01x24 - Hornet, Save Thyself

[bunniefuu]

Everybody better hurry, he's coming.

This is just in case
anyone forgets his lines.

How is it look?
He'll get a message.

Here he comes.
Places everybody.

Quiet.

/Quietly/

All set?
Yeah, yeah.

When the light comes on, that's the signal. Right?
Good, good.

Okay?

Here we go.

There's a little cake for you.
A little cake, yeah.

Kato, I'll never trust you again,
you almost forgot it was my birthday.

Casey didn't.

It was Mr. Hyde who put on the party.

Real fancy too,
favors for everyone.

Ah, thanks, Dale.

My pleasure.

This is for you from all of us.

Happy birthday to the fighting publisher of
the Sentinel from the troops. Here we go.

Boy is that beautiful.

That'll be the prize of my collection.

Haha, you shouldn't have...

I think it's time for you two to forget and forgive.

It's not that easy, Dale.

This is for you.

He'll get over it.

Go on over and shake hands.

You've made a mistake, Dale.

The man is a guest in my home

and I'll be the proper host,
but I will not shake his hand.

Now, Britt.

You're pushing too hard, Reid.

Why don't you just leave, Rech.

You made a fool of me for the last time.

He's dead.

Another challenge
for the Green Hornet,

his aide Kato and their rolling
arsenal the Black Beauty.

On police records
a wanted criminal,

the Green Hornet
is really Britt Reid,

owner publisher of
the Daily Sentinel.

His dual identity known
only to his secretary

and to the district attorney.

And now, to protect the rights and lives
of decent citizens rides the Green Hornet.

All right, Britt, let's get back to it.
You were pretty angry.

I wasn't that angry, Frank.
Sure I was annoyed that Rech was here,
but I was in complete control of myself.

Britt, as a friend and as a public official I suggest
you get a lawyer before you talk any more about it.

The witnesses have been dismissed, sir.
Thanks, Hodges.

Well.

I guess we better get downtown too.

Frank, I didn't k*ll Eddie Rech.

There are 2 things you're gonna have to face up to.

One:

Many witnesses will swear to the jury that you
were holding the death weapon when it was fired.

I didn't fire that g*n, it just went off.

Why you were holding it?

And two:

It's common knowledge that you fired Rech when you
caught him sabotaging your circulation deliveries.

And there was bad blood between you and him.

And the state can make a pretty good case out of that.

I'm telling you, I did not fire that g*n.

Britt,

I strongly advise against
that line of defense.

Okay, there's only one person that can help me now.

Who?

The Green Hornet.

What are you talking about?

I'm leaving.
No, just a minute.

Britt, I can't give you any special privileges.

Don't make it any more difficult than it is.

Frank, I am fighting for my life.
Don't try and stop me.

/armor up/

You are in worse trouble now.

Where do we start?

First, I have to find out how it was done.

The secret must be in that g*n.

I should have examined it immediately.

You can't walk into the police station and take it?

No.

But I'll tell you who can.

The Green Hornet.

Remember, we want it to look like
we're in here to break out a prisoner.

I'll try to find the g*n.

Tell circulation, we'll make their delivery time.

Just put some heat on the composing room.

Mr. Hyde, this is a disgrace.

"The cold-blooded k*lling took place
in the Sentinel publisher's living room

as he fired a fatal shot at the unarmed Rach,

who had come to the party to patch up
differences with his former employer."

You can't put this in the Sentinel.

You think I want to print this story?

Then don't.

We've got to.

This is the toughest story I've ever had to write,
but it contains the facts as they happened.

But you make it a foregone conclusion that
Mr. Reid is guilty even before he has a trial.

"Then in desperate escape Reid attack the DA Scanlon
and fled under a hail of police b*ll*ts."

You're using his own newspaper to convict him.

You think I've forgotten what I owe
Britt Reid for giving me a start again?

You think I like running this story?

Yes, I do.

I think you're using your position as temporary
publisher to let go with your true feelings.

I think you hate Mr. Reid or
you wouldn't be doing this.

And you hate him because your paper couldn't compete
with the Sentinel and that's why it went under.

If there was a shred of mitigating evidence
I've print it in 10-point red type.

But there isn't.

You say the story is rough
because of your feelings of Mr. Reid.

Wait till you see how the tabloids treated.

These are the facts, pure and simple.

And we've got to put them in the Sentinel.

This is gonna put him in the electric chair.

