Pennies from Heaven (1981) Movie Script
Joan.
Joanie, sugar?
Come on, Joan.
Sugar?
-Wake up, baby.
-No, Arthur, don't.
-Oh, baby. Come on, sugar.
-No. It's too early, Arthur.
-Oh, Joanie, wake up.
-I'm not awake.
Arthur, there isn't time.
-There's always time for this, Joan.
-No. Stop it. Arthur, no. Don't.
I said, no!
Why not? Why not, Joan?
You said you wanted to get away early.
That's what you said.
You never want to, do you? Never.
-Fix the coffee, will you, darling?
-Goddamn coffee.
-Arthur.
-Listen, Joan, don't you understand?
I'm going to be away from home
for four days and nights.
-There's no need to swear, is there?
-That's not much of a cuss.
I don't think it's very nice, Arthur,
especially in your own home.
You don't give me a chance.
You gotta give me a chance.
I don't know what you mean, Arthur.
I wouldn't go all that way
without breakfast. You must eat, sweetie.
I like feeling empty.
You know you don't. What funny things
you say in one of your moods.
I'm empty, Joan.
Nothing inside me. Nothing at all.
Oh, what, Arthur? Not even a song?
Not a teeny-weeny little tune?
I keep them songs in my bag,
not in my heart.
And in your head.
That fella at the bank yesterday said he
didn't reckon there was a fella in Chicago...
...who knew more about songs that sell
than me.
-Did he say that?
-He said, "Borrow what you like.
A fella like you is no risk.
No risk at all."
-Is that true, Arthur?
-And I said, "I don't want it.
My wife's got some cash,
and she'll support me."
We need that money, Arthur,
for our old age.
No. We need it now, Joan.
Honey, I'm a good salesman.
I can pick the right songs.
-Jesus Christ almighty.
-Don't blaspheme.
Corn to the left of you,
corn to the right...
...and the storekeepers are dumb and windy
as my old granny's asshole.
-Arthur.
-Well...
...your hick storekeeper cusses a lot,
believe me.
My daddy didn't. Not ever.
Yeah, but your daddy used to sing
in the church choir.
He was more a Christian
than a storekeeper.
He might overcharge you,
but he said his prayers.
Honey.
He would want you
to use that money he left you.
Money he worked hard for all his life
to save for a rainy day?
It's raining. Pouring.
Oh, cheer up, Arthur.
You won't sell anything without a smile.
-Arthur!
-Make me happy, Joan.
It'd really be nice, huh?
Down here on the floor?
Joan, look.
I want to show you something, Joan.
-Stop! Arthur!
-Birds do it. Bees do it.
Little birdies in the trees do it.
It was just a thought.
A very peculiar thought, Arthur.
Don't you ever listen to the words...
...in the songs?
In these songs?
That's not real life.
Real life?
You tell me what real life is.
It's a bowl of dog biscuits.
There's nothing wrong with that,
if you're a dog.
That's what you want.
You want a goddamn poodle.
Not a man. Not a real man!
-Don't be silly, Arthur.
-Well, I'll tell you this...
...this is one old dog
who ain't coming back to the kennel.
What do you mean, Arthur?
Three guesses.
Arthur?
A thousand dollars.
What on earth do you want
with $ 1000, Mr. Parker?
-I want more capital for my business.
-Selling sheet music?
Yeah, songs, on commission.
I got a bad territory, see...
...East Central Illinois.
God help me.
I want to muscle in on Indianapolis
as well, you get me?
Yes. With all such large sums of money...
...the question of adequate collateral
cannot be evaded.
-Pardon?
-Well, you see...
...your wife has a deposit account
at this branch.
That's hers. That is separate.
Her dad willed her that.
-Lf that could be put up as collateral--
-Don't you goddamn understand?
Really, Mr. Parker...
...that sort of language
won't help one little bit.
What will help, then? You tell me.
-That's what I've been trying to--
-Without dragging in my wife's cash.
Which represents the only chance
of your getting a loan...
...of the size of which you are proposing.
What about this, then?
This is what you sell things with.
It's what's up here that matters.
I know the kind of songs that sell.
I got an instinct, and I get 30 percent
of every song sheet I push to the retailer.
Nearly.
Well, nearly 30 percent of 10 cents.
What's the good of setting up
your own business in America today?
Times are hard.
The Depression is still with us.
And why?
Because of dry rot, that's why.
Salesmanship made this country great,
and salesmanship will keep us great.
Dry rot. That's what's doing
the damage. Dry rot.
That's the stuff you've got
between your ears, pal.
Good day, Parker.
What'd you yell?
Me?
I didn't--
-I didn't holler nothing, sir.
-Anything.
I didn't holler anything.
No. Nor me, sir.
Come on. Get in.
-Bring your case.
-Oh, thank you.
-No extra charge.
-Thanks a million.
Too fast for you, buddy?
Nice, this...
...vehicle.
Not bad.
I wish....
Wish what?
I...
...wish I had one.
Hey, what's in that case?
-Piano.
-Oh, right, I should have known. A piano.
Piano accordion.
Yeah?
You can play it?
It's my living.
Oh, no. I think I know what I can
and can't sell in my own store, Mr. Parker.
You sure do. I wouldn't try
to tell you what you could sell--
-lf there is a demand for "Desert Moon"--
-"Prairie Moon." "Prairie Moon," sir.
-This is a great, great song, sir.
-Lf, I can just call the wholesaler, right?
And wait a week? Whereas
if you take a dozen now, you'll be ready...
...when they come in that door
asking for the--
One moment, please.
-Can I help you, ma'am?
-I wonder--
You see, I'm looking for part songs
for a children's choir.
Yes, I believe I have one back here.
It's not here, I'm afraid,
but I'm sure I can get it for you, Mrs....
Miss. Miss Everson.
-I want it for the children in my class.
-Could you give me an address?
Miss Eileen Everson...
...care of Lincoln Junior School.
Very good, Miss Everson.
I'll see what I can do. Have a nice day.
You know what she needs, don't you?
Just sign for what you have ordered.
Don't talk about a lady like that.
Thank you. Thank you very,
very much, folks. Thank you.
Thank you, folks.
Thank you very, very much.
Thank you, folks.
Thank you very, very much.
It was very nice.
-Pardon, lady?
-It was nice.
-A nice hymn.
-Oh, shall I...
...play you another one?
-"The Old Rugged Cross"?
-No, thank you very much.
I'll play "The Old Rugged Cross."
No.
Hello, Father.
-Come on, Eileen.
-Yes, Father.
Let's go, boy.
Shut up, you fool.
How long is it since you ate?
I eat here...
-...and there.
-Now and then is more like it.
Ain't you hungry, mister?
Oh, I'm hungry, all right.
Didn't you like it?
When you think about things...
...before you go to sleep at night...
...when your head is still....
No, I don't want it.
You can have it.
And good luck to you, buddy.
Where do you sleep tonight, buddy?
Did you hear what I said?
Alley.
What?
Where I was playing...
...there...
...was an alley.
There was a girl.
Wasn't there? Gave you some money
just before we came in here.
Yeah.
She was beautiful.
The way she held her head.
The way she walked.
It's funny how one look can--
What are you grinning at?
She...
-...gave me a dime.
-Is that all you got?
Didn't nobody else put nothing
in the hat?
-No.
-You can't live on a dime.
You're doing worse than me.
Here.
Here's a quarter.
Go on, take it, Rockefeller. Feel rich.
God bless you.
-Bless you.
-Cut it out!
-What are you, a goddamn pansy?
-I'm sorry, mister.
-Sleep on the sidewalk, for all I care.
-Mister--
Don't be scared.
Who are you?
-What are you doing?
-Eileen.
What do you want?
-How do you know my name?
-Eileen.
-Go away. Leave me alone.
-Oh, don't. Oh, please. Please?
I've seen you...
...in the music store.
There's a song.
Like in the song.
What?
They tell the truth. Songs do.
Stay where you are, please.
I overheard you say you were a teacher.
