All language subtitles for Perry.Mason.S09E30.The.Case.of.the.Final.Fade-Out.DVDRip.x264

Hey, look out!

Cut. Print.

How was it, Cliff? - Good.

Okay for camera?

That does it here. We'll
move the trackside green set

and pick up the fight then.

All right, boys, let's move
to the trackside green set.

Barry.

Well, what are you
doing on the set, Andy?

Trying to make like you're
earning your 10 percent?

I earn it. I got the
ulcers to prove it.

Jack Sidemark just called. He's
got next year's contracts ready.

Come on, I'm gonna enjoy this.

- Say, uh, Barry, in this next scene...
- Call lunch, will you, Phil?

Barry, baby, no can do.

We're already a half a
dozen setups behind.

Well, suit yourself.

But you'll have to get
along without me. I'm hungry.

Now what do we do?

Hmm? Why ask him?
He's only the director.

The real boss is:

Barry Conrad, he's real neat
When he's hungry, we all eat

- We call lunch.
- Now, that's lunch, boys.

One hour 42 for
the grip and electric.

- How do I look?
- Just marvelous, Miss Glover.

Once you have it,
you just never lose it.

My, thank you.

- Darling. Barry. Barry.
- Hello, Winnie, how are you?

Andy, you remember
Winifred Glover.

Of course I do. One of the
great stars in our business.

The minute my agent called
and the script was delivered,

I knew who'd done it.

- Who?
- Why, who else but Barry Conrad?

The boy who was playing
in an attic workshop theater

and wrote a letter begging
me to come and see him act.

Once I'd seen him,
I told my director...

That's right,
Winnie, that's right.

You discovered me.
Gave me my first break.

And all Hollywood has heard
about it how many times?

Mr. Rubin, I hope you appreciate

what a fine person
you're representing.

When someone says becoming a
star is bound to turn a youngster's head,

you remind them of Barry
Conrad and tell them it's just not so.

It isn't?

Why, after becoming one of
the biggest stars in television,

Barry remembers back ten years

to the forgotten old lady
who gave him his break

and calls her out of
retirement to be his guest star.

Guest star?

Then I'll see you later, Barry, in
front of the camera like old times.

- Is Sidemark nuts casting her?
- It wasn't your idea?

Are you kidding? That
lushed-up old has-been?

Next season's firm.

Thirty episodes in color with
a nice boost in the budget.

How many TV series
can make that statement?

- Okay, Mr. Sidemark?
- Looks legal to me.

You own me again, body
and soul, for one more season.

This where we view the
deceased? The slumber room?

Hardly a wake, Barry.
More like a celebration.

See these? Next
season's talent contracts,

every one signed,
sealed and delivered.

What about a star?

Hottest property
in the business.

Fellow named Barry Conrad.

I have his contract right here
with everything he asked for:

new dressing room, kitchen,
carpeting, story approval, the works.

You wanna read it
before he signs it, Andy?

I'm not signing, Jack.

- What? BARRY: I
can't take your deal.

I've already got a deal.

A real honey. My own series.

- The whole package from word one.
- You can't do...

Oh, Barry, baby, don't even
joke about things like that.

It'll be announced in
the trades when, Andy?

Thursday morning.

But...

But you gave me your word.

You told me you wanted
to go another year.

We had an agreement.
Everything I did was based on that.

You have my agreement
on paper, autographed?

Well, I... I went
ahead in good faith.

Good faith?

You know this
business better than that.

But why didn't you tell me?

All it takes was... Is one word.

Why'd you let me
go out on the hook

for a million dollars in
contracts that I can't honor?

- Sorry.
- Sorry?

I suppose you went
along with this, Andy.

What do you want from me?

I just handle the talent.
I don't tell it what to do.

You've killed me
in this business.

All it would have taken is one word
from you about your new TV series

before I put my reputation on the
line, and I wouldn't have had all this.

Tough, old buddy. That's
your problem, not mine.

Well, if you think I'm going
to let a super-egomaniac

get away with something
like this, you've got...

What are you gonna do?
Chain me to the camera?

I'm gonna bury you in this town.

I'm going to bury you six feet
under that phony star of yours

in the sidewalk along
Hollywood Boulevard.

That's what I'm gonna do.

You kill me, Jack.
You really do.

I'm scared to death.

I feel dirty, Barry.

There are many producers
worse than Jack Sidemark.

And very few who'd put up with
the tsuris you've been giving him.

Well, well, Leif Early, boy
writer. How's the ivory tower?

- Cloistered. Is the boss man in?
- Yep.

Uh, Barry, uh, did you have
a chance to find out anything

about that format
presentation I gave you?

I told you, when and
if, I'd let you know.

Of course, if, uh,
you'd like it back...

Oh, no, I was just
interested, that's all.

You got a real bad
deal, Mr. Sidemark.

Look, if you'd like me
to tear up my contract...

No, no, I'll try to work
something out. I don't know. I...

