The Rockford Files (1974) s01e23 Episode Script
Roundabout
1
I have been shot at, hit over the
head, robbed of $10,000.
Incredible as it may seem, all by myself
I figured out I was in a little trouble.
You better be police,
or I ain't talking.
Not exactly. I could have been
if I wanted-- I ain't talking.
Lady!
Haven't you ever wanted
something so much
that you didn't care how
you got it? Haven't you?
Once you're in, you're in.
Or you're dead.
I want Nancy Wade.
Either you give her to me,
or you're dead.
This is Jim Rockford,
At the tone, leave your name
and message,
I'll get back to you.
This is Marilyn Reed.
1 want to talk to..,,.
Is this a machine?
don't talk to machines,
Mr. Moss.
Yeah. What is it?
You are Mr. Moss, aren't you?
Yeah.
What can I do for you?
I'm Jim Rockford, a private investigator.
Your secretary said
you wanted to see me.
Yeah, good. Glad you're here.
What do you charge?
$200 a day, plus expenses.
Any good?
That's a little like asking the
headwaiter how the steak is, isn't it?
Okay, Rockford,
I'm gonna give you the ground rules.
One, I don't like
getting fleeced.
So you try to rummy up the expense
account, I'm just not gonna pay it.
I want receipts for everything.
You got it? Everything.
I know you guys.
You're all expense-account hot dogs.
I only mention this so that you'll
know that I'm wise to you going in.
You get the picture, mister?
Hey, I got a black belt
in karate.
Good. 'Cause I got
a black belt in seven iron.
You want this job?
We've got this little
loss-of-life policy
that we're trying to pay off,
a Mrs. Olivia Wade.
She died and left her
daughter, Nancy, $10,000.
And we're obligated
by the Insurance Commission
to spend a certain time
looking for her.
And you want to make sure that the
daughter gets what's truly hers, right?
Sure. Anyway, this dead
woman, our insured
she's got a sister living
somewhere in Los Angeles.
You might be able to get
some information
as to the daughter's
whereabouts from her.
You got an address
on the sister?
No. We looked. We tried everything.
Can't find the sister.
We know is that she's in the city somewhere
and her name is Mrs. Ted Wainwright.
Now, how about it?
How about what?
You gonna take it?
You gonna say please?
No.
All right. I'll take it.
You got to move
your right hand over a little.
"Mrs. Ted Wainwright."
You really looked, didn't you?
Detective? Police? Well,
you better be police, or I ain't talking.
Not exactly. I could have been
if I wanted-- I ain't talking.
Lady!
You shouldn't know how to do
that, unless you know how.
What's the matter with you, lady?
I'm not here to repossess the TV.
I'm working
for an insurance company.
Your sister died and she
left some insurance money.
Yeah. Well, who'd
she leave it to?
Nancy, her daughter.
No. That can't be right.
There's a mistake.
No, it is true.
They hired me to find her.
How much was the policy?
I'm not allowed to say.
Don't that beat all?
I mean, Nancy.
She run off when she was 16 and
she didn't come home, never.
I'm over at Olivia's, day and night,
scrubbing and cleaning up the place
and looking after her. And who did
she leave that insurance money to?
That ungrateful kid.
Now ain't that a bummer?
Yeah. That really sounds
awful, just rotten.
Anyway, do you know
where she is?
If I help you,
how much is there in it for me?
For you? $10.
Get your foot out
or get ready to lose it.
$20 $50!
You're on an expense account, ain't you?
Yeah, but I got to be careful.
You make it $100.
Look, the man I'm working
for, he's-- I ain't fooling.
$100, I'll let you have something.
Maybe it'll help, maybe it won't.
Okay.
Get your foot out.
I ain't gonna let you come in here.
You just wait right here.
Let me have the money.
What's that?
After Olivia died, I went over to pick
up the mail, and this was in the box.
It's a letter from Nancy.
Did they correspond a lot?
Nancy used to send letters
to Olivia.
Olivia never answered them.
She disowned her.
Where'd the letters come from?
All over the country.
Get out of here, mister.
"Dear Mom,
I want to come home,
”I got a lot of fences
to mend, But I want to try.
”I'm at the Monarch Hotel
in Las Vegas, Room 210,
”Please write to me this time.
Love, Nancy."
Well, don't let it choke you up.
Very touching.
You owe me $200, plus $5 for the
gas, and $100 for the letter.
It's 1:30. You haven't put in a full day
yet. Where's the receipt for the hundred?
I didn't get one.
Why not?
You had to be there.
No receipt, no expense payment.
But I'll make you this deal.
You fly up to Vegas,
give the check to Nancy Wade
I'll throw in an extra $200.
You can mail it for a dime.
No.
Terms of the policy demand that the
payment be made by cashier's check.
It's too risky to mail.
You'll personally give it
to Nancy in front of a notary.
You are bonded, of course.
Just barely, yeah.
Well, you'll need a round trip
plane ticket to Vegas.
Flight leaves
in about an hour.
I like first class.
