Original subtitles

Your accessory to a $300 million a year music bootlegging racket, Mr. Brooks.

Oh, sure.

Record a song. Give the pirates one last crack at it. Give us a crack at Joey's

killer. Those pirate tapes hit the charts, too, you know. Maybe we should,

throw pirates in a few of those tapes ourselves.

Well, I don't know why anybody would want to kill Joey. Could be anyone.

I could just never, ever marry another blind person.

You know what I'm sorry about?

Is when that tape went up, it didn't blow my head clear off.

Mr. Brooks?

Yeah, what can I do for you? I understand you have the latest out -of

release on special.

Sure do. If there's any left, they go pretty fast.

And only $250 a cassette alphabet.

Uh, here you go.

Out -of -sight trio, Sam and the Sandpiper. Well, luck is not long here.

Yeah.

Pirate tape, all right.

This counterfeit artwork wouldn't fill anybody. I wonder if the tape's any

better. Mr. Brooks?

It would be interesting to know how you can sell these for $4 .50 under the

going price.

Are you suggesting I'm selling stolen merchandise?

Now that you mention it, yes.

Mr. Brooks.

Do you know that you're actually stealing from musicians, singers,

producers? Who'd you buy it from?

Oh, I don't know. I buy a lot of stuff.

See, look, this was presented to me as legitimate merchandise.

It was part of a bankrupt stock liquidation, I believe. Get off of it.

that's a copied label. Your accessory to a $300 million a year music bootlegging

racket, Mr. Brooks.

The only way we can stop it is at the end of the funnel, the distributor.

And so?

So you get an invoice.

Oh, I didn't ask for one. What did the feller look like? What kind of car was

driving?

I never saw him before in my life.

Sorry, evidence.

Now, if you think of anything, you get in touch with us.

In the meantime, we've already got you on one count.

Don't buy any more rip -offs.

What's so special about that one?

You'll see.

Your ears aren't too bent from listening to all this junk.

Fidelity. No wow, no fuzz.

That had to come right off the master.

Now, that would be perfection record.

Out of sight is the only real name on the label now.

That's how.

Now, that's Barefoot Joey and the Tar.

They say Nancy Caldwell won't sing without me.

Barefoot Joe?

Barefoot Joe.

I've decided that after the session, I'm going to fix us some cornbread and

sorghum.

And hash puppy.

And sour belly.

And okra.

And how many ingredients? Can we have dandelion, too?

Hey,

inform me.

Joey, come on, we're late. Hey, we're not that late.

Come on, tell me.

I tell you. I'm going to hear that at least twice a day or I start stranging

out.

Joey, let me do it.

Let me start you off? No way. But I know this place by now.

You're beautiful.

Joey,

come on.

We can't keep them waiting. You know, Mo gets mad.

Yes, ma 'am.

It's on every station, climbing the charts.

Pirates are taking the bread.

Just soothe down now, Mo. We're in relief.

Oh, sure.

Well, we're making zero bread, putting it together.

Doing promos, some clown jumps the gun on us. I bet the market's gobbled up.

Now, give me that thing. Oh, no.

You know,

you're going to be the death of you yet, Mo.

Hey, man. How are you?

Hey, Nancy.

Hi, baby.

Listen, do I have time to throw something on?

No, Miss Everlovin.

Go ahead, babe. I'll wait for you. It's all right, Joey. We'll drive her down.

Well, now, listen to Big Daddy.

It's okay, Joey. Why don't you just go on down to the studio now and get

yourself in a couple of practice licks on that old guitar of yours? We got

things to talk over over here.

I think I'll wait, Nancy. Oh, it's all right, Joey. It's no sweat. We'll meet

you there, okay?

Yeah.

All right.

Who left this here?

Oh, I'm sorry, Joey. We thought you could see.

We changed things around to break the monotony. Yeah, well, you'd like to

my neck.

I'm sorry.

Maybe we'll have better luck next time.

Yeah, right.

