Original subtitles

(light music)

- Just to show there are no hard feelings,

from me to you, Ace.

- What is it?

- What is it?

It's a silk muffler.

- Well I can see that, but what's it for?

- Now what kind of a fly boy are you?

I mean, all the hot shots wear silk mufflers.

It's like jump boots to a paratrooper or

a briefcase in one of those Madison Avenue geniuses.

Gives ya confidence, status.

- How's my status now?

- Quo man, quo.

(ominous music)

- Stiles?

- Yes sir?

- I don't suppose there's anything I can say

might persuade you to turn around, walk away while you can?

Forget this?

- No sir.

I just don't think you're a jinx,

coarse I'm a guy that walks under ladders.

It's quicker that way and black cats,

I cross in front of their paths.

Guess I just don't believe in jinx's.

- That's a brave and foolish and too outspoken statement.

Anyway, there it is.

As soon as your friend's settled in,

would you pull away the chucks and sand away please?

No radio, no intercom, just hand signals.

That's the ticket.

This first morning, we'll just see what you're about a bit,

ring you out a little, give you the feel of the ship.

(plane engine rumbling)

- Nothin' to worry about Mrs. Windus.

He acts like a bright kid.

He'll be okay.

And we sure could use an extra pilot.

- Who's worried?

Mr. Windus himself taught that boy to fly.

- Yeah, Mrs. Windus,

I forgot you told me that.

(suspenseful music)

(dramatic music)

(ominous music)

- Better get a hose and some soap and water, Murdock.

- Right.

(laughter)

- Now I know why the fly boys wear these things.

So they can throttle their buddies

who have no sympathy for upside down, inside out stomachs.

- Come on, walk around, it'll do ya good.

- Thought you'd be in town by now.

- I guess I'm just putting it off til the last minute.

- Must think positively, right?

- Isn't that they may say no.

It's the smiling faces and the pleasant manner

and the condescension.

I think that's almost as bad as not getting the loan.

But you're right, negative thinking.

How's the boy?

- Game, game with a new stomach.

He has good hands, steady control.

Good luck Dora.

- Dora.

Now, Dora, let's stop this nonsense.

- I told you Mr. Russell, I'm not interested.

- Well this is a dusting company, isn't it?

I've got a fat contract for ya, Dora.

Just as fat as them miserable trips

sittin' out in my field grinding their teeth away

on my profits.

There's work to be done Dora.

Done right now and a lot of money in it for you.

- There are plenty of other outfits flying crops

in this valley, Mr. Russell.

- Well, they won't touch sulfur, they don't want

no part of it.

- Then how can you ask me?

How can you possibly ask me?

- Well now I'll just tell ya Dora.

Because other people can afford not to fly sulfur.

You can't.

Not this year anyway.

Now look Dora, I drove out here to make a deal.

And I'm gonna make a deal.

Sulfur does the job, see like nothing else can

and I got a fortune in crops needs a sulfur dusting.

Needs it now, today, tomorrow.

This week.

This contract of mine, Dora,

this'll put you back even.

You won't have to ham and haw and do your pardon me's

and how do you do's with the bank.

Far as worrying about another fire goes.

Just make sure your planes are grounded proper.

Just 'cause Jack got a tough break flying sulfur,

you got a blind spot.

- You want this job done, ask my husband.

- Well, I can't hardly do that Dora.

Now can I?

- Why not?

Say it.

He's not dead.

He got out.

He managed to get out.

He's alive.

Somewhere, he's alive waiting.

Healing because he doesn't want me to see him

all burned.

He'll come back.

Anyday now, he'll come back.

Side slippin' right in over that ol' hanger.

Right under the mouth of that ol' windsock.

Settin' it down like a mosquito.

- Well,

you go ahead Dora.

- Don't you be mannerly with me Tom Russell

and don't you feel sorry for me.

I'm no widow to be pitied.

- You go ahead.

You go drive into town.

Have yourself a nice hot lunch.

I'll call ya up this afternoon.

(slow music)

How long since you been paid, Skeet?

- That's about as much none of your business, Mr. Russell,

as anything I can think of.

- Well, what happened to Jack,

well he just got a tough break, that's all.

Could happen to anyone.

