Original subtitles

Oh, it'll be just perfect, Mrs. Alford.

And thank you, Reverend Alford, for letting us use the chapel when there

be any people here. Every girl wants music and flowers, Ethel. The truth of

matter is, when you marry a couple in your office, you miss the music and

flowers. I wanted a big wedding.

Well, not really that, but where I'd wear a gown and maybe have one

But Bruce wanted to keep it secret.

Well, you know, we haven't told a soul.

We're just going to show up at work after the honeymoon.

You can't imagine how surprised everybody's going to be.

While we're waiting for the groom, suppose we have a cup of coffee.

I wonder where Bruce is. He said 11, and it's... What time is it?

Well, it's close to 12.

Do you think I could use the telephone to call the office?

Bruce isn't there?

Has he been there, Mr. Carruthers?

No, he hasn't, but the police have been.

Ethel, we're missing $50 ,000 in securities. And we found out this

they'd been sold.

That your signature is on the transfer authorization.

We have to find Bruce.

Ethel, I tried to reach Bruce, thinking he might help us check the books. But

his vacation started today and he's gone.

Gone? Look, Ethel.

Ethel, I promise I'll stand by you. But you've got to come in and explain why

you signed that transfer authorization.

This is Peggy Sutton, operator.

I'm doing you a good turn, baby.

I could have my neck wrung if the word gets out I warned you.

Warned me?

About... There's a contractor out of Chicago, I think, who's looking for you.

Contractor?

A hired gun, Peg, a torpedo, a killer.

Well, thanks, I... I owe you a favor.

Then do it.

Yes?

Who is it?

Chambermaid, miss. Can I clean up?

Won't take me long, miss.

Are you checking out?

I'll get your boy.

It's okay.

It'll take maybe 30 minutes to fix. Something to do with what's underneath

car. Oh, thank goodness you weren't hurt. I just wasn't watching the road.

I've had a bit of a shock.

Frankie, I've been crying my eyes out for an hour.

Man trouble?

Let's try the coffee shop while we're waiting.

What did you say your name is?

Ethel. Well, take it from me, Ethel. There's not a man in the world that's

shedding a tear over.

Nine -tenths baloney and one -tenth ego.

That's what little boys are made of.

You want to check the brakes on this one?

I'll start to work on the other job. I think the fuel line was torn out.

And then I found out that Bruce had used me and left me behind to face the boss

and my friends in trouble.

Maybe even jail.

I need time to find him, to prove that I didn't steal... Well, they're looking

for me in Ocean View and they're going to find me before I've had a chance to

find him.

Listen, honey.

You're not the only girl in the world with a problem.

Take me, for instance, this guy who's been hounding me.

We had some fun, he gave me some presents, and now he thinks he owns me.

In a way, I'm in the same boat you are, only he's looking for me, and I'm trying

to shake him.

Oh, now I've delayed you. I'm sorry.

Don't worry about Peggy.

I can take care of myself, but just suppose now, suppose that I could give

the time you need to find that guy you were going to marry.

How? By swapping places.

You be Peggy Sutton and I'll be Ethel Andrews.

Oh, I couldn't.

You can do a lot of things if you have to.

I don't know if I should let myself in for this, frankly. But in a way, it

be helping me, too. How much time do you need?

A week? A week.

I know his folks live in Los Angeles where he might go, but...

Oh, it would never work. No one would take me for you. You're so... you're so

pretty. You could take my car, my identification, everything.

You'd be in the clear to do whatever you have to.

Then, in a week, we could meet and say, Tijuana, swap cars and get our things

back.

Oh, suppose they stop you at the border.

Then they've got the wrong girl.

They can't do anything to me.

Thanks for lending me the $25, Ethel. I hadn't counted on a repair bill. Oh,

that's all right. It was my fault anyway.

Well, are we going to swap off?

I don't know.

Here.

My identification is inside.

For the next week, you're Peggy Sutton.

But I could get you into terrible trouble.

What the heck?

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Look, Peggy.

I can spare you an extra $20. You might need it.

Well, you can pay me back next week.

At the place I told you, in Tijuana, next Wednesday morning.

I guess I'd better give you a hand young lady. Oh thank you.

