APPLAUSE Thank you very much, and welcome to To Tell The Truth.
Our first guest -
he's made a career out of being
the most outrageous impostor that we've ever come across on this show,
and you're going to see what I mean.
Number one - what is your name, please?
My name is Frank William Abagnale.
Number two? MY name is Frank William Abagnale.
Number three? MY name is Frank William Abagnale.
ANNOUNCER: From 1964 to 1967,
I successfully impersonated an airline pilot for Pan Am Airways,
and I flew over two million miles for free.
During that time,
I was also the chief resident paediatrician at a Georgia hospital
and an assistant attorney-general for the state of Louisiana.
By the time I was caught,
I was considered the youngest and most daring conman in US history.
I had cashed almost 4 million in fraudulent cheques
in 26 foreign countries and all 50 states.
And I did it all before my 19th birthday.
My name is Frank William Abagnale.
APPLAUSE
So, for the first time, he's going to have to tell the truth
and we're going to start our questioning with Kitty.
Thank you. Number one, why, with all your talent -
and you're obviously a very bright fellow -
why didn't you go in for a legitimate profession?
It was really a question of dollars and cents.
When I was a young man, I needed the money,
and I thought this list of careers was the easiest way to get it.
I see.
Number two, I find this all very fascinating.
Who was it that finally caught you? His name was Carl Hanratty.
STRONG FRENCH ACCENT: Ratty?
ALL IMITATE: Ratty? Hanratty!
ALL: Ratty! Hanratty!
SLOWLY: I...am... Carl Hanratty.
OK? The FBI from the United States of America.
ALL: Oui. Oui.
I have orders to see the American prisoner Abagnale.
ALL ARGUE IN FRENCH
You sit here.
You do not open the door.
You do not pass him anything through the hole.
HE SPEAKS FRENCH
COUGHING
Oh, great.
COUGHS VIOLENTLY
THUNDER RUMBLES, WATER DRIPS
COUGHING
You know, I got a little bit of a cold myself.
COUGHS AND RETCHES
Frank, I'm here to read the articles of extradition
according to the European Court for Human Rights.
Article 1. "Extradition shall be granted in respect of all offences
"punishable under laws of deprivation of liberty and a detention order
"for the maximum period of at least one year of a severe penalty."
Help me.
Frank, stop it.
Help me.
You don't think you actually can fool me, do you?
COUGHS VIOLENTLY
16 pages to go. Stay with me.
Article 2.
READS RAPIDLY: "If the request for extradition includes..."
CONTINUES READING RAPIDLY
Frank.
Frank?
Get me a doctor in here!
I need a doctor! Yes.
Doctor, now!
Don't sweat it, Frank. We're going to get you right to a doctor.
MEN SPEAK IN FRENCH
Frank, if you can hear me, don't worry -
I'm going to take you home in the morning.
Home in the morning, Frank.
What are you doing?
Washing off the lice.
This man has to be on a plane for America. He has to see a doctor.
The doctor comes in tomorrow.
I have worked too long, too hard for you to take this away from me.
If he dies, I'm holding you responsible.
Monsieur!
ALL EXCLAIM IN FRENCH
Oh, Frank.
ALARM BLARES ALL CHEER
COUGHS VIOLENTLY
PRISONERS CHEER AND WHISTLE
OK, Carl.
Let's go home.
MAN: The New Rochelle Rotary Club
has a history that goes back to 1919.
In all those years, we've only seen a handful of deserving gentlemen
inducted as lifetime members.
It's an honour that has seen
57 names enshrined on the wall of honour,
and tonight we make it 58.
So, please stand as I present my very good friend -
a man who keeps our pencils sharp... and our pens in ink.
Frank William Abagnale!
I stand here humbled by the presence of Mayor Robert Wagner.
And our club president, Jack Barnes.
APPLAUSE
Most of all, I'm honoured to see my loving wife, Paula...
..and my son, Frank Jr...
Frank...
..sitting in the front row. SCATTERED LAUGHTER
Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream.
The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned.
The second mouse wouldn't quit.
He struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter
and crawled out.
Gentlemen, as of this moment, I am that second mouse.
MUSIC: Embraceable You by Judy Garland
PAULA: You're a better dancer than your father, Frankie.
You hear that, Daddy? FRANK SR: Like fun!
The girls don't know what they're in for.
Show him the dance you were doing when we met.
Oh, who can remember?
The people in that little French village
were so happy to see Americans.
They decided to put on a show for us.
So, they crammed... Yeah, we know the story, Daddy.
..into that tiny social hall,
and the first person to walk onstage is your mother,
and she starts to dance.
You know, it had been months since we'd even seen a woman.
Here's this blonde angel.
Blonde bombshell. GIGGLES
And the men are literally holding their breath.
Holding their breath for you.
You hear that? LAUGHS
And I turned to my buddies and I said...
"I will not leave France without her."
And I didn't.
You didn't.
I didn't.
Oh! Oh, shit, the rug.
Oh, Mom. I can't believe I did that.
No, no, it's nothing, it's nothing.
Oh, Frankie! Frankie, get a towel. Yeah.
Come on!
Dance with me, Paula.
SIGHS AND GIGGLES
Whenever I dance for you, I get in trouble.
Oh!
Frank, wake up! Come on, let's go!
Get up! Come on, come on!
Frank, wake up.
SLEEPILY: Dad...
You don't have to go to school today. It's OK.
Why? Is it snowing?
Do you have a black suit?
Oh, I overslept again, huh?
We have a very important meeting in the city.
Here, eat that. Come on, come on!
FRANK SR: Ma'am, open up! Just open up, please!
FRANK JR: Ma'am!
Oh, gosh!
We don't open for half an hour. Open the door, please.
Just open the door. It's important.
I'm sorry - we don't open for half an hour.
What's your name, ma'am? Darcy.
Darcy. That's a pretty name.
I'm in a bit of a fix. I need a suit for my kid. This is my son, Frank.
Oh, hi. He needs a black suit.
Black suit? There was a death in the family.
My father - 85 years old, war hero. Yeah?
There's a funeral this afternoon, military funeral.
Planes flying overhead, 21-gun salute.
Jeez.
Frank needs to borrow a suit for a couple of hours.
I'm sorry. We don't loan suits and we're not open.
Darcy. Darcy, please, come back. SHE SIGHS
Darcy, is this yours?
I just found it in the parking lot.
Uh-huh.
It must have slipped right off your neck.
TYRES SCREECH
FRANK SR: Don't hit the kerb!
Now, get out, walk around the back and hold the door open for me.
All right. What's next?
OK, stop grinning.
When I get inside, you go back to the front seat and wait.
Even if a cop comes and writes you a ticket,
you don't move the car, understood?
Dad, what's all this for?
You know why the Yankees always win, Frank?
Cos they have Mickey Mantle?
No, it's cos the other teams
can't stop staring at those damn pinstripes.
Watch this.
The manager of Chase Manhattan Bank
is about to open the door for your father.
Mr Abagnale, we don't usually loan money
to people who have unresolved business with the IRS.
That's a misunderstanding. I hired the wrong guy to do my books.
A mistake - anybody could make it.
I just need you guys to help me weather the storm.
Sir, you're being investigated by the government for tax fraud.
My store is a landmark in New Rochelle.
I have customers all over New York.
Well, you're not a customer at Chase Manhattan. We don't know you.
I'm sure your bank in New Rochelle, they know you.
They can help you out. My bank went out of business.
Banks like this one put them out of business.
Now, I know I made a mistake -
I admit that - but these people want blood.
They want my store. They've threatened to put me in jail.
This is America, right? I'm not a criminal.
I'm a Medal of Honor winner,
a lifetime member of the New Rochelle Rotary Club.
All I'm asking is for you to help me beat these guys.
It's not a question of winning and losing. It's a question of risk.
You're the largest bank in the world.
Where's the...?
Where's the risk?
Dad, how could you just let 'em take our car like that?
He didn't take anything. We took HIM.
He overpaid by 500.
Come on, Frank. Let's return the suit.
SHE SOBS
This place is good.
It's small, but, you know, it's going to be a lot less work,
a lot less work for you.
Hey, Dad.
Hi.
Where's your mother?
I don't know.
She said something about going to look for a job.
What's she going to be - a shoe salesman at a centipede farm?
What are you doing?
You want some pancakes?
For dinner, on my son's 16th birthday?
We're not going to eat pancakes!
Why are you looking at me like that? You thought I'd forgotten?
I didn't think you forgot.
I opened a chequing account in your name.
I put 25 in the account so you can buy whatever you want.
Don't tell your mother. I won't.
Thanks, Dad.
Didn't the bank turn you down for a loan, though?
Yes, they all turned me down.
Then why are you opening a banking account?
Because one day you'll want something from these people - a house, a car.
