"Hup, two, three, four." "Get up, get up!" "Mixed up in that beating on 12th Street?" "No, plain drunkenness." "He was picked up there." "They had him on the carpet down at headquarters." "He's clear." "Plain drunkenness." "All right." "Fill it up." "Can I keep it?" "You want to lean him up against something?" " Stand him over there." " Come on." "Judy?" "We're ready for you now." "He must hate me." "What?" "He hates me." "What makes you think so?" "I don't think." "I know." "He looks at me like I was the ugliest thing in the world." "He doesn't like my friends." "He doesn't like one thing about me." "And he called me..." "He called me a dirty tramp!" "My own father!" "Do you think he really means that?" "Yes!" "No!" "I don't know." "I mean, maybe he doesn't mean it but he acts like he does." "We were all together." "And we were going to celebrate Easter." "And we were going to catch a double bill." "Big deal!" "So I put on my new dress and I came out and he grabbed my face and he started rubbing off all the lipstick." "I thought he'd rub off my lips." "And I ran out of that house." "Is that why you were wandering around at 1 a.m.?" "Not looking for company?" "I don't even know why I do it." "Maybe you get back at your dad that way." "If you're not as close to him as you'd like to be maybe this is one way of making him pay attention." "Did you think of that?" "I'll never get close to anybody." "Would you go home if we can arrange it?" "What's your number, Judy?" "We'll ask your dad to come and pick you up." "Unless you really don't want to go home." "Would you rather stay here?" "Lexington 0-5-5-4-9." "That's enough static out of you!" "Cut it out now." "I'm warning you!" "You're shivering, John." "Are you cold?" "Want my jacket?" "Want my jacket?" "It's warm." "Your mother will pick you up." "What?" "Your mother will be down to pick you up." "My mother!" "She's being called for." "You said you'd call my father!" "Goodbye, Judy." "And take it easy." "Oh, sure!" "John Crawford?" "Yes, sir?" "Come with me, John." "Jim!" "Happy Easter." "Happy Easter." "Where were you tonight?" "They called us, and I got the fright of my life!" "Where were you tonight, Jimbo?" "Well, then, there now." "Were you having a ball, Dad?" "Well, everybody's been having a ball." "You're the king of the ball, Dad." "You think I'm funny?" "Why didn't you take my jacket?" "Jim Stark?" "John." "John!" "Do you have any idea why you shot those puppies?" "Is that what they call you, or do you have a nickname?" "Plato." "He was a Greek philosopher." "You talk nice to the man now, hear?" "He's going to help you." "Nobody can help me." "Can you tell me why you killed those puppies?" "No, sir." "Where'd you get the gun?" "My mother's drawer." "Where's your mother tonight, Plato?" "She's away." "She's always going away somewhere." "She's got a sister in Chicago, and she's there for the holiday." "Where's your father?" "They're not together, sir." "We haven't seen him now in a long time." "Do you ever hear from him?" "I don't think it's right for a mother to go and leave her child." "It's his birthday today, sir." "Did the boy ever talk to a psychiatrist?" "You mean a head shrinker?" "Mrs. Crawford don't believe in them, sir." "Maybe she'd better start." "Sit over there for just a minute, please." "I don't see what's so bad about taking a little drink." "You don't?" "He's a minor and it looks like he had more than a little drink." "Don't hum, dear." "I cut loose pretty good in my day too." "Really, Frank?" "When was that?" "Can't you wait till we get home?" "How about you?" "Got anything to say for yourself?" "Not interested?" "Can't you answer?" "What's the matter with you?" "He's just loaded, honey." "I was talking to Jim!" "Well, I'd like to just explain." "You see, we just moved here and the kid hasn't got any friends." "Tell him why we moved here." "Will you hold it?" "Tell the man why we moved." " Will you hold it!" " You can't protect me." "Do you mind if I try?" "Do you have to slam the door in my face?" "I try to get to him." "What happens?" "I buy you everything you want." "A bicycle?" "You get it!" " A car..." " You buy me many things." "Not just buying!" "We give you love and affection, don't we?" "Then what is it?" "Was it because we went to that party?" "You know what kind of drunken brawls those kind of parties turn into." "It's no place for kids!" "A minute ago, you said you didn't care if he drinks." "He said a "little" drink." "You're tearing me apart!" "You say one thing, he says another, and everybody changes back again!" "That's a fine way to behave!" "Well, you know who he takes after." "Inside, Jim." "Come on." "Inside." " Excuse us a minute." " Yeah, sure." "Somebody ought to put poison in her Epsom salts." "Grandma?" "Get lost." "Hang loose, boy." "I'm warning you." "Why don't you wash up and go home?" "This is cute." "Big, tough character!" "You don't kid me, pal." "How come you're not wearing your boots?" "Well, that's cute." "That's cute." "It's too bad you didn't connect." "You could have gone to juvenile hall." "That's what you want, isn't it?" "Sure, it is." "You want to bug us till we have to lock you up." "Why?" "Leave me alone." "I don't know why." "Go on, don't give me that!" "Please, lock me up." "I'll hit somebody." "I'll do something, and I don't..." "Try the desk." "Go ahead." "Is that why you moved?" "You were in trouble?" "No, they think that they can protect me by moving around all the time." "You had a good start in the wrong direction." "Why'd you do it?" "What do you mean?" "Mess a kid up?" "He called me chicken." "Your folks didn't understand?" "They never do." "They think that I can make friends if we move." "Just move." "Everything will be roses and sunshine." "But you don't think that's the right solution?" "She eats him alive and he takes it." "Things pretty rough for you at home?" "That's a zoo!" "What?" "That's a zoo!" "I mean, he always wants to be my pal, you know?" "But how can I give him anything if he's..." "I mean, I love him and all that type of stuff." "I don't want to hurt him." "But then I don't know what to do anymore." "Except maybe die." "If he had guts to knock Mom cold once then maybe she'd be happy and she'd stop picking on him." "Because they make mush out of him!" "You know, just mush!" "I'll tell you one thing I don't ever want to be like him." "Chicken?" "I'll bet you see right through me, don't you?" "How can a guy grow up in a circus like that?" "Beats me, Jim." "But they do." "Want some water?" "If I had one day when I didn't have to be all confused and I didn't have to feel that I was ashamed of everything..." "If I felt that I belonged someplace..." "You know?" "Then..." "Will you do something for me?" "If the pot starts boiling again, will you see me before you get in a jam?" "If you want to talk, come in and shoot the breeze." "It's easier sometimes than talking to your folks." "Anytime, night or day." "You calmed down enough to go back in there now?" "Are you serious?" "Mother, I'm sorry." "It's all right, darling." "Mister Officer this was all very unfortunate." "He made a mistake, and he's sorry, so we won't have any more trouble." "He was always a lovely boy." "Grandmother, you tell one more lie and you'll turn to stone." "Look, Jim don't forget." "Have some cigars?" "No, thanks." "I don't smoke." "Give them to your friends." "No, thanks, Mr. Stark." "Frank, he doesn't want any." "Jim, your eggs are on the table, dear." "Eat." "You'll be late." "Beau!" "Come here, Beau!" "Beau, come on!" "I don't think I want anything." "I'm nervous." "My first day of school, Mother made me eat so much I couldn't swallow until recess." "Did you fix any sandwiches?" "There's meatloaf and peanut butter..." "What did I tell you?" "Peanut butter." "There's a thermos of orange juice and some applesauce cake to go with it." "And I baked it." "Goodbye, Mom." "Young fellow, you knock them dead like your old man used to." "You know what I think?" "I feel maybe we'll stay here awhile." "Listen, watch out about choosing your pals." "Don't let them choose you." "Wait a minute." "I've seen you before." " Stop the world!" " You don't have to be unfriendly." "Well, now that's true." "But life is crushing in on me." "Life can be beautiful." " I know where it was." " Where what was?" "Where I saw you." "Everything going okay now?" "You live here, don't you?" "Who lives?" "Hey, where's Dawson High?" "At University and 10th." "Thanks." "You want to carry my books?" "I got my car." "You want to go with me?" "I go with the kids." "I'll bet." "All right." "You know, I bet you're a real yo-yo." "I love you too." "What's that?" " That's a new disease." " Friend of yours?" " Glad they let you out." " Nobody chickened." " You're lucky he lived." " They always live." "Man, I'm living!" "Hey, which way to University and 10th?" "Which way is it to University and 10th?" " It's that way!" " No, it's that way!" "Hey, watch it!" "Where do you think you're going?" "You stepped on the school insignia." "Nobody does that, ever!" "I'm sorry." "It's my first day here and nobody told me about it." " I'm very sorry." " It's okay." "Know where to report?" "Mr. Bassett." "Room 208." "He'll show you where to go." "I'm sorry about that." "Just watch it next time." " And immensity of our universe." "For many days before the end of our Earth people will look into the sky