Original subtitles

[upbeat jazzy music]

♪

[upbeat music]

♪

Let's go, whitley.

When you get back to new york, Whitley, send me a postcard.

- sure. I'll send you A postcard, lieutenant.

In a box. It'll be ticking.

- yes, sir. I'm at the vegas airport now

With lieutenant hawkins And vic whitley.

- any sign of whitley's brother? - not yet.

Vic was all alone, Heading north in a van

With three tons of marijuana When a couple of guys

In the sheriff's jeep posse Picked him up last week.

His brother's here. They're sure of it.

- jeep posse. Is that what I heard?

- twenty jeeps. That's a lot of volunteers.

It's the old west With four-wheel drive.

All right, listen, lieutenant, I'll see you tonight.

- all right? - okay.

Bet you 5 bucks.

For what?

- whitley doesn't give us A single clue

Where his brother's hiding.

Theo, we're extraditing him For nothing.

I'm sorry.

- hey, uh, how long you figure We've got?

- well, if they use the same Flight plan they did last week,

We've got until 8:00 Tomorrow night.

- thirty-five hours Is gonna be forever.

- for a half-million apiece, I'll find a way to stay awake.

- [laughs] - yeah.

- hey. - huh?

There she goes now.

They're gonna find this truck Stolen pretty damn soon.

- what's the next flight? - twa flight 10 to new york.

It's on it's way in From l.A. Now.

Okay.

[engine starts]

- hi. Everything all set? - yes.

Your gun will be With the captain,

And you'll have to remove His cuffs

During takeoff And landing.

[suspenseful music]

Let's go, whitley.

Have a nice flight.

- okay. This is the real thing This time. No mistakes.

Hey, thank you very much.

- have a nice trip Back to new york, bob.

Yes, sir. Thank you.

Let's go now.

Remember the plan.

Sally. Sally.

- oh, wait. I'm gonna be in baggage?

[tires screech]

Come on. Get in there.

- hey, hold it. Wait a minute. Wait a minute!

- come on, let's get in there. - oh, wait.

- get in. - sally!

- all right. Come on. Come on, get in there.

- you, wise guy, in the van. You too.

[van engine starts]

They just took my sister.

- who was that other woman? - I don't know.

Some agent. I don't know for sure.

Do something!

- come on. You have whitley. Let the women go.

- you don't need them. - shut up.

[horn blares]

- why don't you do me a favor And take these cuffs off, huh?

Come on.

My brother set this up, Didn't he?

- mister, we just happened To pick you.

You're nothing special.

What?

Well, maybe you got lucky.

Look, you get me out of here,

And there's 20 grand in it For you.

You're not even close.

- never negotiate For yourself, stupid.

What?

Yeah. We'll call back In 10 minutes.

What is it, lieutenant?

Crocker.

He's been kidnapped.

You're kidding.

- yeah. 10:15 flight to vegas And I'll be on it.

Right.

- here you are, theo. Here's your fare.

You're 10 dollars over.

- thirty-six red. - oh.

Oh, and lieutenant,

I got 205 from the guys In the squad room.

- hey, lieutenant, If they sprung whitley,

Why'd they take crocker?

- yeah, and that showgirl, And the agent too?

- why take them? - hey, all I know

Is that crocker, He's gonna do something

To help the police locate him, Right?

Now, he can be talking to me, Not them,

Because I know him like a book, And they don't.

Now, I got 20 minutes To get to kennedy.

Who's coming with me?

Oh.

All right. Thanks, rizzo. Grab the bag.

[funky music]

Do you have any matches?

Matches? Yeah.

[funky music]

♪

- now just go straight To the door outside

And there'll be no trouble.

- all right. Come on. Come on. Get in there.

- I better get this out To the desert fast.

Right.

Up against the wall Over here.

All right, come on. Get in there. Come on.

- listen, I've got a lot Of important business here.

- I don't care. - time is money.

- just get in there. - what do you want?

- get in there. - I don't have any money.

- why are you doing this? - get inside.

[upbeat funky music]

♪

- hi. You looking for me? I'm lieutenant hawkins.

Hello, lieutenant.

I'm lieutenant kojak, From new york.

Yes, sir.

