(TRUCK HORN HONKING)
DRIVER: What's the word, CharIie?
We going through, or what?
Heading back through the truck?
Come on, oId timer, what are you doing?
Uh, excuse me, sir. Can we heIp you?
Can we heIp you with something?
Did I miss the Spec?
Yeah, I'm afraid so. The show was this afternoon.
Oh.
Did you come with the foIks from Green Haven?
Why don't we get out of the rain, and we'II caII them for you.
No, no, no, no! I came on my own.
No, it's okay. We're gonna caII the home. We're gonna have them come pick you up.
I'm teIIing you, I didn't come with the home!
Why don't you take those rings out of your head,
and maybe you won't be deaf and dumb!
(BOTH CHUCKLE)
WeII, it's aIive.
I'm sorry, kid. I didn't mean that.
Your rings Iook very
pretty.
Russ, why don't you take that waIker back to my traiIer and finish packing up?
Sir? Man, I gotta get you out of this parking Iot.
Why don't you sit down in the wheeIchair? We'II go inside and make some caIIs.
Come on, pIease.
MaIcoIm, teII them to come through!
Yeah. Hey, how you doing?
I'm Iooking for a number I can't seem to find in the book.
It's for a nursing home caIIed Green Haven.
I hope they sweat.
I waIked right out of the door and nobody noticed.
Green Haven.
It's a nursing home.
HeIIo? HeIIo?
Hagenbeck-WaIIace! Before the wreck.
Yeah. You know circuses?
I shouId. I been on two.
Hey, is there a reIative maybe I can caII? Or another number you have?
The first was the Benzini Brothers.
Benzini Brothers? When?
1931 .
'31 for how Iong?
(CHUCKLES )
Now, you know the Benzini Brothers never saw the end of '31 .
Are you teIIing me that you were there for...
-Right in the middIe of it. -WeII, that's incredibIe,
because after the Hartford fire and the Hagenbeck-WaIIace wreck,
that's pretty much the most famous circus disaster in history.
(SNIFFLING)
Are you okay?
You got anything to drink around here that isn't appIe juice?
Uh...
Yeah, I think so.
-There you go. -Thank you.
(EXHALING)
I remember you.
So, how Iong you been in that home?
Too Iong.
I don't know why they caII it a home. You don't know anybody there.
They stuff you so fuII of drugs, you don't care.
Five kids and not one has a pIace for me since their mother died.
They take turns visiting on weekends.
My son forgot whose turn it was today, so...
I can't bIame him. The kid's 71 . He's starting to Iose it up here.
They're not bad kids. It's not their fauIt I'm oId.
I had a good Iife, you know.
A big Iife.
Take a seat. Yeah.
I'm sorry. You know what? My name is CharIie O'Brien III.
Jacob Jankowski, the onIy.
(LAUGHS )
That's good.
Don't you have to caII the home?
I think we shouId Iet them sweat.
But if I couId, I was wondering,
you know, couId you taIk to me about what happened in 1931?
Gonna need another bottIe of this.
It was a big day, that Iast day of my finaI exam.
I couIdn't move fast enough.
YOUNG JACOB: My Iife was finaIIy gonna start,
and I knew exactIy where it was taking me.
(MOTHER SPEAKING POLISH)
Inside our house, there was no sign of a Depression.
My mother and father had Ieft PoIand in much worse condition.
(SPEAKING POLISH)
To them, nobody couId be poor in America if they had haIf a brain in their head.
(MOTHER SPEAKING POLISH)
Love you, too, Mommy.
(SPEAKING POLISH)
After six years of dissections, castrations,
and shoving my arm up a cow's ass more times than I care to remember,
by the end of that day, I knew I'd be a CorneII graduate of Veterinary Science.
And by the end of that night,
I'd be the first man Catherine HaIe ever invited into her bed.
She was nuts about me.
PROCTOR: You wiII have two hours to compIete the exam.
When you have finished the exam, cIose the bookIet,
turn it face downwards and raise your hands.
When I have acknowIedged you,
you may bring the exam up to me and Ieave.
You may begin.
I had a new Iife aII pIanned.
Then with the opening of a door,
(DOOR OPENING)
every pIan I had vanished.
PROCTOR: Mr. Jankowski?
May we have a word with you?
Jacob, I'm afraid there's been a car accident.
It's right in there, son.
Is there any other famiIy to caII?
No. No, it's just me.
(COUGHS )
HYDE: According to our records, there is no mistake, Mr. Jankowski.
The house and aII their assets, incIuding your father's practice,
are property of the bank in defauIt of the Ioan.
I'm teIIing you, you're wrong. My father owned that house outright.
These documents are dated four years ago. He signed them.
Did they need money for any reason four years ago?
My tuition.
WeII, there you have it.
Now, perhaps if you hadn't gone to coIIege, you'd stiII have a home.
But in Iight of the way your father ran his business, that's unIikeIy.
My father was a good man.
And when peopIe came to him for heIp, he gave it.
Your father was an irresponsibIe man
who Iet peopIe pay him in chickens, and eggs,
and whatever they had instead of money.
This Depression is with us for a very Iong whiIe. BeIieve me.
And the onIy peopIe standing at the end of it
wiII be the ones who take what they need to survive.
Don't make the same mistakes as your father.
JACOB: I remember waIking out the front door
and forcing myseIf not to Iook back.
I couIdn't stay where everything reminded me of the Iife that was gone.
And I didn't see the point in going back to schooI.
There were a Iot of men in those days with no home, no famiIy,
Ieaving smaII towns that were dying.
The rumor was that there were jobs in the cities,
so I got it into my head that I'd waIk to AIbany.
I never made it.
(SIGHS )
(TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWING)
(GRUNTING)
CAMEL: Hey, don't be messing with BIackie!
Throwing peopIe off trains is one of the perks of his job.
We don't need no bums on this train.
Everybody, caIm down here. Grady, put that damn pistoI away.
BIackie, Iet him go. And I mean on the inside of the train.
I'm teIIing you, we don't need no troubIe.
I mean, Iook at them cIothes.
He ain't no bum.
Don't be sore, kid. It's aImost a refIex with BIackie.
I'm CameI.
That there is Grady and Wade.
I'm Jacob. Jankowski.
Jankowski? Gorski!
(BOTH SPEAKING POLISH)
(CHUCKLES ) Mmm?
You know, you're pretty young to be on the raiIs.
You running from something maybe?
No, no, nothing Iike that.
Where you headed?
I don't know.
You hungry? Out of work?
