Starsky and Hutch (1975) s01e06 Episode Script

And now, here's Ginger! Please, that girl I meet her some place.
You tell her.
Yes? - Ginger? - Yes.
Her.
You understand, huh? Not a chance.
Our girls don't date the customers.
- Manny.
What's the problem? - What's the trouble? This is what's the trouble.
- It's a tablecloth.
- Yeah, go ahead.
Just read that.
It's not private.
- "Ginger will die tonight.
" - I wanna ask you something.
What crazy person writes a thing like that? You ought to know.
You get enough of them.
Maybe it's some freak who likes to do things in the dark to give himself a lift.
I'll call you guys in off the street to come in here just for some kind of joke some kind of a freak? Look, just read this thing.
I think some dingo is going to try to kill Ginger.
- Tonight! - Who found it, Manny? Arnold.
He's a waiter.
Okay, we talk to Arnold first, and then to Ginger.
Okay, talk to her, but just don't tell her what it's about.
- How are we going to do that? - I mean, don't scare the girls.
How am I gonna keep them on the job if they're scared? You think that it's easy to get strippers.
You think all they have to be is big up here and long down there, and just move in and out like that? Anybody can take their clothes off.
My aunt does it every night.
Oh, yeah? Yeah, well, nobody's going to pay any money to see your aunt.
- My girls are artists.
- Relax, Manny.
Why, sugar, I just don't know what you're referring to.
- Enemies? - That's right, Cherry.
Enemies.
- I'm not Cherry.
I'm Ginger.
- Sorry.
Ginger? Have you been pestered? That's a dumb question.
Have you been threatened or followed lately? Oh, you are cute.
What about any obscene phone calls? You know, heavy breathing? My number is unlisted.
I only give it to my friends.
- Are you my friends? - Tonight, we're your friends.
- We're going to see you home.
- Ginger, it's about time.
Well, now I don't know about you two boys seeing me home.
See, I got a date with my boyfriend and, well, now, I don't know if my little old linebacker Used to play for the New Orleans Saints.
Oh, but they busted up his knee so badly he gets arthritis when it rains and can't tackle nobody.
Well, now, I don't think he'll look too kindly on that.
I mean, you coming along on his date Sugar, I mean How little is your little old linebacker? Six-four.
That's when he was playing.
He's put on a little weight since then.
- Well, maybe he's slowed down a little.
- I doubt it.
Ginger? We believe that somebody made a threat against your life.
- A threat? - Probably nothing but you should knock off, and we'll take you home.
Ginger, Birnbom's having a fit.
Come on.
- Will Birnbom let me go early? - Yeah, we'll fix it with him.
- Okay, sugar.
- I'll cover for you, honey.
Excuse me.
Not too much.
Come on, class up, will you, sport? Class up? Arnold, we got a medium weight, medium height, middle-aged man.
- Is that all? - Hey, look they sat him at the worst table in the house.
And he ordered a Coke.
- Does that tell you something? - He was a lousy tipper? Besides which, it was dark, and I was running my tail off to serve all my tables.
If he didn't speak, I wouldn't have noticed that much.
He spoke? He talked to you? Yeah.
A little point you might've mentioned.
You didn't ask me.
I'm asking you now, Arnold, what did he say? Word for word.
He wanted me to fix him up with Ginger.
But he being a lousy tipper, you said to him Our girls don't date the customers.
Okay, Arnold, would you recognize this medium man if you saw him? After that, he don't figure to come back here again.
The question is, if he walked in here and bit you on the cheek could you identify him? Oh! You mean the scar? - What scar? - The one on his cheek.
- Like a half moon.
- Which cheek? The right No, the left! And he had grey hair.
Arnold, the next time he comes in here don't wait to be asked.
Tell us.
- Okay.
- That's the left cheek, right? - Right.
- No, left.
Left.
Right! - Get out of here, Arnold.
- Okay.
- I think Arnold has a point.
- Arnold's head has a point.
Well, that too.
I mean about the guy coming back here.
Maybe.
Hey, look, let's go wait outside for Ginger, huh? See what's shaking.
Oh, you know what's shaking.
I saw you checking out Francine.
