Original subtitles

(exciting jazzy music)

- [Woman] It was another summer,

but not like any other summer.

As I walked to our mailbox,

I knew I was seeing Bradfield for the last time.

I was leaving for New York.

I was leaving, and like the flowering trees,

the world was opening for me.

My hands trembled.

I was full of the nervous excitement

of an aspiring actress.

Everything around me shrunk,

and I was seeing my town just as it was.

Clean, and well ordered, and predictable.

On Friday, all that would be left behind.

(cheerful orchestral music)

But I wouldn't be alone.

My sister Sally was already living in the east,

and I was going to share her apartment.

Sally was a dancer.

That is, she was studying to become one,

but to be a dancer calls for more than a winning smile,

and a good figure.

Hours of physical torture and rehearsal, and waiting.

Waiting for the chance to be seen.

(orchestra music continues)

(phone ringing)

- Hello?

- [Woman] Bob? Hi, darling.

Just got in.

- How did class go?

- Ugh, I'm beat.

Listen, I got a letter from Ann.

- Well who's that?

- You never listen.

My sister, Ann!

- [Bob] Well is there anything wrong?

- Wrong, she's coming to New York!

- Oh, that's nice.

- [Sally] Apparently she's going to stay with me.

- Oh my gosh, look, honey,

babysitting is just what our relationship needs.

- Oh come on, Bob.

Ann's a big girl now, she can take care of herself.

You know her plane arrives tomorrow.

Do you think we could pick her up?

- Let's see now, tomorrow's Friday, isn't it?

- [Sally] I think so.

- Look, I think I can make it.

Look I'll see you later at class, alright?

- Okay, bye darling.

- [Ann] Even before we met,

I felt I knew Bob.

Sally had described him as talented and handsome,

and modest, qualities she herself had.

He was obviously someone special.

A girl doesn't describe a casual acquaintance that way.

Bob was a painter, and had arranged

for Sally to pose at his school,

the Arts Society of New York.

One of the most serious and successful schools in the city.

(mellow classical music)

Not the easiest of professions,

but it paid the rent and bought the groceries,

and left her enough time to pursue her studies.

(mellow classical music)

At home, everyone was either too young or too old.

In New York it seemed that everyone was doing something.

It didn't matter if you lived on hamburgers and coffee,

around the corner there was fame and fortune.

Don't forget to write, or look up so and so,

take care of yourself!

I remember a tremendous gasp of wind,

and there they were, swallowed up in a cloud of dust.

Down below it seemed distant and quaint,

like a quilt you once covered yourself with.

We were moving towards the sun.

Before I could catch my breath,

we were circling a forest of towers,

tall and austere and awesome.

I held on to my seat and felt myself sinking.

(plane engine growling)

It wasn't so bad.

The natives didn't cook me.

They were there.

Sally came in Bob's car, and they brought along Charlie,

Bob's best friend.

We drove into the city.

(energetic classical music)

It wasn't exactly a palace,

just an apartment Sally could afford.

And she had used her ingenuity to make the most of it.

This was Sally's place, and now it was also mine.

I wasn't given much of a chance to get my bearings.

The boys told us to change into some comfortable things

and be ready to see the sights.

(relaxed instrumental music)

(jazzy piano and saxophone)

(mellow instrumental music)

One thing was certain, this wasn't Bradfield.

Only 10 minutes in New York and my head was spinning.

I felt as if I'd just gotten off the boat,

and my sea legs were still with me.

Racing along the parkway with the top down,

wind in our faces.

Life was just beginning.

Bob was almost as I had pictured him.

Considerate and comfortable to be with,

the kind of a guy my sister would choose.

Charlie seemed completely opposite,

though he laughed and smiled easily,

I could tell his mind was somewhere else.

Back home there were county fairs,

but nothing like Coney Island.

As far as the eye could see,

a vast city of rides and games and stalls with food.

(exciting fair music)

Everywhere I looked there were swirling masses of people.

And people, and people.

And I thought, how could you ever be lonely

in a place like this?

(boisterous fair music)

We went up, and we went down.

We were catapulted and caught.

