Original subtitles

This is the city— Los Angeles, California.

Some people claim it's a collection of suburbs, not a city at all.

Others say that in 10 years every city in

America will look like Los Angeles does today.

One thing's sure— it's a city that's not afraid to experiment,

where the unusual is taken for granted.

Five thousand people move to Los Angeles every month.

The Los Angeles County Art Museum.

To some, this might be an incentive to settle here.

A block away, you can look at the city and its inhabitants...

the way things were 10 million years ago.

This is East Fifth Street, home address for dreams that never came true.

A few people believe that life owes them something...

and the way to collect it is at the point of a gun.

That's where I come in. I carry a badge.

It was Thursday, April 3. We were working the day watch out of Burglary Division.

My boss is Captain Mack. My partner's Bill Gannon.

My name's Friday.

Thieves had broken into a fur store on Wilshire Boulevard...

and had forced open a storage vault full of fur coats.

$ 100,000 worth of mink and chinchilla had been stolen.

Our job? Get 'em back.

The story you are about to see is true.

The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

You know, Joe? I just figured something out.

Yeah, what's that?

- I make the best coffee in the division. - The strongest anyway.

- Only kind, Joe. The old navy way. - How would you know? You were in the army.

Everybody knows how the navy makes coffee, Joe. Surprised you don't.

Morning, Captain. Cup of coffee? You make it?

- Yes, sir. Sure did. - Uh, no, thanks.

Sorry to get you two in so early. They had a busy night last night.

Yes, sir?

Fur store on Wilshire really got hit. Just had the owner on the phone.

Says the thieves only took the most valuable stuff, mostly chinchilla and mink.

$ 100,000 worth. Big haul.

- That's not all. They had to have something to put all that fur in. - Yes, sir?

They stole a truck.

We left the police building

and drove out to Emile Hartman's Fur Salon.

An A. P. B. had gone out on the truck before we left.

The stolen vehicle was a delivery van with the name "Hartman" painted on the side.

8:35 a.m. Hartman's store just missed being in Beverly Hills by a couple of blocks.

We met the owner and the night watchman in the fur vault beneath the store.

- They got in through a window on the above floor. - You have an alarm system?

On every window but the one they went through.

They made Cartwright here give 'em the keys to the vault,

then just carried the furs outside there and dumped them into the van.

- What's your exact loss? - I haven't taken a complete inventory yet.

But I can tell you something— They knew about fur.

- How's that? - All they left were the seals and wolves and some split-skin minks.

- They knew quality merchandise, all right. - I see.

Takes an expert. Like they say, if you don't know fur, know your furrier.

- Yes, sir. Cartwright, how many men were there? - Two, three maybe. I'm not sure.

He was tied up when I got here. They had him

in the corner over there on the squirrels.

- Can you describe the men? - Not me.

You didn't see 'em?

For a half hour he sits in the corner, and you don't see 'em?

- I did not. - Why not?

They had guns. I did what they told me.

- What's that? - I kept my eyes closed.

Before we left, we put in a call to Latent Prints and S. I. D.

They said they'd send a team out to take

photographs and go over the store and the fur vault.

Without a description of the thieves, the only thing we might have to go on...

would be fingerprints left at the scene or on the stolen delivery van.

Bill and I returned to the office. - 00 a.m.

Get anything? Nothing so far. Latent Prints should be there by now.

May be a waste of time. I just got a call from Long Beach.

They picked up the delivery van down there. Yes, sir?

Not a readable print on it.

Monday, April 7, 2:15 p.m.

Bill and I checked the burglary M.O. files. We turned up a couple of possibles.

We ran them through the card files. We drew a blank.

A bulletin describing the stolen merchandise

was sent to other law enforcement agencies.

So far, nothing had turned up on the stolen furs.

Friday, this is Roger Brucker. He might have

something for you. Sergeant Friday, Officer Gannon.

Mr. Brucker. How do you do? It's about some furs.

Yes, sir? Would you like to sit down, Mr. Brucker?

