 Mr. District Attorney starring David Bryant District Attorney champion of the people defender of truth guardian of our fundamental rights to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness District Attorney not only to prosecute to the limit of the law all persons accused of crimes perpetrated within this county but to defend with equal vigour the rights and privileges of all its citizens from the files of Mr. District Attorney the first award from our sponsor on the main street of a small town on the outskirts of the city No, I kept that in the highway What? So jumpy about the way he was tagging us I thought it might be a police car You are getting chicken, ain't you Trump? I guess they're looking for a trip back to the reform school, that's all Oh, stop worrying No one even knows this car's stolen there That's what you said Well, how can it be? You saw the owner going to the movies it wasn't more than an hour ago it couldn't be out yet Okay, Ruby, okay Fine, enjoy your ride Can't even stop to eat or go dancing or anything You got any money? You, uh can have no car either when we started You ain't like you used to be, Chuck We used to have lots of fun till you turned a chick Don't you go calling me that I... I got a gun, that's all I got one, Chuck right here in my purse Where'd you get that? Left it for my old man There's a grocery store up ahead See the sign? I see it Can't have fun without any money But it's almost ten o'clock the place must be closed If it was closed, the sign wouldn't be left Is it a stop or an entrance? Sure, it's not a stop See? Stop keeping still in there No customers can see through the window Counting up money from the cash register I ought to be a lot of it, Chuck Saturday night Stay here Keep the motor running Give me the gun I want to come in with you Let me come, Chuck I can handle the car She's crazy, suppose he's got a gun too It's always an old man He'd be scared stiff Chuck, let me You better not get rattled Look who's talking You come and arrange it About time I'll do it with my wife Probably get me Excuse me Hand over that money, account They don't feel youngsters Just run around before he gets in trouble We ain't run in any place, mister No, you just... Don't you get that gun? I made it out of old bottle top, stupid Put your hands up and stand there Against those bottles I want to be sorry about this When you see the inside of the jail Thanks for telling us Because here's something you're going to be Sorry about right now That's a cop with that broken glass You're afraid ain't it, Chuck? I'll look it back at it, let's go I feel like Chuck I almost... Salad oil dressing With garlic when it was shot Broke quite a few bottles Is he the owner of the store? Yeah, name's Malcolm Barnes Wife found him just like he is Just before 10 p.m. She probably saw the getaway car Green convertible pulled away Just as she got it You have everything photographed? Yeah, lab squad just left Are we motive? Looks that way Cash register was rival Oh, watch out for the broken glass, Chief The floor's a bit slippery More than the dressing, I guess Through the back three times You or any of the squad walk through this stuff? No, no, Chief, why? Stain marks leading through the door As though somebody walked through this mess No, I was careful to see that nothing was touched, Chief You're the first one to be that close to the body You're certain of that? I was the first one here after his wife called You got a flashlight? Yeah Let's have a look outside Those stains lead right to the door, all right? Lucky, I told the men to keep their crowd back Across the street Yeah Well, flash the light down here Yep, same stains on the sidewalk Runs right out here to the curb Whoever killed him had some of that garlic oil In their shoes, all right? I don't suppose the dead man's wife got the license Number of that green convertible she saw No, no She didn't know there was any reason for it Until she got inside and saw what happened You want to talk to her? Yes You send her home? No, not to her own place Went with the neighbor She's a pretty old woman, she said Now she's taken it pretty hard Better let her rest in the morning Is there a phone inside? Yeah I have pay station out of Walden I'll wait out my car I'm out near the county line It'll take me some while to get into the office And I need somebody there to handle some reports I'll be asking for Oh, I see Do you'd like me to go into the office? There isn't too much of an imposition Not at all Well, I should be in and about for an hour or so Yes, sir, I'll be there The car just picked up a corporate radio division Somebody from the west end in town We've bought it as car stolen while it was at the movers What about it? Nothing, maybe But the car was a green convertible Call the radio division back Tell them I want every spot in the city Alerted to find that car That's the life of a DA's assistant For you, we'd never sleep On behalf of stenographers Accept my sympathy Anything on that car yet? No Yes, Mr. Garrett Have you heard from Harrington yet? He just came in Be right in, chief He's hot tonight Stick's chief waiting for the report All right, what have you got? Now the gun was a 38 caliber police special That's good timing to do us much good You speak to the owner of the stolen