Original subtitles

Who brightens everywhere that she goes?

A me.

Who loves most everyone that she knows?

A me.

I know the creme de creme and they all agree.

You can't arrest me.

She's the one you want to talk of the evening Whose name can open

anyone's door?

Polly Who else can offer this and much more?

Polly No matter what they say I'll always stay

this way Polly's the only one that's me

is said and done.

Who else is so much fun?

Charlie Dillon!

And I mean big trouble.

I kept waiting for a priest to make an entrance in a second act and administer

the last rites.

Oh, come on, Tony.

The audience loved us.

Five curtain calls.

For God's sake.

This bunch of hicks would give five calls to a lecture on paint thinner.

But you know what the New York critics are going to say?

We are a sentimental cartoon.

We would have been out of date in the 30s. Well, I don't know about the rest

you. I don't need that on my resume.

Mel.

The first act closer still doesn't work.

The song is old -fashioned. The lyrics are maudlin. The whole concept is

prehistoric. I've told you a hundred times, we need something tougher. All I

hear is, yeah, Tony, sure.

Well, I want to hear a new song!

I want to hear it by 10 o 'clock tomorrow morning.

Well, I'll call Sondheim or something.

Any luck.

Okay, Mel?

Yeah, Tony, sure.

It shouldn't be too hard. Old score sounds like it came straight from your

trunk.

Would somebody mind telling me why six, count them, one, two, three, four, five,

six, of our hookers made their entrance late?

I'm the police, Raiden.

Hey, you're choreographing our little funeral here. Now, is it too much to ask

your hoofers to make their entrance on cue, not whenever they damn well please?

Tony, they have a really big change there, and it's not their fault... It

the intercom, Tony. I beg your pardon?

The intercom system wasn't working by the time I got backstage to the dressing

room. And whose responsibility was it to see that the intercom system was

working?

Well, you know I had a lot of new light cues... I just asked you a question,

Johnny.

Okay. It was my responsibility.

Oh, like it was your responsibility to make sure that there was a pianist at

understudy rehearsal last week?

Yes. You are a flake. That's not fair, Tony. If you don't get your shabby

act together, I'm gonna make sure you end up swabbing out toilets at some

little dinner theater.

You've got no right to talk to me that way. Why not? You don't have the guts to

do anything about it?

Oh, yeah?

Hey, what are you doing?

Johnny, for God's sake!

Stop it, will you?

You are fired, Whitman. You will never work another Broadway show again.

You hear me? Never.

Come on, Tony. Come on.

Johnny's a hell of a good stage manager. You know that. You just got him a

little crazy, that's all.

You two just cool off and then we'll sit down and talk this over, all right? I'm

running this show. You get a problem with that, you get yourself another

director.

I'm sorry, Johnny. I really am.

Somebody ought to drive a stake through your heart. You?

Yeah, maybe.

All right,

James.

Our crucial scene just kind of lies in the middle of the road like a dead dog.

It's not funny.

It's not moving. It's not anything.

I think your TV roots are showing.

They're not very pretty.

I want it rewritten first thing in the morning. We'll get it rehearsed and into

the show by tomorrow night. And while you're at it, look at that first scene

between Tom and Amanda, because Polly Adler, she was a real woman, not some

cheap Mae West impressionist.

I thought the scene played pretty well. Well, as usual, you're wrong.

Damn it, Tony, you are the most insensitive, insulting, arrogant...

here, kiddies.

Our fading star, the silver screen, she actually can display an honest emotion.

You're a pig, Tony.

I'd like to reciprocate. I just don't want to waste my time.

All right, that's it.

But from now on, get ready.

Plenty of more changes, because you're going to get them.

And Mel, James, I mean it.

Bye tomorrow morning.

What do you want?

It's after two o 'clock in the morning, for God's sake.

Come to there now. Are you out of your mind?

How?

Did you call the police?

No, no, no, no, no. You're right. You're right. If she's okay, it's better to be

quiet. I'll be right over.

I have to go on down to the theater.

Amanda tried to kill herself.

On the stage.

It's just the kind of thing that hammy old relic would do.

I don't know how long I'm going to be down there, so you better get your tail

out of here.

It's been fun, my dear.

We'll do it again sometime.

My mama.

It's after 2 a .m. Why aren't we asleep?

Our knee has its own idea.

Well, when did we take our last medication?

Ten o 'clock.

Well, that's good.

But I think we should take another pill right now.

And I want you to know that we can't be responsible for that watch if it gets

stolen. This watch was a Christmas present, and I want you to know that we

completely responsible for it.

I'd rather not.

I know, but even arthroscopic surgery takes its toll on the system.

This is our second night here, and if we want the doctor to discharge us in the

morning, then it would be much better if he found us bright -eyed and bushy

-tailed.

I have never had the slightest desire to be bushy -tailed.

But we do want to get out of here, don't we? You bet.

Now, we should get in bed.

You first.

You! In bed!

Can we manage that by ourselves?

Sorry, fella.

Wish I could help.

All right,

what the hell's going on here?

Good morning.

Is it?

Well, we're really in a good mood today, aren't we?

Stella, do me a favor.

Don't use the word we.

Has the doctor been by yet? Nope.

Well, he better get you out of here soon, or you're not going to be fit to

it.

Johnny Whitcomb, stage manager of the musical Polly, is being taken into

for the murder of the musical's director, Tony Franken.

Now, Whitcomb publicly threatened Franken's life just hours before the

which took place at the Paramount Theater at 2 .30 a .m.

Witnesses in the neighboring buildings say they heard the shots at that time,

but failed to report them. We'll have details.

What's the matter, Perry?

Do you know this Franken?

No, but I know that boy didn't kill him.

How? I saw him. What's his name? Whitcomb.

Right under that street lamp at the time of the murder.

Are you sure?

I remember looking at my watch as he was standing there, and the theater where

this Franken was murdered is at least three or four miles from here.

What are you going to do?

I don't know.

He'll likely be arraigned this morning. Well, as soon as the doctor releases

you, you can just go down and clear the boy.

