Original subtitles

["Rosie the Riveter" by Four Vagabonds]

[indistinct chatter]

[humming]

♪ All the day long whether rain or shine ♪

♪ She's a part of the assembly line ♪

♪ She's making history working for victory ♪

♪ Rosie brrr the Riveter ♪

♪ Keeps a sharp lookout for sabotage ♪

♪ Sitting up there on the fuselage ♪

Never can get enough girls for all the shifts.

And heaven knows we have to work

24 hours a day for victory.

Sure.

They're a real nice bunch, you'll see.

This here's Martha.

'Martha, meet Alice Miller.'

Hi there. Joining the line?

I suppose.

Husband overseas?

- Watch it girls. - Oh, goodness.

Better get that girl a pair of slacks.

That's Fannie.

Dottie.

This the new girl?

Yes, sir, my neighbor Alice.

Know how to work a vertical lathe?

I've never worked a day in my life.

Oh, it's no tougher than a sewing machine, you'll see.

[klaxon alarm wailing]

What is it?

Air raid siren. Just practice.

If it was the real thing, you would have heard

the bombs already.

♪ Rosie the riveter gal ♪♪

[indistinct chatter]

[klaxon alarm wailing]

[instrumental music]

[indistinct chatter]

Lil.

Hey, Dana.

Are these the Rosie the Riveters?

Give 'em the parts, a few weeks

they could build you a war plane.

How's your story going?

Well, this was the assignment that nobody wanted.

But my great aunt was one of the workers.

And turns out, there's a bigger story here.

Martha, come meet Lilly Rush.

You're the lady detective?

Nice to meet you.

Martha worked with my Aunt Alice.

A real nice gal.

Quiet as a mouse, at first, but couldn't have been sweeter.

Terrible, what happened?

The official story was she died in a fall?

But here's the thing.

The night they say she fell was my last night on the job.

Before I left, I asked the owner

where Alice was..

...wanting to say goodbye.

And?

He told me she quit.

Wasn't working there anymore.

But they found her body the next day

at the factory in her work clothes.

Could your memory be... mistaken?

Ah...you get old

you start forgetting things.

You don't start making them up.

What was the owner's name?

Henry Walker.

Mean as a snake, and a drinker.

I could smell liquor on his breath that night.

Guy was hiding something.

Like maybe Alice didn't fall.

Maybe she was pushed.

[theme music]

[instrumental music]

A 60 year old case? Talk about your ancients.

- Who brought it to you, Lil? - Dana Hunter.

Her great aunt died in a factory accident, 1943.

[Vera] 'Is that that pushy reporter?'

Yeah, the pretty one. Covers court.

She's doing a story on the women of World War II.

Met some of the factory girls who knew her aunt.

I don't like that Dana.

Yeah, that's 'cause she covered the Chimayo job.

Kept writing you had no new leads.

[laughing]

[Valens] Truth hurts, man.

Anyway now she's thinking this accident

looks more like homicide.

Say it was. Doer's probably dead. Whole thing's a formality.

You just don't want to drive out to Records and Storage.

[phone beeping]

Sixty years, huh?

Sixty one.

Skip it. No one cares.

What's with you?

He's just happy. It's his anniversary.

[Valens] 'You want to KO this one, boss?'

Too old to matter?

[Stillman] 'No. Take a drive.'

'See what's there.'

Great, boss. Thanks.

[instrumental music]

We really need this "Police Telegraph"?

[Lilly] 'Need everything we can get.'

It's probably, like...one page.

'Oh, we could blow it off.'

60 year old case..

...we're not going to need much help.

What's the factory report say?

'Accidental death.'

Impact from the fall broke her neck, but..

Hmm, this is interesting.

Guess who found her body?

Uh...I give up.

- Henry Walker. - The mean drunk?

The mean drunk who told Martha

Alice didn't work there anymore.

Hmm.

Oh, September '43.

Telegraph from the 39th District.

Three pages.

"Alice Miller, age 22.

"Reported missing by husband, Nelson, 11:20 in the evening."

"He found two whiskey glasses on the kitchen table

"when he came home, but...no Alice."

She was partying with someone?

And Henry Walker had liquor on his breath that night.

Drinking buddies?

Or more?

