Original subtitles

What the commissioner sometimes fails to recognize is that his job involves more

than appointing committee and listening to their interminable report.

We're due there in 15 minutes.

I know when we're due there.

Pour me a cup of that, will you please?

What's the report on today?

Ah, the usual.

Increase in crime.

Decrease in the budget. What else?

Well, how's the new recruitment program coming along?

That's on the agenda, too.

There's a faction that's been arguing for an across -the -board pay hike as an

inducement. You know what I know?

What did you manage to do to it this time?

It's going to be one of those days, huh?

Some of the city council will be there, a few newspaper men, the commissioner

will give his pep talk, the reporters will report, the councilman will

What about you?

What about me? I'm supposed to nod and look sober and agree and perhaps smile

occasionally.

Chief Ironside's office.

Who's calling?

Ironside.

Yes, speaking.

Of course I'm certain.

No, I can't prove it. You'll just have to take my... What do you want to tell

me?

Yes, I'm listening.

Yes, I'm listening closely.

Just a minute before you... What did he want?

He wanted to tell me that unless I do something about it, those were his

that he's going to commit a murder.

Could it be a crank call?

Could be.

The trouble is you never know for sure until the morning paper comes out.

Unless I do something.

Do what?

You did. You sent the office by the phone with the tape recorder.

You didn't say he'd call again.

He could be in some window right now with a rifle waiting.

I keep thinking of someone walking along somewhere.

Rifle pointed at his back or her back.

Someone's finger on the trigger.

Don't you know the later I get to one of these gatherings, the longer the

commissioner's remarks take?

It's known as Randall's Law. Now step on it. Yes, sir.

And on the basis of the report which you've just heard, ladies and gentlemen,

must be obvious there is a direct relationship between the amount provided

in the budget for the prevention of crime activities and the degree of

effectiveness.

Excuse me.

I must tell you, I asked you to hold all calls until... It's for you.

Eve?

Yes, this is Chief Ironside.

No, I'm quite sure you're serious.

I have no reason to doubt it.

Stephen. In fact, I'm glad you called me again.

I'd like to talk to you about... Listen to me.

I'd like to ask you why you want to do this.

I won't tell you that.

Not now.

All I want to tell you now is that you've got to believe me when I say that

going to do it.

I've said I do.

The next time I call, I'll tell you how it's going to happen.

When will that be?

I was waiting for you to tell me who that... Keep it going a little longer.

We're trying to... I see.

What's it all about, Chief?

Just a routine police matter.

Chief, it didn't sound like a routine police matter.

Perhaps you'd like to tell me what a routine police matter does sound like,

Like something a lot less serious than that just sounded.

All police matters are serious, even the routine ones. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm

afraid you'll have to excuse us. Mark, Paul, just go on with your crime

prevention meeting, Tess.

Either he knew I was going to be at that meeting because he read it somewhere or

he heard it somewhere or he saw me go into that office.

That means he had to have been here in the corridor.

Well, the call came about ten minutes after we got here.

He wouldn't have gone up to the jail section.

What we need to find is a public telephone about ten minutes away from

When would you say we usually wait for this elevator?

A couple of minutes. I figure he waited a couple of minutes.

We were on the fifth floor.

The elevator invariably stops at every floor on the way down.

Business is slow.

Well, he could have taken us to this.

Would you have walked down four flights?

Not unless I was in a hurry.

But the waiting and the usual stops, it could have taken him...

Five minutes to reach the lobby.

On a good day.

Now, I've been in and out of this building for years.

One thing you never notice is a public telephone.

Well, there's one.

Signed to a dollar, that telephone book's open to the municipal listings,

including the Hall of Justice.

Which one of us was betting the dime?

You were?

Oh, it to me.

Hundreds of smeared prints.

That's a conservative estimate.

Well, might as well ring up the lab from here and get the monitor. Use my dime.

The phone doesn't work.

the counter straightening. One of my three S's.

Sorting, straightening, and selling.

Y 'all gonna buy something?

