Hey, son!
This is where you wanted off.
Oh. Well, thank you, sir.
And thank you for the hitch too.
I've ridden 'em lots of times when I was your age myself. What do you want here?
Friend of mine lives here.
His old man's a big shot in the grain business.
Real rich.
Honest. Sure.
The governor's an old sidekick of mine.
That's how I got this job.
Millie! Does it make your mouth water?
It's beautiful, Mrs. Potts.
Thank you, dear.
Ma'am?
Yes?
Uh, about your yard, ma'am.
I could, uh... I could rake it up and, uh,
burn your trash for you or any other kind of job needs done.
My gracious. Nobody works today.
No? It's Labor Day.
Are you hungry?
I guess my stomach didn't know it was Labor Day, ma'am.
You just stop being embarrassed and come in and have some breakfast.
Not unless I clean up your yard. All right, but after you eat.
Come on. Get in the house. Get something to eat.
Madge!
Dry your silly hair over somebody else.
Well, why don't you read your silly book under somebody else?
Oh! My, it's hot and still today.
It looks lovely, dear.
I wish it didn't take so long to dry.
I think one summer I'll cut it short. Madge!
She's just talking. The way she primps and fusses,
somebody'd think she was the queen of Sheba.
Well, if you fussed with yourself a little,
maybe you'd have a date for the picnic today.
I don't want any of these crazy boys in town to take me anywhere.
♪ Beggars can't be choosers ♪
Madge, that's mean.
There'll be dancing at the pavilion tonight. Millie ought to have a date.
All she has to do, Mom, is dress up and act decent.
I will dress and act the way I want.
Anybody mind if an old-maid schoolteacher joins their company?
Morning, Miss Sydney. Morning, Miss Sydney.
Come out and join us, Rosemary.
- Mail in yet? - It's a holiday.
Aw, that's right. I forgot.
Thought there might be a letter from that man I met at the high school dance last spring.
Been wantin' to marry me ever since.
He was a peck of fun.
But I don't have time for any of 'em when they start getting serious on me.
You schoolteachers are mighty independent.
Shoot. I've lived this long without a man.
I don't see what's to keep me from getting on without one.
- What about Howard? - Howard Bevans?
He's just a friend-boy, not a boyfriend.
I'll bet you never had cherry pie for breakfast before, did you?
No, ma'am, I never did.
I'll get started on your yard now.
Oh, you've had such a big breakfast.
Wouldn't you like to rest for a while?
No, ma'am. Work's good for my digestion.
I was, uh, figuring to look up this friend of mine that lives here.
Uh, I was in college with him... some years back.
You look like a college man.
Thank you, ma'am.
I, uh, don't suppose you'd know him. His name's Alan Benson.
Alan Benson! Why, of course!
He visits one of the girls next door.
What do you know?
It's right around here.
It'll be awful hot in that jacket. You'd better take it off.
My shirt's awful dirty, ma'am.
I'll wash it for ya.
Do you think anybody'd mind? Oh, of course not!
You're a man. What's the difference?
Helen!
It's my mother. She lives upstairs.
She's an invalid, you see.
She's very old.
Sure. Older people take a lot of care.
Helen!
All right, Mama! I'm coming! I'm coming!
Workin' over there naked as an Indian.
Who's naked as an Indian?
Who does he think is interested?
Good morning. Hey, Bomber, you stupe.
- You wanna knock the house down? - Go back to bed, will ya?
Go blow your nose!
Tell your pretty sister to come out.
It's no fun lookin' at you, goon face.
You take that back, you dirty little pest!
Hey, look at goon face! She fights just like a man.
Oh, boy! Ow!
One of these days you're gonna come around here,
and I'll shoot you, so help me!
Morning, Madge. Hello, Bomber.
A bunch of us guys are, uh, chippin' in on a hot rod.
I get it every Friday night.
Well, don't expect to honk the horn and have me run out.
If a boy wants a date, he can come to the door like a gentleman and ask if I'm in.
Alan Benson sends her flowers every time they go out.
I can't send ya flowers, baby, but, uh,
I can... send ya.
Eew!
Let me pick ya up some night after Benson brings ya home, huh?
Oh, Bomber, will you stop being ridiculous?
I seen ya ridin' around in his convertible like you was a duchess.
Why do good-looking girls have to be so stuck on themselves?
I am not stuck on myself!
Let me pick ya up some night after Benson brings ya home. Come on, Madge.
Bomber, will you let me alone? Come on. Give a guy a break.
On your way, lover boy.
Who are you?
What's that matter? I'm bigger than you are.
Hey, I'm late on my route! Yeah!
Go on! Go peddle your papers!
Drop dead. Hi.
Hi.
Hey, you workin' for Mrs. Potts?
Uh, just doin' a few odd jobs in the yard.
She give you breakfast? Millie, stop it.
I need you girls to help me with the picnic sandwiches, so...
Is there something you want, young man?
Just... loafin', ma'am.
This is a busy day for us. We have no time to loaf.
Are you the, uh, mother?
Yes.
Come on, Millie. Madge!
Madge? Yes?
Come here! Come here a minute!
He knows Alan.
Isn't that nice?
Yeah.
I never been to Kansas before.
Maybe you can tell me where Benson lives.
He lives on the other end of town.
- Ask anyone over there. Alan's father's an elevator man. - Huh?
Yes, he owns all those big grain elevators.
Madge!
See ya.
Nice chip, Dad.
Keep your head down, Son, and follow through.
Benson?
Hal Carter!
Kid.
Well, where did you come from?
Oh, around.
You old son of a gun. Of all people... How are you?
Hey, now watch it, watch it! No, no!
Hey! Remember how we used to wake up that fraternity?
Do I! Yahoo!
Who's winkin', blinkin' and stinkin'?
Dad, this is Hal Carter.
Oh, yes, so it is.
I remember you on the football field.
Thank you, Mr. Benson, sir. You still look able to dodge a few tacklers.
You look pretty fit yourself, sir. I try.
Great guy.
When did you get into town?
Early this morning. Imagine living in a place like this.
Why didn't you come to see me first thing?
