Original subtitles

(theme music playing)

Starring Buddy Ebsen.

Also starring Lee Meriwether.

With guest stars Barry Sullivan,

Meg Foster.

MAN: There's no reason... (clears throat)

no reason in the world why you can't play that part.

I'll call the producer tomorrow... yeah.

Great! Thank you! He's an old friend of mine.

There we go. Oh, That'd be great.

Good night. Ciao.

Drive carefully. Okay.

Good night!

Good night!

(guests chatting, mellow jazz playing)

Good night, folks, thanks for coming.

Thanks for coming.

You know, Billy is absolutely my favorite director

but he always goes home early.

Jason, darling,

you made On a Dark Journey in '62, didn't you?

I say '64.

Actually, it was 1918.

Thank you, friends, you sure know

how to make a fellow feel good.

That picture, let's see, that picture was made in 1962.

We wrapped it in Rome, I remember.

There.

And, uh, you haven't made

a film since, have you, Jason?

I wouldn't want to, doll.

The garbage they're turning out today

isn't exactly my cup of tea.

No, of course not.

Good night, doll. (kisses)

Come on, Don.

Good night, Jason. Call you for lunch. All right, darling.

Nice party, Jason. Bye-bye.

Thank you for coming.

Thank you for coming.

DON: Hey, honey, want to join us at home?

WOMAN: Yeah.

DON: You sure?

WOMAN: Yes... I'll get my car.

DON: The night is young. WOMAN: Yeah, uh-huh.

WOMAN: Okay...

(phone ringing)

(phone continues)

Hello?

Harry? Jason Craig.

He didn't show up.

Big deal.

Harry, he was supposed to be here with my money.

I took a hell of a chance bringing that stuff in for you.

You're getting $150,000 for it, dear boy.

If the police find out what I did,

d'you know how long I'd be in San Quentin?

Now, Harry, I want my share of that money.

You promised me and you promised that it would be here the...

Hold on, Harry.

Who...

Well, who are you?

Where did you come from?

I... came in to take a little nap

and I woke to, um...

Looks like little Gloria's going to be in

for a little luck for a change.

HARRY (over phone)? Craig?

Craig, who are you talking to?

Well, go on.

Talk some more.

Harry, I'll call you back later.

(wry chuckle)

Now, look... (clears throat)

Look, I... I'm afraid you've got the wrong impression.

(chuckling)

Sure.

Now... just wait a minute.

Hey! Take your hands off of me!

Take it easy!

I can explain everything...

(screaming)

Are you all right?

Now come on, come on, get up.

We can, we can talk about this thing; it's...

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(car engine starting)

♪ ♪

And I've been living mostly in New York with my father,

John Talbot, um, since their divorce.

Anyhow, I haven't been out here in over a year.

Until now.

"Gloria Colby, local actress, after leaving a party

"at actor Jason Craig's, drove over...

Police divers are still searching for..."

For my mother's body.

But they haven't found her.

They dragged up the car but...

I don't quite understand

what it is you want from me, Miss Talbot.

This is a terrible accident but, uh...

No!

You don't think it was an accident?

Mr. Jones, see, I-I feel...

No, I'm sure that my mother

never would've been driving on that road.

You see, it runs around a cliff.

First on one side and then on the other, all the way.

So?

She had acrophobia.

That's fear of heights.

She hated even going up in an elevator.

I don't know what happened to my mother

but I do know that there is no way that you could get her

up on a high place, driving around on that road.

She was afraid.

She was scared silly of heights!

I mean, she'd even drive 20 miles out of her way

just to avoid some kind of lousy little hill.

Excuse me.

BARNABY: Do you know of anyone

who might've wanted to harm your mother?

No.

No, it's like I said, uh...

I really haven't seen that much of her

since she and my father split up.

I've always wanted to be an actress.

I hope I can... I can be as good as she is, you know?

So I'd watch for whenever

she had a part on a television show.

People even say that we look a little alike.

You know? But I remember...

that whenever I was able to visit her,

she was terrified of heights.

She was really terrified.

Can I borrow a pencil and paper?

Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yes.

I want to show you something.

Okay, X.

Let's say that's Jason Craig's house, right?

Where the party was.

Y... my mother's apartment.

And here's the lake.

Now, this road is the long road

but it's flat and it's fast

and it would take her from door to door.

Over here, you have the other road.

Of course, it's shorter but it's all uphill.

And there are cliffs and there is no way

that my mother ever would've taken that road.

I know it.

Is this all you have, Miss Talbot?

Oh, no, sir.

And I have some money here

and I would like to pay you whatever...

Oh, no, that isn't

what I mean, uh, I mean, is that all the evidence you have?

