Original subtitles

Those of us of his staff, most notably Officer Whitfield here.

At other times, Chief Ironside has employed the services of, variously, a

small boy named Bobby, a police dog named Mike, and a minor bird named

To many people, the policeman appears in the role of adversary, both in its

literal and legal meaning.

This is not true.

It is not the objective of the police to prosecute any citizen.

It is our objective to obtain evidence of a crime and to compile such evidence

in a manner directed by... Excuse me, sir. This is urgent.

Thank you.

Excuse me.

We have to get these people out of here.

Ladies and gentlemen, due to unforeseen circumstances, I shall have to cut short

my remarks. I trust you will excuse us.

Please clear the building immediately, please.

Immediately.

Thank you.

We'll let you know in just a few minutes.

Get on the phone.

Call the military bomb disposal squad and tell them to get here as soon as

possible. We have a bomb?

Ready to blow any time.

Could be here, it could be there. The Big Bang could be anywhere.

But when the clock tower sounds its bell, it could be your summons to dwell

hell.

Where's the plastic?

Inside the main hall. They're running a search now.

Okay.

Sergeant, let's move it.

I'm having trouble with these knives.

I wonder about you, Sergeant.

Didn't I tell you to check these suits? How long does it take you to carry out

an order?

Sorry, Mr. Simpson. I won't have it again, sir.

That's not the answer, Sergeant.

The trouble is some of you old sweats.

I think you don't think discipline applies to you.

Discipline, Sergeant. Military discipline is that state of training and

obedience that makes for immediate carrying out of all orders of all lawful

superiors. Yes, sir.

Very good, Sergeant.

All right, let's go.

Did you get the chief?

No answer.

Keep trying.

All right.

Frank, Artie.

What have we got, Sergeant? We don't know yet. If we don't turn it up in

more minutes, we'll pull out.

What are you doing here?

So, sir, I'm Neil Morgan, editor of the campus... Get out of here. No, just a

minute. No time for arguments. Move.

I have a right to be here.

All right, get out or I'll run you in.

Come on, Neil, let's go.

It looks like it.

Okay, it's all yours. Let's clear the area.

Cheers! Sorry

you missed all the

fun. Yeah, there aren't many phone booths on that traffic train.

Hey, this one calls it a student prank.

Yeah, some prank.

Don't they realize that prank tied up a number of police as well as scaring the

daylights out of a lot of people? Gee, if you gotta admit, it's pretty funny.

Two guys fell in with Talcott. Ho, ho, ho.

Oh, Neil Morgan. Get it? The school paper.

Good morning.

Good morning, Mr. Morgan.

Do you have an appointment?

Sir, this is a public office.

As a member of the press, I am entitled to... You're entitled to observe the

common rules of courtesy.

When I'm ready to issue a statement, I'll see to it that you're informed.

day. Now, just a minute, sir.

I'm here to help.

How?

My assistant, Miss Henderson, and I have been up half the night assembling data.

Good morning.

Is that your data?

Yes, sir.

I take it you don't consider last night's incident to be funny?

Anything but funny, sir.

I think it was more of a warning than anything else. What kind of warning?

That it would be just as easy to plant a real bomb as a dummy?

Now, why would anyone want to plant a bomb on the campus?

Everybody knows what's been going on at school, sir.

Well, a militant left -wing minority has been trying to close down classes since

the beginning of the term.

It's all there, sir, clipped from the campus daily as well as the local papers

and wire service reports.

I'm sorry, sir.

Chief. Eve.

Thank you very much, Mr. Morgan.

Thank you.

Let me be gone, Eve.

Chief, Warrant Officer Simpson here.

Thank you.

Good morning, Chief.

We got a real Rube Goldberg this time.

Would you explain that, Mr. Simpson?

It's a spring -activated gizmo connected to a timing device.

The timer activates the springs at the same time it sets off a penny torpedo.

And what kind of workmanship went into it?

Well, it's a pretty complicated device.

I'd say somebody knew his bench mechanics to put it together so it would

Thank you.

Let me talk to Eve.

Yes, sir.

Might as well come in, Eve.

If the Army's through with that device, bring it along.

Yes, sir.

I'm to take the device back to headquarters if you're through with it.

What about it, Vernon?

That's it.

I'm going as far as I can go.

Goodbye, and thank you.

Drop in any time.

Wow. You like anything?

Is that a crack, Sergeant? Just a passing remark.

How long have you been in the service, Sergeant?

20 years.

20 years?

To make Sergeant?

Not what I'd call an outstanding record.

Can't all be beavers.

Come back here, Sergeant. I'm not through talking to you.

That's an order.

Hey, Frank, what's wrong with you?

What's wrong with me?

Yeah, what's wrong with you? You've been on my back for six months. I want to

know why.

Sit down, Arnie.

You ever thought of transferring out of this unit? What are you talking about?

I think the work's getting to you.

That's crazy.

I've been handling bombs for 18 years.

Maybe you've been handling them too long.

Everybody has a breaking point.

You trying to tell me that I've lost my nerve?

No, nothing like that.

But you're reaching the point where your nerve's gonna crack.

Listen, I've seen the signs before.

You missed details.

Like not having the tires on that armor fixed.

A deal.

Little deal.

Very small deal.

But a symptom.

And someday you'll miss another small deal.

Only that time the balloon will go up and take some other people along with

You're afraid to work with me, aren't you?

I didn't say that.

You didn't say a lot of other things, too.

What are you talking about?

Like Darlene Hicks, for one.

Darlene. Don't try to snow me, Frank. I know you're chasing her.

Who needs to chase?

Blow on her ears, she'll follow you anywhere.

Easy.

Down, boy.

It's a year and a kick if you do.

You pulling rank on me, Simpson?

Okay, Sergeant.

I tried to tell you for your own good to transfer out.

You want to play it the hard way, you'll get it the hard way.

That's all, Sergeant.

Bomb disposal, Warrant Officer Simpson speaking.

Yes, sir, we're rolling.

Some duds on the artillery range.

We've got to detonate them. Let's move it.

Maybe Mr. Morgan has something.

Seems a little rabid on the subject of student militants, wouldn't you say?

He must have something. He wouldn't print names the way he does. There are

laws.

And you don't think it was a college prank?

I can't see anybody taking the time and effort to put together a device with

watchmaker precision just for that.

Glad draw a blank sheet, no fingerprints.

What about the bomb container?

Cardboard, attaché case. They sell them at the five and dime.

That leaves the note.

Ironside. Just a moment.

Dean Morris at the college.

Afternoon, Dean.

We'll be right there.

You call bomb disposal unit.

Tell Simpson to meet us at building C. Now let's go.

Keep wire in time.

The students and faculty are out, Chief.

This was delivered to my office 30 minutes ago.

Hickory dickory dock, there's something in the clock. One, two, three, and up

goes C.

How is that note delivered?

I threw it flip through the mail slot in one of the outer offices.

By the time one of the secretaries noticed it, whoever delivered it was

gone. Well, if the note means things to do to go up at three, it doesn't leave

much time.

Chief? Yeah?

He says the bomb disposal unit's out in the field. They're trying to reach him

by radio telephone, but so far no luck.

We'll evacuate the building.

We have to evacuate. But this is news, Dean Morris. Neil, this place is liable

to blow up at any moment.

All right, you.

Out of here.

Oh, look.

There's a dirty clock in the building. We'd better leave, Mark.

It's a very, very dark.

Something's in the clock.

You said something?

Clock, clock.

Dr. Morris.

Yes? Is there any particular clock in this building? Something that would be

known as the clock? Something everyone on campus would know about?

What about Professor Spencer's water clock?

Water clock?

It's a sort of a campus joke, Keith.

Spencer spent years perfecting it. Where is it?

On the third floor of Spencer's laboratory.

All right, Mark, move.

Get out of here.

I said get out of here. Now, that's an order.

What are you going to do about it?

I'd be a blasted fool if this isn't funny.

How does it work?

It's not supposed to tick, I can tell you that.

Put some water in that sink.

And throw me that stool.

It won't explode, will it?

Not unless some chemical genius has been at work.

That's household putty.

The Glad Bomber struck again today, but the only damage suffered was to the

nerves of the police and university officials.

An explosive device similar to the one found in University Hall last night...

was discovered today in a university science building.

Wow, what a gruesome sense of humor.

Say that again.

Who would do such rotten things?

A lot of creeps around campus.

The thing that bothers me is... Sooner or later, whoever's playing these tricks

may decide to plant a real bomb.

For all practical purposes, this was a real bomb.

What do you mean?

Whoever rigged up that dummy used a fulminator mercury cap.

That's what caused the explosion.

Dangerous? I'll say, one of them can blow your hand off. Not this one.

did it removed most of the charge. Wasn't any stronger than a cannon

You didn't tell me that.

You didn't ask me.

From now on, you keep me informed.

Yes, sir, Mr. Simpson, sir.

Honey, would you say that the man who made this bomb was familiar with

explosives? You bet he was.

Excuse me.

I got a date.

Eddie, Sergeant, you had a date.

You're pulling CQ tonight.

I pulled it last night.

And you've been getting pretty lippy so you can pull it again tonight.

What are you waiting for?

A card for the chaplain to punch?

You can't do this to me.

It's against regulation.

RHIP, Sergeant.

Ask any officer.

Good night, Chief.

RHIP?

Rank has its privileges.

Well, there's kind of a thing you go too far.

Mark, would you make some coffee, please, and then turn on the news?

I wanted to look at the fights.

News. R -H -I -P.

Like I said, sick out of a thing can be pushed too far.

Century.

These big letters are 24 point.

Small ones are 18 point.

Now, the real small ones are regal, body type, about, uh, oh, eight point on a

nine point slot.

Now, that century is a real nice type.

Pity it ain't being used much anymore.

Everybody's going for that modern sans serif.

Skinny stuff.

It had no, no character to it.

Doesn't anybody use century?

Oh, yeah.

Job shops use it to print up, uh, old school papers, church publications.

Things like that.

What can I

do

for you?

I'm Eve Whitfield.

Dean Morris sent me over for a tryout.

You're new here, aren't you?

I'm a transfer.

You ever work on a paper?

No.

Well, then the first thing you learn is not to disturb an editor when he's

getting out an edition.

Henderson?

This is the new tryout.

Whitfield, Henderson.

How do you do?

Nice to have you listen.

Show her where we keep the paper, Lutz.

What about paste pots?

Neil believes in breaking and trying to get this through the big paper. You

start running coffee.

You start filling paste pots. If you hear anyone yell coffee, just drop

everything and run.

How soon can I have an analysis of the pace used to attach the letters?

About an hour.

Rough, huh?

Do you always like this?

Dave thinks very seriously.

Including militant activists.

I've been reading some of his editorials.

Neil doesn't believe a disorderly minority has the right to spoil

serious students.

Neil's worked very hard for his education.

He's older than most students.

He spent two years on a construction gang in Alaska to earn enough money to

here.

You're very fond of him.

He's everything a man should be.

He fights for the things he thinks are right.

I just wish you wouldn't get so involved.

In what?

I better get back to work.

Coffee?

Miss Whitfield?

Sorry.

Copy. Yes.

Get this to the printer.

You and Blondie were having quite a talk.

About you?

Don't tell her too much, huh?

Ordinary paste.

The kind anyone could mix in a kitchen.

Salt, flour, and water. Doesn't give us very much to go on.

Not when you consider the number of kitchens in the area.

Come on, Angie.

We'll drop this off at the printer.

Whitfield, you finish up.

Finish up?

Clean the paste pots, wash the brushes, sharpen the pencils, and see that every

desk has a fresh supply of copy paper.

Is that all?

You wanted to be a newspaper woman, Whitfield.

This is how you start.

Good night.

Good night.

Please, this is an emergency.

This one came without warning.

Think it's for real, Chief?

We'll find out soon.

See what kind of gag our fun -loving friend cooked up this time.

Be careful, Frank.

This could be the real thing.

I like about you, you're always telling me things I already know.

Bingo.

I can't find the lead from the timer to the fuse.

Where am I?

Looks clear.

All right.

Here goes nothing.

What? Take a look at this.

Don't you get it?

That stuff is real.

Genuine 40 % dynamite.

But it hasn't been fused.

What's happening?

Miss Whitfield found a package in your storage cabinet.

I might have expected it.

