Original subtitles

Something wrong?

Yeah, we've got a little problem with the brakes.

Hang on, Jim-Bob.

Jim-Bob was in that car!

Jason, go get my bag, it's in the car.

- Do you believe in love at first sight? - Quiet, I'm counting.

What do you think you're doing?

- Marry me... now. - I can't.

- No. - Yes.

- Yes. - Yes?

- Yes. - Yes.

I have to know if you've ever seen this man before.

It's my husband Curt. He was killed at Pearl Harbor.

Where did you get this?

I took it myself about a month ago.

JOHN-BOY: As World War II was gradually consigned to the pages of history books,

life on Walton's Mountain began returning to normal.

Store shelves bulged with food and other goods

that ha d been scarce during the fighting,

and families were reunited as the young men headed home.

But peace didn't necessarily mean an end to turbulence.

Life would always somehow manage to keep us off balance.

How far are you going?

Well, it's hard to say, soldier. I keep aiming at the horizon,

but it somehow manages to stay in front of me.

Name is Arlington Westcott Jones Ill.

- That's a mouthful. - Yeah.

- You can call me Jonesy. - My name's James Robert Walton.

My family calls me Jim-Bob.

Which way you headed, Jim-Bob?

Well, I got a two week furlough and I'm headed home, to Walton's Mountain.

Yeah? Well, you can point me to it. I'll take you there.

You haven't got much choice. That's where this road goes.

Oh, no.

Something wrong?

Yeah, we've got a little problem with the brakes.

Hang on, Jim-Bob.

Well?

Well, what?

Well, you said you wanted to come along so we could talk about something.

Dew Drop Inn's for sale.

Corabeth's been pushing that wreck

ever since Callie closed it up and moved away.

What would you say if I told you I bought it?

Look out!

Jim-Bob was in that car!

(TIRES SCREECHING)

Maybe you better try the emergency brake.

It's no use. It never did work.

You better do something. That next turn's a beaut.

Hang on. Hang on.

MARY ELLEN: Jim-Bob!

- JASON: What happened? - Brakes went out.

- Are you all right? - It's Jonesy you better look at.

(JONESY GROANS)

Easy.

Jason, go get my bag, it's in the car.

JONESY: And to think I could hardly wait to get out of the service.

Civilian life can be dangerous.

I spend the best part of my youth defending this country,

and some used car dealer in San Francisco sells me a lemon at black market prices.

Well, it's been a long war. There's nothing left but lemons.

It was a bearing in Cheyenne, a water pump in Milwaukee, and now this.

Jim-Bob said there was an accident on the Mountain.

ROSE: Well, I shudder to think what could have happened.

This is the driver, Jonesy.

- Hi. I'm Erin. - You're pretty.

I think he'll live, Mary Ellen.

All right, follow my finger.

How do you happen to know so much about medicine?

- I'm a nurse. - ROSE: On her way to being a doctor.

Working much too hard at it, if you ask me.

Well, you check out fine so far, but you might have a concussion,

so I'd like to keep an eye on you for a while.

That's okay with me.

It was fun riding down here with my head in your lap.

Well, now what do you plan to do that you're out of the service?

I'm doing it. Seeing the USA.

No maps, no schedules, coast to coast.

Sleeping in the sunshine, eating all I want.

- Meeting beautiful women. - You can't do that forever.

Well, now most veterans are settling into jobs, making up for lost time.

I got four years to make up for myself,

and I'm not going to do it sitting in some stuffy office.

I want to breathe fresh air,

see what's over the hill, around the next curve.

After today, I think you ought to give up on curves.

John Curtis is up and, boy, is he in a bad mood.

He's always crabby after a nap. I'll take care of him.

Hey, Jonesy, me and Ben are gonna go up

and see if we can get you car running. Is that okay?

- Yeah, I'll go with you. - No, you won't.

I'd like you to take it easy until I'm sure you're okay.

She's little but she's mean.

- Hey, Jim-Bob, ready to go? - Yeah. Hey, Ben, this is Jonesy.

Jonesy, this is my brother Ben.

- Hey. - How do you do?

Sorry to hear what happened.

Yeah, sure puts me in a spot.

Is there a hotel around here, or a tourist house?

Not around here. I'll tell you what, I'm a little shorthanded in the mill,

and if you want to give me a hand, you can stay there until your car's fixed.

Thank you. But I'm not in the market for a job.

