I know about
the painting now,
and I don't really care.
A painting worth
$3,000,000?
Why do these two
so-called Germans
put a b*llet in
a has-been horror
movie director?
You want to hear
about Alvah Korper?
Talk to the ghost
of Olivia Duran.
Korper wasn't the
only one of his time
who was pro-n*zi.
You're talking about
Hermann Goering?
Stand over there, please.
This is official department
memoranda.
Boy, you talk about
the Nazis around you,
and it rubs off.
ROCKFORD
ON ANSWERING MACHINE:
This is Jim Rockford.
At the tone, leave your name
and message.
I'll get back to you.
WOMAN: Hey, am I too late
for those African goats?
Haven't got the
whole $300 cash,
but, like, I got a lot
of homemade cheese.
Maybe we could
work something out.
KAREN ON TAPE:
Mr. Rockford?
I'm Karen Hall.
I'm so sorry
I've kept you waiting.
ROCKFORD ON TAPE:
Hello, Miss Hall.
You really didn't
explain too much on
your phone message.
You mentioned a job?
KAREN: I'm a freelance
writer based in Boston.
I'm about to start
my first book,
a biography
of Alvah Korper.
Why don't you
pour us some wine?
I'll be right out.
Sure.
He was a film director
back in the '30s and '40s.
His most famous
picture was a drama
about aviation racing
called The Bloody Sky.
Yeah, it doesn't
ring any bells.
Well, there was
Wings of Deceit
and Hell on Wilshire Boulevard
and Erie Canal.
Well, I think I might have
seen The Wings of Deceit
on late-night television.
It's about the first
airmail guys,
the girl who was playing
one against the other...
That's right. And she
went blind in the end.
Yeah. Boy, that was
a long time ago.
True. But in his time,
Korper was considered
the man to get
if Howard Hawks
wasn't available.
You see, most critics and
film buffs overlook him
because his politics
weren't correct.
Correct?
Well, he was an
isolationist in
the '30s and '40s
and sort of right-wing.
He saw Nazism as
a good thing for Europe.
Oh, listen, Korper
wasn't the only one
of his time
who was pro-n*zi
for a while.
Oh, yeah.
There was Mussolini.
Well, you see, Korper
was a fascinating,
eccentric character.
In 1946, they say he
b*rned the negatives
to all his films
except Wings of Deceit.
He became disgusted
with his work.
KAREN: But he's still got
quite a cult following
in France.
I don't see where
a private detective
fits into the project.
In 1946, Korper d*ed
in a car crash.
So, in order to do
the proper research,
I have to ferret out
his old Hollywood circle,
the people who
actually knew him
in the '30s and '40s.
But I do want to interview
Buddy Richards.
He was Korper's first
assistant director
and best friend.
And there's also
Irving Patrick.
He was an art dealer
and gambling crony.
Of course, some of them
may be dead by now.
It all happened so long ago.
Does this kind
of investigation
present a lot of problems?
No. No, for a professional
investigator,
this sort of thing
is a piece of cake.
Really? The reason I ask
is because so much time
has passed.
I mean, I tried finding
Buddy Richards myself,
but he wasn't in
the phone book.
Did you try to locate him
at the Directors' Guild?
You know, it didn't
even occur to me.
Look at it this way.
Jobs in movies are
few and far between.
So the Directors'
Guild can't afford
to keep their members
from being available
to inquiries.
Yes.
WOMAN: Sir, the last address
we have for Julius Richards
is his own
production company,
El Cid Productions,
Hollywood.
Well, thank you.
ROCKFORD: Miss, is there
an Irving Patrick
associated with this gallery?
Yes, he's associated
with this gallery.
He's the owner.
Oh! I knew it wasn't
gonna be too difficult.
'Course, I thought
you'd be located in L.A.
It never occurred to me
that I'd have to come
all the way down
to Orange County.
Mr. Patrick
moved the gallery
down here back in...
Right after
the Korean w*r.
You must have trudged
through a lot of
art galleries
between here and L.A.
That's all right.
I like art.
And I don't mind
driving, either.
Is Mr. Patrick around?
I hate to tell you this,
but he's just left
for England.
He'll be there
the entire fall.
This is the buying season.
Oh. Look, if he should call,
would you tell him I came by?
I represent a writer
who's doing a biography
on Alvah Korper,
the movie director.
And Mr. Patrick
was a friend of his,
and my client would like
to set up an interview.
He can reach me
at this number
or he can call the
Château Sévrine Hotel
and ask for Miss Karen Hall.