I didn't want to walk in on you looking like a bum.
I thought... I thought maybe I'd scrounge around,
get me a little change and pick me up a new shirt.
That wouldn't have made any difference.
Hal Carter!
Where have you been all these years?
Oh, I was... workin' back home in the fillin' station.
Then I was in the Army.
Yeah? How long?
Till I got out.
I, uh, heard you went to Hollywood to become a big movie hero.
I was gonna have a big career.
They were gonna call me "Brush" Carter.
What happened, "Brush"?
This babe told me they were gonna have to pull out all my teeth...
and get me new ones, so, naturally, I...
Wait a minute. What babe?
The babe that got me the screen test.
She wasn't exactly a babe. She was kinda beat up, but, uh,
not bad.
Same old Hal.
- Aren't you glad to see me? - Well, sure.
How about lending me a razor?
Okay. Go on, now. Fill me in.
After I left Hollywood, I took a job on a ranch in Nevada.
You'd have been proud of me.
In bed every night at 10:00, up every morning at 6:00.
No liquor, no babes, no nothin'.
I even saved up 200 bucks. Then I got rolled.
Rolled? You?
I was, um,
hitchhiking my way down to Texas...
on a big oil deal...
when two babes pull up in this big yellow convertible.
One of 'em slams on the brake and hollers,
"Hey, beefcake, get in."
So I...
got in.
Benson, it was crazy.
They had a shakerful of martinis...
right there in the car. Remembering old times?
Yes, sir... No, sir.
I'm due at the club, Alan. Join me later, if you wish.
I've got a date, Dad.
Same young lady? Of course.
- Delighted to have seen you, Carter. - It's mutual, sir.
Great car. Go on, now.
Tell me what happened exactly.
Well, you know me. I'm an agreeable guy.
Sure! So when they parked in front of this tourist cabin,
I said...
"Okay, girls. If I gotta pay for the ride, this is the easiest way I know."
So we got busy... on the martinis.
They must have thought I was Superman.
Nothin' like that ever happens to me.
So then I said, "Okay, girls."
Party's over. Let's get going."
And one of them sticks a gun right in my back and says,
"This party's goin' on till we say it's over, Buck!"
You'd have thought she was Humphrey Bogart.
Wait a minute. Then what?
So finally I passed out.
And when I woke up, the dames were gone, and so was my 200 bucks.
I went to the police, and they wouldn't believe me.
They said my story was wishful thinking. How do you like that?
I'm telling you, Benson. Women are gettin' desperate.
Yeah.
Be awfully nice to be married to Alan, Madge.
Better get busy.
Busy? Pretty girl doesn't have long.
Just a few years.
Then she's the equal of kings.
She can walk out of a shanty like this...
and live in a palace.
If she loses her chance when she's young,
she might as well throw all her prettiness away.
I'm only 19.
And next summer you'll be 20.
And then 21, and then... 40.
You don't have to be morbid.
Is this a private party I'm crashing?
Oh, no. I won't be back for lunch today, Mrs. Owens.
There's a welcome-home party down at the hotel...
for the new girls on the faculty.
My, isn't that scrumptious?
Oh, oh!
You'll be the belle of the ball, Madge.
You look awfully nice yourself, Miss Sydney.
It's the new fall outfit.
You schoolteachers certainly have nice things.
Got it in Kansas City. Paid 22.50 for the hat.
Good land, Mrs. Owens. You let your daughter read filthy books like that?
"Filthy"? What are you reading?
The Ballad of the Sad Cafe.
And it's not filthy. It's wonderful!
All I know is somebody wanted it banned from the public library.
Millie... It's on the reading list at college,
and Alan Benson loaned it to me.
Oh, dear.
What is a person to believe?
Those college professors don't have any morals.
Bye, now. Bye.
Madge, let's get at this dress.
Everybody around here gets to dress up and go places except me.
That's because you're not interested in boys.
You'd think all boys ever cared about was what somebody wears.
Well, they do care about how they look and act, though.
And how they smell, a lot of the time.
Girls, don't fight. La-di-da.
Madge is the pretty one,
but she's so dumb they almost had to burn the schoolhouse down to get her out of it.
That is not so!
You have to work in the dime store.
Well, Bomber was right. You are a goon!
Madge, you slut! You take that back, or I'll kill you!
Girls, girls!
Take it back right now!
Hello, girls.
Lovely morning, isn't it?
- Take it back! Take it back, Madge! - Mother!
Take it back! Girls, what will the neighbors say?
Nobody can call me goon and get by with it.
You've called her worse names.
It doesn't hurt, what names I call her.
Madge is the pretty one. Names don't bother her at all.
Poor Millie.
Hmph. All I ever hear is "poor Millie."
And "poor Millie" won herself a scholarship for four years of college.
A girl like Millie can need confidence in other ways.
Madge,
with Alan, you'd live in comfort the rest of your life.
Charge accounts at all the stores.
Automobiles and trips.
And you'd belong to the country club.
Mom,
I don't feel right with those people.
Why not?
Your grandfather was in the state legislature.
You're as good as they are.
And when a girl's as pretty as you are, she doesn't have to...
Oh, Mom.
What good is it just to be pretty?
What a question!
Maybe I get tired of only being looked at.
You puzzle me when you talk that way.
Madge, does Alan ever make love?
Sometimes we park the car by the river.
Do you... Do you let him kiss you?
After all, you've been going together all summer.
Of course I let him.
Does he ever want to go beyond kissing?
Oh, Mom! Well, I'm your mother, for heaven's sakes!
These things have to be talked about.
Do you like it when he kisses you?
Yes.
You don't sound very enthusiastic.
What do you expect me to do?
Pass out every time Alan puts his arms around me?
No, you don't have to pass out.
But there won't be many more opportunities like the picnic tonight.
And it seems to me you could at least...
What? Oh, nothing. Nothing.
That dress is to be worn only to parties, understand?
I don't want to have to remind you.
And another thing.
I want you to stop picking on Millie all the time!
Madge!
Poor darling.
Oh, don't.
Mom?
Do you love Millie more than me?
Oh, Madge. Madge, of course not.
But sometimes you act like you did.
Don't say things like that.
Listen to me.
When you were born,
we didn't know how to hold in ourjoy.
We laughed and... we cried.
We planted that elm tree in the backyard.
When you got a little older, your father used to carry you on his shoulder...
for all the neighborhood to see.
And when Millie came,
it was different.
Your father wasn't home a lot of the time.
He found other things.
And then he walked out of the house and never came back.
Oh, Madge.
If I ever seem to favor Millie,
maybe it's because I want to make it up to her...
all those golden years you had and she didn't.
I was just remembering you at school.
How you always had things under control.
Who, me?
Yeah.
Never cut classes,
understood the lectures,
took notes.
The hero of the campus, and he envied me.
Yeah, big hero.
Between the goalposts.
Finally happened, kid.
Your father? Yeah.
He went on his last bender.
Police scraped him up off the sidewalk,
and he died in jail.
I'm sorry to hear that, Hal.
Well, you wanted to see 'em.
There they are. Wow!
Mr. Benson!
Hello, Mike!
You're not workin' today? Have to!
Got a backlog!
Come on.
They're loadin'.
What d'you say there, Red? Hello, Alan.
Wheat comes down through that spout.
All the way from the top.
Yeah? It must come down like a bat...
Yeah, it does. Come on.
I'll give you a hand, Red.
Thanks, I can use a hand.
Tie it up good, now.
If these things ever get loose, they can be pretty mean.
I worked with the boys here one summer.
I was a wheat scooper. No kiddin'?
Dad wanted me to learn the business from the bottom up.
I guess that'll hold it.
All set? Okay. Ready to go.
Watch this. I'll push the button.
Hi, Alan. What d'ya say? How're you doin'?
Charlie? Hi.
What's this thing? A man-lift.
Go on. Get on it. Go on! Don't be afraid!
Hey, this is great! Watch your head!
Whoa!
You own all these? Well, the corporation does.
That one too? Yeah.
That's their newest one. That holds ten million bushels.
That's a lot of biscuits.
You know, uh, what I was hoping was that...
you and your old man,
between you, might be able to fix me up with a job.
Sure. These companies can always use men.
I'll talk to Dad. I'm sure he can do something.
Maybe, uh,
somethin' in a nice office where I can wear a tie...
and have a sweet little secretary...
and talk over the telephone about...
enterprises... and things.
I gotta get someplace in this world. I just gotta.
Sure. But, uh,
before you get to be president of the company, you'll have to be...
a little patient.
Yeah, that's somethin' I gotta learn. Patience!
Come on. Where are we goin'?
We're goin' swimmin'. With a couple of girls.
Couple of girls? Wait till you see mine.
She is unbelievable.
I know. Her name's Madge.
Absolutely and positively the cutest thing I ever saw.
Ho!
Oh, he's all right.
"All right"?
Imagine him on a cold and rainy night.
He's going to the picnic with Alan, and he's, uh, taking me.
He's taking you? Oh, gee!
Madge.
After the picnic tonight,
let's get away from the others.
All right.
We'll take a boat out on the river.
Come on, kid. Let's show 'em how to swim.
Okay. On your mark, get set, go!
Come on, kid. Let's show 'em how to swim.
Big shot.
Oh, Bomber, don't be forever a creep.
I want to find out something.
I want to find out if you look real in the moonlight.
Alan, don't say that. Why not?
Because I'm real, all right.
It doesn't matter whether you are or not.
You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
- Benson? - Yeah?
What's on your mind?
I don't know if it's such a good idea, me goin' on this picnic.
Why not? You're takin' Millie.
Well, I... I never been on a picnic.
What are you talking about?
Everybody's been on a picnic. Not me.
When I was a kid, I was too busy shootin' craps...
or stealin' milk bottles.
You went on the steak fries in the fraternity, didn't you?
Yeah, and you know what they turned out to be.
Well, this picnic won't be that primitive.
How do you talk to boys?
You just talk, silly.
Well... But... How do you think of things to say?
You just say whatever comes into your head.
Supposing nothing comes into my head?
Why ask me all the questions?
You're supposed to be the smart one.
What do you think of her?
Who?
My girl.
Oh! Not bad.
"Not bad"? She's the prettiest girl in town.
I bet you they announce tonight she's gonna be queen of Neewollah.
Nee-what-a? Neewollah!
Neewollah!
It's Halloween spelled backwards.
They have this big coronation ceremony every year.
Madge should have been queen last year. She had 400 votes.
Only this otherjerk... Millie, stop it!
What have we been talkin' about? I don't know.
Kid, you better get away from this wall. You're liable to get educated.
Yeah, yeah, yeah!
Millie, stop it. I can't see anything.
We brought home your wayward girl, Mrs. Owens.
Welcome back, Irma. Rosemary told me you've been in New York.
Whatever she says, I didn't disgrace myself.
Oh, Mrs. Owens,
this is Christine Schoenwalder.
She's taking Mabel Fremont's place this year.
- In Feminine Hygiene. - I'm delighted to know you, Christine.
- Howard phoned. - He did?
Madge? Madge, uh, how do I look?
Tell me the truth!
You look very nice.
Well, feel sort of funny, though.
You think he'll like me? Oh, I don't really care, anyway.
I just wonder.
Bye. Bye, kids.
You better hurry if you're going to change. Howard'll be here soon.
Shoot. It doesn't take me any time to dress for Howard.
Hey, Hal! Here.
Try this.
Can you imagine that? Alan's brought two cars.
Here's your date, Millie.
Hey, kid! Look at you! Well!
I've decided to go along too.
My best girl!
Say, Romeo, you've met Mrs. Owens too, you know.
Oh, sure. She's the mother.
I'm coming too, Rosemary.
Oh, uh, this is Miss Rosemary Sydney, Hal.
Miss Sydney teaches in the high school.
Yes. I'm an old-maid schoolteacher.
I have every respect for schoolteachers, ma'am.
It's a lot of hard work and not much pay.
Now if the men will start taking the baskets out to the cars...
There's a big tub of ice, but I don't think anybody could...
I'll handle that, ma'am! I'll help.
Be careful. It's very heavy.
Here we go. Look at him.
He carries that old washtub as if it was so much tissue paper.
Oh, here. Let me help.
It's him. It's him!
Who?
Oh. It's Howard.
If he's been drinking, I'm not going with him.
Hold it, Hal.
I want you to meet Howard Bevans. Hal Carter.
Pleased to meet you, sir. Same here, Hal.
Hey! Millie's a good-lookin' little lady.
I never realized that before.
Yuck! He's right, kid.
I've been telling her that for years. Yeah?
Is there anything else, ma'am? Thermoses.
Thermoses! Thermoses comin' up!
Uh, Howard, I'm going along too.
That's fine. Howdy, ladies. Hello, Howard.
Mrs. Owens.
Alan, I think you'd better hurry Madge up.
Yes, ma'am. Say, Delilah!
Go on up. Coming!
You... You sure look nice, Rosemary.
Seems to me you might at least have left your coat on.
It's still too darn hot, even if it is September.
How are things across the river, Howard?
Oh, business is fine.
Back to school... everybody's buyin'.
Oh, bride and groom!
Everybody, look! Bride and groom!
Madge, it's a picnic. Why did you wear that dress?
I don't know, Mom, I... I just put it on.
Hello.
I never could wear another fella's clothes.
You see, I'm kinda beefy through the shoulders.
I should have all my clothes tailor-made.
Nobody'd mind if you took it off. Yeah, look at me.
Eh, Rosemary?
Ah, sure.
Nothing like bein' loose!
We'd better hurry. All the tables... Yeah, come on!
Kid, I'll race you to the car. Roger!
On your marks... On my mark.
Get set... Set.
Go! Go, go, go! Hey!
Ready? Ready.
See ya there!
Howard?
How did a boy like that ever get into college?
On a football scholarship.
But he was in your fraternity.
Don't those boys have a... a little more breeding?
Maybe. But fraternities like to pledge big athletes.
Hal could have been an All-American. All-American?
If he'd only studied.
He flunked out his third year.
♪ And on this farm he had some pigs E-I-E-I-O ♪
♪ With an oink-oink here and an oink-oink there ♪
♪ Here an oink, there an oink oink-oink everywhere ♪
♪ Old MacDonald had a farm ♪
♪ E-I-E-I-O ♪♪
Hey, kid, here's one my old man taught me.
No, no. No. I...
♪ Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O ♪♪
When I first met him, I couldn't stand the way he bragged and swaggered, either.
Then we shared a room, and I got to know him better.
Is he wild?
Not really.
Does he drink?
A little.
After all, Millie's only a child... Now, Flo.
Don't be an old poke.
A picnic isn't a picnic without a little drink.
Howard, put that bottle down where you found it.
Old poke. Old poke.
What if somebody saw us from the school board?
I'd lose my job.
Now, honey, why do you think I drove down this street?
There isn't a soul in sight.
Come on, honey. Be a sport.
Have one little one. Just for me?
If I have one, will you stop coaxing?
Yeah.
Just the same, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.
Oh, kids, that looks like a lovely spot.
Yes, that's just fine.
That's all the swan boat'll hold.
♪ "Gwine" to run all night ♪
♪ "Gwine" to run all day ♪♪
Dancing tonight will begin at 8:00.
The music will be provided by our own Ernie Higgins and his Happiness Boys.
Don't overdo it! Oh, I can't look! I can't look!
♪ I hear the gentle voices calling ♪
We are putting in the haystack...
$125 in nickels, dimes and quarters.
♪ All the world is sad and dreary ♪
♪ Everywhere I roam ♪♪
Attention, everybody, attention.
A child had been found. He says he has no name.
Anyone missing a child with no name...
can claim him here at the pavilion.
This next game, get your partners for the "Trained Seal" game.
No, no, ladies. You've got to have a man.
I've got one!
I'll get my pants dirty.
We're gonna play. Kneel down.
The object of the game... Men, put your hands behind your back.
Ladies with the jar rings,
ring the lollipop sticks in the fella's mouth.
Ready? Go!
♪ While my little one ♪
♪ While my pretty one ♪
♪ Sleeps ♪♪
Faster! Go on!
Howard. Now, Howard... Come back here!
And it is proper that this holiday...
known as Labor Day, be set aside...
Hey, Hal, look at the mutt!
No, no, no! Leave room for the cake.
I've never had so much fun since Grandma caught...
Since... Since ever.
How 'bout it, kid?
We'd have won that three-legged race if I hadn't let you down.
Millie doesn't go in much for sports. She cultivates her mind.
Oh, I... I wasn't taking anything away from her there, ma'am.
She's got a splendid mind.
Oh, come on, both of you. Cut it out.
You ought to come over to Halstor someday and see my shop.
Notions, novelties, school supplies.
You too, Alan.
It's right across the big river.
We'll be over, sir,
as soon as we can fit it in our schedule.
You can't miss it. The store right next to the bank.
I live right upstairs.
Only one big room, but it's big enough for me and my 21 -inch TV.
Where'd you ever get those boots?
My old man left them to me when he died.
He had a very big foot.
Is that all he left you, just a pair of boots?
He used to sit down on the bed at night, and I'd tug 'em off him.
And he'd say,
"Son, the man of the house has got to have a pair of boots...
'cause he's gotta do a lot of kickin'."
Then he said, uh,
"Son, there'll be times when the only thing...
"you've got to be proud of is the fact that you're a man.
"So wear your boots so people know you're comin',
and keep your fist doubled up so they know you mean business when you get there."
My old man, he was a corker.
Hal's always so shy of people before he meets them,
and then you can't keep him still.
What line of business you in, son?
I'm about to, uh, enter the grain business, sir.
You see, uh,
my old man was no aristocratic millionaire or anything,
but he had some very important friends.
Some very big people, in their own way.
And one of them was always after me...
to take this position with the oil company down in Texas and...
Dad and I found a place for Hal scooping wheat.
Yeah, I've decided to start from the very bottom.
I sure do appreciate Alan and his old...
His old father giving me this opportunity.
