Transcripts - Forever Dreaming

Good evening.

Tonight I'm dining at my favorite club.

There are many advantages here.

As you can see

informality is the rule.

There is also the stimulation
of intellectual companionship

without the deafening quiet
that pervades in most clubs.

Best of all, I like its privacy.

Only four persons are allowed to the table

and of course no one
pays any attention to you.

Our program is not restricted
to views of the clubs.

We also plan a visit to the the cinema

where we shall see a film entitled
"The Kind Waitress".

It begins after this
one minute appetizer.

Miss Mannerheim hasn't come yet, huh?

Take it easy, Thelma, she'll show up.

Six-thirty. Usually has
her dinner before eight.

You can relax now, there she is.

Marion, tell the chef, would you?

She wants eggs scrambled soft.

- And dry toast and tea.
- And dry toast and tea.

Think I don't know that order by this day.

Don't forget the milk.
She won't drink her tea without it.

Good evening, Miss Mannerheim.

Good evening, dear.

Your orders on the fire.

Here, let me do that.

There.

Love that fur.
It's beautiful.

You're a little late tonight.

Haven't been sick, have you?

A little.
Just a little.

But it's to be expected at my age.

- Don't you think you ought to see Dr. Lacey again?
- No.

He will just give me
more of his silly medicine.

- I never take the stuff.
- You ought to.

When my time comes,
the Lord will take me.

Medicine won't help.

But thank you for them.
You are a good child.

I'm thirty-eight.
Pretty old for a child.

To me, it's very young.

Can you sit and talk a little?

I guess so.

Till your orders ready.

How are you getting on?

Same as usual, I guess.

Still in that rooming house?

It's crummy, but it's cheap.

Here, take some water.

I'm alright.

But it's not really true.

I'm pretty sick.

For the first time,
I feel old.

Mrs. Mannerheim, I.. I think...

Now, don't you fret.

What I wanted to tell you.

In case anything happens to me.
I mean...

I think a lot of you.

And I want to help you.

You know what I'm talking about?

No.

I'm an old woman, Thelma.

And I have more money
than I know what to do with.

My sister, the last relative I had,
passed on a year ago.

You are my only friend.

And I want you to know
I've taken care of you.

Taken care of me?

In my will.

You have been kind to me, Thelma.

And I am grateful.

When I die, you will be
able to leave this job,

move out of your rooming house

to a nice apartment.

You have always admired this, dear.

So I'm giving it to you now.

Mrs. Mannerheim,
you don't have to do this.

But I want to do it.

And you will receive a
considerable legacy later on.

I haven't much time left.

I dreamt of the coffin last night.

You believe in dreams?

I don't know.

I think I'm, I'm having a
kind of dream right now.

Maybe... maybe I better get
you dinner before it gets cold.

What held you up, I've
been waiting here an hour.

- Honey, guess what happened.
- Did you bring anything to eat?

- Don't I even rate a kiss?
- First things first.

- What's in the bag?
- Brought you a roast beef sandwich.

And some french fries too.
Hope they're not cold.

They're cold.

- No beer?
- Darling, I'm so excited I forgot.

- Arthur, I've got something to tell you.
- Write me a letter.

It's important.
To you as well as to me.

Would did you do?
You get canned?

I got left some money.
In a will.

- Who died?
- Nobody, not yet.

You remember that sweet old lady
I told you about Miss Mannerheim?

Well, she gave me
this lovely pin tonight.

And she told me she's leaving me
a considerable legacy in a will.

She's such a sweet old lady, honey.

Holy cow!

...all my cotton-picking life.

No more playing for peanuts.

I can start my own band.

Can you just see it?

A -piece combo and
me and a liquor stick.

I wonder how much a
considerable legacy means.

In terms of cash.

She's awful rich.

Could be twenty, maybe...

maybe $ , .

Fifty grand?

Go girl go!

You're in cloud seven now.
Reach up and grab free.

$ , is nothing to Mrs. Mannerheim.

She's got the most expensive
suite in the hotel.

Darling, when this happens
we'll get married, huh?

We could, we could maybe do it before.

Not before, Thelma.

As soon as the old dame kicks off, sure.

But until then you got to
stay with her every minute.

Make sure she don't change her mind.

You're right, honey.
You're always right.

You give me a kiss and I'll go down
and bring you back some beer.

Just look at that old thing.

You know, some nights she's going
to die right in the middle of dinner.

People like that ought to go
to a home or something.

Did she want to?

- Trays on the steam table.
- I'll pick it up.

Good evening, Miss Mannerheim.

You're looking good tonight.

What'd you say?

I said you're looking good.

Well I'm not feeling good.

The food in this dining room
gives me indigestion.

And I must say the service
has become inferior.

You have been neglecting me lately.

- And after I'd give you my lovely brooch...
-

What did you say?

