Original subtitles

(swing music playing)

MAN: Come to Los Angeles.

The sun shines bright,

the beaches are wide and inviting,

and the orange groves stretch as far as the eye can see.

There are jobs aplenty,

and land is cheap.

Every working man can have his own house,

and inside every house, a happy all-American family.

You can have all this, and who knows?

You could even be discovered...

Become a movie star... Or at least see one.

Life is good in Los Angeles.

It's paradise on earth.

(chuckles)

That's what they tell you anyway

because they're selling an image.

They're selling it through movies, radio, and television.

In the hit show, Badge of Honor,

the L. A. cops walk on water

as they keep the city clean of crooks.

Yep, you'd think this place was the Garden of Eden.

But there's trouble in paradise,

and his name is Meyer Harris Cohen,

Mickey C to his fans.

Local L. A. color to the Nth degree...

-And his number one bodyguard... -(pops loudly)

Johnny Stompanato.

Mickey C's the head of organized crime in these parts.

He runs dope, rackets, and prostitution.

He kills a dozen people a year,

and the dapper little gent does it in style.

And every time his picture is plastered on the front page,

it's a black eye for the image of Los Angeles...

Because how can organized crime exist

in the city with the best police force in the world?

-Something has to be done, but nothing too original, -(doorbell rings)

-'cause, hey, this is Hollywood. -(knock on door)

What worked for Al Capone would work for the Mickster.

Mr. Cohen, you're under arrest.

Non-payment of federal income tax.

But all is not well.

Sending Mickey up has created a vacuum,

and it's only a matter of time

before someone with balls of brass tries to fill it.

Remember, dear readers,

you heard it here first.

Off the record...

On the QT...

And very hush-hush.

(typewriter dings)

(loud arguing)

You're like Santa Claus with that list, Bud,

'cept everyone on it's been naughty.

This guy's been out of "q" two weeks.

Leave it for later. We've got to pick up

the rest of the booze and get to the station.

-(glass breaks) -(man shouting)

Hollywood, this is 6-Adam-7.

Have central send a prowler to 4216 Evergreen.

Parole violation assault arising from a family dispute.

We won't be here, but they'll see him.

(laughs)

(man continues shouting)

All the time!

No, you don't look at me!

Aw, quit your whining!

Quit whining all the time!

It makes me sick! Shut up!

WOMAN: Aah!

Oh!

(dogs barking)

Who in the hell are you?

The Ghost of Christmas Past.

Why don't you dance with a man for a change?

What are you, some kind of smart ass?

(groans)

(groans)

You'll be out in a year and a half.

I'll get cozy with your parole officer.

You touch her again,

I'll have you violated on a kiddie-raper beef.

Unh!

You know what they do to kiddie-rapers in Quentin.

You got someplace you can go?

Go get yourself fixed up.

Merry Christmas, huh?

Merry Christmas, ma'am.

Let's go, Bud.

The guys'll be waiting.

(music playing)

What do you do on Badge of Honor, Jack?

I'm the...

technical advisor.

I teach Brett Chase

how to walk and talk like a cop.

WOMAN: Brett Chase doesn't walk and talk like you.

Well, that's 'cause he's the television version.

America isn't ready for the real me.

Is it true you're the one who arrested Bob Mitchum?

Mm-hmm.

These Badge of Honor guys like to pretend,

but being the real thing must be a thrill.

Why don't you and I go someplace quiet?

'Cause I'd love to give you the lowdown on Mitchum.

Big V!

-Jack Vincennes. -Hey.

May I have this dance?

Of course.

Karen, this is Sid Hudgens from Hush-Hush magazine.

Hello, Karen.

Hello yourself.

Mm-mm.

What's that about?

We did a piece last year,

"Ingenue Dykes in Hollywood."

Her name got mentioned. Hey, Jackie boy,

a friend of mine just sold some reefer to Matt Reynolds.

He's tripping the light fantastic with Tammy Jordan.

WOMAN: Hi, Jack.

Sorry. I lost you for a second, Sid.

Contract players, Metro.

You pinch 'em, I do you up a nice feature next issue.

Plus usual 50 cash.

No. I need another 50.

Two 20s for two patrolmen and a dime

for the watch commander at Hollywood Station.

Jackie, it's Christmas.

No, it's not.

It's felony possession of marijuana.

Actually, it's circulation 36,000 and climbing.

There's no telling where this is gonna go.

Radio, television...

Once you whet the public's appetite for the truth,

the sky's the limit.

MAN: ♪ People passing ♪

♪ Greeting smile after smile... ♪

Sergeant Ed Exley, son of the legendary Preston Exley.

Must be a hard act to follow.

Why not make a mark somewhere else?

Why become a cop, Ed?

I like to help people.

We heard two officers were assaulted this evening.

What do you think about that?

Goes with the job.

But I took the report. Luckily, they're okay.

Aren't you a little young to be watch commander?

It's only for tonight.

The married men have Christmas Eve off.

That's a good lead for the story.

-OFFICER: Merry Christmas, Captain. -OFFICER 2: Merry Christmas,

Captain Smith--

oh, drop the formalities, Bobby.

It's Christmas Eve. Call me Dudley.

Dudley, I came up with a title for the story.

I'm calling it, "Silent Night With the L. A. P. D."

Oh, that's--that's grand.

Now, remember, Bobby, that's Smith with an "S."

Come on.

-Thank you, gentlemen. -Thank you.

-Merry Christmas. -Thank you. Merry Christmas.

SMITH: Hold on there, lads.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you.

I saw the test results on the Lieutenants' exam.

First out of 23.

What will it be, then?

Patrol Division, Internal Affairs, what?

I was thinking Detective Bureau.

Edmund, you're a political animal.

You have the eye for human weakness,

but not the stomach.

You're wrong, sir.

Would you be willing to plant corroborative evidence

on a suspect you knew to be guilty

in order to ensure an indictment?

-Dudley, we've been over this. -Yes or no, Edmund?

No.

Would you be willing to beat a confession

out of a suspect you knew to be guilty?

No.

Would you be willing to shoot a hardened criminal in the back

in order to offset the chance that some lawyer--

No.

Then, for the love of God, don't be a detective.

Stick to assignments

where you don't have to make those kind of choices.

Dudley, I know you mean well,

but I don't need to do it the way you did.

Or my father.

At least get rid of the glasses.

I can't think of a single man in the bureau who wears them.

MAN: If I ever get held up, you guys better be here.

("Mele Kalikimaka" playing)

-(bell dings) -WOMAN: Hiya, Nick.

I need a delivery.

A case each of gin, rum, scotch.

NICK: That sounds like a hell of a party, Lynn.

I'll be right with you.

♪ Here we know that Christmas ♪

♪ Will be green and bright ♪

♪ The sun will shine by day ♪

♪ And all the stars at night ♪

♪ Mele Kalikimaka is the Hawaiian way ♪

♪ To say merry Christmas... ♪

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you, Officer.

That obvious, huh?

It's practically stamped on your forehead.

There you go, White.

♪ From the land where palm trees sway ♪

♪ Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright... ♪

MAN: See what he wants, Buzz.

Hey... Get lost, why don't you?

Aah!

Down! Get your fucking head down.

I got a license for that.

(fabric tears)

Cut me some slack. I used to be a cop.

"Leland Meeks." Never heard of you.

They call me Buzz.

I don't give a rat's ass what they call you.

Now, keep your head down and stay there, Buzz.

You okay?

She's fine.

I'm not asking you, sir.

Somebody hit you?

LYNN: It's not what you think.

What is it, then?

You got the wrong idea, mister. I'm fine.

But it's nice to know you care.

(gun cylinder spins)

Drive safely.

What's going on?

You know him?

Yeah. I've seen him around.

He used to be a cop. (laughs)

(man talking loudly)

They're sitting in the dark, goofing on the Christmas tree.

All right. Put your camera right there.

When I walk out, I'll stop right here.

You get the movie premiere in the background.

I like it. I like it. "The Movie Premiere Pot Bust."

When I walk out that door,

I do not want those goddamn floodlights of yours in my eyes.

Big V, consider it done. You hear that, Chip?

All right. Come on. Get down.

Go on, pop 'em.

What?

-Oh! Aah! -(glass breaking)

Freeze. Police.

SID: Hold it.

Come on, come on, let's go.

I got my family coming out tomorrow!

Make a nice Christmas gift, won't it?

SID: Hi, Tammy. Hi, Matt.

Right over here. Just turn.

Hold it... Got it!

"The Movie Premiere Pot Bust."

Take care of them.

Right down to Hollywood station. I'll get the evidence.

♪ When somebody wants you ♪

♪ Somebody needs you ♪

♪ Christmas is a joy... ♪

"Fleur-de-Lis."

SID: "It's Christmas Eve in the City of Angels...

"And while decent citizens

"sleep the sleep of the righteous,

"hopheads prowl for marijuana.

"Not knowing that a man is coming to stop them...

-"Celebrity Crimestopper Jack Vincennes." -(woman cries)

"Scourge Of Grasshoppers And Dope Fiends Everywhere."

You like it, Jackie boy?

Yeah. Subtle.

Ah.

What took you, Stensland?

My partner stopped to help a damsel in distress.