At least not in the foreseeable future anyway.

Well, it's only temporary. And you can have meals with the family.

It's a deal. When do I start?

Well, not today. You're going to lie down for a while.

Okay, we'll see you later.

- Bye. - Bye. All right.

Got another worker.

- Give me a hand. - I think you'll live.

You bet.

We'll get a cot set up for you in the mill,

but for now I'd like you to rest right here.

Are you going to read to me, too?

Uncle Wiggley is my favorite.

I think I'll just try and keep things quiet for you.

All right.

- Do you believe in love at first sight? - Quiet, I'm counting.

I'm not sure, but I think that's what happened

when I opened my eyes and saw you staring down at me.

If you keep on raving like that,

I'm gonna know for sure that you have a head injury.

What do you think you're doing?

Who's that?

This is John Curtis, my son.

Oh, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.

I didn't know I was kissing a married lady.

Well, maybe you'll stop and think next time. Come on.

I don't remember it being this run down.

CORABETH: Oh, why, the possibilities are endless.

You could easily extend the bar and make it into a concert stage,

and there's still plenty of room for seating.

JASON: A concert stage?

But you said buying the Dew Drop would enable you to continue your musical career.

It will. I used to play here before I went into the Army, remember?

But I assumed...

Well, I assumed you intend to turn this into a concert hall.

I'm not good enough, Corabeth.

I just wanted to keep the Dew Drop running

so I'd have a place to play my tunes and an audience to hear them.

I find that piece of news extremely distressing.

I had hoped that the community would never again have to suffer a roadhouse.

Is my piano bar around here someplace?

Well, I understand that Callie sold it.

Because once you went in the Army, there was no one left to play it, of course.

But there is a perfectly respectable player piano.

The only respectable thing in this roadhouse, I might add.

I reckon it'll have to do for now.

Had you considered

turning this into a restaurant or a little theater?

The community is simply desperate for a cultural center.

It's the Dew Drop or nothing, Corabeth.

I'm beginning to wish it was nothing.

Hi.

- Hi. - Hi.

Rose sent me out here. Is this for me?

ELIZABETH: It is if you're Jonesy.

CINDY: It's not the most comfortable bed in the world,

but it's got to be better than the Marines.

How do you feel?

I'm finding muscles I didn't know I had.

You were still asleep in the living room

when I brought the linens down.

- I'm Cindy, Ben's wife. Hi. - Cindy.

- I'm Elizabeth. - Elizabeth.

- How many people live out here anyway? - There are a lot of us.

I wouldn't try and count us, we come and go so fast.

Well, I guess I've met just about everybody except for Mary Ellen's husband.

Mary Ellen's been a widow for four years.

ELIZABETH: Curt was killed at Pearl Harbor.

I'm awfully sorry. She deserves better than that.

Well, it was a long time ago. She hardly ever talks about it anymore.

It's just too bad she hasn't found anybody else.

- Well, she's choosey. - Choosey, huh?

(SIGHS)

We'll just see about that.

JONESY: It's kind of late for you to be up, isn't it?

I was just trying to get caught up on my chemistry assignments.

Everything sort of runs together this time of night.

What are you doing up?

I have a little trouble sleeping sometimes.

You know, I've been halfway around the world

and I have never seen the stars brighter anywhere.

That's because the air is so clear in the mountains.

See that little pattern of stars over there about to disappear behind the barn?

That's Andromeda.

I never knew it had a name.

Andromeda was a princess

who was rescued from a sea monster by Perseus, her future husband.

And now she's living happily ever after up there?

So, tell me about your husband.

He was a doctor. He was very special.

He didn't have to join the Army when he did,

he just believed it was the right thing to do.

Is he the reason you're beating your brains out,

trying to memorize the periodic table?

He wanted to contribute something,

to make a better world for the future. So do I.

Yeah. I quit believing in a future the day I waded ashore at Iwo Jima.

I promised myself, if I survived,

I would try to live every day for itself. Each one is like a gift,

and my only responsibility is to enjoy it.

- That sounds very selfish to me. - You should try it sometime.

You're too young to be getting all those frown lines.

I better be getting back.

I have about two hours of studying to do and early class tomorrow.

Andromeda's almost gone.

She'll be back tomorrow night, same time, same place,

and next year, and for 1,000 years after that.

Whether or not I keep wandering,

or whether or not you get your chemistry done.

Goodnight.