They have all the money.
There's 50 cheques there, Frank, which means from this day on...
..you're in their little club.
I'm in their little club.
You got that, you got it all.
It's even got my name there, huh?
To the moon.
To the moon!
To the moon.
BELLS CHIME
See that? It's just a school. No different than Westburn.
Ma, you said you were going to quit.
Frankie, you don't have to wear the uniform here.
Why don't you take off your jacket?
I'm used to it.
Excuse me. Oh, yes?
Do you know where room 17 French is?
Yeah, it's...
BOTH SNIGGER
BELL RINGS
You selling encyclopaedias?
Yeah, he looks like a substitute teacher.
GIRLS GIGGLE NOISILY Quiet down, people!
My name is Mr Abagnale.
That's A-big-nail -
not A-big-nah-lee, not A-big-naily,
but ABAGNALE.
Will somebody please tell me where you left off in your textbooks?
Excuse me, people - if I need to ask again,
I'm going to write up the entire class! Take your seats!
Chapter seven.
Will you please open your textbooks to chapter eight
and we'll get started?
Excuse me - what's your name? Brad.
Brad, why don't you get up here in front of the class here
and read conversation number five.
READS BADLY IN FRENCH
ALL LAUGH
They sent for me. They said they needed a sub for Roberta.
I came all the way from Dixon.
Well, I always sub for Roberta.
Excuse me - why aren't you reading?
BRAD CONTINUES READING
I'll never come back to Bellamy Jefferson again.
You tell them not to call me!
What - do they think it's easy for a woman my age?
And all the money that it costs to travel!
I tell you, they don't give a damn!
Mr and Mrs Abagnale, this is not a question of your son's attendance.
I regret to inform you that for the past week,
Frank has been teaching Mrs Glasser's French class.
He what?
Your son has been pretending to be a substitute teacher -
lecturing the students, giving out homework.
Mrs Glasser has been ill and there was some confusion with the real sub.
Your son held a teacher-parent conference yesterday
and was planning a class field trip
to a French bread factory in Trenton.
Do you see the problem we have?
Mrs Davenport, I have a note to miss fifth and sixth period today.
Doctor's appointment. One moment. I'll be right with you.
(Hey.)
(You should fold it.) What?
That note. It's a fake, right? You should fold it.
It's a note from my mom. I have a doctor's appointment.
Yeah, but there's no crease in the paper.
When your mom hands you a note to miss school,
the first thing you do is you fold it and you put it in your pocket.
I mean, if it's real, where's the crease?
BELL RINGS
Oh, Frankie.
Ma, I'm home! ROMANTIC MUSIC PLAYS
You remember that girl Joanna I was telling you about?
I asked her out today.
I think we're going to go to the junior prom.
NEEDLE SCRATCHES RECORD Ma, is this my driver's licence?
That's all there is - two bedrooms.
Oh, Frankie.
You remember Dad's friend?
Jack Barnes. From the club.
Hello. He came by looking for your father.
I was giving him a tour of the apartment.
It's very, er...er, spacious, Paula.
Dad's at the store.
So, Frank...
you're getting to look more like your old man every day.
Thanks for the sandwich, Paula.
I'll see you later, huh? Wait.
Is this yours?
Oh.
Well, thanks, Frank. That's the president's pin.
I'd be in deep trouble if I lost that.
I'll see you all later, huh?
Are you hungry, Frankie?
I'll make you a sandwich.
Jack wanted to talk business with your father.
He thinks we should get a lawyer and sue the government.
It is not legal, what they're doing to us.
Why aren't you saying anything?
You're not going to tell him, are you?
No.
That's right. There's nothing to tell.
I'm going out for a few hours
to visit some old friends from the tennis club
and when I get home, we'll all have dinner together, right?
But you won't say anything, because it's...it's just silly, isn't it?
How could we sue anybody?
Oh...
do you need some money, Frankie?
A few dollars to buy some...record albums?
Here. Take 5.
Oh, 10.
You promised you were going to quit.
Ma, I'm home.
DOOR OPENS
Hey, hey!
Look, you - you stay away from her, you hear me?
I don't know who you are, but if you ever come back here again...
Frank! Frank! Frank, calm down, will you? I'm Dick Kesner.
Now, I want you to leave your things here,
follow me into the next room, OK? They're all waiting for you.
PAULA: You don't have to be scared.
I'm right here, Frank. I'll always be here.
But there are laws. Everything in this country has to be legal.
So what we need to do is make some decisions.
That's what Mr Kesner is here for.
Many times these decisions are left up to the courts,
but that can be very expensive, Frank,
people fighting over their children. Nobody's fighting.
Look at me, Frank. Nobody's fighting.
SPEAKS FRENCH
SHE REPLIES IN FRENCH
Dad, what's going on?
Do you remember your grandma, Eve? She arrived this morning.
Bonjour. Hello.
SPEAKS FRENCH
Allez, Maman.
Do you understand what we're saying to you, Frank?
Your father and I... are getting a divorce.
SPEAKS FRENCH
Nothing's going to change. We're still going to see each other.
Oh, stop it, please, Frank. Don't interrupt.
Frank, you don't have to read all of this.
Most of it's for your parents - boring adult business -
but this paragraph right here, this IS important,
because it states who you are going to live with...
after the divorce.
Whose custody you will be in.
And there's a blank space right here.
MUTTERS IN FRENCH
Now, I want you to go into the kitchen, sit at the table,
and put a name down.
You can take as long as you want,
but when you come back into this room,
I want to see a name on that line.
Frank, just write down a name.
This will all be over. It's going to be OK.
What name?
Your mother or your father.
Just put the name there - it's as simple as that.
And don't look so scared. It's not a test.
There's no wrong answer.
Hi.
One ticket to Grand Central, please.
That'll be 3.50, sir.
Is it OK if I write you a cheque?
Carl, when do I get to call my father?
You can call him when we get to New York.
We leave for the airport in seven hours.
Until then, just sit there. Be quiet.
You know, Carl, on the other side of the hotel, they got suites that face the park.
It's the best room the FBI can afford.
That's OK. I've stayed in worse.
Mr Mertrick. Mr Mertrick, please! You have to listen to me!
I don't want to hear your story. This is two cheques that bounced.
You know how much trouble I'm in.
No, but listen. I'll telling you, the bank, THEY made the mistake.
I'll write you another cheque right now.
What - do I look like I was born yesterday?
Look, it's midnight, Mr Mertrick. Where am I going to go?!
You're a goddamn kid. Go HOME.
I mean, I hope you understand.
My boss sent me to Brooklyn, then Queens.
Now he wants me in Long Island
to take a few clients out for a night on the town.
I'm sorry, but we're not allowed to cash cheques from other banks.
How would we know if they're any good?
What did you say your name was?
Ashley. Ashley.
You know what I found on the sidewalk out there?
Must have slipped right off your neck.
Is there something I can help you with, son?
Well, you see, it's my grandmother's birthday next week
and I want to get her something extra special.
Please? I mean, it's my midterm next week and my books were stolen.
COUGHS AND SPLUTTERS
Please, it's just 5. No-one would have to know.
I'm sorry, BUT we are not allowed to take cheques
from people we don't know.
ALL LAUGH
Pleasure to have you back, Captain Carlson.
What do you think, Angelo? The tomatoes are ripe this afternoon!
What have we here? May I have your autograph?
You betcha! Can I have your autograph, too?
You want to be a pilot? Mm-hm.
All right, there you go. Work hard in school.
FRANK JR: Dear Dad, I have decided to become an airline pilot.
I have applied to all the big airlines
and I have several promising interviews lined up.
How's Mom? Have you called her lately?
Love, your son, Frank.
Hello.
I'm Frank Black from Monroe High School,
and I have an appointment with Mr Morgan.
You're the young man who's writing the article for the school paper.
Yes, ma'am, that's me.
I want to know everything about being a pilot.
What airports does Pan Am fly to?
What does a pilot make in a year, and who tells them where they're going to fly to?
Whoa. Let's take 'em one at a time.
All right - what does it mean when one pilot says to another pilot,
"What kind of equipment are you on?"
They want to know what kind of aircraft you're flying -
is it a DC8, 707, Constellation...
And what about those ID badges that I've seen pilots wear?
Every pilot has to have two things with him at all times -
one is his airline personnel badge,
looks just like this one here from Pan Am,
the other one is their FAA licence, and that looks just like this.
Oh!
Do you think I can make a copy of this to put into my article?
Well, Frank, you can have that one. It's three years expired.
Oh, thanks. What about your ID badge? Do you have one I could borrow?
No, I can't help you there.
Those are special order from Polaroid.
The only way to get one of those is to become a real live pilot
for Pan American Airways.
'Pan Am. May I help you?'
Yeah, hello. I'm calling about a uniform.