- No, Mr. Russell.

Not to anyone, just to a duster pilot.

A duster flying four feet off the ground

lugging a ton of sulfur.

That's the only one it could happen to.

But it won't happen here again.

- I remember the first cup of tea I was served

when the ground crews were refueling our spits.

Just came back from my first scramble.

Blitzy morning, white mist everywhere

covering the tarmac.

I was grateful for that.

It hid my shaking knees.

Then this wife came out of the mist with a

wonderful little trolley with tea and sausage rolls.

She was wearing overalls with flowered print.

I remember I was no longer afraid.

Country which thinks enough of it's pilots

to outfit it's ground crews with coveralls

with flower print, that's a country work dying for.

That's a sure sign of senility, recalling past memories.

Won't happen again.

Alright Stiles, tomorrow we start shooting take-off's

and landings.

(light orchestral music)

(knocking)

- [Woman] Buz?

Buz.

- Who is it?

- [Woman] Buz?

- Um, don't go away.

(upbeat orchestral music)

- If you can't get rid of the family skeleton,

you might as well make it dance.

You mind the rattle of old bones?

- Any point you throw, I'll cover.

- I'll be in the car.

- You know, there was a time I used to envy the sleepers.

All the normal people who turn in at night,

go around, switch off the lights,

find refuge in the dark,

escape for a little while.

But look at all they miss.

No crowds, no noise.

A chance to think.

A chance to window shop without being pushed.

You saw him today, didn't you?

- Summers?

He was at the airport.

- What'd he talk about?

It was your idea, remember?

Pep talks between the halves?

- Okay, okay.

He talked about flying, what else?

- Buz, it's not working, is it?

- Don't rush it, don't rush it.

- It'll never work.

I guess I wanted to talk to you tonight because,

because you're a link, do you understand?

You're a link with him.

- I said it's okay.

- It's not okay.

That's the trouble with man and women.

For somebody to win, somebody else has to lose.

- Well, who wants to win em all?

- Try to see that nothing happens to him.

That he lives.

- Why shouldn't he?

- Because he thinks he's overdue.

That he's already dead.

Oh, I won't bother you any more

or knock on your door.

It's selfish of me anyway.

- Christina, I keep telling you, I don't mind.

I can take it.

- Not this.

You're too young.

You don't know what it means to be lost,

hopelessly and not care.

He and I, we're bound together by years of suffering.

Link by link, hand in hand like a chain.

Rusty maybe, but unbreakable.

(somber music)

- Christina, that's not Penny Candy.

- Keep your nose down, your speed up.

That's the doctrine for this ship.

Can you remember all that?

- I'd better.

- Mr. Summers.

I wanna make a speech.

Personal speech, me to you.

- Oh.

- It's about Christina.

The trouble is, I don't know what to say

or whether there's anything to be said.

- Well obviously, there must be.

- Don't you understand that you've got her under glass?

Stopped up, suffocating?

How does she bust away from you

and how does she stop singing all those

sad songs in the book?

How does she bust free from you, Mr. Summers?

- You do have a lot to say on the subject, don't you?

- Look I'm not enjoying this.

But let's get one thing straight,

I'm not asking for myself.

Sure, she knocks me out.

Maybe I'm kidding myself like my buddy says.

Maybe she's outta my league.

But that doesn't stop me from fighting her battles.

Battle I mean, Mr. Summers, one battle, you.

- Thank you.

Thank you for caring.

Switch on, start your engine.

(ominous orchestral music)

(loud engine pop)

- Where is she?

I asked you a question.

- Well Vicki, the answer is still no.

- She didn't come home last night.

- How would you know?

You're never home yourself until sunrise.

Slap this side, Vicki.

Just slap this Christian boy on his other cheek.

- You'd better show me more respect.

- You know, there was a time when your Daddy was around.

If anybody said anything about you,

I'd have turned his head counter-clockwise twice.

That's when you were worth respecting.

- How do you know what I'm worth

and what I'm not worth?

- You won't make any points around here, Vicki.

Not with me, not with Mr. Summers,

not with any of the boys.

No matter how hard you try.

- Why not?

Aren't I good enough?

You talk about me.

Where were you last night?

- Summers around?

