Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (1997) s04e07 Episode Script

CAMPBELL LANE: Beyond
Belief, Fact or Fiction.
Hosted by Jonathan Frakes.
Tonight, your challenge
is to separate what
is true from what is false.
Five story-- 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.
[theme music]
Examine if you will two
sculptures of different sizes.
Obviously, this one
is larger than this.
But is it really?
Now you can see they're
exactly the same size.
Remember this illusion as
you make your judgments
on our stories tonight.
We'll tell you which
are true and which
are false at the end of our
show, but keep this in mind
in measuring the
amount of truth.
Very often, size matters.
This is always a site you'd
rather not see, a memorial
to a recently departed one.
Often, they're displayed
in front of places
that the deceased
was associated with,
a school, a church,
a community center.
Matt and Denise
Russell have just
lost their son Danny, a victim
of a cowardly hit and run.
They want a memorial placed
at the deadly intersection
to remind people of
the potential danger.
And like their
son's memory, what
they're about to experience will
live in their hearts forever.
PHILIP DUNCAN
(VOICEOVER): Danny Russell
was only nine years
old when a hit
and run snuffed out his life.
And I bet the creep
didn't even look back.
There were no witnesses
and no suspects.
All I had was a
chip of blue paint
from the fender of
Danny's mangled bike.
Hey, Philip, thanks
for doing this.
No problem.
How are you two holding up?
It hasn't been easy.
Still no leads?
No, nothing.
Sorry.
I think he's ready for us.
PHILIP DUNCAN
(VOICEOVER): I'd become
very close to Matt and Denise
Russell, Danny's parents.
So when they asked for my
help, I couldn't refuse.
They'd lost their only
child, and they simply
wanted to erect a small memorial
tomb at the site of his death.
But first, they had to get past
civil servant Andrew Burke.
Mr. And Mrs. Russell,
I can't possibly approve
your request for a memorial.
If-- if we started doing
this type of thing,
there'd be memorials
going up all over town.
But Mr. Burke--
ANDREW BURKE: I'm
sorry for your loss.
But my hands are tied on this.
Mr. Burke, where
Danny was killed
is a very dangerous
intersection.
People speed through
there all the time
running that stop sign.
Now if they saw a memorial
and knew a child died there,
maybe they'd slow down.
You're making me look
like a very bad person,
Detective Duncan, and I'm not.
I feel your pain.
But you-- you don't understand
the amount of work and money
that goes into
getting an approval
on this type of request.
Mr. Burke, we're more
than willing to pay
for whatever costs come up.
Good.
That's good.
It's not the hard part, though.
The hard part is getting
the special permit.
So how do they get
the special permit?
They would need
an executive waiver,
and those are very
difficult to get.
I'm sorry I can't be of
more help to you on this.
Now, you'll have to excuse me.
I'm going to be
late for a meeting.
I'm sorry.
Thank you all for coming in.
Just a second.
You're just going to
brush us off like that?
Can't you see these
people are hurting?
I see that, and I understand.
But what you're asking for would
set a very dangerous precedent.
Now I really am late.
Dangerous?
Dangerous.
This building's just full of
bureaucratic weasels like him.
nothing but double talk.
Well, you did your best, Phil.
Ah, I did nothing.
I keep letting you people down.
That's not true.
You have been a rock to us both.
I don't know what we would
have done without you.
I just want to find the
person who took your boy away.
Thank you.
Thanks for trying.
PHILIP DUNCAN (VOICEOVER): Just
when I thought it was all over,
something
unexplainable happened.
A permit signed by the
mayor approving a memorial
for Danny Russell
turned up on Andrew
Burke's desk the following day.
Burke thought the Russells
and I went to the mayor,
but we didn't.
The permit simply appeared, and
no one knew how it got there.
I found out later that the mayor
didn't even remember signing.
Thank you all
for coming today.
My wife and I want to thank
Mayor Cousins for approving
this memorial to our son Danny.
We, uh, hope that this memorial
will serve as a reminder
that a young life was
taken here for no reason.
Maybe it will save other parents
the agony of such a loss.
And we'd, uh,
especially like to thank
Detective Phil Duncan for all
the support he's given us.
My wife and I would now
like to officially dedicate
this memorial in
our son's memory.
PHILIP DUNCAN
(VOICEOVER): To this day,
I truly believe
there was something
that was not of this world
about the wind that day.
It just came up out
of nowhere and started
blowing, strong, warm wind.
Strange for the
month of November.
What that wind did next will be
talked about in 32nd District
long after I'm gone.
[whooshing]
[tires squeal]
[shout]
I'd never seen anything
like it in my life.
Nobody had.
The blue car running
that same stop sign.
That was when I got to thinking.
It didn't seem possible, but I
decided to check it out anyway.
I ran the chip of
paint through the lab
and came out a match
to the blue paint
I found on the fender
of Danny Russell's bike.
The case was finally solved.
I thought I was
working it alone.
But I guess I had a partner.
How do you explain this
series of coincidences?
A mysterious last minute
permit granted by the mayor
suddenly appears.
A change in the weather
kicks up winds strong enough
to blow the wreath
into the air, and
the car it knocks
off course belongs
to the hit and run driver.
It seems that the hand of fate
may have reached in to ensure
that justice was done.
Will you remember
this story as being
built on a series of lies?
Or have we erected a
memorial to the truth?
CAMPBELL LANE: We'll find out
if this story is true or false
at the end of our show.
Next, a quiet night at home is
interrupted by terror on Beyond
Belief, Fact or Fiction.
Have you called a plumber
to your home lately?
Some of them charge
more than doctors.
And you usually don't have
time for a second opinion.
Jeff and Sarah Cummings
are about to have
a crisis that no plumber
can possibly fix.
In fact, they won't just
be living in an apartment
with plumbing problems.
They're about to live
in a state of fear.
SARAH CUMMINGS (VOICEOVER):
My husband and I loved
our old brownstone apartment.
We enjoyed it so much we hardly
went out anymore, especially
when the weather was bad.
Do you hear something?
[dripping]
The rain.
No, there's something
dripping in the bathroom.
I think we got a leak.
Maybe it's just the faucet.
Yeah, let's hope
that's all it is.
It's just so annoying.
[music playing]
Good.
You were right.
It was just the faucet.
One of us didn't turn
it off tight enough.
[dripping]
Oh, I don't believe it.
It's dripping again.
I guess one of us didn't
turn it off tight enough.
Funny.
Jeff, just like it drip.
It's not bothering me.
Yeah, well, it's bothering me.
I can't concentrate.
[music playing]
[grunt]
That should do it.
Ah, I got it this time.
Mm, my big, strong man.
There's no faucet
you can't handle.
Mm, put that book down.
[dripping]
[creaking]
Wait now?
Oh, no, Jeff, it sounded
like something broke.
[groan]
[water hissing]
SARAH CUMMINGS: Jeff, I thought
you said you turned it off.
Yeah, I did.
I don't get it.
How could it come back on?
[rattling]
OK, there is definitely
something wrong.
[gasp]
Jeff, that came
on all by itself.
JEFF CUMMINGS: I know.
What is going on here?
I'll call a plumber
in the morning.
SARAH CUMMINGS (VOICEOVER):
I was too upset to sleep.
Jeff tried to calm
me down, but--
It was probably just a
build up of air in the pipes.
Do you really believe that?
Well, what else could it be?
[creaking]
SARAH CUMMINGS: Jeff.
JEFF CUMMINGS: It's
just air in the pipes.
That's all it is.
[hissing]
I've never heard pipes
sound like that before.
It's like there's something
dying inside the walls.
[shower hisses]
OK, let's go.
How is this happening?
The drains must be clogged.
Jeff, you're getting
water all over the place.
There's nothing wrong here.
Shut it off.
I'm trying.
Do you think it's over?
I don't know.
There's water everywhere.
We better check on
the tenant under us.
I bet it leaked through.
I'm going to go
wake up the super.
That is the weirdest
thing I've ever heard.
I know.
I just couldn't turn it off.
Nothing happened
in your apartment?
ROY: No.
You didn't hear the
sound of the pipes?
ROY: No.
I mean, all I heard
was the rain outside.
