Peter Gunn (1958) s01e13 Episode Script
The Jockey
1
© transcript Emily Beynon.
© BF-WATCH TV 2021 Gunn, aren't you?
I'm Jason Willows, Billy Arnett's friend.
You know him?
I've heard of him.
Yeah, I guess everybody's heard of him.
He's the best jockey in the world.
Four Derby winners, three Preaknesses,
Belmont Stakes twice.
So I've read.
He may not ride anymore.
Why not?
His girl.
What about her?
She's dead.
She was a singer at the Pink Cloud Sky Room.
She fell through a skylight up there.
How did it happen?
Was it an accident?
She went up on the roof between songs.
She must have lost her footing.
She meant a great deal to Billy.
Even more to me, I guess.
Billy and I knew each other since we were,
gee, little kids.
Thirty-three years.
Long time.
Lots of winners, lots of losers.
You know, after you've known a guy that
long, you get so that you
you feel exactly about things the way that he does.
Everything's right with him.
Everything's right with you.
Hold it, boy.
When he gets racked up, you do too.
And you.
And that's the way it is now.
I guess he took it pretty hard, huh?
He's way up the track about it.
I had to break the news to him.
When I told him what happened, he looked at me like
just like he heard wrong.
Now he's had too much time to think about it.
Too much time.
He's got ideas.
What kind of ideas?
He thinks she was murdered.
He thinks she was murdered.
That's it.
There's no reason.
No one would want to kill Carolyn.
The police have investigated every possibility.
Their findings are accidental death.
Why did you call me?
Give you this.
$1,500.
From you or Billy?
Billy.
For what?
Billy wants you to investigate what happened to Carolyn.
He's got to find out exactly what happened.
What do you think happened?
I think you'll find it was an accident.
But Billy's got to have proof.
Prove it to him, Mr. Gunn.
Prove it to him.
He's all eaten up inside.
I'm his friend.
I'm supposed to be able to help him.
I don't know how.
I'd like to talk to him.
All right.
Let's go up to the house.
Jason?
Yeah.
Billy wants to see you.
I brought Mr. Gunn.
I'll talk to Mr. Gunn.
But Billy wanted to Billy's in the den, Jason.
Go see him.
I'm Ned Park, Arnett's agent.
Come in, Mr. Gunn.
Tight finish.
Handy talent.
Best hands in the business.
I know.
Jason gave you some money, didn't he?
Jason gave me some money from Billy.
Well, you can keep it for your trouble.
I haven't been troubled yet.
It won't be necessary for you to see Billy.
It won't?
No.
Why don't we let Billy tell me?
Because I'm telling you.
Anything Arnett has to say, I say it for him.
I like to earn my fee.
You're too conscientious.
And reasonably curious.
That's the den?
I said forget it.
Look, there's no point in our getting on
each other's nerves.
That's entirely up to you, Mr. Park.
Actually, we're making too much out of this.
Are we?
You know what happened to his girl?
Something about falling through a skylight.
Billy can't reconcile himself to a death.
He's got some wild idea that somebody killed her.
Anyone in particular?
No, there's no basis in fact.
The police have verified.
It was an accident.
I just don't want him to think any more about it.
I want him to get it out of his mind.
He should have forgotten about that girl when he met her.
You didn't approve?
No.
She was playing him straight across the
board at six to an evening.
His money?
What else?
You show me a rich jockey and I'll show
you a conniving female.
They come out from under the saddle blankets.
That's enough, Ned.
Well, Billy.
I didn't.
Yeah, I know you didn't.
Mr. Gunn?
That's right.
Please come in.
I want to talk to Mr. Gunn alone, Ned.
Very impressive.
Yeah.
Sit down, please.
Thank you.
Exciting world.
Just a little guy on a big horse.
I've seen you boot him home a couple of times.
You look pretty big to me.
It only looks that way from the clubhouse.
I know a lot of people that would disagree with you.
Maybe one.
She's dead now.
What was her name?
Carolyn Stevens.
Nice name, huh?
I heard Park out there.
Part of what he said was right.
What part?
About a jockey making a lot of money.
Beautiful women like a lot of money.
They don't have any trouble finding the winner's circle.
