By Love Possessed (1961) - full transcript

Neurotic woman engages in an affair with the law partner of her impotent husband.

[**]

Good morning, Mr. Winner.

Good morning, Betty Anne.

Go all right

in court?

So-so.

How's

Mrs. Winner?

So sick

of the hospital,

she's making a recovery

in record time.

Should be home in a day or two.

Oh, that's fine.

That, uh, New York lawyer,

Mr. Woolf, called. He's in town.

The hearing's set

for tonight, isn't it?

Yes, in your office.

He'll be here, all right,

with that client of his.

Oh, Betty Anne...

Is Mr. Tuttle in?

He's having lunch

in his office.

Hello,

Arthur.

Hello, Noah.

The McCarthy estate file?

The hearing

is tonight.

That New York lawyer

and that painted client of his.

Noah, how about letting me

handle the hearing?

Indeed.

You know,

we're not dealing

with any of our local

brothers at the bar.

This isn't friend against

friend, with a drink afterwards.

This New York lawyer

is gonna be out for your blood.

I'll handle it, Arthur,

my own way.

Well, promise me

one thing, anyway.

Mm-hm, what?

Well, that you won't

blow up in a rage

and call his client, uh,

an ex-prostitute,

even she is one.

She is trying to break

Mike McCarthy's will.

Now, I'll protect

poor dead Mike the best I can.

[CHUCKLES]

What are you

laughing at?

I was just

remembering,

years ago you asked my blessing

to marry my daughter.

Can't remember my exact words,

but I paraphrase rather neatly:

That old saw,

"I know I am

not losing a daughter,

I know

I am gaining a son."

Well, I didn't know

I was gaining a shepherd.

[CHUCKLES]

All right, Noah,

do it your own way.

Arthur Winner,

trying to run my life

by pure reason.

The Winners always were

possessed by reason,

but they possessed

other emotions too.

Don't you have

any other emotion, Arthur?

I certainly do:

Terror.

I'm afraid you're gonna get your

head blown off at the hearing.

Now, I'm gonna take

the afternoon off.

[INTERCOM BUZZES]

[FLIPS SWITCH]

Yes?

BETTY ANNE:

Mr. Penrose

for Mr. Winner on 3.

All right,

Betty Anne.

Hello,

Julius.

Say, Arthur,

I'm still tied up here.

We'll be taking

depositions all afternoon.

All right,

but don't forget the meeting

with that fella Woolf

tonight at 7:00.

Clarissa's fine.

If she keeps up at this rate,

she'll be out of the hospital

in a day or two. How's Marjorie?

Well, if she keeps up

with this rate,

she'll be in the hospital

in a day or two.

My wife has bought herself

a new hunter.

Chestnut gelding, 16 hands high,

the meanest in the state.

I just hope he's mean enough

to burn up

some of Marjorie's

excess energy.

All right.

I'll see you

tonight.

Goodbye.

[**]

How'd it go today,

Mrs. Penrose?

Better today.

Charlie?

MAN:

Yeah, Mrs. Penrose?

Scotch on the rocks.

Alrighty.

Oh, your husband

called.

You can reach him

at this number.

Thank you.

[**]

[**]

Hi, Mary.

Is Dad home?

Yes,

he's up in his study.

[SIGHS]

Taking the day off?

Oh, hello, Warren.

No, just the afternoon.

I've got a hearing tonight.

That thing

work yet?

Heh-heh. I don't think

it ever will.

Oh,

Conflict of Laws, 91.

Government Regulation

of Business, 93.4.

Taxation,

Current Issues, 95.

All A's.

I'm impressed,

Warren.

You know, they used to try

for a C average at Harvard,

"A gentleman's C,"

it was called.

You worked at your studies

just long enough

to have plenty of time

to work at being a gentleman.

Well, a gentleman's C

went out of style

when gentlemen

went out of style.

Must've been tough

for you.

To get C's

when A's come so naturally.

Must have taken,

uh, real control.

Oh, it wasn't

entirely wasted.

The ability to appear stupid

at the right time

is a useful tool

in a lawyer's kit.

The right tool

in the right time, huh?

The Winner family

good-lawyer tradition.

Well, we have had a fairly

unbroken line of good lawyers.

I can't see

that there's anything

particularly sinister

about that.

And from these

ungentlemanly A's of yours,

you show every sign of becoming

a good lawyer yourself

one of these days.

And it's such a snug

little future, isn't it?

Or do I mean smug?

Living in your town, uh,

working in your law firm.

Married to the girl

of your choice.

Town is here.

The firm is here.

Helen is here.

I can't recall

exerting pressure on you

to become involved

with any one of them.

Helen's a wonderful girl,

but I don't see myself

marrying a pillar

of this community.

When was the last time

you looked at Helen?

She's not a pillar.

Don't tell me I have

to point that out to you.

I doubt

if you would.

To the Winners

sex is unmentionable.

But, uh,

not to me.

Is that what they've been

teaching you at Harvard?

Oh, no, I, uh,

picked that up for myself

with the help of a friend

from Smith

who, uh, I'm happy to say,

was no gentleman.

Now, you Mr. Tuttle,

drew up the will

of my client's

late husband.

I drew up Mike McCarthy's

will, yes.

And you are,

are you not,

executor of his will

and trustee of his estate?

I am.

Now,

Mr. Tuttle.

I have learned,

as I'm sure you have,

to stay out of court

if at all possible.

Indeed.

Well, we can sue

to break

the late Mr. McCarthy's will,

and in my opinion,

we'd win.

But isn't there

some compromise, sir,

whereby we avoid

a messy lawsuit

and still increase

my client's share?

Your client has a record

of 17 arrests for prostitution.

That's irrelevant.

TUTTLE:

Now, obviously,

she didn't mean much to Mike,

so we left her

as little of his estate

al the law would permit,

and she'll receive

not one penny more.

Mr. Tuttle,

right now,

I want a clear picture

of the assets

of this estate.

I have in hand a copy

of your inventory of the assets.

It's sloppy,

vague.

I see listed here

as an asset

a second mortgage

for $2000.

Now, how much

is the first mortgage?

What's the market value

of the property?

Second mortgage?

I'll have to consult

the records.

I have them

right here.

I see listed a note

payable to Mr. McCarthy

in the amount of $700.

Now, who's the maker?

At what rate

of interest?

When is it due?

Mr. Tuttle handles most

of the estates of this county.

How do you expect him

to remember every little detail?

All right, Mr. Winner,

I'll skip over

the little details.

Let's get

to the big ones.

"A matter of bonds,

$20,000."

Now, Mr. Tuttle,

what type bonds?

Twenty thousand dollars

is a considerable sum.

Or has your memory failed

to the point

where you're incompetent

and should be removed

as trustee of this

or any of estate?

Look, Mr. Woolf.

This is a hearing.

But I'll

not tolerate--

[**]

[GASPS]

Hello, Junie.

When did they

let you back in town?

Well, I wasn't exactly sent

an invitation, Mrs. Penrose.

I'm here to get

my rights.

Oh,

that's good.

That's very,

very good.

Oh.

And where do you stand

on women's rights, J.P.?

[LAUGHS]

And you, Noah,

huh?

Oh,

Arthur.

I--

Oh, boy.

Marjorie?

Oh, Arthur.

Listen,

I'm so sorry.

I didn't know

those other people.

That's perfectly all right.

But I wanted to see you.

I wanna talk to you.

I have to talk.

Of course, Marjorie.

Anytime at all.

'Cause you

have to help me.

Somebody

has to help me.

Talk to me.

I'll help you.

To get free of you?

Will you do that?

Oh, Arthur,

talk to me.

He listens to you.

You're the only one

he listens to.

Make him

give me a divorce.

He hates me.

