The Twilight Zone (1959) s04e01 Episode Script
Valley of the Shadow
You unlock this door with the key of imagination.
Beyond it is another dimension- a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind.
You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas.
You've just crossed over into the twilight zone.
Well, rollie, i kept it from you long enough.
The fact is we're lost.
And you know something else? Take a look at this.
Almost empty.
Well, you just earned yourself a steak.
How do? Hi, can you fill it up? I don't see why not.
It's right there behind the license plate.
Oh, sure.
Probably bone dry.
Doubt i could've gone another mile.
How'd you let a thing like that happen? I listened to a friend of mine.
He told me i could cut a couple of hours off my trip to albuquerque by taking the back route.
Nice scenery, he said, no traffic.
If i'd have gone the way i know, i'd be home by now.
You mean you're lost.
Yeah, that's what i mean.
Say, you couldn't show me the way to a big highway around here, a nice, big highway with a lot of signs? Oh, ah, you just go back to the fork, take the other road to bredon.
That's about 80 miles.
And when you get there, ask somebody for a map.
Nice little town you got here.
What do you call this place? Peaceful valley.
It's peaceful, all right.
Is there a restaurant around here? Up there, up the street, but it's closed.
You'll be better off in bredon.
Well, i know, but i'm hungry right now.
So is my dog.
Well, i'm sorry.
We don't get many visitors here.
Well, i can see why.
That'll be $4.
42.
Here's a tenner.
I hope i got change.
Here you go.
Rollie, shut up.
Rollie, rollie, come back here! Not yet.
Wait a minute.
Nine rollie, get away from that cat! Ten, right.
Rollie? Hey, kid, what'd you do to my dog? Nothing.
What do you mean, nothing? I was standing right here.
I saw you.
You leave me alone! Listen, i'm not going to leave you alone till you tell me what you did to my dog! You've seen them.
Little towns, tucked away far from the main roads.
You've seen them, but have you thought about them? What do the people in these places do? Why do they stay? Philip redfield never thought about them.
If his dog hadn't gone after that cat, he'd have driven through peaceful valley and put it out of his mind forever.
But he can't do that now, because, whether he knows it or not, his friend's shortcut has led him right into the capital of the twilight zone.
You scared my little girl.
Well, that makes us even.
Your little girl scared me.
What do you mean by that? Just what i said.
Now, look, i don't know what she did, but she made my dog disappear.
What?! Look, she pointed some kind of a machine at my dog, and he disappeared.
Are you feeling all right? No, i never feel all right when i see that kind of thing.
It makes my blood pressure rise.
Easy, now, mister.
Let's look around the yard.
He's bound to be here somewhere.
What's his name? Rollie.
Rollie's his name.
Here, rollie! Here, rollie! Look, he was standing right you look around there.
I'll go out back.
Now, don't worry.
We'll find him.
He couldn't have disappeared.
Well, that's what i'm trying to tell you.
He did.
Here, rollie! Rollie? Rollie.
Rollie? Come on, fella, come on.
Where you been, huh? You've been a bad boy, haven't you, huh? Rollie, rollie, rollie.
Well, where was he? In the back.
I guess he must have found another cat.
Uh, yeah.
Yeah, sure.
Well, thanks a lot.
That's all right.
The way sissy disappears sometimes well, i know how you must've felt.
Uh, sissy's your little girl? Yeah.
Look, what was that thing she had in her hand? What thing? Well, it was a brown box and a kind of a wire with a little deal over here, uh now, wait a minute.
Don't tell me i imagined that.
Oh, no, no.
It, um oh, it must have been her radio.
All right.
Well, i'm sorry i bothered you.
Come on, boy.
Come on, rollie, get in here, get in here.
Did you see all that? All what? Never mind.
Hey, bredon's the other way! I want to talk to dorn.
He's not here.
Well, you better find him.
It's important.
We've got an outsider and he saw something.
Now, you just take it easy, rollie.
I'll find you a steak somewhere.
I'm sorry, but we don't have any openings.
Oh? Now, why is that? Well all the rooms are taken.
Oh.
Well, i guess everyone's out, then.
Well, the keys yes.
Everybody's out.
Well, i wasn't looking for a room, anyway.
I was just looking for a restaurant.
I'm sorry, but it's closed.
What, you mean you only have one restaurant in peaceful valley? Yes, sir.
Well, where do you eat? At home.
What about the guests? Well, they do eat, don't they? L-i have to go now.
Look, just a minute, miss.
My name is philip redfield.
I'm a reporter.
Now, if i begin to sound a little nosy, i suppose it goes with the job.
You don't mind, do you? No.