I like coach.
We're full up.
Hi.
You have a lady here,
Nancy Wade, Room 210.
Nobody here by that name.
She checked out?
Never has been
any Nancy Wade in 210.
This is her picture.
Never saw her before.
Monarch Hotel. Yeah.
Go away.
It's the fire inspector.
Open up, please.
What? Who?
The fire inspector.
Hi. Now wait a minute.
I'm a private investigator.
I work for an insurance company
and I have a $10,000 check for you.
Here, wait. Here.
See.
Now may I come in?
Why? What insurance?
Have you heard about your mother?
Yeah.
I heard about her
from a friend in LA.
Yeah, this life insurance
money, she left it for you.
I'm sorry. I
It's okay.
just didn't know
she had any insurance.
My mother and I,
we didn't get along, but--
Hey, it's okay.
You don't need to explain.
I'm just delivering
a check for a fee.
It's just that
I feel such strange about it.
It's not like I couldn't use it.
Yeah.
Do you have a bank nearby
where we could deposit it?
Bank. Oh, no.
I don't have a bank. No.
Just leave it here.
I'll take care of it.
It should be notarized, and the best way
to do that is to take it to a bank
and then
you can deposit it there.
Look, it's a cashier's check.
You should get it deposited.
Miss Wade, are you all right?
Yeah, sure. Of course.
There's a bank right down on the
highway in a shopping center.
Should we use that one?
Just a minute.
Miss, are you
in some kind of trouble?
Look, it's none
of your business.
If I need a guy on a white horse,
I'll call the circus. Okay?
I'm glad we got that settled.
Get in the car.
They're coming.
Let's get moving.
How do you do? My name is Rockford.
This is Miss Wade.
Herb Strock.
What can I do for you?
I have a cashier's check
for $10,000.
It's payment
on a life insurance policy.
Miss Wade would like to open an account,
and I'll need the transaction notarized.
Proof of delivery.
That can be arranged.
On deposits like these,
we need some information.
IRS and all that.
If you'll write down your full
name and Social Security number
we'll feed it
into the computer.
Just take this over to Mrs. Trask.
Right over there. She's a notary public.
Thank you.
How do you do, Mrs. Trask?
Hello.
Mr. Strock sent us over.
We're opening an account.
My name is Rockford. This is Miss
Wade, and she's opening the account.
Ws Nancy Wade. W-A-D-E.
Everything all right?
I'm not sure.
What's wrong?
You said you wanted
to open an account here.
Yeah.
According to our records
you already have an account
here with $300,000 in it.
There must be some mistake.
No. Not with the same
Social Security number. Look.
I think we better call the bank manager.
Mrs. Trask, get Mr. Stewart right away.
Come on! Get in!
Get off me.
Get in the car.
No, let go of me.
Let's go!
I'm sorry. I'm afraid I don't
know what's going on here.
Neither do I.
But I can assure you that Miss Nancy
Wade has $300,000 on deposit here.
Well, I'd like to deposit this in
her account and have it notarized.
Of course, but we'll have
to get her to authorize it.
What for?
Well, for the banking commission
regulating board of governors,
half-a-dozen bank officers
but mostly for me.
Because if I don't get her signature
for her power of attorney, I get fired.
I'm sorry. Believe me,
I'd like to accommodate you.
She's a
very strange young lady.
When somebody has $300,000 in the
bank, you don't call them strange.
What do you call them?
Eccentric.
Operator, I'd like to place a
person-to-person call, please
to Mr. Edward Moss
of the Western Mutual Insurance
Company in Los Angeles, please.
Yes, Mr. Rockford.
Yeah, Mr. Moss. I'm afraid I have
some very distressing news for you.
You've lost the check.
How did you know?
Because it's the one thing you
could do that would distress me.
Well, I didn't really lose it.
To tell the truth, it was stolen.
As a matter of fact, I was attacked.
That's comforting.
You did say you were bonded.
Yeah, even if! don't get
the check back
you're covered.
Problem is
I'm running a little low on cash.
I wonder if you could wire me a couple--
That's out of the question.
Mr. Moss, I don't think
you fully grasp the picture.
Now my bonding company
will cover the check
and then they'll drop me.
The word will get out.
I'll be out of the business.
You were hired to find Miss
Wade and give her the check.
You've lost her and the check.
Until they're recovered
Western Mutual has
no obligation to pay you.
Call me when this situation
has been corrected.
I'll be damned.
♪Love will abide ♪
♪♪
3 take things in stride :
3 Sounds like good advice 3
3 but there's no one
at my side :
3 And I never drew :
“ one response from you “
“ AH the while you fell “
3 over girls you never knew :
3 Cause I've done 3
Everything I know 3
“ to try and make you mine “
“ And I think
I'm gonna love you “
For a long long time ♪
Take the girl to the trailer.
Okay.
Now, Ken, don't you think
you're overreacting?
How much time did you actually
have on those books?
Long enough.
An hour and 3 ha“?
With all those phone ringings
and interruptions.
