Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–1962): Season 7, Episode 38 - Where Beauty Lies - full transcript

Good evening and welcome to the Arctic,

the original home of frozen food,

one warning about life here in the North,

always be sure your tv dinner,

has been killed before you void out,

this always gives me the feeling,

that I'm standing on the
edge of an enormous sardine,

it's a message, let's see what it says.

WHERE BEAUTY LIES

Happy?

Oh oh yes.



Well relax.

I took a try to.

What if he comes back?

Darling he's a very good friend of mine,

besides he's out of town,

don't forget,

I'll help you,

Oh...

Hello darling,

surprise?

Julie...
-None other.

Now Julie...

Save it, I'll give you plenty of opportunity
to explain when we get home.

Paul...



-I don't understand. -Possibly if you
introduce us she will

I'm his wife,

are you ready Paul?

I'm sorry Carolyn,

I'll push in a cab.

Don't bother she'll be fine.

I didn't
come here alone,

better luck next time dear.

Well my dear,

are you ready to come home now?

Ah wonderful rehearsal if we do that one
on opening night we should run forever,

-Carolyn?
-Yes?

Don't you think two days
of silence is enough?

-my dear...
-Don't my dear me,

you wanted to talk, all right,

why did you
do it?

Collin you're my brother not my husband
or my keeper.

Well as your brother I couldn't very well
let you walk into a mess like that could I.

I'm more than old enough to decide what
I want to walk into without your help.

You mean that you would have gone there
with him if you'd known he was married?

He didn't say that.

Well then if you wouldn't have gone there,

there's no reason to be angry,

look Carolyn I only did it for you.

Oh no, not for me, for yourself Colin,

you've never done anything in your
whole life that wasn't for yourself.

Oh well thanks a lot, I certainly never
expected that.

Well did you expect gratitude
you'd expect me to be grateful,

for being dragged back to this
house like a runaway child?

I thought that you loved this house, you
always said you did.

I did love it I do love it,

but it's your house Colin,

it's your house,

in your life,

the perfect house for a famous actor,

and the perfect life, you go where you want,
you do what you want, you see whom you want,

while I stay in the background and make
things easy and comfortable for you.

what kind of life is that for me?

But I I didn't look at it that way
I never thought it was just my life,

I thought we shared so many things together...

Oh, you want us to?

when you don't you're
quite capable of forgetting I'm alive,

like last week when you and Joan
suddenly decided to go on that boat trip,

I sat here all night and most of the next day
not knowing whether you were dead or alive.

Since when have either of us
had to report to the other?

I don't expect it from you,
so why should you expect it for me.

Expect it from me because you know it isn't
necessary, you know, I'll always be here.

Carolyn you didn't always feel this way.

I haven't always been 37,

there was a time when I had a chance for,

something else,

you still have,

but I don't.

Do you really think that you would
have been happy with that boy?

an actor who,

who lied to you because he thought I might
use my position in the theater to help him.

It wouldn't occur to you it might
have nothing to do with you, would it?

this might be something
between Paul and me.

Do you really believe that?

do you?

No I don't,

but I had lots of practice at settling for
second best, that's what I was doing.

There's no need to.

But I wouldn't know how
to handle anything else,

don't you think I know what I look like,

what you look like.

Carolyn I wish you'd stop exaggerating.

Is that what I'm doing Colin?

I'm 37,

and you're 35,

that means I've had 35 years of watching
people react to you into me,

because it's never been any different,
even when we were children,

I remember how mama was always trying,

tactfully to suggest to people who are
making a fuss over you,

that they pay some attention to me,

as if you could pull a child.

You're so sensitive about your looks
Carolyn and it's ridiculous because,

-you're a very attractive woman.
-Oh god,

he's such a good actor, you almost make
me believe you mean that.

But I do mean it,

-now please stop this nonsense.
-Oh yes,

it's a little point,

except,

sometimes I look at
you and I want to say,

what is it like to be good-looking,

everybody
want you,

everybody looks at you.

Carolyn...

now, go ahead.

Oh leave me alone,

your routine won't be upset, it's just the way
it was, I'll even trail after you to Boston,

see that nothing disturbs you so you can
shine on your opening night.

Well I,

I still think that you'll feel better now
that we've had a chance to talk about it.

If you
say so Colin,

-tell me something.
-What?

When you and Joan get married, you respect
me go on being a housekeeper both of you?

This is your home you've
never been a housekeeper here.

Well I've never been paid a
salary if that's what you mean,

I haven't answered my
question.

-I never said anything about marrying Joan.
-You didn't have to,

it's fairly obvious.

-Carolyn listen...
-Don't put your glasses on the table,

oh...

I'm going to bed.

Joan,

hello darling,

no she's all right, I uh
I straightened it out but,

listen we're gonna have to change our
plans a little for Thursday evening,

well it's the only night I'm not
rehearsing and I,

I want to take Carolyn out
to dinner,

and cheer her up a little.

What are you thinking about?

I was just thinking,

every woman in this restaurant is
envying me because I'm with you.

-It's not true, but very flattering.
-It is true,

you don't see the way they look at you
but I do,

thank you for tonight Colin,

we used to do this so often,

and lately oh well you've
been seeing so much of Joan,

incidentally I hope she wasn't annoyed
about you taking me out tonight.

-Oh no of course not, as a matter of fact...
-Oh let's not talk about Joan,

maybe it's the brandy on top of the
martinis,

I feel so gay.

I'm glad.

Colin,

-you know what I'd like to do?
-What?

Well,

I'd like to redecorate the whole house,

and have everything fresh and new,
like a new beginning.

If you want to it's all right with me,
I didn't...

Oh here's Joan.

