Love of Life Discussion Thread

[Tisy-Lish]

Does anyone know which head writer introduced the Marriott family?  That is about the time I noticed something important had changed in the writing for Love of Life. Everything was really falling apart, and I could hardly get through an episode.  But I will admit, Hugh Marlowe's son was a beautiful man. He played the Marriott son, maybe his name was Andy.  Not sure.  

[dc11786]

From what I remeber reading, it seemed as if it all completely falls apart post-Labine and Mayer around a year later when Ben is sent to prison around June 1976. Ben's departure undoes one of the major story threads that had carried the show for many months. Without a catalyst of Ben's ilk in the wings, there wasn't much to carry either story for the two women (Betsy and Arlene). Arlene was briefly paired in a one-sided attraction with Ray before becoming involved with Ian Russell. I believe the Schneiders introduced Ian as a suave businessman interested in Arlene who was also considering a dalliance with Meg. That would have been delightful but Upton arrives and quickly shifts the narrative to Arlene as a kept woman / prostitute (though I only think she was sleeping with Ian, but maybe I'm wrong). 

I think it is Upton who transitioned Ben from complicated heel with a romantic appeal to a tortured, brooding romantic lead with a complicated past. I'm not sure that was the smartest move. Upton must have believed that Ben's near rape was his redemption arc, but I don't think it was enough. There is something deliciously wicked about Ben becoming involved with Mia after the death of Mia's stepson Jim Marriott, who had confessed his love for Mia before racing off on his motorbike and being hit by Ben's car. I could see the appeal, but I don't think it completely worked. 

There should have been an angle involving Betsy (who had been a reporter I think when she first appeared) investigating Jim Marriott's accident, possibly with Jamie Rolins who was I believe district attorney. Betsy and Ben growing closer as Betsy grows closer to the truth. Ben confiding in Mia as Andrew continues to make Ben his surrogate son setting in motion the same dramatic situation with Andew's second wife being in love with his son/surrogate son. 

I think Betsy and Jamie Rollins were together while Ben was in prison, but I don't think they had much to do. I may be wrong. Meg should have gone after custody making it seem like Jamie and/or Betsy were unfit leading to a case with social services which would have brought Diana Lamont back into the mix causing emotional angst for Diana as she works with Jamie to provide him the child she couldn't. 

The Felicia / Eddie / Charles stuff seems rather generic once you get to Charles' paralysis and sexual dysfunction. Felicia's pregnancy and her death seemed to bring an end to a story that really wasn't strong enough to be frontburner.

The Lynn Henderson stuff always seems rather movie of the week rather than developed for an ongoing story. 

In the past, I agreed that it might have been possible that the story had become so disjointed that they needed to freshen up and add new story elements as Upton did but others have suggested that the elements themselves should have just been considered.  

For example, I'm not a huge proponent of Rick and Cal as a couple, but I do think there was some mileage of actually reintroducing Barbara into the mix trying to reconnect with Hank, carrying a torch for Rick, causing conflict in the Sterlings marriage with Bruce and Van taking sides over Barbara vs. Cal, and Barbara maneuvering her way into the Beaver Ridge Complex making her business partners with Rick and Meg, which would give her a new rival. 

When Ben returned, there should have been a question of how true his redemption was rather than just jumping in head first to a new role. 

I think the Schneiders might have been script writers for Ann Marcus on "Search for Tomorrow," but I may be wrong on that. 

Upton introduced the Marriotts in Janaury, 1977. Christian Marlowe's Andy Marriott seemed to be in the mold of Ben. I don't know if the story was any good, but I think Upton towards the end hinted an Andrew / Meg / Andy storyline which I thought would have been interesting. I think Upton had some interesting concepts, but from my understand, the execution was awful. 

[Paul Raven]

Upton introduced a slew of new characters which must have had viewers heads spinning. And then Jean Holloway wrote all of them out. No wonder viewers switched off.

And now we return to Love of Life...

