Touched by an Angel (1994–2003): Season 7, Episode 1 - The Face on the Bar Room Floor - full transcript
♪ With a million neon
rainbows burning below me ♪
♪ And a million blazing
taxis raising a roar ♪
♪ Here I sit above the town ♪
♪ In my pet-pailletted gown ♪
♪ Down in the depths ♪
♪ On the 90th floor ♪
♪ While the crowds at El
Morocco punish the parquet ♪
♪ And at 21 ♪
- ♪ The couples clamor for more ♪
- So nice talking to you.
Hi.
♪ I'm deserted, depressed ♪
♪ In my regal eagle nest ♪
♪ Down in the depths ♪
♪ On the 90th floor ♪
♪ When the only one you
wanted wants another ♪
♪ What's the use of swank ♪
♪ And cash in the bank galore? ♪
♪ Why, even the janitor's wife ♪
♪ Has some
sentiment in her life ♪
♪ But here am I ♪
♪ Facing tomorrow ♪
♪ Alone with my sorrow ♪
♪ Down in the depths ♪
♪ On the 90th floor. ♪
Brave, Tess.
Thank you, baby.
It's terribly sad,
though, isn't it?
"Down in the depths
on the 90th floor."
Mm-hmm.
What floor are
we on, by the way?
The 63rd floor.
And by the way...
where are your shoes?
I didn't bring them.
I've been thinking recently
that all this time
I've been spending
with human beings might be
having a negative effect on me.
Go on.
Well, for instance,
this evening, when I
got the call to meet you,
did you notice that I
was just a wee bit late?
Yes, I did.
Well, that's because I...
I couldn't make up my
mind which shoes to wear.
What do you think of that?
I mean, I remember the
time when I didn't want
to wear any shoes at all.
And yet here I was
today trying to decide
between the pink
ones and the gold ones,
and finally I said, "You
know what, Monica?
Forget it... don't
wear any shoes at all."
I'm going back to my roots.
That's very interesting.
But since you're
going back that far,
I'd like for you to
stop in the 18005
and remember everything you
can about a man named Jack Clay.
Jack Clay.
Yes, I was in search
and rescue at the time.
Tess, that has to be
over 100 years ago.
- I mean, he must be...
- Oh, yeah.
He's passed on and,
unfortunately, forgotten.
Well, nearly anyway.
Look there.
Good seeing you. Take care.
My goodness.
That's Everett.
He's Jack's great-grandson.
The resemblance
- is remarkable.
- Hi. How you doing?
Yes, it is, and the resemblance
doesn't stop there,
I'm sorry to say.
Oh, dear.
I don't understand
human beings sometimes.
It seems that no
matter how many times
their ancestors tripped
and fell in the past,
some people still have
to go down the same road
and fall all over again.
And when it's
from the 90th floor
or even from the 63rd floor,
it's a long way down.
♪ When you walk ♪
♪ Down the road ♪
♪ Heavy burden ♪
♪ Heavy load ♪
♪ I will rise ♪
♪ And I will walk with you ♪
♪ I'll walk with you ♪
♪ Till the sun
don't even shine ♪
♪ Walk with you ♪
♪ Every time, I tell you ♪
♪ I'll walk with you ♪
♪ Walk with you ♪
♪ Believe me, I'll
walk with you. ♪
- ♪ Now you're here ♪
- ♪ Now you're here ♪
♪ And now I know ♪
- ♪ Just where I'm going ♪
- ♪ Just where I'm going ♪
- ♪ No more doubt or fear ♪
- ♪ No doubt, no fear ♪
- ♪ I found my way ♪
- ♪ I found my way ♪
- ♪ For love came just in time ♪
- ♪ Love came just in time ♪
- ♪ You found me just in time ♪
- ♪ You got here just in time ♪
- ♪ And changed my lonely life ♪
- ♪ Changed my lonely life ♪
- ♪ That lovely day ♪
- ♪ That lovely day ♪
♪ And changed my
life that lonely day ♪
♪ You changed my life
that lovely day, yeah. ♪
Hey, Dad, you were great.
- Thanks.
- Have you met Tina?
Hi, Tina. Enjoy yourself.
Now, tell me who you
are and which of my friends
had the vision to
bring you along tonight.
My name is Tess, Mr. Clay.
And you really have
a lovely place here.
And you have a
magnificent voice.
Thank you.
But you're not from
New York, are you?
No, I'm just passing through.
Well, aren't we all in a way?
But not everybody passes
through in such style.
You say that as if
it were a bad thing.
Oh, no, the only
problem with style
is you can't take it
with you when you go.
No, but then you can't
take anything else, either.
You take love.
Oh.
I knew you weren't
from New York.
You two were wonderful.
Thank you.
Uh, Carla, Simon... Tess.
Nice to meet you.
She's visiting from, uh,
Californian I'm guessing.
- Ev?
- Hmm?
Are you doing
Marbella this year?
I've already sent
the yacht ahead.
I'll be flying there
next week to join it.
Well, think about Cap Ferrat.
We'll be there till the
opera season starts.
And you know you're
always welcome.
I miss the column door.
Well, the house in Aspen is
just sitting there, you know.
It's yours if you
get to Colorado.
Oh, thanks, Carla.
Excuse me a moment.
It's my father.
I don't believe it.
The old man himself, hmm?
83, and still runs
the family business.
Plastics, textiles.
I've heard they, uh,
even make buttons.
Dad, I wish I'd known
you were coming.
I wish I'd known I was invited.
Well, you're always invited.
I read the society
column this morning.
And I don't usually
bother with that drivel.
The fact that you
credit your success
to the strong Puritan
work ethic that you inherited
from your Mayflower ancestors,
well, it just caught my eye.
Dad... I could spend
all night dissecting
the stunningly false
elements in that statement.
But that's not why I came.
Your boat, your little yacht,
on its way across the Atlantic,
the one you sent ahead
to avoid the annoyance
of actually being on it,
has sunk off the coast of Spain.
What?
My God, no.
I spent years designing
that... It's irreplaceable.
Well, I guess I
could replace it.
I still have the plans
somewhere, but...
What a waste. My God.
Hey, Grandpa.
Carson, what did you do
with that $5 million I gave you?
Uh, well, I, uh...
I formed an Internet start-up
that incubates Web sites
to allow for online broadcasting
of previously recorded material
for personal downloading.
And what is it worth today?
Uh... Today?
