[Telephone rings]
Cliff, answer that for me, will you?
You betcha, coach.
[Ring]
Cheers.
Carla? Yeah.
Carla! It's for you!
Sounds like trouble with the kids.
I'm not here!
Carla!
Aw, give it to me. Give it to me.
What is it?
Seraphina's where?
Well, cut her down!
I don't care if it helps the TV reception!
Cut her down!
And if I got home and find you've flushed the car keys again,
you've had it!
And by the way, any more problems tonight,
and you're adopted.
Your real mother is...
Doris slobotkin, 555-8921.
You think that's going to work?
One-in-a-million chance, but I got to take it.
♪ Makin' your way in the world today ♪
♪ takes everything you've got ♪
♪ takin' a break from all your worries ♪
♪ sure would help a lot ♪
♪ wouldn't you like to get away? ♪
♪ Sometimes you wanna go ♪
♪ where everybody knows your name ♪
♪ and they're always glad you came ♪
♪ you wanna be where you can see ♪
♪ our troubles are all the same ♪
♪ you wanna be where everybody knows your name ♪
♪ you wanna go where people know ♪
♪ people are all the same ♪
♪ you wanna go where everybody knows your name ♪♪
[Humming]
Hello, everyone.
Hi, Diane. Hey! Hi.
♪ La da da da ♪♪
sounds like you had a pretty nice day off.
It was so nice,
I don't know if I'm ready to talk about it yet.
However, if you insist.
I went out with David from the anthropology department.
He took me up to New Hampshire.
We walked in the woods. We communed with nature.
We stayed at a little inn where John Adams slept.
Yeah, lots of guys sign the register that way.
Well, now I know why I didn't want to talk about it.
You know, I had a pretty nice day off myself.
Taffy and I went sailing up at marblehead.
"Taffy"?
Sailing? You?
You, uh, got a problem with that?
Oh, no, no.
It's just that I thought your idea of romance
was brunch and a cock fight.
I love sailing.
After seeing ordinary people,
I've been trying to get my kids interested in it.
Oh, come on.
Carla!
Good afternoon, everybody.
Norm! Norm! Oh! Norm!
How's life treating you, norm?
Like he caught me in bed with his wife.
How about a beer, norm?
Yowsah!
Sammy, I'm gonna bring some company in this afternoon.
Who you bringing in, norm?
My new superior.
Got to butter him up a little bit, you know?
I figured I'd bring him in for a drink,
maybe catch some dinner upstairs.
Why don't you take him to your house?
My wife lives there.
Gotcha.
One thing, you guys...
You don't know me in here, o.K.?
Why?
I don't want him to think I'm a barfly.
Right.
Don't call me norm, all right?
Gotcha, norm.
Diane, would you get some singles up at melville's?
Aye, aye, skipper.
Coach, I'll be right back.
I'm going to get some wine.
Pardon me.
Oh, hi.
I'm looking for a Diane chambers.
You're in luck. We got a Diane chambers.
I beg your pardon?
I hope you only want one.
Do you sense, as I do,
that this conversation is an exercise in futility?
Thank you very much.
My name is Ernie pantusso,
but you can call me coach.
Rebecca prout.
Hi, Becky.
Diane and I shared a suite at bennington.
No kidding.
Sam and I shared a chunky bar in Cleveland.
Where is Diane chambers?
Oh, Diane. She's upstairs. She'll be down in a minute.
I'll just sit at a table and wait.
Okey-dokey.
Thanks for your help.
You're welcome. Any time.
Rebecca?
Rebecca!
Diane!
Well, what a wonderful coincidence, huh?
I... I never come into a place like this.
I-I'm doing research for a paper...
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
What the hell's going on here?
Oh, a serving girl.
Uh... would you bring us a bottle of wine?
Only if I can spit in it.
Diane, it's all right.
I know that you work here.
All right. How did you find out?
I called your mother.
She took her head out of the oven
long enough to fill me in.
Oh, god, I've missed you.
Ohhh.
I'll never forget those long afternoons in the quad,
drinking champagne,
eating brioche with strawberry preserves.
Mmm.
Reading and talking schopenauer.
Yeah, well... Enough schope talk.
That's the beauty about being a mailman, norm.
I don't have to play smoochie-woochie
with my superiors the way you do.
Cliff, believe me, it's worth it for accounting.
I love numbers.
God help me, I love them.
Cliff: Now, me...
I like the challenges...
Dogs, vicious kids,
those hard-to-find mailboxes.
You think accounting's boring, right?
I miss one digit,
a whole company goes in the toilet.
I'll tell you, when it all makes sense is mother's day...
Delivering a card to some old hag.
Watching her eyes mist up.
Kind of gets me right behind the old ballpoint. Know what I mean?
You want to talk sentimental, pal?
You take that same old crone,
save her a couple hundred bucks on the short form.
Then I know why the big guy put me here.
I actually get paid to stand here
and listen to great conversation.
