"...Valley View Players' production of Guys And Dolls that's Friday and Saturday night at the auditorium." "KJVI time now - 5:22, on the 'Buddy Marino' show." "KJVI, serving the Southern California coast 24 hours a day, 1235 on your dial" "We have national news coming up at 6 o'clock and then at 6:05, we have Harry Freeman." "Here's one that goes back to 1951..." "Morning." "Bad night, Harry?" "Who made this coffee, buddy?" "A giant squid?" "Watch yourself or I won't tell you where I hid the donuts." "Donuts ?" "That's about it; that does it again folks." "The old clock's beaten us out once more." "But don't worry, we'll be back again tonight at midnight." "Buddy Marino here, shutting down the old turntables, and we're coming up on 6 o'clock." "For those of you who are getting up, good morning for those of you who are going to bed, good night." "Stay tuned now for the network news and then followed at 6:05 by the incomparable, irrepressible, KJVI's jolly green ogre," "Harry Freeman." "Morning!" "Good morning!" "This is Kendall Washburn speaking to you from the network news..." "Hello..." "What's your name?" "Hey, what's the matter?" "Are you hungry?" "Huh?" "..nine dollars, it now takes" "Ta-da!" "Donuts." "Ethel made 'em." "Try 'em." "I left a pack of cigarettes in this drawer somewhere..." "Got... apple," " cinnamon..." " Yeah, right... you got tired of Ethel's lousy donuts and you ate my cigarettes!" " Harry, come on..." " What?" "Look at you!" "Look at that!" "That's from eating my cigarettes." "It's a good thing I don't smoke cigars or you'd weigh 600 pounds by now." " OK, just for that, no donuts." " Right." "..maintain a favorable balance of trade and the so-called artificial shortages which some claim have been instituted to support overall farm prices." "Sharp questioning by Hill reporters led to an admission..." "I'm sorry, they're empty." "Hey!" "What are you doing there?" "Cat was hungry." "Cat's always hungry." " You're a little late this morning." " That's right." "How's the kid?" "Who?" "Richard" " I thought you said he was coming down for the weekend." "Yeah, well he got a chance to see the Lakers play at The Forum, so..." " Well?" " Now I know." "Know what?" "What happened to my cigarettes." "...the governor was unavailable for comment, although an aide said a statement might be expected by day's end the Bruins skated to a 2-2 tie" "Vancouver knocked off the Atlanta Flames 6-5." "In college basketball the UCLA Bruins capitalized on sloppy ball handling by Notre Dame to overcome a 3rd quarter deficit and win going away 97-81..." "How are you this morning?" "I'm fine." "You know, I was here yesterday morning too..." "I'm staying at the... um... at the rooming house a few blocks from here." "Is that a fact?" "...elsewhere it was North Carolina State 88, St. Bonaventure 71." "In Norman, Oklahoma, the Sooners fell to Missouri 76-74." "Weather across the country is expected to be generally fair, with mild snow flurries predicted for New England, upstate New York, and the Great Lakes area." "Temperatures in the southeast will range from the low 40s to the mid 70s, predictions..." "One two three four." "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Blue, and all the ships... yep." "...generally clear with temperatures in the 40s." "On the west coast, partial clouds and temperatures in the 50s, throughout northern California, Washington and Oregon." "Southern California will be clear with a range of 45 to 75." "This has been Kendall Washburn reporting from the network news desk, returning you to your local station." "Good morning, people." "The sun is up." "If you're not and you should be, you better hustle." "For those legions among you who may have tuned in by accident: this is Harry Freeman." "For the next 90 minutes I'll be taking your calls at 540-3599." "You pick the subject and we'll bounce it around." "A couple of ground rules:" "don't tell me your name." "I don't care who you are, I really don't." "And watch your language, we're on a tape delay, so if you say a no-no I give you a quick bye-bye." "I like getting up early." "With the sun." "It's a habit, I guess." "You know, I used to live on a farm." "Could I have some, uh... milk or something?" "In a saucer?" "I don't want you feeding that cat." " But he's hungry!" " We're all hungry, lady." "That's the way it goes." "You start feeding that cat, and he'll be sticking around every morning." "You gone, and I've got the cat." "I see what you mean." "Uhm... coffee." "Be a minute." "The trouble with you people, you deserve the characters you send off to the state house." "What the turnout was in the last primary?" "A big 21 percent." "That means for every 5 so-called citizens out here," "4 of you couldn't get off your duff long enough to drive a few blocks, sign your name, and punch a few holes in a piece of cardboard." "Yeah, I can see you nodding your heads." "It's the other guy, right?" "It's the clown in the next car or next door, that never mows his lawn either." "Don't kid yourselves, my friends." "Those monkeys who pick your pockets every day with the sales tax, the income tax, and all the rest, they've got you figured out." "Sure, they blame it on Washington..." " Paul, are you up?" " Yeah, I'm up." "I'm driving the kids to school, coffee's on the stove." "Okay." "But the plain fact is, my friends, you ARE getting violated." "Every day." "Because you don't give a damn." "And I'll tell you something." "I'm getting tired of picking up the check for your apathy." "Well, so much for what I think." "Why don't we see if anybody out there's listening?" "The number's 540-3599." "I'll take the first call right after this word from uh..." "Excuse me, could I have change for a dollar?" " Hi, it's Julio." " Hi." "Want a glass of water for those?" "They're having their annual house-cleaning sale at all 6 locations..." "No, no, thank you." "and I mean everything." "Stereos, washers, dryers still in the original factory carton, only 129.95." "Thank you very much." "You save 80 dollars." "Need a freezer?" "Each of our outlets has a wide selection of floor models though slightly damaged for savings up to 50 percent." "Sale