Yes, I do.
Well, you just go ahead.
Have yourself a good time. Here.
Pick yourself up some jerk
like Jerry Flagg and have yourself a ball.
Take the car!
I dont want you pinched
for walkin the streets.
Hello?
Hi.
Oh, Troy.
I just dropped in to say hello.
Oh. Wheres Leola?
Out celebratin.
Oh. Well, youll have
to forgive me now, Troy. Im busy.
You could offer me a drink.
No, we we have no liquor in the house.
You gonna throw me out?
No, Im not gonna throw you out.
Youre leaving.
-In a minute.
-Now.
You hate me that bad?
No, I dont hate you. Its
Its just that I dont entertain men
while my husbands out of town.
I aint askin to be entertained.
I just want someone to talk to.
-You have a wife.
-She walked out on me.
-Please go, Troy.
-In a minute.
You afraid of me?
No, l-lm not afraid of you.
Im disappointed. I
I thought you were a gentleman.
Aint nothin. No more aint nothin.
Good night, Troy.
No.
No, please dont.
No, no. No, please dont.
(sobs)
(sobbing)
Oh, Betty!
(sobbing)
Jean?
(sobbing)
Jean, its all right. Shh.
Jean.
Its all right.
Jean.
Jean, what is it?
Whats the matter, dear?
Troy.
What about Troy?
He He He came to the house.
He forced me to (sobbing)
BETTY: Who are you calling?
-The police. Who else?
-No!No!No!No!
-Operator, get me the police.
-Dont call the police!
I want David!
I just want David!
All right, Jean.
Where is David staying in San Fran
Where is David staying in San Francisco?
At At
At the St. Francis, I think.
HERMAN:
All right, all right, Ill get him.
Jean, dear, dont you think
I ought to call your doctor?
No, no, no, no! Ijust want David.
I dont want a doctor.
-...at the St. Francis Hotel.
-Hes calling David, dear.
Thats right. Shh.
-Daddy, whats the matter?
-Go to bed.
-Im hungry.
-Sandra, Sandra, run along to bed.
Didnt your mother tell you
to go to bed? Go to bed.
Im hungry.
Sandra, do you hear me?
Now, go along. Go on.
Oh? Uh...
No, operator, you can
just cancel that call.
Thank you very much.
He checked out. Is he ying back?
David ying back, Jean?
Jean. Jean, darling,
is he ying back?
He went by train.
HERMAN: Then he wont be back
till early this morning.
Whats the matter with Jean?
All right, come on. Right on up.
Come on.
Jean, darling, come along.
There we go. There we go.
-I want David.
-Yes, dear.
I want David. Please get me David.
(car door closes)
Whats the matter, Herm?
Leola, is Troy at home?
Yeah, I guess so.
I just left cause he was
in kind of an ugly mood
cause he didnt get that job.
I know.
Is anything wrong?
Its nothin that wont wait.
You sure?
Yeah, its nothin.
Good night, Leola.
Good night, Herm.
Troy?
Troy?
I dont know what to do.
Last night, I couldve killed Troy.
And this morning, I dont know.
Other men have disappointments.
They dont become animals like Troy.
Somethings gotta be done about him.
Oh, I think that should be
up to David and Jean.
David and Jean.
Jerry and Isabelle.
Troy and Leola.
You and me.
I guess owning a house and a deep freeze
is not the whole answer.
Whats wrong, Herm?
Whatever it is,
it makes us afraid to help lko.
It makes Jerry afraid
hes not gonna make it.
It makes Troy afraid
hes gonna be a nobody
unless hes wearin
some kind of a uniform.
Afraid. Afraid.
Now, if we can nd out what that is,
I think we got the answer.
Herm, are we any better
or any worse off than
than anybody on this block?
Honey, you and I are what
the insurance statistics call average.
Good morning.
-BETTY: Oh, morning, honey.
-HERMAN: Good morning.
l-l think Ill go home now.
David should be home soon.
Is there anything I can do for you?
No, thanks.
Now, listen, if you need me
for anything at all today,
you just call me at the store, okay?
-Bye, Betty.
-Good-bye, honey.
-Want some coffee?
-No, Betty.
I want to be there when David arrives.
l I cant tell you how much
I appreciate all youve done.
Oh, Jean, you dont have
to thank me for anything.
-JERRY: Hey, Herm.
-Yeah?
-Hey, you got a minute, Herm?
-Sure.
Listen, Im in a kind of a bind.
Isabelles threatening
to take the kid and leave me.
-Jerry, I cant spare you too much.
-No, no. I dont want a loan.
I want a job.
Doin what?
Well, Im a pretty fair salesman.
Jerry, we only pay 85 bucks a week.
-lll take it.
-No commission.
Ill take it.
Level with me. How long you think
youre gonna stick on this job?
Well, I I cant fox
a good friend like you, Herm.
As soon as Isabelle cools down
and as soon as I run
into a hot proposition, well, I
But while Im with ya,
Ill give ya a fair shake for your money.
If you could stick with us a couple
of years, youd have a real future.
