04x20 - The Diamond Necklace

[bunniefuu]

Oh, good evening.

We seem to have had
an art exhibition here.

I realize artists
are supposed to suffer,

but I can't understand
why they insist

on sharing
their sufferings with us.

This one is called,
"Nursery Wall. "

Strawberry jam.

Now, we come to
the prize-winner.

I wonder
what this one's called.

"Nude with Necklace. "

I don't think
this is a painting

you should be allowed
to look at too closely.

So, while
I am appreciating it,

I shall ask you to look
at another exhibit,

one that may not be
a work of art,

but is wholesome enough
for your children to watch.

Well, half hour to opening.
Let's make it a good day.

Let's make it
a Maynard day.

Yes, Mr. Thurgood.

We always try,
Mr. Thurgood.

That's the spirit.
The Maynard spirit.

Yes, Mr. Thurgood.
Yes, Mr. Thurgood.

Good morning,
Mr. Thurgood.

Good morning, Henry.

Nice day.

I thought
it was a bit chilly.

Well, maybe
it is at that.

We didn't used to notice the
weather so much, did we, Henry?

Yes, we didn't,
Mr. Thurgood.

But guess we're not as
young as we were either.

No. But Maynard's can still
get a few good years out of us.

A lot more
than out of those two.

Well, at this rate we'll
never be ready to open on time.

Here, lend me a hand
with these.

Yes.

Now what have I done?

Oh, it's nothing,
Henry, nothing.

What's going on?

Oh, Mr. Maynard...

Good morning, sir.

It's just a little accident,
it's nothing.

No, sir...

Excuse me, sir,
but I...

Thurgood, I'd like to
see you in my office

as soon as
you've finished here.

Yes, sir.
I'll be right along.

You shouldn't have taken
the blame for me like that.

Oh, forget it.

I wonder what he wants
to see you about.

Well, nothing important,
I'm sure.

Nothing at all.

There, the new plans.

Maynard's is going to get that
face-lifting it's been needing

for a long, long time.

You're going to
change Maynard's?

Change it? Thurgood, I'm
going to revolutionize it!

But, Mr. Maynard, it's
been the same for years.

That's the trouble.

Oh, Thurgood,
just imagine,

instead of this dark, dusty,
closed-in old mausoleum,

it's going to be
open and airy and light.

There'll be a curved ramp that
goes up the full three stories.

There'll be display cases
along the walls,

customers can pick
what they want.

Indeed, sir.

Well, if you don't mind
my saying so,

it sounds
a little excessive.

Oh, is that how
it strikes you?

Yes, I suppose
it would.

Well, that's the way
it's going to be.

What would your father say
if he were still alive?

I expect
he'd feel as you do.

Well, I suppose
as you get older

it's a little difficult to
accept any radical change.

But I'll do
my best, sir.

Now, it's getting on for opening
time. If you'll excuse me...

Thurgood, that isn't the only
thing I wanted to talk to you about.

Yes, sir?

Sit down, Thurgood.
Please.

You've been with us
for a long time.

Thirty-seven years, sir.

Yes, I know.

And there was your father and
your grandfather before you.

Yes, sir.

As long as there's been
a Maynard's,

there's been a
Thurgood working for it.

We've shared a fine
tradition, haven't we?

years.

Well, you've given your
whole life to the store,

it doesn't seem quite fair. Why,
you've scarcely had time for yourself.

Oh, I've no complaints, sir.

Besides, when I retire
in three years,

I'll have more time
than I need.

But that isn't what
you meant, is it, sir?

No. It isn't.

Thurgood, why don't
you retire now?

It isn't as if I were f*ring
you. You'll have your pension.

Why don't you take these few
extra years and enjoy yourself?

Why don't you and your
daughter... Thelma, isn't it?

Why don't you and Thelma
take a nice, long trip?

You could really enjoy
your hard-earned leisure.

Why...

Where have I failed?

It isn't you, Thurgood.
Not at all. It's time.

Just time.

You think I'm too old.

You do understand,
don't you?

The new store...
Why, that ramp alone,

you'd have to be up and down
it a hundred times a day.

How long do I have?

Well, there's no sense
in prolonging it.

You might as well have all
the time you can for yourself.

I thought
the end of the week.

Five days.

Of course,
you'll also get a bonus.

So much to do and so
little time to do it in.

Well, sir,
I'd better get started.

I'll make it a good week.
A real Maynard week.

That's the spirit. Go
out in a blaze of glory.

I'll do my best, sir.

Mr. Throckmorton,
it occurred to me that

with your wife's
birthday coming up

you might allow me the privilege
of serving you once more.

Thank you, sir.

Tomorrow, : . Tuesday.

Thank you very much. Then I'll
expect you sometime this afternoon.

Goodbye.

You've really had yourself quite
a week, haven't you, Thurgood?

Well, it hasn't
been too bad, sir.

Indeed, it hasn't.

Since this is your last day why don't
you take off early and celebrate?

If you don't mind, sir, I'd like
to finish out the day as usual.

Maynard's isn't going to
be the same without you.

I wish there was another
Thurgood to take your place.

I've always known that someday
I'd have to face the fact that...

Maynard's would be
going on without us.

Now that it's here...

Forgive me, sir.

I understand.

We'll have to
keep in touch.

Well, I'm off to lunch.

I'll be back
in about an hour.

May I be helped,
please?

Why, of course, madam.
What can I do for you?

Well, I am not sure exactly.
But something magnificent.

Something for
a very special occasion.

Well, I'm sure
we can help you, madam.

Maynard's specializes in special
occasions. What is the event?

Oh, I thought I told you.
It is our anniversary.

Oh, then you want something
for your husband.

Oh, no, no. For myself.

It's from my husband,
of course.

But, he doesn't
know it yet.

I see.

I'm Mrs. Rudell.
Mrs. Anton Rudell.

You know Dr. Anton Rudell,
the psychiatrist?

Poor darling. He's supposed
to be so well-adjusted.

But he is awfully
absent-minded.

I know if he forgot our anniversary
he'd never forgive himself.

So, I thought
I'd better remind him.

That's an excellent idea,
madam. Now, let me see...

What about that?

I have just the dress
for it.

That's one of our finest pieces,
madam, and rather expensive.

May I see it, please?

Why, of course.

It's beautiful.

I'll take it.

I mean, Dr. Rudell will.

With the tax, madam,
it comes to $ , .

Oh! You know,
I think my husband

should see it
before he pays for it.

I don't want it to be
too much of a surprise.

Yes, madam.
When can we expect him?

Oh, good heavens. He's
much too busy to come here.

You bring it to the house.
His office is there.

When Anton sees me
wearing it with that dress,

he won't be able
to resist it, I know.

I was beginning to worry. I was
afraid you wouldn't get here.

Nothing could have
kept me away, madam.

Is the doctor here?

Oh, yes, he'll be out
any minute.

May I have
the necklace, please?

It's even more beautiful
than I remembered.

Excuse me, madam, but if you
don't want to spoil the surprise,

may I suggest
that you hurry.

Oh, yes, yes, of course.

$ , ,
it's a lot of money.

Oh, trust me, madam,
I can be very convincing.

Hello.

Good afternoon, Dr. Rudell.
I'm Andrew Thurgood.

Oh. Did you have
an appointment?

In a manner
of speaking, yes.

I'm from Maynard & Co.

What can I do for you?

Well, if you don't mind,
I think I'll wait a bit.

It's supposed to be
a surprise.

She'll be here
any minute now.

She?

Your wife, sir.

I think she'd rather have you
see it before I say anything.

Oh. Jessica has planned
a surprise for me.

Yes, Doctor, and I... I hope you'll
like it. She's counting on it so.

Oh, Jessica has
excellent taste.

