Original subtitles

Oh my God.

I'm gonna... I'm gonna have you... Daniel Fontaine, ladies and gentlemen.

One of Vegas' most popular performers.

Star of his own television special.

Without a doubt, Magic Castle's most illustrious alumnus.

Daniel Fontaine and his lovely assistant, Sandy Farrell.

Sounds like Danny's got them all warmed up for you, eh, Rod?

Yeah, just like all times.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, please bear with us for five minutes.

While we prepare the stage for our next act, the castle's current featured

performer, Rod Greenwood.

Timing is still off on the spin.

I thought it was okay.

It's okay, we're here, not for TV.

Read your hearse.

Nine o 'clock tomorrow, right?

Sorry, Dan, I'm moving.

At nine in the morning?

That's it?

No explanation?

I said I can't make it.

And I say you'll be here at nine o 'clock tomorrow and you'll stay until

illusion is perfect.

I'm going to Miami tonight with a friend.

I'll be back by showtime.

Promise.

Who is he?

None of your business.

I said, who is he?

Hello there.

What do you want?

Your gentleman is here.

Tell him I'll be right there

Great

show tonight Daniel

Ladies and gentlemen, watch the balloon closely.

One, two, three.

Now, the card you merely thought of is inside the deck. You're going to drop it

inside the hat.

And your chosen card, the one you're thinking of, is going to rise out of the

deck. Are you ready? Here we go.

More, more.

Oh,

would you?

Whoa!

Excuse me.

I'm sorry. It's dark.

A person can use a little light.

And who do we have now, Ines?

A very handsome couple.

And what are your names?

Uh, Julie Marge.

And you?

Ben Matlock.

Ines, would you kindly hold up something from either of them? Something personal

from either of you.

All I've got's my wallet.

Uh, let's see.

I'll never get that. Mr. Martell, I have an object that comes from Ms. March.

I can't see it clearly.

You're not going to get it. I will close my eyes and concentrate on the item.

You too.

I'll never get it.

It's coming through and somewhere there's a bird looking for it.

It's a feather!

That was great!

I thought we had him too. Feather, huh?

Come on over, okay?

Sandy?

Sandy?

Sandy, look, I want to apologize.

You've actually done it, haven't you?

That was really special.

Oh, yeah.

Dennis Fontaine would like to see you. Yeah?

Come this way, please.

Well, I

enjoyed

your show.

Oh, morning, Bob.

Oh, Ben.

Found anything?

Just the usual.

I'm almost done. If you want to go ahead and have a look around. Go ahead.

You ever

seen

one of these shows?

No.

Always wanted to.

Just never took the time.

It's fun.

It's a club.

You have to be a member. I got an invitation. It's a good time.

I know.

My contact's been strictly professional.

How's that?

A string of burglaries of members' homes.

Oh. Catch anybody?

We think it's a small -timer named Jimmy Collier. Only he'd need a contact

inside the club.

So far, we've come up dry on that.

Hmm?

How do you do that?

Oh, I used to fool around with this stuff when I was a kid.

Hi.

Hi. I got the call.

Oh, you've been... Assigned to the case.

Oh, you know that? Well, a little.

Now... Ben, you remember we agreed to disagree. Oh, I agree that... We can

disagree. Yeah, if it falls that way. Well, it might very well.

I have an eyewitness who will testify that Daniel Fontaine was the only person

who came into Sandy Farrell's dressing room last night. Oh, yeah, and he was

seen leaning over the body, and she was killed with one of his knives, and they

had an ugly argument earlier, and she was seeing somebody else. Yeah.

Anyway, who's, uh, who's your eye witness?

One of the magicians. Calls himself the Amazing Secret.

Oh. What do you mean?

Danny told me.

Danny?

Daniel Fontaine.

Oh, I figure if I'm working for him, I'd call Danny.

Oh, so you're going to take the case.

Uh, I'm thinking about it.

Uh,

you know about, uh, Sandy Farrell?

I know she's dead.

Well, she was what they used to call in the old days everybody's girl.

What does that mean?

Well, she moved around a lot.

