06x05 - The Case of the Hateful Hero

[bunniefuu]

Hi.

Rudy, listen,
you're the manager of this dump.

It's your place to see that those kids
keep their stuff where it belongs.

Oh now, they're nice kids.
I know them all.

They don't mean any harm, Miss Jordan.

What do you have in the bags?

Mr. Schuyler sent me down
to buy some trick-or-treat stuff for the
kids.

Well, I'm not giving anything
to the little monsters around here.

You know, I'm gonna be awful sorry
to see Mr. Schuyler leave.

Maybe he's not the only one leaving.

[humming]

- Mr. Schuyler?
- [knocking]

Come in, Rudy.

Hey, it's a little early
for that, isn't it?

I always shave in the morning.

What's that got to do with drinking?

I prefer the aftershave lotion
on the inside.

[chuckles]

Did you get plenty of candy
and bubble gum for the kids, Rudy?

Lots of it--
just like you told me, Mr. Schuyler.

- Good. Pour yourself a drink.
- Thank you.

Hey, we're not gonna be here tonight.

Why'd you bother
getting all that trick-or-treat junk?

We're not leaving for the party
till : .

- Now plenty of kids will stop by before
then.
- Hmm.

What's that?

The costume you're gonna wear tonight.

How about that?
[chuckles]

You are a clown, you know, Phil?

[Woman]
Rudy, somebody wants you.

Oh, somebody always wants me.

Hey, why don't you ask me
what I'm wearing to the party?

Hmm, why don't I?

Vera, what are you
going to wear tonight?

Da dum!

Cigarettes, candy, cigarettes?

This is the costume I'm wearing in the bit
part
I do for Charlie Noymann's picture.

Boy, would the wardrobe department
be furious

if they found out
I borrowed it for a party.

Like?

There are things about the Royal Pacific
Court
that I'm going to miss.

You know,
you wouldn't have to miss anything...

if the two of us went to Mexico.

Cigarette girls aren't supposed
to sit down with their customers.

I know,

but you're a very special customer.

Mr. Schuyler's bungalow is right around here.
You a friend of his?

I'm his brother-in-law,
not his friend.

Oh, I guess you dropped by
to wish him bon voyage, huh?

Is he going somewhere?

Oh, he's leaving for Mexico next week.
Here it is.

Mr. Schuyler?

Ahem. You've got company.

Frank, what are you doing in L.A.?

I came to see you.

Um, this is my brother-in-law,
Frank MacManus; Vera Jordan.

How do you do?

Um, Vera isn't really a cigarette girl.
She's--

I'm not interested
in the occupation or profession

- that occupies Miss Jordan's time.
- Real charmer, isn't he?

Look, Phil, I've got to run.
I'll see you tonight.

How about a drinkie?

There we are.

I forgot-- you don't drink.

And I hadn't forgotten
that you do very little else.

The manager tells me
that you're leaving for Mexico next week.

That's right.

Well, I'm not surprised
that you wouldn't bother

keeping us posted on your plans.

I've had it, Phil.

You're no good and you never will be.

I warned you the last time
that I wasn't taking any more trouble from
you.

- Talking for yourself or my sister?
- Both of us.

Being my wife's brother doesn't give you
the right to sign my name to a check.

I thought I could pay you back
before you found out.

So I didn't. So what?

Two handwriting experts
are ready to testify in court

that this signature is a forgery.

You know, most people think
that they have to work in order to survive.

But of course that thought
would never occur to you.

Relax, Frankie, relax.

My financial worries
are over for good.

I'm gonna be rich.

Well, this forged check is for $ , .

- Do you have it?
- No, but I can get it.

You'd better get it.

Because if I don't have this money
by the time I leave Los Angeles tonight,

I am going to proffer charges
against you--

criminal charges.

Is that clear, Mr. Schuyler?

- [phone ringing]
- [woman singing over speakers]

Winthrope residence.

Yes, Mr. Schuyler.

Yes, Mr. White is back from Europe,
but he's not at home.

He's at the university.

She's listening.
Be quiet, please.

Yes, I'll tell him, Mr. Schuyler.

Grace dear,
I dislike constantly reminding you

that this is the White residence

and that I am Mrs. Damion White,
not Miss Winthrope.

I'm sorry, Mrs. White.
It won't happen again.

Mona, stop making [Yiddish word] about who
gets what billing here at your house

and listen to the score.

I've got to have
your decision today-- now!

I tell you, this is the greatest musical
Alex Chase ever wrote.

Tailor-made for you, baby,
believe me.

That song, Jerry, that song.

That's the title song
from Pearls and Jade?

Well, it's only a tape recording
from a rehearsal run-through

at the Santa Barbara try-out.

And Lucy's voice isn't much,
but just listen to it, Mona.

