I stole something that belonged to you.
That is absurd.
You're a genius. Yeah, that's right.
How many of your other clients have you framed with Tanya?
Well, you're very perceptive.
Too bad it wasn't on during the murder.
You could have told me who did it.
I think I know how you killed Mr. Norris.
Subliminal cuts.
Your entire case could rest on that.
If my wife decided to murder me...
But you have to die to become a martyr.
Can't win 'em all.
(Keppel) Nothing can happen in this country
until someone sells something.
We are...
[rewinding]
[Projector whirring]
Oh. Well, Doctor, can I help you?
No. No. Not at all, thank you.
You're a little bit early this evening, Roger.
Oh, yeah, I came in to check out the sound system.
Okay, well, there's the film.
Mmm-hmm.
We'll be running in about an hour, I would say.
I'll let you know.
Okay, good.
(Mrs. Norris) Hello.
Hello, Mrs. Norris?
You don't know me, but I think we should talk.
Who is this?
Uh, let's just say that I am a friend of
Tanya Baker, which is the subject
about which I am calling.
I don't know any Tanya...
Yes, I know you don't, Mrs. Norris,
but your husband does.
You see, Tanya is my girlfriend,
and Mr. Norris is your husband.
I wish there was a nice way to put it,
but there isn't. They're having an affair, and that's that.
That is absurd.
It is, huh?
Well, that's funny, because I've got the proof
right here in front of me.
It started when he hired her
to do the bathing suit commercials
[sobbing] And it's been going on ever since.
Go on.
I'm sorry.
But this is a little new to me, too.
Anyway, I hired
a private detective because I got suspicious.
And he... he took a lot of pictures.
You could have a set if you want them.
I don't why I'm even calling you,
except it seemed like it would help if you knew about it.
But I don't believe you.
Well, if you'd like to see for yourself,
you can because they're together right now
as we are talking.
And if you want to meet me at Valley and Magnolia
I'll take you over to where they are.
I don't know...
I'll be there in 40 minutes.
But if I get stuck in traffic, you wait for me, will you?
All right. I'll wait for you.
Okay. I'll be there.
Yes?
Mr. Norris.
Oh, Mr. Norris, good evening, sir. Go ahead.
(Keppel) ...the concept of this film,
the results have been astonishing.
The demographics are the strongest we've ever had.
Hello, Vic.
Bart.
Jimmy, why don't you bring the caviar?
(Jimmy) Yes, sir.
Would you like to have a drink before the screening, or afterwards?
There isn't going to be any after-the-screening drink
unless I get those negatives.
Well, Vic, I haven't made up my mind about that yet.
But I have something for you,
because I know how much you like it.
Caviar. Royal Iranian beluga.
It's just come in.
Jimmy, put that down for Mr. Norris.
Yes, sir.
I can see why you'd have a hard time
making up your mind.
How many of your other clients have you framed with Tanya?
It wouldn't surprise me a bit.
This whole institution was built
on her remarkable body.
I must ask the D.A. To look into that.
You're turning into a crusader on me, Vic.
Enjoying it.
With a martyr complex?
Could be.
But you have to die to become a martyr.
That follows.
(Keppel) Well, ladies and gentlemen, perhaps we should go in.
I think it's about time.
Why, hello, Mr. Norris. Good evening.
Watch out with that.
(Keppel) Vic, I'll be with you in a minute.
Jimmy, why don't you leave all that?
You can clean it up in the morning.
All right. I won't need you any more.
Yes, sir. Here. Here.
Don't forget this. Oh, thank you, sir.
Good night.
Good night, Jimmy.
First, let me explain what you are going to see.
This is a final cut, but without narration.
All the music and the effects are in,
but not the narration.
I will do that myself from the stage,
so that if any of you have ideas
that you want to contribute, we can incorporate them
before we hire a narrator for the final soundtrack.
Um, let me add just one thing.
I'm extremely proud of this film.
It incorporates several very strong
motivational sales factors.
I think you will find it a very, very motivating film.
Okay, then. Let's have a look.
[Soundtrack playing]
(Keppel on tape recorder) Nothing can happen in this country
until someone sells something.
We are traditionally a nation of salesmen.
But most importantly, we have advanced
salesmanship to a creative art.
It has been the ability of salesmen,
representing American products and capital around the globe,
that has made American business preeminent.
[Projector whirring]
The energies of these workers
and the dollar resources behind them are wasted
unless there is someone to sell their product
in the American marketplace.
Now, here's an item that doesn't require selling.
Exquisite lines, soft and caressable.
And, as we know, an invaluable selling aid.
...that the California desert, arid and uninhabitable,
would be developed into thriving model communities.
20 years ago, no one could imagine
that in this vast wasteland,
we would build fully realized cities
with all of the urban services
and none of the urban problems
of America's metropolitan centers.
To sell that idea is the secret of American success.
To convince the public that this hot, parched land
could be a suburban oasis, was a feat
that required not only imagination,
but daring.
[Sighing]
The public had to be shown more than what you see.
[Projector whirring]
[Sighing]
They had to see the progressive vision of a new suburban lifestyle...
You all right, Vic?
...that took creative and dynamic salesmanship,
uniquely American in concept and...
Vic.
[Gun clicking]
[Gasping]
Salesmen will be the ones that will help focus
and redirect the economy
during peacetime.
... which is another way of saying "salesmanship":
A profession that has become a way of life.
Our most powerful weapon
in the war of ideas and economies.
A tribute to American creativity.
Ideas that are the foundation
of a growing society.
(Keppel) Where is Mr. Norris?