'Hold for Purchasing.' Thank you.
'Purchasing.'
I'm a co-pilot based out of San Francisco,
I flew a flight into New York last night,
but the problem is I'm headed out to Paris in three hours.
How can we help you?
I sent my uniform to be cleaned through the hotel,
and I...I guess they must have lost it.
'They lost a uniform. Happens all the time.
'Go down to the Well Built Uniform Company at 9th and Broadway -
'they're our uniform supplier.
'I'll tell Mr Rosen you're coming.'
You look too young to be a pilot.
I'm a co-pilot.
Why so nervous?
How'd you feel if you lost your uniform first week on the job?
Relax.
Pan Am's got lots of uniforms. It's going to be 164.
Great. I'll write you a cheque.
Sorry. No cheques. No cash.
You'll have to fill in your employee ID number and then I'll bill Pan Am.
They'll take it out of your next pay cheque.
Even better.
FRANK JR: Dear Dad,
you always told me that an honest man has nothing to fear,
so I'm trying my best not to be afraid.
I'm sorry I ran away, but you don't have to worry.
I'm going to get it all back now, Daddy. I promise.
I'm going to get it all back.
Are you a real live pilot? I sure am, little lady.
And what's your name? Celine.
Celine, it's a pleasure to meet you.
It's a pleasure to meet you, too!
That's 50, 70, 80, 90, 100.
You have yourself a great time in Paris.
I always do.
Excuse me.
I'm John Marticker. I manage this branch.
I want to thank you for coming in and using our institution.
Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, John. I'll be back again. Good.
Have you stayed with us before?
Uh, no. I've been primarily based on the west coast.
Is it all right if I write you a cheque for the room?
No problem, sir. Great.
Uh, I was also wondering if I could write you a personal cheque?
For airline personnel, we cash personal cheques up to 100.
Payroll cheques, we cash up to 300.
Did you say 300 for a payroll cheque?
TYPEWRITER CLACKS
FRANK JR: Dear Dad,
I've decided to become a pilot for Pan American Airways,
the most trusted name in the skies.
They've accepted me into their training programme
and told me that if I work hard, I should earn my wings real soon.
Please get in touch with Joanna Carlton from the 10th grade.
Tell her I'm sorry that I could not take her to the junior prom.
Love, your son, Frank.
Hello. How are you? Fine, thank you.
I have a payroll cheque here I'd like to cash.
Certainly. Thank you.
Uh, excuse me - I'm sure you hear this all the time,
but you have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen.
I DO get that all the time.
How would you like it?
Oh, I'm sorry, sir.
We won't have any cash until the banks open in an hour.
But I'm sure they can cash your cheque at the airport.
The airport? Who cashes cheques at the airport?
Well, the airlines, sir.
They've always taken care of their own.
Hello. Hi. Are you deadheading?
What? Are you my deadhead to Miami?
Yes, yes. SHE LAUGHS
Yeah, I'm a deadhead. Here you go.
You're a little late, but the jump seat is open.
You know, it's been a while since I've done this.
Which one's the jump seat again?
Have a nice flight.
Are you my deadhead?
Frank, Captain Oliver. John Larkin, the co-pilot.
Hello. Fred Tully, flight engineer.
Frank Taylor, Pan Am. Thanks for giving me a lift, boys.
Go ahead and take a seat, Frank. We're about to push.
What kind of equipment you on - DC8?
707.
You turning around on the red-eye?
I'm jumping puddles for the next few months,
trying to earn my keep running leapfrogs for the weak and weary.
No shame in that. We all did it.
Have a seat. Thank you.
Would you like a drink after take-off?
Milk?
LARKIN: 80 knots. OLIVER: Check.
V-1. Rotate.
V-2. Positive lift.
Gear up.
FRANK JR: Dear Dad, today was graduation.
I am now a co-pilot earning 1,400 a month plus benefits.
And the best part is, they tell me my family can fly for free.
So tell Mom to pack her bags and buy a new swimsuit,
because I'm taking us all to Hawaii for Christmas.
I love you, Dad.
Aloha. Frank.
Hello, deadhead. Hello.
Enjoying your free ride?
Marci, did you drop this?
Must have slipped right off your neck.
No.
No!
No.
MARCI GASPS: Yes! Yes! Yes!
Yes!
CRASH
Why are you stopping?
I want to tell you something, Marci.
This is by far the best date I have ever been on.
Welcome to Miami Mutual Bank. How may I help you?
My name is Frank Taylor. I'm a co-pilot for Pan Am.
I'd like to cash this cheque here and then...
I'd like to take you out for a steak dinner.
And then we feed the cheques into the MICR machine,
which uses special ink to encode the account numbers on the cheques.
And where are these numbers?
They're, um...right here.
Right there. See?
They're called the routing numbers.
So, where do the cheques get routed to?
You know, I don't exactly know. Nobody ever asked me that before.
Next item up for bid is also from the Jersey Central Bank foreclosure.
This is a MICR encoder - a machine used to encode bank cheques.
Do I have an opening bid?
HANRATTY: Our unknown subject is a paperhanger who started working on the east coast.
In the last few weeks, this unsub has developed a new form of cheque fraud which I'm calling "the float".
What he's doing is, he's opening chequing accounts at various banks
and then changing the MICR ink routing numbers at the bottom of those cheques. Next slide, please.
Next slide, please.
The remote thing is broken, you might have to do it by hand.
You've gotta... Try the...
Agent Molen, it should be the square button just there by the side.
That's a bad carousel you got here.
Thank you, Agent Molen. You've got to move it manually.
This is a map of the 12 banks of the US Federal Reserve.
Slide.
MICR scanners at every bank read these numbers
at the bottom of a cheque. Slide.
And then ship that cheque off to its corresponding branch.
Carl, for those of us who are unfamiliar with bank fraud,
do you mind telling us what the hell you're talking about?
The east coast branches are numbered 01 to 06,
the central branches are 07, 08, so on, so forth.
Do you mean those numbers on the bottom of a cheque mean something?
All of this was in the report I filed two days ago.
If you change a 02 to a 12,
that means that cheque which was cashed in New York
does not go to the New York federal branch,
but it is re-routed all the way to the San Francisco federal branch.
The bank doesn't even know the cheque has bounced for two weeks,
which means our unsub can stay in one place,
paper the same city over and over again while these cheques circle the country.
You know, you want to talk to my wife -
she's the one that balances the chequebook at our house.
LAUGHTER
Next slide.
Daddy!
My son the bird man. That's some uniform, Frank.
What do you think?
Nice. Sit down.
Dad... Daddy, have you gotten the postcards?
Of course. This fork is ice-cold.
No, no. Dad, that's a chilled salad fork.
(It's a fancy restaurant, you know?)
Here...I got you something.
What's that?
Open it.
You know what those are, right?
Those are the keys to a 1965 Cadillac DeVille convertible - brand-new, Dad.
Red, with white interior,
split seats, air-conditioning, the works.
You're giving me a Cadillac? I'm giving you a Cadillac.
Dad, she's parked downstairs.
When we're done eating lunch, why not drive on over to Mom's house,
pick her up, take a little joy-ride?
Do you know what would happen if the IRS found out
I was driving around in a new coupe?
I took the train here, Frank. I'm taking the train home.
All right.
I have plenty of money. You know, if you ever, ever need anything...
You worried...about me?
No, I'm not... I'm not worried.
You think I can't buy my own car?
Two mice fell in a bucket of cream, Frank - which one am I?
You're that second mouse.
I went by the store today...
I had to close the store for a while.
It's all about timing, Frank.
The goddamn government knows that - they hit you when you're down.
I wasn't going to let them take it from me,
so I just shut the doors myself, called their bluff.
Sooner or later, they'll forget about me.
I understand. I...
Have you told Ma?
She's so stubborn. Your mother...
Don't worry. I'm not going to let her go without a fight.
I've been fighting for us s...
Dad?
..since the day we met.
Daddy, out of all those men,
you were the one that took her home, remember that?
200 men sitting in that tiny social hall watching her dance.
What was the name of that town?
Montrichard, Dad.
I didn't speak a word of French and six weeks later, she was my...
She's your wife.
My son bought me a Cadillac today. I think that calls for a toast.
To the best damn pilot in the sky.
It's not what you think. I'm just a co-pilot.
You see these people staring at you?
These are the most powerful people in New York City
and they keep peeking over their shoulders wondering where you're going tonight.
Where are you going, Frank?
Dad, nobody's staring at me.
Someplace exotic?
Just tell me where you're going.
Los An... Hollywood.
Hollywood?
(The rest of us really are suckers.)
So, I got on this red dress and these high heels, right,
and I got a bra, like, out here, OK?
I'm chasing these two Puerto Rican guys through the park.
They got a suitcase filled with bank robbery loot.
