All language subtitles for Lou Grant s03e03 Slammer

Hello, I'm calling from the trip. I'd
like to confirm a quote. How much money

was involved?

Was it over $1 ,000?

Was it over $10 ,000?

They have been punishing each other this
way since the opening.

Well, you think I should have our
lawyers do it?

I think you should serve on the jury.

Mr. Hume, with all the responsibilities
I have... Is it really a matter of your

responsibilities or that it's just a
pain in the neck?

Now, look, look, look. I used to avoid
it, too.

And then one day Marion said, if you and
all the people who should be serving on

juries keep ducking out on it, what kind
of juries will we be left with?

Twelve people who have nothing better to
do.

So I went.

And you know, I think I really got a lot
out of it.

Mr. Hume, I think you should know that I
am

bitterly disappointed in your attitude.

I'd hoped that you'd support my wanting
to duck this.

Sorry. Come on, Donovan, I gotta get
somebody. Don't you think you owe me?

You've never done anything for me in
your life.

I will.

Rossi, I'd love to have you beholden to
me, but the fact of the matter is I just

can't do it tonight.

Can't do what?

Ah, it's my journalism class.

Why are you taking a class?

I'm not.

I'm teaching one.

Uh, Lou, listen.

You could really help me out here.

See, I'm supposed to deliver two guest
speakers, and there's only two weeks

in the course, and I haven't come up
with anybody yet.

How about it?

Helping me out.

Don't you think you're home?

Yes, I do.

More than I can ever repay.

What time do you want me?

Are you kidding?

You're putting me on?

I'd love to do it.

I'd love to slip into my tweed jacket
with the leather patches and get out my

pipe and spend the evening discussing
the history of journalism with a bunch

impressionable co -eds.

Let me have your wallet, keys, comb, or
any other metal or sharp objects you

might be carrying.

Rossi, do you ever feel a little
apprehensive about going in here?

What do you think? They might take us
hostage or something?

That occurred to me.

Well, don't worry, Lou. The state has a
no hostage policy.

Oh, good.

What does that mean?

Did the prisoners all agree they'll
never take anybody hostage?

No, but if they ever did, the state will
let the hostages die.

before giving in to any of their demands
and see the prisoners will know that oh

good

we're

on seven thousand

All right, if everybody will pass their
assignments from last week up to the

front we'll get started Anybody have any
problems?

Yeah, I had trouble getting out to do
the research

Anybody seen Morley?

Okay, I know we were supposed to cover
interviewing techniques tonight, but

instead we've got something better.

We're very fortunate to have my city
editor from the Los Angeles Tribune here

tonight, so you can try out your
interviewing techniques on him.

Lou Grant.

Lou?

Thanks, Rosie.

I didn't really prepare a lecture. I
just thought I'd tell you a little about

job as a newspaper man.

Is there something specific that you'd
like to ask me?

Well, feel free to jump in if you have
any questions or if there's something

you'd like to say.

My first experience with newspapers was
throwing them from my bike at four in

the morning when the snow was up to
here.

I knew then I had to get a job indoors.

All right.

My job as city editor is more than
assigning reporters.

I set the tone of the coverage.

Let me give you an example.

Say there was a change of administration
here.

How would you cover it?

Who would you talk to first?

Okay. Let me ask the guy who would have
to make that decision.

Which one of you is the editor?

Editor?

Man, we need an editor around here like
we need a travel agent.

I'm sorry, I don't understand.

You don't need no editor if you don't
got no paper.

Mr. Grant, I was the one that set up
that newspaper.

So why'd you shut it down?

Is that what they told you?

I set up the guidelines for that paper.
They decided they couldn't live with

that, and they walked out. What good's a
journalism class without a newspaper?

Wait a minute, Mr. Grant.

I can tell by the way you're just
standing there. You're about ready to

how to run my prison.

See these books?

They're about the history, the theory,
and the practice of running prisons.

They don't have the answers.

I've been working in prisons for 16
years, and I don't have the answer.

Now, you have been in prison one half
hour.

Okay, Mr. Grant, what's the answer?

It just seems to me that when you've got
a program like this journalism class,

you should follow through on it.

Don't you frustrate the prisoners by not
giving them an outlet?

I mean, how are you going to
rehabilitate these guys?

This facility is not for rehabilitation.

I don't understand.

I figured as much.

California has a very large penal
system. In certain facilities, there are

rehabilitation programs.

Not here.

San Ysidro exists for punishment.

The men in here are not first -time
offenders.

So you just write them off?

Are you going to be tough?

Can I give you some background?

Sure.

I got my master's in criminal justice in
63.

I worked for a couple of years on the
government's commission on penal

When I had a chance to put my theories
into practice here, I grabbed it.

You see, Mr. Grant, I knew that the old
way of running things was wrong. It was

arbitrary and cruel.

I came in and recognized that inmates
had rights.

I wiped out the system of favoritism.

Sounds like a good beginning.

Yeah, it was for a while.

Then all hell broke loose.

You see, the 60s didn't just happen
outside prison, Mr. Grant. They happened

here, too.

Blacks became more militant. Violence
increased.

There was chaos.

I ended up having to inflict punishments
harsher than the old -style wardens

just to reestablish order.

Well, now, the pendulum has swung back.

These are calmer times.

Maybe now's the right time to start up a
newspaper.

You could be right.

Times have changed.

But anyway, Mr. Rossi's class ends in
two weeks.

I don't have someone else to come in
here and get a newspaper started.

Now, wait a minute.

That isn't what I came here for.

Feel free to borrow as many of these
books as you need.

Lou Grant will continue in a moment here
on A &E.

Mrs. Pinchot, I knew that name was
familiar. This is an honor.

You run a very fine newspaper.

Thank you.

Did your newspaper publish any articles
about the defendant in this case?

Yes, we did.

Did you personally receive any
information about the defendant or his

crime that was not published?

No, I did not.

But you did read the article.

I try to keep abreast of everything we
publish.

I see.

So it's fair to characterize you as an
exceptionally well -informed individual.

I feel it's my obligation.

Mrs. Pinchon, I imagine that in the
course of running a major newspaper like

Los Angeles Tribune, you must have an
awful lot of very important decisions to

make every day. Is that correct?

Yes, that is true.

And you make them quickly and
definitively. Certainly.

Mrs. Finchon, I have to believe you have
already formed an opinion in this case.

Your Honor, I would like to... Excuse
me.

I have not formed an opinion about this
case, and I don't think I should be

rejected on the basis of being well
-informed and decisive.

On the contrary, I think my concern with
events in this city should make me the

kind of a person that you would want to
have serve on a jury.

I think this is an area where we can
make some progress.

We just have to check on the wording in
the old contract. Barney, as your legal

counsel, I've got to tell you that the
language in that contract is inadequate.

It violates Article 6 of the Basic
Agreement. Article 6 is irrelevant at

point. We have a court ruling on that.

We'll hold off on that for a second.

I'm moving on now to subparagraph B.
Arnie, that's an area that we're not

prepared to get into at this time.

Well, did you get our memorandum on
that? We're studying it. We have a

with section 7.

Just don't forget that those terms are
superseded and replaced by the

prescribed in the preamble.

Gentlemen, isn't it time for our lunch
break?

Well, Charlie, it's only 10 .15.

Well, then, I'd like to propose that you
guys talk this out over coffee. I want

to go over some things with Mr. Lucas.

It's against our policy to discuss
substantive issues without benefit of

counsel.

If Mr. Hume promises to keep his hands
in his pockets, I won't be afraid to be

along with him.

Charlie, it's a very sticky legal
question. Now, it could get into

If it does, you'll have a walkout on
your hands.

Listen, if you don't hear from us in an
hour, call a guard and break

in.

Jesse David Dillard. Illegal entry,
armed robbery, 15 years.

And he's assigned to an exclusive
interview with the prison cook.

What would you have him write, Lou? How
I spent my summer vacation?

Hector Sandoval.

Grand theft auto, assault on an officer,
possession of heroin, 15 years. And

he's doing methods of squash
cultivation.

Leroy Michael Vallow.

Murder, life, sentence. Don't you find
discipline in the classroom a problem,

Lou? Oh, these guys are so happy to have
a diversion. They'd sit there quietly

for a half hour if I came in and did a
tap dance.

I'd sit quietly for an hour to watch you
tap dance.

You're a nice guy, Lou. Going out to
that prison, giving your time to help

guys out?

Nah, I'm just going out there to help
them get started.

Why single me out?

Rossi's been doing it for weeks.

Belly.

Okay, Rossi's being very nice.