Hello darling,

I'm sorry I'm late, angel,

but I made the dreadful mistake
of dawning with my press agent,

and he just talks and talks and talks,

-hello Carolyn, how are you?
-Hi.

You look good.

Uh would you like some
brandy and coffee?

Oh I'd love to, angel, but I
don't think we have time, do you?

I mean we promised the Bensons that we'd
be there no later than not,

I'll just have a little sip of yours
instead.

-Bensons?
-Yes, absolute boys of the world, angel,

Alec Gordon's going to be there,

and I have to do a little spade
work for part in your play,

Well I'm certainly not going to subject
Carolyn into that too.

-Oh I don't blame you.
-But I don't...

Carolyn you don't mind if I
send you home in a cab, do you?

oh we could drop you but,

it's so late already and I'd
never hear the end of it,

if the great director had come
and gone before we arrived.

Yes I don't know, why should I?

Uh check please.

There you are miss it's up to you.

I still like the off-white best,

-let's have that.
-Anything you say,

I'll finish the dining
room and do this room next.

All right.

-Good morning.
-Good morning.

You know if there's anything in the
world I hate it's the smell of paint.

You're the one who was so insistent we
start right away.

Well I thought it would be easier
if it was done while I was in Boston,

I wouldn't be in your way then,

and it would be something to
occupy your time while I was gone.

You mean I'm not going to Boston with
you either?

What do you mean 'either'?

Oh it doesn't matter,

-you don't want me to go?
-There's no need for you to.

But I always do.

Carolyn dear, I'm only trying to stop
what you accused me of doing last week,

-imposing on you. -But I enjoy going out
of town at the place it's change,

-and it's exciting.
-It's a bore and you know it,

you've always pretended to like it just
because you wanted to please me,

now, you stay here buy anything
new for the house that you want,

and enjoy yourself. Now I've got to run
or I'll be late for the rehearsal.

Colin...

What?

Who's going with you to
Boston?

Well what do you mean?
cast and the crew, why?

Well I just wanted...

have a good day.

You too.

Ah,

could I speak to miss Blake please?

she's not it,

uh no no no message ah,

I just wonder when she
was leaving for Boston,

oh,

tomorrow,

uh thank you so much.

Thank you,

mr Burns,

I'd like you to leave this room
and do my brother's study today instead.

Well I've almost finished
the third wall miss.

Well he's coming home tomorrow
and I'd like to be ready for him.

Well I can hardly finish the whole room
in one day miss.

I know but you can do most of it
and finish it tomorrow morning,

you can leave your things there overnight
so as to get an early start tomorrow,

Yes ma'am.

I'm here dear,

are you awake?

Miss Harvey,

could I see you outside
for a moment please?

Yes of course.

Yes...

I've just talked to the surgeon, miss
Harvey I'm afraid the news is not good,

he's going to be blind.

And his face?

Did you hear what I said?

His face, is it going to be disfigured?

I'm afraid so,

-but plastic surgery these days can do...
-Well then can I take him home?

Well not too soon, and then he'll need a
tremendous amount of care.

Oh I don't mind,

I like nursing myself.

Ready for your lunch dear?

Uh I'm not hungry.

Well you just eat as much as you can,

here we are,

now we'll just pretend the
potatoes are at one o'clock,

and the meat is at six o'clock shall we?

Will you stop!

I'm blind but I'm
I'm not an idiot child.

-I'm only trying to help dear.
-Well don't.

Colin how are you ever going to get well,

if you don't eat properly and take care
of yourself?

Leave me alone Carolyn,

just leave me alone,

that's all I want.

You've been shut up in this room
for weeks now,

you won't see anyone,

go anywhere,

what's gonna happen to you?

If I'm luckier, I'll die.

Oh don't say that,

Don't you understand Carolyn
I just don't care.

But I do.

No one's stopping you from
going anywhere you want,

to go or doing anything you want to do.

I'm not thinking of myself
I love taking care of you.

You don't have to give
your whole life to it.

Don't turn away from me,

there are people who've gone on
acting when they've lost their sight.

Yes but they didn't
lose their looks too.

I was a leading man Carolyn,

they used to say I was the
handsomest man in the theater,

now I'm only fit to play in horror
pictures,

Carolyn I'm never gonna act again.

You have to meet people eventually, you
can't hide here for the rest of your life.

I can and I will,

not that meeting people has been
so much of a problem so far,

oh Carolyn,

all the friends I think I had, why
haven't they even tried to see me.

I'm sure they meant to dear, but you know
how theater people are they,

they run away from anything unpleasant.

Like the way I look?

No I didn't mean that, I just meant,

well they're like
children,

illness frightens them so
they pretend it doesn't exist,

Colin you must stop being so sensitive
about your face,

remember how you used to tell me how how
good-looking you thought I was?

won't you believe now that to me you're
still very good-looking.

-Stop being kind.
-I'm not just being kind,

the plastic surgery did help quite a lot,

Carolyn you were never a very good liar,

every time you've lied about the operation
I've heard the truth in your voice, that,

that idiot doctor was more convincing.

You mustn't blame him Colin,

he did try he did the best he could it
wasn't his fault,

face was so badly damaged...

I know, I know, but,

I'll tell you something Carolyn,

I'm almost glad I'm blind,

because I can't see how,

grotesque I look now.

I understand dear,

but it doesn't help at all,

I don't mind looking at you,

in spite of what's happened to your face,

So what does it matter about
anyone else?

as long as we have each other.

Unfortunately Carolyn's defense plea,

that her act was merely a
case of sibling rivalry,

did not hold up in court,

and now for a plea of a different sort,

after which I shall
skate back.

That concludes our program for today,

I may as well take my captain Marshawn,

not bad,

and you should have seen how many I
threw back because they were too small,

next week we should be back with more
ice cold commercials,

and a freshly thought out tv story,

until then, good night.