See the Man Run

Yeah, hello. Is this Dr. Spencer? Dr. Thomas Spencer? No.

Come on. Wake up, doc and pay attention. I'm only gonna say this once.

We've got your daughter you come up with 50,000 bucks and you get her back alive

you get the point.

Okay, cut it out. Who is this?

Just shut up and listen, doc.

You say a word to the cops or anyone... your daughter will be dead.

What? Get the money. We'll call you back.

Who was that?

I don't know. Some Maniac's idea of a gag.

Say, he kidnapped my daughter and wanted it for $50,000.

You couldn't raise 50 cents.

What are you doing? Smoking. But I just quit.

Stop crashing around, will you?

I don't think it was a gag.

Oh. No, I've had three hours sleep.

I think that guy was...

He meant it.

You smell like a brewery. I'm sorry.

I don't know why you have to drink all the booze in town every time we go out.

Why do we have to stay all night talking?

Now, What?

The guy called me, Dr. Spencer.

Directory's assistant. I'd like to sleep, you know that?

Yes. Do you have a listing for Dr. Thomas Spencer?

What area? Beverly Hills, I guess.

I have an exchange.

Yes, well give me that one. The number is 6521652. Thank you very much.

There is a Dr. Spencer. He lives in Beverly Hills.

He got an unlisted phone she gave me as exchange.

Well, tell the kidnapper to call his exchange.

Joanne, you have a soft, sympathetic streak in you... somewhere.

Well, why did he call us?

Well, he had this phone put in a week ago.

When the guy put it in, he told me that it had been an unlisted number.

Maybe it was Spencer's.

6521652. Yes, I'm trying to reach Dr. Spencer. Is this an

emergency? It is an emergency, yes. Can you connect me?

Ben, you're gonna make fool of yourself.

Well, you're used to that, aren't you?

Hello.

Hello, Dr. Spencer? Yes. Uh, sir, you don't know me. This is

going to sound a little crazy, but do you have a daughter?

Yes, I have a daughter. What about that?

Uh, look, you better check and see if she's there.

What are you talking about? Who is this?

Uh, I think your daughter has been kidnapped, and

you're not to go to the police, or she'll be killed.

What? Who is this? What is it, Tom?

I thought it might be important. Oh, wait a minute.

Tom? Tom, what is it? Tom?

Sandra! They've got Sandra! What? Who's got Sandra? What are you saying?

Hey, who? Hello, whoever you are. Look, please, don't hurt her. Don't

hurt her. Uh, I'll... Whatever you...want? Any amount I'll pay.

No, no, wait. Please, let me handle this. Please,

just tell me... Well, let me talk to them.

No, no, no. Let me talk to them! No, doctor, listen to me. I'm trying to tell you.

Let them talk! Please, don't! I wanna talk to them! Let them talk to them!

You're not? Oh. Why didn't you let me handle it? Call the police.

No, no, we mustn't.

I want to call the police. No, no, control

yourself now. We've got to think. Call the police!

He thought I was the kidnapper.

Too bad you're not.

He offered to pay me anything I asked.

Any amount. I don't believe any of this.

What now? What just flashed through my head? A movie. Kind of far out.

About a doctor and a kidnapper.

They've never met.

And the doctor thinks I'm the kidnapper, and he's willing

to ransom his child, so I hit on him for $150,000.

Then I meet the real kidnapper, who thinks that I'm the doctor,

give him the $50,000 he's asked for, and keep the difference.

Wonderful.

For $100,000 profit. Free and clear.

Made it, huh? Great.

What a ripoff.

Yeah.

Well, this is total insanity. Better call the police.

Ben? Yeah.

You want to talk about it? That far out movie? It's

a good story. I ought to try to write it maybe.

Write myself a dual role. How about... don't write it?

Just play it.

You crazy? Let's have a cup of coffee.

It makes me a criminal.

Being a criminal earned you a living once. That's ancient history.

Honey, those were parts that I played. This is

reality. And you're scared of that, aren't you?

You can't make it with reality, can you? Joe, I'm an actor. Yeah, yeah.

And you can play any part they cast you in, right?

But if you're not playing a part, if someone doesn't

assign you a character, you haven't got any.

Don't walk away.

When I met you, you were the coming star. Big, tough Ben Taylor.

Boy, you knocked me out in that movie. The murder man.

What happened? You found out I wasn't really a murderer and you were disillusioned?

No. I found out all you are, ever have been, is a part.

And I'm sick of the one you're playing now. Is that

right? The part of the down and out actor, the loser.

Moaning around with self-pity, boozing it up every night, sleeping till noon, waiting for

that phone to ring from your agent, and yacking

it up with all the other second-rate actors is

down at the unemployment office. Actors have dry

periods! Dry periods? One job in two years!

