The Lawless (1950) Movie Script
Drewit... you wanna work tonight, tomorrow?
- Yes.
- OK.
How about you, Jackson?
There must be an easier way
to make a living.
There is... for Anglos.
- Lopez!
- No sir.
Some of them aren't good either.
Which of these three?
And besides... what more do you want?
6 bits an hour,
and all the tomatoes you can eat!
Yeah, when you get tired of tomatoes,
there's pears.
When you get a bellyfull of pears,
there's grapes.
Chavez! Rodriguez!
I need some more help for tonight
and tomorrow... How about you two?
I have to get home.
How about you, Rodriguez?
Ill give you time-and-a-half.
No thanks. Tonight's Saturday.
Yeah, and tomorrow's Sunday...
These tomatoes have gotta be moved!
Okay so you're in a hurry
to get tanked up.
Beat it!
Lazy good-for-nothin's!
C'mon Lopo, you know
what kind of a guy he is.
Two bucks a head and you can't
do a thing with 'em!
You know, I'd like to have
about 40 acres along this road!
Maybe 20 would be enough.
So you plant tomatoes.
No... peaches!
You'd have to pick 'em!
Oh, I wouldn't mind.
So long as they were mine.
Boy! That would be living!
Rows and rows of peach trees,
with the fruit getting ripe!
Your own ditch to swim in.
It doesn't take much
to make you happy.
Field with a few trees in it...
hunk of sky...
Do you need anything more than that?
Yeah, at least what I had in the army.
When you were in,
you used to beef plenty.
You and my brother, both.
You guys couldn't get back to it
quick enough.
I guess I forgot what I was
coming back to.
There's a lot of worse places
than this town to come back to.
Every time I cross this bridge
it does something to me
and says... like it wasn't real.
Like it was someplace else.
Like something out of a book...
or a dream.
Yeah... that's the trouble.
In the army, this is what I remembered.
I forgot how quick
you got across that bridge.
Cross the tracks to Sleepy Hollow.
Didn't you see the sign?
Or can't you read English?
I'm sorry, I wasn't watching the road.
Oh, you weren't?
Let's see your licence!
Looks like you got the worst of it.
I'll say I did!
C'mon, let's see your licence!
You haven't got one!
You cholos are all alike!
No licence... no brakes... no...
Alright... break it up!
Break it up!
Do you want me to run you in?
Alright... now what's this all about?
He busted through a STOP sign into my car.
- And who started the fight?
- He did!
- Sure I did!
- We don't like to be called cholos!
Oh, so that's it? Get going.
Wait a minute!...
Who's gonna pay for my car?
Insurance company.
Name is Chavez.
713 Santa Fe Ave.
That's right... OK...
c'mon Joe...
Maybe we'll see you again.
How about it?
Did you jump the STOP sign?
Yeah... we were talking.
That'll cost you 5 bucks.
You boys ought to know better
than to get into fights.
My tie rod is bent.
Is it OK if I leave the car here?
I'll have someone pick it up tonight.
We'll push it over to the curb.
Thanks.
C'mon, let's catch a bus.
I'll see you later!
Cmo ests Lopo?
Cmo ests yourself.
Say, how about it?
Are you going to the dance tonight?
Yes, but we have to finish this job.
Well don't forget to wash your face!
I won't if you won't!
You mean I'm dirty?
It's good clean dirt!
Save me a dance!
I will... if you're not too late.
Conchito?
Hello, Pop!
"Pop"... always it is "Pop" no matter
how many times I tell you.
You're late, Pablito.
Lopo ran through a STOP sign
and smashed into another car.
There was a fight.
That Lopo! Ever since the army,
he's fighting.
I fought too...
They called us dirty names.
When my father spoke... I listen.
But you... you tell me how to speak!
I say "No fight".
You fight.
You want trouble?
You want to go to jail?
Stay away from North Americans.
I'm an American, Dad.
Juan... Pablito understands you.
Try to understand HIM.
Let's try!
Joe!... Did you fill the ice bucket?
Did you hear me?
I asked you if you filled the ice bucket?
Your father will be home soon.
Can't it wait til I'm dressed?
Don't be rude, Joe!
- Hello darling.
- Hello dear.
Are we going out tonight?
Do I have to dress?
No.
But it might be a good idea
if you shaved.
Alright... soon as I have a look
at the paper.
- Hello, Joe.
- Hi, Dad.
What happened to your hand?
Had a fight with a kid from Sleepy Hollow.
I told you not to go down there
looking for trouble.
I wasn't looking for trouble...
Anyway I didn't go to Sleepy Hollow.
It happened on the highway.
Harry and I were coming
from the river and
these 2 guys in an old jalopy
smashed into us.
Well what did you fight about?
Nothin'. They got tough,
and we weren't having any.
They, or you and Harry?
Well, what did you do?
Call them names?
OK... take their side
like you always do.
You wouldn't even wait to listen!
I said I got into a fight
and you yell at me about going
down to Sleepy Hollow.
If you had any friends down there,
you could go any time you want to.
Don't worry... I haven't
any friends there.
It'd be a good thing
if you did have.
Hang around with "fruit tramps"?
Mr Wilder
Most of the press run's already gone,
Mr Ferguson.
I'll catch what I can and
run another ad tomorrow.
Sorry it happened.
You made a slight error on the ad copy
on Fergusons new subdivisions.
The price is $1500 a lot.
Not $150.
So I did.
Also you left out the wading pool
for the kiddies.
Mistakes have a habit of creeping in
now and then, Mr Wilder.
And maybe that's why this paper has a habit
of losing money now and again, Mr Pawling.
Would you please fix it!
What a pity! I was just about
to rush down and buy me a lot!
You mean you have $150?
Oh... $75- 80.
When things get tough, I'll know
who to hit for a touch.
They'll get tough...
But I'm not your man.
I wouldn't invest a nickel
in this sheet.
Fine time to tell me!
You didn't ask.
Just walked in, took off your hat and said
"Boys, I'm the new owner. "
All my life I've been
dreaming a dream...
Don't pinch me because
I might wake up!
Why, do you know last night I heard
mockingbirds outside my window.
First time in 20 years.
Just think, mockingbirds and
nobody to take orders from.
Did i say that?
Well I haven't changed my mind
about the mockingbirds.
I too am a man with a dream...
of getting out of Santa Marta.
You can have IT and the mockingbirds...
in 6 months you'll hate both.
What's got into you?
This morning you were bubbling over.
You had a new girl... the world
was a wonderful place.
Fight with her already?
No, we're just like that!
And after tonight when I buy her a dinner
and ply her with flagons,
we might be even closer than that.
- You got a date?
- Yeah.
- Do you like dancing?
- Love it.
Good. Here you are.
Gee, thanks Larry!
Oh no!
Well someone's got to cover it.
Now, Larry... I been working on
this mouse for weeks.
You know I have.
What's she gonna say
when I drag her down
to a fruit-tramp brawl
in Sleepy Hollow?
What do you think her folks'll say?
You're not taking her folks.
I'm not taking her either.
Anyway, it'll probably end up in a fight.
That's why I want it covered.
Well... I guess I'll have to call her
and tell I've got to work.
Never mind, I'll cover it.
Make sure you take her
somewhere impressive.
Gee, thanks.
Before you leave, check the
car loadings for the week
and phone them into Stockton.
Make a final check on the weather
in the hills for tomorrow...
And be careful tonight...
You know how they talk
in small towns.
You're telling me!
Hi ya Frank!
- Hi Harry.
- 'Bout time you got here.
What'd they do...
Make you wash the dishes?
Nobody makes me wash dishes.
You got dishpan hands!
Want to take a feel of 'em
with your eye?
Hey, what's on the program
for tonight?
I feel like dancin'.
The Country Club's jumpin'
with our parents.
Wouldn't have any fun there.
Who said anything about
the Country Club?
Some of those tomato-pickers are
pretty good-lookin' tomatoes themselves.
Oh, it's you Mr Wilding... I'm sorry.
- And if it hadn't been me?
- We'd have shaken you down.
We don't want any trouble here
in the Hollow tonight.
All I need is one.
No strings attached.
Are you just being generous?
