Original subtitles

Once upon a time,

there were three little girls who went to the police academy,

two in Los Angeles...

the other in San Francisco,

and they were each assigned very hazardous duties...

but I took them away from all that,

and now they work for me.

My name is Charlie.

Forgive me for a moment, ladies and gentlemen.

No matter how long you've been in this business,

and believe me,

I have been in it since the discovery of fire,

one tends to get...

a little dry in the throat.

Ah... Now, that's what I call wet water.

When I was a mere tad, ladies and gentlemen...

my mother said to me,

"Wendell, you're going to set the world on fire."

But little did she know.

He's right here, Charlie.

Wendell?

Sorry I was delayed.

That's quite all right.

Your Angels have been most hospitable.

He's been doing magic tricks, Charlie.

I can't help myself.

When I find an audience

as delightful as this,

I'm driven to perform.

Have the police been bothering you again, Wendell?

Yes, early this morning.

Last night's fire was the third in as many weeks.

And all at Fashion City warehouses?

So I understand.

The police are convinced that the "Magic Man"

is at large again.

Who's the Magic Man?

An almost legendary torch

who's believed to be responsible

for the more than a dozen insurance fires

throughout the country over the past few years.

Very little is known about him,

but it's rumored that he was a professional magician,

hence the nickname.

You see, my dears, I am cursed three times.

I am a magician.

In my act, I create fires,

and I've had the great misfortune

to be in some of the cities

where the Magic Man has worked his mischief.

None of that is evidence, of course,

but I can see where they might

be suspicious.

Oh... I'm sorry.

Do you mind if I smoke, ladies?

Uh, really, I... Oh, go ahead.

Thank you.

Thank you. It's quite all right.

I have my own light.

Oh!

How'd you do that?

I can't believe that!

Hey, captain, take a break, will you?

Hi, Alex.

You been to any good fires lately?

How are you doing, Sabrina?

Pretty good.

Say, are you working on a case? Yeah.

Then I've got nothing official to say.

Hey, listen, Alex.

Three fires in three weeks.

All in Fashion City

warehouses or facilities.

Official or unofficial, that's arson.

Yeah. You know it.

Yeah. How was this one set?

Don't know.

There are no clues.

Magic Man?

Off the record? Yeah.

We think so.

Well, who do you think he was working for?

Well, the guy who owns Fashion City

is Joseph Watson.

Now, here's something you might find interesting.

Yeah?

Now, about two years ago, in Detroit,

a garment warehouse was burned down.

Now, arson was never proved, so insurance was paid.

Now, the guy who owned that warehouse,

and Fashion City,

is the same Joseph Watson... Joseph Watson,

and you think he hired Wendell Muse?

I think we've talked enough.

Hey, come on, Alex.

Look, would a man who was clever enough

to devise an undetectable method of arson

go around the country doing a magic fire act?

It can't be Wendell Muse.

It's too obvious.

Maybe.

Maybe he wants to be obvious.

Maybe he gets some kind of kick

out of rubbing our faces in it.

I don't know,

but he knows we can't touch him

until we figure out how he starts the fires.

What if Alex is right?

Wendell is guilty?

Just using us for smoke screen?

Yeah, in a manner of speaking.

Hi, Bos. Hi.

You look like you've got something up your sleeve, Bos.

Ooh. Well put.

Listen to this.

There is a magician

by the name of the Great Danzini

who is performing at the Magic Castle.

Now, he likes to live high,

but he is not drawing as well as he used to.

As a matter of fact, he's so broke,

he may have to hock his rabbit.

If I have to hear one more magic joke...

Being in debt is hardly a crime, Bos.

True.

But I talked to his agent.

Now, before his act soured,

he used to play all over the country...

Atlanta, Nashville, Pittsburgh.

As a matter of fact,

it was the very same tour as Wendell Muse.

And let me guess.

Their bookings were all around the time

that the Magic Man was up to...

No! Don't say it!

Up to his old tricks?

She said it.

At the very same time as the fire

in the warehouse in Detroit.

The one that was owned by Watson.

Hmm... Well, listen.

If Wendell and Danzini are both appearing

at the Magic Castle,

maybe we all ought to materialize there ourselves.

Okay.

That's a good idea.

You concentrate on that, and I'll concentrate on Watson.

I wonder what it'll take to... interest Mr. Watson?

Monsieur Watson, please.

Coco, Coco, Coco. Be still.

Come here, my darling.

Who shall I say is...

I am Maxine Myrtille of Chez Roger, Paris.

One moment, please.

Merci.

Coco, Coco, Coco.

There's a Maxine, uh... Myrtille. Myrtille.

Maxine Myrtal.

Myrtille.

Maxine Mertal from Paris to see you,

Mr. Watson.

Mr. Watson will be right out.

Ah, merci beaucoup.

Coco, Coco.

Ah... Hmm.

Bonjour. Bonjour.

Mademoiselle Mertal?

Myrtille. Myrtille.

How can I help you?

I believe I have a mutual acquaintance,

Monsieur Jules Deveaux, is that not true?

Yes, I've met Jules,

although I don't know him well.

His Lucerne collection was extremely successful.

Ah, yes, it was. I was the head designer.

Ah, Coco.

I have a proposition to make to you

that I think you will find

very interesting.

Well, I'd be delighted to hear it.

Ah, merci beaucoup. Ah, merci, merci.

Coco, Coco, come darling, Coco.

And so you see, monsieur,

I am in this country for only a short time

and I look for a, a... how do you say?

Uh, the outlet for my designs.

You've come to the right place.

Ah... We'd be most happy

to consider your designs.

They're most impressive.

Ah, merci.

In fact, they're almost identical

to some of Jules Deveaux's most recent work.

Almost identical.

Uh, but, of course.

Jules and I have similar feelings.

Ah.

Excuse me, monsieur,

you have been most amiable,

but I must ask what felicities you have to offer.

Felicities?

Oh, I am sorry.

My English is not very good.

Um... Uh. Uh... Facilities.

That is the word, yes?

Oh, yes. Facilities.

You'll want an office, I imagine?

Oh.

I should be most grateful.

Well, I'll arrange it at once.

Ah, merci.

As long as you can produce designs such as these,

mademoiselle...

Oh, I think we're going to have a very profitable relationship.

Oh, merci beaucoup. Say "merci," Coco.

Good night.

And now, ladies and gentlemen,

from the Pantheon of Mysterioso...

the Flying Coffin.

As you can see, my assistant, Mary Ann,

is a very lively girl,

and yet she will appear

to be right at home in this coffin.

I hope you'll be comfortable in there, my dear.

You should be...

for it is a luxury model last used

by the greatest ghoul of all... Count Dracula...

The Great Danzini likes to live big,

but his act isn't drawing.

Then let us proceed.

Gently.

And are you comfortable?

Yes.

Captain Summers.

Do you honestly think I'd be stupid enough

to set four such similar fires

one right after the other,

and then expect the insurance company

to pay up?

No one's accusing you of anything, Mr. Watson.

Ah, bonjour. Bonjour.

Pardon. Bonjour. Bonjour.

Who was that?

A designer from Paris.

Somehow she seems familiar.

Captain,

I want that arsonist caught more than you do,

to prove I didn't hire him.

Okay, Mr. Watson.

I'll give you a call if anything turns up.

Hello, fishy.

Fishy, fishy.

Ah, Monsieur Watson, what has happened?

Your warehouse has been burned by the fire.

Arson is what's happened.

We're the target of some kind of maniac.

Those fires were set on purpose.

But who would do such a thing?

I called Paris.

Jules Deveaux is in Iran.

He can't be reached for three weeks.

Of course. This I knew.

Did you?

I spoke with his secretary.

She remembered

the Maxine Myrtille who worked there

as having dark blonde hair and blue eyes.

Ah.

I remember her most clearly.

Too heavy and very unpleasant.

Also extremely jealous.

You mean she lied to me just out of spite?

I see.

You think I am the imposteur?

Bien.

I will take my designs

and give them to someone else.

Uh, no, no, no, no, no.

There's no need to do that.

Look, I don't care who you are,

or how you got those designs.

As long as you can deliver, we'll do business.

All I want to say is, be careful.

Merci beaucoup.

Au revoir.

Tell Romero she's leaving now.

Hey, let me give you a hand with that.

Why don't you take the front?

Where are we taking this thing?

Around the corner.

Okay.

Now, just up against the wall.

Oh, thanks.

Hey, you work with the Great Danzini, right?

I admit to it.

My name's Kris.

Oh, you're with Zolton the...

Sorcerer. Sorcerer.

Mary Ann.

Gee, it must be terrific working with the Great Danzini.

It beats, um...

topless dancing and coal mining, if that's what you mean.

Yeah, but he's so cute.

Oh, he agrees with you.

Oh, that bad, huh?

Bad?

He has to buy a new mirror every week.

They die from over-work.

Here, let me help you.

Look, honey.

If you want my job, don't let me stop you.

Hey, wait a minute.

I didn't mean anything like that.

Oh... Hey, forget it.

Look, this guy has got me very edgy, you know,

and, well, sometimes, I just...

I don't know when to turn it off.

What's he do that's so bad?

Well, for one thing, he's insulting.

The other night, he comes up to me and says

"If you don't go on a diet,

the Flying Casket will never get off the ground."

Of all the nerve...

He's like, um, possessive, you know?

I mean, he always wants to know where I am,

and then he goes off himself for days at a time.

Do you have any idea where?

No idea.

He's, um... suspicious.

He's practically paranoid

someone'll steal one of his lousy tricks.

See you around, kid.

Excuse me.

Could you tell me where they... never mind.

Open Sesame.

My contacts in the spirit world

tell me your name is Elizabeth Hart.

Your father was Malvolio,

one of the great magicians.

I think your contacts in the spirit world

checked at the front desk.

Ah, alas, I'm found out.

I saw you in the audience last night.

Did you enjoy the show?

It had a certain... style, I suppose.

The illusions however were...

Were not like your father's.

One great illusion is all I need.

One sensational trick

whose secret is known only to me.

Houdini had his "Water Torture,"

your father,

the "Collapsing Pressure Chamber."

We know, of course, how Houdini's was done,

but the secret of your father's illusion

died with him.

If your contacts in the spirit world

were any good,

they would tell you Malvolio kept a diary.

You know?

The secret of the Collapsing Pressure Chamber?

Several men have died trying to duplicate it.

My father left strict instructions to me.

Only a man with the talent, the drive necessary

to become another Houdini or Malvolio

will ever know the secret.

You are looking at that man.

Prove it.

Oh, now, you are Kris and I am Zolton.

All right. Now, don't be nervous.

Zolton.

And now, ladies and gentlemen,

Zolton the Sorcerer and his lovely assistant, Kris.

Zolton. Zolton.

It's wonderful. Let's go.

Okay.

Thank you, thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

I am Zolton the Sorcerer,

and this is my lovely assistant, Kris.

Please, please.

Sir, if you wish to hail a cab,

would you please go outside?

Thank you very much.

Now, I, Zolton, and my lovely assistant,

Kris...

Are going to attempt

to tap the very recesses of your minds,

thereby demonstrating for you

the wondrous powers

commonly known as ESP or mental telepathy.

Now, I have here... Oh, well, I had it...

Oh.

Thank you.

You see, I have here before you

what is known as a common Halloween mask,

impossible to see through with human eyes.

Now, I, Zolton,

and my lovely assistant, Kris...

She will be walking amongst you,

asking for small articles

that you have on your person.

Kris, proceed.

Uh, Kris?

Kris?

Oh, yes, I'm ready, Zolton.

Oh. Splendid.

I am holding in my hand an object.

What is it?

Seems to be still very foggy.

Well, just... take your time.

Aha! You are holding a watch!

Absolutely correct.

All right. Now, concentrate.

You are holding a glass of orange juice?

A man has a glass of orange juice in his pocket?

No, no. Um...

Do you believe this act?

Um... please be right.

You are holding a pen.

Absolutely correct.

Are you ready, Zolton?

Zolton!

Zolton.

And now you should be able to see clearly through that fog.

I can,

as if I were not wearing a Halloween mask at all,

but I were wearing a pair of glasses.

All right, Zolton.

Don't blow this one.

Aha! A handkerchief.

Ah, and who have we here?

Well, it looks like two very shy gentlemen.

Your wallet, please. Would you give me your wallet?

No, we don't want to.

Oh, it looks like they're going to need a little encouragement.

A little encouragement, please.

Lovely.

Your wallet?

Thank you.

All right, Zolton, are you ready?

Fire away.

All right, concentrate now, Zolton.

I will try to steer you in the right direction.

You are holding a side of beef?

No. No, no.

No, you're heading down the wrong street.

Well, in that case,

you are holding a driver's license.

Absolutely correct.

Thank you. Hey, give me that.

Mister... Thomas Romero of Encino.

What do you think you're doing?

You're out of your mind, you know that?

Thank you for being such good sports.

Weren't they wonderful, ladies and gentlemen?

Thank you.

Thank you one and all.

Kris... Come up here.

You were wonderful.

Listen, I'll be with you as soon as I change.

Okay. I want to go check on who those guys were.

Okay.

So they packed the showerhead with sodium.

Then when she turns on the water,

it ignites.

It's very neat and very dangerous.

The Magic Man.

Oh, no, maybe not.

Charlie got a report

from some of his people in the Midwest

and they say

that there was an unidentified corpse

discovered in that warehouse in Detroit.

The one owned by Watson?

That's right.

And the underworld there

believes that the body was that of the Magic Man.

But why would someone go after me?

Well, I guess just to frighten you.

Well, they did that.

Hey, Bos, you find out anything

about those two fellows who were following me?

Yeah, as a matter of fact, I've got it right here.

Let's see one of the guy's names was Tommy Romero,

small-time crook

with a very undistinguished career.

Works with a partner named Mel Gross.

Oh, and get this.

They were both recently gainfully employed as shippers

at one of Joseph Watson's Fashion City warehouses.

Watson again.

Fashion City's closed on Sunday.

I think I'll go over there and take a look around.

You onto something, Bree?

Maybe.

The guard told me, that before the fire started,

he thought he heard a phone ring.

Well, I could have sworn,

the other night in the warehouse...

I could have sworn I heard a phone ring too.

And?

I don't know. Maybe there's some connection.

You look truly magnificent.

Nobody'll ever accuse you

of understatement.

Oh, on the country.

In your presence,

I find words are inadequate.

Rather than the compliments,

I'd prefer a glass of wine.

Well, of course.

Whatever the lady desires.

For you...

A glass of wine.

I gathered that's what it is.

Well, you're certainly blasé.

I mean, where did it come from?

How could I have known in advance

what drink you preferred?

You asked the bartender.

Look, this seems a little silly.

Rather than trying to impress me with such simple tricks,

why don't you tell me about yourself?

Tell me how you developed your act,

where you plan to go from here...

I do want to get to know you better.

Do you?

I'd like to see what you've been working on.

Well, of course, you realize

there are some unscrupulous people

on the fringes of our profession.

They wouldn't hesitate to steal new ideas.

Surely you don't think I'm one of them?

No, of course not, but they might see me

demonstrating my illusions for you.

Look, let's just forget it.

Now, wait. Please.

Where's the fire?

I beg your pardon?

Did I say fire?

I meant flower.

Is this one of the incredible illusions

you were afraid I'd steal?

Now, I really didn't mean that.

Look, we could work out a private showing.

I have a place up in the mountains

where I go from time to time

to get away for a few days.

Perhaps we could go there.

You're being a little obvious, aren't you?

Well, I hoped that that would be refreshing

in a magician.

I'll think about it.

One moment.

Please do.

Charming.

May I?

Hi.

Hi.

Where's Kelly?

She's upstairs, working on the not-so-great Danzini.

Okay, listen.

We don't have magical fires.

What we have here is a very clever arsonist.

You mean you know how the fires were started?

Yeah.

By telephone.

Telephone?

Uh-huh. Someone stuffed a pyrophoric compound

into the bell chamber...

All right, all right. Pyro-what?

You shouldn't say words like that

in public, Bree.

Oh, come on, Bosley.

A pyrophoric compound.

I checked with a chemist.

It's mostly phosphorus.

Is that all it takes?

It's a little more complicated.

You see, you got the phone, right?

Right.

Now, you put this phosphorus in the bell chamber, okay?

You fix a wire in the bell chamber.

The phone rings.

A little electrical charge

hits the phosphorus.

Now, then, the phosphorus is easy to ignite, right?

But it spreads up too quickly,

so you have to fill the rest of the phone...

with this.

That's, uh... that's gun cotton.

That's what put me onto the whole thing.

Well, that explain, then,

why the arsonist was never around.

All he had to do

was just dial the phone number.

Yeah...

he could have done it in another city.

Yeah, but could he be onstage?

Well, if the arsonist

is Wendell Muse or Danzini

then the phone call

has to somehow be made while they're performing.

I mean, that's been the pattern so far.

That's right.

So then, what we have to do

is catch the arsonist in the act.

And there's another telephone already rigged at Fashion City.

That means he plans one for tonight.

You know what?

There's a pay telephone backstage.

I don't know how he does it,

but if it's one of our magicians,

I'll bet you that's the phone he uses.

Yeah, well, I took the phosphorous

out of the phone at Fashion City.

I'll be there when it rings.

If we're lucky,

maybe we'll catch ourselves a ghost.

I will now perform for you

the superb illusion that I have performed

only once before,

for the crowned heads of Europe during a command performance.

Observe the handkerchiefs closely.

Carefully, and now... Voilà.

Hello?

Mr. Watson, this is Ed Gage.

I thought you'd want to know...

That French woman's been in here, poking around.

She's in your office right now.

Thanks, Ed, but it's all right.

You just go on home now.

Okay, Mr. Watson.

Anything you say.

Are you ready, my dear?

Ready, Danzini.

Then let us proceed.

Gently.

Are you perfectly comfortable?

Yes.

Kris?

Bull's-eye, Sabrina.

It was Mary Ann.

What do you think you're doing?

You're ruining my act.

Not just yet, mademoiselle.

Monsieur, why do you have the... the gun?

Cut the accent. You're not French.

What have you got in here?

Of course!

I thought it could be a woman's voice I heard,

phoning me, whispering to me

that the Magic Man had come back from the grave.

Oh, but I knew that was impossible.

There's no where to go.

Look, I don't know what you're talking about, okay?

I pretended to be French

so that you would look at my designs,

all right, but I don't know what you're talking about.

Now what's the harm in that, huh?

Back in there.

I'm telling you,

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

I do not know what you are talking about.

The Magic Man's name was Larry Webb.

He was my husband.

He was also an arsonist.

Yeah...

He, uh, he got down on himself.

He... he wasn't making it in show business.

So he started setting fires for money.

He was good at it.

What's the tie-in with Watson?

Larry left an envelope with me to be opened

in case anything happened to him.

In it was a list of clients

who had paid Larry

to start those insurance fires...

and the last name on the list... was Joseph Watson.

Then your husband was that man

that was killed in that fire in Detroit.

Yes.

Watson tricked Larry somehow.

He trapped him in that warehouse,

and then he set it on fire.

I know it.

I know it... but I couldn't prove it.

But, see...

I knew how Larry started the fires.

I wanted to ruin Watson...

to destroy everything he owned with fire.

Look, I don't know who you think I am,

but I did not set those fires.

Now, now... you gotta believe me.

I really don't know what you're talking about.

The Magic Man... Who are you?

His sister?

No, I... No.

His wife? His girlfriend?

No!

He must have... He must have told you,

or left a diary or something.

Listen, I am a beginning fashion designer

trying to get a break.

I don't know a Magic Man.

He did a job for me once...

and then he tried to blackmail me.

It was his mistake.

Now, look.

Don't move or I'll kill you.

I'm not going to move, okay?

I'm sitting back.

What is this? What has she done?

Wait a moment.

What's going on here?

I'm afraid you're gonna have to find yourself

a new assistant.

You're not Malvolio's daughter, are you?

Afraid not.

And the Collapsing Pressure Chamber?

Collapsed.

Well, I wonder why we haven't heard

or seen from Sabrina?

She's probably still at Fashion City.

You got a dime, Bosley?

Ah... Oh...

You're taking this magic stuff too seriously.

Something like this, I should think.

Yes.

That's very ingenious.

Now the police

are going to find their arsonist.

It's busy.

Well, we'll just wait a minute

and call back.

Okay.

When that phone goes off...

This whole place will go up like a torch,

and you're gonna go with it.

You know, it's really a pity,

because whoever you are,

you're very pretty.

Well, I'm going to Palm Springs.

I'll establish my presence there.

Oh... I'll call you.

That's weird.

It rang a couple of times and then it went dead.

Well, did someone answer?

Uh-uh. It didn't sound like that.

We'd better get over there

right away. Come on.

The building's on fire!

Yes, I want to report a fire.

Randolph and 16th, Fashion City offices.

I've got it.

Okay, on three. Ready?

One, two, three.

Sabrina? Sabrina!

Hold it. She's in there.

Wait a minute. I'll get the fire extinguisher.

Coming! Okay...

Is she okay?

I don't see any burns.

She took in a lot of smoke.

And Sabrina's death on smoking.

Well done, Angels.

Joseph Watson was picked up by the police last night.

Whatever happens to him,

I'd say Mary Ann Webb's revenge

was a success.

Well, I hope that's a comfort to her

in prison.

Oh, one more thing, Kris.

I did want to compliment you and Bosley

on that marvelous mind-reading act.

Oh, thank you, Charles.

Charlie... You were there?

Of course.

I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

I gave Kris my pen

and Bosley got it right away.

Goodbye, Angels.

Uh, uh, wait, Charlie! Charlie?

Okay.

What did he look like?

I don't know, it was... it was really dark.

Well, try to remember, Kris.

Well, I was nervous.

Oh, come on.

Was he tall? Was he short?

What color was his hair?

Well, I don't remember.

You got to think.

You got to think a little harder.

Okay, okay, okay, okay. He gave me his pen...

Come on. Bosley, you always do this to us.

Why can't you remember?

Calm down, calm down. What'd he look like?

I don't know.