Problem is, Walker's dead.

1988.

Is anyone alive?

Alice's husband..

...in East Falls.

[instrumental music]

I never understood those whiskey glasses.

Alice and I were teetotalers.

You were out that evening?

Seeing about getting my old job back.

Got home and don't I find those two glasses out on the table?

What time was that?

Oh, eight or so.

I got worried enough by 11:00 to notify the police.

You didn't know she'd gone to the factory?

She'd quit that place the day I got back from the war.

So you must have been surprised they found her there.

I'd only been back a few days.

I figured, crossed wires.

Maybe they got her to come back for one last shift.

- She didn't like the job? - Oh, she did.

- But she was a "Curtains Girl". - What's that?

The saying was, "When it's curtains for the Axis

it's lace curtains for her."

So when the war was done, back to the kitchen?

I know it's out of fashion now, but that's all Alice wanted.

I-I blame myself for sending her to work.

It was my idea.

["Till Then" by The Mills Brothers]

♪ Till then my darling ♪

Tomatoes do real well, so do radishes.

It's so difficult preparing Nelson's meals.

He won't eat that variety meat.

[Dottie] 'Our boys need the fresh cuts more than we do.'

Take a look, Nelson.

We've planted our own Victory Garden.

Swell.

Alice..

♪ Our dreams ♪

♪ Will live though we are apart ♪

[Alice] 'Oh, no.'

We knew this was coming.

What'll I do?

Write me every day.

Pray for victory.

It's his duty, Alice.

I know.

I know.

Look here, Kitten.

"Women wanted."

"For important war work."

Oh, no. I couldn't possibly.

Lot of girls are working for victory.

I'm too shy.

I'm not cut out for that kind of thing.

It'll help pass the time.

Bring me home faster.

I'll take you to the factory Monday.

Introduce you to my boss.

Kitten, give it a try.

You might surprise yourself.

♪ Is nothing but time till then ♪

I should have listened to her.

She was too delicate for that kind of thing.

Ever meet Alice's boss, Henry Walker?

No, never did.

[Valens] 'Know any of her factory friends?'

Just our neighbor Dottie, who got her the job.

Lives right over there.

[instrumental music]

I was Mr. Walker's secretary.

Good man?

He was a Christian man..

...but he was in a lot of pain.

He lost two sons to the war.

Is that why he drank?

[chuckling] He wasn't a saint.

Think he and Alice could have had a drink

together before work that night?

Heavens no.

He was the boss, she was..

She was just a factory girl.

It's probably been done before.

More likely it was one of her new friends.

What new friends?

Alice had started to run with a fast crowd at Brill.

And they were known to hit the sauce.

Hmm, so was your boss.

Once again, Mr. Walker and Alice were not friendly.

What was the problem?

A secretary doesn't tell secrets.

Mr. Walker's dead, Dottie.

You...you can't hurt him.

Well.

Alice did come to me one day..

[Fannie] 'I say it's rotten, we girls getting'

the lowest wages.

Why don't you write Mrs. Roosevelt about it?

She likes to meddle into unpopular causes.

Excuse me, Dottie.

You should be on a poster with that perfect wave.

Am I intruding?

I'll leave you girls.

Stay away from that one. She's got a past.

So, how are you doing out on the floor?

I've doubled my pace on the drill press.

Well, that's fine.

I've noticed something, Dottie, the last few weeks.

What's that?

We're missing boxes of rivets.

Every third day we're short one.

You must be counting wrong.

No. I'm sure of it.

- I thought I'd tell Mr. Walker. - I wouldn't.

Someone stealing materials like that, it's awfully unpatriotic.

Alice, listen to me now.

Don't mention it to Mr. Walker.

Sounds like something the boss would want to know.

Unless he was the one lifting the boxes.

Mr. Walker wasn't a saint.

What can you remember from the night Alice died, Dottie?

Big event like that probably stayed in your mind pretty good.

[sighing]

I do recall that Mr. Walker disappeared

for quite a while that night.

And..

...that was unusual.

Were you there when he found Alice the next day?

No.

We worked the night shift that evening.

He...he shouldn't have been there in the morning.

[instrumental music]

My dad worked his tail off for Brill.

If he was there that morning..

