Hi, Johnny.
How are reservations coming in?
Coming in slow, Claude.
Mail's in.
Stretch the paint, Todd.
All we wish to do is put up a good front.
It ain't the only thing running thin
around here.
- Mail seem any heavier?
- I think so, Dad.
"Paint it thin," he says, Johnny.
Quality don't mean nothing no more
around here.
When your grandpa was alive,
things was different.
That veranda, full of elegant guests
all summer long.
Real guests, not them paying kind.
Yeah, but Grandpa was rich,
and we're not.
Oh, Sylvia?
This is very amusing. Almost hilarious.
Remember that fellow my father hired
as a lifeguard and tutor...
...about 20 years ago, Ken Jorgenson?
What ever made you think of him?
Well, he's turned into a millionaire.
Listen:
"Dear Bart Hunter, I am chartering
the yacht Ramona at Nassau...
...and taking my wife and daughter
for an extended cruise.
I'd like to end up at Pine Island
for the summer."
You see how he worked that in?
The mention of the yacht
and the extended cruise?
It's hilarious, isn't it?
- What is?
- Well, isn't it obvious?
He wants to come back here
after 20 years just to gloat.
He's heard I've been wiped out
and running this place as an inn...
...so he gets a bright idea.
"Well," he says, "what a triumph.
I'll just go and stay there.
Maybe Bart Hunter will carry my bags.
I might even give him a tip."
- Obviously I'm turning him down.
- For the love of God, why?
I just don't feel in the mood
to be triumphed over all summer.
Bart, this isn't a hobby any longer.
We need the money desperately.
He asked for accommodations
we don't happen to have.
Two bedrooms
with a connecting sitting room.
- Let's give them our room upstairs.
- Where would we sleep?
In the gardener's cottage out back.
In the servants' quarters...
...where he even slept himself before
with the hired help?
That's ridiculous.
Three people at $20 a day
for room and meals is $60 per day.
Times 90 days is $5400.
And as of now, we are flat broke.
Because we're broke doesn't mean
we have to lose our dignity.
Dignity? The whole place is run-down
for lack of money.
Our credit's evaporated,
the garden's gone to seed, the roof leaks.
Our son has to go to college this year...
...and you'd give up $5400
because of dignity?
Bart, we're fighting for our lives.
You never seem to realize that.
Those are the clothes I bought for you
in Nassau.
Forty-four long. Put them on.
If you think I'll wear this yachting cap,
you're crazy.
- The man in the store said...
- I don't care what he said.
I'm not a yachtsman.
And you have to belong to
the Nassau Yacht Club to wear this insignia.
I think we're past the point
of pretending we're something we're not.
We charter a whole yacht
to arrive in Pine Island in style.
The yacht was your idea.
The point is, there'll be people on the island
who'll remember me when.
And I'm not putting on any dog.
Let's plan to try to make them forget
you were an employee there...
...not remember it, shall we?
Pine Island off the port bow, sir.
Molly.
There she lies, baby.
- I see a big house in the trees.
- There's 12 big ones on the island.
- One of them's for sale.
- You wanna buy it?
- How'd you know?
- Mama told me.
Well, I'd hoped to spring it
as a surprise if...
Now, there's a big "if."
Those 12 houses on the island
were built by the founders of Pine Island.
They incorporated.
And now their descendants run the island
like an exclusive club.
You have to be looked over
and voted on and all that.
The islanders are still "they" to you,
aren't they, Papa?
Then why are you coming back?
Maybe I just wanna check...
...and see how much
memory can exaggerate things.
To most people, I guess the island's
just another summer place.
It's a lot more than that to me.
And I hope it will be to you.
There's a boy up there watching me.
There he goes.
Funny feeling,
being looked at without knowing it.
Remember that family
that lived next door to us back home?
- Yeah.
- Their son used to look at me.
Without you knowing it?
Well, his bedroom was right across
from mine.
And one night, I felt naughty...
...and went right on undressing
so he could see.
And then all of a sudden l...
I got terribly ashamed,
and I ran to pull the curtains down.
I'll never forget, I had hot and cold flushes
all over me afterwards.
Wasn't that awful?
Well, I guess every human being on Earth's
got a few things he's ashamed of.
All right, you two,
come below and dress for shore.
- Daddy, do I have to?
- Do you have to what?
Wear this middy blouse ashore
like a 12-year-old.
She says I have to wear
this armor-plated bra to flatten me out.
And a girdle.
She says I bounce when I walk. Do I?
- Do I?
- In a pleasant and unobjectionable way.
When we arrive at the inn,
I want her to look completely modest.
She means like a boy,
flat like a pancake.
This thing even hurts.
And I couldn't blast my way
into this cast-iron girdle with dynamite.
I've had just about enough rebellion
for one afternoon.
First you...
Molly has a lovely, healthy figure.
- Why do you try to destroy it?
- I don't want her stared at.
So you insist on desexing her...
...as though sex were synonymous
with dirt.
- She isn't flying any owner's pennant, sir.
- Then it must be the Jorgensons.
I'll take the wagon down.
Oh, if he tries to tip you, spit in his face.
There he is.
And wearing just what a Midwesterner
thinks a yachtsman should wear:
- Blue coat, brass buttons, white...
- Please be cordial, Bart.
- A gentleman.
- Of course.
A gentleman is one
who never insults one unintentionally.
I have a headache.
I'm going to our room.
Make my apologies.
Apologies to Ken Jorgenson?
You're out of your mind.
Mrs. Jorgenson, Miss Jorgenson,
I'd like you to meet my father, Mr. Hunter.
Welcome to Pine Island, ladies.
Young man.
Weren't you the lifeguard here
a while back?
I was, Mrs. Hamble. Quite a while back.
- Jorgenson, aren't you?
- Yes.
- Living in the gardener's cottage in the rear?
- Oh, not anymore, ma'am.
- We're here as guests this time.
- We?
Did you marry that pretty thing
you were always teaching to swim?
You didn't fool anyone, you and she.
Not me anyway.
No, I didn't marry her, ma'am.
I met Mrs. Jorgenson in Buffalo.
Buffalo. That's out west, isn't it?
- New York, ma'am.
- Oh, yes, Niagara Falls place.
Are you a lifeguard there now?
- No, ma'am. I'm a research chemist.
- Ken, please.
Greetings, Ken.
- Would you like to escape to your rooms?
- Thank you, Bart, yes.
You'll have to find out all about Buffalo
later on, Aunt Emily.
Thank you very much.
Oh, Bart, is that pretty young thing
his daughter?
I remember him well.
Hardly proper to be so pretty.
Seems to me that all the nice girls I know
are either too fat or too thin...
...or have bad skin and thick ankles.
- This is the sitting room.
- Charming.
Utterly, utterly charming.
And this is the master bedroom.
- The other bedroom is across the way.
- Beautiful.
Beautiful view.
Tres jolie, as the French would say.
I was born in this room. Right there.
Dinner is served from 6 to 8.
Would you care to join my family
at our table tonight?
Thank you, Bart.
