A Free Soul (1931) Movie Script
Come on, give me something to put on.
- For instance?
Undies, in the bag.
Bag?
Bag. Foot of bed.
Complete outfit.
Complete outfit. Stockings?
Yes, my love, and other confections.
Well, see what you can make out of this.
Why, that's three complete outfits,
you goof.
For what, a sparrow?
Do you really wear all that harness?
Poor busy man, doesn't know
what the modern girl should wear.
- Be with you in a minute, darling.
- I can hardly wait, my angel.
Well, there's enough left over
to dress a finishing school.
Now, don't interrupt me again.
Why not, tired of me after one night?
No, but my name's in the paper,
I want to read about it.
Morning, Dad.
Good morning, dear.
Good morning, good morning.
Well, did you miss me?
- You bet I did.
- I'll bet you didn't.
I did too, now.
Well, I missed you, old darling.
Oh, but I shouldn't say such nice things
to you, I'm always spoiling you.
Pardon me.
Say, kid, you know,
you're certainly easy to look at.
- Sir?
- Mm-hm.
Darn sight nicer than your mother was.
Here, give me that.
More brains too.
Ah, but she was respectable, we're not.
No, we do as we like.
I've just had four weeks with Grandma Ashe
and the rest of them.
They think you're the worst father
to the most distressful daughter.
How'd you like to be like them?
Wouldn't give your little finger
for all the Ashes that ever lived.
Attagirl. That's the way to talk.
Now, just think, you might
have been a slave to the Ashe tradition.
Darling, I'm a slave to nothing but you.
- That's the way.
Oh, good morning.
- Hello, Eddie.
- Excuse me.
I thought you were still
at your grandma's.
- Have some coffee.
- No, I had a big breakfast.
- Morning, boss.
- Hello, Eddie.
- Glad you're back with us.
- Thanks, Eddie.
How about getting to the fight
a little early boss, huh?
- Fight?
- Yeah.
He's been handing out left hooks
and right crosses till the state's groggy.
But they got a wallop left.
It ain't in the bag, it's still a fight.
We'll have to hit him
with everything but the water bucket.
I'll go and get my coat on.
Why so early, Eddie?
It's an hour before court.
I been taking him out for an hour's walk
in the morning. I didn't know you was back.
Tell me, Eddie, has he been drinking?
Well...
A lot?
Well, it wouldn't be a lot for a camel
or one of them things.
But these big fights has got him
all strung up. Can't sleep.
Gotta do something to forget, you know.
He's got a job on his hands.
This case he's on,
you mean?
Yeah, but he's in a spot right now.
Oh, he'll come out all right.
Sure, he will.
With just a little help from Eddie, hm?
- We couldn't get along without each other.
- And where do I come in?
We'd both be losers without you, Jan.
- No fooling?
- I wouldn't ever kid you.
Hello, you coming along with me?
Try and keep me away. Don't pretend
I'm not the secret of your success.
Say, I'm defending a gambler
and a murderer...
...a little home feeling
mightn't be out of the way at all.
Oh. I'm just a prop, exhibit X.
Stephen Ashe and daughter,
domestic little picture.
Just the effect.
Say, you know, Eddie, this jury system's
a grand idea. She won't do a bit of harm.
That jury's so homesick,
they'll bust out crying when you walk in.
Hooray.
Sutter 9-7-6-4.
- Did you find out about that?
- I don't know till we get there.
- Why not?
- Couple of guys to grease, can't tell you.
What's the tricks? What's the tricks?
We've got to keep working, that's all.
You two.
It's the quickness of the hand
that deceives the eye.
Oh, yeah? Hello, Madam Ashe, please.
- Oh, no...
- Talk to your mother, sir.
- I have so little time.
- Come, come, it's your mother's birthday.
Oh. I'd forgotten that. Thank you.
- Hello.
- Stephen, don't forget the dinner tonight.
On your birthday? I should be delighted.
Hello, Grandma, many happy returns.
Say, what time's dinner?
Okay, he'll be there.
Jan, don't let him drink.
Hello, Jan, I said keep him sober.
He worries me.
Oh, yes, darling, yes, it's a lovely day.
Why don't take a nice long ride in the air.
Yes, see you at 7, dear. Love and kisses.
Confounded family dinner.
I wish my mother
belonged to some other family.
I hate the whole tribe of them.
Except you and mother and me.
Well, we're going to win.
This is the last day, Eddie.
I'm not betting on it, boss.
Why not? Confound you.
- That's it, boss, get good and sore.
- Oh, come on, wait here all day.
No, I don't need those things. You all set?
All set.
Gangway. Open up, please, open up.
Got anything to say?
No, no news to tell, nothing at all.
Does your daughter think you'll win?
I don't know.
Of course he'll win.
Doesn't he always win?
Got a trick up your sleeve, Mr. Ashe?
No tricks, I just present the plain facts,
that's all.
Are you engaged to Dwight Winthrop,
Miss Ashe?
Why?
Thinking of proposing to me yourself?
Free as the air, thank you.
Sure, it's a sight for sore eyes
to see you here again, Miss Ashe.
It's grand to be back.
How's the baby?
The new one's a bit constipated,
the others are all right.
Outside of the devil that's in them.
- Have you sent for my client?
- Clancy's gone for him, sir.
I wish he wouldn't take
such a long time combing his hair.
Give me that Skinner affidavit, will you?
- Any news, Sam?
- Nothing, prosecution's very cocky.
Jiminy, Dad, now the crowd will see you
pull a rabbit out of a hat.
Don't say "hat. "
You can say anything else, rabbit, toad...
- Good morning.
Good morning, Ace, good morning.
Have you studied
that cross-examination of Hardy?
Yes, sir, no perjury.
Why, um...
Dad, I'm not in the way, am I?
No, no, darling, no.
Mr. Wilfong.
You know, you should get
some new pictures for the press.
- Now, should I?
- They sure don't flatter you any.
You're on trial for your life, aren't you?
- Sam.
- Yes, sir?
Ask Judge Hannan if he can delay
about five minutes, will you, please?
- I'll appreciate it.
Yes, sir.
I'm not allowed to say "hat. "
That's too bad.
Absolutely nothing that stands up...
...except the fact that three people saw
him leave the building without his hat.
But how that stands up.
Is blue your favorite color?
Why?
- I was just thinking it ought to be.
- I admit it, it is.
Oh, excuse me.
Ace, do you remember exactly what
you answered when you were questioned...
...about that hat being found
by the body of the murdered man?
And hurry up, will you?
Huh?
- Excuse me, Mr. Ashe.
Do you remember exactly what you...?
- Yes, I heard him.
I said I had nothing to say, didn't know.
Look here, there's something you haven't
told me that would help me out a lot.
I wish I could, sir.
You're holding out on me,
aren't you?
Mr. Ashe, a guy like me
has to ride with lady luck.
A squealer leaves his pals
in plenty of trouble.
I see, you want to go to the gallows
with your mouth shut.
Well, you're defending an innocent man.
Now, that's all I can say.
That's wonderful, but darned silly.
Here you are.
- Oh, thank you.
I had a hunch
I'd like to wear your color today.
Do you mind?
I'm thrilled to death.
Standing room only, boss.
Okay, boss.
- You sure about it?
- You can go to sleep on it.
The judge says all right, Mr. Ashe.
All right, present my thanks
and compliments...
...and tell him to fire when ready.
Yes, sir.
Ace, I suppose you know
your case is in your hat.
Yes, sir.
- Not quite straight. May I?
- Oh, thanks.
- I wish you luck.
- I guess I'll need it.
Ace, I may decide to pull a rabbit
out of that hat, so don't look surprised.
I seldom do, sir.
Boys, turn your backs, will you, please?
Department Number 6
of the Superior Court...
...in the city of San Francisco,
the state of California...
...is now in session.
If my client is guilty of murder,
I want him punished.
But if he's not...
...I want to keep from your kind hearts...
...the awful responsibility of not
doing the right and just thing about it.
Now, this, my friends, Your Honor...
...was found by the side
of the murdered man.
My client was seen leaving the building
bareheaded.
That's been proven, I admit it.
Here are the initials: A.W.
That might be Adam Wright
or Allan Warren...
...or Adolph Weems...
...or it might be Ace Wilfong.
But that is the case for the prosecution,
ladies and gentlemen.
Now, will you come here, please?
If anybody was planning a speech
about my 16th birthday...
Eighty of them.
Count them if you don't believe me.
All right. I'll start
here, and you start there.
One, two, three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12...
I've lost count. Wait a minute.
Someone phoned to say
that Mr. Ashe is on his way.
Who phoned, Mr. Sampson?
- It was Mr. Eddie, miss.
- Oh, Eddie.
If this should be my last birthday cake,
he'd be sorry he was late, wouldn't he?
What do you mean?
- Now, sit down, sit down.
You know I wasn't in earnest.
Don't you know me better than that?
I just wanted to find out how I stood
with this family.
Well, you ought to know by now.
Jan, darling, I'll confess there was such
a look of impatience on everybody's face...
...at the mention of Stephen's name,
I just had to make a fuss.
- You know he loves you, don't you?
- Of course.
Although two in one lifetime...
His father was just the same.
Brilliant, stormy and always late for dinner.
Granny, when you're 101, dear...
...we're gonna put one candle on this cake
and start all over again.
That's a good idea.
- We have a distinguished man here...
...so let's be grateful.
Dwight Winthrop...
...stand up and be embarrassed.
- That means you.
One of the world's first dozen polo men.
Here, here.
Ladies and gentlemen...
...the secret of my success
is never say die.
Believe it or not.
Seventy-three times the girl said no.
Yes, she said no.
But the 74th time...
Congratulations.
Here, here, here, this is my proud day.
Let's go in the next room
and have coffee, dear.
- That'll be nice, dear.
- Let's blow out the candles first.
Come on, let's all together.
There you are.
Our engagement should never be announced
to anybody today.
Jan.
Let's sneak out of the back door.
The things I have to say to you...
You're sweet.
You know, this is the oldest game
in the world?
I promise you I'll make it new, fresh
and colorful every day of your life.
What, backgammon?
Oh, heavens.
Is that what we're playing?
And you're blotto.
I am nothing of the kind.
Smell my breath.
Not a sign, is there?
I can't tell.
- Sorry, Sampson.
- Quite all right, Miss Jan.
May I add my felicitations?
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you, miss.
Hello, what's that? A car.
I bet that's Dad.
Hello.
Hey.
You better go and meet him.
He doesn't care much for this crowd.
He may say anything.
You're right.
Jan, I'm practically
one of the family now.
Don't worry about me.
Dinner over?
Yes, sir.
Oh, that's too bad.
- Now, I'm sorry. I've made it.
- Dad, where have you been?
Bad thing.
He's disgraced this family for 20 years.
Now, now, now.
There's nothing you can do.
Hello, everybody.
Hello.
Well, you'd think the Ashes
had all blown away.
I want to introduce
my distinguished young friend...
...Mr. Ace Wilfong.
How do you do?
We wanted to congratulate you, Stephen.
- Good work.
- Well, congratulate him. He's alive.
Aha!
Now I'm sorry.
Don't you be cross, now. I
know I'm late, but I'm sorry.
Time got whizzing by, and well, now...
Happy birthday.
It's good to see you again.
I didn't got much of a chance after court.
Won't you come
and meet some of these people?
This is my grandmother.
Mrs. Ashe, Mr. Ace Wilfong.
- My Aunt Helen.
- How do you do?
Mr. Roland.
Oh, yes. We've met before. Howdy.
Oh, yes. So we have, haven't we?
How do you do?
And this is Mr. Winthrop.
Mr. Dwight Winthrop.
Glad everything turned out so well.
Well, can I drop you somewhere?
No, thanks.
- Miss Ashe, I'll run along.
- No, you won't do anything of the kind.
Why, this is absurd.
What's the matter
with all you snobs anyway?
Why, here's a man
who'd be on his way to death...
...if it wasn't for my father.
I think that's a pretty big thing.
We should be grateful
that somebody can do it...
...instead of insulting both of them.
After all, Mr. Wilfong didn't drop in.
Father brought him.
Jan, I don't think
Mr. Wilfong finds this very amusing.
Why not let him float along
if he wants to?
You've had no dinner, have you?
- Not a bite.
- Should we find someplace?
Jan.
Oh, that'll be fine.
Mother, I've met plenty of people in this
room who couldn't even get into my place.
Plenty.
Stephen, don't let your daughter
leave here with this gambler person.
My daughter does as she pleases.
She's free of your picayune blindfold.
Young man, I'm sorry. It's not your fault.
Yours neither, ma'am. A lot of people don't
believe that gag about being born equal.
- Jan, you're not really going.
- And why not?
Jan, I'll tell you why not.
Sorry, my sweet, but you won't. I couldn't
think of standing for anything like this.
When your father's himself, he
realizes notoriety doesn't open my doors.
You're here quite by accident.
Why don't you go?
I've never found out, ma'am,
how to take it on the run.
That makes two of us.
Come on, let's go.
- Good night, Sampson.
Good night, miss.
- Good night, sir.
Good night.
Well, you look like a comic strip.
What's the matter with you? The man
was presented at court, wasn't he? Huh?
You know, I just happened to remember
I've had no dinner.
- Darned thoughtless. I forgot all about it.
- How about you?
That's right. The air was so thick
at the family table I ate almost nothing.
They have great hamburger with onions.
