All language subtitles for Alfred.Hitchcock.Presents.S07E20.The.Test.1080p.PCOK.WEBRip.AAC.2.0.H.265.-EDGE2020_track3_[eng]

Good evening, and welcome
to sing along with Hitch.

I have a feeling this will be
much better if we could hear
you singing.

As it is, it strikes me
as a rather limited
form of entertainment.

And you have no idea
how insecure one can feel

when he knows that at any time
he can be replaced
by a bouncing ball.

For those of you who are too shy
or for some reason
have not chosen to join us,

I have an enticement.

Perhaps if you sing loud
and lustily enough

you will drown out
the commercial

after which our story.

Remember, the competition tends
to become rather fortissimo.

Yes, yes that’s right.
Uh-huh.

The hearing will be held,
uh, at the Municipal

Court on the 27th.

Ye-- no, Mr. Wedge
will be speaking to you
before that, Mrs. Hamilton.

N-No, not at all.

Yes, bye-bye.

[hanging up the telephone]

Please, miss,
it’s almost half an hour.

Couldn’t you ask him
if he’s free?

Mr. Marino is still out here.

-Can you see him now?
-Yeah.

Well, send him in.

I am Benjy Marino’s father.

-Yes, I know, now--
-You know about my boy,
about his trouble?

Well, I read about it in
the paper and I’m sorry for him

but I’m sorry
for the other kid, too,
the one that was killed.

But not by Benjy!
That’s the truth, not by Benjy.

He didn’t do it. That’s why
I’ve come to you, Mr. Wedge,

because people tell me
you’re the best,
the best lawyer for my boy.

You should go
to the juvenile authorities,

Mr. Marino, they’ll recommend
someone for you.

That boy’s dead, Mr. Wedge,
and they say my Benjy did it.

I went to the jail,
I talked to him.

He said to me,
"Pop,

I didn’t kill that boy.

You believe me, Pop?"

I said, "Sure, Benjy.
If you say so, I believe you."

I believe him.

Let me call
the State’s Attorney’s office
for you,

-in case you need,
they appoint a--
-Please! Please! I have money.

The family all got together.

I run a fuel and oil business.
I’m selling the truck.

I can pay what you ask,
Mr. Wedge.

It’s not a question of money,
Mr. Marino, I got a schedule
as long as your arm.

The papers, they make it sound
so bad. They say there
were witnesses.

They say they saw him
with a knife.

How could they say such a thing?

Oh, I don’t say he’s an angel.

He runs around, he fights.

A boy without a mother
is sometimes a wild, wild boy.

But, what can I do?

I have a 24-hour business.

How much time do I have
to be a father?

Well, let me recommend a lawyer
for you, Mr. Marino,

-another lawyer, there’s--
-No, no, no.

I don’t know about anybody else.
I only know you.

But I can’t work miracles.

-I only go by facts.
-That’s all I want.

The fact, he’s innocent.

He’s innocent.

What can I say to you?

I have one boy.

He’s 17 years old.

He’s not a grown man.

They got him down in that jail,
they say he’s a murderer.

But he’s innocent.

He’s innocent.

I swear on his
dead mother’s grave.

He’s innocent,
he’s innocent.

My name’s Wedge,
I’m your attorney,

your father hired me
to handle the case.

-Am I getting out of here?
-Not till after the trial,
and that’s if you’re lucky.

What about bail?
Can I get out on bail?

Bail’s been refused.

When’s the trial?

Look, don’t rush the trial.
We need the delay.

-Why not--
-Do you think
this is gonna be easy?

I didn’t cut that guy.
I had nothing to do with it.

You admitted to the police
that you knew Kenny Archer,
didn’t you?

Sure I knew him. We went
to Manual Trades together.

They tell me he ran with a gang
called the Aces.

Did you ever hang out with them?

With that bunch?

I was a Baron. The Barons
don’t mix with the bums.

All right, you were a Baron
and he was an Ace,

that makes you natural enemies,
doesn’t it?

Look,

Mr. Wedge,

we don’t have that kind of gang.

We’re not a bunch of hoods,

we’ve got a basketball team--

Why do you carry a knife,
Benjy?

It’s only a Boy Scout knife,
they sell them all over.

I just use it for...

whittling.

You know?

Who do you think you’re kidding?

Look, whose side you on?

Now, I didn’t stick Kenny,
somebody else did.
I swear I didn’t kill him.