Charles, after a long period of refusing to admit he’s paralyzed, has had to accept his new life in a wheelchair, but insists that only Felicia care for him. Despite her growing exhaustion, he refuses to consider hiring a nurse, and Felicia, under the weight of her self imposed guilt forfeits her art work to accede to Charles’s demands and devote herself entirely tohis needs. She tells herself that being a prisoner in this house is her punishment and refuses to allow her mind to drift to Eddie, who had opened her mind to new levels.
Despite Dr. Cusack’s insistence on additional help after Felicia’s first collapse, Charles continues to insist that only she can administer to him. But Felicia collapses again, this time with viral pneumonia, and a nurse is brought in. Felicia’s condition worsens instead of improving, causing Joe to speculate that it’s due to Charles’s subtle encouragement of Felicia’s guilt feelings and her own self-punishment. Eddie visits her, even though they decided not to see each other any more because of the emotional pull between them. In the delirium of a spiking fever Felicia calls out for Eddie. Joe feels she has reached a crisis and wants her in the hospital, but Charles is still clinging to her. When Felicia finally passes the crisis point and recovers, Sara warns her that she called for Eddie and must be more careful in the future.

 The district attorney charges Ben with fraud and conspiracy. Meg puts up his bail. As Arlene, terrified of jail, is taken into custody, Carrie has an attack of chest pain. Ben continues to try to prove to Betsy that he loves her and has grown up, but circumstances continue to make her question his motives, and she rejects his overtures.
Arlene, questioned by the court officer preparing the court report, cynically states that the rich, like the Harpers, always get away with everything and she will take the rap. She accidentally slips and mentions the forged divorce papers, and the officer notes this.Carrie is hospitalized. Joe suspects a dangerous thoracic aneurism, but then, all heart involvements
are dangerous. Arlene wants to stay, but has to go to court for the sentencing. Ben, at his own insistence, makes a statement absolving Arlene of all responsibility, saying her only crime was loving him too much. The judge takes this into consideration and sentences Arlene to six months probation. However, when sentencing Ben, he explains that new evidence has turned up—the forgeries—and Ben is sentenced to one to four years. Ben asks to begin serving his sentence immediately.
As Ben tried to arrange financial aid for Betsy through Jamie, she visits him in jail, saying the offer was “decent” but this is her baby. When he insists the baby was conceived in love, Betsy claims he was only pretending love. When Ben tells her to tell the baby that “there was a father who would have really welcomed him into this world,” Betsy rushes out in tears,
and Ben starts to cry.
Jamie, having waited patiently for Diana to recover from her emotional depressionn,now tells her he can no longer live with her as brother and sister. Diana replies that they have good memories and have taught each other how deep a relationship can be, but now it is time for them to go their separate ways.
Meg, learning that the child of an annulled marriage is legitimate and the father has rights, sets up a trust fund for Betsy’s baby. Betsy doesn’t want her child ruined by money.

Arlene is having trouble holding a job, despite help from her parole officer, and is under the twin pressures of having to repay Ray’s bail loan and the stunning news that Carrie’s necessary surgery will cost over ten thousand dollars. Carrie, discovering this, checks herself out of the hospital. Joe and Dr. Tom Crawford explain to Arlene that the money end of the
surgery can be handled through the free clinic, but Carrie must have the surgery now. But Carrie’s past due hospital bill has been turned over to a collection agency, and Arlene is out of work again, so she goes to Ray for help. He would like to turn her down, as he has discovered that she was informing Rick of Ray’s attempts to muscle in on Skylar Mountain, but when his influential customer, Mr. Ian Russell, tells Ray he wants to meet that girl, Ray lets Arlene know
he has a job for her.