Oh, he stepped out a few moments ago.
He looked a bit uncomfortable.
It's awfully warm in here.
Yes, we've been having trouble
with the thermostat. I'm terribly sorry.
Mr. Norris!
[Rewinding]
What's happened?
(Norbert) It's Norris.
[All chattering]
(executive #1) His heart?
(Norbert) I don't know.
(executive #2) Listen, somebody call an ambulance.
[All continue chattering]
(executive #1) I don't know, I don't think so!
Coroner says that the victim Norris was evidently killed
by one shot through the heart.
Small caliber bullet.
But he won't be certain
until we have ballistics report tomorrow.
Now, everyone's been searched.
We're going through the building now,
looking for the murder weapon.
It is possible to come in
through either of two separate entrances,
one at the front of the building
and a service entrance at the rear.
Both were unlocked.
You get all that, Lieutenant?
Oh, yeah, I got every word.
Uh, excuse me, I'm a little hungry.
I missed dinner tonight
workin' late on that Hayward case.
These are not bad.
Coroner's taking the body away, Lieutenant.
All right. Listen, Sergeant, I'll be right there.
Um, I'm a little hungry, I missed dinner tonight.
So I'm just going to grab a few canapes.
I'll be right with you.
What are you eating all this stuff for?
Have some of this out here.
What is it?
Lmported caviar.
Have some. Go on.
Oh, that's good.
Mmm, that's really good.
Yeah?
That's delicious.
It ought to be.
It cost $80 a jar.
$80?
Yeah.
That must be about $15 worth
[chuckling] Right in my mouth.
We'd better get out of here.
We're going to get arrested.
We've talked to all of Norris' employees.
None of them have any idea
why somebody would shoot him.
Uh-huh.
So Mr. Norris was in the screening room,
he's watchin' a film,
and for some reason,
he got up and came out in the lobby
and somebody shot him.
Yep.
I wonder how the murderer would know in advance
a guy who's watching a film in there
would suddenly get up and come out here.
Nobody knows.
Lieutenant, you want to talk to the Coroner?
Um...
[tape recorder winding]
Excuse me.
Where did you get this?
(officer) Found it here on the table.
Who does it belong to?
Dr. Keppel's.
Listen, I'll talk to the Coroner tomorrow, fellas.
Thanks very much.
Sergeant, are you sure you checked
every exit in the building?
Oh, yes, sir, we did.
But this is a big building.
Somebody could have gotten in here
a dozen different ways.
I'm supposed to have security in this building.
Where the hell were they?
Excuse me.
Yes.
Mr. Keppel?
Uh, yeah. Well, no, uh, Dr. Keppel.
Oh. Doctor. Sorry.
Uh, Doctor, I wouldn't be too hard
on those building security people.
There's no way that they could be expected
to anticipate a thing like this.
Are you with the police?
Lt. Columbo, Homicide.
Oh. Well, I'll be in my office
if there's anything else that you want.
Please don't keep these people any longer than you have to.
Oh, no, sir, we won't.
Uh, Dr. Keppel?
Is this your tape recorder?
Uh, yes, it is.
Uh, would you mind telling me, sir,
what it was doing here in the lobby?
Well, I always use it after a screening
to record the comments of the people
who've... who've seen the film.
Oh, thank you, sir. That explained that.
Thank you very much. Officer.
Uh, uh, excuse me, sir.
Lieutenant, I've... I've told your people
everything that I know.
Oh, yes, I appreciate that, sir.
I just have one more question here.
Bear with me.
Uh, what kind of movies you make here?
Well, I'm not a m-movie producer per se.
It's just part of my business.
Oh, what business is that?
We specialize in all forms of motivational research.
I've made a sales promotion film
for Mr. Norris' agency.
Mr. Norris was only a business a-acquaintance.
Will there be anything else?
No, that should do it, sir.
(Columbo) Thank you.
Lieutenant, we... we'll be finished pretty soon.
We're still taking prints.
Good. I'm just gonna look around.
Okay.
Why don't you go over there and check?
I've never seen a projection room like this before.
Do you mind telling me, what is all this stuff?
Dr. Keppel has the latest in everything, Lieutenant.
Aside from the 35 mm projectors here,
we have 16 mm projectors, 8 mm projectors, slides.
Complete editorial service.
And what about this, what is that?
They're for the closed circuit TV cameras
down in the theater.
They're used to monitor the audience reaction
to the test films.
I see this one here is marked "lobby."
Does that mean when it's on,
you can see people in the lobby?
Yeah, that's right.
Too bad it wasn't on during the murder.
You could have told me who did it.
Yeah.
It wasn't on, was it?
No.
Thought I might get lucky.
Can I have a glass of water?
Oh, sure.
Hey, I got some iced tea.
Generally I make a thermos before I come to work.
Here you go.
I don't know why I feel thirsty.
Yeah.
Oh, uh...
You mind?
No.
That's good. You mind if I sit down?
No, I don't mind.
I've been on my feet all night.
Go ahead. Be my guest.
There's nothin' I can do
till I get finished with those preliminaries.
Yeah. Why don't you have some raisins?
They're healthy, full of iron.
No, thanks.
I had an uncle, made a killing in real estate
up in San Dimas.
Do tell.
You know what this guy did before
he started selling dirt?
Uh-uh.
Drove a school bus.
Wow.
Now he's got a ranch, couple of Cadillacs,
sends out embossed Christmas cards.
Wow.
That's why I am studying this, Lieutenant.
Good luck to you.
Thank you.
Where do you keep the film?
L... I keep the film in the racks
underneath the editing table.