Sorry as hell about what Happened to your man and that.

- and that little prisoner. - yeah, yeah, yeah.

I hear you almost got Yourself killed.

Don't apologize.

What about those other Two people they snatched?

- what's the story there? - you know, lieutenant,

It's your man and the prisoner I ain't so sure about.

They were grabbing Those two women

The last time I saw them.

Chief. Chief.

Yeah, quinn.

[vehicle approaches]

- looks like a pretty wide Set of tracks here.

Maybe a jeep was waiting For them here.

Oh, by the way, quinn,

This is lieutenant kojak, N.Y.P.D.

- crocker's boss. - how do you do?

- this is my sergeant, Andy quinn.

- how are you? - this is one of our volunteers,

- russ barton. - hi.

- they look pretty new. They're headed that way.

I took a long look off the road That way myself.

I followed those tracks heading East towards those hills.

No doubt about it.

- okay. Well, I'll tell you What let's do, quinn.

Let's make sure One of the detectives

Gets some photos Of these tracks here.

Lieutenant.

Yeah.

What you got?

- I found this matchbook In the van.

Hey.

- yeah. That's one Of my moves.

But my man crocker, He knows that.

[spits]

Look, if he is the one who left These matches in the van,

You think he was trying To tell us something?

- what? - well, I don't know.

Five matches bent over.

Five men?

What about five miles?

That's just about Where we are now.

Look, lieutenant,

Could I get somebody To run me back to the city?

- sure. We'll have Sergeant quinn drive you back.

[engine starts]

[dramatic music]

- hey, who you guys Working for?

I'm your friend, You know.

When my brother finds out I'm missing,

He'll go over this town With sandpaper

Till he finds me.

You guys are gonna be in A lot of trouble, you hear me?

You're nothing but a bunch Of dumb cowboys.

What the hell kind of a caper Is this anyway?

[knocks]

Listen, boobie.

You let us out now, We won't hold you to nothing.

No cops, no complaints, No testimony.

Deal?

[gunfire on tv]

Bunch of turkeys.

- are you sure you don't come From a lot of money?

Both my parents are dead.

All I've got is a sister who's The other half of our act.

What act?

- we're the only topless Twin magicians in the world.

Twins?

Yeah.

Magicians?

Yeah.

Topless?

[laughs]

Yeah.

[funky music]

Vicki adams addison,

Sister of the kidnapped.

This is where they were Going to work.

You want me to wait?

- no, that's all right, Sergeant.

[calliope music]

[applause]

- now, I told you, Lieutenant,

There is no reason in the world

Anyone would want To kidnap my sister, sally.

Could you hand me one of those Doves over there, please?

- oh, sure. - thank you.

- take the one right on The tightrope over here.

Come here.

Now do me a favor, Will you, vicki?

Call me theo.

Why are you doing All this?

Well, I, uh,

I hesitate, theo,

To repeat the oldest saying In my business.

But the show must go on.

Oh? I thought it was, uh,

"I got this girlfriend Who needs a job."

Mm-hmm.

That's a cute Little trick.

[chuckles]

Uh, you do sleight of hand, Right?

All of that, plus more.

Yeah? Like what?

- let me see. Like what?

Mmm...

Like this.

- oh. Well, that's one trick You better keep

Out of bloomingdale's.

Now look, obviously you've Got great powers of observation.

Did you notice What they were wearing?

Jewelry, shoes, Things like that?

I have a way of making my mind Go blank recalling those things.

Takes a few minutes.

A few drinks wouldn't hurt.

You know, my sister,

She'll be all right.

You know, her life Can't end crazy like this.

Being grabbed From the las vegas airport.

Doesn't make any sense.

You know, if I don't go On that stage tonight,

I'll die with worry And fear.

Hey, look,

You get changed, All right?

And, uh, I'll cancel the show And I'll wait for you outside.

[door opens and closes]

[sniffles]

[wistful music]

- one stick of gum For three cigarettes?

You've got it.

- you know, For a high-class agent,

You just made A lousy deal.

Yeah?

Wait'll you see what a light's Gonna cost you.

- aw, come on. - hey, wait a minute.

Wait a minute. Let me see this lighter.