I wanted you here because I
wanted to explain it to you.
I understand holding companies.
I understand cross collateral.
And I understand your books,
Mr. Robertson.
Ken, you're making a mistake,
a very big mistake.
No, I made that when I
associated myself with you.
We have nothing more to discuss.
All right.
Bye.
This is Robertson.
Bring the girl to the house,
Okay. Come on. I said come on!
Darn! I do
that every time. Come on.
Hey! You!
Come on!
Terrific.
This is a good out-of-the-way place.
They'll never find us here.
What are you looking out
there for? We lost them.
I didn't think things could get any worse.
Why didn't you stay out of it?
You didn't bother to ask me
if I wanted to go with you.
It never occurred to me.
I could have handled it.
I could've promised
that I wouldn't make trouble.
But then you come charging in
like this
Why are you eating?
I'm hungry.
You don't understand, do you?
You don't know how much trouble you're in.
I have been shot at, hit over the
head, robbed of $10,000.
Incredible as it may seem, all by myself
I figured out I was in a little trouble.
Now I'd like to know why.
What does it take to get through to you?
I want you to leave me alone.
Not until you tell me
what's going on.
No!
Yes.
And that's the only way you stand
a chance of getting rid of me.
All right.
I was sick of working in
dives, singing for drunks
scratching for the rent money.
About six months ago, I was working
in a club in Lexington, Kentucky.
And a man named Robertson walked in,
and he said he thought I had talent.
And he wanted to back me.
You jumped at the chance?
You bet I did.
Haven't you ever wanted
something so much
that you didn't care
how you got it? Haven't you?
I signed a lot of contracts
with this record company
Focus Records, power of
attorney, personal management.
He brought me out here
to Las Vegas.
I've been making more money than
I ever saw in my whole life
$200 a week.
$200 a week
for a Vegas lounge act?
You got to be making
more than that.
$200 is all I see.
According to Mr. Robertson's
private ledgers
I am making $25,000
a week at the lounge
and $20,000
from the record company.
When did you find that out?
About ten days ago.
He has a new secretary.
And she and I became sort of friendly
and she told me about these ledgers
that he keeps in an antique
cabinet in his office.
She saw them and she told me.
It sounds like you've
been taking in laundry
which accounts
for the $300,000 in the bank.
It's syndicate money.
They've been using me to channel
it into legitimate business fronts.
I didn't even know.
When you found that out
you shouldn't have tried to run.
You should've gone to the cops.
I couldn't!
If I went to the police
then the Internal Revenue
Service would start checking.
I don't have any proof against anybody.
All the money is in my name.
I would be the one to go to jail.
Now don't you see what you've done?
What I've done?
I was gonna talk to Mr. Robertson and
promise him I wouldn't say anything
if he would give me back
my contract and let me go.
Nancy, you don't walk away
from men like Robertson.
Once you're in, you're in.
Or you're dead.
There must be something
I could do.
Not without bargaining power.
Who's this
Mr. Mamoto or Mamato?
He represents a Japanese
company, Audiometrics.
You know
where we can find him?
I went to a party at his house
a couple of weeks ago. Why?
Well, he doesn't like Mr. Robertson's
bookkeeping, either.
Now, you got everything
you need here?
Don't open the door.
Don't look out the window.
I'll pick you up
in the morning.
I don't know.
I'm not a citizen of this country.
What you're proposing,
breaking and entering, burglary.
No, I'll be doing
all those things.
What I'm asking you to do
is perfectly legitimate.
Nice try.
You looked at Robertson's
phonied-up books once before.
What's wrong with asking for an
appointment to look at them again?
Because while I'm looking at them, you'll
be trying to steal the real ledgers
making me an accessory
to a whole series of crimes.
Miss Wade.
Mr. Mamato, I'm out $10,000.
Is that all?
Well, it may not seem like too much
to the high rollers, but to me
it'd put me outta business.
If I can get my hands on the books
I can do some horse trading,
get my check back.
What about my contract?
I'm not unsympathetic,
Mr. Rockford
but $10,000 doesn't seem
like much
when you're worried about
three-quarters of a million.
That's how much
Robertson took you for?
I can't tell from the books
that he showed me.
Audiometric manufactures
audio cassettes and players.
For the past year, year and a half,
we've been getting into the album market.
And very quietly,
we've been buying into Focus Records.
And now you're wondering what you bought
for three-quarters of a million dollars.
Exactly .
I'd like to have a look
at those private ledgers.
I have quite
an investment at stake.
So have I.
So have I.
You both keep talking
about money.
What about me? What about my contract?
Don't you care about people?
I didn't forget about your contract.
You didn't mention it.
I didn't forget about it.
Just don't worry about it.
Does that mean
you're gonna take care of it?
How?
Yes.
Just one thing at a time.
Ken, it's good to see you.
All right. Keep looking.
I want you to find her.
I want you
to find both of them.
I'm glad you came.
How are you?
Fine. How's everything
with you, Tom?
Just fine.
I'm glad you thought it over.
Look, this time
no phones, no interruptions.
If I have any questions,
you'll be there to answer them.
Absolutely. I will be
there every minute
and when you look at those
books, you're gonna be surprised.
Ken, once we get these records straight,
you'll realize this was a mistake.
We'll see.
I'm telling you--
What was that?
I'll be right back, Ken.
Wait a minute, Tom.
What's the matter?
You were going to give
me some answers. Right.
I'd like one now.
What are you talking about, Ken?
Talk To Me was on the charts
for ten months.
It got a lot of play,
and I know it sold.
But according to your books,
it never got off the ground.
Would you mind
explaining that?
Come on, those are probably
just preliminary figures.
All right.
I'll have a look. Okay?
There you go.
I got a fast 20 minutes for lunch,
and you're not helping my appetite much.
I'm giving you a chance
to be a hero.
I work for the U.S. District
Attorney's office, not a swap meet.
Okay. Look.
I'm giving you enough information to
put Robertson away for along time
and I get out from under.
What's wrong with that?
What's wrong with it is you can be
arrested on a half-a-dozen charges.
Those are serious felonies.
Look, Mr. Hanzer
the bottom line is:
I'm not gonna do 10 years
and I'm not gonna get
myself killed. Okay?
No, it's not okay. Chili dog.
Make it two.
I'm sorry, I couldn't do it by the book.
That's just the way it went.
Rockford, you can't take
the law into your own hands.
I didn't like
the alternatives.
What does it take
to get you moving, anyway?
Somebody got to splatter
my brains all over the street?
All right,
let's say it happens that way.
Let's say it doesn't.
Just wire me for sound,
and we'll agree on a code word.
Let's say, "Geronimo."
How are you gonna work that
into a conversation?
How the hell do I know?
I'm gonna deal with or without your help.
With it, you get Robertson.
Without it, I still get
my $10,000. It's up to you.
Either way, I deal.
I don't know.
Don't worry, pal.
We'll make it work out.
Yeah. I'll take it.
Mr. Rockford.
Yeah, I'm sorry
about the bookcase.
You mind telling me what you're doing,
besides getting yourself killed?
You don't want
to scare me, Mr. Robertson.
I'm liable to turn your books
over to the cops.
Do you still have the books?
You still got my wallet?
Okay. What is it you're after?
You certainly didn't get involved
in all this for 10 grand, did you?
I would have done it for five.
I'm a businessman.
I'd still like to stay in business.
Now I could keep those books
and bleed you dry,.
But, then, blackmail has a way
of turning nasty.
Sol have what I think is a
fair proposition. Like what?
I give you the books.
You give me my check and my wallet.
And that's it“?
That's it.
And if you still have those two gorillas
looking for me, put them back in their cage.
What guarantee do I have that
you won't bring the cops in?
You pick the place for the exchange.
I come alone. You come alone.
Okay.
All right.
You got yourself a deal.
Where?
Just a little quiet place
where you and me can have
a private business dealing.
I got my check. You got your books.
They are your books, aren't they?
You ought to know.
You stole them.
Everybody's happy,
except Geronimo.
Not quite, Rockford.
I want the girl.
I don't know where she is.
I don't believe you.
You wanted your books,
you got them.
Even Geronimo would say
that's a fair deal.
What?
You got your books.
Look, Rockford.
The girl could hurt me.
She wasn't part of our deal.
Hey, you said you were coming alone.
I lied.
I want Nancy Wade.
Either you give her to me,
or you're dead.
Since you put it that way.
Geronimo!
Behind you.
Police!
What did you do? Drop your guns!
Go stone deaf?
We got here, didn't we?
I'll get Robertson.
Got you.
He said he was gonna be here.
I hope he didn't leave and go home.
Relax, will you?
You've just got out
of one contract.
Don't be in such a hurry
to sign another one.
I'm a little impulsive, I guess.
Yeah, I guess.
Nancy' Mm.
Sit down, please.
Hi. Hi.
Listen, Nancy.
Hi.
I know it's a little soon to
be talking about a new deal
but the Focus Recording Company
in Japan would like to sign you.
Really?
Really.
Look, I haven't got the
whole deal roughed out yet
but it's gonna be
something like this.
We'll give you $50,000
in guaranteed trade promotion.
We'll have your picture beat around to every
rack jobber and one stop in the business.
And you'll get a 7% deal
on a 100% of retail.
Really?
And we should probably start
with a five-year term deal
with annual option clauses.
Hey, hold it.
I don't want to be a killjoy,
but what's the hurry?
Jim, this doesn't concern you.
It's between Nancy and me.
Hey, why don't you go take
a dip in the pool?
No offense.
Why don't you go soak
your head? No offense.
Now we've only known you
a fast 18 hours.
You may be the Jack the Ripper
of the record business.
A five-year contract
with annual renewal clauses.
What kind of a chicken deal
is that?
Hey, bug off.
Nancy, do yourself a favor,
hon. Go slowly.
I know you mean well, Jim.
And I know you really want
to do what's best for me.