Oh, by the way,
we usually come down at 7:30.
Thank you so very much.
We'd be terribly charmed.
I thought I would die of mortification
out there.
Ken, you take that bedroom.
Molly and I will take this one.
All right.
Molly, you had French in high school.
What'd he say to me?
He said his heart was touched
by your approval.
When the luggage comes...
...get that disinfectant bag
and clean this bathroom.
Don't forget the toilet seat.
I'm sure everything's clean, Mother.
You can never be too sure.
You'll find Pine Island's a strange place,
Mrs. Jorgenson.
We're all frightfully snobbish here
and we tend to be anti-everything.
Except ourselves.
I like to think of the island
as a perverted Garden of Eden...
...where the pines and the salt air
seem to act as an aphrodisiac.
As a what, Mr. Hunter?
Bart, shall we change the subject?
Your show.
What Bart means is that very often
the boys of Pine Island families...
...marry girls they've met here.
So there's always been a lot of joking...
...about the island being a marvelous place
for romance.
It's true.
There are caves and lonely beaches
and Moonlight Cove.
Not to mention barns and boathouses
and other nooks and crannies, eh, Ken?
It was against the rules for Pine Island girls
to have dates with the lifeguard, remember?
- Oh, I'm so sorry.
- Oh, no harm done.
That was the last of the family crystal
anyway.
Oh, please, it doesn't matter.
Mrs. Jorgenson, may I have permission
to show Molly about the grounds?
- Yes, yes, of course.
- Excuse me.
What made you decide to live out here
the year round?
Aren't the winters pretty rugged?
Yes, but living in Boston
got to be rugged too.
The hypocrisies of the social routine
year after year.
To put it bluntly, we couldn't afford it.
So we decided to move here
and get back to essentials.
I bought government pamphlets
on how to shear sheep...
...how to weave our own clothes...
...even on how to smoke fish
and grow our own potatoes.
I had bright dreams.
And then after the summer season
was over...
...I was going to abandon all convention,
go back to nature.
Take off my clothes,
walk on the beaches in the sun...
...swim once again in the moonlight.
And then? What happened?
I...
...simply woke up, I guess.
Do you and your husband often swim
in the raw, Mrs. Jorgenson?
- Good heavens, no.
- Oh, she hasn't lived, has she, Ken?
Why, there's absolutely nothing
like galloping bare-bottomed into the sea.
You don't say?
This is the old rose garden.
It's sort of gone to seed.
- The rose thorn scratched you.
- Oh, it's nothing.
Do you ever catch fireflies?
When I was young,
I used to put them in a bottle...
...and see if I could get enough
to read by.
- There used to be goldfish here.
- Did you ever catch any?
No, I wasn't supposed to.
Then, last winter, we forgot
to take them out, and they all froze solid.
That poor cupid,
he looks lost without them.
He looks like he's waiting to be kissed.
He is.
How can you tell?
Well, I can't really.
I just know how he feels.
I knew it'd be like this.
Me too.
When did you know?
When I saw you on the cliff, I guess.
Who taught you to kiss so perfectly?
A boy at Buffalo High School.
I wasn't supposed to tell you that.
Tell me what?
Mother says that Pine Island girls
all go to finishing schools...
...not plain old high schools.
But I loved going there.
Was this boy who taught you
your steady?
No, he was president of the student body.
I was only a sophomore at the time.
- We used to go up on the roof.
- On the roof?
It was one of those flat kinds
that had a stairway leading up to it.
Gee, it got hot up there.
- In the daytime you mean?
- During my lunch hours.
Lunch hours? Did you keep doing it?
Till I learned.
Just making the rounds.
Turn off that light, Todd.
Thought for a minute there
they'd added another statue to the garden.
I'd better get back.
My folks will be wondering.
This is where I live.
- Which is your room, Johnny?
- Right there.
- I think your father used to live there.
- Can I see it from my room up there?
Then I'll wave good night.
- Good night, Johnny.
- Good night.
Well, your daughter
didn't waste any time.
She's let their boy kiss and maul her,
her very first night here.
- Where were they?
- Down below me, in the garden.
If they had anything to hide, do you think
they'd do it right under your window?
- Are you defending her cheap behavior?
- Cheap?
A girl kissing a boy in the moonlight?
You know Molly's as decent
as this boy seems to be.
No decent girl lets a boy kiss and maul her
the very first night they meet.
I suppose it's your Swedish blood in her.
I've read about
how the Swedes bathe together...
...and have trial marriages and free love.
I've read all about that. Anything goes.
So now you hate the Swedes.
How many outlets for your hate
do you have, Helen?
We haven't been able to find a new house
because of your multiplicity of them.
We can't buy near a school
because you hate kids, they make noise.
And there can't be any Jews or Catholics
on the block either.
And, oh, yes, it can't be anywhere near
the Polish or Italian sections.
And, of course,
Negroes have to be avoided at all costs.
Now, let's see, no Jews, no Catholics...
...no Italians, no Poles, no children,
no Negroes.
Do I have the list right so far?
And now you've added Swedes.
And, oh, yes...
...you won't use a Chinese laundry
because you distrust Orientals.
You think the British are snobbish...
...the Russians fearful, the French immoral,
the Germans brutal...
...and all Latin Americans lazy.
What's your plan? To cut humanity out?
Are you anti-people and anti-life?
Must you suffocate every natural instinct
in our daughter too?
Must you label young lovemaking as cheap
and wanton and indecent?
Must you persist in making sex itself
a filthy word?
Fight with me if you have to, Mama,
but not Papa, please.
This is the first real vacation
he's ever had.
Let's not wreck it for him.
Look who's talking...
...after that disgusting public display
in the garden.
- It wasn't a public display.
- The night watchman caught you at it.
- We weren't doing anything wrong.
- What if he tells everybody?
Must you parade before open windows
like a strip teaser?
The way to get accepted
here on Pine Island...
...is certainly not by prancing
past open windows...
...and giving away cheap kisses
behind the inn.
Yes, Mama.
Now, don't you ever underestimate
the value of a decent reputation.
If we're to be approved
and allowed to live here...
...it'll be because
we conducted ourselves properly.
Yes, Mama.
I've got nothing against this boy.
He comes from a good family.
He'll undoubtedly inherit this place.
You could do worse.
You've got to play your cards right.
You can't let him think
that your kisses come cheap.
I won't, Mother. Honest.
You're a good girl, I know that.
But you've got to use your head.
You've got to remember
that you have to play a man, like a fish.
You have to make him want you,
and never betray that you want him.
That's what's cheap, wanting a man.
Love should be more
than just animal attraction.
Yes, Mother.
Now, you must promise me that you won't
let him kiss you again until I say it's time.
Okay, but you promise me
that you won't fight with Papa anymore.
Can I say good night to him now?
Of course, darling.
I made a deal with Mama
to stop fighting with you.
That's quite a deal.
What'd you have to give up in return?
Kissing Johnny.
- You got the short end of the stick.
- I know it.
Why did you ever marry her?
I've never heard her say, "I love you,"
to you. Has she?
- No.
