Original subtitles

[air pump rattling]

[muffled] Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

[muffled] Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

[water splash]

[rattling stops]

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

I hope you didn’t mind that interruption.

This trip was my sponsor’s suggestion.

He wanted to show off his diving prowess.

You see, he’s a gentleman who just went over the side.

Now, he’s jerking on the line.

I intent to ignore him.

His messages are always the same,

always just like this one coming up.

Oh, thank you, Nancy.

[sighs]

The coffee’s getting cold, dear.

Margery...

Yes, dear?

I want a divorce.

A divorce?

That’s what I said. I want a divorce.

Why?

No special reason.

There must be a reason, dear.

Well-Well let’s just say

I-I wanna be free.

You are free.

You have the gallery and this lovely house,

and you come and go as you--

Jim...

it’s not another woman.

Oh, no, is nothing like that. It’s just that--

well... I’m bored, I guess.

There’s nothing to look forward to.

I mean, you’ve got to admit

we don’t mean very much to each other anymore.

I wouldn’t say that.

Well, I say it.

There’s nothing left of our marriage and you know it.

Oh. What you need is a good holiday.

I don’t need a good holiday

or any other kind of holiday.

I just want to be free.

Jim, I don’t understand you.

Is-Is it something I’ve done?

No, no. It’s nothing you’ve done. It’s just that--

Well, I just can’t stand

this sort of existence any longer.

We’re just moldering away into nothing.

I don’t want it like this for the rest of my life.

What you want me to do about it?

Nothing.

I’m going away.

-Going away? -Yes.

Where are you going?

Well, I-I don’t know.

Well you just can’t take off into the blue.

Oh, yes, I can.

-You can? -Yes.

Well...

Jim, whatever you do, I’ll never divorce you.

I don’t believe in it.

As far as I’m concerned, we’re married and...

that’s that.

We’ll see about that.

I’m going now.

Very well.

Then I’ll pack for you.

No, don’t bother.

Just have Nancy send my things down to the gallery.

[cha cha cha playing]

-Estelle... -Off with the shoes.

-Oh, Estelle... -Come on, let yourself go.

The music is just great.

You know, and the sand just feels great on your toes.

No! [laughs]

-Uh-huh. -No?

No, this isn’t right.

What do you mean? What isn’t right?

You’ve got your shoes on.

Yes, I--

Now, isn’t that better?

-Huh? -Yes, much better.

I wish this didn’t have to end.

So do I.

But there’s your wife.

Yes, I know.

Why is she so difficult?

Let’s don’t talk about her.

Let’s talk about us.

But how can we, Estelle?

If we’re ever gonna be together,

something is got to be done about Margery.

Well...

something will be done.

What?

I don’t know.

But, uh...

you’ll think of something.

You bet I will.

We’re going back to L.A. tomorrow,

and I’m going to see Johnson, my lawyer,

and get something started.

I am afraid, Mr. Howgill,

that, lacking an agreement between the parties involved,

there’s just no way of being free of your wife.

You mean there’s nothing you can do for me?

I could take action if she provided the grounds,

you know, mental or physical cruelty, perhaps.

But you’ve indicated there’s nothing in that area.

No, no, no. Margery’s not like that.

And you are the one who deserted.

Now you’re quite sure that she won’t take action?

Oh, I’m-- Yeah, I’m quite positive, Mr. Johnson.

Margery said she-she’d never give me a divorce.

You know, there’s really nothing unusual about you case, Mr. Howgill.

May I be personal for a moment?

When a man married as long as you’ve been reaches your age,

he sometimes becomes... restless.

Cases like yours can be resolved through reconciliation.

No, no. Mr. Johnson, look...

I assure you that I’m quite serious.

I have no intention of ever going back to Margery.

I see.

You...

mentioned having been away for a couple of months.

Had the thought occurred to you that...

women...

not accustomed to living alone sometimes seek the...

companionship of others.

