Original subtitles

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

You see, we are making an effort to reach the widest

possible audience.

Tonight... The

last was included

in Case's program...

reaches the moon.

Tonight we present...

Haven't

you forgotten something?

No offense meant toward the countries involved, but he was a show -off till

very end, always wanting the last word. And now, without further

interruption, tonight's story.

Criminals can be plenty resourceful.

So can cops.

Detectives still require good old horse sense and strong feet.

But in addition, we now have some help to take the weight off.

What I mean is scientific equipment.

We have many ways to take care of the tough guys.

We figure they'll soften by the time we get all the evidence against them.

With fingerprinting.

Or a lie detector.

Or a ballistics test.

Yes, they match.

But it's the mild ones, the tame ones, that give us the most trouble.

There was one fellow in particular who made our investigation easy.

You might even say too easy.

Captain? Come on, Hogan.

How do you like that?

What happened, Captain?

Ah, just now I got a look at this memo that came in last week. One of the names

of all the new parolees in the vicinity.

It's got Milt Potter listed.

Who's Milt Potter?

Did they ever tell you about him?

No, I don't think you did.

Take a look at the 47th file. You'll find him under embezzlement.

Bring it over here.

Lieutenant, he was the tamest criminal you ever met.

Maybe the coolest.

Milt and Potter.

Age 34, single.

Employment, Metro Investment Services Incorporated.

That's my man.

Now he's not on parole, huh?

Two days ago.

For 12 years they kept this release date in my calendar and then I didn't watch

the memos.

Well, it doesn't make any difference.

Two days or two weeks.

I got no Potter's number.

You know, it happened back in March of 1947.

I was Louie then.

Maybe even more of an eager beaver than you are now.

Milton Potter had worked for Metro Investments since he got out of college,

total of 13 years, and he was still making only 60 bucks a week.

He had no family and few friends.

He was quiet, courteous, commonplace, and careful.

Nobody could tell you anecdotes about Potter.

Nobody could even describe him very well.

We found that out.

He went about his duties without ever complaining or revealing the intention

that must have been burning inside him for years.

Then it happened.

One day, Potter didn't report for work.

Nobody cared very much.

In fact, nobody seemed to notice it.

When he didn't show up the next day, somebody thought it might be a good idea

call his home and see if he'd broken a leg or something.

There wasn't any answer.

They didn't get really disturbed about it until the third day.

What is it, Newton?

Out with it, man. I don't have all day.

What's the matter with you?

It's about Potter, sir.

Oh, he's back, is he?

Good man, Potter. I wish I had more men like him. Never complains, never asks

for a raise.

Where's he been?

It's not that, Mr. Halvorson. What is it, then? Won't he tell?

Now, there's a quiet man for you, eh, Newton?

You know what they say about Stillwater. Yes, sir.

You better show him in. I'll get it out of him.

But he's not here, sir.

He's still not here.

Oh.

Well, then the poor man must have met with an accident or something. Has

thought of calling the hospitals?

Sir, I was checking his books and... And what,

Newton?

They don't balance, sir.

There's a discrepancy.

A discrepancy? Yes, sir. How much of a discrepancy?

$200 ,000, sir.

Course, sir.

Seems that one of their bookkeepers, a man named Milton Potter, has gotten

200 grand.

200 ,000? That's what I said.

The man to see is Halverson. J .B.

Halverson, a vice president.

Right.

Mr.

Newton.

Did Potter ever mention his plans or give any indication at all what he was

thinking of doing?

You know, note, remark, telephone call?

No, sir. He never did.

I never knew him to get a personal telephone call.

He had no relatives, you know.

What about his friends?

Do you have any friends?

No, I wouldn't say he had.

What would you say? You worked with him. You were closer to him than anyone

else. Well, if he had any friends, sir, I didn't know about them.

This is incredible.

He worked here for 13 years and you don't know if he had any friends. What

you do, Newton? Live in a vacuum?

No, sir.

It's just that Mr. Potter never talked about himself.

Would you remember anything unusual about him?

No. Well, anything at all?

Nothing.

You know.

Nobody could even remember what color eyes he had?

I know.

Oh, he did his work well.

But he always did that.

And, oh, he read a lot. I could say that about him.

What did he read?

Travel books, mostly.

That figures.

All right, you can go. If I need to talk to you again, I'll let you know.

Yes, sir.

Pipsqueak Potter.

Near the day I hired him, there was something phony about him.

Why do you say that? Too quiet, too good.

All the time he's scheming to rob the company.

And now it comes out, a crafty, clever man, Potter.

He's probably in Afghanistan by this time.

Oh, if he has traveling in mind, Mr. Halverson, he hasn't left yet. His

and luggage are still in his room.

There were travel folders all over the place.

You should be out looking for him, young man.

You've got to nail him before he gets away.

Oh, he won't get away. He's got to be punished for what he's done.

He's got to be made an example of.

What if everyone in the office decided to take off with the funds? This would

ruin us.

