Starsky and Hutch (1975) s01e19 Episode Script

When's he gonna show? We've been waiting all morning.
Stop bellyaching.
It could be worse.
It could be Sunday.
Come on.
Saturday's bad enough.
The Celtics and the Warriors are playing there's ice boating in Minnesota.
The Westport Croquet Championships.
You're missing a regular sports orgy, aren't you? Apple Charlie, this is Command Robert.
And his federal space rangers.
Okay, Command Ralph, this is Charlie's Apple.
Nothing yet.
No one's shown.
You sure it's gonna happen? It's Command Robert.
Robert, not Ralph.
this is gonna blow for me today.
There's this lovely lady named Nancy Wait a minute, wait a minute.
Take a look.
- Jojo Forentik.
- Yeah.
Command Ralph.
They're here.
We got them.
In case you're interested, that weasel is an ex-con named Jojo Forentik.
Hello.
May I help you? Check the back.
What do you want? What are you doing here? It's clear, Jojo.
He's going to the phone.
Dombarris must be driving the truck himself.
Who else will he trust? Yo-yos who work for him couldn't tell a raw amphetamine from a cough drop.
Jojo, Mr.
Dombarris.
All set.
I'll be there in two minutes.
Bingo, Commando.
Dombarris is on his way.
We get to catch him with the stuff in his hands.
- It's clear, man.
- Watch the back.
What'd I do? - Wait a minute.
I don't believe it! - What? - Orange paint.
- Oh, no.
Bettin, Jojo's about to assault the receptionist.
Over.
- Come on! - What's he doing to her? I told you, he's about to rape her! - We want to bust in.
- It'll blow the whole operation.
Let me think.
We seen his work before.
It doesn't look pretty.
Dombarris could be there any second.
We have got to hold it.
Stay put.
That is an order.
It's all right.
It's all right.
We're police.
How many chicks have you done, you slug? Isn't this a little uptown? Don't you normally work the beach, where it's quiet? And the ocean drowns out their screams? It's all right now.
Just try to relax.
Just sit down here.
Just try to relax.
There he goes.
Dombarris is blown.
Do you know how many dollars went down the tubes because you blew the operation? Let me guess.
$23,000.
That's very close.
- $23,417 and 62 - Cents.
- The man's a bloody computer.
- Really.
I want and I expect an official departmental reprimand for these two adventurers who, in the middle of a stakeout, got involved in some other crime.
- What went on out there today is - I know what went on out there today.
They took Jojo Forentik off the street.
They're my two best men, and I'm backing them up 100%.
If you've got a complaint, file away.
Don't stand in my squad room whining and wasting my men's time and mine.
Internal Affairs is up the hall.
Cap, I gotta tell you.
You're beautiful.
And I gotta tell you two, I just got off the phone with two councilmen the mayor and the chief.
The Feds are screaming all the way to the top.
Now, please listen to me.
Whatever you two do make sure this case against Jojo Forentik sticks.
Yes, sir.
What do you mean, you won't testify against Jojo? Molly, we need your testimony to put him away.
I've heard about these things.
When I get on the stand, his lawyer will ask me about being seductive.
Your policemen from Vice will want to know little erotic details.
We'll protect you.
The prosecutor will object to irrelevant questions.
How will you protect me from stories they'll print in the newspapers? Or things people will whisper when my back is turned? Jojo is a dangerously sick man.
You're not the first he's attacked.
So far, you happen to be the luckiest.
- What about the next victim? - No.
No what? It's not fair, what you're asking.
I'm not going to get involved.
That isn't it.
There's something else, isn't there? What is it, Molly? Well even if I could take going through the trial what if he gets off? Or what if he goes to jail for three years and some doctor decides he's all right and they let him out? I'd have to hide.
I'd have to move.
He could come back for me.
Can you protect me from that? Can you promise me that would never happen? No.
- Well, I can understand it.
- So can I.
It's just a shame she can't.
