Original subtitles

We go to Berkeley. You're on air.

Hi, Jack. I'm into history and I have some

historical facts that you might be interested in.

Okay, let's give it a try.

Have you heard about the wild and crazy nights they had at Mount Vernon? Huh?

Excuse me?

Well, George and Martha liked to do threesomes in the parlor with Betsy Ross.

George and Martha Washington?

Yeah, and not only that, but T.J. was heavily into smoking hemp.

T.J.? Thomas Jefferson?

Cosmic, huh? Wow.

Well, I shudder to think of the answer to this next question.

Where did you get all this information from?

Well, the truth is, I was Shirley MacLaine in another life.

Really? Yeah.

Well, I guess that's better than being Shirley MacLaine in this life.

Okay, let's go to San Francisco. You're on air.

Yeah, Jack, this is J.J.

Talk to me, J.J.

Where are you from originally?

Uh, Chicago, J.J. I moved to the Bay Area when I was about nine years old.

Any brothers or sisters?

Yeah, one each.

What, are you writing my unauthorized biography?

No, but it's a thought.

Uh, listen, I got just one more question for you, Jack, okay?

Okay.

What's your mother's name?

Anne.

Where are we going with this, J.J.?

Well, here's the deal, Jack.

I think I may be your father.

Yes, Dad, I hear you.

No, listen, we just disagree on this, all right?

No, I know you know what you're doing, Dad.

It's just that Walter is my accountant, and I trust him, all right?

And I'm gonna do what he thinks is best.

Fine.

Are we still on for dinner tonight?

Okay, I'll see you tonight.

Bye.

I should not have to be this hard.

Here you go, Lynn.

Hi.

Hi.

Ooh, did we wake up on the wrong side of the financial page this morning?

No, I woke up fine this morning.

I don't know how you woke up, although with a hangover it'd be a pretty good bet.

You happen to hear the show last night?

No, Jack, I didn't hear the show last night.

Unlike you and Dracula, I try to be asleep at 3 a.m.

Okay, I give up. I'll come back later.

Jack.

I'm sorry, it's not you.

My father's getting to me.

Yeah? A lot of that going around.

What?

Nothing.

You gonna be all right?

Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks.

Hey, how was the show last night?

It was great. I'll talk to you later.

Nice shot.

Thanks.

The trick is making them when there's some money on the line.

And do you?

Well, school is not my game.

Oh? What is?

Running out on your family.

Okay.

You're not gonna make this easy.

I guess that's fair.

Come on.

Buy you a drink.

You don't drink?

A little early in the day for me.

You?

Any hour of the day is too early for me.

I got a little problem. You know what I mean?

So, what do you think?

Look, I don't even know if you are who you say you are.

Oh, I'm the real deal, all right, Jack.

Little three-bedroom house on shields.

We can see Comiskey Park from the front porch.

Matter of fact, I once took you to a World Series game there.

You remember that?

No. I can't say as I do.

You and your brother shared the same room.

You remember that.

Your little sister went to St. Timothy's.

I can still remember the little green-plaid uniforms they had to wear.

Your mother, she used to call her my little angel.

How is your mom?

She's dead.

Cancer about ten years ago.

I'm sorry.

Sure you are.

Look, I left.

It was wrong.

I loved that woman once.

Why wouldn't I feel sorry?

What are you doing here?

It wasn't planned.

I was in San Francisco. I heard you on the radio.

I just thought I'd give it a shot.

You know how long the odds are against you actually being my kid.

Apparently not long enough.

Okay, I get the picture.

I'd like you to meet my wife, Jo.

Jo.

Am I supposed to call her mom?

Well, I guess I don't have to ask how it's going.

Look, I'm sorry.

No need to be rude to you.

Apology accepted.

Okay, I gotta go.

Look, look, this is where we're staying.

It's a hotel. We'll be there a few days.

If you change your mind, if you want to talk or anything, give me a call.

