Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (1997) s03e13 Episode Script

[music playing]
DON LAFONTAINE (VOICEOVER):
"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.
[music playing]
What is fact and
what is fiction?
It all depends on
your point of view.
Take a close look
at this sphere.
It's obviously a
solid globe that we're
looking at from the outside in.
But now, let's taken
even closer look.
It now appears that we're
inside the ball looking out.
We've done no tricks
with the sphere.
We've simply changed
our point of view.
We can apply the same rule
to our stories tonight.
On first look, some may
appear to be totally false.
But change your point of view,
and you could find that they're
inspired by actual events.
So before you make
judgement, observe them up,
down, left, and right.
Don't forget the most important
angle of all, inside out.
Certain people in our
lives seem magical.
It may be the way they talk, the
way they affect how you feel,
or the way they care for others.
Connie Jenkins had all
three of these traits.
But she can best be summed
up by her love for animals.
Connie was drawn
to stray creatures
who needed her special kind of
nurturing, especially birds.
But Connie's was
a selfless love.
Once she mended their broken
wings, she let them go.
Connie's own spirit was
much like one of her birds--
brave, loving, and free.
And because of her spirit,
a very special story
is about to be uncaged.
[music playing]
DAN JENKINS
(VOICEOVER): My wife,
Connie, and I met and fell
in love when we were only 15.
We got married right
out of high school.
I loved everything about
her, the way she walked,
her sunny smile, and
that she cared so
much about all God's creatures.
This story may seem unbelievable
to you, but it really happened.
And I have no
explanation for it.
And it all started with
a perfect relationship
and my special love for Connie.
Connie was constantly
finding injured animals
and nursing them back to health.
She was truly
unique in every way.
But the most magical
thing about her
was her voice and the
beautiful way she talked.
Aw, you're going to
be all right, baby.
Yeah, everything is
going to be just fine.
What do you think we
should call him, Dan?
Now, don't get too attached.
Soon as that wing gets better,
you've got to turn him loose.
You know that.
I do.
But why not enjoy him
while we have him?
I'm going to call him Peppy.
DAN JENKINS: Peppy.
Maybe some day you'll live up
to that name, little darlin'.
DAN JENKINS (VOICEOVER):
That was my Connie.
She was my darlin', as she
loved to call everyone.
I started woodcarving
on my Grandpa's knee
when I was five years
old, and I got pretty good
at it, if I do say so myself.
I decided to carve
birds, because I knew
that would make Connie happy.
After all, she always saw
to it that I was happy.
Even when Connie wasn't
talking, the music of her voice
filled my soul.
And I knew that soon I'd
hear her say, would you like
some chamomile tea, darlin'?
Here you go, darlin'.
A nice cup of hot chamomile.
That is so beautiful.
Oh, hon, you're going to win
the blue ribbon this year again,
I'm sure of it.
Yeah.
I wish I was as sure as you are.
You just don't know
how much talent you've
got in these hands of yours.
DAN JENKINS (VOICEOVER): Connie
always had a way of making
me feel good about being me.
She was just that
kind of person.
Didn't want anything
for herself.
All she wanted to do is give.
How's my little darlin', huh?
Oh, that wing's getting
better every day.
Yeah.
Pretty soon you're
going to be leaving us.
But I hate to see you go.
[coughing]
Hey!
You OK?
Yeah.
[coughing]
Nothing, really.
OK.
Come on.
DAN JENKINS (VOICEOVER):
But it wasn't nothing.
The cough continued
to get worse,
and Connie ended up in the
emergency room one week
before our 18th
wedding anniversary.
The doctors called it a rare
strain of viral pneumonia.
Connie didn't respond to the
antibiotics they gave her.
And my angel died on the very
day of our 18th anniversary.
She had planned to nurse
the bird back to health
and then set it free.
I would do it for her.
As I stood there watching
the bird regain its freedom,
I said a little prayer
for Connie's soul,
hoping that it, too, would
find its own freedom and peace.
The months after
Connie's funeral
were the longest and
hardest of my life.
I tried to go back to my
job with the Forest Service,
but I just wasn't ready.
I couldn't even carve.
