The Glass Menagerie (1973) - full transcript

Tom? Tom?

Can't start dinner without you!

Tom!

You know I had the funniest
experience in church last Sunday.

The church was crowded, except for one little pew way
down front and that was just one little woman.

I smiled very sweetly at her and I said,

"Excuse me,
would you mind if we shared this pew?"

And she said, "This space is rented."

You know, that's the first I ever
knew that the Lord rented space.

These northerns Episcopalians.

I don't understand the southern Episcopalians,
but these northern ones, honey, honey!



Don't push your food with the things.

You want to push your food with something
then use a crust of bread.

You must chew your food.

Animals have secretions in their stomachs which
enable them to digest their food without mastication

but human beings must chew their
food before they swallow it down.

A well-cooked meal has many delicate flavors

that have to be held in the mouth for appreciation
and not just gulped down so chew! Chew! Chew!

Don't you want to give your salivary glands
a chance to function?

Mother, I have not enjoyed one bite of this
dinner because of your constant directions on how to eat it.

It's you that make me rush through meals with your hawk-like
attention to every bite I take.

It's disgusting.

All this talk about salivary glands,
animal secretions, mastication.

Temperament like a metropolitan star.

You aren't excused from this table.



I'm getting a cigarette.

You smoke too much.
- Mother, I'll bring in the coffee.

No, no, no, no, you sit down.

I'm going to be the house boy today
and you're gonna be be the lady.

I am already up!
- Resume your seat. Resume your seat.

You keep yourself fresh and pretty for the
gentleman callers,

I'm not expecting any gentleman callers,

Well the nice thing about them is they
come when they're least expected.

I remember one Sunday afternoon in Blue Mountain when
your mother was a girl-

- I know what's coming now.

Yes, but let her tell it.
- Again? - She loves to tell it.

I remember one Sunday afternoon in Blue Mountain
when your mother was a girl

she received 17 gentlemen callers.

Sometimes there weren't chairs enough to
accommodate them all

and we had to send the houseboy over to the parish house
to fetch the folding chairs.

How did you entertain all those
gentlemen callers?

Well I had to understand the art of conversation!

I bet you could talk.

Well I could, all the girls in my day could, I tell you.

Yes.
- Well they had to know how to entertain their gentleman callers.

Wasn't enough for a girl to be possessed
to have a pretty face and a graceful figure

although I wasn't slighted
in either respect.

She also needed to have a
nimble wit and a tongue to meet all occasions.

- What did you talk about?

Well we talked about things of
importance going on in the world.

Never anything common of course about it.

My callers were gentlemen all. Some of the most prominent
men on the Mississippi Delta.

Planters or sons of planters.

There was young Champ Blocklin.
He later became vice-president of the Delta Planters plant.

And... Hadler Stevenson.
He was drowned in Moon Lake.

My goodness he's certain left
his widow well-provided for.

A hundred and fifty thousand dollars
and government bonds.

And the Gutrea brothers.
Wesley. And Bates.

Bates was one of my own particular boys.

But he got in a quarrel with
that wild Wainright boy

and they shot it out on the floor of Moon Lake.

Was shot through the stomach and died
in the ambulance on the way to Memphis.

Certainly left his widow well provided for too.

Eight to ten thousand acres, no less.

Never loved that woman, she just
caught him on the rebound.

My picture was found on
him the night he died.

Oh and that boy -

every girl in the Delta
was super settler cat for.

That beautiful, brilliant young
Fitzhugh boy from Green Cadet.

What'd he leave his widow?
- He never married.

What's the matter with you?

You talk as though all of my old admirers
had turned up their toes to the daisies!

Isn't this the first you've
mentioned that still survives?

He made off a lot of money.

Went north to Wall Street, made a fortune.

He had the Midas touch.

Everything that boy touched
just turned to gold

and I could've been Mrs. Jane
Duncan Fitzhugh mind you!

But what I do?

I just went out of my way
and picked your father.

Mother, let me clear the table.

No, no, no, you go in front.
Study your typewriter chart.

Practice your shorthand a little.
Stay fresh, stay pretty.

Almost time for our gentleman
callers to start arriving.

How many do you think we're
going to entertain this evening?

I don't believe that we're
gonna be receiving any, Mother.

Not any, not one gentleman caller?

You must be joking. What's the matter?
Has there been a flood or a tornado?

It's not a flood and it isn't a tornado.

I'm just not popular like you were in Blue
Mountain, Mother.

Mother's afraid I'm gonna be an old maid.

No Mother, I was just...
- I know. You were just practicin' your typing I suppose.

Deception deception deception.

How was DAR meeting Mother?
- DAR meeting?

Didn't you go to the DAR meeting?

No I didn't go to any DAR meeting. I didn't
have the strength. I didn't have the courage.

I just wanted to find a hole in the ground and crawl in it
and stay there for the rest of my entire life.

Why are you doing that?

Why, why? How old are you Laura?

Mother, you know my age.

I was under the impression that you are an adult
but evidently I was very much mistaken.

Please don't stare at me Mother.

What is going to become of us?

What is the future?

Something happened, Mother.
Mother, something happened.

I'll be alright in a minute. I'm just
bewildered by life.

Mother.

I wish you would tell me what's happened.

I went to the DAR this afternoon as you know.

I was to be inducted as an officer.

I stopped by at Rubicam's business
college to tell them about your cold

and to ask how you're
progressing down there.

Oh.
- Oh yes. Oh oh oh.

I went straight to your typing instructor
and introduced myself as your mother.

She didn't even know who
you were.

"Wingfield?" she said. We don't have any
such scholar enrolled in our school.

I assured her she did.

I said my daughter Laura has
been coming to classes here since early January.

Well I don't know, she said,
unless you mean that terribly shy little girl

who dropped out of school after a few days'
attendance.

No, I said, I don't mean her!

I mean my daughter Laura who's been
coming here every single day for the past six weeks.

Excuse me, she said, and she took down the
attendance book and there was your name, unmistakable

and all the days you were absent.

I still told her she was wrong.

I still said that must
have been some mistake.

There must have been some
mix up in the record

"No", she said, "no, I remember her perfectly now.

She was so shy and her hands trembled so that her fingers
couldn't touch the right keys."

"She had to gave a speed test
she just broke down completely,

she was sick at the stomach and
had to be carried to the washroom.

After that she never came back.

We telephoned the house every single
day but we never got any answer.

That was while I was working all day long I suppose,
down at that department store, demonstratin' those -

Oh I felt so weak I couldn't stand up.

I just sit down while they
got me a glass of water.

Fifty dollars tuition.

I don't care about the money so much

but all my hopes for any kind of future for
you, gone up the spout, just gone up the spout!

Don't do that Laura, don't play that!

What have you been doing every day
when you goin' out of the house

pretending that you were going
to Rubicam's business college?

Just been goin' out walking.

That's not true!

Yes it is, Mother! I just been walking.

Walking? Walking?

Deliberately courting
pneumonia in that night coat?

Where did you walk to, Laura?

- All sorts of places mostly in the park.

Even after you started catching that cold?

It the lesser of two evils,
Mother, I couldn't go back.

I threw up on the floor.

From half past seven
til after five every day

you mean to tell me you
walked around in the park

because you want to make me think that you
were going to Rubicam's Business College?

It wasn't as bad as it sounds.

I went inside places to get warm.

Inside where?

I mean in the art museum.
And the bird houses.

The zoo. I visited the penguins every day.

And you did all that just to deceive me?
Just for deception.

Why?

When you're disappointed you get that
awful suffering look on your face,

like the picture of Jesus's mother at the museum!

I couldn't face it.

I just couldn't.

So what are we gonna do now and the rest
of our lives?

Just sit down in this house
and watch the parades go by?

Amuse ourselves with the glass menagerie?

Eternally play those worn-out
records your father left us as a painful reminder of him?

We can't have a business career, nope, can't have that,
that just gives us nervous indigestion.

What is there left for us now but
dependency all our lives?

Course, some girls do marry.

My goodness Laura,
haven't you ever liked some boy?

