Hart to Hart (1979–1984): Season 1, Episode 16 - Downhill to Death - full transcript

When Jennifer overhears an acquaintance planning to murder his wife on the ski slopes, she and Jonathan jet off to Vail to prevent it -- but the wife isn't the one who winds up dead.

This is my boss, Jonathan Hart.
A self-made millionaire.

He's quite a guy.

This is Mrs. H. She's gorgeous.

What a terrific lady!

By the way, my name is Max.

I take care of them, which ain't easy...

'cause their hobby is murder.

-I hope I can get this working.
-Yeah.

-I had to borrow it from a friend.
-Oh, dear.

Okay. Here we go.

-Well, Mr. Sado--
-You can call me Syd, darling.



-Thank you.
-Quite all right.

Syd, tell me, how has the experience
of being a punk rocker...

changed any attitudes
you may have had before?

You know, I can safely say
that I remain unmoved by my phenomenon.

Now, what I really mean to say is, like,
deep down in my soul...

I'm heavily into Henry Mancini.

I'm hoping to meet him,
now I'm in town, know what I mean?

-Really?
-Yeah.

-Mr. Sado, telephone.
-Excuse me, I'm being paged.

Of course I love you.

You know how I want you.

And I'd do anything for you.

Even murder?

After this weekend,
we'll be together permanently.



None of this sneaking around anymore.

You're sure she doesn't suspect?

You know what they say.
"The wife is always the last to know."

How do you plan on handling it?

Well, it'll be as painless as possible.

Who knows?
Vail has some pretty difficult ski trails.

Maybe if we're real lucky...

she'll ski out of bounds
and an avalanche will wipe her out.

Come on, I gotta get back to the office.

Waiter, waiter.

-Jennifer.
-Halsey.

What are you up to?

I mean, well....

-Well, you know, business as usual.
-Yes.

This is Marina Belson, a client.
Jennifer Hart.

-Hello.
-How do you do?

-So, how's Jonathan?
-He's fine.

-And your lovely wife, Kate?
-She's just terrific.

Oh, good.

I have to run. Kate and I are off
to a little vacation in Vail tonight.

-But let's get together soon.
-Yes, let's.

-It's awfully nice to meet you.
-Yes.

Give my regards to the Big H.

I'll just do that.

Max, are you packed yet?

I think we better discuss it, Mrs. H.

After all, who's gonna be here
to water the palm trees?

Max, this is a question of life and death.
We need all the help we can get.

Do you have any long johns?

Mrs. H., I'm strictly the short johns type.
Give me the beach.

Cold weather and me just ain't compatible.

I mean, I bought an extra sweater
just to watch the Winter Olympics on TV.

Okay, Max, you made your point.
You stay home with Freeway.

-We'll handle this little icecapade ourselves.
-Thank you.

-You're welcome.
-Jonathan...

you're acting as if I didn't hear what I heard.

Darling, maybe Halsey is a little bit shady
in business management...

-but that doesn't necessarily make him--
-A murderer?

Yeah, it doesn't necessarily make him
a murderer.

Have you checked everything out with Kate?

I tried calling,
but they'd already left for Vail.

Oh, isn't this beautiful?

I forgot how beautiful Vail is
this time of year.

It's too bad we couldn't be here
under happier circumstances.

Well, look on the bright side, darling...

if you're wrong,
then we'll have a terrific vacation.

-And if I'm right?
-Then this is as good as it's gonna get.

-Your hat.
-Yeah.

Get your hat. Come on.

Mr. and Mrs. Hart, it's nice to see you again.

Your luggage has been sent up
to your room.

Thank you very much.

Have Mr. and Mrs. Matthews checked in yet?

Yes, last night. But they went to the slopes
early this morning.

Thanks again, Dick.

Everybody looks alike from up here.
We're never gonna be able to tell them apart.

We ought to see Patrol headquarters
in a minute. It leads to the Back Bowls.

I wish I knew what colour parkas
they were wearing.

That Back Bowl Trail is a real killer.

-A killer?
-Yeah.

Steep mountain faces,
sheer drops to nowhere.

-What about a killer?
-Practically perpendicular, what a rush.

Darling,
why would a man want to kill his wife?

Maybe because she wasn't
paying any attention to him.

