This Property Is Condemned

Wish me red roses

And yellow balloons

Black sequins whirling

To gay dancing tunes

I want all these treasures

The most you can give

So wish me a rainbow

As long as I live

All my tomorrows depend on your love

So wish me a rainbow above

Hey! You seen a kite?

Don't talk to me till I fall off. Here, come here! Hurry, will you? Run, stupid!

Here, take my crazy doll, will you? I don't want to break her when I fall.

I don't think I can stay on much longer.

This is the furthest I've ever gone without once falling off.

- Hurt yourself? - Skinned my knee.

Good thing I didn't put my silk stockings on.

- Spit on it. That takes the sting away. - OK.

- Hey, are you OK? - Yeah, I guess so.

Principal damage was done to my bracelet. Knocked out a diamond.

- It wasn't a genuine diamond. - How do you know?

If it was, you wouldn't be out walking railroad tracks.

Not with a banged-up doll and a piece of a rotten banana.

I forgot to ask. What's your name?

- Tom. - Mine's Willie.

- How did that happen? - I was expected to be a boy, but I wasn't.

They already had one girl, Alva. That was my sister.

- Why ain't you in school? - I thought it was gonna be windy.

- So I could fly my kite. - What made you think that?

'Cause the sky's so white. Hey...why ain't you in school?

I quituated. They started on algebra. I didn't care what X stood for, so I quit.

You ain't gonna get an education walking a railroad track.

You ain't from flying a kite neither.

Besides, what a girl needs to get along is social training.

I learned that from Alva. She was mighty popular with the railroad men.

- Train engineers? - Engineers!

Engineers, firemen, brakemen, conductors, the freight superintendent,

every one of them after Alva.

She was, I guess you might say, the main attraction.

Beautiful? Jeez!

Boy, you see that house over yonder?

- We had some high old times in there. - I'll bet you did.

Musical instruments going all the time. Piano, victrola, Hawaiian steel guitar...

Everybody playing on something. It's awful quiet now, though.

- Is it empty? - Except for me.

They got a big sign stuck up. "This property is condemned".

- You ain't still living there? - I'm not supposed to be, but I am.

Property's condemned, but there ain't nothing wrong with it.

Some welfare worker came yesterday. I recognised her by the shape of her hat.

It was something, all right. You wouldn't believe it.

Sure is empty now, though.

- Boy, see these clothes I got on? - Yeah.

They're Alva's. Inherited from her. Everything that was Alva's is mine.

She was always singing around that house. This is her favourite song.

Wish me a rainbow and wish me a star

All this you can give me Wherever you are

And dreams for my pillow And stars for my eyes

And a masquerade ball Where our love wins first prize

All my tomorrows depend on your love

So wish me a rainbow above

OK, here she is. Dodson. Get ready to hit the ground running.

Mind if I asked you a question?

Doing the things that you do, how do you sleep?

On my stomach.

My mama in here? We got a problem on our hands.

She went back this way, Willie.

You seen my mama?

You shouldn't be out here alone, sporting a big diamond like that.

You scared me! And it ain't a real diamond.

- Sparkles like one to me. - No. It's a firefly. Gotta...

- Willie, where's your ma? - I don't know.

- Gotta snip off its tail...when it's lighted. - Do you belong to that boarding house?

That's the Starr Boarding House. I'm Willie Starr.

Well, how do you do, Willie?

You railroad?

- Why do you ask? - We get mostly railroad men.

Mama will put you up some place... soon as I find that old thing!

Mama? That you, Mama?

Willie, quit that hollering! Leave them alone!

Come on.

- Where've you been? - Down to Jake's to see if Alva's there.

- Who are you, honey? - He wants a room.

- You ain't a vagrant? - No.

- Lay-off? - No.

Well, my rooms are two a night... Where are you going? I got the beer!

- Happy birthday! - Two a night, ten bucks a week.

Two meals included. Cash in advance.

- How long you fixing to stay? - Five... A week... Ten. About a week.

Only a week? Well, a buck is a buck.

If you're lucky.

Hey, where's the beer?

It ain't usually so noisy.

Some old fool got hold of it's my birthday.

- Happy birthday! - Damn fool! What's your name, honey?

- Owen Legate. Happy birthday. - What room?

- No, you can't go yet! I just got the beer! - What room?

- Better put him in Papa's room. - I forgot to say. There's gonna be a fight.

Jimmy Bell done got drunk and Charlie Steinkamp's gonna lay him out!

Hey, wait a minute.

You knew it was firefly, didn't you?

Hey...

Come on in, honey. You wanna meet anybody, you just introduce yourself.