I said I'm sorry Miss Mannerheim.

I try to do my best.

Poor girl giving you a hard time?

I don't know what come over.

She used to be so sweet.

Four months we've been waiting.
I'm fed up.

Honey!

Why, you're sick of waiting too.
You're getting to hate the old bag.

Hate? I'm very fond of Mrs. Mannerheim.

Oh, don't give me that.

You getting to hate her
more and more everyday.

I can see it in your face.
You don't talk about her the way you're used to.

She's taking much too long to die.

I don't know what you're talking about.

What makes you think she
won't live to be a hundred?

- She's so sick.
- Then why ain't she dead?

- Arthur!
- Why don't we help her along a little?

Don't you see how easy it will be?

And it wouldn't even be wrong.

Think of the poor old lady suffering,
sick the way she is.

She'll welcome a little peace.

And you can give it to her.

It will be a snap.

- I'm not listening.
- Nobody will ever know.

I'd help you, I'll show you how.

Stop it.

We could do it with the food.

She'll never notice, a sick old lady like that,
her tastebuds all shot.

You just put a little bit of something

in her tea, night after night until...

You're crazy.

You're talking absolutely crazy.

Sure, sure. Only listen to what I'm saying.

Now, there's plenty of stuff around.

I'll figure a way how to get it.

And every night, you just
put a little bit in her tea.

Now that would be easy for you,
wouldn't it?

Poor sick old lady.

You know they got a name for this.

It will be what they call...

...a mercy k*lling.

And as soon as it happens

we could get married, doll.

Supposed tomorrow, I go out and...

...get a little something.

What do you say?

Alright Arthur.

We'll do it like you say.

This is going to be tougher than I thought.

When I went to the drugstore to get the stuff

the guy wanted me to sign my name in a book.

Take me hand in myself over to the cops that way.

What are we gonna do?

I got to study up.
Find out all about this stuff.

- Can I help?
- Ya.

You give it to her when the time comes.

Now shut up.

A poison which on ingestion,
inhalation, absorption,

application, injection or
development within the body,

produces an injury to the body.

This Mrs. Mannerheim, she's over eighty, huh?

- How's her heart?
- Bad.

It's her worst trouble.

Doctor gives medicine,
she won't take it.

Hey listen to this.

Anotyne.

The leaves of the...

...larascrofa,

dried and distilled, form the poison anotyne.

The prepared drug has a faint odor but no...

...discernible taste.

That's it.

All I got to do is get some of these

larascrofa leaves
and we got it made.

- What are they?
- I'll find out.

Er you, go and bring
me back some beer.

Looks just like water, don't it?

Or gin, maybe.

It has got a faint odor.

Smells like er...

...geraniums.

Arthur don't!

Got to hand it to the science cats.

No taste.

Baby, we are in business.

As of now.

Thelma.

What do you want?

What's the matter,
you got the jitters?

No-o! I'm okay.
I-I'm perfectly okay.

I just want to ask if you'd mind taking
Wednesday off instead of Saturday.

- One of the other girls...
- Wednesday?

Yeah. Sure, it's fine.

There you are.

Toast is hot.

Your eggs just the way you like it.

Here's the milk for your tea.

I'm not a bit hungry.

I should have stayed in bed.

If you feel like it, why don't you
just go right ahead and do it?

I'd bring the tray up to your room.

Since you did get dressed,
I think you ought to eat something, don't you?

Here. Try some tea.

I always like my tea.

Tastes good.

For goodness sake,

why are you staring at me, child?

Go away.

Sorry, Miss Mannerheim.

I didn't mean.

Marion, about Wednesday I've been thinking.

I don't need either Wednesday or Saturday off.

Are you crazy?

There's no time-and-a-half overtime on this job.

That's okay.
I wanna stay close to Mrs. Mannerheim.

She... she don't look so good.

You're crazy alright.
Too kind and nice too.

Are you being taken care of,
Mrs. Mannerheim?

Oh yes.

Thelma has a real knack for her work,

but don't tell her I said so.

A little discipline is good for girls.

I've never seen you in a hat before,
Mrs. Mannerheim.


Going some place?

Yes. I'm going to die.

But not tonight.

Tonight I'm going to live.

You know what I'm going to do?

I'm going to treat myself

to a lump of sugar.

Certainly is good.

We got her on the stuff
for almost half a year.

She's had enough to knock
off a whole battalion.

I done everything you told me.

It don't work.

I'm so dog tired.

Oh, don't she even look worse,
sick to her stomach, nothing like that?

I haven't noticed any difference.

She's always been sick and old.

Well...

...keep giving her the same amount.

We can't start taking chances now.

Honey, I'm telling you.

I can't keep this up,
I got to stop.

- What?
- I got to stop.

What are you doing?

