Original subtitles

What can I do for you? I wanted you to meet these two gentlemen, Bob. Peter

Zarkov, security officer in charge of the Russian track team.

They are here for the international meet at Stanford.

Inigo Varenia, their manager.

Robert Ironside, formerly our chief of detectives. How do you do?

Chief Ironside, let me go directly to the point of your being here.

Please do.

As you undoubtedly know, a very important Russian citizen was kidnapped

You're speaking of the runner, of course.

Yuri Alexeyevich is more than a runner.

More than an athlete.

He is a hero to the Soviet people. Has kidnapping been established,

Commissioner? Nothing has been established except that Yuri disappeared

race this afternoon.

Last seen on Valamo Road.

Yes, that is the whole achievement of the San Francisco Police Department.

They have had eight hours or better to work on it, and they can tell you with

complete assurance that Yuri is missing. In your country, of course, police work

is far more efficient.

When a person drops out of his environment, I'm sure you know exactly

your finger on him.

May I suggest, Mr. Ironside, that we negotiate an immediate truce?

At least while we are investigating Yuri's disappearance.

We? Bob, I want you to give your full time to this case. And I suggest that

maintain close communication with Mr. Zarkov.

I don't see anything wrong with that concept, Commissioner.

Very well. Well, Mr.

Zarkov, a truce.

We have the contact. He's following us.

All right. When he stops, you stop.

Aye, aye.

In my Navy, Mark, it was aye, aye, sir.

And try not to make a Chinese landing when you park this bucket.

I'll try, Skipper, but what's a Chinese landing?

I thought you were an old salt.

Our man just parked here.

Sorry, Chief. Ran into the curb.

That is a Chinese landing.

Your man's walking toward us.

Bob. Let's go, Mark. Get underway.

My apologies for the cloak and dagger bit, Bob.

Frankly, it surprises me, Marlon.

I didn't know there was that much secrecy about your being the regional

the SIA.

There isn't.

That's why I couldn't take you to dinner at Ernie's and make this proposition.

Not after the word got out that you'd been put in charge of the URI -OSNAF

investigation. I think I'm beginning not to like this.

You're too good for me, Bob.

Okay, you guessed it.

He works for us.

A Soviet hero, and he works for you? How'd you manage that?

Irrelevant, Bob.

The point is, he's working for us.

He's come to this country to win a race, and he's disappeared.

Mother Russia found out Yuri was playing footsie with the capitalists?

I don't know.

All right, Marlon, what do you want from me?

Extreme caution.

Your job is to find him. I expect you'll do it.

I'm also hoping you'll take great care not to blow his cover.

That may not be easy.

And there's another consideration.

There usually is.

We have a man in Russia.

An extremely delicate situation.

He happens to be one of Yuri's prime contacts.

If Yuri is exposed as an agent, we'll have to move that man.

Why not move him anyway?

Why gamble? His mission is vitally important.

Our whole defense posture is involved.

We can't disturb him. Unless there's no alternative.

I get the picture.

I'm to find Uri while balancing a cracked egg on my nose.

Marlon, I don't know how to thank you.

Thanks for listening to me.

I'm counting on you.

If I can help, use the private number I gave you.

I understand.

Our government's in a very uncomfortable position.

We don't know whether we're faced with an embarrassment or a minor disaster.

We're trying to get along with the Russians.

The happiest solution to this whole thing would be if we could return our

to them without prejudice and without any of the agonizing apologies for the

manners of one of our citizens.

And without destroying his value to you. Of course.

Now, Bob, watch out for Zarkov.

He's tricky.

He appears genuinely interested in getting Yuri back.

Suppose they already had Yuri.

They'd still have to go through the song and dance, wouldn't they?

Aznaev was last seen at this point, nearly five miles from the finish line.

The other runners have told police they lost sight of Yuri when he put on what

they described as a finishing burst of speed right here.

Now, assuming their estimate of Yuri's effort to be correct, does it suggest

anything to you?

I understood we came here to be informed, not for our opinions. I

name of the game was to find Yuri Aznaev.

However, I will supply my own opinions if that's how we're playing it. I read

you, Bob. Even allowing for Uri's unquestioned stamina, five miles is a

from the finish of the race to put in a final kick.

He must have had a reason for wanting to pull out of the race at that particular

point. You see how beautifully they work together?

The teamwork.

Since it was also many miles from the start of the race, might we not assume

that the others simply slowed down?

We might assume that. It doesn't really matter.

What does matter is that Uri was running alone when he entered this wooded

section indicated by the blue shading.

Uri was free to pace himself.

I can see no fault with his running away from his composition, such as it was.

But if Uri planned it, is it conceivable he might have had clothing hidden a

short distance off the road, stepped into the underbrush and waited until the

others had run past, then changed out of his tracksuit and walked off? Permit me

to state, it is inconceivable.

from you if you have any further questions.

Yes, you will.

This has to go down in history. This is the day that the mighty Ironside struck

out. Don't you believe it.

I was hoping they'd buy the defection thesis.

Possibly with some reluctance, but buy it.

That would have supplied a small clue at least as to what Zarkov and company are

really up to. I don't quite follow you, Bob.

Supposing we were being asked to put an innocent face on a political

liquidation.

They had to dispose of their famous man, so this dramatic disappearance was

rigged to cover the fact that he wouldn't be around anymore.

I had to give Zarkov the opportunity to wash his hands of the whole thing to

find out.

Maybe he didn't need to wash his hands.

This will cost you the price of a manicure.

I don't think I'll ever get the newsprint out from underneath my

But here is everything ever printed in the San Francisco craft's way, Yuri

Aznaev. All right, let's go to work. I suppose he'll need me any better.

Can't afford two manicures.

Well, that's a lot of image.

It's the idea to start reading.

What are we looking for?

A man named Yuri Aznaev. Well, that figures.

I mean, what are we looking for?

Many and all personal facts.

I'm not interested in when he broke what record or where.

I want to know any facts we can find out about his life, his friends, his

hobbies, his love affairs.

Love affairs?

Yes, his love affairs. If they made the papers, I want to know it.

Is this what you have in mind?

I remember this picture very well.

Those were beautiful days.

We were very young.

And I guess you would say we were in love.

Seems a lifetime ago.

But I'm amazed that you could track me down.

It wasn't difficult.

We found a news story of your defection following the Olympic Games. After that,

it only took a call to the immigration service to get your address.

I wish I could help you, Mr. Ironside.

Possibly you can, Miss Novus. Maybe we might ask you some questions.

Personal questions.

Perhaps I can anticipate.

Shortly after this picture was taken, I decided that there must be more to life

than what I was experiencing as a Hungarian communist.

We read about your escape.

You said that you guessed you were in love with Yuri.

Surely you saw him again.

Once only.

Naturally, for some time we both had the strong conviction that the Iron Curtain

only existed in man's minds.

That it could never come between us.

But it had.

The one time you saw each other. When was that?

A long time ago.

He made no attempt to contact you again?

Excuse me.

Would you like to speak to Chief Einstein?

Yes, Mark.

Had a call on the radio phone.

Ed's down at Devil's Slide. Thinks you'd better get down there.

Why? Highway Patrol found some clothes they think belong to Yuri. There's a

note. Ed figures it's written in Russian.

And because of all this, because of the desperate situation in which I find

myself, because freedom to me has become only a word

and terror a faithful companion shadow, I,

Yuria Sneev, take this final step to end

my existence.

Begging forgiveness of all those I've wronged.

Chief Ironside?

We received a call from Commissioner Randall's office. What do you have here?

We're not sure. The highway patrol, making a routine check of this area,

some clothes that could be Yuri's.

There's a note with them, written in Russian.

I will translate. May I see it?

This young lady's been doing very well with it. She must be almost through.

I return now to the mother of mankind, the

restless, moody sea, and pray that cradled in her

dark bosom, I will find the peace now denied me in life.

Did he sign it?

May I see the note, please?

You're familiar with Yuri's writing style?

Yes, but it's been a while now that he has written to me. Would you say the

sounds like Yuri? I would say it sounds like an amateur American dramatist's

idea of Russian poetry.

Would you?

I just have.

I would also say it is a fraud.

Total nonsense.

Even more outlandish in the Russian than it is in the young lady's reading.

Suicide is outlandish, Mr. Zarkov, in any language.

Do you have anything in Yuri's handwriting that we could use for

purposes? I am certain you will find what you need in the dossier.

I know you have laws against forgery in this country, so I must assume you have

methods of detection.

You assume correctly.

We use the latest available techniques, borrowed from the Russian criminologists

who invented them.

It is very comforting to realize...

I am in a country which knows where to look for advanced methods.

You will advise me of your findings as soon as you complete your test.

Of course. What about the recovery of the body? We'll have a team of divers in

the water as soon as it's daylight, but I wouldn't expect too much.

There's an ocean current phenomenon here, rather like a giant whirlpool.

An object falling into the water below these cliffs is swept out to sea in a

circular course.

Eve.

Why don't you take Irina back to town?

She's done all she can here.

Question, Mr. Ironside.

How many people do you imagine know about this current phenomenon?

It's no secret.

To the natives, but to a stranger, to a Soviet athlete.

I am really very disappointed in you, Mr.

Ironside. Irina and I might as well go back to the city. There seems to be

nothing we can do here.

Am I correct?

At last we agree on something.

I'm delighted.

What's your guess, Ed?

Do you think it's suicide?

I don't know.

You think a man is going to strip down to his skivvies to throw himself into

ocean? I don't know what a man does when he commits suicide, Chief. He has to be

a little nuts, doesn't he? Nuts or not, he knows if he starts doing a striptease

out here in view of the highway, he could collect a small crowd.

It's also possible some freakout could have been holding a gun on him. And it's

possible he's been kidnapped.

Then there's Arkov.

This could still be his bag, or Yuri's playing dead to buy himself some time.

You figure it out.

Let's go home.

Cigarina home?

Yes.

Any, uh, girl talk I should know about?

She talks about Yuri.

Sadly?

What do you expect?

She hadn't seen him in recent years.

She just talked of the good times they had together.

Do you believe her, that she hasn't seen him?

You mean I'd be a fool if I did?

No, a fool.

Possibly overly sentimental.

Credulous.

Don't I rate coffee?

Bob, sorry I couldn't meet you earlier.

Thank you, Mark.

What's the situation?

At the moment, we're running in circles. I don't know who has the ball.

You think they've got yours?

Zarkov isn't acting as though he had, which proves nothing. He's a good actor.

About the suicide, what do you think?

Bird food.

Zarkov didn't buy it either.

Not even one word of the suicide note.

You said you needed help.

What can I do?

If I'm going to break this investigation, I have to start narrowing

area.

For a minute, let's say this whole thing is Uri's idea, that he's hiding out

somewhere in the city, a simple defector letting his situation cool off.

Now, what I need from you is a signal.

A signal that'll make him get in touch.

I've been doing it, Bob.

No response. Uri's staying away from us, too.

Assuming he has any choice, no matter.

Assuming he has a choice, then why would he stay away from you?

He wouldn't.

That's why we assume he has no choice. Marlon, level with me.

Are you certain this isn't some kind of agency circus?

That I'm not the clown act and don't know it?

Would I do that to you?

Would you?

All right.

But take another run at contacting Uri.

Give it the hard sell.

Tell him his girl's in danger.

Is she?

He's been missing from her apartment since last night.

I'll do what I can.

What'll it be?

Beer?

Bob! I don't know if we have to see you.

Coming or going?

Going, but we can always change directions.

Not necessary. I'm a bit pressed for time myself.

Can we talk a minute?

Hey, would you pick up the papers, please?

Got it.

I say, Marlon, there's a certain indefinable change taking place in our

relationship. That we can meet openly?

Matter of fact, that's why I'm here.

Tell me.

First, I have to report that we have had absolutely no luck in contacting Yuri.

Everything considered, I'm convinced that we're beating a dead horse.

I think you mean for me to take that literally.

Correct.

Whether he was thrown off the rocks or jumped may still be your concern.

As far as the agency's concerned, he's been scrubbed. He's dead, Bob. Has to

Whatever you say, Marlon.

No other answer.

Look, let's have dinner sometime soon.

Why, sure.

You call me.

You ready to go now?

No, we are going back to the office.

All right, now, what did that man tell you, Chief?

He told me that Yuri Aznaev is still alive, that he's in hiding, and that he

a defector. Just like that, he told you? No, not just like that. He told me his

agency was no longer interested in Yuri because they believed he died a devil's

slide.

Marlon Davis would never buy that if he hadn't been contacted by Yuri and

assured by Yuri that he wasn't going to be found.

Then my friend Marlon Davis tried to play a little con game with me.

And the name of that game is calling off the fuzz, huh?

That would seem to be it. Anyway, we're out of it?

Not in your life, and for several reasons.

First, we don't work for Marlon Davis, and our job is still to find Yuri

Second, Irina Novus is missing, and third, our Russian friend Zarkov is

this race.

If Irina was involved in Yuri's disappearance, she could lead the

to him.

I'm sure my friend Davis wouldn't want that.

Don't forget four.

Four. Nobody.

Nobody cons Robert T.

Ironside. Ed, you and Eve hop around to the newspaper offices.

Not just the big metropolitan dailies, but every newspaper and throwaway

published in the area. I want every paper for the past week.

On Yuri's tracksuit, they found traces of a chemical.

I'd say what it's used for, OCH3.

I haven't heard either.

That's a pattern, Eve.

Ads only appeared in this one paper. We can forget the others. In fact, forget

the rest of them. We've just paid her.

Roscoe, call home immediately. Your girl's in danger.

Bessie Ann.

Here's the one from the previous papers.

Roscoe, call home immediately.

Bessie Ann.

Roscoe.

Yuri's code name.

Roscoe apparently ignored dear little Bessie Ann until the hook about his girl

being in danger got caught in his gullet.

Let's see if we can cast a fly into the same water.

How did you know you'd find the answer in the personal letters?

Davis couldn't contact Yuri. He could only appeal to Yuri to get in touch with

him.

A classified ad is the only way.

What do you want me to do with all those papers?

Have you ever considered taking up modeling in a paper mache?

Very satisfying hobby, be my guest.

Courier Star, classified ads, please.

Iron what?

Ironside.

Just a minute.

This is Ironside.

Our understanding was that you would be alone.

Our understanding was that you needed my help.

I need the man who drives my car.

That is not acceptable.

Neither of the two people in the car that followed you here.

If we are going to meet, it has to be with you alone.

And that includes your driver.

All right.

I'll be there.

He was checking.

We know when you're through with this cat.

I got my pen light. I'll flash you a signal.

You sure you'll be all right?

Why shouldn't I be?

It's your scene, man.

I wish to have you see me.

Why, Yuri?

Is it because you don't want me to see that you're disguised as a Latin

American, that you've changed the color of your hair and skin?

How do you know that?

The clothes you left behind at the suicide scene, they put them through a

routine lab procedure.

They showed traces of a chemical skin dye.

The color of the shirt gave up a few stubbles of black hair.

Your official Soviet dossier gives you credit for being proficient in Spanish.

Now, is that enough?

Too bad it's wasted.

I did not come here to surrender.

I would push you in the bay if I had to. I believe you.

And your manners fill me with dismay.

I came here only because I have a strong conviction that Irina is in very big

trouble. And I'm positive you are. Why am I in trouble, Mr. Ironside?

Yuri Asneyev is dead.

It was so reported in the newspapers.

You know, Zarkov, of course.

Well, he doesn't believe what he reads in the paper.

Zarkov may not believe I'm dead, but is he looking for me as a Mexican bracero?

I could pass him in the street and he would not know me.

He doesn't have to.

He knows Irina.

If he uses her properly, she'll take him to you.

She would not.

Never. There's nothing he could do to her. He won't have to touch Irina.

Simply keep track of her until she tries to contact you.

What am I going to do?

Maybe I could advise you better if I knew exactly what happened that made you

drop out of sight.

Have you ever been the man in the middle, Mr. Ironside?

With no friends, no one to go to for help, and eventually, not even a

You must have known what you were getting into. I knew.

But what could I do?

Irene had just defected.

There was no place for her to go.

I made a deal.

I guess we all make deals, good and bad.

But I can only advise you, perhaps if you had a talk with Marlon Davis. I have

talked to Marlon Davis. I have talked to men all over the world like Marlon

Davis. All they will do is promise me that someday... Ha!

Goodbye, Mr. Ironside.

There's nothing more that we can say to each other. Wait. Nothing more that you

can do for me. Yuri, a friendly word of advice.

Yes, Mr. Ironside, what is it?

Never see Irina again.

Did he show?

He did, then he ran again.

Now he doesn't have a chance running his habit for me.

The man's hooked.

That's all, baby.

What are we going to do?

When it's the only game in town, that's where you go.

Get on Zarkov's tail and don't let him out of your sight.

I dig Zarkov will lead us to Yuri.

If he doesn't, we won't have anything to worry about.

Irina. Yuri.

What are you doing here? You should not have come here.

But I had to come. I had to warn you. Warn me that Zarkov is breathing down my

neck? You've got to get out of here. You shouldn't be here.

But nobody followed me. I've been running and hiding for days. I still

to go, Irina. Can't we go together?

No. Irina, for your sake, as well as mine.

When will I see you again? I don't know. Trust me. I'll get in touch as soon as

I can.

Now hurry.

Yuri!

You have acquired quite a tan, haven't you, Yuri?

Please do not embarrass your country any further.

Or yourself.

We have a car waiting downstairs.

Come.

Yeah.

They just brought Yuri out of this apartment building, Chief. Irene is with

them.

Mark, get on the other phone.

Tell Davis to be at the corner of Fillmore and Fell Street in five

Stay on their tail.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Right, Chief. I'm on the way.

We are being followed.

The police?

Of course, our friend Ironside.

He plays boldly.

Wants me to realize he knows as Naif has changed the color of his skin.

That we have him in custody.

I admire this man.

Pull them over and take that nameless Mexican out of their car and charge him

with some phony rap. That would stop Zarkov temporarily.