Yes, mother, I liked one once.

You did?
- Came across his picture a while ago.

He gave you his picture too?

Yes, well it was in the yearbook.

Oh. A high school boy.

His name is Jimmy.

Here he is in the Prates of Penzance.

The what?
- It was the operetta the senior class put on.

He had a beautiful voice.

I sat across the aisle from him Mondays
Wednesdays and Fridays in the auditorium.

Here he is with the silver cup for debating.
See his grin?

So he had a grin too.

He used to call me Blue roses.

Blue roses?! What'd he call
you a silly name like that for?

I was out sick with pleurosis.

When I came back he asked what the
matter was, and I said I have pleurosis.

He thought I said "blue roses" but that's
what always called me after that.

Every time he saw me
he'd say, "Hello, blue roses."

I didn't care much for the girl that he
went out with, Emily Meisenbach.

Emily was the best-dressed girl at Soldan but never
struk me that she was sincere.

I read in the paper once
that they were engaged.

A long time ago,
they're probably married by now.

It's alright honey. That doesn't matter.

Little girls who are cut out for business careers
sometimes end up marrying a very nice young man

and I'm just gonna see to it that you do that too.
- Mother?

What is it now?
- I'm crippled.

- Don't say that word!

How many times have I told you never to
say that word?

You're not crippled, you just got
a slight defect, that's all.

If you'd lived in the days when I was a girl, they
had long graceful skirts sweeping the ground.

It might even have been considered an asset.

When when you gotta slight
disadvantage like that

you just got to cultivate
something else to take its place.

You got to cultivate charm or vivacity.

Ah, charm.

That's the only thing your father had plenty of.

After the fiasco at Rubicam Business College
the idea of getting a gentleman caller for my sister Laura

began to play a more and more important part
in my mother's calculations.

It became an obsession.

Late that winter, realizing that extra money would be needed to
properly feather the nest

she began a vigorous
campaign on the telephone,

roping in subscribers for one
of those magazines for matrons.

Called the
homemakers' companion.

Ida Scott? This is Amanda Wingfield.

We missed you at the DAR last Monday.

Oh first I want to know, how's your sinus
condition?

You just a Christian martyr,that's what
you are, you just a Christian martyr

I was going through a little red book

and I saw that your subscription to
the Companion is about to expire

just when that wonderful new serial
by Bessie Mae Harper's starting.

It's the first thing she's
written since Honeymoon 43.

Now that was unusual wasn't it?

Ida, this one is even lovelier.

It's all about the horses set on Long Island

and this deputante is thrown from her horse
while taking them over the jumps at the regatta.

Her spine is injured.

That's what the horse
did, it stepped on her.

Now there's only one surgeon in the entire
world that can keep her from being completely paralyzed

and that's the man she's engaged to be married to
and he's tall and he's blonde and he's handsome.

Well that's unusual too, huh? Ooh, he's not
perfect.

He has a weakness. He has the most terrible
weakness in the entire world.

He just drinks too much.

What? Oh! No!

Honey, honey, don't let them burn, you just
go take a look in the oven and I'll hold on.

Ida?

Ida? Ida?

Why, that woman. Do you know what she did?

She hung up on me! -

Mother? Tom's trying to write.

So he is. So he is.

What are you up to now?

I'm trying to save your eyesight.

You only got one pair of eyes,
you have to take care of them.

Oh I don't think Milton was blind but
that's not what made him a genius.

Mother please go away so I can finish writing.

Now why can't you sit up straight?

So your shoulders don't stick
through like sparrows' wings.

Mother, please go busy yourself with something else.

I'm trying to write.

I've seen a medical talk, and I know what
that position does to your internal organs.

You sit up straight now. Show your
stomach pressed against your lungs.

Your lungs pressed against your heart.

And that poor little heart gets discouraged
because hasn't got any room left to go on beatin' for you.

What in Christ's name?!

What's the matter with you,
have you gone out of your senses?!

I have, that's true, you've driven me out them.

What's the matter with you lately, you big, big idiot?
Look mother.

I've got nothing, no single thing in
my life here that I can call my own.

Lower your voice.

Yesterday you confiscated my books.
You had the nerve-

I did. I took that horrible novel back to library

that awful book by that insane Mr. Lawrence.

I cannot control the output
of diseased minds or people who cater to them.

I won't allow such filth in my house.
No no no no no.

House?! Who pays rent on this house?
Who makes a slave on himself-

Don't you dare talk to me like that!

Ah, I mustn't say anything, I just got to be
quiet and let you do all the talking.

I don't want to hear anymore.

You will hear more!
- Well I'm not gonna listen!

You are going to listen
to me John Wingfield!

I'm tired of your immunism,
another thing I'm right up my-

What do you think I'm
at the end of Mother?!

Aren't I supposed to have any
patience to reach the end of?

Oh I know I know I know it seems
unimportant to you what I'm doing.

But I'm doing what I wanna do,
having a little difference between 'em.

I think you're doing things that you're
ashamed of and that's why you act like this!

I don't believe that
you go every night to the movies.

Nobody goes to movies night after night.

Nobody in his right mind goes to the
movies as often as you pretend to.

People don't go to the
movies at nearly midnight and movies don't let out of 2am.

Come in stumbling, muttering to yourself like a maniac,
get three hours sleep, then go to work!

Ooh, I can picture how you're doing down there!

Mopin', dopin',
because you're in no condition.

That's true, that's very very true.
I'm in no condition.

- How dare you jeopardize your job?!

How dare you jeopardize our security.
How do you think we'd manage?!

You think I'm crazy about the warehouse?!

You think I'm in love with
a continental shoemakers?

Do you think I want to spend fifty-five
years of my life down there in that celotex interior with fluorescent tubes?

Honest to God I'd rather somebody picked up a crow bar and
batted out my brains and go back mornings. But I go!

Every time you come in yelling that goddamn
rise and shine, rise and shine,

I think to myself, how
lucky dead people are.

I go! Every morning I get up.

For 65 dollars a month I give up
everything I dream of doing and being ever.

And you think that self
is all I ever think of.

Would I listen, Mother,
if self was all I thought of?

I'd be where he is, gone as far as
the system of transportation reaches.

Don't grab at me!

I'm not grabbin' at you I just
want to know where you're going.

I'm going to the movies. - I don't believe
that lie! - I'm going to opium dens.

Yes, opium dens. Dens of vice and
criminals hangouts, Mother.

I've joined the Hogan gang, I'm a hired assassin,
I carry a Tommy gun around in a violin case.

I run a string of cat-houses down in
the valley.

They call me Killer! Killer Wingfield.

I'm really leading a double life.

By day I'm a simple honest warehouse worker but at
night I become a dynamic tsar of the underworld, Mother.

I go to gamblin' casinos,
I spin away fortunes on the roulette table.

I wear a patch over one eye, false
moustache, sometimes I put on green whiskers.

On those occasions they call me El Diablo!

Oh I could tell you things
that would make you sleepless!

My enemies are
plannin' to dynamite this place.

They're gonna blow us all sky-high some night.
I'll be glad. Very happy.

So when you go up, up, up,
high on a broomstick high over Blue Mountain

with 17 gentleman callers.. you ugly babbling old witch!

I'll never speak to you as long
as you live until you apologize to me.

One crack and it falls.

Tom? What are you doing?

I'm looking for a door key.

Where have you been all this time?

I've been to the movies.
- All this time at the movies?

It was a very long program.

It was a Garbo picture and a Mickey Mouse and a newsreel.

Preview of coming attractions
and there was an organ solo

and a collection for the
milk fund simultaneously.

And the terrible fight between
a fat lady and an usher.

And you stayed through everything.
- Of couse.

And oh, I forgot there
was a big stage show!

The headliner for the stage
show was Malvolio the magician

He performed wonderful tricks
many of them, such as pouring water back

and forth between two pitchers.

First it turned into wine and
then it turned into beer and then turned into whiskey.

I know that it was
whiskey that it finally turned into because he

needed somebody to come up out of the
audience and help him out. I came up.