I don't think he's got anything to worry about.

He hasn't covered his trail. It shouldn't be too difficult finding him.

You've got to get that man, Lieutenant.

We will, Mr. Halverson. We will.

It's like I said, lady.

We'd like to accommodate you and come down and arrest your husband, but we

do that without a complaint.

Yes, I know you're complaining, lady, but I mean a signed complaint.

Yes, you come down here.

No, I'm sorry, we can't send a car for you.

Yes, get one of your neighbors to drive you down.

Well, what do you want?

My name is Milton Potter.

What could I do for you, Mr. Potter?

I came to give myself up.

That's fine, Mr. Potter.

We always like it when people want to give themselves up.

But would you mind telling me first what it is you think you've done?

I'm the man that took the money.

The money?

You mean you're that potter?

Yes, sir.

That's what I mean.

You knew you couldn't get away with it.

What have I made you try?

Oh, no, that's not true, Lieutenant.

I thought I could get away with it. I really did.

But now you know differently. Is that it?

No, you don't understand.

You see, I didn't realize the effect it was going to have on me.

After all those years of planning to do it someday, I had to go through with it.

Don't you see?

But afterwards?

Well, after it was over and I had time to think about it, I realized I just

couldn't go through with it.

That's all.

But don't feel badly about it, Potter.

A lot of first -timers lose their nerve after pulling off a job.

You did the right thing, coming here the way you did, giving yourself up.

You know, that took courage.

Just proves, Mr. Potter, that you're really not the criminal type.

And Mr. Halverson's gonna be real proud of you.

Oh, I don't think so.

You don't know our Mr.

Halverson. I'm sorry about him. I've caused him a lot of worry. Mr. Newton,

I hope they'll understand.

Well, they're not worried now.

Because we're going to tell them how you walked right in here and told us all

about it.

You know, I wish every job would end this way. It would make it easier for

of us. You said it, Captain.

You didn't happen to bring the money with you.

No, I didn't. Well, that's all right.

Send a couple of men out after us. Where is it?

You do have the money, don't you?

Mr. Potter, you're not going to tell us that you've lost it or anything silly

like that, are you?

Where is the money, Mr. Potter?

It's as I told you. I took the money and I'm willing to give myself up.

Well, are you also willing to go to jail?

Because, you know, that's exactly where you're going to land unless you tell us

where you've hidden that money.

I'm willing to go to jail if I have to. You don't seem to understand.

You could draw a long stretch for a theft as large as this one.

It doesn't matter now.

You'll be spending the best part of your life in jail.

Mr. Potter, where is the money?

I'm not going to tell you.

You're being a patsy, Potter.

A patsy?

Yeah, you're taking a fall. You're being set up. You're a fall guy. Can't you

understand that?

I'm not sure.

You've given the money to somebody and you're willing to take the rap for it.

No, that's not true.

All right, Potter, who's the woman?

The woman?

Captain, I'm not even married.

All right, the doll, then.

That little hunk of something that you think is going to be waiting outside

prison wall when you get out.

You don't mean to tell me you think she's still going to have that dough, do

you?

There's no doll.

Listen, Potter, what kind of fools do you think we are? There's got to be a

reason you won't turn that dough over to us.

Now, let's have it. We want the truth for a change.

But I'm telling you the truth.

Don't you realize what this means?

Fifteen or twenty years.

And with that attitude of yours, I don't know if they'll ever let you out. Mr.

Potter, do you have any idea what prison's like?

Look, why don't you make it easier for yourself?

You'll probably get off real light if you just return the dough.

Hardly any prison term at all.

Lieutenant Fisher is right.

This is your first offense.

Judges always look kindly on a man who admits his mistake, especially the first

time. Now, you just give back the 200 grand, and both Metro and the insurance

company will go easy on you. I practically promise it.

Now, how about it? You look like a sane and sensible man.

You don't want to do a long stretch in the pen.

I'm sorry. I'm putting you fellows for an awful lot of bother, and I don't mean

to. Well, then tell us where the money is.

It's as I said. I took the money because I thought I could get away with it.

But after I took it, I realized I wasn't cut out to be a hunted criminal.

I couldn't stand the idea of being hounded for the rest of my life.

Oh, I know how Mr. Halverson would be, and the insurance company, too.

This ain't nothing of you fellas.

So when I thought about that, I realized I wasn't cut off to be the running

type. That's all.

So I gave myself up.

Please, please, Mr. Potter, will you just tell us where the money is?

No.

We've been nice to you, Potter, but it gets rough from here on out.

I suppose you're the type that thinks you won't mind prison life. You think

going to be like the army.

You ought to be told where to go, what to do.

You think it's going to be like that, don't you?

Goodies, movies, well, maybe even a three -day pass. You've got a big

coming, Potter, a great big surprise.

Concrete and steel room for 20 long years, Potter. The same meals, the same

walls, nothing to do. And the days stretching out in front of you, never

And your fellow convicts, murderers, thieves, arsonists. Is that the way you

want it, Potter?