Some sweet morning he's gonna clobber you.

Oh, that hillbilly. Well, you keep poking yourself between him and Nancy

you got some kind of ownership.

Or like you stand a chance.

Don't you know Nancy's got too much class for a dude like you?

Didn't he make dropout?

Uh -oh.

Oh, no.

Those seem like tears, huh?

Oh, yeah. I got you, boy.

I got you.

Willie Moe!

Will you please knock it off?

Sorry, Ethel.

Hey, Mama Connie House.

What are royalties that up to?

Not enough for you to be breaking up the furniture.

With a hit in January and two albums on the charts, we ought to be buying

Nashville. Listen, be happy you can pay your rent.

Those pirate tapes hit the charts, too, you know. You know, maybe we should,

uh... So it pirates in a few of those tapes ourselves.

Maybe we ought to.

Hey, come on. Let's get going before we push Uncle Maxim to overtime.

Yeah, come on, team.

Light up. Let's go. Ready.

You know, really, I could get myself one of those new laser canes. They not only

tell you what's in your path, but they get a phone number and... You

know, I...

This is first generation or mighty close to it. This has got to be stopped.

My people don't know how bad it is here.

I'm about to go under.

Do you realize that out -of -sight group was the lifeblood of this company? It's

bread and butter.

It supports everything else. Or at least it didn't until these thieves took

over. Mr. Leonard, this pirating can be done by...

Almost anybody who buys a tape at the local music store makes copies of it,

right? Sure.

The more recorders you line up, the more slave tapes you can run off. Well,

there's something different about this bootlegger. He had access to a high

-quality tape before you went into release.

Exactly what do you do when you complete a master tape? I run off two protection

tapes. Then the master tape I put into the duplication room in the vault.

One tape I put in my safe over there, and the other one I give to the artist

safekeeping. Look, we're about to record a number that Joey wrote for Nancy.

Would you care to see our operation?

Yeah, we would.

Dave? It's my magnetic charm, you see.

I can smell the lemon.

Here.

Oh, thanks.

I love his words.

What, Joy's words?

Yeah. Yeah, well, you're always words and his music.

You should be to any man who knew you.

Oh, thanks.

Hiya. I've got a little surprise for you. What?

Well, now, you are talking to the main man now.

I got the job of the chief engineer of the biggest sound studio in Paris. Oh,

gee! Oh, Dee, wow!

I'm so happy for you. That's great.

For me is for us.

Oh, come on, Dee.

I have my commitment.

Come on. Oh, wait a minute. You only have commitments to yourself and this

world. I promised Joey I'd go to the Ozarks with him. It's not a question of

hurting Joey. It's a question of how much you like corn, pone, and ketchup.

Anytime you're ready, Miss Everlovin.

Go.

Yeah, it's fine. All right?

Yep.

Hey, Mo?

Yeah, man? Second bar, can we get a little bit heavier on the drums, okay?

Well, let me get a balance, pal.

Six little Indians, five little Indians, four little Indians, three little

Indians, two little Indians, one little Indian.

Good, thank you.

Wow,

it's your turn to tell me.

Pleasure.

Mom,

I just hope I don't mess up your beautiful words, honey. Hey, you won't

anything up except my sleeve.

I'm going to be right outside there. You take care, okay?

Okay, Joey, let's get on with it, man. Let's try and go for a take, okay,

everybody? Nancy, you okay, honey?

All right, everybody settle down now. Very mellow.

Willie, Joe.

All right, let's try that.

Joey's song, take one.

I've been to New York City, and I've been to...

and from.

day in -

Had to talk to me. About what?

He wouldn't say on the phone.

I told him to come around to my office right after the session.

I don't want anything moved.

Hubie, Cutter, no wrap -up.

Why, Joey?

Why? Oh, if accidents are explainable, everyone wouldn't have any.

Here you go, babe.

Oh, speaking of pills, what was Joey dropping today?

Cutter tranquilizers.