Nice meeting you.

Yeah.

Listen.

Now, Devin, what about this tax thing?

Dad, we've been through this before. Walter's handling it.

Walter's handling it? Well, I don't approve of the way Walter's handling it.

I don't even know who this Walter is.

Well, you don't need to know who Walter is. He's my accountant, not yours.

Well, that radio station is my investment, and I intend to protect it.

Protect it from what?

Every month, you get a check with interest. In

three years, you'll have made money on the deal.

Don't throw those interest payments at me. That was your idea.

Yeah, it was. And I insisted on it just so we could avoid situations like this.

Insisted?

Your brother never insisted.

Your brother discussed.

And your brother respected my opinion.

Dad, I respect your opinion.

Can we please not bring Jimmy into this?

Why not? He's a good example for you.

He'd have been able to buy both of us three times over by now.

Dad, please.

He would have owned this town by now.

I'm sure he would have.

And he would have taken that radio station and really made it into something.

He would have.

Dad, Jimmy is dead. He's dead.

Now, maybe he would have been Ted Turner. I don't know. He isn't here, but I am.

Now, maybe he would have liked it the other way around, but it isn't.

Devon, that's a terrible thing to say.

I'm sorry, but that's the way I feel.

So what are you saying? I'm not supposed to talk

about Jimmy because it's going to hurt your feelings?

Are you trying to make me feel guilty for loving my son?

No, that's not what I meant.

I'm going to talk about Jimmy anytime I

want, anywhere I want, with whomever I want.

Fine. You want to talk about Jimmy? Let's talk about Jimmy.

Let's talk about how he was a dilettante.

How every harebrained business scheme he ever came up with went belly up.

Let's talk about how he drank too much.

Or how he took that $60,000 sports car that you

gave him and wrapped it around the telephone pole.

That's enough!

How the alcohol level in his blood was three times the legal limit.

Fine. You want to talk about Jimmy? Let's talk about Jimmy.

I'd like you to leave now.

Dad, I'm sorry.

Leave now, please.

I'm sorry.

I figured you might know the answer.

Hey, I'm a guy with opinions. I'm not an encyclopedia.

You know, you want to know about the birth of unionism in America, go to the library.

Let's go to our next call. We go to Barry from Tiburon.

What's happening, Barry?

Hey, Jack. First, I want to say I'm a big fan.

Glad to hear it.

And I listen to you all the time.

Now, maybe it's just me, Jack, but you sound a little froggy tonight.

Froggy?

Yeah, you know, short-tempered, out of sorts. Froggy.

Am I right?

Yeah, well, to tell you the truth, I do feel a little froggy tonight.

But I guess I shouldn't let that get in the way. Thanks for pointing that out, Bear.

Yeah, listen, now, one other thing.

What was the deal with that guy who called the other night claiming to be your father?

Well, here's the story on that, Bear.

My father is a man that I haven't seen in 27 years.

He went out for a pack of cigarettes one night and he never came back.

Now, here's a guy who left his wife and three kids to fend for themselves.

Left them $486 in the bank and an overdue rent bill.

Now, I don't know about you, but I think of a father as a provider.

A man who's there for his family.

A man who disciplines you when you're bad, who praises you when you're good.

And who comforts you when you're hurt.

I never had a man in my life when I was growing up to discipline me.

And my brother never got any fatherly praise.

And my sister never had strong arms to comfort her.

So the answer to your question is,

the man who called the other night has all the

biological qualifications to be my father, but I...

I'm afraid that I just can't think of him in that way.

Thanks for the call, Bear.

Hi.

Hi.

Can I come in?

Sure, sorry.

Nice place.

I guess I get a fair share of compliments, but frankly, never on my apartment.

Small talk.

I know.

Can I get you something?

No, thank you.

We listened to your show last night.

It upset him.

He sent you to tell me that?

No, he doesn't know I'm here.

