It was on a side road outside of Los Angeles,
I was hitchhiking from San Francisco down to San Diego, I guess,
A half-hour earlier, I'd thumbed a ride,
Thanks for the ride, the three cigarettes and for not laughing at my theories on life.
But you broke off in the middle.
Why do you keep looking for new places, people, ideas?.
Well, I never liked any job I had. Maybe the next one is the one.
-Not worried about your future?. -I got plenty of time for that. Besides...
-...maybe my future starts right now. -Well, good luck.
-Maybe I'll see you again. -Thanks for the ride, mister.
Who do you think you are?.
-He slipped you something, huh?. -That's right, brother.
I stick my head in the window and say:.
"" Parking in the highway, who do you think you are?. ""
-He slipped me three little words. -Three words?.
Yeah. He says, ""The district attorney.""
That's right, the old DA himself. He lives down the road here a piece.
Good morning, my friend. I'll tell you about that job.
All you've got to do is, you know, help around the place.
Right now I've got a certain trouble that keeps me from working.
-You look healthy. -My feet.
They keep itching for me to go places.
But it's a nice place you've got. How's the food?.
-I'll make you a wonderful hamburger, free. -Yeah?.
To show you the food that goes with the job. Do you know about automobiles?.
-Oh, I'm a born mechanic. -Swell.
Sit down.
The job doesn't pay all the money in the world...
...but you've got no expenses.
You eat and sleep right here. A fine bed, box spring and mattress...
...fresh air, sunshine.
-Boy, you'll be living. -Suppose I try it for a couple of days?.
Yeah.
-A customer. -Go ahead. We're not making money here.
-I'll look after the hamburger. -Thanks.
Don't go away.
You drop this?.
Thanks.
That's it, burn it up. I'll go tell my wife you're going to stay.
Your wife?.
Cora, I've got someone to help us now.
Oh, turn that off, Cora.
The electric light company is making enough money.
My, Cora, you look lovely tonight.
Thank you, Nick.
Nick...
...that man you hired today....
Frank?.
Well, if that's his name.
Why don't you give him a week's salary and let him go?.
-A week's pay for nothing?. -Well, we can get along without him.
Now, hold on, that's a bit too hasty. He's working pretty cheap.
That Los Angeles butcher has been cheating me.
Yes. He's been charging you U.S. Choice prices for U.S. Good.
Yeah. Well, we'll fix him.
My husband tells me your name is Frank.
That's right.
Well, Frank, around here, you'll kindly do your reading on your own time.
Your husband, Nick, told me I was through for the day...
...and I thought he was boss.
The best way to get my husband to fire you would be not doing what I tell you to do.
Well, you haven't asked me to do anything. Yet.
I want all these chairs painted.
All right.
I'll look in the paper. Maybe I can find a sale on cheap paint.
You won't find anything cheap around here.
Look in the cupboard under the counter.
As my friend Nick would say, that's wonderful.
Next time anybody is in town they can pick up a paintbrush.
Look on the bottom shelf.
Well, what do you know about that?.
Why didn't you start this campaign of rehabilitation before I came?.
-Or were you waiting for me?. -Nick was saving that.
-Nick saves a lot. -It's none of your business.
I didn't say it was. Only when I have something, I don't save it.
What do you want to paint these chairs for?.
Because I want to make something of this place. I want to make it--
Well...
...aren't we ambitious?.
We want to make a lot of money so we can buy lots of pretty clothes.
Or maybe we want to put a little aside for our husband and us in our old age.
For a couple of weeks then she wouldn 't look at me,,,
,,,or say a word to me if she could help it,
I began to feel like a cheap nobody making a play for a girl that had no use for me,
Oh, I disturbed her,
I knew she hated me for that worst of all,
A customer wants this wiped off. It needs hot water.
Trying to figure a way to get that sign back.
-Well, don't bother. -No bother.
-All I need is a stepladder. -I don't want the sign put back, busybody.
I've been trying to get a new sign for two years.
Maybe there are things you don't know how to sell.
Hello there. You know, Frank, I've been thinking, you must be in love.
