Mannix (1967) s01e24 Episode Script

1
♪♪
If you're, uh, studying the stars, Markos,
you've got that thing at the wrong angle.
No, the sculptor across the way hired a model.
I get to use her free.
Oh, don't make me wet with your tears.
You know, if you need any money, I'll give it to you.
Oh, charity, huh?
If you really want to help, why don't you buy a painting?
Here. This one.
I'll even let you name your own price.
No.
Would you give me $500?
You know I would.
Then why don't you buy the painting?
Because I don't like the painting.
I'll give you $500 because I do like you.
And, if you ever paint a painting I do like,
fine, I'll buy it from you.
Markos, do you know that girl?
Who is she?
Hey, just a girl, Cal.
How-how do I get there?
Well, that's an alley you're looking across.
The main entrance is on Fourth Street.
Okay. You have to go around Melton
All right, where is she?
Who?
The girl that was just here.
You her husband?
Look, mister, she was just posing.
You know this nut?
Yeah. What is it, Cal?
Several months ago, I bought a portrait of that girl,
the one that was modeling here.
So?
It was painted by Renoir.
A hundred years ago.
♪♪
♪♪
Ah.
It is not a coincidental resemblance, Mr. Mannix.
The hair, the face are identical.
Even the positioning of the mole
conforms within one millimeter, I swear it.
When I saw that girl tonight
A forged painting sounds more like it's something
for the police or your lawyer.
Oh, I don't care about the money.
Perhaps the insurance company will take care of it.
I don't know.
You see, Mr. Mannix,
Calvin fell in love with that beautiful young lady,
and he's been mourning over the fact
that she's probably been dead for over 50 years.
Now that he's found out she's not yet extinct
Sims, why don't you just shut up?
Mr. Mannix, I hope that you and your company
can keep this matter confidential.
Chances are, this girl is mixed up in it.
If she is, there's nothing we
can do to protect her for you.
Well, if those forgers are good enough to fool me
and my experts,
we're obviously involved
with a multimillion-dollar operation here.
The girl may be a witness.
My having spotted her may have
placed her in danger already.
All right, Norris, we'll do what we can
to find her as quickly as possible.
Now, it would help if I had a few pictures of her.
I told you, I've never met the girl.
How could I possibly have a picture of her?
Oh, um,
of course.
The danger to the girl aside, which I really don't believe,
I suppose you're wondering why I'm enjoying all this.
Is that what I'm doing?
You see, I wanted that painting badly.
Fortunately, as it turned out,
Calvin outbid me,
and he got stuck with a phony.
Tell me, that sculptor she was posing for,
couldn't he tell you where to find her?
Mr. Lang was most uncooperative.
He said he'd never seen the girl before.
She was brought there
by some other model,
and he couldn't even remember who that was.
When you're finished there,
I'd like to borrow the original.
The, uh, the fake painting?
It couldn't be worth more than a
hundred dollars at the outside.
Whoever sold that to you is the
only person who stood to gain.
Brachfield Galleries?
Why, they're the soul of integrity.
They even tried to prevent my completing the purchase
because they could not guarantee
the authenticity of the painting.
Well, that could be a soft sell, reverse psychology.
Anyway, I'll check them out.
Huh.
Blowups of the girl's head.
Michaels did a nice job on the retouch.
Can't be told from portrait photography.
Yeah, and the painting can't be told from the real one.
The gallery refused to take it back.
Said sold as is, with no guarantee.
So you've jumped to a conclusion.
Joe, may I remind you that Brachfield
has the reputation of being as honest
as the Bank of England and the US Treasury,
only slightly less responsible financially.
Here you are, Mannix.
Every artist capable of duplicating a Renoir.
Everybody paints.
Now, I'd better start working on a sensible lead.
Oh, you have a better idea?
Yeah, I'd like to get an even start
on whoever is out to kill that girl.
Well, that's the advantage of the computer is time.
Now, in just a few seconds Oh, come on, Parker.
By the time I went through ten of those cards,
I'd get a call from the morgue to identify the body.
Joe
whom are you going to punch in the mouth
to get the information?
Does it make any difference?
A big difference.
Because we're rapidly approaching a point
where no insurance company will
handle our liability policy.
Well, I'll just try not to hit anyone
who can afford a lawyer.
Yeah, do that.
Hi, Petey.
Hey, Mannix.
Stick around.
Five bucks I'll do your portrait.
Pay you ten.
Make it $25, I'll do it in oil.
Oh, I don't want a portrait, I want information, Petey.
A client of mine got stuck with a phony Renoir.
Come on, Mannix,
it's been a long time since I did that kind of thing.
