All language subtitles for Perry Mason S04E07 The Case of the Clumsy Clown.DVDRip.NonHI.cc.en.CBS

Lisa, wait.

What is it?

The threshold. I've got
to carry you, you know.

The threshold. The threshold.

The threshold. The threshold.

The threshold. The threshold.

The threshold.

You can't flaunt
tradition like that.

And this is our home.

The elephants, the horses,

the crowds and the smells.

You have had too much champagne.

And why not? How
often do I get married?

Just once. Just forever.

You know, you don't
know what you're doing.

And you don't know
what you're saying.

As a matter of fact,

you're not responsible
for what you're thinking.

But you're hooked.

I've got you and
you'll never get away.

I love you.

I love you, I love
you, I love you.

And this is our wedding night.

I'm so happy.

Diavolo. Hi.

Diavolo.

Diavolo. Diavolo.

Look. There's Jerry.

We've gotta tell the
boss. We've got to tell him.

Lisa, wait.

I'll tell him.

Look, you've had a
little too much to drink.

And Jerry's very
much in love with you.

You'll only hurt him.

Jerry!

Lisa. Felix.

Hey, where have you two been?

I wanted to go over an
idea for your act, Lisa.

We were, uh, hiding.

Hiding?

Right in there.
In Arimba's cage.

Oh, come on, don't
joke... Lisa! Lisa!

He won't come out.

Even if I unlatched it,
he wouldn't come out.

I'm sorry. I didn't
mean to frighten you.

I've got something to tell you.

Felix and I... Look out!

Yes, come in.

Felix.

Well, you're expecting someone?

No. Ah, of course not.

Lisa went on ahead today.

She's waiting in L.A. for us.

Oh, champagne.

Four candles on the cake.

Must be somebody's birthday.

Or an anniversary of some kind?

What do you want, Curtis?

Just about this time, wasn't it?

Four years ago.

Oh, it was a
terrible thing Lisa did

with that cat and
Jerry Franklin.

What do you mean, Lisa did?

Well, she opened the cage
and let the cat get to Jerry.

She didn't.

Everybody knows
it was an accident.

No. That's the
story that went out.

Lisa knew how scared
Jerry is of the cats.

Look, why are you
bringing up all this now?

She'd had a little
wine, that's all.

Do you think she'd
maliciously open the cage?

Oh, I think she was
a little drunk, Felix.

She's got a conscience.
That's why she married Jerry.

She didn't really love him.

That's why she's
sticking with him

when she really loves you.

What do you want, Curtis?

Well, now.

You know that
Jerry Franklin and I

are are partners in the circus.

Yes.

He wants to buy me out.

Of course, the circus
has fallen on bad times,

but do you know what he
offered me for my share?

A hundred and eighty
thousand dollars.

Why are you telling me all this?

Well, according
to our partnership,

I can turn around

and offer Franklin the
same amount for his share,

and he has to accept it.

What are you getting at?

I need a loan. I don't
wanna leave the circus.

Go to the bank.

I think I've got a
better chance with you.

Well, I don't have
that kind of money.

You've been raising it.

How much have you
got in the till, Felix?

All right. I am raising it.

For Jerry Franklin, not for you.

If he has to buy you out,

I hope to be able to give
him the money to do it.

See?

That's just the point.

Who gets the money
to buy the other guy out?

Was it exactly four
years ago tonight?

I mean, the night
you married Lisa?

She didn't have
time to divorce you

before marrying Jerry Franklin
out of pity, now, did she?

You can't just blow out
a marriage just like that,

even with the best motives.

Look, you can't tell Jerry.

We kept it from him for so long.

What are you going to do?

Well, I'm gonna wait for you

to lend me the money
you've been raising.

Felix.

You can't blow out a
torch like that either.

Lisa!

I'm all right, Jerry.

How many times have I told
you to check your equipment?

Suppose it had happened during
a performance, without a net.

I'm sorry.

All right.

Run along and change.

You're going to have to
be more careful my dear.

You're one of our star
performers, you know.

Your solicitude touches me.

Oh, I'm even more
solicitous than you know.