Make him let me go.

Just please make him let me go.

I love you.

You know that

when you're not drunk.

I'll give her a divorce anytime

she asks for it, Arthur.

Sober.

I don't wanna talk

to you.

I wanna talk

to him.

'Cause you're not all messed up

like we are with...

hating and loving

and feeling.

You can think.

'Cause you're--

You're untouched.

You're untouched

by human hands.

Oh, hell.

Happens quite often.

No mystery about it.

She's miserably unhappy,

so she gets drunk.

I'm sorry, Julius.

Any questions you're

too embarrassed to ask?

Such as, why is Marjorie

so miserably unhappy?

No.

No.

The answer

is too obvious.

There are two Marjories,

you know.

Marjorie A

and Marjorie B.

Marjorie A made a remarkable

adjustment to my accident.

She's quite a girl.

Runs the house

like a duchess.

Can beat your pants off

at tennis...

though doesn't,

out of tact.

She reads books,

not just reviews of books.

Works hard

for the community,

but thinks it's too dull

to talk about.

Yes, she's just

the kind of a girl

you'd like

your best friend to marry.

[SIGHS]

But I wouldn't

have married her.

I wouldn't have given

a nickel for her.

I married Marjorie B,

wild and restless,

all body and feeling,

full of impulses

and urges and needs.

Not the kind of needs

that can be met by a cripple.

[CHUCKLES]

Well, I wish you would let

her talk to you, Arthur.

Help her get a little

of this out of her system.

All right, Julius.

You don't need me

in there.

No.

[**]

Hello,

Clarissa.

Hi.

How are you feeling?

Fine.

Except I can't

face dinner.

Last night the meat

tasted like fish,

and today the fish

tasted like meat.

That's strange.

When I was here, they both

tasted like stewed prunes.

Oh, you didn't.

Oh, yes, I did.

Drumsticks,

French bread and cheese...

Apples.

And wine.

How was the hearing?

Fireworks,

with an abrupt end.

Why?

Because of Marjorie?

Now, how'd

you know that?

Well, she was here

this afternoon

drinking with both hands,

looking like a beautiful

little percolator

all ready to boil over.

And she did.

I got a bit spattered

in the process.

She said I was,

let's see...

untouched by love, hate,

feelings or human hands.

If I weren't

so fond of Marjorie,

I'd slap her

for that.

Well, darling,

if you look untouched,

it's scarcely

a compliment to me.

[CHUCKLES]

Dreadfully unhappy,

poor dear.

How could she not be?

Seemed to have worked things out

so well, she and Julius.

Well, things are seldom

what they seem.

Is that an idiom,

or did I make it up?

I don't know what it is,

but I don't believe it.

It's been a day

of surprises, though.

Warren, for example.

Why?

What about Warren?

Well, I made the mistake

of complimenting him

on getting all A's.

He countered by expressing

his general contempt

for tradition,

his future and me,

all of which

he finds unbearably dull.

Well, did you

talk to him,

try to find out

what was really troubling him?

Oh, his decisions

are his own to make.

Restlessness,

rebelliousness

at who you are

and what you are,

they're natural

at his age.

I wonder

if Marjorie could be right,

and you really are untouched

by hate, love

and other assorted emotions.

That's a fine thing

to say.

Do you think I'd have married

you if I didn't love you?

Of course.

Winners always marry Tuttles,

and vice versa.

It never occurred to you

not to marry me.

It was more of a merger

than a marriage.

Anyway, I'm--

I'm not talking about then, my--

My mind is on now.

Marriage, merger,

whatever

you wanna call it,

I am very content.

I don't know

any two people

who get along as-- As pleasantly

and smoothly as we do.

Yes, that's true enough,

but "pleasantly," "smoothly."

I wonder if those are

the right words for marriage.

I mean, well,

Still Pond in Tucker's Woods

is smooth,

but it's stagnant.

That's why

I never liked it.

I always have.

Yes, but--

But wouldn't it be better if--?

If there were

occasional storm?

Waves that--? That knocked

you down and lifted you up?

Even if it meant a--?

A little less contentment?

Clarissa, I'd love to contribute

a few storms to your discontent,

but, well,

what can I do?

We just don't have anything

to fight about.

We used to have.

But you wouldn't fight.

You always withdrew

before the battle started,

so we both lost.

Hello, Arthur.

ARTHUR:

Hello, Reggie.

[SIGHS]

Well...

How do you feel?

A little tired,

Reggie.

Yes, that's inconsiderate

of me, but, unfortunately,

I just had to sign a death

certificate for one patient.

Had to stop

a hemorrhage in another,

and, uh, I had to give

a third an aspirin tablet.

[SNIFFS]

You, uh--

You can take Clarissa home

day after tomorrow.

Then you can prance out

on the tennis court again,

trip again,

fall down again

and come back here

to the hospital

for another week.

[**]

Shh!

NOAH [WHISPERING]:

Helen, I'm your legal guardian.

I paid for the braces

on your teeth.

I fixed the rap when you

were expelled from school.

And the state of your morals

weighs heavily on my shoulders.

[**]

When I get upstairs,

wake him up.

Flaming youth.

Darling.

You know, they say when

two people can be together

and not-- Not feel

they have to keep talking,

they say it's a sure sign

of compatibility.

"They say."

Hon, you're always saying,

"They say."

For once, will you tell me

who "they" are?

[LAUGHS]

I don't know.

Well, "they" are

the good women who say,

"Come give just an hour a week

at the Children's Aid,"

or, "You're such

good reader.

There's no one to read aloud

at the home for the aged,"

or "TV for shut-ins,"

or, heh, you name it,

I'm working for it.

You know, if you let 'em,

they will make you

just another tax racket

in a filing cabinet.

You know, I don't

understand you, Helen.

Your family left you the richest

orphan in Winner County.

Left you enough loot

to visit Europe, Asia, Africa...

the moon,

if you really wanted to.

What do you get

out of this town, Helen?

Is that your answer?

Isn't that enough?

Or do I make you

feel short-changed?

Well, could be.

Who's the girl been,

Warren?

Girls, Helen.

Girls, I suppose, it--

It never took you

more than once

to succeed with.

With some girls, if you don't

succeed the first time,

believe me, the prize

isn't worth crackerjacks.

You've never even once

tried with me.

Well, I wouldn't succeed,

now, would I?

No.

Oh, well, there you are.

You might have had

the decency to try.

Wrong side

of the street, Helen.

On the other side

of High Street, they forbid sex,

on our side,

they forget it.

Did you just made that up?

No,

they made it up.

Hm.

They also say

that men have to go

through seven

stages of life.

I believe I know

the "they" who said that.

Shakespeare, and I believe

it was the "Seven Ages of Man."

Ages.

Warren...

Is this a stage?

Will you

get over it?

[**]

Time to go.

Your legal guardian

is gonna like this.

You're a good kid,

Helen.

[**]

Hello, Arthur.

Marjorie?

The vestry meeting?

Yes.

I hoped

you'd be here.

I wanted to see you

to apologize.

That, uh, exhibition

last night, I--

I-- I--

I felt lost and--

Well, it was that kind

of a night.

Somebody switched all

the signposts along the road.

I understand,

Marjorie.

I know

you'll forgive me.

But I wish you would forget

everything that I said.

When you look at your world

through a bottle,

everything

takes a different shape.

But it's

all right today.

I am a toucher.

It's a dreadful habit,

isn't it?

Julius hates it.

Thank you,

Arthur.

Good morning,

Arthur.

Uh, if I could

just take a moment

before

the vestry meeting.

Was I clear

on the phone, Arthur?

Yes, I--

Well,

it's just that, uh...

if Noah,

Sam Orchid'strustee,

could-- Could let

the Church invest the funds,

I-- I think

it would make--

I understand.

