Original subtitles

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♪ Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey ♪

♪ A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you? ♪

Hi!

Hi. ♪ Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey... ♪

Seen today's "Peach Pit"?

What's that?

The comic strip.

I don't read the funnies.

Who'd you vote for in the state senate election?

♪ Do do do do do. ♪

Peter Dolan.

Then you should start reading the funnies.

Huh.

That looks just like him.

That's the whole idea.

Who's he talking to?

Some married woman.

Up till now, she's just been a voice on the phone,

but it looks like we're finally going to see her.

Huh.

It says the artist is going to take a couple days off.

Milking the suspense.

Everybody in Georgia's dying to know who she is.

Oh, he wouldn't draw a person that people would recognize.

Sure, he would.

Well, that would be libel.

Defamation of character.

Not if it's true.

Ron Winfield's been doing this strip for seven years.

He's never, ever lost a suit.

Huh.

It's a lie.

So, we sue him.

No. No, I don't want to sue him.

I want to stop him.

You know, if and when he puts a face

on this mystery woman he's invented,

it's going to be too late.

The damage will have already been done.

Well, until he crosses that line,

I'm afraid we have no legal recourse.

I can't believe the creep has a right to do this.

Now, you're my lawyer, Sam. Do something.

Now, Pete, look, I guarantee it.

The minute he makes a claim in his strip

which he cannot prove,

we'll hit him with a lawsuit that'll make him sorry

he ever learned to draw.

You better get going, dear.

I thought you had a meeting.

Yes. Yes, I do.

We have that fundraiser tonight.

I'll try to get home early.

I'll keep trying.

Let me know as soon as you get a hold of his lawyer.

Yeah.

Did you see it?

Yes, I did.

What are we going to do?

Well, the thing we absolutely cannot afford to do is panic.

My whole career

is about to go up in flames.

Peter, he not only knew the name of the hotel,

he knew the room number.

Well, maybe he's, uh...

Maybe he's not going to expose you.

Maybe he's going to keep you offstage

the whole time, huh?

Ron Winfield never pulled a punch in his life,

and you know it.

Look, we-we don't have

all the facts yet. We've got to stay calm.

How can I?

I'm the one who's cheating. I'm the one

who's going to look like a tramp in this thing, not you.

Sandra, I love you,

and no matter what happens,

I'm not going to abandon you. I promise.

I'm sorry.

I-I'm just so angry and I'm scared.

Well, you let me handle things, and try... try not to worry.

Peter?

Yeah.

I love you.

Ron Winfield's office.

Why, I don't know, Senator Dolan.

I just got in myself. I'll check to see if he's here.

No, sir, he's not.

May I take a message?

I'm not quite familiar with that word, Senator.

Would you mind spelling it?

Yes, sir. I'll be sure and tell him.

He said that if you don't get back to him within the hour,

you'll be...

roughly paraphrased, in deep trouble.

Okay.

Ron Winfield's office.

Uh, I don't know, Senator Hopkins.

I just got in myself. I'll check to see if he's in.

Do you have anything to say

to the husband of Senator Dolan's lover?

I'm sorry, sir.

He's not in. May I take a messa... ge?

God, I'm good.

Actually, I'd make the lines a little bolder.

You know, there's a moment when all my assistants decide

they're just as talented as I am.

Is that what we're talking about here?

I think I'm a better draftsman.

You are, but don't let it go to your head.

It's not enough. What you need is an instinct for the jugular,

dedication to concept, the message.

I'm gonna miss my plane.

So, who you going after now?

You'll see.

Ink the prints. That's all you want me to do?

Yeah, right. And, uh, uh...

Feed Otis. Feed Otis.

I'll call you when I get back.

Bye.

What time did he call?

Oh.

All right, all right. What else?

I don't need that.

All right. That's it?

Okay. All right. Thanks!

Are you Ron Winfield?

Well, hello, Senator.

All by yourself tonight?

Come on in.

A little early to be canvassing the neighborhood for votes,

isn't it, Senator?

You know why I'm here.

No.

It's too heavy.

I don't like this. Get him down.

Get him off me.

Otis, over there and lie down.

Does that to everyone. Don't feel flattered.

I don't.

Let's talk about your next comic strip, Mr. Winfield.

Okay. Let's.

When you two are alone, do you call Miss Hopkins

Sandra or Sandy?

I'm a stickler for details.

You can't do this.

Already have.

I think I got the hairdo down pretty good,

don't you think?

You're going to ruin both of us if you publish that.

You are an elected official and so is she.

The public has a right to know these things.

Why? We're not criminals.

Why?

She's a married woman.

It's people like you who are destroying the moral fabric

of this great nation.

Driving that most precious of American institutions...

The family... to the brink of extinction.

Oh, please spare me.

However, the fact of the matter is,

no one outside myself and my assistant has seen this,

so maybe we can make a deal.

You want to make a deal?

Blackmail?

You piece of trash. Hey,

Senator, let's not start throwing stones.

You're the one who's got this thing about sleeping

with his colleague's wife. How much do you want?

Ooh.

Money's not everything.

You don't want me to publish this...

give me something bigger and better to replace it.

I see.

Trade my dirt for somebody else's dirt, is that it?

Yeah.

Forget it.

Well, then, Senator, I guess I'll see you...

in the funny papers.

Hey!

Ow!

Yeah, sure, go ahead, take it!

I'll just draw another one,

Einstein!

Oh, yeah, uh...

yeah, okay, thanks, Otis.

Come on, Otis.

What do you mean,

you think you killed him?

All I know is that...

he hit me, I hit him,

and he fell back and hit his head,

hard, on the fireplace.

Did you knock him out? No. He, uh,

he was dazed, but he was never unconscious.

At least... not before I left.

Well, what were you doing there?

I came to beg him not to run

the next installment of his comic strip.

Oh, yeah, the one where he was gonna say

who the woman is that you're seeing.

He even tried to blackmail me, but then...

that's when I got mad, grabbed the strip

and took off.

After you punched him out.

Mm-hmm.

Looks like Sandra Hopkins.

That's who it is.

The State Superintendent of Schools?

Yes.

Senator David Hopkins' wife?

Yes.

That's who you've been having an affair with?

Yes.

It wasn't something I set out to do; it just happened.

How did this Winfield fellow find out?

I have no idea.

Huh. But he was alive when you left?

Mm-hmm. He must have died later on from...

from a blood clot or something,

that's the only thing I can figure.

Well... best thing for you to do is go down and tell the police

what you just told me.

I had a feeling that was what

you were gonna say.

It won't be pleasant, and your career

probably won't be on an upswing, but...

they have to know

that if you killed him on purpose,

you'd be halfway around the world by now.

You don't think they're gonna charge me

with murder? No. Involuntary manslaughter,

maybe, but not-not murder.

D.A.'d never get

a conviction... they'd be crazy to charge you with that.

First-degree murder? You're out of your mind!

We have a very strong case.

You're gonna have to convince a jury

that Ronald Winfield's death was premeditated.

I know.

But it was an accident.

We can prove otherwise.

But, Julie... We have a witness who heard Senator Dolan

threaten Winfield over the phone that day.

We have, uh, Senator Dolan's statement,

in which he admits getting into a violent argument

with Winfield that night, and we have the comic strip,

the one Senator Dolan stole in hopes of keeping his affair

with Sandra Hopkins a secret. Yeah, because he gave it to you.

He just wanted to make himself look innocent.

You mad?

You ruined my hot dog.

Things started getting physical over here around the desk.

One of us knocked that bottle of ink down.

Mm.

He hit his head here?

Oh, no, actually, over here on this side of the fireplace.

And he fell right around in here.

Yeah? Well, the forensics people

found traces of blood and hair in two places...

Here and over there.

How many times did you hit him?

Once.

And in the autopsy report,

it said he was hit in the head twice.

Ben, I only hit him one time. Huh.

Oh, oh, oh!

What a good dog! Otis, get off him. Lie down.

You want to get down? You want... you want to just get down now?

Yeah, yeah.

Oh, I'm...

I'm Ben Matlock, Senator Dolan's lawyer.

Mickey Alder, Ron Winfield's assistant. Hello.

Would you mind returning those strips you stole last night?

Uh, I only took one strip.

You mean more than one is missing?

You bet. Three weeks' worth.