Erna, you're a doll.

What's a nice girl like
you doing in this business?

Just lucky, I guess.

Well, I'd better
get back to the set.

- Well, hello.
- Thank you.

Jack, you want to, uh,
glance over these blues

before I give them
to the assistant?

Not now.

But the scene comes
up right after lunch.

Leif, you've been in
this business for a while.

Tell me something.

Do you know of any reason why
actors shouldn't be locked up in cages

and then just let out to act?

- Barry Conrad?
- Our star.

I'll, uh, take care of these.

Say, Jack... Oh, am I
breaking something up?

Oh, no, just leaving.

I bumped into Winnie Glover.
She says she's our guest star.

It means a lot to her.
And it won't hurt you.

It's worth a couple
of rating points,

the way she started
you out in this business.

I'm sick of hearing about that.

Anyway, I can't act
with the old harpy.

- So pay her off.
- Fire her?

She's been
counting on this part.

And it wouldn't look good in
print, you turning your back on her.

Not me, you.

Think of some excuse,
but don't use me.

Just get rid of her.

Barry.

I don't wanna hurt her, Barry.

And I don't wanna
get laryngitis.

But it might be coming back.

I may not even be able
to finish the episode.

All right.

You catch on.

You may go a long
way in this business.

Perry Mason, please.

This is Jackson
Sidemark calling.

I don't know whether you
know Tad Wyman, Mr. Shields.

Sure, I know him.

When I was number
three in box-office rating,

I never let anyone but
Tad take a still of me.

So I hope you don't mind

if he makes a few shots
of your set operation.

It'll be good publicity.

- Anything you say, Winifred.
- Fine.

I have a few ideas of shots
for Barry Conrad and myself,

you know, harping
back to yesteryear.

It was I who started Barry
in the business, you know.

Hey, Cliff, would you mind, uh,
passing out these blues for me?

- Sidemark okayed them?
- Yeah, I just came from his office.

Huh?

Now, listen. Don't laugh.

It's just because you
don't understand it.

Now, first there was folk,
then rock, then folk-rock.

- That's what you do?
- No, no, I go a little farther.

Mine is folk-rock-blues.

Why doesn't somebody
tell me these things?

You know, it's hard enough trying
to prop this show with no preparation.

You know what my contract says.

No rewrites unless I get the
pages 24 hours in advance.

Look, there are no dialogue
changes, Barry, only action.

- It doesn't...
- I don't care what it is.

Just talk to the
producer, huh? Not me.

Let's have a rehearsal. We'll
overlap the fall out of the boxcar.

- Right.
- All right, rehearsal, boys.

- Take your places.
- Stuntman.

And, policemen, get your guns.

Take your places, boys.

Come on, boys.

- Hello, Herman.
- Hello, Mr. Sidemark.

- How's Bernice?
- Great.

Miss Glover, could I
have a word with you?

Certainly. Excuse me, everybody.

Now, when Barry and the two
heavies fall out of the door of the boxcar,

Erna jumps out too.

You don't pull your
guns right away,

not until you try to knife Barry
and he knocks Number 1 down.

What is it? Some business
you want me to use?

Just tell me whatever it
is. I'm not temperamental.

Miss Glover, I want you to know

you'll get a full check plus
overtime even though...

Full check? That's not important.
I'd play the part for nothing.

It'll be good film to help
my coming out of retirement.

That isn't what I mean.

What I'm trying to say is that I'm
going to have to recast the part.

Replace you.

You've got to be joking.

You mean just
like that, I'm out?

After telling all my
friends, the columnists?

Putting myself in the position
of even getting Tad Wyman

to come here for old times'
sake and photograph me? No.

I'm sorry, Miss Glover.

I don't like this any more
than you do, but it has to be.

What kind of a man are you?

Thank goodness when I
came into the business,

there was still
some heart in it.

I'll have that to
remember, anyway.

What will you
have, Mr. Sidemark?

All right, let's make it.
- This will be picture.

All right, clear it,
boys. Here we go.

Bell.

Now, let's have it
very quiet in the back.

Here we go. Roll it.

- Rolling. Take one.
- Move the slate, Dennis.

Clear the frame line, please.

It's clear.

Mark it.

Action.

- Police car.
- Cop! Cop!

Cut. Print it. Fine.

All right, fellas, let's
have those guns back.

Good job. It was a good scene.

Hey, come on, let's go.

Hey, somebody come here, quick.

Something's happened
to Barry. He won't get up.

- Barry?
- What's the matter?

What's the matter with him?

He's been shot.

I mean really shot.

I think he's dead.

May I have your
attention, please?

Now, this stage
has been sealed off,

and nobody will be
allowed to leave or enter

until you've been questioned by
either Sergeant Brice or myself.

Now, the more you cooperate,
the sooner we'll all get out of here.

And where were you
during the take of scene 79?

Well, I'm the
construction coordinator.

