Dancing Lady Page #7

I told you to beat it, didn't I?

I can't go.

I don't want you to think

I'm letting you down.

Please.

Okay, Duchess.

Better luck with his show

than you had with mine.

Thanks.

You ready?

Not a bad jill at that, boss.

- What?

- The girl.

Well, boss, looks like

we're heading for the warehouse.

Yeah?

- Well, we're not.

- What do you mean?

Listen, Steve, Bradley can't do this to me.

I'm going to carry this show myself.

I'm gonna produce it.

I got some dough,

and what I haven't got, I'll get.

I'll hock my car, my clothes,

my house, everything.

That's great. And I got some money

I've been hoarding...

against the next depression

and you can have every dime of it!

- All right, drag it out. Get ahold of Warner.

- Okay, boss.

- Warner? How about that Barlow dame?

- Oh, let her go! She's gone Park Avenue.

Say, listen, Steve, from now on...

this is one theater

those guys get into only on a ticket.

Get those people back for rehearsal

tomorrow morning as usual.

That's great, boss.

Girls, girls, don't go way. Girls!

Hey, Grandma, here's mud in your eye.

Pie? Who wants pie in a place like this?

Grandma, you're getting to be a cut-up.

Having fun?

That's a swell dance.

- It's a little bit uncivilized, though.

- Maybe that's why it's so beautiful.

It isn't loaded down by a lot of...

- Drop it.

- Okay.

- Where do we go from here?

- Tod, let's go home.

- New York?

- Yeah.

That's the rhythm of the day

- All right, break it up, break it up!

- Break it up, break it up!

- Warner.

- Yes, Mr. Gallagher.

I just wanted to make sure that you

understood this is a dancing number.

- I was under the impression I was dancing.

- Yeah?

Well, that just shows how we can all

get the wrong impression sometimes.

My mistake!

That's not your first mistake,

Mr. Gallagher.

- No. My first mistake was...

- Was what?

Oh, let it go, let it go.

Start at it again, Steve.

- Listen, boss.

- Steve, I'm not gonna stand for that!

- I'll quit, so help me, I'll quit!

- Miss Warner, he's a little tired.

You know the show can't get on

without you.

You're an absolute sensation.

- Well, I'll give him just one more chance.

- Thanks. You're a brick.

Come on.

Say, I got a letter here

from Junior Bradley.

And I guess it's down at the office.

Anyway, he said that before his old man

blew out on the show...

you were going to put the Barlow girl

into Miss Warner's place.

Anything in that?

- Oh, what difference does it make now?

- Well, it don't make sense.

What don't make sense?

Well, he said...

Gosh, I wish I had that letter.

Well, anyway, he said that the reason

his old man blew out on the show...

was that Tod Newton

paid him a lot of money to close it.

What?

- Say that again, I don't follow.

- Well, neither do I.

Now, look,

the Barlow girl is Newton's sweetie.

So, why should he buy out a show

and close it...

and take her away to Cuba

just as she's about to get a good break?

Doesn't make sense.

Yeah. It makes sense all right.

Well, I guess there's something about it

I don't understand.

You figure it out.

- Steve.

- Yeah, boss. Yeah.

Take over this rehearsal.

I'm going out and get a drink.

Oh, boss, I can't handle this.

You got a hippodrome here.

Do whatever you want to do with it.

I don't care.

Boss, listen, please.

We got a dress rehearsal coming up.

- We open in a week.

- A week?

- Lucky if we open at all.

- But, boss.

I see they're opening Dancing Lady

cold tomorrow night.

- Maybe it's something hot.

- Maybe it's shortage of dough.

Champagne cocktails, six.

None for me, Tod. I'm not thirsty.

I get it.

When a lady says she isn't thirsty...

she means all she can drink

is champagne cocktails.

You ought to write a book

about what women want.

Come on, it'll help your sea-legs.

I can still feel the motion of that boat.

That's what you call it.

Patch.

What? What?

Well, if it isn't the Duchess herself?

- Is that all you have to say to me?

- Oh, leave me alone.

Scotch, straight.

Patch, what's the matter with you?

- Me? Nothing's the matter with me.

- Hello, Gallagher.

Well, well, if it isn't the other half

of the firm.

Back from Havana so soon?

Somebody close your show, too?

Are you trying to be funny, Patch?

Tod's not in the show business.

Another.

- He's not in the show-business, huh?

- Come on away, Janie. He's just a little...

I'm a little drunk.

Is that what you're trying to say?

Well, drunk or sober,

my hat's still off to you.

There are more ways than one to close a

show and you've taught me a new one.

- That's enough, Gallagher.

- Hey, wait a minute.

What's the matter? Afraid your boyfriend

will get a poke in the jaw...

for throwing a hundred people

out of work...

just so he could take you

on a joyride to Cuba?

- I don't know what you're talking about.

- No? Not much.

You got paid for rehearsing.

Nobody else did.

- You didn't think Bradley gave you that?

- Shut up, Gallagher.

- Say, what is this?

- Oh, you don't savvy?

- No.

- Well, maybe I ought to speak Cuban.

But it's the same in any language.

I suppose you don't know

that your boyfriend here...

paid Bradley to close the show.

You can settle that with me, Gallagher.

Janie had nothing to do with it.

- Tod, did you?

- Oh, yes, Tod did.

And I'd like to take Tod over

to the theater right now...

and feed him to the boys and girls

for breakfast.

- They need something to eat.

- Mr. Gallagher.

Well, the show opens tomorrow night

and on my dough.

Mr. Gallagher, quiet, please!

All right, Joe. All right.

I'm not gonna tear up your joint.

But you better be careful

who you let in here.

The place will be getting a bad name.

- Oh, Janie.

- Tod, did you do that?

Sure. It was the only way I could get you.

- You don't know what you've done.

- I loved a girl.

I wanted to marry her.

All I did was make sure I could marry her.

Yes, and incidentally threw a hundred

other people out of work.

I didn't see it that way. I'm sorry.

It's a little late for that now, I'm afraid.

- Janie, l...

- I'll see you later, Tod.

Wait a minute. The boss is all steamed up,

and this ain't no Turkish bath.

- Get out of my way.

- No, wait a second.

No auditions today.

You're in a new show now.

Listen, bruiser, I'm mad

and I'm not fighting according to rules.

The boss is in enough trouble without you.

You see?

What is all this?

- Patch, I want to talk to you.

- What?

- You've got the wrong address, sister.

- You gotta listen to me.

I didn't know anything about that,

honest I didn't.

Don't give me that.

Do you think I'd do that to you

and the rest of them?

Would I do it to myself?

Patch, listen!

If you don't believe me about the others,

you've got to believe me about myself.

I wouldn't sell out my one chance.

Oh, it's not only you, it's everything.

Even the creditors are wise.

Hanging around

like a pack of hungry wolves.

But don't you see,

if you could show them a hit...

You can't kid them.

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