It only reminded me of her.
My sleep was haunted
by Connie's voice.
I'd wake up thinking
she was here,
and then I'd realize
I was dreaming.
Everything I did continued
to remind me of Connie.
I was beginning to
feel like I didn't
want to go on without her.
It was just that we'd
been together so long,
I was running on empty.
And then the strangest
thing happened.
[knocking]
At first, I thought
it was my imagination.
[knocking]
What happened next, no one
could have ever predicted.
Sorry to bother you,
darlin', but my car
broke down a ways up the road.
And I was wondering if I might
be able to use your phone.
Are you all right?
Yeah, um-- fine.
Please, come on in.
My name is Dan, Dan Jenkins.
I'm Lisa.
DAN JENKINS (VOICEOVER): Lisa
looked nothing like Connie,
but that voice and
the way she talked--
I couldn't believe it.
She had Connie's voice.
There was no difference at all.
Even the rhythm and
the words she used.
And she went right to the
phone and made her call,
like she'd been to
the house before.
They said they can't have
a tow truck here for at least
a hour.
I'm sorry to be a bother to you.
It's no bother, really.
Would you like a cup of tea?
Do you have chamomile?
Yeah.
I do.
Great.
DAN JENKINS (VOICEOVER):
The tow truck came and went,
but Lisa stayed.
It was like she was
sent from heaven to take
Connie's place in my life.
Lisa was so much like
Connie in every way.
She made me want to live again.
We got married in the
same little chapel
that Connie and I
were married in.
And we were together
for 18 wonderful years,
just like I was with Connie.
And then the
unthinkable happened.
Lisa contracted a
rare blood disease
and died on the very day of
our 18th wedding anniversary,
just like Connie.
I was 54 years old, and
for the second time,
I had lost the love of my life.
[knocking]
This time, I wasn't feeling
sorry for myself, just lucky
to have known two women
so remarkably alike.
I was even more open to
neighbors dropping by.
Can I help you?
I'm sorry to bother you,
darlin', but my car broke down
a ways back, and I was
wondering if I might
be able to use your phone.
Come on in.
How do you judge this story?
Do you believe that the
spirit of Connie Jenkins
was transferred to
two other women?
If not, why did they talk
and act exactly like her?
And how did they find
their way to Dan's door?
Yet we've all countered
various people
from the same area of the
country, who've talked
and acted very much alike.
Maybe this was just a case
of regional similarity.
Or is this a much deeper
story about the spirit
and regeneration of
love through the years?
Do you think this story
is built upon truth?
Or are you hearing the familiar
voice of deception in your ear?
DON LAFONTAINE
(VOICEOVER): We'll
tell you whether this
story is true or false
at the end of our show.
Next, a reporter is arrested
for a crime he didn't
commit on "Beyond Belief--
Fact or Fiction."
If you had to, could
you prove where you were
at any given time and date?
There are certain
things that can help
you prove it-- credit
card receipts, calendars,
phone bills, et cetera.
What if these weren't
available to you?
Or their authenticity
was questioned?
If you had no witnesses
to back you up,
could you really
convince the authorities
that were who you claim to be?
And what if they insisted
that you were someone else,
and they had their own
witnesses to back them up?
Earl Gallagher is a man who
is used to dealing with facts
and backing them up.
But he's about to learn
what happens when the facts
began stacking up against him.
EARL GALLAGHER (VOICEOVER):
I was the brand new crime
reporter for the Detroit Sun
Times, and I was on a deadline.
I dropped in on robbery
homicide at the local precinct
to see if I could
sniff out a story.
There was a lot of action
in Detroit, at least
a lot more than there
was in Poughkeepsie.
I wasn't sure what to expect
as far as a reception,
but what I got, well, that
never would have happened
in Poughkeepsie, either.
That's him.
That's the man that
robbed my store.
He's here.
Arrest him!
Arrest him!
Arrest him!
Are you talking about me?
Damn right, I'm
talking about you.
You shoved a gun in my
face and robbed my store.
I didn't rob you, man.
Back off.
What gall you have
to just walk in here.
Buddy, you're nuts.
All right.
