Original subtitles

Mr. Webster?

Webster?

Mr. Webster?

♪♪

Don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

We surrender.

Hey, Joe-Joe!

Catch!

Beautiful! You haven't lost your touch at all!

And I didn't think he would come.

Well I'll be... Diana!

Oh, welcome to the reunion, darling.

- Reunion? - That's right, Joe.

All the ghosts are here.

Good to see you, Alex.

Now what better place for a reunion of the Silver Ghosts?

That's right, Joe. In a ghost town.

A lot of pollution's gone under the bridge since our final game.

How've you been, Ross?

Hey, why this phony telegram from Mr. Webster? Who's he?

Webster? You don't recognize Webster?

Come on Joe-Joe.

Webster U, huh?

Thirteen to seven... the last game?

Yeah, we... we sent you that fake telegram

because we figured you wouldn't come to a reunion.

Alex wanted to make sure of you.

It's no reunion without the team captain.

Lesley!

Come here. I want you to meet Joe Mannix.

Joe, this is my wife Lesley.

I'm the outsider around here.

But I've heard about you. You're a legend.

You see the buildup you get, Joe?

Joe never needed a buildup.

You're looking good, kid. Haven't changed a bit.

Coming from a doctor, that's encouraging.

And encouragement calls for a drink. Let's belly up to the bar, boys.

Alex thought of everything.

We've got cocktails set up in the saloon.

Then we're going to ride to Vegas.

Alex has reserved the entire eleventh floor at the Monarch.

Hal, how are you?

Just fine. How are you, Joe?

Fine.

Okay, everybody... up to the bar... Name your poison.

Come on, drinks are on the house.

Of course, it's Alex' house.

- What'll it be, Joe? - Scotch if you've got it.

If you can pronounce it, we've got it.

Well, then make it two, make it two.

Hey! Hey, where did you get the picture?

Hey, now isn't that great?

Yeah.

Hey, Joe-Joe, look at that, huh?

Look at that block.

That's me... is that beautiful, huh?

There I am, not doing a whole lot of good.

And look at Ross... on his knees, as usual. Right, kid, huh?

And there's Thorney.

Ah, you know I'll never forget that play.

Yeah nobody ever will, if our right-end Alex has anything to say about it.

You got to listen to this, Joe.

The score is 7 to 6...

Only eighteen seconds left to play.

Western's in big trouble now... on their own 44... third down and seven to go.

The ball is snapped. Thorne fades back to pass. He looks for his receiver.

Alex Stevens out there deep in Webster's territory.

Thorne's in trouble now. He laterals to number 12, Joe Mannix.

Thorne is down, but Mannix is running for daylight.

Two beautiful blocks by Carlson and Shatner.

Mannix is threading his way through, breaking tackles.

He's down to the 10, the 5, touchdown!

Joe Mannix!

Beautiful run, ladies and gentlemen.

They're lining up for the extra point...

and it's good!

There's the gun, ending the game 13 to 7.

Last game of the season for the undefeated Silver Ghosts.

Yay.

What a game.

Hey, Alex, why isn't Thorney here?

Well, he just never answered the wire.

Well, at least he's still alive.

Werner was killed in Vietnam,

Robertson in a plane crash,

Donald... car accident.

I guess three dead out of eleven isn't bad after fifteen years, huh?

Gee, the conversation's getting morbid. Alex.

I want everybody to sign this poster.

Sure, all the survivors.

I thought I'd had it with all his scrapbooks.

Now I have this mural to live with.

Hey now, look, you're not really serious.

Are you really going on to Vegas from here?

We've got a bus parked out back.

Sure, I'm the chauffeur.

Alex is calling the plays this evening,

and I'm running interference behind the wheel.

Rah, team, rah.

Hold that line.

While you're holding, I'll get mine.

Well, I must say your husband hasn't changed much, Mrs. Carlson.

Lesley.

And nothing changes, Joe.

Will you just take it a little easy, love. We've got a long way to go.

I'm just preparing for Alex' banquet.

Joe, you got to take a couple of days off.

I just got a new Catamaran... a real flyer.

Yeah, and I thought you people in the aerospace business

were having a rough time.

The industry's been hurt pretty bad,

but we've been able to keep the old team together.