The only way you'll nail Jojo Forentik is to testify against him.
That's the way it goes.
Some can, some can't.
- What do we do now? - Punt? Yeah, right down Jojo's throat.
There's gotta be one of those three victims who might want to put him away.
- Let's hope so.
You really ought to do something about this car like take it to a junkyard.
- Oh, come on, Starsk.
- All it needs is a good tune-up.
- All New York City needs is a $20 loan.
- Well, this is it.
- Yeah.
- What happens if she doesn't testify? - You got me.
Go ahead.
- Third time is supposed to be lucky.
- Depends what game you play.
A girl gets raped the way Jojo works them over and they refuse to identify him.
Well, think about it.
Can you blame them? - Go ahead.
- No, after you.
Thank you.
Miss? Police.
You're policemen? - That's right.
- Oh, I am sorry.
- Are you all right? - I'm fine.
I'm just terrific.
It's okay.
- Why does this always happen to me? - You wanted to go first.
Miss Mascelli? We'd like to show you some pictures.
- The man who raped me? - You tell us.
That's him.
I never thought I'd see him again.
That's him.
Oh, wow.
That's why the karate.
I was never gonna let what he did to me happen again.
- Do you have him? - Yes, we do.
- And we'd like to put him away.
- So would I.
Because I don't think the damage he did to me will ever go away.
Now when a man comes near me who I want to touch me, I still jump.
Look we're gonna need your help to put him away.
All he'd have to do is walk through that door, and I'd put him away.
- I'd love it.
- Will you? Will you testify against him in a court of law? What about the other girls? The other two girls refused.
Without your help, he's gonna get off scot-free.
Yeah, okay.
If that's what it takes, you got it.
I've gotta tell you.
You're a standup chick.
That's what they all say, Buster Brown.
You just make sure you got a case and it sticks.
Don't worry.
That's our end.
Hey, I am sorry.
- I didn't mean to throw you around.
- Forget it.
- You sure you're okay? - Fine.
Terrific.
That's a man of steel.
You said it was important.
What can I do for you? Well, we'll get to that in a minute.
First of all, I'm gonna tell you what I can do for you.
I can deliver you Dombarris.
- Go on.
- Well, now, you go on.
Like telling me what you'll do for me.
Like getting me out of here before Starsky and Hutch get to work on me.
- You can guarantee Dombarris? - On a plate.
I think you just made yourself a deal.
- What are you doing? - As long as we gotta use this car might as well make it habitable.
- Habitable, huh? By the looks of things, you can't tell what disease may be lurking here.
- Hey! What's this? - Hey, where did you find that? Beneath last week's newspapers and the laundry and the Terrific.
I've been looking for it.
- What will you use it for? - Well Forget it.
I don't even want to know.
- There's Jojo! What's he doing out? - Where? He's giving us Dombarris.
- You put him on the street? - Right.
What's wrong with you? The man's an animal! It's dangerous, but so is the dope Dombarris puts on the street.
You are the last people I have to justify anything to.
- You gonna spring Jojo? - That's correct.
It is necessary.
It is a calculated risk.
There's a small chance of failure, but it won't happen.
Problem is that your projections don't justify the damage to Jojo's victims.
Besides, Dombarris is a little too smart to accept Jojo back.
One more thing.
Those are people out there, not projections that this guy's gonna do damage to! - I have a job to do.
What's wrong with you? You a skin graft off a computer? He's a turkey.
You can't talk to him.
Listen, Jojo goes back on the street and he stays on the street.
The OCU will watch over him and keep him on a short leash.
If I have to go to court to get an injunction, I am going to see to it that you two stay away from him.
Excuse me.
- Look, we came by to tell you - I already know.
How? Jojo called me last night.
What did he say? The usual lewd ramblings-on.
I would like to know how you convinced me to testify against him if you couldn't even keep him in jail.
- We're sorry.
We've had our problems.
We didn't put him on the street.
