The Seven Minutes (1971) - full transcript
The Seven Minutes is a steamy book written in 1969. To help with an upcoming election, a bookstore clerk is indicted for selling obscene material and most of the film centers about the ...
(Jaunty, upbeat music)
(Dog barking)
Cat burglar workin'
the neighbourhood
and we're out bustin'
a goddamned bookstore.
This won't take very long.
(Dramatic music)
(Credits accompanied
by ticking sound)
(Woman)
What time is the programme tonight?
(Man)
Uh, eight o'clock, I think.
Well, what time are you
going to get through here?
(Man)
Six at the latest.
I wonder if you could help me out.
I'm looking for a book that's,
uh, a little unusual.
You know, something you wouldn't
find in an ordinary library?
- Uh-huh.
- You, uh, you got any suggestions?
Just look around
for yourself, mister.
The jackets tell
the story pretty well.
Yeah, I see what you mean.
Maybe you got something that's
brand new, that's just come out?
What about that stack of books
in the window?
- The Gummer Goose book?
- N0, no, no, the other one there.
Ah, this one here.
Oh yeah, The Seven Minutes.
- It's a pretty sexy cover, isn't it?
- Yeah.
- See you, Ben.
- Eight o'clock.
- You read it?
- The new edition, at least.
The first one was banned
35 years ago.
- How come it was banned?
- Because it was considered obscene.
Do you think the book's obscene?
Why don't you buy the book
and find out for yourself?
- How much is it?
- $7.30 with the tax.
Wrap it up.
You the manager round here?
Yeah, the day manager.
Who do I bring it back to
if I don't like it?
Fremont.
Ben Fremont.
(Emphatic orchestral chord)
Took you long enough.
Literary conversations
take a little doing.
We'd better start comparing.
Come and join me in the front seat.
- Same jacket, same title.
- Check.
Same publisher, same
publishing date and copyright.
- Check.
- Let's pay Mr Fremont another visit.
(Suspenseful music,
against ticking clock)
(Dramatic orchestral chord)
(Police officer)
Mr Fremont?
You are Ben Fremont,
manager of the Argus Book Store?
You're puttin' me on.
Mr Fremont, I'd better
introduce myself officially.
I'm Sergeant Kellog,
assigned to the Vice Bureau
of the County Sheriff's office.
I knew you seemed weird.
My partner here
is Officer lverson.
Mr Fremont, we're
placing you under arrest
under Section 311.2
of the California Penal Code.
What the hell for?
The Code states that any person
who knowingly offers to distribute
any obscene matter
is guilty of a misdemeanour.
The District Attorney feels that
the book The Seven Minutes,
by J.J. Jadway, would be found
obscene if taken to court.
You can't arrest me.
I'm just a guy who sells books.
- Ijust work here.
- (Dramatic orchestral chord)
(Telephone ringing)
(Lyrical, Gershwinesque tune)
(Telephone ringing)
(Slapping sound)
Mike? It's Phil. Sanford.
Phil? How the hell are ya?
Well, I'll tell you about that
in a minute.
Oh, uh...
congratulations are in order.
I read that you took over
your dad's publishing firm.
- It's been a year and a half now.
- You sound uptight, man.
The police raided the
Argus Book Store in Oakwood...
Yeah, I know the store,
but what's that got to do with you?
They arrested the clerk,
Ben Fremont,
on an obscenity charge,
for selling a new book of ours,
The Seven Minutes, by J.J. Jadway.
Now Mike?
This book is not pornographic.
Anyway, FremonFs been in jail
several hours now,
- and I want him bailed out at once.
- How do you want to plead?
If he pleads not guilty,
that means a trial.
I want to get him out of this
fast and quietly.
Ihave got to put a stop to
the little nuisance arrests like this
right at the outset.
Well, now, selling pornography
in California is a misdemeanour.
As far as I recall, it's a
maximum fine of $10,000,
a year in jail, plus $5
for every unit of
obscene material confiscated.
Mike, but the kid was arrested
once before on the same charge.
Ah, excuse me, Phil.
Let me see... that's a felony,
now that's a $25,000 maximum fine,
just for openers,
and a year in prison.
Damn it, Mike, I can't let
Fremont go to jail
for selling Sanford House's book!
Wait a minute...
there's one other possibility.
I might be able to get the whole thing
taken care of quickly and quietly.
We enter a nolo plea,
now that's to say a guilty plea
without conceding to the charge.
You pay the fine and you arrange
to have the
jail sentence suspended.
We have a D.A. out here:
a man named Elmo Duncan,
- a very decent guy.
- Mike...
(Mike) Don't worry.
I'll see Duncan tomorrow,
arrange for the bail bondsman
and look in on Fremont.
Sorry I unloaded on you, buddy,
but I'm sure you know that this
is pretty important to me.
Get some sleep, huh?
Good night, Phil.
(Laughing) You're bad!
You're really bad, baby!
Faye!
Faye... Faye!
Come on now, it's after midnight.
You know, we're both tired.
And you know how I hate
being interrupted.
Michael, Daddy isn't going to
like your dirty book.
When I go to work for Daddy,
that's when Daddy makes the decisions.
Until then, I call my own shots.
(Raunchy big-band music)
C'mon.
Daddy was discussing
us today, Michael.
He's anxious to know
when you're going to
make an honest woman
out of his daughter.
I've got the message,
Miss Osborn.
- How is your charming fiancée?
- She's fine, sir.
You must remember me to both Faye
and your prospective father-in-law.
You know, if it weren't for
Willard Osb0rn's dinner parties...
I wouldn't have to worry
about my weight.
What can I do for you,
Mr Barrett?
Well, sir, I'm looking for a favour.
Anything.
Anything within reason.
I'm representing the Sanford House
of New York City.
The publisher of The Seven Minutes.
The Seven Minutes...
Oh yes, the Fremont case.
(Mike)
That's rig ht.
Mr Duncan, may I ask...
have you read the book?
To be quite frank about it, no.
Well, a number of
very important critics say
that The Seven Minutes
is not hardcore pornography.
The sort of thing that's
dumped into a drugstore
by quick-buck printers
appealing to the one-armed reader.
The book is being
published by one of
the most reputable firms
in the book trade.
Well, let's see what
it's all about.
The complaint was filed
by a Mrs Olivia St. Clair,
President of the Strength
Through Decency League in Oakwood.
A couple of my boys read the book.
There is no doubt in their mind
it is pornographic.
But the real question is
whether or not The Seven Minutes
is legally obscene
by contemporary
community standards.
My client has advised me
that the Jadway book
is no more or less explicit than
works of far less artistic merit.
S0 why the sudden arrest?
Well, my office has been under
considerable pressure
from Mrs St. Clair,
with some justification.
We had to satisfy her.
And with Fremonfs arrest,
you appeased the book-burner.
We've done our duty. But then,
you have a duty to your client.
I'm willing to co-operate
within the limitations
of what already has happened.
This would satisfy Sanford:
Ben Fremont pleads nolo,
pays a stiff fine,
and in return, we have his
one-yearjail sentence suspended.
You understand
entering a nolo plea
is tantamount
to pleading guilty?
Which means the book
will be banned in Oakwood.
I don't give a damn
about Oakwood.
Let it be unavailable there,
and that way you satisfy
the STDL
and their specific community.
But still, The Seven Minutes
could be sold
anywhere else in the county.
What you've suggested...
well, sounds reasonable to me.
This is a nuisance matter.
We can treat it routinely.
I'll smooth out any ruffled feathers
in the Department
and when that's done,
you enter your plea of guilty,
and I'll speak to the judge.
It probably won't be any more than
a fine and a suspended jail sentence.
Fair enough.
I should have something for you
about this time tomorrow.
Oh, by the way,
when you see Willard Osborn,
tell him I'm
very appreciative
of the time and attention
his network has given me lately.
(Man) Our next senator
for the state of California!
Evening, Luther.
Baby Doll.
- Baby Doll.
- Hi!
- Harvey.
- Elmo.
In/vin.
If our President had looked that good
on television a few years ago,
he would have been elected
Governor instead.
Sorry I'm late, Luther.
Things got busy downtown.
(Loud rock'n'roll music)
Shut that thing off!
I've said it before,
and I'll say it again.
Before we make our move,
Elmo has got to become
a state-wide hero.
If the voters can identify
with him, we're home free.
Two weeks ago, we found
a meaningful issue.
Namely, that much of this
youthful violence
is provoked by salaciousness
in reading matter and in films.
Then, we agreed
to try to implement
the California criminal
code on censorship
by making an arrest,
thereby using a book as an issue
on which to build a state-wide case
- on which Elmo could fight the...
- Smut merchants.
Yes. And by this act,
and by the trial that might follow it,
Elmo would become known
as a protector of the young,
and an enemy of
violence-inciting literature.
That is a lot of crap.
Enough of the pool.
It pits the District Attorney
against some two-bit book salesman
and some obscure printed words that
nobody will ever read or hear about.
It should be plain to all of us now
the Fremont rouse was a flop.
Let's forget it,
let's go on to something else
- with a little more promise.
- (Loud crunching)
Baby Doll, will you stop that!
Now there's another
factor involved here.
The publisher of The Seven Minutes
is being represented
by a Mike Barrett.
You might recall
that Barrett is engaged
to Willard Osborn's daughter Faye.
Now, considering the support
I've been getting
- from Osborn's television network...
- The time will be...
- I think it would be foolish...
- ...ten...
- to rock the boat.
- mtwenty-nine and...
- Shut that off!
- (Beep, click)
Elmo's right.
Forget about this penny ante stuff.
Ourjob tonight is to find
that big issue.
(Rock'n'r0ll music)
Hey baby, now remember...
if you just too small,
you ain't tall at all.
You remember what
the Wolfman says now,
we got these brand new Wolfman
Jack elevator shoes for you, man,
they're gonna blow your mind,
you're gonna love 'em to death,
and remember,
you just slip
right into 'em, man,
and listen, if you just can'!
get it on with your old lady now...
you pay attention to me.
We've got sizes six
to twelve, for those who
are small or large,
whatever the case might be
we've got the shoes just to fit you,
exactly what you need.
You know what I'm talking about!
Now if you want your
Wolfman Jack elevator shoes,
just send five dollars,
cash, cheque or money order.
No sticker readers, you want
good cheques, remember that,
and you send that to
TALL Shoes,
KMSV Los Ange/es!
Aaaaow! If you want to RIDE!
We got a big hit here
by Don Reed, man,
Ride that love train!
...hypnotising
Love goes in the dark
Touch me an inner spark
- Chain reaction...
- Aaaow! Reach your hand in the air!
Put your right hand
over the radio!
Wolfman Jack, your conductor.
Man, I've got your ticket,
and we're gonna ride
that love train. Are you ready?
Aaaaaal/ right!
Come here, man,
sock it to yourself right now!
(Song gets louder)
On the love train
You're gonna make that mine
(Sheri screams)
...I0ve train
(Wolent slaps and blows)
- Onto that perfect time
George! George!
(Crashing sound)
Love train
You're on a midnight ride
- (Wolfman Jack inaudible)
- On the love train
(Shrieking and general cacophony)
Love train
You poor bastard stud,
you make one move from there
and I'll put my fist
right through your face.
(Song fuses with screaming)
- N0! No!
- I'm gonna get me some...
Love train
...you got Wolfman Jack here,
I'm gonna bring you on a train,
we're gonna riiiiide...
...that love train!
Are you ready?
All right! Come on!
Ride, baby, now!
(Car skids to a halt)
(George)
You did nice work, George
Mmm...
Oh, she was outta sight, Jerry!
But you're cool,
I ain't gonna tell nobody.
You know my philosophy:
you keep the good thoughts
and then you dump the garbage.
Kinda like your biological
problem with a chick.
(Radio volume turned right up,
drowning everything else out)
(Tyres squeal)
- Jerry!
- On the love train
You're on a midnight ride
The love train
Tour through the countryside
The love train...
(song fades out)
(Car engine cuts off)
(Footsteps, insects chirping)
Police officers.
Don't move!
(Dramatic, sinister music)
- D0 you have any identification?
- Yeah.
This what you're
looking for, Griffith?
- Where did you find it?
- By the broken body of a young girl.
(Rock'n'r0ll music)
Excuse me, sir. Police Chief Patterson
wishes to speak to Mr Duncan.
- Let's take it on the speakerphone.
- Yes, sir.
Elmo! Patterson.
What is it, Tim?
Sorry to bother you, Mr Duncan.
About an hour ago
we logged a brutal 907.
Rape victim, a 19-year-old
Caucasian, Miss Shen' Moore,
admitted to County Hospital
in a coma.
- There's some big game involved.
- Who is it?
Frank Griffith's son.
Frank Griffith?
The name means nothing to me.
Frank Griffith handles all of
Mr Yerkes' advertising.
He's also one of the party's
biggest contributors.
That's the one.
The boy denied raping the girl,
and he also pleads innocent
to injuring her.
Any evidence to indicate
the boy was lying?
L'm gonna look at the sheet.
Wallet, $23 in cash,
three textbooks in the
trunk of his car,
a fourth book under
the spare tyre.
And coincidentally,
it was the same dirty book
involved in that bookseller arrest
this morning: The Seven Minutes.
Elmo, tell him goodbye.
Son of a bitch,
we've got our case!
Tim, we'll discuss this
in the morning.
Thank you, Mr Duncan.
What do you mean,
"we've got our case"?
Baby Doll!
Shut off that damn radio!
(Music clicks off)
Can't the next Senator from the
State of California
figure this one out for himself?
It's very simple. Frank Griffith's son,
a poor kid with a normal sex urge...
...and they're trying to pin him
with breaking and entering.
(Raucous laughter)
- Maybe the kid is innocent?
- Who gives a goddamn?
But you know who's responsible?
The real criminal?
It's that dirty, slimy book,
The Seven Minutes
that incited a decent kid
from a good family
- to commit felonious rape.
- Yeah, but Luther...
Elmo, we've finally got hold of
the big issue we've been looking for.
- Barman! Get the car!
- Jawohl!
Blair, call Frank Griffith.
Tell him we just heard
about his trouble
and we're on our way to help him
in any way we can.
Now he is still innocent until
proved guilty in a court of law.
What I'm really saying is that
the law still gives us certain options.
Are you saying he can
still plead not guilty?
Frank, let him finish.
If he pleads not guilty
the case will be placed
on the court calendar for trial.
If he pleads guilty
the sentence could be anywhere
from 15 years to life.
What good's all this?
I already told the cops what I did!
- She hurt herself!
- Don't interrupt.
I agree that,
as things stand,
a not guilty plea would
not only be dishonest but futile.
Trial a waste of time.
Now consider this. Behind closed doors
our District Attorney could have
a great influence with thejudge
who was to pass sentence
- after a plea of guilty for rape.
- But I didn't rape her!
The book's the criminal,
not the boy.
If The Seven Minutes
hadn't been available,
Jerry would have never
committed the crime.
I see.
I see.
He was temporarily inflamed by
that book. He was victimised.
Now, we'll need time to let this
concept sink into the public mind,
in order to create an atmosphere
much more favourable to Jerry.
Doesn't anything I say
mean a damn?
Considering Jerry's condition,
I would offer as a defence
that he was not legally sane when
he allegedly committed the crime.
To accomplish this, we'll need
the services of a top psychiatrist.
I would suggest
Dr Roger Trimble.
I won't let any headshrinker
pick my brain apart! I'm not crazy!
Louis Polk knows the law.
If he says your seeing a psychiatrist
will help you with thejudge,
it makes sense to do just that.
Jerry!
Let your niece calm him down.
~ Jerry!
' Maggie, l.__
I'm sure they were only
trying to be helpful, in their way.
I don't want my brain
picked in public.
- I understand, Jerry.
- ljust wanna be left alone.
Jerry Griffith is living proof that
a dirty book can destroy a clean boy.
I'm convinced we're not dealing
with a mere felony,
but a crime that could
endanger public safety.
Like, uh... an epidemic of rape?
I was referring to
your client's distribution
of a menacing work
of obscenity, Mr Barrett.
If you plead Ben Fremont
not guilty,
we will prosecute the defendant
to the limit of the law.
If you prefer to enter
a plea of guilty,
the defendant will receive the
maximum punishment for his offence:
a fine, and twelve months in jail.
- N0 deal deal, Mr Barrett.
- (Loud clunk of weights)
- ls that your last word?
- Yes, Mr Barrett.
What kind of a plea do you intend
to enten'? Guilty or not guilty?
- I'll have to consult with my client.
- There can be no compromise.
If you plead guilty, Fremont
will go tojail for a year
and the book will be banned
in the county as a starter.
If the plea is not guilty...
...you'll have to take
your gamble in court.
Really pissed me off
with Duncan's attitude.
Aside from being
obviously hostile,
he gave me that politician's
holier-than-thou number.
(Mike) A little to the right, honey.
Higher. Yeah, right here.
Mmm, that feels good.
- Michael?
- Mmm?
Are you considering turning down Dad's
position to take on Sanford's case?
What's wrong, darling?
I've got a late date
with The Seven Minutes.
I promised Sanford
I'd make my decision
about defending the book
by tomorrow morning.
...and, taken in its entirety,
and not out of context...
...the book is definitely
not obscene.
The Seven Minutes
is a beautiful book.
Oh, there's Clay Rutherford,
right there.
He's one of the most thorough
investigative attorneys I've worked with.
- Mr Rutherford.
- Mr Sanford.
I took the first plane out when Mike
told me you two would take the case.
Clay has a line-up of potential witnesses.
Why don't we run through them?
- Our line-up is exactly one witness.
- You mean so far?
No, Mr Sanford.
I, uh, I mean one. Period.
With the existing political climate
we're not going to find
many volunteers for this cause.
Tell him who we got, Clay.
Christian Leroux. His firm published
the original edition of the book.
Now we've been led to believe that
he considered The Seven Minutes
to be a work of artistic integrity.
(Sanford) Ireca/I, however, that
he sold the world publishing rights
to an alleged pornographer
named Norman C. Quandt.
- (Clay) Any idea of his whereabouts novfi
- (Sanford) N0.
Clay should be able
to get a line on him.
Our really big issue will be
to prove that Jadway wrote the book
honestly, sincerely,
and with artistic integrity.
That's why Lemux is so
important to us.
- Hello, Mr Barrett.
- Hi, Donna.
Mr Rutherford. Sir.
(Clay) We can also get some mileage
out of the findings
made by the President's Commission
on Obscenity and Pornography.
They clearly verify that so-called
obscene books and motion pictures
do not contribute in any way
to an increase in antisocial behaviour
by adults or juveniles.
Looks like it's not going to be as
simple as we thought. ls it, Mike?
Incredibly, Philip, no. The case is
a lot more complicated now.
I guess so. Mike, this might not
be the right time to bring this up...
but do you want me to stay
for the trial?
I'm up to here with
pre-publication deals back home.
No. As a matter of fact,
it might be better
to keep you out of
the picture entirely,
until we need you
as a witness.
One more thing to remember,
gentlemen,
Elmo Duncan will not
be sitting on his ass.
Our critics would like to believe
that the Church's only interest
is in morality and religion, at
the sacrifice of freedom of speech.
We wish to criticise only those
who would abuse this freedom.
We are of the same mind,
Your Eminence.
We don't want
a weakened freedom,
but rather reinforce it by
penalising those who would corrupt it.
The Church has seen fit
to extend its co-operation.
Wewing The Seven Minutes today,
just as it did in the Thirties,
when it was first banned
in the Sacred Index,
as an extraordinary
destructive force.
I couldn't be more pleased,
Your Eminence.
I own enlighten,
and will help you.
(Mike)
Now, the police report states
that they confiscated eighty copies
of The Seven Minutes...
...and the Sanford House
sales department account shows...
...they shipped a hundred copies
to this store.
- Those figures correct?
- Uh-huh.
That means you sold twenty copies
before you were arrested.
- Any idea who bought them?
- Zero. I only work here days.
Have you seen the picture of
Jerry Griffith in the newspaper?
His picture and mine too.
I've got a better shot of him
right here,
and I want you to take
a close look at this.
- He ever been in this store?
- Not that I can recall.
With all this publicity, I get
phone calls every day,
asking ifl have
the book for sale.
Even Rachel Hoyt,
the head branch librarian
for the Oakwood Library
called this morning,
very uptight about this attempt
to ban The Seven Minutes.
Interesting.
She won't wait to order
the book through channels.
She wants to pick one up herself,
put it on the open shelves,
and have a showdown
with the old bags who run the
Strength Through Decency League.
Would you believe Frank Griffith
telling the press
it was J.J. Jadway and
The Seven Minutes,
not his son, who was responsible
for Sheri Moore's brutal attack.
When was the last time
you saw Jerry?
That was it. He sent a friend
over to return the dictionary.
Do you recall his friend?
A long-haired boy. The only one
I saw with Jerry more than once.
I think his name was Perkins.
I hear you're a good friend
of Jerry Griffith's.
Who told you that?
Head librarian,
at the Oakwood branch.
Said she saw you with him
a couple of times.
He's got wheels. He gave me
a lift now and then. That's about it.
Well, lwas told that
you were close friends.
You were told wrong, man.
Did you ever meet any members
of Jerry's family?
Nope.
Did you ever hear Jerry
discuss his father?
Nope.
When was the last time
you saw him?
Maybe a week before
he beat on that chick.
- And you haven't seen him since?
- N0. And I wouldn't want to, either.
- How come?
- With all the available chicks around here,
who wants to owe
the guy who gets it that way?
- That's a bummer.
- I hear he reads a lot.
What the hell do these look like?
Everybody reads a lot here.
Yeah, I guess you're right,
but I'm only interested
in one particular book.
Have you ever seen him reading
The Seven Minutes or discussing it?
Oh, you're sounding like a pig.
Like a stinkin' pig. Fuck off!
The services of Father Sarsatti,
one of the two priests directly
in charge of the Sacred Index,
has been offered as a leading
witness for your prosecution.
Father Sarsatti
is prepared to make public
all the classified information
the Church has on the infamous book
and its equally infamous author.
Do you wish him as a witness
for the prosecution?
Yes, Your Eminence.
I must have him.
- When do you want him in here?
- Within three days. Four at the most.
I will notify the Vatican.
Father Sarsatti will be here.
And the Lord
will bless our cause.
(Uplifting, hymn-like music)
I'm Olivia St. Clair,
President of the Oakwood Chapter
of the Strength Through
Decency League.
(Polite applause)
Most of you already know
that our President has called for
a citizens' crusade against obscenity,
both in print and in pictures.
That's just what the STDL
is trying to implement.
Our work was never more important
than it is today.
- (St. Clair) The fact that there are...
- (Faye) Why the big rush?
It's not exactly like
you're the guest of honour.
Hey, there's someone I know.
Maggie, how are you?
- Good to see you, Faye.
- (Faye) Oh, forgive me.
Meet my fiance'.
