Original subtitles

Do you plan to give Sun and Sky another race before the Derby, Mr. Green? Why,

yes, Bob. We've entered them in the stepping stones of Churchill Down one

from today.

It'll give them a chance to get to know the track.

They're loading the horses now.

Everything's right on schedule.

The first time you saw Sun in the Sky, Mrs. Green, did you ever think that in

just a couple of years he'd be a favorite in the Kentucky Derby?

Well, not exactly. He was only two days old.

He was this scrawny little thing with wobbly legs and the saddest pair of eyes

you've ever seen.

All I could do was put my arms around him and tell him everything was going to

be just fine.

So, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Richmond and Mrs. Colton. Sun and Sky

leaves California on the first leg of what could become a historic journey.

A prohibitive favorite and a run for the roses, Sun and Sky now seems to have an

excellent chance in a Preakness and in the Belmont Stakes and would thus become

the first winner of the elusive Triple Crown since Citation pulled that trick

1948.

You know it's foolish, but I get nervous when he flies.

Darling, he'll be just fine.

Is that cool yet?

Ought to be.

Thanks.

If we flood, it's loose.

Yeah.

That's the way she goes.

Good.

Stu,

you feeling all right?

I feel a little queasy.

Think over a minute, will you? Yeah.

Let's see how the big boy is doing.

Hello.

Barstow Tower.

Mercury Transport.

4 -2 Tango.

Emergency aboard.

Request immediate clearance.

The land.

Mayday. Mayday.

Mayday.

Mr. Blaine's in a search pattern, Mr. Green.

We should be able to find it.

Not much doubt about what we'll find, is there?

A mayday? A broken radio contact?

All adds up the same thing for all of them.

Let's give it a few more minutes, huh?

Our fear is going to come apart.

You see, Mr. Maddox, we never had any children.

We couldn't.

I gave sun and sky to her on a silver anniversary.

For her, he was like a... Green, look.

It's an old Army Air Force landing strip.

AJ, take us down for a closer look -see.

Roger.

Looks like it made a perfect landing.

Floyd. Floyd Brand, one of my grooms.

He's alive.

Dave! Dave!

Get on the radio and call the Barstow Tower.

Give them our position and tell them to send over an ambulance and call the

police. Roger.

Bison copilot is still alive.

This is Dick Wilson, another one of my grooms. He's alive, too.

Sun and sky and the pony are gone.

Is there anybody missing that was aboard the plane?

No. You sure?

I watch them all go bored.

It's my guess this coffee's been doctored. I'll get it checked.

They've kidnapped Sullen's guy, do you?

Maybe holding him for ransom?

I don't know. Could be.

Mr. Mannix, I don't know what the insurance company is paying you for this

investigation, but if you need to... Oh, they're paying me enough, Mr. Green.

No, I mean if you need any extra manpower.

Oh, thanks.

I'll let you know if I do.

Well, I wish you'd just give me the answer to one question, Mr. Mannix.

Were those four men unconscious?

Who landed the airplane?

It was a stowaway.

Had to be.

We sure didn't put that plane down.

You can tell your insurance company, whatever its name is.

Great Pacific.

Great Pacific. That there was a stowaway aboard that plane.

And that when we blacked out, he landed the plane.

Now, wait a minute.

Where did he stowaway? I don't know.

I don't know.

In the baggage compartment or in the washroom, maybe?

Maybe in one of them tack trucks.

Except they're only about yea big. Wouldn't hold more than 60 pounds. Quite

few places to hide aboard a cargo plane, Mr. Maddox.

All right, now let's say that we did have a stowaway in a baggage compartment

washroom someplace.

Now, how did he get the coral hydrate in the coffee?

His lab report says that the thermos was loaded with the stuff.

You know all those papers are lab findings? That's right. Also, police

A great Pacific has a half a million dollars riding on sun and sky.

Now, how did this stuff get into the thermos?

It's my thermos, Mr. Mannix.

And Richmond bought the coffee from the catering truck at the airport.

I put it on the airplane myself with a lunch hamper waiting for the horse fan.

Somebody could have tampered with the thermos.

The man on that catering truck, was he the regular driver?

As a matter of fact, no.

He said the regular man was down with the virus.

All right, now, I'd like a sequence of loading procedure.

Let's start with the first thing this morning.

I guess it begins with me.

I got up at 4 .30.

You ever notice, Mr. Mannix, that them that's paid the least gets up the

earliest?

And then I had my breakfast.

Some cold spaghetti and a piece of lemon pie and...

It's what I had for dinner the night before, and I put it in my doggie bag.

Oh, and a glass of beer.

At 4 .30 in the morning?

I just love lemon pie.

And then I started to feed and curry down the big fella, Sun and Sky.

And then Floyd come by about 5, and him and me put the chipping pads on him.

And then the horse van come by at 7.

At 7?

Yeah, about seven.

So we watched them load the equipment, you know, the tack trunks and the hay

the feed.

And then we loaded Sonny and Alexander.

That's the pony.

Sonny won't go nowhere without him.

And then what?

Well, that's about it until we got out to the airport.

Like Mr. Green said, they was already there, the Greens and the TV people.

So we walked Sonny and Alexander while they loaded the baggage on the plane.

Then we'd put the horses on board.

That's right.

That's right.

I went back to secure the main cargo hatch and told Stu that everything was

battened down and he took off.

Must have been about a half hour when Floyd came up sick.

You all had a cup of coffee.

We always do.

And you all passed out at about the same time.

P .J. and I were already shaky when Floyd came up. He collapsed and...

I passed out right after that, too.

I realized we'd never make boss, though, so I laid on a mayday.

Now, what's the last thing you saw, the very last thing you remember?

Sky turning upside down.

Well, excuse me.

More lab reports.

Hmm.

All four men had enough chloral hydrate in their systems to knock them out for

at least 24 hours.

What do you have so far?

Would you buy a 60 -pound midget an attack trunk that could fly an airplane?

I don't think so.

I ain't got nothing.

Is this the final report?

Yeah.

No fingerprints?

Wiped clean.

The whole thing was organized like D -Day.

We did come up with one police record, though.

Walter Stick Wilson, two accounts of drunken disorderly, and he also has a

running battle for non -support with his wife.

So the guy has the moral backbone of an ice cream cone. What about the others?

Solid citizens so far.

Military records?

Not in yet.

But I did learn something that will make up for a lack of fingerprints.

It's about the pilots to Marshall.

What about him?

A secretary at the airline tipped me to check his last flight physical.

His eye test was borderline.

He's getting his notice at the end of the month.

Does he know about that?

Affirmative.

Well, it gives us at least two men who have money troubles.

Three, Mr. Mannix.

We couldn't help but overhear you.

Alfie and I talked it over, and we decided it would be best to come to you

the information.

Information?

Did you come up with another suspect?

Well, I guess you might say that.

All right.

Those are the forms for the disposal sale of green tool and dye works, Mr.

Mannix. I made some investments that backfired.

Now we're in for a period of belt tightening to satisfy the creditors.

Like getting rid of green stables. All except Sun and Sky, of course.

Which means that everyone who worked for you will be out of a job, including

Stick Wilson and Floyd Brand.

Yes.

Everyone. It wasn't an easy decision, Mr. Mannix.

We had hoped that Richmond could get a fresh start if Sun and Sky won the

I see.

Well, um...

All right, Mr. Green.

I'll get in touch with you the minute I find out anything.

All right, thank you, Mr. Mannix.

Oh, excuse me, then.

Fine.

Yes. We just didn't want you to think we arranged the disappearance of Sun and

Sky for the insurance.

Uh -huh. Thank you, Mr. Mannix. Uh -huh. Goodbye.

Yes, indeed, Mr.

Green.

Yes.

Yes.

Fine. Thank you.

That was the regular driver on the coffee truck.

And?

He said he woke up the other morning feeling just fine. Then he got sick

afterwards. Someone hit him on the head.

Oh, did he see anything?

Only what you see when you get hit on the head.

Don't be a smart... You know, it doesn't make sense.

If the Greens needed money, why didn't they sell the horse?

He's worth a million.

Twice the insurance.

So? Maybe you don't understand the Greens.

They think that horse has the same blood type they do. When they call him Sonny,

they aren't kidding.

All right, tell me this, then. No matter who stole the horse, isn't he easily

recognizable? I mean, millions of people have seen him at the racetrack and on

TV. Well, millions of people have seen a gray horse called Sun and Sky.

You'd be surprised the change a few gallons of diet have on a horse,

if they've got him stashed away in a toolies away from the tracks and TV.

No, thanks. I'm trying to cut down.

Hey, Maddox, what do you say?

Well, Patty.

Must be spring vacation at San Quentin.

Oh, come on, Mannix. I've been on the street eight months now.

And I thought the prevailing winds were from across the stockyard.

Will you listen to him?

Here I am trying to be a good guy. Here I am trying to do you a favor.

How bad?

Uh, we go in your office and talk.

After you, Patty.

This is your lucky day, Mannix.

Your lucky day.

All right, fatty.

What brings you out into the full sunlight?

Hardhead.

Why do you have to be such a hardhead?

Okay, now listen.

I got a nice, clean, easy way for you to pick up ten big ones.

I swear, ten thousand, and no sweat.

Just a little dishonest, huh?

Well... Maybe... Maybe a little

dishonest only.

Like... Like so much?

Out, out.

Now, look.

Look, Joe, this is the way it is.

You work.

Too hard, Joe.

You've got to ease off.

Not exactly quit this sun and sky business. Just hold.

Just hold your punches.

Hold it.

And the last one.

Oh, I see.

Just how deep are you in this horse -stealing thing, Paddy?

Me?

Yeah, you.

Horses?

Oh, Joe.

You know I don't know nothing from horses.

I just beat on people, Joe.

Oh, and you'd beat on me if I didn't go for the deal.

Uh, I'd have to.

wouldn't like it oh patty patty you gotta learn now if you're gonna play it

being a good guy good guys don't go into the tank not even for 10 big ones oh

and patty remember this too you try pounding on me and i'll belt you right

of the mugger's union okay

your way joe

your way

Screen. Hello, Mr. Mannix. Is your husband here?

Richmond is taking a telephone call in the office.

Oh, do you know Mr. Dallas? He's a friend of ours.

Mr. Mannix, Mr. Dallas.

How you doing, fella?

How do you do, sir?

Mr. Mannix is the investigator for the insurance company.

Sure, healthy and Richmond. Been talking you up real good.

How you making out getting back to the Wonderhall, sir?

You've got a long way to go, Mr. Dallas.

Yeah, I may, didn't I?

Althea,

do you mind if I tell Mr. Mannix what I said to you?

Oh, of course not.

Well, sir, it wasn't but five minutes ago that I said to Althea, Althea, don't

you worry none.

It's just the old ransom game done up in different ribbons.

But without a bill of sale, sun and sky is worth nothing to nobody but you

folks.

Worth nothing?

Not one flat red cent.

But son and Scott has won hundreds of thousands of dollars.

She has a bushel of money in the barrel of racing records, but don't mean a

thing. Know much about horse racing, son?

Well, I'm learning.

Well, let me give you a free lesson.

Now, the Thoroughbred Protective Association puts a number to every horse

runs in this country. Now, you can't see it because it's inside his mouth on his

lip. But it's there.

That's easy to find if you're looking for it. That seems like a pretty neat

precaution. Why, a man can't walk a horse around a corner without someone

checking on that number.

And Sonny's got his tattoo on his lip, same as every other registered

thoroughbred.

Mr. Dallas.

Sam.

You said every horse that runs in this country. Now, isn't it possible that

could ship Sun and Sky, say, to South America, Europe, and race in there?

Good, good, sure.

But he still got that tattoo, hadn't he?

Now, if a veteran track examiner was to open his mouth, bingo, there's that old

tattoo.

Now, it just takes a check in the records or a telephone call to identify

Now, Sonny's maybe one of the greatest horses ever to set foot on a track, but

still in all, he's not worth a flat red cent.

What time you got, son?

Um... It's half past.

Oh, my, I gotta get a shake -out or I'll get left at the post. Well, it's good

to meet you, young fella.

Pleasure. Take care now, out there, you hear?

Just wait them out.

They gotta come to you, sooner or later.

Anything for you, sir?

No, thanks.

Seems like he knows his horses.

Hasn't done him much good, poor Sam.

Poor Sam?

For years, hard like his dog to his heels, like a hound dog.

