Original subtitles

Once upon a time,

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

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.

Gloria...

Gloria...

Gloria...

My God! No!

Oh, God!

No...

No! God!

Charlie?

This is Gloria Gibson.

Thank heaven I've found you.

Charlie, I need your help.

Now, Gloria... Gloria!

Gloria, try to stay calm. I'll be right there.

I hope you can help her, Angels.

I'm a longtime friend and fan.

Gloria Gibson, huh?

I saw every film she ever made...

She's just incredible.

Yeah, I saw one of her pictures on TV last week.

A western.

Right. The Sodbusters.

Hey,

I remember seeing that, too.

She played a rancher's wife.

She survived cholera, a gunshot wound,

a cattle stampede... She's a very heavy lady.

A very nice lady.

Wait a minute, Charlie.

Now, I remember one scene from that picture

where she looked out the window

and she saw her husband hanging from a tree.

The hanging man in Gloria's garden.

Like the scene from the picture.

Charlie, you don't suppose

she's flashing back on her old films, do you?

Yes, that's a possibility.

It's also possible

someone wants us to reach that conclusion.

You mean someone's doing a Gaslight number on her?

Exactly. And she'd be an easy victim.

She's been under a lot of strain the past year,

since her husband died.

Nicky Lowen, the gambler.

She nursed him through a long illness.

And then when she had recovered from her grief

enough to go back to work, everyone had forgotten her.

Hm. Maybe not quite everyone.

Isn't If she crazy,

it looks like someone's trying to drive her there.

Look at this place.

Oh, yeah.

It's beautiful. Nice.

Hello. Yes?

Charlie said you'd be expecting us.

Oh... Oh, yes.

Miss Gibson, I'm Sabrina Duncan.

This is Jill Munroe and Kelly Garrett.

Hi.

Won't you come in, please?

Thank you. Yes, thank you.

This is really a wonderful house.

I'm sorry I can't offer you all

a place to sit.

But I'm planning to redecorate.

You know,

I imagine it would really look marvelous

in something like Louis XV.

That's exactly what I have planned.

How perceptive of you.

Well... thank you.

It really is a lovely house.

Well, Nicky built it for me

when we were in Italy on our honeymoon.

It's quite a wedding present.

Nicky was quite a man.

He had a special room,

where I best remember him.

May I show it to you?

Okay.

A Botticelli fresco?

One of Nicky's finest reproductions.

We were on our wedding trip in Italy

when we saw the original.

Nicky fell in love with it.

So he brought over from the studio

a fine art director to do the work.

Art director?

They are responsible

for the decor and architecture of the set,

sculpture and paintings.

The best ones

are fine artists themselves.

Well, whoever did that work surely was.

It's really marvelous.

Nicky just loved to sit in this chair and study it.

I joined him sometimes,

and we'd stay here for hours.

I can understand why.

Forgive me. Surely.

This is Gloria Gibson.

Gloria. Oh, Frank.

I'm at Mammoth Studios.

I finally got that appointment for you with Jardine.

2:00 Wednesday.

Such short notice.

Look, I'm willing to tell them at your convenience.

That might shake them up a little bit.

No, I, uh, I don't want to risk that.

Will they send a limousine?

No?

Yes...

Goodbye.

That... That was my agent, Frank Ross.

My old studio is making

an updated version

of The Heart of New York.

That was one of my most successful pictures.

I remember it.

Of course, this time, I'm up for the mother's role.

It's much smaller...

but I'll make something of it.

I remember the role of the mother.

That's a good part.

You'll be terrific in it, Miss Gibson.

Oh, call me Gloria.

Thank you.

All of you, call me Gloria.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um, Gloria...

do you think you could show us

where you saw the hanging man?

Yes.

This is the tree, isn't it?

That isn't what I saw.

Could have looked like a man, in the dark.

I saw a man hanging.

Uh, Miss Gibson... Gloria...

Do you remember a film you did called The Sodbusters?

I know what you're thinking.

There was a man hanging from a tree

in a scene from The Sodbusters.

There were two other stories I told Charlie...

About a snarling dog,

a child's severed hand.

They were in scenes from my movies,

but I did see them.

I am not unbalanced.

No one thinks you're unbalanced.

Somebody's trying to drive me crazy.

Or kill me.

Why would anyone want to do that?

You don't know Hollywood.

You don't climb to the top...

you claw your way there.

And there are those you hurt

who never forget and never forgive.

No doubt

they're quite pleased to hear that... I am broke.

And...

very close to losing this house.

When Nicky died, he left you in debt?

There was my furniture, my paintings,

they went.

And everything of value that I owned.

I...

lied about the redecorating.

But you knew about that,

I'm sure.

Well, personally,

I like a house that's decorated with understatement.

Charlie suggested that I stay here with you.

Can you cook?

Uh... can you?

We can always send out.

Well, we may have to!

What do you think...

Are we talking to a lovely old lady with head problems,

or is someone really doing numbers on her?

And if they are, why?

She hasn't got any money, which leave us with... revenge?

You know, what we've got here is a lack of information

about our client.

I mean, Bosley gave us a whole dossier full of facts...

We need to take a more personal approach.

Right... Like people who have worked with her.

Work with her. will Or

Exactly! Gloria Gibson, past and present.

Okay, I'll go over to the studio

and see what the rank and file think

about Gloria making a comeback.

Now, if somehow you could work on the picture...

You just triggered one of my favorite fantasies.

I'll see who's casting the bits and extras.

A star is born.

No!

No!

Oh... Oh, God!

Sabrina!

Sabrina, please help me!

Sabrina!

God, let her hear me, please!

Gloria! What's the matter?

What's the matter?

A... A man...

A dead man in my bathtub!

Gloria...

Oh, God...

All right, you wait here now.

I'm here, it's all right.

But I...

I... I saw it.

I saw it!

Oh, God, God, please,

believe me! Please

I... I saw it!

Excuse me.

Pretty, Pretty is in the next building.

Pretty, Pretty?

Casting. You're looking for casting, right?

Wrong. You're hungry?

Never eat before lunch.

A wise move.

You been here long?

Oh, about 10 minutes.

No, I mean, at the studio.

Two hours.

Ha ha! I mean how long have you been working at the studio?

I come up with the right answer,

do I get a prize?

Definitely.

40 years. Been here 40 years.

Oh, gee.

You must have been here

when Gloria Gibson was making pictures.

Gloria, sure.

Did you know her?

Intimately.

Intimately?

Every day at noon.

Oh. Ha ha!

Gee, I never would have thought...

Liverwurst with horse radish.

Every day, liverwurst with horse radish.

I'm not following you.

That's all she ever ate...

Liverwurst with horse radish sandwiches.

I had to make them up special.

You sell sandwiches?

I don't give them away.

"Lunchie's Munchies"... That's inventive.

What about Gloria's friends? Enemies?

Lots of both.

Anyone in particular come to mind?

That'll take some thought.

What'd you think of her?

Loved the lady, hated the sandwich.

What's that? Your prize.

I think I love you.

Lunch?

Sure.

The Parthenon. 1:00.

That's in Greece... Long way to go for lunch.

Stage 22... They're remaking Helen of Troy.

Sounds good.

Um, you will give some thought to what I said, won't you?

On one condition.

I know... I won't order liverwurst with horse radish.

Okay?

I ask so little.

I'll even take an oath.

I trust you.

I love you and I trust you.

It's better that way.

We may have a problem.

What?

Her.

What do you mean? Who's she? I don't know,

but she's been asking questions about Gloria.

What kind of questions?

The kind that make me nervous.

She might be a reporter or something.

Maybe, maybe not.

Meanwhile, let's keep an eye, okay?

Don't worry about it. I got the dancer, the singer...

You want four dwarves?

Yeah?

Right, yeah.

And one small boy.

All right. Okay.

What scale? You owe me one!

Are you the sword swallower?

No, not really.

I wanted to talk about representation.

Well, make yourself comfortable.

Oh.

Now, what can I do for you?

Uh, I understand you're casting the bits and extras

for The Heart of New York.

That's right. My cousin's the associate producer.

Oh, wow.

Gloria Gibson is one of my all-time favorite ladies.

I'd love to work on that set.

You got any experience?

Well, uh, I did plays in high school and college.

And I never get speeding tickets.

Speeding tickets?

What's that got to do with anything?

Well, when the police stop me, I cry.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah.

I wish I could do that.

You oughta try it, it really works.

Especially when you're a member of a minority group.

Oh, no. I'm not a Samoan warrior,

See, I'm on a lunch break.

You could of fooled me.

Besides my partner and I handling bit players,

we also work as bit players.

Hey, you know you're late?

The freeway was a mess.

All right, look, I got to go.

Hold down the fort.

Ha, ha, ha!

What's funny?

Asking you to "hold down the fort."

I mean, your being an Indian and all.

I'm a lawyer.

Hey, what are you doing for dinner?

Well, I only eat nuts and berries.

Oy. Some of my relatives do that.

Personally, I find it disgusting.

Listen, do you think you could get me a union card

to work on Gloria Gibson's picture?

Uh... this is tricky.

For an Indian lawyer?

Charlie says you can keep the Rolls

as long as you need it, Gloria.

Thank you.

It's nice to see you again, Miss Gibson.

Oh, it's... It's nice to be back, George.

You have a pass for us.

Forget about the pass, Miss Gibson.

If it weren't for you,

this studio would still be a bean field.

You just go right on in.

George, that's very kind of you.

Oh, I forgot.

Mr. Boyd, one of our young executives,

has got your old parking space.

You just park in Visitors.

Thank you! Bye, George.

As George said,

without me, this would still be a bean field.

Ha, ha!

You know, Gloria,

before we go inside there's something

that I really ought to tell you.

I read that Mr. Yulin,

the man who's directing the film...

Yes. He doesn't want me in the picture.

Well, you don't seem upset.

Gloria.

Frank, this is my new secretary,

Miss Duncan.

How do you do?

Very nice to meet you.

Uh, Gloria,

when we get in there, if they talk money,

we operate from strength.

Otherwise they walk all over us.

Hello, Mr. Ross.

Hello, Kathy.

Would you tell Mr. Jardine Gloria Gibson is here?

Of course.

Mr. Jardine, Miss Gibson is here.

Have her come in.

Go right in.

Thank you.

Come in, Frank.

Thank you, Hal.

Hal Jardine,

Miss Gloria Gibson.

It's a great pleasure.

Thank you.

This is kind of a big day for me.

When you and I were younger,

I saw every picture you ever made,

and I loved every damn one of them.

That's very kind of you.

But excuse me...

I'd like to introduce you to my secretary, Miss Duncan.

How do you do?

How do you do.

Do you you know our director, Josef Yulin?

I don't believe I've had the pleasure.

I've heard lovely things about you.

Thank you.

You mustn't be nervous, you know.

What?

I understand this is your first film.

But I... I'm not nervous.

And I understand

Ethel Hailey is also being considered

for this role.

Yes. I have directed her in a play.

Well,

you are showing a great deal of courage, Mr. Jardine.

My dear, don't you agree?

Oh, yes, I do.

I, uh, I don't think I'm following.

Well, what I mean is,

a stage director

and a stage actress, both making their first film.

And they are playing to the balcony,

with big gestures, big voice.

There is no balcony in films.

We play in whispers,

with our eyes.

Our inner selves are visible,

and with them, we overwhelm.

We reduce you to your elements,

and then we rebuild,

and return you to your selves.

And our audience is remade,

they're exalted,

and loyal to the stars they love,

and remember.

Well...

Well, your point is well taken, Miss Gibson.

It's been a great pleasure.

Thank you so much.

Yes, sir?

Come in, please.

Bye-bye.

That was a lovely performance, Miss Gibson!

Well, there's acting, and there's acting.

We're going to get it. I really think we're going to get it.

We've got it, Frank, we've got it.

She's liable to remember me.

I don't want to risk stirring up old memories.

I'll talk to you later.

It's been a long time, hasn't it?

A long time.

Well, your name on the door,

your old parking space back...

It can't get much better than that.

Not much.

Well...

I must change.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

We'll speak to you later.

Sure.

Some fine lady, huh?

Kelly...

they just don't come any better.

Come on, let's get some coffee.

Oh...

Ah...

Oh!

Oh! Oh, God!

Please! Somebody!

Oh, God! God help me!

Ah! Oh!

Oh, please, God, help me!

Help me, ohh...

Get the fire extinguisher! Call the fire department!

Gloria!

Let me through! Let me through!

Help me, someone!

Help me! Oh, please, oh, please...

Oh, God help me, please!

Get a doctor, somebody!

Are you all right?

Oh, no! No...

Lucky you had the crowbar handy.

Yeah. She could of died in there.

Come on.

No. Mm-mm.

The doctor prescribed it for your nerves.

Well, dear, this is my medicine.

Listen...

"Gloria Gibson came back like Halley's Comet."

"I met her yesterday

"when her luxurious dressing room burned,

"with her in it.

"Luckily, Miss Gibson escaped injury.

"Miss Gibson claims

"this is the fourth attempt to terrorize her

"since word leaked out that she might star again

"in Mammoth Pictures' remake of her great success,

"The Heart of New York.

"The police have uncovered no evidence to substantiate

Miss Gibson's claims."

They don't seem to believe you.

What difference does that make? They printed it.

Come in.

Oh, Frank.

Gloria.

Have you read the... Have you read the papers?

Oh, yes, I have.

And I'm worried.

Worried?

This is the biggest story.

No, listen to me, Gloria.

Dear, the papers think this is publicity,

but you and I know different...

Somebody wants to see you dead.

Or else they're trying to drive me crazy.

And I'll admit, they've nearly succeeded.

Crazy or dead... neither choice has much appeal.

You agree?

I don't know what to think.

The dressing room door could have been

deliberately jammed shut.

Gloria, you could have been burned alive.

Well...

what would you have me do?

Listen, give up this picture.

No. I can't.

You know I can't afford it.

You've still got the house to sell.

Sell Nicky's house?

Nicky's dead, Gloria.

Not to me, he isn't.

Not as long as I live here.

You can always sell it to me, later when things get better,

you can buy it back at the same price.

The important thing is that Jardine likes you,

and that means there are going to be more roles.

Frank, you're sweet.

But acting is my life,

and it has been for a long, long time.

No, I'll be on the set when shooting starts.

That's good, that's good.

Get the press camera into position.

Bring the mics in to number one!

Excuse me.

Is that a Dior?

Bruce of Norwalk.

Oh, and they said it was hard to break into show business.

Not when you're wired to a Samoan warrior

and an Indian lawyer.

I'm waiting on her. Gloria!

What is the situation, Victor?

Are there any new...

Have you looked at the new revisions?

What do you think?

I don't like it.

First she's asking questions about Gloria,

and then I saw her poking around

through the burned trailer yesterday.

She find anything?

I don't know. But she has press credentials.

I called every editor I know, and they never heard of her.

Out-of-town paper, maybe.

Maybe.

She's watching us.

Quit staring.

What the devil is she up to?

I don't know.

But I do know that there's too much at stake

to risk having her around.

So what do we do?

Only one thing we can do...

Remove the risk.

Places, everybody!

Okay, you're all ready.

Thank you.

Thank you, Sabrina.

Up on the stairs, Miss Gibson.

Quiet, please! Everybody in your places!

Quickly! Let's go!

Action!

Oh, Mother...

this is William Farnham, the artist.

I know. I bought one of his paintings,

and paid $90 for it.

Cut! Hold still. No breakup.

Jill, look out!

Ahh!

Oh, my...

Nobody touches him.

Step back.

Are you okay? Yeah.

He was trying to kill you.

I don't think it was a solo act, either.

Barkley moved along the catwalk

to the lamp that was above Jill,

and then he picked it up

and deliberately dropped it down.

But why, Jill?

I don't know.

I saw him on the set

when he was talking to Galbraith, the prop man.

It seemed like they were kind of watching me.

And then I remembered I'd seen him at the studio

the day I was questioning Lunchie Munchie about Gloria.

After Barkley fell,

Galbraith took a look at Jill and did a very nervous exit.

Galbraith still hasn't put me with Jill.

Maybe I should go back to the studio

and keep an eye on him.

They won't finish shooting for a while tonight,

it's a late call. What do you think?

It's a good idea. Be careful.

Okay.

Bye. Bye.

Jill... Hm?

How long had Barkley been with the studio?

He'd been an art director at the studio for a long time.

Art director, yeah.

Wait a minute... What?

Gloria, look.

This old news photo.

Oh, yes.

That was taken shipboard

when Nicky and I left Italy

to come home from our honeymoon.

Look. These two men... Do you recognize them?

That's Barkley, and that's Galbraith.

Are they...?

Oh, my eyes.

They are!

What are they doing there with you and Nicky?

Well, I told you, dear, didn't I?

Besides being on my honeymoon,

I was also making a picture in Italy at the time.

So Barkley and Galbraith

were part of the picture company?

Yes. As a matter of fact...

Now I remember.

Nicky had them remain after the picture was finished

and the rest of the crew had gone home.

Why did they stay behind?

Well, it was this one.

Barkley. Yes.

He did the reproduction of the Botticelli fresco

for Nicky.

What about Galbraith, the prop man?

Why did he stay behind?

As I recall,

he arranged for the reproduction of the fresco

to be sent back here.

Mm-hm.

You're smiling.

I've got it.

By George, I think I've got it.

Come on.

You going to tell me? Oh, yeah.

Hey, leave the work lights on!

Okay. Good night.

Listen, I just called the hospital.

He's dead!

What happened?

I told you guys not to panic.

We got nervous about the girl

who was asking all the questions.

You know, the one who was poking around in the burned trailer?

Gloria?

Yes, Kelly?

Are Jill and Sabrina there?

No, they left a few minutes ago.

I think they're going there to see you.

Thank you. I'll get back to you.

Mobile operator.

She was here,

and he was up on the catwalk.

Hey...

Go on, go on.

Keep talking.

Well, he had just pushed the lamp over,

and the cable got caught around his leg, and...

Hello? Kelly, we're on our way there now.

Good. You'll never guess who joined Galbraith.

Frank Ross.

How'd you know it was Ross?

Nevermind, I'll tell you when we get there.

In the meantime, just stay out of their way, okay?

Hang it up.

Kelly? What's wrong?

Are you there?

I don't know, let's get over there, fast.

Okay, you caught me.

I confess... Guilty as charged.

I know I was warned, but I figured just this once...

What are you babbling about?

I know extras aren't supposed to make phone calls from here,

but I was short of change...

What's going on?

Look, not coin one.

Cover the exit!

Light! Give me some light!

Hold it!

This makes a very nasty hole.

Can't be a beacon if your light don't shine,

ya know?

Would you think I was pushy

if I asked why you were shooting at me?

I've got a theory. You want to hear it?

Oh, I'd love to.

You know the Botticelli reproduction in Nicky's room?

What about it?

It isn't.

It isn't there?

It isn't a reproduction.

Well, Sabrina, what was the verdict?

Well, Charlie, three Renaissance art experts

all came to the same conclusion...

The Botticelli fresco in Nicky's room's the real thing.

Worth millions.

Incredible.

This may go down as the most notorious story

in the art world since, uh,

since that fellow cut off his ear.

Apparently Nicky paid Galbraith and Barkley

quite handsomely.

Then, when Nicky died,

they decided they had a chance to really collect.

Well, they couldn't kill Gloria

because that would have put the house into probate,

which would have kept them from tearing down the wall

to get to the fresco.

So they contacted Frank Ross,

and he began his campaign to drive Gloria out of her mind,

out of her house, out of the picture...

And into bankruptcy,

so she'd have to sell the house to him.

The hanging man and the body in the tub?

All movie magic, Charlie.

Speaking of which,

I understand the film is progressing nicely.

Yeah. Yulin and Gloria

have formed a mutual admiration society.

We're all invited to the premier.

Wonderful. I'll see you there.

Charlie,

you mean, you'll come with us?

I mean, I'll see you there.

Yes, Charlie, but will we see you?

You might...

You know how I love the movies.

Ah, Charlie, how will we know it's you?

Ha, ha! I'll be wearing a tuxedo.

Charlie, all the men at the premier

will be wearing tuxedos.

That's show biz.

Bye, Angels.

Goodbye, Charlie.

Bye.