And for the first time I realized how fortunate I was

to have someone to hold on to.

They were called amusements,

but they were really disguised experiments

to test the limits of human courage.

Mine must've been inexhaustible,

because I was having the time of my life.

Down, up, up, down, my head was twirling,

and I was floating all the way.

(carousel music plays)

Land ho!

We were back on mother earth, gyrating like tops,

and loving every turn.

The twist was still the thing.

(dance music playing)

If my head was still in the clouds,

my stomach was feeling the explosion of a million calories.

Hot dogs and pizza, and corn.

Gallons of soda and miles of cotton candy.

And when I had had it, we started all over again.

How I managed to stay upright I'll never understand.

(cheerful fair music playing)

The sun was lowering, and the crowds were thinning.

We walked to the railing and looked out at the sea.

Only the distant rumble of ocean.

It was darkening and wonderfully calm.

A boy and a girl, and a boy and a girl.

Bob and Sally, and Charlie and me.

As the shapes of night began to fall,

we were driving back to the city.

It wasn't hard to tell that Bob and Sally

were right for each other.

I was weary, and a little melancholy to see it end.

Everything happened so fast,

it was now catching up.

A perfect first day in New York.

(casual jazz music playing)

Meeting someone as nice as Charlie

was too much to expect so soon.

Reluctant goodbyes.

I guess no one wanted it to end.

But it was getting dark, and time to call it a day.

(jazz music continues)

Sally had arranged the place ingeniously.

She was neat and efficient,

and made the best of what she had.

I liked our apartment.

Though small, it had all the comforts.

Good beds and a shower, and room for my things.

She must've worked like a demon to clear out the space.

I was thrilled.

Thrilled to live with Sally.

Thrilled to be in New York.

And ready to try my luck.

(mellow instrumental music)

The weekend wasn't over.

Bright and early we were on our way to explore Manhattan.

Bob and Charlie called for us,

and we drove to the river to see the boat basin.

I suppose this was old hat for them,

but they were determined to launch me in style.

(cheerful instrumental music)

Down the spiral ramp to the Hudson shore.

A lovely spot, with water slapping against

the white of swaying craft.

They were beautiful.

So this is how the other half lived.

I thought, how marvelous to lie under rippling canopies

on polished decks, gliding past all those buildings.

I had imagined the city as swarms of humanity

and clamoring subways.

I didn't realize how much more there was.

(exciting classical music)

We discovered our own yacht, the Staten Island ferry.

A nickel in the turnstile and we were cruising

across the bay, listening to the sounds of the harbor.

And like an apparition, the skyline slipped out of sight.

They were pressed close together,

and it didn't take a mind reader to read their thoughts.

As soon as things went their way,

I knew Bob and Sally would marry.

They were perfect, and I was happy,

happy they had found each other.

We paid a second fare and got back on board,

riding into the breeze.

The water sliced by and buildings reappeared.

I heard the whistle echoing out to sea.

(dance music playing)

(indistinct chatter)

- Come on, Charlie, let's play.

(all chattering)

Come on, come on.

- We're having a party.

- Come on, Charlie.

- You don't know what you're lettin' yourself in for.

- Here we go.

(guitar strums)

♫ Now I am a bachelor,

♫ I live all alone.

♫ I work at the weaver's trade.

♫ And the only only thing I ever did was wrong

♫ Was to woo a fair young maid.

♫ I wooed her in the wintertime,

♫ And part of the summer too,

♫ And the only only thing I ever did was wrong,

♫ Was to keep her from the foggy, foggy dew.

♫ Now when-

Ah, come on, let's just.

(cheering and clapping)

(jazz music begins)

Are you having fun?

- It's not really as I expected from Sally's letters.

- I bet you thought we city folks weren't civilized, huh?

- Not really, it's just that I had expected it

to be a little different.

This is like home.

- Well, for me, home is where I set my typewriter down.

- Are you an author?

- When I'm not forced to make a living,

I'm struggling on a re-write of my novel.

- Working alone must be awfully hard.

What's it about?

- Upside down world.

Sensitive young guy who looks at everything

through the wrong end of a periscope.

