Original subtitles

Afternoon, Sergeant.

Hello, Chief.

Well, Doc?

Need an autopsy to be certain.

From the marks on the body, broken neck. And the house is ransacked. The same M

.O. as the last five times.

All very interesting. But mind telling me why we were called in?

Homicide, that's your department.

That's the way I see it, too. No offense, Chief.

But the commissioner gave me direct orders, and... I get it.

All right.

What else do you have?

It's that dog.

A neighbor heard him howling and called us.

We found him trying to get out. Took two men to subdue him.

We looked him over.

Found a lump on his head.

Shall I send him to the pound now?

No, let him stay a while.

What for?

He's a witness.

You wouldn't want him otherwise.

I wouldn't want him at all.

What do we have?

Victim's name was Emma Newfame.

Spencer, about 45.

Looks like another trauma killing, all right.

Ed.

Excuse me.

All right, Mark.

Let's have a look around the kitchen.

Let's open these cupboards.

Take a look out that door and tell me what you see.

couple of garbage cans.

Nothing else?

Nope.

All right.

Get the dog. We're taking him with us. I would like to point out that I'm

allergic to dogs that bite.

He's a maniac.

He's also our only lead to the prowler.

You notice anything strange about this kitchen?

It's a kitchen. A plain, ordinary, normal kitchen.

Get the dog.

Here! Just have to know the language.

Big one?

No, I'm almost finished.

Somebody lose something?

No, it's just full of leaves.

There, that's got it.

All right, Mark.

Put him in the wagon.

Come on, boy.

Come on, boy. Get in.

Up.

Up, boy.

Up.

Try another language, chief.

Up, boy. Up.

Sergeant, get in and call him.

Hey!

Come back with that.

Give me that bat.

Come on, drop it.

That's city property. It'll come out of my pocket. Pay him.

Pills.

Good dog.

Good dog.

Drop it.

Drop it.

Drop it.

Here, give it to me.

Better face it, Chief.

You now own one crowbar.

Or at least he does.

He's the kind of a dog who works on command.

I said something to him to make him take it.

Some other command will make him drop it.

First thing in the morning, I want you to buy a dog dish, some dog food, a

leash, a flea collar.

You might also pick up some cod liver oil.

Could I sell you some money if we brought them along from the house? Yes,

could have, couldn't we?

Wait a minute.

There weren't any of those things at the new faint house. That's right.

No provision for a dog. A nice, normal kitchen. Nothing strange.

Don't lean on me. You're the detective.

Well, if it wasn't her dog, whose is it? Mark, when we learn that, we might find

ourselves a killer.

Good night, Mark.

Night, Chief.

Good night, dog.

Quiet, sir.

You ought to be hungry enough to eat the whole building by now. Look, go on,

boy, eat.

Good morning.

Hi. Where's the chief?

By the llama, the commissioner.

Oh, isn't he beautiful?

Hello. Hey, be careful.

I was beginning to think he only hated meat.

Why are we keeping a vicious brute like that?

The chief likes his character.

He says he has a basic distrust of human motives that's... Truly endearing.

Utterly lovely.

Anything special he wants me to do?

Expect some newspaper photographers to take pictures of the dog.

Why? Well, he wants to advertise them, page one of every edition.

Chief Hineside's office.

Oh, good morning, Chief.

What?

Yes, sir.

No, he hasn't eaten his breakfast yet. Let me know.

Six murders by the same killer in the past few months.

People are afraid to have anybody come into their homes.

The mayor has stopped saying good morning to me.

And you're playing with a dog.

Your fault, Dennis.

You wish this case on me, and without so much as a by your leave, I might add.

Homicide is getting nowhere.

I need you, Bob.

And for the time being, I need that dog.

What do you want me to do, bark out a confession?

Well, I don't believe he's the prowler.

I don't believe that a killer would take his dog to the scene of the crime.

We don't know that the owner of the dog is the killer.

At any rate, the dog got into that house, and I intend to find out how and

And the dog will help.

Naturally.

Yes?

Sergeant Brown.

Yes, Ed? Been checking the Newfane house, and I have a visitor you might be

interested in.

Who? Dead woman's nephew, Edward Newfane. Hold him. I'll be there in 20

No, the dog hasn't made a statement yet.

Oh, no, sit down and be comfortable.

Oh, thanks.

You must be Chief Ironside.

I'm sorry about your eye.

Well, she was a little salty, hard as nails, but she was awfully good to me.

other relatives?

Just the two of us.

Did you see her often?

Well, every now and then, yes. I'd come by to see how she was and give her a

chance to blow me out.

Ed.

Did you have Mr. Newfane go through the house?

Yeah, we made a list of missing articles as far as he could remember.

Much? Well, whoever robbed him knew what he was doing.

My aunt's best jewelry is all missing. Anyone else around?

Servants? Tradesmen?

There was a man who came in and did the cleaning twice a week.

Do you know him? She hired him at one of those agencies on Market Street.

He was a down -and -outer. He worked to make drinking money.

You've been very helpful, Mr. Newfane.

We'd like to feel we could call on you if we need you.

Anytime.

Uh, Mr. Newfane, what kind of dog do you have?

No kind. Why?

Well, I just thought you might have a dog.

Thank you.

Get on that cleaning man right away.

Okay, but I've got something here you might want to look at.

Found it in the bedroom on the floor behind a chair.

J .T.

That sure doesn't sound like Edwin Youfay.

One handcrafted cuff link, one dog, one cleaning man.

We're getting all sorts of pieces to the puzzle.

Ed and I want the records on all previous Prowler murders. Chase them

soon as we get back.

Okay. What's the matter, boy? Why don't you eat?

He hasn't touched a bite.

Will the newspapers run the story?

They've already been here.

Pictures will start in the early editions.

We have a bill for $23.

For what?

One pair of slacks. The photographer left wrapped in his own newspaper.

That's why the dog isn't eating. His diet is humans.

I think this is a well -trained dog.

Among other things, trained not to eat until given a certain command.

That means he won't eat, period.

How so?

Whoever comes for that dog walks into a murder case.

He'll think a long time before he does that.

Maybe.

Records on the Prowler murders.

Fully digested, I presume.

Just about swallowed.

Victims were all single, lived alone, had independent means.

Had them so far.

They all seemed to be about the same age, too. Late 40s, early 50s.

They were all robbed and all men.

That breaks the pattern.

He's murdered a woman this time.

Here are some photos of the rooms in which the victims were found.

All right, blow this up.

This area here.

Yes, sir.

And just so you won't feel left out, I want you to trace this cuff link.

Get me the name of the owner.

It's handcrafted. Must have come from a custom jeweler.

That's a start.

Do you know how many there are in San Francisco?

Eve, I'm sure you'll find out.

On your way.

Hello? Is this Mr. Ironside's office?

That's right. Come on in.

You have company, Chief.

Tompkins and I came after my dog.

All right, Charlie, you say he's your dog.

What's his name?

Mike. Sergeant Mike is his whole name, but I just call him Mike.

Can you prove he's your dog?

He didn't eat, did he?

That's right.

Not since we found him.

Mike, hit the tail line.

See? Does he know any other trick?

Sure.

Mike, we're going to play shootout.

Mike, bang!

Dead dogs don't wag tails.

Very good.

Now, how about his trick of borrowing thing?

He helped himself to this crowbar.

Now it seems to be more precious than a bone.

Get it, Sergeant.

Sure, you said, Sergeant, get in.

You'd never get it from him now.

We've discovered that.

Mike, 30 days.

Well, at least he respects the law.

Charlie, why would you ever teach him a thing like that?

Just a trick. Can we go now?

You know where we found him, don't you, Charlie?

Yes, sir. I read about it in the papers.

What was he doing there?

He ran away.

Exactly where were you when he ran away?

that house, you know.

Where was the house?

You know, where the paper said.

The paper didn't say.

And he's not really your dog, is he, Charlie?

He's the colonel.

I didn't want him to get in trouble.

Colonel who?

Just the colonel. He lives in the shack out on the dump near Hunter's Point.

At least he did.

What do you mean he did?

He's in jail.

Hey.

Oh, Sergeant Mike.

Come on, boy.

Oh, they got you locked up, too, huh?

Oh, injustice runs rampant throughout the land, doesn't it? Oh, boy.

What a kid.

My big boy.

You got a cigarette?

Sit down. You're still in custody.

Rules and regulations, sir.

How'd you find me?

Your employment agency and your dog.

Smart dog, but he talks too much.

He's a mix.

They're the smartest.

You know, the purebred has a brain that's all bred out of them.

Good for show, that's about all.

End of lecture?

Yeah.

End of lecture.

waste of pearls.

You worked at Emma Newfane's house?

Right. You gonna book me now or you wanna wait till I finish my current rap?

Book you for what?

The lady's dead.

I was there.

Opportunity, maybe even motive.

You have a case. Why don't you just tell us what happened and let us draw our

own conclusions?

Okay, but you won't believe me.

Wednesday.

My day to work for Miss Newfane.

I did all the heavy cleaning, washing the woodwork and walls.

You know, that kind of thing.

I didn't know if Miss Newfane would object, but I brought along Sergeant

with me anyway.

If she'd said anything, I was going to quit. What time did you get there?

About... Just before nine.

How'd you get into the house?

This new thing left the back door open. Then you found her body.

Better than that.

I saw her get killed.

You saw the killer?

No, sir. I said I saw her get killed.

You'd better explain that.

Well, I walked into the kitchen and I heard this noise coming from the living

room. The mic began to get a little spooky.

So I opened the door to take a look.

I saw Miss Newfane drop to the floor.

Mike started after the guy who did it.

The trouble was that the morning sun was pouring through the window and all I

could see was a black figure against the light.

He slammed Mike with a poker and started after me. And then? I ran.

Straight to the elite bar?

The colonel was picked up there late yesterday afternoon, drunk and

Nice to mirror him. Bad habit of mine.

When I get scared, I just gotta have me a drink. It's been all afternoon getting

fortified.

Well, most of it.

I told you you wouldn't believe me.

Looks like you're living pretty high, old boy.

Easy murder one.

Too easy.

You don't believe him?

No one in his right mind would believe a story like that.

If it weren't for one thing. The dog.

A man planning murder doesn't take his dog along.

You keep thinking that way, and you'll make commission or something.

In any case, check him out. See if he has a record. Right.

Photo lab just finished that blow -up you wanted.

Good. The original's in there, too.

Just his wristwatch.

Pretty expensive looking, don't you think?

I'm with you.

Why would the killer leave it behind?

Could have overlooked it, I suppose, or been in too much of a hurry.

Angelo Reed, age 52, Caucasian.

Do you have a list of what was stolen from him?

Yeah, in the file.

Wasn't very much, as I remember.

Here. Rings, stick pin, other odds and ends of jewelry, and his wallet.

Killer stopped to take his wallet, not his watch.

Any of this recovered?

No.

All of the robberies, nothing was ever recovered from any of them? No.

Wait a minute.

There was one haul.

piercing one, I think, some jewelry. It was accidentally found in a storm drain.

Storm drain?

Yeah, the theory is that the prowler had to unload it in a hurry for some

reason, so he stuffed it down a sewer and then it washed into the storm drain.

One thing the department never runs out of in that theory is 2850 Mason right on

top of Knob Hill.

All right, thanks, Ed. You better get some sleep.

I have a feeling it's going to be pretty busy out tomorrow.

Right. I'll see you in the morning.

Good night.

You ready for bed?

No.

No, I think I'll stay up a while.

Talk to Mike.

I don't know what you two find to say to each other.

You know, if we're going to work together, we'll have to get along.

You're as tough as you put on.

Yes, come here.

I want you to sit.

Sit. Sit.

That's good, though. Now you stay there.

You stay.

You stay.

Stay.

Stay.

Come on, Mike.

a good dog. That's a good dog.

You're a good dog. You want to play, huh?

Is that what you want to do?

You want to play?

You want to play shootout? Is that it?

All right.

Get ready. Get ready.

All right.

Now sit.

Sit. Sit.

Sit. Sit.

Sit. Sit. Sit.

Now you stay.

Ready?

Bang!

Dead dogs don't wag tails.

Come on, up.

Come on, up.

Now tell me, who killed Emma Newfang?

Morning, Chief.

Isn't he here?

He was gone even before I came in.

Left a message he could be reached to the Department of Health. What in the

world is he doing there?

I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.

You better make that a short one.

The rest of the message is for you.

Have Eve call me as soon as she's traced that cuff link.

Well, I haven't. I've been to two dozen custom jewelers so far, and that's only

half my list.

I can at least opt for a cup of coffee. Hey, hey, hey, don't rain on me.

As far as I'm concerned, you can have as many as you want.

You get a make sheet on that colonel yet?

Hi, Mike.

He's a live one.

Starts with petty theft, purse snatching.

Oh, that's why I was teaching the dog to steal things. Yeah.

But now he's moved on up to bigger and better things.

Stortion, blackmail, the drop game.

Blackmail again.

He did five on the last count in New York. Quite a character.

Quite a suspect.

Chief Ironside's office.

Oh, yes, Chief.

Any word from Evia?

She's on her way now.

Uh, where are you? At the health department?

No, heading for Mason in California.

I'll meet you there in a minute and a half.

I'm on my way. Watch up. Not up, Ed.

Down.

Dirt is right.

Angelo Reed.

That settles it.

Robbery wasn't the motive for his murder.

I'll leave it to you to determine if robbery was the motive in the other

cases. You mean five more sewers?

I'm sure you've heard many times that these work is often dirty work.

Mark, just think of his pearl diving.

Eve,

I've been waiting to hear from you all morning.