A young man coming to town has got to be a good mixer.
Wouldn't it be nice if he could join the country club and play golf?
He won't be able to afford that.
The bowling team's a rowdy gang.
There's a young men's Bible class at the Baptist church.
I learned something today.
And it's that... Well, there comes a time in a man's life...
when he's gotta quit rollin' around like a pinball.
Maybe a...
a little town like this is the, uh,
place to settle down,
where people are easygoin' and sincere.
Hi.
Hey!
Well, I... I'm sorry.
Hey! Hey, look! Watermelon!
♪ In the dark ♪
♪ Eyes splendor ♪
♪ Where the warm ♪
♪ Light loves to dwell ♪
♪ Weary looks ♪
♪ Yet tender ♪
♪ Speak their fond ♪
♪ Farewell ♪
A day like this reminds me of...
when I was a girl.
Things I haven't thought about...
in a long, long time.
Now, Helen.
Flo,
you'll never know what it's meant to have you next door to me.
Watching your two girls grow up.
It's made it easier. Now, Helen.
Where is everybody?
Don't you remember, Flo?
At a picnic, everybody disappears.
Look at that sunset, Howard.
A sunset's a beautiful thing, all right.
It's like the daytime didn't want to end, isn't it?
It's like the daytime was gonna put up a big scrap,
set the world on fire,
to keep the nighttime from creeping on.
Hey, kid.
It's me!
I had a job as a model once.
Like this.
They had me posing in front of their class almost raw.
I sure do admire people who are artistic.
Oh, I just like to draw.
People who draw,
read books,
listen to the... better music.
I used to go with a girl who read books.
She joined the, uh, Book of the Month Club,
and they had her reading books all the time.
She'd no more'n finish one and they'd shoot her another.
Last summer I memorized all of Shakespeare's sonnets.
No kiddin'.
♪ Beautiful dreamer ♪
♪ Awake unto me ♪
You're thinking about your father, aren't you?
Yeah. I, uh...
I was thinking how impressed he'll be when he reads you were...
picked as queen of Neewollah tonight.
They haven't picked me yet.
Besides,
I'm sure he thinks the whole thing is silly.
No, you don't know him.
He's always impressed by people who win things, or...
make the most money, or...
score the most points at a football game.
I write poetry myself.
I've written poems I've never shown to a living soul.
Kid, I think you must be some sort of a genius.
We're all going down to the dock in a minute. Now, remember.
Aren't you excited? Oh, yes.
Howard! Millie's not gonna be shocked...
if she sees somebody take a drink, are you, Millie?
Gosh, no.
♪♪ One more drink won't hurt you, honey.
I guess I know why you want me to keep on drinking.
Now, honey, that's not so.
Ladies and gentlemen, the moment we have been waiting for has arrived.
Is Madge... Did Madge... Is Madge the queen? Is she the queen?
On October 31, next Halloween,
we will crown our queen of Neewollah.
She has not yet reached our shores, but...
Wait a minute. Here she comes now.
It's Madge. I bet you anything.
No kiddin'?
♪ Neewollah ♪
- ♪ Ain't she sweet, See her coming down the street ♪ - Wow.
♪ Now I ask you very confidentially Ain't she sweet ♪
♪ Ain't she nice Look her over once or twice ♪
♪ Now, I ask you very confidentially Ain't she nice ♪
♪ Just cast an eye in her direction ♪
♪ Oh, me, oh, my Ain't that perfection ♪
♪♪ Shoot.
When I was a girl, I was just as good-looking as she is.
♪ Very confidentially Ain't she sweet ♪
♪ Ain't she sweet, See her coming down the street ♪ Hi.
♪ Now, I ask you very confidentially Ain't she sweet ♪ Hi.
♪ I repeat, Don't you think that's kind of neat ♪
♪ Now, I ask you very confidentially Ain't she sweet ♪♪
You know,
I look forward to seeing her every time I go over to the Owens' house.
But I tell myself, "Howard, old boy, you look all you want,
but you couldn't touch her with a ten-foot pole."
Welcome to our shores, Your Majesty.
Ladies and gentlemen,
the new queen, Madge Owens!
Speech! Speech! Speech!
Speech!
Thank you. I'm very proud, and I'll try hard to be a good queen.
I'll try hardest of all not to get conceited.
Oh, no, Your Majesty. The president's first.
Don't you worry, Mr. Benson.
We'll not leave you out.
Land, I love that music!
Dance with me, Howard. Honey, I'm no good at dancing.
Oh, that's just what you men say to get out of it.
We'll show you we can do without them, won't we, Millie? Come on.
All right, but I gotta lead.
Mr. President? Mr. President, could I see you just a moment?
Excuse me.
Where's Mrs. Johnson? I've got to return this cape.
Excuse me a minute, Mom?
All right, darling. See how Millie is.
Stop it.
I thought we were doing very nicely, honey. You think you're so funny.
Hey, kid, dance with me.
I've never danced with boys. Oh, sure you can.
Come on. All you have to do is follow the steps.
Here's the cape, Mrs. Johnson, all safe and sound.
More, more. More, more!
Come on! More, more!
Ahh. Kid, I'll show you a step I learned in L.A.
Now watch this.
First, you gotta set the rhythm.
I wish I could do it.
Aren't they graceful?
You used to dance like that, Flo.
Why can't you dance that way?
Golly, honey, I'm a businessman.
One night I went dancing at a big Valentine party.
I danced so hard I swooned.
That's when they called me the dancing fool.
Mighty pretty legs.
Aw, that's just like you men.
Can't talk about anything but women's legs.
I just noticed they had a nice shape.
How would you like it if we women went around talking about your legs all the time?
All right. Here's my legs.
I never saw anything so ugly!
Young man, let's see your legs! Oh, no, w-wait!
No, no, no. New rule tonight. Every man here's got to show his legs.
No, no. Come on. Come on. The other one too.
Let him alone. He's dancing with Madge.
It's his turn to dance with me. I may be an old schoolteacher, but I can keep up with you.
Come on. Ride 'em, cowboy.
But ma'am, I...
Used to have a boyfriend was a cowboy. Met him in Colorado.
