Matlock (1986–1995): Season 2, Episode 19 - The Lovelorn - full transcript
( upbeat jazz theme playing)
( romantic theme playing)
♪ Advice to the lovelorn ♪
♪ To the love torn ♪
♪ To the love worn ♪
♪ Please, listen to me ♪
♪ Advice to the lovers ♪
♪ Who are trying to recover ♪
♪ Some ecstasy ♪
♪ Advice to the man ♪
♪ And the woman ♪
♪ Who are looking ♪
♪ To play their part ♪
♪ Advice to the lovelorn ♪
♪ Be careful when you give ♪
♪ Your heart ♪
Hi. This is Sylvia Richland
with Eye on Atlanta.
Today we're at the spacious
home of Marjorie Manners.
Marjorie is this
year's recipient
of Atlanta's coveted
Golden Peach Award,
given by the local chapter
of the Women of America,
to that person who best
represents family values.
And what better person
to receive this award
than one of America's
favorite columnists.
Marjorie Manners'
column, "Dear Marjorie,"
appears daily in over
300 papers coast to coast.
Atlanta's own Marjorie
has been dispensing advice
to the lovelorn
for over 15 years,
and now we're gonna
meet her family, in person.
Was that too awkward?
No. Do you want
me to do it again? No.
Hello.
Hi, I'm Sylvia Richland
with Eye on Atlanta.
You must be
Marjorie's husband, Lee.
Uh, no. I'm her
brother-in-law, Carter Weston.
Lee's inside. Please come on in.
Oh.
This is my wife, Carol.
Oh, you must be
Marjorie's sister.
That's right.
Oh. That's wonderful.
Ah, please.
Thank you.
Oh, now, you have
to be Lee Manners,
Marjorie's husband.
Ah, that I am. Yes.
Great. And you must be her son?
Uh, no, no. I'm her copy boy.
Oh.
Maybe we should set
up for Marjorie now.
I'm just so overwhelmed.
It's such an unexpected honor.
Really helping people
solve their problems
is rewarding in and of itself.
This makes me
feel almost guilty.
Marjorie, people
across the country say
they don't feel as though
they've read the paper
unless they've read your column.
How does it feel to know
you touch so many lives?
All I am to my readers
is a friend, Sylvia.
Someone who listens and helps
put things in
perspective. That's all.
Still it's quite an
accomplishment
to be syndicated in every
major newspaper in the U.S.
What's the secret
of your success?
A little intuition
and a lot of luck.
And the uncompromising
love and support I receive daily
from my wonderful family,
who are with me here today.
Marjorie... And not
to be overlooked
are two very special people:
our terrific kids...
Randall and Lucia,
who grew up altogether too
fast, and are away at college.
And then of course there are
the people that I work with
at the Examiner, who
have become like family.
Nora Gould, our editor,
who could not be here today.
And Harold... our
ever-ready copy boy.
Always Johnny-on-the-spot.
(Lee chuckles)
Any words of advice
for our viewers?
My advice... to everyone
watching today is,
cherish your loved ones...
no matter who you are,
or where you are,
or what you do.
They are life's most
precious commodity.
As usual, Marjorie, you've
given us something to think about.
Again, congratulations.
Thank you.
This is Sylvia
Richland, coming to you
from the home of
Marjorie Manners,
this year's recipient of
Atlanta's Golden Peach Award.
(cork pops)
(people laugh) Cut.
Bravo, bravo, bravo. Thank you.
Oh, thank you, sweetheart.
You were wonderful, my love.
Congratulations. Carol.
Congratulations.
I'm proud of you.
Congratulations.
Couldn't have happened
to a nicer landlady.
Thank you, Gideon. Help
yourself to some champagne.
Thanks a lot. Harold,
some very dear and
old friends of mine
have asked me out to dinner.
And what with receiving
the award and all,
I'm afraid I haven't had
time to do tomorrow's column.
The copy will be ready at
10 instead of 6 tonight, okay?
Mm, no problem,
Ms. Manners. Sure.
All right, where is she?
Where's the famous answer lady?
You are destroying my
life. Do you know that?
LEE: Who are you?
I'm Craig Moore.
Because of her, my
wife is gonna leave me.
How can you do that?
You... You treat her
fantasies like they're real.
She actually believes you.
Carter, help me get rid of him.
Stay back.
I came here to have it
out with her. Nobody else.
I'm calling the police.
No, Carol, please. Wait.
What's your name again?
Craig... Moore.
Craig, I've obviously
done something
to make you very angry,
and for that, I'm sorry.
Let's talk, shall we?
In there. Just the two of us.
You can't do that.
The man's deranged.
I don't think so.
If anything, I'm a pretty
good judge of character.
Come on, son. Let's talk.
Those people out there
are very special to me, Craig.
And we were just about
to celebrate something
that will happen only
once in my lifetime,
and no doubt never in yours.
So if it's all the same to you,
I'd like to get this over with.
What the hell do you want?
I just want you to
straighten out Anna.
Well, you know her as
In Love, But Miserable.
What do you want me to do?
Print a retraction.
Retraction?
Who do I look like,
Bob Woodward?
I give advice to the
lovelorn. For crying out loud.
Well, then print a modification.
I think you'd better leave.
You could write
an open letter...
saying you've been giving In
Love, But Miserable's problem
more thought, and... And
you think she'd be better off
staying with her
husband after all.
A-and then all
the crazy ideas...
I don't have time for this now.
Well, I'll come back.
Fine. You come back here tonight
and we'll write this
open letter together.
Does that do it?
You bet.
Good.
Now, smile.
(sighs)
(sighs)
Ten o'clock
tonight in my office.
It's the bungalow by the pool.
Just come straight back.
I will. Thank you.
D...? Did I hear you correctly?
Did you just invite
him back here?
Marjorie, the man
threatened you.
He's harmless.
Like so many people,
all he really wants
is someone to
listen and to care.
( mellow theme playing)
Drink up. You deserve it.
(chuckles)
(crickets chirping)
(thunder crashing)
( suspenseful theme playing)
(dog barking)
( ominous theme playing)
(dog barking)
( suspenseful theme playing)
Ms. Manners?
(dog barking)
I...
Um... Good morning, Cassie.
(sobbing): Good morning.
Problems with her boyfriend. Oh.
Or at least, she thought
he was her boyfriend.
They've been going
out for about a month.
Suddenly, he just
stopped calling.
Oh. You think he, ahem,
what, dropped her? Huh?
Something like that. Mm.
(sniffles)
I'm sorry, Ben. That
won't happen again.
As far as I'm concerned,
Brad is history.
Good for you.
So what if he looks like
Tom Cruise with curly hair?
So what if he has a
great sense of humor?
So what if we have absolutely
everything in common?
He can take a flying leap.
Well... why don't you call him?
Because he said he'd call me.
And besides, I
don't care anymore.
Oh.
Well, we'd better go to court.
(clears throat)
(phone rings) (door closes)
( tense theme playing)
(people chattering)
What do you say
we call the office
and go straight to lunch?
Oh, yeah. Yeah. I'm starved.
Mr. Matlock? Hm?
My name is Anna Moore.
My husband is Craig Moore.
The man who's been charged
with the murder of
Marjorie Manners.
I called your office, but
there was no answer.
There wasn't?
My husband needs
a good attorney.
Oh, um, Ms. Moore,
the state's case against
your husband is rock solid.
I know. They've got
fingerprints, witnesses, motive.
And God knows he
isn't much of a saint.
But my husband isn't a murderer.
Mr. Matlock, you have
to understand something.
I'm rich.
My father left me a trust
fund of over $20 million.
I can pay you any fee
you want, just name it.