and notice a star increasingly bright and increasingly near." "As this star approaches us..." "Jim Stark." "I'll go find a place." "I'm sorry." "As this star approaches us, the weather will change." "The great polar fields of the north and south will rot and divide." "And the seas will turn warmer." "The last of us search the heavens and stand amazed." "For the stars will still be there moving through their ancient rhythms." "The familiar constellations that illuminate our night will seem as they have always seemed:" "Eternal, unchanged and little moved by the shortness of time between our planet's birth and demise." "Orion, the hunter." "One of Ptolemy's constellations and the most brilliant in the heavens." "Boy!" "What?" "I was just thinking that once you've been up there you know you been some place." "Gesundheit!" "They're almost equal in brilliancy." "Cancer, the crab containing a large cluster of stars, called Praesepe or the Beehive." "I'm a crab!" "The sun can be vertically overhead." "Taurus, the bull." "That's real funny." "A comedian, Buzz." " He's cute." " I bet he's real rough too." "I bet he fights cows." "You shouldn't monkey with him." " He's a wheel." " Who?" "Buzz." "So is she." "It's hard to make friends with these guys." "I don't want to make friends." "And while the flash of our beginning has not yet traveled the light years into distance has not yet been seen by planets deep within the other galaxies we will disappear into the blackness of the space from which we came destroyed as we began, in a burst of gas and fire." "The heavens are still and cold once more." "In all the immensity of our universe and the galaxies beyond the Earth will not be missed." "Through the infinite reaches of space the problems of man seem trivial and naive indeed." "And man, existing alone seems himself an episode of little consequence." "That's all." "Thank you for your attention." "Thank you very much." "May I have your attention?" "May I please have your attention?" "Classes will meet at the busses outside." "May I have your attention?" "May I have your attention?" "Oh, what the heck!" "It's all over." "The world ended." "What does he know about man alone?" "Certainly is a lot of switches." "Yeah, quite intricate." "Hey, what's for kicks?" "What do you say, Buzz?" "Well, what do you want to do?" " How about "moo"?" " You mean the guy in there?" " The comedian." " What do you say?" "All right!" "What do you want to do?" "Let's bring him down." "He'd make a good pigeon." " What's the funny guy doing?" " The guy in the back of us, Buzz." "He ought to have his wardrobe cleaned and burned." " All right, moo." " All right." " What will we do with him?" " Don't worry." "I'll figure out what we'll do with him." "Relax." "He'll figure it out." "What are you looking at?" "Nothing." "I told you not to fool with those guys." "Now they're laying for you." "If you don't want trouble, I know where we can go." "It's a big mansion." "There it is." "We could sneak around and they wouldn't know." " Who lives there?" " Nobody lives there." "Come on, let's go!" "There he is." "That's his car." "Relax, man." " You know something?" " No, what?" "You read too many comic books." "Well, he's real abstract!" "He's different." "That's right." "I'm cute too." "Is that meaning me?" " Is that meaning me?" "!" " What?" "Chicken!" "You shouldn't call me that." "How about you?" "Are you always at ringside?" "What are you hanging around such rank company for?" "What?" "I don't want any trouble." "The blade game, Buzz?" "I thought only punks fought with knives." "Who's fighting?" "No fighting." "It's examination time, man." "It's a crazy game." "Get him a knife." "Give it to him." "Come on, give him a knife." " Pick it up!" " I don't want any trouble." "Pick it up!" "Pick it up!" "Now, you understand the action?" "There's no sticking." "Crunch?" "Just a little jabbing." "That's all." "What's the matter?" "What's the matter?" "What're you waiting on, toreador?" "I thought you wanted a little action." " Are you crumb chicken or...?" " Don't call me that!" "Toro!" "Cut off a button and you get to join the club." "Oh, that's close!" "Look out, Buzz!" "He's got a chain!" "Dr. Minton!" "All right, you asked for it, you've got it." " What is it?" " Trouble." "Are you satisfied or do you want some more?" "There's your audience." "I don't think so." "Let's split, Buzz." "Split for what?" "A couple of old poopheads?" "Now, you say the word and you're dead." "You're cold." "I'll meet you someplace, but not with those things." "That's trouble." "How then?" "You know the Millertown bluff?" "The bluff?" "Hey, Buzz, that's dangerous up there." "Cookie, get some cars, and we'll have some kicks tonight about 8 o'clock." " All right." " We'll have a chickie-run." "Sounds good." "Fine." "You ever been in a chickie-run?" "That's all I ever do." "Come on, all of you." "Start moving!" "Come on, get going." "Oh, you don't mean little old us?" "What's the matter with the nice man?" "We were just cutting out!" "Eight o'clock?" "Plato, what is a chickie-run?" "Mom?" "Hi, Jimbo." "You thought I was Mom?" "Well, the girl's out." "I was getting Mom some supper." "She doesn't feel too well." "What'd you do, drop it?" "You dropped it?" " That's funny." " I know it." " I'll clean up before she sees it." " Let her see it." "Let her see it!" "What can happen?" "She's..." "Dad?" "Stand." "Don't..." "I mean, you shouldn't..." "Beau?" "Daddy?" "Haven't you forgotten something?" "What's the matter with you?" "You're too old for that stuff." "I thought you'd stopped that long ago." "I didn't want to stop." " Didn't want to stop what?" " Nothing, nothing." "I was talking to Dad." "I didn't kiss her, so it's a big thing." "Bertha, you may serve the soufflé." "It's fish soufflé." "You don't have to stand, darling." "Sit down and have tomato juice." "I guess I just don't understand anything." "I'm tired." "I'd like to change the subject." "Why?" "I'd just like to, that's all!" "Girls your age don't do that!" "You need an explanation?" "!" "Hi, rascal!" "Girls don't love their father?" "Since when?" "Since I got to be 16?" "Stop that!" "Sit down!" "May I please be excused?" "Hey, glamour puss!" "I'm sorry." "We'll break the date." "We'll stay home." "This isn't my home!" "I don't know what to do." "All of a sudden she's a problem." "She'll outgrow it, dear." "It's just the age." "The atomic age!" "It's just the age when nothing fits." "Hey, Jimbo?" " You awake?" " Dad?" "Can I ask you something?" "Sure." "Shoot." "Suppose you had to do something." "You had to go someplace and do this thing that was you know, it was very dangerous." "But it was a matter of honor." "And you had to prove it." "What would you do?" "Well, is there some kind of trick answer?" "No, what would you do?" "Well, I wouldn't make a hasty decision." "Tell you what, Jimbo." "Let's get a little light on the subject." "What?" "Jim, what happened?" "What kind of trouble are you in?" "The kind I was telling you about." "Now can you answer me?" "Nobody can make a snap decision." "It's one of those things that you just..." "You can't." "That's all there is to it." "It's something that you..." "You just don't." "We've got to consider all the pros and cons." "I don't have time." "We'll make time." "I'll get paper and we'll make a list." "And then if we're still stuck we'll get some advice." "What can you do when you have to be a man?" "Well..." "No, you give me a direct answer!" "Are you going to keep me from going?" "Did I ever stop you from anything?" "You're at a wonderful age." "In 10 years, you'll look back on this and wish..." "Ten years?" "!" "I want an answer now." "I need one." "Listen, Jimbo, I'm just trying to show you how foolish you are." "When you're older, you'll look back at this and you'll laugh at yourself for thinking that this is so important." "It's not as if you were alone." "This has happened to every boy." "It happened to me when I was your age, maybe a year older." "What's all the excitement?" "I've been working hard getting this house in order..." "Jim had blood on him." " He just ran out." " And you didn't stop him?" "Hey, Chicken Little!" "Where's toreador?" "He beg off?" "He's not scared of you." " There he is." " Over there, man." " How did you get here?" " I hitched." "I bet you'd go to a hanging, wouldn't you?" "I guess it's just my morbid personality." "Should I leave?" "No, it's okay." "Come on." "Let's go see what we're driving." "No, just him." "It's okay." "Stay here." "What did you say your name was?" "Jim Stark." "Yeah, I'm Buzz Gunderson." "I got some goodies for you." "You got a flashlight?" "Is he a friend of yours?" "Yeah, he's my best friend." "What's he like?" "I don't know." "You have to get to know him." "He doesn't say much." "But when he does, you know he means it." "He's sincere." "Well, that's the main thing." " You want to flip?" " Yeah, go ahead." "Heads." "Maybe next summer, he'll take me hunting with him." "And fishing." "I want him to teach me because I know he won't get mad if I goof." "His name's Jim." "It's really James, but he likes Jim more." "And people he really likes, he lets them call him Jamie." "Jamie?" "Try the doors." "Hey, try it with the jump." "That's the edge." "That's the end." "Certainly is." "You know something?" "I like you." "You know that?" "Why do we do this?" "You got to do something now, don't