Panic in Echo Park (1977) - full transcript
A young black M.D. tries to prove that the community of Echo Park is endangered by a deadly epidemic. But he has to fight his superior in the hospital and city government who accuse him of just causing panic.
[waves crashing]
[fire roaring]
[people chattering]
[distant sirens wailing]
[doors slamming]
[sirens wailing]
[suspenseful music]
[speaking in foreign language]
[ominous music]
[people chattering]
- Here he comes.
- OA's open around 5:00, Doctor.
- Thank you, nurse.
[machine beeping]
- Not much of a chance, Stoner.
Let him go.
Even if we do operate,
he'll be a vegetable.
[ominous music]
- I'm gonna scrub.
Get started.
- I need your boy's full name.
[woman speaking in Spanish]
Your address, and his birthday.
[speaking in foreign language]
- Your son was driving a stolen car.
Do you understand?
[speaking in foreign language]
- Do you know what
automobile is, automobile?
Pinto, el Pinto.
[speaking in foreign language]
- Hey, what is with this place?
Nobody speaks English.
- Hey wait a minute.
Take it easy.
You're gonna work in this neighborhood,
try to learn the language.
- And who are you?
- I'm Doctor Stoner.
- Doctor, I have to fill out a report.
- Not now, officer.
- Doctor, I have to fill out a report.
- Officer, this is not the time.
- Doctor, will you tell
us, how is my brother?
- Since when do you speak English?
Sit down.
[speaking in foreign language]
[weeping]
[people chattering]
- [PA Announcer] Sixth
floor nursing supervisor,
call your office.
Sixth floor nursing supervisor,
please call your office.
- Hey lovely, how you doing?
What can I get you, a bird?
- How you doing, Karen?
- Fine, Doctor.
- Hey Doc, she looks like she's
doing alright to me, huh?
[laughing]
Okay, what are you all doing?
- Hey Mrs. Stuart, how are you doing?
- It's Elaine, Doctor.
She isn't feeling well.
- Well, let's take a look at her.
Hey, what's wrong with you, girl?
- My tumm-ach's sore.
- Hey Doc, I've been waiting since
nine o'clock this morning.
What about me, huh?
- Take it easy, take it easy.
I'll get to you.
You've been eating too
much candy, that's why.
Open your mouth.
Yeah, yeah, see.
See, look at that.
No teeth.
[laughing]
What'd I tell you?
- Stoner.
Thought you'd gone home.
- Well, here's your Doctor.
- You're the Doctor.
- Well, Doctor Stoner's
going off duty now, okay?
You want to bring her
to the examining room?
- Don't worry about anything, he's okay.
- Thank you, Doctor.
- [PA Announcer] Doctor Stoner,
report to administration, Doctor Stoner.
- Michael, you listen to me.
You tied up an anesthesiologist,
two interns, four nurses,
who knows what else,
for half the night.
- We were operating.
That's what a hospital's for.
- In the opinion of
one of your colleagues,
Enrico Fernandez was legally
dead when he came here.
He was legally dead.
- He's alive now.
- I'm glad he's alive.
But I'm responsible for this hospital.
I'm responsible for the
way things are done.
I should have been consulted.
- Hey, we can't reach you.
You're always in meetings or on the phone.
- That's no excuse, and you know it.
You have been told
before that this hospital
has certain proper and
necessary procedures.
- Procedures.
You know what's bugging you?
I ran up your light bill
without your permission.
Why don't you admit it?
A 16 year old Mexican kid cost
you a couple grand a night.
- A lot of things are bugging me.
I'm bugged by your lack of discipline.
I'm bugged that you may not be able
to save the world with
the budget I'm giving.
- Yeah well I don't give
a damn about your budget.
- Without that budget, you wouldn't have
a hospital to work in.
- Hey look, look.
I do what has to be done,
when it has to be done.
If you don't like it, fire me.
- Michael, you're tired.
You don't know what you're saying.
- Yeah okay, I'm tired.
Goodnight.
- It's very nice, Maria.
- Thank you.
- Goodnight, Cynthia.
- Goodnight, Leonard.
Oh, I wish I could live there.
- [Maria] It's no such
place, it's just pretend.
But I paint my dreams.
- I think everybody paints their dreams.
I love the color and the composition.
- Thank you.
- It's really very good.
- Thank you, thanks, Cynthia.
Goodnight.
- Goodnight.
See you next week.
- Okay.
- Cynthia, please, come and help me.
- Goodnight Shane.
- [Shane] Goodnight.
- What's wrong, Mr. Luchero?
- The hands, look at the hands.
They are too big.
- I like it.
Don't, Mr. Luchero!
- [Mr. Luchero] Why?
- Please don't do that.
- Nobody looks like that.
- Come on, man.
I bet that guy can really
punch somebody out.
- It's out of perspective.
- It doesn't matter, it's honest.
If I wanted a photograph,
I'd get a camera.
Art is freedom, Mr. Luchero.
It's the only place you
can do what you want.
[laughing]
Yes?
- Nothing.
- He's just a nut.
- Maybe I'll take it home.
- I would.
Goodnight.
- Goodnight.
Maybe next week, I'll
paint a cock fight, huh?
- Good.
- Hey you.
- Hey buddy, what do you want?
- It's alright.
He's a friend of mine.
- Oh, you sure it's okay?
- Yeah, thanks.
- Take it easy.
- Night.
- Your students really
look after you, don't they?
- Yeah, they're good guys.
You're late.
I wanted you to sit in on my class.
- Well, I did too, but I
had an emergency operation.
Just like last week.
But next week I'll bring
my charcoal pencils
and draw for you, I promise.
- Oh, I bet you don't even
have charcoal pencils.
[upbeat music]
[strumming guitar]
♪ Don't know why ♪
♪ You treat me like you do ♪
♪ I said I don't know why ♪
♪ You treat me like you do ♪
- Hey.
That's very nice.
[strumming guitar]
- They call me the singing Doctor.
[strumming guitar]
Hey, what's going on in here?
- What do you mean?
- You know...candles, wine.
- You know what day this is?
- What, it's your birthday?
- Nope.
- My birthday?
- It's the seventh.
- Oh, the seventh.
What's the seventh?
- It's sort of an anniversary.
We met exactly one month ago.
[glasses clink]
[gentle music]
- Well, I never thought
it would end up like this.
- Like what?
- You know, like this.
You have great eyes.
Mirrors.
I like the way I look in 'em.
- Am I attractive to you?
- Are you kidding?
When I first saw you,
it was like looking at...
I don't know, something special.
I was scared to ask you out.
But then I found out
you wrote fairy tales,
and I said hey, she needs you.
She thinks like is all magic castles
and glass slippers.
I better set her straight.
- Yeah, so you decided to
show me the real world, huh.
- Yeah, that's right.
What have I got?
Candle lights and fairy tales.
Hey what's this?
- [Cynthia] Nothing.
- Nothing?
A moose wearing a stethoscope is nothing.
- Oh, there you go.
You'll feel better.
Tomorrow I'll show you the sun.
Do you like that?
- Cynthia, you're talking to a plant.
- I know.
- But why are you talking to a plant?
- It's tired.
- Well I'd give it a shot of B-12.
[shushing]
It's a plant!
- Plants have feelings.
- Oh.
Okay, I'll...
I'll just sit over here
while my girl talks to her begonias.
- Am I?
- What?
- Am I your girl?
- Surely you are.
But, do you know what you're getting into?
Rotten hours, guy who
can't go to the movies
'cause he's too tired.
- That's what my mother said.
She said that you would be-
- You told your mother about me?
- My dad, too.
- Great.
- They want to meet you.
- Yeah, I bet they do.
- No, I mean in a good way, honest.
Please?
- When?
- Sunday brunch.
It's your free day.
We could just stop in for a few minutes.
- Okay okay.
What did you tell your parents?
- That you were tall, dark, and handsome.
[laughing]
- You sure you said dark?
Alright, alright now.
I just wanted to make sure when I walk in,
I don't give 'em a stroke.
- Oh, stop worrying.
- Who's worried?
[phone ringing]
- Hello?
Yes, just a minute.
It's the hospital.
- Yeah.
Okay, I'll be there.
I gotta go.
I'll call you tomorrow.
- Michael.
[melancholy music]
Happy anniversary.
[lively music]
- Hey Doctor!
You don't sleep home no more, huh?
- Mrs. Gambini, didn't you get my message?
Told you not to wait up for me.
- What message?
I was out dancing last night.
[phone ringing]
- Yeah.
Yeah, this is Doctor Stoner.
Well I just left there.
Alright, alright, alright,
alright, I'll be there.
[upbeat music]
- Get him!
Hey Stoner.
- Yeah, yeah put him right there.
Alright, stay right here.
- Hey, Stoner, stand there.
Put your hand on your hip.
- Are you crazy?
He'd look like a hair dresser.
Look at that, huh?
- Don't shake the camera.
Come on, Stoner, let's go, let's go.
- Would you shut up?
I'm the director.
You're only the script girl.
Okay, just act natural, Stoner.
- What kind of direction is that?
- Stripes, will you get out of the way?
- Yeah, come on.
- Okay guys, action.
- You didn't tell them what to do.
- What's going on?
- We're making a documentary
on the neighborhood,
and you're one of our leading citizens.
- Okay, well I'll come back when y'all-
- Oh come on, Stoner, please.
- Angie, Angie!
- Okay okay, roll 'em.
- Scene 28, take one.
Here in the city of Los Angeles,
we have a man who came up the hard way.
This is his story.
- Oh please.
- Move forward, Stoner.
Okay hold it right there.
- [Angie] Come on, Stoner.
- Hi, I'm Michael Stoner.
- Come on.
- What do you want me to say?
- [Angie] Tell us where you were born.
- Will you shut up?
I'm the director.
- He's out of frame.
- Stripes, you don't
know what you're doing.
- I'm an artist.
You're just technical help.
- Hey, I'll catch y'all later.
Hey that stuff ain't hot, is it?
- Oh no no no, we're on a grant.
- Oh Mike!
We really need this shot.
- I'll be back.
- Come on, man!
That's alright, we'll get him later.
- Yeah, we got more work to do anyway.
Come on, huh?
[baby crying]
- Stoner.
I've been waiting for you.
- Her temp's going up.
- I know, I'm waiting
for the blood cultures.
- Yeah, better not wait too long.
- I have to wait.
Most of her tests haven't
come back from the lab yet.
- Comatose, paralysis of the lower-
- I know the symptoms, Stoner.
I just don't know what it adds up to.
We got six other people
now with similar symptoms.
It begins with severe abdominal cramps,
vomiting, then-
- Call in the lab.
Tell 'em we need those tests immediately.
- I've just come from there.
- And?
- They're working on it.
- If you leave 'em alone,
they'll work on it 'til Christmas.
One of us has to get those
tests and get 'em now.
- Alright I'll go.
Aggravate them and we'll never get them.
- Hey, Sweet Claire.
Were you on last night?
- I'm always on, Stoner.
What you want?
- What they always want.
Spencer.
- How many of those flu patients
have temperatures over 102?
- Too many.
- Thank you.
And they've just admitted three more.
[people chattering]
- Where's the Doctor, nurse?
I gotta get out of here.
- You've got a 22 slug in your shoulder.
It's got to be taken care of.
- We're at war, woman!
Don't you know nothing?
- Being shot.
[people chattering]
- Doctor Stoner.
We need some help.
- We're not gonna hurt you.
All you have to do is trust us.
- Leave her alone.
- I'm sorry, my grandmother
doesn't like hospitals.
Her husband died here.
- Listen to me.
Listen, if you help me,
I can help you go home, okay?
I want you to go home.
I want you to go home just like you do.
- He's a good man, grandma.
- Nurse?
Alright, let me take this for you.
It's gonna be alright.
Now lie down here please.
Lie down here, alright.
Go ahead, nurse.
That's it.
No no no, it's okay, it's okay, really.
You'll be alright.
[laughing]
Oh, we're ticklish, huh?
Any vomiting?
- Yes.
She says first yesterday,
her legs hurt her,
and today she can hardly walk.
