John, it was the first day of testimony for plaintiff Diane Bjornstrom
in her suit against pop star Tim Richie.
Tim Richie is the most sensual man of his time.
Women like that don't break out into a sweat over guys like me.
Women like that don't sweat, according to you.
His name's Brian Charles. Well, I suppose you've heard of him.
How well do you know Brian?
Well as you can know a smackhead.
Brian was hanging around with the mob. Evergreen Management.
You're finished. You're off this case.
(GUN FIRING)
Shooting at us, Eddie!
(PHONE RINGING)
ROCKFORD ON ANSWERING MACHINE: This is Jim Rockford.
At the tone, leave your name and message.
I'll get back to you.
(BEEPS)
MEN: (SINGING) We're down at Hazy Bar, Jim, having a drink or two
You better get down here quick, Jim
Or we'll come and take you out, too
(LAUGHING)
So essentially, John, there are no new leads in this gruesome killing.
And what neighbors here are left with is the knowledge that four people
that they had known and loved are gone, suddenly, senselessly and finally.
A whole family of four dead. No reason.
(SCOFFS) Some world we live in.
In the Tim Richie, Diane Bjornstrom settlement trial
there were new developments today.
News at 6:00 Lindy Jones has the story.
And now this travesty.
I guess you wanna see this, sonny.
John, it was the first day of testimony for plaintiff Diane Bjornstrom
in her suit against pop star Tim Richie.
Questioned by her attorney, Mitchell Robinson,
the 32-year-old international beauty stated that her decision to forego
what would have been a lucrative acting career in 1975
was only partly her own
and would not have happened had not Richie shown a preference
that she not work while she lived with him.
Miss Bjornstrom, would you please comment on today's events?
Well, maybe some people think that $15 million is a lot to ask.
But that's half of what Tim has.
And I gave my whole heart to him.
I was everything a wife would have been to him.
Yeah, I bet.
Thank you, Diane. And here's Tim Richie himself.
Mr. Richie, did you lead Diane to believe that you wanted her
to cease her acting career in 1975 as she alleges?
I don't think it's right for me to comment on that.
And so, an unsettling day for Tim Richie,
pop legend, one time gyrating lead vocalist
for the now defunct super group, The Suspects.
Now an enduring solo rock powerhouse.
A man who's been called everything
from the primo white blues vocalist in the world to the original bad boy.
Today, no smashing of amplifiers,
no mascara and rouge.
Today, only a man pondering the $15 million price tag of love.
From superior court, Lindy Jones.
Now look at that fella there.
He makes a living singing himself hoarse
and he's all painted and gussied up like a madam.
Oh, come on, Dad.
Well, I just wonder whatever happened
to two people standing up and saying, "I do."
You know, to love and honor, cherish forever more?
Nowadays when the whole crummy arrangement goes apart,
why, they all end up grabbing for the bank account.
(MAN CHATTERING ON TV)
I know. I know. You think I'm old-fashioned.
It's a complicated question, Dad.
I mean, if they'd been married all those years,
she would be entitled to half under California law.
Married. You said it. If she had been married.
Now they could've been married, but they weren't.
Now, she wants to be reimbursed for living like a strumpet!
What?
You heard me.
Oh, well, hey, Dad, she's not my idea of a great date,
but what are you bucking for?
The Cotton Mather award?
Yeah, what about that Richie business, too? You're working for him
and you told me you wasn't never gonna do no domestic cases.
I don't.
Eddie Lo Presti told me it was some kind of a missing persons investigation.
Come on, why don't you enjoy your dinner?
(SCOFFS) Fat chance.
A hotel fire in downtown Los Angeles today claimed seven lives.
Arson is suspected in the four alarm blaze
that took firemen several hours to bring under control.
Look at that. That's awful.
Well, Dad, I'm telling you, it's getting to be the same old ritual.
Every night you're plugged into this litany of misery.
Nobody's telling you to watch.
You're just making yourself unhappy. Good night, Dad.
MAN ON TV: Including the charred remains of seven transients.
Jimmy? Hey! How you doing?
You look great, how you doing? You all right?
Eddie, how are you, pal? You're looking fine.
Eddie, look at you, look at you.
Last time we came face to face, you were wearing a windbreaker and loafers.
That's passé, Jose.
Except on some guys. I mean, some guys are timeless.
I knew when I called you, you'd show up.
Even though, like you said,
you're not exactly turned on by missing persons work.
But back in Quentin,
we didn't call you Mr. Stand-Up for nothing.
I never was too comfortable with that name, Eddie.
You know what I mean? It's kind of embarrassing,
and only one guy ever called me that.