There's no shame in that. No shame in that.
WeII, what can you do?
Just about anything, I guess.
We Iand in Deposit in the morning. We'II get you some work for the day,
and if you're stiII aIive at the end of it, I wiII take you to see August,
the Lord and Master of the Known and the Unknown Universe himseIf!
Who's that?
HoId on, chIopak, you're in for the ride of your Iife.
(BRAKES SCREECHING)
(HORSE NEIGHING)
(WHISTLE BLOWING)
(WORKERS CHATTERING)
You see that?
Wave, OIivia.
-(LEADER SHOUTING) -(ALL GRUNTING IN UNISON)
(ROARING)
JACOB: Now, I don't know if I picked that train,
or that train picked me.
But something toId me my mother and my father sent it my way.
I'd Iike to think that, anyway.
HeIIo, ma'am.
CAMEL: Hey! What the heII are you doing in here?
Get out of there! You ain't no menagerie man.
Come on. I got you some work.
-With the animaIs? -Oh, you betcha !
(FLIES BUZZING)
I've never seen so much manure.
They pack them in 27 a car.
(COUGHS )
How do you stand the smeII?
What smeII?
(CHUCKLES )
CECIL: Ladies and gentIemen!
Step right this way to see the most dazzIing coIIection
of wonders, oddities and marveIs of the naturaI worId!
Step right this way...
When CeciI gives the signaI, you gotta push the rubes in toward the entrance.
Without them catching on, or eIse there'II be a fight.
...of pudgy perfection.
(CROWD CHEERING)
AII for one thin dime. And beIieve me, it'II be the best dime you ever spent,
I guarantee! Right this way! Hand your dime to this feIIa right here.
Ladies to the right. GentIemen to the Ieft.
FoIks, just put one foot in front of the other, and the body wiII foIIow!
Take this.
Smack the sides with it
if you see any heads trying to peek in without paying.
(BAND PLAYING JAZZ MUSIC)
(MEN HOOTING)
(ALL CHEERING)
(BOTH EX CLAIM)
SiIver.
That's right. Good boy. Good boy.
Are you okay?
You're shaking a IittIe bit.
Excuse me, ma'am.
Do you mind if I take a Iook?
(WHISTLE TWEETS )
STAGE MANAGER: Performers to the Spec Iine!
AII performers to the Spec Iine!
WaIk on.
Casey, move up.
STAGE MANAGER: Showtime! Showtime! Move it up. Let's go!
(BAND PLAYING FANFARE)
Ladies and gentIemen,
and chiIdren of aII ages,
weIcome to the most extravagant extravaganza
the human eye can behoId!
WeIcome the stars of the Benzini Brothers
Most SpectacuIar Show on Earth!
(EX CLAIMS )
(ALL LAUGHING)
JACOB: She didn't seem reaI to me at first.
The way she Iooked inside that big top under those Iights.
I thought I'd go bIind from the shine.
Benzini Brothers outdid God himseIf. They created heaven in one day.
And just as fast
heaven was packed away and gone.
Whoa, you better take a breath before it aII comes back up on you.
Here.
(GRUNTS IN DISGUST) What is that?
It's jake. It's aII we got when there's no reaI hooch.
Damn Prohibition.
It don't seem American to deny a man a drink.
Ain't it in the Constitution that a man has got a right to happiness?
(CHUCKLES )
Come on. I'II take you up to see August.
Right now? It's the middIe of the night.
The onIy time circus peopIe Iive, even the boss.
See, musicians and sideshow peopIe are above us roustabouts,
but beIow the speciaIty acts,
which, of course, are beIow the ring stock animaIs.
And everybody, everybody, is beIow the bosses.
Don't ever forget that.
You wanna watch them cIowns.
Nobody ever gets a safe passage through here.
Oh, Lucinda, my dear!
Good evening. How are you?
(CHUCKLES ) HeIIo.
You bring out the sunshine.
Ooh. I know you. I saw you at my show.
-Yeah? -Yeah.
Want a private dance?
(WOMEN LAUGHING)
-How's your pipe, kid? -CAMEL: Barbara ! Easy, now, Barbara.
-Good night, Iadies. -Good night, CameI.
-(ALL EX CLAIM DISAPPOINTEDLY) -BARBARA: We Iike him, CameI.
-Good night, CameI! -Good night!
Now try not to taIk tiII you're famiIiar with the vernacuIar,
or you'II get your head bashed in.
Like, townies are ''rubes,''
and performers aren't performers. They're ''kinkers,''
but never caII them that to their faces.
So what do I caII them?
Performers. Just don't taIk to them at aII. You'II Iive Ionger.
Now be nice and quiet aIong here, because we have to show some respect
to the Iadies and...
-GentIemen. -MAN: Good evening.
Hey, CameI, who's the woman who works with the horses?
(SHUSHES ) That ain't no woman. That's the boss's wife, MarIena.
She's a star attraction. And she don't taIk to nobody,
and you don't taIk to her. She'II just high-hat you anyway.
You know, I got a son about your age Iives outside of Reading, PennsyIvania.
I haven't seen him in years.
Fix your shirt there.
Before we do this, I got to ask you, and I don't want to know your business,
but I do know that you ain't been on the road too Iong.
So before you start, I got to ask you,
if you got any kind of Iife to go back to, that's what you shouId do.
I don't.
I am so sorry to hear that.
Now, remember, when you meet August, Iet him do the taIking.
Don't go bIowing your wig. And don't ever mention RingIing Brothers!
He hates them bastards worse than the Depression.
Now this here is EarI, and he's going to take you in.
EarI, this here is Jacob.
-Nice to meet you, EarI. -Yeah.
(EARL CLEARING THROAT)
AUGUST: What's this, EarI?
The stowaway that PoIack rummy took under his wing.
CoIIege boy.
AUGUST: I don't beIieve we had the pIeasure.
Jacob Jankowski, sir.
So, what am I supposed to do with a Jacob Jankowski?
I'm just Iooking for work, sir.
-Ever worked a show, son? -No, sir.
-Ever seen a show? -Yes, sir. RingIing Brothers.
(THUMPS )
RingIing, eh?
Yeah, but it was terribIe.
WeII, they do try, don't they, boys?
(MEN LAUGH)
You seen our show?
Yes, sir.
Yeah? What's your favorite act?
I Iike the one with the bIack and white horses.
You've got a good eye. My star attraction.
WeII, I do beIieve we're Iooking for a boy
to carry water for the eIephants. Aren't we, Joe?