- Ain't she back? - I haven't seen her.

She don't come soon, I got an awful early run.

Your change, Mr Johnson. I got a dozen. Should be enough.

I don't see how you can stand still with all that music going.

I know you'd prefer to dance with Alva, but today is my birthday.

- What about Mr...? - I can only please one at a time!

You can take Mr what's-his-name upstairs and settle him in. Excuse me.

Show him the bathroom. We got an indoor toilet, modern bathing equipment.

It isn't complicated once Alva and I show you how. Give him something to eat.

Then you come and join the party. Oh!

- JJ, you scared the life out of me! - I been waiting for you in the car.

He works in the shop when he ain't with Mama.

- Are all these people railroad? - All except for the guy on the guitar.

He's the sheriff. Come on.

- Hey, Max. - Hey, Willie.

This is Papa's room. He painted those.

It's not the best in the house. He tried to paint it.

I like it.

Okey-doke?

Okey-doke.

Hey, Alva! Get your hot stuff out here!

- Lindsay! Lindsay Tate! I'll be back. - We don't want you. We want Alva!

We want Alva!

We want Alva! We want Alva!

Get out of here! Get out of here, Lindsay Tate, before I call my mama.

You just do that. Tell your mama if Alva ain't here, we'll take her instead.

- Why, you little snip! - Mama! Mama!

- Mama! - What the hell are you doing?

Fire up the engines, boys! Let's go!

You stay away from those older boys or I'll whip you!

- Willie, where you going? - Let me go!

- Stop it! - Alva!

- Hey, Willie. Sidney! - What's the matter with Sidney?

Nothing that sticking his head under the faucet won't solve.

Come on!

Alva! What you doing in the kitchen?

- We've been waiting for you. - Bye!

- How's the party? - Alva, where you been?

Alva, honey! Why don't you come over here and swap words with Mr Johnson.

Hey, Mr Johnson!

Hey, JJ.

- Let me go, JJ. - Just relax.

JJ!

- All right, baby! - My, what a handsome couple!

Go to Mr Johnson. He's been pestering me all night about you.

He did pay for this party as a surprise. Mr Johnson! Here's my bad little girl.

She wants to sit beside you and cheer you up.

- Hey, Alva, where y'all been? - Hey! Oh, out dancing.

- A beer, Miss Alva? - No, thanks.

I told you before, lay off Alva.

It was real nice of you to give Mama this lovely party.

Well, I didn't do it for her. Alva, I asked your Mama.

She says it's OK for you to go with me to the Moonlight Casino tomorrow.

- Well, let me think about it. - They got a real good band.

A new one, Odel Otis, and Kansas City Steaks.

Well, I really don't know. Sidney! Hi!

- I've got to know, so that... - Did you see Sidney? Sidney!

Thank Mr Johnson for the lovely party. Have you had a chance to talk?

- Who turned out the lights? - Hey, turn the lights on!

Happy birthday to you

- JJ! - Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday, dear Hazel

Happy birthday to you

- Make a wish! - Shhh!

- I can't! - You've gotta make a wish!

You wish. You make a wish, Alva.

Oh, Sal! Sally, it's my birthday! I'm 43 years old!

It's a damn shame, Haze. Have a beer.

What slob remembered, anyway?

- Come on, Alva, it's your turn! - Make a wish, Alva.

- Wish it up, Alva! - OK.

- Hey, Alva, how about a birthday kiss? - Oh, hey!

That's enough for you, Hank, boy! How about one for me?

- Here's one to grow on! - Here comes old Sidney, wandering in.

Wouldn't you like a piece of cake? I'd just love some.

- What kind of work will you do here? - Who was that blowing out the candles?

Oh, that's my sister Alva.

She's the main attraction.

You say you do or didn't work with the railroad?

Well, I didn't say. Okey-doke?

Okey-doke.

It's hot out there!

It's just practically like breathing fire. Just been dying for a piece of ice.

Oh! My, that's cooling!

If not the railroad, what do you do?

Willie! Let the gentleman eat his supper in peace.

Who's stopping him? You don't even know him.

- My name is Owen Legate, ma'am. - My name's Alva Starr.

Two R's in Starr.

- He's from New Orleans. - Oh!

- I've been to New Orleans. - When?

- As a child. - First I heard of it.

- Wonderful party, Alva. Much obliged. - We're just delighted.

- Bye now. See you later. - Here's your cake, Alva.

Thank you, Sidney.

- Your mama said to fill up the beer tub. - It's in the icebox.

OK.

- You're the new boarder, huh? - Yeah.