This whole thing
is so bizarre.
Mrs. Flores?
It's Roy.
I know it's late, but we
got a plumbing problem.
Mrs. Flores.
There's something wrong here.
She's always here.
[water running]
Mrs. Flores?
Mrs. Flores!
Call 911.
SARAH CUMMINGS (VOICEOVER):
Agnes Flores, the widow who
lived below us, had
suffered a heart
attack that night while she
was drawing a bath for herself.
If our plumbing
hadn't gone haywire,
we never would have found
her in time to save her life.
Jeff and I thought it was just
a weird coincidence, until we
got back to our apartment.
What a night.
Let's go to bed.
[water running]
It sounds like running water.
Now what?
How do you account
for all of this?
It Was just a case of bad pipes?
If so, how do you
explain the fact
that Jeff and Sarah never
had any other problems
with the pipes before or since?
And how 'bout the word
thanks that appeared
on their bathroom mirror?
Was it really there or
just an optical illusion?
Did the downstairs
neighbor somehow
send an unconscious cry for
help through the running water?
Is this the story of plumbing
with a mind of its own?
Or is it just
another pipe dream?
CAMPBELL LANE: We'll find out
if this story is true or false
at the end of our show.
Next, a portrayed artist selects
an unusual new subject on
Beyond Belief, Fact or Fiction.
What can you learn from
looking at a portrait?
Some believe through the
genius of an expert artist,
you can actually see
the soul of the subject,
that by gazing at a
portrait long enough,
a story actually begins
to form in your mind.
This picture has a
fascinating story behind it.
Some would say unbelievable.
How it came to be
and what happened
as a result of its existence
are about to unfold.
[music playing]
MAN: Goodbye.
MAN: All right, I'll
see you next week.
BETH ABRAMS (VOICEOVER):
I sold my first painting
when I was 12 years old.
It was to my Uncle Ben,
but it was a start.
Since then, I've
been lucky enough
to have showings
in top galleries
in this country and Europe.
One Saturday, I went down to
the local park near my studio
to do some sketch
work, as I often did,
and that's when I saw
her for the first time.
The old woman looked
so lonely and sad,
yet there was such
a great strength
and beauty in her face.
And her eyes were so intense and
so knowing, I had to paint her.
I'm sorry for staring.
I'm Beth Abrams I'm an artist.
I have a studio right
down the street.
I'd love to do an
oil painting of you.
Why would you want to
paint a portrait of me?
I'm old and tired.
Paint the children.
They're still beautiful
and full of life.
I have enough
paintings of children.
I'd like to paint you.
You have an amazing face.
It's just a face.
I'd rather not.
Well, it's up to you,
but I think you'd be
pretty happy with the painting.
I could pay you for your time.
Do you have tea at your house?
Tea?
I have so much tea I don't
know what to do with it.
Do you have chamomile?
Mostly chamomile.
I love a cup of
tea in the afternoon.
So do I. What's your name?
Call me Tants
Hello.
Hello.
BETH ABRAMS (VOICEOVER):
That first day with Tants,
I worked as fast as I could.
I-- I didn't want
to exhaust her.
She wouldn't take her coat off.
I don't think she was cold.
She just didn't want
to part with it.
Are you all right?
I'm fine.
Stop worrying.
We can take a
break if you want.
I don't need a break.
And don't paint so fast.
You might make a mistake
and miss a wrinkle.
BETH ABRAMS (VOICEOVER): There
was something about those eyes
that were mesmerizing to me.
They were hard to
capture, but they
had a deep strength that went
beyond her sad, lonely face.
Your chamomile.
Thank you.
I just love a cup of
tea in the afternoon.
It's a habit I developed from
my father a long, long time ago.
I'd sit on his lap, and
he'd tell me stories
about when he was a boy.
He would hold my teacup
so I wouldn't burn myself.
I still remember those
stories and my father.
- That's a beautiful memory.
- I have some.
You noticed my mark.
Yes, I did.
I was for three years
a prisoner at Auschwitz.
The camp was liberated one
day before I was to die.
I lost my whole family--
my parents, my husband, my
darling little daughter.
Everyone I loved.
