[ music ] okay, we are back. Thank you, doctor. We have Jimmy Stewart with us tonight. Hodding carter iii. Im looking forward to meeting Hodding Carter iii. I admired him tremendously during his really difficult days right after the immediate seizure of the hostages. Where he had to go out everyday for the state department and the government and explain to all those reporters what was going on. You got to be fairly cool because they try to oh, yeah. Throw you some curves, knowing the press. Starting shopping yet . Not yet. You really i always like to wait until the last minute, yes. Wait until the last minute. I dont believe that you wait until the day before. You say you do, but how can you wait until the day before . A man can do you go to a store, you say wow. I want the following trinket. You ought to write that down. I want to put that on stone tablets a man can do what he wants to do. I go to certain stores theres certain shops you go to where they not only allow you to shop yes. But they also entertain you. What do you mean . Young ladies will come over and they bring you sustenance. Do they have those kind of stuff . Yes. I remember doing that one year in new york. Were we together then . We were together. We went in together. We went to one of those dont even you dont have to mention it. Its on 5th avenue. A lot of men dont shop. And psychologically, its very good. They get you bombed. Yeah. [ laughter ] they just come over and say, wont you have a glass of wine . And you say, yes, ill have one. Yes. And about two hours later we were buying i would like the case [ laughter ] is that i want one of those in every color yeah. But remember they bring the girls come in, wearing lovely negligees and lovely nightwear. Its a lovely way to shop. You dont do that anymore . No, no. Not anymore. Boy, have you changed. Now, this is something we have been doing for many years on this show. And this is great. Yeah, weve had Great Success with this. Its a chance for the people at home to really participate in what christmas is all about. Which really is for the children. The post office in new york, as you know not only the New York Post office, but probably all post offices they get letters addressed to santa claus that are addressed to the north pole. And i want the Young Children to know that the post office passes those along. Right to santa. Thats right. And they intercepted a batch and they passed them on to us. And they make the letters available to people who would like to help some child at christmas. Because a lot of these letters are very funny. Some this happens every christmas are a little bit sad. And so, if you really want to participate in this way, you can do it is let me give you the card now and then ill give it you later. Its called the Santa Claus Fund and the General Post Office is room 3021 new york, new york. Its on the screen now 10001. Or you can simply the same address and zip code. They will send you a letter. Because they have the childs name and address and you can send them a gift or something. It really makes christmas but i want to read you some of these letters. And then well give them back to the post office and people will come in but some of them are hysterical. These are all actual letters, as you can see. Look at some of the stuff they write on here. This is im not going to give you any last names. Heres one from andrew. Dear santa, so whats the story . [ laughter ] right to the point. So whats the story . I gave my father a letter to mail you and i hadnt heard from you. This time you better answer or ill do terrible things to you. Understand . [ laughter ] now, i want lots of toys this christmas and no junk good stuff. [ laughter ] also, give lots of things to my good buddy, john. And signed, andrew. But i loved that. So whats the story . Whats the story . [ laughter ] understand . Heres one from antonella little neck, new york. Dear santa. This is a 6th Grade Student writing to you. Dear santa, i think youre the best. Everyone at school makes fun of me because i believe in you. My brother makes fun of me, too. My mother thinks i should still believe you so i think ill stick with my mother. [ laughter ] for christmas, i would like a car. [ laughter ]i [ laughter ] i want it red outside and black inside. I want it to be a front and back seat. I would like a Steering Wheel to lock and key in windows. On the outside, i would like an eagle of gold. In the front, i would like a motor. [ laughter ] thats a corvette. I assume hes talking about yeah, a real car. A real car. Second grade. Well, maybe a kcar. [ laughter ] new corvette im not sure. We want you to come early this year because were going to florida for christmas. [ laughter ] we were wondering if you could stop here on december 12th or the 13th. [ laughter ] [ applause ] and then she goes down the list. Santa doesnt work, andrea, i dont think on the 12th or the 13th. I think they have a guest santa yes. That comes on. [ laughter ] dont you love kids . You could not make these letters up. Dear santa and mrs. Santa, we would like you to know how are your reindeer and also the penguins . [ laughter ] i hope you havent been cooking too much, mrs. Claus. And id like to think that youre taking good care of the reindeer. Jensen wrote this. Should we tell him . Go ahead. I dont know what i should tell him. All right, go ahead. I understand mrs. Claus got a little blitzed the other night and cooked the reindeer. [ laughter ] we thought she did. No. Now, heres a kid that does not fool around ryan from new york. He didnt take time to write a letter. All he did he just clipped out the ads. [ laughter ] theyre stapled together here there must be 50 different toys and he just took them and dropped them in an envelope that says santa claus. No let [ laughter ] work it out what . Work it out work it out why should i write . Dear santa, how are you feeling . And hows mrs. Santa. I love you. Ive been a very good girl. Im doing good in school. I hope you would be good to me this year. I would like one i took licken from the chicken, beware of the spider game, quick jump skunk, operation game, clydes car crusher, chips helmet set, holly hobbie bake over, sew perfect sewing machine, baby grows up beauty salon, dustpan and apron talking telephone, dishes, pot and pan, viewmaster, stuffed animals, snoopy ice maker, perfume maker, adorable dolls, stop sign mickey mouse watch [ laughter ] she says, say hello to your reindeer and have a nice flight. [ laughter ] have a nice flight . Hes not even going to get off the ground with all the stuff you asked for. Stephanie. Dear santa, i wasnt too good this year, but ill try harder next year. But i only really want one thi that thing im talking about is a telescope. Can i have one, please, please, pretty please with sugar on top . Telescope with sugar on top . [ laughter ] thats what gabriel wants. Dear santa, i would like army shirt, pants, canteen, helmet, pistol holster and a. 44 luger. [ laughter ] like the one on tv. Brian, i think [ laughter ] sounds steamed. Call out an airstrike on you. Dear santa claus, ive been a good girl. Please bring me some sexy panties and a slip. [ laughter ] obviously, the good girl stuff is over. [ laughter ] and a nightgown, good for you, brooke. [ applause ] youve been a good girl, its time to loosen up. Dear santa, thank you for all of things ga that i never thanked you for. If you could please include a little present for scruffy, my new hamster, in his stocking. Nice. Dont see many hamsters wearing stockings. [ laughter ] dear santa. All the things i did, im very sorry for. On the other hand [ laughter ] hes going to be a lawyer yeah. On the other hand, how are you feeling, mrs. Claus . Is mrs. Claus getting the christmas suit ready . The questions they come up with. Im not going to show you the last name. But it is personalized stationery. Dear santa, i really believe in you. And i have a huge christmas list. This year i have a cat, but dont be surprised if you dont see her because shes very scared of people thats shes never seen before. My address is so forth. And so forth and so on. But can you imagine a child writing in with her own personalized stationery. Personalized stationery. Dear santa, this yeam the fake santas lap. [ laughter ] this is from jenna from jenna. You know the one who get your pictures with . His knees are too bony. Plus, he is not the real one. My list for christmas is on the back. I want to chit chat on this page. [ laughter ] so how is the reindeer . I hope you dont catch a cold. You know, with the snow and all. I have a baby girl cousin whos having her first christmas. Shes very cute i by the way, last year, my dad had beer in the freezer. Did you drink it . [ laughter ] well, i know you wont this year because im making cookies and chocolate and strawberry milk. Poor dad. [ laughter ] yeah. Hes got to drink a lot of strawberry milk to get a buzz on. [ laughter ] dear santa, please get the toys on this list. [ laughter ] there was one in here im going to going on too long here. Heres a kid that says, christmas is coming and i want to buy something for me to play with. So im asking you for 10. 00. I would like to tell you, theyre going to tax it. [ laughter ] i had one in here i got to get to it which another one. Dear santa, how are you feeling . How are you this year . We all hope youre feeling fine and also your little elves. Now, lets get to the point of this letter. I think marvin and his last name has been very good this year. And its from marvin. [ laughter ] but i love that, he says, lets get to the point. Dear santa jennifer. Please bring me for christmas two ankle bracelets made of gold and with all different colored jewels and gold shiny slippers with blue beads and turquoise beads. Also, a ruby necklace with a gold chain and a ruby. Please bring daddy, if possible, a down coat and a house in the country and a new ca would you settle for some playdoh and an apple. I mean this is [ laughter ] anyway, theres a lot of ones that are very funny in there. I got a few. Now, these are the ones that we were talking about for christmas. And they all run in kind of the same category. And its interesting when these children write. They not only some write for themselves so much, they write for their mother or somebody else in the family. It says, my name is sylvia and im 8 years old. Im so happy that christmas is coming soon. Though, this year, my mother has told me and no presents. I know what i would like very much for christmas. Ive been good all year round and i also run errands for my mother and so forth. And bring something for my little brother. It always its kids like this. Dear santa, im a handicapped child. My mom is poor and she has asthma. I would like to hear the things these kids ask for a winter jacket. You know, where most kids ask for toys and stuff, they ask for clothing and stuff like this. Dear santa, we ask our mother if youre going to come this year and she said no because dad is not working. I have two 11 year old sisters and one brother i would like to surprise. Ask for nothing for herself, again. Heres one from donna. How are you feeling . Im happy youre in town again. I like that. Could you help my mommy . This is the first time i am asking for your help. But i really feel that my mommy needs you this year. Not for me. But for my brothers and sisters. She cannot buy nothing for them because we have a lot of bills to pay. My daddy is not working. And it goes on and on with letters like this. Heres that address again. Because there are thousands of letters like this from youngsters. Santa claus fund, the General Post Office, room 3012 in new york, new york. Or you can actually go down to the post office in new york city, which is at what 30 whats the address in new york . Thirtyfourth and fortysecond and fifth. Is it fortysecond and fifth . Yeah. And go down there and pick up a couple of letters and it will really make christmas what its all about. So i want to thank the postmaster for sending these letters. What . [ applause ] thats the library . Not the library youre giving me the address to the library. Anyway, contact the post office because the have hundreds of these letters. Well be back in a moment. Jimmy stewart will be with us and Hodding Carter tonight. [ music ] thank you, doc. Heres one of the [ applause ] one of the nicest people in the entire world in motion pictures. And jimmys going to be seen in a Television Special called, mr. Kruegers special, which airs on the 22nd. Would you welcome Jimmy Stewart [ music ] [ applause ] all right, jimmy. Yeah. [ cheering ] thank you well, well, well, well how are you . [ laughter ] happy holidays. Im im im im fine. Do you go out do you go out Christmas Shopping this time of year . No. Do you really . Im a terrible shopper. Me too. Are you i swear, i dont how to [ laughter ] i panic. I cannot make a decision when im in a store. I went with gloria this morning. I followed her around like a dog. [ laughter ] and she said, is that fine . And i said, fine. She said, how do you like that . I said, yeah. She said, what do do you like everything or do you wish we [ laughter ] i dont know what to do. You just want to get off the hook, right . Right. What would you like, if somebody said, i want to buy Jimmy Stewart something for christmas. Gloria asked me that last night. Oh, yeah. I dont know. I dont what do you a present . I really im stuck. Yeah. Nothing at all . An exotic trip someplace . No, maybe not. Yeah, i dont know what to say either. Because they always say, youre difficult to shop for. Yep. Maybe get me a good part in a picture. [ laughter ] thats what youd like, huh . You have all the family together this year . Yeah, theyre all going to sort of end up the twins are coming and be with us for christmas. And then the twins are going over and see the son and his wife and the grandchildren. Thats great. Which we saw them last week. So, well all be sort of together. See, thats great. Are you signaling to doc that we got to cut away for a minute . Yes, we should. All right, well take a break. Were going to come right back because we got a little back up. Were going to sit here and do all kinds of things. [ music ] were talking to Jimmy Stewart. [ applause ] right . What do you play in this . You dont play santa claus, do you . No, no, its not. As a matter of fact, i did it for the mormon church. And its a sort of an interesting story. Its a christmas story but its this christmas story and sort of the real reason that we celebrate christmas the birth of christ. Right. And its all told through the dreams and through the imagination of an old, who lives in the basement and has a cat named george. He but hes a dreamer and he for instance, hes sitting there in the basement, hes listening to an old phonograph record of the mormon tabernacle choir and he starts sort of he starts leading it and suddenly the fade in and im leading the mormon tabernacle choir. Now, if you dont think thats something [ laughter ] if you dont think stand up and yeah, in Salt Lake City up and stand up in front of the 350 boys. And you do this and they start to sing. Well, i would [ laughter ] thats power. Thats power. And its called mr. Kruegers christmas and then of course, another vision of his, it even goes to bethlehem and even goes to the manger and joseph and mary and the wisemen and the shepherds and everything. But its through his eyes. Yeah. He that sounds lovely. And i think its kind of a nice thing. It will be here, i think, the 22nd but i guess its playing i think its syndicated around yeah around the country. All the places around the country. But its kind of a nice story. Yeah, you said you play an elderly person . You feel do you feel elderly . Sure. Oh, you do . [ laughter ] i thought you were going to say, no, no, no its sort of everybodys opinion. You cant really ask advice on this. You have to make up your own mind. I dont think that i think you ought to act your age and i just think i look in the mirror and i say, well, youre old. [ laughter ] youre old. I dont make a thing of it. And i but i dont make a thing of trying to be a kid. Yeah. Because i dont think and i people sort of the things that happen to you. You know, you have a belly ache and you cant hear very well. I dont like the people that sit there in a conversation and they somebodys talking and then at the end of the talking, they say, what did you say . And then you and guys going again and he said, what did you say . I can stand so much and then i say, look get one [ laughter ] they work [ applause ] big deal. What did you say . [ laughter ] put that in put that back here what did you say . Were you im going to wait until you get that. Oh, excuse me. [ laughter ] oh, yeah. Let me ask you a question, now. Were you reluctant for a while to get that . Yeah, yeah, of course, thats a natural thing. But i noticed it. Around gloria a couple years and i noticed i found that gloria was always and she didnt say anything about it the thing is, i didnt hear it. Didnt hear the telephone. So i went to a doctor and he said, well, yeah. How do you know that your hearing is gone . And i said, well, i cant hear the telephone bell and my wife has to answer the telephone. He said, well, get a louder bell on the telephone. [ laughter ] and this worked for a while. Yeah. Except, we started waking the neighbors. [ laughter ] when it started sounding like big ben, that was too much. Yeah, so i so i cut that out. So i went to a fellow and its been all right. Yeah, i understand you have and you have given them before you have another poem for us. Well, i have a poem you have to explain it a little. Yeah, it needs a little gloria and i and our twin daughters, judy and kelly, and gloria and i take still picture. We have a lot of them from our trips to africa. And we thought maybe wed get a moving camera for the twins. Right. And so i got one this was quite a while but eastman had a thing called super 8. Oh, yeah. Eight millimeter film. Right. Well, we went to africa and the twins loved it and they really got it with the it was good weather and everything. They got a wonderful thing we got up real early to get the sunrise and i couldnt find the movie camera. And finally, judy said, oh, im afraid i left it outside. I had it in a leather case and she left it outside. And the hunters said immediately, okay, so you left it outside. So we formed a ring around the camp and went through the grass and sure enough, judy found it. Was the zipper and a hook on it and the lens was broken off the camera. And there were teeth mark it sort of looked like leather on the side there were teeth marks on the side. A hyena and this made sense because a hyena lots of times they wander through the camp and ive heard them brush up against the tent. They sort of go and i really thought i heard one ha ha ha laughing once, but boy they dont laugh. They dont. Not when theyre going through it. Yeah. Anyway [ laughter ] anyway, it sort of was it was sort of too bad and everybody was sort of quiet around the campfire that night and everything. And i decided to write a poem about it. It rained the next day so i had a chance to sort of sit and write my you want to hear it . I would love to hear it, yes. All right. Im a movie camera. I decided to do it from the point of view of the of the camera. Camera. Good. Im a movie camera. Instamatic is my name. Im eastmans latest model super 8. My claim to fame. Good. I was on a shelf in westwood when an actor purchased me and took me home to 918 in hills the beverly. I remember well, the oohs and ahs, when out of my box, i was n. To the actors girls if im not mistaken. And soon, i comprehended what my mission was to be. Im to photograph the animals in kenya across the sea. They put me in a leather case of rather old design. I wish it was a new one. But this one will be fine. Then one day, i found myself beneath a curious chair. Were on our way to africa and were flying through the air. A few days in nairobi to the jungle camp, which seemed to me quite far. Then the action started in jungle all day long. There was lots of picture taking and the light was good and strong. But then there came the highlight in the leopard blind, one day. And kelly took a picture as the leopard stalked its prey. They praise my work in camp that night and i just burst with pride. But if the liked my work so much, whyd they leave me here [ laughter ] a midnight wind came through the case and chilled me to the core. And also, there were noises that i hadnt heard before. And suddenly there was a tug upon the leather case and as wind swept across the campsite, we were dragged across the place. And through the grass, they dragged us a dozen yards or so and then we stopped quite suddenly and waited. I dont know. It came once with a snarl. White fangs tore off the case and left me lying in the grass this monster soon defaced. And it was indeed a monster and its yellow eyes did glare with viciousness upon me almost more than i can bear. And his slobbering jaw clamped down on me. Oh, if i could only shout. And then it picked me up and shook me. And then it spit me out. [ laughter ] judy found me after dawn. There was moisture in the air. I felt sorry as she sadly looked as i was lying there. The actor didnt say much. He just shook his head and frowned as bit by bit, they picked their movie camera off the ground. There wasnt really much to say as you can plainly see. It seems that a hyena tried to make a meal of me. I dont know what the future holds. It matters not somehow. I hope the twins will think of me. I hope the thoughts are good. Im just a movie camera and i did the best i could. [ applause ] [ cheering ] a poem by Jimmy Stewart. Thank you. Very touching. [ music ] to many americans, i think the thanks, doc. [ applause ] now, you see to many americans, the coolest and most visible u. S. Official throughout the tense iranian crisis was a man very few people had heard of before state department chief spokesman. Hes now writing a book based on his father a Pulitzer Prize winning editor. He also teaches at the American University lectures at leading colleges. And its a pleasure to welcome him. The man has been called the new voice of america Hodding Carter. Hodding [ music ] its a pleasure to meet you. I admired you tremendously somewhat difficult days where you had to face that daily daily onslaught of the reporters and the wire services. Whats the most difficult job when you have to go out and speak for the state department . Is it the adversary relationship that the press shows . Actually, the most difficult part of it is remembering what youre not supposed to say, as opposed to what youre supposed to say. And when youre talking with the questions coming remembering that becomes the one overwhelming thing. In other words, you actually, of course, you have to. You have to. If they want a spokesman to do a good job whomever they may be, they have to let him know more than he can tell. Right. Because otherwise, he is going to inadvertently lie or inadvertently make a mistake. So you have to selfedit as you go along . Very carefully. Are there certain reporters some of them are really kind of vitriolic. Are there certain reporters that gave you more problems than others . That you felt sometimes, they were trying to put you in a very defensive position . I think one time or another, every reporter feels he has got a hold of something and which is really worth pressing you. If hes any good right. Hes going to press you anyway. But no, as a matter of fact, in those 3 1 2 years, i dont feel there was any one reporter who had some ax right. That he had for my neck uniquely. I had one, generally, for all spokesmans neck. Not just for my neck. And it was a really good relationship, actually. When you gea debriefing, most of us know so little about the inner workings of the government. Its kind of giving it when you go out there, what you have before you go out is a clear idea in my case, the secretary of state. Right. What the major lines are supposed to be. You have, from all over town, actually, guidances, as they call them, which is supposed to set the limits for how you go. Mmhmm. Actually, theres no way to anticipate what the 50 reporters are going to ask you. So you go out knowing what you are supposed to say thinking you know whou and not having any idea what questions they will actually ask you. Thats a very delicate position, isnt it . Sometimes. To kind of tread that light. Yeah, it can be. It was also one in which it required, happily what i got, which was several months of no real crisis before you began being pressed. If i had had to go out there the first couple of months, then deal with the subjects i later had right. I think i wouldve had us, if not into world war iii and the total embarassment right away. Kind of build up to the major major crises. The other part of it was the reporters knew they had one ignorant silly hick from mississippi, so they sat there and said, well give him about two months and then well kill him. [ laughter ] and thats you think there always seems to be there always seems to be that attitude in government for a while, that when somebody new comes in, they give him what they call the honeymoon and then all of a sudden the honeymoon seems to disappear. Whether its president or a spokesman or any government position. If i hadnt had that honeymoon for those few months, i wouldve been divorced by that secretary of state a lot earlier. No, its true. And it should be that way, as a matter of fact. If people elect the president to come in and do a certain kind of a job, i think for the moment thats hes in, those first few months, he deserves that time to see what he intends to do to put his program before the people. And then naturally, being in a democratic system right. They start going at you and Johnny Carson starts talking about you and yeah, got to keep them on their toes. Well take a short break. [ music ] were talking with Hodding Carter. One of the things that i admired and i think a lot of reporters did too, when you were under the gun. If you didnt have the answer to a question, you used a phrase that you dont hear too much in washington. Youd say, i dont know. Which is not a bad answer if you dont know. Because most people are skirt around it and do a lot of gobbledygook and say nothing. Youd simply say, c or i dont know the answer. That would happen to be the truth. Which helped a great deal. Did you ever have something that you knew so, this must be very tough when youre privy to the inner secrets. That you couldnt tell your friends it was very difficult for you to sit and talk, thinking that you might Say Something that you shouldnt . Every now and then. I dont want to pretend to you that i was one of the walking repositories of top secrets of the government, because i wasnt. But yes, obviously, all the time. There were things that when you went out, you didnt talk about a great deal. A great deal and couldnt. But not yeah, i want to tell you. Among the many things i was among the last to know, was the raid in tehran. I wasnt Walking Around with that secret in the back of my head. Yeah. As a result, i was able to go out, speak to the American Newspaper Publishers Association the day before the raid and assure them, because i believe that no force was going to be used. As i flew back from hawaii from that day, the stewardess walked over, shook me and said, im so sorry. And i said, she said, the raid. I said, what raid . Oh. This was a spokesman for American Foreign policy. [ laughter ] i suppose, there are certain things that that is a fine line to draw. What should the government tell the public and what should they not tell them. There are certain things, obviously. That the more people know, the less chance you have of keeping a secret there have to be secrets. Do you feel that the press or the media sometimes presses too hard to find out things that maybe the public should not know . There are real secrets that ought to be kept and they must be kept. There is also great body of information thats classified, which is about as important as the fact that i have on a blue tie i. E. It has no business being classified. Right. If you threw out about half the classification, you could keep the secrets that are important a lot better. Right. The way things are now, when everything is classified, people believe that none of the classification makes sense. Yeah, theres no value in anything. Theres not value in any of it and thats a problem. D or the media, generally . Do you think they should, of course, have that adversary relationship with the government. Do you think sometimes they overstep their bounds . Its inevitable that there will be times in which the combat, which is sort of written into the constitution, becomes outside the bounds. But i have to tell you again, i would like to sit here and complain and say one of the terrible things in the last four years was an adversary relationship with the press that wasnt. They did their job and of unfair shots at us. Right. It balances out fairly well, i guess. It really did. Well take a break. Well be right back. [ music ] we wish we had a little more time tonight. Its fascinating. Its been great. I thank you for coming tonight, hodding. Thank you. My pleasure. Jimmy, thank you for coming. The special is mr. Kruegers christmas, which will be on t around the country in syndication. Tomorrow night, we have Richard Pryor will be with us and richard benjamin. Have a nice night. [ music ] im humbled by that applause. . Come and knock on our door . . Come and knock on our door . . Weve been waiting for you . . Weve been waiting for you . . Where the kisses are hers and hers and his . . Threes company, too. . . Come and dance on our floor . . Come and dance on our floor . . Take a step that is new . . Take a step that is new . A lovable space that needs your face . . Threes company, too. . . Youll see that life is a ball again . . Laughter is calling for you . . Down at our rendezvous . . Down at our rendezvous . I need to ask you a question. Are you any good at chinese cooking . Are you kidding . I practically wokked to the head of my class. Get it wok, walk . I get it, thats good. Because, listen, my bosss wife she wants to learn chinese cooking so i told her that you would give her lessons. Janet, you had no right to do that without asking me first. Shell pay you 25 an hour. When can she start . As soon as you can. Well, listen, i got the dinner shift tomorrow at the restaurant. How about tomorrow afternoon . Thats what i told her. phone ringing hello. Oh, hi, terri. Oh, sure. Okay, well see you tomorrow, byebye. Hmm. Who was that . Terri wont be home tonight. Shes working the double shift at the hospital. Again . Really. She must need money. Well, ill get the bedroom all to myself. audience laughter if you get lonely, just knock. You mean, Something Like this . On second thought, why dont you just whistle . Well, mrs. Latham, youre a very good student. Those egg rolls look just right. Lets see. Delicious. Not as good as yours. Oh, well. Im so glad janet got us together. I never dreamed cooking could be so much fun. Thank you. Oh, my, look at that time. Downtown for dinner. Where can i change . Oh, right this way, ill show you. Right in here, if thats all right. Thank you. Yeah, ive got to change, too. But first let me put your delicious egg rolls away. as cowboy yall are goin to eggroll heaven. in high voice help me, help me laughter sighs jack, i. Oh, hello. You must be one of jacks roommates. Yes, im terri. Im joanna latham. Youre certainly a lucky girl sharing an apartment with a man like jack. For someone so young he certainly knows what hes doing such technique. Really . Uh. Sure. That jack. You know, he showed me things id never even heard of. laughter oh, is he here . In the bedroom, getting dressed. You know what i like best . Hes so patient. He let me do it over and over till i finally got it right. Oh, hi, terri. Oh, jack, ive got to run. Thanks so much. Here you are 25. laughter and worth every penny. You know, i feel guilty about this. You know, i had as much fun as you did. Dont be silly, jack, you earned it. Oh, all right, byebye now. Terri, ive got to get to work. We have to talk about something. Listen, i dont want to be late. Listen, jack. Ah jack, i just ran into mrs. Latham. She absolutely is crazy about you, jack. The woman said that you have got more talent in your little. Janet. laughter youre embarrassing me. Just tell me im fantastic, and let it go at that. Youre fantastic. Take care, girls. Jack, i. Hows it going . Janet yeah . Listen, we have got to talk. Oh, not right now, terri, ive got to go shopping. I ran into the most incredible sale on designer jeans. Janet, about jack and mrs. Latham. Oh, isnt it great . I got them together. You did . Yeah, its a great way for jack to make some extra bucks. Janet, im no prude. Of course youre not otherwise youd not have moved in here. Hi, everybody. Hello, cindy. Gosh, janet howd you know it was me . It just hit me. Give you the details because ive got to go shopping. Listen, janet. Bye, janet. Isnt that just like janet . Always on the go. I really wouldnt know. Ive only been here a week. Shes so smart and practical. I keep telling her she should start her own business. I think she already has. Huh . Cindy, tell me about jack. Oh, jack . Ve the way he fools around . Fools around. Yeah, acting love starved like hes always on the make things like that. Are you sure hes acting . With jack, you can never be too sure. Oh, my gosh ill be late for class. Listen, cindy, wait. Is jack having trouble making, you know, ends meet with his new career and all . Yeah, thats why hes always taking those odd jobs. Odd jobs . Jack does to make a buck. Bye. clears throat whistling well, what do you think . My new designer jeans, only 20. Hey, thats cheap. Jack, are you kidding . Especially for calvin kleins. Janet, the label says calvin clones. Keep going, janet, youre gaining on it how embarrassing. Just sit down and eat your eggs. Well, uh. Okay. Hi, terri. Youre just in time for breakfast. Im not hungry. Gosh, terri, are you okay . Yeah, im fine. Well, no. Nt know. If theres something wrong, you can tell us. Well understand. Well, i. Um. Its just that, uh. I think i may have to move. Move . You just got here. We thought you liked it here. I do, but. Why are you moving . Id rather not say. Well, terri, wait a minute now. Jack, its none of our business. If the. Ck does this have anything to do with a man . It certainly does. doorbell rings thats for me, ill get it. Whats going on . I dont know. Lets go find out. Hello, terri. This is a friend of mine, dr. Anderson. Hello. How do you do . Whats up, doc . Ng. What . Just leaving. Wait, ter. Gosh, we must have done something to upset her. Jack. Have you been coming on to terri . Of course not. But if you think itd help. Jack i mean. Jack doorbell rings i appreciate your helping me out. Ive been going crazy trying to find an apartment for my niece. I think shell like it here. Most of the people here are very nice. Well, i hope so. There are a lot of weirdos running around. Are you looking for me . Oh, hi, mr. Furley. This is a friend of mine, dr. Anderson. Oh, doctor. Well, how do you do, doctor . Hey, you know something . I bet people are always bugging you yeah, i figured. Some people have so much nerve. Well. Ow whats wrong . Oh, its nothing. Oh, good. Its just that ive been getting this twinge in my arm but i sure wouldnt want to bug you about it. Its probably nothing. And dr. Anderson is looking for an apartment for his niece. Yes, shell be here in two weeks. Its a sharp, shooting pain. And i heard there was a vacancy in 302. Yes, i wonder if i could see it . Sure. It really hurts when i move it like this. What do you think i ought to do, doc . Dont move it like that. Mr. Furley, could you show dr. Anderson the apartment . Sure, just as soon as i take this paint up to your place. Be right back. Hey, doc. You know what . Weve got to think of something to change her mind. Something has happened thats upset her. If we could just find out what that is. Thats a good idea. Why dont you come out and ask her what you did . knocking the wrong person is moving out. Oh, hi. I got that paint for your bedroom. Oh, great. Lets take a look at the colors. Factory seconds . Blue for the ceiling oh, boy, how cheap. What was that . I said, blue and green, how chic. And its cheap, too. By the way, kids did you know that a very prominent physician is taking an apartment in this building . A friend of terris, a doctor, uh. Janet anderson . Yeah, yeah. Great arm man. His niece my aspidistra. Huh . Oh, boy. Come on, jack, grow up. There is no niece. Hes taking that apartment for terri. Youre going bonkers on me. A stranger comes to the door and right away you got him moving in with terri. Jack, he is no stranger to terri and now hes going to set her up in a nice, lowrent love nest. Oh, please, janet, come on. Jack, look, hes probably just taking advantage of the fact that she needs money right now. Boy, i can just see it. At first hell come to see her every day. Then pretty soon, once a week. Then once a month. Then hes going to find somebody younger and hell just throw her out like an old shoe. The whole sordid story is just as clear as a bell. Okay, fine, jack tripper, fine, fine. Mr. Furley said that this niece was going to be moving in in two weeks. Well just see whos bonkers then. Well, wait a minute the. Terri, terri, listen. Youre not serious about leaving us, are you . Im afraid i am. Youre moving out just like that . No, ill give you time to find a new roommate. You will . How much time . Two. . You see . What did i tell you . Shes going to move in with him. What should we do . Janet, theres only one thing to do. What . I dont know hi, terri. Hi. Uh, terri, why are you moving out . I just have to. Oh, gee, if you needed money, terri you could have come to us. I dont need money. Oh, right, of course you dont. laughs nervously i dont know why i said that. I just meant hypothetically you know, if ever, ever in your life you would need money, then you could come to me. I mean, i could probably get you some extra work. Like the work you lined up for jack . Oh, no, terri, you couldnt do work like that. laughter you can say that again. No, thanks, but i dont need any of your help. Oh, sure. Yeah, sure. Uh. Any luck . Please dont make it any worse. Trust me, i know what im doing. Are you sure . Of course not. Hi, terri. Hi. Listen, i just want you to know how sorry we are to lose you. Terri. Jack, no, no, no, fine. I am fine. Just good for the leg muscles. Ah. So tell me, ter. Terri, are you. Please, dont worry about that. Janet never liked that lamp anyway. Terri, listen, whats this dr. Anderson like . Why . Well, i mean, what kind of a man is he . Oh, hes very nice. Is that all . Well, hes also very demanding. I mean, when he wants something, he gets it. You can always say no, cant you . Oh, you poor kid. Its worse than i thought. If she says no to anderson shell lose her job. The crumb. Id like to deck him. Well, thats not going to help her keep her job. Jack, maybe we could. Hi, terri. I just want to make a phone call. Jack and i will just go into his bedroom so you can have some privacy. Hello, im tom latham. Mr. Latham . Yes. Mrs. Lathams husband . Thats usually the way it goes, yes. Quick oh, you poor man. Here, come, there, sit down. You really shouldnt be here. Why. Isnt today my wifes lesson . You know about jack and your wife . Sure. You dont mind . Of course not she has to learn somehow. loud laughter good heavens pot clanging terri . Terri its okay, everythings fine. Well, well, well, speak of the doctor. Look whos here, janet. Dr. Anderson. My, we were just talking about you. Oh . Is terri home . She said shed help me pick out the paint for my nieces apartment. Your nieces apartment, huh . And does your wife know about this niece . Yes, but shes not happy about it. Ill bet for a young single girl. But youll be there to protect her, wont you . Of course, ill be in and out all the time. Say, where is terri . Id really like her to help me pick out that paint. You want paint . Why, we just happen to have some in the bedroom that i think youll be very interested in. Oh, good idea, jack. Good idea. Lets show dr. Anderson our paint. Yes, lets really give it to him. Say, dr. Anderson, do you prefer blue or green . Is much nicer. Oh, blue he likes blue. Actually, the whole thing was my idea. It was . Sure, a guy gets tired of the same thing night after night. laughter so you sent her to jack . Right. But i still dont understand why youre here. Oh, i dont know i thought itd kind of be fun to watch. What . sicko what are you. Dr. Latham, what happened . That girl has flipped her noodle. Terri did this . Oh, my goodness, mr. Latham i cant tell you how sorry i am. Excuse me, im so sorry. Just dab a little. Get out of here. Terri, whats going on . That horrible man, making his poor wife sons from some other man and then coming to. To. Wa. Wa. Watch whats wrong with watching cooking lessons . Whats wrong with watching cook. Coo. Cooking lessons . Hes watching cooking lessons . Yeah, whatd you think . I thought you were giving her love lessons and that janet arranged it. Oh, i could just kill myself. Oh, how can i ever face mr. Latham . I. Oh, i cant even face you. Terri, how could you ever think that about janet and me . Well, i. I dont know you that well and. And when she. I came in and she came out of the bathroom with her zip. And her and you were adjusting your clothes. I mean, what else would you think . Oh, im going to kill myself. Why youre moving in with dr. Anderson. Im not moving in with him. What about apartment 302 . Thats for his niece. His n. His niece . He really has a real niece . Oh, did you think that i. That he. That we. laughs how could you . Janet watched. Janet oh, my gosh, i got to stop. Janet, you didnt paint dr. Anderson with that blue paint, did you . As a matter of fact, i didnt. Thank god. laughter okay, doctor, excuse me, but its really very funny. See, janet here thought that you were setting up a love nest for terri but of course youre not. Isnt that funny . stammering janet i. Uh, you see. Oh, mr. Latham, what happened . Thats what id like to know. So would i. My god, whats going on here . Wait a second, mr. Latham, look, look this is hysterical. I mean, if you can see the humor in this. Um, uh, uh. Terri thought that i was teaching your wife to be a better lover. forced laugh you . Chuckling now thats funny. others laughing thats funny. Wait a minute, its not that funny. . Come and knock on our door . . Come and knock on our door . . Weve been waitin for you . . Weve been waitin for you . . Where the kisses are hers and hers and his . . Threes company, too . . Come and dance on our floor . . Come and dance on our floor . . Take a step that is new . . Take a step that is new . . Weve a lovable space that needs your face . . Threes company, too . . Youll see that life is a ball again . . Laughter is callin for you . . Down at our rendezvous . . Down at our rendezvous . Hi, guys ot to get to my dance class. Janet, a little exercise will do you good. What do you mean a little exercise will do me good, jack . What do you think dancing is . Well, come on you cant call whoo exercise. Oh, really . What do you think, terri . Youre right, janet. What . And youre right, too, jack. Wait how could we both be right . I dont know. Im new around here. Let me tell you something, jack tripper. We dont go ooh dancing can be one of the most strenuous things that you ever do. Strenuous . What, dancing . Oh, right. Oh laughter ooh. Are you finished . I suppose you think you could make it through an hour of dance class . An hour . Right now . I would, but uh. Cindys coming to dinner. Im making her something special. Chicken. No, i thought maybe duck. laughter forget it, jack. Just forget it. I knew that youd never take me up on it. Hold it was that a dare . You bet your sweet little tutu. Youre on boogie, mama. Oh, hi, marlene. Hi, janet. I think im going to like it here. Come on, jack. Its important that you get loosened up right away. Well start with your neck. groans okay, put your feet like this. Thats a problem. No, it isnt, jack. shouts well do a couple of sets of eight. Ready, and one, two, three, four. Two, two, three, four. Three, two. laughter looking tremendously good, i must say. Well, hi. Well, h. screams hi matter . No, no. I always warm up like this. whimpers in pain youre funny. Yeah did you hear the one about. . Ooh, ooh laughter jack jack. Oh, jack what have you done . I dont know but i think im still doing it, janet. Janet, it doesnt go like that bring this leg down e, jack. All right, places, everyone. Come on, lets get started. Janet yes, right here. Janet, janet, janet. Yes, michael. I want you up front where the class can watch you. Oh, sure. I expected to see you last night. You know ive got to spend some time with my husband. Michael do you want that part in the show or dont you . Okay, ill see you tonight. Good girl. Okay, lets go weve got lots to do. Well work on that combination we worked on last week. What do i do . Just follow along, jack if you can. Okay, we all know the beginning. Were going to take it from the boogie section right after the intro. You ready . And one, two, three, four. Two, two, three, four. Turn, two, three, four. Good. Now well do it to the music, everybody. You call this exercise . Its a snap. Oh, are you here . Sorry. music begins playing five, six, seven, eight. Whoa im sorry, sorry. Hold it, hold it hold it, hold it. You. Come here. He noticed me. Uhhuh. laughter how you doing . Son, i think we have a problem. In the beginners class. Possibly, as long as its not in dancing. Youve got to be in shape to be a dancer, son. coughs i was when i came in. You kids have a good time. Youre doing great. Janet. Yes, michael. Would you take over the class . Ive got to make a phone call. Oh, sure. Janets got it, everybody. Take it from the top. Thanks. music begins five, six, seven, eight. laughing oh, yeah . Hes so cute. All the girls are crazy about him. Is he handsome . Gorgeous. Theres one thing about him i cant stand. What . His wife. I know what you mean. All the interesting ones are married. Excuse me, im not married. And were not interested. Oh, im sorry. Hi, jack. Hi, terri. Oh, jack, jack you will never guess what happened he asked me to be in his show. Im so excited. Michael, my dance instructor. This local production of annie, get your gun. One of the girls in the chorus line well, she dropped out so he asked me if i would step in. I have to learn all the dance steps and i have only one week. Well . Arent you going to say anything . About what . Janet jack no, im kidding. Thats great fabulous thats so great. Congratulations, janet. Can you believe it . I will be up there, dancing , can we all come . Oh, i wasnt sure youd be interested. What . What . What . Just in case, though i reserved the entire front row. Oh, i thought the audience loved it. I hope janet saw me applauding. How could she miss you . Standing on your seat yelling encore, encore ill plug in the coffee. So, what do you think, mr. Furley . Oh, i love musicals. Singing and dancing. Well, i thought janet was sensational so did i. Considering that it was her very first time. Well, i mean every dancer stumbles once or twice. Three times. You saw that time, too . Wasnt that embarrassing . Hey, hey, hey ixnay on all this negative inkingthay. laughter but i dont think we should lie to her and tell her she was better than she was. I mean, we owe her more than that. We owe her the truth. Hi, everybody well, whatd you think . You were wonderful well, what did the rest of you think . Well, uh. I thought you were great. Ah, youre just saying that. No, honest. I mean, i did stumble once or twice. laughter not that anyone noticed. laughter i was so nervous backstage before the curtain went up but then i looked over and i saw michael and he smiled at me. Oh, michael. Oh, michael, im so sorry. Oh, i didnt even introduce you. You already know jack from our dance class . Oh, yeah, the klutz. He remembers me. Well, i have to tell you this is the most exciting night of my life. As if youre hanging up your dancing shoes. What . You all saw janet out there she has a talent and it shouldnt be wasted working in a flower shop. Well, thats my job. It doesnt have to be. What . With a lot of work and dedication your job could be dancing professionally. Wait a minute, wait a minute. Janet worked four years to be manager of that flower shop. Well, listen i cant tell you what to do but the girl that just said to me ost exciting night in her life is good. But you want her to quit her job . If she wants to make it as a dancer. Isnt all this happening just a little too fast . Well, thats how i work. When i spot someone whos got talent i make my move. Well, janet . Janet . Janet ill quit my job tomorrow. Now youre talking. Youve got to talk to her. It wont do any good. Michaels the only one shes listening to. Theres something about him i just dont like. You dont know the half of it last week he told one of his students that if she wanted to make it as a dancer shed have to make it with him. Oh, i knew it youve got to go tell that to janet. Well, uh, maybe i wont have to. I mean, last night she was higher than a kite but i bet this morning shell be back to being the same sensible, levelheaded janet. singsongy good morning hes throwing her life down