I'm afraid it's not that simple.

Just tell him what you told me.

Any halfway decent prosecutor would tear me apart.

I don't... But, Della, get my clothes, will you, please?

I'm going downtown with you.

Good.

Then you can watch me make a world -class fool of myself.

Let's see, Mr. Mason.

You believe you saw the defendant on that park bench at about 2 .27 a .m., is

that right?

Yes, I looked at my watch.

But you were in a hospital about how many yards away?

About 30.

And although it was overcast that night, you believe you could make out his

features by the streetlights?

Yes, I believe so.

How was the man you saw dressed?

He was wearing the same clothes he has on now.

plus an overcoat and a hat.

Weren't you in the hospital for some sort of knee surgery?

Yes, an arthroscopy.

Mr. Mason, were you given some sort of sedation or painkiller before you went

sleep that night?

Yes.

And that would have been 40 milligrams of oxalidine, wouldn't it?

Actually, I'd taken 20 milligrams at 10 p .m. A simple yes or no will do.

Did you ingest 40 milligrams of oxalate?

Yes.

Mr. Mason, is it your testimony that on a moonless night from a

hospital room 30 yards away, after ingesting enough medication to put most

in a coma, you're able to identify this defendant, a stranger whose face you've

never seen before?

as the man you saw in the park in the middle of the night?

Yes, I believe it to have been him.

No further questions.

The defense rests, Your Honor.

Thank you, Counsel.

On the basis of the evidence presented here, this defendant shall be bound over

to Superior Court for trial on March 15th at 8 .30 a .m.

Bails shall continue in the amount of $250 ,000.

So after I left the theater, I bought myself a bottle of whiskey and just

wandered the streets for a couple of hours, maybe.

I guess I was just trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life.

Do you remember where you went?

I've never been in this town before.

I do remember going to that park.

I broke my bottle.

I'm glad I went there or you wouldn't have seen me.

I'm afraid that doesn't help as much.

Anyway, after that I went back to the hotel maybe about three.

Bought myself another bottle and drank myself into a boonie and...

I don't remember anything after that until the police found it on my door at

about 7 .30 this morning.

And found the gun in your room.

Mr. Mason, I swear I never saw that gun before.

It's a terrible tragedy.

And I know how shocked all of you must be.

Nevertheless, I intend for us to open in New York on the 3rd of next month.

This morning, I phoned Gavin Austin.

He's flying in from New York today to take over as director.

Most of you know Gavin, and I'm sure you share my faith in him.

We'll see the show tonight, and I've called a rehearsal for him at 10 o

tomorrow.

We've got a great show here, kids.

And although we'll all miss Tony, the show, as he would have wanted, will

definitely go on.

Right now, Mel and James will fill you in on the new material, all right?

Mr. Mason, I'm Amanda Cody.

I know. I've admired you for years.

And so have I.

This is my associate, Della Street.

Officer Street?

Hello. Please, it's Della and Perry.

Perry, is there any way I can convince you to represent Johnny?

I've called my attorney on the coast, but he isn't a criminal lawyer.

After all, you're right here in town already, and I just... You see...

Johnny's a very decent young man.

He couldn't have done such a thing.

I don't think so either.

And I am representing him.

Oh, that's wonderful.

Oh, I mean, Johnny won't be so pleased.

Mr. Mason, my name is Blaine Counter.

I'm the producer of Polly. Is there anything I can do for you? I'm Johnny

Whitcomb's attorney.

My associate, Don Street.

How do you do? Really, you know, I'm arranging Johnny's bail.

I'll see you both later.

We'll look forward to it.

Uh, excuse me, but I'm going to go make those calls.

Oh, try and locate Ken Malansky. I need to talk to him. Very neat.

Mr. Counter, do you have any idea what Franken was doing here at the theater

at 2 .30 in the morning?

No, I don't. But I just fired the security guard who was supposed to be

night. Uh, Parker somebody.

Moron left the place at midnight to go see his girlfriend.

Where did he come from? Some local employment agency. I don't even know his

name. I'd like the agency address.

Oh, of course.

I overheard you saying that the production will continue.

Yes, it will.

But not because of the old showbiz tradition. I happen to have a lot of my

money invested in it.

I had extraordinary faith in Polly. I still have.

Without Tony Franken?

Well, we've still got Amanda Cody. She'll sell a lot of tickets.

Oh, I'm sure of that.

She's wonderful. Even last night.

Last night.

What about last night?

Well, I was given to understand that she had a very upsetting call from the

coast. But on stage, she was superb.

Watching your company just now, I didn't see much evidence that Tony Franken

would be missed.

Tony Franken was a brilliant theater man, Mr. Mason, but a despicable human

being. You still hired him.

Well... Quite simply, he was the best director I could find. I had to protect

investment as well as my other investors.

And, of course, Amanda.

Mr. Counter, where were you at the time of the murder?

I was alone in my hotel room. Why?

Pardon me.

Here's the list, Perry. I tried to reach Ken, but I could only reach his

answering machine.

Mr.

Counter, I wonder if I might speak to your company for a moment.

Of course.

All right, hold it a minute.

Now, listen, kids.

This is Mr.

Perry Mason.

He's Johnny's lawyer, and he'd like to talk to you.

Thank you.

First, I'd like to tell you all that I have good reason to believe that Johnny

Whitcomb did not murder Tony Franken last night.

But proving that may be somewhat difficult.

Now, I understand there was an after -theater party given for you last night

the City Theater Society.

which some of you apparently did not attend.

Mr. Melsinger and wife Leslie, Mr. James Walton, Mr.

Blaine Counter, and Amanda Cody.

Everyone else seems to have been at the party until it ended.

Nearly 3 a .m., is that correct?

Well, what does that mean?

Well, if everyone who went to the party can prove they were there the whole

time, that gives them a pretty good alibi.

Those not at the party...

are suspect in Tony Franken's murder.

Suspect... until we find out... which one of you killed him.

Well, Mr. Mason, that Brock homicide?

It's Lieutenant now, isn't it?

Good to see you again, Ed.

I appreciate your meeting me here.

You too, officer.

Just call me Ray.

All right, Ray. This was Tony Franken's room.

We cleared out all the evidence.

Any pictures?

Ray, pictures?

According to this picture, Mr. Franken must have had a visitor the night of the

murder.

Any prints?

Layton's. We couldn't get a match, so we sent him back to Washington.

I'd like to know what took Franken to the theater at 2 .30 in the morning.

Well, I figured Whitcomb must have called him with some cog and bull story.

Mind showing me where you found the gun?

Room 511, Ray.

That was Whitcomb's room.

Now, the gun was right here behind these soft drink bottles.

And who found the body?

The cleaning crew from the theater.

At about seven in the morning.

Who told you about the threat Whitcomb made to Franklin?

The producer of the show, Mr. Counter. We called him and asked him to come down

to identify the body.

And he told us the whole story.

Luring Franklin to the theater sounds pretty complicated.

since that was Franklin's room right there, and this is Johnny's room right

here. But a shot would have wakened the whole hotel.

And since Franklin was right next door, Johnny probably could have heard that he

had a visitor.

That visitor could be very important, wouldn't you say, Lieutenant?

Mr. Massey, a mystery called for you. She left this message where you find a

called Moraleski or something.

The landscape.

Thank you, Ray.

You'll let me know about the prints on that glass.

Will do, Mr. Mason.

Thank you for your help.

Now, Mrs. Pitts, you heard Mrs. Gilman testify that at approximately 9 .30 p

on the night of March 3rd, your son, Walter, held her up at gunpoint and

$173 from her.

as well as forcing her to remove and hand over her underpants.

Now, I ask you, Mrs. Pitts, where was your son, Walter, actually on the night

March 3rd this year?

We was at my house, looking at TV the whole night.

The whole night?

Could you be a little more specific?

Well, Walter come over just as Vanna was giving the car away on Wheel of

Fortune... And he didn't leave till right after Johnny Carson's monologue.

You see, Johnny had Alan thick, Gaston, and Walter don't like him a lot.

Thank you, Mrs. Pitts.

No further questions.

Thank you, Mrs. Pitts. You can step down. You are excused.

I call Father Alan Rooney.

Do you solemnly swear under penalty of perjury that the testimony you're about

to give will be the truth?

I do.

State your name for the record, please.

I'm Father Alan Rooney.

Father Rooney, where were you on the night of March 3rd?

I was at St.

Sebastian's Church, as I am every Thursday night, calling the numbers.

Could you explain that, Father?

We have bingo every Thursday night, for the benefit of the homeless, don't you?

And did you see Mrs. Pitts there that night?

I certainly did, son.

In fact, she won $25 at the very last game.

Just before 10 o 'clock it was.

No further questions.

I'm sorry, Vera.

It's not your fault, father.

God forgive me.

He's just no good.

You're a...

pervert, Walter, and you always have been. You steal ladies under your chair

you make me lie under God's oath. I hope they put you away for a hundred years.

Objection!

Any cross -examination, Mr. Malinsky?

Uh... No, Your Honor.

I'm ordering a ten -minute recess at this time.

Mr. Malansky, in light of the testimony, I suggest you confer with your client

and decide how you wish to proceed.

I sincerely hope that you personally will have learned something from this

shabby chapter in the history of American jurisprudence.

I'm real sorry, Mr.

Malansky.

Look, if you give me some time, I'll give you back the 500.

I swear.

500.

What 500?

The 500 she gave me to give to you.

Amy? Look, you weren't getting any clients, so I went down to the police

station, you know, and I saw poor Walter here getting arraigned, and he looked

so innocent.

And he couldn't afford a lawyer, so... I already spent the money I stole from

that dame.

Great. Can I talk to you outside?

Just perfect. You bought me a plane?

I just don't want you buying me clients. I don't care how much money you got. If

I can't make it on my own, then I can't. I was just trying to help.

How many other clients you paid for?

I've only had five since you opened the office two months ago.

Six. Six clients. And how many of those did you put on your credit card?

Don't be silly.

Oh, look who's here.

Amy?

Ken? How's it going?

Just wrapping up some trial work.

Ken was terrific.

I'm sure he was.

How's your practice coming along?

Some days are better than others.

I lost my first seven cases in municipal court.

Two of them were real embarrassments.

You were there.

You peeked in for a minute.

Have you heard about the Tony Franken murder?

Hard to avoid. It's been all over the papers and TV.

I'm representing the young man they arrested.

Did he do it?

Amy? It's a fair question.

No, he didn't do it.

Meanwhile, I could use some help if you'd have the time.

I'm flattered.

We'll fit it in.

Excellent. Mr.

Mason, if Ken's going to work on this case, then couldn't you make him co

-counsel? Not on this one.

Don't mind her, Mr. Mason. She means well, but sometimes she's a little

What do you need? I need some investigative work.

I'm never pushy.

Great. Just tell me what to do.

Well, they hired a local as night watchman at the theater who left his job

night of the murder to see some girl.

Find out about him.

His not being there that night sounds just a little too convenient.

Great. We'll get started right away.

She can be your Della Street.

Not a lot. No, they're all pretty much in the pub, guys.

Anything more on Tony Franklin?

Mm -hmm.

Tony and Kate Farrar had a thing going since the beginning of college.

world's great womanizers, married and divorced three times.

Evidently thought nothing of getting involved with married women. Young

even committed suicide after he threw her over.

Also, until this show, Tony hadn't worked for over three years.

Evidently, the producers didn't want the aggravation.

I encountered it.

I wonder why.

Well, we'll run a check on the ex -wives at all.

Who knows?

Very nice, lady. Thank you.

Amanda,

ten minutes and Gavin would like to put it on and speak.

Right.

As you heard, I have about ten minutes. Will that do?

So far.

We can talk in my dressing room.

You take care of this. Have at the door for it. Thank you, Uncle Billy.

How's it going?

Pretty well, I think.