$5 million means absolutely
nothing to you, does it?
You've taught him well, Everett.
I'd like to see you at my office
at 9:00 tomorrow morning.
Do you know where it is?
Yes, sir.
Oh, by the way,
about that yacht.
You never bothered to
ask if anyone drowned.
Life has just been
one long party for you, Everett.
Punctuated by the
occasional yacht sinking
and misplaced cummerbund.
You have played and
spent and drunk your way
through the last 55 years.
And if you don't
die of a heart attack,
you'll die from
sheer overexposure
to unlimited wealth.
And when that happens,
it won't be your fault.
It will be mine.
There's a story in the Bible
about the prodigal son
who takes his share
of his inheritance
and leaves town
and piddles it all away
until he ends up
penniless and miserable,
sleeping in a barn
and slopping pigs.
He finally returns home,
having learned that
money is no substitute
for the things that
really matter in life.
Like hard work and integrity.
And family.
And his father welcomes
him back with open arms
and tears in his eyes.
Well, son, I've been waiting
to welcome you home for years.
But you never came.
And that is because
you were just
never miserable enough.
And so... I'm going
to help you out.
What?
You are cut off, son...
Your credit cards,
your limousine, your penthouse,
your monthly allowance.
Everything this company
has provided you,
and now this company
is taking it back.
You are disinherited.
You've got to be kidding.
This is ridiculous!
Yes, it is.
I should have done
it a long time ago.
I hope you have some
cash in your pocket.
My God, you're serious.
You're throwing
me out with nothing.
I'm supposed to walk out of
here and never look back, right?
No.
I hope you look back.
I truly do.
Whether or not you'll admit
it to your society friends,
we are not the
highfalutin descendants
of old money and
Mayflower families.
Your great-grandfather,
Jack, started this company
by carving these buttons.
The first buttons he ever made.
He sold them two for a penny.
He never owned a yacht.
He never gave a fancy
party, but somehow,
he learned to do
an honest day's work
for an honest day's
pay, and I'm proud of that,
and someday, I want
to be proud of you.
So I'm not going
to let you leave here
with nothing today.
I'm giving you...
this.
Oh, wow.
Thanks, Dad.
Thanks. Thanks a lot.
Your service has
been disconnected.
Your service has
been disconnected.
You need a lift?
Oh, Tess, isn't it?
Yes.
- I-I was just, uh...
- Oh, don't explain.
People experience
all kinds of emotions
when they're disinherited
and lose millions
and millions of dollars.
Oh, my God.
It must be all over town.
I'm finished.
I can't show my
face around here.
Well, Aspen's nice
this time of year.
That's right.
Simon and Carla said I could
use their house any time...
but it's in Colorado.
I don't even have taxi
money to get home.
That is, if I had one.
Well, you know, it's
the funniest thing...
I'm just leaving for Colorado.
Really?
I don't suppose
you're going there
on your, um... plane?
No. That's my baby.
Oh, looky here.
Take this. You could use it
for the chilly nights
in the mountains.
Come on, let's go.
Well, we 're making
excellent time.
I'm a very good driver.
Where do you want
to spend the night?
Oh, we're not
going to stop, honey.
I'm going to drive
straight through.
♪ She'll be coming
around the mountain ♪
♪ When she comes,
when she comes ♪
♪ She’ll be coming
around the mountain ♪
♪ When she comes,
when she comes ♪
♪ She'll be coming
around the mountain ♪
♪ She'll be coming
around the mountain ♪
♪ She'll be coming
around the mountain ♪
♪ When she... ♪
Good morning, and
welcome to Colorado.
Colorado?
Last time I looked,
we were in Indiana.
Central City?
Presidents, millionaires,
opera singers and high society.
They all came through here
when it was a big mining town.
- Mmm.
- Interesting, huh?
Yeah, but how
far is it to Aspen?
Don't you get it?
Aspen is nothing compared
to what Central City
was 100 years ago.
This was the place.
Yeah.
Come on, I got something
I want to show you.
Come on. Come on.
I thought we were going
to get some breakfast.
Looky here.
Who is she?
You never heard of the
face on the barroom floor?
No.
Well, some people say that
it's the lost love of a miner
who drew her
to pay his bar bill.
And then some people say
that it's all a practical joke
by a traveling sign painter.
They spent years trying to
figure out how she got here.
Well, she's beautiful.
It's a shame nobody
knows who she was.
Oh, I didn't say that.
I know who she was.
She was a friend of Jack
Clay's, your great-grandfather.
And how would you know that?
I'm a history buff.
Now let me ask you a question.
That deerskin jacket
that you almost threw
away on the sidewalk,
that was his, wasn't it?
And there was
a button missing, wasn't there?
You want to know why?
I must admit, this is
somewhat intriguing,
but frankly, I'd rather
be on the road to Aspen.
I'm not very interested
in my family tree.
Well, excuse me for saying so,
but your not being
interested in your family tree
is what got you on the road
to Aspen in the first place.
Now, why don't
you just sit down,
have a cup of coffee
and listen to a
nice little story?
I'm buying.
Bartender?
- Yes, ma'am?
- One cup of coffee
and one cup of tea, please.
Coming right up.
Now, this face, her
name was Monica,
and she worked right here
in the Teller House Saloon.
He's coming.
II
It was in 1893,
and Central City was
a great big silver town.
Or was it a gold town?
But that doesn't matter.
I thought you
were a history buff.
Do you want to
hear this story or not?
Now, your great-grandfather
was not a bad man,
but he wasn't a
happy one, either.
He was just trying to get along
- Thanks.
- And make that big strike
so he could make up
for all the bad decisions
he made in his life.
Sarsaparilla?
It's good for what ails you.
Welcome to the Teller House.
Mighty fine place
you got here, sir.
My name's Clay, Jack Clay.
Andrew.
And I'd be prepared to sacrifice
a bottle of my
amazing miracle elixir...
for something a little stronger.
Oh, that's okay, Mr. Clay.
Sarsaparilla's on the house.
Hey, sure thing.
Ready?