But bug off.
No offense.
Yeah.
I have been shot at, hit over the
head, robbed of $10,000.
Incredible as it may seem, all by myself
I figured out I was in a little trouble.
You better be police,
or I ain't talking.
Not exactly. I could have been
if I wanted-- I ain't talking.
Lady!
Haven't you ever wanted
something so much
that you didn't care how
you got it? Haven't you?
Once you're in, you're in.
Or you're dead.
I want Nancy Wade.
Either you give her to me,
or you're dead.
This is Jim Rockford,
At the tone, leave your name
and message,
I'll get back to you.
This is Marilyn Reed.
1 want to talk to..,,.
Is this a machine?
don't talk to machines,
Mr. Moss.
Yeah. What is it?
You are Mr. Moss, aren't you?
Yeah.
What can I do for you?
I'm Jim Rockford, a private investigator.
Your secretary said
you wanted to see me.
Yeah, good. Glad you're here.
What do you charge?
$200 a day, plus expenses.
Any good?
That's a little like asking the
headwaiter how the steak is, isn't it?
Okay, Rockford,
I'm gonna give you the ground rules.
One, I don't like
getting fleeced.
So you try to rummy up the expense
account, I'm just not gonna pay it.
I want receipts for everything.
You got it? Everything.
I know you guys.
You're all expense-account hot dogs.
I only mention this so that you'll
know that I'm wise to you going in.
You get the picture, mister?
Hey, I got a black belt
in karate.
Good. 'Cause I got
a black belt in seven iron.
You want this job?
We've got this little
loss-of-life policy
that we're trying to pay off,
a Mrs. Olivia Wade.
She died and left her
daughter, Nancy, $10,000.
And we're obligated
by the Insurance Commission
to spend a certain time
looking for her.
And you want to make sure that the
daughter gets what's truly hers, right?
Sure. Anyway, this dead
woman, our insured
she's got a sister living
somewhere in Los Angeles.
You might be able to get
some information
as to the daughter's
whereabouts from her.
You got an address
on the sister?
No. We looked. We tried everything.
Can't find the sister.
We know is that she's in the city somewhere
and her name is Mrs. Ted Wainwright.
Now, how about it?
How about what?
You gonna take it?
You gonna say please?
No.
All right. I'll take it.
You got to move
your right hand over a little.
"Mrs. Ted Wainwright."
You really looked, didn't you?
Detective? Police? Well,
you better be police, or I ain't talking.
Not exactly. I could have been
if I wanted-- I ain't talking.
Lady!
You shouldn't know how to do
that, unless you know how.
What's the matter with you, lady?
I'm not here to repossess the TV.
I'm working
for an insurance company.
Your sister died and she
left some insurance money.
Yeah. Well, who'd
she leave it to?
Nancy, her daughter.
No. That can't be right.
There's a mistake.
No, it is true.
They hired me to find her.
How much was the policy?
I'm not allowed to say.
Don't that beat all?
I mean, Nancy.
She run off when she was 16 and
she didn't come home, never.
I'm over at Olivia's, day and night,
scrubbing and cleaning up the place
and looking after her. And who did
she leave that insurance money to?
That ungrateful kid.
Now ain't that a bummer?
Yeah. That really sounds
awful, just rotten.
Anyway, do you know
where she is?
If I help you,
how much is there in it for me?
For you? $10.
Get your foot out
or get ready to lose it.
$20 $50!
You're on an expense account, ain't you?
Yeah, but I got to be careful.
You make it $100.
Look, the man I'm working
for, he's-- I ain't fooling.
$100, I'll let you have something.
Maybe it'll help, maybe it won't.
Okay.
Get your foot out.
I ain't gonna let you come in here.
You just wait right here.
Let me have the money.
What's that?
After Olivia died, I went over to pick
up the mail, and this was in the box.
It's a letter from Nancy.
Did they correspond a lot?
Nancy used to send letters
to Olivia.
Olivia never answered them.
She disowned her.
Where'd the letters come from?
All over the country.
Get out of here, mister.
"Dear Mom,
I want to come home,
”I got a lot of fences
to mend, But I want to try.
”I'm at the Monarch Hotel
in Las Vegas, Room 210,
”Please write to me this time.
Love, Nancy."
Well, don't let it choke you up.
Very touching.
You owe me $200, plus $5 for the
gas, and $100 for the letter.
It's 1:30. You haven't put in a full day
yet. Where's the receipt for the hundred?
I didn't get one.
Why not?
You had to be there.
No receipt, no expense payment.
But I'll make you this deal.
You fly up to Vegas,
give the check to Nancy Wade
I'll throw in an extra $200.
You can mail it for a dime.
No.
Terms of the policy demand that the
payment be made by cashier's check.
It's too risky to mail.
You'll personally give it
to Nancy in front of a notary.
You are bonded, of course.
Just barely, yeah.
Well, you'll need a round trip
plane ticket to Vegas.
Flight leaves
in about an hour.
I like first class.
I like coach.
We're full up.
Hi.