I'm not accusing you.
I want to know who did it.
Why make waves?
If anyone can add to the limited supply of old masters,
I say good luck to him.
The trouble is, it seems the police
have it down in the books as a crime.
What crime?
Look, I, Petey O'Grady,
personally painted three Corots,
a Manet, two Seurats.
For this I should get awards, medals.
Did I get a medal?
No. I got five to ten on the Rock.
You know there's no sense of values in the world anymore.
Look at that junk.
For this, I should get 20 years.
But this looks just like me.
This looks just like Lincoln.
I'm not complaining.
Well, how about it, Petey?
Look, Mannix, I told you, I've been out of touch.
Well, get in touch.
At one time, you were the best in the business.
Anyone running an art factory would hire you in a minute.
Find out who wants you.
I did time. I'm staying legit.
I'm not asking you to take the job, just apply for it.
Uh, here's a down payment.
Turn up anything, I've got a client
who will commission a portrait.
In oil?
In mayonnaise, if you'd like.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
You don't have to steal my stuff.
I sell cheap.
I'm looking for a girl
who modeled for you earlier this evening.
You could have knocked on the front door and asked.
A client of mine, uh, tried that.
The word he used for you was, uh, "uncooperative."
True.
What makes you think I've changed?
I've seen it happen.
Change me.
A new medium for me.
I've never worked in living flesh.
All right, now I'm going to ask you again nicely.
Where do I find the girl?
Like I told you, friend, I don't know.
How did you hire her?
One of my other models recommended her.
I don't know which one.
You got a book on those models?
Names, addresses, pictures?
I don't got no book.
With a lousy memory like yours, you must have.
You're breaking my arm! You're lucky.
My boss wanted me to feed you through the computer.
All right, I got a book, but she's not in it.
Yeah, maybe not, but her girlfriend would be.
The one you couldn't remember.
Now, try them all.
All right, all right.
Behind you, underneath the workbench.
Get it!
Mind if I borrow this?
Do I have a choice?
You really want to become a great painter?
Well, I've already been to art school.
It didn't seem to help.
Hmm. What do you want?
Well, I'm looking for a face with a special quality.
Uh, one that looks like that.
No, I don't know her,
but I'm only around two nights a week.
Oh, uh, you mind if I talk to your, uh, model?
No. It's coffee time anyway.
Pat, take five.
I heard.
Linda?
Hmm. Friend?
Why her?
Well, you see, I'm painting a picture of a girl
in a field of flowers,
and I need a certain feeling to finish it.
I saw her at a party
that's where I took this picture
but none of the model agencies seem to know her.
No, but she's not a model.
She's a painter, and she just picks up some bread
posing now and then for other artists
when things get tight.
Know where I can find her?
I have no idea.
She moves around.
Trouble?
No. It's the cheapest way.
One month's rent, and two months' concession.
And when that runs out, she finds another place.
Mm-hmm.
Well, do you ever hear from her?
Yes. She checks in quite often.
I steer her onto jobs.
Well, good.
Listen, uh, if she calls you today,
would you send her over to my place?
I'll be at home all night painting.
Thanks.
Mm.
Mr. Mannix,
if she doesn't happen to call me?
Well, when she calls.
I'm at home most every evening painting.
It's Linda or nothing?
Yeah. Well, for this one.
Okay.
Uh, come in.
Mr. Mannix?
Ah, you must be Linda.
I see Pat gave you my message.
We're working here?
Mm-hmm.
She said something about a
a girl in a field of flowers.
Yeah, well, you see,
I've already finished the field of flowers.
All I got to do is work you in. Oh.
Been painting long?
Oh, it's just a recent hobby.
My doctor recommended it.
Oh.
How recent?
A couple of weeks.
Well, where do I undress?
Oh, the second door on the right.
Mm-hmm.
That's where I thought.
Now wait a minute.
Did I say something wrong?
No, it's just the way you hold your brush
and use those short little insecure strokes.
You've never painted before today.
Anyway, it was nice knowing you.
All right, Linda, let's drop the game.
I'll stop pretending I'm an artist
if you'll stop pretending you're an innocent model.
What are you really, Mr. Mannix, some kind of a nut?
No, some kind of a cop. What kind?
There are only four federal, state, city or county.
The fifth private.
Well, what do you want with me?
I've gone through a lot of trouble to find you,
and whether you know it or not, you're in danger.
Huh! Only if I stay here.
You posed for a phony Renoir that sold for a fortune.
If you talk, someone goes to jail.
Now, look, you're going to jail
if you don't let me out of here.
Now, some guys think just because a girl's a model
The thought never entered my mind.