But it'd be so hard for you to go over
and say that's a nice thing for you to

do, Rossi.

Yes.

So they've already assigned you to a
case, huh?

Armed robbery and assault.

But I had to talk my way on to the jury.

I gave my time to come down here. They
wanted to boot me because I was too well

informed.

Have you been able to make any headway
at all negotiating with the pressman?

Yeah, except for a couple of details to
be worked out. I think we've settled the

basic point.

What's your secret?

Keeping me out of the way?

No, in this case, I think it was keeping
the lawyers out of it.

Oh. Can you do that?

Well, it looked like Lucas really wanted
to talk.

Listen, Mr. Pinchot, we really miss you.

Sounds like it.

Mr. Hume, well done.

Okay, you got a newspaper. Now, what are
you going to put in it?

Right now, if you use your best story as
the lead, your banner headline is going

to say, Squash, the versatile vegetable.

Maybe you could talk about how the
Tribune forms its editorial policy.

Well, okay.

After you take away the wire services
and the other bureaus, We apply the same

test you do.

The basic test of whether something is
newsworthy is, does it affect our

readers? Like right now, what we want to
know is what's happening at San Ysidro

Prison that affects you.

Man, you think the warden's going to let
us tell what's really going on behind

these walls?

Let's talk about that.

I'd like this to be a discussion.

No, man, I'm sorry I interrupted you. Go
ahead with your lecture.

Hey, come on.

What about the rest of you?

Let's have a little give and take.

I never met a writer yet who wouldn't
rather talk to Wright.

I'll be back.

That guard is there for your protection.

I don't need any protection.

When you're on these grounds, you're my
responsibility.

Look, those guys are sitting there like
zombies.

I waive your responsibility, okay?

I'll even put it in writing.

Now, that is not the point.

All right.

All right.

I'll see what I can do.

Lou Grant will continue in a moment here
on A &E.

So what's the catch?

Catch is that you guys are running out
of excuses for not opening up.

You got yourselves a newspaper, and you
got it on your own terms.

You mean Big Ben's gone for the whole
class?

Right.

So what's on your mind?

Hey, man, can you call my old lady? My
brother, I have money. Give me one, you

cop, it's a grand.

Hold it, you guys. No way.

Hey, wait a minute. Can't you just slip
the letter in the box for me? Oh, come

on. Lighten up, will you? We're not here
to run errands for you guys.

I thought you were cool.

Are we going to work tonight or not?

Okay. So we got ourselves a newspaper.

Now, how heavy is the warden gonna sit
on it?

Well, we'll have to work under his
guidelines.

Yeah, you can forget it, because the
warden don't want nobody to hear the

Oh, man, Jimmy's right, you know. I
mean, the man has his own version of the

truth. And I tell you, it's nothing like
what's really going down in this hall.

Your version ain't what's going down,
either. Oh, man, don't start singing

same old song.

It ain't no song.

Everyone knows that the blacks run the
prison, and the whites ain't got nothing

to say.

Hey, man, you know, you speak for your
own mouth, okay?

I mean, these guys, they don't run my
life in this joint.

Ain't that right, Leroy?

Hey, come on, guys.

I think things are getting a little out
of hand.

Hold it, Rozzy.

This sure beats the hell out of the
versatile vegetable.

What can you say? You know, you just...
I mean, you just don't feel like you're

ever going to get caught, you know?

I mean, well, you just don't.

It's... Meh.

Anybody tells you that they didn't do
what they got him in here for is a liar.

Because if they didn't do that thing,
then they did something before that they

got away with.

How do you feel about being in prison?

I ain't that crazy about it.

Come on, be straight, man. All right,
man, punish me for what I did. Put me in

jail, take away my freedom, but don't
force me to join a gang to survive.

Get a knife stuck at me in the child
line.

Have to fight off guys trying to rape
me.

The bottom line, it ain't safe here.

Now, if we write that, you gonna get it
printed?

I was down at the courthouse looking for
Councilman Garber's divorce here. I

hear his wife has some 8x10 glossies.

Donovan, she's in the middle of an
amusing, innocent anecdote.

I'm sorry. I heard they were colorblind.

Anyhow, we run smack into Mrs. Pinchot.

Oh, my God. Don't tell me that she's
Mrs. Garber's mystery witness.

She's on jury duty. I think we picked
the wrong person to tell this to.

Can we come in if we promise not to chew
too loud?

Yeah, sure. Come on.

Mr. Billy went in this morning.

Well, I didn't see the assignment sheet.
I'll get to it this afternoon.

The only way to get Lou to read what you
wrote these days is to knock off a

liquor store.

Those the assignments from your class?

Any potential competition there?

Some are not that bad, and some are
really bad.

We'll pull them into ship.

I hope you and Rossi don't forget where
you got your start.

Don't worry. The trip will get a lot out
of this.

I have Rossi doing an interview with one
of the prisoners that I think will turn

out to be something really special.

Oh, good.

Something for the convict's corner.

What's the most difficult adjustment
you've had to make?

Here's a work program.

That's pretty good here You feel enough
is being offered in that area

What do you think

Okay That's this it's good

stuff of the weeks that could have
enough for a paragraph Yeah, I'm sorry

want to get someone to talk a lot in
here. You've got to get someone who's

arrived

Why's that?

Most guys, when they first get here, the
first thing they do is talk a lot,

chatter. They try to talk themselves
into believing that this ain't tearing

up inside.

Then what?

Then they settle down.

You learn that if you want to stay alive
in prison, you got to listen.

Who do you owe it up to?

For a few guys, it ain't bad.

They fight the same thing.

Don't you have to talk to somebody?

I got a wife.

My mom's still alive.

If something happens I want to talk
about, I talk to them.

In my head.

I share everything with them.

In my head.

And you get to see them on visiting
days?

And that's the worst.

Why? Why is that the worst?

When they come, I can't say nothing.

I got so much to say that I choke on it.

And look, I'm sorry.

I know this is terrible, but... I'm just
not with it today. I got other things

on my mind.

What's that?

You know that guy, Chris Parsons? The
white dude in our class?

Sure, sure, yeah.

They found him hanging by his neck in
his cell this morning.

Killed himself.

What I'm trying to tell you is this
place can really mess a person up.

What's up, guys?

Hey, you know, I've just been reading
Rossi's prison piece.

What do you think?

Well, the last thing I ever expected was
to find myself feeling sympathy for the

guy. Kind of sneaks up on you, doesn't
it? Yeah.

This J .D. is one of the more articulate
guys down there.

You think he's a real bright person?

Oh, I think so. I think he might have
something going for him when he gets

What might be?

Well, he served three out of 15 years
for armed robbery and assault.

He'll be eligible for release in two
more years.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

Just a second, please.

Lou, I think you may want to take this.

Who is it?

Mr. Tucker.

He's very upset about Rossi's article.
Why?

J .D.'s up there on assault?

Yeah.

Mr. Tucker was the victim.

Lou Grant will continue in a moment here
on A &E.

Lou Grant.

Mr. Tucker, I'm sorry if the article
stirred up any bad memories for you.

They're not memories.

It's day -to -day reality.

Three years had gone by and it seemed
like it happened yesterday.

The Tribune did not intend to cause you
any further pain.

I shouldn't have been surprised by that
article.

The victim of a crime is always an
insignificant detail.

Would you tell me what Jesse Diller did
to you?

He was right there with the gun,
standing.

My wife was hysterical.

I could hear her trying to breathe.

He was standing right there with the
gun, pointing right at me.

He's one of those cheap guys, you know?

The kind that you never know what a damn
thing's gonna hit.

He wasn't convicted of assault with
intent to kill. Look, I don't give a

what he was convicted of.

Now, you let him talk. Why don't you be
quiet and let me talk?

Look, I want to tell you what he did to
my life.

I'm not talking about the radio, the
television, or the stereo, or the money

that he took.

No, I'm not talking about that.

I'm talking about shaking so bad that I
can't get in my car to drive to work.

I'm talking about taking pills at night
to go to sleep.

Keeping a handgun on my pillow.

Turning my home into a fortress.

I'm talking about a feeling that I
haven't been able to shake.

A feeling that I was a coward that
night, that my wife thought so too.

Have you been able to talk to her about
this?

We're not together anymore.

Mr. Tucker, I am so sorry.

I know people are going to read that
article and they're going to be

what's a guy like that doing behind
bars? Well, I can tell them.

I know this isn't any consolation, but
Jesse Dillard did receive a very stiff

sentence and he's serving it in a
maximum security prison.

I know that.

And I know I'm out of line by blaming
you.

And I'm sorry.

But he's going to serve his time, right?

Three, five years or whatever.

He's going to pay his dues, right?

That's right.

And it's going to be all over for him.

But it's not quite over for me yet.

And it may never be.

You see, Miss Newman, you can shorten a
prisoner's sentence, but not the

victim's.

Are you going to tell Charlie about it?

I don't know. He looks kind of busy.

May I have a minute of your time?

Better be important. I'm in the middle
of a cheese dance.

What would you say if I told you that we
could get Leo Shiro to work here

at the Tribune?

I'd say the post must have folded. Why
else would they let him go?

It's the other way around. He's not
happy there.

He feels cut off from access to the top
people.

He'd like a little more autonomy and
somebody to say, nice job, Lee, once or

twice a week.

I could take Monday and Wednesday.

Well, the Times is going to make him an
offer, so I think you better make a move

on it.

How do you know all that? The lady that
I've been seeing is a good friend of

Lee's wife.

Normally, this would have to go through
Mrs. Pinchot.

Well, when are you going to be speaking
to her next?

Not for nearly three hours, by which
time Lee will probably be slipping into

New York Times sweatshirt.

Isn't it going to be expensive?

Can we afford not to find out?

Charlie Hume.

Yeah. Oh, fine.

No, no, I'm in L .A.

Hey, listen, let me get to the point. I
hear by the grapevine that you're not

happy at the post.

It is.

How would you like to come work for the
Tribune?

Oh, really?

How much did the Times offer you?

Boy, they're rich.

Well, we can't quite match that. I mean,
maybe, you know, we might be able to

come close, but we can't offer you that
much.

However, what we can offer you is a
little more autonomy, a chance to work

a fine staff, and a working environment
with direct access to the top people.

People who wouldn't be above saying,
nice job, Lee, once or twice a week.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, that was a hell of a lot of fun,
Lassie.

What did I do?

I just had to take the heat for you from
a guy who was brutalized by one of your

convicts.

They're not my convicts.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, I've read your piece.
I've heard you talk about your class.

So I already know that all prisoners are
just sensitive human beings mistreated

by the system.

Meanwhile, the people of this city are
afraid to walk the streets at night.

Jeez, Rossi.

Hold it.

I don't feel any safer in this city than
anybody else, all right?

I've seen people right after they've
been mugged, mugged for the change in

pockets. I've seen what people look like
after shootings.

I've been there when the bodies came up.

I don't appreciate being branded as
someone who is unsympathetic to the

of crimes just because of my work in
prisons.

I don't think depriving these guys of a
few basic rights makes our streets any

safer.

I've got to write my story.

around this, guys.

That's the way it is.

One won't let.

Uh -uh.

We won't let.

We won't. We won't.

Everything in there is the truth, man.

You think it's the truth?

You calling me a liar?

No. No.

And every word in there may prove to be
true. And probably is.

But we can't print it.

Not in the edition that's coming out
tomorrow.

What kind of jack fuck are you giving
us?

Look, this is a hell of a good job of
investigating.

There's a lot of stuff in here that's
dynamite. There's a lot of stuff that's

opinion. That's the stuff that's got to
come out. That's your opinion.

What you're saying is that Chris Parsons
was murdered, that his suicide was a

phony, and that one of the prison gangs
is responsible.

We're saying that because it's true.

How do you know?

I know.

All right, tell me what you know.

All right. And leave out that he feels,
he thinks, and he hurts.

Now, let's look at the facts that we do
have that can be confirmed by another

source or by physical evidence, because
that's the stuff that we can print.

Chris was murdered.

You can't say that. Well, he did, ain't
he? Can we say that?

Yes. But if you're going to say he was
murdered, you've got to be able to prove

it. He was murdered.

Man, we got the interview from the
doctor over there.

Okay. Okay, let's start piecing this
together.

Now, Chris was working in the infirmary.
And bringing out pills for the gang.

And we know there was an unexplained
pill shortage.

How do we know? Because I got a
statement right there from the doctor

that was so. All right. That's a fact.

Hey!

Hey, another thing, you know, everyone
knows that that gang controls the pill

traffic in this joint because we've all
bought pills from them.

Is anyone willing to testify to that?

I will.

Four guys saw Chris asleep about 15
minutes before he's supposed to hung

himself. Yeah.

And at the time that Chris died, four
gang members were not in the place that

they were supposed to be. And I got two
guys that'll swear to that.