Thank you.

A fellow called me this morning, asked me if I

knew anybody who'd like to buy some fur coats.

- Said he could give 'em a real good deal. - What line of business are you in, sir?

I'm in the insurance business— Life, liability, the whole package.

Here's my card. It's got my address on it.

Who called you, sir?

Didn't give his name. I don't know why he called me.

Possibly he figured an insurance man might know somebody in the fur trade.

I write a lot of business insurance— You know, fire, theft, health plans.

- Did he leave a number, tell you how to contact him? - No.

Said he'd call back this afternoon. Smelled fishy to me.

Then I read something about that fur robbery at Hartman's.

Put two and two together, called the district

attorney. He told me to contact you people.

- Thought I'd come on down. - We're glad you did.

I don't mind getting involved. I just want to get my money's worth.

- Now, how's that, Mr. Brucker? - I pay taxes to hire you guys. Don't I?

Brucker told us he'd cooperate in any way he could.

We asked him to wait for the suspect to call

him again and to tell them he'd found a buyer.

3:05 p.m. We filled the captain in.

It was decided that we would try and set up

a fur buy in one of the city's better hotels.

What do you figure, a suite in the Bel-Air Inn? Sounds about right.

Who's gonna make the buy? You two feel you know enough about fur?

We thought maybe the victim would brief us.

The way those guys worked over the racks, they know what they're dealing in.

You're gonna fake 'em out, you'd better know what you're doing. Yes, sir.

How soon can you set it up? As soon as they call Brucker.

3:55 p.m. Bill and I drove out to Emile Hartman's Fur Salon.

Lovely, isn't it? Doesn't the rolled collar set off the face beautiful?

It's the absolute latest style in New York.

What do you think, darling?

- I think I'd like to try the first one. - Certainly. Thank you, dear.

Micheline?

Huh?

Let me have the coat, dear. That's right.

There. Now.

Isn't this absolutely gorgeous with your titian hair?

Absolutely.

Will you excuse me, Mrs. Hilliard? I have to

speak to these gentlemen. I'll be right back.

Go ahead, Emile. Thank you.

Did you find my goods? No, sir. Not yet.

It's a disaster. Absolutely it's a disaster.

When I've got buyers, I've got no furs. When I got no furs, I got buyers.

Mr. Hartman. Excuse me, please.

Yes, Mrs. Hilliard. Isn't this a most magnificent Azurine?

We've decided we'd like to see something in a mink stole.

Uh, perhaps a Cavishon styling?

Couldn't I show you a lovely wolf? It would do wonders with her complexion.

Just the perfect color. I don't think so.

I can't see Janice in wolf.

Perhaps if you could come by next week. You

may have read of our unfortunate experience.

We were robbed, you know. Most of our better furs were stolen.

Really? Oh, how terrible for you.

But, you see, it's my baby's birthday, and she does so want a mink.

Well, come on, darling. We’ll just have to try another shop.

I'm sorry we couldn't be of any service, Mrs. Hilliard.

Perhaps on your birthday.

Oh, good heavens, no. I stopped having birthdays years ago.

A disaster. An absolute, honest-to-goodness disaster.

Yes, sir. I thought that coat looked pretty good on her.

This Azurine, yeah. This I borrowed from my

friend Seymour. Even then I couldn't sell it.

That brown one you saw? A dog.

You don't know furs like Mrs. Hilliard. That was a split-skin coat.

She knows quality, that woman. Have you found out anything yet?

We have a lead. The thieves are looking for

a buyer. Sounds like they're ready to sell.

- Are you asking me to buy from them my own merchandise? - No, sir, but we're gonna need your help.

- For what, may I ask? - We're gonna have to go undercover to catch the thieves.

Please, you got a minute? Let me tell you.

As a small boy, I played a lot of games. Some I won, and some I lost.

But you know the one I always lost? Cops and Robbers.

I was the one that everybody pointed at and went, "Bang, bang."

They killed me every time. Now, I ask you, what kind of a secret agent would I make?

