The Untouchables (1959–1963): Season 3, Episode 21 - Man in the Middle - full transcript
Slot machines have become all the rage and William 'Porker' Davis is making a fortune on all of those nickels and dimes. He soon comes under pressure from mobster Joe Bomer who's prepared to let him stay in business provided he gives the players a 70% return on their bets thereby making sure they will always come back. Davis agrees but when Bomer finds out the machines have been doctored to pay out less, Davis is soon on the run. Turns out it's Davis' friend and Bomer employee Benjy Liemer who has been fiddling with the machines and also providing Ness with anonymous tips.
You lousy tramp, you.
Get rid of him.
Go on. Beat it, beat it.
What happened?
Some girl. They grabbed
her. They dragged her in there.
Tonight's episode...
Starring Robert
Stack as Eliot Ness.
Costarring Tom
Drake, Cloris Leachman,
and Gavin MacLeod.
With special guest
star Martin Balsam.
And narrated by Walter Winchell.
The liberty bell slot machine,
perfected in the middle '20s,
was made to order
for the Chicago mob.
It was nerveless and tireless.
It put the sucker on a
24-hour paying basis.
By the end of 1933, over
2,000 one-armed bandits
were digging their iron
claws into the public pocket.
The take topped $100,000 a week.
That made it big business,
and big business
meant big risks.
Late on the night of November 7,
four men arrived at
Porker Davis' place.
They had not come
to try their luck.
Moose, baby.
This must be my lucky night.
Joe says maybe
you need a lesson.
What do you mean? I don't
tell Joe how to run his business.
Okay, ladies and gents.
You had it.
We're closing up.
You didn't say nothin'
about closin' up.
I said it.
Move.
Okay... Okay, I
don't need no more.
Tell Joe I got the message.
Two years before, Eliot
Ness and the Untouchables
had helped run the slot
machines out of Chicago.
This was their first warning
that the one-armed
bandits were back.
Take a look upstairs, Rico.
Right.
Well, they're operating again.
They were. It looks like
somebody called off the bets.
Pretty big bets.
Nickels and dimes.
Capone started with
nickels and dimes.
So did the Gennas.
These look like
new type machines.
Hale Novelty Company,
Richmond, Indiana.
Get Rossman on it. He
can drive down tomorrow.
Eliot, look what I found.
Mr. Ness.
Well... Porker Davis.
A lousy shame, Mr. Ness.
This town is going to the dogs.
What pack are you
running with, Porker?
Slot machines. That's
a new one for you.
Slot machines?
You see any slot
machines upstairs?
All right. Who hit you?
Cigarette...?
Who hit you?
You're too small for
a private war, Porker.
At 10:00 the following
morning, Porker paid a visit
to Joe Bomer, formerly a kingpin
in Capone's booze
operation, and now the czar
of Chicago's million
dollar slot machine racket.
Now, you gotta look
at it my way, Porker.
I let you have your own boxes,
and pretty soon
there are others,
and pretty soon I lose control.
This way all the
boxes are set the same.
I keep the take down to 30%,
and the sucker hits
enough to keep comin'.
You let me get my own
boxes, I'll go for the 30%, Joe.
Nah. It don't work out.
Maybe not you, but
some other joker.
All of a sudden he
decides to get rich.
Starts taking 50%, 60% percent.
The word gets around.
The others start grabbin'.
Pretty soon, the box
has got a bad name.
And pretty soon the suckers
ain't-ain't playin' no more.
So, what's the deal?
I supply the
machines, I service 'em,
and we split down the middle.
That's cuttin' me pretty
close to the bone, Joe.
They gotta pull them
handles a lot of times
before I even got my overhead.
You wanted a deal.
Now take it or leave it.
I got a choice?
Not much.
You'll need a new place.
I got a place.
1620 Clay Drive.
I'll take 30 machines.
40. I'll send 'em
over to you tonight.
You're calling the play.
Benjy. Porker.
Hey. What are you
doing here? How are ya?
He works for me.
On the level? You
working for him?
Sure. You gotta
live. You gotta forget.
Does that include me?
Why not?
Hey, you're all right, Benjy.
Hey, how's Julie? Fine.
Still as pretty as
ever? Prettier. Prettier.
Yeah. See you around.
Check out 40 boxes to Porker.
Get 'em over tonight.
1620 Clay Drive.
1620 Clay... I'll
take care of it myself.
The suckers crowded
Porker's new place every night.
They gave the
machines a steady play.
The first week's
take was gratifying.
Now, you did real good.
$2,900.
It'll only get better.
I hope so.
Well, I'll take $1450.
I got it right here.
Listen, Porker... Huh?
We're friends, aren't we?
For a long time.
I know.
Can I tell you something?
Sure. Go right ahead.
Don't do no better.
What're you talkin' about?
Well, we both know how he is.
Who do you mean... Joe?
Yeah.
You mean, he ain't
satisfied splittin' the loot?
Look...
You know, that guy... every
time somethin' good turns out,
he's gotta try to grab it all.
What do you want?!
Seems to be some trouble
on number three machine.
All right, I'll be right out.
Stay here. Sure.
I'll be right back. All right.
So, how'd it average out?
What's the matter? You
deaf, Benjy, or something?
Joe, I don't know
how to say this to you.
Well, try English.
You keep it nice and simple
and maybe I can understand you.
So, come on. Say it.
Something wrong?
Porker's take was
close to $3,000.
On 40 boxes?
That's almost 75 bucks apiece.
You think he's got 'em rigged?
You see anything?
Well, I didn't exactly
see nothin', only...
Only what?
Well, the floorman came in
and said a customer was
yelling about Number Three Box.
What else?
Come on, what else?!
Clip weights.
Yeah.
Where'd you get these?
Well, he went out to
cool off the customer
and I found 'em on
the floor near his desk.
Good, Benjy.
We got some repairs to do.
He works late.
Yeah, it takes time to
add up a big profit like that.
Start on Number Three.
Joe... Back up, Porker.
You're movin' a little too fast.
A little late for company.
If we're company.
What else?
It's hard to tell till we
open some of them boxes.
Well, you got me
set up pretty good.
All you gotta do is
find something wrong.
I'm sorry to pull
the rug out, Joe,
but you ain't gonna
find nothin' wrong.
Them boxes are clean just
like you shipped 'em to me.
Get a load of these, Joe.
On all three wheels yet.
Porky's been doing it wholesale.
