＂I fell in love with your daughter and she fell in love with me＂ ｜ Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

We want you and mom to state absolutely clearly that you have no objections whatever and that when we do get married we'll have your blessing. What the hell is going on in here? This doesn't make sense either. Well I told you didn't I? What'd you tell them? What? Look Chris if you don't explain to me in the next few minutes what you three are playing at- I can explain it Mr. Drake. You can? Well let's have it. It's my fault. See we have a sort of a situation here. Joanna and I didn't just meet in Hawaii we spent a good deal of time together. I mean all the time. After we met. Well we have this problem. I fell in love with your daughter. As incredible as it may seem she fell in love with me. And we flew back to San Francisco to see if you or Mrs. Drake would have any objections if we got married. Joanna told her mother as soon as she walked in. I had a stupid idea that maybe there was some way to break this gently. Daddy you're making John and me nervous. Am I? Well I wouldn't want to do that. I wouldn't want to make anybody nervous. How about you Chris? You nervous? Sit down doctor before you make me nervous. Would anybody like a cup of coffee? What did she say when Joanna told her? Did she raise any objections? None so far. There hasn't been much time. What objections? Dad I know this is sort of a shock because it's all so sudden and unexpected. And it never occurred to me that I might fall in love with a black. But I did and nothing in the world is going to change that. Even if you had any objections I wouldn't let him go now. You are the governor of Alabama. I mean if mom were. Don't tell him will you? Tell John if you have any objections and then you can go play golf. What is it you expect me to say? If you want me to think about this you'll have to give me time to think about it won't you? The doctor says you have a problem. You certainly have. And if you're expecting any sensible statement from me you will have to give me a little time to think about it. Does that sound reasonable? Reasonable Mr. Drayton but not quite practical. You see uh uh Matt there's there's sort of a special problem. See I've got to fly to New York tonight and on to Switzerland tomorrow night. Yes and what what Joey wants what she proposes is to go to Geneva herself so that they can be married within the next couple of weeks. What the hell is all the rush? Well we know that we want to get married. And unless somebody does have any objections why should we waste any time? John and I aren't going to change our minds. Are you saying are you are you telling me that you want an answer today about how your mother and I feel? Well of course we do. We want you and mom to state absolutely clearly that you have no objections whatever and that when we do get married we'll have your blessing. Now are you gonna play golf or no? No no I'll just call it up. Excuse me doctor. That's my dad. Do you like him? I don't know. Does he like me? I don't know either. When he puts on his American Eagle face nobody can tell what he's thinking except mom. Yeah well I don't think he liked any of us after the silly way we began. Excuse me will you give John some more coffee? She's beautiful Joanna. She's even better looking than you you know that? Hello Edie. Two things Edie. Both of them urgent. Call up Monsignor Ryan make my apologies and tell him I can't play this afternoon. Tell him something's come up. Something personal at home. Then call the library and see if they've got any dope on a John Wade Prentiss. Yeah Prentiss. He's a doctor of medicine. Well about 35, 36. He's a colored fella. Yeah if they haven't got anything call up the medical association see what they've got. Get anything you can. All right hurry it up and call me back. Surely there can't be any necessity for that. It can't do any harm either. Nah for gosh sake uh Joey said he was lecturing at the university in Hawaii. Tell me something. This ever occurred to you that this might happen? No. Never occurred to me either. Not once. Well can you tell me your reaction? How do you feel about it? Oh I don't know. I I was shaken at first. I still am I suppose but not they're serious. They mean what they're saying. Both of them. They know what they're doing. No they may mean what they're saying. I accept that but they don't know what they're doing. I won't accept that. I'm not intruding. Of course not. John please come in. I'd like to have a couple of minutes with the two of you if I may. Sure sure doctor come on in. There's something you both ought to know. I made a decision. Joanna doesn't know about it and I don't see any reason why she should. What is it doctor? Joanna thinks she's committed and that our whole future is settled but there is no real commitment and up to now nothing has settled at all. I don't understand that. Joanna said you're going to be married no matter what we might think about it. Well that's not the case unless you two approve and without any reservations at all there won't be any marriage. Well why uh John why have you decided that? Mrs. Drayton this thing has happened so quickly I I'm just as startled as you must be. Two weeks ago I would have said such a thing was inconceivable but two weeks ago I had not met Joanna. She's she's not at all like anyone I've ever known. It's not just that our color difference doesn't matter to her. It's that she doesn't seem to think there is any difference. The trouble is this thing has come up at a time when I already have all the problems I need and I feel that I couldn't afford to get married if it meant that I would have to take on any special problems in addition to those we're obviously going to have. When you say special problems doctor what do you mean? Your attitude Mr. Drayton and yours Mrs. Drayton. Joanna is very close to both of you. If by marrying me she damaged her relationship with either of you the pain of it would be too much for her. I wouldn't know how to deal with that kind of situation. In any case I wouldn't even want to try. Well I'm glad you told us this doctor. Don't misunderstand me. I love your daughter. There is nothing I wouldn't do to try to keep her as happy as she was the day I met her but it seems to me without your approval we will make no sense at all. That is why I'm asking for the clearest possible statement of what your attitude is going to be. I appreciate that doctor. It's almost in the form of an ultimatum. Not quite Mr. Drayton. All you have to say is goodbye. Well that's where it's at. Thank you for the opportunity to speak my piece. Well still think you ought to have someone check on him? No. He's right about Joey too. You know that don't you? Yes. Thank god he is Matt. That's the way I feel. Thank god he's right. She's 23 years old and the way she is is just exactly the way we brought her up to be. We answered her questions. She listened to our answers. We told her it was wrong to believe that the white people were somehow essentially superior to the black people or the brown or the red or the yellow ones for that matter. People who thought that way were wrong to think that way. Sometimes hateful. Usually stupid. But always always wrong. That's what we said. And when we said it we did not add but don't ever fall in love with a colored man.