starts today at 10 and runs through Saturday." "Shop early for the best selection, many are one of a kind and supplies are definitely limited." "85 cents for 3 minutes, please." "Located in Huntington Beach," "Anaheim, San Clemente," "La Jolla and Oceanside." "Yes?" "Hello?" "Hello, who is this?" "Ingrid?" "Is that you, Ingrid?" "Oh, please baby - is it you?" "...a decade ago, the promises you made to yourself or a loved one at Ralston Travel Bureau we want you to keep your promise." "Will you say something?" "Martin, I think it's Ingrid." "Come to the phone, please," "maybe she'll talk to you." "Ingrid, don't hang up baby." "Your father's here, he wants to speak to you." "You don't have to say anything, just listen." "Martin, please..." "Look my friend, if you'd read the newspaper..." " I read the papers, don't worry." " Barry Worth on the box court." " Oh, come on." " No, you come on!" "I do this show on an empty stomach, pal, and it's a good thing too." "Look, I know if you tell them Arabs you're coming in with tanks" " that's gonna be the end of it." " Oh, terrific!" "Then when we run out of bananas we drop an H-bomb on Ecuador!" "..when we're sending John Wayne and the 101st Airborne into the oil fields." "No, you don't understand, they're in it with us." " The Russians and them Chinese." " Oh!" "Oh, I see." " The big guys against the little guys, huh?" " Listen, who said the oil's theirs?" "You know what I mean." "We know such a thing as world ownership of natural assets." " Hey, what are you doing, reading to me from a book?" " I'm just trying to make a point." "Save your breath, friend." "You've already got a point." "It's punching holes in your hat." "KJVI." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Hello!" "Hello?" "Is this the radio station?" "No, honey, this is KJVI, the radio station floated out to sea last night." "Try the coast guard." "Maybe they've seen it." " KJVI." " Harry..." "Oh, my day's complete - the cat lady." " Right, how are you?" " Incomparable, what else you want to know?" " That song, it keeps going through my head." " That doesn't surprise me in the least." " Harry, I'm serious." " So am I." " I'll hum it for ya, and you tell me what it is." " Honey, uh..." "I got a tin ear." "Everything sounds like the wedding march to me" " which is really depressing." " That why you're a music hater?" "Cat lady, enough already - you're boring me at this hour of the morning, good bye." "540-3599 folks, keep 'em coming." "KJVI." "Harry?" "I called you a couple of days ago about the JC picnic this weekend" " you remember?" " How could I forget, another plug, huh?" "I tried to call you at home last night, but I couldn't get your number." "My friend, nobody gets my number." "Nobody." "Not the pope, not the president, not my ex-wife - especially not my ex-wife." "May she live in peace and leave me the same way." "Now if you don't mind," "I'm gonna just skim along to somebody who's got something else on their mind besides a free commercial for a potato race." "KJVI." "I was listening to your program..." "Good for you honey, what's your question?" "I was wondering..." " why do you do it?" " Do what ?" " Put people down!" " Everybody's got to have a hobby." "No," "I'm serious." "Honey, do you know what it's like exchanging pleasantries at this hour of the morning with fruitcakes?" "It tends to corrode the inner ear, to say nothing of the digestive tract." "And speaking of fruitcakes, declare yourself, maybe you're one of 'em." "I guess if you mean I'm not very..." " smart, you're probably right." " I don't believe it." "The voice of an honest woman." "How old are you?" " 18." " Yeah, that would explain it." "You've had 18 whole years to learn all there is to know about people." "Well, wait till you get to be my age." "I'll let you in on a little secret, honey:" "Polly Anna did not live happily ever after." "And the seven dwarfs are still on welfare." "But life's supposed to be a kind of joy, isn't it?" "Hey, wait a minute, babe - hold it!" "Where've you been?" "This is survival." "Plain old survival." "It's called.." "the law of the jungle, to coin a phrase." "If it had any sense at all, we'd all curl up in a corner somewhere and die." "Well, I..." " think that's what I'm gonna do." " Good for you!" "Tell me where, I'll join you." "I don't know where!" "I mean.." "it really doesn't make any difference does it?" "Yeah, sure it does!" "How about... the skydive off the roof of the Shelby hotel?" "That's 20 stories down, splat." "Next day you're all over the front pages not to mention all over the street." "A few people will notice, nobody will really care, but you'll be somebody, sweetheart." "Front-page stuff, they may even spell your name right." "Hey, you still there?" " All through?" " Um... sure... uh... well... you're right about one thing nobody will care." "But I mean, why should they, right?" "It's crazy, isn't it?" "You get born and everybody makes a big deal over you and some priest splashes water on your head and when you die you get flowers on your grave." "But in between it's like.." "it's like you're not there." "So what's the difference, right?" "Right, mister?" " Mister...?" " Big fan, eh?" "I'm sorry, I never heard your show before." "Well, don't worry about it, sweetheart, you're not the only one." "Just ask the sponsors." "How about telling everybody your first name, just so the papers get it straight?" "Um.." "that doesn't ... that doesn't make any difference, does it?" "I mean... as long as I don't put anybody out, as long as I just... slip away quietly, right?" "It's like that saying, you know:" "un-knelled, un-coffined," "and unknown." "Oh, terrific!" "That's very poetic, sweetheart!" "Now, in the meantime," "I do have some other fruitcakes on the other line, so what do you say I get back to work and you go out and jump in front of a taxi someplace, ok?" "Thanks for calling." "And on that happy note, a few badly phrased words from Foley's Hardware, over on Alameda Avenue." ""Planning to remodel?" ""Before you do, think about Foley's." "And when you do, think about quality."" "We'll take more calls right after these words." "When cramps and