Mel's new song is marvelous and Gavin has some really smashing ideas.

There was this tedious ballet in the second act, and he just took it out, and

now the whole show plays better. It's incredible.

You don't miss Tony Frank?

Like I'd miss a migraine headache.

Oh, I'm sorry.

I know that sounds awfully cruel.

Tony was a truly loathsome man.

You really meant what you said about us being suspects?

I'm afraid I did.

You know, maybe none of this would have happened if Blaine had stepped in like

he should have.

You mean when Tony fired Johnny?

Blaine's let Tony walk all over him about everything.

That's very strange.

I once read where he fired a choreographer for slapping a chorus

Well, he's obviously changed.

I did understand that he'd proposed marriage to you.

Well, I didn't think that my private life was so public.

Yes, he did.

You see, his wife died a few years ago, and he said he... He thought he'd never

remarry.

Until he met me.

That's very flattering, of course.

But naturally, I turned him down. I mean, you can't marry a man without a

backbone.

Sorry to have to ask this, but where were you when Tony was murdered?

My God.

You really do think that I might have killed him.

But why would I?

Maybe because you knew Tony Franken was planning to replace

you in the show.

We heard you'd received a disturbing call from the coast, so on a hunch,

contacted your manager.

He was... unhappy about being fired. And very, very talkative.

My ex -manager has a very big mouth.

And he probably told you that Tony and I didn't get along too well.

But then nobody got along with Tony.

But I didn't... kill him, Perry.

And I know Johnny didn't either.

You seem very sure of that.

Some things you just know in your guts.

It seems to me that being replaced would have been

very painful for you, wouldn't it?

An earthquake, my friend.

You said you were a fan of mine, but I'm sure you haven't seen me at your

neighborhood movie theater lately.

You see, this business can be pretty rough on old broads like me.

I'd say that time has been very kind to you.

Thanks.

Well, if you'll excuse me.

They want me back on the stage.

We must get together sometime and have fun.

I told you. It's the policy of this agency to respect the privacy of its

clients. I don't want his tax return.

Just his name.

Parker Wendt.

I'm very busy and I don't have time to argue with you.

All right.

This is confidential.

But I'll tell you the real reason why I need to talk to him.

While he was working at the theater, several of the actors reported having

valuables stolen from their dressing rooms.

Now, I'd like to ask this Parker some questions, and I'm sure you'd like the

police to know that you cooperated fully with our investigation.

Yes, of course I would.

Good.

But you are not the police, and I would appreciate your leaving before I call

them and charge you with harassment.

Come on.

Morgan!

Great. Mr. Mason asked for one simple thing and I strike out.

His name's Parker Newton and he was kicked off the police force for

He lives at 552 Morgan Street, apartment 4B.

What?

By the way, that woman is really very sweet.

Here's his personnel application.

Nice work.

Now, where will I drop you?

I'm going with you. You just said this Newton was kicked out the force for

brutality.

All the more reason to...

I think the show has finally taken shape.

Morale is way up.

New director put back the ballad, Tony Cutt. It's Amanda's one real moment of

vulnerability, and the show really needed it.

I'll get right to the point, Mr. Walton.

I'm told you came by Tony's room just as they were arresting Johnny Whitcomb.

Yeah. I was delivering my script changes.

I was up all night with him.

What do I find?

Tony's murdered?

Johnny busted for it?

You talk about shock.

I'm also told Tony was pretty hard on you.

You or your work.

Mr. Mason, I come out of TV where everybody and his astrologer tells you

do it better.

You don't like it, but you get used to it.

He intended putting his name on the show's co -author. Didn't that bother

Yeah, well, um... He never got the chance, did he?

You couldn't be more right.

Whoa.

Hey, I don't like where you're going.

Tell you, Mr. Mason, if Tony had really tried something like that,

he would have been up to his neck in my lawyers.

Wouldn't it still have cast doubt on your ability to write for Broadway?

Excuse me.

Lieutenant Brock just phoned for you.

Um, later, Mr. Mason.

Later, Mr. Walton.

What did Brock want?

They've taken Leslie Singer in for questioning.

The composer's wife?

Washington finally matched the prints on Tony's glass.

They belong to her.

I won't let you do it.

That's why we're here.

It says he sticks two ways to ten.

An ex -cop who brutalizes people.

I'll just ask him a few questions. What if you ask him the wrong one?

Look, I'm not impugning your masculinity. I knew I shouldn't have let

Darling, I only want to help.

I mean, I know you and everybody else think I'm just some rich little kid

giggled her way through college, but I'd like to show you that maybe I can

really do something.

You know what I mean?

Actually contribute.

Look,

why do you sort of think of me as your Della Street?

Nice car.

Looks like the security guard business pays better than I thought, State Point.

Remember, brutality.

Excuse me.

Your name Parker Newton?

What the hell is it to you?

My name's Kim Alasky. I'm a lawyer.

Congratulations, Mr.

Malansky, but that doesn't exactly answer my question, does it?

No. Ken Malansky.

I know you said that before.

Yeah, well, you see, I work for another lawyer named Perry Mason. You might have

heard of him.

We represent the man who's accused of killing Tony Franken.

So what's that got to do with me?

Just wanted to know what you saw at the theater that night.

Not a thing.

Like I told the cops, I took over on midnight.

It's your girlfriend.

Funny time for a date, isn't it?

Look, Cassie works all day in the stress store.

I was working all night at the dinner, so we never get a chance to be together.

Too bad you took off that particular night.

Yeah.

How was I supposed to know that someone would get murdered?

Not a damn thing ever happened in the three weeks I was there.

Where's your girlfriend working?

Me and you just finished talking.

I understand you used to be a cop.

Look, Hunk, I told you, get out of my face now.

Move. I see. chatting with you.

I'm

a

serious creep.

I'd like to talk to this girlfriend. She works at some dress store.

Molly.

What's this?

The dress store?

Very oppressed from what I hear, but I found it in the back of Newton's car and

I don't think they carry his sign.

Great. Tell me where it is and I'll drop you someplace.