I asked some of the kids where you lived.
Why?
I've been looking for you.
All my life, I've been looking
for you, Miss Everson.
I don't understand.
You've been in my head, Eileen...
...and in my heart...
...in my soul.
I want to talk to you.
Please...
...let me talk with you.
Eileen!
Who's that?
My brother.
I gotta talk to you.
Eileen, come here!
I don't even know who you are.
Arthur.
I'm Arthur...
...and I love you.
We're never gonna get out
of this Depression.
The hours I put in, door-to-door,
for nothing, peanuts...
...selling what is a very good set
of brushes.
-It's the goddamn territory.
-They just slam the door in your face.
Yeah, it's the territory.
There's no doubt about it.
We'd all be smarter bumming the roads.
What do you say, Arthur?
Hard times, ain't it, Arthur?
I'm sorry. What'd you say?
-I don't suppose you're doing too well.
-Not doing very well?
Hey, wake up, old buddy.
I'm doing very well.
Very, very well, indeed-y.
-Heading for the cuckoo house, are you?
-Me?
No chance.
I'll tell you guys something.
Everybody who ever lived in the entire
history of these here United States...
...would want to be me
if they knew what I felt like inside.
-What's wrong?
-That's the trouble with you guys.
You walk around with dirt and ash
in your eyeballs.
You just can't begin to see
what a fantastic world it is we live in.
Come on, get your goddamn chins up
off the floor.
It's beautiful.
It is.
Shining.
The whole place is shining.
Can't you see it?
Don't you feel it?
-Sounds like a crate of eggs to me.
-Sliced bologna, more like it.
Yeah, it would to you, Ed, wouldn't it?
What do you mean?
Because you don't know
the young lady in question, do you?
It's impossible to explain.
Not the sort of thing
you can put into words.
Oh, yes, it is.
Did you get your hand up her skirt, Arthur?
You lay her in the back seat?
Has she got big tits?
-Son of a bitch!
-Hey, easy! Easy! Come on!
Hey, he was kidding!
Everything I've ever dreamed of,
hoped for or longed for...
...everything deep inside me...
...here in my heart.
She's everything.
"And so the handsome prince
stepped out from the trees...
...and looked up at the tiny window
at the top of the tall, tall tower...
...that had no door.
'Rapunzel, Rapunzel,' he called.
'Let down your hair.'
And thinking it was the old witch...
...Rapunzel let down her hair.
Long, shining, golden hair...
...all the way down, down, down
to the ground."
And....
-And then....
-The prince climbed up.
Just as he had seen the old witch do.
"But when he came to the window,
Rapunzel stepped back in fear.
Oh, my, she was scared.
She had never seen a man before."
Oh, yes, some of you boys can laugh.
But his face was so nice...
...and his eyes were so kind...
...and his voice was so gentle.
Quiet!
Oh, no, it's Mr. Warner.
Never have I heard such a commotion!
Where on earth do you think you are,
a fairground?
Come here, boy.
Put out your hands.
Mr. Warner.
One word...
...one sound, that's all.
One further sound from any one of you...
...and....
And tonight I want you to study your
spelling because you missed that word.
-Spell "blue."
-B-L-U-E.
All right, now you study.
Good afternoon.
Bye.
Hello.
Hello.
I hope you don't mind...
...but I had to see you again,
Miss Everson.
I don't mind.
I thought maybe a little drive?
I could take you home.
That would be very nice.
Your carriage awaits, madame.
I haven't offended you, I hope.
I'm not very at ease with people.
Men, I mean.
That's all right, honey.
I got enough moxie for both of us.
You won't tell lies, will you?
Arthur?
Not if I can help it.
And you're not married, are you?
Do I look like a married man?
I even got a hole in my sock.
Sometimes....
-What's the matter?
-I feel as if I'm suffocating in this house.
I don't feel I can stick it out much longer.
I know what you mean.
Oh, they're good, my family, really.
They're good. It's just that...
...since my mother died...
...things aren't the same anymore,
and we're all very different...
...from each other.
It's hard to believe
that fella's your brother.
Really? In what way?
Well, there's something delicate
about you, Eileen.
I mean, it's not--
It's....
I don't know how to say it.
It's something hesitating.
Not in that way. It's more like--
I don't know.
It's not any one thing.
It's everything all together.
Especially when you look sideways.
Do I look sideways?
Oh, no. I mean, not exactly sideways.
No, I mean...
...you ain't got a squint or anything.
You don't see two of me.
But I wouldn't mind seeing two of you.
My wife says--
Arthur.
God rest her soul.
Arthur.
That's why I hate motorcycles.
You mean...?
Oh, God. When I think about it....
It was three years ago last...
...Tuesday.
The senseless waste!
Her broken, young body.
Arthur. Don't cry, Arthur. Don't.
Don't, Arthur. Don't.
She was looking
in a butcher shop's window.
She knew how I liked lamb chops.
And then...
...this motorcycle, out of control.
-Arthur--
-Oh, Eileen.
-No, Arthur. No, l--
-Oh, Eileen.
-Arthur, no.
-Oh, Eileen.
This is the first time I've felt anything
since that day.
No, I'm scared.
I never--
Arthur, I never--
Oh, Eileen, take the pain away.
Oh, please.
Take the pain away, Eileen.
Please. Please.
I'll try. I'll try.
I'll try, Arthur. I'll try.
Arthur.
Poor Arthur. Poor....
Arthur?
No, it's Dracula.
Oh, thank God you've come back.
You trying to be funny?
-I thought you'd gone forever.
-I have. I've gone.
-What do I get here in that bed of nails?
-I'll try again, Arthur. I'll try harder.
I've even--
I've even put lipstick on.
What do you mean?
You always put lipstick on.
No, I mean, l--
I put it on my....
What, on your--?
On your nipples, Joanie?
Have you?
You said you wanted me to.
How'd you know
I was coming back tonight?
I've been putting it on
every night, Arthur...
...hoping...
...praying that you'd come back to me.
Let me see.
Show me, angel.
-Oh, I see. Still the same after all.
-No, Arthur. No, not the same.
But...
-...I'm shy.
-Jesus Christ, I'm your husband, Joan.
You was listening.
All the time.
Oh, jeepers, Joanie.
What lovely, lovely little rosebuds.
Are they--?
Are they as nice as hers?
What do you mean?
It's just something l--
I felt it, Arthur.
-Well, you're wrong.
-Arthur?
Wrong. Wrong.
May almighty God strike me dead
on this spot.
But you have wanted to?
Wanting to...
...is not the same as doing it.
Tell me why you want to, Arthur.
You know, I heard a true story
the other day.
In a band, a dance band they were...
-...this man and this woman singer, they--
-Arthur.
Well, they gave the elevator operator
a $20 bill...
...to stop the elevator
between floors...
...and turn his back.
-Why?
-So they could make love in the elevator.
Well, then they are animals, Arthur,
and you know they are.
Are they, Joan?
Are they?
Well, it's disgusting.
I wish....
You wish what, Arthur?
I wish....
-I wish I could play the saxophone.
-What, Arthur?
What are you doing, Arthur?
I was pretending.
But what?
And why?
That I got my own dance band.
Go and wash it off, will you?
What?
The lipstick.
No, I won't wash it off.
See, Joan? A little capital
and a little affection...
...that's all a guy needs. That's all America
needs, some capital and some caring.
My own store, selling records.
That's where the money is today.
But it'll be risky.
Wouldn't it make more sense--?
You won't let me down, will you?
You said. You promised.
Oh, no, I've agreed.
You can use Daddy's money.
It's amazing what a bit of lipstick will do
in the right place, eh, Joanie?
Yes.
You won't regret it.
I won't walk out on you again.
I love you, Joan.
I really do love you, doll.
What'd you say?
Nothing, Arthur.
I got the biggest turkey. It was so great.
-Bye, Miss Everson. Happy Thanksgiving.
-Happy Thanksgiving.
-Bye, Miss Everson. I'll see you Monday.
-Steady, there.
