Rambling Rose
In deep Dixieland, of October is almost summery.
I had come to visit my father.
Mother had died a few years before and Daddy was living alone.
He wouldn't have it otherwise.
Seeing the old house, nostalgia for the south gripped me.
The old South I had known and the people in it.
When I was 13, a girl came to this house.
I overheard my father decide with my mother
to hire this girl.
A good-natured, but unfortunate girl,
working for a farm family, near Gadsden, Alabama.
Thus she was hired, sight unseen, by a long-distance call.
She was the first person I ever loved outside my own family.
But, as my father said,
she caused one hell of a damnable commotion.
Hello.
I'm Rose.
I've come to live with you.
Mother, the new girl's here.
Wonderful. What's your impression of her?
She's big. She could beat up Daddy if she wanted.
But she's very girlish. She wouldn't hurt anybody.
Your impression is very reassuring.
I sensed that she was so. I'm glad to have it reconfirmed.
You mean confirmed, mother.
If it had been confirmed previously, it would be reconfirmed.
Alright.
You get Doll and Waski. I'll telephone Daddy.
This is Waski. His real name is Warren, but we call him Waski.
He dislikes it. I guess, one day we'll have to stop calling him that.
You can stop it now.
You'll find him a very good boy. As you can see, he's beautiful.
Rose, this little girl is Frances.
We call her Dolly. It's short for Doll or Doll Baby.
Doll Baby, that's worse than Waski. I want to be called Fran.
Daddy won't allow it.
That young man, you have met.
He is my oldest son and my most brilliant child.
They say I brag too much about my children.
I simply tell the truth. Am I boring you, Rose?
No, ma'am. Not at all.
Good.
I realised the remarkable thing about Brother when he was 6 weeks old.
He looked at me and recognised me.
He understood me.
Sounds crazy, but it's the truth.
I have to warn you about him.
He can be very dangerous.
He has an evil streak in him.
It is a streak of pure, sheer meanness.
You'll scare the girl, going into the 4th dimension like that.
Maybe to you it's the 4th dimension, but to me, it's the truth.
Well, well, so Miss Rosebud has arrived.
Yes, indeed.
Doll Baby, take this for me.
Rosebud...
I swear to God, you are as graceful as a capital letter "S".
You will adorn our house and give a glow to its old walls.
Yes, indeed.
Now, it is my wife's belief, which I accept, though do not grasp,
that to hire a person to do household work is a criminal practice.
You are therefore here as a friend, and indeed as a member of this family.
In love and harmony, dear Rosebud. In love and harmony.
Do you understand?
Yes, sir. I know you've had some troubles.
Those scoundrels in Birmingham trying to lead you astray, and so on.
Life can be very cruel to a young girl.
You've had a hard time.
But I hope and believe you've found a safe haven in this house.
We welcome you to our home.
We welcome you from the heart.
We hope you're happy here.
Thank you, sir.
Hands in your pocket, pockets in your pants,
watch the turtles so the hootchie-kootchie dance.
Let's see if she goes in the water.
Waski, you gotta lick your lips.
You mean to those seeds, they'll snap at you, Waski.
Buddy, that hotel that Mr. Hillyer runs...
do y'all own it personally?
Yes, it's part of Mother's estate.
Her estate?
Her inheritance. It was left to her when she was orphaned.
Buddy, your mama was a orphan?
Yes.
Y'all help me shuck.
Hey, Buddy?
Where is Columbia University? And what is it exactly?
It's an advanced school for brilliant people, in New York.
New York?
New York! lmagine that, with all them skyscrapers, and...
...things like that. New York. And your mama lived there?
Went to that school. Good Lord.
That's something.
Rose? Who were those scoundrels in Birmingham?
Nobody. Keep shucking.
But who were they?
Bad men, that's all.
Bad in what sense?
Bad is bad, Buddy. Ain't no sense to it.
Did they try to make you become a prostitute?
I don't listen to talk like that. I turn my back and look the other way.