Ask Felix.

Hey, Judd. Yeah.

I want you to scratch
Lisa from the bill tonight.

What for? She's all right.

I said she's not
going on tonight.

She'll have the
jitters for awhile.

She's billed.

A lot of people are gonna
pay money to see her.

Don't you forget
we're still partners.

That's right, and we're
gonna settle that too.

You're supposed to pick up
my half interest for $180,000.

Well, it's due now.

Have you got $180,000
to buy me out, Jerry?

That is, if I let you?

I'll have it by
tomorrow afternoon.

Now, that's when I
planned on having it.

All right then.

By tomorrow either
you buy me out,

or I'll buy you out.

Sure.

I figure I got just
as good a chance

of getting the
money as you have.

That was a narrow
miss for Lisa, Mr. Curtis.

Imagine if that had
happened tonight, with no net.

Well, in a couple more days

she and Franklin will
be out of the business.

That's too bad. Lisa won't
stay on when you take over.

She's great.

There'll be a few
others who won't stay on.

Yes, sir. I'm looking
forward to that.

Look, Durant,

if you're figuring on
replacing Heidemann,

forget it.

But you promised me when...

When I gave you the $10,000...

We'll have to call that a loan.

I made a mistake. You
can't carry the show.

You just haven't got it.

I can do everything
Heidemann can.

I've got the experience,
the ability, talent...

Everything.

Everything but his genius.

Well, it'll have to
be by tomorrow.

It's him or us.

Tony and I just gave
Felix our last 15,000.

It's all the money we
have left in the world.

How much does that
make altogether, Felix?

I'll be able to make it now.

Lisa, Felix, Joyce, Tony and me.

Partners.

Curtis is bluffing.

He said he can raise
that money, but he can't.

He can't.

And in these last four years
we have loved each other

without once saying the words.

Lisa has been an
honorable and devoted wife

to Jerry Franklin, Mr. Mason.

She has paid penance
where none was demanded.

But as long as your marriage
with Lisa is on the books,

she is not legally
married to Franklin.

She is really committing
no crime, Mr. Mason.

Theirs is not a
consummated marriage.

The accident...

The law makes no
distinction on that account.

Now, you said, um,
the accident occurred

on the night of your marriage?

Yes.

Then you could have had
your marriage annulled.

Yes, Mr. Mason.

But the time never seemed right.

First we didn't know what to do,

then when Lisa married Jerry,

we couldn't just then.

I think Lisa wanted to
hold onto that one thread.

Secretly. Just as I did.

I came to you for
advice, Mr. Mason

Bigamy is a felony in
this state, Mr. Heidemann.

Can it be worked out without
Jerry Franklin's knowledge?

Possibly.

And the loan Curtis
is demanding?

You mean the blackmail.

The money isn't
all yours, is it?

No.

Then how could you use it?

Have you raised
the entire $180,000?

All but $15,000 of it.

I know where I can get that,
but that isn't the problem.

The problem is
that if Jerry finds out

Lisa's been married
to me all this time,

it would just about kill him.

You see, he thinks Lisa has
been in love with him all along.

I understand.

But these are things

that you and Lisa must
decide for yourselves.

Yes, Mr. Mason.

Thank you. Oh, no. Sit down.

You know, I haven't
been to a circus for years.

I-I could reserve
some seats for you

for tonight's performance.

Della? Love to.

All right. Let's see.

Thank you. When
does Heidemann go on?

Uh, right after this
act, the Gilberts.

Thank you.

And now, ladies and
gentlemen, the one and only,

the incomparable
Felix Heidemann,

the funniest man in the world.

What's the matter,
Paul? You scared?

Sure. I wouldn't let him
aim that cannon at me

if it was loaded
with marshmallows.

Well.

Perry.

Well, hello, lieutenant.

You know, popcorn
never tastes half as good

as it does in a circus.

That's right, lieutenant.

Nothing like good circus popcorn

and, um, good
company to help you eat.

All right, Perry.

What are you doing here?

Eating popcorn.

What about you, lieutenant?

Oh. Same thing
you're here for probably.

