Guess Who's Coming To Dinner
Script - Dialogue Transcript
Voila! Finally, the Guess Who's Coming To Dinner
script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the Sidney Poitier,
Katharine Hepburn, and Spency Tracy movie. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly
transcribed using the screenplay and/or viewings of Guess Who's Coming To Dinner. I know, I know, I still need to get the cast names in there and I'll be eternally
tweaking it, so if you have any corrections, feel free to
drop me a line. You won't
hurt my feelings. Honest.
You know,
I just had a thought.
Why don't I check in a hotel
and rest.
- You go find your foIks.
- Oh, John.
You wanted to meet them.
Let's go meet them.
The sooner we get it over with,
the better.
Mom may not even be at the gaLLery.
She'Il probabIy be out to Iunch.
Dad's at his office. You may not
meet them tilI dinner anyway.
You may be wrong about them.
You shouId have caLLed
and toId them we were coming.
You may be in for the biggest shock
of your young Llfe.
After years Llving
in the same house with them...
don't you think I know
my own mother and father?
I hope so.
There's no problem.
We'LL onIy be a minute, and then
we'd Llke to go out to CIaremont Drive.
Right.
I'lI see if Mom's
in the office.
- Joey!
- Hllary, hi! How are you?
What a surprise.
- l'lI be with you in just a moment.
- Okay.
- Strange.
- One of Hllary's favorites.
It's caLLed a kinetic scuIpture.
- A what?
- Look.
Why, isn't that something?
- DarLlng, what are you doing here?
- I thought Mother might be here.
Mrs. St. George, I'd Llke you
to meet Dr. Prentice.
Dr. Prentice,
I'm so pIeased to meet you.
Mrs. St. George.
PIeasure to see you.
Christina's Iunching
with Mr. CazaIet.
I can ring up.
No. Just teIl her l'm back
and that I'Il be home.
Has something happened?
I mean, is anything wrong?
Something's happened,
but everything's right. Thanks.
How was Hawall?
Was it fun?
Hawall was simpIy unbeLlevable.
Do you Llve in San Francisco, Doctor,
or are you just visiting?
- I'm just passing through.
- I see.
- It was a pIeasure to have met you.
- Thank you.
Bye-bye.
No, Hllary runs the gaIlery now,
but it's Mom who has alI the ideas.
Her idea for fllLlng hoteI rooms
with originaIs is brilLlant.
It gives people who stay there
time to decide if they want them.
The hotel gets suppLled
with free decor.
The guests get to look at good paintings
instead of bad reproductions.
The painter gets a chance to make a saIe
and Mom gets her commission.
Next right.
- Isn't that clever?
- Oh, that is clever.
- What do I owe you?
- . mac.
TweIve bucks, right?
Right.
Right.
Oh, John.
Come meet TllLle.
TllLle, this is Dr. Prentice.
John, Miss Matllda Binks.
PIeased to meet you, Miss Binks.
I've certainIy heard
a great deaI about you.
What are you
doing home unexpected?
Your foIks didn't know you was coming.
You told them you're back aIready?
I left a message for Mom
at the gaLLery.
It's IoveIy to see you.
l missed you.
You stllI ain't toId me
why you're home earIy.
- You want those bags to go upstairs?
- Not my two. I'm not staying.
It's personaI reasons.
I'Il telI you aLL about it.
You eat any Iunch yet,
or you expecting it now?
Could you make us sandwiches and coffee?
We'LL have it on the terrace.
Do you Llke it?
It's beautifuI.
Come out
and Iook from the terrace.
- What?
- Hey, who's that?
That's Dorothy. Isn't she a knockout?
She heIps TllLle during the week.
- Which days?
- Never mind.
You know, I ought to caLL my foIks
and get that out of the way.
Okay. Use the phone in the study.
- Are you gonna introduce me?
- Not on the phone.
- Aren't you gonna teIl them about me?
- I'd rather write to them.
I have to meet them, don't I?
Before l come to Geneva?
Or are we going to keep our marriage
a secret from them?
Why didn't I think of that?
See, that's a thought.
I'LL shut this
in case Dorothy goes by.
Los Angeles, pIease.
Area code .
Axminster, two, four, six, nine, nine.
Time and charges.
WeLL, l got a right
to my own opinions.
And you want my opinion?
I don't care to see a member
of my own race getting above hisseIf.
Then I don't want your opinion,
and if I ever do, I'LL ask for it.
Oh, Tlllie, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean that, but you can't mean
what you're saying either.
And you're so wrong.
Look.
You're the Iast person I'd have expected
to take such a sllly attitude.
You know I've aIways loved you,
and you're just as bIack as he is.
How couId it be aIl right for me to
Iove you and wrong for me to Iove him?
WllI you just stop
and think about that?
Listen. What are we having
for dinner tonight?
- Gotta make it something speciaI.
- CeIery soup and rump steak.
Oh, now, come on.
TurtIe soup and tournedos...
and one of your best pies.
It's Mom!
Joey, darLlng.
What the heIl? Joey!
- Mom, I'm here!
- HeLLo, darLlng. Are you aLL right?
- There's nothing wrong, is there?
- Nothing's wrong. Everything's fine.
I rang the gaLLery to teLL Hllary
that CazaIet agreed to our scheme.
He has? That's marvelous.
I knew he would.
She said you were back. She thought
you might have a surprise for me.
What did she mean?
Do I hear someone?
- Is there someone here?
- Oh, Mom, I'm so happy.
I've never been so happy in aLL my Llfe.
I'm just--
Bursting. Yeah, I can see that.
And I'm already feeling happy for you.
Do l know him?
No. That's just it.
I onIy met him myseIf ten days ago.
You wouIdn't beLleve what's happened
in just ten days.
I think I might if you'd pipe down
Iong enough to teIl me.
- Mom--
- Lots of wonderfuI things happen--
He's so wonderfuI !
I've never known anyone Llke him.
Never known anything Llke this.
I feLL in Iove with him
in minutes.
WeLL, that was quick.
WeIl, Dad, I wanted to stop
on the way back...
but time got so short
and I've got to get to work.
Yeah, but I still don't understand
why you couldn't spend one day with us.
WeLL, the fact is, Dad,
I met this girI.
You what? You met a girl?
Why didn't you say so?
Mary, he says he met a girl.
Why, that's good news.
- She live up there in San Francisco?
- She Llves up here. I'm at her house.
He says he's at her house now,
the girl's house.
Well, that's different, son.
Where'd you meet her? Hawall?
Yes, in Hawall,
and I wanted to meet her foIks, see?
That sounds good, son.
l mean, serious.
Yes, it's serious.
Well, this is quite a surprise.
Yeah, she's surprising
in a Iot of ways, Dad.
Your mother says,
''ls she pretty?'
- Yes, she's very pretty.
- She's pretty. What?
Your mother says,
''How old is she, son?"
Mary, what the hell difference
does that make?
WeLL, she's onIy Dad.
Twenty-three. Well, that's good.
You want my opinion?
You're .
That's just the right difference.
Women age faster than men,
you know what l mean?
- You reckon to marry the girl, son?
- WeIl, we've been talking about it.
But--
Dad, there's one or two probIems,
you see?
That I'LL write to you about...
on the pIane to New York tonight,
aLL right?
He's so caIm...
and sure of everything.
He doesn't have
any tensions in him.
He knows what he beLleves...
and what he thinks is right
and why and where he's going.
Oh, Mom, there's one thing
I must teLL you.
He was married before,
and he had a son.
lt was so tragic.
Both his wife and his son were kllIed
in a train accident...
in BeIgium eight years ago.
And John--
I haven't even toId you
his name.
Mom, it's John Wade Prentice.
Isn't that a Iovely name?
John Wade--
Joanna Prentice...
l'LL be.
But Mom...
there's something eIse
that l must teIl you...
that John's been concerned about,
very deepIy concerned.
He's been worrying for the past week
whether you and Dad wouId be upset if--
WeIl, it's about time.
I was wondering where you'd been.
Mom...
this is John.
Doctor Prentice...
I'm so pIeased to meet you.
I'm pIeased to meet you,
Mrs. Drayton.
I take it Joanna's aIready busted out
with the big news.
WelI, she has told me a good deaI
and alI very quickly too.
WeLL, she's onIy known me
for ten days...
so she can't teLL you
when l'm blushing.
That could be another probIem
for us.
Mrs. Drayton,
l'm medicaLLy quaLlfied...
so I hope you wouIdn't
think it presumptuous if l say...
you ought to sit down
before you falI down.
He thinks you're gonna faint
because he's a Negro.
WeLL...
I don't think
I'm going to faint.
But I'lI sit down anyway.
Can't we aLL sit down?
WeLL...
I suppose it would be aLL right
if I said, ''My goodness,'' wouIdn't it?
WelI, my goodness.
- Do we mind her saying, ''My goodness''?
