Good evening ladies and gentlemen and boys and girls.
I am seeking the fountain of youth.
Unfortunately, I've had absolutely no luck at all.
I keep finding oil instead.
Of course, oil has its good point too.
It may not make you young, but it can make old age much more tolerable.
My task is made more difficult because I don't know what to expect.
When searching for the fountain of youth,
one doesn't know whether to look for a milk bar or a water pistol.
While I continue my search,
suppose you watch tonight's story.
It was especially written to elucidate our theme.
THE PEARL NECKLACE
Ah, darn it, I should have had that one too.
Come on, I'll give you the booby prize.
You're too good for me.
Hey, what do I get for winning?
- How about that? - That's better than the gold cup.
Oh, you know it.
Charlotte! Over here!
- Over here. - Hello Mr. Rutherford.
Mr. Rutherford, how are you?
Run along, young man, run along now.
Yes sir. Thanks for the use of the car, Mr. Rutherford.
Bye.
You're becoming a real tyrant.
I still have five minutes of my lunch hour left.
Sit down.
Oh, I have to go and change my clothes before I start taking dictation.
I'm not going to dictate, I'm going to talk.
Sit down.
I was hoping to get in a swim before I started work.
I want to talk to you about marriage.
All right, that's a nice subject.
Whose marriage should we discuss, mine?
Mine.
I am worth over 11 million dollars, give or take a few.
Not one of my ex-wives has that much claim to any inheritance.
They were paid off, every one of them.
Well, it's very nice.
So? The new Mrs. Howard Rutherford, will inherit absolutely everything.
A distinct advantage over the others, you follow?
Well, is it anyone I know?
Really, Charlotte.
My dear girl, instead of $85 a week as my secretary,
I am offering you upward of 11 million dollars,
for the few months you would spend as my wife.
As you know I, I have a weak heart.
I haven't long to live.
Why, I'm sorry I was so slow getting it, Mr. Rutherford.
It just never occurred to me.
Perfectly understandable, my dear.
Oh, I'm very flattered, really I am.
And if I'd met you before I met Mark,
well I, I'm sure I would have jumped at the chance.
But I am marrying Mark.
You'll have all the time in the world for marrying Mark,
after I'm gone, my dear.
At the very most, my prognosis is a year.
I don't think Mark would like loaning me out,
but thanks anyway.
You talk it over with Mark and let me know.
But you're worth losing 11 million dollars.
Pie in the sky.
You'll probably never get it anyway.
Don't you minimize my sacrifice, it's a sure thing.
- How? - Mm?
I said "how is it a sure thing"?
Oh, he can't possibly last more than a year or so.
You didn't tell me that part.
- Who cares? - Wait a minute.
Eleven million bucks is ???.
I told you, you're worth every penny of it.
Oh wait, Charlotte.
I mean when you come right down to it,
how much is a year out of a lifetime?
This is 12 months right?
So if somebody drives up and says to you,
"here's 11 million bucks for a year's work",
how do you turn that down?
- Mark Lansing! - Oh come on, Charlotte.
You know how much I make as a salesman, where's my future?
When you come right down to it, what have we got to look forward to?
I thought we had love.
Oh baby, come on.
Lover girl, use that gorgeous head of yours.
Can't you put up with him for a few months or a year if necessary?
If that meant we have everything.
You realize what we could do with 11 million bucks, do you have any idea?
Oh, Charlotte.
All the rest of our lives together,
every day and every night.
I thought you love me.
I do. I do love you.
Sure, but not enough to give up a few months of your life, is that it?
Mark, he wants to marry me.
Charlotte, he's 65 years old with one foot in the grave.
Is it gonna kill you to hold his hand?
Will there be anything else, Mrs. Rutherford?
Oh, I don't think so.
Uh unless it's a cup of tea, if it's not too much trouble.
No trouble at all, madam.
Lovely. You're so lovely.
Thank you, Howard.
- What is it? - Open it, my dear.
Oh!
A small token of an old man's love,
in gratitude for sharing his last days.
One pearl.
Well, I guess it's real.
To commemorate our wedding day,
one perfect pearl.
I only wish that I might be around
to give you a pearl for every year of bliss
that we share together.
Certainly beginning to shape up, isn't it?
Here's to five beautiful years, my dear,
and thank you.
What would you like to do tonight my pet, huh?
Oh, I don't mind.
I want you to have a good time.
I really don't care, Howard.
Penny for your thoughts.
Mark, is that who's on your mind?
Really, Howard.
Now, now, my dear.
Plenty of time for that after I'm gone.
It's open.
- Charlotte! - Darling.
You shouldn't be here you might be seen.
Oh, it's all right. He's sleeping off his anniversary celebration.
No one saw me.
I know, I know, but you ought not have come here.
One little slip up, he divorced you.
Oh, don't talk about that. It's just so wonderful to be here.
Darling.
You've taken down my pictures.
But baby, I had to.
Why have you taken them down?
Because they were driving me out of my mind.
Now, will you please be a good girl and leave.
No.
No Mark.
I decided tonight I'm leaving him.
I've been away from you too long.
Oh Charlotte, you can't.
Darling, you've invested five years of your life.
You're gonna throw that away?
I want to be with you.
And I with you but, he can't last much longer.
I'm 30 years old, I'm not gonna waste any more of my life.
Charlotte, would you listen to me, please?
We can't quit in this stretch now.
He'll let all that money go to some seedy charity?
We've got to hang on.
We?
We? Oh, brother.
Well, do you suppose it's been easy for me?
Night after night without you, alone here by this fire?
You have any idea what I go through?
I know that sounds selfish.
