All language subtitles for Murder She Wrote S03E10 Stage Struck 1080p BluRay FLAC2 0 H 264-NTb_Subtitles_3

Who is it?
Who's back there?

Tonight on
Murder, She Wrote...

Not here.
Somebody's gonna see us.

Relax, Pru.
Maggie doesn't own me.

I'm sorry the kid died.
Rest her soul,

but it's good for business.

The killer must have been after Maggie.

Murder by mistake.

I'd think you'd leap at
the chance to go on.

On opening night?

Maggie did this to me once before.
She's not going to do it again.

Well, I'll be damned.
We're going to die

before we get back on Broadway.

I wonder if the audience is coming
to see the play or another murder.

Hey! Stop!

Why'd you pick this theater?

Why'd you pick this play?

Are you taking it to Broadway?

Is there anything going
on between you two?

Mr. Lord, whose idea was this reunion?

Miss Tarrow, was your stay

at that Arizona health clinic a success?

Well, the, um, weather was dry,

and so am I.

Does this mean the Battling
Lords are rekindling their romance?

Mmm, I'm not sure.
Bonfires can be dangerous.

But it must be terribly romantic

to come back to where you had

your first torrid affair so long ago.

Ah, yes,

when we weren't married
for the first time.

Twenty years isn't so long.

She just dropped ten years without
batting a false eyelash.

Excuse me, Miss Tarrow,
wasn't that 30 years?

And who are you, the
bureau of birth dates?

She's starting in already.

I told you that would happen.

Relax, Alex.
We're selling out.

You may be producing this
opus, Mr. Saperstein,

but it's my theater and my production.

The focus should be on the play.

Oh, don't hand me that.

The reason we're selling tickets

is people want to see the Battling Lords

the couple that trashes hotel rooms.

Miss Bennington!

Miss Bennington!

Miss Bennington,

you're a very successful
soap opera star.

Why did you take an understudy job?

Well, it was such an honor
for me to be asked,

not that I'd ever dream of being
able to replace Miss Tarrow.

Of course I haven't missed a
performance in 30... 20 years.

It helps that she hasn't been
on stage for the past ten.

[Lord] Ladies and gentlemen,
we would be happy

to go on talking to you
all day, however...

However, Miss Tarrow and
I have a dress rehearsal.

Jessica!

Julian!

Jessica, love.
Oh, Julian.

And Maggie.
Jessica, oh.

How wonderful to see you, both of you.

What's your angle here,
Mrs. Fletcher?

Writing a book about these old troupers?

Old troupers?

May I remind you
I was starring in movies

when you were just a...
college graduate.

Mrs. Fletcher was a valued member

of our company that summer too.

Oh, I was delighted when
Alexander invited me.

It was a great chance to see
my old... My good friends.

So we can add acting to your
list of credits, Mrs. Fletcher?

Oh, certainly not. No, but I was
Applewood's second-best set painter.

And in case you haven't
guessed, there were only two.

Well, here we are.

Always different,

yet always the same.

I must confess to a certain
fondness for this theater.

[Jessica] Remember how much fun we had
here that summer, the four of us?

Oh, but, uh, where's that sweet
boy you married? Ah, Fred?

Frank.
Oh.

He died a few years ago.

Oh.

Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you knew.
Julian came to the funeral.

Oh, well, I wish somebody had told me.

You know, he was so fond of both of you.

In fact, in a way, he
carried on the torch.

He formed the Cabot Cove
Dramatic Society.

I can't tell you how much those weekends

in Cabot Cove meant to me.

Julian, why don't you run along and
study your lines or something.

I'm stealing Jessica.

We have oodles to catch up on.

Jessica, dear heart, did
Julian ever visit you

after Frank passed on?

Maggie, all he ever
talked about was you.

Well, I wish he'd talk
about me to my face.

So, are you two back together
again, not just on the marquee?

Actually, I haven't seen
Julian in years.

But being back here in
this magical place...

It does seem to make anything
possible, doesn't it?

However unlikely.

Mmm, some wine?

Not right now, thanks.

Oh, my doctor would have
a fit if he saw this,

but he has never had to face the
sharp point of a critic's pencil.

Ah!

Oh!

Julian!

If this is your idea of a joke!

What?

This was in my makeup case!

Oh, what a relief,
Miss Tarrow. I heard you scream.

I'm fine.

I don't know what I'd do if
I had to go on for you.

You can cut the sweetness
act, ballerina.

I've seen that movie too.

But, Helen, he's a cad.
Charm isn't everything.

"Who cares about the other five percent?

"I love him, Victor.
I can't help myself."

Neither can I.

Larry, the line goes, "That kind..."

I know how the line goes.

Not here.
Somebody's gonna see us.

Relax, Pru.
Maggie doesn't own me.

No, but I do pay the rent.

We were just... running lines.

Larry, may I suggest that
you save your performance

such as it is for the stage?

And, Pru, darling, remind me.

You are the resident stage manager, yes?

Not the resident bedspread.

[Maggie] We don't choose who we love.

If we did, do you think
I'd fall all over again

for that human bacteria?

But, Helen, he's a cad.

Charm isn't everything!

"Charm isn't everything."
Charm isn't everything.

Oh, damn it! I'm sorry. I...
Oh, my love,

it's all right.
It happens to...

Who is it?
Who's back there?

Pru! No visitors!

You were at the press conference.

A reporter backstage?

Alexander!

T.J.'s not a reporter,
Miss Tarrow.

He's my fiancé from New York.

Mr. Preston, you said
it would be all right.

Yes, well, just try to
keep out of the way.

Okay, Terry?
Perfect.

Just don't let her find
out who I really am.

Not to worry, Maggie.
Everything's under control.

As long as we've stopped, Alex.

Yes, Chief Drock?

Chief?
Of police.

What's my motivation in this scene?

You're a butler. Your
motivation is to "butte."

Ah!

In my day, they always had to
give a role to the mayor.

Yeah, well, I guess political
wheels always have to be greased,

but Chief Drock's really the worst.

Oh, I don't know. The
Mayor thought that Hamlet

was about a soldier named Marcellus

who happened to work for the prince.

Oh.

Oh, darling,

the last thing a woman wants to
see after leaving her husband

are photos of her lover's
previous marriage.

But these are of our previous marriage.

Oh.

Ohh.

Look, here we are at the altar. Hmm.

And here we are in court.
Hmm.

How could you do this to me?

Maggie!

Julian?

Is she all right?

Pru, call a doctor.

Get some water.
I've got it.

I think there's a first aid in the back.

Bring the water now!

She just needs some rest.

Julian.
Yes, darling. I'm here.

It was him, Julian.
It was him.

Ah.

Jessica, would you stay
with her for a minute?

Oh, yes, of course.
Thank you.

But the doctor says she's okay!

If you want her for tonight,
you must let her rest now.

Take her back to the hotel.

What is with you guys?
We've got technical stuff--

They know their parts. The
understudies can finish rehearsal.

Thank you, Alex.

Places for act two.
Understudies!

Come on, understudies!

Pru, where did you find the scrapbook?

I didn't know
I'd lost it.

But it wasn't here earlier.

Well, now it's back where it belongs.

May I have a look at it?

Just put it back right there.

[Julian] The doctor simply
will not allow her to go on.

Doctors.
What do they know?

Can they help me with the back

I got against the wall here?

What about the neck I broke
gettin' the critics up here

to Sunnybrook Farm tonight?

Don't you understand? She's
at the hotel under sedation.

Tomorrow the critics will
be back in civilization.

DeNiro's opening in a one-man show.

Well, looks like I'll just have to
opt for the Star Is Born approach.

Alex, you tell Barbara she's going on.

What?
Now look, kiddo,

my backers are very
nervous about Maggie.

You know her reputation.

Don't worry.
You and only you

will have your name above the title.

Barbara's name will be down at the
bottom in little tiny letters.

Who do you think you're kidding, kiddo?

You have a personal services
contract with Barbara Bennington.

That has nothing to do with it.

Which no doubt includes other kinds
of services from her as well.

Will you get your mind
out of your pants?

Stop trying to run this show from yours!

Barbara was great in rehearsal.

You may put Barbara
Bennington on if you please,

but not with me!

Believe me, I'm behind
your decision 100%.

My goodness, Miss Bennington.

I'd think you'd leap at
the chance to go on.

On opening night? With one
rehearsal, in front of critics?

That kind of career break
I don't need.

Julian, I'm worried about Maggie.

I'm afraid someone is
trying to frighten her.

First with the note and
then with the scrapbook.

Maggie's imagination has been
a little over active lately.

Well, did she tell you what
she saw in the scrapbook?

Now hear me out, Julian.

The days when emotional prima
Donnas ruled the theater are gone.

It simply costs too much
to mount a production.

Nicky's budget isn't what's really
bothering you, is it, Alex?

Damn it! Maggie did this
to me once before.

She's not going to do it again.

Forgive me, Alex.

Perhaps Maggie has good
reason to be upset.

Oh, Jessica, please!
I'll tell you what.

I'll make a deal with you.

I'll go on tonight if
you can convince Nicky

that Maggie resumes the role tomorrow.

Very well.

But this is her last chance.

And remember, your first stage
entrance has been changed

to upstage right, okay?

I know where
I come in, sweetie.

Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt.
Uh, Julian asked me

to get Maggie's sweater.
He said it was on the rack.

Help yourself, please.
Thanks.

Stage fright?

How about sheer terror?

Look, maybe a glass of wine would
help you calm your nerves, huh?

[Barbara] Red wine? Swell,
honey, that's all I need.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap.
It's this pressure, that's all.

[Julian] Time? What is time to me?

The past is present, then is now.

It is not a question of starting afresh.

We merely pick up from
where we left off.

James,

that will do.

You make it seem so easy.

It is easy.
Trust me.

I may regret this in the morning.

But God, help me, I do.

Well, darling, what is it to be?

Shall we go for marriage number three?

But first, we must get
rid of our number twos.

[Pru] Fifteen minutes for intermission.

Fifteen minutes.

Jessica, how's it look from the front?

Oh, wonderful.

Julian, look,
I don't want to worry you,

but I've been trying to call Maggie,

you know, just to check up,

and I keep getting the busy signal.

No. Not to worry.

She takes the phone off the
hook when she sleeps.

Barbara?
Oh!

We really must bring in the police.

I'm afraid, Jessica, that is the police.

[Julian] You can't be serious, Alex.

I mean, that's all right for
summonses or whatever,

but a murder?

This is his jurisdiction, Julian.

Unless he asks for help from the
state police, they won't interfere.

Ladies and gentlemen,
I have discovered

that Miss Barbara Bennington
was murdered by poison.

Brilliant.
Merci.

Chief, I think you'll find that
the poison used was cyanide.

Ah, yes, the odor of bitter
almonds. I noticed it myself.

The questions become
immediately apparent.

How was the poison administered? When?

And who would wish to kill
Miss Barbara Bennington?

Uh, Chief, it has no doubt
occurred to you that the killer

must have been after Maggie.

After all, Barbara only took the
role on very short notice.

Intriguing. Murder by mistake.

Mrs. Fletcher, you will accompany
me to the dressing room.

Your observations will
be most helpful to me

in this inquiry, n'est-ce pas?

Good Lord, I think he's
playing Hercule Poirot.

Yes. And badly too.

Chief, are you all right?

Just a bad case of stage fright.

How did I seem?

Seem?
My performance.

I mean, did I exude
confidence, professionalism?

Oh, yes, but, uh...
I could give it more.

Oh, no, no. Uh,
I think you gave it plenty, but Chief...

Mrs. Fletcher,

I have been chief of
police in this township

for the last 13 years.

It's a very drab job for
a very drab man...

Oh, no.
Let me finish, Mrs. Fletcher.

As Chief Merton P. Drock,

I could never even attempt
this investigation.

It's only in performing a
role that I come alive,

authoritative, outgoing, interesting...

Ah, I see.

This responsibility to
be Inspector Maigret,

et Monsieur Poirot, whoever.

And I am convinced that with your help,
I can carry it off.

My help?
Otherwise,

I see no choice but to resign my office.

But, Chief, you see,
I'm really not a detective.

Dear lady,
I have read all your books.

I know of your reputation.

If anyone can steer me to
the truth, it is you.

Well, I certainly wouldn't want
to see a murder go unsolved.

Good! Then you shall write the scenario,

and I shall play the part.

And together, we shall be unbeatable.

Now, where shall we begin?

Well, uh,

I think that we should start
with that bottle of wine.

Unless my nose deceives
me, your bitter almonds.

You're right.

You know,
I think it also might be wise

to, uh, take samples

from the soda, from the coffee...

Oh, yes, and also from all
of those props on stage.

But, Mrs. Fletcher, if the decanter

of grape juice had been poisoned,

then Julian would also have been killed.

Chief, the first rule.

Be thorough.
Explore every possibility.

I am so very grateful
to you, Mrs. Fletcher.

To our partnership.

[Maggie] Jessica, tell me the truth.

Is somebody trying to kill me?

I was hoping that you could tell me.

Now the killer may very well
have been after Barbara.

Of course.

So you see, there's nothing
to be frightened of.

Now sit down, darling, eat your eggs.

You have performance tonight.

I'm not going back to that theater.

He'll only try to kill me again.

He?

[Julian] Nobody's trying
to get you, darling,

except perhaps the critics, and
they were all there last night.

Now stop all this foolishness.
Everybody's relying on you.

Alex!
Jessica!

Good morning.
How's Maggie?

Well, she's better, but she's
still a little nervous.

Alex, you said something
to Julian last night

about Maggie having done
this to you before?

Well, it's hardly a secret.

Thirty years ago, when we
took the play to Broadway,

Julian and Maggie had
run-of-the play contracts.

Which means they were obligated

to remain with the show
as long as it ran.

Exactly.
But after a few months,

Maggie wanted out, to
do a movie, she said.

Her lawyers threatened to
sue, so I let her leave.

Yes, but Maggie didn't
make her first movie

until several years later.

She just disappeared for almost a year.

It had been a ruse to
get out of the show.

I wonder why?

[Nicky yelling]
Maggie's always been highly strung,

but I've never seen her
quite as bad as this.

Well, perhaps she shouldn't go on.

Uh, uh, uh, what's that, Gerry?

Wait, I can't hear you.
We got a bad connection,

I gotta call you back.

Maggie's got to go on. We're
all over the New York papers.

Isn't it the murder that's all over
the New York papers, Mr. Saperstein?

Look,
I'm sorry the kid died. Rest her soul,

but it's good for business.

You mean, it's good for your business.

What are you saying?

That I killed an understudy

just to get this show on Broadway?

I bring news!

But let's adjourn to
somewhere more private.

My dressing room perhaps?

Hey!

Cyanide was indeed
responsible for the death

of our luckless "thespianette."

Ah! The prop decanter from the stage?

Alas no.

Everything else was
clean, save for the--

The red wine in the dressing room?

The red wine in the dressing room!

Yes, but that still doesn't tell us

who the murderer wanted to kill.

Au contraire.

Obviously the villain doctored
the wine earlier in the day,

intending for it to be
consumed by Maggie Tarrow.

And what better suspect
than the mistreated lover,

Julian Lord.

Chief, you don't really believe
that Julian wants to kill Maggie.

Besides, the wine could have been
laced just before the show.

Lots of people went in and
out of that dressing room.

All of whom knew
Barbara replaced Maggie.

[Jessica] In which case, the killer

could have gotten exactly
who he or she intended.

But of course!
Maggie Tarrow.

Didn't we just go through
this? Not Maggie, Barbara.

You need not repeat yourself, sir.

I am not an imbecile.

I meant that Maggie could
have killed Barbara.

Maggie was asleep at the hotel.

She could have taken the
phone off the hook,

left the hotel unobserved and
come back to the theater.

Well, I hardly think that Maggie
could go unobserved anywhere.

No, Chief, I think that our answer
is up there on that stage,

and I really believe that it has
something to do with that scrapbook.

That's about the worst
paint job I've ever seen.

[Jessica's voice] It's so frustrating.

I can't get the perspective right.

What's your name again?

Jessica.

Mine's Frank.
Frank Fletcher.

Here, let me show you.

Put the paintbrush in your
hand, and I'll guide it.

[Pru] I'm just gonna get my script.

Oh, Larry, we've gotta be careful.

Oh, come on.

Nobody knows except Maggie,

and she's so soused up all the time,

she doesn't know what she's seeing.

Besides,
I can take care of her.

[Pru] Chief Drock saw you
leave my house this morning.

[Larry] Well, he's got a
murder on his hands.

And I've got you in mine.

Come on.

All vanilla, extra nuts,

no cherry, right?

You have quite a memory, Eddie.

I remember everything about
that summer, Jessica.

How bright the apple blossoms were.

How beautiful
Miss Tarrow was.

She's as wonderful as ever.
Mm-hmm.

I, uh, also remember that tall fellow

who used to follow you
around everywhere.

Frank.
Yeah, Frank.

My dad used to yell at him
for snitching extra nuts.

Well, tell me about yourself, Eddie.

Not much to tell.

Never married.

Nobody ever measured up to Miss Tarrow.

And you're still a prop
man at the theater.

Keeps me busy.

You know, there's one thing
I've always wondered about.

When a prop like a notebook
is used in a play,

are the pages always just blank?

Unless the actors need
help with their lines.

Ah. So that scrapbook in the
play has always been empty?

Sure. Miss Tarrow's a pro.

She doesn't need that kind of help.

[Julian] Faithful?
I've always been faithful.

[Julian] Not always to
you, but I could be.

I shall be again one more time.

What is time to me?
The past is present,

then is now.

It is not a question of starting afresh.

We merely pick up from
where we left off.

You make it sound so easy.

Well, it is easy.
Trust me.

I may regret it in the morning,

but God help me,
I do.

So what is it to be, darling?

Shall we go for marriage number three?

Ah, first we've got to get
rid of our number twos.

It was cyanide.
I smelled it in the glass.

But that's impossible.

I'm afraid so.

[Julian] Well, I'll be damned.

We're going to die before
we get back on Broadway.

Somebody must have put the
cyanide into the decanter

just before it was taken onstage.

You see, Mrs. Fletcher, someone
is tryin' to kill Maggie.

Now who had access to the decanter?

I believe you did, Chief.

That's ridiculous! I simply
brought it on the stage.

Pru gave it to me, and I...

Of course, Pru. I think you and
I have some things to discuss.

Well, that's insane.
I didn't do anything.

Mrs. Fletcher!

[Drock] Oh, Mrs. Fletcher,

it all seemed so clear, so obvious.

If Pru had given me the
decanter laced with poison...

But the decanter wasn't guarded.

Anyone backstage could have slipped
the cyanide into the grape juice.

But she had motive.

I saw Larry Matthew leaving her
house early yesterday morning.

And with Maggie out of the way,

Pru would have had
Larry all to herself.

Chief, in all your years in the theater,

you must have seen dozens
of backstage romances.

Perhaps even been part of a few?

I mean, how many have you
known that ended in murder?

You can't just flail around
willy-nilly theorizing.

You need evidence.

Yes, you're right. Evidence.

And I'm sorry, Mrs. Fletcher.

From now on, you're calling the shots.

You try it, Preston, and
I'll... Yeah, what is it?

Excuse me, have you seen
Maggie or Julian?

They're not in their hotel.

Yeah. Try the unemployment line.

Well, surely you're not closing.

Don't look at me.

[Alexander] I'm sorry, Jessica.

But it's too dangerous to stay open
with some maniac on the loose.

And never mind that there's a line
around the corner for tickets!

Mr. Saperstein, I wonder if the audience is
coming to see the play or another murder.

This is my theater. I refuse
to accept responsibility

for any further mayhem.

[Nicky] It may be your theater,
but we've got a contract.

You close my play, my lawyers won't
leave you a splinter of that stage.

[Jessica] Oh, Mr. Matthew.

Oh, hi, Mrs. Fletcher.

I'm just trying to get
this lighter to work.

It failed miserably last night. Oh.

So, I understand you were around

when this old barn first got started.

Oh, yes.

But I quickly learned that I
wasn't much of an actress.

But you're sure one helluva writer.

Oh, that's what I'm thinking of
doing, writing my own play,

so I can star in it myself.

Oh, yes.

Mr. Matthew, yesterday,
I couldn't help overhearing

when you were talking backstage to Pru.

Yes?

You said something about
taking care of Maggie.

Oh, but I'd never hurt Maggie,
I owe her too much.

Yes, of course. She got you
this job, didn't she?

Sure, but there's nothing between us.

It's, uh, it's all show.

Designed to make
Julian jealous.

That sounds like Maggie. By
the way, have you seen them?

Yes. They were in her dressing
room a few minutes ago.

What Miss Tarrow sees in that
guy Julian, I'll never know.

I've got some new props here.
Will you see Pru gets them?

Oh, sure.

After 30 years, you'd think Maggie

would've learned her lesson.

[Jessica] If I'm going to help you,

you have got to be honest with me.

But, Jessica, we always have been.

Look, I know that you've
lived your lives

in the glare of the press and...

And that has made you cautious,
but I'm your friend.

Now none of us wants
anyone else to get hurt.

If we knew anything,
darling, we would tell you.

But you do, Maggie. You know
what was written on that note

in your makeup case, for example.

What happened 30 years ago?

Something very wonderful.
We fell in love.

Our play went to Broadway.

We were the toast of Manhattan.

We had each other, and...

But then something happened.

You told Alexander that
you had a movie offer,

but disappeared instead.

Maggie.
Julian, no.

Then it's pointless to ask what
you saw in that scrapbook.

Jessica, I can't.
Please, please, don't ask me.

Whoever is behind all this has
gone to a great deal of trouble.

Whose idea was it anyway
to do this revival?

Well, Nicky Saperstein called and said

that Julian had agreed
to do it if I would.

[Julian] He told me the same about you.

That snake!
Oh, darling.

After all, he is a producer.

But with this secret
hanging between you,

I mean, why did you agree
to come back here?

Well, if truth be told,
I wanted to prove

that I could still do something
other than camera commercials.

I used to be quite respected, you know.

[Maggie] And I needed a job.

Oh, I know, my name is all
over the papers and all that,

but I need to work.

And you know something?

I'm not gonna let some
practical joker stop me.

I'm going on tonight.

Julian, obviously you wanted to
tell me more than Maggie did.

What did she see in that scrapbook?
I have to know if I'm to help.

I'm sorry, Jess. I must
respect Maggie's wishes.

Julian, Alexander told
me that 30 years ago,

Maggie disappeared for almost a year.

Nine months is almost a year.

I'm sorry. This is a scene
in which I have no lines.

Mr. Holt.
Mrs. Fletcher.

How long have you been
standing here listening?

I don't know what you're
talking about. Excuse me.

You know, it seems very strange to me.

Surely, surely a fiancé would've wanted
to accompany his loved one's body

back to Manhattan for burial.

Burial is a pagan custom,
Mrs. Fletcher.

I'm much more interested in
learning who killed Barbara.

No, I've been watching you,

and frankly, you're far more interested

in the lives of Julian and Maggie.

And I've been watching
you nosing around.

And frankly, ma'am, forgive me,

but you are something of a busybody.

Well, call it professional
curiosity. Who are you, Mr. Holt?

And just exactly what
are you doing here?

I'm sure the state police will be
able to find out your identity

and your place of birth.

Larry Matthew.
Photo, résumé.

Just what is it you're
looking for, Jessica?

Vital statistics.

If you're looking for accuracy
on an actor's résumé, my dear,

you're looking in the wrong place.

Ah, here we go, Mr. Preston.
The bill for the new props.

Antique picture frame, couple
of quarts of grape juice,

and a glass to replace the one that
got lost right after opening night.

I'll put this with the others.
Thank you, Eddie.

Uh, I'd appreciate a check, Mr. Preston.

The tab's getting a little high.

Alexander Morgan Preston.

You will excuse us,
Mr. Bender. Official business.

Well, I...
Yeah, sure. Yeah.

And what can I do for you, Chief?

It came to me like a flash of
light. I have been very blind.

Who better than you has motive
to want to kill Maggie Tarrow?

Uh, Chief.

Uh, really, I...

This is absurd!

Maggie Tarrow cost you a bundle
when she left the play.

So you persuaded Nicky
Saperstein to produce this revival

for the sole purpose of
wreaking this revenge.

After 30 years?

And why would Alexander want
to close down the play now?

You slipped into Maggie
Tarrow's dressing room,

and you put the cyanide in the red wine,

which you knew it was her habit to drink

before the performance.

I did no such thing.

But Barbara drank the wine by mistake.

But Chief, cyanide works
in a matter of minutes.

She never could have made
it through the first act.

Well, then he laced the wine
during the intermission.

During the intermission,
I was in the box office

counting the receipts
with Mr. Saperstein.

Besides, by that time, everybody knew

that Barbara was playing the part,

so if anybody had laced the
wine during the intermission,

it was Barbara that they meant to kill.

Hey! Stop!

Hey, somebody stop that guy!

I order you to stop!
Larry? Mr. Holt?

I said, cease!

He took something from
Maggie's dressing room.

[Drock] A birth certificate?

Admit it, Mr. Holt.

You were about to plant
that birth certificate

in Maggie Tarrow's dressing room

just as you planted that note
in her makeup case, just as...

Note? What note?

Just as you tried to kill Maggie Tarrow

because she deserted you as a baby.

Ah, Chief, didn't we have a little
talk once about accusations?

As well as evidence,
Mrs. Fletcher, which we now have.

Chief Drock,
What is it?

Half-hour till curtain.

Oh. Well, we can finish this later.

Yes, but Chief, I really think that
discovering Mr. Holt's real identity

is far more important than
changing for the show.

Wrong, Mrs. Fletcher.
The show must go on.

Besides, we know his real identity.

This man who calls himself
Terrence J. Holt,

is undoubtedly the son of
Maggie Tarrow and Julian Lord.

I was taking that certificate
from the dressing room,

and I can prove
I'm not their son.

I do have a birth certificate of my own.

And a job of your own?

A job?

Mr. Holt, you're much too knowledgeable

about the lives of Maggie and Julian,

and if your interest isn't personal,

then it has to be professional.

So I'm writing a biography.
An unauthorized biography.

Okay. Look, Barbara was an acquaintance.

When she got this job, we made a deal.

She pretended to be my fiancée,
so I could hang around

and watch those two birds firsthand.

But what was your end of the deal?

I had to tell her everything
I knew about Maggie.

But why?

I think that she came here to
be more than an understudy.

She saw it as a chance
to further her career,

but to do that she'd need to
remove Maggie from the picture.

Yeah, she got real jazzed

when I told her the rumor about the kid.

Oh. So...

So it was Barbara who tracked
down the birth certificate.

She told me she got it by
bribing hospital officials.

I've been searching for it
ever since she was killed.

You see, that's what I was
doing in the dressing room.

You see, first she plants the
note in Maggie's makeup case.

Then she puts the certificate
in the scrapbook

to drive Maggie over the edge.

She must have retrieved it in the
commotion after Maggie collapsed.

So she could go on opening night.

Now that's a motive
I understand.

But how did you know the birth certificate
was in Maggie's dressing room?

I didn't. It was the only
place I hadn't looked.

Hey, I didn't figure any of this out
until just a little while ago.

Chief, this all explains
why Maggie thought

Julian was responsible for the
note and the certificate.

Who else could have known?

And why she was so upset when
she saw Mr. Holt in the wings.

She thought that he was her son.

That's why she told
Julian, "It was him."

But why didn't she tell us, me?

Oh, I don't know, Chief.

Guilt for having abandoned her
only child 30 years ago.

You saw the way she reacted.
The scars must be very deep.

Yes, it's all very clear to me now.

You killed Barbara Bennington,

so you could obtain the
birth certificate.

What? Aw, come on.
You're just blowin' smoke!

You poisoned her by putting
cyanide in the red wine

in that dressing room.

But she couldn't have
been poisoned like that.

Barbara was allergic to red wine.

She never drank it.
Of course!

Before the show,
Barbara took her aspirin with soda.

She wouldn't drink the red wine.

Well, then how was she poisoned?
Everything else tested clean.

I think I know the answer to that.

Chief, we've got work to do.

Five minutes to curtain.

I know what you're doing,
Mrs. Fletcher.

I wish you would tell me why.

I'm sorry,
Chief. I can't. Not this time.

You'll just have to trust me.

Stay on top of your cues, and don't
rattle this evening, Mr. Larry.

It's, uh, Larry Matthew, sir.

Have you ever thought
of changing your name?

I already did.

[Larry] That's quite some
woman you're marrying again.

You're a good sport to let her go.

Well, I wonder if you'll think
so after you read this.

What is it, darling?
He's suing.

What is it, darling?

He's suing you for alimony.

Oh, well,

at least we've got each other.

You know
what they say, darling:

"Finders keepers, losers reapers."

Bravo! Magnificent!

Hello, Broadway!
You were great.

I'm forced to admit that you were both

more than adequate.

Alex, I think I can get
us the Aurora Theater!

The Aurora?
That jinx house?

Don't start with me.

Ladies and gentlemen,
I hate to put a damper

on these well-deserved celebrations,

but I have discerned the identity of
Miss Barbara Bennington's murderer,

and the killer is among
us on this very stage.

Chief Drock, before you...

Our murderer's intention
from the very first,

was to remove from our
sky the bright star,

that is Maggie Tarrow.

Killing Barbara Bennington
was a mistake.

And our villain made
another mistake tonight.

A trap was set.

A trap into which our
killer was, uh... trapped.

Mr. Lord, may I see that letter?

Surely, not in front of everybody.

Mr. Lord, the letter.

Chief, no!
Mrs. Fletcher,

your assistance in this
case has been invaluable,

but the scenario is over.

Allow me my moment.

Mr. Lord, may I have the letter?

Witness!

The birth certificate
for the long lost son

of Julian Lord and Maggie Tarrow.

The son who is among us even now.

Are you not, Larry Matthew?

What?

An almost perfect crime

if you hadn't made one
tiny but enormous slip.

Before the show, you admitted
that you had changed your name.

You killed Barbara
Bennington by mistake,

intending to kill the mother
who had deserted you

and denied you her name.

Take him away!

You're crazy.
I didn't murder anyone.

Maggie, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry
I had lied to you, Jessica,

but you have to understand.

I can't remember a single day when I
haven't wondered what happened to him.

[Julian] We made a decision, darling.

He has never been part of
our life nor ever can be.

But whoever he is, he certainly
is not Larry Matthew.

Oh that fool chief.

What in heaven's name was
he trying to prove?

Don't blame the chief,
Julian, or Larry.

Substituting the birth certificate

for the letter was my doing.

Jessica, how could you?

I was certain Julian would
never let you see it,

but I had to be sure.

His reaction confirmed
my worst suspicions.

I'm terribly sorry.

I see now I should have
confided in the chief,

but I couldn't rely on his discretion.

Jessica, what are you talking about?

Barbara wasn't poisoned by the
red wine in the dressing room.

That meant she could've only
been poisoned on the stage.

But there was no poison in the decanter.

No, not the decanter.

The poison was in the glass.
Barbara's glass, only Barbara's glass.

I don't see how that's possible.

Eddie replaced the glass which
disappeared on opening night.

Why did it disappear?

Because no amount of scrubbing

could remove the microscopic
traces of poison

a state police lab might uncover.

Julian?

Jessica, whatever you're
thinking, you're wrong.

You don't know how much
I wish that were true.

Oh, Jessica, dear, what
are you talking about?

Shall I tell her or will you?

Only one person could control who
got the poisoned glass onstage,

and that person

had the perfect alibi.

Hundreds of people saw him pour
both drinks from the decanter.

Julian?

You then planted some poison
in the red wine here

during intermission to
misdirect attention.

You didn't know that Barbara
couldn't drink red wine.

And then to further ensure that we believed
that the killer was after Maggie,

you staged the second
murder attempt last night.

Julian, you could've killed me.

No. Never.

[Jessica] He knew he'd be able to
prevent you from drinking the poison

by smelling its distinctive odor.

Julian. Why? Why?

Why?

To protect you, my
darling, from Barbara.

She was the one who planted
the birth certificate.

Oh, I figured out her game when
I went back to the theater.

She'd planned it all very carefully

with the exception of my
refusal to go on with her.

Yes, then the real Barbara came out.

You really want to see that
lady go over the edge?

You cancel this performance,
and tomorrow's newspapers

are going to have a field day.

Oh, you're going to go
on tonight, Mr. Lord.

Believe me, I'm behind
your decision 100%.

I... I knew I would never
be free of her blackmail.

Jessica, I had to do it.

It's all my fault.

If you hadn't protected me...

I'll notify the state police.