...it's 'cause he stayed all night doin' the books.

He do that a lot?

Pull all-nighters?

Whatever it took.

What about drinking on the job?

Was that a regular thing?

Oh, he was a drunk his whole life.

Died of liver failure.

How 'bout Alice Miller?

How'd she and your dad get along?

Look, fellas..

I was 17.

I was thinking 'bout other things.

You remember her accusing him of skimming supplies?

You know about that?

Yeah.

My, uh..

...older brothers died in the war.

Dad felt he was owed some payback.

That justified the pilfering?

Alice shouldn't have brought that up to him.

So she did confront him with it?

["Waiting For The Train To Come" by Peggy Leeong]

Wanna go to the show tonight?

There's something new on.

Yeah. What?

Think it's called "Casablanca."

Take a girl your own age. Someone from school.

Oh, they're all a bunch of dumb clucks.

Inventory.

Fourteen propellers assembled, geared and inspected.

Sixteen for me, dad.

Keep 'em coming.

Um, Mr. Walker, can I have a moment?

♪ I've shed a million teardrops or more ♪

It's about, um... the blind rivets.

Yes?

They disappear with regularity.

Both the Cherry and DuPont.

I-I know what you're doing.

What?

That you're involved with side businesses.

You want to be fired on the spot, Miss Miller?

No.

I want something else.

I need help.

There's someone named Ivan.

[alarm ringing]

Who was Ivan?

Alice had secrets.

No guesses on what that all meant?

All's I know is..

...she thanked him for his help.

and said she hoped to heaven her husband didn't find out.

[instrumental music]

So who's Ivan? A boyfriend?

What kind of help did Alice need?

Whatever it was, she didn't want the husband knowing.

Hmm, sounds naughty.

Why does she go to the factory owner for help?

He had access to something on the side...underground.

He still a suspect?

Yeah, but his motive ain't clear.

Bank records always come through.

What do you got?

Alice opened up her own bank account..

...in May 1943.

Made weekly deposits of $35.

- Her factory salary. - Makes sense.

And it keeps making sense until July '43..

...when 2,000 bucks shows up.

How's a woman in 1943 get that kind of money?

Like I said, naughty.

Your mind goes right to the gutter.

Who wants to bet me?

I do. 20 bucks.

Going to court, boss.

Dana dug through her attic last night..

...has something for me.

Send her my regards.

Mm-mm. Never heard of Ivan.

Me, neither. Where'd you hear the name?

Just came up in the investigation.

Maybe part of her new crowd from the factory.

Nelson tells me Alice was a writer.

[Lilly] 'Oh, yeah?'

Poems, short stories.

She was too shy to let anyone read 'em.

But she always said "Everyone had at least one story

that could stop your heart."

So you take after her.

I'll let you gals talk.

Now, if you'd packed your lunch you wouldn't have

to pay six dollars to eat.

Child of the Depression.

Made you a frugal man?

Alice lived through the Crash, too. She understood.

A lesser woman might have minded it. Not her.

[siren wails at distance]

Bye.

For years people tried to set him up after Alice died..

...and he'd just say, "I've had my wife."

So what'd you find in the attic?

Oh, her diaries.

These cover the early '40s.

Hmm, maybe she wrote about Ivan.

"Badminton with the gang."

That was the big sport in '43.

"Took the Pennsy Railroad to visit mother."

[Valens] 'Amtrak hadn't made the scene yet.'

Anyone find Henry Walker? Or Ivan?

Looking.

"Rations on beef means eggs or horse meat for supper."

[Valens] 'Horse meat?'

Oh, that's a deal breaker.

Ooh, pay dirt.

Ivan?

Uh, Henry. "June 12, 1943.

"Henry sent me to Smokey's Dance Hall."

["I'm Beginning to See the Light" by Duke Ellington]

♪ I never cared ♪

♪ Much for moonlit skies ♪

♪ I never winked back ♪

♪ At fireflies ♪

♪ But now that the stars ♪

♪ Are in your eyes ♪

♪ I'm beginning to see the light ♪

I'm looking for the owner. Richard?

- Not here. - Oh, um..

Maybe I can help you.

I doubt it.

What do you want from Richard?

Nylons? Liquor?

Certainly not.

Black market's his specialty.

