""Outside, the night was as black as a coal miner's..." ""Outside, the night was as black as a coal miner's T-shirt." ""I turned slowly away from the window." ""Then, for the first time, she could see the automatic in my hand." ""Her eyes had that funny, mad look I'd come to know and fear." ""Her moist red lips were half-parted." ""Then slowly, her eyes never leaving my face," ""she began, one button at a time, to undo the front of her sweater. "" " Robert!" " What?" "What is it?" "Nothing." "Robert, I want a divorce." "No." "Robert, I want a..." "No." "Robert, I want a divorce." "Robert!" "I want a divorce." "Can't you do any better than that?" "No." "I think it's a very good idea." "As a matter of fact, the same thought had occurred to me." "You're lying in your teeth." "That's a typically childish and immature way of trying to save face." "The same thought had occurred to me." "You just want me to feel that you're the one that wants a divorce." "Well, you're not." "I'm the one that wants the divorce." "I'm the one." "Just remember that." "I'm the one." "I don't want to disillusion you, but for the past six months" "I've been trying to get up enough courage to mention the subject myself." "Lie, lie, lie, lie, lie!" " I've thought about it constantly..." " Lie!" "Lie!" "As a matter of fact, I even mentioned it to Charlie Nelson." "Lie..." "You discussed this with Charlie Nelson?" "I did not say I discussed it." "I just said I mentioned it." "You discussed this with Charlie Nelson?" "I only said, "Nina and I have not been getting along very well recently." ""I sometimes wonder if it would not be better if we were to get a divorce."" " To which Charlie replied..." " What?" " Charlie said, "It's none of my business."" " That's the absolute truth." ""It's none of my business," ""but as they say on Broadway, 'lf the show is a flop, fold it."'" "That's so beautifully expressed." "You can see what makes Charlie Nelson such a widely respected playwright." "Look, Charlie Nelson is not only an old friend and a valued client, but That Was No Lady was sold to Hollywood for $75,000." " That suggests a certain amount of respect." " That Was No Lady folded in Philadelphia." "It wasn't worth 75 cents." "While we're having the little discussion, I'd just like you to know" "I blame the whole thing on your mother and her beloved Dr. Van Kessel." "Dr. Van Kessel is a brilliant analyst." "Brilliant?" "All he does is sit there," " Earning $25 an hour listening to..." " $50 an hour." "Listening to neurotic women discussing their sex lives." " You know..." " He probably doesn't even listen." "It's absolutely impossible to carry on a discussion with you on an adult level." "All right." "Fine." "Good, good, good!" " What grounds?" " I don't know." "Any ground." " Mental cruelty." " Mental cruel..." "Of all of the ridiculous..." "As a matter of fact, mental cruelty happens to fit this situation very nicely." "It's just a legal phrase." "It has absolutely no meaning whatsoever." "It only means that for the past eight years you've treated me as if I were some kind of feeble-minded child." " You've done your best to destroy me." " Destroy?" "I don't even know what that means." "You sound just like Serena Noble." "Keep Serena Noble out of this." "That's another thing." "You've subjected me and my work to ridicule, and if that isn't mental cruelty..." "It doesn't make any difference because I won't contest it." "You won't contest it?" "You can't contest it." "Not in a million years, you can't contest it!" "Well, now, Mrs. Tracey, ma'am, as your lawyer, I ask you, wasn't that a beautiful, beautiful divorce?" " A really lovely ceremony." " You mean it's really all over?" "That's all there is to it?" "Well, ma'am, there's one thing more." "You could take off your ring, if you wanted to." "Yes, I forgot." "I can't seem to get it off." "It's been on such a long time." " A little saddle soap, ma'am." " Yes." "I swear, when he said, "Divorce granted," well, there was tears in my eyes." "I always cry at divorces." "I don't know." "It was so quick." " Are you absolutely sure it's legal?" " Absolutely, ma'am." "I can hardly believe it." "It's too good to be true." "Well, ma'am, when two people, down deep in their hearts, know they really hate each other, that's the only thing that matters." "We really hate each other, all right." "There's no doubt about that." "Of course you do." "And I know you two are going to be very, very happy." "Well, I am." "I know that." "In fact, I'm very, very happy right now." "Lady Acres Ranch, please." "Just get divorced, lady?" "Well, you sure got a nice day for it." " He never thought I'd go through with it." " What did you say, lady?" "Nothing." " Come again, lady?" " No, no." "Nothing." "Poor Robert." "I called his bluff." "He's probably in a state of shock." "Probably never get over it." "Well, that's his problem." "He asked for it." "Got what was coming to him." "Poor Robert." "Right now he's probably moving into some miserable, lonely, little hotel room with one window that looks out over an airshaft." "It's great to be single again, again" "It's great to be single again" "Well, this is it, boy." "Home sweet home." "I certainly appreciate your letting me move in like this." "You're going to love it here, Bobby." "Hey." "This is your room in here." "Freddie just moved out." "He got married again." "The poor, foolish, headstrong boy." " Is there more stuff down in the car?" " No, I don't think so, Charlie." "We started out to get a few of my personal things, we ended up looting the joint." " Looting and pillaging." " Yeah." "And sacking." "Looting and pillaging and sacking." " And sacking." " There." "Huckleberry Finn?" "Yeah, that's my personal copy." "It has great sentimental value." "My Uncle William gave it to me on my 1 2th birthday." "It says on the flyleaf there, it says," ""To little Robert, a real boy, on his 1 2th birthday." ""His loving Uncle William."" "Bobby." ""To little Nina, on her ninth birthday." "Her beloved Aunt Sarah."" "Well, it's an honest mistake." "She won't miss it anyway." " Good." "Hey, what have you got in here?" " What?" "Hey!" "Wait a minute." "Wow!" "I feel kind of guilty about swiping this stuff." "Why?" "Well, Nina's the one who read about the liquor sale at Macy's, and she's the one who lugged it all the way up to Westport in the station wagon." "There's nothing in the divorce agreement giving Nina custody of the liquor." "Well, it's very true." "As a matter of fact, that's a well-taken point." "Here, catch it, Charlie." "Sign that boy." "Yeah, sign." "Hey, you know, I can go to baseball games now, if I wanted to." " Why not?" " How about that, Charlie?" "And professional football games." "Nina hated professional football games." "Don't waste that stuff." "It's precious." " What do you got in there?" " Laundry." "Well, now that you're all moved in and settled, let's get down to the business at hand." "Dames." " Who we gonna get for you?" " Hey, wait a minute, Charlie." "Do me one favor." "No dames." "Don't you introduce me to anyone." "The last time you introduced me to a dame, thank you, it was a disaster, a total disaster." "You introduced me to a dame, it took me eight years to get over." " No, thank you, not again!" " What are you talking about?" " What dame?" "Who did I introduce you to?" " Nina, that's who you introduced me to." "Hey, that's right." "Man, that was a long time ago." " 1946." " We were still in the Navy then." "Fighting the battle of good old 90 Church Street." "Yeah, you were a big deal then." "A lieutenant in public relations." "I remember that afternoon only too well." "I was sitting at my desk trying to get some work done, and you came in." "In a jam, as usual." " Say, Bobby." " Yeah." "Bobby, I'm in a terrible jam." "Bobby, I have to find a hero." " A what?" " A hero." "I just promised the admiral." "You see, NBC's doing a radio show, a documentary on the Navy, and