Who told you that?

Danny. Hi.

Hi. Hi.

This is an interesting place, isn't it? Yes, it is. Yeah, we were just talking

about the case, Sandy Farrell.

Oh, yeah. I found out a couple things.

There were three men here in the club.

Had she?

Yeah.

Arthur Wolfe, the manager.

Mm -hmm. He put her on as a cocktail waitress. And were they, um... That's

word. Mm -hmm. Then Rod Greenwood, his assistant for a while. Oh, and they.

I suppose.

How about the amazing... Ziegler. Ziegler.

Yeah, I don't know if they had anything going.

That's what Danny said. And then he was last, Danny.

But the night she was killed...

She was going to go off with another fella.

I'm not being chauvinist. It's just that she'd left a trail up.

I'll tell you what I really think. I think that this illusion, you know, the

that we saw with the swordsman? Yes.

I think that illusion has to be central to this whole thing.

Danny told me that when he first met Sandy, she had the plans for this new

illusion. She said...

She had bought them.

Danny told me he was looking for a new finish for his act, and so here's Sandy.

But he knew she hadn't really bought the plant.

Yeah. But he looked the other way.

Well, yeah, but look at it this way.

Danny's already a headliner.

Sandy has this illusion. She's looking out for her own best interest. She sees

that she can go farther.

By letting Danny have the plans.

And that's how she became his assistant?

Yeah. And Danny got involved like all the others?

Well, that's what he said.

Looking good.

Prosecution's case is looking good.

And you're right. It is an interesting place.

I'll see you, Michelle.

Well, good news.

Judge Cooksey was a little long -winded this morning, but he was easy on bail.

Well, that's good.

Did you call Kyler? Yeah.

You used to fool around with that stuff when you were a kid.

How did you know?

I'm a mind reader.

Pretty fancy.

What was your card?

King of diamonds.

That's great.

You should be performing here.

The manager perform? I don't think so. The owners wouldn't have that.

I bet they loved having Daniel Fontaine work here.

Oh, yes. Daniel could call. The owners would yank whoever was scheduled without

batting an eye.

And we'd sell out every night.

How often did he come here?

A couple of times a year. Practice a new act. Try out an illusion.

You gave Sandy her start here, didn't you?

I employed her initially as a cocktail waitress.

Were you upset when she broke up with you?

I don't know where you get your information. If it's from your client, I

you should be careful about accepting it at face value.

Nothing around here is quite what it seems.

Mr. Ziegler?

Mr. Ziegler?

I'm the amazing Ziegler.

Something I can do for you?

Sandy was genuinely fond of our profession.

Couldn't falter on that.

Well, what could you falter on?

Her taste in friends.

Oh, so there was no love lost between you and Daniel Fontaine?

None.

Because he stole a trick from you?

Not just a trick.

An illusion.

A great illusion.

Oh, the one where the sword went through. You saw it?

Yeah, that one.

Put him on the map, didn't it?

Yes, it did.

Daniel claims Sandy stole that.

And you believed it, naturally.

What were you doing in her dressing room that night?

I was worried about it.

I was standing just off stage, preparing to go on.

Going through my act, step by step in my head.

I had a clear view of the hallways to the dressing room the whole time.

Daniel Fontaine was the only person who went into Sandy's dressing room.

Are you sure?

It's nice doing business with you.

Your dance card's full, pal.

Well, who's asking?

Ben, crank.

Eight ball.

Crank them up.

15, side pocket.

Eight ball, right here.

Pay me, Jimmy.

How did you know my name?

I make it a point to know my competition.

And I'm not talking about pool.

What are you talking about?

Your little gig with the Magic Castle.

Well, I'm sorry. You lost me.

Come on. Use your brains. Jimmy, if I know about your scam, how far off the

trail do you think the cops are?

Now, you want to throw him a curve, I'm your man.

Subcontract a few of the jobs to me. We'll split the tape.

I need the bread.

You need the alibi.

Let me make a phone call, and maybe we can get something on for later on this

week.

We?

I work alone, pal.