Everyone loves a winner.
Guy in my profession.
Doesn't have too much trouble finding a girl.
You just wave the lute.
They'll wave back.
You play the field, but it's a bad play.
Just like when you go to the racetrack.
You buy a ticket on the field.
You get three horses for the price of one.
Looks like a real bargain.
You're better off to stick with the class.
Funny.
What?
I've won over a hundred handicaps.
There was a girl to go with every trophy.
Never was the right girl.
Not so funny.
Then I met Carolyn.
It was like I'd never met anyone before.
She loved me.
We were gonna go the whole route.
Home, kids, big finish.
Billy.
Yeah?
You don't think her death was accidental, do you?
I know it wasn't.
We used to meet up on that roof.
She knew every foot of it.
No.
No, it was no accident.
Do you think someone killed her?
Yes.
Who?
I don't know.
I don't know who, but you find them.
I don't care what it cost.
Did she have any other friends?
Not that I know of.
Enemies?
No.
Everybody liked Carolyn, except
Except?
Parks.
He thought she was after my money, but But what?
Parks couldn't kill anyone.
He's not the type.
That's a common fallacy, Billy.
Murderers don't come according to type.
Look.
I told you I don't care how much it costs.
And I don't care who you have to step on.
Just so long as you find the person that killed Carolyn.
I'll see what I can do.
Work on it, Mr. Gunn.
You work on it real hard.
I'm having a sign printed on the door.
Who?
No visitors.
You get lonesome.
What's the occasion?
Just passing.
Coffee hot?
No.
It's cold and bitter.
I haven't made that way to match my disposition.
Okay.
Sorry.
Look, if you're hungry, there's a
lunchroom down the street.
How would you know?
You never eat.
It's because I have work to do.
Working on the Carolyn Stevens case?
Nothing much left to do.
Accidental death.
Just close and file.
You know, I've come up with an interesting theory.
Interesting to whom?
Maybe you.
What, uh, what if Carolyn were murdered?
Then I wouldn't be closing out this case as an accident.
Naturally, you've explored the possibility.
Of murder?
Mm-hmm.
Naturally.
And?
Doesn't float.
I can never be sure of those things.
Look, Pete, here's a blowup of the dead girl's body
on the floor and the broken skylight she fell through.
So?
So there were quite a few people in the club at the time.
A lot of witnesses.
There's only one entrance to the roof, a stairway.
Carolyn was seen going up that stairway
before the accident alone.
No one came down that stairway after the accident occurred.
No other exit from the roof except the stairway, huh?
None.
And it's a six-story drop from the roof to
the cement below.
What if somebody had a rope or something?
They would have lowered themselves right
into the arms of a gentleman who was
walking his dog at the rear of the building.
You want the gentleman's name?
If I know you, you've got the dog's name, too.
Prince.
Thanks.
Anytime.
See you around.
Shoot a police officer, no parole.
I thought you were busy.
I am following you.
What are you doing here?
Looking around.
You're trespassing.
I was curious.
It's my department.
You were satisfied.
I still am.
Come on, I want to show you something.
What?
Come on.
Spot where the girl fell.
Which side?
Far side.
How many feet?
Eight or nine.
Right.
Now, I'm standing under the edge of the skylight.
Anyone falling through the skylight would
land here, right on top of the piano.
Not nine feet away.
Now, if Carolyn fell through the skylight, her body
wouldn't have gathered enough momentum to land here.
It's not impossible.
But not probable.
You might have a point.
Now, if someone pushed her, that someone
would have been seen coming down this stairway.
Maybe not.
Might have escaped over the roof.
How?
Well, that's not the word.
For what?
Close out a murder report.
Do you like the angle?
It's an idea.
I've got one myself.
Yeah?
Call the fire department.
What for?
Get your theory off the roof.
Get your theory off the roof.
Jacoby.
Did you ever hear of the Flying Willows?
Pete?
Yeah.
No.
I'm over at the public library.
I've been doing a little checking into Billy Arnett's past.
Just ran across an item dated July, about six years ago.
Also a picture of Billy with his
buddy, Jason Willows, former
member of the Flying Willows,
famous acrobats and aerialists.
Acrobats and aerialists?