What?

Maybe because she wasn't paying
any attention to him.

I'm sorry, darling.

What were you saying about a killer trail?

The Headwall Trail.
It was Halsey's favorite run.

Up there? Oh, boy.

That's got to be it.

That's where he's gonna do it.
He's gonna make it look like an accident.

Can't this thing go any faster?
He might have done it already.

I'll talk to the driver.

Get the Patrol!

-Someone just took a terrible spill.
-Kate.

Let's find out.

-Is it bad?
-Hard to tell.

She's out cold. Probably better.

Does anyone know who she is?

Hi, you guys.

Kate?

Well, Kate Matthews.

-What are you doing here?
-Oh, you know us.

We get an idea, we just take off.

Yeah. One minute we're having lunch,
the next minute we're skiing.

-Right, darling?
-Halsey, look who I found.

-Hi, Halsey.
-Hi, Jonathan, Jennifer.

-Boy, it really opened up, didn't it?
-It sure did.

-What happened here?
-Poor girl, she had a terrible accident.

That's too bad.
One of the risks of skiing, I guess.

I guess.

Hey, how about you and I
taking a few risks?

You mean, like a little downhill race?

I don't know about anybody else,
but I'm ready for the sauna.

Terrific idea, count me in.

All right, Big H, you hot dog, let's go.

-See you around.
-Bye.

Oh, did I need this.

Kate.

How are you and Halsey getting along?

Couldn't be better.
We may go to Europe this spring.

Kind of a second honeymoon.

How romantic.

That's Halsey, an incurable romantic.

It probably sounds strange,
but when we first got married...

I never believed
that he could be satisfied with just me.

I suppose everyone feels that way
some time.

That's it for me. I'm off to the showers.

-I think I'll stay for a while.
-Okay.

Hello. You're Marina Belson, aren't you?

Excuse me?

We met yesterday at lunch.

-I'm Jennifer Hart.
-Oh, yes.

-Isn't this a coincidence?
-Yes, isn't it?

Yes.

-Hi, Halsey.
-Big H.

Listen, I want you to meet Peter Schiller.

He is the best damn former pro racer
up here.

-How are you?
-It's a pleasure.

-How do you do?
-Hello.

You gotta get on the slopes
and take some tips from him.

He broke me of all my bad habits.

All of them? How reassuring.

Haven't we met before, Peter?
Beverly Hills last summer?

Yes. Peter gave Halsey and me
tennis lessons last summer.

That's right, remember?

Yes, I follow the sun.

And apparently the snow, too.

-Please sit down.
-Thank you.

Halsey, you were something else
on those slopes today.

Just getting ready
to take on that old Headwall.

Easy, Halsey, easy.
That one is a very challenging run.

The powder up there is bottomless.

You have to be in total command
at all times.

Otherwise it can be extremely dangerous.

They have many accidents...

with people who don't belong there
in the first place.

I think I'll stick to the sauna.

Jonathan. It's her.

Hello.

Miss Belson, hello.

This is a surprise.

I didn't know you were into skiing.

Yes, and I really needed to get away
this weekend.

Please forgive me, this is my wife, Kate.
This is Marina Belson.

-How do you do?
-Hello.

Marina is a business associate of mine.

-You remember Jennifer?
-Yes, we ran into each other this afternoon.

-Hello.
-Her husband, Jonathan.

-Hello.
-How do you do?

Peter Schiller.

-Hello.
-Hello.

-Won't you join us?
-Yes, please do.

Thank you, I will, but just for a minute.
I'm very tired tonight.

-Would you like some champagne?
-Sure.

Here, use my glass.

Do you work with Halsey?

Not exactly, dear.

Marina is with our public relations firm.

Sounds interesting.

The job must have a lot of opportunities
to travel, meet people...

things.

Yes, it's a marvellous position to be in.

As a matter of fact, I'm glad you're here.

There are a few questions I had
after our business meeting the other day.

I thought we covered everything.
Is there still a problem?

I don't think we need bore everybody
with our business chatter here.

Halsey, why don't you take this lovely lady
onto the dance floor...

and tell her what's troubling you?

That's a good idea, sweetheart.

Look, don't mind us workaholics here.

Just order up another bottle
and I'll be right back.

