Dark City (1950) Movie Script
1
- Coffee.
- Be with you in a second.
- Mm, another raid, huh?
- Yeah.
'Eight ten, five and a half.
'Six fifteen, four sixteen...'
Come on. Let's go.
- Stick around, Soldier.
- Come on, let's get out of here.
Just a moment.
Tell Danny to take care of this.
OK, mister, here's your coffee.
Don't bother,
I've lost my appetite.
- Hey, Bobby.
- Oh, hi, Danny.
- Wanna do me a favour?
- Sure.
Take this over to Fran Garland
at Sammy's caf.
- OK.
- Hey!
Gee, thanks!
- Come on, Soldier.
- All right, Danny.
The administration boys
must be taking the election seriously.
Barney said for you to call
and take care of everything.
I don't know why they always
have to wreck the joint.
Second time in three months.
Barney must be sending the pay-off money
to his grandmother.
Place is closed.
Barney said to give you this.
Mr Vincent?
It's Dan Haley.
We just got raided again.
I thought that last $2,000
was the clincher.
Mr Vincent, you stink.
No, just Barney and Augie,
and the least you can do
is get down there with the bail.
Me? Just lucky.
And a happy Easter to you.
We're shut down for repairs.
Just wanted to see if my boys
have overlooked anything.
- Who are you?
- Who are you?
- Captain Garvey, Vice Squad.
- I'm Dan Haley.
This is Soldier. Soldier was welter champion
of the 19th division.
Haley, you run this?
I got a piece of it,
penny ante stuff.
Yeah, well, you hustle yourself
a sucker, huh?
I haven't seen one lately.
Unless it's me. I paid for protection,
didn't you know?
Look him over, Philly.
He's clean, Captain.
Are you clean, Haley?
Immaculate.
How'd you get in on this set-up?
You don't look like a hoodlum.
Neither do you, Captain.
OK, Haley, we don't have
a thing on you yet.
But I expect I'll be seeing you.
Maybe he's right at that -
there's no future around here.
That's right, Danny.
This joint's washed up.
Remember Swede,
the old middle-weight champ?
I get a Christmas card from him
every year.
He was smart, saved up his dough.
Got a place in Las Vegas.
Everything's legal there.
I don't wanna walk without you
Baby
Walk without my arm about you
Baby
I thought the day you left me behind
I'd take a stroll
and get you right off my mind
But now I find...
Hi, Danny. I hear you got raided.
That's tough.
The cops have been there so often,
it's beginning to look like a precinct station.
You ought to have seen what they used to do
to this place when it was a speak.
Why'd you have to turn off
all the sunshine?
Oh, baby, please come back
Or you'll break my heart for me
Cos I don't wanna walk without you
No, siree
Be back in a minute, Saul.
I'm glad you're OK, Danny.
Come on over here.
- I waited till you came to open it.
- Go ahead. Happy Easter.
Oh, isn't it darling?
Nobody's given me anything like this
since I was in the eighth grade.
I guess I'm not the type.
I'm sorry about the raid, Danny.
What are you gonna do?
Well, the boys are out on bail,
but we're closed down.
If I had enough money, I'd move on.
This is a dead end.
I suppose that means we break up, too?
- Where would you go?
- I'd go someplace. Anyplace.
Another dead end?
You know, I can almost
read your mind sometimes, Danny.
Especially when you get
that kind of funny look in your eye.
What are you looking for, Danny?
I'm not looking for anything.
- You just wanna be left alone?
- That's right.
Don't you ever get tired
of being left alone?
No.
What kind of a girl was she?
The girl who took you over the jumps.
I knew there was one, I can tell.
What do you want me to say?
You could just say, "Fran, I love you."
Just once you could say it.
I told you from the beginning
I didn't want to get involved, Fran.
Danny, you can't live
without getting involved.
I can try, can't I?
Saul's getting impatient.
That last number sounded OK
when I came in.
We're a great pair.
I have no voice and you have no ear.
Thanks, Danny.
Take it from the beginning, Saul.
Let's knock 'em dead.
Don't knock, just tap a little,
and try and keep that tune in your head.
If I had a head, I wouldn't be doing
a lot of things I'm doing.
I don't wanna walk without you
Baby...
That ought to hold now.
It's a lot better with a chain.
- Give us more time.
- To do what? Jump out the window?
Hey Barney,
you know what the doc said -
you start that again,
you'd split your gut wide open.
All right, Soldier, I won't touch it.
Come on, Danny,
sit in for a couple of hands.
No percentage - playing cards with you two
is like washing your feet with your socks on.
It'd kill some time.
He'd rather play
with that dame down the street.
He's a music lover.
- It's time, Soldier.
- Never mind!
I'll get it, Punchy.
My name ain't "Punchy".
Well, it ought to be.
You're about the punchiest...
Shut up, Augie.
Why did I have to get ulcers?
The way we've been getting raided,
it's a wonder we haven't all got them.
That's interesting coming from
a little man who wasn't there.
- There's your medicine, boss.
- Thanks, Augie.
I have to drink it slow. The doctor says
it puts a coat on my stomach.
Sure, sure, makes a good coat.
Look what I did.
Hey, there's a hole in it!
Party Fun, "Hole in One".
And you fell for it. Boy, are you a mess!
- Listen, you stupid...
- Get your hands off me!
Cut it out, Augie!
- What's the matter? Can't you take a joke?
- Some joke!
- I'll have to send this to the cleaner's.
- I'll be down at Sammy's.
Sure! He's got a nice thing down there.
Darling, there has never been
A love that's so right
All I want to do
Is hold you ever so tight
Oh, how I wish
I could see you tonight
That's a letter from a lady in love
Darling, when I saw you
My poor heart skipped a beat
I'll thank my lucky stars again
We happen to meet
You'll never know
How I love you, my sweet
That's a letter from a lady in love
I wonder what happened
Why you went away
I haven't seen you for an age
And all the sweet nothings
That you used to say
Are written right here on this page
Darling, if you ever leave me
How I would cry
I could never measure up to you
But I'll try
Did I say, "I love you"?
I can't say goodbye
That's a letter from a lady in love...
You should've tasted the scotch they gave
us in England. That was the real stuff.
Boy, they gave us everything.
Couldn't do too much for us then.
- I'll have another.
- Make me one too, George.
- How about letting me buy you one?
- Thanks.
This gentleman is from the air forces,
Mr Haley.
Defended England during the war.
Did a good job.
England's still there.
Ah, there'll always be an England.
- Hey, what is this, a rib?
- No.
George was a gunner in England.
I was with the 79th Bombardment
at Steeple Norton.
Yeah? I was with the 364th
Fighter Group at Huntington.
I knew some of the guys in the 364th.
What's your name?
Winant. Arthur Winant.
1st Lieutenant.
What squadron were you in?
Well, I... I wasn't a pilot, really.
I was a special service officer.
Same war.
I guess maybe I was shooting my mouth off
a little too much.
Did I say, "I love you"?
I can't say goodbye
That's a letter from a lady in love
Say, Danny,
Fran's been killing 'em tonight.
Is she your gal?
It's a free world. We go out.
I was just thinking, if she wasn't,
I'd sure like to meet her.
We could probably arrange it.
Where are you from?
- Los Angeles.
- What do you do?
Oh, about the same thing
as in the Army.
I'm an athletic vendor for a club in L.A.
I came east to buy
some athletic equipment.
I got a brother flying in from Montreal
tomorrow night. He's gonna help me.
- Here you are. Keep the change.
- Thank you.
Hello.
Miss Garland, this is Mr Winant
of Los Angeles,
late of the Army's special services.
- How do you do?
- How do you do?
I enjoyed your singing very much,
Miss Garland - really terrific.
- Thank you very much.
- You have quite an admirer in Mr Winant.
You certainly have.
I, er... was just wondering,
Miss Garland...
Pardon me for interrupting you two,
but I'll have to be running along.
- Got a little game of cards.
- A game? But I thought...
Private game.
Why don't you come up
after the show tonight?
Anything you say, Danny.
See you around.
Keep 'em flying.
Oh, er, Mr Haley...
- Place far from here?
- Just around the corner. Why?
I was just thinking, er...
if the game isn't too steep,
I wouldn't mind losing a couple of bucks.
You'd be in pretty rough company.
I've been
in rough company before.
Usually hold my own.
I'm glad to hear it.
OK, you're over 21.
All right.
See you later, Miss Garland.
Let me take that, Lieutenant,
I'll hang it up for you.
Thanks.
What do you say,
we start with $50 each?
- Fine with me.
- Cut for deal?
Oh, er... no offence, fellas, but what do you
say one of you sits out the game and deals?
That way I only have to watch
one dealer instead of three.
No objection.
OK, I think I'll pick my friend here.
You're a pretty cagey player.
Well, after all I don't know you fellas,
you're strangers.
And this isn't exactly the first game
I've ever played in.
My brother taught me
quite a bit about poker.
Your brother must be quite a guy.
Yeah, he is.
Let's make it interesting.
Oh, er... before I forget it, er...
Do you mind if we slot a two o'clock
deadline? Got a big day tomorrow.
Yep, Sidney's quite a guy.
I used to go on fishing trips with him.
Then he let me carry his fish home
and say they were mine.
Some brother!
Yep!
I remember one time
I ran into a guy with my bike.
I was about eight years old then.
The guy slapped me,
and I told my brother about it.
The next day
I pointed the guy out to him.
Now, at the time, Sidney was only 17,
and the guy was full-grown.
But let me tell you,
Sidney almost killed him.
They held him in custody until they were sure
the guy was gonna live.
Some brother!
Hello, Miss Garland!
- I guess you're good luck for me, huh?
- Always glad to be of service.
He's won almost every hand
the last three hours.
It's getting late, isn't it?
I'm sure it's past two o'clock.
That's our deadline.
Give us a chance to get even.
You're 120 bucks into me.
He's over 60 into me.
Last hand.
All right. Let's make it twenty.
Two.
I'll take two.
I'll take two cards.
All right. Twenty more.
I'll see you and raise you twenty.
He's too lucky for me.
Call you.
Beat two pair.
- I thought you were bluffing.
- You can't do it.
OK.
Check me out.
All right.
That makes $325.
- Here's your coat, Lieutenant.
- Thanks.
Oh.
Buy yourself a cigar.
I hope you won't be offended, but, er...
you know it's considered bad luck
not to take care of the dealer.
Thank you very much.
Hey, er...
How about giving us a chance
to get even?
Well, it's a little late right now,
but what about tomorrow night?
- OK.
- About seven?
Fine. Er, Miss Garland...
Would you have dinner with me
tomorrow night before the game?
- I'll have to think about it.
- All right.
First he takes all our dough,
now he wants to take Danny's girl.
I guess that's what they mean
by "special service".
- All right, I'll see you at the club, then.
- You sure you won't forget about the game?
Oh, no, I'll be here.
I gotta pick up my brother at the airport,
so I have to quit 11:30, win or lose.
Win or lose - it's all the same to us,
as long as we're having a good time.
Sure, that's all that matters -
having a good time.
Well, good night, all.
Good night.
Soldier, my cream.
In the bottle.
Suppose he don't come back.
- We're out all the dough we got in the world.
- He'll come back.
Won't he, Danny?
Yeah, he'll come back.
Come on, I'll take you home.
I hope he doesn't show up.
He will. That kind of sucker
always shows up.
What's worth such an elaborate set-up?
A $5,000 cashier's cheque.
Poor guy!
He took our money.
He was willing to win from us.
This set-up, it's dog eat dog.
I had to learn it the hard way.
I didn't get it in one easy lesson.
- Does that go for puppies, too?
- Record or Journal?
Both.
- No, keep it.
- Thanks.
Don't you wanna know
what's going on in the world?
What's going on in the world stinks.
With your share of the $5,000
you'll leave, won't you?
You're going to walk out.
I don't know.
I think you know, Danny.
- I don't like to be needled this way, Fran.
- There are a lot of things I don't like either.
I don't like working in that place.
I don't like guys looking at me
the way they do.
I don't like any part of this.
But I have to take it
because I have to live.
What's your excuse, Danny?
I'm tired of talking and getting no answers.
I'm tired of making believe
that everything's just fine between us.
I don't like it this way.
I don't want it this way.
There's no other way, Fran.
I thought that was understood.
Sure it was understood -
you understood it, I didn't.
Everything for you, nothing for me.
I'm in the same boat
with that dope Arthur.
Make it ten.
I'll call.
Three kings.
That's tough.
I've got a full house.
Gee!
I've, er... I haven't won a hand
in over an hour.
You've just hit a bad streak.