OK, I'm screaming out, "FBI! Freeze!" And I'm reaching for my gun,
but I can't find it in the bra, it's so damn big.
I thought I was going to shoot my tits off.
You know, that's a funny story - people always laugh at that story.
Let me ask you a question, Mr Amdursky -
if you were having so much fun undercover,
why did you transfer to bank fraud?
I didn't transfer, I was censured and reassigned.
It's like being punished - I was punished. I screwed up in the field.
And you, Mr Fox? Were you punished for screwing up in the field?
Oh, no, no, I've never worked in the field before.
I audited background investigations
of Department of Justice clerical applicants.
Well, that's just great.
I ask for a team and they drag the bottom of the Pacific.
Mind if I ask you a question, Agent Hanratty?
How come you're so serious all the time?
Does it bother you, Mr Amdursky?
Yeah. Yeah, it does bother me.
Does it bother you, Mr Fox? A little, I guess.
Well, would you like to hear me tell a joke?
Yeah. Yeah, we'd love to hear a joke from you.
Knock, knock. Who's there?
Go flog yourselves. TURNS RADIO UP
MUSIC: Girl From Ipanema
MAN: He cashed three cheques, they all cleared.
I was going to deposit this one today.
I don't want any trouble.
No trouble.
No trouble at all. We'll take this cheque and be on our way. Thank you.
Good. Because I don't want my customers harassed.
What are you saying? Is he still here?
201.
Thank you.
A corner here. Oh, thanks, son.
Some steps. Steps.
Hey, Mr Murphy, how are ya? Is that Frank?
Yeah, it's Frank. Hey, Frank. How are you?
How's the knee? Come on, I'll race you right now.
HE LAUGHS Take care. OK, Frank.
Come on, Carl, this guy's a pen-and-ink man -
a goddamn paperhanger.
He doesn't carry a gun. Why can't we go with you?
Just keep your eyes open, do your job and I'll buy you both a Good Humor Bar.
SHE GASPS It's all right, ma'am - FBI.
201. 201. 201.
201. 201. 201. 201...
FBI!
TOILET FLUSHES
FBI!
Come out of the bathroom!
Step out of the bathroom!
Hands on your head.
You know, that's the new IBM Selectric.
You can change the print type in five seconds.
Shut up! Put your hands on your head! Put your hands...
You know, he's got over 200 cheques here.
Hands on your head!
He even has little payroll envelopes addressed to himself from...
Put it down! DROP IT! Relax!
You're late, all right?
My name's Barry Allen, United States Secret Service.
Your boy just tried to jump out the window. My partner has him in custody.
I don't know what you're talking about.
What - you think the FBI are the only ones on this guy?
I mean, come on...come on, he's dabbling in government cheques here.
I've been following a paper trail on this guy for months now.
Hey, do you mind taking that gun out of my face?
Please, really, I mean, it makes me nervous.
Let me see some credentials.
Yeah, sure.
Take my whole wallet.
You want my gun, too? Come over here, take my gun.
Hey. Hey, look. Just do me a favour, take a look outside.
Look, look out the window.
My partner's walking him to the car as we speak. Look.
The old guy almost pissed in his pants when I came through the door.
He jumped right through the window onto the hood of my car.
Hey, Murph! Yeah?
Call the LAPD again. I don't want people walking through my crime scene.
CLEARS THROAT
I didn't expect the secret service on this.
Don't worry about it. Well, what's your name?
Hanratty. Carl Hanratty.
Mind if I see some identification? Sure.
You know, you never can be too careful these days.
Well, tough luck, Carl.
Five minutes earlier, you would have landed yourself a pretty good collar.
Is that right? Ten seconds later and you would have been shot.
Mind if I come downstairs with you? I've got to take a look at this guy.
Sure thing - just do me a favour and sit tight for a second
while I get this evidence downstairs.
You know, I don't want some maid walking through here
and making the bed. LAPD should be here any sec. Wait.
Your wallet.
You hang on to it for a minute. I trust ya.
SIGHS
SIGHS HEAVILY
Oh. Oh.
Yeah.
Secret service.
Hey!
Oh, goddammit!
It was stupid. I made a stupid mistake.
Forget about it. There are hundreds of unknown subjects out there.
I can get this guy, Sean.
The worst thing a paperhanger can do is show his face.
I read the report - 6ft tall, brown hair, 27 to 30 years of age, 160lb.
This could be almost anybody.
I heard his voice, Sean. I saw his face.
There's nothing for him to hide behind any more.
Just be careful.
You've got 12 years in.
Nobody bothers you - you practically wrote the book on bank fraud.
That's the kind of thing that can make you section chief some day.
Just don't put yourself in this type of position.
What type of position?
The position of being humiliated.
Sean, would you like to hear me tell a joke?
Yeah, sure.
Knock, knock.
FRANK JR: So, my next question is, when a pilot retires,
Pan Am sends him a cheque every single month?
Ah, yeah, pension programme sends a cheque and benefits.
How much is that cheque for?
Er, kid, I'm really not in the mood for this right now.
This skyway man's driving me crazy. Who's the skyway man?
Some nut that's flying around the country posing as a Pan Am pilot.
There's a column about him in the paper today.
I keep telling them, this is not my problem.
This guy doesn't even fly Pan Am. Flies everybody else.
Flies United, TWA, Continental, Eastern.
The skyway man.
Newspaper loves this clown.
They call him the James Bond of the sky.
Did you say...
Bond, James Bond.
Tell me, Jill, why does he do it? He likes to win.
Come on, come on! We'll be landing in 20 minutes.
Do you want to play it easy, or the hard way?
And this isn't a tranquilliser.
Now, Pussy, you know a lot more about planes than guns.
IMITATES SEAN CONNERY: Hello, Pussy.
Now, you're sure this is the suit, right?
Positive. This is the exact suit he wore in the movie.
OK, I'll take three.
Certainly, Mr Fleming.
Now all you need is one of those foreign sports cars that he drives.
MUSIC: The Look Of Love by Dusty Springfield
Hello. Hi.
Haven't I seen you before?
Maybe.
A couple of years ago, I was on the cover of "17".
Yeah, you're that model, right - Cheryl?
Mm-hm.
Guys used to put your picture on their lockers.
Isn't that your silver car I saw parked out front?
Yeah...one of 'em.
So, do you think I could get an autograph?
Do you have a pen in your room?
Shh.
Men like you can buy anything you want.
He buys a deck of cards at the hotel gift shop.
Do you want to see a card trick?
How much did these cards cost?
Oh, 55 cents, I think.
And if they sold me downstairs at the hotel gift shop...
..how much would you pay?
I'm sor... I'm sorry, how much would I pay for what?
The entire night.
How much would you pay me for the entire night?
Cheryl, I...I really don't know.
Don't be scared.
Make me an offer.
300?
Go fish.
Er...500?
Go fish.
600?
Go fish.
1,000.
OK.
1,000.
OK. I'll be right back.
Wait a second, where are you going?
I'm going downstairs to cash a cheque.
Do you think this hotel is going to cash a 1,000 cheque at 3am?
It's a New York Savings and Loan cheque.
It's like gold - they'll cash it.
Don't you think they might get a little suspicious?
Here, let me see that.
It's a cashier's cheque. Endorse it over to me.
No, I couldn't do that.
You see, this cheque is for 1,400. We agreed upon 1,000.
Why don't I give you back 400 and you give me that cheque?
Even better.
Does this belong to anybody?
PHONE RINGS
This is Hanratty. Merry Christmas.
FRANK JR: Hello, Carl.
Hello.
Barry Allen, secret service.
I've been trying to track you down now for the last couple of hours.
What do you want?
I wanted to apologise for what happened out in Los Angeles.
'Uh-uh, uh-uh. No. No, you don't apologise to me.'
Do you always work on Christmas Eve, Carl?
I volunteered so the men with families could go home early.
You looked like you were wearing a wedding ring out in Los Angeles.
I thought maybe you had a family.
No, no family.
You want to talk to me... let's talk face to face.
All right. I'm at my suite at the Stuyvesant Arms, room 3113.
In the morning, I leave for Las Vegas for the weekend.
You think you're going to get me again?
You're not going to Vegas, you're not in the Stuyvesant Arms.
You'd love for me to send out 20 agents Christmas Eve.
We barge into your hotel, knock down the door
so you can make fools out of us all.
I'm really sorry if I made a fool out of you, I really am.
Uh-uh. No. No, no. Listen, I really am.
You do not feel sorry for me.
The truth is, I knew it was you. Maybe I didn't get the cuffs on you, but I knew.
Well, people only know what you tell them, Carl.
Well, then, tell me this, Barry Allen, secret service,
how did you know I wouldn't look in your wallet?
