The
following is an almost original scene
from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film Psycho.
You should find this scene useful in determining your destination.
Thankfully it was
rewritten for the final edit.
MARION:
Do you have a vacancy?
NORMAN:
(opening the ledger) Oh, we have
twelve vacancies. Twelve cabins--twelve
vacancies. They
uh--they moved away the highway.
MARION:
Oh. I thought I'd gotten off the main road.
NORMAN:
I knew you must have. (placing
the ledger before her) Nobody ever stops here
anymore unless
they've done that. But there's no sense dwelling on our losses.
We just keep on lighting the lights and following the
formalities. (Marion
signs the register.)
Your home address--or, just the town will do.
MARION:
(glancing at the newspaper which
sticks out of her purse)I live on Five Mile west of Sheldon,
oh sorry I mean the city of Plymouth.
(Norman reaches to
the pegboard on the wall behind him to get a key. His hand
hesitates along the
row of keys, then reaches for...)
NORMAN:
Cabin One. (handing her the key)
It's closer in case you want anything. It's
right next to the
office.
MARION:
I want to sleep more than anything else. Except maybe food.
NORMAN:
Well, there's a diner down the road, just outside of
town.
MARION:
Am I that close to town?
NORMAN:
Yep, Historic Northville is a north of us. I'll get your
bags. (He retrieves them from the car and takes her into Cabin One next door.)
Boy, it's stuffy in here. (He opens the casement
window a few
inches.) Well, the uh-- (patting the bed) the mattress is soft
and--there's
hangers in the closet and stationary with 'Bates Motel' printed on
it, in case
you want to make your friends back home feel envious--and the uh--
(He reaches through the bathroom door and turns on the
light.) ...over there.
MARION:
The bathroom.
NORMAN:
Yes. Well, uh, i-if you want
anything just--just tap on the wall. (Marion,
facing away from
him, smiles at his shyness.) I'll--I'll be in the office.
MARION:
(turning to face him) Thank you,
Mr. Bates.
NORMAN:
(smiling) Norman Bates. (seriously) You're not really gonna
go out again and
drive down to the
diner, are you?
MARION:
Maybe.
NORMAN:
Well, then, would you do me a favor? Would you have
dinner with me? I was just
about to, myself.
You know, nothing special (smiling)—‘justa gooda tomatoe pie’
(with an Italian accent) and
some brews. But I'd like it very much if you'd come up to
the house. I-I
don't set a fancy table but the kitchen's awful homey with the red check
table cloths.
MARION:
I'd like to.
NORMAN:
All right--uh--you get yourself settled, and--and take
off your wet shoes--and
I'll be back as soon as it's ready. (He takes the key
from the door and hands
it to her.) With my--with my trusty umbrella. (He self-consciously
hurries
away.)
Marion begins to
unpack some items from the suitcase, but stops as she becomes
concerned about the
money. She extracts the bulging envelope from her purse.
Holding it in her hand, she looks about for a good hiding
place. She opens and
closes a few
drawers. Her attention settles on the newspaper sticking out of
her purse. She
removes the paper and opens it, then takes the cash out of the
envelope, places two
stacks of money on top of the paper, and carefully refolds
it around
them. She then places the newspaper in a casual position on the
nightstand.
Through the open window, Marion hears
raised voices coming from the house. She
goes over to
listen. We can barely make out the shouted words, at first.
WOMAN'S
VOICE:
No! I tell you no! I won't have you bringing strange
young girls in here for
supper--by candlelight
and beer drinking!
NORMAN:
Mother, please!
WOMAN:
And then what, after supper? More Pie? More Beer?
NORMAN:
Mother, she's just a stranger! She's hungry and it's
raining out.
WOMAN:
(mocking) 'Mother, she's just a
stranger.' As if men don't desire strangers. Ah!
I refuse to speak of disgusting things, because they
disgust me! Do you
understand, boy? Go
on! Go tell her she'll not be appeasing her ugly appetite
with my pizza,
beer, or my son! Or do I have to tell her 'cause you don't have the
guts, boy? Huh,
boy? You have the guts, boy?
NORMAN:
Mother Shut up! Shut up!
(Marion sees Norman come out
the front door. She takes a pair of shoes from the
bag and puts
them on, then goes out the door and waits on the porch. Norman
comes around the
corner, carrying the pizza tray.)
MARION:
I've caused you some trouble.
NORMAN:
No. Uh--Mother-- m-my mother,
uh--what is the phrase?--she isn't quite herself
today. I didn’t
have a chance to run to Busch’s market to buy some fresh pepperoni.
And let me tell you when Mother’s pepperoni is gone she
gets a little cranky.
(pause) Oh, I'm sorry. I wish
you could apologize for other people.
(smiling) I hope you like
sausage instead?
MARION:
(indicating the tray) WOW, what
a great looking pie! We may as well eat
it. (She
stands by the open door of her cabin, but Norman hesitates.)
So, where are we meeting for the bash?