-Sorry, sir. L--
-Look where you're going, boy.
Yes, sir.
That one.
I haven't looked at it--
I mean, looked at it...
...for almost 30 years,
when I taught this class.
January, snowing.
February, rain.
March, with winds a-blowing.
April, sun again.
May, a world of flowers.
June, with dancing leaves.
July, long, lazy hours--
Dr. Bartholomen
is on the school board, isn't he?
He's told you about my condition,
hasn't he?
He asked me to contemplate the picture
of Miss Everson, the teacher...
...and her illegitimate baby.
Yes.
I am not, I hope,
a blasphemous man, Eileen...
...but I often think the picture of Eve we are
given in Genesis is not altogether a fair one.
Indeed, when I look about...
...and even into my own heart...
...I think it is much, much more likely
it was Adam who offered the fruit to Eve.
Yes.
Please, do you think I could stay
until the end of the month?
-Please don't be offended.
-No, don't do that.
It's a very hard world out there. You'll need
more than you think. Now, please.
Please be sensible.
Take it.
Mr. Warner...
...I'll always remember this.
Good afternoon, my dear.
Oh, Arthur.
Where are you?
Come on, come on.
Where are they all?
What am I doing?
What am I doing?
Good afternoon, miss.
Who's there?
No, you don't know me. L--
Is anything the matter?
Nothing's the matter.
What do you want?
My car's just down the road there.
See it? I just stopped for a rest.
You can't see, can you?
Not really.
No.
Isn't it dangerous...
...walking like this?
-I mean, this ground is--
-No. I come here every day.
I know my way.
Oh, you live near, do you, miss?
The house over there...
...behind the bridge.
Do you need someone to walk
with you, miss?
-That's very kind, but l--
-It's no bother.
I'm driving from Chicago to Galena...
...and I could do with a stretch of the legs.
Be a privilege.
No, thank you.
Goodbye.
I'll never forget this.
Not ever.
I think you're the most beautiful
young lady I've ever seen!
Please excuse me saying that.
I couldn't help it.
Take care!
Take good care of yourself.
I haven't been able to get down this way.
Business, you know.
Why not, Arthur?
Don't let's talk like this, Eileen.
What way shall we talk, then, Arthur?
I don't want to talk at all.
What do you want to do, Arthur?
Kiss you.
Is that all?
-To tell you the truth, I haven't stopped--
-Yes, the truth.
Please tell me the truth.
Are you married, Arthur?
What do you want to go
and ask me that for?
Do you think you could make us
a cup of--?
Don't you do that, or you'll set me off.
What have you got to cry about, Arthur?
I don't know,
but it feels like everything.
I'm going to have a baby.
How do you know?
I mean, is that definite?
Quite definite.
What are you gonna do?
There's nothing very much I can do.
-What are you going to do?
-Me?
-What the hell am I going to do?
-You can write down your address.
-What?
-Don't worry, I won't mess you up.
-I've lost my job and I've got to leave home.
-Oh, god.
Oh, Christ.
And if I really do need help...
...Arthur...
...won't you?
I'll do what I can, Eileen.
I believed you, Arthur.
Silly me.
I believed myself.
Yes, I know you did.
You mean, you understand?
My God, I think you really do.
I wanted you, you see.
-Did you?
-Oh, yes.
And you still do, don't you?
You still do.
-I still do.
-I never in all my life!
I've never heard a woman talk like that,
just like that.
It's not decent, is it?
God, it's--
It's marvelous.
But....
But what? But what, Eileen?
But you went away.
Yeah.
So....
That's that, then, isn't it?
Say we was married, me and you.
-Lf pigs had wings.
-No, no, just say we was.
-Well?
-There's a story.
-Mind if I smoke?
-No.
-You want one?
-No.
In a band...
...this man and woman singer, they--
Arthur, what has this got to do
with being married?
Just a minute. A minute.
At the hotel
where they were playing, see...
...they gave the elevator operator
a $20 bill...
...to stop the elevator between floors...
...and turn his back.
Do people do things like that?
-Like what, Eileen?
-Well...
...make love in an elevator.
You mean, like kissing?
Oh, is that all?
Oh, Eileen! Eileen! That's a good girl!
You knew what I was talking about.
Would you ever do that?
What they did?
Between which floors, Arthur?
What are you doing?
Who's there?
It's only me, lady.
Are you hungry?
Do you--?
Do you want some food?
Here.
-You can have it.
-Leave me alone.
Here, you can--
You can--
-I was-- I was--
-Leave me alone!
-Has anybody notified the relatives?
-Should we get the ambulance?
-No comment, boys.
-We gotta go to press in half an hour.
Is there a suspect, sir?
What was her name, lieutenant?
Nobody saw the crime?
-What was the cause of death?
-Come on, give us an answer.
Over here with the cameras, boys.
Illinois 9-3-7-5-6-8.
9-3-7-5-6-8.
Lieutenant?
Jesus Christ!
Arthur, what is it? What's happened?
I've seen a message.
What are you talking about?
Where have you been?
I gotta change.
Gotta be good.
Arthur....
Put your arms around me, Joan.
Oh, God, please put your arms around me.
Excuse me.
Yes?
How much is a glass of lemonade?
It's been so long since I sold one,
I don't know.
-For you, 2 cents.
-Yes, I'll have a glass of lemonade.
Please.
You sure you came
to the right place, sweetie?
Have a drop of gin in that, honey.
-Pardon?
-A nice drink for a lady, gin and lemonade.
-Leave her alone, Tom.
-I'm only offering to pay for it, ain't I?
The one's on the house, honey.
Just drink it down and go home
like a good little girl.
It tastes like poison.
Then don't have another.
Some girls it doesn't suit.
Never know what you like till you try it.
That's true.
What do you want to do to me?
-You must be kidding.
-Then can you lend me 5 dollars?
-Lend you? You are kidding.
-No. I'll give it to you back.
We'll think about it.
There's no hurry, right?
No.
Caught a little short?
Sort of.
Yes.
That's nothing to be ashamed of, baby.
Not nowadays.
What's your name?
Lulu.
That's a very nice name.
I don't like it.
It makes me sound cheap.
Nobody would ever say that, Lulu.
Hey, come here. Come here.
Now, look at that big,
fat whore over there.
That's what I call cheap.
Who are you looking at?
You okay?
-I feel a little sick.
-Here, take a chair.
How much you had to eat today?
Nothing.
A girl who looks like you
shouldn't go hungry.
You're very nice looking, Lulu.
Thank you.
What'd you come in this place for?
Did you think some guy's gonna give you
a fin just like that, for nothing?
-No.
-Nowadays?
That's almost a week's pay for some girls.
-Yes.
-I mean, you gotta give something back...
...in return, don't you?
-Yes.
-I mean--
Yes!
I know how you feel.
-Do you?
-I can imagine.
I'm not such a bad guy
when you come right down to it.
Are you married?
Yes, I thought you were.
Been around, haven't you?
I've had dozens.
So, what's all the fuss about?
It's no fuss...
...baby.
Yeah.
Get me another.
You're not a tease, are you?
A tease?
Because I'll cut your face.
I'd like another drink.
Please?
Certainly, darling.
-Same again?
-Yes, please.
Oh, Arthur.
Joan.
Joan?
Nobody's buying, Joan.
Nobody.
I made a mistake.
I lost all--
Hi, sweetie.
-Want a nice time?
-No, I like feeling miserable.
Just around the corner, honey.
Show you a real good time.
-Come on, baby.
-All right. All right.
All right.
Okay.
Eileen.
My God, what are you doing here?
Arthur.
Oh, Arthur,
you are such a bastard.
Put yourself in my shoes, Eileen.
Oh, I have.
And I know I can't rely on you, Arthur.
-Not for anything.
-That's right, blame it all on me.
-Oh, Arthur--
-I know, I know.
I can hear myself say things sometimes.
God, I'm a washout.
What about the baby?
What's happened?
It's been gotten rid of.
This guy paid to get rid of it.
He bought me clothes...
