Original subtitles

("Route 66" by Nelson Riddle)

(crane creaking)

(motors revving)

- Hey!

On your date tonight with Donna, you want company?

- Are you kidding?

Two's company, three's a crowd.

- I got a date with Betty.

I want to know if you want to double?

- What's the matter, are you afraid to be alone with her?

Okay, can be arranged.

- Help! (pipes clanking)

(thumping)

Grab my wrist, man!

(emergency horn blaring)

(solemn music)

(crowd chattering)

(engine revving)

(siren roaring)

He's been out a long time.

- Skin's split, but I don't think there's a fracture.

I'll bet you money they find I'm right when they x-ray him.

- Hurry it up, huh, buddy!

- What happened to the day?

- How you feel?

- We're moving, aren't we?

- We're in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.

You owe me ten year's growth.

- I can't see you.

- That was quite a rap you took on the head.

- I know my eyes are open,

but I can't see you.

(dramatic music)

(intense music)

(bell chimes)

- There doesn't seem to be any injury to the eye itself,

or to the optic nerve.

Neurological is negative, so are the brain wave tests.

You've consulted an eye surgeon, emotional evaluation.

Medically, Mr. Murdock should be able to see.

- Except that I don't see.

- Well, that's the fact that overrules medicine.

- Well, then this isn't a permanent condition?

- I don't know.

I can't think of any treatment I could advise.

- Doc, I'm, um, I'm not a man for blindness.

- Past twelve years,

I've seen two other cases just like this one.

Where a blow to the head didn't even

split the skin caused blindness.

First case, a certain morning, a blind man woke up,

shouted to his wife to close the curtains

because the sun was too bright.

- How long did it take?

- Other case, the man was in school, studying braille,

looked up and said, "What are all these dots?"

- How long did it take?

- This instance, four weeks.

The other, six years.

Every case is different.

- So what do we do now, doctor?

- I'm a man who put in twelve hours in this place,

now I'm going home.

My wife will say to me, how'd things go?

And I'll say to her,

"Brought a boy in,

"there's nothing wrong with him,

"except that he was blind,

"and there's nothing I could do for him."

Then I'll eat my dinner.

- I want out.

- I'm only saying that you should continue to live.

(items crashing)

- Out, let me out,

I want out, please!

- I know if I use the word lucky in this connection,

you're gonna laugh.

But in a way, you are lucky.

One of the best schools for the blind

is right here in this state.

When you're ready,

I mean when you're ready, they'll help.

Until then, Mr. Stiles, he's gonna depend on you,

or whoever else there is.

This man is going to continue to live.

He must function as a living human being.

That's all there is to it.

(dramatic music)

Good luck.

(car door slams)

- Thanks, James.

Now if you'll point me in the right direction,

towards the door.

- Four steps.

- I haven't lost my memory.

- Protect yourself from the clinches, champ.

- That Sylvie always did wear too much perfume.

Well, Mr. Stiles, shall I, uh, lead the way?

- After you, champ.

(slow music)

Want a drink?

- Sure, why not?

Let's get blotzed.

As a matter of fact, Mr. Stiles, let's get blind.

What's the matter, do object to the word blind?

Well, it's a fact, a blind fact.

You're stuck, aren't you, Tod?

Go, and you desert a friend.

Stay, and you're a seeing eye dog,

with two legs less than the standard model.

When's your birthday?

I'll buy you a leash.

Thanks.

Blah.

I never knew it smelt like that.

Make ya a bet there are no blind alcoholics.

(Buz laughs)

- Did I miss a punch line?

- Last night when I took Donna home, I said,

"I'll see you tomorrow for dinner."

- Buz. - See,

that's the important word, you see.

The fact is, I'm not gonna see her for dinner.

I'm not gonna see her, period.

- Look. - I've got an exclusive

for you, a message bounced off a satellite.

Comes a time, you ready?

Comes a time, day or night, and I'll find a time.

You can't dog me every minute,

and you can't stay awake forever.

I'll be alone, and I'll use a window, or a, or a roof.

I'll find a way,

and I'll take this useless carcass and I'll kill it.

(suspenseful music)

You got some ice for this, bartender?

(frightening music)

- I think maybe it's time for something to eat.

- Yeah, that's the way it is with us.

People, in order to be alive, you gotta eat.

(Buz sniffles)

- I'll be right back. - Yeah.

(door thuds)

(screen door slams)

(slow somber music)

(Buz sighs)

Dear God,

I don't even know if you can hear me.

In all my life, I never asked you for a lousy single thing.

But I'll make a deal with you,

I'll split my eyes with you.

I'll take one, just one,

and stick it in the center of my head like cyclopes.

