Thank you very much and welcome to To TeII 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. You'll see what l 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.
From 1964 to 1967,
l successfully impersonated an airline pilot for Pan Am Airways,
and l flew over two million miles for free.
During that time,
l was also the Chief Resident Pediatrician at a Georgia hospital
and an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Louisiana.
By the time l was caught,
l was considered the youngest and most daring con man in U.S. history.
l had cashed almost $4 million in fraudulent checks
in 26 foreign countries and all 50 states.
And l did it all before my 19th birthday.
My name is Frank William Abagnale.
So, for the first time, he'll have to tell the truth.
We'll 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?
lt was a question of dollars and cents.
When l was a young man, l needed the money,
and l thought this list of careers was the easiest way to get it.
I see. Number Two, l find this all very fascinating.
Who was it that finally caught you?
His name was Carl Hanratty.
Hanratty.
I am
CarI Hanratty.
I represent the F.B.I. from the United States ofAmerica.
I have orders to see the American prisoner, AbagnaIe.
You sit here.
You do not open the door.
You do not pass him
anything through the hoIe.
Jesus.
You know, I've got a IittIe bit of a coId myseIf.
Frank, I'm here to read the articIes of extradition
according to the European Court for Human Rights.
"ArticIe One,
"extradition shaII be granted in respect of offenses..."
HeIp me.
Frank, stop it.
HeIp me.
You don't think you're actuaIIy going to fooI me, do you?
Sixteen pages to go. Stay with me. "ArticIe Two,
"if the request for extradition incIudes separate offenses...
"...each of which is punishabIe under the Iaws of the requesting party..."
Frank?
God damn it!
Get me a doctor in here! I need a doctor!
-Yes. -Doctor! Now!
Don't sweat it. We'II get you right to a doctor.
If you can hear me, don't worry. I'II take you home in the morning.
Home in the morning, Frank.
-What are you doing? -Washing off the Iice.
This man has to be on a pIane for America. He has to see a doctor.
Yes, the doctor comes in tomorrow.
I've worked too Iong, too hard, for you to take this away from me.
If he dies, I'm hoIding you responsibIe.
Oh, Frank.
Okay, CarI,
Iet's go home.
The New Rochelle Rotary Club has a history that goes back to 1919.
ln all those years,
we've only seen a handful of deserving gentlemen
inducted as lifetime members.
lt's an honor that has seen 57 names
enshrined on the wall of honor.
And tonight, we make it 58.
So please stand
as l present my very good friend, a man who keeps our pencils sharp
and our pens in ink.
Frank William Abagnale.
I stand here, humbIed
by the presence of Mayor Robert Wagner
and our club president, Jack Barnes.
Most of aII, I'm honored to see my loving wife, Paula
and my son, Frank, Jr.
Come on.
Sitting in the front row.
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.
GentIemen, as of this moment, l am that second mouse.
You're a better dancer than your father.
-Hear that, Daddy? -Like fun.
The girIs don't know what they're in for.
Show him the dance you were doing when we met.
Who can remember?
The peopIe in that IittIe French viIIage were so happy to see Americans,
they decided to put on a show for us.
-So they crammed 200 soIdiers... -We know the story, Daddy.
...into that tiny sociaI haII,
and the first person to waIk on stage is your mother
and she starts to dance.
You know, it had been months
since we'd seen a woman, and here's this bIond angeI.
BIond bombsheII.
And the men are IiteraIIy hoIding their breath.
HoIding their breath for you. Hear that?
I turned to my buddies and I said...
"I wiII not Ieave France without her."
And I didn't.
You didn't.
I didn't.
Oh, shit, the rug.
-Oh, Mom. -I can't beIieve I...
It's nothing.
-Frankie, run and get a toweI. -Yeah.
Come on.
Dance with me, PauIa.
Whenever I dance for you, I get in troubIe.
Frank. Wake up. Come on, Iet's go.
Get up, come on.
-Frank, wake up. -Dad.
You don't have to go to schooI today. It's okay.
-Why? Is it snowing? -Do you have a bIack suit?
I oversIept again.
We have a very important meeting in the city. Eat that.
Come on.
Ma'am, open up, pIease. It's important.
What? Oh, gosh.
-We don't open for haIf an hour. -Just open the door. It's important.
I'm sorry, we don't open for haIf an hour.
What's your name, ma'am?
-Darcy. -Darcy. That's a pretty name.
I'm in a fix. I need a suit for my kid. This is my son, Frank.
He needs a bIack suit.
There was a death in the famiIy. My father, 85 years oId, war hero.
There's a funeraI this afternoon, miIitary funeraI,
pIanes fIying overhead, 21 -gun saIute.
Frank needs to borrow a suit for a coupIe of hours.
I'm sorry, we don't Ioan suits and we're not open.
Darcy, pIease. Come back.
Darcy, is this yours?
I just found it in the parking Iot.
Must have sIipped right off your neck.
Don't hit the curb.
Now get out, waIk around the back and hoId the door open for me.
-What's next? -Okay. Stop grinning.
When I get inside, go back to the front seat and wait.
Even if a cop comes and writes you a ticket,
don't move the car, understood?
Dad, what's aII this for?
You know why the Yankees aIways win?
Because they have Mickey MantIe?
No, it's because 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. AbagnaIe,
we don't usuaIIy Ioan money to peopIe
who have unresoIved business with the IRS.
That's a misunderstanding. I hired the wrong guy to do my books.
A mistake anybody couId make.
I just need you guys to heIp me weather the storm.
You're being investigated by the government for tax fraud.
My store is a Iandmark in New RocheIIe. I have customers aII over New York.
You're not a customer at Chase Manhattan.
We don't know you.
I'm sure your bank in New RocheIIe couId heIp you out.
My bank went out of business.
Banks Iike this one put them out of business.
I know I made a mistake, I admit that. But these peopIe want bIood.
They want my store. They've threatened to put me in jaiI.
This is America, right? I'm not a criminaI.
I'm a MedaI of Honor winner. A member of the New RocheIIe Rotary CIub.
AII I'm asking is for you to heIp me beat these guys.
It's not a question of winning and Iosing, it's a question of risk.
You're the Iargest bank in the worId. Where's the...
Where's the risk?
How couId you Iet him take our car Iike that?
He didn't take anything, we took him. He overpaid by 500.
Come on, Frank. Let's return the suit.
This pIace is good.
It's smaII, but it's gonna be a Iot Iess work.
A Iot Iess work for you.
Hey, Dad.
Hi.
Where is your mother?
I don't know.
She said something about going to Iook for a job.
What's she going to be, a shoe saIesman at a centipede farm?
What are you doing?
You want some pancakes?
For dinner? On my son's 1 6th birthday?
We're not going to eat pancakes.
Why are you Iooking at me Iike that? You thought I forgot?
-I didn't think you forgot. -I opened a checking account
I put $25 in the account so you can buy whatever you want.
-Don't teII your mother. -I won't.
Thanks, Dad.
Didn't that bank turn you down for a Ioan?
Yes, they aII turned me down.
Then why you opening a banking account with them?
Because one day, you'II want something from these peopIe.
A house, a car...
They have aII the money.
There's 50 checks there, Frank,
which means, from this day on,
you're in their IittIe cIub.
I'm in their IittIe cIub.
You got that, you got it aII.
It's even got my name there.
-To the moon. -To the moon.
To the moon.
See that? It's just a schooI.
No different than Westbourne.
Ma, you said you were going to quit.
Frankie, you don't have to wear the uniform here.
Why don't you take off yourjacket?
I'm used to it.
-Excuse me. -Yes?
Do you know where room 1 7, French is?
Yeah...
You seIIing encycIopedias?
He Iooks Iike a substitute teacher.
Quiet down, peopIe!
My name is Mr. AbagnaIe!
That's AbagnaIe, not AbagnoIee,
not AbagneIee, but AbagnaIe.
Now, somebody pIease teII me where you Ieft off in your textbooks.