Well, maybe you can tell me something.
Ever since i landed here in peaceful valley, people have been trying to get rid of me.
Now, why is that? Well, we just don't get very many outsiders here.
So i heard.
Yet you manage to fill up a hotel.
I'm sorry, but i really have to go now, and i think you should, too.
Well, you better get your subscription to the paper renewed.
A lot of things have happened since '53.
Thanks for everything.
Rollie.
Are you all right, sir? My dog is dead.
I don't know how this could've happened, i there wasn't a car around anywhere.
Perhaps it was a rock.
Well, wouldn't it be around somewhere? Well, you could've knocked it into the woods.
Come along, mr.
Redfield.
We've got to get you to a doctor.
We'll take care of your car.
What about my dog? Well, we'll take care of your dog, too.
You have nothing to worry about.
Wait a minute! Wait a minute, i don't want to go back to your town! Well, you have to be examined.
I'm all right.
You don't know that.
There could be internal injuries.
If anything happened to you, it would be on our conscience forever.
Come along.
We insist.
No, w-wait wait, now.
There you are, good as new.
We certainly haven't been treating you very well, have we, old fella, hmm? Come on.
Here.
Come on.
Is this a doctor's office? In a way.
Thank you, gentlemen.
You can leave now.
Mr.
Redfield.
Please sit down.
How do you feel? Terrible.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Perhaps it would help to learn your dog is well.
My dog is dead.
Oh, no no, no, merely stunned.
He's really quite happy now.
How do you know? Mr.
Swanson- one of the men who helped you- called in.
He thought you'd be pleased.
Well, i am if it's the truth.
My, you do have a suspicious nature, don't you? Oh, uh forgive me.
Ny name is dorn.
I'm the mayor of peaceful valley.
The gentlemen to my left: Mr.
Connelly, mr.
Evans, my associates.
Which one is the doctor? Doc? Oh, oh, oh, of course.
But you don't really need a doctor, do you, mr.
Redfield? Because if you did, we'd get one here immediately.
Please sit down.
We'll try not to detain you long.
Then you couldn't go anywhere in a wrecked car, now, can you? We'd just like to ask you a few questions, if we may- uh, just a few.
Perhaps you'd like to begin.
Mr.
Redfield, it's been reported you saw something unusual in the yard next to the gasoline station.
Would you please tell us about it? My dog chased a cat.
The details, please.
Well, that's it.
Are you quite sure you saw nothing more? Yes.
Mr.
Connelly, your question.
I was simply wondering, mr.
Redfield, why you told the girl at the hotel that people were trying to get rid of you.
Now, wait a minute, look.
What is this, some kind of a quiz hour?! My car is out there wrecked somewhere.
I'm already a day late for work.
Your car's being repaired.
By who, that station attendant? Why, he couldn't even find the gas tank.
It is being repaired.
Uh, just a few more questions, please.
I understand you mentioned you're a newspaper reporter by occupation.
So? Oh, noble calling but limited.
I suppose you have that novel in the planning stage.
Who told you about that? No one, but isn't it a fact that most reporters aspire to be novelists? I wouldn't know.
Are you married? No.
Engaged? No.
Now, look one last question, please.
Did you indeed come to peaceful valley by mistake? I mean, no one knows you're here? No, no one knows i'm here.
But i'll tell you this: A lot of people are going to know i was here.
Oh, dear.
Now, what's the story on this place? My dog didn't disappear chasing a cat, and my car didn't crash into any rock.
Now, what did happen? Come back in an hour, mr.
Redfield.
Perhaps then you'll get the answers to your questions.
All right, i will.
Where's the phone? There's one at the hotel.
You think it's wise letting him go like that? He'll be watched.
Well, gentlemen it's happened.
It had to, eventually.
No! It didn't have to.
And it wouldn't have if we kept our wits about us, but we didn't.
We were so complacent, so infernally sure of ourselves and complacent.
Dorn.
Mr.
Evans, would you explain the point of keeping the hotel open and the restaurant closed? Well, now, i don't think doesn't it seem more likely that there would be more inquiries for food than for rooms? There hasn't been either in over 16 years.
You see? Complacency.
And i'm as much to blame as anyone.
If only the little johnson girl hadn't been so careless.
If only fredericks hadn't acted suspiciously at the gasoline station.
If only i hadn't panicked and raised the wall! You had to.
There wasn't any choice by then.
So now an innocent young man who hasn't done anyone any harm must suffer for our mistakes.
How do you get long distance on this thing? You just pick it up, but you hello, operator? Operator, get me long distance.
But what? Nothing.
Operator.
Operator, i want to put through a call to albuquerque.
