Original subtitles

Okay, next.

Who said give me liberty or give me death?

My teacher.

With you in our class, I can understand why.

You didn't read this, did you?

Well, I wasn't expecting a trick question.

It says right here in big, bold letters, Patrick Henry, voice for freedom.

Who cares about history?

That stuff's already happened.

I want to live in the future.

Well, in the future, you'll be still trying to pass the third grade.

Don't touch that!

Miss Krause?

Yes?

Who turned up this thermostat?

I did.

Some fool turned it down.

Well, the fool's doing it again.

It's way too warm in here. It is perfect in here.

At least it was until you came along trying to change everything.

Now leave it alone.

I'm sorry, Miss Krause. I must insist.

If you insist, Benson, you will be sorry. It stays where it is. That's your

opinion.

And a very good one, I might add.

Good morning. Oh, no, it isn't. Right, that's what I meant.

The total disaster is what it is.

It's all over. We're finished. Now, where is he? I don't know. He's not

Well, we have to find him before he sees that newspaper. I know that.

Listen, if it's something I can help with... Just staying out of the way,

Benson, would be a big help.

Thank you.

And I'd like some coffee.

So would I. Make enough for two.

I don't know how you're going to break this news to the governor.

Hey, why should I be the one to tell him? Were you his secretary?

Were you his aide?

Oh, he's going to be furious.

Oh, sure. That's why you wanted me to tell him.

He is liable to... Morning, Governor.

Morning. Nice to see you, sir.

Nice to see you, too, Taylor.

Morning, Katie.

Morning. This cross.

Well, it certainly is a beautiful day, isn't it?

Birds chirping away, big cotton ball clouds floating across the sky.

It's mornings like this that make a person feel good all over. You want to

All I need now is my paper.

The, uh, newspaper.

For some reason, I couldn't find mine this morning.

I couldn't find mine either. The dogs beat me to it.

Pity they only got the paper.

Actually, the newspaper wasn't printed today.

It was a holiday.

The thing was, it was a holiday strike.

They were striking for more holidays.

I didn't hear about a strike.

The library...

I'll send someone for the newspaper while they work out their act.

All right. Sir, I withheld the paper from you. You're not going to like it

today.

No Doonesbury?

I'm afraid that the lead story has to do with an alleged remark you made about

Senator Englehart. An unfavorable remark.

Well, what was it?

You are...

Voted as saying that if Senator Englehart's brain were put into a bird,

fly backwards.

This is serious, Benson.

Senator Englehart controls the crucial votes on the governor's insurance reform

bill. Without his support, the entire program's in jeopardy. Ah, so

riding on the bird brain.

Would you mind not doing that while we're talking? You have an office for

meetings. Oh.

Let's face it, Governor.

We have a leak.

Oh, I'm sure Benson will get it fixed. No, this is important.

No, what I'm saying is that information could only have come from this house.

Or someone in it.

I heard you say it and leaked it to that reporter.

Someone who has your complete confidence.

Someone on the staff.

Someone who is... Okay, okay, we get the idea.

Hurts to think that you can't trust somebody in your own home.

I remember when I was a boy... No, no, listen to this, Benjamin. When I was

My own brother.

Well, you just couldn't trust him. See, what'd he do?

He'd bite himself on the arm. No, no, listen. He would bite himself on the

and then he'd tell our folks that I did it to him.

He'd show them the teeth marks, see, and then I'd really catch hack. And he got

away with it, too, for a long time, until finally one day he walked into a

doorknob and he lost a few teeth, and the teeth marks didn't match up, you

So, of course, his sins found him out.

With all due respect, Governor, who cares?

We have a leak here.

But that's just my point. We can't tolerate it. Oh, I intend to catch

responsible, sir.

And they must be let go.

Well, what happens if you can't find out who it is? I'm afraid the Governor's

just going to have to let everyone go.

You've got to get going, honey. You'd be late for school.

But this is a learning experience.

Government in action.

So I'm a little late.

Sweetheart, with the way you study, you should get there early.

Honey, I'll walk you to the car. I'll get you a sweater.

Bye. See you later.

Assuming you're still here.

What is that supposed to mean? Well, we didn't have any leaks before you came.

Leo anymore.

Uh, look, I really can't discuss it right now.

No. And don't call me here again.

That was a personal call, Benson.

I could tell.

Why were you sneaking around?

I wasn't sneaking.

Why were you whispering?

I was whispering because you were sneaking.

Well, just because I sneak doesn't mean I leak.

It wasn't the one on the phone.

Whispering is not leaking. That was not what you think. I didn't think anything.

You were thinking.

Come on, Marcy. What are we doing? I'm sorry.

I don't think it's you.

Anyone's going to get canned. It's going to be me.

No, it'll be me. I'm the new one around here.

You're not the one who's had a couple of dates with a reporter.

Oh? Who works for the Herald.

Uh -oh.

He did not write the story, but you can see how it looks.

Marcy, in your position, how could you go out with a reporter?

Because he has some very nice qualities.

He's a man.

And he has a job.

Benson, this is a government town. There are three women to every man.

No wonder politicians never get anything done.

Okay, it was a risk.

Look, but I did not tell him anything that goes on in this house. I swear to

you. It isn't possible that maybe in a moment of passion you might have moaned

confidential information.

Taylor, in a moment of passion, I'm certainly not going to quote the

You know what they say.

A woman's like a violin.

Stroke the right string and she'll sing any tune you want.

Did you say ha?

No.

Miss Krause, could you come here a moment, please?

What do you want?

Oh, just curious what you're doing in the closet.

It's none of your business what I do on my break.

No, she's busy right now. Can I take a message?

Mm -hmm.

Mm -hmm.

Okay. Got it.

Okay, Kraus.

That was a certain Dennis Jenkins from the Herald.

He says he needs the information right away to meet his deadline.

Perhaps this needs some explanation.

I'd love to hear it.

He was calling me back because I wanted to place an advertisement in the

newspaper. Oh, really?

What sort of an ad, Miss Krause?

I was looking for a stud.

Don't look at me.

Oh, the dogs.

Do you really expect us to believe that?

make up something like that.

Taylor, why don't you just call the man at the paper?

Go ahead. He'll tell you what's the truth.

Sure he will. A newsman will say anything to protect his source.

What are you saying?

Let's face it, Miss Krause. You're the leak, aren't you?

Taylor, come on.

I know why you're singling me out. Because I'm German.

Mein Gott!

We give you Einstein and Volkswagens and still you don't forget.

Come on, I just asked you a simple question.

Which I do not intend to dignify with an answer. It doesn't seem to me that an

innocent person would mind answering.

Taylor, I may seem like a simple peasant girl to you, Taylor, but I would

never give an oaf like you the satisfaction of firing me. And so I

Well, there you go.

Do you hear that?

She's quitting.

I got the leak.

I can't believe this. He's turned this whole thing into a witch hunt.

Well, if he was looking for a witch, he got the right person.

But if he was looking for the leak, I'm not so sure.

I'll be out of here in the morning, Benson.

You're just going to let Taylor run you out, huh? It has become intolerable

here. First you, now this.

But you aren't the lead. I am not the lead.

What?

You believe me?

Yes.

Why? Because you like me?

No.

Because you feel sorry for me?

No.

Because I might make the dogs attack you if you don't believe me?

No.

I believe you because when you do something rotten to somebody, you just

Nothing subtle or sneaky about it.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

The point is, leaving's not going to solve anything. The leak will still be

and you'll be out of a good job.

Just give us some time to find out who really did it, and that way we can help

Cleve.

You think this is possible?

I don't know.

How are you going to do it? I don't know.

Well, how long will it take?

I don't know.

You have all the answers, don't you?

Benson, could you take care of these supply requisitions for me?

I just talked to Krause. I'm convinced she's not the leak.

You think it's me? Is that what you're saying? You still think it's me?

Please.

Look, Benson, if you don't think it's Krausen, you don't think it's me, who's

left? You?

Mm -hmm.

Or Taylor.

Hmm.

Taylor.

Oh, why would he do it?

Oh, ambition.

Yeah.

Power. Or maybe even grief.

Revenge.

Jealousy. Of course.

Well, we'd have to get some proof.

Right.

Ben's an issue. We don't suspect him just because we don't like him.

That's another reason.

I'm in the governor's office now. I'll get back to you when he returns.

I heard the news about Miss Krause.

Krause?

After all her years of service, do you know she's been in this house longer

the drapes?

What else could she do but quit? She was caught red -handed. Well, I certainly

thank you for getting the matter cleared up, Taylor.

My pleasure. It was terrible. I was getting afraid to say anything around

I always had the feeling somebody was looking over my shoulder.

Well, that's all right.

Close the door! You'll expose the film!

you give me an explanation for this?

Not if we can get by without one.

No, I'm afraid not.

Well?

Moth.

Say what?

We ran out of moth balls, so Benson and I were trying to catch them.

We got one, too. Show them, Benson.

Sir, Miss Krause is not the lead.

And neither are Marcy and me. What we were trying to do was find out who the

real leak is.

Am I the object of your personal surveillance?

Come on, Taylor. Are you trying to tell me that you're above leaking something

to the press? Of course not. I've been in politics too long.

But look, I'm trying to get Senator Englehart support for the bill. Now, why

would I leak something damaging like this?