♪ When I was a
lad, I served a term ♪
♪ As office boy in
an attorney's firm ♪
♪ I cleaned the windows
and I swept the floor ♪
♪ And I polished up the
handle on the big front door ♪
♪ I polished up the
handle so carefully ♪
♪ That now I am the
ruler of the Queen's Navy ♪
♪ Now, landsmen all,
whoever you may be ♪
♪ If you want to rise
to the top of the tree ♪
♪ If your soul ain't
fettered to an office stool ♪
♪ Be careful to be guided
by this golden rule ♪
♪ Be careful to be guided ♪
♪ By this golden rule ♪
♪ One bottle of elixir
and you will see ♪
♪ Just why I am the ruler
of the Queen's Navy ♪
♪ The Queen's Navy. ♪
Thank you.
Thank you all for
your generosity.
Yes, sir.
And to pay you back,
here's some magical eli...
elixir.
You got any more of that?
Yes, and there's
more, there's more.
For you, sir.
Thank you, ma'am.
Tell Andrew I'm
obliged for the grub.
It's been a while since I've
been pleasured by home cooking.
I'll repay the kindness one day.
There's no need, Mr. Clay.
Kindness is a gift.
Sarsaparilla and pretty manners.
I got to get out of
this Sunday school.
You in or out, Clay?
Um, in.
Two.
It's up to you, Clay.
Will you take an IOU
from a gentleman?
If the gentleman has
something to back up that IOU.
A right honorable
horse named Judge
and my gun.
Show your cards.
Three majestic... kings.
Full house.
Queens over nines.
Your gun, sir?
It's been a pleasure
doing business with you.
The next morning, Jack
came loaded for bear.
Morning.
Morning. Where is he?
Who?
Barkley Stubbs, the man
I was playing
cards with last night.
I got to get my saddlebags
before he takes off with
what used to be my horse.
Stubbs? He's long gone, mister.
Gone where?
Nobody knows where he goes.
He just comes into town
every once in a while,
cheats some more sap
out of everything he's got,
then disappears into
the hills somewheres.
Cheats?
Yep. Usually comes
up with a full house.
Queens over
nines is his favorite.
But I guess you know the game,
being a snake oil
salesman and all.
Say, you didn't get taken
by old Barkley, did you?
I'm going to go after
that son of a grizzly bear!
Who's coming with me?
I'll go.
You're a woman.
I'm an excellent tracker.
- Really?
- Really?
Really.
You're from Tucson originally.
You haven't handled any actual
gold ore for over three weeks.
And this morning, you had
eggs on sourdough toast
and lingonberryjam
across the street.
She's right... every word.
All right, let's go!
Can I bring Andrew?
I don't care what you bring
as long as it
ain't sarsaparilla.
And then they did Western
things like jump on their horses
and ye“ “yea-haw“ and ride
off into the sunset and stuff.
That's not exactly what you'd
call an historical rendition.
Oh? Were you there?
No, I wasn't there.
I wasn't there then, and I
don't want to be here now.
Are you all right?
Yeah. Just a little...
a little short of breath.
That's all.
Must be the altitude.
Let me get you some water.
I thought we'd have more time.
It happens when it happens.
Here's some water.
Oh, thanks.
I always get a little dizzy
when I'm too high
up above sea level.
Well, how did you manage
the 63rd floor all these years?
Well, I managed, but
the 63rd floor is gone.
Unfairly taken... like
everything else I own.
But you still have a son.
Yeah.
He's the only thing
I ever did right.
But... But?
$5 million.
I should never
have let him lose it.
I could sure use that money now.
Everett, money is
not the issue here.
What your son needs is
something you could use:
character.
But the problem is
you can't download
character off the Internet.
You've got to get it
the old-fashioned way.
And I suppose you
think snake oil salesman
and two-bit gambler Jack Clay
was a model of moral rectitude.
Jack Clay was a man
who was willing to change.
I don't know how you
do it, Andrew, out here.
Your stew tastes just
like my wife Helen's.
I hope that's a compliment.
Oh, she can make mangy
longhorn taste like T-bone.
She's one fine woman.
You must miss her very much.
Mmm.
♪ Let me call you sweetheart ♪
♪ I'm in love with you ♪
♪ Let me hear you whisper
that you love me, too ♪
♪ Keep the love light
glowing in your eye... ♪
What are you making?
It's going to be a button.
Odd thing for a
man to make, right?
Not at all. Buttons
are very important.
Buttons hold the
whole world together.
That's what Helen always says.
You'd think they were diamonds
the way she goes
on about buttons.
Pearl buttons, polished
mahogany buttons, ivory buttons.
Buttons I can't
afford to buy her.
So you make 'em for her.
Yeah, I make 'em
from stones, wood.
Made these from antler tips.
Anything I can find.
I've made her a button for
every day I've been away.
Got a whole
saddlebag full of 'em.
Except they're in the cheating
hands of Barkley Stubbs.
I wonder if Mr. Stubbs knows
the treasure he has
in those saddlebags.
They ain't worth a plug nickel.
Sentimental value's a
poor substitute for gold.
No.
That depends on how a
man measures himself.
As long as Barkley
Stubbs gets measured
for a pine box, who cares?
Every day I have to
spend looking for him,
looking to get back
what's rightfully mine,
keeps me another day
from making my own fortune.
And going home.
How did you do that?
It's like that bottle trick
you did at the saloon.
You're not gonna
tell anybody, are you?
Secret pocket.
Whenever I get a lot of money,
I'm gonna keep it right there.
Right now, this picture
of my wife and daughter's
the only thing I've got
that's worth anything at all.
I ought to shoot you in
your thieving back right now.
Clay?
Surprise.
Where's my horse?
Sold it.
Looks like queens over nines
have been mighty kind to you.
How many people have you
cheated out of everything they own?
I don't know.
How many bottles of
that phony miracle elixir
you sold to poor old miners?
There's a difference between
salesmanship and cheating.
Not much of one
from where I stand.
No, Jack, please!
Don't shoot.
I'd be doing the world
one heck of a favor.
That's not for you to decide.
I didn't bring you
here to kill a man.
I brought you here to bring
back only what belongs to you.
I want more than that, Monica.
I'm tired, haven't
had a bath in months.
I want to go home.
And I'm taking that gold
one way or the other.
How could you go home to Helen
with a man's blood
on your hands?
It was an accident.
You'd about convinced
me not to shoot him,
but he grabbed the gun.
Nearest hospital is in
Denver. That's 45 miles away.
He's not going to make
it down the mountain.
All that gold sitting there,
and I'd trade every ounce
- for a hospital nearby.
- Mmm.
And some ether.
How about some of that
miracle elixir of yours?
Nothing but maple
syrup and water...
and the snake oil, of course.
That's what I thought.