I'll talk to Noah about it.

Good, good.

The Church could handle

the money and the accounts.

Well, it'll get

the bishop off my back.

I'll see

what I can do.

Thank you.

Good morning,

gentlemen.

[**]

Good morning, Mr. Winner.

Hello, Charles.

Mr. Woolf

is waiting for you.

Oh,

thank you.

"Twenty-three men of this town,

massacred, lie buried here.

Heroes. 1778."

Massacred by whom?

By a troop

of raiding Tories.

It's been a little

embarrassing, actually.

Some old papers

recently turned up,

indicate that what was really

buried there were pigs.

Pigs?

Mm-hm.

Slaughtered

in 1790

to prevent

the spread of swine fever.

Oh.

So far the town's turned down

all proposals

to dig up

and examine the bones.

Which, perhaps, is why they

built this club on top of them.

Sit down,

Mr. Woolf.

Mr. Winner,

you remember

that $20,000 in bonds

I brought up last night?

U.S.

government bonds.

You remember

I kept pressing

the old gentleman,

Mr. Tuttle,

"Where are those bonds?

They belong to McCarthy estate.

Where are they right now?"

Well, I shouldn't

have pressed him.

I shouldn't have shouted

at him either.

I should have seen

that at that minute,

he just

couldn't remember.

Mr. Woolf, you didn't ask me

to meet you here

just to say

you're sorry.

What did you do?

Locate the bonds yourself?

If you give them

the serial numbers,

the Bureau of Public Debt

will check government bonds

for you.

So you wired them,

and the Bureau wired

you back what?

That Mr. Tuttle cashed in

those $20,000 in bonds

two months ago.

That's why I asked

to meet you here.

Why meet at your office

and embarrass the old gentleman

with my telegram?

I'll go on record now.

I won't ask him

to account any further

for the bonds

or anything else.

That is, pending

your report to the court.

If my client gets the increase

to which she's

legally entitled, fine.

If not, I'll be forced to sue

to break the will.

Of course, a compromise

would be better.

That's very considerate.

But the old gentleman

wouldn't agree, would he?

You're worried about him,

aren't you, Mr. Winner?

How he didn't remember,

doesn't remember.

The point is,

the old gentleman's crumbling.

That's been hard for you

to face, Mr. Winner?

I'd rather not discuss it,

Mr. Woolf.

But I'll tell you one thing.

This man you refer to

as an "old gentleman"

is precisely that.

Even though according to some

people, my own son included,

the breed has

gone out of style.

I'm afraid your son

may be right.

Well, I suppose we'll meet next

in a real court.

Friendly enemies?

Friendly enemies.

[**]

Hi, Helen,

what are you doing here?

Hi.

Looking at my file.

As neat as

the proverbial pin.

Birth certificate,

Mother's will,

Father's will.

Papers making Noah

my guardian.

Four-page

power of attorney

authorizing bank

to sign all my report cards

up to the sixth grade.

[GIGGLES]

Well, it isn't every kid

who gets her report card

signed by a bank.

A receipt for a bill

for my first lipstick.

[GIGGLES]

A bill for 39 cents.

Lipstick sure was lousy,

but it was called Seduction.

Warren.

The heavy filing hand

of all the Winners,

back to the Winner

who started this law library

with a fifthhand copy

of Coke on Common Law.

Warren, do you have to study law

all day, every day?

Yes.

I'm going to be

a good enough lawyer

to make sure I get out

of this weary, predigested town.

Warren.

Let's get in the car and drive.

Just drive.

Drive to anyplace

o-or no place.

Or would that be me

pinning you down again?

If so, I-I apologize.

Oh, Warren,

your father's free now.

Thank you.

Helen, don't be so touchy,

so easily hurt.

What are these?

Just about every ruling

on insanity in this state

since they burned Mrs. Crow.

Yeah, what about it?

Carolyn Dummer.

You're going in to court today

to defend that idiot girl

who gave birth

to an illegitimate

and smothered it right away.

Yes.

Carolyn's 20 years old, huh?

According to

her birth certificate.

Have you spoken to that

expert witness of yours,

Dr. Arsevich?

Yes, of course.

Why?

What does Dr. Arsevich say

Carolyn's mental age is?

Eight years old.

Entirely harmless, huh?

According to Dr. Arsevich.

Do you think that Carolyn's

confinement in an institution

is necessary for

the protection of society

or for her own

well-being?

Well, there's no reason she

shouldn't be all right at home.

Especially if they show her

love and kindness.

According to

Dr. Arsevich, huh?

That's right,

according to Dr. Arsevich.

Have you spoken to

Carolyn's parents?

Briefly.

Have you spoken to Mrs. Morton?

Mrs. Morton?

The matron who's taking care

of Carolyn in jail now.

Oh. Uh, no.

Dad, they treat Carolyn

like an animal at home.

Now, that's what Mrs. Morton

the jail matron says,

not Dr. Arsevich.

Do you know that Carolyn never

had ice cream

till she went to jail?

She never even had her hair done

till the matron did it.

And I ask her father

one question and his answer was,

"Nobody can do nothing for her."

Dad, you don't want her

acquitted and sent home, do you?

Well, I certainly don't want her

convicted and sent to jail,

even if she'd be

better off there.

Plead insanity.

I can't do that.

Why not?

Why not?

Because she's not guilty,

because she's not insane.

Carolyn thought her baby

was born dead,

that's why she buried it.

But the baby was born alive.

Wasn't she insane

not to know that?

Warren, that's not the test

for insanity in this state.

The test is whether the accused

knows right from wrong.

That much Carolyn does know.

As an attorney,

as an officer of the court,

I have no right

to plead insanity

and try and have her

committed to an institution.

But a person can know

right from wrong

and be insane in

every other way.

That's a stupid test

and a stupid law.

In your eyes, perhaps.

Not in the eyes

of the high court

of this state.

Dad, you've got everything

neatly arranged in little boxes

with a label on each box

so you can pull out

the right excuse

every time you're wrong.

You may know legal right

from legal wrong,

but you don't know the real

right from the real wrong.

For once, you've gotta do

what's best for someone,

not what's legal.

You've gotta do

what's best for Carolyn.

I've got to conform to the law.

That will be best for Carolyn.

And if not best for Carolyn,

in the long run,

conforming to the law is best

for the people of this state.

But we're not living in the long

run, damn it! We're living now.

You're wrong, Warren.

We're living in the long run.

That's why I'm gonna

have Carolyn acquitted.

Arthur!

You keep that Dr. Trowbridge

from pestering me.

He called five times

this morning.

And look at that letter.

Look at it!

NOAH:

Let him account for

God and Christ Church.

I'll account for the money

Sam Orchid left the church.

Trowbridge wasn't

pestering, Noah.

He was--

He was just inquiring.

Sam Orchid said to me--

Know what he said?

"I built Christ Church

and I want it to last.

"Nowadays," he said,

"you can't be sure the parson

"isn't going

to be an idiot.

"Noah," he said, "protect

my church from parsons,

so I won't

be turning in my grave."

All right, Noah.

I guess what Sam tried to

buy with all that money

was quiet in his grave.

While I live,

I've got Sam's money.

When I die.

you guard Sam's estate

any way you want.

I won't know it.

I've had a long, long life,

Arthur.

I sit in there

blinking out on a world

that's only waiting

for me to leave it.

A world of Dr. Trowbridges

and Mr. Woolfs,

all waiting to change

what I have done. Yes.

All the work that I've done,

a new age is itching to undo.

Noah, if you keep this up,

you know,

you're gonna get tearstains

all over my carpet.

[CHUCKLES]

Arthur, you're the only one

who really...

[SNAPS FINGERS]

...digs me.