Please God, I want to see (cries).

(dramatic music)

(slow mellow music)

What do you see?

- Ah, it's beautiful, Buz, really beautiful.

There must be 500 acres all covered with trees.

We just passed a chapel.

- What do you suppose they pray for?

- Catalog said they had cottages, and sunny classrooms,

and a recreation hall, on a private lake,

and a swimming pool.

You can't see it all from here, it must be spread out.

- The way you describe it,

I wonder why more people don't poke their eyes out.

(intense music)

What's the matter, didn't you think that was funny?

- Buz, I'd like you to meet Bob Tindal,

he's our Arts and Crafts Instructor.

- How do you do? Now, let me see.

Oh yes, Cotton Guidry. - Hi there, Buz.

- He's our Mobility Instructor.

- How are you? - He moves around all right.

Now, let's see.

Edith Counts, she's Home Economics.

- How are you?

- And our next gentleman is Dr. Johns,

he's himself in Psychology.

- How are you, Buz? - How do you do?

- Now then, you're gonna have the pleasure

of meeting Edith's husband.

That's David Counts,

and he's our Braille Instructor.

- How you do, Mr. Murdock? - How do you do?

- Now, let me see.

Lesley Blakesly, she is our Psychologist Counselor.

- Hello, Mr. Murdock. - She'll counsel you plenty.

- How do you do?

- Hal Ferenback, let me see,

Typing, Script, and other Special Activities.

And last but not least, Mary Ruth Price,

Home Economics.

- How do you do, Mr. Murdock? - How do you do?

- Miss Price is your Cooking Teacher.

- Cooking, you kidding?

- Don't you want to be able to cook your own breakfast,

without having to depend on anyone else?

- Well, I don't, I don't have that problem.

You see, I have a house full of servants,

and all I have to do is look hungry

and the cook shoves a steak in the oven.

- Well, cooking might be one way you could earn a living.

We know a chef that makes 25,000 a year,

and I'm awful sure he can drink one of our boards.

- Well, I might be known as the only cook who has a cook.

(everyone chuckles)

(door squeaks)

- [Mr. Robinson] Hello?

- I'm here.

- Oh, good.

Now there's one more person I want you to meet.

- Celia?

- Yes.

- Now this young lady you're shaking hands with

is Celia Monteros.

- How do you do? - How do you do?

- Miss Monteros has been assigned

to guide you through the early stages of your training.

- Are you blind too, Miss Monteros?

- Yes, why? - The blind leading the blind,

that's the picture around here, huh?

- Yes. - Just thought I'd mention it,

that's all.

- Well, we've noticed it ourselves.

- I'll hand him back to you in a few moments, Celia.

I could go on giving you orientation lectures

for a couple of weeks I suppose, but what good.

You begin by beginning.

Outside that window is a whole world.

As things stand, you can't enter it.

As things stand, your blindness is a prison.

With training, the limitations of blindness

can be pushed back farther than you know.

But there are two parts to the training;

what we do,

what you do.

Buz,

the blind are people.

Some are good, some are not.

Some are brave,

and others like the rest of us,

stumbling around in their own darkness.

We don't try to make any one over.

We try to make anyone who comes here capable,

to earn a living, to feed and dress themselves,

avoid accidents, to make money and

pay taxes.

The beggar in the street,

he's self made.

Not the people here.

A man must want what we have to give him.

He must want it so much,

he's willing to go through the pain of being his own mother

when he get gets born all over again.

Your friend is waiting outside to say goodbye to you.

- What do you mean, goodbye?

- Well, he can't take your training for you.

What's he gonna do?

Hang around here while you do what you have to?

Is your blindness supposed to be his prison too?

- That's not fair.

I never meant it that way.

- I didn't think you did.

I'm just calling it to your attention.

That's what you were doing without wanting to.

- Okay, okay.

- Celia, he's all yours.

(violin music)

(door squeaks)

(feet shuffling)

(car door shuts)

- Hi. - Hi.

- Could we have a couple of minutes, privately?

- Oh, of course.

Now you just stay put, Mr. Murdock.

When you want me, I'll come to you.

(Tod clears throat)

- Great conversationalists, aren't we?

- I'm not gonna be very far away, you know?

You can get me on a 10 cent phone call,

any time you say.

- I don't want you wrapping yourself up on account of me.

- If that crane had knocked my skull instead of yours,

where would you be heading?

- Okay, you made your point.

- I've been sitting here figuring how to act.

I wondered if I should write,

how you'd feel about somebody reading your letters to you.

- Well, I don't like the idea of anybody reading my mail,

but I'd rather have somebody read it than not get it, so.

- Okay.