What happened to us, Jack?
How did we get so low?
I was a decent man
when I left Wichita.
Lot of men paid dearly
for what's in this strongbox.
I'm sorry for that.
But now that it's
going to be yours,
things can be different.
Nobody else has to get hurt.
You... you lost
one of your buttons.
Sorry.
That don't matter.
Just a kind of hobby of mine.
These are the first
ones I ever made.
My wife made the coat,
and I carved the buttons.
You know, I sold the
ones you were carrying.
Sold 'em to a lady.
You mean someone paid
good money for these things?
I got more for them
than I got for your horse.
You got real talent, Jack.
I hope you're smart
enough to use it.
I wasn't.
And now I'm dying
on a mountaintop.
And I'm never going to
see my wife and kids again.
Grab that saddlebag.
There's a map in there.
It'll get you back
here from Central City.
Don't take the
gold with you now,
or somebody
will kill you for it,
sure as I'm dying here.
You're angels, aren't you?
Yes.
Poor buzzard's hallucinating.
No, he's not.
I got some things I
got to say to God now.
You mind leaving me
alone with them for a while?
You sure?
I haven't been so sure
of anything in a long time.
I never knew a man like that
could deserve a decent grave.
He didn't deserve
it. He asked for it.
Sometimes it takes his own death
for a man to get his life right.
Maybe so.
Tell the truth, that
old polecat and I
had more in common
than I care to admit.
I'm not quite sure
what to do about that.
Yes, you are.
Barkley had a second chance.
It only lasted a few
hours, but he took it.
What are you going
to do with yours?
I guess I... I'll just take
what he took from me.
We'll leave the rest.
It ain't easy, but... leave it.
So he just walked
away from it all?
Yes. He used his money
to go back to New York,
and he started
his button company
with nothing but hard work.
Well, I guess the old boy
had some character after all.
I don't think I could
have just walked away
from a box of gold
just sitting there.
Oh, wow!
Happy days are here again!
Well, this must be an old trail
because the road goes
left and the map goes right.
Well, hold on.
My God, it's true.
Tess, come on! This is it!
Five, six, seven, eight.
Knock yourself out.
Okay, Jack, don't let me down.
The gold is here, Tess.
I can feel it.
Here we go. Yes!
This means I don't need
my dad's money anymore.
I don't have to crawl
back and beg for anything.
Here we go!
After all these years, I'm free.
Here it comes.
I don't believe this.
Son of a...!
It's empty.
The lousy stinking box is empty!
No, it's not.
Look again.
Well... it's a button!
It's the button.
Remember, I asked you,
did you want to hear the
story about what happened
to the missing button
from the jacket?
Well, that's it.
That's where it's been...
In that box all these years.
I couldn't care
less about a button.
I want to know where
the money went.
You said he didn't want it.
He changed his mind.
What?
He changed his mind?
That's it? That's the story?
This has all been
about a... a useless,
utterly worthless button?
Are you nuts?! I need
money! I need it now!
What good is an empty box
with a button in
it gonna do me?!
It's going to help you
get a second chance.
You're out of your mind!
What?
Everett, you're
having a heart attack.
This has been coming
on for a long time.
So this is it.
I'm going to die out
here just like Barkley did.
For a button?!
55-year-old male. V
tach, 200 beats per minute.
- BP 80/50.
- Okay, I want to start a second line.
- I want a chem pan of ABGs, chest X-ray.
- Yes, sir.
- Let's get him started on a 12-lead.
- All right, Doctor.
- Come on.
- Okay, folks, all together,
on my count. Ready?
One, two, three.
I know you.
You're the face on
the... barroom floor.
Yes. He put it there, so
that when this day came,
you would recognize me.
Who?
Who put it there?
God.
You see, I am an angel.
Then it's true.
Barkley Stubbs did see
angels before he died.
Yes.
I see.
What are you thinking
about, Everett?
I'm thinking about
my son, Carson.
How I wasted 50
years on champagne
and first-class tickets and...
friends who won't even
bother coming to my funeral.
I'm thinking about my father.
How I let him down.
Do you remember the
story he told you, your father?
- About the prodigal son?
- Yes.
I wish I were living in a barn
and slopping pigs right now,
but I don't even deserve that.
And if you're an angel,
then there's a God.
So I guess I'm gonna find
out what I... do deserve.
Probably some special
kind of hell for wastrels.
Is that how it works?
No, that's not how
it works, Everett.
You see, God is a father, too,
and He gave this life to you.
And, yes, He's disappointed
that you've used it
to spend money instead of love.
But children disappoint
their parents every day,
and that doesn't stop
fathers from loving their sons,
and that doesn't stop God
from loving you so much
that He'll wait a lifetime
if that's what it takes
for you to become the man
that He created you to be.
I don't know how to do that.
Yes, you do.
Remember the button?
I think that your
great-grandfather
left that button behind
as a way to say to
whoever found it someday,
"I started all over again
with nothing but a decision
"to live my life
simply and honestly.
I am going to do
that, and you can, too."
Well, maybe he tried, but...
he must have failed.
He went back for
the gold, remember?
Yes.
But there was a reason.
I hope it was a good one.
Oh, yes, it was. It was.
You are going to get a
second chance, Everett,
and no matter how much time
is left to you in this
life, just remember:
you'll always be
your father's little boy.
02 stats are at 95.
And Vitals?
Stable. And... And what?
Looks like he's crying.
Okay. Good. We got him.
Nice work, people.
Let's get him upstairs.
Mr. Clay? Your
son is on line three.
Thank you.
The answer is no.
Well... you were right.
If the question is...
"Did I ever appreciate
everything I had?"
The answer is no.
If it's, "Am I a good
son and a good father?"
The answer is no.
If it's, "Do I deserve another
chance?" the answer is no.
But...
I'm-I'm not the same person
who left New York, Dad.
I know that's hard
for you to believe.
I haven't been
gone very long, but...
I want a chance to
prove that to... to Carson.
And to you.
Dad?
Come home, son.
Just come home, hmm?
Th-Thanks, Dad.
Thanks.
- Thank you so much.
- My pleasure, Mr. Clay.
Hey. Tess.
I have brought you
an I'm-glad-you-got-well
present.
' Oh! I You notice
anything different?
The button... you found it.
Well, nobody's going to believe
this story if you haven't
got all your buttons.
It's great to be alive!
Yes, it sure is.