And more than anything else,
that one song is why I called

and insisted you put an end
to this crazy two-year honeymoon of yours,

come back from Europe immediately
and go to work again.

If I agree to go back to work
and star in Alex's show,

Charlie Noymann will finance
a Broadway run and a picture?

That show with that song in it, right?

We'll recast the show.

You'll take over the starring role.
One week in Boston. Ho ho!

Then look out, Times Square.

With you starring in it, Pearls and Jade
could run on Broadway for years.

Then the multimillion-dollar
movie musical starring Mona Winthrope

in her triumphant return
to the screen.

Jerry Janda, even without
those ridiculous elevator shoes,

you are the biggest and the best agent
in all of Hollywood.

You'll-- you'll do it, Mona?

Do it? Of course I'll do it.
Nothing would make me happier.

- Oh, Mr. White.
- Hello, Grace. Mona, that song.

- Oh, Damion.
- [turns off song]

I didn't expect you home
till just before the party tonight.

I have to get right back.

I forgot to take some papers
to the university this morning.

Hello, Jerry.
How's the agency business?

Ho ho! Booming, Professor-- booming.

Come to the studio with me, Mona.

Having Charlie hear you rave
about Alex's score

may keep his fingers from trembling
when he steers his pen across the bottom

of the most expensive contract
he ever signed!

- [laughs]
- Charlie can wait.

Right now I'm going to rush
right over to Alex's.

I think the talented composer
deserves to hear me rave

much more than Charlie Noymann.

[laughs]

Mona, I started to ask you about--

- Later, darling. Later.
- Bye, Professor.

Oh, Damion, don't be late
for the party tonight, huh?

Oh, Mr. White, there's been a Mr. Schuyler--
Mr. Philip Schuyler--

trying to reach you
on the phone all morning.

Phil? That's a coincidence.
Okay, thank you, Grace.

- Oh, Grace?
- Yes, sir?

When I came into the house just now,
I heard a song.

Mr. Janda, the agent, brought a tape
recording
over to play for Miss Winth--

Oh, I'm sorry-- Mrs. White.

Well, what did she say about the song--
the one they were listening to?

She seemed quite excited about it.

Is there anything else, sir?

Did that Mr. Schuyler leave a number?

Oh yes.

It's Olive- - .

Thank you, Grace.

Phil, Damion White.

Fine, fine.
We got back from Europe late last night.

Yes, I know you've been calling me, Phil.

But look, there's something
I've got to talk to you about.

Now-- now listen, Phil.

What are you talking about?

Unless you want to see me in jail,
you'll have to give me $ , ...

this afternoon, Damion.

$ , ?

Well well, the barefooted Bernhardt.

Beauty and talent both--

divine actress,

superbly endowed
by a beneficent deity.

I guess her husband's pretty talented too.

Which means what?

Oh, you'll find out
when she asks about the song.

Well, back to the well.

Alex!

Hi, Alex!

Mona, Mona, darling
Hey, baby, you're soaking wet.

- Yes. I love it.
- Come on. Freda's inside.

The score is divine, Alex-- simply divine.
It's such beautiful music.

- Then you'll do the show?
- Of course. Hello, Freda.

How's my favorite composer's
favorite wife?

Flat where I should be sharp.

- Here, dear, have a drink.
- Thank you.

To Pearls and Jade,
to its wonderful star,

and to success.

To lots of money. Hear hear.

To a beautiful show
with an even more beautiful title song

which you stole from my husband,
you nasty stinker.

Oh!
[Freda laughing]

Oh. Oh, the second act of, um...

Shanghai Wife.
Or was it Hong Kong Widow?

Freda, you're disgusting when you drink.

I think she may really be angry, Alex.

Here, you've got jam on your face.

And you've got booze on the brain.
Another drink, you may fall off that stool.

And what will you fall off if your very best
friend
sues you for plagiarism?

What are you talking about?
I stole nobody's song--

not Damion's-- nobody's.

Pearls and Jade is mine,

an original Alexander Chase song.

Yes, stolen from an original melody
by Professor Damion White,

composed over two years ago.
Or didn't you think I'd recognize it

with those upside-down Gershwin lyrics
you added?

This is ridiculous.
Freda, baby, tell her.

Tell her how wrong she is.

Mona, Alex says to tell you
you're wrong.

You see, he lies and I swear to it.

Damion was playing that tune
on a piano

at a party the night I met him--
no words, just melody.

My own private melody
that you heard me hum more than once, Alex.

Professors, soda jerks,
gas-station attendants--

everybody's a songwriter.
Oh, Mona baby,

I've written thousands of melodies
and completely forgotten hundreds of them.

So I hear a song; so it's like one of mine.
So what?

I forget it, that's all.

Oh, "like"?
Pearls and Jade is like Damion's song?

