Original subtitles

Okay.

Well, thank you, Susan. This is Brian Claiborne, your entertainment editor,

coming to you live from the new Rialto Theater, where Nicky Tower is due to

arrive virtually any second now for the premiere of his new movie, which, like

many of his films, was shot right here in Atlanta.

And right now, I do believe...

Three shots at Nicky Tower.

Nicky Tower is down.

Security guards from the theater are tending to him.

You know what I'm saying?

Back to you, Susan and Bill.

Well, German, how you doing?

Good to see you, Ben. Oh, this is sweet.

Usually when we run into each other, you're the one wearing the robe.

I need an attorney, Ben.

Actually, my son does.

Well, why does he need a lawyer?

They think he killed someone.

He didn't.

Believe me, he'd tell me if he had.

Just to see the look on my face.

You didn't get along.

It's an understatement. Sandra and I were divorced when he was nine. I didn't

see much of him. I was very busy. You know how it is.

I know I wasn't much of a father.

This time I'd like to be there for him.

Did they arrest him yet?

He's in the lockup downtown.

Could you at least talk to him, Ben?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, I could do that.

I guess I better put on some breeches.

I'll put on the breeches in a minute.

I'll be, uh... So,

you're Sherman Lockwood's son.

That's right.

Who are you?

I'm a lawyer. You're not locked.

Oh,

man.

My father didn't tell you about me, did he?

Well, that's all right.

He's real good when it comes to passing out judgment.

When it comes to telling the truth, very mediocre.

No, he told me.

And he wants more than anything to make up for past mistakes.

He's asked me to represent you and I'm willing to try.

Can you get me off?

I don't know.

I'm willing to try.

No promises, I'll try.

How are you at it?

At what?

Telling the truth.

Try me.

Why are you in here?

Somebody riding a bike like mine killed Nicky Tower.

I used to work for him, so the cops think it was me.

That's it?

Whoever did it used my gun.

Oh, you own a gun.

I own a gun.

It's illegal. It's registered.

Police found it?

Yeah, a couple of blocks away from where Nicky was killed.

You didn't like him?

I liked him fine until he fired me.

Now the cops are trying to make a big deal out of this fight we had.

Fight?

Yeah, we had a fight.

He fired me for nothing, man.

When?

Day before the murder.

Alibi? I was riding my bike.

By yourself?

By myself! Is that all right by you?

You're in a lot of trouble.

And if you don't realize that, you're in even more trouble.

Now, if you want me to try to help you, take that cigarette out of your mouth,

put your feet down.

Sit up and talk to me like a man.

Quit acting like a jackass.

Now, Miss Williams, you were Mr.

Towers' personal assistant for how long?

For eight years. And were you in his employ when he hired the defendant,

Lockwood, to be his bodyguard?

Yes, I was.

How long ago was that?

That was two months ago, right after Mr. Tower arrived here in Atlanta to begin

prepping for his new film.

Would you describe for us the circumstances under which the defendant

Well, Nicky literally hired him right off the street.

Just one joke.

It's my birthday.

It was a foul, fresh -out -of -birthday joke. Why, it ain't a joke, then. Come

on. Excuse me, Mr. Tower would just like to go home, all right?

Hey, I paid $6 .50 to see your last movie, and you know something?

It's dank.

You owe me, Mr. Hollywood star.

Stay here.

Hey, hey, hey.

I got a joke for you.

Why'd the turkey cross the road?

I don't know.

Because he was about to get the stuffing knocked out.

Hey.

Thanks, pal. That was great.

Did you ever think about doing that for a living?

What, tell jokes?

I like this guy.

How'd you like to be my bodyguard?

I'm serious.

If people see a biker, they're going to run first and ask questions later,

right? Yeah, why don't, uh... Well, what do you think?

Want a job?

No.

I sure do need one.

It's a good deal.

He hired him right on the spot without even so much as asking him his name. And

he loved doing off -the -wall things like that.

