Aren't you tired?
No. There's so much of it.
Will we live here all the time, Pop?
Want to?
Sure. I like it.
Why did we always live in California?
I was born there, got married there...
...just went right on living there.
Did Mother ever come to New York?
No. I was here by myself once for three days.
You still think of her, Tommy?
Sort of. Not all the time.
Just sometimes.
How old was I when she died, Pop?
You were four years old.
A long time.
You ever going to get married again?
Oh, maybe.
Want me to?
I don't care.
I like it fine this way...
...but Grandma says you're getting tougher...
...to have around the house.
She does, does she?
Any more complaints from Grandma?
She says you're too picky and choosy.
Where are we going?
To meet Grandma at Saks.
Hey, Pop, look at that.
What's he supposed to be doing?
That's Atlas carrying the world on his shoulders.
No kidding? That's what Grandma says you're doing.
She wishes you'd leave the world alone a while.
Yeah? Looks like I'll have to slug Grandma.
Hey, we're late. Grandma's going to slug us.
Come on.
I love waiting for people.
There's nothing like waiting for people who are always late.
We're late because I'm carrying the world on my shoulders.
It's heavy. You can't walk fast.
Put it down gently and pay for your son's shoes.
I'll thank you, Tommy, to keep your mouth shut.
I said he's getting tougher to have around the house.
How much are shoes in New York?
Better give her ten bucks.
Wish me luck, Ma. I'm going up to the magazine.
Good luck, Phil. I hope it's something you want and not far.
It'll be right here.
Otherwise, Minify wouldn't have gotten us the apartment.
Does Mr. Minify always tell you what to write?
Don't you ever think up what to write yourself?
Yeah, I think sometimes for myself.
I'm late. Have fun.
Boys' shoes?
Fourth floor.
Toy department, please?
Second floor.
Right in there.
Thank you.
Smith's Weekly, please.
Reception room. Sixth floor. Right in there.
Yes. I did have an appointment.
I'm sorry. I have no record of it.
I spoke with his secretary...
...and she said to come in this morning.
He'll be in himself in a half hour.
Yes, please?
I have an appointment with Mr. Minify.
-Name, please? -Schuyler Green.
Telegram for Mr. Pendleton.
Through the door, second office to the right.
Schuyler Green to see Mr. Minify.
Thank you.
Mr. Minify is expecting you.
-Mr. Herman will call for these. -Janet.
For Mr. Minify.
Follow me, please.
Thanks.
-Yes, please? -Miss Dettrey's expecting me.
Just a moment, please.
Mr. Green.
Mr. Minify's on the long distance.
He'll be through in a moment. Won't you sit down?
Have you seen the last issue?
PHI L: No. Thank you.
Mr. Green out there yet?
Yes. Mr. Green is here.
Good. I'll be right out.
Come in. Glad you're here, Green.
This is all right now. Get it off airmail special.
-Glad to see you. Come on in. -Thanks.
Sit down.
Finding your way around?
Almost.
Mother and kid like New York?
Fine. They like the apartment, too.
Probably the last Manhattan apartment left.
Getting to know people here?
Not yet. I'm slow about that.
We'll fix that. How about tonight at my place?
Having a couple girls and some people.
Thanks. Some other time.
Nonsense. I won't ask again.
Here's the address.
Miss Miller, don't disturb me for anything.
Tell Mrs. Minify Mr. Green's coming to dinner.
Now get good and comfortable.
There. Because I'm going to talk to you...
...for about an hour.
Maybe two.
I've had an idea.
Go into the bar.
-I'd love a martini. -We'll get you one.
Jessie.
Schuyler Green I've been telling you about. My wife.
I know Mr. Green. I've read everything he ever wrote.
You never stop talking. Get him a drink.
What'll you have?
-A martini. -Good.
Kathy, this is Mr. Green.
My niece Miss Lacey and Bill Lacey.
You better clear things up.
Well, Kathy...
Kathy and Bill have been divorced a couple years.
Calls herself Miss Lacey and confuses everybody.
All very friendly, very civilized, and very dumb.
Likes your stuff, though.
Please sit down, Mr. Green.
Bill, get me a drink?
-Same as before all right? -Just right.
I haven't read everything you've written...
...but what I have has been...
What do people call a guy whose name is Schuyler?
Phil.
Good. I don't have to say Green all the time.
Two hardy last names, and Schuyler is impossible.
-That bad? -I wouldn't call a dog Schuyler.
John.
It was my mother's name.
My middle one.
I started signing my stuff Schuyler Green...
...on the college paper at Stanford.
It sounded better to me, I guess, than Philip.
Like Somerset Maugham instead of William...
...Sinclair Lewis instead of Harry.
Somerset, Sinclair, Schuyler... all Ss.
Maybe that means something.
Yes.
Do you mind telling people what you're writing now?
No, not at all.
Well, I'm not writing anything just now, but...
Let me tell her.
I've asked him to do a series on anti-Semitism.
Break it wide open. Been wanting to do it for some time.
Do I get a credit line?
You? For what?
Remember around Christmas of last year...
...thatJewish schoolteacher resigning? I was the one...
I knew somebody was after me, but I forgot who.
John, theJacksons are here.
I'm always stealing ideas without knowing it, Phil.
That's what keeps the magazine original.
Funny, your suggesting the series.
Is it? Why?
Oh, uh...
...lots of reasons.
You make up your mind too quickly about people.
Women, anyway.
I saw you do it when you sat down.
As apparent as all that?
You cross-filed and indexed me...
...a little too well bred, self-confident...
...artificial, a trifle absurd, typical New York.
No, I didn't have time for all that.
Yes, you did. I even left out a few...
...faintly irritating upper-class manner...
...overbright voice.
All right, all right, I give up.
You win.
I'm sorry. I couldn't resist it...
...because it's only partly true.
Is this your first trip east?
No, it's not my first trip.
Every other time I've been here...
...I've had a plane or railroad or boat ticket for tomorrow.
Are you going to stay?
I think so.
You're getting a pretty complete story on me.
Now it's your turn.
Well, you know I'm divorced.
I help run a nursery school.
I'm called Miss Lacey.
Do you want just anything?
Just anything.
Dinner.
Dinner?
No reading comics at the table, Tommy. Put it away.
Oh, let me finish. I'm right at the end.
No making mysteries at the table, either, Phil.
Mysteries?
You haven't even mentioned your assignment.
He wants me to do a series on anti-Semitism.
You don't sound very enthusiastic.
I'm not.
Will he insist on your doing it?
Oh, no, he's not that kind of an editor.
Ma, what do you do to just eggs to make them taste this way?
Pray over them.
Have a good time last night?
Yeah.
You know, you need new people as much as you need new places.
I mean, everybody does, not just you.
It was a good bunch to start on.
There was a girl, Minify's niece...
...who suggested that series on anti-Semitism. Funny.
You don't say.
Why, women will be thinking next, hmm?
What's anti-Semitism?
-Hmm? -What's anti-Semitism?
Oh, that's where some people...
...don't like other people just because they're Jews.
Why? Are they bad?
Some are, sure. Some aren't. It's like everybody else.
What areJews, anyway? I mean, exactly.
You remember last week when you asked me about that big church?
I told you there were lots of different churches.
Yeah.
The people who go to that church are called Catholics.
There are people who go to other churches...
...and they're called Protestants.
There are others who go to still different ones...
...and they're called Jews...
...only they call their churches synagogues or temples.
And why don't some people like those?
Well, that's kind of a tough one to explain, Tom.
Some people hate Catholics and some hateJews.
And no one hates us 'cause we're Americans.
Ahem.
Well, no, no. That's, uh...
...that's another thing again.
You can be an American and a Catholic...
...or an American and a Protestant...
...or an American and a Jew.
Look, Tom, it's like this.
One thing's your country, see? Like America...
...or France or Germany or Russia, all the countries.
The flag, the uniform, the language is different.
And the airplanes are marked different?
Differently, that's right.
But the other thing is religion...
...like theJewish, Catholic, or Protestant religions.
That hasn't anything to do...
...with the flag, uniform, or airplanes. Got it?
-Yep. -Don't get mixed up.
I got it.
Some people are mixed up.
Why?
It's 8:30. You'd better get going.
Yeah, yeah, you'll be late.
Finish your milk.
Thanks, Grandma. Bye.
Whew.
That's all right, Phil. You're always good with him.
That kid's going to wreck me yet.
Did you and Dad have to go through this stuff with me?
Of course we did.
Are you very disappointed, Phil?
Yes. I was almost sure...
...he'd hand me the Stassen story or Washington.
I wasn't looking for an easy one, Ma...
...but I wanted something I could make good on.
I'd so like the first one to be a natural...
...something I know they'd read.
You mean there's enough anti-Semitism in real life...
...without people reading it?
No, but this one's doomed before I start.
What could I possibly say that hasn't been said before?
I don't know.
Maybe it hasn't been said well enough.
If it had, you wouldn't have had to explain it to Tommy...
...or your father and I to you.
It would be nice sometime not to have to explain it...
...to someone like Tommy.
Kids are so decent to start with.
Home for lunch?
No.
Think I'll take a walk.
You're quite a girl, Ma.
You seem surprised. Why?
I didn't think you were going to do it.
You have a bad poker face.
