MovieChat Forums > Chinatown (1974) Discussion > Who hired Ida Sessions?

Who hired Ida Sessions?

posted 10 years ago by Vame
18 replies | jump to latest

Who hired Ida Sessions to impersonate Evelyn Mulwray? On the surface Noah Cross would seem the most likely suspect, but upon further analysis it appears highly unlikely if not impossible that he put her up to it. Here's why:

1. If Cross had hired Ida to hire Jake, he would have known that Jake or his assistants had Hollis under surveillance during the period of his confrontation with Hollis at the Pig 'n Whistle. He would probably have avoided meeting with Hollis entirely or, at the very least, been up front with Jake regarding when he last saw Hollis.

2. Ida would have funneled to Cross the information that Jake provided her with regarding her "husband's" supposed infidelity. This would have included the locations of Hollis's trysts, i.e. the El Macondo apartments, and Cross would have known where to find Katherine from the beginning.

So if Noah Cross didn't hire Ida, or even if he did, was it the hirer's belief that Hollis was, in fact, having an affair? It's doubtful that Cross would think so. He knew Hollis better than that. And Russ Yellburton throws cold water on the idea that his superior is the type to commit adultery. I suppose it's possible Yellburton hired Ida and he was just trying to cover his tracks by making such a statement.

I wonder if whoever hired Ida knew of the platonic nature of the relationship between Hollis and Katherine and was just trying to frame him. Or whether he was just just grasping at straws in hopes of uncovering some dirt to use against Hollis.

As for Ida revealing the name of Jasper Lamar Crabb to Jake as "one of those people," to me it would have made more sense if the name she revealed was that of a woman. It's likely she could have been hired to impersonate one of the women at the old folks home when purchasing land for Cross and noticed the name of the person she'd impersonated in the obituary column. Any thoughts?

[–] Tresix 10 years ago

Cross hiring Sessions would be twofold: One, the main thing Cross was trying to do is discredit Mulwray. Since Hollis was Noah's only real opposition to the building of the dam, Cross figures that by exposing Mulwray, he'd back off. Cross would be able to say "This man is cheating on his wife. His immorality doesn't make him fit to oppose you people getting this dam and water."

The other thing is the "other woman" is Cross' daughter/granddaughter. Cross wants her in his life in order to get to Evelyn. It's safe to say that Noah Cross is a powerful, yet sick man.

"I'm in such bad shape, I'm wearing prescription underwear." Phyllis Diller 1917-2012

[–] DavidLuo 10 years ago

I have the same question so I made a second view of the movie, and here's my guess: (sorry for my English)

(1)The "dam thing" is a cover, the truth is that Cross wants to find and get the daughter, and Evelyn (with support from Hollis) won't let him. Cross is not get along with Hollis is a well known fact. Cross used this fact in this particular dam debate time and convinced his people (in the name of a dying old man) to hire Ida, looking for the evidence of Hollis's affair.

(2)Ida got the "affair" evidence from Gittes, she also had her own agenda, she sold these pictures to a newspaper, because Hollis was a public figure. This is the trigger of all the upcoming events. It looked like a scandal but that's totally not Cross's plan in the first place.

(3)The "scandle Hollis" is a real threat, Cross has no choice but to kill him before he can tell the truth.

(4)Gittes felt offened when he saw his investigation exposed on local newspaper, he also felt manipulated when real Evelyn shown herself. Think about the Chinese guy joke, it's not only funny, but also reflects what Gittes thought about his own situation at that time.

[–] information_police 9 years ago

OK, I think you just explained something I didn't understand. I had thought that Cross had the pictures put in the newspaper but that didn't make sense to me. He would have benefited from Mulwray being in a scandal but he didn't want to expose Katherine to the press - he just wanted to find her. He always knew that Mulwray wasn't having an affair (As Mulwray's deputy said, anyone who knew Mulwray would know he wasn't the type to have an affair), that he was seeing Katherine to take care of her.