Is that the word?

Heh-heh. That's the word.

You're in court today?

It's the charity case.

Oh, the girl who

murdered her baby.

Yes.

Well, you'll learn.

All the cases you do for free,

you pay for dearly.

Oh, Betty Anne, I'll be in

the library with Warren.

Warren's gone.

Oh.

I checked the

Mike McCarthy estate file.

Mr. Tuttle sold $20,000

in bonds on May 4th.

And deposited the money

in the McCarthy estate account?

No, but on May 7th,

Mr. Tuttle deposited $20,000

in his own general account.

Would that be the one?

Huh?

Thanks, Betty Anne.

[DOOR CLOSES]

JULIUS:

Now, consider the tax savings.

You're trading 90 percent

bracket income

for 26 percent

capital gains.

Right.

All right, I'll catch

the night plane

and see you in Washington

in the morning.

[CHUCKLES]

Fine.

Goodbye.

Arthur,

this conception of mine

of incorporating Finn

never occurred to him.

Those bonds in

the McCarthy estate.

Yes?

Noah sold them

two months ago.

So that's Noah's right.

He's trustee.

Was it his right to deposit

the $20,000 in his own account?

Noah mingled estate money

with his own money?

In his personal account?

That's right.

Julius, you and I have to face

a very unpleasant fact.

Noah's powers are no longer

what they used to be.

And there's something else

we have to face.

From now on, you and I are gonna

have to do all the work.

As long as he lives,

Noah will--

Yes, he'll still be

the senior partner

of Tuttle, Winner and Penrose.

Still the grand old man,

is that it?

Now, wait a minute, Julius.

Woolf said it last night,

you heard him.

Incompetent.

That's right.

We just can't let him

continue to work

in any responsible capacity.

But, Arthur, work.

Responsible work,

that's Noah's life.

Don't you think I know that?

Look, no matter how

politely you put it,

pensioning Noah off

is what you're proposing.

Pension him off,

and you'll destroy him.

It's gotta be done.

Well, we won't do it!

We won't destroy Noah.

Julius, we can't be ruled

just by our emotions.

We've got to be ruled

by what we know is right.

Three-quarters of the people

out there are our clients.

We have a duty to them.

Duty?

[SNICKERS]

That's the cruelest word

in the English language.

I mean, you're using it

as a polite way

of giving the man

a death sentence.

Julius, putting estate funds

in a personal account

is a statutory offense.

Now, we can cover

this bumbling of Noah's.

See that the money's credited,

proper entries are made.

But how many more bumblings

will there be?

If we'd gone into court

with Woolf this time,

he'd have

discovered it like that.

All right.

We'll do it.

Or rather, you'll do it.

I couldn't.

I'll do it, Julius.

Well?

What happened?

She's acquitted.

Let the DA send Carolyn

to an institution,

just because she'd

be happier there?

No, indeed.

That would have been

showing mercy.

That would have been one

of your rare moments

of weakness, Arthur.

This town is comfortable

with justice, but mercy?

Mercy died on the cross.

You're parading your cynicism

a little heavily tonight,

Reggie.

Oh.

Not for this town.

Gin.

Clarissa, I, uh--

I want to talk to you

about your father.

Well, what about him?

Julius and I are gonna

have to take over

his responsibilities

at the firm.

Why?

Noah will continue, of course,

as senior partner, but...

we'll simply be

doing the work.

Why?

Well, his accounts

are messed up,

his memory's not what

it used to be, he's--

Well, he's too old.

[SIGHS]

It would kill Noah.

That's what Julius said.

Well, Julius is right.

I'm not at all

sure about that.

Clarissa, I'm gonna

have to do it.

I love Noah,

because Noah's my father

and because he's Noah.

Well, what do you

expect me to say?

"Go ahead, darling,

cut his throat

gently as you can"?

I expect you to understand.

You're a lawyer's daughter.

I'm a man's daughter.

I'm Noah's daughter

and I love Noah.

I love him too.

But I can't let that keep me

from doing what I know is right.

You know, Arthur,

I've just begun to realize

for the first time that you

expect too much of yourself

and you expect too much

of everyone else.

What else have you just

suddenly begun to realize?

That love has two hands.

You've got to be able

to give love,

you've got to be able

to accept love.

I love you.

Oh, the hell you do!

All right, forget it.

Forget about Noah.

It's not just Noah.

It's us.

We don't have the happiness

I thought we had.

Do we?

All right, we don't.

What am I gonna do about it?

I'm gonna work it out

by myself.

I'll never be able

to do it with you.

All right, Clarissa.

Goodnight.

Goodnight.

[**]

Julius?

Mr. Penrose?

Yes.

It'll just be a moment.

[**]

Washington again?

Yes. And you?

Oh. The Halloween dance

at the club.

You'll get a laugh out of this.

I'm to be a chaperone.

Will you be gone long?

I don't know.

Long enough to save a client

some tax money.

Well, I'll have my first drink

to you and to your success.

Marjorie, do you know

what electric lights

were named after?

No.

Mazda.

"Mazda" is the ancient

Persian word for fire,

which they worshipped.

The high Persians spent their

lives tending their holy fire.

And you want me

to spend my life

tending the holy fire

of the ancient Penrose.

Get to it, J.P.,

I know the introduction.

This community loves

to label people.

Noah is the grand old man,

I am the egghead,

Arthur is the pillar

of the community.

And you,

if you keep on

the way you're going,

they're going to

label you the lovely lush.

I gather you don't care

if I'm a lush,

so long as I'm not labeled.

I care...

and I try to understand.

Well, it shouldn't

be too difficult.

You know how I live my life.

Running your house,

blasting golf balls,

jumping horses.

Going to luncheons,

giving luncheons.

But "understand," Julius?

No, you don't understand that

I'm a human being,

with human wants and needs.

Is that all there ever was

between us?

Well, it must have been.

Look at us now.

Then go and get

what you need.

Just don't

let me know.

You said that to me once before,

remember?

The night you came home

from the hospital.

I went to your room

full of love and anxiety,

wanting to comfort you...

and to be comforted.

And you said, "You'll have to

get what you need elsewhere."

And then you pushed me away.

You made me feel

like an animal.

Before I knew,

I was one.

I-- I didn't want you

to touch me out of...

I was afraid of...

pity.

But it wasn't pity.

And if it were,

is pity a dirty word?

It always has been to me.

Well, I feel no pity now.

Nothing.

Give me a divorce.

No.

You told Arthur last night

that you'd let me go anytime

I ask you.

Sober.

Well, I'm sober, Julius.

No.

[PLAYING UP-TEMPO JAZZ MUSIC]

Another one.

Are you bored, Warren?

No, not particularly,

Sydney girl.

I am.

Sober, you're bearable,

Sydney,

but drunk, you're dull.

I know.

I think I'll take off all

my clothes and jump in the pool.

Again, huh?

Am I too young

to buy a chaperone a drink?

Well, if you're old enough

to ask, Warren,

you're old enough to buy.

Thank you.

Good evening,

Mrs. Penrose. Scotch?

A double.

Hi, Helen.

Hi, Sydney.

Helen...

I've been meaning

to ask you.

Who's your psychiatrist?

I have no psychiatrist.

Why?

I don't know.

I get a feeling now and then

I might need one,

and I thought somebody

said you had one.

Oh, well.

See you.

Hi, Marjorie.

Good evening,

Helen.

Is she going

to jump in the pool?

Oh, yes, her mother always

stripped and jumped in the pool.

'Course, it's true

her grandmother didn't.

No pool.

Her grandmother just stripped.

[GIGGLES]

Sydney's only doing what

the town expects of her.

Aren't we all?

Except you and me.

Thank you.