You have a lady here,
Nancy Wade, Room 210.
Nobody here by that name.
She checked out?
Never has been
any Nancy Wade in 210.
This is her picture.
Never saw her before.
Monarch Hotel. Yeah.
Go away.
It's the fire inspector.
Open up, please.
What? Who?
The fire inspector.
Hi. Now wait a minute.
I'm a private investigator.
I work for an insurance company
and I have a $10,000 check for you.
Here, wait. Here.
See.
Now may I come in?
Why? What insurance?
Have you heard about your mother?
Yeah.
I heard about her
from a friend in LA.
Yeah, this life insurance
money, she left it for you.
I'm sorry. I
It's okay.
just didn't know
she had any insurance.
My mother and I,
we didn't get along, but--
Hey, it's okay.
You don't need to explain.
I'm just delivering
a check for a fee.
It's just that
I feel such strange about it.
It's not like I couldn't use it.
Yeah.
Do you have a bank nearby
where we could deposit it?
Bank. Oh, no.
I don't have a bank. No.
Just leave it here.
I'll take care of it.
It should be notarized, and the best way
to do that is to take it to a bank
and then
you can deposit it there.
Look, it's a cashier's check.
You should get it deposited.
Miss Wade, are you all right?
Yeah, sure. Of course.
There's a bank right down on the
highway in a shopping center.
Should we use that one?
Just a minute.
Miss, are you
in some kind of trouble?
Look, it's none
of your business.
If I need a guy on a white horse,
I'll call the circus. Okay?
I'm glad we got that settled.
Get in the car.
They're coming.
Let's get moving.
How do you do? My name is Rockford.
This is Miss Wade.
Herb Strock.
What can I do for you?
I have a cashier's check
for $10,000.
It's payment
on a life insurance policy.
Miss Wade would like to open an account,
and I'll need the transaction notarized.
Proof of delivery.
That can be arranged.
On deposits like these,
we need some information.
IRS and all that.
If you'll write down your full
name and Social Security number
we'll feed it
into the computer.
Just take this over to Mrs. Trask.
Right over there. She's a notary public.
Thank you.
How do you do, Mrs. Trask?
Hello.
Mr. Strock sent us over.
We're opening an account.
My name is Rockford. This is Miss
Wade, and she's opening the account.
Ws Nancy Wade. W-A-D-E.
Everything all right?
I'm not sure.
What's wrong?
You said you wanted
to open an account here.
Yeah.
According to our records
you already have an account
here with $300,000 in it.
There must be some mistake.
No. Not with the same
Social Security number. Look.
I think we better call the bank manager.
Mrs. Trask, get Mr. Stewart right away.
Come on! Get in!
Get off me.
Get in the car.
No, let go of me.
Let's go!
I'm sorry. I'm afraid I don't
know what's going on here.
Neither do I.
But I can assure you that Miss Nancy
Wade has $300,000 on deposit here.
Well, I'd like to deposit this in
her account and have it notarized.
Of course, but we'll have
to get her to authorize it.
What for?
Well, for the banking commission
regulating board of governors,
half-a-dozen bank officers
but mostly for me.
Because if I don't get her signature
for her power of attorney, I get fired.
I'm sorry. Believe me,
I'd like to accommodate you.
She's a
very strange young lady.
When somebody has $300,000 in the
bank, you don't call them strange.
What do you call them?
Eccentric.
Operator, I'd like to place a
person-to-person call, please
to Mr. Edward Moss
of the Western Mutual Insurance
Company in Los Angeles, please.
Yes, Mr. Rockford.
Yeah, Mr. Moss. I'm afraid I have
some very distressing news for you.
You've lost the check.
How did you know?
Because it's the one thing you
could do that would distress me.
Well, I didn't really lose it.
To tell the truth, it was stolen.
As a matter of fact, I was attacked.
That's comforting.
You did say you were bonded.
Yeah, even if! don't get
the check back
you're covered.
Problem is
I'm running a little low on cash.
I wonder if you could wire me a couple--
That's out of the question.
Mr. Moss, I don't think
you fully grasp the picture.
Now my bonding company
will cover the check
and then they'll drop me.
The word will get out.
I'll be out of the business.
You were hired to find Miss
Wade and give her the check.
You've lost her and the check.
Until they're recovered
Western Mutual has
no obligation to pay you.
Call me when this situation
has been corrected.
I'll be damned.
♪Love will abide ♪
♪♪
3 take things in stride :
3 Sounds like good advice 3
3 but there's no one
at my side :
3 And I never drew :
“ one response from you “
“ AH the while you fell “
3 over girls you never knew :
3 Cause I've done 3
Everything I know 3
“ to try and make you mine “
“ And I think
I'm gonna love you “
For a long long time ♪
Take the girl to the trailer.
Okay.
Now, Ken, don't you think
you're overreacting?
How much time did you actually
have on those books?
Long enough.
An hour and 3 ha“?
With all those phone ringings
and interruptions.
I wanted you here because I
wanted to explain it to you.