Maybe he needs Fran around
to bring him luck.
- She stood me up at dinner tonight.
- Never trust a woman, Arthur.
That's the way luck goes.
Bad for a while,
all of a sudden it'll get good.
Twenty.
I'm out.
I'll take two.
Check to you.
- Twenty.
- I'll call.
- Two pair.
- Not good enough.
Well, that cleans me.
That's too bad. It's still so early.
If you wanna go on with the game, Arthur,
I could let you have $100.
No, thanks.
If I lost,
how would I pay you back?
Who wouldn't lend money to a guy who's got
a cheque for $5,000 in his pocket?
Hey, now, wait a minute!
Not that cheque, it's not mine.
I wouldn't use it
no matter what happened. Thanks.
What time is it anyway?
Ten o'clock.
You still got a couple of hours to kill.
Yeah, and I got a feeling
I can still take you guys.
Danny, I'll take that $100.
Look, er...
This really isn't my money.
It belongs to the club.
What's the matter, Augie,
couldn't you play it on the level?
Isn't the house percentage
good enough for you?
What's your beef?
We got his dough, didn't we?
Danny, was the game on the level?
A guy like that cheats himself
just by sitting down.
I'm sorry I got mad the other night.
It doesn't matter.
Everybody gets mad sometimes.
- Now that you've got your money...
- I haven't got it yet.
Barney thought he ought to clear the cheque
through a friend of his.
When you do, you'll be leaving.
I'm not sure
I feel like going anywhere now.
Oh, Danny...
Don't close in on me anymore, Fran.
That's all.
- I won't.
- Good.
Hey, son. Let me have one.
Maybe we can catch a movie.
Danny! Danny!
- It says...
- Says what?
"Arthur Winant, identified
as a resident of Los Angeles,
"hanged himself last night in his room
at the Wellington Hotel.
"The body was discovered
by the dead man's brother."
Yellow jerk, knocking himself off.
You shouldn't have brought him here.
Or maybe you shouldn't have
crimped the cards.
You shouldn't have done it.
You shouldn't have cheated the Lieutenant.
- What's the matter with you?
- Let him alone, Augie!
I don't like him around here.
That dumb look on his puss all the time!
Guys like you ought to be put away.
Well, there's nothing we can do
about the cheque now.
If they track it down, they'll say
we forced him to sign it. I don't like it.
I don't care what you don't like.
I want my dough.
I talked to our lawyer,
and he said not to cash it.
- This could be a tough wrap.
- Give me that cheque!
Barney's right!
The cheque's got dynamite in it now.
Maybe a little later we'll see
what we can do about it.
This whole thing gives me the creeps.
All day long I've had the feeling
I was being followed.
What are you waiting for, Punchy?
Answer it.
Hello?
Yeah.
1752 Meredith Street, room 207.
- Who was that?
- I don't know. He didn't give no name.
- You told him the address.
- What did you do that for?
Because I was hoping it was the cops,
cos I wish somebody'd come down
and kill the whole murdering lot of you.
- Relax, jerk.
- The Lieutenant was a good guy.
- You didn't have no right to cheat him.
- Soldier, look...
You're worse than
the rest of them, Danny.
They don't know no better.
You're worse than all of them.
- Who is it?
- Fran.
I've been calling all evening.
Did you just get in?
No, I've been here.
Why didn't you answer the phone?
There was nobody I wanted to talk to.
You want me to go?
No.
I know you feel bad, Danny.
I feel fine.
I'm glad you're here.
Are you?
Sure I'm glad.
- How long can you stay?
- An hour.
I go on again in an hour.
Hey...
That hurt.
You're a million miles away, Danny.
I don't know where I am.
You're here with me.
Yeah, OK, Fran. Yeah, OK.
Let it ring.
Maybe it's important.
What's important?
I don't know what's important to you.
Don't you ever need anybody, Danny?
- What for?
- Just to need.
Stop ringing!
Hello?
What do you want, Barney?
Danny, I couldn't sleep.
I feel awful.
My stomach is churning
like a washing machine.
'Take your pills, Barney.'
Danny, you wouldn't come over?
Maybe it's just nerves, but...
like I told you today,
I felt I was being followed.
It was the same thing tonight,
all the way home.
- I'm tired. Call Augie.
- 'I tried. He's not home.'
Danny, I've got the shakes.
I thought I heard someone
on the fire escape.
Go and look. You've got a gun.
'Not since the raid. You've got it.'
Look, Barney,
you're imagining things.
Now take your pills and go to sleep.
'And don't call me anymore.
I'll see you tomorrow.'
If you'd just come over for...
Danny!
Did you lock that door?
- Oh, hello, Barney.
- You're late getting home, aren't you?
- Since when does that interest you?
- I just felt lonesome.
There wasn't anybody outside
when you came in, was there?
Say, are you all right?
- What's the matter with you?
- You haven't got a drink, have you?
Any kind of a drink.
Your ulcers must have taken
a turn for the better.
And don't forget the loan.
- You wouldn't let me come in?
- Good night, Barney.
Sit down, boys.
That's all, Sergeant.
Well, Haley, I didn't think
we'd meet again soon.
Neither did I.
They transferred me
to Homicide for this case
because they knew
that you and I were old friends.
Well, boys, how'd he look to you?
Same old Barney.
Yeah, that's how I always look at corpses,
with my eyes closed.
D'you know any reason
why Barney'd wanna hang himself?
No.
I mean, was he being threatened by anyone?
Did he owe any money?
He was sick.
He was always worrying about it.
The autopsy showed
that he had one small bleeding ulcer.
Not enough for him to hang himself.
You see, the point is, he didn't.
The facts are, he died from strangulation,
not from hanging.
When he was found, there was
a small welt on his neck from this.
Right here.
And there was another welt a little lower
down, right smack across his Adam's apple.
Somebody snapped this rope
around his neck from behind,
choked the life out of him
and then strung him up.
Pretty?
Well, Augie,
your alibi holds up.
You were at a crap game last night.
Are we under arrest?
No.
No, guys like you seldom get arrested.
You get killed first.
You still don't figure in this racket.
Your alibi looks pretty good, too.
This, er... This girl, er, Fran Garland
swears that she was with you
at the time of the murder.
Who do you think did it?
In the business Barney was in
you make a lot of enemies.
Could've been any crank
disappointed over a two-buck bet.
- That how you feel about it?
- Sure.
What about this ex-pug
works over at your joint?
Soldier?
He couldn't have done it.
That guy couldn't last one round
with Barney's ulcer.
Anyway, Barney's been feeding him
for years. He loved Barney.
Augie...
You've been up three times.
And Haley, we don't have a thing
on you yet, but, er,
we get your fingerprints
and your right name.
You got my right name.
It's funny how things happen.
Thirty-six hours ago, this young fellow
from Los Angeles blew into town,
and - you must've read about it -
was taken to some gamblers.
He signed over
a $5,000 cashier's cheque,
money that wasn't his.
The he goes back to his hotel,
he gets up on a chair
with a rope around his neck,
ties the rope around the chandelier
and kicks the chair out from under him.
Twenty-four hours later,
a gambler's found hanging.
Does that ring a bell?
It's a big city.
It's a dirty mess.
Mrs Winant is flying in from Los Angeles.
We expect her any minute.
- Cos he left a kid, too.
- Tough.
It's kind of a peculiar case.
A brother found the body
and called the police.
Kept screaming that the guys
who fleeced Arthur were guilty of murder.
Sounded like a nut.
The police went to the hotel, and...
found the body all right, but no brother.
There was an open envelope
addressed to Sidney Winant.
But there was no note
and no Sidney Winant.
He just disappeared.
Tough.
No connection between Barney
and Arthur Winant?
Never heard of him.
Yes?
'Mrs Winant is here, Captain.'
Bring her in.
That's all, boys.
Don't worry,
I'll get in touch with you.
Follow me, please.
- All right, you. Let's go.
- We've got names.
Yeah? How many?
Looks like the brother got Barney.
- I sure feel like a drink.
- So do I.
- Soft.
- Are you kidding?
Come on.
His brother Sidney must've been the guy
that called Soldier and got the address.
Must've waited outside and seen Barney.
Barney thought he was being followed.
He saw all of us, then.
He knows who to look for.
I'd like to find that guy and talk to him.
Maybe he'll find you and he won't talk.
He doesn't sound like a guy that likes to talk.
Think he's still around?
He did it. Barney was just the start.
He sure is still around.
He came down from Canada, didn't he?
- Maybe he went back.
- Maybe.
- I'm spilling it all over here.
- Just like Barney.
Hey, look.
I bet she's gonna meet that brother.
Come on.
Well, it makes sense, don't it?
What are we gonna do,
just sit here like a couple of pigeons?
If we follow her, we'll really be pigeons,
all lined up for Garvey.
- Don't you know he's got us spotted?
- Since when did you start running things?
Look, Augie, I don't like you
any more than you like me.
As a matter of fact, I hate your guts,
but as long as someone's trying to kill us
both, we're forced into partnership.
Unless you've got a better idea,
we'll have to stick together.
Is that clear?
That old black magic
has me in its spell
That old black magic
that you weave so well
Those icy fingers
up and down my spine
The same old witchcraft
when your eyes meet mine
The same old tingle that I feel inside
And then that elevator starts its ride
And down and down I go
Round and round I go
Like a leaf that's caught in the tide
I should stay away,
but what can I do?
I hear your name
And I'm aflame
Aflame with such a burning desire
That only your kiss can put out the fire
For you're the lover I have waited for
The mate that fate had me created for
And every time your lips meet mine
Darling, down and down I go
Round and round I go
In a spin, loving the spin I'm in
Under that old black magic
Called love
I thought you'd left.
I got worried.
I just wanted a breath of air.
Let's take a walk by the river
and cool off.
I'd love to, Danny.
I wonder where it's going.
- Across the Styx.
- What?
In Greek mythology,
the Styx was the river over which
the souls of the dead were carried.
Also, even more appropriately,
called "the river of the underworld".
I don't know what you're talking about.
But it doesn't matter.
I love you, Danny.
Why don't you tell Garvey
about Arthur Winant?
Because the heat's on Garvey.
He's got to pin these hangings on someone.
It won't be me.
I know what I'm doing, Fran.
Please, let's not fight.
You need me almost as much
as I need you, Danny.
I know I could make you happy.
Fran, look, you're a nice kid,
but it wouldn't work out.
That's the way it is.
Is there somebody else?
No.
But there was.
And you wanted to marry her.
I did marry her.
And the next thing you knew,
she'd run off with some other guy.
So now you won't even
let yourself be human.
A girl walked out on you,
and you couldn't take it.
But you take it out on me.
Now you think every girl's a tramp that...
Come on,
I'll take you back to Sammy's.
I'm sorry,
there's no answer in Miss Miles' room.
May I take a message?
Thank you.
Can I have my key, please?
- What number, please?
- 224, Dan Haley.
I'm sorry, Mr Haley,
this is my first night here.
It's not here.
Oh, I remember, I gave the key to 224
to a gentleman just a few minutes ago.
You gave out my key?
I was taking a call at the time,
and this man just asked for the room number.
I'm terribly sorry.
- Shall I call the police?
- No.
I have an idea who it is,
a friend of mine.
- I'll get a duplicate key.
- No...
There's a vacant room next to mine,
isn't there? 225.
- That's right.
- Let me have the key to that.
And to the connecting door.
I want to surprise my friend.
We can forget your mistake.
- Thanks.
- That's all right, Mr Haley.
Augie.
I just dropped by to see what was doing.
I couldn't find Soldier.
The guy at the desk said you were out.
I thought I'd wait for you.
We're... We're in this together, Danny.
I sat around in the lobby...
I don't know, hours, I guess.
I saw a lot of funny-looking characters,
and it made me kind of jumpy.
There's a new guy at the desk.
I figured if I could get the key,
I could wait for you in the room.
- With a gun!
- I didn't figure he'd ring.
Look what happened to Barney.
You're gonna be a great help! I'd better hang
a bell on you, so I know where you are.
You don't have to get tough.
- You know what, Augie?
- What?
You're yellow.
I never saw you pick on anybody
that wasn't old or sick.
This is no time for us
to get in an argument.
Yeah, I know.
Get out, Augie.
Keep that gun in your pocket.
OK.
Soldier doesn't worry you, huh?
Soldier?
These guys just go nuts from punches
in the head. You never know with them.
You never know with anybody, Augie.
I'll relieve your mind, Haley.
That, er... That was just Lt Jackson
of the Homicide squad
taking Mrs Winant's train.
We try to show courtesy
to out-of-towners.