Could you run for me now
the film that you ran for the gentlemen tonight?
Nothing I'd like to do more, but I can't, Lieutenant.
A fellow picked it up from the vault
just about half an hour ago.
Is that normal?
Well, it depends.
Sometimes Dr. Keppel either gives it to the client
or he sends it on to editorial,
or it goes back down in the vault.
It depends on what the client wants.
You dropped your nickel.
Leave it, Lieutenant.
Leave it where?
On the floor.
Leave it on the floor?
Yeah.
Look, it's an old projectionist's trick.
Here, give me the nickel.
See, you take the nickel, Lieutenant.
Shove it down here at the bottom of the film. See?
Then you could be sittin' around
and while this reels around here,
the nickel drops on the floor.
You hear that, then you can change the reels, see?
When you've been in this racket as long as me,
you don't pay much attention to movies.
Not me.
I can see some movies five times.
Westerns.
That's right. How do you know that?
A shot in the dark.
Lieutenant, Crime Lab's clearing out.
Oh.
Thanks for the tea.
You're welcome, Lieutenant.
[Knocking on door]
Uh, come in.
I have no doubt that he did, Maury.
That's not the point, you're the flack around here,
I want you to keep the Institute out of it. Absolutely. Yes.
Yes, all right.
What was it, Lieutenant?
I'm sorry to bother you again, Mr. Keppel.
Dr. Keppel. Come in. Come in.
Dr. Keppel. Why can't I remember that?
I haven't the vaguest notion.
What was it you wanted?
Uh, I just want to get a few minor things straight
for the report.
I don't want to disturb you, go on doing what you're doing.
I'm afraid I'll have to.
Are those your guns?
Yes, they are.
And you're wondering if they're in working order.
Well, as a matter of fact...
They are. Please feel free to examine them.
(Columbo) Thank you very much.
(Keppel) Was there something else?
Uh, yes, sir. I'm just getting to it.
Uh, all the other men we spoke to,
they were at the screening, and they all said that
you were on the stage narrating the movie
at the time that the crime was committed.
Yes, that's correct.
Did you notice if any of the men
left the room during the movie?
Well, obviously, Vic Norris did.
But you didn't see him go?
No.
Anybody else?
No.
Excuse me, sir,
but you said you didn't see Mr. Norris leave the room,
so how could you know if nobody else did?
Well, you're right, I guess I couldn't.
I just assumed it, you see.
Mr. Norris was a very demanding man
and all the rest of the people
in the screening room worked for him.
They wouldn't have got up
and walked out of an important screening.
They wouldn't have dared.
Mmm-hmm.
Can you think of someone
who might have a reason to kill Mr. Norris?
You were going to say something, Doctor?
[Keppel sighing]
No. No, I'm sorry.
Forgive me,
but, you know, in my business
we have to learn to read expressions.
And I got the feeling you were gonna say something.
Well, you're very perceptive, Lieutenant.
Um, let's just say I have a suspicion, that's all.
I'll treat it confidentially.
Vic Norris was having an affair
with a young woman
whom we had hired as part of
an advertising campaign for him.
Her name is Tanya Baker.
And you figure this Miss Baker
had reason to kill Mr. Norris?
Well, you're a little less perceptive
than I thought, Lieutenant.
70% of all murders involving married persons
turn out to have been committed by the spouse.
It's a fact. Look it up.
I see what you mean.
I'll check Mrs. Norris.
I'll see if she has an alibi.
Now, Lieutenant, if there's nothing else...
Do you have time?
I just want to make one personal observation.
I hope you don't mind.
I was speaking to the projectionist,
and he told me that
shortly after the murder
you called to have your film picked up
and delivered to your vault,
and I got to thinking about that.
You know that most people, when they're around a murder,
they just don't stop to do anything like that.
No, I don't suppose they would.
But I'm not most people, Lieutenant.
I am a very well-organized man,
and I don't panic.
The next logical thought after we'd found the body
was to return the film to the vault.
That was my observation.
You're a man of enormous self-control.
Thank you very much.
Uh, Ballistics will want to check out those guns.
Yes, certainly.
Good night, sir.
Good night.
Oh. Uh...
One other thing. In regard to your practice
of recording people's comments after the screening,
is that like a question and answer period?
Do the people in the audience raise their hands
and ask questions?
You stand up there on the stage and answer them?
No, usually we meet in the lobby.
Uh, we discuss the film there and I record their comments,
that's all.
Oh, you do it in the lobby?
Yes.
Oh, fine.
Gee, now, that's peculiar.
What is peculiar?
No, it's peculiar that you would walk into the lobby...
and see a man that was lying on the floor,
he just got shot.
And in the middle of all that excitement,
you turn on a tape recorder.
Well, did it occur to you
that I might have turned the tape recorder on
before I went into the lobby?
Before I ever saw the body?
As a matter of fact, I think
I turned it on directly after screening.
Well, that explains it. Thank you very much.
Good night, Lieutenant.
Good night.
(Columbo) I'm just here to ask some routine questions.
All right, Lieutenant.
What is it that you want from me?
I'm gonna have to ask you
what kind of relationship you had with your husband.
I don't know now.
What do you mean?
If you'd asked me yesterday,
I'd have said we had a good relationship.
Last night I got a telephone call
from a man who said
that he had a girlfriend named Tanya Baker.
And he told me that she was having an affair
with my husband and he could prove it.
And I was told to meet him
at 8:30 at the corner of Valley and Magnolia.
And I waited there for over an hour,
but he never appeared.
That's where you were between 8:30 and 9:30?