Mmm. Make it two.
Two with onions.
- Why did you cry for speed like that?
- Oh, I haven't the least idea.
Yeah, I guess you figured I couldn't
talk much at a hundred miles an hour, eh?
What do you mean?
Why, if I told you how often I wished I
had you like this, you wouldn't believe it.
Why me? The world's full of girls.
Well, why'd Romeo
take on so much grief?
- You're amazing.
- Oh, yeah? A lot of nerve?
Mm-hm. Life or death, insults or boasts.
You're all the same, aren't you?
No, poker face. You have to learn it.
Didn't you want to
demolish my family tonight?
Yes, it was a little below the belt.
Weren't you scared to death
in court this morning?
No. When I met you,
I knew my luck was in.
You know, you're the first
really exciting man I ever met.
Just what do you mean by that,
Jan Ashe?
Down.
Say, what's the ide...?
Talk about life and death.
Hi, boys.
Hello, Ace.
Hi, boss.
Been waiting around for you, boss.
- Gee, things looked bad this morning.
Yeah?
- Say, what happened just now?
- Oh, Hardy crowd. Close call.
- I'll see you upstairs, boys.
Sure.
- Go up the other way.
Glad you're okay, boss.
Where are we going now?
Show you a secret.
My private getaway.
Take a chance? Come on upstairs
a minute and get your breath.
They shot the food
right from under our noses.
Yeah.
Now we're safe.
- Ah. Just like Monte Carlo.
- Oh, yeah. Be wide open in two weeks.
- Hi, boys.
Ace, how are you?
Ah. Bottomley. Miss Ashe, this is Bottomley,
my butler, my cook, my chambermaid.
Thank you very much.
- Why did they want to kill you just now?
- Oh, that's nothing to worry about.
Oh, no, no. They're my friends.
- Glad to see you back, chief.
- Thank you, Slouch. Glad to be back.
- Glad to be back.
- Glad to see you, Ace.
Thank you, Art.
You saw Miss Ashe in court, boys.
Sure.
Howdy, miss.
Slouch, tell her why the Hardy mob
tried to fix me up.
Tell her the facts, Slouch.
The mug that was rubbed out, miss, was a
snooper running with the Hardy mob.
Hardy gets hip and puts the rat on the spot.
They nab the boss's Kelly and plants it.
Your old man jaws them out, and the Hardy
mob grabs the typewriters and the ukuleles.
- Thanks, Slouch.
- Okay, baby.
Tank working, Harrington?
Sure.
- Tank? What's that?
I'm taking you home
in a bulletproof limousine.
Very nice.
Very nice indeed.
Didn't look as though
I was going to see it again.
Tell me, just where are we?
On top of the world.
Hm. On top of the world.
Yeah.
And nobody comes or goes
unless I say so.
Including me?
Including you.
Frightened?
No, I love it.
You love what?
Oh, I don't know.
You're just a new kind of man
in a new kind of world.
Yesterday you were farther away
than the stars...
...and tonight, here you are.
With a very unusual man.
That will be all, thank you.
I'm sorry.
It's all right.
Let's sit down.
You know I wouldn't offend you
for the world.
You haven't offended me.
I just want to do a little thinking.
Do you think you could like me?
I don't quite know what's happened.
Whether it's just
the end of a perfect day, or...
Or that I'm just a little mad.
Don't, I'll leave.
Very much apologize, very much.
For I coming in, you no can see.
Champagne, I make him cold.
Fire, make him hot.
I'll be listening to the birdies sing if
you do any more of that back-seat driving.
Well.
Are you trying to run away from me?
It did look like it, didn't it?
You're a grand girl, Jan.
I'm crazy about you.
But you've made a jumping jack out of me
the last two or three months.
What's it all mean?
I just don't want to get married, Dwight.
I don't want life to settle down around me
like a pan of sour dough.
I don't want it one little bit.
Tell me, Jan...
...is there somebody else?
Kind of. I'd rather not, if you don't mind.
Somebody your father approves of?
I can get fighting mad mighty quick
for my dad.
I know you can.
I think more of him
than anything else in the world.
That's why I can't stand the Ashes.
They think he's weak.
Why, he isn't.
Drinking is just a disease with him.
I never said a word about that.
It's what he makes you think.
There you're wrong again.
He says, "Think for yourself. "
You know, I think he'd rather like me
to marry you, but he'd never say so.
Dwight, all he says is,
"Don't run away from things. Don't hide.
Get out in the middle of life and if the
wind blows you over, pick yourself up again.
Make your own mistakes
and learn by them. "
- And you know, I think he's right.
- I see.
Well...
...now I've found out, haven't I?
Oh, dear, please.
- I'm so sorry.
- I know.
But I've got to do something about it.
Looking ahead without you
isn't much fun, is it?
Well, what can I do?
I'm going to do something.
You've shot it straight, Jan,
like you always do. One hundred percent.
Dwight, you're a thoroughbred.
Come on, I'm going to put you back
with the Ashes.
Thank you.
Don't you want to dance again?
Darling, you already owe me
a new pair of shoes.
Are you suggesting
that I am not a good dancer?
No, but we can't both
dance on my feet, you know.
Mm. Meow.
Dwight's a good dancer, though, isn't he?
Yes, but he's not as fascinating
as you are:
Don't tell me you're
one of the matchmaking Ashes now.
I don't know. Come to think of it,
I... In my subtle way...
...I guess I am a matchmaking Ashes.
L... I must be getting old. I'm sorry.
You know, you never cluck-cluck
and spread your wings...
...and say, "Come under, little girl,"
when it rains.
I ain't got no wings.
Want me, boss?
- Yes. You can shoot from the hip, Eddie.
I'm thirsty.
Gun ain't loaded, boss. I'm sorry.
Baby been cluck-clucking just a little?
Oh, no, boss, it's my fault.
I never laid in no eggs.
See, it is hard
to mind your own business, isn't it?
Here, give this problem a little thought,
Mr. Einstein.
Sure, boss. Okay.
Come on, dear. Here's a little nightcap.
- All that for me?
- Mm-hm.
Why, Miss Ashe.
- This is too much.
- Here's down the old Golden Gate.
Well...
- Good night, Miss Ashe.
- Good night, Mr. Ashe.
Thank you very much
for a very charming evening.
Thank you, Mr. Ashe.
Good night, Miss Jan.
- Good night, Mr. Ashe.
- Good night.
And don't forget
to open a new case tomorrow.
You suggest that I don't open one
before tomorrow?
Here, Dad,
will you take this upstairs for me?
- Don't you ever go to bed?
- No.
I'm gonna turn you over to Eddie.
Say, where are you going after midnight?
- Cluck, cluck...
- Oh, I'm sorry.
It's hard to mind your own business,
isn't it?
- Good night, sweet. Good night, Eddie.
- Good night, Jan.
- Did you take that matter up with yourself?
- Oh, nothing doing, boss.
- Oh, go on, now.
- Oh, I know there's places.
But it's... It's leopard's sweat.
You can't trust it.
Oh, here's some phone calls for you.
These are all... All of them Wilfong?
- Yeah.
- What's he want?
He wants to come over and see you.
- Is he in trouble again?
- No, no, no. Wide open.
Yeah?
Say, I think I'll go
and get a little fresh air.
Fresh air?
Yeah, very fresh.
- I'm sorry, boss.
- All right. All right, Eddie, all right, now.
Well, well, well.
- Hello, Mr. Ashe.
- Hello.
How long has this been going on?
Take your...
- Here's Mr. Harrington.
How are you? Glad to see you.
Take your wrap?
- Yes, yes, yes.
Well, well, Mr. Ashe. We've been
waiting for you. This is quite an honor.
Honor, my hat.
Hey, how long you been like this?
It's nearly five months
since you handed him back to us.
- Ace will be right down.
- Oh, don't bother him.
I've got nothing but time.
You got any, uh?
Nothing you can want,
we won't do for you, Mr. Ashe.
Yeah? Where is it?
Well, here's to the happiest spot
I've seen in a dog day.
Say, this is swell.
- Oh, Ace...
- Hi, Mr. Ashe, how they treating you?
Fine, never better.
Say, why didn't you tell me
about this place?
All right, I'll see you again, Mr. Ashe.
Plenty proud, sir. You betcha.
- Who's that, John L. Sullivan?
- No, no.
Biggest thing to happen around here,
sir, having you. Have another with me.
I'll have had one
with everyone in the house.
That's all right with me.
Anything around the place.
Okay, look here.
If you've got another case,
it's going to cost you another $ 10,000.
- You can't chisel me out of a dime.
- No, no. Nothing of that kind.
What's the matter? Didn't you send for me?
What are you telephoning about?
Well, it'll keep.
Look around, enjoy yourself.
No, no. I might want to gamble.
I don't like to be interrupted.
Go on, tell me. What is it?
- Well, it isn't easy cold like this.
- Oh, come on. Out with it, out with it.
- Well, it's about your daughter.
- Jan?
Well, what about her?
Why...
...I want to marry her.
What?
What was that?
What's the matter with that?
What's the matter with it?
The only time I hate democracy...
...is when one of you mongrels
forget where you belong.
A few illegal dollars and a clean shirt,
and you move across the railroad tracks.
Tell your boy to bring me some libations,
and don't insult your guests.
Hello there.
Hello, yourself.
Say, it's great to come up
and find you here like this.
Is it, now?
Well? What are you gonna do about it?
I was just wondering what I'd do
if you stopped dropping in.
Very interesting.
You just talked yourself
out of the warmest osculation.
Say, don't women ever want to talk?
Is this physiology or biology?
What do you mean?
Men of action are better in action,
they don't talk well.
Come on.
Now, tell me all about yourself.
- How much do you love me?
- How much? Let me see how much.
Well, it's about 10 feet high
and about 7 feet wide...
No, no. Never mind that.
Oh, I can't measure it now,
it's a storm at sea.
- You do love me, don't you?
- It's madness, nothing else.
- Listen, sweetheart.
- Oh, dear, he wants to talk some more.
What's on your mind, darling?
I want to marry you.
- Why?
- Why? What do you think why?
I'm off my nut about you,
you know I am.
Well, why make so much fuss about it,
darling?
Jan, there's something,
some part of your nature...
...that's taking it on the run from me.
Oh, don't be silly.
Why, I take it on the run
right into your arms, don't I, darling?
Yeah, just the same as your father does
for booze.
That's not nice.
You're the one person that shouldn't
speak unkindly of my father.
None of your friends know about me.
You don't tell anybody anything, do you?
- Of course not, it's my own business.
- You're not shooting over my head, Jan.
You know I've got us dead to right.
We're never seen together anyplace.
You steal up here.
Well, you got to get over this idea
you're doing me a big favor.
You're crazy about me and you know it.
Ace, darling,
I'm head-over-heels mad about you.
But what's in the future, I don't know.
I'm telling you.
Oh, no, you're not. Nobody is.
Marrying you is serious, darned serious.
It would mean the end
of a lot of things for me.
My world would close up on me
in a minute.
Ah, why worry about them?
A lot of high-hat chiselers.
Cut that, Jan, get me? Cut it.
It's cut.
Come on, put them around me.
- Leave it just where I put it.
- All right.
I know where I put it.
Come on.
Come on.
Hey, come on, faster, boys.
Police, clean up, boys.
- Come on, hurry up.
It's a raid.
Come on, get going.
- Hurry up, get it in there.
Pick it up, police.
Come on, let's go. It's a raid.
All right, now, hurry up.
Come on, get it in there.
Go on, the other one, now.
Give him a lift there.
I had a stack of $500 worth of chips.
- Come, we'll fix that up.
- Red chips.
But no... Why did they take them away?
You come up and we'll fix that.
Keep your hands...
You don't have to be...
- Come along.
It's a raid, Mr. Ashe.
- Who cares?
- Mr. Wilfong wouldn't want you mixed up.
Oh, don't raise your voice at me.
Who cares about a raid?
- Now, listen to me, won't you?
- Tell them it's Ste...
Take him upstairs.
- Hello, boys.
- Hello, Harrington.
The chief wanted us
to pay you a little visit.
Take your hands of me, you dirty swine!
Come on, now.
- I'm Stephen Ashe.
Never mind.
- I'll have you...
You... Oh, you low...
Police raid gambling house.
No arrests. That's lucky.
I don't want to hear any more about it.
I was just thinking of Grandma.
- You're a little late, aren't you?
- What do you mean?
Oh, don't do that cheap sidestepping
with me.
Can't we keep this friendly, Dad?
We always have.
We were friendly 24 hours ago.
You were laughing at me.
And even then, you were carrying on a
miserable, backstairs affair with a rat.
Why, you're nothing but a
cheap, common, contemptible...
Oh, Dad, my dear darling,
forgive me.
What could I do?
Oh, there's something very wrong...
...when we see things
as far apart as that.
Something very wrong.
Oh, Dad. But I'm not cheap.
Not even you can say I am.
I can't let you.
But Ace Wilfong...
My dear child,
he isn't good enough for you.
Even if you think you're in love with him.
Ace Wilfong...
Dad, I'm sorry I've hurt you,
dear. But you've hurt me too.
Yesterday, you won your first case
in five months.
Now, there's only one reason
why you've lost all the others.
I haven't criticized or preached, and
I wouldn't let anyone else do it either.
Oh, Jan, that isn't fair,
and you know it isn't.
I've lived most of my life
in great anxiety...
