Original subtitles

Mr. Durant, I think I'd better wait for you in the car.

Don't be silly, Maxine. Mr. Olney said I could bring anybody I wanted.

He didn't mean anybody in a 1295 cotton number from Gorman's basement. Look,

there won't be a woman on board who wouldn't give her eye teeth to swap

with you, 1295 cotton number and all.

Besides, how often does a beginning art student have a chance to meet a...

$130 ,000 go -gaff face -to -face.

Yes.

I would like to see that.

Well, then, come on.

Mr. Colin Durant and his guest, Miss Maxine Lindsay.

Thank you, Mr. Durant. You'll find Mr. Rowley in the main cellar, the first

entrance there. Thank you.

Pardon me, I must check your name.

Sorry, Mrs. Ollie.

That's quite all right, Joseph.

Is my name on there?

Oh, no, I'm afraid it isn't, but... I didn't think it would be.

Holly, I've never seen anything like this.

Except in a movie.

Which is Mr.

Olney? The fellow over there with the yacht cat near the go -get.

Everybody, may I have your attention for a moment, please?

I'd like to propose a triple toast to our gracious host, Mr. Otto Olney.

To his newly acquired masterpiece, Gauguin's celebrated Tahitian Babies.

To the acquisition of which honesty compels me to admit that the Leslie

Gallery was in some small way responsible.

And finally...

To the brilliant inception for Mr. Otto Olney of what promises to be a long and

distinguished career as an art collector.

You mean a long and distinguished career as a thief.

Grace. That painting is mine, Otto, and you know it. And furthermore, it should

be hanging in my bedroom and not in this leaky, weevil -ridden tub.

Grace, we've got guests here.

I didn't invite them.

Who was the first one that found out that the painting was for sale in the

place?

You did, but...

And who was the one that said it was just the thing for that big wall in my

bedroom? I did, but... So what is it doing here?

I changed my mind, that's why.

Well, you're going to change it back again. Not on your life.

Now, you want something in your bedroom wall? I'll buy you the Mona Lisa or

Whistler's mother or something.

But I like this. And it's going to stay right there where I can look at it any

time I want to. And that is final.

It is, you see.

Yes.

Uh, Stewart?

Have fun, everybody.

Fighting in front of everyone.

I don't think that's funny.

It is when you know what they're fighting over.

Something worth closer to $300 than $130 ,000.

What are you talking about?

The go -to, of course.

It's a fake magazine.

A copy.

I don't go for that abstract stuff, if that's what you call that.

How about this?

Still Life by Brock.

Well, if I wanted apples, I'd buy them.

How about that little lady out there?

That's by Rosenfeld, and I'm afraid she's spoken for.

Anyway, are those colors right for Grace's bedroom?

Oh, don't worry about Grace. I got her fixed, but good.

Miss Rankin, the Rosenfeld can be sold.

Mrs. Otway called while you were out and said she'd changed her mind.

Changed her mind? Why?

She was disturbed about a rumor she heard that the...

The Leslie Rankin Gallery of Art in person.

The Mountain to Mohammed will enter, Duchess, enter for a one -man show

really bug you.

I'm not interested in your trashy stuff, Gilbert.

Not in the slightest.

I suppose you came to see one of my tame cats.

Simply to have a word with Miss Lindsay when it's convenient.

And you can skip the beatnik dialogue. I find it quite unamusing.

Quite unamusing? Yes, quite unamusing.

Quite unamusing, she says.

Well, I won't argue with you. It's only a word.

Okay, Picasso, it's hours up. See you next week.

Maxie, royalty here to see you.

Hello, Miss Rankin. Miss Lindsay, I'd like to have a word with you.

In private.

Oh, don't mind me, Duchess. I only live here.

Now, Miss Lindsay, what is it you're trying to do to me?

Do to you?

What?

I don't understand.

Oh, yes, you do.

But what you don't understand is that you could quite easily end up in jail.

Jail?

What are you talking about?

Mr. Durant.

I'm afraid I've done something really awful to you.

What's that, Maxine?