Come to think of it,
this is the scene of the crime, isn't it?
It's one of them, anyway.
Now, you ought to be more careful.
You know there's an old saying
about murderers returning
to the scene of the crime.
Yours must be a fascinating business,
Captain.
I want to see you at headquarters
in the morning, nine o'clock.
Nine o'clock sharp!
I asked you to come in, Haley,
because we got a very interesting letter
from the Adjutant General's office about you.
"Daniel H. Haley."
So that is your right name.
"Captain, US Army Air Corps."
You were court-martialled
in England in 1943 for killing a man.
I was acquitted.
But even after the acquittal,
you just couldn't keep out of trouble.
You were frequently unmanageable
and drunk on duty.
You killed an officer
from your own squadron. Why?
You have the letter.
It's all there.
In a fight over your wife.
Should also say it was my best friend.
Is that why you started hitting the bottle?
You know, a lot of your best friends die,
Haley, that's what interests me about you.
Where's your wife now?
She was English.
I suppose she's still in England.
I wish she were in...
- Are you divorced?
- Yeah.
You know, you never went home again
after you returned to the States.
Why was that?
Do you have a bad transcript, Captain,
or do you just enjoy the sound of my voice?
Your father was a West Point man,
he wouldn't forgive the scandal.
I can see how you got to be a detective.
Cornell, 1937-41.
I'm sure with those references you had
no trouble at all getting work in a bookie joint.
What did you do after college?
Sold insurance for a while.
Then the war came along, and my father
got his wish - I signed up to be a hero.
Yes, according to the record,
you did all right in that field.
That's the only reason you got off so light
in the court-martial.
That was a long time ago, Captain.
Not so long ago.
And Barney's death was quite recent.
How'd you think you're gonna get it?
With your protection,
I feel perfectly safe.
This is not for laughs.
I get paid to protect people.
I don't have to like 'em,
just protect them.
Now, Mrs Winant gave us some very
interesting information about Sidney Winant.
There was an unfortunate relationship
with his younger brother.
Sidney completely dominated him.
Protected the kid, and yet he'd demand
that he be best in everything he did.
It was kind of a father complex.
He's gonna kill you
unless we can stop him.
I don't plan to get killed, Captain.
What do you plan to do?
Stay out of trouble, keep out of his way.
Did you ever see a sheep
in a slaughterhouse?
He's scared, panicked.
The smell of death frightens him.
He knows there's danger,
but he can't tell what it is.
So he huddles with the rest of the flock,
moving when they move.
He's a good little sheep, just keeping
out of trouble, keeping out of the way.
Suddenly a gate opens,
and it's a way out.
He's running down a long passage,
because to the sheep,
it looks like the way to freedom,
but there's a man with a sledgehammer
waiting at the end.
You may get an opportunity to learn
how that sheep feels,
because there's still no trace
of Sidney Winant.
We, er... We had a letter from him
that was saying that justice would be done
if the police didn't interfere.
I got sixteen men out now
trying to track him down
because he's a homicidal case
with one up and two to go.
And you and Augie are Sidney Winant's
unfinished business,
and unless we get him first, he's gonna
get you just as sure as he got Barney.
I hope you find him.
You'd better hope.
What happened to that cheque, Danny?
Look, Captain, my present crime
is dealing cards in a bookie joint.
Is that what I'm being questioned about?
I'm so sick of seeing you guys come in here,
one after the other, I wanna throw up.
Every one a carbon copy
of the one before.
Every one going to shake the world
till it hollers uncle,
not caring who gets hurt
along the way,
and every one ending up
just like Barney.
Those are the kids out of the slums,
out of the gutter.
They got two strikes against them
before they steal their first apple.
But you've got no excuse for being here.
You killed a man. Why, I don't know,
it's got nothing to do with this case.
But unless you get hold of yourself,
you're going to end up
like all the rest of them.
One day, you're going
to lose that smile, Danny.
One day, you're going to hit bottom
and break every bone in your body.
And when that happens,
you'll be like all the rest of them.
You won't have the guts
to do anything but lie there.
Now get out of here.
And get out of town fast.
I wish I didn't love you so
My love for you
Should have faded long ago
I wish I didn't need your kiss...
No Soldier, no Sidney Winant, nothing.
- Bourbon. Double.
- Fine.
We got this guy on our tail,
we don't even know what he looks like.
Anyone you met in this room
might be Sidney Winant.
He know that, and he can see us -
wherever we are, whatever we do.
We can't see him. It's like being followed
by an invisible man.
I'll give him the cheque back
and get him to lay off.
You can't reason with a man you can't find.
That's why Garvey wants us out of town.
He doesn't want another killing
on his hands.
He's got a good point.
But I think I got a better one.
What?
This fellow Winant
comes from Los Angeles.
Maybe somebody in his hometown
knows where his brother is.
We can find him before he finds us.
- We can knock him off first.
- If we have to.
We'll go in separate planes.
I'll take the ten o'clock flight,
and you come on a later one.
We'll meet at the Union Station
in Los Angeles, noon Friday.
- And then what?
- I'll try and see Mrs Winant.
- The widow?
- Yeah.
You try to get a lead on Sidney.
You've looked up people before,
haven't you?
Yeah. And I found them.
What about the cheque? I don't like us
splitting up when you still got it.
If anything goes wrong,
I won't be hard to find.
No. I guess you wouldn't.
I wish I didn't need your kiss
Why must your kiss
torture me as long as this?
I might be smiling by now
With some new tender friend
Smiling by now
With my heart on the mend
But when I try...
- You're leaving, Danny?
- Yeah.
- Any message for Fran?
- No, no message.
Tell her that's the kindest thing
I ever did for her.
You're still there
I wish I didn't love you so
- You got the time, mister?
- You're late.
I got lost.
Come on, get in.
- What did you find out?
- Nothing. Nobody seems to know him.
Automobile Club, YMCA, a lot of places.
Nothing in any of them.
Everybody that knows Arthur clams up
when you mention the brother.
- You know what I think?
- All the time, Augie.
OK, OK, but we're not getting
anyplace here.
Look, the cheque's good.
It's got the jerk's signature on it, hasn't it?
It's just the two of us now,
so we split fifty-fifty.
- I don't wanna look for this guy no more.
- We'll try it for a week.
We ought to be able
to find a picture of him somewhere -
a high school yearbook, someplace.
We can't afford not to try.
Remember what happened to Barney.
If we don't find him in a week,
we cash the cheque and take our chances.
OK.
- Hello.
- Hi there.
Is this the Winant house?
Yep, but there's nobody home.
I'm watching the house.
I guess it must be pretty safe then.
- You want to see Mommy?
- That's right.
My mommy's shopping.
- What's your name?
- Mr Branton.
I'm Billy.
This looks like a pretty strong swing
you've got here, Billy.
- It is. My daddy made it.
- He did?
There's Mommy.
- Mommy!
- Billy!
- Hello, Mommy.
- Let me help you.
How do you do, Mrs Winant?
I'm Richard Branton
of the Empire Insurance Company.
I'm their investigator for this territory.
I tried calling you several times on the phone,
but there was no answer.
Well, since you have the packages,
won't you come in?
I'm hungry, Mommy.
When aren't you?
He's quite a boy.
Well, I think so.
Let me take your package.
Thank you.
- Now, Mr...
- Branton.
Mr Branton.
I've never heard my husband
mention anything
about having a policy with
the Empire Insurance Company.
Well, the policy was taken out on him
by Sidney Winant.
According to the report,
he's your husband's brother.
He's the beneficiary, but my company's
been unable to locate him,
and we felt perhaps you could help us.
You're the next beneficiary, and...
I haven't heard from him in some time.
Well, you must have some idea
where he is.
Your husband went east to meet him.
I had no idea that Arthur was planning...
I'm afraid I can't help you, Mr Branton.
But he must have some friends,
Mrs Winant.
- Could you give me the names of...
- No, Mr Branton, I can't. I'm sorry.
I've been through quite a bit recently.
The police back east
asked me so many questions.
They're looking for Sidney, too.
They think he killed one of the men
who robbed Arthur.
Robbed him?
Yes, robbed him.
Tricked him into playing cards.
Cheated him and robbed him
of money that wasn't his.
Robbed him of his self-respect.
And made him take his life.
He didn't have to play, and... when he lost,
he didn't have to kill himself.
If you did know Arthur,
you wouldn't say that.
How can I be sure that you are
who you say you are, Mr Branton?
How can I be sure that...
Please, I wish you'd go now.
I know how you feel, Mrs Winant.
If you should change your mind,
I'll be at the Wilshire Plaza for a few days.
Mr Branton...
Would my... Would my son and I
have to be involved?
You wouldn't be involved at all,
Mrs Winant.
It's simply a matter of
establishing identification.
Thank you.
- What is it you need?
- Any kind of a clue at all.
Letters or photographs.
My company is especially interested
in getting a picture of Sidney Winant
as proof of identity.
Well, we still have a lot of things
stored at the Careys' where we used to live.
- There might be some photographs there.
- Could we go there now?
Well, it's a little late.
I have to prepare dinner.
Could you be back here
at noon tomorrow?
All right.
Noon tomorrow, then.
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
- Who is it?
- Danny.
Where were you?
I waited in that drugstore till ten o'clock.
I thought something had happened.
It did.
- I don't feel good.
- Give me that.
- What did you do that for?
- Shut up!
If I catch you with a bottle again,
I'll break it over your head.
- Did you find out anything?
- No, I didn't.
I think I talked to one guy too many.
An old friend of Sidney's.
He kind of gave me the fish eye.
I think he knows where Sidney is.
I think he'll tell him.
I hope he does.
By tomorrow, we'll be ready for him.
Not me.
I'm getting out of here.
First big city I come to,
I'm gonna cash that cheque.
Don't make me laugh.
Give it to me!
You listen to me, you stupid jerk!
That's the last time
you ever pull a gun on me.
I said a week, and I meant it.
You'll do just what I tell you to do.
Please, you have to stop
that noise in there.
You're waking everybody up.
All right, Augie, you don't have to do
anything. Just sit there.
You'll scare yourself to death.
If I want you,
I'll get in touch with you.
If you want to do any more fighting,
mister, go someplace else.
We got a respectable trade here.
What's this?
"Away for a few days -
check me Monday. Mrs Carey."
Oh, no!
Oh, I'm terribly sorry about this.
I hope this won't upset your plans
too much.
Well, it does leave me
with a lot of time on my hands.
Yes.
I suppose I could do some sightseeing.
Oh, yes, there are lots of things to see.
Griffith Park,
the Planetarium, Ocean Park.
Olvera Street is charming!
Well, I'm not much of a sightseer.
Unless I have company.
Well, I...
I have to pick up Billy at school
Children love me
almost as much as dogs do.
You know, Mr Branton,
since the moment I saw you,
I've had the feeling
that I'd seen you before.
And maybe you have.
I've been lots of places.
What about it, Mrs Winant?
Well, since I got you here
under false pretences, I...
I suppose I'm really responsible for you.
Fine, get in.
There he is! Hi!
- Oh, boy! Ice cream!
- Ice cream.
- What about you?
- No, no.
Oh, sure. Come in.
Nice, big smile, please.
Hold it!
- OK, darling. Go on.
- My picture.
Thanks, Mr Branton.
I had a neat time.
That's all right, Billy.
Maybe we'll do it again sometime.
I should thank you, too,
for being so patient and so sweet to Billy.
I enjoyed it.
Well, I'll keep after the Careys.
Perhaps when I get the pictures,
you would like to come out for dinner.
I'd like it a lot. You wouldn't consider
making it tonight, would you?
Well, I... I haven't been going out.
To someplace quiet,
and maybe we could go for a drive.
I am a stranger.
All right, give me an hour, huh?
The star Altair is just rising above
the celestial horizon there to the east.
That point of light we see in the evening sky,
travelling 186,000 miles per second,
left Altair sixteen years ago.
And so the Griffith Planetarium
concludes this section
of tonight's demonstration
"The Stars of Spring".
Now, while the music plays,
we will watch the stars pursue their course
through one more night.
You know...
You forget how beautiful things can be.
It is beautiful.
Like the sky in Italy, the Riviera...
It's like a lot of things.
It's different, too.
You've been a lot of places
for an insurance salesman.
You're a pretty unusual person yourself
for a Los Angeles housewife.
Well, I...
I don't think things ever turn out
quite the way we plan them.
Were you living here in Los Angeles
when you married him?
No.
Arthur was headed overseas
when I met him in New York.
I was working
for the International Red Cross.
We were married after only a few weeks.
And Billy was three years old
when Arthur came back.