W-w-well, wait... Wait a minute.
If your husband thought
he was gonna lose all that money
because of some advice
Marjorie Manners gave you
in her column, that's
a very powerful motive.
I offered all of my
money to Craig years ago.
He wouldn't take it.
He even signed a
prenuptial agreement.
And then I said let's
live on my fortune.
He said, "No I'd
like a nice office job."
(tears check off)
He wasn't in danger of
losing you or the marriage?
Well... yes.
I... threatened leaving him,
just to get him to face up to
what was going on between us.
What was that?
It's very personal.
You said, uh, a little while ago
that he was no saint.
What did that mean?
ANNA: Not in front of her.
Excuse me.
This is privileged
information, right?
Yeah.
There's something about Craig.
I'm not even sure what it
is, but it's very powerful.
Women can't resist him.
They are constantly
throwing themselves at him.
And Craig is only human.
He succumbs.
He's... unfaithful?
Dozens of times.
Do you have proof?
A woman doesn't need proof
of that sort of thing, Mr. Matlock.
She knows.
But despite this incredible,
this unexplainable magnetism,
Craig is a wonderful,
if occasionally weak, man.
I just love him.
Will you take the case?
( whimsical theme playing)
Bail is set at $50,000.
The preliminary
hearing will take place
in this courtroom on March 12th.
(gavel bangs)
Your wife's made
arrangements for bail.
You should be out
of here within an hour.
Mr. Matlock, I'm
going to be frank.
I don't think your associate
should be involved
with this case.
Isn't it obvious?
Well, not that I
blame her, though,
but she won't be
able to resist him.
Oh, well, she'll resist him.
She's a professional.
Anna...
Michelle said I'll be out
of here within an hour.
(sighs) The big question is,
then can I come home?
Not until you at least
admit we have a problem.
Anna... I love you.
I have never, nor will I ever,
have an affair
with someone else.
(sighs)
( romantic theme playing)
I'll be at the hotel.
Isn't he wonderful?
( mysterious theme playing)
Hm.
Oh.
Pool house was her office, huh?
Yeah.
Lieutenant Daniels
left it unlocked.
Yeah.
Here.
(drawer slides, closes)
(door closes)
Think we surprised
ourselves a burglar?
What kind of burglar would leave
something like this behind?
Ah.
Maybe he was looking
for something in here.
You think maybe
we walked in on him
before he found what
he was looking for?
MATLOCK: It'd be good.
You know, you don't need me
to meet with the family members.
Why don't I just stay
here and look around?
Sure.
Look here.
There's a picture of
the president up here.
Yeah. It's autographed
and everything.
Yeah, her column
was pretty popular.
I've never read it.
Well maybe that's why he's
up there, and you're down here.
( whimsical theme playing)
Mr. Matlock.
Yes, sir.
Lee Manners.
Very nice to meet you.
They're good-looking
kids. They yours?
Oh, thank you. Yes,
uh... Randall's at Duke
and Lucia's at Baxter.
Hm.
Marjorie was very
proud of both of 'em.
This is a very awkward
time for you to be paying us
this visit, Mr. Matlock.
We're all still in
a state of shock.
(man laughing)
CARTER: Some things
don't change, darling.
(laughing)
We... (clears throat)
You must be Ben Matlock?
MATLOCK: Yes.
I'm Carol Weston. Hello.
That's my husband, Carter.
Hello. Hello.
I'm sorry we're late.
We didn't know you were here.
What's this all
about, Mr. Matlock?
Oh, just to say hello.
I know this is a bad
time, and I apologize,
but I... I have to
follow up on something.
It... It occurred to me that
my client, Craig Moore,
was framed, and if that's so,
then whoever actually killed
Marjorie had to have heard her
tell him to come back
here at 10:00 that night.
I don't think your client
was framed, Mr. Matlock.
I think he killed Marjorie,
and I think you
really should leave.
Absolutely.
Well, I thought rather
than depose all of you
or haul you into court, it might
be more convenient for you
to answer my questions here.
Excuse, me. Uh, y... I
mean, you don't seriously think
that it was one of us?
CAROL: Lee,
this is just some sort
of legal smoke screen.
MATLOCK: No,
it... It isn't that.
Uh, somebody did kill Marjorie.
And I don't think it
was Craig Moore.
But now that I've
seen all of you...
Husband, sister, brother-in-law
all living together
under the same roof,
I can see that you
have to be ruled out.
Uh, you're just one
big, happy family.
Again, Mr. Matlock, I
hardly think that happy
is an apt description
of any of us,
under the circumstances.
I'm sorry. I have
an appointment.
Yes, and I have to get to class.
I'd like to skip it,
but I'm the professor.
MATLOCK: Well,
I'll move along too.
Um, I just, as I say,
wanted to say hello.
Could I use your telephone?
Yeah. Somebody was, uh, rifling
through Marjorie's office,
and I need to
report it to the police.
I don't suppose one of you
knows who it might have been?
No, I...
MATLOCK: Or what
they were looking for?
Mr. Matlock, I can't imagine.
Neither can I.
Well. Yeah.
( suspenseful theme playing)
GIDEON: You're too
pretty to be a thief...
or a cop.
And you're obviously
not the cleaning lady.
Atlanta Examiner?
No.
I'm one of the attorneys
representing Craig Moore.
Michelle Thomas.
And you're...?
Gideon Harris.
I've got a room upstairs.
Do you rent it out, or are
you a member of the family?
Rent.
(sighs) Although I must say,
Marjorie had this way of making
even poor college students
working on their Ph.D.s
feel like they were at home.
Good lady.
Um, about 20 minutes ago
someone was in here
tearing this place apart.
I don't suppose you saw anybody?
No. I just got back
from the library.
Although I do have a clear view
of this room from my room.
That's how I knew you were here.
See?
MICHELLE: Oh.
Whoever was in here
just might come back.
How amenable would you
be to my staking out this place
from your room?
Just for a while.
Till midnight at the most.
Sounds good to me.
Great. I really appreciate it.
I'll just throw a
bottle of chardonnay
in the fridge, and
we'll be all set.
( whimsical theme playing)
(bag rattling)
(soft classical music
playing on stereo)
Well, now you can say you've
dined at Gideon's playroom.
Great.
No, no. I meant that the Manners
used this as a
playroom for their kids.
Oh.
How long have
you been renting it?
Just two years. That's
when Carter heard
I needed a place to stay,
and he offered it to me.
I met him down
at the university.
Mm. Sure you wouldn't like
some wine? You only
got a half hour to go.
Uh, thanks, but no thanks.
(sighs)
Of course, you're
welcome to stay longer.
Sorry. I'll shut up.
(exhales)
(sighs)
Is that your dissertation?
(sighs): Yeah. I just
finished the rough draft.
Tsk.
Not a minute too soon.
What do you mean?
I'm a sociologist.
I'm specializing in the
effects of mass communication
on modern culture.
Specifically, I'm studying the
influence of advice columns.
Don't tell me your dissertation
is on Marjorie Manners?
(scoffs)
Hey, don't knock
it till you read it.
It's good.
It's gonna get me a
teaching position at Yale.
(car door opens, closes)
Sounds like Lee just got home.
(door opens, closes)
We're supposed to be
watching the pool house.
(scoffs) Watching the main house
is much more
interesting, believe me.
Yeah, off goes his light...
and on goes hers.
Whose?
Carol's.
Now, what room's it
gonna be in tonight?
Ah. Maybe the study.
What are you talking about?
(inhales)
How important is
it for you to know
what Atlanta's perfect
family is really like?
Very.
Come on.
( suspenseful theme playing)
(door opens)
(footsteps approach)
(bottle clinks)
(liquid pours)
LEE: Gideon.
Uh, I'm sorry, Lee.
I saw the light on in here.
I thought I'd just
come in and get this.
Have you met Michelle Thomas?
She works for Ben Matlock.
Michelle, this is Carol
Weston, Marjorie's sister,
and Lee Manners,
Marjorie's husband.
How do you do?
Hello.
Carter working late tonight?
A, uh... An
interdepartmental meeting.
(glass clinks)
I was waiting up for him.
( suspenseful theme playing)
( tense theme playing)
Gideon. For God's
sakes, let go of me.
Michelle Thomas, Carter Weston,
Marjorie's brother-in-law.
(clears throat)
Uh, I'm an attorney.
I work with Ben Matlock.
I thought you had one of those
late-night
interdepartmental meetings.
I left early.
Uh, what were you doing here?
I, uh, was looking for something
that I lent to Marjorie: a book.
With a flashlight?
Crossing police lines
without authorization?
Now, can you give me any
reason why I shouldn't just pick up
the telephone and
report this to the police?
Gideon, if you'll
excuse us, please.
Sure.
(sighs)
I'll be at my place
if you need me.
In case you're curious,
it was me in here earlier.
I was looking for
Marjorie's diary.
Why?
I'm gonna give you
the short version.
My marriage is all I have left.
I don't want to lose Carol.
Losing Marjorie was...
traumatic enough.
Marjorie and I were
having an affair.
( melancholy theme playing)
It was her idea
from the start, but...
But I did grow accustomed
to the arrangement.
Now that... Now that
Marjorie is out of my life,
I don't want Carol to find out.
Now, I'm gonna have to
leave this up to your discretion,
but... please.
Carol is all I have left.
( suspenseful theme playing)
Well, I'm on my way
over to the university
to check out Gideon Harris.
You know, the guy
that lives upstairs.
Oh. He says he was
at a seminar, so we'll see.
Yeah.
(door opens)
(door closes)
(phone ringing)
(typewriter clacking)
(ringing)
You gonna answer that?
What if it's Brad?
Hello?
(clears throat)
No, she just left.
Uh, yes. I'll tell her.
Bye.
Ahem. I thought you
and Brad were history.
Well, I finally called
him, and it turns out
he goes out of town
a lot on business,
and that's why I
hadn't heard from him.
And that's also why I'm
afraid to answer the phone.
I don't get it.
Well, he's got another
business trip coming up,
and he wants me to go with him.
Oh.
I told him that I... I'd
have to think about it.
What do you think?
I don't know.
Well, if I go...
I know it will change
our relationship radically.
What do you think?
Well, I don't know.
Do you think I ought to go?
Ahem. Maybe you ought to go
and stay in two separate
rooms and meet him at breakfast.
( whimsical theme playing)
I'll be out at the
Manners' estate.
(door opens)
(door closes)
You know, this is
kind of an odd family.
Mr. Matlock,
Marjorie could be
very, uh, vindictive.
I adored her when
we were first married,
but the more popular
her column became,
the more miserable she
made everyone around her.
She... She became
enthralled with her own power.
She made more
money than anyone else,
so she insisted
that I give up my job
and stay home with the kids.
She even made
Carol stop working.
She wanted to
control everything.
Hm.
She let Carter keep working.
(scoffs) Only because his salary
was so laughable.
But what's inexcusable isn't
so much what she did to us,
but... what she did to our kids.
They're as screwed
up as they come.
Oh, that's right.
They didn't even come
home when their mother died.
One I can't even find,
and, uh, Randall,
the other one...
he'd rather not see any of us.
That's a shame.
That's really a shame.
(sighs) I'm sorry.
You know, sometimes
I feel awful...
but I have to ask where you
were the night of the murder.
I was home, alone.
Can anybody corroborate that?
No. Nobody was here.
Where was Carter?
Carter? Well, he said he
was going to the library.
Mr. Matlock, as,
uh, unusual as our...
As our situation was here,
I did not kill Marjorie.
Of course... you were
mentioned heavily
in her will, weren't you?
I mean, everything.
Yes, that's... That's correct.
What if she had found out
about you and, you
know, her sister?
What if she had
decided to cut you out?
And what if she didn't?
Yeah.
Yeah.
You wouldn't have
any reason to kill her.
Well, uh... Oh...
I'm... I'm sorry.
It... It's a subpoena.
Ms. Weston.
Uh...
I understand
congratulations are in order.
For what?
I hear the paper found someone
to take over your
sister's column.
That was supposed
to be a secret.
Well...
the editor in chief
of the Examiner
is an old friend of mine,
and he told me that
he was delighted
when you approached
him with the idea.
Well, it is kind of exciting.
Well... now you have
your sister's column,
her income, and...
maybe even her husband.
I, uh...
I wouldn't be doing
my job if I didn't ask you
where you were at
the time of the murder.
I was at home. Alone.
(door opens) Are you certain?
Of course.
(door closes)
Where was Lee?
He said he was going
to a concert that night.
Now, if you don't mind,
you'll have to excuse
us, Mr. Matlock.
Not only does this
conversation seem pointless,
but we do have a
court in ten minutes.
Oh, speaking of court.
It's, uh...
just a little subpoena
to appear in mine.
Well, not mine, but, uh...
( suspenseful theme playing)
Mr. Matlock. What
could be so urgent
that it can't wait
until morning?
My associate and
I asked each of you
where you were the
night of the murder.
And Carter, you said
you were home alone.
Lee, you said you
were home alone.
And Carol, you said
you were home alone.
That's an awful lot of
people to be home alone
at the time of this murder.
Honey, you said you were
having dinner with Gladys.
According to Gladys,
she did not have
dinner with her.
Where were you?
I had a meeting.
With whom?
I had a meeting
with Carl Kravitz.
His company has decided
to publish my novel.
Novel?
I've been writing a novel, yes.
Well, why didn't you
say that to begin with?
Because I have to publish
it with a pseudonym now.
It's... It's a little explicit.
(inhales) Oh, you
mean... I mean, explicit.
And I don't want
it to jeopardize
my taking over
Marjorie's column.
Uh, Ms. Weston, when...
When the copy boy got here
at 10:00 that night
and discovered
Marjorie Manners' body,
he ran up to this house,
and no one was home.
Now this, uh, Mr. Kravitz...
how late were you with him?
Well, I...
I... I, uh, picked her
up from Kravitz' office.
Wha...? What are
you talking about?
(sighs) I... Car...
Carol was with me.
Lee. LEE: No, it's...
It's gonna come out anyway.
(sighs) Look, Carter, um...
you might as well know.
Carol and I have...
Have been lovers.
Y...?
You...? Oh. No, you...!
No. No, no, no. No. What?!
No!
MATLOCK: Now, um...
we know that none of you
were at home alone at
the time of the murder.
And we know that none of you
were where you told
each other you were.
Now... Mr. Manners,
according to my investigator,
you were not at the
concert, as you said.
Where were you...
before you met Mrs. Weston?
Very interesting
question, Mr. Matlock.
Um... as a matter of
fact, I was in a meeting
with the president of
Cendrex Chemicals.
I was trying to get him
placed as a head
of research in Detroit.
I want him out of this
house, out of this city.
I want him out of my life...
so that I can have
Carol... for myself.
You know, you're really
some kind of friend.
Wait a minute. What about you?
There's more than one liar here.
You told me you were
going to the library
the night Marjorie died.
Why did you tell Mr. Matlock
that you were at home?
MATLOCK: Uh, no one
saw you at the library.
We checked.
All right, so I wasn't there.
Well, where were you?
What's the big secret?
I was at a bar
near the university
called the Cedar Lounge.