- Get a CBC, electrolytes,
and a liver panel.
- Yes, Doctor.
- Hang in there.
Let's go.
- Come on, it's alright.
[people chattering]
- Quarantine them.
- Who's gonna notify the
department of health?
- You are.
- [PA Announcer] Pharmacist on call,
please go into-
[speaking in foreign language]
[phones ringing]
[people chattering]
[speaking in foreign language]
- Did your mother get any sleep?
- No.
- How about you?
[speaking in foreign language]
Why don't you take him
home and get some rest?
- I can't.
- Don't worry.
We'll arrange for a bed
here for your mother.
[speaking in foreign language]
[machines beeping]
- Betty, you have the
Fernandez boy's chart?
Thank you.
[gentle music]
Hang in there, Rico.
[people chattering]
- Quiet everyone, quiet!
Quiet!
Now, did either of you,
did either of you eat in
a restaurant yesterday?
- Sure, in Beverly Hills.
- We was hanging out with the movie stars.
- Hey Mike, Mike, Doctor Stoner,
this is Mr. Mason from
the department of health.
- Doctor Stoner.
- Did you eat at the restaurant yesterday?
- Look, this is important.
May I have your cooperation, please?
Did either of you have fish or-
- Alright, let 'em through.
Let 'em through.
- Doctor,
we must have order here!
[people chattering]
- Now did you have any milk,
or yogurt, or cheese, or anything?
- Excuse me, Doctor Stoner.
We had some cheese.
- May I have your name, please?
- There it is.
She had cheese.
Mr. Stuart, did you-
- Now just a minute, please, Doctor.
We have to get a clear record as we go.
- Milk products or anything?
- Milk and ice cream.
- Right there.
Did anybody have any canned goods
within the last 24 hours?
- No no no no, wait.
Wait just a minute.
[people chattering]
- Mel did.
Mr. Chu.
Alright, the rest of you
give him your name please.
- I haven't finished
the restaurant area yet.
- Don't worry about the restaurant.
- Yeah, don't worry about the restaurant.
- I ate out yesterday.
- You don't have the virus.
- Now can we have a
little order here, please?
- Yeah, let's have a
little order here, please.
- Look, Mr. Chu, I thought you
moved out of the neighborhood.
- Me, not yet.
I can't afford it.
I'm still living out of Lovato Palms.
- You haven't eaten anywhere else?
I mean outside the neighborhood.
- No, I can't even afford to go out.
- Thanks.
- So you did not eat in
a restaurant yesterday?
Is that correct?
- That is correct.
- Yes Doctor.
- Did either of you have any-
- Does anybody live outside Echo Park?
- He does.
- I do.
- I do, I live in West LA.
- Does anybody here-
- Mr. Chu lives on Lovato Palms,
Mr. Stuart lives on Lovato Palms.
- Okay.
- No, I had bananas.
- Bananas, alright.
- Where'd you buy 'em?
- I didn't buy 'em, I took 'em.
- You took 'em, you took 'em from where?
- From Larry's market, why?
- Thank you, Mrs. Liddy.
I'll see you again.
- Did these come from Mexico?
- They're bananas.
- You sell on credit here?
- Depends.
- Do you know Mrs. Stuart,
or Mrs. Valdez, Mr. Chu, anybody?
- Maybe, yeah.
You a cop, or something?
- No no, I'm a Doctor.
Any of these people buy from here?
You know 'em?
- Maybe.
[people chattering]
- Hey, Doctor Stoner, how are you?
- Fine.
- Mrs. Lopez, with the feet, remember?
- Oh yeah, right, right.
How you doing?
- I'm walking on 'em.
- Good, good.
Hey what's with the ambulance?
- That's the second one today.
- Does everybody here
shop at Larry's Market?
- Yes, why?
Hey Doctor!
Hey everybody.
Listen.
Don't go to Larry's Market.
The Doctor thinks there's
something wrong at Larry's Market.
[engine revving]
[people chattering]
- Doctor, Doctor!
[people chattering]
- Lovato Palms Apartments.
Lovato Palms, Lovato Palms.
Didn't anybody check these?
- Doctor, I don't understand.
- Almost everybody in here
lives at the same address.
Doesn't that mean anything to you?
- It could mean a great
many things, Doctor.
- Well, how about where
they all get their food?
Larry's Market, remember Larry's Market?
Check it out.
- Alright, I'll put it on the list.
- Yeah well do it now.
- Doctor Stoner.
I don't tell you how to do your job.
I would appreciate it if you didn't tell-
- We're faced with an epidemic, inspector.
I'll go do it myself.
- Stoner, there are
established procedures.
- I don't care about your procedures.
Don't you understand?
That food store has to be shut down now.
[ominous music]
[gentle music]
[machines beeping]
Hey kid, doing alright today?
Got a little tan, sunbathing again, huh?
Yeah I'm going to see my girl's family.
They got the life.
No health department
inspectors, no epidemic.
Ah, Rico, I don't know
what this thing is, man.
It don't act like nothing in the book.
I'm scared to death
somebody's gonna die from it
before we can stop it, you know?
Well, I'll check you later, man.
- Gavin O'Connor.
Whenever there's free booze around,
I know you can't be too far away.
- I could say the same about you.
[people chattering]
- And we found ourselves-
[gentle music]
- Hey, this is bigger than I thought.
- Me too.
[people chattering]
- Cynthia, darling.
And you must be Michael.
So glad you could join us.
- Thank you for inviting me.
- Oh come with me, Michael.
Some friends of mine here
I'd like you to meet.
They've been our good
neighbors for many years.
They've known Cynthia since
she was a little girl.
Liz, Jack.
This is a friend of Cynthia's,
Doctor Michael Stoner.
He's on staff at Downtown Los Angeles-
- Hello mother.
- I'm so glad you came.
- Jerry, I don't believe you've met.
Charlotte.
This is Doctor Stoner.
My wife, Charlotte.
- So pleased to meet you, Doctor Stoner.
- My pleasure.
- Cynthia's been telling
us all about your hospital,
and the wonderful things-
- Oh, well it's not my hospital.
I'm just a Doctor there.
- Oh, according to my daughter,
you're the Doctor there.
She says it simply couldn't
function without you.
- [Doctor Stoner] Oh is that
what you've been telling them?
- You'll have to get used to that, Doctor.
The child does have a
tendency to exaggerate a bit.
- Woman.
- Woman.
- Come on, I'm starving.
- Nice to have met you.
- Nice seeing you, Doctor.
- You've got your mother's eyes.
- Thanks.
[people chattering]
- Hey mouse.
- Hi!
- You look great.
- Thanks.
Michael, I'd like you to
meet Georgette Shaffer.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Cynthia tell you I own a hospital, too?
- All of East Los Angeles.
- Georgette's a lawyer.
- You're supposed to be impressed.
- Oh I am.
- Georgette's my best friend,
but she's also a-
- A flirt.
Oh I get it.
Lady lawyers don't impress you,
but forward women do.
[laughing]
She put you in one of her books yet?
He looks kind of like a panther.
Lean, and dangerous.
- Does she always carry on like this?
- Always.
- Georgette, behave yourself.
- You're no fun.
Your father has no faith in me.
- Where is your young man?
What was he?
- I don't really look at
myself as a TV personality.
I'm much more of a investigative reporter.
- Fallen, you're a
trouble making muckraker,
that's what you are.
- Not true, Uncle Gavin.
Fallen Reilly is a courageous
electronic journalist.
Michael Stoner, meet the
infamous Fallen Reilly.
- I've seen your work.
Your program on child abuse was excellent.
- Why thank you.
I really should've won
an Emmy for that one.
Ah well.
- Uncle Gavin, I'd like you
to meet Dr. Michael Stoner.
Doctor Stoner, I'd like you
to meet Doctor Gavin O'Connor.
- Nice to see you.
- Watch out for this one, Doctor Stoner.
In five minutes, he'll have you convinced
that you need a new nose.
And it's $5,000 for the small size.
- I have saved many an
actresses career by-
- Ah now this is what we
call the magic finger speech.
- Oh Fallen, you're cruel.
- Thank you, Cynthia, but I can handle
this overblown buffoon.
I've been doing it for years.
- Plastic surgery is a remarkable field.
You know last month I saw
a kid with gunshot wounds.
His face was-
- Doctor Stoner,
I trust that you're
not a medical charlatan
like Doctor O'Connor here.
- Oh I'm a Doctor at a downtown hospital.
- Doctor O'Connor has a private
clinic on Sunset Boulevard.
Looks more like a boutique.
- The kid who was shot,
he was on the table for three hours.
Doctor Montrose operated.
Do you know him?
- We've met.
- He did a sensational job.
You'd have to look real
close just to find any-
- I didn't realize that Montrose
was on staff at East LA.
- No, he's not.
He gives us two days a week.
Are you on staff anywhere, Doctor?
- In recent years,
I've restricted my
activities to the clinic.
- Well we could use you.
You know, they're ripping
each other apart down there.
- Michael's kidding.
But there really is a lot to do.
I'd love a drink, wouldn't you?
- Your father tells me you've been
volunteer teaching downtown.
- Yes, and it's wonderful.
They're really talented artists.
All they need is a little
guidance and encouragement.
- I think what you're
doing is commendable.
But I was talking to your father
about your being downtown so much.
He's concerned.
- About what?
- Well, he's so proud of what you do.
I'm sure he doesn't want to interfere,
but Cynthia, that can be
a dangerous neighborhood.
- Oh that's nonsense.
And anyway, they wouldn't lay a hand
on any friend of Doctor Michael Stoner.
- I'm sure.
But Doctor Stoner has
his responsibilities.
He can't be with you all the time.
A young woman alone in East LA-
- Doctor O'Connor.
There are many young
women alone in East LA.
- Of course there are, Doctor.
But some people fit in certain places.
Others don't.
- Are you sure we haven't met?
I think I know you.
- I have no recollection of
ever having met you before.
- Michael.
- Yeah well maybe
you just sound like a
lot of people I know.
- I'm not certain I appreciate
your meaning, Doctor.
- Doctor, since you can't
practice in East LA,
and since you like to keep the people
who we're trying to help out of East LA,
I got a feeling you don't
know nothing about the area.
- I know what goes on down there.
Every concerned citizen
of Los Angeles knows.
- Yeah yeah, I've heard all that.
But it gets very heavy down there, man.
Well why don't you come down anyway?
Maybe you might learn
something about the people.
You find out how badly they need Doctors.
I can't believe you, man.
Here we are, working double shifts
to try to handle the load,
and you're sitting in some
fancy clinic, bobbing noses.
You call yourself a Doctor.
You ain't no Doctor.
You're a beautician.
- You're making a spectacle
of yourself, Doctor.
Excuse me.
[people chattering]
- Michael.
- Cynthia.
- Michael.
[people chattering]
[melancholy music]
- I can't believe that guy.
- I wanted everyone to like you.
- Well didn't you hear what he said?
- He's one of my father's oldest friends.
- So what?
What was I supposed to do?
Just stand there and take it?
- Couldn't you just stay
cool for once for me?
[weeping]
- Now come on, come
on, come on, don't cry.
- I can't help it.
- Hey, it's my suit and my tie.
I get crazy when I wear it.
Come on, give me a smile.
Where are you going?
[gentle music]
Any change in Fernandez?
- No, sir.
[announcer chattering]
- You got a girl, Rico?
Trouble man, believe that.
Can't do nothing to please 'em.
They all the same, too.
Don't matter if they come
from East LA or Bel Air.
They walk around on their skinny ankles,
looking like little canaries.
Yeah, I'm in trouble, Rico.
I think I blew it.
Hey don't get involved
with the fancy ones, man.
They'll kill you.
They cry too easy.
Hey, I hear you play a little handball.
Maybe sometime, you and me,
we go to the gym, you hear me?
Don't get fresh with the nurses.
Don't worry, I haven't cut
anybody in a couple days.
[people chattering]
It's looking better.
- You can't come in here!
Doctor, I tried to stop him.
- It's okay, Loretta.