Both shows. It was Kentucky straight
bourbon.

He was a very generous fellow.
Gave souvenirs.

Gave me this.

This is his magic scarf.

You can have it Laura.

You wave this over a cage full of canaries,
you get a bowl full of goldfish.

Maybe a whole new goldfish bowl.

Fly away canaries.

But the wonderfullest trick of all was the coffin trick.

We nailed him up inside a coffin and he got himself out of the
coffin without removing one nail.

Now there's a trick that would come in handy for me.

Get me out of this two-by-four situation.

What are you shushing me for?
- You'll wake up Mother.

Goody goody. Pay her back for all those rise and shines.

Laura?

It don't take much intelligence to get
yourself into a nailed up coffin

but who in hell ever got himself out of one
without removing one nail?

Rise and shine. Rise and shine.

Laura?
Go tell your brother to rise and shine.

I'll rise but I won't shine.

Laura? Tell your brother his coffee's ready.

Tom? It's nearly seven.
Don't make mother nervous.

Tom, speak to Mother this morning.
Apologize to her.

Make up with her. Speak to her.

She won't to me.
It's her that started not speaking.

If you just say you're sorry,
she'll start speaking.

Her not speaking, is that
such a tragedy?

Please. Please.

Laura, are you going to do what I asked you to do or
am I going to have to get dressed and go out myself?

Going. soon as I get on my coat. Butter and what else?

Just butter, tell them to charge it.
- Mother, they make such faces when I do that. -

Sticks and stones can break our bones
but the expression on Mr. Garfinkle's face won't harm us.

Tell your brother this coffee is getting cold.

Do what I asked you to, will ya.

Laura. Go now or just don't go at all.

Going! Going!

Laura!

I'm all right! I slipped, but I'm all right.

If anybody falls down and breaks their leg on these fire escape steps
that landlord oughtta be sued for ever setting...

Who are you?

I'm sorry Mother.

I'm sorry for all those things I said.
I didn't mean it and I apologize.

My devotion has made me a witch and
so I make myself hateful to my children.

No you don't.
- I worry so much I don't sleep and it makes me nervous.

I understand that.

You know I've had to put up a
solitary battle all these years

but you, you're my right-hand bower

Now don't fail me.

Don't fall down.
- I try, Mother. - That's all right.

You just keep on trying and
you're bound to succeed.

You're just full of natural endowment.

Both my children they're
very precious children.

I have so much to be thankful for.

You just must promise me one thing.

What's that, Mother?

Promise me you are never
going to become a drunkard.

I promise I will never become a drunkard, Mother.

That's what frightened me so.
That you had been drinking.

Eat a bowl of Purina.

Just coffee, Mother.

Shredded wheat biscuit?

No no Mother just coffee.
You can't put in a day's work on an empty stomach.

You've got 10 minutes. Don't gulp. Drinking
too hot liquids makes cancer of the stomach.

Put cream in. - No thank you.
To cool it. - No! No. Thank you. I want it

I want it black.
- I know I know but isn't good for you.

We have to do all that we can to build ourselves up
in these tryin' times we live in.

All that we have to cling to is each other.
That's why it's so important to.

Tom? I sent out your sister because I had something more to
discuss with you.

If you hadn't spoken, I'd have spoken to you.
What is it mother that you want to discuss?

Laura.

You know how she is so quiet but
still water runs deep.

She notices things and I think she
broods about 'em.

A few days ago I came in and she was crying.

What about? - You. - Me? - She has an idea that
you're not happy here.

What gave her that idea?
- What gives her any idea?

However you do act strangely.

I'm not criticizing. Understand that.
I know that your ambitions do not lie in the warehouse.

But like everybody in the whole wide
world you have to make sacrifices.

But Tom, life's not easy.

It calls for Spartan endurance. There's
so many things in my heart that I...

I cannot describe to you.

I never told you but I loved your father.

I know that Mother.
- And you. When I see you taking after his ways, staying out late

when you know you had been drinking
that night you were in that terrifying condition.

Laura said you hate the apartment,
that you go out nights to get away from it.

Is that true, Tom?
- No.

Mother, you say there are so many things in
your heart that you can't describe to me.

That's true for me too.

There are so many things in my heart
that I can't describe to you.

So let's just respect each other's
privacy and leave it alone.

But Tom, Tom. Why you always so restless?
Where you go to nights?

I go to the movies!

Why do you go to the movies so much Tom?

I go to the movies
because I like adventure.

Adventure is something I don't
have much of at the warehouse so I go to the movies.

But Tom, you go to movies entirely too much!
I like a lot of adventure.

Most young men find
adventure in their careers.

And most young men are not
employed in a warehouse.

The world is full of young men
employed in warehouses and offices and factories.

And do all of them
find adventure in their careers?

They do, they do, or they do without it.

Not everybody has a craze for adventure.

Man is by instinct a lover, a fighter, a hunter,
and none of those instincts are given much play in a warehouse.

- Man is by instinct. Don't quote instinct to me!

Instinct is something that people have
got away from. It belongs to the animals.

Christian adults don't want it.

What do Christian adults want then, Mother?
Superior things. Things of the mind and the spirit.

Only the animals
have to satisfy instinct.

Surely your aims are somewhat higher than monkeys, pigs?

I reckon they're not.
- You're joking.

However that is what I wanted to discuss.
- I haven't got much time.

Sit down.
- You want me to punch in red at the warehouse Mother? You've got five minutes.

I want to talk about Laura.
- All right.

What about Laura?

We have to be making some plans and provisions for her.

She's older than you two
years and nothing has happened.

She just drifts along, doin nothin.
Frightens me terribly how she just drifts along.

Maybe she's the type people call homegirl.
There's no such type and if there is it's a pity.

That is,
unless the home as hers with a husband.

What?

I can see the handwriting on the wall as
clearly as I can see the news on the front of my face.

It's terrifying.

More and more you remind me of your father.

He was out all hours without explanation, then left, goodbye,
and left with a bag to hold.

I saw that letter you got
from the merchant marine.

I know what you're dreamin.

I'm not sitting herenblindfolded.

Very well then. Then do it.

But not until there's
somebody to take your place.

What do you mean?

I mean as soon as Laura has somebody to take
care of her, married, a home of her own.

Independent. By then
you'll be free to go wherever you please.

On land, on sea, whichever way the wind blows you
but until that time you gotta look out for your sister.

I don't say me because I'm old and don't matter,
I say your sister because she's young and dependent.

I put her in Business College.
A dismal failure.

Frightened her so she was sick at the stomach.
I took her to the Young People's League at the church.

Another fiasco.

She spoke to nobody, nobody spoke to her.

Now all she does is fool with these pieces of
glass and play those worn-out records.

What kind of life is that for a girl to lead?
Well what can I do about it?

Overcome selfishness.
Self self self is all you ever think about.

Where's your muffler? Put your wool muffler on.

Tom. I haven't said what I had in mind to ask you.

- I'm too late to stay here.

Down at the warehouse,
aren't there some nice young men?

- No.
- There must be some. Find one.

Find one that's clean-living.

Doesn't drink and ask
him out for your sister.

Oh my gosh!
- For your sister! To meet! To get acquainted! Will you? Will you?

Will you Tom?
Yes!

Ella Cartwright? Ella?

It's Amanda Wingfield. First, first,
how's that kidney trouble?

It has? It has come back? You just a
Christian martyr, that's what you are.

You just a Christian martyr. Ella.

I was noticing in the little red book that your
subscription to the Companion has expired.

Just when that wonderful new serial
by Bessie Mae Harper's starting!

It's all about the horses set on Long Island.
And... oh you have? You read it.

Well how do you think it turned out?

Oh no. Bessie Mae Harper never let you down.

Of course you have to have complications,
you have

to have complications, can't have a story
without them.

But Bessie Mae Harper always leaves you were such a uplift.

What's the matter Ella? You sound so mad.

Oh. Because it's only seven
o'clock in the morning.

I forgot that you never get up until nine.

I forgot that anybody in the whole wide world
was allowed to sleep as late as that.

