Original subtitles

Hey, good looking.

What you got cooking?

I was about cooking something up with me.

Hey, sweet baby.

Don't you think maybe we can find us a brand new recipe.

I got a hard rock board and a two dollar bill.

No place to ride over the hill.

I forgot it. I forgot it.

Hey, good looking.

What you got cooking?

I was about cooking something up for me.

I didn't really want to sing that song anyhow, actually.

But I got another one here I'd like to sing.

I'd like to sing a song, and I'd like to dedicate it.

And my beautiful wife, Kitty Carol.

So hard, my dear, to show that you're my every dream.

Yet you're afraid each thing I do is just some

evil scheme.

A memory from your lonesome past keeps the soul far apart.

Why can't I bring your doubtful mind?

And melt your cold, cold heart Another love before my

time Made your heart dead and blue And so my

heart is paying now The things I did not do

In anger, unkind words are said That

make the teardrop start

Why can't I free your doubtful mind melt your cold cold

heart

If

I ever dedicate another song to you

But it don't matter.

As I tell you, Jimmy LeGrand, don't get mad.

Just get even.

Gus, what are you doing?

I'm not talking to you. Yes, you are.

I'm not taking any more notes from you.

I want to know what's wrong, and I want to know right now.

You're drunk.

That's what's wrong.

I told you, Jim. I said if you didn't stop drinking and raising hell, then I

going to walk out on you for good, and that's exactly what's going on right

Look, you can't do this. The tour's not over. We got five more books.

You leave, and you ain't never coming back.

Jimmy, just wait. Jimmy.

Tom, get him to look back on stage. Have him do what you know. Have him do this.

Just have him tell every story he knows.

Luann, Luann, she's your sister. You've got to talk to her. There ain't nothing

to talk about. He's had it. And it's over.

All of it. You can't do this. Think what it'll do to Jimmy.

You're worried about Jimmy, huh?

Don't make me laugh. All you're worried about is losing your meal ticket.

Oh, yeah. You just... You just let him drink and let him make an ass out of

himself so you can steal from him.

Nothing but a bunch of parasites hanging on and sucking him dry.

Hey, lady, you're way out of line.

You don't give a hoot what happens to Jimmy or Kitty.

And if this door shuts down, it'll serve you right.

My God.

It's Kitty Carol.

No, it's Luann, her sister.

I think she's dead.

Somebody call the police!

Okay, now let's get this clear.

Yep. Here we go. Wait.

Wait. Okay. You got it? I think so.

Okay. Okay.

Okay. It's clear.

Hey.

What do you think? Oh, it's just gorgeous. That face.

It's beautiful. Look at that wood.

Look at that work, Rich. Your headlight.

Wonderful little window. Oh, yes.

It's got to be 100 years old. Oh, yes. Maybe more. Oh, maybe more. Yes. How

do you think it'll take to fix it?

Well, I've got a guy that owes me a favor. I expect he could get right on

I hear there's this little old man over in Athens who fixes antique clocks for a

living.

Well, yeah, of course, this guy that owes me a favor, he could probably save

some.

You sure he can fix it?

Oh, yes, he can fix anything.

Okay.

Want some?

I'll be at dinner. Oh, okay.

Okay. Let's try Alfredo's, huh? Okay. Okay.

Bye. Bye.

That's my beauty.

That's my beauty.

Hmm.

Damn.

This has been Matlock.

Actually, it's my answering machine.

Because I'm not here right now. But if you leave your name and number at the

sound of the beep, I'll call you back.

That's a promise.

Hi, Ben. It's Michelle.

Oh, Michelle.

It's Sunday.

I know it's Sunday, but I thought maybe, just maybe you'd be home.

I'm not home. Sorry you're not home, because the service just called me to

that a woman named Kitty Carroll wants to talk. to you.

Country singer?

He's a country western singer or something.

Anyway, I'll just say I couldn't reach you.

No. No, wait.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

Wait a minute.

Hold it. Wait.

Wait a minute.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

Wait. Hello.

Why, Ben?

What a surprise.

Uh, hey, listen, Michelle.

Tell, uh, uh, Kitty Carol that, uh,

I'd be delighted to meet her, huh?

Where? She'll be at the office in half an hour. Okay, okay.

Okay.

She was driving my car and it was... We always dressed alike.

It was three in the morning and the parking lot wasn't very well lit.

The police think whoever was driving that car was trying to kill you.

Yeah. Yeah, that's one of the reasons they arrested Jimmy.

Why would your husband want to kill you?

Well...