I'm... I better...

I got to get back to the mill.

I'm starting to feel like I might want to kiss you again.

- Here you go, honey. Hot off the griddle. - Thank you.

Is anybody asking to want more batter cakes?

- ALL: I do. - All right.

ERIN: Jim-Bob, you're shoveling it in again.

I wanna get started on Jonesy's car.

Oh, what a dreamer. You'll never get that clunker going again.

It was a waste of time going up there after it.

Look who's up.

- JIM-BOB: Hey, Jonesy. - Hi.

There's a woodpecker working on a tree out by the mill, or I'd still be asleep.

Why don't you sit down and have some breakfast?

Another five minutes and you would have missed breakfast altogether.

Meals are served on time around here.

Just like in the Marine Corps, huh?

MARY ELLEN: You're starting to understand.

Is your mother always this grouchy in the morning, Johnny,

or does she save it for visitors?

- Good morning. - Good morning.

Take a look at this. What do you think?

ERIN: "Dew Drop Inn. Jason Walton"?

- What does this mean, Jason? - You were serious about buying that place?

I've got to do something now that I'm out of the Army.

I know the Dew Drop, and it seemed like a good opportunity.

But you're a college graduate. You shouldn't be running a roadhouse.

What's wrong with that?

I don't know. It just seems like a waste of talent.

Mama's going to hate it. She didn't want you working there in the first place.

You should have talked it over with us first, Jason.

I'm beginning to wish I hadn't even told you about it.

You'll never open in two weeks. I've seen that place, it needs lots of work.

I hope you're not counting on the mill money.

We're spread pretty thin as it is.

Don't worry, I'm not asking for your help.

I just thought you'd be glad for me, is all.

Guess I should have known better.

Thanks for all the good wishes.

Makes me glad I'm an only child.

A little good advice wouldn't hurt you either. Bye.

(KISSES)

- She's crazy about me. - JIM-BOB: I can tell.

Would you mind if I put this in your window?

Oh, well, Jason, I don't think it would be appropriate

for a family store to advertise a tavern.

Perhaps you can nail it on a tree or a telephone pole.

But you sold it to me.

Believing that your intentions were of a far more honorable nature.

Look, Corabeth, I'm gonna need your support

if I'm going to make a go of this thing.

Jason, I would gladly support an eating establishment.

A concert hall would earn my undying respect and devotion.

But I cannot in good conscience endorse a common highway hangout.

Fine. If that's the way you feel about it, I don't need your help.

I don't need Mary Ellen's help, I don't need Ben's,

and I don't need yours.

What did I do?

I'm going back to my realty.

The mercantile's giving me a sick headache.

Oh, Jim-Bob, if you're looking for that leftover chicken,

I'm afraid it's turned into chicken salad sandwiches.

That's okay, Rose. I'll settle for a piece of this cake.

- How's my car coming, Jim-Bob? - More dead than alive.

I've been working on it for a week now and it's still got serious internal injuries.

- Hi, Mary Ellen. - Hello.

Thanks, Jim-Bob.

You got to learn all of this?

Yes. Can I please have it back, so I can finish studying?

Glad I caught you in a good mood.

Oh, I'm sorry. I've been a bear lately and I didn't mean to take it out on you.

It's okay. I've got a top sergeant who does the same thing.

- What's going on here? - Johnny and I are going on a picnic.

Says who?

Well, it's by mutual agreement. Right, Johnny?

(SIGHS) I thought you were supposed to be helping Ben?

Well, I gave myself the afternoon off.

Why don't you pry yourself away from that pile of books there

and come along with us?

It might be a nice change for you, Mary Ellen.

I'm not going anywhere this afternoon and neither is this young man.

I've got a lot of studying to do, and he has to take his nap.

Suit yourself. But what do you want your son to remember?

That his mother was a grind,

or that she took him on a picnic one fine day?

Would you like an apple?

That's the same question Eve asked Adam, and look where it got him.

A simple yes or no would do fine.

(GRUNTS)

Okay, Johnny. Here you go.

Why don't you take that?

Maybe you can share that with that squirrel we spotted earlier.

Okay? Go look for him. There he is.

Why do you call him Johnny?

Because it suits him. Why do you call him John Curtis?

Curtis was his father's name.

Here. For you.

Johnny and I found that down by the creek.

It feels slippery.

It's soapstone. It's part talc, part chlorite, a little magnetite thrown in.