Why not? They didn't cost me anything.
Mine didn't either.
Press, too!
What paper?
La Luz... weekly.
I didn't know there was one.
But there's a lot I don't know
about Santa Marta.
I've only been here a month.
Have you had a chance
to relax?
No reason to, until tonight.
Tonight?
Let's say I felt like dancing.
Good evening Miss Garcia.
Even if you find him, he's probably
with another girl.
He is
Then what are we waiting for?
To be introduced?
My name's Larry, Miss Garcia.
Yes, I know.
It's a small town, Mr Wilder.
I work for a newspaper.
Remember?
- He is your friend, isn't he?
- Yes.
He's trying to show me up.
- It isn't impolite to watch, is it?
- No
At the Country Club
they dance outside.
And they turn off the lights and
you can see the river down the hill.
When there's moonlight,
you can see the mountains.
It's very lovely.
Maybe the music's better here.
The music doesn't matter much
if you can see the sky.
Well doesn't that depend on
whom you're dancing with.
Yes... You came alone tonight.
It wouldn't be because you expect
something to happen, would it?
Now why would I expect that?
Coz a lot of people do.
Police down the street...
The mothers and fathers
sitting over there...
Some of the kids themselves
Take those two over there for instance.
A month ago they were trying to knock
each other's teeth out every time they met.
Cigarette?
Not in here.
Each one had a gang.
Eight boys on the block.
Sleepy Hollow... that's OK.
Nothing much to do,
so one gang fought another.
Then the police would come
and haul them off to jail.
Pretty soon people were saying
we were ALL juvenile delinquents.
Sounds like what happens
in every town.
But we're doing something
about it.
The minister... the teachers...
a lot of people in this town
figure that if you got the gangs together
the fighting would stop.
It has.
I'll throw away my pencil.
No, you can do a lot of good with it.
You could tell the people over there to...
well, look across the tracks.
Sleepy Hollow's been here for years...
I've been here a month.
So it's not your worry.
You're looking at a tired man.
I'm a guy who likes small towns.
I was born in one
and I've been going around looking back
and wondering why I ever left it
This town's a lot like
the one I remember.
The trees, the mountains...
a lot of nice people.
Blind to some things...
but who isn't?
So I'm not taking sides, or picking fights,
or telling them what to do.
I'm against grape-leaf hoppers
mama toads and Bang's disease.
Me? I'm for Mothers Day.
Excuse me.
Wasn't that the pastor
you were just talking to?
Don't you know a parson
when you see one?
Not unless his collar is
turned around backwards.
He's not that kind of a parson.
Hey, Sonny!
Special for you and your friend.
How did he know I liked to waltz?
How about this dance?
What's the matter...
don't you want to dance?
You got what you came after.
Tell Phil to get over here quick!
Come on... snap it up!
Hurry up!
You run around with a newspaperman,
you gotta get used to things like this!
You do?
Are all newspaper offices so dirty?
This is clean compared to
some I've worked on.
You take the...
Well, take any one of them.
Creel of "The Union" speaking, get me
the city desk of the 'Stockton Express'.
I cover Santa Marta for the 'Express'...
I pick up quite a few bucks that way.
City desk? This is Creel in Santa Marta.
Say we've got a riot down here...
yeah.. a big one!
You want me to dictate?
Alright.
They're on a deadline.
Catch that will you, Baby?
Just a minute please.
It's Mr Prentiss... he wants to talk
to Mr Wilder.
Tell him Larry ll call him back.
Mr Wilder will call you back.
I wonder what's troubling HIM.
Oh, hello, Miss Dawson? Jonas Creel.
Say, we've got a little
excitement down here.
A gang of fruit-tramps threw a dance
for some other gangs over in Sleepy Hollow.
'Good Fellowship Dance', they called it!
And what it did to promote
good fellowship!
Some of them started throwing
punches at each other...
and it was a shambles by the time
the cops got there.
One of the kids, one of the ringleaders,
a kid named Paul Rodriguez
slugged a cop.
Al Peters.
Yeah... He stole an ice-cream wagon
and took it on the lam!
Hold it Miss Dawson...
I'm covering for the 'Express. '
Hurry it up.
The guy with the mug... Prentiss,
wants you to call him.
And that's Caroline Tyler.
Here's the good one, Miss Dawson...
it was one of those trucks with bells on it!
Hey! That's mine!
Hit somebody your own size, will ya!
He's the guy that slugged me...
- Let me have him!
- Cut it out, Pete.
Try and act like an officer, will you!
Boy Scout badge, two bucks,
St Christophers medal... and
he sure needed it on this road.
That's the works.
Alright kid, get in the car.
Why don't you kiss him?
Get in there with him,
and behave yourself.
Andy, take this car back to 'The Shack'
Pick up the ice-cream truck.
Why don't you send Pete...
Maybe the music ll take some
of the meanness out of him.
Car 14 callin' in.
Sergeant Boswell talking.
Call off the dogs... we got him.
Hello, Larry.
Please, Miss Garcia, let's be practical.
Trials cost money...
And none of the people have
any money to throw away.
Now, I'm not charging anything
for my advice.
I'm giving it to you.
So why don't you take it and let me
plead the boys guilty?
Guilty of what?
They haven't done anything!
They're still in jail, Miss Garcia!
Now the charges against them
aren't serious...
They're assault and disturbing the peace.
They pay a small fine
and they're free.
The whole thing's forgotten.
But if I plead hem 'not guilty',
you've got to put up a bond.
And that means money.
And then there's the trial
and they'll be found guilty
anyway.
What will the fine be?
Five or ten dollars.
But they haven't done anything
to be fined for.
There are two schools of thought
on that subject.
They've got to pay the fine.
But it's not fair!
They arrested 11 of our boys
and only 1 from town!
Well there were a lot more
of your boys there.
I'd say that everything
just about averaged up.
Mr Green's right... they'd better
not go to court.
Excuse me Mr Wilder...
may I talk to you for a minute?
Surely.
This is my boy Joe.
Joe, this is Mr Wilder of "The Union".
Is there anything
you'd like to tell him?
No sir.
I'd like to help those other kids.
Could I pay their fines for them?
Go ahead.
Green!...
How many boys are there in there?
Eleven.
Well, they fined my son $10...
150 ought to cover it.
Thank you Mr Ferguson.
I'll have your boys out of here
in no time.
Come along... all of you.
Mr Green... what about my boy?
If they catch him, they
won't let him pay a fine...
They'll keep him in jail.
Well, let's cross that bridge
when we come to it.
Come along, please.
Ferguson gave Green the money
to pay for the fines, didn't he?
Why?
Why not?
Maybe he likes kids.
Maybe he has a guilty conscience
about his boy.
So he eases his conscience.
Gets us to admit we're wrong.
Sonny!... wait a minute!
If you'll take that chip off your shoulder,
I'll drive you home.
It's a big chip.
No bigger than the one
I carried for years.
My car's just around the corner.
It's a good smell, isn't it?
What happened to that chip
you were carrying?
Well, I got kinda tired
of lugging it around.
You will too, when you get
as old as I am.
I used to be like you...
Violence... impatience...
You know what upset me most,
back there...
You!
Running away from a fight!
It isn't like you!
Why do you say that?
You only met me tonight!
I met you years ago.
First you were a name.
A by-line on newspaper stories
on a New York paper
my father used to take.
Then your name wasn't in
that paper any more.
One day I was watching
the UP teletype in the office.
There your name was again
over a story from Warsaw.
I used to follow you after that.
From country to country...
wherever you went.
Finally I came face to face with you
on the jacket of a book.
Now do you understand
why I danced with you tonight?
Do you know what it meant
when you said you weren't
taking sides anymore?
That all you were for was Mothers Day.
Yeah.
But you understand what it is to have
your bellyful of fighting.
So... you reach back into your past
for something to hang on to.
Leaves burning in October.
The sound of people
talking over fences.
Kids calling as they run
through the dark.
Don't you see...
I HAD all that once.
And I want it again.
I understand.
Whatever that is, it isn't leaves.
Next time you bring me home,
I'll have some.
Then there'll be a next time?
No, Larry...
It was to have been
a very respectful kiss.
