Original subtitles

Good morning. Have a good flight.

Hello. Step to the left, please.

Seat 34B is on your right.

Forward compartment, sir.

Seat 45A.

Good morning.

That's your seat.

Hi.

Oh, good, an American.

It's been so confusing for me here. My French is just terrible.

Well, mine's pretty good, but I promised to speak English the whole way back to

L .A.

Oh, well, nice to have you for a seat, mate.

I'm Evelyn Harper.

Joan Hume. Please fasten your seatbelts.

I had a postcard for my daughter, Joanie.

She's in France.

Yeah?

I was with the First Army in France.

Joanie isn't.

I hope.

However, she did meet this French guy she thinks she's in love with.

Funny. How bothered we get about our daughters falling in love with foreign

guys. But it doesn't faze us if they fall for an American kid.

Oh, I'm not biased.

It bothers me no matter who she's in love with.

What's she doing in France when she's not being in love?

She's studying comparative literature.

Living with a French family.

Stanford doesn't cost me enough.

Stanford has to send her to Europe.

Well, college can't last forever.

And comparative literature, Cam.

Hello?

Do you mind if I join you, or is this an editorial lunch?

We were just discussing foreign affairs.

Charlie's balance of payments with France.

Well, I just landed Pacific Discount's choice.

Finally a big sale. They're going to take a three -quarter page ad. Page

They've always used the Times before.

Good for you, Al.

Yeah, nice call. Why are you telling us this?

Well, because the ad starts tomorrow, and I don't want you to blow it for me.

How can we blow it? Well, you've done it before.

Huh? The time I sold a four -page supplement for real estate development

had a piece the same day saying it was on an earthquake fault.

And a lingerie ad at the same time you heard a story about panty girdles

sciatica.

It snows.

I mean, you want to know if they found out that boxer shorts cause gangrene?

You know, you guys, you don't have to think about this stuff, what I do.

I mean, you know, sometimes you seem to forget the fact that the 20 cents we

charge for this paper doesn't exactly pay for it.

It's the ads. Thanks for reminding us. Now, this new ad features home canning

equipment and supplies.

You know, pickles, peaches, jams, jellies.

Why are we here?

Just in case you were thinking of running a story tomorrow on botulism.

What's that you're reading?

L 'étranger, Albert Camus.

Oh, French. What's it about?

Well, um...

It's about this guy.

His mother's just died.

And he ends up getting arrested for shooting somebody on the beat.

Oh, well, if you like that, I just read a book by Harold Robbins you would love.

I like a big book myself.

Makes you feel like you're getting your money's worth.

Do you like that shade of red?

I bought it in Paris.

It's very pretty.

I was hoping to finish this before I got home. It's a present for my sister.

It's really very lovely.

I have a little gift for my folks.

Something they're not really expecting.

What's that?

Me.

I planned on spending a couple more weeks in France, but I decided to come

early and surprise them.

This is Captain Hopkins. We'll be landing in Seattle, Tacoma for our

approximately 17 minutes before heading on to Los Angeles.

It is raining in Seattle.

I guess that's not news. It would be unusual if it weren't raining in

Well, I'll tell Charlie the first edition's in and call it a day.

You really look beat, Lou. I should be.

I haven't slept in three nights.

There's this bird in a tree outside my window.

What kind of a bird?

Inconsiderate.

I don't know. It makes this crazy sound.

There's no rhythm to it. I go nuts waiting for the last... How'd it go

What's that sound like? I don't know.

We have our science editor right here. What do you say, Mel?

You know, that could be a western cow's flycatcher.

Oh, yeah?

Sounds to me more like a hairy -chested city editor.

Lou, you know, he could be just passing through on his migratory route.

He could be gone by tonight.

No, that's good, because all I want to do is go home, crawl into this sack, put

my head on a pillow, and drift off to dreamland. That sounds good.

I might just do that myself.

Sorry, Harley.

You're going to crawl into a tuxedo and cover that $100 -a -plate fundraiser at

the convention center.

Well, at least it's Republican.

They spend some of the hundred on the food.

I got a bird that keeps me awake, too.

She's 33, divorced, friendly.

We're gonna have a nice little intimate dinner at her place.

Only this one doesn't tweet. She kind of makes cooing sounds.

What do you got lined up?

I'm gonna take a shower with the Johnson brothers.

Johnson and Johnson.