He's got his priorities all screwed up.

(laughs) Up to your old tricks again, Bud?

Bye.

MAN 1: Hey, Jack! MAN 2: Hollywood Jack!

What brings you to our humble station house?

-How are you, Harry? -What are you doing here?

You know me. I'm keeping the streets safe, boys.

-All right. Take these two and get 'em dressed and book 'em. -Yes, sir.

Jack, party's upstairs.

Okay. I'll be right up. (whispers) Exley.

What's that for?

Well, you are watch commander tonight, aren't you?

Yeah. So?

Well, that's a gratuity from Hush-Hush magazine.

You know? Buy yourself a new pair of loafers.

No, thanks, Jack. You keep your payoff.

I'm not interested.

(door bangs)

(shouting in Spanish)

What the hell's this?

Six spics.

Mexicans, sir.

The ones who assaulted Brown and Helenowski.

I heard Helenowski lost six pints of blood

and Brown's in a coma.

They're home with bruises and muscle pulls.

That's not what I heard.

Let's get these men booked and into the lockup.

Hey, Stens,

you guys hear what those taco vendors

did to Helenowski and Brown?

Helenowski lost an eye,

and they're reading Brown his last rites.

Well, that ought to make for a very merry Christmas

for Helenowski and Brown.

Hey, guys. Guys.

They brought the Mexicans in.

They're downstairs.

MAN 1: Let's do it!

MAN 2: Yeah! Come on, guys, let's get them!

Hey, Stensland, the party's upstairs.

This doesn't con--concern you.

Come on, guys.

Haven't you got work to do?

Go back to the party.

Hey! Hey! Come on. It's Christmas. Help me out, all right?

Come on, Exley. Out of the way! Move it!

It's Christmas Eve.

I just got a few more questions for the kids.

Hey, you don't all have to be down here! Guys!

Go!

Hey, White? You better put a leash on your partner

before he kills somebody.

Teach him a lesson!

This is for ours, pancho.

Get him, Stens!

Let me through!

Leave him alone! He didn't do nothing!

What are you looking at?

-What are you looking at? -Leave him alone, man! Come on!

Tell that spic to shut up!

Move! Move!

You're sick!

Yeah!

Stens! Stens! Stens!

Hey!

Hey! Come on!

(yelling in Spanish)

Get back! Get back!

Yeah? And fuck your mother!

Fuck you!

Get him!

-Come on, White! -Stop, officer! That's an order!

(laughs)

Hey!

(commotion)

-You're all going in my report! -Let's go, Exley.

(inaudible)

"Bloody Christmas."

The press love to label.

Officer White, you should know

this is bigger than the police board.

The grand jury's convening.

Indictments may be handed down.

Will you testify?

No, sir. I won't.

District Attorney Loew?

You and officer Stensland

brought the liquor to the station.

Stensland was already drunk.

So, do you see how appearing as a voluntary witness against him

could offset the damage that you've done to yourself?

Sir, I won't testify against my partner or anyone else.

LOEW: This man is a disgrace.

Your badge and gun, officer.

You're suspended from duty.

Dismissed.

Ed, we need police witnesses

to offset the damage done to the department.

I'm asking you--

Justice has to be served.

Of course I'll testify.

I'm glad you feel that way, Edmund.

Most of the men don't.

That's because they think silence and integrity are the same thing.

Not exactly the image

of the new L. A. P. D. we're trying to create.

Welcome to Los Angeles, the city of the future.

May I make a suggestion, sir?

By all means.

The public will expect

the department to protect its own,

sweep this under the carpet.

Don't.

Shift the guilt to men whose pensions are secured.

Force them to retire.

But somebody has to swing,

so indict, try, and convict

Richard Stensland and Bud White.

Secure them jail time.

The message will be very clear.

This department-- your new L. A. P. D.--

will not tolerate officers who think they're above the law.

Dick Stensland is an embarrassment

as a policeman.

He's had rotten fitness reports

from every C. O. he's ever served under.

But Bud White is a valuable officer.

White's a mindless thug.

No, Edmund... He's just a man

who can answer yes to those questions

I've asked you from time to time.

The department and the public need role models.

Clean-cut, forthright men the public can admire.

Sergeant, I'll promote you to Lieutenant.

Effective immediately.

Detective Lieutenant.

Ed, you're 30.

Your father didn't make Lieutenant till he was 33.

I know that, sir.

I also know that when he made Lieutenant,

it was as a detective.

Whoa. Before we start polishing our laurels,

I think it would look better if we had a corroborative witness.

That won't be easy to come by.

The men hate a stool pigeon.

Jack Vincennes.

He hit one of the Mexicans, and he saw the whole thing.

A veteran like Vincennes

might be willing to admit his own culpability,

but he'd never rat out a fellow officer.

Jack's the technical advisor on Badge of Honor.

He lives for it.

That's the way to get to him.

I'd like you to observe, Ed.

(click)

Call Sergeant Vincennes.

Bright kid.

You may well reap the benefit, Edmund,

but are you truly prepared

to be despised within the department?

Yes, sir, I am.

So be it.

SMITH: Well, Sergeant, we'll get right to it.

Nine civilian witnesses have identified you

as hitting Ezekiel Garcia.

LOEW: But we have a stellar witness who will name names

and also testify that you hit back only after being hit.

And?

And you will testify against three officers

who have already earned their pension

and plead ignorance

to questions directed at the other men.

No, thanks. I'm not a snitch.

I'll guarantee a slap on the wrist,

a brief suspension, followed by a temporary transfer

from narcotics to vice.

When you transfer out of vice, you'll be back on the show.

The show?

Badge of Honor, Vincennes.

We need to tone down your profile for a bit.

Jack...

I doubt you've ever taken a stupid breath.

don't start now.

Okay, I'll do it.

CHIEF: The grand jury will hear your testimony tomorrow. Dismissed, Vincennes.

And so it goes...

Detective Lieutenant.

Ace 'em at the grand jury tomorrow, son.

Wear a smart-looking suit and Ace 'em.

And, Ed, Lose the glasses.

(elevator dings)

So you're the stellar witness.

I should have known.

What's the chief throwing you?

Throwing me?

Yeah, Exley. What's the payoff?

You're the payoff expert.

I'm just doing my duty.

Come on. You're playing an angle here, college boy.

Right? You're getting something outta this

so you don't have to hobnob with the rank-and-file cops

who are gonna hate your guts for snitching.

Well, if they're making you detective, watch out.

Some bureau guys are gonna burn in this,

and you're gonna end up working with friends of theirs.

What about you?

I'm snitching three old-timers

who'll be fishing in Oregon this time next week.

Next to you, I'm clean... And smart.

MAN: Edmund J. Exley to chambers.

And remember, Bud White will fuck you for this

if it takes him the rest of his life.

♪ Look for the silver lining... ♪

Captain, what do you want?

Call me Dudley.

Dudley.

What do you want?

Look, lad,

I admire your refusal to testify

and your loyalty to your partner.

I admire you as a policeman,

particularly your adherence to violence

as a necessary adjunct to the job,

and I'm most impressed

with your punishment of women-beaters.

Do you hate them, Wendell?

What do you want?

They're yours.

Go ahead. Take 'em.

-There's no goddamn bill on me? -Four of the witnesses

-recanted their testimony. -Why?

They had a change of heart.

What about Stensland?

Your partner's through.

Departmental scapegoat on the chief's orders.

A year from his pension.

(sighs)

Exley.

Exley made his play and got what he wanted.

As a politician, he exceeds even myself.

The department needs smart men like Exley...

And direct men like you.

Look, lad, I need you for an assignment

the chief's given me the go-ahead on.

A duty few men are fit for,

but you were born for.

You'll be working on a homicide

down at City Hall.

Homicide?

Working cases?

Your talents lie elsewhere, Wendell.

It's a muscle job.

You'll do as I say and ask no questions.

Do you follow my drift?

In Technicolor, sir.

(typewriter clacking)

SID: Meet Tony Broncatto and Anthony Trombino,

Two rising Lieutenants in the Mickey Cohen rackets.

With the dapper little gent in prison,

who knows how far they'll go?

-The sky's the limit. -(typewriter dings)

(machine gun firing)

SID: Oh, well.

♪ Bye-bye, baby ♪

♪ Time to hit the road to dreamland ♪

♪ You're my baby ♪

♪ Dig you in the land of nod ♪

SID: Meet Deuce Perkins,

Mickey Cohen's narcotics lieutenant.

Could he be behind the hits?

Is he consolidating organized crime power?

(typewriter dings)

I suppose not.

One thing's for sure...

two-man triggers are punching the tickets on the Mickster's muscle.

♪ The rooster has finally crowed ♪

♪ Time to hit the road ♪

♪ Honey, angel, bye-bye, baby... ♪

SID: Meanwhile, rumor has it

the L. A. P. D. has set up a not-so-welcome wagon

to dishearten the out-of-town criminal element

from filling the void left by Mickey's absence.

When I know more, dear readers, so will you.

Off the record...

On the QT...

And very... hush-hush.

SMITH: With Mickey Cohen in prison,

Los Angeles is organized crime-free.

And the chief wants to keep it that way.

-(blow lands) -(man groans)

Now, in Cleveland,

you're an organized crime associate.

