Original subtitles

Remember me?

I'm your date.

Sit tight, Peggy.

♪ ♪

He ran out.

I waited at the club until closing time.

But he never came back.

Okay, Peggy, what happened?

I don't know.

Everything was fine.

We had dinner at my house, and afterwards,

you know, while I was doing the dishes,

he and Toby played, and then, at the club,

Gabe was going great.

And wham... a sudden change.

Now, you know how musicians are...

They're temperamental cats.

Who knows what got into him?

Are you trying to make me feel better?

Mm-hmm.

Well, I would, except...

you and I know how Gabe feels about his horn.

So he said it's like his heart... Without it, he's dead... so?

He left it at the club.

Did you try phoning him?

That's another thing...

He never gave me his phone number.

I called directory assistance.

He's not listed.

And I checked with someone from the musicians' union.

I got his address, I drive out there...

It's a vacant lot.

Um, Gabe ever talk about himself?

No.

I did ask him where he was from, though,

and he said, home was always the last place he'd been.

I got the message, so I stopped being nosey.

That's marvelous restraint.

Hold down the fort.

Joe...

thanks for the trouble.

Wait'll you get my bill.

Hello, Gabe.

I knew you'd come back after the horn.

What else do you know?

Nothing except what you're gonna tell me.

Nothin' to tell, daddy.

Not even to Peggy?

Okay.

Tell her I'm sorry.

About what?

The stand up. What else?

I gotta split, man.

You gonna follow me?

You know it.

What can I do to stop you?

Tell me the truth.

Is that a promise?

You got my word.

Story, man.

Story about a little boy and a horn.

Little boy meets horn

and falls in love at first sight.

Then little boy grows up... and he loses the horn.

That was ten years ago.

I needed bread.

I hocked it.

And then I got a gig at the roadhouse.

And a man needs his own horn.

And I broke into that pawn shop

and I borrowed my horn,

but I never made that roadhouse.

I made a prison road gang instead.

So, like they say... I've paid my dues.

You gonna follow me?

Nothing you've come up with yet is gonna stop me.

How about this?

You wouldn't use that on me, Gabe.

You're not the kind.

You're right, man.

I'm the other kind.

Press me too far and I'll use it... on me.

Do you think he meant it?

Well, he had that no-nonsense look,

so I let him be.

What could have made him that desperate?

Well, I could give you a few guesses.

What's the matter?

Someone's out there.

Before, while you were gone,

I thought I saw a man looking over here,

across the courtyard, but he moved on.

But now he's back.

Get back to the door, where he can see you,

and just act as if you're carrying on a conversation.

Go on.

Of course I'm worried about Gabe.

Why would he disappear?

Everything's going so great for him.

We were just starting to...

♪ ♪

Take a good look, Peggy.

I never saw him before.

Well, I saw you!

I followed you here from the club.

And you figured she'd lead you to Gabe Johnson.

Yeah.

You might say that.

My name's Walt Finlay.

Course, Gabe never mentioned it.

Not apt that he would.

I'm from Marysville.

That's a nice little town,

down where you folks up here like to call Dixie way.

Chief of Police?!

Yeah.

Small world.

Truth is, I haven't seen or heard of Gabe for...

close to...

let's see, about... about eight year.

Yeah, about eight year.

Then I come to L.A.

for a law enforcement officers' yearly to-do,

and who do I spot, just by sheer coincidence,

but old Gabe Dillon.

That's his true name.

Gabriel Dillon.

Didn't know that, did you?

You know, they say you can tell a coronet player

by the sound of his horn,

like it was his voice or something.

You know, I'm tone-deaf.

Yeah, I don't got an ear.

I never would have known it was Gabe

'cept he lifted his glasses off for a second there.

Yeah, small world, isn't it?

See, Gabe and me... We go back a long time.

'Bout... ten years.

The night he was picked up...

I was the arresting officer.

I suppose there's a reward.

Oh, yeah.

$1,000.

Well, uh...

don't spend it all in one store, huh?

Tell you what.

You name your favorite charity,

and maybe we'll send it there.

Where's Gabe?

She doesn't know, so forget it.

Now, he paid the rental on that coronet.

He served his time.

He told me the story.

No, maybe he didn't tell you the whole story.

You see, he's an escaped fugitive.