Well I can't say it anymore that I'm sorry, can I?

Well... are you going to take that subscription from me anyhow?

Well bless you Ella. Bless you. Bless you. Bless you.

Across the alley was the Paradise dance hall.

Evening since spring they'd open all the doors
and windows and the music would come outside.

Sometimes they'd turn out all the lights
except for a large glass sphere that hung from the ceiling.

It would turn slowly about and filter
the dusk with delicate rainbow colors.

While these unsuspecting kids were dancing to dear one
the world is waiting for the sunrise.

All the world
was really waiting for bombardments.

Tom? Where are you?

I came outside to smoke. -

You smoke too much.

A pack a day fifteen cents a pack

How much would that be in a month? 30 x 15 that
wouldn't be very much.

Well, it'd be enough to help
toward our night school costs

and account and Washington U,
wouldn't that be lovely?

- I'd rather smoke.
- I know.

That's a tragedy of you.

This fire escape landing is a poor
excuse for the porch we used to have.

What are you looking at?
- The moon. -

Is there a moon this evening?

It's rising over Garfinkle's delicatessen.

Oh, so it is.
A little silver slipper of a moon.

Have you made a wish on it?
- Mhm.

What'd you wish?

That's a secret.
- Allright. I won't tell you what I wished for either.

I don't keep a secret too.

I want to be just as mysterious as you.

Bet I can guess what you wished for.

Is my head transparent?
- You're not a sphinx. - No, I don't have secrets.

Tell you what I wished for on the moon.

Success and happiness for
my precious children.

That's what I wish for whenever there's
a moon and when there isn't a moon.

I wish for it too.

I thought perhaps you'd wished for a
gentleman caller.

Why do you say that?

Don't you remember asking me to fetch one?

I remember suggesting it would be nice for your sister

if you brought home
some nice young man from the warehouse.

Think I made that suggestion more than once.
You have made it repeatedly.

Well, we're going to have one.

What?

A gentleman caller.

You mean you asked some nice
young man to come over?

I asked him to dinner.

You really did?
- I really did. - And did he accept? -

He did.
- He did? - He did. Well isn't that lovely?

I thought that you would be pleased.

How soon?
- Quite soon. - How soon? - Pretty soon. - How soon?

Very very soon. -

Oooh, every time I want to know
something you start going on like that.

What do you want to know?
Go ahead and guess. Go ahead and guess.

I bet I can guess. You want to know
when the gentleman caller's coming.

He's coming tomorrow.

Tomorrow?

Oh no I can't do anything about tomorrow.
I can't do anything about tomorrow.

Why not?
- Well, it doesn't give me any time.

Time for what?
- Time for preparations!

You should have phoned me the minute
you asked and minute he accepted.

You don't have to make any fuss.

But of course I have to make a fuss. I can't
have a man coming into a place that's all sloppy.

It's got to be thrown together properly.

I certainly have to do some
fast thinking by tomorrow night

I don't see why you have to think at all.
- That's because you just don't know.

You just don't know.

You can't have a gentleman
caller coming into a pigsty.

Let me see let me see. I've
got those three pieces of wedding silver left.

I'll polish that up.

I wonder how that old lace tablecloth
is holding up all these years.

Can't wear anything we haven't got it. We haven't got
anything to wear. We haven't got it.

Mother this boy is no one to make a fuss
over.

I don't know how you can say that when
this is the first gentleman caller your little sister's ever had

and I think it's pathetic that
that little girl has never had a single gentleman caller.

Come on inside. Come on inside.
- What for? I want to ask you a few things.

Mother if you're going to make a fuss
about this I'm going to call the whole thing off.

I'll call him up and tell him
not to come

No. You can't do that.

People hate broken engagements. Have no place to go.
Come on inside.

Come on inside.

Will you come inside when I ask
you to come inside?! Sit down.

Any particular place you'd like me to sit?
Oh, sit anywhere sit anywhere.

Look. What am I gonna do about that? I've
ever seen them look so sad. I know. I know.

I'll get a bright piece of futon. That won't cost very much.

And I made a payment on a floor lamp so I'll let
that stand out. Put a bright cover on that chair.

Wish I had time to paper the walls.

What's his name?
- His name is O'Connor, Mother.

O'Connor, he's Irish and tomorrow's Friday,
that means fish.

That's alright, I'll make a salmon
loaf and some mayonnaise dressing.

Where'd you meet him?

I met him at the warehouse Mother,
where else would I meet him?

- Well I don't know. Does he drink?

Why would you ask me that?

Because your father did.
- Don't get started on that!

He drinks?
- Not that I know of!

Well you'll have to find out because there's nothing
I want less for my daughter than a man who drinks.

Aren't you being a little bit premature?

Poor Mr. O'Connor's not yet appeared on the scene!

But he will tomorrow to meet your
sister and what do I know about his character?

What are you up to now?
Always did hate that cowlick.

I'm never going to understand why it won't sit down by itself.

Mother I want to tell you something.

I mean it sincerely,
right straight from my heart.

There's lots of fellows that meet
girls whom they don't marry.

You know you always had me worried because you could never
stick to a subject.

Now what I wanna know is, what is his position at the warehouse?

His position is that of a shipping clerk Mother.

Oh that's very important.

That's where you'd be
if you had more get up.

How much does he earn?
- I would judge his salary to be approximately eighty five dollars a month.

Eighty five dollars a month.
That sounds princely.

It's 20 more than I make.

I know that. Well I know that, I know that.
$85 month. Can't be done.

A family man could never get
by on 85 dollars a month.

Mother, Mr. O'Connor is not a family man.

Well, he might be sometime in the future mightn't he?

Oh, I see. Plans and provisions. -

You're the only young man I know who ignores
the fact that the future becomes the present.

The present the past and the past turns into
everlasting regret if you don't plan for it.

I will think that over and
see what I can make of it. -

Don't be so supercilious with your mother!

But I want to know more
about this - what do you call him?

Mr O'Connor? Mr. O'Connor? Must have another
name besides mister. His full name is James D. O'Connor.

The D is for Delaney.

Delaney.
Irish on both sides and he doesn't drink?

Shall I call him up right this minute and ask him?

No.
- I'll call him up. Tell him you want to know if he drinks.

No, you mustn't do that.
You have to be discreet about that subject.

When I was a girl in Blue Mountain and it was suspected

that a young man was
drinking and any girl was receiving his attentions,

if any girl was receiving his
attentions, she'd go to the minister of his church

and ask about his character or her father.

If her father was there then it was his duty to go the minister
of the church and ask about his character.

And that's how girls in Blue Mountain were kept
from making tragic mistakes.

Then how did you come to make such a tragic
mistake?

Oh, I don't know how he did it but that
face wooed everybody.

All he had to do was grin and the whole world was bewitched.

I don't know of anything more tragic than
a young girl just putting herself at the mercy of a handsome appearance

and I hope that Mr. O'Connor is not too good-looking.

As a matter of fact he's not.
He's covered with freckles and he's got a very large nose.

- He's not right-down homely.

Not right-down homely,
just medium homely I'd say..

- Well, if the girl had any sense she'd look for character in a man anyway.

That's what I've always said, Mother.

You've always said it,
you've always said it,

how could you've always said it when you never even thought about it?

Don't be so suspicious of me!

Hey, I'm suspicious of every word that comes
out of your mouth whenever you talk to me.

I want to know more about this young man.
Is he up and coming?

I think he really does go in

What makes you think it?
He's going to night school.

What does he do there at night school?

He's studying radio engineering
and public speaking.

Public speaking. That shows, that shows
that he intends to be an executive

someday and radio engineering, huh well
that's coming, huh?

I think it's here.
- Those are all very illuminating facts.

Facts that every mother should know about any young man calling
on her daughter, seriously or not.

Little warning Mother.
I didn't tell him anything about Laura.

I didn't let on we had
dark ulterior motives.

So I just said why don't
you come over for dinner some night.

He said fine and that was the whole conversation.
- I'll bet it was, too, I'll tell you.