It's gold. A dunhill.

My first gigolo Gave it to me.

Hey, where are you going With that?

- hey, whatever these guys Are planning to do,

They're willing to risk A kidnapping charge.

And a murder isn't A far jump from that.

What we've got to do is to have Some sort of plan to fight back.

Here hold this.

Keys.

Shells for my revolver.

Give me the lighter.

Sally, I need inspiration, Not a stage show, huh?

- sorry. - no, I'm sorry.

You're really being Terrific.

Now who says you have to be In new york to use a zip gun?

- bob, if you don't Have a gun...

Would a, uh, Bomb be a good idea?

A bomb?

A bomb.

- well, the tall guy Who grabbed sally

Had on work shoes For sure.

His hands were large, Strong,

And he had a lot of dirt Underneath his nails.

He wore a, uh, A gold ring on his right hand.

It was real old, Beat-up.

- he could be A factory worker,

Except there are No factories.

Could be an auto mechanic, Airplane mechanic.

You know, they knew that Airplane routine pretty good.

Yeah, right.

- you didn't see your sister Talking to any strangers

On the plane, did you?

Maybe to some [murmurs] Before you came out here,

And of course You didn't know about it?

Breaker channel 13.

This is roger the lodger Trying to raise old indian joe,

The pawnee prince. Do you copy, good buddy?

- ten-four, roger. Loud and clear.

Let's keep it short.

- that equipment that came in From new york today,

It's starting to give us Some real trouble.

- maybe you could take it Out of service for a while

If it starts Acting real bad.

I'll keep an eye on it.

[engine starts]

[suspenseful music]

♪

- oh, there's something else I just remembered.

The short guy.

Under his white coat He was wearing a white shirt.

A suit.

He had cuffs And cufflinks.

- a kidnapper who wears cuffs At 9:00 in the morning?

- yeah. Like I think He needed a shave.

Like maybe he was Just got off work

And didn't have time To change.

- all right. Who wears cuffs now And gets off work

At 9:00 in the morning?

A dealer.

Hey, good thinking.

- what do you know About this agent they grabbed?

This mae rainey?

She's famous.

She manages half the big names In vegas.

She advises them On their love lives,

She advises them On their careers,

Their investments, Even their love life.

- oh. The kind of person Who makes a lot of enemies.

Why?

- well, because, vicki, If your sister was kidnapped

For no reason, and crocker And his prisoner were taken,

They were taken along Like the, uh--

The lieutenant thinks,

That's all part Of the smokescreen.

And there's no way of knowing Whether this mae rainey

Was the real target or not.

Look, I'd like you To call the sergeant

At the sheriff's office.

Get a list Of all the names

Of the dealers who came to work At 12:00.

I got about five minutes to kill Before the show is over.

What show?

The liberace show.

The way I understand it,

He was one of the first clients She was coming to see.

[laughs]

What do we got there?

Roulette.

And I got about as much chance Of reimbursing my men here

As I do with being paid off By the department.

Round and round she goes,

And where the mug shows up Nobody knows, right?

- hi, theo. - yeah. How are you?

Last time I saw you, you were Pulling grease in new york.

Go ahead.

- there. - good luck.

- twenty-five red.

You happy now?

Sure. Why not?

- you keep it quiet, And I will.

[piano music]

[applause]

"Dancing waters."

- excuse me, mr. Liberace, I'm lieutenant kojak,

New york police Department.

I'd like to ask you A couple of questions

About your business manager, Mae rainey.

You have a moment?

- oh, I got hours To talk about mae rainey,

But let me get out Of this thing first, okay?

I know how a turkey feels when He's wrapped in aluminum foil.

We got a problem.

This new york cop is not being Steered off into the desert

Like the rest.

He's got wayne figured out To be a dealer,

And me a mechanic At the airport.

Next thing you know, He's gonna have

Your name and address Over there.

He's crowding us hard.

- all we need to buy Is another 15 hours.

Slow him down.

We didn't go this far To back off now.

[phone line disconnects]

- that's right, Lieutenant.

Mae rainey has turned Into an absolute disaster.

Well, mr. Liberace, uh,

She was your Business manager.

You picked her.

She was coming here to las vegas To see you.

