Born to Be Bad

Are you looking at

the same thing I am?

Yes. That's the most beautiful girl

I've ever seen in my life.

And isn't that a stunning gown?

Looks as though she just

stepped out of Vogue.

- I wonder who she is.

- Oh, uh, we don't want to seem rude...

but we've been admiring

that beautiful girl at the bar.

Would you tell us who she is?

I'm sorry.

I should know, but I don't.

She comes here every night, always with

a different man, always in a new gown...

and always just as beautiful.

Well, whoever she is,

she's doing very well.

- Hello?

- The truant officer wants to see ya.

Oh. Oh yes.

Send him right up.

You can go up to 305.

Let me go. I can walk!

- Come in!

Please make yourself comfortable.

I'll be right in.

All right.

Is something wrong?

Nothing my little boy's done, I hope.

- Don't tell me Mickey's in trouble.

- Yes, he is.

And this isn't the first time. There are

three other counts against your boy.

Oh.

Mickey!

Now, if you can't handle him, Mrs. Strong,

perhaps the juvenile authorities can.

Oh, no, no.

Please don't say that.

Oh, you wouldn't do that!

Well, l... I really...

I really don't know what to say. l...

Oh, I'm awfully sorry.

Oh, Mickey, how can

you act this way?

I don't know what I'm

going to do with you.

Aw.

But I'll reason with him.

I'll make him understand,

if you'll only give me one more chance.

What he needs is

a good, strong hand!

Yes. Please. Just one

more chance is all I ask.

Well, uh...

- All right. Just one more chance.

Oh, you're so kind, Mr. Orbison.

Just talk to him like a mother.

- Good day.

- Good-bye.

Golly, Ma, you were good.

You almost had me believin' ya.

- What's the idea of playin' hooky?

- Oh, I don't like school.

- They treat ya like a baby.

- Mm-hmm.

Anyway, I already got plenty of brains.

- Well, if you're so smart,

how'd ya get caught?

- He sneaked up on me.

The sneak. I was carryin' this thing.

- What's that?

- Beer bottles.

- What's the idea?

That guy over in the delicatessen

gives me two cents apiece for them.

- Where'd ya get 'em?

- Just found them.

Why you cheap little thief.

- Where did you get this?

- Golly, Letty.

- I had to have somethin'

to carry them in.

- One of my best nightgowns!

- What do you mean? Get over there!

- Cut it out!

- I'll teach you to do a thing like that.

- Let me go!

Ow! You gotta let me up, I tell ya!

Let me go, now! Let me up!

- Look at that.

- That's what you get for gettin' funny.

Aw, that's nothin'.

If you're gonna dish it out...

- you gotta be able to take it.

- Yeah, I know.

- But you shouldn't

kick your mother, Mickey.

- Why not?

Ain't you always tellin' me to fight back

when anyone takes a poke at me?

Sure. That's right.

Beat 'em to the punch every time.

Come here.

You know, Mick, sometime you're...

Some day you're gonna thank me

for all the things I've told you.

What your mother's taught you

will take a lot of rough edges

off the hard knocks.

I don't have to wait for someday.

I think you're swell right now.

You're not gonna go through

what I did.

- Not if I can help it.

- What did you go through, Mom?

- The clothes wringer.

- You mean somebody really put

you through a clothes wringer?

- Sure.

- Who was it, the big stiff?

- I'd like to take a sock at 'im.

A man you never knew, darling.

A man who went away

before I found you.

Ooh! 6:
00. Gotta get dressed.

Hello? Oh, Steve?

Wanna talk to Letty? Just a minute.

Hey, ma. It's Steve. Wanna talk to him?

- Yeah. Bring me the phone.

- I'm okay, Stevie.

How are you?

How was your fight last night?

- Win any dough?

- Come on. Give me that.

Hello?

Yeah, I'm takin' a bath.

Who, Max?

Where is he from? Detroit?

- Told St. Louis I'd see him tonight.

- You mean Hirschbaum.

Oh, forget about him. I got his order.

Now this new guy buys for

two of the biggest department

stores in the Middle West.

Yeah, and there'll be

plenty in it for you too.

- Is he one of those idea guys?

- I'll say he is.

- He's just full of ideas.

- No wisecracks, now.

- I'll have you know I'm strictly a model.

- And what a model.

- Say, Steve. You know that

little gray crepe number?

Yeah, number 37. Well, I spilled

gin all down the front of it.

- You better send me up another one.

- Okay, baby.

- All right. Good-bye.

Don't, Mick. Don't do that!

Leave that alone.

Go on. Get out of here.

- Ohh!

- Go on! Get outta here.

Hello, Fuzzy-face.

Ma, Fuzzy-face is here.

- Hello, Letty.

- Hello, Fuzzy.

I'll be out

in a minute, Fuzzy.

Well, well! How's my little boy?

- Hey-o.

- I got somethin' for you.

Something nice.

Something for a good little boy.

A very good copy of Hans Brinker.

You don't say. Any pictures in it?

- Hello, Fuzzy. Wasn't so long, was it?

- Oh, Letty, you're beautiful.

Simply beautiful.

- Like it?

- Do I like it? Huh! Takes my breath away.

- Oh, Fuzzy...

Letty, I got three tickets

for the seventh row, in the center.

And it's to hear Mischa Elman.

Oh! What a great artist.

Mm! So tender, and so true!

- Come on, Fuzzy. Hook me up, will ya?

- Sure.

Here, I'll do it myself.

Please don't think I'm trying

to intrude, Letty, but you

couldn't be any closer to me...

if you was my own daughter,

and Mickey was my own son...

I know, darling.

We think you're swell.

Well, what I'm going

to say to you isn't so pleasant...

but it's been on my mind

for a long time...

- and I've gotta get it off.

- Well, sure. Go ahead.

- It's about Mickey.

- Yeah?

He's the talk of the neighborhood, Letty.

Smokes, he don't go to school.

He runs around with a lot

of roughnecks that's older than he is.

- And he's always in trouble, and...

- Oh, is that all?

"Is that all"? If you're trying to raise

him to be a first-rate scoundrel...

with a complete lack of ethics and

morals, you're certainly succeeding.

The poor little fella

don't know good from bad.

- And if he finally lands in prison,

he can thank you.

- Anything else?

- Plenty!

- Oh, Fuzzy!

In that first year,

when you worked in my bookstore...

and lived with me, it was different.

You were different.

Mickey was different.

He was a nice little baby,

and you were a nice little girl.

You think I'm a doddering old fool.

A buttinsky, maybe. Well, you're wrong.

I ain't so dumb. I know you can't wear

the clothes you wear...

and do the things you do,

and not pay for it, one way or another.

Now, if you want to ruin

your own life, it's a shame.

I'm sorry, but it's your life,

and you can do what you want with it.

But I'm thinkin' of something else.

I'm thinkin' of Mickey!

You're not bein' fair to him!

You're cheatin'!

You don't deserve a child!

All right. You've made

your little speech. Now I'll make mine.

Everything you've said about

Mickey is absolutely true.

Sure he has no honor,

no sense of ethics.

Furthermore, he doesn't believe

in Santa Claus, and he knows

that storks don't bring babies.

I've told him the truth, Fuzzy.

I've told him everything is a fake.

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