Meg asks Rick if they can start over together, but Rick has had it and is clearing out his desk. Learning that Ray has withdrawn his backing offer to Rick and that Rick has no available cash, Meg calls his bluff. She sets a price on her share so high that Rick can’t touch it, and sets her price for buying him out so low that he would have nothing left. Rick and Cal decide to elope and tell everyone afterward. But Meg gets wind of the plans and confronts them in Rick’s office. She blurts out that Cal is not the only one who loves Rick and that she and Rick were lovers as recently as a month ago. Rick tries to explain to Cal, but she is revolted and takes off in her car. When she runs it off the road, she takes off on foot, and is found, exhausted, by a hunter, who calls the highway patrol. When Rick arrives with Joe,. she refuses to let Rick anywhere near her. Cal refuses to believe Rick’s assurances that he’s really through with Meg, and makes plans to go to San Francisco. Meg, learning from Jamie .that Rick is severing their partnership, informs her lawyer that she wants all monies in both Beaver Ridge and Skylar _
Mountain tied up, and she wants Rick ruined.

Rick follows Cal to California and tells her he has given up everything to prove that Meg means nothing to him. Cal insists that she feels nothing, but relents when Betsy calls, confirming everything Rick has said. She then admits that she loves him but says it won’t
work. But Meg has followed them and confronts them in Cal’s hotel room. She informs Rick she’s bringing a suit against him for breaking up their partnership and this will ruin him. Rick quickly points out that Meg just defeated herself rather than him, because Cal had refused to marry him, thinking her mother loved him. Seeing what Meg’s “love” is, there is no reason for Cal to deny her own love for him.
 

[Paul Raven]

More from 1976

Lynn, apparently making every effort to overcome her alcoholism, accepts a baby-sitting job. However, when the baby starts crying, Lynn begins to get nervous and takes one drink, then another. By the time Bruce and Van arrive home, Lynn is on the floor, ineffectually trying to find the doctor’s number, sure the baby is ill. When the mother arrives; she vows to
let everyone know what goes on in the mayor’s house.Bruce insists that Lynn has to go, but Van, learning that Lynn can’t remember drinking the cooking sherry, calls Joe to report Lynn’s blackouts. Joe wants her institutionalized but gives in to Van’ s pleas that Lynn needs loving attention.
Eddie has sent some of Felicia’s work to a New |York gallery owner and reports to Charles that Lisa Cooper wants to exhibit Felicia’s work. Charles refuses to tell her this and later admits he feels he has “cowed”her attention because of his being confined to a wheelchair.
What Charles doesn’t say is: that he’s plagued with fears she’ll leave him for another man.
Felicia is exuberant as she starts painting again. She tells Charles how she feels about it, but, jealous of anyone or anything that takes attention from him, Charles tries to undermine her confidence. Eddie finally professes his love for her. He will be happy to step forward
if she will only let Be and admit that they belong together. Charles tries to stop Felicia’s ‘trip to New York by making her doubt her own work, and when that fails, he finds business reasons at his bookshop to keep Di, his ex-wife, who is running it for him, from accompanying
her. Felicia finally decides it’s not going to work and tells Eddie they might as well call it off. Instead, he arranges for Lisa Cooper to come to Rosehill.
Charles is rude and insulting to Lisa when she arrives at the house to view Felicia’s work, and his derogatory remarks about shady gallery dealings prompt Lisa to tell Eddie that living in such an atmosphere could permanently stunt an artist’s development; if Felicia is subjected to this indefinitely, it’s not even worth Lisa’s while to take her on as a client.
Felicia finally decides she can’t be torn apart any longer and must accede to Charles’s demands. She tells Eddie her career is over and she won’t paint any more, breaks down in his arms, crying bitterly, then pulls away, unwilling to acknowledge that her feelings for him are deeper than she dare face. Charles is delighted when she prepares to dispose of her art supplies, insisting everything will be fine once she has accepted that this part of her life is over. But she cannot do it. She promises him that he can set the limits and terms, but she must paint.
Arlene discovers that her mother is planning to avoid the surgery she needs, and the accompanying medical bills, by leaving Rosehill and moving in with her sister Dorothy out west. Arlene manages to prevent this by calling her aunt and telling her the truth about
Carrie’s condition. Dr. Tom Crawford has been footing the costs of Carrie’s presurgery tests, but Arlene knows that Carrie won’t like this. So she tells Carrie that David Hart, the son of Meg’s late husband, the former mayor, has heard about their plight and forwarded the money as a gesture of friendship, to be repaid when possible. To convince Carrie that she does indeed have the money, Arlene asks Ray to just lend it to her for a few hours, so she can convince Carrie and then immediately return it. Ray instructs her to get dressed for a night on the town and takes her, out implying that the money will be waiting at the end of the evening. When Ian Russell happens to join them, Arlene doesn’t suspect anything is afoot, but when e
Ray suddenly leaves, she becomes furious, realizing what he’s done. But she finds Mr: Russell a distinguished and cultured man, and decides there’s no harm in having a drink. After cocktails and stimulating conversation, Ian suggests that they go to his place, and Arlene agrees. But when they get there, Ian matter of factly suggests that they skip the preliminaries and get on with it. Ian is embarrassed and annoyed to discover that Arlene is not a professional call girl and that Ray didn’t explain to her the purpose of their |meeting. He is apologetic and solicitous, until Arlene, explaining why Ray felt he could pull this on her, mentions her sick mother in need of an operation. Ian starts to laugh at this overworked standard line, and a livid Arlene storms out of his apartment. Thinking it over, Ian decides he’s more intrigued with Arlene than he is annoyed at Ray, and calls Ray for her telephone number. But Arlene is not delighted to hear from him, and he has to use a good deal of soothing charm before she agrees to have dinner with him at one of the better local restaurants.During dinner Ian again apologizes for his mistake, and he gives Arlene a diamond pendant as a token of
his gratitude for her forgiving him. Ray arrives to interrupt an otherwise enjoyable evening with a business matter, and quietly reminds Arlene that Ian is his customer and she’s not to cut herself in with him. At home, Arlene examines the pendant and is convinced that it’s genuine. She hides it in her dresser drawer, unable to bring herself to show it to her mother.