You don't know nothing
about them weights.
I told you, I never
touched them boxes.
I don't know nothin'
about no weights!
What do you call these? Peanuts?
Hey, Joe, wait!
Let me talk to you.
Joe, give me a chance!
Give me a chance!
Joe!
Moose... Oh, Moose,
come on, baby.
You don't wanna hurt me, Moose.
Come on, Moose. I
never done nothin' to you.
I've known you for years, Moose.
You don't have
to do that no more.
Hey, Moose don't have a gun!
Come on!
Operator... give me the police.
Following the death of
his number one torpedo,
Joe Bomer directed his
hoods to find Porker Davis.
They reported back to
him at his headquarters,
Chicago's exclusive
Hotsy Totsy Club.
Nothin'. I don't get it, Joe.
It's like there wasn't anybody
ever named Porker Davis.
We asked around like you said.
All we get is fish eyes.
Well, you find him. I want him.
Pick him up if you have
to look under every
rock in Chicago.
Have a seat.
You're not eating, Joe.
What's the matter?
Are you worried?
What do I got to worry about?
Moose Tobin, maybe.
Look, you're not
dragging me in on that.
He worked for you.
A lot of guys work for me.
A lot of guys weren't found
with a slug in their belly.
Look, I'm the guy
who called the cops.
Didn't they tell you that, Ness?
They told me.
Maybe they should've
straightened you
out on the rest of it.
The Moose asked me to
meet him at Porker's joint.
At 4:00 in the morning?
Well, he can't help it if
he can't sleep at night.
I walked in, he's
dead, I call the cops
like any decent
citizen would do.
Why didn't you move
the boxes out first?
The what?
The boxes... the slot machines.
Oh-oh, them. Why would
I wanna move 'em out?
They don't mean nothin' to me.
Look, them slots are
worth two C's a piece.
Three.
There must have been
30 standin' around.
Forty.
All right, 40.
That's 12,000 bucks.
Now, you think I'd throw
that kind of dough away?
If you thought you could
throw us a nice curve.
Anything you want
us to tell Porker Davis?
You got him?
Thanks for your cooperation.
Hello?
Hello, Benjy. It's
me. It's Porker.
You hear what happened?
Yeah, I heard.
Well, I gotta see ya, Benjy.
You gotta help me out.
I don't know, Porker,
Joe's lookin' for ya.
We're friends.
We know each other
a long time, Benjy.
Yeah, but, Porker, to go against
Joe, that's asking too much.
For five grand?
I ain't asking for no favors.
I'm willing to pay in
advance, five grand!
You hear that, Benjy?
Yeah. Listen, Porker,
you know where
my mother's place is?
It's 430 Cooper.
No, she's in St.
Louis with my sister.
You meet me there, say...
oh, later sometime, midnight.
Okay, midnight.
Joe...?
Porker... Porker...
Not too much for you, Joe.
I'm very glad you
called, Porker.
Julie?
What is it?
Listen, I thought you
were going down...
I didn't say "Come in".
I thought you were
going downtown.
Aren't you gonna
see Vinnie Blaine?
In this?
Looking like something
they dragged out of the Lake?
Vinnie's lookin' for a
singer, not a hat. Sure.
You walk in,
you say, "I heard you
need a new singer."
He says, "Yeah", and he
don't even know you're there.
Lookin' right past
you to some babe
whose boyfriend just
bought her a new fur coat.
Don't tell me a
mink coat can't sing.
Julie, what do you want from me?
I want a singing job.
Well, honey, I told
you a hundred times
as soon as I get my own place
again, you'll have a singing job.
Joe Bomer has a
place... Hotsy Totsy Club.
We don't take anything
from Joe Bomer.
You took me from him.
Anyway, I figure he owes you.
Him and that creepy Porker both.
Look, I don't
wanna talk about it.
Okay, be a pushover.
Don't try to make
any life for me.
Be a patsy all
your life. Go ahead.
Look, Julie, you stay
away from Joe Bomer.
You hear me?
You hear? No.
Don't give me that talk now.
You want a new hat?
Okay, buy yourself one.
Benjy!
Benjy! Benjy?!
Hello, Benjy.
Well, Hobson.
Why walk?
The L's just across the street.
Claudette?
I'm glad I caught
you before you closed.
This is Julie Liemer.
You know that hat I
was lookin' at yesterday?
Yeah. Yeah, I'm
comin' over for it.
Okay, bye.
♪ Heartache, heartache ♪
♪ You've got the key to... ♪
Sore? Me?
What for, Mr. Ness?
I mean, you pick me up,
you make me feel big again.
You remember
how big I used to be?
I would do anything
for my friends.
Did you ever pick up the
tab when you ate at my place?
I never ate in your place.
Well, if you had there would
have been a table for you.
Big, I mean big.
You know, in those days, when
you mentioned Benjy Liemer,
you weren't just
whistling against the wind.
But no more.
Nothin' but lousy
punks around now.
It's all gone. It's finished.
They cut me down
pretty good, too.
You still eat
pretty well, Benjy.
Last night, the
Hotsy Totsy Club.
You had dinner with Joe Bomer.
Now what could you
two have to talk about?
The Moose Tobin killing?
How does Bomer fit in?
I don't know. Honest.
I, I just went over
to make a touch.
And not for me, for Julie.
You remember Julie, don't you?
You know, it kills me
what they did to her.
Pipes like that, she
should've been right up on top.
A headliner on any show.
You've got enough contacts.
Yeah, but you've gotta
have dough, Mr. Ness,
for arrangements, for clothes.
You gotta make a big splash.
Four years. I couldn't
take it any more.
That's why I put
the bite on Joe.
You know something?
His conscience
must've bothered him.
He gave me double
what I asked for.
Anything else?
I got an appointment.
Good to see you again.
He's a nice little guy.
He's lying.
Joe Bomer never helped anybody.
Honest, I don't
know where he is!
Honest!
I don't know where he is.
Let's go.
Untouchable Jack
Rossman was also looking
in Richmond, Indiana.
At the office of the
Hale Novelty Company,
he searched for records
that would prove Joe
Bomer's connection
with Chicago's growing
slot machine racket.
He came up with nothing.
Benjy.
Listen, I'm taking a big chance.
I know that, but you
got to help me, you hear?
How can I help you?
You're the only one
that can talk to Joe.
He owes you. He'll listen.
I don't know.
Look, you know
what he's pulling.