Miss, looks like your packet slipped back in the tire well.

Well, thank you.

I'd like to pay you for this, if you don't mind.

I wouldn't hear of it.

Glad to do it.

Goodbye. Bye.

Thank you.

And so if I come forward, admit that I'm alive, they'll say that I violated a

trust, stole $50 ,000, and in trying to get away, killed Peggy to cover up my

tracks.

If you continue this disguise as Peggy Sutton, they'll continue the search for

you as the possible murderer of Ethel Andrews.

Now, on top of that, you've... know nothing whatsoever of Peggy

Sutton, who she was, what she did, what problems she may have had.

She said there was a man following her, that she was trying to get away.

After knowing her for half an hour, you agreed to change identities with her.

You gave her your car, your luggage, your identification.

Well, I did change my mind. I turned around and went back after her.

I was going to call the whole thing off.

Now, about the money.

Didn't you say that your prospective bridegroom... Bruce Strickland.

That Bruce Strickland, a customer's man in your office, took $50 ,000 with your

unwitting help and disappeared with him?

I was crazy to believe him. You don't have the $50 ,000.

Well, I do have $50 ,000.

Not that $50 ,000.

But Peggy's $50 ,000.

Peggy's $50 ,000?

Actually, it's $51 ,700. I counted it.

Where did you get it?

I found it in the trunk of her car.

You're telling us that she had this money in the trunk of her car, but that

had to borrow $45 from you?

How do you explain that?

I can't.

Well, what am I going to do, Mr. Mason?

Well, at the moment, being Ethel Andrews or Peggy Sutton has its problems.

But at least Peggy is supposed to be alive.

We'll need a little time.

We'd better put this money in a safe place.

Della, let's step into your office for a moment. I'll explain how I want you to

handle it.

Yeah, but what do you want me to do?

As soon as Della types up her notes, I want you to sign them as your statement.

And then I want you to follow instructions.

Don't I handle this like our other trust accounts?

Of course.

I simply wanted to know what you think of her story.

I think it's fantastic.

Unbelievable. You don't think it could possibly be true?

I ask you, would you meet a total stranger and over a cup of coffee switch

identities with him?

I didn't ask if it sounded logical or sensible.

Only if it could possibly be true.

Do you think it could?

I don't know, but I might be able to find out.

After she signs the statement, take her to a movie, a double feature.

I want her out of circulation as long as possible.

And where are you going while I take Peggy Ethel Andrews to the movie?

Ethel Andrews' funeral.

It's hard to believe that only a brief moment ago, this young girl, vibrant

life and energy and enthusiasm, stood before this very altar.

On the threshold of married life, waiting to be a bride.

Now instead, Ethel Andrews lies in eternal sleep.

And we hope she finds the peace and happiness in the life hereafter, which

denied her in this earthly one.

You can imagine the shock, Mr. Mason, when I found out what Ethel had done.

I trusted Ethel as I trust myself.

You're absolutely certain that she and no one else disposed of those

No one else could have.

Except for myself, only Ethel was authorized to sign a transfer.

You're bonded, of course, so your client and your company won't suffer.

No, they won't. But I suffer.

I taught the world of Ethel. The minister said she was expecting to be

Married? Ethel?

Oh, uh, Martha is my secretary. Worked very closely with Ethel. If Ethel were

planning to be married to anyone, I most certainly would have known about it.

By the way, have you heard anything from Bruce Strickland?

I understand he's disappeared.

Disappeared? Bruce is right over there. He's one of the pallbearers.

Mr. Strickland.

Mr. Strickland, my name is Mason. I'm an attorney.

I've been engaged to straighten out Ethel Andrews' affairs.

How do you do?

I was under the impression that you'd left town.

I was on vacation, but as soon as I read about Ethel, I decided to come back to

work. Thought I might help straighten out the books.

Must have been a trying experience since you and Ethel had planned to be

married. Who told you that?

It isn't true.

Mr. Mason, I don't know how much you know about women.

As much as any man, nothing.

Especially repressed women.

Well, I make it a point to be nice to women, all women.

You take a girl like Ethel, an introvert, repressed, living alone.

What other outlet did she have except, well, romanticizing?