- A James "Band," I ain't. - Yes, sir. You don't understand.

I'm just a furrier, gentlemen, not a hero.

Listen, two weeks ago I take a plane all the way to New York.

So I thought I'd live dangerous. You know what I did?

I did not take out any flight insurance.

That's my idea of courage.

Believe me, help from me you can do without.

Mr. Hartman, we need the help of an expert furrier.

Expert? Who's expert?

Just because I've been in this business 14,

15 years, you think that makes me an expert?

Makes me pretty good, but an expert? Not on your life.

Mr. Hartman, you still don't understand. Gannon and I will go undercover, not you.

You mean I stay aboveground, and you go under?

Yes, sir. We just need somebody to give us expert advice on fur.

You, Mr. Gannon— You look like you could be a furrier.

You got a few minutes? I'll make you an expert. Watch here.

Joanne, the Demibuff.

The dog— Not Joanne. The coat.

Now, step number one. This I learned from my brother, the doctor. A top man.

Mmm. Uh-huh. Mmm.

You softly stroke it.

Mr. Gannon, here, you stroke it.

Now, first up, then down.

- You feel the difference? - Yeah, it's rough going up, but coming down it's smooth.

Now, don't forget the sound effects— Mmm!

Mm-hmm!

And then to whoever's trying to sell it to you, you say, "Stagey."

- Stagey? - Uh-huh. That means that it feels rough going up...

and smooth coming down.

Mm-hmm. Already he sounds like a furrier.

Now look at this. This is what Mrs. Hilliard saw.

Darling? Now, you see this dark part here?

Now, that's a grotzen. Very technical term.

You see? It's in the very middle of the

skin where the different furs come together.

Now, that's good.

Well, it's not so good, but it's bad when it's

at the bottom, and the why of it is underneath.

Now, Joanne, please, turn up the hem. That's right. You see?

Right here. Very few seams. Hasn't been let out.

I'll tell you about that later. You see that, you say, "Hmph. Split skin."

Now, just by saying that, you get the price down.

- What's this coat actually worth? - Depends.

Retail, 2,000, maybe. Minus the fancy lining we put in later, 1,800.

Wholesale, if you have a friend, 750.

Stolen, which is the kind of merchandise you're gonna be dealing in,

I'd say give 'em maybe three, three and a half, top.

Split skin. That's when the grotzen is in the, uh, middle of the skin.

Right. Now, let me show you again that quality mink...

Seymour's quality mink.

Micheline?

Slip the coat on, darling.

There we are. Now, go to the gentleman, darling.

Now, feel Seymour's skins.

Mm-hmm! Not stagey at all.

Right away you're an expert, but remember, if it's good, you don't give it away.

You give it this.

You see, that's called "blowing into the fur."

Now, look at this. You see this skin

underneath, on the undergrowth, how thick it is?

That's why it's not stagey.

And the skin is natural. Now, that's a good sign.

If it's the same color as the fur, that's bad.

It means it's been dyed.

But when you're blowing, you're also smelling.

If it smells like an animal, don't buy it. So when

you do your blowing, screw your nose up a little bit.

Go, darling. Go. But you still want to get the

price down, so you stroke it a little bit more.

Then with a small flourish, you take out your handkerchief and wipe off your hand.

That's to let 'em know you think it's tip dyed and very badly.

Then you top it off by saying, "I prefer the natural color."

You show the hem, Mickey. You see those seams?

Those are fully let out. That means the skins were carefully expanded and matched.

- How many skins to make a mink? - Four, five maybe?

Thirty-five to 75 male skins.

The female is smaller. A large animal a mink ain't. I see.

Takes a lot of craftsmanship to cut and join

all those skins. This is quality merchandise.

But you never say that.

You go, "Mm-hmm." And you say something like,

"I see Feldman's using cheap thread again."

Yeah, I see. The grotzen is in the middle. How much would this one sell for?

About 4,000, but you shouldn't offer more than 600, 675 for a coat like that.