I saw you were disappointed in the assignment...
...the minute I mentioned it.
What changed your mind?
Oh, a couple of things.
I may put my niece under contract...
...inspiration department.
No, it wasn't that.
It was my kid.
I had to explain it to him. It was tough.
It's really each house, each family that decides it.
I want to do it...very much.
I couldn't be more pleased.
I'll need some facts from your research department.
What?
I'll have to get facts from your research people.
I've got eighteen hacks on this magazine...
...who can do this series with their hands full of facts.
I don't need you for that.
What do you think I brought you here for?
Use your head. Go right to the source.
I want some angle, some compelling lead...
...some dramatic device to humanize it so it gets read.
You don't want much. You just want the moon.
With parsley. Suggestion...
...there's a bigger thing to do than the crackpot story.
It's been done plenty.
It's the wider spread I want...
...the people that would never go near an anti-Semitic meeting...
...or send a dime to Gerald L.K. Smith.
All right...
...I'll knock it around.
Give my best to the research department.
So long.
You don't happen to want my niece's phone number?
Regent 7-0493.
We're having dinner together.
I always like to go right to the source.
Fresh coffee, sir?
Oh, thank you.
You're a very flattering listener.
Well, I've been interested.
No, it's more than that.
Your face takes sides...
...as if you were voting for and against.
When I told you about my longing for a nice home...
...you looked happy.
When I told you about UncleJohn...
...offering to send me to Vassar, you looked bleak.
How did your parents take it...
...about Mr. Minify giving you an allowance...
...and pretty clothes and all the rest?
They said they wanted Jane, my sister, and me...
...to have the things that would make us happy.
And did they?
Yes, I think so.
I quit being envious...
...and...snobbish.
I felt right and easy.
Now you're looking all dubious again.
Oh, please, don't think I'm just sitting here...
...approving and disapproving.
It's not that.
It's just that...
...Well, I...
We've certainly covered a lot of ground.
Are you engaged to anybody now...
...or in love or anything?
Not especially.
Are you?
Not anything.
Dance?
Oh, by the way...
...what was the point of your ex-husband...
...being asked up to the Minifys' when you were there?
They trying to bring you together?
Could be. AuntJessie does it every once in a while.
Did you ask me to dance?
Oh, Phil, Miss Lacey.
OK.
He'll be right here.
He's still at it.
Hi. How's the big outside world?
Still there? Everybody having fun?
No, no, I'm fine.
Just wish I were dead, that's all.
Oh, thanks, Kathy. I'm in my stubborn streak now.
If it won't budge, I won't.
That's great. At the rate it's going now...
...do you think you'd like me with white hair?
I'd think you'd look dandy with white hair.
I'll be right here, still trying.
If you don't call, I'd keep wondering why you don't.
It works out as an interruption either way.
I'm a working girl myself.
How many interruptions a day do you want?
I'll thank you to call me five or six times a day.
It's your fault I'm in this jam, anyway.
OK. Bye.
Why don't you take some time off, Phil?
You've been at it day and night for a week.
You know me.
When I'm like this, I wouldn't be fun for anybody.
I'm certainly no fun for myself.
No ideas at all yet?
Sure, plenty of ideas, but they all explode in my face.
They just don't stand up.
The right one causes a click inside you.
It hasn't happened yet.
Doesn't look like it's going to, either.
I'm bored with the whole thing...
...bored with myself, as a matter of fact.
Do you think I'm losing my grip?
You know, writers do. Maybe it's my turn.
Better not. You couldn't make a nickel at anything else.
Thanks. You can go now. That's a big help.
Bring those things in with you, will you?
Isn't it always tough at the start, Phil?
Never like this.
Never. I've tried everything...
...anti-Semitism in business, labor, professions.
It's all there, but I can't make it give.
I've tried everything, separately and together.
When I think I'm getting onto something good...
...I go a little deeper, and it turns into the same old drool...
of statistics and protest.
It's like beating your head against a concrete wall.
Gee, I wish Dave were here.
Dave Goldman?
He'd be the guy to talk it over with, wouldn't he?
Yes, he would. Still overseas?
Yeah. Looks like he's stuck there, too.
He'd be just the one, though.
Hey, maybe that's a new tack.
So far, I've been digging into facts and evidence.
I've sort of ignored feelings.
How must a fellow like Dave feel about this thing?
That's good, Phil.
Over and above what we feel about it...
...what must a Jew feel about this thing?
Dave. Can I think my way into Dave's mind?
He's the fellow I'd be if I were a Jew.
We grew up together. We were the gang.
We did everything together.
Whatever Dave feels now...
...indifference, outrage, contempt...
...would be the feelings of Dave not only as a Jew...
...but the way I feel as a man, as an American, as a citizen.
Is that right, Ma?
Write him a letter.
Maybe I've broken this logjam.
Put it down like you said to me.
Now, what do I say?
What do I say?
''Dear Dave, give me the lowdown on your guts...
...''when you hear about Rankin calling people kikes.
''How do you feel when Jewish kids...
...''get their teeth kicked out byJew-haters?''
Could you write that kind of a letter, Ma?
That's no good, all of it.
It wouldn't be any good if I could write it.
There's no way to tear open the secret heart of another.
Yes, I guess you're right, but there must be some way.
There must!
Hey, don't you get started.
I don't want to depress the whole family.
You look tired. Go to bed.
One good thing came out of this, anyway...
...reminded me I owe Dave a letter. I'll write him anyway.
And I'd like more sympathy...
...now that you see how tough it is.
Sympathy? No.
I think it's worth it, if that's any consolation.
Oh, it's mighty small, Ma...
...but I'm in no position to dicker.
Good night, baby.
Ohh.
Uhh.
Tommy?
Ohh!
-Aah! -Ma!
Is it your heart? Does it seem like your heart?
Wait.
You all right? Seem any easier?
Passing.
Well, I'll get a doctor.
-I'll phone Kathy. -No.
-She'll know the right one. -Wait.
I never realized pain could be so...sharp.
You let me phone Kathy.
She'll know a heart man.
What time is it?
Oh, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.
Come on.
Come back and hold my hand.
Sure, sure.
Will she die, Pop? Will she?
Well, she'll die someday, Tom...
...just like you or me or anybody.
The doctor said she might be fine for years if she's careful.
Your grandma's not young, Tom.
All that packing and unpacking tired her out too much.
I'll bet we can run this place between us.
Sure.
Say, what are we going...
It's scary, Tom, I know.
I was scared last night myself, plenty.
But we'll take good care of her.
She might be fine till you're grown up.
-That's the doctor.
Will you make your breakfast and go to school?
-Sure. -We'll do fine. Get going.
I told your mother the truth.
People with hearts outlive everyone else if they take care.
This may be what we call false angina...
...instead of the true angina.
You keep her in bed for a few days...
...and then we'll get her to the office and really see.
No use getting too technical until we really know.
Doctor, are you sure?
I never minimize at a time like this.
I don't frighten, but I don't minimize.
Right now, it's nothing to worry about.
Phil.
Go ahead. I know the way out.
I'll keep dropping in for the next few days.
Thank you.
Everything OK?
No need to look like Hamlet. I feel wonderful.
Well, don't crowd things. You feel like talking?
Ever know me when I didn't, except last night?
Now I really believe the doctor for the first time.
Good. So do I.
-Tommy get off all right? -Sure.
Fixed his own breakfast. Did a good job, too.
I'll be up tomorrow.
-No, you won't. -Yes, I will.
No, you won't.
-Get any sleep? -Sure.
Eyes like poached eggs.
Get some sleep today. Don't try to work, please.
Well, you don't need to worry about that.
I've decided. I'm going to phone Minify.
There's a certain virtue in knowing when you're licked.
Well, I'm licked. I might as well accept it.
I decided last night.
When?
When I was sitting here waiting for the doctor.
Why?
Well, I was scared, Ma...
...just like I used to be...
...when I'd get to wondering what I'd do...
...if anything ever happened to you.
I was a kid again, and my ma was sick.
Now, Phil.
I wanted to ask you, is it awful? Are you afraid?
But there are some questions nobody can ask...
...and they can't be answered.
I'll know the answer to those two...
...only when I feel it myself... when I'm lying there.
And that's the way it is with the series.
I can't really write it.
You did get the answers before.
Every article you wrote, the right answers got in.
Yeah, but I didn't ask for them.
When I wanted to find out about a scared guy in a jalopy...
...I didn't stand out on Route Sixty-six...
...and ask a lot of questions.
I bought some old clothes and a broken-down car...
...and took Route Sixty-six myself.
I lived in their camps, ate what they ate.
I found the answers in my own guts...
...not somebody else's.
I didn't say, ''What does it feel like to be an Okie?''
I was an Okie. That's the difference, Ma.
On the coal mine series...
...I didn't sit in my bedroom and do research.
I didn't tap some poor guy on the shoulder and make him talk.
I got myself a job. I went in the dark.
I slept in a shack.
I didn't try to dig into a miner's heart.
I was a miner.
Ma...maybe.
Hey, maybe.
I got it!
The lead, the idea, the angle. This is the way.
I'll...I'll be Jewish.
I'll...Well, all I got to do is say it.
Nobody knows me around here. I can just say it.
I can live it myself for six weeks, eight weeks, nine months.