Shampoo. I'm gonna wash my hair.

That's too bad. I was gonna ask you if they had sisters.

Well... Tonight's basketball night. The Lakers?

No, San Pedro Dunks against Hogan's Meats.

I'm a guard for the Meats. A guard? I figured you'd have played center.

Hey, Billy, you live out on the west side. With the traffic the way it is,

long should I give myself to get to the airport?

About 45 minutes. Why?

I just have to pick someone up at the airport.

A female someone?

Yeah, but it's just... Do we know her? I mean, what's her name?

Rose. You don't know her.

She's just someone I've known for a long time. She's coming in from Hawaii, and

I've just got to take her to some nice places.

Like where?

Disneyland. She wants to go to Disneyland.

Oh. Well, don't miss the Space Mountain ride. They really hang on to you a lot

after that one.

I managed to get through my childhood without ever going there, but now... At

least you didn't wait till you were grown up.

Hey, listen.

While you're there, would you give me one of those mouse hats, you know, with

the big ears and the writing on the front?

Okay. What do you want it to say?

Press.

Seattle, this is CSA 75.

I have an intermittent red light which indicates my left landing gear may not

have fully retracted on takeoff.

I'll try my backup systems on the way to L .A., see if we can't get it all the

way up.

Roger, CSA 75.

We will contact L .A .X. and advise them of your situation.

Hey, you're ten minutes early.

It's yesterday's paper.

I'm going home now, Ray. She's all yours. All right, Lou.

Ray. Yeah, Lou.

I'm going home to sleep, and I really don't want that phone ringing because

disturbs me. So you're not going to call me, are you? No, Lou.

You mean even if... Even if there's a cat up a telephone pole in Santa Monica,

you're not going to call me, are you?

No, Lou.

If it snows in Buffalo, you're not going to call me, are you?

No, Lou. If it doesn't snow in Buffalo, you're not going to call me, are you?

No, Lou.

We want to save those phone calls for the really big stories, don't we?

Like, if we collide with another planet, then you can call me.

If we collide with another planet.

Gotcha.

Well, thanks, Josh.

I never had a martini with a cherry in it before.

How's it taste?

What you put in here?

All kinds of stuff.

Tell me how much you liked it.

Just some martini.

I know. He's my man of the house now.

Nice. What time does he go to bed?

Oh, usually right after Johnny Carson.

Isn't that a little late for a ten -year -old? He just hates to miss anything.

He's not going to miss anything.

What was that?

Yeah. Yeah, here it is. I just got off the wire, too.

An airplane can't land more than 300 people aboard.

Is that what you've got?

Okay. Thanks, Larry.

A jumbo jetliner is in trouble, unable to land. We will interrupt our

programming for further updates.

Did you hear that?

The bulletin? Yeah, that bulletin. That means I've got to get down to the paper.

Why? Why do you have to go?

Because I'm the assistant city editor.

But the stakes are almost ready.

Oh, surely there must be somebody else that's big paper.

When these big ones happen, it's me, babe.

As much as I've been looking forward to spending this evening with you and Josh.

I gotta get moving.

I'll miss you.

Well, maybe I could, uh...

No,

now I gotta go.

That's the newspaper game.

Hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go.

Hello? Oh, hi, Haskins.

How big a plane?

Oh, my God.

All right.

I said all right. I'll be down there inside of 20 minutes.

What?

Well, of course you should call Louie. He's the city editor, isn't he? If you

can call me, you can call him.

If it turns out to be no story, he'll kill you.

Listen, if it turns out to be no story, I'll kill you. Either way, you die.

Yeah.

Lou, it's Haskins.

We collided with another planet.

You didn't sign the register.

You signed for us.

Grant, Clayton, Hogan's Meats.

I didn't know you moonlighted as a butcher.

It's got to be somewhere in the library.

Hang on. Philly pickup on 06, the FAA.

It's a schematic of the airport.

Right. It's a layout of all of the runways.

Okay, thank you.

Department of Airport. Public information. I want to talk to Peg

Nobody else.

I hated to bother you, Lou, but it seemed unfortunate.

What do you think?

You did right, Ray.

What's the story?

He can't get his wheels down. That is, according to his indicator lights, one

set of wheels is down, but the other isn't. I told the tower that his left

landing gear is down, his right is still retracted.

Where's Charlie Hume? Has anyone told him about this?