In desperate needs of re-education

in the ways of polite society.

Unh!

I hear things. (gasping)

Like those two-man shooter teams.

Bang, bang. They're eighty-sixing

Mickey Cohen's lieutenants.

Wait. Tell me. What do you want?

We want you to go home.

♪ Time to hit the road ♪

♪ Time to hit the road ♪

Picture book smut, gentlemen.

There's been a bunch of this

found at collateral crime scenes lately.

Quality ranges from piss poor to...

very well done.

-Look who's back from suspension. -Here, Jack.

We're honored, Sergeant Jack.

Ah. Look at that.

The great jerk-off case of 1953.

There some place you'd rather be, Vincennes?

Yeah. Working narcotics,

looking for Mickey Cohen's missing "H."

Yeah. Finding 25 pounds of heroin

will get you plenty of ink.

Maybe you should've thought of that

before Bloody Christmas.

(all laugh)

Make a major case, Sergeant.

It's the only way you're getting out of here.

Dismissed, gentlemen.

Go get the facts, Jack.

Just the facts.

(telephone ringing)

WOMAN: Whatever you desire.

Hi, I'd like to get a delivery to Beverly Hills.

I don't think I know you.

Look, a friend of mine just gave me this number,

and I just wanted to find out if there was--

(woman hangs up)

Ginger, can you grab a reverse directory

and shag a name and address for me?

Crestview 2239.

(telephone ringing)

SID: Hush-Hush. Off the record. On the QT.

Sid, it's Vincennes.

Jackie!

Hey, you back on narco? I need some good copy.

No, but I do have something going with vice.

Something juicy for the Sidster?

Tracking porn. Arty, high-class stuff.

What do you know about Fleur-de-Lis? Slogan's "whatever you desire"?

No. No, no. I've heard bubkes.

Get me some narco skinny.

You know, I wanna do an all-hophead issue.

You know, shvartz the jazz musicians

and movie stars. Ha ha. You like it?

Yeah. I'll talk to you later, Sid.

What do you got?

Number's not assigned, Sergeant.

Thanks, Ginger.

A bootleg.

Hey.

Take it easy.

Tough break, Stens.

Good man. We're gonna miss you around here.

Raw deal, Stensland.

OFFICER: Here comes the snitch.

(whistling)

Sorry about that, Lieutenant.

(Dick and Bud chuckling)

(continue chuckling)

Ahem.

(chuckling)

(chuckles)

Stay out of trouble, Bud.

I got a couple of hours

before I have to be at the victory. Come on, I'll buy you a drink.

-Rain check, partner. -Come on.

Nah, I got a hot date.

-Yeah? -Uh-huh.

Who is she, and what did you arrest her for?

Mmm. It's confidential.

It's like that magazine

that Vincennes scams for...

Hush-Hush.

I'll see you later in the week.

We'll do the town... On me.

Yeah?

I'll bring my wallet just in case.

-OFFICER: See you tomorrow, Earl. -EARL: Hang on a minute.

I'll walk down with you.

Punk kid.

Who the hell's he trying to impress?

Yeah, I wonder.

He's got himself a real career going.

WOMAN (on radio): Sergeant Williams, pick up, please.

Sergeant Williams?

Is there anybody up there in homicide?

Anybody there?

(light bulb shatters)

Ahem. Lieutenant Exley.

You've got a homicide.

Downtown division. The Nite Owl coffee shop.

I got it.

(to himself) It's mine.

Sir, at least one person's dead.

I stopped for coffee. The Nite Owl was closed.

No one comes through the front door, understand?

Yes, sir.

(sizzling)

I want barricades both ends of the street.

Make sure the traffic doesn't--

Sir, I took the call. It's my case.

You don't want it, Edmund, and you can't have it.

I took the call.

It's mine.

I'll make you my second in command.

Captain Smith, over here, please.

OFFICER: No, back door!

OFFICER 2: Nobody else inside!

Looks like the cook drew a handgun

and set it off.

The rest were killed in the men's room.

Sir, we got a total of 15 spent

12-gauge Remington shotgun shells.

I'm betting three men, 5-shot-capacity pumps,

all of them emptying once.

Excuse me, sir.

We got an I. D. on one of the victims.

It's Dick Stensland.

You know, when I first saw her,

I thought she was Rita Hayworth.

Yeah, me, too.

Hell of a way to avoid a prison sentence.

(breathing heavily)

Can you tell me what happened?

It appears three men held up a coffee shop.

The guy at the register pulled a .38,

so they killed him.

Then they took everyone else out back and killed them, too.

MAN: Lieutenant, we're ready with that Nite Owl I. D.

Is this your daughter, Mrs. Lefferts?

I don't know.

We know this is difficult.

Just take your time.

It seems like my Susan.

But my Susan was a blonde, not a redhead.

When was the last time you saw her?

Just before Christmas.

We'd fought.

I didn't like her boyfriend. I--

ED: Mrs. Lefferts, does your daughter have any

distinguishing characteristics?

You got the wrong idea, mister. I'm fine.

MRS. LEFFERTS: She has a birthmark on her hip.

(taps window)

It's her.

My baby.

(crying)

I'm sorry, Mrs. Lefferts.

Who's in charge of this investigation?

Captain Smith and myself. Why?

"The Nite Owl massacre."

Hyperbole aside,

this is a heinous crime

that requires swift resolution.

Six victims.

One of them one of our own.

Dick Stensland.

As it happens, he was a Nite Owl regular,

in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Robbery is the likely motive.

We have rubber glove smears on the register,

and preliminary forensics strongly tend...

towards a trio of shooters.

We do have one hot lead, so listen well.

Three Negro juveniles

were seen discharging shotguns last night

in Griffith Park.

A park ranger I. D.'d them

as driving a 1948 to 1950 Mercury coupe,

maroon in color.

An hour ago,

the canvassing crew turned up a news vendor

who saw a maroon Merc coupe

parked across from the Nite Owl around 1:00 a. m.

DMV has come up with a registration list

of Merc coupes.

48 two-man teams will shake three names apiece.

Interrogations will be led by Lieutenant Edmund Exley.

(all protesting)

Enough of that!

Gentlemen, just go out and get them.

Use all necessary force.

The people of Los Angeles demand it.

Dismissed.

-Right, sir. -On it.

Come on, let's go out and look.

Why not just put a bounty on them?

Here's what you need.

Okay, thanks.

Mmm. Got a 1949 on Sepulveda.

You ready to roll, White?

You take them.

I got something I gotta do.

Christ, I don't know. What--these names--

Bill, get somebody else.

Well, I got our assignments, Big V.

If we go by this list,

we got about zero chance of making this collar.

But I got a guy

who knows what's going on south of Jefferson.

I'm betting he can put us at 50-50.

Jack, what are you doing? That's the same sorta thing

that got you in trouble last time.

ED: I'll take those odds.

We got it from here.

OFFICER: Between the two of you guys,

you should bring along a photographer.

I need an address on a customer of yours.

Her name was Lynn.

That's all I got to go on?

Yeah.

I think you already know who I mean, so cough it up.

NICK: Here's the billing address

and a delivery address.

Are you Pierce Patchett?

I am.

Oh, are you soliciting for police charities?

Last time, you called at my office.

Go on down to the driveway.

We'll talk there.

What can I do for you?

Where were you last night?

I was here hosting a party.

Tell me about Dick Stensland.

I don't know him, mister...

Officer White.

How about Sue Lefferts? You know her?

You know I do. You saw me with her.

How did you find me?

Nick's liquor.

This is where Lynn Bracken's booze bills go.

Of course.

Sue Lefferts died at the Nite Owl.

I'm investigating.

Everything all right, Mr. Patchett?

Fine, Phillip. Thank you.

What happened to the other guy?

Buzz?

Buzz Meeks no longer works for me.

Lefferts looked beat up Christmas Eve,

but didn't act it. How come?

I think she'd been hit in the face with a tennis racket.

She's--was-- a big doubles fan.

You're a known associate

of a woman killed in a mass murder.

You want to go downtown and discuss this officially?

Is that what this is? Official?

Somehow I have the feeling

this is more personal with you, Mr. White.

All right, then,

are you concerned about criminal matters

peripheral to the Nite Owl murders?

Not at the moment.

Then you wouldn't feel obligated to report them?

Why were Lefferts' eyes black?

I needed a Rita Hayworth

to fill out my little studio.

What little studio?

Oh, there's Gardner, Russell, Monroe, Turner.

Lynn Bracken is my Veronica Lake.

I use girls that look like movie stars.

Sometimes I employ a plastic surgeon.

When the work had been done, that's when you saw us.

That's why her mother couldn't I. D. her.

Jesus fucking Christ.

No, Mr. White. Pierce Morehouse Patchett.

Now, I sense you're on your best behavior,

but that's all I'm gonna tell you.

If you persist,

I'll meet you with my attorney.

Now, would you like Lynn Bracken's address?

I don't think she knows anything--

I got her address.

Find Susan's killer, Mr. White.

I'll give you a handsome reward.

Whatever you desire.

WOMAN: Come on. I know you're not asleep.

You talking to me? What do you want?

My five bucks.