Really, Alex, I do think
that puny little beard of yours

is just a set of earmuffs
temporarily out of place.

All right, all right,
so there is a slight similarity.

So how many notes are there
in the scales? So I'll pay him for it.

Only no credit. Only my name alone
goes on Pearls and Jade.

Mona, be reasonable.
I need this show.

Without the song there's no show.

I need this credit-- a solo credit.

Perry Mason, please.
This is Mona White-- Mona Winthrope calling.

Damion's a professor,
a well-known teacher.

What does a song credit mean to him?

Nothing. But a great deal to me.

We're going up to Santa Barbara tomorrow
to see the try-out

and I want to surprise him--

his wife starring in a show
with him name on it.

Perry? Perry darling.

Mona. When did you get back?

Mmm.

You've already compared the songs?
No doubt about it.

Songs? What are you talking about?

I see-- out and out plagiarism.

No legal question of it at all?

Mona, if you're using me
as a legal shoe-horn,

I warn you there'll be a bill
at the end of the month.

We can sue for how much?

As much as that, Perry?

Tonight's Halloween,
not April Fool's Day.

Who is it you're bamboozling this time?

Perfect, Perry, perfect. Let's do that.

[laughs]
Goodbye for now.

What do you know? It's empty.

Freda, I think I'll have another one.

You'd better have one too, Alex-- double.

[Janda] The day after Pearls and Jade
open in New York,

every studio in town will be bidding
sky high for the picture rights.

How can you waste time
haggling over the price, Charlie?

The last three musicals Alex wrote
died before they ever got tot New York.

Nobody was interested in buying
the motion-picture rights.

So why should Charles Noymann Productions
be interested in this show?

Pearls and Jade isn't going to die.
We'll all make a fortune and you know it.

Come on, Charlie. Here-- take your pen
and let's get this over with, huh?

You're a good agent, Janda--

too good not to know
that a deal like this isn't going to run
away.

Now tonight at the party Mona's going to give
at her beach house--

tonight I'll make an announcement
and sign.

Hey, what's the matter with you?
You keep staring at that whiskey glass

like it was a crystal ball or something.

Maybe I'm looking
into my soul, Vera.

- Hmm.
- [laughing]

Ah! Know what?

Phil Schuyler is a louse.

[children playing]

Would you send a cab
to the Royal Pacific Court?

Hollyhurst Street.

Thank you.

- Hey, where are you going?
- Malibu.

Well, what about the party
we're supposed to go to tonight?

I'll be back in plenty of time.

[All]
Trick or treat!

I wouldn't want to cross this bunch.
Give them something quick, Vera.

Vera, do me a favor-- stay here
and dole out the candy until I get back.

If my brother-in-law stops by
while I'm gone,

give him this.

Phil, about the trip to Mexico,

you did get a ticket for me, didn't you?

You're lots of fun, Vera, but a little old
for tricks or treat.

Phil boy is going to Mexico alone.

[recording playing]

# ...than pearls and jade. #

[all cheering]

It's all right, Grace. I'll get it.

- Hello.
- Hi.

My car broke down. Would you be kind enough
to let me use your telephone?

Oh, of course. Come on in.
There's a phone in there.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

[jazz playing]

Grace, how do you know that man's name
is Phil Schuyler?

He's called here so many times,
I recognized his voice immediately.

[operator speaking]

[Schuyler's voice]
Please send a tow truck

to Malibu Road
as quickly as possible.

Mona, darling,
now you've ignored me all evening.

What kind of way is that
to treat a producer, hmm?

[inaudible]

[door bangs]

[Children]
Trick or treat!

Phil?

Phil?

Rudy!

- What's wrong, Miss Jordan?
- I don't know.

Just hurry up
and get that door unlocked.

Wait-- wait here.

[turns off water]

Rudy, what is it?

Rudy!

Mr. Schuyler-- he's dead.

No. No!

Oh, no no no.

Perry! Perry Mason, what are you doing
out and about at this ghastly hour?

Good morning, sweetheart.

If I knew you were coming out so early,
I would have waited for my swim.

Perry, I just talked to you on the telephone.
What are you doing here?

You said you wanted to see me.

Well, yes, I do, but I intended
to meet you in your office.

I want to talk
about the blackmail right now.

The what?

Mona, I was going
to explain it all this morning.

There's something I should
have told you years ago.

Damion, what's wrong?

Phil Schuyler, man Damion went to see
last night, threatened to blackmail him.

Mona, please don't be upset.

Phil's an old buddy of mine,
but for some reason he's gone sour.

He just doesn't make any sense.

I'm sure with Perry's help
I'll be able to straighten him out.

I read the morning paper
after I spoke to you, Damion.

Phil Schuyler was m*rder*d last night.