- He's out shooting landings with Stiles.

- Bring them in.

- Yes ma'am.

- So you're not telling, huh?

- I've been from one end of this valley to the other

calling on every rancher I know trying to get us

some contracts.

- All night long?

- I had to speak to Mr. and Mrs. Darcy

at the other side of the Scottsdale.

Decided to get a early start to wrap up my serving.

You weren't worried, were you?

- You could've been dead or something.

- What are you doing here?

- I wanna go shopping.

I have to go shopping thanks to you.

- Thanks to me?

This is Dora Windus.

Is Doctor Brewster in please?

Would you tell him I called?

And would you tell him I'd appreciate it

if he could get out here sometime today.

I'd like a blood count on my swampers and pilots.

We're expecting a phosphate job in the morning and--

Yes, Dora Windus.

Thank you.

Alright Vicki, we've got work to do.

Not much, but we've got to get started.

What's all this about shopping?

- You almost ruined everything for me the other night

with Tod making him think I,

well I've been calling him and he's taking me out tonight.

I need a new dress so I can impress him.

So if you'll just let me have a check for--

- [Dora] No checks Vicki.

- But.

- All outta checks, Vicki.

All out of everything.

The bank told me they can't renew my note.

They can't extend any more credit.

I told you, I've been up and down this whole valley

trying to get a contract.

I managed to get one, just one, a small one,

enough to buy engine parts and fuel for this month,

but it won't keep us going until the lettuce crop comes up.

- Then you'll have to close this place?

- Yes.

- Well, the sooner, the better.

You should have closed it last year

when Daddy was killed.

(somber music)

Oh, mother dear.

You think I'm the talk of the town.

I'm nowhere compared to you.

Everybody calls you that crazy Windus dane

pretending her husband's still alive.

My Father, my Father is dead.

His ashes are scattered across,

across a bunch of stinkin' tomato plants.

And that jinx, that Summers is still here.

You know it's because of him Daddy's dead.

Do you think I pretended to be interested in him

for any other reason except making him talk?

- Did he talk, Vicki?

- He didn't have to.

I found out about him.

He's dark and evil.

Like the shadow of death.

- He's your father's friend, Vicki.

His best friend.

- When they come and pad lock this place,

when they make you get out,

when you come home,

when you admit that my Father's dead,

then I'll be your daughter.

Not until.

(intense music)

- You go look for your father child, in every man you meet.

I've quit trying to stop you.

But you let me alone.

You let me look for him my way.

You let me wait for him right here in peace

where his life was good,

where he loved his planes and his work and his

clean Arizona sky.

(upbeat jazzy music)

- Table for three tonight, Mr. Murdock?

- Uh no, separate tables Gene.

- All by himself in another world.

- But I'd like my table in this world, alright?

Uh, let me have what I usually have.

- Alright.

(applause)

- Let him be anti-social.

Who needs him?

You're the one who knows how to take off.

- Well, I thought he could have one drink with us,

you know, it isn't every day I solo.

- Who needs to solo?

- Alright, let's drink to duel control.

(applause)

♪ Goodbye

♪ No use leading with our chins

♪ This is where our story ends

♪ Never lovers, ever friends

♪ Goodbye

♪ Let our hearts call it a day

♪ But before you walk away

♪ I sincerely want to say

♪ I wish you bluebirds

♪ In the spring

♪ To give your heart a song to sing

♪ And then a kiss

♪ But more than this

♪ I wish you love

♪ And in July, a lemonade

♪ To cool you in some leafy glade

♪ I wish you health

♪ And more than wealth

♪ I wish you love

♪ My breaking heart and I agree

♪ That you and I could never be

♪ So with my best, my very best

♪ I set you free

♪ I wish you shelter

♪ From the storm

♪ A cozy fire to keep you warm

♪ But most of all

♪ When snowflakes fall

♪ I wish you love

(applause)

(somber music)

- Pure advice, you know?

Flaming?

Was a time when they burned witches,

but in our century, only pilots.

I often wondered if there's any connection.

Witches, broomsticks, pilots,

air ships.

No matter.

Sings like an angel, doesn't she?

- Yeah, a sad one.

- Paradise lost.

