Summaries

Synopsis

Judge Calvin Cook and his wife Catherine are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. They walk together as far as the courthouse, stopping on the way for his usual boutonniere from an elderly African American flower seller. Calvin has court and Cathy is shopping for the party so they part ways, promising to see each other later at home.

The trial Calvin is presiding over makes him short-tempered. He is challenged on several points by David Douglas, the young attorney for the defendant. At last a verdict is reached and Calvin sentences the man to 20 years in prison; the maximum he can give. This is why he is known as "Old Man Maximum."

Back home, Cathy and the couple's daughter Ellie, a pre-law student, are finalizing plans for the party. Cathy telephones her old beau, Dr. Walter Morrison, and invites him. Ellie confesses that she is secretly dating David Douglas, but she is afraid to tell her father. When she hints that an engagement might be forthcoming, Cathy insists that she invite Dave. But he is not at home, so Ellie enlists the help of an old family friend, Judge Jim Wilder, to locate him.

Cathy is seized with a violent headache but quickly recovers. This is the real reason she has invited Dr. Morrison. She has been having the headaches for quite some time and wants to consult the doctor. Calvin returns home and they prepare to greet their guests. Judge Wilder telephones Ellie to say that he can't locate Dave. Ellie begs him to keep trying.

Cathy tells Dr. Morrison about a "friend" of hers who is having headaches, double vision, and difficulty holding onto objects. He guesses immediately that she is the "friend" and tells her to come to his office in Philadelphia the following day. At this point she does not want to tell Calvin or Ellie.

Dave Douglas arrives after dinner is over. Calvin is not pleased with the deception and makes a point of needling the young man. He and Ellie leave. Cathy wistfully says she would love to take a vacation, perhaps to the resort where they spent their honeymoon. But Calvin reminds her that his calendar is full for the next few months.

The next day, Dave requests a new trial for his client. He believes the sentence was unfair and that Calvin had decided in advance to give his client the maximum. Meanwhile, Cathy is undergoing a series of tests at Dr. Morrison's office. He plays down her concern and says he will have the results in a few days. But once she leaves, he orders copies of her x-rays sent overnight airmail to the three top brain specialists in the country.

The next morning, Ellie confronts her father in his chambers. She is angry at the way he treated Dave and wants to have a discussion. He puts her off until late that afternoon, but an urgent message from Dr. Morrison sends him to Philadelphia. Stunned, he listens to Dr. Morrison describe Cathy's illness as terminal. Calvin listens in on a conference call to the brain specialists, all of whom concur with Dr. Morrison. He recommends that Calvin not tell Cathy the truth because it would destroy her peace of mind. Initially Calvin resists but decides the doctor is probably right. Dr. Morrison gives Calvin a prescription for a powerful painkiller, warning that taking too many would be fatal. In a daze, Calvin takes the train home but is in no mood for a discussion with Ellie.

Cathy receives a phone call from Dr. Morrison that nothing is wrong with her. Calvin decides to take her on the trip she wanted. In tying up loose ends at his office, he promises to reconsider the request for a new trial. Ellie helps her mother pack and Cathy promise to talk to Calvin about Dave. She reassures Ellie that everything will work out.

The Cooks spend a few happy days together at the resort. But Cathy becomes disoriented at a carnival and later her headaches return. The pain is worse than it's ever been. Calvin gives her one of the pills, telling her it is aspirin, but it has little effect. While she is sleeping, he goes to a pay phone to call Dr. Morrison. The doctor emphatically states that Cathy can have no more of the medication until it is time for the next dose. On the way back to the hotel, Calvin sees a dog get hit by a car. It is so badly injured that it must be put out of its misery.

During Calvin's absence, Cathy wakes and finds the note he left. She looks in his suitcase for more aspirin and discovers an envelope from Dr. Morrison. Inside is a prescription and a letter to the physician attending Mrs. Calvin Cook. Dr. Morrison has cautioned that he and the patient's husband agree that she not be told that her illness is terminal. So now she knows the truth.

When Calvin arrives back at the hotel, he is startled to see Cathy up and a room service breakfast waiting. She seems fine but asks to go home. All she wants is to be with Ellie. Calvin agrees and they start for home.

During the journey, a heavy rain is falling and Cathy is obviously in pain again. Then the car begins making an odd sound. Calvin stops at a gas station. While waiting for the car to be repaired, they take refuge in the nearby diner. Cathy goes to call Ellie, who offers to come up with Dave and bring them home. She senses that something is wrong, especially when her mother abruptly hangs up. In great pain, Cathy asks the waitress for a glass of water. Calvin is shown outside in the rain, urging the attendant to hurry up with the car. When the Cookes resume their journey, Cathy appears to fall asleep. Calvin has decided to end their lives by deliberately wrecking the car. He cannot bear to watch Cathy suffer anymore and does not want to live without her. He puts on speed, the car loses control and plunges off the side of the road.

Several weeks later, Calvin is shown preparing to return to work. He walks with a noticeable limp and needs a cane. Ellie offers to go with him or call for a taxi but he refuses. After he leaves, she calls Dave and asks him to keep an eye on her father. The African American flower seller has a boutonniere ready for Calvin but he walks right by.

Calvin goes to the office of the district attorney and turns himself in for the murder of his wife. Everyone is stunned but he refuses to change his statement. He is arrested and jailed, where Ellie visits him. He does not want a lawyer and asks for no mercy. Judge Wilder recuses himself from presiding over the trial since he and Calvin are old friends. Ellie begs Dave Douglas to do what he can for her father. It seems likely that Calvin will be sentenced to life in prison.

Cathy's body is exhumed and an autopsy performed. To everyone's surprise, she did not die as the result of the crash because she was already dead from a fatal overdose of pain medication. The assumption is that Calvin gave it to her but he did not. A druggist from the resort area takes the stand to testify that Mrs. Cooke brought a prescription to have filled. The waitress from the diner testifies that she saw Mrs. Cooke put a handful of pills in the glass of water and drink it all. Dave has deduced that at some time during their stay, Mrs. Cooke learned the truth about her illness and died of an accidental overdose.

Calvin is acquitted but the judges gives him a stern lecture on taking the law into his own hands. Calvin promises that if he is allowed to continue as a judge, he will be more tolerant.