- How's it going, sugar? - Like always real classical.
- Do me a favour, huh? Call Jim and tell him I'm off early and to meet me in front of my apartment.
- Consider it done.
- And, sugar don't tell Starsky and Hutch I split, you hear? All right? Thanks, honey.
Hey, Manny, where's Ginger? We're going to take her home now.
She left.
You wanted her to go early.
What do you mean she left? What did you let her go for? She said she told you guys.
She had to go back to meet the football player.
- I'll get the car.
Where does she live? Jamala Apartments.
It's Brandon and Fourth.
And look, take Westside.
So they told us that we would get police protection till they catch the creeps.
You don't need no police protection, baby.
Big old Jim Lee's going to be right here at your side.
What's wrong, sugar, bump your poor little old knee? Jim Lee? Jim Lee? You playing a trick on me? Where are you? - Hey, are you okay? - You lousy! Hold it! Come on, man.
Hold it! Police! All right.
Where's Ginger? - You her boyfriend? - Yeah.
- What happened? - I don't know.
- Which way to her apartment? - By the pool.
- Starsky.
- Hutch.
Broken neck.
She's dead.
Oh, no.
Let me have her.
It's all my fault.
I didn't even see him coming.
He got me from behind.
Nice world, huh? Hey, kids, can I have your attention? Arnold, can I have your attention? Just for one minute, please? Okay, Manny.
Well, look, I have some bad news.
You're pregnant.
- Ginger is dead.
- Oh, come on, Manny.
- Quit acting.
- What a lousy sense of humour.
Hey, hey, wait a minute.
- She was murdered.
- Murdered? Now, look, you have to give Detectives Hutchinson and Starsky all the help Any questions that they have Give them all the help We have to find this crazy animal because It's okay, Manny.
I'll take it.
I'll take it.
Go ahead.
All right, folks, listen.
Hey, come on, girls.
I'm going to be as upfront with all the facts as I can because we need all the help you can give us, okay? Earlier, there was a man sitting in the back booth at Arnold's station, and he tried to set up a date with Ginger.
Now, what we've got by way of description is a medium-sized man with grey hair and a crescent-shaped scar on his left cheek.
Now, that's not much, I admit but, now I beg of you, think do any of you remember seeing such a man in this place? He had scary eyes too.
All right, he had scary eyes.
Does that jog any memories? I got a question, Starsk.
This is a question for the ladies.
Now, what I'd like to know is Wait a minute, somebody's missing.
- Who's missing? - Kathi.
She got hysterical, so her boyfriend, Jerry, took her home.
Right.
Okay.
Okay, kids, now what we've got is a medium-sized man with grey hair and a crescent-shaped scar on the left side of his cheek.
Now I'm asking you, think about this.
Do any of you remember someone like this asking you for a date propositioning you any kind of an approach? Might have been a customer.
Okay, thank you all very much.
That's all for now.
Manny, come here.
We'll need a list of every customer that you got coming to this place and we're going to need an address.
- Whose address? - Kathi.
- Kathi? - Yeah.
Hi.
Police.
Detectives Starsky and Hutchinson.
We want to talk to Kathi Carmer.
Not at this time of night.
Push harder, you'll be wearing it.
Give her a break.
Ginger was her friend.
Then there's a lot she can tell us.
Starting with how she knew.
Knew what? That Ginger was dead.
How did you know that before anybody else at the club? I I didn't.
Birnbom was first You told him.
I was just walking past the office.
Okay.
But how is it you seem to be the only one that got hysterical? She was my best friend.
I was I was sick and scared We have a description of a possible suspect.
A middle-aged man with grey hair, a scar on his cheek strange eyes.
Did you ever see anybody like that? Maybe someone like that hit on you at the club? No.
I don't But Ginger knows a lot of men.
I mean she used to.
Come on.
Come on, give her a break.
How much do you think she can take? I don't know.
- All we're after is the truth.
- Oh, stop it! Stop it! Jerry, make them stop it! Kathi when you're really scared when you're really scared give us a call.
No more, Jerry.
Now, we've got - We've got to end this right now.
- No way.
Jerry, they killed Ginger.
Who did? Some fruit cake? The guy's a psycho.
