Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (1997) s03e08 Episode Script

DON LAFONTAINE: "Beyond
Belief, Fact or Fiction"
hosted by Jonathan Frakes.
Tonight, your challenge
is to separate what
is true from what is false.
Five stories, some
real, some fake,
can you judge which are
fact and which are fiction?
To find out, you
must enter a world
of both truth and deception, a
world that is "Beyond Belief."
Sometimes you have to check
things out from all angles
to understand the big
picture, like these photos.
They appear to be
snapshots of nature
animal and plant life, all of
various species and families.
Let's take a step back
to view the big picture.
Now you can see a truly
endangered species,
your television host,
dependent for survival
upon the Nielsen family.
The lesson found in this
picture within a picture
can guide us in judging
our stories tonight
some may seem one way
to you on first look.
Step back, you might find
a whole new perspective.
We'll tell you which
stories are true
and which are false at
the end of our show.
By the way, if you miss the big
picture tonight, don't despair,
Just put on your best face.
Ever visited a truckstop?
Those special places
along the highway
that truck drivers adopt
as their favorite eating
spots on long hauls.
They're usually famous for
their atmosphere, great coffee,
sausage, eggs, and apple pie.
There's a of folklore
about truckers.
They're supposed to
be experts on food,
driving, life, and friendship.
Trucker Dan Weaver is about to
learn a lot more about all it.
DAN WEAVER: My driving buddy,
Hal Dickey, is closer to me
than my own father.
We met once a week at
our favorite truck stop.
Hal Dickey and I had a lot
of great get-togethers.
Hey, Dan.
Henry.
This is one I will never forget.
Lori, could you, uh, bring me--
Here you go, sugar.
Two donuts and a cup of Jo.
After five years, you finally
know what I always order.
It's absolutely amazing.
Well, you know, you got
yourself a world class safe food
crowd happening here, Dan.
I'm not going to be the
one to break that streak.
Say, Dan, whatcha going
to do, start without me?
Hey, Hey, hey, good
to see you, buddy.
You OK?
- Yeah.
Saved you a seat.
I thank you.
Looked outside
for your rig, Hal.
Where the hell are you parked?
- It's up the road.
You in trouble?
Gloria!
What's a guy got to do to
get a donut in this joint?
Well, the way you tip,
no wonder she ignores you.
Hey!
Dig in.
Oh, sweetie, coffee and
two glaze, would you?
What's wrong with those?
Oh, I see, you think
you got cheated,
because they got holes in them?
Funny, just bring
me another round.
GLORIA: Yeah, OK.
Fine with me,
Gloria, don't say hi.
Is she in a mood
today or what?
Boy, what's he so weird about?
Mmm, mmm, Hal,
I need your help.
I've been up half the
night out of my mind.
It's a real dilemma,
and I'm just torn.
All right, this is that
truck you've been looking at.
So you wondering if you
can afford it or not?
Oh, no, no.
I can't decide to
go with the speed
options or the towing package.
And this is the dilemma
you've been wrestling with?
Yeah, it's a big decision.
I've been wanting something I
could tow a boat or a trailer
with.
But on the other hand, do I
want to give up highway speed?
Hmm.
And I already decided to
go with the oversized tires
and chrome wheels, so that's
not an issue for me anymore.
Well, that's a relief.
Boy, you sure are
a motor mouth today.
What the heck is
that supposed to mean?
What are you doing?
Hey, Hal, no, look, seriously.
Now I need your advice you know.
What the heck am I going to do?
To be honest, I'd
say it's time to get
your priorities straight.
So you're leaning
towards the towing package.
You know, you know, I had
a hunch you'd go that way.
Save your money.
That thing hasn't been
working for a week.
Gloria, one
dance for the road.
Watch it, Buster.
I didn't do nothing.
I'm working on one
of my migraines.
You picked the wrong
day to mess with me.
Gloria, I didn't
mess with you.
That was him.
Him?
You need to take some
time off, and you
need to keep your damn
hands to yourself, or else.
Why didn't you say
something to her?
You're getting me
in trouble here.
I'm trying to keep you
out of trouble, Danny boy.
You know, I'd better
go out and come back in,
because you lost
me on the curve.
You asked me how you
ought to spend your money.
I know you haven't saved a dime.