- You told my customers
don't buy from Larry's.
You said the food was poison.
Now they don't come into my store anymore.
- We examined the food, and
the building, thoroughly.
There's absolutely nothing in the store
which could've caused the problem.
- Are you sure?
- Absolutely.
- See, everybody's afraid
to buy food from me.
I've been in business
for 15 years, Doctor.
- Okay there, quiet, we're in a hospital.
I'll straighten it out.
Redress this, and give her an appointment.
- Better do something,
or I'll call my lawyer.
You ruined my business.
For 15 years, I've had good customers.
- Mr. Lee, I'll see to it that-
- Perhaps in the future,
you'd better stick to the patients
and let me do the investigating.
- Well if it isn't the food, what is it?
I mean, if I leave it up to you,
we'll have a real epidemic on our hands.
Do you realize how many more patients-
- Doctor, I'll do the job.
I don't want any more interference.
- You will fix up my business,
or I'm gonna sue you, understand?
- Mr. Lee.
Listen, I'll explain to the
people that I was wrong, okay?
- Trouble, Stoner?
- I'll handle it.
- She's got the same
symptoms as the others.
- Ebony, huh?
That's hip.
- It's my professional name.
- Oh yeah, what are you, a stripper?
- I'm gonna be a model.
- Oh.
Well what's your real name?
- Doctor, if you don't hurry up,
I'm gonna have my baby right here.
- How close are the contractions?
- 10 minutes apart.
- You have plenty of time, don't worry.
- Louise Washington.
- [Doctor Stoner] What's that?
- My real name.
- Oh Louise.
[speaking in foreign language]
You know that one?
[laughing]
Ebony.
- That's so they know I'm black.
- I dig that.
So I see your boyfriend
likes skinny girls.
- He better.
I'm still on a diet.
- You're too skinny already.
- I'm fasting.
All I've had for the last
couple of days is water.
- Water.
You sure that's all you've had?
- Yeah.
- Where do you live?
- Lovato Palms, why?
- Nurse.
Quarantine her.
- I'm Doctor Myers.
I'll be taking care of you.
- No way.
I ain't gonna have no
woman deliver my baby.
- Put it back over here against the wall.
It has to be the water.
It's all she's had for two days.
- Well we'll have to run some more tests.
- Shut down the water!
- Like you closed down the grocery store?
No.
This time we do it my way.
- [PA Announcer] Doctor Schedel,
please call the page operator.
Doctor Oscar Schedel,
call the page operator.
- Lock that up.
Make sure nobody turns the
water back on 'til I say so.
We checked out the food.
It's not food poisoning, it's not a virus.
Everything else checked out okay.
So what's left?
The water.
[thuds]
It's gotta be the water.
Any more of these?
- Nope, that's the last one.
- Okay, keep 'em locked up.
- Okay.
- Hey!
Mrs. Lopez!
Who shut the water off?
- The Doctor!
Water has flu in it!
[laughing]
- Hear that, Betty?
The water's got the flu!
- Right over my head
and shut off the water.
You spreading rumors.
- He closed down a food store!
- You've caused panic
with absolutely no proof.
- Listen, something's wrong
with the water in that building.
- Alright, but you can't act arbitrarily.
- Have you checked out the water?
- The chemists are analyzing-
- Have you checked out
how many patients lived in
or visited that building?
- I was about to do that
when you shut off the water.
- You're always just
about to do something.
- Oh, Stoner, you can't talk
to a city official like that.
He's doing his job-
- Listen to me.
Listen to me!
If we wait for the health department,
all my patients will be dead.
[suspenseful music]
[upbeat music]
[people chattering]
- Hey, hang with her.
Get that bottle.
- Slow down, baby.
You want to be a movie star, don't ya?
- Child, don't bother me.
- Oh come on, lady.
Give us a break.
We're trying to make a film.
Hey that's Stoner!
- Alright!
- Hey Stoner.
- Hey that was a terrific
job you did, Doc.
Hey come on, let's get out of here.
The whole neighborhood is crumbling.
Just look at that guy.
- Hey, shoot that!
- Slow down, mister, slow down.
- Hey come on fellas, get this shot.
Get a closeup of the bottle, the bottle!
Good, good.
- Excellent, excellent.
- We're doing a documentary
on what happened the
day the well went dry.
- Well nothing's wrong with the water.
It's bad in Lovato Palms, nowhere else.
- Tell that to them.
- Well y'all are gonna have
to help me out, Angie, okay?
- Hey mister, don't drink the water.
You want to buy a bottle
of soda, 75 cents?
[laughing]
- [PA Announcer] Chaplain Reynolds,
please call two east.
Chaplain Reynolds, call two east.
- Here he comes.
- Looks like he got up
out of an empty bed.
Oh Doctor Stoner.
You know how many cases
of that stomach disease
we got in last night?
- It was the water.
[laughing]
- Yes, the water was contaminated.
Traces of toxic chemicals, pesticide.
- Yeah well how did it get there?
- Pipes in the buildings were faulty.
- The pipes?
- It's being taken care of.
- We've got patients who
are partially paralyzed
because of those pipes.
What do you mean it's being taken care of?
- It's being taken care of
by the proper authorities,
which does not include you.
My advice, if you want to go on working
in this hospital, then stop
running around the neighborhood,
meddling in things
which don't concern you.
- If it weren't for my meddling,
you and your health inspector
would still be looking for a virus.
- If I hear one more
word about those pipes
in the Lovato Palms, you're fired.
Is that clear?
- Hey you can't just-
- Oh oh yes I can.
I can and I will.
[door slams]
[gentle music]
[tapping on window]
[dramatic music]
- I'm sorry about the
other day at your father's.
- Me too.
- What you doing?
- Working.
- Well can I come in?
- Yeah.
[dramatic music]
- Tishman's got no right in firing me.
Hospital doesn't belong to him.
- Michael.
- Don't tell me to forget
about the pipes, I can't.
- I know.
- There's a piece of me in that hospital.
It's where my mother
took us when we got sick.
When my father couldn't work anymore,
we took him there.
They fixed him up and
never charged us a cent.
He used to say, "We need a
Doctor like us in there."
He never stopped telling me that,
trying to make it happen for me.
He was something else.
He drove Tishman crazy.
He never quit fighting.
They're pressing me.
But you better know I'm gonna
find out who's responsible.
The building department
should have records
of who built those
apartments, shouldn't they?
- Let me help you.
- Can you check on it tomorrow?
- Sure.
- Oh...
I thought it over, and,
if you want to name the
moose Michael, you can.
[laughing]
- [PA Announcer] Phone call
for Doctor Stoner on 714.
- Thank you, nurse.
Doctor Stoner.
- Hi, Doctor Stoner.
- What's up?
- [Cynthia] I'm in a
phone booth at city hall.
- And?
- And the architects are Wilson and Brown.
The construction contractor
was Lamberti Brothers.
They're the ones who put in the pipes.
- And what's their address?
- They're doing a building
on Seventh and Melrose.
Tony Lamberti runs the company,
and he's probably there now.
- Okay.
Good enough, I'll see you later.
- [Cynthia] Bye bye.
[machines rumbling]
- Excuse me, where's Mr. Lamberti?
Thanks a lot.
Excuse me, I'm looking for Mr. Lamberti.
- Oh yeah?
Who are you?
- Doctor Stoner.
It's about some buildings he constructed.
- Come on up.
[machines rumbling]
Mr. Lamberti.
This guy wants to see
you about some buildings.
Says he's a Doctor.
- Check that out.
Make sure it's straight stuff.
What can I do for you, Doctor?
- You constructed some
buildings in Echo Park.
The Lovato Palms, you remember?
- Oh boy, yeah yeah.
- We've been having some
problems with the pipes.
Seems to be pesticides in them.
The health department
checked out the water.
- Doctor, that building's over a year old.
Hey, I don't know what the
health department knows.
But I guarantee you my
materials are top quality.
Now maybe they should check out
the source of the water supply.
- They did.
They nailed it down to the
pipes in your building.
- Really now?
- Yeah, really.
Who supplied you with those pipes?
- Is that the stuff
we've been waiting for?
- That's it.
- Lamberti.
There's a connection between
the pesticides and those pipes.
Now I don't know what it is yet,
but I'm gonna find out.
- Doctor.
May I make a suggestion?
You should be wearing a hard hat.
You hang around here,
something hard's going
to fall on your head.
You have no protection.
I wouldn't want to see you get hurt.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm busy.
- Lamberti knows, Rico.
He knows, I seen him.
You tell me what are
pesticides doing in pipes.
A crime's being committed
and nobody cares.
[machine beeping]
Now let me tell you something, Rico.
I'm gonna find out who
put those rotten pipes
in the buildings.
Now matter what Tishman says.
[people chattering]
- Hi, Stoner.
- Hi, Claire.
Can I have her chart, please?
- Sure, darling.
- Thank you.
Hello hello.
- Hi, Stoner.
- Looks like you're feeling better today.
- Mm, better.
- Dig in.
- I've gained five pounds
since I've been here.
- Well I don't know, I like 'em
with a little meat on the bones, myself.
- Now who ever heard of a fat model?
- Come on, come on. Dig in.
- I can't eat all this.
- Sure you can.
- How long do I have to stay here?
- Another 10 pounds worth.
- [PA Announcer] Telephone
call for Doctor Stoner.
- What can I say?
Oh...you better live it up while you can.
They still can't use the
water at Lovato Palms.
- Hey nurse, can I have more milk?
I ain't touching the water.
- This ain't no hotel, honey.
- Stoner here.
- Hi.
- Hey, doll, how is it?
- Did you see Lamberti yet?
- [Dr. Stoner] Yeah.
- How did he seem?
- Shifty.
- Want to hear a coincidence?
Lamberti's cousin is a guess what.
- What?
- City building inspector.
Does that say anything to you?
- That's how those pipes got in there.
Nice going, Nancy Drew.
I'll see you later.
- Bye.
[engine rumbling]
[horn honking]
- Hey what's happening, Doc?
- Come on, come on, get in.
I need your help.
Where you all been?
I've been looking all over for you.
- Oh we were down filming in the park,
but we got rained out.
- Yeah, ever since everybody started
drinking the water again,
we've had to start a new film.
- Oh yeah, I heard the water's back on.
Good.
- Yeah.
- Okay now listen.
You know that construction
site at Seventh and Melrose?
- Uh huh.
- Okay I want you to keep an eye on it.
I need to find out who supplies 'em
with pipes, lumber, everything, alright?
- Okay Doc, I'll get you some great film.
- A girl director will lose our grant.
- Hey come on, come on, Stripes.
Man, this is serious.
Now watch for Tony Lamberti.
Tony Lamberti, he's the boss.
Try to get film on anybody
that comes to see him, alright?
- For you, Doc, anything.
- Watch out, she'll
take over the hospital,
you know what I mean?
- No he don't know what you mean.
- Yes he knows what I mean!
- Alright alright alright!
- You think he's stupid?
- Alright now go ahead.
[suspenseful music]
- Come in, Doctor Stoner.
My name's Harold Dickerson.
Sit down.
- Thank you.
- Is there anything I can get you?
Coffee, tea?
- Oh no thanks.
- Well, I understand the boys upstairs
have been giving you the runaround.
That's the trouble with the bureaucracy.
Too many chiefs and not enough Indians.
You sure I can't offer
you something to drink?
- No, no thanks.
Do you know most of the
building inspectors?
Well I think one of them are
being bought and paid for.
- Hold all my calls.
I like your style, Doctor.
Right to the point.
I don't get much of that around here.
Go ahead.
[engines rumbling]
[people chattering]
- Stop!
- Just a minute, okay?
Hey mister, could you
come down for a minute?
- Yeah, we're making a
film on truck drivers.
Come on out.
- Take it slow now.
- Hey, it'll only take 5.2 seconds.
Come on out, huh?
- Okay?
Alright!
- Alright, alright.
Right there, right there.
- Get a closeup on that man.
- Okay, where's this movie gonna be shown?
- All over.
- All over.
- Hey, you work for Lamberti before?
- Yeah, uh huh.