Excuse me, peopIe. If I need to ask again,
I'm gonna write up the entire cIass.
Take your seats!
Chapter seven.
WouId you pIease open your textbooks to chapter eight
and we'II get started.
-Excuse me. What's your name? -Brad.
Why don't you get up here
in front of the cIass and read conversation number five?
They sent for me.
They said they needed a sub for Roberta.
I came aII the way from Dixon.
I aIways sub for Roberta.
Excuse me, why aren't you reading?
I'II never come back to BeIIarmine-Jefferson again!
You teII them not to caII me.
Do they think it's easy for a woman my age
and aII the money that it costs to traveI? I teII you, they don't give a damn.
Mr. and Mrs. AbagnaIe,
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. GIasser's French cIass.
He what?
Your son has been pretending to be a substitute teacher.
Lecturing the students, giving out homework...
Mrs. GIasser has been iII,
and there was some confusion with the reaI sub.
Your son heId a teacher-parent conference yesterday
and was pIanning a cIass fieId trip
to a French bread factory in Trenton.
Do you see the probIem we have?
I've a note to miss fifth and sixth period today. Doctor's appointment.
One moment. I'II be right with you.
-You shouId foId it. -What?
That note. It's a fake, right? You shouId foId 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 schooI,
the first thing you do is foId it and put it in your pocket.
If it's reaI, where's the crease?
Frankie.
Ma, I'm home.
Remember that girI Joanna I was teIIing you about?
I asked her out today.
Think we're going to go to the junior prom.
Ma, is this my driver's Iicense?
That's aII there is, two bedrooms.
Frankie.
You remember Dad's friend?
Jack Barnes. From the cIub.
HeIIo.
He came by Iooking for your father.
I was giving him a tour of the apartment.
It's very spacious, PauIa.
Dad is at the store.
So, Frank,
you're getting to Iook more Iike your oId man every day.
Thanks for the sandwich, PauIa.
-I'II see you Iater. -Wait.
Is this yours?
Thanks, Frank. That's the President's pin.
I'd be in deep troubIe if I Iost that.
I'II see you aII Iater.
Are you hungry, Frankie? I'II make you a sandwich.
Jack wanted to taIk business with your father.
He thinks we shouId get a Iawyer and sue the government.
That it's not IegaI, what they're doing to us.
Why aren't you saying anything?
You're not going to teII him, are you?
No.
That's right. There's nothing to teII.
I'm going out for a few hours to visit some oId friends from the tennis cIub.
When I get home, we'II aII have dinner together.
Right?
But you won't say anything because it's just siIIy,
isn't it?
How couId we sue anybody?
Do you need some money, Frankie?
A few doIIars to buy some record aIbums?
Here. Take $5.
Or 1 0.
You promised you were going to quit.
Ma, I'm home.
You stay away from me. You hear me?
I don't know who you are, but if you come back here...
Frank, caIm down, wiII you? I'm Dick Kesner.
I want you to Ieave your things here, foIIow me into the next room.
Okay? They're aII waiting for you.
You don't have to be scared. I'm right here, Frank.
I'II aIways be here.
But there are Iaws. Everything in this country has to be IegaI.
So what we need to do is make some decisions.
That's what Mr. Kesner is here for.
Many times these decisions are Ieft up to the courts.
But that can be very expensive, peopIe fighting over their chiIdren.
Nobody is fighting.
Look at me, Frank. Nobody is fighting.
Do you remember your grandma? Eve? She arrived this morning.
HeIIo.
Do you understand what we're saying to you, Frank?
Your father and I are getting a divorce.
Nothing's going to change. We're stiII gonna see each other.
-Stop it, pIease. Don't interrupt. -You don't have to read aII of this.
Most of it is for your parents, boring aduIt business.
But this paragraph right here, this is important
because it states who you're gonna Iive with
after the divorce.
Whose custody you wiII be in.
And there's a bIank space right here.
I want you to go into the kitchen, sit at the tabIe
and put a name down.
You can take as Iong as you want,
but when you come back into this room,
l want to see a name on that line.
Frank, just write down a name and this wiII aII be over.
It's going to be okay.
Dad, what name?
Your mother or your father.
Just put the name there. It's as simpIe as that.
And don't Iook so scared. It's not a test.
There's no wrong answer.
One ticket to Grand CentraI, pIease.
That wiII be $3.50, sir.
Is it okay if I write you a check?
CarI, when do I get to caII my father?
You can caII him when we get to New York.
We Ieave for the airport in seven hours.
UntiI then, just sit there.
Be quiet.
On the other side of the hoteI, they got suites that face the park.
It's the best room the F.B.I. can afford.
It's okay, I've stayed in worse.
PIease. You have to Iisten.
I don't want to hear your story. Two checks bounced.
You know how much troubIe I'm in?
No, but Iisten. I'm teIIing you. The bank, they made the mistake.
I'II write you another check right now!
What? Do I Iook Iike I was born yesterday?
Look, it's midnight. Where am I going to go?
You're a goddamn kid. Go home.
I hope you understand. My boss sent me to BrookIyn, then Queens.
Now he wants me in Long IsIand
to take a few cIients out for a night on the town.
I'm sorry, but we're not aIIowed to cash checks from other banks.
-How wouId we know if they were good? -What did you say your name was?
-AshIey. -AshIey.
You know what I found on the sidewaIk out there?
Must have sIipped right off your neck.
Is there something I can heIp you with, son?
It's my grandmother's birthday next week
and I want to get her something extra speciaI.
PIease, it's my midterm next week and my books were stoIen.
PIease, just $5. No one wouId have to know.
I'm sorry, but we are not aIIowed to take checks
from peopIe we don't know.
WeIcome to New York.
PIeasure to have you back, Captain.
What do you think, AngeIo? The tomatoes are ripe this afternoon.
What have we here?
-Can I have your autograph? -You betcha.
-Can I have your autograph, too? -You gonna be a piIot?
There you go. Work hard in schooI.
Dear Dad,
l've decided to become an airline pilot.
l've applied to all the big airlines,
and l have several promising interviews lined up.
How is Mom? Have you called her lately?
Love, your son, Frank.
HeIIo.
I'm Frank BIack from Murrow High SchooI,
and I have an appointment with Mr. Morgan.
You're the young man who's writing the articIe for the schooI paper.
Yes, ma'am. That's me.
I want to know everything there is to know about being a piIot.
What airports does Pan Am fIy to? What does a piIot make in a year?
Who teIIs them where they're gonna fIy to?
-SIow down. Take them one at a time. -AII right.
What does it mean when one piIot says to another piIot,
"What kind of equipment are you on?"
They want to know what aircraft you're fIying. DC-8, 707, ConsteIIation...
And what about those I.D. badges that I've seen piIots wear?
Every piIot must have two things with him at aII times.
One is his airIine personneI badge, Iooks just Iike this one from Pan Am.
The other one is their FAA Iicense.
And that Iooks just Iike this.
Do you think I couId make a copy of this to put into my articIe?
Frank, you can have that one, it's three years expired.
Thanks. And what about your I.D. badge?
Do you have an extra one I couId borrow?
No, I can't heIp you there.
Those are speciaI-ordered from PoIaroid.
The onIy way to get one is to become a reaI Iive piIot
for Pan American Airways.
Pan Am, may l help you?
Yeah. HeIIo, I'm caIIing about a uniform.
-Hold for Purchasing. -Thank you.
Purchasing.
I'm a copiIot based out of San Francisco.
I fIew a fIight into New York Iast night,
but the probIem is I'm headed out to Paris in three hours.
How can we help you?
I sent my uniform to be cIeaned through the hoteI
and I guess they must have Iost 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.
l'll tell Mr. Rosen you're coming.
You Iook too young to be a piIot.
I'm a copiIot.
Why so nervous?
How wouId you feeI if you Iost your uniform first week on the job?
ReIax. Pan Am has got Iots of uniforms.
It's gonna be $1 64.
Great. I'II write you a check.
Sorry, no checks, no cash.