...and terrific strain and excitement.
I've had to drink as I've had to breathe,
and you know it.
Dad, I think my reasons
are better than yours.
Ace Wilfong is the only man in the world
I care anything about.
What?
I'm doing what you taught me to do:
Live my own life.
And if I fall and get hurt,
why, I'll pick myself up again.
But, Jan, darling, this isn't love.
Believe me, I've seen a lot. I know.
Well, seeing this man, as you have, well,
occasionally and secretly is one thing...
...but what if you were ever
to marry him?
- Why, in six months...
- I never thought of marrying him...
...until now.
Jan, darling.
I'm afraid things have caught up with us.
I've done you great, awful harm...
...but when I think of you with this rat...
- Dad, please.
- Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just...
When I think of it, it's a complete eclipse.
I can't think of anything. It's just nothing.
That's how much I love you...
...and that's what I've done to you.
God help me.
No, Dad.
Listen. Look at me, dear.
You know I love you better than anything
in the world, don't you?
But another year like this last for you,
why, it'd be the end of everything.
I didn't realize it till this minute.
Well?
I love you too much to stand by and see
you make a wreck of yourself like this.
I love Ace, too,
but I'll make a bargain with you.
A bargain?
If you'll quit drinking,
I won't see him anymore.
Oh, Jan, I couldn't do it.
I couldn't...
I'm giving up what's in my blood,
just as much, every bit.
I...
Dad, you're right.
Things have caught up to us.
You're headed for the same dreadful ruin
that your father was.
- Jan, how dare you?
- He died in an insane asylum...
...from nothing but drink.
Dad.
I'm never gonna hurt you like this
ever again, dear, I promise.
We've just got the two of us, dear...
...and we've gotta take care
of each other, haven't we?
Come on, we'll go away
and rough it for six months...
...forget all about this.
What do you say?
- Well, I... Well, I...
- But it's gotta begin right now.
If you never take another drink...
...why, I'll never see Ace again.
Never.
All right.
All right, Jan.
All right, my baby.
Hi there, Eddie.
- Hi.
You certainly picked a grand spot.
Did you have any trouble?
Oh, no.
Oh, how I hate a smart mule.
Oh, Dad, isn't this glorious?
Mm-hm.
Look at that.
Sure is.
Ain't nature grand, Eddie?
Yeah, if we could only take a taxi.
- Tell me, is there a brook around?
- Yeah, right down there.
All right, fine.
And you're sure there's plenty of water
to drink?
Oh, yes, sir.
And not a headache in a tankful.
Hey, look out for that guy.
He's got a lot of ideas
and they're all bad.
Why, he's sweet.
It's only me he hates.
Oh!
Oh, all right, all right.
Have it your own way.
Whoo!
Are you hurt, Eddie?
No.
No.
Oh, Jan, by the way, I...
This was handed to me, and I forgot it.
Are you sure you forgot it?
Well, I was getting on the train, and...
Well, there it is anyway.
Don't you wanna open it?
Just as much as you want
what you want, dear.
- Do you think so?
- Mm-hm.
- No sleep, darling?
- No.
You hear those bullfrogs?
You hear what they're saying?
No speak bullfrog.
Well, they're saying, "No rum. "
"No rum. "
I call that "rubbing it in. "
Do you remember the first time
you and I went away together?
- I was 5 years old.
- Oh, yeah, where was it?
I don't know, somewhere along the coast.
Don't you remember?
Oh, yeah. I do.
- There was a merry-go-round.
- Yeah.
And you stood around all evening
and let me ride.
Sweet baby.
We stayed away five days.
- Did we?
- Mm-hm.
And the way you combed my hair...
Gosh, it took the nurse three days
to get the tangles out when we got back.
- Yeah, we had great times, though.
- Lovely times.
We've had lots of lovely times,
you and me. Such lovely times.
Yeah.
Remember those summers at Catalina?
Hey, I wonder if
it wouldn't have been better...
...if I'd sent you to some summer camp
and let somebody else take care of you.
Don't you think
it might have been better? Huh?
You think so?
Yoo-hoo!
Morning, darling.
- What, no sleep, dear?
- No.
Oh, that's too bad.
- Terrible, I know, dear.
- That's it. That's the word. "Terrible. "
But listen, dear,
we've only been a week. Now...
I know how you're suffering, dear.
- But just a little time, and then...
- Suffering. It isn't suffering.
It's madness.
All this is really driving me
to stark insanity.
Dad. If you don't stand now, dear,
you never will.
You're assuming a lot, Jan.
I don't wanna drink.
It's this bargain I resent,
that cuts me off from all normal living.
The bargain I had to make to keep
you from playing with rattlesnakes.
- Not very fair, darling.
- A crook. With the mob.
Mixed into everything
from opium to white slavery.
What kind of a bargain do you call that?
I know it isn't much of a bargain, dear...
...but we thought we ought to try,
didn't we?
Oh, I can't stand it.
If I could only get a little sleep.
I'm going mad for sleep.
I can't get a... Just a few minutes
and I'm wide awake again.
It's frightful.
Must we go back?
Goodness knows,
I want it just as much as you do.
The reason we're here, I love you better
than anything in the world.
Now, must we go back?
No, we'll go on.
But let's keep on the move.
Okay, darling. Come on, let's try again.
Just a little sleep and we'll move on.
All right, I'll try.
There, darling.
Daylight's coming.
Just don't think of anything.
Just think how much I love you.
Gee, we missed it.
We've been lost up here for three months
and I don't know north, south, east or west.
Well, you've made a man of the old man,
all right. I feel great.
Listen, a bird in a cage
twitters good enough for me.
Oh, come on,
I'm all excited to get back.
- Come on, let's get at it.
- And I'm happy.
Come on, sweetheart.
I'm going over
to see what time the next train leaves.
- I'll see about the tickets too.
- All right, dear.
Morning.
Say, I've got cramps.
- You got any Jamaica ginger?
- Yes.
Yeah? You sure? Yeah?
That'll cost you 10 bucks.
Have you got a little water, please?
A glass?
- What luck, Eddie?
- Jan, I can't find him anyplace.
- You can't?
- I've searched the whole town for him.
Oh, dear God.
Please take care of him.
Oh, hello, Aunt Helen.
Never mind, Sampson.
Well, Jan?
- I'll ring if I want you, Sampson.
- That's all right, Sampson.
- By the way, how have you been?
- Well. I thank you, miss.
Do I take it this means "not welcome"?
- Hold everything, Eddie.
"Not welcome" is putting it mildly.
Would you mind putting those back,
Eddie?
- Sure.
- You'll wait for me, will you?
- Here?
- Yeah.
Okay.
- Where's Grandma?
- Resting. She's not well. I'll talk to you.
- Well, doesn't she want to see me?
- Emphatically not.
- Why, this is absurd. I don't believe it.
- Where have you been these three months?
Now, like any other time,
it's none of your business.
That's the conclusion
the family has come to, Jan.
None of our business.
We can't control you.
- You have no loyalty to what we stand for.
- Why, what do you mean?
Your father endorses these things,
so you're better with him.
Oh, shut up, will you?
Tell Grandmother I'm sorry, will you?
Oh, never mind.
Oh, you'll be a lot better off
up at the old St. Francis.
- I can't talk. Do you mind, Eddie?
- Oh, no, no.
Oh, that's... That's great. That's great.
Right now I have just you. Nobody else.
No. Whoa, what...?
Oh, that's tough.
Although, I guess I might just as well.
Oh, sure, sure. I would.
All right, go on, get your bets down.
Girl here now. Upstairs, your place.
Jan, Miss Jan.
Jan? When did she come?
Oh, I fix up nice drink,
then come along quick.
- Maybe one, three minutes.
- All right.
Hey, if you're gonna let that dame
come and go as she likes...
...you might as well hang up.
- Look out for things. I may not be back.
- Listen.
Cut it.
Sure. I know who's the boss.
Save it for her.
Boss coming right up.
Oh, he all on fire, glad.
He no like them, nobody,
like him like you.
- Can I depend on that?
- Sure, I watch him.
You know, one time, girl named Nellie
say she like strawberry for breakfast.
All right, I catch a strawberry.
Breakfast time come, no Nellie.
Oh, boss, he cross. Very, very cross.
- So he threw Nellie out, hm?
- Sure, sure.
Oh, boss. I run to market,
catch some strawberry.
All on fire, glad?
Well, how are you?
I'll go into that in a minute
if you'll tell me you're glad to see me.
You are glad, aren't you?
- Think you're quite a gal, don't you?
- It doesn't matter what I think.
Well, you can cut out the kidding, Jan.
You used to get away with that.
I figured it was your language
over my head.
Well, we're gonna talk mine now.
All right, Ace.
Sit down. Take your time.
I made a bargain with my father, Ace. I
didn't know how it was going to turn out.
Well, what was the bargain?
That if he'd stop drinking,
I'd never see you again.
It wasn't easy,
but there wasn't anything else to do.
I had to try.
You thought
you'd take three months in the woods.
- Try to forget about me. I figured that.
- Figured what?
- I told him I wanted to marry you.
- You did what?
- Cut that. Cut it now and leave it lay.
- Cut what?
I suppose he asked you to take it on
the run and get me out of your system.
- Please, don't do that, I don't like it.
- No?
- Got me confused with Nellie, haven't you?
- I haven't got you confused with anybody.
You came here because you wanted to. You
were as crazy about me as I am about you.
- That's right, but why so ugly about it?
- You left me flat, explained nothing.
Because a drunken tramp
said I wasn't good enough.
- Ace, how dare you.
- Sit down and take it and like it.
Listen. There ain't anyone in your tribe
good enough to call me a mongrel.
You must have listened to him or you
wouldn't have left me that way. Flat.
Explain to you why I left you?
But I am beginning to wonder
why I took the trouble.
Oh, yeah? I'll settle all this.
Hello, Bill speaking.
- Get Harrington.
- Should have come straight to me.
Hello?
Hello. Harrington?
Get Tom Wills on the phone.
- Give him my number. Tell him to call me.
- Okay.
- Right away.
- Okay.
You make no more bargains, sweetheart,
with anybody but me.
We get married in the morning.
Wills is a justice of the peace.
- So we're going to get married, eh?
- Yup.
And it'll be just too bad for anybody
that tries to stop this. Just too bad.
Why, the way I love you,
there's nothing left to think about.
It ain't polite,
but it's what you want.
Maybe not everything,
but you could live without the rest.
You can't live without me.
That's why you came back here.
You had to.
That's all marriage is.
Just two people that wanna live together.
You can call the rest just nothing.
You're through.
You're mine and I want you.
That's the kind of a marriage
that I've always dreamed about.
And don't worry about your old man either.
Drunks like that never come back.
- That's consoling.
- That's a break.
He'll stop chasing around in circles.
No man's thinking straight
when his liver's shot.
From now on, you listen to me.
We get married in the morning.
Said he:
"And suddenly
the moonbeams turned to worms...
...and crawled away. "
Yeah, in an hour from now,
you'll change your silly mind about that.
Who was it called you "mongrel"?
The great Stephen Ashe, darling.
The great Stephen Ashe.
Messed his own life.
He'll do the same with yours.
Nice, good boss.
She come back again, huh?
Yup. We're going to be married
in the morning.
Oh, more better. I exceeding happy.
I go get her breakfast. Strawberry?
Yup, we're going to celebrate.
Come on, let's see what's on ice.
Your stuff's still hanging
in the closet, baby.
Make yourself comfortable.
Gee, you look good to me.
How you coming, baby?
Jan?
Jan?
Where are you?
Here I come, boss.
Tomorrow, you get all fixed-up nice wife...
Yeah?
Oh, Wills? Ace. Yeah.
I want you to be ready to marry me
at 10 in the morning.
Yeah.
Well, save the kidding till it's over.
Ten o'clock. Right.
Is that you, Dwight?
Yes, I came as fast as I could.
In case I die, I wanted to see you.
Any reason's good.
- You're not quitting, are you?
- You never can tell.
I'm as weary of the world
as it is of me.
Sit down.
Jan's back.
- How is she?
- I didn't see her.
Helen met her. Insulted her.
She went away. I can't get her back.
- I don't blame her.
- Want me to try?
You love her, don't you?
Nothing but the truth.
I wish I could say no. But I do.
She's a poor little devil, Dwight.
The only Ashe worth a nickel, except me.
And my engine's rusty.
Heigh-ho.
She's had no chance, Dwight.
What can I do?
Marry her.
I'd tie her up and do it
if I thought it would work.
Don't hold anything against her, Dwight.
I don't know anything against her.
Not a thing in the world.
Stephen was too smart.
Too smart.
Come here, nurse, quickly.
Come in.
- Good morning, Eddie.
- Morning, Jan.
I just seen Ace Wilfong.
Coming here?
Can't tell. Maybe they're gonna try
and kidnap somebody, or, you know.
- He's coming up here, Eddie.
- Maybe not.
I just came up to ask
if you'd heard anything about the chief.
You came up here
because you thought Ace was coming.
Oh, no.
You don't have to see him.
It's all right.
Now, wait a minute.
Eddie.
Wait a minute, Eddie.
Shouldn't send a boy to do a man's job.
- I'm sorry, Eddie. Are you hurt?
- It's all right.
Just took me by surprise, that's all.
- All right, you big lug.
- Are you ready?
Go on outside, Eddie. I'll be all right.
I'm staying right here.