- Have you her?
- In the beginning.
- Then why?
I was lonely. So was she, I guess.
Her father used to bring me home
after work for dinner.
It seemed better than being alone
at the time.
- Didn't you ever love anyone else?
- Yep.
But I didn't have much to offer
at the time.
She married the other guy.
Why'd you and Mama
stop sharing the same room?
- She wanted it that way.
- I know. She's anti-sex.
She says all a boy wants out of a girl
is that...
...and when the girl marries,
it's something she has to endure.
I don't wanna think like that, Papa.
She makes me ashamed
of even having a body.
And when I have a naughty dream at night,
she makes me feel like hanging myself.
- How can you help what you dream?
- You can't.
And don't let her spoil yours.
Remember this,
we've got only one great reason for living:
To love and be loved.
That's our sole reason for existence.
But she doesn't love you
and she doesn't love me.
I think her heartache
is that she doesn't know how.
And mine is
that I apparently couldn't teach her.
Good night, Papa.
Sylvia, dear,
I hate breaking in on teatime...
...but I must tell you there's a leak
in the roof.
- Where, Aunt Emily?
- In my water closet.
Where in your water closet?
Right over one of my conveniences.
It drops, and I must confess,
causes some difficulty.
So you go right and tell Bart
to climb up there and fix it.
I've written to the mainland
for a repairman.
Bart's not good at fixing things,
you know that.
Well, I should, I'm his godmother.
The trouble with Bart...
...is he tries to make a virtue
out of incompetence.
Calls himself one of God's helpless people,
and still worse, seems proud of it.
Lifeguard, you come here.
You're not the helpless type.
How about fixing my leak?
Just where are you leaking?
Through the roof,
directly into my convenience.
Sylvia can show you the way
to the attic.
- I can't ask you to go up there and...
- Nonsense.
- You got the tools, I'll take a crack at it.
- What about your clothes?
I'll go change while you get the toolbox.
I never was cut out
to be a man of leisure anyway.
That's that.
Do you think the roof itself is all right?
It's slate, should last 1000 years.
I'm grateful to you, Ken.
You have no idea how worried
I've been about it.
I wanted to send for a contractor
to come out and examine it...
...but Bart was so sure he'd find
the whole roof rotting...
...that he refused to send for an expert.
He said the man could pass the word on
and have the entire inn condemned.
"Let it go," Bart said, "let it go."
What's it like being stuck out here
all winter?
Oh, it's quite lovely after the first snow.
And after the blizzards start?
You've been avoiding me
ever since I arrived, Sylvia. Why?
Can't we talk a moment?
- What about?
- You, me, Bart.
How are things between you?
We've made a life.
I guess we all adjust ourselves,
don't we?
I've never been able to.
All through these years, my dreams
have had you wrapped up in them.
I tried forgetting.
I even tried to imagine
that you had grown fat and ugly and saggy.
Is that why you came back, to find out?
To see?
I came back because I had to.
Why did you wait so long?
Because I swore I wouldn't come back
until I'd made a million dollars.
- It wasn't your being poor.
- I know.
Your mother thought Bart was a good match
and I was a nothing.
Maybe I should thank her.
Maybe she's the reason I worked so hard
to prove myself to you.
You didn't have to prove anything.
How has it been with you and...?
A half-life.
I stuck it out because of Molly.
Is that how it's been with you?
Because of Johnny.
Did Bart know we were lovers
before he married you?
He only knew
that there was something wrong.
He knew that on our wedding night.
And he's been just a little bit drunk
ever since.
Did your wife know about us?
When did you marry her?
The week after I saw your wedding pictures
in the papers.
It seems we've spoiled two lives.
Now we're paying for it.
For as long as we live?
It's been a half-life for me too.
Never really fulfilling,
never being fulfilled.
- I'm hungry for everything it hasn't been.
- Do you love me? Is it still the same?
Dear God, yes.
I don't want to hurt everybody.
We could, you know?
I know.
They'll be wondering where we are
even now.
When can I meet you? Where?
I don't know.
I'd better go down alone.
I'll meet you at the boathouse
at 2 this morning.
I'll be waiting.
Sylvia.
Come in.
You see that? It's a vent to the attic.
Acts as sort of a megaphone.
If anyone were talking up there,
I could hear every word that was said.
Sit down.
I was at your wedding, Sylvia,
remember?
Remember when Bart dropped the ring?
He wasn't nervous, he was plastered,
plastered to the gills.
And not because, as you may have thought,
of any lifeguard.
- I don't want to discuss anything...
- Sylvia.
Sit down.
I believe in facing facts.
You married a weakling...
...and he's been subsisting on your strength
ever since.
Thank God Johnny takes after you
and not him.
Now, what are you going to do
about this lifeguard?
You'd better think fast.
It'll be 2 a.m. Before you know it.
Tell me the truth.
Do you think that you can endure
another winter out here with Bart?
Last winter, was he ever sober?
I'll bet he never even got up
for Christmas.
I thought so.
Have you ever considered divorce?
Of course.
But Bart's pride couldn't take that.
And if he insisted on keeping Johnny,
I couldn't take it.
Of course, you and this lifeguard
could have an affair of sorts.
Oh, civilized as possible, you know?
A few lies here and there.
Invented excuses to go to the mainland.
And signing false names in motels.
I wouldn't be any good at that.
Well, then you could probably do
what most people would do.
Drift along.
Have an affair
without actually planning it.
The quick clinches in the nights.
And then the whisperings
and the gossips.
How would that do?
I wonder if a small prayer
would do any good.
A prayer composed
of complete confusion, like:
"Dear God, I don't know what to do."
Why don't you let your lover
share in the decision?
I'd decided not to come.
I couldn't help myself.
- Will she miss you?
- No. We don't sleep together.
How about Bart?
He drinks himself
into a very sound sleep.
We must be pretty funny,
with our strained faces...
...and our guilts and...
We have to make choices, Sylvia.
Do you want to get a divorce?
Or do we meet like this when we can?
Which is your choice?
A divorce, if I can have Johnny.
Same here, if I can have Molly.
Would Helen let you have her?
No.
I'm perfectly willing to come to you
whenever you want me.
- All summer?
- All summer.
What about the winter?
All the winters, all of our lives?
I'm not as pretty anymore.
I'm sorry for that.
I love you too much to speak.
We're just not used to
acting like thieves in the night.
I'm tired of whispering.
I want to shout and talk out loud...
...and tell the whole world.
They'll know if we don't get back
to our rooms before daybreak.
Mama. Mama.
Wait a minute, Randy.
- Mama.
- No sense killing yourself to say goodbye.
I'm just going to the mainland drugstore.
Your father will be back from Boston
on Monday.
Sir, may I have permission to take Molly
on a sailing picnic around the island?
- Just the two of you?
- His boat only holds two, Mother.
In my day, it was simply not proper...
...to take off all day in a boat alone
without a chaperon.
Now, Helen, it's no longer your day,
it's their day.
Permission granted.
Now, mind you, I'll be back by 5.
You be home by then.
You don't seem to realize
that they're old enough...
