"Good evening, fellow hobbyists." "I've decided to do it myself." "I'm sure most of you would expect me to be all thumbs." "This is definitely untrue." "The way things are going, I should be lucky to have any thumbs at all." "Tonight's story is about a parolee, and so I thought you might be interested in this machinery which has been designed as a therapeutic measure for paroled convicts who may still harbor homicidal tendencies." "It gives them a healthy outlet for their energies." "We have a saw, lathe, drill." "As my first project," "I've been converting Chippendale furniture into kindling." "I'm sure my work here would only bore you, so we've arranged to show you tonight's story in just a moment." "Perhaps I should explain." "This is a circular saw." "Yes?" "Are you Mr. Collins?" "Right." "I'm Jackie Blake." "I'm a friend of your brother Allie's." "What do you want?" "Well, Allie asked me to come by and see you and his mother." "Who is it, Ralph?" "It's no one we want to see, Ma." "What kind of a way is that to talk?" "I'm sorry..." "Come on up, boy." "Don't pay any attention to Ralph." "What was it you wanted?" "He's a friend of Allie's, he wants to make trouble, what else?" "Ralph!" "Well, Allie wouldn't be where he is today if he had sense enough to stay away from the likes of him." "I didn't know him before." "I met him in prison." "You must be Jackie Blake." "Yes, ma'am, that's me." "Allie told me all about you in his letters." "He said you were coming." "Don't you remember, Ralph?" "I told you." "Come on in." "Oh." "Yeah." "Sure, I remember." "Come on in, kid." "I'm sorry." "How's Allie?" "Here, let me take your bag." "Oh, he's fine, Mrs. Collins." "Is he?" "He writes he is, but I'm always afraid they make him say that." "Oh, no, no, it's true." "He's got a job in the library." "That's one of the best jobs you can get up there." "He told me that you probably wouldn't believe what he said in the letters that you'd think he was just trying to make you feel good." "That's why I came to see you, so you'd know." "Well, it's nice you came." "I have been worried." "Worried." "Ma's a great worrier." "I told her Allie could take care of himself, but she won't pay attention." "Take care of himself in a place like that?" "He's just a child." "Not much older than Jackie here." "He may be young, but he's no fool." "Anyway, now you know he's okay, you can stop worrying." "And I got to beat it." "I got a heavy date." "Ralph, I wish you'd stop drinking." "Come on, Ma." "Okay." "Nice I met you, kid." "Yeah." "Ralph!" "Come home early." "You got to go to work tomorrow morning." "You see what I mean?" "A born worrier." "Goodbye." "Well." "I guess I better get going." "Oh, no, not yet." "Sit down on that nice comfortable chair." "It was Allie's favorite." "Besides, you must be hungry." "Well, I had a little supper, ma'am." "Well, I bet you could do with a piece of meat loaf, home cooked." "Well, if you're sure it's not too much trouble." "Not a bit." "Make yourself at home." "I'll be right back." "And all they wanted me to do was drive the car." "Nobody told me anything about the job." "Oh, I mean I knew it wasn't something on the level, but I didn't think it was anything big like a bank." "We got caught." "But I got off easier because I was only 17." "The judge gave me five years." "I got paroled after two." "I'm certainly talking an awful lot." "Well, I asked you to tell me about it." "Yeah, I know, but it's funny." "I'm not much of a talker usually." "You didn't hate it up there the way Allie does, did you?" "No, I didn't." "After a while, I began to feel everyone else was in the same boat." "Never really belonged anywhere." "Not like Allie." "He's never been alone." "He's always had you and his brother." "It didn't save him, though." "If he'd stayed away from those hoodlums the way Ralph and I asked him to, it might have, but he didn't." "He told me they were his only friends." "It's this neighborhood." "It's not a fit place for anybody to live." "But I got a little nest egg I'm saving." "Allie tell you about it?" "I'll soon have enough to get him out of here." "I think you have a nice place to live, Mrs. Collins." "You're a nice boy, Jackie." "No, I mean it." "It's comfortable, you know." "It's the best I can do now, anyway." "Well, I guess I better get going." "Thanks a lot for the meal." "That's all right." "Where are you going now, Jackie?" "Well, I have to find a place to live." "Parole officer got me a job in a garage, and all I need now is a room." "Mrs. Collins, could I come back sometime, see you again?" "Would you like to live here, Jackie?" "Allie's room isn't being used." "It's not very fancy but it's better than a rooming house." "It sure is." "But I wouldn't wanna push myself in on you that way." "No, I'd like it." "It gets pretty lonesome here with Ralph out so much of the time and Allie away." "Well, I'd like to if you're sure you want me to." "I want you to, very much." "Here's your breakfast." "You can't go to work on an empty stomach." "I better get started." "I don't want to be late my first day." "You can drink a cup of coffee before you go." "Hey, what kind of a job you got, anyway?" "In a garage." "I'm pretty good at cars and I like fooling around with them." "What are they paying you?" "Forty bucks a week." "Forty