The Cedar Lounge.
That's a pickup bar for
young people, isn't it?
That's right.
That's exactly what it is.
The reason I lied, Mr. Matlock,
is because I was embarrassed.
And for your information...
the reason I was at that
bar was because I was upset.
And you wanna
know why I was upset?
Because I was having
an affair with Marjorie...
and she threw me
over for somebody else.
Liar! No I'm not!
No, no, no, no, no, no! Yes!
This is working.
This is really working.
This is wonderful.
Now we know
where all of you were
at the time of the murder,
and I'm sure none of you did it.
Who did Marjorie
throw you over for?
(knock on door)
GIDEON: Uh, excuse me.
I just wanted to get some
hot water for some tea here.
( lighthearted theme playing)
Sorry.
Him.
She threw me over for him.
( suspenseful theme playing)
MICHELLE: Mm. Marjorie Manners.
Poof. Little did all
these people know
that her life was just
one big pajama party.
Yeah.
Even Gideon was involved.
At least he wasn't a
member of the family.
(chuckling): Yeah.
Now we know why Carter was
never able to find Marjorie's diary.
Gideon must have found it first.
Probably just
after he killed her.
But he was at a seminar
from 9 to 11 that night.
His alibi is airtight.
If she were killed around
10. But what if, say...
Gideon killed her...
a little before 9?
The university is only
five minutes away.
The time of death is
only an approximation.
No, she couldn't
have been killed then.
Her column.
It was just one sentence
away from being done.
If she was killed at 9, when
could she have written it?
How about before that?
No. The people she was at
dinner with dropped her off at 8:50.
Well, that column had to
have been written before 9.
That's all there is to it.
Well, it's impossible.
She couldn't have done it.
What kind of typewriter
does Gideon have?
One just like this.
Well, that's interesting.
I had an Underwood...
all the way through law school.
I remember the way it smelled...
the way the little bell
sounded on the carriage return.
And how it ruined my day
when I had to change the ribbon.
It always turned
out to be a mess.
( suspenseful theme playing)
But with the cartridges
they have nowadays,
you don't even need
to look at the ribbon,
let alone touch it.
Um... Mr. Harris...
you live on the Manners' estate?
Yes, I do.
Uh, upstairs in a room
in the main house?
That's right.
How would you
describe your relationship
with Marjorie Manners?
We were friends.
Did you ever have
an affair with her?
Never.
So you're just a
struggling Ph.D. candidate,
uh, seeking a
convenient place to live
while he writes
out his dissertation.
Is that about
right? That's right.
Uh, do you mind
telling the court
uh, what your
dissertation was about?
Objection. Relevancy.
COOKSEY: I assume there's
a point to this, Mr. Matlock.
Absolutely, Your Honor.
Overruled.
Answer the question, please.
GIDEON: My
dissertation is a study
of the sociopsychological
ramifications
of the print-media phenomenon
known as advice columns.
Specifically?
The major portion
of my dissertation
is a study of "Dear Marjorie."
Marjorie Manners' column.
That's correct.
So you... You analyze her column
and the effect it has on
the people who follow it.
Yes.
Is it a serious, scientific,
objective analysis?
Definitely.
What would
happen to the validity
of such a dissertation
if it were known
that the author
of that dissertation
were sleeping with the
creator of the subject?
I'm speaking of Marjorie
Manners of "Dear Marjorie."
(exhales)
The integrity of the
work would be suspect.
The integrity of the work would
be out the window, wouldn't it?
Well... The Ph.D. would be
out the window, wouldn't it?
And the years you spent
working for that Ph.D.
would be out the window, right?
PROSECUTOR:
Objection. (gavel bangs)
COOKSEY: Mr. Matlock.
I'll move on to another line
of questions, Your Honor.
Ahem. Mr. Harris, uh...
did you know that, uh...
Marjorie Manners kept a diary?
Yes.
You know it's missing?
No, I-I didn't know.
Yeah. Yeah.
What was in it, Mr. Harris?
Was she giving you too
much unsolicited advice?
Was she asking more than
you were prepared to give?
Were you trying to get
out of the relationship?
Was she threatening
to go public with it?
Is that why you killed her?
Objection, Your Honor.
No foundation.
Speculative, argumentative.
Withdraw. Withdraw the question.
Um, Mr. Harris, uh...
on the day that, uh...
Marjorie Manners was killed,
did you hear her say that
in celebration of her award
she was going out to dinner
with some very old
and dear friends,
and her column would be finished
at 10:00 instead of 6?
I think everybody at
the party heard that.
And you knew that
Harold, the copy boy,
would come by at 10:00?
Again, everybody did.
MATLOCK: Just answer yes or no.
GIDEON: Yes.
And you heard
her tell my client...
to come by her office at 10:00?
Yes.
While you were at the party,
did you see my client pick this up?
Yes.
Uh, you knew his
fingerprints were on it?
GIDEON: Yes.
MATLOCK: Mr. Harris,
isn't it true that you went
to Marjorie Manners' office
that night, and, wearing gloves,
used this to deliver the
fatal blow to her head?
PROSECUTOR:
Objection, Your Honor.
Again, no foundation,
speculative and argumentative.
Withdraw. Withdraw.
You did... go to
her office that night.
Didn't you, Mr. Harris?
Mr. Matlock, I'm
sorry to disappoint you,
but I was nowhere
near her office that night.
I was in a seminar.
Yeah. After 9.
I know that.
And I know that her column
was found in her typewriter,
indicating she had
been working on it
for... an hour.
But what if she didn't write it?
What if it were
written by someone
who knew that
column intimately well?
I don't understand.
You wrote the
column, didn't you?
Up in your room,
on your typewriter,
while she was at dinner. No.
Then you put it
in her typewriter.
You went by her office.
You killed her shortly before 9,
and left that column...
as proof that she
was killed around 10.
No. Absolutely not.
I'd like this typewriter
introduced as Defense Exhibit C.
Do you recognize
this typewriter?
It looks like mine.
It is yours.
Would you remove the ribbon?
There you go.
Now, what if we had
the Forensics department
of the Atlanta police
examine the impressions
on this typewriter ribbon.
Transcribe it, so to speak.
What would they find?
A copy of my
dissertation, some letters.
That's right.
( tense theme playing)
What else?
"Dear Marjorie's" last column.
(paper rustles)
"Dear Angry, Tense, Unhappy:
"My advice to you
"is stay with your husband.
"I know that most of
the time he is either
"too tired, or his back hurts,
"but there is that
once in a while.
"Keep a good thought,
and make the best of
that once in a while."
( ominous theme playing)
That's good advice.
You know what I
think, Mr. Harris?
I think you would have
made a wonderful replacement
for Marjorie Manners...
if you hadn't killed her.
( whimsical theme playing)
(sighs)
Anna...
there's something
I have to confess.
All those women you
thought I was with?
Well, you were right.
Uh, they couldn't resist me,
and I couldn't
resist the temptation.
I knew it. Oh, but I'm never,
ever going to do
anything like that again.
I'm going to be strong.
I promise.
ANNA: Promise? CRAIG: Mm.
Going without you has
taught me a big lesson.
I love you and only you.
You don't have to
worry about me anymore.
( romantic theme playing)
Let's go home.
Aw. I'm really happy for them.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh, how are things
with, uh... Brad?
I took your advice.
Yeah? Yeah.
I told him I wanted to go,
but I wanted to
have my own room.
Yeah?
He already booked me one.
Separate rooms? Yeah.
(both chuckling) Oh.
Ha, ha.
I think he actually likes me.
Oh, well.
Give yourself some credit.
Thanks.