He was in love with me because I was an older woman and had some sense.
Oh. Sorry.
He took me up in the mountains one night and wanted to marry me.
Right there on the mountaintop.
He said the stars'd be our preacher and the moon our best man.
Did you ever hear such talk?
You know what?
You remind me of one of those old statues.
One of those Roman gladiators.
All they had on was a shield.
Look, ma'am, I don't... My, those ancient people were depraved.
I don't think I can dance, ma'am. I can keep up with you.
Please. I want to dance. Please dance with me. Please. I gotta dance.
Please!
He was dancing with Madge. Now let him alone. They're young people.
Young? What do you mean, they're young?
Oh, Millie!
Millie! Millie!
Oh, I'm sick.
Oh, I just want to die.
Here, Millie. Over here, darling.
I hate you! Millie!
Madge is the pretty one. Madge is the pretty one.
What did she have to do that for?
I guess that's something wonderful: Young.
How much do you suppose the little dickens... Who fed liquor to Millie?
He did, Mrs. Owens. It's all his fault.
- Wait a minute, Rosemary. Mrs. Owens, it was this way... - Millie was your date.
You should've been looking after her, but you were too busy making eyes at Madge.
Rosemary! Mrs. Owens, the boy didn't do anything.
You've been stomping around here in those boots like you own the place,
thinking every woman you saw was going to fall madly in love.
Well, here's one woman didn't pay you any mind.
Bragging about your father.
I'll bet he wasn't any better'n you are, strutting around here...
like some crummy Apollo!
You thinkjust 'cause you act young, you can walk in here and make off with whatever you like.
Let me tell you something. You're a fake.
You're no jive kid. You're just scared to act your age.
Buy yourself a mirror sometime and take a look in it. Won't be many years now...
before you're counting the gray hairs, if you've got any left.
And what'll become of you then? You'll end your life in the gutter,
and it'll serve you right, 'cause the gutter's where you came from and where you belong!
Rosemary, shut your mouth!
Turn that off! This isn't a sideshow!
Go on! Go on about your business!
Go on! Get out of here!
What happened? Turn off that light, I said.
What happened, Hal?
I...
Answer me! What did you do?
Same old Hal.
I'm sorry, Mrs. Owens.
I should've known better than to trust him.
I want it understood there's to be no more drinking!
It was my fault, Mrs. Owens.
I brought the whiskey.
Alan, come and help me with Millie.
What made me do it, Howard? What made me act that way?
Maybe it's the...
the harvest moon, honey.
I wanted to have a good time tonight, Howard.
This is my last night of vacation.
Maybe we should go for a ride, honey.
Yes. Yes, let's!
Yes. I want to have a good time. I want to have a good time!
Beat it, baby. I'm in a pretty bad mood. Please wait a minute.
Alan shouldn't have talked that way to you.
I said "beat it"!
Okay, baby. You asked for it.
Okay. Go on home. Tell them anything you want.
And thank Benson for his shirt. What are you going to do?
There'll be a freight along here soon.
Women like Miss Sydney make me mad at the whole female sex.
What's the use, baby? I'm a bum.
She saw through me like an X-ray machine.
There's no place in the world for a guy like me.
Oh, but there's got to be. Look. Don't pay any attention to her.
You are young.
Yes, you are.
But not so young you're not a man too.
And you're very entertaining.
Why, I think you say all sorts of witty things.
I just love listening to you talk.
And you're a wonderful dancer.
Thanks.
I can tell a lot about a man by dancing with him.
You know, some boys,
when they take a girl in their arms to dance, they...
Well, they make her feel sort of uncomfortable.
But with you, I...
I had the feeling you knew exactly what you were doing.
And I could follow you every step of the way.
Why, you've got lots of qualities.
Let me level with you, baby. When I was 14, I spent a year in jail.
Honest? Called it a reform school. Let me tell you, it was a jail.
For what?
I stole another guy's motorcycle.
I stole it because I wanted to get so far away so fast, nobody'd ever catch up with me.
Everybody feels that way sometimes.
Then my old lady went to the authorities.
"I've done everything I can with the boy. I can't do anything more."
So off I go to that lousy, stinkin' place!
Gee.
When I finally get out...
the old lady's sorry to see me back...
'cause...
my dad's loaded all the time and...
she's got a new boyfriend and I'm in the way.
It's awful when parents don't get along.
Well, there you are. And I never told that to another soul.
So if you want to faint or get sick or go home to Mama, go on, because I'm not gonna...
Baby, what'd you do?
I get so tired of just being told I'm pretty.
The others... We've got to get back to the picnic.
Do we?
Well, here we are, honey, right back where we started from.
Everybody else must be home hours.
I'm glad we went off.
Good night, Rosemary.
Maybe I should say "good morning."
Where are you going, Howard?
Why, home, honey.
You can't go off without me.
Not after tonight.
Take me with you.
Honey, be reasonable. What would people say?
People? What do people say if I thumb my nose at 'em?
What do people say if I walk down the street and showed 'em my pink panties?
- What do I care what people say? - Rosemary. Look, honey.
You'd better go inside and get some sleep.
You gotta start school in the morning.
Can't we talk this over on Saturday?
Maybe you won't be back Saturday.
Rosemary, you know better than that.
Maybe you won't be back ever again.
You're not yourself tonight.
Yes, I am.
I'm more myself than I ever was.
I see what's in store for me.
After you, someone else.
Then... someone else.
Then... Take me with you, Howard.
If you don't, I don't know what I'll do with myself. I mean it.
When we first started to go together, you were the best sport I ever saw.
Always good for a laugh.
I can't laugh anymore.
You said you were going to marry me, Howard.
You said when I got back from my vacation, you'd be waiting with the preacher.
Honey, I had a busy summer. Where is the preacher, Howard? Where is he?
I'm not a boy anymore.
A person forms certain ways of living,
and one day it's too late to change.
I'm no spring chicken, either.
Maybe I'm a little older than you think.
My ways are formed too,
but they can be changed.
They gotta be changed.
It's no good living like this...
in... rented rooms.
Meeting a bunch of old maids for supper every night.