Ma, it's right this time.
It must be. It always is when you're this sure.
Listen, I even got the title...
''I Was Jewish For Six Months.''
It's right, Phil.
Ma...this is it.
That click just happened inside of me.
Well, it won't be the same, sure, but it ought to be close.
I can just tell them I am and see what happens.
It'll work. It'll work fine, Phil.
Dark hair, dark eyes. Sure, so has Dave.
So have a lot of guys who aren'tJewish.
No accent, no mannerisms. Neither has Dave.
Name... Phil Green. Skip the Schuyler.
Might be anything...Phil Green.
Ma, it's a cinch.
Oh, Phil, this is the best medicine I could have had.
Will you keep my secret?
It has to be without exceptions if it works at all.
If you're Jewish, I am, too.
Take it easy. I got to phone right away.
Why don't you have Kathy come over here?
How did you know I wasn't going to phone Minify?
Dope. Nobody phones a magazine editor...
...with that look on his face.
Oh, Phil, it's nice. It's attractive.
Well, it's not done yet. Those packages are pictures.
The last of our books just came.
You have a fireplace. Mine's only fake.
How's your mother? The doctor said she'd be fine.
Oh, she's all right.
What's the angle? Tell me fast.
Just a minute. I want to check up on Ma.
Good. Give her my love.
She's sleeping like a baby.
Good. Don't worry about her.
-Let's have a drink. -No, thanks.
-Just some sherry. -All right.
You're still not telling me.
Funny. I thought I'd spill it out the minute you got here.
-You sounded so excited. -I am.
It must be really something.
There will be stumbling blocks, but I don't care.
I'll lick...lick them when I get to them.
Kathy.
Phil.
Phil, wait, now.
You go over there and let me sit here for a minute.
What is it, Kathy?
Nothing.
I was just thinking.
Marriage can be such a good way to live, Kathy.
All these years I've kept hoping.
I've kept hoping, too...
...but when you've made a mistake once, you're afraid.
You're not afraid now.
No, Phil.
Darling.
What are you smiling at?
-Nothing. -Come on, no secrets.
I was just thinking.
I was playing that game. All women do it...
...trying out the name.
Say it out loud.
Mrs. Schuyler Green.
Well, how does it sound?
It sounds just fine.
How does it look on me?
I like it.
Kathy...y...you're not sorry about...Tom?
Oh, Phil, I'm glad.
It's almost as if my marriage hadn't been wasted...
...as if I'd had a son growing up for me.
I knew you'd get it...
...but can you get away with it?
Yeah, sure, if you and Kathy and Mrs. Minify...
...won't give me away. I haven't told Kathy yet.
When do you start?
Why not now?
I'll get you an office and a secretary...
...but wouldn't the secretary have to know?
Why? Supposing I were reallyJewish?
What difference would it make to her or anybody?
You're right, Phil. I'm excited about this.
-They'll read this. -Mr. Weisman is waiting.
Yes. What about lunch? Chance to meet the whole staff.
Irving Weisman is lunching with us.
-He's the big industrialist? -Yes. Come on.
He's a colorful fellow.
Old friend of mine. I know you'll like him.
Picture of the Empire State Building.
It was over a year.
Over to the left.
Sorry we're late, Irving.
Mr. Phil Green, Mr. Irving Weisman.
Mr. Weisman.
Lew Jordan, personnel manager.
Joe Tingler, demon photographer. Bill Payson, art editor.
Bert McAnny, the best layout man this side of the Mexican border.
And last is a kind of dessert...
...Anne Dettrey, our fashion editor...
...clever, beautiful, and dangerous.
Eats men alive. Sit down beside her.
I thought it was Schuyler Green.
That's my writing name.
Mr. Green is doing a series on anti-Semitism.
Really? Again?
Not again. For the first time.
We're going to split it wide open.
As an old friend, this is a very bad idea,John...
...the most harmful thing you could possibly do now.
Not at all. Why is it a harmful idea?
It'll only stir it up more. Let it alone.
We'll handle it our own way.
The hush-hush way?
Call it what you like. Let it alone.
You can't write it out of existence.
We've been fighting it for years.
We know from experience...
...the less talk there is, the better.
Sure. Pretend it doesn't exist...
...add to the conspiracy of silence.
I should say not.
Keep silent and let Bilbo...
...and Gerald L.K. Smith do all the talking?
No, sir.
Irving...you and your...
...let's-be-quiet-about-it committees have gotten no place.
We'll call a spade a dirty spade.
I think it's high time and a fine idea.
So do I. I couldn't agree more.
You sound pretty hot about it.
I feel hot about it...
...and it hasn't anything to do with being Jewish myself.
Right office?
Mr. Green? This is your office.
I'm your secretary Elaine Wales.
How do you do?
Mind if we get right to work?
Not at all.
You know about my series?
Yes, sir.
Good. I want to start a file.
Write form letters to clubs, resorts...
...interviews for jobs, apartments...
...applications for medical schools, and so forth.
I have a list somewhere.
Yes, sir.
Write the letters on blank stationery.
Send two to each address...
...one signed Schuyler Green, the other Philip Greenberg.
See what I mean?
Yes, sir.
Have the replies sent to my home address.
Yes, sir.
Of course, it will be yes to the Greens...
...and no to the Greenbergs.
Sure, but I want it for the record.
If your name was Saul Green or Irving...
...you wouldn't have to go to all this bother.
I changed mine. Did you?
Green's always been my name. What's yours?
Estelle Walovsky, and I just couldn't take it...
...about applications, I mean...
...so one day I wrote the same firm two letters...
...same as you're doing now.
I sent the Elaine Wales one...
...after they'd said there were no openings.
I got the job, all right.
Do you know what firm that was?
Smith's Weekly.
No.
Ha ha. Yes, Mr. Green.
The great liberal magazine...
...that fights injustice on all sides.
It slays me. I love it.
Mr. Minify know about that?
He can't be bothered thinking about small fry.
That's Mr.Jordan's department... hiring and firing.
But if anybody snitched...
...you know there'd be some excuse for throwing them out.
So I thought maybe you had changed yours sometime...
...I mean, when I heard you wereJewish.
You heard it?
Why, sure.
Is this the list?
Yeah.
When?
When you finished luncheon...
...and went back to Mr. Minify's office...
...it kind of...got around.
She'll be fit as a fiddle day after tomorrow.
I'd like her to see a good internist.
Good idea. I'll make an appointment.
I always use Mason Van Dyck or James Kent.
One of the editors recommended someone...
...Doctor, uh...Dr. Abrahams.
Abrahams?
Yes,J.E. Abrahams, Mount Sinai Hospital...
...Beth Israel, or both.
Yes, yes, of course.
If you decide to use Van Dyck or Kent, I'll arrange it.
Why? Isn't this Abrahams any good?
No, nothing like that. Good man, completely reliable.
Not given to overcharging and stringing visits out...
...the way some do.
Do you mean the way some doctors do...
...or do you mean the way some Jewish doctors do?
I suppose you're right.
Some of us do it, too, not just the chosen people.
If Abrahams doesn't impress me, I'll try Van Dyck or Kent.
I've no special loyalty to Jewish doctors...
...simply because I'm Jewish.
No, of course not.
A good man's a good man.
I don't believe in prejudice.
I see.
Well, uh...
...good evening.
-Evening, Mr. Green. -Evening, Mr. Olsen.
Say, Mr. Green...
...why don't you fill out one of them cards at the post office...
...or tell the mailman?
What's the matter with this way?
It's the rules.
Leave that alone.
It's nothing I can help, Mr. Green. It's the rules.
The renting agent should have explained...
...that is...excuse me...if you are.
Excuse me, nothing.
This is my place for two years, and don't touch that card.
You don't mean we're going to have dinner here?
I do, indeed.
-So we can talk. -Talk?
You sit there.
I'm not going to let you get going on another thing.
You don't get dinner until you tell me the angle.
I've been trying to guess all day long.
-Have you? -Yes.
I kept thinking...
...''Suppose I were he, and I needed an angle?''
What would you do?
Well, I got just no place.
Some of your ideas were excellent...
...but you threw them out.
You'll see why as soon as I tell you.
Phil, tell me.
All right. Here it is.
I'm going to let everybody know that I'm Jewish, that's all.
Jewish?
But you're not, are you?
Not that it would make any difference to me...
...but you said...
...''I'll let everybody know,'' as if you hadn't before.
So I just wondered.
Not that it would matter to me.
Phil, you're annoyed.
I was just thinking.
Well, don't be so serious about it.
You must know where I stand.
Oh, I do.
It's just that you caught me off guard...
...not knowing too much about you...
...because you make me talk about myself...
...so for a minute, I wasn't very bright.
Well, anyway, you don't think much of my angle?
Oh, I do.
-It's... -What?
It's just that I...
...I think it'll mix everybody up. People won't know what you are.
Of course, after this series is finished, they'll know...
...but even so, it'll keep cropping up.
All right.
Let it.
I must be out of my head.
''Let it'' is right. Who cares?
I was just being too practical about things.
That's what comes from being a schoolteacher.
Now tell me more.
Well, to begin with...
...you and the Minifys have to promise not to give me away.
No exceptions for anything, OK?
OK.
Won't the people at Smith's talk?
They don't know, only Minify.