Duty.

Homicide got a
complaint from the owner.

Someone tried to kill him.

Curtis? No, Mr. Franklin.

Let a tiger loose on
him about an hour ago.

Back in the dressing room area.

Oh, he's okay. Nothing
happened to him this time.

But I understand something
did happen to him once before.

It was a long time ago.

Paul, you stay here with Della.

Hold your seats, please,
ladies and gentlemen.

Hold your seats. The next
act will be on in a moment.

Where's Heidemann?

Where's that clown?

The funniest man in the world.

Well, I don't think
this part of his act

is going to make the jury laugh.

That's the cat.

We've used safety
catches on these cases

ever since the
time of the accident.

Four years ago.

This door couldn't possibly
have unlatched itself.

Somebody opened it.

And it was common knowledge

that Franklin was
afraid of the cats?

Oh, yes.

And the, um,

tiger went through there
toward the dressing room area.

Well, I would assume so.

Arimba the cat must have
come right down through here.

I was in my dressing room
when I heard Franklin yell.

I rushed out here
and I saw Franklin.

For a minute I didn't
know what he yelled for.

Then Lisa came out

and just as she started
to grab for the wheelchair

I saw the cat start
down toward Franklin.

By the time I got to
him, he was screaming,

and Lisa was trying
to pull the wheelchair

back into the dressing room.

I managed to give
it the extra shove

and the cat just missed
us all by a half a second.

And what time was this?

About 6:00.

Oh, Mr. Gilbert.

Uh, Della,

would you please
give this to Paul?

Have they, um, found Felix yet?

No.

Do you know where he is?

No.

Where he might have gone?

No, Mr. Mason.

You do know that Felix told me

about your situation
with Mr. Franklin?

Yes, I know.

Now, Curtis was
blackmailing you and Felix.

Had you decided
what to do about it?

No. But Felix spoke to him again

and Curtis wanted the
money by tomorrow afternoon.

Mrs. Franklin, we're
trying to place everybody.

And no one seems to recall just
what happened to Heidemann,

or in which direction he went.

Now, where were you
when the fatal shot was fired?

In my dressing room.

And did you hear the shot?

I heard the silence, lieutenant.

What's that?

Back here, when the
performance goes on,

there's a steady sound.

People talking, music, laughter.

I was putting on my make
up when I heard the silence.

And then you came
out into the corridor?

Yes. And then what?

I went to the
performer's entrance

to see what was going on.

Did you see Heidemann?

No, lieutenant.

Did you see anybody

in a clown suit, Mrs. Franklin?

No, Mr. Mason.

It's no good, Perry.

That was Heidemann in that suit,

and underneath that greasepaint.

Since none of you
are going to cooperate,

you'll all come downtown
and spend the rest of the night,

if we have to,
remembering what went on.

You too, lieutenant?

Huh?

It seems to me that you were

just as much an
eyewitness as anyone else.

How much do you remember?

Well, I know one
thing I didn't forget.

To put out an all points
bulletin on Felix Heidemann.

I was hoping you'd
call, Mr. Heidemann.

Where are you?

In San Francisco, Mr. Mason.

I just found out what happened.

What are you doing up there?

I came up here to get the
last part of the $180,000.

Why San Francisco?

My bank is here.

When did you leave Los Angeles?

I caught the 9:00 train
from Union Station last night.

Nine o'clock?

That's right.

The shot that killed Curtis

was fired at 9:15.

Yes, sir.

And you're saying you
did not shoot Curtis?

Of course I didn't
shoot him, Mr. Mason.

Look, I know they're
looking for me.

What'll I do?

Are you telling me the
truth, Mr. Heidemann?

Yes, sir.

Then you'd better come
back to Los Angeles

and tell it to the police.

The police?

Give myself up?

You'd be giving yourself
up if you tried to run away.

I told it just the way it
happened, Mr. Mason.

I took the 9:00 train
to San Francisco

to get the money
out of the bank.

Well,

if we can prove you
were on that 9:00 train

it will automatically clear you.

Well, I don't know
if I can, Mr. Mason.