they're sending a writer down here to do some research, and I just guaranteed I'd find her a real hero to talk to." "Well, find her a hero." "Yeah." "You know, Bobby, we've got a great bunch of fellows down here." "The men of the public relations command." "The men of the legal staff." "There's even one guy on the third floor who was actually on a ship once." "Yeah." "But we haven't got any heroes." "See?" "So, I was thinking, Bobby." "I was thinking, maybe I could introduce her to you." " Me?" " Sure." "It's very simple." "You tell her a few war stories and take her out to dinner." "Come on, don't be ridiculous." "Bobby?" "I don't like to do this to you." "But I'm forced to remind you that I am in command here." "Lieutenant Tracey, I order you to be a hero." "Why, I could never get away with it, Charlie." " What would I say to her?" " Well..." " Come." " Now, hey, Charlie." " Lieutenant Nelson?" " Aye, aye." "I'm Nina Chapman from NBC." "Well, it's a pleasure, Miss Chapman." "I have somebody here I want you to meet." "Lieutenant Robert Tracey." "He's here on secret business for the admiral." "Lieutenant Tracey, this is Miss Chapman from NBC." " How do you do?" " A pleasure, Lieutenant." "I think he's just what you want, ma'am, a man who has ridden into the jaws of death and out again." "Charlie, please." "Miss Chapman, the face may be young, but the eyes, the eyes are old." "Okay, kids, you're on your own." "I have to be running along." "Excuse me." "Charlie, now please, will you..." "Just sit down, please." "Excuse me." "I'm sorry." "Lieutenant?" " May I ask you a personal question?" " I guess so." "How long has it been since you've seen a woman?" "About 20 minutes." "Look, Miss Chapman, I'd better warn you." "Charlie..." "Lieutenant Nelson there has a rather vivid imagination, and sometimes he tends to exaggerate." "Would it be too painful for you to talk a little about..." "What, this?" "Well, it's so ridiculous, I'm ashamed to talk about it." "Ashamed?" "You should be proud!" "Proud of what Stephen Crane called your "red badge of courage."" "I got my finger caught in an adding machine." "It's about time I got rid of this thing anyway." "You see, they have so few wounded here at 90 Church Street, the doctors sometimes lose their heads." "I regret to inform you, Miss Chapman," "I spent the entire war right here in this office, you see." "And right now, I'm helping the admiral prepare his income tax return." "Well, look, I'm just a lawyer on the admiral's staff." "I applied for sea duty three times and I was turned down." "I just happen to be very good at contracts, that's all." "I did manage..." "Pardon me." "I did manage to save the Navy $750,000 in the past three years which is, in its own way, a very valuable contribution to the war effort." "$750,000?" "Yes, it just doesn't happen to seem very heroic, that's all." "I think that's very heroic." "And remarkable." " You do?" " Yes." "Take me, for instance." "I only earn $65 a week, and I've been working for the last three weeks trying to figure out my income tax." "It's still all mixed up." "I would be more than delighted, of course, to offer any help and advice I can." "But of course, I couldn't do that on the government's time." " Of course not." " Won't you?" "Well, if you would like to have dinner with me tonight, well, I would be more than happy to go over your entire tax structure and offer any help and clarification that I could." "Well, gee..." "Well, shall we say, I'll pick you up at 7:30 then?" " Address, please?" " 258 East 53rd." "Rental housing?" " Yes." " On a participation basis?" " What?" " You have a roommate?" "No." "My mother does help out with the rent, though, sometimes." "Your mother lives with you?" "Of course not." "Mother believes it's very important for people to live alone." "It develops independence and character." " Well, until 7:30 then." " 7:30." " Goodbye." " Bye-bye." " Miss Chapman." " Yes." " Be sure and have your canceled checks." " I will." "I certainly will." "I guess you do quite a lot of entertaining at home." "For business reasons." "No, I don't." "Well, that's too bad, because that bottle of wine, for instance, is deductible." " Deductible?" " Of course, deductible." "Anything you spend for tax advice is an entirely legal tax deduction." " How many rooms have you got here?" " Well, this is it." " Where do you sleep?" " That's very tricky." "You just press a button." "A bed sort of pops out of the wall." " What?" " I'll show you." "It sort of goes "whoosh!" Watch out!" "That's wonderful." "That's amazing!" " Gee!" "That's American ingenuity." " Yeah." " It looks very comfortable." " Yes, it is." "That's wonderful." "It must work on a spring principle, I imagine." "Yes." "You press a button, it comes out, press another button, it goes right back." "Watch out now, you don't want to get wounded in that other hand." "You know, I can't get over that." "It's..." "Well, I'm afraid you'll just have to." "Are you ready for my canceled checks now?" "Yes." "I guess we'd better get down to business." "I think I have most of them." "I'm afraid a few might be missing." "Missing?" "I sent them to the laundry." "I had them in one of my pockets." "I picked them up in the mailbox on the way to the studio." "Well, that was on a Tuesday." "I mean, that's the day the laundry gets sent out." " What?" " Well, it could happen to anyone." "Well, we won't worry about it." "We'll just do the best we can." "Now the idea is first to separate the checks into two stacks." " You see, deductible and non-deductible." " I see." "Now, for instance, who or what is Otis J. Lohman?" " Who?" " Who or what is Otis J. Lohman?" "On March fourth you wrote a check for $1 4.37 to one Otis J. Lohman." "Do you have any idea what that might be for?" "No." " It's interesting, really." "It's very interesting." " What?" "Well, it's wonderful, really." "I always say, you can never really get to know a person well until you've been through her canceled checks." "You can't?" "Beats psychiatry, palm reading and, you know, feeling the bumps on someone's head." "Phrenology?" "Well, anyhow, I can tell everything about a person from their canceled checks." " Can you tell about me?" " Everything." "Everything?" "Everything." "Well, is it all right?" "Yes." "You're frivolous, romantic, generous, somewhat over-impulsive, you're ambitious." "You're a little scatter-brained, and you also have a weakness for lacy underwear." "That's uncanny." "You're also very pretty, you're very sweet and you like to be kissed." "The checks!" "I'm sorry." "That's all right." "You can send those to the laundry, too." "Maybe, before this goes any further, I ought to look at your canceled checks." "You'll find I'm honest, thrifty, methodical, sober, upright and really kind of dull." " I don't believe it." " Don't say I didn't warn you." "I won't." "That certainly was an exciting summer for both of us." "You remember, Charlie." "It wasn't very long after I met Nina that she got a promotion." "Her first chance to write a radio show." "And it was just about the same time" "I was in line to get somewhat of a promotion myself." "Cynthia, I've come back to you." "I couldn't stay away any longer." " Steve." " Life has been an empty shell." "For me too, Steve." "I, too, have been living a lie." "I realize, Cynthia, you've a million dollars in your own right, that you have a Rolls-Royce, a personal maid, a town house, a country house and six mink coats." "Steve." "Darling, I want to take you away from all this." "Away from this tinsel, empty existence." "Steve." "Perhaps we'll starve, but at least we shall be together." "We won't have to starve, Steve." "That invention of yours, I showed it to Dad," " And he's buying it for a million dollars." " Darling!" "Darling!" "Why, you must be crazy." "I'll get fired." " What happened?" " What happened?" " My discharge is coming through next week." " Robert, that's