Everybody, let's just calm down.
Are you sure this is
the man, Mr. Porter?
Oh, yeah.
I would never forget
a face like that.
It's crazy.
My name's Earl Gallagher.
I'm a reporter
for the Sun Times.
It's my first day on the job.
I though I'd come down
and meet everybody.
Call the paper.
Check me out.
We'll check out everything.
Don't worry about it.
Yeah.
Let's see some ID.
Yeah, sure.
EARL GALLAGHER
(VOICEOVER): I couldn't
believe what was happening.
Even after my editor
vouched for me,
this guy Porter kept
insisting that I was the one
who robbed his liquor store.
I was detained until they could
take a look at the surveillance
tape of the robbery.
That's when things
went from bad to worse.
EARL GALLAGHER: I
don't believe this.
I told you it was him.
Detective, I swear
to God, that's not me.
It's somebody else that
looks exactly like me.
As far as I'm concerned,
that's a positive ID.
What?
You're under arrest
for armed robbery.
I want you to put your
hands behind your back.
I'm going to cuff you.
Wait a second.
This doesn't make any sense.
Look, if I did this, why
would I come down here?
Guilty conscience.
Maybe you wanted to get caught.
Happens all the time.
I don't believe this.
I've never been in
trouble in my life.
I'm a reporter.
Too bad you're not a lawyer.
EARL GALLAGHER (VOICEOVER):
I couldn't believe
this was happening to me.
It was a complete nightmare.
But how could I get
anyone to believe
me with that surveillance tape?
The guy was my exact double.
Something else was odd.
Something I didn't tell anyone.
I actually felt a strange
connection to the robbery,
like I was there,
even though I wasn't.
It wasn't the first time
I had these feelings
in my life, images
of criminal acts
that I had nothing to do with.
Or did I?
In the back of my
mind, I wondered
if I might have blacked out and
actually committed the robbery.
Maybe there were other crimes
that I was involved in, too.
Maybe that's where these
feelings came from.
I just brought a
guy in that confessed
to that liquor store robbery.
Looks like you're off the hook.
I'd like to see him.
They say everybody's
got a double.
I'd say that's yours.
EARL GALLAGHER (VOICEOVER):
It was the strangest thing.
He needed a shave, a
haircut, and a bath,
but it was like
looking at myself.
What's his name?
Jonas Adams.
Jonas Adams.
EARL GALLAGHER (VOICEOVER):
I found Jonas Adams's
social security number and
was able to trace his history
back to the day he was born.
What I discovered changed
the rest of our lives.
Who the hell are you?
My name's Earl Gallagher.
And I'm your twin brother.
What?
EARL GALLAGHER
(VOICEOVER): I told
Jonas about the
amazing information
that I had uncovered.
We both came from the same
mother who gave us up at birth.
I was the lucky one.
I was adopted right away and
raised by loving parents.
Jonas told me that he
was shuffled from one
foster home to another.
He suffered a lot of abuse.
One thing we both shared
was an overwhelming feeling
that something was
missing from our lives.
And now we know what it was.
I was able to get my
brother a reduced sentence
and then helped him get a
job and turn his life around.
So that's how it all turned out.
Now, tell me-- do you
think this story could have
ever happened in Poughkeepsie?
Two brothers who never knew
of the other's existence.
Obviously, they both inherited
the genes necessary to grow up
as law-abiding citizens,
yet each grew up
on opposite sides of the law.
So which is more powerful,
environment or heredity?
Did This intriguing story
of twins separated at birth
really happen?
And are you able to separate
the most identical twins of them
all, fact and fiction?
DON LAFONTAINE
(VOICEOVER): We'll
tell you whether this
story is true or false
at the end of our show.
Next-- mystery
surrounds the meeting
of a trucker and a drifter
on "Beyond Belief--
Fact or Fiction."
In song and stories, they call
it the long, lonesome highway.
And in fact, of all the problems
truckers face on a long haul,
loneliness is the
hardest to overcome.
That's why all these devices
are found in most trucks
to help pass the time,
keep the driver awake,
each designed to break the
deep, dark curtain of solitude.
But sometimes the spirit
cries out for human contact.