- I don't mind.
What did they say?
Did you teIl them about me?
- Yes.
- What'd they say?
They said I sounded serious
and asked if you were pretty.
I said you were.
They said this was a big surprise.
I said it was.
WeLL, what did they say when you
toId them I wasn't a coIored girl?
I didn't. It felt Llke
too big a shock for the teIephone.
After aLL, a Iot of peopIe wllI think
that we're a very shocking pair.
Isn't that right?
I know what you mean.
TllLle's made us some sandwiches.
- Let's go outside.
- Yes, Iet's.
- Come on, Dr. Prentice.
- I can expIain it aLL in two minutes.
You see, John was invited to lecture
at Hawall University...
and we met at this big party
at the dean's.
After the party,
we went for a Iong drive.
- Thank you.
- And since then, we've been together.
We've been swimming every day.
Then John was supposed to fIy back to
Los AngeIes Saturday to see his parents.
That's where they Llve.
Thank you, TllLle.
Try one of these.
They're great.
- Do you want some coffee?
- No, thanks. No coffee.
Does your father know
that you're back?
No, I was going to phone him.
Do you think he'd come back early if--
He's coming back earIy, aLL right.
He's pIaying golf with Monsignor Ryan.
That's marveIous.
Then he can meet John
and we can aLL taIk over dinner...
because John has to fIy
to New York tonight to see a friend...
at CoIumbia University.
Then tomorrow night,
he's fIying to Geneva...
to do three month's work
for the WorId HeaIth Organization.
And I intend to fIy to Geneva next week
so that we can be married.
And that's the whole situation.
In a nutshelI.
Except that he thinks...
that the fact he's a Negro and I'm not
creates a serious probIem.
Does he?
I've told him times...
that it wouIdn't make the sLlghtest
difference to you or Dad.
But he just wouIdn't beLleve me.
So that's why we're here.
And that's why he's watching you
so cIoseIy right now...
whlle he's pretending
not to watch you at aIl.
She's absoIuteIy right, Mrs. Drayton.
I'm sorry.
I toId her not to spring aIl this
on you so suddenIy.
But-- Look,
if your father's coming home...
you could at Ieast say
that I'm somebody you met in Hawall.
- Now, reaLLy?
- Give him a haIf hour to get adjusted.
But what for?
He stlll has to be toId, doesn't he?
WeLL, you shouId make up your minds
because I think I just heard his car.
Mr. Matt.
- Hi. How are you?
- ALL heLL's done broke Ioose.
- That waste disposaI out again?
- It ain't that.
Just remember,
aLL heLL's done broke Ioose.
- What's happened? Where's Christina?
- She's on the terrace with LlttIe Joey.
- With Joey?
- And somebody caLLed Dr. Prentice.
Doctor? There's a doc--
WeLL, what's wrong?
What's happened? Joey!
Here he comes.
- Daddy! How are you?
- What's happened? What are you doing?
- TllLle said there was a doctor here.
- There is! Dr. John Wade Prentice.
- This is my dad.
- PIeased to meet you.
How are you? Nice to know you.
But what is it?
- Is something wrong?
- There's nothing wrong.
I decided to come home earIy.
Oh, Dr. Prentice and I
met in Hawall...
and we fIew back in the same pIane
this morning.
Oh, weLL, sit down.
I thought something was reaLLy wrong.
TllLle said--
TllLle's behaving very strangeIy today.
WouId you Llke coffee?
No, thanks. I have a date to pIay golf
with Monsignor Ryan.
How are you? What's the matter,
you having a chllI?
No, darLlng, I'm fine.
I--
Doctor, where are you practicing?
In San Francisco?
- Sit down.
- No, sir.
I'm just here for one day.
Oh, where is your practice?
Hawall?
WeLL, no, not--
I'm not established in any one pIace.
I'm in tropicaI medicines, mostIy,
in Africa...
these past few years.
WeIl, that sounds interesting.
Everything about Dr. Prentice
is interesting.
I'm sure it is.
I wish I had more time,
but if you'LL excuse me.
CouIdn't you be a haIf hour Iate
and stay and taIk with us?
I'd Iove to, but I mustn't keep
the Monsignor waiting.
No, I'm gonna be Iate as it is.
WllI I be seeing you Iater, Doctor?
You certainly wllI.
Good.
WeLL, that's good.
Dr. Prentice wilI be here
for dinner, Matt.
Oh, fine. Then you can teLL me
aLL about the African--
There's a great deaI to teLL too.
Isn't there, Mom?
WelI, fine.
See you aLL Iater.
What the heLL
is going on here?
- This doesn't make sense either.
- WeLL, I toId you, didn't I?
What'd you teLL him?
Look, Chris...
if you don't expIain to me
in the next few minutes--
I can expIain it, Mr. Drayton.
You can?
WeLL, let's have it
WeIl, it's my fault.
You see,
we have sort of a situation here.
Joanna and I didn't just meet
in Hawall.
We spend a good deaI of time
together.
I mean, aIl the time
after we met.
And, weLL, we have this probIem:
I feLL in Iove with your daughter.
And, as incredibIe
as it may seem...
she feIl in Iove with me.
And we fIew back
to San Francisco...
to see if you or Mrs. Drayton wouId have
any objections if we got married.
Joanna toId her mother
as soon as she waIked in...
and I had the stupid idea,
that maybe...
there was some way to...
break this gentIy.
Daddy, you're making
John and me nervous.
Am I?
WeLL, I wouIdn't want to do that.
I wouIdn't want to make anybody nervous.
How about you? Are you nervous?
Sit down, Doctor,
before you make me nervous.
Would anybody Llke
a cup of coffee?
What did she say
when Joanna toId her?
- Did she raise any objections?
- None, so far. There hasn't been time.
What objections?
Dad, I know this is sort of a shock
because it's sudden and unexpected...
and it never occurred to me
that I might falI in Iove with a Negro.
But l did, and nothing in the worId
is gonna change that.
Even if you had any objections,
l wouIdn't let him go now if...
you were the governor of AIabama--
I mean, if Mom were.
TeLL him, wllI you?
TeIl John if you have any objections
and then you couId go pIay goIf.
WeLL, what is it
you expect me to say?
If you want me to think about this,
you'LL have to give me time to think.
The doctor says you have a probIem.
You certainIy have.
lf you're expecting a sensibIe
statement, you'lI have to give me time.
Does that sound reasonabIe?
It's reasonabIe, Mr. Drayton,
but not quite practicaI.
You see, Matt...
there's sort of
a speciaI probIem.
See, I've got to fIy
to New York tonight...
and on to SwitzerIand
tomorrow night.
Yes, and what Joey wants--
what she proposes--
is to go to Geneva herseIf
so they can be married...
within the next coupIe of weeks.
What the heLL is aLL the rush?
We know that we want
to get married.
And unIess somebody does have any
objections, why shouId we waste time?
John and I aren't gonna
change our minds.
Are you saying--
Are you telLlng me...
that you want an answer today...
about how your mother and I feeI?
Of course. We want you and Mom
to state absoIuteIy cIearIy...
that you have
no objections whatever...
and that when we do get married,
we'LL have your blessing.
Now, are you gonna play goIf
or not?
No.
I'LL just calI it off.
Excuse me, Doctor.
And that's my dad.
Do you Llke him?
- l don't know. Does he Llke me?
- I don't know either.
When he puts on
his American eagIe face...
nobody can teLL what he's thinking,
except Mom.
I don't think he Llked any of us
after the sllIy way we began.
Excuse me, wllI you?
Give John some more coffee.
She's beautifuI, Joanna.
She's even better looking than you.
You know that?
HeLLo, Edie?
Two things, Edie.
Both of them urgent.
CalI up Monsignor Ryan and teLL him
l can't pIay this afternoon.
TeIl him something's come up,
something personaI at home.
Then calI the Llbrary...
and see if they've got any dope
on a John Wade Prentice.
Prentice. He's a doctor of medicine.
FeIlow about --
- Oh, Matt.
- He's a coIored feIlow.
Yeah.
lf they haven't got anything...
caLL up the medicaI association
and see what they've got.
Get anything you can, wlll you, Edie?
ALL right. Hurry and caLL me back.
SureIy there can't be
any necessity for that.
- It can't do any harm, either.
- But Joey said he was Iecturing...
at the university in Hawall.
TeIl me something. This ever occur
to you that this might happen?
Never occurred to me either.
Not once.
Can you teLL me your reaction?
- How do you feeI about it?
- Oh, I don't know.
I was shaken at first.
l stllI am, I suppose.
But, Matt, they're serious.
They mean what they're saying.
Both of them.
They know what they're doing.
No, they may mean what they're saying,
I accept that.
But they don't know what they're doing.
I won't accept that.
If I'm not intruding--
Of course not.
PIease, come in.
I'd Llke to have a coupIe of minutes
with the two of you, if I may?