You called it for me!
You know I never
touched them boxes!
You know he had them all fixed!
You know he could knock
me over and take my place.
All right, Benjy, he
can have my place.
You tell him that.
Tell him I'm out. I'm finished.
Only tell him to
call off his boys.
I don't know if he's
gonna listen to me.
He's still sore about Moose.
Well, I had to!
The big guy was
coming at me. I had to!
Look, Benjy... I
told you five grand.
I wasn't kidding.
And there's gonna
be more, Benjy.
You know I always
made big dough.
Just try to talk to Joe.
Try!
I'll try, but... it's
gonna be tough.
I know.
You let me know.
I'll be waiting.
Where?
I got a place, uh,
on Sable Street.
Number 8-1-7.
Ground floor in the rear.
Apartment 1-D.
You remember that, Benjy?
Eight-one-seven.
Yes, I'll remember.
Thanks.
Good.
Benjy, I been thinking
about, uh, what we
done to you... me and Joe.
You know, me walking
into your club and saying,
"You buy your booze
from me or else."
And Joe saying the same.
The two of us
clawing at each other,
and you caught in the middle.
It was wrong.
We shouldn't have
burned you out.
Well, it's done.
Well, we was wrong, Benjy.
I'm gonna make it up to you.
You'll see.
Huh?
♪ ♪
Benjy.
Let me talk to Joe.
About Porker.
Joe... you got a pencil?
All right, take this down.
817... Sable Street.
Sable.
Apartment 1-D.
Got it?
And now back to...
November 16, 1933...
At 10:05 PM a
black sedan pulled up
in front of an apartment
building on Sable Street.
Number 817...
Where Porker Davis had holed up
awaiting a rendezvous
with Benjy Liemer.
Benjy...
Paying off for Moose Tobin.
Joe Bomer you think?
I think, but try and prove it.
I've been chasing
you guys for an hour.
Porker Davis? Yes.
Somebody dropped
him in the lake.
Another door closed.
Another one opened.
You got a phone call.
I took the message.
You ask who it was? I
asked but he hung up.
"If you want slot machines,
try 1240 Ames, the basement."
What have we got to lose?
Hey, I hit the jackpot!
Federal raid! Nobody move!
Get on the street.
The tip was the
first of many more.
In the next few days,
they came in steadily.
And they were always right.
All right, let's
clean 'em up, huh?
By the end of the week,
Ness was certain of one thing.
His informant, still anonymous,
was his big chance to
put Bomer behind bars.
Got that.
Wait, don't hang up, wait!
Hello, boys.
Julie?
Julie, come on in
here for a minute.
Hey, what's the matter with you?
Vinnie Blaine.
Some friend!
I couldn't even
get in to see him.
Six times I been down there.
Six times!
In the old days, you fed
him six months for free!
Even the least he can...
For me?
Of course.
Maison Robaire... Who
needs Vinnie Blaine?
Now who needs anybody?
Four years...
See, I told you
things were lookin' up.
I told you things are getting
better, didn't I? I know you told me.
You like it?
Unzip me!
Oh!
There you are.
Oh, now, Benjy,
I gotta try this on.
Well, don't I get any thanks?
Maybe.
Porker?
Porker, you shouldn't be hungry.
You're dead.
You too, Joe.
You're next.
Nine joints in less
than two weeks.
180 machines.
That's over 50 grand.
Well, it couldn't have
happened just like that.
Somebody's gotta
be tippin' Ness off.
Yeah, but the question is: Who?
Well, you-you don't think
it's one of us, do you, Joe?
No, no, I don't figure
one of you is that dumb.
Well, then who?
I'll find him and
I'll pay him off.
Him and Ness both.
Eliot, this is Mr. Walker Hale.
He just drove up from the plant.
Mr. Hale. Hello, Mr. Ness.
Tell him.
After Mr. Rossman
left, I kept on digging.
And yesterday, I found this.
Machines you shipped
up here? Not machines.
Lead weights...
Made expressly for
regulating the machines.
You wouldn't need them
unless... Lead weights?
This the invoice?
The duplicate and
the original order.
Thanks, Mr. Hale.
Thanks very much.
You're welcome.
Mr. Benjy Liemer.
Yeah?
Door's open.
Mrs. Liemer? My name's Ness.
Yeah, I know who you are.
You've got your nerve.
What do you want?
Information.
What's Benjy doing
for a living these days?
I don't know. He don't tell me.
Whatever it is, he'd
better start doing better.
I had enough of this
dump... up to here.
Eliot.
Benjy has some
interesting pets here.
Joe and Porker.
The rats who chewed
him down to nothing.
So what?
So he's got some
fruitcake notions about pets.
So he's an oddball. So what?
He's always been rated
pretty high in this town.
Benjy had a lot of friends.
Friends?
Spongers. Bums
lookin' for a handout.
Been better if he'd
saved some for his own.
For you?
A man marries, he ought
to take care of his wife.
I don't know why he wouldn't.
He should be able to.
He's working for Hale Novelty.
Hale Novelty... They
make slot machines.
He's working with your
old friend, Joe Bomer.
He's running slot
machines, isn't he? Isn't he?
Sure, makin' 50 grand a week.
We got a whole floor
in the Drake Hotel.
You're wasting
your time, Mr. Ness.
He ain't got two
nickels to rub together.
He's a nothin'. A zero.
He never done one
thing right in his life.
Maybe you're right.
Been a long time, Julie.
If you ask me, too long.
Well, it ain't hurt
you too much.
You look real good.
Oh, must be the dress.
It always shows.
You get something
good and... it shows.
Maison Robaires.
Now you didn't come
here to show me that dress.
What can I do for you, Julie?
You can give me a job.
You're gonna be building
your summer floor show.
I'll take anything, Joe.
A spot in the line,
chance to sing one number.
Not just for me.
You owe it to Benjy.
Nothin'! I owe him nothin'!
What I mean... it's been tough.
He's had some hard times.
Seems to me he's
dressing you pretty good.
Once in four years.
So he hit a number.
Okay... he gets
his pay every week.
We got enough to eat.
We appreciate that, Joe.
We try to show it.
Like today, I could
have blabbed to Ness.
Ness?
He come snooping
around asking questions.
He knows about
the slot machines.
What'd you say to him?
Nothing.
I never even gave him the time.
I wouldn't do that to you, Joe.
Joe... you'll think
about the job.
You... you'll call?
Yeah.
