The Parallax View

We have Senator Carroll with us today to celebrate Independence Day.

And he is an independent politician.

In fact, so independent that some say they don't know which party he does belong to.

Austin Tucker.

Austin is with us today as the political adviser to Senator Carroll.

Austin, we hear, or people say,

that there is some possibility you want to get the nomination for Senator Carroll.

Oh, well, I think we're jumping the gun there, Ms. Carter.

- I also hear... - He's not running for any other office.

He's concentrating on the one he has now.

Here come Senator Carroll and Mrs. Carroll.

He really looks terrific.

Happy Fourth of July, everybody!

Happy Independence for us all! Okay.

He is the ideal father, if you're young enough.

The ideal husband, if you're old enough.

And I guess the ideal leader of our country,

so says Austin Tucker, if you're any age.

- Ah, yes. Lee, how are you? - Senator Carroll. Just fine, thank you.

Welcome to our city. How do you do? How are you?

You all look just as wonderful as you do in all your photographs.

- How do you manage that, always smiling? - Well, I'll tell you.

We're very happy and that means smiling faces.

And I'm happy to be with my constituents on such a wonderful day, Independence Day.

- Thank you very much, everybody! - Thank you.

Thanks, everybody!

You need a ribbon.

- I'm with her. - Ma'am, is he with you?

No.

All right, we'll try to make it. Schedule time. You never know about this.

How are you?

Ed, how are you, sir? Good to see you.

You're looking very good, Ed. Thanks very much.

Hello, how are you?

But I fouled up on that one, didn't I?

And I know a little bit about your background, your lovely family.

I'll have a scotch and water.

Ladies and gentlemen, my wife Kit and I

would thank you very much for inviting us here today, this Independence Day.

Independence Day is very meaningful to me

because sometimes I've been called too independent for my own good.

Move back, everybody...

Ladies and gentlemen, you've been invited here today for the official announcement

of the inquiry into the death of Senator Charles Carroll.

This is an announcement, not a press conference.

Therefore, there will be no questions.

A complete transcript of the investigation

is being prepared for publication on March 1st.

At that time, the committee will hold a full-scale press conference.

After nearly four months of investigation,

followed by nine weeks of hearings,

it is the conclusion of this committee

that Senator Carroll was assassinated by Thomas Richard Linder.

It is our further conclusion that he acted entirely alone,

motivated by a misguided sense of patriotism

and a psychotic desire for public recognition.

The committee wishes to emphasize

that there is no evidence of any wider conspiracy.

No evidence whatsoever.

It's our hope that this will put an end

to the kind of irresponsible and exploitive speculation

conducted by the press in recent months.

As I've said, the complete text of the hearings,

which provides the basis for the committee's findings,

will be published March 1st.

When you have had a chance to examine the evidence,

you will have every opportunity

to ask those questions which remain unanswered,

if there are any.

That is all. Thank you.

...a thousand dollars.

But that's just the beginning, because you could win this! Take a look.

- Oh! - Oh, Wendy.

We are just starting with you.

Because the package you pick might contain this check for...

Excuse me, but my parrot is loose on your back porch.

- Your what? - My parrot. I wonder if I could...

He's gonna get away.

- What are you talking about? - My parrot. It's very sick.

And if I could just go through here...

Let him go look for his parrot.

I haven't seen any parrot around here.

Well, I know. He's hiding.

Freeze! Police officers. Where's the stuff?

- Wendy hits the $25, 000... - Check that, will you?

Okay, remember now, he said

you've won an all-expense-paid trip to British Columbia!

All right, Frady, you're under arrest.

You didn't see us, did you, Frady?

I saw you all right, but I've never seen those two before.

- What are you talking about? - You looking for dope?

Maybe somebody could make a charge.

Maybe one of your men could tell me what I'm in here for.

- Destruction of property, trespassing... - Me, destruction of property?

- Endangering lives of private citizens... - I can't believe I...

Hold it, goddamn it!

I wanna get something straight around here, just in front of these pe--

Is there anybody in this room who can say that I broke into that house,

I was waving my gun around, and I threw the man's wife on the floor?

