Rhythm on the River Page #5

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so they can sit home

and knit a lot of didoes

for a lot of poor relatives.

Women, ha!

When Eve told Adam

to climb that apple tree,

that's when all

the trouble started.

You might be right.

Yeah, you get them fool ideas

out of your head...

or the frst thing you know,

you'll be a success...

and then you won't have

a minute to yourself!.

d d [ Piano ]

d[ Piano Continues ]

d Do I want

to be with you d

d d [ Humming ]

d Only forever d

Hey, Cherry.

You still up?

Come on over and

get out of the cold.

What's that you're playing?

Just a tune I've been

foolin' around with.

I hope it didn't

keep you awake.

It did, but I liked it.

You know, there's something

really uncanny about it.

About what?

You know that frst day

when you said something

about fate?

Fate? I don't know

anything about fate.

I must've been kidding.

Were you?

I don't know

if I was or not.

Well, I'm awfully sorry

I called you a tramp.

You don't have to be sorry.

I am a tramp,

always will be.

No, you're not.

Any man who can write

music like that can do

anything they want to.

That piece seemed to say

something to me as if...

well, as if

you'd said it yourself.

What do you got here?

You don't mean you've written

words to this opus already?

Mm-hmm.

Would you mind

playing it for me?

Hold it there for me,

will ya?

Mm-hmm.

Be good if I can remember

the tune, won't it?

d Do I want

to be with you d

d As the years

come and go d

d Only forever d

d If you care to know d

That's good, Cherry.

d Would I grant

all your wishes d

d And be proud

of the task d

d Only forever d

d If someone

should ask d

d How long

would it take me d

d To be near

if you beckoned d

d Offhand

I would fgure d

d Less than a second d

d Do you think

I'll remember d

d How you looked

when you smiled d

d Only forever d

d That's putting

it mild d d

''Less than a second.''

Gee, I love that line,

Cherry.

Bob?

Hmm?

Let's not ever part

with this song.

It's sort of personal

to us.

Part with it?

Oh, Cherry,

I should say not.

From now on, this song's

going to be strictly ours.

Do you really mean that?

I never meant anything

more in my whole life.

Get around this way.

The moon gets in my eyes.

''The moon gets in my eyes.''

That's a great title

for a song!

What do I do with

my empty arms?

''Empty arms''?

Bob, that's two titles

in a row!

You could do this on

your own time. I'm about

to lay my heart at your feet.

Haven't you ever had

an inspiration and had

to write it down?

No, not at a time

like this.

I did get an inspiration

once, though.

You remember going

in a hotel lobby and you reached

for the elevator button...

and a fella reached over and

pushed it just ahead of you?

No.

You don't remember that?

Remember getting in

an elevator and going--

You've been in an elevator?

Those things go up and down.

Remember getting off

at the 1 5th floor--

Fifteenth floor.

You mean the fresh fellow

that stuck his head out the

door and whistled at me?

That was no fresh fellow.

That was me.

Do you know what they do

to people in Tulsa

who whistle at girls?

What do they do?

They scalp 'em.

They do?

Mm-hmm.

That's still Indian country

there, I guess.

Yes... with reservations.

Getting back to the inspiration.

Do you know what happened?

What?

Well, sir, I ducked into

my room, sat at my piano,

and then I wrote--

You mean that I, the flower

ofTulsa, inspired a song?

That's what you did.

Listen to this.

d d [ Piano ]

d The lighthearted

gay sort of charm

you display d

d That's for me

d The wonderful sly

little trick

with your eye

d That's for me

d What a feather in my hat

if I could gratify

your wish d

d Do you like

the movies d

d And what is

your favorite dish d

You wrote that?

For you.

d The tilt of your chin-- d

Hey, wait!

Hey!

Hey, Cherry,

wait a minute.

It wasn't that bad!

Hey, Cherry?

Hey, Cherry,

let me in!

Leave me alone. I never

want to see you again.!

What have I done?

You know very well

what you've done.

I know nothing of the kind.

I try to play a song

I wrote for you...

and you fly off

like Scarlett O'Hara in a ft!

Let me look at you.

How can you stand there

with that baby face and

the soul of a gangster...

and dare to tell me

you composed that song?

But I did!

Suffering cats.!

What's goin'on here?

What's all

the rumpus about?

I don't know.

She's gone into some

sort of a whing-ding.

Get the jalopy out.

I'm goin' to town.

A whing-ding?

Gosh, I thought

it was a cyclone.

Whing-ding!

Not breaking up a

director's meeting, am I?

Not at all. Come on in.

Will you want me,

Mr. Courtney?

I shan't want you, Starbuck.

I won't want you either.

Hiya, thrush.

Hi.

Sit down, Bob.

What's on your mind?

Well, I want

to resign.

What? Resign?

But you can't do that!

Haven't I treated you fairly?

Always used your songs?

Yeah, but I haven't felt on

the level with myself since

I got into this racket.

Lately, it's been

cramping my style.

I ran into a situation

last night that--

Well, I don't want

to be a ghost anymore.

I want to be the real McCoy.

Don't be so silly,

Bob!

You don't realize how lucky you

are, how many responsibilities

I take off your shoulders.

Business arrangements,

interviews,

popularity, income tax,

the headaches of being a success.

While all you have to do

is dream up a few tunes...

and enjoy yourself at your

uncle's. What's it called?

Nobody's Inn.

You know, Bob,

you don't know--

Uh, wha--

What did you say

the place was called?

Nobody's Inn.

It's at Tarrytown

on the river.

My uncle has it.

Nobody's Inn.

Yeah. Want a card?

Feather beds.

We should take a party up.

My uncle's had

a rough season.

Yes, was there, um,

anybody else up there?

Yeah. That's why

I want to resign.

A girl came.

I was tryin' to be a big man

and make an impression.

I played one of my songs

without thinking.

What?

One of your songs.

Thanks.

A fellow's got to show off

once in a while.

Did she, um--

Did she like it?

No. That's the funny part.

She just got mad.

Mr. Starbuck.

I want to see

Mr. Courtney.

You can't see him now.

He's busy.

But I have to see him.

Somebody's been stealing

his songs.

That can't

be right.

He'd be the frst to know.

Mr. Starbuck, don't you ever

take anything seriously?

I've got to see him.

Bates, you better

get two boy scouts

and a stretcher.

Caught with

his pants on.

I thought about it

all night and--

What are you doing here?

I might ask you

the same thing.

I work here.

Doin' what?

Well, I--

I don't want you to get

any false impressions.

I've been writing lyrics

for Mr. Courtney.

You have?

That explains a great deal.

You see, I write his music.

You do?

Mm-hmm.

Then that was

really your tune?

Yeah!

Did you like it?

By the way,

what do you do around here?

I suppose you think

I can't write music anymore.

From now on,

you're gonna have

a royal opportunity.

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