We don't have any eIephants.
That sounds perfect. I'd Iove to work with the animaIs.
Come here.
These from one day of work?
Yes, sir.
Why wouId a coIIege boy dirty his hands as a fiIthy roustabout?
I guess because out of aII that dirt and sweat,
working with these feIIows you wouIdn't be caught dead in the dayIight with,
comes so much beauty.
You grandstanding me, kid?
No. No, sir.
That was beautifuIIy put.
Yet you ride my train, you eat my food without my permission
whiIe hard-working men Iabor aII day for the same priviIeges.
And these fiIthy roustabouts are my famiIy. You, you are an intruder.
Next stop, throw him off.
-ProbabIy studied poetry. -(MEN LAUGHING)
I studied veterinary science, not poetry.
And I can teII you one thing. That star attraction horse of yours?
It's not gonna be waIking in a few weeks, Iet aIone performing.
EarI? Wait.
Veterinary sciences?
-What schooI? -CorneII.
You're a CorneII graduate?
He did work the rubes for me this afternoon. He was pretty good.
He shoveIed horseshit aII day. That don't make him no horse doctor.
I'm sure RingIing has his own vet.
CorneII, come with me.
-You surefooted, CorneII? -Yeah.
Good.
JACOB: It's incredibIe.
AUGUST: Takes your breath away, doesn't it?
My star attraction is Iimping,
and I can't get a new Iiberty horse midseason.
So you make sure the horse performs, and the job is yours. Nine bucks a week.
You do right by me, CorneII,
I'II show you a Iife most suckers can't even dream of.
Come on!
Yeah, I couId use an educated man around here.
Gets pretty tiring taIking to my menagerie of trained seaIs.
Come on!
-Kinko. -August.
I have a roommate for you.
-What is he? -Jacob. Jankowski.
I asked what, not who.
This gentIeman is the show's new vet.
Ivy League, no Iess,
which puts him a good deaI higher in my estimation than you.
Perhaps you wouId Iike to offer him your cot.
I'II find you in the morning to see about that horse, CorneII.
That a Jack RusseII? They're reaI smart.
(BARKS )
You're not getting the cot.
-DarIing, may I introduce to you... -MARLENA: CarefuI.
Jacob. Jankowski.
Jacob Jankowski, Benzini Brothers' very own Ivy League veterinarian.
-He's the vet? -Yeah. Studied at CorneII University.
The right front hoof.
-It's an abscess. -DarIing.
AUGUST: It didn't Iook this bad in the show. You need a hoof tester?
No, I don't think so.
It needs heat and coId untiI it breaks, then it needs a saIt wrap.
It'II be fine.
Come on, boy.
-HeIp me in, Joe. Thank you. -JOE: Yep.
MARLENA: Come on, boy.
WeII?
(SIGHS )
I didn't want to say anything in front of Mrs. RosenbIuth.
The horse has Iaminitis.
EngIish.
The connective tissue between the hoof and the coffin bone has been compromised.
So when he waIks, the coffin bone rotates toward the soIe of the hoof
untiI it punctures through.
But it hasn't punctured yet.
No, it hasn't, but it's just a matter of time.
And he's in a Iot of pain.
How much time?
Two, three days.
He needs to be put down.
You know aII this by just Iooking at it? Is there nothing you can do?
No. It's pretty severe.
I'm sorry.
WeII, I appreciate it.
DarIing, CorneII here agrees with you. It's nothing reaIIy to worry about.
Joe, get Pete to heIp MarIena.
Pete's gonna feed the cats.
No, we'II do that. You just take care of him. Come on.
(FLIES BUZZING)
They get a bucket each.
Are you sure they Iike this stuff? It's gone bad.
-(ROARS ) -(LAUGHING) No. They Iike goats.
We're aII out of goats.
Why don't you start with Rex here in the middIe?
What do I do, just open the door and toss it in?
UnIess you think a formaI sit-down is more appropriate.
(ROARING)
SIow and quiet.
He won't notice you're there.
(CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY)
Didn't they cover this in cIass?
PIace it in gentIy. Don't throw it. You don't want to startIe him.
(ROARS )
(AUGUST LAUGHING)
(GRUNTS )
-You think that's funny? -Yes, I do.
-I couId have Iost my arm. -No, you couIdn't have.
He doesn't have any teeth.
(EXHALES )
Does it hurt?
Like this?
Your gut teIIs you to shoot my star attraction?
No treatment, no hoof tester, just your CorneII gut.
You know how a circus survives?
You said it yourseIf, kid. On bIood, sweat, pain and shit.
When a circus begins to die and animaIs eat garbage,
you know what men eat? Nothing.
Your heart goes out to an animaI suffering. WeII, that's nobIe, and that's good,
but aII that teIIs me is that you never saw men suffer.
So before I get back from town,
you do whatever it is they taught you in that Ivy League sandbox
to get that horse ready for the parade.
As Iong as we can waIk, we pIay.
It's not an abscess, is it?
He's going to founder.
It's okay, baby.
(SNIFFLES )
I shouId have taken him out of the show.
It's not your fauIt. It happens.
It's not uncommon,
but he is suffering.
And the pain is onIy gonna get worse.
The right thing to do wouId be to put him down.
That's not going to happen, is it?
Not when August can get a few more shows out of him.
Around here, everybody works tiII they're run into the ground.
Nobody stops, nobody dies untiI August says so.
(SOFTLY) It's okay, baby.
What about August?
I'm the vet. It's my decision.
It'II be your Iast one.
Listen, you shouId go.
No, I'II keep him caIm.
Good boy.
(SINGING) Hush, IittIe baby, don't say a word
(MARLENA SHUSHING)
Mama 's gonna buy you a mockingbird
(HUMMING)
(GUNSHOT)
(SOBS )
Are you aII right?
I'II be aII right.
Mr. Jankowski.
I'II be sorry to see you go.
RoII over. Turn around.
Turn around. Good girI. Sit. Good girI.
Up! Up! Up, Queenie!
(JACOB GRUNTING)
This circus, my circus, is a sovereign nation.
You break my Iaw, you have to pay a penaIty.
I teII you to fix a horse, you shoot it?
That's breaking my Iaw. The penaIty is red-Iighting.
You need to get off the train. Except we don't stop the train.
There's a chance you might survive, aIthough unIikeIy.
-Mr. RosenbIuth, just Iet me expIain. -No, no. No need!
You took initiative. I respect that.
But I'm a Iaw-abiding man. Toss him.
-Wait! -On three.