You mean the notion of a wedding, of getting married to you, was all in her

mind? It certainly wasn't in mine.

Did you learn anything?

No, I met Dethel's fiancé, Bruce Strickland.

He's never heard of any wedding plans.

But by the time I dropped Dethel at her motel, she'd told me every detail of her

wedding plans.

Until I know whether to believe or disbelieve what Ethel has told us, I'm

sure how to proceed.

I can't believe a girl would buy a trousseau, hire a chapel, unless... It

doesn't make sense.

Neither did switching identities with Peggy Sutton.

That's where you come in, Paul.

I received these names and addresses from Ethel. They were in Peggy's

evidently, of people in her life.

Ethel has no idea who they could be.

And you want me to get in touch with them?

Discreetly.

And discreetly find out what?

Whether or not anyone happens to be missing $50 ,000.

Thank you.

You're a good help, sir.

Perfect.

Miss Milgrave?

If you ever decide to go into another line of work, you could patent this and

make a fortune. The Park -Milgrave Martini.

Sorry, I've made my fortune and I'm happily retired.

And my wife has dedicated her life to keeping me that way.

Don't disturb yourselves, gentlemen. I'm a big girl now. I can pull my own.

Althea, this is Mr. Drake. Mr. Drake, my wife.

Pleasure, Mr. Milgrave.

You remember Peggy Sutton, dear.

Mr. Drake is a private investigator.

And from what he's free to tell me, he's trying to find her.

Don't tell me Peggy's in trouble again.

Has she been in trouble before?

Well, not really.

You see, Peggy's the daughter of an old friend.

And since he died, we've tried to keep an eye on her.

Which is difficult at times.

The girl is a little wild.

What kind of trouble was she in?

Gambling, mainly.

She couldn't stay away from the tables.

Whenever she'd run up a tab, she'd give us as a reference.

And you paid the tab.

What else could I do?

Peggy is, well, like a foster daughter.

I see.

Mr. Milgrave, would it be likely that Peggy Sutton would be carrying a large

of money?

Peggy. A large tab, maybe, but money.

Oh, it's very unlikely.

Well, as I was telling your husband, Mrs. Milgrave, he makes an excellent

martini.

Here's to Peggy.

Let's hope finding her will be easy for you and inexpensive for us.

Make one sound, Miss Sutton, if you want to live.

You got the message?

You must be very good at treasure hunts.

I turned this place inside out and I couldn't find a thing, Peggy.

Oh, but I'm not Peggy.

No, no, no. Of course not.

Now, don't tell me any stories.

Just show me where it is.

No.

All right. Thank you. That'll be all. We'll call you when we're through.

We'll see who it is.

He's been shot.

There's the drawers in the closet cleaned out. Girl must have taken up

after she shot him.

All right, get the girl's name for the manager, detailed description and so

forth. Put through an APB, airlines, buses, trains.

Maybe she took a car.

No, according to the manager, the car's outside.

Let her run through an APB.

Right. Who was he?

Bruce Strickland.

The money's all here. It couldn't be robbery.

Employed by Frank Carruthers, Ocean View Security Investment Company.

Miss Peggy Sutton? No.

Yes, I'm so glad you're here. That man behind... You're under arrest.

Arrest? Arrest? No, no, no. I was kidnapped. I was forced to get on that

by a man.

What man?

I don't know. He was here, but I don't know where he's gone.

Before you say anything more, I'm required to advise you of your rights.

don't have to make a statement.

Anything you say now may later be used against you as evidence.

You have a right to be represented by an attorney. Let's go. No, no, but please,

don't you even look for her. I was kidnapped.

I have heard some strange stories from clients of Miss Andrews, and eventually

many proved to be true, but this story of yours beats them all.

But it's true all the same, every word of it. Even as to how you got the money?

Yes.

You didn't get it from the Ocean View office, even though securities worth $50

,000 are missing and only you could have disposed of them?

I'd better tell you about that.

Yes, you'd better.

Bruce said that all we needed to get married, to be happy, was a stake.

The securities.

Yes. Bruce had to pledge them as a security on a fabulous deal.

Overnight, he'd make enough money for us to be married on.

Then he'd replace them and... But it wasn't like stealing.