Look, Joey always gets uptight before...

You know, does he always wash it down with whiskey?

Oh, gee.

Look, I'm sorry, babe. I saw him take it. I saw him take it from Carter's

private stock.

Maybe there was something buggy him today.

Was Joey on any other kind of medication, Miss Caldwell?

If you mean drugs, no.

Let's see how it shorted out.

Mr. Hubert.

We asked that nothing be touched, please.

Oh?

Sorry. I didn't know you meant the cables.

We meant that nothing be touched.

I understand Joey was barefoot most of the time.

He used to be.

But Nancy got him into sandals.

except when he was playing guitar.

Well, this is where the problem is. It's a loose wire, you see.

It shorts against the housing when you press the pedal.

Maybe that wire came loose unnaturally.

Well, I don't know why anybody would want to kill Joey.

Could be anyone.

Anyone.

Everyone knew he played his guitar barefoot.

My last words to Joey hadn't been so heavy.

I really liked him.

Were you trying to convince you or me?

Use the belt, boys. I could.

There ain't nothing I can't see.

That's nice.

But there's no way that anybody could have stolen that from our stage with a

recorder. It would be measurable echo effects.

All sorts of kickback from the ceiling.

A lot of phantom fuzz.

No phantom fuzz.

That we filter out in here.

Basically, we just give them balance.

Good. Somebody splice into your input at the time you record your master and run

off a simultaneous dupe.

You know a lot of that technical stuff, don't you?

That's a fair question.

Well, this is the patch bay right here. You see, it's in two parts. Here.

This could be, you could have a duplicate output.

Like so.

It would be rather obvious.

Yeah, to everybody.

You see, you get a reduced impedance.

In other words, the level just drops down. Now, this is the terminal block

Everything filters through this.

This is sort of a sealed bucket of worms, so to speak.

And it channels through here to this line, which leads to the wall, and then

through to the master recording unit. Mr. Dietrich, considering the quality of

this,

Would you challenge the speculation that someone may have slaved it off the

master or one of the two safety tapes?

Well, as a sound engineer, that would be my first assumption.

Mr. Prudy, I understand you have quarters here.

Behind the duplicating room.

I like to think of it as my final station, my retirement base, so to

Two of the tapes are secured in this building.

Could anyone have gotten to them? Not with me around.

And I'm pretty much here all the time. Like in the Marines.

When I'm not awake, I'm half awake.

And when I'm not half awake, I've got one eye open.

In that condition, a man's vision can get blurred.

Coroner's office confirms electrocution.

No other cause of death.

Lab team visit. Scouring the plant.

Safety taping.

Max's private safe hasn't been touched, nor the master tape in the company

vault.

Well, take a look at the one the group's holding.

Here.

While it's down there.

Max Leonard.

Steep in arrears. Bad financial standing.

No police record.

About to fold.

Logan Dietrich.

He's a sound engineer.

Wrote a hit song once.

Even produced a couple of sessions.

Has applied for work elsewhere.

Situation in Paris seems to be secured. No record.

Walter Prudy, security officer.

20 -year Marine.

Retired. Radiant.

Electrician, first class.

Radar. Communications.

Expert rifleman. Evaluation.

Loyalty, 100.

Dependability, 100.

Judgment, 75.

Carl Hubie Hubert, electrician with too many kids and too many bills. He

has no record.

Elroy Cutter, former C .B. DeMille boom man.

Spectaculars.

Ethel Manning, artist representative, independent agent, small court

altercations.

One charge from an IRS agent, assault with lethal weapon.

Her briefcase.

Willie Bonner. Born blind in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

He's an unschooled musician.

No priors, no education.

Nancy Caldwell. She was also born blind. Graduate of Laird School of Music.

No problems.

And Mo Tucker.

Mo wasn't born blind. He grew up in one of Detroit's better ghettos where he

collected a string of juvenile credits.

Lost his sight at the age of 20, trying to blow open a warehouse safe. Before

that, he worked in radio, TV, electronics, and he's an expert.

Oh, I've been to New York City, and I've been to L

.A. too.

But there's no place that I'd rather be than right

here next to you.

Oh, I... I've heard a lot of sad songs And I've heard a

lot of bad news But nothing brings me down as

much As when I'm not hearing from you Won't you light

the way Won't you light the way

Joe had the soul of a little boy.

Everything was always brand new to him.

Exciting. Like tomorrow.

I could see things with him.

I know every tree here, where the rocks are, where the creek goes.

Sit down, please.

You were kind the other day.

I feel intrusive, Nancy.

Don't.

I know why you're here.

Joey wasn't the second part.

You're certain?

Yeah, they told me. Joey told me everything.

There's a possibility that Joey's death wasn't accidental.

It's hard to figure, you know.

Where was Joey from?

Somewhere in Missouri.

Came out of the Ozarks with just a cigar box banjo. No shoes.

He didn't even have a social security card till we started recording.

You wouldn't even believe the way I met him.

He was going around door to door selling products made by the blind.

He was stealing one of these canned pictures, you know, the kind you can't

into. And when I finally got through to him that he was talking to a blind

woman, he got so flustered, spilled everything through the front door.

And I invited him in to help clean up the mess.

Anyway, I'm through with singing.

Oh, Nancy.

All my life music was something beautiful to me.

Now suddenly it's polluted and pirate and beachy.

And if you're right,

you've been killing.

I'm going away.

Where?

Somewhere.

Anywhere.

Maybe to Paris. Dee asked me.

He's got himself a fine job.

Well, that's good.

If you love him.

Well, you can learn to love.

He loves me.

I know that.

He'd do anything for me.

Are you sure you're not simply running away?

Well, it may be.

But I've done my last recording.

That's a powerful, selfish statement, baby.

When you go, the sound goes.

Willie and me, we're nothing.

And you're not just cutting out on us.

You split with Dee, Uncle Max goes down.

Look, I don't want to talk about it.

Mo?

Can I give you a ride back?

I got a thing about cops.

Maybe I'm different.

You smell better in most of them anyway.

We have a wreck.

I'll tell them why.

Now, if your eyes are blue, I'd say your ancestors came from the Emerald Isle.

With a little German thrown in.

You're remarkable.

Honey, when you can't see who you're making a pass at, your fingers get

educated.

Now I'll describe my measurements for you, if you don't mind.

I find it a little hard to believe you haven't learned Braille. Oh, it's more

fun to lie back and let pretty girls read to me. All right, flip the switch,

It's serious time.

Someone is pirating perfection records.

And you've got to check all the possibles. Without exception.

So, we might as well start with Nancy.

No way.

Will it?

Hopelessly saddled with virtue.

Miss Manning? If she were going to rip us off, she could have done it with the

books a long time ago.

How about you?

That's really where you were headed all the time.

We have to check into everybody's background, Mo.

We know why you were blinded. Oh, so the needle home's on me.

Pull this thing over. Mo, we have to eliminate suspects, too. I said pull!

Mo, wait! Please, wait!

Mo! The thing that owned that warehouse probably consisted of shoplift. She got

busted.

Then she learned an older profession at the correction farm.

You know what I'm sorry about?

Is when that safe went up, it didn't blow my head clear off.

Nancy?

Um, I'll wait outside.

It's no use, Willie. I'm going to Perfections to clean up my things.

We need you, Nancy.

Willie, you don't.

You don't have to depend on anybody to make your music.

Nancy, you don't love Dee.

I never said that I did.

Now, I don't want you to go away with him.

I don't want you to go away from me.

it before because you were so hung up on joy.

Oh, Willie.

I do love you, but it's not like that.

Look, just give me a chance. I can take you to all those places.

All of them. Willie!

How could I see them?

How could you?

Oh, Willie, please. Just... Try to understand.

I could just never, ever marry another blind person.

Please.