It was really unfair to expect he'd be
the way that I remembered him.
Arthur was a very understanding person.
Most war romances
needed a lot of understanding.
Well...
It wasn't just the uniform.
People really are different during the war.
I guess the stars are the only things
that never change.
That's only because we can't reach them.
Sometimes we think we can.
I'll check this last stack.
There won't be any pictures of Sidney
in there, Mrs Winant.
Because you don't have
any pictures of him.
No, it's true.
I destroyed them.
- You did what?
- I destroyed them.
But why?
Not because of the insurance.
For Billy's sake.
I've been afraid.
I've been afraid that...
that Sidney might do something to Billy.
That he might take Billy away from me.
If I had the money, I would...
I would take Billy away from here.
I would...
I would go back home to Europe.
Where we'd be safe.
I hope he's dead.
Why are you afraid of Sidney?
Because he's psychopathic.
He's what?
He was confined
in an institution for years.
Why haven't you told me this?
I didn't trust you then.
Anyhow, I didn't think
you'd keep on insisting.
I destroyed all the pictures I had of him.
I didn't want my son to be brought up
knowing that his uncle was insane.
I didn't want anyone to know.
And I am afraid.
Sidney was always jealous of me.
There's no way of knowing what he'll do.
Yet I... I can't feel sorry for him
taking revenge on those men.
'Hiya, Billy.
'I just got in this morning
and saw this recording place.
'Billy, I'm homesick already.
'I'd sure like to be back home
with you and your mommy right now.
'Er, Billy, will you do me a favour?
'Will you kiss her for me?
And, er...
'Oh, the signal! My time is up.
'My time is up.
My time is up. My time is up.
'My time is up.'
You play it too often, Billy.
It's getting worn out.
Say good night to Mr Branton now.
It's past your bedtime.
- Good night, Mr Branton.
- Good night, Billy.
Back in a minute.
It was one of those
"send your greetings home" records.
I got it the next morning.
Are you still in love with him?
No, I... I don't think I ever was.
When Arthur came back from the war,
we were strangers.
Do you have to sell this place?
Well, I still have two mortgages on it.
It was hard enough to manage
when Arthur was alive.
Well, don't be in too much of a hurry.
I mean, you've had nothing but bad breaks,
maybe you're ready for a good one.
- What do you mean?
- The policy.
I'm leaving for Las Vegas
on another matter.
Then I'm going back to Chicago.
If we haven't been able to find Sidney Winant
by then, the money goes to you.
I expect $10,000 would help.
It would take care of everything.
Well...
I'll call you before I leave.
Look, Victoria...
I have to tell you something.
My name isn't Branton. It's...
It's Dan Haley.
I'm one of the gamblers
who played cards with your husband.
I remember now.
I saw you in Captain Garvey's office.
Sidney was determined to kill everyone
who had anything to do with it.
He's got one of us already.
I came here to find him
before he found me.
Get out, please.
- I thought the game was legitimate.
- Legitimate!
Arthur playing opposite
three professional gamblers.
The way you used me
to save your own skin was bad enough,
but to come here and make friends with Billy
after murdering his father!
Mr Branton,
you didn't forget
about the movies tomorrow?
Billy, you'd better go back to bed.
Mr Branton is leaving.
At least the club will get its money back.
I'm sorry.
Augie!
Augie?
OK, take him down.
Yeah, that's him all right.
The way they was fighting the other night,
I thought he was going to kill him then.
Hello, Danny.
Well...
- This is a pleasant surprise.
- Still the same case.
Come on, we're gonna take a little walk.
Er, get your coat.
I didn't do it, Garvey.
That's what I've been trying to tell 'em.
I think you would like to,
but I don't think you did.
You came out here to find Sidney Winant,
but he found you first, huh?
At least he found Augie first.
Well, Danny, all the things we talked about
kinda coming true, aren't they?
You're getting closer to the bottom
all the time.
I won't be alone.
That's where you're wrong, Danny.
You are alone.
And when a guy like you dies,
he dies alone.
Come in.
This is Captain MacDonald,
Chief of Homicide.
We're letting you go, Haley,
but don't come back here
because you're an undesirable,
and we don't want any more killings.
Look, you're only postponing the inevitable.
Sidney will follow me wherever I go.
The only chance is to stay here
and bring him out in the open.
Well, you'll either have to get out of town
or else stay in jail.
- Where are you sending me?
- Where do you want to go?
Erm...
- Las Vegas.
- Las Vegas?
I got some unfinished business there.
Taxi!
- Soldier!
- Danny!
- You look great!
- Sure, I feel like a preliminary boy.
What are you doing here?
I remember you used to talk
about Swede all the time.
Yeah, I... I came here
right after it happened.
I've been working for Swede ever since.
I read about Barney.
Was it the Lieutenant's brother
who did it?
Yeah, he's crazy, Soldier.
Augie's dead, too.
I'm not sorry to hear it.
- Hey, what about...
- ...me? I'm OK, but I'm broke.
I got some dough, Danny.
Thanks a lot, Soldier,
but I'd rather have a job.
I'll introduce you to Swede.
He's a swell guy.
Gee, it's good to see you, Danny.
- How's Fran?
- I wouldn't know.
Oh, I thought you two
would get together.
You think you could put in
a good word for me with Swede?
Lots of 'em, Danny, lots of 'em.
Good luck, folks.
Three winners and three losers.
Always looking for something, Danny.
What do you want, more customers?
Aren't you satisfied?
I've played here every night this week
and never won yet.
Hit me.
You see? Broke.
Well, you did pretty well this week.
Hope you're planning
on sticking around for a while.
Do you suppose you could let me have
an advance, say a couple of hundred?
Sure.
I don't suppose you care
what I do with my nights off.
No.
What are you gonna do? Take it over
to one of the big places and blow it in?
I hope I don't blow it in.
There's something bothering you, Danny.
I don't know what it is, but I can tell.
Oh, I just owe someone some money
for something I did once.
I know how it feels, too.
Come on over here.
- See that?
- He looks like a pretty good boy.
- He was pretty good.
- Was?
I killed him eighteen years ago.
Eighteen years ago this month
in Memphis.
- In a fight?
- Yeah.
I keep wanting to take that picture down,
but I never do.
He was a Mick with a mother
and a half a dozen brothers and sisters.
He supported all of them.
I went to the funeral
with 1,800 bucks in an envelope,
every penny I had in the world.
Well, after the funeral was over,
I walked up to his mother
and tried to get her to take the money.
She wouldn't.
I tried to push it into her hands.
- She spit in my face.
- Why?
You didn't owe her anything.
You didn't commit any crime.
The kid died. You didn't want it to happen.
It was part of the business you were in.
I don't get it.
I don't get it either, Danny,
but that doesn't change anything, does it?
Good luck.
Three winners and three losers.
- I'm late tonight, Soldier. Sorry.
- All right.
I'll take it now.
- Missed you.
- Sorry.
Small one, please.
Three winners
and three losers.
Hit me, please.
- Hello, Danny.
- Hello, Fran.
It's all in the cards, I guess.
- Did Soldier tell you I was here?
- Mm-hmm.
I suppose he thought
I was getting lonesome.
It was a funny thing, Danny,
a guy like you getting lonesome.
I couldn't quite figure that.
- But I hoped you were.
- Are you going to stay a while?
I got a job.
Soldier arranged it with Swede.
Soldier's the most practical cupid
I've ever met.
- You're not mad, Danny?
- No.
- When do you start?
- Tomorrow.
Still tied up in knots, aren't you?
You haven't forgotten Arthur.
I'm sorry.
I keep crowding you all the time, don't I?
I'll stop it.
Did you ever forgive me
for running out on you?
I never owned you, Danny.
I said, "Did you ever forgive me?"
You're not asking if I forgive you.
You want to know
how much a woman will forgive.
You're asking if Arthur's wife
would forgive you.
I thought you were going
to stop crowding me.
All right, Danny.
Hello!
Who are you?
My mommy's not home.
Don't you remember your uncle Sidney?
Give that back, or I'll tell Mr Branton.
Where is he?
He went to Las Vegas.
Hello, Danny.
Good luck tonight.
I'll see you later.
- You're not going to catch my act?
- You're not nervous, are you?
This is the biggest audience
I've ever had.
- If only you were out there.
- You'll be all right without me.
I'm going over to the casino.
I think I can make a killing.
Good luck.
Good luck to you, Danny.
Three down.
'Mr Dan Haley,
telephone for you.
'Mr Dan Haley, telephone for you.'
Thank you. Coming out.
Nine! And in the field,
to light the field...
OK. Everybody down in time.
Seven, that's the winner. Seven.
Coming out...
Three, the loser.
Everybody down in time.
Back ten!
Seven, the devil!
Hard way eight, please.
Come on, dice!
Seven!
Put your bets down, folks.
All ready? Good luck!
Four-trey.
Seven!
Your love is all that matters
It's the world, not me
My heart would be in tatters
Without you, what would I be?
So, darling, you love me
with a kind of love
That understands
Although it isn't much
My life is in your hands
But what would I do
Oh, what would I do
If I didn't have you
If I didn't have you
Thank you, Soldier.
Well, Soldier fixed it
all the way round.
- That was OK.
- Thanks.
- Buy her a drink.
- Sure, Swede.
- What'll you have, Fran?
- I guess this calls for celebration.
- Scotch and water.
- Scotch and water, John.
Soldier, do you know
where I can find Danny?
There's an urgent
long-distance call for him.
- He's off tonight.
- I'll take it.
Maybe it's important.
Mr Haley's call, please.
Hello?
Mr Haley isn't here.
Could I take a message?
This is a friend of his,
Frances Garland.
Who is this?
Mrs Winant?
Mrs Arthur Winant?
Please, it's urgent that you give
a message to him right away.
I've put calls in all of Las Vegas.
Tell him that Sidney Winant was here,
that he knows
that Danny is in Las Vegas.
He left here almost two hours ago,
so please hurry.
Two thousand, let it ride.
Come on, dice. Seven, four-trey.
Nine! Pay the field.
Put it on nine-dice.
Come on, dice.
Come on!
Come on, dice.
Any point but seven-dice, be there!
Eight!
Come on, dice,
any point but seven-dice, come on!
Nine!
Danny!
Thanks.
How much have I got?
$5,700.
Will you cover it?
Give the gentleman the dice.
Seven!
- I'd like to cash these in.
- Verywell, sir.
$11,400.
Thank you.
I'll cash these in.
You can cash them tomorrow,
he may be here any minute.
I've got a hunch he's here now.
Yes, sir, how do you want it?
Big as you've got.
Let me have an envelope.
- Danny, I'm going with you.
- No.
- I'm going with you.
- Look, Fran, this is important.
If I'm not here in the morning,
I want you to go to the bank,
get a cashier's cheque for this
made out to Mrs Arthur Winant.
- Mail it to her.
- Danny, I talked to her on the telephone.
From the way she talked, I...
I think she could forget about it.
She was so scared.
I think she'd forgive you.
Thanks.
- Soldier, where's your car?
- Outside.
I'd like to borrow it.
- Sure, Danny, anytime.
- Thanks.
Look after her.
Is there a plane out of here tonight?
Where do you want to go?
I don't care, just away.
Yes?
'Just a minute, Mr Haley,
I have a long-distance call for you.'
- 'Hello? Hello? Danny!'
- Victoria!
'Sidney knows you're in Las Vegas.
Please, be careful. You know he's insane.'
I got your message.
He's following me now.
'Please, Danny be careful,
will you? Please.'
'Danny? Oh!
'Danny?
'Hello?
'Operator, give me the police.
Operator?
'Danny, what's the matter?'
That's all, Winant.
'Danny, are you all right?
'Danny, answer, will you?
'Please, Danny.'
Go pick him up, Jim.
Well, you're lucky we got here in time
to get you a doctor instead of an undertaker.
- How are you, all right?
- Yeah, fine.
Well, Danny, we took your advice
and used you as a decoy.
You certainly didn't leave us
much margin of safety.
Nothing to worry about, Captain.
Whoever heard of a dead decoy?
Hello, Victoria.
'Flight 27
loading in Gate 2 for Los Angeles.
'Flight 27 loading in Gate 2
for Los Angeles.'
Fran!
Danny! You're on the same flight?
- You're going back to her?
- No.
Then what are you doing here?
I told you, Danny,
I think she could forget the past.
But I couldn't.
You're my kind of girl, Fran.
You don't want to be alone anymore?
No.
- I don't want to be alone anymore.
- Oh, Danny!
Miss Garland,
will you board the plane, please?
Thanks, but we've got...
We've got other plans.
- Coffee.
- Be with you in a second.
- Mm, another raid, huh?
- Yeah.
'Eight ten, five and a half.
'Six fifteen, four sixteen...'
Come on. Let's go.
- Stick around, Soldier.
- Come on, let's get out of here.
Just a moment.
Tell Danny to take care of this.
OK, mister, here's your coffee.
Don't bother,
I've lost my appetite.
- Hey, Bobby.
- Oh, hi, Danny.
- Wanna do me a favour?
- Sure.
Take this over to Fran Garland
at Sammy's caf.
- OK.
- Hey!
Gee, thanks!
- Come on, Soldier.
- All right, Danny.
The administration boys
must be taking the election seriously.
Barney said for you to call
and take care of everything.
I don't know why they always
have to wreck the joint.
Second time in three months.
Barney must be sending the pay-off money
to his grandmother.
Place is closed.
Barney said to give you this.
Mr Vincent?
It's Dan Haley.
We just got raided again.
I thought that last $2,000
was the clincher.
Mr Vincent, you stink.
No, just Barney and Augie,
and the least you can do
is get down there with the bail.
Me? Just lucky.
And a happy Easter to you.
We're shut down for repairs.
Just wanted to see if my boys
have overlooked anything.
- Who are you?
- Who are you?
- Captain Garvey, Vice Squad.
- I'm Dan Haley.
This is Soldier. Soldier was welter champion
of the 19th division.
Haley, you run this?
I got a piece of it,
penny ante stuff.
Yeah, well, you hustle yourself
a sucker, huh?
I haven't seen one lately.
Unless it's me. I paid for protection,
didn't you know?
Look him over, Philly.
He's clean, Captain.
Are you clean, Haley?
Immaculate.
How'd you get in on this set-up?
You don't look like a hoodlum.
Neither do you, Captain.
OK, Haley, we don't have
a thing on you yet.
But I expect I'll be seeing you.
Maybe he's right at that -
there's no future around here.
That's right, Danny.
This joint's washed up.
Remember Swede,
the old middle-weight champ?
I get a Christmas card from him
every year.
He was smart, saved up his dough.
Got a place in Las Vegas.
Everything's legal there.
I don't wanna walk without you
Baby
Walk without my arm about you
Baby
I thought the day you left me behind
I'd take a stroll
and get you right off my mind
But now I find...
Hi, Danny. I hear you got raided.
That's tough.
The cops have been there so often,
it's beginning to look like a precinct station.
You ought to have seen what they used to do
to this place when it was a speak.
Why'd you have to turn off
all the sunshine?
Oh, baby, please come back
Or you'll break my heart for me
Cos I don't wanna walk without you
No, siree
Be back in a minute, Saul.
I'm glad you're OK, Danny.
Come on over here.
- I waited till you came to open it.
- Go ahead. Happy Easter.
Oh, isn't it darling?
Nobody's given me anything like this
since I was in the eighth grade.
I guess I'm not the type.
I'm sorry about the raid, Danny.
What are you gonna do?
Well, the boys are out on bail,
but we're closed down.
If I had enough money, I'd move on.
This is a dead end.
I suppose that means we break up, too?
- Where would you go?
- I'd go someplace. Anyplace.
Another dead end?
You know, I can almost
read your mind sometimes, Danny.
Especially when you get
that kind of funny look in your eye.
What are you looking for, Danny?
I'm not looking for anything.
- You just wanna be left alone?
- That's right.
Don't you ever get tired
of being left alone?
No.
What kind of a girl was she?
The girl who took you over the jumps.
I knew there was one, I can tell.
What do you want me to say?
You could just say, "Fran, I love you."
Just once you could say it.
I told you from the beginning
I didn't want to get involved, Fran.
Danny, you can't live
without getting involved.
I can try, can't I?
Saul's getting impatient.
That last number sounded OK
when I came in.
We're a great pair.
I have no voice and you have no ear.
Thanks, Danny.
Take it from the beginning, Saul.
Let's knock 'em dead.
Don't knock, just tap a little,
and try and keep that tune in your head.
If I had a head, I wouldn't be doing
a lot of things I'm doing.
I don't wanna walk without you
Baby...
That ought to hold now.
It's a lot better with a chain.
- Give us more time.
- To do what? Jump out the window?
Hey Barney,
you know what the doc said -
you start that again,
you'd split your gut wide open.
All right, Soldier, I won't touch it.
Come on, Danny,
sit in for a couple of hands.
No percentage - playing cards with you two
is like washing your feet with your socks on.
It'd kill some time.
He'd rather play
with that dame down the street.
He's a music lover.
- It's time, Soldier.
- Never mind!
I'll get it, Punchy.
My name ain't "Punchy".
Well, it ought to be.
You're about the punchiest...
Shut up, Augie.
Why did I have to get ulcers?
The way we've been getting raided,
it's a wonder we haven't all got them.
That's interesting coming from
a little man who wasn't there.
- There's your medicine, boss.
- Thanks, Augie.
I have to drink it slow. The doctor says
it puts a coat on my stomach.
Sure, sure, makes a good coat.
Look what I did.
Hey, there's a hole in it!
Party Fun, "Hole in One".
And you fell for it. Boy, are you a mess!
- Listen, you stupid...
- Get your hands off me!
Cut it out, Augie!
- What's the matter? Can't you take a joke?
- Some joke!
- I'll have to send this to the cleaner's.
- I'll be down at Sammy's.
Sure! He's got a nice thing down there.
Darling, there has never been
A love that's so right
All I want to do
Is hold you ever so tight
Oh, how I wish
I could see you tonight
That's a letter from a lady in love
Darling, when I saw you
My poor heart skipped a beat
I'll thank my lucky stars again
We happen to meet
You'll never know
How I love you, my sweet
That's a letter from a lady in love
I wonder what happened
Why you went away
I haven't seen you for an age
And all the sweet nothings
That you used to say
Are written right here on this page
Darling, if you ever leave me
How I would cry
I could never measure up to you
But I'll try
Did I say, "I love you"?
I can't say goodbye
That's a letter from a lady in love...
You should've tasted the scotch they gave
us in England. That was the real stuff.
Boy, they gave us everything.
Couldn't do too much for us then.
- I'll have another.
- Make me one too, George.
- How about letting me buy you one?
- Thanks.
This gentleman is from the air forces,
Mr Haley.
Defended England during the war.
Did a good job.
England's still there.
Ah, there'll always be an England.
- Hey, what is this, a rib?
- No.
George was a gunner in England.
I was with the 79th Bombardment
at Steeple Norton.
Yeah? I was with the 364th
Fighter Group at Huntington.
I knew some of the guys in the 364th.
What's your name?
Winant. Arthur Winant.
1st Lieutenant.
What squadron were you in?
Well, I... I wasn't a pilot, really.
I was a special service officer.
Same war.
I guess maybe I was shooting my mouth off
a little too much.
Did I say, "I love you"?
I can't say goodbye
That's a letter from a lady in love
Say, Danny,
Fran's been killing 'em tonight.
Is she your gal?
It's a free world. We go out.
I was just thinking, if she wasn't,
I'd sure like to meet her.
We could probably arrange it.
Where are you from?
- Los Angeles.
- What do you do?
Oh, about the same thing
as in the Army.
I'm an athletic vendor for a club in L.A.
I came east to buy
some athletic equipment.
I got a brother flying in from Montreal
tomorrow night. He's gonna help me.
- Here you are. Keep the change.
- Thank you.
Hello.
Miss Garland, this is Mr Winant
of Los Angeles,
late of the Army's special services.
- How do you do?
- How do you do?
I enjoyed your singing very much,
Miss Garland - really terrific.
- Thank you very much.
- You have quite an admirer in Mr Winant.
You certainly have.
I, er... was just wondering,
Miss Garland...
Pardon me for interrupting you two,
but I'll have to be running along.
- Got a little game of cards.
- A game? But I thought...
Private game.
Why don't you come up
after the show tonight?
Anything you say, Danny.
See you around.
Keep 'em flying.
Oh, er, Mr Haley...
- Place far from here?
- Just around the corner. Why?
I was just thinking, er...
if the game isn't too steep,
I wouldn't mind losing a couple of bucks.
You'd be in pretty rough company.
I've been
in rough company before.
Usually hold my own.
I'm glad to hear it.
OK, you're over 21.
All right.
See you later, Miss Garland.
Let me take that, Lieutenant,
I'll hang it up for you.
Thanks.
What do you say,
we start with $50 each?
- Fine with me.
- Cut for deal?
Oh, er... no offence, fellas, but what do you
say one of you sits out the game and deals?
That way I only have to watch
one dealer instead of three.
No objection.
OK, I think I'll pick my friend here.
You're a pretty cagey player.
Well, after all I don't know you fellas,
you're strangers.
And this isn't exactly the first game
I've ever played in.
My brother taught me
quite a bit about poker.
Your brother must be quite a guy.
Yeah, he is.
Let's make it interesting.
Oh, er... before I forget it, er...
Do you mind if we slot a two o'clock
deadline? Got a big day tomorrow.
Yep, Sidney's quite a guy.
I used to go on fishing trips with him.
Then he let me carry his fish home
and say they were mine.
Some brother!
Yep!
I remember one time
I ran into a guy with my bike.
I was about eight years old then.
The guy slapped me,
and I told my brother about it.
The next day
I pointed the guy out to him.
Now, at the time, Sidney was only 17,
and the guy was full-grown.
But let me tell you,
Sidney almost killed him.
They held him in custody until they were sure
the guy was gonna live.
Some brother!
Hello, Miss Garland!
- I guess you're good luck for me, huh?
- Always glad to be of service.
He's won almost every hand
the last three hours.
It's getting late, isn't it?
I'm sure it's past two o'clock.
That's our deadline.
Give us a chance to get even.
You're 120 bucks into me.
He's over 60 into me.
Last hand.
All right. Let's make it twenty.
Two.
I'll take two.
I'll take two cards.
All right. Twenty more.
I'll see you and raise you twenty.
He's too lucky for me.
Call you.
Beat two pair.
- I thought you were bluffing.
- You can't do it.
OK.
Check me out.
All right.
That makes $325.
- Here's your coat, Lieutenant.
- Thanks.
Oh.
Buy yourself a cigar.
I hope you won't be offended, but, er...
you know it's considered bad luck
not to take care of the dealer.
Thank you very much.
Hey, er...
How about giving us a chance
to get even?
Well, it's a little late right now,
but what about tomorrow night?
- OK.
- About seven?
Fine. Er, Miss Garland...
Would you have dinner with me
tomorrow night before the game?
- I'll have to think about it.
- All right.
First he takes all our dough,
now he wants to take Danny's girl.
I guess that's what they mean
by "special service".
- All right, I'll see you at the club, then.
- You sure you won't forget about the game?
Oh, no, I'll be here.
I gotta pick up my brother at the airport,
so I have to quit 11:30, win or lose.
Win or lose - it's all the same to us,
as long as we're having a good time.
Sure, that's all that matters -
having a good time.
Well, good night, all.
Good night.
Soldier, my cream.
In the bottle.
Suppose he don't come back.
- We're out all the dough we got in the world.
- He'll come back.
Won't he, Danny?
Yeah, he'll come back.
Come on, I'll take you home.
I hope he doesn't show up.
He will. That kind of sucker
always shows up.
What's worth such an elaborate set-up?
A $5,000 cashier's cheque.
Poor guy!
He took our money.
He was willing to win from us.
This set-up, it's dog eat dog.
I had to learn it the hard way.
I didn't get it in one easy lesson.
- Does that go for puppies, too?
- Record or Journal?
Both.
- No, keep it.
- Thanks.
Don't you wanna know
what's going on in the world?
What's going on in the world stinks.
With your share of the $5,000
you'll leave, won't you?
You're going to walk out.
I don't know.
I think you know, Danny.
- I don't like to be needled this way, Fran.
- There are a lot of things I don't like either.
I don't like working in that place.
I don't like guys looking at me
the way they do.
I don't like any part of this.
But I have to take it
because I have to live.
What's your excuse, Danny?
I'm tired of talking and getting no answers.
I'm tired of making believe
that everything's just fine between us.
I don't like it this way.
I don't want it this way.
There's no other way, Fran.
I thought that was understood.
Sure it was understood -
you understood it, I didn't.
Everything for you, nothing for me.
I'm in the same boat
with that dope Arthur.
Make it ten.
I'll call.
Three kings.
That's tough.
I've got a full house.
Gee!
I've, er... I haven't won a hand
in over an hour.
You've just hit a bad streak.