It's probably hundreds of millions of years old.

You know all that just by looking at it?

You can tell a lot about things just by looking.

How do you happen to know so much about rocks?

Geology was my major in college. I spent four years studying the earth

and four years watching it being blown full of holes.

You're not like any scientist I've ever met.

We don't all wear beards and horn-rimmed glasses, you know.

Not in a laboratory like this anyway.

I haven't been up here in a long time.

I'd forgotten how beautiful it is and how peaceful.

It's amazing to think that all this was under water once,

all the way up to the Mississippi Valley.

My Grandfather used to find sea fossils right here. Shells, coral.

He loved this mountain. He's buried up near the top.

I thought I felt something special here.

Don't go. What did I do?

I better go check on John Curtis.

I'm starting to feel like I might want to kiss you.

(EXHALES)

(COUGHING)

I think this place is worse than when we started.

That's because I've been taking care of all the stuff that doesn't show.

The bar sink was leaking, the wiring is shot.

I spent two days getting the beer license renewed.

I think you better hire yourself some help.

I can't afford it. Not at 75 cents an hour.

Jason, I hate to tell you this,

but at the rate you're going, you're not gonna open on time.

I'm doing fine, Ike. Thanks for bringing the paint by.

Okay.

(EXCLAIMS) By the way, Corabeth wants to know what's going on

between Mary Ellen and that young man that's staying at the house.

And you know Corabeth, she can smell a romance a mile down the road.

- Not this time, Ike. - Oh.

It's kind of chilly to be out for a walk, isn't it?

I saw your light.

I was just trying to read myself to sleep.

We missed you at supper.

I was studying, trying to make up for this afternoon.

I'm sorry you have to work so late.

I'm not. It was a wonderful day.

I just wanted to tell you that.

Would you mind if I kissed you goodnight?

What do you think I'm doing here?

Whirlwind Jones, they called me

down at the Surfside Cafe down the Pacific Beach.

We could have 30 customers or more

lined up and hungry, and I would never forget an order.

Mmm-hmm.

No. I worked my way through college that way.

Hey, well, take it easy! Those are my eggs.

- Over easy, just like you wanted. - Thank you.

This guy is something else. But unpredictable.

Just yesterday I was going out to start an order, he finished it.

He worked all night to do it.

But then I want to go deliver it, I can't find him anywhere.

Well, good Lord, don't let him get away after breakfast.

He promised to reshingle the roof for me.

(LAUGHING)

- Good morning, Jason. - Morning!

- Jonesy's taking the breakfast orders. - And the show is

- almost as good as the food. - Nothing for me, thanks.

- I've got to get to work. - Jason, you have got to

get a meal into you. You're beginning to look like death warmed over.

Don't count on me for supper, either. I've got a lot of last-minute things to do.

- Can I give you an hand? - No, thanks. I'm doing fine on my own.

I wish we hadn't been so mean to him.

- Morning, everybody. - Morning.

Mary Ellen, I thought you'd be long gone to school by now.

- What have you done with my son? - BEN: He's with Cindy and Virginia.

- Good morning. - Good morning. We missed you.

Well, I thought I'd sleep in.

Meals are served on time around here, you know.

What do you think this is, the Marine Corps?

Jonesy! It's running! Come see!

My car? You're kidding! I've got to see it.

I don't believe it.

(OVERLAPPING CHATTER)

- I've got to see this. - You did that?

ROSE: I want a ride in that thing.

(ENGINE STARTING)

(ALL CHEERING)

It sounds better than it ever did, Jim-Bob!

- It's purring like a kitten. - I don't know what I owe you,

- but it isn't enough! - I'm not saying it was tough,

but I'll be glad to get back to airplane engines.

Thanks, Jim-Bob. Open road, here I come.

Mary Ellen! Mary Ellen, wait!

Mary Ellen!

Mary Ellen, let me in.

I want to talk to you.

JIM-BOB: Hey, Jonesy, where you going?

ELIZABETH: What's he doing?

ROSE: Where are you going?

(KNOCKING ON WINDOW)

- Go away. - JONESY: Open up.

- No! - Mary Ellen, please. Let me in.

If you leave now, you can be in Washington by dark.

- JONESY: Come with me. - You're crazy.

MARY ELLEN: What are you're doing?

If you don't let me in there, I'll be out here all day.

