Clash by Night Page #2

Women.

I never married. You know why?

We spoil women in this country.

Too much education,

too much free speech.

Suppose I gotta sit in with the old gent

while you're out spending money?

It's my money, ain't it, Uncle Vince?

Right, throw it in my face.

I live off you.

I didn't mean that, Uncle Vince.

Just say the word.

I'll sleep in the gutter.

Nobody said anything about your sleeping

in the gutter. All I said was...

Was close the icebox door!

Your move, old-timer.

And I told you a hundred times,

clean up your room. It's filthy.

And take down them dirty pictures

you got hanging up.

- Pictures?

- Them women with no clothes.

Is your son, by any chance,

referring to my art collection?

Art. You better take them down,

that's all.

- Night, Papa.

- Good night.

And you too.

Fine brother-in-law, ignorant man

don't know English, can't read or write.

It's my fault, letting my sister

marry beneath her.

At least she's better off

where she is now.

Come in, the door is open.

- Mae?

- Be ready in a minute.

I bet Joe's glad you're home.

The place looks swell.

I fixed it up a little.

So you're a skipper.

- You own your own boat?

- She's a pretty good boat.

Do you like being a fisherman?

Like it? I don't know. It's what I do.

What Papa did,

even in the old country.

- Sicily?

- He's from around Augusta. It's on the sea.

Papa's family,

they all went out in boats.

Fishing up here used to be a lot easier

in the old days, Papa says.

Seas was full of fish, you could go out

of the harbor two, three miles...

...make a set, haul in

150, 200 ton of sardines.

I guess everything was a lot easier

in the old days, huh, Mae?

- Well, we like to think so.

- Gee, Mae, you look swell.

Well, I'm not sure what

looking swell means.

Well, you know, Mae.

You look kind of beautiful.

- Thanks. I wish I felt kind of beautiful.

- Well, why shouldn't you?

Oh, moods. They come and go.

Ignore them.

Earl's like that too.

Earl's like what too?

That way. The blues all of a sudden.

Aren't you ever blue?

I get mad.

No, that's not the same thing.

Maybe it's because you're so big.

I knew another big man once.

He didn't suffer from moods either.

I'm glad you asked me

to go to the movies.

- Really, Mae?

- Really.

I got cold feet. Joe had to ask for me.

Well, the next time,

you get warm feet and ask me yourself.

Earl will be glad to meet you, I bet.

We'll go up and see him after the show.

Earl. Who is this magical gent

you keep talking about?

Earl? He's one of

the smartest men I know.

- He's in the movie business.

- An actor?

No, but I bet Earl could be

if he wanted to.

He works at the Bijou Theater,

in the projection booth.

That's your idea of being in

the movie business?

Oh, running movies?

What other business would you call it?

This is where we came in.

- You can't smoke here.

- We're looking for Earl Pfeiffer.

He's in the booth. I'll take it, lady.

Thank you.

Wait a minute.

Oh, hi, Earl. Okay to come in?

Sure, Jerry, sure.

It's all right, Mae. Come on in.

Mae, this is Earl Pfeiffer,

and this is Mae Doyle.

- My pleasure, Miss Doyle.

- Jerry's talked of you.

He didn't find anything

good to say about me, did he?

You never can tell.

Sit down, relax.

I'll be out of this submarine

in two shakes.

Like the show?

She's beautiful.

Who, that celluloid angel you just saw?

Gotta cut her up a little bit.

She'd look more interesting.

Cut her up?

Didn't you ever wanna

cut up a beautiful dame?

No.

Jeremiah, you're a simple man.

Don't mind me, Miss Doyle.

I'm a chatterbug.

Earl knows some of

the movie stars in person.

Handle them all day.

- Art.

- Yeah.

- It's your night to wrap up.

- Yeah, I know.

Let's get out of this sweatbox.

I need a drink.

What do you need, Miss Doyle?

Well, let's say a drink.

You think beer has

a food value, Miss Doyle?

I couldn't say.

- You don't talk much, do you?

- It depends.

I could drink beer all night.

Is your wife very pretty?

Who says I have a wife?

And who says she's pretty?

Oh, I imagine you're the kind of a man who

likes the woman he marries to be pretty.

- Were you ever a showgirl?

- God, no.

You look like you could be.

My wife's in show business, burlesque.

She eats money.

Yesterday from St. Louis,

a fast telegram:
"Sent some spot cash."

But you must love her to stay married.

I'm a glutton for punishment.

You never know what kind of a dame

a guy'll wind up with.

When Jerry said he was

bringing somebody...

...I thought he'd walk in

with a fright wig.

Needless to say, I was mistaken.

Thanks.

Well, a guy like Jerry deserves the best.

- Man without a woman is nothing.

- Now you're being soft.

Was I being tough before?

I was trying to make an impression.

You don't like women, do you?

Take any six of them, my wife included...

...throw them up in the air.

The one who sticks to the ceiling, I like.

Here's to Jeremiah,

whose heart's in the right place.

I can't drink to myself, Earl.

Well, then let's drink to me.

My heart's in the wrong place.

Well, I'm off to my trundle bed.

Earl Pfeiffer's not the man he used to be.

Take good care of Miss Doyle.

- Have another beer before you go.

- Nope.

Don't force him. Mr. Pfeiffer's tired.

- We'll take you home.

- Jeremiah, you stay right where you are.

I'm sorry I got the jumps tonight.

I'm talking to you,

but what I'm thinking is:

"What's my wife doing in St. Louis?

Who's she with?"

Someday I'm gonna stick her full of pins

just to see if blood runs out.

Miss Doyle, it was my pleasure.

- Good night, Jeremiah. See you.

- So long, Earl.

That wife, she sure leads him

a merry chase.

He'd be the same with any woman.

- Don't you like him, Mae?

- I don't like his attitude.

- About what?

- Calling you Jeremiah.

It's a way of

walking over you, patronizing.

He isn't that good.

I don't feel that way about it.

You don't have a mean thought

in your head, do you, Jerry?

That's nice, that's comfortable.

A man who isn't mean

and doesn't hate women.

- Will you get me a fresh one, please?

- Sure.

Mae.

- Your dress is gonna fit me perfectly.

- Good.

Do you like dancing?

- When I'm in the mood.

- I love dancing.

When I'm dancing,

I just kind of forget myself.

Does Jerry ever get jealous

when you dance close with a fella?

I haven't asked him.

All Jerry would need is somebody

to look after him.

I'm tired of looking after men.

I wanna be looked after.

Weren't you ever in love, Mae?

- Once.

- Where?

Saint Paul.

He was big too, like Jerry.

I'll say one thing.

He knew how to handle women.

Is that what you want from a man?

Confidence. I want a man

to give me confidence.

Somebody to fight off

the blizzards and floods.

Somebody to beat off the world

when it tries to swallow you up.

Me and my ideas.

Last year we brought in almost 2500 tons.

We split it up 12 ways.

It's about $4000 a share.

We caught rock twice, ripped up two nets,

otherwise we'd have made more.

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