Well, the party

seems good,

but there's something

missing with you two.

Or is it bad form

to notice?

Well, it's unusual,

anyway.

What's missing is one word.

What the town expects

of Helen and me.

I'll say the magic word, Helen:

Marriage.

The town expects us

to get married.

It expects bluebloods

to marry bluebloods

till the redbloods

safely disappear.

It's not as bad

as that, Warren.

I'm afraid it's worse.

'Cause the town expects

our marriage to be dull?

Yes.

Just as it expects Sydney

to get drunk and strip

and be dull doing it.

Excuse me, Marjorie.

I'll be back

in a minute.

Warren.

Forget Sydney

and the town and all that.

What do you want?

I'm afraid I only know

what I don't want.

Me too.

You know, I think

you and I are a lot alike.

I wish you better luck

than that.

Warren, chaperones

are supposed to see

that none of you

duck out.

But tell me.

How does a chaperone

duck out on you?

I'll get you out of here

and you'll never be missed.

Well, ex--

Well, except by me.

The only interesting

woman around

and I bored her into flight.

But you haven't

bored me.

I like you.

And thanks for talking to me

and not telling me consolingly

that all people my age

are sometimes unhappy.

All I tell you is that it

gets worse as you get older.

If that consoles you,

enjoy it.

Happy Halloween.

Thank you.

[UP-TEMPO JAZZ MUSIC

CONTINUES PLAYING]

[**]

Are you as lost

as you look?

Oh, I went for a walk.

I wanted to think.

I deserted my post

at the country club.

I don't feel

like a chaperone tonight.

Or a censor.

Or an inhibitor,

if you know what I mean.

Of anyone's pleasures...

including my own.

I know what you mean.

It's been

that kind of a day.

Someone switched all

my signposts along the road.

Well, somebody

painted arrows on mine.

"This way to nothing."

That's all they say now.

[BULLFROG CROAKING

IN DISTANCE]

Remembering?

Yes.

And here we are again.

It's funny, isn't it?

Same people, same place,

same kind of boring party.

Same bullfrog.

No doubt about it.

I remember him well.

I remember everything

about that night.

Ducking out

of the party with you.

Walking through the woods.

Wondering if something

was happening.

Was going to happen.

But didn't happen.

It couldn't, Marjorie.

Not then.

And now?

[**]

I...

I suppose a groom

lived here

when this was a stable.

I don't always grab for a drink

when things are rough.

I guess you could call this

my hideaway.

Anyhow, it's mine.

No one has ever

been here before but me.

[**]

Drive you home,

Veronica?

Now, if you wanted to drive

Veronica home, Warren,

you wouldn't

have stopped.

[MID-TEMPO SWING MUSIC PLAYING]

The woods at Still Pond.

Where else?

Don't you want anything

to drink?

Scotch or vodka?

Veronica isn't

the kind of girl

who's all the time

gotta get loaded.

Uh-uh.

If, uh, I get drunk

and pass out,

it's no fun for me.

And if you get drunk

and pass out,

it's no fun for me.

[**]

[CRICKETS CHIRPING]

Uh-uh.

You remember Smokey Bear?

Smokey Bear hates forest fires.

Veronica's got long legs.

Long, lovely legs.

[SEAT CLICKING]

Kiss Veronica.

Now, that's a good idea.

Veronica's

full of good ideas.

[**]

Tomorrow night?

Only, uh, Veronica likes

the Bide-A-Wee better.

Would you take Veronica there

tomorrow night? Please?

Look, I told you

I wouldn't know about tomorrow

night until tomorrow.

Veronica likes the cabins

at the Bide-A-Wee.

They're all built of pine.

Couldn't we hide

at the Bide-A-Wee?

Uh, Veronica's house.

[DISTANT HORNS HONKING]

Tomorrow night.

Please, please?

Veronica, tonight was tonight,

and I like being with you,

but I don't know

how I'm gonna feel tomorrow,

or the next day,

or next Founders' Day.

Veronica is now getting--

And stop saying

"Veronica is"

and "Veronica does"

and that "please, please."

It's stupid and it's common.

Nobody calls

Veronica stupid. Nobody.

And nobody treats Veronica

like a tramp but Veronica.

I'll make that clear to you.

[DOOR SLAMS]

[**]

I don't want

this night to end.

Or this spell

to be broken.

I hate the mornings.

People think the day

begins with the mornings.

People, as usual, are wrong.

[**]

The day ends

with the morning.

He doesn't

have to flatter me

and he didn't have wear

his nails to the quick

climbing into the district

attorney's office.

Oh, Jerry has merit.

He manages to get himself

and others elected.

Mr. Winter?

A gentleman to see you.

Excuse me.

Of course.

NOAH:

He's a politician.

A pox

on the whole breed.

Where'd you

pick him up, Bernie?

At his house.

Hello, Bernie,

what can I do for you?

Uh, we took Warren down

to Joe Harverson's J.P. court.

Joe is holding him

on a complaint.

Speeding again?

Not this time.

Well, what is it, then?

It's a--

Well, it's an alleged offense

against this girl,

Veronica Kovacs.

Veronica had a laugh.

Who's Veronica Kovacs?

BERNIE:

Ah, she's a tramp.

How she could claim

that she was--

I mean, with her, a guy's lucky

he don't get raped.

Where is he?

Joe Harverson's?

Yeah.

Hello,

Mrs. Winner.

You can use the parlor

if you like.

Where does the crumb

think he's going?

Shut up. Where does

that crumb think he's goin'?

Just a minute. I'll run

this thing, Mrs. Kovacs,

if you don't mind.

You go right ahead,

Mrs. Winner.

I don't want

to talk about it, Mom.

That's all right,

Warren.

Your father will be here

in a minute.

May I see

the complaint, Joe?

Mm-hm.

You'll no doubt want

to consult with the accused,

Mr. Winner.

He's in the parlor.

Now, don't tell me

he's goin' in there.

Mrs. Kovacs,

the accused is entitled

to the right

of counsel.

We'll hear you

and your daughter,

the prosecutrix,

when the proper time

arrives.

You go right ahead,

Mr. Winner.

They called me

at the hospital.

Are you gonna

defend me?

Of course

I'm gonna defend you.

I'd rather have

Julius handle it.

You're not Julius' son,

you're mine.

Dad, we sort of talk

at each other,

but we don't

communicate.

Warren, Joe Harverson

has to hold you for trial

if he finds

even the slightest possibility

of a case against you

at the preliminary hearing.

We'd better communicate.

Warren, for God's sake,

let him help you.

I don't want

his kind of help.

Clarissa, there

are a lot of questions--

Go ahead

and ask them.

You don't have to go.

I didn't do anything.

What did happen,

Warren?

Okay.

Last night, after

I dropped Helen off,

I picked her up,

drove to Still Pond,

where I did not rape her.

Boy, if they picked up

every guy in this town--

Every guy won't be

on trial. You will.

And the law assumes

that the lowest tramp

may still be raped.

Now, the elements of rape

are carnal knowledge,

force and the absence

of consent.

Did you have carnal knowledge

of Veronica?

Yes.

Did you use force

on her?

No.

The least bit of force

is enough to convict.

If you--

If you put her in fear.

Fear for her life,

should she resist.

That would be force,

even if you didn't strike her.

Or if she was too drunk

to know what she was doing.

She was as sober

as a judge.

That's a pretty good phrase,

considering.

Were you in the back seat?

The back seat of cars

went out of style

when they put in

the automatic shift.

Don't be flip,

Warren.

Juries don't like it.

And they're gonna

be hearing this.

All of it?

All of it.

Were you drunk?

No.

Did you pay her?

No.

You drove her home?

Yes.

Any talk

on the way back?

Well, she--

She kept asking me,

you know,

when we'd date again.