How do you know? I saw them sitting on his desk yesterday morning.

When I came by last night at 9:00, they were gone.

And Ron was dead.

Oh. Uh... Thanks.

Senator, you want to just run on back to the office,

and I'll meet you in a little bit. Fine.

So, uh...

you were Mr. Winfield's assistant?

That's what I said.

You live here?

Your employees live with you, Mr. Matlock?

No.

I just wondered what you were doing here at 9:00 at night.

I told you, I was taking care of the dog.

Ron flew to Miami yesterday for business,

so I called the house around 8:00, the service picked up,

and I came over to feed Otis. Oh.

Well, do you know if, uh,

Mr. Winfield called anybody else yesterday?

Or did anybody call him?

Well, yeah, I know Senator Dolan called.

He was really mad. Mm. Anybody else?

Yeah, Senator Hopkins.

What did he want?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Hey, could you do me a favor?

I really need to get those strips back.

Could you just talk to Senator Dolan?

He doesn't have them.

Right.

Uh...

What do you want with them?

Well, the people who syndicate the strip

are interested in taking some

of the already established characters

and starting a new strip.

You know, since Ron is...

is dead. Mm-hmm.

Who'd draw it?

Well, probably me.

You?

Well, I am a cartoonist.

I mean, I was just working for Ron for the experience.

You'll have to excuse me.

I've got a lot of things to do.

Got to find Otis a new home.

Do you like dogs?

Not... not that one.

What's her name?

Mickey Alder.

She's going to inherit Ron Winfield's comic strip?

More or less.

Isn't that a sweet deal?

You think she could have killed him?

Well, if he was

as woozy as you say he was when you left,

anybody could have come in there and shoved his head

in that fireplace one more time... man or woman.

Maybe I better have a talk with Sandra Hopkins.

Let's leave her out of this, please.

Her husband called Ron Winfield

that morning just after you did. Hmm.

That must mean he knew about Sandra and me. - Well...

No.

Uh, Mrs. Hopkins?

I'm Michelle Thomas.

I'm one of the attorneys representing Senator Dolan.

Do you have a minute?

Uh, yes, uh...

I'll meet you outside.

I know about you and the senator, Mrs. Hopkins.

I guess it's just a matter of time

before the whole world knows, isn't it?

Is he all right?

He misses you.

He told me to tell you that.

I've been afraid to call him.

Does your husband know you and Peter were having an affair?

I don't think so.

He's never said anything to me.

How do you suppose Ron Winfield found out?

I have no idea.

His cartoon would have hurt you more than anyone else.

Ms. Thomas, the night of the murder,

my husband and I were at a fundraiser.

You can verify this?

Yes.

We were there along with several thousand

of the governor's closest friends.

Then, I guess you didn't kill Mr. Winfield.

No... much as I'd have liked to.

Thanks.

I-I won't keep you any longer.

Uh, tell Peter to...

try not to worry.

Oh, Sandra.

I had to see you.

Have I missed you.

Peter...

Wait, um...

There's something I have to say.

It's over.

We're over.

We should have known better.

We did.

Then we should have done better.

I should have done better.

This is my fault.

I see.

You forced me to fall in love with you.

Hmm?

Oh, Peter, I'm a coward.

I didn't have the courage to end a loveless marriage,

or to refuse the love you offered me.

I thought only of myself, my career,

how lonely I was before I met you.

I wanted to hang on to everything.

Now I've lost everything.

You've still got me.

I never meant...

I know...

To hurt me.

Oh, what is going to happen to us?

Did you call Ron Winfield the day he was murdered?

Yes, I called Ron Winfield that morning.

About what?

About his next strip, of course.

The one where he was going to reveal

who Senator Dolan was having an affair with?

We both know it was my wife, Mr. Matlock.

How long had you known?

About a month.

I suspected she was seeing someone,

so I hired a detective to follow her.

Why didn't you confront her?

Mr. Matlock, I've been in the state senate ten years.

I'm chairman of the Public Works Committee

and thinking of running for congress.

I don't need a divorce.

Well, why did you call Ron Winfield?

I called him because if he revealed Sandra's indiscretions

the only thing I could run for is dog catcher.

Oh, you were going to try to get him to kill the strip.

Damn right.

Only he never returned my call.

Somebody took care of it for you.

All his murder did for me was postpone the inevitable.

Or are you going to try to tell me

my wife's affair won't be made public during the trial?

Oh, no, no, the cat'll come out of the bag.

Oh, played golf with the vice president.

Who won?

I don't remember.

Remember where you were when Ron Winfield was killed?

My wife and I were at a very well-attended fundraiser.

From 6:30 to almost midnight.

You know, it's real easy to slip out of those big parties

unnoticed for a while.

I do it all the time when I'm bored.

Well, I'll let you get back to work.

Thanks, Senator.

Come on, boy.

Hello, Otis.

Hello. Otis, get down off him!

Get over here.

I haven't been able to find anyone to take him yet. Oh.

Well... What can I do for you?

How about letting me in? Okay.

Uh, those strips that were stolen,

did you ever get a look at 'em?

I got a glance at 'em once.

Well, do you have any idea who or what your boss

meant to expose next?

No.

Did he keep a diary or a journal of any kind?

Not that I know of.

We can take a look.

Hey, fella!

Otis, get him. Get him.

Get him, Otis. Get him.

Otis, get him.

Damn.

Well, whatever he was looking for,

I guess he found it.

What was special about the word "sunset"?

Sunset?

Yeah, he used it in almost every strip.

Here, look here, on the bus bench.

See there?

Oh, yeah.

And here on... I believe it's the book.

Yeah, see?

Sunset. He never said.

He sure used it a lot.

Ron did stuff like that all the time.

Here.

Oh, yeah.

Sunset Cleaners, Sunset Camera, Sunset Flowers, Sunset Mortuary.

There are more than 60 businesses in Atlanta alone

with the word "sunset" in the name.

And there's a Sunset Road, a Sunset Place

and a Sunset Avenue.

The man used the word "sunset"

in his strip ten times in the last six weeks.

That's got to mean something.

It might.

As Dick Tracy used to say, "I'll check it out."

I want to testify on my own behalf.

No, you don't.

Yes, I do.

No, you don't. Ben, I'm innocent.

I want to get up there and tell the truth.

No, you don't.

You'd be opening yourself up for cross-examination.

The prosecutor would bury you.

I'd have no control over her questions

or your answers.

I know this lady.

She didn't vote for you.

She believes you're guilty.

I'm an elected official.

Now, I get calls from angry constituents

and hostile reporters every single day.

I know how to field questions.

No, you don't.

This is different.

Ben, I have to get up on the stand

and out loud, under oath,

for the benefit of everybody who voted for me

and elected me, tell them that I'm innocent.

I'm against it.

But okay.

Senator Dolan,

did you go to see Ron Winfield

the night he was murdered?

Yes, I did. Uh-huh.

And, uh, when did you go see him?

I arrived at his house at approximately 7:30.

Mm-hmm.

Why did you go see him?

To see if he intended to reveal the identity

of the woman that I'd been having a relationship with

in the next installment of his comic strip.

And did he? Yes.

Who was this woman?

Sandra Hopkins.

State Superintendent of Schools.

Yes.

We met last year.

Saw each other on business several times,

and we fell in love.

Well, what happened when, uh,

Ronald Winfield told you

he was gonna expose your relationship with her?

I got angry.

He got angry.

Push came to shove, literally.

He hit me, I hit him.

He fell backwards against the fireplace.

Mm-hmm. Did you hit him

again after that? No, sir, I did not.

And in what condition was he

when you left?

He was alive... Conscious and alive.

In fact, he talked to me.

When I took the next installment of the comic strip

he said go ahead,

because he'd just draw another one.

What time was that?

It was...

7:40 when I left.

No later. 7:40.

Now...

these photographs are people's exhibit 23 through 25.

And, uh, they were taken

at approximately 9:40 p.m. at the scene.

Uh, is this

the way you remember things when you left?

No. In the first place,

Winfield was lying on the floor on the other side

of the fireplace. Uh-huh.

Anything else?

Yes.

The comic strip I took was sitting on a stack of others

right here on his desk.

In both of these photos that... Uh, those strips are gone.

And you didn't take 'em?

No, sir. I just took the one.

Mm-hmm.

Is there anything else, uh, in these pictures

that's, uh, different from what you remember?

Yes.

Ron Winfield was alive when I left the house.

He was conscious. He was talking.

He was alive.

I did not kill Ron Winfield.

Intentionally or otherwise.

Thank you, Senator.

Your witness.

Senator Dolan, why did you go to Mr. Winfield's house that night?

As I already said,

to see if he intended to reveal the identity

of the woman I'd been seeing.

Why didn't you just call him on the phone?

I did.

His assistant said he would return my phone call.

He never did.

Did, uh, you use profanity when you spoke to his assistant?

Yes, I did.

Because you were angry?

Yes.

Why?

Because he was going to

expose my relationship with Sandra.

That would destroy our careers.

Oh, so what you're saying is,

you didn't go to Winfield's house

to see if he intended to expose you,

because you already knew what he was going to do.

You went there to stop him, didn't you?

Well, in-in a way, yes.

You argued with him, didn't you?

Yes.

You hit him, didn't you? Yes...

You hit him so hard his head hit the fireplace, didn't you?

Yes, but that was... You hit him and you killed him, didn't you?

No!

His hitting his head like that was an accident.

Then why didn't you call the paramedics?

Because he was alive when I left.

You didn't call them because he was dead.

Just as you intended, isn't that right,

Senator? Object!

This isn't a question, it's an argument. Withdrawn.

Nothing further.

Otis!

Get lucky?

Uh, not yet.

You know, those cans

haven't been brought down to the street since Ron died.

Some of that stuff's been in there for weeks.

I know.

That's one of the rough drafts

of one of the missing strips.

Did he ever mention anything about Sunset Condominiums?

Huh-uh.

These trees are, uh...

Birch?

Uh, no, aspen.

Aspen.

Well...

the Sunset Condominiums are in Aspen.

Senator Hopkins has been paying taxes and utilities

on a unit owned by his six-year-old nephew.

Six years old, huh?

Yeah.

What's the good senator been up to?

He had a two-hour lunch at his club,

and then he rushed over here.

Didn't Jefferies Construction just land

some big highway jobs?

A lot. All state-funded.

Think there's a connection?

Oh, yeah, there's a connection.

And it's right there on the seat of that boy's pants.

Mr. Matlock, is that you?

Yeah.

Otis, get off him! Lie down!

Look at your suit.

It was my favorite.

I'm sorry.

I took him out to the park.

The ground must have been wet.

So, you getting anywhere?

Yeah. I got a pretty good idea of who did it.

Still I got to prove it.

That's a shame.

It was my favorite and new...

Well, good dog.

Good dog!

Senator Hopkins,

you're chairman

of the Georgia State Senate Public Works Commitee,

is that right?

That's correct.

Now what does your committee do?

We see to it that the great state of Georgia gets

the highest-quality roads, schools and office builidings

at the lowest-possible cost to the taxpayer.

So you decide what needs to be built,

and then you solicit bids from private contractors?

That's correct.

And the lowest bid gets the job?

Not necessarily.

But that usually is the way it works, isn't it?

Usually, I suppose, yes.

Do you know

about these bids on ongoing projects?

I have nothing to do with the selection process.

You could find out if you wanted to, couldn't you?

If I wanted to, yes, but, uh...

Are you familiar

with Jefferies Construction Company?

Yes, they've done work for the state.

Ten public-funded jobs in the last two years.

Bid on 12, got ten.

I'd say that's something of a record.

Not only was their bid

the lowest, it was the last.

Almost as if someone were keeping them informed on the bid

so that they could be sure and ease theirs in just under.

That's impossible.

Why?

Because that's illegal.

Yeah, but, but, someone could

keep the president of Jefferies Construction informed

on the bid, so that he could be certain

that his company's was the lowest, couldn't he?

How about you, Senator?

Absolutely not. Objection!

This is completely irresponsible.

Nothing in Mr. Matlock's question has anything

to do with the evidence!

I tell you what, Your Honor,

if you'll allow me to continue, I'll prove it.

Overruled for now.

In the last six weeks of his life,

Ron Winfield planted the word "sunset"

ten times in his comic strip.

See on the billboard there and on the bus stop bench

and on the book? Why would he do that, huh?