I don't doubt that.
I do!... I save my respectful kisses
for my mother.
So do I.
Hasta la vista, Mr Wilder!
Don't give me that about thinking
I was somebody else!
- Will you lay off that kid!
- Stick to your driving!...
I'll teach him to hit an officer!
I said lay off the kid!
It was your fault!
Get me the police department!
Wanted for grand theft auto
and resisting an officer.
Paul Rodriguez, 19
who escaped from the custody
of Santa Marta police
following an automobile crash on highway
5 miles south of Cantonville.
Norman Anderson, an eyewitness to the crash
in which Sgt James Boswell was killed
and patrolman Al Peters was injured
saw the suspect running from the scene.
10-4
Be with you in a minute.
I'm Jan Dalton of the 'Stockton Express'.
Hello... what brings you down here
this time of night?
What do you suppose
brings me down here?
A desire to see the country?
A yen for fresh air?
I was sent for the city desk.
On the strength of a phone call
from a youth of your employ
that lead us to believe
martial law has been proclaimed.
Jonas's glands are over-stimulated.
No riot?
Just what did Jonas say?
He had blood running in the gutters.
The only blood spilled so far
was by a cop killed chasing a boy.
I'm giving it to U.P. now.
I'll speak firmly to him...
I'll make him church editor...
until he learns what truth is.
It's a little late...
We took him at his word
and put a paper out.
Silly dog...
Good dog!
'Skipper'!
Come on... where are you?
Wait a minute, Mickey.
Now a big head, Mickey.
Now dear...
Try and remember
just what happened.
You went out to the barn and
he jumped out of the dark...
and grabbed you!
Could I have the funnies, Daddy?
That was little Mildred Jensen telling you
her own story of a night of terror.
She is crossing the porch,
supported by her mother.
Still suffering from the terrible shock
of her ordeal.
Now she is entering the house.
Thank you Mildred Jensen.
You can be sure that
before the day is over
the young gangster who assaulted
you will be behind bars.
Yeah, Cappy... Mickeys down at
the bus station now, sending the plates.
Sure we've covered everything.
The Rodriguez family;
a bunch of kids...
I don't know...
they all look alike to me!
Sure... soon as they catch him.
Everybody and his brother's
out hunting for him
for that $500 reward
the TV station's putting up.
- Good morning.
- Where's Mr Wilder?
He isn't here, Miss Garcia.
He's in a meeting with Mr Prentiss
and some other people.
I'll wait.
Might be a long time.
We've got to be practical, Larry.
Dragging these kids into this
won't help the situation.
Leave their names out of it.
Nobody's dragging them into it.
What were they doing there?
We went there to dance.
Is there anything wrong with that?
But you were fighting... I saw you.
- You were there?
- He was dancing with a Mexican girl.
What I was doing
makes no difference.
What YOU were, does!
Like I said...
This kid charged me because of
what happened yesterday afternoon.
He started throwing punches,
so I threw them right back!
After that everybody was
fighting everybody else.
- Isn't that the way it was?
- Sure it was.
We didn't do a thing outta line.
We even danced with the girls
the preacher introduced us to.
Even so, I don't see how
I can leave you out of it.
Go ahead and print their names, Larry...
The kids were there...
mine made the clink!
Now look here, Ferg...
you can feel any way you want to...
But me, I don't want MY name
tied in with any Sleepy Hollow brawl.
Maybe we should get rid of
Sleepy Hollow, then...
It shouldn't have been there
in the first place!
Come on Joe, I told your mother
you'd take her to church.
A little praying won't hurt you.
Why didn't you just come out
and call me a liar!
I noticed Harry's dad
stuck up for HIM!
I noticed he didn't go against
his own flesh and blood.
When it comes to some dirty tramps...
I'm not Harry's dad.
Joe...
Don't you feel sorry for that boy?
Sure... but it's not my fault
he hit a cop and stole a car.
Then you DON'T feel sorry for him!
He's nothing to ME.
No... he's nothing to YOU.
You boys wouldn't be putting
a little pressure on me would you?
No.
As long as I don't mention
the kids' names in the paper?
It won't cost you anything
to be practical.
Well, maybe just a little self-respect
Hey... what are you doin' in there?
Get outta there!
C'mon... beat it!
Get outta here!
Go on... wait a minute!
Aren't you the kid
they're lookin' for?
Leave me alone...
I haven't done anything!
Drop that fork!
Drop that pitchfork, do you hear!
Hey... come back!
Everyone is ready for the flash...
that will bring you a climax
to the greatest manhunt in the history
of this lovely little town.
Heavily-armed men,
tense with expectancy...
with their police radios
ready for the kill.
Oh Larry... here's a man who can really
take you behind the scene.
A great newspaperman who gave up
covering the world and writing books
to come to Santa Marta
and edit "The Union. "
Come over here Larry, where
the camera can see you.
Larry has a nose for news... he was
right in the middle of the riot.
Well let's call it a fight between
a lot of hot-headed kids, eh?
Well call it whatever you want to,
but it sounded like a riot to me.
I was there.
Don't tell me the Rodriguez
kid didn't slug a policeman?!
That I didn't see.
- Hi, Mark!
- Hello Jonas.
I'm covering the story too,
you know!
Well, step right over here.
This is it, folks!
They've got him cornered!
He just tried to kill a farmer with a
pitchfork and he's standing at bay!
Stay tuned to KTJC for
the TV scoop of the year!
Let's go at this systematic...
Now keep strung out... and if
you happen to see him
don't take any chances of him
getting away.
- Hello, Mitch.
- Hi ya, Chet.
You're sure he's out there?
Yeah, he's out there all right.
The longer you all stand there,
the higher my taxes'll be.
Alright men... don't shoot
unless you have to.
Why shoot at all?
Ain't you the new editor of "The Union"?
Yeah.
I chased the boy in here...
if anybody should ask.
Name's Cadwallader.
See that pipeline over there?
If I was the sheriff... which I ain't
because I never was lazy enough
to work for the county...
I'd hike right along it to the river.
Thanks.
Look out, mister, they don't shoot YOU.
Come on, boys!
I think he's over there.
Yeah... here's your desperate criminal!
But you better bring a handkerchief...
he's crying his eyes out.
You'll be alright.
So don't worry.
Could we have him right here
in front of the camera, Chief?
Right here.
That's right... move him over a little bit.
You are witnessing the climax of one of
the most dramatic manhunts
in the history of Josinto county.
Tight-lipped, sullen Rodriguez...
who with a wild night of crime,
stole 2 cars
and attempted to attack
a pretty 15-year old girl
is in the custody of the law...
and must pay the penalty for his crime.
That kid works for me. I always said
he was no good.
None of 'em are any good.
Break it up, everybody.
That's it!
Say, mister... could I please call my folks?
Later! Go over there!
Two.
Well, you know the place I mean... on 40th
St, right next door to the "Herald Trib. "
Where they have a stuffed fish
and a suit of armour
and they play this game of "Matches".
- "Blakes".
- Yeah! "Blakes".
That's where I met him.
Full of Old Fashioneds and a plan
to buy the "Tombstone Epitaph".
Well, I was young
and impressionable and...
The next thing I knew we had a weekly
in a town called Clovis, just out of Fresno.
Two kids, and the sheriff
hanging around our door.
So what does Joe do,
but get a job in Africa.
When I met him, he was in Australia.
Still full of Old Fashioneds, I'll bet...
But without the desire
to buy the "Epitaph".
I inherited the desire.
What gets into newspapermen?
Why can't they act like people?
I don't know about Joe.
Me, I was fed up with moving
from one job to another
and being told what to write
and what not to write.
You just think you were.
One of these days you'll walk out
on your wife and kids
and end up in New York,
which you never should have left
in the first place.
Not me! In the first place,
I haven't got a wife.
Wilson says to tell you the girl's parents
filed a complaint against the kid.
Thanks.
You can use my office
if you want to.
I know how you feel,
Mrs Rodriguez.
I'm a mother myself.
Did they hurt him?
No, they just scared him.
Could we see him, please?
Just for a moment...
Could we see him?
They have him in Blake's office f
or questioning.