He's having dinner with Mrs. Pinchon and Pearson from advertising and some of

the executive board. Where?

Upstairs, in the tower.

They have the people from the Save the Whales Foundation with them. Mrs.

is very interested in endangered species.

Yeah, that's why she owns the newspaper.

I think maybe Charlie Hill would like to know about this.

How many people on board?

348 is the first count we got, Lou, and that includes the crew.

And what's his status as of this minute? He's still circling.

Where's he coming from? Paris by Seattle.

What's his fuel?

Well, he refueled when he stopped in Seattle. He's got enough to circle for a

couple hours if he has to.

Look, I'm kind of out of my element on this sort of stuff.

Maybe we should get Brenner over.

Who have we got covering the airport?

Park, Schaffer, and Brooks.

Sounds like they make men's suits.

Rossi's there, too, just by chance. He was picking up someone who was coming in

from Hawaii.

I locate him and put him on the lead story. Billy?

Haskell's got me right in the middle of washing my hair.

I was going to send you out, but since your hair is wet, I won't.

I don't want to give the paper a bad name.

Thank you.

I want to funnel sidebar material to you.

You'll take notes from Rossi, give them to McMahon.

He's going to do the bottom of the lead story. Rossi will dictate the lead.

Okay. So this is what you really look like, huh?

We got a parcel passenger list.

Go over the names and see if there's anybody famous on board. How can you

This list is mostly last names, some with initials. Jenkins, F, Claver, T.

There are certain ones you can't miss.

Rockefeller, N, Knievel, E.

Okay, but some of these names don't even have initials. Look for Liberace.

They're on a job. I've got someone I have to meet.

She's just getting off a plane now. They're just arriving.

Here she comes.

Look, I'll get back to you. Aunt Rose!

Aunt Rose!

Joe!

Oh, Joe!

It's so good to see you.

Aloha.

It's a custom.

Hawaiian or Italian?

The flowers are Hawaiian. The cushions are Italian.

Nice, thank you.

I mean, I can take lessons, tiny youth lessons.

I know.

So how was your trip? Oh, it was nice.

I didn't have as exciting a time as I did in Acapulco last winter, but, oh,

people are lovely. And you can drink all the water without worrying.

Look,

Aunt Rose, I'm really sorry with you just arriving, but I've got to go to

I'm on an assignment, so I'm going to have to put you in a cab, take you to

hotel.

It's only 7 o 'clock Hawaiian time.

Besides, the plane trip was restful.

I had two champagne cocktails and I watched the movie. I didn't listen to

just watched it. You save $2 .50 if you don't buy the headset.

Look, I don't think you understand.

You see, something's come up here at the airport. I've got to cover it. They

just called me.

They called you all the way out here? Yeah.

They must think the world of you, huh?

Your father and mother must be so proud.

Well, it may not pan out to be anything.

Well, then I'll wait.

And if it turns out to be something, I'll be right here where it's happening.

So, you go. You go and cover it. Really, I won't get in your way.

What is the story you're on?

Well, there's a plane in trouble.

Oh, my.

No, no, no, don't worry. It'll probably turn out to be all right.

So they crampled an aviation plane out of Miramar, and the oddball confirmed

that his left set of wheels was only partially down.

The pilot's already gone to his first backup system, but nothing's happened.

Anything else he can do? Yeah, he's doing it now.

Going to the manual backup system.

Okay, but why is he up there at all? I mean, that's a busy airport.

Why don't they divert him someplace else?

Well, ordinarily they would. Send him out to Edwards Air Force Base.

But they've shut down operations for a week to install a new electronic system

for the space shuttle.

Why not divert him to Ontario?

When you've got 348 people, that's too much for them to handle.

Why, what are they thinking of? Hotel accommodations?

Not hotels, Lou.

Hospitals.

I reached Rossi at the airport. He's on the story.

You have his telephone, okay?

I just wanted to show you this.

I spotted this on the passenger list.

Yeah, so?

Hume's a fairly common name.

Hume J?

Doesn't Charlie have a daughter named Joan who was in France?

Yeah, but she's still there. I just saw a postcard he got from her today at

lunch. No, this couldn't be her.

She's been coming back for a couple of weeks.

Okay, thanks. That's all I wanted to know.

Billy? Yeah?

I know someone who would hurt to check.

Call Stanford.