He served only nine months

on a ten-year sentence.

Ten years.

That's the way you hand it out down there?

Mr. Mannix, I don't make the laws, I just enforce them.

Ten years... for lifting your own coronet.

For assault with a deadly weapon.

Hit-and-run.

He tried to kill a man.

Eight! Go, baby!

Ah, Joe, what do I know?

I'm just a guy in the booking business...

A little schnook agent.

Oh, come on, Barney, knock it off.

My head's zinging.

I don't want to take it out on you.

Now, I gotta find Gabe. For his own good.

Will you trust me?

Word's out, Joe.

Cool it on Gabe.

Where is he? Is he in town?

Why not? L.A.'s got a big underground.

You know that.

I don't know where underground.

When you go underground, you gotta keep moving.

What about stops?

Well, all along the way,

there are backrooms and empty houses.

Gabe can't stay away from that horn too long.

When you gotta jam, you gotta jam.

♪ ♪

Hi, Gabe.

Go ahead and finish. We can talk later.

Cool it, fellas, huh?

I just wanted to leave here peaceful, Joe.

Gabe... Finlay's got a license to gun you down.

If you run...

It's better than going back to that road gang.

You didn't tell me the whole story, Gabe.

You left out the part about the hit-and-run.

I had nothing to do with that,

except take the blame!

I didn't hit-and-run anybody!

Okay, so I...

I took this horn, and I paid for it.

Now, I'm not going to die for something I didn't do.

All right, Gabe.

All right.

Now, if that's the truth, maybe I can...

Well, maybe I can work out a new trial.

A new trial!

Man, in Marysville?

Look, I'll make a deal with them at first.

Man, there is no deal down there but a ball and a chain!

Gabe, you just can't keep running!

Now, let me handle it.

I'll work out something.

That's something.

I'm obliged to you, Mr. Mannix.

If I hadn't tailed you, I never would have found...

old Gabe Dillon.

Well, I really fouled that one up.

You did what you thought was right.

Do you think it was right?

You didn't mean to hurt him.

Hm. Meaning I didn't help him.

Do you believe Gabe about that hit-and-run charge?

I'd like to.

I do, no strings attached.

Mr. Mannix's office.

Yes, Sid.

When?

Why?

I'll tell him.

Sid Morley said that Gabe's on his way to Marysville.

What the...? What are they trying to pull?

He's got a right to extradition proceedings.

Gabe waived extradition.

I knew he would. So that's that.

No, that's not the end of the line.

A crime and a trial ten years old?

As Gabe figured, what chance?

You dig a little deeper.

In that town?

All right, it'll be a little rough.

Impossible.

Look, Peggy,

get me the first plane you can to Marysville.

There's only one plane.

You'll get there about dawn.

♪ ♪

I'm sorry, Mr. Mannix,

but, uh, your visit to the prisoner cannot be approved.

Why not? Rules.

Which one? Keep Gabe under wraps

until you can ship him upstate to a road gang?

We don't have road gangs.

Now, look, I want to see the prisoner.

But I can't arrange that, Mr. Mannix,

because the prisoner does not want to see you.

Shall I wait?

Uh, better not.

It'll probably be a little while.

No, I never let go when I got a live one... I'll wait.

Oh... Oh, here we are.

The State v. Gabriel Dillon.

That's it.

Oh... well, sir, it is indicated

that, uh, those records are not here at this time.

At what time will they be here?

Well, sir, that's, uh... Hard to say.

Yes, sir.

Oh, you better have a good reason for laying that there.

The chief would like to see you, Mannix.

Thank you.

What's the matter, Finlay...

you afraid of something I might find in those records?

What happens next, they get burned accidentally?

You are really working yourself into a sweat, Mannix.

Just look at you, listen to you.

And all that energy wasted.

The way you hop around town here,

like a flea on an old hound dog.

Hmm...

Yeah, yeah, I forgot how it is around here.

Sleepy time down South.

Everything slow and easy.

A thousand dollars... Reward for the, uh...

"apprehension of Gabriel Dillon."

Like I said, Mannix,

name your favorite charity.

It's yours.

You know, I've heard of buy-offs, but that's a beaut.

You really are suspicious, aren't you?

Well, being in your business,

you wouldn't be apt to trust most people.

Especially since you've arranged it

so I can't see Gabe.

