Original subtitles

Dear John is filmed before live studio audience.

But there were 65 other people applying for the job, so I didn't even bother.

Ralphie, you should have at least tried for it. Ralph, you never know what you

can achieve unless you try.

You know, you're exactly right.

Why shouldn't I be able to do anything that I set my mind to? Exactly.

Tomorrow, you know, I'm...

know how to scuba dive? I don't.

Well, dear, best of luck.

Thanks.

Well, it's getting late. I'll see you all next week. Oh, yeah, good night.

night, Ralph. Good night. Good night.

So, John, can I drop you off anywhere?

Oh, thanks, Kate, but I'm meeting my friend Gary here for a drink. Oh, all

right. Kate, you got a minute?

Yeah. Sure, what is it?

Well, I was just wondering if maybe you would like to, uh...

Taking a movie next week?

Oh, John, I'd love to.

Okay, good.

But I don't think it's such a good idea.

I'm sorry, I don't understand.

Well, I've been doing a lot of thinking about this lately, and I... I just

wouldn't feel comfortable dating someone in the group.

I'll quit the group.

You can't quit the group. You're the only reason I come to the group.

Wait a second, wait a second. Let me see if I can get this straight. The only

reason you come to the group is to see me, but you refuse to see me outside the

group because you see me in the group, and you still want to keep coming to the

group to see me.

John, I knew you'd understand.

We'll see you next week.

Oh, thank you.

John,

who was that tasty redhead? Hi, Gary.

So, come on.

Oh, that was just one of the women from my support group.

Support group, huh? Yeah, well, I wouldn't mind leaning on a little bit of

myself.

So how's Carol, your wife?

She's fine.

She's the same.

My whole life is the same.

I mean, that's why I enjoy hearing about what you're into.

Me? What do you mean?

Well, the life of the swinging single, the wild times, the frenzied lovemaking.

Oh, that.

I've got to tell you, Gary, being single is not all it's cracked up to be. Oh,

well, no, yeah. I mean, I saw the redhead. I can see how bad you're doing.

I don't know if I would say that. I mean, I... Well, look at you, huh? It

doesn't even faze you. You're like... What? You're like a superhero or

something. You know, you're like... Sex man.

I don't want to boast, but... John, John, hey, look. You've got to tell

me. You gotta tell me. Now, since your divorce, what is, like, the wildest

experience that you've had?

I guess you'd have to say it was that time I met this great -looking blonde,

and, uh, well, before you know it, we were tearing each other's clothes off in

the back seat of a car.

That's it?

Everybody's done that.

At the auto show?

I have a quick question, Louise.

Is there any rule against members of the group dating each other?

That's very sweet, John, but actually I'm seeing someone.

I don't think so, John.

I don't know that there's any hard and fast rule.

How do you know it's not already going on?

Hello, everyone.

Gary, what are you doing here?

Oh, do you two know each other?

Well, yeah. John's the one who told me about the group.

Everybody, hi, Gary.

Hello.

Listen, Louise, you don't understand.

Gary isn't really able to stand the loneliness any longer now that my

marriage is over.

I just need someone to lean on.

Well, dear, take a seat.

Thanks. Here, Gary.

Hi.

Hello.

Well, Gary, would you like to tell us a wee bit about yourself and whatever life

-altering trauma that brings you here?

Louise, can Gary just sit in for a while? I mean, I'm sure he just wants to

watch.

Oh, my husband used to like to watch, too.

There's not that much to tell. I was married, and now I'm not.

Oh, surely. There must be more to it than that. Wouldn't you like to share it

with us?

Well, it's really still much, much too painful to talk about. I don't...

It's all right.

It's really okay. Just know that when you're ready to talk, we're ready to

listen.

Well, no time like the present, I guess.

Uh...

I'm a widower.

Uh, Gary. It's all right, John. I can talk about it now.

It's been seven long years since I lost my wife, Carol.

Seven years? I know. It hardly seems possible that it could be that long.

Oh, it seems like only yesterday I saw her. What happened to her?

Uh, well, we were on our second honeymoon.

A cruise in the South Seas. It was so romantic, you know, the tropical

the soft island breezes.

And then, the fourth night out, we were strolling on the promenade deck and...