They won't let anyone see him.
Not even his mother?
I don't think it'll work...
but I'll try it.
The chief must be in a good mood.
He said yes.
That was Paul's mother
saying thanks.
She has nice warm lips.
What we gonna do about him?
We'll have to get a lawyer...
the best in town.
They're throwing the book at him.
Assaulting an officer... grand theft auto...
attacking girl...
But why?... He didn't hurt the girl.
You and I might believe that,
but THEY don't.
Can his father afford $25,000 for bail?
He hasn't any money... how could he
possibly hire a lawyer?
That's what he's going to
have to do.
But how? What with?
Can't you do anything?
Tell people he's a poor scared kid.
Tell them to let him go.
That'd be like yelling at a thunderstorm...
who'd hear me?
And if they did... who'd listen?
Isn't it worth a try?
No... they'd turn on you,
wouldn't they?
For the first time in your life,
you've got what you want.
You can't lose it.
And nobody listens.
Thanks.
For understanding.
Extra... Santa Marta hoodlum captured
Read all about it.
Rodriguez stood there,
mud-covered, sullen...
cool...
a trapped animal,
if ever I saw one.
I moved closer to him...
stared deep into his eyes...
hoping to find some spark...
a little ember of remorse...
but all I could see was cruelty...
Not bad, huh?... for a country girl.
Maybe a little overripe,
but not bad.
Where was I, Mac?
Oh yeah... cruelty.
That's right... they got the streets
to Sleepy Hollow blocked off.
There's fears some of those gangs
might try to break into the jail.
That COULD happen.
No, there's no real trouble yet, but...
there's some mighty
angry people around.
Bail's $25,000. Looks like the kid's address
ll be the county jail for quite a while.
You must be psychic.
Or did you look in your crystal ball
and see a man trying
to figure out what to do.
I wanted to see if you were
carrying through on the boys.
Are you up to something?
Nothing to speak of.
Just so you keep your head.
Remember you like this town.
You like your place in it.
Don't let that heart of yours
start bleeding.
- You better stick to...
- Mothers Day?
Pretty close to deadline, Larry.
So sit down and make yourself useful.
You type a lot faster than I do.
A kid named Paul Rodriguez
went to a dance last night
in Sleepy Hollow.
The streets aren't paved
and the people live in shacks.
When he left home
he was a good kid...
Ask his parents.
Ask his neighbours.
Ask the principal of his high school.
You can't ask his brother, because
his brother died in the Normandy beachhead.
Today he's in jail.
Today people call him
all the names in the book.
You don't know a paper that
needs a couple of guys do ya?
He's the same boy
who worked in the fields
and took his pay home
to his mother.
I think the facts will show
the only crime he's guilty of is fear.
He has no money for bail.
He has no money for a lawyer.
As editor and publisher of "The Union"
I'm raising a fund
to defend Paul Rodriguez.
I'm putting my name
on the top of the list, for $100.
Look at this!
He's taking the fruit tramp's side!
Defense fund! How do you like that?!
How do you think
he'll sell a paper?
Hey, Ed!
D'ya see this?
He's as good as called Mildred a liar.
Are you going to let him
get away with it?
Yes, this is Wilder.
Sorry you feel that way,
Mrs Mclntyre.
The telephone company
objects to profanity, madam.
Who's thanking me this time?
I am.
Take it easy!
Call my kid a liar, would you?
I didn't say Mildred lied.
I said she couldn't say what happened
because she didn't know...
She was out cold!
It ain't hard to see
why you said it!
Get out!
Look out the window...
there are a lot of guys
that feel the same way I do!
In my office is a gun
and if things get too tough,
I'll use it.
So get out!
It's in my bottom drawer
under a bottle of gin.
There's a thing called
the libel law.
If you think I'm wrong, use it.
Go on, get out!
All I could find
was a bottle of gin.
Well, give me that!
Who do ya think
you're honkin' at?
Hey, it's that Rodriguez kid's pal!
You wanna make trouble, huh?!
Hey... don't let them get away!
How do you feel, son?
Well get me somebody... anybody!
I don't care what
you think about me...
A crowd's over here,
beating up some kids!
There's a riot in the making.
I'm not telling you how to
run your department...
I'm telling you there's trouble!
You'd better take that Rodriguez boy
out of town!
Will they take him out of jail?
They are, if I have to break it down.
Now listen to me...
Stay here!
Stay off the streets!
Now you guys sure
give up easy!
They didn't do anything, anyway!
Let 'em go!
You don't care what happens
to a man's daughter, huh?
You don't want this to be a safe place
for a man's kids!
Let's go smoke 'em out...
burn their shacks!
Wait a minute!
Hang on a minute!
I know how Ed here feels,
coz I got a daughter too!
Over at the jail, there's
a sneakin' dirty criminal...
and what are they gonna do with 'im?
Maybe they'll go so far as to
slap a little fine on 'im!
And it looks like some of us
have forgotten how to be men!
Well go on home... we don't need
guys like you!
Hold it!... None of you
are going anywhere!
They're takin' him out the front!
They're gonna turn him loose!
It's because of that newspaper guy!
What'd I tell you?!
Called my kid a liar!
Let's wreck his place!
I'd have been here sooner,
but I got held up out there.
Where's your handkerchief?
Yeah, that was me
they were kicking around.
I was bringing in the afternoon collection
for this guy's fund.
Where is he?
He went to the jail.
He thinks they might go after Paul.
He sounds like
he might be a good guy.
Well, you run into one,
once in a while.
Lopo!
Lopo, don't run away.
I'm not running.
Go on home, before somebody
gets killed!
What are you waitin' for?
C'mon, let's wreck the joint!
Get out of the way!
Get out of the way, cholo, we're comin'!
Why did you stay here?
Why didn't you run?
Where to? Sleepy Hollow?
You might as well let 'em all go.
I won't file charges against them.
I won't be here to file charges...
to tell the jury what they did.
There are others, who will.
What are you hanging around for?
Are you waiting to watch me
pack up and leave?
If you are, you needn't wait,
because I'm going, so beat it!
Try and find some shame
for what you've done.
SkI!
Stop crying about it.
You'll get another job.
But I liked this one.
So did I.
Couldn't maybe
patch things up a little?
Just enough to put out
a couple of pages?
No... even if we could, I wouldn't.
I'm through.
With the newspaper game?
With small towns.
Not like I remembered 'em.
But then, I was pretty young
when I lived in one before.
You said I'd get sick of mockingbirds.
I am.
Jan Dawson said I'd end up
in a place in New York
with a stuffed fish
and a suit of armour.
But why not?
Right now I'm very fond of stuffed fish.
Goodnight, kid.
And good luck!
They really wrecked this.
You ought to see
what they did to the press.
I heard you were leaving town.
There's nothing else to do, is there?
No typewriters.
No linotype machines.
No press.
Nothing but creditors.
And you can't print a paper
with them!
No, you can't.
But I hate to see you leave.
That's something.
A lot of people will hate
to see you leave.
Thanks.
You wouldn't change your mind?
Somebody's going to put out
a newspaper here.
Yes, but not on a shoestring,
like I did.
Too easy to break the string.
Oh, I can scare up
some money.
Maybe I'll find some others
who'll scare up more.
Why do that?
I don't like what happened today.
I didn't think it could happen here.
Don't run out on us, Larry.
Get somebody else.
Here's someone wants to thank you.
I went his bond.
He's seeing my lawyer
in the morning.
Never mind.
I know what you want to say.
Come on, I'll drive you home.
No need to do that.
I'm heading that way now
to telephone to pack a bag.
If you change your mind,
drop around tomorrow.
Back there, I couldn't talk.
You said you knew
what I wanted to say.
Maybe you do.
Anyway, I'll say it now.
I had a brother once.
And when I was hiding
and you looked in at me...
I thought for a minute
you were him.
I guess it's because you got
the same thing in your eyes.
Ah, Mr Wilder... good evening.
Sonny! He's here!
Could you print a 'daily'
on this thing?
Not a very big one.
It wouldn't have to be too big.
Just big enough to say all the things
I've left unsaid.
Would you mind calling it the "Union"?
The name's about all I have left.