I'll have you know I just left the 29th custom jeweler.

I presume that visit was more productive than the other 28.

One set of cufflinks.

Initials J .T. were ordered three weeks ago by Miss Emma Newfane. But didn't you

find out who? And delivered as a gift to one Judson Trumbull.

I hope you don't mind that the room's dark.

I keep the shades drawn.

The sun won't feed the furniture.

Mr. Trumbull, we have some questions.

I know it's about Emma.

I've been expecting you ever since I read about it. Then you did know her?

We had a very meaningful relationship.

Meaningful?

She was someone you could talk to.

We were going to be married.

And then she was killed.

I was dead before she was.

I broke our engagement.

Why?

Trouble?

I know what you're trying to make me say.

Well, I didn't kill her.

She was too wonderful.

She was so wonderful, why did you break your engagement?

Wives can be very expensive.

I'm not a rich man.

Not that kind of rich.

What kind of rich is that?

Did Miss Newfane ask you for money? I'd rather not say.

How much money?

One should not speak ill of the dead.

How did you meet her? She answered my advertisement.

What advertisement?

Well, I... You see... I've got it here somewhere.

No. What do you do with... Oh, here.

This one's mine.

Virile, mature, gentleman of means, seeks attractive, mature woman, object,

meaningful, relationship, right, JT, box 23.

You wrote this?

I didn't make it up. I copied it.

There are lots of ads like it.

Yes, I see there are.

Male type, swinger, seeks female type of same for...

Why did you put your ad in this newspaper?

A man needs someone to talk to.

You certainly picked an unusual audience.

There they are, officer.

Complete files of all personal classified ads in the print.

Help yourselves.

I don't suppose they're listed alphabetically.

Lady, the kind of help we can afford can't read the alphabet.

Happy hunting.

Hi.

Well, didn't take you long.

No sweat, once I knew what I was looking for.

Well. Now, are we going to be friends?

Sure,

I'm glad to see you too. Yes, I am.

Well, are we going to play with the dog or are we going to get to work?

Here, feed him, Mark.

It was in the drains and catch basins near the scenes of the other Prowler

murders. What's here matches up with a list of missing articles.

Setting it up to look like robbery.

Okay, boy.

Hit the chow line.

Initial Z -N.

I'm a new fan.

So a murder is part of the pattern. But why five men and then a woman?

Good afternoon.

Hope we're not disturbing you. Not at all.

Come on in.

What can I do for you?

Can you identify these?

Well, how about that?

Recognize them?

And Emma's.

I gave this to her myself.

Christmas gift. Was it expensive?

No, not really.

I don't have very much money. You sure make the most of what you have.

Aha, don't let appearances deceive you.

I didn't pay for all this.

No, Aunt Emma raised me to the standard that she thought a gentleman could be.

The cost to me was to listen to her preach.

As a reward, you would eventually inherit everything she had.

That was the original idea.

That would give you an excellent motive for killing her.

Sure. Two years ago, but not now.

Aunt Emma went broke.

She bought the wrong stock.

It sure doesn't look like she went broke.

Ah.

Well, these are leftovers from a life of luxury.

You see, we were both living in a very small trust fund, which expired upon her

death. I'm a lousy suspect.

I might even have to go to work.

You might have saved money by moving in with her. Oh, she'd have no part of

that. And I was just as glad.

I was the last of her assets.

The idea being to peddle me off to some female that was rich enough to support

all of us.

Unfortunately, there were no takers.

It seems that ladies today...

I want to be supported by the man.

What about her own married chances?

Oh, none that I know of.

No one courting her?

That's a quaint expression.

You know a Judson Trumbull?

No. No, I never heard of him. He was a friend of your aunt's.

A close friend? Close enough to take off his shirt.

Chief, this is Eve.

Eve Whitfield.

I'm in the newspaper office. I traced those ads.

I said I found all those ads.

Oh, never mind.

I said never mind. I'll meet you in the office in ten minutes.

Find what you wanted?

Yes, thank you.

Why don't you come back again sometime and put in an ad yourself?

You never can tell what you'll get.

I can tell.

They're all here, Chief.

Malati, Kraus, Bohansky, Pearson, and Reed.

Everyone put in similar ads.

What about Emma Newfang?

No. Couldn't find any listed to her.

Well, there's another break in the pattern.

Not necessarily.

Suppose she was answering the ads.

Last time it was a joke.

It has stopped being funny. No, I did not kill my aunt.

I explained all this to you last time.

Killing her would have put me in a poor house. Not quite, Mr. Newfane.

Bank records show that your aunt made deposits of over $100 ,000 in the last

four months.

You're putting me on.