You'II have to fiII in your empIoyee I.D. number.
I'II biII Pan Am, and they'II take it out of your next paycheck.
Even better.
Dear Dad,
you always told me that an honest man has nothing to fear.
So l'm trying my best not to be afraid.
l'm sorry l ran away, but you don't have to worry.
l'm gonna get it all back now, Daddy. l promise. l'm gonna get it all back.
Are you a reaI Iive piIot?
I sure am, IittIe Iady. What's your name?
-CeIine. -CeIine, it's a pIeasure to meet you.
It's a pIeasure to meet you, too.
That's 50, 70, 80, 90,
$1 00.
You have yourseIf a great time in Paris.
I aIways do.
Excuse me.
I'm John Modiger. I manage this branch.
I want to thank you for coming in and using our institution.
It's a pIeasure to meet you, John. I'II be back again.
Good.
Have you stayed with us before?
No, I've been primariIy based on the West Coast.
Is it aII right if I write you a check for the room?
-No probIem, sir. -Great.
I was aIso wondering if I couId write you a personaI check?
For airIine personneI, we cash personaI checks up to $1 00.
PayroII checks we cash up to 300.
Did you say 300 for a payroII check?
Dear Dad,
l've decided to become a pilot for Pan American Airways,
the most trusted name in the skies.
They've accepted me into their training program and told me if l work hard,
l should earn my wings real soon.
Please get in touch with Joanna Carlton from the 10th grade.
Tell her l'm sorry that l could not take her to the junior prom.
Love, your son, Frank.
-HeIIo, how are you? -Fine, thank you.
I have a payroII check I'd Iike to cash.
CertainIy.
Excuse me.
I'm sure you hear this aII the time,
but you have the most beautifuI eyes I have ever seen.
Yeah, I do get that aII the time.
How wouId you Iike it?
I'm sorry, sir. We won't have any cash untiI the banks open in an hour.
But I'm sure they can cash your check at the airport.
The airport?
Who cashes checks at the airport?
The airIines. They've aIways taken care of their own.
-HeIIo. -Hi. Are you deadheading?
What?
Are you my deadhead to Miami?
Yes.
Yeah, I'm the deadhead. Here you go.
You're a IittIe Iate, but the jump seat is open.
It's been a whiIe since I've done this. Which one is the jump seat again?
Have a nice fIight.
Are you my deadhead?
Frank, Captain OIiver. John Larkin, the copiIot.
Fred TuIIey, fIight engineer.
Frank TayIor, Pan Am. Thanks for giving me a Iift, boys.
Go ahead and take a seat, Frank. We're about to push.
What kind of equipment you on, DC-8?
707.
You turning around on the redeye?
I'm jumping puddIes for the next few months,
trying to earn my keep running Ieap frogs for the weak and weary.
No shame in that. We aII did it.
-Have a seat. -Thank you.
WouId you Iike a drink after takeoff?
MiIk?
-Eighty knots. -Check.
V-one. Rotate.
V-two. Positive rate.
Gear up.
Dear Dad, today was graduation.
l am now a copilot, 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 l'm taking us all to Hawaii for Christmas.
l love you, Dad. Aloha, Frank.
-HeIIo, deadhead. -HeIIo.
Enjoying your free ride?
Marci,
did you drop this?
-Must have sIipped right off your neck. -No.
No!
Yes, yes, yes!
Why are you stopping?
I want to teII you something, Marci.
This is by far
the best date I have ever been on.
WeIcome to Miami MutuaI Bank. How may I heIp you?
My name is Frank TayIor. I'm a copiIot for Pan Am.
I'd Iike to cash this check and then
I'd Iike to take you out for a steak dinner.
Then we feed the checks into the MICR machine,
which uses speciaI ink to encode
the account numbers on the bottom of the checks.
And where are these numbers?
-They're right here. -Right there?
They're caIIed routing numbers.
So where do the checks get routed to?
I don't exactIy know. Nobody ever asked me that before.
Our next item up for bid is aIso from the Jersey CentraI Bank forecIosure.
This is a MICR encoder, a machine used to encode bank checks.
Do I have an opening bid?
Our unknown subject is a paperhanger who started working on the East Coast.
In the Iast few weeks, this unsub has developed
a new form of check fraud l'm calling "The Float."
What he's doing is he's opening checking accounts at various banks,
then changing the MICR ink routing numbers at the bottom of those checks.
Next sIide, pIease. Next sIide, pIease.
The remote thing is broken. You'II have to do it by hand.
Agent MuIIen, it shouId be the square button by the side.
This carouseI doesn't work. It's a bad carouseI.
-Thank you. -Move it manuaIIy.
This is a map of the 1 2 banks of the U.S. FederaI Reserve.
SIide.
MICR scanners at every bank read these numbers
at the bottom of the check. SIide.
And then ship that check off to its corresponding branch.
CarI, for those of us who are unfamiIiar with bank fraud,
you mind teIIing us what the heII you're taIking about?
The East Coast branches are numbered 01 to 06.
The centraI branch is 07, 08, so on and so forth.
You mean those numbers at the bottom of a check actuaIIy mean something?
AII of this was in the report I fiIed two days ago. If you change
a 02 to a 1 2, that means that check,
which was cashed in New York,
does not go to the New York FederaI Branch,
but it is re-routed aII the way to the San Francisco FederaI Branch.
The bank doesn't even know the check has bounced for two weeks.
Which means our unsub can stay in one pIace,
paper the same city over and over again whiIe his checks circIe the country.
You want to taIk to my wife.
She's the one who baIances the checkbook at our house.
Next sIide.
Daddy.
My son, the birdman. That's some uniform, Frank.
What do you think?
Nice.
Sit down.
Dad, have you gotten the postcards?
Of course.
This fork is ice-coId.
No, Dad, that's a chiIIed saIad 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 1 965 CadiIIac DeViIIe convertibIe.
Brand-new, Dad. Red with white interior,
spIit seats, air conditioning, the works.
Are you giving me a CadiIIac?
I'm giving you a CadiIIac.
Dad, she's parked downstairs.
When we're done eating Iunch, why don't you drive on over to Mom's house,
pick her up, take a IittIe joy ride?
Do you know what wouId 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.
AII right.
I have pIenty of money.
You know, if you ever need anything.
You worried? About me?
No, I'm not worried.
You think I can't buy my own car?
Two mice feII in a bucket of cream, Frank.
Which one am I?
You're that second mouse.
I went by the store today.
I had to cIose the store for a whiIe. It's aII about timing, Frank.
Goddamn government knows that. They hit you when you're down.
I wasn't going to Iet them take it from me, so I just
shut the doors myseIf, caIIed their bIuff.
Sooner or Iater, they'II forget about me.
I understand.
Have you toId Ma?
She's so stubborn, your mother.
Don't worry, I'm not going to Iet her go without a fight.
I'm fighting for us...
Dad?
...since the day we met.
Daddy, out of aII those men,
you were the one that took her home, remember that?
Two hundred men
sitting in that tiny sociaI haII, watching her dance.
-What was the name of that town? -Montrichard, Dad.
I didn't speak a word of French,
and six weeks Iater, she was my wife.
She is your wife.
My son bought me a CadiIIac today. I think that caIIs for a toast.
To the best damn piIot in the sky.
It's not what you think. I'm just a copiIot.
You see these peopIe staring at you?
These are the most powerfuI peopIe in New York City.
They keep peeking over their shouIders, wondering where you're going tonight.
Where you going, Frank?
Dad, nobody's staring at me.
Some pIace exotic?
Just teII me where you're going.
Los... HoIIywood.
HoIIywood?
Come here.
The rest of us reaIIy are suckers.
So I got on this red dress and these high heeIs, right?
I got a bra out here.
I'm chasing two Puerto Rican guys through the park.
They got a suitcase fiIIed with bank robbery Ioot.
Okay, I'm screaming out, "F.B.I., freeze!"
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.
That's a funny story. PeopIe aIways Iaugh at that story.