No, that phone ate his last dive.

You have a phone, Hank? Sure do.

Anyone ask to use it today?

No.

This is Ironside.

I'd like to have the pay phone in the east lobby dusted.

I noticed someone at that phone 15 or 20 minutes ago looking up a number.

Yeah, as a matter of fact, I did.

I was going to tell him he'd lose his dime. You know, the phone gets kind of

temperamental and it slips out. But I got real busy, and by the time I got

through, he'd gone.

Can you describe him?

Yeah,

medium height, I'd say.

Dark, short hair, brown suit.

Businessman type, you know.

What makes you say that?

He had a briefcase.

What about his features?

Features? I didn't see them.

to me the whole time.

I see.

Well... Thanks, petite.

What?

Why do you want to commit this murder?

There's no other way to get justice.

Justice for whom? I'm not answering any more questions.

I'm just telling you what's going to happen. Right now, I'm telling you how

going to happen.

How? By accident.

I mean, it'll look like an accident.

What kind of accident?

Nothing. Would you print up an out -of -order sign hanging on that phone?

Sure will.

Mark, I think he means it.

We're going to stop him. We have to find out three things.

Who he is, who he's planning to murder, and why he's calling me.

Well, there's a fourth thing to figure out. Where do we begin?

The classic case, Chief.

The police records are full of them, the textbooks are full of them, the

logbooks are full of them.

The obsession to kill together with the fear of killing.

And the compulsion to be stopped.

He wants you to catch him before he does it, but if you don't catch him, he'll

do it.

The only difference between this guy and Jack the Ripper is that the telephone

was invented in between. Jack had it sent letters, this guy phoned you.

But the message is the same.

Catch me before I kill someone.

I'm not so sure.

Why? Because Jack the Ripper was a long time ago, and right here today, there

could be a guy with a telescopic sight in some building across the street.

Aimed at me?

It happened once before.

I see.

Chief, why doesn't he just try it? Why the call?

Because the best way to get the chief out someplace where it's nice and quiet

and safe and lonely is to say to him first, I'm going to kill somebody.

Then this is where I'm going to kill him. Then this is when I'm going to kill

him. Now, who do you think is going to be at the where and when?

Two people.

The chief and the guy was out to kill him.

That's an interesting theory, Mark, but it's still a theory.

Well, like you say, you never know till you read tomorrow's paper.

Ironside.

Yes? Dennis.

Sprung a leak and the switchboard is burning up.

So far, we've got about 150 people who say they are the intended victim and

want police protection.

Situation is bad, Bob, and it could get worse, much worse.

These people who think they're the victims, Dennis, do we have their names

their phone numbers? We have been running the police department for a long

now. You're beginning to get quite good at it. Thank you so much. Not at all.

Dennis, how about suspects?

The ones these people think are planning to murder them.

Oh, we've got quite an assortment there, too.

Names, even some addresses.

Disgruntled ex -employees, outraged husbands, casual acquaintances.

some old grudge.

Calls are still coming in. I was lucky to get an outside line to call you.

All right, Dennis, I'll get back to you.

But... Later, Dennis.

We have to get a recording of this man's voice.

First, there's a bare possibility we might get an identification from one of

these self -proclaimed victims. And second, I don't know which possibility

the bare.

But if he has a record, there might be a voice print of him somewhere which

would identify him. So far, you're the only one who's talked to him long enough

to be able to recognize his voice.

He always seems to know just where you are.

And Chief, he tends to call when Ed and I aren't with you.

Well... Let's make it as easy for him as possible this time.

Giving them every chance to spot it. So far, he's been doing all right without

our help.

All right, Mark.

You can pull up anywhere along here.

Well, folks, that concludes our tour of the city.

Knob Hill, the Presidio, Uptown, Downtown, Crosstown, Chinatown.

Remember, somebody's reported a burglary.

You're looking for witnesses.

Make it look legitimate.

How much time do you need?

Oh, give it half an hour.

Chief, I'll be all right, Ed.

Mark, I appreciate your concern, but I'm not this man's intended victim.

How do you know that?

By what you said.

If it were going to happen again...

It would happen that way again.

Right now, it's a busy afternoon on a crowded San Francisco street. So get

going.

Inside. Do you recognize my voice?

Yes, I do recognize your voice.

I wanted to wait until you were alone.

And you know that I am.

And I know that you are.

It's always interesting that you always seem to know that.

Where I am, who's with me.

from it yet?

No.

All right, Todd.

That's it.

Any words from the last?

Dead end, Chief.

No clear fingerprints on that payphone.

And the tape doesn't match any voice print they've got on file.

What about the people who called in?

And they're still calling.

More victims all the time. So far, only 35 have heard the tape.

And? Zero, Chief.

All right. Stay on top of it, Ed. And thank you. All right.

Nothing yet.

So far, he's called me here, in the van, in the commissioner's office,

and at Hank's candy stand.

All these numbers are easy to find.

But I'm not easy to find.

Either he's following me and ducking into phone booths, or else he's got a

somewhat more efficient operation going on.

And up to now, I'd give him pretty high marks for efficiency.

Well, he's got half of San Francisco climbing the walls.

And all of us missing the obvious explanation.

A car phone?

If that's the case, Eve, he has to place his calls for the mobile operator.

He has to ask for the number he wants, and he has to give the number he's

calling from. I'll get right on it.

All right, Mark.

Run that tape again, please.

Yes, I do recognize your voice.

I wanted to wait until you were alone.

And you know that I am. I see, operator.

Well, then would you please check this one, 6560311?

Where I am?

Who's with me?

That doesn't matter.

You're trying to get me to say something that'll give me away.

But I won't do that.

Now, 8573621.

Well, thank you very much, operator.

Yes.

I wanted to wait until you were alone.

Another dead end, Chief. None of these numbers went through the mobile

It's always interesting that you always seem to know that.

That voice.

Tell me about it.

Tell you what?

Well, where would you say he came from? Texas?

New York? Alabama?

Is there anything regional in his voice?

Not to me.

He? Nothing that I can hear.

Well, anything racial, then, or national?

Well, he's not black.

How do you know?

He don't sound black.

Does he sound white? He doesn't sound like anything.

Almost as if his voice was made up by a machine.

You come across a voice like that.

A voice that's neutral. No accent. A computerized voice.

And now the news.

A radio announcer.

Or a disc jockey.

Or people who answer the telephone on talk shows.

Or people who are going to school to study to be radio announcers.

All right, Eve, put a list together, and tomorrow you and Ed can split it up. I

want all the radio and TV stations covered. All the schools.

Somebody has to recognize that voice sooner or later.

Well, I could give him a hand.

Nope. First thing in the morning, we're going for another drive.

Away this time.

You are going to show me where the park meets the bay.

The park meets the bay an awful lot around here, Chief. It's like they were

going steady.

Park meets the bay.

If it's not a clue, it's a cryptogram.

Unless... Just north of the Marine Hospital.

Park Boulevard meets West Bay Avenue.

All right, Mark, turn around.

The park has just met the bay.

Quiet, remote, empty. It's a good place for a killing.

Captain Hook.

There's no phone booth in miles.

Take a look around. Check that stand.

There's got to be a car or a boat or a helicopter.

Ironside. Do you know who this is?

Yes, I know who you are.

And I seem to have found the right place, haven't I?

You what?

Well, where then?

Wait!

Was it him?

Yes. Then he was calling from the moon. What now?

He's going to commit this murder the day after tomorrow. No later than midnight.

Well, then it's simple. All we have to do is to stake out this place.

He's decided to change the place.

To where?

He didn't say.

So, the people at the radio stations, television studios, and broadcasting

schools have heard the tape. We've got, let's see, 11 possibles so far.

Is he still checking out her list?

Yeah. She's come up with a few maybes.

Ed, the day after tomorrow is going to get here very fast.

I've still got six or eight more places.

What?

A killer and a victim.

Could be anyone, anywhere, anytime.

And I don't know where I fit in or how he's calling me.

Maybe he's got a phone in his pocket.

I was just making a joke.

Out of the mouths of babes and jokers.

What did I say?

Get me a phone book.

Essentially, it operates like a car telephone.

Of course, it's more compact and completely portable.

Now, calls made from this phone don't go through the regular mobile telephone

operator. That's correct.

They didn't until recently, but this is our latest model. And its tone quality

and echo inhibitor far surpass anything that's ever been available before.

And you simply dial it. After a channel's been automatically selected

you get a green light.

There, you see? Ready to dial.

If the mobile operator has no record of the call... The phone is coded.

And the calls are automatically recorded at the telephone billing office.

Just as they would when you use an ordinary house phone or business phone.

Maynard.

Yes, Mr. Maynard.

I see.

WP56715.

Yes, thank you.

Gentlemen, all of the calls you received were made from one of our instruments.

Do you know...

By whom they were made.

Yes.

As a matter of fact, this particular instrument is currently being

by one of our salesmen, a young man named Eddie Street.

I want an APB on a male Caucasian between 21 and 25.

Medium build, about 5 '10", using the name Eddie Street.

Dark hair, no distinguishing features, pleasant voice.

Probably carrying an attaché case weighing about three pounds.

And this is urgent.

He packed up and left about two days ago.

Did he settle his bill?

Oh, yeah. He did that all right.

Well, I suppose we'll have to get the lab up here.

Mid -city grill.

We're looking for a man named Eddie Street.

Most of the people I serve don't give me names. Don't even give me tips.

Between 21 and 25.

Around 5 '10", brown hair, pleasant voice.

You're describing three quarters of California, mister.

You never heard the name?

Like I said.

Is there anyone here who might know him?

Bert? Yeah?

Policeman.

Bert Emmerich. He's the owner.

For some guy named... Thank you. I'll take it from here.

Mr. Emmerich, Robert Ironside.

A package of sugar like this one was found in the room of a man named Eddie

Street. We're looking for that man, and we wondered if you could help us.

It's important.

People take those things out with them all the time.

I guess it pays to advertise.

We thought perhaps you might know him by name.

I'm afraid not.

What does he look like?

Three quarters of California.

I'd say early 20s, 5 '10", dark hair, medium build, pleasant voice.

Probably carries an attaché case.

We don't do the business that any does, but he sounds like half my customer.

Who else works here, Mr. Emmerich? Just my wife. She's back there cooking.

Oh, I'm pretty good with an omelet, too, even with only one wing, but mostly I'm

by the cash register.

I see.

Well, thank you anyway.

Mark?

How many dead ends now, Chief?

Well, let's see what we've got.

Someone called Eddie Street, led us to Captain Hook, from there to Vern

Emmerich.

Who's only got one arm.

Why?

Mark. What?

Look at that sign.

Well, that's funny.

We've been saying Eddie Street, and here we are at Eddie Street.

But it still doesn't make any sense. The guy's got the same name as the street.

So what?

The guy took the same name as the street.

Nearest intersection to Emmerich's Cafe.

He wanted to point a finger at Emmerich.

Ironside.

Yes, what is it, Eve? I just finished the list, and there's only one name I

account for.

The school doesn't have a home address on him, and he dropped out of class

three or four days ago.

His name is Barrow.

What did you say?

Charles Barrow.

Stay there, Eve. We're heading in.

You got something? If I'm right, we've passed our last dead end.

We're on our way home.

On the night of March 24th, 1955, Police Sergeant Charles Burroughs shot and

killed a burglary suspect.

He shot him because he believed the suspect was about to draw a gun and

him.

There was a public outcry when it was later learned that the suspect was

unarmed. and there was a hearing before a review board.

Sergeant Boro testified under oath that he had repeatedly ordered the suspect to

put his hands up and had only fired his gun when he believed the suspect was

about to draw and fire at him.