Old enough to get into
all kinds of trouble.
The old-timers say Captain Kidd
named this island we're sailing to.
- What'd he call it?
- Dead Man's Eye.
- Only in Early English, "eye" means "islet."
- Well, I'm glad to hear that.
Wouldn't it be horrible to stumble over
a petrified eyeball?
- Hello?
- Hello, Mother. Helen, calling from Maine.
Brace yourself for a shock.
What I wrote you that I suspected
is true.
- Does Ken know you know?
- Not yet.
How did you find out?
- A night watchman saw them.
- What were they doing?
- Can't you guess?
- But did he catch them at it?
Well, no, but isn't it enough
that they've been meeting there until dawn?
No. Now, listen carefully, Helen.
I've already talked to the lawyer,
and he says we've got to be very careful.
If it appeared
that you wanted the divorce...
...he wouldn't give us half as much,
not even a third.
Well, Ken has never been
bad about money.
Why can't I just tell him I know?
He won't deny it.
- Isn't that as good as catching him?
- But suppose he denies it.
The lawyer says men are funny
about this kind of thing.
Besides, if you give him any warning,
he might be that much harder to catch.
I guess you're right.
And the lawyer says
if you want to avoid a nasty countersuit...
...you had better stop
this separate-room business.
You wouldn't get anything from him.
And if Molly decided she wanted to stay
with him, the judge might even let her.
No. I'll do anything to prevent that.
Well, there's a great deal
at stake here, dear.
If we could prove
that you had at least been willing...
But, of course, if you could catch them,
and had a witness...
...none of that would have to come up.
He wouldn't stand a chance.
We've got to catch them.
- How?
- Can't you hire a witness?
- Maybe. The night watchman.
- Sure.
Hire him and pay him well.
The better you pay him,
the more he'll see.
All right, Mother, thanks.
You've been a big help and an angel.
The minute you catch them at it,
you call me.
I will.
- Goodbye, dear.
- Goodbye.
Johnny, I'm scared.
Look on the chart for Dark Passage.
It's a shortcut.
Isn't that it dead ahead?
- I think so.
- See how many fathoms are inside her.
Four, and no submerged rocks.
- You game to try it?
- Okay.
- We're in trouble, Johnny.
- I know, but it's too late to turn back.
We're not gonna make it, Molly.
Johnny, there are rocks ahead!
When we hit, hang on.
Climb out!
Heave!
Heave! Go!
Hang on!
The Coast Guard always responds
to this emergency signal.
They'll come out and start the search.
I captured these night glasses
from the Japanese in the Pacific.
I had my own ship, a tin can.
Ken would want to know, I think.
Do you know where he's staying
in Boston, Helen?
No. Do you?
Coast Guard's coming.
- Are you all right?
- Yes.
Stand clear.
- Easy. Steady now.
- Are you freezing? Here.
Take my hand.
- Come on.
- Thank you.
- Glad to help.
- Where's Mama?
It's all right, Mrs. Jorgenson. Don't worry.
They're safe and sound.
Let me explain to her myself.
What have you got to say for yourself?
We capsized and spent the night
on the beach.
I imagined as much. Come with me.
Here she is, doctor.
This is Dr. Matthias.
I sent for him from the mainland.
Take off every stitch you've got on
and let him examine you.
But we haven't done anything wrong,
Mama. We slept all night.
I'm not asking you for the truth
because I know you'd lie.
So I'm having him examine you completely
and make his own report.
- No.
- You have disgraced me enough.
- Now, do as I say! Do as I say!
- No! No!
You leave me alone with your child.
You're being of less than no help.
Oh, please, I want my father.
I want my father.
Oh, please, no. Oh, please, no.
I want my father!
Oh, please, I want my father.
I haven't done anything wrong.
I've been a good girl.
I haven't done anything wrong!
Please, I want my father. No! No!
No! I have been a good girl! No! No!
Molly's mother seems quite upset.
You can tell me, son.
We men can talk about things like that.
Like what?
Like what you two did on the island
all night.
She's a pretty little wench.
I can hardly blame you for...
For what?
Well, after all, she's not one of your class,
a lifeguard's daughter.
- Knows all the tricks too, I bet.
- Get out of here, Dad.
If you weren't half drunk,
I'd throw you out.
Spoken like your mother's son.
She won't let me see you
anymore, Johnny.
Why not?
All right, I'll see you anyway.
As soon as Papa comes back,
we're leaving.
She says that my father
and your mother...
I wanna die, Johnny. I wanna die.
Molly?
Molly?
Johnny, tell her you haven't seen me.
Molly?
Who's that?
Molly, are you there?
Oh, it's you. I should've known.
Where is she?
Don't you hurt her again.
Don't you hurt her.
- Lf you hurt her, I'll kill you.
- Don't you dare threaten me.
John?
John, Mrs. Jorgenson said
you threatened her just now. Is that true?
- I told her not to hurt Molly.
- Where is Molly?
- I don't know.
- Mrs. Jorgenson said she's missing.
Johnny, this could be very serious.
Mrs. Jorgenson sent to the mainland
for a sheriff.
I could kill her.
What's this about Molly being missing?
You the sheriff?
- Then why aren't you out looking for her?
- My posse's combing the island right now.
And the Coast Guard's
searching the beaches.
I take it you're the girl's father?
Well, you've come home
to a serious situation, sir.
Not only is your daughter missing...
...but this young man
has just threatened your wife with death.
Johnny? You're crazy.
Now, let's play this back
from the beginning, shall we?
"Saturday p.m.,
the girl and the boy capsize...
...make shore on Dead Man's Eye,
spend that night together."
Nothing happened, sir, not to her.
"Sunday a.m., Coast Guard finds them,
brings them home.
Mrs. Jorgenson sends for doctor.
Doctor comes,
gives girl physical examination.
Sunday p.m., girl runs away."
Now, could she have run away...
...because of anything that happened
at that physical examination?
Did she seem upset about anything?
When I insisted on her having
a physical examination...
...she became quite hysterical.
Obviously I had to find out
what happened out there.
- I had to be sure.
- We gave you our word.
And the doctor's report, ma'am,
could she have run off because of that?
No. The examination
revealed nothing wrong.
- But she was upset by all this?
- She seemed to be.
She's always been a difficult child.
We had words.
I locked her in the room,
and later, when I knocked, she was gone.
So you went looking for her...
...and you met Johnny here
and he threatened to kill you?
- That is correct.
- And you don't deny that, son?
- No, sir.
- I wouldn't have blamed you if you had.
Of course you wouldn't.
It would make it easier for you to sneak off
and sleep with his harlot of a mother.
- Any more questions, sheriff?
- Nope.
Then I suggest we all retire
to our respective quarters.
I suggest we find my daughter.
Oh, Mr. Hunter,
I'll hold you responsible for your son.
You seem to have an infinite capacity
for hurt.
First you try to destroy your daughter,
and now our son.
As soon as Molly is found,
and I'm sure she will be...
...I suggest you vacate these rooms
as swiftly as possible.