Big Joe is a trucker who is
about to pick up drifter Johnny
Weber, a young man who relies
on the kindness of strangers
to get him from police to place.
Johnny doesn't know it, but
he's in for the strangest ride
of his life.
[music playing]
[truck horn honking]
JOHNNY WEBER (VOICEOVER): I'd
been on my own since I was 14.
I couldn't stand the
constant fighting at home,
so I took off and
never looked back.
I ended up kicking
around from town
to town, in and out of trouble.
I wasn't really bad.
I just never caught a break.
Didn't really know or
care what state I was in.
All I knew was I didn't
like the life I was leading.
But I didn't know
how to change it.
I couldn't believe it.
I was about to get a ride,
and I wasn't even hitchin'.
BIG JOE: Hop in!
JOHNNY WEBER (VOICEOVER):
I'll tell you this--
it was one ride
I'll never forget.
So how you doing, son?
You can call me Big Joe.
I'm Johnny, Johnny Weber.
Where you headed
to, Johnny Weber?
I don't know.
Next town, I guess.
You're seeing
the country, huh?
I guess.
Yeah, a lot of it to see.
Where do you call home?
I haven't had a
home for a long time.
Man, you sound just like
me when I was about your age.
I took off when I was 12.
I could not get along
with my step dad.
My mom didn't care
one way or the other.
Boy, I hated her back then.
I think I probably understand
her little bit better now.
She just didn't want to
be alone, that's all.
How about you?
Pretty much the same, a
lot of drinking and fighting.
So I left.
Sounds like we got
some things in common.
Well, nobody said life was
going to be easy, did they, kid?
JOHNNY WEBER (VOICEOVER): There
was something about Big Joe
that I really liked.
I was never very talkative, but
somehow he made talking easy.
I was able to tell him
things I never told anyone.
BIG JOE: What are you
doing to make a living?
Just odd jobs.
Find anything you like yet?
Not really.
You will.
I wish I was as
sure as you are.
Aw, I kicked around
myself for a long time.
And one day out of
the blue, somebody
offered me $100 to drive
a big rig cross-country.
It changed my life.
Truck driving may not sound
like much to some people,
but I love what I do.
That's great.
You're lucky.
We're all lucky, kid--
you, me, everybody.
We just need to realize it.
That's the hard part.
Need gas?
No, this is your stop, son.
I wouldn't mind just hanging
out with you for a while.
Sorry, but I'm almost home.
This is where you get off.
Thanks for the ride.
Good luck to
you, Johnny Weber.
JOHNNY WEBER (VOICEOVER):
I had to admit,
I was feeling kind
of hurt inside.
I couldn't understand why Big
Joe let me out of his truck
when he did.
[truck horn honking]
Hello?
Anybody here?
JOHNNY WEBER (VOICEOVER):
For a quick second,
I thought about ripping
off the cash register,
but something stopped me.
MAN: Help me!
Somebody help me!
[grunting]
Help me, please!
I can't breathe!
Don't worry.
I'll get you out of there.
Oh, god!
A jack, try the jack.
Jack's busted.
Hurry!
Get me out.
JOHNNY WEBER (VOICEOVER):
I tried to find something
I could use to lift the car.
but there was nothing.
And he wasn't going
to last much longer.
[grunting]
I tried with all my might to
lift it, but it wouldn't budge.
And that's when I saw
him standing next to me.
[inaudible], kid.
We can't lift it.
It's too heavy.
Come on, let's give it a try.
Come on.
Come on!
You're clear.
Now push yourself out.
SHERIFF: You saved
his life, kid.
How'd you do it?
Well, me and this trucker,
we lifted the car by had.
Oh, a trucker.
You're kidding.
Yeah.
He dropped me off here,
and for some reason,
he came back to help me.
His name was Big Joe.
Big Joe?
What'd he look like?
A huge guy, short,
gray hair, mustache.
I mean, I never could have
lifted it without him.
What's wrong?
There was a trucker,
lived down the road.
His name was Big Joe Cunningham.
He had short, gray
hair and a mustache.
About five years ago, a
school bus full of kids
hit a patch of ice and
skidded towards his rig.