Nobody ever called either one of us "Most Likely to Succeed,"
did they, Jimmy, huh?
But here we are. You, a Malibu PI and me, with my job.
Yeah. I'm not exactly sure what your job is, Eddie.
What, are you head of security here?
No, not exactly. Well, in a way.
We have a security firm that handles the main gate, house security, stuff like that.
I'm mostly around Tim.
You know, when he's touring or traveling.
I'm more of a personal security analyst.
Oh.
Yeah, I do things for him.
You know, make phone calls, arrange for room service.
What do you got, a used car lot here?
Tim, he just loves cars.
He just can't seem to find one to fill all his needs.
Yeah, he likes to tinker with them, huh?
No, he hates engines and things like that.
He doesn't even like to drive. Why?
You know, Jimmy, it's really been a fruitful year and a half for me here.
Who would have thought a dip like me
would end up in a deal like this, huh?
And to think, like destiny and all,
if Tim Richie hadn't seen me throw that guy through a plate glass window
at the St. Tropez Club
I'd still be another ex-con, a bouncer, instead of...
A security analyst?
Right. You know, it's weird.
Did you ever think, like, if you hadn't missed that certain cab,
you might not have met that certain person who played a real important...
Yeah. You were saying?
What?
About cars and destiny, something like that.
(STAMMERS) I don't know. I forgot what I was driving at.
Come on, Jimmy. Tim's waiting.
(MAN CHATTERING ON TV)
Your own home and you can't find a place to talk privately.
Come on, gentlemen, excuse me.
Ghislaine darling, up and at 'em, rise and shine, hit the deck.
Go make yourself a peanut butter sandwich or something.
That's right.
(ROCK MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO)
I don't know how much Eddie's told you about the problem.
Well, not much.
He just said that you're worried about a friend.
Business associate actually.
He seems to have... I don't know how you would put it.
Disappeared, Tim.
Yeah.
His name's Brian Charles. Well, I suppose you've heard of him.
No, I don't think so.
Really?
Well, he was one of the original members of The Suspects.
In fact, Brian and me started the group back in the '60s.
Anyway, Brian produced Lotion for me.
It's Tim's current LP. Renegade Lotion.
Yeah. You see, Brian's a rather moody fellow.
We had a business luncheon scheduled for Thursday. He never showed.
It's been a week now and no Brian.
Well, besides the no-show, do you have any particular reason to think
something might be wrong?
We're gonna go get Chinese. You wanna come, Tim?
What? No.
Do you have any reason...
Well, the Immelman twins wanna go.
They say they found some place in Chinatown that
showcases new wave bands Tuesdays and Thursday nights.
So let the Immelman twins go.
Talking about Brian? You're the PI, right?
Jim Rockford, Ron Martz. Ron is Tim's personal manager.
TIM: You asked me why I think something might be wrong? I'll tell you.
With Brian, there's always a reason to think something might be wrong.
He's an emotional cripple. I've had to pull him out of scrapes before.
This time I'd like to deal with the problem before it becomes a 10 alarm fire.
I don't need any problems in my life
with this stupid court settlement thing going on.
Don't Pls wear hats?
Big brims?
Maybe you're thinking of the Pilgrims?
No.
Uh-uh.
Bogey. He always wore a hat.
If you would like to take a couple of hours and go out and find me one,
it'll be okay with me.
Timmy? Did you tell Bogey how old Brian has a problem
sticking pointy things in his arm?
There you have it.
Brian's had a junk problem on and off for some time now.
Right now, off. But you never know.
Now I know why you haven't filed a missing persons report with the police.
You see the thing is,
Brian had been angry at me for the last month or so.
A couple of weeks ago, he started acting weird.
I had the feeling he was on the edge of some kind of cliff.
I asked Eddie to keep an eye on him.
Which we now see was asking too much.
Well, the more I hear, the more I realize
this is not really my kind of a job.
I've always had bad luck with junkies.
And I can't think around loud noise.
So, I won't waste...
We're gonna play pinball, okay?
Jim, wait.
Excuse me, I don't understand this.
We once hired a private eye in Rome for what,
$2,000 a week.
It seems to me if you make that kind of money,
you should be willing to do what you advertise.
Well, I can see your point.
Guess I could rearrange my schedule and squeeze in a week.
(PHONE RINGING)
Thank you. Now if I can only find this picture of Brian
at his current age, the way he looks now.
Yeah, all right, hold on.
Timmy, Whitney Cox wants to know when she can grab some time for the interviews.
And that guy wants to know when he can come and paint
the mural on the bottom of the pool.
Hello, yeah, this is Tim Richie.
I'll get the photo of Brian, Tim,
and I'll fill Jim in on the way out.