But it didn't work out that way.

Bruce did steal the securities, sold them, and left you standing at the

Is that what you're saying?

Yes. That's also what the police are saying, with one significant variation.

They say you took the money that Bruce discovered this, and that's why you

killed him. Oh, but you can't believe that.

Then why were you running away?

Why were you on that plane?

I was kidnapped.

I told you about that man who came to the apartment and threatened to kill me.

Forced me to get on that plane?

And then vanished into thin air.

Didn't you spend hours looking at mug shots with the police and come up with

nothing? Oh, there was a man.

It's true.

And you did not kill Bruce Strickland.

I didn't even know he was dead until after I was arrested.

Ethel, I hope you realize your position.

If you admit the $50 ,000 you turned over to me came from your office, then

that's your motive for killing Bruce.

But it didn't.

But if they believe you took the money from the dead girl, then that could be a

motive for killing her. And they might charge you with her murder.

Mr. Mason, what can I do?

I wish I knew.

And all the time I've been in the Los Angeles Police Department, I thought I'd

seen everything, fellas.

But I was wrong.

Today, for the first time, I saw the remains of a bowl this big, full of

Remains? Somebody burned it.

Brand new bills, large denomination, 50, maybe 100 ,000 bucks.

Who would have done that?

Apparently the man your client is charged with murdering... Bruce

...was found in his apartment.

Why would Strickland or anyone else burn money in... I thought of that.

But I had the lab check it.

Ink, paper, engraving.

And the Treasury Department just confirmed it. It's real money, all

And brand new bills.

Doesn't make any sense.

What angle of this case does?

Harry, that statement your client gave us... Now that was something else.

You're certain it was Strickland who burned the money? Yeah, I was found in

apartment. I gotta get going. We're working on that angle. I'll see you

So long, Steve.

Hello, Steve. Hello, Della.

You'll never guess.

Now we're playing games.

Remember what I said?

That no girl would buy a trousseau, a wedding bouquet, and so forth.

That's right. You said that.

I was right.

I found the jeweler who sold Ethel's ring.

And guess who bought it for?

Who? Bruce Strickland.

The jeweler identified him from his picture.

Doesn't that help?

Help who?

The prosecution will say it gives Ethel an even stronger motive for murdering

Strickland. Well, it does prove one thing.

At least about that she was telling the truth.

She lied, Your Honor.

As a matter of fact, she left a trail of lies and deception halfway across the

state of California.

She lied when she contrived to defraud her employer of $50 ,000 in securities.

She lied when she ran away.

She lied to Peggy Sutton when she convinced her they should switch

And then she continued to lie as she lived out the part of a dead woman.

Now, the decedent Bruce Strickland apparently sensed the fraud.

Mr. Mason, I talked with my bonding company, and if you'll arrange to return

that $50 ,000 that Ethel took, they'll drop the grand theft charges against

Now, I don't know how much that'll help, but it'll be one less thing hard to

worry about.

Mr. Carruthers, it hasn't been established that Ethel took the money

firm.

The money you're referring to could have come from Peggy Sutton.

Besides, I couldn't make any disposition of the funds.

At this moment, I have an investigator trying to determine ownership of the

money.

Well, I just thought it might help.

From the look of things, that poor girl's going to need all the help she

get.

So then, Miss Erskine, when you found that these securities had been sold, you

traced... I got the information from the clearinghouse.

That's when I found out that Ethel, the defendant, had signed the transfer

authorization. And what action did you take then?

I reported it to Mr. Carruthers.

He just couldn't believe it.

He brought in the police and then Ethel called in.

Were you present when Mr. Carruthers took that phone call?

Oh, yes, sir.

He begged her to come back and explain herself, but, of course, she never

up. And that apparently started the whole chain of events that led to the

of... Objection. The district attorney is leading the witness. Would you rather

question, Mr. Mason?

Pass exam.

Miss Erskine, was it your normal practice to make a search of the records

all securities held by the company?

Well, no.

But on that particular morning, without any direction, working in an area

foreign to your normal assignment as secretary to Mr. Carruthers, you just

happened to find those particular securities missing. Just happened to

further with the clearinghouse.

That's right.