You know, Tess,
you never did tell me
what old Grandpa Jack
did with all that gold.
That's right.
I never did.
rainbows burning below me ♪
♪ And a million blazing
taxis raising a roar ♪
♪ Here I sit above the town ♪
♪ In my pet-pailletted gown ♪
♪ Down in the depths ♪
♪ On the 90th floor ♪
♪ While the crowds at El
Morocco punish the parquet ♪
♪ And at 21 ♪
- ♪ The couples clamor for more ♪
- So nice talking to you.
Hi.
♪ I'm deserted, depressed ♪
♪ In my regal eagle nest ♪
♪ Down in the depths ♪
♪ On the 90th floor ♪
♪ When the only one you
wanted wants another ♪
♪ What's the use of swank ♪
♪ And cash in the bank galore? ♪
♪ Why, even the janitor's wife ♪
♪ Has some
sentiment in her life ♪
♪ But here am I ♪
♪ Facing tomorrow ♪
♪ Alone with my sorrow ♪
♪ Down in the depths ♪
♪ On the 90th floor. ♪
Brave, Tess.
Thank you, baby.
It's terribly sad,
though, isn't it?
"Down in the depths
on the 90th floor."
Mm-hmm.
What floor are
we on, by the way?
The 63rd floor.
And by the way...
where are your shoes?
I didn't bring them.
I've been thinking recently
that all this time
I've been spending
with human beings might be
having a negative effect on me.
Go on.
Well, for instance,
this evening, when I
got the call to meet you,
did you notice that I
was just a wee bit late?
Yes, I did.
Well, that's because I...
I couldn't make up my
mind which shoes to wear.
What do you think of that?
I mean, I remember the
time when I didn't want
to wear any shoes at all.
And yet here I was
today trying to decide
between the pink
ones and the gold ones,
and finally I said, "You
know what, Monica?
Forget it... don't
wear any shoes at all."
I'm going back to my roots.
That's very interesting.
But since you're
going back that far,
I'd like for you to
stop in the 18005
and remember everything you
can about a man named Jack Clay.
Jack Clay.
Yes, I was in search
and rescue at the time.
Tess, that has to be
over 100 years ago.
- I mean, he must be...
- Oh, yeah.
He's passed on and,
unfortunately, forgotten.
Well, nearly anyway.
Look there.
Good seeing you. Take care.
My goodness.
That's Everett.
He's Jack's great-grandson.
The resemblance
- is remarkable.
- Hi. How you doing?
Yes, it is, and the resemblance
doesn't stop there,
I'm sorry to say.
Oh, dear.
I don't understand
human beings sometimes.
It seems that no
matter how many times
their ancestors tripped
and fell in the past,
some people still have
to go down the same road
and fall all over again.
And when it's
from the 90th floor
or even from the 63rd floor,
it's a long way down.
♪ When you walk ♪
♪ Down the road ♪
♪ Heavy burden ♪
♪ Heavy load ♪
♪ I will rise ♪
♪ And I will walk with you ♪
♪ I'll walk with you ♪
♪ Till the sun
don't even shine ♪
♪ Walk with you ♪
♪ Every time, I tell you ♪
♪ I'll walk with you ♪
♪ Walk with you ♪
♪ Believe me, I'll
walk with you. ♪
- ♪ Now you're here ♪
- ♪ Now you're here ♪
♪ And now I know ♪
- ♪ Just where I'm going ♪
- ♪ Just where I'm going ♪
- ♪ No more doubt or fear ♪
- ♪ No doubt, no fear ♪
- ♪ I found my way ♪
- ♪ I found my way ♪
- ♪ For love came just in time ♪
- ♪ Love came just in time ♪
- ♪ You found me just in time ♪
- ♪ You got here just in time ♪
- ♪ And changed my lonely life ♪
- ♪ Changed my lonely life ♪
- ♪ That lovely day ♪
- ♪ That lovely day ♪
♪ And changed my
life that lonely day ♪
♪ You changed my life
that lovely day, yeah. ♪
Hey, Dad, you were great.
- Thanks.
- Have you met Tina?
Hi, Tina. Enjoy yourself.
Now, tell me who you
are and which of my friends
had the vision to
bring you along tonight.
My name is Tess, Mr. Clay.
And you really have
a lovely place here.
And you have a
magnificent voice.
Thank you.
But you're not from
New York, are you?
No, I'm just passing through.
Well, aren't we all in a way?
But not everybody passes
through in such style.
You say that as if
it were a bad thing.
Oh, no, the only
problem with style
is you can't take it
with you when you go.
No, but then you can't
take anything else, either.
You take love.
Oh.
I knew you weren't
from New York.
You two were wonderful.
Thank you.
Uh, Carla, Simon... Tess.
Nice to meet you.
She's visiting from, uh,
Californian I'm guessing.
- Ev?
- Hmm?
Are you doing
Marbella this year?
I've already sent
the yacht ahead.
I'll be flying there
next week to join it.
Well, think about Cap Ferrat.
We'll be there till the
opera season starts.
And you know you're
always welcome.
I miss the column door.
Well, the house in Aspen is
just sitting there, you know.
It's yours if you
get to Colorado.
Oh, thanks, Carla.
Excuse me a moment.
It's my father.
I don't believe it.
The old man himself, hmm?
83, and still runs
the family business.
Plastics, textiles.
I've heard they, uh,
even make buttons.
Dad, I wish I'd known
you were coming.
I wish I'd known I was invited.
Well, you're always invited.
I read the society
column this morning.
And I don't usually
bother with that drivel.
The fact that you
credit your success
to the strong Puritan
work ethic that you inherited
from your Mayflower ancestors,
well, it just caught my eye.
Dad... I could spend
all night dissecting
the stunningly false
elements in that statement.
But that's not why I came.
Your boat, your little yacht,
on its way across the Atlantic,
the one you sent ahead
to avoid the annoyance
of actually being on it,
has sunk off the coast of Spain.
What?
My God, no.
I spent years designing
that... It's irreplaceable.
Well, I guess I
could replace it.
I still have the plans
somewhere, but...
What a waste. My God.
Hey, Grandpa.
Carson, what did you do
with that $5 million I gave you?
Uh, well, I, uh...
I formed an Internet start-up
that incubates Web sites
to allow for online broadcasting
of previously recorded material
for personal downloading.
And what is it worth today?
Uh... Today?
$5 million means absolutely
nothing to you, does it?
You've taught him well, Everett.