- Why's that? - It's stolen merchandise.

You might have to dye it or restyle it before you can

unload it. You want to get caught selling hot minks?

What do I have to know about other kinds of furs?

Girls, put on one each of whichever I've got left.

What do you think, Joe? Will I sound like an expert?

Oh, yeah. In about 15 years.

Come on now, girls.

That's right. Go right down there, dear. This way.

4:30 p.m. I left Bill with Hartman.

I went back to the office to stand by for Brucker's call.

Monday, April 7, 4:53 p.m.

There was a message to call Roger Brucker.

He told me that the man who had called him said he

was ready to meet with a buyer for the stolen furs.

I told him to arrange the meet at the bar in the Bel-Air Inn.

He said the buyer was to carry a folded copy of the

Sunday comic section of one of the local newspapers.

The time was set for the next night, Tuesday, at 8:00 p.m.

Captain Mack set up a meeting with Lieutenant Danny Bowser,

commander of the Special Surveillance Unit.

He'd arrange for the stakeout detail at the Bel-Air Inn.

It's a cinch they won't be bringing the furs over to the hotel.

They'll want you to go to where they've got 'em stashed. Right.

Here's the setup, Joe. We've got four units

around the hotel, here, here, here and here.

No matter what direction you take, we'll be able to stay right on you. Loose tail.

Yeah. How 'bout in the hotel?

Lauritzen and Walters'll be in the next suite.

Any trouble, they'll hear it. Okay? That's it.

- No, there's just one more thing. - What's that?

I got to dig up a copy of the Sunday comics.

I called my friend Leonard Riblett,

assistant managing editor of the Los Angeles Times.

I told him what I wanted. That's right, Len. The Sunday funny papers.

Huh? No. Never mind what I want 'em for.

Yeah. Yeah, I'll let you know later. Right. Thanks, Len. Good-bye.

Tuesday, April 8, 6:30 p.m.

Bill and I checked in to a suite at the Bel-Air Inn.

What do you think? I think maybe you oughta review your homework, don't you?

Yeah, that's a good idea. Where'd I put those notes? Right there on the card table.

Hartman gave me a list of the stolen furs—description, prices, what to look for.

Yeah.

Boy, it's tough to learn the fur business in one afternoon. Hope I know enough.

Well, you don't have to know it all. What do you mean?

Let's just hope you know more than they do.

♪♪

7:45 p.m.

According to plan, I went downstairs to the bar.

Bourbon.

You always carry the comic section around with you? Only when I need 'em.

You're early. So are you.

You the buyer? Man is up in the room.

You got the cash? You got the merchandise?

Brought a sample. We don't deal in samples.

I don't deal in hotel rooms. You got the fur

that's burning a hole in your closet, not me.

How do I know who I'll find in your room? Not who. What.

Huh? We can go 100,000 big ones.

How far did you bring the money? K.C.

Know a guy named Andy Logan back there? No, and you don't either.

Let's can that two-bit checkout routine and talk fur, or

else you can take that box of rabbit there and amble on.

Take it easy. You're the one who wants to unload.

I didn't come here to listen to some punk who ate

a big breakfast. Just trying to play it close.

You play it any closer, it's gonna be behind you.

One more thing before we go to the room. What's that?

How do I know you and the man got that much money?

The same way we know you got that much fur.

Here's the errand boy. Who's he?

He's with me. Sit down.

What do you got to sell?

First quality, top-of-the-line. Forty-seven pieces, assorted styles.

You got something to show? How's this?

Autumn Haze. Fully let out. Silk brocade.

Mm-hmm.

We might be able to do a little business.

- What are you asking for the bundle? - 80,000.

Pass.

You're missing a good deal.

Who do you think you're dealing with? I know that piece. That's not a stole.

It's a flag, and I'm not waving it. Comes from Stuhlman and Son, New York City.

You may be a good thief, but you're a bad furrier.

You try to unload that, you'll have the law

down your back before you could wrap it up.

You gotta dye it, restyle it before you can move it.