Do you have any other reason to suspect foul play?

No, sir, I think I have enough evidence.

Well, thank you very much.

We have your hotel phone number and let me check into this.

We'll give you a call.

Thank you very much.

Bye, thank you. Mm-hmm.

Barnaby, now Miss Talbot says

she hasn't seen her mother in over a year.

Maybe she got over her acrophobia.

Maybe, maybe not.

Locate her doctor and find out about that.

All right. Anything else?

Yes, call the studios, Screen Actors Guild,

find out all you can about Gloria Colby.

Her friends, everybody she ever knew.

I'll meet you in a couple of hours.

Back here?

No, uh, at Ben Frank's on the Strip.

Where are you going?

Gonna see a movie star.

♪ ♪

There's a Mr. Jones to see you, sir.

I said no visitors! Lose him!

Yes, I'm sorry, sir, but he says it's important.

He's a private investigator, sir.

Oh?

It's about that accident.

That Miss Colby, sir.

All right... (mutters assent)

Yes, sir.

Mr. Jones?

Great picture, Trail to the West.

I saw it twice.

Thank you.

My man said you wanted to talk to me

about this, uh... Miss Colby.

Could you make it fast, please, Mr. Jones?

I-I think I'm coming down with a cold.

I have to stay out of drafts.

Eh, sit down.

Thank you.

You know, it's a good idea to stay out of drafts,

even though Army medical research

has never been able to correlate drafts with the common cold.

Fascinating.

I thought Miss Colby's death had been cleared up.

The police have already been here.

Yes, I read that.

They think it was an accident.

You don't?

Oh, I can imagine that it could happen.

Woman comes to your party,

she has a few drinks,

a dark road, things like that.

Just seems odd

that she would choose a winding, steep road

with her fear of height...

Acrophobia is what they call it.

I know.

You know that's what she had, or that's what they call it?

I know that's what it's called!

Look, Mr. Jones, I've already told the police I...

I didn't know this Miss Colby at all!

I haven't the vaguest idea how she came to be at my party!

Just one of those...

spur-of-the-moment kind of get-togethers.

I-I'd just come back

from a USO tour and, uh...

Well, I had just flown in from Hong Kong.

But you don't remember any more about Gloria Colby,

uh, having talked to you?

It's all on a police record.

I told the police I saw this woman

around 10:00-ish with a coat.

I assumed she was leaving and that's really all I know!

Well, thank you very much, Mr. Craig.

Uh-uh-uh, Jones.

Uh, this, um, fear of heights...

The woman had been drinking.

Now isn't it entirely possible, if she'd been drinking,

she might have forgotten her fear?

Good point.

Yeah.

It's worth thinking about.

Well, take care of your cold and...

Hey, why don't you try some sassafras tea?

And if it gets you in the throat, gargle with salt.

Trail to the West... Great picture.

Thank you, Mr. Jones.

You know, they ought to rerelease that.

At least, uh, run it on television.

Don't forget... sassafras tea.

(ringing)

Excuse me.

Importer's Emporium.

Mr. March? Yes.

Oh, just a moment, please.

Mr. March, telephone.

Thank you.

Hello. Harry March.

Jason, Harry. Where the devil's my money?

Cool it, Jason. Cool it.

Your money's here.

Why don't you come and get it?

You could buy me lunch.

Harry, a detective by the name of Jones was just here.

The police?

No, no, private detective.

What did he want?

Well, he was saying something

about her having acrophobia... Fear of heights.

Harry, I'm getting scared.

Now, look, laddie,

but let's not get ourselves all worked up.

At least until we know if this Mr. Jones is really a problem.

Okay?

Okay, okay, if you say so.

Oh, but I do.

LANDLORD: Oh, this Gloria Colby never caused any trouble.

I had to push her for the rent a couple of times,

but she didn't break up the furniture,

louse up the plumbing.

No problems like that.

But I don't recall no particular people

ever coming around here.

Regular loner, she was.

And that's about all I can tell you.

You know, in a place like this,

you can't ask the tenants too many questions.

I mean, I figure that their lives

are their own business, you know?

Mostly they're actresses, models, what have you.

They come in, they stay a couple of months and they move.

Like a, uh,

life cycle, you know what I mean?

Butterfly?

Yeah. Yeah.

Oh, um, like I said,

uh, you know, I ain't really sure

that I should've let you in like this,

because, after all, you ain't really a cop.

You know?

Well, very kind of you, sir.

Thank you.

(starts engine)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Right on time.

Mmm. Well, in Bangkok, maybe. What kept you?

The mystery of life.

Check with the doctor?

Mm-hmm.

Now, Doris was right.

Gloria Colby had severe acrophobia.

The doctor doubts whether she would ever have driven

near a place with a hill, let alone a cliff.

Anything from the studio?

Well, only that Gloria Colby was not beating the town.

Yeah, I just came from her place.

No mansion.

A casting director told me

that with the bad breaks the last few years,

Gloria would've done just about anything for a job.

The italics are his.

Oh, and her answering service said that she checked in

the night she died, from Jason Craig's party.

Called in about midnight.

(whispering): Betty?

I've got a tickling feeling in the back of my neck,

like I'm being followed.

Don't look.

Phone's out back.

Uh, play along.

(loudly): Well, I think I'll just call 'em and find out

what they're talking about. Where's the phone?

Uh, out back.

Be a minute.

♪ ♪

Corby Lyons... yes.

Yes, he works for me.

Does deliveries, things like that.

Why? Has he done something wrong?

He's been following me.

Why would he do that?

Haven't the least idea.

That's what I wanted to talk to you about.

Thank you.

Is, uh, is something the matter?

No... no, I was thinking about your rattan.

All comes from Hong Kong.

Yes.

Real nice.

Thank you.

I was just talking to a man from Hong Kong today.

That is, he just got back from there.

You might even know him.

When I talked to him, he had a towel around his neck

with the same insignia as your tennis racquet.

Man named, uh, Craig.

Jason Craig.

Craig...

You mean the actor!

Yeah.

Well, yes, I know him.

He's a very pleasant fellow.

We've-We've played tennis together many times.

He's...

Well, speak of the devil... Jason!

I was wondering when you'd get here.

You know I've reserved the court for 12:00.

We're going to have to get a move on.

Chop, chop, as they say in the Orient.

Of course, I could change it to 1:00, if you'd like.

No, no, no. I think we can still make it in time.

Mr. Jones, isn't it?

(laughs)

What's the cliché? Small world.

That's one.

Mr. Jones, have you been able to find out anything

about that poor, unfortunate woman?

Gloria Colby. A little.

Matter of fact, when I was going through her apartment,

I ran across a picture.

She was with, uh,

several of the stock players from Marathon,

about 1953.

You were there then, weren't you?

Yes, as a matter of fact I was,

but I'm afraid I don't remember her.

You know, I have the same problem with remembering.

Some days I just can't remember a thing.

You did say she left your place at 10:00?

That's right.

Well, that's what I mean about remembering.

Her exchange said that she called them

from your place around midnight.

Well, Mr. Jones, it was a very large party.

What I said was that I saw her with her coat

around 10:00; I assumed she was leaving.

I just didn't see her after that.

Who knows when she left.

Exactly.

Well, it's, uh, nice to see

that you're feeling much better, Mr. Craig.

Feeling better?

Your cold.

Oh.

Yeah, it's nice that you recovered so suddenly

that you can go out and play a little tennis.

Well, we just can't let little things get us down.

Another cliché.

How did Jones get here, to you?

I don't know. You don't?

I sent Lyons to follow him.

He must have fouled up, let the old fool catch him at it.

Old fool? Old fox, maybe.

Well, it wasn't Lyons who killed that bird

and got us into this mess.

Look, it wasn't my fault.

I only did it to keep her from...

Want to count it?

150,000 tax-free dollars.

Jason, why don't you go home and quit worrying?

Think about how you're going to spend all that money.

All that lovely money.

Get me Corby Lyons.

Well, let's see.

That was last Tuesday.

That was the 18th.

Yes, here it is.

Entertainment tour 512 arrived from Hong Kong

by way of Clark Field at 2:30.

In fact, I remember it quite well.

Mr. Craig gave me his autograph.

Made me a big hero with my wife.

Do you remember how they came through from the airplane?

Well, now, let's see.

The plane came all the way up to the hangar,

then they all came through...

The dancers and the others.

As I remember it, there was a chauffeur

waiting for Mr. Craig.

He went directly to the car.

They'd parked it outside.

Then he didn't come through the regular turnstile.

No, he sent his larger baggage through.

But it's a little difficult putting somebody like him

through a detailed customs check

after he's just spent six weeks of his time

to shake hands with half the guys still in Indochina.

Yeah.

Yeah, I can see where that would be difficult.

I can see that.

BETTY: Right, Martha... Monday.

If Barnaby says it's all right.

I'll see you. Bye.

Barnaby? You here?

Barnaby!

You know, you're lucky to be alive.

You may very well have a concussion.

Know who hit you?

I got a pretty good idea.

Who?

We have professional secrets, too, Doc.

I thought you told me when you came out here to retire,

you were gonna sit in the sun and raise horses.

That's what I was trying to do.

That's what we plan to do for the weekend.

Well, I don't want you out of this for 48 hours minimum.

And another 48 in the house.

Look, I meant what I said about a concussion, Barnaby.

(sighing): God takes care of fools, I guess.

Nah, I'll let myself out.

I'll bill you personally.

I'm sure private detectives don't have a medical plan.

(laughs gently) Thank you, Dr. Reynolds.

Bye.

Betty, get me a shirt out of the top drawer.

No! Betty...

N-O.

Mr. Jones?

The man let me in, he said that, um...

What happened to you?

Well, a little accident.

I fell; I'm fine.

Oh, I'm sorry.

You see, I called your office and, um, the message service

said that you were at home but I didn't realize that...

I really didn't think you'd mind if I came out.

That's all right; it's all right.

Well, you see, sir, I wanted to know

if you found out anything about my mother's death.

Doris, uh...

why don't you sit down.

Oh, it's okay.

Oh, it's not very nice, is it?

Well, you did find out something.

I found... smuggling.

There's nothing to indicate that your mother was mixed up in it.

Well, she couldn't have been.

You realize that I'm in this thing so far now

that I just can't back off?

Even if I wanted to, I don't think they'd let me.

They think I know too much.

Could you help me?

Well, how?

What can I do?

Who... Who are "they"?

I won't be up and around again for a few days,

but I think I know a couple of fellas...

who would be awfully nervous

if they thought your mother was still alive.

Now, will you sit down?

Okay.

JASON: Jack, you know I'm right

when I say that the business has changed.

We can't go on doing things

the way we used to 15, 20 years ago.

You have always been a conservative.

And very effectively, too.

But the world has changed.

Today... the name of this ballgame today

is independent production.

And you and I both know a lot of good pictures

have been made for under a million dollars.

Mm-hmm. Now, is there any reason why

we can't put together a package?

I'll be the star.

We get one of these bright, young directors...

It's not quite as simple as that, Jason.

Look, I've read some great stories lately.

I have enough money to pay for an option on a screenplay.

Actors... you handle some of the best actors in town.

All we have to do is show them a good script and...

Excuse me.

♪ ♪

What's wrong?

You look as if you've seen...

A ghost.

Yeah, a ghost.

That's funny, huh?

The way all these women look alike today,

with their dark glasses and their crazy hairdos.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Hello, um, can I have the city room, please?

Mr. Hartman.

Bob? Jason Craig.

Yes, fine, thank you.

How about yourself?

Good, good.

Bob, what I wanted to ask you was this...

A small story, maybe you missed it...

An actress by the name of Gloria Colby

had an accident after leaving my house the other night...

Oh, you know about it.

Yeah, yeah, sure.

What I was wondering, Bob,

have the police found anything more in the search for her body?

They haven't, huh? Mm-hmm.

Well, as I said, I haven't quite

been able to get it out of my mind.

Thanks, Bob.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Gloria!

(car door shuts, engine starts)

Wait! Gloria, wait!

(car speeds off)

Gloria...

No...

The messenger from Marathon said that

that's all they had of her in the still department.

Gloria Colby.

That's something, isn't it?

That someone could change that much.

She looks almost like her daughter does now.

Oh, and she wasn't using her name then... Gloria Colby...

It was Ellie Hanson, her real name.

BARNABY: Trail to the West.

(doorbell rings)

(door closes)

Come on, Doris, he's in here.

How'd it go?

Did he see you?

Well, I-I, I did just like you told me, Mr. Jones.

I think he was really jolted.

I thought he would be.

Do you want to go through with the rest of it?

If it'll help.

It could.

You remember what we rehearsed?

Every line. I'm a good study.

What time is it?

It's a little after 6:00.

Make it for 8:00.

Okay.

(phone ringing)

(ringing continues)

Who is this?

(quiet laugh)

I'm sure you know.

I realize you never expected

to hear from me again, Mr. Craig,

but I still think we have something to talk about.

Maybe more now... right?

Who is this?!

(chuckles)

Oh, come on, Mr. Craig.

Now, look, I-I I've never harmed anyone in my life.

I've never been mixed up in a crime before.

I... I-I just brought that stuff in for somebody else.

I didn't mean to.

But you did.

And I'm glad you did.

Mr. Craig, could you meet me at my apartment?

That's 1810 Courtney, tonight at 8:00.

Yeah.

Fine.

Good-bye.

Oh! I almost forgot.

Bring $50,000 with you.

I think he's gonna be there.

He sounded really upset.

Mr. Jones, he said something

about, um, "bringing in the stuff for a friend."

The smuggling?

It fits.

