Gold Diggers of 1937 Page #4

That's a good one.

"Tired old man. "

You're only as old as you feel.

Now, listen,

I am old and I am tired, see?

Yeah, that's settled. Now what?

Well, J.J.,

Hugo and I have been thinking...

That's something new, at least.

Oh, J.J.

Oh, what's the use?

Here I've spent my life building up what?

Fifty-nine years old today.

I'm sick of it.

Sick of the city.

Sick of the country.

I'm sick of the theater.

Sick of you.

Sick of myself.

Now, J.J., how can you talk like that?

Oh, come, come, gentlemen, what is it?

It's like this, Hugo and I had an idea.

- Could I see Mr. Wethered?

- He's busy.

Then I'll wait over here.

Over here.

Why? Why the Sam Hill

should I take out an insurance policy?

But it's high time you realized...

...that you're the keystone

of this organization.

The guiding genius

of the American theater of today.

And if you're taken away from us...

Heaven forbid.

We're sunk.

We're licked.

Have you been keeping something

from me?

Aren't we in A-1 financial condition?

Why, of course.

This makes me feel

as if you're all standing around, waiting.

I'm surprised at you, chief.

It's ridiculous.

Well, we'll forget the whole thing.

Ask Miss Bailey to call up

and see where that agency fellow is.

- Now, I don't want any insurance.

- Now, J.J.

Nothing doing.

Oh, Miss Bailey, call up the Good Life

and find out where that salesman is.

He's here. Send him in.

Throw him out.

Come in.

Get out.

- Yes, sir.

Just a minute, just a minute.

Mr. Peek, this is our president, Mr...

Mr. Hah.

- Hobart.

- Oh, Mr. Hobart.

- And there's Mr. Hugo.

- How do you do?

- How do you do, sir?

- I'm Mr. Wethered.

How do you do, sir?

And won't you sit down?

Yes, thank you.

Well?

Well, how is the insurance business

these days, Mr. Peek?

Well, the carloadings last month were...

Carloadings?

Yes, sir, yes, sir.

The carloadings are up

16 and a half percent.

Listen, young man,

I wanna ask you a question.

I've got enough money to live on.

My theaters,

they're in A-1 financial shape.

I have no dependents of any kind.

Can you give me one reason

why I should have my life insured?

Frankly, I can't.

- Oh, life insurance is immoral.

What?

Oh, I mean, life insurance is immortal.

Oh, throw him out.

Put him in the show as a comic.

Oh, wait a minute, J.J.

Mr. Peek, can you give Mr. Hobart

some figures and statistics?

I'm a sick man, I'm going to the doctor's.

Now, wait a minute, J.J.

Mr. Peek, will you...?

Can you give us something definite

about insurance?

- Well, I...

- Now, just a moment.

Mr. Peek has something else to say.

Yeah, life insurance is immortal.

That's all he has to say.

Oh, no, no.

Life insurance is triumphant.

I'm having one of my dizzy spells.

Give me a glass of water.

But, J.J., think of your responsibilities.

I have no responsibilities.

I don't give a darn about anybody.

You, you and you included.

Not even your own family?

I have no family.

He's right.

Mr. Peek has hit the nail

right on the head.

You have a family, J.J.

A family of millions.

- Millions?

- Millions?

Millions who have followed the fortunes

of J.J. Hobart and the theater.

The audiences of America,

they are your responsibility.

And after you've gone,

after we've all gone...

...audiences will still cling

to the tradition of J.J. Hobart.

And that is your

responsibility, J.J., tradition.

Well, maybe.

When the captain goes over the side

for the last time...

...life insurance takes the wheel.

And brings the ship safely into port.

Well...

I'll take a policy in the name

of the company, and, well...

What do I do?

What have you got, young man?

Well, have you heard about

our special $ 100 a month income plan?

All right, I'll take it.

Mr. Peek, we had been thinking

of a straight life policy.

Straight life for $ 1 million.

What's this?

Did you say $ 1 million?

That's what I said.

That's what I thought you said.

Have you any application blanks?

Oh, yes, sir. Yes, sir.

- Well, I did have some here someplace.

- What?

- Oh, my briefcase, I had it...

- Here, here, here it is.

Oh, here, I never leave without it.

Wait a minute, this looks like it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Now, you're not fooling me, are you?

Why, certainly not, young man.

All right, all right, shall we begin?

Oh, come on, come on.

- Got to have your name and address here.

- You know both.

Hey, you said $ 1 million, didn't you?

Give me this.

There you are, J.J., sign there.

There you are, young man.

Mr. Peek, your pen.

Thank you.

A million dollars.

Wow!

Wow! A million bucks, a million bucks.

Men, on my

way up here, I said to myself:

"I'll bet this has been a tough day. "

It's like that sometimes.

But don't worry, tomorrow's another day.

Anybody land anything?

Here you are, Mr. Callahan.

Well, fast nickels are better

than slow dollars.

Volume, that's what counts.

Hey, Andy.

Now, Peek, don't say it.

Remember the world hates a quitter.

Yeah, but, Andy, I...

The mongrel's hold may slip,

but only crowbars loose the bulldog's grip.

Now, listen, my boy.

I too have known discouragement, but...

- What's that?

- That's what I wanted to talk to you about.

Oh.

Oh. Wow!

What is it, boss?

What is it, boss?

Come here, everybody.

Wow, jumping sea lions.

- You know what he's done?

No, what?

He's brought in an application

for $ 1 million.

Let's see it.

Let's see it.

Let me see it.

Hey!

Somebody go to my desk

and get that bottle.

- Drinks for everybody.

- What's the matter?

Peek's just knocked over the biggest case

in history, $ 1 million, look.

Oh, Ross, I'm so proud of you.

Here you are, Andy.

Peek, here, have yourself a drink.

To Rosmer Peek.

The best gosh darned salesman

that ever stepped into this agency.

Rossi, you're in clover

for the rest of your life.

Come on, tell us about it.

Now, boys, stand back.

Come on, Rossi.

- Well, I was just sitting here...

- Here, have another drink.

Yeah, yeah.

- Well, to tell the truth...

- Come on, come on, give us the lowdown.

Shut up and let him tell it. Go on.

Oh, well,

I've been working here five months.

You hear that? Five months.

That's perseverance,

five months on one case.

Here, have another drink.

Well, I went in there...

Cold?

- Cold turkey.

- I didn't know a soul.

- You just felt your way along?

- That's right, but I kept going.

- You hear that?

Get up and tell

the boys how you did it.

All right, all right.

Well, I went in there,

and I got Wetherford.

He's the vice president.

You see?

Right at the top, that's the stuff.

Have another drink.

And then...

Then he said he'd speak to Hobart and...

But I says, "No, no, I'll do the talking. "

And then I went into Hobart's office.

He had a great big desk, 14 feet wide.

I sat down,

made myself very, very comfortable.

Looked him in the eye

and shook my finger on his face.

And I says, "Hobart... "

No, I didn't either.

I says, "J. J... "

- Those were his initials.

- You hear that?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes