Original subtitles

Good evening.

We have here one of the latest

and most improved parking meters.

The old type merely indicated a violation,

and unless a policeman happened by,

the driver could get off scot-free.

This meter assures us that the violator will be punished.

Needless to say,

even if the automobile is hauled away,

it can easily be identified and so can the driver if he’s within range.

The advantages are not all on the side of the law, however,

for this device also will blow away any parking ticket

left on your windshield.

And now I see our sponsor is parked in a one-minute zone,

following which we shall have tonight’s story.

-Fill it up, please. High test. -Yes, sir!

You got anything to drink around here?

No, try the drug store across the street.

[stop sign rings]

Hey!

Close shave, officer.

Didn’t you see that red light?

No, I didn’t. I guess I must have been daydreaming, Sorry.

Wait a minute. Where are you going?

Get back up on that curb. Go on!

-What’s your name? -My name’s Leon Gorwald I’m a salesman,

traveling for Collins and Company. Haberdashery.

Mister, I’m going to slap a ticket on you.

What for?

Crossing against that red light.

You violated the traffic code.

Oh, now wait a minute. Let’s be reasonable.

Let me have your identification, Mr. Gorwald.

I’m going to make you men from out of town

pay a little more attention to the laws around here.

Now, listen, officer.

What do you say we forget the whole thing, huh?

You, uh...

You offering me that money?

Fine couldn’t be much more than that.

Let’s just say I’m skipping the middle man, OK?

-All right, get in. -What?

You heard me. I’m taking you in.

-Taking me in? You mean to jail? -That’s right.

The charges are violation of the traffic code and attempted bribery.

But you can’t do that to me.

I’ve got to be in Center City by morning.

I’ve got customers to see.

I’m behind schedule already.

Get in.

But what about my car? I’ve got it over at the garage.

I’ll have your car sent around to the prison parking lot.

You can pick it up when you’re released.

Look, I was just trying to save us both some trouble, that’s all.

You can’t blame a guy for that.

Oh, come on. Can’t you listen to reason?

Go on.

Monty!

Now, when do I get to see a magistrate?

-Hey, sheriff! -I mean I know my rights.

I’m entitled to a hearing before a magistrate.

[officer] Monty, Sandy, anybody here?

I guess they all went out to lunch or something.

I’ll just have to do the honors myself.

[officer] Date...

What did you say your name was?

Gorwald, Leon Gorwald.

G-O-R-W-A-L-D.

Leon. Address?

1070 North Drive, Philadelphia.

All right, Mr. Gorwald,

you follow me, please.

Now, I want to see a judge. I’m entitled to see a judge.

You’ll see one as soon as I can find him.

It’s Sunday, mister. Things are quiet around here on Sunday.

In you go.

There. Now, I’ll go over to Judge Webster’s house

and tell him he’s got a customer.

-You just sit tight. -But you can’t leave me here alone.

Don’t worry, mister. You’ll keep.

I’ll find some company for you.

Hey, Monty!

Can’t understand where they all went.

Well...

where you been?

Carlie, am I glad to see you.

I saw your car out in the front, and I said thank goodness.

Sheriff, what are you talking about?

And what’s the idea of leaving the jail unattended?

Now, Carlie, don’t fuss at me.

We got the worst crime that ever happened in Longford.

You mean you haven’t heard about it?

No, what crime?

Well, we got the fella that did it, that is Sandy and me.

I’d like you to help us haul him in and lock him up.

For the love of Pete, what’s he doing in there?

Prisoner.

Sheriff, who is this you want to lock up? And what’s he supposed to have done?

Worst thing I ever saw, Carlie.

Lord knows I’ve seen a lot in France...

in the war, but nothing as bad as this.

-It was the Fremont girl. You know her? -No.

Her folks run a chicken farm, about six miles out of town.

Her kid brother found her out in the woods,

’bout a quarter of a mile behind the house.

She was kind of pretty.

She ain’t pretty anymore, Carlie.

That fella used a knife on her.

You say you got the killer?

Yeah. Out in Sandy’s car.

He gave us a hard time at first, but he’s quiet now.

You want to help us fetch him in?

Yeah. All right.

Then I better get a report into headquarters.

They may want me out there.

Is the body still where you found it?

I left a deputy.

What about that one? What did he do?

Jaywalking...

and attempted bribery.

I want to see a judge.

Let me pay the fine and get out of here.

Yeah.

Carlie, under the circumstances,

why don’t we just let him go?

What’s the matter, Monty? Two prisoners too much for you to handle?

[sheriff] Now you know that isn’t so.

Look, a prisoner’s a prisoner.

I’ll go see Judge Webster and get him a hearing.

Then we’ll see.

You always were a stickler, like your old man.

That’s right.

All right, tell you what.

