Original subtitles

Hello, I'm calling from the trip. I'd like to confirm a quote.

How much money was involved?

Was it over a thousand dollars?

Was it over ten thousand dollars?

I'm trying to get back far enough to get everything in.

If we go back any further, we'll be in the ocean.

Here comes Councilwoman Worth.

Hi, Mrs. Worth. Hi.

Did you arrange for this, Sunshine?

Of course, and I wanted on the record that ever since I was elected to the

of Supervisors, we've had moderate weather.

Whereas under my predecessor, we had heavy, heavy rains. I think that's

significant.

Who persuaded McGavin Industries to build here, Mrs. Worth?

Modesty forbids me from answering that.

What am I saying? I've dealt with that corporation for years.

Do you see any conflict of interest there? I mean, since your own company

those people before you were elected?

Well, well, here's Mr. Rossi to start off another day with a smile.

No, Mr. Ross, no conflict whatsoever.

I'm very happy that my prior connections have enabled me to attract new visitors

to this county.

I hope to continue to do so.

Mrs. Worth, can we get a picture of you turning over the first spade full of

earth? Of course.

And I'd just like to say, I think this is a terribly original and clever idea

for a picture. Sorry, personally, I'd rather have a little cheesecake, but

is the one they'll ask me for.

Yeah, well, how's this?

That's perfect, right there.

I'll bet McGavin Industries never had a more attractive hard hat.

Do the rest of you hear that?

It's exclusive for you. Mr. Rossi had something nice to say to me.

About this conflict of interest thing, it seems rather strange to me. I have an

idea. Mr. Rossi.

How about turning over a little earth yourself?

Why me? Why not?

I've read your work. You're obviously no stranger to a shovel.

Come on, Rossi, dig a little.

Come on.

Dig a little.

Dig a little.

That's my buddy.

Yeah.

Now, what am I supposed to make of this sentence?

Seen in this light, the caduceus bears an amazing resemblance to a dollar sign.

What don't you understand?

The caduceus?

It's the symbol of medicine. I know, I know what a caduceus is.

Snakes twined around a little gizmo, right? I can even see how it might look

like a dollar sign.

It's a whole sentence I'm questioning.

Too, uh, literate for you?

Well, yes, as a matter of fact, it is. I think if you're going to introduce a

caduceus in a news story, you might explain what it is to the reader.

Why don't we try giving the reader credit for a little intelligence?

But that's not my point. Even assuming all our readers know what a caduceus is,

what does the sentence mean?

Comparing it to a dollar sign? It means that the hospital board is greedy.

It means that money is the only thing doctors care about anymore. What's that

doing in a news story?

That's what the story is about.

No, the story is about one hospital canceling one program.

The claim that greed was responsible is your opinion, Mike.

Unsubstantiated by any facts.

The whole story substantiates it. My standby, my story.

You can stand by it. You can pat it on its head. You can clutch it to your

bosom. We're not going to print it like this. It's lousy journalism.

Next time you want to pin somebody's hide to the barn, you better use facts

nails.

That's a lousy metaphor.

Facts for nails?

Kind of like it.

I know, I know. They all want to be investigative.

That's trouble, young reporters, now. They're all angry crusaders.

Whereas you and I are calm and objective.

That's why we never get upset.

I'm not upset.

I'm just tired of having to turn back that slanted copy. They put up with a

of guff from him.

How good a reporter is he?

Yeah, it's hard to tell.

He has a lot of potential, but he isn't getting any better, and he should.

Plus, he slants, overwrites, argues, and there's an all -around pain in the

neck.

How do you like him otherwise?

Not as well.

Believe me, I know just how you see it.

It's very frustrating to have your favorite paragraph cut.

It's always your favorite that gets cut.

It gets so teed off, I don't know what to do.

What do you do?

Do you relieve the frustration?

Oh, I do what any good reporter does. I go to a bar and pick a fight with a

sailor.

I'm serious.

Doesn't it make you crazy?

Not anymore.

Look, Lou is one of those old school, just give us the facts, conservative

newspaper men.

He wants everything to read like an almanac.

I'll give you an example.

That piece of yours that ran yesterday on the oil company?

I'll bet that started out as a well -written piece of copy before he got his

hands on it.

That story ran word for word the way I wrote it.

I loved it.

Mrs. Worth, how do you explain the fact that McGavin Industries bought this land

at $2 .50 a foot when the cost of industrial land anywhere else in this

is $4 a foot?

Good for you, Mr. Roth. You keep asking questions.

Well, how else will you learn anything?

We made the price attractive precisely because we wanted them to buy it and to

build here.

Why? Why?

Because it is obviously to the benefit of the county to have them here.

The jobs and revenue generated will far outweigh the temporary loss, enabling

them to buy cheaply with a very sound fiscal move.

I see.

What's your theory, Mr. Rossi?

That I have stock in the company?

That I have friends on the board?

I do.

I have friends on the board of half the companies in this town.

That I'm getting a kickback?

What are you trying to prove?

I'm not trying to prove anything. I just... The entire transaction was

in the clear light of public scrutiny.

All the records are available to you.

There are no secrets.

There is no scandal.

I'm not saying there's any scandal. I'm just trying to cover a story.

Cover one. Or create one.

Oh, good. Come in. Let's sit over there.

Take a chair. Make yourselves comfortable.

Now, I find myself facing a very unpleasant task.

And my plan is to deal with it as leaders have dealt with unpleasant tasks

time immemorial.

I am delegating it to my subordinates.

So are the army.

Well, not exactly. To the best of my knowledge, the army never went in much

firing people.

Well, that's what this is about.

Who do you want us to fire?

Well, you'll have to choose. That's what makes it so unpleasant.

What do you mean, choose?

Since when do we fire people for the sake of firing someone?

I don't have anyone I want to fire.

Well, there we have no choice.

Now, you're both aware we need a sizable loan to pay for all that sophisticated

gadgetry we're going to put in the city room.

Now, I've spent much of the past several weeks lunching with bankers.

which has been every bit as exciting as it sounds.

But the net result in each case has been the same.

Hard work?

Among other things. Now, before anyone will even consider such a big loan,

going to have to show a bigger profit margin from our operation.

Now, the only place we can conceivably trim, I'm afraid, is in personnel. We're

going to have to let some people go.

That stinks.

Why are you singling out my department?

I'm not.

How come the other departments aren't affected? They are.

Why doesn't everyone share it equally?

They will.

It still stinks. I agree. I hate firing people.

Then don't. I'm not.

You're going to.

I really hate this.

I know.

Mrs. Pigeon has always thought that we were a little fatted personnel.

She's always felt that we had more people than we need.

I've never had enough.

Now, how do I decide who to fire?

Well, last hired, first fired is a time -honored portal.

No, that's not fair.

I guess I'll have to do it on merit.

On merit.

Okay, who's your least valuable reporter?

Well, I could get along with either Mike Norvett or Janet Reid.

Janet Reid?

The one with the long wavy hair and terrific legs?

Who always leans over your desk when you're going over a copy?

That's a little Southern drawl. That's wrong.

We couldn't get along without her.

Yeah, we could.

But she's a better reporter than Norvette.

Thank God.

You really love this, don't you?

Circumstances beyond your control.

That's all a smokescreen, isn't it, Lou?

You've been looking for a chance to fire me right along.

No, I haven't. Sure you have.

Because I'm the only one around here with guts enough to stand up to you,

you in the face, and tell you that you're wrong.

That's not true, Mike.

Tough old buffalo has everybody running scared, and then I come along and point

out that the emperor has no clothes.

You make some metaphors.

So I get the axe.

As a lesson to the others, I suppose.

Well, I can understand that, Lou. I can respect you for that.

If it weren't for the hypocrisy of pretending that you're sorry about it,

the part that really bugs me.

I'm not here to bug you, Mike.

Just fire you.

Did you think I was after your job?

Is that it?

Deep down?

Did you feel threatened by new blood in the organization?

No. I don't feel threatened by you, Mike.

Honest. Well, maybe that's your mistake, pal.

Maybe that's your big mistake.

If it helps any, I'm not that sorry.

We'll continue in a moment here on A &E.

