I'll See You in My Dreams Page #6

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and be a big frog in a little puddle.

A man with your talent.

You should be ashamed.

- Grace.

- It would be so good for you to go away.

A whole new life.

Different people, different environment.

- And different women?

- You're not the type.

Not the type.

Someday, I'm gonna meet a girl

who'll let me win an argument just once.

And you watch out.

I pity the poor girl.

Come on, children, I'll put you to bed.

Now, just a minute.

I put them to bed every night.

Get into the kitchen,

check your cookbook.

- Your potato pancakes tonight were terrible.

- I suppose all your songs are hits.

- lf he starts anything, holler.

- We will.

Anna, let's start packing

Mr. Kahn's things.

Thanks for everything, dear God.

And please forgive Daddy

for hitting Mommy.

- Right in the eye.

- It was an accident.

You get this through your heads.

I wouldn't hit your mother,

no matter what happened.

- I happen to love Mama very much.

- You never tell her you love her.

You two. Come on. I'll tuck you in bed.

I can get in myself, thank you.

- Donald?

- Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

Honest to goodness, kids.

There's nobody in the world

that means more to me than your mother.

- It's all right, Daddy.

- We understand.

- It was an accident when you hit her.

- Right in the eye.

Is this Walter Donaldson's apartment?

- Go home. The party's over.

- Oh, I'm Gus Kahn.

You're kidding. Come in.

Ought to be a better way

of starting the day than waking up.

Should have seen this place

before the maid tidied it up.

- Sit down. Had breakfast?

- Had lunch.

Oh, one of those.

Pardon me while I fix myself something.

My grandfather had a bottle of beer

for breakfast every day of his life.

Lived to the ripe old age of 28.

Very funny.

Hope we don't start work every day

at 1:
00 in the afternoon...

...with a stale glass of beer

and a joke to match.

If you're the eager-beaver type, I got a tune

you can start working on right now.

- Mind if I get dressed?

- lf you can handle it.

Well, this is gonna be

a beautiful collaboration, isn't it?

You don't like me.

- Hello.

- Hello.

- You here from last night?

- No, from this afternoon.

Well, party's starting early today,

isn't it?

- Walter.

- Wait, you can't go in there. He's dressing.

- Are you from out of town or something?

- That you, Frankie?

Yeah, honey.

I'll wait out here with your scoutmaster.

That's Gus Kahn from Chicago.

He's the bard of the Corn Belt.

Introduce yourself.

Frankie Mason.

Kiss it or shake it.

I don't know what goes in Chicago.

I haven't got much time.

Got an important appointment.

- Can I say something?

- No.

- I thought we were gonna work.

- She'll hum you the tune on the way.

- Come on. She knows it by heart.

- I gotta...

Just shut your eyes, honey,

and let it happen.

You and your jockey friends.

Maybe it was the other jockey.

They're all the same size.

- Here, this ought to help you get even.

- I'm not hungry.

On the back, on the back.

- Sam?

- Yeah?

- Put this on Our Fancy.

- On the nose?

- Where else?

- Okay.

It's sort of a going-away present.

I'm leaving.

Bye, Frankie.

You better practice those two notes.

Hey, Gus. Wait a minute.

Gus, this is it. I can't let you go now.

I've been looking for a partner

who could work at the track.

Well, get yourself a horse with a pencil.

No, no. You're not gonna let

a little thing...

...like the fact that we hate each other

stand in our way?

This is a business arrangement.

How about it?

Look, in Chicago, composers have a very

quaint custom of working indoors at a piano.

Well, it sounds radical,

but for you, I'll give it a go. Deal?

You're crazy.

Nothing could be finer

Than to be in Carolina in the morning

No one could be sweeter

Than my sweetie when I meet her

In the morning

Where the morning glories

Twine around the door

Whispering pretty stories

I long to hear once more

Strolling with my girlie

Where the dew is pearly early

In the morning

Butterflies all flutter up

And kiss each little buttercup at dawning

If I had Aladdin's lamp

For only a day

I'd make a wish

And here's what I'd say

Nothing could be finer

Than to be in Carolina

In the morning

Let's go, kids. On your feet.

What kind of a cockamamie lyric

is "mo-ho-ho-rning"?

Well, it fits the "no-ho-ho-hotes,"

doesn't it?

- I'm not doing this song.

- The queen has spoken.

Now, now, let's not lose our tempers.

My kind of audience isn't paying 6.60

to see a butterfly kiss a buttercup.

Only Jolson can get by

with a number like that.

When I go down on one knee,

I lose half my charm.

- Can I say something?

- No.

Butterflies, buttercup.

Honestly, Ziggie, are you going in

for minstrel shows, after all these years?

Gloria's right. This doesn't sound

like her type of material.

No wonder.

She sang it with her clothes on.

Well, I have a dinner engagement.

- I do hope you boys don't mind if I leave.

- It'd be a pleasure.

Welcome to Broadway, Gus.

Cockamamie, indeed. Come on, Gus.

We'll talk it over down at the...

Please, please.

All I want is a one-way ticket to Chicago.

Relax. You and Walter can come up

with something much more sophisticated.

I'm sorry, Mr. Ziegfeld,

but New York is just too big a town for me.

Never get another lyric-writer like him.

Wrote the first chorus in 135

and three-fifths on a slow track.

- Now can I say something?

- Yeah.

- I liked it.

- She liked it. We're in.

From the top, kids. One, two.

One, two, three, four.

I've been waiting for you.

- What do you want, your knife back?

- Don't run away, Gus.

I wanted to let you in on the facts of life.

I may scream.

I happen to be the leading lady

in the new Ziegfeld show.

So my material has got to be great.

That's why I fight so hard.

Yeah, get yourself a new sparring partner.

I'm on my way home.

I want you. I think you're about

the best lyricist there is.

In the butterfly-and-buttercup set,

you mean.

Exactly. But you're on Broadway now.

There isn't a morning glory for 15 miles.

You have to write

something sophisticated.

And you can do it, once someone

teaches you the meaning of the word.

- You applying for the job?

- lf it's open.

It's funny, you know.

Someone once told me I wasn't the type.

- I'd be too much trouble for you.

- No, you have a talent that can help me.

Nothing would be too much trouble.

- Coming with me?

- Thought you had a dinner date.

I thought you were going to Chicago.

- Hello?

- Long-distance call.

This is Mrs. Kahn.

Who's calling?

Oh, New York.

What is it? Who's ringing the phone

at 3:
00 in the morning?

It's Gus calling from New York.

I hope everything's all right. Hello?

- Hello? Hello?

- Hello?

- Is Mr. Kahn there?

- Who?

- Gus Kahn.

- Oh, just a moment.

Gus. Gus, baby. Your call to Chicago.

Go on, go to bed.

Could you hold it down a little bit?

Could you be a little quiet?

- Hello, Gus?

- Grace.

- What's the matter?

- I had to call you.

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