They think you're Jewish?
I don't think you understand.
If this is going to work, we have to go whole hog.
It's got to go right through everything.
Of course.
I hadn't really seen it before.
I didn't mean to be so sharp.
I'm sorry.
Dinner?
Fine.
You sit there. I'm doing the serving myself.
More coffee?
Only take a minute to heat it.
No, thanks.
Well, I think I'd better be getting along.
So soon?
I should look in at Ma before she gets to sleep.
Of course.
You have to get to the school pretty early, don't you?
Yes.
I had a pretty full day at the magazine, too.
Yes.
That was a mighty fine dinner.
I'm glad you liked it.
My car's downstairs. Let me run you home.
No, thanks.
I think I'll walk.
It's a lovely night.
Yes, it is.
It's lovely.
I'd better be getting off.
Oh, don't bother. I know where my hat is.
Oh, it's no bother.
I'll call you sometime tomorrow.
All right.
Good night.
Good night, Phil.
Mary said to come right over.
She's cooked a big dinner, so there's plenty...
I forgot something.
-Darling! -Kathy.
I'm so glad you came back.
It's my fault. I'm always weighing and judging.
I'm such a solemn fool.
I should have said the angle was fine right away. It is.
I don't know what happened. I felt insulted.
If I were Jewish, that's the way I would have felt...
...and I couldn't let you off.
All through dinner, I tried to tell you I was sorry...
...and I couldn't.
I don't know what happened to me when you told me...
...except the whole beautiful evening was spoiled.
I wanted you to come back.
Darling.
But, Mr. Minify, I never make it a policy just to hire.
It's a question of personality.
If a girl's personality is the type that fits in...
It's just by chance, you mean...
...that we haven't one secretary named Finkelstein or Cohen?
In the city of New York?
Come off it,Jordan.
Miss Miller, take a help wanted ad.
Expert secretary for editorial department...
...national magazine.
Exacting work, good pay.
Religion is a matter of indifference to this office.
-Got that? -Yes, Mr. Minify.
In any ad you run, use that last line.
That's all. Good afternoon,Jordan.
By the way, if you should fire Miss Wales...
...for any reason whatever at any time...
...remember, I'd like to review the case myself first.
Good afternoon, Mr. Minify.
I'm ashamed of myself and this magazine, too.
The sloppy notion that everybody's doing bigger things.
There isn't anything bigger...
...than beating down the complacency about prejudice.
Yes, I'm ashamed of myself.
Go on back to work.
I've given a clear picture of my qualifications...
...and I would very much appreciate...
...your immediate consideration and reply.
Sincerely yours.
Better ask for an immediate reply on all of them.
Don't bother today. It's too late.
Tomorrow will be all right.
When will you start dictating the series?
I'd like to get the decks cleared.
I'll type it myself to start with.
I'm not much good on dictating copy.
That'll be all, Miss Wales.
You'd better get along home.
All right.
Mr. Green, is it true about Mr.Jordan?
Is what true about Mr.Jordan?
Well, he's telling everybody about Mr. Minify's ad.
He thinks it's a wonderful thing...he says.
He does, huh?
Is it true that the ad says right out..
Right straight out, Miss Wales.
It's going to be in all the papers tomorrow.
Practically inviting any type at all to apply?
Any type? What do you mean?
Mr. Green, you don't want things changed around here, do you?
Even though you are a writer, and it's different for writers.
How?
Get one wrong one in here, and it'll come out of us.
It's no fun being the fall guy for the kikey ones.
Now, look, Miss Wales...
...we've got to be frank with each other.
You have a right to know right now...
...that words like yid and kike and kikey...
...and nigger and coon make me sick no matter who says them.
I only said it for a type.
Yeah, but we're talking about a word first.
But, Mr. Green, that doesn't mean a thing.
Sometimes I even say it about me.
Like if I'm about to do something I know I shouldn't...
...I say, ''Don't be such a little kike.''
That's all.
But let one objectionable one...
What do you mean by objectionable?
Loud and too much rouge...
They don't hire any loud, vulgar girls.
Why should they start?
It's not only that.
Mr. Green, you're sort of heckling me.
You know the sort that starts trouble in a place like this...
...and the sort that doesn't, like you or me...
...so why pin me down?
You mean because we don't look especially Jewish...
...because we're OK Jews...
...with us it can be kept comfortable and quiet?
I didn't say...
Miss Wales, I hate anti-Semitism...
...and I hate it from you or anybody who's Jewish...
...as much as I hate it from Gentiles.
Me? Why, Mr. Green!
See you tomorrow, Miss Wales.
Good night.
-Why don't you go home? -I'm slowly going crazy.
Hi there!
Hello, Miss Dettrey.
How can you leave with such energy and vitality...
...at the end of the day? I'm bushed.
Getting the book to bed gets worse every issue.
I didn't know you called it the book around here.
We do. We're sophisticated New Yorkers, Mr. Green.
Do you happen to be thirsty?
I do, and I want to hear your life story.
I think this can be arranged, if you play your cards right.
You know a nice bar?
This couldn't happen to a nicer girl.
And that's how I got to be fashion editor.
Hello,Jim. How are you?
Don't look now. I think we've got visitors.
Just when I was getting to the tender part, too.
Mind if I sit with you charming people?
No. Sit down, Bert.
-Only got a minute. May I? -Certainly.
You were having such fun, I couldn't resist.
We just love to spread merriment.
Our hearts are God's garden... just occasional weeds.
Another issue gone to press.
I don't see how we do it.
We're just brilliant, Bert.
Every morning, I ask my mirror who's the most brilliant of all.
What does it say?
That mirror ain't no gentleman.
Well, Green, how's the series coming?
I'm still just getting stuff together.
When I was stationed at Guam, our C.O. talked to us about it.
Quite a liberal.
You were in public relations, weren't you?
What makes you say that?
I don't know.
You just seem like a... clever sort of a guy.
What makes you think I wasn't a G.I.?
Huh?
Now, for goodness' sake, Green, don't get me wrong.
Why, some of my best friends...
And some of your other best friends...
...are Methodist, but you never say it.
Now, look, Anne.
Skip it.
Flag a waiter, Phil, and be a dear?
Well, if you'll excuse me, I've got to run.
I'll be seeing you.
Little drip.
''Now, for goodness' sake, Green...
...''don't get me wrong.''
Really believes it, too.
Disapproves of the poll tax and Bilbo.
Comes right out and says so, brave as anything.
He's just a drip, let's face it.
That imitation was wonderful.
Got a million of'em. We're back to laughs, anyway.
I'm having people up tomorrow night.
What about pressing your black tie and coming up?
Sure. Like it fine. Can I bring my girl?
Of course.
What'll you have, sir?
-More of the same. -Thank you.
Wait here, will you? I'll be right back.
Surprise.
That's what I call timing.
I saw your cab drive up. I just couldn't wait.
Oh, brother.
Oh, it's nothing.
Little lady whips 'em up for me.
Been with the family for generations.
Look at you.
First time I've seen you in dinner clothes.
Good enough to eat with a spoon.
Come on, dear, let's go.
I told Ma about us.
Was she pleased?
She was delighted.
She got very emotional... for Ma, anyway.
She broke one of her best dishes and blamed it on Tommy.
I called my sisterJane and blurted it out...
...and she squealed, ''Kathy!''
as if she'd given up all hope anyone would ask me again.
She's aching to meet you.
They're giving a big party for us next Saturday.
Won't we have to letJane in on it?
I hadn't thought.
I hadn't, either, but won't we? Your mother knows.
She had to, but Jane and her husband don't.
If you want to keep a secret...
...But wouldn't it be sort of exaggerated with my own sister?
Your sister-in-law, almost.
I do think it would be inflexible of you.
I suppose it would, inside the family.
They won't tell anybody else, will they?
They'd never breathe it.
They want to fight this awful thing as much as you and I do.
Darling, I'm going to be the proudest girl on the block.
I don't have to kiss you in public.
I've got a nice dark taxi outside.
What are we waiting for?
Come on.
Don't just stand there.
She's awfully attractive, isn't she?
She looks really beautiful.
She certainly does, and she likes you a lot.
I'll scratch her eyes out if she makes a play for you.
That's the way to talk.
Flash...You haven't got a thing to worry about.
-Hello, Anne. -Hello, Anne.
Can I get you something? Food, drink...
...some certified checks, spending money, an emerald?
It's a lovely party, Anne.
It'll be better when it thins out.
I think I can get Sasha to play and Ethel to sing.
Stick around.
Professor Lieberman just came in.
Would you two like to meet him?
I should say so.
What does one say to a world-renowned physicist?
Just ''Hello, toots.''
Come on. He's a wonderful guy.
I'm not happy till I'm out in my boat.
I bought a new one.
You ought to join me. You look tired and drawn.
Say when.
Two people want to meet you, but are scared.
They'll introduce themselves.
That will make them open their mouths, anyway.
You're on your own, kids.
Fine friend.
Come on, Fred. I want them to be alone.
This is my fiancée Kathy Lacey.
I'm Phil Green.
John Minify has been wanting to get us together.
Yes, yes.
Yes, he told me he did.
I'm doing a series for him on anti-Semitism.
For or against?
Well, he thought we might hash over some ideas.
What sort of ideas?