- I would love a career.

But not to last forever.

Then, a home and a family.

Roots are the only things that count.

- Well, I like to tear up roots,

and let the dirt fall where it may.

Look around this room.

Painters and writers and musicians.

Screaming kids and a mortgage,

and maybe a few fringe benefits aren't for me.

You wanna dance?

- No thanks.

That sightseeing wore me out.

Do you have a publisher?

- [Charlie] Well, I have somebody who's willing

to read the novel when I'm through.

- [Ann] At least you've got a chance.

- How 'bout some cheese and vino?

We have to move fast with this group,

or bye bye chianti.

- I'd love some, I am a little hungry.

A girl doesn't have to leave home

to meet confirmed bachelors.

All they want is a few laughs, a good time,

and a goodnight kiss.

(slow big band music)

My problem was to begin a career as an actress.

The party was over, and I started to search in earnest.

I bought the trade papers,

and began combing through the ads.

(smooth classical music)

(phone ringing)

(classical music continues)

It was Charlie calling.

He wanted a date, but I turned him down.

Charlie was a bachelor,

and as long as he wanted to stay one,

there were more important things on my mind.

Bravery ends when confusion sets in.

Where do you begin?

No weekend and no dates, just me on my own.

The city and me.

I was determined and frightened.

(energetic classical music)

They call it making rounds,

and they sure know what they're talking about.

In one door and out the other.

I was going round and round.

Sorry miss, drop by later in the season.

Don't call us, we'll call you.

Business is slow.

All filled up.

Round and round, in one door and out the other.

They sure don't waste much time.

I was as tired as I'd ever been, and going nowhere fast.

The boom of frustration was lowering.

You need more than courage and ambition.

You need more than the echo of hometown applause.

What you really need is an indestructible pair of feet.

I desired to rely on the phone.

At least I was trying.

And from a glass booth, the world seemed less formidable.

(dreamy instrumental music)

Sally told me everything about her relationship with Bob.

He was a serious painter,

and Sally frequently posed for him, sometimes in the nude.

I was a little stunned.

And she must have read my doubts.

She assured me nothing went on that shouldn't,

and knowing my Sally, I knew it was the truth.

(dreamy music continues)

Back to making rounds.

Round and round I went, secretly envying receptionists.

At first it was only the hard pavement,

but now it was pouring.

The water splashing into my shoes.

Cold, damp, despondent, I was bewildered by it all.

(suspenseful orchestra music)

No, no no.

It seemed that wherever I went,

people's vocabularies were limited

to one final and incontestable word, no.

Morale was withering, my spirit frozen,

and my feet were throbbing.

I was beginning to doubt that I'd ever get started.

But, you can't remain in bed.

Next morning I was out again.

A skirmish isn't a war, and a day isn't a lifetime.

Moving in this mass of humanity,

I began looking at faces,

wondering how many were just getting started,

and how many had listened to those nos.

Everywhere success was posted bold and clear.

And lines waited to spend good dollars.

I wondered if anyone would ever wait on line to see me.

(exciting big band music)

(phone ringing)

It was late in the afternoon, and still no luck.

If I was pressed into another stuffy elevator

I thought I would pass out.

Alright, Annie, one final try for the day.

That ad you saw in the paper.

- Send her in.

Come in.

(mellow jazzy music)

Miss? - Miss Carson, Ann Carson.

- And you are?

- I'm an actress.

I play leads, leads back home that is,

and I spent one season in stock.

- The theater isn't exactly my line.

- I realize that.

I saw your listing in the trade books,

and I thought you might,

- Broadway is only a side street with white lights.

Let's see your book.

- Pardon?

- Pictures, I know what you look like,

but some people need pictures to know what I know.

- I have some snapshots and clippings.

- No, no, no, no.

Look, not snapshots, no.

Good pictures are very important.

Alright, don't worry about it, I'll take care of it.

Do you mind standing up?

Turn around.

Now close that window.

Alright, dear, we liked it.

Have a seat.

There's one person you should get to know.

- I should?

- Lil Duncan. - who's she?

- If you know Lil, you're in.

