Alfred Hitchcock Presents s05e37 Episode Script

Escape to Sonoita

Good evening.
Television has done much to raise the level of weather prognostication.
The addition of the weather girl has not improved the predictions, but she does make the mistake more enjoyable.
Those of you in the North-East sector Can expect the weather to continue.
I must warn those of you in the West that there is a cloud on your horizon.
So, if this is a rain cloud, you can expect rain, perhaps.
You should've got that radiator fixed before we started for Hell's Basin.
That old engine is ready to burn up.
That's why I'm gonna stop.
We'd be lucky if them pistons haven't swelled up and locked.
They won't, not if we take it easy.
Of all the crummy places to get stuck in, Hell's Basin sure would be the worst.
Sure wish there was a patch of shade to stop her in.
She'd cool down a lot faster.
Sure, sure.
How about a canopy from the Biltmore, or something, huh? There's a lot of shade out here in this stinking desert? No use heatin' yourself up more, just 'cause you're here.
We've only got 85 more miles to go.
And the last 50 is enough to tear the guts out of a bulldozer.
I somehow get the idea, Bill, you don't like it.
Oh, I love it.
I love it out here.
Balmy breezes, beautiful cactus.
I love it.
It's just Thanks.
That help any? A little, not much.
As long as we gotta stop to cool the truck off, we might as well cool ourselves off too.
How do you stand it? Lousy weather, this miserable equipment It's my job.
As long as I can remember.
Well, another thing.
How could you let that chiseling Max Bell stick you with this lousy piece of equipment? It's the best I could afford.
Well, ain't you gonna paint it, ain't you gonna cover up that sign? Oh, I'll get around to it.
No hurry.
Sure shows you ain't no, you ain't no businessman.
You go around advertising for Max Bell and he don't pay you a nickel for it.
And it ain't worth a nickel either.
It don't matter to the Gilas, or the sand fleas what it reads.
Well, it sure don't matter to some fool out here scratching around for a living in this overheated sandbox.
All you do is haul their loads back and forth, back You want more, more water? You want me to fill up a swimming pool for you to cool off in? Why not? You got a big enough beach out here for it.
She's still pretty hot.
I guess we'll have to wait a while longer.
Unless you wanna walk back More like 25.
We've been rolling kinda slow.
She couldn't do 10 miles right now, but Couple of hours, taking it easy, she'll do all right.
Yeah, sure.
Sure.
Stop and water her all the way back to town, huh? Right.
And if you don't like it, when you get back, you can draw your time and quit.
I won't hold no hard feelings.
All right, as long as you keep bringing it up, I will.
Ajax needs a driver on the Phoenix to Denver run.
Starting when? Monday.
It's a steady job.
Good pay, good highway.
Looks like dust back there on the road.
Yeah, dust.
So what? I mean dust in the air like a car traveling.
They're really moving.
They're too fast on this kinda stuff.
Must be tourists.
Got lost.
They'd better slow down.
You all right, mister? Yeah, I'm all right.
But I didn't see no stop light.
How about your buddy? Hey, is that your truck? Yeah.
What's the big idea parking it in the middle of the road? Shut up, Lemon.
You hit that rock like you was aimin' at it.
Yeah.
But there ain't no sign saying he should park it in the middle of the road.
I'll check your car.
Yeah, in a minute.
But, first, you got any water? Over there on the running board.
You got lost, huh? Well, let's put it this way, Pops.
I know where I was, but I don't know where I am.
Yeah.
You see, we're supposed to take a shortcut Go count your buttons.
I sure could use some of that water.
Help yourself.
There was a sign back there where you turned off the highway warning there wasn't any water for 100 miles.
Didn't you see it? Sign? He can't read.
Well, that ain't so.
I'll check your heap.
The wheel's sure gone.
Drive shaft's broken.
Who is this? It's a friend of ours.
Lemon's fiancee, sort of.
You in the habit of taping up your friends, mister? No, I'm not.
But Lemon is.
His joke.
He don't like the feel of her finger nails in his hide.