Oh yes, well Margery has a lot of friends, you know?

That wasn’t what I meant.

I had reference to the... companionship of the opposite sex.

No Mr. Johnson, no, not Margery.

No, I-I’d bet on that.

That maybe so, but it does seem my only promising possibility.

Yes, I’m sure, but...

you-- you obviously don’t know Margery, Mr. Johnson.

Well, it is an avenue that we are bear looking into, at any rate.

I’m going to send a man around to see you. His name is... Bates.

Where are you staying?

Well, I-I I’m staying at the gallery for the moment.

This man, Bates, is he a detective?

Yes, he is.

And you’ll find him most discreet

and quite capable.

And if there is any...

activity in the field to which I had reference, he’ll be the one to uncover it.

Well, Frankly I think this is a waste of time, Mr. Johnson, but...

well, I suppose if it’s the only thing to do, we’ve--

we’ve got to do it, haven’t we?

Good morning, can I help you, sir?

You’re Mr. Howgill?

Yes, I am.

-Bates. -Ba--

Oh, yeah, yeah, Bates.

Won’t you sit down, please, Mr. Bates?

From what Mr. Johnson had to say about your case,

I can see no great difficulties.

He said you seemed a little reluctant to employ our firm.

Let me assure you that Mrs. Howgill will never know she’s being watched.

Now, look Bates, I didn’t say that I--

I’m a private investigator.

Investigator, Mr. Howgill, not private eye.

You mustn’t confuse the genuine article with what passes for him on television.

Neither I nor any of my men ever become involved personally with any of our clients.

What’s more...

we do not even carry guns.

Well, let’s get down to business. Now to begin with,

there must be eight hour shifts, union rules, Mr. Howgill.

And Bates Associates is prepared to work the three shifts around the clock.

-Now I suggest-- -Now, wait a minute, Bates.

Is something wrong, Mr. Howgill?

Yes, something certainly is wrong.

Now, look, I wasn’t too sold on the idea

of spying on my wife in the first place,

but I mean, to a camp on her doorstep

24 hours a day, well it-- [chuckles]

...seems to me it’s overdoing it a little.

Please, sir. We don’t camp as you put it.

We merely blend with the scenery. We’re not amateurs.

No, of course you’re not amateurs, Bates. I fully realize that, but I--

Do you think we’re going to need all that watching?

8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. to midnight,

midnight to 8:00 a.m. Which ones do you prefer?

Well, the-- the 4:00 p.m. to midnight ought to be enough.

Mr. Howgill, how will we know where your wife is

if we start at 4:00 in the afternoon?

All right then, make it two watches, then.

Which one should we leave out?

Midnight to 8:00 a.m.

Mr. Howgill...

that watch has proved to be the most rewarding of all.

I said leave it out, Bates.

Very well.

Now we can get started,

if you’ll just give me your wife’s description,

her address...

It was yesterday that it happened.

I had the 4:00 p.m. to midnight watch myself, you see.

Look, I don’t care who had the watch, Bates, just get to the point.

A-All right.

Ah. Here we are.

At 8:05 p.m. the subject left the house in the company

of a man who called for her in his car.

They seemed on good terms with each other.

And then--

You can stop right there, Bates,

and explain that point.

Since you ask,

she kissed him when she got into the convertible.

She what?

Kissed him in the convertible...

A black convertible with a white top,

rather fancy if I may say so.

But to go on.

Yeah, yes, go on, Bates.

They drove to the Sky House, where they held hands and had three martinis.

Three?

Margery-- Margery had three martinis?

Three martinis.

They left the Sky House at 10:07,

went to the Club Royale on the Strip

for supper and dancing,

returning to the house at 11:51 p.m.

Well... and then, Bates?

And then...

it was midnight, Mr. Howgill.

The male escort was still in the house when I was forced to abandon the watch.

You mean to tell me, Bates, you abandoned the watch

when the guy was still on-on the premises?