I'd like to see you at my office
at 9:00 tomorrow morning.
Do you know where it is?
Yes, sir.
Oh, by the way,
about that yacht.
You never bothered to
ask if anyone drowned.
Life has just been
one long party for you, Everett.
Punctuated by the
occasional yacht sinking
and misplaced cummerbund.
You have played and
spent and drunk your way
through the last 55 years.
And if you don't
die of a heart attack,
you'll die from
sheer overexposure
to unlimited wealth.
And when that happens,
it won't be your fault.
It will be mine.
There's a story in the Bible
about the prodigal son
who takes his share
of his inheritance
and leaves town
and piddles it all away
until he ends up
penniless and miserable,
sleeping in a barn
and slopping pigs.
He finally returns home,
having learned that
money is no substitute
for the things that
really matter in life.
Like hard work and integrity.
And family.
And his father welcomes
him back with open arms
and tears in his eyes.
Well, son, I've been waiting
to welcome you home for years.
But you never came.
And that is because
you were just
never miserable enough.
And so... I'm going
to help you out.
What?
You are cut off, son...
Your credit cards,
your limousine, your penthouse,
your monthly allowance.
Everything this company
has provided you,
and now this company
is taking it back.
You are disinherited.
You've got to be kidding.
This is ridiculous!
Yes, it is.
I should have done
it a long time ago.
I hope you have some
cash in your pocket.
My God, you're serious.
You're throwing
me out with nothing.
I'm supposed to walk out of
here and never look back, right?
No.
I hope you look back.
I truly do.
Whether or not you'll admit
it to your society friends,
we are not the
highfalutin descendants
of old money and
Mayflower families.
Your great-grandfather,
Jack, started this company
by carving these buttons.
The first buttons he ever made.
He sold them two for a penny.
He never owned a yacht.
He never gave a fancy
party, but somehow,
he learned to do
an honest day's work
for an honest day's
pay, and I'm proud of that,
and someday, I want
to be proud of you.
So I'm not going
to let you leave here
with nothing today.
I'm giving you...
this.
Oh, wow.
Thanks, Dad.
Thanks. Thanks a lot.
Your service has
been disconnected.
Your service has
been disconnected.
You need a lift?
Oh, Tess, isn't it?
Yes.
- I-I was just, uh...
- Oh, don't explain.
People experience
all kinds of emotions
when they're disinherited
and lose millions
and millions of dollars.
Oh, my God.
It must be all over town.
I'm finished.
I can't show my
face around here.
Well, Aspen's nice
this time of year.
That's right.
Simon and Carla said I could
use their house any time...
but it's in Colorado.
I don't even have taxi
money to get home.
That is, if I had one.
Well, you know, it's
the funniest thing...
I'm just leaving for Colorado.
Really?
I don't suppose
you're going there
on your, um... plane?
No. That's my baby.
Oh, looky here.
Take this. You could use it
for the chilly nights
in the mountains.
Come on, let's go.
Well, we 're making
excellent time.
I'm a very good driver.
Where do you want
to spend the night?
Oh, we're not
going to stop, honey.
I'm going to drive
straight through.
♪ She'll be coming
around the mountain ♪
♪ When she comes,
when she comes ♪
♪ She’ll be coming
around the mountain ♪
♪ When she comes,
when she comes ♪
♪ She'll be coming
around the mountain ♪
♪ She'll be coming
around the mountain ♪
♪ She'll be coming
around the mountain ♪
♪ When she... ♪
Good morning, and
welcome to Colorado.
Colorado?
Last time I looked,
we were in Indiana.
Central City?
Presidents, millionaires,
opera singers and high society.
They all came through here
when it was a big mining town.
- Mmm.
- Interesting, huh?
Yeah, but how
far is it to Aspen?
Don't you get it?
Aspen is nothing compared
to what Central City
was 100 years ago.
This was the place.
Yeah.
Come on, I got something
I want to show you.
Come on. Come on.
I thought we were going
to get some breakfast.
Looky here.
Who is she?
You never heard of the
face on the barroom floor?
No.
Well, some people say that
it's the lost love of a miner
who drew her
to pay his bar bill.
And then some people say
that it's all a practical joke
by a traveling sign painter.
They spent years trying to
figure out how she got here.
Well, she's beautiful.
It's a shame nobody
knows who she was.
Oh, I didn't say that.
I know who she was.
She was a friend of Jack
Clay's, your great-grandfather.
And how would you know that?
I'm a history buff.
Now let me ask you a question.
That deerskin jacket
that you almost threw
away on the sidewalk,
that was his, wasn't it?
And there was
a button missing, wasn't there?
You want to know why?
I must admit, this is
somewhat intriguing,
but frankly, I'd rather
be on the road to Aspen.
I'm not very interested
in my family tree.
Well, excuse me for saying so,
but your not being
interested in your family tree
is what got you on the road
to Aspen in the first place.
Now, why don't
you just sit down,
have a cup of coffee
and listen to a
nice little story?
I'm buying.
Bartender?
- Yes, ma'am?
- One cup of coffee
and one cup of tea, please.
Coming right up.
Now, this face, her
name was Monica,
and she worked right here
in the Teller House Saloon.
He's coming.
II
It was in 1893,
and Central City was
a great big silver town.
Or was it a gold town?
But that doesn't matter.
I thought you
were a history buff.
Do you want to
hear this story or not?
Now, your great-grandfather
was not a bad man,
but he wasn't a
happy one, either.
He was just trying to get along
- Thanks.
- And make that big strike
so he could make up
for all the bad decisions
he made in his life.
Sarsaparilla?
It's good for what ails you.
Welcome to the Teller House.
Mighty fine place
you got here, sir.
My name's Clay, Jack Clay.
Andrew.
And I'd be prepared to sacrifice
a bottle of my
amazing miracle elixir...
for something a little stronger.
Oh, that's okay, Mr. Clay.
Sarsaparilla's on the house.
Hey, sure thing.
Ready?
♪ When I was a
lad, I served a term ♪
♪ As office boy in
an attorney's firm ♪
♪ I cleaned the windows
and I swept the floor ♪
♪ And I polished up the
handle on the big front door ♪
♪ I polished up the
handle so carefully ♪
♪ That now I am the
ruler of the Queen's Navy ♪
♪ Now, landsmen all,
whoever you may be ♪
♪ If you want to rise
to the top of the tree ♪
♪ If your soul ain't
fettered to an office stool ♪
♪ Be careful to be guided
by this golden rule ♪
♪ Be careful to be guided ♪
♪ By this golden rule ♪
♪ One bottle of elixir
and you will see ♪
♪ Just why I am the ruler
of the Queen's Navy ♪
♪ The Queen's Navy. ♪
Thank you.