How about this?

He wanted to remind one of his readers

that he knew something about that reader

that he could make public at any time.

It was kind of a code.

A secret message, wasn't it, Senator?

I don't know what on Earth you're talking about.

Last year, the president of Jefferies Construction

bought a condominium at Aspen, Colorado,

for a half-million dollars.

But he didn't buy it for himself.

He signed it over to someone else.

He signed it over to a person named

Joel Martin, your six-year-old nephew.

I don't know anything about this.

Are you saying that wasn't a kickback?

Of course it wasn't.

That it was just a coincidence?

It must be.

That the president of Jefferies Construction wasn't

paying you back for all those big fat jobs you got them

with a big fat chunk of real estate?

Absolutely not.

You're saying that it's a coincidence that the name

of the condominium project at Aspen is Sunset?

All I know is I've done nothing wrong,

and I bitterly resent these allegations.

Ron Winfield found out about your arrangement

with Jefferies Construction.

There is no arrangment.

He was blackmailing you, wasn't he?

No.

Only he didn't want cash,

he wanted dirt...

Inside information on political shenanigans he could use

in his comic strip.

And you knew if you didn't come through, he'd expose you.

And that would not only mean the end of your job,

you'd go to jail.

So you gave him what he wanted.

Is that how he found out about your wife's affair

with Senator Dolan?

Are you out of your mind?

Over and over again,

he used the word "sunset" in his comic strip.

It must have driven you crazy trying to figure out

what he'd do next.

And so finally, that night

you went over to his house, didn't you?

I did no such thing.

I don't know what you had in mind

when you went into that room,

but I'm pretty sure that when you saw that he was hurt,

and he told you that Senator Dolan had done it,

you hit his head in that fireplace a second time

and killed him.

And then you took the comic strips

so that no one would be able to connect you

with the condominium at Aspen.

That's a lie!

And knowing that Ron Winfield kept solid evidence

to back the allegations in his comic strip,

you sent someone from Jefferies Construction

to ransack his house, steal the evidence,

and destroy it, didn't you?

Everything you just said is an out-and-out lie!

You didn't go to his house that night?

I've never been to Ron Winfield's house in my life.

Never? Never.

Would you tell the court whose suit jacket this is?

It looks like mine.

It is mine.

Where did you get it?

The police with a warrant took it from your closet

this morning after you left.

Is this the suit you wore to his house that night?

I just told you I have never been to Ron Winfield's house.

Why'd you take it to the cleaners the next morning?

I don't remember.

Well, right here's the receipt.

See? "8:45 A.M., April seventh."

That's the day after the murder.

It says, "Remove stain on jacket front."

Ron Winfield had a dog, big friendly dog named "Otis."

Liked to jump up on everybody who came into the room

and get dirt on your jacket.

Have to take it to the cleaners.

During the fight with Mr. Winfield and Senator Dolan,

a bottle of ink got knocked off on the floor.

See the ink there?

The dog must have walked through it.

See his pawprints?

What if that dog walked through that ink

after Senator Dolan left and jumped up on

the next person to come into the room...

The real killer?

Why, he'd get, he'd get ink on his suit front.

Have to go to the cleaners.

I spilled coffee on my suit.

Maybe so.

The cleaner was unable to say.

It wasn't ink, Mr. Matlock.

Now for the last time, I was not at that house.

That night or any other night.

How about this?

This is a piece of Ron Winfield's stationery.

Officer Danny Levine's prepared to testify that he found it

in the pocket of this suit

this morning when he took it from your home.

And a handwriting expert is prepared to testify

that this is Ron Winfield's handwriting.

This is a list of calls

he received the day he was murdered.

You took this

because you didn't want anyone to know

that you were so anxious to talk to him

that you called him five times that day.

You took this and the comic strips

after you killed him, didn't you?

We find the defendant not guilty.

Having found the defendant not guilty,

this court is adjourned.

Thank you, both of you, very much.

Now you can get on with your life.

What's left of it.

I still have a feeling I'm gonna have

to step down even with the not-guilty verdict.

There are a lot of reporters out here.

Want me to run interference for you?

No, that's all right.

I got to face the music sometime.

It might as well be now.

Thank you again. Bye.

I'll go with you.