Tell me about yourself, Murdock.

- Tell you what?

- What kind of a fellow are you?

- Why?

- It's important.

- Well I never thought too much about it.

To me, that's a rough question.

Now what would you say if I asked you?

- I can sum myself up quite precisely.

I'm a gaunt fellow full of the sounds of the past,

hearing nothing of the present.

I'm aware of times to spare, not despairing.

I'm a lean, thoughtful fellow

who gets a bout in the clouds to gain

a temporary detachment.

A fellow who wants to stop hurting and being hurt.

Simple as that.

What about you?

- I don't know.

I mean, I'm just a guy moving around.

Still looking, still wondering, still deciding,

about myself, that is, not about Christina.

I know about her, about her I can tell you.

- You love her?

- Well, I don't know her well.

- [Summers] You want to love her?

- Look all of a sudden, I don't wanna talk about it,

particularly with you.

- That's unfortunate because I'd like to help you.

- What?

- Answer me, do you want to love her?

- Yes.

- Well then, take her.

You take her the way I did a long, long time ago.

Curious, I sound like a father advising his son-in-law.

Yes, I took her the way a woman dreams of being taken.

Not clinically, romantically.

On impulse.

Before she has time to think or analyze.

Before she decides you're too considerate,

too understanding.

Before she discovers that you're

really in awe of her, already her slave.

A woman has to be swept off her feet Murdock,

literally taken out of herself, her senses drowned.

Has to be pursued, captured.

This is her nature, this is her destiny.

The man who acts, not talks, is the man who rules her.

I met Christina at an afternoon cocktail party

in Mexico City.

I found that she'd never been married and neither had I.

I asked her to have dinner with me.

She said she couldn't because she was singing

that evening at an open aired theater.

I went to the airport, I rented a helicopter.

I flew to the theater and I landed on the stage

directly in the middle of her song.

I simply picked her up, put her in the helicopter

and flew off.

I asked her to marry me, she did.

Goodnight Murdock.

- Why did you stop loving her?

- Did I say I stopped?

(somber music)

- I'm driving.

- Where?

- Get in.

We're gonna be late.

- Late for what?

I asked you a question Buz.

I told you, I'm not used to--

(intense music)

- Hey, don't touch your face!

- I keep forgetting this stuff is poisonous.

- Well you might forget but your blood cells won't

if you get any on your skin.

- What's the matter, don't you like the outfit?

It's very sheek.

All us swampers dress to the teeth.

Like you say, if you don't, no teeth.

You're just bustin' to ask me, aren't you?

So ask.

- This isn't just another girl is it?

Somebody that comes and goes?

Just the girl for Phoenix?

- No, this isn't just the girl for Phoenix.

- How does she feel about it?

- We didn't talk about it.

- What happens now?

Cheer up.

It's a big thing, it should happen to me.

Buz, sooner or later, it was bound to happen

the way we've been kickin' around.

One day, you walk around the corner and bingo,

there she is.

Size 10, a look in her eye and all the chemistry going

and in one big flash, you see your future.

You ought to celebrate.

Buz,

how old is she?

- What's a couple of years here or there?

- Well it isn't the number.

It's what went into those years.

- Well, you saw her.

You can see she's an unhappy kid.

- She wasn't always.

- Yeah, that's right.

She wasn't always, but you can't always be

the first guy on the scene, Todd.

- Well, we got 1200 bucks in the Denver account.

Half of that is yours.

Whatever we make here, we split 50/50.

I'd fly a grapefruit crate from one end of this valley

to the other 10 hours a day if it would help you

get started and if it would get Christina smiling again.

Look, aren't we the guys that were looking for roots?

What's the matter with Phoenix?

Everything else here has roots.

Tomatoes, lettuce, cabbages,

this is the place!

And if anything bugs you, well you call me.

I'll spray it down with tep.

- Yeah, maybe this is the place.

- What about Hanson?

He's got 300 acres that haven't been dusted

since last season.

- Are you just going to stand there making happy talk

and ignore Doctor Brewster's report?

- That Doctor's an alarmist.

- No, that's one thing about a plasmatist.

It's the most impersonal personal thing in the world.

No matter how you argue it, your blood count

is 48% of normal.