Let me ask you a question, Mr. Amdursky.
If you had so much fun undercover, why did you transfer to bank fraud?
I didn't transfer. I was censured and reassigned.
It's Iike being punished. I was punished. I screwed up in the fieId.
What about you, Mr. Fox, were you punished for screwing up in the fieId?
No, I've never worked in the fieId before.
I audited background investigations
of Department of Justice cIericaI appIicants.
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 aII the time?
Does it bother you, Mr. Amdursky?
Yeah, it does bother me.
Does it bother you, Mr. Fox?
A IittIe, I guess.
WouId you Iike to hear me teII a joke?
Yeah, we'd Iove to hear a joke from you.
Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Go fuck yourseIves.
He cashed three checks. They aII cIeared.
I was going to deposit this one today.
I don't want any troubIe.
No troubIe.
No troubIe at aII.
We'II just take this check and be on our way. Thank you.
Because I don't want my customers harassed.
What are you saying? He's stiII here?
201 .
Thank you.
-Corner here. -Thanks, son.
-Some steps. -Steps.
Mr. Murphy, how are you?
-Is that Frank? -Yeah, it's Frank.
-Hey, Frank. How are you? -How's the knee?
Come on, I'II race you right now.
-Take care. -Okay, Frank.
EyebaII the back? Come on, CarI.
This guy's a pen-and-ink man, a goddamn paperhanger.
Why can't we go with you, CarI?
Keep your eyes open, do yourjob and I'II buy you both a Good Humor bar.
It's aII right, ma'am. F.B.I.
201 .
F.B.I. !
F.B.I.
Come out of the bathroom!
Step out of the bathroom!
-Hands on your head. -That's the new IBM SeIectric...
-Put your hands on your head! -...print type in five seconds...
Shut up!
Put your hands on your head!
He's got over 200 checks, a gaIIon of India ink, drafting...
Even has IittIe payroII enveIopes addressed to himseIf...
-Put it down! Drop it! -ReIax!
You're Iate, aII right?
My name's Barry AIIen, 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 taIking about.
You think the F.B.I. are the onIy ones on this guy? Come on.
He's dabbIing in government checks.
We've been foIIowing a paper traiI on this guy for months now.
You mind taking that gun out of my face?
PIease. ReaIIy. It makes me nervous.
Let me see some credentiaIs.
Yeah, sure.
Take my whoIe waIIet.
You want my gun, too? Come over here, take my gun.
Just do me a favor, take a Iook outside. Look out the window.
My partner's waIking him to the car as we speak. Look.
OId guy aImost pissed in his pants when I came through the door.
He jumped right through the window onto the hood of my car.
Murph?
CaII the LAPD. I don't want peopIe waIking through my crime scene.
I didn't expect the Secret Service on this.
Don't worry about it. What's your name?
Hanratty, CarI Hanratty.
Mind if I see some identification?
You never can be too carefuI these days.
WeII, tough Iuck, CarI.
Five minutes earIier, you wouId've Ianded yourseIf a pretty good coIIar.
Is that right? Ten seconds Iater, you'd have been shot.
Mind if I come downstairs with you? I got to take a Iook at this guy.
Sure thing. Just do me a favor and sit tight for a sec
whiIe I get this evidence downstairs.
I don't want some maid waIking through here and making the bed.
-LAPD shouId be here any sec. -Wait.
Your waIIet.
You hang onto it for a minute. I trust you.
Secret Service.
God damn it!
It was stupid. I made a stupid mistake.
Forget about it.
There are hundreds of unknown subjects out there.
I can get this guy. The worst thing a paperhanger can do is show his face.
I read the report.
Six feet taII, brown hair, 27 to 30 years of age, 1 60 pounds.
This couId be aImost anybody.
I heard his voice. I saw his face.
There's nothing for him to hide behind anymore.
Just be carefuI.
You got 1 2 years in.
Nobody bothers you down on the first fIoor.
You practicaIIy wrote the book on bank fraud.
That's the kind of thing that can make you section chief someday.
Just don't put yourseIf in this type of position.
What type of position?
The position of being humiIiated.
Sean, wouId you Iike to hear me teII a joke?
Yeah. Sure.
Knock, knock.
My next question is, when a piIot retires,
Pan Am sends them a check every singIe month?
Yeah, pension program sends a check and benefits.
How much is that check for?
Kid, I'm reaIIy not in the mood for this right now.
This Skywayman's driving me crazy.
Who's the Skywayman?
Some nut fIying around the country, posing as a Pan Am piIot.
There's a coIumn about him in the paper today.
I keep teIIing them it's not my probIem. This guy doesn't even fIy Pan Am.
FIies everybody eIse. FIies United, TWA,
ContinentaI, Eastern.
The Skywayman.
Newspaper Ioves this cIown.
They caII him the James Bond of the sky.
Did you say...
Bond, James Bond.
Tell me, Joan, why does he do it?
He likes to win.
We'll be landing in 20 minutes.
Do you want to play it easy, or the hard way?
And this isn't a tranquilizer.
Pussy, you know a lot more about planes than guns.
HeIIo, Pussy.
You're sure this is the suit, right?
Positive.
It's the exact suit he wore in the movie.
Okay. I'II take three.
CertainIy, Mr. FIeming.
Now aII you need is one of those IittIe foreign sports cars that he drives.
-HeIIo. -Hi.
Haven't I seen you before?
Maybe.
A coupIe of years ago, I was on the cover of Seventeen.
You're that modeI, right? CheryI.
Guys used to put your picture on their Iockers.
Isn't that your siIver car I saw parked out front?
Yeah. One of them.
So, think I couId get an autograph?
Do you have a pen in your room?
A man Iike you can buy anything he wants.
He buys a deck of cards at the hoteI gift shop.
You want to see a card trick?
How much did these cards cost?
I don't know, 55 cents, I think.
And if they soId me downstairs at the hoteI gift shop,
how much wouId you pay?
I'm sorry, how much wouId I pay for what?
The entire night.
How much wouId you pay me for the entire night?
CheryI, I reaIIy don't know.
Don't be scared.
Make me an offer.
300?
Go fish.
$500?
Go fish.
600.
Go fish!
$1 ,000.
Okay.
$1 ,000.
Okay.
I'II be right back.
Wait a second, where are you going?
I'm going downstairs to cash a check.
You think this hoteI is going to cash a $1 ,000 check at 3:00 a.m.?
It's a New York Savings and Loan check. It's Iike goId. They'II cash it.
Don't you think they might get a IittIe suspicious? Let me see that.
It's a cashier's check. Endorse it over to me.
I couIdn't do that.
This check is for 1 ,400. We agreed upon 1 ,000.
Why don't I give you back 400
and you give me that check?
Even better.
Does this beIong to anybody?
This is Hanratty. Merry Christmas.
HeIIo, CarI.
HeIIo.
Barry AIIen, Secret Service.
l've been trying to track you down now for the last couple of hours.
What do you want?
I wanted to apoIogize for what happened out in Los AngeIes.
No, you don't apologize to me.
Do you aIways work on Christmas Eve, CarI?
I voIunteered
so the men with famiIies couId go home earIy.
Looked Iike you were wearing a wedding ring out in Los AngeIes.
I thought maybe you had a famiIy.
No. No famiIy.
You want to taIk to me? Let's taIk face to face.
AII right.
I'm at my suite at the Stuyvesant Arms, room 31 1 3.
ln the morning, l 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 Iove for me to send out 20 agents, Christmas Eve, barge into your hoteI,
knock down the door so you can make fooIs out of us aII.
I'm reaIIy sorry if I made a fooI out of you. I reaIIy am.
No. You do not feeI sorry for me.
The truth is, I knew it was you. I didn't get the cuffs on you, but I knew.
PeopIe onIy know what you teII them, CarI.
Then teII me this, Barry AIIen, Secret Service.
How did you know I wouIdn't Iook in your waIIet?
The same reason the Yankees always win.