(phone ringing)
( whimsical theme playing)
(chuckles)
( upbeat jazz theme playing)
( romantic theme playing)
♪ Advice to the lovelorn ♪
♪ To the love torn ♪
♪ To the love worn ♪
♪ Please, listen to me ♪
♪ Advice to the lovers ♪
♪ Who are trying to recover ♪
♪ Some ecstasy ♪
♪ Advice to the man ♪
♪ And the woman ♪
♪ Who are looking ♪
♪ To play their part ♪
♪ Advice to the lovelorn ♪
♪ Be careful when you give ♪
♪ Your heart ♪
Hi. This is Sylvia Richland
with Eye on Atlanta.
Today we're at the spacious
home of Marjorie Manners.
Marjorie is this
year's recipient
of Atlanta's coveted
Golden Peach Award,
given by the local chapter
of the Women of America,
to that person who best
represents family values.
And what better person
to receive this award
than one of America's
favorite columnists.
Marjorie Manners'
column, "Dear Marjorie,"
appears daily in over
300 papers coast to coast.
Atlanta's own Marjorie
has been dispensing advice
to the lovelorn
for over 15 years,
and now we're gonna
meet her family, in person.
Was that too awkward?
No. Do you want
me to do it again? No.
Hello.
Hi, I'm Sylvia Richland
with Eye on Atlanta.
You must be
Marjorie's husband, Lee.
Uh, no. I'm her
brother-in-law, Carter Weston.
Lee's inside. Please come on in.
Oh.
This is my wife, Carol.
Oh, you must be
Marjorie's sister.
That's right.
Oh. That's wonderful.
Ah, please.
Thank you.
Oh, now, you have
to be Lee Manners,
Marjorie's husband.
Ah, that I am. Yes.
Great. And you must be her son?
Uh, no, no. I'm her copy boy.
Oh.
Maybe we should set
up for Marjorie now.
I'm just so overwhelmed.
It's such an unexpected honor.
Really helping people
solve their problems
is rewarding in and of itself.
This makes me
feel almost guilty.
Marjorie, people
across the country say
they don't feel as though
they've read the paper
unless they've read your column.
How does it feel to know
you touch so many lives?
All I am to my readers
is a friend, Sylvia.
Someone who listens and helps
put things in
perspective. That's all.
Still it's quite an
accomplishment
to be syndicated in every
major newspaper in the U.S.
What's the secret
of your success?
A little intuition
and a lot of luck.
And the uncompromising
love and support I receive daily
from my wonderful family,
who are with me here today.
Marjorie... And not
to be overlooked
are two very special people:
our terrific kids...
Randall and Lucia,
who grew up altogether too
fast, and are away at college.
And then of course there are
the people that I work with
at the Examiner, who
have become like family.
Nora Gould, our editor,
who could not be here today.
And Harold... our
ever-ready copy boy.
Always Johnny-on-the-spot.
(Lee chuckles)
Any words of advice
for our viewers?
My advice... to everyone
watching today is,
cherish your loved ones...
no matter who you are,
or where you are,
or what you do.
They are life's most
precious commodity.
As usual, Marjorie, you've
given us something to think about.
Again, congratulations.
Thank you.
This is Sylvia
Richland, coming to you
from the home of
Marjorie Manners,
this year's recipient of
Atlanta's Golden Peach Award.
(cork pops)
(people laugh) Cut.
Bravo, bravo, bravo. Thank you.
Oh, thank you, sweetheart.
You were wonderful, my love.
Congratulations. Carol.
Congratulations.
I'm proud of you.
Congratulations.
Couldn't have happened
to a nicer landlady.
Thank you, Gideon. Help
yourself to some champagne.
Thanks a lot. Harold,
some very dear and
old friends of mine
have asked me out to dinner.
And what with receiving
the award and all,
I'm afraid I haven't had
time to do tomorrow's column.
The copy will be ready at
10 instead of 6 tonight, okay?
Mm, no problem,
Ms. Manners. Sure.
All right, where is she?
Where's the famous answer lady?
You are destroying my
life. Do you know that?
LEE: Who are you?
I'm Craig Moore.
Because of her, my
wife is gonna leave me.
How can you do that?
You... You treat her
fantasies like they're real.
She actually believes you.
Carter, help me get rid of him.
Stay back.
I came here to have it
out with her. Nobody else.
I'm calling the police.
No, Carol, please. Wait.
What's your name again?
Craig... Moore.
Craig, I've obviously
done something
to make you very angry,
and for that, I'm sorry.
Let's talk, shall we?
In there. Just the two of us.
You can't do that.
The man's deranged.
I don't think so.
If anything, I'm a pretty
good judge of character.
Come on, son. Let's talk.
Those people out there
are very special to me, Craig.
And we were just about
to celebrate something
that will happen only
once in my lifetime,
and no doubt never in yours.
So if it's all the same to you,
I'd like to get this over with.
What the hell do you want?
I just want you to
straighten out Anna.
Well, you know her as
In Love, But Miserable.
What do you want me to do?
Print a retraction.
Retraction?
Who do I look like,
Bob Woodward?
I give advice to the
lovelorn. For crying out loud.
Well, then print a modification.
I think you'd better leave.
You could write
an open letter...
saying you've been giving In
Love, But Miserable's problem
more thought, and... And
you think she'd be better off
staying with her
husband after all.
A-and then all
the crazy ideas...
I don't have time for this now.
Well, I'll come back.
Fine. You come back here tonight
and we'll write this
open letter together.
Does that do it?
You bet.
Good.
Now, smile.
(sighs)
(sighs)
Ten o'clock
tonight in my office.
It's the bungalow by the pool.
Just come straight back.
I will. Thank you.
D...? Did I hear you correctly?
Did you just invite
him back here?
Marjorie, the man
threatened you.
He's harmless.
Like so many people,
all he really wants
is someone to
listen and to care.
( mellow theme playing)
Drink up. You deserve it.
(chuckles)
(crickets chirping)
(thunder crashing)
( suspenseful theme playing)
(dog barking)
( ominous theme playing)
(dog barking)
( suspenseful theme playing)
Ms. Manners?
(dog barking)
I...
Um... Good morning, Cassie.
(sobbing): Good morning.
Problems with her boyfriend. Oh.
Or at least, she thought
he was her boyfriend.
They've been going
out for about a month.
Suddenly, he just
stopped calling.
Oh. You think he, ahem,
what, dropped her? Huh?
Something like that. Mm.
(sniffles)
I'm sorry, Ben. That
won't happen again.
As far as I'm concerned,
Brad is history.
Good for you.
So what if he looks like
Tom Cruise with curly hair?
So what if he has a
great sense of humor?
So what if we have absolutely
everything in common?
He can take a flying leap.
Well... why don't you call him?
Because he said he'd call me.
And besides, I
don't care anymore.
Oh.
Well, we'd better go to court.
(clears throat)
(phone rings) (door closes)
( tense theme playing)
(people chattering)
What do you say
we call the office
and go straight to lunch?
Oh, yeah. Yeah. I'm starved.
Mr. Matlock? Hm?
My name is Anna Moore.
My husband is Craig Moore.
The man who's been charged
with the murder of
Marjorie Manners.
I called your office, but
there was no answer.
There wasn't?
My husband needs
a good attorney.
Oh, um, Ms. Moore,
the state's case against
your husband is rock solid.
I know. They've got
fingerprints, witnesses, motive.
And God knows he
isn't much of a saint.
But my husband isn't a murderer.
Mr. Matlock, you have
to understand something.
I'm rich.
My father left me a trust
fund of over $20 million.
I can pay you any fee
you want, just name it.
W-w-well, wait... Wait a minute.