(SIGHS)

You don't owe me anything. Just hit the road, so I can start living my life again.

(SIGHS)

Look, I thought about this all night. I don't want to leave without you.

- It's impossible. - Nothing's impossible.

I have a son, remember?

So, the three of us will have a wonderful time.

- What about pre-med? - What about life, Mary Ellen?

There's so much to see out there, and we can see it together.

- Say yes. - No.

Yes.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

ERIN: Mary Ellen, are you all right?

- Marry me... now. - I can't.

- ROSE: Mary Ellen? - No!

Yes.

- Yes. - Yes?

- Yes. - Yes.

(LAUGHING)

I don't believe it!

- She said yes. She's going to marry me. - Congratulations!

- Congratulations! - I can't believe this.

I don't know, Jason, if you go through anymore turpentine,

there's not going to be any left in the whole county.

It's for cleaning up, Ike.

I've been getting more paint on the floors than I have anywhere else.

Well, I'll tell you what, I'm sure looking forward to that grand opening.

- Me, too. Thanks, Ike. - You're most welcome.

Here you go.

- Well, Miss, what can I do for you? - Excuse me.

I just got off the bus. I need some advice.

Advice? You don't want to talk to me. That's my wife's department.

How may I help you?

I need a place to stay. I was wondering if there was

a hotel or a motor court nearby?

Oh, mercy, no. There isn't a hotel around for miles. But Zuleika Dunbar

has a rooming house just a short distance up the road.

It's on the right. You can't miss it.

Thank you very much. I'm much obliged.

Are you intending on staying in our little hamlet for long?

Just a day or so. I'm looking for Mary Ellen Willard.

Well, I guess you won't be wearing this again.

If I have any doubts at all, it's about that.

But Jonesy says I have the rest of my life to go back to school, and I will someday.

Mary Ellen, Mama and Daddy always taught us

not to put things off. I just don't think they'd approve.

We're going to stop and see them on our way to Mexico.

That's where Jonesy says we're going to spend the winter.

He said he knows a place down there where you can spear fish

- and camp out right on the beach. - You'll have to learn Spanish.

John Curtis can learn how to swim.

I remember the last time I was packing like this.

I was going to Hawaii to be with Curt, till the war got in the way.

ERIN: That can't stop you now.

This is all John Curtis knows of his father,

yet that was almost his first word, "Daddy."

I don't want him to forget Curt, ever.

This is going to be one of the first things I send for.

I'll remember where you put it.

- JIM-BOB: Hey, Rose, what's in the punch? - Apple juice and ginger ale.

Well, that was the best I could do on short notice.

Well, we ought to have a toast to the happy couple.

Yeah, here's to the shortest engagement on record.

Cheers.

And here's to Jonesy, you better take care of my big sister.

And here's to Mary Ellen, thanks for getting Jonesy out of my hair!

(ALL LAUGHING)

I'm going to miss you two so much,

but I think I'm going to miss John Curtis even more.

ROSE: Me, too, Cindy.

Shoot. I was hoping I could get through one day without tears.

So were we all, Rose.

Why don't we roll back this rug? I'd like to have a dance with my sister.

You know, it's too bad the Dew Drop doesn't open until tomorrow night.

We could move the whole party over there.

Why don't we do it anyway? You know, kind of like a sneak preview.

It's a good idea. I'd like Jason to know I'm on his side.

Jason should be here to celebrate anyways.

I'll just babysit. I've got a nice, new movie magazine.

You all go on ahead. I want to change first.

Me, too. This is the last engagement party I'm ever going to have,

and I'm going to make the most of it.

(ALL CHATTERING)

JIM-BOB: Hey, Jason! ERIN: Turn them on.

JIM-BOB: Where did he go?

- Jason? - Welcome to the Dew Drop disaster.

The Titanic was nothing compared to this.

You were absolutely right, Ben. Piano players make lousy businessmen.

- BEN: I never said that. - Seems like the more I did around here,

- the more there was to do. - Why didn't you holler for help?

I got the chairs glued, then the tables started falling apart.

We didn't give him much moral support, if you remember.

Then I got the tables fixed...

Got the tables fixed, then there was this leak in the roof,

- so I had to refinish the floor. - Look, Jason.

You ever hear of a place that closed the night before it opened?

- BEN: Jason... - I should have listened to you.

Well, would you listen to me now? We can bail you out of this.

But the first thing is, we have to sober you up.