Palestine, for instance. Zionism.
Which? Palestine as a refuge...
...or Zionism as a movement for a Jewish state?
The confusion between the two, more than anything.
If we agree there's confusion, we can talk.
We scientists love confusion...
...but right now, I'm starting on a new crusade of my own.
I have no religion, so I'm notJewish by religion.
Further, I'm a scientist, so I must rely on science...
...which shows me I'm notJewish by race...
...since there's no such thing as a distinctJewish race.
There's not even a Jewish type.
Well, my crusade will have a certain charm.
I will simply go forth and state I'm not a Jew.
With my face, that becomes not an evasion...
...but a new principle...
...a scientific principle.
-For a scientific age. -Precisely.
There must be millions of people nowadays...
...who are religious only in the vaguest sense.
I've often wondered why theJewish ones among them...
...still go on calling themselves Jews.
Can you guess why, Mr. Green?
No, but I'd like to know.
Because the world still makes it an advantage not to be one.
Thus, for many of us, it becomes a matter of pride...
...to go on calling ourselves Jews.
So you see, I will have to abandon my crusade...
...before it begins.
Only if there were no anti-Semites...
...could I go on with it.
And now I would like to try...
...another little scientific experiment.
I wonder if you would leave me alone...
...with your very beautiful fiancée...
...while you went and got me a plate of food?
Well...
...In the interest of science.
Anything for science, Professor.
I'm John Minify's niece Kathy Lacey.
And a little onion.
There. Now go play with that, Fred.
Thank you.
This is not my third trip. It's for Professor Lieberman.
Who's counting? Shall I fix him some caviar?
It's all deductible from my income tax, dear.
I have to give parties to see what the women are wearing.
You old crook.
-Young crook. -OK.
How do you like my girl?
She's lovely.
Is it serious or just the first careless rapture?
Serious. We're going to be married any minute.
Congratulations, you willful, headstrong fellow, you.
When did all this happen?
First time we looked at each other...
...third day I came to New York.
Tall buildings, subways, and traffic didn't scare you?
Not a bit. I brushed the straw out of my hair...
...and fell in love with a city girl.
You could crawl right into The Saturday Evening Post.
Have you met her family yet?
Not yet. You know them?
Slightly. You going to meet them soon?
Next week, I think. Why?
Oh, I'd just like the newsreel rights.
Well, what do you mean? What's the matter with them?
Nothing. I think it's a fine idea to meet the family first.
It saves wear and tear afterwards.
Nice party.
It's even nicer here.
I've been thinking, maybe it would be better...
...if you didn't tell your sister after all, huh?
Not tell her? Why?
Well, the whole business...
...depends on my not making loopholes...
...whenever it's convenient.
I've already told her.
You did? When?
Tonight. I called her from Anne's.
Jane made me promise to say when you'd be free for Saturday.
It takes time to make arrangements for a big party.
What did she say when you told her?
She thought it was the cleverest way to research.
You'll love her...and Harry, too. They're grand people.
But she promised?
I wouldn't tell her until she had...and Harry.
She just asked that you skip the whole thing for the party.
She didn't mean deny it, just don't bring it up.
-You said no. -What?
You said, ''No, he won't skip the whole thing for the party.''
No, I didn't. I said I'd ask you.
I'd never say yes without asking you.
You mean you think I should?
Oh, darling...
...why do you always lose your sense of proportion...
...whenever the subject comes up?
That was what was so wonderful about Professor Lieberman.
He feels the problem deeply...
...yet he did have a sense of humor about it.
You know those suburban groups...
...Connecticut, Darien...up there.
It would just start a whole mess forJane and Harry for nothing.
And if it were a mess for something?
But, Phil, you're notJewish.
It'd ruin the party forJane if she had problems with it.
Why can't I make you see that? I know I promised.
No exceptions.
And you were being reasonable to stretch it to Jane.
It just seems so silly...
...to start a thing for her when it's not true.
Why not tell Jane just to call off the party?
It would seem queer...
...her only sister getting married, and if you were, I'd manage.
Thanks.
I'm not asking you to make loopholes where it counts...
...at the office, meeting people, like at Anne's tonight...
...but to go to Connecticut to a party...
...And if we were to use my house...
...Besides,Jane and Harry...
I thought they were grand.
They are, but some of their friends...
...And it would just make...
A thing, a mess, an inconvenience.
It would.
For Jane and Harry, or for you, too?
I'd be so tensed up, I wouldn't have any fun.
If everything's going to be so tensed up and solemn, I...
I think I'd better go now.
Wake him up no matter what he says.
Tell him to hurry.
Don't worry. I'll get him.
Pop.
Pop, get up. It's for you.
Grandma said to wake you.
Oh.
Hello. It's for you.
What for?
Telephone.
OK.
Get up!
It's late, isn't it?
Mm-hmm.
Here's your bathrobe.
I don't want it.
I said put it on.
Hey, Pop, here are your slippers.
Finally roused him.
Hello.
Da...
...Dave! Where are you? When did you get in?
It's Dave!
This is wonderful. Where are you?
La Guardia.Just now.
I had a break and got assigned to a plane with my C.O.
I haven't had breakfast. Get it?
Well, grab yourself a cab and get right over here.
OK. Hey, Ma.
Can you summon up some hotcakes?
We used to eat a stack apiece in the old days.
The old magic still works.
Can I have some, too?
How many breakfasts can you eat in one day?
I never have any fun.
You're going to be late for school.
I know when school starts. Besides, I don't like fruit.
You like bananas, don't you?
Oh, well, bananas are different.
-Say, Pop! -Huh?
Are we Jewish?
Jimmy Kelly said we were. Our janitor told his janitor.
Well, what did you say to Jimmy Kelly?
I told him I'd ask you.
You remember that movie that Kathy and I took you to?
Sure.
And how you asked if things like that really happened?
Kathy said they were pretending.
I'm pretending I'm Jewish for the stuff I'm writing.
You mean like a movie or a game?
Yeah, something like that.
Promise not to tell anybody it's a game.
OK. Sure.
What'll you tell Jimmy, Tom?
I'll say I haven't any information.
Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
Maybe that's not such a good idea...
...to say you haven't any information.
Say you asked me, and I said I was partlyJewish, OK?
-OK. -OK.
But not tell him it's the movie part?
Have some more, Dave?
Doctor, Doctor, please, you're hitting a nerve.
Then I can go do my marketing.
I'll thank you two hulks to pile the dishes in the sink.
Oh, Dave, it's wonderful.
Do you really think you'll bring Carol and the kids east...
...and live in New York?
That's the plan.
I can be eastern representative of the firm...
...best break I ever had.
It depends if I can find a place to live.
I'm going to try to find a place big enough...
...for Carol and the kids.
We'll find you something if we have to dynamite.
Meantime, you'll stay here.
Tommy can sleep on the sofa.
Wait a minute...
No arguments. You're talking to a civilian.
You win. My C.O. had to move in...
...with an uncle he hasn't seen since WWI.
I'll help with the cooking.
Not while I'm conscious, you won't.
Good-bye, boys.
Don't settle all the problems today.
Save some for tomorrow.
Boy, I'm loaded.
You know, I used to dream about doing this, Phil.
What about this series you're doing?
I've talked about myself enough.
Come on. Give.
Oh, we'll get to it later.
What's eating you, Phil?
Who, me?
You expecting a call?
You keep looking out toward the phone every few minutes.
It's that obvious?
Oh, I...
...I had a scrap with my girl.
I guess I wanted her to be the one to phone.
That's another department.
I'm doing a series on anti-Semitism...
...with a special angle.
That's interesting.
Interesting? Don't you want a good, stiff series...
...in a big national magazine?
Me? Sure.
You sound bored.
Oh, I'm anything but.
It's just that...
...I'm on the sidelines of anti-Semitism.
It's your fight, brother.
OK, I get it.
I don't care about the Jews as Jews.
It's the whole thing, not the poor, poor Jews.
You know what I mean.
Don't force me to make with the big words.
Anyway, what's this special angle you've got?
Well, I've been doing it for a while.
I'm saying I'm Jewish, and it works.
Why, you fool.
You crazy fool!
And it's working?
It works. It works too well.
I've been having my nose rubbed in it...
...and I don't like the smell.
Yeah. I can guess.
You're not insulated yet, Phil.
It's new every time...
...so the impact must be quite a business on you.
You mean you get indifferent to it in time?
No, but you're concentrating...
...a lifetime thing into a few weeks.
You're making the thing happen every day.
The facts are no different, Phil.
It just telescopes it, makes it hurt more.
Hello?
No. Sorry.
Wrong number.
You want to talk about it?
No. It's just one of those things.
I'm probably wiser staying on my own.
After seven years alone, you lose the instinct for marriage.
Baloney.
You and Carol ever get off on tangents much?
Who doesn't?
Go on and call her, you big dope.
You're right, and she's wrong. So what?
She has to telephone you first?
Who makes such rules, the Supreme Court?
Go on and call her and stop licking your wounds.
Listen.
Meet me at the office between five-thirty and six.
I'll phone her. I'll get Anne Dettrey.
We'll have a big celebration.
Can you imagine me married again...
...you and Carol here, all of us together?
First I've got to imagine a roof over Carol's head.
I'm going to start looking right away.
How long do we have to wait?