Maybe he needs Fran around
to bring him luck.
- She stood me up at dinner tonight.
- Never trust a woman, Arthur.
That's the way luck goes.
Bad for a while,
all of a sudden it'll get good.
Twenty.
I'm out.
I'll take two.
Check to you.
- Twenty.
- I'll call.
- Two pair.
- Not good enough.
Well, that cleans me.
That's too bad. It's still so early.
If you wanna go on with the game, Arthur,
I could let you have $100.
No, thanks.
If I lost,
how would I pay you back?
Who wouldn't lend money to a guy who's got
a cheque for $5,000 in his pocket?
Hey, now, wait a minute!
Not that cheque, it's not mine.
I wouldn't use it
no matter what happened. Thanks.
What time is it anyway?
Ten o'clock.
You still got a couple of hours to kill.
Yeah, and I got a feeling
I can still take you guys.
Danny, I'll take that $100.
Look, er...
This really isn't my money.
It belongs to the club.
What's the matter, Augie,
couldn't you play it on the level?
Isn't the house percentage
good enough for you?
What's your beef?
We got his dough, didn't we?
Danny, was the game on the level?
A guy like that cheats himself
just by sitting down.
I'm sorry I got mad the other night.
It doesn't matter.
Everybody gets mad sometimes.
- Now that you've got your money...
- I haven't got it yet.
Barney thought he ought to clear the cheque
through a friend of his.
When you do, you'll be leaving.
I'm not sure
I feel like going anywhere now.
Oh, Danny...
Don't close in on me anymore, Fran.
That's all.
- I won't.
- Good.
Hey, son. Let me have one.
Maybe we can catch a movie.
Danny! Danny!
- It says...
- Says what?
"Arthur Winant, identified
as a resident of Los Angeles,
"hanged himself last night in his room
at the Wellington Hotel.
"The body was discovered
by the dead man's brother."
Yellow jerk, knocking himself off.
You shouldn't have brought him here.
Or maybe you shouldn't have
crimped the cards.
You shouldn't have done it.
You shouldn't have cheated the Lieutenant.
- What's the matter with you?
- Let him alone, Augie!
I don't like him around here.
That dumb look on his puss all the time!
Guys like you ought to be put away.
Well, there's nothing we can do
about the cheque now.
If they track it down, they'll say
we forced him to sign it. I don't like it.
I don't care what you don't like.
I want my dough.
I talked to our lawyer,
and he said not to cash it.
- This could be a tough wrap.
- Give me that cheque!
Barney's right!
The cheque's got dynamite in it now.
Maybe a little later we'll see
what we can do about it.
This whole thing gives me the creeps.
All day long I've had the feeling
I was being followed.
What are you waiting for, Punchy?
Answer it.
Hello?
Yeah.
1752 Meredith Street, room 207.
- Who was that?
- I don't know. He didn't give no name.
- You told him the address.
- What did you do that for?
Because I was hoping it was the cops,
cos I wish somebody'd come down
and kill the whole murdering lot of you.
- Relax, jerk.
- The Lieutenant was a good guy.
- You didn't have no right to cheat him.
- Soldier, look...
You're worse than
the rest of them, Danny.
They don't know no better.
You're worse than all of them.
- Who is it?
- Fran.
I've been calling all evening.
Did you just get in?
No, I've been here.
Why didn't you answer the phone?
There was nobody I wanted to talk to.
You want me to go?
No.
I know you feel bad, Danny.
I feel fine.
I'm glad you're here.
Are you?
Sure I'm glad.
- How long can you stay?
- An hour.
I go on again in an hour.
Hey...
That hurt.
You're a million miles away, Danny.
I don't know where I am.
You're here with me.
Yeah, OK, Fran. Yeah, OK.
Let it ring.
Maybe it's important.
What's important?
I don't know what's important to you.
Don't you ever need anybody, Danny?
- What for?
- Just to need.
Stop ringing!
Hello?
What do you want, Barney?
Danny, I couldn't sleep.
I feel awful.
My stomach is churning
like a washing machine.
'Take your pills, Barney.'
Danny, you wouldn't come over?
Maybe it's just nerves, but...
like I told you today,
I felt I was being followed.
It was the same thing tonight,
all the way home.
- I'm tired. Call Augie.
- 'I tried. He's not home.'
Danny, I've got the shakes.
I thought I heard someone
on the fire escape.
Go and look. You've got a gun.
'Not since the raid. You've got it.'
Look, Barney,
you're imagining things.
Now take your pills and go to sleep.
'And don't call me anymore.
I'll see you tomorrow.'
If you'd just come over for...
Danny!
Did you lock that door?
- Oh, hello, Barney.
- You're late getting home, aren't you?
- Since when does that interest you?
- I just felt lonesome.
There wasn't anybody outside
when you came in, was there?
Say, are you all right?
- What's the matter with you?
- You haven't got a drink, have you?
Any kind of a drink.
Your ulcers must have taken
a turn for the better.
And don't forget the loan.
- You wouldn't let me come in?
- Good night, Barney.
Sit down, boys.
That's all, Sergeant.
Well, Haley, I didn't think
we'd meet again soon.
Neither did I.
They transferred me
to Homicide for this case
because they knew
that you and I were old friends.
Well, boys, how'd he look to you?
Same old Barney.
Yeah, that's how I always look at corpses,
with my eyes closed.
D'you know any reason
why Barney'd wanna hang himself?
No.
I mean, was he being threatened by anyone?
Did he owe any money?
He was sick.
He was always worrying about it.
The autopsy showed
that he had one small bleeding ulcer.
Not enough for him to hang himself.
You see, the point is, he didn't.
The facts are, he died from strangulation,
not from hanging.
When he was found, there was
a small welt on his neck from this.
Right here.
And there was another welt a little lower
down, right smack across his Adam's apple.
Somebody snapped this rope
around his neck from behind,
choked the life out of him
and then strung him up.
Pretty?
Well, Augie,
your alibi holds up.
You were at a crap game last night.
Are we under arrest?
No.
No, guys like you seldom get arrested.
You get killed first.
You still don't figure in this racket.
Your alibi looks pretty good, too.
This, er... This girl, er, Fran Garland
swears that she was with you
at the time of the murder.
Who do you think did it?
In the business Barney was in
you make a lot of enemies.
Could've been any crank
disappointed over a two-buck bet.
- That how you feel about it?
- Sure.
What about this ex-pug
works over at your joint?
Soldier?
He couldn't have done it.
That guy couldn't last one round
with Barney's ulcer.
Anyway, Barney's been feeding him
for years. He loved Barney.
Augie...
You've been up three times.
And Haley, we don't have a thing
on you yet, but, er,
we get your fingerprints
and your right name.
You got my right name.
It's funny how things happen.
Thirty-six hours ago, this young fellow
from Los Angeles blew into town,
and - you must've read about it -
was taken to some gamblers.
He signed over
a $5,000 cashier's cheque,
money that wasn't his.
The he goes back to his hotel,
he gets up on a chair
with a rope around his neck,
ties the rope around the chandelier
and kicks the chair out from under him.
Twenty-four hours later,
a gambler's found hanging.
Does that ring a bell?
It's a big city.
It's a dirty mess.
Mrs Winant is flying in from Los Angeles.
We expect her any minute.
- Cos he left a kid, too.
- Tough.
It's kind of a peculiar case.
A brother found the body
and called the police.
Kept screaming that the guys
who fleeced Arthur were guilty of murder.
Sounded like a nut.
The police went to the hotel, and...
found the body all right, but no brother.
There was an open envelope
addressed to Sidney Winant.
But there was no note
and no Sidney Winant.
He just disappeared.
Tough.
No connection between Barney
and Arthur Winant?
Never heard of him.
Yes?
'Mrs Winant is here, Captain.'
Bring her in.
That's all, boys.
Don't worry,
I'll get in touch with you.
Follow me, please.
- All right, you. Let's go.
- We've got names.
Yeah? How many?
Looks like the brother got Barney.
- I sure feel like a drink.
- So do I.
- Soft.
- Are you kidding?
Come on.
His brother Sidney must've been the guy
that called Soldier and got the address.
Must've waited outside and seen Barney.
Barney thought he was being followed.
He saw all of us, then.
He knows who to look for.
I'd like to find that guy and talk to him.
Maybe he'll find you and he won't talk.
He doesn't sound like a guy that likes to talk.
Think he's still around?
He did it. Barney was just the start.
He sure is still around.
He came down from Canada, didn't he?
- Maybe he went back.
- Maybe.
- I'm spilling it all over here.
- Just like Barney.
Hey, look.
I bet she's gonna meet that brother.
Come on.
Well, it makes sense, don't it?
What are we gonna do,
just sit here like a couple of pigeons?
If we follow her, we'll really be pigeons,
all lined up for Garvey.
- Don't you know he's got us spotted?
- Since when did you start running things?
Look, Augie, I don't like you
any more than you like me.
As a matter of fact, I hate your guts,
but as long as someone's trying to kill us
both, we're forced into partnership.
Unless you've got a better idea,
we'll have to stick together.
Is that clear?
That old black magic
has me in its spell
That old black magic
that you weave so well
Those icy fingers
up and down my spine
The same old witchcraft
when your eyes meet mine
The same old tingle that I feel inside
And then that elevator starts its ride
And down and down I go
Round and round I go
Like a leaf that's caught in the tide
I should stay away,
but what can I do?
I hear your name
And I'm aflame
Aflame with such a burning desire
That only your kiss can put out the fire
For you're the lover I have waited for
The mate that fate had me created for
And every time your lips meet mine
Darling, down and down I go
Round and round I go
In a spin, loving the spin I'm in
Under that old black magic
Called love
I thought you'd left.
I got worried.
I just wanted a breath of air.
Let's take a walk by the river
and cool off.
I'd love to, Danny.
I wonder where it's going.
- Across the Styx.
- What?
In Greek mythology,
the Styx was the river over which
the souls of the dead were carried.
Also, even more appropriately,
called "the river of the underworld".
I don't know what you're talking about.
But it doesn't matter.
I love you, Danny.
Why don't you tell Garvey
about Arthur Winant?
Because the heat's on Garvey.
He's got to pin these hangings on someone.
It won't be me.
I know what I'm doing, Fran.
Please, let's not fight.
You need me almost as much
as I need you, Danny.
I know I could make you happy.
Fran, look, you're a nice kid,
but it wouldn't work out.
That's the way it is.
Is there somebody else?
No.
But there was.
And you wanted to marry her.
I did marry her.
And the next thing you knew,
she'd run off with some other guy.
So now you won't even
let yourself be human.
A girl walked out on you,
and you couldn't take it.
But you take it out on me.
Now you think every girl's a tramp that...
Come on,
I'll take you back to Sammy's.
I'm sorry,
there's no answer in Miss Miles' room.
May I take a message?
Thank you.
Can I have my key, please?
- What number, please?
- 224, Dan Haley.
I'm sorry, Mr Haley,
this is my first night here.
It's not here.
Oh, I remember, I gave the key to 224
to a gentleman just a few minutes ago.
You gave out my key?
I was taking a call at the time,
and this man just asked for the room number.
I'm terribly sorry.
- Shall I call the police?
- No.
I have an idea who it is,
a friend of mine.
- I'll get a duplicate key.
- No...
There's a vacant room next to mine,
isn't there? 225.
- That's right.
- Let me have the key to that.
And to the connecting door.
I want to surprise my friend.
We can forget your mistake.
- Thanks.
- That's all right, Mr Haley.
Augie.
I just dropped by to see what was doing.
I couldn't find Soldier.
The guy at the desk said you were out.
I thought I'd wait for you.
We're... We're in this together, Danny.
I sat around in the lobby...
I don't know, hours, I guess.
I saw a lot of funny-looking characters,
and it made me kind of jumpy.
There's a new guy at the desk.
I figured if I could get the key,
I could wait for you in the room.
- With a gun!
- I didn't figure he'd ring.
Look what happened to Barney.
You're gonna be a great help! I'd better hang
a bell on you, so I know where you are.
You don't have to get tough.
- You know what, Augie?
- What?
You're yellow.
I never saw you pick on anybody
that wasn't old or sick.
This is no time for us
to get in an argument.
Yeah, I know.
Get out, Augie.
Keep that gun in your pocket.
OK.
Soldier doesn't worry you, huh?
Soldier?
These guys just go nuts from punches
in the head. You never know with them.
You never know with anybody, Augie.
I'll relieve your mind, Haley.
That, er... That was just Lt Jackson
of the Homicide squad
taking Mrs Winant's train.
We try to show courtesy
to out-of-towners.
