The Pumpkin Eater

What are you doing?

What are you doing?

- Nothing.

- I thought you were going shopping.

It's late. I have to go.

- How are you feeling?

- All right.

Look, I have to go to this dinner.

I'm sorry.

All right.

Do you think you' re going to

get over this period of your life?

Because I find it very depressing.

All right.

Daddy, I want to be

the signaI-box man.

Darling...

Yeah, all right.

This is Jake Armitage. My wife, Jo.

- Hello.

- Hello. How do you do?

- Daddy, Daddy!

- Sit down over there.

Oh! Excuse me.

- Who's he, Mummy?

- A friend of Daddy's.

- Why did you put that on the line?

- I'm joining it to the dieseI.

This is a non-stop express.

You shouldn't do that.

- What do you think of them?

- Marvellous.

Here you are.

- Do you like my car?

- Is this your car?

Yes.

- Where did you learn how to sew?

- I...

You know in the car, on the way here,

I said to you, " Mummy... "

Why isn't there a front to it, then?

- Well, it's not quite finished.

- I see.

- Give it back!

- Really, you two boys!

Jack, will you stop breaking down

the partitions!

- Tea?

- I'll help you.

What's that?

That? The windmill.

Well, where's the... thing?

Oh. I don't know.

- Does anybody live there?

- No, I don't think so.

Why on earth

do you want to marry my son?

- Why not?

- It's incomprehensible.

He'd be an impossible husband.

- Just a minute, I...

- No, I assure you. He's got no money.

He's bone-lazy, he drinks too much.

- Oh, he's quite useless.

- Thank you.

He's going to be

a very successfuI writer.

Do you think so?

What do the children say?

We haven't actually

discussed it with them.

Do you like children?

Of course, I do. Yes.

Have you ever actually known any?

Do you realise what

you' re saddling yourself with?

- Yes, yes.

- A zoo.

A children's zoo. And their keeper.

Are you reconciled to keeping

a zoo and its keeper?

- Yes, of course. I mean, yes.

- Are you fit?

You know my daughter's record,

I suppose.

Yes, I do.

I want to marry her.

Then you' re a fooI.

The least I can do is to give you

a start. Do you think that's fair?

- Fair?

- You' re a fooI but I'll give you a start.

- Do you think that's fair?

- Yes, very fair.

Right. The first thing we must do

is shed the load.

- Far too many children.

- What do you mean?

I suggest we send the eldest two

to boarding schooI.

- No. That's ridiculous.

- The burden on Jake is ridiculous.

I don't want them

to go away to schooI.

- They'd love it.

- They wouldn't.

I'd love it. Jake'd love it. They can

stay with us during the holidays.

- We don't we just give them away

- Only the first two. There are others.

I won't have you trailing home with

six more children in five years' time

and another messed-up marriage

on your hands.

Don't crush this poor boy

before he starts.

He'll have to work

like a galley slave as it is.

We can't afford to send them

away to schooI.

Well, I'm paying.

Oh! Thank you very much.

I've also bought you a fairly good

lease on a London house.

It's quite reasonable.

It's old, but it should

suit you very well.

It'll clean me out, but you may as well

have the money now as when I die.

Oh, Mummy!

Do you like it?

Yes! It's super!

Look, Mummy,

they' re here before us!

- Good morning.

- Good morning.

Yes, isn't it!

Yes, isn't it!

Look, Mummy,

they' re here before us!

I think it's going to be wonderfuI

with all of us here.

What do you think of it, Elizabeth?

- It's gorgeous, Mummy.

- Yes, it is quite gorgeous.

- What do you think of it, Dinah?

- I think it's absolutely lovely.

- Gosh, I'm sorry.

- It's all right.

- Oh!

- Well, this is it.

# Here we go round the mulberry bush

# On a cold and frosty morning

# Here we go round the mulberry bush

The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush

# Here we go round the mulberry bush

# On a cold and frosty morning #

You're

my first marriage, my first husband.

You've been married

three times.

No. You're the first.

Are the children asleep?

Yes.

I'll close the door.

I want to go away with you...

and come back with you...

and live with you.

You will.

You'll never go from me.

We'll have the same life.

Do you want anything else?

No.

I don't want anything else.

- Can I tell you a story?

- Oh, yes!

- Do you like living in this house?

- Yes. Don't you?

- Yes...

- A story about a killer whale.

- How long will we live here?

- We're moving tomorrow.

We're not! Where?

We're building a big house

near the windmill on top of the hill.

- What hill?

- Lift your foot.

- It's about this whale.

- What hill?

By the barn

where we used to live.

- Are we moving to that windmill?

- Sure.

- In the morning?

- We'll have lunch first.

Can't we just

go back and live in the barn?

- Hurry up.

- A story of two whales and a shark.

- What sort of a house?

- With eight bathrooms, all for me.

- One for me!

- None for you.

- Where's the opener?

- Just a minute!

- Mummy?

- Yes, darling, what is it?

- Where's the opener?

- This drawer.

Look, I'm upside down!

Do you want one?

Oh! I'll have one.

Oh, thank you, dear.

Oh! That one got me.

It'll wipe off.

Oh, dear.

- Let's go out today.

- Go where?

I don't know. Take them out.

What, all of them?

Good God! Who's that?

I've never see half of them.

Who are they?

You know who they are.

They' re friends of Elizabeth's.

I'll take them out if you like.

- You can get some rest.

- Don't be silly.

- No, I will.

- I won't hear of it.

It's Saturday. We can go out.

What are you doing in there?

What do you want,

turnips or swedes?

- Turnips or swedes?

- Yes.

Or both, if you like.

Turnips or... swedes.

Turnips or swedes?

Just a minute,

I'll have to think about that.

What's her name?

- Philpot.

- That's ridiculous.

Why does she have to stay with us?

She's got nowhere else to go.

Don't mind, do you?

Anyway, she'll be company for you.

Wives don't usually like me.

I like them - that's the funny thing.

I seem to worry them somehow,

I don't know.

They get so ratty, people's wives.

Funny, but I like them better

than their husbands.

Do you think that's funny?

Perhaps I'm not normaI.

I'm sure I'm normaI, really.

Perhaps it's just I'm abnormaI.

I can't see how I can be, can you?

I mean, I've been told I'm frigid.

I don't see how you can tell.

I mean, honestly,

how can you tell whether you' re...

I shouldn't think you are.

Just a minute.

- Anyway, you don't look it.

- I think you' re marvellous.

I really do. I think

you' re absolutely marvellous.

You' re so capable, all you do,

all the children and everything.

The way you cope.

Of course, Jake is the most fabulous

husband and father.

He's the most fabulous husband and...

- Can I get into the...?

- .. most fabulous husband.

- How many are his?

- Uh... One.

One?

- One is his, the others aren't his?

- No, they' re not.

Still, he's a wonderfuI father

to them all, isn't he?

Why does Philpot

have to stay with us?

- She had to leave her flat.

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