Me?

Who told you that?

Finlay... you expect me to believe you.

No.

Come here, Mannix.

I want to show you something.

I did arrange this...

State v. Gabriel Dillon.

Proceedings are all there.

What are you after, Finlay, really?

Well, first,

apprehending Gabe was just a job to me.

Now, don't tell me you went through all this trouble

just to sell me on the idea you're one of the good guys.

You know...

the minute you met me, and you heard the way I talk,

found out I was a cop,

you sure had me all figured out, didn't you?

Talk about your stereotyping.

You figure every law officer from down here

carries an electric prod stick in one hand

and the leash of a vicious police dog in the other.

Well, some of us have gone along with the change,

because, like it or not, it's the law.

But some of us... even approve of the change.

Now, maybe you can take that message back with you.

What about Gabe Dillon?

He had a fair trial.

I'm satisfied he's guilty. Maybe.

Help yourself.

Uh, you'd best, uh,

turn to the testimony of Harvey Boylan.

It's the dog-eared page.

I thought I could save you a little reading time.

I remember it all just the way it happened.

It started when I saw this car pull up across the street.

It looked kind of funny parked there

and the lights turned out.

Then I saw this Negro get out from behind the wheel.

The way he looked up and down,

I had an idea he was up to no good.

I saw him slide into that alley

and force the door of the pawn shop.

So while he was in there,

I figured I'd better get his license plate number.

Just to play safe, I wrote it down

to be sure when I reported it.

Then I heard steps coming out of that alley.

Then I saw the Negro,

the defendant over there.

I ducked back into the shadows,

but it was too late.

I figured my one chance was to run for it, so I ran.

I heard his car start up.

I ran even faster

when I heard the skid and screech of his wheels.

I'm glad they caught him.

I'm glad they caught him.

He can fry.

Dear, please, you're just upsetting yourself.

Clara.

So, Mr. Mannix,

you are now looking at the world's only talking vegetable.

Harvey, that isn't funny.

Somebody might see the humor of it.

How about you, sir?

Mr. Boylan,

are you sure it was Gabe Dillon's car?

You're hearing it from the horse's mouth.

Ten years is a long time.

Events... faces dim.

Not his.

Mr. Boylan...

you said the car was bearing directly down on you.

Yeah.

And the headlights were in your eyes.

So?

Well, with the glare of the headlights,

how could you have seen the car clearly?

More important,

how could you have seen the driver?

Look, mister, you said you read the record.

Well, I did, but naturally,

the prosecuting attorney didn't ask you that question.

That Negro... that black...

Or whatever it is you're supposed

to call 'em nowadays...

Had counsel to defend him.

Appointed by the court.

I checked that lawyer.

Apparently, he spent more time

drinking at the bar than practicing at it.

No, he didn't ask that question at all.

Nobody doubted you.

Dillon did it.

There's no doubt about it.

You're taking his word agin' mine, ain't you?

That's right.

You can get out of my house, mister,

and get quick.

No use talking to your kind.

You don't know what they're like.

Mr. Boylan... I am sorry for you...

in more ways than one.

Mrs. Boylan, thank you for the lemonade.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Hotel, Mr. Mannix.

I changed my mind, Dave.

Let's go.

Something wrong?

You can bet your badge something's wrong.

Anything I can do to help?

You know, I haven't quite figured you out.

Well, take your time.

What do you want?

I told you... a fair shake.

Come on, you're up to something.

What's the angle?

Ah, there you go, stereotyping me again.

"Anything I can do to help, Mannix."

Okay, Finlay.

Call off your dog.

He's been at my heels

ever since I left Boylan's place.

I didn't even know you was at Boylan's.

What's the matter, a breakdown in communication

between you and that character

with the white hat?

Well, you can tell him in person.

He even tailed me here.

He's parked right outside, in his...

What's the matter?

Okay, so you called him off.

There is no man in a white hat

or any other kind of hat tailing you under my orders.

You know, Finlay, I'm gonna figure you out.

Mannix...

there's a message for you at your hotel.

Now, I wonder how you knew.

I left it.

Made special arrangements

for you to see Gabe Dillon.

I told them I didn't want to see you.

Now, look, Gabe, I'm here because of you.

That's funny, I'm here because of you.