The number's chapel 77205, and i want it to be station to station, please.
Just a moment.
That's quite a mirror you got.
It makes you feel really welcome.
Have you talked to dorn? Yeah, i talked to him.
He's a great guy.
My dog vanishes, my car crashes into thin air, and he wants to know if i'm writing a novel.
Hello? Yes.
I'm sorry.
The circuits are busy.
All right, miss.
Will you keep trying and call me back? My name is redfield.
Well, i see they haven't gotten back.
Pardon me? Your guests.
Oh, well, no.
That's because there aren't any guests.
Isn't that right? You really should've left, mr.
Redfield.
Well, i tried to, but my car smashed into a rock that wasn't there.
How do you suppose that happened? L-i don't know.
What is your name, or is that a secret, too? Ellen marshall.
Well, ellen, i want you to contact me as soon as my call comes through.
Now, this is important.
Will you do that? Yes, of course.
Where will you be? I'm going to check on my car now, and i'll be at the mayor's office in a couple of minutes- probably starving to death.
Rollie! Rollie, how are you, boy? Huh? How are you?! I had you counted out, did you know that, huh? How are you, rollie? I fed him.
Well, thanks, but what about my car? It's pretty banged up.
Well, i know, but you were supposed to be trying to fix it.
Didn't anybody tell me.
Well, i'm telling you! I can't do anything unless it's official.
Well, look, all right, it is official- about $200's worth of official if you get it fixed as soon as you can.
Sorry.
Well, you're going to be sorrier.
Come in, mr.
Redfield.
I thought you told me my car was going to be repaired.
Please sit down.
I don't want to sit down! I want to know why nothing's been done to my car, why it's just sitting out there.
Primarily because you won't be needing it anymore.
Oh, no? Well, why? Because you are never going to leave peaceful valley.
Twilight zonewill continue after station identification.
You are never going to leave peaceful valley.
You see, the situation is rather complicated, mr.
Redfield.
Although we hold no brief against you personally wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
Sure.
I think i got this thing figured out.
Oh? Well, sure- peaceful valley is a town full of lunatics, and you guys head the list! Now, what do you mean, i'm not ever going to be able to leave here? Just that.
Well, who's going to stop me? We are.
There's nothing you can do, mr.
Redfield.
Well, how's this? Now let us continue.
What did you? How did i get in this chair? You were disassembled over there and reassembled there with this.
What is that? I'm afraid you wouldn't understand, mr.
Redfield even if you were a physicist, which you are not.
Let us say it is a device by which we move things about.
All things are collections of atoms with spaces in between.
Even you, mr.
Redfield.
And atoms are in a given mathematical arrangement.
This device breaks them up, stores them and puts them together again in the same order.
That's ridiculous.
Perhaps, but it saves a lot of time when you want to move furniture around.
Dorn.
Yes, mr.
Evans.
Let's get this over with.
I'm sorry.
You sensed a story in this town, mr.
Redfield, and you were right.
You turned off onto the road to peaceful valley.
You saw certain things that defied logic.
People began to behave oddly, and you became curious, so so we had to stop you.
And now we must do even worse, because, mr.
Redfield, you stumbled upon the best-kept secret in the world.
What secret? Our gift, mr.
Redfield, bestowed upon the people of this village 104 years ago.
A man came to peaceful valley, from what land or what planet, nobody knows.
He was a brilliant scientist many hundreds of years before his time, but he was also wise, as you shall see.
From his brain came equations the likes of which no one had even seen or dreamt of not on this planet, at any rate.
Of course, i cannot tell you what they are.
Mr.
Redfield, you are aware, i trust, that the basis of this complicated thing we call life is energy.
It's a frightening and mysterious force.
The scientist's equations unlocked this force, and from it came the greatest power for good or evil the universe has ever known.
He decided to entrust his secrets- his equations and the machines that he had built- to three men he had selected, and he instructed them to give the benefit of this power to the people of peaceful valley for their comfort.
But under no circumstances were they to release the secret to the outside world.
It was to remain in peaceful valley until humanity learned the ways of peace.
That is your story, mr.
Redfield.
You see why we cannot allow you to leave us.
No, i can't say that i do.
Perhaps if we showed you.
Mr.
Redfield.
This is the original desimulator, somewhat larger than the one we moved you around with upstairs.
More or less the same principle here, but with a big difference.
It works in what we call the time dimension.
It has many, many uses.
For example mr.
Evans.
Mr.
Connelly, would you hand me the letter opener? Don't be frightened, mr.
Redfield.
Come with me, mr.
Redfield.
On this console, among other things, we have a duplicating machine, but not like others.
Ah! Here's something.