I made him very angry last night.

I walked off the stage in the middle of the show, and I told him that it was

finished between us. What brought that about?

Jimmy's always been kind of wild, see, and when we got married about three

ago, he promised me that he would change, and he did for a while.

He stopped drinking.

And he stopped going to dives.

Then about five months ago when we started this tour, he started

going downhill, drinking and picking fights with everybody

and smashing up cars.

He's been in jail twice.

I read about that. I was hoping it was just something some press agent had made

up to hype the ticket sales.

You sound like a fan.

Well, you could say.

He has all your husband's records.

Go ahead.

Things just went from bad to worse.

Nothing I said.

Didn't seem to make any difference. And then when we came into town last night,

we went, and I went to this other motel instead of staying at the Emerald where

everybody else was.

And I sent Jimmy a message, and I told him that if he didn't shape up once and

for all, then I was going to file for divorce, and I meant it.

What did he do?

He showed up drunk.

So I walked off the stage and out of his life.

You think your husband was trying to kill you?

I don't know.

I just don't know.

I can't remember anything.

But I'd never hurt Kitty, drunk or sober.

I don't care what kind of... fool thing I was saying.

I couldn't have killed the whale.

You remember driving your car after the concert?

Larry drove.

I was pretty loaded, so he took everybody over to this country music

place we always hang out in when we're here.

The Ramblers?

After that, I'm Memory gets a little fuzzy.

Who's everybody?

Um, well... Everybody would be Larry Thorpe,

that's my manager.

And Lloyd Wiley.

Drummer. Uh -huh.

And Bones. Bones Jennings.

Fiddler player.

Yeah.

When did you leave the Rambler?

I don't remember.

I must have passed out.

So you don't know who drove from the

club back to the motel where you're staying?

Well, probably Larry.

Bones and Wiley usually get drunker than I do.

But Larry, he likes to...

Stay in control.

Thinks he's afraid somebody's gonna steal his money or something.

Well,

the arraignment will probably be sometime this afternoon.

My associates find out where and when.

If we can arrange bail, maybe we can get you out of here by tonight.

Key. Thinks I did it, doesn't she?

Well, right now she's not sure.

Can't say as I blame her.

Boy, I sure could use a drink right now.

I'm going to tell you something.

We get you out of this, you're going to have to get straight.

Well, it's... Jimmy LeBron had a high

tolerance for alcohol. He can drink a lot.

And you don't know that he didn't drive his car to and from the scene and

specifically choose his victim. You don't know that this man was able to

intent. He just mistook her sister for her.

He said he didn't.

He said he didn't, and there are no witnesses who can place him behind that

week. Pieces of the victim's dress were found entangled in the crumpled front

end of your client's car.

B, your client's fingerprints were found all over his steering wheel. And C,

your client was found in said car just four hours after the murder. But that

doesn't prove that he was driving the car at the time of the murder.

And what makes you so sure it was murder?

And not an accident. Then he's made threats all over town.

I'll be surprised if Judge Cooksey even grants bail.

The man is not a hardened criminal. Can we have... I'll just have water, please.

Three years in prison for assault with a deadly weapon?

He was fighting a barman. Oh, he's been arrested twice in the last two months.

Well... This kind of behavior is willful and self -centered, and he's a menace

to society.

Well, could...

Thank you.

Could we just stop here for a minute? I want to make a statement.

Now, I'm fond of you in many ways. I know.

In many ways, I'm crazy about you. That doesn't change the fact that the man...

Let me go ahead.

In many ways, we have a differing point of

view.

You're a prosecuting attorney. You think like a prosecuting attorney, and you

should.

I'm a criminal lawyer.

I'm a defense attorney, and I think like one.

Now, I know that Jimmy Legrand is not a wonderful person.

If you're truthful, he's a menace to society. He's not wonderful.

He has a long ways to go to be nice.

And I know there's a lot of circumstantial evidence against him, but

agreed to defend him. And the man has written some fine country songs, Down

Dusty Road, Red Rosy Sunset, so many wonderful and, to me, meaningful songs.

And I have to believe that somewhere in his deep recesses, there is some good,

some decency.

Besides, I don't think he did it.

I was just trying to point out what you're getting into.

Well, that's not going to be easy. Well, that's an understatement. Well, the

good part is, I'm just his father.

I'm not his friend.

I work for him, do the best I can.

The saints be saved, he doesn't live with them.

That isn't quite true.

I was afraid Judge Cooksey was going to deny bail, so I made a little speech

about your great regard for Jimmy and his music.