If your husband thought
he was gonna lose all that money
because of some advice
Marjorie Manners gave you
in her column, that's
a very powerful motive.
I offered all of my
money to Craig years ago.
He wouldn't take it.
He even signed a
prenuptial agreement.
And then I said let's
live on my fortune.
He said, "No I'd
like a nice office job."
(tears check off)
He wasn't in danger of
losing you or the marriage?
Well... yes.
I... threatened leaving him,
just to get him to face up to
what was going on between us.
What was that?
It's very personal.
You said, uh, a little while ago
that he was no saint.
What did that mean?
ANNA: Not in front of her.
Excuse me.
This is privileged
information, right?
Yeah.
There's something about Craig.
I'm not even sure what it
is, but it's very powerful.
Women can't resist him.
They are constantly
throwing themselves at him.
And Craig is only human.
He succumbs.
He's... unfaithful?
Dozens of times.
Do you have proof?
A woman doesn't need proof
of that sort of thing, Mr. Matlock.
She knows.
But despite this incredible,
this unexplainable magnetism,
Craig is a wonderful,
if occasionally weak, man.
I just love him.
Will you take the case?
( whimsical theme playing)
Bail is set at $50,000.
The preliminary
hearing will take place
in this courtroom on March 12th.
(gavel bangs)
Your wife's made
arrangements for bail.
You should be out
of here within an hour.
Mr. Matlock, I'm
going to be frank.
I don't think your associate
should be involved
with this case.
Isn't it obvious?
Well, not that I
blame her, though,
but she won't be
able to resist him.
Oh, well, she'll resist him.
She's a professional.
Anna...
Michelle said I'll be out
of here within an hour.
(sighs) The big question is,
then can I come home?
Not until you at least
admit we have a problem.
Anna... I love you.
I have never, nor will I ever,
have an affair
with someone else.
(sighs)
( romantic theme playing)
I'll be at the hotel.
Isn't he wonderful?
( mysterious theme playing)
Hm.
Oh.
Pool house was her office, huh?
Yeah.
Lieutenant Daniels
left it unlocked.
Yeah.
Here.
(drawer slides, closes)
(door closes)
Think we surprised
ourselves a burglar?
What kind of burglar would leave
something like this behind?
Ah.
Maybe he was looking
for something in here.
You think maybe
we walked in on him
before he found what
he was looking for?
MATLOCK: It'd be good.
You know, you don't need me
to meet with the family members.
Why don't I just stay
here and look around?
Sure.
Look here.
There's a picture of
the president up here.
Yeah. It's autographed
and everything.
Yeah, her column
was pretty popular.
I've never read it.
Well maybe that's why he's
up there, and you're down here.
( whimsical theme playing)
Mr. Matlock.
Yes, sir.
Lee Manners.
Very nice to meet you.
They're good-looking
kids. They yours?
Oh, thank you. Yes,
uh... Randall's at Duke
and Lucia's at Baxter.
Hm.
Marjorie was very
proud of both of 'em.
This is a very awkward
time for you to be paying us
this visit, Mr. Matlock.
We're all still in
a state of shock.
(man laughing)
CARTER: Some things
don't change, darling.
(laughing)
We... (clears throat)
You must be Ben Matlock?
MATLOCK: Yes.
I'm Carol Weston. Hello.
That's my husband, Carter.
Hello. Hello.
I'm sorry we're late.
We didn't know you were here.
What's this all
about, Mr. Matlock?
Oh, just to say hello.
I know this is a bad
time, and I apologize,
but I... I have to
follow up on something.
It... It occurred to me that
my client, Craig Moore,
was framed, and if that's so,
then whoever actually killed
Marjorie had to have heard her
tell him to come back
here at 10:00 that night.
I don't think your client
was framed, Mr. Matlock.
I think he killed Marjorie,
and I think you
really should leave.
Absolutely.
Well, I thought rather
than depose all of you
or haul you into court, it might
be more convenient for you
to answer my questions here.
Excuse, me. Uh, y... I
mean, you don't seriously think
that it was one of us?
CAROL: Lee,
this is just some sort
of legal smoke screen.
MATLOCK: No,
it... It isn't that.
Uh, somebody did kill Marjorie.
And I don't think it
was Craig Moore.
But now that I've
seen all of you...
Husband, sister, brother-in-law
all living together
under the same roof,
I can see that you
have to be ruled out.
Uh, you're just one
big, happy family.
Again, Mr. Matlock, I
hardly think that happy
is an apt description
of any of us,
under the circumstances.
I'm sorry. I have
an appointment.
Yes, and I have to get to class.
I'd like to skip it,
but I'm the professor.
MATLOCK: Well,
I'll move along too.
Um, I just, as I say,
wanted to say hello.
Could I use your telephone?
Yeah. Somebody was, uh, rifling
through Marjorie's office,
and I need to
report it to the police.
I don't suppose one of you
knows who it might have been?
No, I...
MATLOCK: Or what
they were looking for?
Mr. Matlock, I can't imagine.
Neither can I.
Well. Yeah.
( suspenseful theme playing)
GIDEON: You're too
pretty to be a thief...
or a cop.
And you're obviously
not the cleaning lady.
Atlanta Examiner?
No.
I'm one of the attorneys
representing Craig Moore.
Michelle Thomas.
And you're...?
Gideon Harris.
I've got a room upstairs.
Do you rent it out, or are
you a member of the family?
Rent.
(sighs) Although I must say,
Marjorie had this way of making
even poor college students
working on their Ph.D.s
feel like they were at home.
Good lady.
Um, about 20 minutes ago
someone was in here
tearing this place apart.
I don't suppose you saw anybody?
No. I just got back
from the library.
Although I do have a clear view
of this room from my room.
That's how I knew you were here.
See?
MICHELLE: Oh.
Whoever was in here
just might come back.
How amenable would you
be to my staking out this place
from your room?
Just for a while.
Till midnight at the most.
Sounds good to me.
Great. I really appreciate it.
I'll just throw a
bottle of chardonnay
in the fridge, and
we'll be all set.
( whimsical theme playing)
(bag rattling)
(soft classical music
playing on stereo)
Well, now you can say you've
dined at Gideon's playroom.
Great.
No, no. I meant that the Manners
used this as a
playroom for their kids.
Oh.
How long have
you been renting it?
Just two years. That's
when Carter heard
I needed a place to stay,
and he offered it to me.
I met him down
at the university.
Mm. Sure you wouldn't like
some wine? You only
got a half hour to go.
Uh, thanks, but no thanks.
(sighs)
Of course, you're
welcome to stay longer.
Sorry. I'll shut up.
(exhales)
(sighs)
Is that your dissertation?
(sighs): Yeah. I just
finished the rough draft.
Tsk.
Not a minute too soon.
What do you mean?
I'm a sociologist.
I'm specializing in the
effects of mass communication
on modern culture.
Specifically, I'm studying the
influence of advice columns.
Don't tell me your dissertation
is on Marjorie Manners?
(scoffs)
Hey, don't knock
it till you read it.
It's good.
It's gonna get me a
teaching position at Yale.
(car door opens, closes)
Sounds like Lee just got home.
(door opens, closes)
We're supposed to be
watching the pool house.
(scoffs) Watching the main house
is much more
interesting, believe me.
Yeah, off goes his light...
and on goes hers.
Whose?
Carol's.
Now, what room's it
gonna be in tonight?
Ah. Maybe the study.
What are you talking about?
(inhales)
How important is
it for you to know
what Atlanta's perfect
family is really like?
Very.
Come on.
( suspenseful theme playing)
(door opens)
(footsteps approach)
(bottle clinks)
(liquid pours)
LEE: Gideon.