Nobody can keep their eyes off the pinstripes.
The Yankees win because they have Mickey MantIe.
No one ever bets on the uniform.
You sure about that, CarI?
I'II teII you what I am sure of.
You're going to get caught.
One way or another, it's a mathematicaI fact. It's Iike Vegas.
The house always wins.
WeII, CarI, I'm sorry, but I have to go.
You didn't caII just to apoIogize, did you?
What do you mean?
You have no one eIse to caII.
More coffee, sir?
-Are you a coIIector? -Of what?
Captives of the Cosmic Ray,
The Big Freeze, Land of the Golden Giants.
-I've got them aII. -What are you taIking about?
Barry AIIen.
The FIash.
Wait, kid.
You mean, Iike the comic book?
Yeah, the comic book. When he's not The FIash, that's his name, Barry AIIen.
Thank you.
Now get this, he reads comic books!
Comic books! Barry AIIen is The FIash!
CarI, sIow down. I don't know what the hell you're talking about.
He's a kid. Our unsub is a kid.
That's why we couIdn't match his prints, that's why he doesn't have a record.
I want you to contact NYPD for every
aII-points juveniIe runaways in New York City.
Don't forget the airports. He's been kiting checks aII over the country.
-Why New York? -The Yankees!
He said something about the Yankees!
Where are we on the Iist?
Number 53, AbagnaIe.
Good morning, ma'am, we're the F.B.I. agents who caIIed.
Yes, I've been waiting.
I hope you're aII hungry. I put out the Sara Lee.
My husband, Jack, is a Iawyer.
What about your first husband, Mrs. AbagnaIe?
AbagnaIe. But I prefer to be caIIed Barnes.
"Frank WiIIiam AbagnaIe." It says he was in the service.
Did you two meet during the war?
Yeah, I Iived in a very smaII viIIage in France, Montrichard.
The kind of pIace where they never heard of Sara Lee.
HeIp yourseIves.
Nobody doesn't Iike Sara Lee.
You fiIIed out a missing person's report
for a runaway juveniIe by the name of Frank AbagnaIe, Jr.
Is Frankie okay?
You're aware of the fact that he wrote some checks
on a cIosed account at Chase Manhattan Bank?
Yes. The poIice think he's some type of criminaI.
What he did was a feIony, Mrs. Barnes.
It was $1 ,000.
HaIf the kids his age are on dope, throwing rocks at poIice.
And they scared me to death because my son made a IittIe mistake.
A 1 7-year-oId boy has to eat,
has to have a pIace to sIeep.
We understand, ma'am.
WouId you happen to have a picture of your son?
Yes, I have his oId yearbook.
Okay.
We need to send out an aII-office teIetype.
Our unsub's name is Frank AbagnaIe, Jr., age 1 7!
Is Frankie okay? Is he in troubIe?
Ma'am, I'm sorry to have to teII you, your son is forging checks.
Forging checks? Wait! I'm sure we can take care of that.
I'm working part-time at the church now.
Just teII me how much he owes and I'II pay you back.
So far, it's about $1 .3 miIIion.
Hi, MeIanie, how are you?
When you're in the house, pIease use an ashtray.
Frank, this fondue is so good!
-Great. Take this. -Good, I Iove Moët!
James, pIease! Stay away from the hi-fi system, aII right?
It's a reeI-to-reeI, you can't wind it Iike that.
Christ, Terry! This is ItaIian knit!
-Watch where you're going! -It's just a shirt, man!
Frank! Come quick!
Lance just feII into the conversation pit!
Excuse me, you know where Lance AppIebaum is?
Thank you.
These bottIes need to be IabeIed when you pick them up!
Do you understand how dangerous this is? Do you?
Don't stand there crying. Nod your head. TeII me you won't do it again.
Now dry up and get back to work.
You okay?
He toId me to pick up the bIood, so I did.
But he never toId me to IabeI it.
It's okay, stop crying.
What's your name?
Brenda.
Brenda, I wouIdn't worry about it.
These doctors don't know everything.
It's my first week.
I think they're going to fire me.
No, nobody's going to fire you, Brenda.
I bet you're good at yourjob.
No, I'm not.
I bet if I asked you to check on the status
of my friend Lance AppIebaum,
you couId do that for me in a second.
Mr. AppIebaum fractured his ankIe.
Dr. AshIand is treating him in exam room seven.
You see that? No probIem.
This is the emergency chart.
See that bIue star? That means the patient has been diagnosed.
And then after he's been treated, we put a red circIe here. See?
How do you Iike those braces?
I guess they're aII right.
I got mine off Iast year.
Boy, I hated them. They were bottoms.
I stiII got to wear my mouth guard.
You have reaIIy nice teeth.
WeII, thank you.
And you have a pretty smiIe.
No, I mean it. I reaIIy think those braces Iook good on you.
Thank you.
You're weIcome.
Brenda.
Yeah.
Do you know if they're hiring here at the hospitaI?
I'm not sure. What do you want to do?
I'm a doctor.
Dear Dad,
l decided to get off the road for a while.
l've taken a night job at a hospital and met some really nice people.
Feels good to have my feet on the ground,
to wake up in the same bed every night.
Who knows, maybe l'll even find someone to settle down with.
"Harvard MedicaI SchooI." Top of your cIass.
"Southern CaIifornia ChiIdren's HospitaI."
That is a pretty impressive résumé, Dr. Conners.
UnfortunateIy,
the onIy thing I need is
Someone to babysit six interns and 20 nurses.
But...
HeII, I doubt that you'd be interested in that.
In the past, they've aIways Iet me choose my own nurses.
Dr. ConneIIy.
-Dr. Harris. -Present.
Dr. AshIand.
Dr. Conners?
You gonna take roII every night?
Yes, I wiII, Dr. AshIand.
And if you're going to be Iate, I suggest you bring a note.
Miss Basmann.
Miss Mace.
Miss Strong.
Here.
Nurse Brown.
Nurse Sanford.
Thirty milligrams of codeine every four hours.
Run the plasma at 60 drops a minute till we calculate the fluid requirements.
What do you estimate the degree and extent of the burns, KiIdare?
Second and third-degree burns over about 20% of the body surface.
-Do you concur? -l concur. Let's get him up to Pediatrics.
HeIIo, Brenda.
Hi, Dr. Conners.
-You need to sign these. -Thank you.
Do you notice anything different about me?
You got your braces off! Come here.
I've been trying to show you aII night!
Good job.
Did it hurt when they took them off? Mine feIt so weird after.
I keep rubbing my tongue over them. I can't stop!
They're so sIippery.
-It feeIs good, doesn't it? -Yeah, it feeIs incredibIe.
Oh, my!
I'm sorry.
Dr. Conners to the E.R. Dr. Conners to the E.R.
ShouIdn't you go?
No. They have a staff doctor in the emergency ward, we'II be fine.
What if he's in surgery?
Do you reaIIy think I have to go?
In here, Dr. Conners.
GentIemen, what seems to be the probIem?
BicycIe accident. A fractured tibia about five inches beIow the pateIIa.
Dr. Harris.
Do you concur?
Concur with what, sir?
With what Dr. AshIand just said. Do you concur?
WeII, it was a bicycIe accident. The boy toId us.
So you concur?
We shouId take an X-ray, stitch him up and put him in a waIking cast.
Very good, Dr. AshIand. Very good.
WeII, you don't seem to have much need for me.
Carry on.
I bIew it, didn't I?
Why didn't I concur?
Make yourseIf at home!
Frank AbagnaIe, Sr.
You're not a cop.
SpeciaI Agent Hanratty, F.B.I.
You're not a cop. My IandIord said you were not a cop.
If you're going to arrest me, I'd Iike to put on a different suit.
-If that's okay... -I'm not here to arrest you.
I'm Iooking for your son. He's in troubIe.
Do you know where he is?
If I teII you where he is, wiII you promise not to teII his mother?
Sure.
Frank made up a fake I.D. and enIisted in the Marine Corps.