I'm sorry, Mr. Janda,
but Miss Winthrope left orders

that she was not to be disturbed.

So I'm disobeying the orders.
Gracie, don't play games.

Charlie Noymann is stalling
on those contracts.

If I'm going to get him to sign them,

I'll need Mona in his office with me
in a half an hour.

It'll take her longer than that
to decide what mood to wear,

- let alone what clothes to put on.
- I don't know, Mr. J--

Excuse me. Police department--
Lieutenant Anderson, Homicide.

Would you tell Mr. Damion White
I'd like to see him, please?

[jazz playing]

- Freda--
- Alex,

tell the man to go away
or invite him in for a drink.

If I wasn't here, you probably would.

Would I?

I wonder.

No, I think I detest men with beards.

The fact that this is private property
doesn't seem to bother you.

No it doesn't.

- It bothers me.
- [jazz continues]

That song-- it's a pretty tune.

Yeah, sure is.
Of course the tape is bad.

You know those : in the morning
jam sessions--

everybody well lubricated with booze.

Where did you record that song?

The question isn't so much "where," is it?

[turns off song]

When is what you want to know.

- Look you--
- Alex!

When? Over two years ago, Mr. Chase.

[panting] Alex!

The police--
they've taken Damion away.

Police? Damion?
What are you talking about?

A strange m*rder w*apon,
wouldn't you say, Perry?

We found your name and telephone number
on that pad by the telephone, Mr. White.

Now you claim you followed Phil Schuyler
home last night,

but stayed only a few minutes
to talk to him.

Now tell me, when you were here,
where was this heater?

Well, I'm not sure.
I think it was there by the door.

Ah.

And how was Mr. Schuyler dressed?

He-- he was wearing a bathrobe.

Was the water in the bathtub running?

I don't recall whether it was or not.

The m*rder*r
plugged the heater in here,

opened the door,

tossed the heater into the bathtub
while Schuyler was taking a bath,

and electrocuted him.

Now Mr. White,

you're sure that Schuyler wasn't
taking that bath while you were here?

I said he wasn't.

Miss Jordan, is this the man you saw
leaving this bungalow

shortly before the manager discovered
that Phil Schuyler was dead?

Yes, him.

Andy, Mr. White told you he was here.

Mr. White, do you drive
a blue foreign sports car?

A what?

A blue foreign sports car.
Is that what you--

No I don't.

Look, I don't see
how I can help any further,

so do you have any objections
to my leaving now?

No, but I would object
to your leaving the city, Mr. White.

Damion, I think we'd better--

He's the one who k*lled Mr. Schuyler.
How come the police let him go?

Perry?

Perry, I just left the cabbie
who picked up Phil Schuyler,

drove him to Malibu, waited for him,

then dropped him back here
at the Royal Pacific.

- Good work, Paul.
- And that's not all.

I got a tip that the police had a pick up out
for a hot witness in this case--

some bearded beatnik
named Leonard Buckman.

Well, they just canceled the bulletin.

- Meaning they found Mr. Buckman.
- Mm-hmm.

But it's where they found him
that makes it interesting.

All right. Where?

At the beach in front
of Alexander Chase's place.

Were you acquainted with Phil Schuyler?

No. And now that he's dead,

I never will have an opportunity
to become acquainted with him, will I?

Mr. Chase, in between policemen,

I only had the chance
to speak briefly with Damion.

He claims he gave Phil Schuyler
$ , yesterday afternoon.

Why do you say "claims"

instead of saying Damion
gave Schuyler the $ , ?

The money wasn't found
in Schuyler's bungalow.

Mr. Mason,

I gave Damion $ ,
yesterday afternoon.

Why?

Because he asked me to.

What reasons had he
for wanting the money?

None.

I didn't ask him.

Did anyone see you
turn that money over to him?

I did.

And that's not all I saw and heard,
is it, Alex?

Freda, shut up.
You're drinking too much.

And talking too much?

It's the truth, Mr. Mason.
I saw the bearded Buckman,

the man you were asking us about before,
outside our house, and--

- Freda!
- --and I heard him playing a tape recording

of a wonderful song--
Alex's wonderful song.

Pearls and Jade.
That's the name of it, isn't it, Alex?

Mr. Mason, about the $ , ---

Oh, yes, Mr. Mason-- the $ , .

What my dear husband
is trying to say

is that he may have trouble remembering
he gave his best friend Damion that money

in the middle of a plagiarism suit.

Sue Alex for plagiarism?
Darling Alex?

Now wherever would he dream up
such nonsense?

Or was it Freda?
Perry, you know how that woman carries on.

Now stop it, Mona.
You called me, remember?

Perry, you know me better than that.
You can't really believe I ever intended

to hurt dear old Alex.

I guess by now Damion has told you
that Alex wasn't the person being hurt?