Sometimes you can be as
eloquent as an oyster.

However, when he sees how
sweet and pretty that child is

he's gonna be very happy that
he was asked over here to have some supper.

Just one thing Mother. You won't
expect too much of Laura, will ya?

What do you mean?

Well she seems all those things to you and
to me because she's ours and we love her.

We don't even notice
that she's crippled anymore.

Don't use that word.
- You've got to face the facts, Mother.

She is and that's not all.

What do you mean that's not all?

- Mother, you know that Laura is very different from other girls.

Yes I do. I do know that and I think that
difference is all in her favor too.

Not quite all. In the eyes of strangers,
other people, she lives in a world of her own,

she's terribly shy and those things make her seem
a little peculiar to people that live outside the house.

Don't use that word, peculiar.
You've got to face the facts Mother, she is.

I don't know in what way she's peculiar.

She lives in a world of little glass animals Mother.

She plays old phonograph records and that's about all.

Laura?
Laura?

Yes Mother?
- Let those dishes go and come in front.

Come and make a wish on the moon.

A little silver slipper of the moon.

Look over your left
shoulder and make a wish.

Now, Laura, wish.
- What should I wish for, Mother?

Happiness.

And just a little bit of good fortune.

Why are you trembling so, honey?

Mother you've made me so nervous.
Why? How have I made you nervous?

By all this fuss! You make it seem so
important.

I don't understand you at all honey.

Every time I try to do anything for you

that's the least bit different, you
just seem to set yourself against it.

There. Now take a look at your self.

No, wait. Just a minute, I forgot something.

What is it?
- A couple of improvements.

When I was a girl we had round little lacy things
like that and we called them Gay Deceivers!

I won't wear them!
Of course you're gonna wear them!

Why should I?!

Well, to tell you the truth, honey,
you're just a little bit flat chested.

Mother,
you make it seem like we're setting a trap.

We are! All pretty girls are a trap.

And men expect them to be traps.

Now look at yourself in the glass. See?

You look just like an angel on a postcard.

Isn't that lovely? Now you wait.

I'm going to dress myself,
you're going to be astonished at your mother's appearance!

Laura, look at me. Look at me now!

Oh, Mother!

It used to be.

It used to be.

It had a lot of flowers on it but they got
awful tight so I had to take them all off.

I led the cotillion in this
dress years ago.

I won a cakewalk twice at sunset.

I walked to the Governor's Ball in Jackson.
You should have seen your mother!

You should've seen your mother, how she
sashayed around the room just like that!

I had it on the day I met your father.
I had malaria fever too.

The change in climate from east Tennessee
to the delta weakened my resistance

not enough to be dangerous just enough
to make me rest and seem giddy.

Oh, isn't it lovely?

Invitations poured in from all over.
My mother said, "you can't go any place.

You have a fever. You have to stay in bed."

I said I wouldn't and I took quinine
and I kept on going and going!

Dances every evening, long rides in the country
every afternoon and picnics!

That country,
country, so lovely, so so lovely in May.

All lacy with dogwood and simply covered with jonquils!

My mother said: "You can't bring
any more jonquils in this house!"

I said I will and I kept on
bringing them in anyhow.

Whenever I'd see them, I'd say "
hold on, wait a minute, I see jonquils"

and I'd make my gentlemen
callers get out of the carriage and help me gather some!

To tell you the truth Laura
it'd be a kind of joke.

They'd say look out, here comes that girl,
we'll have to spend the afternoon picking jonquils.

My mother said you can't bring any more jonquils in this house!

I haven't got any more
vials to hold them in!

I said that's quite alright
I can hold some myself!

Malaria fever...

Your father. Jonquils.

I hope they get here before it starts to rain.

I gave your brother little extra money
so he and Mr. O'Connor can take a service car home.

Mother?
- What's the matter now. What'd you say his name was?

O'Connor. Why?

What's his first name? I don't remember.

Oh yes I do too, it was Jim.
Yes that was it, it was Jim.

Oh Mother, not Jim O'Connor.
- Yes. It was Jim.

I've never known Jim that wasn't nice.
Are you sure that his name was Jim O'Connor?

Sure I'm sure, why? Is that the one that
Tom used to know in high school?

I don't think so.

He didn't say so.
I think he just got to know him at the warehouse.

There was a Jim O'Connor that
we both knew in high school.

Oh Mother.

If it's the one that Tom's bringing home to
dinner that you'd have to forgive me.

I wouldn't come to the table.

What's this about?

What sort of silly talk is this?

Remember you asked me once
if I ever liked a boy?

Remember I showed you this boy's picture?

You mean that boy in the yearbook?

Yes, that boy.

Laura, Laura. Were you
in love with that boy?

I don't know Mother. I only know that I
couldn't sit at the table if it was him.

It won't be him.
It isn't the least bit likely.

But whether it is or not,
you will come to the table.

You will not be excused.

I'll have to be Mother.

I don't intend to humor your silliness,
Laura.

I've had too much from you
and your brother both.

So just sit down and compose
yourself until they arrive.

Tom has forgotten his key so you'll have
to let them in when they get here.

Oh Mother, please, you answer the door.

How can I? When I haven't even finished
the mayonnaise dressing for the salmon?

- Please, you go to the door.
- What's all this fuss?!

What's all this fuss about just one gentleman caller? That's all!

Just one!

Laura, sweetheart? The door!

Please. Mother. You go to the door.

What's the matter with you?!

Why have you chosen this moment to
lose your mind?! You go to that door!

I can't.
- Why can't you?

I'm sick.
- You're sick. Am I sick? Laura Wingfield, you march straight to that door!

Yes Mother.
- I got to put courage in you, huh.

Laura, this is Jim. Jim, this is my sister Laura.
- I didn't know Shakespeare had a sister! How are you, Laura?

How do you do? Okay, your hand's cold, Laura!

I've been playing the victrola...

Oh must've been playing classical music
on it.

Oughtta play a little hot swing music to warm
you up.

What's the matter?

Laura... Laura is terribly shy.

Shy, eh? Unusual to meet
a shy girl nowadays.

I don't believe you ever mentioned you had a sister.

Well now you know I have one.

Here's the Star times,
you want a piece of it?

Mhm.
- What piece? Comics?

Sports.

Old Dizzy Dean on his bad behavior.

Really?
- Yeah.

Where are you going?
- Out on the terrace to smoke.

You know Shakespeare?

I'm gonna sell you a bill of goods.
- What goods?

A course I'm taking.
- What course? Public speaking.

You and me, we're not the warehouse type.

Thanks, that's good news.

What's that got to do with public speaking? -
Well, it fits you for executive positions.

It's done a helluva lot for me.

In what respect?
- In every respect!

Ask yourself what's the difference between you
and me and the guys in the office down front.

Brains? No.
Ability? No.

Then what? Primarily it amounts to just one single thing. What's that?
- Social poise.

The ability to square up to somebody and
hold your own on any social level.

Tom?
- Yes mother. - Is that you and Mr. O'Connor?

Yes Mother!
- Make yourselves comfortable.

We will.
- Ask Mr. O'Connor if he'd like to wash his hands.

No thanks, ma'am,
took care of that back at the warehouse!

Tom?
- Yeah. - Mr. Mendoza was speaking to me about you.

Favorably?
- What do you think? You're gonna be out of a job if you don't wake up.

I am waking up.
- You show no signs. - Signs are interior.

I'm about to make a change.

I'm right on the point of committing myself
to a future that does not include Mr.Mendoza

or the warehouse or even a night
school course in public speaking.

What are you gassing about?
- I'm tired of the movies.

Movies?
- Yes, movies.

All, all those glamorous people having adventures, hogging it all,
gobbling the whole thing up.

You know what happens? People go to the
movies instead of moving.

Hollywood characters are supposed to have all the
adventures for everybody in America

while everybody in America sits in a
dark room watching them having them.

Yes, until there's a war. That's when adventure becomes
available to the masses.

Everyone's dish not only Gable's.

Then the people in the dark room come out of the
dark room to have some adventures of their own.

