Original subtitles

You've never been To a hockey game?

- oh, never. - great.

Okay, I can arrange to get Some tickets for next week.

- I'd love it. - yeah, great.

I know a couple of the players. I know the coach.

Hey, I don't wanna meet The players.

I got you.

Oh, beautiful.

Oh, no.

Call manhattan south, Now!

Watermelon.

Bravery. You guys don't the Meaning of the word "Bravery."

Not till you've seen Bobby crocker in action.

Saperstein, you wouldn't know What to do.

- what are you talking about? - no, no, just--just--

Just picture this, right? It's 12:00 midnight,

The wee small hours, and this Little vassar girl is screaming,

- "Oh, help me! Help me!" - get outta here.

Three shots ring out, Boom, boom, boom, boom.

That's four, right?

Here come prince valiant, Our gallant bobby crocker,

Smashes down the door, Runs in,

Takes a dive For the sack,

And puts the grab

On three pillows And a watermelon.

Hey, crocker,

A busted watermelon.

Rizzo, Call your bookie.

Crocker!

Weaver, And the clowns.

Funny, huh?

Hey, gil, Who you got uptown,

Works with a full-choke 12-gauge shotgun?

Triggerman? Professional?

Nobody, Not in my end of harlem.

This shooting Took place

A long way from harlem, Lieutenant.

Yeah. A watermelon wearin' An afro is a black man's joke.

Lieutenant, even though The intended victim was black,

That doesn't necessarily mean That the hit man was--

Stavros, you been whispering To your plants again, right?

In a vision, It's comes to him--

The hit man Could be white,

Even if the intended victim Was black.

Okay, see if you can find out In harlem

Whether anyone imported A shooter.

And you, stavros, Check by telex

With l.A., chicago, Detroit, like that,

See if any Prominent shotgunners

Have dropped out of sight Recently, white or black.

- yes, sir. - you check with bci

If they got a make on the prints From the apartment.

Then try to come up with A maker's label on the wig--

Who sold it, When and to who.

And then give crocker A hand with--

- the apartment, right? - yeah.

Why don't you start With your miss vassar?

Landlady, Super, if there is one,

The neighboring apartments.

I want all there is On this guy, okay?

All right, go. Move on this thing.

Go? Move on this thing?

You've got half the detectives In this squad

Working on who?

Some guy who shot three pillows And a watermelon to death.

And if they do find him,

All we can bust him for is Illegal discharge of a firearm.

How about felonious assault On a watermelon?

That isn't funny, Theo.

Not if the borough commander Finds out

We've got six plainclothesmen Out on the street

Without even a felony.

You know something else We have, frank?

We got plenty Of nothing.

Not one single hard fact On the guy who rented that room.

Nothing?

Very big, very black, he lived There for ten days period.

Greenwich village,

Well, great place For a black man to hide out.

Hey, frank. This blood wasn't hidin'.

Somebody found him And blew his bed apart.

Huh, I mean, how do you think That triggerman found him

In the first place?

He got a make On a right apartment,

Without making any inquiries Of the super

Or anyone else In the building,

This dude didn't even have A name on a mailbox.

You saying he put the word out On himself?

Tell me a quicker way To get a make on somebody

Who's gunning for ya.

Or a quicker way To get dead.

So he's a bad dude, Frank.

Bci says he's got hands Like a catcher's mitt,

But his prints Aren't even on files.

And maybe the feds Or the military

Will come up With something.

Now, that's funny.

Lieutenant, I got a make.

- on our watermelon man? - no, not him.

- on the shotgunner. - okay, gimme.

Detroit p.D. Has a william t. Baine

Who's gotten very prominent In recent years.

Aka "Shotgun willie" Because his trademark's

A double-barreled 12-gauge breakdown shotgun.

They got him down For seven positive hits

And none provable.

Did he use this double-o shot For his little peccadillos?

Double-o, yeah.

Willie's a black male, 28 years old,

5'10", 160 pounds, Fancy dresser.

Carried the shotgun broken down In two special pockets

Sewn inside His overcoat.

- last seen in detroit when? - about a week ago.

Lots of prior arrests But no current warrants.

Okay, that puts it Up to weaver in harlem

Where he's trying to pick up A whisper from the brothers

About any imported heat.

Make sure he gets Shotgun willie's description

Next time he calls in, okay?