...and now he says I owe him $200,
and if I don't get it--
God, why is it so--?
Why can't the world--?
Because that's the way it is.
But I want to live in a world
where the songs come true.
There must be someplace
where them songs are for real.
"Happy Days Are Here Again."
Is that it, Arthur?
-Where the hell is this place?
-It's right here.
-Phonograph records.
-Hundreds and hundreds.
Any dance tune you can name.
Any good dance tune. I'll tell you--
Dance tunes don't help, Arthur.
What am I gonna do?
Can't you go back home?
No.
I was already dead there.
This way feels like dying,
but I can see everything...
...feel everything.
Do you understand?
Did you--?
Did you like doing it...
...for money?
It wasn't as bad
as I thought it was gonna be.
My God, you're something.
We're the same sort, you and me.
-We ought to stick together.
-But I can't rely on you, Arthur.
-Listen to me.
-I am, I am. Very carefully.
I'll tell you, I'm choking to death.
I should have hung on to you,
no matter what.
I wanted my own record store.
I know, I know. It's enough
to make a goddamn cat laugh.
Arthur, you'll never be satisfied.
-Not somebody like you.
-Don't say that.
You're like the children in my class.
But you're still sweet on me, ain't you?
You still want me.
Huh, Eileen?
Tell the truth.
Yes, I do.
And I'll go anywhere with you
or do anything with you.
I've burned all my bridges, Arthur.
I'm not going home, not walking the street,
and I'll be damned if I go hungry.
Lulu I am, Lulu I stay.
So, what are we gonna do?
The trouble is, I'm hard up.
I can always pick up some money.
-Now I know how.
-I haven't got my car anymore.
We'll get another one, one day.
What?
Just go?
Just go and leave everything?
Just like that?
Just like that.
All right.
Then let's get out of here, shall we?
Yeah!
Wait! Hang on a minute.
-What are you doing?
-"Yabba Dabba Honeymoon" !
"Me and My Shadow" !
-"Dancing With My Shadow" !
-What are you doing?!
-"On the Sunny Side of the Street" !
-What are you doing?!
"Dancing With Tears in My Eyes" !
-"Pennies From Heaven" !
-Wait! Not that one! Not that one!
-Not that one!
-Get off me! Get off.
-What's that?
-Don't--
-He's dead, isn't he? Murdered.
-Nothing like that.
Please listen. Your husband left his store
at close of business...
...went to a bar in the neighborhood.
He was later seen by a reliable witness
to return to his store.
Was somebody with him?
He was with a young lady.
Well, when I say "lady...."
Go on.
We've been piecing things together,
Mrs. Parker...
...and I'm sorry,
but this woman was a prostitute.
-You mean, she went there to--?
-Yes, ma'am.
He was like that?
How do you mean?
I mean, was he disturbed
in any way about anything?
Was he odd, restless, nuts?
Has he done something?
Is that why you took his shoe?
Please think.
Was he acting strange in any way?
He made me...
...wear lipstick.
So?
No.
On the--
On the...
-...points of my bosom.
-Oh, well.
Well, that's....
And...
...he asked me if I would....
No, no, no, Mrs. Parker.
Please, please go on.
If I would stop wearing
a certain garment...
...a certain...
...item of underwear.
Was this an upper...
...or a lower garment?
A lower.
What?
Lower.
Mrs. Parker...
...about six weeks ago,
can you think back...
...your husband traveled back to Chicago
along Illinois Route 1.
He--
Oh, that must have been the night....
I remember it now.
He said, "I gotta change.
I gotta be good."
He's gotta be good, huh?
The hell.
Cut his thing off.
I want them to cut his thing off
and bury it.
-I'm sick of being poor.
-Hey, I'll find something soon.
-Maybe tomorrow, huh?
-Yeah...
-...maybe.
-Jesus Christ, Eileen...
...you're beginning
to sound like my wife.
I'm not surprised, poor woman.
What is it about women?
Do your mothers teach it to you or what?
I hardly ever knew my mother, poor soul.
She worked her fingers to the bone,
and for what?
Life with a stove and a washtub and--
Oh, what's the use?
She was dead at 45.
We only got one life, Arthur.
And I was content with mine.
I didn't even think about it,
just accepted it.
But you changed all that.
You killed off my old life.
That's right, blame me.
No, no.
I'm glad you did.
When you made love to me...
...I saw things differently.
I had to get away.
I had to see something else...
...something more.
I want nice things, Arthur.
You'll have them, honey.
I don't want to wait.
There isn't time.
-Don't say that.
-No, there isn't.
I know there isn't.
Don't ask me how, I just know.
What's happening?
Where are you going?
Are the seams on my stockings straight?
You got terrific legs, baby.
Let's hope so.
-Hey, what are you gonna do?
-Get some dough.
Eileen!
Look, will you listen to me?
There's enough to get an indictment.
His shoe fits the print made at the scene.
His fingerprints are on the cigarette pack
found at the scene.
He said he had seen a message that night,
and he's on the run with this....
This tramp.
I'd like that baby one day.
I'd like to have that baby, and then--
And then what?
I don't know.
No, come on,
what were you gonna say?
I don't know, except--
Hey, you're not gonna cry, are you?
There's gotta be something
on the other side of the rainbow.
There always is.
-Always the same.
-What is?
Come out of the movies, the goddamn
world has changed. Goddamn rain.
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
Chicago song salesman hunted
in blind-girl murder!
Chicago song salesman hunted
in blind-girl murder!
Song salesman hunted
in blind-girl murder!
Would you like a paper?
Chicago song salesman hunted
in blind-girl murder!
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
Chicago song salesman hunted
in blind-girl murder!
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
Chicago song salesman hunted
in blind-girl murder!
I'll take a paper, boy.
You don't think I did it?
No, you couldn't.
What am I gonna do?
-Go to the police?
-Are you crazy?
-You're innocent.
-They'll hang me.
I know what to do.
I'm gonna get out of here.
Where to?
I'll think of something.
God, a cat!
Goddamn, it was a cat!
It was a black cat!
Goddamn, it was a black cat.
I didn't see it.
Maybe it was a rat.
I'm scared, Eileen.
See you, big boy.
I always knew something terrible
was gonna happen to me.
All my life, I've been waiting.
Eileen.
Are you running out on me?
Well, it's no fun, is it? No laughs.
But don't you love me?
-That question....
-What about it?
What would you like me to say?
Do you, Eileen?
Not when you are so scared.
You mean, you'll stick by me
if I just keep smiling?
Even with the rope around my neck?
We've only got one life, Arthur.
We both know we made a mess of ours.
It doesn't seem to matter much
how it ends, does it?
Doesn't it?
No.
I love you.
Yes.
I want you.
I want you now.
What, here?
It's the only way I can keep going.
Besides, we ain't never done it in a car,
have we?
We must be crazy.
Come on.
Come on.
"Bargain," he said.
"Best car on the lot," he said.
I tell you, Eileen,
salesmen got no goddamn morals!
You have any idea where we are?
We're in the middle of nothing,
just where I always wanted to be.
We'll just have to stay here.
Just stay here till they find us.
Goddamn car!
Kick it again, Arthur.
It didn't hear you.
-Halt! Halt!
-Arthur! Arthur, don't!
Halt!
-One move and you're dead.
-I didn't do it!
Swear to God, I didn't do it!
I'm innocent!
I'm innocent! I wouldn't hurt a fly.
Arthur Parker...
...do you have anything to say?
A long time ago...
...a million years B.C...
...the best things in life
was absolutely free.
But no one appreciated a sky
that was always blue.
And no one congratulated a moon
that was always new.
So it was planned
that they would vanish now and then.
And you must pay
before you get them back again.
And that's what storms are made for.
And you shouldn't be afraid.
For....
Eileen! Eileen! Wait!
Eileen! Wait! Eileen!
Arthur.
Arthur, what are you doing here?
Whoever said you could stop a dream?
We couldn't go through all that
without a happy ending.
Songs ain't like that, are they?
No.
No, they're not.