Then coming back home... alone.
Each year, I keep telling myself it's the last.
Something'll happen.
Nothing ever does.
Except I get a little crazier all the time.
Well... A well's a hole in the ground, Howard.
I wasn't trying to be funny, Rosemary.
Can't we talk this over on Saturday? I'm dead tired.
I got a busy week ahead of me.
You gotta marry me, Howard.
I can't marry you now.
You can be over in the morning.
No.
I'm not going to marry anyone who says, "You gotta marry me, Howard."
I mean, the thing is,
if a woman wants me to marry her, she can at least say "please."
Please marry me, Howard.
Please.
Rosemary.
Come on inside.
Go to bed, honey, and get some sleep.
I'll drive over in the morning.
Maybe we can talk it over.
Don't come unless you're taking me away, Howard.
Please marry me, Howard. Please.
Go to bed, honey. Get some sleep.
Please.
How will you get in?
The kitchen door's always open.
Are you all right, baby?
Yes, I'm all right.
If I thought I'd done anything to make you unhappy,
I'd almost want to die.
Helen! Helen!
Yes, Mama. I'm coming.
You'd better go.
I'll take the car back to Benson's house.
Wow, I didn't even think of him until this second.
I oughta be shot at sunrise.
I guess neither of us thought too much about anything.
Well, good night.
When'll I see you?
I don't know.
What time are you through at the dime store?
At 6:00. Well, maybe I could come by then...
Hey, I... I start a job tomorrow.
Do you?
No. Maybe not with Benson.
Someplace.
You don't mind seeing a guy who's...
just a grain scooper, do you?
Of course not.
Baby, would you kiss me good night?
No.
Just once, f-for luck maybe, huh?
If I promise not to hold you? No.
You're trying to punish me, Madge.
Yes.
Oh, yes, I...
I think I was trying to punish you.
Oh, kiss me, Hal.
Being with you is wonderful, baby.
You make me feel...
important.
No!
You make me feel... patient.
Do I?
Don't kiss me anymore. Oh, please don't kiss me anymore.
It's all right. I put Mom to bed.
Madge... I was awful tonight, wasn't I?
Honest. I'm never going to touch another drink till the day I die.
And so far, no go. We've notified the highway patrol.
You've had hours. Look, can't we all go to bed and worry about this tomorrow?
After all, it's only a stolen car. It's not!
What about Madge? Maybe he kidnapped her.
Nobody kidnapped her. She's home.
You got every right to be sore, Benson, but so help me, I didn't start out to...
You saw another pretty girl, and you had to add her to your list.
It wasn't that way at all. No matter what you think...
You're a liar!
Alan, you're... you're the only friend I ever had. I wouldn't...
I'm not your friend anymore!
Why, you... Let me go, you bum!
You no-good hobo!
When I think how glad I was to see you this morning...
how glad I was...
I want him arrested. He stole my car.
That's a lousy lie, kid. The car's right outside. It doesn't matter. He stole it.
We'll book you for the night, bub. You got no place to sleep anyway.
Come on. I'm not going to anyjail.
No damn jail, see?
It wasn't the car. Tell him.
Tell him it's not the car! Tell him it's because of Madge!
Thanks, kid.
Why don't you boys let him go? Nobody's going to push us...
Let's go to bed, Son.
Don't pretend you're not pleased about this. What are you talking about?
Madge and me! You wanted to break this up, and you thought it would do it!
Well, it won't! I'm going to marry Madge, so start getting used to the idea!
I hope he gets away.
Over here! He went over this way!
You check the freight cars. I'll search the riverbank.
Have to have at least one more easy chair.
What about the closets?
Barely enough room for my suits.
Slipcovers, I suppose.
That'd have to go.
No.
Carter. What happened, son?
I remember you saying you lived next to the bank.
The cops didn't see me hit the river. Cops?
I don't know. Benson said I stole his car.
Please, sir, you gotta help me.
I have to spend the night someplace, and then I gotta get out of town.
Sure. Get out of those and dry off.
You see, what happened was this... You don't have to tell me.
I understand.
What we need is a drink.
You got your troubles, and I got mine.
You got a rag?
Sure.
You went for that Owens girl, didn't you?
Yeah.
I'll admit they can get under your skin.
That doesn't mean we gotta take 'em too seriously, though.
For instance,
you wouldn't say a man had to go as far as marryin' 'em.
You wouldn't say a thing like that, would you?
You're not being very helpful.
Well, were you awake when she got in?
No, Mom.
Didn't she say anything to you this morning? Nothing.
She's still got her door locked.
Have you been smoking?
Oh, hi, Mrs. Potts! Is Madge all right?
Uh, certainly.
She told me all about it.
She got out of the car and left that hoodlum alone.
And she walked home.
Has anyone seen Howard? Howard? Why, no.
Oh, he said he might be over this morning.
She's been running around all morning like a chicken with its head off.
Something's up.
I think a teacher should be dressed up on the first day.
Good morning, Mrs. Owens. Good morning, Irma.
Is Rosemary ready? We promised the principal...
we'd be there early to help with registration.
All set for school again, Millie? Yep.
Lovely picnic, wasn't it? Wasn't it?
How's Madge? Oh, just fine.
Come on, Christine. I bet we have to get that sleepy girl out of bed.
I got to see Rosemary. I think she's expecting me.
You better holler at the bottom of the stairs. The others are up there with her.
The others? Yeah. Miss Henderson and Schoenwalder.
I gotta see her alone. I gotta explain something to her.
This is the beginning of my busy season, so I don't think I'll be able to make any plans...
It's Howard! It's Howard!
He's come for me!
Howard!
You came back! Oh, Howard.
Oh, girls, girls!
Here's my man! What are you screaming and yelling about?
Here's my man! What's the matter with you?
Wait till you hear the news! It's the funniest thing. We're going to be married.
No! Now, today, this minute.
Howard, let me be the first...
Oh, don't worry, honey. It won't take me long.
We'll help pack. No, no, no. Packing's almost finished.
I was keeping this secret. Weren't we?
Don't forget... You've got to wear something old! Nylons.