you?" "Take them up all the way to the end." "Get all the girls!" "Bring it up to the left side." "Crunch, line them up!" "Go to the end and bring your cars up on the right." "Put your car on the left-hand side." "Turn your lights in toward the center." "Let's line them up!" "Moose, come here." "Straighten them out." "Tell them when to turn on their lights." "Johnny!" "Follow that dark roadster over there." "You're okay?" "Give me some dirt." "Hey, toreador!" "She signals we head for the edge." "And the first man who jumps is a chicken." "All right?" "Me too." "May I have some dirt, please?" "Hit your lights!" "Where's Buzz?" "Down there." "Let's get out of here!" "Down there." "Down there is Buzz!" "This is fine." "You'll be all right?" "You want to see a monkey?" "Want to come home with me?" "There's nobody at my house." "Heck, I'm not tired." "Are you?" "I don't have too many people I can talk to." "Who has?" "If you want to come, we could talk then we could have breakfast, like my dad used to." "If only you could've been my dad..." "You flipped or something?" "Look." "I'll see you in the morning, okay?" "I've got to pick up my scooter anyway, you know." "I know." "See you tomorrow." "Hello, little cute sister." "Hello, darling, baby-pie, glamour puss, sweetie." "You belong in bed." "He's home!" "You're home!" "You're home." "Are you all right?" "Where were you?" "We were so worried." "I wouldn't take a sleeping pill till you were home." "Can I talk to you guys?" "I have to talk to somebody." "You better give me an answer this time." "Go ahead." "A direct answer." "I'm in trouble." "You know that big, high bluff near Millertown?" "Yes, there was a bad accident there." "They showed the pictures on television." "I was in it." "How can you...?" "It doesn't matter how." "I was driving a stolen car." "That's a fine thing!" "Do you enjoy doing this to me, or what?" " You wanted him to make a list!" " Let him tell it!" "She doesn't care!" "You remember how I almost died giving birth to him?" " And then you say I don't care!" " Please relax, relax!" "Dad I said it was a matter of honor." "Remember?" "They called me chicken." "You know?" "Chicken?" "I had to go." "If I didn't, I'd never be able to face those kids again." "I got in one of those cars and Buzz, one of those kids, he got in the other car and we had to drive fast and then jump before the car came to the edge." "And I got out okay and Buzz didn't." "And it killed him." "I can't keep it to myself anymore." "You just get it off your chest." "That is not what I mean!" "I have never done anything right." "I've been going around with my head in a sling for years." "I don't want to drag you into this, but I can't help it." "You see, I think you can't just go around proving things and pretending like you're tough." "That's right." "And even though you got to look a certain way..." " You're absolutely right!" " You look, you feel..." "You're not listening to me!" "You're involved in this just like I am!" "I'm going to the police and telling them I'm involved." "Did anyone see you?" " Did anyone see your license plate?" " I don't know!" "Will the others go to the police?" "It doesn't matter." "It doesn't matter." " Why be the only one involved?" " Far be it from me..." "Do we have to listen to a sermon now?" "I'm telling him what you mean." "You can't be idealistic all your life." "Nobody thanks you for..." " Except to yourself!" " Wait a minute!" "Except yourself." "You don't want me to go?" "No, I don't want you to go to the police." "Why should you be the only one involved?" "But I am involved!" "We are all involved!" "A boy, a kid was killed tonight!" "I can't get out of it and pretend it didn't happen!" "Well, you know that you did the wrong thing." " That's the main thing." " That's nothing." "That is absolutely nothing." "Dad, you said you want me to tell the truth." "Didn't you say that?" "You can't turn it off." "He's not saying that." "He's saying just don't volunteer!" "Just tell a little white lie." "You'll learn!" "When you're older, Jim." "Well, I don't think that I want to learn that way." "It doesn't matter anyway, because we're moving!" "Don't tear me loose again." " Just why are we moving?" " Must I spell it out?" " You won't use me as an excuse again!" " I don't!" "When you can't face yourself you blame me!" "That is not true!" "You say it's because of me or the neighborhood!" "You use every other phony excuse!" "Mom, I just..." "Once, I want to do something right!" "And I don't want you to run away from me again!" " This is all going too fast." " You better give me something." "You better give me something fast." "Jimmy, you're very young." "A foolish decision now could wreck your life!" " In 10 years you won't know it happened." " Dad, answer her." "Tell her." "Ten years." "Dad, let me hear you answer her." "Dad, stand up for me." "Stand up!" "You'll kill him!" "You're killing him!" "You want to kill your own father?" " See how they brought us in like that?" " Let go of me!" "You want a good crack in the mouth?" "Take it easy, Ed." "The boy's on edge." " Come on." " He shouldn't talk to me that way." "After all, I am his father." "This place appeal to you or something?" " What's he going to pull?" " Nothing, Crunch." " Did you see any cops with him?" " He was pulled in like us." "Hey, excuse me." "Can you tell me where I can find..." "I forgot his name." "He works in the juvenile..." "Can't you see I'm writing?" "He's going to tell, man." "I know." "Nobody arrested him." "I think I better go home." "Hey, wait, man." "We'll have some kicks, huh?" " Crunch, my father..." " We'll bring him down." "What do you say?" "You're going to clobber him?" "What, are you out of your mind?" "Come on." " What I could write about you..." " I remember his name." " What's the charge?" " Assault." " His name is Ray." "I'd like to see him." " He's not here." "He's not in Juvenile Hall." "I don't know where he is." "He'll be out all night." "How old are you?" "My parents know I'm here." "They know I'm out here." "Come back in the morning, will you?" "Well, can I wait?" "Have you ever been booked before?" "Solid." "Hello?" "Who wants her?" "Who?" "Jim who?" "I never heard of you!" "He didn't have to hang up on him." "Hello, Jamie." "Jamie?" "Where'd you get that?" "How long have you known Plato?" "About..." " Coming up, another request." "...this morning." "This time, from the boys at Anna's Pizza Paradise." "A new arrangement of an oldie in rhythm and blues." "Jim, this is dedicated to you  from Buzz." "They'll be looking for you." "I didn't chicken." "You saw where I jumped." "What do I have to do, kill myself?" "It doesn't matter to them." "Well, I guess you're still pretty upset, huh?" "I'm just numb." "You know something?" "I woke up this morning, you know?" "And the sun was shining and it was nice and all that type of stuff." "And the first thing, I saw you." "And I said:" ""This will be one terrific day, so you better live it up because tomorrow you'll be nothing."" "See?" "And I almost was." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry that I treated you mean today." "Don't believe what I say when I'm with the rest of the kids." "Nobody acts sincere." "Why did you do that?" "I felt like it." "Your lips are soft." "Where are you going?" "I don't know." "We can't stay here." "I know one thing." " I'm not going back in that zoo." " I'm never going back!" "Listen..." "I know a place." "Plato told me before." "It's an old, deserted mansion up by the planetarium." "Want to go up there with me?" "You can trust me, Judy." " What do you want?" " Your friend!" "Yeah, we got eyes for him." "You know it?" " Where does he live?" " You guys better beat it!" "Where does he live?" "Tell us!" "Tell us!" " Leave me alone!" " Where does he live?" "Get him!" "Come on!" "We want your friend!" "I got it!" "I got his address book!" "Your friend talked!" "Now you talk!" "Talk!" "Talk!" "What are you doing to him?" "Let's get out of here!" " Did you get the book?" " Got it!" "Why you want to mix up with bad boys like that?" "Why you want to get into trouble all the time?" "What you doing with that?" "You put that down!" "Put it down before you hurt yourself!" "I have to warn him!" "You stay home, John!" "Bill Sibley." "Sam Stuart." "Stark." "Jim Stark." "Here it is." "1753 Angelo." "Well, well!" "Frank, I'm frightened!" " What's that pounding?" " I don't know." "At first I thought it was Jim..." "He's not home yet." "He's home, dear." "I heard his car." " Well, are you going down there?" " Look, will you please relax?" "Now, you see?" "It stopped." "I still think you ought to go down there." "Who's there?" "Anybody there?" "Open it." "Who's out there?" " Where's your son?" " Where's your baby boy gone to?" " We want to talk to him." " He's not here." "Look in his room!" "Son?" "Is he there?" "No, honey, he's not here." " What are you doing?" " Do you know where Jim is?" "No, I don't know." "Do you know where he is?" "I think..." "I'm sorry I bothered you." "Hey, come back here!" "Who are you?" "Careful, Jim." "Those noisy neighbors." "Come on!" "Jim, it's me." "They're looking for you." "Everybody." "Crunch and Goon and everybody!" "We know." "They think you told the police on them." "They're going to..." "Who's in there?" "Nobody." "Just us chickens." "Who's in there?" "Judy." "Judy's up there." " Let me