Buck Jones, the mill foreman, and
I, we were over checking the sets

to make sure everything would
be ready for tomorrow morning.

Well, I'm the costumer,

and I was standing on the
set watching the scene...

All right, miss, that's enough.

- What's your job, miss?
- I'm the producer's secretary.

- What department are you in?
- I'm in the Camera Department.

Mm-hm. What do you
do? You work the camera?

I operate the camera.

- What's your name?
- Jack Wolf.

- And your name?
- Uh, Gus Dalzell.

- And what do you do?
- I'm the assistant cameraman.

What does an assistant
cameraman do?

Oh, focuses the best he can.

I'm trying to corroborate
a few things here.

Your name is, uh, Harry...

- Harry Jones.
- That's right.

- What do you do?
- I'm the key grip on the show.

What's a grip?

I rebuild and reconstruct sets to
correspond with the camera angles

and assist in the lighting.

- Were you on the scene of the crime?
- Yes, I was.

- Did you see the murder?
- No, I didn't.

My name is Larry Keyes.

Where were you during
the filming of the scene?

I was behind the camera,

checking the lighting
with the cameraman.

- What is your name?
- C. Slupton.

- What do you do?
- I'm the best boy.

- Mm-hm. And you?
- I'm the dimmer boy and practical.

- Practical, huh?
- Yes, sir.

- What's your name?
- Jim Lowry.

I'm the cutter. The
murder happened at 3:00.

I'm long gone by then.

Now, tell me this, did you
see or hear anything unusual?

Uh, no, sir, I was right
here doing makeup.

- And tell me, ma'am, what do you do?
- Hairstyling.

Mm-hm. Did you
see anything unusual?

No, sir.

- And you?
- I help Irving.

- Irving. You're...?
- Irving.

- Your name is, uh...?
- Pete Desmond.

- I'm in charge of props.
- Pete Desmond.

Did you see or hear anything
unusual during the take, Mr. Desmond?

Well, not during the
take, but right afterwards.

And what was that?

Well, we'd just been
handed these new blue pages.

- Blue pages?
- Yeah, it's a last-minute rewrite.

So I had to run to the prop
room to get this case of handguns.

The original script
only called for knives.

Knives. I see. Go on.

Well, one of my
guns had disappeared,

so I had just six guns
to hand out to the actors

- just before the take.
- Uh-huh.

Well, right after the
director yelled "Cut,"

I asked for my guns back,

and like I said before, I'd
only handed out six guns,

but when I checked
my case after the take,

there were seven,

and they'd all been fired.

Well, where did the other
gun come from, do you think?

Oh, from my prop room.
I checked the number.

Thank you.

Hello, Frank. Where
can I find Mr. Sidemark?

I'm sorry, Mr. Mason,
nobody can come in

without Lieutenant Drumm's okay.

- Lieutenant Drumm?
- It's all right, Frank.

Sorry to hold you up, Perry, but
we had to complete our investigation.

Investigation of what? I'm
here to see Jack Sidemark.

Well, now, how in the devil did
you find out about him so quickly?

Find out what?

We've arrested him.
Suspicion of murder.

- Whose murder?
- Barry Conrad.

You can talk to your client after
we book him downtown, Perry.

Okay, let's go.

All I know about Desmond

is that Steve Drumm was
keeping me away from him

and he's been with the district
attorney most of the afternoon.

Well, Pete's a
straight man, Perry.

He wouldn't do anything
or say anything to hurt me.

- You can count on that.
- Well, I hope so.

I'll see you as soon
as I have something.

Well?

Well, the more he talks, the
more he incriminates himself.

But I happen to believe him.

I've been talking to the
members of the crew.

The only thing I've
got that's worthwhile

is there was a still photographer
on the set taking pictures.

Now, if he covered any of the
action at the time of the shooting...

Maybe we can place some
of the people on the set,

know where they were
when Barry Conrad was shot.

It's not much, but
it's all we have.

For the moment,
Burger holds the trump.

Your Honor, there's
no possible doubt

about this defendant's
being criminally involved

in the murder of Barry Conrad,

and there is certainly no doubt

about the state's
having ample evidence

to justify his being
bound over for trial.

Well, that's generally the
prosecution's point of view, Mr. Burger.

But in view of the
public interest in this case

and the play it's
getting in the press,

due, of course, to the
extreme prominence

of the principals here,

it seems to me it
would be good judgment

to avoid further sensationalism
by agreeing here and now

that this defendant be bound
over for trial and in effect

closing these proceedings
before they begin.

Well, since I haven't
heard any of the evidence,

that kind of a horse trade is
strictly up to you, Mr. Mason.

- Well...
- The evidence I can present

is certainly gonna have a
tremendous effect on public opinion,

and that will make
it much more difficult

to impanel an unbiased,
impartial jury when the time comes.

No deals, Hamilton.

I know you'd rather
not show your hand

for the benefit of
the newspapers,

but since my client has
the right to a hearing,

I think we'll take
a look at the cards.