See if they have an address on her in France. Try to get through.

Okay.

Give me a rundown on what happens.

What happens?

If he can't get his wheels down.

Oh, then they send him over the ocean to dump his fuel.

That's to reduce fire hazard when he does land.

While he's doing that, they'll be foaming the runway.

How long will that take?

Less than ten minutes. So they'll do that just before he's ready to land.

I thought they didn't do that anymore.

Foam, I mean.

They haven't foamed at LAX in a couple of years, but a pilot requested it.

He can just do that?

It's his show, Lou. I mean, right now, he is God. If he asked for it... That'd

give him a marching band and pom -pom girls.

Now, they'll start foaming the surface about 1 ,000 feet down the runway, but

he'll try to touch down about 200 feet before that on the concrete.

Why? Well, you think it'll slow him down, but before he catches fire from

friction, he'll be into the foam.

I mean, that's the theory of it. You see, you risk building up friction so

can bite the runway. If he lands into the foam, he won't have any control.

just slide every which way.

I got the number on her. The overseas operator is putting through the call to

Avignon, France.

Okay. We'll need a sidebar on that foaming or runway business.

And take whoever you need for the other sidebars. The accident history, this

airport, that kind of stuff, okay? Yes, sir.

You look like a walking pawn shop.

I'm heading out for the airport.

Just stay away from the foam. Somebody will try and shave you.

I got France.

Now I need somebody who speaks French.

You don't? I took Latin and Spanish.

You? Me.

Speak French?

I ordered escargot once and I ended up with a plate full of snails.

Donovan? Not me. I spent a week at the club med, but nothing rubbed off.

I'll take it.

You?

You speak French? Oh, yeah.

I studied painting in Paris.

A lot of Americans go there and spend all their time trying to pick up girls.

I learned French.

So I can pick up French girls.

Allo? Si, madame.

Manet. Madame Manet?

J 'ai votre téléphone de Californie, des Etats -Unis.

What's going on?

We're in trouble.

Oh, I know, I know. Come on, let's go into your office. I'll tell you all

it. Okay.

What's that all about?

We were going to order in some food. The only place open was a French

restaurant. Come on, let's talk about our coverage.

Oui, madame.

Exactement. C 'est mademoiselle Hume.

Jean Hume. H -U -M -E.

Oui.

You know,

on the way down here, I caught myself thinking, we had such a slow news day,

we'd have something decent for the front page.

And then I thought, How ghoulish.

Yeah, well, that's his business.

We don't stop to think about how much of it is dealing with other people's

tragedies.

Charlie, there's something I've got to tell you.

I just heard about it upstairs.

Is it true? Is John Young on that plane?

Yeah. He's talking to his wife now.

He was just saying at dinner. He wasn't expecting her back for two weeks.

I guess she decided to surprise them. He checked with people she was staying

with in France. She's on that flight.

Want to see a headline proof?

Yeah, I have one.

Let hope and pray.

She's in San Francisco with her sisters.

She wanted to fly down, but I told her what's the use until we know something.

Well, I'm going to the airport now.

It just seems more important that I be there than here.

This is what postcards tell you about.

She's going to surprise us.

Hey, Charlie, everything's going to be okay.

You go on out there to the airport.

Don't let him drive alone. Send someone to me.

Yeah, you can go with the animal. I'll handle it at this end. All right, I'll

take charge of things when I get there.

Listen, Charlie, Brunner said the pilot can always crank down the other set of

wheels by hand. It happens all the time. Then everything winds up fine. Charlie,

these pilots are so good. Everything's going to be all right.

Yeah, I know. It's probably routine.

I'm not trying to hold out on you. I'm telling you everything we know.

Well, you don't seem to know much because you haven't explained... Do you

name on the pilot? Yes.

What about the landing gear?

It's Robert Hopkins of Modesto, California, 44, married, three children.

landing gear, it worked fine in Seattle. Why isn't it working now?

We're trying our best to find out what went wrong.

Well, so am I, buddy.

What about the FAA regulation?

The pilot, how experienced is he? How experienced is he? I'll tell you.

Hopkins is a six million mile pilot.

Six million miles? He must be very good.

Or maybe he's due.

Is there a technical reason why his backup systems may have failed? At the

moment, we think that on takeoff from Seattle, something must have flown up

jammed the mechanism.