Do you, Lemon? Aw, the dame bugs me.
She needs water.
She's in bad shape.
Take it easy, now.
Yeah.
She's worked up quite a thirst.
She was all right when we left Phoenix this morning.
You mean to say she hasn't had a drink of water since then? That's what I mean to say.
Now, as the saying goes It's my turn now for a little aqua.
Ain't she got pretty hair? Real pretty hair.
Lemon! Rest is for you.
Hey, Marsh, you drunk it all up.
There's another bag there on the front fender.
Take it easy, miss.
You've got to help me.
Those men You're Stephanie Thomas, aren't you? Those are the men who kidnapped you.
I heard it on the radio.
Good for you, Pops.
Now either of you guys want to be heroes? That's enough.
Now go see if you can fix the car.
Why don't you let this girl go? You got the money.
A hundred thousand dollars.
As the saying goes, Pops, money ain't everything.
She'll come in handy if we have to run another road block.
There ain't no road blocks in the desert.
Okay.
Okay.
Well, let's just say, Lemon likes her, huh? Now, stop with the questions.
How far to the border, Pops? About ninety, I reckon.
Straight across, far side of this basin.
How far back to the main road where we turned off? a mite more.
Some water, please.
Drive shaft's busted, Marsh.
We can't fix it.
Please, can I have some more water? Lemon! Sure, you don't need her for a hostage so don't give her any Shut up! I gotta think this thing out.
No chance of fixing the car, huh? You got a better chance getting Edgar Hoover's job.
All right, all right.
Go get our stuff out of the car.
Can I have some more water? I'm very thirsty.
You are, kid? Would you like me to give you a drink of water? You want another drink? Just one little drink, huh? C'mon, just one little drink? You try that again, lover boy, and you'll be just a relic.
Don't do me no favors, Marsh.
Let me do Lemon! Let me do it.
Hold it.
How many shells you got left? Huh? Two.
Why? I just remembered.
I got my last one up.
But don't get ideas.
Three is all we need.
You touch that bag, and I'll drop you right where you are.
For that bag of water? Sure, he'd kill for that bag.
It's the only water there is.
Hey, lover boy.
You still want to be a hero with the doll? Maybe she'll settle for a nice sweet little kiss instead of a drink.
Huh, man? Now you're talking.
Shut up.
Let lover boy do it.
He'll show you how.
Go ahead, lover boy.
Now, wait a minute, Marsh, you told me You had your chance and you couldn't make it.
Now let's watch Sir Galahad.
I'm doing you a favor.
Don't you appreciate it? Lemon does.
Show him what I mean, Lemon.
Hold it.
You don't want Lemon to get into the act, do you? Well, do you? Marsh, please don't let him.
I can smell that sizzling steak from here.
You asked for it.
But you promised me, Marsh.
You promised me, you promised.
Forget the dame.
We've got more important business.
Can you still drive? Yeah.
You can drive this truck? There ain't no rig I can't drive.
Okay.
Then get the green stuff out of the car and let's roll.
Where does this road hit the border, Pops? That sign you missed, warning about water, pointed this way to Sonoita.
What's between here and there? Just what you see ahead there.
And an Indian village about Any water between here and the border? Didn't I just tell you? Not a drop till you get to Sonoita, that's 10 miles other side of the border.
But there's plenty of water there.
Can this truck of yours make it? You treat her right, she'll make it.
Always has.
You're going to leave us here to die? I reckon you will.
He'd have killed the girl at the border anyway.
You guys wanted to have me let the girl go and that's what I'm doing.
Hey, Marsh, let's trade this rig in for a car, huh? Who cares? Yeah, who cares? With fifty grand a piece who needs it? C'mon, let's burn 'em and get out of here.
Shut up.
I gotta do some figuring.
How far could you make it, Pops? The three of you.
In this heat without water, we'd be dead in five miles.
You couldn't walk out, huh? Nobody in this country ever made 10 miles on foot if his water was gone.
We'd be better off if you shot us.
Quick.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's right, Marsh.
Why ditch 'em out here? Listen, you dope.