Uh, I'm sorry, Lee.
I saw the light on in here.
I thought I'd just
come in and get this.
Have you met Michelle Thomas?
She works for Ben Matlock.
Michelle, this is Carol
Weston, Marjorie's sister,
and Lee Manners,
Marjorie's husband.
How do you do?
Hello.
Carter working late tonight?
A, uh... An
interdepartmental meeting.
(glass clinks)
I was waiting up for him.
( suspenseful theme playing)
( tense theme playing)
Gideon. For God's
sakes, let go of me.
Michelle Thomas, Carter Weston,
Marjorie's brother-in-law.
(clears throat)
Uh, I'm an attorney.
I work with Ben Matlock.
I thought you had one of those
late-night
interdepartmental meetings.
I left early.
Uh, what were you doing here?
I, uh, was looking for something
that I lent to Marjorie: a book.
With a flashlight?
Crossing police lines
without authorization?
Now, can you give me any
reason why I shouldn't just pick up
the telephone and
report this to the police?
Gideon, if you'll
excuse us, please.
Sure.
(sighs)
I'll be at my place
if you need me.
In case you're curious,
it was me in here earlier.
I was looking for
Marjorie's diary.
Why?
I'm gonna give you
the short version.
My marriage is all I have left.
I don't want to lose Carol.
Losing Marjorie was...
traumatic enough.
Marjorie and I were
having an affair.
( melancholy theme playing)
It was her idea
from the start, but...
But I did grow accustomed
to the arrangement.
Now that... Now that
Marjorie is out of my life,
I don't want Carol to find out.
Now, I'm gonna have to
leave this up to your discretion,
but... please.
Carol is all I have left.
( suspenseful theme playing)
Well, I'm on my way
over to the university
to check out Gideon Harris.
You know, the guy
that lives upstairs.
Oh. He says he was
at a seminar, so we'll see.
Yeah.
(door opens)
(door closes)
(phone ringing)
(typewriter clacking)
(ringing)
You gonna answer that?
What if it's Brad?
Hello?
(clears throat)
No, she just left.
Uh, yes. I'll tell her.
Bye.
Ahem. I thought you
and Brad were history.
Well, I finally called
him, and it turns out
he goes out of town
a lot on business,
and that's why I
hadn't heard from him.
And that's also why I'm
afraid to answer the phone.
I don't get it.
Well, he's got another
business trip coming up,
and he wants me to go with him.
Oh.
I told him that I... I'd
have to think about it.
What do you think?
I don't know.
Well, if I go...
I know it will change
our relationship radically.
What do you think?
Well, I don't know.
Do you think I ought to go?
Ahem. Maybe you ought to go
and stay in two separate
rooms and meet him at breakfast.
( whimsical theme playing)
I'll be out at the
Manners' estate.
(door opens)
(door closes)
You know, this is
kind of an odd family.
Mr. Matlock,
Marjorie could be
very, uh, vindictive.
I adored her when
we were first married,
but the more popular
her column became,
the more miserable she
made everyone around her.
She... She became
enthralled with her own power.
She made more
money than anyone else,
so she insisted
that I give up my job
and stay home with the kids.
She even made
Carol stop working.
She wanted to
control everything.
Hm.
She let Carter keep working.
(scoffs) Only because his salary
was so laughable.
But what's inexcusable isn't
so much what she did to us,
but... what she did to our kids.
They're as screwed
up as they come.
Oh, that's right.
They didn't even come
home when their mother died.
One I can't even find,
and, uh, Randall,
the other one...
he'd rather not see any of us.
That's a shame.
That's really a shame.
(sighs) I'm sorry.
You know, sometimes
I feel awful...
but I have to ask where you
were the night of the murder.
I was home, alone.
Can anybody corroborate that?
No. Nobody was here.
Where was Carter?
Carter? Well, he said he
was going to the library.
Mr. Matlock, as,
uh, unusual as our...
As our situation was here,
I did not kill Marjorie.
Of course... you were
mentioned heavily
in her will, weren't you?
I mean, everything.
Yes, that's... That's correct.
What if she had found out
about you and, you
know, her sister?
What if she had
decided to cut you out?
And what if she didn't?
Yeah.
Yeah.
You wouldn't have
any reason to kill her.
Well, uh... Oh...
I'm... I'm sorry.
It... It's a subpoena.
Ms. Weston.
Uh...
I understand
congratulations are in order.
For what?
I hear the paper found someone
to take over your
sister's column.
That was supposed
to be a secret.
Well...
the editor in chief
of the Examiner
is an old friend of mine,
and he told me that
he was delighted
when you approached
him with the idea.
Well, it is kind of exciting.
Well... now you have
your sister's column,
her income, and...
maybe even her husband.
I, uh...
I wouldn't be doing
my job if I didn't ask you
where you were at
the time of the murder.
I was at home. Alone.
(door opens) Are you certain?
Of course.
(door closes)
Where was Lee?
He said he was going
to a concert that night.
Now, if you don't mind,
you'll have to excuse
us, Mr. Matlock.
Not only does this
conversation seem pointless,
but we do have a
court in ten minutes.
Oh, speaking of court.
It's, uh...
just a little subpoena
to appear in mine.
Well, not mine, but, uh...
( suspenseful theme playing)
Mr. Matlock. What
could be so urgent
that it can't wait
until morning?
My associate and
I asked each of you
where you were the
night of the murder.
And Carter, you said
you were home alone.
Lee, you said you
were home alone.
And Carol, you said
you were home alone.
That's an awful lot of
people to be home alone
at the time of this murder.
Honey, you said you were
having dinner with Gladys.
According to Gladys,
she did not have
dinner with her.
Where were you?
I had a meeting.
With whom?
I had a meeting
with Carl Kravitz.
His company has decided
to publish my novel.
Novel?
I've been writing a novel, yes.
Well, why didn't you
say that to begin with?
Because I have to publish
it with a pseudonym now.
It's... It's a little explicit.
(inhales) Oh, you
mean... I mean, explicit.
And I don't want
it to jeopardize
my taking over
Marjorie's column.
Uh, Ms. Weston, when...
When the copy boy got here
at 10:00 that night
and discovered
Marjorie Manners' body,
he ran up to this house,
and no one was home.
Now this, uh, Mr. Kravitz...
how late were you with him?
Well, I...
I... I, uh, picked her
up from Kravitz' office.
Wha...? What are
you talking about?
(sighs) I... Car...
Carol was with me.
Lee. LEE: No, it's...
It's gonna come out anyway.
(sighs) Look, Carter, um...
you might as well know.
Carol and I have...
Have been lovers.
Y...?
You...? Oh. No, you...!
No. No, no, no. No. What?!
No!
MATLOCK: Now, um...
we know that none of you
were at home alone at
the time of the murder.
And we know that none of you
were where you told
each other you were.
Now... Mr. Manners,
according to my investigator,
you were not at the
concert, as you said.
Where were you...
before you met Mrs. Weston?
Very interesting
question, Mr. Matlock.
Um... as a matter of
fact, I was in a meeting
with the president of
Cendrex Chemicals.
I was trying to get him
placed as a head
of research in Detroit.
I want him out of this
house, out of this city.
I want him out of my life...
so that I can have
Carol... for myself.
You know, you're really
some kind of friend.
Wait a minute. What about you?
There's more than one liar here.
You told me you were
going to the library
the night Marjorie died.
Why did you tell Mr. Matlock
that you were at home?
MATLOCK: Uh, no one
saw you at the library.
We checked.
All right, so I wasn't there.
Well, where were you?
What's the big secret?
I was at a bar
near the university
called the Cedar Lounge.
The Cedar Lounge.
