Pat: Without caffeine.
Dr. Plauten: Dancing —
Pat (looking at Bobby): Without you.
Bobby (shyly): Is it all right for her to dance?
Dr. Plauten: It depends on the fever chart. Would you care to come into my office? I can tell you everything there.
They walk off the scene. Pat’s eyes follow Bobby lovingly. Without looking at Koster her arm seeks his.
Pat: Does he love me?
Koster (taking her hand): He loves you, Pat.
Pat (still looking off): Yes, he loves me — terribly. It will be very lonely for him.
Koster: That’s silly talk. (they begin to walk in the direction of the bar) What’s this about an operation?
CUT TO:
311 THE DOCTOR’S OFFICE. BOBBY AND DR. PLAUTEN.
Dr. Plauten: We take out a piece of the rib here — that’s all. She lies still for a few weeks — then she is up again and out — with perhaps a new chance for life — a furlough that may last a long time.
Bobby (terribly depressed): Then she’s sinking.
Dr. Plauten: The fever chart hasn’t encouraged us. If she’d stayed in the city things would be worse.
Bobby: But you only mean that it goes slower. (shaking his head) You haven’t any hope.
Dr. Plauten: A Doctor always has hope. It belongs to his job. But — both lungs are affected. (Bobby shakes his head in silent discouragement) Miracles do happen. Sometimes it stops, heals up — even desperate cases. (Bobby nods gloomily) We have many patients about the same age. A legacy from the war — undernourishment in the growing years.
As he talks there is a very faint sound of drums in the room. Bobby springs to his feet.
Bobby (wildly): Always that war!
CUT TO:
312 THE “BAR” IN THE LOBBY —
— where what sounded like drums has evolved into “Valencia” on the radio. Koster and Pat are sitting with drinks. Pat reaches around her own cocktail, takes up Koster’s and smells it.
Pat: Yours is real — mine is what they call a “Special.”
Koster (absorbed in his thoughts): It’s all been absolutely right, Pat. Even if things are as bad as you say, I’m glad you and Bobby have had this happiness together.
Pat: You’re very fond of Bobby.
Koster (nods; speaks slowly): Yes. It wasn’t on the cards for me to marry and have children. (he drinks) — and I’ve imagined sometimes he was my son — growing and developing. (sets down his glass) But it was a pretty bleak world to grow up in till you came.
Pat (wistfully): You think I’m what the doctor ordered for him?
Koster (nods): You’ve given him everything he could have dreamed of.
Pat: It wasn’t hard to give him everything. (nervously) But now what do I do? I love him — so I want to know how to act — to leave it all clean and bright just as if I’d never been. (Pat should not lean too heavily on these lines) She smiles suddenly, and CAMERA PANS TO BOBBY, coming out of the Doctor’s office. He sees Pat and Koster, bows to Dr. Plauten and goes toward them. They meet him near the desk.
Pat: Come and see my room.
Bobby: Otto and I have to get a place to live. (he turns to the motherly woman at the desk) Can you put us up?
Nurse: Out in the lodge. Visitors can’t stay in the hospital.
Bobby: I’ll bet I can. (the nurse hands him a key which he doesn’t take) There’s certainly a room next to my wife’s.
Nurse: It’s absolutely against regulations.
Bobby (to Koster and Pat): You two go along. (As they do, he turns back to the nurse) You have a bee-ootiful face.
(smiling gravely and looking into her eyes)
DISSOLVE TO:
313 PAT’S ROOM
She and Koster stand in the open window. Bobby comes in.
Pat: Success?
Bobby (dissimulating): Absolutely against regulations.
(Pat’s face falls)
Koster: We’ll think of something.
Pat (sitting on the bed): Tell me about home. Every day we can tell each other a little of what happened while we were apart. Then we can feel we’ve been together always.
Koster (feeling they want to be alone): There’s a rear spring in Heinrich that needs attention.
Pat: Good old Heinrich. What would we do without him? But certainly you’re not thinking about going back yet?
Koster (considering): The little operation is day after tomorrow?
Pat (frowns — smiles): That’s another day. The important thing is the dance tonight. If I haven’t a temperature — I can go.
Koster: Then don’t disturb her temperature, Bobby.
(he goes out)
Pat (arms around Bobby): Oh, darling, darling!
Bobby: Ought you to go to the dance?
Pat: No. But I’m going anyhow. (she looks at his serious face) Bobby, all the time you weren’t here I did everything they told me. I was nothing but one long prescription. And it hasn’t helped. I’ve only got worse. So the time that I still have — this time with you — let me do as I wish.
(her face is flushed and tender)
Bobby: I only thought we should ask the Doctor first.
Pat: We’re asking nobody anything. Nobody. (with an idea) I know where you can borrow evening clothes.