wonderful." "Listen, you've heard of the firm" "Englebach, Hurst, McCarren and Lord, Attorneys at Law?" " No." " Yeah, well, as of next week, it's going to be Englebach, Hurst, McCarren and Lord," "Attorneys at Law, Associate, Robert Tracey." " Robert!" " So starting next week," "I'm going to be a starving lawyer." " That's wonderful." " Come on, let's eat." " Nina?" " Yes?" " I've been thinking." " Yeah?" "About your income tax situation." " Do we have to discuss that tonight?" " Well, now wait." "Now, this is very important." "You have a basic salaried income of $3,380 per annum." "Is that correct?" "That's right." "If that's what $65 a week comes to." "Yes." "I don't see why we have to discuss it." "Well, I shall shortly be earning $5,200 myself." "And to get to the point, if we were to file a joint return, it would seem to me that with the two exemptions, the joint return may not only be feasible, but actually economically very sound." "Indeed, tax-wise." "All right." "I didn't think you could do that, file a joint return just like that." "I thought you had to be married or something." "It was just like a movie, you know, they were married and they lived happily ever after." "Until eight years later, when they get a divorce." "It's the best thing that ever happened to you." "Well, it's all over." "It's all settled." "Forget it." "One thing, Bobby." "Just one thing." "If two people are to live together harmoniously, a certain amount of intelligent planning is necessary." "That's where Sam comes in." " What?" " So..." "I forget." " Come on, I want you to meet Sam." " What?" "He's a very important member of this household." "Here." "This is Sam." "When Freddie lived here, we worked out this system." "Well, Charlie, I don't even know what you're talking about." "Visitors, guests, callers." "Maybe even clients." "For instance, supposing some night you're entertaining a visitor, or guest, or caller or maybe even a client, and for some reason or other it would be inconvenient to have me interrupt, and you want to inform me as discreetly as possible," "that the apartment is occupied." "What you do is simply this." "Then later on, when the coast is clear..." "Well, Charlie, I never see clients anywhere except at the office." "Well, my boy, a situation may arise." "And if it does, remember..." "So..." "Flight 51 1 from San Francisco," "Reno and Chicago now arriving at Gate 1o." "Darling, you look just marvelous." "I never felt better in my life, Mother." "Edith." "You promised to call me Edith." "I feel as if a great, big weight had been lifted off my shoulders." "Of course you do, and it has." "You didn't have to come all the way out here to meet me." "I know, but I wanted to." "I had to cancel my 1 1:00 appointment with Dr. Van Kessel, but it was worth it." "Now, Dr. Van Kessel will try to tell me that the reason I came was because I really wanted to cancel the appointment, and that meeting you was just an excuse for avoiding him." "And we'll spend all of next week analyzing the source of my hostility toward him, but I don't care." "Come on now, we'll pick up your bags." " I have to go to NBC first." " NBC can wait." "First, I'm taking you to lunch." "We'll have thousands of martinis, and all the most expensive things on the menu." " The Barbery Room, huh?" " Of course." " I have lunch here every day." " I know." "So does everybody else in New York." " I wish we were going someplace quiet." " Don't be absurd." "You will be a darling bunny and take care of the car, won't you?" "Certainly, Mrs. Chapman." " Mrs. Chapman, Mrs. Chapman." " Hello, Teddy." "Say, I have your table ready for you." " A reservation for two, was it not?" " For two, yes." "Did you really reserve a table?" "Of course not." "Teddy's such a darling bunny." "You really are wonderful, Mother." "What's the matter, darling?" "You look as though you've seen a..." "I told you we shouldn't have come here." " Let's get out of here." " Now don't be absurd." "I think I'm going to be sick." "In a divorce situation, a first meeting, particularly an accidental one, is bound to be mildly traumatic." "But you mustn't let it get the best of you or you'll be lost." "Lost, lost, lost." "Look, he sees us." "What do I do?" "Just because he happens to be infantile and neurotic, there's no reason for you to be anything but civilized and adult." "Just smile politely and wave so." "I told you I didn't want to come here." "I knew that phony dame was going to drag her in here for lunch." " Let's drink these and get out." " Come on, boy." "Pull yourself together." "What are you afraid of?" "You've got to be civilized about this." "Besides, we were here first." "If they don't like it, let them leave." "Look at his face." "Very embarrassed." "Well, if he doesn't like it, let him leave." "Yeah, you're right, Charlie." "You're absolutely right." "Sure." "I'll have one more of the same, please." "Make mine a double." "Waiter, we'll have two of your divine martinis." "Make mine a double." "This was bound to happen sooner or later." " It's much better this way." " Yeah." " Now it's over." " Yeah, I suppose so." "Do you suppose I should go over there and just say hello or something?" "Of course not." "Just pretend they're not here." "Do you think I should go over there and speak to him or something?" " Send a note?" " Certainly not." "Just ignore them." "I wouldn't go over there anyway with her mother there." "As a matter of fact, I blame this whole thing on her mother." "Really?" "I've always thought she was a charming and attractive woman." "Charming and..." "She's an interior decorator." "I hate interior decorators." "Do you know what she wanted to get us?" "A round bed." " A what?" " A round bed." " That's an interesting idea." " She thought it would be very chic." "So I said, "All right." So I get the round bed, now where do I get the round sheets, and the round blankets, and the round pillow cases?" "She never thought of that." "Waiter, I'll have one more of the same." "Thank you." "I don't know, I just have no use in this world whatsoever for interior decorators." "Am I boring you?" "No, not at all." "I was just thinking about that round bed." "We never had any interior decorators in that old apartment of Nina's." "With that crazy old bed." "It used to go "whoosh" when it came out of the wall." "Just like that, it used to just go "whoosh" when it came out." "Whoosh!" "Whoosh." "I've got a confession to make." "I broke into your house while you were away and redid your entire bedroom." "You shouldn't have done that." "You'll never believe it until you've seen it." "And that darling bunny on the eighth floor at Lord and Taylor's promised to make you a round quilt." "I'm no longer interested in beds." "You've got to stop brooding this way." "You've got to try and make a successful adjustment." "I've seen this coming for a long time." "Well, she can do anything she wants to Nina's bedroom now." "Anything she wants to at all." "Look at him!" "Sitting there belting martinis with Charlie Nelson." "Look at him." "I don't know what's going to happen to him and I don't care." "Probably live on whiskey and French-fried potatoes." "Get fat, lose all his clients." "I don't know what he's going to do and I don't care." "I don't know why I ever married him in the first place." "I was afraid of being an old maid." "I wasn't nearly this attractive then, either." "I didn't realize that there are certain women like me who get more attractive as they mature." "I thought by the time I was 30 I was going to be lined and gray." "How did I know I was suddenly going to blossom out into a raving, screaming beauty with my own television show and an income of $40,000 a year?" "How did I know?" "I'm well out of it, that's all." "I'm free, free!" "You don't know what that means." "And I'm going to enjoy it." "El Morocco every night and men, millions of men!" "Poor, miserable creatures groveling at my feet!" "I'm going to be a combination of Sadie Thompson," "Forever Amber and Scarlett O'Hammer, all rolled up into one." "I'm going to be passion's plaything." " Welcome back, Miss Chapman." " Thank you." "Camera one." "I think we've won, Serena." "I think we've won." " Congratulations, Nina." " Thank you." "Congratulations, Nina." " Great to have you back." " Thank you, thank you." "I am so proud of you, my darling." "So terribly, terribly proud." "It was nothing, Serena." "Nothing at all." "I merely did my duty." "You took a desperate chance, John, dynamiting the water works." "I merely did what I had to, Serena." "The water was contaminated." "You need some rest, John." "You haven't slept in the past three nights." "What about you, little Serena?" "For the past three nights you've been by my side, fighting this epidemic with me." "It's different for a woman somehow." "Easier." "Without you, Serena, I never could have stopped this terrible epidemic." "But you did it, my darling." "That's all that matters." "You did it." "We did it, my darling." "We did it." "Well, that does it." " It's a real good show." " Thank you." "All right, boys, wrap it up." "Hello, how are you?" " Welcome back, Miss Chapman." " Thank you very much." " Nice seeing you, Miss Chapman." " Nice seeing you." " Hello." "Thank you." " Wonderful show." " Did you have a nice trip?" " Fine, thank you." "Good, glad to hear it." "Well, Rick Vidal!" "Well, hello." "Hey, before these wolves have a chance to tear you apart, let me get my claim in, huh?" "Are you free for dinner tonight?" "Yes." "I guess I am." "It's a wonderful feeling." "I haven't been free for anything in eight years." "Sure, sure." "I'm free for dinner." "I'm glad I got there firstest with the mostest." "Say, you know, you ought to watch yourself, darling." "This town is just full of guys who are waiting for gals like you." "It is?" " 8:00 then?" " 8:00." "I'm staying at Mother's, 516 Park." " Just ask for Sadie." " Sadie?" "Thompson." "Cab, please." "You look ravishing, Miss Thompson." "Or may I call you Sadie?" "You may call me Sadie or Amber or Scarlett or anything you want." "I think I'll just stick to darling." " Where would you like to go?" " I don't know." "It's been so long since I've been out." " Where have they got?" " Just leave it to me." "We'll go where there's music, soft lights, dancing." " It sounds delicious, simply delicious." " It will be, I promise." "A rumba, to me the most exciting of all dances." " Shall we?" " No!" "I mean, no." "I feel silly, but I never learned to rumba." "Robert and I were going to take lessons together," " But we never did." " It's easy." " Let me teach you." " Oh, no." "I'd rather not." "This has been so lovely." "I don't want to spoil it all by stepping all over your feet." "That's impossible." "You couldn't do that." "Lovely." "Lovely." "Absolutely exquisite." " Yes, you." " Well..." "Darling, I've an idea." "I know a wonderful place." "It's very dark and very quiet," " Where we can talk." " But I sort of like it here." "Oh, no." "This place?" "The place I know is much better, much more intime." " Where is this place?" " My apartment." " Your apartment?" " My apartment." "Well, I've never been to a man's apartment." "Except, of course, my husband's." "And that was all right, because I lived there, too." " You know what I mean." " Yes, I know." "I think it's charming." "Terribly, terribly sweet and charming." " You do?" " Yes, I do." "Well, you certainly have a very forceful personality, and you sort of smell good, too." "All right, let's go." "It sounds lovely." "It will be." "I promise." "Nice place you've got here." "Just a simple bachelor's apartment." "Come on, sit down." "Come on, sit here by me." "Don't be afraid." "I want to talk to you." "Nina, I can't tell you how very much I've wanted the chance to get to know you better." "To have you get to know me." "There's so many things I want to tell you." "So many things I'd like to do." "Yes." "Well, first of all, that dame that plays Serena louses me up every minute we're on the air." "Now let's face it, Nina." "You know as well as I do that this is the man's show." "I carry the entire program right on my back." "Now, I've been thinking," "I don't want to tell you how to write the scripts, of course, the scripts are brilliant." "But if you could just write the dame out of the show for a week or so, maybe she could have an accident and be unconscious for a week or something." "You know, put her in her convertible and let her drive it over the cliff or put her up in a plane and let it disintegrate in midair." "You can handle it." "Anything." "Just so the audience will get a chance to know me." "I promise you that rating-wise it would be a tremendous lift for the show, and..." "Hey!" "What did I do?" "You goofed!" ""Outside, the night was as black as a coal miner's T-shirt." ""I turned slowly away from the window and faced her." ""Then, for the first time, she could see the automatic in my hand. "" " Hey, Bobby." " What, what is it, Charlie?" "Come on, boy, you can't just sit around this place." "You'll go stir-crazy." "A man gets divorced, what he needs is to get out and meet some new people." "Now, I've got a great girl for you." "Let me call her, huh?" "I'm perfectly happy just sitting here reading, Charlie." "Okay." ""For a long moment, she stared at me in silence." ""Her eyes had that funny, mad look I'd come to know and fear." ""Her moist red lips were half-parted." ""Then slowly, her eyes never leaving my face, she began..."" " Hey, Bobby." " Charlie, I am trying to read." "Do you know I got divorced for this very same reason?" "Now will you please stop?" "You were married too long, that's the trouble." "You lost your touch." "You got..." "I'm going to call this girl, her name is Janis." "I don't care if her name is..." "Charlie, it's just that I wouldn't even know what to do." "There's nothing to it." "You buy her dinner, a few drinks, hand her some laughs." " From then on, you're on your own." " Hey, wait a minute." " Are you actually..." "Hey, stop." " Will you stop arguing?" " It's ringing." "She may not even be home." " Charlie." "Hello." "Hello, Janis." "Janis, this is your dream man, Charlie." "You wouldn't." "Charlie Nelson, the answer to a young girl's prayer." "Sure, you remember." "That's right." "That's right, that's right." "I'll come up sometime and we'll play Pony Express." "Pony Express?" "Well, that's like post office, only a little more horsing around." "Yeah, I know I'm terrible." "That's why you love me so much, huh?" "Yeah, look, beautiful, there's this friend of mine," " A wonderful guy named Bob Tracey." " For..." "This is embarrassing, Charlie." "He's a great guy, a million laughs, and he's dying to meet you." "Are you doing anything tonight?" "Honestly, I don't feel very well, Charlie, honest." "How about dinner?" "A million laughs, I guarantee you." "Yeah, okay." "He'll pick you up about 8:00." "Tracey, that's right, Bob Tracey." "Bye." "Come on, boy, snap out of it." "You're in for a ball." "Good evening." "My name is Robert Tracey," " And Charlie Nelson said..." " Come on in." "Come on." "I'll be ready in just a minute." "You know, it's the funniest thing." "When Charlie called me up tonight, I was just about to open a can of spaghetti." " Well, I'm certainly glad you didn't do that." " Well, me, too." " I hate to cook." "Turn around." " I beg your pardon?" "Well, turn around." "I have to finish dressing." " Of course, certainly." "I'm very sorry." " Speaking about spaghetti, you'd be surprised at how many fellas you go out on dates with who don't like to buy you any dinner." "They'll buy you anything you want to drink, all right, but not to eat." "What I think is, they just want to get you plastered." "I think maybe I ought to pull this curtain." "There seems to be somebody staring at you from across the court." "No, don't do that." "My girlfriend and I, we never pull the curtain." "We just have a ball with him." "You know, that boy must be a nervous wreck." "We never let him get any sleep at all." "Some day he's going to flip his lid or fall out of the window or something." " Don't you think that's a scream?" " Well, I should think you'd call the police." "No, that would spoil everything." "After all, he's been so patient, it only seems fair." "Okay, you can turn around now." "You look lovely." "Where would you care to have dinner?" "I know a real dreamy place." "It's real cute." "Come on, just stick with me." "I get the biggest kick out of this place." "All the boys here are from Yale." " Hello." " Janis." "Hi, George." " Hello, Janis." " Hello." " Hi, Janis." " How've you been?" "I suddenly feel kind of old among all these crewcuts." "You know something?" "I was at the spring prom at Yale last year." "This Yale boy's roommate made a bet with him that he wouldn't dare ask me, but he did." "He's at Harvard now." "That figures." "Hey, Janis, get the pompoms." "Come on, Janis." " Where are the pompoms?" " We want Janis." "It's your song, Janis." "Boola boola, boola boola" "Boola boola, boola boola" "When we're through with those poor fellows" "They will holler boola boo" "Rah, rah!" "Yale, Eli Yale" "Yale, Eli Yale" "Yale, Eli Yale" "Good going, Janis!" "Eli Yale" " Nice work, girl." " You're swell, Janis." "Sometimes I think I should have gone to college." "You know, there's so much a person can get out of college." "Yes, that's certainly true." "You may not believe this, but they were going to give me a scholarship to this college, but I decided not to take it." "I wanted to keep on with my dancing." "Well, that's very interesting." "What college was that?" " What?" " Where they offered you a scholarship?" "Some little jerkwater college back home." "Here, put your hot one up against my cold one, and make my cold one hot." "That means give me a light." "That's what Charlie Nelson always says when he wants to light a cigarette from somebody else's cigarette." "I think it's real cute." "I mean, you could really bust something laughing at Charlie." "In what subject did you almost get this scholarship?" "I don't know why this fascinates me so." " Music." " Music?" "I won runner-up in the all-state drum majorette contest." " Hey, let's dance." " No!" "I mean, to tell you the truth, I can't..." "What is..." "Rumba." "I was going to take some lessons, but I never quite got around to it." "That's all right." "Sometimes, it's a lot more fun just to sit and have a serious conversation." "Maybe we could go up to your place where it's more quiet." " My place?" " I think it'd be dreamy." "Don't you?" "Well, yes, well, it would..." "Dreamy." "Well, this is home." "I share the apartment with Charlie, you know." "You known Charlie a long time?" "Yes." "We were in the Navy together and I have been his lawyer for years." "Would you like a drink?" "Would whiskey be all right?" "Well, sure." "I think whiskey would be dreamy." "We don't seem to have any ice." "Charlie forgot to put water in the trays." "Well, don't worry about it." "I'd just as soon have a little straightie." "You know, it's the funniest thing, did I tell you?" "When Charlie called me up tonight," "I was just about to give up and open a can of spaghetti." "Spaghetti, yes, canned spaghetti." "You told me about that." "Well, good luck." "I'm sorry about the ice." "Say, are you married?" "Well, I was." "I'm divorced now." "What made you get divorced?" "Was it another woman?" "Well, no, no." "It was nothing like that." "No?" "What happened then?" "Well, as a matter of fact, I was cruel to her." " No kidding." " Well, only mentally, of course," "I mean, by that I disparaged her work, for one thing." "And I was also incompatible and frequently moody and unresponsive and insulted her in front of her friends, and..." "I thought maybe it was something, well, you know, kind of interesting." "No, it was nothing interesting." "How long have you been divorced?" "A couple of days." "Maybe we should have another drink." "All right." "It's not very good without ice, I'm afraid." "Don't worry about it." "Say, I've got a good idea." "Maybe we could go out someplace else later on." "Have you seen the show at the Copa?" "No." "I don't get to the Copa very much." "Well, at least they have ice at the Copa." "You know, it seems awful funny that you're a friend of Charlie's." "You know, you're not even a little bit like him." "You're more the quiet, moody type." "In some ways, you're very cute, though." "Well, I'm afraid this is awfully dull for you." "I mean, I'm kind of depressed tonight." "But sometimes I'm pretty much of a riot myself, but it..." " I bet you are." " Yeah." "You know, you really ought to try and cheer up, though." "Here, maybe this'll help you." "That didn't seem to do any good at all." "Say, what's the matter with you, anyway?" "I don't know." "I'm sorry, but the whole thing is a mistake, that's all." "I told Charlie it was, but you know Charlie." "It's..." "I'm still upset and everything." "This..." "I'm not very good company, you see." "I don't even have any ice." "Maybe the best thing I could do would be just to take you home." "Don't worry about it." "I mean, it's quite all right." " I can take a cab." " Well, no." "Really, I mean..." "Don't worry about it." "Well, then, I'll call you again sometime, maybe." " You do that." " I will, I..." " That'll be fine." " All right." "Well, good night." "Good night." "Say, how long were you married to that dame anyway?" "About eight years." "She was pretty special?" "Well, she was different." "I've got a flash for you." "That much different she couldn't be." "Good night." ""Then slowly, her eyes never leaving my face," ""she began, one button at a time, to undo the front of her sweater. "" "Purse the lips and say "eu."" " Madame." " Yes." "The "eu" sound is the foundation, the very Rock of Gibraltar on which the French language is based." "There is, I assume, some personal and compelling reason for Madame's desire to master French." " A trip to Europe, perhaps?" " Well, something like that." "May one ask a question of personal nature?" "Of course." "Madame has recently been divorced?" "Yes." "How sad." "It isn't a bit sad." "It's the best thing that ever happened to me." "Why did you ask that?" "So many of our students have recently been divorced." "It's most interesting." "During the first few months after a divorce, one almost always decides to devote oneself to something serious and worthwhile." "As for example, the United Nations." "It's very odd, the psychology." "One has been unable to save one's marriage, so now one will compensate by saving the world." "Forgive me, Madame." "Forgive me." "I am perhaps too outspoken." "My sincerest apologies." "It's all right." "Let's try it once again, huh?" "I have great optimism." "It's only a matter of time, in the soft palate, huh?" "Now, purse the lips." "Very nice." "Very nice." "Well, that's what we call progress." "Give me those hips a bit more, will you?" "Get this. "A close shot, Elaine's sweater." ""Slowly, her eyes never leaving his face," ""she begins, one button at a time, to unbutton it."" "Pretty good, huh, Marcia?" "That'll fracture them." "It's wonderful, Mr. Nelson." "Just wonderful." ""By this time, Brannigan..."" "As your lawyer, you can't do that, it's plagiarism." "You're stealing again." "Stealing?" "Who's stealing?" "I'm changing the names." "Look, Marcia, let's take a break." "We've done enough for today, anyway." "Now you type that stuff up, and we'll get a fresh start tomorrow." "Let's make it early, around 1 1:00." "All right, Mr. Nelson." "Look, Charlie, listen." "I saved you from one plagiarism suit." "I may not be able to do that again." "Now you've got to try to be more careful." "Bobby, I don't like to discuss my work." "You take care of the business, I'll handle the art." " Goodbye, Mr. Nelson." " Goodbye, Marcia." " Now, look..." " How about that?" "Is that great?" "Are you busy tonight?" "Maybe I can fix you up a date." "No!" "Please!" "I will not go through that again." "I just don't seem to have anything to say to 20-year-old girls anymore." "The trouble with you, boy, you're in a rut." "Mentally you're still married to the girl that divorced you." "You handle her television business, her income tax..." "Well, other members of the firm insisted on that." "She's a very valuable client." "It's as though you're still married with none of the advantages." "Look, why don't you take Marcia out, be my guest." " No, Charlie." "Now, please." " Bobby." "The big thing, a man gets divorced, he's got to learn how to expand, how to grow." "You got to start from the bottom and work your way up." "You got to change your personality, your clothes, grow a mustache." " Grow a mustache?" " Sure." "I'd probably look like Groucho Marx." "A mustache is a very important thing." "That's part of the famous Charlie Nelson theory on the efficacy of face hair in dealing with the opposite sex." "What?" "Always remember this." "Dames become unpredictable when faced with a mustache." "It both arouses and angers them, because being as it is a symbol of masculinity, they feel drawn toward it." "It's no use, Charlie." "I have no interest whatsoever in growing a mustache!" "And I have no interest in girls like Janis or that Marcia." " We have nothing to talk about." " Look, Bobby, Janis is basic." "You got to make it with a Janis or you're dead." "Besides, who says you got to talk to them?" "You're back in the jungle, boy, you're a hungry tiger, a lithe, young animal." "I'm a lithe, middle-aged animal." "Bobby, there's nothing to it, you gotta do it." "Look, Charlie, I don't know." "I just don't know." "Bobby, look." "You put yourself in my hands for one week," "I guarantee you that at the end of that time, you won't be able to recognize yourself." "Yeah." "Loose, loose, loose, loose, loosen up." "Dance with me loose, loose, loose, loose, loosen up." "Limp, limp, limp, limp." "I just can't seem to get the hang of it." "It looks easy enough." "Stand back and watch me for a minute." "Notice the hips swing, swing, swing, swing the hips, swing the bottom," "swing, relax." "Swing, swing, swing, swing, ole!" " Let your knees go limp, limp, limp." " Let your knees go limp, limp, limp." " Limp, limp, limp." " Limp, limp, limp." " Let your knees go limp, limp, limp." " Let your knees go limp, limp, limp." " Cigarette?" " No, thank you." "Alphonse." "I have a very nice table for you, Mr. Tracey." " Would you like to dance?" " Love to." "Nice orchestra." " Would you like to dance?" " No, Tommy." "Let's just sit for awhile." "I've danced more in the last few weeks than I have in the last eight years." "My ex-husband doesn't dance." "I think I've changed my mind." "Let's try it." " Mambo!" " Mambo?" "Mambo!" "Mambo!" " Good morning, Mr. Tracey." " Good morning." " Good morning, Mr. Tracey." " Good morning." "Good morning." "Good morning, Mr. Tracey." " Good morning, Mr. Tracey." " Good morning." "Good morning." "Pardon me." "Good morning." " Good morning, Miss Comstock." " Good morning, Mr. Tracey." "Miss Comstock, would you please bring me all the Serena Corporation books, and the Nina Tracey personal tax folder, right away?" " Today, Mr. Tracey?" " Certainly today." "What's the matter with today?" "But you got an extension from them because of Mrs. Tracey's absence in Reno." "You needn't file for another month." "Yes, well, yours is not to reason why, Miss Comstock." "Yours is but to finish eating your breakfast and bring me the folder." " Here you are, Mr. Tracey." " Thank you, Miss Comstock." "Miss Comstock, any papers you bring me are a meal in themselves." "Would you get me Mrs. Tracey up in the country, please?" "Yes, Mr. Tracey." "Hello." "Hello, is Mrs. Tracey..." "Is Miss Chapman in?" "I'm sorry, but she hasn't come down yet." "Well, would you tell her, her attorney called?" "Is there any message?" "Yes, ask her to call me, and ask her if she remembers what day it is." "I'll do that." " Good morning." " Good morning, Miss Chapman." "I know we're having the agency boys in at 1 1:00." " Are there any other troubles?" " There was something here." "Now, let's see." " Yes, your attorney called." " My attorney?" "Yes, Mr. Tracey." "He was just being cute." "He wants you to call him." "And he left a message." "He said to ask you if you remembered what day it is." "What day it is?" "April 15th." "April 15th." "What's so special about April 15th?" "I don't know." "Robert's birthday is in September, my birthday's in August." "Anniversary was in May." "Maybe you'd better call him." " Yes?" " I have Miss Chapman on the phone." "Put her on, please." " Hello?" " Hello." "I got your message, and I give up." " What day is it?" " Income tax day." "Income tax day?" "I thought they gave us another month's extension." "No, no, no, no." "I think it would be much wiser to get at it right away." "Now I could drive up there this evening and we could go over the whole thing." "That is, if you're not going to be busy or anything, or dancing or something." "Well, I do have a date." "As a matter of fact, I have two dates, but I could get out of them." "Well, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you." "No, no." "Taxes are important." "That's very true." "How about 8:30?" "8.;3o is fine." "Good." "Good." "I'll see you then." "And I'll have all the canceled checks." " Goodbye." " Bye." "What day was it?" "Income tax day." " Good evening." " Good evening." " Won't you come in?" " Thank you." "It was very nice of you to drive all the way up here." "Well, you're a valued client." "It was a pleasure." "You're very kind." "You look lovely." "Thank you." "So do you." "Thank you." "I've never seen you dress like that before." "A waistcoat and everything." "The stripes go all the way around, you see." "It was made in Italy." "Charlie Nelson's tailor imports them for me." "Well, maybe we'd better get down to business." "The papers are upstairs." "I'll show you the way." "I know the way." "Yes." "I forgot." "After you." "Thank you." "Watch out for the carpet." "It's loose." "Thank you." "I've got the canceled checks all laid out." "This is new." "Yes, it is." "It's round." "It's the roundest thing I ever saw." "Yes." "Bergdorf Goodman, Lord and Taylor, Jean Louis, Bonwit Teller..." "You seem to have had substantial clothing bills." "Yes." "One goes out so frequently now and one hadn't bought any clothes in years because no one took one anywhere, except to the movies once in a while." "I see." "Is there a check for the bed anywhere in here?" "No, no, I didn't pay for that." "It was a present from Edith." " From Edith?" " Yes." "It's too bad you didn't pay for it." "It would have been deductible." " Deductible?" " Office furniture." "$39.40 to the Arthur Murray Dance Studios." "That's an odd thing for someone at your time of life." "My time of life?" "These checks indicate a new and rather frightening tendency" " Towards instability." " My time of life?" "As your attorney, I suggest that you just take it a little easy" " And settle down." " Now, wait a minute." " Wait a minute." " Take it a little easy." "I mean, one hates to see a middle-aged woman making a..." " Middle-aged woman?" "...spectacle out of herself." "What about certain middle-aged gentlemen who lose their heads and go running around after girls young enough to be their daughters, who grow a mustache?" "Let's leave my must..." "What's the matter with my mustache?" "Nothing, nothing, except it happens to make you look perfectly ridiculous." " Take my advice, shave it off." " Take my advice, get rid of this idiotic bed." "If you knew what you looked like in that silly vest and that mustache." "You look like a gigolo." "You don't even look like a gigolo." "You look like Groucho Marx." "Maybe I should get somebody else to look over your checks." " What?" " Maybe I should get somebody else to come look over your checks." "I don't think you've changed one bit." "No." "I haven't changed a bit." "Neither have you." " I'll get somebody else, I guess." " You go right ahead and do that." " I'd be very glad to." " You go ahead." "Because I never want to see you again as long as I live." " Never!" " Very good!" "Very good!" "Look out for the stairs." "Edith." "I just caught a glimpse of the most fascinating-looking man in the most adorable little sports car I've ever seen." " That was Robert." " What was he doing here?" "He just came to go over the income tax." "This came this morning." "I couldn't wait to bring it to you." "Something to keep your feet warm in bed." "Open it." "Open it." "What is it?" "It works on AC and DC." "It's round." "It's beautiful." "Darling." "What's the matter?" "I'm miserable." "Darling, I'm going to be very frank with you." "You cannot live alone like this." "It's not normal." "It's not healthy." "You've got to find yourself an attractive man." "Oh, no." "This is a very common problem, and I know exactly what Dr. Van Kessel would tell you." ""Find yourself an attractive man."" "How about Rick Vidal?" "He's certainly attractive." "But I'm not in love with him." "Not in love with..." "Nina, you have got to stop thinking like a high-school girl." "Love, whatever that really is, is something that occurs rarely, if ever." "Meanwhile, life must go on." "I think, maybe, I'm still in love with Robert." "Nonsense." "That's just a neurotic refusal to face the facts." "I'm sure Dr. Van Kessel would agree." "What you must do is coolly and carefully select a man who is attractive to you, then go after him." "Think of it as medicinal, something that has to be done." "You can't go on this way much longer, you know." "No." "I can't go on like this." "I really can't." "Would you mind taking the car?" "I love this game." "An excellent outlet for aggressions." "It's pretty good exercise, too." "Each time I hit the ball, I pretend in my mind that I'm in fact hitting one of my patients." " You're a doctor then?" " Psychoanalyst." "This for you, dear lady, on the head, where it'll do the most good." " My ex-wife." " My last patient." "My ex-mother-in-law, right in the head." "My last patient again." "That's all." "I'm getting too old for this game." "I've enjoyed it very much." "My aggressions are gone." "Me, too." "By the way, if you'd ever like a return match, my name's Tracey." "Van Kessel." " Robert Tracey?" " Dr. Van Kessel!" "I'm embarrassed." "I've said too much." "I had no idea." "No, no, no." "I'm through with her and her miserable mother." "Dr. Van Kessel!" "There is one thing, Doc." "I've gone out with other girls and I'm not interested." "Now what should I do about that?" "You must try again." "Try harder." "It's absolutely essential." "Now take squash, for example." "This is no substitute for the community interests and activities to be found in..." "Well, good evening." "Won't you come in?" "You bet." "Well, it certainly has been a long time." "Do you know that I wasn't even sure who it was when you first called me?" " Yeah?" " Then, when I was getting dressed, it suddenly hit me." "I told my girlfriend, "I'll bet I know who it is." ""I bet it's that sad-faced friend of Charlie Nelson's."" "And my girlfriend says, "You mean, Old No Ice?"" " And I said, "Yeah, I'll bet it's him."" " Well, I've got plenty of ice tonight." "I said, "He was pretty cute in some ways." ""He's having some kind of party."" "So my girlfriend says, "Don't kid me." ""You've had big eyes for him ever since that night with the no ice."" "You seem different somehow." "Well." "Won't you?" "You know, I just wish you'd have called me five minutes earlier, 'cause I already opened a can of spaghetti, so I just stuck it in the ice box." " Do you think it'll keep?" " Forever." "Maybe she was right, my girlfriend." "Maybe I did have big eyes for you all the time, and I just didn't know it." "Since this is a party..." "Gee." "Gee, thanks." "How about that?" "It's a white orchid!" "Gee!" "Let's see." "Where can we pin it?" "Well, I have some scotch tape in the kitchen, maybe we..." "Let's just wear it some other time." "Take it with you when you leave." "If you leave." "Okay." "I'll keep it in the ice box." "With the spaghetti?" "It sounds like a popular song, doesn't it?" "Orchids, spaghetti and you" " You're getting cuter every minute." " Yeah?" "A tiger skin!" " Where'd you get it?" "In Africa?" " No." "Philadelphia." "That's part of the stage set for Charlie's play that closed there." "Gee, a tiger skin." "You know, when I was a little girl," "I used to think how romantic it would be to have a date with a fella with a tiger skin." "Let's have some wine." "The champagne must be cold by now." "That's the biggest bottle of champagne I ever saw in my life." "It was the large economy size." "In some ways, you're even more of a scream than Charlie Nelson." "Well, that's the nicest thing that anybody ever said to me." "Say, would you mind if I sat on your tiger skin a minute?" "I'm just dying to try it." "Well, that's what it's for." "You know, this is just wonderful." "I'm so glad you asked me." "The champagne and the flowers, the tiger skin." "Who's all coming?" "Just you and me." "Well, that's such a corny one!" "You know, Charlie Nelson pulled that one on me" " The first night I ever met him." " Yeah." "He says, "Come on over, we're gonna have a big party" ""with drinking and necking and carrying on."" "Well, I just bit for it like a big dope." "I says, "Sounds wonderful!" "Who's all going to be there?"" " And he says, "Just you and me."" " You and me." "Yeah." "I tell you, I just laughed!" "You know, Charlie really flips me." "But I like the way you said it better." "You sounded like you were, you know, serious." "Yeah, well, I'm serious, all right." "Boing!" " Boing?" " Yeah, boing!" "I'm so glad I was free tonight." "You know, I had a date with Charlie, but he called me up and he broke it." "Good old Charlie." "He had a conference with some girl he knows, a writer up in Westport." "Well, if he hadn't had this conference, I..." " What writer up in Westport?" " I don't know." "She just got a divorce or something." "She was married to one of his best friends, so he was going up there to keep her company." "Why keep her company?" "Yeah, he was going to play Pony Express." "That's a joke Charlie has." "You know what a riot he is." "Say, what's the matter with you anyway?" "Look, I'm sorry, I just remembered a previous engagement." "I've got to get up there right away." "If you wouldn't mind waiting." "I'm sorry." "You can go to a movie." "I'm sorry." "It's going to be fine." "He's really very attractive, in his own way." "I never realized how amusing he is." "I had lunch with him twice." "I never stopped laughing the whole time." "You look pretty good, kid, for an unmarried American female." "If I only don't scare him off." "Or panic." "I won't panic." "I will not panic." "I will not panic." "I will not..." "Panic." " Charlie!" " Nina!" "Hey, man, you smell good." "Well, I certainly should at $35 an ounce." "It was sweet of you to drive all the way up here to visit an unmarried, poor, old widow lady like me." "Well, that's Charlie Nelson, the friend of widows and orphans." "Come on in." "I'm just in the midst of making martinis." "Martinis?" "I've got glasses in the ice box to chill." "Is that right?" "Well, that's imperative." "That's absolutely crucial." "You know, when I get up in the morning, the first thing I do is brush my teeth." "The second thing, I put the glasses in to chill." "Well, you know the way." "Would you like to get them for me?" "Sure." "Your wish is my command." "Two parts gin..." "One." "Two." "To one part vermouth." "One." "Does that look about the right color?" "Magnificent." "Ash-blonde, very beautiful." " Two-to-one?" " Yes." "This is my maiden effort." "Certainly hope