Yeah, I'll call.
Oh, not today.
I ain't gonna be home today.
I'm gonna visit my
girlfriend on the North Side.
Ain't too often
I got a new dress to show off.
Well, seein' you.
I wasn't gonna take the glass.
I didn't know she could sing.
She can't.
She ain't the
canary in that family.
All of a sudden
Benjy's got dough.
All of a sudden the
Feds are hittin' me.
And Ness is goin'
over to his joint to talk.
I been askin' who's
been tippin' Ness off.
Well, I just found out.
Hey, Joe!
Look at this.
Porker and Joe.
Four years he's been
waitin'... Four years.
A nice guy like Benjy, hmm?
Right under my nose.
And if Julie don't
come askin' for a job,
I don't ever find out.
Joe Bomer's hoodlums
took the town apart,
but they never came close.
Benjy Liemer had disappeared.
Suspecting that Benjy Liemer
was their anonymous tipster,
the Untouchables combed
the town searching for him.
Shortly before 10:00,
they returned to their office.
Still nothing.
A washout.
Coffee?
No, thanks.
I thought sure he'd be
building a fire under Joe.
Well, he hated him enough.
He hated Porker, too.
Maybe enough to get him killed.
Yeah, but how?
I don't know, but if
Benjy worked with him...
Yeah?
It's him. He's on.
Trace it.
Benjy?
Benjy, where are you?
Well, wherever I am,
I ain't gonna be long.
I've got Joe Bomer on my back.
Bomer?
Does he know you've
been tipping us?
Who says I've been tipping you?
I say so. Now, what about Joe?
How'd he find out?
I don't know. Julie
was down there.
She might have said something.
Julie?
Well, it's something
she wouldn't even know.
She must have let it slip.
I mean, she's my wife.
She wouldn't sell me out.
You're going to need some help.
Tell me where you are.
Benjy, trust me.
Why should I trust you?
You mean that?
I mean that.
All right, Ness.
Will you take care
of Julie for me?
Look, you say I've been
doing you some favors.
I'm just asking you one
back. It isn't so much.
Just see that she's taken
care of for me, will you, please?
Okay, Benjy, but...
Ted, did you get it?
No.
Mrs. Liemer? What happened here?
We'd like you to come with us.
Huh? We don't know.
We'd like you to
come with us, please.
Where are you
taking me? Downtown.
What for? Ness?
What's he got against me?
Don't ask him.
He's liable to tell you.
Come on.
All right, so I went down there.
So I wanted a job.
That don't mean I
said nothing to Joe!
It's like beating on a
wall with a paper hammer.
He got it all figured.
Would you like some coffee?
I'd like to get out of here.
Ness.
She's all right.
She's right here.
Benjy?
Julie? Julie, I've got something
to tell you, but just you.
Now make sure. Nobody else.
Would you get off?
He won't talk.
Hang up.
Okay.
Julie, I've been
trying to reach you.
We're in trouble.
We've got to take off.
Where?
Anywhere you say, Julie.
South America, Europe, anywhere.
I've got five grand
in my pocket.
How?
Julie, don't ask me
how, where, when or why.
I've got it, Julie,
and we've got it.
Now, come down to
my mother's place fast!
Okay.
Benjy, wait a minute, listen!
Where is he?
He didn't say.
He'd want you to meet him.
He'd tell you.
We could save his life.
Where is he?
I don't know.
Don't know or don't care?
You wouldn't go to him anyway.
He's on the run.
What could he give you now?
What did he ever give me?
Four years of waiting
for things to get better.
You know the odds.
He didn't grab you
out of kindergarten.
I was 24, and I wanted to sing.
"Marry me," he says.
"Marry me, I'll build a
whole floorshow around you."
So I marry him.
I ain't even used
to the Missus yet,
and Porker Davis burns him out,
teaching him not
to buy from Joe.
Only he don't learn
so easy, not him.
He's got to rebuild.
He's got to put in
another 200 grand,
so this time Joe
can burn him out.
Ceiling to cellar, everything.
So, we're broke.
And all I got left is him...
A little man talking
how big he's gonna be.
I'll tell you about
your little man.
You know what's kept him
going the past four years?
Trying to get you the
things you wanted.
You could have had 'em if
you hadn't have cut him down.
Stay and listen to the rest.
He knew you'd put
Bomer on his back today.
He's running for his life,
and all he could
think about was you.
Why do you think
we picked you up?
He asked us to take care of you.
All right, you can go.
Back elevator.
You think she'll go to him?
If she's got any heart at all.
The Hotsy Totsy Club.
Joe Bomer's place.
She'll put him
right on to Benjy.
She couldn't wait.
Stay with her, Lee.
Right.
Nice girl.
Yeah, lovely.
♪ I can be good ♪
Joe... ♪ Or I can be bad ♪
I got to talk to you.
♪ It all depends ♪
Not for me.
I... I ain't asking for me.
♪ On you ♪
Yeah, I know.
For him, you're
so nuts about him.
♪ I can be lonely... ♪
Go ahead, throw it in my face.
Every lousy thing
I ever done to him.
♪ It all depends... ♪
Maybe I could remind you, too.
Maybe we could both get sick.
♪ I can save money... ♪
So, I wasn't the kind of wife
like you read about
in the magazines,
but I owe him, Joe.
He was good.
He... tried.
I owe him.
If it wasn't for me, he
wouldn't be running.
You owe him, too.
You done enough to him.
♪ It all depends ♪
Okay, what do you want?
♪ On you... ♪
Give him a break.
I'll get him out of town.
I promise.
Please!
He ain't worth bothering.
He's such a... little man.
All right.
You got your little man.
You better get out of here
and get him out of town
before I change my mind.
Okay.
Thanks, Joe.
♪ It all depends... ♪
Joe, what are you doing?
She knows where he is.
I could slap it out of her.
You had him, and you let him go.
I got him.
Car's out back.
Taxi!
Taxi, ma'am? Yes.
Pardon me, please. Taxi!
Thank you.
430 Cooper, please.
Yes, ma'am.
Real fast!
What was that address?
Federal officer. What was it?
Oh.
Get away.
You lousy rat you...!
Get rid of him!
Go on! Beat it! Beat it!
What happened?
Some girl... they grabbed her.
They dragged her in there.
Julie?
Julie?
Did they hurt you?
Uh... I hurt my funny bone.
I did that.
I did it.
He didn't deserve it.