That's why Daddy hired you, isn't it?
To keep you away from those scoundrels.
Your daddy is the best and most kind-hearted man in the world.
Did you hear about the terrible thing in Cave Spring?
What terrible thing?
There was this old man that ate his niece.
I did not hear that. I don't hear you.
Chopped her into pork-chops. - I don't even hear that.
There's terrible things in this world.
Rose, did you hear about that man in Chattanooga?
Killed his wife with a black widow spider. She suffered horribly.
You are in one of your evil moods.
That's what it is.
The family's all here.
Reverse-insomnia.
What a curse.
No appetite, either.
Rose, may I have half a cup of coffee? - I already got it.
Rosebud baby... you are the light of my life, darling.
You're as pretty as a moonbeam, and warm as sunshine.
Now, how did we get by without you?
Rose must be "non compos mentis" this morning.
Must be that time of the month.
She has been a little peaky lately. - Not till Daddy came.
What, dear?
Your hearing aid is on the blink. - What?
Your hearing aid is buzzing at me like a snake.
Waski, I shot you. Fall down. - I'm going.
Hey, Doll, come on. I got you, too, Doll.
Mrs. Hillyer?
Yes, dear?
Will you get your Master's degree soon?
Pretty soon, dear. When I finish my thesis.
What are you studying right now? - American history, dear.
Is that the story of this country? Just like the story of a person?
Exactly.
You must have a wonderful brain!
Rose, darling, you work too hard.
Sit down and have a nice refreshment.
After all you and him has been doing for me, working hard is nothing.
Mrs. Hillyer? - Yes?
Is it true you were a orphan?
Yes.
After the age of seven, I was.
Me, too.
Daddy sure is dumb.
Mother didn't notice, either.
You'd think she wouldnotice. - She is ignorant about such things.
Besides, her maternal feelings are aroused.
Maternal feelings run deep.
Yeah.
Rose is in terrible shape. - Yeah, she is.
Shut up, Wawa. You don't even know what we're talking about.
I do, too. Rose is madly in love with Daddy.
He loves me. He loves me not.
You don't eats greens?
Alright.
Here, Rose. Take my napkin, darlin'. It's OK.
Are you alright? Are you ill?
No, ma'am, I'm just fine. I just spilt the beans.
I have to present my magazine at the garden club tonight.
I'll drive you. You have no business at the wheel of an automobile.
Why not? If you're not thinking, you'll run into a telephone pole.
Darling, I think about what I'm doing,
all the time.
And I have as much right to be at the wheel of a car as anybody.
Besides, I want you to help Rose with the dishes.
She isn't feeling well. - The dishes, darling?
Yes.
You can help, even though it's not a man-type thing to do.
Man-type things, women-type things.
The creative force behind the universe doesn't care about such things.
So you can help with the dishes?
Certainly, darling. Delighted.
Thank you, darling.
Come on.
I'll be damned.
It says the moon is 238,000 miles from the Earth. How about that?
Mister Moon.
It says that it's a solid rock body, two thousand miles in diameter.
That's fascinating.
I think she's going to kiss him. - At least.
Oh, God, Mr. Hillyer!
I love you! I tried! But I can't help it. Kiss me!
Rose, Rose, Rose! Get off my lap.
Buddy, stop it. I can't see!
I can't help it. - Calm down. The children will hear you.
No, no. Let's talk about this thing.
Please. - No, let's calm down and discuss it.
Please. Don't make me get up.
What are they doing? - Discussing it.
I can't kiss you. I only kiss Mrs. Hillyer.
But I love you. - You don't love me. - I do.
Just kiss me once. - If I did, you wouldn't ask anymore?
Just once. - On the lips or mouth? - Mouth.
I only kiss Mrs. Hillyer on the mouth.
They're kissing.
What's happening now?
Rose's titty is out.
His hand is on it.
Enough of this damn nonsense.
And I mean enough.
Get up, Rose. Put your damn tit back in your dress.
You hear me?
Replace that tit.