Might even embarrass him a little when it came out that said nameless Mexican

was Yuri Aznaev, Soviet hero, doing everything in his power to escape. But

the end, they'd get Yuri.

And our agent in Moscow, too late to even warn him now. The United States

grant Yuri asylum.

We might salvage that much from this disaster.

Of course, but you can't build a wall around him.

Sooner or later, if they want him badly enough, they'll get him.

Yes.

Yes, Ed.

Sit tight.

Ed Brown, following Zarkov's car.

They stopped at the Costa Libre consulate on Van Ness. The Costa Librans

very close friends of his government.

Look after the business interests here of several other Caribbean nations of

similar persuasion. And we can't touch them there.

Ed, park across the street from the consulate.

Call in other units as you need them to keep the place under surveillance.

I want to know about everything that moves over there.

They've all gone inside.

No incidents.

I'll keep you informed.

Well, while we're away... Excellent idea.

Have I heard somewhere that it's against California law to carry an open bottle

in a motor vehicle? It is.

Anyone caught in violation can expect to find himself sitting in a paddy wagon.

Dad, what's happening?

I'll get across the street and find out. I'll hold on.

The hearse has arrived at the consulate.

They've gone in with a rolling stretcher.

A diplomat fell off a barstool.

Would they send a hearse?

diplomatic immunity.

I decided not to make waves.

The consular officials claim it was a member of their staff. They're sending

home for burial.

My bet is it's Uri.

What's the name of the mortuary, Ed?

Toland Holbrook.

Chief Ironside, this is a surprise.

I collect exotic funeral services.

So the undertakers call me when they have something special. This is special.

I'm sorry you got here late, Chief.

The most interesting part of the ritual was the placing of the body in the

casket. According to tradition, this can be done only by fellow countrymen. Any

touching of the body by a foreigner can rob the man of his soul.

Strange backward concept.

But these are primitive people still struggling to break the chains of

superstition imposed upon them by centuries of slavery to an imperialistic

power. I'm sure their new ally will help re -educate them.

What is that? That sound?

I don't know, unless... Unless the Costa Librans are shipping their

countrymen home by airmail.

No, that's impossible.

You had no right. It was not authorized. You were simply to take the casket to

the airport.

I'm sorry, but someone checked the blank which orders cremation. That is not

possible. I handled the details myself.

It's right here, sir.

You seem to have a problem.

May I help?

Apparently, you have already done quite enough.

I don't understand.

I think you do.

You collect exotic funerals.

I'm supposed to accept that as an explanation of your presence?

It's a better explanation than I have of yours, Mr. Zarkov. I suppose it has

nothing to do with this unscheduled cremation.

What possible difference could it make to me how a dead diplomat is shipped

to his homeland?

Or are you telling me that it isn't a dead diplomat that you're shipping home?

Is that it, Zarkov?

Is that the reason you were here?

I always attend exotic funerals.

We have that in common. I think you're lying.

Maybe you can keep that from showing.

But look at Varini.

That was Yuri Aznaev you had in that casket.

You will have an interesting time proving that. Nothing like the time

have if you ever try to enter this country again.

And that's a promise.

It's gone.

Nice juice while it lasted.

Chief Ironside, I can't tell you. There aren't any words to express such

happiness.

That's all right, Irina.

Be happy.

Just as long as you're in this room.

But remember, when you walk through that door, you're bereaved, tortured, and

believable. Yuri's life will depend on how well you sell that.

All we've accomplished so far is a trick.

Harry Houdini did it better.

Three shows a day.

Houdini would have envied your props and staging.

Those were a gift of the People's Republic of Costa Libre. And Peter

The second that gasket was out of the chapel, we had it open.

And Yuri was on his way out of there.

Nothing any red -blooded chief of detectives wouldn't dream up. I don't

you did it.

In my... in the country where I came from. A police officer would never reach

out a hand as you have.

To strangers.

Irina, I'm not only a police official.

I'm one man.

One of 200 million Americans.

Most of us are strangers to each other.

We do our best to remember that fact when our hands are outstretched for

Crazy way to run a country, right?

is suffer.

Don't forget it.

And keep in touch.

As soon as the situation cools, we'll get the two of you together.

Would it have hurt anything to have been a little more on the nose about how

long they'll have to wait?

That's right, Chief.

They love each other.

So did a couple of Italian kids named Romeo and Juliet.

They wound up dead.

But those cats always get well in time to take the curtain call.

So will Yuri and Irina, I promise you that.

When? Can you name a date?

I said I promised, and that ought to be enough for you.

How about next month?

Next month?

Yeah, around the 14th.

Valentine's Day?

What else?