Well, is it?

That's the way it has to be.

I thought about Potter quite a lot over the years.

Why was he so stubborn?

He wasn't the criminal type.

Why did he insist that was the way it had to be?

Well, Potter never broke down.

The trial was short and sweet.

He pleaded guilty and got a 15 -year sentence.

That was back in 47, like I said.

He got three years clipped off his sentence for good behavior.

He's just a prisoner.

He was a model prisoner from the first day he walked through the gates.

Put him to work in the prison library most of the time.

He did a lot of reading.

Travel books mainly, so I've heard.

But he got out two days ago, Captain. He's got a head start on you. It won't

matter.

You know, that 200 grand doesn't belong to him, even if he thinks he earned it

by doing a stretch in the pen.

Let me get his address from his parole officer.

Pay him a little visit.

Tell him a few of the facts of life.

You're going to see him today?

Why not?

I've had this appointment for a long time.

Yes?

Mr. Potter?

I'm Captain Ernest Fisher.

Remember me?

Of course. Come on in.

I was Lieutenant Fisher the last time we met, Mr. Potter.

That was a long time ago.

Yes, it was a long time ago.

Twelve long years ago.

You going somewhere?

I just moved in.

What'd you want, Captain?

Well, I understand that you did real well in prison.

At least there were no complaints about your conduct that I heard.

No, I didn't get any trouble.

I mind my own business.

It didn't bother anybody, nobody bothered me.

Well, if I know you, they hardly knew you were there.

I knew I was there, Captain.

Of course you did.

You wouldn't listen to me 12 years ago.

Now you know.

Yes, now I know.

I was hoping to forget that part of my life.

Well, a person usually forgets the unpleasant things.

And you're probably no exception now that you're out and ready to make a

start.

You thought of what you're going to do?

I thought about it.

Well, we'll help you all we can.

But, of course, you won't be able to go back to handling money.

Well, I hadn't planned on that.

There's no sense in beating around the bush, Mr. Potter.

I am here for a reason.

I didn't think you came here for nothing.

You know what it is.

There's still a matter of $200 ,000.

I knew you wouldn't forget about that.

Neither we nor the insurance company, Mr. Potter.

The fact that you served a sentence doesn't entitle you to that money no

what you think.

Listen to that ship's blast, Captain.

I heard it.

I always wanted to travel.

You had travel folders all over your room 12 years ago.

Yeah. I had wonderful plans.

I wanted to travel all around the world.

I wound up in prison.

But I traveled all the time I was there.

I read every travel book in the prison library.

When I finished those, I started borrowing others from the state library.

I never really got out.

Not really.

There was always that prison smell.

Always a feeling of people closing in. The smell of other men.

It's different out here. It smells different. It feels so different.

I'll bet it does.

That ship.

I wonder if the world smells different, if it feels different where she's going.

Well, I wouldn't know about that, Mr. Potter.

I wouldn't worry about it if I were you.

You're not going anyplace.

I know.

You know, it was obvious to everyone what your plan was. You thought you'd be

set to enjoy that money when you got out of prison. But these things aren't done

that way.

I want you to know that I'm making it my personal duty to see that you don't

carry out your plan.

That money does not belong to you.

Captain, you're all wrong about me.

Oh, really?

Yes, you are.

I know that's what the world thinks. I know what everybody thinks. But they're

wrong. Are they?

Look, I'll tell you the truth.

I thought that life in prison wouldn't be too hard.

At times it wasn't.

But other times you had nothing to do but to think. A lot of time.

I made up my mind what I have to do.

Captain, I'm ready to give the money back.

Your what?

Ready to give the money back.

All I want is to be left alone, to be able to live in peace.

Don't you understand?

Well, I'm trying hard to.

Where's the money?

Right here.

In this room.

Right here in this suitcase.

Every penny of it.

I think you're going to enjoy this.

Oh, I shall.

Import it.

This is the best beer you can buy.

Back in the States, I never take a drink before five o 'clock.

Oh, this is the very best time of day to drink champagne.

You know, I'm going on to France to the vineyards where the grapes come from.

I may buy a case or two.

France? Mm -hmm. But this ship's going to Hawaii.

I know. But I intend to go on to Asia, the Orient, all around the world.

I certainly envy you your trip.

Oh, when I retired, I determined to travel.

Retired? With the way taxes are today, how'd you ever manage it?

Investments.

Did you ever stop to think how much $200 ,000 earns in 12 years in interest

compounded quarterly in various carefully selected savings banks?

$154 ,862 .25.

I see.

But how can a man get hold of $200 ,000 to invest?

You might try borrowing it.

I did.

so much for high finance.

It is customary to announce to an audience when the program they are

in color.

I can only assume that this is for the benefit of the colorblind so that they

will know they are missing something.

I have good news for them tonight.

The preceding program was not in color.

Next time I shall return with another story. Until then...

Good night.