[Franko]

I hope this played better than it sounds, because I'm imagining two separate scenes (the attack by Arnie, and later Charles getting shot). In my mind, it should have been a fluid single sequence.

I wonder if or how often "bastard" was uttered in this scene.

Fare thee well, Christopher Reeve. I've said it before, but pop culture's gain was daytime's definite loss. Imagine seeing HIM day after day, year after year, decade after decade, conceivably until they stopped producing soaps in NYC.

 

Well, that answers my "bastard" question.

Good lord, the roads of Rosehill are packed with high-strung drivers and/or pedestrians.

More sequences that I hope played better than they sound.

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[NothinButAttitude]

@Paul Raven thank you for the synopsis! I enjoy reading these before dozing off for the night. That aside, this Charles character sounds like a horror, just reading about him. I can only imagine how he was watching in real time. But it is intriguing to, as I wish there were more clips of LOL out there besides the one episode from this era that I've seen, which is the one of Cal getting in the car wreck. 

[Paul Raven]

Our next installment of Love of Life 1976

Before leaving San Francisco, Cal phones her Aunt Van to set up a family gathering. Van arranges it, and upon their return, Cal and Rick announce that they are engaged. In the shocked silence that follows the announcement, Meg steps in to offer her congratulations,
and also to pay for the wedding. But the family members still don’t respond happily. They fear that Rick isn’t good enough for Cal, and are surprised by Meg’s offer.
Rick and Jamie visit Meg and ask whether, in light of her acceptance of his marrying her daughter, she |will drop the lawsuit. She replies that she will if he returns as her partner in Beaver Ridge.
Rick reminds her that this has been settled; he can’t do that. So Meg, pretending largesse, says she’ll drop the suit, but in fact she asks her attorney to put the suit in abeyance, so it can be reopened at any time.
Rick gives Cal a lovely diamond-and-sapphire engagement ring, and Betsy, who has promised to be Cal’s honor attendant, gives ‘her the dress she wore when she married Ben, saying that a bride who really is a bride should have it. Cal speaks privately to each member of the family, hoping to convince them that she and Rick are right for each other and will be
happy. Jamie, after accepting Rick’s request that he be best man, checks to see if Meg has dropped the action, as promised. Finding out that it’s only in abeyance, Jamie asks if she is planning to sue her son-in-law in the future. Meg insists that she has acted on her attorney’s advice.
Meg convinces Cal to give her two weeks to plans a lovely wedding, but after several days Cal discovers that Meg has done nothing in preparation. She therefore informs her mother that she and Rick will be married this weekend at the chapel.