Miss Rankin just talked to me.

Absolutely livid about Mr. Olney's Gauguin. And she accused me of telling

that it was a forgery. And I... Quite naturally told her I was the one who

it.

She was going to have me arrested or something.

And it just slipped out before I thought.

So now she's after my scalp.

I'm sorry. Della, get hold of Paul Drake and bring this girl in.

Why must you have an affidavit? Isn't what I've told you enough? It's always

wise if you're suing for slander or for anything else, Miss Rankin, to pin down

your witnesses first.

You say if, Mr. Mason.

What do you mean?

I mean it would be my advice not to sue.

Not sue?

Do you realize if I let Durant get away with this, it'll ruin my business?

How does Mr. Olney feel?

He's furious.

Oh, I see.

I see you think Otto should sue.

No.

No, I think the Gauguin should sue.

Gentlemen, these are the two independent art experts I called in here to look at

my Gauguin.

You probably recognize the name.

Champagne and Lobster. I'm glad you called me to join you. What's the

You'll find out when you see the morning paper.

Don't tell me. After all the trouble I had getting Maxine Lindsay to make that

affidavit, the Gauguin suit's been settled?

No, it's just been launched.

Good publicity never hurt anyone, Perry.

But publicity wasn't why you had Mr. Olney instead of Miss Rankin sue on

of the Gauguin, was it? If Miss Rankin bought Sue, people would remember not

that she'd won, but that she'd been suspected of shady dealings with a

client. With Olney suing...

No businesses or reputations would be at stake, only the authenticity of the

picture itself.

Oh, I know why they call you a genius.

Hopeful.

Mason?

Yes? My name's Colin Durant.

Well, how do you do this? Sit still.

I just want to say one thing.

Mason, you're not going to get away with what you're trying to do to me.

Just what is it you think I'm trying to do to you, Mr. Durant?

Don't believe innocence. You know what I'm talking about.

The damage suit you persuaded Otto only to bring against me.

I suppose you thought that was a real bright little stunt.

I don't believe I like your choice of words.

I like your choice of methods.

Hooking up that affidavit for Maxine Lindsay to sign.

Don't try to squirm out of it, my shyster friend, because I know that's

did. Barry, let me take care of this, you know.

Just... What are you trying to accomplish, Mr. Durant?

I'm just putting myself on record.

I was on old Niziat with Maxine Lindsay, and I did look at the Gauguin, but I

made no comments on its authenticity.

I did say, before I'd certify it, I'd want to run some tests on it.

If you and your cheap little gold -digging friend think you can parlay

a Christmas basket of free publicity and cash at my expense...

What's wrong, Gary? What's the matter?

Genius, huh?

Della, I think I've just been tagged as the world's prize boob.

Wait, they've already hung up.

Well, you better have someone keep an eye on Miss Lindsay's apartment.

Though I doubt that she'll ever show up there again.

What makes you so sure the girl's skipped, Harry?

Oh, Durant wouldn't have put on that act if he hadn't been sure that we couldn't

lay our hands on her.

The classic false suit booby trap and I had to fall right in.

I can see the headlines now.

Millionaire sued by art dealer for half a million.

With Durant charging that his reputation had been ruined and...

Sticking like glue to that story he told us tonight.

Only squarely behind the eight ball and me responsible.

But you still have Maxine Lindsay's affidavit. No good in court without her.

Since Durant's lawyers would be denied their legal right to cross -examine.

Paul, you better get a man on Durant's art gallery too, also his apartment.

Right away.

Hello? Hello, is Mr. Mason there?

Maxine Lindsay.

But please, hurry.

Mr. Mason, I thought I'd better tell you.

I'm leaving town.

I know that.

But I've been given a chance to do something that... Maxine, don't you

you're the key witness in our case against Colin Durant? Without you, we're

lost. I'm very sorry.

And that's why I called.

So as to not let you down completely.

Where am I going?

I...

I can't tell you.

No, I simply haven't got time to talk to you. I have to run right now.

Goodbye, Mr. Mason.