He swerved to avoid them
and ran off the road.
Kids survived, but
he didn't make it.
He died saving those kids.
You sure the trucker who
helped you was named Big Joe?
Maybe not.
JOHNNY WEBER (VOICEOVER):
That day changed my life.
I settled in a nearby
town and got a job
driving big rigs cross-country.
I love what I do,
just like Big Joe.
Did Johnny Weber meet up
with another trucker who
fit the description of Big Joe?
If so, isn't it too much
of a coincidence to think
he had the same name, too?
Was the spirit of Big
Joe actually with Johnny,
helping him to lift the vehicle?
Johnny wasn't strong enough
to lift it by himself.
Then again, people have been
known to call upon superhuman
strength in times of crisis.
Is this story of the
strange truck driver
based on an actual
event, or are we taking
you down the wrong road again?
DON LAFONTAINE
(VOICEOVER): We'll
tell you whether this
story is true or false
at the end of our show.
Next, a strange spirit
invades a family
cookout on "Beyond Belief--
Fact or Fiction."
What's more representative
of the American fabric of life
these days than the
outdoor barbecue?
It's a perfect
opportunity for people
to come together to
share food, exchange
stories, and relive memories.
The family in our story is about
to have their yearly reunion,
different generations
traveling hundreds of miles
to share the bonds
of family spirit.
But at this barbecue,
family spirit
will have a whole new meaning.
[music playing]
EVAN (VOICEOVER): Every year
at the end of August, my wife,
Clarissa, and I throw
a family reunion
barbecue in our backyard.
Relatives from all
over come to our house
to show off their kids,
enjoy each other's company,
and eat food off the grill.
And believe me,
our family can eat.
Hi.
Hi.
So how's that new BBQ coming?
- I'll be ready when you are.
- Good.
EVAN (VOICEOVER): This
year was different.
We all tried to put
on a happy face,
but the sudden
passing of everyone's
favorite uncle, Harry, left
us feeling pretty sad inside.
Harry was also the cook, and
now I was wearing the apron.
Great looking barbecue, Evan.
Is that new?
Yeah.
It was a gift from Uncle Harry.
He bought it for us
just before he died.
What a great guy.
Yep.
He was the best.
MAN (VOICEOVER): That's how
it was all day, every one
of us thinking about Harry.
Aunt Ruthie!
Aunt Ruthie, be careful.
You're tossing salad
all over the floor.
Oh, OK.
I'm done.
Well, there's plenty left.
Don't worry.
I'll be in the living
room watching my soap.
You know, I already missed
the first five minutes.
Oh, have little Jimmy bring me
a plate when the food's ready.
You bet.
She'll never change.
Hut, hut!
Come on!
Here he comes.
Here he comes!
Here he comes!
You go down.
Go down there.
Evan, do you think
you can take a time out
and make the barbecue, please?
Sorry.
I got caught up in the game.
Just make the barbecue, honey.
What's wrong?
I don't know.
Should light right up.
Or maybe you should
Ralphie for some help.
Well, did you read
the directions?
Yes, I read the directions.
I just turn this valve.
I did that.
And then I push the button,
and I should be in business.
But I'm not.
Well, listen, Evan.
Everyone's really hungry.
So maybe we should
just get the other BBQ.
Yeah, maybe we should.
All right.
Whoa.
That was weird.
Well, maybe it just needed
a little time or something.
Whatever.
Now we are in business.
Evan.
OK.
La, la, la.
Oh yeah.
That one's got my name on it.
Oh, yeah.
Look at these beauties.
This is a great grill.
You are doing a great job.
Uncle Harry would
be proud of you.
Yeah.
I really do miss him.
I know.
We all miss him.
He was a wonderful man.
OK, everybody.
It's time to eat.
What is with this thing?
You know, I like
mine medium rare.
Yeah, I know, Phil.
I'm making one
special, just for you.
Oh, make it two.
I'm starving.
OK.
Hey, what's with the grill?
I don't know.
It's just acting really strange.
[screaming]
Clarissa, call
the fire department!
I'm going to get the hose!
OK, OK.
