Original subtitles

Gee. I hope you're not trying to walk.

Of course not.

All right. Let's get these braces off and get me into the shower.

You all right? Except for my elbow and my pride.

He got away.

That's all right. I saw what he looked like.

Oh, I was alone, and it was late.

I came through the door and went to the narcotics cabinet.

I went over to help him because usually when they come in that late at night,

it's an emergency.

And then what?

He turned and I saw the mask. I got so scared, I screamed.

That alerted the guard?

Yes. Joe started, the guard started to draw his gun, but the other man grabbed

him.

They fought.

I heard the gunshot.

Joe fell, and the other man ran. Why didn't you call for help?

I don't know.

It all happened so fast.

I was so scared.

You're the head pharmacist?

No, Louise Prescott is the head pharmacist.

I'm her assistant.

Is there any reason why she wasn't on duty last night?

No.

Just luck.

Well, thank you for coming, Miss Kane.

Yes, thank you.

How's this, Chief?

The brows are too heavy. Fit them out a bit.

Any luck yet?

Hospital guard died about 15 minutes ago.

Now it's a murder rap, but not just narcotics.

How much did he get away with?

They're checking it out. They had all morning to check it out. Takes time,

Chief. Time is one thing we haven't got.

Is this better, Chief?

Yeah, print it.

Relax.

Chief, you all right?

Dreaming, I guess.

What's the matter?

I don't know. I'll be all right.

I guess that spill last night.

Doc Stern said you'd have some pain for a while, but he didn't say it would be

like this.

You're in a cold sweat.

What are you doing?

Calling Doc Stern. That's what I'm doing. It'll pass.

He ought to have a look at you.

Give me Doc Stern at his house. Tell him we'll meet him at his office.

Yes, I know what time it is.

What are you doing?

Chief?

You're not supposed to have me feeling in your legs.

Welcome again.

I'm sorry.

What?

What?

My leg's hurt.

How long do x -rays take anyway?

Depends on how anxious you are. The more anxious you are... Yeah.

You okay? Now that's what we're here to find out, Mark. Doc Stern will tell me,

and I will tell you.

Those painkillers he gave you should have worked by now.

Mr. Ironside, I've been studying your x -rays.

And so has the orthopedist, and so has the chief surgeon.

You can go home in a week.

If you like. But what?

Well, neurologically speaking. Not neurologically speaking, angry speaking.

That means that when you leave here, you can do anything you like.

Anything except walk.

Sorry I'm so long.

Try another drugstore.

This one gives us free enlargements.

Can I have a look?

There's no proverb in medical matters. One word from the doctor is worth a

thousand pictures.

Now, let's have the word.

These x -rays were taken over a year ago when the bullet that hit you severed

your spine.

These were taken this morning, and I see no visible change.

There has to be change. My legs hurt. No visible change.

You fell heavily, taking most of the weight on your arm.

Must have shifted something.

Well, certainly something doesn't show here.

What are you going to believe?

You got pictures.

I got sweat on my face.

Bob, pain is a tricky thing. Pain isn't felt where it occurs. It's a signal

where it occurs and felt in the brain.

Which brings up the question of false signals. Which question you're about to

answer? Well, it's not that easy. You know, a lot of entities have itchy feet

long after the feet have been cut off. Memory?

Most likely.

Then give me something so my memory doesn't hurt and I'll get out of here.

Mark, will you leave us alone a few minutes?

Obviously, you do have some answers.

Not answers.

Possibilities.

All right, there is a chance.

Could be sympathy pain, could be memory pain. Most likely one or the other.

But it is also barely possible that a spontaneous fusion and regeneration has

begun.

It would take an operation, rather difficult, with considerable post

pain to find out.

You're talking about sightseeing inside my spine.

Well, that's a pretty fair description of what it might turn out to be.

If not, You might walk again.

Now, I'm not quoting any odds, and it isn't likely.

But it is possible.

How so?

Now, hold on. I'm not through yet.

There's another possibility.

I could come out worse than I went in.

What's worse than a wheelchair?

A box.

I can't tell you what to do.

You have to make up your own mind.

And soon.

I'll let you know.

Bob.

Soon.

I'll let you know, sir.

What are you trying to do? I am trying to find a killer. You're trying to avoid

thinking about your operation.

Amen. Somebody finally said it.

Who gave you permission to talk about my leg?

You did.

Stop the car, Sergeant.

Now, Eve, we've been friends for a long time. I'd hate to think there was

anything you wanted to say to me in heaven because you thought I might take

offense.

You've got to take it easy, Chief.

You mustn't exert yourself, Chief, because you're a cripple, Chief. You say

that, Eve.

You're a cripple, and you have a chance to walk.

Take it.

We'll find this man.

We're trained police personnel. We'll find him.

And we'll bring him to you in the hospital. In this case, I'm not just a

officer.

I'm a witness. I saw the killer without his mask.

Nobody else... You'll recognize him when we bring him to you in the hospital.

It is not my custom to let key witnesses go into the hospital for elective

surgery. Now get me Dr. Stern.

The worst thing is, Ed, I had him.

I had a grip on him.

Just a moment.

Doc Stern.

Plug me in.

Ben, we've got to put it off a few weeks, maybe longer.

We haven't got that kind of time, Bob. We're talking about a possible

spontaneous fusion, dramatically induced.

You know any short words?

In short words, now or never. These conditions regress.

Now go into St. Mary's this week or forget it.

I said... I heard.

I'll call you back.

He got away.

Any rookie fresh out of the academy could have grabbed him.

Didn't need brains, didn't need experience. All it needed was legs.

blew it.

I remember you.

What is for you, Mark?

Nothing. Why?

Tell me.

Nothing's for you because you're black?

Well, paint me black and let me walk out of here.

Well, Chief?

Once. Just once. Think of yourself.

We'll be in charge of the case.

We'll handle it

I

guess I'll just have to take the chance

He's the only guy that saw me.

And he's going to a place that couldn't be better for us.

St. Mary's Hospital. All out.

Good morning,

Robert.

Well, hello, sister.

You all remember Sister Agatha?

Nice contraption.

Where is it this time?

In the suitcase or the plant?

Don't worry.

That's 25 seconds now. I'd say that that qualified as an emergency, wouldn't

you? You see, Mr. Dillon, we have regulations and rules. According to the

charter of the St. Mary's Hospital, six beds are set aside in the maternity

section for the indigent.

Now, Miss Dillon is indigent and claims one of those beds as a taxpayer and

citizen under State Welfare Law 517, subparagraph B.

I'm going to need your address, phone number, and occupation.

Ernie Clark, Blue Sky Alley.

Phone number, try the candy store. Maybe they can find him.

Geez. Occupation?

Department of Employment's been trying to figure that one out for years.

It's good to see you. I read in the paper you might walk again.

Uh, honey?

Honey, this is Chief Ironside.

Well, I'm happy to meet you.

Sister Agatha, would you help me with this, please?

What's the problem?

Uh, no reservations, no doctor, no husband very much.

You the father, Ernie?

No comment at this time. Meaning you want to see what happens to her welfare

check if you admit it. Meaning I already know.

Very charming.

She belongs to the labor room and right now.

You will see very soon.

Come on.

Now remember.

Remember what I told you.

Not to worry.

Not to worry. Because I've got everything going for you first class.

Well.

Have fun. See if you have a bit of luck with this thing.

I'll fill out your form to fireside. Cross and front desk,

please.

Hey, wait a minute. Are you covered by the city? Because if you are, there's

certain benefits. Someday I'm going to find a way to take you in.

You got to wait till I make my first score.

and Dr.

Ramsey in emergency, please.

Chief Ironside?

Yes.

I'm Ralph Fellows.

This is my wife, Ann. How do you do?

How do you do?

This is Mark Sanger.

Hello.

Dr.

Stern told me to look for you.

I'm right across from you. That's fine.

You play cribbage?

Sorry.

Honey, why don't we let the chief go into his room?

Well, I didn't mean to hold you up. No problem.

I have to wait for Sister Agatha anyway.

Why don't you join us for a drink?

Thanks.

Dr. David, check with the front desk, please.

Dr. David, check with the front desk, please.

Honey here, why don't you grab some lunch? I'll keep the tea company.

All right.

Bye.

Ice?

Yeah, ice.

It's not so bad.

Hmm?

I see by the way you handle that, you haven't been in it long.

And you're in the hospital, so probably you're here to find out how long.

And here comes Ironside, world's greatest authority on how to stay

though crippled. Talk to him, says Dr.

Stern. Talk to him, says your wife. He'll tell you it's not so bad.

All right?

All right.

It is not so bad.

Thanks for the comforting words.

Where are you going?

Power line.

My partner took votes.

I grabbed for him as he went, but...

Well, we both almost bought it.

Look, if you don't want to talk about it... I would open the door.

Go on.

There's spine damage, but... They didn't want to go in until I was in better

shape.

Now they're going to find out whether I'll walk.

In case it's bad news, you want me to tell you what it's like, okay?

Okay.

It starts out as pure hell and it gets worse.

Two years after you think you've adjusted to the little thing like a

stopping at your table and you start to get up and... They'll tell

you... They'll all tell you, forget it. You can't walk like you can't

fly and that's it.

But you never could fly and you don't spend your life with people that can

It's a lot of hell, Ralph. It's impossible, Ralph.

You can't take it, Ralph, any of it.

Nobody can.

Okay, Phil, thanks for checking it out.

Bye.

Another lead, another bust.

We're not getting very good response to this picture. It should have been on the

front page. No, no, no. Randy Appleton, the millionaire playboy, got married for

the ninth time. That was more important.

You find anything?

Nothing.

Chief's not going to be happy.

I know.

I keep thinking about him and trying to match up his picture at the same time.

Keep seeing him walking around, yelling and hollering. Happiest when he was mad

at something.

Remember, a little anger is a very healthy thing, young lady.

Yeah, and you told him he was getting too healthy.

I want this for him so much.

What is that?

Seems to be medicine.

Sedation? Why two?

Because twice the normal dose is needed when the patient is in pain and under

stress. Later, maybe. I've got two officers on their way out to talk about

case. I need a clear mind.

Doctor said no.

Sister, I am a notoriously bad patient. Man and boy, I've caused three nurses to

leave their hospitals and two to quit the profession.

What are you doing?

That's my personal private property, sister.

Sister!

And one later if I need it.

Swallow.

Swallow.

It's him if you break even, it's a victory.

I see.

Hey, leads, I don't know who he was.

Did anybody see a car? What about fingerprints? What about ballistics?

question at a time. Since when? How do you feel?

Curious. Where do we stand?

Nothing on the getaway car. No prints anywhere.

That's great.

All right. What was the take, Ed? Case of morphine Tourette's, assorted

amphetamines. I've got a list. We got the picture out. All PDs, bus stations,

airports.

And I'll be on page 51 of the dispatch.

All the places where no one sees it. What's the matter, Chief?

Ed, we... What?

We... Ed, we... Chief?

We've got to do something.

Chief, what's wrong?

Get Mark. Swallow.

Cheap boots.

What's wrong?

Chief? What is it? Something wrong with Chief Einstein.

I'll get the nurse.

He's unconscious.

Emergency!

Oxygen. Maybe oxygen.

Breathe.

Breathe! You know my name, and it's not Charlie, man, buddy, boy, nor baby.

Breathe. Check.

You take drugs, Mark?

That's for seconds.

One point for me, you're not stupid.

Did you finish school?

That for suckers, too? It's not for me, baby.

Mark.

What happened?

I don't know. He just passed out.

Bring it up to six liters.

What did he have to eat and drink?

Nothing for lunch.

What was in that lunch? Nothing. I had the same lunch.

What else did he have?

Only the medication you prescribed.

Get on the phone. I want a stomach bump here in two seconds.

What is it, Doc?

I don't know.

Whatever it is, he's killing him.

Dr. Cross, telephone.

Dr. Cross, telephone, please.

Anything yet? Nothing.

Dr. David, check with the front desk, please.

Dr. David, check with the front desk, please.

Oh, relax.

I came on my own.

Nobody called for me.

Robert's an old friend of mine. How is he?

Dr. Stern's still in there.

Well, I always said that he's too stubborn to die and too tough to kill.

I hope I'm right.

Well, he's out of danger.

What was it?

What caused it? I don't know.

Everything's down at the lab.

I'm checking on it now.

Can we go in?

He's asleep.

You saved his life.

You know that, don't you?

Can we go in?

Can't you even tell me how she is? She's still in labor, Mr. Clark. That's a

long time for one baby.

It's her first baby. I get my unemployment check faster.

That reminds me. Do you think I've got time to go downtown before she, uh... I

don't know.

Well, I can't blow that 65 bucks. It's tax -free.

Look, you tell her not to worry. I'll be right back.

I'll tell her. Okay.

Hi, Chief.

What is this, a wake?

You feel all right?

What happened?

They're checking on it.

Meantime, you two are still on the city payroll.

Got a killer to catch.

What are you doing here?

Well, you were sick.

Well, you're not. Now get back to work.

Both of you.

Both of you.

I'm glad you're really better.

Well,

Mr. Sanger, from some looks and some faces, I get

the feeling I almost checked out.

That's right.

Only like the good father said. You're too stubborn to die.

Father? The house priest, I think.

Dugan. Good man.

Good man with a tough job.

Saves a lot of dying.

Here, Mark, give me your hat.

Thank you.

You ever think about it?

Die? No.

Why not?

Up for the next guy?

Because it makes me itch inside.

I used to think about it.

When I was married.

Took out a little insurance once.

Still got it, as a matter of fact.

Look, I've got things to do. Now you stop right there.

Before I checked into the hospital, I named a new beneficiary. You.

If you drop out of school before you graduate, it goes to the Widows and

Aid Association.

I don't want your insurance.

Then drop out. You got no right.

No, Mark. But I got the right to say I don't want ignorant people around me.

I don't want ignorant people in my office, even when I'm dead.

Is that so?

Well, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather have cash.

I hope it doesn't surprise you that I don't feel like waiting around for you

die of old age.

I gather you've made plans.

After night school, law school.

Law school?

You didn't think I'd want to be a cop, did you? Well, there are worse

professions. Well, the law studied me pretty close, and I intend to study it

a while.

Any objections?

It's yours any way you want it, Counselor.

Thanks.

Look, I feel like... You like work?

Good.

Got an errand for you.

All right.

Now, we've changed the firing order.

You're next.

You mind?

Well, I was counting on you getting me extra practice.

No, I don't mind.

That's enough tonight.

Go first thing in the morning.

Okay.

Okay. Get a good night's sleep.

I was about to say the same to you.

Good night.

All right.

Tell him thanks, Mark.

Hospital lab, analyze your stomach content, Chief. Poison.

20 milligrams atropine sulfate packed in a lactose filler and all packaged nice

and neat in a gelatin capsule.

That in the ballpark.

Okay, Chief. How?

There were two capsules.

Two.

I sent the other one to the police lab.

Just in passing, our lab is of the opinion that if you had taken both

capsules, you'd now be dead.

For... Eight hours.

I'm glad I... I lost the argument.

So am I.

Now... Now how?

Who?

Someone in this hospital tried to kill me and I'm asking now... Well, we can't

be sure.

Accident?

I suppose.

Accidents do happen, Eve.

But not to me, not ever.

Ed, when we find people with bullet holes, we consider suicide, accident to

works. But if you ever find me with a bullet, start with murder.

I want a list of everyone in this hospital.

Employees, patients, visitors, doctors, delivermen, florists, I want...

All right, what do you think? You'll continue in the morning.

You are not up to it now.

I will continue now.

In the morning.

All right.

In the morning.

Early in the morning.