bucks a week?" "They're sure breaking their hearts, aren't they?" "Can they afford it?" "How do you expect to get along on that?" "He's just starting." "They don't pay you much when you're a beginner." "Well, they don't pay you much when you got a record because they know they don't have to." "Well, I don't need much anyway." "I got to get going." "Let's see how you look." "Go brush your shoes." "The things are on the floor by the stove." "Okay." "He's a nice kid." "I'm glad he's gonna stay with us." "It'll make you feel less lonely." "Yes, it will." "Funny." "He's like a member of the family already." "That's 7, 8, 9, 10." "Hope it runs good for you now." "Hi, Jackie." "How's it going?" "Okay, Mr. Brown." "What's the matter?" "I went by the parole office on my way to work this morning." "You weren't there yet." "I know that." "Then why do you have to come here checking up on me?" "Part of a parole officer's job is to keep in touch with the man he's working with." "It's not just checking up, Jackie." "It's seeing that they're satisfied with the job, happy at it." "Do you think you're going to be?" "Yeah." "I mean, it's my first day, it's kinda hard to tell, but I think I'm going to like it." "I'm glad." "I've already heard from your boss." "He called me to tell me how satisfied he was." "Says you're a born mechanic." "I always liked working around cars." "It's kind of nice to be earning money for a change." "It'll be even nicer when you get your first week's pay." "I got to get back to the job." "You told them this morning that you're taking a room with a private family instead of in a rooming house." "The only trouble is you forgot to tell them the name and address of the family." "Sorry." "It's 1275, Nicholas Street." "And the name of the family?" "Collins." "Pleasant people?" "Yeah." "Well, you seem all set." "Nice place to live, good job." "You should be all right." "There's just one thing." "What's that?" "The insurance company sent a man around to see me today." "They still think I know where that money is, don't they?" "Why don't they let me alone?" "$150,000 dollars is a lot of money." "None of it was ever recovered." "I never saw it." "I was just driving the car, I told you that!" "We were supposed to meet afterwards to get our split." "I got caught before I ever saw any of them again." "Don't get all worked up." "I believe you." "I only told you because they might come and see you." "If they give you too much trouble, let me know." "Okay?" "Okay." "Good." "See you next week." "Well, I'm not sure how late I'll be, Mrs. Collins." "I mean, Ma." "No, no, nothing wrong." "Mr. Clark asked me to do a valve job." "Has to be ready first thing in the morning." "Okay, I'll get something hot to eat." "All right, see you later." "Bye." "We're closed." "Is that a fact?" "Where's the money, Jackie?" "The money?" "I don't know." "I just drove the car." "That's too bad." "We were hoping you'd be more cooperative." "Get Mrs. Collins, quick!" "Go get her." "Mrs. Collins." "Mrs. Collins!" "Mrs. Collins!" "What is it?" "What?" "Jackie." "Jackie?" "Ma." "Ma, help me get up." "No, don't try to talk." "Come on." "Put your arm around." "There." "Take it easy now." "You'll be all right." "Lie down, Jackie, lie down." "Put your head back." "There." "No, no." "It'll be all right." "There, it's all right." "It's all right." "No, no, no." "I'm gonna get a doctor." "No, no, no." "No doctor." "Jackie, you're hurt." "No, no, I'm just banged up a little." "I'll be all right." "How did it happen?" "Some guys beat me up on the way home." "I guess they thought I had more money than I had." "Well, why did they beat you up if they just wanted your money?" "Ma, if I could just get some sleep, I'll be all right." "Hey, Ma, when is that kid going to work?" "You know, I'm tired of him hanging around here." "Don't talk like that, Ralph." "He ought to stay home and let me take care of him." "How about another cup of coffee, Ma?" "It might wake me up." "Yes?" "Mrs. Collins?" "That's right." "My name is Brown." "I'm Jackie Blake's parole officer." "Oh." "Won't you come in?" "Thank you." "There isn't anything wrong, is there?" "No, no, I just want to see Jackie if I may." "Oh, this is my son, Ralph." "How do you do?" "Hi." "I better go, Ma." "I'm late already." "All right, Son." "Don't be late for supper." "Nice to have met you, Mr. Collins." "Yeah, same here." "Bye." "Won't you have a cup of coffee?" "Why, thank you." "Jackie is here, isn't he?" "Yes, he'll be right out." "He's getting ready to go to work." "Fine." "You sure there isn't anything wrong?" "He isn't in any kind of trouble?" "It's not trouble, really." "It's more of a technicality than anything else." "I can tell you because you're involved in it." "What do you mean?" "When Jackie told us he was taking a room with a private family, we automatically put through a check on it." "We found that he knew your son in prison." "That's right." "He was a friend of his." "That's why he came here in the first place." "Well, unfortunately, Mrs. Collins, a man on parole isn't allowed to associate with men he knew in prison nor their families." "You mean he can't stay here?" "I'm afraid not." "What are you talking about?" "Good morning, Jackie." "What happened to you?" "I had an accident." "Now what is this