Original subtitles

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

I wish to announce that during the strike, we shall continue to do business

all but the very near -sighted can see our show without crossing the picket

line.

Actually, this is not a strike about wages.

I'm a worker myself when I can't avoid it, and I've long campaigned for the

-hour lunch.

Actually, these are actors who claim I killed too many of them off during my

stories.

They're striking for longer hours.

I see the pickets have stopped walking so they can watch tonight's story.

Will you join them?

Don't you have anything to say?

When you rode around town with that young car thief, you had something to

I'll bet you talked a blue streak to him.

Would you please have the courtesy to look at me when I'm talking to you?

Do you know why the judge let you off with only a reprimand?

Because the judge knew I was the councilman from Allendale.

He realized that if he sentenced you along with your boyfriend, it would

further scandal and damage my reputation.

So he put you on probation.

I hope you realize your little escapade could have wrecked everything that's

taken me a whole lifetime to build up in this community.

Don't expect gratitude, but at least a few words of appreciation.

Thank you for everything, Uncle Charles. You've been very kind.

My day, we were taught to have a sense of responsibility.

Yes, Uncle.

I didn't ask to be your legal guardian.

Since your father's will so provided, I've tried to do what I thought was best

for you.

I know.

So I can't even consider now sending you back to Deep Valley School in the fall

and find one of my business associates who needs a girl in his office.

The finest finishing school in the West couldn't teach you the difference

between right and wrong, maybe a year or more in a business office.

That boyfriend of yours learned his lesson. Let's hope not going back to

will be punishment enough for you.

Dry your eyes and sit up.

Can't tell. I might run into somebody I do business with in this town.

I'm out of cigarettes.

Do you like anything?

Now, don't try anything foolish, like running away.

Remember last time.

Look at her. Can't even pull out of a parking space.

Well, thank you, son.

A noisy hornet bugs me.

Well, you seem to know quite a bit about auto mechanics.

Well, either you dig a motor or you don't.

This is a nice hunk of metal. Will it do over a hundred? I wouldn't know. You

don't win the county safety award two out of three years by speeding.

Hallelujah. Look, you headed towards San Francisco?

Allendale. That's close enough. How about giving me a lift?

Young man, I make it a practice never to pick up strangers.

Well, I'm not a stranger. I'm the mechanical marvel who fixes noisy horns

safety drivers, remember?

I appreciate that, and I thank you very much. Well, then stretch it a bit. Just

give me a lift.

All right, hop in.

Thanks.

What's your name, son?

I like to call people by name.

Some people are called by numbers.

What's that?

What if it's names you want?

Make mine Len.

I'm Councilman Underhill. This is my niece, Ann.

This young man's on his way to San Francisco.

I, uh... Hello, Len.

Been working in this neck of the woods?

You can call it that.

I assume you learned about automobile mechanics in school?

That's comical.

Real comical.

Let me in on the joke.

I don't think you'd get it.

This joke, it's kind of personal.

All you young people today have a wall you hide behind whenever your elders try

to be friendly or helpful.

You got it all figured out about young people, don't you?

Well, I've been able to observe it firsthand one fine example of your

generation. Uncle Charles, please, no.

Look! Help!

is to drive a truck.

You're a bunch of young men.

They're being shipped to the state farm five miles away.

Some will dig holes and plant baby junipers and white pine.

The rest will level off the hillsides.

Five o 'clock, the guard will pile them back in the truck.

The driver will bring them back to the farm.

Farm? What farm?

The honor farm.

What's an honor farm?

It's a place, sugar, for juvenile jerks who never discovered how to walk the

narrow fence without being nabbed by the law.

You mean those men were convicts? If you're a prison psychiatrist, Dad, you

them cases of arrested emotional development.

Yeah. A label for everything at the farm.

You kill your own man, it's not murder.

Assault, forgery, snatching.

They've all got labels that sound real fancy.

But it's still jailhouse rock.

Label or no label.

How do you know so much about those convicts?

Because until this morning, I might have stood in that truck.

Whistling at you, Anif.

Out.

He's done nothing to us.

Well, I'm not going to give him the chance.

What are you waiting for? Get out.

All right, Dad.

Lenny doesn't mean it.

Is that what they taught you at school?

Champion, convicts? He's been nice and friendly.

It's all part of the same pattern, isn't it?

The girl thinks it's thrilling to sit in the same car with a young jailbird.

Never mind, Dan. I'll get off here.

Lots of luck.

Wait a moment.

For once, my niece is quite right. I am a man of my word.

You can ride with her.

It's always the insider squashing the outsider like he was a bug.

I don't understand.

Look, a chick like you, young, just hatched out of her shell.

You're an outsider, see?

But the insider, he's lived a lot of years.

He hates change.

Hates anybody doing anything different than he does it.

The insider doesn't take a chance.

Never gets a ticket for speeding.

Or gets drunk or looks anywhere he shouldn't.

He's the number one man in his hometown.

He's got it made.

Right, Mr. Underhill?

Where did you get this interesting theory? In jail?

Yeah. From listening and watching.

I see.

Daddy -o, let me tell you about an outsider I know who is out of this world

the highest cloud. He's gone, but gone.

He loves knives. I mean, any kind of knives.

Kitchen knives, pen knives.

Anything sharp and made of steel.

That cool cat with the end to use the knife was my pal. He was my buddy.

Did you ever know anybody crazy about sharp steel, Mr. Underhill?