Betsy goes into labor and has her daughter by the natural-childbirth method. Cal tries to reach Ben, to tell him he’s a father, but has to be content with leaving a message. An ecstatic Ben sends flowers and a card to his wife and daughter Suzanne.
Meg, in desperation at being unable to stop the wedding, has been drinking heavily. When she tells Carrie she can’t sleep and that’s why she can’t get herself together, Carrie sympathetically gives her some tranquilizers which Tom had given her. At the wedding rehearsal Meg tries once again to “reason” with Rick, but he makes it clear that he and Cal are getting married as planned. Meg then faints, upsetting Cal, who declares that her mother’s health is more important than the wedding. This gives Meg an idea.
On the afternoon of the wedding, as the bride’s party waits at the chapel for Meg, she takes some of the pills, then calls Rick and tells him what she has done. When he doesn’t believe her, Meg becomes even more upset and takes more pills. When Rick informs | the wedding party of Meg’s call, they don’t believe she’d do anything that foolish, but Cal and Rick realize they can’t take the chance and go to her home.
Finding her unconscious, they rush her to the hospital.Meg is treated for overdose complicated by alcohol and eventually regains consciousness.Van and Bruce offer to take Meg to their, home to recuperate, but Cal, worried because Joe raises the concern that Meg could try it again, allows her mother ‘to convince her to take her home with her. Meg is
pleased with herself for having managed to come between Cal and Rick, and begs Cal not to let Rick come to the apartment, as she can’t bear to have him see her like this. Meg then works on Cal’s conscience by pitifully admitting that she loves Rick and can’t live without him. Van tries,- without success, to make Meg see that Cal and Rick are in love and can make each other happy, but Meg won’t give up and suddenly begins to have “headaches.” Even Betsy overcomes her bitterness at Meg and brings baby Suzanne to see her,trying to get Meg interested in living again. But Meg insists she can’t do anything because of her delicate |
condition and has no interest in Beaver Ridge at all.
.Rick has to go to New York on business and asks Cal to go with him. She replies that she can’t; she’s afraid to leave Meg. Cal, with Hank, sees Rick off at the airport, and just before he boards, he gives her a letter to read later. She reads it at home that evening; -it’s a plea from Rick to join him in New York and get married immediately. He tells her that their love and their being together are the only things that matter.Cal puts the letter in her handbag and goes to shower.Meg has seen the letter and reads it.

Upset that Cal might do what Rick asks, she goes to Joe at the clinic, claiming she’s sleeping badly, and asks for sleeping pills. Joe, of course, refuses to give them to her, and, as she has hoped, he calls Cal to warn her. Cal now redoubles her efforts to keep an eye on her
- mother. Meg, complaining of another headache, asks for water to take aspirin and takes four tablets from abottle, which she holds so Cal can see the label has been removed. When Cal snatches it and demandsto know what she’s taking and where she got them,Meg “confesses” that she went to a new doctor for sleeping pills because Joe wouldn’t give her any. Seeing she’s got Cal where she wants her, Meg presses Cal to promise she’ll be there as long as she needs her.
Rick’s New York trip comes to nothing when he discovers the prospective backers want almost complete control of the project. Jamie suggests that Rick talk to Meg again about dropping the suit, as every cent Rick has is being tied up by this litigation. Rick insists that Meg won’t do any favors for him, and he isconvinced that her suicide attempt and subsequent
emotional instability are just a scheme to tie Cal to her. But he realizes Cal won’t be able to see it this way. Rick sees only one more possibility to his financial problem: Ray Slater promised to help him if hearranged a meeting between Ray and Jamie, which Rick did. As a result of that meeting, Ray informed Ian Russell that he might be able to get Beaver Ridge
for him but will require a piece of the action if it works out.