Sure, Doctor.
Come on in.
There's something you both
ought to know. l made a decision.
Joanna doesn't know about it,
and I don't see why she shouId.
What is it, Doctor?
Joanna thinks she's committed...
and that our whoIe future
is settIed...
but there is no real commitment.
And up to now,
nothing is settled at aLL.
I don't understand.
Joanna said you're going to be married
no matter what we think about it.
WeLL, that's not the case.
UnIess you two approve--
and without any reservations at aLL--
there won't be any marriage.
WeLL, why, John?
Why have you decided that?
WeLL, Mrs. Drayton...
this thing has happened so quickly...
I'm just as startIed
as you must be.
Two weeks ago, I wouId have said
such a thing was inconceivabIe.
But two weeks ago...
I had not met Joanna.
She's not at aLL
Llke anyone I've ever known.
It's not just that our color difference
doesn't matter to her.
It's that she doesn't seem to think
there is any difference.
The troubIe is,
this thing has come up...
at a time when I aIready have
aIl the probIems I need.
And l feeI that I couldn't afford
to get married...
if it meant that l wouId have to take
on any speciaI probIems...
in addition to those
we're obviousIy going to have.
When you say ''speciaI probIems,''
Doctor, what do you mean?
WeLL--
Your attitude, Mr. Drayton...
and yours, Mrs. Drayton.
Joanna is very cIose
to both of you.
If, by marrying me, she damaged
her reIationship with either of you...
the pain of it
wouId be too much for her.
I wouldn't know how to deaI
with that kind of situation.
In any case,
I wouIdn't even want to try.
WeLL, I'm gIad you toId us,
Doctor.
Don't misunderstand me.
I love your daughter.
There is nothing I wouIdn't do to keep
her as happy as she was the day we met.
But it seems to me,
without your approvaI...
we wllI make no sense at alI.
That is why I'm asking for...
the cIearest possible statement
of what your attitude is going to be.
l appreciate that, Doctor.
It's aImost in the form
of an uItimatum.
Not quite, Mr. Drayton.
ALL you have to say
is good-bye.
WeLL, that's where it's at.
Thank you for the opportunity
to speak my peace.
WeLL...
stllI think you ought to have someone
check on him?
No.
He's right about Joey too.
- You know that, don't you?
- Yes.
Thank God he is. That's the way I feeI.
Thank God he's right.
She's years oId,
and the way she is...
is just exactIy the way
we brought her up to be.
We answered her questions.
She Llstened to our answers.
We toId her it was wrong
to beLleve...
that white peopIe were somehow
essentiaIly superior to bIack peopIe...
or the brown or the red
or the yeIlow ones, for that matter.
PeopIe who thought that way
were wrong to think that way.
Sometimes hatefuI, usuaLLy stupid,
but aIways wrong.
That's what we said...
and when we said it,
we did not add...
''But don't ever faLL in Iove
with a coIored man.''
Edie, Mr. Drayton.
Do you want the whole story?
- Yeah, what is it, Edie?
- He's an important guy.
Just the main points:
born Los Angeles, ...
graduated maxima cum laude
John Hopkins, ' ...
assistant professor,
Yale Medical School, ' ...
three years professor,
London School of Tropical Medicine...
three years assistant director,
World Health Organization...
two textbooks and a list of monographs
and medical society honors...
as long as your arm.
Married Elizabeth Bowers,
one son, John Wade.
Oh, both killed in an accident
in .
- There's a lot more here.
- No, that's aLL right. Thanks.
What's the $ . ?
He made a caIl to Los AngeIes
to his parents.
I guess he doesn't bum
free teIephone caIls either.
I can certainly understand why he didn't
have much to say about himseIf.
Who the heLL wouId beLleve him?
I beg your pardon, Iady.
He Ioves me, he Ioves me not.
TeLL me, what do you think? Aren't they
exactIy the way I said they were?
I must admit,
they are very speciaI peopIe.
- ShaLL I telI you something?
- What's that?
For a whoIe week,
I've been nervous.
No. I don't beLleve it.
Not about what they'd uItimateIy feeI.
Just about their first reaction.
I thought it was just possibIe
for the first time in years...
they might Iet me down
for the first half hour.
You're a phony. You know that?
You're a big phony.
WeLL--
She's aIways been
a happy human being.
She Iaughed out Ioud
before she was six months oId.
She was happy as a baby.
Happy as a littIe girl.
Happy alI through schooI and coLLege.
But I don't think
I've ever seen her...
quite so happy
as she is right now.
And I have to be happy
for her, Matt.
And I am.
l feel happy for her.
And proud of the fact
that we heIped make her.
And whatever happens now,
I feeI gIad...
that Joey's Joey.
How are you today?
Having a steak fry, huh?
WelI, now, there she is.
How are you today?
Wanna give me a Llft to Market Street?
Save me a cab.
You know it, doLL.
I hope these is better
than the Iast we had, hotshot.
Lady, don't Iook at me. I deliver it.
I don't rustIe the cattIe.
You said to remind you
to open the wine.
Civll rights is one thing.
This here is something eIse.
I went out on to the terrace.
Oh, I'LL never forget it.
It was so beautifuI.
It was aIready dark
and the moon was rising.
I guess I didn't see him at first
because I was Iooking at the view.
But he was standing there.
Then aLL of a sudden
he moved or something, and I jumped.
And he just stood there,
Iooking at me and sort of--
- Ah, you're burning your shirt.
- Oh, yes. Sort of smlling.
''HeLLo,'' I said.
''Who are you?''
And I think he thought I was...
you know, attractive.
Anyway, finaLLy, he said...
''WeLL, do you think
it couId possibIy matter?''
- And it's just crazy, and l admit it.
- You'd better let me do this.
But minutes Iater,
I feIt I was in love with him.
Mom, how Iong did it take you
to faIl in Iove with Dad?
Oh, weIl, nothing Llke
so Iong as minutes.
- You mean, is that reaLLy true?
- Yes, that's reaLLy true.
Oh, Mom.
Joey, l want to ask you something.
How deeply are you and John in--
No, I have no right to ask.
How deepIy invoIved? Do you mean,
have we been to bed together?
I don't mind you asking me that.
We haven't.
He wouIdn't.
I don't think he was in doubt
about my feeLlngs, but he wouldn't.
You're burning my shirt.
He's been concerned the whole time
about my getting hurt somehow.
They're stllI taIking.
WouIdn't you think
they'd have said everything by now?
Are you saying they don't have
any speciaI sense of rhythm?
That's right.
But, heLL, you can see it.
You can't turn on the teIevision set
without seeing those kids dancing...
and I say the coIored kids
are better than the white kids.
But there's an expIanation for that.
It's our dancing, and it's our music.
We brought it here.
I mean, you can do the Watusi...
but we are the Watusi,
if you know what I mean.
l remember,
when I was about your age...
my sports editor teLLing me that Negroes
wouId never be abIe to pIay basebaLL.
Now, I suppose if he wanted to...
Wlllie Mays couId be eIected
mayor of San Francisco.
I own a newspaper,
but I couIdn't be elected dogcatcher.
WeLL, I don't guess
you want to be dogcatcher any more...
than he wants to be
mayor of San Francisco.
No, I suppose that's right.
Doctor, we've taIked about
a good many things...
but there's one thing
we haven't taIked about.
Have you given any thought to
the probIems your chlldren wlll have?
Yes, and they'lI have some.
And we'LL have the chlldren.
Otherwise,
you couIdn't caLL it a marriage.
Is that the way Joey feeIs?
She feeIs that aLL of our children wllI
be president of the United States...
and they'LL aLL have
colorfuI administrations.
WeLL, you made her, Mr. Drayton.
I just met her in Hawall.
But how do you feeI
about that probIem?
WelI, frankIy, I think your daughter
is a bit optimistic.
l'd settIe
for secretary of state.
WouId you think it was some kind
of cowardice if l toId you...
that no matter how confident you two are
l'm just a LlttIe scared.
No, it wouIdn't.
But you never know.
Things are changing.
I have a feeling they're
not changing anywhere eIse...
as fast as they are
in my own backyard.
Just teLL me this.
Don't you think this quick decision...
about how we feel about this thing
is just a LlttIe unfair?
In a way, I do.
But it wasn't my idea
that everything be settIed so quickIy.
Your daughter said
there's no probIem.
She says, ''My dad is a Llfelong fighting
liberal who Ioathes race prejudice...
and has spent his whoIe Llfe
fighting against discrimination.''
She said, ''My parents--
They'LL weIcome you with open arms.''
And I said...
''Oh, I sure want to meet them.''
TeIephone!
It's Los AngeIes!
- Take it in my study.
- Thank you.
- HeLLo?
- Dr. Prentice?
- Yes, this is he.
- Hello. That you, Little John?
Hi, Dad. What's up, man?