Thank you all for
your generosity.
Yes, sir.
And to pay you back,
here's some magical eli...
elixir.
You got any more of that?
Yes, and there's
more, there's more.
For you, sir.
Thank you, ma'am.
Tell Andrew I'm
obliged for the grub.
It's been a while since I've
been pleasured by home cooking.
I'll repay the kindness one day.
There's no need, Mr. Clay.
Kindness is a gift.
Sarsaparilla and pretty manners.
I got to get out of
this Sunday school.
You in or out, Clay?
Um, in.
Two.
It's up to you, Clay.
Will you take an IOU
from a gentleman?
If the gentleman has
something to back up that IOU.
A right honorable
horse named Judge
and my gun.
Show your cards.
Three majestic... kings.
Full house.
Queens over nines.
Your gun, sir?
It's been a pleasure
doing business with you.
The next morning, Jack
came loaded for bear.
Morning.
Morning. Where is he?
Who?
Barkley Stubbs, the man
I was playing
cards with last night.
I got to get my saddlebags
before he takes off with
what used to be my horse.
Stubbs? He's long gone, mister.
Gone where?
Nobody knows where he goes.
He just comes into town
every once in a while,
cheats some more sap
out of everything he's got,
then disappears into
the hills somewheres.
Cheats?
Yep. Usually comes
up with a full house.
Queens over
nines is his favorite.
But I guess you know the game,
being a snake oil
salesman and all.
Say, you didn't get taken
by old Barkley, did you?
I'm going to go after
that son of a grizzly bear!
Who's coming with me?
I'll go.
You're a woman.
I'm an excellent tracker.
- Really?
- Really?
Really.
You're from Tucson originally.
You haven't handled any actual
gold ore for over three weeks.
And this morning, you had
eggs on sourdough toast
and lingonberryjam
across the street.
She's right... every word.
All right, let's go!
Can I bring Andrew?
I don't care what you bring
as long as it
ain't sarsaparilla.
And then they did Western
things like jump on their horses
and ye“ “yea-haw“ and ride
off into the sunset and stuff.
That's not exactly what you'd
call an historical rendition.
Oh? Were you there?
No, I wasn't there.
I wasn't there then, and I
don't want to be here now.
Are you all right?
Yeah. Just a little...
a little short of breath.
That's all.
Must be the altitude.
Let me get you some water.
I thought we'd have more time.
It happens when it happens.
Here's some water.
Oh, thanks.
I always get a little dizzy
when I'm too high
up above sea level.
Well, how did you manage
the 63rd floor all these years?
Well, I managed, but
the 63rd floor is gone.
Unfairly taken... like
everything else I own.
But you still have a son.
Yeah.
He's the only thing
I ever did right.
But... But?
$5 million.
I should never
have let him lose it.
I could sure use that money now.
Everett, money is
not the issue here.
What your son needs is
something you could use:
character.
But the problem is
you can't download
character off the Internet.
You've got to get it
the old-fashioned way.
And I suppose you
think snake oil salesman
and two-bit gambler Jack Clay
was a model of moral rectitude.
Jack Clay was a man
who was willing to change.
I don't know how you
do it, Andrew, out here.
Your stew tastes just
like my wife Helen's.
I hope that's a compliment.
Oh, she can make mangy
longhorn taste like T-bone.
She's one fine woman.
You must miss her very much.
Mmm.
♪ Let me call you sweetheart ♪
♪ I'm in love with you ♪
♪ Let me hear you whisper
that you love me, too ♪
♪ Keep the love light
glowing in your eye... ♪
What are you making?
It's going to be a button.
Odd thing for a
man to make, right?
Not at all. Buttons
are very important.
Buttons hold the
whole world together.
That's what Helen always says.
You'd think they were diamonds
the way she goes
on about buttons.
Pearl buttons, polished
mahogany buttons, ivory buttons.
Buttons I can't
afford to buy her.
So you make 'em for her.
Yeah, I make 'em
from stones, wood.
Made these from antler tips.
Anything I can find.
I've made her a button for
every day I've been away.
Got a whole
saddlebag full of 'em.
Except they're in the cheating
hands of Barkley Stubbs.
I wonder if Mr. Stubbs knows
the treasure he has
in those saddlebags.
They ain't worth a plug nickel.
Sentimental value's a
poor substitute for gold.
No.
That depends on how a
man measures himself.
As long as Barkley
Stubbs gets measured
for a pine box, who cares?
Every day I have to
spend looking for him,
looking to get back
what's rightfully mine,
keeps me another day
from making my own fortune.
And going home.
How did you do that?
It's like that bottle trick
you did at the saloon.
You're not gonna
tell anybody, are you?
Secret pocket.
Whenever I get a lot of money,
I'm gonna keep it right there.
Right now, this picture
of my wife and daughter's
the only thing I've got
that's worth anything at all.
I ought to shoot you in
your thieving back right now.
Clay?
Surprise.
Where's my horse?
Sold it.
Looks like queens over nines
have been mighty kind to you.
How many people have you
cheated out of everything they own?
I don't know.
How many bottles of
that phony miracle elixir
you sold to poor old miners?
There's a difference between
salesmanship and cheating.
Not much of one
from where I stand.
No, Jack, please!
Don't shoot.
I'd be doing the world
one heck of a favor.
That's not for you to decide.
I didn't bring you
here to kill a man.
I brought you here to bring
back only what belongs to you.
I want more than that, Monica.
I'm tired, haven't
had a bath in months.
I want to go home.
And I'm taking that gold
one way or the other.
How could you go home to Helen
with a man's blood
on your hands?
It was an accident.
You'd about convinced
me not to shoot him,
but he grabbed the gun.
Nearest hospital is in
Denver. That's 45 miles away.
He's not going to make
it down the mountain.
All that gold sitting there,
and I'd trade every ounce
- for a hospital nearby.
- Mmm.
And some ether.
How about some of that
miracle elixir of yours?
Nothing but maple
syrup and water...
and the snake oil, of course.
That's what I thought.
What happened to us, Jack?
How did we get so low?
I was a decent man
when I left Wichita.