(she pulls him out through the French windows onto a little balcony)
CUT TO:
314 MED. SHOT EXT. OF SANITARIUM — BOBBY AND PAT ON HER BALCONY
— including another balcony below them and to the left on which a handsome young Italian, Tony, lies in a deck chair, wrapped in blankets.
Pat: Tony.
(Tony looks up, his face lighting)
Tony: Buon giorno, Pat.
Pat: You once told me you had two dinner coats. Can I wrap up my husband in one tonight?
CUT TO:
315 CLOSEUP PAT AND BOBBY
Pat (whispering): I suppose you’ve brought your own string?
(Bobby does a “double takem”)
CUT TO:
316 MED. SHOT TO INCLUDE TONY ON HIS BALCONY
Tony: Tutto quello che ho e tuo.
Pat (to Bobby): He says anything he has is yours — isn’t he cute? Also you’re being introduced — Signor Collazo, my husband.
(the two men smile and wave at each other)
CUT TO:
317 CLOSEUP OF TONY’S FACE
— full of adoration for Pat.
CUT TO:
318 CLOSEUP OF PAT AND BOBBY
— looking out from their balcony.
CUT TO WHAT THEY SEE:
319 THE VALLEY
— rather like Gstaad or Davos in Switzerland, with sanitariums on the snowy peaks. Across from them one road winds upward and disappears like a violet ribbon between the hills.
CUT TO:
320 THE BALCONY
Pat (shading her eyes): Is that the road home?
Bobby: Yes.
Pat: How far is it?
Bobby: About five hundred miles. In May you’ll be starting back along that road. Otto and I will come and get you.
Pat: In May. My God, in May!
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
321 LOBBY OF THE SANITARIUM. EVENING
Radio music. Men and girls in evening dress and heavy coats passing out through the doors into the night. General high spirits.
Pat coming downstairs in the silver dress under a warm coat. Bobby and Koster in dinner coats, are waiting for her, overcoats over their arms.
Bobby (struck by her beauty): Pat, you look —
(he shakes his head, unable to express himself. Pat nods understandingly)
Pat: You’re rather like a Grand Duke yourself. And Otto — well, that’s service.
Koster: Ought to be — it’s the head waiter’s.
They walk through the lobby, stopping to speak briefly to Tony and a party, and Rita the Spanish girl who is between two admirers — Boris the Russian, more emaciated than on the train, a
nd Herr Heffrich, a Dutchman, who looks fat and well. They pass Dr. Plauten who frowns as he sees Pat — he starts to speak to her, hesitates, decides not to.
CUT TO:
322 EXT. THE STEPS ABOVE THE WAITING SLEIGHS
The group pauses to look at the night scene below. Pat’s face suddenly wears an abstracted look.
Bobby (noticing an unusual mood): What is it? What are you listening for?
Pat (in a trance): I don’t know — I feel as if I were getting ready for something.
Koster (reassuringly): You are — for the ball.
DISSOLVE TO:
323 A LONG SHOT OF THE KURSAL IN THE VALLEY BELOW
Lights blazing, music drifting up faintly, sleighbells jingling.
DISSOLVE TO:
324 THE PARTY IN A SLEIGH —
— swinging along a white road between other sleighs — passing a sleigh with an exchange of gay cries.
DISSOLVE TO:
325 FULL SHOT — THE BALL ROOM AT THE KURSAL, OR CASINO
The orchestra is playing the “Blue Danube” and the guests are doing the old-fashioned “Wiener Waltz.”
Pat has just finished dancing with Tony who bows and retires as Bobby takes over.
Bobby (with exaggerated carelessness as they start off): That’s a chap you might fall in love with. Don’t you agree?
Pat (innocently): Not exactly. But I don’t know how I’d have done without him all the time you were gone.
Bobby: Haven’t you ever been tempted here?
Pat: Not very much.
Bobby (torturing himself): Hasn’t it been hard to be faithful in that silver dress?
Pat (lightly): On the contrary. It has memories, this dress.
Bobby (ruefully): Yes, I know its effect. But whatever you’ve done, I don’t want to know about it. It’s all past and forgotten.
Pat: (undisturbed — whatever she’s done, she has no sense of guilt): But I’ve done nothing. (tenderly) I love you too much.
DISSOLVE TO:
326 A CORNER OF THE KURSAL — LATER —
— with lights playing on the dancers. The orchestra is playing “My Blue Heaven” in “sweet” time. Bobby and Pat are dancing a little apart from the others.
CUT TO:
327 CLOSEUP OF PAT’S LIPS —
— saying something we cannot hear.
CUT TO:
328 REVERSE CLOSEUP OF BOBBY —
— showing his reaction to what she says. Implication of passion in both her whisper and his response but no words in this scene.