I got the hose.
I got the hose!
What the heck?
What?
What is that?
I don't know what to tell you.
Your barbecue here seems to
be in perfect working order.
Perfect working order?
Well, how did flames jump
six feet into the air?
I honestly don't know.
I don't know.
Maybe the wind fanned it.
It wasn't the wind.
It was unreal.
Wait!
Wait!
Don't anybody eat anything!
My soap's just been interrupted
with a news bulletin.
There's an emergency recall for
E. coli tainted hamburger meat.
And the number
matches these packages
that were in the kitchen.
[gasping]
My god.
That fire saved us.
It wasn't the fire.
It was Uncle Harry.
Was the strange barbecue
fire just an accident?
If so, then how do you explain
the fact that the grill seemed
to be in perfect working order?
Or what about the mysterious
behavior of the barbecue lid?
Could it be that Uncle Harry
was watching over his family
and protecting them from
the contaminated meat?
It's now up to you to
answer whether this story
is fact or fiction.
And take your time.
We promise not to grill you.
DON LAFONTAINE
(VOICEOVER): We'll
tell you whether this
story is true or false
at the end of our show.
Next, a move to a new house
reveals unexpected danger
on "Beyond Belief--
Fact or Fiction."
How many ways do you
protect your own home?
There are devices available
to warn you about smoke,
carbon monoxide, intruders.
But can a home
ever be truly safe?
Devices can malfunction.
Batteries go dead.
What protects you then?
Is it luck, fate,
or happenstance that
determines our true security?
The Miller family has just
moved into a new residence.
And for the moment, all
seems safe and sound.
But they're about to
find out that security
may be just an illusion
JOYCE MILLER
(VOICEOVER): Fred and I
wanted to move out
of the city and live
along the New England coast.
After a lot of
searching, we finally
found the perfect house,
just outside Boothbay Harbor.
Careful, honey.
I'm being extremely careful.
Careful.
JOYCE MILLER (VOICEOVER):
Kristin was our only child,
and it was hard for her to
leave all her friends behind.
But Fred and I agreed that
the country was a much better
place to grow up than the city.
Really is a nice landscape.
JOYCE MILLER (VOICEOVER): I fell
in love with an oil painting
that we found in the cellar.
It was signed by
the original owner
of the house, Margaret Whitney.
She's beautiful.
Who's beautiful, Kristin?
The lady.
Is that a new
imaginary friend?
I don't think so.
Don't worry, honey.
You are going to
make lots of friends.
It just takes a little time.
OK?
JOYCE MILLER (VOICEOVER):
I was beginning to feel
at home in our new house.
And I especially like the spot
Fred picked for the painting.
It felt perfect.
There's a ton of
firewood back there.
Where's Kristin?
In bed.
I told her you'd be up
to kiss her goodnight.
Is she all right?
She misses her friends.
I think that's why she made
up that imaginary playmate.
It'll take her
some time to adjust.
She'll be fine.
How you doing?
I love the house.
I don't miss this city at all.
Yeah.
Me neither.
How did that happen?
- Oh, the wire must have broke.
- No.
No, the wire's fine.
I don't know.
That's a good draft.
Must have just fallen
off the nail or something.
JOYCE MILLER
(VOICEOVER): That night
I remember thinking about the
painting and all the feelings
it seemed to cause that day and
then that strange occurrence
when it fell off the wall.
I kept drifting in
and out of sleep.
WOMAN'S VOICE: Save her.
Please, save her.
Joyce, save her.
Who are you?
What do you want?
Your little girl needs you.
Go to her.
Hurry.
What's wrong?
Who are you talking to?
Someone-- dear god, Kristen!
[beeping]
What's wrong?
Oh my god.
The house is on fire.
Where's Dad?
We're coming, honey!
Kristen!
Kristen!
Daddy!
Daddy!
It's OK.
We're here.
[inaudible] hurry!
Like I was telling you folks,
there's a lot of smoke damage,
but the structure's solid.
Wow, what a mess.
-
Yeah.
Lucky you got your little
girl out when you did.
She's OK, isn't she?
Yeah, she's fine.
We dropped her off at school.
