No Man of Her Own

Synopsis: In a mansion in Caulfield, Illinois, Patrice Harkness and Bill Harkness are waiting for the police. Meanwhile, she recalls her life in San Francisco. The eight-month pregnant Helen Ferguson is dumped by her boyfriend, the crook Stephen 'Steve' Morley, who gives a train ticket to her to New York to stay with his new girlfriend. In the train, Helen befriends the also pregnant Patrice Harkness and her husband Hugh Harkness that are returning from Europe. When they go to the toilet, Patrice asks Helen to hold her wedding ring to avoid losing it, but there is an accident and only Helen survives. She is mistaken by the Hatkness family as being Patrice and welcomed by Mrs. Harkness, Mr. Harkness and Bill at home. Helen decides to pose of Patrice thinking in the future of her baby Hugh and the family treats her like a daughter. Out of the blue, Steve meets Helen in a club and blackmails her, promising to destroy the lives to Mr. and Mrs. Harkness. Now Helen realizes that she must kill Steve to
Genre: Drama, Film-Noir
Director(s): Mitchell Leisen
Production: Paramount Pictures
 
IMDB:
7.5
APPROVED
Year:
1950
98 min
144 Views


Summer nights are pleasant

in Caulfield.

They smell of heliotrope

and jasmine,

honeysuckle and clover.

The breeze

that stirs the curtains

is soft and gentle.

There's the hush,

the stillness

of perfect peace and security.

Oh, yes.

The summer nights are pleasant

in Caulfield.

But not for us.

Not for us.

The house we live in

is so pleasant.

The lawn always seems

freshly watered,

the beds of flowers so neat,

the dazzling whiteness

of the porch supports

the satin finish

of the rich, old floors,

the smell of wax.

This is a home,

warm and friendly

as a home should be.

But not for us.

Not for us.

I love him and he loves me.

I know he does.

And yet I know just as surely

that someday he'll pack

his things and leave.

Though he won't want to.

But even if he doesn't leave,

I know it will be I

who will walk out

and never come back.

We've fought this thing.

How bitterly we've fought it.

We've driven it away

a thousand times,

and it comes back again

in... a look,

in a thought.

You believed our love

would be strong enough

to make us forget.

But we haven't.

This is a thing apart.

This is...

murder.

Wanna go out somewhere?

It's a nice night.

If you think we should.

Come on.

You can put him to bed.

He's asleep now.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes, I knew him.

We'll be here.

What?

The police.

Are they coming here now?

In a few minutes.

Did they say...?

Which one of us they want?

No.

I'll put him to bed.

Don't let him suffer

for the mistakes I've made.

I was wrong.

Terribly wrong

in what I tried to do.

But I was desperate.

So desperate.

Steve.

Steve.

Steve.

She's here again.

Steve. It's me, Helen.

Steve.

I know you're there, Steve.

Let me in, please.

Please.

Please let me in, please.

Oh, Steve, don't do this to me.

I came all the way here

to find you.

I don't know anyone in New York.

I haven't anybody.

I have to see you.

Steve, I'm gonna stay here!

I'm gonna stay here!

Will you pipe down!

Show a little consideration for

people who stay up all night.

Things is tough enough

without having my sleep

disturbed by you.

Now, scram!

Steve, please.

Oh, Steve, please.

Don't ever try

to brush me off like that.

Would you take my seat, please?

Oh. No, thank you.

Go ahead.

Take my place for a while.

Come on. We want you to.

You can't stay out there

like that. Come on.

We want you to.

There you are.

Isn't that better, hm?

Thank you.

You look dead.

It's this awful train.

It's his fault we're on it.

It seems everybody wants

to go home for the 4th of July.

You wouldn't think a firecracker

could be that important,

would you?

We had tickets on the plane

and everything,

and at the last moment

he wouldn't let me fly.

You know, for the same reason

your husband probably

wouldn't let you fly.

And look where that bright idea

of his landed us. Here.

Well, go someplace.

Just don't stand there hovering.

Well, if you're sure

you're all right,

I guess I could go

smoke a cigarette.

Smoke two.

Okay, boss.

See how henpecked I am?