You were awfully rough. Was that necessary?

I didn't plan it. It just happened. I'm not gonna apologize for it.

I don't think he wants an apology.

Maybe just a little understanding.

He feels badly.

He feels badly? A little understanding?

You know, you're breaking my heart.

Look, it took a lot for him to call you.

He knows what he did was wrong. He made a mistake.

That's right. He made a mistake. A big one.

You know, I'm sorry. I got no sympathy left. I'm fresh out.

Boy, you really are a sanctimonious little bastard, aren't you?

You never made a mistake.

You never did something you wish you hadn't and didn't know how to correct it.

There isn't somebody you wish would walk through that door

so you could apologize to them and then, in turn, they'd forgive you.

At least he had the guts to face you.

He doesn't get any points for that.

Hi.

I came in under that bridge once.

On a freighter.

I wanted to see what it would look like on the other side.

You like boats?

Yes. I like looking at them.

Being on them is a different story. My stomach rebels.

I love boats.

I love the sea.

That's where I went, you know.

The sea.

You want to hear this?

You want to know what happened?

I do. I don't. I...

Mostly, I guess, I do.

I was a sailor.

First the Navy, then the Merchant Marine.

I guess the only place I ever felt comfortable was on a ship.

Then I met your mom.

And, uh, I don't mind telling you, she threw me for a loop.

One of those Colleens with the bright eyes, the blinding smile.

She reminded me of my own mother,

the woman I loved dearly.

Anyway, after it became clear that this thing was no passing fancy,

she put it to me straight out.

It's either me or the sea, she said.

She meant it.

I was a fool in love,

so the choice didn't come hard.

Do you want a light for that thing?

No, I'm just Robert Blake-ing it. I'm trying to quit.

Good idea. They're bad for you.

That's what they tell me.

Go on.

Anyway, we got married, moved to Chicago.

I got a job as a welder.

Good pay, pretty good life.

Had you kids.

And Annie was everything you could hope for in a wife.

A hell of a good mother, too.

I guess I don't need to tell you that.

But then, after a while, it started.

I got the wanderlust.

It was very powerful.

The sea does that.

Gets in your blood.

It does, huh?

Look, I'm not making excuses, Jack.

I'm just trying to explain it.

It was terrible what I did.

The act of a coward.

I know that now, but it took me a while to realize that.

And after I did, it was too late.

Too late, huh?

Some people say it's never too late.

You know, I came back once.

About five years after I'd left.

Came back to the house on Shields.

You were gone.

Nobody exactly knew where.

Somewhere in California is the best information I could get.

That was the lowest period in my life.

Felt guilty as hell for what I'd done.

And I finally got up the courage to try and make it right.

But it was too late.

Decided to kill myself.

But, you know, the slow way.

Yeah, I've been there.

Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime.

So then what happened?

Oh, I kicked around. Job here, job there.

Mostly I'd just find a nice warm whiskey bottle and crawl inside.

Then I met Jo. She saved my life.

Some pretty interesting stuff you just told me.

You want to tell her?

Maybe you want to spend a little time here.

Yes. Yes, I would.

Hi, Joan. It's Devin again.

He's still in a meeting?

Come on, Joan. You've got to help me out here.

I know. All right.

You know something, Joan? You're good. You're really good.

If I didn't know any better, I'd think you really was in a meeting.

Thanks.

So what are you doing in San Francisco?

I'm buying a fishing boat with an old buddy of mine from the Merchant Marine.

We're on our way to Oregon.

A fishing boat? You're a little old for that kind of a gig, aren't you?

I'm not totally infirm. I can still...

Besides, my buddy's got two sons. They'll do all the heavy work.

So what do you think?

I don't know.

I'm still thinking.

We're clear? I renew for the next cycle.

You tell Jack Killian to quit goofing around when he's running my spots.

Jack. Hi.

Hi.

You remember Tom Garrett, don't you? Garrett Motors?