in?" " Yeah." "All right." "But your house is a mess." "Watch out." " Where'd he go?" " I don't know." "Well, we're safe here." "I hope." "What do you think of my castle?" "Well, now, there, then..." "I think we'll take it for the summer." "Right this way." "Would you like to rent it?" "Or are you more in the mood to buy, dear?" "You decide, darling." " Remember our budget." " Don't give it a thought." "It's only $3 million a month." "We can manage that." "I'll scrimp and save and work my fingers to the bone." "You see, we're newlyweds." "Oh, there's just one thing." "What about...?" "Children?" "Right this way." "Yes." "We really don't encourage them." "They're so noisy and troublesome." "Don't you agree?" "And so annoying when they cry." "I don't know what to do when they cry." "Do you, dear?" "Drown them like puppies!" "The nursery's far away from the rest of the house." "Forgot to wind your sundial." "If you have children, you'll find this is a wonderful arrangement." "They can carry on and you won't notice." "A sunken nursery!" "In fact, if you lock them in, you'll never have to see them again." " Much less talk to them." " Talk to them?" " Nobody talks to children." " No, they just sell them." "What time is it?" "Hang loose." "We've got all night." "I wonder if the maid could tell who we were if she saw us again." "Sure she could." "I know she could." "You still want to go home, Moose?" "Then shut your mouth before your guts run out." "Quick, fill the pool!" "Let's see how long we can stay under." "You can't talk underwater." "I never saw you having so much fun." "I came here a lot of times before, but I never had fun." "Why not?" "Because I was alone." "All right!" "What'd you come back here for?" "Because I'd run away." "I used to run away a lot but they always took me back." "Who?" "Mom and Dad." "Now that I don't have them I wish I never had run away." "I used to lie in my crib at night and I'd listen to them fight." "Can you remember back that far?" "I can't even remember what happened yesterday." "I can't." "How do you do it?" "I went to a head shrinker." "He made me remember." "Did he?" "Then my mother said it cost too much, so she went to Hawaii instead." "Well, what's your problem?" "I don't know but I'm happy now." "Here." "I wish we could stay here." "Where's your father now?" "He's dead." "He was a hero in the China Sea." "You told me he was a big wheel in New York." "I did?" "What's the difference?" "He might as well be dead anyway." "It's all right." "Sure." "Sure." "I wonder how many rooms in this place?" "I don't know." "A lot, probably." "Probably." "Do you want to explore?" "Must have been a nervous day." "He must have started out nervous." "I've done that, though." "Haven't you?" "That looks like our boy's car, huh?" "Well, what do you know?" "Is this what it's like to love somebody?" "I don't know." "What kind of a person do you think a girl wants?" "A man." "But a man who can be gentle and sweet." "Like you are." "And someone who doesn't run away when you want them." "Like being Plato's friend when nobody else liked him." "That's being strong." "We're not going to be lonely anymore." "Ever, ever." "Not you or me." "I love somebody." "All the time I've been looking for someone to love me." "And now I love somebody." "And it's so easy." "Why is it easy now?" "I don't know." "It is for me too." "I love you, Jim." "I really mean it." "Well, I'm glad." "Good morning." "Let's take him!" "That's it." "This is unit 17." "We just zeroed gray Ford coupe, '46." "Observatory Drive and Crest Place." "Looks like housebreaking." "Alert Juvenile and stand by to send help." "Save me!" "Save me!" "Plato, what's with...?" "Why did you run out on me?" "Why did you leave me alone?" "What's the matter with you?" "I thought you were someone else!" "Who?" "Plato, it's me!" "Look at me." "What's the matter?" "Let me go!" "You're not my father!" "You're not my father!" "Halt!" "Halt!" "Come here, son." "Come here." "Walk over quietly." "There won't be trouble." "Cover the house." "I'll get him." "Halt!" " Did he hit you?" " I'm okay." " Let's go back!" " I'm going after him." " After he tried to shoot you?" " Stay down." "He didn't mean it." "We shouldn't have left him." "He needs us." "He needed you maybe, but so do I." "He needs you too." "You okay?" "Come on." "You should have heard him tonight." "He was talking about you like you were the hero in the China Sea." "You know what he wanted?" "He tried to make us his family." "I guess he just wanted us to be like his fa..." "Halt!" "Jim, they're killing him!" "Come out of there!" "You're making it tough on yourself, kid." "Come quietly now." "You didn't kill anybody yet." "Need a little help here." "We heard firing." "He hit anybody?" "Are you alone?" "We got a kook inside with a gun." "He wounded some kid." "How'd he get in?" "Smashed the front door." " Is there another entrance?" " Down in back." "Seal him off." "I don't understand." "I don't understand." "You pray for your children." "You read about things like this happening to other families but never dream it could happen to yours." "The Observatory?" "Five housebreaking in area." "Right." "Will proceed." "Over." "There are some other kids in trouble." "You'll have to go with me." "Sure, sure." "That's all right." "Lieutenant says seal them off." "Hello, Ray." "You know anything about this?" "No more than you do." "A kid's in there with a gun." "He wounded another kid and shot at an officer." " You got a speaker?" " Yeah, help yourself." " What's going on?" " Some kid's in trouble." "Stay back." "I got to know!" "My boy ran off and he got a gun too." "All right." "Lieutenant!" "I'm addressing the boy in the planetarium." "I'm speaking to the boy inside." "This is Ray Frameck from the Juvenile Division." "Armed police are outside." "Whoever you are, drop your weapon and come out." "Come outside!" "Clasp your hands over your head and come outside quietly." "Mr. Stark!" "Frank!" "That's my son." "Hold your fire!" "Are you sure?" "I think I know my son." "Officers, another boy and girl just ran into the planetarium." "We don't know if they're armed." "Hold your positions until further instructions." "Another boy and girl just ran into the planetarium." "We don't know if they're armed." "Hold your positions until further instructions." "You in there?" "You're my friend, Plato." "That means a lot to me." "Hey!" "I'm going to open the door now." "You can shoot me if you want to." "Boy, I'm blind as a bat." "You got a match?" "I'll break my neck in here." "Where are you?" "I've got a gun." "Yeah, I know." "Light a match, will you?" "How are you?" "I'm fine." "That's fine." "Do you think the end of the world will come at nighttime?" "At dawn." "Come on, now." "Where are you?" "What're you hiding for?" "Just stand up." "How can I talk to you if I can't see you?" "I can't talk to you if I can't see you." "Come on, stand up." "You've seen this show before." "Come on." "Do you see that star up there?" "Stand up." "Look at it." "I can't talk to you if I can't see you." "That's all there is to it." "I'm not going to hurt you or anything like that." "Why did you run out on me?" "We didn't run out on you." "We were coming back, I told you." "You sure?" "Sure, I'm sure." "Judy's here." "She's waiting." "Come on." "Come on." "No?" "Not ready to come out yet?" "Promise you, nothing will happen." "Are you cold?" "Here." "It's warm." "Here." "My jacket." "It's warm." "Can I keep it?" "Well, what do you think?" "Hey, now can I have the gun, Plato?" "You want to give it to me?" " My gun?" " Yeah." "In your pocket." "Give it to me." "No, I need it." "Don't you trust me, Plato?" "Just give it to me for a second." "Been carrying this around all day?" "Now there's a lot of people out front." "You promised to give it back." "Friends always keep their promises." "These people..." "You know, every one of them want to see that you're safe." "You understand that?" "They want you to be safe." "And..." "Oh, here." "They said I could come in here and I could bring you out, and..." "Why?" "Why?" "Because they like you." "Come on." "It's too bright." "I'll fix it." "Is Ray Frameck still out there?" "Yes, I'm here." "Hey, turn out those lights!" "If you do, we'll come out!" "Turn your lights out." "See?" "Come on." "Who's that?" " Just a guy." " I shot at one of them." "It's all right." "You didn't hurt him." "Those are not my friends!" "Make them go away." "You want me to make them go away?" "You want me to fix it?" "Okay." "Ray, can you make those guys get back?" "You don't have to worry about anything." "Here." "Keep the guys back." "That other kid still has a gun." "Don't turn on the lights!" "It's too bright." "Plato doesn't..." "Turn out the lights!" "I got the bullets!" "Look!" "Let him alone!" "Who are you?" "What do you want?" "All right, fellas." "All right, Lieutenant." "Get the stretcher in here." "For a minute there, I..." "When I saw that red jacket, I..." "I thought..." "Hey, jerk-pot what'd you do that for?" "You can't help it, son." "You did everything a man could." "Help me." "You can depend on me." "Trust me." "Whatever comes, we'll face it together." "I swear it." "Now, Jim stand up." "I'll stand up with you." "I'll try and be as strong as you want me to be." "Come on." "This poor baby got nobody." "Just nobody!" "He was always cold." "This is Judy." "She's my