And before you commit yourself
to six years of payments,
you ought to put a little
something aside for your wife.
A little emergency
fund like I got.
I don't need no
emergency fund.
My wife, like you, has never
been able to hold on to $1.
So I set up a bank account.
She doesn't even know about it.
Each week I put away a little.
Well, if something
ever happens,
how is she even going
to know about it?
Ah, you're clued in now.
Anything ever happens to me,
you let her know it's there.
And you ought to
set something aside
for your wife just in case.
I'm young, I'm a good driver,
nothing's going to happen.
You never know
when it's your time.
Now you're spooking
me worse than Gloria.
And all this is off the subject.
What about my truck?
What about your family?
That's dispatch.
I'd better check in.
Yeah, you go make your call.
I'm wasting music here.
Oh, yeah, yeah, no,
I can make Jersey City
by 4:00, no problem.
Yeah, I'll call
you when I get in.
BARNEY (ON RADIO):
Gloria, this is Barney.
A big rig--
[truck horn]
Yeah, I got it, Barney.
I'll pass it along.
Well, where'd he go?
- Who?
- What do you mean, who?
Hal.
Dan, I don't know how to put
this, but, um, Hal's rig was
in a crack up down at the I-80.
It was real bad.
Well, what are
you talking about?
He was at the table with me.
I just got the call.
Hal didn't make it.
I'm really sorry.
I know how close you two were.
Poor guy.
He's been acting out
ever since he got here.
DAN WEAVER: At that
moment, I needed
to make sense out of something
that made no sense at all.
The whole afternoon, Gloria was
acting like Hal was invisible.
Maybe he was to everyone but me.
But just like Hal asked,
I let his wife know
about the money he'd put away.
And sure enough, she had
no idea it even existed,
just like Hal said.
As for me, let's
just say I finally
got my priorities straight,
thanks to my weekly visit
with my driving buddy.
Was Dan actually visited
by the spirit of Hal
or was it just his overtired
mind playing tricks on him?
But if Dan was only
imagining things, how could
he have possibly known about
Hal's secret bank account?
Was it something Hal
told him years ago that
became part of a hallucination?
But if Dan was hallucinating,
who ate Hal's food?
If we're seeking the
truth, should we stop here
or should we keep on trucking?
DON LAFONTAINE: We'll tell
you whether this story
is true or false at
the end of our show.
Next a life is changed by the
strange power of a magical box
on "Beyond Belief,
Fact or Fiction."
JONATHAN FRAKES: The
charm of a music box.
These intricately
crafted objects
can cost anything from a
few dollars to thousands.
But in most cases, the
importance of these items
is found in their
sentimental value.
Music boxes are
often special gifts
given to us by special people.
Ellen Lippard has an emotional
attachment to a music box
she's never owned.
She's only seen it in a movie.
The movie had a
happy ending, but
the ending in store for Ellen
is completely unpredictable.
ELLEN: Some things just
can't be explained.
Take the vacation
that changed my life.
It was my birthday week, so
I decided to visit my best
friend Gail in California.
Gail and I had been
close since grade school,
and I hadn't seen her since she
moved away several years ago.
Eating lunch in the
sunshine in February, Ellen,
promise me you won't let
this get out to the people
back home.
We'll be overrun here.
Our little secret.
This town really is paradise.
Yeah, I love it.
Ladies.
Oh, thank you.
Hey.
The only thing that would
make it more perfect
is if I was here with--
A guy.
Wow how politically incorrect.
Sad but true.
I love you, but--
I think you're still
carrying the torch for Ted.
Ted.
It's been six months, El.
It's over, really.
We've been friends
since we were kids,
and I got to tell
you, that's about
the most pathetic,
least convincing
denial I've ever heard.
When we were still seeing each
other, I don't think either Ted
or I truly appreciated the
good times we had together.
He's really a terrific guy.
It's just sometimes we get
into these stupid arguments
over nothing.
Maybe it was me, I don't know.
Anyway, that's why we broke
up, another stupid argument.
What was it about?
Well, that's the
really funny thing.
I don't even remember.
Have you been out dating much?
No one serious.
Whatever happened to old Ted?
I wish I knew.
He took the first out of
town job he could get.
Something in sales I heard.
Anything to get away
from me, I guess.
Hey, if you guys argued
as much as you say--
It wasn't always that.