Then what do you want?
Well, now, I don't want you to take me wrong, but, uh,
if you'll just lift the corner
of your blouse on the left side.
I am taking you wrong.
Now, are you going to let me out of here?
No, but like the other four kinds of cops,
I respect the rights of the suspect.
You can make a phone call.
You mean it?
There it is.
Oh, if you're calling the police,
the nearest precinct number is 555-1963.
Hello?
This is Linda Marley.
I'm at the home of Joe Mannix,
2742 Canyon.
He says he's a private detective,
and he refuses to let me leave.
Would you please send a man over?
Thank you.
You really don't think I called the police, did you?
No, I don't. I think you called your friends.
Of course, that's all right with me,
'cause without your help,
I'd have a tough time finding them.
Come in.
This is Lieutenant Collins, Mannix.
Don't try anything stupid. We're coming in.
Are you the young lady who called?
Yes, sir.
What's the problem?
Well, this gentleman, uh, said he was an artist,
and asked me over to model for him.
And when I found out he wasn't interested in painting,
I tried to leave, and he would wouldn't let me.
You've pulled some beauties, Mannix,
but this one tops them all.
Why?
Protective custody, Lieutenant.
You know, they got places for guys like you, Mannix.
You want to look at pretty girls,
you go down there with a camera.
They don't even care if you've got film.
Let's go, miss.
Uh, wait a minute, Lieutenant.
Now, this girl's in danger.
Really? Yeah.
She's mixed up in some kind of art forgery.
Oh.
Attempted murder? Art forgery?
No arson?
I'm on the level, Lieutenant.
Okay, Mannix. You want to tell me about the case?
You know I can't do that.
Now, at least give this girl some protection.
You want protection, miss?
Only from him.
You heard the lady.
Yeah, but I didn't hear
what charges she's preferring against me.
After all, I did hold her here against her will.
You're asking for charges?
What's that going to buy you?
Her address. She'll have to give it if she
Oh, if you don't mind,
I'd just as soon forget about the whole thing.
After all, there was no harm done,
and it happens every day.
♪♪
You're a bungler, Mannix.
You let her slip away.
It was like finding a needle in a haystack and I found her.
Now, I should get points for that.
You're supposed to find her; That's why you were hired.
Is that why?
I was beginning to wonder.
And what is that supposed to mean?
Last night my home was burgled.
The only thing they stole was your phony Renoir.
That's incredible.
Yeah, it sure is.
Now, why would anybody want a worthless fake?
Unless, of course, you set me up for it.
Unless I did what?!
Well, you mentioned insurance.
No one's insured against buying a fake,
but I'll just bet you're heavy with insurance
on your real paintings.
Well, of course, but the Renoir is worthless.
Is that what you're going to tell your insurance company?
Mannix.
Yeah, Lou, I know.
Lieutenant Collins called.
Also Burton Lang, a sculptor you ran into last night.
He's considering charges of breaking and entering
and assault and battery.
Yeah, well he had a bad memory,
so I just jogged it a bit.
His memory is fine; It's his arm that's bothering him.
Yeah, well, why didn't he turn me into the police?
And why didn't Linda prefer charges?
You tell me.
'Cause they're all in this thing up to their eyeballs.
Meet me in the computer room.
From here on in, we handle this case by the book,
while we still have a license to operate.
Well, it's recess time, Norris.
I must go play with the company toys.
There you are; Work out your hostilities.
One thing we did turn up, Mannix
Linda Marley was injured last night,
checked into a hospital, and was released this morning.
Your computers turned that up?
Well, no, it was in the morning paper.
Mannix.
Yeah, Petey.
Thanks, I'll see that you get that commission.
Of course in oil.
Now we start using the computers.
Someday you'll realize that ten minutes in here
will save you two days in the field.
I just saved the ten minutes.
A little man called me.
Let me tell you something, Lou.
One of these days I'm going to open up an agency of my own,
and I'm going to make cardboard mock-ups
of all of these monsters.
Then I'm gonna get me a bright
little man and stick him inside,
and I'll just bet you that I'll get better answers from him
than you'll ever get from all of these.
Joe, would you like a practical demonstration
of what your little man in the box couldn't do?
Parker, run a printout on tape
reel 16 of the Mannix dossier.
Since you're a field man,
I know you can't read the code,
so if you'll permit
We opened a closet, found a skeleton.
Three things, Lou.
Number one, what I did was for a good reason;
somebody's life was at stake.
Number two, in case you hadn't noticed,
the statute of limitations has run out.
I can never be called up to account for this.
You, uh, said three things.
Number three, I programmed that into the computer myself.