Next time, she wanted

to go to the Bide-A-Wee.

She kept trying to pin me down,

I wouldn't be pinned down.

I got mad, she got mad.

ARTHUR:

I suggest you're lying.

I suggest Veronica

was drunk.

So drunk

that she couldn't consent.

So there was

presumptive force.

I suggest you lost

your head.

You made all the advances,

not Veronica.

And all the elements of rape

necessary to convict

were committed by you.

Is that what you think?

It doesn't matter

what I think, Warren.

It's what

the district attorney thinks

and what the jury thinks.

You don't understand

why I'm being rough on you.

Well, you've never seen

Jerry Brophy in a courtroom.

This is no joke, Warren.

This is gonna be tough.

And you don't think I understand

what happened last night,

do you?

I sure don't.

Well, I do.

I understand very well.

Lust isn't like love,

Warren.

Lust doesn't

pick the man it grabs.

It just grabs.

Lust, love.

You didn't get that

out of your infallible

law books.

Where did ya get it?

Your generation doesn't have

a monopoly on sex,

legal or illegal.

You just talk about it more.

Okay, what's gonna happen?

That depends.

There are two things

that worry me.

Veronica's lies--

And me.

That's right.

You have a man's confidence,

but the panic and fright

of a boy.

When will it hit the papers?

Not yet.

But if it goes to trial--

It'll be news.

And they'll print it.

I'm going in there,

arrange your bail

and a date for your hearing.

I want you to go home

with your mother.

I'm going to the office

and work out your defense.

Jerry, you are here to act

on behalf of prosecutrix?

JERRY:

No, not until

after Joe's hearing.

JOE:

We can have the hearing

practically any time,

Mr. Winner.

ARTHUR:

All right. Monday?

Monday...

Yes, Monday at 3 p.m.

Fine. Now, about bail.

Just a minute.

I come here--

Ma.

Shut up.

I stay here till I see

that stinkin'--

JERRY:

That's enough of that talk,

Mrs. Kovacs.

That's all right.

I want a court reporter

at the hearing.

Court reporter

at a JP hearing?

Yes. When I cross-examine

the prosecutrix,

I want every word

she utters taken down.

I'll utter 'em

good and loud.

Shut up. I got rights.

I want 'em.

Then I suggest you be here

Monday at 3 p.m.

The defendant is released

in the amount of $750 bail.

I be here. I see you put

that stinkin' louse in jail.

Shut up.

The defendant is released

in the amount of $750 bail,

and not to leave

this jurisdiction

pending appearance

at a hearing before me,

justice of the peace,

in and for the county of Winner

on Monday next at 3 p.m.

Why do young people today

take too much license?

Because opportunity

comes on wheels.

The automobile.

It's the

devil's playground.

What would you call a buggy

and a hayloft of your day?

The devil's playground.

Any word from Dr. Shaw,

Betty Anne?

He's on his way here

between house calls.

Has Helen

heard about it yet?

I don't know.

Well, she's not Clarissa.

Clarissa knows

how to face facts.

Stare the world down.

But Helen...

She's my ward

and I cherish her.

But she's a Detweiler.

The Detweilers always know

the world is too much for them

from the moment they're born.

Not Helen.

Oh.

There you are, Miss Lucy.

Your income

for another quarter.

And here you are,

Dr. Truebridge.

God's presented you

with Christ's Church

for another three months.

Despite your idiocy.

Why don't you write

one more check, Noah.

To Mr. Woolf,

for his client, Junie.

Why?

Well, you don't want to rake up

poor Mike McCarthy's follies,

or buy Junie

the limelight she loves.

Even if it is the limelight

of a witness chair.

Don't you get

tired of it all, Noah?

The-- The trust

you have to guard,

the accounts you have to keep.

The work that

never stops growing.

Never a day's vacation.

Arthur, when I talked

your grandfather

into retiring from the firm,

I used polite, considerate,

sugar-coated words.

Just like those.

But you did get him to leave

the running of the firm

in your hands.

When I become the bumbling

old fogy he became,

you won't have to do to me

what I had to do to him.

Noah...

sit back

in your chair.

Look at that town

out there.

Three-quarters of those people

are our clients.

Trustful of our firm.

We have an obligation

to those people.

A duty to them.

[INTERCOM BUZZES]

BETTY ANNE:

Dr. Reggie's here.

Have him wait

in Mr. Winner's office.

Arthur...

you can make me look out

that window till kingdom come.

But I'll not retire

from this firm

till I'm ready to retire.

Under my own steam.

[SIGHS]

Reggie.

Noah.

Well, Arthur?

Well, come on.

Make it quick.

I've got to see

old Josiah Adams.

Give him hell,

and an aspirin.

Reggie, suppose I make

a formal demand

that Veronica Kovacs submit

to a physical examination.

Why?

Well, she may think

if you examine her,

it'd prove she'd been lying.

That she hadn't been raped.

An examination of Veronica

wouldn't prove a damn thing.

I know it and you know it.

But she may not.

And if she refused,

I'd have a case.

Then you don't have a case.

She won't refuse to be examined.

Reggie, I know that

there's a very small chance,

but it's Warren's

only chance.

Veronica's too sharp

for that.

She's been around more

in her 20 years

than the moon

in its millions.

Oh, go deliver your hell

and your aspirin.

You still taking those pills

I prescribed for you?

No.

Good.

Having people in?

The sewing club.

Bridge.

The date was made

weeks ago.

I didn't think

I should cancel it.

Is Warren here?

No, he went over to Helen's

a little while ago.

I told him

you'd call him there

if you had anything

to tell him.

Well, I'll get a bite out.

I was going back to the office

later anyway.

Fascinating subject, rape.

Crowds the law books.

How is he?

All bottled up. He--

He can't let it out.

He spent the afternoon

rehearsing

how he was gonna

tell Helen about it.

He can't talk to me.

Not really.

Arthur,

it's you he needs.

He doesn't feel close to me.

I never realized it before,

but I don't think he believes

I-I care anything about him.

Why didn't you make him

believe it?

At Joe Harverson's,

why didn't you

put your arms around him?

Why didn't you say

"I'm your father, I love you.

There isn't anything

I wouldn't do for you"?

How can he come close to you

if you won't move close to him?

I tried to

by working for him,

defending him,

believing in him.

It's the only way I know,

Clarissa.

[**]

[**]

I'm sorry I couldn't

get here sooner.

It's all right.

I saw Jerry Brophy.

He told me about Warren.

How is he?

He's confused, hostile,

guilt-ridden,

he won't talk to anyone.

Arthur,

it's you he needs.

He doesn't feel

that way.

I never realized it before,

but he doesn't think I care

anything at all about him.

Neither does Clarissa.

Have you been home?

Just to change.

I came back here

to work and...

The answer isn't

in those books, is it?

Part of it is.

I'm not gonna let Warren down.

I believe in him

and I'm gonna defend him.

And if I can't keep this thing

from going to trial,

I'll tear Veronica Kovac's story

to pieces in court.

But...

that's...

That's not the only thing

that has to be straightened out.

It's not just

Warren or Clarissa

or you or Julius.

It's me.

You've been looking at your life

through the bottle.

Yes. Sometimes, Marjorie,

things aren't distorted

that way.

Did you ever see a more peaceful

and ordered life than mine?

Good husband.

Good father. Good friend.

As you said, "pillar

of the community." True?

Of course it's true.

It's false.

A good husband?

My wife tells me

there's no happiness at all

in our marriage.

A good father?

My son is a stranger

who thinks

I don't love him.

Seems there are some cracks

in the pillar.

In my family,

we've always believed

you kept your house in order

by character.

A way of life

that gave you pride

and respect for yourself.

I've lost all of it.