The same reason the Yankees always win -
nobody can keep their eyes off the pinstripes.
The Yankees win because they have Mickey Mantle.
No-one ever bets on the uniform.
You sure about that, Carl?
I'll tell you what I am sure of -
you're going to get caught, one way or another.
It's a mathematical fact - it's like Vegas, the house always wins.
Well, Carl, I'm sorry, but I have to go.
Oh, you didn't call just to apologise, did you?
What do you mean?
You have no-one else to call.
Whoa!
LAUGHS
SINGS ALONG TO RADIO
You got that burger up? Yep.
More coffee, sir?
Are you a collector?
Of what?
The Captives of the Cosmic Ray, The Big Freeze,
Land of the Golden Giants - I've got them all.
What are you talking about? Barry Allen.
The Flash.
Wait. Kid, kid, kid?
You mean, like, the comic book? Yeah, the comic book.
When he's not the Flash, that's his name - Barry Allen.
Thank you.
Now, get this - he reads comic books.
Comic books. Barry Allen is the Flash.
'Carl, slow down. I don't know what you're talking about.' He's a kid. Our unsub is a kid.
That's why we couldn't match his prints, why he doesn't have a record.
I want you to contact NYPD for every all-points juvenile runaways
in New York City, and don't forget the airports.
He's been kiting cheques all over the country. 'Well, why New York?'
The Yankees - he said something about the Yankees.
HANRATTY: So, where are we on the list?
Number 53...
Abagnale.
Good morning, ma'am. We're the FBI agents who called.
Oh, yes, I've been waiting.
I hope you're all hungry. I put out the Sara Lee.
My husband, Jack, is a lawyer.
What about your first husband, Mrs Abagnale?
CORRECTS PRONUNCIATION: Abagnale.
But I prefer to be called Barnes.
Frank William Abagnale.
It says here he was in the service. Did you two meet during the war?
Yeah, I lived in a very small village in France - Montrichard -
the kind of place where they've never heard of Sara Lee.
Help yourselves. Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee.
You filled out a missing persons report for a runaway juvenile
by the name of Frank Abagnale Jr.
Is Frankie OK?
Are you aware of the fact that he wrote some cheques
on a closed account at Chase Manhattan Bank?
Oh, yes. The police think he's some type of criminal.
What he did was a felony, Mrs Barnes.
Oh, it was 1,000.
Half the kids his age are on dope,
throwing rocks at police,
and they scared me to death because my son made a little mistake.
A 17-year-old boy has to eat, has to have a place to sleep.
We understand, ma'am.
Would you happen to have a picture of your son?
Oh, yes. I have his old yearbook.
OK.
OK, OK. We need to send out an all-office teletype.
Our unsub's name is Frank Abagnale Jr, aged 17.
Is Frankie OK? Is he in trouble?
Ma'am, I'm sorry to have to tell you, your son is forging cheques.
Forging cheques? Wait, I'm sure we can take care of that.
I'm working part-time at the church now.
Just tells me how much he owes and I'll pay you back.
So far, it's about 1.3 million.
ALARM DINGS
Hi, Melanie. How are you? Hi.
When you're in the house, please just use an ashtray.
Frank, this fondue is so good! Wait, here, take this.
Oh, good! I love Moet!
MUSIC DISTORTS
James! James! Please, just stay away from the hi-fi system, all right?
It's reel-to-reel. You can't wind it like that.
Christ, Terry!
This is Italian knit! Watch where you're going!
It's just a shirt, man.
Frank, come quick!
Lance just fell into the conversation pit.
Excuse me, do you know where Lance Applebaum is?
Thank you.
MAN: Do you understand how dangerous this is? Do you?
Don't cry, just nod your head
and tell me you won't do it again.
Now dry up and get back to work.
Hey, hey.
Are you OK?
He told me to pick up the blood, so I did,
but he never told me to label it.
Hey, it's OK. Stop crying.
What's your name?
Brenda. Brenda.
Brenda, I wouldn't worry about it.
You know, these doctors, you know, they don't know everything.
It's my first week. And I think they're going to fire me.
No, no, nobody's going to fire you, Brenda.
I bet you're good at your job.
No, I'm not.
Yeah, I bet if I asked you to check on the status
of my friend Lance Applebaum that you could do that for me in a second.
Mr Applebaum fractured his ankle.
Dr Ashland is treating him in exam room seven.
You see that? No problem.
This is the emergency chart.
See that blue star there? That means that the patient has been diagnosed.
And then after he's been treated, we put a red circle here.
See?
How do you like those braces?
I guess they're all right.
I got mine off last year. Boy, I hated them. They were bottoms.
You know, I've still got to wear my mouthguard.
You have really nice teeth.
Well, thank you. You have a pretty smile.
No, I mean it - I really think those braces look good on you.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Brenda? Yeah?
Do you know if they're hiring here at the hospital?
I'm not sure. What do you want to do?
I'm a doctor.
FRANK JR: Dear Dad, I've decided to get off the road for a while.
I've taken a night job at a hospital and met some really nice people.
It feels good to have my feet on the ground,
to wake up in the same bed every night.
Who knows? Maybe I'll even find someone to settle down WITH.
Harvard Medical School, top of your class.
Southern California Children's Hospital.
Well, that's a pretty impressive resume, Dr Conners.
But, unfortunately,
the only thing I need is an emergency room supervisor
for my midnight to 8am shift -
someone to baby-sit six interns and 20 nurses.
But, um...
Hell, I doubt that you'd be interested in that.
Well, in the past, they've always let me choose my own nurses.
FRANK JR: Dr Connelly.
Dr Harris. Present.
Dr Ashland.
Dr Conners...are you going to take roll every night?
Yes, I will, Dr Ashland,
and if you're going to be late, I suggest you bring a note.
Miss Vassman.
Miss Mase.
Miss Strong. Here.
Nurse Brown.
Nurse Sanford.
TV: 30mg of codeine every four hours.
Run the plasma at 60 drops a minute
until we calculate the food requirements.
What do you estimate the degree and extent of the burns, Kildare?
Second and third degree burns over about 20% of the body surface.
Do you concur? I concur. Let's get him up to Paediatrics.
Hello, Brenda. Hi, Dr Conners.
You need to sign these. Thank you.
Do you notice anything different about me?
You got your braces off. Yeah!
Come here, let me see. I've been trying to show you all night.
Wow. Good job.
So, did it hurt when they took them off? Mine felt so weird after.
Mmm, I keep rubbing my tongue over them. I can't stop.
They're so slippery.
It feels good, though, doesn't it? Yeah, it feels incredible.
Oh, my.
I'm sorry.
WOMAN OVER PA: Dr Conners to the ER.
Shouldn't you go? No, no, no.
They have a staff doctor in the emergency ward. They'll be fine.
Oh, what if he's in surgery?
Do you really think I have to go?
Oh, in here, Dr Conners.
BOY CRIES OUT
CRIES
Gentlemen, what seems to be the problem?
Bicycle accident. Fractured tibia about five inches below the patella.
Hmm.
Dr Harris? Yes.
Do you concur? Concur with what, sir?
Well, with what Dr Ashland just said, do you concur?
Er...well, it's a bicycle accident. The boy told us.
So you concur? Concur?
I think we should take an X-ray,
then stitch him up and put him in a walking cast.
Very good, Dr Ashland, very good.
Well, you don't seem to have much need for me.
Carry on.
I blew it, didn't I?
Why didn't I concur?
VOMITS VIOLENTLY
Make yourself at home!
Frank Abagnale Sr.
You're not a cop.
Special Agent Hanratty, FBI.
You're not a cop. My landlord said you were not a cop.
Well, if you're going to arrest me,
I'd like to put on a different suit, if that's OK with you.
I'm not here to arrest you. I'm looking for your son.
He's in trouble. Do you know where he is?
If I tell you where he is, will you promise not to tell his mother?
Sure.
Frank made up a fake ID and enlisted in the marine corps.
He's over in Vietnam right now.
That kid is halfway round the world,
crawling through the damned jungle fighting the communists.
So...
please don't come to my home
and call my boy a criminal, because that kid...
I never said he was a criminal, Mr Abagnale.
I said he was in trouble.
If you'd like to give me a call and talk, here's my number.
You're not a father, are you?
Pardon me?
If you were a father, you'd know I would never give up my son.
Yes, sir, I understand.
John... John, now get this.
Riverbend Apartments, 415 Landover, Atlanta, Georgia.
Atlanta, Georgia. Yeah, I'm on my way to the airport.
I'll meet the team in four hours. Bye-bye.
Come on, it's OK. WOMAN SOBS
You don't have to cry.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry, Frank. I just...
Brenda, listen to me... I don't care if you're a virgin, all right?
Really, I can wait.
I'm not a virgin.
I had an abortion two years ago.
My parents had a friend.