[Speaking French]
Rebecca, there's something wrong.
Oh, you could always see through my facade of gaiety.
Elliot and I have parted.
Oh, Rebecca, no.
You and Elliot?
You were... Together forever.
I know.
It all began when Elliot got
his doctorate in ichthyology.
His eye began to wander, and the first thing I knew,
he'd taken up with a young student
on a squid expedition.
A doctorate changes a man.
But there will be others, right?
And in the meantime, you still have your work.
Oh, you think so?
I used to find enormous comfort
translating Russian poetry.
I know. But no more.
Even when I went back over my favorite,
karashnakov's another Christmas of agony,
it failed to soothe me.
"Misha the dog lies dead in the bog.
"The children cry over the carcass.
"The mist chokes my heart,
"covers the mourners.
At least, this year we eat."
Well, if that didn't pick you up,
I'm at a virtual loss.
What I need is to blot out Elliot's memory.
That's exactly what you should do.
I'm looking for a man.
Pardon?
Diane, I've been thinking about this very carefully.
And I think what I need is something I've never had before...
An evening of unbridled bestial pleasure.
I want to burn at the stake of passion.
Rebecca, you're very vulnerable right now.
Please don't do anything foolish.
I've never done anything foolish in my life.
And it's high time I did.
Now, the man I'm looking for should be peasant stock...
Tall, dark, strong, hairy arms.
But most important, he should be unintellectual.
One-word sentences.
Do you know anyone like that?
No!
Uh-uh.
Diane, did you get the small bills?
Oh, yeah. Right. Excuse me.
Here you go, coach.
I need a 10 in silver, honey.
Would you get it for me, please?
O.k., coach. Thank you.
I'll be right back. You just sit very still.
Sip your wine... Slowly.
Damn!
Hi there.
Come here often?
Yeah, just about every day. I work here.
Oh.
I couldn't help noticing your arms.
Yeah. I get lots of comments on these.
They go all the way down to my hands.
What's your name?
Uh... sam! Change.
Why? I like myself this way.
Carla: Hey, Sammy!
Two bourbons, straight.
Diane! It's him!
What?
I want him!
Who, the gay guy with the war wound?
You can't fool me.
He's exactly what I'm looking for.
You're not interested in him yourself, are you?
No. Of course not.
Then I'm going for him before I lose my nerve.
Sam.
That woman over there is a dear friend of mine.
She is going through a very difficult period,
so whatever she asks you,
please, just say no.
What?
No.
Diane.
Yes?
Would you excuse us a moment?
Fine.
Would you object to joining me in my hotel room
for an afternoon of wild, animal passion?
No!
What's your name?
Does it matter?
No.
Diane, Sam's not back yet.
So? Who cares?
I would if he took off with my friend
for two hours.
One hour...
And 53 minutes.
Sam always did like day games.
What do you say, Mr. Stabell? This looks like a good place.
Norm... uh...
♪ nor nor nor-nor-nor ♪
♪ nor-nor nor-nor nor-nor ♪♪
what you going to have, strangers?
Uh, let me get this, Mr. Stabell.
I think I'll have a, uh... Perrier.
Perrier.
Give me a beer.
Beer.
Wait a minute... a beer.
Sounds like a refreshing change.
I think I'll have a beer.
Coach.
Listen... promise you'll hold me
to one beer tonight.
One at a time?
For the whole night.
The whole night? Yeah.
Thank you.
Here we go.
Two tankards of their finest ale.
Ahh.
Let's talk!
Hey, Sammy!
Hey.
Coach: Hi, Sam!
Diane, Sam's here.
Oh?
I'm going to be in my office back here.
Well, hey.
Nothing going on here, huh?
Dead.
I think I'm going to stretch my legs,
get a little exercise, fresh air.
You've got to take it easy.
I have no respect
for a man who can't control himself
when it comes to drinking.
Yeah. Me neither.
How could you do that to that poor woman?
Do what?
"Do what?" Thank you, Mr. Quickpants.
Rebecca is a very vulnerable person
coming off a shattered relationship.
How could you go off with her?
She said, "would you mind?"
"Would you mind?"
Those three words are all that separate you
from a rutting pig.
That and my aftershave.
How dare you try to be funny when I hate you!
Come on, what's the big deal here?
We're all adults, aren't we?
Yes.
Contrary to your assumption,
I am not a prude.
I have a very healthy attitude toward...
You know.
Answer me one question.
Are you proud of what you did today?
I don't kiss and tell.
Oh. The pig develops scruples.
Hey, come on. Look. I'm just kidding you.
Nothing happened, all right?
And he compounds it by lying.
No, no lie. I swear, nothing happened.
You mean, Rebecca came to her senses?
No. No, I... I stopped it.
Oh, I get it.
You got angry because she considered you
nothing but a stud service.
No. I liked that.
The problem was that I couldn't shut her up.
No offense, but your friend is very boring.
