Original subtitles

Green, are you all right?

She isn't here. This is the cleaning woman.

Where is she?

Miss Roberts didn't come home last night.

Look at

you.

What happened last night?

I don't know. It's...

Cliff,

if you go on drinking like this, you'll be dead before you're 40.

Some other time, Dad.

Did you talk with the girl?

Doreen? Yes, of course, Doreen. Who else?

Did you talk with her?

Dad, something crazy.

I can't remember.

I can't remember a single thing.

What happened to your hand?

I think I cut it on a glass.

In a brawl?

I told you, Dad, I can't remember.

Nothing you did would surprise me, Cliff.

Clifton Ross, Jr.

How do you do?

Ross?

Your father is head of Ross Aircraft?

Right.

I'm known as the Ross who never got off the ground.

Sit down.

Now, what can I do for you?

Mr. Maddox?

I want to know what I did from yesterday afternoon until I woke up this morning.

Memory blackout, huh?

I guess you might call it that.

It's like a bad trip.

Was it a trip?

No, I never... I drink, but that's all.

Why is it important to fill in this gap?

Well, because I'm scared stiff, Mr. Mannix.

Of what?

I think I may have been involved in some sort of violence.

What sort of violence?

I may have killed somebody.

All right, now, what makes you think you killed someone?

Well, I keep seeing bits and pieces of last night in flashes, but

I can't put it together.

The shirt I wore last night had blood all over it.

My own, maybe. I'm hoping it's mine.

And if it isn't?

Well, there's this girl.

Doreen Roberts.

Were you with her last night?

It's true! It's true!

You all right?

Huh?

Are you all right?

I was with her last night.

We had a fight.

A terrible fight. I remember that much.

I tried to call her this morning.

She wasn't there.

They say she didn't come home last night.

Okay, let's take it from the top.

Tell me everything you can remember about yesterday.

Well, there's nothing out of the ordinary about the morning.

I picked up my car about 11.

I drove home.

I skipped lunch.

And later in the afternoon, my father came home.

We had one of our fights.

About what?

Doreen.

He'd been after me to break it up.

So I went upstairs and I had a drink.

Just one?

Well, a couple, maybe.

Anyway, that's the last thing I remember clearly.

A couple of drinks?

Did it always do that to you?

Oh, nothing like, uh... I wonder if that drink was doctored.

In your own home?

No, I guess not.

Now, uh, about these bits and pieces you keep remembering, I can remember coming

by here to pick her up around 7.

No word from Miss Roberts at all?

No. Well, is it unusual for her to stay out all night?

I think people are entitled to lead their own lives.

I certainly agree with you, Mrs. Blaney.

Were you by any chance anywhere on this floor last night while Mr. Ross was

here? As a matter of fact, two or three times.

The other tenants called me up here.

They were complaining about the noise. They wanted me to call the police.

What were we fighting about, Mrs. Blaney?

Really, Mr. Ross, you mean to say you don't remember?

I don't remember, Mrs. Blaney.

I swear, Mrs.

Blaney... You'd be doing him a great service if you'd tell him.

Well, the whole house could hear.

She said... It's true, I tell you. I'm going to have a baby.

She told me that?

What did Mr. Ross say?

He was shouting.

You're lying.

It isn't true.

How long did this go on?

About an hour.

And then, all of a sudden, everything seemed to quiet down.

And I thought that...

Well, the least you can do is take me to dinner.

What did you think, Mrs. Blaney?

I'd rather not say.

Anyway, they both left together.

But of course you were here last night, Mr. Ross.

You were really flying.

I hope you forgive me for what I said.

And what was that?

Don't you remember?

I was obliged to ask you to leave.

And when you refused... What?

Two of my men had to bounce you out.

Why?

It's all right. Tell him why.

He was shouting at the lady, at Miss Roberts, and he said... You've got to

me, no matter how bad it is.

I was close to your table, and I couldn't believe my ears.

I didn't mind it so much, but the customers... You know how it is.

What'd he say to her?

He said, I gotta kill you.

Once I said that to my Maria, and then I married her.

Harry,

last night, where'd I say I was going from here?

You weren't saying anything, Mr. Ross.

It passed out.

Well, how'd you get away from here?

The girl drove.

I helped her get him into the car.

That's all?

Well, then she went over there and made a phone call.

Did you hear any of it?

I had my hands full with Mr. Ross.

I think.

You're not going to pull out, are you, Mr. Mannix?

It looks like Doreen's address.

Better open it up.

Here. That'll make you feel better, Mr. Ross.

Oh, thanks.

I

killed

her.

I'm not sure of that yet.

Well, it adds up, doesn't it?

My father needling me, get rid of her, get rid of her.

I guess they finally, uh... That remains to be seen.

What do we do now?

Well, we, uh, call the police and tell them everything that happened.

The police?

Do we have to?

We have to.

Can I, uh... Can I clean up?

Yes, you're upstairs.

Thanks.

Buggy, get me Lieutenant Angstrom in Homicide.

Yeah,

Lieutenant. He'll be here and so will his car.

Right. Peg!

Peg!

Peggy!

Peggy, bring in my apartment keys.

You think he killed himself?

He might do anything.

Not here.

Maybe he's outside.

The

car's

still here.

That's because I've got his keys.

I wonder where he went.

I don't know.

The worst thing he could have done.

Ride with me?

No, I'll take my own car.

By the time you get there, I'll have it typed up and ready for you to sign. If I

know your department, I can go by way of Azusa.

Joe, I think you better ride with me.

Law K -13.

Notify Homicide to put out an APB on Cliff Ross.

Mission, murder.

Go into my office. I'll have the statement typed.

Hello, Mr. Mannix.

I'm sorry.

I was kind of swamped. I felt I had to get out.

Where did they pick you up?

They didn't. I came in on my own.

Oh.

I talked to Charles Hobart, my dad's attorney.

He convinced me the only thing I could do was turn myself in.

I've told him everything, as much as I can remember.

The one thing that helped me to decide was... Well, I was leaving you wide open

for trouble.

Oh, I'm not in any trouble.

Thanks, anyway.

Uh, this is Charles Hobart.

Mr. Mannix? That's right.

Thanks for helping.

As you can see, I gave Cliff exactly the same advice you did.

Yeah, well, he's gonna need a good lawyer.

They found the girl's body.

I mean, he was stabbed to death and then sometime later thrown into the marina.

What's this going to do to my father?

I thought I was past being hurt by anything that boy could do.

Mr. Ross, I believe your son is innocent.

I know he's innocent.

He's wild, irresponsible, and fouled up.

But he's not a murderer.

I'm afraid that's more of a character reference, Clifton, than a defense.

He was drunk, out of his mind.

It takes discipline, clear thinking to commit this sort of a premeditated

If I were a juror... The state won't claim premeditation, I told you.

They'll call it a crime of passion, and that gives us a chance.

Charles, I told you I wouldn't stand for an insanity plea.

On the face of it, I can't see any other way.

No one is going to label a son of mine a lunatic and lock him away in an asylum

for the rest of his life.

Mr. Ross, whatever we might think, the police still have a very strong case.

I don't care what their case is, Mannix.

Your job is to break it down.

That's how you make your living, isn't it?

Outsmarting the police?

I'm afraid you've been reading too many paperbacks.

Look, we know the sort of a girl she was. I had her checked out. She knew

of men. There could have been any one of them.

Nevertheless, it was Cliff who was with her last night.

Until nine o 'clock. That's all they can prove.

They left the restaurant at nine and vanished.

According to the medical examiner, the girl was killed between midnight and 2 a

.m., but not possibly before 11 .30.

Now, what if we can prove that Cliff was not with her at that time?

That, Mr. Ross, is what the paperbacks call a perfect alibi.

That's what we want, an alibi.

Cliff didn't kill that girl. Prove it.

Nail down his alibi.

No, I'm sorry.

After we left the restaurant, it's a blank.

There weren't any flashes at all.

I guess they really must have been out.

Nothing in the car?

Nothing concerning a car?

Except when you were driving?

Nothing.

Ross?

Lieutenant would like to see you, Mr. Mannix.

You too, Ross.

Cliff. Melinda.

Jonah, what are you doing here? Good news, Cliff.

It's going to be all right, son.

Up there is Joe Mannix.

Joe, I want you to meet Mr. and Mrs. Webber.

How do you do?

How do you do? They're old friends of mine.

We worked on a couple of civic projects before they moved down to Palm Springs.

I thought you might like to hear things firsthand, Joe.

You're on, Mr. Webber.

Well, we heard about Cliff being picked up.

in connection with the murder in Los Angeles last night. And as soon as we

heard, I said, Jonathan, we've got to drive up right away and tell them.

We're in a position to know Cliff can't possibly be involved.

I'm very happy to hear that.

Darling, don't you remember?

I guess your father said something about a blackout.

But you honestly don't remember that you spent practically the entire night with

us? Did I?

Did I really?

You dropped in around 11.

We filled you up with black coffee. You really needed it, too.

We talked, played some records.

You started back about two.

2 .15, dear.

I remember looking at my watch and wondering where the time had gone.

Well, isn't that something?

Isn't it really something to have friends?

It sure is.

You know these people to be responsible citizens, Lieutenant.

It's up to you now.

Do you want to call the district attorney or shall I get rid of habeas

I'll call the DA. It'll be all right.

Until this case is wrapped up, I want that boy on tap.

He'll be around, Lieutenant.

Thanks again, Mr. Mannix.

Well, I'd like to take the credit, but then I was just digging around here for

an alibi.

When all of a sudden, one pops up out of left field.

Then that's the way it happens sometimes.

I get it.

That Doreen Roberts thing you've been working on, Lieutenant?

Yeah, the floater.

Well, we turned up something funny.

Like a handbag, a driver's license, a couple of credit cards.

Yeah, Doreen Roberts.

It looks like a knight might have done the job.

I know, some sort of Japanese deal.

How did you find out about it? Well, when the owner came home, it looked like

instant replay of World War II.

Your Doreen may have been dumped in the water in L .A., but it's our guess she

was killed right here.

Hold on, Chuck.

Benji, put out a call for the Ross boy.

And I want a car right away.

What's cooking?

Strangely enough, it looks like the girl was killed in Palm Springs.

Okay, Chuck, keep in touch.

Oh, one more thing.

Who does the house belong to?

Kelsey Davenport.

Do you know him?

Sure, he's a good friend of mine.

Did you ever go to his house?

Sure. Lots of times. When he wasn't there?

Yes.

He gave me a key.

Did you ever go there with Doreen?

A few times.

What about the other night?

Well, I don't see how I...

I don't remember.

That house is only a mile and a half from the Webbers.

Do you think I killed her, Mr. Mannix?

I'm hoping it's mine.

And if it isn't?

Well, there's this girl, Doreen Roberts.

You were with her last night.

How many times do we have to hear it?

Shh, Peg.

You all right?

I could be sighted in my sleep.

There's something bugging me, and I don't know what it is, but it's on this

tape.

I was with her last night.

We had a fight.

A terrible fight. I remember that much.

I tried to call her this morning. She wasn't there.

They say she didn't come home last night.

Okay, let's take it from the top. Tell me everything you can remember about

yesterday.

Well, there's nothing out of the ordinary about the morning.

I picked up my car about 11.

I drove home.

I skipped lunch.

Later in the afternoon, my father came home.

We had one of our fights.

About what?

I did.

mean you picked up your car?

It was being serviced.

Everything? The oil change, the works?

Yeah.

Now you're getting Charles Hobart on the phone.

Right.

Look, we've got one slim chance to prove that you weren't in Palm Springs the

other night. While I'm gone, I want you upstairs. Don't answer the phone. Play

the radio, television, read, anything you want. But stay put this time, you

understand?

Yes, sir.

All right, now move.

Mr. Mags or Mr. Hobart?

It's urgent. Please put it through.

Mr. Hobart, it's Mannix here.

Have the police been around to see you yet?

Oh.

Hello, Mr. Montgomery.

Yes.

That particular matter is currently under discussion.

The police are there now?

That's right.

Listen, the boy is here.

He came over to thank me for what I did, but I'm afraid he's going to need some

more help. I've got to keep him free for a while.

Well, that's very interesting.

You do realize there are certain legal responsibilities to be met?

Can you give me 24 hours?

Absolutely, out of the question.

Well, how much? The outside?

Five hours?

Well, possibly I could recommend that to my client, but he may not think it's a

good enough offer. I'll do my best.

Well, guarantee them that you'll deliver him to headquarters at, say, 9 o 'clock

tonight. That ought to hold him.

Right.

Splendid. But what if the police come while you're gone? What'll I tell them?

Tell them you'll think of something.

No one's allowed in here.

I'm a private detective.

My name's Mannix.

Well, I don't care who you are. No photos, no trespassing. Without the

lieutenant's okay.

Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know that.

Tell me about your friends, the Webbers. They seem to be highly reputable

people.

The most respectable friends I've got.

Any reason they might lie about you?

No.

They've always liked me. I can't imagine they're not telling the truth.

What'd you do to your odometer?

What? In your car. Did you monkey with it, turn the mileage back?

What are you talking about?

Don't lie to me. The police can check it out.

I never touched it.

I just had to make sure, that's all.

Does this invoice look familiar?

It's the work I had done on my car that morning.

What does it say on the mileage?

32 ,250.

Yesterday, before you turned yourself in at headquarters, how many miles do you

say it put on your car?

About 25 at the most.

32250.

What is it?

That may be your lucky number.

Los Angeles to Palm Springs, Lieutenant.

110 miles each way.

Here's his mileage as of noon yesterday.

Now, yesterday and the other night combined, the most he could have added

miles. So?

Check with your garage. They'll bear me out.

Angstrom here.

Get me the abdominal reading on the Cliff Ross car.

And make sure there was no tampering with it.

Go on with your theory.

Fact.

Inescapable fact, David. Young Ross was not in Palm Springs the other night. At

least, not in his own car.

He was there, Joe.

Maybe somebody wants you to believe he was there.

Like the Webbers, his best friends?

Well, I'll admit the Webbers story doesn't quite jibe with the rest of it,

but...

Yeah. Okay, thanks.

You were right on the odometer mileage.

It wasn't juggled. So what?

So his car couldn't have been to Palm Springs and back, but he could have.

Now, something's been juggled.

I'll be in touch.

Nice to see you again. Ms. Weber?

Would you like some trunks? Take a swim?

Hot one, isn't it?

No, thank you.

Dip will cool you off in a hurry. We keep the water at 70 degrees.

None of those lukewarm baths for us.

How about a drink, then?

Oh, thank you. Whatever you're having.

Jonathan?

What brings you down to Springs, Mannix?

Well, I'm still missing a few answers on the case.

Oh, about Cliff?

Have you heard from the police, Mr. Weber?

No. Anything new?

Well, a few conflicting facts.

For instance, when Cliff was down here with you that night, he was pretty

ragged, wasn't he?

Well, you heard him yourself. He doesn't even remember being here.

What bothers me is how he managed to drive.

Some people just have that ability, especially Cliff, with that car.

It's practically a part of him.

Uh, that white foreign job?

Yes. You saw him drive away in his car?

We were terribly worried about him.

You're sure it was his car?

I'd say yes.

I think so.

What are you getting at, Mr. Mannix?

Cliff never drove his white car down here, Weber. Why did you lie?

He wasn't here at all, was he?

The trouble is, the police now believe the girl was killed right here in Palm

Springs, just a mile and a half down the road at Kelsey Davenport's.

Maybe you both better jump in the pool and think it over.

You'll probably find it way over 70 degrees.

Mr. Mannix, he thought we were doing the right thing. Melinda!

Jonathan, he knows.

We've tried desperately hard to protect Cliff, Mr. Mannix.

We've known him since he was a child.

Jonathan called Cliff's father and told him that we were willing to say that the

boy was with us.

You allowed those two people to lie to risk a prison term to get your son off

the hook?

What's he talking about?

Well, you outsmarted yourself, Mr. Ross, because you put your son in the one

place he shouldn't have been.

Will someone please tell me what the devil is going on here?

I'll spell it out for you in legal terms, Hobart. Mr. Ross and his friends

Webbers conspired to create a false alibi.

What? Your son was never in Palm Springs, Mr. Ross.

I'd like to know who's going to believe that now.

Clifton, do you realize the consequences of what you've done?

The boy is innocent.

I did what I thought had to be done. Given the same circumstances, I'd do it

again.

Look at the two of you.

What do you know about it?

How easy it is for you to moralize.

Let me tell you, gentlemen.

When your son's life is on the line, you don't stop to think in terms of moral

principle. That's just the trouble these days. People twist the law to suit

themselves. The bigger the man, the bigger the twist.

Well, that usually boomerangs, Mr. Ross.

You and the Webbers can take a bow for locking a case up tight for the police.

And you've practically sent your son to death row.

I think we ought to call the police.

Let them have Cliff right now before any more harm is done.

Now, wait a minute.

They're not expecting him till 9 o 'clock. I want that extra time.

What can you do in a couple of hours?

Ask me again at nine.

Give us almost a classic example, Mr. Ross.