No, thanks, Eddie.
Thanks just the same, but I'll
be all right. You go on out.
I'll take a walk with you
anytime you want.
And I'll be right outside.
Ready?
- Ready for what?
- We're getting married.
- Did you forget?
- Take your hands off me.
I was frightened last night.
I was very tired. I had a bad time.
But you can't really frighten me, Ace.
- No?
- No.
Getting kind of ritzy this morning, eh?
I'm not lying to myself about you and me.
I thought I had the right
to do anything I liked.
I didn't know till last night
what I was really doing to myself.
What a beast you were
when the surface was scratched.
I found out that only swine
should travel with swine.
You're talking to the man you love.
It makes me sick
to even hear you say the word.
I've lost the right ever again to think
of what love can be or what it means.
Marry you?
For the rest of my life, can't wash
the filthy mark of you out of my soul.
That's what I think of you.
And now you can go.
Hey, listen. You haven't a chance.
Not a chance. You've gone too far.
Take your hands off me.
I'm not gonna carry you screaming from
the hotel, but you can't get away from me.
I never was as nuts about you
as I am right now.
You can be walking along the street
or out in your car, but I'll get you.
All I'm gonna do now is kiss you.
Hello, wanderer.
Just heard you were back.
Well, we meet again.
How are you?
Little early for a call, I'm afraid...
...but unusual circumstances.
Oh, that's all right.
Mr. Wilfong was just going.
Sure.
Don't kid yourself for long. I'll be back.
- Keep away from me.
- Don't crowd, old man.
Keep your hands off me.
There's a place for those sort of things.
Any idea you're gonna marry him?
No, not the slightest.
- I hope you change your mind about that.
- Is that so?
Well, when I get through,
he won't have the guts to marry you.
Now, let me lay it on the line for you.
She tossed all the ritz overboard
months ago.
She came to my place
and she stayed there, you get that?
- She's mine, she belongs to me.
- That's all you're gonna say.
Yeah? I'll spread the news so high, wide
and handsome you don't dare marry her.
And you'll come crawling back,
like you did last night.
Maybe I'll step out of my class
and give you a break.
Listen, buddy. Take a tip.
Back out. Right now.
If you don't, you won't live long enough
to start the honeymoon.
And I'm not kidding.
Sorry, Jan.
I simply couldn't think.
That's all right.
There wasn't anything to say
or anything to do.
What he said was true.
Jan.
I've come
to take you to your grandmother.
Not just now.
I'm afraid you must.
She...
She's dead.
Take your hat and coat, sir?
Mr. Wilfong here?
Mr. Wilfong? Uh...
- Who shall I say?
- Dwight Winthrop.
The great polo player?
Yes, the great polo player.
I'm sure he'll be glad to see you.
This way.
- Dwight Winthrop wants to talk to you.
- All right, send him in.
Sit down.
This is a good place to talk.
You're not going to talk anymore.
Davenport 2-0-2-0.
Police department.
This is Dwight Winthrop speaking.
I've just killed Ace Wilfong
over a gambling debt.
I'll wait for you here at his place.
Hello, George.
- Hello, Mike.
Take this chair right here, Miss Jan.
Bring out Winthrop, Mac.
Jan, darling, don't cry.
There's so little to say, isn't there?
Except...
...I love you.
You ought to hate me.
I wish you did.
I'm not worth what you've done.
I wish I'd killed him.
Then I'd be here and not you.
I knew what I was doing.
It had to be done.
Oh, I love you.
I love you as much as I despise myself.
And that's an awful lot.
Oh, Jan, you have nothing
to feel badly about.
The world's better
with that fellow out of it.
I can't let things drift and go on.
Why, this may be
the end of everything for you.
- I can't stand it, I can't.
- Here, darling. Please, please, darling.
Sweetheart.
You've gotta live,
clean and fine as you always have.
- Lf only my father...
- He couldn't do anything.
I killed him deliberately
for a gambling debt.
- Oh, no, no.
- Yes, yes.
There'll be nothing else in court but that.
But, you know...
...he could always do something.
All right. Time's up.
Time for little boys to go to bed.
Tomorrow, sweetheart.
All my heart, please believe me.
Everything.
All right, you tyrant.
Say, what...?
Well, what's the idea, you following me?
Beat it.
Mike?
Ladies and gentlemen,
there's very little for you to deliberate.
All the evidence before you
points to deliberate murder.
There are no other circumstances.
You have no alternative
except to bring in a verdict on the facts.
And the most important fact
is that the defendant confessed...
...he killed Ace Wilfong
for a gambling debt.
There never was a more cold-blooded,
deliberate crime than this.
The penalty
does not enter into the question at all.
And I ask you to return a verdict
for murder in the first degree.
Thank you.
If Your Honor please...
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...
...as attorney for the defense...
...I have not been able to do anything.
My client has confessed.
- The facts speak for themselves.
Quiet. Quiet, please.
- Will Your Honor pardon me?
Surely.
Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen.
What is it, Stephen?
If Your Honor please...
...I have been informed that there is
more to this case than has been revealed.
There is additional testimony.
I now ask permission
to reopen the case for the defense...
...and to associate Stephen Ashe
as counsel for my client.
I object, Your Honor.
The case is closed.
It has been properly tried.
They want to wreck the dignity
of procedure...
...and turn this courtroom into
a playground for mountebanks.
If Your Honor please,
my worthy opponent has lost his temper.
His record of convictions has been greater
during the absence of Ashe.
I object too.
The case has been put before you.
There can be nothing gained by further...
I have been embarrassed
enough by this case.
- I repeat my request.
- Very well, proceed.
- I object to this unorthodox procedure.
- Court should neglect no evidence.
Mr. Johnson, do you want time
to prepare this new evidence?
No.
- Lf Your Honor please...
...Mr. Ashe is ready to go ahead
with the case immediately.
If it please Your Honor...
...the prosecution
has called me a mountebank.
That's a matter of opinion.
But this is far from being a playground.
As a matter of fact, I'm so ill
that the very effort of talking at all...
...is all that I can endure.
I merely mention this...
...to let you know the importance
of the occasion that brings me here.
However, I am very grateful to you
for your courtesy.
- Proceed, Mr. Ashe.
- I'm only going to call one witness.
I'm going to prove
that this killing was done...
...in a fit of temporary insanity.
The determination of the defendant...
...when he came to his senses...
...to say "gambling debt,"
"gambling debt" and nothing else...
...is one of the finest things
I have ever heard of, in life or fiction.
- Lf Your Honor please...
The decision will rest on facts.
Call your witness.
Jan Ashe.
I protest.
Nothing can make the slightest difference.
We must allow your attorneys
to conduct the case. No interruptions.
Don't you see? Whatever good
I did will be shot to pieces.
You'll just make a lot of talk I've
avoided. You can't change anything.
Son, don't you see?
My hands are bleeding
where the spikes have been driven through.
Now, now.
Will you take the stand, please,
Miss Ashe?
Raise your right hand.
Do you swear the evidence you give
will be the whole truth, so help you God?
- I do.
- State your name.
- Jan Ashe.
- Take the stand, please.
- Where do you live?
- St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco.
On the day of the killing,
did you see Ace Wilfong?
- Yes, I did.
- Where?
St. Francis Hotel. He came there.
Tell us exactly what happened,
in your own way.
- He'd been very brutal the night before...
- I object, Your Honor.
It's all right, I'm not trying to juggle
with this witness, Your Honor.
Objection sustained.
All right, strike out the answer
about Wilfong's brutality.
Can you remember my question, Jan?
He came to the hotel quite drunk.
He said that arrangements had been made
to get married.
- You and Wilfong?
- Yes.
- And you refused?
- Yes.
- How did you refuse?
- I told him what a beast he was.
I object, Your Honor.
Ace Wilfong is not on trial.
Objection sustained.
Try and remember what was said, Jan.
You refused, and he said what?
He threatened me.
This is theatrical, emotional.
- Overruled. Proceed.
- He said what, Jan?
He said,
"You haven't got a chance to get away.
You may be in your car, you may be walking
on the street, but I'll get you. "
- And then what happened?
- Then he tried to kiss me against my will.
It was at this moment that the defendant,
Dwight Winthrop, came into the room?
- Yes.
- What was your relation to the defendant?
We'd been engaged.
Was it true that he, the defendant,
was very deeply in love with you?
Yes.
Can you recall what Wilfong said
to the defendant?
- Your Honor...
Quiet.
- There's nothing to be gained by this...
Quiet. Quiet.
- He told Dwight...
- I object.
Quiet.
- Jan, you mustn't. Please, you must...
He told Dwight Winthrop
I'd gone to his place and stayed there...
...that I belonged to him.
And then what happened?
- He said I'd either marry...
- You mustn't...
Wilfong said?
Yes. Or he'd see that everybody knew
I wasn't fit to marry anyone.
And is that all he said?
He said
if Dwight Winthrop ever married me...
...that he wouldn't live long enough
to start the honeymoon.
- Then he left.
- What did the defendant say?
Nothing. He was... He was stunned.
He... He took me to my grandmother's.
He stayed there a while and then he left.
- And he had nothing further to say?
- Nothing.
- When did you next see the defendant?
- After the arrest.
Ah. And where was your father
during all this?
I don't know.
Was there anyone in all the
world during this terrible time...
...that you could turn to,
except the defendant, Dwight Winthrop?
I object, Your Honor.
This is not evidence.
Your witness.
So the bad man threatened to kidnap you,
did he?
Oh, I'm not trying to blame Ace Wilfong.
I have no right to and I don't want to.
I'll thank you, Miss Ashe...
...if you'll answer my questions
in a straightforward manner.
- Did he threaten to kidnap you?
- Yes, he did.
Was he truthful when he said
you went to his place and stayed there?
Yes.
Did he kidnap you
the first time you went there and stayed?
- No.
- You went because you wanted to?
Yes.
Over how long a period did you go to
his place and stay because you wanted to?
Several months.
- You've been to school?
- Yes.
- Good American schools?
- Yes.
And you were over 21
when you went to Wilfong...
...and belonged to him, weren't you?
- Yes.
And he became a beast...
...after you were through and he wasn't,
isn't that it?
- Your Honor, I object to this bullying.
- I am through.
If it please Your Honor... Jan.
Your Honor,
I've served here a good many years.
I crave some latitude...
...so the jury may fix the responsibility
for this crime where it belongs.
Say it.
Jan, my child...
...you never knew your mother, did you?
No, she died when I was born.
You never had any guidance
from anyone but your father, had you?
No.
Was there very great affection
between you and your father?
Oh, very great. There still is.
I think he's the most wonderful man
in the world.
Had you complete, absolute faith
in his teachings and his point of view?
Yes, of course, always.
And did he find you
in Ace Wilfong's place?
Yes.
- What time of day was it?
- Late at night.
Up to this time...
...had he ever criticized your friendship
with this man?
No, he had not.
Had he ever given you any advice
or warning about it at all?
Why, he didn't think it was necessary.
And this night that he found you there,
was he able to protect you?
To fight for you?
To help you in any way at all?
- Yes or no?
- Why, no.
Why not?
Was it because he was so drunk
that he couldn't protest...
...or help you in any way?
Oh, please don't. Please stop.
My father taught me
to stand on my own feet.
That's all, nothing else.
Just not to be a coward.
I ask to define the nature of evidence.
If I got smashed up, it's my fault,
nobody else's.
I knew what I was doing.
My life was my own affair.
I'm not trying to blame anybody
for anything at all.
Jan, dear.
That's all.
Your Honor...
...ladies and gentlemen.
The attorney for the prosecution has,
in a few vicious moments...
...wiped out the feeling
I've tried to give you...
...that this crime might have been done
without cold, deliberate premeditation.
But, my friends...
...I'm not tearing my very heart out
here before you...
...nor the heart of this child
that I love above all things in the world.
I'm not doing that...
...without the valid hope that it's
going to help you in doing justice.
There's not one atom of the brutal
evidence that I brought out...
...that the defendant didn't know.
How much he loves this girl,
you know by now.
He was going to the gallows
with his lips sealed.
But, my friends, I can't have that.
I'm going to ask you
to listen with your hearts.
Dwight Winthrop knew
that from the cradle on...
...through all her years...
...Jan Ashe listened to one mentor,
only one.
Her father.
Dwight Winthrop knew this too:
That she placed no moral value
on this ugly thing...
...until the result and the punishment
threatened the rest of her life.
You who have sons...
...should pray that they might have the
nobility and kindness of this young man.
And you who have daughters
must believe with him...
...that she was not to blame.
It was through her father
that she met this gambler, this beast.
Her father
endorsed this unholy friendship.
And when this man
threatened the rest of her life...
...this father wasn't there
to protect his daughter.
All this, Dwight Winthrop knew.
All this was caught in the whirlpool
of his love.
The poor boy went insane.
And he's not guilty of cold,
deliberate murder.
There's only one breast...
...that you can surely pin the
responsibility of this crime on.
Only one.
Stephen Ashe is guilty, and nobody else.
Stephen Ashe.
Your Honor...
...I...
Quiet. Quiet.
Oh, please, help.
No.
Please change your mind, Jan, don't go.
If I were only sure
that it would make you happy always.
I'm sure, Jan.
Wait a little while, darling.
I'll be in New York, working at something.
I'll follow you there.
If you ever do...
...I'll follow you to the ends of the earth.
- That's a date.
- Pardon me, sir.