It's strange.
Mr. Patrick is
so conservative.
It's hard to picture him
hanging around with
show-business types.
Must have been
a long time ago.
MAN ON TAPE: Was Loch Ness,
at one time,
an awesome, intergalactic
watering hole?
Were the fabled Robin Hood
and his merry band
actually visitors from
some faraway star system?
See Commuters of the Universe.
Excuse me.
Mr. Richards?
Soon at a theater near you.
Right. Yeah.
What can I
do for you?
My name is Jim Rockford.
I'm a private investigator.
I'm working for a writer
who would like to
interview you
for a story she's doing.
No kidding?
How about that!
You were a little
hard to find.
Yeah. I came down here,
the "out of order" sign
was on the door,
that machine was
making all the noise.
Look, what my client
is interested in is
the years you worked
with Alvah Korper.
She's doing his biography.
You tell your friend
that I wouldn't give
an interview about
that monster
for all the tea in China.
Now get out.
Mr. Richards, it took
a lot of legwork
just to get here.
You want to hear
about Alvah Korper?
Tell her to talk to the
ghost of Olivia Duran,
whom he m*rder*d.
She'll get an earful.
Korper m*rder*d who?
He might as well have.
His poor wife.
Despondent and desperate.
No wonder they
found her in that tub
full of her own blood.
Tell her to talk
to Julio Sanchez,
whose brother Raoul
was gunned down
in the street.
Look, Mr. Richards,
maybe you better tell
all this to my client.
It's her problem.
No, you tell her.
You tell her that
he was a devil,
he was a thing
who drained human beings
who tried to love him.
His best ideas, whose
do you think they were?
Yours, I bet.
Who do you think thought
of the blindness gag
for the end of
Wings of Deceit?
Who do you think thought
of the flaming crash
into the oil well
for The Bloody Sky?
In fact, who do you think
sh*t the whole sequence
while Korper was off
seducing teenage girls?
She said he was
a little weird,
burning his film like that.
Burning his film?
Why don't you grow up?
His ego was too monstrous
to do a thing like that.
Probably he's
hidden them somewhere
for posterity to find them.
I say let them
all stay buried!
Why don't you
get back to work?
Let it stay dead and buried.
Goering, him,
and all his n*zi pals!
Wait a minute. Wait.
Do you mean Goering?
You're talking about
Hermann Goering,
the Reichsmarschall
of Germany Goering?
Hermann Goering and Korper
were friends all
through the '30s,
and when Alvah had
time in the summer,
he'd spend some weeks
there at Karinhall.
Karinhall... Oh!
He spent time where?
Karinhall, Karinhall.
Hermann Goering's place
in the Black Forest.
Hey, now... Mr. Richards?
Buddy?
Will you go away,
please?
Or I'll have the kid
call the police!
Miss Hall?
Karen?
I didn't feel
that hotel room
would allow us
to talk business.
Please sit down.
Look, why don't you guys
just cut this out, huh,
and let's...
Sit! There.
You know, I'll bet
you are a very good
private detective,
Mr. Rockford.
Tell me, now,
in what capacity
are you working for
this young lady?
Well, she...
She just wanted me to
dig up some old friends
of Alvah Korper,
the movie director.
Hey, that's all she said.
That's all I know.
She said her name
was Karen Hall.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Well, since then
I found out that
that's the name of
Hermann Goering's A-frame
in the Black Forest. Right?
Why ask me?
Why should I know about
a thing like that?
I just figured
since you're German...
Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
Now, then.
What did the young lady...
What did Karen Hall
tell you about the Watteau?
The what?
The Watteau.
All right, now I'm going
to ask you once again.
What did she tell you
about the Watteau?
I don't even know
what that means, Fritz.
Do you know what
quadriplegic means?
Yeah.
Believe this, Mr. Rockford,
from someone who once
practiced neurosurgery.
The man behind you
was an Olympic wrestler.
He can break
your vertebrae,
and you'll be nothing
but a talking head
for the rest
of your life.
Ow!
You are in business
with her, yes?
No!
Now, come, come.
Tell me the truth now.
You are in business
with her. Yes?
Miss Hall has checked out.
And when was that?
Some 45 minutes ago.
Let me guess. She left
squat for a forwarding
address.
If by "squat"
you mean she left none,
you're correct.
Mr. Richards?
I've got a stomach ache.
Oh, all right.
I'll get an ambulance.
I'll get one.
g*n didn't even
make any noise.
I didn't feel nothing.