Yeah. Tom, how are you doing?

Another satisfied customer.

Jack, you're such a burden.

Devin, I want you to meet my father.

Your father?

J.J. Killian. This is my boss, Devin King.

Your boss? You mean you own all of this?

Afraid so.

Well, your father must be very proud of you.

Yeah. Yeah, he's really proud.

Um, would you like to come into the office, have some coffee?

I'd love to, but I have to go meet my wife.

Ah.

It's a pleasure meeting you.

You too. Bye.

Bye.

I'm glad we did this.

I know it was hard for you.

I appreciate it.

I'm glad we did this too.

I'll call you.

It's all set.

Wednesday night.

Fifteen thousand buy-in.

You got the cash?

I got ten.

Where are you going to get 5K in two days?

He'll get it.

Where?

I'm working on it.

Oh, yeah, the Burt Shapiro matter.

Well, I think we all know what the deal is right now,

so I suggested everybody who thinks that low-income housing for the elderly

is more important than other class monstrosity,

why don't you send a letter...

Hi, Alice.

Listen, just tell Dad that I'll talk to Jack in the morning

about the whole Burt Shapiro business.

It's not about Burt Shapiro.

Your father's had a heart attack.

What?

13.3 and down.

He had a mild myocardial infarction.

The cardiac enzymes appear to be leveling off.

Can we have that in English, please?

I'm sorry.

He had a heart attack.

Not severe.

Based on the test we've run so far,

I don't believe an angiogram or an angioplasty is necessary.

In other words, we're not going to go inside him at this time.

So that's encouraging, right?

That's encouraging.

It doesn't mean he's out of the woods, however.

Can we see him?

He's sleeping. Tomorrow would be better.

Actually, you two look like you could do with some sleep yourselves.

I think I'd rather wait here.

Oh, we both will.

Thank you, Doctor.

So remember, this is your city.

You've got to fight for it.

This is Jack Killian on KJCM, 98.3 FM,

and good night, America, wherever you are.

Good show, Jack. You were cookin' tonight.

Thank you, William.

So now you're going to tell me about your old man?

Buy me breakfast at Carmen's.

I'll tell you the whole story.

You got a deal.

Hi, Mom.

Um, yes, I know it's late.

Listen, um, Dad just had a heart attack.

Yes, he's alive.

Yes, she's here.

Well, I don't know what you can do about it.

I just thought you might like to know.

Okay, I'll call you tomorrow.

Good night.

Your mother?

Yeah.

I'm sure she must be concerned.

I'm sure.

Hi.

Hi.

Hi.

How you doing?

Good. Come on in.

Sorry to barge in on you like this, but we're getting ready to leave.

Wanted to be sure we got here before you went out.

It's no problem, but I thought you were going to stay in town for a few days.

Yeah, well, uh, we had a little change of plans.

What's wrong? You got a beer?

J.J., don't drink. That's not going to help anything.

Give me a break.

What'd you say?

Nothing. Forget the beer.

What's going on?

The deal for the boat fell through.

We said we weren't going to talk about that.

What happened?

We're not going to talk about this. It doesn't concern you, Jack.

What, you drag yourselves in here like a couple of pallbearers, you lay a bomb in

the room, and then you say we're not going to talk about this? What the hell is that?

My partner called from Oregon.

The boat's owner got a better offer.

If we can't come up with $5,000 in two days,

he's going to sell it to the other buyer.

Well, how can he do that? Didn't you have a deal?

We had a handshake.

Apparently, this joker doesn't honor handshakes.

And you can't raise any more money?

We sold everything we had to raise our share.

Wait a second.

Did you come over here to put the arm on me? Is that what this is about?

See, that's why I didn't want to talk about

this. No, Jack, this has nothing to do with you.

You asked me what the deal was, I told you.

Now, let's just drop the subject, okay?

Okay.

Hi.

What's up?

How's your stepmother holding up?