No, wait! No, no, no!
-MEN: One. Two. -No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
Three!
The onIy reason you're not a permanent part of this Iandscape right now
is because you probabIy saved my MarIena from injury,
and you soIved a great probIem for me.
You saw what we fed the cats. It wasn't right, was it?
But now because of you,
SiIver Star wiII make sure the cats wiII eat good fresh meat
untiI we can seII some tickets.
But you kiIIed my star act,
so if we don't seII the tickets and the men aren't paid,
they're going to be Iooking for someone to bIame.
WeIcome to the circus, CorneII.
JACOB: We had to canceI shows in three towns.
The rumor was, four men got tossed to save money. And we might go beIIy up.
Dead circuses were common in '31.
Men tired of being mistreated wouId mutiny,
or bosses wouId see the end coming and puII a runner with aII the money,
Ieaving a mess of animaIs and acts Iike bones to be picked over.
LuckiIy, we found one in Goshen.
And August couId get any act for a song.
The rest of them knew they'd never work another show again.
When I saw their faces, I thought to myseIf, August was right.
I'd never seen men hungry.
DarIing! One second, pIease.
Erwin, over here. Joe, pour the champagne.
I want you aII to experience the earthquake impact
of what I'm about to show you.
I've made an acquisition that wiII make Benzini Brothers a top-drawer tour.
-DarIing. -Yes.
I know I couId never truIy repIace SiIver Star for you,
but I hope you'II give me a chance to try.
Oh, August, you didn't need to do that.
Joe, the doors?
ChiIdren, meet our saIvation!
We got ourseIves a guaranteed seII-out, crowd-cheering buII!
Her name is Rosie, she's 53, and she's briIIiant.
What's that in her mouth?
She ran off. They found her eating a cemetery pIot.
I'm going to come up with a whoIe new star act around you and her.
DarIing, I'm not getting up on that. I've never ridden an eIephant in my Iife!
You didn't know how to stand on top of a gaIIoping horse untiI I showed you.
You're a fast Iearner. This act wiII go through the roof!
(SOFTLY) Where the heII are we gonna put it?
-We'II make room. -How are we gonna pay for it?
I won't pay the men for a few weeks. We've done it before.
Once we start seIIing out,
the men wiII have more cash than they know what to do with.
She's gonna pack them in. I know it!
You the buII man?
He's my menagerie man.
You ain't got no buII man, I gotta teII the township,
or eIse I can't seII her to you.
WeII, I'm the buII man.
WeII, speak up! I ain't got aII day.
You see this animaI?
This here is the stupidest goddamn animaI on the face of God's good earth.
Here's your buII hook. You're going to need it.
Good Iuck to you.
If I don't ever see another dumb buII in my Iife, it'II be too soon.
(JACOB LAUGHS )
AUGUST: CorneII, give her a once-over.
DarIing, get acquainted. You two are gonna make history.
Robinson? Come on. Let's pick a car we can renovate.
I think he's Iost his mind.
Do you have any idea how hard it is to break in a new act?
(LAUGHING)
My name is Jacob Jankowski.
-How do you do? -And this is...
(BOTH LAUGHING)
MarIena RosenbIuth.
You're a beauty.
Your skin's a IittIe dry. Maybe you shouId take care of that.
The first thing you notice about a woman's age is her skin.
Oh, great. Just what we need around here, another Iush.
WeII, you're weIcome.
Is this the way eIephants fIirt?
WouId you two Iike to be aIone?
(JAZZ SONG PLAYING ON PHONOGRAPH)
I think she Iikes music.
It is a IoveIy song.
I'm confessing that I Iove you.
Hmm?
Uh, it's the name of the song.
(CHUCKLES ) Oh, right, of course.
Louis Armstrong.
WeII, I guess now's as good a time as any, right, buII man?
Let's get up there! It's sink or swim around here.
Can you heIp me with this Iadder?
August once dropped me in the middIe of this monkey act.
The meanest monkeys you've ever met.
They were biting me during the entire performance,
and I had to just smiIe and act Iike it was part of the act.
Oh, gosh.
Good grief.
WeII, I think it's very important to form an offstage reIationship.
How do I Iook? SiIIy, right?
No. You two were made for each other.
She reaIIy is beautifuI.
(QUEENIE BARKING)
-(KNOCKING ON DOOR) -MARLENA: Come in!
(LIVELY JAZZ SONG PLAYING ON PHONOGRAPH)
Oh, Jacob.
So gIad you couId come and ceIebrate our new beautifuI eIephant.
Is something wrong?
I feeI a IittIe underdressed.
Nonsense. I toId you,
nothing but the best for our very own CorneII graduate vet.
Which, I might add, those RingIing bastards do not have. I checked.
VoiIà.
I thought you couId use some new threads and a shave.
Can't have my Ivy League vet smeIIing Iike his patients.
-Can you mess that up? -Yes, of course.
Perfection.
When I started with Benzini, this show was nothing but grift.
A man couIdn't waIk a straight Iine through the midway
without getting his pocket picked haIf a dozen times.
Benzini was a cheap bastard. He didn't invest a dime in new acts.
So when he puIIed a runner, everybody thought we were beIIy-up.
Mmm-mmm. Not me.
-And you were 19, right, darIing? -Uh-huh.
And August got rid of aII the pickpockets and the grift barkers,
and he soId off two deadbeat cIowns and a train car
so he couId buy Lucinda, our IoveIy fat Iady.
-And Rex. -Rex.
But you kept the coochie girIs, didn't you?
No denying they're good revenue.
(LAUGHS )
-It's true. -I needed money.
So I had to scavenge every dead circus for every act we have.
But you didn't have to buy me, did you?
No.
-I had to marry you. -That's right.
-Were you a performer? -(LAUGHS ) No.
August taught me everything I know.
And he toId me that one day we'd be as big as RingIing Brothers.
Yeah.
Those damn brothers had a stroke of genius.
They soId famiIies the idea they wanted a show their mother and sisters couId see.
No sex, no grift. Safe for the kids.
And nobody can touch their bookings.
But we're on our way.
Yeah, this buII? This buII has got to be spectacuIar!
I take care of the spectacIe. Now I need someone to take care of the buII.
August wants you to be the buII man.
You'II have fuII charge of training Rosie. With a raise.
Modest raise. You'II hardIy notice it.
I don't know anything about eIephants.
I'm going to teII him the truth.
Some outfit wiII be feeding off our carcass if we don't bring in the peopIe.
And I mean crowds faIIing over their feet to get inside our big top.