You hardly eat any lunch. He doesn't get any letters.
-I guess his girl's got another fella. -Too hot to eat.
Funny climate around here. The harder the wind blows, the hotter it gets.
We call that wind the Santa Ana. It comes from the desert.
Nick, why don't you let me take your car, I'll run that sign into town and get it fixed.
Take it to the electric company. They did it for free last time.
Sure, why not?. They make a fortune on it.
Now you're talking like the neon-sign salesman.
A neon sign would burn a quarter as much juice...
...but, Nick, that's not the point.
-lt isn't?. -What's the purpose of a sign around here?.
-To show people where they can eat. -Not for my money.
A sign should give people an appetite. Your sign doesn't make me hungry.
Yeah. Maybe you're right...
...but I'm too busy to talk about it now.
He's hooked.
I could sell anything to anybody.
That's what you think.
Tell me one thing.
How did you ever come to marry a guy like that?.
Is that any of your business?.
Maybe.
Maybe it's none of my business, but what's Nick sore about?.
He's so crazy about the sign, he's afraid you'll claim it's your idea instead of his.
Yeah?.
Watch.
I've seen many a sign, but that's the daddy of them all.
-I gotta hand it to you. -Why, Frank?.
I was trying to get the old one fixed, and you'd seen the neon salesman.
A new sign, prettier than a Christmas tree.
Thanks, Frank. Did it make you hungry?.
-Thirsty. -Sure, celebrate.
Thanks.
No, thank you.
-Sing something, Nick. -Okay.
Go on, Cora. Do a little dance for us. Cora's a wonderful dancer.
I feel silly dancing alone...
...but start the jukebox, Nick, and I'll dance with you.
Listen to her, Frank. I'm always telling her I'm like a lot of smart men.
My brains are not in my feet.
-How about me dancing with Mrs. Smith?. -Okay, go ahead. Go ahead, Cora.
-I prefer to watch dancing. -It's silly. You can't dance in here.
I've got an idea. Try in here. There's lots of room.
Nick, I've practically forgotten how to dance.
Oh, you're wonderful, and you know it.
-Nick, I don't want to. -Go on, don't be silly. Enjoy yourself.
Go ahead, Cora.
Save your strength, Nick. It's too hot to dance.
Cora, you left the new sign burning.
Nick.
I'll drive to the beach and have a swim.
Sure, that's a wonderful idea. You haven't been out of this place for 30 days.
-Won't you come with me?. -No.
I'll just stay here and celebrate the new sign.
All right.
Climb right in. It's okay.
Nick said it was all right with him if it's all right with you.
Let's not stay too long, I'd like to do this again.
Don't worry, you'll find this night air can get awfully cold in a very few minutes.
Hey!
Oh, do you like lemon meringue pie?.
-I don't know. I-- -I'll make you some tomorrow.
It's you, Cora.
I thought it was a customer wanting gas.
-Were you worried?. -No.
Only I didn't expect you back so soon.
Good night, Frank.
Please don't.
Cora?.
Cora.
The next day we were so busy I hardly had a chance to look at her,
Not until the middle of the morning, There was a lull about that time,,,
,,,and Nick had just left for L,A,
Nick had another brainstorm and drove into town.
This time it's the laundry service that's cheating him.
-Frank, about that question. -What question?.
Why I married Nick.
My answer is that Nick came along at the right time and with a wedding ring.
The ring was the first thing he mentioned.
And you liked it for certain reasons.
You don't know the half of it.
Frank, I hate to say this...
...but I wasn't ever homely, so--
You must have had to fight off a lot of guys.
A lot of guys?.
All the guys.
I don't especially like the way I look sometimes...
...but I never met a man since I was 1 4 that didn't want to argue about it.
Sure. By the time Nick came along...
...you were ready to marry anybody that owned a gold watch.
Seemed the best thing to do from my angle.
And as for him, I told him....
-I told him I didn't love him. -He said that would come in time.
Yeah.
-But it didn't. -But I meant to stick by him.
-And that's why-- -That's why you married him and retired.
The undefeated champ.
Not 1 00% undefeated.
Not now.
What's that?.
Somebody trying to come in.
Is the door locked?.
I must have locked it.
Whoever it was, they....
They went away.
-Too bad Nick took the car. -Even if it were here...
...we couldn't take it. Not unless we want to spend the night in jail.
Stealing a man's wife, that's nothing, but stealing his car, that's larceny.
Get over!
-Say, you're not tired already, are you?. -A little.
Come on, let's sit down for a minute.
Here.
Don't worry, we'll get a lift in a minute.
Frank, look, if I divorce Nick, he'll never give me a nickel.
-He'll keep the Twin Oaks and everything. -What do we care?.
-But where are we headed?. -What's the difference?. Anywhere.
-Anywhere. Do you know where that is?. -Anywhere we choose.
No, it isn't. It's back to the hash house for me.
For you, some parking lot where you wear a smock with ""super service"" on it.
-I would die if I saw you in a smock. -I wore one at the Twin Oaks.
But that was mine.
Oh, don't you see?. You're smart. Others could be wearing the smocks...
...and you could be manager.
-Yeah, I can hardly wait. -Oh, stop acting.
You're ashamed of being smart. I'm ashamed of begging for a ride...
-...that'll take me back where I started. -Want to go back?.
I want to be somebody. And if I walk out...
...I'll lose everything, and I'll never be anybody.
Oh, I love you, Frank, and I want you, but not this way.
Not starting out like a couple of tramps.
I'm going back.
-Frank! -What's the matter now?.
The note I wrote for Nick. If he gets home....
-Where'd you leave it?. -The cash register.
Great. That's the first place he'll look too.
Look, here comes a bus. Stop it.
All right.
Frank.
Frank, look, it's Nick.
Look out!
That was close.
I'd like to see him get plastered like that some night and drive off a cliff.
You didn't mean that.
You were joking.
Sure.
Sure, l.... I was joking.
Of course you were.
Of course.
Well, I better change quick.
Don't look now, but I'm a little high.
And did I fix those laundry people and make them like it.
Frank, I even made them pay for the beer.
-Why don't you jump in a cold shower?. -Yeah, yeah. I'm going to.
Because I'm not only a little high, I'm higher than a kite.
What's the idea...
...of your good clothes?.
You're not going to quit on me, are you?.
What's the matter, Frank?. Don't you like the food?.
Maybe you and l can get together on a....
What's the big idea of the suitcases?.
-Now, take it easy, Nick. -What were you stealing in those suitcases?.
-Wait a minute! -I might have known.
I take in a hobo off the road, hungry.
The moment I've got my back turned, he tries to rob me.
-I'm not a thief. -Prove that by opening up those suitcases.
Come on, open up those suitcases.
Well, what's all the argument about?.
He's a thief, Cora. Look at those suitcases.
I just got back in time.
You're crazy, Nick. Why, Frank's not a thief.
This afternoon he got an attack of road fever.
He said his feet were itching for a new place.
So he came in to say goodbye with a suitcase.
With two suitcases, you mean. One of them full of our stuff.
You've had too much beer, Nick. The other one was our suitcase...
...but Frank's bought a lot of things since he's been here...
...and I told him he could have it in exchange for the pay he had coming.
That's a pretty good bargain, Cora.
I'm sorry, Frank.
My boy, that road fever is never going to get you anywhere.
But that's all settled, darling. Frank's road fever wasn't very serious.
He forgot about it as soon as I promised you'd pay him $3.00 more a week.
Good girl.
Now if I'm really smart, I'll keep my big mouth shut...
...and go and take that shower.
That's all right, Nick, I'll pick them up.
What's the difference if they do get dirty?.
I got them washed for free.
Right then, I should have walked out of that place,,,
,,,but I couldn 't make myself do it,
She had me licked, and she knew it,
For a week she treated me as if I was only somebody working around the place,
I nearly went out of my mind,
I couldn 't go, and I couldn 't stay the way things were,
Then one night, I decided I had to have a talk with her,,,
,,,to see if there wasn 't some future, some way for the two of us,
No,
What are we going to do?.