And I just learned to thread a typewriter ribbon.

Where is it?

I think the only way this story is going to get over there is for me to hand

carry it.

Where's the trouble?

I've done everything you're supposed to do. This machine just does not like me.

Okay, you hit your four -digit story code.

You punched in your three -digit output code.

Your three -digit receptor code.

Girl talk.

Oh, you omitted the transfer code. Here.

Here it is.

I got it now.

Uh, you better be nice to me today, Lou, or I won't tell you who's got a crush

on you.

On me?

Someone has a crush on me?

Well, not exactly a crush. It's just someone who saw you with the press glove

and thought you were cute.

Cute.

I can understand that.

I've seen you at the press club.

There's just something about you. The way you get drunk and abusive and insult

people. It's irresistible.

Excuse me. Unless there's a button on this machine that you push for coffee.

So who was this tasteful and discriminating woman?

Barbara Benedict.

She works for Pacific Magazine.

I don't really know her that well, but she took one look at you and wanted to

know more about you.

Really?

Well, now, I know this isn't a question guys are supposed to ask anymore because

women are people and not sex objects, but would you say that Barbara Benedict

was... A real tomato.

Really?

Really.

Well, well.

Listen, by the strangest coincidence, I was thinking of having lunch at the

press club today. Why don't you come along and introduce us?

I don't think she hangs out there, Lou.

Besides, I've got to have lunch today with Benita Worth. I want to show her

not all trivia reporters are like Rothy.

Oh, sure. Good idea.

Why don't you call Barbara Benedict, introduce yourself, and invite her to

at McCann's?

No, I can't do that.

I'd feel like a jerk.

I am Lou Grant.

We've never met. But I hear you think I'm cute when I have lunch.

I feel like a real jerk.

Suit yourself, Lou.

So I decided to get back into print journalism.

It must have been quite a joke making the transition from TV news.

No, not really.

An editor's an editor.

You don't lose the instinct.

You're amazing.

No, I'm not.

No, really.

I mean, picking up after all those years away from newspapers and on a paper as

demanding as the trip.

I mean, that is one of the better edited newspapers around in everybody's

opinion. That's a good outfit.

Of course, any outfit is compared to the one I'm with.

The magazine, you mean?

It's okay. A little sensational.

I'm not talking about the editorial content so much as the people, the

Like Peyton Place over there.

Really?

Plus, all the normal inter -office problems. You know, the gossip and

stealing each other's assignments, putting down other people's work.

You get all that anywhere.

Oh, I can't believe it's that bad other places.

We have a couple of reporters don't like each other so much. A little jealousy

here and there.

How do you handle that?

I mean, you are the city editor. It all lands on your desk.

Sometimes you do something inspired.

Then there have been a couple of instances... and I didn't handle it very

I guess you're lucky to have a woman publisher.

I hear Mrs. Pinchon is a real pushover.

Pushover? Who told you that?

Boy, she's one tough broad. Let me tell you a couple of stories.

Would you like another drink? Sure.

Huh?

Cream and sugar, Miss Newman?

No, thank you.

Just Pongo and La Mesa, please.

Are you going to be the next chairman of the board of supervisors?

Do you want more coffee, Benita?

Thank you, no.

Look, I'm not denying that I'd love the opportunity to throw my weight around.

It must be refreshing for you to meet a politician as a straight talker.

You know, when Benita was thinking of running for office, she said to me...

Mark, I'm just not a politician.

And I said, Bonita, that's why we need you.

Glad to see the people agreed with me.

Don't you want to ask me any questions that are difficult and hard to answer?

Well, I did want to ask you about your opposition to the mayor's rapid transit

proposal.

Have you ridden one of the buses lately, Miss Newman? I mean, English is a

second language.

All we got to do is seal off the border and we won't have a need for rapid

transit.

Excuse me, I'm not sure I follow you. Are you saying... Look, the closest

to rapid transit Mark's been on lately are the golf carts at the club.

Okay.

I'm all for rapid transit, but the voters have expressed a preference for

automobile.

Perhaps our challenge is not to rearrange our lifestyle, but to find a

fuel and a more efficient engine.