Well, it was about
three months ago.

I was in a little joint
with Barry in Malibu.

Jackson Sidemark
came barreling in,

came right up to our
table, hit Barry in the mouth,

split his lip, broke a tooth.

Well, did Sidemark explain
why he attacked Barry Conrad?

No, he just clobbered him.

He did say if Barry pulled another stunt
like that on him again, he'd kill him.

Yes, Mr. Sidemark flipped,

but then, everybody's entitled
to blow his top once in a while.

So the defendant
has a violent temper.

- Is that right, Miss Landry?
- Oh, no, no.

Mostly he's, uh, like, uh, calm.

Fact is, for a producer,
he's a real pussycat.

Yes, but your description
of the defendant's behavior

with Conrad the
afternoon of the murder

would indicate that
he's anything but calm.

Well, Barry pushed him.

Look, do you know how much
green was riding on that deal?

Pulling out on a producer at
that stage of the game is like, uh...

Well, it's like snatching
raw meat from a hungry lion.

Why, that's an apt
comparison, Miss Landry.

I'm sure the court can visualize
what the lion would do next.

A hungry lion. Yes, thank you.

Yes, sir, that's my pistol.

Well, so much for the
ownership of the murder weapon.

Now, Mr. Desmond,

was the defendant, your
producer, Mr. Sidemark, disturbed

when you told him that one of
your prop pistols was missing?

No, sir, he said he had
other things to worry about.

I see, and you, of course,
reported it immediately to the police?

No, sir. Uh, Mr. Sidemark told me
not to. He was sure it would turn up.

- And did it turn up?
- Yes, sir.

Right after the scene
when Mr. Conrad was killed,

I checked the prop box where
the extras had put the weapons,

and the missing gun was back.

The missing gun was back.
Thank you, Mr. Desmond.

Oh, uh, one thing I forgot.

When we realized that
Mr. Conrad had been shot

and everybody sort of rushed to
him, why, I happened to look up,

and I saw Mr. Sidemark
standing by the prop box,

and I saw him drop
a pistol in the box.

Order. This court
will be in order.

Bailiff, if I hear another ooh
or ah from the spectator area,

you are to remove
those responsible.

Mr. Burger.

Your Honor, I'm going to reserve
the right to recall this witness.

But for the moment,
cross-examine, Mr. Mason.

Mr. Desmond, since your weapons
are kept under lock and key,

how is it possible
one was stolen?

Well, at the time...

Did the defendant have
a key to the prop room?

- No, sir.
- Then who did have such a key?

Well, the guard at
the gate in case of fire.

- And you.
- Yes, sir.

Then how did someone,
without breaking a lock,

get into that prop room?

By, uh...

Oh, I got a phone call.
Yeah, I remember now.

I got this call, and I must
have left the room open

for maybe four or five minutes.

So any one of a hundred people
in the crew or the staff or cast

could have taken that
gun. Is that correct?

Yes, sir, but I saw Mr. Sidemark
put the pistol back in the box.

I saw him.

Oh, yes, I remember
your telling the court that.

Yeah, he was standing
right by the box.

After the fatal scene
was completed?

- Yes, sir.
- No, he was not, Mr. Desmond.

Oh, but I'm sure, Mr. Mason.

Mr. Desmond,

I show you this defense exhibit.

It's a photograph.

A photograph which was taken
as the cast and crew rushed

toward the decedent
after the scene.

- Now, where is Mr. Sidemark?
- He's, uh...

He's on the same side of the set

the camera is on, Mr. Desmond,
not the opposite side.

Not the opposite
side by the prop box.

He is where he told the
police he was, Mr. Desmond,

not where you have sworn he was.

Your Honor, this witness
has perjured himself

in a deliberate and malicious
attempt to implicate my client.

- I'm through with the witness.
- Well, I'm not through with him.

Mr. Desmond, did you
know that the defense counsel

was gonna introduce that
photograph to this court?

Well, speak up. You were
glib enough a moment ago.

I didn't know anything
about any pictures.

You didn't? Well, I find
that odd, Mr. Desmond.

I wasn't even there, and I
knew about the photographs.

You were on that set all day,

and you didn't know
pictures were being taken?

Well, I knew about
it, but I guess I forgot.

It... It's like I saw something
that I thought was something else,

and I got mixed up.

And why didn't you
tell Lieutenant Drumm

or me when you
spoke to me in my office

that you saw Jackson
Sidemark return that gun?

I guess I was excited. I forgot.

And weren't you excited or
equivocating or just plain guessing

when you said that
you saw the defendant

return the gun to the prop box?

- I'm sorry.
- You're sorry, Mr. Desmond?

You're not anywhere near
as sorry as you're going to be.

I'm gonna ask you a
question, Mr. Desmond,

and I suggest that you
give it careful consideration

before you answer
me, very careful.