Well, still, you're probably
better to be rid of the guy.
I guess.
Unbelievable.
What?
This music box.
Ted and-- Ted and I looked
everywhere for one just
like it.
I first saw it in this movie--
a Charles Bronson film.
Charles Bronson?
Was there like a bomb
in the music box?
Did-- did the little dancer
shoe tiny machine guns?
It was actually a romance
called, "From Noon till 3:00."
Charles Bronson spends
a few romantic hours
with this young
widow played by--
what's her name, his wife?
- Jill Ireland.
- That's her.
Anyway, they dance
together in this movie
and the woman owned a music
box just like this one
with a dancing couple on it.
It was so neat.
You're getting
me all teary-eyed.
Ted and I probably hit
every antique store
and jewelry shop in Baltimore
trying to find one of these.
Never had any luck.
Honey, Ted's out of your life.
Don't torture yourself.
Forget the music box, OK?
It's all settled.
Good.
I'm going to buy it.
What do you think?
A little birthday
gift from me to me.
If you've sunk to buying
yourself birthday presents,
you definitely need a boyfriend.
Charming piece, isn't it?
Unfortunately, it doesn't work.
The figurines, they
don't dance anymore.
Take my advice
on this one, Hon.
You buy a broken music box,
it's only going to remind
you of a broken romance.
You're probably right.
Thanks.
I know just what somebody
in your frame of mind
needs right now.
There's an ice cream
parlor in the next block.
Oh, that could help.
Um-hmm.
Ellen, you have to
admit, I was right.
Don't you feel like a new woman?
Gotta be the
double fudge mocha.
Gotta be.
I'm about to do
something really stupid.
Does this have some connection
with Ted by any chance?
Ellen, I don't know
if you've noticed,
but whenever Ted comes
into the conversation,
the word stupid pops up a lot.
I'm going to
buy the music box.
Well, maybe not.
Oh, I'm so, so sorry, dear.
The music box was just sold.
You're kidding.
I told the young
man it didn't work.
And I told her
it didn't matter.
Hello, Ellen.
Hello, Ted.
Gail, I don't think you've met.
This is unbelievable.
I'm sorry.
I didn't have a chance
to get it gift wrapped.
Happy Birthday.
It's perfect.
It's the best present
I've ever gotten.
Like I always say, some things
just can't be explained.
Is this a romance
rekindled by the Fates,
or is there a more
cynical explanation.
Perhaps Ellen's girlfriend,
Gail, set up the entire chance
encounter with Ted.
But did she plant
the music box, too?
And how do you explain
the broken music
box suddenly playing?
Is this story of
a couple reunited
by the waltzing figures
on a music box real?
Or are we just dancing
around the truth?
DON LAFONTAINE: We'll tell
you whether this story
is true or false at
the end of our show.
Next, a pawn shop becomes the
scene of a nightmare on "Beyond
Belief, Fact or Fiction."
Storefront symbols.
That's the barbershop, the
drugstore, a pawn shop.
Now while the first two
are familiar to most of us,
the pawn shop is less
widely understood.
Here's how it works.
If you need a quick cash
loan, you take something
of value, say, your $300 watch.
A pawn broker might give you,
say, $100 cash for your watch.
He keeps the watch,
you get a claim ticket.
To get your watch back,
you must come back
in the agreed upon
time, pay back
the $100 plus an
additional finance charge.
If you fail to return in
the agreed upon time limit,
the pawnbroker is free to sell
your watch to someone else.
This whole exchange
process is very
important to our next
story, a story in which
a young man named Ron
Morrison finds he's
holding a ticket with Fate.
RON MORRISON: I never
thought I'd be doing
business with a pawn shop.
But I got myself into
bad money trouble,
so I pawned the watch my folks
gave me for college graduation.
It probably cost them $1,000.
All I got for it was $150 cash.
Lucky for me, my buddy, Jerry,
came through with the money,
so I could get the
watch out of hock.
Here you go, $150, still
hot from the ATM machine.
You saved my butt, man.
Gee, here I thought I
was saving your watch.
Come on, let's get
this over with.
Hi, how are you?
I'm here for a pick up.
Yeah, nice watch.
I remember it.
You remember it, come on,
what are you talking about?
A fella came in and bought
it yesterday it says here.
What?
No, there must be
some kind of mistake.
