Original subtitles

Oh, good evening.

I just had a terrible nightmare.

It lasted only a minute, but it was a shattering experience.

Let me tell you about it before we see tonight's play.

It was like a motion picture, and as I watched, a voice kept shouting

at me.

Bounce the drums in the last number. Not a native uprising.

Transitions.

Merge with the Steelworkers Union.

Oh, I thought you sounded lovely, Miss Cole.

Lovely, Miss Cole. You always think I sound lovely, don't you, Pauline? But

do. Of course I do.

And you like to collect yourself.

Oh, Miss Cole.

Oh, I'm just tired, Pauline. You must be tired, too. Why don't you go on home? I

can manage.

Oh, if that's what you want, that's what I want.

Good night.

Good night, Polly.

I knew you'd come, Tony.

I couldn't refuse a personal invitation from the great Crystal Co., could I?

Delivered after I received your threatening note.

Threatening?

You must be imagining things.

That was just a fan letter.

I did have a big imagination.

Remember the story you told me back in Cleveland?

I can't take the rap, Tony.

I don't want our baby born in prison.

I never did get a birth announcement.

A girl can make a mistake.

She sure can.

No birth announcements, no letters.

Seven years is a long time to sit and stir without letters.

I didn't know you could sing, baby.

All right, Tony, what do you want? Seven years.

Seven empty years.

At first, I nearly went crazy wondering why you didn't write.

I even thought that stupid gin mill operator might have realized it was your

fingers in his till instead of mine.

Then one day,

The days weren't empty anymore.

Because I saw your picture in the newspaper.

I didn't recognize you right off. Not with the dark hair, the fancy clothes,

that name, Crystal Coe.

The paper said you just changed your name by marrying a bandleader.

What happened to him, baby?

Was he the one who shot himself, or...

Was he the one who turned alcoholic?

No.

No.

I remember now.

That was your second husband.

I read all about it in one of those fan magazines.

The tragic loves of Crystal Cole.

But the story went on to say that you had found happiness at last.

With an older man, old enough to own a few oil fields.

All right, so we've had the story of my life.

Not quite.

I could do a sequel.

Crystal Coast Secret Love.

How do you like that for a title?

It'll never sell.

Why not?

Because I can't swim in oil?

Because you can't prove anything.

You know better than that, baby.

No matter how many pieces of paper you destroy, there's always a piece left

somewhere.

Nice.

This must have cost Mr.

Oilwell a neat sum.

Oh, everything is so expensive these days.

How expensive, Tony?

Very nice.

Sometimes when I was sweating out that stretch for you, I'd wake up in the

night, forget where I was.

I'd reach out in the darkness and grab an armful of air.

We did have some good times together, baby, didn't we?

You must remember that.

I stopped remembering a long time ago.

But I couldn't forget.

That's the crazy thing.

Whatever you did, I made excuses.

Even when you stole the money.

I blamed myself because I couldn't give you all the things you wanted.

Remember how I used to tinker around in the basement trying to invent something?

It would make us rich.

I guess no invention can improve on nature.

A girl has to live.

She can't wait around forever.

She has to live.

Are you sure of that, Crystal?

I could have saved the suckers you married a lot of cash if I had sounded

Me, the jailbird Crystal Co., couldn't acknowledge.

Even to a judge.

But that would have spoiled everything.

For both of us, Tony.

Yeah.

And now you're getting the idea.

That's what I had in mind all these years.

So Tony kept his mouth shut and went on tinkering and remembering.

They have places for that even in prison, you know.

How much do you want, Tony?

You're not the only one that likes expensive things.

Seven years of hunger can give a man a real appetite for expensive things.

I ask you, how much?

You won't need your checkbook.

After all, you never divorced me.

Not like the old days.

You don't have to remind me.

I bet I don't.

Real class.

I suppose when the ad trades are filled, you trade for a new model.

Not immediately.

I had the chauffeur empty them the first six months.

Remember that one?

The old tunes are the best.

The old tunes, the old love.

Where are we going?

You called it, Tony.

What about Mr.

Oilwell?

Mr. Wincliffe is in San Francisco on business.

And the chauffeur?

at the beach house this time of year.

No one at all.

I should be cozy.

It's a long drive. I'd better get some gas.

Hello?

It's my business.

This is where we part company. I don't understand.

I bet you don't.

Nobody ever walked out on you, did they, baby?

Nobody ever turned down such an invitation.

That's what I had in mind when I gave you that feel about those 700 years.

I wanted you to learn what it feels like to have the only thing you can offer

thrown back at your face.

Don't you get it?

I'm the stupid fool that sweated out seven years in a cell because I loved

You were in my blood.

Even when I knew about all the other men.

I ripped your pictures apart.

A thousand times I smashed your face until it wouldn't look good to any man.

For seven years, I dreamed of what I'd do when I got out and found you again.

Tony. And last night I did find you.

I went to that club.

Saw the woman I'd gone through so much for.

A fancy saloon tramp.

Is that why you wrote the letter to me?

Just to tell me that?

I didn't intend to tell you anything.

I wrote the letter so you'd know I was out.

So you could do a little sweating for a change.

I never intended to see you again.