(Mrs. Norris) That's right.
At the corner of Valley and Magnolia?
Mmm-hmm.
Can anyone confirm that?
No.
No one at all?
Nobody at all, which means that
I don't have what you call an alibi.
Yes, you do, Mrs. Norris.
You were at the corner of Valley and Magnolia.
With nobody to prove it.
I didn't say you had a good alibi,
but you do have an alibi.
Lieutenant, I didn't kill my husband.
I believe that.
You do?
Yes, ma'am.
Why?
My wife's got no head for crime.
We go to those whodunit movies,
she always picks the wrong murderer.
I want to tell you something.
If my wife decided to murder me,
she could come up with a better alibi
than you got.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
(technician) How about the lady, uh, in the red coat?
(Keppel) No. No, stay with the little fellow
in the rumpled raincoat.
Good morning, Lieutenant.
Boy, isn't this somethin'?
(Keppel) Come on in.
Hey, that's me!
(Keppel) Yes, that's you.
Boy.
Who would believe it?
You guys back here with all this hidden equipment
takin' pictures of people
and they don't even know they're being photographed.
Better go back to the lady in red.
(technician) Yes, sir.
It's not like the old days. Oh, listen.
When I told my wife that I met a guy
who made commercials, you know what she did?
This woman runs into the other room,
she comes back with some photographs of herself.
She claims
that when she sees housewives on TV doing commercials...
She says they don't look like housewives.
So she says, "Show them my picture,
I'll be on TV."
Uh, well, Lieutenant, I don't make commercials.
I'm a motivation research specialist.
Oh.
Well, listen, no problem.
I mean, I said I'd mention it, which I did,
so I'm in the clear.
Watch out for that junction box.
(technician) Oh, no.
I'm sorry. I didn't see that there.
(Keppel) All right, go to the lady with the headband.
(technician) Yes, sir.
Uh, Doc, last night when I was talking to you,
I have to confess, I had the feeling
that I was in the presence of somebody sort of special.
So this morning
I went over to the public library
and I looked up "Keppel" in the card catalogue.
And, of course, you know what I found.
Never mind the lady with the headband,
she's very uptight.
Get back to the lady with the red coat.
You really are somethin'.
Turn on the high-speed camera.
"Advertising and The Motivated Sale, "
by Bart Keppel.
"Motivation Research And Its Value In Advertising, "
Bart Keppel.
"Human Values Versus Human Motives,
Bart Keppel."
Oh, here's a terrific title:
"The Mind String And How To Pull It, "
by Bart Keppel.
You've been very busy, Lieutenant.
Let's take a break, five minutes.
I want to reposition that camera.
Lieutenant, why don't you come along?
This may interest you.
Uh, it's in your line.
I gotta tell you, Doc,
one of the things that I like best about my job,
it gives me an opportunity to meet interesting people.
I mean, listen, here I am. I'm talking to a man
that has actually changed the course of advertising
in just five years.
Well, actually, it was three years.
Major changes began
right after the publication of my first book,
the one you have there, Human Values Versus Human Motives.
Well, all I know is, it's fascinating.
I mean, it just, it boggles my mind.
I don't know how the hell you do it.
[Laughing]
Most of it is just plain old-fashioned perception.
For example, you do the shopping in your family.
How did you know that?
I mean, you're right.
But how could you tell?
One of these cameras picked you up
as you came into the store.
Now, you can tell, the way a person moves through a store,
whether they're comfortable or uncomfortable.
It's a related, if inexact, science
called body language. That's all.
Despite the fact that you were coming to see me,
you moved through, examining everything,
all the produce, all the canned goods.
You were very comfortable. Ergo, you do the shopping.
I'll be a son of a gun.
You must have had a reason for coming to see me.
Yeah. Oh, I know what it is.
Isn't that somethin', Doc?
You've got me so interested in what you were saying
I almost forgot why I came over.
[Laughing] I see.
Yeah, I tell you.
I just wanted to tell you
that we checked out those two guns in your office
and Ballistics says they've never been shot.
As a matter of fact, they're not even the right caliber.
Mr. Norris was shot with a.22.
I assume that you have interrogated Mrs. Norris.
Yes, I have.
And?
We can't rule anyone out completely at this time.
Oh, that reminds me.
Uh, Mr. Norris' secretary showed me an agenda
of a board of directors' meeting
that was scheduled to take place today.
And on the top of the list it said, "Terminate Keppel."
I was just wondering about that.
I don't know quite how to put this.
How about it, Doc?
Were you about to be canned?
I think you put it very directly.
You're as subtle as a train wreck.
Listen, I had to ask the question.
[Laughing]
No, the Keppel Institute was never on the Norris payroll.
Wasn't supposed to be. We were paid always
from project to project.
I'd just finished a film for them
and Vic seemed to like it very much.
I imagine such a note would say
he was going to speak to the board of directors
and tell them:
"Terminate until the next project."
Oh, fine. Well, that explains it.
Thank you very much for the time.
It was my pleasure, Lieutenant.
Dr. Keppel, I almost forgot.
I want to check your memory with that of the other people
in the screening room. It will just take a minute.
Yes, certainly.
Uh, I spoke to Mr. Norbert,
and he recalls that when the film was finished,
you said, "Where's Mr. Norris?"
Is that right?
Yes, I did.
And then Mr. Norbert said he told you
that Mr. Norris left just before the film was finished
and he didn't look too good. Is that right?
To the best of my memory, yes.
And Miss Halstead said
it was kind of warm in the screening room.
Yes, she did.
That's what was said?
Yes.
I see.
Fine.