Marseille's tight.

Mexico, too.

More and more coming in from the Orient, Hong Kong.

Heroin probably.

What better way to bring it in?

A great humanitarian tour by a big movie star.

Who's gonna bother him at Customs?

My mother was connected some way, wasn't she?

It seems so.

(heavy sigh)

(ringing)

Hello.

Harry... Harry, she's not dead.

Who?

Calmly, Jason.

Gloria Colby. I saw her.

You drunk?

I wish I were.

But, but she was in the car.

You said she was dead before she went in the water.

Harry, I tell you she's alive!

I've talked to her on the phone! I've seen her!

Uh, if she's alive...

why hasn't she gone to the police?

Blackmail.

She wants me to be at her place at 8:00 this evening.

She wants... $50,000.

Harry, what can we do?

Pay it. What else?

You do like she said.

You go to her place and you pay it.

I know it'll cut into your take a little,

but I wouldn't complain too much about that, if I were you.

After all, it was you who dropped the ball

when you were so careless,

letting her overhear the phone call you made!

Barnaby, you know what the doctor said.

Sure, and he's right,

unless you're chasing a murderer.

Give me another patch mike from the desk, will you?

All right.

Let me help you with that, Doris.

Oh, thanks.

There you go.

There you go. Got it?

Yeah. All right.

(grandfather clock chiming)

(knocking on door)

Oh.

I thought I'd go with you.

I was just leaving. Why?

Are you taking a gun, Jason?

A gun? What do I need a gun for?

Because you fouled it up once, didn't you, Jason?

♪ ♪

Are you all right?

A little nervous.

How about you?

Yeah.

Your mother's scrapbook.

I don't think I want you this close to him.

Try sitting in this chair over here.

Yeah.

♪ ♪

Put on your glasses.

Yeah.

You told me you were a quick study.

You are.

You're also a good actress.

It's your trade, right?

Right.

I'm a good private detective.

Now we're both on, okay?

Okay.

(knocking on door)

(knocking on door)

Come in.

Close the door.

Did you bring the money?

Yeah, I brought it. $50,000.

DORIS: I suppose you probably think that's a lot to pay.

But besides leaving me for dead, there's the drugs.

And I'm sure the police would love to know

that Jason Craig has been smuggling drugs

into the country.

JASON: I was broke. I needed the money.

If you hadn't been listening in...

DORIS: Yes, but I was.

Don't move.

Well, you almost did it.

If I left it up to Jason here,

you'd have enough on tape to put us away forever.

Give me an E for effort.

How about D for dumb?

We'll all be going now... together.

JASON: Harry...

Harry, isn't there some other way?

Like what, for instance?

She's alive, isn't she?

When she fell in my house, she wasn't killed!

At least I haven't killed anybody!

Doris, might as well take off your wig... we've lost.

Doris?

Who are you?

Craig...

Gloria Colby is dead.

The police found her body earlier today.

And if it was an accident,

as you say, then your conscience must be clear,

and maybe it can be proved, but if you let him kill her,

that's premeditated murder,

and you haven't got a way out.

HARRY: Jason...

you took a hard $150,000.

You brought in heroin.

You are in deep, deep, deep.

That's Doris Talbot.

She's daughter of the woman who died in your house.

She's the daughter of Ellie Hanson.

Ellie?

That strike a chord?

Ellie Hanson.

That's the name that Gloria Colby used to use

when she was a young stock player at Marathon.

Hanson...

Ellie Hanson...

Yeah, you remember now?

I think she was even in a picture that you were in.

Ellie Hanson.

Of course, that was a long time ago,

and people change in Hollywood, don't they?

Jason... time is wasting.

Come on.

Ellie Hanson.

Doris is just a girl

who wants a chance to be an actress...

Young, innocent, starting out.

Even as Ellie was.

As you were...

Mr. Jason Craig.

Let's go!

No, Harry, no.

We're not gonna harm this girl.

There's been enough killing.

(weak gasping)

Come closer.

I didn't want any of this...

smuggling.

I-I just needed the money.

We have an early call tomorrow, Ellie.

You better get some rest.

He called me Ellie.

♪ ♪

Well, can I take you to your hotel?

Oh, it's only just up the street.

If you don't mind, I think I'd like to walk.

What are you gonna do now, go home?

I don't know.

You know, when I first came out here, I thought...

maybe I'd stay a while.

But now, I'm not so sure.

I'll try my luck at acting.

I guess that Hollywood is really a tough place, huh?

Yeah.

It takes a special kind of courage, I guess.

Your kind, I'd say.

Well... maybe I'll think about it.

Walk me home?

I would like to.

(theme music playing)