Scottie: It's because
of this fear of heights I have, this acrophobia. I wake up at night seeing
that man fall from the roof and I try to reach out to him, it's just... Midge: It wasn't your fault. Scottie: I know. That's what everybody tells me. Midge: Johnny, the doctors explained to you. Scottie: I know. I know. I have acrophobia which gives me vertigo
and I get dizzy. Boy, what a moment to find out I had it! Midge: Well, you've got it and there's no losing it. And there's no
one to blame, so why quit? Scottie: You mean and sit behind a desk, chair-bound... Midge: ...where you belong. Scottie: What about my acrophobia? What about... Now, suppose,
suppose I'm sitting in this chair behind a desk, here's the desk, and a
pencil falls from the desk down to the floor, and I reach down to pick up
the pencil - BINGO - my acrophobia's back. Midge: Oh, Johnny-O.
Scottie:
What's this doo-hickey?
Midge: It's a brassiere. You know about those things. You're a big boy
now.
Scottie: I've never run across one like that.
Midge: It's brand new. Revolutionary uplift. No shoulder straps. No back
straps. But does everything a brassiere should do. Works on the
principle of the cantilever bridge...An aircraft engineer down the
Peninsula designed it. He worked it out in
his spare time.
Scottie:
Kind of a hobby. Do-it-yourself type thing.
Scottie: How's your love life, Midge?
Midge: That's following a train of thought...Normal.
Scottie: Aren't you ever gonna get married?
Midge: You know there's only one man in the world for me, Johnny-O.
Scottie: You mean me. But we were engaged once though, weren't we?
Midge: Three whole weeks. Scottie: Yeah, good-ol' college days. But you were the one that called off the engagement, do
you remember? I'm still available. Available Ferguson.
Scottie: We'll start
with this... Midge: That?! Scottie: What do you want me to start with? The Golden Gate Bridge?
Now watch. Watch this. Here we go. There. There. Now. I look up, I look
down. I look up. I look down. There's nothin' to it.
Gavin
Elster: I asked you to come up here, Scottie, knowing that you've
quit detective work, but I wondered if you'd go back on the job as a
special favor to me. I want you to follow my wife. No, it's not that.
We're very happily married.
Scottie: Well, then ...
Elster: I'm afraid some harm may come to her.
Scottie: From whom?
Elster: From someone dead… Scottie, do you believe that
someone out of the past, someone dead, can enter and take possession of
a living being?
Scottie: No.
Elster: If I told you that I believe that this has happened
to my wife, what would you say?
Scottie: Well, I'd say take her to the nearest psychiatrist. Or
psychologist, or neurologist, or psycho ... or maybe just a plain family
doctor. I'd have him check on you, too... Elster: She'll be talking to me about something. Suddenly the
words fade into silence. A cloud comes into her eyes and they go blank.
She's somewhere else, away from me, someone I don't know. I call her,
she doesn't even hear me. Then, with a long sigh, she's back. Looks at
me brightly, doesn't even know she's been away, can't tell me where or
when. Scottie: How often does this happen? Elster: More and more in the past few weeks. And she wanders -
God knows where she wanders. I followed her one day, watched her coming
out of the apartment, someone I didn't know. She even walked a different
way. Got into her car and drove off to Golden Gate Park. Five miles. Sat
by the lake, staring across the water at the pillars that stand on the
far shore. You know, Portals of the Past. Sat there a long time without
moving. I had to leave, get back to the office. When I got home that
evening, I asked her what she'd done all day. She said she'd driven out
to Golden Gate Park and sat by the lake, that's all. Scottie: Well. Elster: The speedometer on her car showed that she'd driven
ninety-four miles. Where did she go? I've got to know, Scottie, where
she goes and what she does before I get involved with doctors.
Pop Liebel: Oh yes,
I remember. Carlotta, beautiful Carlotta, sad...It was hers. It was
built for her many years ago...by...the name I do not remember, a rich
man, powerful man...It is not an unusual story. She came from somewhere
small to the south of the city. Some say from a mission settlement.
Young, yes, very young. And she was found dancing and singing in cabaret
by that man. And he took her and built for her the great house in the
Western Addition. And, uh, there was, there was a child, yes, that's it,
a child, a child. I cannot tell you exactly how much time passed or how
much happiness there was, but then he threw her away. He had no other
children. His wife had no children. So, he kept the child and threw her
away. You know, a man could do that in those days. They had the power
and the freedom. And she became the sad Carlotta, alone in the great
house, walking the streets alone, her clothes becoming old and patched
and dirty. And the mad Carlotta, stopping people in the streets to ask,
'Where is my child?' 'Have you seen my child?'...She died...by her own
hand. There are many such stories.
Scottie:
That's Carlotta Valdes. Elster: Yes. Scottie: There are things you didn't tell me. Elster: I didn't know where she was going to lead you. Scottie: But you know about this.
Elster:
Oh, yes. You noticed the way she does her hair... Something else. My wife Madeleine has several pieces of jewelry that belonged to Carlotta. She inherited them. Never wore them - they were too old-fashioned, until now. Now when she's alone, she takes them out and looks at them, handles them gently, curiously...
puts them on and stares at herself in the mirror... then goes into that other world, is someone else again.
Scottie:
You'd better come over here by the fire where it's warm.
Madeleine: What am I doing here? What happened?
Scottie: Well, you fell into San Francisco Bay. I, uh, I tried to dry your hair as best I could. Your things are in the kitchen. They'll be dry in a few minutes. Come on over by the fire.
Madeleine:
...You shouldn't have brought me here, you know.
Scottie: Well, I didn't know where you lived.
Madeleine: You could have looked in my car. Oh but then you didn't know
my car, did you?
Scottie: No, I knew which one it was. It's right outside here now, but I
didn't think you wanted to be taken home that way.
Madeleine: No, you're right. I'm glad you didn't take me home. I
wouldn't have known you. Thank you. But I don't know you and you don't
know me. My name is Madeleine Elster
Scottie: My name's John Ferguson.
Madeleine: A good strong name. Do your friends call you John or Jack?
Scottie: Oh John mostly. Old friends call me John. Acquaintances call me
Scottie.
Madeleine: I shall call you Mr. Ferguson.
Scottie: Oh, gee whiz, I wouldn't like that. Oh, no, and after what
happened this afternoon, I should think maybe you'd call me Scottie,
maybe even John.
Madeleine: Then I prefer John...And what do you do, John?
Scottie: Oh, just wander about.
Madeleine: That's a good occupation. And you live here alone? One
shouldn't live alone.
Scottie: Some people prefer it, you know.
Madeleine: No, it's wrong…
Scottie:
A letter for me?
Madeleine: Yes, hello.
Scottie: Oh. I worried about you last night. You shouldn't have run off
that way.
Madeleine: Well, I, I suddenly felt such a fool.
Scottie: Well, I wanted to drive you home. Are you all right?
Madeleine: Oh yes, yes I'm fine. No after effects. But as I remember
now, the water was cold wasn't it?
Scottie: Yeah, it sure was.
Madeleine: What a terrible thing for me to do. You're so kind. It's a
formal thank you note and a great big apology.
Scottie: Well, you've nothing to apologize for.
Madeleine: Oh yes I do. The whole thing must have been so embarrassing.
Scottie: Not at all, I enjoyed it, talking to you.
Madeleine:
Well uh, I enjoy talking to you