I didn't even keep
my ticket stub.

I didn't sit next to anyone.

There's just no one I remember.

Maybe one of the
conductors will remember.

We'll have Paul
Drake check on that.

Now, what about the
gun you use in the act?

I left it in my dressing room,
on top of the makeup table.

Then anyone could have taken it.

I left it there purposely
for my replacement.

What replacement?

I'd never leave the
show in the lurch,

without arranging
for a substitute.

I left a note.

Then you know who
was in your costume

at the time of the shooting.

No, I don't, Mr. Mason.

You see, the man that was
supposed to be in that costume

was Mr. Curtis.

Curtis?

Well, he used to be a clown.

He's filled in for me
on occasion in the past.

Who could have filled
in for you this time?

Who could have made
every single person there

believe it was Felix
Heidemann in that clown suit?

Somebody did, Mr. Mason.

I thought it was Heidemann.

Of course, I wasn't
looking for it not to be,

if you know what I mean.

Where were you when the
shot was fired, Mr. Durant?

My act's with the elephants.

I was waiting over
there to come in.

Did you see any part
of Heidemann's act?

Well, without really seeing it.

You know, you've seen it before.

It's a routine.

Well, this time, was
there anything about it

that struck you as unusual?

Some, uh, missing
characteristic?

Something left
out of the routine?

No. But as I say,

I wasn't really
looking for anything.

What are you trying
to do Mr. Mason,

make out it wasn't
Heidemann performing?

I think it's a possibility.

Is that how you're
aiming to defend him?

Heidemann said that he took
the 9:00 train to San Francisco.

That he'd made arrangements

with Curtis to
substitute for him.

Curtis did substitute
for him occasionally.

Did anyone else? Occasionally?

Why don't you say it?

You mean me.

No.

No, I was never asked.

Oh, well...

Franklin was sitting
there in his wheelchair

at the tunnel entrance
to the dressing rooms

when the shot was fired.

Do you recall that, Mr. Durant?

I've been trying to remember
everybody's position,

but I'm more confused than sure.

Well, the killer
was standing here,

just about where we are.

And Curtis was standing
directly over there.

A bullet fired along this line

could have come from
the dressing room entrance.

From where you
say Mr. Franklin was?

That's right.

Well, even if I'd been looking,

I couldn't have seen
Mr. Franklin from where I was.

Could you have seen
Curtis standing over there?

Well, I guess I could have.

I don't remember looking.

Mr. Durant,

I need your help.

Now, the question
has been raised

that Felix Heidemann
either had a substitute

or that someone
impersonated him.

Now, would you search
back in your memory

for some definite
clues as to the fact

that the killer could not
have been Heidemann?

How would I do that?

The way a man walks,

the way he holds his head.

You're a student of
the art of clowning.

The way a man
takes a fall, or tumbles,

or spins a plate into the air.

You're suggesting that
I might be able to testify

that it wasn't Heidemann
in that costume.

Yes, you might.

Sure.

That's the way of a
lawyer to protect his client,

figuring out angles like that,

true or not.

Well, even if I
might, I wouldn't.

You'd lie?

There's no love lost between
Heidemann and me, Mr. Mason.

I'm not saying
I'd lie to hang him,

but I wouldn't tell the
truth to help him either.

Well, Paul, anything new?

Hi, Perry. Plenty,
but it'll keep...

The, uh, Gilberts
are waiting for you

and Della says it's important.

Della, I'm back.

Would you bring the
Gilberts in, please?

Yes, sir.

Come in, please.

My wife has something
to tell you, Mason.

Won't you sit down?

No, thank you.

I don't know if it's
important or not.

Tony seems to think so.

Last night, about 20 after 6

I went into Judd's...

Into Mr. Curtis' office.

There was a note on
his desk from Felix.

Saying he was going
to San Francisco

and couldn't make
the performance.

And he wanted
Mr. Curtis to fill in for him.

Felix said he had
left a note for Curtis.

Go on, Joyce.

Later, after dinner,

I went back to his office,

and the note was gone.

And you thought Curtis
had picked the note up?

Yes. Yes.