Damn you, girl. You made me make a fool out of myself.
She put it away.
A man is supposed to be a fool. But a woman should have some control.
Now, are you a nitwit? What's the matter with you?
I'm sorry, Mr. Hillyer. I couldn't help it 'cause I love you.
Rose, Rose, poor miserable child...
You said you loved Mrs. Hillyer. Is this any way to repay her?
She would defend you. She would fight for you like a tiger.
Don't cry, honey. Don't cry. Here...
Now let me warn you...
I'm standing here at Thermopylae.
I am standing at Thermopylae...
...and the Persians shall not pass.
Now get your tail out of here, and wash those dishes. Go on!
Wasn't Daddy great?
I bet he wanted to kiss her some more, but he didn't.
He was probably just scared Mother would come home early and catch him.
Buddy, sometimes you make me sick.
Ooh, Baby Doll...
Thermopylae...
...The Persians shall not pass.
Buddy, are you asleep?
No, I'm awake.
What's wrong?
Buddy, I have been wandering in the wilderness, lost.
I feel awful. Do you mind if I get in bed with you for a while?
Alright.
I'll be quiet.
I'll lie here a while. You go on back to sleep.
Oh, Buddy, you don't know how it hurts to have a broken heart.
Men, I don't understand 'em.
I can't see through them. I can't figure them out.
They break my heart, that's all.
But this is the worst ever.
'Cause it wasn't his fault, it was mine.
I was bad.
You wouldn't believe how bad I was.
What did you do, Rose?
I was just awful, Buddy.
Worse than you could know, a child like you.
It isn't just the loss of him...
...but my own bad behavior what bothers me so.
It has just made me ill. I am sick.
What was the cause of it all?
You promise not to tell Doll or nobody?
It's your Daddy. I'm so much in love with him, I'm out of my mind.
How could such a thing happen?
You know, when I first come, and he says I looked graceful
like the letter "S", and called me "Rosebud"?
I fell madly in love with him right there, right then.
But it's a lost love.
He's a good man. He won't have nothing to do with me.
Can I touch you here? It's soft.
It's awful soft. - What did you expect?
I thought it was like a cantaloupe. - That's some idea, a cantaloupe.
There's some gristle in it. - Buddy, quit that.
You're just a child. You shouldn't be interested about such things.
Actually, I am.
That daddy of yours is the funniest man.
The things he says. You never know what he'll say next.
Can I put my hand inside your nightgown?
No, you can't. I'll tell you something else. He scares me.
You can't fool around with him. Not with that man.
If I ever do that again, he'll fire me.
Can I see what nipple looks like?
Buddy, what has come over you? A child like you, asking such things.
I'm curious, Rose.
Buddy, get your hand away. Quit it! Get your hand off of me, Buddy!
Buddy, come on. - Just for a second. What's the harm?
You don't realize it, but what you're doing isn't nice.
Can't I just see what the nipple looks like?
Are you satisfied now?
Can we lie and talk now, huh?
It has a nipple. - Or course.
At first I couldn't feel it, but now I do.
It's like an acorn. - OK, Buddy, that's enough.
You're just a child, and wouldn't understand, but that type of thing...
...can stir a girl up.
Now you lie down and we'll just talk.
It was softer than I thought. That was my main impression.
If you hit a girl there, it could hurt her a lot.
Who would do a thing such as that?
Some fiend might.
You know, Buddy, I can't figure you out at all.
You can be very nice, but like your mama said, you have an evil streak.
Everyone does, Rose.
Your Daddy doesn't.
What has happened has made me love your pa more.
I not only love him, I respect him.
I admire him.
I have a serious favor to ask. - Most men would act like he did.
If they get a girl, they go ahead and get her. Just like some monkey.
Then they tell her she's no good, when they done the same thing.
Since you're here in bed with me, and I've already touched your titty...
Buddy, what an awful thing to say!
Where did you get any such idea as that, anyhow?
I'm curious, Rose. I'm real curious.