Were you also present when he fired the defendant?

Yes. Would you describe that for us?

Well, Gary Benton, the producer of the film Nicky was going to start shooting

here in town, had arrived, and they were going over some set sketches in Nicky's

room.

These aren't sets.

These are cages.

Who the hell designed these things anyway? Jiminy Cricket?

Nicky, these are just sketches. You'll love the sets. Believe me.

I'll tell you what I believe.

It's money again. It's your damn chintzy budgets.

Why don't you just film your stupid budget, all right? Put that up on the

screen. See how many people... Nicky!

Cliff! I just found out! Cliff, get the hell in here!

You gonna pay for this dirtbag? Look, I don't know what your problem is, Miller,

but you're this close to being laid off permanently.

Later, Mickey.

That guy's nuts!

Cliff!

Where is that slob?

Hey, man.

What's happening? You call me? Only about a hundred times, you idiot. Where

you been?

You sent me out for hamburgers, remember?

That was hours ago.

There was a line.

You like waiting in line. Why don't you try the line at the unemployment office?

You're fired, bozo!

What goes around comes around.

incident, did Mr. Tower express anger toward or dissatisfaction with my

Well, um... Twelve times? Six times? Or none?

None that I'm aware of.

And during this one isolated incident that you described, did my client ever

actually threaten Mr. Tower?

Well... Did he?

Not in so many words, no.

Thank you.

So, Mr.

Bonser, how many years have you been selling motorcycles?

Opened my shop in 1954.

Did you ever sell a motorcycle to Mr. Lockwood?

Over the years, I've sold him several.

What was the make and model of the last bike you sold him?

Claymore 1200 Hyperglide.

Was it like this one?

Exactly like that one.

Are you sure about that?

Motorcycle he was riding was identical to that one in make and color. I'm

positive.

How far from the Georgia state border was Mr. Lockwood when you pulled him

Less than 10 miles.

Did he happen to mention where he was going?

Said he was going cross country.

Did he say he was on the way out of the state of Georgia?

That's what he told me. Yes, ma 'am. Thank you. No further questions.

Mr. Madlock, cross -examine.

Yes, sir.

When you arrested my client and told him that Nicky Tower had been murdered, how

did he react? Surprised?

He seemed surprised, yes, sir.

How did he act?

He didn't like it. He was very agitated. He used a lot of profanity.

Well, when you put the handcuffs on him, how did he react?

Well, he tried to resist, but I had a hold on him.

Uh -huh.

Did he try to fight or run away?

Oh, I had a hold on him. Just answer the question. Did he try to fight or run

away?

No, sir. He didn't do that.

Thank you.

The defendant will please rise.

Mr. Lockwood, I find that sufficient evidence exists to bind you over for

for the murder of Nicholas Tower.

This matter will be set for trial in Department 111 of the Superior Court.

On the 11th of February.

The court is now in recess.

Got a light hot shot?

Now, let me get this straight.

You say after your argument with Nicky Tower, you jumped on the bike and you

just started riding.

That's right.

That means you must have been on the road for close to 36 hours, so somebody

somewhere had to have seen you, hopefully at the time of the murder.

What about waitresses?

No.

Motel clerks?

I ate out of vended machines and I slept in the woods.

That stuntman, Steve Miller, why would he be so mad at Nicky, I think?

No idea.

Are you alone?

Yeah, Steve supervised the stunts on Nicky's last three movies.

What about that producer?

Yeah,

Gary Benton.

They argued all the time.

About what?

I don't know, man. Production stuff, I guess.

I was always in the other room. I couldn't hear.

We're going to work.

Next time we appear in court, clean yourself up a little bit and try to get

different clothes.

Got it?

Yeah, I got it.

So why are you representing the little creep?

It's impersonal.

So you were the man at... Nicky. Yeah. Yeah, I was mad at him. As a matter of

fact, if Gary and Renee hadn't been there, I'd probably punched his life

How come?