He wouldn't mind.
Would you show me how?
Sure.
- Yes.
- OK.
How about you, Jackson?
There must be an easier way
to make a living.
There is... for Anglos.
- Lopez!
- No sir.
Some of them aren't good either.
Which of these three?
And besides... what more do you want?
6 bits an hour,
and all the tomatoes you can eat!
Yeah, when you get tired of tomatoes,
there's pears.
When you get a bellyfull of pears,
there's grapes.
Chavez! Rodriguez!
I need some more help for tonight
and tomorrow... How about you two?
I have to get home.
How about you, Rodriguez?
Ill give you time-and-a-half.
No thanks. Tonight's Saturday.
Yeah, and tomorrow's Sunday...
These tomatoes have gotta be moved!
Okay so you're in a hurry
to get tanked up.
Beat it!
Lazy good-for-nothin's!
C'mon Lopo, you know
what kind of a guy he is.
Two bucks a head and you can't
do a thing with 'em!
You know, I'd like to have
about 40 acres along this road!
Maybe 20 would be enough.
So you plant tomatoes.
No... peaches!
You'd have to pick 'em!
Oh, I wouldn't mind.
So long as they were mine.
Boy! That would be living!
Rows and rows of peach trees,
with the fruit getting ripe!
Your own ditch to swim in.
It doesn't take much
to make you happy.
Field with a few trees in it...
hunk of sky...
Do you need anything more than that?
Yeah, at least what I had in the army.
When you were in,
you used to beef plenty.
You and my brother, both.
You guys couldn't get back to it
quick enough.
I guess I forgot what I was
coming back to.
There's a lot of worse places
than this town to come back to.
Every time I cross this bridge
it does something to me
and says... like it wasn't real.
Like it was someplace else.
Like something out of a book...
or a dream.
Yeah... that's the trouble.
In the army, this is what I remembered.
I forgot how quick
you got across that bridge.
Cross the tracks to Sleepy Hollow.
Didn't you see the sign?
Or can't you read English?
I'm sorry, I wasn't watching the road.
Oh, you weren't?
Let's see your licence!
Looks like you got the worst of it.
I'll say I did!
C'mon, let's see your licence!
You haven't got one!
You cholos are all alike!
No licence... no brakes... no...
Alright... break it up!
Break it up!
Do you want me to run you in?
Alright... now what's this all about?
He busted through a STOP sign into my car.
- And who started the fight?
- He did!
- Sure I did!
- We don't like to be called cholos!
Oh, so that's it? Get going.
Wait a minute!...
Who's gonna pay for my car?
Insurance company.
Name is Chavez.
713 Santa Fe Ave.
That's right... OK...
c'mon Joe...
Maybe we'll see you again.
How about it?
Did you jump the STOP sign?
Yeah... we were talking.
That'll cost you 5 bucks.
You boys ought to know better
than to get into fights.
My tie rod is bent.
Is it OK if I leave the car here?
I'll have someone pick it up tonight.
We'll push it over to the curb.
Thanks.
C'mon, let's catch a bus.
I'll see you later!
Cmo ests Lopo?
Cmo ests yourself.
Say, how about it?
Are you going to the dance tonight?
Yes, but we have to finish this job.
Well don't forget to wash your face!
I won't if you won't!
You mean I'm dirty?
It's good clean dirt!
Save me a dance!
I will... if you're not too late.
Conchito?
Hello, Pop!
"Pop"... always it is "Pop" no matter
how many times I tell you.
You're late, Pablito.
Lopo ran through a STOP sign
and smashed into another car.
There was a fight.
That Lopo! Ever since the army,
he's fighting.
I fought too...
They called us dirty names.
When my father spoke... I listen.
But you... you tell me how to speak!
I say "No fight".
You fight.
You want trouble?
You want to go to jail?
Stay away from North Americans.
I'm an American, Dad.
Juan... Pablito understands you.
Try to understand HIM.
Let's try!
Joe!... Did you fill the ice bucket?
Did you hear me?
I asked you if you filled the ice bucket?
Your father will be home soon.
Can't it wait til I'm dressed?
Don't be rude, Joe!
- Hello darling.
- Hello dear.
Are we going out tonight?
Do I have to dress?
No.
But it might be a good idea
if you shaved.
Alright... soon as I have a look
at the paper.
- Hello, Joe.
- Hi, Dad.
What happened to your hand?
Had a fight with a kid from Sleepy Hollow.
I told you not to go down there
looking for trouble.
I wasn't looking for trouble...
Anyway I didn't go to Sleepy Hollow.
It happened on the highway.
Harry and I were coming
from the river and
these 2 guys in an old jalopy
smashed into us.
Well what did you fight about?
Nothin'. They got tough,
and we weren't having any.
They, or you and Harry?
Well, what did you do?
Call them names?
OK... take their side
like you always do.
You wouldn't even wait to listen!
I said I got into a fight
and you yell at me about going
down to Sleepy Hollow.
If you had any friends down there,
you could go any time you want to.
Don't worry... I haven't
any friends there.
It'd be a good thing
if you did have.
Hang around with "fruit tramps"?
Mr Wilder
Most of the press run's already gone,
Mr Ferguson.
I'll catch what I can and
run another ad tomorrow.
Sorry it happened.
You made a slight error on the ad copy
on Fergusons new subdivisions.
The price is $1500 a lot.
Not $150.
So I did.
Also you left out the wading pool
for the kiddies.
Mistakes have a habit of creeping in
now and then, Mr Wilder.
And maybe that's why this paper has a habit
of losing money now and again, Mr Pawling.
Would you please fix it!
What a pity! I was just about
to rush down and buy me a lot!
You mean you have $150?
Oh... $75- 80.
When things get tough, I'll know
who to hit for a touch.
They'll get tough...
But I'm not your man.
I wouldn't invest a nickel
in this sheet.
Fine time to tell me!
You didn't ask.
Just walked in, took off your hat and said
"Boys, I'm the new owner. "
All my life I've been
dreaming a dream...
Don't pinch me because
I might wake up!
Why, do you know last night I heard
mockingbirds outside my window.
First time in 20 years.
Just think, mockingbirds and
nobody to take orders from.
Did i say that?
Well I haven't changed my mind
about the mockingbirds.
I too am a man with a dream...
of getting out of Santa Marta.
You can have IT and the mockingbirds...
in 6 months you'll hate both.
What's got into you?
This morning you were bubbling over.
You had a new girl... the world
was a wonderful place.
Fight with her already?
No, we're just like that!
And after tonight when I buy her a dinner
and ply her with flagons,
we might be even closer than that.
- You got a date?
- Yeah.
- Do you like dancing?
- Love it.
Good. Here you are.
Gee, thanks Larry!
Oh no!
Well someone's got to cover it.
Now, Larry... I been working on
this mouse for weeks.
You know I have.
What's she gonna say
when I drag her down
to a fruit-tramp brawl
in Sleepy Hollow?
What do you think her folks'll say?
You're not taking her folks.
I'm not taking her either.
Anyway, it'll probably end up in a fight.
That's why I want it covered.
Well... I guess I'll have to call her
and tell I've got to work.
Never mind, I'll cover it.
Make sure you take her
somewhere impressive.
Gee, thanks.
Before you leave, check the
car loadings for the week
and phone them into Stockton.
Make a final check on the weather
in the hills for tomorrow...
And be careful tonight...
You know how they talk
in small towns.
You're telling me!
Hi ya Frank!
- Hi Harry.
- 'Bout time you got here.
What'd they do...
Make you wash the dishes?
Nobody makes me wash dishes.
You got dishpan hands!
Want to take a feel of 'em
with your eye?
Hey, what's on the program
for tonight?
I feel like dancin'.
The Country Club's jumpin'
with our parents.
Wouldn't have any fun there.
Who said anything about
the Country Club?
Some of those tomato-pickers are
pretty good-lookin' tomatoes themselves.
Oh, it's you Mr Wilding... I'm sorry.
- And if it hadn't been me?
- We'd have shaken you down.
We don't want any trouble here
in the Hollow tonight.
All I need is one.
No strings attached.
Are you just being generous?
Why not? They didn't cost me anything.