You wanted me to get my theory off the roof?
Well, a man of Jason's training just might
be able to make that jump.
Where's your motive?
I'm just giving you a possible how.
If you want a possible why, maybe you'd
better talk to Jason.
Jason, come on down!
You worked pretty hard at murder.
It wasn't a murder.
It was an accident.
Just an accident you dropped those bricks on me?
Whichever way you're gonna cut it,
I'm gonna get life for the chair.
Not if it really was an accident.
Who's gonna believe me, huh?
You're gonna believe me.
It isn't up to me.
Come on, let's go.
I ain't gonna let you take me, Mr. Gunn.
I called Lieutenant Jacoby before I left the library.
If you want me, come up and get me.
Look, Jason, you keep running.
Nobody will believe it was an accident.
She was a no-good dame.
She was taking Billy right down the line.
She admitted it on the roof.
You know what she said?
What are you gonna do about it, huh?
You think Billy's gonna believe you or me?
No good little dame.
She would have wrecked his life.
I told her I found out all about her.
About how she was seeing all those other
guys while she was still seeing Billy.
But she knew she had that poor little guy hooked.
Then she tried to make up a wild story about me.
She was gonna go tell Billy that I tried to
make a pitch, that I tried to make time with her.
Cheek, no good little dame.
Then she slapped me, and she laughed in my face.
But she's dead!
And that's the best way.
It was an accident.
It was an accident.
I shoved her.
I shoved her, and she tripped.
And it's better that way.
Jason!
You want me?
Come up and get me!
What's the matter?
Afraid of being up so high, Mr. Gunn?
I'm used to it.
The flying willows.
Always on high.
No net, Mr. Gunn.
We used to bring them right up out of their seats.
Jason!
I was just like Billy.
Always on top.
At best.
Come on down, Jason.
They'll listen to you.
We used to bring them right up out of their seats.
Jason!
Why would he?
Why?
Maybe he couldn't stand anyone else moving in here.
Huh?
Carolyn.
He couldn't let her in.
And not to stay, Billy.
Go home, huh?
Good night.
I wish I'd have never hired you.
I never should have asked.
Good night.
© transcript Emily Beynon.
© BF-WATCH TV 2021 Gunn, aren't you?
I'm Jason Willows, Billy Arnett's friend.
You know him?
I've heard of him.
Yeah, I guess everybody's heard of him.
He's the best jockey in the world.
Four Derby winners, three Preaknesses,
Belmont Stakes twice.
So I've read.
He may not ride anymore.
Why not?
His girl.
What about her?
She's dead.
She was a singer at the Pink Cloud Sky Room.
She fell through a skylight up there.
How did it happen?
Was it an accident?
She went up on the roof between songs.
She must have lost her footing.
She meant a great deal to Billy.
Even more to me, I guess.
Billy and I knew each other since we were,
gee, little kids.
Thirty-three years.
Long time.
Lots of winners, lots of losers.
You know, after you've known a guy that
long, you get so that you
you feel exactly about things the way that he does.
Everything's right with him.
Everything's right with you.
Hold it, boy.
When he gets racked up, you do too.
And you.
And that's the way it is now.
I guess he took it pretty hard, huh?
He's way up the track about it.
I had to break the news to him.
When I told him what happened, he looked at me like
just like he heard wrong.
Now he's had too much time to think about it.
Too much time.
He's got ideas.
What kind of ideas?
He thinks she was murdered.
He thinks she was murdered.
That's it.
There's no reason.
No one would want to kill Carolyn.
The police have investigated every possibility.
Their findings are accidental death.
Why did you call me?
Give you this.
$1,500.
From you or Billy?
Billy.
For what?
Billy wants you to investigate what happened to Carolyn.
He's got to find out exactly what happened.
What do you think happened?
I think you'll find it was an accident.
But Billy's got to have proof.
Prove it to him, Mr. Gunn.
Prove it to him.
He's all eaten up inside.
I'm his friend.
I'm supposed to be able to help him.
I don't know how.
I'd like to talk to him.
All right.
Let's go up to the house.
Jason?
Yeah.
Billy wants to see you.
I brought Mr. Gunn.
I'll talk to Mr. Gunn.