Should I talk up more?
- No no, it's perfect.
Sounds great.
- Hey, where do you
get your supplies from?
- We'll need proof, Doctor, facts.
Give my secretary your name and number.
I'll find out who the
inspector was on this project.
- Thank you, Mr. Dickerson.
- And don't worry.
We'll get to the bottom of this.
In the meantime, keep me posted
if you run across anything.
- I will.
- I could use a few people
like you here, Doctor.
Laurie, give Doctor Stoner my card.
Thank you again, Doctor.
- Thank you.
[gentle ominous music]
- Get me Tony Lamberti.
- Lamberti's got two companies.
One's that builds, and the other
one's a demolition company.
Want to see my profile?
- Oh look at that clown!
[laughing]
- Come on come on, be quiet, be quiet!
- Yeah I worked on the crew
that demolished the chemical plant.
Boy, that was something, I tell you.
It smelled like skunks.
And those fumes nearly
did me in, you know?
- [Angie] When was that?
- Oh around 1970...yeah, 1974.
- That's it, that's it!
That's the year he built Lovato Palms.
- Thinking about it, yeah.
I thought I'd nearly die.
But the overtime was
really good, you know?
It was one of those plants
that made bug killer.
[laughing]
- We got him!
The pipes Lamberti put in Lovato Palms
must have come from the
pesticide plant he tore down.
Hey Rudy, thanks a lot, man.
Thank you, Mrs. Lopez.
This is what I want.
Lamberti probably had these
pipes chemically treated
to get rid of the pesticides.
That was okay for a while,
and then traces of the
pesticides reappeared,
and contaminated the water.
- I bet they wouldn't let
this happen in Beverly Hills.
- Yeah.
- Stoner!
Where are you going with that pipe?
- I asked you to find out a few things,
and suddenly you're an expert.
- I spoke to my father.
- Yeah, and that's another thing.
Why does he want me to quit?
- He knows the city, what could happen.
- Yeah, everybody's on the tape.
They're all sleeping with each other,
including your father.
- That's a damn lie.
He cares about you and the
pipes and what's happening.
- Then why doesn't he help me?
- You can't do it alone!
- I'm not!
I got at city hall named Dickerson
who's ready to nail 'em when
I come in with the proof.
- They're not gonna stand around
and let you put them out of business.
- Oh, you too.
Everybody wants me to quit.
- It's dangerous, Michael.
Lamberti's too well connected.
- Then I don't care what you say,
I'm gonna get the one piece of evidence
I need to finish this guy.
- Oh great, once more
into the lion's mouth.
This time, your macho Doctor act
can finish you.
- Macho Doctor.
Is that what you think I am?
You think I can't handle myself?
- Michael, I think you
can do whatever you want.
I think you're the Lone Ranger of East LA.
- Yeah well I've had it.
I've had it with you, your
father, and your friends.
Why don't you get yourself another boy?
- Get out.
[suspenseful music]
- What's wrong with everybody, Rico?
All they tell you is
it's too tough, Michael.
You can't do it, Michael.
They'll get you back off, Michael.
Damn it, Rico.
Don't they know there's still more to do?
I mean, you wouldn't be surprised
if Lamberti would still
use secondhand junk
in his buildings, would you?
They want us to quit.
You're not a quitter, are you, Rico?
- Hey, what...whats that?
- It's a pipe...from Lovato Palms.
Half the evidence I need to put Lamberti
and his city hall friends away.
The other half I get tonight.
- We're not policemen.
We're Doctors.
- Yeah, yeah, I know.
I can tell by your long white coat.
- Stoner.
- Mr. Dickerson, Michael Stoner.
Fine, thanks.
Listen, I'm almost ready.
I've just got one more thing.
Yeah, tonight.
Well, I don't know.
How about...how about 10 o'clock tomorrow?
Okay good, I'll see you in your office.
Thanks, don't worry.
Goodbye.
[ominous music]
[suspenseful music]
[smacking]
[thudding]
[intense music]
[thuds]
- That's enough.
Goodnight, Doctor.
[pipe clinks]
[telephone clinks]
[phone ringing]
- Hello?
- Cynthia.
- Michael, what's happened?
- I need you.
- Where are you?
- On Seventh and Melrose.
- I'll be right there.
I think your rib is broken.
- It's not that bad.
- Look, Michael.
Maybe I should call a Doctor.
- I am a Doctor.
- You look awful.
- Thanks.
- Well, what do we do now?
- I need to get some more ice for my hand.
- No, I mean about Lamberti.
- What do you think I should do?
- Not let him get away with this.
[gentle music]
- You know, you're pretty classy, lady.
Even in jeans, you look dressed up.
[gasping]
- I'm sorry, I'll get some ice.
[upbeat music]
[knocking on door]
- Hey Angie!
- Hey Mike, we got the
film, and it's great.
- Oh yeah?
- Yeah yeah.
Wait 'til you see it, it's terrific.
- Are you all going to
wait out here all day?
Get inside.
- Hi.
- Who's that?
- Hi, I'm Cynthia.
- Hi, I'm pleased to meet you.
- Hi.
- Okay.
Let's get going.
- Now what's so great about this film?
- Wait a minute, wait a minute.
It's coming up.
Watch this.
- [Dr. Stoner] Hey that's Dickerson.
- [Angie] Yeah, the big payoff.
- [Stripes] Yeah we got it.
Lamberti's gonna give him the money
right now.
- There he goes!
There he goes, see it?
Well, Doc?
- He's setting me up.
- Well I thought it was pretty good.
- I played right into his hands.
- Yeah well I could've done better.
- Hey hey hey hey, no no no.
It was dynamite.
It was terrific, it
was just what I wanted.
- Hey, Peter, that was a real nice zoom.
[chattering]
- You know what, people
have to see this film.
Can you...can you get me the number
of that TV commentator
that was at your folks?
- Fallen Reilly?
- Yeah.
- Sure.
- Okay.
Alright.
Alright, everybody out.
I gotta go to work.
And I need a ride.
- [Cynthia] You got it.
[whistling]
- Look at that.
- Are you alright?
- Yeah I'm a little sore.
[women laughing]
- Hey Romeo.
You came back with her, huh?
She must be some woman, huh!
[laughing]
He don't talk to his friends no more.
Hey lady!
Go easy on the Doctor, huh?
[laughing]
[engine revving]
[gentle music]
- I've been off the
streets too long, Rico.
I should've seen 'em coming.
Dickerson must be laughing his tail off.
I was running around
with a pipe in my hand,
and they laid back.
Watched me make a fool out of myself.
No more.
They got me this time,
but I got the next one.
You know what...
Hey Rico.
Can you hear me?
Do that again.
Okay, now this time, blink twice.
[laughing]
Man, you've been eavesdropping
on me all this time.
You got all my secrets
right there in your head.
Man, you were...
Hey listen.
If you tell anybody what I said,
I'm gonna put you away.
You hear me?
[upbeat music]
Hey Doctor, Enrico blinked!
- Great.
[people chattering]
- Your son blinked his eyes.
[speaking in foreign language]
- Let me refill your drink.
You sure you wouldn't like anything
stronger than tonic?
- No, tonic's fine.
- You know, you would
make quite a detective.
That was excellent.
- I want that guy put away.
- Oh, you've got Lamberti scared, Doctor.
You've shoved him into a corner.
- And nobody's laid a glove on him yet.
- I'm going to put a bug into
the district attorney's ear.
He'll make things very very
tough for Mr. Lamberti.
- Well can you call him now?
- What?
- So call the DA now.
We'll show him my film
and toss Lamberti in jail.
- Oh, nobody's gonna put
him into jail, Doctor.
All he did was make a few
extra bucks on those pipes.
That's done every day.
The pesticide thing was accidental.
They'll probably just give him a fine,
and then-
- A little bigger dose
of that accident, and a lot
of people would be dead.
- Now that would be different.
But fortunately, with
your skill and God's help,
everybody's on the road to recovery.
- Are you putting me on?
- No.
You've done a great service
for your neighborhood.
- And that's the end of it?
- Well, let's hope not.
But with things in this town the way-
- So you're not going to use it?
- Doctor Stoner, my air
time is very limited.
I deal only with grave problems
that affect large segments
of the population.
Now I understand how you feel
about this Lovato Palms story.
But it's just not
important enough overall.
- You're afraid of it.
- That's ridiculous.
- You're scared of city hall.
- I'm not scared of anyone in this town.
I spent 20 years becoming who I am.
There's no one near me on television.
I pick my own stories, and
this one is not big enough.
- Big enough?
What do you mean by big enough?
I've watched your program lately.
All that bull every week about
who's got the most influence in town,
which 10 men earn the most money?
Who's buying the big real estate deals?
You're not talking big enough, man.
You're talking rich enough.
- I reach 80% of the people
in this city every month.
They like what I give them.
- Yeah well there's a chick on my block,
hooks for a living.
She'd say the same thing.
- Doctor Stoner, this is my home.
Suddenly I want to be alone.
- You know Reilly, I've
seen you a lot on TV,
and I watched you turn on the charm
with the cocktail party set.
But today, it was like seeing
you for the first time, man.
- That's enough.
- What's happened to you, Reilly?
You used to be a big man in this town.
You made things happen.
But they've tamed you.
Now they hand you scripts
and you read their words.
- Now just a minute.
- Lovato Palms was a scary thing, man.
50 people could've died.
And it was no accident.
Lamberti knew where those pipes came from.
He tried to get rid of the pesticides.
He didn't do a good enough job.
Right now, he's got a contract
to start another project.
And what'll it be the next
time, the wiring maybe?
When the building goes up in flames,
will that story be big enough for you?
As long as he owns the
building inspectors,
anything can happen.
Now I'm a Doctor, and you're on TV,
but we do the same thing.
We're supposed to find out
what's wrong and fix it.
East LA can't stand every hustler
and scam artist ripping her up.
You could help.
You could help nail those people.
We need you, Reilly, help us.
Please.
- The next time you take a glass of water,
remember men such as
Lamberti and Dickerson,
and what their greed almost did
to the poor people of this city.
And most of all, I want you to remember
the name of a very brave Doctor.
[speaking in foreign language]
- Who fought to discover the truth
behind the pipes at Lovato Palms.
The real hero of this story
is Michael Stoner, M.D.
- Doctor Stoner, we know, hey!
- Thank you, Doctor.
And thank you ladies and gentlemen.
This is Fallen Reilly.
[suspenseful music]
- Doctor, he said your name!
- Oh that's good!
- He's alright.
What do you think, Rico?
He's pretty cool, ain't he?
[laughing]
Goodnight.
[speaking in foreign language]
- And nurse.
[speaking in foreign language]
- Doctor!
- Doctor, Doctor, come back, please.
- Come on.
[gasping]
- Doc...Doctor.
- [Dr. Stoner] Come on, Rico, talk to me.
[speaking in foreign language]
- You did good.
- Okay, okay, just take it easy, man.
Just take it easy.
- He can talk.
- Sure he can talk.
What kind of Doctor you think I am?
Pretty soon he'll be playing handball.
Isn't that right, Rico?
Stay with him, nurse.
[speaking in foreign language]
[laughing]
- Mama.
Mama.
[suspenseful music]
- Hats off to you, really.
- Looks like you did it.
- Yeah, looks like it.
- Stoner, your name was on TV.
Ooh, I got me a famous Doctor.
- Can I have your autograph?
- Hey, thanks, Doc, thanks.
- Alright.
- Hey nice going there, Stoner.
- Thanks.
- Hey look at that man strut.
[suspenseful music]
- Come on, hot shot.
[upbeat music]
[upbeat music]
♪ In my mind ♪
♪ There is so much to find ♪
♪ Give me time ♪
♪ It's a place I can run to just to hide ♪
♪ If you want to know what's in there ♪
♪ All you gotta do is
look inside, inside ♪
♪ Many many things are in there ♪
♪ Anything you want, it's open wide ♪
♪ In this world ♪
♪ Without reason or rhyme ♪
♪ There's a love ♪
♪ So much hate, are we
really just too blind now ♪
♪ Since you're mine now ♪
♪ And together ♪
♪ We can fly ♪
♪ All you gotta do is look inside ♪
[fire roaring]
[people chattering]
[distant sirens wailing]
[doors slamming]
[sirens wailing]
[suspenseful music]
[speaking in foreign language]
[ominous music]
[people chattering]
- Here he comes.
- OA's open around 5:00, Doctor.
- Thank you, nurse.
[machine beeping]
- Not much of a chance, Stoner.
Let him go.
Even if we do operate,
he'll be a vegetable.
[ominous music]
- I'm gonna scrub.
Get started.
- I need your boy's full name.
[woman speaking in Spanish]
Your address, and his birthday.
[speaking in foreign language]
- Your son was driving a stolen car.
Do you understand?
[speaking in foreign language]
- Do you know what
automobile is, automobile?
Pinto, el Pinto.
[speaking in foreign language]
- Hey, what is with this place?
Nobody speaks English.
- Hey wait a minute.
Take it easy.
You're gonna work in this neighborhood,
try to learn the language.
- And who are you?
- I'm Doctor Stoner.
- Doctor, I have to fill out a report.
- Not now, officer.
- Doctor, I have to fill out a report.
- Officer, this is not the time.
- Doctor, will you tell
us, how is my brother?
- Since when do you speak English?
Sit down.
[speaking in foreign language]
[weeping]
[people chattering]
- [PA Announcer] Sixth
floor nursing supervisor,
call your office.
Sixth floor nursing supervisor,
please call your office.
- Hey lovely, how you doing?
What can I get you, a bird?
- How you doing, Karen?
- Fine, Doctor.
- Hey Doc, she looks like she's
doing alright to me, huh?
[laughing]
Okay, what are you all doing?
- Hey Mrs. Stuart, how are you doing?
- It's Elaine, Doctor.
She isn't feeling well.
- Well, let's take a look at her.
Hey, what's wrong with you, girl?
- My tumm-ach's sore.
- Hey Doc, I've been waiting since
nine o'clock this morning.
What about me, huh?
- Take it easy, take it easy.
I'll get to you.
You've been eating too
much candy, that's why.
Open your mouth.
Yeah, yeah, see.
See, look at that.
No teeth.
[laughing]
What'd I tell you?
- Stoner.
Thought you'd gone home.
- Well, here's your Doctor.
- You're the Doctor.
- Well, Doctor Stoner's
going off duty now, okay?
You want to bring her
to the examining room?
- Don't worry about anything, he's okay.
- Thank you, Doctor.
- [PA Announcer] Doctor Stoner,
report to administration, Doctor Stoner.
- Michael, you listen to me.
You tied up an anesthesiologist,
two interns, four nurses,
who knows what else,
for half the night.
- We were operating.
That's what a hospital's for.
- In the opinion of
one of your colleagues,
Enrico Fernandez was legally
dead when he came here.
He was legally dead.
- He's alive now.
- I'm glad he's alive.
But I'm responsible for this hospital.
I'm responsible for the
way things are done.
I should have been consulted.
- Hey, we can't reach you.
You're always in meetings or on the phone.
- That's no excuse, and you know it.
You have been told
before that this hospital
has certain proper and
necessary procedures.
- Procedures.
You know what's bugging you?
I ran up your light bill
without your permission.
Why don't you admit it?
A 16 year old Mexican kid cost
you a couple grand a night.
- A lot of things are bugging me.
I'm bugged by your lack of discipline.
I'm bugged that you may not be able
to save the world with
the budget I'm giving.
- Yeah well I don't give
a damn about your budget.
- Without that budget, you wouldn't have
a hospital to work in.
- Hey look, look.
I do what has to be done,
when it has to be done.
If you don't like it, fire me.
- Michael, you're tired.
You don't know what you're saying.
- Yeah okay, I'm tired.
Goodnight.
- It's very nice, Maria.
- Thank you.
- Goodnight, Cynthia.
- Goodnight, Leonard.
Oh, I wish I could live there.
- [Maria] It's no such
place, it's just pretend.
But I paint my dreams.
- I think everybody paints their dreams.
I love the color and the composition.
- Thank you.
- It's really very good.
- Thank you, thanks, Cynthia.
Goodnight.
- Goodnight.
See you next week.
- Okay.
- Cynthia, please, come and help me.
- Goodnight Shane.
- [Shane] Goodnight.
- What's wrong, Mr. Luchero?
- The hands, look at the hands.
They are too big.
- I like it.
Don't, Mr. Luchero!
- [Mr. Luchero] Why?
- Please don't do that.
- Nobody looks like that.
- Come on, man.
I bet that guy can really
punch somebody out.
- It's out of perspective.
- It doesn't matter, it's honest.
If I wanted a photograph,
I'd get a camera.
Art is freedom, Mr. Luchero.
It's the only place you
can do what you want.
[laughing]
Yes?
- Nothing.
- He's just a nut.
- Maybe I'll take it home.
- I would.
Goodnight.
- Goodnight.
Maybe next week, I'll
paint a cock fight, huh?
- Good.
- Hey you.
- Hey buddy, what do you want?
- It's alright.
He's a friend of mine.
- Oh, you sure it's okay?
- Yeah, thanks.
- Take it easy.
- Night.
- Your students really
look after you, don't they?
- Yeah, they're good guys.
You're late.
I wanted you to sit in on my class.
- Well, I did too, but I
had an emergency operation.
Just like last week.
But next week I'll bring
my charcoal pencils
and draw for you, I promise.
- Oh, I bet you don't even
have charcoal pencils.
[upbeat music]
[strumming guitar]
♪ Don't know why ♪
♪ You treat me like you do ♪
♪ I said I don't know why ♪
♪ You treat me like you do ♪
- Hey.
That's very nice.
[strumming guitar]
- They call me the singing Doctor.
[strumming guitar]
Hey, what's going on in here?
- What do you mean?
- You know...candles, wine.
- You know what day this is?
- What, it's your birthday?
- Nope.
- My birthday?
- It's the seventh.
- Oh, the seventh.
What's the seventh?
- It's sort of an anniversary.
We met exactly one month ago.
[glasses clink]
[gentle music]
- Well, I never thought
it would end up like this.
- Like what?
- You know, like this.
You have great eyes.
Mirrors.
I like the way I look in 'em.
- Am I attractive to you?
- Are you kidding?
When I first saw you,
it was like looking at...
I don't know, something special.
I was scared to ask you out.
But then I found out
you wrote fairy tales,
and I said hey, she needs you.
She thinks like is all magic castles
and glass slippers.
I better set her straight.
- Yeah, so you decided to
show me the real world, huh.
- Yeah, that's right.
What have I got?
Candle lights and fairy tales.
Hey what's this?
- [Cynthia] Nothing.
- Nothing?
A moose wearing a stethoscope is nothing.
- Oh, there you go.
You'll feel better.
Tomorrow I'll show you the sun.
Do you like that?
- Cynthia, you're talking to a plant.
- I know.
- But why are you talking to a plant?
- It's tired.
- Well I'd give it a shot of B-12.
[shushing]
It's a plant!
- Plants have feelings.
- Oh.
Okay, I'll...
I'll just sit over here
while my girl talks to her begonias.
- Am I?
- What?
- Am I your girl?
- Surely you are.
But, do you know what you're getting into?
Rotten hours, guy who
can't go to the movies
'cause he's too tired.
- That's what my mother said.
She said that you would be-
- You told your mother about me?
- My dad, too.
- Great.
- They want to meet you.
- Yeah, I bet they do.
- No, I mean in a good way, honest.
Please?
- When?
- Sunday brunch.
It's your free day.
We could just stop in for a few minutes.
- Okay okay.
What did you tell your parents?
- That you were tall, dark, and handsome.
[laughing]
- You sure you said dark?
Alright, alright now.
I just wanted to make sure when I walk in,
I don't give 'em a stroke.
- Oh, stop worrying.
- Who's worried?
[phone ringing]
- Hello?
Yes, just a minute.
It's the hospital.
- Yeah.
Okay, I'll be there.
I gotta go.
I'll call you tomorrow.
- Michael.
[melancholy music]
Happy anniversary.
[lively music]
- Hey Doctor!
You don't sleep home no more, huh?
- Mrs. Gambini, didn't you get my message?
Told you not to wait up for me.
- What message?
I was out dancing last night.
[phone ringing]
- Yeah.
Yeah, this is Doctor Stoner.
Well I just left there.
Alright, alright, alright,
alright, I'll be there.
[upbeat music]
- Get him!
Hey Stoner.
- Yeah, yeah put him right there.
Alright, stay right here.
- Hey, Stoner, stand there.
Put your hand on your hip.
- Are you crazy?
He'd look like a hair dresser.
Look at that, huh?
- Don't shake the camera.
Come on, Stoner, let's go, let's go.
- Would you shut up?
I'm the director.
You're only the script girl.
Okay, just act natural, Stoner.
- What kind of direction is that?
- Stripes, will you get out of the way?
- Yeah, come on.
- Okay guys, action.
- You didn't tell them what to do.
- What's going on?
- We're making a documentary
on the neighborhood,
and you're one of our leading citizens.
- Okay, well I'll come back when y'all-
- Oh come on, Stoner, please.
- Angie, Angie!
- Okay okay, roll 'em.
- Scene 28, take one.
Here in the city of Los Angeles,
we have a man who came up the hard way.
This is his story.
- Oh please.
- Move forward, Stoner.
Okay hold it right there.
- [Angie] Come on, Stoner.
- Hi, I'm Michael Stoner.
- Come on.
- What do you want me to say?
- [Angie] Tell us where you were born.
- Will you shut up?
I'm the director.
- He's out of frame.
- Stripes, you don't
know what you're doing.
- I'm an artist.
You're just technical help.
- Hey, I'll catch y'all later.
Hey that stuff ain't hot, is it?
- Oh no no no, we're on a grant.
- Oh Mike!
We really need this shot.
- I'll be back.
- Come on, man!
That's alright, we'll get him later.
- Yeah, we got more work to do anyway.
Come on, huh?
[baby crying]
- Stoner.
I've been waiting for you.
- Her temp's going up.
- I know, I'm waiting
for the blood cultures.
- Yeah, better not wait too long.
- I have to wait.
Most of her tests haven't
come back from the lab yet.
- Comatose, paralysis of the lower-
- I know the symptoms, Stoner.
I just don't know what it adds up to.
We got six other people
now with similar symptoms.
It begins with severe abdominal cramps,
vomiting, then-
- Call in the lab.
Tell 'em we need those tests immediately.
- I've just come from there.
- And?
- They're working on it.
- If you leave 'em alone,
they'll work on it 'til Christmas.
One of us has to get those
tests and get 'em now.
- Alright I'll go.
Aggravate them and we'll never get them.
- Hey, Sweet Claire.
Were you on last night?
- I'm always on, Stoner.
What you want?
- What they always want.
Spencer.
- How many of those flu patients
have temperatures over 102?
- Too many.
- Thank you.
And they've just admitted three more.
[people chattering]
- Where's the Doctor, nurse?
I gotta get out of here.
- You've got a 22 slug in your shoulder.
It's got to be taken care of.
- We're at war, woman!
Don't you know nothing?
- Being shot.
[people chattering]
- Doctor Stoner.
We need some help.
- We're not gonna hurt you.
All you have to do is trust us.
- Leave her alone.
- I'm sorry, my grandmother
doesn't like hospitals.
Her husband died here.
- Listen to me.
Listen, if you help me,
I can help you go home, okay?
I want you to go home.
I want you to go home just like you do.
- He's a good man, grandma.
- Nurse?
Alright, let me take this for you.
It's gonna be alright.
Now lie down here please.
Lie down here, alright.
Go ahead, nurse.
That's it.
No no no, it's okay, it's okay, really.
You'll be alright.
[laughing]
Oh, we're ticklish, huh?
Any vomiting?
- Yes.
She says first yesterday,
her legs hurt her,
and today she can hardly walk.
- Get a CBC, electrolytes,
and a liver panel.
- Yes, Doctor.
- Hang in there.
Let's go.
- Come on, it's alright.
[people chattering]
- Quarantine them.
- Who's gonna notify the
department of health?
- You are.
- [PA Announcer] Pharmacist on call,
please go into-
[speaking in foreign language]
[phones ringing]
[people chattering]
[speaking in foreign language]
- Did your mother get any sleep?
- No.
- How about you?
[speaking in foreign language]
Why don't you take him
home and get some rest?
- I can't.
- Don't worry.
We'll arrange for a bed
here for your mother.
[speaking in foreign language]
[machines beeping]
- Betty, you have the
Fernandez boy's chart?
Thank you.
[gentle music]
Hang in there, Rico.
[people chattering]
- Quiet everyone, quiet!
Quiet!
Now, did either of you,
did either of you eat in
a restaurant yesterday?
- Sure, in Beverly Hills.
- We was hanging out with the movie stars.
- Hey Mike, Mike, Doctor Stoner,
this is Mr. Mason from
the department of health.
- Doctor Stoner.
- Did you eat at the restaurant yesterday?
- Look, this is important.
May I have your cooperation, please?
Did either of you have fish or-
- Alright, let 'em through.
Let 'em through.
- Doctor,
we must have order here!
[people chattering]
- Now did you have any milk,
or yogurt, or cheese, or anything?
- Excuse me, Doctor Stoner.
We had some cheese.
- May I have your name, please?
- There it is.
She had cheese.
Mr. Stuart, did you-
- Now just a minute, please, Doctor.
We have to get a clear record as we go.
- Milk products or anything?
- Milk and ice cream.
- Right there.
Did anybody have any canned goods
within the last 24 hours?
- No no no no, wait.
Wait just a minute.
[people chattering]
- Mel did.
Mr. Chu.
Alright, the rest of you
give him your name please.
- I haven't finished
the restaurant area yet.
- Don't worry about the restaurant.
- Yeah, don't worry about the restaurant.
- I ate out yesterday.
- You don't have the virus.
- Now can we have a
little order here, please?
- Yeah, let's have a
little order here, please.
- Look, Mr. Chu, I thought you
moved out of the neighborhood.
- Me, not yet.
I can't afford it.
I'm still living out of Lovato Palms.
- You haven't eaten anywhere else?
I mean outside the neighborhood.
- No, I can't even afford to go out.
- Thanks.
- So you did not eat in
a restaurant yesterday?
Is that correct?
- That is correct.
- Yes Doctor.
- Did either of you have any-
- Does anybody live outside Echo Park?
- He does.
- I do.
- I do, I live in West LA.
- Does anybody here-
- Mr. Chu lives on Lovato Palms,
Mr. Stuart lives on Lovato Palms.
- Okay.
- No, I had bananas.
- Bananas, alright.
- Where'd you buy 'em?
- I didn't buy 'em, I took 'em.
- You took 'em, you took 'em from where?
- From Larry's market, why?
- Thank you, Mrs. Liddy.
I'll see you again.
- Did these come from Mexico?
- They're bananas.
- You sell on credit here?
- Depends.
- Do you know Mrs. Stuart,
or Mrs. Valdez, Mr. Chu, anybody?
- Maybe, yeah.
You a cop, or something?
- No no, I'm a Doctor.
Any of these people buy from here?
You know 'em?
- Maybe.
[people chattering]
- Hey, Doctor Stoner, how are you?
- Fine.
- Mrs. Lopez, with the feet, remember?
- Oh yeah, right, right.
How you doing?
- I'm walking on 'em.
- Good, good.
Hey what's with the ambulance?
- That's the second one today.
- Does everybody here
shop at Larry's Market?
- Yes, why?
Hey Doctor!
Hey everybody.
Listen.
Don't go to Larry's Market.
The Doctor thinks there's
something wrong at Larry's Market.
[engine revving]
[people chattering]
- Doctor, Doctor!
[people chattering]
- Lovato Palms Apartments.
Lovato Palms, Lovato Palms.
Didn't anybody check these?
- Doctor, I don't understand.
- Almost everybody in here
lives at the same address.
Doesn't that mean anything to you?
- It could mean a great
many things, Doctor.
- Well, how about where
they all get their food?
Larry's Market, remember Larry's Market?
Check it out.
- Alright, I'll put it on the list.
- Yeah well do it now.
- Doctor Stoner.
I don't tell you how to do your job.
I would appreciate it if you didn't tell-
- We're faced with an epidemic, inspector.
I'll go do it myself.
- Stoner, there are
established procedures.
- I don't care about your procedures.
Don't you understand?
That food store has to be shut down now.
[ominous music]
[gentle music]
[machines beeping]
Hey kid, doing alright today?
Got a little tan, sunbathing again, huh?
Yeah I'm going to see my girl's family.
They got the life.
No health department
inspectors, no epidemic.
Ah, Rico, I don't know
what this thing is, man.
It don't act like nothing in the book.
I'm scared to death
somebody's gonna die from it
before we can stop it, you know?
Well, I'll check you later, man.
- Gavin O'Connor.
Whenever there's free booze around,
I know you can't be too far away.
- I could say the same about you.
[people chattering]
- And we found ourselves-
[gentle music]
- Hey, this is bigger than I thought.
- Me too.
[people chattering]
- Cynthia, darling.
And you must be Michael.
So glad you could join us.
- Thank you for inviting me.
- Oh come with me, Michael.
Some friends of mine here
I'd like you to meet.
They've been our good
neighbors for many years.
They've known Cynthia since
she was a little girl.
Liz, Jack.
This is a friend of Cynthia's,
Doctor Michael Stoner.
He's on staff at Downtown Los Angeles-
- Hello mother.
- I'm so glad you came.
- Jerry, I don't believe you've met.
Charlotte.
This is Doctor Stoner.
My wife, Charlotte.
- So pleased to meet you, Doctor Stoner.
- My pleasure.
- Cynthia's been telling
us all about your hospital,
and the wonderful things-
- Oh, well it's not my hospital.
I'm just a Doctor there.
- Oh, according to my daughter,
you're the Doctor there.
She says it simply couldn't
function without you.
- [Doctor Stoner] Oh is that
what you've been telling them?
- You'll have to get used to that, Doctor.
The child does have a
tendency to exaggerate a bit.
- Woman.
- Woman.
- Come on, I'm starving.
- Nice to have met you.
- Nice seeing you, Doctor.
- You've got your mother's eyes.
- Thanks.
[people chattering]
- Hey mouse.
- Hi!
- You look great.
- Thanks.
Michael, I'd like you to
meet Georgette Shaffer.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Cynthia tell you I own a hospital, too?
- All of East Los Angeles.
- Georgette's a lawyer.
- You're supposed to be impressed.
- Oh I am.
- Georgette's my best friend,
but she's also a-
- A flirt.
Oh I get it.
Lady lawyers don't impress you,
but forward women do.
[laughing]
She put you in one of her books yet?
He looks kind of like a panther.
Lean, and dangerous.
- Does she always carry on like this?
- Always.
- Georgette, behave yourself.
- You're no fun.
Your father has no faith in me.
- Where is your young man?
What was he?
- I don't really look at
myself as a TV personality.
I'm much more of a investigative reporter.
- Fallen, you're a
trouble making muckraker,
that's what you are.
- Not true, Uncle Gavin.
Fallen Reilly is a courageous
electronic journalist.
Michael Stoner, meet the
infamous Fallen Reilly.
- I've seen your work.
Your program on child abuse was excellent.
- Why thank you.
I really should've won
an Emmy for that one.
Ah well.
- Uncle Gavin, I'd like you
to meet Dr. Michael Stoner.
Doctor Stoner, I'd like you
to meet Doctor Gavin O'Connor.
- Nice to see you.
- Watch out for this one, Doctor Stoner.
In five minutes, he'll have you convinced
that you need a new nose.
And it's $5,000 for the small size.
- I have saved many an
actresses career by-
- Ah now this is what we
call the magic finger speech.
- Oh Fallen, you're cruel.
- Thank you, Cynthia, but I can handle
this overblown buffoon.
I've been doing it for years.
- Plastic surgery is a remarkable field.
You know last month I saw
a kid with gunshot wounds.
His face was-
- Doctor Stoner,
I trust that you're
not a medical charlatan
like Doctor O'Connor here.
- Oh I'm a Doctor at a downtown hospital.
- Doctor O'Connor has a private
clinic on Sunset Boulevard.
Looks more like a boutique.
- The kid who was shot,
he was on the table for three hours.
Doctor Montrose operated.
Do you know him?
- We've met.
- He did a sensational job.
You'd have to look real
close just to find any-
- I didn't realize that Montrose
was on staff at East LA.
- No, he's not.
He gives us two days a week.
Are you on staff anywhere, Doctor?
- In recent years,
I've restricted my
activities to the clinic.
- Well we could use you.
You know, they're ripping
each other apart down there.
- Michael's kidding.
But there really is a lot to do.
I'd love a drink, wouldn't you?
- Your father tells me you've been
volunteer teaching downtown.
- Yes, and it's wonderful.
They're really talented artists.
All they need is a little
guidance and encouragement.
- I think what you're
doing is commendable.
But I was talking to your father
about your being downtown so much.
He's concerned.
- About what?
- Well, he's so proud of what you do.
I'm sure he doesn't want to interfere,
but Cynthia, that can be
a dangerous neighborhood.
- Oh that's nonsense.
And anyway, they wouldn't lay a hand
on any friend of Doctor Michael Stoner.
- I'm sure.
But Doctor Stoner has
his responsibilities.
He can't be with you all the time.
A young woman alone in East LA-
- Doctor O'Connor.
There are many young
women alone in East LA.
- Of course there are, Doctor.
But some people fit in certain places.
Others don't.
- Are you sure we haven't met?
I think I know you.
- I have no recollection of
ever having met you before.
- Michael.
- Yeah well maybe
you just sound like a
lot of people I know.
- I'm not certain I appreciate
your meaning, Doctor.
- Doctor, since you can't
practice in East LA,
and since you like to keep the people
who we're trying to help out of East LA,
I got a feeling you don't
know nothing about the area.
- I know what goes on down there.
Every concerned citizen
of Los Angeles knows.
- Yeah yeah, I've heard all that.
But it gets very heavy down there, man.
Well why don't you come down anyway?
Maybe you might learn
something about the people.
You find out how badly they need Doctors.
I can't believe you, man.
Here we are, working double shifts
to try to handle the load,
and you're sitting in some
fancy clinic, bobbing noses.
You call yourself a Doctor.
You ain't no Doctor.
You're a beautician.
- You're making a spectacle
of yourself, Doctor.
Excuse me.
[people chattering]
- Michael.
- Cynthia.
- Michael.
[people chattering]
[melancholy music]
- I can't believe that guy.
- I wanted everyone to like you.
- Well didn't you hear what he said?
- He's one of my father's oldest friends.
- So what?
What was I supposed to do?
Just stand there and take it?
- Couldn't you just stay
cool for once for me?
[weeping]
- Now come on, come
on, come on, don't cry.
- I can't help it.
- Hey, it's my suit and my tie.
I get crazy when I wear it.
Come on, give me a smile.
Where are you going?
[gentle music]
Any change in Fernandez?
- No, sir.
[announcer chattering]
- You got a girl, Rico?
Trouble man, believe that.
Can't do nothing to please 'em.
They all the same, too.
Don't matter if they come
from East LA or Bel Air.
They walk around on their skinny ankles,
looking like little canaries.
Yeah, I'm in trouble, Rico.
I think I blew it.
Hey don't get involved
with the fancy ones, man.
They'll kill you.
They cry too easy.
Hey, I hear you play a little handball.
Maybe sometime, you and me,
we go to the gym, you hear me?
Don't get fresh with the nurses.
Don't worry, I haven't cut
anybody in a couple days.
[people chattering]
It's looking better.
- You can't come in here!
Doctor, I tried to stop him.
- It's okay, Loretta.
- You told my customers
don't buy from Larry's.
You said the food was poison.
Now they don't come into my store anymore.
- We examined the food, and
the building, thoroughly.
