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Run For Your Life
Starring Ben Gazzara
Episode:
The Savage Season
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To contact us, click Homepage link above
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Synopsis: Judy Collins (Jill Haworth) transports money for mobsters, but when she calls on Paul's assistance after $200,000 disappears, casino owner Angie Zeno (Harold J. Stone) goes after him, causing Paul to try a daring ploy. With Henry Silva as Carl Torre, Gene Evans as Jim Seaborne, Leslie Perkins as Shirley Bare, Lyle Talbot as Steven Blakely, Quinn O'Hara as Karen, Jack Crowden as the Detective, Bob McCready as the 1st Thug, Vince Barbi as the 2nd Thug, Leslie Summers as the Secretary
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Episode 8
First broadcast on
November 8, 1965
Teleplay by Frank Fenton
Story by John Thomas James
(Roy Huggins)
Directed by Richard Benedict
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SEE INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS OF ENTIRE CAST AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE
part 1
part 2
part 3
and watch a video clip from the episode here 
Creative Team
Producer
Jo Swerling Jr.
Associate Producer
Paul Freeman
Music
Pete Rugolo
Director of Photography
John L. Russell A.S.C.
Art Director
Howard E. Johnson
Film Editor
Douglas Stewart
Unit Manager
Willard Sheldon
Assistant Director
James M. Walters, Jr.
Set Decorators
John McCartey &
Perry Murdoch
Sound
Corson Jowlett
Color Coordinator
Robert Brower
Color by Pathe
Editorial Dept. Head
David J. O'Connell
Musical Supervisor
Stanley Wilson
Costumes by Burton Miller
Makeup
Bud Westmore
Hair Stylist
Larry Germain
Links to Other Episodes
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In his statement Paul recounts meeting Judy
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The Plot:
The episode opens with Paul recording a sworn statement about his involvement in the killing of Angie Zeno.
He says this began when he met air hostess Judy Collins on a flight from Paris to San Francisco, and made a dinner date for the following evening.
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Angie makes a money-laundering deal with a high roller
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That same night Angie Zeno and his junior partner in Las Vegas interests also arrived in San Francisco to meet with high roller Steven Blakely, to offer to sell him his $84,000 check against gambling losses for $80,000 in cash. This and other money was then passed on by Carl Torre (known to Paul later as Steve Drake) to Judy for transporting to a contact in Paris,
Judy and Paul make a date to meet again when she returns from another flight to Paris, and he's concluded some left-over legal work for an old client.
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Torre wants to know where the money went
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But as soon as she's back from Paris, with obvious urgency, Judy tries to reach Paul in advance of their date that evening, and the reason is quickly learned when Carl Torre arrives at her home, wanting to know what happened to the cash she was supposed to deliver in Paris. She says that she hid it in her apartment there, and it was gone when she returned from dinner. Torre suggests that she come up with a better story, and will return at 9 pm.
Judy explains the whole situation to Paul, about delivering money to Paris and how she'd just lost $200,000.
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Jill and Paul are tense when the doorbell rings
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He says that she needs more than just a lawyer or a friend, then leaves the room when Torre arrives. On Paul's advice, Jill says she wants to speak to the head man, to know his name. Torre scoffs at this, and Paul enters, saying that Jill didn't take the money. Torre is cool about Paul's unexpected presence, and says they might have accepted some reasonable story, but now both of them are in trouble. After he leaves, Paul suggests that Jill has no option but to tell her story to the Justice Department, but she begs for one night to think that over, and Paul says it's better that she pack and spend the night at a hotel.
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Torre says he'll be in touch with them both
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But the next day, she is gone
When Paul and his friend from the Justice Department, Jim Seabourne, return to her apartment, it's obvious that Jill came back at some point, and took more items away with her.
Paul says he can stay and wait at the apartment, but then decides to go back to his planned schedule, navigating for Pete Gaffney in his racing car at Trieste. Jim reacts by saying he never understood why Paul gave up a brilliant legal career in mid stream.