He also claimed that there was a witness to the incident who would be able to

corroborate his statement.

That witness, despite repeated pleas by the news media to present himself and

give evidence, failed to materialize.

And the review board, by a vote of five to one, discounted his existence and

dismissed Sergeant Burrow from the force.

Whose was the dissenting vote?

I believed him.

That was 15 years ago.

I haven't spoken to or heard of Chuck Burrow since that time.

Now he's leading you on a wild goose chase that's not so wild.

To Vern Emmerich.

Did Sergeant Burrow describe the witness?

As well as he could.

On a dark night, while he was holding a gun on someone else.

About 5 '10", 155 pounds.

Seemingly dark brown hair.

And one arm?

Nope.

But he described him otherwise.

He was a well -trained police officer, very observant.

You'd think that the first thing he'd notice... Who said that Emmerich was

with one arm?

That's what we have to find out.

When Vern Emmerich lost that arm, and where Chuck Borle is now.

Hello, Mrs. Borle.

I remember you.

You're Robert Einstein.

I met you once when Chuck was still alive.

Oh, didn't you know?

I'm sorry.

Very sorry.

Mrs. Burrow, this is Mark Sanger.

Hello. Would you like to come in?

Five years ago.

Just ten years after he was kicked off the force.

He spent the first half of those ten years trying to find that man.

He spent the second half trying to forget what had happened.

He thought that drinking would help him to forget.

Maybe it did.

It also killed him.

That's Charles Jr. when he was ten.

How old is he now?

He left home when he was 18. I haven't heard from him since. That was four

ago.

Well, how old is he?

22, about.

If he isn't dead.

Are you the victim, Mr. Emmerich?

Tell me why you think it might be me.

All right, I think I can reasonably assume that on the night of March 24th,

1955, you were a witness to a shooting in the marina, that you saw a police

officer shoot and kill another man.

You can assume whatever you want, but don't call it reasonable. I was nowhere

near the marina that night.

You're sure of that?

Why shouldn't I be?

Why should you be?

You know, I'd have to think a couple of minutes at least before I could say with

any accuracy.

Where I was on a particular night, at a particular time 15 years ago. I was with

a young lady in her apartment in a 500 block on Woolsey. She was a waitress in

the hash house I was working in. We got married in 1957.

She's back there right now cooking.

Want me to bring her out here and have her swear I was with her that night?

Oh, I'm sure her testimony would corroborate yours.

Mr. Emmerich, do you want police protection?

What for?

If you are that witness, I believe someone will try to murder you.

I just said I wasn't. I know.

So I don't need police protection, do I?

If I said I want the police protection, then you'd know that I was a witness.

What do you think I am, stupid or something?

How'd you lose your arm, Mr. Emmerich?

In a service in my country.

When was that? Korea, 1951.

Oh, incidentally, do this witness of yours have only one arm?

No, the witness did not have one arm. If he'd had one arm, Chuck would have

noticed it and said so.

John, Chief.

So far, no word about Borrow's son.

All right, I want you to get right over to the Mid -City Grill.

Stay cut.

If Emmerich's our man, he's going to be feeling the pressure.

He'll either blow and give himself away or... Or Borrow's son will nail him.

See him.

Just what are you up to?

These are the watch files for every precinct in San Francisco for the night

March 24th, 1955.

Eve, take a look. Mark, you too.

Check them over, every entry.

I want to know what was going on that night all over town.

I want to know why a man would risk being murdered tonight rather than admit

what he was doing on a night 15 years ago.

Chief, what time was the shooting?

3 .45 a .m. Why?

Listen.

At 3 .35 a .m., an automobile struck and killed a pedestrian, then ran into a

utility pole and was wrecked. The driver fled the scene of the accident.

The car had been reported stolen earlier in the day. The driver of the car was

not apprehended.

Where did that happen?

400 block of Clark Street.

Shooting involving Borrow took place on the 1300 block of Clark Street.