Goodie goodie. Now it's our turn to go to a south sea island,

make a safari, be exotic, far off.

I'm not patient.

I don't want to wait till then.

I'm tired of movies and I'm
about to move.

Move? - Yes. - When? - Soon. -
Where? - I'm starting to boil inside.

I know I seem dreamy but inside well I'm boiling.

Every time I pick up a shoe I shudder a little
thinking how short life is and what I am doing.

Whatever that means, I know it don't mean shoes
expect to something to put on a traveler's feet.

Look.
- Huh?

I'm a member.

Union of merchant sailing.

I paid my dues this month instead of the
electric light bill. -

You're gonna regret it when
they turn off the lights.

I won't be here. -
Well how about your mother?

I'm just like my father.
The bastard son of a bastard.

See how he grins?
He's been absent going on 16 years.

You're just talking, you drip.
How's your mother feel about it?

Tom? -

Here comes Mother.
Mother is not acquainted with my plans.

Boys? - Yes Mother?
Where you all? - In front, Mother.

Well.

Mother, you look so pretty.

You know that's the first
compliment you've ever paid me.

I wish you'd look pleasant when you're
about to say something pleasant so I can expect it.

Mr. O'Connor.
- How do you do? -

Well, well, well. So this is Mr. O'Connor.
Introductions entirely not necessary.

I've heard so much about you from my
boy I finally said to him, Tom, good gracious,

why don't you bring this
paragon to supper for me?

I'd like to meet this nice young man from the warehouse
instead of just hearing you sing his praises so much.

I don't why my boy is so standoffish.

That's not southern
behavior. Let's sit down.

And I think we could stand
a little more air in here.

Tom? Will you leave that door wide-open?

I felt a nice fresh breeze a moment ago.
Where has it gone to?

So warm already! We're going to burn up once summer really gets started.

However we're having a very light supper.
I think light things are better for this time a year.

The same as light clothes are.

Light clothes and light food are
what the warm weather calls for.

You know our blood gets so
thick during the winter.

Takes a while for us to adjust
ourselves when the season changes.

See it comes so quickly. I wasn't prepared for it,
all of a sudden good heavens, already summer.

I ran to the trunk and pulled out this light dress.

Terribly old, historical almost but feels so good.
So good and so cool.

Why you-
- How about our supper, Mother?

Honey. You go ask Sister if supper's ready.

You know Sister's in full charge of supper.

Tell her you hungry boys are waiting for it.

Have you met Laura?

Well she came to the door. - She let you in! -
Yes ma'am. - She's very pretty.

Oh yes ma'am.
- Please sit down.

It's rare for a girl as sweet and
pretty as Laura to be domestic but

Laura is, thank heavens
not only pretty but very domestic.

I'm not at all. I never was.

I never could make a thing
but Angel food cake.

Well in the south we had so many servants.

Gone gone gone, all vestige of
gracious living. Gone completely!

I wasn't prepared for what
the future brought me.

All my gentleman callers
were sons of planters

so naturally I assumed I'd be married to one
and raise my family on a large piece of land with many servants

but man proposes and
woman accepts the proposal.

To vary that old, old saying a little bit,
I married no planter.

I married a man who worked
for the telephone company.

That gallantly smiling gentleman over there.

A telephone man who fell in
love with long distance.

Now he travels and I don't
even know where.

But what am I going on for
about my tribulations?

Tell me about yours.
I hope you don't have any.

Tom?
- Yes Mother?

What about that supper?

Supper's on the table.

Oh, so it is. How lovely.

Mr. O'Connor.

Where's Laura?

Laura is not feeling too well and things would be
better if she didn't come to the table.

Laura?
- Yes Mother? - We can't say grace till you come to the table.

Oh, I'm so...

Laura, you are ill!
Let Laura rest on the sofa.

Standing over that hot
stew has made her ill.

I told her it was just too warm this evening but...

Is Laura all right?

She's better, Mother.

Oh my goodness.
I think we're going to have a little rain.

Oh, thank you Mr. O'Connor.

Tom, you say grace.

What?

What do we generally do before
we have something to eat?

We say grace, don't we?

For these and all thy mercy in God's
holy name be praised.

You got to keep that together, you got to move
that load and he moved that load.

Now wait a minute, I'm coming into
something I'm coming into something.

Mr. O'Connor, I haven't had such
a pleasantry in a very long time.

Oh Mrs. Wingfield, let me give you a toast.

Here's to the Old South.
- The Old South.

Hey Mr. Lightbulb! -

Where was Moses when the lights went out?

You know the answer to that one Mr. O'Connor?
No ma'am, what's the answer to that one?

Well on the one hand,
someone wasn't very nice.

I thought you might know another one.
- Oh no ma'am.

It's lucky I put this
candelabrum on the side table.

Only put it on for
ornamentation but it's nice

Ah, good, now we can when it proves useful too.

It's good to have some illumination.

Here we go.

Thank you, Mr. O'Connor.
- Not at all, ma'am. I think it must be a burnt-out fuse.

Mr. O'Connor,
you know anything about a burned-out fuse?

Well, Mrs. Wingfield, I know a little about
'em but where's the fuse box?

Must you know that too?
It's in the kitchen.

It's over the stove. Be careful.
It's dark, don't stumble over anything.

Oh my goodness.
Wouldn't it be awful if we lost him?

Mr. O'Connor. You alright?

Yes ma'am.

You know electricity is a very mysterious thing.
The whole universe is mysterious to me.

Wasn't it Benjamin Franklin
who tied a key to a kite?

I'd like to have seen that,
he might have looked mighty silly.

Some people say that science
clears up all the mysteries.

As far as my opinion they
just keep on adding more.

Have you found it yet?
Yes ma'am I found it all right.

Those fuses look okay to me.
- Tom?

Yes Mother?

That light bill I gave you several days ago.

The one I got the notice about.

Oh yeah you mean last month's bill.

You didn't neglect it by any chance?

Well I...
- You did. I might have known.

Oh, well maybe Shakespeare wrote a poem
on that light bill Mrs. Wingfield.

Oh, maybe he did. I should have
better than to trust him with it.

There's such a high price for negligence in the world today.

Oh, well maybe the poem win a ten-dollar prize.

We'll just have to spend the rest of the evening in the 19th century
before Mr. Edison found that master lamp.

Well, candlelight's my favorite kind of light.

That shows you're romantic.
But it's no excuse for Tom.

However I think was very nice of them to let us finish
our dinner before they plunged us into everlasting darkness.

Tom, as a penalty for your carelessness
you're going to have to help me with the dishes.

May I be of some help, ma'am?

Oh no, I couldn't allow that.
I oughtta be good for something.

What did I hear?

I just said I'd ought to be good for something.
That's what I thought you said.

Well Laura's out front all by herself; maybe you'd like to keep her company.

I'll let you have this lovely
old candelabrum for light.

Used to be on the altar of the
Church of the Heavenly Rest

but it melted a little out of shape when the church burned down.

The church was struck by
lightning one spring and gypsy Jones

was holding a revival meeting village
said that the church was struck by lightning

because the Episcopalians had started
have card parties right in the church.

Is that so ma'am?
- I don't have to say anything that isn't so.

I beg your pardon ma'am.

I'd like Laura to have a
little dandelion wine.

Do you think you can hold them both?
- I can try.

- Tom? Get into that apron.

How you feeling Laura, better?

Yes, thank you.

Hey, this is for you.

A little dandelion wine.

Thank you.

Drink it! Don't get drunk.

Where will I put the candles?

Anywhere.

How about right here on the
floor? Any objections?

I'll just spread some newspaper
under it catch the drips.

You know I like to sit on the floor. You mind if I do?
- No.

Would you give me a pillow?

What?

A pillow.

How about you? Don't you like sitting on the floor?

Yes.

Oh then why don't you?
- I will. - Take a pillow.

I can't see you sitting way over there.

I can see you.

Yeah but that's not fair. I'm in the limelight.

There that's better isn't it?
I can see you now.

You comfortable?
- Yes, thank you.