I told you, I'm not droppable.

Like it or not, we're in this together.

Stella Street, remember?

Stella Street?

Who can't even type?

Mr. Mason, I've had her in there almost 45 minutes.

She'll be out soon, Mr. Sayre.

It's Mel.

Thanks.

Shh.

What the deck?

You wanted to know where I was.

That's right.

I was working on the new song that Tony wanted.

I couldn't have a piano in my room, so I was working in one of the lounges

downstairs.

Some of the staff must have seen me or heard me.

Didn't you resent it?

Tony kept you coming up with new songs.

No.

This is my seventh Broadway show.

I've probably written two.

Three songs for every one of you.

That's why they call it a triumph.

You did your last... Your last show in 1969.

Yeah.

Yeah, they sort of put me on hold for 20 years.

That is, until they have a show that needed music instead of noise.

Actually, my whole life was on hold.

Until I met Leslie.

Of course.

Mel.

Do you know why Leslie was in Tony's room the night he was murdered?

Look, Mr. Mason.

I have no illusions about why Leslie married me.

I'm this...

Semi -famous old guy with ASCAP royalties that'll roll in forever.

I married her because I love her.

More than I've ever loved anybody else in my whole life, including my first

wife, God rest her soul.

And yeah, I know she cheats on me.

Yeah, I guessed about her and Tony.

But I'll never confess. confront her with that, ever.

You see, I won't take the chance of losing her.

Most men couldn't live that way.

You think I was the one who killed Tony because I was jealous?

Well, why would I?

There's always going to be another Tony.

He's almost too good to be true.

Well, anyway, she didn't solve much of the puzzle.

Somebody did call Tony Frank and say that Amanda Cody had tried to kill

down at the theater.

Frank goes down there.

Mrs. Singer doesn't know if it was a man or a woman. Doesn't do very much to get

your final hook up, Mr. Mason.

Apparently not.

He, uh, must have got to my place at, uh, 12 .15.

And like you said, you know, we spent the whole night together.

And you're sure about the time?

Oh, I don't know. You know, maybe it was 12 .20.

It was right around then.

Excuse me.

Okay. Thanks.

She backed up a story.

She seemed about like Jerry, though.

You think she's lying?

Ken, look.

It's fine.

We're out of your mind.

Do you want to break this case or not?

Of course I do, but I don't want you involved in something dangerous.

Working in that store is not dangerous.

The shopping is.

Amy, you've never worked a day in your life. Amy!

I pay the minimum wage plus a 5 % commission. You have a half an hour for

And don't use the phone unless we're on fire.

No friends hanging around. And if you're late, it comes out of your pay. Any

questions? No.

Do you have any experience?

Uh, well, let me put it this way.

Valentino, Lester's line, Anne Klein, Ongaro, Silk,

Donna Corrine, Adolfo, and another Valentino. It's years and it's great.

No, Ken, Cassie's really sweet. I mean, she has to be to work for that witch.

Anyway, it's like we're old friends. I tell her about us and she tells me about

them. You tell everybody about us.

I had to get her confidence, didn't I?

And I did. She's told me a lot.

Like what?

Well, like sometimes she's frightened of Newton.

Like he hates broccoli.

Like he works out at this gym called Harry's every day. And like he's not

looking for another job even though he still talks about it.

Get him out of here. He's not looking for another job, but he is driving a new

Corvette. I'd sure like to get a look at his bank book.

I'll see you tonight, okay?

And then I discovered a weapon which was hidden in the minibar and the

defendant's hotel room.

Lieutenant, I'm now showing you People's Exhibit 9, a .38 caliber revolver,

which Lieutenant Maxwell of your ballistics department has previously

as the murder weapon. Is that the weapon you found in the defendant's room?

Yes, it is. It has my mark.

Were there any fingerprints found on this gun?

No, because Whitcomb apparently wiped them off. Objection.

Speculation, no foundation.

Motion to strike.

Sustained. The testimony after the witness's response of no is stricken

record.

When you first arrived at the defendant's room, Lieutenant Brock, was

locked?

Ah, yes, it was. We need the manager's master key to get in. You see, it's the

type of doors that lock automatically when they're closed.

So, if some other person planted the gun in the defendant's room... They would

have needed a key to get in. Thank you, Lieutenant. No further questions.

Mr. Mason.

No questions, Your Honor.

So, what do you do?

Oh, I'm an attorney.

Yeah? Yeah.

Well, I guess most lawyers could use the gym.

All that sitting around on their desks. Believe me, I know.

I was wondering if you have anything like a trial membership.

No. No. Try it out.

Right now. No charge.

Great. But I didn't bring my gear.

Well, we'll fix you up.

Hey, Willie.

Hey, where do you see the machines we got?

Other gyms we'll kill for.

Here, Willie. Give Mr. Malinsky here some stuff. Uh, Malinsky.

My landscape.

Some stuff he can use to work out. Sure, this way.

Great, I'll see you later. Yeah.

Sir, did the defendant say anything after you pulled him away from Mr.

He said somebody ought to drive a stake through your heart.

And then what happened?

Then Tony asked him if he, Johnny, was going to be the one to do it, and he

said, yeah, maybe.

No further questions.

You're a witness, Counselor.

Mr. Counter, why didn't you object when Franklin fired the defendant?

I did. I told him that Johnny was a damn fine stage manager.

But you're the producer.

Surely you could countermand such an arbitrary dismissal.

Well, yes, I'm the producer, but...

Ordinarily, the director has jurisdiction over the backstage

didn't feel that it was my place to interfere.

Tony Franken was considering replacing Amanda Cody in your show, wasn't he?

Well, I'd heard rumors to that effect.

And would you have countermanded that dismissal?

Objection. Hypothetical and irrelevant.

Sustained. Mr. Counter...

Could you describe for us the manner in which Tony Franken customarily dealt

with creative talent?

Tony was a bully. He was a marvelous director, but he was terribly cruel and

insulting to almost everybody he worked with.

I have no further questions at this time, but I reserve the right to recall

witness. No questions, Your Honor.