I told Mona about it,
but how did you find out?

Let's just say I guessed.

Alex didn't write Pearls and Jade,
and neither did you.

That song was written by Phil Schuyler.

Now about the foreign blue sports car,

did you follow your husband out
to that bungalow court last night?

Yes, that was my car.

I just didn't understand
what was going on,

so I followed him there
and waited outside.

And then I followed him home.

Let's get back to
your calling me yesterday, Damion.

What about the song?

Perry, it was just a silly stupid mistake--

a lonely college prof

trying to impress the beautiful
musical-comedy star he had a crush on.

You know, I told Phil about it ages ago,
and he laughed then.

It was one of hundreds of melodies
he wrote and forgot.

I should have explained it
to Mona long ago.

And when I heard the melody had words
and was part of Alex's show,

I called Phil.
I told him he was welcome to the credit

and the money from the song.

But he didn't want
to talk about it then.

He was just desperate
to get hold of some money fast.

That $ , .
Did he say why he wanted it?

Yes-- some personal problem
with his brother-in-law.

It had nothing to do with the song;
just a temporary loan.

I gather he was less casual
when he came out here to the house later.

He was a different man.

He was hard, nasty.

He was threatening
to make all kinds of trouble.

And then when he asked me for $ , ,
I thought he was out of his mind.

He left before I could
even talk to him about it.

So you followed him to his place?

Yes. I couldn't let it stand
just like that.

It was my fault, one way or another.

He told me he wasn't interested
in potential earnings from the song;

it might or might not be a hit.

Now Alex and I could work it out
whatever way we wanted,

but Phil insisted on $ ,
right then and there.

What did you say to that?

I turned him down.

I told him to go ahead and say
or do whatever he wanted.

Excuse me? Mr. White?
I want you to come to police headquarters.

I'm booking you
for the m*rder of Phil Schuyler.

Lieutenant, I doubt
that you have sufficient evidence to--

I have more evidence than I need.

Not only were Damion White's fingerprints
on the heater that was used

to electrocute Phil Schuyler,

I have an eye witness
to testify that Damion White

was the one and only person
who could have k*lled him.

[Hamilton Burger] In the matter
now pending before this court, Your Honor,

of the state versus Damion White,

we shall confine ourselves to the primary
factors of motive and opportunity.

We will prove
that the deceased, Phil Schuyler,

received money from Damion White
and was demanding still more money.

And we will prove that Damion White

and only Damion White

could have m*rder*d Philip Schuyler.

Mr. MacManus,

did Phil Schuyler tell you
how he planned to get the $ ,

to repay you for the money
he'd taken from your account

by forging your name
to a check for that amount?

Well, no, not directly.

Although when I told him
it was either pay up or face charges,

he said he'd have no trouble
getting the money.

And while I was there,
he placed a call.

To whom did he place that call?

To the defendant,

Damion White.

Yes, I gave Damion $ ,
earlier that afternoon,

but it was a loan--
a temporary loan, that's all.

And while you were making
this temporary loan to the defendant

of $ , ,

did he happen to mention
the allegedly plagiarized melody

and its disputed authorship?

Oh, I believe he did casually say something
about not worrying about it,

- that he would--
- Go on, Mr. Chase.

The defendant said he would what?

Damion said he would
take care of the matter.

Your witness.

Mr. Chase, you had a succession

of unsuccessful musical comedies.

Your income had been
seriously depleted;

your reputation considerably shaken
in the industry.

That is true, is it not?

You make it sound like I was not only
bankrupt artistically and financially,

but virtually dead and buried.
Nonsense.

Then you weren't at all concerned

about who would get credit
for the music to that song

or just how that credit
might conceivably affect

the terms under which
the show would be sold?

Oh, I might have been
somewhat concerned,

but not after Mona's party,
when I was told.

And what were you told?

That-- well, that he was just stalling
on the contracts;

the deal would go through.

Pearls and Jade would still
be presented on Broadway

and still be made
into a top movie musical.

And who gave you
those assurances?

The only man who could,
Mr. Mason-- the producer,

Charlie Noymann.

The new Alex Chase musical
was booked down the Pacific coast--

Portland, Seattle, Sacramento,
Santa Barbara, Los Angeles--

strictly a shoestring try-out tour.

The show bombed,
By the time we hit Santa Barbara,

there were more people on stage
than in the audience.

So you closed the show
in Santa Barbara, Mr. Kirkwood?

As the show's director,
that's what I suggested to Mr. Chase.

I didn't think
there was anything worth salvaging.

But he was pretty desperate, he said,

and insisted on a fast rewrite
and another try-out.

Well, was Mr. Chase
able to improve the show?

And how.

The only really good thing
in the presentation

was a dance number in the second act--
a real catchy melody.