Attractive girl.

Yes. Very.

-What the hell are you doing here?
-You don't seem pleased.

It's your big weekend.
I thought I'd be an inspiration.

This is turning out to be a circus.
First the Harts show up, now you.

Darling, you should be comforted.

After all, what's a funeral without mourners?

-Kate, would you like to dance?
-I'd love it.

Excuse us.

I just don't understand
what she's doing here.

Maybe she showed up
to give Halsey a little immoral support.

Jonathan,
you're not taking this very seriously.

Don't you think
you've had enough Saturday night fever?

We can't leave them alone.

-Say good night, Gracie.
-Good night, Gracie.

That's good. That's really very good.

-What's the matter?
-This altitude. It really went to my head.

You know what I think?

What do....

I think you've had one cup of altitude
too many. That's what I think.

Now, Jonathan, be serious. We're here
to do a job, and Kate is in a lot of danger.

Now, we can't leave her for one minute.

-We can't leave her for one minute?
-No.

-Not just for one minute?
-Not for one minute.

-We can't all sleep together, that's for sure.
-That's silly.

That's a silly idea, we can't do that.

Hopefully, maybe at least some of us can.

I can't feel my nose.

-Could you feel that?
-One more time.

I just don't feel like it today.
I don't feel like--

This is supposed to be
a second honeymoon.

I didn't come here to ski alone.
We're supposed to stay together.

-Big H.
-Good morning, Halsey.

-Hi, good morning, how are you doing?
-Good. Good.

God, the conditions are
absolutely perfect today, aren't they?

Yeah, the fresh powder last night
did the trick, didn't it?

I've been trying to get Kate
to go down the Headwall with me.

Halsey, I'm just not ready
for that kind of run yet.

Yeah, there's no reason to push it, Halsey.

Darling, if you don't push yourself,
you'll never get better.

There's such a thing as pushing too hard.

I mean, you wouldn't want her
to hurt herself, now, would you?

-Yeah, sure, you're probably right.
-Right.

-Good morning.
-Good morning, Peter.

Looks like he just got interested
in public relations.

-How are you today?
-Fine.

-Good morning.
-Morning.

Irish coffee for everybody.

Irish coffee for breakfast?
They don't even do that in Ireland.

It's good for the circulation.

-I don't like to drink and ski.
-Come on, it'll keep you loose.

Give you the courage to take a chance.

That drink went right to my head.

Maybe you ought to sit this one out, Kate.

Nonsense. The cold air out there
will straighten her right out.

Stop!

-I'm sorry.
-Step this side, please.

Darling, could you get the ski?

Jonathan, hurry up.

We'll catch you on the slopes.

We'll never catch up with them.

-Put your foot in.
-Here it is.

-We should have asked them to wait for us.
-You're in.

Think we can catch up?

Is something wrong?

No, I think that drink got to me, too.

Darling, are you disappointed
I don't want to ski the Headwall?

Nothing you do
ever disappoints me, darling.

But you'd be happier if I did, right?

Well....

Okay, then. Let's do it.

You're sure now?

Sure, I'm sure.

Can you see them?

No, I can't, darling, but we'll catch up.
Don't worry.

Maybe they already got off.

Look, we'll catch up. Just relax, okay?

Halsey, do you think they're trying
to tell me something?

Don't worry, sweetheart, it's just there
to give the tourists a thrill.

Go on.

Darling, I'll be right behind you
all the way down.

Okay. Here goes.

-Did you check out the Headwall?
-I looked up and down, no sign of them.

I think we've been suckered.
Maybe he took her out of bounds.

-The China Bowl Face?
-Yeah.

Let's check down this way.
Maybe we can intercept them.

I don't see them anywhere.

Wait, there they are.

Look at that. Kate looks out of control.

Why is Halsey just standing there?

Let's go get her.

Oh, my God.

He did it.

He really did it.

Is he dead?

Well, I'm....

I'm in a state of shock.

I feel so guilty for having suspected Halsey.

Don't feel guilty, darling.

Do you think he meant to kill Kate
all the time...

and this was just
some sort of a freak accident?

I'm not sure.

But one thing's for certain.
I'm going to get some sleep tonight.

That's more than we can say for poor Kate.