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The next day Jill is missing
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Paul goes racing in Italy, and after an evening of revelry, is accosted in the street by two thugs who beat him, and then question him with further blows as to the whereabouts of Judy Collins and the missing money. Innocent of all knowledge, Paul continues to say he doesn't know, and is hit again and again. After being freed by the thugs, Paul returns with many injuries to San Francisco to consult with Jim Seabourne, and identifies Carl Torre from mug books. Jim says Torre works with Angie Zeno, owner of the Golden Spar, and both agree that Zeno will go after Paul again.
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Back in San Francisco Paul looks at mug shots
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Jim says that as large and powerful as his organization is, he can't do anything about Zeno following Paul around the world, but live with it, and he does every day.
Paul asks if Zeno has a flaw or weakness, and Jim says he's powerful enough to afford flaws, that eventually he'll stop following Paul.
But Paul counters vehemently that he needs Zeno to leave him alone NOW …. or remember him.
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Angie's girlfriend appears amused by Paul
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On a tip from Jim Paul goes to Las Vegas to see Angie Zeno's girlfriend, and tells her that he knows she's seeing one of Zeno's henchmen behind Zeno's back.
She lets him in and asks what he wants. Paul asks her to ring Zeno and get him to come over to her place. She tells Paul he's crazy, but he says that if she doesn't ring Zeno, he will himself - with the information about her infidelity.
She makes the call, and manages to draw Zeno over from a card game.
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Paul gets Zeno's girlfriend to bring him over
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Paul confronts him immediately, describing his injuries from Trieste, saying he lost six days in a Yugoslav hospital.
Zeno replies casually that Paul should have said where the money was.
Paul adamantly denies any knowledge of the cash. Zeno seems puzzled that the rigged meeting had such a small point, and asks what's the rest of Paul's reason for staging it.
Paul becomes hard and menacing, saying, “don't come near me again! Not with thugs, not with gum shoes or threats.” Zeno asks measuredly, “and if I do?”
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Paul tells Zeno to never go after him again
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Paul answers, “touch me, reach out for me - even from a distance - and I'll come back into this jungle of yours, and we'll play it your way. Right where you live. Just the way you play it.”
Zeno turns to go, and then lashes back at Paul, but in the fight which ensues, ends up the one on the ground.
“Now you know how it feels,” says Paul, and Zeno responds menacingly, “you're a dead man.” Then Paul growls and makes Zeno repeat the words that he is “yellow inside and out.”
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Paul advises he'll be met by Justice Dept officials
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As soon as Paul leaves, a livid Zeno gets on the phone, saying that he wants a man of Paul's appearance picked up. In a police line up, Paul is actually the only one who meets the description Zeno gave, but Zeno says he is not the man who assaulted him, the idea being that the henchmen will work Paul over when the police release him. However, as the result of strategic planning, Paul gives them the slip in Las Vegas. Nevertheless Torre is on the same plane bound for San Francisco when Paul flies back. He expects to follow Paul from the airport and finishe him off.
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Zeno gets a threatening call from Paul
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However, on the plane, Paul seeks out Torre, and tells him that he'll be met by people from the Justice Department on arrival.
Then he adds a message for Zeno, “tell him he should have believed me.”
Zeno is raging that his men lost Paul when Paul rings, and gives him a Las Vegas number to phone.
When he does, Paul answers, and threatens to get Zeno one way or another in his own time.
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Zeno demands that they find Paul
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Zeno becomes genuinely upset, and calls for police to seek Paul out for threatening him, as well as for his men to increase their protection of him. “He's a fanatic. You know what that is. A nut with brains,” Zeno shouts. All the while, Torre remains cool and inscrutable.
Contrary to what he's told Zeno, Paul actually goes fishing off Baja California.
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas police and Zeno's men have combed the town for Paul, and Zeno has become so paranoid that he won't leave his home.
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Torre is calm as Zeno rants
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He tells Torre that he has more law around him than he had at Sing Sing prison, but with all the palms he's greased, he has no one.
Then he turns his venom on Torre, pointing out how he failed in catching Paul, and even goes so far as to question whether he had a part in the disappearance of the $200,000 Judy was transporting.
Torre evenly says that's something Zeno needs to decide for himself.
But Zeno then rejects such an idea, even turning somewhat nostalgic about their relationship.