And Judge Cooksey said, since you think so highly of him, his quote was, you can

have him.

He ordered him to stay at your house for the duration of the trial.

You're kidding.

Hey, old buddy.

I understand we're going to be roomies. I'll take that.

I go nuts hanging around that motel with our kitty and the old car.

Porter's bucking me all the time. I think me staying with you is about the

idea I've heard in a long time.

Well. That's about it. This is the kitchen.

Does Kitty know I'm here?

Yeah, I mentioned it to her. I'm afraid she doesn't want to see you.

Does he have any beer in this place?

Now listen.

Yeah, yeah, right. I know.

I'm off.

Okay.

You got it there.

Mine?

Not mine.

Not much.

Little sweetheart.

You know, if whoever ran down Luann

was really after Kitty, he might still be after her.

I talked her into hiring a bodyguard for a while, but I sure do wish I knew who

might be after her.

I just don't know.

Well, the guys in the band loved her.

Please, uh, help yourself. Thank you.

So you've been staying here ever since you arrived in Atlanta?

Mm -hmm. I figured if Jimmy didn't know where I was, he'd take the ultimatum of

my notes seriously.

Why'd you send a note? Why didn't you tell him in person?

To be perfectly honest, Mr. Matlock, I was afraid of how he'd react.

Do you have any idea what Luann was doing in the parking lot of the Emerald

Motel that night?

I vaguely remember hearing the phone ring, but... Any men in her life?

Not really.

Luann had real high standards, and men had a real tough time living up to them.

In fact, she was constantly fighting them off.

Have you met Lloyd Wiley?

Yeah.

Well, about a month ago, Lloyd Wiley, he's the drummer on tour with us. Yeah.

Well, he came on real strong to Luann, and she said thanks but no thanks as

nicely as possible, but things were tense for a while. You know, real tense.

Nah, that's just Lloyd. He likes to think he's irresistible.

Why was Luann driving your car that night?

I have no idea.

Hers is still parked outside.

What's going on?

Hey, Ben.

Thank you for having us to party here.

All right, all right, folks. Hey, folks. The party's over.

Hey, come on. I'm just trying to make myself... Get out of here!

Hey, Jim, you look like hell.

Why don't you get some sleep, all right? Get out of here!

Get out of here!

Jimmy!

Jimmy!

We're going to have a talk, mister.

because the judge ordered you to be here.

I'm defending you on a murder charge.

It could be that I'm the only thing between you and a lot of hard time.

So from now on, you're going to do exactly as I say.

No party, no drinking.

If I get you out of this and you want to ruin your life after the trial, that's

fine with me. But I'll be damned if you're going to do it while you're in my

house. You got that?

This is a valid contract, you sound... I know it is. But, Bones, we just don't

have any money coming in. Larry, you guaranteed us our salary whether Jimmy

could perform or not. I can't pay it if I don't have any money. You guaranteed

to pay us if Jimmy could perform or not. I pay in my own pocket. Whoa, whoa,

whoa.

Take it easy, though. Buy a drink. Come on.

Come on, Billy.

Your drummer got a bad temp.

Used me of cheating on him.

Hell, I can't pay out salaries.

Now, with us stuck out here, but Lloyd, he thinks I'm holding out on him. What'd

Lou Anne Carroll think?

Couple of stagehands heard what went on backstage that night.

That Lou Anne accused you of stealing from Jimmy. Whoa, whoa, wait a minute.

Now, there was a bunch of us standing back there. She wasn't talking to me.

meant somebody else.

Who? I don't know.

Listen, you want to take a look at my books, be my guest.

Maybe you can tell me how I'm supposed to pay salaries out of a shutdown tour.

I'm sure you're doing the best you can.

There, there.

See? Anybody can play the drums.

They tell you what.

You come over to my house tonight, I'll give you a nice, long, private lesson.

Hey, Barton.

Say, Mr. Wiley, I say, Bones.

Got it.

I talked to the police. Your alibi is good.

That little lady corroborated your story about spending the night with you.

Hi.

You have a way with women, don't you?

I mean that assault case over in shop.

That woman you beat up.

The one who withdrew the charges almost immediately. That's what I mean when I

say you have a way with women.

It always seems to work in your best interest.

Are you saying I got that woman to lie?

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm just saying you have a way of handling women.

That wasn't quite the case with Lou Ann Carroll, though, was it?

She was the one who got away, wasn't she?

Or did she?

to live dangerously, don't you, mister?

Most people want to hit a man with my color of hair in public.