He was...this man my father plays golf with.
And then when I got better, they kicked me out of the house.
I had an abortion and I wasn't their daughter any more.
Hey. I'm so sorry.
Please don't be mad at me. Please.
Please don't be mad at me. No, no, no.
Please don't be mad at me. Shh.
Now...what if I spoke to your parents, right?
Maybe I can straighten things out, huh?
I ask them all the time, but they said I still can't come home.
My dad is...is a lawyer.
Brenda...
..what if you were engaged to a doctor, would that change anything?
What?
What if I went to your parents...
..and I spoke to your father...
..and I asked permission to marry you?
It's empty. Nobody here.
Dr Conners, are you Lutheran?
Yes, I am a Lutheran, but please call me Frank.
Frank, would you like to say grace?
Unless you're not comfortable.
Absolutely.
Two little mice fell into a bucket of cream.
The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned,
but the second mouse, he struggled so hard
that he eventually churned that cream into butter
and he walked out.
Amen.
Amen. Amen.
Oh, that was beautiful.
The mouse, he churned that cream into butter?
That's right.
Thank you.
Frank, have you decided which hospital you want to work at here in New Orleans?
Well, to be quite honest, I'm... thinking about getting back into law.
Oh, my! Are you a doctor or a lawyer?
Well, before I went to medical school, I passed the bar in California.
I practised law for one year,
then I decided, why not try my hand at paediatrics?
Well, you're just full of surprises. Yeah.
Oh, my, a doctor AND a lawyer. I'd say that Brenda hit the jackpot.
Where did you go to law school?
Berkeley. ALL GASP
Berkeley, Berkeley. Oh, my gosh. Isn't that where you went, Daddy?
Oh, maybe Frank could come work for you, Roger.
You're always saying how hard it is to find assistant prosecutors.
Could he, Daddy? Could he, please? Could he come work with you, please?
Was that snake Hollingsworth still teaching there
when you went through Berkeley?
Hollingsworth, yes. Grumpy old Hollingsworth, right?
I tell you - meaner than ever.
And that dog of his?
Tell me, Frank, what was the name of his little dog?
I'm sorry, er...
the dog was dead.
Oh.
How unfortunate.
Yeah.
A doctor, a lawyer, a Lutheran.
So what are you, Frank?
Cos I think you're about to ask for my daughter's hand in marriage,
and I have a right to know.
Know what, sir?
The truth.
Tell me the truth, Frank.
What are you doing here?
What is a man like you doing with Brenda?
If you want my blessing, if you want my daughter...
I'd like to hear it from you now.
The truth is, sir, that...
The truth is that...
..I'm not a doctor, I'm not a lawyer...
..I'm not an airline pilot.
I'm... I'm nothing, really.
I'm just a kid who's in love with your daughter.
No.
You know what you are?
You're a romantic.
Men like us are nothing without the women we love.
I must confess, I'm guilty of the same foolish whimsy.
I proposed to Carol after five dates with two nickels in my pockets
and holes in my shoes, because I knew she was the one.
So go ahead, Frank.
Don't be afraid.
Ask the question you came here to ask me.
Sir...what would I have to do to take the bar here in New Orleans?
No, the other question.
WOMAN: Right through that door.
Good luck, Mr Conners. Thank you.
Hey, Frank?
You know what I could never figure out?
How did you cheat in the bar exam in Louisiana?
Why - what's the difference?
Someone else took the test for you, didn't they?
Carl, I'm going to prison for a long time.
Seriously, what's the difference?
It's a simple question.
Are you going to eat that eclair?
Yeah, I'm saving it for later.
Well, you want to split it with me?
No.
Give me half of that eclair and I'll tell ya.
I'm going to figure it out sooner or later.
You'll be working under Philip Rigby in corporate law.
Why don't you settle in, organise your desk?
Thank you.
We're having lunch at 12.30
with the attorney-general AND Governor McKithick himself.
The governor? Did we spell it right?
Sure did.
Congratulations.
Thank you, sir. Welcome aboard.
Now...
..look at this photograph, Mr Stuart.
It's a photograph of Prentice York where they found him, dead.
Now, here is an enlargement of part of that photograph.
This is a photograph of the defendant's signature
on a cancelled cheque.
Now here is an enlargement of that same signature
which matches the signature on the letters that he wrote to Mrs Simon
which discuss the possibility
of defrauding the great state of Louisiana.
Your Honour, ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
this is irrefutable evidence that the defendant is, in fact, lying.
Mr Conners, this is a preliminary hearing.
There is no...defendant.
There is no...jury.
It's just me.
Son, what in the hell is wrong with you?
APPLAUSE ON TV Is that Mitch? Roger...it's Mitch.
Oh, my, I lost all track of time.
MITCH MILLER ON TV: As studio guests for the sing-along tonight,
we have the children's choir of St Monica's Church in New York City.
Won't you join them and the gang in a few songs for the Irish? Everybody!
CHOIR SINGS: # Has anybody here seen Kelly?
FAMILY SING: # K-E-double L-Y
# Has anybody here seen Kelly?
# Have you seen him smile?
# So his hair is red and his eyes are blue
# And he's Irish through and through
# Has anybody here seen Kelly?
# Kelly from the Emerald Isle
# Has anybody here seen Kelly?
# K-E-double-L-Y
# Has anybody here seen Kelly?
# Have you seen him smile?
# So his hair is red and his eyes are blue
ALL: # And he's Irish Through and through
# Has anybody here seen Kelly? #
MUSIC: Embraceable You by Judy Garland
(Dad?)
What are you doing here?
I came to see you.
What are you doing dressed like this?
I took a job, a government job. You see what I'm doing.
Do you have a good lawyer?
Well... I sort of am a lawyer now.
Look at this letter - the IRS wants more.
I had a deal with them, two penalties.
They ate the cake, now they want the crumbs.
I want to sue them.
Well, they want the crumbs.
Here, sit down. They're trying to scare me, intimidate me.
Do you know what?
I'll make them chase me... for the rest of their lives.
Hey, it's great to see you, Daddy.
Sit down. I want to show you something.
I came here to give you this.
It's an invitation to an engagement party.
Daddy, I'm getting married.
Can you believe that I'm getting married?
You don't need to worry about anything now, Dad.
Listen, I'm getting a brand-new Cadillac.
I'm getting a 60,000 house. I'm getting it all back.
All the jewellery, all the furs - everything, Dad.
Everything they took from us, I'm going to get it back.
Now...has Ma seen you dressed like this?
She came to pick up some boxes.
That's OK, that's OK. You know why?
Cos she's going to the wedding with us.
I'm going to get you a brand-new suit, Dad.
I'm getting you a brand-new suit,
one of those Manhattan eagle three-button suits.
You'll look great. Those are nice, yeah.
She won't see me.
Have you tried to call her?
No.
Why don't you call her right now?
Dad, why don't you call her right now? Here.
Dad, just call her. Call her for me.
You call her, you tell her
I have two first-class tickets to go see her son.
Your mother's married now to my friend Jack Barnes.
They have a house in Long Island.
I had an FBI agent come see me.
You got their number, son. That guy looked scared.
The United States Government, champ, running for the hills.
Pow! To the moon.
Dad, it's over.
I'm going to stop now.
But you've... They're never going to catch you, Frank.
Dad, she wouldn't do that. Why won't you sit down?
Why would she do that to you? Come on, sit with me, have a drink. I'm your father.
Then ask me to stop.
You can't stop.
Where are you going?
Come on, Frank, where are you going?
Where are you going? Where are you going tonight?
Someplace exotic? Where are you going tonight - Tahiti, Hawaii?
PHONE RINGS
This is Hanratty.
FRANK JR: Hello, Carl. Merry Christmas.
How are you, Dr Conners?
Carl, I haven't been Dr Conners for months now.
Well, I'm sitting here in my office on Christmas Eve. What do you want?
FRANK SIGHS OK.
I want it to be over.
Um... I want it to be over.
I'm getting married. You know, I'm settling down.
You've stolen almost 4 million.
You think we can just call that a wedding present?
No, this isn't something you get to walk away from, Frank.
I want to call a truce.
No truce. You will be caught, you will go to prison.
Where did you think this was going?
Please leave me alone, Carl.
Please.
I'm getting close, aren't I?
You're scared because I'm getting close.
I know you...you rented that car in Shreveport.
You stayed in that hotel in Lake Charles.
If you want to run, be my guest.
Your cheques don't lie as well as you do.
Stop chasing me.
I can't stop.
It's my job.
'It's OK, Carl.'
I just thought I'd ask, you know?
Hey... Merry Christmas, huh?
CALL DISCONNECTS
I love my job.
All right.
Let's get every newspaper we can,
every newspaper in Louisiana for the last two months.
What are we looking for?