It makes more sense that Ida Sessions acted on her own and sold the pictures to make some more money from the situation.

It also may be that Cross never hired Gittes to get information to blackmail Mulwray with. He was just trying to find Katherine all along.

Nobody's looking for a puppeteer in today's wintry economic climate.

[–] kleinfrankenheim 10 years ago

This is my take:

Katherine has spent most of her life in Mexico, raised by foster parents. (She can be briefly heard speaking Spanish to Hollis.)

She has come to Los Angeles to visit her "real" parents, Evelyn and Hollis, or possibly to live with them.

Cross has learned that Katherine is in town--she has likely been sighted with Hollis--and he hires Jake, through Ida, to find her.

Jake traces Katherine to the El Macondo Apartments and delivers the photos to Ida.

Cross has these photos leaked to the press, in order to discredit Hollis and to remove him as an obstacle to the dam project (a heading in the newspaper reads "Chief's Use of Funds for El Macondo Love Nest Being Investigated").

Katherine's cover is blown, and she is taken into hiding at the rented house where Jake later spies her.

With very public evidence of Katherine's presence in town, Cross confronts Hollis about her. Hollis is killed because he won't reveal Katherine's whereabouts, or because of his objections to the dam, or, quite possibly, both.

Anyway, it's not worth much but that's my two cents.

[–] jeandodge67 10 years ago

Russ Yelburton the second on command at water and power is the person behind Ida Sessions hiring IMO because Russ knew that Hollis Mulray was suspicious about the water diversion and not in on the scam. Cross knew he could do an end run around Hollis' objections concerning the dam. It's clear to Cross that the bond measure will pass, and history teaches us that eventually the valley WAS annexed in LA.

Russ Y. wanted Hollis followed but the love best photos were at Ida's house WITHOUT whatever other photos shed been given- the pig & whistle argument pics and any reports showing him at various reservoirs etc. Ida withheld the salicious photos to sell to the press for extra cash, and was killed for the threat to Cross they represented - IMO by the violence prone "midget" with a knife. Jake should have known Cross was behind the murder and that the cop Escobar could only have known o her death if he'd been tipped off by the parties involved. No one else but Jake and his operatives knew her name.

FWIW in early drafts of the script it's said that Escobar's family died in the dam collapse backstory, and thus was sympathetic to Hollis, but still under Cross' thumb. While this doesn't prove anything in the movie we've got, it shows that the screenwriter probably felt Escobar wasn't Ida's killer.

[–] jeandodge67 10 years ago

It's my opinion that Cross knew nothing of Katherine's presence in the city until he saw the tabloid headlines and the photos and managed to put two and two together. It's then - post Pig& whistle argument, where the screenwriter makes sure to include Albacore -signaling that Hollis Mulray knew the whole scam - but no violence occurred - and only then where Cross PERSONALLY kills Hollis. This suggests he doesn't have a goon with him and that it may have even been an attempt to torture the whereabouts of the girl from Hollis not just a mutual physical struggle.

If Cross had wanted to "find the girl" because he already suspected she was findable in LA he would have hired someone like Jake directly and without subterfuge. Russ Yelburton fears Hollis and his power over his #2 job, and needed to know how close Hollis was to uncovering the scam he was personally involved in. Don't forget Russ also has an Albacore club flag in his office too. Hollis was followed ONLY to track his movements - the love nest was an accidental discovery and if Cross were the recipient of that knowledge while it was relatively secret he would have kept it so.

Ida knew she had made a big mistake when she diverted the photos from her boss - Russ Yelburton - and sold them to a newspaper. As a "working girl" and a faded actress she needed the money and outstripped her authority, and died for it.

[–] LetThemEatCake01 9 years ago

I think you nailed it. Hollis was killed not because of the water dam, but because of Katherine. Which goes to show just how depraved Noah Cross is, it makes me sick.