He lied to me.

He said that if I gaffed four pictures for him, he'd let me direct.

That afternoon, I found out he'd been pumping sunshine up my you -know -what.

Is that why you weren't at the premiere that next night?

I wasn't there.

Well... Your name was on the guest list, but you never picked up your tickets.

The last thing I want to do is look at that little geek for two hours.

So, what did you do?

I stayed at home.

You got a family?

I'm divorced.

Oh, so you were here by yourself.

That night I was, yeah.

That hurt.

Use it or lose it.

Looks like you lost it.

Yeah.

Yeah, you lose it in my line of work, in your history. Speaking of history, I

hear you did all that incredible motorcycle stunt work in Daredevil

Yeah, that was me.

I don't do bike work anymore.

It's too dangerous.

Yeah.

Yeah, man, it is.

Yes, man.

dead, so the picture's dead. What can I tell you?

Look, call my secretary when you get back to L .A. We'll do lunch, okay?

Yeah. All right. Ciao.

Ciao.

Jackie! Yo, Jack.

You want to tell your guys that the picture's over? No gold -bricking!

I said no overtime, and I mean it!

Mr. Benton? Who are you?

Conrad McMasters. I'm a private investigator.

I'm not interested.

Excuse me?

The PIs are box office poison. Try one of the networks.

I work for Ben Matlock, Cliff Lockwood's attorney.

I need to ask you some questions, if I could, please.

Oh!

I'm sorry.

People are always coming up to me and trying to sell me the rights to their

stories.

Cops, doctors, teachers, lawyers, dentists.

I understand that you and Nicky Tower used to argue a lot.

We argued constantly.

I'd budget something at $20 ,000, he had that at $40 ,000. I'd get him to $40

,000, suddenly he needed $80 ,000. It was one continuous battle.

So it wasn't anything personal?

No, no, no. Of course not.

Nicky and I, all things considered, we got on famously.

So then why didn't you go to the premiere of his new movie?

It wasn't my movie.

I was only here to prep my new picture.

And what did you do that night?

I ate dinner at the hotel, made some calls, read the trades, you know, the

usual.

Well, thank you for your time.

Sure.

Representing Cliff Lockwood, huh?

I don't get it.

Hey, you know, actually, actually, a lot of the experiences I've had would make

a pretty good movie. If I could leave another... Yeah.

Of course he was difficult. He was a star.

And stars aren't necessarily on the same wavelength as the rest of us.

That's what makes them special.

I hear you ran your agate.

That was my job. I didn't mind.

Did you know that he promised Steve Miller a shot at a picture?

Who told you that?

Steve Miller.

Nicky never did any such thing.

I said he was special, not stupid.

I thought you said he liked to do the unexpected.

If you're trying to pin his murder on Steve Miller, that is fine with me. I

think the guy's a first -class leech.

But we both know that your client killed Nicky.

He's a bum, Mr. Matlock, a loser.

Back in my wilder days, I had a boyfriend just like him.

He was a biker.

All he wanted to do was ride his motorcycles and hang out with his

He was lazy and shiftless and violent, just like Cliff.

I tried to warn Nicky, but he wouldn't listen to me.

Is this you?

Yes.

I, uh... I went into the theater to make some last -minute seating changes when

I heard the shots.

Actually, I didn't even know that they were shots until I came out a couple of

minutes later and I saw a body lying on the ground.

When I saw that it was Nicky.

I loved him.

Keep your head and get it.

Well,

I don't know.

Nobody I've talked to has anything nice to say about our boy Cliff.

Yeah, me too.

They call him bum, creep.

One of them said right out that he killed this, uh... Nicky. Yeah, yeah.

But this Steve Miller lied about the argument he had with Nicky the day

the murder. His alibi isn't very good either.

So what are you doing, following him?

No, thanks. Good idea.