Maggie Russell, Michael Barrett.
How do you do?
I thought I recognised you.
You mean those terrible newspaper
pictures do me justice?
I happen to have
a special interest in your case.
(St. Clair) "hard-hitting action.
And by that I mean
vigorous, positive enforcement
- of existing obscenity laws...
- We'd better grab a seat.
...all over the country.
- And, with courageous Americans...
- See you around, Maggie!
...like our guest of honour today,
to do the enforcing.
It is now with the
greatest of pleasure
that I give you our county's
distinguished District Attorney,
- Mr Elmo Duncan.
- (Applause)
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Glad you all could make it.
Mrs St. Clair has asked me
to say a few words
on the subject of pornography
as related to our permissive society.
I cannot think of a subject
which is more relevant.
There is virtually no area
that remains untainted
by the quick-buck artists who
pander to our lowest forms of taste
and the public be damned.
Just the other evening,
my first night off in weeks,
I decided to take my wife Mary
and our three children to the movies.
In our neighbourhood,
we had such subject material
as rape, lust, motorcycle gangs,
homosexuals,
- lesbianism...
- I'm going to take a walk.
- I'll be right back.
- ...drug abuse, you name it.
Whatever happened to the movies we
used to be able to take our children to?
- (Applause)
- (Mike) Remember to tell me what I missed.
Films that offered
real movie stars,
Like the charming lady seated to my left,
Miss Constance Cumberland.
(Enthusiastic applause)
Never in the history of our great nation
has there been such a proliferation
of obscene material on the screen,
the magazine racks, and the bookshelves.
- The pomographers...
- (Mike) Miss Russell!
While I had a chance lwanted
to have a few words with you
about your relatives the Griffiths.
Faye mentioned your
relationship with Jerry.
And?
Well, she said you were
very close to him.
We're not only relatives,
we're friends.
I'm prepared to defend Jerry
against anyone who wants to hurt him.
Well, I have no reason to hurt Jerry.
My interest in him
is merely professional.
You see, from what I know
about juvenile delinquency,
I'm not convinced
that reading-matter alone
can be held responsible
for antisocial acts.
I was hoping we'd have
a chance to talk about this.
I won't even dignify the thought
of such a discussion.
I suppose it'd be foolish of me to ask
if Jerry's father would see me?
You can't be serious, Mr Barrett.
You're annoying me.
- Well, I'm sorry, I really am.
- (Car engine starts)
But you could have snubbed me.
Good manners, Miss Russell?
Not good manners, Mr Barrett.
I just wanted to find out
if you were really
the kind of son of a bitch
everyone said you were.
Jerry, I feel these sessions
can be very beneficial to you.
I don't like to talk about myself.
Well, I'm afraid your father
and Mr Yerkes have other plans
concerning your
co-operation this afternoon.
You tell him his loser company
ain't worth that much money!
Well, fly him back
from the goddamn safari!
When people find out he's
killing defenseless animals
with a machine gun,
it's eighty-six for him anyway.
(Raucous laughter) What an idea
for Art Buchwald's column!
How'd it go?
Well, Jerry is completely ambivalent
about Sheri Moore.
On the one hand he hates to
discuss the circumstance,
but on the other when he does discuss it
he reveals a certain pride in the act.
What else?
Jerry also has a wish
for self-destruction,
possibly real but more likely fantasy.
I feel he should be subjected
to as few pressures as possible.
Frank, the boy needs help.
He's in bad shape.
What the hell's wrong now?
We'll never get him to testify
until we get him back on the track.
I think the kid and Trimble
should get together
every day between now and the trial.
Well, that makes
a great deal of sense.
Fine. Now, let's see what's
happening in the other room.
(Lushly romantic piano music)
Good to see you, Merle!
Griffith! Trimble!
Come over here!
I want you to meet Merle Reid,
a truly great American.
Mr Reid, this is a real pleasure.
I catch your newscast every night.
You flatter me, Mr Griffith.
I hope you'll tell that to
the rating surveyors when they call.
(Everyone laughs)
I'm really looking
fonlvard to this, Luther.
When my viewers see
what the smut peddlers
have done to that poor young boy,
you'll have a groundswell of sentiment
big enough to swamp the Queen Mary.
(Thumps table)
Good man.
I think they're ready.
Well, Jerry, you won't feel a thing.
You have nothing to worry about.
(Crew member)
Any time you're ready, Mr Reid.
We're rolling.
- Speed. Jerry Griffith interview, take one.
- (Clapperboard snaps shut)
And action, Mr Reid!
Ladies and gentlemen, I am sitting in
the home of the Frank Griffith family.
An average American family,
if you will, until the night before last,
when a shattering experience
catapulted them into the headlights.
Young Jerry Griffith,
whom you see seated beside me,
was taken into police custody
and charged with the most heinous crime.
A crime which had been
perpetrated by the reading
of an awful, ugly, and...
yes, I'll use the word,
a patently obscene book.
Until now, not one soul
from the television media
has been granted the opportunity
of speaking with young Jerry.
But he and his father have
graciously allowed me the privilege
of being the first and only news man
to hear the family's side of the story.
Tell me, Jerry,
was The Seven Minutes
part of your reading assignments
at the university?
I really don't wanna talk about it.
I couldn't be more in sympathy
with your feelings.
But the public does have a right to know
how this book led you astray.
Tell us now exactly how
The Seven Minutes prompted you
to run out and violate this girl.
(Emphatic, echoing chords)
I don't wanna talk about it!
(Frenzied orchestral music)
(Voice trembling)
For the first time
in my newscasting career,
I am speechless.
Permit me, however,
to leave you with this question.
How many other killer books are in
the hands of your sons and daughters?
Yes, your sons and daughters,
this very moment.
Now you've seen what a dirty book
can do to a youngster.
No, I've seen sickness, Mr Yerkes,
but it wasn't caused by any book.
You'd better go shopping
for a new psychiatrist.
- You can't afford me.
- Nowjust a minute, you...
That footage on his cracking up
is gonna be great!
Simply first class.
(Emphatic orchestral music)
Operator, this is KME 515.
Give me CR 72211 please.
Barrett and Rutherford.
Donna, are you still taking
those courses at the university?
Yes, sir, three nights a week.
Any rap about Jerry Griffith?
One girl in my econ class did mention
that she saw him occasionally
at the Lube Rack.
Oh really? I'll be up in
a couple of minutes.
Yes sir, Mr Barrett.
Barrett! You the lawyer who's
defending that dirty book?
Yes, I...
I'm Sheri Moore's father,
you son of a bitch!
And I'm warning you to keep your
goddamn nose out of our private affairs!
My poor girl's damn near dead
because some little punk
was made crazy
by your damn dirty book!
- Well, I've had it, you hear?
- (Cuts to sustained vocal note)
(Loud rock music)
Get up, baby
Dance on the drums
We're gonna shake you
till morning comes.
(Backing vocals)
Shake you ti/I morning comes
Get up, baby
Turn on the juice
Shake a little back
- Gonna work it loose
- (inaudible dialogue)
- You just gotta work it loose
- (inaudible dialogue)
(inaudible dialogue)
You can't have no
midnight tricks
Midnight tricks
Midnight tricks
Midnight tricks
Get off your high horse
Work out the kinks
(inaudible dialogue)
Get up baby
Let out the slack
Too far gone,
gotta turn it round
(inaudible dialogue)
You can't have no
midnight tricks
Midnight tricks
Midnight tricks
Midnight tricks
(Pills rattling)
Loosen up, baby
Let out the slack...
- (knocks on window)
- Jerry? Jerry!
Nembutals. It's lucky you
got him here when you did.
Another five minutes,
and he'd have been finished.
He gave me this piece of paper
with a name and phone number on it.
Said it was the only one
to be contacted.
I thought I told you...
Jerry? He can't be with you, he's
not allowed to leave the house.
What happened? Where?
I'll be right there.
Dr Quigley's a good man.
He'll make a discreet report, and
everything will be kept very quiet.
Ijust can't imagine
what made Jerry do it.
I'd like to ask you something.
- Go ahead.
- Were you following Jerry?
No. I was looking for someone else.
One of his friends, George Perkins.
I'm sorry. You must think
I suspect every move you make.
Music?
Jerry was bugged by a couple of things
that happened at the house today.
Now no-one expects you
to be unfaithful to the cause.
Luther Yerkes was there today.
He brought over a psychoanalyst,
and Jerry was forced to go into therapy
with this guy against his will.
Luther Yerkes at the Griffiths.
Until now I'd only heard rumours that
he was backing Duncan for the Senate.
Then, Mr Yerkes
wheeled out Merle Reid
to interview Jerry
on coast-to-coast television.
- Just simply...
- You know, I always think...
- Excuse me, go ahead.
- N0, no, you go ahead.
You know, my whole attitude
toward you has changed 180 degrees.
Before I came to work
for the Griffiths,
there was a woman working there
as a nurse to Mrs Griffith.
After she quit or was fired,
that's when I was offered the job.
Maybe she could
give you a little help?
Do you remember her name?
Isabel Vogler.
She lived out in Laurelvale.
That's the most I can offer you
by way of appreciation
for what you did tonight.
Thank you.
Now I've got to run. Thank you.
L'd like to see you again.
No prying, I promise. Strictly social.
It's tempting, but I'm afraid not.
If I was seen with you in public...
But if I can ever help you
in any way that doesn't
jeopardise my relationship
with the family...
- Well, you have my private number.
- I'll remember that.
Oh, by the way,
I read The Seven Minutes.
It's a beautiful book.
(Music playing)
You've got a suspicious look
on your face.
(Faye)
How can you drink that in the morning?
Is that why you stopped by?
To check on my drinking habits?
You were supposed to call last night.
I got into this... thing.
Part of the investigation.
You know the woman you passed by
on the way out of here?
Well, uh... that was Frank Griffith's
former housekeeper, Mrs Isabel Vogler.
Now, she's agreed
to testify at the trial
about the conditions
existing in the Griffith home.
Particularly as to how they affected
one Mr Jerry Griffith.
Can you trust someone like that?
Mrs Vogler is as trustworthy
as any of Duncan's witnesses.
S0 why the sudden concern?
I'm just worried about the nasty
people you're becoming associated with
over an unworthy piece of trash.
First of all, the book
isn't a piece of trash.
There's no-one around to
contaminate me, so let's cool it, huh?
Well, I've gotta get to
the office now, or I'll be late.
Faye?
Faye, I really am sorry
about last night.
See you later and make up for it, huh?
- Both good and bad news, Mike.
- Give me the bad first.
Lemux sold out for a higher price
and he's flying in from Paris
to testify for Duncan.
The good news is that I've
located Norman C. Quandt.
Gee, that's great. Where is he?
He operates something called the, uh,
Arts and Sciences Cinema Company
- at 348 Donovan Drive.
- Imposing title.
Well, it's probably
one of the leading manufacturers
of pornographic movies
on the West Coast.
Nudies, beavers, the whole bit.
- When could I see him?
- Right now, man. He's expecting you.
- I'm on my way.
- Okey doke.
(Quandt) There's nothing dirty
about these pictures.
Now back to that creep Leroux, let's
go to my office and check the files.
Back in '47 I flew over to Paris
to get a first-hand look
at some of the highly touted
French stuff.
My contact was Leroux, a publisher of
dirty books and part-time pimp.
Among other things, he made me an
offer for three raunchy paperbacks.
One of them was The Seven Minutes.
Do you recall him saying anything
about the author of
The Seven Minutes, J.J. Jadway?
Yeah, in fact he turned over
a pack of letters
written by Jadway to his mistress,
some chick named...
- Cassie McGraw?
- Yeah.
You mean you actually have
letters written by Jadway?
Till a week ago. I unloaded them
on an autograph dealer in New York.
Can you give me his name,
the autograph hunter?
(Siren blares)
(Panicked shrieking)
(inaudible shouting)
Get outta the place!
You'll tip the D.A.!
You gotta be out of your head.
I'm on the other side!
He's sent them round
to me before!
- Now get outta here!
- The autograph dealer!
Olin Adams,
55th Street New York.
(Olin Adams)
You got a deal, Mr Barrett.
I can send the letters out to you
C.O.D. in the morning.
No, I need them sooner than that.
I'm flying to New York tonight.
I'll be in your shop between
nine and ten, and I'll pay in cash.
- As you wish, sir.
- Right.
Jadway speaking from the grave.
Those letters can wipe out
Leroux's contention
that Jadway was
a money-hungry pornographer,
and we've got Isabel Vogler
to put down Jerry Griffith's testimony
that the book alone turned him on.
- We are finally getting it together.
- (Phone buzzes)
- Yeah, Donna.
- There's an urgent call
- from Miss Osborn on 3.
- Thank you. Hello, pretty lady.
Michael, I know you
cancelled out on me tonight
because you're loaded with work,
but I have to see you.
It's terribly important.
I'm flying out of here tonight
at eight o'clock.
I, uh... I'll tell you what.
You can pick me up
and drive me to the airport,
and we'll talk on the way.
I'll pick you up at 7:15.
Mr Griffith places a large amount of
advertising on Dad's television stations,
so naturally you can understand
how Daddy felt when he heard
you were going to call a witness
who would malign Frank Griffith.
How did Dad feel?
Concerned enough to pay
a visit to Mr Griffith
to prepare for any libel
Mrs Vogler might be offering.
- Beautiful.
- After his talk with Griffith,
Dad was convinced Mrs Vogler
is a psychopathic liar.
OK, so now you've told me
the urgent news, what else?
Dad wants me to tell you
that any thought you have
of using Isabel Vogler on the witness
stand is out of the question.
- He was positive about that.
- Oh, was he now?
I promised him that once I spoke to
you there would be no problem.
But there is a problem, Faye.
I will use Mrs Vogler
on the witness stand.
You're behaving like an ass.
I can't believe you'd
give up everything
to defend your little house of filth.
- I won't accept it.
- You'd better, Faye,
- because ljust can't meet your terms.
- (Brakes squealing)
Then you are an ass.
You're second-rate, Mike,
and I only have time for number one!
(Car door shuts)
Tell dear old Dad he'll just have to
find himself a more willing patsy.
- Go to hell!
- (Tyres screech)
- Mr Adams? I'm Michael Barrett.
- Mr Barrett?
That's right. I spoke to you
yesterday afternoon,
about the Jadway letters?
Oh, I know I should have been here earlier,
but I got hung up in traffic.
Nevertheless, I'm here,
and if I could see
those letters, please?
But sir, a Mr Barrett has already
picked up those letters.
- I beg your pardon?
- A gentleman came by here
a minute or two after
I opened this morning.
He paid the $800 and I gave him
the letters and he left immediately.
That can't be.
I can prove who I am.
Well, look at it!
S0 who the hell was it
that came by here
and picked up
your purchase this morning?
Well, Mr Adams, that's
what I'd like you to tell me.
- Can you describe him for me?
- He was...
he was much taller than you.
Formal, very dignified.
I really didn't pay much attention.
Well, thanks for your trouble.
But I am deeply sorry, Mr Barrett.
Good luck to you.
Yeah.
Donna, catch me the
first flight back to the coast.
Oh, before I forget,
tell Clay that I'll call Sanford
and brief him on his
coming appearance in court.
(Inserts money)
(Dials)
Yeah, operator?
I'd like to make a long distance call
to Miss Maggie Russell.
(Phone rings)
- Hello?
- Hello, Maggie? Michael Barrett here.
Now, I know your rules,
but I really have to see you.
It's important.
ls this strictly business,
or business and pleasure?
Well, it's partly business, but
seeing you would be a pleasure.
Won't Faye Osborn mind?
Well, we're not seeing
each other any more.
Oh? Where are you now?
- Manhattan.
- Manhattan?
Yep. Now it's 3:30
New York time
and I can meet you in my office
at 8:00 your time.
(Thud, Mike groans)
Michael?
Can you hear me, Michael?
- They got away with it.
- With what?
They planted a monitor
on my phone,
and they decided to
remove the evidence,
and yours truly stumbled in on them.
It's not the first time. There've been
half a dozen other incidents
just as incredible. Mrs Isabel Vogler
suddenly refusing to testify,
the loss of some
original Jadway letters,
and the real stunner
was the loss of Leroux,
the Frenchman who first
published The Seven Minutes.
Now he's saying Jadway's nothing more
than a squalid pornographer.
The man with the big chequeb0ok's
got the advantage.
- (Maggie exclaims joyfully)
- (Mike) Very good!
Uh... shall we?
I have an early day tomorrow
and if you're going to be
in shape for court,
you should have been
in bed an hour ago.
- Why, hello, Miss Russell.
- Mr Blair.
- (Projector whirring)
- I'll tell you one thing,
those broads are not acting.
Focus. Focus, goddamnit!
We're missing the best part.
That's better. Where did we
get this stuff, Elmo?
Norman C. Quandt, S.O.B.
One of these days
I'm gonna throw him in the
slammer and toss away the key.
Now hold it, Elmo.
He may not be an L.B. Mayer,
but you've gotta admit
he makes great pictures.
Besides, we've gotta
protect the public.
- (Phone rings)
- Yerkes here.
Mr Yerkes, I'm over here at the Daze.
Just five minutes ago I ran into
Maggie Russell, Frank Gfiffith's niece.
And who do you think she was with?
- Michael Barrett, counsellor for the defence.
- Thanks, Blair.
Son ofa bitch! Goddamn her!
Wait till I put that girl on the carpet.
Hold it, Frank, hold it.
If you kick her ass out
she could very easily be used
as a witness against us.
- You agree, Elmo?
- It's a possibility, Luther.
That's why we're not going to
interfere with Maggie and Barrett.
- It may turn out to be an advantage.
- Advantage? How?
Tell her you heard
she was out with Barrett.
But you're gonna be
just as sweet as honey.
Buy her story, whatever she says.
You're the great white father
trying to protect his son.
I approve, Griffith.
I agree with Luther 100%.
- How can she resist?
- (Elmo) It's an inspired approach.
For you, for your son,
and for our common cause.
The state of California has charged
an unknown bookseller
named Ben Fremont
with selling filth
in the form of an underground
novel, The Seven Minutes,
which was written by an
expatriate author, J.J. Jadway,
over three decades ago.
Now this trial has generated
enormous interest,
and in light of impending
Supreme Court hearings
on the question of obscenity
in films and reading matter,
this case could assume a
stature of national importance.
Please rise.
Face the flag of our country,
recognising the principles
for which it stands:
liberty and justice for all.
Department 101 of the Superior Court
of the State of California
is now in session, the Honourable
Nathaniel Upshawjudge presiding.
- Please be seated, and no smoking.
- (Gavel bangs)
The case of the People of the State
of California versus Ben Fremont.
- Is the defence ready to proceed?
- Yes, Your Honour.
- Are the people ready to proceed?
- Yes, Your Honour.
You may call your first witness,
Mr Duncan.
I call Sergeant Frank Kellog of the
County Sheriffs Department to the stand.
Please raise your right hand.
Do you solemnly swear
to tell the truth and nothing
but the truth, so help you God?
- I do.
- State your name for the record.
Sergeant Frank Kellog, County
Sheriff's Office, Administrative Woe.
Please be seated.
Sergeant Kellog, is the man who
sold you a copy of
- The Seven Minutes in this courtroom?
- Yes, sir, he is.
Would you point him out
to the court, please?
That's him.
Let the record show, Your Honour,
the witness Sergeant Kellog
indicated the defendant Ben Fremont,
seated to the left of defence counsel.
Did Mr Fremont make any
comment about the book,
any reference to
its erotic explicitness?
Well, the defendant Mr Fremont told me
it was the most
banned book in history.
He said, and I quote, "It was banned
in every country in the world
"because it was considered obscene."
Those were Mr Fremonfs own words.
Your witness, Mr Barrett.
Sergeant Kellog, on your visit
to the Argus Book Store,
did you impersonate
an ordinary customer?
No sir, that's not quite true.
But since you intended to buy the book
for the purposes of assembling
evidence against the defendant,
didn't you feel dishonest about
representing yourself as a customef?
Objection. The witness's
feelings are immaterial.
- Objection sustained.
- Forgive me, Your Honour.
Sergeant Kellog, why was it necessary
to use a concealed tape recordef?
Well, that's standard
operating procedure.
If we were going to bust a hooker...
(Widespread laughter)
...l mean, arrest a prostitute, we'd do
the same thing. That's perfectly legal.
Well, I won't bother to comment
on the ethics of those vice officers
who circulate among bars
trying to entrap hoo...
mprostitutes. But I do wonder
how you feel about entrapping
a respectable bookseller with leading
questions and concealed tape recorders?
(Elmo) My next witness,
in a manner of speaking,
will be the book itself.
I now submit that The Seven Minutes be
read aloud to the members of the jury,
so that they may become
acquainted with its entire contents.
Seated in the witness box
is a neutral impartial citizen,
a Mr Charles Wynter, a substitute
high school teacher locally,
who in his spare time tapes
recordings for the blind,
and is accustomed to reading aloud
without over-dramatising
or unduly emphasising
specific passages.
Objection, your honour!
With all due deference to the blind,
the prosecution's remarks
are deliberately intended
to appeal to the sympathy of the jury.
Objection overruled. The District
Attorney's description of Mr Wynter
leaves no doubt of his
ability to remain impartial.
(Elmo) Thank you, Your Honour.
Your Honour, while I already
have this person available,
I would willingly agree to let
anyone of Mr Barrett's choosing
read the book aloud to the jury.
Your Honour, what I care about
is the book being read aloud.
A novel is not meant to be
presented in such a fashion.
That is my only objection.
Your objection, Mr Barrett,
is overruled.
Mr Wynter may begin reading the book
in manner so prescribed by the court.
Thank you, Your Honour.
Mr Wynter?
(Judge) You may begin, but please
address the reading to the jury.
(Slowly and pedantically)
A touch. ls that you?
My other lips swell in joyous welcome.
God, I have missed you.
There. Now move
slowly past my moist lips.
Darling, let me kiss all of you.
Feel me close around you
in sweet embrace.
Your Honour, I would like
to record my concern
about one mannerism possessed
by the reader, Mr Wynter,
which may be prejudicial
to the defence.
The reader is placing undue emphasis
by raising his eyes on certain passages
which might be termed
"sexually realistic".
Mr Barrett, I have been
watching Mr Wynter closely.
I am satisfied he is
performing in a manner
as mechanical and objective
as possible for a human being.
I must deny your request.
Please resume, Mr Wynter.
You were so strong,
and yet when we are together
we both grow weak with the delicious
perfection of our union.
This is your home. This is the reason
for our existence.
As a noted British publisher
of quality books,
and a highly recognised authority
on the continental trade,
Mr Van Fleet, do you feel that Jadway,
the author of The Seven Minutes,
tried to give the reader some
understanding or vision of love?
Mr Jadway knew nothing of love.
Let me tell you a favourite
anecdote about Jadway.