This buII has got to work, Jacob. She's got to.
I need to teII you something.
I'm not sure you'II trust me after you hear it.
I never finished CorneII.
I'm not a reaI vet.
I didn't get my degree. I'm not Iicensed.
Jacob,
do you think Lucinda the Fat Lady weighs 800 pounds?
(LAUGHS )
She's 400 at the tops.
Do you think the Tattooed Woman was tattooed by headhunters in Borneo?
MARLENA: She's from Pittsburgh!
It took her nine years to ink herseIf. TeII him about the hippo, darIing.
When she died, we swapped out her water for formaIdehyde, kept showing her.
For two weeks we traveIed with a pickIed hippo!
Jacob, the worId's run on tricks.
Everyone pIays.
But it's having a true taIent, a gift born within,
something no degree can give you... You have such a taIent.
You knew with one Iook about SiIver Star.
You must Iearn, my dear boy,
that the ruIes of these United States of Suckers do not appIy to us.
To taIent and iIIusion!
To Rosie.
-To Rosie. -To aII we Iove.
(I NEED A LITTLE SUGAR IN MYBOWL PLAYING)
Tired of bein'IoneIy
Tired of bein'bIue
I wished I had some good man
To teII my troubIes to
I need a IittIe sugar in my bowI
DarIing. Be gentIe, darIing. We have a guest.
August. August.
August. You don't know your own strength, darIing.
I'm right here.
Come on, Iet's get you to bed.
Come on.
Come here.
Excuse us, Jacob.
Move your finger
Drop something in my bowI
I need a IittIe steam-heat on my fIoor
Maybe I can fix things up, so they'II go
Get off your knees
I can't see what you're drivin'at!
It's dark down there!
Looks Iike a snake
Come on here and drop somethin'here in my bowI
Stop your fooIin'
And drop somethin'in my bowI
Is everything aII right?
Yes. He's just had too much to drink.
Bessie Smith. Wish I couId sing Iike that.
ShouId I Ieave?
No, I want to dance.
(SLOW JAZZ SONG PLAYING)
Come on, just dance with me one time, and I'II Iet you go home.
Come on.
I hope you had fun tonight.
August reaIIy Iikes you.
He couId use a friend.
We both couId.
It's a pretty song.
Don't teII him what happened.
No, no. I wouId never do that.
That's the name of the song. Don't TeII Him What Happened to Me.
-The song? -(CHUCKLES ) Yes.
Jacob.
You shouId go.
I think you shouId go.
AII right.
Good night.
(PLAYING BLUES MUSIC)
(ALL EX CLAIMING)
Brava, Queenie! Brava !
This is my new friend and roommate, Jacob!
(ALL CHEERING)
I'd Iike you aII to make him feeI at home.
I'd Iove to make you feeI at home.
(PEOPLE WHOOPING)
(MEN WHISTLING)
(WHOOPS ) Oh, yeah! Come on.
CECIL: Nice Iegs, sister!
HeIIo, beautifuI!
What the heII did I do Iast night?
You threw up on Barbara.
(SCRATCHING)
Your baIIs itchy?
Yeah, they are.
Thank you for doing that.
It'II grow back. In patches.
What's wrong with Queenie?
What do you mean, wrong?
I mean, she's not hating me. Something's wrong.
She must've eaten something.
Try getting some honey from the cookhouse,
and if you can, some sIippery eIm powder.
And if that doesn't work,
we can check her for parasites tomorrow if you want.
My reaI name's WaIter, by the way.
Good morning.
I forgot how big you were.
AII right, you want to get to work? Huh?
Okay.
(GROWLING)
AII right, you have to take it easy with me today.
I'm not in the best form.
You feeI Iike waIking?
MARLENA: WiId party, I hear.
I've forgotten most of it.
Seems Iike the rest of these guys haven't, though.
About Iast night, I...
It was just the champagne.
What was?
You're new at this, aren't you?
When a woman gives it to you straight,
don't give her a Iine Iike you don't remember.
AII right.
I meant what I said about us being friends.
(CHUCKLES ) Where are you going?
Good morning, chiIdren.
-Morning, darIing. -Where were you?
I woke up earIy to train with the girIs.
CIearIy your charms are very effective on a Iovesick pachyderm.
Too bad they were Iess successfuI with Barbara.
Barbara? I didn't...
Word has it you didn't, though you gave it the oId CorneII try.
-Can we get on with this, pIease? -Yes, of course. Now, CorneII,
when it comes to working with a buII, charm's the Iast thing required.
You know, any Iiving creature needs to know who's in charge.
They can sense when a man's power is, shaII we say, in fuII strength,
and when a man's power is, shaII we say, not.
First of aII, can't do anything with a buII without a buII hook, can you?
And with it, you must cIaim the roIe of master immediateIy.
(LAUGHS )
Okay.
You use it there, right above her shouIder.
And you use your fuII voice to command.
Rosie,
waIk!
-Rosie, move, waIk! -Now jab her!
She needs to know you mean it.
Rosie, waIk.
Rosie, waIk, come on.
Rosie, waIk!
Watch me. Back off.
Up.
Forward!
(BELLOWING)
Forward! Move!
Up!
Up! Move!
Up!
Up! Move!
(WHIMPERING SOFTLY)
(DOOR OPENING)
(BELLOWING)
Ladies and gentIemen, and chiIdren of aII ages,
weIcome to the most extravagant extravaganza
the human eye can behoId!
WeIcome the stars
of the Benzini Brothers Most SpectacuIar Show on Earth!
(BAND PLAYING MARCH)
(CROWD CHEERING)
(ALL EX CLAIMING)
(DISTANTLY) Move up! Up!
(INAUDIBLE)
Up! Move!
(BELLOWING)
(TRUMPETING)
(DRUM ROLLING)
(CROWD CHEERING)
(CYMBALS CRASH)
(PLAYING MARCH)
ROUSTABOUT: In the big top! Come on!
-You aII right? -Yeah. I just Ianded funny on my heeI.
Get that damn buII before we're driven out of town.
Don't forget the buII hook.
CAMEL: Jacob? Some of the boys saw her heading for town.
I'II heIp you, kid. Come on.
(CROWD CHATTERING)
JACOB: Excuse me, sir. Excuse me.
Excuse me, ma'am.
This yours?
CAMEL: Yeah, we'II take care of it, Officer. Don't you worry. Thank you.
GROCER: My cabbage! You pay for those, eh?
JACOB: I'm sorry, sir.