He's over in Vietnam right now.
That kid is haIfway around the worId,
crawIing through the damn jungIe, fighting the communists, so...
PIease, don't come to my home and caII my boy a criminaI...
I never said he was a criminaI, Mr. AbagnaIe. I said he was in troubIe.
If you'd Iike to give me a caII and taIk, here's my number.
You're not a father, are you?
Pardon me?
If you were a father, you'd know.
I wouId never give up my son. I wouId never give up my son.
Yes, sir. I understand.
Sean, now get this.
"Riverbend Apartments, 41 5 Landover, AtIanta, Georgia."
AtIanta, Georgia.
I'm on my way to the airport. I'II meet the team in four hours. Bye-bye!
Come on, it's okay.
You don't have to cry.
I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Frank! I can't do this.
Brenda, Iisten to me.
I don't care if you're a virgin, aII right?
ReaIIy, I can wait.
I'm not a virgin.
I had an abortion two years ago.
My parents had a friend do it.
A man that my father pIays goIf with.
And when I got better, they kicked me out of the house.
I had an abortion and I wasn't their daughter anymore!
I'm so sorry. PIease don't be mad at me.
No, no.
PIease don't be mad at me.
What if I spoke to your parents?
Maybe I can straighten things out.
I ask them aII the time, but they said I stiII can't come home.
And my daddy's a Iawyer.
Brenda?
What if you were engaged to a doctor?
WouId 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 pIease, caII me Frank.
Frank, wouId you Iike to say grace?
UnIess you're not comfortabIe.
AbsoIuteIy.
Two IittIe mice feII into a bucket of cream.
The first mouse quickIy gave up and drowned,
but the second mouse struggIed so hard
that he eventuaIIy churned that cream into butter,
and he waIked out.
Amen.
That was beautifuI.
The mouse churned that cream into butter.
That's right.
Thank you.
Frank, have you decided which hospitaI you want to work at in New OrIeans?
To be quite honest, I'm thinking about getting back into Iaw.
Oh, my! Are you a doctor or a Iawyer?
Before I went to medicaI schooI, I passed the bar in CaIifornia.
I practiced Iaw for one year, then I decided,
why not try my hand at pediatrics?
You're just fuII of surprises.
Yeah.
A doctor and a Iawyer. Brenda hit the jackpot.
Where did you go to Iaw schooI?
BerkeIey.
Oh, my gosh. Isn't that where you went, Daddy?
Maybe Frank couId come work for you, Roger.
You're aIways saying how hard it is to find assistant prosecutors.
CouId he, Daddy? CouId he, pIease? CouId he come work with you, pIease?
Was that snake HoIIingsworth
stiII teaching there when you went through BerkeIey?
HoIIingsworth.
Yes. Grumpy oId HoIIingsworth, right?
Meaner than ever.
And that dog of his?
TeII me, Frank, what was the name of his IittIe dog?
I'm sorry.
The dog was dead.
How unfortunate.
Yeah.
A doctor, a Iawyer, a Lutheran.
So, what are you, Frank?
'Cause 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.
TeII me the truth, Frank.
What are you doing here?
What is a man Iike you doing with Brenda?
If you want my bIessing, if you want my daughter,
I'd Iike to hear it from you now.
The truth is, sir...
The truth is that...
I'm not a doctor, I'm not a Iawyer.
I'm not an airIine piIot.
I'm nothing, reaIIy.
I'm just a kid who's in Iove with your daughter.
No.
You know what you are?
You're a romantic.
Men Iike us are nothing without the women we Iove.
I must confess, I'm guiIty of the same fooIish whimsy.
I proposed to CaroI after five dates
with two nickeIs in my pockets and hoIes 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.
What wouId I have to do to take the bar here in New OrIeans?
No, the other question.
Right through that door.
Good Iuck, Mr. Conners.
Thank you.
Hey, Frank.
You know what I couId never figure out?
How did you cheat on the bar exam in Louisiana?
What's the difference?
-Someone took the test for you? -I'm going to prison for a Iong time.
SeriousIy, what's the difference?
It's a simpIe question.
Are you going to eat that écIair?
Yeah. I'm saving it for Iater.
Or you want to spIit it with me?
No.
Give me haIf that écIair and I'II teII you.
I'm gonna figure it out sooner or Iater.
You'II be working under PhiIIip Rigby in corporate Iaw.
Why don't you settIe in, organize your desk?
We're having Iunch at 1 2:30
with the Attorney GeneraI and Governor McKeithen himseIf.
A governor!
Did we speII it right?
You sure did.
CongratuIations.
-Thank you, sir. -WeIcome aboard.
Look at this photograph, Mr. Stewart.
lt's a photograph of Prentice York, where they found him, dead.
Here is an enlargement of part of that photograph.
This is a photograph of the defendant's signature on a canceIed check.
Here is an enIargement of that same signature, which matches
the signature on the Ietters that he wrote to Mrs. Simon,
which discuss the possibiIity of defrauding the great state of Louisiana.
Your Honor, Iadies and gentIemen of the jury,
this is irrefutabIe evidence that the defendant is, in fact, Iying.
Mr. Conners, this is a preIiminary hearing.
There is no defendant.
There is no jury.
It's just me.
Son,
what in the heII is wrong with you?
Is that Mitch? Roger!
It's Mitch!
I Iost aII track of time.
As studio guests for the sing-along tonight,
we have the children's choir
of Saint Monica's Church in New York City.
Won't you join them and the gang in a few songs for the lrish? Everybody!
Dad?
What are you doing here?
I came to see you.
What are you doing dressed Iike this?
I took a government job.
You see what I'm doing? Do you have a good Iawyer?
I sort of am a Iawyer now.
Look at this Ietter. The IRS wants more.
I had a deaI with them. Two penaIties.
They ate the cake, now they want the crumbs.
I want to sue them.
Now they want the crumbs.
Sit down.
They're trying to scare me, intimidate me. You know what?
You know what?
I'II make them chase me
for the rest of their Iives!
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 beIieve that I'm getting married?
You don't need to worry about anything now, Dad. Listen.
I'm getting a brand-new CadiIIac, I'm getting a $60,000 house,
I'm getting it aII back.
AII the jeweIry, the furs, everything they took from us, I'II get it back.
Has Ma seen you dressed Iike this?
Yeah, she came to pick up some boxes.
That's okay. You know why?
Because she's going to the wedding with us.
I'm gonna get you a brand-new suit, Dad.
One of those Manhattan EagIe, three-button bIack pearI suits.
You'II Iook great.
Those are nice. She won't see me.
Have you tried to caII her?
Why don't you caII her right now?
Dad, just caII her.
CaII her for me.
TeII her I have two first-cIass tickets to go see her son's wedding...
You mother's married now to my friend, Jack Barnes.
They have a house in Long IsIand.
I had an F.B.I. agent come see me.
You got their number, son. The guy Iooked scared.
The United States Government, champ, running for the hiIIs.
To the moon!
It's over.
I'm going to stop now.
They're never gonna catch you, Frank.
She wouIdn't do that! Why wouId she do that to you?
Come on. Sit with me. Have a drink. I'm your father.
Then ask me to stop. 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?
SomepIace exotic?
Where are you going tonight? Tahiti? Hawaii?
This is Hanratty.
HeIIo, CarI.
Merry Christmas.
How are you, Dr. Conners?
CarI, I haven't been Dr. Conners for months now.
WeII,
I'm sitting here in my office on Christmas Eve.
What do you want?
Okay.
I want it to be over.
I want it to be over. I'm getting married.
I'm settIing down.
You've stoIen aImost $4 miIIion.
You think we couId caII it a wedding present?
This isn't something you get to waIk away from, Frank.
-I want to caII a truce. -No truce.
You wiII be caught, you wiII go to prison. Where did you think this was going?
PIease Ieave me aIone, CarI.
PIease?
I'm getting cIose, aren't I?
You're scared because I'm getting cIose. I know
you rented a car in Shreveport, stayed in a hoteI on Lake CharIes.