I'm not one of those people who just does enough to get by.

I knew we were shorthanded. With Ethel out and Bruce on vacation, what... No

offense, Miss Erskine.

You're conscientious.

Let's leave it at that.

Now, about Bruce Strickland, the decedent.

How long had you known him?

About two years.

Then you knew him before he came to work for Mr. Carruthers.

Yes. Was that a coincidence, or did you assist him in getting the position?

We needed a salesman. I introduced him to Mr. Carruthers, and they hit it off

right away.

And apparently you and the decedent were... Well, tell me...

How you would describe your relationship?

We were... close.

Did you ever visit his apartment?

What's wrong with that?

Nothing. Would you answer the question, please?

When he first came to work, I helped him furnish it.

When was the last time you went to that apartment, Miss Hershkin?

We... We had dinner there together.

On...

25th. That was the night before you discovered the security is missing. The

night before the defendant waited for Bruce Strickland in the wedding chapel.

The night before he started on his vacation.

I guess so.

Thank you, Miss Erskine.

Coming out. Coming out. This is it.

And another.

Number eight. Number eight's the point.

Here we go. Number eight.

Okay, here we go.

Right there.

Number six.

Doing any good?

Oh, so -so.

My friends will never get rich on me unless you can reach into my pocket,

because I won't. I have learned the big secret.

The house percentages have to beat you over the long haul.

The way they beat Peggy Sutton? Yeah.

Poor Peggy. She was a natural -born loser.

But you just couldn't stay away from the tables.

How was her credit?

86 and out here whenever I was on duty.

She was the type, the deeper she plunged, the more desperate she got.

Bad business.

And you don't think she could possibly have had a big run, picked up a bundle

and just taken off?

You seem pretty sure. Why?

A professional hood torpedo showed up here with a contract on her.

That means she must have dropped a big bundle somewhere.

Poor kid.

Somebody should have warned her.

Somebody did.

Me? That's all I can tell you, Drake.

Maybe I've said too much already.

Excuse me.

The truth is, Mr. Berger, Peggy Sutton was not only broke, but had run out on a

gambling debt when she left Tahoe. Yet you heard the defense contention that

defendant got $50 ,000 from Peggy Sutton.

I can't understand that.

I can't understand it either, Mr.

Milgrave. Cross -examine.

In the statement the defendant gave the police, which was read into the record,

you'll recall she claimed that she made a loan of $45 to Peggy Sutton.

Yes, I remember that.

Then your testimony, it seems, would corroborate that part of the defendant's

statement. I suppose so.

All I know is that... What do you suppose Mason is up to?

He's arguing against his own case.

If Peggy Sutton had $50 ,000, she certainly didn't have to borrow $45.

Now let's examine it.

No further questions at this time.

Witness may stand down.

The state calls Mrs.

Althea Milgrave.

I don't know yet if I'm going to have to call you to testify, Mr. Thomas.

But I had to be certain you'd be here to back me up. You can count on that.

Let's just hope somebody gives you an opening.

No, I wasn't surprised when she turned up missing.

She was in hock to one of the casinos.

She knew my husband and I wouldn't bail her out again.

Park had put his foot down on that score.

So I guess that she'd done the only thing she could do, run and drop out of

sight. And you can say that she had no considerable amount of money when she

left town?

Certainly not $50 ,000, if that's what you're getting at.

That's exactly what I'm getting at, Mrs. Milgrave. Thank you.

Take the witness, Mr. Mason.

Mrs. Milgrave, you testified that your husband, I believe you said, put his

foot down and refused to pay Peggy Sutton's debts.

Am I to understand that until then, he had paid her debts?

Oh, that's true, yes.

Why?

I don't understand what you mean.

I mean, what was the relationship between them that would make him feel

obligated to do so?

Well, it wasn't romantic, if that's what you're implying. You're quite sure of

that? I made quite sure of that.

Well, let's see now.

It wasn't romantic, but it seems to have gone beyond friendship.

I wonder... Thank you very much, Mrs. Milgrave.

That's all?

That's quite enough.

Lieutenant Drum, after you completed your preliminary investigation at the

of the murder and issued the APB for Peggy Sutton, what did you do?