Who's there?

Maybe you put that safe before, Mo. Maybe I should have.

Maybe we should.

Cool it, Willie.

I've been ripped off as long as I'm going to be.

I'm going to run off 100 ,000 slave tapes and grab what's left of the

Sure you are, Mo. Be smart once and help me.

Otherwise, get out of here.

Tape don't belong to just you, Moe.

A piece of it belongs to Nancy and Uncle Max and Ethel and to me.

I never said I was cutting any of you out of that.

I wonder if we might infect your safety tape on sand and sandpipers.

I'm afraid you'll have to wait for Ethel.

She has the combination to the safe.

We don't have to wait.

I was just about to crack.

Yeah, Moe's real handy with his fingers.

So we understand.

Be my guest.

Doesn't look like it's ever been opened.

What it looks like on the outside doesn't mean a thing.

You're absolutely right.

So, if you don't mind, I'd like the lab to examine it.

They can tell if it's ever been played.

Just make sure those cops don't slave off a dupe.

Ed, would you please excuse Mo and me for a few minutes?

Other room, Willie? Sure.

This will come as a shock to you, but I wouldn't steal from friends.

I believe that.

A cop believes Mo Tucker?

Mo.

Nobody got to the other two tapes.

And somebody's splicing into the input and pirating a duplicate master when

we're recording. I question Dietrich about that.

I know more about that equipment than he does.

All right.

Can you help me check it out?

The mixer can do it.

Hubie Prudy.

He's a ham operator.

A lot of those guys know what... I want you to do it.

And if I find out how it's being done, you'll say I knew all along.

Oh, you're going to have to start trusting people.

I could go down there with a battery of police technicians and find out, but I'd

scare off our pirate for good.

This has to be done in the dark.

I'd like you to do it.

At least record Joe's song.

Leave us with something.

Everybody wants to cash in on Joey's song, right? It's a short hit.

Well, he wrote it for me. It's mine, and I'm going to keep it for what it stands

for. You could turn that around, Nancy, and sing it for what it stands for.

There's no way, Ethel. No pirate is going to get his hands on it. Look,

why don't you just cool down? Give yourself a day. What she needs is not a

Not a day.

Ginny thinks she needs a break from you. Now get out of here. Get out of here.

Please, please, please.

Everybody is so emotional.

There's nothing more to beat that.

Nancy will be working on it.

You feel free to call.

Just only believe me, I understand the insincerity of this business. You know,

was a one -hit artist.

You know, if I salvaged anything from that experience, it was a line from my

song, somewhere between your hurt and my pleasure is where the sun's gonna have

to shine.

Matchbay's out.

Dietrich said that.

Okay.

Now, it all comes together here in the terminal block.

And goes into the wall.

Yeah.

Dietrich said it's a hopeless bucket of worms.

Well, he's not the brightest.

You'd have to tear the wall down to tap into it, wouldn't you?

Not if you know how.

Cutter and I tore this down a couple of times. It's touchy.

Down, Mom.

All

right,

Mom.

Here we are. I can't see.

An alligator clip.

Yeah. They jump from the input line to another line. A sturdy rod. Slow down,

Mo.

We want the distributor.

So, put it back.

Just like it was.

A tap -in line probably runs out the bottom of this unit.

One of the lines inside this cable. Now, it's full of different colored

spaghetti.

We can establish which line is being fed into and follow it to an outlet.

You're getting the picture, Chief.

Oh, if we could persuade Nancy to record Joey's last song.

It would be a collector's item, right? Something no pirate could turn down.

We've all talked ourselves out, Chief.

Let somebody else try it.

Right. I just don't feel like singing. Can't anybody understand that?

But you love Joey.

Yes. And he loved me.

And he wrote a beautiful song for me.

It's all I have left of him.

And I am not going to have it dirtied up in the marketplace.

I don't think any song was ever meant to be hoarded, Nancy.

Look, everybody says I'm being selfish.

Do you agree with that?

