They Drive by Night Page #8

Mrs.

Listen. Listen, now. Listen.

I'm gonna drink you all a little toast.

- Just a little toast.

- A toast.

Early to rise and early to bed makes

a man healthy, but socially dead.

Now I'm gonna take you all

to the Tango Club.

Tango Club! Tango Club.

Oh, sugar, listen, will you rush out

and leap into that ermine gunnysack?

- We're gonna sneak up on a rumba.

- What's the matter, not enough liquor?

Maybe you'd like to put

a still in the basement.

Never at a loss for a comeback.

We're married eight years,

and she still tickles me pink.

Shut up, Ed.

You don't want to dance?

She don't care to dance.

I always get a partner.

Oh, well, then you'll do.

- Ed, pay the check.

- No, that's one thing I'm not gonna do.

The liquor is no good.

You can't get drunk on it.

Then someone must have hit you

over the head with a mallet.

- Keep the change.

- Thank you, madam.

Someone help me get him

out of here. I'll drive him home.

- You're lucky I stayed sober.

- It certainly does.

Come on. Come on.

- I don't want to dance now.

- Very well.

- Come on, Ed. The air will do you good.

- Oh, I don't know. What's the trouble?

Who's...? What's going on here?

Oh, it's a shame, a fine fellow like

the boss disgracing himself in public.

Yeah.

Come on. Sit up, you drunken pig.

Let's go in the office

and take a little snooze.

Come on, get up and walk,

or do I have to carry you?

No, I'm just gonna catch a little snooze.

Needless to say, Mrs. Carlsen, I regret

having to go through this formality.

He was so drunk.

I always told him something awful would

happen if he kept drinking that way.

Naturally, I couldn't lift

such a heavy man out of the car.

He'd stayed in the garage before...

...but he always came in the house

when he sobered up.

- This time, he...

- Don't distress yourself, Mrs. Carlsen.

Just take your time.

This time, he must have awakened

still drunk and started the car.

Oh, it's awful.

He wanted so much to live.

- He had everything to live for.

- Thank you, Mrs. Carlsen.

I regret that I've been forced to

question you. I won't bother you further.

- You're very kind.

- Please accept my sincerest sympathy.

Thank you.

The cause of death was accidental,

carbon monoxide poisoning.

Close the case.

- Stop creeping around the house.

- I wasn't creeping. Honest, I wasn't.

- I don't want you snooping around.

- I wasn't doing no snooping.

I come in to see

if you wanted coffee.

I've had four cups. I don't want any

more, you hear?

- Well, do you hear?!

- Yes.

Now get out of my sight,

and stop sneaking around!

I don't want you spying on me!

You were supposed

to be here at 10:00.

One of our drivers crashed

into a load of pipe...

- I don't care about that.

- The driver don't, either. He's dead.

Oh, I'm sorry, Joe. Being alone

in this big house gives me the willies.

- Would you like a drink?

- No, thanks.

Oh, that's right. I forgot.

Sit down, Joe.

What was this business

you wanted to talk to me about?

Look, Joe, I don't know anything

about the company.

I've tried to understand, and the

lawyers have explained things to me.

The more they talk, the less I know.

I can't run a trucking business by myself.

I've got to have someone to help me.

- Does that mean me?

- Yes. Ed had such confidence in you.

He said you had great ideas.

I know he'd want you to be my partner.

- Partner?

- Yes, partner. 50-50.

I've got the papers all drawn up,

and all you have to do is...

What's wrong? Don't you want to own

half of the big trucking business?

With anyone else, I'd think it

was a swell deal, but you...

- I don't know.

- Why not, Joe?

It's good for me because if I don't

get help, I'll lose the business.

It's good for you because

you'll never get this chance again.

- No interference?

- None. I promise you, Joe.

I don't know anything about trucks.

How could I interfere?

- I wasn't talking about trucks.

- Oh, you've got to help me, Joe.

I haven't anyone else

in the world to turn to.

Well, what's it gonna be?

If it's gonna be like you say,

you can count me in.

Oh, I'm so glad, Joe.

Neither of us will regret it.

Now, how about that drink

to celebrate, just this once?

- Okay. I'll take a short one.

- It's gonna work out fine, Joe.

I know it will. And it's what Ed

would have wanted.

Maybe you're right.

Well...

...here's to our partnership.

May it be a long and happy one.

It could work out pretty good.

I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll

figure out new lines, buy new trucks.

We'll get business we never even

thought about. We'll go a long way.

Yes, we will.

- Hey, Joe, who sneaked those rigs in?

- New refrigerator jobs.

Opens up a lot of dairy

business for us.

I don't know where I'm gonna get

20 drivers to wheel them.

- Is Bill McGowan a good driver?

- I don't want to say anything bad...

...but when the road turns the same time

he does, it's just a coincidence.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

- What's the trouble?

- Got to clean and adjust the points.

- How long will it take?

- About 15 minutes.

Hello, Joe.

How are you?

- These the new trucks?

- Yeah. I see you got a new buggy.

- Blowing all the profits?

- We're making a lot of profits to blow.

Why not?

Say, that's a snappy outfit.

You like it?

I didn't think you'd notice.

It isn't too soon for me to stop

wearing black, is it?

- No, I don't think so.

- That's the way I felt.

Take a good look. You're not gonna see

me in the same outfit twice for months.

Pardon me.

Hello, Cassie.

Come on, I want you

to meet Mrs. Carlsen.

- Mrs. Carlsen, this is Cassie Hartley.

- I'm glad to know you.

- If you're talking business, I'll wait.

- Oh, no.

- Cassie and I were going to get dinner.

- Would you care to come along?

No.

- No, thank you.

- Joe.

What's the matter?

Get some water.

- We'll take her to a doctor.

- Take me home.

- Don't you think it...?

- I said, take me home!

Hop in, Cassie.

- I'll run it in the garage for you.

- No, stop. Stop it, do you hear?

- What's the matter with you?

- Please, let me out. Please, let me out!

- Would you like me to come in?

- Leave me alone.

Hi, boss.

Here are those federal gas papers.

They look all right.

Fine, George. I'll go over them.

Mrs. Carlsen's been here

while you were out to dinner.

I don't know,

she may be here yet.

Okay.

- Hello, Joe.

- Oh, hello.

We may knock over

that federal gas contract.

That's swell.

- How do you feel tonight?

- Oh, much better.

Oh, that's good.

Sorry about yesterday, Joe.

I guess my nerves just gave out.

You ought to go away for a while,

get a change.

You've been hanging around

that house too much.

Maybe I will.

Your friend Miss Hartley,

she's very nice.

- Known her long?

- Quite a while.

Did you have a nice time

after you left me?

It was all right.

You must apologize

to Miss Hartley for me.

Oh, she didn't think anything of it.

- How about some dinner, Joe?

- I've had mine.

You could sit with me and have a drink.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes