"Hold it, boys!" "Hold it!" "Before we get out, let's remember the agreement." "Set your brakes." "Turn your lights off and take your keys with you if you wish." "Now, one hour." "It is now 11:00 p.m." "One hour." "Then we all leave quietly, no matter how much money you've won or how many girls you've met." "I repeat for the record, one hour." "Has there ever been such a college boy before?" "So anxious to get back to his studies that the thought of winning $10,000 at a crap table merely disgusts him." " It could be that girl, too." " Who's that?" " That heavenly girl." " Hey." "What does he care about girls when he can shack up with his law books?" "One hour." "Not what you'd call an interesting conversationalist, is he?" "Your old daddy flew one of those in the war, son." "And was that how you were killed in action, sir?" "Yes, indeed." "I don't want to bother you, boys, but it is now 11:03." " Yeah, man." "Let's go where the money is." " Yeah, man." "Is this the place where the people live who want to give us all this money?" " This must be the place." " This is my infallible roulette system." "Now, he has a system." "Well, if you've got a system, you might as well get it out of your system." " That's what I always say." " And you know, he always does say that!" "Sir, I wonder if you'd arrange to have a Brink's armored car at the side door in about an hour?" "I expect to be making a gold shipment about then." "We're his male nurses." "Madam, would you give up this sinful life of gambling if the right man came along?" " I might, yes." " Excuse me." "How's the play?" "I put it down, they pick it up." "Maybe you ain't putting it down in the right place." " That could explain it." "Aren't you playing?" " Well, I'd like to, but I just get a nosebleed every time I see that happening to my money." "Does it bother you when it's my money that's going?" "No, not as long as you can assure me you got plenty more." " Do you mind my standing here?" " I haven't called for a guard, have I?" "No." "They just get in the way." "Jackpot!" "R152, the giant jackpot, $50." "A bonus, R152." " Good luck to you, sir." " Thank you." " You're welcome." " You must lead a clean life." "Yeah, and up until now it's been driving me crazy." "Twenty-one red." "I know this system is infallible because I worked it out myself." "Do you suppose I could be reading it wrong?" "Oh, boy!" "Now I can buy that atom-powered steam shovel I've always wanted." "With that?" "And of course it was completely ridiculous." "I didn't know she was a countess." "So it was right after that my poor old gray-haired mother said to me, she said, "Brick, Son, I just know you're gonna be terribly attractive to women." ""And I do so hope you're not going to be a beast about it."" " Tell me, have you been a beast about it?" " Well, certainly." "What did my poor old gray-haired mother know about fun?" "It is now 11:19." "Thank you." "Thank you." "I don't like to wear a watch." "I hired him to follow me around and tell me what time it is." "Twenty-five red." "Well, this is it!" "Didn't you explain to him that your system was infallible?" "I knew there was someone I forgot to tell." "Well, I've got to cash a check." "You know, only someone whose father owned an oil company could afford that system." "You've always hated me just because my family has money, haven't you?" "No." "I have a lot better reasons than that." " Boys, it is now 11:21." " The old lamplighter." "Do you see that?" " What?" "That mirror?" " You know what that's for?" "Yeah." "So tall Texans can see to comb their hair." "Those are observation posts." "Guards sit up there and keep an eye on things." " Well, we have..." " Pardon me." "I'm writing a new telephone book, and I'd like to include your name and number." "Eight, six and out." "I don't know if he told you, but he's only 13 years old." "Be gone, son." "I am the oldest 13 you'll ever run into." "They're cute." "Will you pardon me, please?" "Excuse me." "I'll need one of those when my system starts working." "By then you'll be too old to push it." "Can you handle that for me?" "Don't make me have to shoot!" "How would you like it, sir?" "Any particular denomination?" "Any denomination will do." "Cashier number three." "Guy in a gray suit and gray hat." "Two guys backing him up." "The gun's in the magazine he's holding." " Just hand us that magazine." " What magazine?" "What's going on here?" " Yeah, what's going on?" " Take it easy and no one'll get hurt." "Hand me that check, please." ""$5,000 or I'll blow your head off." Okay, friend, let's not disturb the customers." " Hey, wait a minute." "Who's in charge here?" " Who's asking?" " I'm asking." "What are you arresting them for?" " These characters have flipped, Al." "He's behind in his quota for the night." " Shut up, both of you." " I asked you why you were arresting them." " Who are you?" " A friend of theirs." "We're on our way back to Midwestern University from summer jobs." "We stopped in here to have a drink and a few laughs." " Well?" " Tell him the truth!" "Now there's a real democratic guy." "He hates everybody." " Look, I told you we were students!" " Yeah, yeah." "Yeah, I'm not kidding." "We don't have anything to do with him." "All right, show them your last year's students' cards." "I never saw them before." "Sorry, boys, one of those things." " What happened in there?" " The man tried a real crazy stunt." "Attempted robbery, he means." "Who would be crazy enough to try and rob Harold's place?" "Are you kidding?" "'Cause that's where the money is." "10,000 people a day gamble in there." "Every now and then, some wise Joe figures a smart angle." "It'd be easier to knock off Fort Knox." "There's no way it could be done!" " Well, gentlemen..." " Dad, you missed out on all the fun." "I did not." "I would like to make one of my deathless remarks now." "There may be some things better than sex, some worse, but there's nothing quite like it." "That was kind of a deathless remark at that." "It is now 10 minutes to 12:00, or don't you care anymore?" "Well, let's hop in the old car, drive back to the old college, dig into those old studies, and start taking out those old, old, old college gals again!" "You with me?" "Yeah, but I wish everybody didn't know it." " That's a song?" " Sure, it's an excerpt from Beethoven's 12th." "Beethoven must have written that one underwater with broken pencils." " Broken fingers." "Where are we anyway?" " Now he wants to know where he is!" " Kansas someplace." " 300 miles to go." " What are you loafing for?" " 85 miles an hour is loafing?" "Anything going 85 miles an hour is a guided missile." "Are you still worrying about getting back to Kay?" "Now what has she got?" " I'll tell you what she's got..." " Hold it." "Don't tell him." "Don't tell him." " Why?" " I don't want him to know." "Oh, yeah." "Hey, about that cop in Reno saying you couldn't rob Harold's Club." " What did he mean it couldn't be done?" " Oh, beats me." "Anything can be done." "Of course it could be done." " Good old Lincoln Hall." " Hi, Al." " Hats off, freshman." " What's your name, boy?" "It's Spieglebauer, sir." "Francis Spieglebauer." "I see." "Well, son, men have overcome greater handicaps than that." "But I have loose teeth, you see." "I think I'll just call you Spiegy." "Okay?" " Yes, sir." " Good lad." "Now hear this, Spiegy." "Every year we choose a freshman to help us with a few chores we have to have done." "Since the work sort of piled up last year, they all thought we'd get two freshmen this year, but you look like you could do the work of two men!" " Hat on, Spiegy." " Now first, in there is some of our luggage." "Suitcases, heavy articles." "In there is where we live." "Your job is to transport one inside the other." "Understand?" " Are you sure I have to do this?" " Yes, I'm sure." "Are you sure?" " Oh, I'm sure." " Well, what I mean is, in the booklet that the university sent me, they said they didn't haze freshmen here anymore." "That's right, Spiegy." "You see, the fellows who wrote the booklet don't haze freshmen here anymore." " See?" "Carry on, Spiegy." " The keys, Spiegy." "To work, Spiegy." "It's wonderful to hear your voice again, Kay." "No, I mean it." "Don't you think he'd be embarrassed to talk like that in front of us?" "Just wait a minute." "No, I'm not embarrassed." "But if a couple of characters I know don't stop listening in," " I may be crowded into a little violence." " Ruffian." "Yeah, the Katzenjammer Kids, honey." "Oh, they're fine, fine." "A little more mentally retarded perhaps, but fine." "Yeah." "Surprise?" "Well, that makes me nervous." "Yeah, I wanted everything just exactly the way it was when I left." "Come on, tell me about it." "Look at him!" "See how happy he is?" "Why, just a few short hours ago, he didn't know a soul in this college and now he has friends!" "I'm telling you, it makes a man appreciate the American educational system." "Spiegy, you see what a deep thinker he is?" "You should feel privileged to know a man who thinks that deeply." " Yes, sir." "Can I ask a question?" " Why not?" "Why not spoil him just a little." "Go ahead." "Well, the guys in the next room said that Al and Brick were in Korea together." " So?" " Well, they said that Brick saved Al's life." " So?" " They said that Brick got a medal" " and a bad head wound doing it." " So?" "Well, so nothing." "That's what the guys in the next room said." " Don't pay any attention to them." " They're drunk most of the time." " Were you two guys in Korea?" " What's that?" "I said, were you two in Korea?" " Are you questioning our patriotism?" " Why, no!" "I..." "I suppose you think we wouldn't have been there if it hadn't been for our liver conditions." "I suppose you think it's fun to have a liver condition and never get to go to any wars with the rest of the guys?" " Why, I didn't mean anything." "I..." " You just better take it easy and watch who you call yellow from now on." " Whom." " Yeah, whom." " I didn't call whom yellow, I..." " Get on with your work, Spiegy." " Yes, sir." " Yeah." " How's Kay?" " She's got a surprise for me." " Maybe she's turned into a boy." " That girl?" "Wants me to meet her at the Campus Club tonight." "Wonder what that could mean." "Any number of things, and none of them too good from your standpoint." "What are you talking about?" "Now I'm supposed to know what I'm talking about!" "It would ruin all your charm." "Spiegy, don't just stand there." "Move, boy, move." "I don't get it." "How did this happen?" "When we left, she was working in a department store." "This must be the surprise." " Hi, Kay." " Welcome home, boys." "Hello, Kay." "I think you gentlemen made a mistake." "Your table's over there." " He's ashamed of us." " He wishes we were dead." " That's right." " I'll be back in a minute." " I want to get out of this singing dress." " And you know, she's right." "That dress actually does sing." "Why don't you guys go ahead and order, I want to talk to Kay privately." "What's with you?" "You on a diet or something?" "Diet?" "That's at least 2,500 calories he's following." " Hey, when did all this happen?" " About two weeks ago." "It began as a joke." "Not that it hasn't gone right on being that." "A bunch of us came in one night, and someone dared me to get up and sing." " So you know me..." " I don't know whether I know you or not." "The girl I knew couldn't sing a note." "Nothing's changed." "It's just that the management thinks I can, and they're willing to pay for their opinions." "Now you tell me." "How was the summer?" "I wrote you." "There has never been such a long, long summer." "Well, I'm glad to see that all the time you were wasting away for me you weren't forgetting to eat some of those cows you were punching." "Same old story, huh?" "You just won't believe anything I tell you about how I feel." " Don't you want me to feel the way I do?" " I'd tell you if I didn't." " I know that, so what is it?" " AI, I grew up in this town." "I've been dating college boys since I was old enough to be noticed by them." "Well, that, I agree, must have been horrible." "It's no trick for a girl to be busy in a college town." "And these weren't cheap little liars, Al." "They meant it, I guess." "But there's something about being away to college makes for deep and lasting love affairs, which are forgotten the minute graduation's over." "Yeah." "You know, you've had a real rough life and I wish there was some way I could make it up to you." "Okay." "But you asked me for the reason I couldn't take you too seriously." "And you haven't answered me yet." "Look, this isn't my first trip away from home and it's only technical that" " I'm one of the boola-boola boys at all." " You're not all that old." "No, but I'm all that experienced that I know the difference between a few early fumblings with a girl and something that's nice and lasting that's happened to me." "It's time you begin realizing that I know the difference." "This summer, if anything, has only made you more lovable and willing to admit it." " Would you care to dance?" " No, but it's part of my duties here." " Whatever will the other B-girls think!" " That you've finally gotten a live one." " Want a light?" " Okay." "I'm a stranger in town." "Can you direct me to your house?" " Did you lose the address?" " Why, I was wrestling cows all summer," " and my writing hand got all cramped up..." " Oh, I see." "How are the cows out West?" "Oh, they're..." "Oh, you mean the cows?" "Look, I guess I must have been all crossed up last spring." "I thought you and I were a big, hot, breathless item, then not even a card this summer." " Well, Jean, I meant to call you, I really did..." " Oh, fine." "Now I feel much better." "How could you possibly feel any better?" " Real cozy." " Look, buddy, why don't you go back to your table before somebody eats up your minimum?" " She happens to belong with me, pal." " Only in spirit, son." "You get back inside." "I know all about you, pal." "A real war hero." "One of the fruit salad boys." "Well, how do you like your beatings?" "Standing up or on the ground?" "Don't crowd me, Mac." "You'd better leave it lay, junior." "Brick!" "Brick!" "Get him out of here." "Fast!" "I'll kill that..." "Brick!" "Brick!" "It's me, Al." "Al." "Come on, Brick." "I'll take you home." "Come on." "Here, Brick." "Listen to me, Brick." "You know, it might not be a bad idea going back to the vets hospital to check..." " I'm not going back there, Al." " Just a check..." "I'm not going back!" "I don't want any part of that cage." "They were only trying to help you." "Treat you like an animal." "Like something under a rock." "All the time telling you you're psycho." "A lot of guys went through shock like you did." "Look, Al, I'm okay." "I'm okay!" "Sure, sure, you're okay." "You're in great shape." "But it still wouldn't hurt to have a check-up." "Look, lay off of me, will you?" "You want to get rid of me?" "What's the matter?" "You tired of having me hanging on your back?" "Okay, I'll get out of here." "I'll get out now!" " You're not going anywhere." " They told you to call, didn't they?" ""Give us a call, Captain, in case 3742 starts going off his rocker again."" " I'm not making any calls." " That for sure?" "Sure." "You know, you really could have hurt that kid at the club." "I know!" "What do you think is going to happen to you if you..." "Be sensible, Brick." "Go over and have a talk with the doc." "Look, Al, I'm a lot better now." "This isn't going to happen again." "I just had a couple of drinks too many, that's all." "Sure, that's what you said up in San Francisco last year with that cab driver." "Yeah, but, Al, these things take time." "That's all I need." "Just a little time." "Sure." "If those doctors hear about tonight," " it's going to sound a lot worse than it was." " They won't hear about it." " You won't say anything, Al?" " No." "I won't say anything." "I promise." "Brick, you're gonna have to watch yourself." "I know." "It'll work out." "It'll work out." "Well, this is the last time I'm going to double date with you." "You know she danced like 7 miles of unpaved road?" " Spiegy's got better taste than you have." " Oh, stop." "Boy, what's happening to me?" "How could you trap me like this?" " What's the matter with Brick?" " Nothing a good night's sleep won't cure." "Well, that's the trouble with liquor." "You take one drink and it makes a new man out of you." "Then the new man has to have a drink, too." "Quote and unquote." "You can tell me your troubles." "How's Brick?" "Brick?" "Oh, he's fine, fine." "Why?" "One of the men at the club said he ought to be put away." "The guy that said that ought to be put away." "Brick's okay." " Like last night?" " Well, he had one too many." " Then how come you're so quiet today?" " Well, since you brought it up, I'll tell you." "It all started about the time I met you." "Others have complained about that before." "What are the symptoms?" "Well, studying that used to take me one hour, now takes me half the night." "In the middle of a law lecture," "I suddenly find I'm repeating the marriage ceremony to myself." "Now, would you say this is significant?" " No." "Frightening is the word I'd use." " You know, I've been places where if you didn't make up your mind in a hurry, you never got a second chance." "Honey, you're not in Korea anymore." "Nobody's gonna drop a bomb on you now." " I'd better do something." " What do you want to do, Al?" "Get married." " Now?" " Yesterday would have been better." "What's the big rush?" "What's the matter with being sure of ourselves?" "I'm so sure of myself now, I'm nearly dead from it." "I guess that's the roadblock." "You're not." "I may look like the blonde bombshell who's been everyplace, and done everything, but I'm not." "And all these big emotions are wonderful." " But they just kind of scare me, too." " Well, look, why don't you just relax?" "I'm like you." "I can't." "I want to get married today just as much as you do." "But then when I stop to think about it, I get so scared, I just want to run." "What's the good word?" "There aren't any good words." "They don't make good words the way they used to." "Don't just stand there, Spiegy." "Run around." "Do something!" " I don't want your muscles to stiffen up." " Yes, sir!" "Tear on over and get Cokes for everybody, Spiegy." "I tell you, that boy's getting lazy." "Why, he had the audacity to ask me to brush my own teeth this morning." "They don't make freshmen the way they used to." "No, they've even quit trying." " Hi, Brick!" " Hi!" "Hi, hi." "Are you coming to our Halloween dance tonight, Brick?" "Probably not." "It's going to be one of the best dances of the year." "Sweetheart, let me tell you something." "I wonder if now is the time when any of us should be dancing, when we don't know if Little Orphan Annie is ever going to find Daddy Warbucks." " She's just got to." " I know." "I know." "Maybe one of your own would taste better." "No, it's not that." "I'm suffering from something." "I think it's the edges-off-of-everything blues." " Maybe you should organize a panty raid." " No, no, it goes deeper than that." "I don't want to get drunk." "I'm sick of being sober." "I've seen both movies in town." "It's the mid-semester whim-whams." "What you need is a nice girl." "Child, what I need has got nothing to do with nice girls." "I know what Brick means." "I've got it myself." "Bored with classes that have just begun and notes I haven't taken yet." "Bored with being in a place that's run by thinkers and not doers." " I come from a family that does things." " Well, they can afford to." "A family that does things first." "That's what I need in my life, a big first." "You guys ever hear of a man named Schliemann?" "Sure, played first base for the Giants and later invented a plastic breakfast food." "He dug up the ancient city of Troy in Greece." " Hey, what a cat, to dig Troy!" " That was a first, get my point?" "Well, I couldn't hope to do that." "And that's what we've got to think of to pull ourselves out of the swamp." "To be first at something." "Like the guy who flew under the London Bridge." "Characters who stole the Stone of Scone in England." " Just like Plinehouser." " Who was Plinehouser?" "Well, just the first guy to be called Plinehouser, that's all." "He's right, though." "This boy's got a point." "Everybody's got a headache today." "We've living in the aspirin age." " It's really very simple, Mr. Cruikshank." " Now wait a minute." " Mind if I file these?" " Help yourself." " You bet me $5 I can't do what?" " It's a very simple bet." "Now you're sitting right here where I'm sitting." "Follow me?" " Yeah." " I pour a glass of water on the floor." " Right here." " Yeah." " You got a knife in your hands." " A knife?" "Now, I'll bet you $5 that I can dry up the water before you stab me on the hands with the knife." "All right." "Who's got a knife?" "Are these regular issue for law students?" "I've been getting into a lot of strange closets lately." "Dangerous moths." "Now, you sit right where I was sitting." "Now, remember, $5 if I dry up the water before you stab my hands." " Spiegy, are you sure?" "I mean, the blood." " I'm sure." "Now you ready?" " Okay." " One, two, three." " They grow up fast these days." " Pay me." "I'll bet you $5 that you never get the $5 I owe you." "And having won that bet, we're even, so quit worrying about money" " and get to work." " Yes, sir." "Something you invented?" "Glad to meet you, mister." "Hope I don't have to kill you." " Special research." " What for?" "What's My Crime?" "Remember what that cop said in Harold's Club when we got involved in that hold-up?" "He said there's no way it could be done." "He should only know." "You mean you've been thinking about it all this time?" "I've worked out a plan how to rob Harold's Club of a million dollars." "Maybe more." "How much time you figure on researching our penal system?" "When I say a plan, I mean one where you'd walk away free and clear." " You know what Bitsy Brain's doing now?" " Last year he planned to drain Foster's Lake and collect all the pennies that had been thrown there for the last 130 years." "He figured it would amount to over $70,000." "A man is never appreciated in his own century." "Yeah, well, maybe when you get out of prison in the next one, you'll be with people that understand your language." "You really think you could knock off Harold's Club?" "A joint that's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks out of the year," " with over 1,000 people in it every second." " I do." "The main cash vault is right in the middle of the floor of the gambling room." "It looks like the Rock of Gibraltar and opens like the Panama Canal." "It has two doors, both steel-barred, and one doesn't open until the other's closed." "Oh, great, that's a cinch." "All you need is a hairpin and a toy hammer, huh?" "I've got that all worked out." "The only thing left I've got to figure is how to leave Reno without a trace." "This boy's got a little Dillinger blood in him." "This boy has the spirit of adventure in his heart." " You really think you could do it?" " Oh, I could do it all right." "The question is, "Would I do it?" Of course, I wouldn't keep the money if I did." " Now he's a communist." "He hates money." " He's a crazy, mixed-up rich kid." " And they're the worst kind, you know." " Yeah." "Okay, Mr. First, what's the gimmick?" "I wouldn't mind being first with a million bucks myself." "You louse this deal, Jack, I'll gut you and shoot my way out of here." "It's all done with psychology." "A simple and basic motivation." "Fear, gentlemen." " In this case, worth $1 million." " Gee, a million bucks." "Well, I wouldn't be afraid." "I'd be petrified." "This must be the place where they rehearsed Tobacco Road." "Now, why would he want a trailer?" "Well, to transport his old money to the scrap heap, perhaps." "Or to take his old girlfriends in for a retread job, perhaps?" "I bought both the car and the trailer, and I did it without leaving a single trace." " This is desirable?" " I used a fictitious name and bought them across the state line from the "Smiling Dutchman."" "Who must be laughing out loud after this deal." " You're sure you didn't steal it?" " Does this look like I stole it?" "How can I think when I'm blinded?" "His folks must have clipped a coupon last night, or sold a state." "Well, it was just a small one." "Rhode Island, wasn't it, Ronnie?" "Why, it's a perfect set-up." "One guy drives, the others hide inside, out of sight," " and no one can trace it back." " According to the law I've studied, it's a misdemeanor to ride in a trailer when it is in motion." "You think a couple of misdemeanors is gonna bother Ronnie?" "He's only interested in felonies." "Yeah." "But you're still going to have to stop for gas, oil and water." "Everything you need, you carry in the trailer." "Gasoline, drinking water, canned foods." " Dynamite for blasting out of jail." " And Thanksgiving is a perfect time for it." "It's Jamboree Week in Reno." "And everybody wears cowboy outfits and false beards." " It's just like a Western Mardi Gras." " You're talking like this could be done." " I mean, actually." " It can be done, Brick." "And I mean actually." " So what?" "None of us are gonna do it." " Why not?" " Call it a field experiment in psychology." " It's not what we call it that matters." "If we don't keep the money, we're not committing any actual crime." "Suppose they grab us before we get a chance to show them" " we weren't going to keep the money." " They won't, I tell you." "I've got everything worked out and it's foolproof." "We leave the trailer in Reno." "We board a train and we're out of town before anybody knows we've even been there." " Yeah..." "What are you shutting up about?" " It all takes place in seven minutes." "At the first stop, we get on the phone and let them know where the money is." "Well, you know me, always the first one to tear down a goalpost," " or any other red-blooded college prank." " Please, don't talk about blood!" " What else will you need?" " A cart." "We'd have to build a cart, just like the one we saw at Harold's Club." " And we'd need another guy." " Why?" "Well, the plan calls for four guys to make it work." " Do you think Al would go for it?" " Not if he knew what he was doing." "Last couple of days, I promise you he hasn't." "Do you think it would work with Al, if he didn't know what was up until the last minute?" "You really need him?" "It might be fun if we all did it together." "Clear out the attic, Mother, I'm having in a few friends to hide." " It's easier than swallowing goldfish." " Well, who said I want to do that, either?" " About Al." " Yeah?" " I've got to have four guys." " How about Spiegy?" " You got Al." " Spiegy!" " The Ancient Mariner." " Very funny." "What are you doing here, Brick?" "I thought you were packing." " How's Kay doing?" " Oh, fine, fine." "Took three encores tonight." "And she'll be out of the shower in five minutes." "You're getting to be a regular night-club Johnny, aren't you?" " Yeah, I like it." " Listen, the guys insist you come along." "Vacation starts tomorrow." "We go to Reno a couple of days and then up to Ronnie's ranch." "Why drive all that distance?" "Well, everybody gets their own private monogrammed turkey." "Maybe we win a couple of dollars at roulette." "I can have more fun right here." "You know, it might do you and Kay some good not to see each other for a week or so." "You know the old gag about absence makes the something..." "Yeah." "I know that old gag." "Brick, this year we're stuffing our turkey with dressing rooms, not dressing." " Who is it?" " Why?" "No reason, except I'm just out of the shower." "You know, I never told you, but I used to have a job in a ladies' Turkish bath." "Hey, what about those Turkish women?" "Pretty cute?" "Yeah, but they all had Turkish men." "Oh, you do get the bad breaks, don't you?" "You know, a soap opera is a fast, funny musical compared to my life." "However, there are moments I wouldn't trade for mountains of uranium." "You know, I've been doing a lot of thinking about us." "Oh, you, too?" "You told me the boys invited you to go along with them to Reno over the Thanksgiving holidays." "Yeah, Brick's outside now trying to sign me on." "You know, why they should want me with my sad face is more than I can figure." "You know, I was thinking that if you went along with them and we didn't see each other until after you got back..." "I just thought that it would give us a week to get away from each other and just kind of think things over." "Sure." "Don't get sore, Al." " It's just that when we're together, I can't..." " Look, you don't have to explain anything to me." "You can see or not see anybody you want." "It's only a week, Al." "It's not the seven long miserable days, baby." "It's the fact that you still have to think up trick gimmicks to find out whether you're in love with me." " It isn't that." "I know I'm in love with you." " Do you?" "Well, then maybe when we're talking about love we're talking about two different things." "Maybe we're not." "In my book, it means consideration for the feelings of the person you're supposed to be in love with!" "Have you noticed my feelings lately?" " They're pretty well beat." " You feel real sorry for yourself, don't you?" "No." "I don't feel sorry for myself." "I feel sorry for you." "You just can't make up your mind, can you?" " AI." " What?" "Let's forget what I said." " Maybe it was a lousy idea at that." " No." "Maybe it's a good idea." "Anyway, let's give it a try." "It can't get any worse, as far as I'm concerned." "Look, we don't have to decide anything this minute." " I'll give you a call later." " No, don't." "Maybe..." "Maybe we can get together after Thanksgiving if we still want to," " and you can make up your mind." " AI, please." " Let's get out of here." " Sure." " When are you leaving for Reno?" " In the morning." "Okay." "The sooner, the better." " Hey, Al." " Yeah?" "There's a cream cheese looking for you." "She's downstairs." "Said it's urgent." "She wanted to come up, but I told her it was against the..." "The house rules." "Thanks, Larry." "Would there be any room in there for my things?" "I don't know." "It depends on where you're going." "I hear they marry people in a hurry in Reno." "I have a friend who's going there." "If what you've been going through is anything like what I've been going through, then I'm marrying the toughest guy in the world." "You're absolutely sure now?" "I tell you, I've been boiled in oil, and I know what I'm doing." "Well, I know I should get discreetly out of here, but I'm going to stay and watch." "We're getting married." "Hey, I said we're getting married." "Yeah, I heard you." "I was just wondering if I should sing something appropriate." " Easy, boy, easy." " There, that'll ruin you for all other men." "Well, I think you two are going to like marriage." "I've heard it described as something like tennis played with 40-millimeter cannons." " No, that's before you get married." " Oh, I see." "Say, I wonder if Ronnie would mind giving us a lift as far as Reno?" "We'll leave you fast enough after that." " Well..." " Well, never mind." "We'll catch a train." "Come on." "I'll take you home." "Hey, wait a minute." "You're going to need money like you never needed money before." "Like you never dreamed of." "And this child is not going to travel alone with you until you've done the right thing, by her." "Old Brick is gonna see that he doesn't get away from you" " now that he's ruined you!" " Thank you, old Brick." "Hey, won't it be great on a honeymoon with just the five of us?" "We'll see you, Brick." " Good night." " Good night." " Down with three!" " Next time, gin!" "One." "Oh, think you're pretty smart, huh?" "Haven't seen you look so sharp since Tokyo, buddy." "Look sharp, be sharp!" "Hey, you warned Ronnie about the chance he's taking?" "Chance?" "What chance?" "You know they're going to throw the book at you if you're caught." " What are you talking about?" " Well, riding back here." "It's against the law." "Oh, well, we just won't tell the cops what we're doing, that's all." "Okay by me." "It's your funeral." "Hey, you hungry?" "Starved." "What do you say we stop in the next town and get a bite to eat?" "When we're so completely self-sufficient?" "Everything we need is right here." "Food, gas and oil, water." "You name it." "Yeah, we figured on getting you two to Reno non-stop." " Come on, Brick, let's eat." " Right." "Complete down to the red, rough hands." "Where'd you get the cart, Ronnie?" "I built it." "Electric torch, book of instructions." "Tom Swift and His Radioactive Uncle, you know." "I didn't know you could do anything like that, Ronnie." "Not a bad job, either." "Pretty nice along the seams." "Al, here are your sandwiches." "It's something I designed for Dad's ranch." "I've seen a cart like that somewhere before." "I can't remember where." " I'll trade you." " Okay." "Now, is this what you've been yapping about for so long?" "Just about." "You know, I must've been batty to be scared about us." "Well, you were young." "We'll change all that." "I was young, happy, successful at my work, and now you're taking me out of all this." "Well, sometimes a little misery and poverty is character building." "That's what I want to build first, character." "Don't miss a one of them, Roy." "We can't leave a single print" " inside this trailer." " What happens if we do?" "Then this rig can be traced back to us." "What happens if someone in Harold's Club starts shooting?" " You know, with guns?" " I told you." "No guns." " Yeah, but you didn't tell them." " This plan is absolutely foolproof." "He's a genius." "If he says it is, it is." "You know, they charge double fares for bodies." " What do you mean by that?" " Just that." "A body has to have two tickets on a train or plane." " There's a regulation about it somewhere." " There's an example of real positive thinking." "Listen, let's get serious a minute, Ronnie." "All of us within the next 24 hours could be lying on a dirty floor surrounded by cigarette butts, staring up at a ring of strange faces with bullet holes in our heads." "Just wipe the cards and relax." "I've just rubbed this queen of spades so hard I've turned her into a jack." "We'll pull off the road up ahead." "It's good and dark outside." "Brick, you bury all that stuff." "Break the glass jugs and scatter the pieces." " When do these go on?" " When we stop." "I'll take care of that." "Roy, your job is to keep Al and Kay busy while we handle everything here." "Keep them busy?" "I never saw two busier people in my whole life." "They haven't stopped once!" "What are your folks going to say about this?" "It's been the ambition of the whole family to get somebody in good-looking enough to answer the door." "And what do the others do while I'm answering the door?" "Oh, they peek out from behind the curtain and look at you." "Hey, you trying for some insurance money or something?" "I just lost all my shame for a minute." "Well, don't go looking for it." "You know, you're a nut, but I love you." "Harold's Club!" "Sure, that's what it looks like." "You're right." "It looks like a dead ringer, doesn't it?" "Glad to meet you, mister." "Hope I don't have to kill you." "You louse this deal, Jack, I'll gut you and shoot my way out of here." " What's the pitch?" " Brilliant, isn't it?" "Now watch!" "Yeah, Jack!" "You getting this?" "Get going!" " What is it?" " I don't know." "It's the greatest hoax of the century." "As nefarious as Fu Manchu and as practical as a zipper." "It's a way to hold up Harold's Club in Reno and get away with it." "A perfect crime." " Did you know about this, Brick?" " Yeah, sure, I knew about it." " Yeah, you set him up for it, huh?" " No." "It's his own idea, not mine." "Well, there's no harm done yet." "At least you haven't broken any laws as far as I can see, but you're trying hard for a cell block and your varsity number." "Ronnie, how could you dream up such a thing?" "I don't know what everyone's getting so excited about." "I've just come up with the greatest idea since the bikini bathing suit and you treat me like a hardened criminal." "All right." "Let's pull this rig over to the side of the road." "Okay, Al." "All right, honey." "You stay here in the trailer with Ronnie there." "How could you let these kids fool around with anything this stupid, Brick?" "Oh, you know how Roy is, he'll go along with anything for laughs." "But Ronnie's gone to a lot of trouble and expense." "He's worked out a plan, great plan." "He really could rob Harold's Club, you know?" "Yeah, I know, he could do anything." "But how about you?" " Me?" " Yeah, you." " I'm dead serious." " Come on, let's quit horsing each other." "Don't talk down to me, Al." "I don't feel a fit coming on or anything." "I'm as cool as a trench knife." "I'm not talking down to you." "Just tell me about it." "All right." "Any guy who wants to lead himself a quiet, peaceful, uneventful life" " picked the wrong time to get born." " Sure, sure, you had it tough." "So did I." " But we made it back." "That evens things up." " No, it doesn't." "I did a lot of brain-beating in that hospital." "I got it figured out." "I figured it this way." "A guy's got to have a little money to call his own." "Every time I thought I could make ends meet, some joker came along and moved the ends out." "Well, no more." " I'm gonna do anything to get what I want." " Keep talking." "Keep talking." "I'm not going to graduate this year or any year!" "You know it, and I know it." "Sure you'll graduate." "We'll help pull you through." "No, you guys had me hanging around your neck long enough." "I wasn't cut out for law." "Well, you're not cut out for 50 years in prison, either." "Look, I've already had my lost years." "You realize there are guys our age that are in practice already?" "You're not thinking straight, Brick." "You better get yourself" " back to that hospital fast." " How much money you got in your pocket, right now?" "How much you think you're gonna have a year after you get out of school?" "Ten?" "Twenty?" "Fifty bucks?" "Ronnie's cooked up a sure thing." " You're both wrong!" " We can be in and out of that club in six minutes tonight, Al, with a fortune." "Tonight, Al, tonight you can have 50,000 bucks, maybe." "You and Kay could live" " high on the hog on that." " I hear words and they don't make sense." "We're counting on you." "Counting on me?" "Sure." "I figured it right down the line." "Just like old times, Al." "Look, Brick." "You saved my life once." "I'm grateful to you for that." "I'm going to help you." "We're going over to that trailer, get that cart out and shove it over right down there." "Then we're going in to Reno and forget we ever had this conversation." " AI." " Yeah?" "You know, when you first decided to bring Kay along, it kind of worried me." " Now I can see how it's going to help." " You leave Kay out of this, Brick." "Know why?" "I got a part in the hold-up for her, too." "She's going to drive the car." " Hey, only got one punch for me, old buddy?" " Don't push me, Brick." "You involve Kay in anything, I'm going to kill you." "Hey, that'd boost your legal career real good, wouldn't it?" "Every law firm in the country would want you for a junior partner." "You're really sick." "Ronnie, go in that trailer and bring that cart out here!" "Al!" "No guns, Brick." "The deal was no guns." "Now this is the way it works." "You three stay inside the trailer." "Give me the trailer key, Ronnie." "Come on, toss it." "Okay, you'll stay in deep freeze till we get to Reno." "My old buddy here is gonna drive." "He has to rehearse his part, so he'll know what he's doing when we get to Harold's Club." "You won't get away with this, Brick." "Gun or no gun." "Yes, I will." "You want to know why?" "'Cause your only chance of getting out of this thing alive is to pull it off and get away clean." "You're worse off than I thought." "You ought to be back in that psycho ward." "Psycho ward!" "Yeah, that's right." "I should've told you guys before." " Shut up!" " That's where he..." "Look at the evidence, Counselor." "Who bought the trailer and the car you're riding in?" "Ronnie." "Used a phony name and address." "And the license plates don't go with this rig, either." "Roy bought the groceries." "He helped Ronnie to build the cart, too." "And that's Ronnie's voice you heard on the tape recorder." "Is that right?" "You and Kay just came along for the ride, but who's gonna believe it was just to get married?" " You're part of a gang, Al." " He hasn't done anything." " The police aren't going to believe that." " I'll take my chances." "Maybe you don't read me." "If you guys don't back me up, I'm going to rob Harold's Club all by myself." "You couldn't, Brick, not by yourself." "Well, then I'll say it again slowly, so you'll understand." "I am going to rob Harold's Club." "With or without you guys." "And I'm going to use the gimmick that you figured, Ronnie." " They'll follow you around like Lady Godiva." " Well, you'd better pray I make it." "'Cause if I get caught, I'm going to drag you all in with me." " Go on." "Get in the back like he says." " Now you're thinking straight, Al." "I want that cart moved up in the back seat of the car where I can watch it, and cover it up with a blanket." "Come on, move!" "And then you walk up to the guy with the cart, see?" "And you say," ""I guess you don't remember me." "Mr. Gunderson introduced us," ""but that was a long time ago."" "Look, Al." "You play this through with me, you're not going to get in any trouble." "You were forced into a crime." "Now, even I can defend you on that." "I should've sent you back to that hospital" " the night you clobbered that kid at the club." " I'm not going back there, Al." "I wouldn't have gone back there then and I'm not going back now, either." "I'll do anything to keep from going back there, Al." " Anything, you get that?" " This is the best way I know to get there." "After I get that money, I'm going to put a million miles between me and the doctors." "I can't live with that place hanging over my head, Al." "You think I like holding a gun on you?" "You think I like that?" "You're the only guy that ever meant anything to me." "But I'll cut you down, Al." "Even you, I'll cut you down if you try to stop me, see?" "You've made that point enough." "You think I'm crummy, don't you?" "No, I don't think you're crummy." "I know you're sick." "Not sick enough to let you stop me." "I'm not going to stop you, Brick." "I'm gonna help you, because I don't want a lot of innocent people to get messed up." "You kill anyone, I'd feel responsible." " AI." "Al, I..." " Shut up!" "Shut up!" "I'm liable to get sick myself." "Kay." "Take this." "Why?" "In 65 seconds, Brick will stop." "He'll unhitch the trailer and abandon it." "Thirty seconds later, we'll walk into Harold's Club." "Exactly six minutes later, we'll come out." "An eastbound train leaves one minute later." "Ronnie figures we can walk from the club to the station in 15 seconds." "We'll board her just as she rolls out." " Why are you telling me this?" " I know how Brick thinks." "My job is to drop the cart at the alley entrance three minutes and 15 seconds after Al, Brick and Roy enter the club." "Then I park the car in Harold's garage." "No one will notice it there for a day or two." "You don't think Brick's going to let you out of his sight now, do you?" "No." "But he will trust Kay." "The minute he turns his head, I'm going to yell for the first policeman I see." " Not if you want Al alive." " Brick would kill him for sure." "Take this." "You have six minutes to deliver the cart, park the car" " and buy three tickets at the depot." " Three tickets?" " Brick and I won't be going back." " Now, don't talk like that, Ronnie." "Listen, maybe Kay is right, maybe she could get the cops" " and they could surround the place." " No, it's too late, Roy." "And they couldn't get Al clear of Brick." "Cross Brick now and he'd turn into a shooting maniac." "He'd mow us down, and that's not all." "He'd kill a lot of innocent people before they stopped him." "No, we've got to wait and let the professionals catch him." "After the hold-up." "It'll all be over in seven minutes." "It wasn't just a stunt, Roy." "I wanted to see it work." "And I want to see it work right now." "I don't mean for the money or anything, but just to know I was able to do it." "All right." "Bring out the cowboy outfits." "Unhitch it." "Come on." "Start putting that stuff on." "All right. 