Dr. Graves caLL again?
Oh, no, it's not that, son.
l just had an idea.
What would you say to us
flying up there to spend the evening?
- This evening?
- We could be up there at : .
l thought maybe we could take you
and your young lady friend for dinner.
- TelI them to come to dinner.
- Just a minute.
- I'm having dinner with her foIks.
- Don't be sllIy.
- TeIl them they're invited to dinner.
- Who's that speaking? The young lady?
Yes, that's her.
No, just a minute. You haven't asked
your mother, and there's TllLle.
Won't you come to dinner,
you and Mrs. Prentice?
John and I wllI meet your plane.
- Stop butting in.
- Who am l talking to? John?
Hi, Dad.
Looks like she wants us
even if you don't. We want to meet her.
- So we'll see you at : . What?
- Oh, no.
- See?
- Your mother says she's pleased.
Oh, hell, he knows that.
All right, son.
- Dad!
- We'll see you later. Bye.
What's the matter?
Mom!
John's father and mother
are coming to dinner.
Oh, good.
- MarveIous.
- We'LL meet their pIane at : .
Fine.
You'LL teLL TllLle, won't you?
I toId you,
my folks, they don't--
They think
you're a coIored girI.
- Why didn't you teLL them?
- I was gonna write to them.
What difference does it make?
Do you think they wouIdn't come?
CalI them back and teIl them.
They're gonna know anyway at :
because I'LL go with you to meet them.
That's not a good idea.
I'LL meet them.
It gives me a chance to expIain.
I have to expIain.
Why do you keep trying
to dramatize everything?
Look, I've told Pete and Judith that
we'LL meet them for a drink at : .
It gives us just enough time
to get to the airport.
She's my best and oIdest friend
so you've just got to let them meet you.
Did he teIl you
about this medicaI pIan of his?
No. What?
It's the damndest thing
you ever heard of.
They put a whoIe medicaI schooI
on about trucks.
Then they run
into some African country...
pick up the brightest native kids--
hundreds at a time--
and put them through courses just like
they do the U.S. Army Corpsmen.
OnIy his idea is
that they're aLL speciaLlsts.
You know, each one trained
to do one simpIe thing...
Llke sewing up a wound
or deLlvering a baby or what have you.
They go into pIaces where peopIe
have never heard of an aspirin tabIet...
Iet aIone a doctor.
Imagine what that means.
For every thousand kids they train,
they can save a mllLlon Llves a year.
Now just think of that.
He seems to have made
quite an impression on you.
Yeah.
I asked him how he got so far.
You know, he's onIy .
He said he thought he got the best
breaks because everybody he met...
didn't want him to think
they were prejudiced against him.
Yeah, he made an impression, aLL right.
l wouIdn't know how to fauIt him.
Are you trying to fauIt him?
No, l'm not trying to fauIt him.
You know, his father is a mallman.
Retired now.
Lives in Los AngeIes.
Now how do you suppose
a coIored mallman...
produced a son
with aLL the quaLlties he has?
- You'lI find out this evening.
- What?
Guess who's coming to dinner?
Who?
You mean, his parents?
Now wait a minute.
- Whose idea was that?
- Joey invited them.
Yeah, Joey. We're being pressurized.
You know that, don't you?
First there wasn't gonna be a marriage
unIess we approved.
Then we had one day
to make up our minds.
Now we have to spend hours entertaining
somebody we never heard of.
What the heLL
is coming off here?
Oh, don't Iook at
those baby pictures.
That was at KIosters,
the year before Iast.
l'LL get it!
Just a second.
Monsignor Ryan!
How wonderfuI to see you.
- WeLL, good afternoon.
- Come on in. Good afternoon.
Why are you here
when you shouId be in Hawall?
What is the probIem that caused your
father to chicken out on our golf game?
- Who is this gentIeman?
- Monsignor, this is Dr. John Prentice.
We met in Hawall days ago.
The two of us are going to be married.
Are you, indeed?
I take it you mean to each other.
- Dr. Prentice.
- Monsignor.
WeLL, of course,
you're the probIem.
I'm afraid I am.
l knew nothing of this.
Why haven't your parents informed me?
They didn't know either.
We only fIew back this morning.
Excuse me a second.
I forgot to teLL TllLle something.
WeLL--
- This was aIl very sudden, was it not?
- Yes, it was.
I suppose you two have had time
to consider what you're doing.
No, we've not.
We'lI be two more for dinner.
How many steaks did you get?
I got four
'cause I was toId four.
Order two more because the doctor's
father and mother are coming.
- We'LL be six.
- His father and mother! Here?
That's right.
If the butcher can't send 'em...
teLL him to put 'em
in a taxi.
It's gettin' more Llke
a hoIy roLLers meetin' every minute.
Of course!
l know about you.
I read an articIe about you
in ''Common Wheel.''
I shaLL want to taIk to you
about that.
You know, this feLLow you brought home
is a very important man?
- Are you aware of that?
- I'm whoLLy aware of it.
When I'm married to him,
I'LL be important.
I guess you wllI,
as a matter of fact.
- Where's ArnoId PaImer?
- Dad and Mom are in the garden.
Good. WeIl, just go on
with what you're doing. Fore!
Of aLL the friends we've ever had,
l guess he's the cIosest.
We're not Catholics, but he and Dad
and Mom have done things together.
You know,
sat on committees and things.
He's a wonderfuI man,
and we Iove him.
You're a remarkable feLLow, Mike.
You get younger every minute.
- Did you--
- Yes, l've just seen him.
Handsome feIlow, isn't he?
LittIe Joey is nothing less
than radiant.
It warms me chllly oId heart
just to Iook at her.
Aren't you just
a LlttIe shocked?
Shocked?
Why shouId I be shocked?
I've known a good many cases
of marriages between races in my time.
StrangeIy enough,
they usualIy work out quite weIl.
I don't know why.
Maybe because it requires
some speciaI quaLlty of effort...
more consideration and compassion...
than most marriages
seem to generate these days.
- CouId that be it?
- Yes, it couId.
I'm gIad you said that.
That's a beautifuI thought.
You do have beautifuI thoughts.
That's my trade, you know.
What about Iaddie over here?
You making heavy weather of it?
You know, this man is quite
a famous feLLow in his own right.
He's done incredibIe work in Asia
and some awful pIace in Africa.
Mom! Hllary's here.
She wants to see you.
Excuse me, wllI you? Express some more
beautifuI thoughts to the lad there.
Thank you.
I hope you won't think
that I'm prying, Doctor...
but naturaLLy
one is curious.
- NaturaLLy.
- We are going to be married.
Are you?
WeIl, I didn't even know.
I mean, Christina
hadn't even mentioned that--
She didn't know.
It was a surprise to her too.
A surprise.
WeIl, l shouId think it was.
My dear!
Joey telIs me that congratuIations
are in order, and you didn't even know.
What's the probIem, Hllary?
What brings you aLL the way up here?
- Mr. Cazalet phoned about the pictures.
- Oh, that. Excuse us, wllI you?
I'LL waIk out to your car
with you.
- I hope I'LL be seeing you shortly.
- ActuaLLy, no.
Dr. Prentice is leaving tonight...
and Joey within
the next coupIe of weeks.
WelI, then you must permit me
to wish you every happiness.
Come aIong.
My poor dear,
what a shock for you.
I knew something was up
when I came into the gaLLery.
But this!
Whatever are you going to do about it?
- I mean, the child is of age.
- Yes, the chlld is .
Why didn't you simpIy ring up
with the Cazalet information?
WelI, I must admit,
I was intenseIy curious.
I couIdn't beLleve it.
It's so unLlke Joey to do anything
so appaLLingIy stupid.
- Yes, come aIong.
- But what you must be going through.
You must try not to worry about it.
Now I have some instructions
for you.
I want you to go straight back
to the gaLLery. Start your motor.
When you to the gaIlery,
teLL Jennifer...
she wllI be Iooking after things
temporarily.
She's to give me a ring if there's
anything she can't deaI with herseIf.
Then go into the office
and make out a check for cash...
for the sum of $ .
Then carefuLLy...
remove absoluteIy everything...
that might subsequently remind me
that you had ever been there...
incIuding that yeLLow thing
with the bIue bulbs...
which you have
such an affection for.
Then take the check for $ ...
which I feel you deserve...
and get permanentIy Iost.
It's not that I don't want
to know you, aIthough I don't.
It's just that I'm afraid
we're not reaLLy the sort of peopIe...
that you can afford
to be associated with.
Don't speak.
Just go.
You see that boy?
The taLL one?
If he'd played his cards right,
you'd never even have met me.
But he feLL for some girI
from Pomona.
- That'LL teach him.
- Mom!
Do you know what Hllary was doing?
She was being an absoIute bitch.
She was. I aImost wish you'd fire her.
l reaLLy do.
Joey, how can you be so hard?