friend." "Hup, two, three, four." "Get up, get up!" "Mixed up in that beating on 12th Street?" "No, plain drunkenness." "He was picked up there." "They had him on the carpet down at headquarters." "He's clear." "Plain drunkenness." "All right." "Fill it up." "Can I keep it?" "You want to lean him up against something?" " Stand him over there." " Come on." "Judy?" "We're ready for you now." "He must hate me." "What?" "He hates me." "What makes you think so?" "I don't think." "I know." "He looks at me like I was the ugliest thing in the world." "He doesn't like my friends." "He doesn't like one thing about me." "And he called me..." "He called me a dirty tramp!" "My own father!" "Do you think he really means that?" "Yes!" "No!" "I don't know." "I mean, maybe he doesn't mean it but he acts like he does." "We were all together." "And we were going to celebrate Easter." "And we were going to catch a double bill." "Big deal!" "So I put on my new dress and I came out and he grabbed my face and he started rubbing off all the lipstick." "I thought he'd rub off my lips." "And I ran out of that house." "Is that why you were wandering around at 1 a.m.?" "Not looking for company?" "I don't even know why I do it." "Maybe you get back at your dad that way." "If you're not as close to him as you'd like to be maybe this is one way of making him pay attention." "Did you think of that?" "I'll never get close to anybody." "Would you go home if we can arrange it?" "What's your number, Judy?" "We'll ask your dad to come and pick you up." "Unless you really don't want to go home." "Would you rather stay here?" "Lexington 0-5-5-4-9." "That's enough static out of you!" "Cut it out now." "I'm warning you!" "You're shivering, John." "Are you cold?" "Want my jacket?" "Want my jacket?" "It's warm." "Your mother will pick you up." "What?" "Your mother will be down to pick you up." "My mother!" "She's being called for." "You said you'd call my father!" "Goodbye, Judy." "And take it easy." "Oh, sure!" "John Crawford?" "Yes, sir?" "Come with me, John." "Jim!" "Happy Easter." "Happy Easter." "Where were you tonight?" "They called us, and I got the fright of my life!" "Where were you tonight, Jimbo?" "Well, then, there now." "Were you having a ball, Dad?" "Well, everybody's been having a ball." "You're the king of the ball, Dad." "You think I'm funny?" "Why didn't you take my jacket?" "Jim Stark?" "John." "John!" "Do you have any idea why you shot those puppies?" "Is that what they call you, or do you have a nickname?" "Plato." "He was a Greek philosopher." "You talk nice to the man now, hear?" "He's going to help you." "Nobody can help me." "Can you tell me why you killed those puppies?" "No, sir." "Where'd you get the gun?" "My mother's drawer." "Where's your mother tonight, Plato?" "She's away." "She's always going away somewhere." "She's got a sister in Chicago, and she's there for the holiday." "Where's your father?" "They're not together, sir." "We haven't seen him now in a long time." "Do you ever hear from him?" "I don't think it's right for a mother to go and leave her child." "It's his birthday today, sir." "Did the boy ever talk to a psychiatrist?" "You mean a head shrinker?" "Mrs. Crawford don't believe in them, sir." "Maybe she'd better start." "Sit over there for just a minute, please." "I don't see what's so bad about taking a little drink." "You don't?" "He's a minor and it looks like he had more than a little drink." "Don't hum, dear." "I cut loose pretty good in my day too." "Really, Frank?" "When was that?" "Can't you wait till we get home?" "How about you?" "Got anything to say for yourself?" "Not interested?" "Can't you answer?" "What's the matter with you?" "He's just loaded, honey." "I was talking to Jim!" "Well, I'd like to just explain." "You see, we just moved here and the kid hasn't got any friends." "Tell him why we moved here." "Will you hold it?" "Tell the man why we moved." " Will you hold it!" " You can't protect me." "Do you mind if I try?" "Do you have to slam the door in my face?" "I try to get to him." "What happens?" "I buy you everything you want." "A bicycle?" "You get it!" " A car..." " You buy me many things." "Not just buying!" "We give you love and affection, don't we?" "Then what is it?" "Was it because we went to that party?" "You know what kind of drunken brawls those kind of parties turn into." "It's no place for kids!" "A minute ago, you said you didn't care if he drinks." "He said a "little" drink." "You're tearing me apart!" "You say one thing, he says another, and everybody changes back again!" "That's a fine way to behave!" "Well, you know who he takes after." "Inside, Jim." "Come on." "Inside." " Excuse us a minute." " Yeah, sure." "Somebody ought to put poison in her Epsom salts." "Grandma?" "Get lost." "Hang loose, boy." "I'm warning you." "Why don't you wash up and go home?" "This is cute." "Big, tough character!" "You don't kid me, pal." "How come you're not wearing your boots?" "Well, that's cute." "That's cute." "It's too bad you didn't connect." "You could have gone to juvenile hall." "That's what you want, isn't it?" "Sure, it is." "You want to bug us till we have to lock you up." "Why?" "Leave me alone." "I don't know why." "Go on, don't give me that!" "Please, lock me up." "I'll hit somebody." "I'll do something, and I don't..." "Try the desk." "Go ahead." "Is that why you moved?" "You were in trouble?" "No, they think that they can protect me by moving around all the time." "You had a good start in the wrong direction." "Why'd you do it?" "What do you mean?" "Mess a kid up?" "He called me chicken." "Your folks didn't understand?" "They never do." "They think that I can make friends if we move." "Just move." "Everything will be roses and sunshine." "But you don't think that's the right solution?" "She eats him alive and he takes it." "Things pretty rough for you at home?" "That's a zoo!" "What?" "That's a zoo!" "I mean, he always wants to be my pal, you know?" "But how can I give him anything if he's..." "I mean, I love him and all that type of stuff." "I don't want to hurt him." "But then I don't know what to do anymore." "Except maybe die." "If he had guts to knock Mom cold once then maybe she'd be happy and she'd stop picking on him." "Because they make mush out of him!" "You know, just mush!" "I'll tell you one thing I don't ever want to be like him." "Chicken?" "I'll bet you see right through me, don't you?" "How can a guy grow up in a circus like that?" "Beats me, Jim." "But they do." "Want some water?" "If I had one day when I didn't have to be all confused and I didn't have to feel that I was ashamed of everything..." "If I felt that I belonged someplace..." "You know?" "Then..." "Will you do something for me?" "If the pot starts boiling again, will you see me before you get in a jam?" "If you want to talk, come in and shoot the breeze." "It's easier sometimes than talking to your folks." "Anytime, night or day." "You calmed down enough to go back in there now?" "Are you serious?" "Mother, I'm sorry." "It's all right, darling." "Mister Officer this was all very unfortunate." "He made a mistake, and he's sorry, so we won't have any more trouble." "He was always a lovely boy." "Grandmother, you tell one more lie and you'll turn to stone." "Look, Jim don't forget." "Have some cigars?" "No, thanks." "I don't smoke." "Give them to your friends." "No, thanks, Mr. Stark." "Frank, he doesn't want any." "Jim, your eggs are on the table, dear." "Eat." "You'll be late." "Beau!" "Come here, Beau!" "Beau, come on!" "I don't think I want anything." "I'm nervous." "My first day of school, Mother made me eat so much I couldn't swallow until recess." "Did you fix any sandwiches?" "There's meatloaf and peanut butter..." "What did I tell you?" "Peanut butter." "There's a thermos of orange juice and some applesauce cake to go with it." "And I baked it." "Goodbye, Mom." "Young fellow, you knock them dead like your old man used to." "You know what I think?" "I feel maybe we'll stay here awhile." "Listen, watch out about choosing your pals." "Don't let them choose you." "Wait a minute." "I've seen you before." " Stop the world!" " You don't have to be unfriendly." "Well, now that's true." "But life is crushing in on me." "Life can be beautiful." " I know where it was." " Where what was?" "Where I saw you." "Everything going okay now?" "You live here, don't you?" "Who lives?" "Hey, where's Dawson High?" "At University and 10th." "Thanks." "You want to carry my books?" "I got my car." "You want to go with me?" "I go with the kids." "I'll bet." "All right." "You know, I bet you're a real yo-yo." "I love you too." "What's that?" " That's a new disease." " Friend of yours?" " Glad they let you out." " Nobody chickened." " You're lucky he lived." " They always live." "Man, I'm living!" "Hey, which way to University and 10th?" "Which way is it to University and 10th?" " It's that way!" " No, it's that way!" "Hey, watch it!" "Where do you think you're going?" "You stepped on the school insignia." "Nobody does that, ever!" "I'm sorry." "It's my first day here and nobody told me about it." " I'm very sorry." " It's okay." "Know where to report?" "Mr. Bassett." "Room 208." "He'll show you where to go." "I'm sorry about that." "Just watch it next time." " And immensity of our universe." "For many days before the end of our Earth people will look into the sky