I’m not making accusations, kid.
That’s the prosecution’s job.

Sit down.

Sit down.

Now, I’m gonna go
over this thing the way
the police have got it

and you tell me
where they’re wrong, huh?

At ten minutes to midnight
on October 9th.
You and two other guys

were walking down
Thurmond Street.

You just come out
of a movie house.

Kenny Archer just come out
of an apartment building

on Thurmond and Avenue C,
you bumped into each other.

There was some horseplay
but the next thing that happened

you and the other two guys
were running away

and Kenny fell to the sidewalk

and started crawling
toward the stoop of a house.

Now there were two people
sitting on the steps

of that building.

They saw you running away

and they saw Kenny die
right in front of them.

Then a half an hour later,

the cops picked you up
in your old man’s store

and you still had the knife
in your pocket.

It wasn’t me.

The rest of that stuff
it’s true.

But I didn’t hurt Kenny.

All right,
who were the other two guys?

-I don’t know.
-Don’t give that!

I tell you I don’t know!

They came out that movie
the same time I did.

But I never saw them before.
One of them must have done it.

When I saw Kenny was hurt,
I ran away.

-That’s how it was.
-But you had the knife.

But I didn’t use it!

Look, kid, that knife
is Exhibit A,
you know what means?

-Leave me alone!
-The witnesses saw you holding
the knife--

You are not here to help me!

Yes, I am, kid, the only way you
can be helped.

Now, listen to me
and do what I tell you.

I want you to plead guilty.
Do you understand?

That’s the only thing you
can do. If I put this case
in front of the jury,

you’re gonna spend the rest
of your life in a cage.

-You plead guilty, the judge
may give you a break.
-Nuh-uh.

I won’t do it!
I am innocent.

I’m not going to stay in jail
for something I didn’t do!

-I’m talking sense to you, boy,
will you listen to me?
-But I didn’t do it!

-I swear it!
-I’m trying to help you, son.

I’m not your son.

I got a father.

Let me out of here, will you?

You’d better talk some sense
into him.

I told him if he’d plead guilty
in the second degree,

the judge
is bound to be lenient.

But then he goes to jail
for something he didn’t do.

Look, Mr. Marino,
because you’re his father

doesn’t give you the right
to ignore the facts.

The facts are wrong!

I know,

you don’t like to lose cases.

If my boy pleads guilty,
you lose nothing.

Your record’s still good.

All right,
if you feel that way about it,

if you think that’s my reason,
get yourself another lawyer.

Please, please,
I don’t know what I’m saying.

-I don’t know anything
about the law.
-Well, I do.

And I know this much,
Mr. Marino, your faith
in your kid is very commendable.

But it’s no defense
in the courtroom.

All right, we plead not guilty.

I’ll do what I can
to make it stick.

Why shouldn’t it?

It’s the truth.

Why shouldn’t stick?

Because the prosecution
has got witnesses.

Mr. Dankers, you were present

at the time
of Kenneth Archer slaying,
isn’t that so?

That’s right.

Would you please describe
what happened?

Well, I was sitting on
the stoop,

getting a breath.

Then the kids come running
up the street.

I didn’t pay no attention
until they stop
fooling around.

Next thing I know,

one of them drops
to the sidewalk,

and the rest of them run away.

Then the kid,

crawls up to the stoop.

Only, he dies
before he gets there.

How far away from the boys
were you when scuffle occurred?

Uh, not far.

Maybe 40 or 50 feet.

I see, close enough for you
to get a look at them?

-I only saw one of them good.
-[lawyer] Oh.

There’s a street lamp
near the apartment building,

isn’t there?

Yeah.

So you didn’t have
any trouble seeing the boy
who stabbed Kenneth Archer.

I didn’t see
the actual stabbing.

But I saw the boy run away
with the knife in his hands.

Do you see the boy in this
courtroom now, Mr. Dankers?

Yeah, I see him.

It’s that one over there.

Mrs. Archer, I-I’m very sorry,

I’ll try to be as brief
as possible, but I must ask you
these questions.

You said that Kenneth
was a good son.

Yes.

-Yes, he was very good.
-All right.

He was always helping me
around the house.

[lawyer] Did he ever get
into any trouble?

No, never, never.

-Was he ever picked up
by the police?
-No.

He never, never was.

All right.

Did he ever get
into any fights

with other boys?

No.