She has a reaLLy quite ruthIess streak.
You ought to be warned about it.
She gets it
from her father.
They need aLL the heIp
you can give them...
because they're going to have
speciaI difficuIties.
No, don't budge.
PIease, sit.
Of course, they know aLL that.
They're serious peopIe.
Fine, inteLLigent peopIe.
And if they know
what lies in store for them...
and they stllI want each other
enough to accept it...
I think it's pIain as anything
that they love each other very much.
You'Il have to agree that any two peopIe
who Iove each other that much...
deserve aLL the best Iuck
in the worId.
I don't know.
I wish I didn't have the feeling
that they'Il never make it...
that the whoIe thing's
impossibIe.
You feeI that way, do you?
You're reaIly thrashing about then.
That's very interesting, indeed.
And rather amusing, too,
to see a broken-down...
oId phony LlberaI come face-to-face
with his principIes.
Of course,
I aIways have beLleved...
that in that
fighting LlberaI facade...
there must be some sort
of reactionary bigot trying to get out.
Oh, go to heLL. You and your crowd
are stllI preaching heIl.
WeLL, I'm off.
As much as I'm enjoying
your discomfiture...
I may be abIe to save a few souIs
before supper.
But, I am, as it happens,
free for dinner.
PIease, come, : .
The doctor's famlly are fIying up
from Los AngeIes.
Oh, welI, in that case,
you'lI actuaLLy need me.
Otherwise, your side
won't even outnumber the bIacks.
Thank you, my dear.
HaIf past seven.
What was that the Beatles sang?
We can work it out
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Mom did it.
Do you think it Iooks Llke him?
WeLL, it Iooks a LlttIe grim,
doesn't it?
- No, don't Iet me disturb you.
- Not at aIl.
I hope you don't mind, but I've wrangIed
an invitation to dinner.
-MarveIous! I'm deLlghted you're coming.
-Thank you, my dear.
- I'm very deLlghted to have met you.
- My pleasure, Monsignor.
- See you this evening.
- CertainIy.
You know,
you two make me feel...
quite extraordinarily happy.
I'd better teLL TllLle. If you listen,
you'LL hear her going through the roof.
I brought you
the Iatest buLLetin.
Guess who's coming
to dinner now?
The Reverend Martin Luther King?
You're so cIose.
lt's Monsignor Ryan.
Bake a second pie, wllI you?
You know how he Ioves your cooking.
Listen, is the big guest room
in order?
Dr. Prentice wants to have
a shower and change.
- He does?
- He does.
WeLL, she's years oId.
I guess she has
a right to do as she pIeases.
Yes, but that's not the point.
The doctor said--
l know what the doctor said. CouId we
get out of here for a few minutes?
- Sure.
- What are the others doing?
They're meeting Peter and Judith
for a drink...
and then they're going on
to the airport.
ALL right, come on.
Come on, wllI you?
Whatever happened to what's-his-name?
Homer?
That Iawyer?
I thought she liked him very much.
Nothing happened to Homer.
Dr. Prentice just happened to Joey.
It was onIy Iast Christmas
she said Homer had the inside track.
Isn't that the pIace where we got
the good ice cream? Let's get some.
It's after : .
You'LL spoll--
A LlttIe ice cream can't hurt.
- Yes?
- When I had ice cream before...
I had a speciaI kind of fIavor
that I Llked very much.
- But I can't remember what it was.
- I'Il bring you the Llst.
No, you must know what it is.
Daiquiri Ice? Honeycomb Candy?
Cocoa Coconut? Jamoca AImond Fudge?
Mocha Jamoca? Peanut Butter and JeLLy?
Cinnamon Banana Mint?
- Must have been some other pIace.
- Fresh Oregon Boysenberry Sherbet?
That's it.
I'm sure that's it. Bring me
a Fresh Oregon Boysenberry.
- Bring me a big one.
- Right.
- WllI you have some? It's deLlcious.
- No. Black coffee.
One doubIe Fresh Oregon Boysenberry
Sherbet and one bIack coffee. Thanks.
You know, Matt...
I think Mike was right
that Joey is Iucky.
The work he's doing
is so important...
she'LL be abIe to heIp him with it
and share it aLL with him.
The best break
any wife can have.
You know, for us,
it's aLL been great...
but do you know
what was the best time of aLL?
lt was in the beginning
when everything was a struggIe...
and you were working too hard
and sometimes frightened...
and there were times
when I feIt...
that I reaIly knew
that I was a help to you.
That was the very best time of aLL
for me.
- One bIack coffee.
- Thank you.
And one Fresh
Oregon Boysenberry Sherbet.
Thank you.
This is not the stuff.
I never had this stuff
before in my Llfe.
You know, it's not bad.
Not bad at aLL.
I kinda Llke it.
Fresh Oregon Boysenberry.
Yes, sir.
WeLL, when l had
the ice cream before...
this isn't the stuff I had,
but I Llke it.
- lt's very good. I Llke it very much.
- Okay.
- How do you do, Miss Binks?
- I got somethin' to say to you, boy.
ExactIy what you tryin' to puIl here?
I'm not trying to puLL anything.
l was Iooking to find me a wife.
Ain't that just LlkeIy!
You wanna answer me somethin'?
What kinda doctor
you supposed to be anyhow?
WouId you beLleve horse?
You make with witticisms
and aLL, huh?
Let me teLL you somethin'.
You may think you're fooLln'
Miss Joey and her foIks.
But you ain't fooLln' me for a minute.
I see what you are.
You're one of those smooth-taIkin',
smart-ass niggers...
just out for aLL you can get,
with your bIack power...
and alI that other
troubIe-makin' nonsense.
And you Llsten here. I brought up that
chlld from a baby in her cradIe...
and ain't nobody gonna harm her none
whlle l'm here watchin'.
And as Iong as you are anywhere around
this house, I'm right here watchin'.
You read me, boy?
You bring any troubIe in here...
and you just like to find out
what black power realIy means!
And furthermore to that,
you ain't aLL that good-Iookin'!
That was very good.
If I come in again, remind me about
the Oregon Boysenberry, wllI you?
Yeah, I sure wllI.
Thank you, sir.
ShouId we take home
a coupIe of quarts for dessert?
No, TllLle's baked some pies.
You stupid idiot!
Why can't you
Iook where you're going?
Sorry, son,
but your car is so Iow--
Of course you didn't see me!
You weren't even Iooking
where you were going!
Look what you did to my car!
It's my fauIt.
My insurance--
Yeah, yeah. Who cares
about your Iousy insurance?
I worked over three months on that!
How much wilI it cost
to have it repaired?
Look at it! Thirty or forty bucks
it'LL cost. Did you see it?
Stupid oId man.
He oughtn't be aIlowed out.
He ought to be put away somepIace
in a home or something.
There's fifty bucks! Don't bother
to have it fixed. Buy a new one!
Some of these oId guys,
they're senlle!
Stupid oId man.
There oughta be a Iaw!
What the heIl is it today?
Less than '/. of the peopIe
in this city are coIored peopIe.
I can't even have a dish
of Oregon ''Boosenberry''...
without runnin' into one of them.
You've
Got to
Give a little
Take a little
And let your poor heart
Break a little
That's the story of
That's the glory of love
You've gotta laugh a little
Cry a little
Before the clouds
Roll by a little
That's the story of
I can't teLL you
how happy I am for you.
And the whoIe thing having
happened so quickIy.
You remember what it was
with Peter and me.
It took us three years
to decide to get married...
and we'd been Llving together
for two.
To John and Joey.
John and Joanna. He won't calI me
anything but Joanna.
- I'm beginning to Llke it too.
- To John and Joanna.
Where you're so lucky
is in Joey's foIks-- Uh, Joanna's folks.
You've onIy just met them,
but take my word for it.
Matt Drayton realIy stands
for something in this town.
Yes. I know the Guardian's
aIways been a very good paper.
It's a great paper,
and he made it what it is.
There's never been a pubLlc issue on
which Matt Drayton didn't take a stand.
When exactly are you flying over?
Sometime next week?
Just as soon
as l can arrange everything.
Why next week? Why aren't you
fIying over with John?
Why am I not fIying over with you?
- ls your passport in order?
- Yes.
- Do you need cIothes or anything?
- Nothing I couldn't get over there.
Then it seems crazy for you to be
going aIone when you could go together.
- Why don't you both Ieave tonight?
- Why not?
It's : . In an hour
they'LL aLL be here for dinner.
The doctor's pIane Ieaves
at : .
No matter what it is, you're going
to have to telI them how you feeI.
I need more than one day
to make a decision Llke that.
It's the sllliest thing
I ever heard of.
But I'LL teLL you this.
l am not going to try to pretend
that I'm happy about the whoIe thing...
because I'm not.
And if the doctor's decision
depends upon that, then too bad.
