The Sleeping City

Hello, everybody.

My name is Richard Conte.

In the picture you're about to see, I play the part of Dr. Gilbert,

an intern at Bellevue Hospital.

With the permission of the city authorities, all the facilities of Bellevue Hospital,

located in the heart of New York City, were made available to the film production crew.

The story itself is completely fictional

and did not actually happen in Bellevue Hospital or in New York City.

During our stay at Bellevue in making this picture, we saw the real Bellevue at work

in its wards, its clinics, and research laboratories.

We came to know the unrivaled opportunities offered by this great teaching center

to young students of all races, colors, and creeds in advancing ¡n their chosen profession of medicine.

On this same site will rise during the next 10 years the new buildings of Bellevue,

already planned and begun, and they will form the world's greatest

and most complete medical research and teaching center.

To the old and to the coming new Bellevue, and on behalf of our ent¡re company,

we salute the magnificent professional skill and highest devotion to duty known throughout the world

as the mark of each of Bellevue's 1,300 doctors and 1,100 nurses.

How is he, Doc?

Breathing from memory.

Get him ready for the operating room.

Emergency, acute retention, there's the workup.

Urology.

Dr. Grennell, ambulance case brought in by Dr. Foster.

Male, 60 years old, retention 30 hours, on his way up to OR.

Yes, sir, I'll call him.

Oh, Dr. Foster, Miss Sebastian wants you to...

Anesthetist, OR, B6, acute retention.

Dr. Grennell, sodium pent.

What about Miss Sebastian?

She'd like to see you when you come in.

She's on Traumatics.

Della, put that retention in B6, Dr. Grennell's on his way up.

Tell Miss Sebastian I'll see her later, I'm going out for a smoke.

If we get a buzz, you can send a driver for me.

- Inspector. - Fill me in.

Got the squeal about twenty minutes ago, intern, name of Foster, caught one in the head.

- Any collars? - No, no arrest yet.

- Who's here from Homicide? - Barrow and Travers.

They're inside talking to the chief of staff, Dr. Sharpley.

- Who called the squeal in? - Nurse, name of Wardly.

- Any statement? - Not yet.

Whatcha been doing since you got here, dating nurses?

- Hi, Inspector. - You finished, Doc?

- Just about. - Anything you can tell me?

Sure, he's dead.

- Okay to handle him? - All yours.

Miller, get the Ballistics man.

I'm Detective Travers, Inspector, Homicide.

You carrying this squeal for downtown?

Just as far as the local squads will need us.

My partner Barrow is over in the hospital with Dr. Sharpley, chief of staff.

- You find any open lines? - Nothing.

- Feels like it's gonna be a tough one to knock down. - Hm.

We haven't found the slug yet, Inspector.

- You examine the wound? - Yeah, .38.

Let's go inside.

A call came in.

The driver went out and... and found him.

And then you called Dr. Sharpley?

Yes, and Dr. Dutra and I examined him, but it wasn't necessary.

- Who's Dr. Dutra? - Well, he's... he was Foster's roommate.

- Where is he now? - He had to go back to Obstetrics.

Will you please call him, Dr. Sharpley?

Ask him to meet us in his room.

Had Foster ever told you anything that might...

- No, sir, nothing, nothing at all. - This is Dr. Sharpley.

It was just that when he came in, he seemed so tired.

- Worried? - No, just tired, I guess.

Then he started out and I remembered to tell him that Miss Sebastian wanted to see him,

but he said he just wanted to go out for a smoke,

- and that was... - Thank you.

You can go now, Miss Wardly.

You see, Inspector, it's just as I told this gentleman from Homicide.

I don't know what more anyone could tell you about Foster.

He was a very bright young man, he was well liked by everyone.

- I just can't imagine... - Who is Miss Sebastian?

Sebastian, Ann Sebastian, she's a ward nurse, Traumatics.

- Is she in the hospital now? - Yes.

Call her, tell her to come to Foster's room too.

Sure he had a gripe, all of us do, I guess, but for future and all that.

How are we gonna get into practice if we have to be hospital residents all our lives?

Like griping about the food in the army.

Maybe no more serious than that.

The last few months, Foster seemed to... I don't know, he was worried, jittery, bitter.

Jumpy as a cat, could hardly talk to him.

- Did you try? - Sure, I tried, but it was impossible.

- Why did you bother? - What... well, I don't know.

I never thought about why.

What do you mean, "Why did I bother?"