I gotta do the thinking for both of us.
We got three shots left.
We waste 'em on these jerks, what happens if we run into the law? We buy some more.
Not till we get to a town.
And maybe what happens before we get there? Yeah, yeah.
I guess you gotta figure all the angles, huh.
It's 50 miles back to the highway, They can't make it.
You mean you're going to leave us here to die? To bake alive? Sure.
Sure.
But with your hero, sweetheart.
I guess Pops here can tell you all about it.
How you die of thirst.
Yeah.
I hear your tongue swells up real big like a ripe banana.
It ain't pretty, but there's no need to talk about it, either.
Oh, I think I'm going to like it.
When I hit that first bar at Sonoita.
I'll remember all of you with pleasure.
Now, get this junk started, Lemon.
Three of you, start walking out there toward the car, where I can see you.
Go ahead.
Leastways, they're gone.
They're gone, so what? We're still here.
Why did they have to leave us here like this? Why couldn't they have killed us? Now, now.
Don't go getting yourself upset.
Main reason was, I suppose, because I lied to 'em.
We'll make it out all right.
Without water? There's not even a barrel cactus within miles.
You said you lied to them.
What did you say? I told 'em it was better than It's only about 25.
What difference does that make? We still can't go anywhere without water.
Well, the way I figure, there's probably four or five gallons of water in the radiator of this car.
Can we Can we drink it? Well, maybe it won't taste very good, but after a while, the rust settles out and it ain't too bad.
It's hot.
Complaining already? lt'll cool off enough to drink by the time we need it.
After it's dark and cool, I'll walk out and get help.
But 25 miles, that's a long way.
Those high-heeled shoes of yours wasn't designed for hiking, but I've made it before.
Any hiking to be done, I'll be the one that does it I know this country better than you do.
Just 'cause you're getting old is no sign to get mean.
Besides, I probably won't have to walk it all the way.
Not when you can see a signal fire for a hundred miles in this country.
A signal fire? What's going to burn out here? There's gas in this tank.
Soak those seat cushions, they'll burn real bright for a long time.
Well, if I'm going, I better get something to carry the water in.
You had this all planned, didn't you? No.
Like Bill says, I ain't much of a businessman.
I ain't so good at planning.
Some things I know and some things I don't.
I just didn't want none of us to get killed over that water bag.
This inner tube'll hold about three quarts of water.
That's what I call real good planning.
I never would've thought of it myself.
It's about time.
Yes, I guess it is.
I figure I can average about two miles an hour walking.
Should put me out in about twelve hours.
Well, that ought to about do it.
Everything ready for the fire? I doused it all with gasoline.
Well, let's get it started.
They'll be able to see that blaze all the way to San Fran Dad? Dad? Dad, come back! Dad? What's wrong? Where's your father gone? He's an old man.
He shouldn't try to make it.
Please, don't leave me.
That old desert camel.
A bullet right through the head.
That means there's only two bullets left.
Marsh must have taken Lemon's gun.
Let's get after him.
What makes you certain he didn't reach Sonoita? That punk was too anxious about water to use any of it in the truck.
All right.
Let's go on a few more miles.
The deep sand will get him.
That's where the engine would start to heat up fast.
It was headquarters.
The girl's in the hospital and she's okay.
Tell them to send an ambulance.
Hey there.
You in the truck.
Throw your guns out and get down.
He must have abandoned the truck.
The water bag's gone.
Roy, you look down the culvert over there, I'll go up the other side.
She's seized solid.
Well, all we need is a new engine, Dad, and we'll be back in business.
Hey, Roy, over here.
Empty.
Oh, Roy, you call headquarters, will you? I'm gonna have it repainted.
White and blue.
Andy Davis & Son.
Water Contractors.
right behind them.
And they kill each other over a couple of quarts.
The weather in the Sonoita area continues fair.
Very fair.
Now, in the central portion, there's a low pressure area.
Which leads me to predict high-velocity winds in the Southeast.
And cloud formations in the East-Central section.
Goodnight, until next time.

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