I never thought it
would be like this.
Yeah. It's an
answering machine.
They'll be right with us.
You keep quiet. Okay?
No, I gotta keep talking.
I don't wanna doze off.
Or it'll be a wrap.
Did two men with
German accents do that?
Yeah.
They wanted to know
about a Watteau
that Alvah had.
Told them I didn't know.
I remember them
talking about it
way back,
but in the old days.
Watteau was a French
painter, right?
Oh, yeah?
I don't know
anything about art,
but I know what I like.
You know... You know
what Alvah liked?
Alvah liked to
destroy people.
Guy liked to dig at them,
like his poor little wife.
Operator! Operator,
I need an ambulance
and a police car right away.
A man's been sh*t.
at Studio City.
That's right. Quick.
Olivia.
Poor Olivia.
I loved Olivia...
No, I don't want a blanket.
Understand?
Lord,
everybody loved Olivia.
Alvah came home
one night, drunk,
and he found her in
the bathtub all cut up.
And the police went
after Raoul Sanchez
and k*lled him.
The gardener m*rder*d
Mrs. Korper?
Well, he d*ed without
confessing,
and Alvah said
that the police were
Jew Bolshevik liars
who went after
the wrong guy.
He swore that
Patrick k*lled Olivia.
Oh, right. Irving Patrick,
the art dealer.
No. No, you lummox.
Patrick Parnell.
Huh?
Yeah. He was a young
contract player
at Paramount.
Mr. Richards,
now, why don't you
just stay quiet
until the ambulance
gets here, okay?
No, no. Pat and Olivia
had an affair
and it went bad.
It was Alvah's fault.
He ruined everything.
Is that Patrick Parnell?
No one ever knew if
Pat really k*lled her
because he disappeared
in '46.
I remember my first wife...
Mr. Richards, please.
Please, now I think
you ought to conserve
your strength.
You know...
You know, it's funny
you bring up Irving Patrick.
I haven't thought
about him in years.
Well, he is an art dealer,
and these...
These two German
bloodsuckers
are running
around asking questions
about the Watteau painting.
I'll tell you one thing.
Raoul Sanchez didn't
k*ll Olivia.
Of course, he was
a little steamed up
about Julio and Olivia,
but...
Julio? Who's Julio?
There's something funny
about this Julio?
Nah. Nah.
All of a sudden
you come here today,
and it all comes back.
Like his...
Like his old friend,
Hermann Goering.
Old Hermann gave him
a car for a birthday
present. A...
A Union...
Auto Union?
Auto Union.
Auto Union. Yeah.
A '34 racing car,
you know?
Yeah, yeah.
Well, that was the car
that went over
Benedict Canyon
with Alvah in it.
You see, when Germany fell,
you couldn't get parts,
and the brakes were sh*t,
and then he went
over the canyon.
Do you understand?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Julio...
Where is that ambulance?
All right, the ambulance
is gonna be here
in just a minute.
Hey, hey, pal.
Yeah, yeah?
Hey, pal,
you tell them to be careful
how they handle the Moviola.
It's a rental.
BECKER: Here we go.
"Korper, Olivia D."
Stand over there, please.
This is official department
memoranda
open only to department
personnel.
Boy, you talk about
the Nazis around you,
and it rubs off.
"Let's see, female
Caucasian, age 28,
multiple s*ab wounds,
"body unclad."
Do you see anything there
on a Raoul Sanchez?
I'm looking.
Okay. "Suspect
Raoul Sanchez
had been heard
"making threats
against the life
of Mrs. Korper,
"alleged she had
repeatedly seduced
"his younger brother,
Julio, age 16.
"Got the boy to
drink hard liquor,
"taught him techniques
from The Perfumed Garden,
an Arabic love manual."
So that's Julio Sanchez, huh?
Raoul's kid brother.
I'm gonna have to
write that down.
"When approached by officers
at the corner of
Third and Alvarado,
"suspect Raoul Sanchez fled,
was struck by police g*nf*re,
d*ed at the scene."
Looks like that
closed the case.
Hey, have you got anything
on Irving Patrick?
Let's see. Yeah, here we go.
"Victim's husband,
Alvah Korper,
"demanded Patrick be
picked up for questioning.
"He was grilled about
his whereabouts at the
time of the m*rder,
"but was then released."
No. No, I think that's
Patrick Parnell.
Oh, you're right.
Who the hell is
Patrick Parnell?
He's an actor.
Olivia Korper's lover.
He disappeared.
No, I'm talking about
Irving Patrick.