The Feds did that.
We're gonna do everything we can to keep him away from you.
Oh, yeah, sure you will.
- Well, what are we gonna do now? - I don't know.
- Maybe we ought to go talk to Jojo.
- Oh, that's good.
We've been ordered by Bettin and Dobey and directly by the commissioner, "Stay away from Jojo.
" - Are we gonna send him a cable? - Maybe that's what we ought to do.
- Deliver it in person.
- Took the words out of my mouth.
So keep it shut.
I did a two-year possession rap for you.
And you too, you big slob.
And I come back and I find this.
I didn't expect you to be a priest while I was in.
Now that I'm back, you can get rid of this piece of fluff.
It's okay.
I love everybody.
- Three's - Shut up.
- What did you pick up with her for? - I like her because she's so smart.
Well, sugar, you get rid of Miss Junior Achievement here.
- You get rid of cotton candy.
- Yeah? Yeah! Just do it.
I've got some dollars coming too.
If not, I know who to talk to in the federal attorney's office.
I have a two-year investment in you, good-looking.
So I'll see you here tomorrow.
Alone.
Go buy yourself something.
I'll see you in a half an hour.
Okay.
Gee, thanks.
- Hi, guys.
- Hey.
Hi.
Well, looky here what I found.
Hey, man, who let you out of the can? Hey, come on.
They let Dixie out, didn't they? That's right, Jojo.
For 10 grand bail.
Peanuts compared to what they had on you.
Only they didn't have nothing they could stick on me.
That chick was scared I'd do her if she testified, huh? Hey, that's great.
Dombarris, I need a job, you know.
I got a hotshot lawyer, he's hounding me for the money.
I need some fast bucks.
You got a job for me? Maybe we can work something out.
- You really want to work that bad, huh? - I'm hot to trot.
Well, Claude Berger has a personal-injury automobile scam going down on the East Side.
He'll tell you when and where, and you get into an accident.
It pays two yards.
I can get you into that.
Hey, that sounds great, Mr.
Dombarris, only you know Claude Berger, you know I know.
You wanna stay close to home, work with your old friends.
- That's it.
- Hang in there with your old buddies.
- Hey, you got it.
- Right, right, baby.
Okay, you're in.
- I got something for you tomorrow.
- Hey, great.
What is it? It's a surprise, but it's gonna be a big number.
Yeah, well, I'll see you, huh? - See you later.
- Sure.
You buy that? Not for a second.
What is this? - What's going on? - Jojo, shut up.
- Comfortable? - What did we come in here for? Shut up.
- What did we have to come in here for? - Colour.
It's got colour.
It's an island of colour in a grey world.
We brought you here to have a little tête-à-tête.
- Your Spanish is improving.
- Thank you.
Well, if it ain't Dick Tracy.
What are you gonna eat today? How you doing, Stella? I'll have your famous meat loaf.
You? - He's not hungry.
- You? Why don't you just bring me a piece of apple pie and a cup of coffee.
What do you want to eat that for? - It'll rot your pancreas.
- Then let's try the blueberry pie.
Now, what the hell would I be doing with blueberry pie? - Peach? - Lemon meringue.
It's the pie of the day, that's what you'll eat.
Forget the coffee.
It'll make you nervous.
I'll bring you milk.
You look like a growing boy.
- What kind of a place is this? - She's in a good mood.
You ought to see her when she's mean.
Okay.
Straight out.
You go near Linda Mascelli, a lot of bad things will happen to you.
Fast.
We got about a half a dozen ways to turn you into a disaster area.
We won't be picky about the ones we choose.
Everything including Vice bulls we'll cast as your cellmates when we throw you back in.
- You got it, sweetheart? If you ever go near, talk to or even think about Linda Mascelli we'll turn you into Swiss steak.
Thank you, Stella.
- Enjoy.
- Thank you.
Starsk.
It's the worst lemon meringue pie I ever ate in my life.
- You ought to try the meat loaf.