Rick arrives home to find a distraught Cal, who informs him that she was warned by Joe to watch out for Meg and, sure enough, she discovered her trying to pass sleeping pills off as aspirin. But Rick insists on knowing the name of the doctor Meg got the pills from, and when he attempts to call him, Meg backs down and admits there was no doctor and no sleeping
pills—the bottle contained her allergy medication. Cal is horrified that she allowed herself to be taken in again by Meg in spite of knowing firsthand what her mother is like and warnings from the entire family.
Rick insists that she get away from Meg now and go visit Betsy until he gets things settled. As soon as Cal has gone, Rick insists that Meg come out of the bedroom where she has barricaded herself, and tells her he knows her too well to believe she would ever take her own life. He tells her he admires her and would like them to come out of this as friends. Meg makes it clear that friendship isn’t what she wants from him. But when Rick picks up Cal, who now wants to get married right away, and | returns to her apartment, they find a note from her
“loving mother” saying she and Rick are now friends and they should call her after they are married.
 

[Paul Raven]

1976 continues...

Carrie finds the diamond drop in Arlene’s dresser and confronts her with it. Arlene insists she’s done nothing to be ashamed of and storms out. Carrie becomes so overwrought that she collapses. Tom rushes her to the hospital, where her doctors decide they can’t wait even the few days until her scheduled surgery and begin the operation immediately. The surgical resection proceeds without incident, and Carrie comes through beautifully, to Arlene’s relief and gratitude.
Arlene tells Ian she has considered selling the pendant to pay Carrie’s bills but feels she must return it to him. She is so relieved that her mother is finally out of danger, she tells Ray, who is again pressing her for the return of the bail loan, that if he or the hospitals want to put her in jail for bad debts, that’s. fine with her. But Ian solves one of her problems by paying Carrie’s medical bill in full. Arlene is amazed to hear this and assures Carrie that she had no idea
he planned to do this. She promises Carrie she’ll tell Ian they consider it a loan and will repay him as soon as they can. Ray, learning about Ian’s actions, accosts Arlene, telling her that if she’s not already sleeping with Ian, she soon. will be, Because men like him always
expect to be paid.~
Felicia tries painting at home, but the light is very bad there, and she recalls how well she worked in her studio. With Lynn and Di’s urging, Felicia rents another studio. Ironically, Eddie, realizing that Felicia can’t paint at home, has been looking for a studio for her, and happened to be inspecting this very studio, only to learn that Mrs. Lamont had already rented it.
Felicia explains to Di that she is afraid to tell Charles about the studio, as he instantly assumes that when she’s not with him she’s with Eddie. At Di’s suggestion, Felicia arranges a dinner party with the Sterlings, in the hope that telling Charles in the presence of others will allow it to be discussed calmly. But Charles voices his fury anyway, saying that it sounds like a perfect love nest..