It was the only one I had,

and one corner was torn off.

LYNN: Right now?

MAN: Hey, dollface,

tell him to leave us alone.

Okay, I understand.

Okay, bye.

Mmm?

Oh, baby...

Bad news.

You have to go.

Go?

Something very important has come up,

and you have to go.

But I'll make it up to you, okay?

I will. I promise.

(knock on door)

Excuse me.

Is it the cops?

Pow. Pow.

Miss Bracken.

I'm Officer White.

I've been expecting you. Just not this soon.

Pierce called. He told me what happened to Sue.

Everything all right, doll?

Want me to get rid of him?

Hit the road, pal.

(scoffs)

Maybe I will.

Maybe I won't.

L.A.P.D., shit bird. Get the fuck out of here,

or I'll call your wife to come get you.

WOMAN: Well, I'm turning in.

(train whistle blows in film)

-Officer. -Councilman.

MAN: Last call for breakfast!

(train whistle blows in film)

Would you care for a drink?

Yeah. Scotch.

Straight.

I was friendly with Sue Lefferts,

but we weren't friends.

You know what I mean?

You sorry she's dead?

Of course I am.

What kind of question is that?

Do you know why Pierce is humoring you?

Use words like that, you might make me mad.

But do you know?

Yeah, I know.

Patchett's running whores...

Cut to look like movie stars.

Judging by his address, probably something bigger on the side.

He doesn't want any attention.

That's right. Our motives are selfish.

So we're cooperating.

So cooperate, Miss Bracken.

Why was Susan Lefferts at the Nite Owl?

I don't know.

I never heard of the Nite Owl till today.

How did she meet Patchett?

Pierce meets people.

Sue came on a bus with dreams of Hollywood,

and this is how they turned out.

Thanks to Pierce,

we still get to act a little.

Tell me about Pierce.

He's waiting for you to mention money.

You want some advice, Miss Bracken?

It's Lynn.

Miss Bracken...

don't ever try to fucking bribe me or threaten me,

or I'll have you and Patchett

in shit up to your ears.

I remember you from Christmas Eve.

You have a thing for helping women,

don't you, Officer White?

Maybe I'm just fucking curious.

You say "fuck" a lot.

You fuck for money?

There's blood on your shirt.

Is that an integral part of your job?

-Yeah. -Do you enjoy it?

When they deserve it.

Did they deserve it today?

I'm not sure.

-But you did it anyway. -Yeah.

Just like the half dozen guys you screwed today.

(chuckles)

Well, actually, it was only two.

You're different, Officer White.

You're the first man in five years

who didn't tell me I look like Veronica Lake

inside of a minute.

You look better than Veronica Lake.

Pierce Patchett?

He takes a cut of our earnings

and invests it for us.

Doesn't let us use narcotics, and he doesn't abuse us.

Can your policeman's mentality

grasp those contradictions?

He had you cut to look like Veronica Lake.

No.

I'm really a brunette,

but the rest is me.

And that's all the news that's fit to print.

It's nice meeting you, Officer.

(door opens)

I'd like to see you again.

Are you asking me for a date

or an appointment?

I don't know.

If you're asking me for a date,

I should know your first name.

Forget I asked.

It was a mistake.

Leonard Bidwell?

Come on down here and talk to us.

How's the left these days?

What's it to you?

Oh, I saw you fight Kid Gavilan.

I like your style.

What do you want, Mr. Policeman?

You got a brother up in Folsom.

I know, because I put him there.

Till 19-fucking-70.

How'd you like to make it 1960?

I know the judge, and Lieutenant Exley here

is very good friends with the D. A.

Yeah.

We're looking for three colored guys

who like to pop off shotguns.

One of them owns a maroon Mercury coupe.

You want to give me a snitch jacket?

You want to buy your brother ten years?

It was ten years, right?

Yeah. Ten years.

You don't have to say anything.

Just look at this list and point.

He's bad, so I'll just tell you.

Sugar Ray Collins.

Drives a maroon '49 coupe.

Beautiful ride.

Don't know about shotguns,

but he gets his thrills killing dogs.

He's righteous trash.

Well, look at that.

It's five minutes from here.

Thanks, Lenny.

So, I'll hear from you, right?

About my brother!

Keep it up, Lenny.

Up.

JACK: There it is. It's in the back.

One of ours.

Shit. Somebody beat us here.

Damn it.

What?

My glasses.

You're kidding.

Well, just don't shoot me.

What are you guys doing here?

Oh, we were just in the neighborhood.

What do you got?

3 12-Gauge pumps,

an empty box of double-ought buck,

and some cash.

Ooh, so long, vice.

Badge of Honor here I come.

Hey, fuck you, Vincennes! This is our collar.

Quiet.

I'm ranking officer here.

We go as a team. End of story.

Yeah, right.

How many ways in?

Only one. Up the stairs.

Hmm.

(low voice) He's very serious.

Police!

-Shit, man, don't shoot! -No!

Don't move.

-Ace him, Jack! -Shut up, Breuning.

Kinda anxious, aren't you, Carlisle?

Don't kill them.

Hey!

Back! Back, back, back, back.

Get off of me! Man, get off of me!

Against the wall.

Against the wall. Put your hands up.

Get over there, big boy. Come on.

Now shut up!

Put your hands behind your back!

So...

How's it feel getting out of the office?

That's what they told me.

Which one owned the maroon coupe?

The guy in room one.

This just came up from forensics.

"Burning clothes.

Casitas Youth Camp."

(prisoner sobbing)

It's crowded in here, White.

These guys killed Stensland.

(sobbing)

Just tell us.

These guys are the shooters.

Guy in room three is supposed to be the shooter.

They've all got records.

(indistinct chatter)

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Same one.

The ejection marks

on the shells fired from the suspects' shotguns

are identical to the marks on the shell casings

found at the Nite Owl.

I want confessions, Edmund.

A night's stewing ought to have softened them up.

Oh, I'll break them, sir.

Are you sure golden boy's up to the task, cap?

Oh, I think you'd be surprised

what the lad is capable of.

You're 22, aren't you, Ray?

Did one of the officers work you over a little?

So you're 22, right?

Man, why do you keep asking me that?

22 makes it a gas chamber bounce.

You should have pulled this caper

a couple of years ago.

Get life, do a little youth authority jolt,

transfer to Folsom a big man,

get yourself a sissy.

Hey, I don't truck with no sissies.

(snickers) Louis.

What?

You did the Casitas Youth Camp with Louis,

didn't you?

RAY: Man, why do you keep asking me about Louis?

His business is his business.

Well, Sugar,

Louis told me you went sissy up at Casitas.

You couldn't do the time,

so you got yourself

a big white boy to look after you.

Said they called you Sugar

'cause you gave it out so sweet.

RAY: Louis gave it up at Casitas, man,

-and I was the fucking boy back in my dorm. -What?

Louis was the sissy.

(officers laugh)

Louis gave it up for fucking candy bars.

He ain't got the sense of a goddamn dog.

I heard you like to shoot dogs.

Dogs got no reason to live.

Oh?

You feel the same way about people, too?

Man, what you trying to say?

We got the shotguns, Ray.

I don't own no shotguns.

Why were you throwing clothes

in the backyard incinerator?

Say what?

A neighbor said she saw you

throwing clothes

in the backyard incinerator.

It doesn't look good.

I ain't got shit to say until I see a judge.

Were you on hop?

You guys were all passed out when we arrested you.

Were you hopped up, Ray?

Ty and Louis fuck with that shit, man, not me.

Where do they get their stuff?

Come on.

Give me one to feed the D. A.

It'll make me look good,

and I'll say Sugar Ray's not a punk

like his sissy partners.

All right, Raymond,

(over speakers) tell me one more thing about Jones and Fontaine.

Where do they get their drugs?

Roland Navarette.

(inaudible) Fuck. You can't tell them that.

RAY: He runs a hole-up on Bunker Hill,

and he sells red devils.

Exley's good. I'll give him that.

ED: I'm going to take a break.

You know, Ray,

I'm talking about the gas chamber,

and you haven't even asked me what this is about.

You got a big "guilty" sign around your neck.

(door closes)

That was masterful, Edmund.

This one's ready to go.

(sobbing)

Give Jones the newspaper.

I want him primed.

And take the cuffs off so he can read it.

Ray Collins just ratted you off.

He said the Nite Owl was your idea.

I think it was Ray's idea.

If you talk, I think I can save your life.

(crying)

Son, six people are dead,

and someone has to pay for it.

Now, it can be you, or it can be Ray.

Louis, he called you queer.

Said at Casitas you took it up the ass.

I ain't kill nobody!

Son...

You know what's gonna happen to you if you don't talk?

You'll go to the gas chamber,

so for God's sake, admit what you did.

I didn't mean to hurt her.

Maybe she's okay.

Okay?

These people are all in the morgue.

They were dead when you left them.

I just wanted to lose my cherry.

She don't die, so I don't die.

She don't die, so I don't die.

RAY: Louis, who's the girl?

What's her name?

Who are you talking about?

Was she at the Nite Owl?

(sobbing)

Louis, listen to me. Was she at the Nite Owl?

(babbles)

This newspaper shit ain't shit.

ED: Where's the girl Fontaine's talking about?