The whole thing never happened.
Was he kidding, Mr. Wickersham?
I think he was, Mr. Parker but as he pointed out,
the statute of limitations has expired.
Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying.
Mmm, good, good, yeah, yeah.
Well, you haven't asked me what I want.
A frame you don't want.
Or you'd be carrying a picture for me to put in it, right?
Right.
I'd like to buy a Renoir.
A Renoir?
Now, where would I be getting such a treasure?
Oh, I didn't say you have one.
I'd like one painted.
Renoir is dead, huh?
Yeah, well, that doesn't seem to stop him from painting.
A friend of mine just bought a Renoir.
I don't think the paint was quite dry on it.
Why do you come to me?
Petey O'Grady recommended you.
O'Grady, O'Grady.
I-I don't seem to recall the name
Yeah, well, it's been a long, long time.
You offered him a job today.
He says you specialize in dead painters.
Hmm.
Your friend O'Grady must be playing a joke on you.
I don't deal in anything but, but frames.
Painting a Renoir, that's
that's a criminal fraud.
A man has a right to protect himself against a criminal.
A masterpiece, and you've destroyed it.
Who painted that Renoir?
How should I know?
Now, look, I'll make a deal with you.
We'll just forget who painted that Renoir.
You get me the name of the girl who modeled for it.
But how can I-I?
Find a way.
Now, you've heard of Intertect.
We've programmed you through the computers.
Day by day, we'll add to that,
and before you know it,
you'll be looking at your future through barred windows.
But how can I tell you what I don't know myself?
Dig me up the name of that girl,
and I'll wipe your records off those tapes.
I'll try.
Believe me, I'll try.
You do that.
Oh, and one more favor.
What, what else, what else?
I'd like to use your phone.
Y-Yes, of course, right, right here.
Mannix here.
Yeah, get me Wickersham.
Lou?
Any news from the tails?
Pender lost Lang.
Weaver followed Norris's friend
Markos to the Philharmonic Bowl.
He's still there, painting.
Anything else?
Yeah, something important.
That girl Linda is a pretty close friend of Markos.
Well my hats off to your computers, Lou.
No, no, we, uh, used the Mannix method, too
questions and answers.
Connors in our art department knows Markos.
Yeah, well, listen, I'm heading over to the Bowl.
Tell Weaver to pull out of there.
I don't want it to look like an Intertect convention.
Right.
Markos?
Markos I'm frightened.
What did we do?
Hey, we did nothing, I told you.
I never posed for Lang before.
He never wanted me to.
It was a gag.
Mannix asked me about the birthmark.
He was just fishing.
What for?
Honey, you just stay cool.
You haven't done anything wrong.
Hey, what is this?
Huh?
I don't know.
It's just that I feel something
terrible is about to happen,
and we can't do anything to stop it.
Markos, I think somebody's trying to kill me.
What?
When I was coming home last night,
just as I walked under a scaffold, something fell down.
Darling, that sounds like an accident.
Hey, you're all right.
I promise you're all right.
I'll tell you what we'll do; We'll take a trip.
We'll put some canvas and some brushes
and some paints in a bag.
We'll go find where Gaugin stayed.
Wait a minute.
After that, the Orient, study Japanese art.
Where would you get the money?
Money?
We've got it.
Somebody owes me a bill, and I'm collecting tonight.
You did do something wrong.
Yeah, yeah, I guess I did.
I, uh, I sold a painting in a manner of speaking.
Oh!
I decided it was cold in my pad.
Love for my work just doesn't keep me as warm
as a two-dollar sweater.
Oh, Markos!
Markos, oh!
Oh, Markos!
Markos!
Oh, Markos!
Get out of there.
Come on. Let me go!
Come on.
Let go of me!
Let go!
Will you let go of me!
Markos.
Let go of me! Let go!
Get out.
Will you let go of me!
Now, will you listen to me?!
I'm trying to help you.
You killed Markos.
Whoever wants you dead is out there.
I'm going to go after him.
I want you to go back to my car and stay there.
Stay out of sight! Do you hear me?
I'm sure it was Lang.
Now, would he know you recognized him?
I don't think so.
He did his best to stay undercover.
You know, that birthmark really bothers me.
Why is that?
Well, when Norris saw her, she had it.
When I saw her, she didn't.
Well, maybe she painted it on herself.
But why bother?
Why does anyone steal a fake?
Well, maybe they didn't know.
You know we've done our best to keep this quiet.
Maybe they thought they stole an authentic Renoir.
Well, what would they do with it?
I mean, who would want to buy a famous, stolen painting?
