Ithaca

- Come on, let's go!

You okay?

We must

be set to face a long war

against crafty

and powerful bandits.

The attack at Pearl harbor

can be repeated

at any one of many points,

in both oceans

and along both our coastlines

and against

all the rest of the hemisphere.

It will not only be a long war,

it will be a hard war.

We expect to eliminate

the danger from Japan,

but it would serve us ill

if we accomplished that

and found that the rest

of the world was dominated

by Hitler and Mussolini.

We are going to win this war

and we are going to win

the peace that follows.

- Is it a letter from home?

- Yep, from my brother, homer.

- It's the youngest one, right?

- Uh, no, no.

Youngest one's Ulysses.

He's, um...

Well, he's four.

He believes nothing good

ever ends.

And he's under the impression

that he belongs

wherever there's something

interesting to see.

I have this idea

that you'll come to ithaca

and meet him one day.

And my brother homer,

my sister Bess... and ma.

- Hiya, Harry!

- Fourteen words, collect.

You're a little short.

- A little.

I got drafted.

- Drafted, I see.

- My mother'll send me

enough money to get home.

- Uh-huh.

- Do you know how long

it'll take the telegram

to get to her?

What's that?

Why...? What's this?

- Just go ahead. It's nothing.

Don't worry about it. Just...

- Wh-why? What's...

- you pay me back when

your mother sends the money.

- Thanks.

- Send it paid, Willie!

- Tom...

- What?

I know, Willie. It's just...

Every once in a while.

So remind me, why do you want

to be a messenger?

- Because I'll get to visit

a lot of people

and go to a lot of places.

- Oh. And, uh,

how did you sleep last night?

D'you nod off today at school?

- A little.

- What about sports?

What about missing out on them

on account of having this job?

- We have a physical-education

period every day.

- Is that so? Well, I used

to run the 220 low hurdles

when I went to Ithaca high.

I was, uh...

I was the valley champion.

I was val...

So tell me,

you really want this job?

- I'm gonna be the best

messenger this office ever had.

- I was the best messenger this

office ever had, so you're on.

Okay, the faster

you deliver messages,

the more you can deliver.

The faster you pick up

outgoing messages,

the more we can send.

The more we can send,

the better our chances

of beating western union

and staying alive.

We're postal telegraph.

We get there swiftly.

We're polite to everyone.

We take off our hats

in elevators and,

above all things,

we never lose a telegram.

- Yes, sir.

- How old are you?

- Sixteen.

- Yeah, that's

what you said yesterday.

We're not allowed

to hire a boy unless he's 16.

How old are you?

- Fourteen.

- Well, so you'll be 16

in two years.

What are you gonna do

with the $15 a week?

- Give it to my mother.

- Alright, from here on out,

you're part of this outfit.

You watch everything,

you listen closely,

you keep your eyes open

and your ears peeled.

You got me? This here,

this is what we call a quarter.

You're gonna take it

to Chatterton's bakery

and bring me back two day-old

pies:
Apple and coconut-cream.

- Yes, sir.

- What do you think of him?

- He's a good boy.

- I think he is.

A couple of years underage,

that's all.

- Well, I'm a couple of years

overage,

so I think we'll get along.

- If you need me,

I'll be at Corbett's.

You two can share

those pies between you.

What's your name again?

- Homer Macauley.

- Homer Macauley.

You're just the boy

this office needs.

I reckon you're the

fastest-moving thing

in this valley.

Remember, once a messenger,

always a messenger.

- Alright, boy, alright.

Homer Macauley.

My name is William Grogan.

I'm 67 years old.

Old-time telegrapher,

one of the last.

And I'm hungry.

And from now on,

you and I are friends.

Mm.

Here you go.

I may, on occasion,

ask you to run me an errand.

In the event of drunkenness,

I shall expect a depth

of understanding.

- I've got a pretty good

understanding.

- Do you? We'll see.

Every evening...

I'll count on you to see that

I'm able to perform my duties.

A splash of cold water

directly on the face

if I don't respond when shaken

and to be followed immediately

by a cup of hot black coffee

from Corbett's across the road.

You know where Corbett's is?

- Yes, sir.

Cold water, hot coffee.

- Excuse me.

Homer...

Do you think that this world

is gonna be a better place

after the war?

- Yes, sir.

- How do you like

that coconut-cream pie?

- Very good, sir.

- Homer...

This is your first telegram.

Put it in your cap.

- Postal telegram.

- You have a telegram?

- Yes, ma'am.

- For who is it?

- A Mrs. Rosa Sandoval,

1129 G street.

Are you Mrs. Sandoval?

- S, s, s. Please come in.

I cannot read English.

How does the telegram read?

- Ma'am?

- Please, open the telegram

and read to me the telegram.

- Yes, ma'am.

- Please, come inside.

Who sends me this telegram?

My son, Juan Domingo?

- No, ma'am.

It's, uh...

From the secretary of war.

- The secretary...

- Maybe it's a mistake.

Maybe it wasn't your son.

Maybe it was somebody else.

The telegram says

it was Juan Domingo, but...

Maybe the telegram's wrong.

- Please, sit down.

I will bring you some candy,

okay?

All boys love candy very much.

- I can't quit. Otherwise,

I'm as good as dead myself.

Mr. Grogan!

Mr. Grogan.

Mr. Grogan, there's a telegram!

They're calling you! Wake up!

- Ah!

Coffee. Corbett's!

- Mr. Corbett, I need

a cup of coffee right now.

It's for Mr. Grogan.

- Sure.

No, it's alright.

No charge, boy.

- Thanks.

- That's right, that's right,

that's right! Don't be afraid.

That's exactly right.

That's what I told you.

It's exactly right.

Corbett's coffee.

- Is it... an important

telegram?

- No.

It's most unimportant.

Ah, the accumulation of money,

business.

Seeing it takes a few weeks

for the important ones

to get here.

It's a night letter,

but you won't have

to deliver it tonight.

It's most unimportant.

But very important

for me to receive it.

They wanna... replace me.

They've been wanting

to retire me for years,

bring in machines, teletypes.

Machines instead

of human beings.

- Yes, sir.

- I knew I could count on you,

homer. I just knew it.

You've already been

a great help to me.

You know...

You've come to work

just in time.

I used to be the fastest

telegrapher in the world.

Faster than Wolinsky.

Sending, receiving,

receiving, sending...

And no mistakes. No mistakes!

Yeah.

Willie Grogan.

Everybody in the world,

every operator in the world

knew that...

Knew that name.

And I... pfft. Well...

You and me, homer,

we're still alive.

We are.

Mm. Ah...

I should like to say just a word

to the women in the country

tonight.

I have a boy at sea

on a destroyer.

For all I know, he may be

on his way to the pacific.

Two of my children are

in coast cities on the pacific.

Many of you

all over this country

have boys in the services

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