Can you tell us about the last maintenance check? What is it, every 100

No, that's for light aircraft.

You mean you're not that careful with the big planes?

The landing gear is examined after every flight.

Portions of the airplane receive maintenance on a rotating basis.

You might note that we have one of the most enviable safety records in the

industry. Well, there's nobody who'd like to see you keep that record more

I would.

That's better, Joe.

I got it, Joe.

City desk, Donovan.

Yeah. Uh -huh.

How many injured?

Okay, six, none badly.

Okay. Anybody killed?

That's good.

Thank God. What hospital did they take the injured to?

Anaheim. Anaheim.

Okay, I got it. Thank you.

Tom?

They got in okay?

No one killed, just six injuries?

What do you mean, got in? The plane.

This wasn't a plane. There was a brawl after a rock concert in Orange County.

What are you looking at me like that for?

What's the matter with you? You really had me going there. I thought you were

talking about the airplane.

Look, I'm sorry, but we do have other news, you know? I'm aware of that,

Donovan. I'm aware that there are other things going on in the world. But when

you use words like injuries, killed, hospital, what do you think I'm going to

think about?

I wasn't thinking about what you were going to think. I was just repeating

he was saying.

Donovan.

Want some coffee?

Thanks.

Grant.

Yeah, Mr. Pigeon, I'll be right in.

There you go.

Mr.

Grant, Mr.

Pearson is very concerned about something.

So am I.

I'm concerned about two things.

That airplane getting down safely and covering the story.

What's this order about taking ads out of the paper?

That's right.

Did Mr. Hume approve this? No, he wasn't here.

I did, after checking with Circulation and Production.

Well, may I ask why you didn't simply increase the number of pages?

The problem we've got here is we can't expand the paper. Go up pages to cover

this story.

The first edition is already running. Setting up the press room for more pages

would take an hour, which we haven't got. The newspaper has to stay the same

size. That means with added coverage, something's got to go.

Advertising?

Advertising. It's the only expendable we've got.

That expendable is what pays the freight around here.

Listen, Pearson, I realize that you'd love a paper that's nothing but

advertising from front to back. But every once in a while, I get a crazy

stick in the story here and there. Gentlemen, please.

Now, it's clear we're going to have to make a decision.

No, we don't. It's already been done. It's too late to change it. I dropped

ads. Which ads?

Oh, where I say that new account you're so interested in. Good thinking.

You see, it's not so bad.

We had to kick it back a few pages to do it. We need all of page five for our

pictures and jumps. What do you mean, kick it back a few pages?

How many, Mr. Rod?

Twenty -three.

It's on page twenty -three?

No, it's on page twenty -eight.

Twenty -eight?

Well, it started on page five.

You have it back with the weather and the obits?

I just landed this account. I broke my tail to get this account, and you are

going to put their first ad on page 28?

Hey, I thought I did good saving it at all. I think you did, too.

But we promised them page five. This is the first time that these people are

advertising in the Tribune. I promised them page five.

Well, it is on page five in the first edition.

The one we ran before this airplane story hit. The one star?

The one that goes out of town to the American colony in Hong Kong?

Now, how are they supposed to take advantage of this sale?

Mail order?

Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no.

Mrs. Pynchon, it is now 11 p .m. I am going to have to call these people. I am

probably going to wake them up, and I will have to try to tell them how lucky

they are to be landing on page 28.

Would you like me to make the calls for you, Mr. Pearson?

You can blame it on me if you want to.

I was planning to.

What's new? It worked. He cranked the other set of wheels down manually.

But he's okay. Thank God.

No, no, no, wait.

What?

The wheels are down, but they're not locked. He said that it's as bad as

not being down at all.

The pilot's indicator light is still red.

He's afraid the wheels are just going to cave in on impact.

Maybe the wheels are right, but the indicator light is wrong.

No, no, he's got a horn ringing at him, too. He says he just can't afford to

take the chance.

So what does he do now?

I don't know.

Yeah.

I know how frustrating it is being 400 miles away.

But I can't do anything more, and I'm right here.

Now, listen, Marion.

Look, Marion, that's not going to do any good.

I don't know why she decided to come now.

I know how hard it is to believe that this is happening, but you listen to me

now, Marion.

I feel very strongly that everything is going to be all right.

Okay?

I'll call you just as soon as I hear anything.

He's got it down.

He doesn't know if he can make them work.