If you don't, why bother to leave home.

- You mean she would, she would,

be in a position to,

- Get me Lil Duncan, at home or in the office.

Hello, cheri.

- Cheri, my foot.

You've been playing hookie from school.

- You know what too much homework does to me.

- Long time no see.

Since when do you call before sunset?

- I've been busier than a real estate operator.

- [Lil] Buying, or selling?

- Auditioning new talent.

Christmas is coming, and so is the thrill season.

Lil baby, small request?

- What's she like?

- Your perception is showing

Like Kansas in autumn.

As a matter of fact Ms. Carson is sitting

in my office right now.

- Come off the balcony, Romeo.

If she's been there more than 10 minutes,

she must be something.

- I'll let you judge for yourself.

- [Lil] Vital statistics? Any birth marks?

- Potential far greater than experience,

and as the French say, a pretty face is money in the bank.

And we'll allow, she plays leads back in her hometown.

- In my neighborhood they're playing musical pets.

- Shall we say at your convenience? Roger.

Looks like you've got a chance, kid.

- You mean I, she will?

- Life is full of surprises.

- Oh, thank you, thank you very much.

Well, I think I'd better be going.

He was inviting me out.

And who could refuse a person who had rescued me?

I was tired and hungry and excited.

Things were beginning to look up.

(cheerful instrumental music)

(phone ringing)

Poor Charlie.

Mark called for me the following afternoon,

and I confess having spent hours to look my best.

The minute I entered his office,

there was something special.

His manner, cynical, but not bored.

Behavior, aggressive, but with the right touch of humor.

Assurance and success and the least bit of gesture.

And here was the first man willing to help me.

Cocktails on a rooftop overlooking Central Park,

and then to an elegant restaurant

where our table was reserved.

The doorman knew him,

the bartender knew him and the waiters knew him.

Wherever we went, Mark was the magic word.

A fabulous meal with two kinds of wine.

After dinner we went downtown to a place

the likes of which I had never seen before.

(upbeat dance music)

Again, we had a ringside table.

I was a little stunned, and certainly impressed.

The dancing was exotic and the music magnificent.

More and more I was beginning to love New York.

Across the aisle there was a woman,

and Mark waved hello.

She nodded.

He told me that this was Lil Duncan.

She was beautifully dressed and surprisingly young.

In his office I had pictured her as sort of middle aged,

and matron-like, not the stunning woman I was seeing.

I couldn't resist.

I asked Mark how old she was.

He smiled a sly smile and said that Lil had been around.

No doubt about it.

Mark Damon knew everyone.

The hat check girl, the owner, and even the dancers.

He knew each of the performers by name.

(Middle Eastern music playing)

A man dropped by to say hello and Mark introduced us.

He said he was a photographer,

and there was a chance he could use me.

So this is how it's done, I thought.

No need pounding the pavements for a chorus of nos.

All a girl has to do is to be seen with the right man,

sit at a table, and smile.

He gave me his card, and invited me to ring his studio

when I was available.

Mark toasted the debut of a promising career.

(music continues)

What an evening!

I was soaring and lightheaded when Mark drove me home.

New York was for real, and not just a dreamer's fantasy.

Extravagance and glamor really existed.

At last I was seeing life from the inside,

and I liked what I saw.

The city took on a glow.

Bob and Sally and Charlie were there,

like the conscience of the night.

(suspenseful music)

- I'm glad you did.

By the way hon, you're going to meet Lil Duncan

on more intimate terms

- Really?

- [Mark] From what she said last night,

I think she approves.

- I'm flattered.

- Lil is giving one of her parties,

and I have the green light to bring you along.

- [Ann] But I don't have a thing to wear.

I'd like to look my best.

- If you look like you looked last night,

you'll be the belle of the ball.

- That's very kind.

- I never argue with a lady.

About Lil's party, we should be quite interested.

I'll pick you up.

- Thank you. - What?

- Thank you. - Don't thank me.

Thank your parents for having such good taste.

- But when daylight comes, promise and fulfillment

are miles apart.

Poor Charlie.