The witness is excused, subject to recall.

Hey, Newt.

Man, you really hung up on this place, aren't you?

You think I want to turn into a tough along like you?

Yeah. Let's find out who quits first.

Hey, Willie! Hey!

Hey, I'm sorry. I really screwed up. I was working out and I must have lost my

keys someplace.

No problem. Which lock? This one.

Right here.

Thanks. I'll take care of you later.

You know what we're getting at?

I want on new bikes with a computer.

The factory will tell you how many days you got to live.

What are you selling, steroids? You can't afford that stuff. Come on.

Membership's up 20 % over last month.

Maybe you even hooked a lawyer today.

I better make sure. Hey, Maliski!

Hey!

We can't hold him much longer. You better get your butt out of here.

Place you got here, Harry.

I think I'll pass on the membership.

I'll get you.

I'll get you.

Mason.

How'd it go today?

Very well.

The judge is going to allow us to put the victim on trial.

The way I hear it, Tony, Franken made enemies the way most people make

That's what I intend to show.

I had a pretty good day myself.

I got a look at Parker Newton's checkbook. You know the security guard?

There were two recent cash deposits of $25 ,000 each.

The first deposit was made the day after Franken's death. The second deposit

yesterday.

Nice work.

I'm sure getting paid for something.

We'll find out who's paying.

We got our killer.

Lane, you better talk, too.

Newton officially.

Get this to the clerk's office and you take it from there.

Newton. Newton.

Swell.

You see, this is the directory.

I enter all my notes and all of the summaries according to the case name.

At least those for the last couple of years.

Of course, if...

You want all of the cases in here.

It's going to take me to the middle of the next century.

By that time, computers will be obsolete. They'll be implanting chips in

odd parts of our brain and skull.

I wish they could find some from our knee.

So do I.

What else?

Let's see.

Two of Tony's ex -wives are happily remarried and living in New York.

The third is a costume designer in London.

And here's a photostat of that young actress who committed suicide.

Her name was Vanessa Grant.

She left a note saying she was pregnant and couldn't go on living without Tony.

Of course, he denied the whole thing.

A real prince.

Oh, and look at this.

Blaine Counter.

His wife died four years ago.

And they...

Had a coroner's investigation.

Cancer.

Overdose of sleeping pills.

Self -administered.

So, no charges were brought.

No. Oh.

Something else. James Walton's hotel bill as of yesterday. Some interesting

charges, right?

Very. Now, why don't you tell your machine everything you just told me and

be back soon.

Oh, Della.

If the machine comes up with the name of the killer, don't forget to make a note

of it.

Mr. Mason, what can I do for you?

You have a few minutes?

Oh, sure. Come on in.

Uh, coffee?

No, thank you.

I don't want to interrupt your work. Oh, I'm just getting started.

It's a TV pilot I've got due next week.

You're not working on Polly?

Oh, no.

Ever since that last set of rewrites I did, that show has been frozen. Thank

God.

I'd like to show you something, Mr. Walton.

It's a copy of my hotel bill.

I just wondered why you've sent Kate Ferrara a dozen roses every night since

rehearsals began.

So, that's why you dropped by?

Well, uh... The roses are part of a promise I made Kate.

You see, at first we only wanted her for lead dancer, and she didn't want to do

it.

I promised if she would, I would send her a dozen roses every night.

Well, she finally took the job when Tony let her choreograph, but meanwhile, I

was stuck with my promise.

Doesn't this indicate more than a professional interest?

You got me.

It was more.

Does anybody still use the word smitten?

She was involved with Tony, wasn't she?

What are you getting at?

You think I killed Tony because I was jealous?

Mr. Walton, people have killed for a lot less.

Mr. Mason, you're barking up the wrong tree.

Tony was finished with Kate.

At the time he was killed, he was sleeping with Leslie Singer.

So if anyone was going to be jealous, it was Mel Singer.

Not me.

Apparently, Mr. Singer has his problems.

But then I believe so do you.

I still consider both of you suspects.

Thank you for your time, Mr. Wolfe.

What the hell?

There's a subpoena requiring you to testify. Johnny Whitman is trial

See you there.

Tony was very abusive.

And Johnny just lost control.

But it was obvious that he didn't mean he was actually going to kill Tony.

It's just one of those things you say in the heat of anger.

Tony always provoked a lot of anger from everybody.

I think he enjoyed doing it.

From your knowledge of Johnny Whitcomb's character, do you think there's any

possibility he could have, with premeditation, murdered Tony Franklin?

Johnny would be incapable of murdering anybody.

Thank you, Miss Cody.

I have no questions.

Miss Cody, you may step down.

Wait. Listen, I know Johnny couldn't have killed Tony because...

I was with Johnny all night.

Why didn't you tell us that before?

Because I had lied to the police and I... I told them that I'd been in my

sleeping.

You see, I never thought it would go this far.

And why were you in the defendant's room, Miss Cody?

I was upset about him being fired, and I couldn't sleep anyway, so I went to his

room about 2 .15, and he was passed out on his bed, so I

stayed with him until almost dawn.

So you see, he couldn't have been at the theater and killed Tony.

How did you get into the defendant's room?

Oh, he'd given me a key.

How do you explain the defendant's own statement to the police that he did not

get back to the hotel until nearly 3 a .m.? All right.

I'll tell you the truth.

The reason that I know Johnny didn't kill Tony Franklin is because I killed

myself.

Miss Cody, is it true that Johnny Whitcomb is your son?

Yes.

Yes, we kept it a secret.

I suppose... I didn't want my public to know I was old enough to have

a grown son.

It was stupid of me.

But it does help us understand some of your behavior.

I have no further questions.

Miss Cody...

You did not kill Mr. Franken, did you?

No.

But I can't just sit here.

He didn't do it.

But all these people out there think that he did.

I... Scotty.

We understand that you love your son.

But this is not the way to help him.

I'm going to ask you to step down now.

I don't know whether the district attorney will be charging you with

not. Your Honor, the district attorney's office has no interest in filing

charges against this witness.