I don't know, it's crazy around here.

The name of the pilot was Robert Hopkins, age 44, from Modesto.

Thank you.

Look, Aunt Rose, I've got ten bucks worth of dimes.

Now, you're going to sit right here and keep this phone open for me.

When whatever happens happens, every reporter in the airport is going to come

running in here looking for a phone.

You'll be on this one. Then I'll be able to come right in and take over.

I'm calling the trib now.

You're Billy Newman, please.

Then I'm going to turn this over to you.

Newman.

Well, let's see.

Yeah, this is my Aunt Rose. Now, you're going to be speaking to her until

something breaks here, okay?

I'm going to turn... Okay.

Billy, this is my Aunt Rose. Aunt Rose, this is Billy.

Hello, Billy.

Oh, for heaven's sake, you're a girl.

Well, I think they're going to have to make the final decision pretty soon now,

I guess.

What to say?

Whether to try the old foam or not.

As much as I want this waiting to be over, just hit me what they're going to

to do.

They've done it before.

It should be all right.

First time I took her on an airplane, she was only five, and she was afraid.

She was really frightened.

We were already taxiing down the runway, and she wanted to go back and get off.

But then I held her hand, and she was all right.

Funny, whenever we flew after that, a man who's a take -off, I'd hold her

Now she's up there.

But nobody.

No.

Hold her hand.

Have you ever been to Hawaii? It's lovely.

No, I haven't.

Oh, too bad.

Just don't wait to be my age before you go.

Well, I really don't go to the beach very much. I burn very easily, so, uh...

So I don't know how much there'd be for me over there in Hawaii.

Oh, there's much more to do than just go to the beach.

Oh, sure, there's the Pearl Harbor cruise and the tour of the pineapple

That sounds like fun.

Oh, yes.

My late husband and I always talked about going, but something always came

put it off.

Then he got sick, and, well, I lost him, so I had to go alone.

I'm sorry.

So make sure if you go, you go with somebody, somebody you really like.

Yes, I'll take your advice.

Do you have a boyfriend?

No. No, not at the moment.

Do you know my nephew, Joe? He works at the paper.

Yes, I know him quite well, as a matter of fact.

Isn't he a lovely boy?

So sweet, so considerate?

We think a lot of him on the paper, too.

You sound adorable.

What's the color of your hair?

Red.

I should have known when you said you burn easily.

He knows.

When you go to Hawaii, you wear sunscreen lotion and a big hat. You

A big hat. You have one? Rose, I need the phone.

Billy, I've got to put Joe on.

Hello, Billy?

Here it is.

What do you got?

They're sending him out to dump his fuel.

They're foaming the runway, and then they're going to try to bring him in.

No wheels.

Belly landing.

Tonight I discovered a way to quit drinking.

What's the secret?

Ten -year -old bartenders.

What? Oh, it had to do with my date tonight and her son.

And a pink martini. You don't want to hear about it.

Here's the layout of the airport that the artist just drew up.

Which runway is he using? I don't know.

Brunner.

Just one second, Lou.

Uh -huh.

Yeah, yeah.

Fourth quarter? Well, how many minutes are left?

Brunner, will you hang that thing up and come over here?

Right.

What was that?

I was just checking the score on the San Pedro Dunks -Hogan -Meats game.

The meats are behind, 78 to 74.

Well, they're playing without me, Lou.

So am I.

Which one of these runways is he going to use?

This one, on the north.

It's the runway they regularly use for the big jets.

Meanwhile, they won't have to suspend operations on the other runway.

You know, Lou, I bet you 95 % of the people out there don't even know

is wrong.

Well, let's hope they're right.

We could use a sidebar on that.

Situation normal, business as usual, that kind of thing? I got Haskins

on that, checking with reporters at the airport.

Maybe we should have somebody do something on how people are going to get

that airplane.

You know, those slides they use or whatever.

I got Parks looking into that.

You're really organized, aren't you, Donovan?

On top of things.

All this time I've been thinking what a goof -off you are. How I'd hate to have

to depend on you and the crunch.

With your two -hour lunches and your social phone calls. Then we have a

like this and you really come through.

Well. Don't let it get around.

You'd blow years of careful image building.

I wonder how Charlie's holding up.

What's up, Billy?

No, not yet.

We're just crossing our fingers and praying.

Sure.

Lovely girl, Billy.