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Zeno says that he trusts Torre like a friend
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Then he laughs, and says that Paul maybe isn't around at all waiting for him, that he has probably jumped the country.
Both men then laugh maniacally
Over time Zeno becomes more complacent, talking again about how Paul is probably gone.
Then Paul rings again. Zeno shouts for a trace of the call, and gets friendly with Paul to draw the call out, saying that maybe Judy didn't take the money. That it was a mistake, and he owed Paul an apology.
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Torre tries to trace Paul's call
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But Paul rejects it, and says that he's still waiting for the one good chance to get Zeno, adding, “we're both hiding now. That's easier for me than for you. And I plan to take my time.”
Paul's toying with Zeno is having the desired effect, as the mobster is bedazzled by Paul's motivation, and clearly terrified for his life.
He wonders why the man is doing this to him, and Torre replies, “he thinks it's either him or you.”
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Torre watches Zeno rant on
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Zeno shouts back, “find him and kill him,” then declares, mystified, “I'm being hunted like a dumb animal.”
Torre is supportive, then silent.
“What are you looking at?” Zeno asks.
He is suddenly suspicious, and Torre answers that he's looking at him like he always does.
Then he suggests, if Paul is bugging him so much, Zeno should get out of town.
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Zeno is suspicious of Torre's neutral look
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It sounded reasonable, but Zeno immediately picks up something sinister from the remark.
Zeno snarls, “you said get out of town. Leave Vegas. What is this?”
He says he's been spoken to like a punk, and thinks he's being eased out by being set up for a hit.” When Torre says that he's only trying to help,
Zeno shouts back, “Help who?”Then he questions who Torre has been talking to and what he's been doing.
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Angie Zeno killed by a sniper
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Ranting, he throws the ever- expressionless Torre out, yelling that he should tell anyone that Angie is going to stay until he gets the maniac
The die has been cast.
Later on, with his bodyguard patrolling the balcony, Zeno is fixing himself a drink when a rifle shot hits him in the head.
The bodyguard turns and shoots out into the night, but Angie Zeno is the victim of an assassin's bullet.
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Paul is at sea when the killing takes place
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Paul receives a message while fishing off the coast of Mexico.
He returns to San Francisco to make a statement about the Angie Zeno affair.
Jim Seabourne tells him that the Zenos of this world can only hold on to their power as long as they keep up a front of invincibility.
When they show fear, that's the end; if they crack, they're done for.
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Jim Seabourne says he knows Paul is innocent
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Jim says that Torre took advantage of Zeno's vulnerability to kill him and blame it on Paul who'd sworn a threat to get him, something well-known to the police, but that there is no case against Paul.
Jim also tells him that Judy Collins has surfaced, and is coming in to the Justice Department.
She apologizes for everything that happened to him after her asking for help, and Paul says, “nothing was lost - only a little time.”
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  Review: Slow-starting, but with a dramatic opening sequence as Paul dictates his statement, this episode is all about strength of character - the enormity of Paul's and the shakiness of the mob boss.
We are blown away by the mixture of courage and guile that Paul demonstrates in a convincing portrayal, and equally intrigued by the enigmatic performance of the apparently imperturbable character played flawlessly by Henry Silva, a man ready for every eventuality.
Harold J. Stone, on the other hand, runs the gamut of emotions with the expected skill of a master musician with his instrument.
While it remains implausible that he would be in a physical condition to fight with Zeno, much less tackle sharks after the injuries he suffered from the beating, this minor flaw does not detract from a strong and tightly paced episode, well-directed by Richard Benedict
SEE INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS OF ENTIRE CAST AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE
part 1
part 2
part 3
and watch a video clip from the episode here 
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Henry Silva
as Carl Torre
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Harold J. Stone
as Angie Zeno
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Gene Evans as
Jim Seaborne
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Jill Haworth as
Judy Collins
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Leslie Perkins
as Shirley Bare
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Lyle Talbot as
Steven Blakely
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Quinn O'Hara
as Karen
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Jack Crowden as
the Detective
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Bob McCready
as the 1st Thug
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Vince Barbi as
the 2nd Thug
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Leslie Summers
as the Secretary
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