Did you kill her?

You wanted Louis to lose his cherry, but that wasn't enough,

so things got out of hand, and you made her bleed.

She bled on your clothes, so you burned the clothes.

Who told you that?

Now, listen to me.

If that girl is still alive,

she's the only chance you've got.

I think she's alive.

ED: You think? Then where is she now?

Did you leave her someplace? Did you sell her out?

-Tell me where she is! -Move!

Man!

(bullets fall)

White!

One in six. Where's the girl?

White, I have this under control!

Where is the girl?

Sylvester.

What?

Sylvester Fitch.

109 Avalon.

Brown Corner House,

upstairs.

(indistinct chatter)

Captain, just give me one minute.

You got it.

Nobody moves. The rest of us are going in through the front.

Stay put until I give the word.

(TV playing cartoon music)

(man speaking on TV)

(gunshot on TV)

(man laughing)

(groans)

(labored breathing)

OFFICER: He went around back, sir!

Miss, I'm Lieutenant Exley.

I'm sorry to have to ask you this.

I need to know what time they left you.

Get her to the hospital.

-I realize this is a difficult-- -Excuse me.

Give your career a rest.

Leave her alone.

A naked guy with a gun--

you expect anyone to believe that?

Get the fuck away from me.

How's it going to look in your report?

It'll look like justice.

That's what the man got--

justice.

You don't know the meaning of the word, you ignorant bastard.

Yeah?

You think it means getting your picture in the paper.

Why don't you go after criminals for a change instead of cops?

Stensland got what he deserved, and so will you.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

OFFICER: Take it easy. Come on, Bud.

Come on!

Let it go.

It's best to stay away from a man when his blood is up.

His blood's always up.

Then perhaps you should stay away from him altogether.

OFFICER: Hey, captain!

DISPATCH: Raymond Collins, Ty Jones,

and Louis Fontaine.

They are considered armed and extremely dangerous.

Repeat--the Nite Owl suspects have escaped.

How did they get out the window

in the first place?

All we know, they jumped from the second floor.

The girl at the hospital made a statement.

The three jiggs left her at midnight--

plenty of time to be at the Nite Owl by 1:00.

The question was,

where did they get their drugs?

What was the answer?

I haven't gotten that far yet.

"Roland Navarette-- lives on Bunker Hill.

He runs a hole-up and sells red devils."

Anyone seen Jack Vincennes?

-Vincennes? -I don't know.

Is there something up, Lieutenant?

I need some backup. Come on.

What?

Nothing. Let's go.

(whispers) This should be it.

404.

(man speaking on TV)

(elevator bell dings)

(man speaking on TV)

Nobody moves!

Stay right there. You're under arrest.

Don't shoot, man! Don't shoot!

-Please don't shoot. -Hands in the air!

Don't move! Don't move!

(elevator bell dings)

Move!

(elevator bell dings)

There he is.

You did good, kid.

OFFICER: You should've seen the place.

It was a nightmare-- blood everywhere.

-Who would've thought-- Shotgun Ed. -Yeah, Shotgun Ed.

Somebody get him cleaned up.

Sure. Come on, kid.

Edmund J. Exley

has amassed a brilliant record

in his seven years with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Recently, he evinced spectacular bravery

in the line of duty.

It is our privilege to present him with our highest honor--

the Medal of Valor.

MAN: What kind of a car was it?

-WOMAN: It was a Ford. -Are you sure?

My husband always drove a Ford, and I know what they look like. My husband--

Excuse me, ma'am. Just the facts. Light or dark?

Light...

And that's really all I remember, Officer.

Thank you, ma'am. You've been a big help.

DIRECTOR: Cut! That's a print.

Hey, big Jack.

MAN: He's back.

Hey. Jack's back.

Heh heh!

♪ While the wheel is ♪

♪ Spinning, spinning spinning ♪

♪ I'll not dream of winning ♪

♪ Fortune ♪

♪ Or fame ♪

♪ While the wheel is ♪

♪ Turning, turning turning ♪

♪ I'll be yearning yearning ♪

♪ For love's precious flame... ♪

Tell Mr. Patchett

that I have no intention of changing my vote.

♪ I'm hoping ♪

♪ Somehow ♪

♪ If you'll ever smile on me... ♪

It may surprise some that a man in public office

would admit to making a mistake,

but after due consideration,

I am changing my position

on the matter before the council.

(muttering)

"Go west, America"

was the slogan of manifest destiny.

Today is that last step westward--

with no stop signs,

no traffic signals--

from downtown to the beach in 20 minutes.

(applause)

♪ Turning, turning turning ♪

♪ I'll be yearning yearning ♪

♪ For love's precious flame ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Wheel of fortune ♪

♪ Please don't pass me by... ♪

-(blow lands) -Aah!

Aah!

Uhh!

And what were you going to start with?

Drugs!

SMITH: Prostitution?

Uhh!

Gambling?

Uhh!

Go back to Jersey, Sonny.

This is the city of the angels,

and you haven't got any wings.

-(blow lands) -Uhh!

Aah!

Aah!

♪ Please let it be ♪

♪ Now ♪

Nice to see you again.

Yeah.

(knock on door)

I wondered when you might knock on my door again,

Officer White.

It's Bud.

Bud.

Why me?

I don't know.

This election

is about the future of law enforcement

in Los Angeles.

City Councilman Rogers

-represents that future. -Hey, Jack.

So let's dig deep

and let's get a moral man reelected.

District Attorney Ellis Loew would like to say a few words.

(applause)

Thank you. Thank you, Brett Chase,

the very talented star of Badge of Honor.

Let me tell you, I am so thrilled

to be here on the set of Badge of Honor.

SID: Big V. Jackie.

Good to see you back, boychik.

How's it going, Sid?

Down around my ankles.

You tight with the D. A., Jackie?

Oh, yeah, yeah.

He tried to throw me off the force last Christmas

as a little joke.

How about some payback, big-time?

Plus the usual $50 donation

to the Jack Vincennes retirement fund?

Did you know the D. A. was a swish?

No kidding?

Mmm.

Hey.

Remember Matt Reynolds, Christmas Eve,

"The Movie Premiere Pot Bust"?

He just got off honor farm.

What's he doing here?

Reynolds is acey-deucey, not to mention broke.

I'm getting him to fuck the D. A. For 100 bucks.

That's twice the 50 you got for wrecking his career.

Hey, Matt!

-Jesus. -Come here, come here.

Don't bring him--

Yeah.

That's D. A. Loew right there.

Yeah.

You need a drink, kid?

Yeah.

Jack, look after him a minute.

Matt, this is Jack.

No secrets between me and him.

How you doing?

Oh, I'm okay. How are you?

Good. Yeah.

Have we met before?

Yeah.

Was it at a party?

Well, it was something like that.

Fleur-de-Lis party, right?

Right.

Fleur-de-Lis...

"Whatever you desire."

Dope, hookers that look like movie stars.

Pierce Patchett has it all.

(fake laughter)

Boy, you could say that again.

Pierce, he's--he's not like regular guys.

I mean...

I dig him, but...

You know, he, um...

He scares me, too.

Really?

How?

You know, when I came out to L. A.,

this isn't exactly where I saw myself ending up.

Yeah, well...

Get in line.

Dutch courage, kid. Drink up.

You know, uh, I don't think I should do this.

It's not like you don't know how.

And Jack here's got connections

with Badge of Honor.

You pull this off, there'll be a part for you.

I--I smell a comeback, don't you, Jack?

Go on. The D. A.'s free.

Go introduce yourself.

Go on.

Talk to him, Jack. Tell him about the opening on the show.

Oh, yeah.

I'm pretty sure I can get you a part

on this show.

But, uh...

That's later on, you know?

Tonight, just...

Just go on over there and pretend it's an acting job.

It's like show biz.

Acting, that's it.

-Right. -Yeah.

And no one's going to know about this, right?

No.

It'll be our secret.

Okay.

All right.

Show biz.

That's it. Go on.

-Show biz. -Jesus.

Man.

If Reynolds works his charms--

which I know he will--

they'll be at the Hollywood Center Motel, room 203.

Meet me there at midnight for a little photo shoot.

Maybe we can work in the Hollywood sign this time.

What do you know about Pierce Patchett?

Patchett? I know what you know.

He's very rich,

and he just invested in freeway construction,

which is going to make him richer.

Why do you ask?

Oh, I just keep hearing rumors, you know?

High-class porn, drugs,

hookers that look like movie stars.

Patchett is what I call twilight.

He ain't queer, and he ain't red.

He cannot help me in my quest

for prime sinnuendo.

(chuckles)

Look.

As though the Badge of Honor

would touch that guy with a 10-foot pole

after he's been Hush-Hush cover boy twice in one year.

I'll see you in a few hours, Sid.

Yeah, midnight.

I guarantee all kinds of illegal activity.

(whistle)

Aah!

GREGORY PECK: Hey!

Hey, stop! Come back here!

(Audrey Hepburn squeals in laughter)

Aah!

♪ Oh, to be laughing with you ♪

♪ In a little while ♪

♪ Whistle a tune ♪

♪ Of gladness... ♪

-BARTENDER: Another, Jack? -Yeah.