Mine didn't either.
Press, too!
What paper?
La Luz... weekly.
I didn't know there was one.
But there's a lot I don't know
about Santa Marta.
I've only been here a month.
Have you had a chance
to relax?
No reason to, until tonight.
Tonight?
Let's say I felt like dancing.
Good evening Miss Garcia.
Even if you find him, he's probably
with another girl.
He is
Then what are we waiting for?
To be introduced?
My name's Larry, Miss Garcia.
Yes, I know.
It's a small town, Mr Wilder.
I work for a newspaper.
Remember?
- He is your friend, isn't he?
- Yes.
He's trying to show me up.
- It isn't impolite to watch, is it?
- No
At the Country Club
they dance outside.
And they turn off the lights and
you can see the river down the hill.
When there's moonlight,
you can see the mountains.
It's very lovely.
Maybe the music's better here.
The music doesn't matter much
if you can see the sky.
Well doesn't that depend on
whom you're dancing with.
Yes... You came alone tonight.
It wouldn't be because you expect
something to happen, would it?
Now why would I expect that?
Coz a lot of people do.
Police down the street...
The mothers and fathers
sitting over there...
Some of the kids themselves
Take those two over there for instance.
A month ago they were trying to knock
each other's teeth out every time they met.
Cigarette?
Not in here.
Each one had a gang.
Eight boys on the block.
Sleepy Hollow... that's OK.
Nothing much to do,
so one gang fought another.
Then the police would come
and haul them off to jail.
Pretty soon people were saying
we were ALL juvenile delinquents.
Sounds like what happens
in every town.
But we're doing something
about it.
The minister... the teachers...
a lot of people in this town
figure that if you got the gangs together
the fighting would stop.
It has.
I'll throw away my pencil.
No, you can do a lot of good with it.
You could tell the people over there to...
well, look across the tracks.
Sleepy Hollow's been here for years...
I've been here a month.
So it's not your worry.
You're looking at a tired man.
I'm a guy who likes small towns.
I was born in one
and I've been going around looking back
and wondering why I ever left it
This town's a lot like
the one I remember.
The trees, the mountains...
a lot of nice people.
Blind to some things...
but who isn't?
So I'm not taking sides, or picking fights,
or telling them what to do.
I'm against grape-leaf hoppers
mama toads and Bang's disease.
Me? I'm for Mothers Day.
Excuse me.
Wasn't that the pastor
you were just talking to?
Don't you know a parson
when you see one?
Not unless his collar is
turned around backwards.
He's not that kind of a parson.
Hey, Sonny!
Special for you and your friend.
How did he know I liked to waltz?
How about this dance?
What's the matter...
don't you want to dance?
You got what you came after.
Tell Phil to get over here quick!
Come on... snap it up!
Hurry up!
You run around with a newspaperman,
you gotta get used to things like this!
You do?
Are all newspaper offices so dirty?
This is clean compared to
some I've worked on.
You take the...
Well, take any one of them.
Creel of "The Union" speaking, get me
the city desk of the 'Stockton Express'.
I cover Santa Marta for the 'Express'...
I pick up quite a few bucks that way.
City desk? This is Creel in Santa Marta.
Say we've got a riot down here...
yeah.. a big one!
You want me to dictate?
Alright.
They're on a deadline.
Catch that will you, Baby?
Just a minute please.
It's Mr Prentiss... he wants to talk
to Mr Wilder.
Tell him Larry ll call him back.
Mr Wilder will call you back.
I wonder what's troubling HIM.
Oh, hello, Miss Dawson? Jonas Creel.
Say, we've got a little
excitement down here.
A gang of fruit-tramps threw a dance
for some other gangs over in Sleepy Hollow.
'Good Fellowship Dance', they called it!
And what it did to promote
good fellowship!
Some of them started throwing
punches at each other...
and it was a shambles by the time
the cops got there.
One of the kids, one of the ringleaders,
a kid named Paul Rodriguez
slugged a cop.
Al Peters.
Yeah... He stole an ice-cream wagon
and took it on the lam!
Hold it Miss Dawson...
I'm covering for the 'Express. '
Hurry it up.
The guy with the mug... Prentiss,
wants you to call him.
And that's Caroline Tyler.
Here's the good one, Miss Dawson...
it was one of those trucks with bells on it!
Hey! That's mine!
Hit somebody your own size, will ya!
He's the guy that slugged me...
- Let me have him!
- Cut it out, Pete.
Try and act like an officer, will you!
Boy Scout badge, two bucks,
St Christophers medal... and
he sure needed it on this road.
That's the works.
Alright kid, get in the car.
Why don't you kiss him?
Get in there with him,
and behave yourself.
Andy, take this car back to 'The Shack'
Pick up the ice-cream truck.
Why don't you send Pete...
Maybe the music ll take some
of the meanness out of him.
Car 14 callin' in.
Sergeant Boswell talking.
Call off the dogs... we got him.
Hello, Larry.
Please, Miss Garcia, let's be practical.
Trials cost money...
And none of the people have
any money to throw away.
Now, I'm not charging anything
for my advice.
I'm giving it to you.
So why don't you take it and let me
plead the boys guilty?
Guilty of what?
They haven't done anything!
They're still in jail, Miss Garcia!
Now the charges against them
aren't serious...
They're assault and disturbing the peace.
They pay a small fine
and they're free.
The whole thing's forgotten.
But if I plead hem 'not guilty',
you've got to put up a bond.
And that means money.
And then there's the trial
and they'll be found guilty
anyway.
What will the fine be?
Five or ten dollars.
But they haven't done anything
to be fined for.
There are two schools of thought
on that subject.
They've got to pay the fine.
But it's not fair!
They arrested 11 of our boys
and only 1 from town!
Well there were a lot more
of your boys there.
I'd say that everything
just about averaged up.
Mr Green's right... they'd better
not go to court.
Excuse me Mr Wilder...
may I talk to you for a minute?
Surely.
This is my boy Joe.
Joe, this is Mr Wilder of "The Union".
Is there anything
you'd like to tell him?
No sir.
I'd like to help those other kids.
Could I pay their fines for them?
Go ahead.
Green!...
How many boys are there in there?
Eleven.
Well, they fined my son $10...
150 ought to cover it.
Thank you Mr Ferguson.
I'll have your boys out of here
in no time.
Come along... all of you.
Mr Green... what about my boy?
If they catch him, they
won't let him pay a fine...
They'll keep him in jail.
Well, let's cross that bridge
when we come to it.
Come along, please.
Ferguson gave Green the money
to pay for the fines, didn't he?
Why?
Why not?
Maybe he likes kids.
Maybe he has a guilty conscience
about his boy.
So he eases his conscience.
Gets us to admit we're wrong.
Sonny!... wait a minute!
If you'll take that chip off your shoulder,
I'll drive you home.
It's a big chip.
No bigger than the one
I carried for years.
My car's just around the corner.
It's a good smell, isn't it?
What happened to that chip
you were carrying?
Well, I got kinda tired
of lugging it around.
You will too, when you get
as old as I am.
I used to be like you...
Violence... impatience...
You know what upset me most,
back there...
You!
Running away from a fight!
It isn't like you!
Why do you say that?
You only met me tonight!
I met you years ago.
First you were a name.
A by-line on newspaper stories
on a New York paper
my father used to take.
Then your name wasn't in
that paper any more.
One day I was watching
the UP teletype in the office.
There your name was again
over a story from Warsaw.
I used to follow you after that.
From country to country...
wherever you went.
Finally I came face to face with you
on the jacket of a book.
Now do you understand
why I danced with you tonight?
Do you know what it meant
when you said you weren't
taking sides anymore?
That all you were for was Mothers Day.
Yeah.
But you understand what it is to have
your bellyful of fighting.
So... you reach back into your past
for something to hang on to.
Leaves burning in October.
The sound of people
talking over fences.
Kids calling as they run
through the dark.
Don't you see...
I HAD all that once.
And I want it again.
I understand.
Whatever that is, it isn't leaves.
Next time you bring me home,
I'll have some.
Then there'll be a next time?
No, Larry...
It was to have been
a very respectful kiss.
I don't doubt that.