You and Sandy bring in the prisoner and I’ll try

and get Judge Webster on the phone, all right?

Hello Irma,

Will you get me Judge Webster’s home, please?

Hello, is the Judge in? This is the sheriff.

Well, when do you expect him?

Well, when he comes in,

would you tell him please to call the county jail?

No, it doesn’t matter when. Just tell him to call the jail.

-[sheriff] Bribery, huh? -When can I talk to the judge?

[sheriff] Ah, shut up.

[door opens]

Move.

Right in here.

[Sandy] I don’t think he’ll give us any more trouble, sheriff.

I think I knocked some of the fight out of him.

What’s your name, mister?

[sheriff] He doesn’t talk much.

You won’t get anywhere that way.

Sheriff, please. You’ve got to let me out of here.

You can’t keep me locked up.

What about the judge, sheriff? You reach him?

Him and his wife went to Blanton to visit her folks.

He ought to be back in town by 10:00.

Could we call him there?

Well, it’s after 6:00. Take him three hours to get here to town.

-Maybe we outta let him have his supper. -Yeah.

I’m sorry, mister. We’re doing the best we can.

Never mind him. He’ll keep.

How did you catch up to this one?

Well, he must have been trying to hitchhike his way through town.

We never saw him before.

He tried to pick up a ride, not a hundred yards from where we found the body,

so we stopped him.

Ran like crazy but Sandy caught up with him

and he put up a good fight,

so Sandy had to pistol-whip him a little bit.

Might be a mechanic somewhere, from the look of those old coveralls.

[Carlie] Sandy, how about showing me the way

out to the Fremont place?

Sure, if it’s all right with the sheriff.

[sheriff] All right with me.

I’ll make my report to headquarters from there.

Sure you can handle things all right?

Don’t worry about that. I’ll make out fine.

But what about me? What about me?

[laughing]

I’ll get back soon as I can. You take care.

But what about me?

Sheriff.

Sheriff, please. I want to talk to you.

What do you want, mister?

Look, it’s been hours.

Hasn’t even been an hour.

You just be patient.

But I’m entitled to a hearing.

You know that, don’t you?

Well, you are entitled to one phone call, that’s for sure.

Anybody you want to call?

Who am I going to call? I don’t know anybody in this rotten town.

Look, all I did was to cross the street against the light.

You can’t lock up a man for jaywalking.

Well, Carlie thought it was a good idea.

Well, maybe you got more sense than him.

Maybe if I paid you the fine?

Well, take it. Take it.

Go on, sheriff. Take it.

Shut up!

You too.

What are you doing here?

I thought you went with Carlie to the Fremont place.

No, I didn’t go.

He thought I ought to stay around here, when he saw that bunch over at Petrie’s

What bunch?

Something’s goin’ on, sheriff.

Look, when we come outside,

we see this big bunch hanging around outside Petrie’s place,

talking it up. You know how they get.

Old man Petrie’s as happy as a jaybird.

He’s selling drinks like it was New Year’s Eve.

Well, Carlie thought there might be some kind of trouble,

so he told me to hang around and see.

What kind of trouble? What are you bein’ so mysterious for?

Hush. Sheriff, you know the men in this town, and you know how mean they can get.

But don’t think they don’t know about the Fremont girl getting killed.

Now, you can’t keep a thing like that a secret, the way he used that knife on her.

Now, that’s what they’re talking about, understand?

Well, what’s so unusual about that?

What do you expect them to talk about?

Monty, now you been sheriff in this town a long time,

and you have never seen any real trouble.

That’s right.

Those guys in Petrie’s bar are putting away a lot of drinks...

and they’re talking crazy.

They know we’ve arrested the girl’s killer.

And that’s what they’re talking about, understand?

Sandy, will you please talk plain?

Is this plain enough for you? They’re talking about a lynching!

Lynching?

You’re crazy.

I was there, at the bar, listening to them.

Now, they’re ready to bust loose.

You don’t know how fast these kind of things can happen.

I saw it one time, in Perryville, when I was a kid.

I don’t see a thing.

-Maybe if I call Petrie. -Just take my word for it,

they’ll be coming. Now, we’ve got to do something and do it now.

Well, what can I do?

I just don’t believe this.

Well, you’ll believe it when you see him at the end of a rope!

Rope? Who said rope?

Who said rope?

[sheriff] You quiet down! This has nothing to do with you.

Sheriff, please. I want to see the judge.

[telephone rings]

Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Bill Sanderson.

What’s that? It’s Petrie.

Yeah, Joe.

Yeah, thanks a lot.

Well, if you’re going to do something, sheriff, we’d better do it now.

Petrie said a bunch of ’em just started over this way.

And the way they’ve been drinking and working themself up,

it’s a sure thing they mean business.