Well, you're not going to lose too many votes for that opinion.

Sometimes what's popular is also what's right.

Bonita taught me that when we were in business together.

I thought you taught her the business.

No. She bailed me out. Saved my life.

Nonsense. My business was underwater.

Fish were swimming in the windows.

That little lady took over the controls.

Put it back on a paying basis.

Kept me out of debtor's prison. Company was doing just fine until Mark got ill.

I stepped in to try and pull things together.

With his help and guidance, oh, I managed to finish what he started.

As I recall, it was one of the real success stories of the year of the

community. Didn't the company expand tremendously?

Just a little.

Ten times?

You made it ten times the size it was.

It would have grown anyway.

You sure you don't want to try a little of this?

No, thank you.

She'd go to waste.

Well, anyway, she made all the moves that I should have made.

And would have made, if you'd been well enough.

That's when I knew that Benita ought to be in government.

She's got more imagination and more plain horse sense than any six

I've ever met.

In fact, I'm going to say this.

This little lady ought to be our governor.

Is that an unofficial announcement?

You'll notice, Billy, I didn't say that.

You really think she's terrific, huh?

Yes, I do.

Oh, would you mind not looking over my shoulder?

See how they stick together?

Who? Women.

I got a heavy date.

Try to run things here without me, wouldn't you?

What's he got against Benita Worth?

Nothing, really.

That's what bugs him.

Frosty feels every public servant is by nature corrupt. It's part of that

wonderful idealism of his.

It burns him up that he can't nail her for anything.

I hear her husband has a bit of a problem.

He's got a few problems. What's that got to do with her?

Nothing. I just wondered if you noticed.

I noticed.

Put me down for a gold star.

And I wrote it as a two -part series, and, uh...

Blew the whole thing wide open.

And that's what got you the Pulitzer nomination?

Not the Pulitzer. I didn't say that.

I said the equivalent.

Which was?

Southern California newspaper killed citations. You're amazing.

No, not.

I'm just capable.

Extremely capable.

How do you get along with that city editor of yours?

I hear he's pretty tough.

No.

No, he's not that tough.

He just has to know how to handle it.

There are ways.

He has his weaknesses.

The damnedest thing just happened.

Bonita Worth's husband called up and offered to punch me in the nose.

Why do you want to punch you in the nose?

Well, he didn't really. He wanted to punch the person who wrote today's

but since it was written by a woman, he said he'd settle for a boss.

I should have transferred the call over to you.

Billy's story was practically a love letter. What could he object to?

Well, he wasn't very clear. The fact that it made her sound too aggressive,

-blooded, something.

It didn't make much sense. To tell you the truth, I think he was a little

smashed. At ten in the morning?

Oh, yeah. He sure was rambling.

He called us cheap shot, irresponsible journalists, and he said that we could

quote him.

Are you sure he was who he said he was?

I called back to verify. Was Mark Worth all right? And he told me what he

thought of the trip in no uncertain terms.

Well, actually, some of his terms were very uncertain.

Oh, you don't mind if I do a follow -up?

Maybe a little sidebar on the supervisor's husband?

Why not? Seems like he might be better coffee than she is.

Besides, it's Charlie's nose.

Morning, Lou.

Rossi. Morning, Natalie.

Lou, you got any idea when we're going to knock off this current austerity

and start hiring again?

Until the profits go up, I should think, and maybe not then. Why? Because I've

discovered a really sensational reporter to take Mike Norvett's place.

Oh, yeah? Who is this boy wonder?

Girl wonder.

Uh -huh.

Hey, Donovan, you just tried to palm off one of your girlfriends on a paper?

She's really good.

And I'm not just saying that because, uh, he and I happen to have a little

something going lately.

Her name's Barbara Benedict.

Lou Grant will continue in a moment here on A &E.

You've been going out with Barbara Benedict?

Yeah. We're supposed to have dinner this evening. Why? Because I was supposed to

have dinner with her.

You were.

That's right. Only she told me she had to work.

She's going out with me.

That's probably what she meant.

Why are you being sarcastic?

Barbara Benedict happens to be the girl Billy told me about.