I've got to agree
with you, Doctor,

and an excellent
sense of value.

Why, it's worth
every penny of it.

Brazilian cut diamonds.

There isn't
another neck...

Oh, there I go,
spoiling the whole thing.

Brazilian diamonds?
How much is this necklace?

Well, perhaps we'd better
wait until you see it.

Perhaps we'd better not.

Well, with the tax, Doctor,

it comes to a little more
than $ , .

And worth
every penny of it, too.

What?

Jessica!

Yes, Anton,
what is it?

What's this about
you buying a necklace?

Excuse me, Doctor.

That's Mrs. Rudell?

Of course, it is.

Then who was that girl?

I'll never forgive myself,
never.

After years, that something
like this should happen.

Please, Thurgood, you've
got to get hold of yourself.

You can't go on
like this.

You were right.
I am old, too old.

I don't deserve to work
for Maynard's anymore.

I'm a silly old man.

Filled with false pride,
I wanted to show off.

To prove what
a great salesman I was.

What you were losing
by letting me go.

Thurgood, look...

No, don't try to tell me

it's going to be all right,
because it isn't, it never can be.

I've disgraced
the name of Maynard.

I've disgraced
the name of Thurgood.

Take it easy, you
haven't disgraced anyone.

The police are on the case
and the insurance company.

She won't get far.

I should have known.

Coming in off
the street like that.

Putting on airs,
pretending she was a lady.

Telling me to meet her
in her husband's office.

Her husband!

And I handed it over to her,
a $ , necklace.

Please, Thurgood, you've
got to control yourself.

I don't want to make it more
difficult for you than it is.

I could have made
the same mistake myself.

In any case,
the necklace is insured.

Thank you, sir.

Now, I don't want you to
think any more about it.

Leave it to the police.

This job was obviously done
by a master criminal.

You really think so?

The way it was worked out,
positively brilliant.

Must have taken
months of planning.

The timing,
the way it was set up.

Meeting you right there
in the doctor's office.

You don't suppose that Dr.
Rudell was in on it, do you?

I don't suppose anything.
Let's leave that to the police.

Now, I think
you ought to get home.

I'll never forgive myself
as long as I live.

The first robbery
in my years at Maynard's.

Well, there were two others
before your time.

And our employees
weren't blamed for them.

We're certainly
not going to start now.

Look, I don't think you're in
any condition to go home alone.

I'm going to call
your daughter.

Oh, no, no, no,
don't call her.

Well, why not?
You're still too shaky.

I don't want her to know.

Well, I understand
how you feel,

but it's going to be
in all the papers.

Oh, yes. I'd forgotten.

I'd forgotten,
but I'd...

I'd like her to keep her
illusions about me a little longer.

Thurgood, I wish there was
something more I could say.

What is there to say?

Nothing will ever
be the same again.

Thelma?

Thelma?

Thelma, is that you?

Who is it?

Mr. Thurgood?

Hadn't you better
close the door?

Daddy, Daddy,
we did it, we did it.

We certainly did.

Daughter, I'm proud of you,
you were magnificent.

Well, you were pretty
magnificent yourself.

No, I think
Mr. Maynard thinks so, too.

He said it was the work
of a master criminal.

That was sweet of him.

He also said the way it was worked
out was positively brilliant.

Where is it?
Oh, it's right here.

May I have it?

Oh, Daddy,
it's so beautiful.

I enjoyed myself
this afternoon, I really did.

I enjoyed being
Mrs. Anton Rudell.

"I think I shall take that I
have just the dress for it. "

Oh, you did your part
beautifully, my darling.

You know, I never really
had the opportunity

to examine it
at the store.

I thought they might
get suspicious.

It is magnificent.

When it's broken up into loose
diamonds, it will fetch a big price.

Oh, Daddy,
it's such a pity.

It looks so pretty
on me.

Shame on you, Thelma. That doesn't
sound like a Thurgood at all.