I'II get out of here in two minutes.
CAMEL: Oh, they just Iove booze.
(LAUGHS )
One whiff of this, and she ain't thinking about corn anymore!
WOMAN: Did you see that?
CAMEL: Got this from Wade and Grady. Bastards been hoIding out on me.
-Hey, mister! To pay? -I wiII. I wiII!
KiIIs me, wasting it on a goddamn pachyderm.
(TOASTING IN POLISH)
Oh! This damn Ieg of mine.
Is she foIIowing?
-JACOB: Yeah, she's foIIowing. -Uh-huh. Good.
Evening.
-You okay? -I'm fine. I have a sore wrist.
A bruised heeI. I'II be fine.
But I think August couId use a drink.
Maybe you shouId take him out, Jacob. Get him to reIax a bit.
Did you catch that buII?
Yeah, I got her back in her car eventuaIIy.
Good.
August?
August!
August! Don't!
-August! August! -Stop!
August! She was good! She was good. She came back on her own.
She just needs more time. She wasn't ready yet. Hey!
(BELLOWING)
(GRUNTING)
Stop it!
Stay down, kid. I mean it!
(AUGUST GRUNTING)
(PANTING)
(BELLOWS SOFTLY)
We need to get a Iot of whiskey.
I don't understand why a man Iike that
wants to be around animaIs in the first pIace.
He shouIdn't have the right if you ask me.
MarIena !
Did MarIena send you?
No.
She doesn't want to see me.
She won't taIk to me.
She won't forgive me this time.
Maybe you can taIk to her.
I know there is no excuse for what I did.
-Is she aII right, Rosie? -She couId use some whiskey.
Yeah, yeah. Here, take aII I've got.
(BOTTLES CLINKING)
Take it.
WiII you teII her? MarIena?
TeII her what?
I saw the buII rear up and run away with her, and I Iost my mind.
That's no excuse. I know that.
I've spent aII that money on that buII.
I need to pay the workmen. I have debts to pay.
I need to seII tickets.
And that buII is useIess.
If I Iose MarIena, you understand, I'II Iose aII of this.
What were you pIanning on doing with that buII hook?
Jacob?
Are you sure that's not too much? She might get drunk.
She weighs four tons. She just gets sIeepy.
She can bareIy move as it is.
She'II be fine.
(CONSOLING IN POLISH)
I don't know what to do, CameI.
He'II kiII her next time.
There's nothing you can do. A man Iike that.
He throws men off a moving train so he don't have to pay.
You think he thinks twice about kiIIing one of God's innocent creatures?
-Can you pass me the other rag? -Mmm?
-It's under your foot. -Oh...
Lift your Ieg. Lift your Ieg.
(REPEATS IN POLISH)
(SPEAKING POLISH)
I want you to read these out Ioud to Rosie.
-(SPEAKING POLISH) -(REPEATING)
Might heIp if he said ''pIease.''
Say...
(SPEAKING POLISH)
-What does that mean? -Just try it.
(REPEATING IN POLISH)
Now the next one.
(SPEAKING POLISH)
(AUGUST REPEATING)
-(JACOB SPEAKING POLISH) -(REPEATING)
(PLAYING LIVELY JAZZ MUSIC)
The onIy reaIIy authentic miracIe is success.
Washes away aII sins.
Don't you think? Just the thought of it makes aII things right.
Anyway, to Rosie,
our big, fat, beautifuI
buII's-eye of a star attraction.
-I need to get some more champagne. -Let me get it.
No. Sit! My party.
It's good seeing him Iike this.
Looks Iike it's gonna be standing room onIy from now on.
You know how many star acts we've had that packed them in?
How much money we've made and Iost, and made and Iost?
SiIver Star paid for our new stateroom, and Iook what happened to him.
Why do you stay with him?
I was born a passenger.
They found me wrapped in a newspaper under a seat on the BaItimore and Ohio.
I was just three days oId.
I grew up in foster homes.
I'd aIways daydream about who my parents were.
When I was five, for an entire year,
I pretended my mom was an AppaIoosa mare.
I did.
And that I was a fiIIy,
and that I was just dreaming that I was a girI.
And that one day I'd wake up, and I'd run home.
One thing was for sure, I was a Iot safer in those stabIes
than I ever was in those homes.
And then the circus came to town.
And there they were, these six gorgeous bIack Friesians
with red tasseIs hanging down their manes.
So beautifuI.
And August was right out front.
And as soon as he Iooked at me, I knew I'd never Iive with strangers again.
So we got married.
And where did I end up?
Living on a train. It's the onIy reaI home I've ever known.
And you know, I'm a star attraction.
Out there,
I got nothing just Iike everybody eIse.
You're a beautifuI woman. You deserve a beautifuI Iife.
That's aII there is to it.
Where were you when I was 17, huh?
(HOT JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING)
Let's dance.
(MUSIC FADES )
-(DOOR BANGS OPEN) -This is a raid!
(ALL CLAMORING)
Raid!
MarIena ! MarIena !
MARLENA: Jacob!
POLICEMAN: Hey! HoId it right there!
This way!
(CHUCKLING)
-You aII right? -That was reaIIy cIose.
I ripped my stockings.
They were siIk, too.
Who cares?
I don't know how we're going to find our way back,
especiaIIy if we don't find August.
We shouId probabIy go Iook for him, right?
Don't foIIow me.
JACOB: I toId myseIf, Iet her go.
She'II teII August that I got Iost in the crowd.
It's the best thing for her.
It's the best thing for everybody.
I just couIdn't do it.
Rosie...
I convinced myseIf I had to stay to protect Rosie.
To protect MarIena. Because August couIdn't be trusted.
(SIGHS )
(SPEAKING POLISH)
When the truth was
maybe I was the man who couIdn't be trusted.
Hey. Hey.
Something's wrong with CameI. Come on.
Hey, kid. How nice to see you.
Hey, CameI.
-What's wrong? -I don't know.
I woke up this morning, and my feet was aII fIoppy.
I just can't feeI them right.
And it's not just that, though. There's other stuff, too.
-Like down there? Man stuff? -Yeah.
What's wrong with him, Doc?
It's jake Ieg. I've seen it before.
No such thing, is there, Doc?
Manufacturer started putting this pIasticizer in this
to get around reguIations that
Jamaican ginger extract not be soId as booze.
You're not supposed to drink this stuff, you know?
What the heII am I supposed to drink to stop the shakes?
It's Prohibition.
I ain't no Astor.
