The Shop Around the Corner Page #6

as Mr. vadas.

- vadas?

- Yes.

Ferencz vadas. Danube Place, 56.

There is such a man in your employ,

isn't there?

Yes, yes.

Twenty-two years we've been married.

Twenty-two years I was proud of my wife.

Well, she...

...just didn't want to grow old with me.

If you'll send me your bill,

I'll take care of it immediately.

Thank you, Mr. Matuschek.

- Good night.

- Good night.

Good evening.

Hello?

No, Mrs. Matuschek.

This is Miss Kaczek speaking.

Good evening. Who?

Pepi? No, Pepi isn't back yet.

I see, Mrs. Matuschek.

He did some errands for you.

Oh, you don't say!

He forgot to pick up a bottle of perfume

at Chabot's?

Isn't that too bad!

Yes, I'll give a good scolding

to the little rascal.

Have a good time, Mrs. Matuschek.

Good night.

- Mr. Matuschek! Don't do that!

- Go away! Go away!

No, Mr. Matuschek!

Why don't you go in, Kralik?

I really think you should go in

and keep your date.

Now, Pirovitch,

just do me a favor and deliver my note.

All right.

Pirovitch, I don't want to know

what she looks like.

If she's bad looking,

I've had enough bad news for today.

If she's lovely, it'll be more difficult,

so don't tell me.

No, I won't.

Now, what's the name of that book?

- Anna Karenina, by Tolstoy.

- Anna Karenina.

- And a red carnation as a bookmark.

- Red carnation.

Now, let me see. Just a minute.

- Do you see anything?

- Not yet.

- There's a beautiful girl!

- Really?

- very beautiful, but no book.

- No book.

- Wait a minute. I think I see it.

- Yeah?

Right here under the window. Yes.

- "Anna Karenina by Tolstoy."

- That's right.

And a carnation.

I can't see her face.

She's sitting behind a clothes rack.

- There's a cup of coffee on the table.

- Yeah?

She's taking a piece of cake.

Kralik, she is dunking.

- Why shouldn't she dunk?

- All right.

- All right.

- All right.

She is leaning forward now. She...

- Can you see her?

- Yes.

- Is she pretty?

- very pretty.

She is?

I should say she looks...

She has a little of the coloring of Klara.

Klara? What, Miss Novak of the shop?

Now, Kralik, you must admit

Klara's a very good-looking girl.

Personally, I've always found her

a very likeable girl.

This is a fine time

to talk about Miss Novak. Now...

If you don't like Miss Novak,

I can tell you, you won't like that girl.

- Why?

- Because it is Miss Novak.

Now...

...shall I give the note to the waiter?

- No.

What do you want to do,

let the poor girl wait?

Why shouldn't Miss Novak wait?

For the last six months

she's fought with me every day.

But still, she wrote those letters, my friend.

I know. My misfortune.

- Goodbye, Pirovitch.

- Goodbye, Kralik.

Thank you.

- Excuse me, miss, could I have this chair?

- Oh, no! No, you can't!

I'm expecting somebody.

He should be here any minute.

That's all right. That's...

Carnation, huh?

A few nights ago we had a case with roses.

Turned out very nice, very nice.

But once, about three months ago,

we had a very sad case with gardenias.

She waited all evening and nobody came.

And when we cleaned the caf,

underneath one of the tables...

...we found another gardenia.

Imagine, the man must've come in...

...taken one look at her, said, "Phooey,"

and threw away his gardenia.

Is your clock a little fast?

My own says 8:
27 and yours says 8:31.

Listen, you have nothing to worry about,

a pretty girl like you.

If he doesn't come,

I'll put on a carnation myself.

- Waiter.

- Yes, sir.

- Hello, Miss Novak.

- Good evening, Mr. Kralik.

It's quite a coincidence.

I had an appointment here, too.

- You haven't seen Mr. Pirovitch by chance?

- No, no, I haven't.

All right. Well, I think I'll wait.

- Do you mind if I sit down?

- Yes, I do.

You know,

I have an appointment, too, Mr. Kralik.

Oh, yes, I remember. Yes.

- My, your friend seems to be a little late.

- And I'll thank you not to be sarcastic.

I know you've had a bad day,

and you feel very bitter.

- Still, that's no reason...

- Bitter? Me?

About leaving Matuschek and Company?

When I got home and sat at the phone...

...in five minutes I had

what amounts to two offers.

I congratulate you. I wish you good luck.

I see you're reading

Tolstoy's Anna Karenina.

Yes, do you mind?

No, no, I just didn't expect

to meet you in a caf...

...with Tolstoy, that's all.

It's quite a surprise.

I didn't know you cared for high literature.

There are many things

you don't know about me, Mr. Kralik.

Have you read Crime and Punishment

by Dostoyevsky?

- No, I haven't.

- I have.

There are many things

you don't know about me, Miss Novak.

As a matter of fact...

...there might be a lot

we don't know about each other.

People seldom go to the trouble

of scratching the surface of things...

...to find the inner truth.

I really wouldn't care

to scratch your surface, Mr. Kralik...

...because I know exactly what I'd find.

Instead of a heart, a handbag.

Instead of a soul, a suitcase.

And instead of an intellect,

a cigarette lighter which doesn't work.

That's very nicely put.

Yes.

Comparing my intellect

with a cigarette lighter that doesn't work.

Yeah, that's a very interesting mixture

of poetry and meanness.

Meanness? Let me...

Don't misunderstand me.

I'm only trying to pay you a compliment.

Mr. Kralik, please!

I told you I was expecting somebody.

Look, if your party doesn't show up,

would l...

Don't worry about that.

My party will show up.

So you don't have to entertain me.

- Have you read Zola's Madame Bovary?

- Madame Bovary is not by Zola.

Mr. Kralik, are you still here?

Are you deliberately trying

to spoil my evening?

Why do you want to do me harm?

Why do you hate me so?

- I don't.

- I suppose you love me.

Why should I?

What've you done to make me love you?

- I don't want you to love me.

- I don't!

Do you know

what that tune reminds me of?

Yes, thank you.

Two dozen unsold cigarette boxes.

No, no. Wrong again.

It reminds me of a girl out of a job.

- A very nice girl, too, I thought.

- You thought that. How you can lie!

But that was before you started

to make fun of me...

...and giving imitations of me

in the locker room.

And I'd like to take this opportunity,

Miss Novak...

...to inform you that I don't walk

like a duck...

...and I'm not bowlegged.

- Aren't you?

- No, I'm not.

Well, I have information to the contrary.

Mr. vadas assured me that you have

your trousers specially made.

That's a lie!

- So that's the kind of a man you trust.

- No!

I've never been to a tailor in my life.

If you think I'm bowlegged,

I'll pull up my trousers.

Would you like it if made remarks

about your red hands?

- That's what you did.

- After you started making fun of my legs.

My hands aren't red at all!

No, after I called your attention to them.

Let me tell you something, Miss Novak.

You may have beautiful thoughts,

but you hide them.

As far as your actions,

you're cold and snippy like an old maid.

You'll have a tough time

getting a man to fall in love with you.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote