Original subtitles

One more.

Best you can do is try.

Beautiful. That's it.

High score, 6 -6.

I kind of thought we'd settle for a draw. Oh, no.

First basket win.

All right, you're off.

Chief, don't you think it's about time you got yourself some real competition?

Hey, you want to take me on? Yeah, I want to take you on. All right, then.

loser buys hamburgers tonight.

Right. We got the deposition. We'll throw back. Here's the morning paper.

you.

Eat your heart out.

Wait until you see this.

Game called.

Mark.

Shalom Aleichem, Rabbi Faber.

Shalom Aleichem, Shalom.

Robert Ironside.

I remember.

I was visiting one of my congregation.

You were in the next bed with weights and pulleys on your feet.

The next time you came, you brought a book. You said, the hours pass slowly in

hospital. This may help.

I've thought of you often.

Meant to get in touch with you.

I understand.

Hours crawl, the years fly.

Now you and I meet again in a hospital.

How do you feel?

Some small bruises.

Mild concussion a day in this bed and I'll be all right.

About last night, what happened?

I heard a noise in the shoe. I went in.

Two men knocked me down and ran away.

Did you recognize them?

It was too dark to see their faces.

Had there been this kind of trouble before?

It's a mixed neighborhood.

Different religions, colors, maybe even different ways of seeing things.

Nothing serious.

The hour has passed slowly in the hospital.

This book may help.

How is he?

Physically, he seems all right.

Mentally, there's something else again.

Well, you can't expect him to forget to run in so soon.

I think there's more to it than that. Let's get his address.

My name's Ironside.

I'm a friend of Rabbi Farmer.

Oh, I'm Mrs. Farmer.

I'm happy to meet you.

Oh, this is Mark Sang.

Hello. How do you do?

I'm very sorry about the rabbi and about all this.

The paint can be removed and the arc can be fixed and where they cut with their

knives will smooth over.

But the Torah can't be replaced.

The Torah?

Your husband didn't mention anything about a Torah.

He can't speak about it.

No one here can.

The Torah is a sacred scroll.

It is our symbol of life.

Our tree of life.

Mrs. Farber, I'm with the police department. I want to help.

Now you tell me anything you can that might have a bearing on what happened

here. The day the Nazis came.

When they burned our synagogue, my husband ran in.

To save the Torah, he put his hands in the flames.

Then we hid the Torah with some Gentile friends, and we escaped to America.

After the war, Herschel wrote letters to those who survived, begging them, look

for the Torah. But no trace could they find, and no trace of the people he left

it with.

And then...

Last month, like a miracle, a letter came.

One of our lancemen had found it and was sending it.

Like God had said, here is the symbol of your faith. Here is your Torah.

But now, again, the swastika.

Grandma! In the kitchen.

How's Grandpa? What a way to come into the house.

Look at you.

Again, a fight.

I'm sorry.

How's Grandpa? Oh, he's feeling much better.

So say hello to Chief Ironside and Mr.

Sanger. Hi.

Who'd you take on?

Just horsing around.

Well, that looks for real.

This is the way he comes home from school. Yesterday, the day before, such

neighborhood.

What happened, son?

It's just some guys, the Loyals.

They know I'm going to be bar mitzvahed this Saturday. But they say if that's

supposed to mean I'm a man, I've got to prove it. So I've been fighting some of

their guys my age.

Every day?

Just once in a while.

You ought to see the other fella.

So go help in the shul. You are so strong to fight, you can help to wipe

paint. Sure.

Nice to meet you.

Everybody suffered during the war. Why should we sit and cry and tell you the

hardships of our lives?

Doesn't everybody have some troubles?

The end of your troubles, Mrs. Farmer.

Thank you.

Best apple strudel I ever had.

Oh, you're an authority?

I know what I like.

How valuable is the Torah?

What price can you put on 5 ,000 years of human suffering and hope?

We used to call ourselves the Fifth Street Sharks.

I'm Chief Ironside.

We figured like the whole station house was going to come to call.

Like ten cars full of honky cops.

Sorry to disappoint you. There only was two of us.

Haven't you heard?

We're big around here.

Man says any crime in this territory, it's got to be them Loyals.

All right, Tim.

What do you know about last night?

Nothing. Same as you.

Where were you last night?

Right here, the old cotton fields back home.

And they'll all vouch for you. We're all able to vouch for each other.

We were here in this clubhouse, all of us, 9 o 'clock till 11.

Hold in a prayer, mate.

Look, man, I gave you the word.

Now don't push us. No reason to push you.

Boys club, youth activity.

Or maybe...

Some small -time shoplifting, penny -ante graph, pushing around a few winos.

Shows you how much you know us.

I told you we're big around here.

Busting up a Jewish church and cracking old rabbi's head, that ain't our bag.

We're too big for that.

Well, before this is over, we may have a chance to find out just how big you

are.

Chief Ironside.

I'm Reverend Hunt.

Reverend Henley?

Mark Zanger.

We had you tabbed as one of the gang, Reverend.

Well, I am, in a way.

I was born in this neighborhood.

Guess I know just about everybody, including Rabbi Farber.

Oh, I was a year old when the Farbers came here from Europe.

Grew up on the same street.

Sometimes when I was a kid, I'd sneak into the shul when the rabbi was alone

we'd talk. We still do?

Tell me, would you know if he's gotten any threats?

Any hate mail?

The kind of thing he'd keep from his wife or his congregation?

No, I don't think he has.

Now, don't expect me to tell you this neighborhood is a racial paradise. There

are tensions.

Exactly how well do you know the Loyals?

Well, as you can see, I drop around.

You know, bring the church to them. Their kind of church. I talk their

You groove with them. We keep the faith.

I came to see Digby for the same reason you did.

But the Loyals didn't do it.

What made you think they did?

The Loyals had an idea for keeping the black kids off the street at night.

They wanted the Franklin High Gym.

But the usual city hang -ups. No funds.

Right?

Cost money to keep a school open at night. That's good enough.

But when young guys like the Loyals want to do something positive, I say find

the money, find a way, and help keep these kids out of the trick bag they're

Do you think they see this as a wait, Padon?

They're uptight.

But they didn't bust into that shoe.

All right, you'll let us know then.

Okay, thank you.

It's an APB out on Foreman's Brother.

Nothing much doing. Police picked up. I've got a breather, too.

Defendant's sick. Case postponed.

I don't have to testify until Friday.

Well, that's good. That means you can help us with the Farber case.

Farber case?

A Torah stolen from a vandalized synagogue.

Routine, isn't it?

Eve, there was a time three years ago when the road signs were down for me.

Rabbi Farber put them up again.

Spelled them out.

Now someone needs to do it for him.

I'm sorry.

There are three synagogues in the neighborhood.

Why did they have to pick Bethel?

What's so special about it?

Miss Farber, this is... Rob Ironside.

Was there ever any publicity on the Torah?

Did any of the newspapers pick it up?

Thank you.

I'll be in touch.

Eve, check Chuck Brogan's column.

Monday. Monday's paper. See if we've got it.

I think we do.

In 1939, Rabbi Herschel Farber hid an ancient Torah from Hitler's goons before

fleeing from Europe. Lost for 30 years, the invaluable Torah was recently

recovered and returned to Rabbi Farber, who is now the spiritual leader of

Congregation Bethel.

The invaluable Torah.

Spelled it out on Monday, God's Tuesday.

If it was burglary, why'd they damage the synagogue?

Mislead the police, maybe?

Make it look like vandalism?

Ed... the number of Chuck Brogan's paper.

Brogan? What do you want with him?

He opened up this can of worms.

The least he can do is to help close it.

Very nice, Chuck.

You like it, huh?

Do you?

Beautiful.

A work of art.

I want $2 ,500 for it.

What's so funny about that?

Okay, well, then name it. How much are you giving me?

Nothing. What do you mean, nothing?

You just said it was a work of art. The newspaper said it was worth a bun. What

do you mean?

What am I doing?

Who will I sell it to?

It's not a saxophone, gentlemen.

There's no place to fence a hot Torah.

There isn't a synagogue in the world would buy it without a hundred

Where did it come from? How did I get it? Et cetera and so forth.

No, gentlemen, I'm not in the mud. You know that, Benny? You know what you are?

You're a gumdrop.

Why don't you take your business someplace else?

Ben, I'll do that. I'll just do that.

That's right, Mr. Brogan, stolen.

But the irony is that whoever took it has a surprise coming when they try to

peddle it.

The Torah is invaluable, as you wrote, but only to the congregation, no one

else.

Yes, that's right.

Its value is essentially spiritual.

You're very welcome.

Goodbye.

It'll be the lead item in his column tomorrow morning.

But suppose they don't read it.

They read it before.

That's how they found out about the Torah in the first place.

Mark, how do you read the loyals?

Well, you heard Digby. He wants action, and that doesn't mean some small

synagogue.

But he wanted money to rent the school gym.

Ed, names of each one of the loyals, police records of any.

Mark, you read up on Torahs, how they're made, what they look like, their value.

Anything else we can use.

Eve, you better get on pawnbrokers.

That one bite any place in town.

The whole idea was a bummer from the start, Clay. I told you, I told you.

You don't steal a holy thing like this and get away with it. Don't give me none

of your small town Sunday meeting stuff now, will you? Boy, you're a loser, you

know that?

You really are a loser.

We talked about a bank job.

You made it sound good, huh?

Girls, new car, clothes.

Then you do a switch.

Do a switch.

We wind up in some holy place and you got to be smart and mess it up.

We had to make it look like kids busting in now, didn't we?

How many times do I got to explain that to you? How many, huh?

Well, we ain't got no more use for that.

We dumped it in some post office, huh?

And that didn't bring it back to the synagogue.

The place to dump it is right here.

No, no, no, wait a minute. It's holding.

Hold me.

Do you know how many pawnbrokers there are in this city?

You haven't covered them all, have you? Oh, no.

Twelve more to go.

So far, nothing.

They call a Torah the sacred scroll of the law, the five books of Moses.

Anything else you want to know, just ask me. I'm the expert.

What are they worth?

Well, the average price is 600 to 1 ,000 bucks, depending on size and condition.

What about age?

Well, some real old ones go for 5 ,000, 10 ,000, even more.

I better read it.

It says a Taurus made of parchment, the skin of a kosher ram, a goat. Each

letter is artistically inscribed by artisans called sofrim and hand -sewn in

sections. In the event of damage, that section of the Torah can be replaced.

Fourteen kids in the gang.

Each one has had a run -in with the law.

Shoplifting, joyriding, pot, 30 days, suspended sentences, the usual.

Doesn't help much. No?

Leaves us with this.

Well, now, Mr. Brogan has come through.

Now we gotta hope as those scouts have a dime to buy a paper.

Clay, now, we can't keep driving around with that thing. We've got to do

something with it.

Well,

we can't, Hockett. Let's get rid of it.

I was going to back at the point, but you chickened out.

Not your way. Not your way.

No, you want to go on back to that joint handed over personal.

I'm sorry, Rabbi. I stole your Torah, but here you are, no hard feelings.

Well, we can leave it someplace, all right?

We dump it right here, okay?

You'll get back to him.

Shut up, will you?

Clay, I ain't going to get back to him.

Now, shut up, will you? I'm trying to read.

anything about the rabbi?

Is he out of the hospital?

There's something that's got in Brogan's column.

Brogan, he's who got us in this mess.

He might get us out again, too.

Well, now, how is he going to do that?

Well, there are going to be pains. The thieves won't get a cent.

The Torah is valuable, but only to a rabbi, a father, and a congregation.

Sure. Sure, and everybody knows you can't sell a Torah. Everybody knows it.

But except you.

He said we can't. How are you going to sell the Torah?

And my father sold you?

But who says I can?

Who says?

Come in. Come in.

He wouldn't stay in the hospital another minute.

Leah, he said to me, Leah, I am going home.

Reverend Hanley.

Reverend Hanley brought me home as soon as we came in the telephone rings.

The man on the phone says, look in your letterbox and then we will talk.

He tears a piece of the Torah to show me that he has it. Now, what kind of a man

is that?

Did you recognize the voice?

A muffled voice on the telephone. Who can tell?

Was it a young voice?

It was sharp, like the edge of a knife.

Any background noises? Music?

Radio, jukebox, any street sounds?

Who was listening? All I heard was $5 ,000 at 2 o 'clock tomorrow. That's when

he'll telephone.

We're a poor congregation.

We don't have that kind of money.

My church will help. I'll take up a collection tonight.

We don't want you to make our problems your problems.

That's what it's all about, Mrs. Farber.

Rabbi Farber, I think we can handle this. And when the call comes tomorrow,

we'll be here.

I knew something, Chief, I tell you.

I mean, you know I always level with you.

All right, Packer.

Put some feelers out. Get word around.

Sure, Chief.

Sure. I want that information fast. I want it tonight.

I'll do my best.

You know, Clay, this looks handmade.

No kidding.

It ought to be in a museum or something.

Boy, you're really gone, you know that?

You really ought to go to a museum, huh?

Somebody worked real hard on this.

Yeah, some sucker like my old man. He's been slaving away for 40 years, and he

ain't got nothing. He's nowhere.

Look at the fancy tops on some of the letters.

They're like crowns.

Yeah.

And over here, it's like somebody towed it by hand.

I see that.

Well, that's really pretty, ain't it?

Look at this.

You're really crazy, you know that?

You're nuts.

Now look, I helped you bust into that church because it didn't look like a

church to me. But the more I think about this whole deal, the less I like it.

So now you quit bugging me, okay?

What can I do for you, Digby?

I got something to sell.

Why'd you come here?

This is the marketplace, man, and you the buyer.

Oh, you took the long hike for nothing.

Talk to me.

I'm one of your flunkies.

Look, Digby, you came here.

You come look at us up first.

We never said for you.

You come hot -nosing around in our business.

You the mover.

I'm just playing your game, huh?

You knew we'd be doing a check on you.

Well, what you been finding out?

That we've been smoking grass?

That we all been busted?

Big deal.

That's exactly what we found out.

So what's that have to do with the price of a Torah?

One of the brothers was out walking today.

When he passed by that rabbi's church, he dug somebody getting out of a car and

put something in the mailbox.

Well, they got a real good look at that car.

Ironside.

I got lucky, Chief.

Go on.

Well, I reached a fence named Benny.

He says two guys tried to unload that Torah.

Go on.

Benny never saw them before, but he watched from the window as they left.

And I got you something real solid to go on.

Thanks. I owe you one.

Okay, Digby.

Dig.

We got an idea for the brothers and sisters, and Reverend Hanley said do it

properly and go through all them channels that white establishment

Well, I spent a bill on the telephone, and it takes four weeks till a man sees

me. Then he says, we don't have enough money to open Franklin High on nights.

Give me all that bull.

You want a gem, and you've got information to offer in return. That

I got real black power.

I want that gem. You gonna give me a guarantee you'll get it for us.

Well, I'll look into it, Digby.

Try to work it out if I can.

But on a personal basis.

Meaning what?

No official promises. No guarantee. I don't buy information.

And I don't make deals.

Men ain't gonna trust no cop. White, black, or green.

Hey.

Now you listen to me. That gym is important to a lot of black kids.

Sure, you only have an outside chance of getting it. But why blow it all

together?

We only got the first three letters of the license plate number.

But you're a big detective. That's all you need.

White, 61, Sedan, PHG.

Come in. Come in.

This is Officer Whitfield. This is my husband and my grandson, Ali. She works

with Chief Ironside.

Officer Whitfield?

That's right.

Only in America?

Excuse me. We're counting up the money we managed to raise.

That was 15, 16, 17, 18, 19...

$720. And the Reverend Hanley's church gave $250.

We still need over $4 ,000, Grandma.

Chief Ironside wants me to arrange the trace on the call when it comes and to

stand by with you.

May I use your telephone?

Oh, of course.

Ironside.

Yes, Commissioner.

I appreciate your returning my call.

Yes, we're making progress on the mayor's report.