Don't tell me that you're on their side?
Let's merely say that I'm not on yours.
What an awful way for you to find out.
Find out?
I've only known it for 20 years.
I've never told you this before,
but when Johnny was being born...
...it was Ken you cried out for, not me.
It was rather embarrassing
in front of the doctors and nurses and all.
I didn't know what I was saying.
I was under sedation.
Your subconscious did.
And you've faked it with me ever since.
True? False?
Why have you put up with me?
You kept me continually fascinated
by your good-wife-and-mother front.
Front?
I've tried to be. Haven't I been?
Until Ken came back.
You know, I had a hunch to turn down
his reservations...
...but I guess, subconsciously,
I wanted a showdown.
Well, I got a beaut, didn't I?
A very cruel one.
Where have you been meeting him?
- Nights, in the boathouse.
- I see.
I have no defense, Bart,
except to say I love him.
I know that may sound stupid
and sentimental to you, but it's true.
He's given me back a hope
I thought was gone.
A hope for what?
Happiness. Being loved.
I see.
Well, what's next?
Obviously...
...I can't live on here with you.
Obviously.
I thought I might get a little place
where Johnny and I could...
Johnny and you?
Do you think any court in the land
would give you custody of our son?
Aren't you forgetting
that you're an adulteress?
If it came to that,
I could prove you're an alcoholic.
But I can't believe
that you'd stoop to throwing dirt.
Thanks.
Ken loves his daughter.
Do you honestly think he'll give her up
for you?
- I was hoping he wouldn't have to.
- Then you're a fool.
He'll never make the trade,
so he'll never marry you.
Perhaps not.
Since he won't swap Molly for you...
...and since I'm more reasonable
than she is, I'll make the deal.
I'll just let bygones be bygones,
and we'll go on together as it was.
Oh, Bart.
We can't now.
I was afraid of that.
Most women don't wanna be forgiven.
Well, this is final: You can't have Johnny.
Bart, I can't leave him here
to pour you into bed night after night.
That's not being a fit father.
Any court would recognize that.
And what kind of a mother are you?
Don't worry, I'll...
I'll ship him off to Virginia...
...to my alma mater.
And I'll start right here
on a four-year toot.
If that's your plan,
why do you want him?
Because he's still my son.
He's mine, and I intend to see
that he stays mine.
- Just let him be ours.
- Not on your life.
- You've got to let him visit me.
- You'll do this my way.
- Bart, I've got to see him.
- No, because you'd try to get him back.
I don't want him ever to speak to you again
except in my presence, period.
Because you're a common slut.
They found her.
They took her ashore to the island,
to the hospital.
It was only shock.
Come on in, Johnny.
Your mother and I
have something important to discuss.
Sometimes things happen to people,
Johnny.
Even to so-called nice people.
I hope you'll try to understand.
You're getting a divorce. Why?
Son, people get married
because they fall in love.
And sometimes
they stop loving each other.
Then it's better for them
to get unmarried.
It's as simple as that.
Is it?
Is it?
Is it as simple as that?
Damn you both.
Mrs. Jorgenson has given the whole truth
to the press...
...on the simple ground that she, at least,
has nothing to hide.
She holds all the cards.
We're not dealing with cards, are we?
We're dealing with the lives of our clients
and their children.
Shall we be seated
and consider first things first?
The children.
I am sure we can all agree
that it's their best interest...
...to be sent away to schools
immediately...
...away from the curiosity of neighbors
and the press alike.
Mrs. Jorgenson has already enrolled
her daughter...
...in a very exclusive finishing school
near Boston.
My client, Mr. Hunter, has sent his son
to his alma mater in Virginia.
Good. I'm sure our respective clients
agree on at least one thing:
They love their children
and don't want them to be hurt...
...any more than they have been.
Dear Johnny.
I guess you've read in all the papers
about our parents.
I guess everybody has.
Everybody in this school knows about it
and they whisper.
I hate it.
I hate my mother and I hate my father
and I hate your mother too.
They're all rotten people.
Do you ever get lonely?
Or is it just something funny about me?
I guess we're all we've got now.
- Sincerely, Molly.
- Mr. Hunter? Mr. Hunter?
Mr. Hunter...
...would it be too much to ask you
to give me your attention?
Or is it possible, Mr. Hunter...
...that your interest in Latin
is less than nil?
Yes, sir. Well, I guess I'm really not much
of an intellectual, sir.
I mean, I guess my ambitions
don't run along those lines.
And what are your ambitions, may I ask?
I don't know.
Well, I guess I don't have any
at the moment.
I mean, well, I figure there's gonna be
another war sometime...
But you'll need an education
to fight a war...
...even if it does come.
You'd want to be an officer,
wouldn't you? A leader?
No, sir.
For heaven's sake, why not?
Well, because I don't even know where I'm
going, let alone leading somebody else.
Class dismissed.
- Hello?
- Hello, Molly?
- Johnny?
- Yes, it's me, down in Virginia.
I know, the operator said
it was long distance.
Look, we're having
this big Halloween dance down here...
...and I was wondering
if you could come.
No, I can't, Johnny.
Mama won't even let me write to you,
let alone see you.
- You're not gonna stop?
- No, never.
It's awful not seeing you.
It's that way with me too, Johnny.
You know, if I only had something
to bank on.
I feel lost.
My father and your mother
are getting married.
Yeah, I know.
They sure deserve each other.
You know, Johnny, when I think about it,
I actually get sick.
I mean, actually sick to my stomach.
Gee, it's lonely here, Molly.
Look, are you going back to Buffalo
for Christmas?
- Yes.
- All right, listen.
You know, Dad would never know...
...if I took a day more to get to Pine Island
en route home.
Could I come up to Buffalo
and meet you?
No, Johnny.
Mama would never let me see you.
She hates you.
She'd call the police or worse.
Well, gee, isn't there some place?
I mean, it seems like almost a year
since we...
Yes. There's this big Episcopal church
near the station.
It has a big old cross in front.
And it's even dark inside,
so no one would see us.
All right, I'll be there.
December 21 st, 9 a.m.
Deposit $ 2 for three minutes, please.
I don't have $2, operator.
Could 50 cents give us any longer?
- No, sir.
- Bye, Johnny. I'll write.
This tree should last at least 10 years.
It's solid plastic.
Molly, I'd prefer to go Christmas shopping
with you.
I'd prefer to buy my Christmas presents
alone, Mother.
- You going to buy one for your father?
- No.
- Did you send him a card?
- No.
Did you send one to John Hunter?
Yes.
I thought I told you not to write to him.
After all, it is rather bad form...
...to write to the son
of your father's mistress.
You must never forget
what kind of a woman she is.
And his father, although he does come
from a good family, is a drunkard.
All that's got nothing to do with Johnny.
Darling, there is such a thing
as bad blood.
- It's a scientific fact that bad...
- Johnny is not bad!
He's gentle and good.
He may not show it yet...
...but if you read between the lines
of his...
Have you been reading my letters?
You have.
It's a mother's duty, darling. You must try
to remember that Mother knows best.
No, you don't.