And, um, when you saw Curtis

lighting his cigarette

during the performance,
and you realized

that he had not taken
Heidemann's place,

what did you think?

I thought Felix had
changed his mind.

Where were you during
the clown's act, Mrs. Gilbert?

I was standing in
the entranceway.

Right behind Mr. Franklin.

Then you could see the
clown in the center of the ring

and Mr. Curtis at the
mouth of the other tunnel?

Yes, yes.

And where were you
during that time, Mr. Gilbert?

I was there in the tunnel too.

Behind my wife,
as a matter of fact,

waiting for Heidemann to
complete his performance

before I went back
to my dressing room.

Then you could
both see the clown.

Yes.

You know, I believe

someone other than
Felix Heidemann

was in that clown suit.

And I'd like you
to try to recall

if there was
anything in the act,

anything different
or out of the ordinary

which would show that
it wasn't Heidemann.

No. I...

I don't recall.

I didn't notice anything.

Did Felix go to San Francisco,

Mr. Mason?

That's going to be one of
the major issues in this case,

Mrs. Gilbert.

Whether he did or did not.

The police will
be very dubious...

Perry,

that is some of the
news I have for you.

I think the police are prepared

to concede Heidemann
went to San Francisco.

They are?

Any time after 10:00.

Heidemann said he
took the 9:00 train.

They got a call this morning

from the state police
near Santa Barbara.

A gun was found on the highway,

presumably thrown from a
San Francisco bound train.

Santa Barbara?

Well, close by. Carpentaria.

Kind of lucky it
landed on the highway.

Yes.

Very lucky.

Was it Heidemann's gun?

Registered to
him, and identified

as the .357 long barrel
Magnum revolver used in his act.

And according to Tragg,

the gun that killed
Judson Curtis.

Well, it is my opinion
the death was caused

by a .38 caliber bullet
passing through the heart.

Now I show you this bullet

and ask if it could have
been the murder bullet?

Yes, sir. It could have been.

Your Honor, I ask this be
marked Exhibit A for the state.

If Your Honor will note

the flat and bulging
shape of the bullet?

Duly noted, Mr. Mason.

We have no objection to it
being marked in evidence.

Thank you. Your witness.

Doctor, I take it from
the condition of this bullet,

that it did not
lodge in the body.

It passed through.

Now, the distance from
where the shot was fired

to the mouth of
the tunnel entrance

is about 25 yards.

Could the bullet have
traveled that distance

and still have passed
through the body?

Without obstruction,
a .38 caliber bullet

fired through a long
bore .357 Magnum,

could have traveled
twice that distance

and still have gone through.

And there was no obstruction?

It touched only the
flesh and the vital organ.

Thank you,
doctor, that'll be all.

You may step down.

Yes, that's right, Mr. Alvin.

The statement said the defendant

caught the train
to San Francisco.

As a matter of fact, we
received a telephone call

from the defendant
from San Francisco.

I show you Exhibit A and
ask if you can identify it.

Yes, sir. That's the bullet

which passed through
deceased's body

and ricocheted off an iron plate

on one of the tent poles.

And this peculiar flattened
and bulging effect?

That's when it
struck the iron plate.

Thank you, lieutenant.

Lt. Tragg, I show you this gun

and ask you to identify it.

Yes, um, it's the gun found

on Highway 101 in Carpentaria.

That's on the way
to San Francisco

at a point where the railroad
tracks cross the highway.

It's a Magnum .357,

purchased by the
defendant, Felix Heidemann,

and registered in his name.

It was wiped clean
of all fingerprints.

Thank you.

Now, lieutenant, on
the night of the murder,

did you, in the course of duty,

visit the
Curtis-Franklin circus?

Yes, sir. I had gone there

to investigate an
attempted homicide

against Gerald Franklin,
one of the owners.

What time was this?

About, uh, 8:30.

Then you were present during
the evening performance?

Did you see a clown

named Felix Heidemann
performing that night?

Yes.

What happened during
that performance?

He was caricaturing a shooting
act which had preceded him.

And?

He fired a shot at the deceased,

Judson Curtis.