I can assure you the atropine didn't come from here.

What makes you so sure, Miss Prescott?

Well, there was an inventory made here last Tuesday, the day after the robbery,

and another made yesterday after your illness. The only atropine that went out

was 0 .4 milligrams and a prescription for preoperative medication.

Who ordered it? Dr. Stern for Ralph Vallow. Who made the inventory?

Burglary squad detectives the first time.

And yesterday?

That other policeman, the young, good -looking one. That would be Sergeant

Brown. Oh, and Sister Agatha. She was here for the first one, too.

Do you have inventory books?

Mm -hmm. Right here.

We call them registers.

Inventory registers.

There. Quantity on hand used in each prescription.

Those checks are the inventories and initials. Sister Agatha's and the

policeman's.

Chief, we just found the two capsules you should have taken in a cigarette

receptacle on your floor.

The pill tray was here for about ten minutes before Sister Agatha picked it

We pinpointed the ten minutes, checked the card index, and talked to everybody

who might have been on the floor. Let me get it.

Nobody saw nothing.

Now, we're making progress, though.

At least we know where the switch took place.

Now, if we can... Chief.

Say... Say something to Ann, will you?

She's pretty scared.

Depend on it.

Good luck.

Muncie, telephone, please.

Dr. Muncie, telephone, please.

He

may

never walk again.

Is that what you're scared of?

Is that the worst?

Well, try this on for size.

Look at me.

Look at me!

He may die.

Get out. If Ralph makes it.

He needs a woman who's glad he made it and grateful for every day he lives.

Not a girl dissolving into puddles because he can't do handsprings.

Root for him to win.

And if he wins, if he lives,

thank God.

Thank whatever it is you thank.

You got that?

If he wins the lottery, he buys us all a drink.

Look, I'm... I'm probably out of line.

But sometimes I... I have to say what I think.

No, you were right.

I'll be around.

All right.

Mark, you all right?

Can't breathe.

Chief.

Oh, hello, Ed boy.

Now, look, it's decided. I'm going to fill this place with cops.

And they're not going to be disguised as orderlies or standing lamps. I mean

police. Brawny blue jackets with 38s. Now, don't argue with me. Who's arguing?

You're not going to tell me our only chance is to lure the killer? Use me as

bait. That wouldn't be fair to the city, Ed.

I'm the only living witness to a murder.

If I die, there goes the case.

Dr. Chester, my desk, please.

Duffy, stick with him.

Come on.

I can't kill him.

I just won't do it.

What do you mean you can't kill him? You've got to do it.

Look, there's got to be another way.

Stop talking stupid.

Honey, you could stay here.

Nobody ever comes here.

You'd be safe.

What about my job, huh?

What do I do, disappear?

People start wondering, whatever happened to old Albie?

There must be another way.

We just haven't thought about it, that's all. Baby, there's no other way why

Ironside is alive.

Do I have to hit you in the head with a stick?

Stop staring at me like I invented murder.

I don't like this any more than you do.

We're stuck.

And you're the accomplice, remember?

If only you hadn't shot that guard.

Look, I told you not to kill him, stupid!

You sucker!

I'd rob that place to save your neck!

You could have found that stuff missing on inventory day, baby. Hit me in jail

right now, you know that?

No, I wish I'd never listened to you.

I wish I'd said no.

Refuse to help your sickness. All right.

You made a mistake.

You fell for a junkie.

You supplied him.

But don't blame it all on me, baby.

You got something out of it, too.

Something you like.

No, you're disgusting.

Am I, baby?

You're a disgusting animal. That's all you've ever been. Yeah, well, you loved

every minute of it.

Well, you go find yourself a new toy, huh?

Honey,

please don't go.

Angel, I need you.

I need you.

Honey, I tried to kill him.

He's got me nailed in a corner.

Otherwise, I wouldn't ask you.

I need you, honest.

I'll do it.

I blow two lives for a cripple who might not even make it.

Let's be logical about this.

You'll always love me, won't you?

Like Siamese twins?

You got a hold on me as strong as I got on you?