And Tom is still your lawyer.

He still handles all our work, but he has his own office with five other lawyers.

Well, you know, during a recession, lawyers and undertakers always do well.

Yeah, right. And, Ross, what about you?

You, uh, in business for yourself?

No, no. Alex' advertising department is all I can handle.

That isn't what I hear. According to rumors,

he's interested in a few other things besides business.

Hal, write a prescription on the picture, huh?

You wouldn't take the one I have in mind.

A physician, like a prophet, is without honor among his own friends.

Boo.

You're next, Joe.

Mm. Coming up.

Oh, well... "Long may they live." Hmm.

I'll drink to that.

You'll drink to anything.

I thought you were always too busy to notice.

Well... now everybody's noticed.

Sorry, all.

Oh, that's all right, Tom, uh, no harm done.

My signature always looked better smeared anyway.

That's true.

That takes care of the whole group except you, Ross.

Oh, and Thorney.

Say, by the way, uh, you said you sent Thorney a telegram.

Isn't he still working for you?

No.

Anybody want a refill?

Hey, wait a minute. What's the big mystery?

Well, Thorney's been a pretty sick guy.

Sick? How?

Alex sent him to a psychiatrist... A rest home for a while.

You know how moody he always was?

He was much worse at the plant.

Thought his designs were being stolen.

Never did take a vacation... always there, suspicious of everybody.

What he did was, he hated our guts.

Now I have begged Alex for years to pension him off, but no, no, he feels obligated.

We are all obligated.

His patents on the antitorque gear got us started.

He is entitled to royalties, not to destroy our business.

Thorney wanted to be head of engineering, so Alex gave it to him.

And then he had to take him off of every project he put him on.

He's a brilliant engineer. But that's not what he wants.

No, he still wants to be leader.

Well, let's change the subject.

You know, you really do look great, Joe. You haven't changed a bit.

Oh, my God!

Take it easy, Ross. Here, here, here.

Oh.

Diana, go back inside!

Hal needs his medical bag in the bus.

I'll get it!

I won't need it now, Joe.

He's dead.

Oh, my God.

Joe?

- Where you going? - To call the police.

- You have a mobile phone in the car? - That's right.

Why don't you stay here? You're better equipped to handle this emergency.

These people are near panic.

I'll make the call.

- Do you know how to use it? - Oh yeah, sure, sure.

Any of you know who smokes this brand?

It's Thorney's brand.

The smell used to drive me up the wall.

Well I... I talked with the sheriff.

He's got a car on the way.

You, uh, find something?

Yeah, I found this cigarette smoldering out front.

It's Turkish.

Thorney, huh?

Let's talk about Thorney.

What exactly was wrong with him?

That!

It started then... do you remember?

That pileup in the first quarter?

Thorney was on the bottom.

Coach wanted to take him out.

And he was ready to kill the coach.

That's right.

It was his last game... His last chance for glory.

Nothing was going to stop him.

He was hurt then.

He was hurt worse in this fall.

The damage didn't seem too bad at the time, but he always blamed it on us.

Well, if he got your telegram, he knew where you'd be.

Could he have hated Ross enough to kill him?

Any one of us.

But it was Ross who was killed.

Why?

What could Ross have done to Thorney to deserve it?

Well, somewhere we've all got someone who would like to kill us.

They're like children... the games they play.

And what kind of games do you play, Lesley?

Well, it should take the police about three quarters of an hour to get here.

Be dark by then.

Yeah, and once it's dark, the killer could shake up a whole squad of police.

If we're going to get him at all, we've got to get him now.

- What do you mean, stage a manhunt? - That's right.

We're going to search this whole town. Now, has anybody else got a gun?

Well, we've got this starter's pistol, but it only shoots blanks.

Then mine's the only one.

All right, now, we're going to cover everything.

Alex, you and Diana take this street. Stay close to the buildings.

Tom, you and Lesley take this street and do the same thing.

Hal and I will cover this area.

Now, don't take any chances.

If you hear or see anything suspicious, just yell. You got it?

My lovely wife is in no shape to look for anything.

Hal and I will go. Hal, you go there. I'll take the...

Lesley, you better stick with me.

Look over there.

They hate you too, Joe.

The team!

Why is that?

Well, you go your own way.