Who had a crush on me.

Me, you mean?

I'm afraid you're both deluding yourselves.

Don't you see what she's done? For whatever reason, she's allowed each of

think that she was interested.

She's been lying.

To both of you.

For what?

I don't know.

Maybe she wants a job here.

She already has a job at Pacific Magazine.

Yeah, but working here would be working for that gossip mill.

What a weird way to go about getting a job pretending to have the hots for

different guys.

Maybe she was sincere.

Maybe she really did like both of you.

Until she met me.

That was a very nice piece you did on Benita Worth.

Thank you.

Her husband didn't seem to think so.

Yeah, I heard through the grapevine that he actually called up and threatened to

punch out Charlie Hughes.

I love it. Too bad the guy didn't threaten Lou.

Aw, he's still carrying a bridge.

I know better than to badmouth Lou around one of his dedicated disciples.

Mike, when are you going to get off that?

I'm loyal to Lou. I'm not going to apologize for it. Commanding loyalty is

great virtue in a squad leader. I'm not so sure it's a virtue in a city editor.

What's that supposed to mean?

You're so used to how Lou's going to react that you react ahead of time for

I bet there's lots of ideas that you don't pitch because you know he's not

to go for them.

When does loyalty become self -censorship?

I see you haven't lost your talent for exaggeration.

Any luck getting a job?

Oh, didn't I tell you? I already landed a job.

A good job.

I'm working for Pacific Magazine.

Mr. Worth, is your wife aware you've invited some of the press over for a

No. She thinks I'm out playing around.

You think she would disapprove?

I don't approve or disapprove of her press conferences.

Is what appeared in the Tribune story true that you... Threatened to punch

managing editor?

Gee, I thought you'd never ask.

Yeah, yeah, it's true.

And, uh, I would like to commend all of you for being willing to come and talk

to a fellow who's threatened mayhem against journalists.

Don't you think an apology's in order? Yeah, but I don't think I'm gonna get

from you fellas.

So,

seriously, I, uh, I called you here because I wanted to give you my side of

story. And I really think you ought to reserve judgment until I do.

Let's face it. The fact of the matter is that when I said those things, I was

three sheets to the wind.

You're not going to hold a guy to what he says when he's bombed, are you?

How's the woman worth?

This is worth.

Are you ready to comment on your husband's threat to my managing editor?

You expect me to say no comment, but I will say this.

Perhaps if a few more husbands threatened to punch a few more

newspapers would be a bit more careful about what they write about people's

private lives.

Sounds to me like he's got a king -size problem with the sauce. At least he's up

front about it.

He's stealing her coverage from her.

Coverage? He made her front page three days in a row.

Did he threaten a libel suit at the press conference?

No, no, just a punch in the nose.

You had to bring that up.

I don't see what the big deal is. He's not the one who was elected.

You've got to wonder, though, when he says those dumb things, is he saying

she's thinking?

Hi, everybody.

Hi.

Lou, something's slightly bothering me.

I told you I had lunch yesterday with Mike Norvett.

Yeah, yeah. How's he doing?

He's okay.

He was asking a lot of questions about Lou and the newsroom and Charlie and

everybody. Probably still wants to come back.

No, that's not my point. He's got a job on Pacific Magazine, and that's what's

bothering me.

You mean the fact that he was asking all those questions about the trip?

Like Barbara Benedict was asking all those questions about the trip?

She was.

Uh -huh. She questioned me and Lou and Donovan.

Don't include me in that.

I'll be going to get the picture.

A vet goes over there with a chip on his shoulder against the trip.

The next thing you know, the very attractive, very sexy Miss Benedict is

up to gullible members of our editorial staff and asking lots of questions about

mistakes we've made, personal questions about what really goes on.

She didn't get anything out of me. Me neither.

We had coffee together, that's all.

I got to reminiscing about the paper. Nothing scandalous. You sure?

We had coffee.

Are you sure you didn't tell her anything scandalous?

Sure.

I don't think I did. I told her a lot of funny stories. She's a great audience.

Yeah, she sure is. Great listener. Lou, we have been had.

Lou, I have to apologize. She did the same thing to me.