You didn't, either.
Joe Bomer's death ended
the large-scale operation
of slot machines in Chicago.
He went to his grave
in high gangster style...
In a casket that
cost over $2,000.
Benjy Liemer topped him.
His casket cost 25 hundred.
His widow bought it.
He had left her five grand.
The Untouchables.
Get rid of him.
Go on. Beat it, beat it.
What happened?
Some girl. They grabbed
her. They dragged her in there.
Tonight's episode...
Starring Robert
Stack as Eliot Ness.
Costarring Tom
Drake, Cloris Leachman,
and Gavin MacLeod.
With special guest
star Martin Balsam.
And narrated by Walter Winchell.
The liberty bell slot machine,
perfected in the middle '20s,
was made to order
for the Chicago mob.
It was nerveless and tireless.
It put the sucker on a
24-hour paying basis.
By the end of 1933, over
2,000 one-armed bandits
were digging their iron
claws into the public pocket.
The take topped $100,000 a week.
That made it big business,
and big business
meant big risks.
Late on the night of November 7,
four men arrived at
Porker Davis' place.
They had not come
to try their luck.
Moose, baby.
This must be my lucky night.
Joe says maybe
you need a lesson.
What do you mean? I don't
tell Joe how to run his business.
Okay, ladies and gents.
You had it.
We're closing up.
You didn't say nothin'
about closin' up.
I said it.
Move.
Okay... Okay, I
don't need no more.
Tell Joe I got the message.
Two years before, Eliot
Ness and the Untouchables
had helped run the slot
machines out of Chicago.
This was their first warning
that the one-armed
bandits were back.
Take a look upstairs, Rico.
Right.
Well, they're operating again.
They were. It looks like
somebody called off the bets.
Pretty big bets.
Nickels and dimes.
Capone started with
nickels and dimes.
So did the Gennas.
These look like
new type machines.
Hale Novelty Company,
Richmond, Indiana.
Get Rossman on it. He
can drive down tomorrow.
Eliot, look what I found.
Mr. Ness.
Well... Porker Davis.
A lousy shame, Mr. Ness.
This town is going to the dogs.
What pack are you
running with, Porker?
Slot machines. That's
a new one for you.
Slot machines?
You see any slot
machines upstairs?
All right. Who hit you?
Cigarette...?
Who hit you?
You're too small for
a private war, Porker.
At 10:00 the following
morning, Porker paid a visit
to Joe Bomer, formerly a kingpin
in Capone's booze
operation, and now the czar
of Chicago's million
dollar slot machine racket.
Now, you gotta look
at it my way, Porker.
I let you have your own boxes,
and pretty soon
there are others,
and pretty soon I lose control.
This way all the
boxes are set the same.
I keep the take down to 30%,
and the sucker hits
enough to keep comin'.
You let me get my own
boxes, I'll go for the 30%, Joe.
Nah. It don't work out.
Maybe not you, but
some other joker.
All of a sudden he
decides to get rich.
Starts taking 50%, 60% percent.
The word gets around.
The others start grabbin'.
Pretty soon, the box
has got a bad name.
And pretty soon the suckers
ain't-ain't playin' no more.
So, what's the deal?
I supply the
machines, I service 'em,
and we split down the middle.
That's cuttin' me pretty
close to the bone, Joe.
They gotta pull them
handles a lot of times
before I even got my overhead.
You wanted a deal.
Now take it or leave it.
I got a choice?
Not much.
You'll need a new place.
I got a place.
1620 Clay Drive.
I'll take 30 machines.
40. I'll send 'em
over to you tonight.
You're calling the play.
Benjy. Porker.
Hey. What are you
doing here? How are ya?
He works for me.
On the level? You
working for him?
Sure. You gotta
live. You gotta forget.
Does that include me?
Why not?
Hey, you're all right, Benjy.
Hey, how's Julie? Fine.
Still as pretty as
ever? Prettier. Prettier.
Yeah. See you around.
Check out 40 boxes to Porker.
Get 'em over tonight.
1620 Clay Drive.
1620 Clay... I'll
take care of it myself.
The suckers crowded
Porker's new place every night.
They gave the
machines a steady play.
The first week's
take was gratifying.
Now, you did real good.
$2,900.
It'll only get better.
I hope so.
Well, I'll take $1450.
I got it right here.
Listen, Porker... Huh?
We're friends, aren't we?
For a long time.
I know.
Can I tell you something?
Sure. Go right ahead.
Don't do no better.
What're you talkin' about?
Well, we both know how he is.
Who do you mean... Joe?
Yeah.
You mean, he ain't
satisfied splittin' the loot?
Look...
You know, that guy... every
time somethin' good turns out,
he's gotta try to grab it all.
What do you want?!
Seems to be some trouble
on number three machine.
All right, I'll be right out.
Stay here. Sure.
I'll be right back. All right.
So, how'd it average out?
What's the matter? You
deaf, Benjy, or something?
Joe, I don't know
how to say this to you.
Well, try English.
You keep it nice and simple
and maybe I can understand you.
So, come on. Say it.
Something wrong?
Porker's take was
close to $3,000.
On 40 boxes?
That's almost 75 bucks apiece.
You think he's got 'em rigged?
You see anything?
Well, I didn't exactly
see nothin', only...
Only what?
Well, the floorman came in
and said a customer was
yelling about Number Three Box.
What else?
Come on, what else?!
Clip weights.
Yeah.
Where'd you get these?
Well, he went out to
cool off the customer
and I found 'em on
the floor near his desk.
Good, Benjy.
We got some repairs to do.
He works late.
Yeah, it takes time to
add up a big profit like that.
Start on Number Three.
Joe... Back up, Porker.
You're movin' a little too fast.
A little late for company.
If we're company.
What else?
It's hard to tell till we
open some of them boxes.
Well, you got me
set up pretty good.
All you gotta do is
find something wrong.
I'm sorry to pull
the rug out, Joe,
but you ain't gonna
find nothin' wrong.
Them boxes are clean just
like you shipped 'em to me.
Get a load of these, Joe.
On all three wheels yet.
Porky's been doing it wholesale.
You don't know nothing
about them weights.
I told you, I never
touched them boxes.
I don't know nothin'
about no weights!
What do you call these? Peanuts?
Hey, Joe, wait!
Let me talk to you.
Joe, give me a chance!
Give me a chance!
Joe!
Moose... Oh, Moose,
come on, baby.