- It's probably dog food.
All right, what the hell are you doing? We have Jojo under surveillance, and you pick him up? Surprised it took you so long to find us.
Listen! Now, calm down.
We just decided to take Jojo out for a bite to eat.
Only he ain't hungry.
After that, us girls will do a little shopping.
You're supposed to leave him alone.
There's stiffs on the street that need attention.
Why not play with them? There's one or two living things out there we'd like to see stay that way.
- You think your cover was blown? - No.
You know how to stay in touch with us? Get out of here.
- Now, what did you tell him? - We liked his eyes.
We told him that if he ever goes near Linda Mascelli we'll turn him into Swiss steak.
Are you coming? If you want the booth, the food's terrific.
They're trying to nail me to this Mascelli chick, you know.
She tried to put me away.
So I went down and had a little talk with her.
This is the chick that knows karate? But if I do her again, I'm gonna take my baseball bat with me.
That cancels out karate.
That's the chick that you told me lives down by the beach, huh? - Yeah.
- Well, never mind her.
This is important.
Now, you think you can do the number? Make the hit? - Yeah, I can handle it.
- Because if you can't I've got Dixie and Sulko, and I know they're professionals.
Hey, come on, so am I! Okay.
If you say so, Jojo, because this is major-league.
After this hit, you're gonna be a freelance mechanic, a big hit man.
Don't worry, I can handle it.
Here's the ticket.
Now, that's the address.
The chick in number 30.
And after this hit, we'll talk about your next gig.
And I'm gonna do a good job, a real good job.
You're gonna see that.
A real good job.
Well, this is it, Jojo.
- And I can do anything I want? - Anything at all.
- And Dombarris won't mind or nothing? - No way.
Have yourself a party.
Hey, Sulko, maybe we should go up and watch.
Hey, nobody looks! Just me! What did the doctor say? Well, it boils down to a nutshell.
All right! I'll be right there.
- Keep him under observation, look for signs of progress.
That doesn't sound too hopeful.
I said, I'll be right there! And Anne? Will she be able to live with the fact that Jason has? No memories? No thoughts prior to the accident? I'm sorry, Miriam.
I really am, but don't think it sounds like it's my fault.
Well, you Guess what? Your Uncle Al has this terrific short.
Four miles to the gallon, reverb radio, six-way power mud-flaps and a furry dash, huh? - Wrong.
- Okay, you win.
What? That guy's car.
- What guy? - Guy in the heist in front of the pharmaceutical company with the lowered short? - I seen it somewhere.
- Where? If I knew, we'd be there.
Think I'm running a quiz show? Zebra 3.
- Zebra 3.
Over.
- DB report.
1120 Hill Drive.
Over.
We're rolling.
Give it a two-and-a-half-minute ETA.
- Better make it three.
- What? - Want me to get out and push? - Why don't you just get out.
Temper, temper, temper.
How you doing? Fred, what you got? - She's in there.
- Thank you, Fred.
Starsk.
Look at this.
I don't believe it.
I can't say anything for sure until we get her on the table but I'd say she's a mess.
He really worked her over.
Some more of your boys' undercover handiwork, Bettin.
"Sure.
Jojo's all right.
We're running a tight control.
It's a calculated risk, but we're projecting minimum failure.
" How do you know it was Jojo? Are you colourblind, man? That's orange paint.
That's his trademark.
Jojo's not stupid enough to leave his signature sprayed all around.
Don't bet on it.
It's certifiable.
Do you think that murdering people and raping women is a sane occupation? This is terrible.
You can tell that to her brother, to her sister to her father or to her mother.
Jojo never belonged on the street, and you know it.
And if you don't know it, you belong there with him.
It's a hell of a way to say we told you so, isn't it? Put out an APB on Jojo Forentik.
Get his case and priors off my file number 863224.
Patch me into a direct line and get me 462-9923.
Roger, Zebra 3.
No answer.