That's not what I'm after.

Old Stag with soda, Bruno.

You drinking?

I have to get home.

[chuckling] For what?

Not the husband or kids.

Dr. IQ on the radio?

Maybe I will have a drink.

On the house.

Yeah.

Lonesome, ain't it?

All the men overseas.

Can be.

They tell you at work to steer clear of me?

On account of my checkered past?

No details.

Just to keep your distance.

What did you do?

They say I shot my husband.

And I did, too.

But I had a reason.

Did you kill him?

Just blew up his shoulder.

He ran off after that.

So whydidyou come to Smokey's, huh?

I came because I believed what you said.

♪ Shadowboxing in the dark ♪

End of entry.

She believed what Fannie said, when?

Who's Fannie?

One of the factory girls.

You think she really shot her husband?

- Better find out. - I'll go with you.

I'd like to meet an 80 year old who shot a guy.

Me and Alice, we started out kinda shaky

but...then we got along.

We pulled an arrest record from 1940, Fannie.

Hmm, not my best year.

Seems you shot your husband in a late-night dispute?

Not until he took a screwdriver to my head.

- Yeah, that's in there, too. - Humph.

You didn't have any reason to hurt Alice, did you?

No, sir!

I loved that girl.

You two must have been an odd pair.

[chuckling] Wartime made for unusual companions.

All the men were away.

You made friends where you could find 'em.

So you and Alice found each other.

[chuckling] Making B-25s together kinda bonds you.

Did you ever hear her talk about Ivan?

Sure.

[Will] 'Who was he?'

Her cousin, in Europe.

You see, her family was Jewish.

She hadn't heard from Ivan in months, which worried her.

And I told her she had good reason to worry.

["Shoo Shoo Baby" by The Andrews Sisters]

♪ Shoo shoo shoo baby ♪

♪ Shoo shoo shoo baby ♪

♪ Bye bye bye baby ♪

♪ Do-dah do-day ♪

I met this seaman last night at Smokey's.

You meet a seaman every night at Smokey's.

[laughs]

Anyone bring stockings to donate?

I did.

Penciling in your own seams looks just

'as nice as real nylons.'

[whistles]

Matter of opinion.

Smoking now, are we?

Just on breaks.

♪ But papa's gotta be rough now ♪

So this here sailor just came back from Europe.

He says there's real bad things happening over there.

Like what?

Like there's these camps for Jews.

We're doin' the same to the Japs.

'Cept these aren't just internment camps.

Then what are they?

They're killing people there.

We'd be hearing it on Ed Murrow if that were true.

You sure they're doing that to Jews?

Herding 'em up and takin' em off to die.

- I don't believe it. - Neither do I.

♪ Your big tall papa's off to the seven seas ♪♪

It seems crazy now.

But most people didn't know the truth

until the liberation.

Hmm.

So Alice was trying to help Ivan?

Smokey's owner was a Portuguese fellow...Richard.

Had a...contact in the consulate

who could be helpful to her.

For a fee.

Said for $2,000

he would smuggle Ivan into Lisbon.

The amount in her bank account.

Oh, so...she got the money?

Any idea how?

Well, no thanks to her husband.

So Nelsondidknow Ivan?

Oh, sure. And Alice begged him to help..

...but he wouldn't budge.

[instrumental music]

Thought you didn't know who Ivan was, Nelson.

You forget he was your wife's cousin?

No.

Then what?

I want to cooperate.

It's a funny way of showing it.

I brought these letters.

All my correspondence from the war.

Let's not lose focus. Why did you lie about Ivan?

Because I didn't believe her. I didn't think he was in danger.

Here, this letter is from Alice, June, '43..

...asking me for the money.

And tellin' you what she heard about the camps?

But I was in Europe. I'd never heard such a thing.

I thought it was just gossip that she

picked up at the factory.

And you're a frugal man.

So I wrote back and said no.

A few months later, Ivan was dead.

So how do you figure Alice came by that 2K?

I don't know how.

But with these letters, you can tell when.

What do you mean?

She wrote about him in every letter until July 11.

And then she doesn't mention him again.

So the problem was solved by then.

- Can we hang onto these? - Please.

I'm sorry I lied.

I just..

...been so ashamed of this for 60 years.