I do!... I save my respectful kisses
for my mother.
So do I.
Hasta la vista, Mr Wilder!
Don't give me that about thinking
I was somebody else!
- Will you lay off that kid!
- Stick to your driving!...
I'll teach him to hit an officer!
I said lay off the kid!
It was your fault!
Get me the police department!
Wanted for grand theft auto
and resisting an officer.
Paul Rodriguez, 19
who escaped from the custody
of Santa Marta police
following an automobile crash on highway
5 miles south of Cantonville.
Norman Anderson, an eyewitness to the crash
in which Sgt James Boswell was killed
and patrolman Al Peters was injured
saw the suspect running from the scene.
10-4
Be with you in a minute.
I'm Jan Dalton of the 'Stockton Express'.
Hello... what brings you down here
this time of night?
What do you suppose
brings me down here?
A desire to see the country?
A yen for fresh air?
I was sent for the city desk.
On the strength of a phone call
from a youth of your employ
that lead us to believe
martial law has been proclaimed.
Jonas's glands are over-stimulated.
No riot?
Just what did Jonas say?
He had blood running in the gutters.
The only blood spilled so far
was by a cop killed chasing a boy.
I'm giving it to U.P. now.
I'll speak firmly to him...
I'll make him church editor...
until he learns what truth is.
It's a little late...
We took him at his word
and put a paper out.
Silly dog...
Good dog!
'Skipper'!
Come on... where are you?
Wait a minute, Mickey.
Now a big head, Mickey.
Now dear...
Try and remember
just what happened.
You went out to the barn and
he jumped out of the dark...
and grabbed you!
Could I have the funnies, Daddy?
That was little Mildred Jensen telling you
her own story of a night of terror.
She is crossing the porch,
supported by her mother.
Still suffering from the terrible shock
of her ordeal.
Now she is entering the house.
Thank you Mildred Jensen.
You can be sure that
before the day is over
the young gangster who assaulted
you will be behind bars.
Yeah, Cappy... Mickeys down at
the bus station now, sending the plates.
Sure we've covered everything.
The Rodriguez family;
a bunch of kids...
I don't know...
they all look alike to me!
Sure... soon as they catch him.
Everybody and his brother's
out hunting for him
for that $500 reward
the TV station's putting up.
- Good morning.
- Where's Mr Wilder?
He isn't here, Miss Garcia.
He's in a meeting with Mr Prentiss
and some other people.
I'll wait.
Might be a long time.
We've got to be practical, Larry.
Dragging these kids into this
won't help the situation.
Leave their names out of it.
Nobody's dragging them into it.
What were they doing there?
We went there to dance.
Is there anything wrong with that?
But you were fighting... I saw you.
- You were there?
- He was dancing with a Mexican girl.
What I was doing
makes no difference.
What YOU were, does!
Like I said...
This kid charged me because of
what happened yesterday afternoon.
He started throwing punches,
so I threw them right back!
After that everybody was
fighting everybody else.
- Isn't that the way it was?
- Sure it was.
We didn't do a thing outta line.
We even danced with the girls
the preacher introduced us to.
Even so, I don't see how
I can leave you out of it.
Go ahead and print their names, Larry...
The kids were there...
mine made the clink!
Now look here, Ferg...
you can feel any way you want to...
But me, I don't want MY name
tied in with any Sleepy Hollow brawl.
Maybe we should get rid of
Sleepy Hollow, then...
It shouldn't have been there
in the first place!
Come on Joe, I told your mother
you'd take her to church.
A little praying won't hurt you.
Why didn't you just come out
and call me a liar!
I noticed Harry's dad
stuck up for HIM!
I noticed he didn't go against
his own flesh and blood.
When it comes to some dirty tramps...
I'm not Harry's dad.
Joe...
Don't you feel sorry for that boy?
Sure... but it's not my fault
he hit a cop and stole a car.
Then you DON'T feel sorry for him!
He's nothing to ME.
No... he's nothing to YOU.
You boys wouldn't be putting
a little pressure on me would you?
No.
As long as I don't mention
the kids' names in the paper?
It won't cost you anything
to be practical.
Well, maybe just a little self-respect
Hey... what are you doin' in there?
Get outta there!
C'mon... beat it!
Get outta here!
Go on... wait a minute!
Aren't you the kid
they're lookin' for?
Leave me alone...
I haven't done anything!
Drop that fork!
Drop that pitchfork, do you hear!
Hey... come back!
Everyone is ready for the flash...
that will bring you a climax
to the greatest manhunt in the history
of this lovely little town.
Heavily-armed men,
tense with expectancy...
with their police radios
ready for the kill.
Oh Larry... here's a man who can really
take you behind the scene.
A great newspaperman who gave up
covering the world and writing books
to come to Santa Marta
and edit "The Union. "
Come over here Larry, where
the camera can see you.
Larry has a nose for news... he was
right in the middle of the riot.
Well let's call it a fight between
a lot of hot-headed kids, eh?
Well call it whatever you want to,
but it sounded like a riot to me.
I was there.
Don't tell me the Rodriguez
kid didn't slug a policeman?!
That I didn't see.
- Hi, Mark!
- Hello Jonas.
I'm covering the story too,
you know!
Well, step right over here.
This is it, folks!
They've got him cornered!
He just tried to kill a farmer with a
pitchfork and he's standing at bay!
Stay tuned to KTJC for
the TV scoop of the year!
Let's go at this systematic...
Now keep strung out... and if
you happen to see him
don't take any chances of him
getting away.
- Hello, Mitch.
- Hi ya, Chet.
You're sure he's out there?
Yeah, he's out there all right.
The longer you all stand there,
the higher my taxes'll be.
Alright men... don't shoot
unless you have to.
Why shoot at all?
Ain't you the new editor of "The Union"?
Yeah.
I chased the boy in here...
if anybody should ask.
Name's Cadwallader.
See that pipeline over there?
If I was the sheriff... which I ain't
because I never was lazy enough
to work for the county...
I'd hike right along it to the river.
Thanks.
Look out, mister, they don't shoot YOU.
Come on, boys!
I think he's over there.
Yeah... here's your desperate criminal!
But you better bring a handkerchief...
he's crying his eyes out.
You'll be alright.
So don't worry.
Could we have him right here
in front of the camera, Chief?
Right here.
That's right... move him over a little bit.
You are witnessing the climax of one of
the most dramatic manhunts
in the history of Josinto county.
Tight-lipped, sullen Rodriguez...
who with a wild night of crime,
stole 2 cars
and attempted to attack
a pretty 15-year old girl
is in the custody of the law...
and must pay the penalty for his crime.
That kid works for me. I always said
he was no good.
None of 'em are any good.
Break it up, everybody.
That's it!
Say, mister... could I please call my folks?
Later! Go over there!
Two.
Well, you know the place I mean... on 40th
St, right next door to the "Herald Trib. "
Where they have a stuffed fish
and a suit of armour
and they play this game of "Matches".
- "Blakes".
- Yeah! "Blakes".
That's where I met him.
Full of Old Fashioneds and a plan
to buy the "Tombstone Epitaph".
Well, I was young
and impressionable and...
The next thing I knew we had a weekly
in a town called Clovis, just out of Fresno.
Two kids, and the sheriff
hanging around our door.
So what does Joe do,
but get a job in Africa.
When I met him, he was in Australia.
Still full of Old Fashioneds, I'll bet...
But without the desire
to buy the "Epitaph".
I inherited the desire.
What gets into newspapermen?
Why can't they act like people?
I don't know about Joe.
Me, I was fed up with moving
from one job to another
and being told what to write
and what not to write.
You just think you were.
One of these days you'll walk out
on your wife and kids
and end up in New York,
which you never should have left
in the first place.
Not me! In the first place,
I haven't got a wife.
Wilson says to tell you the girl's parents
filed a complaint against the kid.
Thanks.
You can use my office
if you want to.
I know how you feel,
Mrs Rodriguez.
I'm a mother myself.
Did they hurt him?
No, they just scared him.
Could we see him, please?
Just for a moment...
Could we see him?
They have him in Blake's office f
or questioning.
They won't let anyone see him.
Not even his mother?
