The Roaring Twenties Page #2

Eddie, you never saw a sicker guy

in your life the day I was...

When I got my number for the draft.

Flat feet, peepers all gone.

I even had a touch of the palsy.

- No bad heart?

- Well, I was working up to that.

- Same old Danny. How's hacking?

- Oh, bad.

- Yeah?

- Things ain't good in the taxi business.

Everybody's walking

where they wanna go.

Hey, how's things in France?

Oh, I'm glad you reminded me.

Brought you a souvenir.

You needn't have done that.

I didn't expect anything. What is it?

German trench helmet. Hope it fits.

I had an awful time finding

a Heinie with your head size.

Say, that's swell.

It just doesn't fit.

It's a little too small.

I can send it to the cleaners

and get it stretched.

- How do I look?

- You're just the girl to wear it.

Oh, boy, I'm gonna give this to my kids.

You know, if I ever have any.

Tell them how I captured it.

Charging the enemy!

I gotta hide this so no one will cop it.

Where will I put it?

Here's the place.

She never sweeps under here.

Can you see it?

Oh, yeah.

You hungry, Eddie?

Come on out, we'll eat.

I got a meal ticket.

We'll shoot it full of holes.

- I'll make it look like a sieve.

- Come on.

Wait, I gotta go over to the garage,

get my old job back. Run me over?

Sure, in the cab.

Hey, Eddie.

Did you learn to parlez-vous?

Just enough.

- Hey, bud, where's Fletcher?

- In the office.

Oh, thanks.

That guy thinks he'll get my job just because

he's got a uniform on. He used to work here.

Those monkeys are gonna find out

what a picnic they had...

...on Uncle Sam's dough while we worked.

- Hello, Mr. Fletcher.

- Hi.

- When did you blow in?

- Just now.

- Sure good to be back.

- I'll bet.

- What are you gonna do?

- Rest a few days, see the boys.

- Then I'll be ready to work.

- Fine.

What are you gonna do?

Where you gonna work?

What do you mean,

"Where am I gonna work?"

- I was gonna come back here.

- Sorry, Eddie. I haven't anything for you.

What?

Well, wait a minute.

Maybe I'm in the wrong garage.

What was that line about my job

always waiting for me?

Times have changed. That boy over there

has been working almost two years.

What do you want me to do?

Can him just because you came back?

No.

No, I couldn't ask you

to do that, could I?

All right. Thanks.

Left, I had a good job

And I left, left

Don't tell me you won't be with us.

If you brought a band and a gun,

you might've got the job.

I don't need any gun, you...

Two for one.

Back in this country,

the boys who had returned from overseas...

...begin to find out that the world has moved

on during the time they spent in France.

Sorry, buddy. Nothing doing.

Everywhere things have changed,

but particularly in New York.

The old Broadway is only a memory,

gone are many of the famous landmarks.

For already, America is feeling

the effects of Prohibition.

There's a concentrated effort at

readjustment to normal peacetime activity...

...but unemployment, coming in the wake

of the wartime boom...

...is beginning to grip the country.

The soldiers find they've returned to face,

on a different front, the same old struggle:

The struggle to survive.

Yes, sir, where to?

Where to?

- How about a flat rate back to France?

- Oh, hi, Eddie.

How are you?

- You didn't land yourself no job, huh?

- Somebody must've told you.

No. I figured that all out by myself.

You know, on account of your face.

You look kind of tired.

I am tired, Danny.

Tired of being pushed around.

Tired of having doors slammed in my face.

Tired of being another guy back from France.

Take it easy, Eddie. Take it easy.

I can't, Danny. I can't.

I can't go around shadowboxing anymore.

I gotta find something to do.

- I've gotta.

- Wait a minute.

Don't... Don't break that.

The landlady will charge us for it.

If you gotta break something,

smack me on the chin. It's cheaper.

Look, Eddie.

I only use my cab 12 hours a day.

The rest of the time, it's laying in the garage.

Why don't you hustle it the other 12?

We'll split the gas and the oil,

and you got yourself a job.

It may work out, Danny. It may work out.

I gotta do something.

- Who's there?

- Mrs. Gray.

We ain't home!

Here's a letter for you, Eddie.

Forward all the way from France.

- There's three cents' postage due.

- Put it on the bill.

- Don't think I won't.

- And don't you think I think you won't.

Well, who's that from?

Oh, say, she's pretty.

- One of them French peasants, huh?

- No, it's an American gal.

Lives in Mineola, Long Island.

- Well, I won't hold that against her.

- Danny...

...how far is it to Mineola?

- Depends upon if you know the way.

For a wise guy, it's 15 miles.

For a gilpin, it's 30 miles.

Pal, you're driving to Mineola. I think

a change of scenery will do me good.

This kind of scenery

never did anybody any harm.

- Got enough gas?

- Gas?

Old Bridget can make Mineola

on her reputation.

Let's go.

- Wait here, my man.

- Hey...

...where do you get that "my man" stuff?

- I'm trying to make an impression, you dope.

Hello. Does Jean Sherman live here?

- Yes. What is it you want? I'm her mother.

- I'm... I'm Eddie Bartlett.

Eddie Bart...

Oh, come in.

- Eddie Bartlett, her dream soldier.

- Her what?

That's her name for you. She'll be thrilled

to death to see you when she gets home.

- She's not here?

- She'll be back any minute.

- Won't you come in?

- That's nice, Mrs. Sherman.

This is my buddy, Danny Green.

He drove me down here.

- Pleased to meet you.

- Likewise.

- Come on in.

- Thanks.

You see?

Jean and I often used to talk about you.

And at night we'd pray for you.

We felt almost as though you were family.

Sometimes Jean would play the piano.

She's very talented.

We'd sing hymns.

She got her voice from me.

- I'll get you some more.

- No, thanks. This is quite enough, really.

Don't be bashful. I'll be right back.

If I drink another glass of lemonade,

it's gonna run out of my ears.

Why didn't she think

to offer us a sandwich?

She's probably building up to that.

I'm beginning to wonder

if this trip was worthwhile.

Let me be the judge of that.

Find out right away if she's got a friend.

If she has, give me the great big buildup.

One thing at a time. Now, look...

...when this gal gets here,

watch what you say and do.

Way I figure it, she's got plenty of class.

You hear what her mother said?

She goes to school, sings and dances.

Look, that means she's no mug.

Now, that kind of material

needs plenty of delicate handling.

As a matter of fact,

the more I think about this...

...the more I think

you should take a long walk.

Hey, wait a minute.

Hey, Ma, I got an A in algebra!

Hello.

- Hello.

- Hello.

- Well, are you waiting for somebody?

- Yeah, waiting for your big sister.

My big sister?

Why, I haven't got any big sister.

- No big sister?

- Wait a minute.

- Don't tell me you're Eddie? Eddie Bartlett?

- Yeah.

My dream soldier.

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