Hey, I don't even know your name, pal, let alone how good you are. First, we

work together. If I like what I see, you got a deal.

I think we were over there somewhere.

Right there. Yeah.

This is some place, isn't it? Yeah.

My grandmother had an old trunk like that.

What was in it? I don't know. I was too scared to look.

I suppose it's in this one.

Do you mind?

I'm sorry. We didn't know anybody was in there. Just close the lid, would you

please? I'm trying to rehearse.

Of course.

Excuse us.

We're sorry.

I'm sure glad I didn't open my grandmother's door.

You go ahead. I'm going to hang around

a while.

How'd it go?

How'd what go?

Rehearsal. The stage area is closed to visitors.

Oh, I'm not a visitor. I'm Daniel Fontaine's lawyer.

Oh. What is it you want?

Well, I'd like to ask you some questions about Sandy Farrell. I understand that

she was your assistant.

That's right.

Well, when she quit you to be Danny's assistant, how'd you take that? Look, I

didn't have any reason to kill her, if that's what you're getting.

Well... When she and Daniel hit the big time, how did you feel?

I felt fine.

I won't lie, I'm sure that everybody wants to be in, as you say, the big

How about when Daniel would just out of the blue show up to try out a new

illusion?

Would your act ever get pumped? Look, the fact of the matter is that when

came off stage that night, I went on, and I didn't come off until after she

murdered. Was this trunk part of your act that night? It's part of my act

night. Look, I'm crying, but I've really got to get going.

Thanks.

Any

luck?

Not so far.

Hey, Danny, take a look at this trunk. Is there any way that he could have

gotten out of this during his act?

No, definitely not. It's solid.

Well,

that leaves the manager and Mr. Ziegler.

What do you think?

Well, I guess we're back to the old needing a rabbit out of the hat, aren't

If I were you, I'd skip the silver, head straight to the bedroom.

Word is, they're both heavily into jewelry.

You sure there's nobody home? Positive. Why, you sound nervous.

Look, I don't like working off of second -hand information.

Now, whoever this contact of yours is at the Magic Castle, next time, I'll talk

to him in person.

You got that? Hey, you haven't proved to me yet there's even gonna be a next

time.

Give me about seven minutes.

In this case, as in any other murder case, the burden of proof lies with the

prosecution.

We must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Daniel Fontaine is guilty of the

crime of which he stands accused.

We must prove that, and we will.

Because the evidence in this case is so overwhelming.

It is so compelling that we will establish Daniel Fontaine's...

Guilt.

Beyond any doubt.

Thank you.

Mr. Madlock?

Members of the jury, the defense is under no obligation to make an opening

statement, and ordinarily I do not.

But the events of this case has given the prosecution a murder weapon,

fingerprints, a motive.

And under the circumstances, that evidence would lead us to an ordinary

conclusion.

But Sandy Farrell was murdered in a house of magic where virtually nothing

is as it seems.

Women appear to float in midair.

Men appear to be cut in half with saws.

Mentalists appear.

To read one's mind.

And this man appears to be guilty when, in fact, he's not.

And did you discover the defendant standing over the victim's body?

That's right.

What were you doing standing in the wings on the night of the murder?

The same thing I do every night before going on.

Preparing. Thinking about what I'm going to say and do once on stage.

Mr. Ziegler, did you have a... Clear view of the door to Sandy Farrell's

dressing room from 9 until 9 .30, from the time she came off the stage until

time she was found murdered.

Yes, I did.

And Daniel Fontaine was the only person who entered the room during that time.

No further questions.

Mr. Madlock?

I'm going to... Maybe...

You left for a second or turned your back.

That did not happen. I know what I saw.

No one else went through the door.

Not one person? No.

Your Honor, pursuant to subpoena, the defense has received various

pharmaceutical receipts, including one dated April 23rd, made out to Sandra

Farrell. And I'd like that identified as Defense Exhibit A.

I have no objection, Your Honor.

So marked.

Okay. Sir, showing you Defense Exhibit A, April 23rd was the day of the murder,

was it not?

You know it was.

I'll take that as a yes response.