Engagement announcements, name of Conners.
Conners? Come on, Carl, the kid would have changed his name by now.
Uh-uh. He can't change it.
She thinks he's Conners.
If he loses the name, he loses the girl.
Congratulations. Are you having a good time?
Keep dancin', huh?
Hi. Gee, thank you.
I'm going to the little boys' room. OK. Hurry back.
Good evening. I'm Agent Hanratty with the FBI.
I'd like to have a few quiet words with your host if possible.
I'll get him for you, sir.
Right over there.
Hi, Roger. How are you? Hi, Ben.
Good evening, gentlemen. I'm Roger Strong.
Carl Hanratty, FBI. This is agents Amdursky and Fox.
Sorry to crash your party, sir. Not at all. What can I do for you?
If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to meet the groom.
Is there a problem?
Frank, can you hold all these? Yeah. Come here.
They're cheques, from my dad's friends.
They're for us so we can start a new life.
Hey, what are you do...
What's wrong? We have to leave.
What?
Brenda, you love me, right?
Yeah. I mean, you love me no matter what.
You'd love me whether I was sick
or whether I was poor or even if I had a different name.
Frank, where did you get all that money?
Brenda, listen - a name, right, it doesn't matter.
My name is Frank Conners, right? That's who I am with you.
But...but we all have secrets.
Sometimes when I travel, I use the name Frank Taylor.
That's my secret. Frank Taylor?
Yeah, Frank Taylor, you know? Frank Black, you know?
Frank Black? Yeah, it doesn't matter.
Why are you saying all this?
Brenda...Brenda, I don't want to lie to you any more, all right?
I'm not a doctor, I never went to medical school.
I'm not a lawyer or a Harvard graduate or a Lutheran.
Brenda, I ran away from home a year and a half ago when I was 16.
Frank...
Frank?
You're not a Lutheran?
Brenda, you see all this money?
You see all this money? I have more. I have plenty more.
I have enough money to last us for the rest of our lives. Look.
Frank, stop teasing me.
You're Frank Conners. You're Frank Conners and you're 28 years old.
Brenda. Why would you lie to me?
Brenda...Brenda... I want to know your name.
Brenda, listen to me. You tell me your name.
Brenda, we can live anywhere we want, but you have to trust me, Brenda.
Do you trust me? Yes.
Do you love me, Brenda? Yes.
You love me. I love you.
Excuse me, Mother.
Honey, this is Mr Hanratty. My wife, Carol.
Mr.. Hanratty, ma'am.
..Ratty. Have you seen Frank or Brenda?
I think they went upstairs.
Frank.
Brenda, come here.
OK, in two days, you're going to meet me
at Miami International Airport, all right?
You're going to leave the house after your parents go to sleep, take a taxi cab.
You give the taxi driver this money
and tell him to drive through the night.
Brenda, you're going to leave at 10am - 10am, all right?
SCATS TO JAZZ MUSIC
# I never stop... #
Which room, sir? In the corner.
You have to listen to me, all right? The international terminal in Miami.
Say it - no matter what. No matter what.
You're going to take a taxi cab. A taxi.
You're going to be there at 10am. 10am, no matter what.
In two days. Two days, Brenda. Two days.
In two days I'll be there, no matter what, at 10am.
We're not going to tell anyone, Brenda. You have to promise me now.
Wait, please! Before you go, please tell me your name.
Please tell me.
Frank William Abagnale Jr.
SHE SOBS
Brenda...
This guy's a no-show. He must have gotten wise to us.
We'll get him before he leaves the country.
He doesn't have a passport.
For the last six months, he's gone to Harvard and Berkeley.
I'm betting he can get a passport.
So we have all our men waiting for him here in Miami International.
He's used it before, he knows the layout.
Miami police have offered us 50 uniform cops in two shifts of 25.
With our guys, that's almost 100 men in one airport.
Don't you think we should spread it around? No, no, this is the exit point.
How do you know he hasn't driven to the airports in New York, Atlanta?
Because I'm not in New York, I'm not in Atlanta.
Yes, this is Frank Roberts
and I'm letting all the universities in the area know
that Pan Am will be initiating a new recruiting programme this year.
I'll be stopping by your campus tomorrow morning.
Thank you all very much for coming.
At the end of the day, I'll be choosing eight young ladies
to be a part of... CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
..Pan Am's Future Stewardess Flight Crew Programme.
Now, these eight young ladies will accompany me
on a two-month public relations tour through Europe.
EXCITED CHATTER
They will discover first-hand what it takes
to be a Pan American stewardess.
Give me at least two men...nah, one man per every two counters.
Mm-hm. All right?
Amdursky? Yeah.
Make sure your uniforms are covering the sidewalk entrances and exits.
Hey...let's have periodic sweeps of the men's lav.
What qualifies me to be a future stewardess?
Well, I think that I'm really friendly
and I can really help out
and make people feel welcome on the plane and...
We'll be travelling at 6,000 miles per hour at an altitude of 300ft.
# All my bags are packed
# I'm ready to go... #
HE PLAYS "COME FLY WITH ME"
Eileen Anderson. SCREAMING AND APPLAUSE
Miggy Acker. SCREAMING AND APPLAUSE
Debra Jo McMillan. SCREAMING AND APPLAUSE
Candy Haskin. SCREAMING
MUSIC: Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra
You see that blonde out front? Should have been a pilot.
Exactly.
WOMAN OVER PA: Mr Carl Hanratty, please pick up a courtesy telephone.
Hanratty. MAN: Carl, your walkie-talkie wasn't working.
There's a guy in a Pan Am uniform
sitting in a white coupe DeVille out front of terminal J.
That's the charter terminal.
Can you get a look at his face? He's got his pilot's cap on.
Carl, I think it's him.
SIREN WAILS
The DeVille! White coupe DeVille!
Get out of the car, Frank.
Frank! Step out of the car.
Keep your hands where I can see them.
Don't shoot me, I'm just a driver.
A man paid me 100 to wear this and pick someone up at the airport.
Who are you picking up?
Hey!
South America, Australia, Singapore, Egypt.
The kid's gone completely out of control.
Why wasn't I called? Nobody was called, sir.
The banks didn't know what was happening till last week.
That's impossible. They didn't call cos it's not counterfeiting, it's something else.
What's he doing? Making real cheques, sir.
These are so perfect, the airline couldn't tell.
The last cheque was cashed in Madrid a week ago.
I think he's still there. We have to leave today, sir.
Go where? Spain? You want to go to Spain?
He's got to go back to where the cheques were printed.
I think that's why he's moving back through Europe.
Look at the map, sir. He's making a circle, running out of cheques.
I know it's a long shot, sir, but we could still catch him.
I'm sorry, Carl, if you couldn't catch him here,
you're not going to catch him there.
But, sir, are we going to let him get away?
No, Carl, YOU let him get away.
A perfect one-sixteenth all the way around.
Hmm...the colour separation is flawless.
There's no bleeding. Hmm.
Nobody does work like this in the States.
Nobody but us.
Where was it printed?
It was printed on a monster.
A monster. A Heidelberg, an Istra.
Heidelberg. A dinosaur - four colours.
You can smell the weight.
Two tonnes, without the ink.
Where do they do printing like this?
Germany, Great Britain.
France. PRINTERS: France!
France? Frank's mother said the name of a village in France
where they didn't have Sara Lee, the village she met Frank's father.
Oh, yeah, I don't remember... It started with an M.
It was "Ma" something. Ma... Mr Fox?
Yes, yes. "Question - you met your husband during the war?
"Answer - yes, I lived in a very small village in France -
"the kind of place where they never heard of Sara Lee."
Tell me you wrote down the name of the village, Mr Fox.
Montrichard.
CHOIR SINGS
MACHINERY CLATTERS
ALARM RINGS
Carl. CARL!
Merry Christmas!
How is it that we're always talking on Christmas, Carl?!
Every Christmas, I'm talking to you!
Put your shirt on, Frank, you're under arrest.
Hey, are you hungry? Do you want some beans, Carl?
They've got the best French beans here!
There's two dozen French police officers outside.
I gotta tell you, they're delicious. They wanted to bring you in. Don't want the help of an American.
I wouldn't bring you in unless I put the cuffs on you myself.
Do you have a gun?
No gun? No.
And you're telling me what - there's two dozen French police officers
out there right now on Christmas Eve?
That's what you're telling me? Yeah.
All right - all right, well, there's no windows here,
I'm going to take a look out the front door.
No, no! I told them I'd walk out first and give a signal.
Here, you can put these on yourself. No, I can't do that.
I can't do that.
You know why?
Cos I think you're full of shit.
I don't think there's anyone else out there.
I think... I think it's just me and you.
That's right. I think it's just me and you.
And you know what? You're going to have to catch me yourself.