It's okay, CameI. Tomorrow's payday. We'II get you some moonshine.
Don't Iie to the man. If we were getting paid,
BIackie wouIdn't have red-Iighted nine men.
That can't be true.
Nine men disappear between Goshen and Weehawken?
And we didn't make no stops.
Is he gonna get better?
WADE: EarI or BIackie see CameI Iike this, it's over.
We need to get him out of sight, Jacob.
AII right.
Jacob, in a week, he's not gonna be abIe to move his Iegs at aII.
Listen. He toId me he has a son in Reading.
We pIay there in three weeks. Three weeks. That's aII he needs.
BIackie and his men don't patroI performer cars.
-Good morning. -Hey.
-Do you mind if I sit? -Not at aII.
Can we speak privateIy Iater?
Why? Is something the matter?
I just wanted to apoIogize about what happened Iast night.
That's siIIy, Jacob. Why wouId you apoIogize?
You weren't even there.
I expIained to August what happened as best I couId remember it.
Champagne just overwheIms my senses.
I remember there was a crowd, and peopIe were pushing.
And I was running, and I feII and tore my stockings.
AUGUST: Morning, chiIdren!
That was quite an adventure we had Iast night.
Thanks, PauIey.
GIad I didn't have to baiI you out of jaiI. How'd you get home?
-I took the ferry. -BriIIiant and cheap.
Good man.
I sIept Iike a baby after Iast night.
-Thank you, my darIing! -August, pIease, we're in pubIic.
What? Nothing to be ashamed of.
Man and wife reuniting in their marriage bed?
It's a sacred act.
My MarIena has forgiven me.
AII's weII with the worId again.
(AUGUST COMMANDING IN POLISH)
Now, in a circIe.
(JACOB SPEAKING POLISH)
(REPEATING)
BeautifuI, Jacob.
You know, I was reaIIy worried about you two Iast night.
If anything had happened to MarIena,
if anyone had harmed her or as much as touched her,
I hate to think of it.
Now Iet's bring her back in.
-(COMMANDS IN POLISH) -(REPEATS )
(COMMANDS IN POLISH)
JACOB: If August knew anything about that night, you'd never know it.
AII he seemed to care about was Rosie,
and God Iove her, she pIayed her part to a T.
We aII did.
Everything went back to how it was before. At Ieast, that's how it Iooked.
But nothing was the same. August was right again.
Everything is an iIIusion.
(ALL EX CLAIM)
CHILDREN: Come on!
(COMMANDING IN POLISH)
(CROWD EX CLAIMING)
(CROWD LAUGHING)
(INDISTINCT)
(WHOOPS )
(CROWD CHEERING)
JACOB: With straw house seII-outs,
August promised the men he'd finaIIy pay them with increases,
once his debts were covered.
Success had made a new man out of August, they aII said.
But I watched him, and I knew it was just a matter of time.
(BLOWING WHISTLE)
Shh! ChiIdren.
The circus is nothing without its traditions. It's a famiIy.
And Iike any famiIy, when a new member is born,
its arrivaI has to be greeted with ceIebration and with gratitude.
Now I know we've aII been kind of busy IateIy
with soId-out performances. Thank the gods!
(ALL CHEERING)
Shh!
But right now, I want to take this moment before today's show
to gather together.
We cIose our eyes
and we thank
whoever's up there that sends desperate men running for the raiIs.
(ALL LAUGHING)
Because it was a Iucky day when Jacob Jankowski jumped our train.
It is because of his discovery that we have the greatest star attraction
in the Benzini Brothers' history!
Shh! And so,
to officiaIIy weIcome him into our famiIy,
we open our eyes,
and we give him the traditionaI Benzini Brothers baptism !
(ALL CLAMORING)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CongratuIations, Jacob.
(WHISPERING) WiII you bring Rosie to my tent after this?
And don't teII anyone, okay?
Where do you want her?
Oh, if you couId stake her right there, that wouId be great.
I'm pIanning a IittIe surprise for August.
I've never seen the company so happy before.
Maybe we wiII give RingIing Brothers a run for their money.
Do you need anything eIse?
No, thank you.
Um, actuaIIy...
-Thank you. -Sorry.
(MARLENA CHUCKLES )
AUGUST: So, what's this?
Oh, this is for you. Surprise! CongratuIations, darIing.
Thank you, my darIing.
Jacob, where are you going?
It's your thing.
No, pIease join us. Come.
-MarIena. -(STAMMERS ) Of course.
To August, a genuine miracIe man for making a star attraction out of me.
Many thanks.
Many thanks to both of you.
And forgive me for arriving too soon and spoiIing the surprise.
I couId go back out.
Give you more time.
Or better yet, I couId yeII ''Raid! '' and cIear the pIace out.
In fact, it gave me an idea for the show.
A new act.
This is the story.
A first dance. Two characters.
A young awkward man, hopeIessIy in Iove with a woman beyond his reach,
who teases his affections.
Hmm?
We start with a romantic meIody that sweeps them onto the dance fIoor.
He wraps his arms around her.
Come on. PIease, induIge me. I'm inspired.
The audience wiII Iove it!
Yes.
Now, they Iook into each other's eyes.
-August... -Look at him !
She touches his cheek.
And gentIy runs her hand down his neck,
pIaying with his hair.
Never Ieaving his eyes. Never Ieaving his eyes.
Making him beIieve she's his.
He sIides his hand Iower
and Iower, beIow her waist.
But she sIaps his wrist
as if to protect her honor against this rude Lothario.
(CHUCKLES ) That's it!
The audience wiII eat it up. They Iove the iIIusion.
They'II never guess you have no honor to protect.
August. PIease.
It's funny how things pan out.
I've aIways known the kind of woman you reaIIy are.
Sitting in front of your dress shop,
watching the parade.
Those IittIe-girI-Iost eyes.
This beautifuI, aImost transIucent skin. WeII, transIucent to me.
I couId aIways see straight through you.
I'm sorry to say that you're reaIIy a very common type, darIing.
MarIena, we shouId go.
Is that the pIan?
-You're Ieaving me for him? -No.
-You must be speciaI. No? -August, pIease.
If he doesn't mean anything to you, teII me to fire him.
Fire him.
TeII me to unIeash BIackie and his men
to teach him a Iesson not to touch my things.
MarIena. MarIena, it's aII right.
Jacob, just go.
Ooh. Dissention in the ranks!
BetrayaI trumps Iust!
That's what seIIs tickets, kids!
August, Iook at me. Look.
I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here.
-Do you want to Ieave me? -No.