So am I. Comfortable as a cow.

Would you care for a piece of chewing gum?

No thank you.

Well I think that I will indulge with your
permission.

Think of the fortune made by the guy who
invented the first piece of chewing gum.

Amazing.

The Wrigley Building is one
of the sights of Chicago.

I saw it, the summer before last,
the Century of Progress.

Have you taken the Century of Progress?

No, I didn't.
- Well, it was a wonderful exposition.

And you know what
impressed me most about it? Hall of science.

It gets you an idea of what the
future will be like in America.

It'l be even more wonderful
than the present time is.

Your brother tells me you're shy, Laura.
Is that right?

I don't know.

I judge you to be an
old-fashioned type of girl.

I think that's pretty good type to be.

I hope you don't think I'm
being too personal with you.

Mr. O'Connor.

Yeah.

I believe that will take a
piece of gum if you don't mind.

Mr. O'Connor.

Yeah?
- Have you kept up with your singing? Singing? Me?

Yes, I remember what a beautiful voice you had.
- You heard me singing?

Yes, very often.
I don't suppose you remember me at all.

Well as a matter of fact I did have an
idea I've seen you somewhere before.

You know it almost seemed like I was about
to remember your name

but the name I was about to remember wasn't a name,
so I stopped myself before I said it.

Wasn't it Blue roses?

Blue roses, oh my gosh! Blue roses.

You know I didn't connect you with
high school, somehow or other.

That's what was it was!
In high school.

Gosh, I didn't even know you
were Shakespeare's sister.

Gosh, I'm sorry.

I didn't expect it to. You barely knew me.

We did have a speaking acquaintance.
Yes, we spoke to each other.

Didn't we have a class or something together?

Yes.
- What class was that? - It was singing. Chorus.

Oh yes.
- I sat across the aisle from you Mondays,

wednesdays and Fridays in the auditorium.

Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays... oh yeah,

I remember now, you're the one who always
came in late.

I had difficulty getting up the stairs,
I had this brace on my leg and it clumped so loud.

I never even noticed.
- Everyone was seated when I came in. I had to walk in front of all those people.

My seat was in the last row and I had to go
clumping up the aisle with everybody watching.

You shouldn't
have been self-conscious.

I know but I was.
- You mean you were shy with people. - Well I tried not to be but

I never could...
- Overcome it.

No, I never could.

You know something Laura,
people are not so dreadful when you

get to know them. That's what you have to remember.
And everybody has problems, not just you.

Practically everybody has problems.

You think yourself as being the
only one who's disappointed.

Just look around you and what do you see?

A lot of people are just disappointed as you are.

When you take me for instance, boy, when I left high school
I thought I'd be a lot further along

at this time than I am now. Remember that
wonderful write-up I had on the Cadasco?

Huh?

It said that I was bound to succeed in
anything I went into.

Where you going?

Holy jeez the Cadasco!

Here you are.

In the Pirates of Penzance!

The Pirates. Sang the lead in that opera.

Beautifully.
- Well, I don't... - Beautifully. Beautifully.

You heard me then, eh?

I heard you all three times!
- No. - Yes! -

All three performances?
- Yes. - What for?

I wanted you to autograph my program.
- Why didn't you ask me to?

You were always surrounded by your own friends so much that I never had a chance.

Well you shoulda just come right up!

I didn't want you to think that I was...

Thought I'd think you what?

Oh yeah yeah I was beleaguered by
females in those days.

Terribly popular.
- Yeah. - Everybody liked you.

Including you?

Yes.

Well, well, well. Give me that program Laura.

Better late than never.

My signature's not worth very much right now
but maybe someday it'll increase in value.

Did you finish high school?

Well I made bad grades in
my final examinations.

You mean you dropped out?

I didn't go back.

How's uh, Emily Meisenbach getting along?

That kraut-head.

Why do you call her that?

Because that's what she was!

You're not still going with her?

I never even see her!

It said in the personal section that
you were engaged!

I know, but I wasn't impressed by that
propaganda.

It's not true.

Only in Emily's optimistic opinion.

What have you done since high school?

What?
- I said what have you done since high school?

I took a business course
at Business College.

Oh you did! How'd that work out?

Not very well. I had to drop out. Gave me indigestion.

You know what I judge to be the trouble with you?

Inferiority complex. You know what that is?

That's what they call it when
a fellow low rates himself.

Now I understand because I had it myself,
only my case is not as aggravated as your seems to be.

Now I had it until I took up public speaking
and developed my voice

and learned that I
had an aptitude for science.

You know that until that time I never
thought of myself as being outstanding in any way whatsoever.

Oh. Why?
- I haven't made a regular study of it, mind you, but I have a friend who says

I can analyze people better than doctors
make a profession of it.

That's not necessarily true but I sure can
guess a person's psychology.

Excuse me Laura, always take it out when the
flavor's gone. Scrap up a piece of paper here.

I know how it is when you get it stuck on a shoe.

Yeah that's when I judge to
be your principal trouble.

Lack of confidence in yourself as a person.

Now I'm basing that fact on a number of your remarks
and on certain observations I've made.

For instance, that clump when you thought so often high school?

You say you dreaded to go upstairs.
See what you did?

Dropped out of school, you gave up an education all
because of a little clump,

which as far as I'm concerned is practically non-existent.

Oh little physical defect's all you have.
It's hardly noticeable even.

Magnified a thousand times by your imagination.

Now you know what my
strong advice to you is?

You got to think yourself as
being superior in some way.

In what way would I think?!

Why, my man alive Laura!
Look around ya and what do you see?

A world full of common people.
All of them born and all of them gonna die.

Now which of them has one
tenth of your strong points?

Or mine or anybody else's for that matter?

You see, everybody excels in some one thing.

Well some in many. Take me, for instance.

My interest happens to
lie in electrodynamics.

I'm taking a radio engineering
course at night school

on top of a fairly responsible job at the warehouse.

I'm taking that course and
studying public speaking.

Oh my!
- Because I believe in my future at television.

I want to be ready to go
right up along with it.

I'm planning to get in on the ground floor.

I already made the right
connections and all that remains now is

for the industry itself to get underway,full steam

Money knowledge.

Wham!
Now that's the cycle democracy's built on!

I guess you think I think a lot of myself.

No, I don't.
- Well how about you?

Isn't there some one thing you take more
of an interest in than anything else?

Well I have my glass collection.
- Oh you do!

What kind of glass is it?

It's little articles of it,
ornaments mostly.

Most of them are little
animals made out of glass.

They are the tiniest little
animals in the world.

Mother calls it my glass menagerie.

Here's one.

This one is one of the oldest.

He's nearly thirteen.

Oh, be careful. If you breathe, he breaks.

I better not take it, I'm pretty clumsy with things.

Oh no, I trust you with it.

Now there. You're holding him gently.

Hold him over the light.

He loves the light.

See how the light shines through him?

Sure does shine.

I shouldn't be partial, but he is my favorite one.

What kind of thing is this one supposed to be?

Well haven't you noticed the
single horn on his forehead? -

Oh yeah, unicorn. - Mhm. - Unicorn...
aren't they extinct in the modern world?

Poor little fella. Must
feel kinda lonesome.

Well if he does,
he doesn't complain about it.

Oh he doesn't, huh?

Where do I put him?

Put him on the table.

We all like a change of scenery every once in a while.

They do, huh. There we go.

Hey look how big my
shadow is when I stretch.

Stretches across the ceiling.

Where's the music coming from?

From the Paradise Dance Hall.
Across the alley.

Stopped raining.

How about cutting the rug, little Miss Wingfield?
Or is your program all filled up?

Let me take a look. Hm!
Every dance is taken.

I'll just have to scratch
some of them out of there.

Waltz.
- I can't dance.

There you go with that inferiority stuff!

No, I've never danced in my whole life.
- Come on try!

I'll step on you.
I'm not made out of glass.

How do we start?
- Raise your arms a little. Like this?

A little bit higher. There you go.
Now don't tighten up!

That's the principal thing. Juuuust relax.

It's hard not to.