nausea strike, don't suffer needlessly, take xylothin..." " Don't you think you were a little rough on that girl?" " What do you want me to do, open a vein?" "That's not the image my adoring public wants to hear." " Yeah, well I just think..." " Buddy, do me a favor, don't think." "You survived 40 years without it, why ruin a good thing?" "If Lawrence Welk found out you were thinking, he might never let you play any of his records anymore." "..yet is available without prescription at all leading drug and discount stores." "Next time you are struck with cramps, nausea and periodic distress, do as countless others do:" "look for the big red X at the drug counter of your favorite store." "X-y-l-o-t-h-i-n." "Xylothin." " KJVI." " Mr. Freeman.." " about that girl that just called..." " Yes, ma'am?" "I thought she sounded very frightened, didn't you?" " Something in the way she spoke..." " Ma'am, forgive me, but the world is full of frightened 18 year olds, and I don't like being put on, and that's what she was doing." "Now this is my program, and if there's gonna be any put-ons" "I'm gonna be the put-oner, not the put-onee, ok?" "Ok." "Thanks for calling." " KJVI." " Harry, I love your show, I wouldn't miss it." " Thank you!" " But that little girl who just called in," " you really think that was a put-on?" " You have something you wanted to talk about?" " Yes, that girl - she struck me as..." " Thank you for calling, sir." "Listen, folks - there are a lot of things we can talk about:" "God, man, power, politics, steam engine, paper clips, postage stamps, poisonous insects." "But please.." "let us not get ourselves bogged down in a boring rehash about one previous call." "Will she or won't she?" "Tune in tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen." "This is not, repeat, NOT Stella Dallas." "Now the number is 540-3599." "So let's hear from you if you've got something to say." "Hi!" "Where you headed?" "I'm heading downtown; you want a lift?" "Sure." "You from around here?" "Just visiting I guess, huh?" "I'm Richie Danko." " KJVI." " Mr. Freeman?" "If you ask me, that girl who called was dead serious." "Who are you, pal ?" " Resident psychiatrist at some local massage parlor?" " I'm a teacher" " and I think I know kids, and I'm sure that..." " Excuse me, maybe you do, maybe you don't, but it's obvious you don't know much about the suicide syndrome, because if you did you'd know that the real suicide does not advertise." "On the other hand, the world is full of crackpots who climb out on window ledges and threaten to jump." ""Look at me world, you've picked on me once too often," ""I'm going to get back at you, I'm going to destroy myself."" " The point is..." " The point is if these fruitcakes were really serious about killing themselves, they'd just do it, without turning it into a B movie scenario." " Well, I think you're wrong about that girl." " Thank you, sir!" "If I were keeping a box score, I'd certainly record your vote." "However, we are not conducting a public opinion poll this morning." "We'll get back to the phones in a minute, the number's 540-3599, but first.." "this word." "How many times have I heard my friends say:" ""if only we'd taken that trip when we got the chance!"" "Oh, there are reasons of course, we all know what they are:" "money's scarce, the kids are in school, Europe will still be there next year." "Oh, you've heard them all." "But the.." "The lambs are biting this morning, eh?" "Yeah, the world is full of know-it-alls, my friend." "You should know, Harry." "What you looking for?" "That kid who was on the show last month, that psychiatrist, doctor Buchek or whatever it is." "At Ralston Travel Bureau, we want you to keep your promise." "Don't put off until next year that trip you've had your heart set on." "We have package tours that start as low as 588 dollars per person for 7 days and 6 nights, and that includes your hotel room, continental breakfast, and gratuities, and round trip airfare from Los Angeles international airport..." "Ok, friends - you've been kicking your old uncle Harry around pretty good this morning." "But the insurrection is about to come to a grinding halt." "Some of you tender-hearted people out there think I was a wee bit callous with a girl who called in a little earlier." "So to set the record straight, we're gonna make a call out." "To a doctor Henry Buchek;" "he's a resident on the psychiatric staff of central hospital." "Some of you folks may remember Doctor Buchek from a show last month." "Anyway, to put your minds at ease, we're gonna get not your opinion, not my opinion, but a professional opinion." "Now how's that for public service?" "Listen..." "I gotta be to work about 7 o'clock, but what do you say I pick you up somewhere?" "You know, around 4 o'clock, we'll have a couple of beers, a few laughs." "That's a wedding ring, isn't it?" "Hey, uh..." "Don't let that bother you, baby." "Her and me got kind of an arrangement." "Sixth floor." "Who?" "Oh, Buchek!" "Hey, Hank!" "Hank Buchek!" " Yeah?" " Doctor Buchek?" "This is Harry Freeman, station KJVI." " Oh yeah, hi." " You're on the air right now, doctor." " I'm what?" " A lot of our listeners remembered you from the show last month, that's why I'm calling you, I'm looking for a second opinion." " What are you talking about, Mr. Freeman?" " I'd like you to listen to a tape." " Look, I'm busy now; can I call you back later?" " Well, I'll be at home later, doc, and nobody calls me there, ever - not even the phone company." "This'll only take 2 minutes." "A young girl called about 10-15 minutes ago and threatened to kill herself." " What?" " That's right, doc, suicide." "Now.." "Just lend an ear, will you?" "I was listening to your program..." "Good for you honey, what's your question?" "I was wondering..." " why do you do it?" " Do what ?" "Put people down!" "Hey... what's your hurry, huh?" "I'd prefer to walk." "Walk where?" "Honey, this place is dead!" "Nothing's open, there's nothing to see." "Would you please take your hand off the door?" "Ok, alright, alright." "I've taken my hand away, see?" "See?" "But you know uh... really see me later." "I'm pretty good at helping