Magnificent Obsession

- — - Whoo-hoo!

Oh, there she is! There she is! Darling, darling. Look. See her?

Joyce! Darling.

Hello, hello, hello, darling! Darling!

All right. I'll meet you over here.

Joyce! Miss Hudson! There's something I wanted to say to you.

Darling!

Joyce! —helen, darling!

- Oh, I'm so glad to see you! - I thought I'd never find you.

- I can't believe it's you! - Let me take a look at you.

Oh!

Oh, darling. I can't tell you how happy I was when I got your cable.

Were you? —

Oh, Tommy. May I present Mr. Masterson?

He's been very kind to me on the boat.

Uh, my, uh — my mother.

- —Your mother? - Joyce!

Well, you are now, aren't you? You're married to my father.

You!

Where is father? Where is the old darling?

We're gonna pick him up at the hospital.

Oh, but tell me. How did it happen? When did it start?

Oh, I don't know. I've always adored him. But I never dreamed...

Darling, there's such a difference in your ages.

Why, just think, when daddy was coming into renown

for performing the first head operation of its kind in the history of... whatever it was,

why, you were still in the nursery playing with your dolls.

Can't imagine how proud that makes me feel.

To think I can mean anything in his life.

Oh, you mean a great deal.

He's been terribly lonely all these years since mother died.

Well, I know what loneliness is.

I never really had a family of my own.

Well, from now on you're gonna have your hands full of family.

Why, take me alone.

That is, unless you resent being mother

to a great gangling hulk of a girl like me.

Joyce, I will slap you.

You'd better wait, Lawrence. We'll be going on to lunch in a few minutes.

- Hello. - Hello, Otto.

Poor miss Joyce. What a homecoming. —what do you mean? What's wrong?

Dr. Hudson died just a few minutes ago.

Hey, hey! Service here. —shh.

What kind of a hospital are you running since I left?

Well, it's a good thing I'm not a patient. I'd be dead before I got any attention.

- — - Hello, Jimmy. How are you?

Hello, miss Joyce.

Mrs. Hudson. —hello, Jimmy.

What's the matter, Jimmy?

Why, nothing, Mrs. Hudson.

What do you suppose is the matter?

Nancy, you old darling!

- Joyce, my dear. - Nancy, what's wrong?

- — - Has something happened?

Why is everybody acting so funny?

My dear, your father has had an accident.

- —An accident? - Where is he?

- —He's here, but you mustn't go to him yet. - Why not?

Nancy, he isn't — -you mean he's...

Wayne!

Dr. Ramsay, how did it happen?

He had gone for a swim to freshen up before the girls got here.

- He was very tired. His heart was overtaxed. - Yes.

We were there in no time with the boats, but we couldn't find him.

Then when they did find him and wanted the pulmotor, it wasn't there.

Where was it?

On the far side of the lake, being used on a drunken boy

who had fallen into the water.

Both accidents happened at the same time?

Yes. Young Bobby merrick and some of his friends

were staging an all-night drinking party.

And this morning, not knowing what he was doing, he tried to sail his boat.

He was knocked out and overboard by a swinging boom.

They rushed over in a speedboat for a pulmotor,

and Justin took it to them.

That's too bad.

Don't, Nancy. Don't. —

Bobby merrick. He's had a close call, but he'll pull through.

He'll pull through. He'll pull through.

Good-for—nothing boy whose own grandfather even can't find any use for him.

Just throws him his millions and lets him wallow in them.

And Dr. Hudson, a man thousands depend on, had to die.

And he'll pull through.

But at what a price!

As Mrs. Ashford can verify,

we never kept much of a balance in the hospital account.

Everything was transferred to Dr. Hudson's personal account.

Yes, but there's nothing in it.

But look at the withdrawals. Cash: $5,000.

Cash: $10,000. Cash: $2,000.

Dr. Ramsay, my accounts are in perfect order.

They can be gone over by an auditor, and I'd like to have it done right away.

Perry, nobody doubts your perfect integrity.

Why, of course not, Perry. You misunderstand me.

What I can't comprehend is why a man who made several fortunes in his professional life

left his personal affairs in such a condition.

Sorry to interrupt. Helen, could you come here for a moment?