Richmond says that if Sam Dallas had been born a gardener, he would have a

thumb.

He's been a breeder of horses and a trainer for years, the better part of

life. But every time he got a good prospect, the horse would fracture a

sesamoid, go lame, or fall down at the starting gate.

He lost his own place years ago.

I've been told that he's managing a horse farm in Quail Valley or someplace.

I have a hunch that he...

Wanted to borrow some money from Richmond.

Obviously, he hadn't heard about us.

I see it.

Hello, Mr. Mannix.

Well, it happened.

I got the phone call and the instructions for ransom.

What did they say?

Well, it was pretty strange, actually.

Strange? Well, first off, it was a girl.

That was a shock to begin with.

She wants me to put the money in a plain grocery bag.

And take it down to an alley on Pier Avenue.

I know where that is.

There's an old movie house there.

I'll take the money to them tonight at 12 o 'clock and put it in a special

can. Did they say anything about Sonny?

Anything at all?

He's all right out there. They said he's all right.

What do you think, Mr. Maddox?

Well, first of all, Mr. Green, you won't be delivering this money. It'll be me.

What's this number at the bottom? That's what I don't understand.

That's the ransom.

Ransom for the greatest horse that ever set foot on a track?

$753?

Oh, wow.

Like I said, Joe, your way.

Where am I?

You, uh... You're the one who made that phone call

to... Richmond Green?

Yes.

Well... Let me, uh... Let me give you a little clue.

Now... This moment, the way that thing stacks up is this.

It's two to 14 years.

Grand theft.

Horse. Hey, we didn't steal any horse.

Yeah, we read about him in the newspaper. We don't know where he is.

Phone call was only in protest to a society that valued a horse at a million

dollars in the soul of a man of pittance.

We were wrong.

We know that now.

You tried to tell me you had nothing to do with the disappearance of that

horse. No way.

No, do you want the money? I can have it back.

Look, we're sorry for inspiring the violence.

But we did save you from those men.

You, uh... Flower

children, pull those grillers off of me.

All I have to do is pull this police whistle.

Berkeley Police, 1966.

You, uh, tore the shirt off one of them.

Found this in the street after you ran.

Hold it, Wayne.

Your car is right where you left it.

You've got a ride?

Groovy. Ruby, Ruby, Ruby.

Tell me something, meditators.

Why $753?

I mean, what kind of ransom is that?

It's a very beautiful number.

Lazarus composed it.

More coffee, Mrs. Green?

No, thank you, Peggy.

Morning.

It is morning, isn't it? Sure is.

Are you all right?

Reasonably. But none of you.

Who didn't get it? Well, it was a phony call, but helpful.

What happened?

An old, uh...

Quains of mine and a couple of his lodge brothers decided on giving me a sort of

initiation.

Saved by flower power.

Our friend Paddy Wright left his calling card.

Maintains a very casual filing list.

There's a number there, Peggy, with SD behind it. Give it a call, huh?

SD?

Sam Dallas?

Why, you don't think... I'll let you know. What he plans.

Well, uh, the Paddy Club for lunch. Good. I'll, uh, I'll get in touch with

All right.

See you later.

Mine's busy.

Keep trying.

And then call the cab company and tell them to pick me up in the alley in about

ten minutes.

A cab in the alley?

Yep.

Paddy Wright's been following me ever since yesterday.

Found him following me again this morning.

Where I'm going now, I just as soon have him think I'm still here.

Where are you going?

The tattoo parlor at 4431 Ogden.

It ain't a Sistine Chapel, but you ain't paying Michelangelo's prices.

I didn't figure you for a ship.

No, frankly, I didn't come here to get stained.

I'm assuming he ain't some kind of flake.

They're collecting for charity.

What did you come for? What did you come for?

I'd like a short history on tattooing.

For a tenth spot, you get the first page, your first page.

Okay, then how about a couple of questions?

First, what kind of a tattoo did you put on Paddy Wright?

Easy, none, none.

Question two.

He didn't come here for a tattoo. Why did he come here?

This receipt's got your name on it.

Like it says, I did a job of work for him.

Paid me a hundred.

Out of town somewhere.

Where?

I was blindfolded, blindfolded.

Not when you were using a needle.

It was out in the sticks.

Nothing around.

I get six blocks from here. I might as well be in Iceland. Might as well be in

Iceland.

What kind of a tattoo job did you do?

They paid me a hundred, a hundred.

As an artist, the answer's worth twenty.

You won't believe it. Try me.

It's a horse.

I tattooed a horse.

And then they made our friend lie down in the back seat of the car until they

drove into the barn.

That's when he saw the black horse.

They've changed his color.

It looks that way.

And then our friend was shown a lip tattoo and asked to alter it. They had

own needles probably stolen from the racetrack.

Oh, Mr.

Green, do you remember the tattoo registration number on Sunday Sky?

2K178.

Well, that's it.

Well, you found him.

And a tattoo artist also gave me a pretty fair description of the men.

One of them was a fellow called Paddy Wright, and the other was a fellow

Sam Dallas.

Oh, now, Mr. Mannix, I find that hard to believe.

Sorry. It fits.

Here, Peggy.

Oh, thanks. Bring it in, huh?

Sam Dallas would never take a horse for ransom. Not Sam.

Thanks. Now, don't be too sure about Sam Dallas, Mr. Green.

These are the military records on the four men in the plane.

Oh, by the way, Mrs.

Green, you mentioned that Dallas managed a horse farm someplace. Do you remember

where that was?

No. No, I don't.

Richmond, do you?

No.

I'm sorry, Mr. Maddox.

Well, Sam Dallas has a black horse with a new registration number.

Now, if my guess is right, he'll try and ship him out as fast as he can.

But if we're lucky, he's still somewhere in Quail Valley.

Somewhere in the 10 ,000 -acre area.

Well, maybe these records will tell us something.

Hmm.

Two of the men had Air Force training as pilots. V .J. Standard, fighter pilot,

transferred to multi -engine in 66.

Stu Marshall, never in military service. Floyd Brand.

Floyd Brand.

Bomber pilot until October 1954.

Now carries commercial ticket.

Floyd.

Yeah, that's our parlay, Mr. Green. Sam Dallas and Floyd Brand.

Let's see if any of these places of previous employment on brand sound

to you.

1957 to 1961, Jameis Farms.

Kentucky.

1961 to 63, Hialeah Racetrack. 1963 to August 64, Fleetwood Stables. That's

outside San Francisco.

1964, August to January 1965,

Crown Ranch.

I think that's it, Richmond. Crown Ranch.

Yes, I believe it is.

Yes. Quail Valley.

Crown Ranch and Quail Valley. Well, that ought to give us enough to go on.

Well, now, Mr. Mannix, even if Floyd Brand does have a pilot license, wasn't

full of chloral hydrate when that plane landed?

No.

No, not until after it landed.

Now, the way I figured, he doctored that coffee, then pretended to pass out.

He just waited there on the floor until everybody else was unconscious, got into

Stu Marshall's pilot seat, and landed the plane.

Then he put the chloral hydrate into his own coffee, drank and passed out, while

his pals unloaded Sun and Sky off the plane.

Did you ever see anything like him, Floyd? Ever?

Ever? No, we sure haven't.

You go get that bridle.

Don't you think I ought to go get the pony? You know he ain't gonna load

it. Little Patty will bring in Alexander.

You just go get that bridle.

Hey, Dirt.

Easy, boy.

Easy, Alexander.

Bad boy.

Hey, Whitey!

I'm gonna get the pony!

I was beginning to think you didn't get my message.

I got the message.

Richmond, you bought your way into horse racing.

You never really knew it.

You never sat up all night working down an ankle swelling on your only horse's

leg so he could run the next day.

And you never sweated out a claiming race or borrowed entry money.

And you wouldn't know about selling your watch to pay the feed bill for a bunch

of outclassed plateys.

Sam. In Richmond, the real bedrock of horse racing is breeding.

You start with a stud horse like Sonny and you pick your broodmare so as to

build a perfect line.

It's a natural, fine breeding, good size, easy moving.

It's everything I ever dreamed of and couldn't pay for.

He was Sam Dallas's only chance to make his mark in the world.

Sam.

Richmond, you don't understand.

You never did and you never will.

Dallas, shut up.

Shut up.

Thanks, Mr Maddox.