Yes, sir.

- hi, gil. What's happenin'? - hey, zonell.

Until mother's day, I'm as broke As a jackleg preacher,

- that's what's happenin'. - oh, you jivin'.

All that cabbage You got,

You ain't on No welfare.

Well, you see, it was about This crap game.

Oh, my, my.

I thought he was out.

I used my passkey And there he was,

With the biggest scattergun You ever seen.

Girl, what he was doin' With it?

Rubbin' at it With a cloth.

I was scared

With those two bars Across the street.

What'd he do When he seen you?

Do?

He just laughed and waved And said,

"You oughta knock, mama."

Girl, you crazy. Come on, let's get outta here.

- I'll catch you later, zonell. - bye, baby.

Hello, brother.

What do you want, Black boy?

Cat by the name Willie baine.

No willie baine Registered here.

Now, hat it up, oreo.

Did you hear me, boot?

Get in the wind. Split. Blow.

Get it? Leave.

Morals squad.

Mel carter, please.

Mel,

I got you a fleabag I want you to come down on hard.

Yeah.

Deskman is pushing everything Except--

About 30.

170 pounds.

6 feet tall.

Dresses real sharp.

Yeah, room 418.

Came in after lunch. Ain't been out again.

Now, you didn't Get nothin' here, okay?

Word out, He's a life-taker.

Kojak.

All right, keep the clerk Off the housephone.

- crocker! - yes, sir, lieutenant.

- saperstein, stavros. - yeah.

Right here, Lieutenant.

Get me a warrant For room 418 gaylord hotel.

Okay. Weaver's at the gaylord hotel.

Willie's in room 418.

A warrant's on its way. Now, keep weaver out of it.

And remember, this guy's Got a 12-gauge shotgun.

Go ahead. Right, lieutenant.

William baine.

Open up. It's the police.

Open up! Police!

Better come on outta there, Baine!

You guys come to give me The keys to the city?

The key to my heart. A search warrant.

Toss it. Get dressed, beautiful. We're goin' downtown.

M-o-n-d-a-y,

Monday.

N-I-g-h-t, Night.

Where were you Monday night?

Monday night?

Oh, yeah, man.

There was this new disney film, See--

Now, what are you doing In new york?

- goin' to the movies, sergeant. - who you looking for?

I was tryin' to find god, Sergeant.

Who are You working for?

Why, I is retired, Sergeant.

You call me sergeant again, I'll wrap this around your head.

Is this your shotgun, Baine?

Now, since you took it From my hotel room,

I guess You know it is.

Now, unless you got Some more questions for me,

I'm gonna take my yak And leave.

And you can tell your boy here That even in new york

It ain't against the law To own a shotgun,

'specially when It's all broke down and cased.

Unless, of course, It's sawed off.

Let him out, Saperstein.

My pleasure, Captain.

And I wouldn't do that

To a nice, useful gun Like this here,

Sergeant.

I figure we got nothing To hold willie on

And he'll be outta here Without even callin' a lawyer.

That's why I wanted To hold gil back,

You know, when you hit Willie's room,

So we wouldn't burn him To willie.

Well, now that he figures He's got the--

- the police off his back-- - you mean,

He wanted to be grabbed.

He made sure the maid Saw the shotgun,

Figured we'd hear about it Eventually.

Of course. Otherwise where was his topcoat

With the special pockets For his shotgun?

Where were the shells For the shotgun, like that?

Up. Up. Well, the army came through.

Well, how'd you make out With willie?

He'll let me know If he'll accept a job

As police commissioner Or not.

Well, our watermelon man Finally got a name--

Salathiel harms. Salathiel?

That was one of david's heirs, Wasn't it?

Yeah. Well, these dartmouth boys.

You know, this salathiel harms Is quite a man.

Listen to this, Fellas.

6'6", 284 pounds,

Ah, played pro ball For the--forget it.

Was a lieutenant In the special forces

During the late Vietnam war.

Two field promotions In grade to captain.

Three decorations for valor.

Skilled in small arms, Silent killing techniques,

Hand-to-hand combat, Demolitions,

Dapa, dapa, dapa, da.

Separated at Fort ord, california, 1971.

Last known address,

Care of his parents In oakland, california.

Get those distributed out To everyone.