There's absolutely nothing in the store
which could've caused the problem.
- Are you sure?
- Absolutely.
- See, everybody's afraid
to buy food from me.
I've been in business
for 15 years, Doctor.
- Okay there, quiet, we're in a hospital.
I'll straighten it out.
Redress this, and give her an appointment.
- Better do something,
or I'll call my lawyer.
You ruined my business.
For 15 years, I've had good customers.
- Mr. Lee, I'll see to it that-
- Perhaps in the future,
you'd better stick to the patients
and let me do the investigating.
- Well if it isn't the food, what is it?
I mean, if I leave it up to you,
we'll have a real epidemic on our hands.
Do you realize how many more patients-
- Doctor, I'll do the job.
I don't want any more interference.
- You will fix up my business,
or I'm gonna sue you, understand?
- Mr. Lee.
Listen, I'll explain to the
people that I was wrong, okay?
- Trouble, Stoner?
- I'll handle it.
- She's got the same
symptoms as the others.
- Ebony, huh?
That's hip.
- It's my professional name.
- Oh yeah, what are you, a stripper?
- I'm gonna be a model.
- Oh.
Well what's your real name?
- Doctor, if you don't hurry up,
I'm gonna have my baby right here.
- How close are the contractions?
- 10 minutes apart.
- You have plenty of time, don't worry.
- Louise Washington.
- [Doctor Stoner] What's that?
- My real name.
- Oh Louise.
[speaking in foreign language]
You know that one?
[laughing]
Ebony.
- That's so they know I'm black.
- I dig that.
So I see your boyfriend
likes skinny girls.
- He better.
I'm still on a diet.
- You're too skinny already.
- I'm fasting.
All I've had for the last
couple of days is water.
- Water.
You sure that's all you've had?
- Yeah.
- Where do you live?
- Lovato Palms, why?
- Nurse.
Quarantine her.
- I'm Doctor Myers.
I'll be taking care of you.
- No way.
I ain't gonna have no
woman deliver my baby.
- Put it back over here against the wall.
It has to be the water.
It's all she's had for two days.
- Well we'll have to run some more tests.
- Shut down the water!
- Like you closed down the grocery store?
No.
This time we do it my way.
- [PA Announcer] Doctor Schedel,
please call the page operator.
Doctor Oscar Schedel,
call the page operator.
- Lock that up.
Make sure nobody turns the
water back on 'til I say so.
We checked out the food.
It's not food poisoning, it's not a virus.
Everything else checked out okay.
So what's left?
The water.
[thuds]
It's gotta be the water.
Any more of these?
- Nope, that's the last one.
- Okay, keep 'em locked up.
- Okay.
- Hey!
Mrs. Lopez!
Who shut the water off?
- The Doctor!
Water has flu in it!
[laughing]
- Hear that, Betty?
The water's got the flu!
- Right over my head
and shut off the water.
You spreading rumors.
- He closed down a food store!
- You've caused panic
with absolutely no proof.
- Listen, something's wrong
with the water in that building.
- Alright, but you can't act arbitrarily.
- Have you checked out the water?
- The chemists are analyzing-
- Have you checked out
how many patients lived in
or visited that building?
- I was about to do that
when you shut off the water.
- You're always just
about to do something.
- Oh, Stoner, you can't talk
to a city official like that.
He's doing his job-
- Listen to me.
Listen to me!
If we wait for the health department,
all my patients will be dead.
[suspenseful music]
[upbeat music]
[people chattering]
- Hey, hang with her.
Get that bottle.
- Slow down, baby.
You want to be a movie star, don't ya?
- Child, don't bother me.
- Oh come on, lady.
Give us a break.
We're trying to make a film.
Hey that's Stoner!
- Alright!
- Hey Stoner.
- Hey that was a terrific
job you did, Doc.
Hey come on, let's get out of here.
The whole neighborhood is crumbling.
Just look at that guy.
- Hey, shoot that!
- Slow down, mister, slow down.
- Hey come on fellas, get this shot.
Get a closeup of the bottle, the bottle!
Good, good.
- Excellent, excellent.
- We're doing a documentary
on what happened the
day the well went dry.
- Well nothing's wrong with the water.
It's bad in Lovato Palms, nowhere else.
- Tell that to them.
- Well y'all are gonna have
to help me out, Angie, okay?
- Hey mister, don't drink the water.
You want to buy a bottle
of soda, 75 cents?
[laughing]
- [PA Announcer] Chaplain Reynolds,
please call two east.
Chaplain Reynolds, call two east.
- Here he comes.
- Looks like he got up
out of an empty bed.
Oh Doctor Stoner.
You know how many cases
of that stomach disease
we got in last night?
- It was the water.
[laughing]
- Yes, the water was contaminated.
Traces of toxic chemicals, pesticide.
- Yeah well how did it get there?
- Pipes in the buildings were faulty.
- The pipes?
- It's being taken care of.
- We've got patients who
are partially paralyzed
because of those pipes.
What do you mean it's being taken care of?
- It's being taken care of
by the proper authorities,
which does not include you.
My advice, if you want to go on working
in this hospital, then stop
running around the neighborhood,
meddling in things
which don't concern you.
- If it weren't for my meddling,
you and your health inspector
would still be looking for a virus.
- If I hear one more
word about those pipes
in the Lovato Palms, you're fired.
Is that clear?
- Hey you can't just-
- Oh oh yes I can.
I can and I will.
[door slams]
[gentle music]
[tapping on window]
[dramatic music]
- I'm sorry about the
other day at your father's.
- Me too.
- What you doing?
- Working.
- Well can I come in?
- Yeah.
[dramatic music]
- Tishman's got no right in firing me.
Hospital doesn't belong to him.
- Michael.
- Don't tell me to forget
about the pipes, I can't.
- I know.
- There's a piece of me in that hospital.
It's where my mother
took us when we got sick.
When my father couldn't work anymore,
we took him there.
They fixed him up and
never charged us a cent.
He used to say, "We need a
Doctor like us in there."
He never stopped telling me that,
trying to make it happen for me.
He was something else.
He drove Tishman crazy.
He never quit fighting.
They're pressing me.
But you better know I'm gonna
find out who's responsible.
The building department
should have records
of who built those
apartments, shouldn't they?
- Let me help you.
- Can you check on it tomorrow?
- Sure.
- Oh...
I thought it over, and,
if you want to name the
moose Michael, you can.
[laughing]
- [PA Announcer] Phone call
for Doctor Stoner on 714.
- Thank you, nurse.
Doctor Stoner.
- Hi, Doctor Stoner.
- What's up?
- [Cynthia] I'm in a
phone booth at city hall.
- And?
- And the architects are Wilson and Brown.
The construction contractor
was Lamberti Brothers.
They're the ones who put in the pipes.
- And what's their address?
- They're doing a building
on Seventh and Melrose.
Tony Lamberti runs the company,
and he's probably there now.
- Okay.
Good enough, I'll see you later.
- [Cynthia] Bye bye.
[machines rumbling]
- Excuse me, where's Mr. Lamberti?
Thanks a lot.
Excuse me, I'm looking for Mr. Lamberti.
- Oh yeah?
Who are you?
- Doctor Stoner.
It's about some buildings he constructed.
- Come on up.
[machines rumbling]
Mr. Lamberti.
This guy wants to see
you about some buildings.
Says he's a Doctor.
- Check that out.
Make sure it's straight stuff.
What can I do for you, Doctor?
- You constructed some
buildings in Echo Park.
The Lovato Palms, you remember?
- Oh boy, yeah yeah.
- We've been having some
problems with the pipes.
Seems to be pesticides in them.
The health department
checked out the water.
- Doctor, that building's over a year old.
Hey, I don't know what the
health department knows.
But I guarantee you my
materials are top quality.
Now maybe they should check out
the source of the water supply.
- They did.
They nailed it down to the
pipes in your building.
- Really now?
- Yeah, really.
Who supplied you with those pipes?
- Is that the stuff
we've been waiting for?
- That's it.
- Lamberti.
There's a connection between
the pesticides and those pipes.
Now I don't know what it is yet,
but I'm gonna find out.
- Doctor.
May I make a suggestion?
You should be wearing a hard hat.
You hang around here,
something hard's going
to fall on your head.
You have no protection.
I wouldn't want to see you get hurt.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm busy.
- Lamberti knows, Rico.
He knows, I seen him.
You tell me what are
pesticides doing in pipes.
A crime's being committed
and nobody cares.
[machine beeping]
Now let me tell you something, Rico.
I'm gonna find out who
put those rotten pipes
in the buildings.
Now matter what Tishman says.
[people chattering]
- Hi, Stoner.
- Hi, Claire.
Can I have her chart, please?
- Sure, darling.
- Thank you.
Hello hello.
- Hi, Stoner.
- Looks like you're feeling better today.
- Mm, better.
- Dig in.
- I've gained five pounds
since I've been here.
- Well I don't know, I like 'em
with a little meat on the bones, myself.
- Now who ever heard of a fat model?
- Come on, come on. Dig in.
- I can't eat all this.
- Sure you can.
- How long do I have to stay here?
- Another 10 pounds worth.
- [PA Announcer] Telephone
call for Doctor Stoner.
- What can I say?
Oh...you better live it up while you can.
They still can't use the
water at Lovato Palms.
- Hey nurse, can I have more milk?
I ain't touching the water.
- This ain't no hotel, honey.
- Stoner here.
- Hi.
- Hey, doll, how is it?
- Did you see Lamberti yet?
- [Dr. Stoner] Yeah.
- How did he seem?
- Shifty.
- Want to hear a coincidence?
Lamberti's cousin is a guess what.
- What?
- City building inspector.
Does that say anything to you?
- That's how those pipes got in there.
Nice going, Nancy Drew.
I'll see you later.
- Bye.
[engine rumbling]
[horn honking]
- Hey what's happening, Doc?
- Come on, come on, get in.
I need your help.
Where you all been?
I've been looking all over for you.
- Oh we were down filming in the park,
but we got rained out.
- Yeah, ever since everybody started
drinking the water again,
we've had to start a new film.
- Oh yeah, I heard the water's back on.
Good.
- Yeah.
- Okay now listen.
You know that construction
site at Seventh and Melrose?
- Uh huh.
- Okay I want you to keep an eye on it.
I need to find out who supplies 'em
with pipes, lumber, everything, alright?
- Okay Doc, I'll get you some great film.
- A girl director will lose our grant.
- Hey come on, come on, Stripes.
Man, this is serious.
Now watch for Tony Lamberti.
Tony Lamberti, he's the boss.
Try to get film on anybody
that comes to see him, alright?
- For you, Doc, anything.
- Watch out, she'll
take over the hospital,
you know what I mean?
- No he don't know what you mean.
- Yes he knows what I mean!
- Alright alright alright!
- You think he's stupid?
- Alright now go ahead.
[suspenseful music]
- Come in, Doctor Stoner.
My name's Harold Dickerson.
Sit down.
- Thank you.
- Is there anything I can get you?
Coffee, tea?
- Oh no thanks.
- Well, I understand the boys upstairs
have been giving you the runaround.
That's the trouble with the bureaucracy.
Too many chiefs and not enough Indians.
You sure I can't offer
you something to drink?
- No, no thanks.
Do you know most of the
building inspectors?
Well I think one of them are
being bought and paid for.
- Hold all my calls.
I like your style, Doctor.
Right to the point.
I don't get much of that around here.
Go ahead.
[engines rumbling]
[people chattering]
- Stop!
- Just a minute, okay?
Hey mister, could you
come down for a minute?
- Yeah, we're making a
film on truck drivers.
Come on out.
- Take it slow now.
- Hey, it'll only take 5.2 seconds.
Come on out, huh?
- Okay?
Alright!
- Alright, alright.
Right there, right there.
- Get a closeup on that man.
- Okay, where's this movie gonna be shown?
- All over.
- All over.
- Hey, you work for Lamberti before?
- Yeah, uh huh.
Should I talk up more?
- No no, it's perfect.
Sounds great.
- Hey, where do you
get your supplies from?