people with their problems." " Are you?" " Sure!" "Look, we'll have a couple of drinks, like I said." "We'll talk." "If this bothers you, I'll just take it right off." "I better go." "Hey, wait a minute!" "Wait a minute, will ya?" "It's like that saying, you know... un-knelled, un-coffined," " and unknown..." " Oh, terrific!" "That's very poetic, sweetheart!" "Now, in the meantime.." "I do have some other fruitcakes on the other line, so what do you say..." " Ok, doctor, what do you think?" " You're serious?" "I wouldn't have called if I wasn't." "For one thing, nobody can dig into another person's motivations on the basis of one phone conversation." "Well, never mind the qualifiers, doc," "I'm not trying to hang you;" "I just want a good professional guess." "My guess is that she means it." "She sounded disturbed, and your attitude..." "Smells good!" "Except I'm not hungry." "You gotta eat, Arthur." "You'll never make it past your 11 o'clock class." "Mom, I don't even have an 11 o'clock class." "I'll grab a sandwich at school." "Oh, come on..." "Kids like that are scrambling their brains every day on pills and smack..." "She just wanted somebody to.." " Do we have to listen to that?" "He's fun!" "Anyway, it wakes me up." "...excuse me, go right ahead." " Where's Ingrid?" "She's asleep." "Why not?" "Where's she got to go?" "Maybe she had no one else to talk to..." "Maybe she needed someone to talk to about something" "You like her?" " Mom, she's just a roomer, that's all." " Uh huh." "Just a roomer?" "Your hair's combed; you look nice... you don't get prettied up for me, now." "It was a statement of fact from a frightened human being..." " I'll have a couple eggs over easy, George." " Alright." "Side of hash browns." "That's something, isn't it?" " What's that?" " That girl." "Crazy kids." "Got it made these days and don't even know it." "Come on, Tim." "Let's go, come on boy." "Now, you just take it easy." "I don't want to do any running, you hear?" "Well, I'm not sure that you've sold me, doc, but thank you." "Ok, friends, mea culpa." "Mea culpa." "Maybe the world is flat after all." "I'm beginning to wonder." "But never let it be said that Harry Freeman copped out when the going got tough!" "Assuming that my good friend the doctor really knows what he's talking about and we do have a suicidal young woman roaming our streets, what do you say we pass that information along to someone who can actually do something about it?" "I'm referring of course to our good friends down at police headquarters, provided there's somebody there at this ungodly hour of the morning." "Police headquarters, sergeant Shirley." "Sergeant, this is Harry Freeman at station KJVI." "You're on the air right now." " Yes?" " Just so you understand, sergeant, you may be part of an historic first." " I conduct this morning phone show..." " Yes, I've heard it." "Don't gush, sergeant, try to restrain your enthusiasm." "I'm reporting a crime." "Or at least, a possible crime." "Provided of course, that it's" " still illegal to take your own life." " What can I do for you, Mr. Freeman?" "A girl called in about 15, 20 minutes ago." "She said she was gonna kill herself." "Maybe she is, maybe she isn't." "I think you guys down there ought to do something about it." " Who is she?" " I don't know." "No name at all ?" " No first name ?" " She never said." "Did she say where she was?" " Sorry..." " Then you're not sure she's calling from the city." " She could be anywhere." " She's not anywhere, sergeant!" "She's somewhere, and I think it's up to you to find her." "You say there's a girl... you don't know where, don't know who she is, and I presume you don't know what she looks like." " She's out there somewhere, and you want us to find her." " I don't WANT you to do anything!" "But I'm a dues-paying citizen of this saltwater mecca reporting a police situation!" "I think it's up to you to do something about it, because if you check your contract with the city, that is what we pay you for." " How do you expect us to find her?" " I expect you to LOOK for her!" "Look... we'd look if we knew where to look, and maybe we'd find her." "But the reality is, Mr. Freeman, there is absolutely nothing we can do" " based on what you've given me." " Oh.." "Oh, I've got you, sarge." "When they bring in the body that's when you go to work, right?" " You're oversimplifying, Mr. Freeman." " Well thanks very much, sergeant Shirley." "It's awfully nice to talk to you, really." "I hope to God I never need you for anything;" "you're about as useful as a G-string in a snowstorm." "So much for our sentinels of law and order." "You know what you just heard, folks?" "Dead air." "That's a no-no here in radio land." "But old uncle Harry is... he's thinking." "And the question is now..." "What?" "I mean..." "Do we just sit around figuring we're getting our legs pulled?" "I wanna tell you something folks" " I'm mad." "I'm really mad." "The steam is just pouring out of old uncle Harry's ears." "There's a guy down at the police station, you heard him, who said that the girl CAN'T be found." "The word was CAN'T." "Well, I'll tell you what I think." "Maybe we'd better get cracking." "Not just me, but all of us." "Because, uh..." "I guess she's one of us - one of Harry Freeman's little early morning family of kooks." "And maybe we ought to take some responsibility for her." "You game?" "I am." "So..." "Where do we start?" "Let's find out who she is and where she is, and how to get in touch with her." "This is 540-3599;" "let's get some ideas in here." "This is Mr. Conover in 314." "I called 20 minutes ago about room service." "That's right." "Alright, 2 eggs easy over, black coffee and a half of grapefruit." "That's right." "Now look, uh, what about the maid?" "Yeah, I'm sure you did, but the fact is we had a little celebration here last night;" "the room needs a cleaning." "Fine." "Uh, try to get my home number for me again, will you?" "Harry..." "I think you're right about the tax situation, I just wanted to give you my thoughts." " A gift!" "And it's not even my birthday!" " What?" "Sir, I hate to arouse you from what is obviously a state of catatonia, have you been listening to the show this morning?" " In my car." "A few minutes..." " I suggest you trot back to your car and see if you can catch up with us." " Because we're on a new subject." " But I just wanted..." "Good morning!" "Good morning." "I don't think I've seen you before." " I'm just visiting, Father." " Brother Steve." "I'm a seminary student;" "I have a couple of years yet." "Oh." "Something wrong?" "I wanted to make a confession." "Well, that's this afternoon at 4." " I don't think I can wait until then." " I'm sorry." "Um..." "Father McVeigh is still asleep." "He was out very late last night at the hospital." "Went to bed right after mass." "I see..." "Thanks." "I could wake him...?" "No, it's alright." "It really doesn't make any difference." "Uh, Mr. Freeman?" " Yes, ma'am." " It occurred to me that the young girl you're looking for, she may not be from around here at all." " Why do you say that?" " She didn't know who you were." "That's very flattering ma'am, but a household word I'm not." "Well, I think most people around here know about your program, even if they don't listen to it." "Gee, you sure know how to earn a guy, mom!" "Well, it was just a thought." "Well, it beats some of the ideas I've been getting." "Thank you very much for calling." " KJVI." " Mr. Freeman... when that young girl called in, is there any way at all to tell where she was calling from?" " From the phone records or anything?" " I don't follow you, ma'am." "I mean, would they have a record of the number she called from?" "Uh.." "No, I don't think so, but.." "you've got something there." "Thank you." "Now that lady had a terrific idea." "If we can get our friend to call back again, maybe the phone company can help us track her down." "I'm gonna hold all the calls for a few minutes while I dial out." "So, please bear with me, folks." "Good morning, madam." "This is Harry Freeman, station KJVI." "I'd like to find out how I can go about tapping a phone line to trace a call." " I will connect you with a service representative." " Thank you." "Ma'am, I'm holding..!" "Service, Mrs. Schindler, may I help you?" "Mrs. Schindler, this is Harry Freeman, station KJVI." " We're on the air right now." " What?" "Ma'am, I'm broadcasting a show at this moment on the radio." "You're on the air." "You mean people are listening to us now?" "I think you've finally got the drift of it, Mrs. Schindler, now I need some information about tracing a phone call." "I'd have to put you in touch with our Mr. Butler, he'll be in around 9:30." "Ma'am, excuse me, but your Mr. Butler is no earthly good to me at 9:30 or even 8:30." "Now if you'll just listen for a moment, to cut the story short, we have a young girl, a possible suicide, who called into my program a short while ago." "I think she might call back." "What I want is to put a tap on my line so that if she does call back, we can trace the incoming call and find out where she is." "I'm afraid that's private information, sir." "unless of course the request comes through a recognized agency" " such as the police or fire department." " Thanks" "I've tried the police..." "It's a matter of the FCC and public utility regulations." "I'm sure it is, honey, but I haven't read them lately." "Perhaps if I switch you to the emergency supervisor for the area...?" "That means you're going to pass me along to the next nitwit!" "?" "It is a matter of procedure, sir." "Our hands are tied without proper authorization." "Lady, you're speaking English and I'm speaking English, but somehow we're not communicating!" "I'm talking about a girl who may be in the process of killing herself!" "If she's not dead now...!" " The line is busy, sir, will you hold?" " I'll hold, I'll hold." "I can't seem to get through to the emergency supervisor, sir." " Is there a number where you can be reached?" " Six.." "Morning, Tom." "You want one of the pretzels?" " Uh, I don't understand, sir." " You can say that again, honey." "Wasn't that marvelous, folks?" "All that help for one thin dime." "Fantastic!" "Look, Muriel, what do you want me to do?" "Huh?" "Yeah." "I'm in the middle of a convention." "I have 3 buyers set for a meeting at 10." "Alright, alright, look.." "If Mark wants to spend the weekend with Joe and Lucy, that's fine." "No, I can't pick him up Friday night." "I don't even know if I'll be home Friday night." "Why don't you let your sister do it, huh?" "No, I have an idea." "I have an idea." "Why doesn't he take the bus?" "It won't cost much." "Honey, he's a big boy." "Sweetheart, sweetheart..." "I haven't got the time." "Hold on..." "Yes?" " Room service." " Yeah, come in." "I'll call you back later." "We'll make a decision." "I'll call you right after lunch, I promise." "Ok." "Ok." "Bye bye." " Morning, sir." " Yeah, morning." "Could you tell me how I'm supposed to eat in this mess?" " Where's the maid?" " I wouldn't know, sir." "Will you please get a maid up here right away?" " I'll tell the front desk, sir." " Yeah, terrific." "Look, people, we're banging our heads against a stone wall here unless we can identify this girl." "Now, somebody has got to know who she is." "I'm gonna play a little of that tape again." "Listen carefully, please." "If you have any idea, any idea at all call this number - 540-3599." "Ok, here's the voice." "But life's supposed to be a kind of joy, isn't it?" "Hey, wait a minute, ho.. oh - hold it!" "Where have you been?" "This is survival." "Plain old survival." "It's called the law of the jungle, to coin a phrase." "If you think that's joy, you just don't understand the situation." "Then why bother?" "Absolutely right." "If we had any praise, we'd all just curl up and die." " I think that's what I'm gonna do." " Good for you!" "Tell me where, I'll join you." "I don't know where!" " It really doesn't make any difference, does it?" " Oh, sure it does!" "How about a... skydive off the roof of the Shelby hotel?" "That's 20 stories down, splat." "You'll be all over the front pages the next day, not to mention all over the street." "A few people will notice, nobody will really care after a day or two, but you'll be somebody, sweetheart." "Front-page stuff, they may even spell your name right." "Hey, you still there?" " All through?" " Um... sure..." " Hello?" " Paul?" "Bill Butler." "Hey, hi Bill." "Sorry to bother you at home, I've been listening to Freeman's program." "Yeah, so have I." "All of the sudden everybody has to make jokes about the phone company." "I know the man has a certain style," " but he was pretty rough on one of our girls..." " Yeah, he was rough, but.." "like you say, that's Harry's style." " That's what gets those listeners." " I understand, but... but come on Paul, we must give you guys 20,000 a year in spots." "I don't expect flags and fanfares, but don't make us look like fools!" "The fact is we've got a good record working with the police on suicide prevention." " Yeah, I know that, Bill." " Freeman's so busy talking he doesn't listen." "Look, I'll speak to him as soon as I get down there." "See you at the club Saturday?" " Yeah, sure, Bill." " I'll call you later in the week." "Ok, bye-bye." "..make any difference, does it?" "I mean... as long as I don't put anybody out, as long as I just... slip away quietly, right?" " Hey mom, doesn't that sound like Ingrid?" " Who?" "That girl, the one who's gonna kill herself." "I don't think so." " Arthur, where are you going?" " To see if she's here." "Now, you knock!" "You know, she's a young lady!" "Don't know what she's wearing." "Ingrid?" "Ingrid, are you awake?" "Ingrid?" " She's gone." " What gone?" " You mean she's packed up and left?" " No, her suitcase is still here." "So she's taking a morning walk, hmm?" "Two nights." "Eight dollars, right?" "She left it on the bed." " KJVI." " Harry, I got an idea about that girl." " Let's hear it." " Well... remember when she said she wasn't very smart?" "I mean, maybe she really meant that." "Instead of going to school, maybe she's some kind of a drop out." "Maybe she's got a job in the city somewhere working in a diner or something like that." "I mean, if somebody had a girl who supposed to show up for work and didn't..." "Yeah..." "That's not a bad idea, sir." "Thank you, thank you very much indeed" " Morning, May." " How are you today?" " Well, can't complain." " Get you coffee?" "I wanted to take Tim for a little walk along the beach before the tide comes in, so.." " You got a minute, have some coffee." " Alright, lay down, Tim." "Just awful, isn't it?" " What's that?" " About that girl that's gonna kill herself." "It's on the radio." "Seems like a sweet little thing.." "Morning." "Cutting it pretty close again." "5 to 7." "I'm on time, alright?" "Hey, spare a cup?" "It's on there." "Out late again, huh?" "Must be tough fighting off all those girlies." "Yeah, you should've seen the little thing I picked up this morning." "Good stuff, huh?" "Prime." "Ever think it might be the truck?" "Just cause' you're an old man..." "Anyway, she was kind of skinny." "But pretty, you know?" " Long, long brown hair." " Turned you on, huh?" "Yeah." "Great." "Now go see if you can turn on some gas." " KJVI." " Mr. Freeman." " I'm calling from Anaheim." "I heard your broadcast." " Yes, ma'am." "There's something else she said." "It may not mean anything." "But she talked about a priest splashing water on her head." "Baptism... and well, maybe she's a Catholic." "Possible." "I know the church is very much against suicide, so maybe I'm all wrong." "But if she is catholic, she might try to go to a church as a last resort." "Ma'am, I think you may have something there." "Thank you, thank you very much for calling." "Alright, there's two places to start:" "a young girl who didn't come in to work and a young girl who may show up in a church." "Now I'm not sure how many priests we've got listening out there, so the rest of you especially you Catholics, call your parish, tell the priest what's happening." "KJVI." "Mr. Freeman?" "I know who the girl is." "I mean, I think I do." "So, what are you waiting for?" "This girl's been rooming with my mother and me for the past couple of days." " What's her name?" " Ingrid, Ingrid something." "I don't know exactly." "She comes from upstate." " You sure it's her?" " I think so." "I'm sure it's her voice." "And she owed us 8 dollars room rent..." "Well, I found it on the bed, but her suitcase is still here." "I mean, why would she pay room rent like that?" " Where do you live?" " Flat Road, in 4 Corners." "Okay." "That's north, it's 4 or 5 miles, isn't it?" " Hey!" "Right." " Turn that thing off, will you?" "Hey, man, you want me to toss your tail out of here?" "Well, she's about 5'5"" "maybe 100 pounds blue eyes" "dark brown hair and she wears it long and straight." "Now, Tim, now you behave yourself this morning." "I don't want you getting wet, you hear?" "She's 5'5", straight dark brown hair, blue eyes, 100 pounds, must be kind of skinny..." "We know that she's in the area someplace, or that she started out in the area." "Now, that's not much, but it's a start, right?" " Give me a cigarette." " Thought you quit." "I did..." "Just working myself up to uh..." "Hey, Harry, enough already with the girl;" "I don't tune in to hear this kind of stuff." "Thank you sir for your contribution." "KJVI." " Listen." "I'm calling about that girl." " That's the topic of the day, my friend." "I saw her this morning." " She was in my place." " Where, what place?" "Where was she?" "Coral Beach Cafe." " On coast highway, south end of 4 Corners." " Okay..." "She was in here around 6 o'clock when I opened up." " She tell you her name?" " No, but it was the girl that man described." " Well, can you tell me what she was wearing?" "Do you remember?" " Oh, an old raincoat... came to her knees, kind of flimsy." "I think she must have been cold." "And blue jeans." "Raincoat, and blue jeans..." "and some kind of sweater" " maybe blue or black." " Ok, maybe we're getting somewhere." "We know she's in.." " Hey, Lou, where you going?" "I'm gonna cruise around for a while." "Cover for me." " Ok." "What time she leave your place?" "She wasn't here long, maybe 10-15 minutes." "Alright, which way was she headed?" "Alright, her name is Ingrid." "She's 5'5"" "straight dark..." " What the hell is he doing?" " I don't know, you hired him." " Yeah." "She's