Hey, Bogey, if you're going anywhere near Chinatown,
maybe you can give me and the twins a lift?
My 450's in the shop.
Pile everyone in and crush the Borsalino? I don't think so.
I'd like to help out, you know.
I mean, since it's my mess and all.
But I won't meddle. You're the doctor.
How'd you lose sight of Brian?
I don't know. I was busy with things around here.
I was kind of preoccupied.
I just messed up.
Well, what were Brian and Tim squabbling about?
Creative differences, they call it.
Tim did the unthinkable as far as Brian was concerned.
He put a disco cut on Renegade Lotion, a thing called Migraine or Yours.
And Brian's an old line rock and roller.
He thinks disco is a cultural blight.
He thinks anything this side of Jerry Lee Lewis is bubble gum.
Where you gonna start first?
Brian's place.
No, I've already been up there.
There's nothing there you could consider a clue.
Who's the doctor?
I forgot. The picture of Brian. Hang on.
WHITNEY: Hi.
Oh, hi.
Quite a collection of cars, huh?
Yeah, yeah. It's kind of strange when you think
there's a guy upstairs who keeps begging rides
because his car's in the shop.
Ronny?
Yeah, the self-effacing guy.
And you are...
Jim Rockford.
Hi, I'm Whitney Cox.
You're the private investigator. Am I right?
Who said there is a private investigator?
Ronny.
The self-effacing guy.
You're here about Brian Charles, aren't you?
Well, I know that they're all worried about him,
and Ronny told me Tim was going to hire an investigator.
Well, you can check that out with Ronny or Tim then.
Yeah, I could. And I will. I was just, you know, curious.
I found the picture.
Hello, Whitney. I see you've met Jim.
He's on the Brian Charles deal.
Brian still hasn't shown up.
You ready to go, Eddie?
We're going to Brian's place to check it out again.
Hey, Jim, Whitney's going to do a hell of a piece.
I can't wait to read it.
A piece? For Knickerbocker Magazine.
An in-depth profile on Tim in three parts.
Oh, really?
You know, I never would have thought you were a reporter unless somebody told me.
What's the angle on your three parter?
Well, it's a piece about the life and times of a rock star manqué.
Everything that goes into the making of such a man,
his friends, his loves, everything.
You see, it's my thesis
that the macho man of action cowboy as sex symbol is not only over but history.
When you take Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart,
even John Travolta, they've all proven that.
It's my feeling that Tim Richie is the most sensual man of his time.
The sexual bellwether and prototype
of everything you're going to see as we leave the '70s behind us.
Yeah, really, yeah, yeah.
My dad and I were gabbing about that just the other night.
You ready to go, Eddie?
Oh, Eddie, I'm sorry, I hate to bug you,
but remember you said you were going to fix my camera.
You know, the way the flash unit isn't in sync?
You think you could do that when you come back?
I could do it right now. It shouldn't take too long, huh, Jim?
You could grab dinner and head up to Brian's
and I'll catch up with you later.
I thought...
Nice to meet you, Jim.
(CLATTERING)
(GRUNTS)
(PHONE RINGING)
Yeah?
Jim? It's me, Eddie. Listen, I'm not going to make it.
No kidding?
Well, I got hung up with Whitney's camera.
I had to go down to Foto-pal.
The batteries had leaked and shorted out some of the contact points.
Oh, no. Maybe I better mix myself a stiff drink before you go on.
What's the matter, Jim?
Nothing, Eddie, nothing. Nobody's got their shore guns trained on my job.
You got a thing for Whitney, why don't you come right out and say it, huh?
You don't need to show me a note from your parents.
It's that obvious?
Obvious?
When she's around you look like a dog just wandered onto the freeway.
Oh, no. You think she notices?
What do I know, Eddie, huh?
I just don't want to stand around here chatting about it.
I just had a mystery guest up here
and I took it with a beanball and they took off.
You all right? Who was it?
That's the point I'm trying to make, Eddie. I don't know.
Well, I may have something for you.
I just heard from a guy I know, an engineer down at Ran-Jan Recorders.
He'd heard that I'd been looking for Brian.
Now he said he thought he saw him down there last Wednesday night.
That's the night before Brian didn't show up for the meeting with Tim.
The guy's name is Dwight Deleau.
And I'll meet you down there. I want to be in on this.
Well, I won't get my hopes up too high.
Just in case something important comes up,
like you have to drive Whitney to get a pedicure.
(COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING)
EDDIE: You mean you didn't even talk to Brian?
You have no idea where he went?
Eddie, I was working. I had a session in progress, man.
How well do you know Brian?
Well as you can know a smackhead.