He even left a message he was gonna do it.
It's got nothing to do with our deal.
Are you sure? You heard the cops.
They even got a description.
Look, babe Look, we got a blank check.
All we got to do is cash it in.
Right? Yes, but I Listen, it's our big chance to get out.
How do you think I feel every night you up there on that runway in front of all those those leering, sweating old men getting their cheap thrills? You think I like running that two-bit golf course? All right.
All right, Jerry, but not tonight, okay? I just wouldn't be able to bring it off.
All right.
In the morning then.
And look you tell them the price has gone up another $10,000.
Okay? Okay? Good.
This case has murder, sex, terror all the elements that sell newspapers and drive the citizens uptight.
The boys upstairs will lean on me and I'll lean on you.
I want that psycho nailed, fast.
Captain, if those guys upstairs are in such an all-fired Starsky, Starsky.
Now, we've got the list that Birnbom gave us.
We could spend a week tracking those people, and turn out nobody saw anything! Well, look here, we got Lou Posey.
He's a regular customer.
The enforcer for Dave Delano? - Nobody ever nails Delano.
- We know.
He's gone legit.
Meat business.
Tells everybody.
Everybody believes it.
- Well, it's a lead.
Let's get on it.
- Okay.
Okay.
How about that, Dave Delano running a meat plant.
Hey did you ever see the things they put in hotdogs? They put everything in hotdogs.
All that good stuff.
It's incredible.
Hey, the front door for the general public, huh? Hey, Hutch, I didn't know we were the general public.
Police officers to see Delano.
Do you got an appointment with Mr.
Delano? Mr.
Delano? Appointment? That proves he's gone legit.
Hey! You go and tell Mr.
Delano that he's just made an appointment.
- How many ribs? - 200.
- 200.
Good.
- Mr.
Delano.
Cops.
Oh, I see Okay, Frank, we can finish that later.
Take that with you, will you? You can be excused too.
All right.
I hope you didn't rough up any of the hired help, fellas.
Oh, come on, us? One of your men fell off the platform back there.
- Clumsy, huh? - Yeah.
What do you want to see me about? Oh, we don't want to see you, Mr.
Delano.
We want to see Posey.
- Really? - Yeah.
- Lou? - Yeah, Mr.
Delano? I think you know Starsky and Hutch.
Sure.
What do you guys want? - Well, we could use a little help, Lou.
- Last night, in the Panama Club.
- Panama Club? - You were there, weren't you, Lou? We're trying to get a line on another customer.
Now, all we know is that he was sitting in the back in a corner.
He was a medium-type guy with light-grey hair and a crescent scar on the side of his cheek something about his eyes too.
His eyes? Delano, you'll never make it as a ventriloquist.
I can see your lips move.
Did you see a customer matching that description? - Did I see him? - Well, how could he with all those women around.
We'd better go some place where we can continue uninterrupted.
- Good idea.
Will you excuse us? How about right in there? These will be simple questions, Lou, calling for yes or no answers.
- Okay.
- No.
Not "okay" yes or no.
The Panama Club, you were there last night, right? - You see the man I just described? - Hey, fellas, I'm freezing to death.
- Here, snuggle up to this.
- That's not funny.
- I may be catching pneumonia.
- Did you see him, Lou? Maybe.
- Lou - All right, I remember.
I was outside making a telephone call.
Just as I was coming in, he was coming out.
I almost ran over him.
He apologizes and tells me he was sorry.
What about his voice? Hear that? I think he had some kind of accent.
- We can check that out with - Albert.
- Who? - Albert.
- No, no.
Arnold.
- Oh.
- Can we go outside now? - Describe him first.
He was about 5'8", weighed about 150 pounds looked like a refugee.
He had little, weird eyes and he had He really dug the girls like he was staring straight through them, you know? Now you can go.
Starsky, how did you say they make hot dogs? - Hot dogs? - Never mind.
Miss? - Miss.
- Is somebody there? Sonja.
She is next.
Where are you hiding? Come out where I can see you.
Get Manny.
Go get him.
Go get him.
Tell Sonja she is next.