Please, sir. You could hardly expect me to work into

the third watch when it hadn’t been agreed upon.

But I dare say it would have worked out

to your advantage had I been able to do so.

Yes, well, do it then, Bates.

I want to know everything the whole story.

The third watch, then?

Yes, Bates...

the third watch.

Soda or water?

Please, dear.

Now, what kind of an answer is that?

I said, "Soda or water?"

Oh... I’m so sorry, Estelle.

Soda, please.

Here, this will make you feel good.

Oh, yeah, yeah. Thank you, doll.

Are you perfectly comfortable?

Oh, yeah, yes. I’m quite comfortable, thank you.

Well, may I join you?

Oh yeah, yeah. Please do.

Oh...

There, that’s better.

Oh, what’s the matter?

Oh, nothing. W-Why?

Well, tonight you just seem sort of different.

Distant.

Are you--

Are you thinking about someone else?

[chuckling] No...

No, no, don’t be foolish, Estelle.

You know perfectly well there isn’t anybody else.

Yes, there is.

There’s Margery.

Oh, yes. We both know about that and well...

nothing we can do about her at the moment.

Do you know how many times

you’ve look at your watch tonight? Do you?

Well, I’m sorry, Estelle.

It’s-- It’s business.

I was gonna tell you, but...

But what? What did you mean to tell me?

Well, you see, I’ve got a business appointment

at the gallery tonight.

At this hour?

Yeah, yeah, I was going to tell you but...

well, I thought you might misunderstand.

You see, in my kind of business,

there are no regular working hours.

I’ll be back.

Wait for me, now.

I live here, remember?

[door closes]

[sighs]

[jazz playing]

Mr. Howgill.

Mr. Howgill.

Oh, it you, Bates.

You shouldn’t be seen here.

How long has this been going on?

The last car drove up about...

half an hour ago.

The black convertible, the one in front.

That’s Mr. Brandon’s.

Brandon’s?

Niles Brandon, the actor.

[knocks on the door]

Well, there. It wasn’t too long, was it?

No.

No.

W-Would you mind turning that thing off?

Well, I thought you liked that record.

If you want my frank opinion, I think it’s insipid.

Insipid?

Oh, I’ll tell you what I think is insipid.

You saying one thing and doing another.

There was no business at the gallery.

I called and there wasn’t any answer.

You had no right to go checking up on me.

I mean even Margery wouldn’t do a thing like that.

But, I am not Margery,

and that it’s just the sort of thing I do.

All right, Estelle. All right,

I-I-I went for a ride. I wanted to think, I--

Oh, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

I-I shouldn’t have said those things.

I’m sorry.

It just isn’t the same since we came back from Acapulco.

Just not the same.

I-I’m sorry, Estelle.

What did you say?

Oh, never mind.

You don’t even know that I’m here.

Oh, of course I know you’re here.

Well, you give very little evidence of it.

Once more, I’ve come to the conclusion that you don’t even what a divorce.

I think you’d like to get rid of me and go back to her!

Oh, Estelle, that’s not true. Not true at all.

-Isn’t it? -No.

[telephone rings]

Hello?

It’s for you.

Yes?

What?

It’s the only car left?

What--

No, no, you don’t need to do anything more, Bates.

No, you’ve done quite enough already. Yes.

Yeah, I’ll handle it from here on.

No, no, of course I wouldn’t do anything like that.

Yes, I said I’ll handle it from here on.

Yeah.

Goodbye.

Just what are you going to handle?

Or maybe I should I say, who are you going to handle?

-Margery or me? -Oh, come, come, Estelle.

Evidently, it hasn’t occurred to you that I might be very interested

in the status of your marriage.

Oh, but I wouldn’t--

No, no, you’re too interested in looking at your watch

and keeping phony business appointments.

Well, for your information, Mr. Howgill, I have finally had it.