Then he isn't as clean these days as everybody says.
Clean is a relative word with Brian.
Everything is relative with Brian.
I mean he'll also tell you he's organic.
Got all heavy into organic gardening.
Every time I'd see him he'd say,
"One of these days, I'm gonna bring you
"some of these tomatoes I got growing in my garden."
One day I see the garden. Dry, dead, the Negev Desert.
I said, "Brian, what about the tomatoes?"
He says, "My hose didn't reach."
Yeah, well, thank you very much.
Hey...
Mr. Deleau, are these yours?
What?
No. Those are Chiyoko Takai's.
Japanese recording artist. Came over here to cut an LP.
Oh, yeah, well, that's the same session you were working on Wednesday night
when you saw Brian?
Matter of fact, yeah.
That's her now.
I'm doing some temp transfers of the stuff we laid down that night.
(COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING)
Japanese country and western?
Long as it works, right?
Hey, you know, they're crazy for C and W over there.
They call her Tokyo's Tanya Tucker.
Where do you think I could get in touch with her?
Her manager's a guy named Sal Blundetto over at Evergreen Management.
And the producer is a Japanese guy named Jerry.
Thanks again.
Thanks, Dwight. Yeah.
EDDIE: So what's the deal, Jimmy?
I saw a pack of cigarettes just like that up at Brian's, you know.
Yeah. Along with a lady's nightgown.
And I'll tell you something else.
I saw a first-class airline ticket to Geneva,
unused and untouched.
And his luggage was still there, empty.
What, you think he's still in town then?
Well, I didn't see a car in the driveway,
so wherever he is, he's probably within driving range.
I suppose you're gonna unload on me, Jimmy, right?
For being so preoccupied with Whitney that I didn't notice that stuff?
Hey, come on, Eddie, I wasn't even thinking that.
I know what it's like to come down with the virus. Nobody's immune.
You think about your famous beauties.
And I'm talking about Bacall, Grace Kelly, Gene Tierney, maybe.
How often does God create something like that?
Almost never.
And Whitney is like that. I mean, she's one of those...
I can't even express it. But you know what I mean, right?
Yeah, well, yeah, yeah. She's pretty, yeah.
Oh, Jimmy, it goes way, way beyond her looks, Jimmy.
It's everything. It's her way, her personality.
This natural grace that she has, you know.
Her voice, for example. Now did you notice how
her inflection is a little different than everybody else's somehow?
It's kind of like musical.
Yeah, well, I didn't talk to her too much
and then it was just short sentences.
Yeah, yeah, but when Whitney says something like,
"I left my shoes back at the house,"
she does this little thing at the end
that kind of comes back up again, like a grace note.
Yeah, but it goes beyond that physical stuff like voice and looks,
it's the whole thing. She's like Zen, you know.
Yeah, well, it must have been pretty hard to tell her how you feel, huh?
I haven't told her anything. Are you kidding?
You mean you haven't taken her out or anything?
Me? No.
Why not?
Cut the crapola, Jim. Don't patronize me.
What?
She can have her pick of anybody. I mean you could see it coming.
Guys were hitting on her all over the place, important guys.
And Timmy himself is interested in her, I can tell.
I'm sure when the professional part of their relationship is over, bam!
Eddie, you're no Rondo Hatton. Why are you chopping yourself?
Oh, women don't like me. They just don't respond to me.
You've met some really nice women.
Neurotics.
No. I'm just not good looking. Let's face it.
Eddie, come on, you're perfectly acceptable.
No, I'm too short, Jimmy, and my ears are too big.
I always have 5:00 shadow.
The crown on my head is kind of flat
and it gives my head this dumb shape...
Okay, that's it! That's all. That's as far as I wanna take this conversation.
Let's just get right back to business now, huh?
What do you know about Brian's financial situation?
I don't know much about that.
What about his personal life? His family?
Don't know much about it.
And you don't know what holds the moon in space
and a lovesick fool is all you'll ever be.
(SINGING) It's a hard lane out on Route 15
It's a hard lane
Rain! Rain!
Rain... Rain.
(STAMMERS) Rain. Rain!
Excuse me, I'm sorry to bust in on you like this,
but the secretary out there told me I could find Mr. Blundetto in here?
He took his secretary out for a ride in his new 450.
I don't know when he'll be back.
Well, then, unless I miss my hunch,
this is the little lady that I'm in here to speak to Mr. Blundetto about.
Miss Chiyoko Takai?
Hi.
Hi. Sure am happy to meet you, ma'am.
Jimmy Jo Meeker, Meeker Enterprises.
Gotta tell you, ma'am,
there wasn't anybody down home that had any idea
that the folks up in your part of the pasture like good old country music.
(SPEAKING JAPANESE)
Sorry, ma'am.
She doesn't speak English, Mr. Meeker.
I'm her producer, Jerry Ito. She learns the songs phonetically.
Look, we're right in the middle of reworking some tunes. What do you need?
Promotion, Mr. Ito, promotion.
You see, last July, my company, the Meeker Corporation,
acquired this little company, the Red River Footwear Corporation.
It's right outside of Nacogdoches, Texas.
See, we turned that little small custom leather company
into the number one supplier of western boots
to the common market countries and England.
How'd we do that? Promotion.
When Mr. Elton John was seen in an issue of Pop Scene
wearing a pair of our three-inch heels and a custom multicolored word,
"Elton" right up each ankle, mmm-hmm.
We saw that market jump 22.1% in six months.
You're talking about Chiyoko hyping your cowboy boots in Japan?
What put that idea in your head?
Well, a phone conversation I had with old Brian Charles last week.
See, he's been wearing Red Rivers
ever since those days when he was with The Suspects. Yeah.
And when he told me about this amazing little talent
and how she had all of Japan weeping into their bean curd soup,
the light went on over my desk.
(SPEAKING JAPANESE)
She wanted to know if you're a friend of Brian's
and I explained it to her.
Look, you're gonna have to wait till Sal Blundetto gets back.
He handles and negotiates ancillary rights.
Yeah, well, I'll do that, son,
but I would like to point out the obvious to you.
I'm here with a lucrative offer,
and I want to pass a few words about Brian Charles with a mutual friend.
Why don't you just loosen your cinch a little?
(CLEARS THROAT) Look, she likes your idea, but she's busy.
I'm busy and we don't have time to schmooze.
Why don't you just kindly ask her where I might get in touch with him, huh?
(SPEAKING JAPANESE)
She says that she doesn't know. She's been trying to reach him.
She drove him to his place on Wednesday night.
He's got a fantastic Ernest Tubb collection and he wanted her to hear it.
They listened to the music until about 2:00.
Then she went back to her hotel.
She drove him up there?
Right. She said he doesn't drive. And he lost his license.
Highway patrol.
Right, right. The highway patrol lifted his license.
There was one other thing that I was kind of curious about.
Just how she and Brian got hooked up together.
I can tell you that.
We both met him at Bernie Seldon's house a couple of weeks ago.
Look, what does all this have to do with boots?
Nothing, Mr. Ito, nothing. It has to do with politeness.
The hands across the water, and stopping to smell the roses.
Ma'am.
(SIGHS)
No good. It doesn't work for me.
I'm not gonna park my car in a public lot
and schlep to the Grammys on foot like one of the nothings.
Me and Joy arrive in a limo at the front door of the hall.
SECRETARY: But, Bernie, Ike Smith says there's no room in his limo.
And the girls are gonna be with him and his mother.
BERNIE: Then call some of the other clients!
I arrive at the front door like a mensch.
With Joy.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
BECKER: Bernie Seldon. So what?
Yeah, alias Scott T. Bernal, a.k.a. Eugene Scott,
a.k.a. Father Patrick Morrisey.
I knew I recognized him. It was Bell Meadows Raceway.
I was out there with some friends.
He came over to say hello to somebody.
Later on he kicked the daylights out of a parking lot attendant
for trying to start the car with the air conditioning on.
Lieutenant Becker?
Is there a particular reason your friend's going over the mug books?
It's on my authority, Captain McEnroe.
Okay. Let's just get that down there for the record.
I was at lunch.
I know you were, sir.
A year till he pulls the pin. He's driving me nuts.
He's so worried about his pension
that any time there's any kind of controversy, out comes the skateboard.
Father Morrisey here has a pretty hefty yellow sheet for violent crimes,
doesn't he, Dennis?
Yeah, he's out through the way. So what else is new?
He hasn't been seen around here locally in the last couple of years.
The last I heard he was president of the restaurant employees,
I don't know, the bus boys union in Oakland and Miami.
Yeah, well, he's still in platters.
He's on his way to the Grammys.
McENROE: Lieutenant, I'm going over to central motor pool.
I want to check those new squad cars when they come off the trucks.
If anything comes up, you probably won't be able to reach me.
Yes, sir.
The Grammys? You mean like the record awards?
Is that the job you're working on?
Was working, Dennis, was working.
Thanks, pal.
And what is your occupation, Mr. Florio?
I am a filmmaker with my brother, Honoré.
Could you, I wonder,
give the court a partial listing of you and your brother's film credits?
Yes. In 1962, I made Les Blaguers,
a documentary about the European exploitation
of the rubber harvesters in Burma.
In 1968, with my brother, I made Tin and Laughter,
about collusion in the West German automobile industry,
which won the silver Gourd at the Bogota Film Festival.
After that was...
That's fine, Mr. Florio, that's fine. Thank you very much.
Would you please tell the court about the naissance
of your relationship with Miss Bjornstrom?
Yes. In 1974, my brother and I received financing from Italian investors
to produce a feature-length dramatic film.
Terence Watts had written the script which I completely rewrote.
It was called Vitriole.
It was about a priest in Latin America going through a crisis of faith
during the Peronist abuses.
Is this a copy of the shooting script of Vitriole?
Yes. This is my rewrite.
Your Honor, we offer this as plaintiff's Evidence C.
Now, Mr. Florio,
did you meet with Miss Bjornstrom in connection with this project?
Honoré and I wanted her to play the central female role, Jill,
the American student from America.
She was on holiday in London
and we met several times with her in our offices there
for discussions about the role, you see.
And what transpired then?
One day she came to the office in tears,
saying that she had to return to the United States.
That Mr. Richie here had requested it and that he had, as she said it,
"Put a monkey wrench onto the machine."
ROBINSON: Was Vitriole ultimately made?
Unfortunately, no. The investors became nervous.
You see, they wished to bring in Jean-Claude Killy
or someone with a name to play the part of the priest
so as to make the project more commercial.
They wanted the priest to ski.
Well, Honoré and I, we refused to knuckle under to a bunch of Italian dentists
and the whole financing fell down.
Okay, Mort, so what do we do now? I don't remember anything about it.
I do remember that she went to England for part of the summer
on account of the Patty Hearst thing.
Mr. Richie.
She was convinced, I don't know why, that she was next.
Anyway, that's why she went to England.
Gee, Timmy, if you can remember why she went,
but you can't remember...
Mr. Richie? All right, come on, hustle!
Tim, we've got reporters coming!
Later. Later for you.
Hey, Ronny!
Go, go, go, girls, go ahead, go ahead.
(PEOPLE CLAMORING)
Ronny! My foot!
Hey, hey, wait a minute. Hey. Let me...
Oh, no, no, no. Nothing right now. No, nothing for the press!
Stop!
Mr. Richie, I know you have a lot on your mind.
I don't want to take up too much of your time, but it's important.
I'll tell you something, Mort, if she did discuss this picture with me,
all I ever said to her was, "Be careful what roles you take.
"Be very selective." That's all I ever said to her.
Mr. Richie?
What? Oh, hi, listen. Can't this wait till later?
Tomorrow? Tonight?
Yeah, well, you're in court all day.
They told me at your house you're going to a screening.
So you rap with Ronny, he'll fill me in, okay? Ronny? Where the hell is he?
TIM: Mobbed up? Brian? You mean like...
Yeah, yeah, I mean like mobbed up.
Cappuccino and cigars at the home of a guy named Bernie Seldon.
He owns Evergreen Management.
Oh, you didn't know that?
No.
Well, you see, I have a company policy.
When faces like that start popping up
in the investigation I'm working on,
I figure I've done all the heavy theatrical ground work and I get out.
Italian ices.
I've heard of Evergreen Management though I know nothing about
this greaser connection.
But even if there is one, hoods in the music business?
That doesn't exactly rate with "Japan Surrenders," does it?
And if Brian chooses to hang out with a couple of broken noses,
that doesn't mean he's involved with them in any real way.
No, no, it doesn't.
It only means that this is as far as I'll take an investigation of this kind.
Look, Brian disappeared in the dead of night over a week ago.
Now I'm not going to be the next one to follow him into the flying saucer.
I'm sorry. Either you call the police or I'm off the case.
Wait, Jim, don't make a snap decision.
I'm sorry, Eddie. RONNY: Hey, you!
You think that was cute? You're finished. You're off this case.
Yeah, I know. And here's a copy of my bill for your files.
He's not through, Ronny. He's come up with some disturbing information
which I'd like you to follow through on.
He pushed me out of the elevator, Tim.
He tells me that Brian was hanging around with the mob.
Evergreen Management. Do you know if they're connected?
I know that industry-wise they're dwarfs.
There's not one client on the Billboard Top 50.
Timmy, we can do better than this guy.
That's good enough. Since you're the business manager,
I know you'll want to take care of this.
That's $2,000, as discussed, per week or parts thereof.
All right, fine. Thank you. I'm not gonna beg.
Pay him off.
I'll have the girls issue a check from one of the corporations.
I'll take cash.
Well, then you can just drive your little self down there.
Richie Attractions, South Tower, Century City.
I'll call ahead. Tim and I don't carry cash.
There's too much terrorism.
WOMAN: Somebody turn on one of Timmy's tapes.
Thanks, Jim. That's all I gotta say. Thanks a lot.
(ROCK MUSIC PLAYING ON CAR STEREO)
Hi. How's it going?
Oh, you're angry. What's the matter?
It's Mr. Renegade Lotion and his flippo brigade.
I mean, you try doing business with them, you feel like you've eaten a mushroom.
Rock and rollers.
Look, you have to understand that Tim Richie
lives on a totally different planet than you or me.
I mean, since he was 18 or 19 years old,
he's had millions of dollars rolling in,
he's had girls OD'ing because they'll never get a chance to meet him.
Expecting him to relate to what you or I would call reality...
I think that's asking just a little bit too much, don't you?
Yeah, that's me. Unreasonable.
So how's it going with the Brian Charles case? You come up with anything?
You know, Miss Cox, I have tried to slip you the message every which way
that I do not discuss my cases with anyone but the principals.
You just won't have it that way, will you?
Mr. Rockford, I am a journalist.
I have no qualms about doing my job.
Maybe you read that piece I did last year for Knickerbocker
about how the wine-tasting in Puvis de Chavannes
was rigged in favor of some California reds?
Well, none of that ever would have come out if I hadn't been pushy,
if I hadn't risked burning some bridges.
Yikes!
You know, I like you. I really do.
I think that you're going to find we're a lot alike.
ALAIN: Whitney!
(SPEAKING FRENCH)
Jim Rockford. Jim, Alain Florio.
(SPEAKING FRENCH)
Afternoon.
Oh, now I think I am remembering you.
Your father is a collector
and your family donated some paintings to the Hartford?
What? No. My father has some seascapes,
but I think he plans to hang on to them.
WHITNEY: Jim's a private investigator.
He's working on a missing persons case for Tim Richie.
Really? How mysterious.
Oh, Whitney, wait until Honoré sees you. He will faint himself.
Honoré! Honoré!
(SPEAKING FRENCH)
Hey, Knickerbocker, right? How are you?
Fine.
Whitney, we must have dinner together.
You and Honoré and me and your friend.
No, thank you. I have to be going.
Are you sure?
I mean, we should at least get as far as an exchange of prisoners.
Not tonight. Thanks.
It was very nice meeting you, Mr. Hartford.
Rockford. The other guy gave the paintings to the Hartford.
Oh. Yes, yes, right.
Bye. Bye.
(ROCK MUSIC PLAYING ON CAR RADIO)
Hey, Jimmy!
Come on, what's the matter with you?
Turn that thing down. It's 1:00 in the morning.
That's Tim Richie, Jimmy! The old bantam cock himself!
Old Satan in leotard.
Yeah, well, turn it down.
How do you like my new 450, Jimmy?
You been drinking?
I said how do you like my new 450, Rockford?
It's very nice. Very nice.
I didn't know you could afford that kind of ride.
Well, Jimmy, this morning when I took delivery on this regurgitated U-boat,
I could barely make the payments.
But since I got fired tonight, there's not a chance in hell.
Hey, Eddie. I'm sorry.
Just leave sorry to Brenda Lee.
I'm looking at two weeks' notice because you bailed out on a job.
After I gave the highest recommendation I could give a guy.
Now don't you come around here telling me that you're sorry.
Hey. You came around here.
I ought to break your face.
Why don't you try it, Eddie, huh?
I'm in the mood. I had a gas of a time in Century City traffic today.
Ronny never called about the money.
I got enough adrenalin built up in me to bottle and sell it to hospitals.
So you try it, Eddie.
I'm sorry, Jimmy. I don't know what I'm doing.
My stomach's upset.
Save it for Brenda Lee.
I don't know. I mean ever since...
Sometimes I start to really think about where I'm really at these days.
And I don't know, Jim.
Ten, 15 years ago, I used to wear a bowling shirt
because I was on a bowling team.
I liked bowling. Now the shirts are chic
and bowling is square and I paid $150 for this one.
And I'd never dream of telling my friends that I used to roll a $300 game.
All right. Come on, Eddie, you're getting wasted on milk of magnesia.
You never could drink, Eddie.
You know what really happened tonight?
Whitney. She finally got the royal summons.
Up at Tim's room.
Her face lit up like a kid's at Christmas.
(GRUNTING) Hi, Eddie, how's it going?
Hello, Mr. Rockford.
Hey, what's the matter with you? You okay?
You look a little peaked there.
Hey, Dad, if you're too sleepy to drive home,
you can conk out in my room.