Didn't want her to
see all of this.
Must have had an
angel watching over you.
Yeah, we must have.
Hey, Fred.
JOYCE MILLER (VOICEOVER): I
could barely recognize it.
It was charred from the fire.
Look at this.
It's the painting
from the living room.
How'd it get in here?
Maybe one of my
guys carried it up.
Don't know why they would.
What's this?
Oh my god.
That's the woman that
warned me about the fire.
How could that be?
I don't know.
JOYCE MILLER
(VOICEOVER): The woman
in the painting was
identified as Margaret
Whitney, the original
owner of the house.
She had covered
her self portrait
and painted the
landscape over it.
We also learned that
50 years ago, a fire
swept throughout the house.
Margaret survived
but couldn't save
her young daughter, who was
the same age as our Kristin.
A few months after the
fire, Margaret Whitney
died, having never
recovered from the loss
of her little girl.
Was the house the
Millers moved into really
possessed by the spirit
of the original owner?
And did her spirit finally
find peace after saving
the Miller's daughter?
Or was the daughter
actually saved by a mother's
intuitive dream?
By the way, nobody in
the Miller household
recalls moving the painting
up into Kristin's room.
So how did it get there?
How do you judge this story
of the mysterious lady
found under the painting?
Is it reality or just
another cover-up?
DON LAFONTAINE
(VOICEOVER): Next, you'll
find out which of
our stories are fact
and which are fiction
when "Beyond Belief--
Fact or Fiction" returns.
Now it's time to find
out which of our stories
are inspired by actual
events and which
ones are totally made up.
How did you judge the
story of the man whose
first wife's spirit
kept reappearing
in the bodies of other women?
Fact or fiction?
How's my little darlin', huh?
Oh, that wing's getting
better every day.
Yeah.
Pretty soon you're
going to be leaving us.
But I hate to see you go.
[coughing]
Hey, you OK?
You OK?
Yeah.
Nothing really.
If you guessed this
one was true, we got ya.
This story was made
up by a writer.
What was your opinion of the
tale of mistaken identity
and a long-lost twin?
I just brought a
guy in that confessed
to that liquor store robbery.
Looks like you're off the hook.
I'd like to see him.
They say everybody's
got a double.
I'd say that's yours.
If you thought this one was
inspired by an actual event,
you're right.
A similar incident happened
to a pair of twins in the New
York area in the early '80s.
Now let's look back at the
ghost of the dead truck
driver who gave a young
man a new lease on life.
True or false?
[inaudible] kid.
We can't lift it.
It's too heavy.
Come on.
Let's give it a try.
Come on.
Come on.
You're clear.
Now push yourself out.
If you think this
was a story that was
rooted in facts, not this time.
It's an urban legend.
Let's look back at
the family reunion
saved from disaster by a
mysterious barbecue grill.
Reality or falsehood?
Hey, what's will the grill?
It's acting really strange.
[screaming]
Clarissa, call
the fire department!
I'm going to get the hose!
OK, OK, I got the hose!
I got the hose!
Did you think our research
uncovered this story is real?
You're right.
It shows it happened to a
family in the Florida area
in the late '80s.
Let's take another look
at the ghostly woman
who sent two parents
a warning message that
saved a little girl's life.
Your little girl needs you.
Go to her.
Hurry.
What's wrong?
Who are you talking to?
Someone-- dear god, Kristin.
What's wrong?
[beeping]
Oh my god.
Did you think this
one really happened?
According to our
research, a similar event
did take place in
the farm country
of the American Northeast.
How accurate was your
point of view tonight?
Were you able to judge
which stories were false
and which were inspired
by actual events?
It's a challenge that's
beset by many obstacles,
because dishonesty
and deception are
often difficult to recognize.
And the more we're
confronted with truth,
the more we realize that it's
very often beyond belief.
I'm Jonathan Frakes.
DON LAFONTAINE (VOICEOVER): The
stories entitled "Positive ID"
and "Cookout" are true,
based upon firsthand research
conducted by author Robert
Trailheads For "Beyond Belief--
Fact or Fiction," this
is Don LaFontaine.
[music playing]