Can you believe it?

She wants $1 ,400 for this.

I mean, my boyfriend has to work a whole month for that.

What about yours?

Can you afford to spring on one of these? Oh, yeah.

That's what's great.

Excuse me. Sure.

What's the matter?

We're leaving town tonight.

What did you do now?

Nothing. It's just getting a little too hot here. That's all.

You're in trouble again, aren't you? Listen, no arguments.

Just go home and pack and I'll pick you up at your place at six.

Baby, it's almost five o 'clock. Just do it, okay?

Look, I got an emergency. I got to leave early, okay? You can't go. It's still

over half an hour before closing.

I know. I can't help it, okay? I'm sorry.

I'll see you later.

Not here you won't. You're fired.

What are you doing?

A wild guess. Using the phone.

No smart mouth remarks, thank you. And I told you, no personal calls.

Mind if I tell you something?

You have a terrible attitude problem.

And your markups are obscene.

Well, you'll be sorry. This is Mr.

Katzolansky. If you will leave me a number at the tone, I'll come back to

soon as we can.

Thank you.

Karen, where are you? I need you now.

Listen, Newton is skipping town. He's picking up Cassie at her place at 6. Oh,

my God, that's 45 minutes.

Listen, she lives at the Astor Department on 21st.

No matter what happens, I love you.

Bye.

Connor, you've worked with Tony Frank.

Four, haven't you? Yes, four years ago.

And at that time, your wife was quite ill, wasn't she?

Yes, she had cancer. And when she learned her cancer was inoperable, you

to help her, didn't you?

What the hell has this got to do with Tony Franken's murder?

Mr. Counter, I'm sorry that I must ask you about this very painful time in your

life.

But I believe it is relevant to my client's case.

Your Honor, he has no right... Please answer the question.

When my wife learned the cancer was inoperable, she made me promise I'd help

her. It was her idea.

Help her how, Mr. County?

Help her to end her suffering when it became too much for her.

And eventually...

It did become too much for her, didn't it?

Yes. So you asked Tony Franken to get you some sleeping pills.

I didn't know how else to get them without a prescription, and I knew that

was into the drug scene.

And then... Look, what I'm going to say might get me in some trouble, but I

guess it's about time I got it off my chest.

I got the pills from Tony, and I gave them to my wife.

And she decided to take them.

And to this day, I can't say I'm sorry about it.

I mean, she was in such terrible pain.

Anyway, afterwards, everybody thought it was suicide that she did it alone.

Everyone except Tony.

Is that why you hired him to again direct for you when nobody else would

him?

When he...

Heard I was doing Polly.

He hinted that if I didn't hire him, he'd make the whole thing public.

And he continued to use that threat against you?

At every opportunity.

That's why I had to just stand by and let him fire Johnny.

And you had no way of knowing, did you, how long he might continue to exercise

this power over you?

No.

And you knew?

he was planning to fire a man to Cody.

A woman you'd asked to marry you.

Yes.

Wouldn't you say, Mr. Counter, you had a very strong motive to kill Tony?

I'll say this.

I've never been happier to see a man dead.

At the time of the murder, you were working in your hotel room alone, were

not? Yes.

But it... It would have been very simple, wouldn't it, for you to leave

hotel and return without being seen?

Probably, but I never left my room.

But you have no witness to confirm that.

Mr. Mason, when I first met you, you told us you considered some of us

So I thought I'd better protect myself.

You see, one of my investors called me that night from Honolulu to find out how

the show was doing.

Last week, I asked him to send me a copy of his phone bill.

sent me this.

It shows a long -distance call from Mr. McQueen directly to my room phone on the

night of the murder.

And you'll also see that, allowing for the time difference, we spoke from 2 .15

a .m. to 2 .39 a .m.

Mr. McQueen will confirm that he was talking to me during that time period.

No further questions?

Miss August?

No questions.

Thank you, Mr. Conner. May we excuse you?

Yeah. Oh, Molly's isn't going to be the same without you.

Come here and give me a proper goodbye.

Ma 'am, can you please move your car?

Can I have an address?

Maybe I'll come visit you. We don't have an address. Now move your car.

In a minute.

No! All right, you don't have to yell.

an ambulance.

Oh, God, no!

Are you okay?

Here's the cake.

Come here.

Cassie, about you being with your boyfriend that night, I think it's

time you told the truth.

He told me to say that we were together that night.

Did he kill Tony Frank?

No.

But he knew who did.

How do you know that?

He sort of surprised the killer at the theater, I guess.

And the man promised the money to keep quiet.

He got the money.

$50 ,000.

And he was even trying to get some more.

Who's the man he saw, Cassie?

I don't know. He wouldn't tell me.

And you're sure it was a man?

I don't even know that.

We should have heard from the hospital.

I'm sure Ken will call as soon as Parker Newton's able to talk.

Anyway, shouldn't you be leaving for court?

I still have half an hour.

Harry, you've been going over those papers forever.

I've left to go on in this case than I've ever had.

At this time, I know for a fact a fact my client is innocent.

With all that, I'm still absolutely helpless.

If I just hadn't taken those sedatives.

I'm sorry, Mr. Mason.

Vincent died about 20 minutes ago.

Didn't he ever regain consciousness?

No. Rock had someone by his bed all night long.

His girlfriend took it pretty hard, but I think she's going to be okay.

That's it.

What?

You know who did it?

Ken, I want you to do something for me, and fast. I need you back in the

courtroom in 40 minutes.

Who are you calling?

Rock.

I want him to contact the hotel security chief.

Lieutenant Brock, please.

Brock.

Mr. Mason, we're waiting on you.

My friend reached actor's equity.

He'll get us right on target.

Mr. Mason, is there a problem?

Defense calls James Walton.

Any word from Ken?

Do you solemnly swear under penalty of perjury that the testimony you are about

to give will be the truth?

I do.

Mr. Walton, you are the book writer of the musical Polly?

That's right.

How did you get along with Tony Franken?

Like most people, I suppose.