25 seconds." "I'm going to say this once, Kay." "Ronnie's supposed to deliver the cart to the back entrance of Harold's Club three minutes and 15 seconds after we enter." "Then he's supposed to park the car in Harold's garage." "Now, this is a change of plans." "Ronnie's going to stay with me and you do his job." "Drive the car, follow us." "I'll point out the spot for you to leave the cart." "The garage is across the tracks from the club." "And if the cart isn't there three minutes and 15 seconds after we enter, on the button, I'm gonna kill Al." " I thought I told you to leave her out of this." " You put your beards on." "Okay, time." "Make up your mind, Kay, we're rolling." "Six minutes after we get into Harold's Club, we'll be out." "You'll see a train." "Get on it." "We'll enter different cars and meet you later." "Ronnie's going to buy the tickets on the train." " All right, Al, you decide." " AI, he's insane." "Do what he says!" "Let's move." " Hi!" " Hi!" "I guess you don't remember me." "Mr. Gunderson introduced us." " Well, you meet an awful lot of people." " Sure, sure." "I know, but I wanted to talk to you." "It's important." "If you could spare a second." "Don't turn your head too quickly, but if you look over your right shoulder, you'll see a man." " What about him?" " Well, that man's my partner." "He's got a gun pointed at your back." "You make the wrong move in the next second, he'll kill you." " You getting it?" " Yeah, I hear you." "No, don't look up there." "Look at me." "I know they're watching us up there." "Right about now you'd better start smiling." "Look at me and smile." "This is a friendly conversation, in case anybody's watching." " Smile." " You can do better than that." " All right." " What are we going to do now?" "Well, you're gonna push your cart down to the blackjack table at the head of the stairs right next to the dealer and ask her to keep an eye on it for you." "But she'll think that's funny if I do that." "Oh, she'll think it's funny, but she'll do it anyway, because you asked her to." "While we're walking down there, you keep looking at us and smiling." "Get going." " Keep an eye on this for me." " Okay." "Don't look at the ceiling." "Just go out there to the alley." "Smile." "Keep smiling." " Sorry, we're working in here." " But we..." "You'll have to use the Virginia Street entrance." " But we gamble there every day." " That's the only entrance that's open." "Give him that cigarette." "You yell for help and we'll run." "You'll save your boss a little money, but just before we run, I'm going to kill you." "That's right." "That's a duplicate." "You're gonna push that into the money room, just like it's your regular cart." "Stuff the bills in there." "No silver, just bills." "All you say is the boss wanted the money." "He sent you to get it, and he wants it quick." "Anybody wants to know why, you don't know and you don't care." "Then you tie the sack up, put it on top of the cart and push it right back here." " You got that?" " Sure." "I guess you're wondering why you ought to do this, once you're inside." "Well, it had crossed my mind." "Meet the other member of our group." "Glad to meet you, mister." "Hope I don't have to kill you." "See, you're going to have company in the cash room, our little friend in the cart." "You're going to wheel him in there with you and then out again." "Wonder why?" "Tell him why, Charlie." "Guy in there's 5 feet tall, no bigger than most jockeys." "He's served time, I won't say where." "He's out, because he escaped." "He says he'll never serve time again." "You louse this deal, Jack, I'll gut you and shoot my way out of here." "See, he's going to watch you all the time through these louvers." "The top isn't fastened down." "All he has to do is stand up and he's shooting at you." " You got that?" " Yeah, Jack!" "You getting this?" " Yeah." " Get going." "You're due back in the vault now." "Don't stall on the way and set off the alarm or our friend in here is gonna have to dust you." "Jackpot!" "I did it!" "I hit a jackpot!" "I did it." "I did it!" "Another giant $1,000 jackpot!" "Machine C408." "A $1,000 jackpot!" " Having any luck?" " No." "No." "I won one last time I was here." "Ten-cent machine." " Yeah." " Where's the quarter machine?" " They're down that way." " Okay." "Good luck." "Now, look, Eric." "We're going to pick up a bag now and go outside the door." "We're going to a car we got waiting out in the alley." "We're going to blow the horn twice." "Now, the minute he hears it in there, he's going to push out the sides and go out the door, too." "Now you wait right here till you hear the horn honk twice." " You getting this?" " Yeah, I'm getting it." "Look, I've done everything you've asked me to." "I don't want him getting wild at the last minute." "Just follow instructions and nobody's going to get hurt." "He's not going to shoot anybody he doesn't have to." "Look out!" "There's a man with a gun in there!" "Brick, this has gone far enough." "I'm okay." "Al, I've gone to the police!" "I've told them!" " Tell them to stay back." " I've gone to the police." "Darling, please, it's too late." " It's in their hands." " Look, Brick is a real sick guy, but he's not gonna hurt anybody unless he's crowded." "Now, tell them to stay back and give me a chance with him." "Tell them!" "Hey, mister, did you see a big fellow come by here carrying a bag?" "Nope." " Sorry, sir." "No people, just cars." " Look, I've got to find this guy." "Look, buster, sorry." "No people." "Just cars." "Brick!" "Brick, where are you?" "Brick!" "Brick!" "Please, you've got to believe me." "Look, if you'll just let him alone, then he might be able to get him down without anyone being hurt." "Look, lady, you never know about a psycho," " especially if he's got a gun." " No, no, please." "Stay back!" " Stop!" " Hold it, Mac!" "Brick!" "It's me." "Al." "I'm not crowding you." "I wouldn't crowd you, Brick." "I'm going to kill you." "I'm going away." "I thought maybe you'd like to come with me." "I'm going to kill you." "You remember the time you brought me in?" "I had a hole in my side." "The commies were shooting at you then." "Do you remember the tracer bullets?" "How they lit up the snow and made it look all red?" "Remember?" "Just because I wanted to be a Mr. First." "Hey." " And will you check his records?" " We check everything." " In Washington, I mean." " I got most of the details from her." "I'll get the rest from you." "What's going to happen to him?" "Well, he'll have to stay in the hospital this time until he's well." "It certainly is a terrible way for you to start your marriage." " You mean there's another way?" " Sure is." "There sure is, honey."