Just that in my case, it seemed a little more believable.

They're all in the same boat.

Billy, too, with Norvette.

What are they looking for?

Oh, you know, the kind of stuff they print.

Scandal, expose, skeletons in the closet.

What really goes on at the trip?

Well, what does?

What have we got to hide?

What could any of us have told them that was so terrible?

Well, I...

I did mention the time we paid all that money and got stung on the Luther

Cardell story.

That's public knowledge.

We printed that ourselves.

About ourselves.

We didn't print about us flying down there and buying white suits for that

rendezvous in the bar and about you chasing Jack Riley down the beach trying

break his neck. Lou, we didn't print that.

What else?

I think I may have mentioned about one of our reporters sleeping with a state

senator.

You think you may have mentioned it?

Alluded to it.

Well, everything I said was pretty positive.

I don't know how he took it.

I told him myself about how we raised all that money for that needy family at

Christmas. Now the mother turned out to be a hillbilly bunco artist.

Oh, great.

I just told her one or two amusing anecdotes about Mrs. Pinchon.

Listen, it's silly for us to speculate about this.

We're all professionals here.

They're professionals.

Let's talk Turkish.

Barbara, Lou Brandt, say hello for me.

Listen, it's of no importance really, but I was just kind of curious about the

piece you guys are doing on the trip.

Oh, my Lou.

You mean you knew about it all the time?

Of course.

Why do you think I played it so cool when you were trying to pump me, huh?

I never told you that.

Sure you did.

Frankly, I'd say it was one of the most revealing interviews I ever had. I'm

very grateful to you, Lou.

Well, good.

Well, yeah, I'll do that.

Thanks, Barbara.

Barbara.

Would she tell you anything?

Sure. She says we can stop worrying about the article and read it ourselves.

It's coming out tomorrow.

Lou Grant will continue in a moment here on A &E.

The guy at the newsstand downstairs says Pacific Magazine won't be in for

another hour.

Forget about Pacific Magazine, will you? How can we forget?

I spent all last night trying to remember what I told Malahari.

How come she's a Malahari for doing the same thing our reporters do? Because our

reporters don't pretend to be something they're not.

They announce that they're reporters to the people they're talking to so that

they don't get the wrong idea and make fools of themselves.

Well, personally, I'd never tell them a thing.

If a reporter tried to pump me, I'd clam up. He wouldn't get nothing.

I got absolutely no use for those guys.

I'd tell them to go straight to hell. Know what I mean?

That's what I'd do.

Nothing personal.

Anyhow, there's nothing to worry about. I'm quite sure none of us told Barbara

or Benedict anything incriminating. I know I didn't.

Anybody here feel like talking about the newspaper?

Oh, right.

We've got this industrialist kidnapped in Rome. We've got some British economic

development. Salaries.

I'll bet they got hold of our salaries and they're going to print them. That's

the quickest way to spread dissension on a staff. Find out who's making more

than you do.

We're not rock stars or baseball players. No one around here earns enough

make anybody jealous.

Unless they invent figures.

They could do that, you know. Yeah. The point is they're not going to invent

anything.

They're subject to the same laws we are.

If they can't document it, they won't print it. Yeah, but they could make us

look bad. Anybody can make anybody look bad.

We're going to find out what they found out soon enough. Right now, let's get

back to the budget.

Right.

I have an item here concerning the new emission standards for the state... Oh,

please, don't let me interrupt you, gentlemen.

I certainly wouldn't want to interfere with the working of a great newspaper.

Mr. Worth, I'm Lou Grant.

We're having a meeting.

There's something I can do for you. For me?

As opposed to to me, which is your usual pleasure.

This fascinating editorial this morning, for example,

I just wanted to thank you all personally for taking so much interest

I quote, It remains to be seen whether Mrs.

Worth's candidacy for re -election can survive the embarrassment of her

husband's public antics.

Antics?

Isn't that a little overwritten?

Mr. Worth.

You just never let a day go by without calling attention to my antics, do you?

Did it ever occur to you that there's any embarrassing being done? You're

it? We're a newspaper, Mr. Worth.

