Experiment in Terror Page #3

Synopsis: Kelly Sherwood is terrorized by a man with an asthmatic voice who plans to use her to steal $100,000 from the bank where she works. He threatens to kill her teenage sister Toby, if she tells the police. However she manages to contact F.B.I. agent Ripley.
Director(s): Blake Edwards
Production: Sony Pictures Entertainment
 
IMDB:
7.3
Rotten Tomatoes:
100%
APPROVED
Year:
1962
123 min
625 Views


About that matter....

My friend?

It's important that I see you,

but I can't come to the office.

I'm quite busy right now.

Do you mind if I send another agent?

I'd prefer if it were you.

Believe me, Mr. Ripley, it's important.

It's just possible

that my friend's life is at stake.

- All right, what's the address there?

- 2632 Larkin.

And please...

...come as soon as possible.

I can't help it, I'm frightened.

Be there in an hour.

Wonderful.

Don't be shocked.

I work in my apartment,

and I have a rather unusual occupation.

I'm fairly well conditioned

to shock, Miss Ashton.

I'll see you in an hour.

Goodbye.

- Yes?

- This is Ripley, Miss Sherwood.

Yes, hello.

We're just getting ready to go to bed.

- Everything all right?

- Yeah, everything's fine.

I just talked to our agents

up at your neighbors'.

Now, you get a good night's sleep.

Don't worry.

- Thank you. Good night.

- Good night.

Who was that?

That was Mr. Ripley.

- He's pretty interesting.

- You think so?

- Well, don't you?

- Yes, he is.

Kel....

Do you think this phantom asthmatic

really means it?

I mean, if you cross him,

do you think he'll do something?

Yes, I think he really means it.

But Mr. Ripley and his men

won't let anything happen.

What if they don't find out

who the guy is?

Oh, they'll find out.

The FBl's a very efficient organization.

Yeah, but in time, I mean.

Suppose you meet the guy tomorrow

and he says:

"Okay, Kelly. Tomorrow morning

you steal that 100,000 dollars."

I said the FBl's an efficient

organization, not Kelly Sherwood.

I just follow instructions

and do what they tell me.

- Just like you're gonna do.

- Sure.

That's why you can't forget

for one minute.

I mean, one mistake, one slip--

Hello?

Hello? Hello?

- Who was it?

- I don't know.

- lt was him.

- I don't know.

- What did he say?

- He didn't say anything.

We just had a phone call.

You heard it.

We're going to bed now.

I left the porch light on like you told me.

Control, this is unit two.

Victim just checked in, going to bed.

She just got a call.

Might have been suspect.

Otherwise, everything okay here.

Miss Ashton.

Miss Ashton?

What kind of a place is this?

She said she had

an unusual occupation.

I guess she repairs

or makes mannequins or something.

Well, look, old friend,

if she decided to break the date...

...I think we'd better get the--

- There's nobody here.

- I think you're wrong.

- ls that Nancy Ashton?

- Yes.

Then I'll call the Bureau of lnspectors.

- What's going on here?

- Who are you?

I happen to own this building.

Who are you?

- FBl.

- FBl?

Hello, Frank. This is Owen Bradley.

I'm with Ripley.

- Listen, we've got a homicide for you.

- Homicide?

That's right.

I don't know. I don't know.

I was coming home...

...and the door was open

and the man was here...

...and the other one on the phone

and I don't know.

All right, Mr. Cutter.

You'd better go to your apartment

and take it easy.

Yes.

She was obviously strangled

before she was hanged.

Dead about an hour.

That's all I can tell you right now.

Excuse me.

There obviously wasn't any girlfriend.

She probably was gonna tell me that

tonight. Made up her mind too late.

Got anything to do

with the Sherwood case?

- No, I don't think so. Why?

- Just wondered. I got a call last night.

We've got an informant, Jim Durgs.

Everybody calls him "Popcorn."

You can't call him a stool pigeon, he

considers himself a newspaperman.

He circulates around the crumb joints,

picks up news.

- He'll sell it to us for five or 10 bucks.

- He knows about the Sherwood case?

One thing right after the other,

there might be some connection.

This was in one of her purses.

I was wrong.

There is a connection.

- Evening, captain.

- I've got a new partner.

- This is Mr. Ripley.

- I'm glad to know you, Mr. Ripley.

- You're new, aren't you?

- No, he's been at it quite a while.

I hear you haven't been feeling

too good.

The doctor says if I was a building,

he'd condemn me.

- What have you got on the bank job?

- About 15 dollars' worth.

- All right.

- I don't know who's gonna pull the job...

...but he's got a friend

who uses a phone I staked out.

Where is the phone?

- I'd rather not say, sir.

- Go on.

The guy wanted his friend

to do something.

The friend asked if there's gonna be a

killing and the guy said there might be.

Near as I could get the name,

the victim was Sherwood.

Miss Sherwood, the friend called her.

He was gonna do away with her.

Not now, but later.

- How much later?

- lt was all very vague, sir.

- This friend, what does he look like?

- I just got a spot where I can listen.

- I never see him.

- I want to know where that phone is.

- The captain and I have an agreement.

- Don't give me--

I just supply the information,

not the source.

- That's the agreement.

- lf there's a killing, it's on your head.

- I know that, sir.

- Yeah.

- Do you think you'll hear any more?

- Yeah, I think so.

- You be sure to call me?

- Soon as I hear anything. Thanks.

Nice meeting you, Mr. Ripley.

Good night, gentlemen.

- Think we ought to put a tail on him?

- He'd spot it. I've tried before.

He spots it every time.

A very unique character,

has kind of a built-in radar.

- Yeah.

- Has his own peculiar set of rules.

You play the game his way

or you don't play it at all.

And in this case...

...I think it would be better

for Miss Sherwood if we kept the faith.

Yeah, I guess so.

- Hello?

- Good morning, Kelly.

- Did I wake you up?

- Yes. What do you want?

I don't like the way you're talking,

Kelly.

I'm giving you 20 percent

of 100,000 dollars.

- You can afford to talk a little nicer.

- I'm not awake yet.

That's better.

I'm calling to reconfirm

our appointment tonight.

- Eleven o'clock.

- I'll be there.

I hope so. Because if you're not...

...I'll just have to contact

your little sister.

You understand?

Now, one word of warning.

We've got a woman's life in jeopardy.

We hope there won't be any shooting.

If there is,

think before you make a move.

I know these things

move awfully fast sometimes...

...but we can't afford any mistakes.

That's about it, except for the layout.

It's all yours, Rip.

We're placing four men in the club.

There'll be two on the upper floor...

...two on the lower floor.

We don't know if he'll contact you

on the lower floor or the upper floor.

You might not even see him.

He may send

somebody with instructions...

...telling you to meet him elsewhere.

One thing you must remember:

If you contact him...

...we will not move in until

you're a safe distance away. Okay?

- I had another phone call this morning.

- Yes, I know.

Do you think he really

might try something with Toby?

Well, you know, I'd like to say no...

...but there's no way of telling

until we know the man.

- He knows I've been talking to you.

- He's just guessing.

He took a risk that

you'd come to the police.

He figures if he says he does know,

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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