I don't think it'll work...
but I'll try it.
The chief must be in a good mood.
He said yes.
That was Paul's mother
saying thanks.
She has nice warm lips.
What we gonna do about him?
We'll have to get a lawyer...
the best in town.
They're throwing the book at him.
Assaulting an officer... grand theft auto...
attacking girl...
But why?... He didn't hurt the girl.
You and I might believe that,
but THEY don't.
Can his father afford $25,000 for bail?
He hasn't any money... how could he
possibly hire a lawyer?
That's what he's going to
have to do.
But how? What with?
Can't you do anything?
Tell people he's a poor scared kid.
Tell them to let him go.
That'd be like yelling at a thunderstorm...
who'd hear me?
And if they did... who'd listen?
Isn't it worth a try?
No... they'd turn on you,
wouldn't they?
For the first time in your life,
you've got what you want.
You can't lose it.
And nobody listens.
Thanks.
For understanding.
Extra... Santa Marta hoodlum captured
Read all about it.
Rodriguez stood there,
mud-covered, sullen...
cool...
a trapped animal,
if ever I saw one.
I moved closer to him...
stared deep into his eyes...
hoping to find some spark...
a little ember of remorse...
but all I could see was cruelty...
Not bad, huh?... for a country girl.
Maybe a little overripe,
but not bad.
Where was I, Mac?
Oh yeah... cruelty.
That's right... they got the streets
to Sleepy Hollow blocked off.
There's fears some of those gangs
might try to break into the jail.
That COULD happen.
No, there's no real trouble yet, but...
there's some mighty
angry people around.
Bail's $25,000. Looks like the kid's address
ll be the county jail for quite a while.
You must be psychic.
Or did you look in your crystal ball
and see a man trying
to figure out what to do.
I wanted to see if you were
carrying through on the boys.
Are you up to something?
Nothing to speak of.
Just so you keep your head.
Remember you like this town.
You like your place in it.
Don't let that heart of yours
start bleeding.
- You better stick to...
- Mothers Day?
Pretty close to deadline, Larry.
So sit down and make yourself useful.
You type a lot faster than I do.
A kid named Paul Rodriguez
went to a dance last night
in Sleepy Hollow.
The streets aren't paved
and the people live in shacks.
When he left home
he was a good kid...
Ask his parents.
Ask his neighbours.
Ask the principal of his high school.
You can't ask his brother, because
his brother died in the Normandy beachhead.
Today he's in jail.
Today people call him
all the names in the book.
You don't know a paper that
needs a couple of guys do ya?
He's the same boy
who worked in the fields
and took his pay home
to his mother.
I think the facts will show
the only crime he's guilty of is fear.
He has no money for bail.
He has no money for a lawyer.
As editor and publisher of "The Union"
I'm raising a fund
to defend Paul Rodriguez.
I'm putting my name
on the top of the list, for $100.
Look at this!
He's taking the fruit tramp's side!
Defense fund! How do you like that?!
How do you think
he'll sell a paper?
Hey, Ed!
D'ya see this?
He's as good as called Mildred a liar.
Are you going to let him
get away with it?
Yes, this is Wilder.
Sorry you feel that way,
Mrs Mclntyre.
The telephone company
objects to profanity, madam.
Who's thanking me this time?
I am.
Take it easy!
Call my kid a liar, would you?
I didn't say Mildred lied.
I said she couldn't say what happened
because she didn't know...
She was out cold!
It ain't hard to see
why you said it!
Get out!
Look out the window...
there are a lot of guys
that feel the same way I do!
In my office is a gun
and if things get too tough,
I'll use it.
So get out!
It's in my bottom drawer
under a bottle of gin.
There's a thing called
the libel law.
If you think I'm wrong, use it.
Go on, get out!
All I could find
was a bottle of gin.
Well, give me that!
Who do ya think
you're honkin' at?
Hey, it's that Rodriguez kid's pal!
You wanna make trouble, huh?!
Hey... don't let them get away!
How do you feel, son?
Well get me somebody... anybody!
I don't care what
you think about me...
A crowd's over here,
beating up some kids!
There's a riot in the making.
I'm not telling you how to
run your department...
I'm telling you there's trouble!
You'd better take that Rodriguez boy
out of town!
Will they take him out of jail?
They are, if I have to break it down.
Now listen to me...
Stay here!
Stay off the streets!
Now you guys sure
give up easy!
They didn't do anything, anyway!
Let 'em go!
You don't care what happens
to a man's daughter, huh?
You don't want this to be a safe place
for a man's kids!
Let's go smoke 'em out...
burn their shacks!
Wait a minute!
Hang on a minute!
I know how Ed here feels,
coz I got a daughter too!
Over at the jail, there's
a sneakin' dirty criminal...
and what are they gonna do with 'im?
Maybe they'll go so far as to
slap a little fine on 'im!
And it looks like some of us
have forgotten how to be men!
Well go on home... we don't need
guys like you!
Hold it!... None of you
are going anywhere!
They're takin' him out the front!
They're gonna turn him loose!
It's because of that newspaper guy!
What'd I tell you?!
Called my kid a liar!
Let's wreck his place!
I'd have been here sooner,
but I got held up out there.
Where's your handkerchief?
Yeah, that was me
they were kicking around.
I was bringing in the afternoon collection
for this guy's fund.
Where is he?
He went to the jail.
He thinks they might go after Paul.
He sounds like
he might be a good guy.
Well, you run into one,
once in a while.
Lopo!
Lopo, don't run away.
I'm not running.
Go on home, before somebody
gets killed!
What are you waitin' for?
C'mon, let's wreck the joint!
Get out of the way!
Get out of the way, cholo, we're comin'!
Why did you stay here?
Why didn't you run?
Where to? Sleepy Hollow?
You might as well let 'em all go.
I won't file charges against them.
I won't be here to file charges...
to tell the jury what they did.
There are others, who will.
What are you hanging around for?
Are you waiting to watch me
pack up and leave?
If you are, you needn't wait,
because I'm going, so beat it!
Try and find some shame
for what you've done.
SkI!
Stop crying about it.
You'll get another job.
But I liked this one.
So did I.
Couldn't maybe
patch things up a little?
Just enough to put out
a couple of pages?
No... even if we could, I wouldn't.
I'm through.
With the newspaper game?
With small towns.
Not like I remembered 'em.
But then, I was pretty young
when I lived in one before.
You said I'd get sick of mockingbirds.
I am.
Jan Dawson said I'd end up
in a place in New York
with a stuffed fish
and a suit of armour.
But why not?
Right now I'm very fond of stuffed fish.
Goodnight, kid.
And good luck!
They really wrecked this.
You ought to see
what they did to the press.
I heard you were leaving town.
There's nothing else to do, is there?
No typewriters.
No linotype machines.
No press.
Nothing but creditors.
And you can't print a paper
with them!
No, you can't.
But I hate to see you leave.
That's something.
A lot of people will hate
to see you leave.
Thanks.
You wouldn't change your mind?
Somebody's going to put out
a newspaper here.
Yes, but not on a shoestring,
like I did.
Too easy to break the string.
Oh, I can scare up
some money.
Maybe I'll find some others
who'll scare up more.
Why do that?
I don't like what happened today.
I didn't think it could happen here.
Don't run out on us, Larry.
Get somebody else.
Here's someone wants to thank you.
I went his bond.
He's seeing my lawyer
in the morning.
Never mind.
I know what you want to say.
Come on, I'll drive you home.
No need to do that.
I'm heading that way now
to telephone to pack a bag.
If you change your mind,
drop around tomorrow.
Back there, I couldn't talk.
You said you knew
what I wanted to say.
Maybe you do.
Anyway, I'll say it now.
I had a brother once.
And when I was hiding
and you looked in at me...
I thought for a minute
you were him.
I guess it's because you got
the same thing in your eyes.
Ah, Mr Wilder... good evening.
Sonny! He's here!
Could you print a 'daily'
on this thing?
Not a very big one.
It wouldn't have to be too big.
Just big enough to say all the things
I've left unsaid.
Would you mind calling it the "Union"?
The name's about all I have left.
He wouldn't mind.
Would you show me how?
Sure.