I'm Arthur.
And I love you.
Joanie, sugar?
Come on, Joan.
Sugar?
-Wake up, baby.
-No, Arthur, don't.
-Oh, baby. Come on, sugar.
-No. It's too early, Arthur.
-Oh, Joanie, wake up.
-I'm not awake.
Arthur, there isn't time.
-There's always time for this, Joan.
-No. Stop it. Arthur, no. Don't.
I said, no!
Why not? Why not, Joan?
You said you wanted to get away early.
That's what you said.
You never want to, do you? Never.
-Fix the coffee, will you, darling?
-Goddamn coffee.
-Arthur.
-Listen, Joan, don't you understand?
I'm going to be away from home
for four days and nights.
-There's no need to swear, is there?
-That's not much of a cuss.
I don't think it's very nice, Arthur,
especially in your own home.
You don't give me a chance.
You gotta give me a chance.
I don't know what you mean, Arthur.
I wouldn't go all that way
without breakfast. You must eat, sweetie.
I like feeling empty.
You know you don't. What funny things
you say in one of your moods.
I'm empty, Joan.
Nothing inside me. Nothing at all.
Oh, what, Arthur? Not even a song?
Not a teeny-weeny little tune?
I keep them songs in my bag,
not in my heart.
And in your head.
That fella at the bank yesterday said he
didn't reckon there was a fella in Chicago...
...who knew more about songs that sell
than me.
-Did he say that?
-He said, "Borrow what you like.
A fella like you is no risk.
No risk at all."
-Is that true, Arthur?
-And I said, "I don't want it.
My wife's got some cash,
and she'll support me."
We need that money, Arthur,
for our old age.
No. We need it now, Joan.
Honey, I'm a good salesman.
I can pick the right songs.
-Jesus Christ almighty.
-Don't blaspheme.
Corn to the left of you,
corn to the right...
...and the storekeepers are dumb and windy
as my old granny's asshole.
-Arthur.
-Well...
...your hick storekeeper cusses a lot,
believe me.
My daddy didn't. Not ever.
Yeah, but your daddy used to sing
in the church choir.
He was more a Christian
than a storekeeper.
He might overcharge you,
but he said his prayers.
Honey.
He would want you
to use that money he left you.
Money he worked hard for all his life
to save for a rainy day?
It's raining. Pouring.
Oh, cheer up, Arthur.
You won't sell anything without a smile.
-Arthur!
-Make me happy, Joan.
It'd really be nice, huh?
Down here on the floor?
Joan, look.
I want to show you something, Joan.
-Stop! Arthur!
-Birds do it. Bees do it.
Little birdies in the trees do it.
It was just a thought.
A very peculiar thought, Arthur.
Don't you ever listen to the words...
...in the songs?
In these songs?
That's not real life.
Real life?
You tell me what real life is.
It's a bowl of dog biscuits.
There's nothing wrong with that,
if you're a dog.
That's what you want.
You want a goddamn poodle.
Not a man. Not a real man!
-Don't be silly, Arthur.
-Well, I'll tell you this...
...this is one old dog
who ain't coming back to the kennel.
What do you mean, Arthur?
Three guesses.
Arthur?
A thousand dollars.
What on earth do you want
with $ 1000, Mr. Parker?
-I want more capital for my business.
-Selling sheet music?
Yeah, songs, on commission.
I got a bad territory, see...
...East Central Illinois.
God help me.
I want to muscle in on Indianapolis
as well, you get me?
Yes. With all such large sums of money...
...the question of adequate collateral
cannot be evaded.
-Pardon?
-Well, you see...
...your wife has a deposit account
at this branch.
That's hers. That is separate.
Her dad willed her that.
-Lf that could be put up as collateral--
-Don't you goddamn understand?
Really, Mr. Parker...
...that sort of language
won't help one little bit.
What will help, then? You tell me.
-That's what I've been trying to--
-Without dragging in my wife's cash.
Which represents the only chance
of your getting a loan...
...of the size of which you are proposing.
What about this, then?
This is what you sell things with.
It's what's up here that matters.
I know the kind of songs that sell.
I got an instinct, and I get 30 percent
of every song sheet I push to the retailer.
Nearly.
Well, nearly 30 percent of 10 cents.
What's the good of setting up
your own business in America today?
Times are hard.
The Depression is still with us.
And why?
Because of dry rot, that's why.
Salesmanship made this country great,
and salesmanship will keep us great.
Dry rot. That's what's doing
the damage. Dry rot.
That's the stuff you've got
between your ears, pal.
Good day, Parker.
What'd you yell?
Me?
I didn't--
-I didn't holler nothing, sir.
-Anything.
I didn't holler anything.
No. Nor me, sir.
Come on. Get in.
-Bring your case.
-Oh, thank you.
-No extra charge.
-Thanks a million.
Too fast for you, buddy?
Nice, this...
...vehicle.
Not bad.
I wish....
Wish what?
I...
...wish I had one.
Hey, what's in that case?
-Piano.
-Oh, right, I should have known. A piano.
Piano accordion.
Yeah?
You can play it?
It's my living.
Oh, no. I think I know what I can
and can't sell in my own store, Mr. Parker.
You sure do. I wouldn't try
to tell you what you could sell--
-lf there is a demand for "Desert Moon"--
-"Prairie Moon." "Prairie Moon," sir.
-This is a great, great song, sir.
-Lf, I can just call the wholesaler, right?
And wait a week? Whereas
if you take a dozen now, you'll be ready...
...when they come in that door
asking for the--
One moment, please.
-Can I help you, ma'am?
-I wonder--
You see, I'm looking for part songs
for a children's choir.
Yes, I believe I have one back here.
It's not here, I'm afraid,
but I'm sure I can get it for you, Mrs....
Miss. Miss Everson.
-I want it for the children in my class.
-Could you give me an address?
Miss Eileen Everson...
...care of Lincoln Junior School.
Very good, Miss Everson.
I'll see what I can do. Have a nice day.
You know what she needs, don't you?
Just sign for what you have ordered.
Don't talk about a lady like that.
Thank you. Thank you very,
very much, folks. Thank you.
Thank you, folks.
Thank you very, very much.
Thank you, folks.
Thank you very, very much.
It was very nice.
-Pardon, lady?
-It was nice.
-A nice hymn.
-Oh, shall I...
...play you another one?
-"The Old Rugged Cross"?
-No, thank you very much.
I'll play "The Old Rugged Cross."
No.
Hello, Father.
-Come on, Eileen.
-Yes, Father.
Let's go, boy.
Shut up, you fool.
How long is it since you ate?
I eat here...
-...and there.
-Now and then is more like it.
Ain't you hungry, mister?
Oh, I'm hungry, all right.
Didn't you like it?
When you think about things...
...before you go to sleep at night...
...when your head is still....
No, I don't want it.
You can have it.
And good luck to you, buddy.
Where do you sleep tonight, buddy?
Did you hear what I said?
Alley.
What?
Where I was playing...
...there...
...was an alley.
There was a girl.
Wasn't there? Gave you some money
just before we came in here.
Yeah.
She was beautiful.
The way she held her head.
The way she walked.
It's funny how one look can--
What are you grinning at?
She...
-...gave me a dime.
-Is that all you got?
Didn't nobody else put nothing
in the hat?
-No.
-You can't live on a dime.
You're doing worse than me.
Here.
Here's a quarter.
Go on, take it, Rockefeller. Feel rich.
God bless you.
-Bless you.
-Cut it out!
-What are you, a goddamn pansy?
-I'm sorry, mister.
-Sleep on the sidewalk, for all I care.
-Mister--
Don't be scared.
Who are you?
-What are you doing?
-Eileen.
What do you want?
-How do you know my name?
-Eileen.
-Go away. Leave me alone.
-Oh, don't. Oh, please. Please?
I've seen you...
...in the music store.
There's a song.
Like in the song.
What?
They tell the truth. Songs do.
Stay where you are, please.
I overheard you say you were a teacher.
I asked some of the kids where you lived.