What was this catchy melody?

A piece called Pearls and Jade.

Well, Alex added lyrics to it.

And with a few changes
in rhythm and orchestration,

it became our new running love song,

new first-act production number,
and our finale.

Now, Mr. Kirkwood,
you reopened the show in Santa Barbara

for a second try-out,
is that correct?

The show was a smash-- rave reviews,
standing room only for each performance.

And all thanks
to that one new title song, Pearls and Jade.

Even got a nibble
from a top movie producer

who saw the show and flipped.

Mr. Kirkwood, who was that producer?

Charles Noymann.

Late in the afternoon,

I received a telephone call
at the studio from Phil Schuyler.

He sort of vaguely hinted
that there might be some question

about who wrote the melody
for the title song of Pearls and Jade.

Then he intimated that
for a small insurance payment,

as he called it,
I could save a lot of money

and avoid legal entanglements
in buying the show.

What was your answer to that?

I told him if he had documented proof,
I'd be willing to talk with him.

He stammered a while
and then hung up.

Just a crank.

Now Mr. Noymann, did you subsequently
see this Phil Schuyler?

Yes, at Mona's party.

Damion was having an argument
with some man out on the patio.

I found out the following morning
from the pictures in the paper

that that man was Schuyler.

Now this argument, Mr. Noymann--
did that appear to be a violent argument?

Violent?
Well, there were no blows.

Thank you, Mr. Noymann.
That'll be all.

Your witness.

Mr. Noymann,

you had never seen Phil Schuyler.

How could you possibly know
that the man who called you

was in fact Phil Schuyler?

Well, he said he was.

Financing a Broadway show
is quite costly, isn't it?

All in all, your contract with Alex Chase
and Mona Winthrope

must have involved
a considerable sum of money.

Yes, I'd say well over $ million
is a considerable sum.

You received a call
offering you insurance, as you put it,

in the face of that $ million.

Would you have this court believe
that you summarily dismissed it

as a crank call?

I just wasn't sure
the call was on the level, that's all.

Sure, if I could have gotten the rights
for even $ ,

to the title song,
it would have made a big difference.

Exactly how big?

I'd have picked up the book and score
for peanuts, made a separate deal with Mona.

I could have wrapped up the whole thing
for less than half what Janda was asking.

To save over $ , ,
you must have done much more

than merely reassure Alex Chase.

Before going to Mona's party,
you went to see Phil Schuyler, did you not?

Look here, Mason,
don't start throwing accusations at me.

You said it yourself-- I could have saved
$ , if I made that deal with Schuyler,

so why would I want to k*ll him?

Answer my question.

You did see Phil Schuyler,
did you not?

No. That is absolutely not--
N-O-T-- not true.

I told the district attorney
the whole thing.

I sat in my car across the street,

waiting until I saw his visitor leave.

Then I saw Miss Jordan.

She was working in one of my pictures.

She came home just about the time
the visitor was leaving, at about : .

I started, yes, to get out of the car,

but I thought it best
not to be seen.

So I left... without seeing Schuyler.

This visitor-- who was it?

Alex and Mona's agent, Jerry Janda.

When I got back to my office
after seeing Charlie Noymann,

Leonard Buckman
was waiting to see me.

He had some crazy story
that Phil Schuyler and not Alex Chase

wrote the music
for the song Pearls and Jade.

Did you place any credence in the story
that Leonard Buckman told you?

No, not then.

I figured he was
just some sort of a crank

who knew about the trouble
between Mona and Alex

and was trying to get in on the act.

I gave him $ and told him to beat it
and not to bother me.

A couple of hours later,
around : ,

I received a call at home
from Phil Schuyler himself.

He confirmed what Buckman had said

and asked me
to come to his place right away.

Did the decedent try to extort money
from you, Mr. Janda?

Well, not directly, no,

though he was certainly
fishing for an offer.

I offered him $ , for a quit claim
on the music to the song.

And what was his reaction to that?

He laughed at my offer;

said that if I would give him
$ , to be quiet,

there was somebody else
who would probably give him $ , .

Somebody else?

Mr. Janda, did Phil Schuyler say

who he intended
to get the money from?

Did he say who he was so sure
would give him $ , ?

Yes-- the defendant, Damion White.

Hamilton Burger
is certainly efficient--

motive and opportunity.
He laid it out like a road map.

Well, he's sure loaded with opportunity.

He's got an eye witness who locks White--

your client-- and only your client
right into the m*rder.

As far as motive is concerned,
we all know what type of person Damion is.

Just wait till Burger sums it up--

a successful Broadway play,
a spectacular movie,

the stage-struck professor's
name in lights.

Oh boy.

Perry, if this were a full trial,

you could put the stage-struck professor
on the stand

and let him tell
what really happened.