Okay. I'll take over. Where's he at tomorrow?

No, he's in the shop next to you.

You gotta be kidding.

No, wait, Ben, don't. No, Ben, no, no. Let me drive, all right?

He's pulling up.

Ben, you're not very good at this.

Who's that?

Ben, you're too close. No, I'm not. Yes, you are. He's going to see you. No, I'm

not. He just did.

Believe this.

You following me? Just want to ask you a couple more questions.

No way. Get out of here.

Don't I know you from somewhere? Get back inside. Hurry up. No way. Didn't I

you at the courthouse?

Vicki, I said go back inside. You were at Cliff Lockwood's hearing, weren't

What?

Damn it.

I'm sorry, Daddy. I had to go.

I had to see the man who killed Nicky. This is your daughter?

Why don't you just get lost?

You knew Nicky?

Hey, you don't have to answer him.

Would you rather I subpoena her and have her answer an open court?

I was in love with him.

He's the father.

Why don't you go inside and we'll see how that new glove fits.

At first she told me that it was a boy from her school.

And then when I found out the truth, I wanted to kill a little lech, but I

didn't do it.

I was here visiting Vicky when he got shot.

Why don't you ask her?

It's her grandmother's house.

Hi. Hi.

Well, me and the homeboys are gonna take a little road trip.

Just wanted to say goodbye.

When you coming back?

I'm not.

I don't stand a snowball's chance in hell in that courtroom, and you know it.

You don't stand a snowball's chance in hell if you leave.

Well, thanks to you and my old man for all your help.

He and your justice system are perfect for each other.

I gotta tell you something. I don't give a merry damn what you do.

Good.

You leave, you got no chance.

You stay, you might have a chance.

A chance of what, going to prison?

That ain't gonna happen.

He just took off. Like a bat out of hell, as the saying goes.

He talked to his father?

Yep. He said if I dropped the case, he'd understand.

Are you going to?

Oh, yeah.

But if you drop the case, he's going to go through the rest of his life thinking

he was right.

About his father, about the system, about you.

Well?

Oh.

Haven't you ever been wild?

No, not much.

Mama wouldn't let me.

I'm glad.

Well, I have.

I used to get drunked up, fight.

I had a bike.

Jail? Yeah, fighting disorderly.

What turned you around?

My father told me if I didn't stop my troublemaking, I was going to wind up in

place worse than hell.

He told me he loved me. He cared about me.

Yeah?

Yeah, then he hit me right here as hard as he could.

Then what?

I saw. The man knew what he was talking about.

Yeah.

So what are you going to do?

I don't know.

Case is only a couple of days away. It could be in Mexico, Ben.

Yeah.

Maybe you better get going.

Oh, by the way, Gary Benton wasn't in his motel room the night of the murder.

parking attendant remembers bringing his car up at 5 .30 and then parking it for

him an hour or so later.

You know where he went?

You got a motive.

The word is that the film that Gary was prepping was a surefire bomb.

Evidently, Nicky Tower took a script that everyone loved and then rewrote it

until it was a piece of garbage.

Do you think that's what all the arguments were really about?

According to the crew, this film was so bad that if it had been released, it

would have destroyed Gary's career.

Well, I'll be darned.

We'll have to keep that one in mind.

You know, you're right.

I don't think I was in my hotel.

Oh, I was out getting dinner.

Where?

I don't remember right off.

I go to a lot of places.

You know, I'm still looking for a decent restaurant around here.

Oh.

I can't wait till this trial thing's over so I can get back to L .A.

What happens to the movie you came here to produce?

Defunct. It was tailor -made for Nicky Tower.

With him gone, studios aren't interested.

I hear it was going to be a stink.

Well, it wasn't going to win any Oscars, that's for sure, but... But it worked

out for the best, didn't it? I mean, the studio had Nicky insured, and you're

out from under a project that might have made you a laughingstock back in the

Hollywood.

