The Man in the White Suit Page #4

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[ Man #2 ]

seven and a half.

- [ Sidney ]

though as you say,

- Thirty-Five.

We shall only need to vary

the intermediates to make

a substitute for...

Wool, cotton, linen--

Whatever you please.

Yes, thirty-One.

Thirty-One.

And, of course, there's

the question of dyeing.

Excuse me.

Thank you.

At the moment,

the fiber's intractable.

It repels dye

just as it does dirt.

But, uh--

We shall have to, uh,

Introduce the coloring matter

at an earlier stage,

Left shoulder.

While the polymer

is still in the melt.

Yes, seven.

Seven.

You won't find

any difficulty

in stitching.

The needle will simply

pass through between

the weave as usual.

If he could let me have

paper patterns of the suit.

Paper patterns ?

Yes, i shall have to

have, um,

Templates made

and get the pieces

cut out for you.

Well, just as you wish.

I suppose you wouldn't prefer

for us to cut them out ?

Oh, i'm afraid

you wouldn't be able to.

[ Laughs ]

[ Knock on door ]

Come in.

[ Daphne laughing ]

- Well, what's funny about it ?

- It's just the suit.

It looks as if

it's wearing you.

It's still a bit luminous.

But it'll wear off.

Oh, no.

No ?

No, it makes you look like

a knight in shining armor.

That's what you are.

Me ?

Don't you understand

what this means ?

Millions of people

all over the world,

living lives of drudgery,

Fighting

an endless losing battle

against shabbiness and dirt.

You've won that battle

for them.

You've set them free.

The whole world's

going to bless you.

[ Train whistle blows ]

Unbreakable ?

That's what they're saying,

mr. Corland.

Green, is--

Is that possible ?

Well, uh, if he's using

a heavy hydrogen,

He might get

a more complex molecule.

In plain language--

Yes or no ?

It's, uh, possible.

I'm very grateful

to you, king. I--

I think the...

industry will be.

Get me sir john kierlaw.

[ Laughing ]

now, now, davidson.

Hardly that, surely.

Well, as soon as

i have finished with the press,

I should like to see

the heads of all departments.

[ Phone rings ]

Yes ?

One moment, please.

It's sir john kierlaw.

Sir john--

All right. I'll--

I'll speak to him.

- He's here.

- Here ?

Michael.

So it was--

Oh.

[ Kierlaw breathing heavily ]

No, no,

the asthma atomizer.

[ Inhaling atomizer ]

Now, some fool...

Has invented

an indestructible cloth.

- Right ?

- Yes.

Where is he ?

How much does he want ?

I'm afraid

we have mr. Birnley

to contend with first.

As i understand it, mr. Birnley

intends to manufacture

and market this product.

- Certainly.

- Are you mad ?

[ Birnley ]

well, i consider it

my duty to do it.

It'll knock the bottom

out of everything, down to

the primary producers.

What about the sheep farmers

and cotton growers ?

The importers

and middlemen.

The big stores, even.

It'll ruin all of them !

The point.

Let us stick to the point.

- What about us ?

- Well, i'll admit

some individuals...

May suffer temporarily.

But i will not stand

in the way of progress.

The welfare

of the community

must come first.

You're not likely

to suffer much.

Michael, that's

unworthy of you.

Sir john,

Surely you realize this is

the greatest step forward.

Step forward ?

Over a precipice.

It means disaster.

Disaster ?

Was the spinning

jenny a disaster ?

Was the mechanical loom ?

For those who didn't

control them, yes.

Besides,

they increased output.

This will finish it.

Just arriving now, sir.

He's the one to make

the complaint, isn't he ?

Well, what's this ?

Worker's playtime ?

It's sid !

Look whose car.

Sid !

Hello, bertha.

Hello.

What have

they done to you ?

Well, it's really

what i've done.

We are just going to

announce it to the press.

Announce what ?

My new fiber.

Mind !

Mr. Corland.

In mr. Birnley's office.

It never gets dirty ?

And never wears out ?

That's right.

Now what do you think

of him ?

And you think they'll

go ahead with it ?

Certainly.

You're not even born yet.

What do you think happened

to all the other things ?

The razor blade

that never gets blunt.

And the car that runs

on water, with a pinch

of something in it.

No. They'll never

let your stuff on the market

in a million years.

He's right, you know.

Vested interest.

The dead hand of monopoly.

It's not like that at all,

i assure you.

Everything's organized.

We're telling the newspapers

this morning,

And then going right ahead.

But if this stuff

never wears out, we'll only

have one lot to make.

- That's right.

- I've been looking

everywhere for you.

First of all,

i want to apologize.

Didn't recognize a genius

when i saw one.

Excuse me, sir. I--

I've just come

from mr. Birnley.

One or two things

he asked me to straighten out.

[ Train whistle blows ]

That's lovely.

Six months's work

and that'll be the lot.

Every mill in the country

will be laid off.

It's birnley's doing.

Sidney wouldn't invent

a thing like that.

Something oughta

be done about it.

Something is gonna be done.

We'll get the works committee

together for a start.

I don't want to

be selfish about it.

Later on,

i might be able to offer it

to other manufacturers--

Under license.

You want us

to cut our throats...

While you build up

another fortune in royalties

on our dying efforts !

[ Birnley ]

well, after all, may i point out

that i control this process.

Do you ?

Of course i do.

A sordid matter

of details, sir john.

Well ?

Stratton's diary of his first

successful experiment--

Date:
september 15.

Stratton's contract

with mr. Birnley--

Date:
october 1.

[ Stammers ]

sir john.

[ Wheezing ]

I expect he's

on his way to us now,

but i'll just make sure.

The works committee ?

I'm sorry, mr. Birnley's busy.

No. No, no, no,

i can't interrupt him now.

No ! No !

Mr. Davidson, wait !

You can't go there !

Sir john, kierlaw.

Mr. Cranford.

How do you do ?

Mr. Mannering.

How do you do ?

Mr. Corland you know,

of course.

This is mr. Stratton,

gentlemen.

What's this ?

A new contract.

Sign it, young man.

What was wrong

with the old one ?

Well, this is

a big thing, sidney.

Too big for one mill.

And so i decided

it was necessary to bring in

these other gentlemen.

I see.

[ Intercom buzzes ]

yes ?

[ Woman ] mr. Birnley,

it's the works committee.

They say--

No, no, i'm busy.

It's urgent !

It's about mr. Stratton.

Mr. Birnley

will see them later.

I think

it's all in order.

Thanks.

Oh, that's ingenious.

- May i ?

- Of course.

How much petrol

as against how much ink ?

I really don't know.

There's just one thing--

Wilson, my assistant.

He's been a great help on this,

and i'd like him to get

some of the credit.

Of course.

We all realize the value

of mr. Wilson's contribution.

I mean, when the results

are published, i'd like

his name to be mentioned.

There may be a little delay

in publication, of course.

Delay ? Oh.

Why ?

You see, sidney,

we have to wait

till the right moment.

Why not now ?

To announce it

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