Dodsworth Page #5

Big deal, eh?

- How's Mother?

- She's all right.

Why didn't she come home with you?

She's got some things

she wants to attend to.

Why did you come home without her?

Well, she...

What are you so nosy about?

- How's the new house coming along?

- Oh, it's wonderful.

- Do you want to drive out and see it?

- No, I want to go home.

I'll see it tomorrow. How about

a little check to help furnish it, huh?

No, thanks, darling.

Just because I've stopped working that

doesn't mean I've stopped being helpful.

We don't need your help.

We're getting along fine now.

Yeah?

Well...

could you use this?

Could I? Oh, it's beautiful.

And here.

Two of them.

- Faster. Can't you make it go faster?

- All right. Hold on!

All right.

- Fast enough?

- Yeah.

Kurt, why don't you

go in and play for us?

- Shall we make music, Rene?

- If you like.

- You coming inside?

- Inside?

Oh, no.

Let's stay out here, Arnold.

The music will sound

so lovely out here.

The afternoon post came

while you were gone.

Perhaps you may amuse Arnold

by reading your husband's letter to him.

Would you do something for me?

Within reason, why not?

Read your husband's letter.

That's an odd request, Arnold.

Anything within reason, you said.

I have my reasons.

Why did you make me

read this letter?

I've been having such fun today.

This letter's spoiled everything.

Switzerland,

the lake, the house.

All of it's just

so much Zenith now.

Presently he'll be

taking you back to Zenith.

What are you doing,

trying to torture me?

I'm making love to you.

What do you expect me

to say to that?

Don't make love to me, Arnold.

Afraid, Fran?

Surely not afraid.

If your husband had saved for you some

of the love he lavished on carburetors...

My dear innocent Fran.

I'm not innocent,

and Sam does love me.

No matter what he lacks,

I've always been able to trust him.

I live in the present.

Why don't you?

This letter is the past.

It's a future too,

at least it is for me.

Let's get rid of

both past and future.

How?

Would this be of any use to you?

What?

Why should I say

anything I didn't think?

- You didn't think what I thought?

- Maybe I don't care what you think!

- You ought to care what I think!

- I didn't know you could think!

- Dad!

- Is that so?

- Did you have a good time?

- Had a wonderful time!

Simply terrible!

What is this, the heat wave

or just a hangover?

- It's Sam!

- Sam! Yeah, sure!

Griping, just griping,

always griping.

- I'm going home!

- Go ahead!

- Sit down.

- I'm goin' home.

- Did a cable come for me today?

- No, Father.

There should have been a cable

from your mother.

I'll have Mary telephone.

- Don't trouble.

- It's no trouble.

If a cable had come, they'd

have sent it out, wouldn't they?

- Don't be cross.

- I'm not cross just because I asked.

In the old days, I wouldn't have to ask.

Been laid out on my desk for me.

The way things are run around this house

I can't find anything of mine.

- Please don't be difficult.

- Why shouldn't I be difficult?

When a man's made to feel more homeless

in his own house than he did in Paris!

- Now, Sam.

- It's true.

Only I'm not being difficult.

- Where's my mail?

- There isn't any.

- No mail?

- Not since the last I sent you.

My mail should be

laid out on that desk.

Your mother always had my mail

laid out on that desk.

- No mail, no cable.

- Is that the trouble?

- What?

- No mail, no cable?

And my whiskey should be

laid out on that table too.

Your mother always had it there waiting

for me. Whiskey and soda and ice.

I remember.

If you remember, why hasn't it been set

out once since I came home from Europe?

- You haven't spoken of it before.

- Don't think I haven't missed it.

Mary, will you please bring

my father's whiskey and soda?

I'm sorry, ma'am,

but the wine closet's locked.

- Well, unlock it.

- Harry's got the key on his watch chain.

What's the key to my liquor

doing on my son-in-law's watch chain?

You gave Harry that key,

and he's taking very good care of it.

You're taking his side

against me, are ya?

- It doesn't matter, Sam...

- Excuse me, Matey, but it does matter.

If a man can't invite a friend of his

to have a drink in his own library...

Never said anything

about a drink to me!

- I was just going to.

- That's all, Mary. Thank you.

- If I can't give you a drink...

- But you can in a minute, Father.

Harry will be home any minute. I know

because we're going to a cocktail party.

- Will you have a cigar?

- Anything, Sam. Anything.

- Where are the cigars?

- Harry smokes cigarettes.

- I'll have Mary telephone him...

- Wait a minute!

Where's the humidor

that used to be on this table?

- It isn't there now.

- It stood there for years!

- Mary, where's Father's humidor?

- I'm sorry, ma'am...

It stood right there! It was round

and copper-like on the outside.

Oh, that. Mrs. McKee

took it to plant bulbs in.

- Plant bulbs in my humidor, eh?

- Just a few hyacinths.

- What's this truck here?

- That's a jigsaw puzzle.

- Get it out of here.

- You can't move it...

A man's got to have one room in his

own house that he can feel at home in!

Get this thing out of here now!

I don't want it in here.

You be careful, Sam.

Be careful. Let me do that.

- Don't drop it. Give it to me.

- What foolishness is it anyway?

- What's it supposed to be?

- It was going to be the Chicago Fire.

- Chicago Fire?

- They got the title almost put together.

- What's a cow doing in the Chicago Fire?

- It started by a cow kicking a lantern.

That isn't the way

the Chicago Fire started.

Yes, it was. It was an earthquake

in 'Frisco and a cow in Chicago.

- My father was in Chicago in '71!

- That was after the fire.

- That's the year of the fire!

- The fire was in the '60s.

- That was the Civil War!

- They were both in the '60s!

I'll bet you!

Where's my encyclopedia?

- Here. Take the truck.

- What'll I do with it?

Take it out of here. It never would

have been in here in your mother's day.

Your mother had some respect

for a man's library.

No mail, no cable, no cigars.

Hello, everybody.

How about a drink?

Father, I'm sorry things

aren't the way they used to be.

But Harry and I

are living in this house too.

I wish you'd stop speaking of Mother

as though she were dead.

I'm not speaking of your mother

as though she...

Yes, you are.

- Well, your mother's coming home.

- When's she coming?

I sent a cable for her to come. I'm

expecting a cable telling me what boat.

When Mother didn't come home with you

and you looked so worried...

I was afraid there might be

some kind of trouble between you.

Between your mother and me?

Not a chance.

- It was silly.

- Certainly was.

I forgot. I've got a cable.

It was sent in my care...

so it came to the office somehow.

"Ladies first"

as they say in a shipwreck.

What's the matter?

Isn't Mother coming?

This is nothing.

This isn't from your mother.

I thought you were going

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