Between the diaries and letters, we know

Alice got that money July tenth.

A month after she started trying to raise it.

Could be the month Ivan died.

So what happened that day, July tenth?

Well, she worked a day shift then there was a

"Swing for Victory" dance at Smokey's.

- Smokey's again. - 'Yeah.'

'I figure something happened that night.'

Someone she met there, gave her the 2K.

In exchange for what?

Let's recreate the night.

Go back to Smokey's and take

'Fannie and Martha with us.'

Well, the place is still around.

- An Italian restaurant now. - There you go.

Scotty found the old owner, uh, Richard. Retired in Merion.

Well, between the three of them maybe they can piece

together Alice's night.

Let's take a field trip.

[instrumental music]

["In The Mood" by Glenn Miller]

Ohh.

Lordy, I spent a lot of hours here.

[Martha] 'It makes me feel 20 again.'

- You swing? - Excuse me?

She means, dance.

Oh, right. Uh, no.

I'm a two-left-feet guy.

[chuckling]

The good time girls.

- Well, look who's kickin'. - Oh, Richard.

Francesca.

Martha.

I'm John Stillman, and this is Lilly Rush.

Ah, how do you do?

You remember our friend Alice Miller?

A real swell girl palled around with us the summer of '43.

Oh, sure. Ha ha ha.

There was one night in particular

the Swing for Victory dance.

Big business that night.

I worked the bar with Bruno.

Oh, and I met a real nice Marine.

And Alice and I were dancing.

Collecting a quarter a song.

["In The Mood" by Glenn Mille]

That makes three dollars even.

Mmm. Martha.

Was that serviceman getting fresh with you?

Yes. Lucky thing you came by.

Oil us up, Richard.

What you drinking?

Rum and Coca-Cola.

Saw you out there breaking hearts, Alice.

With that neckline, who can overlook her?

Oh, is it too low?

Oh, it's just not the Alice we met a few months ago.

I suppose it's just nice having some men our age around again.

They'll all be shipped off again soon.

Then it's back to us girls and the gimps with bad teeth.

We are not all 4-F.

$20 for every dance the rest of the night.

- Why, Buddy. - Starting right now.

You got to stop this.

You're selling your dances, I'm buying 'em.

You can't keep following me.

Behave yourself, Buddy.

Don't treat me like a kid.

You are a kid.

I'm old enough to go kill people.

I'm old enough to be with you.

- Lays it right out, don't he? - Mm-hmm.

Let's go for a walk.

So Henry's son was there?

I'd forgotten that.

And Alice left with him?

Don't think I saw her the rest of the night.

The boy was pretty determined to get her alone.

Oh, Buddy had it bad for Alice.

And I had forgotten about that Marine, too.

Oh, look him up.

Maybe he'll get fresh with you again.

[laughing] No.

Oh, this Richard owned a dance hall.

had a colorful career.

He was a horse bookie, graftman

and proprietor of a "House of Assignation."

A house of what?

It's polite for whorehouse.

I'm calling it a night, guys.

Yeah, crap. I gotta get home.

You want to hit the Black Sheep, have a pint?

No, I'm good.

You talking to Elisa at all?

Uh, she's back in the hospital.

Oh, I didn't know, Scotty.

You know, it's a circle game.

She's sick, then better.

And for a while you're hoping and then..

...it starts again.

Yeah.

I just can't go round and round with her anymore.

[clearing throat]

So, I was sweet on Alice. So what?

Sweet can turn to sour on a dime.

And if it's "So what?" why not tell us that

in our first conversation?

It was just a kid's crush.

20 bucks in 1943 was a lot of money to throw down.

Where's a 17 year old get cash like that?

My dad.

[Vera] 'Tell us what happened when you and Alice'

went walking after the dance.

What's it matter?

That wasn't the night she died.

Then you don't mind telling us about it.

Oh, Jiminy.

We didn't go walking.

We went driving.

["Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby" by Louis Jordan]

♪ I got a gal who's always late ♪

♪ Any time we have a date ♪

♪ But I love her ♪

♪ Yes I love her ♪

How do you come by gasoline for this big ol' car

in times like these?

My dad has his ways.

♪ 'Cause I want her ♪

Sorry, Alice.