That' s great, coming from you. After you ' ve been high-hatting me the way you have.
What else could I do?.
Oh, Frank.
Frank, if I'd only met you first.
Well?.
Frank, do you love me?.
Yes.
Do you love me so much that nothing else matters?.
Yes.
There's....
There's one thing we could do that would...
...fix everything for us.
What?. Pray for something to happen to Nick?.
Something like that.
-Cora! -Well, you suggested it yourself once.
-Didn't you?. -I was only joking.
-Were you?. -Yes, I was.
-Or had you started to think about it?. -I didn't really mean it.
-Well, I say it again now, and I do mean it! -Cora!
Listen, Frank, I'm not what you think I am.
I wanna keep this place and work hard and be something. That's all.
But you can't do it without love.
At least a woman can't.
I've made a big mistake in my life.
And I've got to be this way just once to fix it.
-They hang you for that. -Not if we do it right.
You're smart, Frank. You'll think of a way.
Plenty of men have.
He never did anything to me.
But, darling, can't you see how happy we would be together here?.
Without him?.
Do you love me, Cora?.
That's why you've got to help me.
It's because I do love you.
I guess you do.
You couldn't get me to say yes to a thing like this if you didn't.
I guess I worked out the details,,,
,,,but the original plan was hers,
She got it from an article in a magazine saying most serious accidents,,,
,,,happen right in people 's homes,
Mostly right in their own bathtubs,
Will you be able to hear the bathtub water running from down here?.
Can't help hearing it.
He always starts to sing when he turns the water on.
-We'll sink or swim on how that story's told. -Well, I won't miss.
Nick was taking a bath.
You were outside wiping off the car. I was ironing in the kitchen.
All of a sudden I noticed some water dripping from the ceiling.
-Maybe we'd better say that-- -Don't change a word. I know it backwards!
All right, all right. Make sure he's in the tub when you go in.
Just say you came in to get some clean towels.
And then...
...when he's not looking, you--
Then what do you do?.
Then I lock the door...
...and make sure the water is still running.
I step out the window, down the stepladder--
Put the stepladder in the shed. If anybody sees it, we're sunk.
Don't move away from that car in case anyone comes along.
Don't worry. If I give you the signal on the horn, you call everything off.
Nobody stops here when the lights are out in front.
Cora....
Maybe it would be better if I did it.
We settled that a dozen times. If I go in there, he won't pay any attention to me.
That your car?.
It belongs to the fellow I work for.
Oh, hello. Yeah, yeah. So it does. So it does.
Okay, just checking up.
-What's that?. -What's what?.
Well....
-Look at that. -What is it?.
Oh, that doggone cat climbing up that stepladder.
I like cats. Always up to something.
-Frank! -Shut up! Shut up!
Are you crazy, screaming like that?. Did you do it?.
-What happened?. All the lights went out. -A fool cat jumped on a wire.
-Did you do it?. -Yes, I did.
But before I could do anything else, the lights went out.
He's unconscious, but he's still breathing.
-Did he see you do it?. -I don't know!
-We got to bring him to. -No!
Listen, there was a state cop outside and he saw the stepladder.
-But he mustn't come to! -He's got to. If he dies, we're sunk.
The cop saw that stepladder. If he dies, they'll know and get us.
-I'll get him. You phone a doctor. -Suppose he saw me. What will he say?.
Get on that phone and call a doctor!
Operator. Operator, this is Twin Oaks.
I want a doctor.
Any doctor. Quick. There's been an accident.
But I don't want an ambulance! I want a doctor!
Frank, will you please stop--?.
-Oh, so it's you. -Hello.
-The boss, Mr. Smith, he had an accident. -So I heard.
-This is Mrs. Smith, isn't it?. -Yes.
This is the district attorney, Mrs. Smith. He lives near you.
-My name's Sackett. -How do you do, Mr. Sackett?.
What happened?.
Well, I went in there...
...to the bathroom, I mean, to get some towels.
He was in there?.
Yes, just standing up in the tub.