Miss?

You're overnight, Betty.

Oh.

Thank you.

You knew it was in the background, Paul? I'm on my way.

Did a pretty brunette about 22 buy a ticket from you 10, 15 minutes ago

o 'clock?

Family troubles, mister?

No, nothing like that.

How about it? Did you see her?

Who is it, brunettes?

Now, man, that's different.

Well, tell me this.

What bus would be leaving about that time?

Bus? Are you kidding?

At 9, there are two.

There's the Transcontinental to Phoenix, and then there's another one to Frisco

by way of Sacramento.

At 9 -5, there's one to the Imperial Valley by way of San Diego and another

to Las Vegas. At 9 -10, we... Here, have a schedule on the house.

Thanks a lot.

And after I told her, she hollered, well, you'll have to come back on

I'm taking a shower.

And now three minutes later, I hear her door close.

When I look out in the hall, there she is.

Fully closed, skedaddling out the front door with her suitcase and canary.

Sounds as if she's still taking a shower.

Miss Lentil?

It means we'll need elbow room in here.

You're with us, Lieutenant?

Unless you've decided to tell me why the late Mr. Durant was taking a shower

with his clothes on.

Your guess is as good as mine, Drag.

And you're still positive none of you picked up the gun he was shot with?

That's right. And no idea how this envelope happened to be here with ten

crisp $1 ,000 bills?

Body's in there, Doc.

Yeah?

Mason? How do you know he's here?

Oh, hell no.

McGlindy.

Why, Mr. Drake.

What are you doing here?

Well, a more important question is, what are you doing here?

I'm trying to decide whether to go on or turn back.

I should, I know.

But then to give up something that I've dreamed about half my life just to

oblige Mr.

Mason. Not Mr. Mason, Miss Lindsay. To oblige the police.

Police?

You mean you haven't heard about Colin Durant?

Four hours ago, his body was found in your apartment.

Oh, now, Mr.

Drake, you don't have to make up a story like that to get me back.

I'm telling you the truth.

All you have to do is check the radio.

I'll do that when I get to where I'm going.

Goodbye, Mr. Drake.

Miss Lindsey!

That's far enough.

Lieutenant Anderson, Los Angeles Homicide.

I have some questions I'd like you to answer, Miss Lindsey.

caught me.

You've just got to defend me.

You didn't kill him, Maxine?

No, I didn't.

All right, then.

But there are one or two things I must know. First, were you in with Durant on

his Gauguin scheme?

No. He did tell me that the Gauguin was a copy, and I did tell people what he

said. But that's all.

Why did you leave town after making the affidavit?

For a month or so, Mr.

Durant had been trying to arrange a scholarship for me.

At the American Arts School in Cuernavaca.

That's near Mexico City.

And suddenly it came through.

Contingent, I imagine, upon your leaving immediately.

Yes. He'd already made arrangements for me to fly from Tijuana before he told

me. And he said my going wouldn't make any difference because the suit was

to be settled anyway, out of court.

I see.

What time did you leave your apartment that night?

A little before eight.

Before eight?

Eight -thirty, you mean, don't you?

No, eight.

I wanted to have plenty of time to catch my bus, which left at nine -five.

Was Durand in your apartment when you left?

He was going to pay up my back rent and also arrange for my things to be sent

home. A placement for that bottle of red wine you splashed on my Gauguin,

Duchess. I'll buy you a case of wine, and don't call me Duchess.

I heard Gilbert had made a copy of Mr. Olney's picture, and I...

Just wanted to look at it.

In the dark, Miss Rankin?

Do you customarily examine paintings in the dark?

The first thing Lieutenant Fragg and I did was to turn off the shower.

And then I looked around for the gun.

We made a search outside of the building, too.

I didn't find the gun, nor did any of my men later on.

But you did find something, didn't you, Lieutenant? Something rather unusual?

Yes. On a table, an envelope with ten $1 ,000 bills in it. Yes.

That's the envelope. It has my mark here on the corner. If it plays the court,

the state asks that this envelope and its contents be accepted in evidence at

this time and marked for the people exhibit one.