Gabe, I'm trying to do a job.

You did your job in L.A.

Look, I just could turn up something.

What are you gonna do for an encore,

part the waters?

Don't make it any tougher than it is. Okay.

I'll make it easier for you.

I'm giving you "A" for effort.

I'm clearing your conscience.

So you can skip along now.

That's all.

You zigged when you should have zagged.

So what?

Everybody's entitled to one little mistake.

Everybody's happy now.

Let's go.

Dave, where's the nearest car rental?

Over on Third and Jay.

You gonna go out on your own, huh?

Yeah.

See you around, Dave.

♪ ♪

Hold it right there.

No gun, I just...

was gonna show you my identification.

No show, tell.

Charlie Willis... I got an office in the Braddock Building.

I'm in the same business you're in.

I don't like being tailed.

Who's the client?

All right, all right.

Why should I get my head beat in?

I don't even know who the client is.

Come on. Come off it!

I'm telling you, that's the way it is.

Look, I... I was hired by phone.

I got my retainer in the mail, in cash,

and, uh, there was no return address on the envelope.

So, just how do you report to your client,

take an ad in the paper?

Well, this came with the retainer,

typewritten like the envelope.

I was ordered to phone that number

every day at 4:00 and report.

Who does the phone number belong to?

I don't know.

Where's the phone located?

Well, I didn't investigate.

Look, I just get paid, that's all I care about.

I'm not a curious man by nature.

You know, Willis, you're in the wrong business.

Yeah, I know that now.

Now, tell me, uh, what did your client's voice

sound like on the phone?

You know, what sort of voice did he have?

Oh, it wasn't a man.

It was a woman.

Hello... hello?

Wh-Who are you?

Joe Mannix.

You're getting today's reports

straight from the horse's mouth.

Item one: I ran into Charles Willis

a little while ago.

Item two: here I am.

Phyllis Judson Garth, married.

What does Mr. Garth do?

Garth Lumber and Building Supplies.

Okay, now we've got all the names straight except one...

Gabe Dillon.

Who's that?

What are you going to do?

Call downtown.

You mean the police?

Who else?

No, wait.

There's no reason why I should take the blame.

None of it was my idea, including hiring Willis.

Roger made me do it.

It's all his fault.

I just don't see why I should go on

paying and paying all these years.

He was very drunk that night.

I begged him to let me drive, but...

oh, they think they're such men,

especially when they're drunk.

He hit and ran.

And then, when that Negro was arrested

and Boylan identified him, Roger thought he saw a way out.

I... I couldn't say anything.

My-My lips were sealed.

Roger doesn't just threaten.

He means it.

All these years, he felt he was off the hook,

and then you had to show up.

I... I'm glad you did.

Where is he now?

At the lumber yard on Trenton Street.

Everybody else will be gone by now.

I was supposed to drive over there after talking to Willis.

What do I do now?

Go home.

You should know, Roger has a gun at the lumber yard.

Mr. Mannix...

I want you to understand... I am innocent.

Where were you all those years?

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Garth?

Garth!

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Now, let's start again, from the beginning.

Maybe there's something you left out.

Now, look, I told you,

I wasn't firing to hit him.

I wanted him alive.

I was only trying to scare him down.

I missed... purposely.

Well, maybe you're just a bad miss.

What are you, court jester?

All right, he's entitled to his opinion.

Now, you got it all straight.

From the time I met Charlie Willis

until I phoned you from the lumber company.

All righty now.

Would you come in, please, ma'am?

Oh, Miz Garth, I'm terribly sorry

to trouble you at a time like this,

but you could help us by identifying

Mr. Mannix.

Mr. Mannix...

The gentleman you were talking to this afternoon.

I never talked to that man.

Hold it, hold it. Wait a minute.

Now, Miz Garth, you have been through an ordeal,

and you're understandably confused.

Not about him.

I never saw him before in my life.

All right, Mrs. Garth.

Thank you.

And again, I'm terribly sorry

to have bothered you.

You're taking her word.

They are facts.

From the facts, you were shot in the hand,

returned the fire, and killed Garth.

Now that only might be self-defense.

You're forgetting one thing: What about Gabe?

You're not going to even question Mrs. Garth?

On what grounds?

Okay, she claims she didn't see me.

What about Charles Willis?

She hired him. Call him in.