Oh, she's fine. You gave her quite a scare, though.

What about you? Did I give you a scare?

Nah.

Just figured it was your way of stopping me from calling you.

Maybe this is my punishment.

Well, it seems a little harsh, if it is.

Dad, about the other night...

I'm sorry.

It seems that I hurt you so much, when the truth is

that you're the last person in the world I want to hurt.

This thing between us, I don't know what it is.

Just whatever it is that keeps coming in the way of our relationship,

that keeps making us meet on some battleground.

I just, I want to get rid of it. I want it out of our lives, Dad.

Let me tell you something, kid.

You're the child every parent wishes they could have.

And in an odd way, that's the problem.

I used to look at your brother...

and wonder why he didn't have what you do.

Watch your brother try to compete with you.

He couldn't do it. He just couldn't do it.

I loved Jimmy. I would have done anything for him.

I know that.

He knew that.

But you know this boy-girl thing, brothers, sisters?

The boy is supposed to be the stronger one.

I know that's old-fashioned.

But I'm an old-fashioned man.

He loved you, Devlin.

But he resented you.

And that resentment turned into bitterness.

And for that...

God forgive me.

I resented you, too.

You know, last night I woke up thinking about all this.

And I was hoping you'd walk through that door so I could tell you.

Sorry. I mean...

And how much I love you.

Dad, I love you, too.

Jack, where are you going?

To do something stupid.

Jack.

I'm moved, Jack.

I don't know what to say.

Tell me I'm not going to regret this.

Good evening, gentlemen. I'd like you to meet J.J. Killian.

J.J. Killian.

Adam, how are you?

J.J. Killian.

Nice to see you, J.J.

I'm J.J. Killian.

How do you do?

No offense, J.J., but you seem a little long

in the tooth to be pulling an all-nighter.

Well, from what I hear about your game, my 15 grand might not last all night.

Well, 15 is the minimum buy-in.

I hope for your sake you're better healed than that.

Afraid not.

Well...

Let's play ball.

11-58.

I don't know that I can handle this much preparation from you.

Diligence, Billy, is the cornerstone of professionalism.

That's something about Devin's dad, huh?

What?

Didn't hear?

Father had a heart attack last night.

I didn't hear. I was out most of the day. How is he?

I guess okay, although I never heard of a good heart attack.

I've got to call her during a break.

One minute.

Two.

Dealer takes two.

Take off, Gene.

Bet a hundred.

Raise, make it 500.

Sold.

That's 500 to you.

That's 500, J.J., fold or call.

Come on, I've got plans for Easter.

Fold.

Hey, what's it do with the radio?

My kid's show.

Mind if I listen?

Fine, but keep it low.

Your kid to Nighthawk?

I like him.

What do you think, Adam?

I think he'll get murdered here.

Are you going to deal or what?

We go two, Berkeley.

I bet 600.

I fold.

What is with you, man?

Every time I bet, you fold.

You want to play for dollars, go out to the toll booth on the Bay Bridge.

You believe this guy?

How you doing?

I'm about even.

How about you?

I'm down.

Hang in there.

Give me three.

That dog won't hunt.

Let's do it.

Let's do it.

Dr. Serafin, 5212.

Dr. Brian Serafin, 5212.

Nurse!

Yes, doctor.

I bet 2,000.

Yeah, we got a game now.

Looks like you finally found some guts in that bottle.

Ah, yes.

The nectar of the gods.

Well, let's see how your stomach holds up to this.

I see you're two and raise you 11.

100?

1,000.

What do you want to do, old man?

I've only got 10,400.

Then that's the bet.

Well, maybe you want to call your kid up on the radio.

Ask him what to do.

Come on, you can't sit there all night.

I'm thinking.

Thinking about what?

I'm thinking how you're a big mouth with a big bankroll

and you're probably trying to buy this pie.

It'll cost you 10,400 to find out.

Call.