There was another rejection slip for his collection,

and his spirits were low.

And little old Annie Carson wasn't doing much better.

Even when you're standing still,

the cleaners and the laundromats and the grocers

continue to function,

and my savings were fast disappearing.

I couldn't depend on Sally.

She had a brutal schedule as it was.

My guilt was creeping up.

Another session of making rounds

might've been the final blow.

I couldn't smile at another receptionist,

or listen to another no.

That's it!

What about the card Mark's friend gave me?

When you're floundering, you take the first port

in the store.

(phone ringing)

I called Mr. Vincent.

He remembered me from the club,

and seemed pleased that I phoned.

We made an appointment.

(orchestra music)

Making an appointment wasn't finding a job.

I continued looking through all the casting news.

(phone ringing)

It was Charlie again.

He wanted a date later in the week.

It made me feel good that he was so persistent,

and I accepted.

Mr. Vincent had an assignment for me.

Modeling a sports suit or a wedding gown

under towered lights was like working under a broiler.

But it wasn't difficult.

And I knew my pictures would appear,

showing me wearing the latest fashions.

(exciting string music)

The city, my city, now.

Restless and impatient.

Always tearing down or putting up gleaming new towers,

like the Americana, which had just opened.

It was the newest of the new hotels

that were built that year.

(cheerful orchestra music)

Having a schedule to meet makes the world seem brighter.

When I returned to the studio,

I was beginning to feel I belonged.

Professionalism in anything is demanding.

I watched the other model pose.

I was tremendously impressed with the prints

of my first assignment.

But the photographer still had reservations.

A light here and a shadow there.

He explained how they might've been improved.

He gave me something to put on,

because he wanted to shoot some tests.

(cheerful orchestra music)

My turn again.

This time, I tried even harder,

hoping to put to use what I had seen.

There was much more to it

than merely smiling for the birdie.

(dreamy music)

I felt I was getting someplace,

especially with a man like Mark on my side.

I saw him again, and we went out on the town.

Driving through Times Square, Mark was telling me

of the jobs he had lined up.

He had contacted every important photographer in town.

(exciting big band music)

I looked at the lights of a thousand signs,

and they all seemed to be smiling down on me.

The following morning I was back at work,

and this time I didn't mind the studio lights.

A kerchief isn't a tweed suit or a satin gown.

Cheesecake was this man's bread and butter.

Word gets around fast,

and one assignment leads to another.

They had promoted me from the pastry department

to higher forms,

where your emotions really count.

We did the craziest things.

Whenever more than one model was involved,

we were instructed to act out the scenes,

so we wouldn't appear posed or unnatural.

"Okay kids, make like it's for real!"

the photographer shouted,

all the while jitterbugging around us

with his camera popping.

From hot to cold and from dry to soaking in a bubble bath,

selling a product wasn't exactly my idea

of playing in an old DeMille epic,

but who was I to complain?

The salary was good, and it was all very businesslike

and easy to take.

No one seemed to notice or care about how little I wore.

And I soon learned not to be self conscious about it.

By now I was in demand.

John Hendricks called.

It was to be a series for paperback books.

An assignment that meant working on location

the following week.

It sounded exciting, and I was hired.

How wonderful to see Charlie again!

No posing, no acting.

With him I could be myself.

He asked if I'd like to hear a concert, and I said yes.

Anything with Charlie was fun to do.

We went uptown for tickets, for the Philharmonic Hall,

the first of the buildings just opened at Lincoln Center.

(exciting orchestral music)

There was time before the concert,

and Charlie wanted me to see the Guggenheim Museum.

A beautiful day.

As we walked through the park,

I was enjoying every breath of air.

Imagining how marvelous life could be.

He was funny and serious, and never dull,

and I was a little sad that a fellow like Charlie

hadn't any long-term intentions.

(fast-paced music)

The day finally arrived,

a day I had been waiting for.

Mark phoned and arranged to pick me up

for Lil Duncan's party,

her first big blast of the year.

Again he reminded me that out of eight million souls,

I was among the chosen.

Lil was the royalty of nightlife.