No, I am not.

I get $100 ,000?

Well, Aunt Emma.

I knew you wouldn't let me down. During that same period, Emma Newfane also

deposited $20 ,000 to your account.

And you still thought she was broke?

Oh, of course she was. I mean, what's $20 ,000? Considerable.

Where did you think it had come from?

Trust fund. You said it was a small trust fund.

Ah, but there is small and there is small.

$100 ,000, how about that?

Mr. Newfane, have you ever heard of a...

Martin Malati, Sylvan Krauss, Angela Reed, John Bohansky, or Michael

Pearson?

No. Should I?

Those people made cash withdrawals from their accounts exactly equal to the

amounts deposited by your aunt.

The deposits by your aunt were also in cash.

Well, maybe I had some assets that I didn't know about. I was trying to sell

them off.

Why don't you ask them? Why?

They're all dead.

I didn't give her any money, Mr.

Ironside. Why should I kill her to get it back?

You could have been angry enough.

Once you found out what she was really like... I don't care what you think you

found out about her, Ironside. She was a fine woman.

She'll always be with me.

Always. Thank you, Hogan. That'll be all.

Now sit down, Colonel.

Yes.

I figured you'd be having me back.

Just a few more questions.

Oh, by the way, you're not a suspect any longer.

We think Emma Newfane was handling a little con game of her own.

Getting money from men with vague promises to marry them.

The longer I live, the more enigmatic I find the human condition.

Consider the human condition of one of those who realized he'd been conned and

killed her because of it.

Foolish move.

But...

In the illogic of his outrage and anger.

You saw the killer in shadow.

Could it have been that man?

Was he the man in the room with her?

I don't know.

I was hoping you could help.

What about this man?

Could he have been the one you saw?

That's the lady's nephew. Now, why would he kill her? Was that the man you saw?

It could be either one, I guess.

Or you, for that matter. Like I said, the light was in my eyes. I... Sure.

Tell me, did you really tie one on at the elite because you were scared, or

you just trying to drop out of sight?

When I saw that lady dead, I tried to think of a place you'd be least likely

look for me.

I have to admit, the food wasn't all that good.

Well, there's no need for you to hide anymore. You're sprung.

You're kidding. No, you're free to go.

Well... The contradictions of the world multiply. A kindly cop with a

sense of justice, but with an eye on the taxpayer's pocketbook. No free food for

me.

However bad.

Well, I assume I can take him along.

You assume correctly. No public dole for either of you. I thought you were fond

of him.

Oh, it's time this office became an office again, not a kennel.

Well, come along, Sergeant Mike.

Let's go home now.

Go on, Mike. Go on home.

Come along, old boy.

You think he fell for it?

Don't you think he did?

Avarice was losing from every pore.

In this world of contradictions, he's probably the biggest contradiction of

Old friend, this is the colonel.

The colonel.

I want to see you.

What's this all about?

I thought my implication was clear enough.

Well, if you thought I killed my aunt, why didn't you tell the police?

It takes money to live.

Why should I turn you in and deprive myself of a livelihood?

If I open my mouth, you start breathing cyanide.

For $20 ,000, you can keep on breathing air.

You'll be here at 10 o 'clock tomorrow morning with the cash.

Yeah, you're not really going to... Newfane, I didn't meet you here for a

debate.

Only to give you your orders.

See you tomorrow.

Trumbull, never mind.

You don't know me, but I know you.

I saw you in Emma Newfane's house the morning she was murdered. Remember?

Who are you?

What do you want?

Money, Trumbull.

Or I go to the police.

Now, you meet me in the park near your place, and I'll tell you exactly how

we're going to do business.

All right?

All right, Eve. Stay with him.

Anything happen?

Yes, Eve says the Colonel and Newfane have had a meeting.

Fine, Ted.

Yes, Ted.

Fine.

Right.

Mr. Trumbull just left his apartment in a hurry.

Now what?

Now we wait.

Cool it, huh?

Get out.

Drop it. Right now.

Hands on the wall.

Get the colonel. He's under the bed.

I'm sorry, Chief. I couldn't hold the dog.

Chief, call an ambulance.

An ambulance?

You mean a vet.

Both.

That dog deserves the best.

Well, Mr. Newfane?

Well, I was just trying to scare him. He was trying to blackmail me. Why?

Because you and your aunt were swindling lonely people, borrowing large sums of

money from them, then killing them before they wanted it back? That's not

Why did you kill your aunt?

Was she trying to cut you out of your share?

You can't prove a thing.

I think the colonel's testimony and your actions tonight will convince the

court.

Take them in, Sergeant.

Mike!

Dead dogs don't wag tails.