An art dealer.
None of this ties
into Buddy Richards.
All of this is
a mass of confusion
that happened ages ago.
Besides, it's a waste
of my time.
To understand one,
you gotta understand
the other, Dennis.
Now, really, I mean,
when you think about it,
the '40s were only yesterday.
Well, let me see
if I can nail this.
Now, you have a client
who's got the same name
as Hermann Goering's house.
Right.
The Hermann Goering
who was the head
of the Luftwaffe.
Right.
That's too much data.
I can't even keep it
straight.
Hey, come on, Dennis.
Bear with me,
will you, huh?
I've been keeping
notes on this thing.
Now this is theory time.
Right? Just theory.
Okay. Buddy Richards,
was the actual m*rder*r
of Olivia Korper. Why?
He was in love with her.
He told me that himself.
So we'll say jealousy.
What Buddy Richards
didn't know was that
her lover, Patrick Parnell,
has been alive
all this time,
and just waiting for
vengeance, you know,
and the painting.
Who are these two
German creeps?
They're working
for Patrick Parnell,
who's trying to...
Boy, it's a mess,
isn't it?
I tell you, Dennis,
I think my head's
gonna bust open.
Huh?
Oh.
All right.
You boys have
a lot to answer for.
Why were you
following me?
We are not boys.
And it is you who has
a lot to answer for,
Mr. James Rockford.
I am Deputy Chief Inspector
Jean-Marc Giono,
of the Sûreté Nationale
Française.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, sir.
I believe this is yours.
Thank you.
Let me help you.
Thank you.
You all right?
Yes. Yes, thank you.
So, Chief Inspecteur,
Inspector Mage,
how can we help you?
What the Chief Inspector
would expect,
Mr. Rockford,
is that you tell us
everything about yourself,
Miss Karen Hall,
and the Watteau.
I'll do it.
But first I'd like
some background
on this mess.
I feel like a newcomer.
What exactly would
you want to know?
Oh, the whole magilla.
The painting, Karen,
Alvah Korper, Hermann Goering.
But don't just jump in
in the last couple of
days, all right?
I'm confused.
Just begin at
the beginning.
Very well.
France, 1789.
Queen Marie Antoinette,
on her 30th birthday,
is gifted by the King
of a painting by
Antoine Watteau.
It is titled
Pilgrimage to Avignon.
Coveted by all the
nobles of France,
the painting
has a dark past
and already carries with it
a legacy of bloodshed
and deceit.
CHAPMAN: Getting
all this, Becker?
And so, when the painting
disappeared from the Louvre
in 1940,
the Nazis of course
wanted to shift blame
from themselves.
For political reasons,
they tried to tie the theft
to a family of Jewish
art thieves
who trace their roots
to the time of
Louis Quatorze.
This guy, Louis Quatorze,
you got the spelling
on that last name?
Quatorze is not
a last name.
Louis Quatorze
means Louis XIV.
When do we get
to Los Angeles
and Alvah Korper?
June 14, 1941.
Feeling cocky, the Nazis
finally admit there was
no theft.
The Watteau had
been impounded
by the Luftwaffe
and went to hang
in Goering's estate,
Karinhall.
Not now, Lieutenant.
At the end of the w*r,
informants told our agents
that Goering had sent
the Watteau by courier
to Brazil.
Where he was planning
to retire, right?
Oui. The recipient
of the painting,
they tell us, is...
Alvah Korper,
who was down there sh**ting
The Bloody Sky at the time.
That's why Karen Hall
was so interested in
that production.
In 1945, La Sûreté conducted
an investigation in Brazil
and here in Los Angeles.
The painting,
they did not find it.
And Korper says
he does not have it.
But we know he does.
He tried to give
our agents the slips.
Frieda Hauptmann,
suddenly...
...she disappeared.
Oh, no. Who?
Frieda Hauptmann,
Alvah Korper's housekeeper.
You got a spelling
on that last name?
We never could find
Frieda Hauptmann,
but our chiefs felt
she had taken the
painting for Korper.
The case has remained
open for 30 years.
But two weeks ago,
a lucky broke.
A tour bus crashed
near the Porte d'Clichy.
On the injured list
is Frieda Hauptmann.
Unfortunately, by the time
we get to the hospital,
Frieda Hauptmann had d*ed.
But into our hands
falls the young woman
Hauptmann is traveling with,
a young woman who claims
to be her daughter.
And this young woman
is known to you as
Miss Karen Hall.
Oh, now I get it.
