"Some of our late viewers tuning in." "One of the commonest questions that people ask of a producer of mystery motion pictures is," ""Which is written first, the words or the music?"" "In our case, the background music always comes first." "After it is written, we sprinkle the score liberally with sound effects, and then hire an author to write appropriate scenes to accompany the music, quiet scenes to coincide with the somber passages, and scenes of violence to synchronize" "with the noisier sections." "Finally, we garnish this potpourri with a title composed of from one to four words, selected because they are eye-catching and provocative." "And we arrange them in a manner designed to titillate and confuse." "Let me show you what one of our stories sounds like before it is written." "How fortissimo can you get?" "I trust this has been educational." "I deliberately cut that number short because it was the music for tonight's story," ""Alibi Me,"" "and I didn't want you to know how it comes out." "If you haven't already guessed, here is the way it begins." "No knock on the door?" "No "Can I come in please?"" "Just no class." "I want a showdown!" "Now hold it down." "This ain't no candy store." "You're in a high-class office." "Upstairs is a music professor, and downstairs, some legitimate businessmen." "So keep it down!" "You got some explaining to do, Lucky." "Me, I don't explain nothing." "It's tough enough to hustle a buck without you always interfering." "Here, sit down." "Have yourself a nice salami sandwich." "No?" "You mind if I go on eating?" "Look what you made me do." "That's bad luck." "Boy, I sure hate to spill salt." "Look, I've just come from Pitkin Avenue." "There ain't a store down there that'll handle my machines no more." ""All our pinball machines we take from Lucky," they say." "They say correct." "But from Pitkin Avenue to Wadsworth is my territory." "I built up the percentages there, you know that." "When Blackie Hersch got bumped off, he said I should take over." "You built it up real nice for me." "And I appreciate it." "Now put the rod away." "You look goofy holding a rod on me." "You ain't gonna use it, so put it away." "Lucky, I'm warning you..." "Georgie, I can't kill you and you can't kill me, and we know why." "Here." "Get a gander of that face on the front page." "Go on, look at it." "Imagine a cop like Larkin getting to be a lieutenant." "Larkin's sure come up in the world." "Larkin ain't got nothing to do with us." "Don't be a fool." "Larkin's got everything to do with us." "He's sort of an insurance policy between you and me." "What do you mean?" "You got a bad memory." "Even when we were kids, Georgie, you hated me and I hated you." "And every cop in the neighborhood knew it, especially Larkin." "Don't ever forget what Larkin told us." ""If one of you punks gets knocked off," ""the one that's left alive had better have a good alibi. "" "That's why I say, put the gun away." "You ain't gonna need it." "I ain't letting you take away my business." "Hersch gave me that concession and I need the dough." "You need dough?" "Go work a cheap con game on East Broadway." "Oh, if you should happen to get hungry, here's a half a buck." "You can drop in any place and get yourself a nice salami sandwich." "And keep the change." "Lucky, you better stop ragging me." "Go away, will you please?" "I got a million things on my mind." "Well, it's almost 4:00." "You know, at 6:00" "I got to report to Larkin for my parole." "If you were to squeeze that trigger, I'd be missed terribly." "I ain't going to let you make a sucker out of me." "I already have." "Just today," "I sent you the biggest lollipop in town." "A present from me to you." "The biggest lollipop in town for the town's biggest sucker." ""If ever one of you punks gets knocked off," ""the one who's left alive had better have a good alibi. "" "Hey, Uncle Leo." "Eh?" "You and me, we..." "We've been through some pretty rough things together, huh?" "And a couple of times, you needed my help real bad, remember?" "Georgie, if I live to be 100, I no gonna forget." "You know what I say to the family?" "I say, "Georgie, he can have my right arm, up to here. "" "Any time." "You ask them." "Well, salute." "Well..." "Uncle Leo, I..." "I need your help real bad now." "Oh, sure." "Only, I'm a little broke, you know." "I had my gallstone out last summer and the business..." "No, no, no, no, no." "It ain't money." "Come here." "What?" "What?" "What?" "What?" "Sit down." "Sit down." "Look, in case anybody should ask, you tell them I was here since 3:30 this afternoon, okay?" "3:30?" "Why?" "What's the difference why?" "You do me this little family favor, huh?" "I don't know, Georgie, you worry me." "You gonna do it or not?" "Look, if I gonna alibi you, I wanna know what for, family or no family." "Don't make a production out of it." "They probably won't even ask you." "But if they do, you just tell them I was here since 3:30, okay?" "You're in trouble with them hoodlums again." "Your friend Lucky and the guy who they bumped off, Blackie Hersch." "I told you, you run around with them, you know what you're gonna get." "Uncle Leo, you just got to do me this favor." "You got to!" "Not on you life." "I ain't gonna alibi you." "Why not?" "One guess." "His name is Larkin." "So