He wasn't an easy man to like.

Mr. Counter testified that he was often very harsh in his criticisms of your

work. Yes, he certainly was.

That annoyed you, did it not?

Of course.

But it was just a part of his usual drill.

Was his plan to claim co -authorship of the show also part of his drill?

Objection. No relevancy.

I tend to agree.

Objection sustained. Please try to find a more relevant line of questioning, Mr.

Mason. Certainly.

Mr. Walton, what is the number of your hotel room?

I'm in room 611.

I would remind the court that Lieutenant Brock has already testified that the

defendant's room is 511. Now, Mr. Walton, is there a fire escape outside

window of your hotel?

I'm not sure. Maybe.

Let me assure you there is.

Just as there is one...

Outside my client's room, just as there is one outside every room ending in the

number 11.

Objection. Relevancy. Your Honor, I am trying to establish that Mr. Walton's

room was directly above that of the defendant's, and that therefore Mr.

Walton, through their mutual fire escape, had access to the defendant's

An interesting point, Counselor. But what's your point here?

to establish that Mr. Walton could have climbed down that fire escape, and while

the defendant was passed out, planted the murder weapon in the defendant's

and that he, of course, could have returned the same way.

Objection overruled.

Mr. Walton, did you murder Tony Franken?

Did you place the murder weapon in the defendant's room?

After that murder?

I never even saw the murder weapon until this trial.

No. I didn't murder Tony Franken.

I was in my room the entire night doing the script changes Tony asked for.

Mr. Walton, I'm given to understand that television writers are noted

for their speed.

Isn't it possible you finished those changes earlier than you say, early

to have lured Tony Franken to the theater and then to have killed him?

Objection. The witness has already denied he murdered Tony Franken.

Sustained. Mr. Mason, I must say I've been very patient with your questioning

this witness.

I appreciate that, Your Honor. But I must ask you to make your examination

on point or finish with him.

I'd like to request a moment for a conference with my co -counsel.

Granted. But let me remind you, Mr. Mason, the word moment is capable of

definition.

Co -counsel? Of course, co -counsel.

Sorry about the time. That security man wasn't too cooperative.

It's all right. We're still in business.

We're ready, Your Honor.

Please proceed.

Mr. Walton, do you do your writing on a word processor?

No, I do.

You saw me working on it.

Does the program you use put a time and date on each file?

I, uh, I don't know.

Maybe it does. I never really noticed.

Maybe you should have.

Would you identify this for us?

Yes, this is a printout of my directory.

There are some 13 files listed on this directory.

After each one, there is a date and a time indicating the last time the file

worked on. Isn't that correct?

That's how it works.

And here, after the file named Polly, it shows the date.

The same date Tony Franken was murdered.

Now, what was the hour?

1 .37 a .m.

Well, you did finish your work early.

Early enough to have gone to the theater and taken Tony Franken's life.

Now, that is true, isn't it?

Objection asked and answered.

Sustained. Is this as far as you can go, Mr. Mason?

No, Your Honor. I intend to go a lot farther.

Mr. Walton did indeed murder Tony Franken. That's crazy.

What the hell motive would I have?

Yes, that was also a problem for me.

That is, until I had that visit with you in your room yesterday.

Look, this was my first Broadway show.

Now, why would I kill the director that was going to take it to Broadway and

make it a hit and make me a fortune?

A good point, Mr. Waldron.

No, you wouldn't kill such a man.

But you would kill a man who was responsible for the death of your

Mr. Walton, can you identify the people in that picture?

Myself, my sister, and my parents. Thank you. Hold on to that.

I am now showing you a copy of a New York Examiner article and a photograph

young woman that accompanies it.

Can you tell me what the headline says?

Actress commits suicide.

And that actress was Vanessa Grant, and Vanessa Grant was really Edith Walton.

And Edith Walton was really your sister, isn't that true?

Yes, it's true.

I'm now showing you People's Exhibit 9.

Identify it as the murder weapon.

You recognize it, don't you? No, no.

Here, take it.

Do you recognize it?

No.

Your Honor, I would like to excuse this witness subject to recall.

Call Mr. Parker Newton to the stand.

I'll get him, Mr. Mason.

He's waiting out in the hall.

All right.

you again, Mr. Walton.

Have you ever seen that gun before?

This is the gun.

This is the gun my sister used to

kill herself.

And you thought there would be some ironic justice if

you used that gun, that same gun, to kill Tony Franken, isn't that right?

I'm not sorry I did it.

I'm only sorry that Johnny had to suffer through all this.

Your Honor, the defense moves to dismiss all charges against Mr. Whitcomb.

The state has no objection.

Motion is granted, and the defendant shall be released forthwith.

Bailiff, take this man into custody.

This court is now in recess.

I love you, Perry.

Well, now.

Oh, and that's not all.

I've been offered the lead in the film version of our play.

And I'll accept.

If they'll let Johnny direct.

Why not?

He's certainly ready.

Amanda.

Mother.

Mother.

Perry, the thanks hardly says it. It'll do.

Oh, and I'll see you at the party after the show tonight?

Absolutely. Miss Cody, I'm told there's a great many press people out in the

corridor. If you'd like to go through my private chambers, you can use another

exit. Thank you, Your Honor.

Thank you. Johnny?

Mother.

I want to thank you for making me co -counsel.

No.

Thank you, co -counsel.

We'll do it again.

All out in the very near future.

Does our very near future still include the ice skating you promised me? It

does.

I hope it's not dinner.

Two rival lawyers.

One messy divorce.

I'm so mad.

And a case of mutual attraction.

May the best man win. She will.

A Hallmark Channel original movie.

We need to talk.

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Love is a four -letter word. A craft special presentation.

Wednesday night at 9.

On an all -new McBride.

So many suspects.

How did you do this to me? I didn't kill Frank. I enjoyed watching him squirm.

One little crime.

That takes an evil mind.

Now, the only thing standing between her and prison.

The answer's staring at me and I can't see it. Is a good lawyer.

Know any?

Ooh. Ooh.

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