Karen Hall is tied in
with those two Germans
I met.
And she's trying
to help them
squeeze the Watteau
out of Frieda Hauptmann!
No. Karen Hall is
actually Katherine Korper,
only child of Alvah Korper.
Oh, well, of course.
How stupid of me.
I mean, it was so obvious.
For three days we question
Mademoiselle Hall.
She claims to know
nothing of the painting.
But witnesses
at the hospital,
they tell us different.
The old woman
told her everything.
Now I do get it.
The two Germans
are old confederates
of Alvah Korper,
somebody he double-dealt,
and they've been waiting
for 30 years for this
egg to hatch, right?
No, no, no, Rockford!
They're probably
East German agents
provocateurs, hmm?
Trying to claim
the painting for the
Communist government.
Now I recall a
similar circumstance
when I was part of the
Interpol Officers'
Exchange Program.
Hey, don't tell me,
Chapman. Okay?
Now, I've been working
on this Alvah Korper thing,
and I'm beginning to get
a feel for this guy.
I would say
you're both wrong.
More likely the Germans
are former members of
the Abwehr,
n*zi intelligence.
They have a worldwide
syndicate
that deals illegally
in German w*r plunder.
Are you sure about that?
Well, not absolutely
sure, but...
Yeah. Well, then I stick
with what I said.
I'm beginning to know
this Alvah Korper,
the way he thought,
the way he operated.
All of a sudden,
you are the expert?
You did not even know
he had a daughter.
Well, no, I didn't, but...
Any of this tie in
to Buddy Richards?
Who is Buddy Richards?
Will you hold off
with Buddy Richards?
We have enough
of a problem here.
I think we have something
on this Buddy Richards,
Chief Inspector.
Uh-huh.
He was questioned in
our 1945 investigation.
Anything there on
Korper, Olivia D?
A homicide that took place
about the same time?
Wait a minute.
Wait a minute, now.
You think the homicide
ties in with the painting?
Hey, hey. Yeah.
I think that Raoul Sanchez
or Irving Patrick
has the answer
to that question!
Hmm?
A $100,000 reward?
Did they really say that?
Yeah, that's
what they said.
They didn't like admitting
that there was one.
You know, if the Sûreté
can recover the Watteau
on their own,
they'll save
the French taxpayers
a bundle of money.
Oh, hey, Dad, I'm sorry.
I forgot to tell you.
This is Daphne Ishawahara.
She's gonna help
me out on this case.
Daphne, this is my father,
Joseph Rockford.
Nice to meet you,
Mr. Rockford.
Hi.
Don't worry about
this clutter.
I'll pack it away each night.
You know,
I've been going tapioca.
I was trying to sift
through the mass of
facts in this case.
Remember Paul McEvoy
at UCLA?
Thought maybe
Daphne might help.
You know, she's getting
a doctorate in logic.
Frankly, Jim,
I don't think we're facing
a critical problem here.
What we have to do
is continue to isolate
the extraneous factors,
go back to the fundamentals
of a good investigation
and apply Ockham's razor.
What's that?
That's an empirical dictum.
The dictum was postulated
by William of Ockham,
the British philosopher.
You know, you're as good
as those folks on those
educational TV programs.
Course, I never
get to watch them,
but I would like to.
Oh, my antenna's down.
Hey, Daphne.
Daphne, look.
Yeah.
I tracked down
all of Korper's
real estate holdings.
Now, he had a mansion
of 18 rooms up in the hills
and he had a burial plot
for Olivia Korper
in Rose Glade
Memorial Park.
Why you gotta
know about that
guy's real estate?
Dad, if the painting
is here in L.A.,
it has to be actually
some place.
So I'll check all
of Korper's property.
And the mansion's the
first place on the list.
Them German guys
is on the prowl.
Yeah. Now, don't worry.
I don't like it either.
But I'll be careful.
And let's just hope
they haven't tumbled onto
that mansion themselves.
Oh, sonny, now...
I know all about that
big reward and all, but...
Well, him putting
his life on the line
like that,
it just don't seem...
Logical?
Oh, well, well!
Oh!
If it isn't my
favorite authoress.
Oh, Mr. Rockford!
I thought I heard
someone up there,
but I wasn't sure.
You remember me?
The guy you left
with his head in
the beehive, Kathy.
You know that
that's my name?
Sounds like I do,
doesn't it?
You've met up
with the Sûreté.
They actually
followed me?
That's why I had
that horrible feeling
I was being watched.
And they're the ones
who ransacked my room.