DISSOLVE TO:
329 THE GUESTS AT SUPPER AT LITTLE TABLES
MOVE CAMERA UP TO CORNER OF THE ROOM where Rita sits in the center, playing a guitar — something sad, Slavic and disturbing. At her feet sits Boris the Russian; behind the sofa stands Herr Heffrich the Dutchman. Both look at her adoringly.
At a table right next to this group sit Pat, Bobby and Koster. A girl in front coughs convulsively as the music dies away.
CUT TO:
330 THE GIRL —
— looking quickly into her handkerchief and flinching.
CUT TO:
331 GROUP SHOT FAVORING RITA, BORIS AND THE DUTCHMAN — INCLUDING PAT AND BOBBY
Boris sits up beside Rita on the sofa.
Boris (eagerly): I can dance the next dance with you, Rita. I gained a pound this week.
Rita (sniffing): Only one pound? Heffrich has gained four. (to the Dutchman) Haven’t you, dear?
Heffrich (swelling with pride): Not only that — my average afternoon temperature was only one hundred point-one. (Rita eyes him fondly as he turns to Boris) And you’re hovering around a hundred and two point-five every day.
Boris (heatedly): That’s a lie! He shakes the thermometer down. Everyone knows. (people begin to listen) And I’ve seen your X-ray chart. (he makes a gesture of revulsion) When you’re out of the way, it’ll be my turn.
Over the back of the sofa they lunge at each other and in a moment the brawl is raging.
CUT TO:
332 PAT’S TABLE
Bobby (smiling): Is that what you call love by degrees?
Pat (laughing): Love by the pound. You don’t know whether to laugh or cry. (looks at Bobby and whispers) Be gay, darling. Be gay tonight for my sake. Who knows when I’ll be able to go to a ball again.
A fanfare of drums as we
DISSOLVE TO:
333 THE STAIRS OF THE SANITARIUM — MIDNIGHT
Pat and Bobby walking up together. He has one arm around her and carries her coat. Koster watches them from the foot of the stairs.
334 CLOSE UP OF PAT
As she half turns to say goodnight to Koster.
Pat: It was a lovely dance. Goodnight, Otto.
Bobby and Pat continue to the landing and come to Pat’s door.
Bobby (rather shortly): Now you go straight to bed. It’s after midnight.
As Pat steps inside her room he stays in the hall and starts to close her door.
Pat (in dismay): Aren’t you even going to kiss —
(he shuts the door on her)
CUT TO:
335 PAT’S ROOM
Pat inside the door, rebellious at this treatment.
CUT TO:
336 THE HALL
Bobby hurrying to the next room, unlocking the door with a knowing look.
CUT TO:
337 PAT BEFORE THE MIRROR
— looking at a tear in her dress.
Pat (to herself in a whisper): It doesn’t matter. I’ll never wear it again.
She looks as if she were listening to something far off. Then she starts, and we see in the mirror that the door between the two rooms is opening and Bobby comes in.
Pat: Oh, Bobby! — where did you come from?
Bobby: My room — next door.
Pat (going toward him joyously): Darling! Old times are here again.
DISSOLVE TO:
338 PAT’S ROOM SEVERAL HOURS LATER.
Pat and Bobby asleep in bed.
CUT TO:
339 CLOSEUP PAT’S FACE —
— showing that she’s breathing with difficulty.
CUT TO:
340 TWO SHOT — PAT AND BOBBY
Bobby wakes, immediately concerned. Pat sits up in bed, coughing.
Pat (in a rasping voice): If I can only get through this hour — just this hour, Bobby — then I’ll have one day more — it’s now that they die.
Bobby: The operation’s going to make a new woman of you.
Pat: That’s Tony’s radio there in the corner. Will you turn it on? (Bobby goes to the radio) Sometimes you can get an American station at this hour — it makes these times pass quicker.
Bobby dials in. After a moment a voice comes on in Spanish.
Voice: Rio de Janeiro broadcasting — a programme of —
Pat (smiling wanly): Oh, Bobby, do you remember — rolling down to Rio? — monkeys and coffee?
Music starts on the radio: it is “My Blue Heaven.” It continues through the following scene.
Pat: You ought not to have slept in this room. Not any more.
Bobby (unperturbed): All right — then. You can sleep in mine.
Pat (dully): And you oughtn’t to kiss me.
Bobby (his arm around her): I will kiss you.
Pat (leaning away gently): No, you mustn’t get sick. You have to live a long time. I want you to keep well and have children and a real wife.
Bobby: I don’t want children or a wife, except you. You are my child and my wife.
Pat (dreaming): I would like to have had a child of yours, Bobby. It must be nice to leave a little of yourself behind. And sometimes when the child would look at you, you’d remember me. And for a moment I’d be there.
Complete Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald UK (Illustrated) Page 401