I'm so sorry, Tants.
I keep the mark
so the world will
never forget what happened.
Don't cry, [non-english].
I've cried enough
for both of us.
Always remember as long as
there's life, there's hope.
BETH ABRAMS (VOICEOVER): I
began spending a lot of time
with Tants, not only
for the painting,
but just to be around her.
I made her smile, and we
made each other feel good.
There was a strong connection.
It was like I'd known
her for a lifetime.
MRS. ABRAMS: Beth?
Ma?
Hi.
You're back.
How was your cruise?
Wonderful.
Your father finally
relaxed a little,
and, uh, I caught
up on my reading.
So, how's your work going?
Ah, pretty good.
I've got a show coming up
in late April in Manhattan.
I'm a little worried
I won't be ready.
Oh, you'll be ready.
That's how you
motivate yourself,
by making yourself crazy.
You know, ma.
Do you like it?
MRS. ABRAMS: Who is
this woman you painted?
BETH ABRAMS: Just someone
I met in the park.
Ma, what's wrong?
MRS. ABRAMS: Those eyes.
I know.
She has the most beautiful eyes.
Who is she?
An interesting old
woman I met in the park.
Her name is Tants.
Tants.
Yeah.
Can you take me to see her?
BETH ABRAMS (VOICEOVER):
My mother was holding
my hand so tight that it hurt.
I asked her what was wrong.
There she is.
BETH ABRAMS (VOICEOVER):
She wouldn't tell me.
She just wanted to see Tants.
[music playing]
MRS. ABRAMS: Tants?
Mama?
Is it really you, Silvila?
My little baby.
Yes, mama.
It's your little Silvila.
You're alive.
I thought--
I know.
I know.
I thought you were dead, too.
BETH ABRAMS
(VOICEOVER): My mother
was one of the
lucky children who
escaped from Germany
just in time to avoid
the concentration camps.
Her parents were
sent to Auschwitz,
and according to the records,
they both died there.
But the records were wrong.
Tants was my grandmother.
The woman known as Tants moved
in with her long lost daughter
and lived out her days
in peace and comfort.
Was this family reunited
through mere happenstance?
Or was some greater
power at work here?
CAMPBELL LANE: We'll find out
if this story is true or false
at the end of our show.
Next, an unseen
power becomes part
of a political campaign on
Beyond Belief, Fact or Fiction.
There's nothing
noisier or more
spirited or competitive
than an old fashioned
political campaign.
No matter how it turns
out, it's democracy
in action, flaws and all.
Senator Wilton Quigley
represents the flaws
in the system, and
he's represented
them brazenly and arrogantly
for over four decades.
In that time, he's handled
every young challenger
to his Senate seat with ease.
But this is Quigley's
last hurrah,
and this time, his opponent
may be fate itself.
[music playing]
[chatter]
MAN: Hey, Senator Quigley!
We love you!
Wilton Quigley.
I'm running for US Senate again.
I'd appreciate
your support, son.
CAMPAIGN MANAGER
(VOICEOVER): I was
hired to run the
re-election campaign
for Senator Wilton Quigley.
Senator Quigley had been
a member of the US Senate
for the past 40 years.
Senator Wilton Quigley, ma'am.
I'd appreciate your support.
CAMPAIGN MANAGER (VOICEOVER):
During that time,
he racked up one
of the worst voting
records in Senate history.
I'll be working for
you in Washington.
God bless you, son.
CAMPAIGN MANAGER (VOICEOVER):
He was often absent
during critical votes,
and when he was there,
he only voted for bills
that he was paid to vote
for by his wealthy backers.
Just want you to know
I'm for the little guy.
CAMPAIGN MANAGER (VOICEOVER):
Right before I signed on,
Quigley had agreed
to a televised
debate with his young
opponent Dave Bridges,
and Bridges was sharp.
WILTON QUIGLEY: Good to see
so many of my supporters here.
I'm looking forward to my debate
with my opponent, Dave, uh--
Bridges.
CAMPAIGN MANAGER (VOICEOVER):
On top of everything,
Quigley's memory was
beginning to fail.
I give you my word,
I'll go easy on him.