Nicky Tower may have been a pain in the neck, Mr. Matlock.

But he was a friend of mine, and his death was a great loss to me.

In fact, I shouldn't be talking to anybody but my shrink, so if you don't

mind... Well, wait a minute, wait a minute.

I found a biographical sketch on you in the library.

Uh -huh.

Did you know that you're in Who's Who in the film industry?

Of course I am. And the sketch said that one of your hobbies is... racing

motorcycles.

Yeah?

Well,

the guy that does my publicity tends to exaggerate.

I don't race them. I ride them.

Occasionally. And only the little ones.

Ask that girl to join us.

What do you mean?

That girl.

Hi!

I'd rather not.

You want me to talk with her about it, huh?

You want to know where I was when Nicky was murdered?

I was with her.

She was upset.

You see, Nicky...

Got a little kinky.

How upset was she?

She said she was going to sell her story to the National Informer.

So you paid her off.

Look, you're not going to tell anybody about this, are you? I mean, the public

adored Nikki. People would be devastated if they found out.

And...

It wouldn't exactly do wonders for my reputation either.

I don't understand something.

Why didn't you just quit?

Because they were paying me $875 ,000 plus 2 % of the gross.

Oh.

Ben,

it's me.

Hi.

Yeah, I'm in a bar on Highway 53 just south of Griffin called...

Don't let him leave. What do you mean don't let him leave?

Hello?

What are you talking about?

My plug wires, that's what I'm talking about. I don't have them. Where are

What are you talking about? Get him out of here. You don't mess with a man's

bike. You hear me?

You don't mess with a man's bike. Think about it, man. If I find you, so will

the cops.

Oh, yeah?

Get him out of here.

You don't mess with a man's bike.

Either you go with me in that car or you go to prison with the cops in theirs.

That courtroom crap of yours doesn't work for people like me. Get in the car.

You just leave me alone. Quit acting stupid and get in the car.

Stupid? Yeah, stupid.

You're getting back at your father and everything he represents, law, reason.

That's your problem.

Whether you kill that fellow or not, unless you face trial, you're going to

prison sure as hell.

I don't know what you call that, but I call that stupid.

How do I know you can get me out? You don't.

I'm the only shot you got right now.

Get in the car.

Get in the car!

Hey, how about a nice, fresh piece of hot apple pie?

Oh, great.

How'd you know I'd still be up?

Twelve and two days, you don't know who the killer is, or you'd be up.

What other notion?

Just a notion.

Well, it's pretty good, though.

What are you going to tell me?

What? But the notion is.

Oh, my God.

Look at that.

Get in here.

Why didn't I see that before?

We've still got two days.

Great.

You look like a winner.

Yes, that's right. I sold him a bike just like that one.

A Claymore 1200 Hyperglide.

Thank you, Mr. Bonser.

Your witness.

Mr.

Bonser, I'm going to show you something.

which we'll identify as Defense Exhibit K, and which the prosecution has

stipulated belongs to my client, his Claymore 1200

hyperglide motorcycle.

to these cheap theatrics.

But you said I could bring the motorcycle in the courtroom.

I said bring it in, not ride it in.

Your Honor, I apologize for the noise, but I had to do it in order to get my

next point across.

All right.

Proceed. Oh, thank you.

Now, Mr.

Bonzer, why is this bike so noisy?

Got dual exhaust.

Dual exhaust.

Oh, yes, two exhausts. There's one right here and one right here.

Yeah, yeah, two.

Now, that's the bike the murderer was riding. How many exhaust pipes on

that motorcycle?

I can't tell from that angle.

Uh -huh. Okay, how about here?

Fast forward, yeah.

Single exhaust.

Single exhaust.

In other words, the bike my client owns is not the bike. The person who shot

Nicky Tower is riding after all, is it? Nope, it sure isn't.

Thank you.

Cross.

Mr. Bonser, isn't it possible that Mr. Lockwood could have installed those dual

pipes after the murder?