I'll seat you as soon as it's ready.
Other people are getting in.
They had reservations, sir.
Who do you have to know to get a reservation?
Me, madam.
I'm expecting a call.
Call me when it comes.
-Your name? -Phil Green.
-Have you ever been to Paris? -Yes, I have.
Well, there's a lovely restaurant...
...on the Boulevard Montparnasse...
...and we had delicious pressed duck.
Anyone we know?
Know what I'm having, gentlemen?
More fun than you can shake a stick at.
Want me to get a stick just for a test?
No, thanks. None of those things work.
Once I let a smile be my umbrella.
I got awful wet.
Another time, I kept a stiff upper lip for about a week.
People thought I was having my face lifted.
Why is every man who seems attractive...
...either married or barred on a technicality?
Your timing is rotten, but your instincts are just great.
Here's to my instinct.
Pardon me.
Oh, pardon me.
You know, I don't like officers.
Well, neither do I.
I don't blame you.
What's your name, bud?
Dave. Dave Goldman. What's yours?
Never mind what my name is.
I told you I don't like officers.
I especially don't like them if they're yids.
Sorry, sir.
He's terrible when he gets all tanked up.
Sorry.
What's the matter with you, anyway?
Let's take a walk.
Come on. Sit down.
Take it easy, boy.
I'm terribly sorry this happened, sir.
He won't bother you again.
There's a call for you.
Telephone, Mr. Green...a lady.
Oh, thanks.
Come on, let's eat, Anne.
You have a call there for Mr. Green?
Yeah.
Hello, Kathy? Where are you?
I'm up at Jane's.
I came up to have it out with her.
I couldn't call you until I'd fixed everything up.
I was wonderful.
I said all the things you would have wanted.
You would have been proud.
Why can I make myself clear toJane and Harry...
...when it's you I want to be clear with?
Sometimes I'm such a solemn fool...
...I'm hard to get along with.
The party's tomorrow.
Will you take the three o'clock train?
And I'll be waiting for you at the station.
Darling, I can breathe again now that I've talked with you.
I can scarcely wait until tomorrow.
Good night, baby.
Oh, uh, Kathy...
...I love you, darling.
And I love you...more than ever.
Good-bye.
Welcome to Darien. How are you?
Oh, hurry, Harris. They're parched.
Your mother must be so proud of you.
Well, yes, I hope so.
You enjoying yourself, Phil?
Oh, having a fine time. Oh,Jane...
Does your mother just adore everything you write?
Not everything. No, not exactly.
Oh, she must.
Some people have all the luck.
Yes, he's kind of nice.
If I thought there were any more like that...
I'd go into the hills and catch him.
-Oh, you would? -Yes, I would.
My dear, he's divine. How long was he around loose?
Oh, about three days.
Mind if I steal Kathy?
Jane, you look beautiful.
So do you. It's a wonderful party.
It's going beautifully. I haven't seen the Bascoms.
Joe called and said he had that dreadful arthritis...
...and that they were sorry.
And where are the Howards and the Berlicks?
Are they coming later?
No. They all decided to go to Hot Springs at the last moment.
I'm in this just as deeply as Phil.
I feel just as strongly about it as he does.
-What do you mean? -You know what I mean.
Just a little careful screening?
Just the safe ones?
You're mad. You're getting hipped on this series, too.
Mr. Green, tell me...
...do you get your ideas first and then write...
...or do you write first and then get your ideas?
I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you mean.
Excuse me.
I'm going to have to spirit you away.
Will you excuse us?
Certainly. You make such a charming couple.
We wish you great happiness.
-Thank you. -We'll be right back.
Oh, no, no, no!
-Kathy? -Jane?
Kathy, wait a minute.
Where are you going?
We're going to disappear for a minute.
I want to show him the house before it gets dark.
We both need a breather.
Give us all a chance...
...to talk about Phil without whispering.
But he's won everybody. Has it been awful?
I'm coming back for more.
Good boy. Harry says this sort of thing...
...is a kind of mental bankruptcy...
...but we women love it, don't we, Kathy?
We certainly do. Come on, darling.
-See you later. -Good-bye.
I feel pretty much a fool over the fuss I kicked up.
Can't imagine whyJane asked if I'd lay off.
They all asked about the series, thought it was fine.
Not one lifted eyebrow in the bunch.
Hey, Miss Lacey, you're not even listening.
That's right.
I was thinking about you...
...how wonderful you are.
Darling, there it is.
Aren't you supposed to carry me across the threshold?
That's only if you refuse to marry me...
...in which case I take you and throw you in.
Well...
...it's lovely.
It has a...kind of quiet all its own.
Did you do it all yourself?
Every bit of it.
We can redo the nursery.
That was when Bill and I hoped we'd have a child.
Could be Tom's room.
Will he like the country, Phil?
Oh, he'll be crazy about it.
You and Bill live here long?
Bill and I have never lived here.
Never? Why not?
Well, it's hard to explain.
I love this house deeply...
...and I started to build it...
...when things began to go wrong between Bill and me.
And somehow it became...
...a symbol to me of many things.
Sometimes when you're troubled and hurt...
...you pour yourself into things that can't hurt back.
Can you understand that?
Oh, sure.
I've done it myself with work.
I poured all my hopes into this place...
...and when it was finished...
...I somehow knew that Bill and I were finished.
I knew I couldn't live here with someone I didn't really love.
It was always more than just a house to me, a place I owned.
It meant everything I hoped for...
...marriage, children, good life.
I knew I couldn't live here alone.
I knew that for sure.
You've never lived here at all?
No, never. No one has.
I stay at Jane's and come down and walk through the house...
...poke at the curtains, sit out here.
And for a long while, I hated it...
...really hated it.
But I could never let it go...
...and now I know why.
I was right not to settle for second best.
I was right to keep hoping, because it's all come true.
Darling...
...you and I are going to be so happy here.
This house and I...
...we were waiting for you.
I was always waiting for you, I think.
Coffee, coffee, coffee.
Anne, will you bring the cream and the mints?
-Mints? Where? -Right there.
Want your coffee black?
Fine.
Why don't you play that piece and make it a perfect evening?
She plays beautifully.
Keep on thinking I play beautifully.
Would you put the radio on?
These two act like an old married couple...
...two days before the wedding. It's indecent.
And depressing.
At least give a nervous flutter once in a while...
...or the bellboys won't make jokes to each other.
Is the honeymoon a secret?
We're going to the White...
Don't tell him where. He's nosy.
Liable to turn up at odd hours...
...pretending he's the house detective.
I'd love that.
I've always wanted to tell a house detective what for.
We're going to Flume Inn.
What? Flume Inn on your honeymoon?
You wouldn't. You're kidding.
No, we're not.
What's the matter with Flume Inn?
It's restricted, that's all.
Restricted?
I'm sorry. I didn't realize when I sent the wire.
That's all right, baby. It's not your fault.
So that's how it is. Restricted.
Are you sure, Anne? Have you been there recently?
No, and I'm sure.
They confirmed the reservation.
I'm not letting them off the hook.
We can open the cottage.
-You can always go somewhere.
Those snobs aren't worth it.
There must be something to do.
You can't pin them down, Phil.
They never say it straight out or put it in writing.
They'll worm out of it. They usually do.
Phil.
It's Tom. He wants you. He sounds frightened.
Hello, Tom. What's up?
What?
Tom, there's medicine in the cabinet.
Give some to Grandma right away.
I'll be there in five minutes.
-What's happened? -Sounds like a stroke.
Find Dr. Abrahams' name and ask him to get down there...
...J.E. Abrahams.
I'm going with you.
-Tsk tsk tsk. -Hmm?
She is magnificent. Never complains.
Just worries about my school if I'm here all day.
Maybe we'll hire a maid.
Try drying dishes and shutting up. It goes faster.
Cheer up, darling. Postponing a wedding...
...isn't the worst thing in the world.
Just a week or two, Abrahams said.
Might as well break the news. I won't be here for it.
What? Dave, you got to be.
We couldn't get married without you.
-What happened? -Nothing. That's just it.
I can't abandon my family forever...
...or find a house or an apartment.
If it was just me, I'd sleep in the subway...
...but I've got Carol and the kids. I've got to go back.
No two ways about it. I'm licked.
But that means the job, your whole future.
I'll live. I did before.
Why, Dave, that's terrible.
I spoke to Carol last night.
I told her I'd give it one more day...
...but I know there isn't a chance.
She's lonely, too.
I've got to go back, big job or not.
What is it, Phil?
Oh, nothing.
Phil, let's get out of the house.
Kathy won't mind, and Ma's out of danger.
You need some air.
I'm going up to Flume Inn.
I'll use those plane tickets we had for this afternoon.
-What for? -You're wasting your time.
There must be a time once when you fight back.
I want to make them look me in the eye.
I want the satisfaction.
I can't explain it, but I want to do it for myself.
-Phil... -Let him do it, Kathy.
You have to face them once.
I did it once at Monterey.
They are more than nasty little snobs, Kathy.
Call them that, and you can dismiss them. It's too easy.
They're persistent little traitors...
...to everything this country stands for...
...and you have to fight them...
...not just for the ''poor, poorJews,'' as Dave says...
...but for everything this country stands for.
Anyway, I'm going.
See you later.