I realize you've had a difficult time too but,
darling, we've got it right in our hands.
Let's not drop it now.
I love you.
And I love you.
Hi lover boy. Am I late?
Well, that's pretty fancy competition but uh, I've handled worse.
Oh, Charlotte.
Mark, how could you? How could you?
Charlotte, you don't understand...
Oh, tell me more about your lonely nights. Go on, break my heart.
Charlotte, please!
Thank you very much for the advice.
I'll stick around long enough to collect the payoff.
Eleven million dollars, that's a lot of money, mister.
- Well, kiss it goodbye. - Charlotte!
Charlotte, my dear.
Happy anniversary, my love.
Fifteen down, my pet,
but I'm afraid this looks like the last one.
I doubt it.
No, I don't see how I can pull through this time.
Bad relapse, doctor said.
I think you're indestructible, Howard.
And I think you're lovely.
You'll be fine.
Yeah there's still some things that money can't buy and
I'm afraid health is one of them.
Well, never said die.
- Now get some sleep. - Oh, where are you going?
Well, the nurse says that I have a gentleman caller.
Oh, I know. I know, time for that after you're gone.
I'll be back.
- Want me to hold my breath? - No.
Charlotte, you looked wonderful.
Clock stood still for you.
What do you want?
Well, I saw a piece in the paper about your husband being weak.
I thought I'd drop over and see if you needed me.
Anything I could do for you like hold your hand or something.
When my ship comes in, you don't really think you'll get a ride on it do you?
Billy, I told you to wait for me please.
No, wait a moment.
- What's your name? - Billy. Billy Lansing.
His mother and I were divorced some time ago.
- How old are you Billy? - Ten.
- Is that your tennis court out there? - Yes.
I've never seen one in the backyard before.
It's a beaut.
- Do you like to play tennis? - Oh, sure I do.
I haven't been able to afford lessons.
He's quite good though.
I don't have a racket or nothing but I can hit the ball pretty hard.
- Would you like to play on my court? - Hey that'd be great.
Well you must come and play with me sometime.
Oh, for a girl, I hit a ball quite hard myself.
You want to swat a few now?
Oh well, um, not just this moment.
When?
Well uh, shall we say ...
Okay.
You run along now Billy, I want to talk to Mrs. Rutherford alone.
Thank Mrs. Rutherford.
- Thank you. Goodbye. - Goodbye.
I knew what I felt in my heart was true.
It's not dead between us.
You still feel something for me don't you?
- I still feel something for you. - Charlotte.
Take your hands off me.
I think my racket's got a hole in it.
My backhand's worse now than it was when I started.
Well, that's because you're chopping.
You're not following through as I showed you yesterday.
Say, Billy that's pretty good. You're getting better.
Thanks, dad.
Oh, you can leave that Billy.
You like to run along now? I want to talk to your father.
- Sure. Bye. - Bye.
Well, it's about time. I was wondering how long you can keep this up.
You haven't spoken a word to me all summer.
School starts in two weeks time.
What are your plans for Billy?
Well he'll go, of course. What else would he do?
As you know, I've become very fond of him during the summer.
I've spoken to Howard about him,
and he has agreed to send him to prep school.
In fact, the one he himself went to back then. That is, if you agree.
Of course.
What a break for the kid.
He's a very attractive boy, very intelligent.
I tried to bring him up the best I knew how.
Just because you and I once had an unpleasant relationship,
there's no need to deny the boy opportunities.
Unpleasant? You must be kidding.
As you know, Howard and I have no children of our own.
If Billy does well at prep school
then we are prepared to continue helping him.
Well, that's really wonderful of you, Charlotte.
In the future my chauffeur will pick him up whenever he cares to visit me.
I see no reason for you and I to have any contact whatsoever.
Thank you for 25 years,
of unbelievable happiness, my pet.
I'm not even going to give any speeches,
but this, probably being the last pearl.
Excuse me, my love, uh what was I saying?
I believe you were suggesting that you would doubtless outlive me.
Ever... ever hear the saying,
money can't buy happiness.
Old wives tale.
I bought 25 years of it.
Hasn't been too bad for you, has it?
I confess, I've grown rather fond of you.
Howard?
There'll never be another like you.
Oh, hello Mark. I've been expecting you.
How have you been?
So you got it all Charlotte, at last?
Down to the last million.
Oh, but don't talk about me, what have you been doing?
Oh, stop it!
There's nothing ever new with me and that's not what I'm here about.
Oh, you're still selling shoes or whatever it is you sell?
Oh, I know it's all very amusing to you, isn't it?
To me it's downright indecent.
There's nothing indecent about selling shoes, dear.
I am not talking about that and you know it.
You can't marry him.
We have everything in common.
I'm sure we'll be very happy.
Oh, come off it's Charlotte, at your age?
You can't get back the years you've lost.
You'll only make a fool out of yourself trying.
Maybe I'll live to be a happy female Methuselah. You never can tell.
After all, old age runs in the family.
Pour yourself a drink, Mark. You're overwrought.
That car is the sweetest little job on the road.
I wish we could take it with us.
I'll buy you another one in Paris.
He doesn't approve of us, Billy.
Hi dad. What are you doing here?
Oh, what's the problem, father?
Our marriage was made in heaven, wasn't it, Charlotte?
I'm sure you will agree that Charlotte's marriage to her young man,
has a very good chance of success.
They have at least one thing in common: Mark.
This is the famed fountain of youth.
It must be very powerful stuff indeed.
I had to show my draft card to get in here.
I haven't noticed any change. I think I'll have another.
I'll rejoin you in a minute.
He says night night till next week.