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04x05 - A Need to Know

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "Kojak". Aired: October 24, 1973 – March 18, 1978.*
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Show revolved around the efforts of the tough and incorruptible Lieutenant Theodopolus Kojak, a bald, dapper, New York City policeman, who was fond of Tootsie Pops and of using the catchphrases, "Who loves ya, baby?" and "Cootchie-coo!"

04x05 - A Need to Know

Post by bunniefuu »

That's for you.

You take that. Huh?

All right.

We want for him.
We want for everybody.

We're gonna have a party.

Hey!

Hey!

Hey, kids!

Come on!

Come on!

Free ice cream!

Come on!

Listen, you do me a favor.

I lose a puppy dog over there.

Would you help me look for it, huh?

You want to do it? Ah, it's good.
There you look like Charlie Chaplin.

Come on.

That's a pretty good-looking hat, huh?

He's the man!

He's the one!

Put him away! Get him!
Get him off of me!

Give me the radio!

Please!

This is it!

Yeah, I'm moving across
now to keep him in sight.

Stavros is heading toward Canal Street.

I know.

And, uh, your quick call was just made.

I'll cover it from there.

Everybody, get down there.
Pull it together.

Stop right here, huh?

I think that I...

I changed my mind.

I think that I can find the dog.

Romy!!

It's a bust!

Take him!

I'm not sure.

Mrs. Chambers, if he's in there,
we've got to get him off the streets.

I'm frightened.

You scared?

No.

You see okay?

Yeah.

Okay, now the man who
brought you the ice cream cart

cart and who wanted you
to go look for his puppy.

Is he in there?

Number five.

The flame is dark.

Oh, yes, sir, Captain.

We've got three positive.

All right. All right.

Get them an artery to quiet down.

Just a second.

All right, Captain.

You want to shut up?

Dettrow.

Carl Dettrow and that is
all that I'm going to say.

We know all that, Mr. Dettrow.

Where do you work?

Lieutenant, why am I here?

Well, you are here
because you have no wallet,

no driver's license,
no identification card,

and you're walking a
child away from its mother.

And that's why you're here, Mr. Dettrow.

I was not walking a child away.

Children in America laugh
better than children in Europe.

I like to talk to children.

No, not talk.

Molest.

Do you understand, Mr.
Dettrow? Of course you do.

Mr. Dettrow, you were positively identified
as the man who molested two other children.

At that park on two separate occasions.

You're in deep trouble, Mr. Dettrow.

Do you understand that?

Now, what do you mean, molest?

Theo, don't do that.

Read him his rights again in two languages.

I believe that I can
make one telephone call.

He understood enough to
want to make a phone call.

Theo, I know you're on top of it.

I just want them handled carefully.

Move them along slowly.

Hand-feed them through every
step of the booking process.

And do it yourself.

Nobody else.

You do it.

Bury him with fair play, Theo.

This is one potato we don't
want to drop on a technicality.

Captain, telephone.

Yeah, right. Anything else
before you go, Frank?

No, that's it. Just as long as you're sure.

Oh, good job.

Very good job.

Tell your men for me. Excellent.

Takes a lot of the pressure off.

Also takes that sick man off the street,

which is one of the
best things you've done.

Captain, he said it was important.

Everything's important.

See you later, huh?

Sure.

And he jerks one down the line!

What's the say, a little
league or something?

Oh, I'm feeling pretty good
about catching this guy, Lieutenant.

Oh, really? What guy?

Oh, yes.

Well, I'll tell you how I feel about that.

I think that you rejects from
civilian life did a great job.

It was nothing, right?
Yes, what do you mean, nothing?

Are you kidding?

You put a lot of hours, a
lot of effort into this case.

And even when there was nothing but blind
alleys, did you say, why don't we stop?

No.

But what's the big deal?

Hey, Lieutenant.

The captain wants to see you right away.

In his office.

No, he took that call from me and ran.

Said for you to meet him across
the street from the U.N. and fast.

It's the worst kind of
double talk, and you know it.

Frank, I asked you
here to explain it to you.

You didn't ask me here.
You summoned me here.

You said the New York
head of your division insisted.

Now, what kind of asking is that?

Here he comes now.

He'll tear your head off when he
hears this, and you'll deserve it.

All right, Frank. What's the rush?
I could have had an hour off.

Lieutenant Kojak, Federal
Agent Donald Mosher.

Hi, Donald. How are you?
- Lieutenant.

The rush is I wanted
you to hear it first-hand

from Federal Agent
Mosher and not from me.