They were bound to get around to me sooner or later.

Whom do you mean when you say they?

The same militant leftists that have been pulling all these other dumb

We're not at all sure that they are the responsible parties.

Well, who else would want to blow up a newspaper office?

I suppose I should feel flattered.

Why did you come back to the office?

Why? Yes. Did you hear about the bomb?

No, sir.

I was just coming back to ride my leader for tomorrow.

Harmless as a baby's rattle, Chief.

Bounce it, jump on it, even burn it. What happens if batteries spark it?

Nothing, kid.

Dynamite needs an explosion to set it off. That takes a cap.

Here, I'll show you.

This is a fulminated mercury cap.

Highly explosive.

You notice this end is hollow.

The fuse is inserted and the brass casing crimped around it.

This end, the explosive end, is inserted in the dynamite. The spark blows the

cap and that blows the charge.

I guess the bomber goofed.

Or he may have meant this particular bomb as a warning.

Well, hello, I...

What brings you here?

Simpson sent me up about the dynamite.

Well, what about it?

We wouldn't have been tossing that around like we did if we'd known how old

was. The older that stuff gets, the touchier it gets, and that stuff was

How you making out?

Well, you might say we have a suspect.

Well, pick him up fast, will you, Chief?

It's not getting blown up that hurts. It's waiting around for it to happen.

Bomb disposal, Warrant Officer Simpson.

I told you not to call me here.

Frank, you've got to get over here, like, right away.

What's wrong?

Arnie, he's passed out in my place.

I've got to get to work.

I thought you... I wasn't seeing him.

I mean, I didn't invite him here or anything.

He just showed up.

Honest, sweetie.

Look, he's loaded. You've got to get him out of here.

Okay. Okay.

I'll be there as fast as I can get somebody on the duty desk.

Will you be quiet?

What, do you want to get me kicked out?

Put it down.

What are you trying to do, drown me?

What happened?

You're up at Darlene's.

Oh, yeah?

I guess I got schnooken, huh?

You guess.

The poor kid got thrown out on account of you.

Well, I... I don't know. I guess I'm sorry.

You guess.

I had to take her to a hotel.

How did you register, Mr. and Mrs.?

I ought to beat your brains out for that crack.

Oh, yeah? Well, you want to try that?

Maybe tomorrow, huh?

You got a date.

One of you guys a warrant officer Simpson?

I'm Simpson. Phone call. They said it was urgent. Keep your eye on him.

Warrant Officer Simpson speaking.

The dean out at the college got another note.

A bomb?

That's what it says.

Okay, we're rolling.

On your feet, drunk.

We just got another call.

Where? The college. They planted another bomb.

Come on, move it. Easy, easy. Move it. Watch it.

How do you feel?

I'm dying on the vine.

You're going to be a lot of help.

What do you mean? Try me. Try me.

Listen, I'll defuse this bomb alone.

You get within 20 feet of where I'm working and I'll kill you.

It's a promise.

All right.

Be a hero.

Just stay out of my way.

At the statue. We just finished roping off the area.

Wait here.

Where is it spotted?

At the statue.

Stay back.

Give me the cutter.

Just like the others.

This guy's in a rut.

He's alive.

Just barely. What about Sergeant Vernon?

Arnie, you all right?

Oh, my God.

I told him to be careful.

I told him this one could be for real.

Don't blame yourself.

It had a double fuse.

I should have been with him. I could have done something.

I could have spotted the rig, something.

Only I got drunk.

I'm still drunk.

And there's something wrong with that.

In what way?

Doesn't fit the pattern.

The samples of paste obtained from the first three messages are identical, but

different from that taken from the last bomb threat.

Now this.

The letters on the right were cut out with scissors.

Those on the left show more angular cuts.

They might have been done with a razor blade.

And finally, we've got this.

The letters in the first three messages were blank on the reverse side.

These have type on them.

Then they could have been cut from any regular edition of the paper.

That's right.

May I use your phone?

Be my guest.

The Glad Bomber became the Mad Bomber late tonight.

when a dynamite bomb exploded on the college campus.

Julio, what's wrong?

Seriously injured in the blast was warrant officer Frank Simpson of the

Bomb Disposal Unit.