it turns out all right." "Well, luck." "Luck." "Is it all right?" "It's wonderful." "There's something the matter with it, I can tell." "I did something wrong." "Probably bruised the gin." "Would you tell me how you can possibly bruise gin?" "No, no, the gin's fine." "There's not a mark on it." "Then what?" "Well, I was just thinking about you, that's all." "About me." "Yeah." "Some girls are sort of, well, dismal." "Everybody says, "What she needs is a husband."" "With you, it worked out the other way." "What you needed was no husband." "You know, I can't get over a girl like you." "So you have to get up and answer the phone yourself." "What?" "Well, that's just a joke." "I use that sometimes." "I don't know how it happened to pop out right now." "It's part of the famous Charlie Nelson technique." "I don't know why I should be using it on you, though." "I don't know why you shouldn't." "Tell me more about the famous Charlie Nelson technique." "Is it really famous?" "Well, yes, it's pretty well known." "You see, basically, the world is divided into the cryers and the laughers." "There are sub-divisions, of course, like the whiners and the gigglers, but basically there are the two major schools." "Schools of what?" "Well, to put it as delicately as possible, of getting a young lady into a receptive mood for, you know, romance." "What it amounts to is this." "You can laugh them into it or you can cry them into it." "One way or the other, but there's no middle ground." "That's remarkable." "I was married for eight years and I never heard about that." "Well, you understand, I'm giving you in a nutshell what has taken me years and years to isolate." "Take the cryer, for instance." "Everybody knows the cryer has a distinct advantage because you feel sorry for him." "He can't live without you." "He can't eat." "He can't think." "He can't sleep." "His business is going to pieces." "And if you don't take pity on him, he'll kill himself." "It's terrible." "Successful cryers are almost always married." "I don't know why that is, exactly." " It's amazing." " Yeah." "Then you take the whiners." "Now there, there is sheer, naked power." "A whiner can't miss, because he knows he's not good enough for you." "He knows he's old and fat and ugly while you're young and slim and beautiful." "He knows how hopeless the whole thing is." "And he doesn't blame you for not having anything to do with him." "Doesn't even offer to kill himself." "He just sits there and whines and whines and whines." " It's very effective." " It is?" "Sure." "After two hours of well thought-out whining, a girl will do almost anything to shut him up." "I've always been a laugher myself." "I'm..." "Just a little harder in a way, takes a little more style, you know?" "But in the end, if you can bring it off, it's vastly more rewarding." "Well, the lecture's over for now." "We'll have a quiz later on, maybe." "I..." "Right now, I think I have to have another drink." "I'm sorry." "I forgot." "I'm really, terribly sorry." " I think there's enough for both of us." " Good." "I'll kill him." "I could, and no court in the country would convict me." "Under the unwritten law, a man could kill, if necessary, to protect his own wife." "Of course, she's not my wife, she's my ex-wife." "I wonder if the unwritten law applies for ex-wives, too?" "I don't care." "I really don't." "You know, Nina, you and I have known each other a long time." "Yes, we have." "Somehow or other, I used to get the impression that you didn't quite approve of me." "I didn't." "I thought you were a bad influence on Robert." "I was." "I'm a bad influence on everybody." "I don't know why, though." "I'm really a pretty harmless fellow." "Charlie?" "Make me laugh." "What?" "I'm interested." "I want to see if it really works." "If what really works?" "You know, if you can really laugh a girl into a, you know, receptive mood." "Lady, how long have you been working on these martinis?" "This is only my second one." " Wow." " What's the matter?" "Did I have the wrong number!" " Why?" " Well, I always thought I..." "I mean, I always figured you as sort of a royal pain and..." " I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." " No, no." "That's all right, I understand." " And in a way I think it's rather sweet." " You do?" " Yes." " You know something?" "I'm awed." " Awed?" " Yeah." "Awed." " Why?" " Well, I..." "You..." "You should see some of the dames I run around with." "I always figured you were sort of, you know, different." "In a lot of ways, I'm really pretty much of a heel." "A person like you should never have anything to do with a person like me." "Bobby would never approve of this." "Look, baby, what I'm trying to tell you is that" "I'm not good enough for you." "You're a smart, beautiful girl with a lot of class, and..." " Charlie." " What?" "You're whining." "How do you like that?" "Me, of all people." "Well, anyway..." "Would you like another drink?" "No, I don't think so." "Would you?" "No, I don't think so." "I've thought about that." "I've wondered what it would be like to kiss you." "You have?" "My goodness." "For years." "Ever since I've known you." "I thought you said, you know, I was pretty much of a royal pain." "I was crazy out of my mind." "Actually, you know the funny part of it is" "I really am, I mean, when you get to know me." " I'm a pretty much of a royal pain." " Just crazy." "Charlie, wait a minute." "Couldn't we just talk this over?" "I think maybe there's been some sort of a mistake." " On my part, of course, I admit that freely." " Darling." "Charlie, I panicked." "I swore I wouldn't, but I have." "Charlie, please, I can't." "I realize this is very unfair to you, but it's just no use." "I can't." " Darling." " I tried, I mean, I certainly tried, but I can't." " Darling." " Charlie, it's not you, it's me." "The whole thing is my fault." "I'm the first one to admit it." "Charlie!" "Can't we talk this over calmly?" "A mistake has been made." "A ghastly mistake." "An error in judgment." "Darling." "Charlie, you're absolutely right." "I am too good for you." "No, you're not." "It'll work." "We'll make it work." "Charlie, I'll call Robert." " But it'll work." " I mean it." "I'm serious." " I'll make it work." " This has got to stop." "I'm serious." "I'll scream!" "Some of them are weepers, some of them are talkers." "Some of them are screamers." "I always liked the screamers." "They're more of a challenge." "My best friend." "If he's done anything to her, I'll kill him, that's all." "I'll kill him in cold blood." "I'll kill him." "Am I interrupting anything?" "If I am, I'll call back." "No." "No, you're not interrupting a thing." "Well, how did it go?" "It was terrible." "Just terrible." "I practically had to call the police to get rid of him." "But I don't understand." " I panicked." " Panicked?" "Yes, and I'll tell you something else." "I'll always panic and I'm glad of it." "I found out something." "I love Robert." "I've always loved him and I always will love him." "I never should have divorced him in the first place." "It's nobody's fault but my own." "Listening to you and Dr. Van Kessel." "Hysteria." "Simple hysteria." "I want Robert back." "I may not be able to get him back, but if I do get him back," "I'm going to handle my own problems and not be influenced by anyone." " Hello." " Hello." "I hope you didn't bruise the gin." "Got her working pretty good." "Only thing is it still makes that funny noise." "Kind of goes "whoosh."" " I'll get a little oil and fix that up." " That won't be necessary." "No." "No, we like it fine." "Just the way it is." "Well, okay." "I beg your pardon." " Can I ask you something?" " Yeah, sure." " You two kids newlyweds?" " That's right." "We just got married." "I could tell." "I could tell right away." " Yeah?" " Well, good luck to you." " Thank you." " Thank you." " Bye-bye." " Bye." "See you later." "Best of luck to you." " Whoosh!" " Whoosh!"