He's nice, isn't he?

I mean, giving me his place.

Oh, he's tolerable.

He has his good points.

I could tell right away,

about you I mean.

I am too. It's that month.

Eh--

Oh, wonderful.

Where's your husband?

Are you meeting him?

No.

Oh, did you leave him

in New York?

No, I...

I've lost him.

I'm sorry, I'm such a fool.

I--

That's all right.

It's funny.

You never think, do you?

No, you never do.

He's coming back.

He didn't smoke--

We just got rid of you.

What are you doing--?

Special inside information

from the porter.

They're just opening the dining

car in a couple of minutes.

Come on.

We'd better get underway.

There'll be a stampede

in this mob.

Come on,

let's make a dash for it.

Oh. Oh, no, thank you.

I'm not hungry.

Besides, someone ought to stay

here and keep the places.

Oh, women are always hungry.

And we can use this

for a place marker.

It's all right.

He'll look after everything.

Oh, no, it isn't that.

It's just that I--

You can't neglect yourself

now of all times. I know.

Come on. We'll lose him.

This is a holiday

and I'm off my diet.

Well, what have you got?

Prime ribs up here

are nice today, ma'am.

Here you are, sir.

Yes, sir, here you are.

No, ma'am.

You don't want

to be riding backwards.

Now, if you'd just sit

over there,

and the ladies will sit here.

There you are.

There you are.

Like to sit here, ma'am?

Yes.

Mm, pickles. Good sour pickles.

Barrels of them.

That sounds nice.

Uh, may I suggest soup, ladies?

Nice vegetable soup

and some breast of chicken?

I'll tell you what, waiter.

Suppose you just go ahead

and bring what you think

they ought to have.

Yes, sir.

Heh. He must be

a family man.

Well, now that we're

not strangers any longer,

I think you ought to know

our names.

He's Harkness, Hugh,

and I'm Harkness, Patrice.

Harkness.

That's a funny name, isn't it?

Oh, I'm just trying you out

for it.

I haven't decided yet whether

I'll let you keep it or not.

It's mine now.

I haven't decided whether

I'll let you keep it or not.

What's your name?

Ferguson.

Helen Ferguson.

You've both been

awfully kind to me.

Oh. I thought

she'd never get out.

If anybody else wants to get in,

they'll just have to wait.

We're nearly the last ones

still awake anyway.

Here, have some.

Oh, you haven't anything

to rub off, have you?

Here, rub some of this on

and then you have that

to rub off.

Go ahead, take out a gob.

I'm not sure

what it does for you,

but it smells nice anyway.

I'm getting scared.

About the baby?

Uh-uh.

I'm meeting my in-laws.

Do you think they'll like me?

Suppose they don't.

Suppose they have me

built up in their expectations

as somebody entirely different.

They don't even know

what I look like.

Didn't you send them a picture?

I didn't have any

except my passport picture,

and I certainly wasn't

gonna send them that.

Go on. It feels good.

I guess they must be

very well off.

I know they had to send us

the money for the trip home.

Hugh only had his salary

from one of those

government agencies.

You know, one of those

initial outfits.

I just had my scholarship.

My folks are all dead.

We were on a shoestring

the whole time.

And don't let anyone tell you

how cheap Europe is.

We had an awful

lot of fun, though.

I think that's the only time

you do have fun.

It's when you're

on a shoestring, don't you?

Sometimes it's--

Anyway, as soon

as they found out

I was expecting, that did it.

They wouldn't hear of my

having the baby over there.

I didn't much want to either.

Here, hold this for me,

will you?

I have a horror of losing it.

Slipped down the drain once

and they had to pull out

the whole wall.

Oh, it's very beautiful.

It has our names around it

on the inside.

See? Isn't that cute?

Mm-hm.

That's one of the reasons

we're on a shoestring.

Here, put it on your finger.

It'll be safer that way.

Well, isn't that bad luck?

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Sally Benson

Sally Benson (September 3, 1897 – July 19, 1972) was an American screenwriter, who was also a prolific short story author, best known for her semi-autobiographical stories collected in Junior Miss and Meet Me in St. Louis. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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