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Oh, ohh...

No!

No! No!

I'd like you to meet my husband,

but I can't find him.

Do you think that you could help me?

No! No! No!

Marika, I brought you... I brought you something.

Everybody... needs a friend.

Your attention, please.

Southeast overnight service to Washington,

Richmond, Norfolk, Wilmington...

Good...

Dad, let's just get a Red Cap, okay?

No, no, no, no.

Exercise is good for you, especially after being

cooped up on a train for so long, right, squirt?

Whatever you say, Grandpa.

I didn't know they even made buildings like this.

Yep. We're in the big time now.

Okay, we've rested enough, let's go.

Come on!

Mr. Cobb! Hello! Mr. Cobb!

Oh, thank goodness.

Nancy, for heaven's sake, put those down.

Mr. Cobb, welcome to Baltimore.

Load these up, please.

You look fine, just fine.

I'm Stoddard Bell.

Oh, Judge Bell, this is my daughter-in-law, Billie Cobb.

I've you certainly heard a lot about you.

It's nice to meet you.

Wonderful to meet you.

And my granddaughter, Nancy.

How do you do, sir? How do you do?

Well, I think we're all set.

I'm gonna have the baggage sent out later,

so just follow me.

This your first train ride, young lady?

No, sir, but it's the first time I ever slept on a train.

Did you sleep well? Yeah.

That's good.

Do you remember me? My name was probably mud

in your household three years ago.

I didn't hear that.

I like a tactful child.

Well, Sweet Pea, I put your grandfather

through H-E-double toothpicks.

But, in case he was too modest to say so, he put on

one of the finest defenses I ever witnessed on the bench.

And that's why you got to take the train ride

all the way to Baltimore.

Do you know what a federal district judge is?

Sort of.

That's what I trade on now

in private practice, Mrs. Cobb.

Let's say a businessman

has a problem with some federal agency.

He retains me.

'Course, for bread-and-butter law business,

I hire go-getters like your grandpa.

Feast your eyes.

Built in 1895, solid as a rock.

I'll give you the grand tour.

By the way, that, uh, car there is yours.

It looks like a new car, Judge.

You said you were gonna arrange for me to buy a used one.

I can't afford that.

You aren't affording it, I am.

You mean you're lending it to me?

No, I'm giving it to you.

Oh, no, I can't let you give me a car, Judge, sorry.

Drive it or walk, it's up to you.

Stuff in here came out of my attic.

My mother bought it new.

When your furniture arrives,

you can decide whether to keep mine or use your own.

It won't matter to me.

I personally went around with a plumber.

He said you'll have plenty of hot water

long as you don't get carried away taking baths.

Fine place for a law library.

Hmm, my library'd fill

about one half of one of these shelves.

You'll build it up.

Mrs. Cobb, my mouth just waters to think of the meals

that ladies before you must've prepared

on this fine old range.

Nancy, I'll bet you've never used a real icebox.

Well, in Baltimore we still have ice delivery.

Once a day, rain or shine.

What do you think?

Oh, I hardly know what to say.

I've got a little surprise for you.

Then I'll get out of your hair.

I had my cook make your dinner.

Just warm it up in the oven.

Well, good-bye.

Cobb, I'll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early.

Yes, sir.

Oh, well, uh, thank you for everything, Judge.

Oh, you're welcome.

Judge, you didn't tell me what the rent was here.

Or did you buy me the house, too?

Matter of fact, I did.

Pretty noisy old house, huh?

Hey, Mom. How about crawling in bed with me for a while?

Oh, sure.

I figured something out.

I'm 12 now, and Daddy went away when I was eight.

So he's been gone for over a third of my whole life.

You still miss him, don't you?

Every day.

I hope we don't have ghosts.

I doubt it.

If we did, the judge would have mentioned 'em

as one of the selling points of the house.

Go to sleep, precious.

I'm Lizzie, uh, he's inside.

Good morning, Judge.

How come the sign says "Bell and Cobb" down there?

I had 'em make it that way.

But what about the other partners? The go-getters?

Doggone it, I never saw a man complain so much

because a job turned out better than he thought it was gonna be.

Here's my last word on the subject.

Take it or leave it.

Can I sit down?

Why don't you sit down?

Oh, remember I was gonna get you waived into the Maryland bar?

Well, they agreed, as a courtesy to me.

Just keep in mind we're a common law state, and you'll do fine.

Common law... historical stuff.

Don't worry about it.

The kind of cases we'll be handling,

you already know what you need to know.

Now let's go, we're due in court.

The matter before this court is a petition

by the Morgan Sugar Beet Farms

for a production exemption

from the Office of Price Administration.

Who's representing the OPA?

I am, Your Honor.

Your Honor, it is the OPA's... Morning, Judge.

Uh, good morning, Your Honor.

This is my associate, Harmon Cobb.

Your Honor. Nice to meet you, Mr. Cobb.

Your Honor, it is the OPA's position that the line

must be held on production quotas

or the well-controlled market they have worked

so diligently to establish will disintegrate into chaos.

Hm, you have any more of this rhetoric?

Well, yes sir, I do.

Well, the next time you give me a brief,

try to remember why it's called a brief.

Why don't you take Judge Bell's brief home and study it.

It's a model of succinct writing.

You wanna make a statement, Judge?

Yes, Your Honor.

My client's paltry few hundred tons of beets

won't have any effect whatsoever on inflation.

If the OPA is in the business of bankrupting small farmers,

it ought to be abolished.

Make the motion.

Get up and move the petition be granted.

Move the petition be granted, Your Honor.

So ruled.

See there? You just made the firm $5,000.

You want your coffee now?!

Dolores invited me over to her house to watch television.

Can I go?

Sure, honey, but don't be late.

I saw it before, Grandpa.

It's like the radio,

only there were people on this little round screen.

This man called Brent Gunts was talking about President Truman.

He's dreamy.

President Truman?

No! Brent Gunts!

Doesn't sound as interesting as "Amos and Andy."

It's not interesting at all.

But you can see stuff, it's wonderful!

You don't mind buying groceries with stolen money, do you?

Stop that.