Because if you heard it from
me, you wouldn't believe it.

I don't believe it myself.

So why should you believe it?

Lieutenant Kojak, the
captain is overreacting.

I requested this little
chat in the interest of

maintaining a rapport
between our two offices.

Chat my foot.

You are ordering me to give up Dettrow.

I'm simply stating our
office has jurisdiction.

Over what?

Lieutenant, he's a foreign
embassy employee.

You have no right to hold him.

He's got diplomatic immunity.

You know something?
He got the mention that.

Maybe he was trying to avoid embarrassment,
worrying about his job, the publicity.

Or maybe he's worried because three
children identified him and two mothers.

Whatever he's suspected
of, our office can handle it.

Oh, how?

As effectively as possible.

Oh, Frank, would you tell me what
that means, as effectively as possible?

Captain, please follow our instructions.

There are to be no police photos.

If you printed them, we want everything.

There's to be no publicity.

Frank, this is double talk.
I mean, we caught him, not the feds.

Gentlemen, we're all on the same side.

Good. Then call his embassy.

Tell them what he is.

Have him sent out of here
as an undesirable now.

I said our office will handle the matter.

All this pressure for a foreign
embassy chauffeur, why?

I'm sorry, I...

That's on a need-to-know basis.

And we don't have a need-to-know?

Captain, you are to accomplish
his release as carefully as possible.

You let him go out the door just like
any other unimportant traffic you get.

You must get him out without notice.

I know where you called us in.

To make a point, the building's
over there very impressive, you know?

And he's under diplomatic
immunity, so we can't touch him.

You should have called
your meeting in a sewer.

You would have made
your point a lot better.

Is that a call, Captain?

I don't have a dime.

That's a bad joke, Lieutenant.

I told you, he has diplomatic immunity.

He also has a sick mind.

He's hurt a lot of kids, and
he's gonna hurt a lot more.

Crocker, I already fought it, and I lost.

There's nothing we can do.

We can break his legs
and lock him in a cage.

Just get his papers
together, put him on my desk.

You want to let him go, you let him go.

Now, what happens if this man,
Dettrow, gets into trouble again?

What do I say to my men?

What do I say to the parents, to myself?

Where do we buy immunity
from this psychopath?

He will remain under our jurisdiction.

Believe me, Frank, you've
got no cause for concern.

Federal agent Mosher.

You better take a walk.

I don't have diplomatic immunity.

Did they tell you what is our agreement?

They told me to let you go.

Oh, that is because they have no choice.

But you have.

Excuse me.
- No, no, no, not yet.

Now, you have no right to keep me.

I have a right to talk to you.

Talk as words.

And words are nothing.

What are children?

You have no right to attack somebody.

I'm a cop in a city of ten million people.

And I've dealt with your kind before.

Okay, sometimes you come younger.

Sometimes you come older, rich, poor.

It makes no difference.

You ought to have one problem.

You hurt children.

Now, you cannot keep me here.

The federal agent says that you cannot.

What do you want from me?

If you want to k*ll me, k*ll me.

You have g*n.

k*ll me.
I will try to escape.

k*ll me, God.

I want you to ask God to help you.

Sign yourself into a hospital.

Maybe he can know why it
would make you do these things.

You don't know why. They don't know why.

But at least you can try.

You do not speak to me
the way you did before.

Why?

Because you're dangerous.

You hurt people.

I mean, I don't know why.

You don't know why.

But when I see what it does to the kids,

I don't care why.

I just got to stop you.

And I've got to let you go.

And I don't want to let you go, Dettrow.

Because I know you're going to go
out there and you're going to do it again

and you'll do it again

until you're stopped by a
doctor trying to understand

or a prison cell

or a cop's b*llet in your brain.

I don't want to come to that.

I want it to stop here.

I want it to stop now

before someone dies.

Do you want to excuse me?

Where you going?

You didn't say I couldn't get some air.

What, are you looking for trouble?

Yeah, I'll let you know if I find it.

But you got to become a commissioner.

Where's Crocker?

You got a call.

Got those papers?

They're on the captain's desk.

All of them?

All the prints, the mugshots, all but this.

It's a reply to a telex I sent around.

Frank.

Carl Dettrow.

Child molestation.

Washington, D.C., two years ago.

As ever as he became involved, the
case was dropped, mistaken identity.

So?

You seem to have
forgotten that I have a job.

I am a chauffeur.

You seem upset.

Well, I'm quite tired of all this.

Arrangements have been made.

When can you get him there?

