 The House of Squib presents Academy Award. Tonight, Greer Garson in brief encounter. Every week, Squib brings you Hollywood's finest. The great picture plays, the great actors and actresses, techniques and skills chosen from the honor roll of those who have won or been nominated for, the famous Golden Oscar of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. For generations, the House of Squib has been known for the high quality and unfailing dependability of its products, each the result of a never-ending quest for perfection. Today, the great family of Squib products reflects the tremendous advance of science in its contribution to human health and well-being. The name Squib stands for progress through research. Squib is a name you can trust. Tonight, Squib brings you Brief Encounter, the picture of which at the International Film Festival in Cannes, France was voted as the best British motion picture shown. In Brief Encounter, you will hear Greer Garson, the talented Hollywood screen actress who has six times been nominated for and in 1942 won the Coveted Academy Award. Are you an arbiter of love affairs? Can you judge a man and a woman? Apply the yardstick of a moral code to their acts. Can you sit alone and aloof and view dispassionately? There. Then you are the judge and the jury. In this story of one man's wife and another woman's husband could never happen to you. For you've never lived a lifetime in one brief encounter. This is the story of Alec Harvey and Laura Jessen and a life lived in the commuter section of a railway station. This can't last. This misery can't last. I must remember that and try to control myself. I'm going home to Fred, my husband and my family. Nothing lasts really. Neither happiness nor despair. Not even life lasts very long. Someday I'll be able to look back and say quite peacefully and cheerfully how silly I was. No, no, I don't want that time to come ever. I want to remember. Every minute. Always. Always to the end of my days. Ketworth? Fred. What's the matter dear? Nothing. It's nothing. Darling, what's wrong? Tell me please. Brilliant truly. It's nothing. Just a little run down that's all. I had a sort of fainting spell at the refreshment room at Milford. Well, would you like to go to bed? No, Fred, really. No. I'll sit here by the fire. All right, darling. You mind if I potter along with this crossword puzzle then? Oh, please go ahead. Would you mind if I played some music turned on the wireless? Oh, do. My old means. You're a happily married couple. We must never forget that. This is my home. You are my husband and my children are upstairs in bed. I'm a happily married woman, or was until a few weeks ago. Oh, Fred, I've been so foolish. I've fallen in love. I'm an ordinary woman. I didn't think such violent things could happen to ordinary people. It all started on an ordinary day in the most ordinary place in the world. The refreshment room at Milford Junction. I was having a cup of tea. I looked up and saw a man come in from the platform. He turned and I saw his face. It was rather a nice face. And then I gathered up my things and started out. And suddenly something got in my eye. It was terrible nuisance. It really did bother me. And then he was there. May I help you? Oh, thank you. It's only something in my eye. Let me look, please. I happen to be a doctor. Oh, it's very kind of you. Turn around to the light, please. Now look up. Now look down. I keep still. I see it. There. Oh, what a relief. It was agonizing. Looks like a bit of grit. Yes, it was when the express went through. Thank you very much indeed. The train now arriving on platform three for Charlie Lee Green and I... Lucky for me that you happened to be there. Anybody could have done it. Oh, never mind. You did. And I'm really most grateful. Well, there's my train. I must go. Goodbye. Goodbye. That's how it all began. Just through me getting a little piece of grit in my eye. I completely forgot the whole incident. At least I thought of it. But the next Thursday I met him again. Oh, good morning. Oh, good morning. How's the eye? Oh, perfectly all right. How kind it was of you to take so much trouble. Oh, it's nothing at all. Uh, it's clearing up, I think. Yes, yes. It's going to be nice. Well, I must be getting along to the hospital. And I must be getting along to the groceries. What a sighting nice relief, don't worry. Goodbye. Goodbye. There was another morning coincidence I told myself. I was having lunch at the Cardoma Cafe. He came in, it was crowded, and he sat at my table. I happened to say that I was going to the pictures as usual that afternoon and he asked if he could go with me. It seemed so, so silly to say no. So he did. Walking