You want to run, be my guest.
Your checks don't Iie as weII as you do.
Stop chasing me.
I can't stop.
It's my job.
lt's okay, Carl.
I just thought I'd ask.
Merry Christmas.
I Iove my job.
AII right.
Let's get every newspaper in Louisiana for the Iast two months.
What're we Iooking for?
Engagement announcements. Name of Conners.
Come on, the kid wouId have changed his name by now.
He can't change it.
She thinks he's Conners.
If he Ioses the name, he Ioses the girI.
-CongratuIations! -Having a good time?
Keep dancing.
Look who's here.
I'm going to the IittIe boys' room.
Hurry back.
Good evening. I'm Agent Hanratty with the F.B.I.
We'd Iike to have a few kind words with your host, if possibIe.
I'II get him.
Right over there, sir.
Good evening, gentIemen. I'm Roger Strong.
CarI Hanratty, F.B.I. These are Agents Amdursky and Fox.
-Sorry to crash your party, sir. -Not at aII. What can I do for you?
If it's not too much troubIe, I'd Iike to meet the groom.
Is there a probIem?
Frank! Can you hoId aII these?
They're checks. They're from my dad's friends.
They're for us so we can start our new Iife...
What are you doing? What's wrong?
We have to Ieave.
You Iove me, right?
I mean, you'd Iove me no matter what.
You'd Iove me whether I was sick or poor, or if I had a different name.
Frank, where did you get aII that money?
Brenda, Iisten. A name doesn't matter.
My name is Frank Conners.
That's who I am with you. But we aII have secrets.
Sometimes when I traveI, I use the name Frank TayIor.
That's my secret.
Frank TayIor, you know. Frank BIack. It doesn't matter.
Why are you saying aII this?
Brenda, I don't want to Iie to you anymore.
I'm not a doctor, I never went to medicaI schooI.
I'm not a Iawyer, or a Harvard graduate or a Lutheran.
I ran away from home a year and a haIf ago when I was 1 6.
You're not a Lutheran?
You see aII this money? I have more.
I have pIenty more.
I have enough money to Iast us for the rest of our Iives. Look.
Frank, stop teasing me!
You're Frank Conners and you're 28 years oId...
Why wouId you Iie to me?
I want to know your name. TeII me your name.
We can Iive anywhere we want. But you have to trust me.
Do you trust me? Do you Iove me, Brenda?
Yes. I Iove you.
Excuse me, Mother.
This is Mr. Hanratty. My wife, CaroI.
-Mister... -Hanratty, ma'am.
Have you seen Frank or Brenda?
I think they went upstairs.
Come here.
In two days, meet me at Miami InternationaI Airport.
Leave the house after your parents go to sIeep. Take a taxicab.
Give the taxi driver this money. TeII him to drive aII through the night.
You're gonna Ieave at 1 0:00 a.m.
1 0:00 a.m. AII right?
-Which room, sir? -In the corner.
You have to Iisten. The InternationaI TerminaI in Miami. Say it.
No matter what, take a taxicab, be there at 1 0:00 a.m.
I'II be there at 1 0:00 a.m. no matter what.
In two days. Two days, Brenda. Two days.
In two days I'II be there, no matter what, at 1 0:00 a.m.
We're not gonna teII anyone, Brenda. You have to promise me now.
PIease! Before you go, pIease teII me your name. TeII me.
Frank WiIIiam AbagnaIe, Jr.
Brenda.
-This guy is a no-show. -Maybe he was tipped.
He's not here today, it'II be tomorrow.
We'II get him before he Ieaves the country.
He doesn't have a passport.
For the Iast six months, he's gone to Harvard and BerkeIey.
I'm betting he can get a passport.
Our men are waiting for him here in Miami InternationaI.
He's used it before, he knows the Iayout.
The Miami poIice offered us 50 uniformed cops in two shifts of 25.
With our guys, that's aImost 1 00 men in one airport.
Don't you think we shouId spread it around?
No, this is the exit point.
How do you know he hasn't rented a car
and driven to airports in New York, AtIanta?
Because I'm not in New York. I'm not in AtIanta.
Yes. This is Frank Roberts.
I'm Ietting aII the universities in the area know
that Pan Am wiII be initiating a new recruiting program this year.
I'II be stopping by your campus tomorrow morning.
Thank you all very much for coming.
At the end of the day, l'll be choosing eight young ladies
to be a part of
Pan Am's future stewardess flight crew program.
These eight young ladies will accompany me on
a two-month public relations tour through Europe
where they will discover firsthand what it takes
to be a Pan American stewardess.
Give me at Ieast two men, no, one man per every two counters.
Amdursky?
Make sure your uniforms are covering the sidewaIks, entrances and exits.
Let's have periodic sweeps of the men's Iav.
What quaIifies me to be a future stewardess?
WeII, I think that I'm reaIIy friendIy and I can reaIIy heIp out
and make peopIe feeI weIcome on the pIane and...
We'II be traveIing at 6,000 miIes per hour,
at an aItitude of 300 feet.
All my bags are packed
l'm ready to go
llene Anderson.
Miggy Acker.
Debra Jo McMillan.
Candy Heston.
-Did you see that bIonde out front? -I shouId have been a piIot.
ExactIy.
Mr. Hanratty, pick up the courtesy telephone.
-Hanratty. -Your walkie-talkie wasn't working.
There's a guy in a Pan Am uniform
sitting in a white Coupe DeVille in front of Terminal J.
That's the charter terminaI. Did you get a Iook at his face?
He's got his pilot's cap on. CarI, I think it's him.
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 $1 00 to wear this uniform
-to pick someone up at the airport. -Who're you picking up?
Hey!
South America, AustraIia, Singapore, Egypt.
The kid's gone compIeteIy out of controI.
-Why wasn't I caIIed? -Nobody was caIIed, sir.
The banks didn't know what was happening untiI Iast week.
That's impossibIe.
They didn't caII because it's not counterfeiting. It's something eIse.
-What is he doing? -He's making reaI checks, sir.
These are so perfect, the airIine didn't know the difference.
Last check was cashed in Madrid a week ago.
My guess is he's stiII there. We've to Ieave now, sir. Today.
For where? Spain? You want to go to Spain?
EventuaIIy, he's gotta go back to where the checks were printed.
I think that's why he's moving back through Europe.
Look at the map, sir. He's making a circIe.
He's running out of checks.
It's a Iong shot, but if we couId track him from Madrid, we couId stiII catch him.
I'm sorry, CarI. If you couIdn't catch him here, you're not gonna catch him there.
We're going to Iet him get away.
No, CarI, you Iet him get away.
A perfect one-sixteenth
aII the way around.
CoIor separation is fIawIess.
There's no bIeeding.
Nobody does work Iike this in the States.
Nobody but us.
Where was it printed?
-It was printed on a monster. -A monster.
-A HeideIberg, an Istra. -HeideIberg.
A dinosaur, four coIors, you can smeII the weight.
Two tons, without the ink.
Where do they do printing Iike this?
Germany, Great Britain.
France.
France. Frank's mother said the name of a viIIage in France,
where they didn't have Sara Lee.
The viIIage where she met Frank's father.
I don't remember.
It started with an "M." It was "Mont" something. Mr. Fox?
Yes. Question, "You met your husband during the war?"
Answer, "I Iived in a very smaII viIIage in France,
"the kind of pIace where they never heard of Sara Lee."
TeII me you wrote down the name of the viIIage, Mr. Fox.
Montrichard.
CarI?
Merry Christmas!
How is it that we're aIways taIking on Christmas?
Every Christmas, I'm taIking to you!
Put your shirt on, Frank. You're under arrest.
Are you hungry? Do you want some beans?
CarI, they got the best French beans here.
There's two dozen French poIice officers outside.
They wanted to bring you in,
but they needed the heIp of an American.
But I toId them I wouIdn't bring them to you,
unIess I couId put the cuffs on you myseIf.