Well, you know how these tropical storms are.

Oh, God.

I know.

It's horrible, John. I mean...

There she was. One minute I was holding her in my arms, and the next minute she

was... What? The next minute she was what?

Ruffy, she was fish food.

Kirk! Oh, Kirk. Oh, I'm so sorry.

Gary, don't you think you've said enough for the first time out? No, John.

No, I don't, because I am through pretending that this never happened.

See, the thing of it is, they never found her body.

Well, probably just as well, you know, after seven years in the drink, she'd

probably be all bloaty.

What? I'm just trying to get him to look on the bright side here.

Please,

Gary, don't mind him. Just go on.

I kept a constant vigil.

Seven years of sitting by the phone wondering if I even had a wife.

Until last week.

She called?

She was declared legally dead.

You poor...

Tortured soul. You know, I really appreciate your allowing me to come down

and talk like this because mine has become an isolated and solitary

Loneliness is a savage beast.

All it leaves you with are memories and love.

I'm sorry.

Not many girls here tonight, are there?

Seven years of loneliness.

Seven years without laughter or the feel of a woman's touch.

Sometimes I'd even swear I could hear her soft, beautiful voice gently calling

out to me.

What would she say?

Anyone want to play darts?

Uh, yeah, John. I'll throw a few. Great.

Uh, hey, pal.

That's rough about your wife drowning and all, but just remember what they

always say.

There's plenty of other fish in the sea.

Oh, Gary, I'm sorry.

You were saying?

That there were nights when I thought I heard Carol calling my name.

I've just got the chills. What must that have sounded like?

Like this.

but I couldn't stand another minute of that. No, the rest of the group doesn't

seem to be complaining. They seem to be able to listen all night. Yeah, that's

because they're so considerate, so compassionate, so gullible.

Gullible? What do you mean?

Gullible.

Oh, never mind, never mind.

Forget it. No, no. John, what are you saying?

You're saying you think this guy is exaggerating a little?

A little.

Let me let you in on a little secret, Kurt.

Gary Dennison happens to have a wife and three kids waiting for him

on Long Island.

You're kidding. No, that's the truth.

Oh, I get it.

Hey, John, you better go in there and warn Kate because she's in there lapping

it up with a spoon.

No, he's just trying for a little attention. Believe me, nothing's going

of this. No, believe me, John, you don't understand. I know that type.

I am that type.

I better put a stop to this right now.

Ralph, where's Kate? She went home.

Oh, that's a relief.

Yeah, she just invited Gary up to her place for a cup of coffee.

Oh, that's great. You know, John, your friend is such a nice man. He's so

sensitive and friendly. No, Ralph, my friend is a lying, despicable, amoral

slime.

Then again, you know him a lot better than I do.

Thanks for the coffee. You know, I just can't tell you how great it is to be

able to sit here and just talk to someone like this.

But maybe I should be heading home.

Oh, no need to rush on my account.

Well, to tell you the truth, I think it's refreshing to find a man who's so

and honest about his feelings.

It's all right if you want to stay a while. Would you like a little more

Yeah, well...

Gee, thanks, because I'm really in no hurry to get back to my place.

Not much there.

Just me and the cat toys.

My wife was holding the cat in her arms, and she was swept overboard.

I just can't bear to get rid of the toys.

You poor man. I'm so sorry.

Oh, I am sorry. I am so sorry.

It's all right.

I'll put some water on it.

Where's the bathroom?

Through that door to your left. Okay, thanks. You know, it's really good of

to talk to me about my problems like this.

Well, I know what you're going through.

And I know that right now you think that you'll never get over it, but let me

assure you that in time you will. You know, I think coming to the group was a

great first... step for you. I didn't know where else to go.

You know, the group sponsors parties and mixes, dances, things like that.

I don't know. I have trouble meeting people.

Oh, come on. I bet you're a natural at meeting people.

You seem so warm and so personable.

Oh, thanks, but I'm really not too good at socializing.

What? You know, I can't seem to get past that first impression.

Why not?

I don't know. I guess I'm just too shy.

exactly that you teach.

Uh, history.

History. History.

History. So you're a history buff.

Uh,

look, um, I have to be honest with you. I'm having a

little trouble with this.

