Farewell, My Lovely

- This past spring was the first that I felt tired,

and realized I was growing old.

Maybe it was the rotten weather we'd had in L. A.

Maybe it was the rotten cases I'd had, mostly chasing

a few missing husbands and then chasing their wives

once I'd found them, in order to get paid.

Or maybe it was just the plain fact

that I am tired and growing old.

The only real pleasure I'd had at all

was following Joe DiMaggio, pelting the apple

at an incredible clip for the New York Yankees.

Well, it's the middle of July now

and things are worse than they were in the spring.

In the spring, I wasn't holed up

in a dingy hotel ducking the police.

Hello, let me have Richmond 4421, please.

Lieutenant Nulty, please.

Nulty!

I'm at the Casa Marina, room 502.

Is Moose there?

Come alone.

I asked if Moose was there.

And I said come alone.

- Two more murders, that's a total of seven.

I want Marlowe brought in, do you know where he is?

Casa Marina.

He asked me to come alone.

That's not a good idea.

Now you understand why we want him brought in, don't you?

Yes, Commissioner.

Good.

Wait here.

How long should we wait?

Until you make Lieutenant.

Yeah?

It's Snow White.

With or without the dwarfs?

Without.

Come on in.

Malloy with you?

Relax, will you?

You know there's nowhere he could hide,

under the bed or the closet.

- I gotta bring you in, this case has busted wide open

and you're the patsy.

I wanna tell you all about it...

It won't change anything.

Are you gonna listen or aren't you?

Sit down, will you?

Sit down!

I was working on a $25-a-day breeze,

trying to locate a 15-year-old runaway from Carmel.

An honors student, majoring in men.

She had all A's, but none of them on a report card.

She had only one other interest, dancing.

You know, you remind me of Harry.

You're very much like Harry.

He was very much the same type, you know, strong and silent.

I used to dance with Harry like this.

You know, I may not be the most beautiful girl in the world

but you know, I could make a man as happy as anyone.

Really upset when it ended, but I got over it.

What did you say your name was?

Harry.

My parents sent you, didn't they?

I'm not going.

- Look, would you like to dance your way out,

you wanna walk out, or would you like to be carried out?

Makes no difference to me.

- Do you realize we had to give up a marvelous dinner party

and drive all the way down here from Carmel to pick you up?

- Look, can't you settle that on the way home?

Right now there's the small matter

of $25 plus $5 in expense money.

Pay the man, Charles.

And give him a tip.

I don't accept tips for finding kids.

Pets, yes.

$5 for dogs and cats, $10 for elephants.

Thank you.

Get in the car.

- Next time she runs away, get somebody else.

I was tryin' to stabilize below the belt when this guy

the size of the Statue of Liberty walks up to me.

What are you, a cop?

No, I'm your fairy godmother.

I started to walk away...

Private dick, huh?

When a hand I could have sat in

took hold of my shoulder.

What's your name?

Marlowe, what's yours?

- Moose Malloy. - Get down!

He didn't bat an eye.

Fear wasn't built into his giant frame.

I want you to work for me.

- Hey let me guess, you want me to try to find

the two guys who were tryin' to shoot you?

I want you to find my Velma.

I ain't seen her in seven years.

She ain't wrote in six.

- Where the hell have you been for seven years?

In the can.

The Great Bend bank robbery?

Eighty grand?

I did it solo.

Ain't that somethin'?

Yeah.

I want you to find my Velma.

- Look man, six years, that's a long time not to hear.

She'll have a reason.

I'm sure she will.

Why the hell were they shootin' at you?

Maybe we ought to go to Florian's.

That's the last place my Velma worked.

What was she like, this, um...

Velma?

Cute.

Cute as lace pants.

That's somethin' to go on.

He walked me slowly across half

of L. A. until we got downtown.

Hello, Momma, how you doin'?

You the last of the good time Charlies.

This is a colored neighborhood now,

it's been that way for a long time.

- Let's you and me go up and maybe nibble a couple.

They might know something about my Velma.

How the hell would they know anything?

It's a colored joint.

Let's you and me go on up, huh?

OK, but leave off carryin' me, will ya?

I can walk by myself, I'm all grown up now.

I go to the bathroom by myself and everything.

Uh-oh, look who's here.

A shine palace.

- 52 years old and ain't never had enough of nothin',

but used to.

What did I do this time?

- I'm looking for a white girl named Velma.

Hey, Henry.

No white boys here, brother.

Just for the colored.

I'm looking for Velma.

Velma, you says?

No Velma here.

No hooch, no girls, no nothing.

Just scram, white boy.

Just scram.

Velma used to work here.

Velma used to work here.

Velma done retired.

Send him home, Henry.

You shouldn't laugh.

Maybe I should do this.

- Well, looks like you just may have the lonely job

of spending that eighty grand all by yourself.

- Now, you goin' to tell me where your boss is?

Mr. Montgomery is in the back.

Big fella.

- Can I speak to you a minute, Mr. Montgomery?

What do ya got down there?

Got me a sawn-off.

That's illegal.

Besides, I don't think it'd stop him anyway.

- All I wanted to know was where my Velma is.

He tried to tell me with this.

Jesus!

You've had a busy day.

It's a good thing you don't get out of the slammer

more than once every seven years.

I want you to find my Velma.

Yeah, okay, fine.

I will.

Meanwhile, uh, maybe you'd better beat it, huh, because

the cops might think that you've sprained your parole.

Maybe you got somethin' there.

I'll keep in touch.

I'm in the telephone book.

OK.

Help me find my Velma, huh?

Yeah.

Hey, ah, Malloy?

This Velma, she got a last name?

Valento. Velma Valento.

Velma Valento.

The fifty bucks felt snug against my ribs.

The joint had emptied out, so I called you, Nulty,

and had a few drinks.

Mr Montgomery didn't seem to mind.

Right here, fellas.

Big, black and dead.

35 minutes, that's not bad for a killing.

Lucky it wasn't somethin' serious.

Don't worry about it, Marlowe.

It's just another shine killing.

No space in the papers, no pictures, no nothin'.

- You're gonna get your picture in the papers,

front, sideways, back, numbers, don't you worry about it.

No sweat.