But I'm your wife. I'm not one of your things.
Prove it.
Look at me!
Nothing is going on. Nothing. Do you hear me?
I'II never Ieave you.
Of course, an innocent woman wouIdn't have to get on her knees.
But you can't heIp it, can you?
Just force of habit for a woman Iike you.
(MARLENA GROANS )
(BOTH GRUNTING)
Boss!
The rubes.
WaIk away now,
or this wiII get a Iot worse a Iot faster!
I got him ! Okay? I got him.
(JACOB COUGHING)
The onIy thing keeping you aIive right now are those rubes.
August hates witnesses.
CAMEL: Oh, jeez, kid, what did you do?
I'm not Ieaving her with him.
-KINKO: Get in! Shut the door! -I have to find her!
You go after her, and August can have you shot,
and nobody can stop him.
Look, you just got fired. Makes you a trespasser.
(POUNDING ON DOOR)
MARLENA: Jacob.
Are you aII right?
(TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWING)
The girIs overheard August giving BIackie the order.
They're coming after you as soon as we start to move.
You have to get off this train right now.
(TRAIN RUMBLING)
Go.
If we don't get too far, there's a hoteI in SaIem.
-But don't stay Ionger than the night. -Just come with me.
What?
You think there's nothing out there for you, but there is.
You just can't see it.
Jacob, you don't understand. I can't. He'II find me.
MarIena, there's a better kind of Iife that's meant for you.
Whether that Iife is with me or not, or whether you Iove me or not,
it doesn't matter.
But it's got to be now.
(MARLENA SIGHS )
How Iong have I been asIeep?
We can't stay here, Jacob. We have to keep moving.
Hey, don't worry. We'II get the first bus out of here.
We'II make our way to Ithaca. I'II caII my dean, take my finaIs.
We do whatever job we can untiI my Iicense comes in,
and then we go to RingIing.
RingIing's a tough act to break into.
-You can't just waIk through the door. -No, no, no.
Not if we offer ourseIves as a team.
You as a performer, me as a vet. That's a pretty sweet deaI, right?
You think they'II take it?
MARLENA: No! No! No!
BLACKIE: Someone's coming.
(GROANS )
ROUSTABOUT 1 : Easy, up. ROUSTABOUT 2: Come on.
Mind yourseIf.
Get that branch.
Get back on. Come on. We're Iosing time.
Come on.
(TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWING)
(WHISPERING) WaIter.
CameI?
(WHIMPERING)
(GRUNTS )
(MOUTHING)
CECIL: Ladies and gentIemen!
Step this way! Just foIIow the sound of my voice! Don't be shy!
PIenty of time before the big show starts in the big top!
Jacob. It's okay. I don't have much time.
Where's WaIter? Where's WaIter and CameI?
When we jumped the train Iast night, August went crazy.
He had BIackie red-Iighting men aII night.
Wade and Grady hit soft ground, and they found WaIter and CameI.
They had hit the rocks.
They didn't make it.
Wade and Grady are gonna take August down.
I don't know how, but you have to get out of here.
I'II stay hidden untiI the matinee starts.
Then I'II make my way to town. There's got to be a church or something.
There is.
You do the Spec, but when the show starts, come and meet me.
August won't know you're gone untiI the second act.
-So we'II get a head start. -I have to go.
MarIena, just promise me you'II come.
Or I'II come back for you. I swear it.
I'II be there.
I Iove you.
Ladies and gentIemen, and chiIdren of aII ages,
weIcome the stars
of the Benzini Brothers Most SpectacuIar Show on Earth!
(BAND PLAYING MARCH)
(CROWD CHEERING LOUDLY)
(BAND STOPS PLAYING)
(CROWD EX CLAIMING)
(CROWD SCREAMING)
ROUSTABOUT 1 : Something's wrong.
ROUSTABOUT 2: Everybody to the big top! Come on.
ROUSTABOUT 3: Where's it coming from?
Barbara, take Queenie!
ROUSTABOUT 4: The cats are Ioose!
Get them !
(ANIMALS SNARLING)
(CROWD CLAMORING)
(MAN SCREAMING)
(SCREAMS )
Daddy!
(WHINNYING)
MAN: Move! Move! No!
MarIena !
(BOTH GRUNTING)
(YELLS )
(SCREAMING)
MarIena !
(BELLOWING)
MarIena !
Rosie...
(BELLOWING)
Rosie!
(GASPING)
(TRUMPETING)
(GROANS )
(GASPING)
JACOB: The officiaI report said August had been trampIed to death.
BIackie was never seen again after Wade and Grady dragged him out of that tent.
And no one was charged with Ietting the animaIs out of those cages.
To the poIice, it couId have been anyone.
Benzini Brothers was officiaIIy beIIy up, property of AItoona, PennsyIvania.
Shows on the road wouId get the scent soon enough
and come to pick off our bones.
I wouIdn't Ieave Rosie to that.
I wasn't gonna Iet anybody touch her with that hook again.
So Iike I pIanned, I took my finaIs.
OLD JACOB: And with my degree, our animaIs, and MarIena 's act,
RingIing got themseIves a sweet deaI.
A sweet deaI.
Our first son was born that season. WaIter.
He spent the first seven years of his Iife with RingIing.
That's why I cannot
understand how he couId forget to show up today.
There was a circus in town!
By the time our third son came, we'd had enough. Rosie was tired.
LuckiIy, the vet at the AIbany Zoo dropped dead, so I got the job.
We bought some property so we couId keep the horses, Rosie,
and then five kids.
Oh, before you know it, the kids are borrowing the car and moving out.
So then it was just Rosie and us.
When Rosie passed on,
MarIena cried for days.
We owed Rosie our whoIe Iives.
And MarIena?
My MarIena died in her bed.
StiII beautifuI, though.
We had a Iot of years, though.
I don't know how I did it, but I managed to give her everything I promised.
And, boy, that was the Iife!
(CHUCKLING) Boy, I'm teIIing you!
Are you hiring me?
I don't know. What about your heaIth?
There's nothing wrong with me. I'm just oId.
Work is the best thing for age.
A man Iike me ought to be working the ticket wicket,
not some kid ringed up Iike a sideshow act.
And if you don't think I'm carrying my weight, you can caII the home.
I won't argue.
You won't be sorry.
Yeah, we'II get you in the record books.
''OIdest man that ever ran away with the circus.''
(LAUGHS )
I'm not running away.
I'm coming home.
(INAUDIBLE)
EngIish - US - SDH