From a condition of exaggerated perception, where all sensations were

and magnified, he lapsed into a semi -comatose condition in the car.

However, if your mind continued to receive impressions, then what we

allow us to find whatever's buried there.

But these impressions may be even more exaggerated.

I understand, Doctor.

You better understand this too, Cliff.

If you do remember the ride, there's always a chance the truth will prove

you did go to Palm Springs.

You know what that can mean?

Yes.

I've got to know.

Cliff, do you hear me?

Mr. Maddox?

Cliff?

Cliff?

Can you remember?

Knife. She's... She's falling.

Where are you, Cliff?

Bells.

Loud.

Bells ringing.

What sort of bells, Cliff? A church?

Blazing sun.

It's night, Cliff. Night.

Yellow sun.

Binding.

Sun.

Where are you now?

Jungle flowers.

A cage in the jungle?

Where?

A place?

All exaggerated, but all with some basis in reality.

Plagues waving.

Is there a sky?

A night sky, Cliff?

Foghorn.

Music.

You're in the car, Cliff.

Doreen's car.

Your head is back on the seat. You're looking up.

Streetlights.

Yeah.

Streetlights, Cliff.

Where are you?

Boulevard. Which one, Cliff? Which boulevard?

Temple.

Dragons on it.

Dragons? Might be the Chinese.

A temple or a theater?

Chinese theater?

Chinese theater.

Make it Hollywood Boulevard.

Which way, Cliff, can you remember? East or west?

Round. Round tower.

Capital building.

That's on North Vine.

You turn north on Vine, Cliff.

North.

Doreen.

You're in the car, Cliff.

You're in the car and Doreen's driving.

Ocean. No.

No, Cliff. You're going east on Hollywood Boulevard. You turn north past

Capitol building. You're going away from the ocean.

Surf.

Surf.

Pounding.

Pounding surf.

No, Cliff.

No, not surf, Cliff. Water.

Where is it?

Where is the water?

You're going away from the ocean. You're in the car driving. Doreen is driving.

Doreen.

Driving.

Water. Pounding.

Life.

Waves.

Over.

there's your ocean surf.

This place mean anything to you?

Yeah.

Right over there is where Charles Hobart lives.

Hobart?

I had a different candidate in mind.

What do you know?

Friendly family lawyer.

Were you here the other night?

I don't know.

I don't think so.

It's your son, Cliff.

Your blazing sun at midnight.

Yes.

Yes.

What about this?

Look like the golden flags?

Yeah.

And this must be the cage in the jungle.

Well, that accounts for everything but the foghorn.

I wonder.

That's it.

That's what I heard.

Foghorn.

When I saw the knife.

This is the place.

This is where Doreen was killed and I saw it happen.

And all we need is some lab men up here to prove it.

Doreen and Hobart?

It had to be somebody who had access to your house, drug your liquor.

He could have had Doreen call him later, knowing the condition you were going to

be in.

The telephone call from the restaurant.

And then he had her drive you here. That accounts for the sunburst, the music,

the foghorn, the knife coming down, Doreen falling to works, and then you're

home.

All that's left is planning the phony evidence in Palm Springs to close the

trap. Yeah, and it might have worked, too.

Except for one thing.

You had your car serviced.

You know, there's still one thing that bugs me

Mannix, what's going on?

Cliff's been hurt. See if you can help him.

Weber.

Let's get over to the chair here.

What happened?

Somebody started shooting at us.

Who? Our friend with the alibi.

Jonathan Weber. He was the father of Doreen's baby.

You were my first candidate, Hobart. Could have been your baby Joy was

about. Still that phony alibi.

And when that broke down, Weber came up strong and fast.

Yeah, Lieutenant Hangstrom, please. Mannix here.

Were you in the habit of lending him your apartment?

Weekends.

If he was in town.

I spent most of them on my boat.

Oh, Hangstrom.

You can have that boy now if you want.

Charles Hobart's apartment. It's at Gramercy and... You know it.

Good. Oh, Dave.

They'd better send along an ambulance.

A fellow here by the name of Weber got himself shot.

Right.

I've got an idea he was waiting for you, Hobart.

You're the only person that could have tied him into this apartment that night.

I was beginning to wonder.

I wasn't quite buying his suggesting the alibi.

If Cliff's father had come up with it, yes, I could understand that.

But Weber...

Doreen.

I'm sorry for her.

I'm sorry for her.