Now, this delivery receipt to Miss Farrell's dressing room shows a time at

bottom. Please tell us what time it was.

9 .08. Say again?

9 .08.

So you didn't see everyone who went into that room, did you?

I guess not.

If you missed one, you could have missed another, couldn't you?

I suppose. Like the real murderer.

Objection. Withdraw the question. Nothing further.

Here you go, Jimmy.

Enjoy.

Wait a minute. You can't put me in here. Look, P .D. will be down in about an

hour. I didn't do anything. The cops are just rousting me.

You can't do that.

Watch me.

It's a small world, huh, Jimmy?

Wait a minute. You set me up. It wasn't my idea. Then whose idea was it? Hey,

take it easy. Hey, you just back off.

A name, Jimmy.

Look, let him go.

A name, Jimmy. I said I want a name.

Castle set me up.

You told me to do it.

Get me out of here.

Drop it.

Hey, he attacked me with self -defense.

Look, you put him in a tank and you get a doctor up here right away.

How'd I do? You were great.

I got everything I need.

Mr. Wolf.

I wonder if you could help me with a little demonstration.

You're the manager of the Magic Castle.

Have you got a credit card we could use for a minute?

Oh, that should do fine. That should do fine. Put it in my hand there.

Put it right there. All right.

Okay. All right. Now, let's see here.

You have it back.

All right.

Now, there is no way that I could have seen the ten -digit

number on that card, is there?

Not that I could tell, no.

Okay.

Two, three, two, six.

Is that right?

That's right.

Objection, Your Honor. This alleged demonstration is nothing more than a

sideshow, the sole purpose of which is to confuse and mislead the members of

jury. Your Honor, I'm using this demonstration to establish motive.

Overruled.

Now, how did I do that, Mr. Walker?

Tell the court I won't mind.

To be honest, I don't know. I've seen scores of mentalists perform similar

tricks, but they almost always had assistance.

Ah, and Sandy Fell was once the assistant to Martel the mentalist,

she? Yeah. And would you explain to the court what the duties are of a

mentalist's assistant?

She holds up personal items belonging to members of the audience, and the

mentalist, even though he's blindfolded, identifies the items correctly because

of the code words she uses when she addresses them. As for your trick, you

me stumped.

Well, I did it the same way Sandy did it when she was Mr. Martell's assistant,

and the same way the current assistant does it.

Well, you lost me there.

Putty.

Buddy, see?

I have a perfect imprint of that credit card number. See that?

Only Sandy didn't use credit cards. She used

keys.

Didn't she? I don't know what you mean. At least once a performance, Sandy would

hold up somebody's set of keys.

And when nobody was looking, she'd make a perfect imprint of one of those

keys in the putty.

A house key. Then later, she'd take the mold and have a real key made to

somebody's house.

Didn't she?

How would I know? And even if that's so, she was the one doing it, not me.

You're the manager of the Magic Castle.

You know all the members, where their houses are, when they're in town, when

they're out of town, on trips.

You're the one who told the break -in man when and where to go, didn't you?

Sandy was the one who gave him the key, wasn't she?

That's outrageous.

I wonder what Jimmy Collier would say if I put him on the stand.

What do you think he'd say?

None of this means I killed her. I'll tell you what I think. I think that even

though Sandy had moved on and was now Danny Fontaine's assistant, she

still wanted her cut of your break -in money.

And after a while, you couldn't take that.

So you got rid of her, didn't you? I didn't kill her.

You had motive and opportunity. I was on stage when Sandy was... Rod Greenwood

was on stage. Not in the main theater, in the bar. Remember, Mr. Matlock, my

assistant stopped you, remember?

Wait, it's coming through, and somewhere there's a bird looking for it. It's a

feather.

Oh, come on.

That's right, me.

No one knew. The owner, the other performers, no one.

I'm your Mr. Martell. I was on stage when Sandy was murdered, and I have a

terrific alibi, Mr. Matlock.

You.

No further questions.

Mr. Greenwood, your act at the Magic Castle involves

your climbing into a trunk with handcuffs on and your popping out a few

later with handcuffs off. Is that right?