Lieutenant kojak,

I'm salathiel harms.

Get outta my face.

Hey, coochie-coo.

You're one big, Angry man.

But I got a badge in my pocket That's bigger than both of us.

Respect it! Calm down and show your class,

Or turn around and get the hell Outta this office!

Fair enough.

Why don't you get A cup of coffee and hang around?

So?

I haven't broken any laws In your town, have I?

You keep messin' around in My life, you gonna get me wiped.

You hear What I'm tellin' you, man?

Well, Somebody's gonna get you wiped,

Unless you tell us What's going on.

If it hadn't been For that cutie

With the watermelons And the pillows--

Yeah, well, that was My little cutie.

You dig Where I'm comin' from?

I'll tell you What I dig, harms.

I dig the fact that--

I'm just doin' my number, Baby.

You keep your lead soldiers Outta my way

And everything Is gonna be just cool.

Thank you.

Stavros. Saperstein.

All right, go after him. I don't want you to lose him,

And I don't want him to know You're there.

And I want his whole scam-- Where he's from,

Where he's living now, And like that, okay?

Will do, lieutenant.

Crocker, You get harms on the telex,

You know, oakland, San francisco, los angeles,

California highway patrol,

California state police In sacramento.

Have them send you his rap sheet Or whatever it is

They call a yellow sheet Out there, okay?

Oh, and have The california bureau

Of collective investigative Services

Check for A possible license.

Private detective?

You know something I don't, Theo?

Frank, in all the years You been a cop,

How many times have you ever Seen a scene like this one, huh?

Dapa, dapa, do.

It takes somebody With a clean conscience

To pull something Like that off.

How many private detectives Do you know

With a clean conscience?

We eliminate him As a wanted criminal, right?

We eliminate him As a cop,

Because he would have flashed His shield, right?

We eliminate him As mr. Joe,

Because he's got a professional Hit man after him,

And then what?

Is he scared, Pleading for help?

He's peeved.

He's peeved Because we showed up.

So what's left Besides a tough private cop?

- oh, I still think-- - I think those clowns

Better not lose him.

And I think weaver Better not lose willie.

You know, if we can keep tabs On both of them,

We might just have A future.

Cheers, baby.

You the one that rang For room service, baby?

Car 723k.

This is 723k.

Meet unit 712 At the usual place, okay?

10-4.

Precinct, it's saperstein. Is the lieutenant there?

No, it's not important, Just routine.

But we could use Some relief help.

- yeah. - whoa.

He's on the move.

Let's go.

Get in!

You tried to boost A cop's car, sonny.

Stay there.

That was beautiful, Lieutenant.

Shotgun willie is lookin' For a very heavy dude

- by the name of-- - salathiel harms.

So what am I doin' Out on the street?

Mr. Harms paid the precinct A little visit.

Figures. Apparently willie Wants to make sure he sees harms

Before harms sees him.

And no word of who harms is, Huh? Or who he's lookin' for?

Not a whisper.

And nothing On who hired willie.

Also, willie got an overcoat Out of the cleaner's,

And I'll give you odds That he's got a special pocket

Sewn inside for his shotgun.

Stores it at the dry cleaner's Until he needs it.

Ah, that's beautiful.

He's spending the day with One of smiley potter's girls,

Sweet young thing By the name of dellia may.

Dellia may.

Well, for now, anyway, we got Both willie and harms on ice.

All right, let's go.

Where'd he go?

You didn't see him Jump in my pocket?

- no. - come on, let's go.

Ooh!

You got somethin' For me?

You're bein' paid To take risks, boot.

Uh-huh.

Gaylord hotel.

Dellia may?

Hustler?

Who's her mack?

Smiley potter. Righteous.

I'd like to report An attempted mugging.

Harms.

H-a-r-m-s.

First name?

S-a-l-a-t-h-I-e-l.

Well, officer, the assailants Were two white men.

Bravery?

We haven't any of us Seen bravery,

Not until we see stavros And saperstein

- try to calm the girls down... - yeah, sure.

After gettin' shoved Into the massage parlor.

- yeah. - yeah, right.

What has fun city Come to

When the streets Aren't even safe anymore for--

Muggers?

What the hell do they mean, Muggers?

Well, that's the way Communications

Got the report, frank.

He shoved a police officer Into a massage parlor

While the police officer Was in pursuit of his duty.