The secret of my success
is never say die.
- For instance?
Undies, in the bag.
Bag?
Bag. Foot of bed.
Complete outfit.
Complete outfit. Stockings?
Yes, my love, and other confections.
Well, see what you can make out of this.
Why, that's three complete outfits,
you goof.
For what, a sparrow?
Do you really wear all that harness?
Poor busy man, doesn't know
what the modern girl should wear.
- Be with you in a minute, darling.
- I can hardly wait, my angel.
Well, there's enough left over
to dress a finishing school.
Now, don't interrupt me again.
Why not, tired of me after one night?
No, but my name's in the paper,
I want to read about it.
Morning, Dad.
Good morning, dear.
Good morning, good morning.
Well, did you miss me?
- You bet I did.
- I'll bet you didn't.
I did too, now.
Well, I missed you, old darling.
Oh, but I shouldn't say such nice things
to you, I'm always spoiling you.
Pardon me.
Say, kid, you know,
you're certainly easy to look at.
- Sir?
- Mm-hm.
Darn sight nicer than your mother was.
Here, give me that.
More brains too.
Ah, but she was respectable, we're not.
No, we do as we like.
I've just had four weeks with Grandma Ashe
and the rest of them.
They think you're the worst father
to the most distressful daughter.
How'd you like to be like them?
Wouldn't give your little finger
for all the Ashes that ever lived.
Attagirl. That's the way to talk.
Now, just think, you might
have been a slave to the Ashe tradition.
Darling, I'm a slave to nothing but you.
- That's the way.
Oh, good morning.
- Hello, Eddie.
- Excuse me.
I thought you were still
at your grandma's.
- Have some coffee.
- No, I had a big breakfast.
- Morning, boss.
- Hello, Eddie.
- Glad you're back with us.
- Thanks, Eddie.
How about getting to the fight
a little early boss, huh?
- Fight?
- Yeah.
He's been handing out left hooks
and right crosses till the state's groggy.
But they got a wallop left.
It ain't in the bag, it's still a fight.
We'll have to hit him
with everything but the water bucket.
I'll go and get my coat on.
Why so early, Eddie?
It's an hour before court.
I been taking him out for an hour's walk
in the morning. I didn't know you was back.
Tell me, Eddie, has he been drinking?
Well...
A lot?
Well, it wouldn't be a lot for a camel
or one of them things.
But these big fights has got him
all strung up. Can't sleep.
Gotta do something to forget, you know.
He's got a job on his hands.
This case he's on,
you mean?
Yeah, but he's in a spot right now.
Oh, he'll come out all right.
Sure, he will.
With just a little help from Eddie, hm?
- We couldn't get along without each other.
- And where do I come in?
We'd both be losers without you, Jan.
- No fooling?
- I wouldn't ever kid you.
Hello, you coming along with me?
Try and keep me away. Don't pretend
I'm not the secret of your success.
Say, I'm defending a gambler
and a murderer...
...a little home feeling
mightn't be out of the way at all.
Oh. I'm just a prop, exhibit X.
Stephen Ashe and daughter,
domestic little picture.
Just the effect.
Say, you know, Eddie, this jury system's
a grand idea. She won't do a bit of harm.
That jury's so homesick,
they'll bust out crying when you walk in.
Hooray.
Sutter 9-7-6-4.
- Did you find out about that?
- I don't know till we get there.
- Why not?
- Couple of guys to grease, can't tell you.
What's the tricks? What's the tricks?
We've got to keep working, that's all.
You two.
It's the quickness of the hand
that deceives the eye.
Oh, yeah? Hello, Madam Ashe, please.
- Oh, no...
- Talk to your mother, sir.
- I have so little time.
- Come, come, it's your mother's birthday.
Oh. I'd forgotten that. Thank you.
- Hello.
- Stephen, don't forget the dinner tonight.
On your birthday? I should be delighted.
Hello, Grandma, many happy returns.
Say, what time's dinner?
Okay, he'll be there.
Jan, don't let him drink.
Hello, Jan, I said keep him sober.
He worries me.
Oh, yes, darling, yes, it's a lovely day.
Why don't take a nice long ride in the air.
Yes, see you at 7, dear. Love and kisses.
Confounded family dinner.
I wish my mother
belonged to some other family.
I hate the whole tribe of them.
Except you and mother and me.
Well, we're going to win.
This is the last day, Eddie.
I'm not betting on it, boss.
Why not? Confound you.
- That's it, boss, get good and sore.
- Oh, come on, wait here all day.
No, I don't need those things. You all set?
All set.
Gangway. Open up, please, open up.
Got anything to say?
No, no news to tell, nothing at all.
Does your daughter think you'll win?
I don't know.
Of course he'll win.
Doesn't he always win?
Got a trick up your sleeve, Mr. Ashe?
No tricks, I just present the plain facts,
that's all.
Are you engaged to Dwight Winthrop,
Miss Ashe?
Why?
Thinking of proposing to me yourself?
Free as the air, thank you.
Sure, it's a sight for sore eyes
to see you here again, Miss Ashe.
It's grand to be back.
How's the baby?
The new one's a bit constipated,
the others are all right.
Outside of the devil that's in them.
- Have you sent for my client?
- Clancy's gone for him, sir.
I wish he wouldn't take
such a long time combing his hair.
Give me that Skinner affidavit, will you?
- Any news, Sam?
- Nothing, prosecution's very cocky.
Jiminy, Dad, now the crowd will see you
pull a rabbit out of a hat.
Don't say "hat. "
You can say anything else, rabbit, toad...
- Good morning.
Good morning, Ace, good morning.
Have you studied
that cross-examination of Hardy?
Yes, sir, no perjury.
Why, um...
Dad, I'm not in the way, am I?
No, no, darling, no.
Mr. Wilfong.
You know, you should get
some new pictures for the press.
- Now, should I?
- They sure don't flatter you any.
You're on trial for your life, aren't you?
- Sam.
- Yes, sir?
Ask Judge Hannan if he can delay
about five minutes, will you, please?
- I'll appreciate it.
Yes, sir.
I'm not allowed to say "hat. "
That's too bad.
Absolutely nothing that stands up...
...except the fact that three people saw
him leave the building without his hat.
But how that stands up.
Is blue your favorite color?
Why?
- I was just thinking it ought to be.
- I admit it, it is.
Oh, excuse me.
Ace, do you remember exactly what
you answered when you were questioned...
...about that hat being found
by the body of the murdered man?
And hurry up, will you?
Huh?
- Excuse me, Mr. Ashe.
Do you remember exactly what you...?
- Yes, I heard him.
I said I had nothing to say, didn't know.
Look here, there's something you haven't
told me that would help me out a lot.
I wish I could, sir.
You're holding out on me,
aren't you?
Mr. Ashe, a guy like me
has to ride with lady luck.
A squealer leaves his pals
in plenty of trouble.
I see, you want to go to the gallows
with your mouth shut.
Well, you're defending an innocent man.
Now, that's all I can say.
That's wonderful, but darned silly.
Here you are.
- Oh, thank you.
I had a hunch
I'd like to wear your color today.
Do you mind?
I'm thrilled to death.
Standing room only, boss.
Okay, boss.
- You sure about it?
- You can go to sleep on it.
The judge says all right, Mr. Ashe.
All right, present my thanks
and compliments...
...and tell him to fire when ready.
Yes, sir.
Ace, I suppose you know
your case is in your hat.
Yes, sir.
- Not quite straight. May I?
- Oh, thanks.
- I wish you luck.
- I guess I'll need it.
Ace, I may decide to pull a rabbit
out of that hat, so don't look surprised.
I seldom do, sir.
Boys, turn your backs, will you, please?
Department Number 6
of the Superior Court...
...in the city of San Francisco,
the state of California...
...is now in session.
If my client is guilty of murder,
I want him punished.
But if he's not...
...I want to keep from your kind hearts...
...the awful responsibility of not
doing the right and just thing about it.
Now, this, my friends, Your Honor...
...was found by the side
of the murdered man.
My client was seen leaving the building
bareheaded.
That's been proven, I admit it.
Here are the initials: A.W.
That might be Adam Wright
or Allan Warren...
...or Adolph Weems...
...or it might be Ace Wilfong.
But that is the case for the prosecution,
ladies and gentlemen.
Now, will you come here, please?
If anybody was planning a speech
about my 16th birthday...
Eighty of them.
Count them if you don't believe me.
All right. I'll start
here, and you start there.
One, two, three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12...
I've lost count. Wait a minute.
Someone phoned to say
that Mr. Ashe is on his way.
Who phoned, Mr. Sampson?
- It was Mr. Eddie, miss.
- Oh, Eddie.
If this should be my last birthday cake,
he'd be sorry he was late, wouldn't he?
What do you mean?
- Now, sit down, sit down.
You know I wasn't in earnest.
Don't you know me better than that?
I just wanted to find out how I stood
with this family.
Well, you ought to know by now.
Jan, darling, I'll confess there was such
a look of impatience on everybody's face...
...at the mention of Stephen's name,
I just had to make a fuss.
- You know he loves you, don't you?
- Of course.
Although two in one lifetime...
His father was just the same.
Brilliant, stormy and always late for dinner.
Granny, when you're 101, dear...
...we're gonna put one candle on this cake
and start all over again.
That's a good idea.
- We have a distinguished man here...
...so let's be grateful.
Dwight Winthrop...
...stand up and be embarrassed.
- That means you.
One of the world's first dozen polo men.
Here, here.
Ladies and gentlemen...
...the secret of my success
is never say die.
Believe it or not.
Seventy-three times the girl said no.
Yes, she said no.
But the 74th time...
Congratulations.
Here, here, here, this is my proud day.
Let's go in the next room
and have coffee, dear.
- That'll be nice, dear.
- Let's blow out the candles first.
Come on, let's all together.
There you are.
Our engagement should never be announced
to anybody today.
Jan.
Let's sneak out of the back door.
The things I have to say to you...
You're sweet.
You know, this is the oldest game
in the world?
I promise you I'll make it new, fresh
and colorful every day of your life.
What, backgammon?
Oh, heavens.
Is that what we're playing?
And you're blotto.
I am nothing of the kind.
Smell my breath.
Not a sign, is there?
I can't tell.
- Sorry, Sampson.
- Quite all right, Miss Jan.
May I add my felicitations?
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you, miss.
Hello, what's that? A car.
I bet that's Dad.
Hello.
Hey.
You better go and meet him.
He doesn't care much for this crowd.
He may say anything.
You're right.
Jan, I'm practically
one of the family now.
Don't worry about me.
Dinner over?
Yes, sir.
Oh, that's too bad.
- Now, I'm sorry. I've made it.
- Dad, where have you been?
Bad thing.
He's disgraced this family for 20 years.
Now, now, now.
There's nothing you can do.
Hello, everybody.
Hello.
Well, you'd think the Ashes
had all blown away.
I want to introduce
my distinguished young friend...
...Mr. Ace Wilfong.
How do you do?
We wanted to congratulate you, Stephen.
- Good work.
- Well, congratulate him. He's alive.
Aha!
Now I'm sorry.
Don't you be cross, now. I
know I'm late, but I'm sorry.
Time got whizzing by, and well, now...
Happy birthday.
It's good to see you again.
I didn't got much of a chance after court.
Won't you come
and meet some of these people?
This is my grandmother.
Mrs. Ashe, Mr. Ace Wilfong.
- My Aunt Helen.
- How do you do?
Mr. Roland.
Oh, yes. We've met before. Howdy.
Oh, yes. So we have, haven't we?
How do you do?
And this is Mr. Winthrop.
Mr. Dwight Winthrop.
Glad everything turned out so well.
Well, can I drop you somewhere?
No, thanks.
- Miss Ashe, I'll run along.
- No, you won't do anything of the kind.
Why, this is absurd.
What's the matter
with all you snobs anyway?
Why, here's a man
who'd be on his way to death...
...if it wasn't for my father.
I think that's a pretty big thing.
We should be grateful
that somebody can do it...
...instead of insulting both of them.
After all, Mr. Wilfong didn't drop in.
Father brought him.
Jan, I don't think
Mr. Wilfong finds this very amusing.
Why not let him float along
if he wants to?
You've had no dinner, have you?
- Not a bite.
- Should we find someplace?
Jan.
Oh, that'll be fine.
Mother, I've met plenty of people in this
room who couldn't even get into my place.
Plenty.
Stephen, don't let your daughter
leave here with this gambler person.
My daughter does as she pleases.
She's free of your picayune blindfold.
Young man, I'm sorry. It's not your fault.
Yours neither, ma'am. A lot of people don't
believe that gag about being born equal.
- Jan, you're not really going.
- And why not?
Jan, I'll tell you why not.
Sorry, my sweet, but you won't. I couldn't
think of standing for anything like this.
When your father's himself, he
realizes notoriety doesn't open my doors.
You're here quite by accident.
Why don't you go?
I've never found out, ma'am,
how to take it on the run.
That makes two of us.
Come on, let's go.
- Good night, Sampson.
Good night, miss.
- Good night, sir.
Good night.
Well, you look like a comic strip.
What's the matter with you? The man
was presented at court, wasn't he? Huh?
You know, I just happened to remember
I've had no dinner.
- Darned thoughtless. I forgot all about it.
- How about you?
That's right. The air was so thick
at the family table I ate almost nothing.
They have great hamburger with onions.
Mmm. Make it two.