Couldn't you bury the story
somewhere in the back pages?

Let me have it.

I uh...

I'll try and tone it down.

I don't know a thing more than I did, Kato.

The mechanism on that g*n worked perfectly,

only it felt different, lighter.

All that for nothing.

Do you remember if there was a cartridge clip
in that g*n when I open the package?

No, I didn't take a good look,
I was getting refreshments.

If there was a clip it wasn't in the g*n
and wasn't listed on that evidence ticket.

Dale Hyde took the g*n away from you
right after it fired.

He also gave it to me.

I can't believe Dale would do something like that.

He's still the number one suspect.

Or somebody's trying to make it look that way.
Let's find out, Kato.

All transportation depots are being closely watched
by police /as/ Reid attempts to leave the country.

Police are confident that young publisher
is still in town

and feel his capture is imminent.

Put that on page one.

That sounds like page one stuff to me.

Britt.

What are you doing here?

You turning yourself in?

No, not yet.

I'm trying to find out what
really happened at that party.

I, uh...

I hope you don't mind my using your office.

I thought I could work better here
until you get back.

If I get back.

Dale,

tell me, where did the g*n come from?

A Powell Sporting Goods right here in town.

We all thought it will make a
fine addition to your g*n collection.

Could someone have tampered with it?

Possibly.

It was bought at the store
and a messenger delivered it.

Miss Case wrote the note on the card
and took it to your house.

Police checking out the store in the morning.

Dale, that g*n was fired by remote control.

Sounds little like science fiction to me.
How could that be done?

I don't know yet.

Do you remember if the g*n felt odd to you
when you grabbed it from me?

Well, I wasn't paying too much attention to it,
I was more concerned about Eddie Rech.

When I held the g*n it felt like
it had a fully loaded clip.

It could have contained
an automatic firing device.

Well, if it did, ballistic should have it.
That's right, they should.

But do they?

Britt,

give yourself up.

You're just getting in deeper trying to
investigate this yourself. Let me do it.

We'll have the entire paper at our disposal.

Now, we've been friends too long for me
to stand by and see you destroy yourself.

Dale, if I turn myself in,

I may be in for good.

Now you have put me in a very
difficult position coming here.

Alright, alright, I'll leave.

Dale.

Do me one last favor.

Call the police as though you're
following through on the story.

See if the clip was picked up with the g*n.

Alright, Britt.

Where can I reach you?

I'll be at the Commercial Cleaning Plant,
on 58th Street,

near the loading dock.
Meet me there in 2 hours.

I'll find out what I can.

Thanks, Dale.

Good luck.

Get me the police, quickly.

This is important.

Listen closely.

If you want to find Britt Reid,

he'll be at the Commercial Cleaners on 58th Street
at 3:30 near the loading dock.

Never mind who this is,
just be alert.

He's armed and dangerous.

Frank.

I haven't got too much time.

I wanna ask you a favor.
Just name it.

Britt Reid.

What about him?

No sh**ting.

Well, I can't do that. Our information is
that he's armed and dangerous.

Lieutenant, every time there's a case like this,
we receive all sorts of crank calls,

and that's probably all it was.

Well, it may be so,
but we still have to check it out.

Now, Reid shot and k*lled a man tonight
and broke arrest. Now, in my book

that makes him doubly dangerous.

And my officers have been
instructed to act accordingly.

Your job is to bring a man in for trial,

until he's been tried and found guilty
I don't think it's he's very wise to just

flatly say that he k*lled a man.

Now look, Frank.

Now, when you face these guys, huh
they're in a courtroom,

handcuffed and got it by my men.

When we face him out on the street,
we have no idea whether they have
an intent to k*ll or not.

And I can't walk up to him and
offer to shake hands, you know.

Tony,

I've known Britt Reid a long time.

I can't believe that he'd k*ll anybody in cold blood.

Now look, this is something you know
just as well as I do.

That the majority of murders are committed by
someone who is closely related to
or very well known by the dead person,

or a business associate
they had an argument with.

Now, whether that business associate is a...
is a steelworker or a newspaperman, huh.

Oh, and let me tell you something else too.

If Britt Reid is that the Commercial Cleaners

and he resists arrest,

my men have instructions to act accordingly.

I have said that twice.

What does it mean?

It means we're gonna get him
one way or the other.

I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

You walking right into a trap.

We don't know for certain that Dale is responsible.
We don't have any proof.