[**]

[SIGHS]

I came to you for help...

because I needed you.

Because I wanted you.

But I seem to have a special

talent for destruction.

I say things

that can't be taken back.

And I do things

that can't be taken back.

Marjorie.

Marjorie...

Oh, Arthur, hold me.

Just hold me.

Helen, I--

Well, you succeeded,

all right.

You proved it didn't take

more than once with Veronica.

Helen, don't say that.

I suppose you're innocent?

Of course, it's all right

with everyone

if you slept with Veronica,

just so long

as you didn't rape her.

I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to say that.

What about your father?

What--?

I don't think he can stand

the sight of me now either.

Not that I ever

measured up, really.

Not since the first grade

and I hit you in the nose.

I didn't mind.

You know, if he'd hit me,

I'd have howled,

and that would've been that.

But not him. He said, uh,

"We don't hit girls, Warren,

"because we're stronger.

"I don't expect you

to ever do that again."

Only I know he did expect

that I'd do it again, or worse.

And he was right, as always.

Well, that's just ridiculous.

I-I've heard him praise you

a hundred times for--

For a hundred things,

from--

From doing well

in school, to--

And always as though as he was

just a little surprised

I hadn't disgraced him.

Well, this time I made it.

This time he's not surprised.

[**]

I don't know.

I-I-I just don't know.

I'm so scared and so lost.

Let me help you.

I'll go and see Veronica.

I'll beg her.

I-I-I'll buy her.

I'll do anything, I'll--

I-I-I'll tell her we're in love

with each other,

that we're going

to be married.

That-- That she'll be

ruining both our lives.

That's not true, Helen!

But it could be true.

We could make it true.

Warren, I love you.

I love you so much.

And I believe

you do love me, you do.

If we were married,

everything will be different--

Helen, stop it!

I don't love you.

I wish I did, but I don't.

Why do you make me say

terrible things to you?

That sounds pretty final.

Why don't you go on and make

the rest of the speech.

"You're a good kid, Helen.

And someday,

you'll find the right guy."

Helen, I'm in a cold sweat

about what's gonna happen

to my mother, to my father,

to me, the rest of my life.

I can't think about anything--

Then what did you

come here for?

I don't know!

And I'm sorry I did!

And I never will again.

Helen, it's just--

I know.

I'm a good kid.

[**]

[TYPEWRITER CLICKING]

Morning, Diane.

Oh, good morning, Mr. Winner.

I didn't know you were here.

Yes, I, uh...

She has a 10:00 appointment.

Oh.

Morning, Helen.

Good morning, Uncle Arthur.

I'm sorry, I didn't know

you were here.

That's all right.

I-- I kept busy.

That your file again?

Mm-hm.

I often wondered what you found

so fascinating about that.

I once had a notion

that vital statistics,

everything down

in black and white...

Well, it seemed sort of

a proof that I was real.

They're just...

numbers and figures

about a name.

I'm not really

in that file at all.

I-I came to say goodbye,

Uncle Arthur.

You're going away?

For how long?

Well, as long as possible.

But, where to?

Well, I'm going from, not to.

It's the bill

for my first lipstick.

Seduction.

Isn't this rather

a sudden decision?

I saw Noah yesterday,

he didn't mention it.

Oh, I don't think

he'll be surprised.

He's known how long

I've thought about it.

Helen, don't you think if you

go now, it'll look as though

you condemned Warren

before he even

went on trial.

Oh, but I-I'll make it

very clear

that I haven't gone

because of Warren.

For a while, I thought I could

stay because of him.

But I really couldn't.

Well, not for long,

even if he loved me.

What makes you think he doesn't?

Well, he told me.

It seemed cruel of him,

but it wasn't, you know.

It was brave and hard to do.

It's so much easier going on

with something,

even if you know it's wrong.

That's why I'm going now.

Though it's hard to do.

[PHONE RINGS]

Excuse me.

Yes.

Oh, I'll take it

in my office, Betty Anne.

Don't go yet, please.

Oh, don't worry about me,

Uncle Arthur.

I'm really very happy

and excited about going away.

Sometimes on a trip...

[CHUCKLES]

...they say you find yourself.

I'll be right back.

Hello, Julius.

Good, that's fine.

You are?

What time does your plane

get in, Julius?

All right, see you then.

Goodbye.

Helen?

[**]

Jerry, what's the matter?

Warren.

He took off.

What do you mean,

"took off"?

Just that.

We spotted his car

on the Albany road,

near the state line.

Well--

Jerry, are you sure

it was his car?

I had to put it

on the Teletype.

Special bulletin to the

state police to pick him up.

Arthur, if they can get him

before he hits the state line,

I'm gonna have to add the charge

of breaching bail on a felony.

Thanks, Jerry.

You'll be here

if there's any news?

No, I'd, uh-- I'd like to go

with you, if you don't mind.

Fine.

I'll be out

in the car.

[DOOR OPENS,

CLOSES]

Arthur, don't feel

that he's letting you down.

He's not acting they way

a Winner should,

or the way you would.

Oh, it isn't that,

it's--

He panicked.

There's nothing

for me to do but wait.

Well...

I'll, uh-- I'll be...

[RINGING]

Hello?

Oh, hello, Arthur.

What?!

Oh, no.

[**]

Look, Duncan, you've been

a coroner long enough

to know that nobody swallows

cleaning fluid by accident.

Phenol compound.

I don't know how Helen

got it down.

Yes.

Oh, uh. I've, uh...

I've got the suicide note here.

I'll see that you get it.

NOAH:

Uh, Reggie.

Uh, I'll have that, please.

Uh, Duncan, this is Noah Tuttle.

I want you to hear

Helen's letter.

"Dear Noah, I guess

we Detweilers have always been

"the town suicide family.

"Even my mother and father's

drowning was no accident,

"though I know how hard

you tried to make me think so.

"And you know how hard

I've tried to hide

"my spells of depression,

"but they've grown deeper

every year.

"And suddenly, it's too hard.

"Do one last favor

for me, darling.

"You've done so many.

"Give my love to Warren,

"who's been my closest friend.

"Tell him I know his troubles

will soon be over,

"just as I knew he was innocent

before he even told me so.

"My will is in

your office vault.

"Now, with a kiss for goodbye,

Helen."

All right, Duncan?

Good.

Now, m-may I suggest

that you hold a closed inquest,

reach a quick decision

and issue a--

A short statement

to the press?

Yes, I knew you would.

That's all.

Uh, here's Reggie.

Hello.

Anything else,

Duncan?

No, it isn't.

I moved the body.

Yes, Bernie Breck

is here.

All right.

Certainly.

She was in our library

just this morning.

Taking a last look at all

she had left in the world.

A bunch of legal papers.

She practically drew

a suicide map for me,

only I was too blind

to read it.

Clarissa...

as you get older,

you realize there are things

once put into motion...

Life has once put into motion,

and they can't be changed.

They must follow a course

to an inevitable end.

Sometimes inevitability...

is bitter beyond belief.

[CAR APPROACHING OUTSIDE]

Come in.

Marjorie.

Would you like some coffee?

Or a drink?

No, thank you.

Why did she do it, Arthur?

I guess Helen wanted something

she couldn't have.

And she couldn't live

without having it.

Julius called this morning

from Washington.

He'll be here in an hour.

I know, he wired me.

I'm gonna pick him up

at the airport

and drive him to the office.

Something about, uh...

Helen's suicide?

I found some things in her file

that led to other things,

and those other things

couldn't wait.

How's Warren taking it?

Warren's gone. He ran away.

He ran away.

Helen ran away.

You and I have been

running away too.

Together.

Marjorie.

That's what I wanna

talk to you about.

I've been

thinking about it.