Honest. I lost my cool.

Okay.

So, why are you trying to make money?

To help someone.

Who?

It's complicated.

Never mind about it.

You and your secrets.

- Well, I got a secret, too. - What's that?

My dad has an account for me, for when I get called.

Yeah?

He wants me to take it and run away.

Wait out the war.

He doesn't want to lose a third son.

Yeah. But no amount of money is going to make me run.

I want to serve.

Soon as I turn 18, do like my brothers did.

♪ Is you is or is you ain't my baby ♪

I want you to have the money.

I couldn't.

I know I'm just a kid to you.

Buddy, you're a swell kind of guy..

...and you're gonna find a girl who's just right for you.

Will you wait for me?

I can't.

I ain't scared of dying.

[whispering] Don't say that.

But I am scared of going..

...and never having kissed you.

♪ Is you is or is you ain't my baby ♪

Well, here's a dirty shame.

You're at that window day and night, aren't you, Dottie?

- I was simply walking Lady. - Weren't spying at all.

You should be ashamed of yourself, Buddy.

I'm not.

But you're a red-blooded youth

it's almost understandable.

Please, Dottie.

You have a good man overseas and he deserves better.

- Someone like you, you mean? - Maybe so.

I know you'd love that.

Well, listen to the five-cent tramp.

Says the fussy old maid.

♪ Just when you're sure of what you'll find ♪

♪ She's gone and made a change ♪

So, you gave her the money.

Two thousand bucks. No questions asked.

That old maid comment must have hit below the belt.

Especially back then.

A girl who wasn't married was considered a real flop.

And I guess..

...Dottie was pretty in love with Alice's husband.

That could make you want take a girl out.

Arrange for an accident.

We've been reading your letters, Dottie.

[sighing] I don't know what you mean.

[Lilly] 'Wartime correspondence.'

'"Dear Nelson'

"How empty the neighborhood feels with you gone."

He gave you that?

"I hear the radio reports every night

and think of my brave soldier fighting the Axis."

Now, why are you calling someone else's husband

"My Soldier?"

Are you accusing me of having an affair with Nelson?

No, we ain't.

Boy, that Alice had all the luck.

Popular at work and more popular than you ever were.

I wasn't in-interested in that.

Hitting the town nights with her new girlfriends.

'Going to the show, dancing.'

[Lilly] 'Teenage boys falling for her'

right there on the street for all to see.

Why couldn't some stuff like that happen to you?

Why were you an old maid, and she was the girl of the hour?

So you know about that night with Buddy.

Well, she had sweethearts to spare, and you had none.

All you wanted was Nelson.

And factory accidents... did happen.

Alice was changing.

Straying.

I felt Nelson should know.

So you wrote to him real faithful.

Maybe he'd get the drift you'd make the better wife.

How'd it go when he got back?

You make your move?

He came home wounded.

And it was plain as day that Alice didn't know

how to be a good wife anymore.

[Nelson] 'Really nice of you to bring pie, Dottie.'

Blueberry, too. Nelson's favorite.

Kind of a welcome home.

Got any vanilla ice cream, Alice? Make it a la mode.

No, I don't.

I noticed the Victory Garden's dead.

I didn't keep it up.

House could use a dusting, too.

No pie for me, Dottie.

I'm off to the night shift.

I would think now that Nelson's home

you'd be done at the factory.

- Easy. - Oh, heavens, I'm sorry.

[Alice] 'Try this, dear.'

Since when is there whiskey in the house?

I thought for your pain.

Do you mean to say, Alice, that you're going to keep on

at Brill, even with Nelson home?

Turns out I like it there.

- Do you now? - It's nice feeling useful.

Do you know, Nelson, I helped build fourteen B-25 Mitchells?

My.

Plus having my own paycheck.

I give you your allowance.

Just feels different when you've earned it yourself.

Well, I work because I'm a single gal.

If I were married, I'd be more than content to just keep house

do the washing, bake pies.

I made some nice friends at the factory, too.

Yeah, I heard about your friends.

In particular, a young teenage friend.

I'll take these to Martha.

It's her last shift tonight.

More pie?

[sighing]

He didn't go for it, huh?

No.

I'm sure it's amusing to you young people

but to this day..

