Fallen Angel

Hey. You.

Come on, l seen that sleeping act before.

You know your ticket ran out the last stop.

How much to San Francisco?

2.25.

Yes, three days.

So it's three days she's gone.

Where do you get off keeping it from the police 72 hours?

l didn't want it to get around, Mr Johnson, that's all.

People talk.

Stella's a good girl, really she is.

- l don't want them to talk. - Well, we'll find what took her.

Why not give it till morning, Johnson?

Stella'll show up.

OK. Till morning.

You oughta know, Mr Judd. Good night.

- Good night, Johnson. - Good night.

Way down this week, Pop.

Nobody plays it when Stella not around.

Yeah, l guess not.

You don't think she might have done something to herself?

Not Stella.

Back in New York, l handled 31 suicide cases, personally.

Everything from poison to jumping in front of the Flatbush subway.

Stella's not the type.

- Here's your receipt. - Thanks, Atkins.

l'll be seein' ya.

Cup of coffee, please.

lt's after ten, we're closed up.

And a hamburger: well done, with onions, mustard, relish...

What else you want on that, the whole state of California?

- What's the population? - l'll fix you something.

- Cigarette? - No, thanks.

Never touch them.

l knew you'd be back.

OK.

- l'm back. - Well, here y'are, young man.

Stella!

You...

You're OK.

l'm hungry.

Right away, Stella, right away.

You don't know what it's been like since you went.

You won't go away, Stella, will you, again?

Well, see you tomorrow.

Room's waiting for you.

l paid him not to touch a thing. You wanted it like that, didn't you?

And you'll come back to your job,

everything just like it was, 'cept you'd never been away.

That's just how it'll be.

After a long rest.

You sure look run out.

So what?

One look at him and l knew he wasn't any good.

- l knew... - You make me sick.

He's finished his coffee. Go on.

That was the best hamburger l never ate.

Sorry, come back later... l mean tomorrow.

- l'm closing up. - How much?

- lt's OK. - lt's not OK.

He got his coffee, let him pay for it.

Five cents.

- Good evening. - Uh-huh?

- Professor Madley, please. - Professor Madley?

He won't be here till tomorrow.

- Oh. - Maybe Mr Ellis could help you.

- Ellis? - The Professor's assistant.

He registered this morning.

Oh, Ellis! Oh, yes. What's his room number?

216, but he's not in just now.

Of course, he's getting tuned.

- Tuned? - To the other world.

He always does that before the Professor comes in.

- ls that so? - Oh, sure.

l'll wait for Ellis in his room.

- That's against the rules. - Don't worry, it's all right.

- Mr Ellis, l presume. - Yes.

My name is Stanton.

- Eric Stanton. - Never heard of you.

Professor Madley's an old friend.

- When was that? - The good old days.

How old?

Old enough to be good.

Oh. Drink?

My favourite brand.

Oughta be, l got it out of your bureau drawer.

Help yourself to everything

as long as you're a friend of the Professor's.

- From my cradle days. - Then do the Professor a favour.

Lend-lease him thirty dollars.

- Thirty dollars? - Do him half a favour. Fifteen.

What's so funny? Tell me, l'd like to laugh too.

l came up to put the bite on you.

Now let's hear how you laugh.

- You can't sleep here. - Wait a minute.

Consult the spirit of my friend the Professor. What's he say?

l know what the manager says: one more guest, one more dollar.

l haven't got enough for my own bill.

- Then the extra dollar won't matter. - Don't take your shoes off.

l've enough to aggravate me.

Don't worry.

- l'll get you out of it. - What with? You're broke.

l gotta have fifteen dollars by noon tomorrow,

or lose the hall downstairs and my deposit,

besides being kicked out of here.

What about the Professor's spooks?

Don't they come through with an advance sale?

Sure, if there's nobody to stop them,

but a certain woman in this town don't believe in spooks,

and what she says goes for the rest of the women.

