Original subtitles

Good evening.

I hope it doesn't disillusion you to see me doing such menial labor, but I like

to demonstrate that I'm just an ordinary person.

Besides, I need the money.

You see, this isn't my car. It's my brother's. He hires me to do work of

sort. He keeps telling me it's for my own good.

I suppose it is in a way, since the car will become mine if anything untoward

should happen to brother.

Most peculiar.

I don't believe you've met my brother.

Goodness,

he used to drop his H's. Now he's dropped the entire alphabet.

I closed the trunk because I know he'd like it that way.

He always hated our stories, and we have one coming up in just one minute.

Could I please see Mr. Towers? My name is Dave Sumner.

I'm an old friend of his, from college.

Well, okay, but you'd better go around to the back entrance.

Back.

It's not just that you spend ten hours a day at the office.

It's all those stupid business dinners, Stanley.

The least you could do would be take me dancing every once in a while.

Honey, the least you can do is just let me finish reading this report.

Look, why don't you go out shopping or something, huh?

What is it, Hilda?

It's for Mr.

Towers, ma 'am.

There's a man at the back door. He says he knows you.

The back door?

Yes, sir. He says his name is Sumner.

Says he's an old friend of yours from college.

Sumner?

Dave Sumner?

Tell him to come right in.

Well, I don't think he wants to come in, Mr. Towers.

He don't look like somebody who... I mean, his clothes.

Oh. All right, I'll go out and see him.

Well,

it's got to be 20 years, huh? Yeah, 20 years at least.

Well, come on in.

Sit down.

I was over in Hartsdale doing some odd jobs. I remembered you had a place near

here. I thought I'd stop by.

I hope you don't mind. Mind? Of course not.

Gee, you've got a great place here, Stanley.

Listen, what in the world ever happened to you? Since college, I mean.

A lot of things, I guess.

Most of them bad.

Well, I can't figure it out.

You were the head of our class, Dave.

You were president of our senior class.

You were honor student, valedictorian.

You know, I still remember the day you walked off stage at graduation.

Why, you had a stack of awards and honors up to here.

Yeah, it was a long time ago.

It sure was.

Listen, are you hungry? Want something to eat?

I wouldn't mind.

Boy, I still remember how we used to sit around and talk, you know, at the

fraternity house.

Remember? About how we felt about things and, you know, what we wanted out of

life.

We never did see things the same way, did we?

No, you did not.

No.

Yeah, I had a different picture of the world.

Nice and simple.

If you didn't take, you got taken. That was it.

Well, I saw it happen with my old man with that extrusion machine he invented.

He sold the patent for 500 bucks and some big company turned around and

Five million dollars with it.

Boy, that's when I decided you'd take it where you can find it.

Do you know how old I was when I made my first million?

Thirty -two, Dave.

But listen, I'm not letting you do any talking. What about yourself, Dave?

What's been happening to you?

Not much to tell.

Things just didn't pan out since I graduated. I tried all kinds of work.

Lately, I've just been picking up jobs wherever I could get them.

Listen, if there's something I could do around the place, Stanley, anything at

all, huh?

Yeah, I don't know, Dave. We got a pretty big staff right now.

But for old Dave, well, sure, we'll find something for you to do.

Hey, you can help out around the house.

And you can drive my wife around when I'm using the chauffeur.

Hey, you can help out when I got people over. I got big business meetings here

all the time.

You know, you can't work an eight -hour day when you're the boss. You know what

I mean, Dave?

Well, what do you say? Sound okay?

It sounds fine. Okay, it's a deal.

Listen, I'll pay you 80 bucks a week in your keep.

And let's do something about these clothes, huh?

Dave, good to see you.

Do I have to sign all these?

That's right, Mrs. Towers.

All six copies? Yep.

Sign all six copies.

Well, that's all I've been doing all night long.

We're going to get writer's crap.

Well, it's worth it, darling. You are now the sole owner of a million -dollar

business.

Oh, thanks, Dave. Say, would you put something else on the phonograph?

Well, Stan, I just don't understand. I mean, I know it's legal and all, but,

know, I really don't know anything about running a factory. But you don't have

to worry about it, Mrs. Towers.

You'll be getting rid of your interest in the plant in six months, just as soon

as we get rid of it at a loss.

Seems silly to me. Buy a whole factory just to lose money.

Well, that's the way we do business these days, darling. Isn't that right,

That's right.

Say, what about my cousin, Freddy? Can't we get him that deal as plant manager?

Well, if you still want him, Stanley.

But if you put any more relatives on the payroll, we won't need an organization

chart. Just a family tree.

Well, I guess that covers everything for this evening.

Gee, thanks for coming by the house, Harry. I'll see you back in town. And

my regards to the wife, will you, Jim? I will. Thank you very much. Come on,

I'll see you to the door.

Good night, Mrs. Towers. Good night.

Say, what did you say your name was?

Sumner. Dave Sumner, ma 'am. Oh, yeah, that's right, Dave.

Would you get Mr. Towers another drink, please?

Or just bring the whole bottle?