You mean you don't think
it was an accident?

We don't know. What do you think?

Halsey skied
right off the end of the mountain.

I mean, he didn't even try to stop.

Jennifer.

You know you asked me
how Halsey and I were getting along.

Well, I lied.

I knew for some time that Halsey...

had been having an affair.

I didn't know who it was,
until she turned up here.

Marina.

Halsey had been considering leaving me.

We had it all out last night,
and he decided to stay.

In fact, he went to see her later
and told her that it was all over.

He said she was pretty upset.

I'll get it.

-Hello.
-Hello.

I just heard the terrible news.
I wanted to offer my condolences.

Kate has just had a sedative and....

It's okay, Jonathan. It's okay.

I was devastated to hear about Halsey.
I'm terribly sorry.

I wondered if I might talk to you a moment,
privately.

Yes, we were just about ready to leave.
Jennifer.

If you need anything, call us.

-Get some rest.
-Thank you both.

What's with the long face on Hart?

I don't think he was too impressed
with Halsey's performance.

To life insurance.

With double-indemnity clauses.

You didn't spike this brandy, too, did you?

I may be in Halsey's will,
but you're not in mine yet.

Oh, Kate, would I do that to you?

You know, there was a moment this morning
when I wasn't quite sure...

if I'd given Halsey the right coffee.

You're kidding.

-How did you finally figure it out?
-I didn't.

This is not too bad, is it?

It sort of reminds me of Monte Carlo.

Colorado reminds you of Monte Carlo.

No, your foot reminds me of Monte Carlo.

-Sorry.
-It's all right.

You know, it was terrible about Halsey.

But I have to admit I never really liked him.

You know something, darling?
I never liked him much either.

I sort of feel guilty having a good time.

Look, darling, as long as we're here
we might as well enjoy ourselves.

Might as well.

Wonder what the temperature is
in this thing.

Not too hot.

It could get a lot hotter.

-Promise?
-Jonathan.

Move your foot.

This is so much fun.
I'm really glad you asked me.

Yeah, it reminds me of home.

You know something funny?
I've never been to Europe.

-You never have?
-Never.

I thought that we were going back
to your place.

Yeah, we are. But I must get something
from the ski shop first.

-Hurry.
-Yeah, I will.

Kate?

There's time for that later.
Come on, let's get rid of her.

Relax, my darling, relax.

It's all a simple sleigh ride from here.

-If only the Harts hadn't come up here.
-Don't worry, I've taken care of them.

You what?

They said they were going to take
a nice long soak in the hot tub.

I made sure they'll be there
for quite some time.

The timer is set to explode when it expires.

Are you crazy?

You look domestic...

-but you taste imported.
-Oh, yeah?

I'm glad I travel well.

Hi, there.

We're Harold and Emily Ann Huntzecker
from Louisville, Kentucky.

Mind if we set in for a spell?

You folks don't play bridge, do you?

Emily Ann, no, no.

Harold, now, don't they look like
they play bridge? Just look at those faces.

Thanks a lot, Harold,
but I think we'll throw in our cards.

It's all right, our time was up anyway.

Lucky for you folks
we came along when we did.

Pretty lucky for you, too.

One more minute, and you'd have been
the Kentucky Fried Huntzeckers.

Might be that somebody messed with it,
but who can tell?

Maybe the hot tub maintenance men
didn't keep up the equipment too well.

You have that timer analyzed, Sheriff...

and you'll find out
that it was not the fault of maintenance.

Mr. Hart, we ain't like them airline fellows
who can come in after a crash...

and put all these itty bitty pieces together
and tell you what happened.

I'll tell you what happened.
Somebody tried to kill us.

-Got anybody in mind?
-Maybe.

Like to share your thoughts with me?

What's happening with Halsey Matthews?

-Far as I know, he's still dead.
-I'm talking about the autopsy.

Doc said he did have some of
that hallucinogenic stuff in his blood...

which could have accounted for
his generally antisocial behaviour.

-Sheriff Jones.
-Hold on a sec.

Yeah, Reese, what've you got?

Beaver Creek Ski Patrol found
a woman's body on Centennial Trail.

Looks like maybe she froze to death.

Beaver Creek? That's not even open yet.

Any sign of struggle?