the drain. And youre going to let her do it . No, no im going to talk some sense into her head right now. Let the chips fall where they may. Ah what do you think, jack . That was great, i really liked that. Ah janet, could i. Excuse me. humming tune janet, do you think. Uh, janet . Could i talk to you for just. Janet yes . About your being a dancer. Oh, isnt it wonderful, jack . Its the most wonderful thing thats ever happened to me. Most friends would tell me im making a big mistake. Yes. But not the two of you. No. I got to go. Uh, janet, janet. No, really, i do have to go. I want to speak to my boss first thing this morning about quitting. Boy, you had those chips flying all over the place. laughter id like to see you do better. You just watch me. Some of us arent afraid to tell it like it is. Janet, i have something important to talk to you about and it just cant wait. Oh, sure, terri, sure. What are best friends for . So you tell me when youre free and well make an appointment. Wait a minute wait, wait ill catch you when youre not so busy. Terri laughter terri terri, come here. Gosh you tell me whats on your mind. Go ahead, come on. Well, uh. You see, uh. Its just that i. Well, i mean that like jack and i. Uh, we, uh. Hey whats this . Oh, thats my family album. You dont want to look at that. Oh, yes, i do. I love family albums. Oh, is this your family . laughs well, of course it has to be, doesnt it . Let me see. Hey, whats this . Oh. Oh, are you that cute Little Princess with the pigtails . No, im the frog. laughter you see that lady . Thats mrs. Murphy. She was my dancing teacher. I used to dream i would grow up someday and be a dancer, just like her. You know, some dreams dont come true. I know, but now. Ive had dreams, too. Really . About what . Well, i dreamt that when i grew up id be a nurse. laughter you are a nurse. laughter so much for that. knock at door hi is everything okay . Oh, sure, jack everythings just fine. Oh, great. Its all for the best. All for the best . Yeah, its better for you to give up dancing now than fall on your face later. What . Terri . Didnt you talk to janet about her dancing . Mmm. Yes but we didnt exactly get to the quitting part yet. Quitting . You want me to give up my career . Well, uh, see. Jack tripper i thought i could count on you for support. You can, janet, its just that. Well, never mind, jack. I dont need your support. No. Janet, janet just forget it, jack did you lose your voice . knock at door im not going to quit. Im not quitting hi, janet. Thought id put a new switch in your bathroom. I hate quitters. I just got here. Who cares . I care ralph furley is not a quitter ive been fired a lot, but i never quit. Janet . Janet . Huh janet . Oh, my gosh, shes already left for the flower shop well catch her at the bus stop. laughter okay, okay, ill catch up with you later. Youd think people have never seen anybody in their underwear before. laughter not bad. Its a big improvement since class. You just missed janet. Okay, well, ill come back later. No, wait, wait. Its just as well. Itll give us a chance to be alone. Here. Why dont we get comfortable . laughter michael, do you really think janet has what it takes to make it as a professional dancer . Michael i wouldnt have taken her on wait a minute. You seriously think im going to drop janet for you . laughter jack i do. Look, you and i both know that shes not good enough for you. I mean, shes got no experience. Shes too short. And dont forget her age. Thats right, shes not. Janet laughter i know this looks bad, but when i explain. Furley you dont need to explain. I heard everything. Backstabber im no backstabber liar youre just jealous, jack because i have a chance to go somewhere and youre not going anywhere. All i was doing was. We know what you were doing. You were trying to steal janets boyfriend laughter both mr. Furley janet, i just dropped by to see good, ill see you downstairs. Thank you. God, janet, i cant believe youre being taken in by that. That lech. Lech what are you talking about . Come on. I overheard this guy talking to that girl marlene and telling her if she couldnt find the time to come to his apartment shed never make it as a dancer. Now, why would he Say Something like that if he wasnt hitting on her . Because hes her brother. Thats right, becau. What . Huh . And hes just giving her extra help so she can get a part in his show. Youre nothing but a big jerk, jack. I hope everything is perfectly clear. Not to me i wish someone. groans janet, where are you going . Huh i see you talked to her. Terri, i made such a big mistake. I got to get down there and make it up to her before she hates me for the rest of her life. Jack, i. I never pay any attention to what i hear when i listen. laughter slow piano music playing id like to apologize again for jack. Theres no need to. During my career ive run into a lot of overprotective boyfriends. Oh, jacks not my boyfriend. Oh. Unlucky him. laughter michael. Janet. Michael. Janet. Michael, dont laughter janet, youve got a good thing going with me. Dont blow it what . screams in pain youre fighting it. Michael. Jack jacks just a kid forget him. Snt this better . Wait, michael. Bravo, bravo, fantastic lovely, lovely, just great. Just super. I loved that last part. Brilliant, brilliant. You two looked so good together. Jack, id like to Say Something. Michael, i just want to thank you for all youre doing with janet. Youre doing a great job. Jack, would you please just butt out . Im just apologizing. Well, dont. Id wish shed make up her mind. laughter i trusted you. I believed in you. You made me believe in myself. I think what you did was very, very cruel. Im sorry you feel that way. Thats it . Thats all that you have to say . No, janet. No. Let me level with you. I dont think youve got what it takes well, let me level with you, michael. I dont think you have what it takes to make it as a human being. Please dont say that you told me so, jack because i know that you tried to warn me. Janet. And you dont have to say i ought to be grateful for my one big night in the spotlight because it is a lot more than i ever dreamed of having in my whole life. Janet and dont say you didnt come here to say those things because i know darn well you did. Janet. What . You didnt . No, all i wanted to say was. starts music may i have this dance . Oh, jack. Thank you. applause [captioned by the Caption Center wgbh educational foundation] . Lalala . Ive never seen you so happy. Me, neither, which is a really sad commentary on hildas life. Hilda always gets this excited when shes going to see our cousin zsa zsa goowhiggie. Shes my favorite relative. Shes a great practical joker. Tons of fun. Er bees in someones bonnet fun. Well, maybe you were too swollen to laugh. Well, im going to say my hellos and then get back to work on my subatomic microphone. Still trying to prove electrons can hear . Dont laugh. Because they might hear me . And you, instead of fooling around with zsa zsa you should be practicing your violin. Youve got an audition in two days. Which is two days away. screaming oh