Rest of the bundle the same?

I don't know about that. They told me to say 80,000.

Suppose you go back and tell "they" to say again.

- You wanna make an offer? - I'll look first.

What about the money?

You show me the goods. If I like 'em, I'll pay C.O.D.

Take it or leave it.

- Okay. My car's in the lot. - We'll follow you in a cab.

I gotta make a phone call. Who shall I say I'm bringing?

I'll spell it for you.

- Go ahead. - M-O-N-E-Y.

8:23 p.m. Bill and I got into a cab.

The suspect pulled up in front of us, and we followed him.

8:46 p.m. The suspect led us to the 1800 block of Barton Street...

in East Los Angeles.

Come on in.

Who's the buyer? Let's see the goods.

Who's he? He's with him.

They part of this deal? Yeah, it's a four-way split.

Let's get to it. 60 thou for the lot.

After we see the goods. Okay. In here.

Here it is.

Stagey.

Split-skin here. Cheated on the collar. Brocade on one side.

Tip dyed. I like 'em natural.

I'm gonna have to recut, restyle most of these pieces. Have to dye some of 'em.

Cost me quite a bit to do that.

Sixty for the lot. You'll never beat 30.

Just a minute.

Al? Bob? You wanna come in here?

He says 30. We'll settle for 40. That's 10 each all the way around.

Closed. Call it 40. Let's see the green.

Cash is at the hotel. Joe here can go get it. I'll wait.

Sinclair, you go with him. I got a better idea.

Let's all go. Police officers! You're under arrest.

Get those hands behind your head. Move! Out in the other room. Move!

All right. Now string out along that sofa.

Now freeze. Ed! Bob!

In the bedroom, Ed.

I really got to hand it to you, Sinclair. You're a real pip, you are.

- Why didn't you pick up 10 in uniform? - That's enough of that. Hold the talk.

Maybe we bought those furs. Maybe they belong to us.

Yeah. Maybe you're Princess Margaret Rose.

Didn't I tell you to burn those labels good, Sinclair?

They wouldn't catch fire. They're some kind of synthetic. So's your brain.

All right. That's enough.

What about our rights? Ain't you gonna read us our rights?

Right now.

- We all want lawyers. - You're gonna need 'em.

9:3 1 p.m.

Before we left the suspects' house, we called for the property van...

and had the stolen furs taken downtown to the P.A. B. Property Division.

Bill and I filled out the property report and listed

the circumstances of the burglary and recovery.

You call Hartman? Yeah. The insurance adjustor too.

He said he'd contact us first thing in the

morning. Hartman should be here any minute.

Looks like a hundred percent recovery, doesn't it?

I'd say so, judging from the count— 47 pieces.

My goods! You got 'em back. Yes, sir.

You, nice police lady. Did you help too?

No, sir. Sergeant Friday and his partner are responsible for the recovery.

Police lady, I bet in your whole life you never had a mink.

Here—from me to you, it's yours.

No, sir. I'm sorry. I can't accept it.

What can't accept? I'm a married man.

You don't understand, Mr. Hartman.

Not stagey. Fully let out female skins.

My expert. It goes perfect with your uniform.

Mr. Hartman, you're a very nice man, but not only isn't it necessary,

we're not allowed to accept gratuities.

Who's giving you a gratuity? I'm giving you a mink stole.

I really appreciate your great generosity. Thank you just the same.

Hmm. I was gonna give one each to your wives. I want to pay a reward.

You don't owe us any reward, sir. Anyway, I'm not married.

- Do me a favor, Sergeant. - What's that, Mr. Hartman?

- When a man offers you a free mink— - Yes, sir?

Get married.

The story you have just seen is true.

The names were changed to protect the innocent.

On June 22, trial was held in Department 180,

Superior Court of the State of California,

in and for the County of Los Angeles.

In a moment, the results of that trial.

The suspects were found guilty on a charge of robbery in the first degree.

Robbery in the first degree is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison...

for not less than five years.