Linda's still not home.
How are we gonna warn her that Jojo's on a rampage? You got me.
How are we gonna find Jojo? You got me.
Still no answer at Linda's.
No Jojo.
- Maybe we should go wait at her place.
- Yeah.
- Starsky.
- Oh, no.
Bettin.
We found him about an hour ago.
Somebody beat him to a pulp.
Judging from the angle of his head he's got a broken neck.
So - Dombarris made Jojo.
- I don't think so.
I do think our operation was intact until you two started meddling in it.
You went to great lengths to undermine my work.
You acted in a precipitate manner in warning Linda Mascelli who we have arrested for felony manslaughter.
- What? - What are you talking about? She had the opportunity, the motive and the weapon.
- What weapon? - You know what weapon.
Her hands.
And so I left my studio to take a walk on the beach.
About what time? - It was early.
- How early? Seven, 7:30, maybe.
I I was just gonna take a walk on the beach.
- Did you go directly to the beach? - Yes.
What did you do? - Where? - On the beach.
What did you do? I walked! Isn't that what people do on the beach? How long did you walk? - It was hours.
- Hours.
That's good.
Now, you must have seen somebody.
No.
Oh, God, I wish I had.
Nobody? You didn't see anybody on the beach or the sidewalk or the street? - You didn't acknowledge anybody? - You didn't wave to anybody? - I didn't see anybody.
Now, wait a second.
You're telling us that you walked on that beach for hours and you didn't see one solitary soul? No.
I don't believe that this is happening to me.
I agree to get involved in Jojo's prosecution and I get charged with his murder? I mean, what is this? How are we gonna pull this apart? How are we gonna find out who killed Jojo? - Excuse me.
- Who could have done him? Any of the three girls, their fathers, their brothers, their boyfriends.
To know him wasn't exactly to love him.
- You know what gets me? - What? What really gets me is Linda.
It's because she learned how to take care of herself that she's suddenly under suspicion.
What have you got to do to be innocent? For a chick to be innocent, she's gotta be a lay-down victim wear lots of lace and lock herself up in the attic forever.
- Now, what have we got? - A pile of work.
Okay.
What was Jojo doing just before he was killed? - He was murdering Elaine Stroud.
- Elaine Stroud wasn't her real name.
- What? - None of her IDs works out so we're running a make on her fingerprints, but that might take days.
Nothing in that whole place could identify her? Nothing but this picture.
Taken in a joint called Teddy's Paris Bar.
- That's all? - So far.
- That place is closed.
- Three years ago.
I know that.
- Let's go.
- To where? To see the Bear.
Captain.
Yes, folks! Right here is the only place on the face of the earth where you can get Huggy Bear's guaranteed round-the-clock protection.
Now, your regular cross or mezuzah is fine in the daytime when the light is on.
You look up on the wall and there it is, protecting you.
But when the light's out and the good Lord can't see you your soul is vulnerable.
But Huggy Bear's guaranteed glow-in-the-dark crosses give you 24-hour protection.
Now, they only start at 2.
98 and up.
You How's business, Hug? Well, it ain't heaven.
Listen, Huggy.
Do you know a girl by the name of Elaine Stroud? - I don't think so.
- She used to hang out at Teddy's Bar.
That dump? This is a picture of what she looks like more recently.
I think I do know her.
She was a nice girl.
Three, four years ago, she was a movie actress.
Not the kind of movies you'd take your mother to.
Yeah, she used to come in the club with a tall, brown-haired cat and a weird dude in a snakeskin jacket.
The tall dude had a superb short.
It was chopped, channelled, lowered with orange flame paint.
That's the car used at the heist.
I knew I'd seen it before.
I got it, come on! Let's hit it.
It's at my Uncle Al's buddy's shop.
Earl's Custom Car Cult and Body Shop.
- It's on East Marshall.
- You make it sound like a religion.
You're gonna kill me! What are you doing with that? Put it in the car.