It doesn't make anyone a murderer.

Now, Chris was gonna blow the whistle on
that gang, see? So they killed him. And

that's the way it went down.

Come on, J .D., you can't make those
accusations.

You're not a prosecutor, you're not a
judge, and besides, you can't prove it.

So what are we going to do?

What you do is lay out a series of
events, a series of facts that point to

Chris's alleged participation in pill
trafficking with the gang that allegedly

controls the pill traffic here.

When you get that, we'll take a look at
it.

Maybe we'll have something we can print.

Has anything important happened that I
should know about?

Important?

Well, um, ad line is up about 2 % this
week.

Suburban edition was a half an hour late
because of traffic.

I already told you that I settled with
the pressman.

And oh yeah, I hired Pulitzer Prize
winning Lee Oshiro away from the post.

You say the suburban edition was half an
hour late.

Mrs. Pinchard.

Mr. Hume, you're wonderful.

Tell me all about O'Shea.

Those guys showed a lot of initiative,
Ross. There'd be a hell of a story

outside the prison.

Yeah, sure, but there's no way the
warden's going to print it.

Well, let's see what they get. If it
sounds journalistic, I'll take it up

Gotham.

Boy, it was really touch and go there
for a while. Did you feel it?

There were times when I was missing a
guard, if that's what you mean.

Well, first edition comes out tomorrow.

Congratulations. Buy an orange soda.

Why not? You're driving.

What do you think, man?

I don't know.

Those dudes took a lot of the fire out
of the story, you know.

Yeah, but they left a lot of fire in it,
too.

A lot of good that's going to do us.

No one's ever going to read it.

Keep us coming out tomorrow with the
same old stuff.

Not exactly.

What do you mean?

Look, I'm the editor of this movie,
right?

Then I say what goes in it, right?

So I sent the story on down to the print
shop.

Hey, what are you saying, man?

Are you telling me that we're going to
print that? It's the truth.

Every word in that story is absolutely
true. Yeah, man, I know it's the truth.

But there's going to be some trouble.

Maybe not.

Hey, man.

That ain't exactly no interview with the
prison cook, you know. I know that.

If people want to respond to that, you
know.

I know that.

Then there's going to be some trouble.

Ain't there?

will continue in a moment here on A &E.

Okay, Walter, you've got a deal.

At work at a quarter to nine, Charlie?

What'd you do, sleep at the paper last
night?

Have you heard about the possibility of
a paper shortage?

No, is there going to be a paper
shortage?

It looks that way.

I don't see why that's caused for
dancing in the halls.

Unless... Unless...

Our managing editor just got off the
phone with a paper distributor in

Who is going to deliver a stockpile to
our Orange County warehouse by the end

next week?

A three month supply.

Nice journey.

I was in the criminal courts building
and I thought I'd look in on a trial.

The public defender was making the final
argument.

Imagine what it's like trying to plead
your case with Mrs. Pinchon sitting

on the jury.

I don't have to imagine.

Okay, I think the lead's a lot tighter
now.

Yeah, good.

Is that it?

That's it.

Nice to have you back at the Trib.

I told you I was only going out there to
help the prisoners get their papers

started. First edition came out this
morning.

Hmm. So even as we speak, a kid on a
bike is riding up and down the aisles

tossing papers into the cells, huh?

Lou, I just got off the phone with San
Ysidro. How are we selling?

Lou, they pulled the paper.

Why? I don't know. Something about an
inflammatory story and a fight in the

prison yard. Six guys are in the
infirmary. The warden has the prison on

alert and the paper shut down.

Damn.

Handle things for a while.

Things took kind of a bad turn out at
San Ysidro this morning.

There was a fight in the prison yard. It
has to do with the newspaper shutting

it down.

It's too bad. What happened?

I don't know. It's hard to tell from
here. I want to go out there.

You've been going out there?

I don't mean after work. I mean now. I
might be able to get back for the budget

meeting.

And you might not.

Donovan can cover for me. Oh, that's
very nice.

But Donovan has been covering for you.

I'm sorry if I've been distracted.

Look, Charlie, I've developed a rapport
with some of the guys.

They've started to trust me a little
since I got the paper for them. Now they

may be losing it, and I feel
responsible.

Lou, you know as well as I do, you can't
be city editor of the L .A. Tribune and

the San Ysidro Bulletin.

I think we're at the point where you're
going to have to choose.