With what?

Well, you know, look, I think it might be best if you just go.

Like this?

I don't care how. I just want you out of my apartment.

All right, Kate.

I'll leave. But first, let me explain.

I want you out of this door or I am going to scream. And believe me, I am a

good screamer. Kate, please, just listen to me, okay?

No. You know, it just so happens that the man across the hall happens.

Look, look, look, please. I apologize.

I'm way out of line here, but you've got to remember, I've been out of

circulation for a long time. I'm terrible at this.

I misread your signals.

I didn't know what was expected of me. Really, I was just trying to be friends.

Friends? You're in my apartment for 20 minutes. You're already naked. I'm

I'm sorry I did that. I'm sorry about a lot of things.

I'm sorry. I misjudged you.

I'm sorry that I upset you.

I'm sorry that I sat on this spoon.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, you say you're sorry. You think that that makes everything okay? What,

expect me to forgive you? Of course I don't. I expect you to hate me.

I don't deserve to be forgiven.

No, I screwed up the one chance I had to develop a decent relationship.

With someone that I really admire and respect.

I'm just so ashamed.

Oh.

Well, Gary, it's okay.

Maybe I did overreact a little bit.

All in all, you know, it's no big deal.

Kate, I just, uh... I'm sorry, but, uh... There's something I gotta tell you

about... Oh,

Kate, I'm a little disappointed in you.

Oh, John, what are you talking about?

This is what you think is going on here.

Let me go way out on a limb here and, uh... take a wild guess that, uh... it

might... me something sexual.

Oh, John, you know you're sick. You walk in here.

How can you walk in here and assume that sex is involved?

Kate, the man's naked. Well, I'm dressed. I didn't say it was great sex.

You know,

I think you might be overreacting here. Just a little. I think you have a little

explaining to do here, Kate.

Excuse me? Excuse me? But I don't think that I owe you any explanations for

anything. Oh, I think you do.

Now, weren't you the one saying how you didn't want to go out with anybody who's

a member of the group?

John, of course, technically speaking, I'm not actually a member of the group.

Okay, okay, I want both of you out the store. Hello?

Oh, my God, Carol.

Gary!

Who is this?

I'm his wife.

I thought you were dead. You know, you don't watch the news one day.

Carol, what are you doing here?

Someone called and told me he'd be... So I hired a babysitter to watch the kids,

and I rushed right over. They found the kids, too?

No, they told me that you were lost at sea seven years ago.

Oh, come on, honey. You're either a cheap tramp or incredibly stupid. Now

it. Hold it right there. This woman is not stupid.

John, John, did you call Carol? Did you call her? No, it wasn't John. It was

some guy named Kirk.

Kirk? Oh!

So you could tell Kirk that he was married, but you just sat there and let

make a fool out of myself, huh? I wasn't the one that asked him to take his

clothes off. I didn't ask him to take his clothes off either.

Is that a new blouse?

Oh, Gary, how could you do this to me and the kids? Carol, Carol, wait, wait,

we've got to talk.

And you, I want you out. No, I don't want to, Kirk. You're just as...

Now what?

Hi.

I know we got off to kind of a rocky start.

But since it looks as though I am going to be single now, I wonder...

Oh, Kate, there you are.

I didn't want to go in before we had a chance to talk to each other.

You know, John, I understand almost everything.

What Gary was doing and why I fell for it.

The one thing that, for the life of me, I can't figure out is how you could let

me be taken advantage of like that. Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second here.

I mean, he had me conned, too.

I mean, you believed he was single and needy, and I thought he was a good

and a real friend, but he wasn't.

I'm just afraid he cost me someone who is.

Well, you don't have to worry about that. It's not going to happen.

Look, as far as I'm concerned, we can forget the whole thing.

Really? You forgive me? Yeah, yeah, I forgive you. Well, okay.

Okay, okay.

All right.

Well, I guess maybe we should get in there. Okay, just one more thing.

It occurs to me that since last week, we established that there's no rule

against club members dating.

What do you say to a little dinner tomorrow night?

Well, why don't we talk about it after the meeting?

Do you want to come to my place for some coffee?

Okay. But I've got to warn you, I'm not going to take my clothes off.

We'll see about that.