Can you check the number again?
See, I called two days
ago for an extension.
Hey, kid, you can
have all the extensions
you want as long as
the item isn't sold.
But that's not what you
told me over the phone.
Look at the back
of your ticket.
It shows you how we operate.
Obviously, there's been a
misunderstanding on your part.
Wait, are we talking
about the same watch?
Can you just check the
number one more time?
Look, here's all
the watches I got.
You see your watch anywhere?
You lied to me, man.
You know, I called
and I asked you very
specifically about my watch.
Hey, this phone
rings all day long.
Maybe I talk with
you, maybe I didn't.
So now you're
calling me a liar, huh.
Why don't we settle
this like gentlemen.
Butt out.
I'll handle this guy, Jer.
Lookit, you were
late with your payment,
the watch got sold, that's
the way the business works,
end of story.
This is not the
end of the story,
and you better believe that.
Kid, all I have to do is push
three little numbers 9-1-1,
and the cops are
hauling you downtown.
Come on, man,
forget this jerk.
Let's get out of here.
Listen to your friend.
He's giving you good advice.
He's right.
Yeah, he's right
about you being a jerk.
This isn't over, old man.
Oh, how am I going to
explain this to my parents?
I think you were
just ripped off, man.
Yeah, well, I need
to get that watch.
See that sign?
You know what those mean?
Two to one you
won't get it back.
Yeah, well, you know what?
We'll see about that.
The next day, I went
back to the pawn shop.
There was a guy with a red
cap checking out a gun.
You again.
I told you, kid, I
ain't got your watch.
Yeah, will let's have a look.
Why don't you open the safe.
That's a good idea.
Probably got lots of
other goodies in it, too.
Do what the man says.
Open the safe!
All right, just watch you gun.
You can have anything you want.
Just don't use that thing.
It must really be something.
I can use me a fancy watch.
Ron, man, then what happened?
What happened?
What happened is I woke up.
I'm sweating like a pig.
That dream was so real.
What do you think it means?
Your dream?
Yeah.
I don't know.
Don't eat spicy food
before you go to bed.
It was just a dream.
It doesn't have
to mean anything.
This was more than a dream.
It was too real.
I mean, you know what I think?
I think that
pawnbroker lied to me.
I think it's some kind of scam.
I think he never sold my watch.
Because of your dream?
It sounds like a
long shot to me.
Maybe.
But if it's a long shot, it's
the only shot I got, right?
I'll be right back.
It was exactly like my dream.
What's this?
Open the safe
and get my watch.
I know you still got it.
When you get the
safe open, give me
the watch and all the other
goodies you got in there.
Back out of here!
You're not stealing my watch.
I'll bet that thing
ain't even loaded.
Two to one, you're wrong.
Whew.
Thanks, pal.
But you know, there's no
shells in this shotgun.
I know.
I know.
Just like I know you
still got my watch.
Even though I was
right about the watch,
I'd never done anything
as stupid as grabbing
that shotgun.
I was lucky, very lucky.
From now on, I'm going to
keep out of money trouble
during the day and try
not to dream at night.
Was it just happenstance
that Ron had that dream?
How do you account for
such strong similarities
between his dream and the actual
incident in the pawn shop?
Was it a case of premonition?
Ron has never experienced
one before or since.
And can you answer an
even bigger question?
Did this story really happen
or is it just another pawn
in our game of lies?
DON LAFONTAINE: We'll tell
you whether this story
is true or false and
at the end of our show.
Next, a chance encounter
becomes a moment of terror
on "Beyond Belief,
Fact or Fiction."
From Adam and Eve to
today's best selling novels,
the world's oldest
story is boy meets girl.
That's why papers
are always filled
with personal listings and
people seeking relationships.
In addition, videocassettes
where you can meet potential
Mates on tape and, of
course, the internet.
You can now surf for a
partner on a hope and a modem.
Sandy Bowman is
running out of hope.
Tried every method of
finding the right guy.
And now she's prepared
to seek him out in ways
that are "Beyond Belief."
SANDY BOWMAN: I don't know how I
get myself in these situations.
It's not that I'm desperate.
Well, OK, I guess I
am a little desperate.
Man trouble.
Here's the deal.
Relationships just don't
seem to work for me,
at least not for very long.