The story comes first-hand from
a simply marvellous study
entitled Outside the Mainstream.
The author is Dr Hiram Eberhart,
a highly respected professor
at Columbia University.
Now, I'm going to quote
from him directly...
Your Honour, I object!
This supposed anecdote from that book
would represent the
rankest form of hearsay.
I object to any reading from outside
the mainstream whatsoever.
I am conversant with Dr Eberhart,
and believe his book
to be very material, Counsel.
Don't antagonise them.
The witness will continue.
"One night, after listening
to a prizefight on the radio,
"a contest in which Joe Louis
wrested the heavyweight championship
"from one James Braddock, Jadway
told friends who had been listening to it
"with him that love
between a man and a woman
"was most often performed
like a prizefight.
"When Jadway was asked
to give examples of books
"that depicted the
more common hostile love,
"he cited Henry Miller's
Tropic of Capricorn,
"which he had just read,
"as a book that reflected
the brutality of l0ve."
One of your witnesses, Elmo, has got
to be a thinking man's faggot.
Those queens are so afraid
of anything straight,
they're bound to be on our side.
"Mthroughout The Seven Minutes is
an act of hatred against womanhood.
"Jadway has unconsciously
taken on the role of a pugilist
"attempting to down and
humiliate the opposite sex."
End quote. lfind myself in total
agreement with Dr Eberhart.
How much did we offer
to pay him to testify?
Transportation plus five big ones.
Please raise your right hand.
Do you solemnly swear
to tell the truth, and nothing
but the truth, so help you God?
- I do.
- State your name for the record.
- My name is Christian Leroux.
- Please be seated.
I wonder how much
he got from the D.A.?
You'd better believe
it wasn't chopped liver.
Mr Leroux, what is
your present occupation?
I'm a publisher of books.
When did you first become a publisher?
In 1933 my father died, leaving me
a very modest inheritance.
S0 I established my own
publishing house, the Etoile Press.
Is this the same publisher that brought
out a work of fiction in 1935 entitled
- The Seven Minutes, by J.J. Jadway?
- The same.
Mr Leroux, I have seen
your original version of this book,
which was printed in English.
Since it was published in Paris,
why was it not in the French language?
The French government wouldn't permit
its publication in French.
Why not?
The Censorship Bureau
declared it was obscene.
Obscene. To your knowledge,
has The Seven Minutes
ever been published in any other
country in any other language?
Oh no. Absolutely no
nation in the world
would pass on it or even accept it.
Literary critics in many countries
regarded it as the most
depraved book ever published
in the history of literature.
Your Honour, I object to Mr Leroux's
self-serving answer,
and I ask that it be stricken on the
grounds that it is incompetent.
(Judge) I think that the witness is
qualified to give that answer.
Motion to strike is denied,
and objection overruled.
Proceed, Mr Duncan.
Mr Leroux, what kind of
commercial success
did The Seven Minutes
have in France?
Well, not as much as we'd hoped.
My initial printing was 5,000 copies.
This sold out in a year.
Then I ordered a press run
of another 5,000 copies,
but the sales slowed down
and eventually stopped.
That is after the Vatican
placed the book on the Index.
(Mike) Father Sarsatti, you testified that
the Curia Offices had been revamped
and streamlined since J.J. Jadway's
book was first published in 1935.
Yes, in 1966, in keeping with
the new Ecumenical Council spirit
which pervaded the Church
and all of Christendom.
Pope Paul VII abolished the title of the
Supreme Congregation of the Holy Office
because it had long been held
offensive by Protestants
who associated it with
what they regarded as
persecution in early Church history.
Is it not, true, Father, that at the
convening of the Ecumenical Council
there were numerous Roman Catholic
clerics who protested against
the old Holy Office, the very
office that condemned Jadway,
because it did not hold
fair hearings for authors?
The Catholic Church
is a democratic body.
Its bishops and cardinals
are given total freedom
in the formation of their opinion.
There were those who chose to express
some measure of disagreement
with the rulings of the Holy Office.
Would it not follow, then, Father,
that in view of the new liberality
on the part of the Church,
that what the Church condemned
and prohibited in 1935
it might not condemn
and prohibit today?
Signore, sir, that is
a hypothetical question
which I have neither the qualifications
nor the authority to answer.
Let me say this, however,
that I am here before you
as a representative of the Vatican,
because the Church is just as
concerned today as it was in 1935
about the publication and circulation
of an immoral and sacrilegious work
of fiction entitled The Seven Minutes.
You got it now, Harvey. I want you to hit
them with as many numbers as possible.
Make it sound like this dame
is second cousin to every one
of those clowns in that jury box.
Our average woman
resides in an urban area,
in a city of less than
100,000 population,
which qualifies Oakwood
to supply this woman.
She has a five-room home
worth $11,000,
half the house is mortgaged,
the house has a bathtub or shower,
flush toilet, electricity, telephone,
TV set and washing machine.
No air conditioning,
no clothes dryer, no food freezer.
The average woman spends
seven hours a day
in the kitchen,
performing her household chores.
Very impressive, Mr Underwood.
You've covered everything
except her frequency of elimination,
and the time of day
she prefers to fornicate.
(Bangs gavel) Let us observe some of
the rules of taste, Counsellor.
And would you please refrain
from turning your back to the court?
Forgive me, Your Honour, but I feel
the court should be a little more
enlightened about the average person,
especially in relationship
to statistics.
Now as I understand it, 51% of the
U.S. population is female,
while 49% is male.
Now according to what you've said,
that means
the average American is only female.
Now is that true?
Of course not.
One can't average two absolutes.
I was referring to concepts that
can be converted into statistics,
such as age or income.
I appreciate your wanting to talk
about numbers, Mr Undenlvood,
but I want to talk about persons.
Specifically, the average person
mentioned in the Criminal Code.
Let me ask the jury this:
Supposing 50% of the
American population was male,
and 50% was female.
Wouldn't the average
American be a queer?
- (Widespread laughter)
- Order! Order! Order!
Now that we've established
your qualifications
as an average housewife to the
court's satisfaction, Mrs White,
can you tell us whether
you read a novel
called The Seven Minutes,
written by J.J. Jadway?
I have. lforced myself to read it
from cover to cover.
As an average person in your community,
applying contemporary standards,
what was your reaction to this book?
I found it sickeningly obscene.
Did you feel it went beyond
the customary limits of candour
in its description of nudity or sef?
The Seven Minutes belongs
in a garbage disposal.
If I had one,
that's where the book would go.
- (Elmo) Did you find anything in the novel...
- (inaudible whispering)
...that could be considered as having
social redeeming importance?
It was sex and more sex,
and nothing else.
I never laid eyes on
reading matter more obscene.
Thank you, Mrs White.
Your witness, counsellor.
Mrs White, since you are the first
average woman I've ever met,
I'm eager to know
a little more about your taste.
I'm anxious to know if your
reading habits are also average.
- They are.
- Oh? How do you know they are?
I read a lot. All the popular things
that come into the library,
and in paperback.
Have you ever read Peyton Place,
by Grace Metalious?
Of course not.
Have you read God's Little Acre,
by Erskine Caldwell?
No, I haven't.
Have you read Lady Chattefley's Lover,
by D.H. Lawrence?
I have not.
Have you read In His Steps,
by Charles Sheldon?
No. I never even heard of it.
That's very interesting, Mrs White.
Then by Mr Undewvoods standards
your reading habits are far from average.
You see, the four novels
I have just mentioned
sold over thirty million copies
in this country alone.
To which I object, Your Honour.
The Counsel is badgering the witness
in front of thejury,
and is asking questions
in argumentative form.
I know twenty books that outsold
the novels Barrett mentioned.
Those are four of the five leading
best-sellers in American history.
(Judge) Gentlemen, let's proceed
in an orderly fashion.
I expect both of you to abide
by the rules of evidence.
Now let's get on with the trial.
Mrs White, would the average American
read The Seven Minutes?
Absolutely not.
But you're supposedly average,
and you read it, didn't you?
I was requested to read it
for this trial.
Oh? Otherwise, you
would not have read it?
Most certainly not. I don't waste
my time with obscene reading.
But Mrs White, how would
you know it was obscene
if you didn't read it?
I don't have to drink poison
to know that it's poison.
Do you believe that writers
should say what they mean
when writing about sex?
Yes. But they can do that
without using indecent words,
like the words in that book.
Can you be specific about the words in
The Seven Minutes that offended you?
Well, I'm certainly not
going to use them.
Point them out.
Let me see what you object to.
Go ahead. The book won't bite.
Very fine, Mrs White.
I appreciate
your co-operation.
Now, what we have here
is the word "fucking".
(Shocked murmuring)
ls that correct?
Excuse me, Mrs White?
- That is the word you object to?
- Disgusting.
Would you have been happier
if the writer had used
such euphemisms as
"they slept togethef",
"they were intimate"
or "they made love"?
I would have understood just as well
what the author was trying to say.
But you could have been wrong?
If Kathleen and her man
had slept together, were intimate
or they made love,
they might have been
doing many other things
other than the only exact word
for this particular act.
It cannot be mistaken.
Mrs White, I'm not advocating
that coarse or vulgar words
should be used by everyone everywhere.
I am saying that writers from
Chaucer to Jadway should be allowed
the freedom to use specific precise
words when writing realistically.
Now, wouldn't you agree, Mrs White?
I am not interested in the past,
Mr Barrett.
I'm interested in protecting
our morality in the present.
Especially the morality of our young
people, so that our civilisation
doesn't decay and decline
the way others have done.
(Emphatic music)
Thank you.
Remember when Van Fleet
mentioned the anecdote
about the night Jadway was listening
to Joe Louis win the heavyweight title
- by knocking out Braddock?
- Yeah.
- When did Jadway die?
- February 1937.
Correct. Jadway killed himself and was
promptly cremated in February 1937.
But here we have
Dr Eberhart telling us
how Jadway read and discussed
Tropic of Capricorn.
Capricorn wasn't
published until 1939.
Well, maybe Dr Eberhart confused
his source of information.
We confuse Tropic of Capricorn
with Tropic of Cancer,
which I'm sure was published while
Jadway was still very much alive.
No, no, listen to this.
Page 624: "Joe Louis
knocked out Jim Braddock
"in the eighth round
in Chicago in June 1937."
Get it? June 1937.
That means that Jadway
was listening to the fight
four months after he was
supposed to be dead.
- Now how does that grab you?
- A lot better.
The distinguished Dr Eberhart may
have been wrong a second time.
But twice in one paragraph from a
renowned scholar? Highly unlikely.
This gives us a new and revived Jadway
who did not die in February 1937
as Leroux and the priest testified.
It gives us Jadway very much alive,
four months later.
For that matter, is he even dead?
(Emphatic music)
Clay? We're back in business.
You handle the
cross-examination tomorrow.
If I hustle, I can catch
the late flight to New York.
Eberhart could save our ass.
A mistake could have been made
only by my source.
Dr Eberhart, I was unaware that there
was any source involved besides you.
You see, I assumed that you were
present when Jadway made the...
No, I was not.
My confidential source
was one of Jadway's closest friends
in Paris in the 1930s.
- Who was he?
- Well, considering how I was misled...
...l see no reason
not to reveal his name.
I acquired the information from
a poet named Sean O'Flanagan.
My name's Michael Barrett.
May I sit down?
- Depends.
- Could I buy you a drink?
Grab a chair.
Guinness, a flagon of your best brandy,
with a water back.
What can I do for you, young man?
Well, sir, I'm the lawyer
defending the reputation
of your old friend, J.J. Jadway.
Oh yes, The Seven Minutes.
Dr Hiram Eberhart led me to believe
that you were one of
Jadway's closest friends.
Correct, young man. That's precisely
why I won't discuss this subject.
- Keep the change.
- Thank you.
On the contrary, Mr O'Flanagan,
the censors won't let him rest.
If I could only find out when
Jadway died, and how.
Suicide. Jumped into the Grand Canal,
the poor wretched soul and drowned.
- When was that?
- Allow me.
The year of our Lord
1937 Anno Domini, amen.
Then there appears to be
a slight contradition
concerning the date
of Jadway's death,
based on the material
that you supplied Dr Eberhart.
Eberhart put it down wrong
and didn't hear me right.
He taped the interview with you.
I guess I screwed up
my dates and times,
but I remember Jadway's death
as if it were yesterday.
It was in all the papers.
Hurled himself from a six-storey
apartment building in San Francisco.
A minute ago you had him
drowning in the Grand Canal.
Did I now?
Could you have been mistaken
about the date of Jadway's death?
Maybe he died in 1939 or '40,
instead of 1937.
That is not possible.
Jadway was alive long after that.
He enlisted the day after Pearl Harbor.
Made mincemeat of the Kaiser.
The Kaiser was World War I.
A pity you can't ask
Cassie McGraw about that.
Whatever happened to her?
Only the shadow knows.
Good day to you, Mr Battle.
- Michael! Michael! Over here!
- Maggie!
Somebody once told me
that happiness is
being met at the airport.
- I had to see you.
- You look great.
I thought you'd be interested
in what happened in court.
I spent the day in the gallery.
You must be psychic.
Things were so tight
trying to make the plane
I didn't have a chance
to call the office.
Duncan brought out
two more literary experts,
a professor from Colorado
and a syndicated book reviewer.
Both said the book was obscene and
put it down for its prurient appeal.
He also dragged in the two cops
who found Sheri Moore
and the physician who
examined her after the rape.
(Mike) I'm sure Clay didn't let Duncan get
away with cheap courtroom theatrics.
...evidence of sperm
within the vagina.
Objection!
The violation of Miss Moore
has nothing to do with
this alleged obscenity case!
Your Honour, the police witnesses are the
foundation for Jerry Griffith's appearance.
This is relevant and material,
because I will show
that the obscene pages
from the Jadway book
created the wish to commit rape
within Jerry Griffith,
and then drove him
to act out this wish.
(Mike)
So w/I-lat else have I missed?
(Maggie) Well, for one thing you
have no idea of the conflict
going on at the house
over Jerry's testifying.
(Mike)
is he still resisting?
I... I want to ask you not to put
Jerry on the witness stand.
Before you say anything,
let me finish.
And I won't say "do it for me, Mike",
but for Jerry's sake alone
please waive your cross-examination.
I'm sorry, Maggie,
but I can't betray
the people who've retained me.
The D.A.'s had his own way so far,
and now he plans to prove the
dangerous influence of Jadway's writing
by hitting us with Jeny Griffith.
Now, this is our first
opportunity to stop him.
(Maggie) But Jeny is paralysed with fear
over the cross-examination.
He might even try to take
his own life again.
But if we don't defend ourselves here,
then we'll go under,
and the censors strike another
important blow against free speech.
If I had Leroux, Mrs Vogler, even
a star witness like Cassie McGraw...
And you can have her, Mike.
You promise not to cross-examine Jerry
and I promise to get you
Cassie McGraw herself.
Please raise your right hand.
You swear to tell the truth and
nothing but the truth?
- I do.
- State your name for the record.
Jerry, erm... Jerome Griffith.
Please be seated.
Jerry Griffith, may I ask
what is your present occupation?
- Student.
- Jerry, would you mind speaking up?
- You said...
- I'm a student.
How long have you been
at the university?
Almost two years.
Before this year... well, let's say
during your last year of high school,
your first two years of college,
how frequently did you go on
dates with girls?
It's... it's hard to remember.
I can't remember how frequently.
Well, can you give an approximation
of how frequently?
Objection, Your Honour. The witness
has stated that he does not remember.
I'm going to object
on the grounds that
the question has been asked and
answered. Also, it's speculative.
Objection sustained.
- Jerry, what is your major?
- English literature
Do your courses demand
considerable reading?
Say at least three books a week?
Objection. The District Attorney
is leading the witness.
Overruled. The witness may
answer the question.
Thank you, Your Honour. ls it a fact that
you read at least three books a week?
Yes, sir.
Do you also read other books
on your own, so to speak?
That is, books not on the required list
for your English courses?
Yes, sir.
Have you ever read a book called
The Seven Minutes, by J.J. Jadway?
Yes, sir. I have.
From cover to cover?
Every word of it?
- Yes, sir.
- What was your reaction to the book?
Objection! The witness's reaction
to the book is highly immaterial.
No evidence has been
produced by the prosecution
showing this witness to be
a literary expert.
Mr Griffith's reaction is
highly irrelevant, speculative,
and having nothing whatsoever to do
with the merits of this trial.
Mr Barrett, I must warn you against
making speeches for the jury's benefit.
I find the prosecutor's
line of questioning
to be highly probative
and material to the issue
of whether or not
The Seven Minutes is obscene.
The jury is admonished to disregard
defence counsel's argument before the court.
You may proceed, Mr Duncan,
hopefully without any
interruptions from Mr Barrett.
Thank you, Your Honour.
Jerry, what was your reaction to
the reading of The Seven Minutes?
- I was upset.
- What do you mean, upset?
I was mixed up inside. All mixed up.
I couldn't sleep.
Did you go to school the next day?
Yes, but I cut some of
my late afternoon classes.
- Why?
- I had my mind on that book.
I kept it in my car,
and I drove around for a while,
and I found a lonely road
up in the hills
and I re-read parts of the book.
Can you recall what
sections you re-read?
I don't remember exactly...
Some of the first chapter,
the first of the seven minutes
in the story.
I read that several times.
- What was in those pages?
- I don't remember exactly.
If I may refresh your memory
of that part, Jerry...
"She is lying naked, and she
thinks of the statues of Priapus
"that stood on some of
the streets of ancient Greece.
"Statues consisting of
a bust of a bearded man
"set on a stone basalt block,
"and out of the centre of this statue
there projected a giant phallus..."
I object to the prosecutor's
leading and suggestive reading
pointedly out of context.
Mr Duncan should be
conversant with the fact
that a work, whether it be
writing or motion pictures,
must be considered as a whole,
particularly when the question of
obscenity hangs in the balance.
Mr Barrett, my patience is
stretched to the breaking point.
The counsel for
the prosecution's reading
is clearly and obviously foundational,
and will be followed
by a proper question.
You will continue reading, Mr Duncan.
Thank you, Your Honour.
"And out of the centre of this statue
there projected a giant phallus,"
and then Kathleen thinks
how lucky she is,
and she stared at the
unnamed hero of the book,
and the first of
her seven minutes begins.
Now Jerry, do you recognise that
as the part you re-read several times?
- Yes, sir.
- Did you feel at the time
- it was artistic writing?
- I didn't think about the writing.
Face the court, Jerry.
Do you feel the author was trying
nothing more than excite the reader?
Your Honour, I'm sorry,
but I must object
to the District Attorney's constant
leading and suggestive questioning.
This examination is
highly inflammatory
and I ask to approach the bench
to discuss the relevance
of this one-sided interrogation.
Mr Barrett, I find the prosecutor's
questioning to be quite pertinent.
The bench will not tolerate
any more interference from you.
If you persist, you'll be held
in contempt of court.
Now let us proceed with the trial.
Thank you, Your Honour. Have the court
reporter repeat the last question.
You are instructed to do so.
- Question by Mr Duncan.
- (Loud shuffling of papers)
Did you feel that the author
was trying to do anything more
- than excite the reader?
- N0.
Did this passage
and other passages excite you?
Yes, sir.
In what way did this
excitement manifest itself?
(Suspenseful music)
Physically.
I wanted to have a girl.
You mean you wanted to have
sexual intercourse with a girl?
- Yes, sir.
- With some particular girl,
' °“S' any girl?
' Any girl.
- What did you do next?
- It was night time.
I drove to the club,
and I drank a couple of beers.
There was this one chick, she looked
just like what I imagined Kathleen...
(Elmo) Kathleen, the heroine of
The Seven Minutes?
- Right. Anyhow, I offered her a ride.
- By "her", do you mean Sheri Moore?
Right. S0 I drove her to her
apartment, and walked upstairs.
And when she opened the door,
I pushed her inside.
- You did this how'?
- I had a knife.
I see. Did she undress?
She was scared, so she undressed.
- What happened next?
- I don't remember.
It went kind of crazy like it wasn't
my own mind any more.
Like it was Jadway's mind.
Please continue, Jerry.
- I forced myself on her.
- Did she resist?
- Yes.
- But you violated her anyway?
I didn't know what I was doing.
Did you think of
The Seven Minutes at all?
When she was naked, yes.
Then I don't remember after that.
Except that I did it.
I couldn't help doing it.
And during the course of the sex act,
Miss Moore was injured?
It was after,
when I was trying to dress.
She tried to hit me, and get my knife.
I don't remember which.
And lthink...
somehow she slipped and fell.
It was an accident.
Did you know Miss Moore
was unconscious?
I don't remember if I knew it or not.
I only knew she had a roommate
who might be coming back soon,
so ljust left. I felt miserable.
I... lwanted to kill myself.
Because this wasn't me,
what I had done.
It wasn't my fault.
I didn't know what I was doing.
Have you ever in your life...
- ...behaved this way before?
- N0, sir.
Do you definitely feel the obscene
pages in that book inflamed you
until you were impelled
to commit a criminal act?
Yes, sir. I can't explain
any other reason for it.
Jerry, I want you to listen to me,
and listen to me carefully.
From your own experience, do you
believe there's a cause and effect...
now understand me,
cause and effect relationship
between pornographic books
and violent acts of crime?
I... I only know...
only know what happened.
It happened to me.
(Choking sobs)
No further questions, Your Honour.
The defence has no questions,
Your Honour.
- (incredulous hubbub)
- Mr Barrett, you mean you wish
to reserve your
cross-examination for laten'?
I mean, as far as
the defence is concerned,
the witness may be
permanently excused.
We will take a two-hour recess
for lunch. (Bangs gavel)
Hey, Barrett, why didn't you
cross-examine the kid?
No comment.
Have you thrown in the towel,
Mr Barrett?
No comment.
"If you can't stand the heat,
get out of the kitchen."
- Was the heat too hot for you?
- Fuck off.
(Clay) You still haven't answered me.
What the hell happened back there?
(Mike) I traded off the
cross-examination of Jerry Griffith
for the examination of
the legendary Cassie McGraw.
(Clay) You mean she's alive?
(Mike) She's very much alive
and, what's more,
- we have an opportunity to use her.
- Who'd she make a deal with?
(Mike) Maggie Russell. Cassie read
about the trial in the paper,
wrote to Frank Griffith
in defence of Jadway,
Maggie intercepted the postcard
and kept it hidden for two weeks.
I'm gonna see it later today.
(Clay) You gotta be kidding!
You mean, you traded away Jerry
for something scrawled on a postcard?
Something you haven't even seen?
And what if the whole trade
was a con job
engineered by Maggie
on behalf of the Griffith family?
- (Mike) Hey, I've got faith in Maggie!
- OK, man, you keep the faith.
(Mike) Look at the other
side of it, man.
Cassie McGraw for the defence
would be a sensation.
(Clay) When is Maggie supposed
to turn over this postcard?