On this card, we have a statement giving the atomic structure of a ham sandwich on white bread with mustard.
Of course, we have larger machines for the bulkier items, but this will give you an idea.
I believe you said you were hungry, mr.
Redfield.
Well, not anymore.
Look, what was that thing i ran into out there? Oh, you mean in the car.
I'm, uh, sorry about that, but we had to stop you.
It was an energy field: A wall of loosely-packed atoms, so to speak.
Purely an emergency device.
This lever operates it.
Come with me, mr.
Redfield.
And these are the sacred papers, as we call them the equations from which everything you see came about.
Well, i think i could use a drink.
Do you have any idea what you have down there? Of course.
And you mean you don't intend to share it with the rest of the world? Oh, good heavens, no.
Why? Well, i've already explained, mr.
Redfield.
The world isn't ready.
But peaceful valley is? Well, obviously.
We have no war here, no crime, no violence, no greed.
Unlike your world, we live in peace.
We use the power for good, not for evil.
Well, how can you be sure the rest of us wouldn't? Come, now, mr.
Redfield, the history of civilization has been written in blood.
But that's because people wanted things! With that power with this power, they would destroy the universe.
They're children.
But this one machine- it could stop sickness and sufferings.
It could cure disease.
Well, couldn't it? Yes.
And you just let people well, don't you have any conscience about it? Yes.
That is why we will not release the secret.
The same power that could be used to heal sickness can also be used to destroy the innocent.
You see, one secret would lead to understanding the rest, and that could be the end of the world.
I don't believe that.
Think, mr.
Redfield! Think! What did you do with professor einstein's primitive equation, e = m c squared? It could have been used to bring waters to the deserts to feed starving millions.
Was it? It was used to destroy countless thousands of human beings.
So you're just going to sit on your secrets, use them to make ham sandwiches and roadblocks?! Ham sandwiches and roadblocks are a bit better than total destruction, wouldn't you say, mr.
Redfield? Let's get on with this.
You're a bunch of hypocrites! You talk about us, but what do you do when you want someone out of the way? What do you do?! The same as we do! You eliminate him! Be quiet! No.
He has a point, mr.
Evans.
It's just what i've been pondering.
If we kill this man in what way do we differ from the outsiders? But we do it out of necessity, not out of choice! Thank you, adolf hitler.
It is for the good of the world.
We have nothing against you.
It's the law.
We cannot go against the law! And let him who discovers the secret be eliminated.
You can be eliminated in one of two ways: Through death or through assimilation.
The choice is yours.
Will you die, or will you join us? You mean live here the rest of my life? Exactly.
Become one of us.
It really won't be so bad.
We'll provide you with a fine house built to your specifications, plenty of food, time to write that novel.
All your wants seen to.
Nothing or everything, eh? Substantially, yes.
What will it be? Everything.
Welcome to peaceful valley.
And this is your study.
I'm sorry about the typewriter, but we couldn't find a card for anything newer.
Don't worry, though.
It'll work fine.
And dorn promised that you'd have a new one.
Look why are you going to all this trouble? Oh, because dorn asked me to.
And-and because i wanted to.
Yeah, but why? Because l-i don't want you to think that l-i'm unfriendly.
I'm not.
In fact, i think you and i could be very good friends, mr.
Redfield.
Do you play chess? Is something wrong? No, no.
Well, don't you like the house? L-i tried to make everything nice for you.
Ellen, i like it.
It's beautiful.
Are all the other houses in town this beautiful? On the inside.
Well, i'm afraid you've wasted your time on me.
Why? Because i'm not staying here.
Of course you are.
And what's that supposed to mean? Well, if you keep thinking like this, you'll have no choice.
Dorn won't trust you.
Well, he trusts me now, doesn't he? Well, doesn't he? I'm leaving mr.
Redfield's house.
If-if you get hungry or if you want anything, just call me.
I showed you where the button is.
Ellen, wait.
You're not like the others here.
Yes, i am.
No.
You're-you're different.
You're a human being.
Rollie, get down.
Get down.
Get down.
Yes.
Mr.
Redfield? Yes? On your call to albuquerque the circuits are still busy.
Come in.
Hello.
I, um i brought you a new typewriter ribbon and-and some, uh, erasers.
Have you started your novel yet? No.
Why not? I don't know.
Maybe i don't concentrate so well in a prison.
I don't understand.
Well, you ought to; you got the same problem.
I'm locked in the house.
You're locked in the town.
What's the difference? I can leave any time i want to.
Then why don't you? Well, why should i? Why should you? We have everything we need.
Except freedom.
Face it- if you were to go even a couple of steps outside of this town, why, they'd nail you.