back to the station, he put his hand under my arm. I didn't notice it then, but I remember it now. What's she like? Your wife? Uh, a Madeleine? Oh, uh, small, dark, rather delicate. How funny. I should have thought she'd have been fair. And, uh, your husband? What's he like? Medium height, brown hair, kindly, unemotional, and not delicate at all. I believe you said that proudly. Did I? Uh, we've got time for a cup of tea for our trains go. Oh, wonderful. It's tea bad for one. Uh, if this is a professional interview, my fee is a guinea. Why did you become a doctor? Oh, that's a long story. Perhaps because I'm a bit of an idealist. Oh, I think all doctors should have ideals. Otherwise, their work would be unbearable. Oh, now, Shory, you're not encouraging me to talk sharp. Oh, why shouldn't you talk sharp? I'm terribly ambitious, really. Not for myself so much as for my special pigeon. What is your special pigeon? Preventive medicine. Oh, oh, I see. I'm afraid you don't. Well, I was just trying to sound intelligent. You see, most good doctors, especially when they're young, have private dreams. That's the best part of them. Sometimes, though, those get over-professionalized and strangulated. Uh, am I boring you? I don't quite understand, but you're not boring me. What I mean is this. All good doctors must primarily be enthusiastic, must have a sense of vocation, a deep-rooted, unsentimental desire to do good. Yes. Yes, I see that. Well, obviously, preventing disease is worth 50 ways of curing it. It's concerned with living conditions and hygiene. For instance, my specialty is pneumoconiosis. Oh, dear. Oh, well, don't be alarmed as simple as it sounds. It's nothing but a slow process of fibrosis of the lung due to the inhalation of particles of dust. You suddenly look much younger. Do I? Almost like a little boy. What made you say that? I don't know. Yes. Yes, I do. Tell me. Oh, no. No, I couldn't really. You were saying something about inhaling dust. Oh, yes. Uh, the inhalation of coal dust. That's one specific form of the disease. That's called anthracosis. What are the others? Chalicosis. That comes from metal dust. Steelworks, you know. Yes. Yes, of course. Steelworks. And silicosis. That's stone dust. Gold mines. I see. Oh, there's your train. Yes. Well, you mustn't miss it. No. What's the matter? No, no, nothing. Nothing at all, really. It's been very nice. I've enjoyed my afternoon enormously. I'm so glad. So have I. I apologize for boring with these long medical terms. Oh, I feel dull and stupid not being able to understand more. Shall I see you again? Your train is the other platform, isn't it? You'll have to run. Shall I see you again? Yes, of course. Perhaps you'd come over to catch worth one Sunday. We'd be delighted. Please, please. What is it? Next thirsty. At the same time. No, no, I couldn't possibly. Please. I ask you most humbly. You'll miss your train. All right. Run. Goodbye. I'll be there. Oh, thank you, my friend. I stood there watching the red light at his train disappear. Something clutched at my heart and a chill as a fear passed over me. Fred. Yes, dear? Fred, I had lunch with a strange man today. He took me to the movies. Oh, good for you. He's awfully nice. He's a doctor. Fine. I say, darling, it was Richard the third who said my kingdom for a horse, wasn't it? Yes, darling. I wish he hadn't, as it spoils my whole crossword puzzle. He was waiting the early Thursday morning when I arrived. We went to the movies again. And afterwards to the park and the lake. It was a, it was a mere though, a wonderful afternoon. I felt like a young girl again. And then later we were walking back to the station hand in hand for tea. Milk and sugar. Thank you. You know what's happened, don't you? Yes. Yes, I do. I've fallen in love with you. Yes, I know. Tell me honestly. Please tell me honestly what I believe is true. What do you believe? That it's the same with you, that you've fallen in love too. It sounds so silly. Why? I know you so little. It is true though, isn't it? Yes, it's true. No, Alec, please. Please, we must be sensible. Please help me to be sensible. We must forget we've said what we said. Not yet. Not quite yet. But we must, don't you see? Listen, it's too late now to be sensible as all that. It's too late to forget what we said because we know. We've both of us known for a long time. How can you say that? I've only known you for four weeks. We only talked for the first time last Thursday week. Last Thursday week? Has it been a long time for you since then? Answer me truly. Yes. How... How often did you decide that you were never going to see me again? Several times a day. So did I. Oh, Alec. I love you. I love your wide eyes and