It's only nine blocks away. A man running from an accident or walking fast

take about ten minutes to reach the point where Chuck Borough was

that burglary suspect.

And he wouldn't want to stop?

Oh, he wouldn't want to come forward later and admit to being there, either.

Excuse me, what about the one -armed?

If it was dark and he was moving fast, Chuck wouldn't have noticed. One of

fancy prosthetic hooks.

Then it makes the man.

Why else would he be able to say with certainty where he was on that

night? Because he had to have an alibi.

And now Burrow's kid is going to kill him. Maybe, unless we can stop him or

persuade Emmerich to admit to the truth so we can take him into protective

custody.

Ironside. Chief. Yes, Ed.

Emmerich took off. I've tailed him to the chase house.

There's an airport bus due here in ten minutes.

We'll be right there. Don't lose him.

If he gets on that bus, get on it with him.

Eve, if anything comes in on Burrow, get in touch right away.

Thank you. Mark.

Why is it taking so long?

We forgot to order everybody else off the streets.

Can I ask a question?

If you can do it without slowing down.

Why is the kid going through all this trouble? If he wants to kill Emmerich,

doesn't he just kill him?

Where do you fit in?

I've got a couple of answers to that, Mark.

But I could be wrong.

I guess it won't matter if we get there too late.

All right, find out at the airport about who got here yet.

All right.

Well? It's come and gone. It stops at the base motel on the peninsula and

nothing until the airport.

Headquarters, this is Ironside.

I want it headed off anywhere along that route. Huh?

That's right. Stop.

Is that absolutely clear?

Gotcha. Good.

Sound of it, Mark?

Not yet.

You'll never make it to the airport.

Chief. What is it? Did this guy say it was going to look like an accident?

What he said?

Well, what's going to look like an accident with a bus full of people going

miles an hour except a real accident?

Just get this heap up to 70 and let me do the thinking.

Oh, I'm not thinking.

I'm just worrying about Ed.

Time's running out.

There's a man trying to kill me.

Huh?

I want police protection.

Why, Mr. Emery? He wants to kill me.

I have a feeling Mr. Burrow doesn't want to kill anybody.

He wants to kill me. He's got a gun in his heart.

Why does he want to kill you? You know why.

Yes, I think I do.

He'll get your police protection.

You're under arrest.

Wait a minute.

Where am I under arrest? He wants to kill me. What are you asking me for?

He wants to kill me.

Do you have a gun? He wants to kill me. It's a pipe.

Yes, you thought I wouldn't make it.

Oh, I was getting a little worried.

I was only seven when it happened.

But I remembered all the time my father spent trying to find this witness.

And how he went on the bottle when he couldn't and how it killed him.

And I had all the facts my father had.

I'd heard them blown over him often enough.

Thank you.

So I just...

Took up where he left off.

And finally, I thought I had him.

You knew Chief Ironside voted against the rest of the review board.

Why didn't you come to him with your evidence?

Well, Emmerich kept quiet before.

I didn't know why, but I figured he'd keep quiet again.

And I couldn't prove anything.

You'd have come to me and said, I think Emmerich's the man who saw my father

kill that burglary suspect.

And I'd have said, fine, we'll reopen the case.

We would have reopened it. And there would have been Emmerich with his

alibi, and there the case would have ended.

Well, you see, that's why I left town.

I got so frustrated that I had to get away for a while.

I couldn't get it out of my mind, though.

And I began to think of ways to get you, to get Emmerich, to admit he was the

one.

And this was the way I thought of.

Nudging me?

Leading me.

Pointing me in the right direction.

And incidentally, setting San Francisco in its ear.

Yeah, well, I regret that.

Tomorrow, Chuck, we'll have a chat with the commissioner and find out just how

much trouble you are in.

What's the bottom line? Emmerich's signing the confession now.

The car theft?

And hit and run. And manslaughter.

He was the one, all right.

I've often had occasion.

To wish it were 15 years ago.

But never more than I do now.

Chuck?

Yes, sir?

Call your mother.