Episode 81, scene 5.

        Schuster talks with Mr. Boudreaux, Marian, Doris, and Steven
        in his office, one after the other.  Boudreaux seems a little 
        pushy for an lackey. 

David:  Have an entire line shut down.
Bx:     I'll find things to keep them busy, Mr. Schuster.
DS:     I'm afraid we can't afford that.
Bx:     Mr. Schuster, we're talking about 15 people, next week, who 
        you'll have to tell won't have a job when they come in. 
David:  Come off it Boudreaux.  Don't try to make a villain out of me.
        [Buzz].
David:  Yes.
M:      Mrs. Schuster to see you.
        [Boudreaux turns to leave.]
David:  Hold on.

David:  Ask her to wait a moment, please.
        And Marian, bring in the personnel rating folder.
M:      Yes, sir.

David:  [To Boudreaux] I'll have those lay-off notices to you by 
        morning.
Bx:     Okay.  You're calling the shots.  A lot of people in this town 
        aren't going to understand.  A lot of people. 

        [Marian comes in the inner office with Doris still waiting.]

David:  Marian, come here.  I'll show you what I want you to do.  Here, 
        you'll find the employees' efficiency rating.  Here, their 
        seniority.  I want you to go through the whole thing, select 
        15 for layoff notices.  The efficiency rating is the most 
        important.  Not the seniority. 

David:  Okay?  Think you can do that? 
M:      Oh.  I don't know.
David:  What do you mean, you don't know?  It's a simple job.
M:      Oh.  It isn't that.  It's . . .
DAvid:  All right.  I'll take it home tonight and do it myself.
M:      I couldn't take that responsibility.

David:  Ask my wife to come in please.
M:      Yes, sir.
David:  You can go home, Mirian, if you've finished with everything 
        else. 
M:      Thank you.
        [Marian opens the door and admits Doris.]
M:      Mrs. Schuster.
Doris:  Thank you.  Good-night.
M:      Good-night.
        [Doris comes in and shuts the door.] 
Doris:  Hi.
David:  Hello, darling.
        [Doris walks over and kisses David.]
Doris:  For you.
David:  What's this?
Doris:  A gift to your desk.
David:  Well, my desk thanks you.
Doris:  David, You look so tired.
David:  Oh I don't know.  You plan something on paper, it's one thing.  
        When you have to face the people it affects, it's something 
        else. 
Doris:  Everything improves with time.
David:  Or gets worse.
Doris:  Open your present.  I saw it in a store window on the way to 
        the hair dresser's. 

        [David opens the present, a clock.]
Doris:  Do you like it?
David:  Maybe it'll get me home earlier.  
Doris:  How about tonight.  Are you finished?  I thought maybe we could 
        go home together and stop for a drink. 
No.     I'm afraid I have some other things to do.  I'll try not to be 
        too late.
Doris:  All right.  I'll leave you then.  Maybe you'll come home 
        earlier.

Doris:  Oh, I heard something at the hairdressers' about Allison 
        Mackenzie.  It seems that Elliot Carson isn't her step-father 
        as we assumed.  He is her father. 
David:  Well?
Doris:  Period.
David:  Period, what?
Doris:  All right.  Semicolon.
David:  Oh, darling, don't play games with me.
Doris:  They waited 18 years to get married.
David:  So?
Doris:  Well, Elliot Carson was in jail all that time for murdering his 
        wife.  
David:  Oh, Doris.
Doris:  Except that he didn't murder her.
David:  Stop it.
Doris:  Janet said that we would hear it.
David:  Well, I don't have to hear it from you.
Doris:  David, I heard about it.  And since Allison is spending time 
        with Kim, I thought you should know about it. 
David:  You're condemning the girl?
Doris:  No.
David:  Well, why did you come up here dressing up the visit with a gift?
Doris:  You have no right to condemn, David.
David:  Neither of us has.  Especially us.
Doris:  I wasn't talking about that.  You were condemning me.
David:  Oh, Doris.
Doris:  You said, "Are you condemning that girl?"
David:  I asked you, if you . . .
Doris:  Oh no.  You said.  You assumed . . .
David:  You came bursting up here in the middle of . . .
Doris:  I came up here to give you a gift.
David:  Okay.
Doris:  And to ask you to go out and have a drink.  And to give you some 
        information about Allison.  She's spending time with our 
        daughter.  I was giving you information.  Because it seems that 
        Allison has a very special problem, too. 

        [Doris hurries to leave, almost running into Steven Cord.]

Doris:  Oh.
SC:     I'm sorry, I startled you.
Doris:  That's all right.
        [David speaks to Steven.]
David:  Yes, what is it?
SC:     My name is Cord.  Steven Cord.  I'm with Theodore Dowell.
David:  Oh.  Come in.

Doris:  David, try not to be too late.
David:  I won't be too late.

David:  Oh, Mr. Cord.  This is Mrs. Schuster.
SC:     How do you do?
Doris:  How do you do, Mr. Cord?

Doris:  Goodbye, David.

        [Doris leaves.]

David:  I didn't know that Dowell had an associate.
        Well, He didn't until yesterday.
SC:     I was with Wainwright and Kennerly when Mr. Peyton transferred 
        his legal affairs to Mr. Dowell. 
David:  I take it.  You were part of the transfer?
SC:     Well, I wouldn't say that exactly.
David:  I see.  Well, what can I do for you, Mr. Cord?

        [Steven opens his briefcase and hands David the paper.]

David:  I'm supposed to authorize the fact that I have already 
        authorized a stock requisition? 
SC:     I know.  It seems a bit unnecessary to me, too.  But then, Mr. 
        Peyton likes to do things his way. 
David:  All right.  
        [David signs the papers.]
David:  There you are.  Anything else?
SC:     That's it.  Let's say these are like letters of introduction.  
        I'm looking forward to this association. 
David:  I'm sure we'll get along fine.  Especially when I have to sign 
        papers authorizing me to authorize.

David:  Next time, let's do this over lunch.
SC:     That's a good idea.  Good-night.
David:  Goodnight.

        [Steven Cord leaves.]


Episode 81, scene 5           HOME