♪ Gloom never was in style ♪

♪ The future's brighter ♪

♪ When hearts are lighter ♪

♪ So ♪

♪ Smile, smile, smile ♪

(woman singing on TV)

(knocks on door)

Kid.

Matt?

Come on, kid. You don't have to do the--

♪ Oh, so long ago ♪

♪ How important can it be? ♪

♪ Doo doo doo doo doo doo ♪

♪ Mine was a young ♪

♪ And a foolish heart... ♪

(kicks open door)

♪ Doo doo doo doo doo doo ♪

♪ But I have grown so much wiser now ♪

♪ Even foolish hearts ♪

♪ Can learn ♪

♪ Doo doo doo doo ♪

Thank you for what you did for me--

for killing those animals who raped me.

Will you thank Officer White

for me, please?

Sure.

Seeing him come through the door

is about the only thing I can remember.

Thank God.

You remember what time the Negroes left you, right?

In your statement, you said they left you at midnight.

They might have.

What do you mean, "They might have"?

I don't know what time they left me.

I wanted them dead.

Would anyone care that they raped a Mexican girl

from Boyle Heights

if they hadn't killed those white people

at the Nite Owl?

I did what I had to do for justice.

-MAN: Inez? -Over here.

Smile, Inez.

So, is he your hero, Miss Soto?

MAN: Hey, fellas, how about this?

"Rape Victim Wheeled Out Of Hospital By Nite Owl Hero."

Hey.

All they get is Veronica Lake.

I get Lynn Margaret Bracken.

Bisbee?

Um-hmm.

I grew up there.

I'm going back in a couple of years,

open up a dress shop.

The girls in Bisbee need a little glamor.

(laughs)

Where'd this come from?

When I was 12,

my old man went after my mother with a bottle.

I got in the way.

So you saved her?

Not for long.

I'm sorry. It's none of my business.

He tied me to the radiator.

I watched him beat my mother to death with a tire iron.

Then he left me there.

Three days before a truant officer found us.

They never found the old man.

Is that why you became a cop?

To get even?

Maybe.

Do you like it?

I used to.

Now it's all strong-arm, sitting-duck stuff.

I mean, if I could...

If I could get a chance to work homicide,

like a real detective...

That prick Exley, he shot the wrong guys.

Whoever killed Stensland is still around.

I know it in here.

I know it.

There's something wrong with the Nite Owl.

I just can't prove it, that's all.

I'm not smart enough.

I'm just the guy they bring in

to scare the other guys shitless.

You're wrong.

You found Patchett. You found me.

You're smart enough.

Bud White.

What brings you down to the basement?

I got a couple of Nite Owl questions.

Don't know if you read the papers,

but that case is closed.

Anything bother you about it, Ray?

Yeah. The fact that the pack-up boys

haven't hauled this shit out of here yet.

We got three shotguns taken from the suspects

which match the strike marks on the shell casings.

What more do you want?

There's blood on the wall here.

I thought everyone but the cook

got shot in the men's room.

That is Stensland's blood.

Stensland?

Yeah. Took a blow to the head.

Was probably unconscious

when they dragged him in the john.

Did they hit anyone else?

No, but he was a cop.

He probably tried to do something.

Grilled cheese, black coffee.

Someone sitting next to him.

Two of the victims were women, right?

Yeah. Patty Deluca, the night shift waitress,

and a Susan Lefferts.

Susan Lefferts.

Yeah. What about her?

You're welcome.

(doorbell rings)

WHITE: Mrs. Lefferts.

Mrs. Lefferts.

I'm Officer White. L. A. P. D.

WHITE: Tell me about the boyfriend,

the one you mentioned at the coroner's office.

Susie, I told you I didn't approve of that boyfriend.

He was too old for you,

and you let him be fresh with me.

They came here one day when I wasn't home,

and old Mrs. Jensen next door

said she thought she saw Susie's boyfriend

and another man,

and she heard a ruckus.

What was the boyfriend's name?

We weren't properly introduced.

Susie gave him a nickname. Muns or Luns or something.

Stens? Was it Stens?

Maybe. I don't know.

Look at a picture for me.

That's him.

That's him.

You said a neighbor heard a ruckus.

Was it outside?

Inside?

Outside.

And then Mrs. Jensen said

they kept going out of the house.

You have to leave now, Officer.

What's through here?

Just a room full of old things.

Oh, don't move that.

(sniffs) Oof!

Don't mind the smell.

I think a rat died behind the wall.

My Susie was a good girl.

She was never in any kind of trouble at all.

(sniffs)

(coughing)

(rats squeak)

Aah!

WHITE: "Leland Meeks." Never heard of you.

They call me Buzz.

Was it a rat?

Yeah. A great big one.

Here.

Compliments of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The stomach of the week from a motel homicide.

Unemployed actor. Had a frankfurter,

French fries, alcohol, and sperm.

Hell of a last supper, don't you think, Lieutenant?

Anything bothering you about the Nite Owl case?

Yeah.

The fact that you guys won't let it get filed away.

What do you mean?

Bud White grilled me on it this morning.

-Bud White? -You know,

he's not as dumb as I thought.

Did he say where he was going

after he talked to you?

Let my daughter rest in peace.

Mrs. Lefferts, I just want to ask a few questions.

Officer White already checked under the house.

Under the house?

Where?

Out back.

All he found was rodents.

I need an I. D. on this as soon as possible.

You talk only to me on this one.

(door opens)

Vincennes,

I need your help on something.

I'm busy right now.

Why don't you just go ask some of your boys in homicide?

I can't.

I need someone outside of homicide.

I want you to tail Bud White

till he goes on duty this evening.

Why don't you do me a real favor and leave me alone?

Do you make the three Negroes for the Nite Owl killings?

What?

It's a simple question.

Why in the world do you want to go digging any deeper

into the Nite Owl killings, Lieutenant?

Rollo Tomasi.

Is there more to that, or am I supposed to guess?

Rollo was a purse snatcher.

My father ran into him off duty...

and he shot my father six times

and got away clean.

No one even knew who he was.

I just made the name up to give him some personality.

What's your point?

Rollo Tomasi's the reason I became a cop.

I wanted to catch the guys

who thought they could get away with it.

It's supposed to be about justice.

Then somewhere along the way,

I lost sight of that.

Why'd you become a cop?

I don't remember.

What do you want, Exley?

I just want to solve this thing.

Nite Owl was solved.

No.

I want to do it right.

Even if it means paying the consequences?

Mm-hmm.

All right, college boy, I'll help,

but there's a case you boys in homicide don't care about.

They think it's just another Hollywood homo-cide,

but I don't.

You help me with mine,

I'll help you with yours.

Deal?

Deal.

(door opens)

Johnny Stompanato.

Officer Wendell White.

How's tricks, paisano?

I ain't your paisano.

And I ain't in the snitch business anymore.

You know a guy named Buzz Meeks?

Works for Pierce Patchett.

Should I?

You're muscle for hire.

Meeks is muscle for hire.

You tell me.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, I remember now.

Meeks, a rundown ex-cop.

Same as you're gonna be someday.

And that's all you're gonna get.

And you can keep your 20 bucks.

(crunch)

What do I get if I give you your balls back,

you wop-cocksucker?

Okay.

Okay.

There was a rumor going around

that Meeks had a line on a large supply of "H."

(groans)

And?

And nothing!

He skipped town.

Oh.

Oh.

Bullshit.

How would a two-bit hick like Meeks

get his hands on a large supply of heroin?

You're right.

It's probably bullshit.

Even if he did, he could never unload it.

Not without drawing all kinds of attention.

Maybe that's why he's under a house

in Elysian Park,

and he don't smell too good...

Paisano.

Maybe White's not so dumb after all.

ED: So we got Rita Hayworth at the morgue,

and now Veronica Lake with White.

I think your case and my case are somehow connected.

It's Fleur-de-Lis again.

Fleur-de-Lis?

Yeah.

"Whatever you desire."

Porno.

High-class whores cut to look like movie stars.

Who knows what else?

Reynolds, the kid that got killed, was involved.

So's Pierce Patchett.

The millionaire?

Yeah. I think we should go talk to him.

First, I want to brace Stompanato.

(woman singing on speakers)

(overlapping conversations)

(clears throat)

Want an autograph? Write to MGM.

Since when did two-bit hoods and hookers

give out autographs?

-What did you say to me? -L. A. P. D. Sit down.

Who in the hell do you think you are?

Take a walk, honey, before I haul your ass downtown.

You are making a large mistake.

Get away from our table.

Shut up.

A hooker cut to look like Lana Turner

-is still a hooker. -Hey!

She just looks like Lana Turner.

She is Lana Turner.

What?

She is Lana Turner.

How was I supposed to know?

I believe the Nite Owl

was your area of expertise, Mr. Exley.

I saw you on television getting your medal.

And you're...

that other Hollywood celebrity policeman,

aren't you?

The Veronica Lake look-alike works for you.

She's one of your whores, correct?

A vulgar term.

Why is she seeing Bud White?

Why do men and women usually see each other, Mr. Exley?

Well, let's try this on for size. Fleur-de-Lis.

"Whatever you desire."

An actor named Matt Reynolds.

No, nothing?

No?