This is no way to find out.

What other choice do I have, Kato.

I know I didn't pull the trigger,
even though it appeared I did,

and Dale might be just as innocent.

If we're walking into a trap,
I'll have to get myself out of it.

I'll be no worse off than I am now.

At least we'll know for certain that Dale is the man.

Police officers.

Put your hands up high
and walk this way.

Don't try it, Reid,
there's no way out.

Right, take 2 men around the other entrance.
You - come at the alley.

Kato, now.

Dale Hyde must have been delayed.

Well, now we know he's the man.
How are you gonna prove it?

There was a clip in that g*n,
I'd stake my life on it.

You just did,
but where is it now?

Somebody must have seen him dispose of it.

Drive to Miss Casey's apartment.

Are you alright?
Yes, but I need your help.

Anything, Mr. Reid.

Try to remember everything
that you saw at that party

in every detail.

As you were opening your present

you turned and...

saw Eddie Rech.

Then...

Dale gave Eddie...

his favor.

Do you remember what it was?

A little transistor radio.
Good. Then what?

Then the g*nf*re. Try to remember
everything that happened from there on.

Dale took the g*n

from you

and...

knelt down beside Eddie.

Then...

he turned his back.

Then.

Then...

he...

he gave the g*n...

to mr. Scanlon.
Yes.

I went upstairs

to get a first-aid kit

just in case Eddie wasn't dead.

What was Dale doing?

He was on the phone,

then he put something
into the flowers on the bar.

But I couldn't see what it was.

Then let's find out, Kato.

It's over there.
Hey, speak /softly/.

The police are still watching the house.

Looks like some kind of electronic equipment

and it could trigger the firing mechanism.

What made it fire it Eddie Rech
instead of somebody else?

I want to check one more thing.

Then I'll give myself up to
the district attorney right here.

Hyde can deniy everything.

How can you prove he knew anything about it?

If I'm right, I'll make him admit it
in front of witnesses.

And now, lady and gentlemen,

we shall reenact the crime.
You'll notice, I did not say 'accident'.

Here's the m*rder weapon.

There's a shell in the chamber,
just as there was when I opened the present.

But it's not exactly the same,

I'll need the magazine clip.

What's this all about?
Please, will you let him finish?

Dale, will you please stand over there
where Eddie Rech stood?

Sure.

Thank you.

I'll position the g*n here on the table

to eliminate any chance for human error.

Now walk towards me.

Wait, just a minute,
I forgot something.

You had just given Eddie Rech a favor.

Do you remember what it was?

Not offhand.

I believe it was a small transistor radio.

It should be here in Eddie's effects.

Yes, here it is.

Now walk towards me.

What is all this?

I'm not on trial here.

We just want your help, Mr. Hyde.
Do you have any reason for not giving it?

Come all the way, Dale, as if you were going
to shake hands with me.

This is ridiculous.

I'll show you why you had a change of heart.

Because you knew if you got any closer,

the g*n would go off.

This radio contains a small electronic transmitter.

When it's brought close enough,

its signal will fire the g*n.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Then I'll demonstrate.

Only this time the g*n was
loaded with a blank shell.

You should have kept walking, Dale.

I would have had a hard time proving
it was you who k*lled Eddie Rech.

Put the g*n away, Dale.

I don't take orders from you anymore.

Miss Case,

you're going to be my ticket out of here.

Don't move.

You're going with me, Miss Case,

to make sure I get out of here.

I'll k*ll the first person who tries to stop me.

All right, Miss Case.

Let's go.

Go ahead.

/** Dale Hyde/ be grateful to
Mr. Reid for giving him a job.

Apparently not, his paper went under because he couldn't
compete with a Sentinel, but he never saw it that way.

He was going to take over the Sentinel
any way that he could.

He came pretty close too.

Britt, just as a matter of interest.

What kind of a story would you had written?

I would have put the facts on page one.

But there are a number of ways of
presenting the facts.

Hyde's way is to try the suspect in newsprint.

That way it's impossible to get an unbiased jury.

Britt, are you're gonna write the story on Dale?

No, Mike.

You write it.

Won't be easy to write it the way
it happened without convicting him.

Good luck.

You know, for a moment there I thought
I was on my way to Brazil with Dale.

You've been complaining
you wanted a vacation.

Yes, how about it?

You've got it.

On the way to the office
take a whole hour for lunch.

Thanks.