Thanks for the listen and good night, America, wherever you are.

You know, for a guy who talks for a living, I'm not...

I guess I'm not much good at this.

You don't have to talk, Jack.

It means a lot that you're here.

You know, the other day when I was in the hospital,

I felt the closest to him that I ever have.

Ever.

I left there feeling really good about us.

Well, that's something.

I mean, that's...

That's something to hang on to.

You know, when he first had the heart attack,

I kind of convinced myself that maybe in some strange way

it was a good thing that it had happened.

I can understand that.

Well, I don't feel that way now.

I just feel...

empty and...

and angry.

You know, for the first time,

I felt that finally I could...

I could just be his daughter.

And I was really looking forward to that relationship,

and I think he was too.

And now he won't have that.

I'd better go.

I'll walk with you.

Um...

Thanks, Jack, but I think I'd rather be by myself.

Okay.

Hi.

Hi.

Hey.

You seem a little gloomy today.

Is something wrong?

My boss's father died.

I'm sorry.

She seemed nice.

Yeah, she is.

So...

you're off to Oregon, huh?

Yeah.

Actually, um...

we're not going to Oregon.

What do you mean, you're not going? What about the boat?

There never was a boat, Jack.

The $5,000 you gave me was part of a stake I needed for a poker game.

Get me a beer, will you, Chief?

Coming up.

A poker game?

You lied to me, took $5,000 to play in a poker game?

It's what I do.

It's what you do.

And you're drinking again?

Yeah, well, you see, Jack, I don't really have a drinking problem.

That alcoholic thing is just something I use.

It makes decent people feel for you,

and it makes evil people want to take advantage of you.

Gives you an edge over both.

So, it's lies, all of it?

Well, no.

I mean, I am your father.

I was in the Navy, I did get wanderlust.

But a fishing boat?

Have you ever smelled a fishing boat?

Unbelievable.

I feel bad about conning you.

You feel bad about losing my $5,000?

You said I lost.

Here's your $5,000, plus $1,000.

We'll call it a small interest payment.

What?

Is this supposed to make me feel better?

The truth is, Jack,

I have a soft spot in my heart for you.

Most anyone else I would have just taken off.

Well, we gotta be going.

You know, I hope now that we've gotten to know each other,

we'll stay in touch.

Stay in touch?

It's up to you.

Game one, 59 World Series.

Kluszewski hit two home runs.

Sox won.

Elevened. Zip.

The winning pitcher?

Early win.

This probably won't seem like much, but for what it's worth,

he's really very proud of you.

Hey.

Take care of him.

Okay?

In this life of lost and found,

my father had been lost for many years.

This week, I found him.

I wasn't really looking for him,

so I guess I didn't have any expectations.

I suppose he didn't either,

in a way that probably made this reunion easier for both of us.

I have a friend who had no such luck.

She had been searching for her father for many years,

painfully and with little success.

And this week, suddenly she found him.

Then justice suddenly lost him again.

Only this time for good.

A cold reminder that oftentimes life's ironies can be bitter.

But I'm also reminded that bitterness is a useless pill.

That to rail at the world for past injustices

is ultimately a debilitating pastime

and a waste of precious energy.

So when we look back, let's look back with kindness

at those things that are worth remembering.

And so tonight, even though it's against the rules,

let's break format.

And if you're listening, boss, this one's for you.

This is Jack Killian on KJCM 98.3 FM

and goodnight, America, wherever you are.

Well, we take our time.

We're polite and kind

to the strangers that we meet.

And the ones who share,

the ones who really care,

they don't seem to make us feel complete.

So we stand alone

and we act so strong.

We're all such worldly souls.

Till we find one day

we've lost our way

and our love's the last to know.

So we stand alone

and we act so strong.

We're all such worldly souls.

Then we find one day

we've lost our way

and our love's the last to know.

Then we find one day

we've lost our way

and our love's the last

to know.