The Sterlings point out that he is not being deserted—he has his nurse, and Felicia will
always be home to prepare dinner. But Charles isn’t mollified. , Charles decides his suspicions are correct when Eddie delivers a letter from Lisa to Felicia and Charles realizes he knows about the studio. He refuses to believe that Felicia didn’t tell Eddie, and rides her mercilessly.
Finally Felicia realizes she can’t stand any more of this mental agony and packs, saying she needs time to think and so does he. Charles immediately calls at Eddie’s for her and is surprised that she’s not there. But his call worries Eddie, who goes to her studio to see if she’s there. He finds her about to drive to Maine, to her Aunt Mavis’s home. Felicia is touched by
Eddie’s suggestion that he accompany her for her safety, but assures him she’ll be fine. Charles, meanwhile, has fallen from his wheelchair while reaching for the phone and hit his head. Bruce finds him unconscious with a gash across his head and has him rushed to the hospital, where emergency surgery is performed to relieve the cranial pressure. Charles 
survives the surgery but remains in a coma. Felicia arrives at Aunt Mavis’s to find that her aunt has just left for a vacation in Rome. There is a knock at the door, and Felicia is amazed to find Eddie there; he followed her car to assure her safety. She invites him in for something to eat, and since it’s very late, he spends the night in the spare bedroom.
Felicia and Eddie spend the next several days walking in the woods and the evenings in front of the fire, developing a deep emotional closeness. Felicia finally tells him of her early father fixation and admits that she’s still a virgin, unable to have a physical relationship with a man. To her relief, he understands and sympathizes, and she agrees to try to make love with
him. The attempt fails, and Felicia is embarrassed,but Eddie manages to make her see that sex is only one facet of his love for her, and when they try again later she is delighted to find that she can give herself to him with feeling and happiness. She decides she
must return to Rosehill and ask Charles for a divorce.

Cal and Rick honeymoon in St. Thomas, the Virgin Islands, but Cal is a bit dismayed when Rick takes time off to discuss business with a restaurant owner. She feels he shouldn’t have any thoughts of business on their honeymoon.
Ray Slater tells Meg she stands to lose her investment in Beaver Ridge, since she has frozen Rick’s assets and he owns the controlling interest. So Meg gives Cal and Rick the news, upon their return, that her wedding gift is the dropping of the lawsuit. She then offers to sell her share of the club if Rick will again take over the place.

Betsy has made strides toward establishing a life for herself and her daughter by renting an apartment, making arrangements for a mother’s helper, and asking Jamie for her old job back. Jamie assures her it’s available and ‘takes her to dinner. Betsy is annoyed when Meg stops by just as she’s returning home with Jamie, and she tells Meg she won’t stand for her checking
up on her.
Ben has been having problems ever since his prisonmates discovered he’s in for bigamy. This “pretty boy” offense makes him a susceptible target for advances and sadistic treatment. Duke and Pearson, the chief instigators, are pleased when Ben takes punishment and threats without squealing, but they decide to continue the treatment rather than let up. On the night
 they decide to teach Ben what it’s really all about, he fights both of them, but tires and is on the floor under their knife when fire breaks out. Solly, the guard, starts to release the prisoners from their cells but is overcome by smoke. Ben rescues him, then returns to rescue the remaining prisoners, including Duke.
Ben is hospitalized for burns and smoke inhalation. He refuses to explain why he and Duke and Pearson were out of their cells before the fire alarm. Betsy has had a premonition of danger, and it’s realized with the news of the fire at the prison. She asksMeg to accompany her and goes directly to the prison. As his wife, Betsy has first rights of visitation, but Meg is so frantic that Betsy lets her go in first.
Meg rants on at length about Ben’s folly in not letting her keep him out of prison in the first place, wasting time that Ben wants desperately to spend with Betsy. Meg finally leaves, and Betsy comes in, bringing Ben a picture of their daughter. She tells him of her recent plans. When Ben asks if she’ll visit again, she hesitates, not wanting to make any commitments.
The warden tells Ben he’s putting him up for parole, and Solly thanks Ben for saving his life, offering his hope that the parole comes through. Learning of this possibility, Meg asks Bruce to intercede as mayor, and he refuses. She replies she expected that and already offered one of the prison-board members a contribution for a favorable report. Van’s horror at this is
echoed by. the warden, who tells Ben that his mother’s attempt to bribe the board could cost him his parole.But the board doesn’t hold this against Ben, and his parole is granted.