Why?
I've been looking for you.
All my life, I've been looking
for you, Miss Everson.
I don't understand.
You've been in my head, Eileen...
...and in my heart...
...in my soul.
I want to talk to you.
Please...
...let me talk with you.
Eileen!
Who's that?
My brother.
I gotta talk to you.
Eileen, come here!
I don't even know who you are.
Arthur.
I'm Arthur...
...and I love you.
We're never gonna get out
of this Depression.
The hours I put in, door-to-door,
for nothing, peanuts...
...selling what is a very good set
of brushes.
-It's the goddamn territory.
-They just slam the door in your face.
Yeah, it's the territory.
There's no doubt about it.
We'd all be smarter bumming the roads.
What do you say, Arthur?
Hard times, ain't it, Arthur?
I'm sorry. What'd you say?
-I don't suppose you're doing too well.
-Not doing very well?
Hey, wake up, old buddy.
I'm doing very well.
Very, very well, indeed-y.
-Heading for the cuckoo house, are you?
-Me?
No chance.
I'll tell you guys something.
Everybody who ever lived in the entire
history of these here United States...
...would want to be me
if they knew what I felt like inside.
-What's wrong?
-That's the trouble with you guys.
You walk around with dirt and ash
in your eyeballs.
You just can't begin to see
what a fantastic world it is we live in.
Come on, get your goddamn chins up
off the floor.
It's beautiful.
It is.
Shining.
The whole place is shining.
Can't you see it?
Don't you feel it?
-Sounds like a crate of eggs to me.
-Sliced bologna, more like it.
Yeah, it would to you, Ed, wouldn't it?
What do you mean?
Because you don't know
the young lady in question, do you?
It's impossible to explain.
Not the sort of thing
you can put into words.
Oh, yes, it is.
Did you get your hand up her skirt, Arthur?
You lay her in the back seat?
Has she got big tits?
-Son of a bitch!
-Hey, easy! Easy! Come on!
Hey, he was kidding!
Everything I've ever dreamed of,
hoped for or longed for...
...everything deep inside me...
...here in my heart.
She's everything.
"And so the handsome prince
stepped out from the trees...
...and looked up at the tiny window
at the top of the tall, tall tower...
...that had no door.
'Rapunzel, Rapunzel,' he called.
'Let down your hair.'
And thinking it was the old witch...
...Rapunzel let down her hair.
Long, shining, golden hair...
...all the way down, down, down
to the ground."
And....
-And then....
-The prince climbed up.
Just as he had seen the old witch do.
"But when he came to the window,
Rapunzel stepped back in fear.
Oh, my, she was scared.
She had never seen a man before."
Oh, yes, some of you boys can laugh.
But his face was so nice...
...and his eyes were so kind...
...and his voice was so gentle.
Quiet!
Oh, no, it's Mr. Warner.
Never have I heard such a commotion!
Where on earth do you think you are,
a fairground?
Come here, boy.
Put out your hands.
Mr. Warner.
One word...
...one sound, that's all.
One further sound from any one of you...
...and....
And tonight I want you to study your
spelling because you missed that word.
-Spell "blue."
-B-L-U-E.
All right, now you study.
Good afternoon.
Bye.
Hello.
Hello.
I hope you don't mind...
...but I had to see you again,
Miss Everson.
I don't mind.
I thought maybe a little drive?
I could take you home.
That would be very nice.
Your carriage awaits, madame.
I haven't offended you, I hope.
I'm not very at ease with people.
Men, I mean.
That's all right, honey.
I got enough moxie for both of us.
You won't tell lies, will you?
Arthur?
Not if I can help it.
And you're not married, are you?
Do I look like a married man?
I even got a hole in my sock.
Sometimes....
-What's the matter?
-I feel as if I'm suffocating in this house.
I don't feel I can stick it out much longer.
I know what you mean.
Oh, they're good, my family, really.
They're good. It's just that...
...since my mother died...
...things aren't the same anymore,
and we're all very different...
...from each other.
It's hard to believe
that fella's your brother.
Really? In what way?
Well, there's something delicate
about you, Eileen.
I mean, it's not--
It's....
I don't know how to say it.
It's something hesitating.
Not in that way. It's more like--
I don't know.
It's not any one thing.
It's everything all together.
Especially when you look sideways.
Do I look sideways?
Oh, no. I mean, not exactly sideways.
No, I mean...
...you ain't got a squint or anything.
You don't see two of me.
But I wouldn't mind seeing two of you.
My wife says--
Arthur.
God rest her soul.
Arthur.
That's why I hate motorcycles.
You mean...?
Oh, God. When I think about it....
It was three years ago last...
...Tuesday.
The senseless waste!
Her broken, young body.
Arthur. Don't cry, Arthur. Don't.
Don't, Arthur. Don't.
She was looking
in a butcher shop's window.
She knew how I liked lamb chops.
And then...
...this motorcycle, out of control.
-Arthur--
-Oh, Eileen.
-No, Arthur. No, l--
-Oh, Eileen.
-Arthur, no.
-Oh, Eileen.
This is the first time I've felt anything
since that day.
No, I'm scared.
I never--
Arthur, I never--
Oh, Eileen, take the pain away.
Oh, please.
Take the pain away, Eileen.
Please. Please.
I'll try. I'll try.
I'll try, Arthur. I'll try.
Arthur.
Poor Arthur. Poor....
Arthur?
No, it's Dracula.
Oh, thank God you've come back.
You trying to be funny?
-I thought you'd gone forever.
-I have. I've gone.
-What do I get here in that bed of nails?
-I'll try again, Arthur. I'll try harder.
I've even--
I've even put lipstick on.
What do you mean?
You always put lipstick on.
No, I mean, l--
I put it on my....
What, on your--?
On your nipples, Joanie?
Have you?
You said you wanted me to.
How'd you know
I was coming back tonight?
I've been putting it on
every night, Arthur...
...hoping...
...praying that you'd come back to me.
Let me see.
Show me, angel.
-Oh, I see. Still the same after all.
-No, Arthur. No, not the same.
But...
-...I'm shy.
-Jesus Christ, I'm your husband, Joan.
You was listening.
All the time.
Oh, jeepers, Joanie.
What lovely, lovely little rosebuds.
Are they--?
Are they as nice as hers?
What do you mean?
It's just something l--
I felt it, Arthur.
-Well, you're wrong.
-Arthur?
Wrong. Wrong.
May almighty God strike me dead
on this spot.
But you have wanted to?
Wanting to...
...is not the same as doing it.
Tell me why you want to, Arthur.
You know, I heard a true story
the other day.
In a band, a dance band they were...
-...this man and this woman singer, they--
-Arthur.
Well, they gave the elevator operator
a $20 bill...
...to stop the elevator
between floors...
...and turn his back.
-Why?
-So they could make love in the elevator.
Well, then they are animals, Arthur,
and you know they are.
Are they, Joan?
Are they?
Well, it's disgusting.
I wish....
You wish what, Arthur?
I wish....
-I wish I could play the saxophone.
-What, Arthur?
What are you doing, Arthur?
I was pretending.
But what?
And why?
That I got my own dance band.
Go and wash it off, will you?
What?
The lipstick.
No, I won't wash it off.
See, Joan? A little capital
and a little affection...
...that's all a guy needs. That's all America
needs, some capital and some caring.
My own store, selling records.
That's where the money is today.
But it'll be risky.
Wouldn't it make more sense--?
You won't let me down, will you?
You said. You promised.
Oh, no, I've agreed.
You can use Daddy's money.
It's amazing what a bit of lipstick will do
in the right place, eh, Joanie?
Yes.
You won't regret it.
I won't walk out on you again.
I love you, Joan.
I really do love you, doll.
What'd you say?
Nothing, Arthur.
I got the biggest turkey. It was so great.
-Bye, Miss Everson. Happy Thanksgiving.
-Happy Thanksgiving.
-Bye, Miss Everson. I'll see you Monday.
-Steady, there.
-Sorry, sir. L--
-Look where you're going, boy.