'Cause if you can, I'd like you to do it in front of your watch commander, huh?

- Shit. - What were you doing there?

- What was I doing there? - Yes, Joe. What were you doing there?

I can't believe you.

You know that these assholes have been after me for six weeks for my sources...

He went up to perfect strangers

and told them that he was looking for his parrot.

My parrot, that's right.

Can you imagine that kind of nerve?

Can I imagine that kind of nerve?

Wait, you're saying, can I imagine that kind of nerve?

- Can I imagine that kind of nerve? - Joe.

You thought you'd teach 'em a lesson, huh?

These guys? I don't think I could teach 'em anything, but I may be wrong.

Look, why don't you go out and bust up a Keno game,

do something worthwhile, for Christ's sake?

You two-bit Vice Squad, you're not only dumb, you're dirty.

Look at your shirt.

Get your goddamn hands off, you son of a bitch!

- Hold it, hold it, hold it. - You're not even...

Do I post bail?

What the fuck for? There's not even a charge here.

Malicious mischief, obstructing justice, vandalism.

Isn't that good enough? I'll forget the whole thing, Bill,

if you'll just get him out of here and shut him up, or both.

Malicious mischief, obstructing justice and vandalism.

Come on, Joe.

- It isn't good enough. - Joe, come on.

You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?

You gotta admit it's funny.

It makes me laugh.

But I don't think it's funny.

What's that supposed to mean?

Have you ever laughed at a comedian when he pretended to stutter?

There's nothing funny about a man who stutters, but people laugh.

They're amused.

But they're not happy about it.

You're not gonna print this?

You're not gonna print it?

Not only am I not going to print it,

but this is the end of your series on local drug problems.

We're in the business of reporting the news, not creating it.

Joe.

Joe, we went through all this six years ago.

When I agreed to take you back in January, I made two suggestions.

One was about your drinking.

Well, you seem to have licked that.

The other was that you curb your talent for creative irresponsibility.

You can start working on that right now.

You're really tired, aren't you?

Joe.

Go home.

Go to a movie. Relax.

Come back tomorrow and do a nice, dull piece

on the Parks and Recreation hearings.

That is, if you feel this job is interesting enough to stick with it.

Hi, Joe, I got a hot one for you. Lee Carter called.

Four times. She must want it pretty bad, eh?

Did you clean up the room, Schecter?

Sure. I got some mail for you too.

I hope I'm not interrupting.

- You've been calling me? - A lot.

Any particular reason?

Somebody's trying to kill me.

Oh, somebody besides yourself?

How can you say that? I've never tried to kill myself successfully.

Last time you were here, I think you lost your cat

and I had to find it under the freeway.

I haven't lost my cat.

Yeah, and there was the time before that, it was your husband.

You may find this difficult to accept, but I'm terrified.

I think, if memory serves me, you were always terrified about something or other.

I think it was that some guy might come up and attack you in bed?

Not as long as you were there.

Okay.

Here.

Hey. Now, why are you here this time?

I told you. Somebody's trying to kill me.

Oh, Jesus.

Somehow, I don't think I should be looking at this.

- Just look. - What?

Oh, come on, I looked at this until I was blue in the face three years ago.

Since the assassination,

six of these people have died in some kind of an accident.

Four. Look, nobody's trying to kill you, huh?

These people were killed.

And whoever killed them is going to try to kill me.

Austin Tucker thinks so too.

Austin thinks that maybe we all saw something up there.

Yeah, well, we did see something up there, didn't we?

- No, I mean something else! - What did he mean by something else?

Has he ever indicated what he means by that?

Has he ever indicated that he saw anything

other than what was in the commission report?

- No. - Nothing?

- No. - Did you see anything up there?

- No. - Well, neither did I.

And believe me, I looked. We all looked.

You mean, if you didn't see it, it's not there?

No, I didn't say that. It's just that I know all about these accidents.

Ralph Scaletta was a known lush. He hit a piling on the George Washington Bridge.