But Billy wanted to Billy's in the den, Jason.
Go see him.
I'm Ned Park, Arnett's agent.
Come in, Mr. Gunn.
Tight finish.
Handy talent.
Best hands in the business.
I know.
Jason gave you some money, didn't he?
Jason gave me some money from Billy.
Well, you can keep it for your trouble.
I haven't been troubled yet.
It won't be necessary for you to see Billy.
It won't?
No.
Why don't we let Billy tell me?
Because I'm telling you.
Anything Arnett has to say, I say it for him.
I like to earn my fee.
You're too conscientious.
And reasonably curious.
That's the den?
I said forget it.
Look, there's no point in our getting on
each other's nerves.
That's entirely up to you, Mr. Park.
Actually, we're making too much out of this.
Are we?
You know what happened to his girl?
Something about falling through a skylight.
Billy can't reconcile himself to a death.
He's got some wild idea that somebody killed her.
Anyone in particular?
No, there's no basis in fact.
The police have verified.
It was an accident.
I just don't want him to think any more about it.
I want him to get it out of his mind.
He should have forgotten about that girl when he met her.
You didn't approve?
No.
She was playing him straight across the
board at six to an evening.
His money?
What else?
You show me a rich jockey and I'll show
you a conniving female.
They come out from under the saddle blankets.
That's enough, Ned.
Well, Billy.
I didn't.
Yeah, I know you didn't.
Mr. Gunn?
That's right.
Please come in.
I want to talk to Mr. Gunn alone, Ned.
Very impressive.
Yeah.
Sit down, please.
Thank you.
Exciting world.
Just a little guy on a big horse.
I've seen you boot him home a couple of times.
You look pretty big to me.
It only looks that way from the clubhouse.
I know a lot of people that would disagree with you.
Maybe one.
She's dead now.
What was her name?
Carolyn Stevens.
Nice name, huh?
I heard Park out there.
Part of what he said was right.
What part?
About a jockey making a lot of money.
Beautiful women like a lot of money.
They don't have any trouble finding the winner's circle.
Everyone loves a winner.
Guy in my profession.
Doesn't have too much trouble finding a girl.
You just wave the lute.
They'll wave back.
You play the field, but it's a bad play.
Just like when you go to the racetrack.
You buy a ticket on the field.
You get three horses for the price of one.
Looks like a real bargain.
You're better off to stick with the class.
Funny.
What?
I've won over a hundred handicaps.
There was a girl to go with every trophy.
Never was the right girl.
Not so funny.
Then I met Carolyn.
It was like I'd never met anyone before.
She loved me.
We were gonna go the whole route.
Home, kids, big finish.
Billy.
Yeah?
You don't think her death was accidental, do you?
I know it wasn't.
We used to meet up on that roof.
She knew every foot of it.
No.
No, it was no accident.
Do you think someone killed her?
Yes.
Who?
I don't know.
I don't know who, but you find them.
I don't care what it cost.
Did she have any other friends?
Not that I know of.
Enemies?
No.
Everybody liked Carolyn, except
Except?
Parks.
He thought she was after my money, but But what?
Parks couldn't kill anyone.
He's not the type.
That's a common fallacy, Billy.
Murderers don't come according to type.
Look.
I told you I don't care how much it costs.
And I don't care who you have to step on.
Just so long as you find the person that killed Carolyn.
I'll see what I can do.
Work on it, Mr. Gunn.
You work on it real hard.
I'm having a sign printed on the door.
Who?
No visitors.
You get lonesome.
What's the occasion?
Just passing.
Coffee hot?
No.
It's cold and bitter.
I haven't made that way to match my disposition.
Okay.
Sorry.
Look, if you're hungry, there's a
lunchroom down the street.
How would you know?
You never eat.
It's because I have work to do.
Working on the Carolyn Stevens case?
Nothing much left to do.
Accidental death.
Just close and file.
You know, I've come up with an interesting theory.
Interesting to whom?
Maybe you.
What, uh, what if Carolyn were murdered?
Then I wouldn't be closing out this case as an accident.
Naturally, you've explored the possibility.
Of murder?
Mm-hmm.
Naturally.
And?
Doesn't float.