What kind of a question is that?

You live with a guy, you like him, you worry about him, you're...

How long did you know him?

We bunked together for almost a year.

You work the same ward with him?

We worked all the wards.

- Psycho? - Sure.

Foster and I, we worked Psycho for three months.

We work all the wards for the experience.

- Where was he working? - He was on the bus,

but his regular ward was Traumatics.

That's the accident ward.

So you just liked him and worried about him,

but every time you tried to get him to open up, he told you to mind your own business.

Look, Inspector, a guy's got a problem.

He didn't wanna talk about it, so okay!

I figure it's his problem, and I don't push my nose in where it isn't wanted.

Well, unfortunately, Dr. Dutra, it might be that his problem finally killed him.

So his problem becomes my problem.

You follow me?

Was he borrowing much money?

You ever meet anyone simple enough to lend money to an intern?

Why did Ann Sebastian give him the air?

- She didn't. - How do you know?

You said Foster was a clam, never spilled anything.

And you don't push your nose in where it isn't wanted, so how do you know?

Don't ever argue with a cop, son.

Just answer his questions.

Please come in, Miss Sebastian.

Thank you, Doctor, you can go back to work now.

I'm Inspector Gordon, this is Lieutenant Miller.

- Would you like to sit down? - I'm all right.

You must forgive me for troubling you at this time.

I know this has been a very terrible shock to you.

Since you were closer to Foster than anyone else in the hospital,

I thought you might give us some information that might help.

Dr. Dutra has told us that you and Foster planned to be married soon.

Married?

We were very fond of each other, but...

I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't feel very well.

Yes, I understand.

- We can talk later. - Thank you.

Oh, Miss Sebastian, just one thing.

- Foster worked with you in the ward? - Yes.

- He lose any cases recently? - Lose any?

Anyone die who might've had a relative who would blame Foster?

- No, sir. - What'd you wanna see him about?

- When? - This morning.

- It was nothing. - Nothing?

You asked Miss Wardly to tell him you wanted to see him.

- I just wanted to talk to him. - That's what I'm asking.

- What about? - Nothing, Inspector.

I just wanted to talk to him.

But he didn't wait.

- Had you quarreled? - Oh, no, sir.

- I was just worried about him. - Why?

Well, I don't know why.

He was unhappy and depressed, and every time I tried to talk to him,

well, he, he would...

So much worrying going on about Foster without anybody knowing what was eating him.

You have any idea who might've shot him?

I wish I did.

Thank you, Miss Sebastian.

You can go now.

I want Foster's complete record.

Hospital, schools, everything you've got,

and I wanna talk to all the nurses, doctors, interns, everybody he ever worked with.

I can have his complete file and a list of names this afternoon.

Thanks, let's go.

Yes, Chief.

Detective Travers is carrying it for Homicide.

No, the gun didn't show.

I got the harvest squad grappling the river with a piece.

Right, right.

Right.

- Any suspects? - Four.

- They look healthy? - No.

- Know what I think, Al? - I think you're wrong.

- What's your figure? - First, I'll give you yours.

- You'd say Psycho. - I'd say Psycho.

- Give me the rest of it. - I'd say Foster was pushed across

by a released psycho who had a burn against him.

You wanna work that line, Barney?

I'll make book we don't find a rational motive.

I think the kid was clean and clear.

It has to be a psycho.

How many men will you need?

As many as you can give me.

I'll give you what I can spare, but I still say you're wrong.

At night, a strangle job, that's my figure for a psycho.

He needs the personal contact, the satisfaction of being right in there,

like in the Ronnie Gibbons case and a dozen others.

We've had psychos who've used guns before.

Sure, but they never deal just one in the head.

Once they start, they can't stop pumping.

Okay, Barney, you work that psycho line.

- Get rolling. - All right, Chief.

Sure, I've been rolling, sure, I'm tired, and you wanna know something?

I've worked every line and I'm no nearer the killer now than I was when I started.

We're as far apart as A and Z, but I'm not getting off this squeal until I knock it down.

Any lines you've opened look promising?

I think my men are through.

They're stepping on each other's heels.

Lieutenant Miller is still hammering on the psycho angle, but I don't buy it.

We're not going to find what we want outside the hospital.

We'll have to dig from inside.

- Deep inside. - I'm still listening.

I'm going to use three men from my confidential squad.

You'll have to get me the cooperation of the hospital commissioner.

All right, Al, I'll give you a little more time.