Two with onions.
- Why did you cry for speed like that?
- Oh, I haven't the least idea.
Yeah, I guess you figured I couldn't
talk much at a hundred miles an hour, eh?
What do you mean?
Why, if I told you how often I wished I
had you like this, you wouldn't believe it.
Why me? The world's full of girls.
Well, why'd Romeo
take on so much grief?
- You're amazing.
- Oh, yeah? A lot of nerve?
Mm-hm. Life or death, insults or boasts.
You're all the same, aren't you?
No, poker face. You have to learn it.
Didn't you want to
demolish my family tonight?
Yes, it was a little below the belt.
Weren't you scared to death
in court this morning?
No. When I met you,
I knew my luck was in.
You know, you're the first
really exciting man I ever met.
Just what do you mean by that,
Jan Ashe?
Down.
Say, what's the ide...?
Talk about life and death.
Hi, boys.
Hello, Ace.
Hi, boss.
Been waiting around for you, boss.
- Gee, things looked bad this morning.
Yeah?
- Say, what happened just now?
- Oh, Hardy crowd. Close call.
- I'll see you upstairs, boys.
Sure.
- Go up the other way.
Glad you're okay, boss.
Where are we going now?
Show you a secret.
My private getaway.
Take a chance? Come on upstairs
a minute and get your breath.
They shot the food
right from under our noses.
Yeah.
Now we're safe.
- Ah. Just like Monte Carlo.
- Oh, yeah. Be wide open in two weeks.
- Hi, boys.
Ace, how are you?
Ah. Bottomley. Miss Ashe, this is Bottomley,
my butler, my cook, my chambermaid.
Thank you very much.
- Why did they want to kill you just now?
- Oh, that's nothing to worry about.
Oh, no, no. They're my friends.
- Glad to see you back, chief.
- Thank you, Slouch. Glad to be back.
- Glad to be back.
- Glad to see you, Ace.
Thank you, Art.
You saw Miss Ashe in court, boys.
Sure.
Howdy, miss.
Slouch, tell her why the Hardy mob
tried to fix me up.
Tell her the facts, Slouch.
The mug that was rubbed out, miss, was a
snooper running with the Hardy mob.
Hardy gets hip and puts the rat on the spot.
They nab the boss's Kelly and plants it.
Your old man jaws them out, and the Hardy
mob grabs the typewriters and the ukuleles.
- Thanks, Slouch.
- Okay, baby.
Tank working, Harrington?
Sure.
- Tank? What's that?
I'm taking you home
in a bulletproof limousine.
Very nice.
Very nice indeed.
Didn't look as though
I was going to see it again.
Tell me, just where are we?
On top of the world.
Hm. On top of the world.
Yeah.
And nobody comes or goes
unless I say so.
Including me?
Including you.
Frightened?
No, I love it.
You love what?
Oh, I don't know.
You're just a new kind of man
in a new kind of world.
Yesterday you were farther away
than the stars...
...and tonight, here you are.
With a very unusual man.
That will be all, thank you.
I'm sorry.
It's all right.
Let's sit down.
You know I wouldn't offend you
for the world.
You haven't offended me.
I just want to do a little thinking.
Do you think you could like me?
I don't quite know what's happened.
Whether it's just
the end of a perfect day, or...
Or that I'm just a little mad.
Don't, I'll leave.
Very much apologize, very much.
For I coming in, you no can see.
Champagne, I make him cold.
Fire, make him hot.
I'll be listening to the birdies sing if
you do any more of that back-seat driving.
Well.
Are you trying to run away from me?
It did look like it, didn't it?
You're a grand girl, Jan.
I'm crazy about you.
But you've made a jumping jack out of me
the last two or three months.
What's it all mean?
I just don't want to get married, Dwight.
I don't want life to settle down around me
like a pan of sour dough.
I don't want it one little bit.
Tell me, Jan...
...is there somebody else?
Kind of. I'd rather not, if you don't mind.
Somebody your father approves of?
I can get fighting mad mighty quick
for my dad.
I know you can.
I think more of him
than anything else in the world.
That's why I can't stand the Ashes.
They think he's weak.
Why, he isn't.
Drinking is just a disease with him.
I never said a word about that.
It's what he makes you think.
There you're wrong again.
He says, "Think for yourself. "
You know, I think he'd rather like me
to marry you, but he'd never say so.
Dwight, all he says is,
"Don't run away from things. Don't hide.
Get out in the middle of life and if the
wind blows you over, pick yourself up again.
Make your own mistakes
and learn by them. "
- And you know, I think he's right.
- I see.
Well...
...now I've found out, haven't I?
Oh, dear, please.
- I'm so sorry.
- I know.
But I've got to do something about it.
Looking ahead without you
isn't much fun, is it?
Well, what can I do?
I'm going to do something.
You've shot it straight, Jan,
like you always do. One hundred percent.
Dwight, you're a thoroughbred.
Come on, I'm going to put you back
with the Ashes.
Thank you.
Don't you want to dance again?
Darling, you already owe me
a new pair of shoes.
Are you suggesting
that I am not a good dancer?
No, but we can't both
dance on my feet, you know.
Mm. Meow.
Dwight's a good dancer, though, isn't he?
Yes, but he's not as fascinating
as you are:
Don't tell me you're
one of the matchmaking Ashes now.
I don't know. Come to think of it,
I... In my subtle way...
...I guess I am a matchmaking Ashes.
L... I must be getting old. I'm sorry.
You know, you never cluck-cluck
and spread your wings...
...and say, "Come under, little girl,"
when it rains.
I ain't got no wings.
Want me, boss?
- Yes. You can shoot from the hip, Eddie.
I'm thirsty.
Gun ain't loaded, boss. I'm sorry.
Baby been cluck-clucking just a little?
Oh, no, boss, it's my fault.
I never laid in no eggs.
See, it is hard
to mind your own business, isn't it?
Here, give this problem a little thought,
Mr. Einstein.
Sure, boss. Okay.
Come on, dear. Here's a little nightcap.
- All that for me?
- Mm-hm.
Why, Miss Ashe.
- This is too much.
- Here's down the old Golden Gate.
Well...
- Good night, Miss Ashe.
- Good night, Mr. Ashe.
Thank you very much
for a very charming evening.
Thank you, Mr. Ashe.
Good night, Miss Jan.
- Good night, Mr. Ashe.
- Good night.
And don't forget
to open a new case tomorrow.
You suggest that I don't open one
before tomorrow?
Here, Dad,
will you take this upstairs for me?
- Don't you ever go to bed?
- No.
I'm gonna turn you over to Eddie.
Say, where are you going after midnight?
- Cluck, cluck...
- Oh, I'm sorry.
It's hard to mind your own business,
isn't it?
- Good night, sweet. Good night, Eddie.
- Good night, Jan.
- Did you take that matter up with yourself?
- Oh, nothing doing, boss.
- Oh, go on, now.
- Oh, I know there's places.
But it's... It's leopard's sweat.
You can't trust it.
Oh, here's some phone calls for you.
These are all... All of them Wilfong?
- Yeah.
- What's he want?
He wants to come over and see you.
- Is he in trouble again?
- No, no, no. Wide open.
Yeah?
Say, I think I'll go
and get a little fresh air.
Fresh air?
Yeah, very fresh.
- I'm sorry, boss.
- All right. All right, Eddie, all right, now.
Well, well, well.
- Hello, Mr. Ashe.
- Hello.
How long has this been going on?
Take your...
- Here's Mr. Harrington.
How are you? Glad to see you.
Take your wrap?
- Yes, yes, yes.
Well, well, Mr. Ashe. We've been
waiting for you. This is quite an honor.
Honor, my hat.
Hey, how long you been like this?
It's nearly five months
since you handed him back to us.
- Ace will be right down.
- Oh, don't bother him.
I've got nothing but time.
You got any, uh?
Nothing you can want,
we won't do for you, Mr. Ashe.
Yeah? Where is it?
Well, here's to the happiest spot
I've seen in a dog day.
Say, this is swell.
- Oh, Ace...
- Hi, Mr. Ashe, how they treating you?
Fine, never better.
Say, why didn't you tell me
about this place?
All right, I'll see you again, Mr. Ashe.
Plenty proud, sir. You betcha.
- Who's that, John L. Sullivan?
- No, no.
Biggest thing to happen around here,
sir, having you. Have another with me.
I'll have had one
with everyone in the house.
That's all right with me.
Anything around the place.
Okay, look here.
If you've got another case,
it's going to cost you another $ 10,000.
- You can't chisel me out of a dime.
- No, no. Nothing of that kind.
What's the matter? Didn't you send for me?
What are you telephoning about?
Well, it'll keep.
Look around, enjoy yourself.
No, no. I might want to gamble.
I don't like to be interrupted.
Go on, tell me. What is it?
- Well, it isn't easy cold like this.
- Oh, come on. Out with it, out with it.
- Well, it's about your daughter.
- Jan?
Well, what about her?
Why...
...I want to marry her.
What?
What was that?
What's the matter with that?
What's the matter with it?
The only time I hate democracy...
...is when one of you mongrels
forget where you belong.
A few illegal dollars and a clean shirt,
and you move across the railroad tracks.
Tell your boy to bring me some libations,
and don't insult your guests.
Hello there.
Hello, yourself.
Say, it's great to come up
and find you here like this.
Is it, now?
Well? What are you gonna do about it?
I was just wondering what I'd do
if you stopped dropping in.
Very interesting.
You just talked yourself
out of the warmest osculation.
Say, don't women ever want to talk?
Is this physiology or biology?
What do you mean?
Men of action are better in action,
they don't talk well.
Come on.
Now, tell me all about yourself.
- How much do you love me?
- How much? Let me see how much.
Well, it's about 10 feet high
and about 7 feet wide...
No, no. Never mind that.
Oh, I can't measure it now,
it's a storm at sea.
- You do love me, don't you?
- It's madness, nothing else.
- Listen, sweetheart.
- Oh, dear, he wants to talk some more.
What's on your mind, darling?
I want to marry you.
- Why?
- Why? What do you think why?
I'm off my nut about you,
you know I am.
Well, why make so much fuss about it,
darling?
Jan, there's something,
some part of your nature...
...that's taking it on the run from me.
Oh, don't be silly.
Why, I take it on the run
right into your arms, don't I, darling?
Yeah, just the same as your father does
for booze.
That's not nice.
You're the one person that shouldn't
speak unkindly of my father.
None of your friends know about me.
You don't tell anybody anything, do you?
- Of course not, it's my own business.
- You're not shooting over my head, Jan.
You know I've got us dead to right.
We're never seen together anyplace.
You steal up here.
Well, you got to get over this idea
you're doing me a big favor.
You're crazy about me and you know it.
Ace, darling,
I'm head-over-heels mad about you.
But what's in the future, I don't know.
I'm telling you.
Oh, no, you're not. Nobody is.
Marrying you is serious, darned serious.
It would mean the end
of a lot of things for me.
My world would close up on me
in a minute.
Ah, why worry about them?
A lot of high-hat chiselers.
Cut that, Jan, get me? Cut it.
It's cut.
Come on, put them around me.
- Leave it just where I put it.
- All right.
I know where I put it.
Come on.
Come on.
Hey, come on, faster, boys.
Police, clean up, boys.
- Come on, hurry up.
It's a raid.
Come on, get going.
- Hurry up, get it in there.
Pick it up, police.
Come on, let's go. It's a raid.
All right, now, hurry up.
Come on, get it in there.
Go on, the other one, now.
Give him a lift there.
I had a stack of $500 worth of chips.
- Come, we'll fix that up.
- Red chips.
But no... Why did they take them away?
You come up and we'll fix that.
Keep your hands...
You don't have to be...
- Come along.
It's a raid, Mr. Ashe.
- Who cares?
- Mr. Wilfong wouldn't want you mixed up.
Oh, don't raise your voice at me.
Who cares about a raid?
- Now, listen to me, won't you?
- Tell them it's Ste...
Take him upstairs.
- Hello, boys.
- Hello, Harrington.
The chief wanted us
to pay you a little visit.
Take your hands of me, you dirty swine!
Come on, now.
- I'm Stephen Ashe.
Never mind.
- I'll have you...
You... Oh, you low...
Police raid gambling house.
No arrests. That's lucky.
I don't want to hear any more about it.
I was just thinking of Grandma.
- You're a little late, aren't you?
- What do you mean?
Oh, don't do that cheap sidestepping
with me.
Can't we keep this friendly, Dad?
We always have.
We were friendly 24 hours ago.
You were laughing at me.
And even then, you were carrying on a
miserable, backstairs affair with a rat.
Why, you're nothing but a
cheap, common, contemptible...
Oh, Dad, my dear darling,
forgive me.
What could I do?
Oh, there's something very wrong...
...when we see things
as far apart as that.
Something very wrong.
Oh, Dad. But I'm not cheap.
Not even you can say I am.
I can't let you.
But Ace Wilfong...
My dear child,
he isn't good enough for you.
Even if you think you're in love with him.
Ace Wilfong...
Dad, I'm sorry I've hurt you,
dear. But you've hurt me too.
Yesterday, you won your first case
in five months.
Now, there's only one reason
why you've lost all the others.
I haven't criticized or preached, and
I wouldn't let anyone else do it either.
Oh, Jan, that isn't fair,
and you know it isn't.
I've lived most of my life
in great anxiety...
...and terrific strain and excitement.