Uh-huh.
All right.
Thank you very much.
What's the trouble, Lieutenant?
Last night,
when I asked you about the tape recorder,
you said...
Just give me a moment, sir.
"Did it ever occur to you, Lieutenant
"that I might have turned it on before I entered the lobby
"and before I saw Mr. Norris' body.
"As a matter of fact,
"I turned it on in the screening room
before the film was finished."
Now I'm puzzled, because...
Just give me a moment.
This is the start of the tape.
(Keppel) What's happened?
(Norbert) It's Norris.
(executive #1) His heart?
(Norbert) I don't know. I don't think so.
(executive #2) Listen, somebody call an ambulance.
I'm puzzled, because if you turned it on
after the film in the screening room,
why didn't it record what you said to Mr. Norbert
and what Mr. Norbert said to you,
and what Miss Halstead said to both of you?
I don't know, Lieutenant, I...
I guess it was
because I didn't turn it on in the screening room.
I must have waited until I was in the lobby.
Now we're right back where we were last night.
Why would you enter a lobby
and seeing Mr. Norris' body lying on the floor
and in the middle of the excitement,
turn on the tape recorder?
Why would anybody even...
I think the answer is very simple, Lieutenant.
Because men do strange things under stress,
in a time of crisis.
Yes.
But you did remember to send the film
back after the murder.
Like you said, sir,
you're not a man that panics under stress.
No, I'm not.
What is all this proving, Lieutenant?
Well, I don't think it's proving anything, Doc.
I don't even know what it means.
[Chuckling]
It's just one of those things that gets into my head,
keeps rolling around in there like a marble.
I think you're doing yourself a great injustice.
Sounds like you feel a little empty-headed at the moment.
I don't think you're empty-headed at all.
Thank you very much.
Well, if that's all, then, for the moment...
Uh, yeah.
Oh, I would like to see a print
of that film that you ran last night.
Oh, really? What for?
Well, it's just that I got so interested in your work
that I think it would be educational.
Why don't you call my office?
They'll arrange it for you.
Thank you.
You think you know how what happened, Roger?
(Roger) I think I know how you did it.
Thank you, sir.
I think I know how you killed Mr. Norris.
Last night, when that Lt. Columbo
was asking me all those questions
about the monitors?
That's when it dawned on me.
Remember last night,
when I came into the projection booth?
You were monkeying with the monitor,
the East Lobby monitor, in particular.
And I believe that's where they found Mr. Norris' body?
Near the water fountain, right?
I says to myself,
wow,
if that monitor had been working,
I might even have seen you shoot Mr. Norris.
But you really made your mistake, sir,
when you gave me the film.
You see, when you gave me the film,
you gave it to me tails out.
When I heard the splices going
through the machine when I rewound it
I found the subliminal cuts you made.
It was very clever of you, Dr. Keppel.
And it all came together.
But don't worry,
I'm very grateful for what you've done for me
here at the Institute.
I'm quite sure we can come to some sort of an arrangement.
What did you have in mind, Roger?
I had $50,000 in mind, Dr. Keppel.
I've worked very hard here.
I still have to moonlight down at the Magnolia Theatre.
My mother's been pretty sick.
So I've been studying real estate on the side.
I found this nifty new deal, it's a piece of property.
Just about $50,000 would swing it for me.
Well, Roger, I would need your signature
on a document.
What kind of a document?
Outlining the details of our agreement
and the amount of money to be paid.
Why?
Well, that would make you an accessory after the fact,
just in case anything should ever happen to me.
Would you be willing to sign such a document?
Sure, I'll sign it.
When do I get the money?
Tonight. Now, Roger,
I have a very busy afternoon.
If you'll excuse me...
Sure, I've got something I have to do myself.
Thank you, Dr. Keppel.
Oh.
You scared the livin' daylights out of me, Doctor.
I didn't hear you come in with the noise.
Good evening, Roger.
Did you bring the money?
I've given this matter a great deal of thought
since we talked this afternoon.
Your discovery has made things very awkward.
But I think I've found a solution.
It would be the only solution.
Oh, come on, you've got to be kidding, Dr. Keppel.
Come on. Don't joke around.
Hey, put that away, Doctor. Don't fool around with that.
Doctor, come on, now.
[Projector whirring]
I didn't see anything but a lot of racing cars.
That's the whole idea, Lieutenant.
You don't see it with your eye.
You see it with your subconscious mind,
which is quicker than the eye.
That's why it's called subliminal.
You sure it's there?
Sure. Look.
I'll be a son of a gun.
There it is. I never would have known.
Gee, that thing makes you hungry just to look at it.
That's the whole idea,
if you want to sell hamburgers.
Well, wouldn't it be better
if people could get a better look at the hamburger?
It could be run slow enough to give an audience
a brief but clear glimpse of it, but look.
Look what that would do to the racing film.
Yeah, I can see where that would louse up the movie,
but I can't see how one frame of a hamburger,
going by so fast...
How's that gonna make anybody hungry?
That depends how hungry you are to start with.
The thing is, Lieutenant,
the subliminal cut isn't used just once.
You can work that into a film in a dozen places.
Nobody would be the wiser.
Yet, it has a cumulative effect
on the viewer's subconscious.
Hello, Lieutenant.
Oh, good evening, Dr. Keppel.
What are you doing here at this hour?
Your cutter here was just explaining to me
how subliminal cuts work.
I hope you don't mind.
No, certainly not.
We're always happy to help out
the police department here at the Institute.
Did you make those changes in the Transit film?
Yes. They work just fine. Good.
Do you want to see them here or up on the big screen?