That's a pickup bar for
young people, isn't it?
That's right.
That's exactly what it is.
The reason I lied, Mr. Matlock,
is because I was embarrassed.
And for your information...
the reason I was at that
bar was because I was upset.
And you wanna
know why I was upset?
Because I was having
an affair with Marjorie...
and she threw me
over for somebody else.
Liar! No I'm not!
No, no, no, no, no, no! Yes!
This is working.
This is really working.
This is wonderful.
Now we know
where all of you were
at the time of the murder,
and I'm sure none of you did it.
Who did Marjorie
throw you over for?
(knock on door)
GIDEON: Uh, excuse me.
I just wanted to get some
hot water for some tea here.
( lighthearted theme playing)
Sorry.
Him.
She threw me over for him.
( suspenseful theme playing)
MICHELLE: Mm. Marjorie Manners.
Poof. Little did all
these people know
that her life was just
one big pajama party.
Yeah.
Even Gideon was involved.
At least he wasn't a
member of the family.
(chuckling): Yeah.
Now we know why Carter was
never able to find Marjorie's diary.
Gideon must have found it first.
Probably just
after he killed her.
But he was at a seminar
from 9 to 11 that night.
His alibi is airtight.
If she were killed around
10. But what if, say...
Gideon killed her...
a little before 9?
The university is only
five minutes away.
The time of death is
only an approximation.
No, she couldn't
have been killed then.
Her column.
It was just one sentence
away from being done.
If she was killed at 9, when
could she have written it?
How about before that?
No. The people she was at
dinner with dropped her off at 8:50.
Well, that column had to
have been written before 9.
That's all there is to it.
Well, it's impossible.
She couldn't have done it.
What kind of typewriter
does Gideon have?
One just like this.
Well, that's interesting.
I had an Underwood...
all the way through law school.
I remember the way it smelled...
the way the little bell
sounded on the carriage return.
And how it ruined my day
when I had to change the ribbon.
It always turned
out to be a mess.
( suspenseful theme playing)
But with the cartridges
they have nowadays,
you don't even need
to look at the ribbon,
let alone touch it.
Um... Mr. Harris...
you live on the Manners' estate?
Yes, I do.
Uh, upstairs in a room
in the main house?
That's right.
How would you
describe your relationship
with Marjorie Manners?
We were friends.
Did you ever have
an affair with her?
Never.
So you're just a
struggling Ph.D. candidate,
uh, seeking a
convenient place to live
while he writes
out his dissertation.
Is that about
right? That's right.
Uh, do you mind
telling the court
uh, what your
dissertation was about?
Objection. Relevancy.
COOKSEY: I assume there's
a point to this, Mr. Matlock.
Absolutely, Your Honor.
Overruled.
Answer the question, please.
GIDEON: My
dissertation is a study
of the sociopsychological
ramifications
of the print-media phenomenon
known as advice columns.
Specifically?
The major portion
of my dissertation
is a study of "Dear Marjorie."
Marjorie Manners' column.
That's correct.
So you... You analyze her column
and the effect it has on
the people who follow it.
Yes.
Is it a serious, scientific,
objective analysis?
Definitely.
What would
happen to the validity
of such a dissertation
if it were known
that the author
of that dissertation
were sleeping with the
creator of the subject?
I'm speaking of Marjorie
Manners of "Dear Marjorie."
(exhales)
The integrity of the
work would be suspect.
The integrity of the work would
be out the window, wouldn't it?
Well... The Ph.D. would be
out the window, wouldn't it?
And the years you spent
working for that Ph.D.
would be out the window, right?
PROSECUTOR:
Objection. (gavel bangs)
COOKSEY: Mr. Matlock.
I'll move on to another line
of questions, Your Honor.
Ahem. Mr. Harris, uh...
did you know that, uh...
Marjorie Manners kept a diary?
Yes.
You know it's missing?
No, I-I didn't know.
Yeah. Yeah.
What was in it, Mr. Harris?
Was she giving you too
much unsolicited advice?
Was she asking more than
you were prepared to give?
Were you trying to get
out of the relationship?
Was she threatening
to go public with it?
Is that why you killed her?
Objection, Your Honor.
No foundation.
Speculative, argumentative.
Withdraw. Withdraw the question.
Um, Mr. Harris, uh...
on the day that, uh...
Marjorie Manners was killed,
did you hear her say that
in celebration of her award
she was going out to dinner
with some very old
and dear friends,
and her column would be finished
at 10:00 instead of 6?
I think everybody at
the party heard that.
And you knew that
Harold, the copy boy,
would come by at 10:00?
Again, everybody did.
MATLOCK: Just answer yes or no.
GIDEON: Yes.
And you heard
her tell my client...
to come by her office at 10:00?
Yes.
While you were at the party,
did you see my client pick this up?
Yes.
Uh, you knew his
fingerprints were on it?
GIDEON: Yes.
MATLOCK: Mr. Harris,
isn't it true that you went
to Marjorie Manners' office
that night, and, wearing gloves,
used this to deliver the
fatal blow to her head?
PROSECUTOR:
Objection, Your Honor.
Again, no foundation,
speculative and argumentative.
Withdraw. Withdraw.
You did... go to
her office that night.
Didn't you, Mr. Harris?
Mr. Matlock, I'm
sorry to disappoint you,
but I was nowhere
near her office that night.
I was in a seminar.
Yeah. After 9.
I know that.
And I know that her column
was found in her typewriter,
indicating she had
been working on it
for... an hour.
But what if she didn't write it?
What if it were
written by someone
who knew that
column intimately well?
I don't understand.
You wrote the
column, didn't you?
Up in your room,
on your typewriter,
while she was at dinner. No.
Then you put it
in her typewriter.
You went by her office.
You killed her shortly before 9,
and left that column...
as proof that she
was killed around 10.
No. Absolutely not.
I'd like this typewriter
introduced as Defense Exhibit C.
Do you recognize
this typewriter?
It looks like mine.
It is yours.
Would you remove the ribbon?
There you go.
Now, what if we had
the Forensics department
of the Atlanta police
examine the impressions
on this typewriter ribbon.
Transcribe it, so to speak.
What would they find?
A copy of my
dissertation, some letters.
That's right.
( tense theme playing)
What else?
"Dear Marjorie's" last column.
(paper rustles)
"Dear Angry, Tense, Unhappy:
"My advice to you
"is stay with your husband.
"I know that most of
the time he is either
"too tired, or his back hurts,
"but there is that
once in a while.
"Keep a good thought,
and make the best of
that once in a while."
( ominous theme playing)
That's good advice.
You know what I
think, Mr. Harris?
I think you would have
made a wonderful replacement
for Marjorie Manners...
if you hadn't killed her.
( whimsical theme playing)
(sighs)
Anna...
there's something
I have to confess.
All those women you
thought I was with?
Well, you were right.
Uh, they couldn't resist me,
and I couldn't
resist the temptation.
I knew it. Oh, but I'm never,
ever going to do
anything like that again.
I'm going to be strong.
I promise.
ANNA: Promise? CRAIG: Mm.
Going without you has
taught me a big lesson.
I love you and only you.
You don't have to
worry about me anymore.
( romantic theme playing)
Let's go home.
Aw. I'm really happy for them.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh, how are things
with, uh... Brad?
I took your advice.
Yeah? Yeah.
I told him I wanted to go,
but I wanted to
have my own room.
Yeah?
He already booked me one.
Separate rooms? Yeah.
(both chuckling) Oh.
Ha, ha.
I think he actually likes me.
Oh, well.
Give yourself some credit.
Thanks.
(phone ringing)
( whimsical theme playing)
(chuckles)
( upbeat jazz theme playing)