- There's someone I'd like you to talk to. - —of course, dear.

You'll excuse me, won't you?

- Who is it, darling? - I don't know.

These girls — what are they going to do?

Why, doctor, they still have the hospital.

You forget that it was Dr. Hudson who brought people here from all over the world,

not the hospital.

My dear, your husband's help

came between us and starvation.

Dr. Hudson's check came as regularly

as my husband's pay envelope

before he died.

God couldn't have helped us more.

And then, when my boy was old enough,

he got him a position.

He sent my girl to art school.

That's hers.

It was exhibited by the architectural league, you know.

Olive Eden — your daughter?

Yes. So, you see,

I don't need this money,

and it would be such a comfort to me for you to have it.

Why do you come fonnard now, when it's too late...

When it might have meant so much to doctor?

Why didn't you return it to him?

My dear, I tried to many times, but he wouldn't take it.

He got very excited, and he said,

"you haven't told anyone about this?"

I said, "no. You told me not to." And then he laughed.

He said he couldn't take it back

because he had already used it up.

Then he told me to invest it myself.

When I asked him what was a safe investment,

he said, "any poor devil."

Wasn't that strange?

Very strange.

Do you know what the doctor meant when he said he couldn't take it back

because he'd used it all up himself?

No. I've tried to think so many times.

But I met a gentleman in your hall who might know.

He said he'd had a similar experience.

I believe I won't wait any longer. Will you see that Mrs. Hudson gets this, please?

Very good, sir.

- Oh, is this the residence of Dr. Hudson? - Yes, sir.

I'm here to see miss Joyce Hudson.

Miss Hudson's busy at the present moment, sir.

- Would you care to wait? - —oh, by all means.

This way, sir.

- —Would you wait in here, sir? - Thank you.

- The hospital is calling Mrs. Ashford. - Oh, thank you. Can I take it here?

Yes, dear. Right here.

- A gentleman left this for you, madam. - Oh, thank you, Keller.

Hello? Yes.

"I was a friend of your husband's.

If ever I can be of service to you, do not hesitate to call upon me.

Randolph."

- —Randolph. - Yes, I'll be right there.

- I have to run along. - Something wrong at the hospital?

Oh, it's that young idiot Bobby merrick having another tantrum, threatening to leave.

I should think you'd be glad to get rid of him.

Well, I think — if it hadn't been for him,

Wayne Hudson would be alive today.

Well, I hope I never have the misfortune to meet him,

because all my life I shall loathe Bobby merrick,

hate him.

Hate him!

- —Good morning, Mr. Merrick! - What's good about it?

- What's this? - —poached egg. It's what the doctor ordered.

Why didn't he eat it?

Why, Mr. Merrick. That's one of the hospital thermometers!

Yeah, and that's a hospital egg too. It's sick.

But here, you take that back to the cook and tell her if she brings it in here again,

I'm gonna buy this hospital and fire her and everybody else in it.

I want some decent breakfast.

Well, it's the same breakfast we serve all the patients.

- —Yeah, but I'm special. - Oh, yes?

Now, just because you've been thrown out of a couple of colleges

and gotten into scrapes with chorus girls doesn't make you special here.

You might be the apple of your grandfather's eye,

but you're just a number in Dr. Hudson's hospital.

- — -

- I-I'm terribly sorry. - Oh, it was my fault.

- —Oh, no, no, no. It was my fault. - Oh, not at all. It was my fault.

But after all, a man coming through the door like that — it was my fault.

All right. Then let's have it your way.

Here. Let me help you.

Is it good?

It was supposed to be for a young lady I was to meet here.

Is that so?

Mr. Merrick!

Hiya, toots!

Oh, I beg your pardon. Will you have some candy?

You get right back into that room and into that bed.

This is outrageous. What kind of hospital do you think you're in?

That's what I'm trying to find out.

- —Wait. Just a moment. - I'm sorry. No visitors.

He's doing well, but he had a very narrow escape from pneumonia.

That's too bad. I'm sorry to hear that.

But I'm not here to see him. I'm here to see — oh, perhaps you could tell me.

No. We can't give out any information about the patients.

You'll have to inquire at the office downstairs.

- Will you take this, please? - Yes, miss ashford.

- Follow me, please. - —just a moment!