Yes, ma 'am.

You know what?

My husband just loves a drink after every meeting.

Oh?

I'll try and remember that.

Yeah.

Hey, it was a good meeting.

Oh, yeah?

Hey, where's my drink?

What's his name's getting you a fresh one?

Dave. Honey, how many times I got to tell you his name is Dave?

Oh, thanks. Thanks, Dave.

Listen, it's after midnight. Why don't you hit the sack?

And maybe you can brush up my clothes for the morning.

Yes, sir.

What are you laughing at?

Oh, nothing. I was just thinking.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah. What were you thinking?

Thinking about college.

College. Yeah, you know, Dave and I went to college together.

We were buddies.

As a matter of fact, we were in the same fraternity.

Rah, rah, rah.

Only here's something I didn't tell you.

Did you know that he was president of our senior class?

Yeah.

Yeah, good old Dave was top scholar in the whole school.

Him? That's right.

Yeah, Dave was always a very funny guy.

He figured all you had to have in this world were top grades and high

honors. He thought all you had to do was play the game right.

Only he didn't know the rules. Not like I did.

Wait a minute.

Wait a minute. I want to show you something.

Well, your college yearbook. I didn't know you were sentimental.

Here, let me see that.

That's your picture.

That's not what I want to show you. Let me see.

Well, well, little Stanley Tower.

Stanley Tower.

Business administration.

Vice President, Dance Committee.

Is that all?

Oh, give me that.

Here, let me see.

Wait a minute.

Oh, here it is.

Here, read that.

David L. Sumner, Phi Beta Kappa, President of the Senior Class, Chairman,

Debating Society,

Editor -in -Chief, The Lancer, winner of Polk Award for Scholastic Excellence.

Voted most likely to succeed. Yeah, that's the part.

That's the best part of all.

Voted most likely to succeed.

Uh,

Faye, uh, do you have the right time?

I'm sorry, I don't have a watch.

Oh, well, it doesn't make any difference anyway.

Stanley will come when he gets good and ready.

Do you mind if I ask you something?

Oh, not at all.

Well,

how come?

How come what?

I mean, how come a man like you... See, my husband says you've got a real brain.

How come you're doing work like this?

It's the best I could get.

I saw your picture in the college yearbook.

You haven't changed very much.

Not like Stanley, boy. He changes every year.

Hey, would you mind?

What do you mean?

I mean, you can fix the books later. I just kind of wanted to talk a little

Oh, yeah.

What is it you'd like to talk about?

Well, you're so smart, you tell me.

No, I just wanted to...

Ask about you.

Maybe Stanley isn't curious, but I am.

Well, there's not very much to say.

I do odd jobs. I try to do them well.

Is that what you call success?

Maybe it is.

Okay, if you don't want me around, I'll go.

No, no, no, no.

It's your house, Mrs. Towers.

That so, huh?

Yeah, I suppose it is in my name.

Stanley has so many kooky deals going, I never know what's mine and what isn't.

Come on, now, what about it?

Was there some woman or something?

Or is that a stupid question?

No, no, no, it's a very good question.

Yes, there was a woman.

Everything seemed fine when I graduated.

I never had a moment's doubt about my future.

The class even voted me most likely to succeed.

But I guess you know that if you saw the yearbook.

Yeah, I saw that.

Would you like to have a seat?

No.

Well, I took a job with a brokerage firm, a friend of my old man's.

That was my first mistake.

I ended up marrying the boss's daughter.

That was my second mistake.

She... She was no angel, let me put it that way.

I went along with her as long as I could, and when I couldn't take it

I... I got a divorce.

From her, from the job, both at the same time.

That's when I discovered I wasn't much of a businessman.

I couldn't make out with any other brokerage firm.

I paid alimony for six years until she got married again.

That's when I started drinking.

I guess that's what finally did it.

And I thought I had it rough.

You? Oh, it doesn't look like it, does it?

Big house, a lot of money and a lot of jewelry.

Little Louise Johnson, regular Cinderella, huh?

Only thing wrong is Pat's charming.

Well, you've been around here a couple of weeks. You know what goes on.

He uses his house like a hotel.

If he has one business meeting, it's another.

If he can't do business at lunch, he does it at dinner. If he can't do it in

daytime, he does it at night.

That must be pretty rough on you.

Oh, you have no idea.

Do you know that even when we're alone, he's thinking about business?

He's always got to come up with some smart new way to put something over on

competitor or the tax boys.

Now, wouldn't you think that I could pick out the furniture for our own home?

Oh, no. He has his company order it. And then he just has a truckload set up

here.

And you know that new wing we're building on the house?

Yes. Where do you think all that lumber and stuff is coming from?

He has his company out of that. And then he makes a deal with the contractor

just to send it up here.

I don't even think that's legal, do you?

I doubt it.

He has a thousand little things like that.

Like putting his family on the payroll at fancy salaries.

And then having them kick back half.

Oh, he comes up with something like that every day.

And I'm just getting sick of it.

I'm just getting sick to death of it.

Mrs. Towers?

What?