You don't wanna hurt me, Moose.
Come on, Moose. I
never done nothin' to you.
I've known you for years, Moose.
You don't have
to do that no more.
Hey, Moose don't have a gun!
Come on!
Operator... give me the police.
Following the death of
his number one torpedo,
Joe Bomer directed his
hoods to find Porker Davis.
They reported back to
him at his headquarters,
Chicago's exclusive
Hotsy Totsy Club.
Nothin'. I don't get it, Joe.
It's like there wasn't anybody
ever named Porker Davis.
We asked around like you said.
All we get is fish eyes.
Well, you find him. I want him.
Pick him up if you have
to look under every
rock in Chicago.
Have a seat.
You're not eating, Joe.
What's the matter?
Are you worried?
What do I got to worry about?
Moose Tobin, maybe.
Look, you're not
dragging me in on that.
He worked for you.
A lot of guys work for me.
A lot of guys weren't found
with a slug in their belly.
Look, I'm the guy
who called the cops.
Didn't they tell you that, Ness?
They told me.
Maybe they should've
straightened you
out on the rest of it.
The Moose asked me to
meet him at Porker's joint.
At 4:00 in the morning?
Well, he can't help it if
he can't sleep at night.
I walked in, he's
dead, I call the cops
like any decent
citizen would do.
Why didn't you move
the boxes out first?
The what?
The boxes... the slot machines.
Oh-oh, them. Why would
I wanna move 'em out?
They don't mean nothin' to me.
Look, them slots are
worth two C's a piece.
Three.
There must have been
30 standin' around.
Forty.
All right, 40.
That's 12,000 bucks.
Now, you think I'd throw
that kind of dough away?
If you thought you could
throw us a nice curve.
Anything you want
us to tell Porker Davis?
You got him?
Thanks for your cooperation.
Hello?
Hello, Benjy. It's
me. It's Porker.
You hear what happened?
Yeah, I heard.
Well, I gotta see ya, Benjy.
You gotta help me out.
I don't know, Porker,
Joe's lookin' for ya.
We're friends.
We know each other
a long time, Benjy.
Yeah, but, Porker, to go against
Joe, that's asking too much.
For five grand?
I ain't asking for no favors.
I'm willing to pay in
advance, five grand!
You hear that, Benjy?
Yeah. Listen, Porker,
you know where
my mother's place is?
It's 430 Cooper.
No, she's in St.
Louis with my sister.
You meet me there, say...
oh, later sometime, midnight.
Okay, midnight.
Joe...?
Porker... Porker...
Not too much for you, Joe.
I'm very glad you
called, Porker.
Julie?
What is it?
Listen, I thought you
were going down...
I didn't say "Come in".
I thought you were
going downtown.
Aren't you gonna
see Vinnie Blaine?
In this?
Looking like something
they dragged out of the Lake?
Vinnie's lookin' for a
singer, not a hat. Sure.
You walk in,
you say, "I heard you
need a new singer."
He says, "Yeah", and he
don't even know you're there.
Lookin' right past
you to some babe
whose boyfriend just
bought her a new fur coat.
Don't tell me a
mink coat can't sing.
Julie, what do you want from me?
I want a singing job.
Well, honey, I told
you a hundred times
as soon as I get my own place
again, you'll have a singing job.
Joe Bomer has a
place... Hotsy Totsy Club.
We don't take anything
from Joe Bomer.
You took me from him.
Anyway, I figure he owes you.
Him and that creepy Porker both.
Look, I don't
wanna talk about it.
Okay, be a pushover.
Don't try to make
any life for me.
Be a patsy all
your life. Go ahead.
Look, Julie, you stay
away from Joe Bomer.
You hear me?
You hear? No.
Don't give me that talk now.
You want a new hat?
Okay, buy yourself one.
Benjy!
Benjy! Benjy?!
Hello, Benjy.
Well, Hobson.
Why walk?
The L's just across the street.
Claudette?
I'm glad I caught
you before you closed.
This is Julie Liemer.
You know that hat I
was lookin' at yesterday?
Yeah. Yeah, I'm
comin' over for it.
Okay, bye.
♪ Heartache, heartache ♪
♪ You've got the key to... ♪
Sore? Me?
What for, Mr. Ness?
I mean, you pick me up,
you make me feel big again.
You remember
how big I used to be?
I would do anything
for my friends.
Did you ever pick up the
tab when you ate at my place?
I never ate in your place.
Well, if you had there would
have been a table for you.
Big, I mean big.
You know, in those days, when
you mentioned Benjy Liemer,
you weren't just
whistling against the wind.
But no more.
Nothin' but lousy
punks around now.
It's all gone. It's finished.
They cut me down
pretty good, too.
You still eat
pretty well, Benjy.
Last night, the
Hotsy Totsy Club.
You had dinner with Joe Bomer.
Now what could you
two have to talk about?
The Moose Tobin killing?
How does Bomer fit in?
I don't know. Honest.
I, I just went over
to make a touch.
And not for me, for Julie.
You remember Julie, don't you?
You know, it kills me
what they did to her.
Pipes like that, she
should've been right up on top.
A headliner on any show.
You've got enough contacts.
Yeah, but you've gotta
have dough, Mr. Ness,
for arrangements, for clothes.
You gotta make a big splash.
Four years. I couldn't
take it any more.
That's why I put
the bite on Joe.
You know something?
His conscience
must've bothered him.
He gave me double
what I asked for.
Anything else?
I got an appointment.
Good to see you again.
He's a nice little guy.
He's lying.
Joe Bomer never helped anybody.
Honest, I don't
know where he is!
Honest!
I don't know where he is.
Let's go.
Untouchable Jack
Rossman was also looking
in Richmond, Indiana.
At the office of the
Hale Novelty Company,
he searched for records
that would prove Joe
Bomer's connection
with Chicago's growing
slot machine racket.
He came up with nothing.
Benjy.
Listen, I'm taking a big chance.
I know that, but you
got to help me, you hear?
How can I help you?
You're the only one
that can talk to Joe.
He owes you. He'll listen.
I don't know.
Look, you know
what he's pulling.
You called it for me!
You know I never
touched them boxes!
You know he had them all fixed!
You know he could knock
me over and take my place.
All right, Benjy, he
can have my place.
You tell him that.
Tell him I'm out. I'm finished.
Only tell him to
call off his boys.
I don't know if he's
gonna listen to me.