Manny! Manny! Go crawl under your rock, you creep! - Get out! - What's the matter, Francie? - He's out there! - What? Well, call the police! Police! Starsky, wait a minute.
- Where's Sonja, Manny? - Well, isn't she in her dressing room? She doesn't go on again till 6:30.
She's on a break.
Hey! Hey, he was here! Hey, he was here in the alley.
That dingo.
Well, four or five months ago.
She was working here about four or five months.
Hey, Detective Starsky? Is it all right if Kathi gets changed? I'd like to take her home now.
Yeah.
Just keep her handy, huh? Hey, come on, let's sit down.
I just can't keep my Oh, God.
- Look, Manny - It's so terrible.
just try to remember who was backstage, huh? - Backstage? - Right.
I don't know.
I mean, there were lots of people backstage.
I mean, all the girls have boyfriends, like Kathi and Neilan.
- Want to tell me about her? - Just a pretty black girl from Detroit looking for a big connection.
- What kind? Somebody to set her up for a long time.
- Did she want to get married? - Not that long.
Like this guy she met at a party.
She thought he was heaven-sent.
When was that? Monday before last.
The day the club is closed, right? We had a private gig.
You and Sonja? Everybody.
All six of us.
We were invited to dress up a party, you know? And this guy asked for her number, he writes it down, and nothing.
And it was strange.
I thought he had eyes for her, but he never called.
It's heartbreak every step of the way, you know? Yeah.
Did she tell you about him? Yeah.
He was a big dude from Vegas.
Thorn.
Jack Thorn.
Is this the guy? No, come on.
Thorn's got a lot of style, you know? Wait, I'm sorry.
You know this is the creep in the alley.
Manny! It's the guy in the alley, I'm telling you.
I saw him not as good as Francie, maybe - Just like Arnold said.
- Medium height? Yeah, he was chubby sort of grey hair.
Did anybody check the back alley? Yeah.
I sent three waiters out to look for him.
I knew where he was hiding, but when they got there it was like a disappearing act.
- Come on, I'll show you where he was.
- Excuse me.
Francine just identified the sketch we had made.
So did Manny.
Come on, let's go.
- I'll show you where it was.
- Yeah.
Let's go.
That's where he ducked into.
I never took my eye off him while Francine went to call for help.
But when they got here he had vanished.
Why don't you go home and rest, Manny? Yeah, It's been quite a day.
Maybe that door was unlocked.
And Birnbom could have been looking in the wrong place.
Maybe he had the keys.
What are we looking for? A man or a goat? The exercise is good for you.
I don't mind climbing up.
It's the falling down that worries me.
Why don't you check that out? Yes, sir.
Nothing to report, sir.
Don't heights ever bother you? Only when I can't see down.
- What? - Only when I can't see down.
Only when I can't see down? Sometimes, I think there's something wrong with the way you think.
What's wrong with the way I think? Forget it.
I don't want to think about it.
- Heads or tails? - Tails.
- You lose.
- Starsk! Will you look at this? - The guy's a flake.
- Flake? Flake.
- Six of them.
- Five.
One, two, three, four five.
- And the five strippers next door.
Those girls.
We know.
- Name? - Anton Rusz.
- Spell it.
- R-U-S-Z.
You a citizen, Anton? - Not yet.
I apply.
- Age? You want to tell us about it now, Anton? You'll feel better afterwards.
Won't he, Hutch? Sure.
How do you feel about women? Hate them? No.
No, no, no, not hate.
I respect.
All except the bad ones, huh? Like the kind that take their clothes off? You, you don't understand.
We're trying to understand.
You did write those messages didn't you? Yes, I did that.
- Why? - Because of the voices.
Voices? What do they tell you? About Ginger, and Sonja.
That they would have to die.
That's it.
Be sure you read him his rights.
Waived them in the presence of an attorney.
Okay, take everything down in detail and make sure he signs it.
Not a bad piece of work.
- Can I rest now? I'm so very tired.
- Soon, Anton.
- Tell us about the voices.
- No.
- Why not? - Because if they find out I'd be arrested.
Anton, you've been arrested.
- For murder.
- Murder? No, I did not.
It was the voices.
How long have you been hearing the voices? Since I get the phone.
- You mean they call you up? - No, no, no.