Would you as a jury
believe that Damion's fingerprints

were on that heater
because he tripped over a cord

and then had to
set the heater upright, or--

Or that he got his fingerprints on it
when he tossed it into the bathtub

to electrocute Phil Schuyler.
I see what you mean.

Which leads us right back
to motive and Damion.

White isn't the only one.

Noymann could be
more deeply involved than he's admitted.

And Janda stood to lose
a big fat whopping commission.

And let's not forget the composer
with the taking ways-- Alex Chase.

He could be up to his neck in hock.

Alex Chase?
How's that, Paul?

Well, it's only a possibility,

but I found out this afternoon that Chase
couldn't find a backer for his last musical,

so he must have backed it himself.

He probably lost
everything he had in the world.

Our Mr. Chase--

composer and bankrupt angel.

"And the Lord said unto Satan,

whence comest thou?"

Della, that's it.

That's what?

Satan and the angel.

I want to know more about that angel.

Now wait a minute.
I've gone a lot of places to get a lot of
things--

And this time you're going
to outdo yourself, tomorrow in court.

How?

Well, first the angel
and then Satan.

As a matter of fact,
let's make it two Satans.

So when I caught a rehearsal
of the new second try-out in Santa Barbara,

I couldn't believe it.
I went to see Phil.

I told him that a tune that he had written

had suddenly acquired
a set of lyrics

and had become the title song
in a new musical play

by Alexander Chase.

And when Phil Schuyler found that they
were using his music without his knowledge,

what did he do?

I told Phil he should get in touch
with Alexander Chase right away,

demand credit
and royalties for the song.

Phil said that he would,
but first he had to have a talk

with the person responsible
for stealing his music.

Who could that be
if it wasn't Alexander Chase?

Phil wouldn't tell me
what the guy's name was,

but he admitted it was someone else--
not Alexander Chase--

who had stolen the music--

some college-professor friend
of his.

Some college-professor friend of his?

Your witness.

Mr. Buckman,

instead of calling Charles Noymann
and saying you were Phil Schuyler,

- why didn't you call Mr. Chase?
- I didn't call Noymann.

And I maintain that you did.

There are two possible explanations
for your visit to Mr. Chase

the morning after the m*rder.

In either case,
blackmail had to have been involved.

You either didn't know
that Phil Schuyler was dead,

or you had previous knowledge
that Phil Schuyler had been m*rder*d and--

I didn't know Phil had been m*rder*d.
If I had, I would have gone to the police.

But you did to go Alexander Chase
to blackmail him,

and it was you, not Phil Schuyler,
who called Charles Noymann.

All right, all right, I admit that.

But I never got around
to blackmailing Mr. Chase.

When you impersonated Phil Schuyler
and called Charles Noymann,

he said he would speak further
with you if you had documentation

of the true authorship
of Pearls and Jade.

But you didn't
have such documentation, did you?

Well, no.

Yet the following morning
you were playing a two-year-old tape
recording

of that same music for Alex Chase.

We can prove that that tape recording
belonged to Phil Schuyler.

All right, all right,
so I stole a lousy tape.

Phil had no right to brush me off--
no right, do you hear?

I was the one spotted the tune.

I was the one gave him the idea
for the whole squeeze play.

Phil Schuyler outwitted you, didn't he?

In your presence, he called Janda
and asked him to come right over.

And then what did he say to you,
Mr. Buckman?

Did he offer to cut you in?

No.
No. "Blow," he said.

"Beat it. You bother me."

Well, I bothered him, all right.
I bothered him real good.

I hung around till he took off,
then went in and swiped the tape.

If he wouldn't cut me in,
I was going to cut myself in.

I gave Mr. MacManus, his brother-in-law,
the envelope that Phil left for him.

Then I went to my own place

and started getting ready
for the masquerade party

that Phil and I were supposed to go to.

[Burger] Now while you were
in your own bungalow, Miss Jordan,

did you see anyone
enter or leave Phil Schuyler's bungalow?

Yes I did, about ten minutes
before I called the manager

and he found Phil dead,

I saw the defendant, Damion White,
leave Phil's place.

And in that ten minutes, Miss Jordan--

between the time you saw Damion White
leave the bungalow

and the time
the decedent's body was found,

did you see anyone else at all
enter or leave that bungalow?

- No, I didn't--
- Thank you.

--but I wasn't
watching all the time.

Yes, but you told--
Well, who was watching all the time?

Well, the manager, Rudy.

Thank you, Miss Jordan.

Well, sir, it was Halloween, you know,

and the kids and everything--
well, they were around.

Well, anyhow, right after dinner,

I discovered the electric sign
out in front ain't workin'.

So I got up on a ladder to fix it.

Well, the way I'm standing up there, see,
I'm facing the court.