She's depressing, and she's long-winded.
I mean, those dismal Russian poems.
I mean, they don't even rhyme.
After listening to two hours' worth
of frostbite and famine,
I decided to get my balalaikas out of there.
You turned a woman down?
Yeah.
Here I am, all primed for a wonderful afternoon...
You can't admit the truth, can you?
All right, what? What?
What is the truth?
Decency finally won out!
You did the right thing. You were noble.
No. No. I was bored.
Unconsciously, you were sensitive to her suffering.
And you didn't want to take advantage of that.
You think so?
Yes!
Sam Malone, you're a better man
than you're willing to admit.
Yeah, well... Maybe you're right.
Maybe I am kind of turning into a sensitive guy.
Maybe I'll never look at another woman again
and see her as a... Mere sex object.
No, uh... Scratch that thought.
It was my favorite audit.
Carla.
It nearly cost my marriage,
but it was worth it.
Hey. Got to go for the gusto.
I like your enthusiasm, norm.
You're a workhorse.
Clydesdale.
You know, I'm having one heck of a time.
I don't usually do this, but...
Let's have another.
Coach, two more beers.
Can't do it, norm.
No. It's ok now. Really.
Norm, I'm not letting you down. You said one beer.
All right. All right.
One beer for my friend.
Oh, that's different.
He'll have a pitcher.
Diane?
I've come to say goodbye...
Forever.
Oh, Rebecca, what's wrong?
I'm not attractive to men.
What?
First, Elliot. Now what's-his-name.
Rebecca, I'm sorry.
Do you have to believe in god to be a nun?
It helps.
What did Sam do to you?
Who's Sam?
The, uh... The bartender.
Oh. Nothing.
That's the problem.
Oh, Diane, he found me repulsive!
No, no, Rebecca.
This must be a misunderstanding.
He climbed out the window.
I'm going back there to talk to Sam.
He must know that he's hurt you this way.
I originally wanted to be a dancer, norm.
You're a pig.
I haven't moved. How did I get back to pig?
You have ruined a human being.
Who?
Rebecca!
She's sitting out there now.
Mother Russia? I'm not here.
Sam! She's crushed.
I've never seen this woman so depressed.
And, believe me, I have seen the woman depressed.
I believe you.
Well... you have to do something.
She is seriously upset, and it's your fault for the way you rejected her.
Wait. Wait. Where are you going?
I'm going to bring her in.
No, no. Come on. Just give me a minute to, uh,
build a window or something.
We're going to restore her confidence.
What am I going to say?
Just tell her that the reason you rejected her
wasn't because you found her unattractive.
What was the reason?
I don't know.
Well, tell her that you belong to someone else,
that you lost your head for a moment.
You're an uncaring worm.
Stabell: I was laughed at by the other boys, norm...
Rebecca, may I speak to you in here for a moment, please?
But don't they always laugh at the graceful fellows?
Hello, Rebecca.
Hello, uh... Again.
Uh... when I left the hotel,
I may have given you the wrong impression.
I thought there was a fire.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Rebecca, I might not have been totally fair with you.
The reason I left was
I'm kind of seeing another person.
I was afraid this was going to happen.
You're making excuses to spare my feelings.
No, no, no. This is true.
I really am seeing somebody else. Please.
Rebecca, you are a very desirable woman.
He does happen to be going with somebody, that's all...
Me.
You? You?
We can tell it now.
Yes. Today we had a tiff
right before you came in, and Sam used you
to make me jealous.
And then when push came to shove,
he finally remembered
what a wonderful thing that we have together.
Isn't that right... Sweetheart?
Oh, yeah. Sure.
You betcha.
Yes. Sam and I are deeply and passionately in love.
I can't believe it.
You two?
It's incredible.
I'd never have put you two together.
Well, I know it does
test the limits of human logic.
But, like you, I was growing bored
with bright, articulate men.
You were, huh?
Sure. I was looking for meat and potatoes, and...
Sam here, the old side of beef, really fit the bill.
I was getting kind of bored
with beautiful, sexy, sensuous women.
I decided to go for pleasant.
[Slap]
Yes...
Believe it or not,
I actually prefer a man who's thick and ordinary.
I guess I'm kind of old-fashioned.
I like a woman who does what her man tells her.
Oh, lookie there. My shoe's undone.
Will you get that for me, honey?
What, darling?
Would you tie my shoesie-woosie for me?
She loves doing these little things for me.
That's a little tight there, honey.
How's that, sweetheart?
Well, that's... that's much better. Thank you.
Well!
All of a sudden
I feel like I'm intruding.
I can see that there's such emotion in this room.
Thank you for everything, Diane.
Oh, Rebecca, thank you.
It was wonderful to see you again.
I'll write you.
Oh, good. Things will work out.
Au revoir.
You...
Let go. Oh! Let go of me!
You get your hand out of... just get...
That's the kind of passion
I was hoping I'd find.
You'll find it, Rebecca.