And I'm thinking onIy
of Joey's weIfare.
I have nothing against him personaLLy,
but he's a grown man.
He behaved irresponsibIy in the first
pIace by Ietting this thing happen.
Now he wants me to be happy
about a situation...
when I happen to know that they'LL both
get their brains knocked out.
I'm sorry,
but that's the way I feeI.
And I know how you're reacting.
You're so wrapped up in Joey's
excitement over the whoIe thing...
that you are not behaving
in her best interest!
Yes, Mom.
But there wasn't any reason
not to go tonight.
You can understand,
can't you, Mom?
My passport's in order. There's
nothing at aLL that I reaIly need.
And it won't
take me an hour to pack.
l'LL be able to be with him.
We'LL be together the whole time.
Mom, they're here.
l can see them.
They Iook Llke awfuLLy nice peopIe.
His mother Iooks loveIy.
You break it to Dad for me,
wllI you?
WeLL--
I guess I shouId have caLLed you back
because there is this one thing...
I shouId have--
I've been meaning
to write to you about it.
There was one thing
I didn't expIain, Dad.
And...
I'm afraid it's gonna be
kind of a shock.
You see what I mean?
Mom, Dad,
this is Joanna Drayton.
Joanna, my mom and dad.
Mrs. Prentice, I'm so happy.
- Miss Drayton?
- Yes.
Mr. Prentice,
l'm very pIeased to meet you.
I can expIain.
I can imagine what's going on
in your mind...
but we can expIain.
You can?
Of course we can.
You have bags?
Of course you have bags.
Let's go get your bags.
Mama?
- What did your foIks say?
- ALL's weLL.
- Did you taIk to your father?
- To Mom. But she'LL teLL him.
Tonight?
- I thought l ought to teLL you.
- That's out of the question.
This whoIe damn thing is--
No, that's out of the question.
l'LL teIl you something eIse.
I couldn't do what you're about to do...
so I don't begin to understand
how you propose to go about it.
But you can't break their hearts
over a drink...
and expect them
to sit down to dinner.
Don't you think I know that?
I have to taIk to the doctor--
l'LL taIk to him after dinner.
TeLL him exactIy how I feeI.
I'm not trying
to give you an argument.
There's nothing l can say
that you don't know.
It's important that you understand
just how wrong I think you--
I beLleve you're making the worst
mistake you've ever made in your--
You're gonna regret it with more
bitterness that you've ever known...
for as Iong as you Llve.
You're wrong.
You're as wrong as you can be.
Because I'm thinking of her
and even the doctor is going to know...
I'm thinking of her.
There's something else.
I'm surprised
it hasn't occurred to you.
The doctor wllI accept
whatever you say to him...
because he's a terribIy sensitive man
and because he said he wouId.
But Joey won't. The most obvious
mistake you're making...
is in underestimating
your own daughter.
She'LL fight you and
your whoIe attitude...
and everything you do and every
argument you ever try to give her.
And one thing more.
Untll today, I wouId never have beLleved
that I couId say such a thing...
but when she fights you...
and for what it may be worth...
I'm going to be on her side.
I never believed l'd hear you
say a thing Llke that.
- Can l get you another drink?
- No, thanks. l'LL get it myseIf.
I wish we had more time.
What, Mom?
I was going to ask Miss Drayton
how her father and mother reacted to--
Yeah. I wanted to ask that too.
PIease caLL me Joanna.
They were shaken, aIl right.
I don't think
I've ever seen them so surprised.
The thing that reaIly shook them...
was that I wanted to marry anybody
they hadn't even heard about.
I can't bIame them
for being sort of stunned by it aIl.
WeLL. Then you couIdn't bIame us if we
were a LlttIe stunned, too, could you?
I mean, I wouIdn't appear unreasonabIe
if I suggested...
that the two of you were behaving Llke
a coupIe of escaped Iunatics, wouId I?
This whoIe thing...
happened so quickIy...
it's Llke trying to ride a rocket.
We didn't pIan it that way.
It just happened that way.
It's a LlttIe hard on Joanna's foIks and
I'm sure it's gonna be hard on you.
We've got one evening
to discuss it...
and if you have any objections,
you'd better raise them in a hurry...
because in exactIy four hours
we're gonna be on that pIane and gone.
I don't think I couId Llst
alI my objections in four hours.
I think I'd need
more like eight hours.
WelI, you've onIy got four hours.
So you'LL just have to taIk
twice as fast.
HeLLo, darLlng.
How are you?
Forgive me.
I am a LlttIe bit earIy.
Ego absolvo te.
Come in.
I don't Llke to be
aIways repeating myseIf...
but how long is it since
that I remarked that I thought...
that you were the IoveLlest woman
I have ever known?
You know, there is a kind of envy
that is no way sinful.
That's what I've aIways
had for Matt aLL these years.
- What can I give you to drink?
- WeLL, l Llke Scotch if--
- Are we drinking wine?
- Yes.
Oh. I'Il have
a littIe drop of Scotch anyhow.
EquaI amount of soda, pIease.
Thank you.
My dear, what's the matter?
Sorry.
We're in troubIe.
Mike...
we're in terribIe troubIe,
terribIe troubIe.
John toId us--
Matt and me--
that he wouldn't marry Joey
unIess we couId say...
that we approved the marriage
with no reservations whatever.
Joey doesn't know
that he said that.
Now she's suddenIy decided to go
with him tonight. She has her tickets.
The two of them are on their way in
from the airport with John's parents...
and neither of them knows
that Matt has decided--
WeIl.
Matt has decided
that he can't approve.
That's not true.
Please telI me it's not true.
- Where is Matt?
- He's upstairs changing. He's--
He's not himseIf.
Excuse me.
It's incredibIe!
- TabIe aLL right?
- lt's fine.
- Thank you.
- Miss Christina, what's gonna happen?
I don't know, TllLle.
You and Mr. Matt, you gonna put a stop
to this damn nonsense fooLlshness?
I don't want to put a stop
to anything.
He's a fine man.
He's a wonderfuI man,
and Joey is very much in love with him.
And it isn't just
damn nonsense fooLlshness.
WeLL, I teLL you, Miss Christina.
The way you are taIkin',
I don't understand nothin' no more.
Nobody understands nothin' no more.
No, l don't think you're butting
into something that doesn't concern--
Damn bIast these Iousy Iaundries.
I understand how you feeI.
l understand how everybody feels.
But you have to
understand something too.
They've boxed me
into a heIl of a corner here.
And no matter what Christina says
or what you say...
I am not going to behave
irresponsibIy.
I'm not gonna teLL them they can't get
married. I don't have the right.
But they don't have the right
to come in here...
and expect me to be happy
about something any normaI man--
Oh, for God's sake!
You're on the point of destroying
aLL the happiness there is...
in one of the happiest famllies
I've ever known.
Have you any appreciation
at alI for Christina--
Have you any appreciation at aLL
of how that woman has behaved today?
From the moment they walked in, she was
for it, as if there were no probIems.
But there are no problems that Joey
and young Prentice don't know about.
Christina has more respect for Joey's
judgement than you have. l must say--
Oh, come off it!
lf Joey came home with some fuzzy-wuzzy
and said ''This is the man for me''...
Christina wouId say,
''Oh, reaLLy? How wonderful.
Where wllI we get enough roses
to fllI the Rose BowI?''
I'm trying to remember
where I've seen you so angry.
Oh, yes. When you took
nine shots on the seventh green.
WouId you mind
getting the heLL out of here?
I think I know why you're angry too.
Not with the doctor,
whom you obviousIy respect.
Not with Joey or Christina,
not even with me.
You're angry with yourself.
You're a pontificating
oId poop!
You're angry because aLL of a sudden,
and in a singIe day, you've been thrown.
You're the Iast man in the worId I wouId
have expected to behave the way you are.
You're not yourseIf.
You're off balance.
You don't know who your are,
what you are or what you're doing.
That's your troubIe.
You've gone back on yourseIf, Iaddie,
and in your heart you know it.
Now, Llsten, there's a Llmit
to what I'LL take, even from you.
For years, there's been no man
I've admired or respected more.
You know that.
And for the first time in aLL
those years, I feeI sorry for you.
Damn it, that's enough!
Are you reaLLy capabIe
of putting yourseIf in my position?
UnIess you've got
some kids of your own...
hidden away somewhere
that haven't shown up in the record...
how can you possibIy know how a father
wouId feeI in a situation Llke this?
You don't know!
I happen to beLleve they wouIdn't
have a dog's chance...
not in this country,
not in the whoIe, stinking world.
They are this country.
They'LL change this stinking world.
Yeah, sure. Fifty years, maybe,
or a hundred years.
But not in your Llfetime.
Maybe not even in mine.
My dear friend...
I wish with aLL my heart
you could be restrained.
And if l were ten years younger...
to prevent you
from going downstairs...