and notice a star increasingly bright and increasingly near." "As this star approaches us..." "Jim Stark." "I'll go find a place." "I'm sorry." "As this star approaches us, the weather will change." "The great polar fields of the north and south will rot and divide." "And the seas will turn warmer." "The last of us search the heavens and stand amazed." "For the stars will still be there moving through their ancient rhythms." "The familiar constellations that illuminate our night will seem as they have always seemed:" "Eternal, unchanged and little moved by the shortness of time between our planet's birth and demise." "Orion, the hunter." "One of Ptolemy's constellations and the most brilliant in the heavens." "Boy!" "What?" "I was just thinking that once you've been up there you know you been some place." "Gesundheit!" "They're almost equal in brilliancy." "Cancer, the crab containing a large cluster of stars, called Praesepe or the Beehive." "I'm a crab!" "The sun can be vertically overhead." "Taurus, the bull." "That's real funny." "A comedian, Buzz." " He's cute." " I bet he's real rough too." "I bet he fights cows." "You shouldn't monkey with him." " He's a wheel." " Who?" "Buzz." "So is she." "It's hard to make friends with these guys." "I don't want to make friends." "And while the flash of our beginning has not yet traveled the light years into distance has not yet been seen by planets deep within the other galaxies we will disappear into the blackness of the space from which we came destroyed as we began, in a burst of gas and fire." "The heavens are still and cold once more." "In all the immensity of our universe and the galaxies beyond the Earth will not be missed." "Through the infinite reaches of space the problems of man seem trivial and naive indeed." "And man, existing alone seems himself an episode of little consequence." "That's all." "Thank you for your attention." "Thank you very much." "May I have your attention?" "May I please have your attention?" "Classes will meet at the busses outside." "May I have your attention?" "May I have your attention?" "Oh, what the heck!" "It's all over." "The world ended." "What does he know about man alone?" "Certainly is a lot of switches." "Yeah, quite intricate." "Hey, what's for kicks?" "What do you say, Buzz?" "Well, what do you want to do?" " How about "moo"?" " You mean the guy in there?" " The comedian." " What do you say?" "All right!" "What do you want to do?" "Let's bring him down." "He'd make a good pigeon." " What's the funny guy doing?" " The guy in the back of us, Buzz." "He ought to have his wardrobe cleaned and burned." " All right, moo." " All right." " What will we do with him?" " Don't worry." "I'll figure out what we'll do with him." "Relax." "He'll figure it out." "What are you looking at?" "Nothing." "I told you not to fool with those guys." "Now they're laying for you." "If you don't want trouble, I know where we can go." "It's a big mansion." "There it is." "We could sneak around and they wouldn't know." " Who lives there?" " Nobody lives there." "Come on, let's go!" "There he is." "That's his car." "Relax, man." " You know something?" " No, what?" "You read too many comic books." "Well, he's real abstract!" "He's different." "That's right." "I'm cute too." "Is that meaning me?" " Is that meaning me?" "!" " What?" "Chicken!" "You shouldn't call me that." "How about you?" "Are you always at ringside?" "What are you hanging around such rank company for?" "What?" "I don't want any trouble." "The blade game, Buzz?" "I thought only punks fought with knives." "Who's fighting?" "No fighting." "It's examination time, man." "It's a crazy game." "Get him a knife." "Give it to him." "Come on, give him a knife." " Pick it up!" " I don't want any trouble." "Pick it up!" "Pick it up!" "Now, you understand the action?" "There's no sticking." "Crunch?" "Just a little jabbing." "That's all." "What's the matter?" "What's the matter?" "What're you waiting on, toreador?" "I thought you wanted a little action." " Are you crumb chicken or...?" " Don't call me that!" "Toro!" "Cut off a button and you get to join the club." "Oh, that's close!" "Look out, Buzz!" "He's got a chain!" "Dr. Minton!" "All right, you asked for it, you've got it." " What is it?" " Trouble." "Are you satisfied or do you want some more?" "There's your audience." "I don't think so." "Let's split, Buzz." "Split for what?" "A couple of old poopheads?" "Now, you say the word and you're dead." "You're cold." "I'll meet you someplace, but not with those things." "That's trouble." "How then?" "You know the Millertown bluff?" "The bluff?" "Hey, Buzz, that's dangerous up there." "Cookie, get some cars, and we'll have some kicks tonight about 8 o'clock." " All right." " We'll have a chickie-run." "Sounds good." "Fine." "You ever been in a chickie-run?" "That's all I ever do." "Come on, all of you." "Start moving!" "Come on, get going." "Oh, you don't mean little old us?" "What's the matter with the nice man?" "We were just cutting out!" "Eight o'clock?" "Plato, what is a chickie-run?" "Mom?" "Hi, Jimbo." "You thought I was Mom?" "Well, the girl's out." "I was getting Mom some supper." "She doesn't feel too well." "What'd you do, drop it?" "You dropped it?" " That's funny." " I know it." " I'll clean up before she sees it." " Let her see it." "Let her see it!" "What can happen?" "She's..." "Dad?" "Stand." "Don't..." "I mean, you shouldn't..." "Beau?" "Daddy?" "Haven't you forgotten something?" "What's the matter with you?" "You're too old for that stuff." "I thought you'd stopped that long ago." "I didn't want to stop." " Didn't want to stop what?" " Nothing, nothing." "I was talking to Dad." "I didn't kiss her, so it's a big thing." "Bertha, you may serve the soufflé." "It's fish soufflé." "You don't have to stand, darling." "Sit down and have tomato juice." "I guess I just don't understand anything." "I'm tired." "I'd like to change the subject." "Why?" "I'd just like to, that's all!" "Girls your age don't do that!" "You need an explanation?" "!" "Hi, rascal!" "Girls don't love their father?" "Since when?" "Since I got to be 16?" "Stop that!" "Sit down!" "May I please be excused?" "Hey, glamour puss!" "I'm sorry." "We'll break the date." "We'll stay home." "This isn't my home!" "I don't know what to do." "All of a sudden she's a problem." "She'll outgrow it, dear." "It's just the age." "The atomic age!" "It's just the age when nothing fits." "Hey, Jimbo?" " You awake?" " Dad?" "Can I ask you something?" "Sure." "Shoot." "Suppose you had to do something." "You had to go someplace and do this thing that was you know, it was very dangerous." "But it was a matter of honor." "And you had to prove it." "What would you do?" "Well, is there some kind of trick answer?" "No, what would you do?" "Well, I wouldn't make a hasty decision." "Tell you what, Jimbo." "Let's get a little light on the subject." "What?" "Jim, what happened?" "What kind of trouble are you in?" "The kind I was telling you about." "Now can you answer me?" "Nobody can make a snap decision." "It's one of those things that you just..." "You can't." "That's all there is to it." "It's something that you..." "You just don't." "We've got to consider all the pros and cons." "I don't have time." "We'll make time." "I'll get paper and we'll make a list." "And then if we're still stuck we'll get some advice." "What can you do when you have to be a man?" "Well..." "No, you give me a direct answer!" "Are you going to keep me from going?" "Did I ever stop you from anything?" "You're at a wonderful age." "In 10 years, you'll look back on this and wish..." "Ten years?" "!" "I want an answer now." "I need one." "Listen, Jimbo, I'm just trying to show you how foolish you are." "When you're older, you'll look back at this and you'll laugh at yourself for thinking that this is so important." "It's not as if you were alone." "This has happened to every boy." "It happened to me when I was your age, maybe a year older." "What's all the excitement?" "I've been working hard getting this house in order..." "Jim had blood on him." " He just ran out." " And you didn't stop him?" "Hey, Chicken Little!" "Where's toreador?" "He beg off?" "He's not scared of you." " There he is." " Over there, man." " How did you get here?" " I hitched." "I bet you'd go to a hanging, wouldn't you?" "I guess it's just my morbid personality." "Should I leave?" "No, it's okay." "Come on." "Let's go see what we're driving." "No, just him." "It's okay." "Stay here." "What did you say your name was?" "Jim Stark." "Yeah, I'm Buzz Gunderson." "I got some goodies for you." "You got a flashlight?" "Is he a friend of yours?" "Yeah, he's my best friend." "What's he like?" "I don't know." "You have to get to know him." "He doesn't say much." "But when he does, you know he means it." "He's sincere." "Well, that's the main thing." " You want to flip?" " Yeah, go ahead." "Heads." "Maybe next summer, he'll take me hunting with him." "And fishing." "I want him to teach me because I know he won't get mad if I goof." "His name's Jim." "It's really James, but he likes Jim more." "And people he really likes, he lets them call him Jamie." "Jamie?" "Try the doors." "Hey, try it with the jump." "That's the edge." "That's the end." "Certainly is." "You know something?" "I like you." "You know that?" "Why do we do this?" "You got to do something