I knew Julius

would be coming home,

whether it's tonight

or tomorrow.

So I've made a decision.

I'm leaving Julius.

But because of Julius and me,

nothing else.

I've tried.

Marjorie.

If he had just once

taken a step towards me,

I'd have run a mile toward him.

But there's no hope for us now.

And I'm through asking

for a divorce.

I'm just leaving.

And after that?

I don't know.

You, uh...

You realize how much

you'll be hurting Julius?

Not as much

as he hurts himself.

Marjorie, it was wrong.

We both know that.

But you did

bring something to me.

Something I--

I treasure.

[**]

We aren't saying goodbye,

not to each other.

Only to a memory.

Something that happened.

We were both unhappy

and angry,

and things had piled up

on us.

We needed something.

An escape.

An act of defiance.

Yes.

But you've made me

feel alive again,

and I love you for it.

[**]

[PHONE RINGS]

Hello.

Yes.

Oh, fine.

Uh, did you get the hotel

reservation in New York?

Good.

12:45.

Well, I'll pick the ticket up

at the airport.

Thank you.

[**]

Mrs. Penrose.

Uh...

Warren.

Oh, I'm so very sorry.

I know what you

must be feeling.

Well, that's why

I came to you, Marjorie.

We kind of understand

each other.

Will you lend me some money?

Money?

Yes, of course, but...

I, uh--

I got as far

as the state line,

and, uh, I stopped

for a hamburger

and I found I had

a fast $1.60.

Well, I've made up my mind.

I'm gonna get out of here,

Marjorie.

Town can stop worrying,

did I or didn't I?

I'll leave the town to Veronica.

They can have it her way.

You haven't heard about Helen.

Heard what about Helen?

She's dead, Warren.

She committed suicide.

You know,

I lied to Helen.

I did love her, in a way.

I could talk to her and she'd

understand almost always.

But, you know, you can't play

with someone's love

and expect forgiveness.

This is my fault too,

isn't it, Marjorie?

You didn't kill her.

She killed herself.

The things in her life

she had to face were...

She was right

not to understand.

And I know my father

never will.

Oh, now wait a minute, Warren.

You're passing judgment

on somebody

I don't think

you even know:

Your father.

He probably doesn't understand

you completely.

But he does believe in you.

And he would do anything

in the world for you.

Have you ever tried

to understand him?

At all?

[SIGHS]

You didn't come here

for a lecture.

You came to borrow money.

I'll give it to you.

Then you decide what to do.

When I read Helen's will--

She left everything to Noah,

of course.

--there were some things

in her accounts

that made me

take a look at Noah's.

Noah's not incompetent,

he just made himself seem so

to cover what he was doing.

He paid Helen the income

from her father's estate

every three months,

right to the day.

And with all his other

accounts, same story.

Income paid on time.

Assets missing

and unaccounted for.

How much is missing?

Three hundred

and eight thousand dollars,

263 and 8 cents.

Why, Arthur?

Why?

Thirty years ago,

Noah dreamed a dream.

He persuaded the people

of this town to invest

in a company he owned.

A trolley line.

Four years later, the dream

turned into a nightmare.

The company went broke.

It should have gone

into bankruptcy.

But it didn't.

But the people got

all their money back.

Oh, yeah.

They were so delighted

to get it, they never asked how.

Well, that's the money

he embezzled.

And that's why.

[SIGHS]

Well,

we better call Jerry Brophy.

To do what?

To put Noah in prison.

This is a felony, Arthur.

Julius,

who did Noah harm?

Look at the accounts.

Everybody's getting

their income.

To the penny, to the day.

Noah juggling the money

from one account to the other.

Sooner or later,

it'll be discovered.

Wouldn't that be inevitable,

Arthur?

He's thought of that.

All right, he did wrong.

But can you imagine

what hell it was, Julius?

Every minute of every day,

26 years,

waiting for this.

I might,

but I'm a little surprised

that you do.

No, Arthur.

You've always been a devout

letter-of-the-law man.

Black was always black,

white was always white.

Nothing in between.

I've discovered gray.

What exactly

are you proposing?

That we keep quiet

about this?

Become accessories

after the fact?

Compound a felony?

Noah's repaid all

but a quarter of the money.

If he lives long enough,

he'll pay off the rest.

And if he dies?

Well, if he dies,

we'll go on with it.

If we have to,

we'll pay it off for him.

You and I.

No one will know,

but no one will be hurt.

Well, why don't we

pay it back now?

Then there'd be nothing

to worry about.

Except Noah.

We'd have to tell him.

He might be delighted.

[SCOFFS]

No, Julius. If he knew

we'd found him out...

You said it.

It would destroy him.

Last Tuesday,

you wanted to tell Noah

he was incompetent.

Too old, too feeble

to run the firm.

It was your duty

to tell the truth!

Never mind

if it destroyed him.

That was Tuesday.

This is Friday.

What happened in between?

Wednesday and Thursday.

Would you go along with this?

Sure I will.

Drink?

Thanks.

You know, Arthur,

I like you better this way.

But there was

a certain security in having

a devout letter-of-the-law man

for a partner.

No surprises, maybe.

But no shocks.

I found a certain security

in it too.

[THUNDER CRASHES]

[**]

By the time you hear

the thunder,

the lightning's

already struck.

I've been told that

since I was 2.

It never helps.

Any word about Warren?

Not yet.

Would you, uh--?

Would you like to go downstairs

and light a fire?

Yes.

Clarissa, some of the things

you said at the hospital--

With your lawyer's mind,

you remember them all,

don't you?

I'll tell you

what I remember.

I remember that from the time

I was a small boy,

I always said,

"When I grow up, I'm going

to marry Clarissa Tuttle."

I remember when I looked down

at that damned bouquet

in my hands, I thought,

"I'll never let him go."

Because ever since I was

a little girl I thought,

"If Arthur Winner doesn't

marry me, I'll die."

Do you think he'll come back

on his own?

I don't know, I--

I hope so.

So I didn't let you go.

And later, when I--

I began to wonder

if you did love me,

my pride was working.

I-I didn't want any favors.

It isn't that

I didn't love you.

It's...

Ah, it's so hard to say.

Try.

Well...

If--

If I come home

and you're not here, I--

I can't stay

in this house.

I-I hate it!

I never pass a shop window

without thinking,

"She'd like that."

Or, "She wouldn't like this."

I love the way you look.

I'm proud of you.

And if you catch cold

or get hurt,

or something happens to you,

I get angry, as though you've

been careless with a part of me.

You're so woven into my life

nothing could get you

loose from it. Nothing!

[DOOR CLOSES]

They didn't catch me, Dad.

I came back on my own.

I can't explain,

I'm so sorry.

Warren...

There's nothing

you have to explain.

You're accused,

you're not guilty.

It's what we have courts

and juries for.

You may have to stand trial.

But you're gonna win.

I can promise you that.

And you're not alone.

We love you

and we're with you.

I need you so much, Dad.

[**]

You're leaving?

Yes.

Tonight.

On a plane to New York.

You can take your freedom.

It's long overdue.

Why, Julius?

Why do you say that now?

What else is there to say?

The end of anything

that once was good is sad.

The memory of love

is a heartbreaking thing.

But it's not enough to build on,

is it?

You're still a human being

with human wants

and human needs.

And I'm still a cripple.

You are what you are.

A strong, moody,

complicated man.

And you are a cripple.

But that needn't keep you

from affection,

warmth, fun and friendship

and love.

All of those are human needs.

Do you still have the hope

you used to have

that someday, somehow,

we can get back all those things

we had before?

That hope.

Have you ever felt it?

Constantly.

Secretly.

And senselessly.

Because every time you tried

to rebuild our life...

I tore it down.

I couldn't.

I...

[**]