They don't call me.
Each other on my phone.
Yes? No.
Phone in my shop, okay? Phone company say, no more pay, no phone.
So the phone company disconnected your service.
- Yes.
- Okay.
When? Last year.
After my wife die.
Owe so many debts.
I need phone for customers, so I I fix it.
- You fixed it? - You found a way to make free calls on a pay phone? - I connect my phone to pay phone in alley.
I know how to do those things.
- And it works? - Oh, sure it works.
Well, okay for customers to call me.
I must go to alley phone with dime to call them.
You mean, you picked up your phone and you heard somebody on the alley phone putting a contract out on the strippers? Please? You heard somebody threatening the girls? - Yes.
- Why didn't you report what you heard? For cheating the phone company, I'd be arrested.
I cannot be citizen.
I'd be deported.
- You there? - Yep.
Hello, this is Starsky.
Get me Captain Dobey.
- Oh, hi, Starsky.
- Captain, this is Hutch.
Hold up on any statement about the stripper murders.
- Well, why is that Hutch? - We don't think Anton killed anybody.
What? What are you talking about, Hutch? - In fact, we're sure.
- Starsky? We'll give you the rest when we get there.
Okay? Hey, listen, is this Starsky or Hutch? All right, I want you to tell me what you think those voices said word for word.
Can't remember so good.
So very frightened.
Well, as best you can, Mr.
Rusz.
First voice say the one with Southern accent.
- That was Ginger.
- Ginger? Ginger, yes.
Voice say: "That must be the one, you take care of her.
" First voice say, "You mean, kill?" Answer come back, "Yes.
" - And the other voices? - Only one more call the black girl.
- That was Sonja.
- Sonja.
- Sonja.
They say they make mistake first time.
- You tried to warn the girls, Anton? - Yes.
Those mannequins, what were you doing with them? - Please? - The window dummies upstairs.
Oh, to be repaired.
All finished but two.
Well, we're right back where we started.
A public phone booth.
Anybody could have made those calls.
Anybody in the city.
Not quite, captain.
We've eliminated one person.
Who? It's got to be somebody tied to those girls.
It's got to be.
Well, let's see, it could be Birnbom the waiter, Albert.
- It's Arnold.
- Arnold.
- Maybe socially.
Away from the club.
Francine said sometimes they hired out to dress up a party.
- Dress up a party? - She gave me the name of some guy who was interested in Sonja.
He took her number, but he never called her.
That wasn't very nice.
Who was it? Thorn.
Jack Thorn.
Las Vegas.
Well, that might be worth a try.
Besides, I never did like people who didn't return calls.
This is Starsky.
Give me the Vegas Police.
You know, I keep thinking about that Kathi.
This beautiful girl cries a lot, but I think she's lying through her teeth.
That's funny.
I was having the same thoughts myself.
Yeah, this is Detective Starsky.
Hey, look, I wonder if you could give us a line on a Jack Thorn.
T-H-O-R-N.
Want some coffee? Oh, yeah.
Who? Yeah, sure, yeah, put him on.
The Vegas Police know Thorn, but he must have connections.
They're bucking me up to Lieutenant Crimmins.
Yeah, lieutenant? Yeah, this is Starsky.
Yeah.
Yeah, look, we think Thorn knew a girl who was murdered last night.
He did? When was that? Yeah, look, lieutenant could you hold on for a minute? Thanks.
Scratch Thorn.
He's been dead since the 14th.
- How? - Car rolled over.
He was on his way, and he never made it over the state line.
The hell he didn't.
The 14th was a week ago Monday.
That's the night he met Sonja at the party.
Lieutenant? Are you sure that accident was an accident? Yeah.
Yeah, we'd be very interested in an autopsy report.
So they figured he cracked up about 3 a.
m.
Then he couldn't have been headed here.
He was on his way back to Las Vegas.
- But dead.
- Six hours dead.
- They said he died of fractures.
- Which he could've gotten at the party.
- Right.
- You think a stripper knew about Thorn's murder and tried a shakedown.
One with a cornpone accent.
- But, that would be, uh - Ginger.
- She had the only real one.
- Ginger.