You do your own thing.

Alex isn't the only one that has a thing about the team.

They all have.

Joe!

Where are you?

By the stable!

Stay here.

What is it?

Diana thought she heard somebody in here.

You stay right here.

Well, there was nobody.

Must have been the wind blowing against the door or something.

When you finish, get back into the saloon, huh?

It was nothing.

You're a nice guy, Joe.

One outsider to another?

You know, ah, you don't seem very eager to join the team, either.

Well, there's nothing over there.

I guess he must have made it back out into the desert.

On foot?

Well, there's nothing but empty buildings, creaking doors, loose floorboards.

But I guess that's reasonable in a ghost town.

The sun's below the horizon.

From now on, we're going to lose the light pretty fast.

And there's a killer loose in town, and soon it'll be too dark to find him.

What we need is a helicopter.

Hey, Joe.

Where you going?

I'm going to call the Highway Patrol and request a helicopter search of this area.

All right, Tom, what's the joke?

Take a look over there, Joe-Joe.

Oh!

Joe, you forgot about our drama club production of Robin Hood.

Remember... when you rescued Maid Marian

and killed the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham?

You know you cost me 100 dollars.

I figured you'd be on to us in five minutes.

It was just a joke, Joe.

We wanted to see how a Private Detective really works.

And Hal didn't call the police.

Well, it seems I've forgotten the first rule...

- Make sure there's been a crime. - Ah.

Well, we figured with the doctor pronouncing me dead, you'd buy it.

Children.

You're not mad, are you, Joe?

Oh, no, no, no. I think it's a very funny joke.

I really enjoyed the class reunion.

Do me a favor, will you?

Take me off your mailing list.

Joe, the party's just beginning.

Your party, Diana.

In the real world, Joe has work to do.

Thanks, outsider.

So long, class.

- It's been great. - Ah, Joe, we're sorry.

- Aw, come on, Joe, it was a joke. - Joe.

- It was a joke. - Come on.

You used to have a better sense of humor than that.

- Come on, Joe. - It's ridiculous.

Still part of the joke?

We wouldn't kid about a thing like that.

Oh, come on, there's a line between

destruction of property and a practical joke.

No.

My gas tank shows empty.

I just filled it thirty miles back.

No, Joe. Honest.

A ghost?

You came back, Ross. You think the gas will?

Joe, we wouldn't go that far.

I want to get out of here.

Why would anybody do a thing like this?

I think it is time we left.

We'll take the bus to Vegas and send a service truck back for your car, Joe.

If your bus will get you back.

- The bus? - You're right!

Nobody's going anyplace tonight.

Who would do this?

Why would anyone want to keep us here in the desert?

We'll let the police worry about that. This time I'll make the call.

By the way, where's Hal?

- Hal? - Hal? I don't know.

Hal.

- Hal? - Hal?

- Hal? - Hal!

- Hal? - Hal?

- Hal? - Hal?

Hal!

Oh, no!

Joe!

This time it's no joke.

He's dead.

There I was lying under that thing a few minutes ago... for a joke.

Honey, will you take it easy?

Just this once stay sober so I don't have to carry you?

Not even in a box?

That's not funny.

I didn't think any of this was funny, remember?

Let's stop fighting.

What are we going to do?

Well, first thing we'd better do is prepare for night.

Why don't you check the lanterns, Tom?

Ross, why don't you see what you can do about shuttering the windows

- and check all the doors, huh? - Right, Joe.

Joe, how are we going to get out of here?

Well, I'm working on it.

Tom, you better not light that until we get some bonfires set up outside.

We don't want to be targets in here.

Now, with enough fires out there, we'll have a good field of vision.

We'll set up a schedule of watches throughout the night.

There's also a chance that a Vegas plane flying over

- might spot the fires and report it. - Let's get some wood, then.

- I'll help. - And I'll cover.

Tom has got the first watch.

I'll take the second, and then you relieve me.

- If anybody sees anything, call out. - Alex!

Here. Some water, someone.

Thank you.

Here.

- His heart? - Diana?

It's Hal's prescription.

He'll be all right in a minute. It's... It's just all the excitement.

Poor Alex, he wanted this party so badly...

A reunion and all his friends together.

It's going to be a long night, Lesley.