walking one way or the other.." "How long's it been since his last commercial?" "I don't know." "Tim!" "What are you trying to do, catch a cold?" "Stay out of that water!" "Tim!" "You're too old for that, you know that!" "Come on, boy, get out of that water." "Come on, come on, boy." "That's a good dog." "We'll go home now." "She was seen on the coast highway not 30 minutes ago." "Now, come on people, there can't be that many.." "Yes, ma'am, I've got it, 6th and Locust." "I'll send a boy out in 5 minutes." "You stay with the car." "..last seen at 4 Corners 30 minutes ago." "She couldn't have gotten that far." "Not yet." "Now, her name is Ingrid, she's 18 years old, she's thin, she has long dark brown hair, she's wearing a raincoat, jeans, dark sweater..." "Hey, Richie, that girl this morning..." "Where'd you say you picked her up?" "I don't know." " 4 Corners, I think." " You said she had dark hair." " Was she wearing a raincoat?" " Yeah, why?" " Cause they're looking for her." " Who's looking for her?" "The radio station." " Why?" " I don't know, call them and find out." " And tell them where you dropped her off." " No way, man." "That's all I need, to have my old lady find out I picked up some chick." "That I don't need." "Stay tuned for the national news from Washington." "Back in 5 minutes, and keep the calls coming!" "From the network news desk in Washington DC... the Mideast situation continues to dominate the news with persistent rumors of a new outbreak in fighting along the Israeli-Syrian.." " What are you trying to do?" " Hi there, how you doing?" " It's wonderful to see you again..." " Knock it off, Harry!" "Why don't you have some of buddy's coffee?" "In your mood it couldn't hurt." " Bill Butler called about 20 minutes ago." " Ah, Bill Butler." " The All-American wrong number." " He's very upset and I don't blame him!" "I know, he wants me to lay off the phone companies, lay off insurance companies, lay off hospitals." "What do you suggest I talk about, Paul?" "The cotton situation in Georgia?" "We can't, it'll offend boll weevils." " You seem to enjoy putting me on the spot." " You don't need my help for that." "No, but you sure needed my help, didn't you?" "Oh..." "Please let me turn around - if you're gonna kick me, take a clean shot!" " Ok, I'm sorry." " Don't be sorry." "You dragged me out and put me back to work." "Alright, I owe you." "If you want, I'll shine your shoes every morning." "But don't ask me to gush into a microphone." "It's not my way." " Oh, really?" "What about this girl?" " What about her?" "You got a little rough on her, now you're feeling some guilt pangs, right?" " No!" " What, compassion?" "Now that I don't believe!" "You wanted listeners for this cracker-box station, alright you've got 'em!" "That phone is lit up like Chinatown on New Year's Eve!" "The yoyos out there are hooked!" "That's what it's all about, isn't it?" "That and Billy Butler's advertising budget." "So, why don't you let me run the show." "You can go sharpen some pencils." "..Canadians turned out in droves for a glimpse of the American president." "Hatless and smiling, he seemed to thrive on the warmth of the greeting," "And there's real hope that a mutual accord will come out of this 3-day conference." "Father..." "Yes?" "I hate to trouble you, father." "I stopped at 1 or 2 churches along the highway." "There's this girl...." "have you been listening to the radio?" "No, is there something wrong?" "Well, there's this girl; young kid, skinny, brownish hair, wearing a raincoat and maybe she's gonna take her own life." "Maybe." "Anyway, she might be Catholic, so I was just checking to see if she was here." "Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't seen anyone this morning yet." "Oh..." " If she comes in could you talk to her about it?" " Of course." "Maybe you could get her to call the radio station." "You know, Harry Freeman show." " Harry Freeman...?" " Yes, station KJVI." " Oh, yes, yes." "I see..." " Thank you, father." "Oh, Steven..." "When you awakened me this morning, you said something about a girl..." "I cruised up and down the coast highway 10 miles, never saw a sign of her." "Alright, my friend, thank you very much." "Ok, we know that she's got to be somewhere off the main road..." "KJVI." "Yeah, I saw a young girl at the bus station downtown about an hour ago..." "Ma'am, we know where this girl was an hour ago." "You saw somebody else." "No, sir, I didn't see which way she was headed." "Did she say anything at all that might tip where she was going?" "She didn't say much of anything." "She didn't have much money, maybe a buck or two." "She had those pills..." "Pills?" "What pills?" "Just a bottle of pills she got from Hogan's drug store in town." "I recognized the label." "Thanks, George." "..Steven Tyler, St. Catherine's church." "I believe the girl you're looking for was here." " Where's here?" "Where are you located?" " Sanders Avenue, east of the coast highway." "When?" "It couldn't have been more than 25 minutes ago, I talked to her myself." " Alright, how did she seem?" " Upset, I guess... tired." "But she was alive." "I don't know for how long" "She wanted to make a confession." "I offered to get the priest, Father McVeigh." "She looked at me." "I'll never forget it:" "she said it wouldn't really make any difference about the confession." "Less than a half an hour ago she was alive at Sanders and the Coast Highway, that's only a few blocks..." "She's wearing a raincoat, blue denim;" "she has long brown hair, and she has blue eyes." "Now, if you're listening in a hotel, call the desk, call a bell cap, go out in the hall and look around." "I'm going to play the voice again." "Listen carefully." "You know what she looks like." "This is how she sounds." "I was listening to your program..." "Ingrid..." "Ingrid..." "Yeah, here it is, Ingrid Bruner." "I remember her, young thing." "Yes, an out of town prescription." " Prescription?" " Yeah." "I really shouldn't have filled it, but I had to." " What do you mean you had to?" " Well, she was a diabetic." "It was for an oral agent." "Something to help stimulate a pancreatic reaction." "It's like