-I am calling it quits. -Oh, no, you can’t--

No, no, I refuse to play nursemaid

to that battered psyche of yours any longer.

-Goodbye, Mr. Howgill. -Ah, ah, but Estelle--

Goodbye.

Goodbye. Goodbye, Estelle.

Jim.

Oh, hi. Hello there, Margery.

Well, how nice to see you.

Well, I just thought I’d...

drop by.

Oh.

Well, I’m glad you did.

You are... glad?

Yes.

Why-- Why should you be glad?

-Why? -Yes.

I suppose it’s because it’s been so long since I’ve seen you.

Oh, yes, yes,

it certainly has been a long time since you’ve seen me, but...

I expect you’ve been keeping yourself...

fully occupied lately.

Well, I’ve managed to keep busy, yes.

How, Margery?

-How? -Yes.

Oh, I...

been to the bridge club, and I visited my cousin in San Francisco.

I saw a few plays and I developed a few new...

hobbies.

Oh, really?

But you wouldn’t be interested in those.

On the contrary, I would be most interested in those.

What sort of... hobbies, Margery?

Well, mosaics, for one thing.

Mosaics, eh?

Oh... and nothing else?

Jim, why are you so curious?

Oh, Margery, don’t-- don’t you know?

Should I know?

Oh, come, Margery.

Now look, you hadn’t just been playing around with mosaics.

I mean, you’ve acquired some new and interesting friends now. Haven’t you?

Well, how do you know about them?

Them?

Well, I mean, I’ve talked a lot about you.

Is it-- Did someone happened to mention it to you?

Oh, so you admit it. You admit you’ve been getting around a bit lately.

You’ve been having a very gay time, eh?

-Well, of course. -Good heavens, I might’ve known.

But, Jim.

Well, it wasn’t the same as being with you.

Well, Jim, I--

Oh, Margery, it’s...

so nice to be home again.

Why don’t you stay, darling?

Believe me, I’ll... never leave you alone again.

[doorbell rings]

Oh, Miss Perry.

Hello, Mrs. Howgill.

I-I thought you were in New York.

Darling, that’s films for you.

I fully expected to be gone today,

but it’s just been one conference after another.

Oh, yes, of course.

Darling, did you find my cigarette lighter?

Oh, yes, yes. I just have it right here.

Oh, good. Niles would never forgive me if I’d lost it.

Now, where is that-- I just-- Oh, here it is.

Oh, Jim.

This is my husband.

Jim, I’d like to have you meet Miss Perry.

How do you do, Miss Perry?

[Miss Perry] How do you do?

-Here you are, dear. -Thank you.

Miss Perry sublet the house for the past month

while I was away in San Francisco.

Oh, yeah, Miss Perry sublet the house

the whole time you were in San Fran--

Well, I do hope the house wasn’t left in too much of a mess.

I had the cleaners in before--

Oh, not at all, dear.

Everything looked beautiful, thank you.

And I do know that your neighbors

will be relieved you’re back.

[stammers] Neigh-- Why would they be, Miss Perry?

Well, I had a couple of rather noisy parties,

especially the last one.

Well, I really must fly now.

-[Margery] Yes. Goodbye dear. -Bye.

Goodbye, Mr. Howgill.

Goodbye, Miss Perry.

You-- You mean, Margery, that-that-that...

she sublet the house

and all the time you were away?

Yes, darling. I told you.

While I was in San Francisco to cousin Bridget.

Wasn’t it lucky that I could sublet it for the whole month?

Yes... Yes, darling.

Um... very lucky.

Those of you who admire our dear sponsor as much as I

will be glad to know he’s approaching a record

for staying under water without air.

He left this note to be opened

in the event he didn’t return.

Let’s have a look at it.

That sneaky sponsor of ours

came up on the other side of the boat.

He holds me responsible for the defective equipment.

Next week, I shall be back with another story.

Actually, I suspect I’ll be here all week.

[water sounds]

Until then...

goodnight.