Isn't it true, Mr. Desmond,

that you talked with
the defense counsel

before you took the stand here
today, and didn't you then learn

that he was going to
introduce that photograph,

and didn't you then
agree to perjure yourself

in order to entrap
the prosecution?

- Objection.
- Answer me!

- Objection. Objection.
- Answer my question!

All charges against the
defendant are dismissed,

and the defendant is
released from custody.

Court is adjourned.

- Thank you, Mr. Mason.
- You're very welcome.

Mr. Mason, you knew what
Desmond was gonna say on that stand,

and you knew that photograph
would refute his testimony.

Furthermore, you knew that
he was gonna surprise me

by volunteering information
I'd never heard before.

And you knew that in the process,
he was gonna perjure himself.

I did not know what
Desmond's testimony would be,

and I was under no
obligation to discuss it with you.

Of course you knew.

You knew because you planned it
and then sat there and waited for it.

You planned to entrap
me, and you know it.

Hamilton, Desmond
was your witness,

and I'm surely not suggesting
that you were suborning perjury.

Bah! Listen, Sidemark,
you're free for the moment,

but I'm not through with you.

If I have to put every man
in Homicide on this case,

I'm gonna nail him to the wall.

And next time, it's gonna take
more than a cheap shyster trick

to keep him out of
the gas chamber.

I don't know why Pete turned on
me, perjured himself to incriminate me.

I've been his friend.

Doesn't make sense to me either.

Well, anyway, it's all over.

No, it's not over.

Burger's not gonna let it
be, and I'm not gonna let it be,

not until I get some answers.

I'm going to get
some answers too.

Oh, Mr. Early. Mr. Sidemark's
been calling for you.

- Said to tell you he wants to see you.
- Thanks, Frank. Where is he?

- He's in the cutting room.
- All right.

Oh, Mr. Mason.

- Mr. Sidemark's in the cutting room.
- Thanks. I'll see him later.

Right now I want Pete Desmond.

Well, he's more than
likely in the, uh, prop room.

Unless he's with his lawyer.

After what he pulled today,

I'm surprised Mr. Sidemark
let him on the lot.

Where is the prop room?

Over there, next to the cutting
room. You can park right in front.

Thank you.

I want to talk to
you, Mr. Lawyer,

about the fine day's
work you did today.

Well, hello, Miss Glover.

Paul, will you look for Pete Desmond
while I hear what the lady has to say?

Sure.

Now, Miss Glover.

I always knew a good lawyer could
buy a divorce or break a contract,

but I didn't know he could
help you get away with murder.

Nobody's getting away with
murder. The police will find the killer.

Find him? They had him.
Your client, Jackson Sidemark.

Calls himself a
producer when in my day,

he was cutting B
pictures, bad B pictures.

Miss Glover, why tell me
this? Why not tell Mr. Sidemark?

I just did, to his face.

Didn't he give you an acting job

when no one else in
town would take a chance?

He gave me a job?

That's his story.

It was poor Barry.

He never forgot a friend.
He wanted me as guest star.

And Sidemark didn't?

Do you know what he
tried to tell me just now?

That he fired me because
Barry Conrad told him to.

Did you ever hear
anything lower,

more despicable, with
poor Barry lying dead?

You got that murderer
his freedom, Mr. Mason,

but I promise you this:
He's not going to enjoy it.

- Miss Landry, isn't it?
- Oh, you scared me.

Sorry. I'm looking
for Pete Desmond.

He isn't here. That's why I
have to get my own props.

I'm looking for a deck of
cards for the next scene.

Will, uh, these do?

Oh, thanks.

Well, I guess I'd
better get back

before the assistant, uh,
sends out a search party.

Perry!

Well, are you ready
for the revelation?

Revelation?

Didn't your client call
you? He called me.

Told me he's got the
murderer picked out.

He asked me to meet
him in the cutting room,

so I agreed to do so to get
away from Hamilton Burger.

Boy, you really turned
that guy on, didn't you?

So you broke your
heart and came.

When I send for someone, I
expect them to come at once,

not when they get
good and ready.

What's wrong with my money?

Or is it that you don't
want me as your client?

There's nothing wrong with
your money, Miss Glover.

It's your cavalier
attitude I don't like.

And as for wanting you as a
client, I already have a client,

Jack Sidemark.

- But he's dead.
- He's still my client, Miss Glover.

And I intend to clear his name.

That's why I'm here,

because the state is saying
your motive for killing Sidemark

was your belief that he killed
your protégé, Barry Conrad.

And you're trying
to tell me he didn't?

I intend to prove he didn't

and, hopefully, clear you of the
charge of murder at the same time.

So you finally get around to me

after first telling the
police I was the last one

to see Sidemark alive
in the cutting room.

- You put me in this cell.
- Miss Glover, I didn't come here to...

I must be out of my mind
to ask you to defend me.

You're the last
person I ought to trust.

No, no. Where are you going?

You sent for me, Miss Glover.