now, don't you?" "Take them up all the way to the end." "Get all the girls!" "Bring it up to the left side." "Crunch, line them up!" "Go to the end and bring your cars up on the right." "Put your car on the left-hand side." "Turn your lights in toward the center." "Let's line them up!" "Moose, come here." "Straighten them out." "Tell them when to turn on their lights." "Johnny!" "Follow that dark roadster over there." "You're okay?" "Give me some dirt." "Hey, toreador!" "She signals we head for the edge." "And the first man who jumps is a chicken." "All right?" "Me too." "May I have some dirt, please?" "Hit your lights!" "Where's Buzz?" "Down there." "Let's get out of here!" "Down there." "Down there is Buzz!" "This is fine." "You'll be all right?" "You want to see a monkey?" "Want to come home with me?" "There's nobody at my house." "Heck, I'm not tired." "Are you?" "I don't have too many people I can talk to." "Who has?" "If you want to come, we could talk then we could have breakfast, like my dad used to." "If only you could've been my dad..." "You flipped or something?" "Look." "I'll see you in the morning, okay?" "I've got to pick up my scooter anyway, you know." "I know." "See you tomorrow." "Hello, little cute sister." "Hello, darling, baby-pie, glamour puss, sweetie." "You belong in bed." "He's home!" "You're home!" "You're home." "Are you all right?" "Where were you?" "We were so worried." "I wouldn't take a sleeping pill till you were home." "Can I talk to you guys?" "I have to talk to somebody." "You better give me an answer this time." "Go ahead." "A direct answer." "I'm in trouble." "You know that big, high bluff near Millertown?" "Yes, there was a bad accident there." "They showed the pictures on television." "I was in it." "How can you...?" "It doesn't matter how." "I was driving a stolen car." "That's a fine thing!" "Do you enjoy doing this to me, or what?" " You wanted him to make a list!" " Let him tell it!" "She doesn't care!" "You remember how I almost died giving birth to him?" " And then you say I don't care!" " Please relax, relax!" "Dad I said it was a matter of honor." "Remember?" "They called me chicken." "You know?" "Chicken?" "I had to go." "If I didn't, I'd never be able to face those kids again." "I got in one of those cars and Buzz, one of those kids, he got in the other car and we had to drive fast and then jump before the car came to the edge." "And I got out okay and Buzz didn't." "And it killed him." "I can't keep it to myself anymore." "You just get it off your chest." "That is not what I mean!" "I have never done anything right." "I've been going around with my head in a sling for years." "I don't want to drag you into this, but I can't help it." "You see, I think you can't just go around proving things and pretending like you're tough." "That's right." "And even though you got to look a certain way..." " You're absolutely right!" " You look, you feel..." "You're not listening to me!" "You're involved in this just like I am!" "I'm going to the police and telling them I'm involved." "Did anyone see you?" " Did anyone see your license plate?" " I don't know!" "Will the others go to the police?" "It doesn't matter." "It doesn't matter." " Why be the only one involved?" " Far be it from me..." "Do we have to listen to a sermon now?" "I'm telling him what you mean." "You can't be idealistic all your life." "Nobody thanks you for..." " Except to yourself!" " Wait a minute!" "Except yourself." "You don't want me to go?" "No, I don't want you to go to the police." "Why should you be the only one involved?" "But I am involved!" "We are all involved!" "A boy, a kid was killed tonight!" "I can't get out of it and pretend it didn't happen!" "Well, you know that you did the wrong thing." " That's the main thing." " That's nothing." "That is absolutely nothing." "Dad, you said you want me to tell the truth." "Didn't you say that?" "You can't turn it off." "He's not saying that." "He's saying just don't volunteer!" "Just tell a little white lie." "You'll learn!" "When you're older, Jim." "Well, I don't think that I want to learn that way." "It doesn't matter anyway, because we're moving!" "Don't tear me loose again." " Just why are we moving?" " Must I spell it out?" " You won't use me as an excuse again!" " I don't!" "When you can't face yourself you blame me!" "That is not true!" "You say it's because of me or the neighborhood!" "You use every other phony excuse!" "Mom, I just..." "Once, I want to do something right!" "And I don't want you to run away from me again!" " This is all going too fast." " You better give me something." "You better give me something fast." "Jimmy, you're very young." "A foolish decision now could wreck your life!" " In 10 years you won't know it happened." " Dad, answer her." "Tell her." "Ten years." "Dad, let me hear you answer her." "Dad, stand up for me." "Stand up!" "You'll kill him!" "You're killing him!" "You want to kill your own father?" " See how they brought us in like that?" " Let go of me!" "You want a good crack in the mouth?" "Take it easy, Ed." "The boy's on edge." " Come on." " He shouldn't talk to me that way." "After all, I am his father." "This place appeal to you or something?" " What's he going to pull?" " Nothing, Crunch." " Did you see any cops with him?" " He was pulled in like us." "Hey, excuse me." "Can you tell me where I can find..." "I forgot his name." "He works in the juvenile..." "Can't you see I'm writing?" "He's going to tell, man." "I know." "Nobody arrested him." "I think I better go home." "Hey, wait, man." "We'll have some kicks, huh?" " Crunch, my father..." " We'll bring him down." "What do you say?" "You're going to clobber him?" "What, are you out of your mind?" "Come on." " What I could write about you..." " I remember his name." " What's the charge?" " Assault." " His name is Ray." "I'd like to see him." " He's not here." "He's not in Juvenile Hall." "I don't know where he is." "He'll be out all night." "How old are you?" "My parents know I'm here." "They know I'm out here." "Come back in the morning, will you?" "Well, can I wait?" "Have you ever been booked before?" "Solid." "Hello?" "Who wants her?" "Who?" "Jim who?" "I never heard of you!" "He didn't have to hang up on him." "Hello, Jamie." "Jamie?" "Where'd you get that?" "How long have you known Plato?" "About..." " Coming up, another request." "...this morning." "This time, from the boys at Anna's Pizza Paradise." "A new arrangement of an oldie in rhythm and blues." "Jim, this is dedicated to you  from Buzz." "They'll be looking for you." "I didn't chicken." "You saw where I jumped." "What do I have to do, kill myself?" "It doesn't matter to them." "Well, I guess you're still pretty upset, huh?" "I'm just numb." "You know something?" "I woke up this morning, you know?" "And the sun was shining and it was nice and all that type of stuff." "And the first thing, I saw you." "And I said:" ""This will be one terrific day, so you better live it up because tomorrow you'll be nothing."" "See?" "And I almost was." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry that I treated you mean today." "Don't believe what I say when I'm with the rest of the kids." "Nobody acts sincere." "Why did you do that?" "I felt like it." "Your lips are soft." "Where are you going?" "I don't know." "We can't stay here." "I know one thing." " I'm not going back in that zoo." " I'm never going back!" "Listen..." "I know a place." "Plato told me before." "It's an old, deserted mansion up by the planetarium." "Want to go up there with me?" "You can trust me, Judy." " What do you want?" " Your friend!" "Yeah, we got eyes for him." "You know it?" " Where does he live?" " You guys better beat it!" "Where does he live?" "Tell us!" "Tell us!" " Leave me alone!" " Where does he live?" "Get him!" "Come on!" "We want your friend!" "I got it!" "I got his address book!" "Your friend talked!" "Now you talk!" "Talk!" "Talk!" "What are you doing to him?" "Let's get out of here!" " Did you get the book?" " Got it!" "Why you want to mix up with bad boys like that?" "Why you want to get into trouble all the time?" "What you doing with that?" "You put that down!" "Put it down before you hurt yourself!" "I have to warn him!" "You stay home, John!" "Bill Sibley." "Sam Stuart." "Stark." "Jim Stark." "Here it is." "1753 Angelo." "Well, well!" "Frank, I'm frightened!" " What's that pounding?" " I don't know." "At first I thought it was Jim..." "He's not home yet." "He's home, dear." "I heard his car." " Well, are you going down there?" " Look, will you please relax?" "Now, you see?" "It stopped." "I still think you ought to go down there." "Who's there?" "Anybody there?" "Open it." "Who's out there?" " Where's your son?" " Where's your baby boy gone to?" " We want to talk to him." " He's not here." "Look in his room!" "Son?" "Is he there?" "No, honey, he's not here." " What are you doing?" " Do you know where Jim is?" "No, I don't know." "Do you know where he is?" "I think..." "I'm sorry I bothered you." "Hey, come back here!" "Who are you?" "Careful, Jim." "Those noisy neighbors." "Come on!" "Jim, it's me." "They're looking for you." "Everybody." "Crunch and Goon and everybody!" "We know." "They think you told the police on them." "They're going to..." "Who's in there?" "Nobody." "Just us chickens." "Who's in there?" "Judy." "Judy's up there." " Let me