He will want to see the film.

He is not a fool.

It must be done carefully.

We both want to see the film, Dettrow.

Do you understand what I'm saying?

What time?

Five.

I'm working tonight.

It can be no later.

Where?

I will know from him later.

I'll pick you up before, at the cafe.

Yes?
- Hello.

I'm being watched.

I cannot function.

Could it be police??

No.

No, I am positive.
.

Have you seen him
before?

Yes, I have.

Yes, he is.

He is Caucasian,
but he is one of theirs.

I have seen him as the embassy.

All right, relax.

Go to the chess club.

Give me an hour to set it up.

There's a tail on Dettrow.

Dispose of it?

I'll take care of it.

Madre de Dios, Dettrow.

Usted es una vaca.

I'm a good chess player.

And a good chess player has
to play with a lousy chess player.

I used to be a good chess player.

Even for a chauffeur, you were good.

But today...

you are lousy.

I do not appreciate your comments, Diaz.

What's the joke?

What's bothering you?

I'm tired of your stupid jokes.

I'm tired of working as a chauffeur,

small men with small minds
like the leaders of my country.

I'm tired of wasting my intelligence.

Check.

I believe you're trapped, my friend.

How long has he been here?

About an hour.

So what do you think?

I don't think we ought to be here.

Okay, okay.

I know I shouldn't have been tailing him.

It's just that he's some bum
with diplomatic immunity.

Make any stops where children congregate?

Well, he's stopped off at a psychiatrist.

Here's the address.

Then he gets on a bus and
goes down to the waterfront,

makes a meet with an oriental tourist.

They try to hide the fact
that they were talking.

Pick up? Don't ask me.

I'm not supposed to be tailing him.

He's special, right?

Right.

Then he gets on a bus,
comes down here, and I gotta

hear from my lieutenant that
we shouldn't even be here.

What a full report.

Every move he makes,

every place he goes,

every one he sees.

I'll check out the psychiatrist.

Uh-oh.

He's leaving.

All right.

You tell him, but be careful.

Of him?

Hey, you know what we got here?

Yeah, I think we have a fruitcake.

Well, all of a sudden, I
don't know what we got here.

Not only that, I don't
even know what it means.

So be careful.

Go ahead.

Lieutenant, I'm not insensitive.

I'm not immune.

I listen to sick, often
dangerous patients daily.

I struggle with the problem hourly.

What do I do with what they tell me?

Have them committed?

For what?

How much of it is fantasy?

All right.

Ask me something I can
do, but only that.

Okay.

Help me to understand.

Why don't you sit down?

Thank you.

Would you like a drink?
- No.

The child molester,

like an alcoholic or a gambler,
is driven by a compulsion.

Each has his own.

Often we can help
them, but if he is to avoid

any trouble, he must
stay out of two areas.

He has, one, the target of his
compulsion, in this case, children,

and two, conditions that tend to
aggravate his need for contact.

I'm sorry.

No, no, it was an accident.

I'm very sorry.

Is he all right, huh?

- Oh, sure, sir.

No, no, please.

Here.

No, it's okay.

You're a good boy.
Buy some candy.

No, no, no.

Move it.

You all right?

I feel like an embarrassed cop.

He set me up.

Of course you didn't listen.

Hey, I told you to follow,
not to get in a ring with him.

What's this all about, Lieutenant?

I told you that, too.

I don't know what it's all about.

Stavros.

Check out Dettrow's embassy.

I want you to spot him,

and I want you to tail him.

But Lieutenant,
the captain said no.

Am I the lieutenant?

The lieutenant said yes, Stavros.

Yes, sir.

It's for you.

Come on.

I got a panic call.

You wanted to see me.
What's it all about?

Well, forgive me,
Federal Agent Mosher.

It was nothing.

That bum Dettrow adding
to his other talents,

he set up my detective.

And a goon from your
department tried to hit him.

How's your man?

Angry.

Yours is in surgery.

Kojak,

we didn't know he was your officer.

You lied to us, baby.

You let Dettrow walk the streets.

And maybe you're lying now.

I said we would keep
him within our jurisdiction.

You were ordered to drop the matter.
You didn't.

Hey, Federal Agent, double talk.

My men didn't try to
k*ll one of your men.

Okay, that was unfortunate.

But we've got everything
under control now, I assure you.

Do you?

Do you have Dettrow's
stress under control?

I mean, are you changing
his working conditions?

Are you counseling him
and dealing with women?

Do you even know or care that pressure,
anxiety, concern brings on these compulsions?