That's true. And may I just say, sir, that no matter what anyone may think, I

would never leak anything unless it was for personal gain.

Sorry we doubted your integrity.

I don't know.

Running the paper mill was so much easier. All I had to do was go to

keep the books straight, and stay away from the buzz saws. See?

No problem.

Who put this here? Did one of you? What is it?

It says, Kraus did not...

Do it. Each letter cut out and neatly pasted in. You wouldn't believe some of

the sloppy mail I get.

Well, it's true.

Governor, can I take this for a while?

I think I may be able to clear this up.

Show him a moth?

Okay.

Henry.

Congratulations. You caught me.

Katie, what are you doing out of bed?

The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime.

So you did make the note?

Glad it's over with, Spencer.

I was a leak.

You want to talk about it?

Well, I didn't talk to any reporters or anything like that.

I understand just a few friends sitting around discussing Senator Englehart and

the insurance bill over peanut butter sandwiches.

You don't know what it's like, Benson.

Kids are always teasing me, saying mean things about my dad.

They don't know what he's like.

He's really a great daddy.

He is?

So I thought if they heard some of the funny things he says, maybe they'd like

him, like I do.

So somebody told somebody else and it wound up in the paper. Don't kids play

hopscotch anymore?

I'm sorry Miss Cross got in trouble.

But when everybody got so excited about it, I figured I'd better keep quiet.

I didn't know what to do, Benson.

Well, we know what you gotta do now.

You have to tell your father.

Are you kidding?

He'd kill me.

Did I ever tell you what happened to me when I was eight years old?

Probably.

to have this beautiful wind -up clock that stood on the shelf at home.

It belonged to my great -great -great -grandmother.

Made a beautiful sound.

Bong, bong, bong.

I'll get the picture.

Well, anyway, one day I was playing ball in the house. Now, I've been told a

thousand times, don't play ball in the house. But there I was. And the ball hit

the clock, the clock hit the floor. After that, it went thunk -thunk.

Well, I put it back up on the shelf real quick, but when my daddy came home, he

said, what happened to the clock?

And I said, what clock?

He didn't say anything else. He just left the room. But I was feeling so

I didn't sleep awake.

I had that busted clock chasing me all night long.

So, what'd you do?

Well, I finally had to go in and tell him what happened.

And he understood?

Sure, he understood.

And then he whipped at daylight.

You talk about the truth hurts.

But hey, I'll tell you, it's better than trying to live with all that guilt.

I don't know.

I'd like to take a shot learning to live with it.

Come on.

Wait. I've got a better idea.

You tell him.

He'd rather hear it from you.

Oh,

Governor, Katie was looking for you.

Oh, she found me.

Thanks.

Oh, it must be rough being the governor's daughter.

Being the governor ain't no picnic.

But as a father, I never know when to spank.

You know, on the one hand, I don't want to punish her for telling the truth, but

she was wrong not to speak up sooner.

She caused a lot of people a lot of trouble by not speaking up.

But still... So what did you decide?

Well, let's just say there were a few tears.

Of course, bent over my knee, she couldn't see them.

Taylor, you can't... Listen, I know what I'm doing.

Then why didn't you do it?

Governor, I think we have what we need with the little girl's confession.

Oh? You deny having said anything about Englehart. It was a gross

misrepresentation on her part. Then we'll publicly denounce it as the

of an insensitive and irresponsible child.

Why stop there? Let's drag her into the town square and stone her.

Don't you see, Governor, it gets you off the hook.

I'm afraid I couldn't do that, Taylor. She said it.

And after all, I said it.

I've got to tell the truth and take my chances.

I think the best thing now might be to apologize.

Apologize? To Englehart? He'll never fall for that.

I was thinking of Miss Krause.

Oh, my, we should do that right away. Don't you agree, Taylor?

Absolutely.

Great idea.

I take it you heard.

Yes.

That was a good thing you did for me.

Nah.

Well.

Benson.

Dankeschön.

You're welcome, Miss Krause.

I do not like you.

You sentimental fool.

The sports section?

Good morning.

Good morning, Governor.

Hi, Benson.

Good morning, Katie. Did you study your homework?

Patrick Henry.

Patrick Henry what?

I haven't gotten that far yet.

Well, you don't get as far as the front door until you do it.

That's quite a story in the paper this morning, Benson.

Well, after what I went through to get it, I should hope so.

It's that Senator Englehardt won't let my remark affect his vote on the bill.

See, Katie, there's nothing like telling the truth.

And he's quoted as saying that in his home, he's called me a lot worse thing.

Well, if that makes you happy, you should hear what they say about you down

the market.

Benson is videotaped for a studio audience.