I've got to keep you away from phosphates for two weeks.

Ground you.

- Ya know Dora, you remind me of myself.

Back in the days when I'd have to call in

one of my flying officers because he'd been on

too many sweeps.

"Johnny," I'd say, "You've got a twitch.

"I'm taking you off for a while.

"Now you have your batman drive you to the south downs,

"you get a bottle and a girl.

"Forget the war."

Now why is it that all the Johnny's in the world,

at least all the ones I ever knew,

they stand there with a twitching eye,

trembling hand and they say, "I'm sorry sir,

"I can't do that."

"That's an order," I'd insist.

"But sir, I'd rather bite in the air

"than on the ground from a bloody bomb."

I let too many stay, too many Dora.

But then we couldn't afford any non-runners then

and you can't afford any now either.

- Alright, I'll ground you another way.

I'm closing this operation.

I'm shutting the field down.

- You can't.

- I've got to.

As soon as Todd finishes this contract this morning,

that's it.

- How do you think Jack will feel about that?

I promised him Dora.

- You've kept your promise.

You've kept us, me going.

Now we've simply come to the end of the runway.

We're not airborne.

- You call Russell.

Tell him I'm coming out to look his place over.

- Why?

- See if there are any new wires or stand pipes

since Jack flew the crop last year.

- No, no!

- You call him Dora.

- No!

- Alright, I'll tell him myself.

(ominous music)

- Skeet, stop him!

He's going to see Russell.

- Skeet, check the ground bars in 113

and set the hub up a syllable.

(intense music)

There's the truck, will you give Skeet a hand?

- Mr. Summers.

- No words Murdock.

We don't need any, you and I.

Not now.

You changed, that's good.

Grateful to you.

(somber music)

(ominous music)

(explosion)

(intense music)

- You wished him dead often enough.

Are you happy?

I didn't mean that.

- Ever since he came, things were wrong.

And I blamed him.

But I didn't want him dead.

- Well,

you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened to him

any more than you should blame him for what

happened to your father.

- Do you know what you just said about Daddy?

- Dead.

Like Summers.

I couldn't cry for your father, Vicki,

because I couldn't live without him.

And if I had cried for him, if I'd admitted I'd lost him,

I'd have died too.

I couldn't do that.

Not and raise you.

Vicki, how can I ever undo all the harm I've done you?

- What I've done Mommy, I did, not you.

- When I saw Summers fly away today, I knew.

For the first time in all these months, I cried.

I cried for him and I cried for your father.

And I cried for all the men who died in the air.

I'm all done with crying.

All done.

I'm going to stay here and I'm going to run this outfit.

I'm going to build it up just like your father

always dreamed it could be.

- Let me help Mommy.

- Thank you honey,

thank you.

(somber music)

- Wasn't my fault.

- Anybody say anything?

- I didn't hear anything.

- I don't even see nothin'.

- I brought a check.

I'm a man who lives by my word.

This is payment for the whole job

even though he only got three quarters of the way.

I was planning on handing this to Dora.

You just tell her that I dropped it off.

- Christina.

- Which locker's his?

- On the left.

- Where are his flight boots?

Now don't tell me they're burned because I know better.

How many times has he told me, when you die like that,

the boots always come off the feet?

They're always left behind.

I want his boots.

What else was left?

I said what else?

(intense music)

(sobbing) (somber music)

At least it's not creeping up behind him anymore.

Not whispering in his ear.

- I'll drive you back to town.

You're in no condition.

- No Buz.

I'm not going back to town.

I wasn't even going to say goodbye.

I thought maybe you'd hate me for that.

Forget me.

- Forget you?

- I don't wanna end up doing this same thing to you

that he did to me.

Bringing along a past that no future could ever overcome.

No Buz.

- If I didn't leave you today, it would be next week,

next month.

- What are you doing to do?

- I don't know.

Just wait.

- For what?

- Tomorrow.

And tomorrow after that.

- Christina,

I love you.

- Goodbye Buz.

- I'll find you.

(intense music)

(upbeat jazzy music)

- [Voiceover] This has been a Screen Gems

Film Presentation from Columbia Pictures,

Herbert B. Leonard, executive producer.

(intense orchestral music)