You should have it in a day or so.

But, Dennis, that's not why I've been trying to reach you.

I need $5 ,000 in marked $20 bills.

To buy a Torah.

A Torah, Dennis.

Of course it's police business.

It's a long story. I need the money before two this afternoon.

I knew you'd understand.

Thank you very much.

Last registered owner was Clay Royce.

Male, Caucasian, 27 years old, 958 Bradford Street.

Checking now to see if he has a record.

Why are you waiting for that?

What do you want?

I'm looking for Clay Royce. Do you know him?

I'm his father.

I'd like to talk to him.

Well, he ain't here.

Could be in Timbuktu, all I know.

When was the last time you saw him?

A couple of months ago when he got out.

Has he called you? Yeah.

Yeah, he called me.

About three weeks ago.

Wanted to borrow some money.

I said, when are you coming home, boy?

He said, oh, I'll, uh...

I'll drop around some of these days, maybe.

Where did he call you from?

Mr. Royce, your son is in trouble.

The longer it takes me to find him, the deeper he gets.

He said he was staying at one of those hotels or Roman houses on Sagittarius.

You got the money?

Yes, yes. Okay. Put it in a paper bag and have the kid bring it on the 330 bus

to Ocean View.

He gets off there and walks north to the point.

Contact will be made. You got that?

Yes, but I... I will bring it myself.

I said the kid.

I will not let him go.

The kid or the deal's off.

Hello? Hello?

Hello?

I'm sorry I didn't anticipate that.

What is it?

What did he say?

They want Ellie to bring the money.

Did you get anything?

Ellie.

I say thank you.

Trait to the Midtown area. Wasn't enough time to pinpoint it.

I will not let him go. He's only a child. I will not let him go.

Grandpa, I'm 13.

That's when you said I'd be a man.

I want to go.

5 ,000 bucks, no sweat. We pull up, grab the bag, and take off.

What about the scroll?

We hang on to it.

What for, man? To when?

Till we meet again.

Now, what are you talking about?

What do you mean, what am I talking about?

When we run out of dough, we work the same deal again.

They want it so bad now, they want it even worse later on.

We give it back right now. Look, I'm running this show. I said we give it

now! I'm running this show, you understand that?

We have a Clayroy registered here.

You owe it to Adam.

Sergeant O 'Harris in position.

No sign of a white sedan, Chief.

Ironside. Ed, Chief, we nailed Clay Royce's partner.

Took him to the hospital. They had a fight.

Royce took off with a tour.

Get anything from the partner?

Only that they ditched the white sedan.

I'm afraid it was too high.

Royce stole another car. No description.

Where are you now?

Just outside of Ocean View.

What kept you, Ed?

Gene, the bus is coming.

He's getting fat.

This is Ironside.

Subject now moving along Beach Road.

All units stand by.

The bus ride was uneventful, Chief.

How's Alec?

Doing a good job of hiding how scared he is.

Keep your eye on him.

Hey, kid, where's the parkway?

Back that way.

Where's the Torah, Royce?

It's no use to you now.

No use to anyone in a few hours.

Where'd he hide it, Trennan?

I don't know.

You don't owe him any loyalty.

I don't owe you any either.

Bring him in, Mark.

Rabbi.

It wasn't my idea.

I'm sorry, honest.

Please, try and help us.

I can't.

I don't know where he hid it, Reverend.

Wherever you put it, Chief, something will happen to it soon.

That's all he'll say.

Stick with it.

No use to anyone in a few hours.

A few hours, about five or six.

Something will happen to it soon.

Tide, high tide.

High tide.

That mean something to you, Trennan?

Maybe.

Clay goes to Taylor's cove a lot.

There's a place between the rocks.

You just did yourself a big favor. Let's go.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Alan, you take care of your friends.

left you'll take home. A little for everybody.

The commissioner and I had a talk. We had very good results.

One high school gym for Digby two nights a week.

However, there is a condition.

The loyals will need a male supervisor each night.

Now what's required are a couple of live volunteers.

Stay with us as Gary is tempted to break his vow to never change history.

Goodnight Sweetheart is next.