Something new. My new handbag.
Something borrowed. Oh, thank you, Christine.
Oh! I don't see anything blue. What?
And you ain't gonna.
Come on, Christine. We'll put something funny in a bag!
Madge. Madge?
Oh, Madge. Congratulations, Howard.
I know you'll be very happy, and I want you to know that... Madge! Madge.
I called and called. Why didn't you answer?
Alan phoned.
He said to tell you he's not angry. He knows it wasn't your fault.
And then he said... Let me get this straight...
He said, "Tell Madge it's important. I want to see her."
Did you hear what I said?
Yes.
You ought to thank your lucky stars, young lady.
Mrs. Owens! Come see this divine outfit. We need your approval. Come on.
Howard? Howard, come help us with the bags.
He's outside.
He's hiding in my car. The police are after him, but he says he's got to see you.
Be careful. Hey, Madge, I got the rice! Let's go get some paint!
Oh, Mrs. Potts has some! Mrs. Potts!
Mrs. Potts, Miss Sydney's getting married!
Who? Rosemary Sydney! Let's decorate the car.
Let's get some paint! Oh, yes!
...some of that rice. Christine, get some rice. Be ready. She'll be right out.
Tah-dah! Tah-dah!
Tah-dah!
Isn't this exciting? Oh, I think I'm going to cry.
Imagine something like this the first day of school!
Oh, the rice is so cute! All the happiness in the world!
Thank you. Howard, look! The sun has come out! You would pick a wonderful day!
Let's go.
Tin cans!
Oh, isn't this so nice?
Oh, you're so sweet!
Mrs. Potts, you've been a wonderful friend. I wish you happiness, Rosemary.
I mean, Mrs. Bevans.
Wait till we tell the principal about this!
Ohh! Where's Madge? Good-bye, Madge!
- Good-bye, Miss Sydney. - Aww.
And don't worry about the room, Mrs. Owens. I know Linda Sue Breckenridge will take it.
And she's a darling girl.
- She sure is. - Rosemary, we still got to pick up the license.
I nearly forgot. I left my hot-water bottle in the closet, my curlers in the bathroom.
Oh, and would you be good enough to store the rest of my things in your attic?
Sure. Rosemary, we'd better hurry.
Where are we going?
Well, I...
I got a cousin who has a tourist camp in the Ozarks, but I don't think...
I love the Ozarks! Wonderful this time of year!
I was there a few years ago for my vacation. Get ready.
Bye-bye! Drive carefully!
Have a wonderful time! Hurry back!
So long, girls. You know what you can tell the principal from me.
Bye-bye! Take care!
Hey, kids! It's Miss Sydney. She's getting married.
Hey, fellas, it's Howard Bevans!
Bye! Bye!
Hi, baby.
I'm in a jam. Howard told me.
I just couldn't run out of town and never see you again.
Where are you going?
Tulsa.
I can always get a job at the Hotel Mayo, bell-hoppin'.
Hey, Mom, did you see what I put on the back of the car?
Madge!
- It's the young man! - Madge!
Mom!
Madge, what are you... Don't blow your top, ma'am. I'm leaving town.
Leaving? I thought you were going to stay here and settle down.
I thought so too, ma'am.
Aren't you going to say good-bye? Good-bye.
Are you mad at me?
No.
I gotta know how you feel. Last night I thought...
I thought you liked me. I did like you. I liked you from the first time I saw you.
Madge, are you out of your senses?
Look, I've been thinking all night.
I've never said this before because it...
it would make me seem like such a freak, but...
What?
I love you, Madge. Do you hear?
Millie, I want you in the house this minute.
Do you love me? Do you?
I'm going to call the police and have you put where you belong.
If you please, ma'am, I'm catchin' that freight!
Meet me, baby. We'll get married.
They'll give me a room in the hotel. It'll be okay until we find something better.
Oh, Madge, don't listen! Look, baby, I got a chance with you.
It won't be big time, but that isn't important, is it?
Come on.
Oh, Hal, I can't!
Why? Don't you see why? Don't you?
Listen, baby.
You're the only real thing I ever wanted... ever.
You're mine. I've got to claim what's mine, or I'll be nothing as long as I live.
You love me. You know it.
You love me! You love me!
You love me!
Oh, Madge.
You...
You liked him, didn't you, Helen?
Yes, I did.
I got so used to things as they were.
Everything so prim. The geranium in the window.
The smell of Mama's medicines.
And then he walked in, and it was different.
He clomped through the place like he was still outdoors.
There was a man in the house, and it seemed good.
When I graduate from college, I'm going to New York...
and write novels that'll shock people right out of their senses.
I'm never going to fall in love, not me.
I'm not going to live in some jerkwater town and marry some ornery guy...
and raise a lot of grimy kids.
But just because I'm a dope, doesn't mean you have to be.
I was watching out the window when you said good-bye.
Millie.
Go with him, Madge.
Oh, Millie.
For once in your life, do something bright.
♪ Ain't she sweet ♪
♪ See her comin' down the street ♪
Hey, Madge, do you want to go dancing?
Let me be next, Madge.
♪ Now I ask you very confidentially ♪
♪ Ain't she sweet ♪♪ Get out of this yard! Get out!
Neewollah! Neewollah!
Madge.
I'm going to Tulsa, Mom.
You don't know what you're doing. You can't.
I'm going, Mom. Listen to me. Put down that bag.
Listen to what I've got to say. There's a bus coming. I've got to hurry.
He's no good. He'll never be able to support you.
When he does have a job, he'll spend it all on drink. After that, there'll be other women.
I know.
Mom, you don't love someone because he's perfect.
Madge. Madge, just think about it a few days.
Madge.
Good-bye, Mrs. Potts.
I'll miss you almost as much as Mom.
Madge, look. You've got to be here for the festival. It's your duty.
Alan's going to take you.
But I don't love Alan, Mom.
Don't worry about me.
Oh, Madge, my little girl.
My baby. Don't go. Don't. Don't.
But there are so many things I meant to tell her.
I never got around to it. Let her learn them for herself, Flo.
Come on, Millie! You don't want to be late the first day!