With all this fresh powder,
it's gonna be hard to tell.

I'm gonna go up and take a look.

She have any ID on her?

A Marina Belson from LA.

Okay, I'll be along in a shake.

This thing is getting crazier by the minute.

The two people that came down here
to commit murder are dead.

And the victim is alive.

Sort of narrows down the suspects,
doesn't it?

Kate.

Somebody at that table slipped a Mickey
into Halsey's drink.

-Do you think they were both murdered?
-Yeah.

And I think we were supposed to be
another unfortunate accident.

What are we gonna do now?

We're supposed to meet Kate
on the deck of the lodge for a drink.

I've got an idea. Let's call Max first.

It's so tragic about Marina.

I suppose, in a way, I'm not surprised.

Really? Why?

She was so despondent
over the Halsey thing.

First his rejection, and then his death.

As if she somehow felt responsible.

Do you think
that Marina committed suicide?

What else?

Kate...

did you know that they found traces
of an hallucinogenic in Halsey's blood?

Hallucinogenic? Oh, it's impossible.

No, it's true. We saw the medical report.

I suppose it's no use
keeping up the pretence any longer.

I warned him so many times.

You mean that Halsey was on drugs?

Well, I mean,
it's nothing a lot of people don't do.

-I'm amazed.
-Me, too. Amazed.

He was very discreet about it, of course.

I chalked it up
to the pressures of his business.

He seemed to need an escape somehow.

I suppose that's what Marina represented.
An escape.

Darling, what time is it?

2:30.

-Mr. Hart?
-Yes.

-Telephone, Mr. Hart.
-Thank you.

Hello. Yes, Sheriff.

Hey, Mr. H., it's 2:30.
I'm calling you like you asked me to.

That's amazing.

That's absolutely amazing.

Your good blue suit got lost
on the way back from the cleaners.

That's incredible.

Yeah, it was in the Bentley
when it was stolen.

Don't worry, the cops are working on it.

Thank you very much.

Darling, what's wrong?

You're not gonna believe this...

but there's a possible chance
that Marina may recover.

-But....
-You're kidding.

How is that possible?

Apparently she was dead on arrival,
but as her body warmed up there...

her vital signs started to respond.

I mean, it's amazing. They say
that she has a 50-50 chance of recovering.

Isn't that amazing? That's just fantastic.

That's great news.

Are you all right, Kate?

Yes. No.

Maybe this wine doesn't mix
with the medication.

I feel peculiar.
I think I'll just go back to my room.

I'll be fine. I'll see you guys later.

I think we made her temperature go up
a few degrees.

You can say that again.

Make it quick.

Listen, if you handled it right,
we wouldn't be here.

I'm looking for Marina Belson. I'm her sister.
I just flew in from San Francisco.

She's in 106, but only be a moment,
and please don't disturb her.

Here?

I'm sorry, Kate.
I'm sorry it was you, believe me.

No, don't!

-Drop it. Let go.
-It was Marina's idea, she killed Halsey.

What made you decide
to give up the partnership?

Peter was the only thing I ever wanted.

But he got greedy.
He wanted more than half the money.

We'll have to talk to Peter about that.

Come on, darling.
And don't forget to take a deep breath.

Darling, look.

Excuse me.
This is one of those Kawasaki 440s, isn't it?

Yeah.

Do you mind if I borrow it?
I gotta get my wife to the hospital.

You see, I'm having a baby.

But the hospital.... Over there.

-You all right?
-Fine.

Jonathan, watch out!

Isn't that beautiful? Is that where we were?

Yeah, we skied this run right here.

Max, could you stoke up the fire a little bit?

Sure thing.

I can't wait for the Winter Olympics on TV.

I've been reading about the slopes in Peru.

I'm thinking,
maybe I ought to learn to ski there.

It's winter down there in the summer,
you know.

-In the Andes?
-Andy who?

-The Andes Mountains, Max.
-Oh, them, yeah.

I hear it gets very cold down there.

Cold in the summer, too.

It's okay. I got this new jacket on order.

Good for 50 below. Much lighter weight.

Better freedom of action,
if you know what I mean.

If there's nothing else,
I gotta go do my knee bends.

You know, sometimes I think
we're a bad influence on Max.

You think so?