I can never be sure of those things.
Look, Pete, here's a blowup of the dead girl's body
on the floor and the broken skylight she fell through.
So?
So there were quite a few people in the club at the time.
A lot of witnesses.
There's only one entrance to the roof, a stairway.
Carolyn was seen going up that stairway
before the accident alone.
No one came down that stairway after the accident occurred.
No other exit from the roof except the stairway, huh?
None.
And it's a six-story drop from the roof to
the cement below.
What if somebody had a rope or something?
They would have lowered themselves right
into the arms of a gentleman who was
walking his dog at the rear of the building.
You want the gentleman's name?
If I know you, you've got the dog's name, too.
Prince.
Thanks.
Anytime.
See you around.
Shoot a police officer, no parole.
I thought you were busy.
I am following you.
What are you doing here?
Looking around.
You're trespassing.
I was curious.
It's my department.
You were satisfied.
I still am.
Come on, I want to show you something.
What?
Come on.
Spot where the girl fell.
Which side?
Far side.
How many feet?
Eight or nine.
Right.
Now, I'm standing under the edge of the skylight.
Anyone falling through the skylight would
land here, right on top of the piano.
Not nine feet away.
Now, if Carolyn fell through the skylight, her body
wouldn't have gathered enough momentum to land here.
It's not impossible.
But not probable.
You might have a point.
Now, if someone pushed her, that someone
would have been seen coming down this stairway.
Maybe not.
Might have escaped over the roof.
How?
Well, that's not the word.
For what?
Close out a murder report.
Do you like the angle?
It's an idea.
I've got one myself.
Yeah?
Call the fire department.
What for?
Get your theory off the roof.
Get your theory off the roof.
Jacoby.
Did you ever hear of the Flying Willows?
Pete?
Yeah.
No.
I'm over at the public library.
I've been doing a little checking into Billy Arnett's past.
Just ran across an item dated July, about six years ago.
Also a picture of Billy with his
buddy, Jason Willows, former
member of the Flying Willows,
famous acrobats and aerialists.
Acrobats and aerialists?
You wanted me to get my theory off the roof?
Well, a man of Jason's training just might
be able to make that jump.
Where's your motive?
I'm just giving you a possible how.
If you want a possible why, maybe you'd
better talk to Jason.
Jason, come on down!
You worked pretty hard at murder.
It wasn't a murder.
It was an accident.
Just an accident you dropped those bricks on me?
Whichever way you're gonna cut it,
I'm gonna get life for the chair.
Not if it really was an accident.
Who's gonna believe me, huh?
You're gonna believe me.
It isn't up to me.
Come on, let's go.
I ain't gonna let you take me, Mr. Gunn.
I called Lieutenant Jacoby before I left the library.
If you want me, come up and get me.
Look, Jason, you keep running.
Nobody will believe it was an accident.
She was a no-good dame.
She was taking Billy right down the line.
She admitted it on the roof.
You know what she said?
What are you gonna do about it, huh?
You think Billy's gonna believe you or me?
No good little dame.
She would have wrecked his life.
I told her I found out all about her.
About how she was seeing all those other
guys while she was still seeing Billy.
But she knew she had that poor little guy hooked.
Then she tried to make up a wild story about me.
She was gonna go tell Billy that I tried to
make a pitch, that I tried to make time with her.
Cheek, no good little dame.
Then she slapped me, and she laughed in my face.
But she's dead!
And that's the best way.
It was an accident.
It was an accident.
I shoved her.
I shoved her, and she tripped.
And it's better that way.
Jason!
You want me?
Come up and get me!
What's the matter?
Afraid of being up so high, Mr. Gunn?
I'm used to it.
The flying willows.
Always on high.
No net, Mr. Gunn.
We used to bring them right up out of their seats.
Jason!
I was just like Billy.
Always on top.
At best.
Come on down, Jason.
They'll listen to you.
We used to bring them right up out of their seats.
Jason!
Why would he?
Why?
Maybe he couldn't stand anyone else moving in here.
Huh?
Carolyn.
He couldn't let her in.
And not to stay, Billy.
Go home, huh?
Good night.
I wish I'd have never hired you.
I never should have asked.
Good night.