All right, Mrs. Archer.

Sorry.

Would counsel care
to cross-examine?

Well, what do you say, Benjy?

Look, kid, if I could
work miracles, I’d work one.
You can get life!

Even if you got out
on parole in 20 years,
you know what you’d be worth?

Now, you’re gonna plead guilty.

Benjy, will you
please plead guilty?

No.

I didn’t do it.

I didn’t!

Not going so well, is it? Mm.

Of course is not going so well.

I wish I could figure out
some way to get
that old man on the stand.

He’s got a fanatical faith
in that kid of his,

it might just rub off on
the jury.

Do you think he’s innocent?

That question is immaterial,

irrelevant and none
of your business.

You do not look all well.

You don’t look at all well.

And I think when this is over,
you ought to see a doctor.

You know that’s not a bad idea.

Do you remember Doc,
uh, Hagerty?

But he’s not the kind of doctor
I mean.

-I mean a good all-round GP.
-Yeah, yeah.

I’m going out.
I’ll be at the Dugan Hospital

if anybody wants me.

I don’t understand you, Vernon,
you say the police
already examined the boy’s knife

for bloodstains, using
the standard benzidine test.

That’s right.
And they didn’t find anything,

so they claim that the kid
had wiped the blade clean.

But you told one time there
was some kind of the test
that’s even more sensitive.

There is. It’s called
the reduce phenolphthalein test.

It’s a lot more sensitive
in my opinion,

but it’s not
universally accepted.

Yeah, well,
could you make that test now?

It’s all right with me.
Just get me the boy’s knife.

No, I can’t do that,
it’s court property.

But could, could you
demonstrate the test
for me using another knife

that’s just like it?

-I suppose so.
-Good.

I picked this up
on the way over.

It’s the same type
that Benjy Marino carried.

Pretty cheap, too, 98 cents.

The cheaper the better.

Well, first, we’ll put some
whole blood on the blade.

And we’ll wipe off all traces
of the blood.

Here, take a look.

See any stains?

Clean as a whistle.

Now, we’ll try it
in the solution.

Now, the blade
may look clean, but

with a cheap knife,
the blade metal

is usually porous, so it
retains microscopic quantities
of the blood.

Mm.

Changes color
and gets dark, huh?

If the solution
changes color, Vernon,

you can be sure there
was blood on the blade.

There’s only one drawback.

What’s that?

This test doesn’t prove
whose blood was on the knife.

If your boy cut his own finger,
it’ll work just the same.

He’ll look just as guilty.

-Hello, Benjy.
-Hello, Mr. Wedge.

Now you listen to me
and listen carefully.

I’ve thought of something
that might just save you.

It’s a test, now,
this is a chemical test
that can determine

whether or not there’s
ever been blood on your knife.

Now, I’m gonna make that test
in court tomorrow.
And if it’s negative,

the jury will know that you
didn’t kill Kenny Archer.

No, I don’t understand
that kind of stuff.

I’m not asking you to understand
anything. But if you stabbed

that kid, a jugful of chemicals
is going to turn dark, and you
can kiss your freedom goodbye.

Now, there’s something else.

If you ever cut anybody
with that knife,

the chemicals
are going to turn dark, too.

Now, you tell me something,
and I want you to tell me
the truth.

Has there ever been blood
on that knife?

I told you I never cut him.

Do you understand my question?
I wanna know

if there’s ever been blood
of any kind on that knife.

No.

-It’s brand new. I never cut
nothing with it.
-Are you sure?

You never cut your own finger?

I said it was clean.

Mr. Wickers, if the prosecution
has no further witnesses,

do you wish to make
your summation?

[Mr. Wickers]
Yes, Your Honor.

-Your Honor.
-Yes, Mr. Wedge?

Something has occurred
which I consider

to be a paramount importance
to this case.

I ask the court’s permission
to introduce new evidence
for the defense.

[Mr. Wickers]
Objection.

The defense has
had sufficient time
for the introduction

of evidence. I suggest
that this is a delaying tactic.

What sort of evidence,
Mr. Wedge?

This is a demonstration,
Your Honor, which in my opinion,

will clearly establish
the guilt or innocence
of my client.

If Mr. Wedge would like
a postponement--

I don’t want a postponement.
I want to make
this demonstration.

If I may describe it.

Very well, counsel.
You may proceed.

What is this, Mr. Wedge?