the way you smile and your shyness and the way you laugh at my jokes. Please, please don't. I love you. I love you. You love me too. It's no use pretending that it hasn't happened because it has. Yes, it has, but it must stop here. We're neither of us free to love each other. There's too much in the way. There's still time if we control ourselves and behave like sensible human beings. There's no time at all. There's a train. Yes. I'll come over to the platform with you. Oh, Laura. No, Alec, not here. Someone will see. I love you so. I stared out of the railway carriage window into the dark and watched the dim trees and the telegraph posts sliding by and threw them my soul, Alec and me. Alec and me, perhaps a little younger than we are now, but just as much in love. And with nothing in the way. I saw us in Paris in a box at the opera. And then we were in Venice, drifting along the Grand Canal in a gondola with the sound of mandolins coming across the water. I saw us looking over the side of the ship at the sea and the stars standing on a tropical beach in the moonlight with the palm trees siding over us. And then, and then the palm trees changed into those polluted willows by the canal just before the level crossing and all the silly dreams disappeared. And I got out of catch-worth and walked home quiet, soberly, and without wings. Without any wings at all. Before continuing with part two of Academy Award, we wish to announce that Greer Garson appears by arrangement with Metro Golden Mayor, producers of the Technicolor production The Yearling, starring Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman. Now, the House of Squib presents part two of Academy Award, starring Greer Garson in Brief Encounter with Carl Harbord as Alec. Week was misery. I went through it in a sort of trance. How? How odd of you not to have noticed that you were living with a stranger in the house. Thursday came at last. I'd arranged to meet Attigieg outside the hospital at 12.30. Hello. Hello. I thought you wouldn't come. I've been thinking all week that you wouldn't come. I didn't mean to really, but here I am. We went to the Royal Hotel for lunch. It all seemed very grand. He actually ordered a bottle of champagne. And when I protested, he said that we were only middle-aged once. As we were going out together, he said that he had a surprise for me. And if I could wait in the lounge for five minutes, he'd show me what it was. Suddenly, out of the dining room came that rich, made-up Mary Norton. She must have been in the dining room all the time and seen Alec and me and the champagne and everything. Laura, so it was you after all. I peered and peered and just couldn't be sure. I never saw you at all. How awful of me. I expect it was a champagne. I can't drink champagne at all, but Alec insisted. Alec? Alec who, dear? Alec Harvey, of course. Dr. Harvey. Well, surely you remember the Harvies, who I've known them for years. No, I don't think I have any. Well, he'll be back in a moment. You'll probably recognize him when you peer very closely. Oh, here he is now. Alec, you remember Mrs. Norton, don't you? Uh, I'm afraid I don't. It's no use, Laura. We've never seen each other before in our lives. I'm sure we haven't. Oh, it said. Well, I made certain that he and Madeline were there when you dined with us just before Christmas last year. Oh, perhaps. Well, I must be going. Goodbye, Dr. Harvey. Goodbye. Goodbye, my dear. I do so envy you, your champagne. That was awful. Oh, never mind. She'd been watching us all through lunch. Oh, dear. Oh, forget it. Come out and look at the surprise. No, no, Alec. I'm going home. But you can't. I've got a little car out there. We'll go for a drive. No, Alec. No, let me go. I've got to go. I've got to. Laura. Darling, I've been looking for you everywhere. Please go away. Please go away. I've watched every train. I can't let you go like this. You must. It'll be better. Really, it will. Laura, could you really say goodbye and never see me again? Yes. If you'd help me. I love you, Laura. I shall always love you until the end of my life. I can't look at you now because I know something. I know that this is the beginning of the end. Not the end of my loving you. But the end of our being together. But not quite yet, darling. Not quite yet. No, darling. Not quite yet. I know about the strain of our different lives. Our lives apart from each other. The feeling of guilt, of doing wrong is too strong, isn't it? Too great a price to pay for the happiness we'd have together. I know all this. It's the same for me, too. You can look at me now. I'll be all right. Let's be very careful. Let's prepare ourselves. A sudden break now, however brave and admirable, would be too cruel. We can't do such violence to our hearts and minds. Very well. I'm going away. I see. But not quite yet. Please. Not quite yet. I want you to promise me something. What is it? Promise me that however unhappy you are and however much you think things over, you'll meet me again next Thursday. Where? Outside the hospital. 