Taking back my picture.

You chicken out on me,
I'm pulling out on you.

Honey, don't. Don't.

Don't leave me.

- I'll do anything you say.
- Well?

I'll give the stuff as you want me to.

It's me, Mrs. Mannerheim,
I've brought your tray.

Sure look pretty, Miss Mannerheim.

Pretty as a doll.

I don't feel like one.

I feel very weary, Thelma.

I think my time has come at last.

Oh, you oughtn't to talk like that.

Come on now.

Have your eggs.

And your toast.

I have no appetite.

Then drink your tea.

Always like your tea.

Yes.

You are a sweet girl, Thelma.

When you want to be.

You didn't bring me the milk.

Oh gosh I forgot.

Come on, Mrs. Mannerheim, just this once.

Try drink it straight.

But I don't like tea without milk.

Couldn't you get me some?

Mrs. Mannerheim, if I went down to
the kitchen to get you some milk

the tea will be cold by the time I got back.

I have to make some more tea.

Couldn't you do that?

Yes, I could, but,
I got other things to do.

Come on now, drink your tea.

But I can't!

I simply can't.

I always have milk with my tea.

You know how it is,
a habit like that.

No I don't.
I don't.

I don't know how it is.

I never had everything I wanted.

You understand that?

Can you understand that?

Why, Thelma.....

I had to work for what I want.

I've been working all my life.

You think I'm a waitress because,
because I like it?

You think the restaurant's my home,

you think I like greasy kitchens and dirty dishes
and complaining old women?

I must ask you not to speak to me like that.

I speak to you anyway I like.

You are rude, naughty girl.

You are not at all the
person I thought you were.

I'm afraid I'm going to
have to change my will.

- Don't you touch that!
- Oh!

No, you stop that.

Let's go of my hand,
you horrid child.

I'm not a child.

I'm years old.

Mrs... Mrs Mannerheim.

Mrs. Mannerheim!

The coroner was notified by Dr. Lacey,
the attending physician,

and he appointed me
to perform the autopsy.

I first viewed the body of Sarah Mannerheim the deceased
approximately one hour and a half after her death.

The left side of the neck
revealed four fingernail marks.

On the larynx, were discolored marks
and bruising accompanied by swelling.

There was also a fracture
of the hyoid bone.

An autopsy revealed that the main
respiratory organ showed marked congestion.

Now, Dr. Maxwell what
conclusion did you draw?

That the deceased was throttled,
choked to death.

Thank you.
You may step down.

Miss Thelma Tompkins,
take the stand please.

Raise your right hand.

Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth
the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

- I do.
- Be seated, please.

Now Miss Tompkins,

it appears that you were the last person
to see Mrs. Mannerheim alive.

You heard the medical examiner and the

testimony of Dr. Lacey, Mrs. Mannerheim's physician.

He said that he came to the hotel
in response to a phone call.

Did you make that call?

I guess so.

This is not a matter of guessing, Miss Tompkins.

Did you or did you not telephone Dr. Lacey

and tell him that you have entered
Mrs. Mannerheim's room and found her dead.

Yes. I did.

And why didn't you remain there
until he arrived as he asked you to do.

I was scared.

So scared that you ran right home
and started packing your bags.

Miss Tomkins, I understand you
know a man named Arthur.

He didn't have anything to do with it.

The police have been unable to locate him.

- Can you tell us where he is?
- I don't know.

He didn't do it anyway.

I didn't do it either.

That is er...

I didn't mean to do it the way I did.

You may step down.

We find that the deceased
Sarah Mannerheim,

met her death due to unnatural causes.

We recommend that Thelma Tompkins
be taken into custody

and held for trial on such charges
as may be preferred against her.

This jury stands adjourned.

Thank you Dr. Lacey.

You know Mrs. Mannerheim was such a grand
old lady it's a shame she had to go that way.

Yes.

The only consolation is she wouldn't
have lived long in any case.

Had a bad heart.
I've been giving her anotyne.

Anotyne?

It's usually thought of as a poison.

But in small doses it's a specific
for a condition like hers.

Funny thing, I had an idea she distrusted
medicine. Didn't take this stuff.

Actually, anotyne was the
only thing keeping her alive.

'The only thing keeping her alive.'

'Anotyne was the only
thing keeping her alive.'

'Keeping her alive...'

This type of restaurant underlines one
of the basic confusions of my life.

I frequently find myself trying to tip
slot machines and tilt waitresses.

Just now I'm trying to find the caviar.

While I'm looking,
suppose you do the same.

I shall rejoin you in a minute.

They don't have caviar.

The manager has offered me elderberry jam,

which he claims looks exactly the same.

He feels that when you buy caviar
you're just spending a lot of money for the name.

He may be right.
I'll never know.

Next week we shall return with another story.

Until then, good night.