[–] wsucougarl1 9 years ago

Very perceptive. This was, and is my favorite movie of all time. Your insights explain things that have puzzled me for over forty years; and probably that many viewings. Russ Yelburton's involvement in the control of most of the events that occurred simply escaped my deductive abilities. Your explanation has cleared up this long standing personal mystery. A question: are you in law enforcement, or some other field of investigation?

[–] jeandodge67 8 years ago

Grateful for the compliments.

No, i am not a detective, I am a screenwriter! Although not as accomplished as Robert Towne by a long shot. But I think like one.

What's funny is that it has now been two years since I wrote that note about Ida Sessions and I went to this thread because I had forgotten this possible answer to the mystery. I read MY OWN response above and was mentally agreeing with it before I saw my name on it. Great mind thinks alike. ha ha.

After two years of not seeing CHINATOWN I had forgotten my own theory, and all I could remember was that there was more to Ross Yelburton that we see on screen. However it does not fully answer who KILLED ida Sessions and why/ how. It just shows that you can make a good argument about who HIRED her and then knew how to find her. I seem to recall thinking somehow that Mulvihill or the midget may have had a sexual relationship with Ida, or been her pimp. But I don't recall why I thought that.

I think she was killed by the midget with his knife, but only after Cross pressed Yelburton into giving up the information on who leaked the love nest photos. I plan to watch the film again this weekend and revisit this part of the mystery.

[–] wsucougarl1 8 years ago

After two years, no less. No question now in my mind that "The midget", a pro hit man was under "contract" from Yelburton to eliminate Ida.I can only surmise that she was trying to extort Mr. Y. when the love nest story hit the streets. Whichever of these miscreants tipped the cops is anyone's guess; but, as Mrs. Mulray observes: "The police! He (Cross) owns the police."

[–] Delvin1 10 years ago

The way I see it Cross hired Ida Sessions. He wanted to discredit Mulwray because he was standing in the way of his development plans, that's why the photographs were sent to the newspaper. He also knew that Mulwray had the girl but didn't know where he was hiding her(that's what they were arguing about), so he killed two birds with one stone by having Ida hire Gittes.

But when Mulwray died Evelyn hid the girl and Cross wanted her found again. Gittes kept digging, so Cross saw that he could either buy Gittes off or follow him to the girl.

[–] Tresix 10 years ago

A lot of people think that Escobar is in Cross' pocket. It's a good theory, but I don't think Lou would take a bribe. However, Loach doesn't like Gittes and I think that he may be a little resentful of Escobar. HE'S the one that's been bribed. When Escobar and Loach are questioning Jake at Ida's house, Escobar is taking his time to get the facts while Loach is in a very big hurry to arrest Evelyn.

"There will be blood. Oh, yes! There will be blood."-Jigsaw; "Saw II"

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] sokeyt 9 years ago

Always assumed it was Cross. to "find the girl". That said, I have no explanation to offer as to why Ida would ring Jake and tell him about the obituaries and the rest home. Other than to get the plot moving again.

Vote Syriza and Podemos!

[–] kleinfrankenheim 9 years ago

I would agree that it was Cross who hired her, and that Ida's phone call serves mainly as a plot device. But I guess we can take her reasoning at face value: she's afraid of being charged as an accessory to Hollis Mulwray's murder, so she passes along clues to Jake in hopes of the "real story" getting out. So it's essentially done for self-interest and self-preservation, and obviously it backfires.

[–] sokeyt 9 years ago

That works for me.

Vote Syriza and Podemos!

[–] sokeyt 9 years ago

I don't think it's possible to disentangle the business and the personal, the water plot and the daughter story. The rape of the daughter and the rape of the land both demonstrate Cross's utter depravity.

Vote Syriza and Podemos!

[–] The_Ultimate_Hippo 9 years ago

Haven't seen the film in a really long time but I always thought that the whole Ida Sessions scheme was to make it look like Hollis was cheating on Faye Dunaway, they hired Gittes to investigate so that the false affair became public knowledge so that when they killed Hollis it would seem like a suicide.

"I really wish Gia and Claire had became Tanner" - Honeybeefine