...I would jump for Nelson if he wanted me.

But he wanted Alice.

Mm.

Even after she changed so.

Now, did he go to the factory that night..

...to set his wife flying straight again?

You were real helpful giving us Mr. Walker, Dottie.

Is that because you were protecting someone else?

Nelson is a good man.

[Valens] 'Now, come on, now, Dot.'

He ain't gonna choose you.

[sighing]

I saw him with Mr. Walker that night.

Where?

They went into his office, late.

Stayed about an hour.

That's pretty surprising, seeing Nelson there.

Yes.

[Lilly] 'But?'

A secretary doesn't tell secrets.

[Valens] Plus..

...all those feelings you had for him.

Nelson just wanted the wife

that he had before he went away.

That war changed everybody.

[Nelson] 'So..'

...news on Alice?

I talked to Dottie.

Is that right?

You knew Alice put those whiskey glasses out that night.

And that she went to the factory.

'Cause you went there, too.

Dottie said that?

Was it the boy?

Or that she didn't need her allowance anymore?

Didn't make you nice homemade pies?

You learned a lot.

It's my job.

Well, you're good at it.

I've been reading Alice's diaries.

Told you she could write.

Did you know she was so terrified her

first morning of work, she got sick in the girls room?

No.

Almost left at lunch time, 'cause she felt her..

"...skills were so poor."

I didn't know that.

And she was so filthy at the end of that day that.

She got looks from men on the bus, who..

"Surely take a dim view of..

...working girls in grubby slacks."

It wasn't easy for her, making that change.

No.

But she was brave.

And cleared the way for the people coming behind her.

[crying] I loved her.

Then honor her.

Tell the rest of her story.

I just went there to ask her to come home.

And what's so terrible about that?

Nothing.

The factory owner saw something, didn't he?

How'd you keep him quiet?

I gave him my war bonds.

I was only away six months..

...but it was like I didn't know the girl I came home to.

[bell ringing]

[indistinct chatter]

- Cheers. - To Martha.

[indistinct chatter]

What are you doing here?

We need to talk, Kitten.

You should be home. You're injured.

I'm sorry, Kitten.

Okay.

Now, let's stop all this foolishness and get on home.

I'm not off till 6:00.

Forget this place.

I don't think I can.

I don't care about the boy.

'What Dottie told me.'

I still want to have a life with you, Nelson.

- I do love you. - I love you, Kitten.

It has to be a different kind of life now. I changed.

Give it six months.

You'll change back.

No.

I couldn't bear to sit home.

Not making anything of the day, having no company?

Not now, knowing what I can do.

That there's a whole, rich life I can have

besides being a wife.

That's enough, now.

- It's that or it's nothing. - Alice, now, you cut it out!

[gasps]

Nelson, let me go.

[grunting] I'll let you go.

[screaming]

[melancholy music]

["Don't Fence Me In" by Bing Crosby]

♪ Oh give me land lots of land ♪

♪ Under starry skies above ♪

♪ Don't fence me in ♪

♪ Let me ride through the wide ♪

♪ Open country that I love ♪

♪ Don't fence me in ♪♪ Ooo ♪

♪ Let me be by myself ♪

♪ In the evenin' breeze ♪

♪ And listen to the murmur ♪

♪ Of the cottonwood trees ♪

♪ Send me off forever ♪

♪ But I ask you please ♪

♪ Don't fence me in ♪

♪ Oh give me land lots of land ♪

♪ Under starry skies above ♪

♪ Don't fence me in ♪

♪ Let me ride through the wide ♪

♪ Country that I love ♪

♪ Don't fence me in ♪

♪ Let me be by myself ♪

♪ In the evenin' breeze ♪

♪ And listen to the murmur of ♪

♪ The cottonwood trees ♪

♪ Send me off forever ♪

♪ But I ask you please ♪

♪ Don't fence me in ♪

♪ I want to ride to the ridge ♪

♪ Where the West commences ♪

♪ And gaze at the moon ♪

♪ Till I lose my senses ♪

♪ And I can't look at hobbles ♪

♪ And I can't stand fences ♪

♪ Don't fence me in ♪

♪ No-o-o ♪

♪ Pop oh don't you fence me in ♪♪

[instrumental music]