(Mike) Some time later today.
S0 you'd better call
the sequence from the start.
...and to the best of your recollection,
you have not omitted any pertinent facts
surrounding your arrest
at the Argus Book Store
by Sergeant Kellog of
the County Sheriffs Office?
- N0, sir.
- Your witness.
Were you previously arrested
under the terms of the
California Penal Code, Section 311.2?
The section stating that everyone who
knowingly distributes obscene material
- is guilty of a misdemeanour?
- Yes.
- Did you plead not guilty?
- N0.
Did you plead guilty of
selling obscene material?
Yes, but only on the advice
of my attorney.
He said if I pleaded guilty
I would get a lighter sentence.
- But you admitted guilt?
- Yes, I did.
- Did you pay a fine?
- Yes.
- Did you go tojail?
- N0. The sentence was suspended.
Are you aware
that a second offence
- is not a misdemeanour, but a felony?
- Yes.
Are you cognisant of the fact
that you can go to jail for a year
- and be fined up to $25,000?
- Yes, I am.
Are you aware that the publisher,
the Sanford House,
pandered The Seven Minutes
with this garish poster
prominently displayed in front
of the Argus Book Store?
But there were other quotes
on similar advertising,
that described it as
a distinguished work of art.
No further questions, Your Honour.
When Sanford House contracted
for The Seven Minutes,
were you worried about it violating
existing obscenity laws?
Not really, because I considered
the book to be beautiful and touching.
It's too well done to appeal
to s0meone's prurient interest alone.
Do you consider the book to be beyond
the customary limits of candour
by contemporary community standards?
Certainly not. In fact, it's
relatively mild by today's standards.
When you consider that motion pictures
and stage plays offer nudity, copulation,
oral-genital love, masturbation,
homosexuality, lesbianism...
community standards
have radically changed.
Your witness, Mr Duncan.
Mr Sanford, I have before me
news clippings
from the New York Times
and the Wall Street Journal,
which note the
shaky financial position
of Sanford House
in the last two years.
Are these news accounts
substantially true?
Yes .
- (Elmo) In short, since you took over...
- (Quietly) Excuse me, Mr Barrett.
Miss Maggie Russell wants you
to meet her right away.
- (Elmo) ...as it has in the past.
- Did she say where?
She said you'd know.
(Sanford) That depends on what
you mean by "doing well".
Uh... it is true that the firm's
book sales, uh... have gone dovlm...
(Elmo) Perhaps you were
desperate enough
to ignore your fathefis
previous good taste,
and tried to save your
position in the firm
by publishing an obscene book?
- (Tyres screech)
- What's going on?
I've made a real mess of everything!
Uncle Frank heard from Yerkes
that we were seeing each other.
Apparently he's known of
our relationship for some time,
but my rising to your defence over
Jerry's well-being flipped him out.
He told me to pack up and leave,
he took my key
and waited until I was outside on the
front drive before slamming the door.
S0 I lugged my things over here
from across the street.
And the postcard
from Cassie McGraw
- is still in his desk?
- I'm sorry.
Now you had to give up
your key, right?
The key to the front door, yes.
But not the one to
the rear service porch.
Then we're just going to
have to sweat him out.
Because I gotta get my hands
on that postcard.
- Mike, my bags!
- (Brakes squeal)
- (Maggie) What time is it?
- 9:15.
(Maggie)
Wait, the light went out.
There's Uncle Frank,
coming out the door.
(Car door shuts,
engine starts)
In we go.
(Music becomes more dramatic)
Oh, damn it!
(Tyres squeal)
Get it fast.
I'll go out in the street.
(Brakes squeal)
What the hell are you
doing in my driveway?
You could have got us both killed!
Look, sir, I'm sorry. I came by
to see Miss Russell, and...
Well, Miss Russell
doesn't live here any more.
Now you get your
lousy crate out of my driveway.
I oughta put guys like you away.
You son of a bitch,
what the hell are you doing here?
Spying on me and my son?
Come on, get out of the car
and say something, you bastard.
You're not in court now.
Oh, I'd really like to clobber you,
but you're not suckering me into that.
Now you get your ass outta here.
If you're still snooping around
after I've parked my car,
I'm gonna kick
the living hell out of you.
Then I'll turn you over
to the cops for prowling.
How does that grab ya?
(Both engines start)
(Tyres squeal)
(Maggie gasps)
That was a close call.
(Mike) Let's get the hell out of here
before I get my ass kicked.
(Tyres squeal)
Well?
It's... beautiful.
If Cassie McGraw backs up in court
what she says in this postcard,
the defence finally
has a star witness.
Now, where can I take you before
I catch the next plane to Chicago?
I was hoping you'd take me home.
- Home?
- With you?
(Lush, romantic music)
If Jadway were alive today,
he'd be in his late 50s or early 60s.
This woman is at least
15 or 20 years older.
Like all the old people
in this sanitarium,
I never think of Katie
in terms of years.
That reminds me of something.
As long as I've been here,
and that's going on five years,
Katie's been getting flowers.
Once a year, always on her birthday.
- Who sends Cassie the flowers?
- I don't know.
They're wired from Ryan's Flowers,
in Oakwood, California.
(Phone rings)
- Hello?
- Hi, Maggie.
Mike, I was praying it would be you.
Have you heard?
I mean about Sheri Moore?
She died in her sleep.
Yeah, ljust finished
reading the story.
- Are things any better in Chicago?
- It couldn't be worse.
Cassie McGraw will never speak
on the witness stand.
The poor woman's senile.
- What a lousy break.
- She has moments when she's lucid,
like when she wrote the postcard,
but today wasn't one of them.
I'm awfully sorry, Mike.
All that trouble for nothing.
- Chicago may not be a total loss.
- How do you mean?
She receives roses every year
on her birthday.
A standing order from Ryan's Flowers.
I called Clay, he's gonna check on it
first thing tomorrow.
Mike, I might be able to help you.
When I was working as
Frank Griffith's secretary,
- we dealt exclusively with that florist.
- S0?
Why don't you let me get in touch
with them? I'd love to help.
Miss Cumberland, I'll bet you're
wondering why I'm here.
Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.
Well, the Griffiths have
a lot to do with it.
I'm terribly concerned
about Jerry Griffith.
You know, the boy who's involved
in the obscenity trial?
Yes. I watched it on
the news last night.
It might sound strange to you,
but one of my good friends,
and I trust him implicitly,
is Michael Barrett,
the defence attorney in the case.
He's a very attractive
young man indeed.
He genuinely believes that Jadway's
The Seven Minutes is not obscene.
Anyway, he's been racing all over
the country trying to find witnesses
who knew Jadway or who
had some insight into his motives.
He just visited with
Cassie McGraw in Chicago.
Oh, really?
- You're familiar with Ryan's Flowers?
- Well, yes.
- Mike asked me to check their records.
- Did he?
I was surprised to learn that,
for the past ten years,
you have been paying for
Cassie McGraw's birthday flowers.
- How enterprising of you.
- How well did you know Cassie McGraw'?
Cassie McG raw was my private secretary
when I lived and worked in Paris,
ooh, 35 years ago. At that time,
she was my only friend.
Very few people know about Cassie,
or about any of my life
at the time, for that matter.
Much of it was not terribly pleasant.
Through the years,
I've managed to keep it concealed.
But why?
You know of my longstanding
friendship with the Griffiths.
Especially Frank's late wife.
It was difficult to hide my contempt
of his behaviour toward his son Jerry.
Now, it's my turn
to stand up and be counted.
(Raunchy, va-va-voom music)
Thank you, Baby Doll.
It's in the bag. We don't even need
the chippie's creaking.
Elmo can't buy that newspaper
and the TV exposure.
It also opens up
a whole new can of peas.
We now have a case
of murder one as well.
We're gonna anticipate
a probability factor
of at least 90% for conviction.
Whose? Jerry's?
I think the Griffith name
has been muck-raked enough.
Oh, relax, Frank.
It's not your boy that's on trial.
It's that obscene book,
together with that Ben Fremont,
that purveyor of filth.
The slut's death is just
icing on the cake.
Frankly, I am more than
a little bit concerned
at the turn of events.
It's a brand new ball game
with Sheri Moore's death.
Well, if it's any consolation,
there's the closing argument
Mike dictated about four this morning.
Let's pick up on it.
It might give us a shot in the arm.
(Mike) Supreme Court Justice Douglas
once said
"The idea of using censors to bar
thoughts of sex is dangerous.
"A person without sex thoughts
is abnormal.
"Sex thoughts may
induce sex practices that...
"...make for better
marital relations.
"Sex thoughts that
make love more atiractive
"certainly should not be outlawed.
lf the illicit is included,
"that should make
no constitutional difference."
Your Honour, I call
Constance Cumberland to the stand.
(Gasps of astonishment)
Please raise your right hand.
Do you solemnly swear
to tell the truth and nothing
but the truth, so help you God?
- I do.
- State your name for the record.
- Constance Cumberland.
- Please be seated.
Miss Cumberland,
what is your present occupation?
I'm an actress. I have been
an actress for some 35 years,
in motion pictures
and most recently on television.
How do you occupy yourself
away from camera?
Well, if you mean
what organisations do I belong to,
I'm a working member
of the League for Women Voters,
the Reiss-Davis Centre
for emotionally disturbed children,
and occasionally
I've given my public support
to the
Strength Through Decency League.
Because, like anyone else
with concern about today's society,
I'm against pornography.
Mainly because of the way
it appeals to the young people
who aren't mature enough
to understand its implications.
Did you ever write
and publish any books?
- I did.
- Were they works of fiction?
Some sceptics probably
suggested as much...
(Laughter)
...but I consider my autobiography
to be a work of complete truth.
What I mean is, everything
that I published was honest.
That doesn't mean
I published everything.
(Laughter)
Are you acquainted with
the classical and modern fiction?
As a reader, yes I am.
Classical and modern.
And also as an actress.
I wouldn't want to bore the court
with my credits, but...
Have you ever read a novel
entitled The Seven Minutes,
by J.J. Jadway?
- I have, sir.
- Have you read it more than once?
I've read it many, many times.
How recently have you read
the book in its entirety?
As recently as last night.
Are you familiar with section 311.2
of the California Penal Code?
Iam.
Do you know that The Seven Minutes
is being charged as obscene matter
under that section of the Code?
I do know that.
Do you consider The Seven Minutes
to be an obscene book?
Just a moment, Miss Cumberland.
Your Honour, I object
to defence counsel's question.
No foundation has been
laid to establish
Miss Cumberland's qualifications
to render such an opinion.
With all due respect
to the acting abilities
and other impressive credentials
possessed by Miss Cumberland,
I cannot imagine what bearing
her opinion on the merits of this book
could possibly have
upon the proceedings.
Your Honour, I would like
to approach the bench.
Both attorneys shall
approach the bench.
Mr Barrett, I'm concerned with your
examination of Miss Cumberland.
It appears you are seeking
to elicit from this witness
an opinion which
she is not entitled to give.
Mr Duncan has properly interposed an
objection which I mean to sustain.
Your Honour, if I may interrupt
forjust a moment.
I assure you that
Miss Cumberland's testimony
is critical to the defence case.
I can...
Your Honour, I feel defence counsel
is testing the court's patience.
Let him who is without sin
cast the first stone.
Don't you come on strong with me.
Gentlemen, will you restrain
yourselves from this bickering?
Now, Mr Barrett,
I have the greatest admiration
for Miss Cumberland as an actress,
but I fail to see what credentials
she possesses which enables her
to render an opinion concerning
The Seven Minutes, unless
she is a qualified literary expert,
and apparently she is not, because
you have not qualified her as such.
Therefore she cannot give
an expert opinion.
Your Honour, it is very...
Just a moment, Mr Duncan.
I want to hear from the defence.
I represent to you
as an officer of the court
that you will find this testimony
to be extremely relevant
and material to the def...
Let him make an offer of proof as to
the nature of this so-called material.
Do you have an offer of proof to make?
Your Honour, if I'm forced to make
an offer of proof at this time,
the court is requiring me to disclose
my defence to the prosecution,
in violation of my client's
constitutional rights.
This I respectfully refuse to do.
If the court will just bear with me,
permit me a few more questions,
you'll readily see the relevance.
All right, all right.
But I'm warning you, Mr Barrett.
If the testimony in fact
is inadmissible
or highly prejudicial
to the prosecution
I will take strong measures
to deal with this.
- Your Honour, may l...?
- Not at this time, Mr Duncan.
If the evidence is not
relevant and material,
you may move to strike the testimony
at the appropriate time.
Now let's proceed.
Miss Cumberland, do you
consider The Seven Minutes
to be an obscene book?
No, I do not. I consider it
to be a highly moral book.
Do you believe the author of this work
was pandering to prurient interest,
to a shameful or morbid interest
in nudity and sex
in writing this book,
as the state charges?
To which I object on the grounds
that this witness
is not qualified
to answer the question.
Mr Duncan, I believe your objection to
be well taken, but the court believes
that the defence is entitled to
some leeway in this area.
Objection overruled.
Mr Barrett, will you please
reframe the question?
Miss Cumberland, do you believe
the author was in fact pandering
to a shameful and morbid interest
in nudity and sex?
I know for a fact that that author was
not pandering to prurient interest.
Your Honour, I move to
strike from the record
Miss Cumberland's conclusion and
conjecture that the author
was not in fact pandering
to prurient interest.
Obviously, this witness could
have no personal knowledge
of the authofis true intentions.
Mr Barrett, I indicated that
I would give you leeway.
However if you don't immediately
get to your point,
the court will sustain its own
objection to your questions.
Very well, Your Honour. I will proceed
directly to the point.
Miss Cumberland, you stated that
the book The Seven Minutes
was not in fact written
to appeal to prurient interest.
May I enquire, how do you know'?
Because I'm intimatedly acquainted
with the circumstances surrounding
the creation and the publication
of The Seven Minutes.
(Excited murmuring)
(Gavel banging repeatedly)
(Judge) Miss Cumberland, will you
explain to the jurors and the court
how you came by
this intimate knowledge?
Gladly.
No person alive was closer or better
acquainted with J.J. Jadway than I am.
Miss Cumberland, are you implying
that you were present in Paris
when J.J. Jadway wrote
The Seven Minutes?
I'm saying that lwas in Paris
when the book was written.
Do you know the author's
motivations for writing it?
To which I object. The question
calls for conclusion and speculation.
Miss Cumberland could not possibly
have any personal knowledge
of the authofis true motivations
for writing The Seven Minutes.
Mr Duncan, we are getting on with this
matter if it's the last thing we do.
You will recall the court asked Miss
Cumberland to explain to thejury
how she has intimate knowledge
of the circumstances
under which The Seven Minutes
was written.
Now the court will not tolerate
any more interference
of Mr Barrett's questioning
along these lines.
Objection overruled.
Mr Barrett, will you proceed
and ask another question?
Thank you, Your Honour.
Miss Cumberland, you are familiar
with the prosecution's testimony.
Does this first-hand knowledge
which you possess
confirm or contradict the testimony
given here by the people's witnesses?
My information about the real Jadway,
and the real purpose in writing
and publishing this book,
completely contradicts the evidence
so far presented in this court.
You do understand that the
previous witnesses were sworn,
gave their testimony under oath
and risked facing a charge of
perjury if they lied?
They did not lie.
They simply did not tell the truth,
merely because they were ignorant
of the truth. Let me explain.
Everything heard in this courtroom,
until now, about J.J. Jadway,
and I am completely fluent
with all of the testimony,
has been the purest fiction.
And this fiction was deliberately
planned and perpetrated by the author,
for reasons involving
the author's private life.
Let me go directly
to the salient point at hand.
You indicated in earlier testimony
that you had published
your own autobiography, which
was a best-seller as I recall.
Have you ever written or published
any other books?
Yes, I have.
How many other books?
One book.
Was this book published under the name
of Constance Cumberland?
No, it was not. It was
published under a pseudonym.
(Suspenseful music)
Can you tell the court
the title of that book
and the pseudonym
under which you wrote it?
- The book was The Seven Minutes...
- (Gasps of astonishment)
- ...by J.J. Jadway.
(Hubbub in court)
- I am J.J. Jadway.
- (Pencil snaps loudly)
(Dramatic music)
- (Gavel banging)
- Order in court! Order! Order!
Miss Cumberland, the court has already
heard The Seven Minutes read aloud.
S0 we might more clearly
determine the significance
of what we have already heard,
would you mind telling us
the themes and symbols that you
tried to convey in writing the book?
May I have a glass of water, please?
Thank you.
(Clock ticking loudly)
The Seven Minutes is composed
of seven chapters,
each chapter representing one minute
in the mind of
this young woman, Kathleen,
who is lying on a bed
having sexual intercourse
with an unnamed, unseen man.
It begins with a description
of her thoughts and feelings
for her male bed partner.
Kathleen's mind reacts
to the coupling on two levels.
On the first, she records
her immediate physical sensations,
and on the second, inspired
by her gradually mounting passion,
she recollects fragments of sensual
experiences from her youthful past
with three actual men in her life
who had been her lovers.
The thrust of the novel
is drawn out of the fact
that Kathleen decides to accept one of
these men as her lifetime mate:
the one she had taken
to her bed this night,
the very one who shares
her seven minutes.
Not till the last page, while
she is gasping her love for him
in the final throes of her passion,
does she call out and reveal the name
of the one she has chosen.
You see, through her vast
sexual experience, she has managed
to liberate a sensitive
but potentially impotent man,
the man she honestly loved.
In writing The Seven Minutes
I finally found freedom myself,
just as I had hoped
I might liberate others
from fear and guilt and shame.
Do you know of any other readers for
which it has performed this service?
The words in The Seven Minutes
freed a young man only today,
and enabled him to confide to me
the truth about himself.
A truth he has told no other person,
until now.
Jerry Griffith was not driven to
commit rape by reading this book.
He did not try to violate
Sheri Moore against her will.
He tried, but at
Sheri's own invitation,
but he failed then,
as he had always failed before,
and as he would fail today.
Because, you see, Jerry Griffith
was then, was before, and even today
is still sexually impotent.
He is incapable of
attaining an erection.
Miss Cumberland, did the verdict
for acquittal surprise you?
What surprised me more
was the very fact
that I was able to
reveal myself in court.
There was testimony about
your supposed suicide.
You look pretty good to me right now,
so obviously you're alive and kicking.
Did you ever really try
to kill yourself?
(Constance) Well, that whole
incredible story
was arranged by
a poet friend of mine,
a loyal and dear friend
named Sean O'Flanagan.
It was simple enough for him to write
and plant the obituary of J.J. Jadway.
Cassie McGraw arranged a private
memorial service for Jadway.
I found it wiser to be somewhere else.
Miss Cumberland, what made you decide
to renounce the Jadway identity?
Well, I had an offer
from a Hollywood producer,
someone I had met in Paris,
to appear in The Go/d-Diggers of 1938.
Anyway, I went to Hollywood,
made Gold-Diggers,
and you know the rest.
(Maggie laughing)
Be nice. You won.
I'll be right back.
Oh, Mr Barrett,
I don't know if you heard me
with all the noise after the verdict,
but I did congratulate you.
I appreciate that, sir.
You won the preliminary.
You got The Seven Minutes off the hook.
But the main event
is still murder one,
and I intend to prosecute Perkins
to the full limit of the law.
Jerry Griffith has a debt as well.
As an accomplice he shares
the responsibility for the crime.
He won't run from that.
When he has his day in court
I'll be standing right next to him.
You proved that one of
my witnesses perjured himself
and that another one unwittingly lied.
But you didn't prove,
at least not to me,
that this filthy book
belongs in a decent household.
And Jadway or Cumberland,
I still believe The Seven Minutes
is obscene and harmful
and should have been found guilty.
And as for the author
of that perverted book,
Constance Cumberland stands
as a black stain on our society.
Well, you're entitled
to your opinion...
Barrett, such books are dangerous
and should not be published,
because they can hurt
immature and disturbed adults.
Even worse,
they can over-stimulate a child
before he's ready to accept
his sex thoughts as natural
and drive him into
damaging sexual fantasies.
In other words, Mr Duncan,
all literature and all ideas
should be aimed at satisfying
the twelve-year-old reader.
You're a pitiful hypocrite
and a political opportunist to boot.
You spout your clever rhetoric
about God, mother and country
and yet you connive and scheme
without regard to anyone but yourself.
It amazes me that an intelligent man
cannot direct his energies
into what is good for the community
he's supposed to protect.
Instead, he spends his time
racing off to court
seeking a ban on those things
he arbitrarily feels is bad for us.
You've got your goddamn nerve!
You win one lousy case,
you think you're F. Lee Bailey.
Let me tell you one thing:
as long as there are books
like The Seven Minutes
or anything else I feel jeopardises
the moral fibre of this community,
I'll keep fighting them!
- (Tyres squeal)
- Fair warning.
But as long as you keep
strong-arming yourself ahead,
I'll be fighting you.
(Mike) Maggie, if you knew all along
about Jerry's sexual problem,
if you knew he was
incapable of rape,
why the hell didn't you
say something?
Because I wasn't all that certain
that he was impotent
on the night of the sa-cal/ed rape.
(Mike) Where did Jerry and
Miss Cumberland finally get together?
(Maggie) In your house, yesterday,
while you were still in Chicago.
I took the chance
of pretending to him
that I knew the truth about
his night with Sheri Moore.
At that point, Jerry broke down
and confessed everything.
Miss Cumberland was really touched.
She said if she could persuade Jerry
to stand up and confess the truth
then she herself might find the
courage to do the same in court.
Maggie, you're beautiful.
Just beautiful.
Listen, if you're really so grateful,
how about a little
victory celebration?
You know I don't drink
anything stronger than Coke.
And I also know you've given up
cigarettes and cyclamates
because you're only thirty
and want to live to be a hundred.
I was thinking of
something a lot healthier.
(Car engine revs up)
"To Michael Barrett,
I salute you on your deserved victory,
"and I recommend that you
enjoy this vintage wine
"in the spirit that it is given."
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
"L also recommend to you
the wisdom of Charles Lamb.
- "To wit, he is..."
- ...no lawyer who cannot take two sides.
"When you have time,
I would like to interest you in..."
...my side of the coin.
"You could find it
extremely profitable."
Who knows, you could be
Senatorial material.
"Best, Luther Yerkes."
Luther Yerkes.
Young lady,
I feel it's only fair to tell you
that what I'm thinking about doing
is against the law.
And what are you thinking about doing?
I can't tell you that.
It's against the law too.
Suddenly, I got this overpowering urge
to break the damn law myself.
Well, we could both get into
a lot of trouble.
I know a very good lawyer.
Aside from notoriety, what else
do you want out of my life?
Would you believe
the next seven minutes?
(Clock ticking)
(Soft rock ballad)
Seven minutes
filled with pleasure
Moments made of love
will take you
On a sweet excursion
By wayof
Your memory
Suddenly you find
You cross the boundfies
that were once forbidden
AII at once you have
a better view
Of the morning
You in the morning
You in the morning
(Dog barking)
Cat burglar workin'
the neighbourhood
and we're out bustin'
a goddamned bookstore.
This won't take very long.
(Dramatic music)
(Credits accompanied
by ticking sound)
(Woman)
What time is the programme tonight?
(Man)
Uh, eight o'clock, I think.
Well, what time are you
going to get through here?
(Man)
Six at the latest.
I wonder if you could help me out.
I'm looking for a book that's,
uh, a little unusual.
You know, something you wouldn't
find in an ordinary library?
- Uh-huh.
- You, uh, you got any suggestions?
Just look around
for yourself, mister.
The jackets tell
the story pretty well.
Yeah, I see what you mean.
Maybe you got something that's
brand new, that's just come out?
What about that stack of books
in the window?
- The Gummer Goose book?
- N0, no, no, the other one there.
Ah, this one here.
Oh yeah, The Seven Minutes.
- It's a pretty sexy cover, isn't it?
- Yeah.
- See you, Ben.
- Eight o'clock.
- You read it?
- The new edition, at least.
The first one was banned
35 years ago.
- How come it was banned?
- Because it was considered obscene.
Do you think the book's obscene?
Why don't you buy the book
and find out for yourself?
- How much is it?
- $7.30 with the tax.
Wrap it up.
You the manager round here?
Yeah, the day manager.
Who do I bring it back to
if I don't like it?
Fremont.
Ben Fremont.
(Emphatic orchestral chord)
Took you long enough.
Literary conversations
take a little doing.
We'd better start comparing.
Come and join me in the front seat.
- Same jacket, same title.
- Check.
Same publisher, same
publishing date and copyright.
- Check.
- Let's pay Mr Fremont another visit.
(Suspenseful music,
against ticking clock)
(Dramatic orchestral chord)
(Police officer)
Mr Fremont?
You are Ben Fremont,
manager of the Argus Book Store?
You're puttin' me on.
Mr Fremont, I'd better
introduce myself officially.
I'm Sergeant Kellog,
assigned to the Vice Bureau
of the County Sheriff's office.
I knew you seemed weird.
My partner here
is Officer lverson.
Mr Fremont, we're
placing you under arrest
under Section 311.2
of the California Penal Code.
What the hell for?
The Code states that any person
who knowingly offers to distribute
any obscene matter
is guilty of a misdemeanour.
The District Attorney feels that
the book The Seven Minutes,
by J.J. Jadway, would be found
obscene if taken to court.
You can't arrest me.
I'm just a guy who sells books.
- Ijust work here.
- (Dramatic orchestral chord)
(Telephone ringing)
(Lyrical, Gershwinesque tune)
(Telephone ringing)
(Slapping sound)
Mike? It's Phil. Sanford.
Phil? How the hell are ya?
Well, I'll tell you about that
in a minute.
Oh, uh...
congratulations are in order.
I read that you took over
your dad's publishing firm.
- It's been a year and a half now.
- You sound uptight, man.
The police raided the
Argus Book Store in Oakwood...
Yeah, I know the store,
but what's that got to do with you?
They arrested the clerk,
Ben Fremont,
on an obscenity charge,
for selling a new book of ours,
The Seven Minutes, by J.J. Jadway.
Now Mike?
This book is not pornographic.
Anyway, FremonFs been in jail
several hours now,
- and I want him bailed out at once.
- How do you want to plead?
If he pleads not guilty,
that means a trial.
I want to get him out of this
fast and quietly.
Ihave got to put a stop to
the little nuisance arrests like this
right at the outset.
Well, now, selling pornography
in California is a misdemeanour.
As far as I recall, it's a
maximum fine of $10,000,
a year in jail, plus $5
for every unit of
obscene material confiscated.
Mike, but the kid was arrested
once before on the same charge.
Ah, excuse me, Phil.
Let me see... that's a felony,
now that's a $25,000 maximum fine,
just for openers,
and a year in prison.
Damn it, Mike, I can't let
Fremont go to jail
for selling Sanford House's book!
Wait a minute...
there's one other possibility.
I might be able to get the whole thing
taken care of quickly and quietly.
We enter a nolo plea,
now that's to say a guilty plea
without conceding to the charge.
You pay the fine and you arrange
to have the
jail sentence suspended.
We have a D.A. out here:
a man named Elmo Duncan,
- a very decent guy.
- Mike...
(Mike) Don't worry.
I'll see Duncan tomorrow,
arrange for the bail bondsman
and look in on Fremont.
Sorry I unloaded on you, buddy,
but I'm sure you know that this
is pretty important to me.
Get some sleep, huh?
Good night, Phil.
(Laughing) You're bad!
You're really bad, baby!
Faye!
Faye... Faye!
Come on now, it's after midnight.
You know, we're both tired.
And you know how I hate
being interrupted.
Michael, Daddy isn't going to
like your dirty book.
When I go to work for Daddy,
that's when Daddy makes the decisions.
Until then, I call my own shots.
(Raunchy big-band music)
C'mon.
Daddy was discussing
us today, Michael.
He's anxious to know
when you're going to
make an honest woman
out of his daughter.
I've got the message,
Miss Osborn.
- How is your charming fiancée?
- She's fine, sir.
You must remember me to both Faye
and your prospective father-in-law.
You know, if it weren't for
Willard Osb0rn's dinner parties...
I wouldn't have to worry
about my weight.
What can I do for you,
Mr Barrett?
Well, sir, I'm looking for a favour.
Anything.
Anything within reason.
I'm representing the Sanford House
of New York City.
The publisher of The Seven Minutes.
The Seven Minutes...
Oh yes, the Fremont case.
(Mike)
That's rig ht.
Mr Duncan, may I ask...
have you read the book?
To be quite frank about it, no.
Well, a number of
very important critics say
that The Seven Minutes
is not hardcore pornography.
The sort of thing that's
dumped into a drugstore
by quick-buck printers
appealing to the one-armed reader.
The book is being
published by one of
the most reputable firms
in the book trade.
Well, let's see what
it's all about.
The complaint was filed
by a Mrs Olivia St. Clair,
President of the Strength
Through Decency League in Oakwood.
A couple of my boys read the book.
There is no doubt in their mind
it is pornographic.
But the real question is
whether or not The Seven Minutes
is legally obscene
by contemporary
community standards.
My client has advised me
that the Jadway book
is no more or less explicit than
works of far less artistic merit.
S0 why the sudden arrest?
Well, my office has been under
considerable pressure
from Mrs St. Clair,
with some justification.
We had to satisfy her.
And with Fremonfs arrest,
you appeased the book-burner.
We've done our duty. But then,
you have a duty to your client.
I'm willing to co-operate
within the limitations
of what already has happened.
This would satisfy Sanford:
Ben Fremont pleads nolo,
pays a stiff fine,
and in return, we have his
one-yearjail sentence suspended.
You understand
entering a nolo plea
is tantamount
to pleading guilty?
Which means the book
will be banned in Oakwood.
I don't give a damn
about Oakwood.
Let it be unavailable there,
and that way you satisfy
the STDL
and their specific community.
But still, The Seven Minutes
could be sold
anywhere else in the county.
What you've suggested...
well, sounds reasonable to me.
This is a nuisance matter.
We can treat it routinely.
I'll smooth out any ruffled feathers
in the Department
and when that's done,
you enter your plea of guilty,
and I'll speak to the judge.
It probably won't be any more than
a fine and a suspended jail sentence.
Fair enough.
I should have something for you
about this time tomorrow.
Oh, by the way,
when you see Willard Osborn,
tell him I'm
very appreciative
of the time and attention
his network has given me lately.
(Man) Our next senator
for the state of California!
Evening, Luther.
Baby Doll.
- Baby Doll.
- Hi!
- Harvey.
- Elmo.
In/vin.
If our President had looked that good
on television a few years ago,
he would have been elected
Governor instead.
Sorry I'm late, Luther.
Things got busy downtown.
(Loud rock'n'roll music)
Shut that thing off!
I've said it before,
and I'll say it again.
Before we make our move,
Elmo has got to become
a state-wide hero.
If the voters can identify
with him, we're home free.
Two weeks ago, we found
a meaningful issue.
Namely, that much of this
youthful violence
is provoked by salaciousness
in reading matter and in films.
Then, we agreed
to try to implement
the California criminal
code on censorship
by making an arrest,
thereby using a book as an issue
on which to build a state-wide case
- on which Elmo could fight the...
- Smut merchants.
Yes. And by this act,
and by the trial that might follow it,
Elmo would become known
as a protector of the young,
and an enemy of
violence-inciting literature.
That is a lot of crap.
Enough of the pool.
It pits the District Attorney
against some two-bit book salesman
and some obscure printed words that
nobody will ever read or hear about.
It should be plain to all of us now
the Fremont rouse was a flop.
Let's forget it,
let's go on to something else
- with a little more promise.
- (Loud crunching)
Baby Doll, will you stop that!
Now there's another
factor involved here.
The publisher of The Seven Minutes
is being represented
by a Mike Barrett.
You might recall
that Barrett is engaged
to Willard Osborn's daughter Faye.
Now, considering the support
I've been getting
- from Osborn's television network...
- The time will be...
- I think it would be foolish...
- ...ten...
- to rock the boat.
- mtwenty-nine and...
- Shut that off!
- (Beep, click)
Elmo's right.
Forget about this penny ante stuff.
Ourjob tonight is to find
that big issue.
(Rock'n'r0ll music)
Hey baby, now remember...
if you just too small,
you ain't tall at all.
You remember what
the Wolfman says now,
we got these brand new Wolfman
Jack elevator shoes for you, man,
they're gonna blow your mind,
you're gonna love 'em to death,
and remember,
you just slip
right into 'em, man,
and listen, if you just can'!
get it on with your old lady now...
you pay attention to me.
We've got sizes six
to twelve, for those who
are small or large,
whatever the case might be
we've got the shoes just to fit you,
exactly what you need.
You know what I'm talking about!
Now if you want your
Wolfman Jack elevator shoes,
just send five dollars,
cash, cheque or money order.
No sticker readers, you want
good cheques, remember that,
and you send that to
TALL Shoes,
KMSV Los Ange/es!
Aaaaow! If you want to RIDE!
We got a big hit here
by Don Reed, man,
Ride that love train!
...hypnotising
Love goes in the dark
Touch me an inner spark
- Chain reaction...
- Aaaow! Reach your hand in the air!
Put your right hand
over the radio!
Wolfman Jack, your conductor.
Man, I've got your ticket,
and we're gonna ride
that love train. Are you ready?
Aaaaaal/ right!
Come here, man,
sock it to yourself right now!
(Song gets louder)
On the love train
You're gonna make that mine
(Sheri screams)
...I0ve train
(Wolent slaps and blows)
- Onto that perfect time
George! George!
(Crashing sound)
Love train
You're on a midnight ride
- (Wolfman Jack inaudible)
- On the love train
(Shrieking and general cacophony)
Love train
You poor bastard stud,
you make one move from there
and I'll put my fist
right through your face.
(Song fuses with screaming)
- N0! No!
- I'm gonna get me some...
Love train
...you got Wolfman Jack here,
I'm gonna bring you on a train,
we're gonna riiiiide...
...that love train!
Are you ready?
All right! Come on!
Ride, baby, now!
(Car skids to a halt)
(George)
You did nice work, George
Mmm...
Oh, she was outta sight, Jerry!
But you're cool,
I ain't gonna tell nobody.
You know my philosophy:
you keep the good thoughts
and then you dump the garbage.
Kinda like your biological
problem with a chick.
(Radio volume turned right up,
drowning everything else out)
(Tyres squeal)
- Jerry!
- On the love train
You're on a midnight ride
The love train
Tour through the countryside
The love train...
(song fades out)
(Car engine cuts off)
(Footsteps, insects chirping)
Police officers.
Don't move!
(Dramatic, sinister music)
- D0 you have any identification?
- Yeah.
This what you're
looking for, Griffith?
- Where did you find it?
- By the broken body of a young girl.
(Rock'n'r0ll music)
Excuse me, sir. Police Chief Patterson
wishes to speak to Mr Duncan.
- Let's take it on the speakerphone.
- Yes, sir.
Elmo! Patterson.
What is it, Tim?
Sorry to bother you, Mr Duncan.
About an hour ago
we logged a brutal 907.
Rape victim, a 19-year-old
Caucasian, Miss Shen' Moore,
admitted to County Hospital
in a coma.
- There's some big game involved.
- Who is it?
Frank Griffith's son.
Frank Griffith?
The name means nothing to me.
Frank Griffith handles all of
Mr Yerkes' advertising.
He's also one of the party's
biggest contributors.
That's the one.
The boy denied raping the girl,
and he also pleads innocent
to injuring her.
Any evidence to indicate
the boy was lying?
L'm gonna look at the sheet.
Wallet, $23 in cash,
three textbooks in the
trunk of his car,
a fourth book under
the spare tyre.
And coincidentally,
it was the same dirty book
involved in that bookseller arrest
this morning: The Seven Minutes.
Elmo, tell him goodbye.
Son of a bitch,
we've got our case!
Tim, we'll discuss this
in the morning.
Thank you, Mr Duncan.
What do you mean,
"we've got our case"?
Baby Doll!
Shut off that damn radio!
(Music clicks off)
Can't the next Senator from the
State of California
figure this one out for himself?
It's very simple. Frank Griffith's son,
a poor kid with a normal sex urge...
...and they're trying to pin him
with breaking and entering.
(Raucous laughter)
- Maybe the kid is innocent?
- Who gives a goddamn?
But you know who's responsible?
The real criminal?
It's that dirty, slimy book,
The Seven Minutes
that incited a decent kid
from a good family
- to commit felonious rape.
- Yeah, but Luther...
Elmo, we've finally got hold of
the big issue we've been looking for.
- Barman! Get the car!
- Jawohl!
Blair, call Frank Griffith.
Tell him we just heard
about his trouble
and we're on our way to help him
in any way we can.
Now he is still innocent until
proved guilty in a court of law.
What I'm really saying is that
the law still gives us certain options.
Are you saying he can
still plead not guilty?
Frank, let him finish.
If he pleads not guilty
the case will be placed
on the court calendar for trial.
If he pleads guilty
the sentence could be anywhere
from 15 years to life.
What good's all this?
I already told the cops what I did!
- She hurt herself!
- Don't interrupt.
I agree that,
as things stand,
a not guilty plea would
not only be dishonest but futile.
Trial a waste of time.
Now consider this. Behind closed doors
our District Attorney could have
a great influence with thejudge
who was to pass sentence
- after a plea of guilty for rape.
- But I didn't rape her!
The book's the criminal,
not the boy.
If The Seven Minutes
hadn't been available,
Jerry would have never
committed the crime.
I see.
I see.
He was temporarily inflamed by
that book. He was victimised.
Now, we'll need time to let this
concept sink into the public mind,
in order to create an atmosphere
much more favourable to Jerry.
Doesn't anything I say
mean a damn?
Considering Jerry's condition,
I would offer as a defence
that he was not legally sane when
he allegedly committed the crime.
To accomplish this, we'll need
the services of a top psychiatrist.
I would suggest
Dr Roger Trimble.
I won't let any headshrinker
pick my brain apart! I'm not crazy!
Louis Polk knows the law.
If he says your seeing a psychiatrist
will help you with thejudge,
it makes sense to do just that.
Jerry!
Let your niece calm him down.
~ Jerry!
' Maggie, l.__
I'm sure they were only
trying to be helpful, in their way.
I don't want my brain
picked in public.
- I understand, Jerry.
- ljust wanna be left alone.
Jerry Griffith is living proof that
a dirty book can destroy a clean boy.
I'm convinced we're not dealing
with a mere felony,
but a crime that could
endanger public safety.
Like, uh... an epidemic of rape?
I was referring to
your client's distribution
of a menacing work
of obscenity, Mr Barrett.
If you plead Ben Fremont
not guilty,
we will prosecute the defendant
to the limit of the law.
If you prefer to enter
a plea of guilty,
the defendant will receive the
maximum punishment for his offence:
a fine, and twelve months in jail.
- N0 deal deal, Mr Barrett.
- (Loud clunk of weights)
- ls that your last word?
- Yes, Mr Barrett.
What kind of a plea do you intend
to enten'? Guilty or not guilty?
- I'll have to consult with my client.
- There can be no compromise.
If you plead guilty, Fremont
will go tojail for a year
and the book will be banned
in the county as a starter.
If the plea is not guilty...
...you'll have to take
your gamble in court.
Really pissed me off
with Duncan's attitude.
Aside from being
obviously hostile,
he gave me that politician's
holier-than-thou number.
(Mike) A little to the right, honey.
Higher. Yeah, right here.
Mmm, that feels good.
- Michael?
- Mmm?
Are you considering turning down Dad's
position to take on Sanford's case?
What's wrong, darling?
I've got a late date
with The Seven Minutes.
I promised Sanford
I'd make my decision
about defending the book
by tomorrow morning.
...and, taken in its entirety,
and not out of context...
...the book is definitely
not obscene.
The Seven Minutes
is a beautiful book.
Oh, there's Clay Rutherford,
right there.
He's one of the most thorough
investigative attorneys I've worked with.
- Mr Rutherford.
- Mr Sanford.
I took the first plane out when Mike
told me you two would take the case.
Clay has a line-up of potential witnesses.
Why don't we run through them?
- Our line-up is exactly one witness.
- You mean so far?
No, Mr Sanford.
I, uh, I mean one. Period.
With the existing political climate
we're not going to find
many volunteers for this cause.
Tell him who we got, Clay.
Christian Leroux. His firm published
the original edition of the book.
Now we've been led to believe that
he considered The Seven Minutes
to be a work of artistic integrity.
(Sanford) Ireca/I, however, that
he sold the world publishing rights
to an alleged pornographer
named Norman C. Quandt.
- (Clay) Any idea of his whereabouts novfi
- (Sanford) N0.
Clay should be able
to get a line on him.
Our really big issue will be
to prove that Jadway wrote the book
honestly, sincerely,
and with artistic integrity.
That's why Lemux is so
important to us.
- Hello, Mr Barrett.
- Hi, Donna.
Mr Rutherford. Sir.
(Clay) We can also get some mileage
out of the findings
made by the President's Commission
on Obscenity and Pornography.
They clearly verify that so-called
obscene books and motion pictures
do not contribute in any way
to an increase in antisocial behaviour
by adults or juveniles.
Looks like it's not going to be as
simple as we thought. ls it, Mike?
Incredibly, Philip, no. The case is
a lot more complicated now.
I guess so. Mike, this might not
be the right time to bring this up...
but do you want me to stay
for the trial?
I'm up to here with
pre-publication deals back home.
No. As a matter of fact,
it might be better
to keep you out of
the picture entirely,
until we need you
as a witness.
One more thing to remember,
gentlemen,
Elmo Duncan will not
be sitting on his ass.
Our critics would like to believe
that the Church's only interest
is in morality and religion, at
the sacrifice of freedom of speech.
We wish to criticise only those
who would abuse this freedom.
We are of the same mind,
Your Eminence.
We don't want
a weakened freedom,
but rather reinforce it by
penalising those who would corrupt it.
The Church has seen fit
to extend its co-operation.
Wewing The Seven Minutes today,
just as it did in the Thirties,
when it was first banned
in the Sacred Index,
as an extraordinary
destructive force.
I couldn't be more pleased,
Your Eminence.
I own enlighten,
and will help you.
(Mike)
Now, the police report states
that they confiscated eighty copies
of The Seven Minutes...
...and the Sanford House
sales department account shows...
...they shipped a hundred copies
to this store.
- Those figures correct?
- Uh-huh.
That means you sold twenty copies
before you were arrested.
- Any idea who bought them?
- Zero. I only work here days.
Have you seen the picture of
Jerry Griffith in the newspaper?
His picture and mine too.
I've got a better shot of him
right here,
and I want you to take
a close look at this.
- He ever been in this store?
- Not that I can recall.
With all this publicity, I get
phone calls every day,
asking ifl have
the book for sale.
Even Rachel Hoyt,
the head branch librarian
for the Oakwood Library
called this morning,
very uptight about this attempt
to ban The Seven Minutes.
Interesting.
She won't wait to order
the book through channels.
She wants to pick one up herself,
put it on the open shelves,
and have a showdown
with the old bags who run the
Strength Through Decency League.
Would you believe Frank Griffith
telling the press
it was J.J. Jadway and
The Seven Minutes,
not his son, who was responsible
for Sheri Moore's brutal attack.
When was the last time
you saw Jerry?
That was it. He sent a friend
over to return the dictionary.
Do you recall his friend?
A long-haired boy. The only one
I saw with Jerry more than once.
I think his name was Perkins.
I hear you're a good friend
of Jerry Griffith's.
Who told you that?
Head librarian,
at the Oakwood branch.
Said she saw you with him
a couple of times.
He's got wheels. He gave me
a lift now and then. That's about it.
Well, lwas told that
you were close friends.
You were told wrong, man.
Did you ever meet any members
of Jerry's family?
Nope.
Did you ever hear Jerry
discuss his father?
Nope.
When was the last time
you saw him?
Maybe a week before
he beat on that chick.
- And you haven't seen him since?
- N0. And I wouldn't want to, either.
- How come?
- With all the available chicks around here,
who wants to owe
the guy who gets it that way?
- That's a bummer.
- I hear he reads a lot.
What the hell do these look like?
Everybody reads a lot here.
Yeah, I guess you're right,
but I'm only interested
in one particular book.
Have you ever seen him reading
The Seven Minutes or discussing it?
Oh, you're sounding like a pig.
Like a stinkin' pig. Fuck off!
The services of Father Sarsatti,
one of the two priests directly
in charge of the Sacred Index,
has been offered as a leading
witness for your prosecution.
Father Sarsatti
is prepared to make public
all the classified information
the Church has on the infamous book
and its equally infamous author.
Do you wish him as a witness
for the prosecution?
Yes, Your Eminence.
I must have him.
- When do you want him in here?
- Within three days. Four at the most.
I will notify the Vatican.
Father Sarsatti will be here.
And the Lord
will bless our cause.
(Uplifting, hymn-like music)
I'm Olivia St. Clair,
President of the Oakwood Chapter
of the Strength Through
Decency League.
(Polite applause)
Most of you already know
that our President has called for
a citizens' crusade against obscenity,
both in print and in pictures.
That's just what the STDL
is trying to implement.
Our work was never more important
than it is today.
- (St. Clair) The fact that there are...
- (Faye) Why the big rush?
It's not exactly like
you're the guest of honour.
Hey, there's someone I know.
Maggie, how are you?
- Good to see you, Faye.
- (Faye) Oh, forgive me.
Meet my fiance'.
Maggie Russell, Michael Barrett.
How do you do?
I thought I recognised you.
You mean those terrible newspaper
pictures do me justice?