You let me out. You let me outta here!

Oh, sheriff, sheriff, please. I can’t stay here. You’ve got to let me go.

Sandy, you better get that shotgun we keep in back.

-[prisoners yelling] -Look, sheriff, if you’re thinking

about holding off that bunch, just you and m--

I don’t think we have any choice!

Now get the gun and stop wasting time.

[mechanic] Look, you gotta get me out of this.

They’re not gonna lynch me.

-Stop that yelling. -Nobody’s gonna lynch me.

We’ll take care of you. That’s our job.

Open the door. Give me a gun so I can defend myself.

Here’s the gun. I sure hope it’s in workin’ order.

Don’t think it’s been fired in five years.

How many of them did you say they were?

It’s about 20 and it’s getting bigger by the minute.

You gotta get me out of here.

Sheriff, I’ll be killed if you don’t get that judge.

He’s right, sheriff. We should let him out.

-What? -Listen to him, sheriff.

I don’t mean set him free. I mean transfer him to someplace else.

Well, maybe you are right. Maybe we should get him out of here

before we’re forced to shoot our friends.

But what about me? You can’t leave me in here.

I’ll go out and see if I can slow ’em down some.

You take the prisoner and go out to the parking lot in the back

and get in the car and head out to Fremont’s place.

You’re talking sense, boy.

And you can handcuff him to the seat so he won’t give you any trouble.

-[Gorwald] Sheriff, will you listen to me? -[Sandy] You shut up!

You can pick up Carlie out there, and he’ll know what do to next.

Think you can handle them, Sandy?

Yes, but not for long. So you better hurry.

-Come on, sheriff, hurry up. -All right, quiet down.

All right, you’re gonna get your wish, bud. Back up!

Now, take it easy and no funny stuff.

[sheriff] All right, come on out.

Easy.

Hold up your paws.

Sheriff, please!

All right, take them off.

-What? -Take off your clothes, buddy. Take them off.

What are you talking about?

I said take those clothes off. I want ’em. Come on.

All right.

Come on now, you can go faster than that.

All right. These are for you.

No. I don’t want them.

-Put them on. -No.

Put them on!

Come on. Hurry up. Good boy.

All right, step over there. Come on.

Come on!

No. Don’t make me go in there, please. Please!

Get in!

No, don’t leave me in here, please.

Please, they’ll think I’m you. They’ll kill me.

So long, buddy. Thanks a lot for your help.

No, don’t leave me here, please!

Don’t leave me!

Sheriff.

Sheriff, please.

[Gorwald] Wake up, sheriff.

Sheriff! You’ve got to wake up!

[people chattering]

Sheriff!

[pounding on door]

No.

No.

I’m not-- I’m not the man.

I’m not the man.

I’m not the one.

He got away.

No. No.

No, I’m not the one.

[man] Hand me the keys.

[Gorwald] I’m not the one.

Listen to-- I-I-- I’m not the one...

[stuttering]

I crossed against the light. That’s all.

I am not the one. I--

I just crossed against the light. That’s all I did!

I got away. I didn’t-- I am not the one.

I just crossed against a light. That’s all.

And they put me in because-- Ah!

[man] All right. Let’s take him outside.

[Carlie] Don’t try to talk yet.

[groans]

My head.

Here.

What happened?

You got quite a bump,

but then so did the sheriff.

It could have been worse though.

It could have been worse for both of you.

They tried to kill me.

Yeah, I know what happened,

but that’s all over now.

You can thank Sandy here for saving you.

When he saw he couldn’t stop ’em, he....

came and got Edmunds and me down at the crossroads.

We drove back up here as fast as we could.

They were sure giving you a bad time. We had to fire a few shots over the crowd...

that and the police car, I guess sobered them up.

Lucky for all of us.

The mechanic?

We lost him, I’m afraid. He got away in all the fuss.

But we’ll catch up to him.

I guess we’ve given you enough of a bad time, Mr. Gorwald.

The town is gonna put you up in a motel for the night,

and tomorrow they’ll buy you a new suit of clothes.

As for the jaywalking charge,

you can just forget about that. Fair enough?

[grunting]

Fair enough.

But for now on, you watch where you’re going.

Don’t worry. I intend to be very careful.

Good.

I’ll get you something to wear for the time being,

and then we’ll get you squared away.

[door opens]

-[Gorwald] Hi. -Hi.

Want a lift?

-Yes, thank you. -Well, hop in.

By the way I wouldn’t worry about that female hitchhiker if I were you.

That was John Charles Wentworth,

the gentleman who later authored a book,

I Was a Girl for the FBI.

There was another announcement I was to make,

but I can’t remember it.

Give me one minute and perhaps I can.

I now remember the announcement I wanted to make.

We shall return next week at the same time.

Until then, goodnight.