Okay.

Oh, I'll bet you can't budge me.

What do you want to bet I can?

Oh my goodness, oh yes you can!

Let yourself go, Laura, just let yourself go.

There. That's a lot better.

Oh my God!

Well, it doesn't matter.

We knocked the little glass horse over.

Is he broken?

Now he's just like all the other horses. Oh you mean he lost his...
- His horn.

It doesn't matter. Maybe it's a blessing
in disguise.

I'll bet you never forgive me for that.
I bet that was your favorite piece of glass.

I don't have favorites
much. It's no tragedy.

Glass breaks so easily no
matter how careful you are.

Traffic jars and shelves and things fall off.

Still I'm awfully sorry that I was the cause of it.

I just imagine he had an operation

and the horn was removed to
make him feel less freakish.

Now he will be like all the other horses
the ones that don't have horns.

I'm glad to see you have a sense of humor.

You know you're different
from anybody else I know.

You mind me saying that? I mean it.

You make me feel sort of... well I don't
know how to say it.

I'm usually pretty good at expressing things but this is
something I don't know how to say.

Anyone ever tell you you were pretty?
Well you are.

In a different way from anyone else
and all the nicer because the difference.

Well I wish you were my sister.
I'd teach you to have confidence in yourself.

You see, being different is nothing to be ashamed
of because other people, they're not such wonderful people.

They're are a hundred times 1000.
You're 1 times 1.

They walk all over the earth.

You just stay here. They're common as weeds.
but you... well you're Blue Roses.

Blue is wrong for roses.
- Well it's right for you.

Because you're pretty.
- In what respect am I pretty?

In all respects. Your eyes, your hair,
your hands, you're pretty.

You think I'm saying this because I'm
invited to dinner and have to be nice.

I could do that.

I could say lots of things
without being sincere but I'm talking to you sincerely.

I happen to notice that you
had this inferiority complex that keeps

you from feeling comfortable with people.

Well somebody ought to build your
confidence up. Way up. Something to make

you proud

instead of shy and
turning away and blushing.

Somebody ought to...
somebody ought to kiss you, Laura.

I shouldn't have done that.

Oh my God. Oh, that was way off the beam.

Do you care for a cigarette?
Oh you don't smoke do you?

A mint? Peppermint? Lifesaver?

My pocket's a regular drug store.

Laura you know if I had a sister like you

I'd do the same thing as Tom.
I'd bring fellas home to meet you.

Maybe I'm wrong in saying that. That may
not have been the idea in having me over,

but what if it was? What's wrong with that?

The only trouble is that in my case
I can't do the right thing.

I can't ask for your
number and say I'll phone.

I can't call up next
weekend and ask for a date.

I thought I'd explain the
situation in case you misunderstood

and I hurt your feelings.

You won't call again?

No, I can't. You see I got strings on me Laura.
Been going steady.

I go out all the time with a girl named
Betty and she's a nice quiet home girl

like you and Catholic and Irish and in a
great many ways we get along fine.

We met on a moonlight boat trip up
the river to Alton, on the Majestic.

Right away from the start was love.

You know, being in love has made a new man of me.

The power of love is pretty tremendous.
Love is something that just changes the whole world.

Oh boy. Well anyway it happened that
Betty's aunt took sick and she got a wire

and had to go to Centralia so
naturally when Tom asked me to dinner

naturally I accepted the invitation not
knowing...

I mean...

I don't know...

I wish you'd say something...

What are you doing that for?

You mean you want me to have one? What for?

Souvenir.

Lemonade! Lemonade!

Made in the shade and stirred with a spade.

And as good as any old maid.
You know that song, Mr. O'Connor?

No ma'am I never heard it.

Why are you so serious honey? -

Well we were having a serious conversation.

I don't understand modern young people.
When I was young I was gay all the time.

You haven't changed a bit Mrs. Wingfield.

Maybe it's the gaiety of the
cajun that has rejuvenated me.

Well here's to the gaiety of the occasion.

Oh! I baptized myself.

I found some cherries in the kitchen. I put one in each glass.

You shouldn't've gone to all that trouble ma'am.

No trouble at all. Didn't you hear me
cutting it up in the kitchen?

I was so outdone with Tom for not bringing you over sooner.

But now that you found your way I want
you to come all the time,

not just once in awhile but all the time.

Ooh. I think I'll go back in that kitchen.

Oh no, please don't go ma'am.
As a matter of fact I've got to be going.

Oh Mr. O'Connor. It's only the shank of the evening. -
You know how it is.

You mean you're a young working man,
you have to keep a working man's hours.

Yes ma'am.

Well we're let you off early this time but only on
condition that you stay later next time, much later.

What's best night for you? Saturday?

Well as a matter of fact I have a couple
of time clocks to punch, Miss Wingfield.

One in the morning and another one at
night.

Isn't that nice. You're so ambitious.
You work at night too?

Well not work, ma'am, but Betty.

Betty?

Who's Betty?

Just a girl, a girl I go steady with.

You mean you're serious?

We're gonna be married
second Sunday in June.

Tom didn't say that in talking
about you going to married.

Cat's not out of the bag at the warehouse yet.
You know how they are.

They call you Romeo and stuff like that.

Well Mrs. Wingfield it's been a wonderful evening
and I guess this is what they mean by southern hospitality.

'Twas nothing. Nothing at all.

I hope I don't seem like I'm
rushing off but I promised

Betty I'd pick her up at the Wabash deep hole and
by the time I get my jalopy down there, the train will be in.

Some women are
pretty upset if you keep 'em waiting.

I know all about the tyranny of women.
Well goodbye Mr. O'Connor.

I wish you happiness and good fortune.

You wish him that too, don't you Laura?

Yes I do, Mother.

Goodbye Laura.

I'll always treasure the souvenir.

And don't forget the good advice I gave you.

So long Shakespeare! Thanks again ladies. Good night.

Well well well, things have a way of turning out so badly.

I don't believe that I
would play that Victrola.

Well well well.

Our gentleman caller was
engaged to be married.

Tom? - Yes Mother. - Come out here,

I want to tell you something very funny.

Has our gentleman caller gotten away already?

Our gentleman caller made a very early
departure.

That was a nice joke you played on us, too.

How do you mean?

You didn't mention that he
was engaged to the married.

Jim? Engaged? - That's
what just informed us.

I didn't know.

That seems very peculiar.
What seems peculiar about it?

Didn't you tell me that he was
your best friend down at the warehouse?

He is, but how did I know?

It seems very peculiar that you didn't know
that your best friend was engaged to be married.

The warehouse is where I work, not where I
know things about people.

You don't know things anywhere.
You live in a dream. You manufacture illusions.

Where you going? Where you going?

I'm going to the movies. - That's right.

Now you've had us make such fools of ourselves,
that effort, the preparation, the whole expense,

the new floor lamp, the rug,
the clothes for Laura, all for what?

To entertain some other girl's fiance.

Go to the movies, go.

Don't think about us. A mother deserted, an
unmarried sister who's crippled and has no job.

Don't let anything interfere with your selfish pleasure.

Just go, go, go to the movies.

All right I will.

And the more you shout at me about my
selfish pleasures the faster I'll go.

And I won't go to the movies either.

Go then!

Go to the moon you selfish dreamer!

I didn't go to the moon.

I went much father for time is the
longest distance between two places.

I left st. Louis and followed from
then on in my father's footsteps,

attempting to find in motion
what was lost in space.

I traveled around a great deal.

The city swept about me like dead leaves,

leaves that were bright colored but
torn away from the branches.

I would have stopped but I
was pursued by something.

Perhaps I am walking along the street
at night in some strange city

before I have found companions and then
all at once my sister touches my shoulder.

I'd turn around and look into her eyes.

Oh Laura. Laura.

I have tried to leave you behind me but
I'm more faithful than I intended to be.

I reach for a cigarette. I buy a drink.

I talk to the nearest stranger. Anything
that can blow your candles out.

For nowadays the world is lit by lightning.
Blow out your candles, Laura.

And so...

goodbye.