What I want to know,

are you all right?

(slow violin music)

- Yeah sure, I'm, I'm all right.

- I mean your attitude.

- My attitude?

(Buz sighs)

So they teach me to walk with a cane.

Walk where?

To the corner to sell papers.

So they teach me to type.

Type what?

Envelopes, two cents a piece.

I'm still a man that lives in the dark.

I go to sleep in the dark,

and I wake up in the dark.

That's my attitude.

- If I could give you one of my eyes, I would.

- When I'm all through here,

when I've gotten all the training and the rest,

we're splitting up.

I mean,

I don't want you wrapping yourself up on account of me.

- Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

- I mean that. - Okay, okay.

Stay in there, champ.

(car door bangs)

(engine revs)

(slow mellow music)

- There's no one around,

and I don't want you to be self-conscience.

I want to teach you something.

I want to try to teach you,

to teach your fingertips how to see.

What's the matter?

- I don't know.

I just feel,

funny about it.

- This is my face.

My eyes,

my nose,

my cheeks.

Well, you're not really looking.

May I touch your face?

Your eyes are large,

eyebrows finely drawn,

full forehead,

strong nose,

high cheek bones,

mouth, wide.

Whew, strong face.

Hair, that's mans hair.

I see you about

six feet tall.

You weigh about 180.

Strong features.

I think you're very handsome.

You have dark eyes?

Dark hair?

Huh, well.

Now you see the way you do it.

Now I know what you look like.

- It's very personal.

- Oh yes, it is.

Do you want to try?

Oh, I'm sorry.

I wanted you to know what I looked like.

Another time.

Oh, it's time for you to get to the dispensary

for your physical.

- Now, come on, where did you go?

- Would you like to try it on your own?

It's 300 steps, straight down this path,

and 10 steps to the left,

five more to the right,

you'll be right outside the infirmary door.

- (Laughs) You're kidding, aren't you?

- Don't you think you can make it?

- All right, we'll give it a try.

(suspenseful music)

- You've got a cane in your hand, Buz.

Stick it out.

Remember, there's a whole world

waiting at the end of that cane.

Buildings, and people, and cars,

and sidewalks, and steps, and holes in the ground,

all waiting to bump you and trip you.

Pick yourself up!

There's no disgrace involved, we all do it!

Pick yourself up!

(cane whooshing)

300 steps right down this path,

and 10 steps to the left,

and five steps more to the right,

and you'll be right in front of the door.

Move more slowly.

You've got all the time in the world.

- B, D, E,

F, O, R,

and this little baby here is X.

- That's good, Buz, very good.

You have fine touch.

Now, let's see if you can make this out.

- Two --

(fire crackling)

- This is where you are now.

This is the recreation hall.

Everything else

leads away from here.

Do you feel it?

Ratio is one inch

to 40 feet.

You must fix that very firmly in your mind.

I can't concentrate today.

Would you like to take a walk?

- Sure, I'm a little restless myself.

(slow mellow music)

(cane clicking)

(birds chirping)

(slow romantic music)

- You're so silent.

What are you remembering?

- A girl walking.

Wheels turning.

Light.

New Snow.

An old tree.

Red, green, blue, pink.

Brown dirt.

Freckles. (Celia laughs)

- Buz --

there are special joys in this darkness.

The faces of my parents,

ageless, timeless.

I see them as I remember them,

not a day older.

Nothing grows older.

And voices and sounds are previous now.

And music,

music is so private,

and speaks only to you.

And ugliness is forgotten,

the memory blots it out.

And everything you taste and smell will be different.

Wind and flowers, and coffee,

and wind and bread,

and the feel of the

rain and the sun on your mouth.

- Can I?

Can I touch you?

I think I know how to look now.

(slow violin music)

- The others have two eyes,

we have 10.

- You're beautiful.

(bright uplifting music)

- Hello?

- Good time for a talk?

- It's a private time,

if that's what you have in mind.

- Something like that.

I think I

ought to tell you

that I've fallen in love with Buz Murdock.

Not politely and formally, in love, but

head over heels, upside down in love.

- [Mr. Robinson] Do you want me

to assign another instructor?

- No --

I just thought you might want to.

- How does he feel about you?

- Well, he's just

begun to feel again about anything.

- Just the same,

you have hopes.

- I have hopes.

- No, I don't think we ought to assign him to anyone else.

("Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven)

(door squeaks)

- Hey, what did you do with the shoe shine rag?

- On the back of the closet door.

(rag snapping)

You know, there are two sounds I love;

The sound of a razor against my beard,

and the sound of a shoe shine.

- Yeah, a little elbow grease.

If you rub hard enough,

you can make them really shine out like a new diamond.