Well, no, you can... Hope I'm not in the way.
Oh, no, no. Not at all.
You can take the film on upstairs.
The narrator's up there and he's waiting.
Okay.
We may want to make some changes,
but later on, after we run it for narration.
Yes, sir.
(Columbo) Thank you.
Well, Lieutenant,
what got you interested in subliminal cuts?
You did, Doc.
I did? How?
I got home this afternoon
and I started reading that book of yours,
The Mind String and How To Pull It.
Forget about it. You're a genius.
[Chuckling]
Well, I wouldn't say that.
But it's very nice to hear.
I got to that part about the popcorn.
I closed the book, I sat there with my mouth open.
You know what I'm talking about,
the part about the popcorn?
Yes, I'm not likely to forget it.
You invented something I'd never heard of.
I'm over 40.
Subliminal cuts.
Who ever heard of a subliminal cut?
Let me see if I've got that right.
You took one frame. Was it one frame?
Yes.
Of a picture of buttered popcorn,
and cut it into the middle of a movie
and it went by so fast
that everybody in the audience
watching the movie never saw it.
Is that the way it went?
Yes.
All of a sudden, everybody in the theater
wanted to eat popcorn?
That's the way it works.
I'll be a son of a gun.
It says there that
in some cases, the sale of popcorn
in the theaters almost doubled.
It also says that it was outlawed
by the Consumer Trade Commission.
Yeah.
That part was too bad.
But it was a whale of an idea all the same.
I hope the brilliance of my work
is not interfering with your investigation.
Could you help me with that?
What?
The investigation.
Could I pick your brain on that matter?
Certainly.
You see these two cards?
I've got two just like these
taped on a mirror in my bedroom.
You know where else I got 'em?
Pasted on the windshield of my car.
Plus these two, keep them in my pocket.
Reminders.
Go ahead, read them.
"Why did Mr. Norris leave the screening room?"
"How did the murderer know the precise time
that Norris was going to leave the screening room?"
Those are key questions, aren't they?
Yes, I'd say they were fundamental.
I'm pointed in the right direction?
Obviously. I don't know why you need
all these cards, but if you do,
I guess it's all right.
Okay. Let's assume that whoever killed Mr. Norris
was already in your suite of offices,
didn't come from outside the building.
All right, let's make that assumption.
Okay, shoot.
I beg your pardon?
Go ahead, I'm waiting. Can you help me?
To do what?
To answer my questions, sir.
How did the murderer know the precise time
that Mr. Norris was gonna leave the screening room?
I wouldn't have the faintest idea.
Can't come up with anything?
Lieutenant, how would it be possible to know
when a man's gonna get up out of his chair and leave
a screening room? That's impossible.
I just thought that with your knowledge
of behavior and motivation...
That's why I asked.
I know it's a tough question.
I believe that whoever killed Vic Norris
came from outside the building.
I've already told you who I think
might have been involved in that.
I know, but if we could just stick with the assumption
that it was done by somebody inside the building...
Uh...
Frankly, I'm disappointed.
When I read about the popcorn
and the way you used those subliminal cuts,
I felt sure you'd be able to help me.
I'm sorry to disappoint you.
Oh, no need to apologize.
The fact is, I owe you an apology.
You do?
Yeah.
Might as well own up to it.
I stole something that belonged to you.
You stole something from me?
Yeah, nothing serious.
The fact is, the night of the murder I was hungry.
I saw some of your caviar around
and I took the liberty of helping myself.
Just thought I'd mention it.
Don't be silly. As long as you enjoyed it.
That's the funny part.
I didn't enjoy it. Too salty.
And you know, I didn't notice it when I was eating it,
but when I went to the projectionist later on,
I remember I felt a little thirsty.
All of a sudden I wanted something to drink.
So he had some iced tea there.
Thank goodness.
Oh, that reminds me.
Take a look at that.
"Autopsy report."
I thought that if I took caviar
and it made me thirsty,
I figured maybe it would make him thirsty.
So you ordered an autopsy.
That's very astute, Lieutenant.
Thank you very much, Doctor.
It was the only way that I could find out
whether or not Mr. Norris ate any caviar.
According to this report, he did.
Uh-huh. Yeah.
Quite a bit.
Pretty big eater.
Doctor?
Yes?
In the light of this new information,
I was wondering whether or not
you could find it in yourself
to be more helpful at this point.
If the man was thirsty
and he was subjected to several subliminal cuts
of, say, a tall, cool drink
that would cause him to get up
and leave the screening room
and go to find the nearest water fountain.
Is that what you mean?
I had something like that in mind, yes.
And that could happen?
Yes, indeed.
Well...
Thank you very much.
You've been very helpful.
Not at all.
You're an interesting man, Lieutenant.
Very interesting.
I take it that's a compliment?
Yes, it is.
However, you have to take it a bit further.
You may really be on to something.
You have to take the next step.
Well, what is that, sir?
Look at the film. Examine it carefully.
See if there are any subliminal cuts.
Of course. I should have realized
you've already done that.
I have.
What did you find?
No splices.
Oh, that's too bad. What a shame.
Such a good idea.
Could have been two prints.
Two prints?
That's an interesting notion, too.
If I were you, I'd get busy and find that second print.
Your entire case could rest on that.
Doctor, I don't think
I'm gonna find the second print.
Really? Why not?
I think that the criminal in this case
is much too intelligent
to leave that kind of evidence around.
Of course, I'm gonna check all the film duplicating labs.
But I got a feeling this guy did his own duplicating.
That must be very frustrating for you.