Oh, no,
not nearly so simple.
Your room was ransacked
by an Olympic wrestling
champ
and a German
ex-neurosurgeon.
What? Who are they?
Well, that's multiple choice.
They were either
two former members of
Wehrmacht intelligence,
two old friends
of your father,
or two cops from
East Berlin.
Oh, you're angry.
Look, I'm sorry
I ran out like that.
But when I saw what
they did to my room,
I got frightened.
I've been trying
to call you.
Look, you see,
my stepmother,
her name was
Frieda Hauptmann,
told me I should
trust no one.
No one.
That's why I lied.
Greed had nothing
to do with it.
Greed had everything
to do with it.
I didn't want you to
know about the painting.
You do know about
the painting, don't you?
No, no, no.
I just came up here
to catch poison ivy.
Hey.
Hmm?
Oh, are you Gertler from
the real estate office?
Yes, I am.
You must be
Mr. Jarrell.
I'm sorry I'm late.
Why, this is my wife, Betty.
How do you do?
Bathrooms upstairs
are fantastic.
Now, I want you to pay
strict attention to the
ceilings in this house.
There are no two the same.
They're all Baroque.
What I wanna know is
where did you come up
with that ridiculous alias?
I mean, are you nuts?
You're running around
with a name
that one of the biggest
Nazis dreamed up
for his summer home.
My father named me that.
Up until a week ago
in Paris,
I thought Karen Hall
was my real name.
I thought Frieda
was my real mother
who'd been widowed
by a man named Hall.
I love it.
Look, Frieda
explained it to me
just before she d*ed.
In 1945, when I was
three years old,
my father thought
some dangerous people
might hurt me
in order to force
the painting out of him.
There'd already been one
m*rder, my real mother.
So he changed my name
and he sent me off
with Frieda.
The name Karinhall
served some kind of
dramatic unity in his mind,
a weird joke
on his enemies.
What a card.
I didn't even know
until a week ago in Paris
that there was
a painting to be had.
Frieda and I were living
on what I earned writing
advertising copy.
Do you think you could
reduce this story to
one catchy line?
It's true!
At this point,
who cares, Kathy?
Oh, there you are!
You folks do want
to see the upstairs,
don't you?
Sure. Sure.
Do you mind following me?
This was once used
as a solarium.
Why are you so hostile?
I said I was sorry.
I am 34 years old,
and I'm just beginning
to find out who I am.
I have been so
scared and confused
this past week,
I haven't even been able
to visit my real mother's
grave in Parkvale Cemetery.
And I would like to.
Look,
you're getting yourself
worked up over nothing.
Nobody is gonna
hit Fat City now.
That painting is
going back to France
one way or another.
The Sûreté is gonna
see to that.
There is a reward, though.
I found that out in Paris.
That's why you're here.
Right?
We might as well
split it now.
I mean, we're both here.
Unless you intend
to fight over it.
Why do I need to
split with you?
You wanna search
this house yourself?
Go right ahead.
I spent my early
childhood here,
and all I can tell you
is good luck.
GERTLER: I didn't know
that was there.
Yeah, well,
isn't that something?
Betty just...
She just put her hand
on it, and presto!
Yeah.
Well, do you folks
want to look at
the bathrooms, or what?
I have another appointment.
Sure. Sure.
Go right ahead.
Well, would you follow me?
Here I go, being
left alone again.
There are plenty more
of these hidden panels,
believe me.
Well, honey, shall we?
I can smell that painting.
No, it wasn't just
not finding the painting.
It was being there again.
That house is
full of heartbreak.
I think I'll just forget
about Parkvale Cemetery
and my mother's grave.
Just let the whole
chapter stay closed.
Parkvale.
Parkvale Cemetery?
Now, you said that
before, didn't you?
Hmm.
Your father's old
law firm told me
that he owned a crypt
for your mother
in Rose Glade Memorial Park.
No. Frieda told me
Parkvale.
I don't think she'd get
something like that wrong.
Probably not.
And neither would
the law firm.
You see what I'm saying?
One of the graves
is phony?
There...
There's no body in it?
A perfect place
to hide a painting!
The crypt. It has to be.
How do we get in?
Wait for nightfall?
Now maybe we
could go out...
Karen, Karen.
Hey, hey.
We thought it had to
be in the house, too.
Yeah. Your father
was a strange duck.
Now, if it's not in
the crypt, then what?
Well, we'll see.
You don't understand.
We still got those two
Germans to worry about
in case we strike out.
Then we'll get the
protection of the police.
You don't exactly rent
the Police Department.
We have to work it out
so the Sûreté is led
to the painting
and we still
claim the reward,
and at the same time
the cops throw the net
over the Germans
in case we don't
find the painting.
And then the whole thing
has to be worked out
to the last second.
Right. That sounds simple.
Simple? You haven't
been listening!
You are such a defeatist.
I cannot believe
you won't even try it.
All right.
I'll go do it myself.
I'm sure of it now. It's her.
She has his hair, his face.
It's like seeing him.
I don't know,
but something's gonna
have to be done.
Shall we unlock
the front door, please?
Well, well!
Isn't that nice!
Going on some sort
of junket, huh?
Well...
Hey, now, look, pal,
I have been
through the shredder
the past couple of days.
I know about
the painting now,
and I don't really care,
you know?
I mean, it's not worth
the aggravation.
Oh, now, really!
Running out on a painting
worth $3,000,000?
Look...
Hey, look around you.
You know, it's gotta
look better on your
wall than mine.
Mr. Rockford, I think you
have more appreciation
for Watteau's work
than you'd care to admit.
I think you would
love to have it,
you and Miss Hall.
All right. All right.
She and I were
a team for a while.
But I'm out.
I tried to explain to her
how difficult the
whole thing would be,
but, you know,
she's still dreaming
about claiming the reward.
You know, she won't
listen to reason.
Her father's daughter
indeed.
From what I've
heard of him.
Then you didn't really
know Alvah Korper?
Only from his dossier
at the Abwehr.
We had to run
background checks
on all Reichsmarschall
Goering's drinking cronies.
You see, the Reichsmarschall
could sometimes be
an embarrassment.
But that's another story.
It's my contention you
know of the painting's
whereabouts.
That you and Miss Hall
intend to appropriate it,
then leave town
after delivering
it to the Sûreté.
You're wrong.
Hey, Willy,
we know you're tough.
All right, all right.
I figured out that
Alvah Korper had
duplicate burial plots
for his wife,
but one of them
is a dud.
I figure it's gotta be
the crypt at Rose Glade
Memorial Park
and I think maybe Karen's
already gotten to it.
Well, then, let's all go
to Rose Glade, shall we?
Let him go.
Hey, now look,
if we find this thing,
there's no reason
for you guys to be
climbing on my back
anymore, you know?
We part friends, right?
Give Mr. Schindler a hand,
please.
Yeah. Sure. Sure.
The Bloody Sky, Reel Two.
Hell on Wilshire Boulevard,
Reel Two.
Hell on Wilshire Boulevard,
Reel One.
He didn't hide
the painting here!
This insane idiot!
He hid some stupid
motion picture negatives!
What a card.
Nothing but garbage here!
Dennis!
Dennis!
Tell me,
how do you like it?
You swine!
Jimbo?
Dennis!
Well, you sure took
your time, Dennis.
A little more
and I might've
had to get rough.
You and Hiss Hall
were so worried that
the Sûreté was gonna
ace you out of your reward,
that she wouldn't give me
the exact location
till we were at
the cemetery gate.
Jim, are you all right?
Oh, yeah. Sure.
Did you find
the picture?
Yeah, four of them.
Well, that's that. It's 1:00.
Sûreté are probably
digging up the painting
at Parkvale right now.
Thank you.
Yeah, yeah.
Pardon me, sonny?
Oh, yeah.
Did you say something?
I just figured it out.
I just figured out who
m*rder*d Olivia Korper.
Julio Sanchez. Julio Sanchez!
Which one was he?
Raoul Sanchez's
younger brother.
I don't remember
Raoul Sanchez neither.
The reason nobody's
ever been able to
solve this crime is,
myself included,
because they keep thinking
the m*rder and the
painting are related.
Wrong! Forget you
ever heard that!
Okay.
The key to the homicide
lies in the crime itself.
So, we have to go
back to first causes.
Now, the victim was
found nude in her tub
and mutilated.
What does that say?
It says it's a crime of
sexual passion, probably.
Which has absolutely
nothing to do with
the painting.
You don't have one
Ockham's razor here,
Daphne!
You have two!
Julio Sanchez,
the young groom she
repeatedly seduced.
Right. Now the clincher is,
if we say that Raoul Sanchez
didn't k*ll Olivia,
why did he run
from the police?
To avoid answering questions.
Because he knew
that his younger brother
has committed the crime.
Now that's a hypothesis
I can support.
Boy, it never
stops happening.
You never stop making me
proud of you, sonny.
Oh, well, I don't know.
Maybe the key is patience.
And the ability to juggle
more than one concept
at the same time.
Hey, you wanna
know something?
I think I got rid
of my headache.
I'm having a heart att*ck,
I think.
Hey, Dad! Somebody
call an ambulance!
All right. All right.
Just take it easy.
Take it easy.
Pills.
All right,
I'll get the pills.
You just take it easy.
ROCKFORD: Hey, mister.
Huh?
What's with the
peashooter, huh?
Go ahead.
Call the police
and get it over with.
I beg your pardon?
You heard me.
You know what
I'm talking about.
You saw me k*ll her.
You k*lled who?
Olivia Korper.
Just who are you, pal?
Patrick.
Parnell or Irving?
Irving.
You k*ller her?
Whatever for?
You see,
if I could have handled
the sale of the Watteau,
it would have made me.
But I knew that
Olivia and Pat Parnell
were planning on
running away together,
using the painting
to bankroll their
stupid pipe dream.
Everyone thought that
it was over between them,
but I knew that Pat had
a trick up his sleeve.
He knew that Alvah
wasn't home that night.
Come on, pal,
you're gonna have
to do better than that.
What are you
talking about?
It makes sense in
terms of motivation.
Oh, yeah? Yeah, well,
it was a sex crime.
Now, I suppose now
you're gonna tell me
you had something going
with Olivia, too, huh?
No, I made it look
like a sex crime
just to throw
suspicion off myself.
IRVING: But the kid
saw me k*ll her.
I did?
Of course you did.
It was just a
matter of time
before you'd squeal
to the police
or try to blackmail me.
Maybe you just
don't remember,
but as I ran from the house,
I saw you in the playroom
next to your mother's room,
and you saw me.
Seconds later I heard you
screaming, crying.
Don't you remember that?
No.
The ambulance is
on its way, Jim.
Now, look, mister,
I don't know
what's making you cop out
to a crime you didn't commit,
but I'm sure
gonna find out.
You know, I know
who k*lled Olivia.
Julio Sanchez!
And if Alvah Korper
had thought before
he drove his car off
of Benedict Canyon,
well, he would have
realized the same thing.
What are you
trying to prove?
I'm confessing.
I m*rder*d her.
Also, Alvah was
not in that car.
What?
It was Pat Parnell.
Alvah rigged the crash.
Because he thought
that Pat had k*lled
Olivia.
He b*rned Pat Parnell's
body beyond recognition
before it ever went
over the cliff.
Alvah wanted to profit
from the confusion.
Confusion? What confusion?
I'm really confused,
Mr. Patrick.
How did you
know all this?
Alvah phoned me
a year ago,
out of the blue.
Shocked?
I suffered my first
heart att*ck the next day.
A year ago?
Is my father still alive?
No, no. He was
terminally ill
when he phoned me.
You see, he'd been
in this sanitarium
for alcoholics
in Passaic, New Jersey
since 1958.
He told me what
he'd done to Pat.
And how he intentionally
disappeared
because he was
tired of life.
If you could have
heard him laughing
on the phone
as he was telling about it...
It was awful.
A little laugh on the Sûreté.
He probably never
buried the paintings at all.
ROCKFORD: He probably
sold them himself
a long time ago.
Alvah never had the painting.
What? Well, I thought that...
Dad...
Dad, just don't ask.
All right?
The man didn't
have the painting.
The man didn't have
the painting, period.
That's just
good enough for me
at this point in time.
You see,
Goering's courier,
a party gauleiter
from Dresden,
apparently got wise to
what he was delivering
and kept the Watteau.
What did you have
to come here for?
I k*lled a woman
for nothing.
Pat Parnell d*ed
a horrible death
for nothing.
I was about to k*ll again
to protect myself.
Call the police.
I wanna make
a complete statement.
Oh, look, Irving,
you know, I mean, it's...
It's not for me to say.
It was Karen's mother
who was m*rder*d,
and, I don't know,
I just feel that...
Boy, that was
a long time ago.
It was. It was a hell
of a long time ago.
But I can't live
with it anymore.
All right. I'll call
Dennis Becker,
police sergeant
friend of mine.
But Irving,
you're gonna have to
do the explaining.
Irving?
04x08 - Irving the Explainer
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Follows ex-convict turned private investigator from his mobile home in a parking lot on a beach in Malibu, California.
Follows ex-convict turned private investigator from his mobile home in a parking lot on a beach in Malibu, California.