Oh, yes, she's a lovely girl.

You know her?

Oh, just to talk to her over the phone.

What a sweet card.

She writes you all the way from France.

A lot of daughters wouldn't take the time.

I know. We're very lucky.

She's 20.

She's coming home early to surprise us.

We thought that she was going straight back to Stanford, but it's just like her

to want to pop in on us unexpectedly.

She loves surprises.

I went to a little girl.

Every year on my birthday, she'd want to have a surprise party for me.

It got harder and harder to act like I didn't expect it.

She wouldn't be in the plane if she hadn't wanted to.

She'll be all right, Mr. Hume.

I have a marvelous idea.

Tomorrow, Joe and I are going to Disneyland. Why don't you and your wife

Joanie come along with us?

I always wanted to go there with her.

She always went on dates.

I'd love to go to Disneyland.

Can I confess something foolish to you, Mr. Hume?

What's that?

I was once getting on a plane, and I hadn't flown in a while, and I was a

frightened.

Then I looked up, and do you know who was getting on that same plane?

Julie Andrews. Can you imagine Julie Andrews?

And I knew right then, I knew that I'd be safe.

And I have that same feeling now about that plane with Jody on it.

Of course.

Let's hope that Jody's on this one, too.

Ben Rose, excuse me. I got something.

Okay, Billy.

He's dumped his fuel.

The runway's phoned.

He's out over the ocean.

Yeah, they'll bring him in.

They'll bring him in on his final approach in a couple of minutes.

Right.

Right.

Did you get that, Billy?

Yeah, I got it, Aunt Rose. Thank you.

You want it?

Who are you talking to?

Short takes, Billy. Make sure you've got enough books.

Thank you, Mr. Martin.

You have been very understanding about this, and again, I'm sorry I had to

this kind of news to you at this time.

But don't worry, because we will make it up to you.

Good night.

I mean, you probably heard he wanted to cancel the whole thing. I think you did

very well explaining how the news comes first.

You almost sounded as if you believed it.

Thank you.

Look at that.

The sitting room.

Here it is almost midnight and all those people out there working.

Doing their jobs.

Just as if it were another normal deadline.

Mr. Grant says most of them didn't even have to be called in. They came in when

they heard.

No histrionics, no big to -do.

That their desk's working, doing whatever is asked of them.

I think it's at times like these that I love this business best.

Don't you agree, Mr. Pearson?

Oh, yeah.

Mr. Martin said that if the ad goes over really big, he'll take out another one

next week.

I've always suspected you, Mr. Pearson.

You're an incurable romantic.

Billy's talking to Rossi at the airport. They're going to bring it in now.

They're on their final approach.

Fire trucks and ambulances are standing by.

He's coming in.

Wheels are up.

He's coming in.

50 feet off the runway.

Getting lower.

Lower.

He's touched down.

He's sliding.

Still sliding.

Lots of sparks. Sparks all over.

He's into the foam.

He's skidding sideways. He's sliding, sliding, sliding.

Hello?

Hello? Hey, don't forget it's here.

Rossi?

Rossi?

It's that.

No fire.

Safe.

Thank God.

Oh, think how relieved Charlie must be.

And if we're that glad about Charlie, think about the other 300 families with

people on the plane.

Only a few people have gone through customs so far.

Yeah.

Yeah, hard to believe, isn't it?

After all they've been through, they make them go through customs.

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Here she comes now.

Oh, Daddy, I wanted to surprise you. Well, you didn't have to get so

I'm sorry.

Daddy, what you must have been through. You had us all so worried.

Joe Rossi's dad.

People hugging, kissing, lots of tears. You're not to write that stuff.

I'll get some what -was -it -like interviews and call you back.

Listen, let's go call up your mother right this very minute.

Hi, I'm Joe Rossi. Joe Rossi. I see you met my aunt. So what was it like up

there? Were you scared? Oh, well, let me put it this way. I sat and stared at

one page of this book for two solid hours without absorbing one single word.

I could never get into Camus either. Let me get a shot of this reunion. I don't

want to. You're not going to put a picture of the managing editor greeting

daughter in our paper? I know.

But you're going to want one anyway, right?

Bless you.

Yes? Carol, it's me, Art.

Hi.

Hi.

I hope it's not too late. I just came back because... Mom!

Who is it?

I just wanted to tell you I'll call you tomorrow.