CAMPAIGN MANAGER
(VOICEOVER): He'd
forget what to say at times
and often confused his words.
That's why he hired me.
I was one of the best spin
doctors in the business.
We arranged for the debate to
take place at the oldest hotel
in the state, the Hunnicutt.
It's where the senator stayed
the first night he was elected
to the Senate 40 years ago.
And for 40 years, he considered
it his good luck hotel.
He insisted that
only good things
happened at the Hunnicutt.
[chatter]
Good evening.
My name is Judith Bartell.
I'd like to call
the room to order
and thank you for being
here this evening to witness
this very important debate.
I would like now to
introduce the two
candidates running for the seat
in the United States Senate.
Please welcome the honorable
Senator Wilton Quigley.
[applause]
And Mr. Dave Bridges.
[applause]
CAMPAIGN MANAGER (VOICEOVER):
The senator was worried
about his memory problem.
So we planted a tiny
receiver in his ear
so I could feed him answers
from our hotel suite.
I'd done this before
with other candidates,
and it was foolproof.
Stop scowling, Senator.
You look too angry.
Good.
That's good.
JUDITH BARTELL: The
first question goes
to the challenger, Mr. Bridges.
Mr. Bridges, do you
believe that big industries
should be allowed to set
their own pollution standards?
No I don't.
That's something my
opponent has always ignored.
If I were elected, I would
immediately push to toughen
our state's environmental laws.
Under Senator
Quigley's leadership,
our state has compiled one of
the worst environmental records
in the entire country.
It's been a health hazard
for all of our citizens,
and I believe a
change is needed.
Thank you, Mr. Bridges.
DAVE BRIDGES: Thank you.
Senator Quigley,
same question.
Good question, Judith.
Say, "My opponent
is absolutely wrong."
Say it-- "My opponent
is absolutely wrong."
My opponent is
absolutely right.
What are you doing?
You just agreed with him.
Say, "I have always
put the health
of the people ahead of the
interests of big business."
As your US
senator, I've always
put the interests of
big industry ahead
of the health of the people.
What are you doing?
Wait.
That's not what I meant.
You're not listening to me.
OK.
Calm-- calm down, senator.
Calm down.
Touch your chin if
you can hear me.
Senator Quigley,
would you like
to retract that last statement?
Yes, yes.
Say yes.
Say, "I was misunderstood.
I have never been in the
back pocket of big business."
I was misunderstood.
And I've always been in the
back pocket of big business.
No, you-- this
can't be happening.
I didn't mean that.
What-- what I meant was I--
I-- I think it's
time for a change,
and I believe that
you would be the best
man to make those changes.
Thank you, senator,
for that endorsement.
WILTON QUIGLEY: Wait, wait.
I didn't mean that.
I just don't understand
what happened.
I repeated every
word I heard you say,
and other words kept
coming out of my mouth.
I can't believe
you endorsed Bridges.
I didn't mean to.
It just came out.
It's over, senator.
You've basically conceded
the election to him.
I don't wanna go out like
this, looking like a damn fool.
Yeah well, so much for
your lucky Hunnicutt Hotel.
WORKER: Oh, it ain't called
the Hunnicutt no more.
What's that?
BOTH: The Lincoln.
Yeah, the new owners changed
the name 'cause they found
out old Honest Abe
himself gave a speech
right here in this hotel.
Can you believe that, senator?
CAMPAIGN MANAGER
(VOICEOVER): Looking back,
it wasn't me feeding Quigley
his lines that night.
It was Abraham Lincoln.
What happened here?
Did the spirit of
Abraham Lincoln
actually seize hold
of Senator Quigley
and force him to tell the truth?
Or did the senator just
crack under the pressure
of one too many campaigns?
How do you explain his inability
to say what he wanted to?
Was it the symptom
of a failing mind?
In debating the
veracity of this story,
will you vote for a
victory for truth?
Or will you demand a recount?
CAMPBELL LANE: We'll find out
if this story is true or false
at the end of our show.
Next, lust and murder in
a beauty salon on Beyond
Belief, Fact or Fiction.
The beauty salon--
how many secrets have been told
here between stylist to client?
How many confidences have
been shared or betrayed
in places like this?
Tiffany Sands is a
beautician with a secret,
a secret she doesn't dare
tell her client Eileen Wyatt.
And as for Eileen's
future well-being, only
your hairdresser knows for sure.
[chatter]
So I thought SpaGo, you know?
JONATHAN FRAKES: Tiffany
Sands had been working
as a hairdresser for Henri
Benet Salon for the past year,
ever since she put her dream
of becoming an actress on hold.
No.
No, we have to have the Golden
Globes party at our house.
I mean, it's so much
more personal that way.
You know, I had
to agree with him.
I swear he is always right.
That's why he's
such a good lawyer.
JONATHAN FRAKES: Eileen
Wyatt loved having
her hair done by Tiffany.
They acted like a couple
of old girlfriends.
The only thing
that separated them
was a Beverly Hills dress
and a few million dollars.
You're the best, Tiff.
[tiffany laughs]
Hey.
Reese and I are having a
party on Saturday night.
Everybody is gonna be there.
I'd love it if you could come.
I would love to, but I'm busy.
Oh, too bad.
Well, maybe next time.
Yeah.
Reese What are you doing here?
REESE: I thought I'd
come by and surprise you.
Aw, that's so sweet.
I don't deserve you.
REESE: Yeah.
Oh, hey, do you
remember Tiffany?
Tiffany.
Of course.
How've you been?
TIFFANY SANDS: Fine.
So What do you think?
Do you like it?
Is too short?
Oh, honey, no, it's perfect.
It's beautiful.
You're beautiful.
Thank you, sweetie.
Hey, do you have
time to do lunch?
Oh.
Honey don't tempt me.
I'm sorry.
I gotta run to another meeting.
Oh.
You know you work too hard.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
I love you.
REESE: I love you.
What?
I just can't
stand this anymore.
Why?
I-- I thought everything
was going great.
Well, it's not.
Look at us, the--
the laundry room a the salon?
Yeah, well?
TIFFANY SANDS: I
should be in your bed.
I should be your wife.
Tiffany We've been
all through this.
I want you to
divorce that cow.
- I can't do that.
- Why not?
- It'll cost me a fortune,
- So what?
You're rich.
I won't be once
Eileen gets through me.
I don't care.
I don't want this anymore.
Come on, Tiffany.
Come on.
Can we just have some fun?
No, we can't.
Tiffany Tiffany, wait.
I got this for you.
Oh, Reese, this must've
cost you a fortune.
It's just a fraction of
what you're worth to me.
It looks like
the Hope Diamond.
[laugh]
Does it come with a curse?
Oh, yes.
My wife.
That is some ring.
Oh, it's beautiful.
My boyfriend gave it to me.
He's an attorney,
just like Reese.
Really, what's his name?
Gil.
Gil Grayson.
I don't him.
He must be a great guy to
give you a ring like that.
He is.
He's the best.
Well, you should
marry him, sweetie.
I'm working on it.
JONATHAN FRAKES: It
was Tiffany's job
to close up that
night, and she couldn't
get Reese off her mind.
She had to have him and
his money all to herself.
You busy tonight?
Yeah, I am.
Oh, that's too bad.
I, uh, I just happen to be free.
I'm sure you'll
find something to do.
Yeah, I'm sure I will.
All right, let's see
if this baby works.
[hissing]
Hey, take it easy, OK?
Everything's fine.
Um, nothing so far.
It's probably just
a short circuit.
Can you fix it?
Yes.
I can fix anything.
You know you're lucky you didn't
have one of your rich clients
in here.
Woulda turned their
brains to french fries.
Really?
Oh, yeah.
There's enough voltage
in here to turn
somebody's brain to soup.
So tell me, Ned.
Could you rig one up to do that?
Oh, yeah, easy.
Why?
What do you got in mind?
You see this ring?
Uh-huh.
It's worth $150,000.
I'll sell it and give
half if you rig a dryer up
to do that when I turn it on.
You got anything that you
wanna sweeten the pot with?
I think we could
work something out.
Oh, I don't know.
Highlight?
Are you sure?
Will you relax?
It's gonna look great.