car? Yeah His story is straight enough Left the car, went to a movie Alone? Yeah, but he had his ticket stuck Knew what the picture was all about When he came out, he stopped for a hamburger Went through his car and found it missing You checking for a record? Yeah Nothing on it Carpenter, good job Wicked Yeah Well, better take the ballistics report Down the gun records See if they can talk with anything All right Excuse me Yes, Miss Miller? This is Sergeant Corbett From the 12th precinct on the line They found that stolen car Put him on Did you get the driver too? No Telling how far was driven? No Anything you wouldn't indicate It might have been used for that Killing out near the county line All I want you to do is watch out for us I'll be there in 10 minutes Sounds good It is What about this ballistics report? Give it to Miss Miller Take it down the gun records See if they have any ideas Yes, sir And call the garage for a car Tell them we're on our way down Yes, sir Might get something from the dashboard At the end of door handles But take out their prints on the car Let me have your flat flat, all right? Hey Anything else you need to do? Watch that on it Lipstick? Yeah He's caught a flash of something else Kind of like A bobby pin Lipstick is a rather light-shaped tool Should my mind have had a woman with him? Probably a blonde A bobby pin to teach him That might belong to the owner's wife I doubt that covered What makes you say that, Hyman? I saw the owner and his wife cheap, remember? What about it? Woman's a brunette Got one of those modern short-haired shoes Not enough hair left to use a bobby pin We'll make sure that storekeeper May wind up with a short haircut, too I don't get it, Mr. Geer Get that out before they go to the chair In the case of the Joy Ride murder Here's an important message I'd like you to hear The old stolen from and returned to the West End section of town Indicating that the killer lived somewhere in that section The lipstick stain and bobby pin Indicated a blonde woman accomplice The leads were flimsy and not very hopeful Until we got back to the office To reach you through radio division Something about? That ballistics report you told me to take down the gun record Well, Donnie Manuel just called from down there He came across something he thought you might want to look into What? Got it written down here Um, man named Jim Hammer How the report was sent to the division last night Just before midnight Said a gun had been stolen from the house What caliber? Same as a murder weapon 38th police special That could be something, Chief Yes, Ironman Did this Jim Hammer have his gun registered? Yeah, it seems a serial number I mean, permit number Where does he live? Over in the West End That ties him with the stolen car It certainly does You'd better get downstairs, Ironman Check this hammer for a record I already did that, Mr. Sheriff Well, it worked, Miss Miller We have nothing on him Not in the criminal file But there's something in the special police record You mean he's a cop? Night watchman at the Kenny Aircraft plant As a matter of fact, he told Central Division He found the gun missing When he was getting ready to go to work last night Couldn't find it in the drawer He usually keeps it in What time is it now? Oh, almost 11 a.m., Chief You know, Hammer ought to be home from work by now Can you get his address? Yes 214 West Spruce Good You can go home now and get some sleep Well, I'm not tired, but you need me If I do, I'll call you back again And thank you very much for what you've done Anytime, Mr. Sheriff Let's get downstairs before they send that car back to the garage I probably can't hear you Lean over the rail, wrap on the window Okay I'd like to speak to Jim Hammer, please He ain't home Do you know where we can find him? Working Over at the ballpark I thought he was the night watchman at the Kenny Aircraft Yeah, but he works at the ballpark, too You want to play Sunday home games? You look kind of young You're not his wife, are you? No, I'm his daughter, Ruby Thank you, Miss Can I, uh, give him a message or anything? No, we'll go over to the ballpark and talk to him Well, can I tell him what it's about? No, in case you happen to miss me or something It's all right, Miss We'll make sure to see him Goodbye Bye I thought that stolen gun Either it was stolen Talk to you for a minute I'll get some Christians We're not here to see the game, Hammer This is business I understand you had a gun stolen from your home last night Oh, bad Well, you shouldn't have called the district attorney after a thing like that It makes me feel kind of silly What do you mean? Well, the gun wasn't stolen at all I guess I just didn't look sharp enough last night I found it this morning But in a different drawer from where I usually keep it That gun you're carrying, right there in your holster? Yeah, that's a good idea You mean to say you just took a look in one drawer last night and reported the gun stolen without being shewed? Well, I was sure last night I was late for work and in a hurry I guess I just overlooked it, that's all How come you didn't let the police know you found it? Of course I should have, man I didn't think there was no rush Besides, what's the harm? It's my gun, eh? Yeah, moving between these two posts Why? Who's he