about my not being able to stay here?" "You heard what I told Mrs. Collins." "Yeah, I heard." "Rules are rules." "You know that." "All I know is I'm not leaving here." "Why should I?" "You think I'd be better off in some crummy rooming house alone without anyone?" "Getting all worked up isn't going to help." "Oh, swell." "It's real easy, isn't it?" "All I got to do is say, "Yes, sir, if you say so. "" "Well, I'm not gonna do it." "Now wait a minute, Jackie." "Can I say something?" "Of course." "If that's one of your rules, I think it's a pretty stupid rule." "Just a moment, Mrs. Collins." "It's true my son is in prison, but that doesn't mean we're criminals." "We're a decent, respectable family, and no harm's gonna come to Jackie with us." "It's good for somebody to look after him, somebody who cares for him, somebody he cares for." "Somebody once said that rules were made to be broken." "If you feel so strongly about it and Jackie feels the same way..." "You bet I do." "I'm supposed to use my discretion as to what's helpful." "I'll let you stay." "Thank you." "Thank you, Mr. Brown." "Jackie." "You understand I'm taking a big responsibility doing this?" "Now don't let me down." "I won't." "Well, now that's settled, why don't you have your cup of coffee?" "Thank you." "I wonder if I could speak to Jackie for a moment." "Certainly." "Thanks, Mr. Brown." "It's all right." "Now, you want to tell me about this "accident"?" "It wasn't an accident." "What happened?" "Couple of guys beat me up." "They think I know where the money is." "What did you tell them?" "What could I tell them except I didn't know?" "Who were they?" "How would I know?" "I never saw them before." "How did they know anything about it?" "I wish I knew." "Now look, Mr. Brown, I didn't tell Mrs. Collins anything about this." "I don't want to get her mixed up in it." "That's a good idea." "The less anybody knows about this the better." "Only thing is you have to watch your step from now on." "I will." "Only, why doesn't everybody let me alone?" "I'd be very happy just working and having a home." "Is that so much to ask?" "Hi, Ralph." "Look who's here, Little Boy Black and Blue." "What's the matter?" "You mad about something?" "Me, mad?" "Why should I be mad at you, a good little boy like you?" "Now what's the matter with you, Ralph?" "Are you drunk again?" "Don't you tell me what to drink." "No, okay, I'm sorry." "Where's Ma?" "Her name is" "Mrs. Collins to you." "I guess it's dinner time." "I ought to set the table." "Yeah, sure." "Sure, go ahead, set the table." "Come on, Ma's little helper." "Yeah." "Yeah, you're so anxious to be tied in her apron strings, why don't you just put it on?" "Now lay off, Ralph." "Hey, go on." "Put it on." "On you it'll look good." "Now let go of me, Ralph." "Sure, I will, after you and me has had a little talk." "We got nothing to talk about." "Oh, yes, we have." "I'll tell you what." "I got a little proposition to make to you." "You're so anxious to be part of this family?" "I'll let you buy your way in." "What are you talking about?" "Look at that innocent little face." "I'm talking about the money." "I want to know where it is." "How did you know about it?" "Allie told me." "Allie?" "I don't believe you." "Well, how else would I know?" "He wrote me about it." "How could he?" "They read the letters." "I got news for you." "There are ways of getting letters out of prison without them being read." "Why do you think he sent you here?" "'Cause you're a good friend of his?" "Don't make me laugh." "Where is it?" "I don't know." "I tell you, I don't know." "Where is it?" "I tell you, I don't know!" "You don't fool me." "I know what you're gonna do." "You gonna stick around here, and live off us until things cool off." "And then one day you'll disappear, find the money..." "No." "...and then live easy the rest of your life, huh?" "At least that's what you think you're gonna do." "I'm not." "I swear I'm not." "You bet you're not!" "No, come on, Ralph." "Leave me alone." "Come on." "I got to go in the kitchen and set the table." "Go ahead." "Go on." "Go ahead." "Go on!" "What those two other guys that I sent couldn't get out of you I will." "Now, you stay away from me, Ralph." "Come on, kid." "You better give me that knife before you get hurt." "No!" "I'm telling you, stay away from me." "You're not gonna hit me again." "I'm warning you!" "Okay, okay." "Friends." "Huh?" "Jackie!" "Ralph." "My son!" "My son!" "You killed him." "I didn't mean it." "I tried not too." "Help!" "Help!" "Ma!" "No, no, no, no." "Ma, don't look at me like that" "I'll take his place." "I can." "I'll make it up to you." "You'll take his place?" "All we wanted was the money!" "That's why I took care of you." "That's why I was nice to you." "We wanted the money!" "Help!" "Help!" "Excuse me a minute." "There." "I've decided to give this machine to a very dear friend of mine for two reasons." "He's insufferable and wears long ties." "As for the girl you saw earlier, you will be pleased to know that she acquired a job as a result of appearing on our program." "A talent scout saw her and immediately signed her up as a pair of book ends." "And speaking of ends, that is what this is." "Of our show, that is." "But we shall be back another time with another story." "Good night."