I came here intending
to take your case,

give you the best
defense I could,

because I believed I
could clear Jack Sidemark,

and I believed... I
believe you're innocent.

But if defending you means
putting up with your tantrums

and accusations and bad
manners and juvenile logic,

you'll have to find yourself a
lawyer who can swallow it, not me.

Then you're going to abandon
me like the rest of the world,

throw me to the lions.

Miss Glover, you're not acting
now. You're facing a murder charge.

And you're up against
a formidable case:

motive, opportunity,

and your fingerprints on the
death weapon, the reel of film.

The police asked me about that.

I must have touched it
when I was in the room.

And that disposes
of the evidence.

Oh, it's hopeless. Hopeless.

They'll send me to the chair.

That's a line from a
period play, Miss Glover.

We have the gas
chamber in California.

What am I going to do?

You're an actress.

To give a moving,
believable performance,

you have to take direction.

From you?

If I decide to
represent you, yes.

All right, Mr. Mason.

From now on, you're my director.

I had my reasons, good reasons.

As far as I'm concerned,

there are no good reasons
for turning on a friend.

Jackson Sidemark countersigned
at least two notes for you.

He gave you a job
when, as an alcoholic,

no one else in town would
take a chance on you.

- And he made you prop master.
- That's right.

You've been reading
up on me, haven't you?

And you sure repaid him.

I repaid him by getting him
off, the best way I knew how.

Now, look, suppose
I'd had to testify for him.

So, what could I say?
Oh, he's a great guy.

I'd cut off my arm for him.

A lot of good that
would have done.

Then the district attorney was
right. You deliberately entrapped him.

I knew you got those
pictures for Mason.

Tad Wyman, the
photographer, let it slip.

And I knew that Mason could
tear down anything I said.

I saw something
like it in a movie once

where a wife did that
to save her husband.

- You used the court.
- It worked, didn't it?

Boy, you treat perjury as if
it was a little white lie you tell

when you're late for work.

Look, I did what I had
to do, and I'd do it again.

To help Jack Sidemark, I'd
get up on that stand and...

No, you wouldn't.

An admitted perjurer
can't testify convincingly

that the sun rises
and sets every day.

You know, all this
might not have happened

if it hadn't been
such a rush job.

Those blue pages
at the last minute

and no chance to
get my props ready

and then my running out of here

and giving somebody a
chance to walk off with the gun.

Then your story still is that
you took six guns to the set

and seven were returned.

That's right.

Did anyone see that
you took six guns,

see that one of your
guns was missing,

see that you used
only blank ammunition?

No, I guess not.

Hey, what are you getting
at? Don't you believe me?

Believe you?

Why don't you talk
so I can hear you?

Because I don't wanna
talk while you make me just...

- Listen, I'll tell you about features.
- Hi, Louis. How's Val?

- You may be a little older than I...
- Whoa, whoa. Wait.

Now, all I said was to be
nice to the producer. Shh.

But, Mr. Marx, all I said...

All I said was I'd do anything
Mr. Hibbs told me to do.

And, Mr. Marx, he said
that I was just supposed to...

I don't know for sure.
I've never done this before.

Two Scotch Anne.

I wouldn't take that show. Who
wants to be opposite Bonanza?

Thank you, doctor.

Now he's a network
vice president.

I knew him when
he played the piano.

So she gets a million
dollars a picture.

So what? She can't act.

I was all set for a
series, feature billing.

Then I broke up with
the assistant director.

Me, take a walk-on? I'd
rather draw my unemployment.

- What was I saying?
- Hmm?

- What was I saying?
- Oh, uh...

Oh, you were telling me how
you were gonna make me a star.

A star? I'll make you
a whole constellation.

I got a series idea that'll
set this town on its ear.

But it's strictly entre nous.
I haven't registered it yet.

Oh, do I get to play
the guitar and sing?

Not the guitar. That's
ordinary. The zither.

That's what you'll play. It takes
talent. And it's sort of camp.

Oh, but I don't know
how to play the zither.

Mm.

Doesn't matter. We'll dub it.

Oh, boy, I can really
see it now in Variety:

"Erna Landry Boffo
in Zither Vidpix."

Uh-uh. The zither's
only a gimmick.

See, what we have is
a young kid. That's you.

You're sort of
down on your luck.

You come from a place
like, um, Pittsburgh.

You come to Los Angeles,

and we have this scene
with the real pathos.

You're out in front of
Grauman's Chinese,

trying to fit your feet in
the footprints of the stars.

And this guy comes
along and he says...

"You ought to be in pictures."

It's a little more
subtle-like, you know.

I've got another idea. Suppose
she doesn't meet him yet.

She goes to a
drugstore, has a soda.

- Schwab's?
- Exactly.

We'll shoot it right
there, documentary-style.

- How do you like it so far?
- Oh, love it, love it.

It's got that, uh, marvelous,
uh, Italian-French, uh,

low-key Fellini-Magnani feel.

That's right. Now, don't
breathe a word of this.

I haven't written it down yet.

They're not gonna
take this one from me.

All I got to sell is ideas.

From now on, I'll see
the color of their money

before they hear a line.

Oh, Leif. EARLY: Mm. Mm.

It's about time,
Mr. 10-Percenter.

I think you and I
should have a little chat.

Yeah. Well, honey, why
don't you just run along?

Andy and I are gonna
talk some money.

I'm afraid I have some
bad news for Perry.

I guess he's still with Miss
Glover. What's the bad news?

The still photographer,
Tad Wyman.

We've looked for him,
but we can't find him.

His wife says he's on a
fashion assignment someplace,

but she doesn't know where.

- Neither does anybody else.
- That's too bad.

It's one of the first things on the
list that Perry had for you to do.

"Get all available Tad
Wyman negatives printed."

- Well, can't do that, obviously.
- It seemed very important to the case.

Of course, we'll keep
looking for Wyman, but...

Wait a minute.

Why couldn't we use the movie film
shot of that scene instead of the stills?

Maybe. Why not?

When you hear from Perry,
have him get me a court order

so I can have the lab print
up the film on the murder take.

Then we can examine
it frame by frame.

Right.

The state has assembled
a mass of evidence here,

all of which points
directly to this defendant.

But, Your Honor, this evidence

will only take on
clarity and significance

when we understand
the motives of this killer,

when we understand
the peculiar mentality

of a star like Winifred Glover,

a star who glitters no longer.

That snide second-rater.

Are you going to let
him get away with that?

- Shh. BURGER:
thwarted and frustrated.

Your Honor, here
we have a murder

which is not so much
a crime of passion

as a crime of temperament.

That's the way it goes in the
business. Anybody who makes it big,

they're bound to leave behind
a trail of dead carcasses.

Heh. For those of us
who are more literal

and less literary than
yourself, Mr. Early,

perhaps you'd better
explain what you mean

by that figure of speech, the
part about the dead carcasses.

What I mean is, uh,
well, like in this case,

Barry Conrad gave
Sidemark a bad deal,

walked out into a new show.

That left Sidemark
in hock to the bank,

in trouble with the network.

And Sidemark gave
Miss Glover a bad deal,

dropped her so half
the town was laughing.

That's the game, everybody
giving everybody else a bad time,

trying to hold on to what
they got no matter what.

It's a dog-eat-dog racket.

Now, Mr. Early, were you present

when Jackson Sidemark
fired the defendant?

Yeah. He tried to let her down easy,
but, uh, she's been around a long time.

She wasn't fooled by the
soft soap. She raised the roof.

Like I say, you can't
blame either one of them.

Of course. Thank you,
Mr. Early. Cross-examine.

Your Honor, there's no point
in cross-examining at this time.

The district attorney has
elicited a diatribe about Hollywood

which has nothing
to do with this case

and, in my opinion,
little to do with reality.

This town doesn't
need defending. I do.

Why don't you ask
him some questions?

I worked with Miss
Glover five or six years ago.

They canceled her contract
when she blew her top one day

and threw a paperweight
at the director.

Hit him too.

She's got a lousy reputation.

A good actress but
impossible to work with.

A few years ago, I saw
her slap a press agent

because there were
visitors on the set.

Not a cameraman in town
ever wanted to photograph her.

She's been known to, uh...

Well, she hit me over
the head with a prop bottle.

Temper? I once corrected
a line she mangled,

and she nearly ran me
over in the parking lot.

Your witness, Mr. Mason.

He's a liar. I read
that line perfectly.

Uh, no questions.

When are you going
to start defending me?

Miss Glover, you promised
you'd take direction.

I think you're the one
who needs direction.

Mr. Rubin, as the first
witness for the defense,

can you tell us who was
responsible for firing the defendant?

Barry Conrad.

Will you explain that, please?

Well, he said that she was
a lushed-up old has-been

and he wouldn't work with her.

He had Jack Sidemark fire
her. He wouldn't do it himself

because if the word got out,
the publicity would hurt him.

So much for that portion of
the murder motive ascribed

by the state to my client.

Cross-examine, Mr. Burger.

Mr. Rubin,

did anyone else
besides yourself know

that Barry Conrad was responsible
for the firing of Winifred Glover?

- Certainly. Jack Sidemark.
- But not Winifred Glover?

I don't know how. I didn't tell
her. Barry certainly wouldn't.

And so motive in this
case does not depend

on who actually fired her but
on who she believed fired her.

And there can be no question
that the defendant believed

it was the decedent,
Jackson Sidemark.

And that belief, Your Honor,
as we have contended all along,

constituted for her a
powerful motive for killing him.

No further questions.

Court stands adjourned
until 2:00 this afternoon.

Perry, I just spoke to Paul,

and the film is ready for
us to screen at the lab.

Now, as I understand it,

you were responsible
for the trouble on the set,

the, uh, take of scene 79.

I don't understand.