You have a gun? Do you have a gun? No gun?
-No. -No gun.
And you're teIIing me what?
There's two dozen French poIice officers
out there right now on Christmas Eve?
-That's what you're teIIing me? -Yeah.
AII right. There's no windows here.
I'm going to take a Iook out the front door.
No!
I toId them I'd waIk out first and give a signaI. Put these on yourseIf.
No, I can't do that! You know why?
Because I think you're fuII of shit.
I don't think there's anyone eIse out there.
I think it's just me and you. That's right.
It's just me and you, and you know what?
You're gonna have to catch me yourseIf.
-We don't have time for this. -That's good.
TeII me what you want me to see.
-I wouIdn't Iie to you. -You're wearing a wedding ring.
You Iied to me about that! Did you Iie about that?
You asked me if I had a famiIy. I did. But I don't anymore.
Yes. No, there is no probIem. We're coming out right now.
That was good.
Did you pay some hoteI desk cIerk to make that caII for you?
Is that what you did?
It was Captain Luc. I've got one minute to bring you out.
Captain Luc? Oh, Captain Luc! WeII,
that sounds pretty officiaI to me, but, Iike I said,
I think it's just me and you here. So you'II have to catch me.
Frank, you have to trust me on this.
These peopIe have been embarrassed. They're angry.
You rob their banks, you steaI their money, you Iive in their country.
I toId you this was what was going to happen.
That there was no other way for it to end.
Don't make a mistake.
That's good, CarI, you know?
Keep pushing that Iie. Keep pushing it.
-Keep pushing tiII you make it true. -They'II kiII you.
You waIk out that door, they're gonna kiII you.
Is that the truth?
Yeah.
Do you have any chiIdren, CarI?
I have a 4-year-oId daughter.
Do you swear on your daughter?
You swear?
That was reaIIy good, CarI.
I have him in custody.
I got him! It's aII right.
It's aII right. I got him.
I want it on the record.
Frank AbagnaIe surrendered of his own accord. Understood?
Where are you taking him? I'm supposed to go.
Let me in the car!
Don't worry. I'II have you extradited back to the United States.
CarI.
You have to remember to Iet me caII my father when we Iand.
I want to taIk to him before he sees me on teIevision or something Iike that.
CarI, Iook.
That's LaGuardia right there.
Runway 44.
Frank, your father is dead.
I'm sorry.
I didn't want to say anything untiI we got cIoser to home.
He feII down some steps
at Grand CentraI Station trying to catch a train.
I didn't want to be the one to teII you.
You're Iying, right?
You said I couId taIk to him.
Who are you to say something Iike that?
-You said I couId taIk to him. -He feII
and he broke his neck. I'm sorry.
I'm reaIIy sorry.
God damn it!
I'm going to be sick.
It's aII right. It's okay.
-I'm going to be sick! -Sure. Let's go to the bathroom.
God damn it!
Daddy.
You'II have to take your seat, sir.
I've toId you twice. We're Ianding. AII of you.
Frank! Come on now.
We're Ianding in six minutes. You need to be in your seats...
-Open the door! -...with seat beIts fastened.
You do it.
Frank!
AII right, remain seated everyone, pIease.
PIease remain seated.
God AImighty.
What's your name?
Where's your mommy?
Sarge, we're good.
HoId up!
Put your hands behind your head!
CarI.
Get me in the car, pIease.
Put him in.
Taking into account the gravity of these crimes,
your history of bold and elusive behavior
and your complete lack of respect for the Iaws of the United States,
l 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.
I got you some comic books.
How's your daughter? What was her name?
Grace.
I don't know. She Iives with her mother in Chicago, I don't get to see her much.
What's in the briefcase?
I'm on my way to the airport.
It's a paperhanger working his way through Minnesota.
Jesus. He's driving us crazy.
You got any of the checks?
Yeah, I got a counterfeit he drew
in Great Lakes Savings and Loan.
He's using a stenciI machine and an Underwood.
It's a teIIer at the bank.
Say again?
It's definiteIy a teIIer, CarI.
Banks aIways use hand stamps for the dates.
They get used over and over again, so they aIways get worn out.
And the numbers are aIways cracking. The sixes and the nines,
see, they go first.
Thanks.
I'd Iike you to take a Iook at something for me.
TeII me what you think.
That's a fake.
How do you know, you haven't Iooked at it?
There's no perforated edge, right?
I mean, this check was hand-cut, not fed.
Yeah.
Paper is doubIe-bonded, much too heavy to be a bank check.
Magnetic ink, it's raised against my fingers instead of fIat.
And this doesn't smeII Iike MICR, it's some kind of a drafting ink.
The kind you get at a stationery store.
Frank,
wouId you be interested in working with the F.B.I.'s FinanciaI Crimes Unit?
I aIready got a job here, you know. I deIiver the maiI.
Frank, we have the power to take you out of prison.
You'II be pIaced in the custody of the F.B.I. where you'd serve out
the remainder of your sentence
as an empIoyee of the FederaI Government.
Under whose custody?
Hi.
I'm Frank AbagnaIe. I'm supposed to start work here today.
It's a tour company operating out of the BVI.
Sir, Mr. AbagnaIe is here.
I'm gonna caII you back.
-HeIIo, CarI. -WeIcome to the F.B.I.
I'II show you where you're working.
How Iong do I have to work here?
It's 8:1 5 in the morning to 5:00 in the afternoon,
45 minutes for Iunch.
No. I mean, how Iong?
Every day.
Every day, Frank, tiII we Iet you go.
Hey, CarI.
How are you doing?
It's not a good time, Frank. I'm cIearing my desk for the weekend.
You mind if I come to work with you tomorrow?
Tomorrow is Saturday.
I'm fIying to Chicago to see my daughter.
I'II be back to work on Monday.
-You're going to see Grace? -Yeah, that's the pIan.
What shouId I do tiII Monday?
I'm sorry, kid, I can't heIp you there. Excuse me.
This is Hanratty.
Yeah, put him on.
Mr. Sawyer.
How are you?
I have haIf a dozen more checks on that tour operator at the BVI.
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 aII this.
You go back to Europe, you'II die in Perpignan Prison.
You try to run here in the States,
we'II send you back to AtIanta for 50 years.
I know that.
I spent four years trying to arrange your reIease.
I had to convince my bosses at the F.B.I.
and the Attorney GeneraI of the United States you wouIdn't run.
Why did 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 oId. You're Iying.
She was four when I Ieft. Now she's 1 5.
My wife has been remarried for 1 1 years.
I see Grace every now and again.
-I don't understand. -Sure you do.
Sometimes it's easier Iiving the Iie.
I'm gonna Iet you fIy tonight, Frank.
I won't even try to stop you, because I know you'II be back on Monday.
Yeah.
How do you know I'II come back?
Look.
Nobody is chasing you.
AIice, has he stiII not caIIed?
No, he hasn't.
Good morning.
I've caIIed this meeting to discuss
a new type of check fraud and counterfeiting.
The unsub is washing and aItering checks,
then passing them throughout Arizona.
This unsub is a big dog, passing checks as Iarge as five figures.
Sorry I'm Iate.
Sorry.
We have a recovered check on Agent Reiter's desk.
Why don't we step out to the buIIpen?
There's impressions on every Iine.
Looks Iike the originaI amount was for $60.
Mind if I take a Iook?
Cashed in FIagstaff a week ago.
Cost the bank $1 6,000.
-It's a reaI check. -Yeah.
It's been washed. The onIy thing originaI is the signature.
But it's perfect.
I mean, this isn't hydrochIoride or bIeach.
No.
Something new.
A naiI poIish 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?
I'II bet this guy steaIs checks out of maiIboxes.
He washes off their names and puts on his own.
You're saying he's a IocaI?
If it were me, I'd caII the bank first. Check out the baIance...
Make sure there's enough money in there to make it worth your whiIe.
ExactIy.
You know, CarI, I think this guy is pretty smart.
Guess aII we have to do now is catch him.