I've had to drink as I've had to breathe,
and you know it.
Dad, I think my reasons
are better than yours.
Ace Wilfong is the only man in the world
I care anything about.
What?
I'm doing what you taught me to do:
Live my own life.
And if I fall and get hurt,
why, I'll pick myself up again.
But, Jan, darling, this isn't love.
Believe me, I've seen a lot. I know.
Well, seeing this man, as you have, well,
occasionally and secretly is one thing...
...but what if you were ever
to marry him?
- Why, in six months...
- I never thought of marrying him...
...until now.
Jan, darling.
I'm afraid things have caught up with us.
I've done you great, awful harm...
...but when I think of you with this rat...
- Dad, please.
- Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just...
When I think of it, it's a complete eclipse.
I can't think of anything. It's just nothing.
That's how much I love you...
...and that's what I've done to you.
God help me.
No, Dad.
Listen. Look at me, dear.
You know I love you better than anything
in the world, don't you?
But another year like this last for you,
why, it'd be the end of everything.
I didn't realize it till this minute.
Well?
I love you too much to stand by and see
you make a wreck of yourself like this.
I love Ace, too,
but I'll make a bargain with you.
A bargain?
If you'll quit drinking,
I won't see him anymore.
Oh, Jan, I couldn't do it.
I couldn't...
I'm giving up what's in my blood,
just as much, every bit.
I...
Dad, you're right.
Things have caught up to us.
You're headed for the same dreadful ruin
that your father was.
- Jan, how dare you?
- He died in an insane asylum...
...from nothing but drink.
Dad.
I'm never gonna hurt you like this
ever again, dear, I promise.
We've just got the two of us, dear...
...and we've gotta take care
of each other, haven't we?
Come on, we'll go away
and rough it for six months...
...forget all about this.
What do you say?
- Well, I... Well, I...
- But it's gotta begin right now.
If you never take another drink...
...why, I'll never see Ace again.
Never.
All right.
All right, Jan.
All right, my baby.
Hi there, Eddie.
- Hi.
You certainly picked a grand spot.
Did you have any trouble?
Oh, no.
Oh, how I hate a smart mule.
Oh, Dad, isn't this glorious?
Mm-hm.
Look at that.
Sure is.
Ain't nature grand, Eddie?
Yeah, if we could only take a taxi.
- Tell me, is there a brook around?
- Yeah, right down there.
All right, fine.
And you're sure there's plenty of water
to drink?
Oh, yes, sir.
And not a headache in a tankful.
Hey, look out for that guy.
He's got a lot of ideas
and they're all bad.
Why, he's sweet.
It's only me he hates.
Oh!
Oh, all right, all right.
Have it your own way.
Whoo!
Are you hurt, Eddie?
No.
No.
Oh, Jan, by the way, I...
This was handed to me, and I forgot it.
Are you sure you forgot it?
Well, I was getting on the train, and...
Well, there it is anyway.
Don't you wanna open it?
Just as much as you want
what you want, dear.
- Do you think so?
- Mm-hm.
- No sleep, darling?
- No.
You hear those bullfrogs?
You hear what they're saying?
No speak bullfrog.
Well, they're saying, "No rum. "
"No rum. "
I call that "rubbing it in. "
Do you remember the first time
you and I went away together?
- I was 5 years old.
- Oh, yeah, where was it?
I don't know, somewhere along the coast.
Don't you remember?
Oh, yeah. I do.
- There was a merry-go-round.
- Yeah.
And you stood around all evening
and let me ride.
Sweet baby.
We stayed away five days.
- Did we?
- Mm-hm.
And the way you combed my hair...
Gosh, it took the nurse three days
to get the tangles out when we got back.
- Yeah, we had great times, though.
- Lovely times.
We've had lots of lovely times,
you and me. Such lovely times.
Yeah.
Remember those summers at Catalina?
Hey, I wonder if
it wouldn't have been better...
...if I'd sent you to some summer camp
and let somebody else take care of you.
Don't you think
it might have been better? Huh?
You think so?
Yoo-hoo!
Morning, darling.
- What, no sleep, dear?
- No.
Oh, that's too bad.
- Terrible, I know, dear.
- That's it. That's the word. "Terrible. "
But listen, dear,
we've only been a week. Now...
I know how you're suffering, dear.
- But just a little time, and then...
- Suffering. It isn't suffering.
It's madness.
All this is really driving me
to stark insanity.
Dad. If you don't stand now, dear,
you never will.
You're assuming a lot, Jan.
I don't wanna drink.
It's this bargain I resent,
that cuts me off from all normal living.
The bargain I had to make to keep
you from playing with rattlesnakes.
- Not very fair, darling.
- A crook. With the mob.
Mixed into everything
from opium to white slavery.
What kind of a bargain do you call that?
I know it isn't much of a bargain, dear...
...but we thought we ought to try,
didn't we?
Oh, I can't stand it.
If I could only get a little sleep.
I'm going mad for sleep.
I can't get a... Just a few minutes
and I'm wide awake again.
It's frightful.
Must we go back?
Goodness knows,
I want it just as much as you do.
The reason we're here, I love you better
than anything in the world.
Now, must we go back?
No, we'll go on.
But let's keep on the move.
Okay, darling. Come on, let's try again.
Just a little sleep and we'll move on.
All right, I'll try.
There, darling.
Daylight's coming.
Just don't think of anything.
Just think how much I love you.
Gee, we missed it.
We've been lost up here for three months
and I don't know north, south, east or west.
Well, you've made a man of the old man,
all right. I feel great.
Listen, a bird in a cage
twitters good enough for me.
Oh, come on,
I'm all excited to get back.
- Come on, let's get at it.
- And I'm happy.
Come on, sweetheart.
I'm going over
to see what time the next train leaves.
- I'll see about the tickets too.
- All right, dear.
Morning.
Say, I've got cramps.
- You got any Jamaica ginger?
- Yes.
Yeah? You sure? Yeah?
That'll cost you 10 bucks.
Have you got a little water, please?
A glass?
- What luck, Eddie?
- Jan, I can't find him anyplace.
- You can't?
- I've searched the whole town for him.
Oh, dear God.
Please take care of him.
Oh, hello, Aunt Helen.
Never mind, Sampson.
Well, Jan?
- I'll ring if I want you, Sampson.
- That's all right, Sampson.
- By the way, how have you been?
- Well. I thank you, miss.
Do I take it this means "not welcome"?
- Hold everything, Eddie.
"Not welcome" is putting it mildly.
Would you mind putting those back,
Eddie?
- Sure.
- You'll wait for me, will you?
- Here?
- Yeah.
Okay.
- Where's Grandma?
- Resting. She's not well. I'll talk to you.
- Well, doesn't she want to see me?
- Emphatically not.
- Why, this is absurd. I don't believe it.
- Where have you been these three months?
Now, like any other time,
it's none of your business.
That's the conclusion
the family has come to, Jan.
None of our business.
We can't control you.
- You have no loyalty to what we stand for.
- Why, what do you mean?
Your father endorses these things,
so you're better with him.
Oh, shut up, will you?
Tell Grandmother I'm sorry, will you?
Oh, never mind.
Oh, you'll be a lot better off
up at the old St. Francis.
- I can't talk. Do you mind, Eddie?
- Oh, no, no.
Oh, that's... That's great. That's great.
Right now I have just you. Nobody else.
No. Whoa, what...?
Oh, that's tough.
Although, I guess I might just as well.
Oh, sure, sure. I would.
All right, go on, get your bets down.
Girl here now. Upstairs, your place.
Jan, Miss Jan.
Jan? When did she come?
Oh, I fix up nice drink,
then come along quick.
- Maybe one, three minutes.
- All right.
Hey, if you're gonna let that dame
come and go as she likes...
...you might as well hang up.
- Look out for things. I may not be back.
- Listen.
Cut it.
Sure. I know who's the boss.
Save it for her.
Boss coming right up.
Oh, he all on fire, glad.
He no like them, nobody,
like him like you.
- Can I depend on that?
- Sure, I watch him.
You know, one time, girl named Nellie
say she like strawberry for breakfast.
All right, I catch a strawberry.
Breakfast time come, no Nellie.
Oh, boss, he cross. Very, very cross.
- So he threw Nellie out, hm?
- Sure, sure.
Oh, boss. I run to market,
catch some strawberry.
All on fire, glad?
Well, how are you?
I'll go into that in a minute
if you'll tell me you're glad to see me.
You are glad, aren't you?
- Think you're quite a gal, don't you?
- It doesn't matter what I think.
Well, you can cut out the kidding, Jan.
You used to get away with that.
I figured it was your language
over my head.
Well, we're gonna talk mine now.
All right, Ace.
Sit down. Take your time.
I made a bargain with my father, Ace. I
didn't know how it was going to turn out.
Well, what was the bargain?
That if he'd stop drinking,
I'd never see you again.
It wasn't easy,
but there wasn't anything else to do.
I had to try.
You thought
you'd take three months in the woods.
- Try to forget about me. I figured that.
- Figured what?
- I told him I wanted to marry you.
- You did what?
- Cut that. Cut it now and leave it lay.
- Cut what?
I suppose he asked you to take it on
the run and get me out of your system.
- Please, don't do that, I don't like it.
- No?
- Got me confused with Nellie, haven't you?
- I haven't got you confused with anybody.
You came here because you wanted to. You
were as crazy about me as I am about you.
- That's right, but why so ugly about it?
- You left me flat, explained nothing.
Because a drunken tramp
said I wasn't good enough.
- Ace, how dare you.
- Sit down and take it and like it.
Listen. There ain't anyone in your tribe
good enough to call me a mongrel.
You must have listened to him or you
wouldn't have left me that way. Flat.
Explain to you why I left you?
But I am beginning to wonder
why I took the trouble.
Oh, yeah? I'll settle all this.
Hello, Bill speaking.
- Get Harrington.
- Should have come straight to me.
Hello?
Hello. Harrington?
Get Tom Wills on the phone.
- Give him my number. Tell him to call me.
- Okay.
- Right away.
- Okay.
You make no more bargains, sweetheart,
with anybody but me.
We get married in the morning.
Wills is a justice of the peace.
- So we're going to get married, eh?
- Yup.
And it'll be just too bad for anybody
that tries to stop this. Just too bad.
Why, the way I love you,
there's nothing left to think about.
It ain't polite,
but it's what you want.
Maybe not everything,
but you could live without the rest.
You can't live without me.
That's why you came back here.
You had to.
That's all marriage is.
Just two people that wanna live together.
You can call the rest just nothing.
You're through.
You're mine and I want you.
That's the kind of a marriage
that I've always dreamed about.
And don't worry about your old man either.
Drunks like that never come back.
- That's consoling.
- That's a break.
He'll stop chasing around in circles.
No man's thinking straight
when his liver's shot.
From now on, you listen to me.
We get married in the morning.
Said he:
"And suddenly
the moonbeams turned to worms...
...and crawled away. "
Yeah, in an hour from now,
you'll change your silly mind about that.
Who was it called you "mongrel"?
The great Stephen Ashe, darling.
The great Stephen Ashe.
Messed his own life.
He'll do the same with yours.
Nice, good boss.
She come back again, huh?
Yup. We're going to be married
in the morning.
Oh, more better. I exceeding happy.
I go get her breakfast. Strawberry?
Yup, we're going to celebrate.
Come on, let's see what's on ice.
Your stuff's still hanging
in the closet, baby.
Make yourself comfortable.
Gee, you look good to me.
How you coming, baby?
Jan?
Jan?
Where are you?
Here I come, boss.
Tomorrow, you get all fixed-up nice wife...
Yeah?
Oh, Wills? Ace. Yeah.
I want you to be ready to marry me
at 10 in the morning.
Yeah.
Well, save the kidding till it's over.
Ten o'clock. Right.
Is that you, Dwight?
Yes, I came as fast as I could.
In case I die, I wanted to see you.
Any reason's good.
- You're not quitting, are you?
- You never can tell.
I'm as weary of the world
as it is of me.
Sit down.
Jan's back.
- How is she?
- I didn't see her.
Helen met her. Insulted her.
She went away. I can't get her back.
- I don't blame her.
- Want me to try?
You love her, don't you?
Nothing but the truth.
I wish I could say no. But I do.
She's a poor little devil, Dwight.
The only Ashe worth a nickel, except me.
And my engine's rusty.
Heigh-ho.
She's had no chance, Dwight.
What can I do?
Marry her.
I'd tie her up and do it
if I thought it would work.
Don't hold anything against her, Dwight.
I don't know anything against her.
Not a thing in the world.
Stephen was too smart.
Too smart.
Come here, nurse, quickly.
Come in.
- Good morning, Eddie.
- Morning, Jan.
I just seen Ace Wilfong.
Coming here?
Can't tell. Maybe they're gonna try
and kidnap somebody, or, you know.
- He's coming up here, Eddie.
- Maybe not.
I just came up to ask
if you'd heard anything about the chief.
You came up here
because you thought Ace was coming.
Oh, no.
You don't have to see him.
It's all right.
Now, wait a minute.
Eddie.
Wait a minute, Eddie.
Shouldn't send a boy to do a man's job.
- I'm sorry, Eddie. Are you hurt?
- It's all right.
Just took me by surprise, that's all.
- All right, you big lug.
- Are you ready?
Go on outside, Eddie. I'll be all right.
I'm staying right here.
No, thanks, Eddie.