But instead of having
blank cartridges in his gun,

there were real bullets.

Now, and I want to
emphasize this point, lieutenant,

was there, during the
act, following the act,

or in any discussion
with any of the principals

at any later time,
any hint or suggestion

that it was not
the incomparable,

world-renowned, Felix
Heidemann performing that night?

Oh, no. No, sir.

Thank you, lieutenant.

You may cross-examine.

Was the clown in
costume, lieutenant?

Yes, sir.

And in heavy makeup?

Yes.

Would you say unrecognizable?

Well, if you mean,
uh, feature by feature...

That's what I mean, yes.

Well, yes, he was
unrecognizable.

Now, lieutenant,

did you check the
fatal bullet ballistically?

We tried.

But the distortion
was so severe,

no comparison could be made.

Then for all we know, the
gun found on Highway 101

was not the murder gun?

Well, I wouldn't
put it that way, I...

Just, uh, put the answer

the way I put the
question, lieutenant.

Well, we can't prove
it was the murder gun.

Was the gun loaded?

Yes.

How many bullets
were in the cylinder?

Four.

Then since the .357
Magnum holds six bullets,

it could mean that, uh,

two shots had been fired.

Could.

Now, lieutenant, you
took several members

of the circus personnel
down to police headquarters

for questioning on
the night of the murder.

What time did you release them?

Well, various times.

Now, what time did
the last of them leave?

Well, about 3:00.

Now, I believe you
stated in your testimony

that the gun was
found at Carpentaria

early in the morning.

Now, exactly what time
early in the morning?

Well, the state
police reported it

at, uh, 6:50 a.m.

Then any of the people
you had been questioning

at police headquarters
had ample time

to drive to Carpentaria, toss
the gun onto the highway,

to simulate it having
been thrown from a train?

If you're asking if
any of them had been

kept under surveillance,
no, they weren't.

Well, that's what I was asking.

Thank you,
lieutenant, that's all.

You may step down.

And the amount to
buy Judd Curtis out

was, uh, $180,000.

Well, Heidemann
was the treasurer.

As explained then,

it was a question of
your buying out Curtis,

or his buying you out?

Yes.

And you had
partners on your end.

Including the defendant,
Felix Heidemann?

Yes.

Now, Mr. Franklin,
let's dig a little deeper.

I ask you to explain
the relationship

which existed between
you and your wife

before your marriage.

Well, what is there to tell?

We were all good friends.

I think Lisa had a
great affection for Felix.

But I am proud to say she
had a greater affection for me.

She... She was in love with me.

And the measure
of that love was that

at the time of my accident,

she had already made
up her mind to accept me.

I don't know what
else there is to tell.

Her devotion.

Her self-sacrifice

over these past four years.

The way she gave

real meaning to futility.

And Felix Heidemann,

was he in love with your wife?

Of course. How could he help it?

I knew it all along.

And did you also know...?

Objection, Your Honor.

Defense has been very patient
with this line of questioning.

But it's extraneous,
argumentative, leading,

and certainly not best evidence.

Your Honor, the
prosecution is trying

to lay a foundation as
to the motive for murder.

The objection is
not without merit.

Perhaps, Mr. Alvin,
you will explain to me

what your plans are.

Your Honor.

It is the intention of the state
to prove that the defendant,

Felix Heidemann, was being
blackmailed by Judson Curtis,

that the blackmail centered

around the
relationships between...

Your Honor, I ask the
witnesses in this case

be excused from the courtroom.

Certain hardships
might result...

There's only one
way he can try to prove

what he thinks he
knows about us.

And that is to bring
me to the stand,

to ask me the questions,

not Jerry or anybody
else, just me.

Well. I-I'm sorry, Jerry.

I'm very sorry.

But I cannot sacrifice Felix.

I will not testify.

Yong woman, you're out of order.

What do you mean
you're not going to testify?

He's my husband, Your Honor.

Felix Heidemann is my husband.

Can I be forced to testify

against my husband?

He was going to have the money

by 3:00 the next day.

Did he say where he
expected to get the money?

From Heidemann.