Well that is just too bad. Curiosity killed the cat.
Yeah, but satisfaction brought him back. May I?
No. You should be ashamed, asking such a nasty thing, a child your age.
Can't I touch it just a little bit? Just to see what it's like?
No.
Oh, Rose, I'm curious. Can't I touch it for a second?
Aren't you my friend? Don't you like me?
I like you a lot.
In fact, I love you.
You're sweet, Buddy, but you don't really love me. - I do!
Don't you like me just a little bit?
Sure I like you, Buddy. But you're just a child.
I'm 13 and I have a natural curiosity.
It's nature, Rose. Now what's wrong with nature?
Honey, what's the matter?
Just that...
...damnable reverse-insomnia. You go back to sleep.
The Depression has got me.
Strong men weeping, children hungry.
What a life, what a world.
Buddy, quit it.
Am I hurting you?
No, you're not hurting me.
You just better quit it, that's all. - Why, if I'm not hurting you?
You wouldn't understand.
I must be out of my mind.
This is definitely the most fascinating experience of my life.
Oh, Lord.
Man rises like sparks in a fire.
What's wrong, Rose?
Are you sick?
I have robbed a cradle and fell into hell.
I must be crazy!
I got to get out of here!
Buddy, you wouldn't tell nobody, would you?
No, I won't tell a soul.
I sure hope you don't.
I got to get out of here.
I hate to turn this light on. Your daddy is downstairs.
I have to take the chance. Buddy, please don't tell on me.
I said I wouldn't. - Buddy, I never meant to harm you.
I'd never hurt you, ever. But they'd think I did.
I don't see why you're so worried. It was my idea. - You don't get it.
They'd blame me, not you. They'd think I was awful.
A disgusting girl, which I am. But please don't tell! Please!
Rose, what did those scoundrels in Birmingham want with you?
They wanted what you said. - For you to be a prostitute?
How much do they pay girls to do it?
In the house in Birmingham, 3 dollars.
The girls got a dollar and the house took two.
How many men did they have to do it with in a day? - I don't know.
10 or 12, I guess. Maybe more.
Twelve, that's a lot of men.
They probably had BO. and needed shaves.
Probably.
On the other hand, 12 men a day at a dollar each.
In two days, you'd make what you make here in a month.
Buddy, I don't want to be no whore.
I can't. It'd kill me.
But that isn't why I don't want you to tell them.
The reason is...
...I love it here. I love your whole family.
And Buddy... I don't want to have to go.
So please...
...if you like me a little bit...
...don't tell them, please!
I know that I'm a bad girl.
But please have pity on me. Please.
Buddy, don't tell them. Please don't.
I won't tell on you, Rose.
They could put splinters under my fingernails...
...and I would never tell.
Because I love you, Rose.
Thank you, Buddy.
When I start bothering your Daddy,
even worse, robbing a cradle,
I gotta face the facts of life.
Tomorrow...
I'm going to get myself up and go out.
Get yourself up and go out?
Buddy,
Mr. Right is out there somewheres,
and I'm going to find him.
If I have to wake you up at 11:00 in the morning,
either you're sick, or you were up very late last night.
You weren't reading "Huckleberry Finn".
I looked in your room. It's not there.
What were you doing?
I have to tell the truth. - Of course.
I was reading one of those dirty comic books. - Oh, Brother!
I'm so disappointed in you.
You mustn't read them. They degrade the human image.
They're filthy. - Sex isn't ugly.
It's very beautiful. The creative power of the universe designed it.
I know. We must respect it. We must be in awe of it.
Oh, I am in awe of it. - Not enough. Get the castor oil.
Can't it be Calomel? - This is not punishment. It's for your health.
If you act like this, you are full of poisons, you are sick.
Here, Buddy.
Here we go. Open up.
One, two, open up.
Good.
Goddamn crap.
What'd you say?
I said "putrid stuff." - No, you didn't, Brother.
I did. Your hearing aid isn't working.
He's lying. - Doll, I'll cut your guts out.