I don't think you know what's best
for Papa, for me or for anybody...
...including yourself.
Johnny's letters were all I had
to live for...
...and now you've even made them dirty.
- Hello, Molly.
- Hello, Johnny.
I thought the church would be empty.
Pardon me, are you members
of the wedding party?
No, were... No, I'm sorry.
- Where can we go?
- We'll find a place.
Do you care if I kiss you right here
in front of God and everybody?
I can't wait either.
It is, Mother, it's Molly Jorgenson.
And that's her secret love from Pine Island,
the boy that was in the papers.
Hi, Molly.
Merry Christmas.
Are they friends of yours?
The biggest gossip in my class
at Briarwood.
The only one who can out-yak her
is her mother.
And, Johnny,
she's my mother's bridge partner.
- I should've waited to kiss you.
- Oh, no, I couldn't wait either.
Johnny, let's do it again right now.
Where have you been?
- At a motel.
- A motel with John Hunter?
We had a lot of things to talk over.
And I knew I couldn't bring him here.
So you went to a motel?
Don't make it sound like a house
of ill repute, Mother. All we did was talk.
Or do you wanna call another doctor
to prove it?
Merry Christmas, Mama.
As I've always said...
...you are your father's daughter.
He seems to think he can buy you back.
He sent you this mink coat for Christmas.
It'll come in handy
on cold nights in motels.
They're not here.
If the kids don't answer our letters...
...what makes you think they'd show up
for our wedding?
I'd hoped against hope
that they might surprise us.
I'm glad now
we didn't invite anyone else.
Maybe they're inside.
Dearly beloved, we are gathered together
here in the sight of God...
...and in the presence
of these witnesses...
...to join this man and this woman
in holy matrimony.
- And ask you to the dance?
How can you...? Do they...?
Man in the hall! Man in the hall!
Man in the hall!
Listen, shut the door.
- Do you want my comb?
- Have you got my bobby pins?
No, but...
Come in.
Hello, baby.
Hello.
May I come in?
Am I interrupting anything?
No, I was just memorizing a poem
I wrote.
Mind if I read it?
No.
Excuse me while I...
Know what I was doing
while I drove here?
I was memorizing too.
Yeah.
I was memorizing
what I was gonna say to you.
Seems sort of silly,
but I wanted to say the right things.
Sylvia and I are married.
We bought this beach house
in the hopes that you might visit.
We can easily understand how hard
what happened was on you and Johnny.
But I feel this foolishness of your refusing
to answer any of my letters...
...has gone far enough.
This poem shows you're a mature
and sensitive young lady.
You've grown up a lot.
Do you propose to avoid your father
for the rest of your life?
Sylvia's writing about the same thing
to Johnny...
...who's being just about as difficult
as you are.
Now, I propose this, baby:
That you and Johnny come down and spend
your spring vacation with us at the beach...
...just lying around in the sun
and getting back to normal for two weeks.
Haven't we all had enough
of hating lately?
What do you say, darling?
Are you your old man's daughter or not?
- Mama says I am.
- And you?
What does your heart say?
I don't listen to it anymore.
Maybe you'll find it again at the beach.
I'm gonna be terribly disappointed
if you don't come.
Will you try? Will you let me know?
Please come, Molly.
We need each other.
Please.
The thought of my daughter
spending two weeks...
...under the same roof with my husband
and that harlot.
Mrs. Jorgenson, let me warn you...
...the use of that term
is no longer legally defensible.
She is, in the eyes of the law, his wife.
That does not alter the fact that she is one.
Utterly lacking in morals.
Her son will be there too.
Heaven knows what kind of license
they'll encourage, even permit.
- What do you wish me to do?
- Get a court order forbidding this visit.
But the court has already ordered...
...that Molly be permitted to visit her father
one month each year if she wishes.
That's the court's stupid mistake.
Mrs. Jorgenson, let me warn you,
if you attempt to block the court order...
...your husband might well stop
his alimony payments.
Are you willing to chance that?
It's as though the court were forcing me
to commit my daughter...
...to a house of sin.
There's no way of knowing
she'll even be on the plane.
- She didn't wire.
- She'll be onboard, you'll see.
Darling, I just don't want you
to be disappointed.
I guess our punishment
isn't completed yet.
- Hello, dear. Welcome.
- Hello, Mrs. Hunter.
Why don't you just call her Sylvia.
Well, I'll try.
- Johnny's coming Thursday.
- Yes, I know, we wrote.
- It'll be great when we're all together again.
- Yes, Daddy.
Frank Lloyd Wright designed our house.
The is the living room.
And that's the back terrace.
And if you get hungry and want a snack,
there's a kitchen back there.
And this is our room, Ken's and...
Your father's and mine.
This is your room, Molly.
Here you have your own porch...
...so that you can take a sunbath
if you wish.
I can't tell you how good it is
to have you home again, honey.
You don't know
how I've looked forward to it.
Sylvia picked and arranged
these flowers herself.
- Are you feeling all right, baby?
- Yes.
Well, maybe you'd like a little rest
before dinner.
Yes, please.
You know, the plane ride was a little rough.
Of course.
Of course.
I think she was trying to get rid of us.
I guess it's natural for her
to be shy at first.
Getting used to you and me
being married and all.
I could sure stand a drink.
How about you?
One thing's sure,
we've got to behave normally.
They've got to want us, come to us.
We can't force it.
- They've got to find us for themselves.
- We knew it wouldn't be easy.
I love you.
Me too you.
Attention, please.
Last call for passengers for Flight 17.
Flight one-seven.
Where's Molly? Didn't she come?
She'd said she'd rather meet you
on the beach than here with us.
- Aren't you gonna say hello to your mother?
- Of course.
Good to see you, Mother.
You look very well.
So are you, dear. So are you.
Well, I guess the sooner we get our reunion
started, the better, huh, Johnny?
Hi.
I'm glad you came.
So am I.
- Come on, Pete! Move! Come on, boy!
- Come on, Ty, come on.
That's too high.
Well, I found us a little place that's private
over there, Johnny.
Oh, great.
You smell so good.
I washed my hair for you.
I knew we'd be together, so I...
- I love you, Johnny.
- I love you.
I love you so much, I ache inside.
I feel the same way too, Johnny.
Feel my heart pound.
Mine's the same.
Molly, I wanna marry you.
- We can't, Johnny. Not for a long time.
- We can run away.
You've gotta finish your college
and then go to the Army and all.
- But that'll take years.
- We can see each other.
How often? When? Where?
- Maybe this summer we'll...
- At Pine Island?
Now, you know your mother
would never let you.
No, not ever, she said.
Let's face it...
...we're all alone on this earth.
Molly, you're more beautiful
than I can believe.
I'm glad I look good to you, Johnny.
- Look out, now.
- Hey, lovebirds, huh?
Look out in the sand, now.
They're gone. There's nobody else.
- They came just in time. We better cool off.
- Why?
- Because I'm afraid.
- Of me?
Of yourself?
Yes.
That, and some other new feelings
that I can't explain.
- Are you angry because...?