I happen to have
a special interest in your case.
(St. Clair) "hard-hitting action.
And by that I mean
vigorous, positive enforcement
- of existing obscenity laws...
- We'd better grab a seat.
...all over the country.
- And, with courageous Americans...
- See you around, Maggie!
...like our guest of honour today,
to do the enforcing.
It is now with the
greatest of pleasure
that I give you our county's
distinguished District Attorney,
- Mr Elmo Duncan.
- (Applause)
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Glad you all could make it.
Mrs St. Clair has asked me
to say a few words
on the subject of pornography
as related to our permissive society.
I cannot think of a subject
which is more relevant.
There is virtually no area
that remains untainted
by the quick-buck artists who
pander to our lowest forms of taste
and the public be damned.
Just the other evening,
my first night off in weeks,
I decided to take my wife Mary
and our three children to the movies.
In our neighbourhood,
we had such subject material
as rape, lust, motorcycle gangs,
homosexuals,
- lesbianism...
- I'm going to take a walk.
- I'll be right back.
- ...drug abuse, you name it.
Whatever happened to the movies we
used to be able to take our children to?
- (Applause)
- (Mike) Remember to tell me what I missed.
Films that offered
real movie stars,
Like the charming lady seated to my left,
Miss Constance Cumberland.
(Enthusiastic applause)
Never in the history of our great nation
has there been such a proliferation
of obscene material on the screen,
the magazine racks, and the bookshelves.
- The pomographers...
- (Mike) Miss Russell!
While I had a chance lwanted
to have a few words with you
about your relatives the Griffiths.
Faye mentioned your
relationship with Jerry.
And?
Well, she said you were
very close to him.
We're not only relatives,
we're friends.
I'm prepared to defend Jerry
against anyone who wants to hurt him.
Well, I have no reason to hurt Jerry.
My interest in him
is merely professional.
You see, from what I know
about juvenile delinquency,
I'm not convinced
that reading-matter alone
can be held responsible
for antisocial acts.
I was hoping we'd have
a chance to talk about this.
I won't even dignify the thought
of such a discussion.
I suppose it'd be foolish of me to ask
if Jerry's father would see me?
You can't be serious, Mr Barrett.
You're annoying me.
- Well, I'm sorry, I really am.
- (Car engine starts)
But you could have snubbed me.
Good manners, Miss Russell?
Not good manners, Mr Barrett.
I just wanted to find out
if you were really
the kind of son of a bitch
everyone said you were.
Jerry, I feel these sessions
can be very beneficial to you.
I don't like to talk about myself.
Well, I'm afraid your father
and Mr Yerkes have other plans
concerning your
co-operation this afternoon.
You tell him his loser company
ain't worth that much money!
Well, fly him back
from the goddamn safari!
When people find out he's
killing defenseless animals
with a machine gun,
it's eighty-six for him anyway.
(Raucous laughter) What an idea
for Art Buchwald's column!
How'd it go?
Well, Jerry is completely ambivalent
about Sheri Moore.
On the one hand he hates to
discuss the circumstance,
but on the other when he does discuss it
he reveals a certain pride in the act.
What else?
Jerry also has a wish
for self-destruction,
possibly real but more likely fantasy.
I feel he should be subjected
to as few pressures as possible.
Frank, the boy needs help.
He's in bad shape.
What the hell's wrong now?
We'll never get him to testify
until we get him back on the track.
I think the kid and Trimble
should get together
every day between now and the trial.
Well, that makes
a great deal of sense.
Fine. Now, let's see what's
happening in the other room.
(Lushly romantic piano music)
Good to see you, Merle!
Griffith! Trimble!
Come over here!
I want you to meet Merle Reid,
a truly great American.
Mr Reid, this is a real pleasure.
I catch your newscast every night.
You flatter me, Mr Griffith.
I hope you'll tell that to
the rating surveyors when they call.
(Everyone laughs)
I'm really looking
fonlvard to this, Luther.
When my viewers see
what the smut peddlers
have done to that poor young boy,
you'll have a groundswell of sentiment
big enough to swamp the Queen Mary.
(Thumps table)
Good man.
I think they're ready.
Well, Jerry, you won't feel a thing.
You have nothing to worry about.
(Crew member)
Any time you're ready, Mr Reid.
We're rolling.
- Speed. Jerry Griffith interview, take one.
- (Clapperboard snaps shut)
And action, Mr Reid!
Ladies and gentlemen, I am sitting in
the home of the Frank Griffith family.
An average American family,
if you will, until the night before last,
when a shattering experience
catapulted them into the headlights.
Young Jerry Griffith,
whom you see seated beside me,
was taken into police custody
and charged with the most heinous crime.
A crime which had been
perpetrated by the reading
of an awful, ugly, and...
yes, I'll use the word,
a patently obscene book.
Until now, not one soul
from the television media
has been granted the opportunity
of speaking with young Jerry.
But he and his father have
graciously allowed me the privilege
of being the first and only news man
to hear the family's side of the story.
Tell me, Jerry,
was The Seven Minutes
part of your reading assignments
at the university?
I really don't wanna talk about it.
I couldn't be more in sympathy
with your feelings.
But the public does have a right to know
how this book led you astray.
Tell us now exactly how
The Seven Minutes prompted you
to run out and violate this girl.
(Emphatic, echoing chords)
I don't wanna talk about it!
(Frenzied orchestral music)
(Voice trembling)
For the first time
in my newscasting career,
I am speechless.
Permit me, however,
to leave you with this question.
How many other killer books are in
the hands of your sons and daughters?
Yes, your sons and daughters,
this very moment.
Now you've seen what a dirty book
can do to a youngster.
No, I've seen sickness, Mr Yerkes,
but it wasn't caused by any book.
You'd better go shopping
for a new psychiatrist.
- You can't afford me.
- Nowjust a minute, you...
That footage on his cracking up
is gonna be great!
Simply first class.
(Emphatic orchestral music)
Operator, this is KME 515.
Give me CR 72211 please.
Barrett and Rutherford.
Donna, are you still taking
those courses at the university?
Yes, sir, three nights a week.
Any rap about Jerry Griffith?
One girl in my econ class did mention
that she saw him occasionally
at the Lube Rack.
Oh really? I'll be up in
a couple of minutes.
Yes sir, Mr Barrett.
Barrett! You the lawyer who's
defending that dirty book?
Yes, I...
I'm Sheri Moore's father,
you son of a bitch!
And I'm warning you to keep your
goddamn nose out of our private affairs!
My poor girl's damn near dead
because some little punk
was made crazy
by your damn dirty book!
- Well, I've had it, you hear?
- (Cuts to sustained vocal note)
(Loud rock music)
Get up, baby
Dance on the drums
We're gonna shake you
till morning comes.
(Backing vocals)
Shake you ti/I morning comes
Get up, baby
Turn on the juice
Shake a little back
- Gonna work it loose
- (inaudible dialogue)
- You just gotta work it loose
- (inaudible dialogue)
(inaudible dialogue)
You can't have no
midnight tricks
Midnight tricks
Midnight tricks
Midnight tricks
Get off your high horse
Work out the kinks
(inaudible dialogue)
Get up baby
Let out the slack
Too far gone,
gotta turn it round
(inaudible dialogue)
You can't have no
midnight tricks
Midnight tricks
Midnight tricks
Midnight tricks
(Pills rattling)
Loosen up, baby
Let out the slack...
- (knocks on window)
- Jerry? Jerry!
Nembutals. It's lucky you
got him here when you did.
Another five minutes,
and he'd have been finished.
He gave me this piece of paper
with a name and phone number on it.
Said it was the only one
to be contacted.
I thought I told you...
Jerry? He can't be with you, he's
not allowed to leave the house.
What happened? Where?
I'll be right there.
Dr Quigley's a good man.
He'll make a discreet report, and
everything will be kept very quiet.
Ijust can't imagine
what made Jerry do it.
I'd like to ask you something.
- Go ahead.
- Were you following Jerry?
No. I was looking for someone else.
One of his friends, George Perkins.
I'm sorry. You must think
I suspect every move you make.
Music?
Jerry was bugged by a couple of things
that happened at the house today.
Now no-one expects you
to be unfaithful to the cause.
Luther Yerkes was there today.
He brought over a psychoanalyst,
and Jerry was forced to go into therapy
with this guy against his will.
Luther Yerkes at the Griffiths.
Until now I'd only heard rumours that
he was backing Duncan for the Senate.
Then, Mr Yerkes
wheeled out Merle Reid
to interview Jerry
on coast-to-coast television.
- Just simply...
- You know, I always think...
- Excuse me, go ahead.
- N0, no, you go ahead.
You know, my whole attitude
toward you has changed 180 degrees.
Before I came to work
for the Griffiths,
there was a woman working there
as a nurse to Mrs Griffith.
After she quit or was fired,
that's when I was offered the job.
Maybe she could
give you a little help?
Do you remember her name?
Isabel Vogler.
She lived out in Laurelvale.
That's the most I can offer you
by way of appreciation
for what you did tonight.
Thank you.
Now I've got to run. Thank you.
L'd like to see you again.
No prying, I promise. Strictly social.
It's tempting, but I'm afraid not.
If I was seen with you in public...
But if I can ever help you
in any way that doesn't
jeopardise my relationship
with the family...
- Well, you have my private number.
- I'll remember that.
Oh, by the way,
I read The Seven Minutes.
It's a beautiful book.
(Music playing)
You've got a suspicious look
on your face.
(Faye)
How can you drink that in the morning?
Is that why you stopped by?
To check on my drinking habits?
You were supposed to call last night.
I got into this... thing.
Part of the investigation.
You know the woman you passed by
on the way out of here?
Well, uh... that was Frank Griffith's
former housekeeper, Mrs Isabel Vogler.
Now, she's agreed
to testify at the trial
about the conditions
existing in the Griffith home.
Particularly as to how they affected
one Mr Jerry Griffith.
Can you trust someone like that?
Mrs Vogler is as trustworthy
as any of Duncan's witnesses.
S0 why the sudden concern?
I'm just worried about the nasty
people you're becoming associated with
over an unworthy piece of trash.
First of all, the book
isn't a piece of trash.
There's no-one around to
contaminate me, so let's cool it, huh?
Well, I've gotta get to
the office now, or I'll be late.
Faye?
Faye, I really am sorry
about last night.
See you later and make up for it, huh?
- Both good and bad news, Mike.
- Give me the bad first.
Lemux sold out for a higher price
and he's flying in from Paris
to testify for Duncan.
The good news is that I've
located Norman C. Quandt.
Gee, that's great. Where is he?
He operates something called the, uh,
Arts and Sciences Cinema Company
- at 348 Donovan Drive.
- Imposing title.
Well, it's probably
one of the leading manufacturers
of pornographic movies
on the West Coast.
Nudies, beavers, the whole bit.
- When could I see him?
- Right now, man. He's expecting you.
- I'm on my way.
- Okey doke.
(Quandt) There's nothing dirty
about these pictures.
Now back to that creep Leroux, let's
go to my office and check the files.
Back in '47 I flew over to Paris
to get a first-hand look
at some of the highly touted
French stuff.
My contact was Leroux, a publisher of
dirty books and part-time pimp.
Among other things, he made me an
offer for three raunchy paperbacks.
One of them was The Seven Minutes.
Do you recall him saying anything
about the author of
The Seven Minutes, J.J. Jadway?
Yeah, in fact he turned over
a pack of letters
written by Jadway to his mistress,
some chick named...
- Cassie McGraw?
- Yeah.
You mean you actually have
letters written by Jadway?
Till a week ago. I unloaded them
on an autograph dealer in New York.
Can you give me his name,
the autograph hunter?
(Siren blares)
(Panicked shrieking)
(inaudible shouting)
Get outta the place!
You'll tip the D.A.!
You gotta be out of your head.
I'm on the other side!
He's sent them round
to me before!
- Now get outta here!
- The autograph dealer!
Olin Adams,
55th Street New York.
(Olin Adams)
You got a deal, Mr Barrett.
I can send the letters out to you
C.O.D. in the morning.
No, I need them sooner than that.
I'm flying to New York tonight.
I'll be in your shop between
nine and ten, and I'll pay in cash.
- As you wish, sir.
- Right.
Jadway speaking from the grave.
Those letters can wipe out
Leroux's contention
that Jadway was
a money-hungry pornographer,
and we've got Isabel Vogler
to put down Jerry Griffith's testimony
that the book alone turned him on.
- We are finally getting it together.
- (Phone buzzes)
- Yeah, Donna.
- There's an urgent call
- from Miss Osborn on 3.
- Thank you. Hello, pretty lady.
Michael, I know you
cancelled out on me tonight
because you're loaded with work,
but I have to see you.
It's terribly important.
I'm flying out of here tonight
at eight o'clock.
I, uh... I'll tell you what.
You can pick me up
and drive me to the airport,
and we'll talk on the way.
I'll pick you up at 7:15.
Mr Griffith places a large amount of
advertising on Dad's television stations,
so naturally you can understand
how Daddy felt when he heard
you were going to call a witness
who would malign Frank Griffith.
How did Dad feel?
Concerned enough to pay
a visit to Mr Griffith
to prepare for any libel
Mrs Vogler might be offering.
- Beautiful.
- After his talk with Griffith,
Dad was convinced Mrs Vogler
is a psychopathic liar.
OK, so now you've told me
the urgent news, what else?
Dad wants me to tell you
that any thought you have
of using Isabel Vogler on the witness
stand is out of the question.
- He was positive about that.
- Oh, was he now?
I promised him that once I spoke to
you there would be no problem.
But there is a problem, Faye.
I will use Mrs Vogler
on the witness stand.
You're behaving like an ass.
I can't believe you'd
give up everything
to defend your little house of filth.
- I won't accept it.
- You'd better, Faye,
- because ljust can't meet your terms.
- (Brakes squealing)
Then you are an ass.
You're second-rate, Mike,
and I only have time for number one!
(Car door shuts)
Tell dear old Dad he'll just have to
find himself a more willing patsy.
- Go to hell!
- (Tyres screech)
- Mr Adams? I'm Michael Barrett.
- Mr Barrett?
That's right. I spoke to you
yesterday afternoon,
about the Jadway letters?
Oh, I know I should have been here earlier,
but I got hung up in traffic.
Nevertheless, I'm here,
and if I could see
those letters, please?
But sir, a Mr Barrett has already
picked up those letters.
- I beg your pardon?
- A gentleman came by here
a minute or two after
I opened this morning.
He paid the $800 and I gave him
the letters and he left immediately.
That can't be.
I can prove who I am.
Well, look at it!
S0 who the hell was it
that came by here
and picked up
your purchase this morning?
Well, Mr Adams, that's
what I'd like you to tell me.
- Can you describe him for me?
- He was...
he was much taller than you.
Formal, very dignified.
I really didn't pay much attention.
Well, thanks for your trouble.
But I am deeply sorry, Mr Barrett.
Good luck to you.
Yeah.
Donna, catch me the
first flight back to the coast.
Oh, before I forget,
tell Clay that I'll call Sanford
and brief him on his
coming appearance in court.
(Inserts money)
(Dials)
Yeah, operator?
I'd like to make a long distance call
to Miss Maggie Russell.
(Phone rings)
- Hello?
- Hello, Maggie? Michael Barrett here.
Now, I know your rules,
but I really have to see you.
It's important.
ls this strictly business,
or business and pleasure?
Well, it's partly business, but
seeing you would be a pleasure.
Won't Faye Osborn mind?
Well, we're not seeing
each other any more.
Oh? Where are you now?
- Manhattan.
- Manhattan?
Yep. Now it's 3:30
New York time
and I can meet you in my office
at 8:00 your time.
(Thud, Mike groans)
Michael?
Can you hear me, Michael?
- They got away with it.
- With what?
They planted a monitor
on my phone,
and they decided to
remove the evidence,
and yours truly stumbled in on them.
It's not the first time. There've been
half a dozen other incidents
just as incredible. Mrs Isabel Vogler
suddenly refusing to testify,
the loss of some
original Jadway letters,
and the real stunner
was the loss of Leroux,
the Frenchman who first
published The Seven Minutes.
Now he's saying Jadway's nothing more
than a squalid pornographer.
The man with the big chequeb0ok's
got the advantage.
- (Maggie exclaims joyfully)
- (Mike) Very good!
Uh... shall we?
I have an early day tomorrow
and if you're going to be
in shape for court,
you should have been
in bed an hour ago.
- Why, hello, Miss Russell.
- Mr Blair.
- (Projector whirring)
- I'll tell you one thing,
those broads are not acting.
Focus. Focus, goddamnit!
We're missing the best part.
That's better. Where did we
get this stuff, Elmo?
Norman C. Quandt, S.O.B.
One of these days
I'm gonna throw him in the
slammer and toss away the key.
Now hold it, Elmo.
He may not be an L.B. Mayer,
but you've gotta admit
he makes great pictures.
Besides, we've gotta
protect the public.
- (Phone rings)
- Yerkes here.
Mr Yerkes, I'm over here at the Daze.
Just five minutes ago I ran into
Maggie Russell, Frank Gfiffith's niece.
And who do you think she was with?
- Michael Barrett, counsellor for the defence.
- Thanks, Blair.
Son ofa bitch! Goddamn her!
Wait till I put that girl on the carpet.
Hold it, Frank, hold it.
If you kick her ass out
she could very easily be used
as a witness against us.
- You agree, Elmo?
- It's a possibility, Luther.
That's why we're not going to
interfere with Maggie and Barrett.
- It may turn out to be an advantage.
- Advantage? How?
Tell her you heard
she was out with Barrett.
But you're gonna be
just as sweet as honey.
Buy her story, whatever she says.
You're the great white father
trying to protect his son.
I approve, Griffith.
I agree with Luther 100%.
- How can she resist?
- (Elmo) It's an inspired approach.
For you, for your son,
and for our common cause.
The state of California has charged
an unknown bookseller
named Ben Fremont
with selling filth
in the form of an underground
novel, The Seven Minutes,
which was written by an
expatriate author, J.J. Jadway,
over three decades ago.
Now this trial has generated
enormous interest,
and in light of impending
Supreme Court hearings
on the question of obscenity
in films and reading matter,
this case could assume a
stature of national importance.
Please rise.
Face the flag of our country,
recognising the principles
for which it stands:
liberty and justice for all.
Department 101 of the Superior Court
of the State of California
is now in session, the Honourable
Nathaniel Upshawjudge presiding.
- Please be seated, and no smoking.
- (Gavel bangs)
The case of the People of the State
of California versus Ben Fremont.
- Is the defence ready to proceed?
- Yes, Your Honour.
- Are the people ready to proceed?
- Yes, Your Honour.
You may call your first witness,
Mr Duncan.
I call Sergeant Frank Kellog of the
County Sheriffs Department to the stand.
Please raise your right hand.
Do you solemnly swear
to tell the truth and nothing
but the truth, so help you God?
- I do.
- State your name for the record.
Sergeant Frank Kellog, County
Sheriff's Office, Administrative Woe.
Please be seated.
Sergeant Kellog, is the man who
sold you a copy of
- The Seven Minutes in this courtroom?
- Yes, sir, he is.
Would you point him out
to the court, please?
That's him.
Let the record show, Your Honour,
the witness Sergeant Kellog
indicated the defendant Ben Fremont,
seated to the left of defence counsel.
Did Mr Fremont make any
comment about the book,
any reference to
its erotic explicitness?
Well, the defendant Mr Fremont told me
it was the most
banned book in history.
He said, and I quote, "It was banned
in every country in the world
"because it was considered obscene."
Those were Mr Fremonfs own words.
Your witness, Mr Barrett.
Sergeant Kellog, on your visit
to the Argus Book Store,
did you impersonate
an ordinary customer?
No sir, that's not quite true.
But since you intended to buy the book
for the purposes of assembling
evidence against the defendant,
didn't you feel dishonest about
representing yourself as a customef?
Objection. The witness's
feelings are immaterial.
- Objection sustained.
- Forgive me, Your Honour.
Sergeant Kellog, why was it necessary
to use a concealed tape recordef?
Well, that's standard
operating procedure.
If we were going to bust a hooker...
(Widespread laughter)
...l mean, arrest a prostitute, we'd do
the same thing. That's perfectly legal.
Well, I won't bother to comment
on the ethics of those vice officers
who circulate among bars
trying to entrap hoo...
mprostitutes. But I do wonder
how you feel about entrapping
a respectable bookseller with leading
questions and concealed tape recorders?
(Elmo) My next witness,
in a manner of speaking,
will be the book itself.
I now submit that The Seven Minutes be
read aloud to the members of the jury,
so that they may become
acquainted with its entire contents.
Seated in the witness box
is a neutral impartial citizen,
a Mr Charles Wynter, a substitute
high school teacher locally,
who in his spare time tapes
recordings for the blind,
and is accustomed to reading aloud
without over-dramatising
or unduly emphasising
specific passages.
Objection, your honour!
With all due deference to the blind,
the prosecution's remarks
are deliberately intended
to appeal to the sympathy of the jury.
Objection overruled. The District
Attorney's description of Mr Wynter
leaves no doubt of his
ability to remain impartial.
(Elmo) Thank you, Your Honour.
Your Honour, while I already
have this person available,
I would willingly agree to let
anyone of Mr Barrett's choosing
read the book aloud to the jury.
Your Honour, what I care about
is the book being read aloud.
A novel is not meant to be
presented in such a fashion.
That is my only objection.
Your objection, Mr Barrett,
is overruled.
Mr Wynter may begin reading the book
in manner so prescribed by the court.
Thank you, Your Honour.
Mr Wynter?
(Judge) You may begin, but please
address the reading to the jury.
(Slowly and pedantically)
A touch. ls that you?
My other lips swell in joyous welcome.
God, I have missed you.
There. Now move
slowly past my moist lips.
Darling, let me kiss all of you.
Feel me close around you
in sweet embrace.
Your Honour, I would like
to record my concern
about one mannerism possessed
by the reader, Mr Wynter,
which may be prejudicial
to the defence.
The reader is placing undue emphasis
by raising his eyes on certain passages
which might be termed
"sexually realistic".
Mr Barrett, I have been
watching Mr Wynter closely.
I am satisfied he is
performing in a manner
as mechanical and objective
as possible for a human being.
I must deny your request.
Please resume, Mr Wynter.
You were so strong,
and yet when we are together
we both grow weak with the delicious
perfection of our union.
This is your home. This is the reason
for our existence.
As a noted British publisher
of quality books,
and a highly recognised authority
on the continental trade,
Mr Van Fleet, do you feel that Jadway,
the author of The Seven Minutes,
tried to give the reader some
understanding or vision of love?
Mr Jadway knew nothing of love.
Let me tell you a favourite
anecdote about Jadway.
The story comes first-hand from
a simply marvellous study
entitled Outside the Mainstream.
The author is Dr Hiram Eberhart,
a highly respected professor
at Columbia University.
Now, I'm going to quote
from him directly...
Your Honour, I object!
This supposed anecdote from that book
would represent the
rankest form of hearsay.
I object to any reading from outside
the mainstream whatsoever.
I am conversant with Dr Eberhart,
and believe his book
to be very material, Counsel.
Don't antagonise them.
The witness will continue.
"One night, after listening
to a prizefight on the radio,
"a contest in which Joe Louis
wrested the heavyweight championship
"from one James Braddock, Jadway
told friends who had been listening to it
"with him that love
between a man and a woman
"was most often performed
like a prizefight.
"When Jadway was asked
to give examples of books
"that depicted the
more common hostile love,
"he cited Henry Miller's
Tropic of Capricorn,
"which he had just read,
"as a book that reflected
the brutality of l0ve."
One of your witnesses, Elmo, has got
to be a thinking man's faggot.
Those queens are so afraid
of anything straight,
they're bound to be on our side.
"Mthroughout The Seven Minutes is
an act of hatred against womanhood.
"Jadway has unconsciously
taken on the role of a pugilist
"attempting to down and
humiliate the opposite sex."
End quote. lfind myself in total
agreement with Dr Eberhart.
How much did we offer
to pay him to testify?
Transportation plus five big ones.
Please raise your right hand.
Do you solemnly swear
to tell the truth, and nothing
but the truth, so help you God?
- I do.
- State your name for the record.
- My name is Christian Leroux.
- Please be seated.
I wonder how much
he got from the D.A.?
You'd better believe
it wasn't chopped liver.
Mr Leroux, what is
your present occupation?
I'm a publisher of books.
When did you first become a publisher?
In 1933 my father died, leaving me
a very modest inheritance.
S0 I established my own
publishing house, the Etoile Press.
Is this the same publisher that brought
out a work of fiction in 1935 entitled
- The Seven Minutes, by J.J. Jadway?
- The same.
Mr Leroux, I have seen
your original version of this book,
which was printed in English.
Since it was published in Paris,
why was it not in the French language?
The French government wouldn't permit
its publication in French.
Why not?
The Censorship Bureau
declared it was obscene.
Obscene. To your knowledge,
has The Seven Minutes
ever been published in any other
country in any other language?
Oh no. Absolutely no
nation in the world
would pass on it or even accept it.
Literary critics in many countries
regarded it as the most
depraved book ever published
in the history of literature.
Your Honour, I object to Mr Leroux's
self-serving answer,
and I ask that it be stricken on the
grounds that it is incompetent.
(Judge) I think that the witness is
qualified to give that answer.
Motion to strike is denied,
and objection overruled.
Proceed, Mr Duncan.
Mr Leroux, what kind of
commercial success
did The Seven Minutes
have in France?
Well, not as much as we'd hoped.
My initial printing was 5,000 copies.
This sold out in a year.
Then I ordered a press run
of another 5,000 copies,
but the sales slowed down
and eventually stopped.
That is after the Vatican
placed the book on the Index.
(Mike) Father Sarsatti, you testified that
the Curia Offices had been revamped
and streamlined since J.J. Jadway's
book was first published in 1935.
Yes, in 1966, in keeping with
the new Ecumenical Council spirit
which pervaded the Church
and all of Christendom.
Pope Paul VII abolished the title of the
Supreme Congregation of the Holy Office
because it had long been held
offensive by Protestants
who associated it with
what they regarded as
persecution in early Church history.
Is it not, true, Father, that at the
convening of the Ecumenical Council
there were numerous Roman Catholic
clerics who protested against
the old Holy Office, the very
office that condemned Jadway,
because it did not hold
fair hearings for authors?
The Catholic Church
is a democratic body.
Its bishops and cardinals
are given total freedom
in the formation of their opinion.
There were those who chose to express
some measure of disagreement
with the rulings of the Holy Office.
Would it not follow, then, Father,
that in view of the new liberality
on the part of the Church,
that what the Church condemned
and prohibited in 1935
it might not condemn
and prohibit today?
Signore, sir, that is
a hypothetical question
which I have neither the qualifications
nor the authority to answer.
Let me say this, however,
that I am here before you
as a representative of the Vatican,
because the Church is just as
concerned today as it was in 1935
about the publication and circulation
of an immoral and sacrilegious work
of fiction entitled The Seven Minutes.
You got it now, Harvey. I want you to hit
them with as many numbers as possible.
Make it sound like this dame
is second cousin to every one
of those clowns in that jury box.
Our average woman
resides in an urban area,
in a city of less than
100,000 population,
which qualifies Oakwood
to supply this woman.
She has a five-room home
worth $11,000,
half the house is mortgaged,
the house has a bathtub or shower,
flush toilet, electricity, telephone,
TV set and washing machine.
No air conditioning,
no clothes dryer, no food freezer.
The average woman spends
seven hours a day
in the kitchen,
performing her household chores.
Very impressive, Mr Underwood.
You've covered everything
except her frequency of elimination,
and the time of day
she prefers to fornicate.
(Bangs gavel) Let us observe some of
the rules of taste, Counsellor.
And would you please refrain
from turning your back to the court?
Forgive me, Your Honour, but I feel
the court should be a little more
enlightened about the average person,
especially in relationship
to statistics.
Now as I understand it, 51% of the
U.S. population is female,
while 49% is male.
Now according to what you've said,
that means
the average American is only female.
Now is that true?
Of course not.
One can't average two absolutes.
I was referring to concepts that
can be converted into statistics,
such as age or income.
I appreciate your wanting to talk
about numbers, Mr Undenlvood,
but I want to talk about persons.
Specifically, the average person
mentioned in the Criminal Code.
Let me ask the jury this:
Supposing 50% of the
American population was male,
and 50% was female.
Wouldn't the average
American be a queer?
- (Widespread laughter)
- Order! Order! Order!
Now that we've established
your qualifications
as an average housewife to the
court's satisfaction, Mrs White,
can you tell us whether
you read a novel
called The Seven Minutes,
written by J.J. Jadway?
I have. lforced myself to read it
from cover to cover.
As an average person in your community,
applying contemporary standards,
what was your reaction to this book?
I found it sickeningly obscene.
Did you feel it went beyond
the customary limits of candour
in its description of nudity or sef?
The Seven Minutes belongs
in a garbage disposal.
If I had one,
that's where the book would go.
- (Elmo) Did you find anything in the novel...
- (inaudible whispering)
...that could be considered as having
social redeeming importance?
It was sex and more sex,
and nothing else.
I never laid eyes on
reading matter more obscene.
Thank you, Mrs White.
Your witness, counsellor.
Mrs White, since you are the first
average woman I've ever met,
I'm eager to know
a little more about your taste.
I'm anxious to know if your
reading habits are also average.
- They are.
- Oh? How do you know they are?
I read a lot. All the popular things
that come into the library,
and in paperback.
Have you ever read Peyton Place,
by Grace Metalious?
Of course not.
Have you read God's Little Acre,
by Erskine Caldwell?
No, I haven't.
Have you read Lady Chattefley's Lover,
by D.H. Lawrence?
I have not.
Have you read In His Steps,
by Charles Sheldon?
No. I never even heard of it.
That's very interesting, Mrs White.
Then by Mr Undewvoods standards
your reading habits are far from average.
You see, the four novels
I have just mentioned
sold over thirty million copies
in this country alone.
To which I object, Your Honour.
The Counsel is badgering the witness
in front of thejury,
and is asking questions
in argumentative form.
I know twenty books that outsold
the novels Barrett mentioned.
Those are four of the five leading
best-sellers in American history.
(Judge) Gentlemen, let's proceed
in an orderly fashion.
I expect both of you to abide
by the rules of evidence.
Now let's get on with the trial.
Mrs White, would the average American
read The Seven Minutes?
Absolutely not.
But you're supposedly average,
and you read it, didn't you?
I was requested to read it
for this trial.
Oh? Otherwise, you
would not have read it?
Most certainly not. I don't waste
my time with obscene reading.
But Mrs White, how would
you know it was obscene
if you didn't read it?
I don't have to drink poison
to know that it's poison.
Do you believe that writers
should say what they mean
when writing about sex?
Yes. But they can do that
without using indecent words,
like the words in that book.
Can you be specific about the words in
The Seven Minutes that offended you?
Well, I'm certainly not
going to use them.
Point them out.
Let me see what you object to.
Go ahead. The book won't bite.
Very fine, Mrs White.
I appreciate
your co-operation.
Now, what we have here
is the word "fucking".
(Shocked murmuring)
ls that correct?
Excuse me, Mrs White?
- That is the word you object to?
- Disgusting.
Would you have been happier
if the writer had used
such euphemisms as
"they slept togethef",
"they were intimate"
or "they made love"?
I would have understood just as well
what the author was trying to say.
But you could have been wrong?
If Kathleen and her man
had slept together, were intimate
or they made love,
they might have been
doing many other things
other than the only exact word
for this particular act.
It cannot be mistaken.
Mrs White, I'm not advocating
that coarse or vulgar words
should be used by everyone everywhere.
I am saying that writers from
Chaucer to Jadway should be allowed
the freedom to use specific precise
words when writing realistically.
Now, wouldn't you agree, Mrs White?
I am not interested in the past,
Mr Barrett.
I'm interested in protecting
our morality in the present.
Especially the morality of our young
people, so that our civilisation
doesn't decay and decline
the way others have done.
(Emphatic music)
Thank you.
Remember when Van Fleet
mentioned the anecdote
about the night Jadway was listening
to Joe Louis win the heavyweight title
- by knocking out Braddock?
- Yeah.
- When did Jadway die?
- February 1937.
Correct. Jadway killed himself and was
promptly cremated in February 1937.
But here we have
Dr Eberhart telling us
how Jadway read and discussed
Tropic of Capricorn.
Capricorn wasn't
published until 1939.
Well, maybe Dr Eberhart confused
his source of information.
We confuse Tropic of Capricorn
with Tropic of Cancer,
which I'm sure was published while
Jadway was still very much alive.
No, no, listen to this.
Page 624: "Joe Louis
knocked out Jim Braddock
"in the eighth round
in Chicago in June 1937."
Get it? June 1937.
That means that Jadway
was listening to the fight
four months after he was
supposed to be dead.
- Now how does that grab you?
- A lot better.
The distinguished Dr Eberhart may
have been wrong a second time.
But twice in one paragraph from a
renowned scholar? Highly unlikely.
This gives us a new and revived Jadway
who did not die in February 1937
as Leroux and the priest testified.
It gives us Jadway very much alive,
four months later.
For that matter, is he even dead?
(Emphatic music)
Clay? We're back in business.
You handle the
cross-examination tomorrow.
If I hustle, I can catch
the late flight to New York.
Eberhart could save our ass.
A mistake could have been made
only by my source.
Dr Eberhart, I was unaware that there
was any source involved besides you.
You see, I assumed that you were
present when Jadway made the...
No, I was not.
My confidential source
was one of Jadway's closest friends
in Paris in the 1930s.
- Who was he?
- Well, considering how I was misled...
...l see no reason
not to reveal his name.
I acquired the information from
a poet named Sean O'Flanagan.
My name's Michael Barrett.
May I sit down?
- Depends.
- Could I buy you a drink?
Grab a chair.
Guinness, a flagon of your best brandy,
with a water back.
What can I do for you, young man?
Well, sir, I'm the lawyer
defending the reputation
of your old friend, J.J. Jadway.
Oh yes, The Seven Minutes.
Dr Hiram Eberhart led me to believe
that you were one of
Jadway's closest friends.
Correct, young man. That's precisely
why I won't discuss this subject.
- Keep the change.
- Thank you.
On the contrary, Mr O'Flanagan,
the censors won't let him rest.
If I could only find out when
Jadway died, and how.
Suicide. Jumped into the Grand Canal,
the poor wretched soul and drowned.
- When was that?
- Allow me.
The year of our Lord
1937 Anno Domini, amen.
Then there appears to be
a slight contradition
concerning the date
of Jadway's death,
based on the material
that you supplied Dr Eberhart.
Eberhart put it down wrong
and didn't hear me right.
He taped the interview with you.
I guess I screwed up
my dates and times,
but I remember Jadway's death
as if it were yesterday.
It was in all the papers.
Hurled himself from a six-storey
apartment building in San Francisco.
A minute ago you had him
drowning in the Grand Canal.
Did I now?
Could you have been mistaken
about the date of Jadway's death?
Maybe he died in 1939 or '40,
instead of 1937.
That is not possible.
Jadway was alive long after that.
He enlisted the day after Pearl Harbor.
Made mincemeat of the Kaiser.
The Kaiser was World War I.
A pity you can't ask
Cassie McGraw about that.
Whatever happened to her?
Only the shadow knows.
Good day to you, Mr Battle.
- Michael! Michael! Over here!
- Maggie!
Somebody once told me
that happiness is
being met at the airport.
- I had to see you.
- You look great.
I thought you'd be interested
in what happened in court.
I spent the day in the gallery.
You must be psychic.
Things were so tight
trying to make the plane
I didn't have a chance
to call the office.
Duncan brought out
two more literary experts,
a professor from Colorado
and a syndicated book reviewer.
Both said the book was obscene and
put it down for its prurient appeal.
He also dragged in the two cops
who found Sheri Moore
and the physician who
examined her after the rape.
(Mike) I'm sure Clay didn't let Duncan get
away with cheap courtroom theatrics.
...evidence of sperm
within the vagina.
Objection!
The violation of Miss Moore
has nothing to do with
this alleged obscenity case!
Your Honour, the police witnesses are the
foundation for Jerry Griffith's appearance.
This is relevant and material,
because I will show
that the obscene pages
from the Jadway book
created the wish to commit rape
within Jerry Griffith,
and then drove him
to act out this wish.
(Mike)
So w/I-lat else have I missed?
(Maggie) Well, for one thing you
have no idea of the conflict
going on at the house
over Jerry's testifying.
(Mike)
is he still resisting?
I... I want to ask you not to put
Jerry on the witness stand.
Before you say anything,
let me finish.
And I won't say "do it for me, Mike",
but for Jerry's sake alone
please waive your cross-examination.
I'm sorry, Maggie,
but I can't betray
the people who've retained me.
The D.A.'s had his own way so far,
and now he plans to prove the
dangerous influence of Jadway's writing
by hitting us with Jeny Griffith.
Now, this is our first
opportunity to stop him.
(Maggie) But Jeny is paralysed with fear
over the cross-examination.
He might even try to take
his own life again.
But if we don't defend ourselves here,
then we'll go under,
and the censors strike another
important blow against free speech.
If I had Leroux, Mrs Vogler, even
a star witness like Cassie McGraw...
And you can have her, Mike.
You promise not to cross-examine Jerry
and I promise to get you
Cassie McGraw herself.
Please raise your right hand.
You swear to tell the truth and
nothing but the truth?
- I do.
- State your name for the record.
Jerry, erm... Jerome Griffith.
Please be seated.
Jerry Griffith, may I ask
what is your present occupation?
- Student.
- Jerry, would you mind speaking up?
- You said...
- I'm a student.
How long have you been
at the university?
Almost two years.
Before this year... well, let's say
during your last year of high school,
your first two years of college,
how frequently did you go on
dates with girls?
It's... it's hard to remember.
I can't remember how frequently.
Well, can you give an approximation
of how frequently?
Objection, Your Honour. The witness
has stated that he does not remember.
I'm going to object
on the grounds that
the question has been asked and
answered. Also, it's speculative.
Objection sustained.
- Jerry, what is your major?
- English literature
Do your courses demand
considerable reading?
Say at least three books a week?
Objection. The District Attorney
is leading the witness.
Overruled. The witness may
answer the question.
Thank you, Your Honour. ls it a fact that
you read at least three books a week?
Yes, sir.
Do you also read other books
on your own, so to speak?
That is, books not on the required list
for your English courses?
Yes, sir.
Have you ever read a book called
The Seven Minutes, by J.J. Jadway?
Yes, sir. I have.
From cover to cover?
Every word of it?
- Yes, sir.
- What was your reaction to the book?
Objection! The witness's reaction
to the book is highly immaterial.
No evidence has been
produced by the prosecution
showing this witness to be
a literary expert.
Mr Griffith's reaction is
highly irrelevant, speculative,
and having nothing whatsoever to do
with the merits of this trial.
Mr Barrett, I must warn you against
making speeches for the jury's benefit.
I find the prosecutor's
line of questioning
to be highly probative
and material to the issue
of whether or not
The Seven Minutes is obscene.
The jury is admonished to disregard
defence counsel's argument before the court.
You may proceed, Mr Duncan,
hopefully without any
interruptions from Mr Barrett.
Thank you, Your Honour.
Jerry, what was your reaction to
the reading of The Seven Minutes?
- I was upset.
- What do you mean, upset?
I was mixed up inside. All mixed up.
I couldn't sleep.
Did you go to school the next day?
Yes, but I cut some of
my late afternoon classes.
- Why?
- I had my mind on that book.
I kept it in my car,
and I drove around for a while,
and I found a lonely road
up in the hills
and I re-read parts of the book.
Can you recall what
sections you re-read?
I don't remember exactly...
Some of the first chapter,
the first of the seven minutes
in the story.
I read that several times.
- What was in those pages?
- I don't remember exactly.
If I may refresh your memory
of that part, Jerry...
"She is lying naked, and she
thinks of the statues of Priapus
"that stood on some of
the streets of ancient Greece.
"Statues consisting of
a bust of a bearded man
"set on a stone basalt block,
"and out of the centre of this statue
there projected a giant phallus..."
I object to the prosecutor's
leading and suggestive reading
pointedly out of context.
Mr Duncan should be
conversant with the fact
that a work, whether it be
writing or motion pictures,
must be considered as a whole,
particularly when the question of
obscenity hangs in the balance.
Mr Barrett, my patience is
stretched to the breaking point.
The counsel for
the prosecution's reading
is clearly and obviously foundational,
and will be followed
by a proper question.
You will continue reading, Mr Duncan.
Thank you, Your Honour.
"And out of the centre of this statue
there projected a giant phallus,"
and then Kathleen thinks
how lucky she is,
and she stared at the
unnamed hero of the book,
and the first of
her seven minutes begins.
Now Jerry, do you recognise that
as the part you re-read several times?
- Yes, sir.
- Did you feel at the time
- it was artistic writing?
- I didn't think about the writing.
Face the court, Jerry.
Do you feel the author was trying
nothing more than excite the reader?
Your Honour, I'm sorry,
but I must object
to the District Attorney's constant
leading and suggestive questioning.
This examination is
highly inflammatory
and I ask to approach the bench
to discuss the relevance
of this one-sided interrogation.
Mr Barrett, I find the prosecutor's
questioning to be quite pertinent.
The bench will not tolerate
any more interference from you.
If you persist, you'll be held
in contempt of court.
Now let us proceed with the trial.
Thank you, Your Honour. Have the court
reporter repeat the last question.
You are instructed to do so.
- Question by Mr Duncan.
- (Loud shuffling of papers)
Did you feel that the author
was trying to do anything more
- than excite the reader?
- N0.
Did this passage
and other passages excite you?
Yes, sir.
In what way did this
excitement manifest itself?
(Suspenseful music)
Physically.
I wanted to have a girl.
You mean you wanted to have
sexual intercourse with a girl?
- Yes, sir.
- With some particular girl,
' °“S' any girl?
' Any girl.
- What did you do next?
- It was night time.
I drove to the club,
and I drank a couple of beers.
There was this one chick, she looked
just like what I imagined Kathleen...
(Elmo) Kathleen, the heroine of
The Seven Minutes?
- Right. Anyhow, I offered her a ride.
- By "her", do you mean Sheri Moore?
Right. S0 I drove her to her
apartment, and walked upstairs.
And when she opened the door,
I pushed her inside.
- You did this how'?
- I had a knife.
I see. Did she undress?
She was scared, so she undressed.
- What happened next?
- I don't remember.
It went kind of crazy like it wasn't
my own mind any more.
Like it was Jadway's mind.
Please continue, Jerry.
- I forced myself on her.
- Did she resist?
- Yes.
- But you violated her anyway?
I didn't know what I was doing.
Did you think of
The Seven Minutes at all?
When she was naked, yes.
Then I don't remember after that.
Except that I did it.
I couldn't help doing it.
And during the course of the sex act,
Miss Moore was injured?
It was after,
when I was trying to dress.
She tried to hit me, and get my knife.
I don't remember which.
And lthink...
somehow she slipped and fell.
It was an accident.
Did you know Miss Moore
was unconscious?
I don't remember if I knew it or not.
I only knew she had a roommate
who might be coming back soon,
so ljust left. I felt miserable.
I... lwanted to kill myself.
Because this wasn't me,
what I had done.
It wasn't my fault.
I didn't know what I was doing.
Have you ever in your life...
- ...behaved this way before?
- N0, sir.
Do you definitely feel the obscene
pages in that book inflamed you
until you were impelled
to commit a criminal act?
Yes, sir. I can't explain
any other reason for it.
Jerry, I want you to listen to me,
and listen to me carefully.
From your own experience, do you
believe there's a cause and effect...
now understand me,
cause and effect relationship
between pornographic books
and violent acts of crime?
I... I only know...
only know what happened.
It happened to me.
(Choking sobs)
No further questions, Your Honour.
The defence has no questions,
Your Honour.
- (incredulous hubbub)
- Mr Barrett, you mean you wish
to reserve your
cross-examination for laten'?
I mean, as far as
the defence is concerned,
the witness may be
permanently excused.
We will take a two-hour recess
for lunch. (Bangs gavel)
Hey, Barrett, why didn't you
cross-examine the kid?
No comment.
Have you thrown in the towel,
Mr Barrett?
No comment.
"If you can't stand the heat,
get out of the kitchen."
- Was the heat too hot for you?
- Fuck off.
(Clay) You still haven't answered me.
What the hell happened back there?
(Mike) I traded off the
cross-examination of Jerry Griffith
for the examination of
the legendary Cassie McGraw.
(Clay) You mean she's alive?
(Mike) She's very much alive
and, what's more,
- we have an opportunity to use her.
- Who'd she make a deal with?
(Mike) Maggie Russell. Cassie read
about the trial in the paper,
wrote to Frank Griffith
in defence of Jadway,
Maggie intercepted the postcard
and kept it hidden for two weeks.
I'm gonna see it later today.
(Clay) You gotta be kidding!
You mean, you traded away Jerry
for something scrawled on a postcard?
Something you haven't even seen?
And what if the whole trade
was a con job
engineered by Maggie
on behalf of the Griffith family?
- (Mike) Hey, I've got faith in Maggie!
- OK, man, you keep the faith.
(Mike) Look at the other
side of it, man.
Cassie McGraw for the defence
would be a sensation.
(Clay) When is Maggie supposed
to turn over this postcard?
(Mike) Some time later today.
S0 you'd better call
the sequence from the start.
...and to the best of your recollection,
you have not omitted any pertinent facts
surrounding your arrest
at the Argus Book Store
by Sergeant Kellog of
the County Sheriffs Office?
- N0, sir.
- Your witness.
Were you previously arrested
under the terms of the
California Penal Code, Section 311.2?
The section stating that everyone who
knowingly distributes obscene material
- is guilty of a misdemeanour?
- Yes.
- Did you plead not guilty?
- N0.
Did you plead guilty of
selling obscene material?
Yes, but only on the advice
of my attorney.
He said if I pleaded guilty
I would get a lighter sentence.
- But you admitted guilt?
- Yes, I did.
- Did you pay a fine?
- Yes.
- Did you go tojail?
- N0. The sentence was suspended.
Are you aware
that a second offence
- is not a misdemeanour, but a felony?
- Yes.
Are you cognisant of the fact
that you can go to jail for a year
- and be fined up to $25,000?
- Yes, I am.
Are you aware that the publisher,
the Sanford House,
pandered The Seven Minutes
with this garish poster
prominently displayed in front
of the Argus Book Store?
But there were other quotes
on similar advertising,
that described it as
a distinguished work of art.
No further questions, Your Honour.
When Sanford House contracted
for The Seven Minutes,
were you worried about it violating
existing obscenity laws?
Not really, because I considered
the book to be beautiful and touching.
It's too well done to appeal
to s0meone's prurient interest alone.
Do you consider the book to be beyond
the customary limits of candour
by contemporary community standards?
Certainly not. In fact, it's
relatively mild by today's standards.
When you consider that motion pictures
and stage plays offer nudity, copulation,
oral-genital love, masturbation,
homosexuality, lesbianism...
community standards
have radically changed.
Your witness, Mr Duncan.
Mr Sanford, I have before me
news clippings
from the New York Times
and the Wall Street Journal,
which note the
shaky financial position
of Sanford House
in the last two years.
Are these news accounts
substantially true?
Yes .
- (Elmo) In short, since you took over...
- (Quietly) Excuse me, Mr Barrett.
Miss Maggie Russell wants you
to meet her right away.
- (Elmo) ...as it has in the past.
- Did she say where?
She said you'd know.
(Sanford) That depends on what
you mean by "doing well".
Uh... it is true that the firm's
book sales, uh... have gone dovlm...
(Elmo) Perhaps you were
desperate enough
to ignore your fathefis
previous good taste,
and tried to save your
position in the firm
by publishing an obscene book?
- (Tyres screech)
- What's going on?
I've made a real mess of everything!
Uncle Frank heard from Yerkes
that we were seeing each other.
Apparently he's known of
our relationship for some time,
but my rising to your defence over
Jerry's well-being flipped him out.
He told me to pack up and leave,
he took my key
and waited until I was outside on the
front drive before slamming the door.
S0 I lugged my things over here
from across the street.
And the postcard
from Cassie McGraw
- is still in his desk?
- I'm sorry.
Now you had to give up
your key, right?
The key to the front door, yes.
But not the one to
the rear service porch.
Then we're just going to
have to sweat him out.
Because I gotta get my hands
on that postcard.
- Mike, my bags!
- (Brakes squeal)
- (Maggie) What time is it?
- 9:15.
(Maggie)
Wait, the light went out.
There's Uncle Frank,
coming out the door.
(Car door shuts,
engine starts)
In we go.
(Music becomes more dramatic)
Oh, damn it!
(Tyres squeal)
Get it fast.
I'll go out in the street.
(Brakes squeal)
What the hell are you
doing in my driveway?
You could have got us both killed!
Look, sir, I'm sorry. I came by
to see Miss Russell, and...
Well, Miss Russell
doesn't live here any more.
Now you get your
lousy crate out of my driveway.
I oughta put guys like you away.
You son of a bitch,
what the hell are you doing here?
Spying on me and my son?
Come on, get out of the car
and say something, you bastard.
You're not in court now.
Oh, I'd really like to clobber you,
but you're not suckering me into that.
Now you get your ass outta here.
If you're still snooping around
after I've parked my car,
I'm gonna kick
the living hell out of you.
Then I'll turn you over
to the cops for prowling.
How does that grab ya?
(Both engines start)
(Tyres squeal)
(Maggie gasps)
That was a close call.
(Mike) Let's get the hell out of here
before I get my ass kicked.
(Tyres squeal)
Well?
It's... beautiful.
If Cassie McGraw backs up in court
what she says in this postcard,
the defence finally
has a star witness.
Now, where can I take you before
I catch the next plane to Chicago?
I was hoping you'd take me home.
- Home?
- With you?
(Lush, romantic music)
If Jadway were alive today,
he'd be in his late 50s or early 60s.
This woman is at least
15 or 20 years older.
Like all the old people
in this sanitarium,
I never think of Katie
in terms of years.
That reminds me of something.
As long as I've been here,
and that's going on five years,
Katie's been getting flowers.
Once a year, always on her birthday.
- Who sends Cassie the flowers?
- I don't know.
They're wired from Ryan's Flowers,
in Oakwood, California.
(Phone rings)
- Hello?
- Hi, Maggie.
Mike, I was praying it would be you.
Have you heard?
I mean about Sheri Moore?
She died in her sleep.
Yeah, ljust finished
reading the story.
- Are things any better in Chicago?
- It couldn't be worse.
Cassie McGraw will never speak
on the witness stand.
The poor woman's senile.
- What a lousy break.
- She has moments when she's lucid,
like when she wrote the postcard,
but today wasn't one of them.
I'm awfully sorry, Mike.
All that trouble for nothing.
- Chicago may not be a total loss.
- How do you mean?
She receives roses every year
on her birthday.
A standing order from Ryan's Flowers.
I called Clay, he's gonna check on it
first thing tomorrow.
Mike, I might be able to help you.
When I was working as
Frank Griffith's secretary,
- we dealt exclusively with that florist.
- S0?
Why don't you let me get in touch
with them? I'd love to help.
Miss Cumberland, I'll bet you're
wondering why I'm here.
Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.
Well, the Griffiths have
a lot to do with it.
I'm terribly concerned
about Jerry Griffith.
You know, the boy who's involved
in the obscenity trial?
Yes. I watched it on
the news last night.
It might sound strange to you,
but one of my good friends,
and I trust him implicitly,
is Michael Barrett,
the defence attorney in the case.
He's a very attractive
young man indeed.
He genuinely believes that Jadway's
The Seven Minutes is not obscene.
Anyway, he's been racing all over
the country trying to find witnesses
who knew Jadway or who
had some insight into his motives.
He just visited with
Cassie McGraw in Chicago.
Oh, really?
- You're familiar with Ryan's Flowers?
- Well, yes.
- Mike asked me to check their records.
- Did he?
I was surprised to learn that,
for the past ten years,
you have been paying for
Cassie McGraw's birthday flowers.
- How enterprising of you.
- How well did you know Cassie McGraw'?
Cassie McG raw was my private secretary
when I lived and worked in Paris,
ooh, 35 years ago. At that time,
she was my only friend.
Very few people know about Cassie,
or about any of my life
at the time, for that matter.
Much of it was not terribly pleasant.
Through the years,
I've managed to keep it concealed.
But why?
You know of my longstanding
friendship with the Griffiths.
Especially Frank's late wife.
It was difficult to hide my contempt
of his behaviour toward his son Jerry.
Now, it's my turn
to stand up and be counted.
(Raunchy, va-va-voom music)
Thank you, Baby Doll.
It's in the bag. We don't even need
the chippie's creaking.
Elmo can't buy that newspaper
and the TV exposure.
It also opens up
a whole new can of peas.
We now have a case
of murder one as well.
We're gonna anticipate
a probability factor
of at least 90% for conviction.
Whose? Jerry's?
I think the Griffith name
has been muck-raked enough.
Oh, relax, Frank.
It's not your boy that's on trial.
It's that obscene book,
together with that Ben Fremont,
that purveyor of filth.
The slut's death is just
icing on the cake.
Frankly, I am more than
a little bit concerned
at the turn of events.
It's a brand new ball game
with Sheri Moore's death.
Well, if it's any consolation,
there's the closing argument
Mike dictated about four this morning.
Let's pick up on it.
It might give us a shot in the arm.
(Mike) Supreme Court Justice Douglas
once said
"The idea of using censors to bar
thoughts of sex is dangerous.
"A person without sex thoughts
is abnormal.
"Sex thoughts may
induce sex practices that...
"...make for better
marital relations.
"Sex thoughts that
make love more atiractive
"certainly should not be outlawed.
lf the illicit is included,
"that should make
no constitutional difference."
Your Honour, I call
Constance Cumberland to the stand.
(Gasps of astonishment)
Please raise your right hand.
Do you solemnly swear
to tell the truth and nothing
but the truth, so help you God?
- I do.
- State your name for the record.
- Constance Cumberland.
- Please be seated.
Miss Cumberland,
what is your present occupation?
I'm an actress. I have been
an actress for some 35 years,
in motion pictures
and most recently on television.
How do you occupy yourself
away from camera?
Well, if you mean
what organisations do I belong to,
I'm a working member
of the League for Women Voters,
the Reiss-Davis Centre
for emotionally disturbed children,
and occasionally
I've given my public support
to the
Strength Through Decency League.
Because, like anyone else
with concern about today's society,
I'm against pornography.
Mainly because of the way
it appeals to the young people
who aren't mature enough
to understand its implications.
Did you ever write
and publish any books?
- I did.
- Were they works of fiction?
Some sceptics probably
suggested as much...
(Laughter)
...but I consider my autobiography
to be a work of complete truth.
What I mean is, everything
that I published was honest.
That doesn't mean
I published everything.
(Laughter)
Are you acquainted with
the classical and modern fiction?
As a reader, yes I am.
Classical and modern.
And also as an actress.
I wouldn't want to bore the court
with my credits, but...
Have you ever read a novel
entitled The Seven Minutes,
by J.J. Jadway?
- I have, sir.
- Have you read it more than once?
I've read it many, many times.
How recently have you read
the book in its entirety?
As recently as last night.
Are you familiar with section 311.2
of the California Penal Code?
Iam.
Do you know that The Seven Minutes
is being charged as obscene matter
under that section of the Code?
I do know that.
Do you consider The Seven Minutes
to be an obscene book?
Just a moment, Miss Cumberland.
Your Honour, I object
to defence counsel's question.
No foundation has been
laid to establish
Miss Cumberland's qualifications
to render such an opinion.
With all due respect
to the acting abilities
and other impressive credentials
possessed by Miss Cumberland,
I cannot imagine what bearing
her opinion on the merits of this book
could possibly have
upon the proceedings.
Your Honour, I would like
to approach the bench.
Both attorneys shall
approach the bench.
Mr Barrett, I'm concerned with your
examination of Miss Cumberland.
It appears you are seeking
to elicit from this witness
an opinion which
she is not entitled to give.
Mr Duncan has properly interposed an
objection which I mean to sustain.
Your Honour, if I may interrupt
forjust a moment.
I assure you that
Miss Cumberland's testimony
is critical to the defence case.
I can...
Your Honour, I feel defence counsel
is testing the court's patience.
Let him who is without sin
cast the first stone.
Don't you come on strong with me.
Gentlemen, will you restrain
yourselves from this bickering?
Now, Mr Barrett,
I have the greatest admiration
for Miss Cumberland as an actress,
but I fail to see what credentials
she possesses which enables her
to render an opinion concerning
The Seven Minutes, unless
she is a qualified literary expert,
and apparently she is not, because
you have not qualified her as such.
Therefore she cannot give
an expert opinion.
Your Honour, it is very...
Just a moment, Mr Duncan.
I want to hear from the defence.
I represent to you
as an officer of the court
that you will find this testimony
to be extremely relevant
and material to the def...
Let him make an offer of proof as to
the nature of this so-called material.
Do you have an offer of proof to make?
Your Honour, if I'm forced to make
an offer of proof at this time,
the court is requiring me to disclose
my defence to the prosecution,
in violation of my client's
constitutional rights.
This I respectfully refuse to do.
If the court will just bear with me,
permit me a few more questions,
you'll readily see the relevance.
All right, all right.
But I'm warning you, Mr Barrett.
If the testimony in fact
is inadmissible
or highly prejudicial
to the prosecution
I will take strong measures
to deal with this.
- Your Honour, may l...?
- Not at this time, Mr Duncan.
If the evidence is not
relevant and material,
you may move to strike the testimony
at the appropriate time.
Now let's proceed.
Miss Cumberland, do you
consider The Seven Minutes
to be an obscene book?
No, I do not. I consider it
to be a highly moral book.
Do you believe the author of this work
was pandering to prurient interest,
to a shameful or morbid interest
in nudity and sex
in writing this book,
as the state charges?
To which I object on the grounds
that this witness
is not qualified
to answer the question.
Mr Duncan, I believe your objection to
be well taken, but the court believes
that the defence is entitled to
some leeway in this area.
Objection overruled.
Mr Barrett, will you please
reframe the question?
Miss Cumberland, do you believe
the author was in fact pandering
to a shameful and morbid interest
in nudity and sex?
I know for a fact that that author was
not pandering to prurient interest.
Your Honour, I move to
strike from the record
Miss Cumberland's conclusion and
conjecture that the author
was not in fact pandering
to prurient interest.
Obviously, this witness could
have no personal knowledge
of the authofis true intentions.
Mr Barrett, I indicated that
I would give you leeway.
However if you don't immediately
get to your point,
the court will sustain its own
objection to your questions.
Very well, Your Honour. I will proceed
directly to the point.
Miss Cumberland, you stated that
the book The Seven Minutes
was not in fact written
to appeal to prurient interest.
May I enquire, how do you know'?
Because I'm intimatedly acquainted
with the circumstances surrounding
the creation and the publication
of The Seven Minutes.
(Excited murmuring)
(Gavel banging repeatedly)
(Judge) Miss Cumberland, will you
explain to the jurors and the court
how you came by
this intimate knowledge?
Gladly.
No person alive was closer or better
acquainted with J.J. Jadway than I am.
Miss Cumberland, are you implying
that you were present in Paris
when J.J. Jadway wrote
The Seven Minutes?
I'm saying that lwas in Paris
when the book was written.
Do you know the author's
motivations for writing it?
To which I object. The question
calls for conclusion and speculation.
Miss Cumberland could not possibly
have any personal knowledge
of the authofis true motivations
for writing The Seven Minutes.
Mr Duncan, we are getting on with this
matter if it's the last thing we do.
You will recall the court asked Miss
Cumberland to explain to thejury
how she has intimate knowledge
of the circumstances
under which The Seven Minutes
was written.
Now the court will not tolerate
any more interference
of Mr Barrett's questioning
along these lines.
Objection overruled.
Mr Barrett, will you proceed
and ask another question?
Thank you, Your Honour.
Miss Cumberland, you are familiar
with the prosecution's testimony.
Does this first-hand knowledge
which you possess
confirm or contradict the testimony
given here by the people's witnesses?
My information about the real Jadway,
and the real purpose in writing
and publishing this book,
completely contradicts the evidence
so far presented in this court.
You do understand that the
previous witnesses were sworn,
gave their testimony under oath
and risked facing a charge of
perjury if they lied?
They did not lie.
They simply did not tell the truth,
merely because they were ignorant
of the truth. Let me explain.
Everything heard in this courtroom,
until now, about J.J. Jadway,
and I am completely fluent
with all of the testimony,
has been the purest fiction.
And this fiction was deliberately
planned and perpetrated by the author,
for reasons involving
the author's private life.
Let me go directly
to the salient point at hand.
You indicated in earlier testimony
that you had published
your own autobiography, which
was a best-seller as I recall.
Have you ever written or published
any other books?
Yes, I have.
How many other books?
One book.
Was this book published under the name
of Constance Cumberland?
No, it was not. It was
published under a pseudonym.
(Suspenseful music)
Can you tell the court
the title of that book
and the pseudonym
under which you wrote it?
- The book was The Seven Minutes...
- (Gasps of astonishment)
- ...by J.J. Jadway.
(Hubbub in court)
- I am J.J. Jadway.
- (Pencil snaps loudly)
(Dramatic music)
- (Gavel banging)
- Order in court! Order! Order!
Miss Cumberland, the court has already
heard The Seven Minutes read aloud.
S0 we might more clearly
determine the significance
of what we have already heard,
would you mind telling us
the themes and symbols that you
tried to convey in writing the book?
May I have a glass of water, please?
Thank you.
(Clock ticking loudly)
The Seven Minutes is composed
of seven chapters,
each chapter representing one minute
in the mind of
this young woman, Kathleen,
who is lying on a bed
having sexual intercourse
with an unnamed, unseen man.
It begins with a description
of her thoughts and feelings
for her male bed partner.
Kathleen's mind reacts
to the coupling on two levels.
On the first, she records
her immediate physical sensations,
and on the second, inspired
by her gradually mounting passion,
she recollects fragments of sensual
experiences from her youthful past
with three actual men in her life
who had been her lovers.
The thrust of the novel
is drawn out of the fact
that Kathleen decides to accept one of
these men as her lifetime mate:
the one she had taken
to her bed this night,
the very one who shares
her seven minutes.
Not till the last page, while
she is gasping her love for him
in the final throes of her passion,
does she call out and reveal the name
of the one she has chosen.
You see, through her vast
sexual experience, she has managed
to liberate a sensitive
but potentially impotent man,
the man she honestly loved.
In writing The Seven Minutes
I finally found freedom myself,
just as I had hoped
I might liberate others
from fear and guilt and shame.
Do you know of any other readers for
which it has performed this service?
The words in The Seven Minutes
freed a young man only today,
and enabled him to confide to me
the truth about himself.
A truth he has told no other person,
until now.
Jerry Griffith was not driven to
commit rape by reading this book.
He did not try to violate
Sheri Moore against her will.
He tried, but at
Sheri's own invitation,
but he failed then,
as he had always failed before,
and as he would fail today.
Because, you see, Jerry Griffith
was then, was before, and even today
is still sexually impotent.
He is incapable of
attaining an erection.
Miss Cumberland, did the verdict
for acquittal surprise you?
What surprised me more
was the very fact
that I was able to
reveal myself in court.
There was testimony about
your supposed suicide.
You look pretty good to me right now,
so obviously you're alive and kicking.
Did you ever really try
to kill yourself?
(Constance) Well, that whole
incredible story
was arranged by
a poet friend of mine,
a loyal and dear friend
named Sean O'Flanagan.
It was simple enough for him to write
and plant the obituary of J.J. Jadway.
Cassie McGraw arranged a private
memorial service for Jadway.
I found it wiser to be somewhere else.
Miss Cumberland, what made you decide
to renounce the Jadway identity?
Well, I had an offer
from a Hollywood producer,
someone I had met in Paris,
to appear in The Go/d-Diggers of 1938.
Anyway, I went to Hollywood,
made Gold-Diggers,
and you know the rest.
(Maggie laughing)
Be nice. You won.
I'll be right back.
Oh, Mr Barrett,
I don't know if you heard me
with all the noise after the verdict,
but I did congratulate you.
I appreciate that, sir.
You won the preliminary.
You got The Seven Minutes off the hook.
But the main event
is still murder one,
and I intend to prosecute Perkins
to the full limit of the law.
Jerry Griffith has a debt as well.
As an accomplice he shares
the responsibility for the crime.
He won't run from that.
When he has his day in court
I'll be standing right next to him.
You proved that one of
my witnesses perjured himself
and that another one unwittingly lied.
But you didn't prove,
at least not to me,
that this filthy book
belongs in a decent household.
And Jadway or Cumberland,
I still believe The Seven Minutes
is obscene and harmful
and should have been found guilty.
And as for the author
of that perverted book,
Constance Cumberland stands
as a black stain on our society.
Well, you're entitled
to your opinion...
Barrett, such books are dangerous
and should not be published,
because they can hurt
immature and disturbed adults.
Even worse,
they can over-stimulate a child
before he's ready to accept
his sex thoughts as natural
and drive him into
damaging sexual fantasies.
In other words, Mr Duncan,
all literature and all ideas
should be aimed at satisfying
the twelve-year-old reader.
You're a pitiful hypocrite
and a political opportunist to boot.
You spout your clever rhetoric
about God, mother and country
and yet you connive and scheme
without regard to anyone but yourself.
It amazes me that an intelligent man
cannot direct his energies
into what is good for the community
he's supposed to protect.
Instead, he spends his time
racing off to court
seeking a ban on those things
he arbitrarily feels is bad for us.
You've got your goddamn nerve!
You win one lousy case,
you think you're F. Lee Bailey.
Let me tell you one thing:
as long as there are books
like The Seven Minutes
or anything else I feel jeopardises
the moral fibre of this community,
I'll keep fighting them!
- (Tyres squeal)
- Fair warning.
But as long as you keep
strong-arming yourself ahead,
I'll be fighting you.
(Mike) Maggie, if you knew all along
about Jerry's sexual problem,
if you knew he was
incapable of rape,
why the hell didn't you
say something?
Because I wasn't all that certain
that he was impotent
on the night of the sa-cal/ed rape.
(Mike) Where did Jerry and
Miss Cumberland finally get together?
(Maggie) In your house, yesterday,
while you were still in Chicago.
I took the chance
of pretending to him
that I knew the truth about
his night with Sheri Moore.
At that point, Jerry broke down
and confessed everything.
Miss Cumberland was really touched.
She said if she could persuade Jerry
to stand up and confess the truth
then she herself might find the
courage to do the same in court.
Maggie, you're beautiful.
Just beautiful.
Listen, if you're really so grateful,
how about a little
victory celebration?
You know I don't drink
anything stronger than Coke.
And I also know you've given up
cigarettes and cyclamates
because you're only thirty
and want to live to be a hundred.
I was thinking of
something a lot healthier.
(Car engine revs up)
"To Michael Barrett,
I salute you on your deserved victory,
"and I recommend that you
enjoy this vintage wine
"in the spirit that it is given."
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
"L also recommend to you
the wisdom of Charles Lamb.
- "To wit, he is..."
- ...no lawyer who cannot take two sides.
"When you have time,
I would like to interest you in..."
...my side of the coin.
"You could find it
extremely profitable."
Who knows, you could be
Senatorial material.
"Best, Luther Yerkes."
Luther Yerkes.
Young lady,
I feel it's only fair to tell you
that what I'm thinking about doing
is against the law.
And what are you thinking about doing?
I can't tell you that.
It's against the law too.
Suddenly, I got this overpowering urge
to break the damn law myself.
Well, we could both get into
a lot of trouble.
I know a very good lawyer.
Aside from notoriety, what else
do you want out of my life?
Would you believe
the next seven minutes?
(Clock ticking)
(Soft rock ballad)
Seven minutes
filled with pleasure
Moments made of love
will take you
On a sweet excursion
By wayof
Your memory
Suddenly you find
You cross the boundfies
that were once forbidden
AII at once you have
a better view
Of the morning
You in the morning
You in the morning