Yes, sir.
That one.
I haven't looked at it--
I mean, looked at it...
...for almost 30 years,
when I taught this class.
January, snowing.
February, rain.
March, with winds a-blowing.
April, sun again.
May, a world of flowers.
June, with dancing leaves.
July, long, lazy hours--
Dr. Bartholomen
is on the school board, isn't he?
He's told you about my condition,
hasn't he?
He asked me to contemplate the picture
of Miss Everson, the teacher...
...and her illegitimate baby.
Yes.
I am not, I hope,
a blasphemous man, Eileen...
...but I often think the picture of Eve we are
given in Genesis is not altogether a fair one.
Indeed, when I look about...
...and even into my own heart...
...I think it is much, much more likely
it was Adam who offered the fruit to Eve.
Yes.
Please, do you think I could stay
until the end of the month?
-Please don't be offended.
-No, don't do that.
It's a very hard world out there. You'll need
more than you think. Now, please.
Please be sensible.
Take it.
Mr. Warner...
...I'll always remember this.
Good afternoon, my dear.
Oh, Arthur.
Where are you?
Come on, come on.
Where are they all?
What am I doing?
What am I doing?
Good afternoon, miss.
Who's there?
No, you don't know me. L--
Is anything the matter?
Nothing's the matter.
What do you want?
My car's just down the road there.
See it? I just stopped for a rest.
You can't see, can you?
Not really.
No.
Isn't it dangerous...
...walking like this?
-I mean, this ground is--
-No. I come here every day.
I know my way.
Oh, you live near, do you, miss?
The house over there...
...behind the bridge.
Do you need someone to walk
with you, miss?
-That's very kind, but l--
-It's no bother.
I'm driving from Chicago to Galena...
...and I could do with a stretch of the legs.
Be a privilege.
No, thank you.
Goodbye.
I'll never forget this.
Not ever.
I think you're the most beautiful
young lady I've ever seen!
Please excuse me saying that.
I couldn't help it.
Take care!
Take good care of yourself.
I haven't been able to get down this way.
Business, you know.
Why not, Arthur?
Don't let's talk like this, Eileen.
What way shall we talk, then, Arthur?
I don't want to talk at all.
What do you want to do, Arthur?
Kiss you.
Is that all?
-To tell you the truth, I haven't stopped--
-Yes, the truth.
Please tell me the truth.
Are you married, Arthur?
What do you want to go
and ask me that for?
Do you think you could make us
a cup of--?
Don't you do that, or you'll set me off.
What have you got to cry about, Arthur?
I don't know,
but it feels like everything.
I'm going to have a baby.
How do you know?
I mean, is that definite?
Quite definite.
What are you gonna do?
There's nothing very much I can do.
-What are you going to do?
-Me?
-What the hell am I going to do?
-You can write down your address.
-What?
-Don't worry, I won't mess you up.
-I've lost my job and I've got to leave home.
-Oh, god.
Oh, Christ.
And if I really do need help...
...Arthur...
...won't you?
I'll do what I can, Eileen.
I believed you, Arthur.
Silly me.
I believed myself.
Yes, I know you did.
You mean, you understand?
My God, I think you really do.
I wanted you, you see.
-Did you?
-Oh, yes.
And you still do, don't you?
You still do.
-I still do.
-I never in all my life!
I've never heard a woman talk like that,
just like that.
It's not decent, is it?
God, it's--
It's marvelous.
But....
But what? But what, Eileen?
But you went away.
Yeah.
So....
That's that, then, isn't it?
Say we was married, me and you.
-Lf pigs had wings.
-No, no, just say we was.
-Well?
-There's a story.
-Mind if I smoke?
-No.
-You want one?
-No.
In a band...
...this man and woman singer, they--
Arthur, what has this got to do
with being married?
Just a minute. A minute.
At the hotel
where they were playing, see...
...they gave the elevator operator
a $20 bill...
...to stop the elevator between floors...
...and turn his back.
Do people do things like that?
-Like what, Eileen?
-Well...
...make love in an elevator.
You mean, like kissing?
Oh, is that all?
Oh, Eileen! Eileen! That's a good girl!
You knew what I was talking about.
Would you ever do that?
What they did?
Between which floors, Arthur?
What are you doing?
Who's there?
It's only me, lady.
Are you hungry?
Do you--?
Do you want some food?
Here.
-You can have it.
-Leave me alone.
Here, you can--
You can--
-I was-- I was--
-Leave me alone!
-Has anybody notified the relatives?
-Should we get the ambulance?
-No comment, boys.
-We gotta go to press in half an hour.
Is there a suspect, sir?
What was her name, lieutenant?
Nobody saw the crime?
-What was the cause of death?
-Come on, give us an answer.
Over here with the cameras, boys.
Illinois 9-3-7-5-6-8.
9-3-7-5-6-8.
Lieutenant?
Jesus Christ!
Arthur, what is it? What's happened?
I've seen a message.
What are you talking about?
Where have you been?
I gotta change.
Gotta be good.
Arthur....
Put your arms around me, Joan.
Oh, God, please put your arms around me.
Excuse me.
Yes?
How much is a glass of lemonade?
It's been so long since I sold one,
I don't know.
-For you, 2 cents.
-Yes, I'll have a glass of lemonade.
Please.
You sure you came
to the right place, sweetie?
Have a drop of gin in that, honey.
-Pardon?
-A nice drink for a lady, gin and lemonade.
-Leave her alone, Tom.
-I'm only offering to pay for it, ain't I?
The one's on the house, honey.
Just drink it down and go home
like a good little girl.
It tastes like poison.
Then don't have another.
Some girls it doesn't suit.
Never know what you like till you try it.
That's true.
What do you want to do to me?
-You must be kidding.
-Then can you lend me 5 dollars?
-Lend you? You are kidding.
-No. I'll give it to you back.
We'll think about it.
There's no hurry, right?
No.
Caught a little short?
Sort of.
Yes.
That's nothing to be ashamed of, baby.
Not nowadays.
What's your name?
Lulu.
That's a very nice name.
I don't like it.
It makes me sound cheap.
Nobody would ever say that, Lulu.
Hey, come here. Come here.
Now, look at that big,
fat whore over there.
That's what I call cheap.
Who are you looking at?
You okay?
-I feel a little sick.
-Here, take a chair.
How much you had to eat today?
Nothing.
A girl who looks like you
shouldn't go hungry.
You're very nice looking, Lulu.
Thank you.
What'd you come in this place for?
Did you think some guy's gonna give you
a fin just like that, for nothing?
-No.
-Nowadays?
That's almost a week's pay for some girls.
-Yes.
-I mean, you gotta give something back...
...in return, don't you?
-Yes.
-I mean--
Yes!
I know how you feel.
-Do you?
-I can imagine.
I'm not such a bad guy
when you come right down to it.
Are you married?
Yes, I thought you were.
Been around, haven't you?
I've had dozens.
So, what's all the fuss about?
It's no fuss...
...baby.
Yeah.
Get me another.
You're not a tease, are you?
A tease?
Because I'll cut your face.
I'd like another drink.
Please?
Certainly, darling.
-Same again?
-Yes, please.
Oh, Arthur.
Joan.
Joan?
Nobody's buying, Joan.
Nobody.
I made a mistake.
I lost all--
Hi, sweetie.
-Want a nice time?
-No, I like feeling miserable.
Just around the corner, honey.
Show you a real good time.
-Come on, baby.
-All right. All right.
All right.
Okay.
Eileen.
My God, what are you doing here?
Arthur.
Oh, Arthur,
you are such a bastard.
Put yourself in my shoes, Eileen.
Oh, I have.
And I know I can't rely on you, Arthur.
-Not for anything.
-That's right, blame it all on me.
-Oh, Arthur--
-I know, I know.
I can hear myself say things sometimes.
God, I'm a washout.
What about the baby?
What's happened?
It's been gotten rid of.
This guy paid to get rid of it.
He bought me clothes...
...and now he says I owe him $200,
and if I don't get it--
God, why is it so--?