I've read all the self-help
stuff, done couples counseling,
worked on my inner
child, meditated,
and prayed in every
religion known to man, all
without a bit of luck.
Then my friend, Marsha,
had a strange suggestion.
She recommended this
woman, sort of a--
now, don't laugh-- a
gypsy fortune teller.
Her name was the strangest
thing of all, Mrs. Hatchagin.
Hello.
Hi.
You've come a long way.
Yes, yes, I have.
How did you know?
Out of state license plates.
Come in.
You were the youngest
in your family.
All sisters.
That's right.
All married.
Except you.
No ring.
You were engaged last year.
It didn't work.
It never seems to work.
I'm starting to believe--
I'm afraid, really,
that I'm never
going to find the right guy.
That's why I came here, to
have you see what you can see.
Will I find him?
No.
Wow.
That is because he is
destined to find you.
You've been too busy
looking to be found.
SANDY BOWMAN: When
she said that,
so much seemed to make sense.
My own desperate search
for the right man,
forcing relationships, trying
so hard to make something work.
It wasn't the answer
I was hoping to get,
but it put everything
into focus.
I was too intent
on finding love,
instead of keeping my heart open
and allowing love to find me.
Several days later, I was
driving out to the country
to visit my friend, Marsha,
to tell her all the details
of my talk with Mrs. Hatchagin,
Including the best news of all,
that Mrs. Hatchagin saw someone
special coming into my life
very soon.
I didn't realize just how soon.
I'd never picked up a
hitchhiker in my life.
Sorry, but this
guy was gorgeous.
Besides, here was a fella trying
to find someone for a ride.
Maybe I was the one he
was looking to find.
You saved my life.
I borrowed my buddy's car,
and can't change a flat.
There's no tire iron or a jack.
I'm Chad.
- Sandy.
- How are you doing.
Hi.
I could check the trunk.
That would be great.
Uh, let me just park.
I really appreciate it.
Thanks.
I think it's under the mat here.
What are you doing?
Just checking to see if
you've got a cell phone,
so I can call my friend.
I'm really late.
You don't mind, do you?
Give me my purse back.
I'd like-- I'd like to go now.
I can't do that.
It'll ruin all my plans.
Get in the trunk.
We're going to
take a little ride.
Where you going?
Where are you going?
You shouldn't have done that.
Now I'm going to
have to punish you.
Don't worry.
You got a cell
phone, call 9-1-1.
You sure you're going to be OK?
Yeah, I'll be fine.
I am fine thanks to you.
I'm just glad I
found you in time.
What did you just say?
I'm glad I found you.
Yeah, you did find
me, didn't you?
I'm sorry.
I think-- am I
missing something?
No, no.
I, uh, it's nothing.
I don't know your name.
Oh, Steve.
Sandy.
Steve Hatchagin.
Hatchagin, really.
I know, it's a
pretty unusual name.
Actually, I've
heard it before.
No kidding?
No kidding.
Do you want to
get a cup of coffee?
I'd love to get
a cup of coffee.
Yeah.
This experience went
way beyond coincidence.
It was Steve's mother
who had predicted
I would find the perfect man.
I mean, that he would find me.
Thank you, Mrs. Hatchagin.
Was this just
a chance meeting?
Or is it possible that the
hiker had seen Sandy getting
a reading from his mother?
Maybe he was waiting
for the right moment
to introduce himself,
but then how could
he have known exactly where
Sandy was going to be?
It wasn't her idea
to go into the woods.
Now, it's your job
to judge this tale.
Is it a story of boy meets
girl or fact meets fiction?
DON LAFONTAINE: We'll tell
you whether this story
is true or false at
the end of our show.
Next, we learn what secrets are
contained in the Horn of Death
on "Beyond Belief,
Fact or Fiction."
It's not always easy
to guess exactly what
certain items are used for.
Take this device.
It looks like a
miniature space capsule
or perhaps a small torpedo.
It's actually an
early air conditioning
unit for automobiles.
This part would fit
into your open window
while the fan unit
would circulate
the air inside your car.
Now, how about this?
Could it be a stapler?
Hole puncher?
In fact, it's a cherry pitter.
One easy step and you can
eat a cherry that's both pit
and worry free.
The object in our next
story is a bit more exotic,
its use a bit more unusual.
It's about to enter the world
of antique dealer Hugh Santelli.