Now, we don't have time for this.
That's good, that's good.
Tell me what you want me to see, huh?
I wouldn't lie to you. Look, you're wearing a wedding ring.
A wedding ring, Carl. You lied to me about that.
You lied to me about that! You asked me if I had a family.
I did, but I don't any more.
PHONE RINGS
Yes. No, no, no, there is no problem. We're coming out right now.
FRANK LAUGHS
Oh, that was good. That was good.
What - did you pay some hotel desk clerk to make that call for you?
That was Captain Luc. I've got one minute to...
"Captain Luc"?
"Captain Luc"? Oooh, Captain Luc.
Well, Carl, I've got to say that sounds pretty official to me,
but like I said, I think it's just me and you here, just me and you,
so you're going to have to catch me.
Frank... Frank, you have to trust me on this.
These people have been embarrassed, Frank. They're angry.
You rob their banks, steal their money, live in their country.
I told you this was going to happen,
that there was no other way for it to end.
Don't make a mistake!
That's good. That's good, Carl, you know?
Keep pushing that lie.
Keep pushing it. Keep pushing till you make it true.
They're going to kill ya!
You walk out that door, they're going to kill you.
Is that the truth?
Yeah.
Do you have any children, Carl?
I have a four-year-old daughter.
You swear on your daughter?
You swear?
CHOIR SINGS
That was really good, Carl.
SIREN WAILS
MAN SHOUTS IN FRENCH
I got him. I got him. It's all right!
It's all right. I got him.
SPEAKS FRENCH
Hey, I want it on the record...
Frank Abagnale surrendered of his own accord.
Understood? Understood?
Where are you taking him? I'm supposed to go.
Where are you taking him?
Let me in the car. Let me in the car.
Hey, let me in the car!
Don't worry, Frank, I'll have you extradited back to the United States.
Don't worry. SIREN WAILS
Carl...
Carl...you have to remember to let me call my father when we land.
I just want to talk to him before he sees me on television
or something like that.
Carl, look - that's La Guardia right there.
Runway 44.
Frank, your father is dead.
I'm sorry.
I didn't want to say anything until we got closer to home.
He...he fell down some steps at Grand Central Station
trying to catch a train.
I didn't want to be the one to tell you.
You're lying, right?
You said I could talk to him.
Carl, who are you to say something like that, huh?
Who are you to say something like that? You said I could talk to him.
He fell and he broke his neck. I'm sorry.
I'm really sorry.
Goddammit!
Carl, I'm going to be sick. Carl, I gotta go to the bathroom.
I'm going to be sick. Sure. Let's go in the bathroom.
Goddammit.
FRANK JR BANGS ON DOOR
(Oh, Daddy.)
You'll have to take your seat, sir. I've told you twice, we're landing.
Sorry. Thank you. ALL of you.
Frank, come on, now. Frank?
We're landing in six minutes. All of you need to be in your seats with your seat belts fastened.
Frank!
Frank! Frank!
All right, remain seated, everyone, please. FBI - stay seated.
Please remain seated. Stay seated.
STEWARDESS: You must stay seated
until the aircraft has come to a complete stop.
God almighty.
# Chestnuts roasting on an open fire... #
BLOWS HARMONICA
What's your name?
Where's your mommy?
Hands behind your head!
Carl...
get me in the car, please.
Get me in the car.
Put him in.
MAN: Taking into account the gravity of these crimes,
your history of bold and elusive behaviour
and your complete lack of respect for the laws of the United States,
I have no choice but to ignore your request to be treated as a minor
and sentence you to 12 years in Atlanta's maximum-security prison
and recommend strongly that you be kept in isolation
for the entirety of that sentence.
Merry Christmas, Frank.
Hey, I got you some comic books.
How's your daughter? What was her name?
Grace.
Well, I don't know, she lives with her mother in Chicago.
I don't get to see her much.
What's in the briefcase? Oh, I'm on my way to the airport.
It's a paperhanger who's working his way through Minnesota.
Oh, jeez, he's driving us crazy.
You got any of the cheques?
Yeah, I got a counterfeit that he drew on Great Lake Savings and Loan.
See, he's just using a stencil machine and an Underwood.
It's a teller at the bank.
Say again? It's definitely a teller, Carl.
I mean, banks, they always use hand stamps for the dates, see?
They get used over and over again, so they always get worn out
and the numbers are always cracking.
The sixes and the nines, see, they go first.
Thanks.
BUZZING
I'd like you to take a look at something for me.
Tell me what you think.
It's a fake.
How do you know? You haven't looked at it.
Well, there's no perforated edge, right?
I mean, this cheque was hand cut, not fed.
The paper is double-bonded, much too heavy to be a bank cheque.
Magnetic ink, it's raised against my fingers instead of flat.
HE SNIFFS
And this doesn't smell like MICR, it's some kind of a drafting ink,
you know, the kind you get at a stationery store.
Frank...would you be interested
in working with the FBI's financial crimes unit?
I already got a job here, you know - I deliver the mail.
Frank, we have the power to take you out of prison.
You'd be placed in the custody of the FBI
and serve out the remainder of your sentence
as an employee of the Federal Government.
Under whose custody?
Hi, I'm Frank Abagnale.
I'm supposed to start work here today.
It's a tour company operating out of a BBI.
Sir, Mr Abagnale is here. I'm going to call you back.
Carl. Welcome to the FBI.
I'll show you where you're working.
Carl...how long do I have to work here?
It's 8.15 in the morning till 5 in the afternoon.
45 minutes for lunch.
No... I mean, how long?
Every day. Every day, Frank, till we let you go.
Yeah? Hey, Carl.
Hi.
What are you doing?
It's not a good time, Frank. I'm clearing my desk for the weekend.
Carl, you mind if I come to work with you tomorrow?
Tomorrow? It's Saturday.
I'm flying to Chicago to see my daughter.
I'll be back to work on Monday. Are you going to see Grace, huh?
Well, that's the plan.
So what should I do till Monday?
I'm sorry, kid, I can't help you there. Excuse me.
PHONE RINGS
This is Hanratty.
Well, yeah, put him on.
Mr Sawyer...how are you?
I have a half a dozen more cheques on that tour operator at the BBI.
WOMAN OVER PA: American Airlines 355
servicing Chicago and San Francisco is now open for passenger check-in.
How did you do it, Frank?
How did you pass the bar in Louisiana?
What are you doing here?
Listen...I'm sorry I put you through all this.
You go back to Europe, you're going to die in Perpignan Prison.
If you try to run here in the States, we'll send you back to Atlanta for 50 years.
I know that.
I spent four years trying to arrange your release.
I had to convince my bosses at the FBI
and the attorney-general of the United States you wouldn't run. Why'd you do it?
You're just a kid. I'm not YOUR kid.
You said you were going to Chicago.
My daughter can't see me this weekend, she's going skiing.
You said she was four years old. You're lying.
She was four when I left. Now she's 15.
My wife's been remarried for 11 years.
I see Grace every now and again.
I don't understand. Sure, you do.
Sometimes it's easier living the lie.
I'm going to let you fly tonight, Frank.
I'm not even going to try to stop you,
because I know you'll be back on Monday.
Yeah? How do you know I'll come back?
Look.
Frank...nobody's chasing you.
WOMAN ON PA: American Airlines Flight 131 to Pittsburgh
is now ready for boarding.
Passengers with boarding passes, please proceed to gate 23A.
Alice, has he still not called?
No, he hasn't.
Good morning. I've called this meeting to discuss
a new type of cheque fraud and counterfeiting
in which the unsub is washing and altering cheques
and then passing them throughout Arizona.
This unsub is a big dog, passing cheques as large as five figures.
DOOR OPENS
Sorry I'm late.
Sorry.
We have a recovered cheque on Agent Rayder's desk.
Why don't we step out to the bullpen?
There's impressions on every line.
Looks like the original amount was for 60.
Mind if I take a look?
Cashed in Flagstaff a week ago.
Cost the bank 16,000.
It's a real cheque.
Yeah. Yeah, it's been washed.
The only thing original is the signature.
But it's perfect, Carl. I mean, this isn't hydrochloride or bleach.
No, something new.
Maybe a nail polish remover
where the acetone removes the ink that's not been printed.
How did you do it, Frank?
How did you cheat on the bar exam in Louisiana?
I didn't cheat.
I studied for two weeks and I passed.
Is that the truth, Frank? Is that the truth?
I'll bet this guy steals cheques out of mailboxes,
he washes off their names and he puts on his own.
Are you saying that he's a local?
Well, if it were me, you know, I'd call the bank first,
I'd check out the balance.
Make sure there's enough money in there to make it worth your while. Exactly.
You know, Carl, I think this guy's pretty smart.
Huh, I guess all we have to do now is catch him.
We'll start first thing in the morning.