Why can't the world--?
Because that's the way it is.
But I want to live in a world
where the songs come true.
There must be someplace
where them songs are for real.
"Happy Days Are Here Again."
Is that it, Arthur?
-Where the hell is this place?
-It's right here.
-Phonograph records.
-Hundreds and hundreds.
Any dance tune you can name.
Any good dance tune. I'll tell you--
Dance tunes don't help, Arthur.
What am I gonna do?
Can't you go back home?
No.
I was already dead there.
This way feels like dying,
but I can see everything...
...feel everything.
Do you understand?
Did you--?
Did you like doing it...
...for money?
It wasn't as bad
as I thought it was gonna be.
My God, you're something.
We're the same sort, you and me.
-We ought to stick together.
-But I can't rely on you, Arthur.
-Listen to me.
-I am, I am. Very carefully.
I'll tell you, I'm choking to death.
I should have hung on to you,
no matter what.
I wanted my own record store.
I know, I know. It's enough
to make a goddamn cat laugh.
Arthur, you'll never be satisfied.
-Not somebody like you.
-Don't say that.
You're like the children in my class.
But you're still sweet on me, ain't you?
You still want me.
Huh, Eileen?
Tell the truth.
Yes, I do.
And I'll go anywhere with you
or do anything with you.
I've burned all my bridges, Arthur.
I'm not going home, not walking the street,
and I'll be damned if I go hungry.
Lulu I am, Lulu I stay.
So, what are we gonna do?
The trouble is, I'm hard up.
I can always pick up some money.
-Now I know how.
-I haven't got my car anymore.
We'll get another one, one day.
What?
Just go?
Just go and leave everything?
Just like that?
Just like that.
All right.
Then let's get out of here, shall we?
Yeah!
Wait! Hang on a minute.
-What are you doing?
-"Yabba Dabba Honeymoon" !
"Me and My Shadow" !
-"Dancing With My Shadow" !
-What are you doing?!
-"On the Sunny Side of the Street" !
-What are you doing?!
"Dancing With Tears in My Eyes" !
-"Pennies From Heaven" !
-Wait! Not that one! Not that one!
-Not that one!
-Get off me! Get off.
-What's that?
-Don't--
-He's dead, isn't he? Murdered.
-Nothing like that.
Please listen. Your husband left his store
at close of business...
...went to a bar in the neighborhood.
He was later seen by a reliable witness
to return to his store.
Was somebody with him?
He was with a young lady.
Well, when I say "lady...."
Go on.
We've been piecing things together,
Mrs. Parker...
...and I'm sorry,
but this woman was a prostitute.
-You mean, she went there to--?
-Yes, ma'am.
He was like that?
How do you mean?
I mean, was he disturbed
in any way about anything?
Was he odd, restless, nuts?
Has he done something?
Is that why you took his shoe?
Please think.
Was he acting strange in any way?
He made me...
...wear lipstick.
So?
No.
On the--
On the...
-...points of my bosom.
-Oh, well.
Well, that's....
And...
...he asked me if I would....
No, no, no, Mrs. Parker.
Please, please go on.
If I would stop wearing
a certain garment...
...a certain...
...item of underwear.
Was this an upper...
...or a lower garment?
A lower.
What?
Lower.
Mrs. Parker...
...about six weeks ago,
can you think back...
...your husband traveled back to Chicago
along Illinois Route 1.
He--
Oh, that must have been the night....
I remember it now.
He said, "I gotta change.
I gotta be good."
He's gotta be good, huh?
The hell.
Cut his thing off.
I want them to cut his thing off
and bury it.
-I'm sick of being poor.
-Hey, I'll find something soon.
-Maybe tomorrow, huh?
-Yeah...
-...maybe.
-Jesus Christ, Eileen...
...you're beginning
to sound like my wife.
I'm not surprised, poor woman.
What is it about women?
Do your mothers teach it to you or what?
I hardly ever knew my mother, poor soul.
She worked her fingers to the bone,
and for what?
Life with a stove and a washtub and--
Oh, what's the use?
She was dead at 45.
We only got one life, Arthur.
And I was content with mine.
I didn't even think about it,
just accepted it.
But you changed all that.
You killed off my old life.
That's right, blame me.
No, no.
I'm glad you did.
When you made love to me...
...I saw things differently.
I had to get away.
I had to see something else...
...something more.
I want nice things, Arthur.
You'll have them, honey.
I don't want to wait.
There isn't time.
-Don't say that.
-No, there isn't.
I know there isn't.
Don't ask me how, I just know.
What's happening?
Where are you going?
Are the seams on my stockings straight?
You got terrific legs, baby.
Let's hope so.
-Hey, what are you gonna do?
-Get some dough.
Eileen!
Look, will you listen to me?
There's enough to get an indictment.
His shoe fits the print made at the scene.
His fingerprints are on the cigarette pack
found at the scene.
He said he had seen a message that night,
and he's on the run with this....
This tramp.
I'd like that baby one day.
I'd like to have that baby, and then--
And then what?
I don't know.
No, come on,
what were you gonna say?
I don't know, except--
Hey, you're not gonna cry, are you?
There's gotta be something
on the other side of the rainbow.
There always is.
-Always the same.
-What is?
Come out of the movies, the goddamn
world has changed. Goddamn rain.
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
Chicago song salesman hunted
in blind-girl murder!
Chicago song salesman hunted
in blind-girl murder!
Song salesman hunted
in blind-girl murder!
Would you like a paper?
Chicago song salesman hunted
in blind-girl murder!
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
Chicago song salesman hunted
in blind-girl murder!
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
Chicago song salesman hunted
in blind-girl murder!
I'll take a paper, boy.
You don't think I did it?
No, you couldn't.
What am I gonna do?
-Go to the police?
-Are you crazy?
-You're innocent.
-They'll hang me.
I know what to do.
I'm gonna get out of here.
Where to?
I'll think of something.
God, a cat!
Goddamn, it was a cat!
It was a black cat!
Goddamn, it was a black cat.
I didn't see it.
Maybe it was a rat.
I'm scared, Eileen.
See you, big boy.
I always knew something terrible
was gonna happen to me.
All my life, I've been waiting.
Eileen.
Are you running out on me?
Well, it's no fun, is it? No laughs.
But don't you love me?
-That question....
-What about it?
What would you like me to say?
Do you, Eileen?
Not when you are so scared.
You mean, you'll stick by me
if I just keep smiling?
Even with the rope around my neck?
We've only got one life, Arthur.
We both know we made a mess of ours.
It doesn't seem to matter much
how it ends, does it?
Doesn't it?
No.
I love you.
Yes.
I want you.
I want you now.
What, here?
It's the only way I can keep going.
Besides, we ain't never done it in a car,
have we?
We must be crazy.
Come on.
Come on.
"Bargain," he said.
"Best car on the lot," he said.
I tell you, Eileen,
salesmen got no goddamn morals!
You have any idea where we are?
We're in the middle of nothing,
just where I always wanted to be.
We'll just have to stay here.
Just stay here till they find us.
Goddamn car!
Kick it again, Arthur.
It didn't hear you.
-Halt! Halt!
-Arthur! Arthur, don't!
Halt!
-One move and you're dead.
-I didn't do it!
Swear to God, I didn't do it!
I'm innocent!
I'm innocent! I wouldn't hurt a fly.
Arthur Parker...
...do you have anything to say?
A long time ago...
...a million years B.C...
...the best things in life
was absolutely free.
But no one appreciated a sky
that was always blue.
And no one congratulated a moon
that was always new.
So it was planned
that they would vanish now and then.
And you must pay
before you get them back again.
And that's what storms are made for.
And you shouldn't be afraid.
For....
Eileen! Eileen! Wait!
Eileen! Wait! Eileen!
Arthur.
Arthur, what are you doing here?
Whoever said you could stop a dream?
We couldn't go through all that
without a happy ending.
Songs ain't like that, are they?
No.
No, they're not.
I'm Arthur.
And I love you.