Two police officers, But who counts?

The point is that he phoned It in, said they were muggers.

Well, they must have Flashed their tin.

They didn't have time To show their tin.

He suckered 'em, Frank.

He made 'em think He'd gone down the alley

To sneak into a bar The back way, right?

They can't see him, So they open the door

To what they think Is the bar

Only it was the rear entrance Of a massage parlor.

Soon as they open the door, He shoves 'em through,

Slams the door, Wham, bam, thank you, sam.

Instant encounter group.

And so He gets away with it.

And all we can do is hope That he and shotgun willie

Don't get together, Because if they do--

Yeah. Because if they do,

We'll be scrapin' what's left Off the sidewalk

Into one of the coroner's, What do they call 'em,

The fold-lock bags.

Oh, I forgot to tell ya.

There aren't any warrants On harms in california,

And I was right About him being registered

- as a private detective. - when did that come in?

Overnight On the telex.

I'm gonna go call Fruit and nut land right now,

See if we can fill in Some of the blanks.

Yeah. Hello, benny.

This is theo kojak In new york.

Well, I thought I remembered You were an early bird.

Hey look, benito,

I need a line on a private cop By the name of sal harms.

Salathiel.

Yeah, I was wondering If he may be a bounty.

You do know him.

Oh, beautiful.

And?

Yeah.

Then he is.

Okay, benny.

Yeah, many thanks. Bye-bye.

I gave at the office, Baby.

Oh, baby, That's show business.

You a late riser, Blood?

No, I'm jeane dixon in drag, Foretelling your future.

I see before you Great deals of green,

Oblong shapes Of green paper

With portraits of presidents On them.

Huh.

Yeah.

All right, Shotgun willie baine--pro,

Seven known hits to his credit In detroit,

Always blows them away With a 12-gauge shotgun.

He's been imported to new york To make a hit

On this man here--

Salathiel harms.

Now, some of you have seen him. He isn't an easy man to forget.

There's photos of him, Of course.

Neither man has committed a Chargeable offense in new york,

Not one we can make stick, Anyway.

I've just learned from A san francisco detective

That harms is, for lack of A better term, a bounty hunter.

Just like The old cowboy movies.

That's right, only harms Does it for bail bondsmen.

When someone jumps bail,

The bondsman gets stuck For the cash he put up, right?

Now, if he can find the man Who jumped

And gets him back into The jurisdiction of the court,

He gets his money back, And like that.

- that's where harms comes in. - right.

And that's where Mr. X comes in.

Okay?

The man harms is in new york Looking for

And the man who hired Shotgun willie to stop harms.

Harms is A very tough boy

And a big danger To whoever fits in here.

We've got a tag On willie,

But harms has Dropped outta sight.

That's your job, Keep looking for him.

- okay. - right.

Lookin's the easy part.

Waiting, that's tough.

The man at the d.A.'s office Says if our witness holds up--

Now, how can a man 6'6" And 300 pounds disappear

Like alice Through a looking glass?

Lieutenant, the phone. Gil weaver.

Here.

- yeah, gil. - harms is in harlem.

He was seen earlier This afternoon

Talking with dellia may.

- what's it mean, weaver? - could be coincidence.

Could be somebody Setting somebody up. Could be--

Could be, could be, could be. Could be young love.

Yeah, sure. Tell me something I wanna hear.

Well, how about this?

Shotgun willie baine Just made an entrance

Into the sweet magnolia blossom Cafe.

And he looks like He's waiting for somebody.

So what's so exciting About willie juicing it up

At the sweet magnolia blossom Cafe?

Well, does the name of sylk Strike a responsive blue note?

That the sweet magnolia Blossom cafe

- is sylk's headquarters? - yeah.

And who else in harlem Has the clout these days

To hire an outside gun With willie's rep?

Willie's still waitin' For the man.

There's sylk's car now.

The wages of sin.

There isn't a sin That sylky isn't into.

He's into drugs. He's into prostitution.

He's into numbers, Loan-sharkin', protection.

He's into enforcement.

The only thing that bum Isn't into is jail.

You know, In the three years

That he just showed up On the scene from nowhere

Sylk has dealt himself Into control

Of half the action In harlem.

Well, if sylk is the guy That harms is after,

No wonder he's been Such a good citizen here

In our lovely city Of new york.

