The Blue Dahlia

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Hey, fellas, give a look.

How about that good-bye drink, Johnny?

- Why not? One bar's just like another.

- So long as they got bourbon.

Or a reasonable facsimile.

- Yes, sir?

- Bourbon straight with a bourbon chaser.

- The same.

- Two separate glasses. Get it?

Why wouldn't I get it?

Got to have that monkey music in here?

- Somebody call me a monkey?

- Give that thing a rest, will you?

Pipe down. Beliini atm artk.

Somebody call me a monkey?

Nobody called nobody nothing.

Just forget it, will you?

- That thing gives me a headache.

- Well, ain't that a pity.

- I told you I had a headache.

- Put that back, but quick.

- You put it back.

- Why you...

Quit it, Buzz!

- Steady, Corporal.

- Get out of my way!

I said steady. You didn't get

those stripes from blowing your top.

Hey, cut that out. Cut it out. Do you hear?

You two guys want to fight so bad,

why don't you get into a uniform?

What do you figure I had

on when I got this? Huh?

What do you figure?

There's a plate in there as big as your brains.

Maybe bigger.

Well, I don't want no roughhouse in here.

Go on, get back to your bar before

you get a face full of knuckles.

Come on, Buzz.

- Hey, who's paying for that broken cord?

- Save it.

If it's long enough, you can hang yourself.

- Okay, now you got that out of your system.

- Thing was getting my goat.

- My mistake, fella.

- That's okay. Skip it.

- So long.

- So long.

Bye.

Hey, we better get going, too,

if we're gonna catch that bus.

Hey, look, dope, we already caught the bus.

- Yeah, that's right. We did, didn't we?

- Yeah.

I must be getting dumb.

Here's to you, Johnny.

Yeah, you lucky stiff, at least

you got a wife to come home to.

Boy, if I had a wife and kid to

come home to... What's the matter?

I must be getting old.

That stuff kicks me right in the teeth.

When do we get to meet her, Johnny?

Any time. The door will always be open.

We won't need no dress suit

to get in there, will we?

That Cavendish Court hotel and

bungalow sounds like a lot of dough.

- I...

- I, uh...

I got a lead on an apartment.

If it comes through, we'll give you a ring.

Good.

Well, here's to what was.

- Take care of our boy, George.

- You bet I will.

- See you soon.

- Okay.

- Johnny?

- Yeah?

Don't you think you ought to

call her before you go home?

Maybe.

- He don't sound very happy, somehow.

- No.

- Mrs Morrison, please.

- What name shall I say?

- Mrs Morrison's my wife.

- Oh, yes, sir.

Oh, would you mind if I surprised her?

No, of course not. Take

Mr Morrison to Bungalow 93.

- This way, please.

- Thank you.

Surprise is right.

- What did you say, honey?

- Nothing to you.

Some fun, huh?

I'll take it from here.

Thank you, sir.

Hi, beautiful! Looking for me?

- I'm afraid not. I'm looking for my wife.

- The place is full of 'em.

You are beautiful. What's your name, huh?

Morrison. Does my wife live here?

What's so funny?

Hey, hey! Look who's here.

Helen's got a husband!

Relax.

Hey, Helen, why didn't you tell

us you had something like this?

Johnny!

- Why didn't you let me know?

- I wanted to surprise you.

Well, take off your coat, Johnny.

You're home, you know.

- It's been a long time, Helen.

- Much too long.

- You're not in uniform.

- No, they decided I had enough for a while.

- So they put me on the inactive list.

- Oh?

Buzz and George are out, too.

Buzz was wounded,

and George's eyes went back on him.

- Buzz and George?

- My crew.

I used to write you about them.

Don't you remember?

Oh, sure. It's great to

have you back, Johnny.

- Come and meet my friends.

- Oh, must I now?

Well, certainly. Dick, hold

the piano a while. Hold it.

Please, everybody,

come and meet my husband.

This is lieutenant commander John

Morrison of the United States Navy.

He's just back from the South Pacific.

Johnny, this is Charlie and Beverly.

- How do you do?

- Rick and Carmen... Eddie! Eddie!

- We were based at Quadulan.

- What were you flying, sir?

- Liberators.

- Excuse me, Dick.

- Johnny, this is Eddie Harwood.

- I'm glad to know you.

I've heard a lot about you.

I guess you've had a rough time of it.

I'm afraid my experiences

are pretty dull.

I can't believe that.

Hey, wouldn't you like a drink?

Not right now, thanks.

I'd like to get cleaned up a little.

Oh, take your things in there, Johnny.

Excuse me.

- I think I better breeze.

- Why?

Pretty obvious why.

Oh, suppose there is.

So what? Pardon me...

Well, if it ain't my beautiful man!

You and I are gonna have a

little drink together right now.

Hey, where you going?

You've got the wrong lipstick on, mister.

Stop it!

You're entirely right.

Sorry.

Forget it.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I think you'd better leave.

My husband would like to be alone with me.

He probably wants to beat me up.

- Perhaps you want me to apologise.

- Apologise, darling?

But you don't have to. You're a hero.

A hero can get away with anything.

It seems I've lost my manners.

Or would anyone here

know the difference?

I don't care what she says.

I think you're wonderful.

What are you doing?

Looking at this photograph of Dickey.

I've never seen it before.

- Why didn't you send me one?

- I thought I had.

Let's talk this out, Helen.

Would you mind not drinking any more,

just...

Oh, for heaven's sakes, don't start preaching.

I take all the drinks I

like, any time, any place.

I go where I want to

with anybody I want.

I just happen to be that kind of a girl.

I'd have thought Dickey's death would

have made a little more difference.

We lived in a five-room house,

and I did the laundry.

And I never went anywhere

'cause I had a kid to look after.

I don't have a kid

to look after anymore.

And the people I go with now don't use

a kiss as an excuse to sock each other.

Keep on drinking that

and you won't need an excuse.

Really?

You're not paying for my drinks.

Well, why don't you answer it?

You want to run everything else around here.

Hello?

This is Johnny. Oh, hello, Buzz.

You got the place, huh?

Yeah. Yeah. Where George lived

before. Walked right into it.

Yeah, there was 19 guys ahead of us,

but they like George, here.

Oh, that's great, Buzz.

Hey, what's your telephone number?

Hillside

8-6-6-1. Okay. Bye.

- The boys found an apartment.

- Yes?

I didn't know these

things were ever blue.

They're Eddie

Harwood's calling cards.

He owns a night club on the

strip called the Blue Dahlia.

Helen. Let's try just once more.

I'd love to. I'm a girl

that tries and tries.

Well, suppose we begin

by your not drinking anymore, huh?

Suppose we begin by

you minding your own business?

- I said you've had enough!

- Take your paws off me!

Maybe you've learned

to like hurting people.

I could tell you something about

Dickey that would hurt you plenty!

What about Dickey?

What about Dickey?

- Noisy in here, aren't you?

- So what?

What do you call that, a prayer meeting?

Okay, Mr Morrison, just doing my job.

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