- that's right. I asked her to come here,

Because she's been giving me Inexcusable

Professional advice.

Oh? What was that?

- she's invested clients' money In a franchise

That's a total rip-off.

- oh? Any connection with her Disappearance today?

- well, I'm not the only one Involved.

There's another friend Of mine.

- mr. Liberace-- Can I call you lee?

Please do.

- look, if this friend of yours Is connected...

I mean, I promise total Anonymity.

But I would appreciate it If you gave me his name.

- like I say, He's a friend.

His name is doc severinsen.

I mean, he fell for the scheme As bad as I did.

You know, after all, Frozen yogurt on a stick.

It melts in 10 seconds And falls off the stick.

Yuck.

[chuckles]

Well, I can't see doc severinsen Wasting mae rainey

Because of frozen yogurt on A stick, you know what I mean?

I was hoping for something A little more--

A little more Threatening.

- anybody who dresses As conspicuously as we do

Don't dare Step out of line.

Do you have any idea what One of these costumes weighs?

No.

- this one weighs Over 30 pounds.

- you're kidding. - yeah.

It's made out of one Of kate smith's old beaded bags.

- [laughs] - and I don't have them cleaned.

I have them polished.

- oh - yeah.

- uh, anyway, thank you Very much, lee.

- you're welcome. - uh...

Hey, look, I'm a little bit Embarrassed,

But one of my men Would never forgive me

If I didn't come back With your autograph.

- so would you mind? - yeah. What's his name?

- uh, well, make it out To his mother.

- florence. - florence.

Oh, I got a picture Of this costume here.

- here. To florence, eh? - yeah.

Okay.

To florence, With love.

- how's that? - hey, lee, that's wonderful.

- [car horn honks] - yeah.

They'll be flying up From mexico

About 6:00 tomorrow night.

Any idea what the conditions Will be?

- we expect clear weather All the way from sonora

To the canadian border Through tomorrow night.

Okay, thanks.

Well, it looks good For tomorrow.

Mccarran tower says There's clear weather

All the way from sonora To the canadian border.

Oh, it's gonna work.

- it's gonna work. - you bet it is.

- I'll do that. I have a steady hand.

Thank you.

Do you mind if I ask?

What?

- what kind of crook You are?

Crook?

You mean, you never heard Of the whitley brothers?

- the marx brothers, yes. The whitley brothers, never.

- ha! - so I'm dumb.

So tell me.

- I'll tell you. I'll tell you.

They smuggle marijuana. Hundreds of tons a year.

And they shoot people That get in their way,

Like a particular cop In new york

Who stumbled onto one of their Trucks a month ago.

- huh. Ask him if that cop Can identify me.

That officer is dead.

Hey, what are you doing?

Crumb.

- well, it turns out There's an agency

That coordinates All the casinos.

Now they'll call us In the morning

And report any employees On the midnight shift

Who didn't show up For work tonight.

So, what did you learn?

- huh? Oh, liberace wears A 35-pound cape.

You can't put a yogurt popsicle On a stick,

Because it'll fall off And like that.

What?

[laughs]

[suspenseful music]

What happened?

You got a flat.

[dramatic music]

♪

- sorry, uh, Have any of you girl--

[laughs]

I was just about to ask The dumbest question.

Have any of you girls Seen a man lately?

In a big hurry.

Excuse me.

[girls laugh]

[all chatter]

- theo, a car just drove by me In a great big hurry.

It was a jeep with two red Lights on the top.

Black-and-white markings.

- sounds like one of those Jeeps from the posse.

- I thought they were The good guys.

So did I.

- theo, it's been Almost 24 hours

And nobody's heard a word On this kidnapping.

I don't understand it At all.

Things I don't understand Scare me.

- well, I'll tell you This much, frank.

I think it's amateurs.

And I think They're stalling for time.

You know, someone shot a tire On vicki's car about midnight,

In the parking lot After I spoke to liberace.

- what was that supposed To accomplish?

- I don't know. Scare us off?

Waste our time Reporting it to the police.

Anything to buy some time, Distract our attention.

Well, why you?

You must have turned up Some lead

That's got them worried.

What have you got?