He's still sore about Moose.
Well, I had to!
The big guy was
coming at me. I had to!
Look, Benjy... I
told you five grand.
I wasn't kidding.
And there's gonna
be more, Benjy.
You know I always
made big dough.
Just try to talk to Joe.
Try!
I'll try, but... it's
gonna be tough.
I know.
You let me know.
I'll be waiting.
Where?
I got a place, uh,
on Sable Street.
Number 8-1-7.
Ground floor in the rear.
Apartment 1-D.
You remember that, Benjy?
Eight-one-seven.
Yes, I'll remember.
Thanks.
Good.
Benjy, I been thinking
about, uh, what we
done to you... me and Joe.
You know, me walking
into your club and saying,
"You buy your booze
from me or else."
And Joe saying the same.
The two of us
clawing at each other,
and you caught in the middle.
It was wrong.
We shouldn't have
burned you out.
Well, it's done.
Well, we was wrong, Benjy.
I'm gonna make it up to you.
You'll see.
Huh?
♪ ♪
Benjy.
Let me talk to Joe.
About Porker.
Joe... you got a pencil?
All right, take this down.
817... Sable Street.
Sable.
Apartment 1-D.
Got it?
And now back to...
November 16, 1933...
At 10:05 PM a
black sedan pulled up
in front of an apartment
building on Sable Street.
Number 817...
Where Porker Davis had holed up
awaiting a rendezvous
with Benjy Liemer.
Benjy...
Paying off for Moose Tobin.
Joe Bomer you think?
I think, but try and prove it.
I've been chasing
you guys for an hour.
Porker Davis? Yes.
Somebody dropped
him in the lake.
Another door closed.
Another one opened.
You got a phone call.
I took the message.
You ask who it was? I
asked but he hung up.
"If you want slot machines,
try 1240 Ames, the basement."
What have we got to lose?
Hey, I hit the jackpot!
Federal raid! Nobody move!
Get on the street.
The tip was the
first of many more.
In the next few days,
they came in steadily.
And they were always right.
All right, let's
clean 'em up, huh?
By the end of the week,
Ness was certain of one thing.
His informant, still anonymous,
was his big chance to
put Bomer behind bars.
Got that.
Wait, don't hang up, wait!
Hello, boys.
Julie?
Julie, come on in
here for a minute.
Hey, what's the matter with you?
Vinnie Blaine.
Some friend!
I couldn't even
get in to see him.
Six times I been down there.
Six times!
In the old days, you fed
him six months for free!
Even the least he can...
For me?
Of course.
Maison Robaire... Who
needs Vinnie Blaine?
Now who needs anybody?
Four years...
See, I told you
things were lookin' up.
I told you things are getting
better, didn't I? I know you told me.
You like it?
Unzip me!
Oh!
There you are.
Oh, now, Benjy,
I gotta try this on.
Well, don't I get any thanks?
Maybe.
Porker?
Porker, you shouldn't be hungry.
You're dead.
You too, Joe.
You're next.
Nine joints in less
than two weeks.
180 machines.
That's over 50 grand.
Well, it couldn't have
happened just like that.
Somebody's gotta
be tippin' Ness off.
Yeah, but the question is: Who?
Well, you-you don't think
it's one of us, do you, Joe?
No, no, I don't figure
one of you is that dumb.
Well, then who?
I'll find him and
I'll pay him off.
Him and Ness both.
Eliot, this is Mr. Walker Hale.
He just drove up from the plant.
Mr. Hale. Hello, Mr. Ness.
Tell him.
After Mr. Rossman
left, I kept on digging.
And yesterday, I found this.
Machines you shipped
up here? Not machines.
Lead weights...
Made expressly for
regulating the machines.
You wouldn't need them
unless... Lead weights?
This the invoice?
The duplicate and
the original order.
Thanks, Mr. Hale.
Thanks very much.
You're welcome.
Mr. Benjy Liemer.
Yeah?
Door's open.
Mrs. Liemer? My name's Ness.
Yeah, I know who you are.
You've got your nerve.
What do you want?
Information.
What's Benjy doing
for a living these days?
I don't know. He don't tell me.
Whatever it is, he'd
better start doing better.
I had enough of this
dump... up to here.
Eliot.
Benjy has some
interesting pets here.
Joe and Porker.
The rats who chewed
him down to nothing.
So what?
So he's got some
fruitcake notions about pets.
So he's an oddball. So what?
He's always been rated
pretty high in this town.
Benjy had a lot of friends.
Friends?
Spongers. Bums
lookin' for a handout.
Been better if he'd
saved some for his own.
For you?
A man marries, he ought
to take care of his wife.
I don't know why he wouldn't.
He should be able to.
He's working for Hale Novelty.
Hale Novelty... They
make slot machines.
He's working with your
old friend, Joe Bomer.
He's running slot
machines, isn't he? Isn't he?
Sure, makin' 50 grand a week.
We got a whole floor
in the Drake Hotel.
You're wasting
your time, Mr. Ness.
He ain't got two
nickels to rub together.
He's a nothin'. A zero.
He never done one
thing right in his life.
Maybe you're right.
Been a long time, Julie.
If you ask me, too long.
Well, it ain't hurt
you too much.
You look real good.
Oh, must be the dress.
It always shows.
You get something
good and... it shows.
Maison Robaires.
Now you didn't come
here to show me that dress.
What can I do for you, Julie?
You can give me a job.
You're gonna be building
your summer floor show.
I'll take anything, Joe.
A spot in the line,
chance to sing one number.
Not just for me.
You owe it to Benjy.
Nothin'! I owe him nothin'!
What I mean... it's been tough.
He's had some hard times.
Seems to me he's
dressing you pretty good.
Once in four years.
So he hit a number.
Okay... he gets
his pay every week.
We got enough to eat.
We appreciate that, Joe.
We try to show it.
Like today, I could
have blabbed to Ness.
Ness?
He come snooping
around asking questions.
He knows about
the slot machines.
What'd you say to him?
Nothing.
I never even gave him the time.
I wouldn't do that to you, Joe.
Joe... you'll think
about the job.
You... you'll call?
Yeah.
Yeah, I'll call.
Oh, not today.
I ain't gonna be home today.
I'm gonna visit my
girlfriend on the North Side.
Ain't too often
I got a new dress to show off.
Well, seein' you.
I wasn't gonna take the glass.
I didn't know she could sing.
She can't.
She ain't the
canary in that family.