And when the killer found out it wasn't Ginger he went after Sonja.
- Yeah, well, if Sonja wasn't the one Like I said, I keep thinking about Kathi.
The game is over, baby.
Now make the call! You said I wouldn't have to.
Last night Last night was something else.
Last night, you were ready to spill your guts.
If you think I'm going to walk away from 50,000 bucks on account of you Now do your thing, baby.
Good morning, sugar.
Surprise, surprise.
Hey, it's her.
It's that woman.
Looks like you made another mistake.
What are you gonna do, kill all the girls? It would be one way, I suppose.
Well, look, just a minute, now, I didn't kill anybody.
You understand? I mean, that was a psycho.
The police have arrested him.
Mr.
Delano, the police are going to arrest you unless I get some money today.
And I mean a lot of money.
Fifty thousand dollars.
Fifty thousand dollars? Where am I going to get that? Well never mind.
I'll I'll get the money.
Where do you want me to bring it? I've got that worked out.
Just write it down, so you don't get it wrong.
Okay, just a minute, I'll get a paper and pencil.
Where will you get fifty thousand on such short notice? Don't worry about it.
Dead people can't count.
Yeah, I'm listening.
- Who is it? - Police.
- What do you want? - We never got that call from you.
What are you so jumpy about? Two girls have been murdered.
Nobody knows who's next.
That's strange.
May I? Kathi, you're frightened of someone that you know we've already arrested.
Why don't you tell us about Dave Delano's party? - The night Jack Thorn was killed.
- I don't know what you're talking about.
I'm talking about a catered affair where everything was rented including women.
- Hey, hold it.
You got that part wrong.
You think the three of them were involved in it together? - Had to be.
Don't you? - No.
No, I think Kathi saw it.
- And then she decided to cash in on it.
- No! But why would she involve the other girls? They get killed.
You know, you pick up some money and get rid of a few people who are bothering you at the same time.
- No, you've got it all wrong.
See, Ginger was my friend.
Because that's exactly what happened.
You pointed a neon sign at her.
You couldn't have done better if you'd broken her neck with your own hands.
Oh, no! I never meant to get anyone hurt especially Ginger.
Jerry said we could get some money and and take off.
I just wanted to take off! Jerry said Delano would come across.
He couldn't afford not to.
Delano? Is that who you saw kill Thorn? Are you and Jerry up against Delano? Posey knocked Thorn down and then Delano picked up this pretty rock from his desk and he just kept hitting Thorn in the head with it.
I got lost coming back from the pool and when I saw it and told Jerry he said we could get rich.
All Jerry's gonna get is dead.
- Posey killed those girls.
- Yeah.
- Delano wouldn't dirty his own hands.
- Oh, my God.
No more killing, please.
Kathi then help us, so we can stop it.
Golf Land.
Jerry works there.
Delano's bringing him the money this afternoon.
That's something else.
Now, after I leave, you get in position.
Keep an eye on the package like I said.
I want this money back, and I want whoever picks it up dead.
Okay, Mr.
Delano.
Here you go.
Sir, don't you want to check your purse? - You can pick it up when you leave.
- Never mind.
Thank you.
Wave bye-bye, baby.
Well, well, well, look who's here.
- Out.
- What's going on? - Come on.
- What's going on? What did I do? What's the matter? Cheating on a golf course? - Well, you can add that to murder.
- What?! Hey, punk! Bye-bye, small potatoes.
Don't go away.
Hold it! Hey.
Hey! Got a match? Watch this, Cherry.
Anton, that smells like heaven.
If I get to heaven and it smells like Hungarian goulash, I'll be in trouble.
There will be a lot of people surprised if you ever make it to heaven.
Honey, if I ever get nabbed, I want it to be in your precinct.
Oh, Anton, that looks delicious.
- What all is in there? - It's an old family recipe.
I have an old family rule which says I can't put anything in my body, which I don't know about.
There's a few things in there I don't rightly recognize.
- The secret ingredient, I cannot reveal.
- Oh, come on.
Oh, Anton, you've got to reveal it, because I don't want to be no gypsy.
The secret ingredient is love for good friends gratitude for their helping and prayers for all good things in the future.
Well, I'll eat to that.