12.30. All right, I promise. Drain for catch-worth is now arriving on platform three. You're not angry with me, are you? No, I'm not angry. I don't think I'm anything, really. But I just... I just feel tired. Forgive me? Forgive you? For what? For everything. For meeting you in the first place. For taking a piece of grit out of your eye. For loving you. For bringing you so much misery. I'll forgive you. If you'll forgive me. Thursday. Thursday. All that week. Thursday. Thursday. But today are very last together in all our lives. I met him, we drove out through the country. And we didn't talk much. I felt numb, Sora, and hardly alive. And then we were back walking through the station. And my mind was saying, this is the last time, with Alec. The last time. The last time. Are you all right, darling? Yes, I'm all right. I wish I could think of something to say. Oh, it doesn't matter. Not anything. I mean... I'll miss my train and wait to see you into yours. No, no, please don't. I'll come over to your platform with you. I'd rather. All right. Do you think... Do you think we shall ever see each other again? I don't know. Not for years, anyhow. I'm going to South Africa. It's funny. Your children will be all grown up. Mine too. I wonder if they'll ever meet, know each other. Couldn't I write you just, just once in a while? No, Alec, please. You know, we promised. All right, dear. Oh, you love you so terribly. I love you with all my heart and soul. I want to die. If only I could die. If you died, you'd forget me. I want to be remembered. We still have a few minutes. What a lovely surprise, my dear. Oh, I've been shopping till I'm dropping. My feet are nearly falling off and my throat's parched. Mary, you remember Dr Harvey? Oh, yes, of course. How do you do? There's your train. Yes, I know. Aren't you coming with us? No, I go in the opposite direction. My practice isn't Shirley. Oh, I see. I'm a general practitioner at the moment. Dr Harvey is going to Africa next week. Oh, how thrilling. Train now arriving on Platform 4, the 534 for Shirley, Lee Green and Langdon. I must go. Yes, you must go. Goodbye. I felt the touch of his hand on my shoulder for a moment. Then he walked away, away out of my life forever. I prayed he'd come back, pretending he'd forgotten something, something. I wanted to see him again just for an instant. The minutes went by. Then I thought I wouldn't be able to bear it another moment. I thought all I have to do is to walk in front of the train and keep my eyes up. I stood there trembling right on the edge. But I turned and went back to where Mary was finishing her tea. It was then I nearly fainted. Yes, Fred, yes. Whatever your dream was, it wasn't a very happy one, was it? Is there anything I can do to help? You always help. You've been a long time away. Thank you for coming back to me. Oh, Fred, Fred! Fresh, alive, fit-as-a-fiddle feeling, switch tomorrow to squib dental cream. For squib dental cream is not only a safe, pure, effective dentifrice, it's refreshment in a tube. Enjoy its fragrant, frosty tang of mint. Let the brisk foaming action of squib dental cream tangle your whole mouth awake. And then as you brush, you'll delight in the new sense of freshness squib dental cream brings to your entire mouth. Your mouth feels cleaner because it is cleaner. Your smile grows brighter because squib dental cream sweeps away the dullness that hides the natural luster of your teeth. So for wide awake new beauty, for a wide awake thrill of refreshment any time of day, brush your teeth often with squib dental cream. Use it whenever you want to look your best, feel your best, and make the best impression. Remember to ask tomorrow for squib dental cream. Taste, feel, and see the refreshing difference. Next Wednesday, another great story. The House of Squib will present Academy Award starring Ronald Coleman in Lost Horizon. We wish to thank J. Arthur Rank, the producer of Brief Encounter for making this story available. Brief Encounter is being released in this country by Universal International, whose current film is Nunnally Johnson's The Dark Mirror and International Picture. This is Hugh Brandage bidding you goodnight until next Wednesday at the same time. When you're invited to listen again to Academy Award, presented by The House of Squib, a name you can trust. This is CBS The Columbia Broadcasting System.