I'll go see if there's a coffee pot.

Okay, Elizabeth.

Look, Jim-Bob, you and Erin start checking the chairs.

See how many chairs and tables we can use.

I was hoping nobody would find out, but I'm murder with a paint brush.

Great. Why don't you get started.

I'll join you when I get everything else organized.

Aye, aye, sir.

Look, Jason, I won't have everything perfect.

The important thing is, you're going to open.

- You think so? - Even if it takes all night.

(SIGHS)

And it's going to take all night.

There's a bottle for Virginia in the refrigerator if she wakes up.

- Oh, and... - And be sure John Curtis is covered up.

You both tell me the same things every time.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

- Are you Mary Ellen? - No, I am.

I'm sorry to bother you this way.

I have to know if you've ever seen this man before.

It's my husband Curt. He was killed at Pearl Harbor.

Where did you get this?

I took it myself about a month ago.

About a year ago, a man calling himself Curtis Packer

moved into the little town where I live, Larksburg in Florida.

I work part time at the general store there,

and he runs this little guide service for tourists.

He takes them out hunting and fishing

and he'd come into the store for advice, equipment.

He took to coming over and spending Saturday evenings on my front porch.

You get to feeling awful close to someone like that.

What's he like?

He's a good man, he's a gentle man.

Every once in a while, something dark seems to come over him.

He doesn't talk, he hardly even smiles, he takes to driving those back roads

like he's hoping to kill himself.

I worry about him, but I learned not to say anything. It just makes him worse.

My Curt wasn't like that. He wasn't moody.

About a month ago, he came in, and he was drunk, and he had a letter to mail.

He hadn't written a letter before,

and I couldn't help but notice where it was going.

Mary Ellen Willard, Walton's Mountain, Virginia.

- I never got a letter. - He came back about an hour later.

He'd sobered up, but he was in a real state, thinking that letter had gone out.

I gave it back to him.

I haven't seen him since.

- Did he leave town? - He still runs his little place,

and he comes in to the store for equipment when I'm not there.

Goes off fishing and hunting for days at a time, all by himself.

But he doesn't come by to sit anymore.

He is afraid of something, and I'm afraid for him.

Now, I was just hoping there was something you could tell me

to make him feel better.

This man is harder than Curt. The eyes are different.

- ROSE: He'd be older, Mary Ellen. - Curt is dead!

He was killed at Pearl Harbor. I have the medal they gave him posthumously.

This is not my husband.

If I was you, I'd want to come and see for myself.

I've already lost him once. I can't go through that a second time.

Do you know why I'm so certain this man he isn't Curt?

Because if he were, he would be here with me, with our son.

But he's not, and to believe that he might be is just to believe in fairy tales.

Curt is dead, and there is no happy ending for that.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

It's open.

May I come in?

Sorry I didn't make it to the Dew Drop.

- We were there most of the night. - Must have been some party.

There's still a lot to do yet, but at least Jason will open tonight.

I hope you'll be my date.

I heard about your visitor.

I've been thinking.

Maybe we'd better not rush into anything.

I mean, I could keep on in school for now, and Boatwright has a geology department.

You could teach, or take some classes on the G.I. Bill.

We could get to know each other better.

Then we could get married at the end of the semester,

- if we still feel the same. - That's four months away.

- Is it such a long time? - Don't ask me to wait.

I can't right now. There is something pulling at me to keep going, to keep...

Proving that I'm alive.

You don't have to prove that to me.

Sometimes when I wake up in the morning,

I find myself reaching for my helmet.

And then, I remember there's nobody waiting to kill me today.

There's nobody I have to kill. I can walk on a beach,

and I don't have to look over my shoulder. I can drive coast to coast,

and I don't have to worry about the roads being mined.

The things that I took for granted the first 25 years of my life,

I'm starting to discover them all over again.

Don't ask me to slow down. Not yet.

This is the medal they gave Curt for bravery.

Everything seems to remind me of him today.

I can take you so far away from it that it won't ever hurt you again.

Corabeth, I don't like to tell you this, but, you know,

that hat looks awful funny on you when you wear it here in the store.

It is a matter of professionalism, Mr. Godsey.

When one is in business,

one must look businesslike.

Where, may I ask, are you going?

Tonight is the grand opening of the Dew Drop Inn.

I thought that we had discussed that.

We did discuss it, and I'm going.

Very well.

You know what? It sure would be nice if you went with me.