Oh, there are some people who get a kick
out of the mere idea of owning one.
If the Mona Lisa were available right now,
and the buyer could never admit ownership,
there'd still be a few art lovers fighting
to buy it from the thieves.
Yeah, well, I'd like that list.
Thanks, Doc. Yeah.
What list?
The one you were just talking about.
Private collectors who are rich enough
to afford the Mona Lisa.
And, uh, crazy enough to buy it.
Now where would I get a list like that?
I thought your computers could do anything.
Oh, come on.
There are limitations, Joe. You know that.
You've got one little machine that can get me that list.
That one.
You gotta admit,
the computers haven't been a big help.
I'll admit it.
I'll sign a notarized statement to that affect
if you want me to.
However, I'd like to remind you
that we are a nationwide organization.
We handle thousands of cases a year.
And in each one of those cases,
including a couple of yours,
the computers have been invaluable.
Rosskovsky? Mannix.
Payoff time for that favor.
Now listen, if you've got your hands on a Mona Lisa,
who'd be your most likely customers?
No, no besides the Louvre.
Yeah, just a minute.
Yeah.
Yeah.
With a C?
Okay, thanks.
Yeah, I'll get the computers off your back.
What do you know.
Four names.
Guess who tops the list?
Sims, Norris's friend.
But he's one of the few people
who knows the Renoir's a fake.
Cal, welcome to the party.
Quite a turnout, Sims.
I didn't realize we had that many art lovers
in our circle.
Any, uh, news?
They found the girl, but she slipped away.
Lord, I hope she'll be all right.
Lang, Lang, somebody just shot Markos.
What?
Somebody tried to kill me last night,
but I wasn't sure.
And I, I went to tell him about it.
And then, then somebody shot him.
You see who did it?
No, but,
but that detective, Mannix, was there.
Lang, what did we do?
I'll get rid of Mannix.
You wait by the garage.
What happened? Is anything wrong?
That girl you're looking for, she's here.
You talk to Sims? No, not yet.
But the girl is here. So is Lang.
All right, you know what she looks like.
Find her!
Mannix!
What happened?
Lang.
What are you doing?
Get out of here!
Well.
Beauty is something that should be shared, Sims.
I don't suppose there's any use in trying to explain.
Quite a private collection.
A Segonzac.
Stolen at St. Tropez in 1961.
Worth, oh, $50,000.
Correggio's The Virgin
with St. Magdelan and St. Lucy.
The museum it was stolen from valued it
at $200,000.00.
Yeah, Rouault.
That was on the list Interpol sent us.
Disappeared in 1955.
How about these others, Mr. Sims?
All stolen?
Well, never mind.
It won't take long to check.
Look, I happen to like art,
and I'm willing to pay for it.
Is there anything wrong in that?
I don't hurt anybody.
Most of those paintings were stolen by the Nazis.
No one can really prove ownership.
And one fake in a special vault.
Why? Riddle, Sims,
which came first?
The girl or the painting?
You see, Norris kept his paintings
in a room built like a vault,
24-hour armed guard.
You wanted that Renoir, didn't you, Sims?
The only way you could steal it
was to make Norris think it was a fake
so he'd take it out of the vault.
Look, uh, each of us has fun in his own way.
All right, I told a painter friend of Calvin's
to find a girl who looked like the Renoir,
fix up her hair and the beauty mark
and arrange for Calvin to see her.
It's just a practical joke between friends, that's all.
Quite sure, uh, Calvin won't press charges.
Marvelous.
We were looking for a real model
who posed for a fake painting,
but the painting was real and the model was fake.
No wonder the computers threw up their hands in disgust.
How much do you like beautiful things, Sims?
I haven't hurt anybody.
More than life?
What are you talking about?
It's a joke, that's all.
Markos isn't laughing; He's dead.
That girl you used to fool Norris,
she was almost killed.
Wait a minute,
I wouldn't kill anybody.
I would.
The gang's all here.
What's this about Markos?
He said to give me his share.
You did kill him.
For this kind of money,
I'd have to carve marble for a million years.
You a better shot than you are a sculptor, Lang?
Not really,
but at this range
If you miss me,
you're gonna ruin an awful lot of priceless art work.
Even if you hit me
No! Lang!
Hold it!
Where's the girl?
Waiting in the gardener's shed like a good little bird.
You can stop running now, Linda.
It was Lang who shot Markos.
The trouble is over.
Did you find
We found your painting, Norris.
You'll be happy to know it isn't a fake.
Linda Marley, meet Calvin Norris.
Calvin Norris, Linda Marley.
Joe Mannix meet Joe Mannix.
The pleasure is all mine.