The Best Years of Our Lives Page #7

- OK, Pop, I'm going to bed now.

Be right with you, Homer.

- Night, son.

- Good night, Pop.

Thanks.

(jazz on radio)

(key in door)

- Hello, babe.

- What you got there?

Our supper. Cream of corn soup,

potato salad, salami and liverwurst.

We're going to Jackie's Hot Spot.

I made a reservation.

- We're eating at home.

- Are you sick or something?

No, dear. Broke.

- Broke?

- You got it.

Well, what happened?

Where did it go to?

We spent it, babe.

That's what happened.

I didn't tell you

the money was almost gone

because I kept hoping

I was gonna land a good job.

But I'm not going to get one,

so we'll have to forget about Jackie's Hot

Spot and the Blue Devil and all the rest.

Why couldn't you get a job?

Have you tried?

Sure. I've been all over town -

all the employment offices and the USES.

They say I ought to spend

a couple of years as an apprentice,

or go to a trade school.

A couple of years,

with you going to kindergarten.

And what would I be doing

in the meantime?

You can always help me

with my homework.

- Fred.

- Yeah?

- Are you really all right?

- Of course I'm all right. Why?

I mean, in your mind. Is anything...?

My mind?! You mean

you think I'm going goofy?

I've been wondering.

What was Gadowsky?

- Where did you hear about him?

- You talk in your sleep.

Something's on fire

and you want somebody to get out.

You keep saying "Gadowsky! Gadowsky!"

Gadorsky.

He was a friend of mine, a B-17 pilot.

He got it over Berlin.

- Can't you get it out of your system?

- Oh, sure(!)

The war's over. You won't get anyplace

till you stop thinking about it.

- Come on, snap out of it!

- OK, honey, I'll do that(!)

I didn't tell you, Fred,

but I got a little money saved.

Dinner's on me tonight.

You'd better keep on saving it.

It might come in handy sometime.

I appreciate the offer,

but we're eating at home.

Well, I'm hungry.

I'm going out by myself.

- You're not going. You'll eat what I cook.

- Let go of me!

When we married, the justice of the peace

said "For better, for worse". Remember?

- This is the "worse".

- When do we get the "better"?

When I get wise to myself, I guess.

When I realise I'm not an officer

and a gentleman any more,

I'm just another soda jerk out of a job.

Go and sit down and read a magazine or

listen to the radio while I cook the soup.

I'll fix you a nice meal, honey.

Just like I used to do behind

the fountain, before the war.

Perfume and Cosmetics

is our outstanding feature.

It accounts for 34/ of gross intake

and an even higher proportion of profits.

As you will surmise, our customers

in this department are women.

Yes, I'd surmised that.

You must familiarise yourself with the

correct pronunciation of all the perfumes.

- Rve Romantique.

- That means Romantic Dream.

- You speak French?

- Sticky, just enough to go to Paris bars.

Let's get one thing straight, Derry.

The name "Sticky" is out.

Yes, Mr Merkel. I understand.

This week we're pushing the new

Champagne Bubble Bath. $1.98.

Down here are some special... Come here.

Down here are some

specially made-up toilet sets...

- Thank you.

- Morning, Mr Latham.

- Morning.

- Good morning, Mr Stephenson.

What have we here?

The Bretton Woods Agreement(?)

That's a Mr Novak, waiting over there.

He's applying for a GI loan.

- Oh, good. I'll see him.

- Mr Novak.

- Sit down, Mr Novak.

- Thank you, sir.

Don't "sir" me, Mr Novak.

I'm a sergeant.

- I see you were in the navy.

- Yes, sir.

I mean, yes, I was. In the Seabees.

Where'd you operate?

All over the Pacific.

One island after another.

What'd you do, mostly?

Go in before the landings and clear

the mines and underwater obstructions.

When they'd taken enough ground

for an airstrip we'd build it.

- Fairly interesting work, eh?

- No, it got monotonous.

Those islands all look alike.

Until lwo Jima. That was different.

So I've heard.

I see you have quite a family.

A wife and four children.

Yes. There'd have been more

if I hadn't been away three years.

- And now you wanna buy a farm.

- Yes, sir.

Got my eye on a fine piece of property.

What about collateral?

- Collateral? What's that?

- Security for your loan.

What can you put up

in the way of property?

Have you any stocks and bonds?

Real estate? Valuables of any kind?

No, Mr Stephenson. You see, the point is,

I haven't got any property.

That's why I want the loan,

so I can get the property.

I see.

No collateral.

That makes things difficult.

I'm a good farmer, Mr Stephenson.

Why, even during the war

I kept my hand in.

I used to spend my spare time down on

those islands working truck gardens

so my outfit could have fresh tomatoes

and green corn and all that.

And before the war I was a sharecropper,

like my father before me.

And now, I feel I'd like to have

a little piece of my own to work.

- You like to grow things, eh?

- Yes, sir.

And with the food shortage

all over the world,

farming's about the most

important work there is.

I mean... Well, don't you think so,

Mr Stephenson?

Yes.

You see, Mr Stephenson, I don't feel

this is asking the bank for a handout.

I feel it's my right. At least, that's what

I've been told by other ex-servicemen:

that the government

guarantees loans to us...

Your loan would be administered

through this bank,

which would put up

half of the $6,000 you require.

Now, that involves risk

for this bank, Mr Novak.

Excuse me.

- Al!

- Homer!

- Look at you!

- Look at you!

- So this is where you work.

- Sort of. Are you sticking up the bank?

Look, 200 leaves of cabbage. That's

what I get every month from now on.

- Pretty soft, eh?

- Pretty soft.

- You sure we haven't short-changed you?

- I kept my eye on the guy counting it out.

Did you know Fred Derry

had a job at the Midway Drugstore?

- No, I didn't.

- He introduced me to his wife.

- Yeah?

- (whistles) Some dish.

We'll all have to get together at Butch's.

- Fine. That's where I'm going now.

- Yeah?

- To take a piano lesson.

- You... Uh-huh?

Take one for me.

- See you later.

- So long, Homer.

Well, as I was saying, Mr Novak,

there is an element of risk involved.

We'll have to have the property appraised.

But you'll get your loan.

Say, Mr Stephenson,

I don't know how to begin to thank you.

Don't try. You look like

a good risk to me.

When the tomato plants start producing,

I want free samples.

- I'll tell you when the papers are ready.

- Thank you, sir. Thank you.

God bless you.

I've seen advertisements about this.

Night of Bliss.

Is it all that they say it is?

What do they say it is?

"Haunting, provocative, languorous."

Oh, yes, I'm sure it's all of those.

(wind-up toy whirring)

Dexter!

- Don't play with those toys, bud.

- My name ain't Bud!

- Dexter, stop that.

- I just wanted to see how it worked.

Sorry.

You heard what Mommy said.

Ooh, Seduction. How much is that?

This is... It's quite expensive.

It's 16.50. But it's a nice size.

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