No, you're a contemptible bunch of sanctimonious hypocrites.

Newspaper men don't drink, do they?

Wouldn't catch any of you taking too much to drink.

Certainly wouldn't read about it in that paper of yours.

But the husband of a county supervisor, the best supervisor we have, let him

show just a little human weakness, and you can't wait to smear her with it.

Does that make you feel powerful, huh?

Does that make you feel good?

Mr. Worth.

If I were young, I would personally kick the crud out of everybody in this room.

But I'm not.

I'm not young.

And I'm not very strong.

As you constantly point out.

So, what do you want to pick on me for, huh?

I have news for you, Mr.

Grant.

I'm not worth it, Mr. Grant.

I'm too easy.

I mean, how hard is it to make fun of a man who drinks, who can't run a

company, who can't do anything?

How hard is that, huh?

What... What in God's name did I ever do to you?

Why? Why?

Lou, I swear I didn't say this about you. I was almost completely misquoted.

Didn't say what about me? What it says I said about you. I didn't say it.

I didn't get to that part yet.

I'm still reading what he said about me. What does it say I said about you?

Didn't you read it? I didn't even say it.

How do you know if you didn't read it? Because I know what it says I said about

Charlie. And I didn't say that. So I'm sure I didn't say what they say I said

about you.

You know what's terrible, don't you?

The whole thing's terrible.

The terrible part is, you probably did all say these things.

Oh, I'll bet you all did. Not always the exact words, or sometimes in a

different way.

Maybe with a different emphasis.

Not meaning it to sound like it does when you see it in cold print.

But I'll bet everything in this article was actually said one way or another by

someone on this newspaper.

Yeah, it's easy for you to say. You didn't have lunch with a woman.

Well, I couldn't make it that day.

Wait a second. Are you trying to tell me that someone actually used these words

to describe me?

A classic example of a dying breed.

He's almost a cliché. A hard -nosed, bull -headed, bad -tempered tyrant of

city room.

I may have used one or two of those phrases, but in a purely admiring sense.

Don't apologize.

That's the only part of the article I like.

And you, you really called me a combination of...

A mole and a snake? No, absolutely not.

So much for your theory. I said, what I said was you're a good investigative

reporter.

Yeah? Then how could they justify using... Well, later, much later in the

conversation. And believe me, I was talking about Mike Norvett himself.

I may have said something like a good investigative reporter has to have the

digging instincts of a mole and the compassion of a snake.

Sorry. No, no, it's a mistake anyone could have made.

You know who must really be burning?

It's Mrs. Pinchon.

There's some really hilarious things in here about her.

Although she may not find them so. Yeah, we'll probably never know where they

got that stuff.

Oh, Mrs. Pinchon wants to see you and me right away.

I think we're about to find out.

Lou Grant will continue in a moment here on A &E.

Spitzer, I know what you're thinking, but you've got to realize that whole

Pacific article is a bundle of misquotations and half -truths that have

deliberately wrenched out of context.

Really? Absolutely.

Well, you know how those things work. You describe somebody in glowing terms

they just pick out the words and phrases that will leave a negative impression.

I've heard of that being done.

So if I give the impression of calling you inflexible and tight -fisted, you

be sure that...

It started out as a tribute to your strong leadership.

And the only reason I brought up the subject of your inexperience at the time

you took over the paper was to show how fast you learned, how you grew in the

job. I see.

Yes, Mrs. Pinchot. Can you get me the current issue of Pacific Magazine?

City desk, Donovan.

Yeah, Animal, what's up?

Hold on, we got a terrible connection.

Who'd you say was in an accident?

Benita Wirth and her husband.

Rossi, come here a minute. We got an accident.

Where are you?

Unless she can fly, I don't know how Benita Wirth got to Malibu. I just left

15 minutes ago with the Department of Water and Power.

Animal, what makes you think it was Benita Wirth and her husband?

Saw Mark words and he was with a woman on my way.

Okay. Thanks animal. We got it It's worth gonna make it. Oh, yeah,

it wasn't hurt that bad.

It's a matter of fact. He's feeling no pain What do you mean shot?

Oh, it's just a little banged up and a lot juice Identify the woman.