Is there something I can do for you?

Get you a drink, maybe?

You know, Dave, I think you're right.

Success... It's a lousy thing. It really is.

It's better to be a bum.

I don't know about that. No, I mean you have more fun that way.

I'm so bored here. All I can think of to do is to eat.

Hey, that's a good idea.

What's that?

Why don't you fix me a hot bird sundae?

Something real warm.

Yes, ma 'am.

Buddy boy.

Good evening.

What a head.

Hey, fix me something, will you, Dave?

A little something fizzy, huh?

Yes, sir. I think there's something in there. No, I don't need that, Dave. Come

on, make me a drink.

Give me a little scotch and soda.

Yes, sir.

Oh, boy, these business meetings really take the starch out of you.

Sometimes I wonder why I work so hard.

I know why.

Money, Dave.

The lousy part is it's getting ten times as hard to make a dollar nowadays.

By the way, the government's got things rigged. You gotta work every minute.

You gotta try all the angles.

You can't ever let down.

Gotta keep going.

Tote that bar.

Lift that veil.

You get a good lawyer, you wind up in jail.

Now, you ain't got it so bad, Dave.

All you got to worry about is a good meal now and then.

But when you got money, boy, that's when your troubles really begin.

Is it worth it? Sure, it's worth it.

Nothing else is worth anything.

Haven't you learned that yet?

You and your shining lights and honor bright. Play the game according to all

rules.

You're okay, Dave. You're a nice guy.

What a shame you were born a sucker.

Dave, how about you drive me someplace?

Oh, yes, ma 'am. Where to?

Anyplace? New York? Boise, Idaho?

Just so long as it's away from here.

Something wrong?

Oh, no. Same thing that's always wrong. Only this time, I've had it.

Dan and I had a fight last night, and I told him what I thought of him.

His phony business deals, I told him what I thought of being nothing but a

deduction. Huh.

Where's Mr. Towers now?

Probably setting up some phony corporation or I don't know.

Would you take the bags out to the car? There's some more in the hall.

All right.

You don't belong in this place either.

What?

No, you're a nice guy.

But you won't be if you stay around him very long.

Look, why don't we go to some place together?

Just any place.

I can't do that, Mrs. Towers.

Well, it's only going to get worse. You'll just make more and more deals.

sorry, I can't.

Hey.

What the heck's going on here?

Nothing. I'm just going on a little trip.

A little trip? Where?

Anyplace.

Just so long as it's away from here.

Wait a minute. What's this all about?

I have tried to tell you a million times what this is all about.

Why don't you ask your friend Dave here? Maybe you'll listen to him.

Dave, huh?

Come on, Dave, you're the big brain around here. Tell me what's going on.

Nothing, nothing.

Mrs. Towers wanted me to drive it someplace, that's all.

Give me the keys.

Give me the car keys.

If there's any driving to be done around here, I'll do it myself.

You take that bag and go upstairs, Louise.

You go see Everett for the money I owe you.

What?

You mean I'm fired?

I'm afraid so, Dave. I don't think this arrangement of ours is going to work

out.

Go on. Consider yourself lucky to be out of this place.

I'll talk to you later.

Well?

Well, I'm sorry.

If that's the way you want it.

That's the way I want it.

Well, he's gone.

I suppose you'd like to go with him, too, wouldn't you?

Leave me alone, Stanley.

You're not kidding anybody, Louise. You're not going anywhere.

You like what you've got too much. You're not giving it up.

Well, isn't that right? Leave me alone.

You know where your bread's buttered.

Not with a guy like Dave Sumner, but with someone like me.

Well, isn't that true?

Well, say it.

Go on, say it.

It's true.

Take that bag upstairs.

Well, let's get this over with as soon as possible.

I'd sure like to sneak in a couple of holes of golf this afternoon. That's a

good idea. We sure have got the weather for it. Figured this meeting won't last

more than an hour. Nah, we've been over all this stuff before.

Hey, how's your golf game, Harry? Still shooting in the low 90s, huh?

It's better now since I've been working with the pro.

Oh, Stanley, I'd like to meet Frank Anderson from our New York office. Glad

know you, sir. He knows everybody down here. I'm certainly glad to meet you,

Frank. You think this is going to take very long?

Well, it all depends on what kind of a case they've got.

Let's walk in and find out.

All right.

Make yourselves comfortable, gentlemen. I'll be with you in a moment.

As I believe you know, Mr. Sumner.

Dave?

You mean to say you know that man?

Of course I know him. We went to school together.

He worked at my house only a month ago.

That explains it. The Treasury Department probably assigned him your

because he once knew you.

You mean to tell me he's one of them?

He's a tax investigator?

More than that. He's the most successful agent in the Treasury Department.

I do believe that was the most frightening story we have ever

Fortunately, it will only frighten one segment of our population, taxpayers.

Now for something equally frightening, a commercial, after which I shall appear.

That is all for tonight, and it was quite enough, too.

Next week I shall be here again, and I know my brother will be also.

I seem to have locked the trunk key inside.

So until then, good night.