Charlie, I'm a part of what's happening
out there at that prison today.

Let me choose tomorrow.

I didn't just shut the newspaper down. I
shut everything down.

The programs, the shops.

Something like this happens.

And every little bit of progress we've
got going comes to a complete stop.

What happened exactly?

Word that the bulletin was printing a
story on Chris Parsons' death hit the

grapevine. Wait a minute. I didn't okay
that story.

You didn't? No.

Here it is.

After breakfast in between Sallyport 4
and the exercise yard, members of the

black prison gang attacked the leader of
the Mexican gang.

Now my prison's on riot alert.

In other words, the story got around
without the newspaper.

Right.

So the story was going to spread anyway,
right?

I don't think you can blame the guys on
the paper for that. No. No.

But they were irresponsible enough to
print that story.

Now, how can I believe that they can
handle a prison newspaper?

Oh, listen.

There's no way those prisoners are ever
going to release a story you don't want

them to. We're done with them to even
try.

This is a good story.

I'd be proud to run this story in my
paper.

It's no good, Lou.

If I give them back the paper, then I am
stuck with a potential confrontation

every week when it comes out.

I think you have a potential safety
valve here. Maybe if you'd had it this

it would have stopped those rumors. You
don't know that.

No, I'm just suggesting what's possible.

You know better than I do.

I'm glad you give me a little credit for
knowing my own prison.

Hey, I give you a lot of credit for
knowing your own prison.

What do you think?

It's possible.

Then does the newspaper deserve another
chance?

Well, Mrs.

Pinchon, when were you sprung?

Just now.

It's so long since I've seen a
newspaper. All I wanted to do was catch

How did the deliberation go?

It was terrible.

What, you think maybe you made the wrong
decision?

We made the right decision. We found
that young man, James Clark, guilty.

Ah.

I'm afraid I find mercy easier to
dispense than justice.

Still, I'm glad you encouraged me to go.

things here.

As a matter of fact, I authorized a
fairly big paper purchase.

I would have held off, but the price was
irresistible.

You bought a paper?

No. I bought paper, newsprint, at $10 a
ton less than we've been paying.

Do we need paper?

Aren't we due for three months' worth in
a couple of weeks?

Well, if there's a lumberman's strike.

What lumberman strike?

Walter Leclerc had an inside track on
some information.

Walter Leclerc.

Whenever there is discontent in the
lumber industry, Walter's on the phone

news of a strike.

Well, there might be a strike.

And it was such a good deal. How much?
$3 .35 a ton.

And, um, if there is no strike?

If there is no strike, we have...

67 ,000 extra tons of newsprint.

I hope you have a big garage.

If you were working for me on the
outside, I'd fire you for that. I don't

man. Send us home.

Hey, man, leave the man alone. I blew
it. You blew it big, J .D. I didn't even

know if Goffman was going to let us run
anything.

I think he was.

He's an interesting guy.

Might be worth an interview next issue.

Next issue?

We got a paper?

You got a paper.

All right!

All right!

Hey.

Oh, listen.

This is my last session with you.

I'm sorry.

There's no way I can come up here
anymore without it interfering with my

the Trib.

Maybe Ross will be back next week.

I'm sorry.

Same old song.

Bye -bye, baby.

Hey, what you want, Jack Hunter? You
want somebody's promise?

You want a five -year, 50 ,000 -mile
warranty?

Look, we got one more issue.

We got one more chance to get a real
story past the warden.

I don't know about you guys, but as far
as I'm concerned, it's Christmas, and

this dude just came down the chimney.

Now, before I die of happiness, I just
have one problem.

What are we going to put in this rag?

Anybody got any ideas?

Well, you know, somebody's cutting off
the cookie supply.

We don't get half of what the monthly
alarm money is.

How about that?

The guys at C -Block ain't had hot water
in their showers for over two weeks

now.

What do you think, Lou? Is it cookies or
cold showers?

It's your paper.

Till it turns into a pumpkin.

Good luck, fellas.

Keep me on the subscription list.

You got it.

Ain't got it.

I don't know about you, but I'd like to
talk about contact business.

Frost puts fond memories of his wife
aside to search for a missing girl on

&E Mystery Movie tonight.

Now it's a top SWAT team, but will a
rookie cop muster the courage to kill?

Jan Michael Vincent stars in Police
Story, next on A &E.