in?" " Yeah." "All right." "But your house is a mess." "Watch out." " Where'd he go?" " I don't know." "Well, we're safe here." "I hope." "What do you think of my castle?" "Well, now, there, then..." "I think we'll take it for the summer." "Right this way." "Would you like to rent it?" "Or are you more in the mood to buy, dear?" "You decide, darling." " Remember our budget." " Don't give it a thought." "It's only $3 million a month." "We can manage that." "I'll scrimp and save and work my fingers to the bone." "You see, we're newlyweds." "Oh, there's just one thing." "What about...?" "Children?" "Right this way." "Yes." "We really don't encourage them." "They're so noisy and troublesome." "Don't you agree?" "And so annoying when they cry." "I don't know what to do when they cry." "Do you, dear?" "Drown them like puppies!" "The nursery's far away from the rest of the house." "Forgot to wind your sundial." "If you have children, you'll find this is a wonderful arrangement." "They can carry on and you won't notice." "A sunken nursery!" "In fact, if you lock them in, you'll never have to see them again." " Much less talk to them." " Talk to them?" " Nobody talks to children." " No, they just sell them." "What time is it?" "Hang loose." "We've got all night." "I wonder if the maid could tell who we were if she saw us again." "Sure she could." "I know she could." "You still want to go home, Moose?" "Then shut your mouth before your guts run out." "Quick, fill the pool!" "Let's see how long we can stay under." "You can't talk underwater." "I never saw you having so much fun." "I came here a lot of times before, but I never had fun." "Why not?" "Because I was alone." "All right!" "What'd you come back here for?" "Because I'd run away." "I used to run away a lot but they always took me back." "Who?" "Mom and Dad." "Now that I don't have them I wish I never had run away." "I used to lie in my crib at night and I'd listen to them fight." "Can you remember back that far?" "I can't even remember what happened yesterday." "I can't." "How do you do it?" "I went to a head shrinker." "He made me remember." "Did he?" "Then my mother said it cost too much, so she went to Hawaii instead." "Well, what's your problem?" "I don't know but I'm happy now." "Here." "I wish we could stay here." "Where's your father now?" "He's dead." "He was a hero in the China Sea." "You told me he was a big wheel in New York." "I did?" "What's the difference?" "He might as well be dead anyway." "It's all right." "Sure." "Sure." "I wonder how many rooms in this place?" "I don't know." "A lot, probably." "Probably." "Do you want to explore?" "Must have been a nervous day." "He must have started out nervous." "I've done that, though." "Haven't you?" "That looks like our boy's car, huh?" "Well, what do you know?" "Is this what it's like to love somebody?" "I don't know." "What kind of a person do you think a girl wants?" "A man." "But a man who can be gentle and sweet." "Like you are." "And someone who doesn't run away when you want them." "Like being Plato's friend when nobody else liked him." "That's being strong." "We're not going to be lonely anymore." "Ever, ever." "Not you or me." "I love somebody." "All the time I've been looking for someone to love me." "And now I love somebody." "And it's so easy." "Why is it easy now?" "I don't know." "It is for me too." "I love you, Jim." "I really mean it." "Well, I'm glad." "Good morning." "Let's take him!" "That's it." "This is unit 17." "We just zeroed gray Ford coupe, '46." "Observatory Drive and Crest Place." "Looks like housebreaking." "Alert Juvenile and stand by to send help." "Save me!" "Save me!" "Plato, what's with...?" "Why did you run out on me?" "Why did you leave me alone?" "What's the matter with you?" "I thought you were someone else!" "Who?" "Plato, it's me!" "Look at me." "What's the matter?" "Let me go!" "You're not my father!" "You're not my father!" "Halt!" "Halt!" "Come here, son." "Come here." "Walk over quietly." "There won't be trouble." "Cover the house." "I'll get him." "Halt!" " Did he hit you?" " I'm okay." " Let's go back!" " I'm going after him." " After he tried to shoot you?" " Stay down." "He didn't mean it." "We shouldn't have left him." "He needs us." "He needed you maybe, but so do I." "He needs you too." "You okay?" "Come on." "You should have heard him tonight." "He was talking about you like you were the hero in the China Sea." "You know what he wanted?" "He tried to make us his family." "I guess he just wanted us to be like his fa..." "Halt!" "Jim, they're killing him!" "Come out of there!" "You're making it tough on yourself, kid." "Come quietly now." "You didn't kill anybody yet." "Need a little help here." "We heard firing." "He hit anybody?" "Are you alone?" "We got a kook inside with a gun." "He wounded some kid." "How'd he get in?" "Smashed the front door." " Is there another entrance?" " Down in back." "Seal him off." "I don't understand." "I don't understand." "You pray for your children." "You read about things like this happening to other families but never dream it could happen to yours." "The Observatory?" "Five housebreaking in area." "Right." "Will proceed." "Over." "There are some other kids in trouble." "You'll have to go with me." "Sure, sure." "That's all right." "Lieutenant says seal them off." "Hello, Ray." "You know anything about this?" "No more than you do." "A kid's in there with a gun." "He wounded another kid and shot at an officer." " You got a speaker?" " Yeah, help yourself." " What's going on?" " Some kid's in trouble." "Stay back." "I got to know!" "My boy ran off and he got a gun too." "All right." "Lieutenant!" "I'm addressing the boy in the planetarium." "I'm speaking to the boy inside." "This is Ray Frameck from the Juvenile Division." "Armed police are outside." "Whoever you are, drop your weapon and come out." "Come outside!" "Clasp your hands over your head and come outside quietly." "Mr. Stark!" "Frank!" "That's my son." "Hold your fire!" "Are you sure?" "I think I know my son." "Officers, another boy and girl just ran into the planetarium." "We don't know if they're armed." "Hold your positions until further instructions." "Another boy and girl just ran into the planetarium." "We don't know if they're armed." "Hold your positions until further instructions." "You in there?" "You're my friend, Plato." "That means a lot to me." "Hey!" "I'm going to open the door now." "You can shoot me if you want to." "Boy, I'm blind as a bat." "You got a match?" "I'll break my neck in here." "Where are you?" "I've got a gun." "Yeah, I know." "Light a match, will you?" "How are you?" "I'm fine." "That's fine." "Do you think the end of the world will come at nighttime?" "At dawn." "Come on, now." "Where are you?" "What're you hiding for?" "Just stand up." "How can I talk to you if I can't see you?" "I can't talk to you if I can't see you." "Come on, stand up." "You've seen this show before." "Come on." "Do you see that star up there?" "Stand up." "Look at it." "I can't talk to you if I can't see you." "That's all there is to it." "I'm not going to hurt you or anything like that." "Why did you run out on me?" "We didn't run out on you." "We were coming back, I told you." "You sure?" "Sure, I'm sure." "Judy's here." "She's waiting." "Come on." "Come on." "No?" "Not ready to come out yet?" "Promise you, nothing will happen." "Are you cold?" "Here." "It's warm." "Here." "My jacket." "It's warm." "Can I keep it?" "Well, what do you think?" "Hey, now can I have the gun, Plato?" "You want to give it to me?" " My gun?" " Yeah." "In your pocket." "Give it to me." "No, I need it." "Don't you trust me, Plato?" "Just give it to me for a second." "Been carrying this around all day?" "Now there's a lot of people out front." "You promised to give it back." "Friends always keep their promises." "These people..." "You know, every one of them want to see that you're safe." "You understand that?" "They want you to be safe." "And..." "Oh, here." "They said I could come in here and I could bring you out, and..." "Why?" "Why?" "Because they like you." "Come on." "It's too bright." "I'll fix it." "Is Ray Frameck still out there?" "Yes, I'm here." "Hey, turn out those lights!" "If you do, we'll come out!" "Turn your lights out." "See?" "Come on." "Who's that?" " Just a guy." " I shot at one of them." "It's all right." "You didn't hurt him." "Those are not my friends!" "Make them go away." "You want me to make them go away?" "You want me to fix it?" "Okay." "Ray, can you make those guys get back?" "You don't have to worry about anything." "Here." "Keep the guys back." "That other kid still has a gun." "Don't turn on the lights!" "It's too bright." "Plato doesn't..." "Turn out the lights!" "I got the bullets!" "Look!" "Let him alone!" "Who are you?" "What do you want?" "All right, fellas." "All right, Lieutenant." "Get the stretcher in here." "For a minute there, I..." "When I saw that red jacket, I..." "I thought..." "Hey, jerk-pot what'd you do that for?" "You can't help it, son." "You did everything a man could." "Help me." "You can depend on me." "Trust me." "Whatever comes, we'll face it together." "I swear it." "Now, Jim stand up." "I'll stand up with you." "I'll try and be as strong as you want me to be." "Come on." "This poor baby got nobody." "Just nobody!" "He was always cold." "This is Judy." "She's my friend."