He's never let himself Get booked for anything,

Some smart cop might have sent His fingerprints to california.

Until he does something We'll bust him for,

Ah, there's not a thing We can do about it,

Not even if he's a fugitive Or not.

Let me see if I can pick up Something useful inside.

Slow and easy, My man.

I said

I didn't Want to see you

Till my man Was blown away.

You also said

It wasn't gonna be no police Interest in our transaction.

Well, there wouldn't be If you'd made sure

The first time.

That was not The first time, sylk.

That was him laughing,

'cause your boys were so clumsy They done spooked him.

So...

It's gonna cost you A little extra.

How much extra?

Two more big ones, Sylk.

Upfront.

Blow him away.

Consider it done.

I got the end to his story Right here,

Just as soon as I get me A little phone call.

Hey, woman, What you got for me?

Not what, baby, Who.

I hear you talkin'. Where?

The 300 block Of west 144th street.

3-story red brick building In the middle of the block.

There's a rib joint On the ground floor.

300 block, west 144th street Over a ribs joint? So?

Top floor, Last room on the left.

- you better be straight. - it's straight.

Do you think I'm gonna cross you?

Caught his end Of a phone conversation.

I think some chick is trying To set up harms for him

- over on west 144th street. - well, you put it into central

To have a radio unit Meet you there.

And take him On the street

Before he has a chance To assemble that shotgun.

Possession of a weapon Charge?

- it's enough to bust him on. - hey, why aren't we gonna--

Oh, we're gonna Go chat with the man.

Maybe we'll get lucky.

Might just shake him up When he finds out

We got to willie before he could Meet with sal harms, right?

Right, lieutenant.

Oh, sit down.

Keep an eye on him, Will you, crocker?

What can poor, Humble sylk

Do for super honk?

Oh.

Well, why don't you tell Super honk

About hiring shotgun willie To blow away sal harms?

We were outside When you made the payoff, sylk.

And what does sal harms Want to take you back

To sunny california for, Sylk?

Aw.

You got anymore small talk To make, kojak,

You make it With my lawyer.

When I put the lovin' arms On you, baby,

You won't be out Until you look like uncle remus.

You ain't nothing, Kojak.

You ain't nothin' But pure dog, boy.

Sylky,

Come here.

Would you like to be My valentine?

Ah, ah, ah,

Ah, ah.

Why didn't we fall on him, Lieutenant?

Well, if gil had let us know He'd picked up willie,

I would have. Without that, we got nothin'.

Well, we know willie Isn't gonna talk,

Not on just a possession Of a weapons charge.

And if we had him In custody

And after observing Sylk's payoff to him,

We'd have had enough To pull sylk in for questioning,

Enough so we can get A set of his prints

To send to california. As it is now...

Skin, brother.

Taxi!

- where to, brother? - detroit.

Don't know no detroit street Here, brother.

Detroit, michigan.

Keep the change.

What if he don't wanna be Goin' to detroit

- when he wakes up? - you tell him that sal said

If he comes back From detroit,

His next trip is 6 feet south And permanent.

Take off.

Right.

Was I righteous, Sister?

Ooh, you went Upside his head.

You are bad, brother.

Sylk?

What happened?

- willie never showed. - harms?

Only dellia may on her way To pay off the national debt.

- give me my money, man! - dellia.

- stop cuddling. - I earned it!

Yeah, how?

Takin' care of business.

What, Is the eighth army in town?

All right, tell me. Who got Bought and sold for this?

You know, it's get-down time For you boys in blue.

Sylk ain't nothin' To me.

Took me up to this fancy place Of his once.

If he ain't hurtin' a girl, He ain't happy.

You gave harms the address Of sylk's apartment?

That's where he said He wanted to go.

You know Sylk's apartment?

Over by the river.

Wash the blood off of it Before you spend it.

Uh, willie. What about shotgun willie?

He's takin' a cab To detroit.

Martin, When we get upstairs,

You call around

And find my lawyer.

Harry, You better go downstairs

And put the car away, Right?

You got it.

- sylk? - all the way to the top.

Okay.

I didn't see any bodies Layin' around the lobby.

I guess harms Isn't here.

You know, that doorman's Gonna call up sylk.

I want him to know We're on the way up.