Simpson, 45 years old, veteran of 25 years military service, was attempting

defuse the device when it exploded.

It can't be.

It doesn't make any sense.

It's impossible.

Neil, you... You couldn't.

You didn't.

Neil

Morgan,

would you come with me, please? We'd like to talk to you.

You'd better come too, Miss Henderson.

Hey.

Anderson girl said Neil Morgan worked on construction in Alaska.

We'll wire the state police, see if they have anything on him.

I've talked to the Morgan boys and I has any knowledge of the crime.

How are you going to charge him, Bob?

Attempted murder.

Murder one if Simpson dies.

Ben, I'll make a deal with you.

You know I can't make any deals with you.

What kind of deal?

Well, I'll show you what I've got.

It'll be up to you to decide whether or not your client should cooperate.

Well, the district attorney's going to love you.

Deal? What kind of fool could turn down a deal like that?

Mark, please.

The tests have established that the paste used to secure cut -out letters to

backing sheet is the same kind used in the campus daily office.

The scissors used to cut out the letters had a small nick at the tip of the

blade.

We've compared the cut -out edges of the letters with the paper edges cut by

scissors taken from Neil Morgan's desk.

All right.

Scissors might be the same.

What about capability, motive?

I received this telegram from the Alaska police in Juneau.

Subject Neil Morgan has been employed the past three summers in various Alaska

construction jobs.

His most recent position was as assistant powder man on construction of

Highway, sincerely yours.

Now, an assistant powder man would certainly be capable of handling

Motive? Oh, read his editorials, Ben.

The campus daily, a constant stream of...

Fulmination against campus militants. What he called the creeps.

I think we can establish that he intended for them to get the blame for

bombing.

I'll talk to him.

Is that all?

Thank you, Ben.

Neil Morgan's admitted planting all the bombs except the last.

Where does that leave us?

I was with Simpson just before he lost consciousness. The last words he said

were, why did he do it?

That sounds like he knew he planted the bomb.

Exactly.

Which arouses speculation that Simpson was meant to be the target of that last

bomb. But why?

Where's the motive?

Ironside.

Yes. Thank you.

Simpson just died.

Never regained consciousness.

Sorry, sir, this is off limits.

Police.

Where's Sergeant Vernon?

He's with Simpson's girl.

But he took up about what Frank... Oh, well, uh...

He wouldn't mind if I waited in his quarters.

I'm sure he wouldn't mind.

Thank you.

No, honey, that's not going to help.

We know that this is a terrible time for you, Sergeant, but we need some help.

Yeah, sure.

Can you come down to the department?

Yeah, but... I'll stay with her if you like.

Well, I sure would appreciate it.

And we're going to get married, you know.

It's a shame.

Yeah.

Darlene, I've got to get down to headquarters about Frank.

Officer Whitfield here. I'll stay with you.

Don't let her hit the sauce.

You know.

Come in, Sergeant.

Hello, Chief.

Trying to make head or tail out of this.

How long were you and Simpson together?

About 20 years.

That's a long time.

You got any idea who did it?

Oh, sure.

We have it pretty well narrowed down.

Had to be someone who was familiar with the university bomb threats.

Someone who knew how to handle explosives.

Someone with the opportunity to plant that last real bomb.

Well, it could have been a lot of people.

Could be you.

Why would I want to blow up a statue?

Or why would you want to kill something?

That's crazy.

We've been friends for 20 years.

You are.

Is it what you call me a big one?

Where'd you get that?

A few things I picked up in the quarters you shared with Frank Simpson at the

army base.

You've got no right to do that.

What's the beef?

Nothing valuable.

Just a few old cut -up copies of the college paper.

You haven't done anything on me. Get out of here.

You're wrong, Sergeant.

I've done a lot on you.

Now take him down and book him.

Suspicion of murder.

Well, he made a statement when he saw the evidence. After all those years

together, why?

Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy.

It is the green -eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.

A digiago.

Twenty years, the second man.

And when Simpson took his girl, that tore it.

Well, everybody ready for the ballgame?

Bowl game?

I thought we were going to the fight.

Bowl game.

Why do I have to go to the bowl game and it's fight night? R -H -I -P.

I'm going to remind you of that 20 years from now.