says, Hammer? Turn around I'll take it myself Okay When did you find this gun last, Hammer? I can't even remember the last time, eh? It ain't had any qualifier No, eh? The smell is cheap Not too long ago You're crazy, I tell ya I ain't fired that gun in months Somebody has Replaced the cottages but didn't clean it You'd better come with us, Hammer Come with you, where? At the county building We'll be check on a few things Check on what? Hammer, a storekeeper named Barnes Was killed last night out near the county line He was shot three times through the back With a 38 police special Are you saying I did it? I wasn't nowhere near county line last night We know you filed a stolen gun report About midnight But where were you between 9 and 11 o'clock last night? I was home sleeping My daughter can tell you that, Mike Go ahead, Hammer What are you stopping for? My daughter wasn't home, eh? I just remembered She was out when I got up to go to work Then nobody saw you between 9 and 11 But I was home, Mr. Guy You can't have believed me And that gun ain't been fired If you're wrong, you've got nothing to worry about You want me to take this gun to Ballistics Chief? Yes, have them test-fire it To compare the slugs with the ones taken out of the body If this is the murder weapon, they'll know it I tell you, eh, it can't be The lab doesn't make mistakes, Hammer No matter the fact, if you're telling the truth There's a little test you can volunteer to take They're the Fennelman test Well, what's that? Just a matter of pouring a chemically treated wax In your hand When they peel it off, it will show traces of nitrate If you fired a gun recently I haven't, I tell you I heard you But I'd like to hear it from a police technician Just to be sure As well, sit down How can I sit down? What are you keeping me for? You heard with the lab man, said my hands are clean There wasn't no nitrate on them We get a negative report on your gun When irony comes in, you can go Here he is now All right, tell him Tell him so I can get out of here, will you? I'm going to tell him isn't going to get you out of here, Hammer Here, the comparative photo blows up the slugs, Chief What, what are you saying? In plain English, your gun's been identified As the murder weapon, Mr. Hammer That's a lie You weren't in bed sleeping at ten o'clock last night You were cruising around county line And there's stolen con, there was a woman with you That ain't so, Mr. Gardner I, I, I, I, I swear it ain't so You'd better tell us the truth, Hammer Because we'll check out every statement you make Do you go around with a blonde woman? The only blonde woman I ever went around with Was my wife, and she died six years ago That gun was missing from my house last night Then it must have been, somebody must have taken it Then put it back again Oh, sure Come outside, I'm in the kind of... His wife was a blonde He's dead And his daughter isn't You mean the girl we saw this morning He had a dust towel around her Her hair could be any color Let's ask him What are you asking about her for? Is she out with you any place last night? No, no She was out on a date Who, who? How should I know? All I know is she wouldn't get into trouble I've heard parents say that same thing In a hundred car rooms First you tried to pin this thing on me Now it's my daughter, are you crazy? She's only a kid She's also a blonde And she also had access to your gun No ordinary thief will take it away And then return it You, you, her and I You must take it easy If you want this, I'm in one piece Let him go, hang on Come on, Hammer We're going out to your house Do you remember this boy, Hammer? He's on to reform school Three years ago Uh... Chuck Hallam Grand theft daughter Why would anybody like that? Of course not, Hammer She just got a habit of posing for pictures With people she wouldn't go out with Almost midnight We're going to the aircraft Not tonight, Hammer Put all the lights out, Heinz And we'll wait for Miss Hammer to come home What did I don't know? What's the good happen when he's ain't got a standard? Can't you wait a while? I even got a job I've been in money, people don't know when they're where I got it Oh, right But I ain't waiting There's a lot with Celia Some use that car every night And we'll be the best Ruby, Ruby, shut up, who's that? Celia! Let go of that car I didn't do nothing It was for a boy who wasn't working I found it Wear a chuck And a cash register Right near the county line After you killed the storekeeper So that's why you wanted my father's gun What? To tell him, Ruby If he had my gun, tell him That's nice I was about to borrow it Just funny, Finn Got a taste Is there a poor wax on your hands, honey? He can tell if you're fired a gun I got a police headquarters I got shot in the back All right, Pindton Let's get him downtown If you enjoy this case from the files of Mr. District Attorney I'll be back in just a moment After this message from our sponsor He turned state witness And made a full confession He is now serving a life term Ruby Hammer was convicted of murder in the first degree And is serving a life sentence Now, this is David Bryan Inviting you to join us when we present our next case Based on the facts of crime from the file of Mr. District Attorney Mr. District Attorney was originated by Phillips H. Lord