Suddenly there was a big flash of fire, a terrible noise...
...and the lights went out all over the house.
I heard him fall, but it was so dark, so l....
-The doctor thinks you'd better come in. -Thank you.
He seems to be coming back into consciousness now.
Doctor, is he going to...?.
I'm afraid I can't make any promises. That's why I called you in.
Nick.
Nick, it's me. Cora.
Nick, don't you even know your own wife?.
And aren't you ashamed of yourself?. Falling down in the bathtub like a little boy...
...just because the lights went out.
Nick, aren't you going to speak to me?.
Everything...
...went dark.
What happened?.
-Quick. What happened?. -I stuck to my story.
Same thing here.
What are we going to do?. They know something's wrong. Suppose Nick dies.
That's what we've got to figure on right now.
I thought so. There's that cop. I'll lay you 1 0-to-1 it's the DA's car too.
Watch your step now. Business as usual, and don't weaken.
Yeah.
It's me, laddie.
Hello, Mr. Sackett.
I'd better look at that fuse box just for the record.
I was just gonna try to find some new fuses.
-Right there at the top of the stepladder. -What's the ladder doing here?.
I noticed some insulation worn off the feed wire, but I didn't get around to fixing it.
Well, I'll be doggoned. Look at that!
Yeah, there's your cat.
Deader than a doornail.
-That's right. Remember?. -Sure.
We were looking at her.
She must have walked off right onto the bare wire.
Boy, those fuses blew out like a cannon!
-Cats are poor, dumb things. -Yeah.
-They don't know a thing about electricity. -Killed her deader than a doornail.
Yes, the cat's dead, all right.
Well, accidents can happen in the weirdest sort of ways.
So long, laddie.
I never saw a prettier cat.
Killed her deader than a doornail.
-Oh, Frank. -Easy, Cora. Easy.
-lt was all my fault. -Mine too.
No, it was all my fault.
I was the one that thought it up, but you didn't want to.
-But next time I'll listen to you. -Except there won't be any next time.
-Oh, never. Never. -Listen, baby.
If Nick should die, they'll know.
They always find out. They guess it right just from habit.
I guess I'm not any braver than I thought I was...
...or else I wouldn't have been so scared.
I'm plenty scared too.
When all the lights went out...
...I was just a little girl again...
...afraid of the dark.
But from now on you'll be the brains of this outfit, and I'll work so hard for this place.
We can't make any plans until we find out about Nick.
Yeah, I know.
Answer it.
Hello?.
This is Mrs. Nicholas Smith.
What?.
Yes.
Oh, well...
...thank you so much for letting me know.
Goodbye.
He's all right. They wanna keep him for a week, but he'll be okay.
-Now we can breathe again for a minute. -Just think.
A week. A whole week to work things out.
You give me a big kiss before I sock you.
You know, it's after 7::00. We've got to get this place going for business.
That was the happiest week I'd ever spent in my life,
I wouldn 't let myself think,
And Cora wouldn 't even discuss what was gonna happen when Nick came home,
All I cared about was her being happy,
And as for me, I felt as if I was riding on a cloud,
Look at that, a battery and a whole set of plugs.
I'll say everything's fine around here. One sale.
Will Mrs. Smith be tickled pink! Say, how about a nice cold drink on the house?.
No. Nope, I've got to hurry.
-So your boss is coming home?. -Any day now.
Today, you mean. Sure, I just passed the car coming from town.
That gorgeous blond was driving careful, and the old boy has a bandage on his head.
Oh, that poor little pussycat.
-Sure killed her. -Yep. Deader than a doornail, remember?.
Yeah.
It was for her sake as well as mine that I knew I had to move on,
If I waited for them, I couldn 't convince her to give up the place and go away with me,
And if I stayed there, I could see where she and I were headed,
But after a couple weeks in L,A,,,
,,,I sunk low enough to hang around a wholesale market,,,
,,, where they bought a lot of their stuff, hoping I'd run into her,
I just couldn 't get her out of my mind, It kept nagging me all the time,
Hey, Frank!
I've been looking for you all over for weeks!