[Bell buzzing]
Uh, Doc?
I just wanted to thank you for all your help.
Any time.
Excuse me.
Are you Lt. Columbo?
Yeah.
It's your office, sir.
On line 2.
Where's your line 2?
The second one.
Easy sell.
You'll see that when I show you...
Dr. Keppel.
[Moaning]
Lieutenant, what is it?
May I speak to you privately?
[Sighing]
Charles, why don't you watch the film?
We'll talk afterwards. Go ahead and run.
Columbo, what do you want?
I'm sorry to disturb you, Doctor,
I have sad news.
Mr. White, your projectionist, he was just shot.
Is it bad?
Dead, sir.
Uh...
I would be very interested to know
if there's any connection
between that and the Norris murder.
Would you keep me informed?
You know, Doc, uh,
I'm going over there now, and I was wondering...
You were wondering if I would go with you
to the scene of the crime?
How did you know that?
Lieutenant, I know where you're coming from,
and I know where you're going.
It isn't very difficult to figure you out.
I don't understand.
For some reason
you have come up with some remarkable notion
that I'm guilty of Vic Norris' murder.
Never mind that I have no motive,
or that I scarcely knew the man
or that he was my best client.
Your innuendos keep clumping
through our conversations like hobnailed boots.
And if I didn't find you
an extraordinarily amusing fellow,
I might even be offended.
Doc, if I'd known I was making that kind of impression,
I would have left and never come back.
The fact of the matter is I knew White worked for you,
and I thought you might want to come.
And then I thought you might be able to help.
Honest, I think you'd be a great detective.
All right, Lieutenant. I'll play.
Which way?
Beg your pardon?
Right or left?
You didn't tell me
where the murder was committed, Lieutenant.
So I couldn't possibly know how to get there, could I?
Turn right.
Nice try, though.
Can't win 'em all.
(sergeant) The manager came up here to check things out
and found the projectionist dead.
What about the murder weapon?
That was left behind.
Right over here, on this table.
Do you have an approximate time of death?
Yeah, we got it pinned down pretty good.
The reel that ran out was the second reel
of the picture.
According to the manager,
White must have put that reel on at 7:30
and it ran out at 7:55.
So the murder was committed sometime during that period.
You've been very thorough, Sergeant.
Thank you very much.
Has anybody run the gun?
Oh, yeah. We pulled the serial number
and sent it through the computer.
It's registered to a Mr. Victor Norris.
Victor Norris. I see.
All right, Sergeant.
Have Mrs. Norris picked up
and see if the manager can pick her out of the line-up.
Oh, boy!
[Columbo sighing]
Well, Lieutenant,
unless you think I can be of any further help,
in my opinion, as you people say,
that about wraps this up.
I don't think she did it.
You are an incredibly stubborn man.
After all the facts you've established,
it's obvious the projectionist
and Mrs. Norris were in it together.
I still don't think she did it.
In that case, I'm deeply grateful for one thing.
And what is that, Doctor?
That you've established
that White was killed between 7:30 and 8:00.
Because you and I have been together
constantly since 7:30.
Starting in the cutting room and ending, I hope, now.
Otherwise, I'm positive you'd still be accusing me.
Doctor, I've never accused you of anything.
I'll ignore that because I'm convinced
that my only real protection in this matter
is the fact that
you, personally, are my alibi.
And that's a tough nut to crack.
That's not tough, that's impossible.
Uh, I imagine you can find someone
to get you back to your car.
Certainly.
Good. In that case,
goodbye, Lieutenant.
Doctor! Dr. Keppel!
Dr. Keppel!
(Columbo) Good afternoon, Doctor.
Afternoon. Doctor?
Excuse me, sir.
I gather you are not a golfer.
Uh, no, sir, I do bowl a little, but...
It's customary to be very still
when a man is trying to hit a golf ball.
Oh, did I ruin your shot?
No, just a little.
Well, listen, I'm sorry.
Since it was my fault, maybe they'll let you do it over.
Not at the stakes we play.
What was it you wanted, Lieutenant?
It wasn't urgent and it could have waited,
but up in the clubhouse
they told me you're gonna be out for three hours.
As long as you're here, Lieutenant,
what was it you wanted?
I'll try and make it brief, sir.
Uh, I'm trying to locate this Miss Tanya Baker girl.
I thought maybe I could get a line on this boyfriend
who Mrs. Norris said made those telephone calls.
Take these on to Mr. Bishop.
I can't help you, Lieutenant.
I don't know Miss Baker. I've never met her.
My company hired her as part of a publicity campaign
for Mrs. Norris' agency. That's all. Sorry.
You don't know her?
Nope, I do not.
Oh, gee, that's funny.
Why is it funny?
No, you see, we got a line on this Miss Baker.
Apparently she had left town the day of the murder.
And an airplanes check with the airlines
turned her up in Lisbon.
She checked into a hotel there.
Well, your problem seems a simple one, Lieutenant.
All you have to do is make an overseas telephone call.
I did, sir.
And did you reach Miss Baker?
(Columbo) Yes, sir, I did.
But you weren't able to find out anything.
No, sir, not too much.
Nothing except that you do know her.
Oh, that's not bad, Doc.
I mean, it's not far, but it's straight.
(Keppel) Lieutenant, you're bluffing.
Miss Baker never said we knew each other.
No, sir, not directly. You're right about that,
but, you see, I made the telephone call collect.
From a Dr. Bart Keppel to Miss Tanya Baker.
Would you like me to take you to your ball?
Did it occur to you that, having worked for my company,
Miss Baker would, of course, know my name?