That's right.

Only my feet are shackled, too, and I change my clothes in under two minutes.

That's some trick.

You mind telling me how you do it?

Yes, in fact, I do.

You're under oath.

Keeping such things a secret is essential to my livelihood.

Surely you don't expect me to sit here and destroy my own career.

Your Honor, I think I have a solution.

If you'll allow me to conjecture, and if I'm wrong, Mr. Greenwood's secret can

remain just that, a secret.

All right, proceed.

But, Your Honor, I have a problem.

I can't do it.

At least not here.

Now, Mr. Greenwood, is this your trunk?

The one you used in your act the night Sandy Farrell was murdered? Yes, it is.

Well, what exactly goes on during your act? From the audience's point of view,

I'm not asking you to reveal any secrets.

I pick up a volunteer from the audience.

He or she comes up on the stage, chains my hands and feet, then closes me in the

trunk.

Tyler, we're going to reconstruct things here.

Only this time I'll be the volunteer and Tyler Hudson here is going to play you,

Mr. Greenwood. Now, let's pretend that I've got Tyler all chained up.

Now what happens? The volunteer opens the lid and I climb in the trunk.

Okay. Tyler?

Okay.

Now what?

Now the volunteer closes the lid.

Then the volunteer turns over the hourglass.

The music plays, the audience waits, and I extricate myself by the time the sand

runs out.

And all that time you're wiggling out of those chains.

And changing my clothes.

All right, let's assume the sand has run out. Then what?

Then the volunteer opens the lid and I step out.

Okay.

Okay. I'll be daggone.

How can you stand up if you're not there? Tyler's gone.

Tyler.

Mr. Matlock, what's going on here? The same thing that went on the night of the

murder, Your Honor.

You have two trunks, don't you, Mr. Greenwood?

One that you rehearse in and leave standing around on the stage. The

You keep squirreled away downstairs.

The one you use in your act. The one with the secret panel.

This one.

No, this isn't my trunk. Mr. Greenwood, didn't you, the night of the murder, get

into this trunk?

Open the panel.

Slip through the trap door on the stage.

Go to Sandy Farrell's dressing room. No, of course not. Kill her with one of

Daniel Fontaine's knives.

No. And after you are finished, rush back to the trap door. Up into the

Just in time to come out for your bow.

That's impossible.

For an accomplished magician like yourself, you probably had time to

I was chained.

Mr. Greenwood, are these the chains you use in your act?

Take a good look.

I think so.

All right.

This time, you be the volunteer, and I'll get in the truck. Put the cuffs on.

I'll step inside.

Now put the chains on my feet.

Okay. Now get down and close the lid.

And don't forget the hourglass.

Wait, wait a minute. Wait, wait a minute. Oh, wait, wait.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

How'd I do that?

The same way you did the night of the murder.

With this.

That isn't my key.

Mr. Greenwood, those are your chains and your locks.

This must be your key, because I found it right where you dropped it.

Let me show you something.

Looks like something you take up collection with, doesn't it?

This is a magic bag.

Look at that.

Where'd it go?

It's got a secret compartment.

See that?

It was on the floor by Sandy Farrell's body.

I found your key in the secret compartment.

I got a figure the night you murdered her.

This compartment was partly open.

And during the struggle, somehow, A thousand chances to one. A thousand

chances to one.

When you dropped it, it fell in the secret compartment.

You didn't have a lot of time to look for it.

You didn't know anyone would find it, or if they did, wouldn't appreciate its

significance. Maybe you didn't know you lost it.

That doesn't prove anything. I have lots of keys.

Then why did you go to the locksmith the very next morning and have another key

made?

One that would fit those locks.

You did go to the locksmith.

Didn't you?

We find the defendant, Daniel Fontaine, not guilty.

The jury having found the defendant not guilty, this court is adjourned.

You

all

right? I'm always all right.

Well, you put on a fine fight.

Well, that's show business.

Oh, yeah.

So, in celebration of yet another victory, I'm going to take you to

Yeah? Yeah.

Then I'm going to make you disappear.