- We'll need proof, Doctor, facts.
Give my secretary your name and number.
I'll find out who the
inspector was on this project.
- Thank you, Mr. Dickerson.
- And don't worry.
We'll get to the bottom of this.
In the meantime, keep me posted
if you run across anything.
- I will.
- I could use a few people
like you here, Doctor.
Laurie, give Doctor Stoner my card.
Thank you again, Doctor.
- Thank you.
[gentle ominous music]
- Get me Tony Lamberti.
- Lamberti's got two companies.
One's that builds, and the other
one's a demolition company.
Want to see my profile?
- Oh look at that clown!
[laughing]
- Come on come on, be quiet, be quiet!
- Yeah I worked on the crew
that demolished the chemical plant.
Boy, that was something, I tell you.
It smelled like skunks.
And those fumes nearly
did me in, you know?
- [Angie] When was that?
- Oh around 1970...yeah, 1974.
- That's it, that's it!
That's the year he built Lovato Palms.
- Thinking about it, yeah.
I thought I'd nearly die.
But the overtime was
really good, you know?
It was one of those plants
that made bug killer.
[laughing]
- We got him!
The pipes Lamberti put in Lovato Palms
must have come from the
pesticide plant he tore down.
Hey Rudy, thanks a lot, man.
Thank you, Mrs. Lopez.
This is what I want.
Lamberti probably had these
pipes chemically treated
to get rid of the pesticides.
That was okay for a while,
and then traces of the
pesticides reappeared,
and contaminated the water.
- I bet they wouldn't let
this happen in Beverly Hills.
- Yeah.
- Stoner!
Where are you going with that pipe?
- I asked you to find out a few things,
and suddenly you're an expert.
- I spoke to my father.
- Yeah, and that's another thing.
Why does he want me to quit?
- He knows the city, what could happen.
- Yeah, everybody's on the tape.
They're all sleeping with each other,
including your father.
- That's a damn lie.
He cares about you and the
pipes and what's happening.
- Then why doesn't he help me?
- You can't do it alone!
- I'm not!
I got at city hall named Dickerson
who's ready to nail 'em when
I come in with the proof.
- They're not gonna stand around
and let you put them out of business.
- Oh, you too.
Everybody wants me to quit.
- It's dangerous, Michael.
Lamberti's too well connected.
- Then I don't care what you say,
I'm gonna get the one piece of evidence
I need to finish this guy.
- Oh great, once more
into the lion's mouth.
This time, your macho Doctor act
can finish you.
- Macho Doctor.
Is that what you think I am?
You think I can't handle myself?
- Michael, I think you
can do whatever you want.
I think you're the Lone Ranger of East LA.
- Yeah well I've had it.
I've had it with you, your
father, and your friends.
Why don't you get yourself another boy?
- Get out.
[suspenseful music]
- What's wrong with everybody, Rico?
All they tell you is
it's too tough, Michael.
You can't do it, Michael.
They'll get you back off, Michael.
Damn it, Rico.
Don't they know there's still more to do?
I mean, you wouldn't be surprised
if Lamberti would still
use secondhand junk
in his buildings, would you?
They want us to quit.
You're not a quitter, are you, Rico?
- Hey, what...whats that?
- It's a pipe...from Lovato Palms.
Half the evidence I need to put Lamberti
and his city hall friends away.
The other half I get tonight.
- We're not policemen.
We're Doctors.
- Yeah, yeah, I know.
I can tell by your long white coat.
- Stoner.
- Mr. Dickerson, Michael Stoner.
Fine, thanks.
Listen, I'm almost ready.
I've just got one more thing.
Yeah, tonight.
Well, I don't know.
How about...how about 10 o'clock tomorrow?
Okay good, I'll see you in your office.
Thanks, don't worry.
Goodbye.
[ominous music]
[suspenseful music]
[smacking]
[thudding]
[intense music]
[thuds]
- That's enough.
Goodnight, Doctor.
[pipe clinks]
[telephone clinks]
[phone ringing]
- Hello?
- Cynthia.
- Michael, what's happened?
- I need you.
- Where are you?
- On Seventh and Melrose.
- I'll be right there.
I think your rib is broken.
- It's not that bad.
- Look, Michael.
Maybe I should call a Doctor.
- I am a Doctor.
- You look awful.
- Thanks.
- Well, what do we do now?
- I need to get some more ice for my hand.
- No, I mean about Lamberti.
- What do you think I should do?
- Not let him get away with this.
[gentle music]
- You know, you're pretty classy, lady.
Even in jeans, you look dressed up.
[gasping]
- I'm sorry, I'll get some ice.
[upbeat music]
[knocking on door]
- Hey Angie!
- Hey Mike, we got the
film, and it's great.
- Oh yeah?
- Yeah yeah.
Wait 'til you see it, it's terrific.
- Are you all going to
wait out here all day?
Get inside.
- Hi.
- Who's that?
- Hi, I'm Cynthia.
- Hi, I'm pleased to meet you.
- Hi.
- Okay.
Let's get going.
- Now what's so great about this film?
- Wait a minute, wait a minute.
It's coming up.
Watch this.
- [Dr. Stoner] Hey that's Dickerson.
- [Angie] Yeah, the big payoff.
- [Stripes] Yeah we got it.
Lamberti's gonna give him the money
right now.
- There he goes!
There he goes, see it?
Well, Doc?
- He's setting me up.
- Well I thought it was pretty good.
- I played right into his hands.
- Yeah well I could've done better.
- Hey hey hey hey, no no no.
It was dynamite.
It was terrific, it
was just what I wanted.
- Hey, Peter, that was a real nice zoom.
[chattering]
- You know what, people
have to see this film.
Can you...can you get me the number
of that TV commentator
that was at your folks?
- Fallen Reilly?
- Yeah.
- Sure.
- Okay.
Alright.
Alright, everybody out.
I gotta go to work.
And I need a ride.
- [Cynthia] You got it.
[whistling]
- Look at that.
- Are you alright?
- Yeah I'm a little sore.
[women laughing]
- Hey Romeo.
You came back with her, huh?
She must be some woman, huh!
[laughing]
He don't talk to his friends no more.
Hey lady!
Go easy on the Doctor, huh?
[laughing]
[engine revving]
[gentle music]
- I've been off the
streets too long, Rico.
I should've seen 'em coming.
Dickerson must be laughing his tail off.
I was running around
with a pipe in my hand,
and they laid back.
Watched me make a fool out of myself.
No more.
They got me this time,
but I got the next one.
You know what...
Hey Rico.
Can you hear me?
Do that again.
Okay, now this time, blink twice.
[laughing]
Man, you've been eavesdropping
on me all this time.
You got all my secrets
right there in your head.
Man, you were...
Hey listen.
If you tell anybody what I said,
I'm gonna put you away.
You hear me?
[upbeat music]
Hey Doctor, Enrico blinked!
- Great.
[people chattering]
- Your son blinked his eyes.
[speaking in foreign language]
- Let me refill your drink.
You sure you wouldn't like anything
stronger than tonic?
- No, tonic's fine.
- You know, you would
make quite a detective.
That was excellent.
- I want that guy put away.
- Oh, you've got Lamberti scared, Doctor.
You've shoved him into a corner.
- And nobody's laid a glove on him yet.
- I'm going to put a bug into
the district attorney's ear.
He'll make things very very
tough for Mr. Lamberti.
- Well can you call him now?
- What?
- So call the DA now.
We'll show him my film
and toss Lamberti in jail.
- Oh, nobody's gonna put
him into jail, Doctor.
All he did was make a few
extra bucks on those pipes.
That's done every day.
The pesticide thing was accidental.
They'll probably just give him a fine,
and then-
- A little bigger dose
of that accident, and a lot
of people would be dead.
- Now that would be different.
But fortunately, with
your skill and God's help,
everybody's on the road to recovery.
- Are you putting me on?
- No.
You've done a great service
for your neighborhood.
- And that's the end of it?
- Well, let's hope not.
But with things in this town the way-
- So you're not going to use it?
- Doctor Stoner, my air
time is very limited.
I deal only with grave problems
that affect large segments
of the population.
Now I understand how you feel
about this Lovato Palms story.
But it's just not
important enough overall.
- You're afraid of it.
- That's ridiculous.
- You're scared of city hall.
- I'm not scared of anyone in this town.
I spent 20 years becoming who I am.
There's no one near me on television.
I pick my own stories, and
this one is not big enough.
- Big enough?
What do you mean by big enough?
I've watched your program lately.
All that bull every week about
who's got the most influence in town,
which 10 men earn the most money?
Who's buying the big real estate deals?
You're not talking big enough, man.
You're talking rich enough.
- I reach 80% of the people
in this city every month.
They like what I give them.
- Yeah well there's a chick on my block,
hooks for a living.
She'd say the same thing.
- Doctor Stoner, this is my home.
Suddenly I want to be alone.
- You know Reilly, I've
seen you a lot on TV,
and I watched you turn on the charm
with the cocktail party set.
But today, it was like seeing
you for the first time, man.
- That's enough.
- What's happened to you, Reilly?
You used to be a big man in this town.
You made things happen.
But they've tamed you.
Now they hand you scripts
and you read their words.
- Now just a minute.
- Lovato Palms was a scary thing, man.
50 people could've died.
And it was no accident.
Lamberti knew where those pipes came from.
He tried to get rid of the pesticides.
He didn't do a good enough job.
Right now, he's got a contract
to start another project.
And what'll it be the next
time, the wiring maybe?
When the building goes up in flames,
will that story be big enough for you?
As long as he owns the
building inspectors,
anything can happen.
Now I'm a Doctor, and you're on TV,
but we do the same thing.
We're supposed to find out
what's wrong and fix it.
East LA can't stand every hustler
and scam artist ripping her up.
You could help.
You could help nail those people.
We need you, Reilly, help us.
Please.
- The next time you take a glass of water,
remember men such as
Lamberti and Dickerson,
and what their greed almost did
to the poor people of this city.
And most of all, I want you to remember
the name of a very brave Doctor.
[speaking in foreign language]
- Who fought to discover the truth
behind the pipes at Lovato Palms.
The real hero of this story
is Michael Stoner, M.D.
- Doctor Stoner, we know, hey!
- Thank you, Doctor.
And thank you ladies and gentlemen.
This is Fallen Reilly.
[suspenseful music]
- Doctor, he said your name!
- Oh that's good!
- He's alright.
What do you think, Rico?
He's pretty cool, ain't he?
[laughing]
Goodnight.
[speaking in foreign language]
- And nurse.
[speaking in foreign language]
- Doctor!
- Doctor, Doctor, come back, please.
- Come on.
[gasping]
- Doc...Doctor.
- [Dr. Stoner] Come on, Rico, talk to me.
[speaking in foreign language]
- You did good.
- Okay, okay, just take it easy, man.
Just take it easy.
- He can talk.
- Sure he can talk.
What kind of Doctor you think I am?
Pretty soon he'll be playing handball.
Isn't that right, Rico?
Stay with him, nurse.
[speaking in foreign language]
[laughing]
- Mama.
Mama.
[suspenseful music]
- Hats off to you, really.
- Looks like you did it.
- Yeah, looks like it.
- Stoner, your name was on TV.
Ooh, I got me a famous Doctor.
- Can I have your autograph?
- Hey, thanks, Doc, thanks.
- Alright.
- Hey nice going there, Stoner.
- Thanks.
- Hey look at that man strut.
[suspenseful music]
- Come on, hot shot.
[upbeat music]
[upbeat music]
♪ In my mind ♪
♪ There is so much to find ♪
♪ Give me time ♪
♪ It's a place I can run to just to hide ♪
♪ If you want to know what's in there ♪
♪ All you gotta do is
look inside, inside ♪
♪ Many many things are in there ♪
♪ Anything you want, it's open wide ♪
♪ In this world ♪
♪ Without reason or rhyme ♪
♪ There's a love ♪
♪ So much hate, are we
really just too blind now ♪
♪ Since you're mine now ♪
♪ And together ♪
♪ We can fly ♪
♪ All you gotta do is look inside ♪