We're going to need everyone.

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

You'd better depend on Diana instead.

She's able to take care of everything and everybody.

You said the team resented me because I go my own way.

You seem to resent the team. Why?

Joe?

Yeah, I hear it.

Stay under cover!

There he is.

Yeah, but he's too far away.

Now what?

We'll just have to wait until morning, then walk out.

Well, this isn't the reunion dinner we had planned, but it's better than nothing.

Better tell me a little more about Thorney.

It was like I said.

He's hated us ever since...

That's ridiculous, it was only a game.

Not to Thorney. He was a kid with a lot of hang-ups.

He's always resented us because he figured we had some kind of unearned edge.

All Thorney had was speed and guts.

I've heard about the game for a long time,

but I... I really don't understand what happened.

Thorney claimed he called for the ball to go to me.

I was to start a fake end run and then lateral him the ball

when the defense was sucked in.

Nobody else heard it called that way.

In a game you get pretty excited.

Thorney isn't the first quarterback to have called the wrong play.

Joe made that run and scored that touchdown.

I just can't believe it meant that much to Thorney.

Joe, you don't know.

He never quit talking about it.

He thought that the team liked you so much

that we double-crossed him and gave you the play.

Look, it's ridiculous for one guy to keep the whole group pinned down.

I was closest to him.

If there's one of us he won't hurt, it's me.

Ross!

Thorney, I want to talk to you.

Go back, Joe. He'll think we're crowding him.

All right, but I'll keep you covered.

Thorney!

Thorney, it's me, Ross!

I'm alone!

I want to talk to you!

Thorney?

Thorney?

My... My leg, Joe.

What happened?

I saw him, Joe.

He tried to kill me.

Pulled this over on me and ran out the door.

We better get you back to the saloon. Come on.

- All right? - Yeah.

- Take it easy. - Ross!

- He tried to kill me. - Who, Thorney?

Yeah, I saw him.

Let's take a look at that leg.

Just sit down right here.

Well, I... I don't think it's broken,

but there's nothing we can do about it anyway.

We don't have a doctor, remember?

Oh, I'm sorry, Alex.

I think we better all stick together. He picks off stragglers.

I'll... I'll take the watch.

I may be out of action, but there's nothing wrong with my eyes.

Here.

- Alex? - Alex?

Sorry. I'm just a bit dizzy.

You better lie down.

Here you are. Put your head back on that.

A regular Florence Nightingale.

How long has this been going on? How sick is Alex?

How long have they been married?

She's got her eyes on you now, you know.

I know the signs. Oh, how I know the signs.

Tom was last year.

He's a weak man. He... He liked his job.

He was afraid to, afraid... afraid not to.

She winds Alex around her little finger.

Tom figured, if he was going to get fired, why not enjoy it?

I guess they all did.

All?

What about Thorney?

I don't know.

A psychotic would have appealed to her.

On the other hand, maybe she's what drove him crazy.

To Diana... the girl who made the team!

Does Alex know?

There isn't much Alex misses.

Do you mind sharing some of that with me?

My leg's beginning to throb.

I'll get it for you.

Look, I've had enough of this.

I'm not going to wait till morning. I'm going to walk into Vegas now.

It's thirty miles, and it's pitch dark out there.

You know how far thirty miles is?

Look, I was in good enough shape to climb the Matterhorn three years ago.

I think thirty miles over level ground will be a breeze.

People get lost in the desert.

People get lost at a bar.

Tom, we've had enough heroics for the night.

I'm being a coward, Joe.

Out there, I can duck. In here, we're all right in the center of the target.

We need help. Is there an alternative?

I guess not unless we could all go,

and Ross' leg wouldn't get him to the edge of town.

Alex in his condition.

I don't think the girls could make thirty miles in the desert.

Someone's got to stay here and protect them.

You're the only one that can handle a gun.

Come on. I'll be back in the morning with the cavalry.

It just might work.

All right, I'll create a diversion out front. You go out the back way.

- Watch yourself. - Sure... the old end around.

See you, Joe-Joe.

Thorney!

Thorney, I want to talk to you!

Thorney, nobody's going to hurt you!

Believe me, Thorney, nobody wants to hurt you!

You'd better get back inside, Diana. It's not safe out here.