I beLleve I'd make some sort of effort
to wrestIe you to the fIoor.
That'LL be the day.
Is that the car?
Did you hear a car?
Mrs. Prentice,
I'm Christina Drayton.
- How do you do?
- How do you do, Mr. Prentice?
I'm so pIeased to meet you.
Come on in.
Let me take your coat and hat.
And yours?
Thank you.
How good of you to come
aIl this Iong way to see us. Do go in.
What did Dad say? Did you teLL him?
I'lI bet he was shaken.
- lt was a surprise.
- Does he want to talk to me?
Yes, I'm sure he does. Later.
Please come in.
May I get you a drink?
What would you like?
May l have some sherry, pIease?
What a loveIy room.
Thank you. John, wouId you be bartender?
I'LL have some sherry too.
- Of course.
- ShaLL we sit over here?
What wllI you have, Dad?
Bourbon?
- Thank you.
- You have such a magnificent view.
Thank you. PIease sit down.
Sit down, Mr. Prentice.
Did you have a pIeasant fLlght?
Very pIeasant, thank you.
The view of the sunset
was breathtaking.
OnIy took forty minutes.
Four hundred mlles.
It's incredibIe, isn't it?
My husband wilI be down directIy,
I think.
He's upstairs changing.
And we have a friend of ours
who's coming to dinner with us.
Monsignor Ryan.
I'm sure they'Il be down
in a minute.
- Thank you.
- Mom.
- Thank you.
- There you are, Dad.
Thanks, son.
Are you Catholics?
WeLL, no, we're not.
I'm afraid we're
nothing in particuIar.
Monsignor Ryan just happens to be
a very oId friend.
Do you come often
to San Francisco?
I've got to talk to your father.
There he is.
Dad, I'd Llke you to meet
Mr. and Mrs. Prentice.
- This is my father.
- Mrs. Prentice, nice to meet you.
- How do you do?
- Mr. Prentice, happy to meet you.
- How do you do?
- May I present Monsignor Ryan?
- How do you do, ma'am?
- How do you do?
GIad to meet you, sir.
- Are you and John tending bar?
- Yes.
The monsignor and I
are both drinking Scotch.
Coming up.
Sit down.
WeLL.
Did you have a nice fLlght
from Los AngeIes?
Oh, yes. Very nice fLlght.
Only minutes.
Only minutes from Los Angeles.
-Terrifying.
-If you're going to talk about fIying...
you couId taIk
about fIying to Geneva...
because John and I
are hoping to persuade...
aLL of you to fly over
for the wedding.
WouId anybody Llke to taIk about that
before I go up and start packing?
I take it they've toId you
aLL about their pIans?
Of course. It's onIy when you're
eIoping that you keep it a secret.
I don't know about you,
Mr. Prentice...
but it seems to me that these two
are rushing it just a LlttIe bit.
It seemed that way to me too.
It seems Llke that to you too?
That's right.
I'm certainIy reLleved
to hear that.
I was beginning to think l was the onIy
one around here who had any--
I wouId Llke Mrs. Prentice
to see the view.
What the heLL are you talking about?
What view?
From the terrace.
Before it gets too cold.
- Would you care to see the view?
- Oh, yes, thank you. I would.
Good. Excuse us.
Bring your drink with you.
Have you had any chance
to speak privateIy with John?
WeLL, no.
Because it's important that
you understand what's happened here...
and what I'm terribIy afraid
is going to happen.
May I expIain the situation to you
or try to?
Yes, please.
I wish you wouId.
First, I have to ask you--
Forgive my being so abrupt
and so direct.
Are you shocked
by the fact that John--
that your son is invoIved
with a white girI?
Surprised.
It never happened before.
I guess it never occurred to me
that such a thing might happen.
But it wouldn't be true
to say that I'm shocked.
Are you?
WeLL.
l think I was at first
this afternoon.
Because it came
as a compIete surprise to us too.
But now I know
how they feeI about each other.
Joey's stllI very young...
but she's not a chlld.
And they're...
deepIy in Iove
with each other.
Are you about to teIl me...
that you'd be wilLlng to approve
the marriage but your husband won't?
Is that it?
Yes, that's it.
My husband won't either.
I wish there were more time...
if onIy so that we couId adjust
to the situation.
But the way things are,
there just isn't any time.
If we're going to accept
the thing at aLL, it seems to me...
we'LL have to trust
the two of them...
and accept that they know
what they're doing.
And, Mrs. Drayton...
my husband just won't do that.
They seem to be having
quite a conversation out there.
It might do no harm
if we couId have a few words.
Yeah, sure.
We can go in my study.
WllI you excuse us, pIease?
I'LL have another drink
if you wllI, Doctor?
If you'LL excuse me, I'lI go up
and throw a few things together.
Like for the next ten years.
Mr. Drayton...
I don't know you at aLL, and
I certainIy wouIdn't want to offend you.
But are you some kind of a nut?
Are you going to teLL me that you
approve of what's been going on here?
-I wasn't going to teIl you that at aLL.
-Because if you do--
You may be a big, successfuI
newspaper pubLlsher...
and l'm nothing but
a pensioned-off mailman...
but you are right out of your mind.
I have a pretty good idea
of what my father is saying to him.
But I wish I knew--
You were taIking with him upstairs.
Have you any idea what
Mr. Drayton is saying to my father?
I can telI you one thing.
I was very sorry to hear...
that you intend
to withdraw from the situation...
if you encounter any opposition.
She's up there packing.
Your mother
wouId Llke to speak to you.
This is a mess.
Where's Joey?
- She's upstairs, my dear.
- I'm going up.
Everything is ready
whenever you aIl are ready.
We're not ready, TllLle.
WelI !
What you're saying is that you feeI
practicaIly the same as I do about this.
That's right.
But even so...
this is a heLL of an unhappy situation
for both your son and my daughter.
I think it wouId be best
if you taIked to John yourseIf.
I said that...
if they didn't approve,
there'd be no marriage.
I set the terms, Mama.
They don't disapprove.
OnIy Mr. Drayton.
Are you sure?
She said she'd even drive
the two of you to the airport.
I've Llved with your father
for aImost years.
God wllLlng,
there'LL be a Iot more.
And even though...
I've onIy known about this situation
for one hour...
I feeI the same way
Mrs. Drayton does.
She says Joanna
wllI never give you up.
I guess...
it depends upon
how much you want her.
Want her?
I want her, Mama.
You know what it's been Llke for me
these past eight years?
I feIt like I never wanted
anybody again.
But, Mama...
these last few days with her...
it's Llke l'm aLlve again
and it's marveIous.
Excuse me, Doctor.
Your father wants to taIk to you.
- Does he?
- He's in my study.
I've been talking to your husband.
He seems pretty much upset
by alI this.
I know.
Your wife says you are too.
Not upset, exactIy.
It's a very difficuIt probIem.
For whom?
For you and my husband?
l think you'lI soIve your problem,
alI right.
ALL you have to do is teIl them
you're against them.
That's aIl.
And you'LL have no probIem.
You're not going to teIl me
you're happy about this reIationship?
This is not a night
for taIking about happiness.
This is an unhappy night.
You've been taIking to Christina.
I know how she feeIs.
Can you imagine for one minute that
I want to see either one of them hurt?
No more than my husband does.
But hurt they're going to be.
Worse than my husband knows.
I think worse than you know too.
I teLL you he's as much
against this thing as I am.
Maybe more!
Son, you've got to Llsten to me.
I'm not trying to teLL you
how to Llve your Llfe...
but you've never
made a mistake Llke this before.
You've been nothin'
but a source of pride...
for me and your mother
your whole Llfe.
but you don't know what you're doin'.
This affair here--
It aLL happened too fast.
You said so yourseIf.
But you've got to stop and think.
Have you thought what peopIe
wouId say about you?
In or states you'd
be breakin' the Iaw. You'd be criminaIs.
And say they changed the law.
That don't change
the way peopIe feeI about this thing.
For a man who aLL his Llfe never
put a wrong foot anywhere...
you're way out of line!
That's for me to decide, man.
- So just shut up and Iet me--
- You don't say that to me!
You haven't got the right to ever say
a thing Llke that to me.
Not after what l've been to you !
And you know that,
and I know that.
Yeah, I know what you are
and what you've made of yourseIf.
But I worked my ass off to get the money
to buy you aLL the chances you had!
You know how far
I carried that bag in years?
mlles.
And mowin' Iawns in the dark so you
wouIdn't have to be stokin' furnaces...
and couId bear down on the books.
There were things your mother should
have had that she insisted go for you.
And I don't mean fancy things.
I mean a decent coat.
A Iousy coat!
And you're gonna teLL me
that means nothin' to you....
and you couId
break your mother's heart?
What happens to men
when they grow oId?
Why do they forget everything?
I beLleve...
those two young peopIe
need each other...
Llke they need
the air to breathe in.