She's not only the daughter of the former mayor,

who donated a new organ to the church,

but the President of the Ladies' Auxiliary.

Against such a combination, not even l could sell one ticket.

Go charm her.

Miss Mills will have no truck with me, not even on the phone.

- Well, let's sleep on it. - l said no.

We're in this thing together. Naturally, l'll sleep here.

- Stands to reason. - What stands to reason?

You are in trouble, man. l've got to pull you out of it.

- Have you got any toothpaste? - ln the bathroom.

Hope you like my brand!

Good morning.

- Your mistress, please. - Who?

Miss Clara Mills.

l'm Clara Mills, and we're not buying anything, either.

l am here to speak on the behalf of the dead.

Walton's respected deceased are having a rendezvous tonight

at the Walton Hotel.

There's nothing to discuss, l told you that on the phone.

- Now don't call again, Mr Ellis. - Oh, l'm not Mr Ellis.

l'm not a part of the spook act down at the hotel. l'm Eric Stanton.

Would you listen to me for a minute?

- Out with it, l'm busy. - So is Professor Madley.

Appointments with the dead from coast to coast.

Yet this soul of generosity

finds time to drop in on Walton to deliver a message of hope.

For money. He's a charlatan. A fraud.

Not the Professor Madley.

Pretending to commune with the dead.

Now, look... He and Ellis are just a couple of struggling artists

like fortune-tellers, or a vaudeville team.

l won't let the poor, gullible people of Walton be fooled.

lf my father were alive, these fakers would never have gotten a licence.

- Your father? - Abraham Mills was a real mayor.

He wouldn't have let frauds take advantage of honest people.

What if Mayor Mills would like to make another speech,

or tell you something? Suppose he's...

Suppose you leave right now!

Suppose l do.

But don't forget, the curtain goes up tonight at eight o'clock.

Birds of a feather. Well, they won't hatch anything here.

Trading on people's sacred feelings.

Everything that's dear held up to ridicule by frauds in a trance,

rapping on a table.

We won't have any of the cheap, vulgar tricks of spiritualism here.

You think l'm wrong?

l think he's right.

But how can he be?

June, don't be taken in by his glib manner.

He meant it: just two people trying to make a living.

Why can't they make an honest living?

Are we to judge?

Well, it's too late now, there's nothing we can do about it.

- Yes, there is. - What?

We can buy two tickets. lf we go, everybody else will.

Shall l call the hotel?

l'll think about it.

We thank thee, O Lord, for our daily bread and our many blessings. Amen.

Doughnut?

No, thanks.

- Like to make a few extra dollars? - How?

Push these tickets to your customers.

- l'll give you twenty per cent. - Sure. What are they for?

A spook meeting tonight, featuring the one and only Professor Madley.

- No. - Why not?

lf the Ladies' Auxiliary don't want 'em, l don't want 'em.

Don't worry about the women. They wouldn't miss hearing Abraham Mills.

- Mills? - The Professor's bringing him back.

- With a message. - l don't believe in it.

What's the difference? You can still make some money.

No, l don't wanna get mixed up in anything.

Pop?

- Coffee, please. - Right away.

Here he is, Professor, your old friend, Eric Stanton.

Old friend? l don't recall.

- Buffaloes. Connectity. - Sorry, l still can't remember.

- Let me see. - Relax, Professor. We've never met.

Last night in my room, you said...

- And you never met him? - Glad to meet you now, Professor.

Delighted, Mr Stanton.

All the signs point to a prosperous association. Dollar signs.

l've sold a batch of tickets already.

- Couple of beers, please. - OK, comin' up.

l heard from my assistant here that you really work wonders.

- Congratulations on your success. - We'll have sell-out after sell-out.

Well, OK.

l never believed you could talk Miss Mills into buying tickets.

l just had a call from her sister to reserve a couple.

They're coming over to get a message from their old man. Right, Professor?