From Heidemann?

But now, Felix Heidemann
was part of the combine

that was going to buy him out.

Did he say how he expected to
get the money from Heidemann?

Well, he said that
Heidemann and Lisa

were trying to
protect Mr. Franklin.

That they didn't want him to
know that they were married.

It would be a
terrible blow to him.

And by threatening
to tell Mr. Franklin,

he could get the money.

Yes. Now, Mr. Durant,

why did the decedent
tell you all this?

Well, why not?

Mr. Curtis planned,

after he took over the circus,

to make me the premier clown.

He was going to
get rid of Heidemann.

Mm-hm.

Did you witness the
performance of Felix Heidemann

on the night of the murder?

Yes, sir.

Well then, as a clown,

as a working member
of the profession,

what's your expert opinion
on the performance that night?

It was superb.

I've never seen
Heidemann in greater form.

Then, as far as
you are concerned,

it was Felix Heidemann,
the defendant,

who was performing that night?

Of course it was.

There's not the
slightest doubt about it.

Heidemann is a genius.

Wouldn't it take a bigger
genius to impersonate him?

Thank you. You
may cross-examine.

Mr. Mason.

Before you start your
cross-examination,

if you have no objection,

I'd like to call the
noon recess now.

No objection, Your Honor.

Court is adjourned
till 2:00 this afternoon.

Now, as I understand it,

Gerald Franklin was
sitting in his wheelchair,

watching the
performance from here.

Yes. I think so.

You know so, don't
you, Mr. Gilbert?

Well, yes.

Let's see, he was
just about here,

in the shadow of the stands.

He had a direct
line to the clown

in the center of the ring,

and Judson Curtis
on the other side.

Mr. Mason, if there's
any way that I can help...

Maybe on the stand I can
remember some differences

in the performance.

Uh, no thank you, Mr. Gilbert.

Now, you were watching
the performance from there?

Yes. Right there.

And your wife?

Joyce was sitting
right beside me.

Then, when the shooting started,

of course we ran out.

Did you notice in which
direction the clown was running?

That's what Lt.
Tragg kept after us on.

Yes. I think I did.

I think he ran back
to the dressing rooms.

Nobody followed.

No.

Paul. Yeah.

Paul, I wonder what
happens when it rains.

Oh, you mean the canvas roof.

Oh, that's waterproof,
Mr. Mason.

It shouldn't be.

There should be a hole in it.

A bullet hole.

The clown fired
up at the platter.

But those were blanks.

One of those blanks
killed Curtis, didn't it?

Yeah, two bullets
gone out of six.

But why do you want to
find a hole in the roof, Perry?

That's gonna present
quite a problem,

without striking the whole tent.

I don't know a better
man to tackle it.

This is Durant's dressing room.

Perry, do you want me to
get going on that canvas top?

No, help me here first, Paul.

Sure. Help you with what?

Help me find some
.38 caliber blanks.

At least four of them
and possibly six.

What blanks would they be?

Well, if there were real
bullets in that .357 Magnum,

then the blanks normally
used would have been removed.

You expect to find them here?

In Durant's dressing room?

You want to chip
in, Mr. Gilbert?

Yes. Certainly.

Anything I can do to help.

I noticed you were a
little angry at your wife

the day you came to
my office, Mr. Gilbert.

No. No I wasn't.

And she told you about
that note soon enough?

No.

What do you mean?

Perhaps she had some
reason for keeping it back.

Perhaps she had some
reason for not telling you

why she went to Curtis'
office in the first place.

And then she went
back a second time.

I forgot to ask her what for.

Do you know, Mr. Gilbert?

No.

What kind of guns do you
and your wife use in your act?

We have them specially made.

Are you a jealous man?

No. Why should I be?

Well,

there had been a time

when Curtis and Joyce were...

Perry. Here they are.

How many, Paul?

Four.

We'd better get back to
the courtroom, Mr. Gilbert.

Uh, what about me?

You cover the world, Paul.

The circus was in
financial difficulty,

wasn't it, Mr. Durant?

I'm not an accountant.

Please, speak up, Mr. Durant.