I think you'll find this room more comfortable.
I have a reservation...
...a double room and bath, today through Thursday.
In what name, please?
Green. Philip Green.
Yes, Mr. Green.
My wife will be here tomorrow.
Oh, yes.
-Oh, one more thing. -Yes?
Is your hotel restricted?
Well, I'd hardly say it was restricted.
Then it's not restricted?
Would you excuse me a moment, please?
-How do you do, Mr. Green? -How do you do?
In answer to your question, may I inquire, are you...
...That is, do you follow the Hebrew religion yourself...
...or is it that you just want to make sure?
I've asked a simple question. I'd like a simple answer.
Well, we do have a very high-class clientele, and...
...well, naturally...
Then you do restrict your guests to Gentiles?
Well, I wouldn't say that, Mr. Green.
In any event, there seems to be some mistake.
We don't have a free room in the entire hotel.
If you'd like, I can call the Brewster Hotel.
I'm not staying at the Brewster.
Look, I'm Jewish, and you don't take Jews.
-That's it, isn't it? -I never said that.
If you don't accept Jews, say so.
Don't raise your voice.
Speak a little more quietly, please.
Do you or don't you?
I'm a very busy man.
If you want me to phone a cab, I will...
...otherwise...
Otherwise what?
Tommy?
Oh, Phil.
Hello.
It was bad. I can tell by your face.
Dave was right. It was a waste of time.
-How's Ma? -She's fine. She's asleep.
Tom's out playing.
-Where's Dave? -He's gone out with Anne.
They decided to have a last night on the town.
They'll wind up here later.
How about some coffee?
No, thanks.
Tired, darling?
No.
I'm just thinking about Dave.
I suppose you're thinking about the cottage, Phil.
Yes, I did think about that.
So have I. You know that.
It wouldn't work, Phil.
It'd be too uncomfortable for Dave...
...knowing he'd moved into one of those neighborhoods.
Darling, don't you see that?
It's detestable, but that's the way it is.
It's even worse in New Canaan.
There, nobody can sell or rent to a Jew.
Even in Darien, where Jane's and my house is...
...there's sort of a gentleman's agreement when you buy...
Gentleman's?
Kathy, you can't...
You're not going to fight it, Kathy.
You're going to give in, play along...
...let their idiotic rules stand.
I don't play along, but what can one person do?
Tell them to jump in the lake.
What can they do?
Plenty. Ostracize him.
Some of the markets not deliver food...
...not even wait on him.
Phil, the series will be over by the time we get there.
Phil, face facts.
You expect us to live in that cottage once I know all this?
You can't make over the world. You know I'm on Dave's side.
I'm not on any side, except against their side.
Kathy, do you or don't you believe in this?
If you do, how can you talk about...
Tom, please. Kathy and I are talking.
But, Pop, I...
Tom, what is it? What's the matter?
Did you have a fight? Argument with one of the guys?
They called me a dirty Jew...
...and a stinking kike...
...and they all ran off.
Darling, it's not true.
You're no more Jewish than I am. It's just a horrible mistake.
Kathy!
Come with me, Tom. We'll talk about it in here.
-Want some water? -No.
Where did it happen?
Jimmy in it? Somebody sock somebody?
No. They just yelled.
It was at our corner.
One was a kid from school.
They were playing hop, and I asked could I play, too.
The school one said...
...no dirty littleJew could play with them.
And they all yelled those other things.
I started to speak, and they all yelled...
...my father has a long, curly beard and turned and ran.
Why did they, Pop? Why?
Drink some of this.
Did you want to say you weren't Jewish?
No.
That's good.
There are kids just like you who are Jewish...
...and if you said it, it'd be admitting...
...there was something bad in being Jewish...
...and something swell in not.
They wouldn't fight. They just ran.
I know.
There's a lot of grownups just like that, too, Tom.
Only they do it with wisecracks...
...instead of yelling.
-OK? -Sure.
Attaboy.
You want to go read or something while I talk to Kathy?
OK.
Oh, uh...
...let's keep this to ourselves till Grandma's well, huh?
OK.
Phil, I've got something to tell you.
I'm pretty tired of feeling wrong.
Everything I say is wrong about anything Jewish.
All I did was face facts about Dave and Darien...
...and to tell Tom just what you told him.
Not just what. You've only assured him...
...he's the most wonderful of all creatures...
...a white Christian American.
You instantly gave him that lovely taste of superiority...
...the poison that millions of parents...
...drop into the minds of children.
You really do think I'm an anti-Semite.
-No, I don't. -You do.
You've thought it secretly for a long time.
No. I've come to see lots of nice people who aren't...
...people who despise it and protest their own innocence...
...help it along and wonder why it grows.
People who'd never beat up a Jew.
People who think that anti-Semitism...
...is something away off in some crackpot place...
...with low-class morons.
That's the biggest discovery I've made about this business.
The good people, the nice people.
You're not going to Darien this summer...
...even though you're finished by then?
Let's save that for another time.
I hate everything about this horrible thing!
They always make trouble for everybody!
They force people to take sides against them.
Quit it! Quit that!
They didn't suggest this series or give me the angle!
They haven't got anything to do with us!
Don't shout at me.
I know what you're thinking about marrying me.
I saw it on your face when I said that to Tom.
Don't treat me to more lessons of tolerance.
I'm sick of it!
I won't marry into hothead shoutings and nerves...
...and you might as well know it now.
Kathy.
I'm sorry I shouted. I hate it when I do it.
It's not just the shouting. It's everything.
You've changed since I met you at Uncle John's.
It's no use, Phil.
Now I know why I drew back when you told me the angle.
You're doing an impossible thing.
You are what you are for the one life you have.
You can't help being born Christian instead ofJewish.
It doesn't mean you're glad you were.
But I am glad.
There. I've said it.
It'd be terrible. I'm glad I'm not.
I could never make you understand that.
You could never understand that it's a fact...
...like being glad you're good-looking...
...instead of ugly, rich instead of poor...
...young instead of old, healthy instead of sick.
You could never understand that.
It's just a practical fact...
...not a judgment that I'm superior.
But I could never make you see that.
You'd twist it into something horrible...
...a conniving, an aiding and abetting...
...a thing I loathe as much as you do.
It's better to finish it now...
...get it over with right now.
I...
...I hate you for doing this.
We could've been so happy.
We had so much to enjoy and so much to share.
And I hate you for taking it away from both of us.
I hate you for that.
What do you know? He's asleep. This early.
On your last night? Nonsense. Let's wake him up.
Let the poor guy alone.
It's against my deepest principles.
Hey, Phil, wake up. It's us.
Let the poor lug alone.
I told you, I never let any man alone.
Hey, I thought we were expected, sleepyhead.
Where's Kathy?
She left early.
You look nice in pajamas.
Get on a dressing gown. I'll close my eyes.
You go get the ice cubes so he can get dressed.
He wouldn't let any dame see his ratty bathrobe.
Go on. Don't trifle with your luck.
No man should wear coats and ties.
They look just wonderful in shirts and pants...
...and in pajamas!
What's wrong, Phil?
Skip it.
Flume Inn?
Tommy got called a dirty Jew and a kike...
...by some kids down the street.
Came home pretty badly shaken up.
Now you know it all.
That's the place they really get at you...your kids.
Now you even know that.
Well, you can quit being Jewish now.
There's nothing else.
My own kids got it without the names, Phil.
Just setting their hearts...
...on a summer camp their bunch were going to...
and being kept out.
It wrecked them for a while.
The only other thing that makes you want to murder is...
...There was a boy in our outfit...
...Abe Schlussman.
Good soldier.
Good engineer.
One night, we got bombed, and he caught it.
I was ten yards off.
Somebody said...
...''Give me a hand with this sheeny.''
Those were the last words he ever heard.
Good morning.
Miss Wales, here it is...
...the first three installments ready to go.
Send every ten pages downstairs.
Have it set in galley immediately.
Tell them I'm in a big hurry.
How long will that take?
If it's no more than ten thousand words...
...I guess I can have it finished by tonight.
I am pretty fast.
''I Was Jewish For Eight Weeks.''
Why, Mr. Green...
...you're a Christian.
But I never...
But I've been around you more than anybody else.
What's so upsetting about that, Miss Wales?
There is some difference between Jews and Christians?
Look at me hard.
I'm the same man I was yesterday.
That's true, isn't it?
Why should you be so astonished, Miss Wales?
Still can't believe anybody would give up...
...the glory of being a Christian for even eight weeks?
That's what's eating you, isn't it?
If I tell you that's anti-Semitism...
...your feeling of being Christian is better than being Jewish...
...you'll say I'm heckling you again...
...I'm twisting your words around, or it's just facing facts...
...as someone else said to me yesterday.
Face me. Look at me.
Same face, same eyes, same nose, same suit, same everything.
Here. Take my hand. Feel it!
Same flesh as yours, isn't it?
No different today than yesterday.
The only thing that's different is the word Christian.
Of course I'll see him. Send him right in.
Good morning.
Thanks for seeing me,John. I'm sorry to break in like this.
I turned in the first half.
I'll finish the rest by the end of the week.
-Good. -I want to clear out.
-Completely? -Completely.
Going back to California?
Yes. Will you help get train reservations?
Yes. What about future assignments?
I'll let you know.