Hey, you're a bowler too, huh? You know, I'm a bowler.
The team I bowl in bowls in the Oceanside League.
Dad, didn't I have some milk of magnesia in here, huh?
Oh, I get it, I get it.
You're coming back from the lanes,
you had a miserable night. I know that feeling.
You know, I was on the team when that LaMont Barbershop Supply outfit
beat us for the championship.
A bunch of smart alecks with them fancy alley masters.
Hey, Dad, Dad, Dad, Eddie's not feeling too good.
He's got a little on his mind, so if you don't mind...
Well, all right, just pardon me all to heck.
You don't have to go putting me to bed
or sending me looking for stomach medicine.
I hope you feel better, Eddie.
Good night, Rocky.
He's a nice guy.
Yeah, he is.
Hey, Eddie. You got hit with two real torpedoes in one night.
I feel for you, pal.
The thing is, I finally got the nerve
to put myself out there with her.
I was kind of asking her about herself
and she was asking me about me.
I felt like I had a shoe in my throat but I kept on going.
Just being next to her like that out by the pool,
or just seeing her up close when she looks at the ground sometimes
when she's talking or smiling or...
Yeah.
Yeah, it's those little details that haunt you.
Her perfume.
It's kind of like a New England hillside in springtime.
You know, turns out we both lived on the same street in New York.
Prince Street.
'Course when I lived there, it was all warehouses
and when she lived there all the warehouses had been converted into lofts.
Yeah, well, it's good you approached her, Eddie,
it's good you talked to her, you know.
The other way is no way to live.
I was just working up to ask her to go for a ride in my new car.
You know, that's all I've been fantasizing,
me and Whitney driving along Mulholland in that car.
The sound of the road.
Her beside me. No need to speak.
Well, that's not all I was fantasizing.
You know, Eddie, this is going to sound a little weird,
but Whitney is an idea in your own head.
I was just about to ask her, you know,
"Would you like to go for a ride in my new car?
"I just got it."
Tim comes back from his screening,
prowls around like some kind of ticked-off cheetah or something,
sits there brooding like he does, you know.
He's really bugged about Diane and all.
Well, he asks Whitney to go upstairs.
He says he's been reading this book, Passages or something,
and he'd like to talk about it with somebody.
I'm left at the pool sitting there by myself with my dumb owner's manual.
What an idiot.
Well, maybe that's all they did was discuss the book.
I mean, you don't know.
I need a drink.
Oh, no, now come on, Eddie. Hey, Eddie, what about your job, pal?
I mean, that's important, too, you know.
Your preoccupation with her is what got you in trouble in the first place.
Maybe it's not too late to fix it, huh?
She loves ecru. What a neat color.
All right, come on. Maybe I can get you some coffee here, huh?
She went to Mount Holyoke College.
Her ancestors came over with the Pilgrims in 1609.
Not on the Mayflower though. On the second boat.
Isn't that interesting?
Yeah. How about some cognac in the old java, huh? How about that?
Eddie, Eddie, now you listen to me.
You don't even know her. Do you hear me?
You don't even know her. You're reacting to her looks, her appearance.
Oh, Jim. It's not just physical.
I know what she is. I know it sounds crazy.
I know that it doesn't make a damn bit of sense. But it hurts.
My body, it actually hurts.
All around here.
I can't hold her face in my mind's eye,
food makes me sick.
It really hurts.
Eddie, I'll tell you what. Let's go on over to the Sandcastle, huh?
We'll have a couple of stiff belts before they close.
We'll keep talking, huh?
God love us all. Hey, Jimmy.
I don't want to make you feel guilty or anything,
but could you maybe reconsider on the case?
It'd help me out at a time when I really need it.
I'd repay you somehow, you know I would.
Hey, don't ask, Eddie. Just don't ask me, huh?
I mean, this could really be very dangerous and that's a reality.
I don't know. How bad could it be, Jim?
I mean objectively speaking,
not because I want you back on, which I do,
but don't you think you're over-reacting a little?
Jumping to conclusions?
(GUN FIRES)
What was that? Huh?
It was kind of like a bee or a whistle you blow at a New Year's Eve party.
I didn't hear anything.
(GUN FIRING)
Shooting at us, Eddie!
(YELLS)
Hey, come on. Get in the house.
Behind the car, Eddie!
(GROANS)
(GRUNTING)
(GUN FIRING)
It's locked!
(GUN FIRING)
(HISSING)
What's that?
That's your new 450. Let me see your arm.
(SIGHS)
Eddie, it's quiet.
Maybe he's reloading.
(CAR DOOR CLOSES)
Or leaving.
(TIRES SCREECHING)
Why in that leg?