I'm not an accountant.

But you loaned a large sum
of money to Judson Curtis

to enable him to
take over the circus,

did you not?

Well yes, I did.

Why shouldn't I have?

And he made you a
promise at that time.

A promise that you
could take over the act

belonging to Felix Heidemann.

Yes.

Now, Mr. Durant,

on the afternoon of the murder,

Joyce Gilbert had occasion
to go into Mr. Curtis' office.

On his desk she saw a note
left there by Felix Heidemann.

Did you see that note?

No.

You did not see that note?

No, sir.

It was a note telling Curtis

that Heidemann was
going to San Francisco

and asking Curtis
to substitute for him.

What're you asking me
all these questions for?

Because I believe you've
been lying, Mr. Durant.

I believe you did see that note.

I believe you destroyed it.

And further,

I believe you took
Heidemann's place during his act.

You knew his routine by heart.

His every move,
his every gesture.

Under all the paint, who
could tell the difference?

It was your great opportunity,
wasn't it, Mr. Durant?

All right.

Yes, it was my
opportunity, and I took it.

Thousands of people laughed
and watched and applauded,

and thought I was Heidemann.

Curtis watched me,

Franklin watched me,

all the professionals watched me

and not one of them knew

it wasn't Heidemann.

It was a greater performance
than Heidemann ever gave.

Then Curtis fell to the ground,

and you realized he was dead,

and you fled to the
dressing room area.

Yes.

Changed to your
own clown costume

to resume your own identity.

Yes.

Then what, Mr. Durant?

Well, then there was

questioning by Lt. Tragg,

and we were taken down
to police headquarters.

And released before 3 a.m.

That's right.

Go on.

Well, then I went
back to the circus,

back to my dressing room.

I got the revolver,

got in my car,

drove to Carpentaria,

to a place where

the railroad track
crosses the road.

You knew Heidemann was
taking that train to San Francisco.

Yes.

I dropped the revolver
on the highway.

Trying to implicate Heidemann.

Yes.

I...

I don't suppose
you'll believe me,

but when I went into the
ring, when the act started,

I didn't know the
gun was loaded.

I believe you about
that, Mr. Durant.

I believe that you did
not kill Judson Curtis.

What?

You thought there
were blanks in that gun.

There were.

When you fired up
at the spinning platter,

you fired a blank cartridge.

Just as you fired a
blank cartridge at Curtis.

But that's impossible.

The gun I took to Carpentaria
was loaded with real bullets.

When did you first
examine that gun?

When?

Why...

When I came back
from police headquarters.

The only one who could
have committed the murder

waited for everybody to be
taken to police headquarters,

then calmly went to
your dressing room,

took the blanks out
of Heidemann's gun,

replaced them with four bullets

and let you take it from there.

The murderer...

is the only one who

could have shot Curtis
without having been observed.

His revolver,

the counterpart of
Heidemann's gun,

concealed by the robe
which covered his lap.

Why made you want to
kill Curtis, Mr. Franklin?

Why made you want to kill him?

I killed him because...

Because he set the tiger on me.

He opened the cage door,

knowing I was the
only one in the aisle.

Unprotected.

Deliberately.

He wanted to kill me like that.

He set the tiger on me.

Thank you.

Thank you, Lisa,

for those four years.

I never knew.

Thank you.

Curtis was desperate.

Not only couldn't
he buy Franklin out,

but he'd stolen so much an
accounting would have disclosed

that Franklin wouldn't have
had to pay him one cent.

So that's why he
tried to kill Franklin.

That's right.

He had to buy Franklin
out, not be bought out.

And there's some
other things I dug up.

Things that Perry's
known but no one else has.

No one, that is, except Lisa.

About what, Lisa?

Lisa never really
married Gerald Franklin.

No, I didn't.

I wanted everybody
else to believe I did.

But it was a mock ceremony.

A friend of mine acted
as the magistrate.

So you see,

Lisa has never been
legally a bigamist.

Now what happens?

Now Paul.

Now?

Now.

Now we're going to celebrate

the beginning of a
honeymoon you've never had.

There you are.