The companys opening up
a lot of branch stores.
-They need new managers.
-No,no.
I just cant see myself
stuck behind a counter all my life.
-Okay, hop in. Ill show you around.
-Okay, boss.
(door opens, closes)
(footsteps approaching)
DAVID: Oh, hi, honey.
Oh, what a trip.
Hey, how about getting
a little breakfast ready?
Ive gotta change
and get back to the ofce.
What a session I had with Cagle.
You know, he turned me down twice cold?
Well, Ijust kept hammering away at him.
I dont know what got into me,
but the minute I stepped into that ofce,
it became a matter of life and death
for me to make that sale.
The odd part was
that my heart wasnt really in it.
Neither was Cagles.
Ooh, what a nightmare.
It was just like watching a car,
seeing it coming towards you,
and not being able to get out of the way.
We knew how that meeting was gonna end
before it ever started.
It does convince me, all right.
Im getting out of sales
and going back to the lab.
From here on, Ill make em
and let old Verdun sell em.
David, something happened last night.
Whats that, honey?
I cant tell you if you wont listen.
Oh, Im listening.
Well, turn it off!
(shaver turns off)
While I was alone last night,
Troy forced his way in here.
He was drunk, and he
I stayed all night at Bettys.
She said to tell you rst
before doing anything.
Oh, David.
-David!
-Im gonna go see Troy.
Oh, darling,
what good will it do now?
Itll do me good.
David!
David!
(clanking)
-lll break it.
-(groans)
You want me to break it?
Your wife told you about last night, huh?
Well, thats only half the story.
Why didnt you ask me?
I couldve told ya I didnt do anything
she didnt want done.
How about the night
she come to this garage?
I didnt have to drag her here.
And how about the time
she come to the lling station
with a bag full of groceries
and asked me to drive her home?
I dont run a cab service!
Thats the trouble with you college guys.
You think you got it all made.
You think that once
you put a ring on her nger,
you can keep a woman and hold her forever.
Well, you cant hold a woman forever
just admiring your brains.
You better get hep to yourself, mister.
I might be the rst,
but I aint gonna be the last person
shes gonna run to.
(groaning)
Now, you wanna go off
your rocker, you go ahead.
You buy a gun and shoot me.
Thatll get rid of both of us
and give little Jeanie
a clear eld to play tag day.
Liar! Liar!
Im no good for you.
David, how could we go on?
How can we go on living
together in this house
and and acting as if nothing
had happened when it did?
-It did!
-Jeanie!
Listen to me, darling.
Violence comes
into a lot of peoples lives.
You can get hit by a runaway truck.
You can get caught in a re,
but that doesnt change you.
You dont feel deled by it.
You dont feel ashamed by it.
You just face it
with the people who love you.
David, Ill never ever be able
to forget what happened,
and neither will you.
Darling, listen to me.
I love you.
No reservations. No qualications.
Now, youve gotta know that,
and youve gotta lean on it
and depend on it.
Oh, I want to.
Whatevers gonna hit us
is gonna hit both of us.
Oh, thank you.
Oh, thank God for you.
lfl did, I did. lfl didnt, I didnt.
Youre still holding that rst time
against me, aint you? I was drunk then.
l was drunk! I dont remember!
Havent you ever been drunk?
Troy! Troy, would you please
just answer me one thing?
-All I wanna know is was it Jeans fault.
-I was drunk. I was drunk. Drunk!
Look, Troy, I dont care
how mean you get to me,
but if you start fooling around
with other women,
Im not gonna take that.
-You hear me? Im not gonna take it!
-Were gonna get out of here, Leola.
Were gonna go back home,
back to Tennessee.
-Troy, stop it!
-Thats what were gonna do.
Troy, look, would you
tell me what happened?
You start packin, honey.
You start packin,
and Ill go nish the car.
-Troy!
-Start packin!
(door slams)
(clanking)
Troy, Im not going with you.
You aint meanin that, Leola.
I never wanna see you again
as long as I live.
Baby, look, I told you it wasnt my fault.
-Troy, please.
-It wasnt my fault, I told you.
Ill go inside and change clothes.
Ill get cleaned up.
-Well talk this all over.
-Troy, dont, please.
You cant walk out on me
cause Im your husband.
-Leola, you cant walk out on a husband.
-You walked out on me for good last night.
But Ill make it up to you, baby.
Ill make it up to you.
Please dont.
I need you. I need you, Leola.
I love you. You cant leave me.
Dont ever leave me!
-(sobs)
-(grunts)
(groaning)
(screams)
-Leola!
-(screams) Troy!
(screaming) Help me! Help me!
Help! Help me!
Help!
Help him!
Call an ambulance!
Please!
Help!
(groaning)
Help. Help, please.
Please.
(sobbing)
LEOLA: Im sorry.
Leola.
(organ playing)
REVEREND: Im glad
you were able to come today.
Its a great pleasure to have you.
Thank you. I enjoyed your sermon.
Short, just about right for me.
My daddy
wont go to hell now, will he?
No, son, of course not. (chuckles)
Good-bye.