Uh, yes, sir, it did.
But from a man like you,
I thought she'd be surprised to get a collect call.
[Laughing] I imagine she was.
Yes, sir, she certainly was.
I said, "Hello, Tanya." She said,
"You're not Bart Keppel, I know his voice."
And she hung up.
So I figured,
if she knows your voice, she must know you personally.
The explanation is very simple, Lieutenant.
Tanya Baker is the kind of girl
that a man doesn't like to admit he knows at all
and certainly not if he's married.
And I am married.
I hope I can rely on your discretion, Lieutenant,
now that you know.
Oh, absolutely, sir. Nothing to worry about.
You know, I'm from Homicide, I'm not from the Vice Squad.
Uh-oh.
Another bad one, huh, Doc?
[Laughing] Yes, that's a bad one.
I'll see if I can help you find that.
Why don't you come to the point, Lieutenant?
The real point?
Yes, the real one. That one.
Go ahead.
I think you're guilty of homicide.
I think you killed Mr. Norris
and I think you killed the projectionist.
Lieutenant, How could I have killed Mr. Norris,
or anybody else
when I was standing in plain view
of everyone in the screening room
at the time?
You couldn't.
No.
So you weren't.
Yes, but they did see me.
No, sir. They heard you.
And you had a tape recorder,
and it was dark.
Wait a minute. Let me get one thing straight.
I was told that all of the testimony
was unanimous.
Everyone in the room swore they saw me there.
Is that true? Yes.
Has someone changed their testimony?
No, sir.
No, they haven't.
When they do, we'll be able to pursue
this fascinating line of speculation.
Ah, here's my ball.
There it is. I'll just toss it out of there
and no one will ever know.
And I can go on with my game.
By the way, sir, before I interfere with your swing,
I won't be able to be your alibi
for last night when Mr. White was shot.
I'm so sorry to hear it. Why not?
Because I was only with you from 7:30 on,
and Mr. White was killed before 7:30.
That's more speculation.
No, sir.
Mr. White was not killed
during the second reel of that film.
He was killed during the first reel.
That would have given you plenty of time
to get to your office.
How did you come up with this conclusion?
Because there was no nickel.
Uh, I beg your pardon?
No nickel.
Under the number two projector,
on the floor, there was no nickel.
How do you like that?
You see, this fellow White, the projectionist?
He told me he has a little trick.
He takes a nickel
and puts it in the reel, down by the end.
So that when the nickel falls out,
he knows it's time to change the reel.
Under the number two projector,
there was no nickel.
In my opinion, sir,
Mr. White did not change the second reel.
You did.
Uh. I marvel, Lieutenant.
L... I really... I am fascinated by your imagination,
but as far as I know,
a court of law in this country
still requires some... some kind of evidence, don't they?
That's right, Doc, and I don't have any.
I don't see any, do you?
Not enough to convict.
I can't see how.
So we'll have to let it go at that for the time being
since we don't have any alternative,
and I really can now get on with my game.
Nice shot, Doc.
Yes.
For a while there I thought I was gonna spoil your game.
Not a chance, Lieutenant.
(officer) You on to something?
(Columbo) No.
There has to be a murder weapon.
We don't have the murder weapon.
Somebody came in, shot the guy, left,
and took the murder weapon with him.
I swear,
whoever shot this man never left the building.
Then where is the gun?
There were a ton of guns in the office
in two trophy cases.
None of them was a.22. The guy was shot with a.22.
Then where is the murder weapon?
I'll tell you what you do.
You go to the suspect
and you tell him you got a problem.
And you ask him where he hid it.
In the meantime, I'm gonna call my wife,
tell her I'm gonna be late for dinner.
[Dialing phone]
Where are you going? Lieutenant?
I have to go, George. Go on home.
Milt?
Come on.
[Camera clicking]
Shoot.
Wait a minute.
Flashing your badge to get past a guard
is one thing, but this is searching without a warrant.
I'm not searching, I'm looking.
Shoot.
(Keppel) The film is still under option to Victor Norris' agency,
but I think it will fit your company's needs exactly.
We're looking forward to seeing it,
aren't we, dear?
We certainly are.
Good. I'm glad.
Go ahead and roll.
[Soundtrack playing]
(Keppel) Nothing can happen in this country
until someone sells something.
We are traditionally a nation of salesmen.
But most importantly, we have advanced salesmanship
to a creative art.
It has been the ability of salesmen
representing American products and capital around the globe
that has made American business
preeminent in the world.
Excuse me for a minute, please.
The energies of these workers
and the dollar resources behind them are wasted...
[camera clicking]
Finally got some hard evidence.
What is that, Doctor?
I'll be a son of a gun.
A calibration converter.
Do you have the key to that case?
Looks like a.22.
Fit nicely into a.45 automatic.
That's why the barrel and the chambers
were clean when Ballistics checked out the gun.
That's a lovely touch.
A converter. I never figured on a converter.
And one hidden in a lamp.
Doc, I would have sworn you had a gun hidden in here
and I was trying to smoke you out.
But I never figured on this.
A subliminal cut. You used a subliminal cut.
No, quite a few subliminal cuts
from some photos I made.
Came in here with Milt last night
and we shot some pictures.
It must have been the ones around the lamp.
Those are the ones that did it.
Maybe it was that fellow.
Let me see, may I?
We had them processed last night
and cut them into your movie this morning.
(Keppel) Well, one thing, Lieutenant, you'll have to admit.
You never would have solved it without using my technique.
(Columbo) That's right, Doc.
If there was a reward, I'd support your claim to it.
[Laughing]
Officer.
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