And exactly what this
piece is used for
is about to be discovered by
both Mr. Santelli and you.
MORTICIAN: I had
thought I'd given up
all belief in the
supernatural as a young man.
And as an adult, the
profession I've chosen
doesn't allow the
indulgence of such things.
I'm forced to deal
in cold reality.
You see, I'm a mortician.
Hugh Santelli, dear fellow,
ran an antique shop next door.
A boisterous gentleman, perhaps,
but I was pleased to call
this [inaudible] man my friend.
I clearly remember the
day and exact manner
our little wager began.
- You got it?
- Got it.
- You got it?
- I got it.
Don't say you got
it if you don't.
I got it already.
A number of new pieces, I see.
Hey, how you doing?
Very well, thank you.
Good.
Yeah, yeah, the Peterson estate.
I bought everything
that wasn't locked down.
Peterson, oh, yes, I handled
the funeral arrangements.
We make a good
partnership, huh?
You bury them, and I
pick up all the pieces.
Yeah, they just don't
make pieces of this quality
any more, huh?
Hey, I picked up an item
you might be interested in,
a carved umbrella stand.
Whoa there.
Well, How's that
for luck, huh?
One of the items I'm about to
toss out almost does me in.
You You have no idea
what this is, do you?
No.
Not the foggiest.
I've got the shade over there.
[horn blowing]
It still works.
But I don't know of an
orchestra in the country
that could use one.
This is not a musical
instrument, Santelli.
This is a death horn, once
commonly used in my profession.
Run that by me again.
A death horn.
Decades ago before
sophisticated medical procedures
were widely known, it was
not unheard of for people
to be mistakenly buried.
Often they were
comatose patients who
simply showed no signs of life.
Where does the horn fit in?
Many people had a fear
of premature burial,
so they had one
of these installed
in the casket reaching
from the burial vault
to the surface of the ground.
You're kidding.
The theory went if you
wake up in your coffin,
you give one of these a toot,
and keep tooting until help
arrives.
Of course, modern medicine
has made these items
as useless as a buggy whip.
Still, as an oddity
of my profession,
I could take it off
your hands for say, $25.
You gotta be kidding.
This little baby is off
the wall enough for me
to sell to one of my--
how shall I say this--
eccentric buyers.
Oh, good theory perhaps,
but if you tell them
what this item was
really used for,
I'm afraid it will be
a hard sell, indeed.
You forget who
you're talking to.
I know only too well the
curse of all things associated
with the death trade.
I needn't remind you
of my dating history.
If I can sell
antique bed warmers
to rich old ladies
with central heating,
I could sell this puppy.
A foolhardy
boast, I assure you.
Perhaps you'd care to back
it up with a little wager.
Wager?
Happy to.
I tell you what.
If I don't sell this by the
end of the week, it's yours.
Let's toss in dinner just
to make it interesting.
Deal.
One week from tonight.
Dinner at Piatti's.
I trust you like Italian food.
Don't eat your noodles
before they're cooked.
MORTICIAN: Santelli
went about the business
of trying to win our wager.
Mr. Yamaguchi,
good to see you.
I have this very
special, unique item
that was used here in America
years ago in the funeral trade.
What about this nice stagecoach?
But this is one of a kind.
Your clients will
adore it, solid brass.
It's called a death horn.
This is beautiful.
You see, in olden
days, these were
installed in caskets
when people were
sometimes buried prematurely.
And if you woke up buried
alive, what you did was--
[horn blowing] Huh,
what do you think?
Hey, price is not a factor.
I'm willing to accept any
reasonable offer, anything.
No sale?
See you tomorrow.
Good night.
Night.
Hi, Hon.
Yeah, I'm afraid you're
on your own tonight.
Yeah, I lost a bet.
I've got to take
[inaudible] to dinner.
Well, how do you think I feel?
Hey, it'll be fun.
Yeah, I'll be home
as soon as I can.
I love you.
Aah.
Aaaah.
Santelli?
Santelli?
It was odd.
I had talked to Santelli
not half an hour before.
I proposed meeting
him at the restaurant.
He suggested we meet here at
the store and drive together.
If he had changed his mind,
why wasn't the door locked?
[horn blowing]
Santelli.
Is that you?
Hugh, dear god.
Though he still had a
pulse, I felt I was looking
into the face of a dead man.