That's a drought! That's right. And where have

I been? Back where I started, selling shishi

clothes at Madam Olga's boutique, just so we have enough to eat.

I know, honey. And a roof over our heads, such as it is.

I hate this dump. Ben, I hate this dump. I squashed a cockroach

out there last night, and that's it for me. That is the bottom for me.

I don't want to live at the bottom. I hate having nothing.

I won't live at the bottom. I won't stay in it.

Honey, there's just no work right now. That's all.

It'll change. We're in debt. We owe everyone,

and now... A main chance comes along and where are you? Nowhere!

Best part you'll ever be offered and you're scared of it.

The guy that kidnapped that little girl is not an actor.

That's real. This is real! You can kill her! You can kill me! Not if you play it right.

You're weird, you know that?

I'll tell you something. Listen to me. You've been playing the part

of a loser for so long. You are one.

Big, strong, confident Ben Taylor, the guy I used to know

and be proud of, is getting round-shouldered.

He gets nervous and stutters in an interview.

He has to take a drink before he sees a producer.

He gets drunk at night, so he'll forget he's

a loser, and he forgets everything.

Cut it out.

We should get the part of the lover.

Maybe some of it would come to me.

I'm sick of this damned emasculation act of yours.

Emasculation of what, love?

What if he doesn't call back? Oh, he's got to. How else would he get the money?

No. I'll do that to Maria. Thank you.

Uh, Maria, Sandra won't be down this morning.

She had a bad night. Oh, I'm sorry. I'll take this up. Uh, no, I'll give her a sedative.

Let her sleep. All right. And I'll answer all the

phone calls. I'm expecting an important call.

Tell no one. You understand. Yes.

Check, spouse, for the water and power deposit. They'll shut us off if they

don't get the cash this morning. Will you take it

to them? Yes. Keep the money. I'll take care of it.

Hello? You awake now, Doc? You ready to talk?

Um, I'm sorry. I was... Hey, hey, what's going

on? Are you ready to talk business or not? Doc,

you want to see your daughter again, don't you?

Excuse me. No, nothing's going on. How do you expect me to behave at a time like this?

Is my daughter all right? Yeah, she's okay so far.

Well, she'd better be. Don't get tough with me, Doc.

Are you gonna get her back in pieces? No, please don't hurt her. Please. I'll do

anything you say, anything at all. Fifty thousand,

Doc. That's not so much for a guy as loaded as you.

You get it and have it ready. No cops, no fun taps, nothing, you dig? I promise.

You get it in fives, tens, and twenties and use bills. You got two hours, Doc.

When will I see my daughter? When the money's paid,

Doc. What shall I do when I get my... the cash?

I'll call again between 11.30 and noon. Wait.

I just fell into it. I didn't know I was... even gonna do it.

How was it? How did it sound?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Look at this.

What how?

I've gone this far. No, wait a minute.

No. Not on our phone.

Oh, yeah. I've got to get his private phone. I can't talk through that exchange anymore.

Please, believe me. Only my family has this number.

Okay, okay, Doc. There's none to panic about.

Not yet. Now, who you got listening in? The cops

there or what? No. No one here. Just my wife.

Really? That's nice. Keep it that way. Is Sandra all right? Could I talk to her?

Come on, Doc. It's not a day for a family chat. 150,000.

That's the price of the merchandise. A hundred

and... Well, I don't know if I... I don't know

if I can raise that... that much. You want me to tell you what'll happen if you don't?

No, no, no. I'll do everything I can. You got

two hours to do it in. Unmarked bills, nothing

larger than a 20. If you're gonna come with the wrong money, don't even bother.

Don't hurt her. She's just a baby. She's only eighteen.

Her mother and I beg you. Don't hurt her. I beg you.

That's it, Doc. I'll call you back between 12 and 12.30. You be ready.

Fantastic.

I did it.

You know, if we got caught, let's go down to the gas chamber.

What are you doing?

I don't know.

You'd better leave everything the way it is.

Why? I don't know, maybe the police could find a fingerprint or something. Come on.

Cancel everything for today. If the hospital calls just say that I had to go out of town

suddenly, and try not to show that there's anything

wrong. Tom, I want to go with you. Oh, no, no.

He may call. Look, Helene, we've got to be strong. Both of us, we can't break.

You understand? Yes. I'll hurry back.

Helene, do you remember when she was little and she had the diphtheria?

When we waited together, we didn't know if she was going to pull through.

Do you remember how you were then? You held me up when I was afraid.

You gotta be like that? I'm gonna try.

Hey, watch out.

Come on, love. I'm a bomb, if you want to know.