I hear Luann accused some people of stealing from Jimmy. Any idea why she'd

that? Well, Jimmy'd give him ones with the shirt off his back if it asked for

it.

That's not how Luann thought.

In her mind, we were stealing the shirt off his back.

It's her way of looking at the world.

She may have been right.

You know, Bones, some people are under the impression that

you've been Jimmy's whipping boy.

What's that supposed to mean?

Well, it could mean that you were a good friend when he needed one.

Or it could mean you resented him. It's hard to say.

Resent you.

Hey, Bones.

See you, son.

Get you something, mister?

No, I'm fine.

I see you know Jimmy LeGrand's fiddle player. I mean, you know Jimmy?

Oh, yeah.

Served him hundreds of times.

It's his favorite hangout every time he's down in Atlanta.

In fact, he was in here the night after his last concert.

The night that Lou Anne Carroll got herself killed.

I'm, uh...

Jimmy's lawyer.

My name's Fitzsimmons.

Well, I understand that Jimmy was pretty drunk when he left here that night.

Well, no,

sir. I mean, I don't let none of my customers leave here drunk. I mean,

the law.

Oh, I didn't mean it.

Excuse me, will you? I've got another customer down here.

Yeah, what can I get for you?

I'm not drunk. I'm just awkward.

What are you doing?

I was looking for a pub.

I promised to stop drinking, not eating.

How's ham hocks and black -eyed peas sound to you?

Right.

Poor folk food. Yeah.

Want the money? Mm -hmm.

All right.

You see Kitty today?

Yeah. How's she doing?

She's doing fine.

She's afraid of you.

Seems to think you've got a bad temper.

That's the reason she sends you that note.

Instead of you having it out with you in person.

Well, I'm not easy.

I know.

See, Kitty's the first woman who ever believed in me.

I guess I just wasn't really able to handle that.

Well, I gotta tell you one thing.

If you can't make it with her, I don't know who you're gonna make it with.

Yeah?

Well, what'd you do when you got the note?

Just... What anybody else would do, rid it, put it down.

And drew a chair out the window.

Well, it was either that or kicked the hell out of Bones. He was the one who

brought me the note.

Say, how about you take a note to her from me?

Don't keep no good time.

Keep

good

rhythm, though, don't it?

Oh, Julie's gonna be so mad.

Lieutenant Peters has testified that when he found Mr.

Legrand in the car, that struck... and killed Luann Carroll, he appeared to be

intoxicated. Now, did you serve Mr.

Legrand any alcohol that night?

Yes, ma 'am, I did.

Did you see him leave your establishment?

Yes, ma 'am. He left with some friends.

And in your opinion, was he intoxicated when he left?

Well, he, uh... He sure looked drunk.

Mr. Fitzsimmons.

You look like you're holding back something. Just tell us, under oath in

courtroom, was he intoxicated?

Now, look, if you're asking me to make Jimmy Rand out to be some sort of liar,

I'm not... Answer the question, please.

Well, I... I say he looked drunk because... Well, I'd... I'd been serving

him watered -down drinks all night long.

No, ma 'am, I don't see how he could have been drunk.

What do you mean, watered -down drinks?

Well, I mean drinks with hardly any booze in them.

Bones had... Mr.

Jennings had told me to. He said that he was worried about Jimmy, something to

do with his wife. So I... I did like he said, and I served him mostly mixer all

night long.

No, ma 'am, I... I don't see how in the world he could have been drunk.

In other words, you think Mr.

Legrand... Was pretending to be drunk.

Objection. Call for speculation.

Sustained.

No further questions.

Cross -examine?

I have no questions, Your Honor.

This court is adjourned for the day. We'll reconvene at 9 a .m. tomorrow

morning.

I was drunk that night.

I swear, I was drunk.

I know.

I think I know who did it.

Well, afternoon.

I'm looking for Molly Parnell.

Oh, that's me.

Oh, you must be Mr. Matlock.

Yeah. This is Tyler Hudson.

Pleased to meet you. Pleasure. Oh, here are the telephone records and a paper

clip of the date you were interested in. Oh, good. Thank you.

Would you look at that?

Wow.

You mean, do all these stars stay here? You bet. Like Jimmy. He and his tour

have been coming here for four years now.

Every time they play Atlanta.

Wow. That must be good for business to be able to lay claim on something like

that. Better than all the advertising in the world.

Well, what is it you give that other motels don't?

Low rates?

They're reasonable.

Complimentary cocktail?

Are you kidding? I'd be out of business in a day.