All of a sudden
Benjy's got dough.
All of a sudden the
Feds are hittin' me.
And Ness is goin'
over to his joint to talk.
I been askin' who's
been tippin' Ness off.
Well, I just found out.
Hey, Joe!
Look at this.
Porker and Joe.
Four years he's been
waitin'... Four years.
A nice guy like Benjy, hmm?
Right under my nose.
And if Julie don't
come askin' for a job,
I don't ever find out.
Joe Bomer's hoodlums
took the town apart,
but they never came close.
Benjy Liemer had disappeared.
Suspecting that Benjy Liemer
was their anonymous tipster,
the Untouchables combed
the town searching for him.
Shortly before 10:00,
they returned to their office.
Still nothing.
A washout.
Coffee?
No, thanks.
I thought sure he'd be
building a fire under Joe.
Well, he hated him enough.
He hated Porker, too.
Maybe enough to get him killed.
Yeah, but how?
I don't know, but if
Benjy worked with him...
Yeah?
It's him. He's on.
Trace it.
Benjy?
Benjy, where are you?
Well, wherever I am,
I ain't gonna be long.
I've got Joe Bomer on my back.
Bomer?
Does he know you've
been tipping us?
Who says I've been tipping you?
I say so. Now, what about Joe?
How'd he find out?
I don't know. Julie
was down there.
She might have said something.
Julie?
Well, it's something
she wouldn't even know.
She must have let it slip.
I mean, she's my wife.
She wouldn't sell me out.
You're going to need some help.
Tell me where you are.
Benjy, trust me.
Why should I trust you?
You mean that?
I mean that.
All right, Ness.
Will you take care
of Julie for me?
Look, you say I've been
doing you some favors.
I'm just asking you one
back. It isn't so much.
Just see that she's taken
care of for me, will you, please?
Okay, Benjy, but...
Ted, did you get it?
No.
Mrs. Liemer? What happened here?
We'd like you to come with us.
Huh? We don't know.
We'd like you to
come with us, please.
Where are you
taking me? Downtown.
What for? Ness?
What's he got against me?
Don't ask him.
He's liable to tell you.
Come on.
All right, so I went down there.
So I wanted a job.
That don't mean I
said nothing to Joe!
It's like beating on a
wall with a paper hammer.
He got it all figured.
Would you like some coffee?
I'd like to get out of here.
Ness.
She's all right.
She's right here.
Benjy?
Julie? Julie, I've got something
to tell you, but just you.
Now make sure. Nobody else.
Would you get off?
He won't talk.
Hang up.
Okay.
Julie, I've been
trying to reach you.
We're in trouble.
We've got to take off.
Where?
Anywhere you say, Julie.
South America, Europe, anywhere.
I've got five grand
in my pocket.
How?
Julie, don't ask me
how, where, when or why.
I've got it, Julie,
and we've got it.
Now, come down to
my mother's place fast!
Okay.
Benjy, wait a minute, listen!
Where is he?
He didn't say.
He'd want you to meet him.
He'd tell you.
We could save his life.
Where is he?
I don't know.
Don't know or don't care?
You wouldn't go to him anyway.
He's on the run.
What could he give you now?
What did he ever give me?
Four years of waiting
for things to get better.
You know the odds.
He didn't grab you
out of kindergarten.
I was 24, and I wanted to sing.
"Marry me," he says.
"Marry me, I'll build a
whole floorshow around you."
So I marry him.
I ain't even used
to the Missus yet,
and Porker Davis burns him out,
teaching him not
to buy from Joe.
Only he don't learn
so easy, not him.
He's got to rebuild.
He's got to put in
another 200 grand,
so this time Joe
can burn him out.
Ceiling to cellar, everything.
So, we're broke.
And all I got left is him...
A little man talking
how big he's gonna be.
I'll tell you about
your little man.
You know what's kept him
going the past four years?
Trying to get you the
things you wanted.
You could have had 'em if
you hadn't have cut him down.
Stay and listen to the rest.
He knew you'd put
Bomer on his back today.
He's running for his life,
and all he could
think about was you.
Why do you think
we picked you up?
He asked us to take care of you.
All right, you can go.
Back elevator.
You think she'll go to him?
If she's got any heart at all.
The Hotsy Totsy Club.
Joe Bomer's place.
She'll put him
right on to Benjy.
She couldn't wait.
Stay with her, Lee.
Right.
Nice girl.
Yeah, lovely.
♪ I can be good ♪
Joe... ♪ Or I can be bad ♪
I got to talk to you.
♪ It all depends ♪
Not for me.
I... I ain't asking for me.
♪ On you ♪
Yeah, I know.
For him, you're
so nuts about him.
♪ I can be lonely... ♪
Go ahead, throw it in my face.
Every lousy thing
I ever done to him.
♪ It all depends... ♪
Maybe I could remind you, too.
Maybe we could both get sick.
♪ I can save money... ♪
So, I wasn't the kind of wife
like you read about
in the magazines,
but I owe him, Joe.
He was good.
He... tried.
I owe him.
If it wasn't for me, he
wouldn't be running.
You owe him, too.
You done enough to him.
♪ It all depends ♪
Okay, what do you want?
♪ On you... ♪
Give him a break.
I'll get him out of town.
I promise.
Please!
He ain't worth bothering.
He's such a... little man.
All right.
You got your little man.
You better get out of here
and get him out of town
before I change my mind.
Okay.
Thanks, Joe.
♪ It all depends... ♪
Joe, what are you doing?
She knows where he is.
I could slap it out of her.
You had him, and you let him go.
I got him.
Car's out back.
Taxi!
Taxi, ma'am? Yes.
Pardon me, please. Taxi!
Thank you.
430 Cooper, please.
Yes, ma'am.
Real fast!
What was that address?
Federal officer. What was it?
Oh.
Get away.
You lousy rat you...!
Get rid of him!
Go on! Beat it! Beat it!
What happened?
Some girl... they grabbed her.
They dragged her in there.
Julie?
Julie?
Did they hurt you?
Uh... I hurt my funny bone.
I did that.
I did it.
He didn't deserve it.
You didn't, either.
Joe Bomer's death ended
the large-scale operation
of slot machines in Chicago.
He went to his grave
in high gangster style...
In a casket that
cost over $2,000.
Benjy Liemer topped him.
His casket cost 25 hundred.
His widow bought it.
He had left her five grand.
The Untouchables.