And yesterday he stole money out... - Shut up, you brat!
Children, be quiet.
The strangest vibrations are in this house today.
Where is Rose, anyway?
Getting herself up to go out. - What did you say?
She's getting herself up to go out. - Out? Oh, yes, it's Thursday.
Oh! Hello, Rose, dear.
My, you're looking...
...pretty. - Like my outfit? I made most of it myself.
Well...
It's very... cheerful.
I have a knack for designing clothes.
For the day...
isn't it... tight? - It's meant to be clinging.
Holy catfish! What have you done to yourself?
I got myself up is all. - Got yourself up?
I'm going out. - You're going out in public like in those clothes?
Darling, I wish you wouldn't pick on Rose.
Ignore him. You look very pretty. - You're sweet.
Come on, Waski, stop it. - No.
Daddy, Buddy was up late reading dirty comic books.
Mother gave him castor oil, and he cursed it, and took
the Lord's name in vain, then he claimed he hadn't said it.
Don't be a tattletale. You mustn't be Delilahish with your brother.
I'm only trying to help him. - What a hypocrite.
You must talk to him. He was reading those ghastly books again.
Lay off that stuff, son. It upsets your mother.
I mean seriously speak with him.
He shouldn't read those depraved things.
OK. I'll take him with me downtown.
You, too, Rose, if you want a ride.
I'd love one.
I'm going out amongst 'em, boys.
Gumballs...
Gumballs! - Yes, ma'am.
My feet sure do hurt.
I bet they don't hurt as much as mine.
Why do yours hurt? - I'm a salesman. Do a lot of walking.
Incredible, the swiftness of it.
The girl strikes like a cobra.
That girl bothers me.
She bothers you?
In what way, dear?
It is a little tedious having her around.
You think Rose is tedious?
I don't think she's tedious.
I think she's the very opposite of tedious.
From a man's standpoint, she's tedious.
She's back. And in one piece, I hope.
I thought you liked Rose. - I'm crazy about Rose.
I just hope she isn't a hotcha character, that's all.
Hotcha character?
What you don't understand is,
it's positive energy on this planet.
It's what we do with it that makes it negative.
Darling, don't go off into the 4th dimension, all right?
Every time...
Every time I say something important,
you always say I've gone off into the 4th dimension.
Well I don't entirely grasp your philosophy, but I respect it.
I respect it.
Then I wish you wouldn't say cynical and mean things,
that go against life itself.
What's so cynical about hoping Rose isn't a hotcha character?
She just wants to look pretty, that's all.
We are not going to argue about this.
I can see that you are beyond reason.
So are you, dear. So are you.
I don't want to talk to you.
I'm not going to talk with you.
I can't hear you.
Sweetheart, your hearing aid is buzzing. I didn't hear you.
I said be quiet. I don't want to talk to you anymore.
I have nothing to say. It's obvious you don't love me,
or even respect me.
I love and adore you, sweetheart. You know that.
Do you? You know I do.
I just hope that Rose's bite isn't as bad as her bark.
It's not. You just don't understand her.
It isn't sex she wants. It's love.
Those silly clothes she wears
is the only way she knows to get it.
You may be right, but I'm afraid we'll rue the day Rosebud came to our house.
I disagree with you. She's a very sweet girl.
And she loves children.
She loves everybody, that's her problem.
Everybody. - That's not a bad quality.
No, it's a beautiful quality.
You're right as rain, sweetheart.
You sleepy? - No.
You sleepy?
Can you hear me? - I don't need to, I can feel you.
Rose!
The scruffy man is back in the garden. - Well, I don't know him.
I'm going to call Daddy.
Have a good stay.
Grand Hotel.
The scruffy looking man is back.
I'll be right there.
Where is he? - Over there.
Come here! Come back here, you!
Come back here!
I couldn't catch him.
He ran like a deer.
I don't know him.
Doll, I got St. Louis on my crystal radio.
I don't care about your radio. I'm worried about Rose.