The Stripper

**The Stripper** is the second episode of the first season of *Matlock*.

## Plot

Years ago, Ben Matlock represented Jason Hardiman in his divorce proceedings, and upon his instructions, offered Carla a small fortune to relinquish custody of their son. She refused, and eventually won. Now Carla can only find work as a stripper. Jason goes to her work and again threatens to take their son Jimmy from her. When he is found at the edge of death, Carla is the immediate suspect. He is murdered while in the hospital, and Carla is the prime suspect. Ben's suspicions soon turn to a woman named Helen Shelly, but unfortunately, it's hard to find her. Doug Templitt seems to be the only one who knows where she is.

## Cast

### Main

* Andy Griffith as Ben Matlock
* Linda Purl as Charlene Matlock
* and Kene Holiday as Tyler Hudson

### Guest Starring

* Judith Marie Bergan as Alison Hardiman
* Robin Thomas as A.D.A. Burton Hawkins
* John Carter as Jason Hardiman
* David Froman as Lt. Bob Brooks
* Anne Haney as Nurse Jackson
* Wayne Heffley as Wayne Cornell
* Jennifer Rhodes as Gracie Fielder

### Special Guest Star

* Gary Frank as Doug Templitt and Helen Shelly

### Co-Starring

* Richard Newton as Alvin Roundtree
* Michael Faustino as Jimmy
* Anthony Mitchell as Cashier at Club

## Summary

After being fired from one job after another because of her ex-husband Jason Hardiman, Carla Evans resorts to stripping at a local club and keeping her son reading books in another room while she performs. When her ex-husband shows up and threatens to take her son away by going to court, she threatens him in front of witnesses: "I'm not going to stand still for this. I'm warning you." So when Jason Hardiman ends in the hospital after being shot, she is the prime suspect. Matlock, who represented her ex-husband in the divorce hearings five years ago, offers to defend her on the house after discovering what a liar Hardiman was. When Carla is released from jail, Jason is murdered in the hospital, and once again Carla is the suspect in a murder case after the night nurse, Ms. Jackson, identifies her from the hallway and from a security camera video. Charlene tackles that by bringing up the point that she was not wearing her glasses when she identified the defendant from the hallway. Matlock notices in another video that the woman that killed Jason Hardiman buttoned her trench coat like a man: left over right. When Helen Shelly is called to the stand, she says she was with Doug Templitt on the night Jason Hardiman was shot and when someone entered the hospital room and killed Jason Hardiman; because they spent so much time together, Matlock assumes that she accidentally grabbed Doug's trench coat. Matlock then thinks they have a case of confused identity, so he tells a joke he heard Doug tell while going undercover at the club — "One time a woman went into a barroom with a duck under her arm. The bartender walks over and says, 'Where did you get the pig?' and the woman says, 'It's a duck,' and the bartender says, 'I was talking to the pig.' " Helen says, "Duck, I was talking to the duck" in Doug's voice. It turns out that Helen Shelly and Doug Templitt are one person with two personalities. When Matlock asks Doug who killed Jason Hardiman, he says it was Helen. In Doug's words, Carla "was everything Helen wanted to be but couldn't". Jason wanted to humiliate and degrade Carla and take her son from her. Doug would not let Helen kill Carla because he loved Carla.

## Quotes

**Jason Hardiman:** Hello, Carla.

**Carla Evans:** What are you doing here?

**Jason:** You should've known I'd find you sooner or later. I came by to give you a little token of my affection. The process server usually does this, but I wanted to be here in person, so I could see the look in your eyes.

**Carla:** Another hearing. Why? Why can't you just let this be over?

**Jason:** Well, you know why, darling. Because I still care.

**Carla:** You're not gonna get away with it.

**Jason:** That's up to the courts to decide. But when they see the surroundings you're exposing my son to, as opposed to the advantages Allison and I can give him—

**Carla:** You know you don't give a damn about Jimmy. You just want to keep punishing me.

**Jason:** You know, you seem disturbed, Carla. Really psychotic.

**Carla:** I'm not gonna stand still for this. I'm warning you.

**Jason:** Really? What are you going to do?

**Carla:** Anything I have to.

**Jason:** You haven't changed, have you?

**Carla:** Neither have you.

**Jason:** Well, I've got to run, darling. I'll see you in court.