Lot of men paid dearly
for what's in this strongbox.
I'm sorry for that.
But now that it's
going to be yours,
things can be different.
Nobody else has to get hurt.
You... you lost
one of your buttons.
Sorry.
That don't matter.
Just a kind of hobby of mine.
These are the first
ones I ever made.
My wife made the coat,
and I carved the buttons.
You know, I sold the
ones you were carrying.
Sold 'em to a lady.
You mean someone paid
good money for these things?
I got more for them
than I got for your horse.
You got real talent, Jack.
I hope you're smart
enough to use it.
I wasn't.
And now I'm dying
on a mountaintop.
And I'm never going to
see my wife and kids again.
Grab that saddlebag.
There's a map in there.
It'll get you back
here from Central City.
Don't take the
gold with you now,
or somebody
will kill you for it,
sure as I'm dying here.
You're angels, aren't you?
Yes.
Poor buzzard's hallucinating.
No, he's not.
I got some things I
got to say to God now.
You mind leaving me
alone with them for a while?
You sure?
I haven't been so sure
of anything in a long time.
I never knew a man like that
could deserve a decent grave.
He didn't deserve
it. He asked for it.
Sometimes it takes his own death
for a man to get his life right.
Maybe so.
Tell the truth, that
old polecat and I
had more in common
than I care to admit.
I'm not quite sure
what to do about that.
Yes, you are.
Barkley had a second chance.
It only lasted a few
hours, but he took it.
What are you going
to do with yours?
I guess I... I'll just take
what he took from me.
We'll leave the rest.
It ain't easy, but... leave it.
So he just walked
away from it all?
Yes. He used his money
to go back to New York,
and he started
his button company
with nothing but hard work.
Well, I guess the old boy
had some character after all.
I don't think I could
have just walked away
from a box of gold
just sitting there.
Oh, wow!
Happy days are here again!
Well, this must be an old trail
because the road goes
left and the map goes right.
Well, hold on.
My God, it's true.
Tess, come on! This is it!
Five, six, seven, eight.
Knock yourself out.
Okay, Jack, don't let me down.
The gold is here, Tess.
I can feel it.
Here we go. Yes!
This means I don't need
my dad's money anymore.
I don't have to crawl
back and beg for anything.
Here we go!
After all these years, I'm free.
Here it comes.
I don't believe this.
Son of a...!
It's empty.
The lousy stinking box is empty!
No, it's not.
Look again.
Well... it's a button!
It's the button.
Remember, I asked you,
did you want to hear the
story about what happened
to the missing button
from the jacket?
Well, that's it.
That's where it's been...
In that box all these years.
I couldn't care
less about a button.
I want to know where
the money went.
You said he didn't want it.
He changed his mind.
What?
He changed his mind?
That's it? That's the story?
This has all been
about a... a useless,
utterly worthless button?
Are you nuts?! I need
money! I need it now!
What good is an empty box
with a button in
it gonna do me?!
It's going to help you
get a second chance.
You're out of your mind!
What?
Everett, you're
having a heart attack.
This has been coming
on for a long time.
So this is it.
I'm going to die out
here just like Barkley did.
For a button?!
55-year-old male. V
tach, 200 beats per minute.
- BP 80/50.
- Okay, I want to start a second line.
- I want a chem pan of ABGs, chest X-ray.
- Yes, sir.
- Let's get him started on a 12-lead.
- All right, Doctor.
- Come on.
- Okay, folks, all together,
on my count. Ready?
One, two, three.
I know you.
You're the face on
the... barroom floor.
Yes. He put it there, so
that when this day came,
you would recognize me.
Who?
Who put it there?
God.
You see, I am an angel.
Then it's true.
Barkley Stubbs did see
angels before he died.
Yes.
I see.
What are you thinking
about, Everett?
I'm thinking about
my son, Carson.
How I wasted 50
years on champagne
and first-class tickets and...
friends who won't even
bother coming to my funeral.
I'm thinking about my father.
How I let him down.
Do you remember the
story he told you, your father?
- About the prodigal son?
- Yes.
I wish I were living in a barn
and slopping pigs right now,
but I don't even deserve that.
And if you're an angel,
then there's a God.
So I guess I'm gonna find
out what I... do deserve.
Probably some special
kind of hell for wastrels.
Is that how it works?
No, that's not how
it works, Everett.
You see, God is a father, too,
and He gave this life to you.
And, yes, He's disappointed
that you've used it
to spend money instead of love.
But children disappoint
their parents every day,
and that doesn't stop
fathers from loving their sons,
and that doesn't stop God
from loving you so much
that He'll wait a lifetime
if that's what it takes
for you to become the man
that He created you to be.
I don't know how to do that.
Yes, you do.
Remember the button?
I think that your
great-grandfather
left that button behind
as a way to say to
whoever found it someday,
"I started all over again
with nothing but a decision
"to live my life
simply and honestly.
I am going to do
that, and you can, too."
Well, maybe he tried, but...
he must have failed.
He went back for
the gold, remember?
Yes.
But there was a reason.
I hope it was a good one.
Oh, yes, it was. It was.
You are going to get a
second chance, Everett,
and no matter how much time
is left to you in this
life, just remember:
you'll always be
your father's little boy.
02 stats are at 95.
And Vitals?
Stable. And... And what?
Looks like he's crying.
Okay. Good. We got him.
Nice work, people.
Let's get him upstairs.
Mr. Clay? Your
son is on line three.
Thank you.
The answer is no.
Well... you were right.
If the question is...
"Did I ever appreciate
everything I had?"
The answer is no.
If it's, "Am I a good
son and a good father?"
The answer is no.
If it's, "Do I deserve another
chance?" the answer is no.
But...
I'm-I'm not the same person
who left New York, Dad.
I know that's hard
for you to believe.
I haven't been
gone very long, but...
I want a chance to
prove that to... to Carson.
And to you.
Dad?
Come home, son.
Just come home, hmm?
Th-Thanks, Dad.
Thanks.
- Thank you so much.
- My pleasure, Mr. Clay.
Hey. Tess.
I have brought you
an I'm-glad-you-got-well
present.
' Oh! I You notice
anything different?
The button... you found it.
Well, nobody's going to believe
this story if you haven't
got all your buttons.
It's great to be alive!
Yes, it sure is.
You know, Tess,
you never did tell me
what old Grandpa Jack
did with all that gold.
That's right.
I never did.