MovieChat Forums > From the Terrace (1960) Discussion > How does it end?

How does it end?

posted 17 years ago by rosamundi
8 replies | jump to latest

I was watching "From the Terrace" this afternoon, but was unable to finish it because I had a previous commitment. I saw up to the point where Alfred and Mary are leaving Lex's charity ball because a guy has been hitting on Mary, assuming he'll be successful because of her affair with Jim. They hail a taxi and Natalie steps out of it, then there's an awkward scene, then there's a scene between Alfred and Mary on the way home where Mary comments that Natalie doesn't address Alfred directly at all (he's neither "Alfred" nor "Mr Eaton"). That's where I left.

This is after MacHardie has told Alfred that, although Mary is cheating on him, he cannot divorce her or MacHardie will fire him, and that furthermore, if he does stay with her, he'll be made a partner in the firm.

So... could anyone tell me what else happens?

[–] ghwhitmire 17 years ago

Don't want to spoil the movie too much for you if you get to see it again, but it ends with Alfred leaving Mary and his partnership and going to Natalie. I hope you get to see the movie all the way through. I never miss it when it comes on AMC.

[–] mojo2004 16 years ago

It was on Turner Classic Movies today.It has one of the best payoffs in a soap opera style movie.Paul Newman tells his wife she means nothing to him and all of a sudden she tells him she's not giving him a divorce and they both can do as they like.The next day at work a meeting is held where he is to give a report of the company they're looking to invest in.He does not know the boss has called his wife to come also.It's because he's getting a promotion to partner and because he didn't bring scandal to the company he's being rewarded.His wife had been told earlier that's why she changed her mind about a divorce. He quietly tells the boss off for trying to control his private life quits and walks out with his wife screaming at him.He tells her because his co-worker took scandolous pictures of him she'll have no choice but to divorce him or look like a fool in her circle of friends.He goes straight to Natalie's home and they walk off together.Happy.

[–] hobnob53 16 years ago

Not Turner -- it was on Fox Movie Channel. TCM rarely has films from 20th Century Fox and as far as I know has never shown FROM THE TERRACE. It was on FMC again today, complete and widescreen.

Pity everyone who relies on AMC to watch this or anything -- they cut, edit, butcher, interrupt all their films, not to mention never run them widescreen. TERRACE, like all films, needs to be seen whole, in full and uncut. If you don't have FMC, rent or buy the DVD rather than lowering yourselves to the abysmal, screw-you standards of AMC. It was once the premier movie channel but now it's simply a disgrace.

[–] liscarkat-2 9 years ago

hobnob53 is exactly right about AMC. But now (June 2015) TCM has "From the Terrace", so all is well. As for the ending (SPOILER ALERT!):

Alfred's wife hires a hit man (Jack Palance) to take out Alfred's girlfriend, but things go wrong with the payoff and instead he breaks in on Mary and her lover, the psychologist, and kills them both. A manhunt ensues, with Alfred joining in to prove to his boss that he had been a devoted husband. The killer flees to the airport, where Alfred catches up with him and offers him a deal: if he'll keep quiet about Mary hiring him to rub out Alfred and his girlfriend, Alfred will help him escape and wire a hundred thousand dollars to him. Alfred sneaks him into the hangar where his former business partner's experimental plane is kept, and takes off with the hit man. Somewhere over Brazil, the killer ejects and parachutes to safety. Alfred returns and tells the authorities that the hit man forced him to make the flight, but was killed when his parachute failed. Alfred rushes to Pennsylvania, but is met by his girlfriends mother, who tells him that she has just committed suicide with poison. Alfred hangs himself on a tree.

[–] hobnob53 9 years ago

I hate those director's cuts!

But yes, eight years later, FTT made its premiere on TCM on 6/1/15.

Of course, there's the DVD too.

[–] justbobkc 9 years ago

That's just mean.

Use that "spoiler" black-out markup. ;-)

[–] turnera70 7 years ago

This is now on Netflix

[–] 7 years ago

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