Now, with regard to these $1 ,000 bills, Lieutenant, did you discover how they

happened to be left on the table in the defendant's apartment?

Quite obviously, she overlooked them in her haste to leave after she...

Objection. The witness is offering a conclusion.

He has no way of knowing what the defendant did or did not overlook.

I ask that the response be stricken. So ordered.

Hereafter, Lieutenant, you will confine yourself to facts.

Would you like the court... I now call Oscar

Pickering.

Raise your right hand.

Do you swear to tell the truth?

The whole truth?

And nothing but the truth?

I do. State your name, please.

Oscar Pickering.

Be seated, please.

Will you tell us your occupation, please, Mr. Pickering? I work at the

bus depot. At night superintendent, they call me. Were you on duty at the depot

the night of the 13th?

On the regular 8 to 4 shift.

Would you look around this courtroom, please, and tell us if anybody is

here today who was at the bus depot on the evening of the 13th?

Yeah. Lady over there was Miss Lindsay.

Saw her just before 9 o 'clock.

What was Miss Lindsay doing, Mr. Pickering?

Well, what she didn't do made me notice her.

Didn't pick up her overnight bags. When she left the phone booth, she'd been

making a call in.

Now, Mr. Pickering, what is located just to the right of the phone booth she was

using? A bank of parcel check lockers. 20 cents for 24 hours.

I'm in charge of them.

Would you tell us what your duties are in connection with them?

Twelve each night, I see which ones are being used.

Then next night, 24 hours later, if any are still being used, I open them. Put

whatever's in them in the storage room.

Why do you do that?

Why, because, like it says right there on them, the 20 cents is good for only

hours. Mr. Pickering, I asked you to examine this .25 caliber automatic

Can you identify that for us?

Yep. That's the same pistol I took out of Locker 11 after its 24 hours had run

out. Locker 11 being one of the lockers closest to the phone booths? Yeah.

What did you do with the pistol?

Why, I put it in the storage room. And later, I called the police about it. By

later, you mean the 17th?

Yeah.

Why the delay in reporting it?

Only it delayed one day.

And besides, it didn't mean anything to me until I saw Miss Lindsay's picture in

the paper.

That made me put two and two together.

Never mind about two and two, Mr. Pickering. To whom did you give the

Some detective from police headquarters.

Now, what did your ballistics tests reveal, Lieutenant?

That the bullets taken from the body of the deceased were fired from the pistol

turned over to the police by Mr. Pickering.

In other words, that pistol is the murder weapon?

Yes. Were you able to determine anything else interesting about it? The pistol

was registered last month as the property of Maxine Lindsay.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

Mr. Mason, there's no cross -examination.

That's our case, Your Honor. The people rest.

Well, despite certain gaps in the evidence, one being that the defendant

actually seen placing the gun in the locker, the court seems to have no

alternative but to bind over the defendant without bail.

Unless, of course, you intend to present a defense, Mr. Mason.

Yes, Your Honor, I do.

Even though it's now quite obvious the defendant is not guilty.

I would like to call Goring Gilbert.

I'm inclined to agree with Mr. Berger.

This line of examination concerning the Gauguin copy allegedly made by the

witness, it does seem to be extraneous, Mr. Mason.

I intend to connect it up, Your Honor.

Very well. You may proceed.

Now, you told me you made this copy for yourself, didn't you, Mr. Gilbert? Yes.

Only I didn't put the wine spots on it.

But that wasn't true, that you made the copy for yourself, was it?

No.

For whom did you make it?

Colin Durant.

Colin Durant?

He was to pay you $10 ,000 for it?

$10 ,000? More like $200.

Do you know the penalty for lying under oath, Mr. Gilbert?

Yes?

I ask you again, for whom did you make this copy?

Colin Durant.

Your Honor, I would like to request a short recess.

I'll do better than that, Mr. Mason.

Since it is already quite late in the day, I'll adjourn until tomorrow at ten.

You may step down, Mr. Gilbert.

Well, I'd like to see a little proof first.

You have a couple of dimes, Hamilton.

There you are, sir. Thank you.

Now, it's around nine o 'clock.

With your dimes, we open the locker and place an object

in it.

Lock it.

Remove the key and depart.

Now what happens?

Well, Picker, he makes his midnight check.

Sees the key is gone and notes down that the locker is in use.

And midnight the next night?

Well, he checks the master counter here, sees the same number on it, and the

key's still gone.

This means somebody's 24 hours is up, so he opens the locker with his master key

and takes out whatever's inside.

Now, allegedly, Maxine Lindsay picked her pistol here at about 9 o 'clock on

13th, the night of the murder.

Yet it wasn't reported to the police until the 17th.

Pickering kept it until he saw her picture in the paper.

Let me quote from the hearing, a question by Mr. Berger.

Why the delay in reporting it? Answer from Pickering. I only delayed one day.

Now, that day was the 16th, which means he removed the pistol midnight of the

15th, as this copy of the record shows.

And this, in turn, means the pistol was checked here on the 14th.

And on the 14th, Maxine Lindsay was already in custody.

Well, Lieutenant Anderson?

Some detective from headquarters is going to be walking a beat tomorrow.

Thank you.

Perry, you said you wanted to see the Olneys tonight. Look at this.

The happily reunited Otto Olneys shown boarding their yacht for a world tour.

I am getting tired of this.

Now, for the fifth time, what are we waiting for?

You'll find out in a moment or two.

Well, that's what you've been telling me for 20 moments or two.

Now, either pinch us and get slapped with the biggest false arrest suit in

history, or we're taken off.

Perry, maybe it would be better to settle this in court tomorrow.

Sorry, but I had a bit of trouble locating this one.

Man, what a nice little seagoing pad.

I'll take it.

Oh, is there any other reason for having me drop in, Big Daddy?

I wanted you to take a look at this picture.

You recognize it?

Sure, man. Who wouldn't? That's Gauguin's Tahitian Bathys. I mean, is it

your copies, Mr. Gilbert?

Are you kidding? You brought the only copy I made.

Are you sure?

Right at all.

Cutter tried to sneak off the yacht, Lieutenant.

What's she doing here?

Miss Rankin just happens to be Mrs. Olney's and my guest.

And the most providential one.

Because I'm sure she can answer my question about the Gauguin.

Question? What question?

Is this the Gauguin you sold, Mr. Olney, or is it a copy?

Why, it's a... Okay, so okay. So it is a copy.

Now what is wrong with that?

It's a copy.

Why, you conniving double -cross. Now, Grace.

Don't grace me. Just tell me where the real painting is or I'll...

When you have a woman doing your dirty work for you.

Thanks for the very last time. This time I'm hanging on to it. Now, just a gosh

darn minute, Grace.

Now, just a gosh darn minute, everybody.

Perry.

Two Gauguin's here, another one in court.

What in the name of... Let's see if we can figure it out, Hamilton.

Now, Mr. Olney, who made the copy for you?

I did.

And a nice job of work it is, too, if I do say so myself.

You commissioned Gilbert to do the work, but from whom did you actually get the

painting? It was Colin Durant, wasn't it?

Yes, yes.

Durant called me the day of the murder.

He said the price of Gilbert's copy had gone up to $10 ,000 from $300, plus

a couple of other fringe benefits.

One was that he wouldn't tell Grace about the copy.

The other was that he'd forget that he had me over to bail on that lawsuit you

talked me into filing against him.

With the additional proviso that you call off the suit and fire me.

Yeah, Mason, I'm sorry. I told you I hadn't made a settlement, but I... Go

Well, he... Well, Durant said that I should meet him at his model friend's

apartment that night at 8 o 'clock.

So I went there with the money.

In an envelope?

No, no envelope. Just in bills.

I gave him the money, he gave me the copy of the painting, and I left. And he

closed the door after me. Still alive.

Very much alive.

Was the woman with him at that time?

What woman?