Come to think of it,
this is the scene of the crime, isn't it?
It's one of them, anyway.
Now, you ought to be more careful.
You know there's an old saying
about murderers returning
to the scene of the crime.
Yours must be a fascinating business,
Captain.
I want to see you at headquarters
in the morning, nine o'clock.
Nine o'clock sharp!
I asked you to come in, Haley,
because we got a very interesting letter
from the Adjutant General's office about you.
"Daniel H. Haley."
So that is your right name.
"Captain, US Army Air Corps."
You were court-martialled
in England in 1943 for killing a man.
I was acquitted.
But even after the acquittal,
you just couldn't keep out of trouble.
You were frequently unmanageable
and drunk on duty.
You killed an officer
from your own squadron. Why?
You have the letter.
It's all there.
In a fight over your wife.
Should also say it was my best friend.
Is that why you started hitting the bottle?
You know, a lot of your best friends die,
Haley, that's what interests me about you.
Where's your wife now?
She was English.
I suppose she's still in England.
I wish she were in...
- Are you divorced?
- Yeah.
You know, you never went home again
after you returned to the States.
Why was that?
Do you have a bad transcript, Captain,
or do you just enjoy the sound of my voice?
Your father was a West Point man,
he wouldn't forgive the scandal.
I can see how you got to be a detective.
Cornell, 1937-41.
I'm sure with those references you had
no trouble at all getting work in a bookie joint.
What did you do after college?
Sold insurance for a while.
Then the war came along, and my father
got his wish - I signed up to be a hero.
Yes, according to the record,
you did all right in that field.
That's the only reason you got off so light
in the court-martial.
That was a long time ago, Captain.
Not so long ago.
And Barney's death was quite recent.
How'd you think you're gonna get it?
With your protection,
I feel perfectly safe.
This is not for laughs.
I get paid to protect people.
I don't have to like 'em,
just protect them.
Now, Mrs Winant gave us some very
interesting information about Sidney Winant.
There was an unfortunate relationship
with his younger brother.
Sidney completely dominated him.
Protected the kid, and yet he'd demand
that he be best in everything he did.
It was kind of a father complex.
He's gonna kill you
unless we can stop him.
I don't plan to get killed, Captain.
What do you plan to do?
Stay out of trouble, keep out of his way.
Did you ever see a sheep
in a slaughterhouse?
He's scared, panicked.
The smell of death frightens him.
He knows there's danger,
but he can't tell what it is.
So he huddles with the rest of the flock,
moving when they move.
He's a good little sheep, just keeping
out of trouble, keeping out of the way.
Suddenly a gate opens,
and it's a way out.
He's running down a long passage,
because to the sheep,
it looks like the way to freedom,
but there's a man with a sledgehammer
waiting at the end.
You may get an opportunity to learn
how that sheep feels,
because there's still no trace
of Sidney Winant.
We, er... We had a letter from him
that was saying that justice would be done
if the police didn't interfere.
I got sixteen men out now
trying to track him down
because he's a homicidal case
with one up and two to go.
And you and Augie are Sidney Winant's
unfinished business,
and unless we get him first, he's gonna
get you just as sure as he got Barney.
I hope you find him.
You'd better hope.
What happened to that cheque, Danny?
Look, Captain, my present crime
is dealing cards in a bookie joint.
Is that what I'm being questioned about?
I'm so sick of seeing you guys come in here,
one after the other, I wanna throw up.
Every one a carbon copy
of the one before.
Every one going to shake the world
till it hollers uncle,
not caring who gets hurt
along the way,
and every one ending up
just like Barney.
Those are the kids out of the slums,
out of the gutter.
They got two strikes against them
before they steal their first apple.
But you've got no excuse for being here.
You killed a man. Why, I don't know,
it's got nothing to do with this case.
But unless you get hold of yourself,
you're going to end up
like all the rest of them.
One day, you're going
to lose that smile, Danny.
One day, you're going to hit bottom
and break every bone in your body.
And when that happens,
you'll be like all the rest of them.
You won't have the guts
to do anything but lie there.
Now get out of here.
And get out of town fast.
I wish I didn't love you so
My love for you
Should have faded long ago
I wish I didn't need your kiss...
No Soldier, no Sidney Winant, nothing.
- Bourbon. Double.
- Fine.
We got this guy on our tail,
we don't even know what he looks like.
Anyone you met in this room
might be Sidney Winant.
He know that, and he can see us -
wherever we are, whatever we do.
We can't see him. It's like being followed
by an invisible man.
I'll give him the cheque back
and get him to lay off.
You can't reason with a man you can't find.
That's why Garvey wants us out of town.
He doesn't want another killing
on his hands.
He's got a good point.
But I think I got a better one.
What?
This fellow Winant
comes from Los Angeles.
Maybe somebody in his hometown
knows where his brother is.
We can find him before he finds us.
- We can knock him off first.
- If we have to.
We'll go in separate planes.
I'll take the ten o'clock flight,
and you come on a later one.
We'll meet at the Union Station
in Los Angeles, noon Friday.
- And then what?
- I'll try and see Mrs Winant.
- The widow?
- Yeah.
You try to get a lead on Sidney.
You've looked up people before,
haven't you?
Yeah. And I found them.
What about the cheque? I don't like us
splitting up when you still got it.
If anything goes wrong,
I won't be hard to find.
No. I guess you wouldn't.
I wish I didn't need your kiss
Why must your kiss
torture me as long as this?
I might be smiling by now
With some new tender friend
Smiling by now
With my heart on the mend
But when I try...
- You're leaving, Danny?
- Yeah.
- Any message for Fran?
- No, no message.
Tell her that's the kindest thing
I ever did for her.
You're still there
I wish I didn't love you so
- You got the time, mister?
- You're late.
I got lost.
Come on, get in.
- What did you find out?
- Nothing. Nobody seems to know him.
Automobile Club, YMCA, a lot of places.
Nothing in any of them.
Everybody that knows Arthur clams up
when you mention the brother.
- You know what I think?
- All the time, Augie.
OK, OK, but we're not getting
anyplace here.
Look, the cheque's good.
It's got the jerk's signature on it, hasn't it?
It's just the two of us now,
so we split fifty-fifty.
- I don't wanna look for this guy no more.
- We'll try it for a week.
We ought to be able
to find a picture of him somewhere -
a high school yearbook, someplace.
We can't afford not to try.
Remember what happened to Barney.
If we don't find him in a week,
we cash the cheque and take our chances.
OK.
- Hello.
- Hi there.
Is this the Winant house?
Yep, but there's nobody home.
I'm watching the house.
I guess it must be pretty safe then.
- You want to see Mommy?
- That's right.
My mommy's shopping.
- What's your name?
- Mr Branton.
I'm Billy.
This looks like a pretty strong swing
you've got here, Billy.
- It is. My daddy made it.
- He did?
There's Mommy.
- Mommy!
- Billy!
- Hello, Mommy.
- Let me help you.
How do you do, Mrs Winant?
I'm Richard Branton
of the Empire Insurance Company.
I'm their investigator for this territory.
I tried calling you several times on the phone,
but there was no answer.
Well, since you have the packages,
won't you come in?
I'm hungry, Mommy.
When aren't you?
He's quite a boy.
Well, I think so.
Let me take your package.
Thank you.
- Now, Mr...
- Branton.
Mr Branton.
I've never heard my husband
mention anything
about having a policy with
the Empire Insurance Company.
Well, the policy was taken out on him
by Sidney Winant.
According to the report,
he's your husband's brother.
He's the beneficiary, but my company's
been unable to locate him,
and we felt perhaps you could help us.
You're the next beneficiary, and...
I haven't heard from him in some time.
Well, you must have some idea
where he is.
Your husband went east to meet him.
I had no idea that Arthur was planning...
I'm afraid I can't help you, Mr Branton.
But he must have some friends,
Mrs Winant.
- Could you give me the names of...
- No, Mr Branton, I can't. I'm sorry.
I've been through quite a bit recently.
The police back east
asked me so many questions.
They're looking for Sidney, too.
They think he killed one of the men
who robbed Arthur.
Robbed him?
Yes, robbed him.
Tricked him into playing cards.
Cheated him and robbed him
of money that wasn't his.
Robbed him of his self-respect.
And made him take his life.
He didn't have to play, and... when he lost,
he didn't have to kill himself.
If you did know Arthur,
you wouldn't say that.
How can I be sure that you are
who you say you are, Mr Branton?
How can I be sure that...
Please, I wish you'd go now.
I know how you feel, Mrs Winant.
If you should change your mind,
I'll be at the Wilshire Plaza for a few days.
Mr Branton...
Would my... Would my son and I
have to be involved?
You wouldn't be involved at all,
Mrs Winant.
It's simply a matter of
establishing identification.
Thank you.
- What is it you need?
- Any kind of a clue at all.
Letters or photographs.
My company is especially interested
in getting a picture of Sidney Winant
as proof of identity.
Well, we still have a lot of things
stored at the Careys' where we used to live.
- There might be some photographs there.
- Could we go there now?
Well, it's a little late.
I have to prepare dinner.
Could you be back here
at noon tomorrow?
All right.
Noon tomorrow, then.
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
- Who is it?
- Danny.
Where were you?
I waited in that drugstore till ten o'clock.
I thought something had happened.
It did.
- I don't feel good.
- Give me that.
- What did you do that for?
- Shut up!
If I catch you with a bottle again,
I'll break it over your head.
- Did you find out anything?
- No, I didn't.
I think I talked to one guy too many.
An old friend of Sidney's.
He kind of gave me the fish eye.
I think he knows where Sidney is.
I think he'll tell him.
I hope he does.
By tomorrow, we'll be ready for him.
Not me.
I'm getting out of here.
First big city I come to,
I'm gonna cash that cheque.
Don't make me laugh.
Give it to me!
You listen to me, you stupid jerk!
That's the last time
you ever pull a gun on me.
I said a week, and I meant it.
You'll do just what I tell you to do.
Please, you have to stop
that noise in there.
You're waking everybody up.
All right, Augie, you don't have to do
anything. Just sit there.
You'll scare yourself to death.
If I want you,
I'll get in touch with you.
If you want to do any more fighting,
mister, go someplace else.
We got a respectable trade here.
What's this?
"Away for a few days -
check me Monday. Mrs Carey."
Oh, no!
Oh, I'm terribly sorry about this.
I hope this won't upset your plans
too much.
Well, it does leave me
with a lot of time on my hands.
Yes.
I suppose I could do some sightseeing.
Oh, yes, there are lots of things to see.
Griffith Park,
the Planetarium, Ocean Park.
Olvera Street is charming!
Well, I'm not much of a sightseer.
Unless I have company.
Well, I...
I have to pick up Billy at school
Children love me
almost as much as dogs do.
You know, Mr Branton,
since the moment I saw you,
I've had the feeling
that I'd seen you before.
And maybe you have.
I've been lots of places.
What about it, Mrs Winant?
Well, since I got you here
under false pretences, I...
I suppose I'm really responsible for you.
Fine, get in.
There he is! Hi!
- Oh, boy! Ice cream!
- Ice cream.
- What about you?
- No, no.
Oh, sure. Come in.
Nice, big smile, please.
Hold it!
- OK, darling. Go on.
- My picture.
Thanks, Mr Branton.
I had a neat time.
That's all right, Billy.
Maybe we'll do it again sometime.
I should thank you, too,
for being so patient and so sweet to Billy.
I enjoyed it.
Well, I'll keep after the Careys.
Perhaps when I get the pictures,
you would like to come out for dinner.
I'd like it a lot. You wouldn't consider
making it tonight, would you?
Well, I... I haven't been going out.
To someplace quiet,
and maybe we could go for a drive.
I am a stranger.
All right, give me an hour, huh?
The star Altair is just rising above
the celestial horizon there to the east.
That point of light we see in the evening sky,
travelling 186,000 miles per second,
left Altair sixteen years ago.
And so the Griffith Planetarium
concludes this section
of tonight's demonstration
"The Stars of Spring".
Now, while the music plays,
we will watch the stars pursue their course
through one more night.
You know...
You forget how beautiful things can be.
It is beautiful.
Like the sky in Italy, the Riviera...
It's like a lot of things.
It's different, too.
You've been a lot of places
for an insurance salesman.
You're a pretty unusual person yourself
for a Los Angeles housewife.
Well, I...
I don't think things ever turn out
quite the way we plan them.
Were you living here in Los Angeles
when you married him?
No.
Arthur was headed overseas
when I met him in New York.
I was working
for the International Red Cross.
We were married after only a few weeks.
And Billy was three years old
when Arthur came back.