-Hello, Nick. -Come on. Get in.
-We're going back to Twin Oaks. -I can't.
Something important's happening tonight, and you're in on it.
Besides, I wanna tell you about my accident.
That's the truth.
Yes, sir, I can show you the doctor's bill receipted.
That little business in the bathroom that night cost me $322, believe it or not.
That's a lot of hamburgers.
Well, where did you come from?.
I found him near the market.
Hello, Mrs. Smith. How have you been?.
Splendid, thank you. You're quite a stranger.
Well, I've got work to do. Hope it was cooler in town.
It's a customer. Just a minute.
Have you been thinking about me, Cora?.
I couldn't forget you that quick.
-How have you been?. -All right.
Have you got a little kiss for me?.
We're going to have dinner in a few minutes, and you'd better get ready.
As a homecoming, this is the worst flop I ever saw in my life.
Of course, they took a lot of x-ray pictures, but this is the one that makes it look worse.
-What's this?. A family album?. -Sure.
There's my first license to sell food in Los Angeles County.
And that's a snapshot of Cora and me the day we were married.
Wasn't she cute?.
Just a minute. I'll put the other light on.
Which one of you two is working for the electric light company?.
Put on the lights again, Cora, please.
All right, waste your money.
The next time the electric light bill comes in, I'm not gonna be here to pay it.
-You're not going to be here?. -No.
Oh, now you've made me tell the big surprise before I was ready.
I'm selling the Twin Oaks.
Well, that's not a very good joke.
It's not a joke. A fellow named Stanton said they're turning this road into a highway.
He's offering a big price for the place.
Why sell now when it might turn out to be a gold mine?.
Somebody's bound to open up a better place and put us out of business.
But mainly, Cora, so as you can stop work and take it easy.
Stop work?. Where?. Doing what?.
-We're going back to live with my sister. -Your sister?.
Nick, you never even told me you had a sister.
Well, I didn't want to worry you about her. You see...
...she hasn't been very well for a good many years.
-Where is she?. -ln northern Canada. She's got a house.
Of course, half of it belongs to me.
Nick, this is pretty sudden.
-Let me tell you what I think about it. -No, Cora.
-This is best. -But, Nick, please.
-Let's talk this over. -No. There's nothing to talk over.
I've given it a good deal of thought. My mind's made up.
You thought it over and your mind's made up. Without even talking to me...
...your mind's made up. Well, mine isn't!
That's too bad.
You see, my sister recently became paralyzed.
She can't move at all.
Oh, she's going to live for a long time yet. I hope.
But she needs us to take care of her. Especially you, a woman.
Nick, you....
You mean you want me to...?.
Nick, don't sell the place! I'm telling you, don't sell it!
Well, I'm....
I'm going to sell it.
I'm superstitious. I....
Never turn down a good offer. You always regret it.
I'm going to close the deal now before something happens to it.
Excuse me. I'm gonna use the extension.
Hello, Mr. Stanton. This is Nicholas Smith.
Oh, Mr. Stanton, you've just bought a restaurant.
How soon can you have the papers ready to sign?. And, of course, the check?.
Sure, I'll come to Santa Barbara on Wednesday. Oh, Mr. Stanton...
...I've located that fellow I said would be a wonderful manager.
Yeah. Sure, I'll bring him along.
Yeah. Goodbye, Mr. Stanton. Until Wednesday, 1 0 a.m. sharp.
Now everybody's got something to celebrate.
My boy, you're gonna have a first-class job with a future!
As you get along in the world, you'll lose that itching in the feet.
Cora, my dear, in years to come, you'll thank me for this.
As for me, I'll have enough money to live out my days in the house where I was born.
What was good enough for my father is good enough for me.
Come on. Let's get a good night's rest. We'll close up early tomorrow.
After a nice little supper party, we'll drive up to Santa Barbara.
Wednesday at 1 0 a.m. sharp, we've all got ourselves set for life.
Come on. Good night, Frank. Come on, Cora.
We'll let Stanton have a big electric light bill. He got the place too cheap anyway.