Well, there seems to be a little danger everywhere.

Yeah.

You know for a group of close friends,

there seems to be a lot of tension going on.

Well, maybe that's what went wrong.

I mean, you know, like an atom bomb.

You get a critical mass together, and it just explodes.

Hmm.

I'd say you were helping things along a little with Hal and Tom.

Oh. Well, before you stone me,

maybe you could just weigh the critical mass a little.

You see, Alex is very ill.

He has been for a long time, and I've been lonely.

Believe it or not, you get to the point

where you take whatever happiness there is, whenever you can.

Look, I'm not excusing myself, and I'm not asking you for anything.

Joe, you remember the fun we used to have in college?

Yeah.

You know, with you, my whole life might have been very different.

I don't think you ever... ever knew how much in love with you I was.

Get inside!

What happened?

I, uh, I scared him off with the starter pistol.

All right, let's go.

Here, I'll give you a hand.

What happened?

I heard Thorney at the side, and I went out the back,

and the starter's pistol scared him away.

Ross, are you sure it was Thorney?

Well, no, I'm not sure, but who else could it be?

What are you getting at, Joe?

You... You think it's one of us?

You're accusing Tom. He's the only one out there.

You mean maybe Tom circled back?

But why?

Yeah, why?

Oh my God, no!!

He's going to kill us all!

Lesley, don't you think you'd better come in the other room?

It doesn't make any sense.

If Alex had killed him, there'd have been some reason.

But for some man to hold a grudge about a game that was played fifteen years ago...

So many times I wanted him dead.

Now I'm just numb.

It's like surviving an atomic attack

and then breaking your neck on a banana peel.

Come on, Lesley.

No.

I like the company here better.

We're all her victims, no matter who does the killing.

Alex wanted a divorce. Did you know that?

She ran off with Ross to Hawaii.

Alex asked Tom to start divorce proceedings.

But she got around that.

Yeah.

He forgave her and Ross.

He forgave all of them.

None of them even lost their jobs.

I'm tired, Joe.

Lesley.

Les...

Joe!

Ross saw Thorney out there.

This time there was no mistake.

I saw him in the moonlight, as plain as could be.

It's me, Joe!

I thought I told you to stay inside.

I'm sorry. Joe, Alex made us promise

to come out and at least try and help you find Thorney.

Joe, he's panicked. He's sick, and he's frightened.

Where did that shot come from?

I thought it was you.

Did you get him?

It wasn't me.

Alex!

Oh, no.

Alex.

What happened?

It's Alex.

So it was Alex all the time.

Is this his rifle?

Yes.

He bought it for the safari in Kenya about a year ago.

Diana, had he ever talked about suicide?

Yes, but I thought he was all over that.

And I thought he just learned to live with the pain.

So that's why he wanted us outside.

I never thought he was really going to do it.

Look, there's a note.

"I know everything you've done.

"I know it's a sickness with you, but I'm sick, too.

I've had all I can stand."

So he even killed himself for you.

An almost perfect score.

Drop it, Joe.

Now.

Ross.

It seems we made a mistake.

He knows.

How did we give ourselves away?

The ink.

I used Alex' pen to sign that picture.

My signature was smeared.

Slow-drying ink.

If Alex' hand had dropped on that note right after he had written it,

this whole thing would have been smeared.

And I imagine this note is part of a letter

that Alex sent you when you were in Hawaii with Ross,

telling you about his intentions to get a divorce.

So they... they killed him for his money.

But why the others?

To set up a perfect alibi with me as a witness.

I guess Diana has found the one man she wants to settle down with.

That's an expensive settlement.

What about us?

They're going to have to change their plans and kill both of us.

We didn't mean to, Joe, but you had to be such a good detective.

Lesley, don't!

You stay here.

Joe, I've got a high-powered rifle against a pistol.

Nobody's that good a shot.

Throw down your gun. I'll let you go.

You and Lesley can walk out of here right now free.

What do you say, Joe?

It's your last chance, Joe.

Ross, look out! He's on the ledge!

Diana, get back!

Joe! Behind you! On the balcony!

Ross!

No. No.

Oh, no.

Joe?

I'm all right, Lesley.

I'm all right.

I didn't think she could cry.

A reunion.