- I can't hear you.
- They're for my rose bushes.
Oh, for - Hey, where's Earl, huh? - Right here, man.
Oh, man, I knew it! I knew that chump was gonna run and rat to the fuzz.
That punk! That jive, funny-style Frankenstein's brother.
When I catch him, I'm gonna walk on his face with my football cleats.
- What are you talking about? - Is that your short, man? Your car.
- Oh, yeah.
- Well, then, you wouldn't understand.
Let me talk to your partner.
Look, man.
A turnip comes along and walks on your car what are you gonna do? Hey, man, he sat on my flame paint over there and put his feet up on my Continental kit! So I whipped him, man.
What else? Hot dog.
Take me on in.
- Earl? - Yeah? - We're not here for that.
- No? Then why'd you drag me away from my work, huh? - Say, I know you.
- Yeah, you know my Uncle Al.
Right.
Right.
You drive that red tomato with the wide stripe.
A red Torino.
Tomato, tomato, what's the difference? Say, look, you come on hard times, huh? - That's his car.
- Look you're supposed to be the prince of the custom car.
No, man, I ain't no prince.
I'm the Earl.
Merl the Earl.
Are we talking to the man or aren't we? What do you want to know? - We're looking for a guy.
- So's my Aunt Charlene.
Oh, no, no.
This guy's about 6'5", medium brown hair, about 40.
It don't do a thing.
He was here when I came in for an estimate.
He was standing right over there.
He was driving a '55 Nomad wagon.
- Seven hundred twenty-five dollars.
- What? Twenty-five coats of metallic chartreuse with glitter.
- But he's too cheap.
- Cheap? You could paint an airplane for seven and a quarter.
We only paint one way here, blood, the finest! - See? - Which is too good for you, turkey.
See, I've seen that jive-cheap stripe you got on your tomato.
Look, the guy with the Nomad wagon? What was his name? - Sulko.
- Sulko.
Where does he live? Out back.
Say, look, the paint that I was gonna put - Forget the paint! Where out back? - Right out there, man.
Ain't you got eyes? - Hey, what are you doing? - Let me go it alone.
- Yeah? - Lamiel's Pizza.
Didn't order any.
Oh, yes, you did.
I got it right here.
Tennessee Trailer Park.
- Beat it! - You don't pay, I'll call the cops.
Oh, that's good, Starsk.
We don't mess around at Lamiel's! You're real convincing, you know that? Here's your pizza.
- Lie still.
We'll get you an ambulance.
- All right, turkey.
Spill it! All of it.
Unless you wanna take that ride by yourself.
- Who? - All right, all right.
Dombarris, man.
Dombarris set it up.
But I didn't do it.
Sulko did.
- Did what? - Wasted Jojo, man.
- After he did Elaine, huh? - Yeah.
- How much Dombarris pay you for it? - Four hundred dollars.
What were the two of you trying to do? Depress the market? Hold it! Drop it! Well, this is one problem Bettin's computer won't have to solve.
This is a work of art.
This is beautiful.
This equals anything by Leonardo or da Vinci.
- Who? - You know who I mean.
Only Rodin could create a piece that was on a par with this.
You gotta be out of your mind.
Hey, man, I'm telling you.
It's a steal at $5000.
$5000? For what? Think I wanna ride in a blueberry on wheels? This is not a blueberry on wheels.
I apologise for my partner's rudeness.
This happens to be a piece of sculpture.
- Yeah, it's a piece of - A piece of what? What's the matter with you, man? You badmouthing my short? You dummy! You let me find me something to hit you with.
Merl.
- Merl, your short don't make it.
- What? I want something with some flash to it.
It's too straight.
It's too quiet.
I want something with some juice.
This is an old lady's car.
Better pull your act together, Merl.
And, Merl, now here's a car with some character to it.
It's got some soul, you know? Some dignity, some inner flash.
And lousy spark plugs.
How much did you say you want for this piece of sculpture?