Yeah Kimberly Ann Sackett 29 years old cocktail waitress in a golf club

How's she doing?

Well, she's in surgery now. It's too soon to tell.

What's the matter, Mr. Rossi?

Couldn't you find anyone to drive to get a sample of my husband's blood test?

Thanks, Rossi.

You're right. Nothing's going to happen tonight.

But I want you to work up an analysis for tomorrow on how this is going to

affect Benita Worth's image.

Okay?

Yeah, okay, okay. You handle it. Right.

Stop going, Mike.

Have a drink.

I'll have another with you.

Beer.

Same.

I hope there's no hard feelings about that Pacific Magazine piece.

Hard feelings?

You stuck it to us. You stuck it to us real good.

Heck of a piece.

Well,

I'm glad to hear that. I thought maybe, you know, you might be a little steamed

because I mentioned about you slugging that guy.

Are you kidding?

I'm just glad you didn't print the other stuff about me. The really bad stuff.

I got music.

Cheers. Cheers.

Well, uh...

What kind of bad stuff?

Well, I mean that... Oh, no, you don't. You've got to write another article,

right? Yeah.

I'm not. I'm just curious.

Well, if hitting a guy in the elevator was so bad, what would people say if you

wrote about the guy whose legs I broke?

You broke a guy's legs?

Both of them?

Complete set.

What for?

Well, he was this smart -aleck guy back in Detroit wrote something nasty about

me.

I, uh, I was drinking at the time.

Well, uh, I've got to be going, Lou. No, go.

Let me tell you about the brawl in the press club on Guam.

This guy said something that got me very mad.

I don't know what got into me, but I actually threw him out the window.

Out the window?

Closed window.

I wasn't myself.

I guess I'd had one too many at the bar beforehand.

Come on, Lou. I know you're not going to hit me.

You're right.

I'm not much as I'd like to.

It's just my way of saying I don't like your style of journalism.

Makes it hard on the rest of us.

Well. I'll see you around, Lou.

Next time I'm on Mount Olympus.

It's not Olympus, pal.

It just looks like it down where you are.

They have a press club on Guam?

Who knows?

If they don't, they should have.

What?

This is Fincham.

I read Mr. Rossi's article at lunch.

His analysis of Benita Worth's situation is regrettably accurate. The woman's in

trouble. Rossi really nailed it.

Benita's got a choice between ditching her husband and looking disloyal.

Or she can continue with a guy who makes racist statements that's been openly

unfaithful to her and is now facing a drunk driving rap.

Either way, she'll have a tough time doing her job.

Breaks of politics.

I wonder how much of it is simply the breaks of politics.

Well, what else is it?

Well, I think we played a part in this chain of events.

How's that?

Look at this.

Yesterday, a cheap magazine with malice aforethought tried to smear our

newspaper. We were furious.

But we, with all the highest sounding motives in the world, have just helped

undermine a very promising career.

Well, wait a minute.

We didn't make Mark worth a racist or a drunk.

No, but we turned the spotlight on him because his wife was in a position of

power.

And we do feel so righteous when we go after the power, don't we?

I recently heard us compared to that race of tiny people in Gulliver's

where they bound up a person who was found on their shores.

Only because he was so much bigger and stronger than they were.

I think the comparison fits.

Sure.

People in our business have an instinct to take on the big guys.

That's what makes good reporters.

If we didn't, all we'd be printing is the daily horoscope and movie guide.

Yes, yes, that's all very true.

Meanwhile, here is a good public official in a dilemma I don't see any

of.

I think we helped put her there.

Gentlemen.

Ladies.

This will be brief.

And I will not take questions following this statement.

It is with deep regret that I announce my resignation from the Board of

Supervisors.

And from Public Life.

Effective today.

What do you think of that?

Never saw that one coming. Bad. I thought she had a lot on the ball.

Frost deals with the loss of his wife and goes full force into the search for

missing girl on the A &E Mystery Movie tonight.

Now, Hollywood hatred heats up when Columbo uncovers a long -standing feud

between a leading lady and a gossip columnist.

And Baxter guest stars in Columbo, next on A &E.