Someone extra-special, and I believed Mark,

because wherever I had worked they knew her,

or knew of her.

Lil Duncan certainly was a big shot.

(energetic party music)

I recognized one or two faces,

but most of the people were strange to me.

The talk was gay, and the glasses filled.

I found it a handsome gathering.

Mark was finally introducing me.

Regal is the word that came to mind.

Lil was sophisticated and poised,

a queen circulating through her court,

with a word or a gesture to put everyone at ease.

Everything was tastefully served.

At this party there certainly was no shortage

of food or drink.

(energetic party music)

Lil knew everyone.

One could tell she radiated success.

Secretly I suppose I admired her.

(music slows)

in a room full of attractive people,

Mark was the most attractive.

He was charming and relaxed and attentive.

I was enjoying myself tremendously.

(people laughing and chatting)

(soft instrumental music)

He strayed for a moment, and then called me aside.

"We're going to Lil's place," Mark said.

"But I thought this was her place," I said,

a little surprised.

"Not really," he winked.

"This is just where the squares and hors d'oeuvres

get together."

Lil was inviting a select group to her place,

her real place, that is.

And I was among the privileged few.

(jazzy drums playing)

it was quite a place alright.

Spacious, lavishly decorated, and all in the best of taste.

Mark let himself in.

Lil had given him the key,

and said she would join us later.

(slow jazz music playing)

We were dancing, and I guess the drinks were catching up.

(music continues)

I kept thinking of how sophisticated it was,

of how lucky after so short a time in New York,

to find myself in surroundings like these.

Lil was my ideal.

The kind of a woman I would like to become.

Mark asked me to come aside.

There was an assignment he wanted to tell me about.

(jazz piano playing)

More drinks.

I really had had enough,

but I didn't want to act like a square.

(music continues)

I could hear that the party was getting wild.

They were playing something called strip dice,

and it was for real.

The dice rolled and off came a dress.

Another roll and another garment.

(laughter and chatter)

(jazz music continues)

Mark was becoming amorous.

When he started kissing me, I let him.

Behind that slick facade I felt he was really tender

and generous, or perhaps,

it was the glow of all those drinks.

Or maybe, maybe for a moment,

I thought he was Charlie.

(boisterous jazz music)

(laughter and chatter)

Suddenly my head cleared.

This wasn't Charlie, and I wasn't me.

Mark was becoming aggressive.

I scarcely recognized him.

He was almost like an animal.

I fought him off, and then, gaining control of my senses,

I ran from the bedroom.

My heart sank.

Searching for my coat, I suddenly realized

what was happening.

All that phony sophistication, and provocative small talk,

was leading up to this.

It seemed like a pit of human forms mauling

and squirming.

It wasn't a party, it was a full-scale orgy.

When I got home, my head was pounding

with fear and confusion.

I thanked my lucky stars that at least I was working.

Next morning I was to pose on location,

about an hour's drive to a country estate in Connecticut.

(big band music)

When we arrived, John Hendricks explained the scene

for the first shots that were to appear

on the cover of the book.

I stood off to one side, watching Marie and Dave.

Dressed in a bikini, I was to pose with Dave.

We ran through it once but I guess I was a little stiff.

Mr. Hendricks had the patience of Job.

He kept asking me to use more expression,

to give it all I had.

To the camera's eye

it must have seemed violently passionate,

but to us it was work,

and I was actually uncomfortable lying on that rock.

But I must say we were treated with respect.

(exciting big band music)

Finally, Mr. Hendricks got what he wanted.

Next it was Hank and Marie's turn to reenact a scene.

Standing off by myself, it took all the control

I could muster not to erupt into giggling.

Imagine a girl as beautiful as Marie,

holding up a man just for a kiss.

(energetic music)

Whatever I thought, they were completely involved,

and Hendricks kept snapping away.

The next one was really confusing.

I was with Hank, and Marie was with Dave.

I could hear Mr. Hendricks yelling.

He was terribly unhappy with my performance.

He interrupted to explain.

I was to leave Hank and sit on Dave's lap.

Marie was sit with Hank.

As the scene developed I began to understand our drama.