- No.
We've gotta be good, Johnny.
Good. Is it that easy to be good?
Are you bad, Johnny?
Have you been bad with girls?
No.
I just don't exactly know
what that word "good" means.
Is it good for us to be apart?
Is it good to hardly know whether we'll
see each other for the next 3 or 4 years?
- Is loneliness good?
- That's not what I mean.
I think all of you is good.
I know your lips are good.
No, Johnny, please.
Can't I even hold your hand?
Of course, but you don't seem to stop.
You're right.
We better be good and sensible...
...and wait, even if it takes years.
Come on, I'll take you home.
- Home?
- To their house.
Well, you go on ahead.
I have some repair work to do first.
I'll only be a minute.
Here they come.
- Did I say something wrong?
- No, you were right. I said that.
Then why are you angry with me?
I'm just angry at myself
for wanting you so much.
I know a place where we can go nights.
It's a lookout facing the sea...
...where we can look out on the moonlight,
but, well, people can't look in.
Can we go there tonight?
After being gone all afternoon?
What'll they think?
I just know I can't spend the whole evening
with him and my mother.
I know. That's how I feel about her.
Johnny, do you think they make love?
Why, sure they do.
They're married, aren't they?
- What do we tell them?
- About us?
No, about going out tonight afterwards.
I could tell Dad we're going to the movies.
I mean, that'll give us plenty of time.
Think they'll be able to tell by our faces?
I mean, it's important that we look normal.
Well, when you feel scared,
you just look my way.
Thank you, dear. We haven't organized
any social activities for you two.
- We thought you'd just like to be lazy.
- Fine.
By the way, Mother,
do you know of a movie nearby?
Yes. They're running one of those wonderful
old horror numbers, King Kong.
I missed that one.
Would you mind
if we went to the movie?
Well, I sort of hoped...
Now, Ken, we decided to let them choose
what they want to do.
This is one of the first
science-fiction pictures made.
- I mean, it's real scary.
- We might even sit through it twice.
This is wonderful. How'd you find it?
I knew we'd wanna be alone,
so I explored.
Gee, you know, that was an inspiration,
Johnny, about sitting through it twice.
- It'll give us plenty of time.
- What if they ask about it?
- I never saw it.
- Oh, I did.
It's about this big ape or gorilla
or something...
...who carries his girl off
in the palm of his hand.
Fay Wray, I think.
Are you sure you wanted to come here?
You're not just doing it for me?
Yes, I wanted to come here,
and, yes, I am doing it for you. Why?
I don't know, I guess I just feel guilty...
...like, making you do something
you don't wanna do.
I never do things I don't wanna do,
Johnny.
I wish we lived on a South Sea Island...
...where everyone gets married
when they're 12.
I wouldn't have been ready
for you then, Johnny.
I was real goony at 12.
And you wouldn't have wanted me.
Come on, Molly...
...let's be the way you wanted to be
this morning: Good.
Let's go see King Kong.
Kiss me first.
Look, there's no point in making it
any tougher than it already is.
Is kissing me tough?
Stopping after one is.
Please?
This is real crazy.
Me wanting to be good.
You don't really wanna be?
No.
Darling.
We'll go back to school,
and we'll write letters...
...and we'll hope that someday, somehow,
somewhere, we'll be together again.
Like you said on the beach:
"Let's be sensible."
But you don't really want that.
No.
And I can't lie about it.
I don't know why.
I don't even care about
the consequences.
I guess that's horrible.
I guess I'm horrible.
No, you're not.
I love you, Johnny,
don't ever forget that.
And if you need me, then I need you,
only twice as much.
Now...
...about King Kong.
There's this big ape, and he's on top
of the Empire State Building...
...and there are thousands of planes
coming to attack him.
And he bats at them like flies.
But they kill him.
It's kind of sad.
If anybody asks,
just tell them about the end.
That's the part everybody remembers.
They probably stopped someplace
for a soda.
Everything closes at midnight.
Then they went for a walk on the beach.
What's wrong with that?
It's not easy for them.
They're both so intense and in love.
Anyone can see that.
So were we at their age.
And we didn't settle
for a walk on the beach.
It's after 2 a.m.
- Maybe we should talk to them.
- What should we say?
That they should...
...take it easy, I guess.
Do you think that'd help?
Would it have helped you 20 years ago?
No.
The trouble with most parents...
...is that they attribute
their own guilty memories to their young.
Like father, like son.
Like mother, like daughter.
But that's not true.
Molly's completely unlike Helen.
And Johnny's not like Bart.
They've got us in them.
And that's why I can't sleep.
I love you.
You're right.
And they love each other as we did,
passionately.
I've gotta talk to her.
But what do I say?
You might start by reminding her...
...that passions, once aroused,
aren't easily controlled.
You mean kiss a little, but not too much?
Don't let Johnny make love to you,
but don't be too angry if he tries...
...because you can freeze yourself
and become like your mother?
Just what honest advice can I give her?
To be a half-virgin?
To allow herself to be fondled?
To go halfway
in the back seats of parked cars...
...but always draw back in time?
How do I tell her
that one single reckless night...
...can destroy her happiness and her life?
But I can't tell her
to welcome passion either.
To take joy in the giving of it,
because that would destroy her.
I can't tell her to be half good.
I'd feel like a hypocrite.
Is there no completely honest answer
I can give her?
Is the only answer that youth must be
a time of suspended animation?
Or is the solution for parents to maintain
a frightened, worried silence?
You can tell her, if...
If they experiment...
...they must always remember
what the cost can be.
And you can warn her...
...that at first it's the passions
and the desires that rule a girl's wants...
...but that love is much deeper
and far wider than that.
Love is a learned thing
between a man and a woman.
And after those first fierce passions
start to fade...
...it's that love, that learned love,
that counts for everything.
You know...
...after 18 years, I had almost forgotten
how it was...
...being as they are.
The loneliness and the hunger.
The impatience and the waste.
- Who is it?
- It's me.
- It's almost noon. May I come in?
- Yes.
What do you want?
- Just to caution you a little.
- About what?
You and Johnny.
I love him.
You gotta use your head.
You gotta be sensible.
Yes, Father, we will be sensible.
I mean...
...I just want your help.
I don't wanna see you get yourself
into a mess.
I know.
Now, if you don't mind,
I'd like to get dressed.
- Are you sure?
- Yes.
- Where are you now?
- In the doctor's office.
- At Briarwood?
- No, I signed out to go to a movie.
I'm in the next town.
- Does anybody else know?
- No. But I had to call you.
Darling, don't cry.
- We'll... We'll figure this out.
- How?
I need you so much, Johnny.
- I'll come to you.
- When?
Tonight. I'll come tonight.
Thank God. I'd imagined awful things.
I thought you were gonna tell me
that it was all my fault.
And I was so ashamed.
Well, we've gotta keep this a secret until
we decide what we're gonna do about it.
I don't know how long
it's gonna take me to get there.
- I'll make it as soon as I possibly can.
- What are we going to do?
We'll figure something out.
They can't lick us together.
No, they can't.