insulin." " Take a look at that?" " Yeah." "Jimmy!" "Jimmy, be careful!" " I wanna go fishing!" " Maybe tomorrow." "Not too close to the water, Jimmy, be careful!" "..around to Shelby, I even checked the roof.." "If she is around here..." "I didn't see her." "I don't think she's going to do it anyway." "Not really." "I do." "Never passed by me!" "Know what I think?" "I think she's in one of the hotels." "KJVI." "I think you're wasting your time looking around the hotels." "I think she's at the beach." " You've seen her?" " No, but..." "Forgive me, ma'am, but we just don't have any more time." "That girl's on the verge of killing herself;" "we need somebody, anybody who's seen her." "But, I think I know where she's gone." "It's something she said towards the end." "About going to her grave." "The quote was:" ""unknelled, un-coffined, and unknown."" "Yes, ma'am." "Well, I thought I knew it, so I looked it up, and sure enough it's Lord Byron's Childe Harold." "Ma'am, if you've got a point to make, I wish you'd make it." "The passage reads..." "I'm gonna read it to you:" ""Man marks the earth with ruin," ""his control stops with the shore..." ""he sinks into thy depths with bubbling groan," ""without a grave, unknelled, uncoffined, and unknown."" "Clear- that's it, let's move it!" "...the water." "She's on the beach or the pier..." "For all I know she's rented a boat or something..." "She's very young, she's 18 and she looks it." "Long dark hair, she's wearing Levi's, she's wearing a raincoat ." "Ok, you've got it?" "If you've seen this girl anywhere in the last half hour, near the water, please... please call 540-3599." "Jimmy!" "Come on, let's go." "Jimmy, leave that there, it's dirty." "Come on, let's go." " There's a lady sleeping over there!" " Oh, what are you talking about?" "Down there, the lady is sleeping." "Why is she sleeping on the beach?" "People do all kinds of funny things." "We have to get back to the hotel, let's go." "Come on!" " Maybe we should wake that lady up!" " Jimmy, it's none of our business." "But she's getting wet!" "Little boy!" "Little boy!" "Excuse me, but did you say something about a lady?" " A lady getting wet?" " She's asleep!" "Asleep?" " Where?" " Over there, sleeping in the water." "Stop!" "This way!" "Down there, he found her..." "She's around the beach, somewhere, she's gotta be!" "Now, get out there and look!" "Don't let somebody else do it, you do it!" "She must be over here!" "Grab her legs." "KJVI." "I'm calling from the Elmendorf hotel, I've got a room on the third floor." "Sir, she's not at the hotel!" " We got network coming in two minutes." " That's right." "..this girl from my window walking down to the beach." " Where, right below your window?" " Yes, I can see the place from here." "Wait a minute, I'm looking down there." "There's something going on." " I think they've found her." " What?" "I'm trying to get a better look." " What do you see?" " A bunch of people, couple guys from an ambulance, next to the pier." "Wait a second." "Yeah, yeah; they got somebody." " They're coming up the stairs- looks like her." " Yeah, but.." " She's got a raincoat on." " Is she alive?" " I don't know." "They're carrying her, they've got a stretcher out there." "Is she moving at all?" "It's hard to tell, I don't think so." "They're getting her into the ambulance." "Good morning, this is Christopher Scott with market news and analysis from network 1010 in New York City.." "Forget it, my friend;" "they just pulled the plug." " You found her, Harry!" " I want to go back on." "We've got network." " After the network." " That's Quinn's time." "Forget Quinn. 25 minutes." " Just let me stay with it 'til 8 o'clock." " Harry, come on, you found her!" "What kind of a station is this!" "?" "I give you the best damn show you've ever heard..." "They found the girl, you want to leave them strung out there on a limb?" "We're gonna cover it on the local news, and then Quinn can update it!" " They're hanging on those sets, we gotta!" " Harry - that's it, you're off!" "Harry!" "What happened?" "I was listening in the car." "It was a hell of a show, Harry, but what happened to the girl?" "Don't ask me, kid - they cut me off." " Quinn, you better get set up in there." " Yeah." "It was a terrific show, Harry, really terrific." "You know, there's hope for that kid." "You ought to hold on to him, Paul, If you can." "Did you hear what he said?" "Not "you found her, Harry."" "He said, "it was a terrific show."" "He knows what it's all about." " Hey, I'm sorry about before." " Ah, forget it." "You got a job to do and bills to pay." "You got a stake in this over-grown sand trap." " It's a good town, Harry." " Yeah, for you." "Tell you the truth, the seagulls are making me nervous." "Well, who knows..." "Maybe they caught the show in L.A." "It's not a bad angle, you know." "Radio personality in race with death." "Why, the Times might pick up on that." "That's the kind of thing that could put me right back in the ballgame." "Why don't you call the hospital, Harry?" "For what?" "Either she's alive or she's dead." "If she's alive, she'll do it again." "If you're a loser, you're a loser." "She's a loser." "Hey, Harry!" "Harry!" "The hospital." "For you." "Music time on KJVI - top 40 chart busters as well as a bushel basket of golden oldies for mom and pop." "Remember this one?" "Yeah?" "Oh..." "Yes, doctor." "Good." "I'm glad to hear it." "Is she awake?" "No, no, don't do that." "Let her rest." "Doctor, did she say why?" "Yeah." "Listen, uh..." "Later on, when she's up and around, if she wants somebody to talk to..." "Why don't you ask her to give me a call." "My number's 393-4482." "No, that's my home phone." "I'll be there all day." "Right." "Thank you very much for letting me know." "Eh, she's ok, just a dumb kid." "Harry, uh.." " 6 o'clock sharp tomorrow morning, right?" " Yeah, I hear you." "Hey, dummy!" "You got me blocked in here." "Sorry, mister, it'll only take a minute." "I don't have a minute, I don't want to hang around this dump all day." "Yes, sir!" "..Remember this?" "It went right through the roof in 58..." "Transcription by freakout." "Timing by StefanCinema." "For KG."