Randall?

About Charles Willis, Mannix... I personally checked.

He has no office in the Braddock Building,

like you said.

There is no Charles Willis, private investigator.

As a matter of fact,

there is no Charlie Willis anywhere.

You got anything to add to that, Mannix?

If not, you'd best stick around while I check a few things out.

There was a shooting and a killing,

and you're in bad trouble.

Finally.

Finally got you figured, Finlay.

You knew just how far you were going

right from the beginning, didn't you?

A man with a badge, fair,

with a conscience, living down the past,

leaning over backwards so far,

until you broke my back.

I forgot you had a personal stake in Gabe's case.

You were the arresting officer and the investigator.

Well, now, you wouldn't want

that can of beans opened up again,

really, would you?

Not after ten years.

How would that look on your record?

Mannix... you sit real tight...

in your hotel room.

You hear?

Did that car break down?

Listen, Dave, if you had a foreign car,

and you wanted to keep it in tip-top shape,

where would you get it serviced?

Hmm... only one shop, the best in town.

Gardner's.

Beauty, huh?

Yeah, yeah, that's exactly what I was looking for.

Ah.

Oh.

Not for sale.

Seeds.

Oh, thanks.

Just brought in for servicing, huh?

Uh-uh. Here all the time.

Belongs to Hal Gardner.

He owns the place.

There he is over there now.

He likes to talk to foreign car buffs.

Yeah, so do I.

Uh, hey, these are pretty good.

Listen, uh, you mind getting him over here?

No. Sure.

Hey, Hal?

Yeah, Ben?

There's a fellow over there,

a bug on old Mercedes-Benz.

Thought you might like to...

That's funny.

Said he wanted to talk to you.

Now he's gone.

What did he look like?

No, let Mannix stick his neck out.

Sheriff Finlay will blame the whole thing on him,

just like we planned.

You know, you...

you really shouldn't have called me to your place, Hal...

A widow in a bachelor's pad.

I mean, we-we did agree

to observe a respectful period of mourning.

But since I'm-I'm already here,

I suppose you fully intend

to take advantage of me... a helpless...

terrified... defenseless... Tiger...

What's this, love at the zoo?

Like I said, there was a man in a white hat.

What's the matter, Gardner?

Tiger got your tongue?

Tell me, did she talk you into using me

to get rid of Garth, or was it his bright idea

to make me the patsy?

You know, Mrs. Garth, I've been having serious doubts

about your version of that hit-and-run.

Would you like to change the story?

No. Okay.

Um, I'll just call a third party to liven up the conversation.

No, wait, Mr. Mannix...

I-I think we should talk a little common sense.

Such as?

I mean, what is all this effort over Gabe Dillon?

I mean, how much money could he have given you?

- After all, he-he is... - A black?

Just another colored man, huh?

What's the difference?

Operator... Mannix...

Sorry, Operator, wrong number.

I must say, you're a cute couple.

Yeah, well, uh,

the late, uh, Roger Garth... He didn't think so.

He kept us apart

ever since that night that we rode off together

in Phyllis' car, and he followed us.

See, Garth agreed to keep his mouth shut

about Phyllis being the driver of the hit-and-run car

as long as she come back to him,

and lived with him.

Roger was big for appearances.

So, Garth didn't want me digging into the case

any more than you two did.

Mm-hmm, yeah.

He played right along,

only he never knew to what extent.

I guess that kind of wraps it up.

Uh-huh.

Yeah, except for this.

That's right.

Sorry, Gardner.

Your car registration gave me your address.

I've been waiting for you.

So, let's go, huh?

Move!

Randall.

Come on.

No, no.

Don't tell me why you're here.

I don't mind telling you:

Waiting for you to finish.

Oh, you figure I'd dig deeper and faster

if you ordered me to stay put, huh?

Well, it was a long shot, but it sure worked out, didn't it?

You know, that's beautiful, Finlay. That's beautiful.

I did all the dirty work,

all the running, all the sweating!

Well, like you said, sleepy time down South.

Everything slow and easy.

Okay.

We're changing.

Yeah, Finlay, tell me one thing now.

You didn't have a tail on me.

How did you know I was here?

One of my men.

Like I said, we're changing.

Come on, I'll give you a last ride in my cab.

Boy, this is some house.