Thanks just the same, but I'll
be all right. You go on out.
I'll take a walk with you
anytime you want.
And I'll be right outside.
Ready?
- Ready for what?
- We're getting married.
- Did you forget?
- Take your hands off me.
I was frightened last night.
I was very tired. I had a bad time.
But you can't really frighten me, Ace.
- No?
- No.
Getting kind of ritzy this morning, eh?
I'm not lying to myself about you and me.
I thought I had the right
to do anything I liked.
I didn't know till last night
what I was really doing to myself.
What a beast you were
when the surface was scratched.
I found out that only swine
should travel with swine.
You're talking to the man you love.
It makes me sick
to even hear you say the word.
I've lost the right ever again to think
of what love can be or what it means.
Marry you?
For the rest of my life, can't wash
the filthy mark of you out of my soul.
That's what I think of you.
And now you can go.
Hey, listen. You haven't a chance.
Not a chance. You've gone too far.
Take your hands off me.
I'm not gonna carry you screaming from
the hotel, but you can't get away from me.
I never was as nuts about you
as I am right now.
You can be walking along the street
or out in your car, but I'll get you.
All I'm gonna do now is kiss you.
Hello, wanderer.
Just heard you were back.
Well, we meet again.
How are you?
Little early for a call, I'm afraid...
...but unusual circumstances.
Oh, that's all right.
Mr. Wilfong was just going.
Sure.
Don't kid yourself for long. I'll be back.
- Keep away from me.
- Don't crowd, old man.
Keep your hands off me.
There's a place for those sort of things.
Any idea you're gonna marry him?
No, not the slightest.
- I hope you change your mind about that.
- Is that so?
Well, when I get through,
he won't have the guts to marry you.
Now, let me lay it on the line for you.
She tossed all the ritz overboard
months ago.
She came to my place
and she stayed there, you get that?
- She's mine, she belongs to me.
- That's all you're gonna say.
Yeah? I'll spread the news so high, wide
and handsome you don't dare marry her.
And you'll come crawling back,
like you did last night.
Maybe I'll step out of my class
and give you a break.
Listen, buddy. Take a tip.
Back out. Right now.
If you don't, you won't live long enough
to start the honeymoon.
And I'm not kidding.
Sorry, Jan.
I simply couldn't think.
That's all right.
There wasn't anything to say
or anything to do.
What he said was true.
Jan.
I've come
to take you to your grandmother.
Not just now.
I'm afraid you must.
She...
She's dead.
Take your hat and coat, sir?
Mr. Wilfong here?
Mr. Wilfong? Uh...
- Who shall I say?
- Dwight Winthrop.
The great polo player?
Yes, the great polo player.
I'm sure he'll be glad to see you.
This way.
- Dwight Winthrop wants to talk to you.
- All right, send him in.
Sit down.
This is a good place to talk.
You're not going to talk anymore.
Davenport 2-0-2-0.
Police department.
This is Dwight Winthrop speaking.
I've just killed Ace Wilfong
over a gambling debt.
I'll wait for you here at his place.
Hello, George.
- Hello, Mike.
Take this chair right here, Miss Jan.
Bring out Winthrop, Mac.
Jan, darling, don't cry.
There's so little to say, isn't there?
Except...
...I love you.
You ought to hate me.
I wish you did.
I'm not worth what you've done.
I wish I'd killed him.
Then I'd be here and not you.
I knew what I was doing.
It had to be done.
Oh, I love you.
I love you as much as I despise myself.
And that's an awful lot.
Oh, Jan, you have nothing
to feel badly about.
The world's better
with that fellow out of it.
I can't let things drift and go on.
Why, this may be
the end of everything for you.
- I can't stand it, I can't.
- Here, darling. Please, please, darling.
Sweetheart.
You've gotta live,
clean and fine as you always have.
- Lf only my father...
- He couldn't do anything.
I killed him deliberately
for a gambling debt.
- Oh, no, no.
- Yes, yes.
There'll be nothing else in court but that.
But, you know...
...he could always do something.
All right. Time's up.
Time for little boys to go to bed.
Tomorrow, sweetheart.
All my heart, please believe me.
Everything.
All right, you tyrant.
Say, what...?
Well, what's the idea, you following me?
Beat it.
Mike?
Ladies and gentlemen,
there's very little for you to deliberate.
All the evidence before you
points to deliberate murder.
There are no other circumstances.
You have no alternative
except to bring in a verdict on the facts.
And the most important fact
is that the defendant confessed...
...he killed Ace Wilfong
for a gambling debt.
There never was a more cold-blooded,
deliberate crime than this.
The penalty
does not enter into the question at all.
And I ask you to return a verdict
for murder in the first degree.
Thank you.
If Your Honor please...
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...
...as attorney for the defense...
...I have not been able to do anything.
My client has confessed.
- The facts speak for themselves.
Quiet. Quiet, please.
- Will Your Honor pardon me?
Surely.
Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen.
What is it, Stephen?
If Your Honor please...
...I have been informed that there is
more to this case than has been revealed.
There is additional testimony.
I now ask permission
to reopen the case for the defense...
...and to associate Stephen Ashe
as counsel for my client.
I object, Your Honor.
The case is closed.
It has been properly tried.
They want to wreck the dignity
of procedure...
...and turn this courtroom into
a playground for mountebanks.
If Your Honor please,
my worthy opponent has lost his temper.
His record of convictions has been greater
during the absence of Ashe.
I object too.
The case has been put before you.
There can be nothing gained by further...
I have been embarrassed
enough by this case.
- I repeat my request.
- Very well, proceed.
- I object to this unorthodox procedure.
- Court should neglect no evidence.
Mr. Johnson, do you want time
to prepare this new evidence?
No.
- Lf Your Honor please...
...Mr. Ashe is ready to go ahead
with the case immediately.
If it please Your Honor...
...the prosecution
has called me a mountebank.
That's a matter of opinion.
But this is far from being a playground.
As a matter of fact, I'm so ill
that the very effort of talking at all...
...is all that I can endure.
I merely mention this...
...to let you know the importance
of the occasion that brings me here.
However, I am very grateful to you
for your courtesy.
- Proceed, Mr. Ashe.
- I'm only going to call one witness.
I'm going to prove
that this killing was done...
...in a fit of temporary insanity.
The determination of the defendant...
...when he came to his senses...
...to say "gambling debt,"
"gambling debt" and nothing else...
...is one of the finest things
I have ever heard of, in life or fiction.
- Lf Your Honor please...
The decision will rest on facts.
Call your witness.
Jan Ashe.
I protest.
Nothing can make the slightest difference.
We must allow your attorneys
to conduct the case. No interruptions.
Don't you see? Whatever good
I did will be shot to pieces.
You'll just make a lot of talk I've
avoided. You can't change anything.
Son, don't you see?
My hands are bleeding
where the spikes have been driven through.
Now, now.
Will you take the stand, please,
Miss Ashe?
Raise your right hand.
Do you swear the evidence you give
will be the whole truth, so help you God?
- I do.
- State your name.
- Jan Ashe.
- Take the stand, please.
- Where do you live?
- St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco.
On the day of the killing,
did you see Ace Wilfong?
- Yes, I did.
- Where?
St. Francis Hotel. He came there.
Tell us exactly what happened,
in your own way.
- He'd been very brutal the night before...
- I object, Your Honor.
It's all right, I'm not trying to juggle
with this witness, Your Honor.
Objection sustained.
All right, strike out the answer
about Wilfong's brutality.
Can you remember my question, Jan?
He came to the hotel quite drunk.
He said that arrangements had been made
to get married.
- You and Wilfong?
- Yes.
- And you refused?
- Yes.
- How did you refuse?
- I told him what a beast he was.
I object, Your Honor.
Ace Wilfong is not on trial.
Objection sustained.
Try and remember what was said, Jan.
You refused, and he said what?
He threatened me.
This is theatrical, emotional.
- Overruled. Proceed.
- He said what, Jan?
He said,
"You haven't got a chance to get away.
You may be in your car, you may be walking
on the street, but I'll get you. "
- And then what happened?
- Then he tried to kiss me against my will.
It was at this moment that the defendant,
Dwight Winthrop, came into the room?
- Yes.
- What was your relation to the defendant?
We'd been engaged.
Was it true that he, the defendant,
was very deeply in love with you?
Yes.
Can you recall what Wilfong said
to the defendant?
- Your Honor...
Quiet.
- There's nothing to be gained by this...
Quiet. Quiet.
- He told Dwight...
- I object.
Quiet.
- Jan, you mustn't. Please, you must...
He told Dwight Winthrop
I'd gone to his place and stayed there...
...that I belonged to him.
And then what happened?
- He said I'd either marry...
- You mustn't...
Wilfong said?
Yes. Or he'd see that everybody knew
I wasn't fit to marry anyone.
And is that all he said?
He said
if Dwight Winthrop ever married me...
...that he wouldn't live long enough
to start the honeymoon.
- Then he left.
- What did the defendant say?
Nothing. He was... He was stunned.
He... He took me to my grandmother's.
He stayed there a while and then he left.
- And he had nothing further to say?
- Nothing.
- When did you next see the defendant?
- After the arrest.
Ah. And where was your father
during all this?
I don't know.
Was there anyone in all the
world during this terrible time...
...that you could turn to,
except the defendant, Dwight Winthrop?
I object, Your Honor.
This is not evidence.
Your witness.
So the bad man threatened to kidnap you,
did he?
Oh, I'm not trying to blame Ace Wilfong.
I have no right to and I don't want to.
I'll thank you, Miss Ashe...
...if you'll answer my questions
in a straightforward manner.
- Did he threaten to kidnap you?
- Yes, he did.
Was he truthful when he said
you went to his place and stayed there?
Yes.
Did he kidnap you
the first time you went there and stayed?
- No.
- You went because you wanted to?
Yes.
Over how long a period did you go to
his place and stay because you wanted to?
Several months.
- You've been to school?
- Yes.
- Good American schools?
- Yes.
And you were over 21
when you went to Wilfong...
...and belonged to him, weren't you?
- Yes.
And he became a beast...
...after you were through and he wasn't,
isn't that it?
- Your Honor, I object to this bullying.
- I am through.
If it please Your Honor... Jan.
Your Honor,
I've served here a good many years.
I crave some latitude...
...so the jury may fix the responsibility
for this crime where it belongs.
Say it.
Jan, my child...
...you never knew your mother, did you?
No, she died when I was born.
You never had any guidance
from anyone but your father, had you?
No.
Was there very great affection
between you and your father?
Oh, very great. There still is.
I think he's the most wonderful man
in the world.
Had you complete, absolute faith
in his teachings and his point of view?
Yes, of course, always.
And did he find you
in Ace Wilfong's place?
Yes.
- What time of day was it?
- Late at night.
Up to this time...
...had he ever criticized your friendship
with this man?
No, he had not.
Had he ever given you any advice
or warning about it at all?
Why, he didn't think it was necessary.
And this night that he found you there,
was he able to protect you?
To fight for you?
To help you in any way at all?
- Yes or no?
- Why, no.
Why not?
Was it because he was so drunk
that he couldn't protest...
...or help you in any way?
Oh, please don't. Please stop.
My father taught me
to stand on my own feet.
That's all, nothing else.
Just not to be a coward.
I ask to define the nature of evidence.
If I got smashed up, it's my fault,
nobody else's.
I knew what I was doing.
My life was my own affair.
I'm not trying to blame anybody
for anything at all.
Jan, dear.
That's all.
Your Honor...
...ladies and gentlemen.
The attorney for the prosecution has,
in a few vicious moments...
...wiped out the feeling
I've tried to give you...
...that this crime might have been done
without cold, deliberate premeditation.
But, my friends...
...I'm not tearing my very heart out
here before you...
...nor the heart of this child
that I love above all things in the world.
I'm not doing that...
...without the valid hope that it's
going to help you in doing justice.
There's not one atom of the brutal
evidence that I brought out...
...that the defendant didn't know.
How much he loves this girl,
you know by now.
He was going to the gallows
with his lips sealed.
But, my friends, I can't have that.
I'm going to ask you
to listen with your hearts.
Dwight Winthrop knew
that from the cradle on...
...through all her years...
...Jan Ashe listened to one mentor,
only one.
Her father.
Dwight Winthrop knew this too:
That she placed no moral value
on this ugly thing...
...until the result and the punishment
threatened the rest of her life.
You who have sons...
...should pray that they might have the
nobility and kindness of this young man.
And you who have daughters
must believe with him...
...that she was not to blame.
It was through her father
that she met this gambler, this beast.
Her father
endorsed this unholy friendship.
And when this man
threatened the rest of her life...
...this father wasn't there
to protect his daughter.
All this, Dwight Winthrop knew.
All this was caught in the whirlpool
of his love.
The poor boy went insane.
And he's not guilty of cold,
deliberate murder.
There's only one breast...
...that you can surely pin the
responsibility of this crime on.
Only one.
Stephen Ashe is guilty, and nobody else.
Stephen Ashe.
Your Honor...
...I...
Quiet. Quiet.
Oh, please, help.
No.
Please change your mind, Jan, don't go.
If I were only sure
that it would make you happy always.
I'm sure, Jan.
Wait a little while, darling.
I'll be in New York, working at something.
I'll follow you there.
If you ever do...
...I'll follow you to the ends of the earth.
- That's a date.
- Pardon me, sir.
The secret of my success
is never say die.