I don't want to be disturbed for anything.
Sorry about you two.
Kathy told my wife this morning.
She seemed pretty upset.
I'd have liked it to go on. It seemed so right, you two.
Anything I can do? Can I help?
Talk is useless, I know...
...but maybe someone who knew you both...
Thanks,John. Thanks a lot.
I'd better be getting back.
I'm clearing out of the office tonight.
I'll finish the last three installments at home...
...and I'll bring them in.
We'll have one more session.
Hey, I'm looking for you.
It's the goldarnedest idea this magazine has ever run.
I couldn't put these ten pages down.
The whole place is buzzing.
Now, about artwork.
Photographic treatment's my hunch. What do you think?
No pictures of my kid or me or my mother, understand?
Stop pushing me around.
That's the trouble with you Christians...
...too aggressive, loud, pushing.
Everybody's got a copy but me.
When's my turn?
The place is in a frenzy over the wonderful plot.
What plot there can be on anti-Semitism escapes me.
This is something.
It's hot, all right.
You fooled me, Phil, completely.
Though I did want to say...
...how have you lived this long spending this much juice on it?
I get it now.
Everything.
This is dynamite.
Wait'll you read the rest.
If everybody would act it out one day...
...it'd be curtains on the thing overnight.
Minify ordered everything stopped for this.
It's a wonderful notion, Phil. Congratulations.
Hey, you look kind of beat.
I worry about you.
I'm fine.
Uh-huh.
It's over with you and Kathy, isn't it?
Phil, I guessed it last night, but I wasn't sure.
It is over, isn't it?
Everything's so rotten, Phil.
With me, too.
Look, if you're free tonight...
...come to my place and listen to my troubles.
How about it?
OK. Thanks.
We'll have dinner.
Feeling better?
Yeah.
Good.
You almost smiled a minute ago.
You take your coffee black, don't you?
And one lump.
I remember from the party.
You do?
You're quite a girl, Anne.
I don't think I told you that before.
Me? Sure. Everybody loves Anne.
You said you weren't very happy. Do you want to talk about it?
Nothing bores any man as much as an unhappy female.
Now, look, Anne...
...we're good friends.
Somehow, even in this short a time...
...we've been through quite a bit together.
It's been good for me to be with you tonight.
I wish you would talk to me.
All right, I'll talk.
We've been skirting it all evening.
Let's bring it out and clear the air.
You mind if I say something about you and Kathy?
Let's don't.
All right, Phil.
Mind your manners. Be a little gentleman.
Don't let the flag touch the ground.
This sort of honorableness gets me sick.
It's just that I think you're pretty straight, and she's...
Anne, drop it.
OK.
I'm a cat...
...and this is dirty pool.
But I'm intolerant of hypocrites.
That's what I said, Phil. Hypocrites.
She'd rather let Dave lose that job than risk a fuss.
That's it, isn't it?
She's afraid.
The Kathys everywhere are afraid of getting the gate...
...from their little groups of nice people.
They make little clucking sounds of disapproval...
...but they want you and Uncle John...
...to stand up and yell and take sides and fight.
But do they fight?
Oh, no. Kathy and Harry and Jane and all of them...
...they scold Bilbo twice a year...
...and think they've fought the good fight for democracy.
They haven't got the guts...
...to take the step from talking to action.
One little action on one little front.
I know it's not the whole answer...
...but it's got to start somewhere.
It's got to be with action, not pamphlets...
...not even with your series.
It's got to be with people...
...nice people, rich people, poor people...
...big and little people.
And it's got to be quick.
But not Kathy.
She can't. She never will.
She doesn't rate you, Phil.
Phil, do you hate me for saying this?
No.
I'd like to say one thing more...
...if there's time.
If two people are right for each other...
...they usually discover it in time.
If I had a kid I loved, I'd want him to be brought up...
...with people who felt like I did about the basic things.
You proposing, Anne?
Maybe.
Maybe I am.
Hello.
Oh, Dave. Hello.
Thank you for coming.
It was good of you.
You know about Phil and me?
Yes.
I want to ask you something...
...and I want you to answer me honestly.
Go ahead.
Do you think I'm anti-Semitic?
No, Kathy, I don't.
-Phil does. -Does he?
You know I'm not anti-Semitic.
You're a Jew, and you know it.
Why can I make it clear to everybody but Phil?
Did you know I was the one who suggested the series?
No, I didn't.
I hate this thing as much as he does.
Why can't he see it?
At dinner, a man told a vicious story.
I was ill with shame.
What kind of story, Kathy?
Oh, it was just a story.
Suppose you tell me.
Well, it was just a vulgar little joke.
It has nothing to do with this.
Maybe it has. What kind of a joke?
I can take naughty words.
But why?
Oh, all right. It was a man named Lockhardt...
...and he tried to get laughs with words like kike and coon.
I despised him, and everybody else...
What did you do when he told the joke?
What do you mean?
I mean, what did you say when he finished?
I wanted to yell at him. I wanted to leave.
I wanted to say to everyone...
...''Why do we take it...
...''when he's attacking everything we believe in?
''Why don't we call him on it?''
What did you do?
I just sat there. I felt ashamed.
We all just sat there.
Yeah.
And then you left and got me on the phone.
Later, after dinner was over...
...I said I was ill, and I am.
I wonder if you'd feel so sick now, Kathy...
...if you had nailed him.
There's a funny kind of elation about socking back.
I learned that a long time ago.
Phil's learned it.
And I haven't?
Lots of things are pretty rough, Kathy.
This is just a different kind of a war.
And anybody who crawls away is a quitter just as much as...
I didn't say that.
You did.
Somebody told a story.
Sure, a man at a dinner table told a story...
...and the nice people didn't laugh.
They even despised him, sure.
But they let it pass.
Behind that joke, there's Flume Inn...
...and Darien and Tommy and those kids...
If you don't stop with that joke, where do you stop?
-Is that what you mean? -That's right.
Where do you call the halt?
I've been getting mad at Phil...
...because he expected me to fight this...
...instead of getting mad at those who help it along...
...like Lockhardt.
Not just old Lockhardt. He's out in the open.
What about the rest of the dinner guests?
They're supposed to be on your side.
They didn't...
No, they didn't, and I didn't.
That's the trouble. We never do.
It all links up, Dave.
Phil will fight. He can fight.
He always will fight.
And if I just sit by and...
...feel sick, then I'm not a fit wife for him.
It was always on those deeper issues...
...that we had our quarrels.
Always.
And I never knew it until now.
Sure.
A man wants, uh...
...his wife to be more than just a companion, Kathy...
...more than his beloved girl...
...more than even the mother of his children.
He wants a sidekick, a buddy...
...to go through the rough spots with.
And, well, she has to feel...
...that the same things are the rough spots...
...or they're always out of line with each other.
You're not cast in bronze, sweetie.
You're nice and soft and pliable...
...and you can do anything you have to do...
...or want to do... with yourself.
Can I?
But it's got to be more than talk.
Now, don't scold, Phil.
I couldn't sleep, so I sneaked into your room...
...and stole the first two installments.
Come here.
Thanks, Ma.
I think I'd rather have that than almost anything.
I wish your father could have read this, Phil.
He'd have liked it.
He'd have liked this.
...''Driving away from the inn...
''I knew all about every man or woman...
...''who'd been told the job was filled when it wasn't...''
...''every youngster who'd been turned down...
...''by a college or a summer camp.''
''I knew the rage that pitches through you...
...''when you see your own child shaken and dazed.''
''From that moment, I saw an unending attack by adults...
...''on kids of seven and eight and ten and twelve...
...''on adolescents trying to get a job...
...''or an education or into medical school.''
''And I knew that they had somehow known it, too.
''They, those patient, stubborn men...
...''who argued and wrote and fought...
...''and came up with the Constitution...
...''and the Bill of Rights.''
''They knew the tree is known by its fruit...
...''and that injustice corrupts a tree...
...''that its fruit withers and shrivels...
...''and falls at last to that dark ground of history...
...''where other great hopes have rotted and died...
...''where equality and freedom remain still the only choice...
...''for wholeness and soundness...
...''in a man or in a nation.''
Your father would have liked you to say that.
Not enough of us realize it.
The time's getting short.
Not enough people, and the time's running out.
You mean Kathy?
Not just Kathy.
All the Kathys...
...everywhere.
You know something, Phil?
I suddenly want to live to be very old.
Very.
I want to be around to see what happens.
The world is stirring in very strange ways.
Maybe this is the century for it.
Maybe that's why it's so troubled.
Other centuries had their driving forces.
What will ours have been when men look back?
Maybe it won't be the American century after all...
...or the Russian century or the atomic century.
Wouldn't it be wonderful...
...if it turned out to be everybody's century...
...when people all over the world...free people...
...found a way to live together?
I'd like to be around to see some of that...
...even the beginning.
I may stick around for quite a while.
Hi, Dave.
Hello? Mr. Case.
Dave Goldman calling.
I'm sorry to call you at this late hour...
...but I can take that job.
I'm bringing my family from California immediately.
I've got a house.
Thanks.
So am I.
She's going to live up there all summer at her sister's...
...and if anybody dishes anything out...
...she'll be right there to dish it back.
Yes, sir.
I think I'll stick around for a long time.
Thanks, Dave.