Your Honor,
this is a chemical solution

specifically formulated
for the detection
of bloodstains.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Exhibit A in this case
is a knife.

The knife which presumably
killed Kenneth Archer.

Now, this knife

was found in the possession
of Benjy Marino on the night
of the slaying.

However, not one word
of testimony has been produced
in this court

concerning the vital factor
of blood.

Now this knife has not left
the possession of this court
since my client’s arrest.

However, this clean, shiny blade
can still tell a story
of guilt or innocence.

Because as any biochemist knows,
there is one infallible test

which can determine whether
an object of such porous metal

has ever tasted even one drop
of blood.

Your Honor, it’s my intention
to prove once and for all

whether I’m defending
a boy falsely accused
or a lying murderer.

I intend to dip the blade
of this knife into a solution
of reduced phenolphthalein.

A reduced phenolphthalein
is the most sensitive

of all
blood detection chemicals.

-If--
-One moment, Mr. Wedge.

You say that beaker contains
what kind of solution?

Reduced phenolphthalein.

And how can be certain
that it contains this chemical?

Could be lemonade for all
that we know.

I have a statement
from Dr. Hagerty
of the Dugan Hospital.

Well, if you plan to produce
expert testimony--

I plan only to make this test,
Mr. Wickers.

Your Honor, objection!

[judge]
State your objection, counsel.

Defense is acting improperly.

The police laboratory
has already made

the standard test on the weapon
and has found no bloodstains
on the blade.

Prosecution has stated
that the knife
was obviously wiped clean.

Your Honor, the sensitivity
of this test--

At no time during this trial
has the prosecution

denied the absence
of bloodstains
on Benjamin Marino’s knife.

Now, Mr. Wedge is trying
to demonstrate something
we already know.

Using a test which
is not accepted as
standard laboratory procedure.

I suggest that
this so-call demonstration
is nothing but pure theatrics,

but with an intention
to mislead

and to confuse the jury.

Mr. Wedge,

the court must agree
with the prosecution.

You’re not an expert
in forensic chemistry.

Mere corroboration
of the police laboratory report
is gratuitous evidence

and must be considered
inadmissible.

Your Honor, my client is willing
to have me make this test.

The boy is aware of the chance
he’s taking.

I’m sorry, this demonstration
is improper.

Objection is sustained.

You may not make the test,
Mr. Wedge.

Mr. Wedge, if you please
make your summation to the jury.

I believe that Benjy Marino
is innocent.

I believe he’s innocent because
of a test that I was
not permitted to make.

This boy knew that
if the results
of the tests were negative

he would be condemned to prison
for the rest of his life.

And no guilty person
would have allowed it.

Foreman of the jury please rise.

-Has the jury reached
its verdict?
-[foreman] We have, Your Honor.

Please read it to the court.

We find the defendant

not guilty.

You can wait right here
in the judge’s chamber.

Your attorney will be with you
in a moment.

Bless you, for what you did,
Mr. Wedge.

I didn’t come here
to be congratulated.

I wanted to see you both
for another reason.

The prosecuting attorney
was right, Mr. Marino.
What I did out there

-was theatrics, pure theatrics.
-I don’t understand.

I mean I didn’t want to make
that test.

I would have had to if they
hadn’t objected,

but that was the chance I took.

You didn’t want to?

Look, if this stuff
had turned dark,

it would have been all over
for your boy.

I was counting
on the prosecution objection,

I figured on it.

I also figured that the jury

would be impressed
in the right way.

And that’s all I could hope for.

The knife would have been
all right. I know it would.

And how do you know, Mr. Marino?
Because you’ve got faith?

Yes.

In that case,
there’s only one way

we can find out,
isn’t there?

We’ll make the test now
for our own sakes.

Why? What difference
does it make now?

Because I want to know.
That’s why!

Here.

Make your test.

Make your tests now, Mr. Wedge.

Those of you with a passion
for peripheral detail

would be interested in knowing

that the actual killers,
in this case,

were ultimately brought
to justice.

As for this next detail,
it is a television commercial.

An item for which I have
a passion.

Frankly, I like them
because I feel so wonderful
when they’re over.

Which is when I shall
next see you.

I hope you have enjoyed
singing along with Hitch.

It is the best way I know
to indulge in a community sing

without actually having
to rub elbows
with one’s neighbors.

Next week, we should be back,
myself and all the gang.

Until then, goodnight.