We went to the decedent's apartment, Mr. Mason.

Was there any evidence of forcible entry?

No. Then apparently whoever entered that apartment gained access with a key.

That's possible, yes.

Now, did you find...

Anything unusual there?

Yes, we found that the desk drawer had been forced open and that a considerable

amount of currency, an undetermined amount, had been burned.

Oh, about that money, Lieutenant Drumm.

Objection, Your Honor.

Mr. Mason is beginning a line of questioning which the prosecution

be completely immaterial and irrelevant.

Since defense counsel is holding in trust a sum of money equivalent to that

stolen from the defendant's employer...

And since Mr.

and Mrs.

Milgrave's testimony leaves no doubt that the deceased Peggy Sutton had no

substantial funds at all, I fail to see how counsel can possibly connect

Lieutenant Drum's testimony about burned currency with the murder of Bruce

Strickland. Mr. Mason?

Your Honor, not only do I believe that the burned currency and the murder are

inextricably intertwined, but by a brief questioning of one witness...

I believe we can bring this case to a conclusion.

Well, I'll not rule out the subject, but the district attorney may object to

specific questions.

Clerk will enter this package and mark it defense exhibit number one.

You will recall Lieutenant Drum's testimony concerning the burned

Objection, Your Honor.

Mr. Berger, will you approach the bench, please?

Now, let's dispose of the question of admissibility.

Your Honor.

The prosecution has characterized these defense contentions as lies.

One, that a girl with $50 ,000 in cash was compelled to borrow $45 from a

stranger. Two, that a man the defendant had never seen before searched her room

and, unable to find what he was looking for, abducted her.

Three, that Peggy Sutton suggested on first meeting that she and the defendant

exchange identities.

That's right, Your Honor. The prosecution also maintains that the

currency found in the dead man's apartment has no bearing on this case.

But, Your Honor, there is one key that can explain these apparently unrelated

circumstances, prove that Ethel Andrews has told the truth, and point to Bruce

Strickland's killer.

Well, I believe we have here such a key.

I'm going to allow you to continue, Mr. Mason. Objection is overruled.

Would you agree, Mr.

Milgrave?

Agree to what?

That the money in this package is, in fact, the key.

What?

This... I can understand your surprise, Mr. Milgrave.

Because this is the money you thought you burned in Bruce Strickland's

apartment.

And, Your Honor, it also explains why, after taking it from Mr. Milgrave, Peggy

Sutton was fleeing for her life.

Why she was forced to borrow money from the defendant, why she was so eager to

switch identities, and why the defendant, still being mistaken for

was abducted.

How, Your Honor? Mr. Mason, how?

Because, Mr. Berger, the money in this package is counterfeit.

And if you have any doubts, Mr. Thomas of the U .S. Treasury Department has

already examined it and is in court.

Mr. Milgrave.

You didn't even know Bruce Strickland.

But you killed him. Why?

I honestly didn't intend to.

But he was in there, searching the room.

I was afraid he was there for the same reason I was.

And afterwards, when I took the keys and found the money in his apartment and

burned it, I thought I was safe.

A murderer is never safe, Mr. Milgrave.

That idea's as false as this money you printed.

This is just the evidence we needed to break up the biggest counterfeiting

operation we've bumped into in a long time.

And the engraving's almost perfect.

For a woman who's just been freed on a murder charge, you don't seem very

I'm also a woman who's been naive and gullible.

I must be making some progress. At least I recognize it. There ought to be some

consolation in knowing you were up against a professional passer of

money.

Peggy saw a chance to make a private deal.

Stole the package from her boss.

Switched identities with me so they chased me instead of her.

There must be a moral in that somewhere.

Yes.

I'm sure it'll come to you.

Del and I will meet you downstairs. We're going to celebrate. I'm taking

everybody to the best restaurant in La Cienega.

Sparkling Burgundy Crepe Suzette, the works.

Paul, I don't mean to look a gift horse in the mouth, but did you happen to pick

up some of that phony money?

Forget money. When Paul Drake entertains, the sky's the limit. Oh,

money, could you let me have $50?

This, um... This is a loan.

Uh -huh.

And the celebration is on you. Certainly. Just put it on my expense