I understand holding companies.
I understand cross collateral.
And I understand your books,
Mr. Robertson.
Ken, you're making a mistake,
a very big mistake.
No, I made that when I
associated myself with you.
We have nothing more to discuss.
All right.
Bye.
This is Robertson.
Bring the girl to the house,
Okay. Come on. I said come on!
Darn! I do
that every time. Come on.
Hey! You!
Come on!
Terrific.
This is a good out-of-the-way place.
They'll never find us here.
What are you looking out
there for? We lost them.
I didn't think things could get any worse.
Why didn't you stay out of it?
You didn't bother to ask me
if I wanted to go with you.
It never occurred to me.
I could have handled it.
I could've promised
that I wouldn't make trouble.
But then you come charging in
like this
Why are you eating?
I'm hungry.
You don't understand, do you?
You don't know how much trouble you're in.
I have been shot at, hit over the
head, robbed of $10,000.
Incredible as it may seem, all by myself
I figured out I was in a little trouble.
Now I'd like to know why.
What does it take to get through to you?
I want you to leave me alone.
Not until you tell me
what's going on.
No!
Yes.
And that's the only way you stand
a chance of getting rid of me.
All right.
I was sick of working in
dives, singing for drunks
scratching for the rent money.
About six months ago, I was working
in a club in Lexington, Kentucky.
And a man named Robertson walked in,
and he said he thought I had talent.
And he wanted to back me.
You jumped at the chance?
You bet I did.
Haven't you ever wanted
something so much
that you didn't care
how you got it? Haven't you?
I signed a lot of contracts
with this record company
Focus Records, power of
attorney, personal management.
He brought me out here
to Las Vegas.
I've been making more money than
I ever saw in my whole life
$200 a week.
$200 a week
for a Vegas lounge act?
You got to be making
more than that.
$200 is all I see.
According to Mr. Robertson's
private ledgers
I am making $25,000
a week at the lounge
and $20,000
from the record company.
When did you find that out?
About ten days ago.
He has a new secretary.
And she and I became sort of friendly
and she told me about these ledgers
that he keeps in an antique
cabinet in his office.
She saw them and she told me.
It sounds like you've
been taking in laundry
which accounts
for the $300,000 in the bank.
It's syndicate money.
They've been using me to channel
it into legitimate business fronts.
I didn't even know.
When you found that out
you shouldn't have tried to run.
You should've gone to the cops.
I couldn't!
If I went to the police
then the Internal Revenue
Service would start checking.
I don't have any proof against anybody.
All the money is in my name.
I would be the one to go to jail.
Now don't you see what you've done?
What I've done?
I was gonna talk to Mr. Robertson and
promise him I wouldn't say anything
if he would give me back
my contract and let me go.
Nancy, you don't walk away
from men like Robertson.
Once you're in, you're in.
Or you're dead.
There must be something
I could do.
Not without bargaining power.
Who's this
Mr. Mamoto or Mamato?
He represents a Japanese
company, Audiometrics.
You know
where we can find him?
I went to a party at his house
a couple of weeks ago. Why?
Well, he doesn't like Mr. Robertson's
bookkeeping, either.
Now, you got everything
you need here?
Don't open the door.
Don't look out the window.
I'll pick you up
in the morning.
I don't know.
I'm not a citizen of this country.
What you're proposing,
breaking and entering, burglary.
No, I'll be doing
all those things.
What I'm asking you to do
is perfectly legitimate.
Nice try.
You looked at Robertson's
phonied-up books once before.
What's wrong with asking for an
appointment to look at them again?
Because while I'm looking at them, you'll
be trying to steal the real ledgers
making me an accessory
to a whole series of crimes.
Miss Wade.
Mr. Mamato, I'm out $10,000.
Is that all?
Well, it may not seem like too much
to the high rollers, but to me
it'd put me outta business.
If I can get my hands on the books
I can do some horse trading,
get my check back.
What about my contract?
I'm not unsympathetic,
Mr. Rockford
but $10,000 doesn't seem
like much
when you're worried about
three-quarters of a million.
That's how much
Robertson took you for?
I can't tell from the books
that he showed me.
Audiometric manufactures
audio cassettes and players.
For the past year, year and a half,
we've been getting into the album market.
And very quietly,
we've been buying into Focus Records.
And now you're wondering what you bought
for three-quarters of a million dollars.
Exactly .
I'd like to have a look
at those private ledgers.
I have quite
an investment at stake.
So have I.
So have I.
You both keep talking
about money.
What about me? What about my contract?
Don't you care about people?
I didn't forget about your contract.
You didn't mention it.
I didn't forget about it.
Just don't worry about it.
Does that mean
you're gonna take care of it?
How?
Yes.
Just one thing at a time.
Ken, it's good to see you.
All right. Keep looking.
I want you to find her.
I want you
to find both of them.
I'm glad you came.
How are you?
Fine. How's everything
with you, Tom?
Just fine.
I'm glad you thought it over.
Look, this time
no phones, no interruptions.