No, no, I haven't.

He was clever, too.

I mean, he could fix noisy horns, dig any motor. He could take it apart,

put it together.

I think we should stop and get something to eat, don't you, Ann?

Fine, Uncle Joe.

Hello, folks.

What'll it be?

Can I have a tuna fish on white toasted and coffee, please?

A hamburger medium well and coffee, please.

Thank you.

Let me tell you more about that guy at the farm.

What about him?

He was a flipper from way, way out. He was always quoting a wild -haired cat

named Dylan Thomas.

Now, an insider like you wouldn't have heard of a poet like him.

Would you have, Mr. Underhill?

You know why your uncle never heard of him?

Because he was young.

And he was just trying to be himself.

And that's what I want to be, Mr. Underhill.

And that makes me a criminal in your eyes, doesn't it?

Just wanting to be me.

You dance like they wrote the music for you. Oh, you're pretty good yourself.

I'm out of practice.

Proprietor.

Proprietor.

Well, I'm sorry, sir, but I just gave my wife your order. She's the cook, you

know. Yeah, where's the phone?

Right around the back. There's a booth there.

Change me.

Change you?

Just a second, please.

Was it the real thing between you and the kid who took the rap?

Oh, no, I hardly knew him. He called one day and asked me to go for a ride, so I

went. I didn't know it was a stolen car. I didn't do anything wrong.

You couldn't.

Thanks.

But your uncle gets a bang out of thinking you did, doesn't he?

Well, he won't let me go back to school.

I was happy there. All my friends are there.

Well, why don't you tell them all?

Just for once.

Here you are, sir.

Thank you.

or get me the police.

Well, all right, then the sheriff's office.

Your coffee's getting cold.

Yeah.

Coffee.

What do you like studying most at school?

Oh, English lit. I like to read.

Me too.

Did you ever read Dostoevsky?

No, but a teacher of mine told me about him once.

Oh, and I saw a movie.

I know the one you mean, where the young guy kills an old man.

Yes, that's the one.

Oh, he said things the way I'd like to say them.

Oh, brother, was he an outsider?

Well, maybe I'll get to read him next term.

You forget it and you're not going back to school next term.

I don't think you can stop me, Uncle Charles.

Oh, no?

No, my father made a provision in his will for my education.

I'm still your legal guardian.

And I'm going back to school and there's nothing you can do about it. I know

what's best for you.

Oh, no, you don't. You keep out of this.

You think you know what we all want, don't you? Well, you know what I'd like?

No, no, I don't. I'd like to build a racing car faster than anything else on

road.

There goes Len's car.

And I'd race it in Spain and Rome and Paris.

Yeah, if I had to go like that crazy young cat who builds his own.

That sounds crazy, doesn't it? Wanting to build something with my own two

Like Ann wants to go back to school. Like all of us.

Oh, brother.

The way you treat this girl.

If my buddy were you.

Do you know what he'd do?

That's just what he'd do.

Officer, you know how glad I am to see you. It's kind of a hurry to get home,

aren't you? Your license, please. You only knew the horrible experience I just

had. Your license, please.

Realize how fast you were going. Well, I know it was over the limit. You were

doing 80 miles an hour in a 45 -mile zone.

That's what I want to explain. Explain it in court.

Court? You mean... Mister, for the third time, your license, please.

Thank you.

Officer, I won the safe driving award in this county for two years. You'll have

an opportunity to tell all that in court.

Is this your correct address, Mr. Underhill? Yes, yes, it is. I'm setting

court appearance for Wednesday on the 9th.

Here's your citation.

And I certainly hope Judge Adams isn't on the bench.

He's giving ten -day sentences to all speeders.

Sentence me? Jail?

But, officer, this wasn't my fault. That boy in my car is responsible for it

all. He insisted on a lift, and out on the highway I found out he was an ex

-convict from the honor farm. A knifer!

A knifer? Yes. He threatened to use one on me.

Oh.

We better have a talk with him. Now you'll understand why I stepped on the

when I saw the lights of this town.

Okay, kid. Outside.

Who's the girl? My niece.

You off from the farm?

Yeah.

I'm on my way home.

Here's my relief.

Mr. Underhill here said you threatened him, did you?

No.

Search him. Get that knife.

Okay, kid, up top.

I know what to do, kid.

Officer.

Turn around, kid.

Now you see?

He what?

He had a knife on him. He doesn't have it now.

Relax, kid.

Well, that ought to take care of your worries, Mr. Underhill.

Now, you take it easy from now on, huh?

going to be put right back on that farm. I'm going to cross and convince those

police officers that you did threaten me. Oh, that isn't true. You keep out of

this. Did you hear what that officer said at jail, Fenton?

It'll be in every newspaper in the valley. Me, Charles Underhill, arrested.

And all because of you.

Well, you just watch and see.

I've been doing a three -month stretch at the farm for picking a guy's pocket

when I was out of a job.

My talent just came in handy, that's all.

Pickpocket? I thought all that talk about knives.

Not me, my cellmate. I tried to tell you that, but you didn't believe me.

You want to think the worst of me.

Of course, if you're such an upright citizen, you can always walk across the

street and hand them this officer's book, and then you'll take the rap.

Well, get in.

I wish it understood that my presence here does not constitute an endorsement

the methods employed by the characters in the play.

The striking actors were somewhat disappointed that no one was killed in

tonight's play.

They're the understudies, you know.

Next time we shall try to do better. Until then, good night.