Anybody can see that
by just Iooking at them.
But you and my husband are--
You might as weLL be bLlnd men.
You can onIy see
that they have a probIem.
But do you reaLLy know
what's happened to them?
How they feeI about each other?
I beLleve...
that men grow old.
And when the--
When sexuaI things no Ionger matter
to them, they forget it aLL.
Forget what true passion is.
If you ever feIt what my son...
feels for your daughter,
you've forgotten everything about it.
My husband too.
You knew once...
but that was a Iong time ago.
Now the two of you don't know.
And the strange thing...
for your wife and me...
is that you don't even remember.
lf you did...
how couId you do
what you are doing?
l don't care what your mother says.
Maybe she's gone haywire too.
This is between you and me.
That's the first thing you've said
that makes any sense...
because that's exactly where it's at.
- And what l mean to say is--
- You've said what you had to say.
You Llsten to me.
You say you don't want to teLL me
how to Llve my Llfe?
What do you think
you've been doing?
You teIl me what rights I've got
or haven't got...
and what I owe to you
for what you've done for me.
Let me teLL you something.
I owe you nothing.
If you carried that bag
a mllLlon miles...
you did what you
were supposed to do...
because you brought me
into this worId...
and from that day you owed me...
everything you couId ever do for me,
Llke I wlll owe my son...
if I ever have another.
But you don't own me.
You can't telI me when or where
I'm out of Llne...
or try to get me to Llve my Llfe
according to your ruIes.
You don't even know
what l am, Dad.
You don't know who l am,
how I feeI, what I think.
And if I tried to explain it the rest of
your Llfe, you wouId never understand.
You are years oIder than I am.
You and your whoIe Iousy generation...
believes the way it was for you
is the way it's got to be!
And not until your whoIe generation
has Iain down and died...
wilI the deadweight of you
be off our backs!
You understand?
You've got to get off my back.
Dad.
You're my father.
I'm your son.
I Iove you.
I aIways have
and I aIways wllI.
But you think of yourseIf
as a coIored man.
l think of myseIf...
as a man.
Now, I've got a decision to make.
And I've got to make it aIone.
And I gotta make it in a hurry.
So...
would you go out there...
and see after my mother?
You've just got to taIk John's parents
into fIying over with you.
It wouId mean so much to John
to have them there...
and I know they can afford it.
You know, I think John's father
is gonna make it a bit rough for him.
Did you see his expression when he
waIked off to have a taIk with Dad?
But isn't she IoveIy?
- Don't you Llke her aIready?
- Yes, darling, I do.
She's a good one.
When John's father first saw
that I was a white girI...
l thought he was going to faint.
What about your father?
Yes, that was funny, wasn't it?
Oh, Mom, isn't this thrllLlng?
Aren't you just--
Yes, darLlng, l am. Just.
I shouId be abIe to say something
to you, Mrs. Prentice.
In my trade, there are
a hundred cLlche phrases of comfort...
for every human condition.
But in the midst
of this heartbreaking distress...
I must admit...
I'm completeIy stumped.
There's simpIy
nothing I couId say.
Mary, you've just got to understand--
PIease, John.
The monsignor is right.
PIease say no more.
I'LL be a son of a bitch.
CIose the door, Mr. Drayton.
You didn't have the guts
to teLL me face-to-face, did you?
Before you start teLLing me
how much guts I've got...
I toId you
I'd have something to say.
Now I'm ready to say it.
Are you gonna stay in here?
You know that I'm
compIeteIy sympathetic, don't you ?
You know that I have
no reservations about anything.
And that whatever makes you happy
is my happiness too.
Of course I know that.
Then Llsten to me, darLlng.
There's something
I have to teLL you...
about this situation...
which you don't reaLLy--
What are you doing up there?
Come on down here, both of you !
How about your gIasses?
- Can I get you a drink?
- No, thank you.
No, you've had
enough as it is aIready.
What's going on?
There's something I want to say
and I'd Llke you to sit down...
see if you can keep quiet
for once in your Llfe.
PIease, sit down, John.
Sit down, Chris, pIease.
I have a few things to say and
you might just think they're important.
This has been a strange day. I don't
think that's putting it too strongIy.
I might even say
it's been an extraordinary day.
I've been out there
thinking about the day...
and the way it has gone...
and it seems to me that now...
I need to make a few
personaI statements.
For a variety of reasons.
The day began for me when l waIked into
this house and TllLle said to me--
Excuse me.
TllLle!
This'LL onIy take a second.
- Everything's been ready for--
- I know.
ALL right. Sit down.
This is Miss Matllda Binks...
who's been a member of this famlly
for years...
and who today has been
making a great deaI of troubIe.
Sit down, Tlllie.
Now. The minute I waIked
into this house this afternoon...
Miss Binks said to me,
''WeLL, aLL heLL's done broke Ioose now.''
I asked her, naturaLLy enough,
to what she referred...
and she said, ''You'LL see.''
And I did.
Then after some preliminary guessing
games, at which l was never very good...
it was explained to me
by my daughter...
that she intended to get married.
And that her intended was a young man
whom I had never met...
who happened to be a Negro.
I think it's fair to say
that I responded to this news...
in the same manner that any
normaI father wouId respond to it...
unIess, of course, his daughter
happened to be a Negro too.
ln a word, I was fIabbergasted. And
whlle I was stllI being fIabbergasted...
I was informed by my daughter--
a very determined young woman...
much Llke her mother--
that the marriage was on...
no matter what her mother and I
might feeI about it.
Then the next startLlng deveIopment
occurred when you waIked in...
and said that unIess we--
her mother and l--
approved of the marriage,
there would be no marriage.
You didn't!
What a funny thing to do.
This may be the Iast chance
I'Il ever have...
to teIl you to do anything.
So I'm teLLing you
shut up.
Now.
It became cIear that we had one
singIe day to make up our minds...
as to how we feIt
about this whole situation.
So what happened?
My wife, typicaLLy enough...
decided to simply ignore...
every practicaI aspect
of the situation...
and was carried away
in some kind of romantic haze...
which made her, in my view...
totaLLy inaccessibIe
to anything in the way of reason.
Now l have not as yet referred
to His Reverence...
who began by forcing his way
into the situation...
and then insuIting my intelLlgence..,.
by mouthing pIatitudes...
and ending just a haIf hour ago
by coming to my room...
and chaLLenging me
to a wrestLlng match.
- What time is your pIane?
- : .
Right.
Now, Mr. Prentice...
cIearIy a most reasonabIe man...
says he has no wish to offend me...
but wants to know
if I'm some kind of a nut.
And Mrs. Prentice says...
that Llke her husband,
I'm a burnt-out oId sheIl of a man...
who cannot even
remember what it's Llke...
to Iove a woman...
the way her son loves my daughter.
And strange as it seems...
that's the first statement
made to me aIl day...
with which l am prepared
to take issue.
Because l think you're wrong.
You're as wrong as you can be.
I admit that I hadn't considered it,
hadn't even thought about it...
but I know exactIy
how he feels about her.
And there is nothing,
absoIuteIy nothing...
that your son feeIs
for my daughter...
that I didn't feeI for Christina.
Old? Yes.
Burnt out? Certainly.
But l can teLL you
the memories are stllI there--
cIear, intact, indestructibIe.
And they'LL be there
if l Llve to be .
Where John
made his mistake, I think...
was attaching so much importance
to what her mother and I might think.
Because in the final anaIysis,
it doesn't matter a damn what we think.
The onIy thing that matters
is what they feeI...
and how much they feeI...
for each other.
And if it's haIf...
of what we feIt...
that's everything.
As for you two and
the probIems you're going to have...
they seem aImost unimaginabIe.
But you'LL have no probIem with me.
And I think...
that when Christina and I
and your mother...
have some time to work on him...
you'Il have no problem
with your father.
But you do know--
I'm sure you know--
what you're up against.
There'LL be a hundred mlllion peopIe
right here in this country...
who'LL be shocked and offended...
and appalIed at the two of you.
And the two of you wllI just
have to ride that out.
Maybe every day
for the rest of your Llves.
You can try to ignore those peopIe...
or you can feeI sorry for them
and for their prejudices...
and their bigotry and
their bLlnd hatreds and stupid fears.
But where necessary...
you'LL just have
to cLlng tight to each other...
and say screw aLL those peopIe!
Anybody couId make a heLL of a
good case against your getting married.
The arguments are so obvious
that nobody has to make them.
But you're two wonderfuI peopIe...
who happened to faLL in Iove...
and happen to have
a pigmentation probIem.
And l think that now...
no matter what kind of a case
some bastard couId make...
against your getting married...
there wouId be onIy one thing worse.
And that wouId be if...
knowing what you two are...
knowing what you two have...
and knowing what you two feel...
you didn't get married.
WelI, TllLle, when the heLL
are we gonna get some dinner?