We want some answers, Patchett.

We all want something.

-DISPATCH: Lieutenant Exley, come in, please. -Guy's as cool as they come.

DISPATCH: Lieutenant Exley, come in, please. Over.

This is Exley.

The coroner wants to talk to you, Lieutenant.

He says he has your I. D.

Tell him Sergeant Vincennes

is coming in to talk to him.

Roger.

I'll drop you at your car.

-Where the hell are you going? -Lynn Bracken's.

I'm gonna find out

why Patchett has her seeing Bud White.

I'll see you at the frolic room.

Oh, great.

You get the girl, I get the coroner.

(intense music playing)

(ring)

Hush-Hush, off the record and on the QT.

Hey, I was just coming up to see you.

-You get that I. D. For me? -Thank God for dental records.

Stiff used to be a cop, Leland Meeks.

Buzz Meeks?

You knew him?

Of him. He was around when I first joined the force.

Bad rep. Thanks.

Hey, just the facts, Jack.

(deep voice) Just the facts.

Anything else, Sergeant?

Yeah. Leland Meeks worked vice '39-'41.

I need to see his arrest records.

Okay.

(knock on door)

Miss Bracken.

I'm Lieutenant Exley.

I know who you are.

Bud told me all about you.

Is that so?

What did White have to say?

He said you were smart.

He also said you were a coward,

and that you'd screw yourself to get ahead.

Well, let's concentrate on my smarts.

Pierce Patchett made you, didn't he?

Taught you how to dress, talk, and think,

and I am very impressed with the results,

but I need some answers.

And if I don't get them,

I'm gonna take you and Patchett down.

Pierce Patchett can take care of himself,

and I'm not afraid of you.

You forget one thing, Lieutenant.

Pierce also taught me how to fuck.

And he tells you who to fuck.

Why does he have you fucking Bud White?

What makes you think I'm not seeing Bud

-because I want to? -(scoffs)

It would be easier for you if there was an angle,

wouldn't it?

You're afraid of Bud

'cause you can't figure out how to play him.

He doesn't follow the same rules of politics as you do.

It makes him dangerous.

I can handle Bud White.

Can you?

I see Bud because I want to.

I see Bud

because he can't hide the good inside of him.

I see Bud because he makes me feel like Lynn Bracken

and not some Veronica Lake look-alike who fucks for money.

I see Bud because he doesn't know

how to disguise who he is.

I see Bud for all the ways he's different from you.

Don't underestimate me, Miss Bracken.

The way you've underestimated Bud White?

Fucking me and fucking Bud

aren't the same thing, you know.

Stop talking about Bud White.

Shit.

(doorbell chimes)

Jack Vincennes.

It's going on midnight, Jack.

I need two minutes, Dudley.

It's important.

It's a good thing for you

my wife and four fair daughters

are at the beach in Santa Barbara.

Do you remember Buzz Meeks, Dudley?

A disgrace as a police officer.

Straight "D" fitness reports

from every C. O. he ever served under.

What about him?

Twelve years ago, he was on a vice roust

with Dick Stensland.

They questioned Pierce Patchett about a... a blackmail scam.

Patchett had Sid Hudgens

photographing prominent businessmen

with hookers.

Anyway, the charges were dropped.

Insufficient evidence.

You were the supervising officer on that case.

And I was wondering if you remember

anything about it.

What's this all about, boyo?

Part of it has to do with a murder.

I've been working with Ed Exley on it.

You're at narco, Jack, not homicide.

Since when do you work with Edmund Exley?

Well, it's a private investigation.

Ah.

I messed something up.

I'm trying to make amends.

Don't start trying to do the right thing, boyo.

You haven't had the practice.

Buzz Meeks and Dick Stensland.

Hmm.

So, what does Exley make of all this?

I haven't told him yet.

I just came straight from the records room.

Have you a valediction, boyo?

Rollo...

Tomasi.

(laughing)

SMITH: Sergeant Vincennes was killed

by a .32 slug to the heart.

Time of death, approximately 1:00 a. m.

Although he was found in Echo Park,

preliminary forensics indicates the body was most likely moved.

I want two-man teams to scour that entire neighborhood.

Our justice must be swift and merciless.

That is all.

Edmund.

Might I have a word with you?

We're trying to run down a lead

on an associate of Vincennes'.

The records check has led to a dead end.

What's the name?

Rollo Tomasi.

You ever heard Vincennes mention him?

No, no, I haven't.

Well...

It's probably nothing.

Still...

Keep your eyes open, eh, boyo?

Yeah, I know it's unlikely, but suppose just for a moment, just for a moment

suppose somebody did have that much heroin.

Who would they go to to move it?

White, in my office.

Captain.

Look, just give me a name.

Mickey Cohen.

Captain.

I could use your fearsome habits

at the Victory Motel.

When?

Now, Wendell.

Right.

Close the door, lad.

You're a bit of a puzzlement to me

these days, Wendell. You don't seem to be

your old cruel self anymore.

And I had such grand plans for your future.

What plans?

You have your extracurricular activities,

and I have mine.

We must have a clarification session

one of these days.

However...

Right now, we're gonna brace the man

who may know who killed Jack Vincennes.

So the question is,

can I count on you, lad?

-Yes or no? -Yes, sir.

I want to know everything

you and Jack Vincennes talked about last night.

Start with the I. D. on the corpse.

An ex-cop.

Leland "Buzz" Meeks.

An ex-cop?

What did Jack say? Did he know him?

Only by reputation.

Wendell, this is Sid Hudgens.

I'm willing to cooperate.

There's no need to tie me down.

It's for your own safety.

Now, what can you tell us

about Sergeant Jack Vincennes?

Hollywood Jack, the Big V?

I could tell you he's on a night train

to the big adios.

I didn't have anything to do

with him getting killed, if that's what you mean.

But you were business associates?

What's that got to do with anything?

Okay, okay. So we worked together.

It was an information exchange.

I got him first-class collars,

he got me good stories.

We were friends, for Christ's sake.

We'll drop that for the moment.

Would you care to comment on Pierce Patchett?

SID: Patchett? You think he had something to do

with Vincennes getting iced?

SMITH: Wendell, I'd like full and docile cooperation

on every topic.

Okay, okay, okay, all right.

Everybody knows that Patchett's worth a boatload of greenbacks,

but the man has hobbies, too.

He bankrolls "B" movies under the table,

and try this one on.

He's rumored to be a periodic heroin sniffer.

All in all, a powerful behind-the-scenes strange-o.

-And? -And what?

Ohh.

Reciprocity, Mr. Hudgens,

is the key to every relationship.

He runs call girls.

Primo tail fixed up to look like movie stars.

And?

Blackmail shit, in my car.

In the trunk, under the rug.

Patchett got me to photograph this cop

screwing this gorgeous slut named Lynn.

Looks just like Veronica Lake.

SMITH: Wendell, Wendell, leave him be!

I said leave him be!

Get him off me! Get him off me!

Back off, Wendell, back off!

I wouldn't trade places with Edmund Exley right now

for all the whiskey in Ireland.

SID: Dudley.

Dudley, I thought you were gonna let the dumb bastard kill me.

And, you,

learn to pull your punches a little better.

You can uncuff me now, fellas.

Fellas.

Dudley. We had a deal.

You and me and Patchett, we're a team.

We're--

Hush-hush.

Anything?

Nothing.

So Buzz Meeks never made an arrest

the entire time he worked vice?

Someone must have pulled the files.

What about the daily report books?

If we still have 'em, they'd be buried

somewhere in the basement.

Well, find them.

(tires screech)

You talked to Exley?

Come in out of the rain.

(shakily) I want to know what happened with Exley.

Just come in.

Are you gonna tell me

what happened with you and Exley?

We talked.

So tell me about it.

-Later. -No!

Now.

(sobbing) You fucked him.

You fucked him.

I thought I was helping you. I thought...

...helping you.

(thunder rumbling)

(door closes)

White, I'm glad you're here.

I need you to see this.

Wait.

Aah!

(cocks gun)

(panting)

Dudley killed Jack.

He wants you to kill me.

He showed you the photo, didn't he?

Didn't he?

Pig! Goddamn you, pig!

Stay the fuck out of here!

Aah!

(Ed moaning, panting)

(thunder rumbling)

Dudley.

I checked the daily report books.

Dudley, Buzz Meeks, and Stensland

go way back.

I know Stensland lied to me.

Lefferts' mother I. D.'d Stensland

as Lefferts' boyfriend.

Stensland pretended he didn't know Meeks

or her the night that I met...

Lynn.

Stensland and Meeks...

What the hell were they up to?

I don't know,

but I think Stens killed Meeks over heroin.

What heroin?

Johnny Stompanato told me that Meeks had heroin for sale.

Meeks ends up dead...

Stensland dies at the Nite Owl...

It wasn't the Negroes.

The rape victim lied in her statement.

The first guys to the Mercury coupe

were Breuning and Carlisle.

Dudley's guys.

They planted the shotguns.

And they'd have killed the Negroes, too,

if Jack and I hadn't shown up.

Dudley framed them

because they were Negroes and had records,

and he knew there'd be no questions asked

if they were...

If they were killed resisting arrest.

Somehow this is all connected to Jack's angle.