Be brave now, till we meet.
I'll try. Goodbye, Johnny.
It pays to be cautious.
- Yeah, that's what I always say.
- Climb in.
Briarwood, son.
Thank you.
Why, John Hunter.
What a pleasant surprise.
Don't sit close, Johnny,
they might be watching.
Darling, I've thought it all out,
and it's very simple...
...we're gonna get married.
- Papa would kill me and Mama would die.
- Let them.
They can't do anything
after we're married.
We'll go to my father.
He's broad-minded about everything.
- He'll help us.
- Couldn't we just run away?
I'm broke. I had to hitchhike all the way.
I still have the coat Daddy gave me.
We could sell it.
- Where is it?
- Up in the closet, still in the box.
I'll bring it to you.
Johnny, I've just gotta hold your hand.
Can you put it where no one would see us?
Your hand's ice-cold.
I get like that all over
when I think about it.
It's just the opposite with me.
I feel warm all over.
We're going to have a child.
Stop looking at me like that, Johnny.
They'll think you're my lover.
Well...
You'd better take the coat into Boston
to sell it.
I don't even have bus fare.
I'm broke too. I paid the doctor in cash
so there wouldn't be any bill.
- Is there a pawnshop in town?
- Yes.
We'll have to take our chances there.
When can we start, Johnny?
I signed out till midnight,
I don't think I'll be missed till after then.
By that time,
we'll be receiving Dad's blessing.
- Wait for us. We'll only be a minute.
- Okay, Johnny.
There's no signs of life in there.
Dad?
Dad?
Dad?
You'd better wait out here
while I break the news to him.
You gonna be warm enough?
Dad?
Dad?
Dad?
Who's there?
- Who's there, Coast Guard?
- It's your son, Johnny.
Hello, Dad. Are you all right?
What are you wearing
your old uniform for?
I was expecting the Coast Guard.
What are you doing here?
Did you flunk out?
I just came to talk to you
about something.
- Oh, have a drink?
- No, thanks.
You're wise.
Stay off it as long as you can.
So, what did you come here for?
- Father, I'm in love.
- At your age, why not?
With Molly Jorgenson.
I wanna marry her.
Now? That's absurd.
- Are you in trouble with her?
- No.
Yes, we are.
Oh, no, not so young.
You're both still wet behind the ears.
We're gonna be all right, Dad.
We wanna get married and come here
and make Pine Island our home.
We could run things for you, Dad.
She loves it here, I love it here.
Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves
in three generations.
At least you won't have to start
where I did, from the top.
Pour me a drink, three fingers.
This will be painful for you,
but you might as well face the truth.
The raw truth.
Take a good look at your parents.
We've got no more secrets to hide.
All the cats are out of the bag.
All the scrawling, mangy, obscene...
...horrible cats of your inheritance.
You are the son of a drunkard
and a harlot.
- You're wrong about Mother, Dad.
- Gone to her side, have you?
I'm not taking sides,
I just wanna marry Molly.
Oh, Johnny.
Stop being a silly sentimentalist.
It's stupid.
Molly is merely a succulent little wench.
She's not a wench. She's everything
I've ever dreamed of in a girl.
Oh, don't make me laugh.
They're all alike in the dark.
You can't make her cheap.
You can't do it, in spite of your damned
supercilious, intelligent mind.
And with or without your consent,
we're getting married.
Let's go, Johnny, please.
One hundred thousand apologies, Molly.
I didn't know you were there.
I could tell that,
and I didn't wanna hear any more.
- Please sit down.
- No, thank you.
You say you want my consent
to get married...
...and yet you say that with or without it,
you'll get married anyway.
That's right.
Well, let's all look at this thing rationally,
shall we?
I'm about to transfer myself
to the Naval Hospital in Boston...
...from whence I may never emerge.
It's a matter of ulcers beyond control.
Then why are you drinking, Dad?
Because I've already signaled
the Coast Guard to come and transship me...
...and I know they haven't got
a bar aboard.
As I dimly remember
the wedding ceremony...
...the parson says:
"If any person knows just cause
why this man and this..."
This man and this woman, you two.
"...should not be joined together
in holy matrimony...
...let him speak now
or forever hold his peace."
I shall speak now.
You're... You're very young.
Youth is supposed to be a joyous,
carefree time.
Thanks to your parents, that time
has been cut short, too short.
But that doesn't mean
that you can't resume it...
...and go to dances
and to football games...
...and neck on the way home.
Does that sound frivolous to you?
Well, some of the best parts of life
are frivolous.
This may sound strange
coming from an inebriate...
...but I have observed that there is
a moral law at work in the world.
And that sinners pay...
...in one way or the other.
Why don't you lie down, Dad.
I'll get your medicine.
No, I'm fresh out of it.
So I say stop this affair right now.
And then if, as time passes you...
...you discover each other again,
well, go ahead, get married.
Have my words made any sense to you?
No, Mr. Hunter, because you left out
the one word that really counts:
Love. The love that Johnny and I have
for each other.
The Coast Guard's come for me.
Well...
...I profoundly hope
you do not get married.
But if you do, well...
...maybe life's only a dice game after all.
And if it is, our family's certainly due
for a winner.
Sorry to get you up, sir,
but we wanna get married.
- How old are you?
- Twenty-one, sir.
Both 21.
- Got your birth certificates?
- No. No, but we can send for them.
Come back when you have them.
Well, we can go to another state.
I'm sure there's another state
where we can get married.
I'm tired, Johnny. It's been a big day.
Do you think we can get some sleep?
We can go to a hotel.
They'd only ask for our marriage license.
Well, then we can go to a cheap motel.
No. I'd hate the way they'd look at us.
Do you think we can sleep in the car?
Hello.
And Bart left them on their own?
Then called the police? Why?
Well, at least he had the courtesy
to call you.
Now, don't get hysterical, Helen.
Call your doctor and have him give you
a sedative. I'll take care of this.
Yes. Yes. Good night.
Bart called Helen from a hospital
in Boston.
Molly's run away from school
with Johnny, damn them.
What was that about the police?
Bart told Helen he thought they ought to
be put in juvenile court to cool off.
Cool off? From what?
It seems Molly's pregnant.
- Do you think they're looking for us?
- Why should they be?
Well, they're coming from the town
we just came from to get married.
Let's stop kidding ourselves, Johnny.
I don't think anybody's gonna marry us.
We can't do it alone.
We're going to have to tell Papa
and your mother.
What about your mother?
- She'll have a nervous breakdown.
- You know what I think?
I think your father's gonna beat
the living daylights out of me.
You know what? I kind of wish he would.
Sylvia.
They're home.
Papa.
- Hush, baby, I know.
- We live in a glass house.
We're not throwing any stones.
Thanks for wanting us.
You got a fight ahead of you, kids.
But you've got the beauty and strength
of love on your side.
And if we can find
our sense of humor too...
...why, these are the weapons
of the angels.
Sure glad to have you back, Johnny,
you and your pretty new missis.
- Happy honeymoon.
- Thank you.
In front of God and everybody this time?