Nope. Why not?

Because I installed them pipes myself a good six weeks before the murder.

Oh.

The prosecution rests, Your Honor.

Mr. Madlock, call your first witness.

Defense calls Mrs. Renee Williamson. Stand.

You may be seated.

When you learn that my client...

Didn't have any liability insurance. You insisted that he get some, didn't you?

Yes. Well, he wasn't exactly what I would call the responsible citizen.

I didn't want Mr. Tower to wind up getting sued for an accident which your

client had caused.

Who paid for the policy?

Mr. Tower did.

Who did the actual paperwork?

I did.

Handling his financial matters was part of my job.

My client had to describe his motorcycle in every detail on that...

insurance form application, didn't he?

I believe so, yes. Now, you took that description to a shop down in

Macon the day before the murder so you could rent a bike exactly like his,

didn't you?

I didn't know such a thing, no. Of course, you didn't use your real name.

paid cash, wore big sunglasses and a red wig, but that was you.

that rented a Claymore 1200 hyperglide motorcycle from Rory's Motorcycle Shop

the 19th and returned it on the 21st, wasn't it, Ms. Williams?

No, it wasn't. Of course, one thing happened.

My client put those dual exhausts on after he filled out the application

See, that's unfortunately a little detail you missed.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

You insisted he register all his firearms, didn't you?

Yes. You knew he had a gun?

Well, yes. You could have stolen that gun, shot Nicky Tower with it, and

everybody would think my client had done it. That is not true. This is pure

speculation. Mr. Matlock has yet to prove any of this.

Miss Stain, Mr. Matlock, I strongly suggest you move on with another line of

questioning. Yes, sir. Boy, that's a beautiful bracelet.

Oh, look at that.

Nicky Tower gave you that, didn't he?

Yes, he did. And on the underside, there's an inscription that says, to my

love, with love forever, Nicky. Right?

Yeah, there is.

He gave a bracelet just like that to somebody else.

And we traced it to a jeweler in Los Angeles.

Nicky Tower bought not one, not two, but twelve of those bracelets.

You were in love with him, weren't you?

Yes, I was.

My client overheard the fight you had with him when the bill for those

bracelets accidentally came across your desk.

You were furious, weren't you?

And when you heard the two of them fighting, my client, Nicky Tower, you

that motorcycle, stole his gun, waited in the alley the night of the premiere

until the right moment, then roared by on that motorcycle, shot Nicky Tower

three times, rode it in the back of a waiting van, parked in a garage.

changed as quickly as possible, got back down to the street, over the body so

you could have your picture in the paper, all for revenge. No! Your Honor,

doing it again. Mr. Matlock seems incapable of telling the difference

conjecture and proof.

I have proof, Your Honor.

Overruled.

There were a lot of photographers.

Taking a lot of pictures that night. Among them, Robbie Atkins down the front

row. See, there he is on the screen. He was trying out a new telephoto camera

his uncle had given him.

And according to these, this here is

blow -ups of one of those pictures.

Let's pass those around.

There you go, sir.

As you can see, that lens did beautifully.

I mean, even in blow -up here, the image is razor sharp. It is so sharp

that you can see the reflection in the window in the building across the street

of a person sitting astride a motorcycle in the alley next to the theater.

It's the killer.

Just before she puts her helmet on.

Look here, look, look.

You can even see the gun in her hand. See it there right by the helmet?

That is you, isn't it, Ms. Williams?

Your Honor, in view of these developments, the prosecution moves to

I can't believe it, man. You got me off.

Innocent people are supposed to get off.

Nick?

Congratulations.

Thanks. Ben, thank you.

I don't know how I ever can repay you.

Why don't you and Cliff go somewhere and talk it over?

Something new and good might come of it.

Anywhere you want to go, maybe we could talk.

Sure, okay.

Thanks, dude.

He's going to celebrate.

What do you say, Matlock?