you don't forget a favor, huh?" "Your right arm up to here, huh?" "Boy, some uncle." "Look, look, look, you need money?" "I gonna find money for you." "I don't know where, but I find it." "You need food?" "I feed you." "You need clothes?" "The best flannel, I get it for you." "But no alibi, Georgie." "Now, you excuse me, I got customers." "Now get out of here, you little punk." "Just a minute." "Well, for Pete's sake, look what the cat drug in." "Goldie, I missed you so much." "It's been a long time, kid." "Such a long time." "I shouldn't touch you." "I shouldn't even talk to you." "It's been two months." "You wanna know why?" "Because you begin to mean too much to me, kid." ""Don't see her no more," I says to myself." ""Just stay away from her." ""She'll wear off. "" "You said that, honest?" "You mean more to me now than ever, Goldie." "I couldn't stay away no longer." "That's why I had to come back." "Oh, Georgie, don't ever stay away again." "No matter what the reason, don't ever stay away from me." "I'm back now for good." "Do you mean that?" "Honest?" "Take a look at my face and see." "I mean it." "Take a good look." "Oh, Georgie." "See?" "You satisfied?" "Oh Georgie, it's just been awful without you." "Not feeling like going out or seeing anybody, just sitting around the apartment and watching TV." "I thought I'd go crazy." "Well, that's all over now." "The good times are back." "You know what I feel like doing?" "I feel like celebrating, tonight." "Look, why don't you get into your finest and we'll go out stepping, huh?" "We'll go..." "Dinner, we'll go to a show, we'll go dancing afterwards." "Huh?" "How does that sound to you?" "Oh, Georgie." "I've got a new number I've been dying to wear." "Good." "Goldie." "Has..." "Has anybody been here today?" "No." "Not a soul." "I was all alone." "Feeling just awful until you came." "Well, in case anybody should ask you, you know, not that they will, but in case anybody does, would you do me a favor?" "Would you tell them I was here with you all day?" "Oh, Georgie," "I'll tell the world you were here!" "From the rooftops." "I don't care who knows it." "Georgie, I love you." "I just love you!" "Love you!" "Georgie, please get comfortable." "Viola?" "So you can't live without me?" "Goldie, now listen to me, I..." "You stayed away because I was getting to be a habit." "Isn't that the way it went?" "You want me?" "You want to spend the afternoon here?" "Well, isn't that just too touching for words." "I meant what I said, honest..." "You're a liar!" "You're trying to sucker me into giving yourself an alibi!" "Will you please stop yelling and listen to me?" "What I said is true, I need you..." "Sure you need me!" "Sure!" "To give yourself an alibi." "That's why you came here." "Just so I'll say that you were here with me." "Now, Goldie I..." "You want to use me." "What have you been up to?" "What have you done today that makes you need me like that?" "Nothing." "I was out to see..." "No, don't tell me." "I don't care!" "I don't care what you've done." "I don't care what you've done and I don't care what's done to you." "An arrest, jail, the electric chair, I don't care!" "You get no alibi from me, Mr. Wise Guy." "Now get out of here!" "Georgie." "Good to see you." "Hiya, Timmy." "Sorry I didn't have a chance to get you some flowers or some candy." "How you doing?" "Pull up a chair." "How you feeling, for real, Tim?" "Not bad." "Doctor says it was a miracle." "How are things with you?" "I'll level with you, Timmy." "I come up by the stairs." "I didn't want no one to see me." "Yeah?" "In a spot, Georgie?" "Need a favor?" "You've come to the right man." "Favors have been my business for the past 30 years." "Oh, some fellows call it ward heeling." "With me, it's a business." "I..." "I need an alibi for the afternoon." "Since 3:00, Timmy." "You got it." "I've got this private room." "No one comes here." "Nurses and orderlies, they don't come unless I give a yell." "I can have visitors any time I want." "No one's been here all afternoon." "Not even my wife." "I'll never forget you for this, Tim." "You'll pay me back some day." "You look better already." "When you walked in, I was going to let you have the bed." "Yeah." "Yeah." "So I've been here since 3:00, huh?" "We..." "We played gin all afternoon, okay?" "Sure." "Okay." "Oh, look, I'll get the nurse in so she can see you, and you take the elevator down." "And, oh, ask some dumb questions so she'll remember you." "I'll ring for her now." "There's some cards in the drawer over there." "Deal a hand out on the bed." "Sure." "Tim!" "Georgie!" "It's the ticker, Georgie." "You want something, Timmy?" "Water." "Here..." "Tim?" "Oh, don't die now, Timmy!" "Timmy, you can't die now!" "Come on, Timmy!" "Please!" "Don't die now." "You can't die now." "Timmy, come on, please!" "Say something to me, Tim." "Hello, Mrs. Salvatore." "Hello." "Hey, let me do that." "Give me that hammer, Mrs. Salvatore." "It ain't right a nice woman like you should be doing this." "Oh, thanks, Georgie." "I'm gonna brain that Casey kid, if he keeps tearing this linoleum." "I ain't got money to spend buying a new linoleum." "Sure, sure." "I don't blame you." "Did you just come in?" "Yeah." "Yeah, I've just come in, but in case anybody asks, especially Larkin, you tell them I've been in my room all day, huh?" "Larkin?" "Lieutenant Larkin?" "The cop?" "Yeah, yeah, Larkin, the cop." "Oh, I couldn't do that Georgie." "I wouldn't lie to that cop." "Don't count on it." "I do count on it, though." "And you'll do it, too." "Don't shake your head." "I say you'll do it." "You tell Larkin I've been in my room all day, understand?" "Oh, no." "You don't tell him I'm in all day, and I'll tell him about your daughter, Maria." "I don't have any idea what you mean." "Is that a fact?" "No idea at all, huh?" "No." "Wait!" "How did you know, Georgie?" "Tell me, how did you find out?" "What difference does it make?" "I keep my eyes and ears open, that's how I found out." "Now are you going to alibi me?" "I don't want any trouble." "I'm honest and I work hard to keep my kids honest." "Yeah, sure you keep your kids honest." "So honest that your daughter yanks a fur coat right out of a department store, huh?" "I made her bring it back." "I marched her into the store myself." "We gave it back to the manager..." "Sure, sure, I know." "But a crime's a crime, whether the store makes trouble or not." "Georgie, you couldn't!" "Why, she's only 15." "Her whole life would be ruined." "She would..." "Oh, now, come on, Mrs. Salvatore, what's to cry?" "Am I gonna tell on Maria?" "No, of course not." "Oh, please don't tell anyone." "Please!" "I'll keep my mouth shut, just like you want." "And you open your mouth just like I want and everything will be fine." "Now, if Larkin asks you, I was in my room all day." "Agreed?" "And you won't tell him about Maria?" "I won't say a word." "I swear." "Look, I'll take an oath." "All right, Georgie." "All right!" "But not a word about Maria." "My memory is terrible, just so long as yours is good." "Yeah?" "Open up." "It's me, Larkin." "Well, well, what a surprise." "I'll bet." "And to what do I owe this great pleasure?" "To your friend, Lucky." "Oh?" "Anything happen to Lucky?" "He's been..." "He's been made dead." "No kidding?" "Well, what do you know?" "Yeah." "Tough." "And you've come to give me your shoulder to cry on, huh?" "You're not surprised?" "Look, I'm not the only guy in the world who hated Lucky." "But when you find out who did it, let me know." "I'll contribute a sawbuck to his defense." "Save your money, Georgie." "You might need it." "Yeah?" "How come?" "Remember I told you, if ever one of you punks gets knocked off, the one who's left alive better have a good alibi?" "Yeah, the words ring a bell." "Come on, give, Georgie." "Where were you today?" "I was nowhere." "Is that a fact?" "Yeah, that's a fact." "I was right here, alone in my room all day." "Can you prove that?" "It ain't easy to prove you've been alone somewhere all day." "No?" "No, besides, I didn't see anybody..." "Oh, yeah," "I saw my landlady, Mrs. Salvatore." "Yeah?" "Yeah." "Mrs. Salvatore?" "Hey, Mrs. Salvatore?" "What is it?" "Come on in here, will you?" "All right." "Come on." "Come on." "This is my landlady, Mrs. Salvatore." "Lieutenant Larkin." "Yeah, yeah." "Hello." "Hello." "Sit down, Mrs. Salvatore." "You must be tired." "I won't keep you long." "Were you in all day?" "Yeah, the whole day." "Was Georgie in all day, too?" "Georgie?" "This Georgie?" "How many Georgies have you got in the place?" "Yeah." "He was in." "Are you positive?" "I'm positive." "Sure, I'm positive." "What makes you so positive?" "What makes me so positive?" "I cleaned the room." "That's what makes me so positive." "And, I pressed a suit for him later." "That's what makes me so positive." "Oh, and when I was cleaning the hall, the door was open and I saw him." "And when I was downstairs, he yelled to me a couple of times." "Will you swear to this in a court of law?" "I'll swear." "All right." "Thank you." "You can go." "Well, that's it then, Georgie." "Meaning?" "Meaning, your alibi smells as far as I'm concerned." "But for the record, it lets you off the hook." "Yeah?" "A Mr. George Minelli." "You George Minelli?" "Yeah." "Got a package for you." "Rapid Delivery Service." "Just sign there." "Who's it from?" "Well, a Mr. Moore." "Lucky Moore." "Open it, Georgie." "This I want to see." "Well, what do you know!" "A lollipop." "Gee, I've never seen such a big one." "So you've never seen such a big lollipop before." "Now get out of here." "What are you waiting around here for?" "What do you think he's waiting for?" "Tip the kid." "What do you mean, "Tip the kid"?" "What do you think I am, the mint?" "Okay, cheapskate." "Ain't it always the way?" "Five times I come up and down them stairs, twice this morning and three times this afternoon." "Not even a nickel tip." "Wait a minute!" "Come here, kid." "You say you were here twice this morning and three times this afternoon?" "Sure." "This guy wasn't even in." "Oh, I almost forgot." "There's a message goes with the lollipop." "To the biggest sucker in town." "Well, that was a surprise." "The pistol shot Georgie used to kill Lucky wasn't in the original score." "But that's what happens when the musician who plays the revolver is allowed to improvise." "Naturally, Georgie was given life imprisonment, while the offending musician got off with a 10-year sentence." "Next time, we plan to bring you more music and sound effects and another story to accompany them." "Good night."