If we can make him think we've Got willie and he's singin',

I'll tell ya somethin', maybe Sylk'll do somethin' stupid.

Anyway, I'll go in alone. Hang loose.

Thank you, brother.

Kojak's on his way up.

Get in the bedroom.

I'll call ya If I need ya.

Ah, super honk!

My attorney's On his way up.

Oh, well, you won't be Needin' him tonight, sylky.

You had A little bad luck.

Meaning what, Partner?

Meaning your boy willie Went up against harms,

And he got blown away,

Meaning he gave us a deathbed Statement on his way out,

Meaning that all that's Admissible in court, baby.

And I guess I got the right To read ya your rights.

Oh, gracious.

Sylk, What you just did.

I mean, Resisting arrest,

Possession of a firearm Without a permit, naughty.

Martin.

You know, whatever it is

Out there in california, Sylk,

It must be Very, very heavy.

Martin, get his gun.

Ain't nobody takin' me Back to california.

Dammit, lieutenant, Why'd you have to go

And make the man do that, Resist arrest?

It worked, Didn't it?

Downright dishonest.

You realize how much money I'm gonna lose

If I don't take this dude Back to california?

Hey, That's your worry, baby.

I'll take my prisoner now.

If it wasn't for me,

You wouldn't even know anything About this dude.

Wasn't for me, You'd be dead.

Yeah, sure. Don't flatter yourself, okay?

What about Brother martin

Sleepin' the sleep Of the just in there?

Oh, Where's the other one?

Him, he tried to poke his head Through the wall

On the stair landing.

Hey, crocker! Weaver!

Crocker, in the bedroom. You, weaver,

A guy with his head through The wall on the stairwell.

Who is he?

Zeke zanders Out of watts.

Ran the vice and narcotics for The black areas of l.A. County.

Three and a half years ago He was indicted

On 23 Separate felony counts.

Oh, yeah. I remember. $1/2 million bail.

Yeah, which he jumped, And I been after him ever since.

And now, you're Tryin' to rob me.

Well, that's the breaks Of the game, baby.

Relax!

Mind your manners.

You know, his lawyers Are gonna make mincemeat

Outta that Resistin' arrest

And that weapon charge, You know?

So we'll hold him For california.

Except, he's gonna Fight extradition,

And he's gonna win

Because of your illegal arrest Here in new york.

Illegal arrest? What are you talkin' about?

Why, sure. I'm gonna have to Testify for mr. Sylk here.

That you busted in here

Without identifying yourself As a police officer.

I'm gonna have to testify that You assaulted his secretary

And his chauffeur and that You planted an illegal firearm

On or about that person.

Salathiel,

You wouldn't.

When the judge hear

Where two of your men Posing as muggers

So they could attempt To assault me in the alley,

Well, I got to tell you Something.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You would.

But you can't return him To california against his will

Because you, sir, Are a private citizen.

I'd have to protect his Civil rights if he asked me to.

Oh, he won't ask, Lieutenant.

No, no.

No.

Ah, ha, ha!

Ha, ha!

Aah!

Dude in the stairwell Is gonna need an...

Ha! Ha!

Ambulance.

Aah!

You! Yah! Ha!

Aah! Huh! Ha, huh!

Ha!

My true name Is ezechiel zanders.

I'm wanted

On a california fugitive Warrant.

I wish to return

To los angeles county

In the company of

Salathiel harms

To answer that warrant.

This is of My own free will

Not the result of

Promises,

Coercion,

Or force.

Uh, go call Your ambulance.

Come here.

What'd you Threaten him with?

Oh, I just told him that the Human foot has 56 bones in 'em.

And every one of those bones Can be broken very easily.

Every one of them.

Never thought of that.

Gil, get a squad car Over here, will ya,

To escort Our prisoner to--

God's gonna frown on you, Lieutenant.

Yeah. To escort our prisoner And mr. Harms

To kennedy international.

They got a plane to catch.

Thank you, lieutenant.

- yeah. - thank you.

Hey, aren't you gonna Pick up your cash?

Oh, right.

We coulda had him On two counts--

Come on.

Harms is takin' him back To face 23 felony beefs.

Besides, I wanna get that dude Outta my jurisdiction

- as fast as I can. - sylk?

No, harms.

You think I want him puttin' A watermelon in my bed?

Yeah, sure.