If I have any questions,
you'll be there to answer them.
Absolutely. I will be
there every minute
and when you look at those
books, you're gonna be surprised.
Ken, once we get these records straight,
you'll realize this was a mistake.
We'll see.
I'm telling you--
What was that?
I'll be right back, Ken.
Wait a minute, Tom.
What's the matter?
You were going to give
me some answers. Right.
I'd like one now.
What are you talking about, Ken?
Talk To Me was on the charts
for ten months.
It got a lot of play,
and I know it sold.
But according to your books,
it never got off the ground.
Would you mind
explaining that?
Come on, those are probably
just preliminary figures.
All right.
I'll have a look. Okay?
There you go.
I got a fast 20 minutes for lunch,
and you're not helping my appetite much.
I'm giving you a chance
to be a hero.
I work for the U.S. District
Attorney's office, not a swap meet.
Okay. Look.
I'm giving you enough information to
put Robertson away for along time
and I get out from under.
What's wrong with that?
What's wrong with it is you can be
arrested on a half-a-dozen charges.
Those are serious felonies.
Look, Mr. Hanzer
the bottom line is:
I'm not gonna do 10 years
and I'm not gonna get
myself killed. Okay?
No, it's not okay. Chili dog.
Make it two.
I'm sorry, I couldn't do it by the book.
That's just the way it went.
Rockford, you can't take
the law into your own hands.
I didn't like
the alternatives.
What does it take
to get you moving, anyway?
Somebody got to splatter
my brains all over the street?
All right,
let's say it happens that way.
Let's say it doesn't.
Just wire me for sound,
and we'll agree on a code word.
Let's say, "Geronimo."
How are you gonna work that
into a conversation?
How the hell do I know?
I'm gonna deal with or without your help.
With it, you get Robertson.
Without it, I still get
my $10,000. It's up to you.
Either way, I deal.
I don't know.
Don't worry, pal.
We'll make it work out.
Yeah. I'll take it.
Mr. Rockford.
Yeah, I'm sorry
about the bookcase.
You mind telling me what you're doing,
besides getting yourself killed?
You don't want
to scare me, Mr. Robertson.
I'm liable to turn your books
over to the cops.
Do you still have the books?
You still got my wallet?
Okay. What is it you're after?
You certainly didn't get involved
in all this for 10 grand, did you?
I would have done it for five.
I'm a businessman.
I'd still like to stay in business.
Now I could keep those books
and bleed you dry,.
But, then, blackmail has a way
of turning nasty.
Sol have what I think is a
fair proposition. Like what?
I give you the books.
You give me my check and my wallet.
And that's it“?
That's it.
And if you still have those two gorillas
looking for me, put them back in their cage.
What guarantee do I have that
you won't bring the cops in?
You pick the place for the exchange.
I come alone. You come alone.
Okay.
All right.
You got yourself a deal.
Where?
Just a little quiet place
where you and me can have
a private business dealing.
I got my check. You got your books.
They are your books, aren't they?
You ought to know.
You stole them.
Everybody's happy,
except Geronimo.
Not quite, Rockford.
I want the girl.
I don't know where she is.
I don't believe you.
You wanted your books,
you got them.
Even Geronimo would say
that's a fair deal.
What?
You got your books.
Look, Rockford.
The girl could hurt me.
She wasn't part of our deal.
Hey, you said you were coming alone.
I lied.
I want Nancy Wade.
Either you give her to me,
or you're dead.
Since you put it that way.
Geronimo!
Behind you.
Police!
What did you do? Drop your guns!
Go stone deaf?
We got here, didn't we?
I'll get Robertson.
Got you.
He said he was gonna be here.
I hope he didn't leave and go home.
Relax, will you?
You've just got out
of one contract.
Don't be in such a hurry
to sign another one.
I'm a little impulsive, I guess.
Yeah, I guess.
Nancy' Mm.
Sit down, please.
Hi. Hi.
Listen, Nancy.
Hi.
I know it's a little soon to
be talking about a new deal
but the Focus Recording Company
in Japan would like to sign you.
Really?
Really.
Look, I haven't got the
whole deal roughed out yet
but it's gonna be
something like this.
We'll give you $50,000
in guaranteed trade promotion.
We'll have your picture beat around to every
rack jobber and one stop in the business.
And you'll get a 7% deal
on a 100% of retail.
Really?
And we should probably start
with a five-year term deal
with annual option clauses.
Hey, hold it.
I don't want to be a killjoy,
but what's the hurry?
Jim, this doesn't concern you.
It's between Nancy and me.
Hey, why don't you go take
a dip in the pool?
No offense.
Why don't you go soak
your head? No offense.
Now we've only known you
a fast 18 hours.
You may be the Jack the Ripper
of the record business.
A five-year contract
with annual renewal clauses.
What kind of a chicken deal
is that?
Hey, bug off.
Nancy, do yourself a favor,
hon. Go slowly.
I know you mean well, Jim.
And I know you really want
to do what's best for me.
But bug off.
No offense.
Yeah.