Born Yesterday Page #3

- 10:
00 all right?

- That's pretty early for me.

I'll say.

- 11:
00?

- Okay.

- I can drop by here, if that's okay.

- Sure. It's right on your way.

We can discuss the entire operation

and get a head start.

Wanna wash your hands

or anything, honey?

I hope you're free Friday night.

Doing a little dinner.

- A few people I want Harry to meet.

- And who want to meet him, I'm sure.

I want to thank you, Mr. Brock,

for everything.

Call me Harry,

will ya, Congressman?

I haven't written you about it, Harry,

because... Well, you understand.

You know what I'm interested in.

Scrap iron. I wanna buy it and sell it.

I don't wanna get stuck

by falling prices.

- I have a copy of the preliminary...

- Give it to me fast.

I didn't come down here

to do paperwork.

The way I work,

it's every man for himself.

You gotta get the other guy

before he gets you.

Exactly.

What I got in mind is

an operatin' combo all over the world.

There's enough in it for everybody.

Up till now, I'm doing just fine.

Everybody understands everybody.

- I wanna get movin'.

- In legislation of this kind...

That, to me, is just a lot of hot air.

I ain't talkin' about peanuts.

This jam the committee's

gotten itself into.

Give them enough rope.

I've said so...

The trouble with these

professional do-gooders is...

They never seem to know when to stop.

I've said that...

There's a way to get this thing done.

It's up to you and Jim to find out how.

Yes, the Hedges/Keller Amendment,

for example...

guarantees government support of scrap

iron price levels, foreign or domestic.

- We're trying to get it through quickly.

- See that you do.

That's why I'm here...

to see that I get what I paid for.

How do things look?

- Generally?

- Yes, generally.

I said to Sam only last week,

this country wilt soon have to decide...

if the people

are going to run the government...

or the government run the people.

- That's good, sound thinking, Norval.

- Thank you.

- Worthy of Holmes.

- Great man, Holmes.

My personal god.

Who?

- Oliver Wendell Holmes.

- A wonderful man.

He gonna be here Friday night?

- I don't think so.

- Too bad.

- Well, we mustn't keep you.

- No, we mustn't.

- Good night, Mrs. Brock.

- Good night.

- Good night, Norval.

- Good night, Jim.

- See you at 11:
00.

- That's right.

- Good night, Anna. It's been so nice.

- Good night. And thank you.

For what? Wait till I'm here a while.

I'll give you somethin' to thank me for.

Good night, all.

- Drips.

- What?

- They're drips.

- Who are you to say?

- I'm myself, that's who.

- Well, nobody asked you. Shut up.

Pardon me for living.

- Get lost.

- Not yet.

Get lost, I told ya.

- She's gonna be in the way, that dame.

- What are you gonna do about it?

I feel like givin' her the brush.

- Pretty complicated.

- Yeah, I know.

She owns more of you than you do

on paper.

She's gonna louse me up

all the way down the line. Dumb broad.

You may be right.

Listen, Harry.

- Send her home.

- No.

Why not?

I'm nuts about her.

- Can't have your cake and eat it.

- What?

- Just a saying.

- That don't make any sense.

All right.

- What's cakes got to do with it?

- Nothing, Harry.

- Must be a way we can smarten her up.

- I suppose so.

Some school we could send her to?

- I doubt that.

- Then what?

We might be able to find someone

who could smooth the rough edges off.

- How?

- Let me think about it.

- I'd like you to think about something.

- What?

- About marrying her right away.

- Why get married all of the sudden?

If you ever got dragged into court, a

wife can't testify against her husband.

Anyway, you've been engaged seven years.

Why have you waited this long?

I didn't want to be rushed.

This way, I give her something,

I'm swell.

We get married,

she's got it comin'... she thinks.

- Billie's not like that.

- A broad's a broad.

- You'll be sorry.

- All right, I'll let you know.

But if I do or don't,

we stilt gotta do somethin' about her.

Every time she opened her kisser tonight

somethin' wrong come out.

- Couldn't you talk to her?

- It'd take more than a talk.

- Then what?

- It's not easy to make a person over.

- Maybe impossible.

- Wait a minute.

That interview guy. What's his name?

He's a pretty smart cookie.

- Paul Verrall.

- He knows the angles.

- He's very classy.

- He could do it, but he won't.

- Why not?

- Well, he's not...

- I'll pay him whatever he wants.

- I don't think so.

- I'll bet you. What's his number?

- Harry, I'm not sure...

I like it. What's his number?

Come on, come on, come on.

- You ate already, huh?

- Yeah.

- You want some pie?

- No, thanks.

- How about a drink?

- No, thanks.

Okay, pal,

I wanna ask you somethin'.

Sure.

- How much you make a week?

- What am t, an accountant?

I love this guy.

- What's your name again?

- Verrall.

- I mean your regular name.

- Paul.

Look, Paul, I got a friend, a good kid.

Maybe you seen her around. Billie?

- Oh, yes.

- She's a good kid, but a tittle stupid.

It's not her fault, mind you.

I got her out of the chorus.

For the chorus she was smart enough,

but she might he unhappy in this town.

Never been around such people.

You know?

- No, I don't.

- A guy like you could help her out.

- Me too.

- How?

Show her the ropes.

Kinda explain things to her.

- What do you say?

- No, I don't think I could handle it.

It'd mean an awful lot to me.

I'll give you $200 a week.

- All right, I'll do it.

- I love this guy.

- When do I start?

- Right now.

- Fine.

- Come with me. I'll introduce ya.

You can take it from there.

Come down here a minute.

Come on in.

She's a nice kid.

You're gonna like her.

- I'm gettin' dressed.

- It's all right.

He's a friend of the family.

Come on, I'm tellin' ya!

- Honey, this is Paul Verrall.

- Yes, I know.

- He wants to talk to you.

- What about?

You'll find out.

Jim and I got some work to work on.

I'm gonna have to leave you two.

Well, your friend Mr. Brock

has an idea.

He'd like us to spend

a little time together.

You and me, that is.

- You don't say.

- Yes.

Well, what are you,

some kind of gigolo?

- Not exactly.

- So what's the idea?

Well, it's nothing special.

He'd just like me

to put you wise to a few things...

show you the ropes,

answer any questions.

- I got no questions.

- I'll give you some.

Thanks.

It might be fun for you.

There's a lot to see down here.

I'd be glad to show you around.

- You know the Supreme Court?

- Yes.

- I'd like to take that in.

- Fine.

- We're on, then?

- How do you mean?

The arrangement.

I don't mind.

Got nothin' much to do.

Good.

What's he paying you?

- Two hundred a week.

- Sucker. You could've got more.

- He's got plenty.

- I'd have done it for free.

- I would.

- Why?

This isn't work.

I like it.

He thinks I'm too stupid, huh?

He's right.

I'm stupid, and I like it.

- You do?

- Sure.

I'm happy.

I got everything I want.

Two mink coats.

Everything.

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