Well, weren't you responsible
for the infamous blue pages,

the, uh, last-minute rewrite of the
scene that substituted guns for knives?

Yes. Uh, putting it
that way, I guess I was.

Now, I asked you to bring
copies of those blue pages.

- I assume they're in the briefcase.
- Yes.

Your Honor, may these be marked
for identification as defense exhibit?

Uh, one more thing, Mr. Early.

Do you happen to know
whether the director staged

and shot the scene exactly as
you wrote it in the blue pages?

No, I wouldn't. Uh, as I
said, I wasn't on the set.

I haven't had an
opportunity to see the film.

But, uh, from past experience,
I'd have serious doubts.

- Objection.
- Sustained.

I would imagine any screenwriter
would, uh, concur in your doubts.

I believe that's all
I have at this time.

- Mr. Burger?
- No questions, Your Honor.

You may stand down, Mr. Early.

Excuse me, Your Honor. We're
ready to project the film now.

What film is that, Mr. Mason?

Well, the lab
reprint of scene 79,

the film that was on
Mr. Sidemark's Moviola

at the time he was killed.

Your Honor, the state
has already examined

the original print of
that film frame by frame

and found nothing helpful.

I fail to understand why Mr. Mason
would waste the court's time

by projecting a
reprint of it here.

To be certain, Your Honor,

the court sees all the
film from that camera.

We have seen all the film,
from the opening slate to the end.

It hasn't been cut.

I still feel it would be
constructive, Your Honor,

especially with a member of the
cast on the stand to watch it with us.

Which cast member?

We should like to call
Miss, uh, Erna Landry.

- Police car.
- Cop! Cop!

- Well, Miss Landry?
- No, I didn't see anything.

I did see Barry fall
after he was shot.

But I'm not sure that's what
I'm supposed to be looking for.

All right. Once more, uh,
from the beginning this time.

Your Honor, that time
was from the beginning.

No, Mr. Burger, it was
only from the camera slate,

not from the head of the reel.

Uh, we'll run it again, please.

Roll it.

- Rolling. Take one.
- Move the slate, Dennis.

Clear the frame line, please.

There. Now, uh, run
it back a few frames.

Right there.

Now zoom in, please, and
enlarge it as far as you can.

There, do you see
it, Miss Landry?

- A briefcase. MASON:
Whose briefcase?

Do you recognize it?

- Leif Early's.
- Yes.

Yours, Mr. Early.

The author of the blue pages,

who saw to it there were
plenty of guns in the scene,

giving you an opportunity to
use one of them on Barry Conrad

while the cameras were rolling.

No, I...

Afterwards, you hoped to
escape detection in the confusion,

slipped the weapon back into Pete
Desmond's gun case undetected.

Well, why would I
wanna kill Barry? Why?

Stealing, Mr. Early.

The dog-eat-dog
racket. Your own words.

Didn't Barry Conrad
steal your story, your idea,

make it the format
for his new series?

Your Honor,

Mr. Mason may
be perfectly correct

in his solution of the
Barry Conrad murder,

but may I remind this
court and Mr. Mason

that we are trying Winifred Glover
for the murder of Jackson Sidemark?

Your Honor, Mr. Burger,

the solution of the one
case also solves the other.

Once Leif Early found out

Jackson Sidemark had
solved Barry Conrad's murder,

he had to kill him too.

But how could
Sidemark have figured out

who killed Barry Conrad?

The film ahead of the slate,

revealing Mr. Early's
briefcase to the camera.

Ordinarily, that part
of the film is cut off

and thrown away by the editor.

Just as you did with the
print in Sidemark's Moviola

after you killed him, Mr. Early,

trusting that no one would think
to have the original reprinted,

including the few
feet ahead of the slate.

He was an egomaniac.

He stepped on people for
the sheer enjoyment of it.

I'm sorry about Jack Sidemark.

He was one of the real good
joes in this filthy business.

I hated to do it. For that,
I deserve whatever I get.

But not for killing Barry.
He deserved to be killed.

I'm glad I had
the guts to do it.

Perry, take a
look at your client.

Nothing like being acquitted of
murder to get your picture in the paper.

Yeah, this publicity might
open a whole new career for her.

- Perry, I...
- Yes, Hamilton?

Well, what I was
gonna say, Perry...

Well, Della and Paul too.

My thought was...

You tell them, would
you, lieutenant?

What was that all about?

The district attorney
wanted me to tell you

that he made a
reservation at Clay's Grille

and would like very much to
have you all for dinner this evening

as his guests.

Why didn't he just tell us?

You know Hamilton Burger.

This is about as close as
he'll ever get to an apology.

What do you say?

I, for one, wouldn't miss it.

- Nor I.
- None of us will miss it.

Good.

Paul, have you seen the
notes on our next case?

Hey, this is interesting.

This police report
looks convincing.

But if we can get the
witnesses we need...

I can get a plane out tonight.

Now, it seems to me the
place to start is at the beginning.