After all, I'm a girl. I'm supposed
to like pretty things, remember?

Oh, I wish we could do something
wonderful with the money.

I wish we could go on a
long, long trip someplace.

First class. And I'll
buy lots of clothes.

Of course not.

I'm going to do what my
father and my grandfather did.

Invest the money. It'll make
a nice little nest egg for us.

Oh, but why?

Because I have
your future to consider.

It was different
when I was a young man.

I had my career at
Maynard's to look forward to.

Well, I can't help it if I can't
look forward to the same future.

I can't help
being a girl.

Well, nobody's blaming you
for it, my pet.

I bet.

It's true. But we have to
face things as they are.

You know the Maynard tradition
of never employing females.

They've been just as rigid
in that as we have in ours.

Work for Maynard's,
steal from Maynard's.

But only once in a generation.
That's the Thurgood tradition!

I know, Daddy.
I cut my teeth on it.

I feel like the ugly
duckling in reverse.

Grandfather, you don't know
how lucky you were to be a boy.

And you, Great-Grandfather,
you started the whole thing.

And you, my dear, helped
bring it to a grand finale.

I couldn't have
done it without you.

Thank you, Daddy.

Daddy, how did Grandfather and
Great-Grandfather accomplish their thefts?

Well, my father,
Charles Thurgood,

walked off with a double
strand of black pearls

in a hollow,
gold-headed cane.

And your great-grandfather,
also an Andrew, I'm proud to say,

started a fire.

A fire?

Nothing serious. A smoke
screen, so to speak.

But, Thelma, thanks to you,

this necklace
tops anything they did.

We had to accomplish
in one generation

what ordinarily
would have taken two.

It's too bad we can't tell
anyone about it, isn't it?

I'm afraid we might be
very much misunderstood.

We might even be taken for common
thieves, which we definitely are not.

Oh, no.

The Thurgoods have all been
honorable, upright citizens

who have only
taken their rights.

After all, Maynard's would never have
been Maynard's without the Thurgoods.

No, the world
can never know.

Who could that be?

You don't suppose
they suspect.

Impossible, I hope.

Who is it?

It's George Maynard.

Just a moment,
Mr. Maynard.

What shall we do?

I don't know.

I never expected
anything like this. I...

Coming, Mr. Maynard.

Daddy, I'm scared.

You go into the bedroom,
I'll handle this.

Good evening, sir.

This is unexpected.

I dare say it is.

May I come in?

Oh, of course, yes, sir.
Come in.

Thank you.

I hope I'm not
disturbing you.

No, sir.

I suppose you know you
can't get away with this.

With what, sir?

You know perfectly well
what I'm talking about.

I don't think so, sir.

It was a nice try,
but it won't work.

How could you leave without
taking your bonus and gold watch?

Here, take them.

Right. Thank you, sir.
I'd forgotten them.

I know you pretty well after all these
years. You forgot them on purpose.

It was your way of trying to
repay for the loss of the necklace.

Well, I won't have it.

Thank you, sir.

It's made me realize
what true loyalty means.

My daughter, sir.

I know it's breaking
a Maynard rule,

but if your daughter
will accept,

I'd like her to report
to work on Monday morning.

In that way the Thurgood
tradition will go on.

Thank you, sir.

Oh! Well, I guess,
that proves

that heaven will protect
the working girl.

However, Thelma discovered
why the Thurgood tradition

was to steal from Maynard's
only once in a generation.

The second time
she was caught.

I'm still fascinated
by this painting.

"Nude with Necklace. "

Lt... It's just as good
from this side.

This seems
to have slipped off.

I'd hate to hang this
on the wrong spot.

Look, while I'm fumbling
with this,

suppose you turn your attention
to our sponsor's message.

After which I shall
reasonably hasten back.

Next week we should be back
with another story.

Incidentally, to avoid
any further embarrassment,

I bought the painting.

Only to discover that the
frame doesn't go with it.

But, I think it's worth
every cent.