- I want to tell you something,

but I don't want you to get angry.

- Go ahead, I'm listening.

- Well, as if you didn't know it,

Celia Monteros is in love with you.

Well, that's the message.

Beginning, middle, and end.

I thank you for your kind attention.

- I don't understand what your message means.

- It means that somebody is in love with you.

And raises a normal question,

are you in love with somebody?

- What I feel and who I feel about is none of your business.

- Well, that's true,

any place but here, not here.

This is where the blind protect the blind.

- From what?

- From a kind of unnecessary hurt.

- I'm dating the girl, how does that hurt her?

What do you do when you date a girl around here,

break the house rules?

- I told you she's in love with you.

- No, she's not!

- Well, if you don't know that,

then you're the only one around here that doesn't know it.

I want you to answer me a question.

Not to me, but to you.

After she finds out that her feeling is all one way,

then where does she hide?

This is a small community,

and where does she hide her hurt pride?

Or do you plan to leave her any pride at all?

(slow forlorn music)

(doors thumps)

(water splashing)

- Listen --

Again, now. - What?

- Splash, fish jumped.

(frog croaking)

For those who love,

live under private skies.

Where stars have mouths,

and even stones have eyes.

(Buz sighing)

- Celia --

um, I'm gonna leave.

I figure I've gone as far as I can go,

and, well, I get restless,

you know, I got to move.

And my buddy, Tod,

he'd carry me.

With him, I was thinking I'd go back east to New York.

I'll find some place there.

- Does it have to do with me, Buz?

- Oh, no, no.

It has nothing to do with you.

I was thinking,

you know, the doctor that told me about my eye sight,

he said could come back just like that, you know.

Like those two cases he told me about.

Well, I figured if that's the way it's gonna happen with me,

then I'm wasting my time here, you know.

- I don't believe you.

- What do you want?

That's the way I am, that's the way it is.

- That's not the way you are!

- Look, you made a mistake about me!

That's all, you'll get over it!

- What kind of mistake?

- Who I am, and the kind of person that I am!

I mean, you really don't really know how you feel about me!

- I love you. - No!

- I love you!

- Celia, no, just don't say that.

It's not right.

- It may not be right for you,

but it's right for me.

- Listen, I,

I'm gonna be gone in the morning.

- Because of me?

- It's got nothing to do with you.

- Because of me!

Buz, listen, don't you understand?

If you don't finish here,

then there's nothing for you.

(paper crunching) Read, read!

There's beauty and light and poetry in your hand, read!

You can now!

If you leave now, you never will.

Buz, how ever you feel about me,

don't run away now.

You need a year here.

- Well, maybe.

I'll see how I feel about it.

It's not the only school in the country.

- Buz, please.

I won't come near you.

I won't talk to you.

I'll get you another instructor.

- Celia, this has got nothing to do with you.

- Don't lie!

Don't lie!

- Celia --

Celia, don't run!

(panicked music)

(footsteps running)

(water splashing)

(Celia grunting)

(Celia screams)

(Celia panting)

(calm mellow music)

(both panting)

(enlightened music)

(Buz cries)

Don't cry, baby.

It's all right.

I didn't want to hurt you,

but I had to.

- I never could have made it without you, baby.

I drew my strength from you.

- I didn't want to hurt you.

- How could you hurt me, girl?

How could you hurt me because you love me?

- Don't cry.

- Don't you understand?

I'm crying because I can see.

Celia, I can see.

I'm looking at you,

your tears.

I can see tears.

I can touch tears.

I'm crying because I can see the tears,

and I'm crying.

- So long, Buz, old boy. - Thanks.

- Bye. - Thanks.

Mary. - Bye, Buz.

- You. - Good luck, old man.

- Keep playing that piano, huh.

- Davy. - I know.

- Good luck, Buz. - All right.

- So long, bud. - Good luck to you, Buz.

- Good bye, honey - Good luck, Buz.

It's been nice having you.

- Been swell having you, Buz. - Thanks.

Bye. - Bye.

- That's for you, thanks.

- The best of everything. - Thank you.

Thanks for everything. - Good luck, Buz.

- Thanks.

I guess we'll see each other again.

- Well, I won't be here.

I passed my entrance exams,

and I'm entering the University of Texas.

- Ah, that's, that's great, just great.

I'll see you there then,

and I'll get to dance the first dance with you at your prom.

- I accept.

(slow mellow music)

(car door shuts)

(engine revs)

I'll be seeing you.

("Route 66" by Nelson Riddle)

- [Announcer] This has been a Screen Gems Film presentation

from Columbia Pictures.

Herbert B. Leonard, Executive Producer.