What the hell are
you talking about?

Sound profound?

I cheated.

Yeah, I was briefed

by his psychiatrist.

Now, how's that grab
you, baby?

Kojak,

drop it.

Oh, I can't.

You know, I got a
compulsion of my own.

You live with his,

you live with mine.

It's called need to know.

I needed to know why a very sick man
who was arrested for child molestation

in Washington, D.C.,

he's let off the hook there,

and he's now playing
his trade in New York City.

Now, either you deliver
him quietly or I blow the lid.

Okay, I'll talk to my boss

and I'll get back to you.

And fast.

Okay, you want to
get busted, too? Good.

See if you can pick up
on Federal Agent Moshe.

Look, we're going down,

and if we're going down,

we'll go down with a fight.

Go ahead.
- Right.

I thought that he
was one of theirs.

I told you that they'd
want that information also.

Okay, Dettrow.

Patience is running out.

Time is running out.

My ability to hold off
the police is running out.

Your new identity is all set.

Now, you just deliver and
get the hell out of my life.

When?

I have the film.

When do I see it?

When do I see the money?

You'll be at Battery
Park at five o'clock.

I'll show you where
the money is then,

after I see the film.

So?

Yes?

I just got a call from Kojak.

He'll blow the whole
thing if we don't cool him.

I know.

McNeil was here.

Do you have time to sit in?

I'm not meeting
Dettrow till five o'clock.

Yeah, look, be
careful with that.

I'm still not sure Dettrow isn't
pulling something cute.

Hey, George.

You got a playground
in that park.

Which should I
worry about first?

The film or the kids?

Hello. Come back for your wine.

I saved it for you.

Oh, thank you very much.

That's very kind of you.
Thank you.

No, no, no, no.

Hi.

Traffic in the city
gets worse every day.

I will be meeting
him in Battery Park.

All right.

Be calm.

You're not going to k*ll him.

I am.

Hi, mister.

Now, please, please, now
go away, little boy, please.

I am a very important person.

You know that?

And I have very smart brains.

I should have an important position.

But people who are not as smart
as I am keep me as a chauffeur.

You're a nice boy.

You know, this business
with the police is unfortunate.

We should always make every
effort to maintain good liaison.

How can we do that when
we're told to lie to them

in the interest of maintaining security?

We have one mission,

get information.

Now, Dettrow can provide
us with what we must have.

I don't have to remind
you of the importance

of his little dishonesty
with his own people.

I wonder

whether the mothers of those kids

would agree with us

what's important and what's not.

Don, we try to pick good contacts.

Sometimes we miss.

We picked this man
because he was vulnerable.

When we found out about that
little incident in Washington, D.C.,

we knew we had our man,
and what a man we have.

Come on, Don, be realistic.

In w*r, et cetera,

and you and I are always in a w*r.

The bombs that are dropped
don't spare children, do they?

They do not differentiate.

Maybe that bull makes you feel
better, but not me.

Kojak's right.

We live in our own
world, you and I.

I'm beginning to run
out of excuses to myself.

We get the job done.

Let's go.

I have some things to do
before we meet the police.

Manhattan South, Rizzo.

Give me the lieutenant, quick.

What is it?

Stavros.

Yes, Stavros.

Lieutenant?

Yeah, he came back to the cafe.

He went inside, never came out.

I went over there, checked it out. I
checked the men's room, the back alley.

He could have gone
through the back alley.

Here!

Stavros, what's going on?

My son.

He's about six years old.

Have you seen him?

Lieutenant,

better get over here fast.

I don't know what to do.

No, not that one.

My wife's still at work.

She works for an insurance company.

They like her.
She's a good worker.

Shall I call her?

Should I get hysterical?

Lieutenant, you know about these things.
Tell me.

Would you please?

Yes.

That's the man who bumped into Peter.

That's him.

That's the one.

I think you better call
your wife right away.

Oh, my God.

It's only precaution.

Maybe your wife knows
where your child plays.

No, she doesn't.

We've only taken this
place over a few months ago.

That's why she has to work.

I keep him here when
there isn't any school.

We can't afford a nursery school.

We're trying to save our money.

A new business.

You know, Lieutenant.

Please find him.

We'll find him.

I got us a meeting
with Mosher's boss.

What does it look like here?

Father just identified this photo.

Well, let's go.

I suppose they don't cooperate.

Theo, you know they do
have jurisdiction over it.

You know what I'm asking.

Well,

get some of the men to follow us.

The feds have contact with Dettrow.

If they don't go along,

tail them after the meeting.

I already did.

I got Saperstein on Mosher.

If you question,
the order was mine.

Whatever is discussed sounds
better in a more casual atmosphere.

And as hard as I try,

I can't seem to get my
office to look relaxing.

Not with that enormous
government seal hanging there

and a flag in the
corner of the room.

You got this enormous government
seal with this big eagle in it.

You know what I
got behind my desk?

I got a dirty window

and dirty little pigeons.

They go further outside and
dirtier things are happening.

Now, where's Dettrow?

The lieutenant is very graphic.

He's also very right.

And you're the last people in the
world we should have to tell that to.

Captain,

it should be obvious by now
we're on a very important mission.

What we're working
on can save literally

thousands of lives
within the next few weeks.

Do me a favor.

Don't wave the flag at me, okay?

All I'm concerned with
right now is a little boy,

six years old,

brown hair,

brown eyes,

parents love him.

Produce Dettrow.

Captain, if I must
pull rank, I shall.

You are ordered to keep your people
away from a foreign embassy employee

over whom you have
no jurisdiction under any

circumstances regardless
of what you suspect.

Do it.

Is tea over?

Lieutenant, we just
found a little boy.

Where?
- In the alley by the cafe.

Well,

that's what I'd call You're a pretty
brave kid to come up here all alone.

I guess it's safe in a lot of
places I know in New York.

Huh? You know what's even tougher?

You're a bit scared.

When I get scared, look what I do.

Lieutenant Kojak, one of your men
wants you to call him at this number.

All right, thanks.

Okay.

Well, what now?

Well, uh, certainly if you can establish
beyond doubt that Dettrow did this.

Ryan, you're a moron.

Yeah, Kojak.

Yeah, I tailed Mosher to Battery Park.

Dettrow is with him, too.

I figured you ought to know.

Beautiful, baby.

What was it?

Another case.

You got it?

Yes, do you have some money?

Are you sure that this is safe here?

Nobody gives a damn about you here.

Just give me the film and that'll be it.

May I have some money?

Must I count it?

I don't care what you do.

You're on your own now.

Must you leave him here?

Just a tired businessman relaxing.

Why not?

Later I will come back and
dispose of him over there.

I'm sure that's what you want.

I'm sure.

You wouldn't trick me
the way you tricked him.

The money, please.

Not a bad day's work
for a chauffeur, isn't it?

But wait, I have another job.

Not for me.

I just did you a favor.

My people expect more information.

If they can get it from someone else, I
am not going to return to the embassy.

Envelope.

Left-hand pocket.

Take it easy, baby.

Local police are on the job.

I'm okay.

Get Dettrow.

Sorry, lieutenant.

There was a little crowd
I just couldn't get him.

I used new identity.

I arranged for him.

Boris.

Vargoski.

He's got a passport.

Brazilian.

Get out an alarm.

Yes, sir.

A doctor.

Project...

Dettrow...

Heard... Dettrow hurt a child.

Dettrow hurt a child.

The kid was found safe at a friend's house.

Good.

You cannot arrest me.

I am a member of the
international community.

We figured you'd get around to that.

I did not k*ll Moshe.

I did not fire that shot.

You cannot apprehend me.

I am protected under international law.

Dettrow, we found the boy.

I am a special category visitor.

I proclaim diplomatic community.

You cannot arrest me.

What does they know?

They know it all.

I give myself up to you.

We'd love to keep you, but your
friends already made the trip downtown.

I'm sick.

He knows I'm sick.

You must send me to the hospital.

Your people will treat me there.

You're right. That's our way.

You know what they will do to me.

Please don't let them take me.
Please!

You know what they will do to me.

You cannot let them do that to me.

Say I told you so.

How's the kid?

All right, I guess.

Who knows?

I brought this present for him.

Oh, Peter, come here.
The lieutenant brought a present for you.

You got the man, didn't you?

Yep.

They're sending him
back to his own country.

What will they do to him?

They'll do more to him than we
would have done if he stayed here.

I see all kinds of people at these tables.

You hear what people
say and do to each other.

You must see much worse in your work.

How do you stand it?

Well, I look at it this way.

You meet some of the bad people,

and you meet some of the good people.

Hi.

Here, give it to him.

Oh, no, no, no.

Little boys should not take
presents from strangers.

You understand?

Yeah.

Now, you must have a glass of wine with me.

As a gift, like your gift.

Now, come on, you must.

No, I'm not gonna let you
get off that easy, okay?

I'll be back one night with the lady.

Okay.