For sure?
Yes, for sure.
OK.
I trust you.
Hey, has that lawyer asked
you to marry him yet?
Not yet.
But he might by
the end of the day.
Really?
Oh, Tiffany, I'm
so happy for you.
That's wonderful.
Thank you.
Listen, don't forget
to send me an invitation.
I won't.
EILEEN WYATT: OK.
So it's time for
the dryer, Eileen.
Oh, I hate sitting
under those things.
Can you just blow it out?
No, Eileen, it-- it
wouldn't process right.
Come on.
You gotta sit under
the dryer, sweetie.
OK Fine.
TIFFANY SANDS: OK.
It's a great retro model.
We just got it.
Lucky me.
So have a seat.
[music playing]
How's that?
All right?
Yeah, it's fine.
TIFFANY SANDS: Great.
Goodbye, Eileen.
[scream]
JONATHAN FRAKES: The
fatal shock of electricity
traveled from the dryer to
Tiffany's expensive ring.
When the repairman
showed up that evening,
he was questioned by the police.
Eventually, he tripped up and
confessed to rigging the dryer.
He then received a
criminal conviction
in connection with the
death of Tiffany Sands.
Was there really a curse on the
diamond Tiffany was wearing?
Or was she just the victim
of her own greedy treachery?
Does the story of
the deadly diamond
sound like an out and out lie?
Or does it bear
the ring of truth?
CAMPBELL LANE: Next, you'll
find out which of our stories
are fact and which are fiction
when Beyond Belief returns.
Now let's look back
at tonight's stories
and find out which ones are
inspired by actual events
and which ones
are totally false.
Let's review the story
of the memorial wreath
that caught a killer.
[whooshing]
[tires squeal]
[shout]
Can it be that
this story is fact?
Yes, it is.
This event was reported as
taking place in the Gulf
Coast area in the late '80s.
Let's take another look at the
couple whose night of terror
saved a neighbor's life.
This whole thing is so bizarre
Mrs. Flores?
It's Roy.
I know it's late, but we
got a plumbing problem.
Mrs. Flores.
There's something wrong here.
She's always here.
Mrs. Flores?
Mrs. Flores!
Call 911.
Is it possible that
this story is true?
Yes, it is.
There's a published report
that a similar story
happened to a couple on the
East Coast in the late '80s.
How 'bout the story of
the reunion of a family
brought together by a portrait?
Ma, what's wrong?
MRS. ABRAMS: Those eyes.
I know.
She has the most beautiful eyes.
Who is she?
An interesting old
woman I met in the park.
Her name is Tants.
Tants.
Yeah.
Can you take me to see her?
Is this story based
on a real happening?
Yes.
It happened in New
York in the mid '70s.
What was your opinion of
the dishonest senator who
was forced to tell the truth in
the historic shadow of Abraham
Lincoln?
I repeated every
word I heard you say,
and other words kept
coming out of my mouth.
I can't believe
you endorsed Bridges.
I didn't mean to.
It just came out.
It's over, senator.
You've basically conceded
the election to him.
I don't wanna go out like
this, looking like a damn fool.
Yeah, well, so much for
your lucky Hunnicutt Hotel.
WORKER: Oh, it ain't called
the Hunnicutt no more.
What's that?
BOTH: The Lincoln.
Was this story inspired
by an actual event?
Not on your life.
It's a lie.
The story of the
beautician who was
killed by her ill
gotten expensive
ring, how did you
judge that one?
I got this for you.
Oh, Reese, this must've
cost you a fortune.
It's just a fraction of
what you're worth to me.
It looks like
the Hope Diamond.
Does it come with a curse?
Oh, yes.
My wife.
Is this strange lesson on the
evils of greed and lust true?
Sorry.
It's a fraud.
Was it easy to find the
truth among the lies tonight?
Or did they seem
to blend together
and are impossible to separate?
Perhaps real truth
can only be found
when you're willing
to accept that very
often, it's beyond belief.
I'm Jonathan Frakes.
CAMPBELL LANE: The true
stories on tonight's show
where based upon
firsthand research
by author Robert Tralin.
This is Campbell LANE.
[music playing]