It's a matter of standards, Mr. Godsey. Principles, if you will.

Okay.

- Goodnight. - Goodbye.

- Goodbye? - Mr. Godsey, don't you see?

This is the beginning of the end for us. It starts out all very simply.

A visit to a friend's establishment, a night on the town with the boys,

a harmless game of cards.

Oh, no. Now, you know that Jason would never allow card playing there.

And the next thing you know, you're hanging out with ruffians

and hoodlums and going to burlesque houses and bars and

coming home at all hours of the night with liquor on your breath

and lipstick on your collar, where you let some female nibble on your neck!

- Oh, Ike, how could you? - Corabeth, I'm sorry.

I didn't think it would go that far.

Wait a minute. What am I doing? I'm doing...

You know what? I think you better go along with me and save me from myself.

But...

Perhaps I should consider it an obligation.

Although it does mean compromising my principles.

Well, I'll...

I'll just change into something a little less businesslike.

And, Ike... I forgive you.

- This one there? - That's right. You see this is...

(INDISTINCT)

What is she doing up there? It's after 8:00.

Trying to make it look like she hasn't been crying all day.

I should have carried her away when I had that ladder up her window.

She'll be all right.

- (SIGHS) Where is everybody? - Well, everybody's gone.

But John Curtis, Jonesy and I are right here.

Come on, Johnny. Upsy daisy, there we go.

Don't you keep Elizabeth up too late now, Johnny.

Oh, he won't. I'm still tired from last night.

Goodnight, sweetie.

(EXCLAIMS)

Want to help me pick this up?

My dad.

Daddy.

(WOMAN LAUGHING)

MAN: That's what I want to know, why not?

You have no better argument than that?

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

Jim-Bob, what do you think?

- How's everybody doing over here? - Okay.

Oh, Jason, the place looks lovely.

I've seen nightclubs in Baltimore that didn't look any nicer than this. Really.

- Thanks, Rose. - ERIN: And your customers are first class.

(ALL LAUGHING)

- BEN: The best! - Look who's here.

- Mary Ellen. - Hi!

- Thanks for coming. - How are you?

- Jonesy! Congratulations! - Oh, no!

- Jim-Bob? - I'll see what I can do to fix it.

Now, wait a minute, everybody! Don't go away.

We'll get the lights on real soon.

In the meantime, why don't you all just push

your tables back from the center, and we'll do some dancing by candlelight.

- Rose, come on. I need you. - Oh, my goodness.

Mr. Godsey, I can scarcely see a thing.

That's all right, honey. I'll stick right close to you here.

My goodness, Jason. Now, what am I to do?

Just put your feet on the pedals and pump, Rose.

Oh, I vow and declare!

There you go.

(PIANO PLAYING)

It's charming. Simply charming.

- Table for two? - Yes, please.

This way.

You know, it was I who prevailed for Jason to buy this place.

Oh, really? Would you like to order?

Why, yes.

It's getting late.

This is our last evening together, isn't it?

I spent all day trying to decide what to do, and John Curtis

made up my mind for me.

I have to go to Florida. I have to find out.

Suppose Curt's alive.

How is it going to feel knowing he let you be a widow all these years?

I can't think about that now.

I love you, Mary Ellen.

ERIN: Easy, easy.

- Goodbye, Erin. - Bye.

Give me a hug. Hug me goodbye.

Goodbye, Johnny. Bye.

When do you go?

The bus leaves at 11:00. Betty's meeting me there.

I'm sorry I couldn't wait to see you off.

That's all right. I know you have to get started.

Maybe you and Johnny could join me later in Mexico.

I thought I was ready for a whole new life.

I wanted it. I guess I'm just not finished with the old one yet.

- Maybe I never will be. - Come here.

- Goodbye. - Bye.

JOHN-BOY: Mary Ellen thought that saying goodbye

to Jonesy was the hardest thing she had ever done.

But what lay ahead of her was to be even more difficult.

The war was officially over, but she had a private battle still to face.

- Jason? - Sorry, Jim-Bob,

- I tripped over the wastebasket. - JIM-BOB: You just getting home?

JASON: It was hard closing up. Corabeth didn't want me to leave.

She kept asking me to play her favorite piano roll.

- JIM-BOB: Yeah? What's that? - Moonlight Sonata.

- Goodnight, Jason. - Goodnight, Jim-Bob.

English -SDH