It's the truth.

The judge hasn't given me

a single case of my own ever since I got here.

Nobody even comes into the office except these fat cats

who hire him to wangle deals from the government.

We could go back home.

I've been thinking about that.

You know, Billie, for the first time in my life,

I'm making $10,000 a year.

And I'll tell you something.

As lackluster as my practice might've been,

I didn't feel like a failure.

But I sure do now.

Poor Dad.

I think part of your problem is you're lonesome.

You miss all your old cronies.

All you have now is me to laugh at your jokes.

And you've heard all of them.

I think I'll take a little walk.

I'll see you later, okay, Billie?

Okay, Pop.

You're just too honest a guy, Bob.

Here's one, fella walk into a psychiatrist's office,

and he's got a parrot on his head.

Psychiatrist says, "What's the problem, sir?"

And the parrot says, "I dunno, Doc,

but I got this guy hanging under my feet."

I didn't tell it right.

What do you do for a living, sir?

I'm an ironworker. What do you do?

Lawyer, attorney-at-law.

Did you hear the one about the lawyer

goes into the aquarium and, uh...

Okay.

Keep the change.

Hey, pal, I only got $12, here, take it.

No, I wasn't gonna rob you. I don't want your money.

All I wanna do is talk to you.

Well, that's a pleasant change.

Look, I heard you say that you were a lawyer.

Most lawyers only give a damn about rich people.

But you seem like you're different from them somehow.

Yeah? I don't know.

I wanna hire you.

I don't have much money, but I got a hell of a problem.

You sound like my type of client.

Harmon Cobb.

Hiya, Michael Stainback.

You got some time right now?

Sure, come on.

What, uh, what can I do for you?

Well... I want you to get a friend of mine

out of a state mental hospital.

Marika Poupoulis is her name.

Her and I are engaged.

She came to Baltimore ten years ago from Greece

to marry some guy, it was all arranged.

She was only 17.

A month later, she was a widow.

She worked...

She used to work in this Greek restaurant

that friends of mine own, Nick and Melina Vovakis.

They're like family to the both of us, you know?

Anyway, a couple of months ago,

Marika started having these ups and downs.

One day she'd be okay.

And the next, she'd have the blues,

crying her heart out.

He doctor told her that she was depressed

and that there wasn't anything he could do for her,

but maybe a psychiatrist could help.

He gave her the name of some guy downtown.

His name was Obenland. She tried to see him,

but they told her that he got 20 bucks an hour.

And that she'd have to pay

before every session twice a week.

Can you believe it?

But then, they tell her that there's a way

that she can get free help from Dr. Obenland.

What she'd have to do is sign herself in

to the state mental hospital

that he works at some of the time.

She was real happy thinking that maybe she might be cured.

The next day she made me take her out there.

She wouldn't even let me go inside with her.

She just got out of the car with her little suitcase and went in.

Four months and four days ago.

Are you telling me that she committed herself

to an, uh, insane asylum?

Yes.

Do you visit her?

Once.

She'd lost weight.

She had scratches on her arms.

They wouldn't let us be alone.

She said, "Michael, I made a terrible mistake.

"I'm gonna go crazy.

Please get me out of here."

The next visiting day,

they said that she was too sick for me to see her

unless I was a relative.

Well... what is it you think I can do for you?

If Marika's crazy, they made her crazy.

Why would they do that?

I don't know.

I just wan you to get her out of there, please?

Well, if she's in as bad a shape as you say, uh...

then even if you could get her out,

what would you do if you did?

I don't know!

All I know is that she's in there alone.

Yeah.

Please?

Well, uh...

I guess I could ask some questions.

What am I talking about?

I'm new in this town.

I don't even know what the law is here.

You need a better lawyer than I am.

No, you can do this.

I have a feeling about you.

I want you.

Please.

Okay, but I can't promise you anything.

Good night. Night.

Thanks a million, I, uh...

Good night.

How was television?

Actually...

Dolores and I went up to her room

and listened to "Inner Sanctum" instead.

I don't blame you.

I have a little news.

Hmm?

I've decided to get a job.

That's great! Doing what?

Well, I do have a bachelor's degree.

There's gotta be some company out there

who wants somebody smart.

Yeah, but what are you gonna do?

Your degree's in music.

How should I know?

Why aren't you jumping up and down and saying

"Go get 'em, Billie?"

I am, I'm jumping up and down on the inside.

Thank you.

Tell this fella you ain't interested.

Our firm doesn't do that kind of work.

Well, I didn't say I was gonna take the case.

I just said I'd ask some questions.

So how does one go about getting a person

out of a mental institution in this state?

Well, I guess you could always prove they were sane.

What else? Okay, you can solve this

the way a lot of other things in this life get solved,

with money.

If somebody will pay for her care,

you can petition the court to move her

to a private facility.

Either way, the firm of Bell and Cobb ain't interested.

Mr. Cobb!

Hello, Michael. Thanks for coming.

Welcome to Nikos.

I'm Nick Vovakis.

Anything you need, you got. Thank you.

You tell him what I told you, huh?

Nick's a great guy.

Melina, that's his wife.

Michael, you're not gonna like what I have to tell you.

What do you mean?

I mean there are two ways to get your friend out.

One, prove that she's cured.

Two, find another place for her to go

and have a few thousand dollars so she can stay there.

We don't have that kind of money.

I know that.

Looks like we're out of luck.

What is this you say?

That they can take a nice person and ruin her?

No, sir, that is not right!

This is America!

I know it's not right, but it's the law.

I, I, I don't know what to do about it.

Well, you change the law!

I can't change the law.

Well...

Thank you anyway, Mr. Cobb.

I really appreciate it.

Wait, wait a minute, wait.

Melina, go get the picture of Marika at the picnic, go.

Listen, mister.

Marika Poupoulis was nobody important.

She is just a poor immigrant who works in a restaurant.

But to Melina and me, she's like our own daughter.

Here, you see this picture?

That's who she was.

She was like sunshine coming into a room.

Mister, did you ever lose somebody you love?

And it's somethin' where... how you say,

if you was there, maybe you could save them.

But somehow you could not be there.

And you feel so bad you just want to die.

Do you know what I'm talking?

My son was killed in the war.

Then you know.

You keep this picture, mister.

You look at Marika.

You will think of something.

Please?

Well? Well, what?

What do you mean, well, what? Ask me.

Ask you what?

She got the job, Grandpa!

Ahh... so!

Uh-huh, I got the job!

Mr. March said, "What retail experience have you had?"

I said none.

So he said, well, what other jobs have you held?

I said, "Wife and mother."

So he said, "Why should I hire a person with no experience?"

This is the good part.

So I looked him right in the eye and I said,

"Mr. March, I have a degree in music.

"So I will certainly be knowledgeable about records

"and sheet music, both classical and popular.

"I have excellent penmanship,

"so I'll be able to write legible sales slips.

"I'm certain I can learn to use a cash register

"in less than five minutes.

"And as for my lack of retail experience,

I happen to have one hell of a great personality!"

Yay, Mom!

Morning, Judge.

I've decided to represent Marika Poupoulis.

Who? The girl, you know, the Greek girl.

You know, the one in the mental place.

That makes me damn mad.

Do you know a good psychiatrist?

One with a reputable clinic that the state would approve?

All right, supposing I do let you take the case.

Is the woman sane?

Apparently not.

Okay, did you find someone who's able

and willing to pay for her care? No.

Then how the hell you gonna get her out, you ...?

Well, I'll pay for it myself.

I'll mortgage the house you gave me,

and I'll sell the car you gave me.

My God, no wonder you were the poorest lawyer

in the state of Colorado.

All right, I know blackmail when I see it. I'll do it.

What are you talking about? Do what?

Pay for the woman's treatment.

I don't want you to pay for it.

Stay out of it, Judge.

I'm paying and that's that. I'll put $5,000 into escrow

to guarantee six months of treatment.

That'll satisfy the court.

Maybe she can be cured in that length of time, maybe she can't.

That's as far as I'll go.

There's a psychiatrist I know, Alan Friedman, good man.

Lizzie's got his number. Nope, I better call him.

There's no reason why he should give you the time of day.

Oh, and get yourself appointed as this woman's legal guardian.

That way, they'll have to let you see her and represent her.

Ahh! I'll take care of that, too.

Thank you, Judge.

Don't thank me.

I'm just protecting my money.

After you take care of this,

maybe then you can get down to business.

What business? You don't give me any business.

And that's another thing.

I just gave you another gift horse!

Quit lookin' 'em in the mouth!

Oh, pardon me, sir.

Uh, I'm here to see Marika Poupoulis.

I'm her lawyer.

One minute, please.

Thank you.

Come in!

I'm Dr. Halloway. What's this about?

How do you do, sir?

Harmon Cobb, I'm an attorney

with the firm of Bell and Cobb.

Stoddard Bell? That's right.

I'm about to petition the county court

to have a patient of yours named Marika Poupoulis

released into private care.

This is Dr. Friedman.

There's no possibility this patient can leave the premises.

I'm sorry.

Well, I'm sorry, Doctor, but you see, my firm

has been retained by her legal guardian,

and, uh, we would like to do an examination right here, now.

Who's her legal guardian?

Me.

What do you think, Doc?

Will you take her into your clinic?

Sure, if they let her out.

Why wouldn't they?

Ever hear of a place called Bedlam?

I've heard the word.

It was a lunatic asylum in London in the 17th century.

They put people in there who were deformed, epileptic,

retarded, people with cleft palates,

brain tumors, you name it.

It was a human garbage dump.

300 years ago, the English had an excuse.

They didn't know any better.

Come on, Doctor, this is the United States of America, 1947.

What I'm saying is the girl was probably mistreated.

But that's my opinion.

It wouldn't stand up in court.

I'll tell you something else.

If she has been mistreated, it sure as hell

won't be in their interests to have her recover.

Why not? Recovered people talk.

Aren't you being overly dramatic?

I hope you're right.

Will that be all?

That'll be 50 cents.

Out of a dollar.

50 cents, thank you very much, come again.

Hi. Hi.

Can I help you?

Um... yeah, um...

Anything new in the Jazz section?

Oh, sure, come here, I'll show you.

Okay, I don't know if I can afford a new record.

I was just gonna come in and browse around

until I saw you.

Oh! Jimmy Lunceford, he's great.

This is his new one. Could I listen to it?

I mean... Sure.

Yeah, I mean, I might even buy it...

after payday, heh.

Okay, so, here's all you need to know about me.

My name is Jack Adkins, and I teach high school math.

And I always compliment the cook

whenever I'm invited over for dinner.

And my only physical infirmity is pretty lousy eyesight.

I've never been married.

I've never even, you know, up until now,

been in love, so... how about you?

Gee, I don't know what to say.

Oh, my gosh, now I've done it, haven't I? Um...

See, I'm so shy, I usually don't even

open my mouth around women, um...

I don't know what I'm saying. I'm sorry.

So, inasmuch, Your Honor,

as my client has been accepted for treatment

at the Friedman Psychiatric clinic,

and inasmuch as $5,000 has been placed into escrow

for her continuing care,

Marika Poupoulis requests that her petition

for release be granted, thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Cobb. Mr. Daily?

Your Honor, we'd like to call Dr. Boone Halloway.

That Harmon Cobb, God sent him to us.

This is only a hearing, Doctor.

You don't have to be sworn.

Thank you.

I'm here today to recommend

that this court not grant Marika Poupoulis' petition.

This patient is psychotically depressed.

She is paranoid with severe suicidal tendencies.

And this has occurred despite heroic efforts to save her.

Since committing herself to our care,

this patient has undergone 12 insulin coma treatments

and eight electroconvulsive shock treatments,

the latest one yesterday morning.

Your Honor, I strongly believe the trauma to Marika Poupoulis

of changing her surroundings and her physician

would result in her death.

No! That isn't right! No! No! No!

Nothing's wrong with Marika! You let her... go!

Good night!

Okay, do you like terrapin?

I made a reservation at Pirandello's Fish House.

For every night for the next two weeks, just in case.

Are you asking me out to dinner?

Oh, boy, see?

I oughta read a book on how to talk to women.

I'm sorry I bothered you.

Wait a minute.

Gosh, don't take no for an answer

till I say it, will ya?

Well, aren't you gonna say no?

I don't know! No.

No, wait, no, do you...

Well, do you mean no, you aren't gonna say no?

Or no, you... you don't wanna go out to dinner with me?

Before you figure that out, how about Thursday?

Look, I think you should know

I'm a widow and I have a child.

How old? Boy or girl?

A girl, she's 12.

Okay, so I'll pick you up at 6:30.

Where do you live?

Well, you're asking for it.

616 Laurel Street.

The house doesn't have any closets.

You can't miss it.

Oh!

Come in.

Hi. I just came in to say good night.

Hmm...

What a pretty woman.

Who is she?

Oh, she's, uh, involved in a case I'm working on.

Did I wake you up tramping around?

No, I wasn't asleep.

Dad, how would you feel

if I met another man I like someday?

Not that I necessarily have...

but would your feelings be hurt?

I mean, I've always been Harry's wife to you.

Billie, you're a grown woman

and you can do anything you want.

I'll get that.

Hello? Yeah, this is Friedma.

Do you remember Halloway saying that they'd given

Marika Poupoulis a shock treatment yesterday morning?

That would've been shortly before I examined her.

Yes? Well, there are certan residual effecs

that linger long enough for me to have noticed them.

Are you telling me that Halloway lied?

That's right. Well, if you think that,

do you think he ld about the other treatme?

I couldn't prove it... listen, Cobb,

Halloway practiced psychiatry for ten minutes.

Then he became an administrator.

All he cares about is feeding his patients

on 49 cents a day and looking good for the legislature.

You want to know about Obenland?

He gets a flat fee for every patient he refers out there,

whether he commits them or they commit themselves.

Then he gets a fee for treating them,

which maybe he earns and maybe he doesn't.

In my opinion, he's just, uh, a wholesale supplier.

I'd love to nail both those butchers.

Hello? Hello?

Everything all right?

Yes.

Okay.

Well, good night.

Good night.

Good morning.

My name is Cobb.

I'd like to see Dr. Halloway.

Oh, he isn't here.

Oh.

Okay if I wait?

You know, you could have saved yourself

a lot of trouble with a phone call.

He won't be in today at all.

Hmm.

Thank you very much.

Psst. Come with me.

What?

Come with me.

Where? To see Marika.

I saw you the other day.

I know you're her friend.

I'm Donald. Marika's my friend.

What are you, an orderly? Yes.

We have to go through another room.

But don't worry.

Nobody will hurt you.

I have to meet my husband. Have you seen him?

It's very important. He gets very...

You're hurting me!

Help! He's hurting me!

Stop! You're hurting me!

Esther, it's all right now.

It's all right. He won't hurt you anymore.

Come on, hurry up, we have to go.

Those are the bad ladies.

They can hurt you.

Sometimes they put Marika in there,

and she gets into fights.

Do the doctors do anything for her?

No.

They used to keep coal here.

Now it's where my friends live.

Marika, Marika.

Wake up, wake up.

Yeah, your friend came to see you.

Help me.

Help me!

Help me. Help me.

I will, I will.

Help me.

They should've locked you in there and thrown away the key!

Marika Poupoulis is my client.

I don't care if she's your mother.

You are a member of this law firm!

Judge, don't you even care

that they've got people locked up like animals down there?

Don't you accuse me of being heartless.

I know that what they did to Marika Poupoulis down there

in that hellhole drove her crazy.

I don't know why they did it.

Maybe they thought it was a prison or a torture chamber

instead of a hospital.

Maybe they were saving money.

I don't know.

But they're not gonna get away with it.

I'm gonna sue to have Marika Poupoulis

put in a private hospital at their expense.

And I'm gonna sue them for damages.

You horse's ..., don't you know

we have in this state a thing called sovereign immunity?

In English common law, it means that the king

can do what he damn well pleases.

What it means to you is you can't sue the state!

Look at you. You're the most pitiful

excuse for an attorney I've ever seen.

You are the most contrary human being

I've ever met in my life.

First you tell me I'm such a good lawyer,

you want to hire me.

Then you get me here and you don't give me any cases.

And now you're calling me pitiful!

Well, if I'm so pitiful,

what the hell did you hire me for?!

I hired you because I was the instrument of your destruction.

I made you defend that German POW.

It ruined your life.

I couldn't die knowing I'd done that to a man.

So I made myself the instrument of your resurrection!

You didn't ruin my life.

Yes, I did! The town turned against you.

They did not turn against me. We found the real murderers.

That's beside the point.

On account of me, you lost your practice.

I never had any practice!

I wasn't ambitious enough to have a practice!

What are you telling me? That you made me a charity case

so that you could feel noble?

Write out your resignation!

Why should I? Fire me!

I will not be the instrument of your destruction a second time.

... you, just quit!

Judge, you are a piece of work.

I will not quit.

I'm gonna live in your house and I'm gonna drive your car.

And while I'm doing that,

I'm gonna sue the State of Maryland.

You're all so in love with somber beauty

of ancient precedents, fine.

But there is a way around sovereign immunity,

and I'm going to find it.

Just because it's never been found before

doesn't mean it can't be done.

I'm gonna find it and I'm gonna save Marika Poupoulis,

and I'm going to show you that it can be done,

you sanctimonious old goat.

That's more like it!

Hi, I'm home!

Hey, Dad.

Anything interesting?

Scintillating stuff. The Common Law of England.

I'm up to King George III.

You wanna borrow it after I'm through?

No thanks, I've actually got a date tonight.

He's coming for me in 20 minutes.

I gotta get a move on.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

I'll get it!

I wonder if your father-in-law's still in the cellar.

I'd sure like to meet him.

I think you better leave him to me.

Did you have a good time at all?

Yes, I did.

I might even wanna do it again sometime.

You would? Yes.

Okey-doke.

Uh, Billie, I'm ridiculously impulsive

and I always have been, so here goes.

I'm just crazy about you.

I'd decided that the great love of my life was just

never gonna be in the same place as I was and, and...

and then now...

here, here you are after all and...

There.

That first kiss can turn into a dinosaur

if you don't get it over with.

Yeah?

What's the matter, Dad?

Nothing.

If not, why'd you hide in the cellar when Jack came for me?

I wasn't hiding.

What, uh, what branch of the service was he in?

He was 4-F. He wanted to go,

but he's almost blind without his glasses.

I, uh, I'm a little busy now, working, I'm sorry.

Okay.

Good night, Pop.

Come in.

Is your nose out of joint, too?

No.

Well, that's a relief.

So what did you think of Jack?

Well, he's kinda handsome, and he seems really nice.

Yeah.

How would you feel if I went out with him again?

Gee, why are you asking me?

Well, I don't want you to be hurt because of Daddy.

Jack's really nice, and I think he likes me a lot.

So, come on, Mom, did he kiss?

Is that all you care about?

It's none of your beeswax.

Good night, precious.

Good night. Hey, Mom?

Yeah?

Thanks for asking me.

What a perfect day for a picnic.

Well, I'm just sorry your Dad's too busy to come along.

Lucky for you I wasn't too busy.

Gee, Unc, can't I have my roller skates back?

If this works, I'll buy you

all the roller skates any kid ever dreamed of.

Will you turn that down, please?

Sorry, Grandpa.

There, it's finished.

Wanna try it?

Not me, remember last time?

Okay, here goes!

Hey, Judge, look at this.

Oh...

They've already tried and failed with that one.

I'm not spending the whole evening in the cellar again.

The hell with it.

Bye, Mom. Bye, honey.

See you tonight, Grandpa.

Dad, we've got to talk.

I hate this.

I get up every morning and all I want to do is cry.

We'll talk about it later.

Holy Chicago.

Who is it?

It's me! Let me in! I found it!

What are you doing with a gun, Judge?

I'm gonna shoot you if this isn't damn good.

It's great.

"Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury

"often asserted his independence from the King.

"Once a certain monk stood accused of the murder

"of a follower of one of the King's barons.

"King Henry demanded the monk be tried in his courts,

"but Becket refused, claiming the crime

should be dealt with by the, by the church."

Now let me just tell it to you.

The monk hid in his monastery.

This baron destroyed the monastery

looking for him before he found him.

Becket told the King he had to pay for the damages.

The King told Becket to go to ...

So Becket had him tried in absentia

in front of a tribunal of bishops.

They found him guilty, and they made him pay a fine.

King Henry paid a fine because he wanted Becket

to excommunicate some joker that he didn't like in the Church.

But it doesn't alter the fact that the King paid!

And sovereign immunity was broken.

Exactly.

All this time, I was thinking civil law

when this was under the realm of church law.

That counts, doesn't it, Judge?

You damn right it does.

If there's a record of it in Glasscock.

If it's here, we've got us a citation we can use in court.

We?

You.

Well, I'll be damned, here it is.

I'll guarantee you one thing.

The Attorney General himself is gonna show up for this.

Because if we get us the right judge...

I mean, if you get the right judge,

someone who appreciates history...

Harvey Gold. He'd be your man,

and I'm just the fellow who can arrange to get him.

And maybe they'll let you take on the King.

Judge, if you wanna say

"Let us take on the King," it's okay with me.

Well, I'll tell you something.

You hurt my feelings when you said I didn't care

about the people in that asylum.

But so long as you won't resign,

I guess the whole firm oughta show up in court.

By the way, do we have a case?

I was hoping you wouldn't ask that.

Oyez, oyez! All rise.

Maryland Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County

is now in session.

The Honorable Judge Harvey Gold presiding.

Give me the date of that cite, please, Mr. Cobb?

May 5, 1159, Your Honor.

Hm, Glasscock's Systematic Interpretation

of English Canon Law? Hmm.

Yes, sir.

Judge Bell and I have prepared

a brief that expands the particulars.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thomas Becket?

What that says, Your Honor,

is that Henry II got held accountable

for not protecting his subjects from himself.

We, uh, are asking Your Honor

to apply the same standards to the State of Maryland.

With all due respect, Your Honor,

it is well known that you love obscure precedent.

But this citation is absurd.

Luckily, Mr. Attorney General, that is for me to decide,

not you, hmm?

Now, I'm going to retire and study this brief.

Court is in recess.

Judge Gold is ready.

Gentlemen...

now this is interesting.

I'm going to hear this case.

Yeah!

First thing we've got to do in the trial

is put a human face on an absent plaintiff.

Even if we can do it,

proving those people drove her crazy is gonna be real sticky.

They're not stupid.

And the Attorney General is a tough customer in court,

believe me.

Well, the only friendly witness we've got is Donald,

the fella who took me through the asylum.

Some witness.

They'll try to have him disqualified,

so it'll be up to Judge Gold.

I don't hold out much hope.

Winning a legal point like we just did is real satisfying.

I just hope we can use it to save that young woman's soul.

Move it, Donald.

Hello, Donald. Thank you.

Donald... I need your help

so I can help our friend Marika.

Do you think you could talk to somebody

about what it's like in here?

All right, forget it, forget it, Donald.

It's all right.

Do you know what a business card is?

Business card.

Do you know how to read?

All right, take this.

Take it, it's got my number on it.

Don't show it to anybody.

If you ever have to call me...

Do you know how to use a phone?

I've seen the doctors and nurses talk to 'em, but...

One more thing.

Could you take me to see our friend again?

Okay.

Hurry, hurry, if they catch us...

Sorry, Marika, I promise you'll never have to see this.

Well...

All I can do is wish you luck.

Hmm... thanks.

Dad, look at me.

I have a speech I've been rehearsing for two days,

and you're going to listen to it.

Don't make it.

Sorry, but I'm going to.

Dad...

You know I've loved you all these years

even more than I loved my own father.

It was the most natural thing in the world

that we came to live with you when Harry went overseas.

And after he died, it was just home.

We're here because you're our family,

and that's who you stay with.

So here goes.

Jack Adkins is in love with me.

I don't know if I'm in love with him yet,

but I know I wanna be.

You have to accept it, Dad.

No, I don't!

Yes, you do!

Do you think I didn't love Harry as much as you did?

I don't know how much you loved him.

I only know how much I loved him.

Don't you know what you're doing, for God's sake?

You're killing him for me all over again!

Oh, Dad, that hurts.

That just hurts me so much.

I'm sorry to do this to you, Donald,

but it's the only way we can help Marika.

Donald, don't you wanna see what's out here?

All these cars and people?

Donald Two? What kind of name is that?

Well, he was the second Donald in the Boys Wing

when he got there, Your Honor.

Donald, the reason that you had to come here

is because if you testify in the trial,

this is where you'll have to do it.

Do you understand that?

He's just frightened, Your Honor.

Donald?

Donald, Donald, tell the judge about the coal bins.

Tell the judge about the baths, Donald.

Donald, please,

don't you want to help Marika?

What do you want me to do?

I cannot let you put this man on the stand.

It's all right, Donald, it's all right.

It's all right.

Billie?!

Nancy?!

I first met Marika Poupoulis

when she came from Greece in 1937.

She was 17 years old.

There was an arranged marriage.

They still do that sometimes.

Her husband died and, uh, my wife and I, we took her in.

She worked in my restaurant for nine years.

What did she look like?

Objection.

Ordinarily, Your Honor,

the plaintiff in a civil action

would be sitting in the courtroom.

I think the jury ought to know who's bringing suit here.

Oh, please.

No, no.

I'll permit it. Go ahead, please.

Well, I, I bring picture here.

She was 12.

Objection! What the plaintiff looked like at 12

is irrelevant and frivolous!

Oh, very well then.

We have a more recent photograph.

Absolutely not, Your Honor.

Why?

What you objected to was the age of that photograph.

You opened this can of worms up for yourself,

Mr. Attorney General.

I will admit the second photograph.

And Mr. Cobb, you've made as much of a point

on this as I'll allow, hm?

You can step down, Mr. Vovakis.

And we're in recess for lunch.

Mr. Cobb?

I'm Jack Adkins.

Can I talk to you, please?

Go ahead.

I wish I could make it so you don't hate me.

But I've been looking for a girl

like Billie all my life.

And now that I've found her, I'm...

I've gotta fight for her.

So now, I know that I can never appreciate

what you went through in losing your son.

No, you can't.

Okay, but, but just think about this.

It wasn't anybody's fault.

And even though you don't care about me,

don't you think Billie deserves a chance to be happy?

Yes, I do.

Dr. Halloway, uh,

this document contains testimony that you gave

before the State Senate Finance Committee last February.

On page two you state,

"In 1946, Walnut Hill gave treatment

second to none to 330 inmates."

Is that true, sir? Yes.

And on page six, "Walnut Hill is a spotless facility

where kindness and mercy are the watchwords."

Do you stand by those words, sir?

Your Honor, are we gonna go line by line through this report?

I'm just trying to find out if it's true and accurate.

Ye Gods, Your Honor, the state will gladly stipulate to that.

Anything to save time, Your Honor.

I'll submit this report, Your Honor,

as an exhibit of the plaintiff's.

Accepted.

Dr. Halloway...

if I were a person who needed mental health care,

and I read that report, which the state of Maryland

just stipulated contains the unvarnished truth,

I guess I would feel pretty wonderful

about going out there, wouldn't I?

You might, yes.

And Lord forbid, if your mother needed mental health care,

you as a loving son wouldn't hesitate for a second

to send her out there, would you?

Objection!

I withdraw the question, Your Honor.

Dr. Halloway, do you have a patient at your facility,

name of Marika Poupoulis?

That's correct.

She committed herself, did she not on, uh...

oh, uh, December 28, 1946...

Did she not?

That's correct.

Did you diagnose her when she came or did someone else?

I did.

And, uh, could she talk, uh,

read and write, uh, sign her name?

Yes.

So what was your diagnosis?

That she was severely depressed.

You, uh, discussed this with Dr. Obenland?

He's listed here as the, as the admitting physician.

On the 28th, he prescribed treatment at that time.

He did this personally?

Yes.

I have no more questions.

Well, they stipulated to a bundle of lies.

Good work.

Now all you've gotta do is prove they're lies.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Nice to see your face, squirt.

Nice to see yours too, Grandpa.

Hmm...

How's your Mom?

She's all right.

Sit down.

Hmm.

You got a little apartment, huh?

Yes.

Oh, Grandpa, I want to come back and live with you!

I would like that, too.

I know why you're sad. You do?

Remember when we went fishing after Daddy died,

and I caught the rainbow trout?

And you made me throw him back?

You said we'd always remember his colors.

When I miss Daddy,

I think about what you said and I remember him.

Everything about him I can.

And I look at all the pictures we have of him,

every one, over and over.

I'm never gonna forget him, Grandpa.

Never in my whole life.

Me neither.

Well, then...

don't you think Mom's always gonna remember him, too?

Here, Grandpa.

I bought a book with a page for every day of the year.

It's for you.

I wrote on all the pages, see?

"Remember Nancy."

I could never forget you, Nancy.

Never in a million years.

Thanks, sweetheart!

Tell me, Dr. Obenland,

how many sessions of psychoanalysis

does it take to cure somebody who's psychotically depressed?

I couldn't possibly say.

One treatment?

Hardly.

Um... a hundred?

Sometimes.

Hmm.

Now, according to Marika Poupoulis' hospital records,

you had 28 sessions of psychotherapy with her.

Is that correct?

If that's what it says, yes.

And, uh, the records also state that you prescribed

12 insulin shock treatments,

eight electroconvulsive shock treatments?

Is that also true? Yes.

So you gave up on the psychotherapy?

Yes, she, uh... deteriorated from

a depressed state into psychosis.

Doctor, at the psychotherapy sessions,

what is it that you do, anyway?

Well, I elicit, uh, memories and feelings of childhood, um...

looking for areas I can delve into more deeply.

"Tell us about the time your mother or your father beat you?"

That sort of thing.

It's hardly that obvious.

There are also tests... word association,

picture association, that sort of thing.

Getting at the root of psychotic

or neurotic behavior is a very complex process.

Ahh...

So that's pretty much what you did with Marika Poupoulis?

Yes.

How much do you make out there, Doctor?

I mean, uh, do you get a salary from the state,

or do they pay you by the consultation?

No, I, I get paid a, a flat fee.

$27 a month per patient.

$27 a month per patients you cure?

Uh, no.

Well, then what, sir?

Per patient I treat.

$27 a month doesn't seem like very much

unless you had 50 patients out there.

Do you have that many?

It's possible.

50 patients times $27 a month.

That's $1,350 a month.

You treat them all?

Yes, I treat them all.

You've published some pretty successful books,

have you not, Doctor?

Yes, I have.

Based on case studies of the hopelessly insane?

Well, that's in a general sense.

Isn't it true that the source material for these books

are the patients you treat at Walnut Hill?

Yes, and I deeply resent the implication.

Oh, then you'll be happy to know

I have no more questions. Thank you, Doctor.

Your Honor, I may need to recall this witness.

Dr. Friedman, have you had any occasion in your own practice

to administer electric shock treatments?

Hundreds of times.

You examined Marika Poupoulis on July 15th, didn't you?

That's correct.

When you're examining a patient,

is there any way you can tell

if she's recently had an electric shock treatment?

A patient undergoing electroshock

experiences violent convulsions.

There's bruising, either from the convulsions themselves

or from the restraints used to control the patient.

Doctor, I'm gonna show you a page

from the Walnut Hill Hospital medical file

on Marika Poupoulis.

Would you tell me what's indicated right there?

That she was administered electroconvulsive shock

at 11:00 a.m. on July 15, 1947.

Hmm, the same day you examined her. Yes.

I saw her around 2:00 p.m.

Did she show any signs of bruising?

None whatsoever.

Does that suggest any conclusion to you, Doctor?

Because I can tell you it's suggesting one to this jury.

Yes.

That Marika Poupoulis received no shock treatment

on the morning of July 15th.

Your witness.

Dr. Friedman, we're talking about one small discrepancy.

Isn't it just possible that a mistake

could have been made in the records?

Sure.

And pigs have wings.

The jury will absolutely disregard

the witness's last remark.

I have no further questions.

You may step down, Doctor.

Your Honor, my client needs to subpoena some records.

Dr. Obenland, do you recognize this?

Uh, that appears to be my, uh, appointment book.

One from your office? Yes.

You're a very busy man.

An appointment every hour on the hour five days a week.

Did you keep 'em all?

Of course.

Then I'll ask you about some of these entries.

Now, we'll use initials for purposes of confidentiality.

Okay...

December 31st, you had a different patient every hour

from 9:00 in the morning until 5:30 in the afternoon

with a half-hour off for lunch.

Is that correct?

If that's what it says.

That's what it says.

Here we have the hospital records.

December the 31st,

you had one of your 28 psychotherapy sessions

with Marika Poupoulis at Walnut Hill

at 11:00 a.m.

Where were you, Doctor?

At Walnut Hill treating Marika Poupoulis

or at your office treating D.L.?

What about January the 3rd?

Were you at Walnut Hill treating Marika Poupoulis

or were you at your office treating D.S.?

Well, please tell us, Doctor, please, tell us!

I was in my office.

All right, so you weren't treating Marika Poupoulis

at Walnut Hill on the 31st of December.

And you were not treating her at Walnut Hill

on the 3rd of, uh, January.

Is that right? That's right.

Well, did you ever treat her

on any of those other 28 psychotherapy sessions?

No.

You didn't delve into her past,

lead her through a complete medical examination?

Give her a word association test?

No.

The truth is, Doctor, that you have never

in your life set eyes on Marika Poupoulis, have you?

No.

But I did nothing wrong.

I did not falsify those hospital records!

No, but you lied about them.

Thank you very much, Doctor.

Your Honor, I'm finished with this witness.

Judge Bell...

No comment!

We have no comment!

Well, we proved they didn't help her.

But all they gotta do is

promise to be good boys from now on.

I don't think we'll win the suit

without proving they hurt her.

Damn, Donald's the only one on our side

who knows enough to hurt them.

Oh, well...

Want to flip a coin to see who sums up tomorrow?

You can do the honors, Judge.

Thanks! I don't mind if I do.

Halloway, you've got to do something about Donald Two.

I know, I'll take care of it.

Donald?

Hey, Donald?!

Guess what, Donald?

They're gonna put you in with the people

with the black eyes, Donald!

Hey, Donald!

Harmon Cobb.

Are you inside the phone?

What? Who's this?

It's Donald Two.

Holy Chicago.

I know seven ws out of the hospit.

But I was always afraid before.

One of the ways out is...

is beside the big brick chimney.

Where they do the laundry?

Can you come to the big chimney

and take me away with you?

I...

I want to help Marika... before they cut my brain.

I'll be there.

Donald, tell us about when you went to see Judge Gold before.

I was bad before.

I was afraid.

Why?

Dr. Halloway said if I talked to you,

they would hurt Marika.

But why did you change your mind about talking now?

Because Dr. Halloway's gonna cut my brain.

People with the black eyes, they never smile.

Sometimes the doctor makes a mistake and they can't talk.

Not ever.

Stanley told me that's what would happen to me.

Stanley is the big attendant who was with him

when he was in your chambers before, Your Honor.

So I ran away.

I know seven ways out of the hospital.

I got outside the fence to the place by the big chimney.

Harmon Cobb was there.

We drove to his house in a car.

I was never in a house before.

Now I've been in two houses. Hmm.

I ran away so I could tell about Marika

before Dr. Halloway cuts my brain

and I can't talk anymore.

What does he mean, "the people with the black eyes"?

Pre-frontal lobotomy patients.

Dr. Friedman says they exhibit post-operative contusions

around the eyes... shiners.

The eyes, that's where they go in.

They call it ice-pick surgery.

Judas Priest.

All right, put him on the stand.

Donald, why are you at Walnut Hill?

I'm a feeble-minded child.

How long have you been there?

Since I was three years old.

Have you ever been to school?

No.

But I know how to read and write.

Who taught you?

William Five.

His mother taught him.

Before this happened, were you ever outside

the grounds of the hospital?

No.

What do you do at the hospital, Donald?

I have a job.

I'm an orderly.

I help move people, and I clean their messes.

Do you get paid for this work?

Do you get money? Do they give you money?

I don't know what that is, I...

They give me food and a place to sleep.

And where is that? The place to sleep?

We sleep in the basement of the Deaver Building.

It's warm there.

Who's we?

The 23 of us there.

23 children, like me.

Hmm, how old are you, Donald?

54 years old.

Uh, are you the oldest child?

No, Billy One is 63 years old.

Hmm.

Where you going, Harmon?

Oh, I'll be right back.

I'm just gonna get a picture here.

Here, Donald.

Who is this lady?

That's my friend.

Marika is her name.

Marika.

How often do you see her?

Every day.

I'm the orderly for the basement, uh,

of the, uh, Lloyd Building.

Uh, I bring food and I clean there.

Is that where she lives?

Yes.

Hm, what kind of a room does she have?

A coal bin.

Uh, it's, it's not a coal bin anymore.

They took the coal out and put a wire door

and three little rooms and...

she's in the second room.

What does she use for a toilet?

A pail.

What does she sleep on?

A mattress.

Does she ever leave the room?

Once a week when I clean it with a hose.

Where do they take her when you do this?

To the washtubs over by the, uh, furnace.

To give her a bath.

Does the doctor ever come to the hospital

to visit Marika?

No, no.

A nurse?

No.

Why, why do they keep her in the coal bin?

Because...

she was... bad.

Your Honor, may I approach the bench?

What'll you take?

$25,000 actual damages, 100,000, punitive damages.

And we want Marika Poupoulis treated

at state expense in the Friedman Clinic.

Half on the damages. No, sir.

Before you get to dickering too hard, Mr. Attorney General,

let me tell you how I've decided to rule

on the question of sovereign immunity.

It's clear to me, based on the facts in the case,

that the state ought to be liable for damages

done to people trusting in its care.

Now I might be overturned on appeal,

but, uh, then again, I might not be.

I don't want to run the risk of setting a precedent

that'll open the floodgates

to 10,000 lawsuits like this one.

Everybody who thinks the state has done them

an injustice will hire a lawyer.

We'll be bankrupt.

I'll give you the full amount.

Good.

The question of sovereign immunity

is moot for the moment.

In the meantime, I'll put Donald Two

under protective custody.

Well, let's not keep the jury waiting, hm?

Marika Poupoulis is getting out of purgatory.

And the wonderful thing is that maybe before long,

the place won't be purgatory anymore.

Judge Bell, is this the most satisfying case

you've ever tried?

I didn't try it.

This fella here tried it, Harmon Cobb.

Did a hell of a job, too.

Showed more grit than any other lawyer I've ever met,

except one, and that was Clarence Darrow.

Well, I told you not to take this case.

Now you're gonna be famous and have a swelled head.

And you'll want more money.

I wouldn't know what to do with it, Judge.

Thanks for your help.

You did a pretty good job yourself.

I really did know Clarence Darrow, you know.

He was the worst dressed lawyer

I ever set eyes on till I met you.

Welcome to Baltimore. Thank you.

You! You!

You're invited to dinner.

I am?

Bring Billie and Nancy.

But don't tell Billie where you're taking her

or she won't come. Okay.

Can you make it tonight?

Absolutely.

Do you fish?

Sounds delicious.

No, no, do you fish?

Oh, once in a while, but, you know,

I'm not really avid about it.

Well, you'd better get avid about it.

It's a required activity in our family.

Grandpa!

Let me look at your face.

Sweet baby.

Nice of you to come.

Who's your sourpuss girlfriend?

Face looks familiar.

Soup's on, let's go.

That's when they folded.

The judge was thrilled...

with his victory over the Attorney General.

You should've seen him that night.

Nick Vovakos had a big party, the judge drank too much ouzo.

I'm real proud of you, Dad.

Thank you.

Coming from you, that means a lot.

Squirt, I know you're a guest

but, uh, will you do the dishes?

Sure.

You can help clear and dry.

Okay, sure.

Thank you.

Follow me.

Good meal, huh, squirt?

Uh-huh.

I said a terrible thing, and I'm sorry.

Of course, it...

was nowhere near the, the truth.

You see... what I've done since Harry was killed is...

go around kind of half alive.

It's like it's still the day that telegram arrived.

I couldn't see why life had to go on.

So, for the love of heaven, will you please move back here

and take care of me, at least until you get married?

Or I get married or... whichever comes sooner.

Are you sure you didn't make this his awful meal on purpose

so I'd feel sorry for you?

Never had an ulterior motive in my life.

You old faker.

Dad, I want to move back more than anything in the world.

Jack told me about a place to go fishing.

It's called Little Hunting Creek,

and it's somewhere near Frederick.

His dad used to fish there.

It's got native brook trout in it, Pop.

Brook trout? Yeah.

Come in the kitchen, you dry.

I wanna talk to Jack.

Hey, everybody...

No, no!

Hey, look, everybody!

There she is!

Marika!

Marika! Marika, my darling.

You came to see me...

in the hospital?

You remember that?

Yes.

My friend.

What a beautiful face.

You see? Didn't I tell you?

She has sunshine in her smile.

Bring her over here.

Marika! Hi, Marika!

She doesn't remember a thing about Walnut Hill.

She just has a vague notion about Donald and about you.

The resilience of the human spirit

is an amazing thing sometimes.

Harmon!

Hey, Donald.

How are you?

I have my own room,

with books and a radio.

I've been to the zoo and seen the animals.

I've seen the ocean.

That's good, Donald.

Makes me real happy. I'm proud of you.

Thank you, Harmon.

Hello, Donald.

Hello!

Marika!

Oh, hello.

Oh, these are your friends.

Nice thing to see.

Donald's discovering the world.

So am I.

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