- well, vicki noticed A few things

When they grabbed her sister At the airport.

We think one of the kidnappers Is a mechanic.

Another is possibly A dealer or a pit boss.

Works an early morning shift.

We'll be getting a list Later this afternoon

From the casino Protection agency, go over it.

Looking for a likely type.

What about the matchbook

That crocker left for you In the van?

We missing a clue there?

- well, you tell me, frank. He bent down five matches,

Like I do when I light them One-handed.

Now, why bother to tell me There were five kidnappers?

That doesn't help.

Well, maybe it's distance.

Didn't you say They abandoned the van

5 miles from the airport?

- so? I don't need matches To tell me that.

No, I think it's time. Minutes.

Five minutes, maybe.

Like maybe they took them out Of the van someplace

That was only five minutes From the airport.

- uh-huh. And then abandoned The van in the desert

To throw the police off. Well, it's possible.

- well, in about 30 minutes, This whole jeep posse squad

Out here is gonna scour That desert looking for clues.

Vicki's out trying to borrow us A jeep so we can join them.

- well, theo, if it's a wild Goose chase, why bother?

It's just possible, frank,

That the person Who shot out my tire

Is a member of that posse.

They're not regular cops, You know.

They're just citizens who donate Their time and vehicles.

And nobody says a couple Of them can't be rotten apples.

Now I'm gonna go out there,

Check if any of them are Mechanics or dealers,

Who could in some way Be involved in this.

Well, we're all here Pulling for you.

You know that.

Yeah, frank. I know.

[upbeat music]

♪

- hey, russ, Glad you could make it.

Park over there Alongside old charlie.

You don't look too good, joe.

- no, no, no. I'm sure of it.

It was one of those jeeps That shot at my car.

- you must have been mistaken Miss addison.

These are all good citizens Who donate their time

And their vehicles For law and order.

- you know, Once upon a time,

I remember reading About this fireman.

He used to set matches To places.

You know why?

He wanted to ride in back Of that hook and ladder

At 60 miles an hour.

- you think somebody In the posse did this kidnapping

Just so they could ride around Out here for 15 hours

In 130-degree heat?

You got yourself a jeep.

I hope you'll join us And get in on the fun.

Hey, quinn.

Yeah?

- can I look at your list Of deputies?

Banker, car salesman, Doctor,

Salesman, real estate, Airplane mechanic.

Russ barton.

- yeah. And look who drives With him in jeep 14.

That's joe wayne.

He's a dealer At the hacienda hotel.

What's the third name here?

- his name Isn't checked off.

I guess he didn't show up. It's phil reed.

He's the owner of the sunset Pawn and loan company.

Lieutenant.

Yeah?

- how far is that sunset pawn And loan company

From the airport?

Oh, about five minutes or so.

Do me a favor.

Will you send somebody Down there to check it out?

Make sure none of our hostages Are being held there.

- phil reed's place? Are you serious?

Lieutenant, I mean, This is las vegas, right?

I'm entitled To one hunch, okay?

Just one time?

Okay.

I'll send quinn.

All right fellas. Let's move out.

[engine starts]

- we'll wait until the posse Works its way

A good 55 miles Off of the wrong road.

- uh-huh. - then we'll swing west

And meet up with phil At the landing strip.

Yeah

- russ, that new york Detective

Paired himself up With you and joe.

Keep him in sight, Will you?

We wouldn't want him Getting lost out here.

- no. We don't want that At all.

[engine revs]

[banjo music]

[horn honks]

♪

[banging on door]

Put that down.

You been banging on that door For 20 minutes.

- what's wrong? - what's wrong? Everything.

That crook over there Makes passes at me,

And miss sticky fingers here Takes my personal belongings.

- I didn't take anything. - oh, come on.

Give back the lighter.

Reed. Reed, you in there?

It's andy quinn.

Get back! Get back!

Get in that car. Come on!

Turn around! Turn around!

Give me your gun.

Slowly. Give me your gun.

All right.

Come on. Get in there.

Get in there!

[door slams]

[engine starts]

[dramatic music]

♪

There goes our escort.

- I thought you said you were A master wheelman.

Did I say that?

No, no.

I said you were safe as being In your mama's arms.