That must be something, a free room service with X -rated movies.

Mr. Matlock, I thought you were smarter than that.

Actually, I am.

I think you may be able to help me.

How's that?

I think you may be able to help me find the person who killed Lou Ann Carroll.

Mr.

Legrand is as innocent today as he was yesterday.

That's all.

I got your note.

Oh, I got it.

I have to paint everything but the kitchen sink.

I

guess

if the truth be told.

You've known Jimmy LeGrand longer than anybody in this room, isn't that right?

That's right.

Him and me go back a long way.

And you've known Kitty Carroll a long time, too. Since before they're married.

So I guess that's why Kitty asked you to pick up that note and take it to Jimmy,

because you're old friends.

Most likely.

Did she ask you to keep the motel where she and her sister were staying a

secret?

I didn't tell her so.

So, if Ms.

Carroll were to testify that she told no one else where she and Lou Anne were

staying, then you were the only other member of the company to know. Isn't

right?

I guess so.

Did you place a call from your room at the Emerald Motel

at exactly 2 .20 a .m.

The morning Lou Anne was killed?

No, sir.

Are you sure?

I subpoenaed your motel phone records.

Now, before I enter this into evidence, maybe you want to reconsider your

testimony.

Maybe I did. I can't remember.

It's all right.

You don't have to.

A call was put through to Lou Anne's room at exactly 2 .20

a .m. that same morning.

I subpoenaed their records, too.

Now, since you were the only one who knew where they were staying, isn't it

logical that you're the one that made that call?

Shoot, I couldn't have done it.

I couldn't even see the phone that night, let alone dial it. I was too dang

drunk. You ask Larry Thorpe, ask any of them.

Now, Mr.

Fitzsimmons, the bartender, has testified that he did serve watered

But he didn't say because he couldn't.

Who actually drank those watered -down drinks?

It was you, wasn't it? No, Jimmy got them. Jimmy got them.

But Jimmy didn't drink them.

You made sure that Jimmy drank your drinks, didn't you? So all you had to do

was act drunk.

No. When you left the Ramblers. No.

That's not right.

Are you sure you didn't call Luann's room that morning and ask her to meet

in your parking lot? No, sir.

Are you sure that you didn't get in that car beside Jimmy, who'd long since

passed out, and use it to run down Luann Carroll?

Well, that's crazy. Why would I kill Luann?

Kickbacks. Oh, no.

Lou Anne found out about those kickbacks you'd been getting from the motels all

over the country where Jimmy and his band, his entourage, stays when they're

tour. Larry makes all the hotel reservations. How am I going to get a

Because you're the one who goes in at leaving time and tells the manager

that he or she better cross your palm with some cash if they want Jimmy's

business again.

That's got to mean in the last six years, that means you've been knocking

three, four hundred thousand dollars.

Luann found out about it when she and Kitty changed accommodations, didn't

She threatened to tell Jimmy, didn't she?

So you killed her. I never did.

Only problem.

Only problem was, in using Jimmy's car to murder Lou Anne,

you knocked a big hole in the radiator so it wouldn't hold water.

And in order to try to make it out of town, according to plan with Jimmy in

car, you had to stop somewhere to get some water to put in that radiator very

carefully, hoping no one would see you.

Bones, what if I told you someone did see you?

Okay, what the hell?

I didn't know who she was going to tell about the money or if she was going to

tell or when or nothing. It was driving me crazy.

So that night when Kitty walked off the stage, everything sort of fell into

place.

So I fixed Luann's car so she'd have to take Kitty's, called her, and

shoot, you know the rest.

Everybody loves you, Jim.

No jury would have convicted you.

Your Honor, move to dismiss.

The people join in the motion.

This case is dismissed.

Court is adjourned.

Congratulations.

How did you do that?

Do what?

Take up that witness.

Rochelle, it was three in the morning. How could you possibly find somebody who

saw something?

I didn't.

Wait a minute. Ben, you said... No, no. I didn't say there was a witness. I

said, what if there were a witness? Okay.

You just dragged somebody off the street.

Well, not off the street.

He's an old friend of Ben's from Athens.

He fixes antique clocks.

Come sit by my side, little darling.

Come lay your cool hand on my brow.

Promise me that you will never be

nobody's darling but mine.

You're sweet as the flowers in springtime.

You're pure as the dew on the road.

I'd rather be somebody's darling than

a poor...

I know I've never been much, but I promise you, from now on,

whatever it takes, I will be.

I know you will.

I hope.

Promise me that you will never be no blood

is darling but mine.