Chicago Deadline

Synopsis: On Chicago's South Side reporter Ed Adams finds the body of a dead girl. Her address book leads to a host of names of men frightened by her death but claiming never to have known her. Adams comes to know quite a lot, dangerously so.
Director(s): Lewis Allen
Production: Paramount Pictures
  1 nomination.
 
IMDB:
6.7
APPROVED
Year:
1949
86 min
81 Views


Three doors down, Ed. Fifteen.

She has no business here, anyway.

I'll be glad to get her out.

First thing you know, I'll have trouble.

And Ed, don't mention the Rialto.

And don't be noisy.

There's a sick girl next door.

Ed! Do you hear me?

Come in.

Hello.

How do you do?

It's all right, Minerva.

I just came to take you home.

How did you know my name?

Are you a detective?

No, I'm only a newspaper reporter.

Do you mind.

I'm not going home. I'm going to lead my own life.

This kind of life?

I only came here because it was closer to the station

and I was going to move.

Oh, sure, sure.

My mother's worried about me, isn't she?

A little. She called the Police, the Missing Persons Bureau,

the papers, the animal shelters...

The last I heard she was trying to get the Governor.

Come on now, let's go.

Will there be a story?

Only if the Governor answers.

What's the matter?

Miss Maggie!

Miss Maggie!

Take a good look, Minerva.

You could end up in a place like this, too.

Dead! Lying there, her face all twisted.

I never thought she was sick as all that.

Stop your blabbering.

Ed, get that little brat in the next room out quick!

Ed, Ed, what'll I do?

Call the police.

Oh, dear!

How long has she lived here, Maggie?

Er... five days.

Ever been here before?

Never laid eyes on her.

Hi!

Hello, Adam.

What are you doing here?

I saw your car downstairs, thought there might be something.

Some dame kicked off.

Yeah? What killed her?

Hemorrhage. TB, I'd say

What's her name, Maggie?

Rosita.

Rosita what?

Rosita Jean something. It's a French name.

You can look at it on the register. It's there.

How long has she been sick?

Well, she was sick when she came.

Find anything around?

Not so much as a letter.

That's funny.

Isn't it?

What's going on, Adams?

You know anything about this, do you?

Now what would I know about Rosita Whosis?

Careful with your hand.

How old do you think she is, Jack?

Twenty-five, twenty-six.

Not much more than a youngster.

Good looking, too, even like this.

Eight years ago she'd have made Minerva look like a dog.

Who's Minerva?

Oh, just a friend of mine.

What happens to her now?

Morgue for three days, unless somebody identifies her.

Eight years...

Funny, I wonder what happened to this one

during those eight years.

I can't get anything.

Nobody ever heard of the dame.

Somebody has to.

Pick a number.

Now, look! I don't know any Rosita.

And secondly, I wouldn't touch her dead or alive

with a ten foot pole.

Now lay off!

Poor girl. Yes, I recall her.

She visited a patient here, oh, some time ago.

She used to come in and see me.

A little dark-haired girl.

A very sweet child. I'm so sorry.

Do you remember whom she visited, sister?

I'm afraid not.

I only remember her because of our talks.

Did you know her family?

No, I don't think she ever mentioned.

Is there anything I can do?

We'll let you know.

Thank you, sister.

Yes?

Hello, G.G.?

Yes?

This is Adams.

Who?

Adams from The Journal.

We're trying to learn...

How did you get my private number?

If you'll answer a few questions, I might tell you.

Well?

We'd like to learn what you can tell us about

Rosita Jean D'Ur.

I can tell you nothing.

I'm afraid that's not quite true.

Why do you ask?

She was found dead this morning.

In a cheap hotel.

Hello?

If The Journal or any other newspaper connects my name

with this woman, I'll sue them.

Is that clear, Mr. Adams?

Hey, who's the big shot whose initials are G.G.T.?

G.G. who?

T.

Never heard of him, Ed.

Hey, it could be Temple.

Who?

G.G. Temple, vice-president of the Ayckroyd Trust.

Get me the Ayckroyd Trust.

Gribbe wants you.

Yeah, okay.

He's a big shot, you know. A foreign handicapped man.

Rough. All kinds of dough...

Ayckroyd Trust.

Mr. Temple, please.

Hey, what is all this?

Mr. Temple's office.

I'd like to speak to Mr. Temple.

This is the District Attorney's office.

Just a moment, please.

Hello?

Hello, Mr. Temple?

Yes.

Mr. Temple, we're trying to check on the death of...

Adams, get off the ribbon and go over to the Board of Trade.

Gribbe, when you were younger and not so fat...

There's a rumor that Winchester's resigned.

Did you ever ask clean questions?

What are you talking about?

Here, take a look at this.

Little dark-haired girl who looked so sweet.

How did you ever come to this?

The police are searching today for the family or friends

of a beautiful twenty-six-year-old girl who...

Run a hundred words about the pity of it all.

Doesn't look like much to me.

With the Vice-president of the Ayckroyd Trust in it?

With a nun who said she was a very sweet little girl...

and with a hoodlum who spits over the phone

every time you mention her name.

Put it all together, what do you got?

I wonder what kind of a girl she really was.

Here, Ed.

Where did you get this?

I borrowed it.

Yeah.

I got your Superior number.

Oh, put it on.

Hello?

Hello, Tommy?

Yes, who is this?

A friend of Rosita's.

Oh.

I'd like to see you and talk to you.

Oh...

This isn't the police, is it?

No, it's just a friend.

Is she in trouble?

She died this morning, Tommy.

Hello!

Tommy!

How did she...

T.B.

Will you identify the body?

Yes.

Can you be at the Morgue at six?

Yes.

Ask for Adams, Ed Adams.

You got that?

Good bye.

I don't know. If you got a story, we probably

couldn't print it anyway.

Don't waste too much time on it.

Hey, some fun. This is a dame.

Mandor.

May I speak to Belle, please?

Belle who?

What's the matter, you got so many Belles there

you need an index or something?

Well don't get so tough about it!

See who this party is.

Hello, Belle?

Yes.

It's a friend of Rosita's.

Rosita?

Don't you remember?

A pretty dark-haired little girl.

Well, I don't know. Where does she live?

She died this morning, Belle.

That's why I'm calling.

Died? She couldn't...

I can't talk to you now. I have to go out.

Now look, you're not gonna get into any trouble.

I don't know her. I never heard of her.

Leave me alone!

Mandor.

Look, operator...

there's five bucks in it for you if you find out

where Belle is going when she goes out.

I'll be right over.

Hey, there's nobody there by the name of Purdy.

It's a Marcia Grantland.

I can't get hold of her.

There seems to be a party going on.

6900, Albion, apartment C.

N.Y., New York.

Ask what they have on those guys.

What am I, a stooge?

Hey, where are you going?

Out to have fun.

Mandor Hotel.

What did you do to our little Belle, son?

Where'd she go?

She didn't say.

Thanks.

What did you say to her?

Why?

She checked out.

How long did she live here?

Over a year.

Take all of her things?

A bag. Will send for the rest.

You must be dynamite.

Yeah, I must be.

I must be loaded.

Why, hello! Come on in.

Thank you.

Are you a friend of Hazel's or of George's?

Er, George, good old George.

Throw your hat anywhere.

Thank you.

We're about to cut the cake.

I wouldn't miss that for the world.

See you later.

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Warren Duff

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "Chicago Deadline" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/chicago_deadline_5427>.

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