Yes, I need an ambulance.
1800 Riverside,
Santelli's Antiques.
I couldn't figure it out.
Here was Santelli in
the middle of the floor,
but unmistakably I'd
heard the sound of--
[horn blowing]
The paramedics
arrived just in time.
Somehow the death
horn had done its job.
If the horn hadn't blown,
Hugh Santelli would surely have
died on the floor of his shop.
But what made the
horn sound when
nobody was around to blow it?
Is it possible that some
air current from a vent
caused the sound?
If so, how could it have
been so loud and so strong?
Could it be that Hugh
Santelli telepathically willed
the sound to save his own life?
Or did the horn itself
summon some human like spirit
to perform the job
it was built to do?
Is this story of the possessed
antique based on fact
or are our writers just
blowing their own horn?
DON LAFONTAINE: Next, you'll
find out which of our stories
are true and which are
false when "Beyond Belief,
Fact or Fiction" returns.
Now it's time to find
out which of our stories
tonight are inspired
by actual events
and which are totally made up.
How about the truckstop
that was visited
by the invisible spirit?
Was this true or false?
I say it's time to get
your priorities straight.
So you're leaning
towards the towing package.
You know, you know, I had
a hunch you'd go that way.
Save your money.
That thing hasn't been
working for a week.
Gloria, one
dance for the road.
Watch it, Buster!
I didn't do nothing.
I'm working on one
of my migraines.
You picked the wrong
day to mess with me.
Gloria, I didn't mess with
you, that was-- it was him.
Camp
You need to take
some time off.
And you need to keep your
damn hands to yourself.
You think we
created this story?
You're right.
It never happened.
What about the romantic
story of the couple
brought together by the mystical
music box, fact or fiction?
What do you think?
A little birthday
gift from me to me.
If you've sunk to buying
yourself birthday presents,
you definitely need a boyfriend.
Charming piece, isn't it?
Unfortunately, it doesn't work.
The figurines, they
don't dance anymore.
Take my advice
on this one, Hon,
you buy a broken music box,
it's only going to remind
you of a broken romance.
Does this sound
like one we made up?
Not this time.
Our research shows it happened
on the West Coast in 1995.
Let's take another look at
the story of the young man
and the pawn shop incident.
True or false?
What's this?
Open the safe and get my watch.
I know you still got it.
When you get the safe
open, give me the watch.
And all the other
goodies you got in there.
Back out of here!
You're not stealing my watch!
I'll bet that thing
ain't even loaded.
Two to one, you're wrong.
Was this story of a man
trapped in his own premonition
based on a real happening?
According to our research,
it happened in the Midwest
around 1990.
It's fact.
How did you judge the story
of the young woman who
found her Prince
Charming in the most
unexpected way, fact or fancy?
What are you doing?
Just checking to see if
you've got a cell phone,
so I can call my friend.
I'm really late.
You don't mind, do you?
Give me my purse back.
I'd like I'd like to go now.
I can't do that.
It would ruin all my plans.
Get in the trunk.
We're going to
take a little ride.
Where are you going?
Where are you going?
This story is based on
a real event discovered
by our research staff.
It happened in Miami, Florida.
Let's take another
look at the story
of the antique dealer whose life
was saved by an unusual object.
This is a death horn, once
commonly used in my profession.
Run that by me again.
A death horn.
Decades ago, before
sophisticated medical
procedures were widely known,
it was not unheard of for people
to be mistakenly buried.
Often they were
comatose patients who
simply showed no signs of life.
Where does the horn fit in?
Many people had a fear
of premature burial,
so they had one
of these installed
in the casket reaching
from the burial vault
to the surface of the ground.
Do you think this
one really happened?
If you did, we whistled
one right past you.
It never happened.
It's false.
Once again, we've
demonstrated that fact
and fiction are
like two colors side
by side in the same palette.
Dip the brush in one color
at a time and the result
is a basic color.
But mix them together
and you end up
with a combination
whose color can only be
described as "Beyond Belief."
I'm Jonathan Frakes.
DON LAFONTAINE: The stories
entitled "The Music Box,"
"Two to One," and
"Damsel" are true
based on firsthand
research conducted
by author Robert Tralins.
For "Beyond Belief,
Fact or Fiction,"
this is Don LaFontaine.
[theme music]