Sid Hudgens...

The pictures to blackmail Ellis Loew.

A kid got murdered.

If we're gonna figure this out,

we need to work together.

Why are you doing this?

The Nite Owl made you.

You want to tear all that down?

With a wrecking ball.

You want to help me swing it?

(thunder rumbling)

Let's go see Ellis Loew,

find out what the District Attorney knows.

May I--

Hey!

You can't go in there.

Do you want me to call the police, Mr. Loew?

Ask for Captain Dudley Smith.

Tell him we're having a discussion

about the death of an unemployed actor

at a Sunset Strip motel.

These are the police.

What do you want?

I want D. A. bureau men to tail Dudley Smith

and Pierce Patchett 24 hours a day.

I want you to get a judge

to authorize wiretaps on their home phones,

and I want authorization to check their bank records.

On what evidence?

Call it a hunch.

Absolutely not.

Dudley Smith is a highly decorated member of this police department.

I'm not gonna smear his and Pierce Patchett's name

-without having-- -Without what?

Them smearing yours first?

What do they have on you, Loew?

Pictures of you and Matt Reynolds with your pants down?

You have any proof?

The proof had his throat slit.

So far, you're not denying it.

Well, I'm not gonna dignify this with answers.

Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me,

I have a press conference for Jack Vincennes

that I have to prepare for.

Unless you came here to wipe my ass,

I believe we're through.

Come on, don't pull that good cop/bad cop crap.

I practically invented it.

So what if some homo actor is dead, huh?

Boys, girls--ten of them get off the bus to L. A. every day. Aah!

Aah! Ohh!

Pull him off me, Exley!

I don't know how.

Now, I know you think you're the a-number-one hot shot,

but here is the juice:

If I take you out, ten more lawyers will take your place tomorrow.

They just won't come on the bus, that's all.

(toilet flushing)

Hey! No!

Aah! No! Aah!

No!

All right! Okay!

Okay, Dudley and Patchett-- they--they--hey! Ohh!

Oh, my God!

I wouldn't play ball, so they set me up,

and then I gave in, but the kid heard everything!

Somebody killed him!

Why? What are Dudley and Patchett up to?

They're taking over Mickey Cohen's rackets!

Because of those pictures, I--I c-c-couldn't prosecute them!

Oh, Jesus! Help me up!

Is that how you used to run the good cop/bad cop?

(whimpering)

Patchett?

Looks like his bodyguard had a conflict of interest.

Suicide note.

Says he killed Jack because Jack had figured out

a pornography scam Patchett was running.

Slicing himself open wasn't his idea.

Two of his fingers are broken.

They must have held him there.

And drugged him.

I'd say Dudley's tying up his loose ends.

Patchett's dead.

He sent you after me.

Lynn.

West Hollywood Sheriff.

-They're closer than we are. -I'll get the car. Keys!

MAN: Hey. We took her to the station for safekeeping.

Hold her as Joan Smith.

And no one sees her unless I okay it.

Somebody worked her over.

She wouldn't say who.

-See you, Exley. -EXLEY: Sure.

We should talk to Lynn.

You do it.

What are you gonna do?

I'm gonna talk to Sid Hudgens,

compliment him on his performance at the Victory Motel.

Remember, Bud, we need evidence.

I'll get the evidence.

(keys clacking)

(door opens)

(door closes)

Are you okay?

You okay?

Bud hates himself for what he did.

I know how he feels.

Lynn, I need to know what you can give me

on Dudley Smith.

Who?

He's a police captain.

He's in business with Patchett.

I've never heard of him.

Do you have someplace you can stay?

I'll be okay.

MAN: No one goes in without official I. D.

MAN: It's okay. Let him through.

What happened?

Somebody beat him to death and stole a bunch of files.

Must have dug up garbage on the wrong guy.

We got it narrowed down to a thousand suspects.

Inspector White.

Dispatch got a call for you.

Lieutenant Exley wants you to meet him at the Victory Motel.

You wanted to meet here?

You called it. I thought Sid Hudgens--

Hudgens is dead.

Let's get out of here.

(car approaches)

(door opens)

It's too late.

(car approaches)

(door opens)

(car approaches)

(door opens)

You figured this was a setup,

and you showed up anyway?

A lot of bad stuff happened here.

It's as good a place as any for it to end.

Here.

Clip.

All I ever wanted was to measure up to my father.

Now's your chance.

He died in the line of duty, didn't he?

(laughs)

(machine gun fire)

MAN: Go! Go!

Bud!

(man whistles)

(man whistles)

(footsteps rustling)

(loud footsteps)

(loud footsteps)

MAN: Oh, goddamn it!

Aah!

(shotgun cocks)

(panting)

You okay?

Unh! Yeah.

Come on, easy.

Come on.

(footsteps)

Move!

(groans)

Rollo Tomasi.

Who is he?

ED: You are.

You're the guy who gets away with it.

Jack knew it and so do I.

(groans)

(yells)

Unh!

(sirens wailing)

Are you gonna shoot me?

Or arrest me?

Good lad.

Always the politician.

But let me do the talking.

After I've done,

they'll make you Chief of Detectives.

(sirens grow louder)

Hold up your badge

so they'll know you're a policeman.

(shotgun blast)

INTERROGATOR: You think you can talk your way out of this, Lieutenant?

No. But I think I can tell the truth.

During our investigation...

of events surrounding the Nite Owl case,

Jack Vincennes, Bud White, and I

learned the following...

Your golden boy is throwing his whole life away.

The three Nite Owl suspects,

while guilty of kidnapping and rape,

were innocent of the multiple homicides

at the Nite Owl.

The actual gunmen were most likely

Los Angeles Police Department officers

Michael Breuning and William Carlisle,

and a third man

who may or may not have been Captain Dudley Smith.

The objective:

The elimination of another police officer,

Richard Stensland,

who, along with former L. A. P. D. Officer

Leland "Buzz" Meeks,

also committed multiple homicides

on behalf of Captain Smith,

and then betrayed him over 25 pounds of heroin.

The retrieval of which...

was the ultimate motivation

behind the Nite Owl killings.

Beginning with the incarceration of Mickey Cohen,

Captain Smith has been assuming control

of organized crime in the city of Los Angeles.

This includes the assassinations

of an unknown number of Mickey Cohen Lieutenants,

the systematic blackmail of city officials...

and the murders of Susan Lefferts,

Pierce Patchett, Sid Hudgens...

and Sergeant Jack Vincennes.

Captain Smith admitted as much to me...

before I shot him at the Victory Motel.

That's it.

Well...

The press is gonna have a field day with this.

This... Christ,

it'll stain the department for years.

Decades.

If we can get the kid to play ball...

who's to say what happened?

Maybe Dudley Smith died a hero.

Good idea.

Yeah, if we can get the press to play.

(pushes button)

You want to tell me what you're smiling about?

(lets go of button)

A hero.

MAN: How did he know what we were talking about?

He couldn't have heard us.

And?

In this situation,

you'll need more than one.

(applause)

CHIEF: It is with great pleasure that I present this award

to Detective Lieutenant Edmund Exley,

two-time Medal of Valor recipient.

(applause)

Next year, the L. A. P. D. will move into its new facility.

With leaders like Lieutenant Edmund Exley,

the image of fat cops stealing apples

will be left behind forever,

and Los Angeles will finally have

the police force it deserves.

You just couldn't resist.

They're using me, so for a little while, I'm using them.

Come on.

Hey.

Thanks for the push.

Yeah.

Congratulations, Lieutenant Exley.

Some men get the world...

Others get ex-hookers and a trip to Arizona.

(both chuckle)

Goodbye.

Bye.

♪ You got to ac-cen- ♪

♪ Tchu-ate the positive ♪

♪ E-lim- ♪

♪ Min-ate the negative ♪

♪ And latch on ♪

♪ To the affirmative ♪

♪ Don't mess with Mr. In-between ♪

♪ You got to spread joy ♪

♪ Up to the maximum ♪

♪ Bring gloom ♪

♪ Down to the minimum ♪

♪ Have faith ♪

♪ Or pandemonium ♪

♪ Liable to walk upon the scene ♪

♪ To illustrate ♪

♪ My last remark ♪

♪ Jonah and the whale ♪

♪ Noah and the ark ♪

♪ What did they do ♪

♪ Just when everything looked so dark? ♪

♪ Man, they said we'd better ac-cent- ♪

♪ Tchu-ate the positive ♪

♪ E-lim- ♪

♪ Min-ate the negative ♪

♪ And latch on ♪

♪ To the affirmative ♪

♪ Don't mess with Mr. In-between ♪

♪ No, don't mess with Mr. In-between ♪

♪ You got to spread joy ♪

♪ Up to the maximum ♪

♪ Bring gloom ♪

♪ Down to the minimum ♪

♪ Have faith ♪

♪ Or pandemonium ♪

♪ Liable to walk upon the scene ♪

♪ You got to ac-cen- ♪

♪ Tchu-ate the positive ♪

♪ E-lim- ♪

♪ Min-ate the negative ♪

♪ And latch on ♪

♪ To the affirmative ♪

♪ Don't mess with Mr. In-between ♪

♪ No, don't mess with Mr. In-between ♪