And all the bungalows open out
into that middle court, you see?

And there's no way to get
in or out the bungalows

without going through that court.
And so there I am.

I mean, I can hardly help
keeping my eye on things, you might say.

Did that include keeping your eye
on Phil Schuyler's bungalow?

Oh, yes sir.

Now Miss Jordan there, she went in.

And then Mr. Schuyler's brother-in-law--
him too, he went in.

And then he came out
and so did she.

And then Mr. Schuyler came home.

And after Mr. Schuyler came home,

how many other people
entered or left that bungalow?

Only one-- one person went in
and come out.

And nobody-- absolutely nobody

went in or out after that
until I found the dead body.

And who was that one
and only person, Mr. Mahlsted?

Him-- Mr. Damion White.

Mr. Mason.

Rudy, you're positive

that no one went into that bungalow
after the defendant left?

Yes sir, positive.

You ever look at something
and not see it?

I don't understand.

How long have you been living
in that bungalow court, Rudy?

years, maybe a little longer.

Now this is a photograph
of your bungalow--

a photograph of the room
in which you've spent years.

Now the design on the wallpaper--
tell me--

does the pattern run vertically,
up and down,

or does it go from side to side?

This way. Side to side.

Now the roses

between the stripes
on that wallpaper--

do they go between every stripe
or between every other stripe?

Between every stripe.

Now take a look, Rudy.

I was wrong... both times.

We see but we do not see.

Your Honor, I must protest
these circus side-show tactics.

What kind of stunt is this?

[Judge]
Just a moment, Mr. Burger.

I believe I understand
where defense counsel is heading.

The court is interested in pursuing
this particular point.

So unless you have
a specific objection, we will continue.

Oh, by all means, Your Honor,

let's have some dancing girls
and a snake charmer too.

That will do, Mr. Burger.
You may proceed, Mr. Mason.

Yes, Your Honor.

Now Rudy,
the children trick-or-treating,

were they still making rounds
when you unlocked the door

and found the body?

Oh sure, they were coming all the time,
from : on.

Even after Damion White
left the bungalow?

Oh yes, they--
they'd come back, you know.

Oh no no, Mr. Mason,
not those children.

I know them. I know them all.

Suppose we find out just how well
you do know them, Rudy.

All right, children,
would you stand in a line here, please?

Rudy, who is Satan # ?

Brucie Hillman.

That's the Karger boy, Gene--
Gene Karger.

Oh, the little gypsy, that's easy--
Michele Strull.

That's not fair, Rudy.

You helped me buy my costume
at the corner drugstore.

Satan # , Rudy?

His costume comes from
that same drugstore. Do you recognize him?

Oh, sure, the boy who likes to dig holes--
Don Carmichael.

years old, Mr. Mason.
Hudson's the name-- Joe Hudson.

How tall are you, Mr. Hudson?

' ".

Just the same height as Mr. Janda
without his elevator shoes.

All right, children, thank you.

Mr. Janda, Mr. Chase's last flop--

it wasn't his money that financed that show.
It was yours, was it not?

I lent him the money--
all I had, everything.

You borrowed heavily,
hoping that Pearls and Jade

would solve everything,

but without that contract for Noymann,
you were going to be ruined, weren't you?

Yes.

Yes, that Schuyler,
pressuring Damion, pressuring me.

You followed Damion
and Mona to Schuyler's,

picked up a costume
at the drugstore

from a clerk
who is prepared to identity you.

You then waited
until Damion left.

Then you took off your shoes
and joined the children

going from bungalow to bungalow

and watched for your opportunity
to m*rder Phil Schuyler.

He was in the tub.

I wasn't sure just how
I was going to do it

until I saw
the electric heater.

Mona. Mona, you were
the only really big star I had

and you hadn't worked
in two years-- two years!

Two...

You've got to understand.

Here was my chance to get my money back,
to make even more money,

to be on top of the heap again.

But it was all falling apart
because of Schuyler,

because he had written
that melody.

But he was the only one
who could prove that--

Schuyler himself.

I had to stop him
before he got to Noymann and k*lled the deal.

I had to!

The costume--

it wasn't Satan.

It was a fool's costume.

From the religious vigil
of All Hallow's Eve to m*rder.

Halloween's come a long way.

"Darkness and worms
and shrouds and sepulchers."

Paul, you're reciting poetry.

Am I?

"But strength alone
is like a fallen angel,

Trees uptorn and darkness
and worms and shrouds and sepulchers."

Hey, what do you know? Keats.

Speaking of fallen angels...

You mean the kind
that go bankrupt backing flop shows?

Yes. You know, I thought Janda's eyes
would pop right out of his head

when he saw that little old man
in the costume.

Yeah, some trick.

Considering the results,
wouldn't you say it was more of a treat?