The woman who left the apartment at 8 .32 with Maxine Lindsay's canary.

Ask Della to come in, Paul.

Della.

It bothered me for some time.

If Maxine didn't take the canary, why would anyone else?

And this afternoon I suddenly realized it was to get past the landlady.

Clever, don't you think, Miss Rankin?

I despise birds.

But you don't, do you, Mrs. Olney?

I guess I shouldn't have taken the little guy home for you to find, should

Grace!

Well, that doesn't mean I killed Mr. Durant.

He was dead when I arrived at the apartment at 8 .20, honestly.

Why don't you tell us about it, please?

Well, the door was ajar, and so I went in. And I heard a noise that sounded

a window being closed in the bathroom.

So I looked in, and there was Mr. Durant, in the bathtub, dead.

And then something happened that really scared me. The apartment manager

knocking on the door?

Yes, she kept on knocking and knocking.

So finally I turned on the water and called her and told her that I was

shower. So she went away.

Then I put on Miss Lindsay's coat, picked up the empty suitcase, and took

birdcage to hide my face like you said, and I left.

I know I should have told you all this earlier, but I didn't know that maybe

Miss Lindsay didn't kill him.

Aren't you still holding something back, Mrs. Olney?

You mean the envelope with the money in it?

Well, I remembered it when I got outside that I'd left it on the table, but I

was afraid to go back in and get it.

Wait a minute.

What money?

The $10 ,000 I was paying Mr. Durant.

The what?

Like you, stupid, to keep him from telling about the copy of the Gauguin

Gilbert made for me.

You made a copy for her, too?

Did you know anything about this?

Well... Grace did ask me to go to the studio and try to get it for her.

Mmm, women.

Of all the treacherous, dishonest... Man, you've got nerve to stand here and

call me names. A double -crosser, huh?

Well, you are one, you big lying ape.

Now, wait a second.

What I want to know is which one of you killed Colin Durant?

Which one of us?

Are you suggesting that my husband would commit a crime?

Well, he's already... Now, listen, Berger.

You make any cracks about Gracie, you better start ducking because I

will pull Sidney Center right down around your ears.

Hamilton, I think one question can clear this up.

Mrs. Olney, was your Gauguin copy in the apartment with Durant that night?

No, it wasn't.

Yet he had to have it with him at one time in order to have closed his deal

you. How did it get back to your studio, Mr. Gilbert?

Get back?

And how did something else get back to your studio?

Namely, the $10 ,000 Mr. Olney gave Durant.

You're bluffing. You didn't find that money. You couldn't have.

That's far enough, Dad.

So far, my men have dug $2 ,000 out of your wallpaper.

They'll find the rest.

You killed him, didn't you, Gilbert?

Maxie must have told him about the copies he saw me making.

Anyhow, he came to see me and...

He said maybe he could jack up the ante, maybe to 750 apiece.

Well, I took the copies to Maxie's apartment like he told me.

But when I left, I thought, what was his angle?

I went around back and the bathroom window was open and I crawled in.

Ten grand he was to get from Oldie and ten more to come from Mrs. Oldie.

The jackpot.

He must have heard me. He came in with Maxie's gun.

I grabbed for it and it went off.

He fell back into the shower.

I suppose they have our classes in

San Quentin.

Well, the impossible has finally happened.

Perry Mason dinner without an interruption.

You are paying, of course. Of course.

You can pay just a little bit further.

There's a question I've just been dying to ask.

What did Mrs. Olney say when she found out the canary wasn't the one she took

from Maxine's apartment?

She laughed.

Mr. Mason, I've got a question, too.

Why did Gilbert put my gun into the bus depot locker?

He thought of that the next day, Maxine, after he read you'd been arrested.

What was Durant really up to?

Defamation suit or blackmail?

Defamation at first.

Then he saw a chance of picking up quick $20 ,000 without the risk of going into

court.

Well, I guess that covers everything.

Except for this.

What's that?

A bill from Hamilton Burger.

Due the district attorney's office for rental of Bus Depot parcel locker.

Twenty cents.