It was really unfair to expect he'd be
the way that I remembered him.
Arthur was a very understanding person.
Most war romances
needed a lot of understanding.
Well...
It wasn't just the uniform.
People really are different during the war.
I guess the stars are the only things
that never change.
That's only because we can't reach them.
Sometimes we think we can.
I'll check this last stack.
There won't be any pictures of Sidney
in there, Mrs Winant.
Because you don't have
any pictures of him.
No, it's true.
I destroyed them.
- You did what?
- I destroyed them.
But why?
Not because of the insurance.
For Billy's sake.
I've been afraid.
I've been afraid that...
that Sidney might do something to Billy.
That he might take Billy away from me.
If I had the money, I would...
I would take Billy away from here.
I would...
I would go back home to Europe.
Where we'd be safe.
I hope he's dead.
Why are you afraid of Sidney?
Because he's psychopathic.
He's what?
He was confined
in an institution for years.
Why haven't you told me this?
I didn't trust you then.
Anyhow, I didn't think
you'd keep on insisting.
I destroyed all the pictures I had of him.
I didn't want my son to be brought up
knowing that his uncle was insane.
I didn't want anyone to know.
And I am afraid.
Sidney was always jealous of me.
There's no way of knowing what he'll do.
Yet I... I can't feel sorry for him
taking revenge on those men.
'Hiya, Billy.
'I just got in this morning
and saw this recording place.
'Billy, I'm homesick already.
'I'd sure like to be back home
with you and your mommy right now.
'Er, Billy, will you do me a favour?
'Will you kiss her for me?
And, er...
'Oh, the signal! My time is up.
'My time is up.
My time is up. My time is up.
'My time is up.'
You play it too often, Billy.
It's getting worn out.
Say good night to Mr Branton now.
It's past your bedtime.
- Good night, Mr Branton.
- Good night, Billy.
Back in a minute.
It was one of those
"send your greetings home" records.
I got it the next morning.
Are you still in love with him?
No, I... I don't think I ever was.
When Arthur came back from the war,
we were strangers.
Do you have to sell this place?
Well, I still have two mortgages on it.
It was hard enough to manage
when Arthur was alive.
Well, don't be in too much of a hurry.
I mean, you've had nothing but bad breaks,
maybe you're ready for a good one.
- What do you mean?
- The policy.
I'm leaving for Las Vegas
on another matter.
Then I'm going back to Chicago.
If we haven't been able to find Sidney Winant
by then, the money goes to you.
I expect $10,000 would help.
It would take care of everything.
Well...
I'll call you before I leave.
Look, Victoria...
I have to tell you something.
My name isn't Branton. It's...
It's Dan Haley.
I'm one of the gamblers
who played cards with your husband.
I remember now.
I saw you in Captain Garvey's office.
Sidney was determined to kill everyone
who had anything to do with it.
He's got one of us already.
I came here to find him
before he found me.
Get out, please.
- I thought the game was legitimate.
- Legitimate!
Arthur playing opposite
three professional gamblers.
The way you used me
to save your own skin was bad enough,
but to come here and make friends with Billy
after murdering his father!
Mr Branton,
you didn't forget
about the movies tomorrow?
Billy, you'd better go back to bed.
Mr Branton is leaving.
At least the club will get its money back.
I'm sorry.
Augie!
Augie?
OK, take him down.
Yeah, that's him all right.
The way they was fighting the other night,
I thought he was going to kill him then.
Hello, Danny.
Well...
- This is a pleasant surprise.
- Still the same case.
Come on, we're gonna take a little walk.
Er, get your coat.
I didn't do it, Garvey.
That's what I've been trying to tell 'em.
I think you would like to,
but I don't think you did.
You came out here to find Sidney Winant,
but he found you first, huh?
At least he found Augie first.
Well, Danny, all the things we talked about
kinda coming true, aren't they?
You're getting closer to the bottom
all the time.
I won't be alone.
That's where you're wrong, Danny.
You are alone.
And when a guy like you dies,
he dies alone.
Come in.
This is Captain MacDonald,
Chief of Homicide.
We're letting you go, Haley,
but don't come back here
because you're an undesirable,
and we don't want any more killings.
Look, you're only postponing the inevitable.
Sidney will follow me wherever I go.
The only chance is to stay here
and bring him out in the open.
Well, you'll either have to get out of town
or else stay in jail.
- Where are you sending me?
- Where do you want to go?
Erm...
- Las Vegas.
- Las Vegas?
I got some unfinished business there.
Taxi!
- Soldier!
- Danny!
- You look great!
- Sure, I feel like a preliminary boy.
What are you doing here?
I remember you used to talk
about Swede all the time.
Yeah, I... I came here
right after it happened.
I've been working for Swede ever since.
I read about Barney.
Was it the Lieutenant's brother
who did it?
Yeah, he's crazy, Soldier.
Augie's dead, too.
I'm not sorry to hear it.
- Hey, what about...
- ...me? I'm OK, but I'm broke.
I got some dough, Danny.
Thanks a lot, Soldier,
but I'd rather have a job.
I'll introduce you to Swede.
He's a swell guy.
Gee, it's good to see you, Danny.
- How's Fran?
- I wouldn't know.
Oh, I thought you two
would get together.
You think you could put in
a good word for me with Swede?
Lots of 'em, Danny, lots of 'em.
Good luck, folks.
Three winners and three losers.
Always looking for something, Danny.
What do you want, more customers?
Aren't you satisfied?
I've played here every night this week
and never won yet.
Hit me.
You see? Broke.
Well, you did pretty well this week.
Hope you're planning
on sticking around for a while.
Do you suppose you could let me have
an advance, say a couple of hundred?
Sure.
I don't suppose you care
what I do with my nights off.
No.
What are you gonna do? Take it over
to one of the big places and blow it in?
I hope I don't blow it in.
There's something bothering you, Danny.
I don't know what it is, but I can tell.
Oh, I just owe someone some money
for something I did once.
I know how it feels, too.
Come on over here.
- See that?
- He looks like a pretty good boy.
- He was pretty good.
- Was?
I killed him eighteen years ago.
Eighteen years ago this month
in Memphis.
- In a fight?
- Yeah.
I keep wanting to take that picture down,
but I never do.
He was a Mick with a mother
and a half a dozen brothers and sisters.
He supported all of them.
I went to the funeral
with 1,800 bucks in an envelope,
every penny I had in the world.
Well, after the funeral was over,
I walked up to his mother
and tried to get her to take the money.
She wouldn't.
I tried to push it into her hands.
- She spit in my face.
- Why?
You didn't owe her anything.
You didn't commit any crime.
The kid died. You didn't want it to happen.
It was part of the business you were in.
I don't get it.
I don't get it either, Danny,
but that doesn't change anything, does it?
Good luck.
Three winners and three losers.
- I'm late tonight, Soldier. Sorry.
- All right.
I'll take it now.
- Missed you.
- Sorry.
Small one, please.
Three winners
and three losers.
Hit me, please.
- Hello, Danny.
- Hello, Fran.
It's all in the cards, I guess.
- Did Soldier tell you I was here?
- Mm-hmm.
I suppose he thought
I was getting lonesome.
It was a funny thing, Danny,
a guy like you getting lonesome.
I couldn't quite figure that.
- But I hoped you were.
- Are you going to stay a while?
I got a job.
Soldier arranged it with Swede.
Soldier's the most practical cupid
I've ever met.
- You're not mad, Danny?
- No.
- When do you start?
- Tomorrow.
Still tied up in knots, aren't you?
You haven't forgotten Arthur.
I'm sorry.
I keep crowding you all the time, don't I?
I'll stop it.
Did you ever forgive me
for running out on you?
I never owned you, Danny.
I said, "Did you ever forgive me?"
You're not asking if I forgive you.
You want to know
how much a woman will forgive.
You're asking if Arthur's wife
would forgive you.
I thought you were going
to stop crowding me.
All right, Danny.
Hello!
Who are you?
My mommy's not home.
Don't you remember your uncle Sidney?
Give that back, or I'll tell Mr Branton.
Where is he?
He went to Las Vegas.
Hello, Danny.
Good luck tonight.
I'll see you later.
- You're not going to catch my act?
- You're not nervous, are you?
This is the biggest audience
I've ever had.
- If only you were out there.
- You'll be all right without me.
I'm going over to the casino.
I think I can make a killing.
Good luck.
Good luck to you, Danny.
Three down.
'Mr Dan Haley,
telephone for you.
'Mr Dan Haley, telephone for you.'
Thank you. Coming out.
Nine! And in the field,
to light the field...
OK. Everybody down in time.
Seven, that's the winner. Seven.
Coming out...
Three, the loser.
Everybody down in time.
Back ten!
Seven, the devil!
Hard way eight, please.
Come on, dice!
Seven!
Put your bets down, folks.
All ready? Good luck!
Four-trey.
Seven!
Your love is all that matters
It's the world, not me
My heart would be in tatters
Without you, what would I be?
So, darling, you love me
with a kind of love
That understands
Although it isn't much
My life is in your hands
But what would I do
Oh, what would I do
If I didn't have you
If I didn't have you
Thank you, Soldier.
Well, Soldier fixed it
all the way round.
- That was OK.
- Thanks.
- Buy her a drink.
- Sure, Swede.
- What'll you have, Fran?
- I guess this calls for celebration.
- Scotch and water.
- Scotch and water, John.
Soldier, do you know
where I can find Danny?
There's an urgent
long-distance call for him.
- He's off tonight.
- I'll take it.
Maybe it's important.
Mr Haley's call, please.
Hello?
Mr Haley isn't here.
Could I take a message?
This is a friend of his,
Frances Garland.
Who is this?
Mrs Winant?
Mrs Arthur Winant?
Please, it's urgent that you give
a message to him right away.
I've put calls in all of Las Vegas.
Tell him that Sidney Winant was here,
that he knows
that Danny is in Las Vegas.
He left here almost two hours ago,
so please hurry.
Two thousand, let it ride.
Come on, dice. Seven, four-trey.
Nine! Pay the field.
Put it on nine-dice.
Come on, dice.
Come on!
Come on, dice.
Any point but seven-dice, be there!
Eight!
Come on, dice,
any point but seven-dice, come on!
Nine!
Danny!
Thanks.
How much have I got?
$5,700.
Will you cover it?
Give the gentleman the dice.
Seven!
- I'd like to cash these in.
- Verywell, sir.
$11,400.
Thank you.
I'll cash these in.
You can cash them tomorrow,
he may be here any minute.
I've got a hunch he's here now.
Yes, sir, how do you want it?
Big as you've got.
Let me have an envelope.
- Danny, I'm going with you.
- No.
- I'm going with you.
- Look, Fran, this is important.
If I'm not here in the morning,
I want you to go to the bank,
get a cashier's cheque for this
made out to Mrs Arthur Winant.
- Mail it to her.
- Danny, I talked to her on the telephone.
From the way she talked, I...
I think she could forget about it.
She was so scared.
I think she'd forgive you.
Thanks.
- Soldier, where's your car?
- Outside.
I'd like to borrow it.
- Sure, Danny, anytime.
- Thanks.
Look after her.
Is there a plane out of here tonight?
Where do you want to go?
I don't care, just away.
Yes?
'Just a minute, Mr Haley,
I have a long-distance call for you.'
- 'Hello? Hello? Danny!'
- Victoria!
'Sidney knows you're in Las Vegas.
Please, be careful. You know he's insane.'
I got your message.
He's following me now.
'Please, Danny be careful,
will you? Please.'
'Danny? Oh!
'Danny?
'Hello?
'Operator, give me the police.
Operator?
'Danny, what's the matter?'
That's all, Winant.
'Danny, are you all right?
'Danny, answer, will you?
'Please, Danny.'
Go pick him up, Jim.
Well, you're lucky we got here in time
to get you a doctor instead of an undertaker.
- How are you, all right?
- Yeah, fine.
Well, Danny, we took your advice
and used you as a decoy.
You certainly didn't leave us
much margin of safety.
Nothing to worry about, Captain.
Whoever heard of a dead decoy?
Hello, Victoria.
'Flight 27
loading in Gate 2 for Los Angeles.
'Flight 27 loading in Gate 2
for Los Angeles.'
Fran!
Danny! You're on the same flight?
- You're going back to her?
- No.
Then what are you doing here?
I told you, Danny,
I think she could forget the past.
But I couldn't.
You're my kind of girl, Fran.
You don't want to be alone anymore?
No.
- I don't want to be alone anymore.
- Oh, Danny!
Miss Garland,
will you board the plane, please?
Thanks, but we've got...
We've got other plans.