I've had it, baby.

I'm cured.

I don't want you anymore in the beach house or anywhere else.

Wait.

Don't get out of here.

Oh, I get it.

You know...

And you wouldn't want a shabby bum like me getting out of your car under all

these lights.

Any more and you wanted me to be seen at the club.

The dressing room.

After the last show.

Those were the directions.

You're very understanding, Tom.

But you're not getting through.

Thank you.

Go on, Tony. Take it.

My gun.

You've kept it.

No, thanks, baby. I don't want this gift either.

Would you please sign this, ma 'am?

It's a terrible pin you've got there. Can you read the signature?

I sure can, ma 'am.

Is the boulevard open all the way out to the beach? They were working on it

yesterday.

Boulevard? Um, yeah.

Okay, now. Fine, I'll stay on the boulevard.

It's good to be able to find a service station open at this hour.

I usually have a chauffeur fill the tank every morning, but this morning I

forgot.

It's easy to get careless, isn't it, Tony?

Why did you set up this cozy rendezvous?

You thought I was going to kill you.

As you said, Tony, there's always a record left somewhere.

A record?

Proof of our marriage.

Fortunately, you're the only person on this earth who would ever think to look

for it.

Look, I told you I didn't want any part of you.

I wouldn't dream sporting your setup at Wincliffe.

Any man that marries you deserves all the grief he gets.

Even if it isn't legal.

Let me out of that bus stop.

You can't get a bus this time of night.

Then I'll walk.

You don't have to walk, Tony. I'll take you where you're going.

What is this?

Is your pride wounded or something?

Do you still think you can...

Stir up the embers at that beach house.

Maybe that's it.

And maybe it is.

What's that?

The police.

You should have killed me back at the station, Tony, but I knew you wouldn't.

You never have that kind of nerve. I don't want your money. Nerve to get what

you want and keep it. But I don't want your money. Tony, the first lesson I

learned was that you can't trust a man. Don't!

happened here, lady?

He tried to kill me.

He tried to kill me.

This man killed me.

Call police.

Did you write this statement to the station attendant, Miss Cove?

Yes. May I?

It was the only thing I could think to do. I was so frightened.

Well, did you know this man?

No, I'd never seen him before.

He was waiting in the car when I left the club after the last show.

With this gun?

Yes. I thought he wanted money. I offered him my purse, but he wouldn't

I saw the service station up ahead, and I knew there was a police car behind me.

Then he heard the siren, and he made me drive faster.

I stopped the car suddenly, and then he dropped the gun.

We... Lieutenant,

you heard my wife's story,

and you have the statement of the station attendant, also the officer in

police car.

Now, it's been a very rough night, and I'd like to take my wife home as soon as

possible.

Well, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't.

Bum crawled in the car in the parking lot, got himself shot, struggling for

gun.

That's about the size of it.

Well, thank you very much for your help, Miss Coe. I won't need to detain you

any further.

Of course, you'll have to appear before the judge. It's just a formality, and

then you'll be free to go.

It was a joke getting off the plane to news like that last night.

It's a joke to me, too.

I can see that.

I blame myself. I could have cut the conference short and taken an earlier

plane.

It wouldn't have made any difference.

But it would have.

I'd have been at the club to pick you up as usual. But you shouldn't be driving

alone at that late hour.

Crystal, this nonsense has to stop.

When you finish at the club next week, I'm going to take you away.

I'll take you anywhere you want to go. The Bahamas.

Mexico, South America.

Oh, George, that would be wonderful.

Then it's all settled.

Oh, when I think of last night, what could have happened to you?

Now, who could that be?

Well, if it's those reporters again, I'll get rid of them.

I'm sorry, my what?

Lieutenant.

Oh, come in. Thank you.

I brought your wife's car back. I thought you might be needing it.

Oh, well, we were just having some coffee. Won't you join us? No, thank

Oh, good morning, Miss Coe. I've been drinking coffee all night.

The lieutenant brought your car back, darling.

Your keys, Miss Coe.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

Or rather, I should say, Mrs.

Winkler.

I thought you might be interested to hear what we learned about our friend of

last night.

Oh, sit down, Lieutenant.

Thank you.

You're a lucky woman, Mrs. Wincliffe.

That was a dangerous man.

An ex -convict.

There's no doubt in my mind, but the coroner's jury will find this to be a

case of self -defense.

This mess is going to cause somebody a headache, and I'm glad it's not in my

department.

Headache? A big headache.

You see, Mrs. Wincliffe, downtown headquarters had a full report on this

He was paroled in another state with permission to come out here to close a

business deal.

He had invented something while he was in prison, some kind of electronic

equipment. And a few hours before his death, he had signed a contract that,

well, shouldn't add him quite a sum in royalties.

It's going to entail a lot of work to dig up this man's past and to find his

beneficiary.

I just learned that nightmare I had was a commercial.

I suppose one can't expect to get pleasant dreams for nothing.

But I never realized before that they were sponsored.

Now that you know there is no escape in sleep, perhaps you'll watch the

following electronic nightmare.

Please do not be frightened. I shall be right here all the time.

All for tonight.

Now you're on your own.

So until next week at the same time...

Pleasant dreams.