- only I got you lost. - [laughs]

- this is russ barton To the sheriff's search party.

We're following Some tracks east.

About 60 miles Off the highway.

Repeat, we're heading east,

Following new set Of jeep tracks.

Anybody want to head Toward glory mountain,

We'd appreciate The assistance.

- okay, russ. We copy you.

All available units,

Let's give russ barton a hand Over by glory mountain.

- east of here? I don't believe it.

- why? - hey, you know,

I know radios from operating Them in new york

With all those Tall buildings.

That mountain is directly East of us,

And he's coming in too clear To be on the other side of it.

He's heading west.

And he's heading everybody In the wrong direction.

Like this whole damn Kidnapping.

[engine starts]

[country music]

♪

- 300 e.T., This is headquarters.

- do you read us? - affirmative. Go ahead.

- we just got a call From the border patrol.

Radar spotted that plane They've been trying to track.

Heading our way.

Refuses to answer Radio contact.

They want to know If you can blanket

The suspected Landing area again.

Negative.

We've got all available units Here on this mission.

Give them my regrets.

Affirmative.

[engine starts]

That's too bad.

We almost had that runway Pinned down last week.

- when you're lost Climb a tall tree,

My daddy used To always say.

- oh, yeah. Sure enough, There they are, heading east.

It'll take us a half-hour To catch up, if we're lucky.

Come on.

[upbeat music]

[engine starts]

We hit the ground.

We help whitley unload As fast as possible.

- with any luck, We're off again

And on our way to salt lake city In 20 minutes.

- what'd you bring her for? - you're lucky I'm here at all.

The cops came to my place.

Don't worry. They didn't get A chance to follow.

I saw a truck go down The runway about 15 minutes ago.

Plane should be here Any minute.

[banjo music]

♪

- okay. - all right. Let's go.

- okay, whitley, We're taking over.

- you know, Barton and his friends

Must have spotted This landing strip

The last time They searched for it

And kept the information From the police.

Then they decided to-- To rip off this load of cargo.

Marijuana, probably.

- okay. That's it. Outside. Outside.

All right. All right.

- come on, reed. Wayne, get in here.

Get down.

Get down.

- lieutenant hawkins, This is kojak.

Do you read me?

- affirmative. Go ahead.

Look, about 20 miles West of the paved road,

There's a landing strip.

Yeah, I want you To listen for a plane.

And hurry, We need help.

- you've got it. We'll be right there.

Hey.

- whoa. - how do you like that?

Look at that.

- you know, I'd have killed anybody

If they got in our way.

- look at this. There's tons in here.

Let's try it.

- two million. It smells like dynamite.

How's the fuel?

[indistinct response]

[dramatic music]

♪

Can't you do anything?

No.

There's a million places They can land up north.

Hey, look, just let's pray That your sister and crocker

Are all right, okay?

Other than that, I'm leaving this town a loser.

Big loser.

I'll get that for you.

[explosion]

- get a fire extinguisher! Put that out!

[dramatic music]

Get a fire extinguisher!

- take her down, russ. Take her down!

- oh, my god. They're landing again.

[coughs]

[coughing]

- wasn't that a great landing, Kojak?

They're still flying, baby.

Sally!

Oh...

- let's get out of here, Before we fly away.

[upbeat music]

♪

- here you are. - hey, crocker!

- ta-da!

- hey, good to see you back, Bobby.

- well, I'll tell you, I'd like to--

- I just talked To the sheriff in vegas.

Apparently when they grabbed Whitley at the airport,

They had no idea it was his Brother's operation

They were trying To hijack.

- it was pure coincidence. - well, thanks to their caper,

We came out way ahead.

- listen, we just delivered both Whitley brothers to the d.A.

- nice work. - thanks.

Oh, saperstein. Here.

I got something priceless For your mother.

- "From liberace, With love, to florence."

- that's from him, really? - real thing, baby.

All 65,000 sequins.

- you, uh... - see this?

Uh, this sally,

If she's anything Like her sister,

She must have been Something.

- well, lieutenant, She taught me a few things.

You're kidding. Like what?

Uh, want your watch back?

Oh.

What'd she teach you?

Uh...

Uh...

[playful music]

♪