The important thing is, are you being fair to Joey?

Oh, sure.

Record his song. Give the pirates one last crack at him.

Give us a crack at Joey's killer.

I want you to listen to me.

We think he knew something about the pirating and became a threat.

We think that's why he was murdered.

you think he'd want you to do something about that but i'm leaving tomorrow

oh please i'm so confused all

right let me put it this way don't you think joey would want the world to know

how much he loved you

Got a girl in jersey, got a girl in snow, got a girl upstairs and my wife

know it.

Okay, terrific. All right, let me have a balance from Mo.

Line their tab and it goes into the corridor wall.

I can't rip the wall out.

Places, please. We're ready to go.

I'll go somewhere.

We can't delay the session. Trace it.

Oh,

I've

been to New York.

And I've been to L .A. too But there's no

place that I'd rather be Than right here next to you

Oh, I've heard a lot of sad songs And I've heard

a lot of bad news But nothing brings me down

As much as when I'm not hearing from you won't you love

That's enough!

and comes out over there, I think.

You think? Joey's song's been pirated, everybody's going home, and you think?

Right. The first thing.

Hey, you shouldn't leave your console running.

You have all people always complaining about the bills.

Eh, aggravations, distractions, creditors.

I burn out three units every quarter.

You're never better.

Dee, look, I have to tell you that... I know, I know.

Here it comes.

I mean, singing Joey's song, what it means, the words,

everything.

Dee, I haven't been honest with you or with myself either.

There's no trying to analyze it. You have plenty of time for that in Paris.

I'm packed, I'm packed. All we have to do is go.

I'd just be using you.

I'm sorry.

I shouldn't have let you hang in there counting on it.

It's always being selfish.

About a lot of things.

See you, Philip.

We're over here, baby.

Both of us.

I'll keep talking if you want to hold me to the sound.

What was in the box?

Well, it could go up to the art department or Max's office, couldn't it?

or down to the duplicating room.

Or through the wall to the outside.

Duffy, green sedan, Taylor.

On the wall by Dietrich Parking Place.

Did he have a tape recorder in the back of his car?

Just unplug it and drive off.

I'll get the van.

Yeah, I got it. All right, guys, make room for a barefoot Joey's last tape.

on it right away. Get on the artwork right now. I want a Duke for Atlanta and

one for Chicago.

I'm not surprised you knew it was Dietrich. Oh, no.

I'm referring to Olympic Warehousing.

It's owned by your music store proprietor, Mr. Brooks.

He just makes a show of poverty.

Hey, great job, Dietrich.

It's too bad about the accident. You know, I was counting on Joey for several

years here. We'll take the money, Mr. Dietrich.

Brian, you pick up the tape.

Well, glad to see you again, Mr. Brooks.

You weren't offered a big job in Paris, Mr. Dietrich. You were buying a studio.

At least that's not a crime, is it? Murder is.

No, I had nothing to do with that. That was his idea.

Joey caught you in the act. You offered him a partnership. He refused,

threatened to blow the whistle.

Am I close?

Close enough.

Or was it because he stood in your way with Nancy?

Well, a little of both, maybe.

Didn't have time to think.

But you have now.

Well, you're too late to help us with the work, but don't apologize.

It's not very heavy.

How was your trip, Mark?

Oh, it was nice.

Good to see my cousin, but next time I think I'll fly. Hey, wait a minute,

Chief. I picked this up on my way out of town. I haven't had a chance to hear it

yet. You couldn't wait till tomorrow, could you?

Why, machine broke?

It's a long story.

$2 .95.

Yeah, it was a premium offer with 15 gallons of gas.

Station at 12th and Adams?

Right on the corner. Yeah, you trade there too? Nobody does anymore. The

was arrested not two hours ago for pirating tapes in his back room.

We'll need this for evidence.

Hey, Ed, now hold it. I didn't know he was counterfeit. What about my 295?

Last I heard, that was the going rate for ignorance of the law.