This was a suburban saga of bored men,

who swapped their wives.

(thrilling big band music)

Look out!

Suddenly, Hank, who was the most docile of men,

became ferocious, and was brandishing a whip.

That crimson mess on my back was really lipstick.

I was being beaten to a pulp.

"Give it everything you have!"

I could hear Hendricks urging us on.

"Beat her within an inch of her mascara!"

(suspenseful big band music)

In a moment of inspired playing, Hank slipped,

and I actually felt leather grazing my body.

Don't let them fool you.

Modeling can be a most dangerous profession.

It seems I wasn't the only one who found the going rough.

(romantic string music)

- That was great.

You ought to do all my cooking.

- Well, we Carsons really know how to disarm our men.

(both laugh)

- Hands up.

(soft music continues)

- Not now, baby, it's late.

I have to go.

- You know, this commuter's love life is for the birds.

You lose more sleep in those subways.

Don't suppose you'd like to hear the good news.

- You know I would.

- I sold a big seascape.

- Oh, did you!

You've been holding out on me.

You stinker! - Listen, listen.

The gallery gave me $100 more

than they've ever given me before.

- Oh Bob, darling, I just think it's wonderful.

- You know, this almost, but not quite,

having you is really a drag.

I don't want to wait any longer.

- Baby. - Why don't we get married

right away?

(soft romantic music)

- I heard voices.

It was Sally coming home, and Bob was with her.

They woke me to tell the news.

Their moment had come.

Tomorrow they were getting a license,

and by Thursday, they would be Mr. And Mrs.

I was so happy for them.

After all I had been through,

at least something good was happening,

something to cheer my weary spirits.

(dreamy instrumental music)

I dozed off dreaming happy dreams.

(phone ringing)

It seemed like the middle of the night

when the phone jangled in my brain.

"Hello", I mumbled halfheartedly,

not wanting to work another assignment,

not wanting to face another photographer.

It was Charlie, full of energy and plans.

Didn't I know it was glorious out?

Didn't I realize the sacrilege of sleeping

through a whole day?

I promised to be ready in half an hour.

I lay there thinking of Charlie,

wonderful, wonderful Charlie.

There was no one I would rather hear or see,

or spend the day with.

The morning sun felt warm on my face.

(mellow classical music)

- Lovely, isn't it?

- Yes, everything feels so clean.

- The boy genius is now a full-fledged author.

- Going to be famous?

Footloose and fancy free?

- Will you be footloose and fancy free with me?

Ann, I love you.

Please marry me.

(romantic flute and string music)

- Everything suddenly looked different.

The trees, the sky, the world.

Was I still asleep?

Charlie was proposing.

And I couldn't believe my ears.

I wanted to savor this moment.

My thoughts turned back as I began remembering

all that happened since I left home.

My first glimpse at a thousand lights,

and the millions of people.

(exciting orchestral music)

I remembered Sally's struggles.

Modeling was now a thing of the past for her.

(music continues)

I remembered those early assignments,

of my innocence and expectations,

that ended in cheesecake and more cheesecake.

The hours soaking in bath tubs under scalding lights,

and the gymnastic postures for girly magazines.

And the true confession books of insomniacs.

Or those pointless embraces in imaginary suburbia.

(energetic music continues)

and the back-breaking poses on location,

giving out with all that you have.

And amorous lovers, whose only fulfillment

was earning their pay.

(energetic instrumental music)

Or the mock whippings that scarred me with lipstick.

And the price of getting ahead,

of making yourself available for something you don't want,

of drink, and lovemaking that goes nowhere,

of the glib talkers and the fleeting pass.

Of men to whom one body is no better than the rest,

of their cynical and constant chase,

that can only end with an armful of air.

(jazzy music playing)

When I was with Charlie, it was clean,

and good, and wonderful.

(jazz music continues)

Always in the back of my mind,

it was Charlie I wanted.

It was Charlie who would make fantasy come true.

I looked at Charlie,

and I looked at him,

and I knew it was Charlie that I loved.

Charlie, please pull off the road.

Yes, darling, I will.

(sentimental orchestra music)

(groovy music)