Have you ever tried? No, but why should i want to try? What could the outside world have to offer that we don't have? That's not the point, ellen.
It's what you have to offer the outside world.
I mean, right now, at this very moment, thousands and thousands of people are starving.
Don't you know that? Well, you could feed them- you! They're suffering, and you could make them well.
They're breaking their backs ten, 15 hours a day.
Don't you know that? What do you care? No, let them starve, let them suffer, let them break their backs.
Let the children die because their mother can't give them any milk! What difference does it make to you?! You're happy! Is this really happening? All over the world.
Every minute of the day or night, somebody is dying alone.
Somebody that you could help.
Don't say that.
Why not? What difference does it make? But but what would you do? A terrible thing.
I'd take your secrets and give it to the world.
You mean you'd steal them and run away? Very fast.
But you promised dorn that look, ellen, i promised myself first.
I'd-i'd try and be some kind of a decent human being, maybe even try and help somebody out.
What's the use? You don't even know what i mean.
You never wanted anything you couldn't whip up in ten seconds in one of your little machines.
Once i did.
When i saw you leaving peaceful valley.
And i've thought about you since then, philip.
Even asleep, i've thought about you.
And it hurts.
I don't know why, but it hurts.
Do you know why? I think so.
Then what is it? We have machines for so many things, but i can't make this feeling stop.
And you won't, ellen.
Not on your machines.
Don't you people ever fall in love? I never have until now.
But-but now i want us to be together, philip.
Don't you want that? I could want that very much in a real world.
But not here.
Look, i'm sorry, ellen.
As long as i'm here in peaceful valley, i just want out.
I want us to be together.
All right, you wait here.
Put them back, mr.
Redfield.
No.
Do as i say.
Ellen, i want to tell you what happened back there.
It may change your mind about coming with me.
No.
Whatever it is, i don't want to hear.
You have the papers.
Well, i know, but have you seen them? No.
You see what would happen, mr.
Redfield, if we gave our secret to the outside world? The very first thing you'd do is make a weapon.
You'd kill with it.
You tricked me.
Yes.
And you everything a lie.
Not everything, philip.
She cooperated because she thought you would prove your good intentions as i did.
My colleagues were right.
You're just like the others.
If the end is just, so are the means, whatever they may be.
Pity.
You have just lost paradise, mr.
Redfield, and you don't even know why.
I did the right thing.
I'd do it again.
Of course.
Now you're going to do the same thing to me.
Not quite.
You will be executed, yes but not in the same way.
I've been studying the law, our law, and i believe i've found a way that will satisfy everybody.
I would have thought of it long before, but please, try to appreciate our position.
Try to imagine a state that has carried the death penalty on its books for hundreds of years and has never had to invoke it.
That is the case here.
You see, you were our first prisoner, so to speak.
You forced us to examine our law.
Good-bye, mr.
Redfield.
I'm sorry to do this.
I was becoming fond of you.
$4.
42 out of ten.
There's five, and five is ten.
Sorry, i, uh, must have dozed off there a second.
That's what happens when you drive too long.
Yeah.
You say bredon is back this way, huh? Shut up, rollie.
Anything wrong? No, no, i, uh thought i saw somebody i knew, that's all.
Wishful thinking, i guess.
It's a nice little town you got here.
We like it.
Can i just back in here? Yep.
You've seen them.
Little towns tucked away far from the main roads.
You've seen them, but have you thought about them? Have you wondered what the people do in such places, why they stay? Philip redfield thinks about them now and he wonders, but only very late at night when he's between wakefulness and sleep in the twilight zone.
We move next ontwilight zone into a shadowy area that treads a very thin line between flesh and fantasy.
You'll see a performance by dennis hopper that, even from my rather close-in perspective, strikes me as an exceptional one.
Our story is called "he's alive," and if this doesn't get you where you live, you'll find it close by in the suburbs.
Need medical attention? We don't need any.
Okay, jack.
Hey, jack! You forgot your, um your flag.
There'll come a day when guys like you will crawl on your belly just to salute this.
Who's out there? Who is it? A friend, mr.
Vollmer.
Come down, mr.
Vollmer.
Come down, and we will talk.
Beyond it is another dimension- a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind.
You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas.
You've just crossed over into the twilight zone.
Well, rollie, i kept it from you long enough.
The fact is we're lost.
And you know something else? Take a look at this.
Almost empty.
Well, you just earned yourself a steak.
How do? Hi, can you fill it up? I don't see why not.
It's right there behind the license plate.
Oh, sure.
Probably bone dry.
Doubt i could've gone another mile.
How'd you let a thing like that happen? I listened to a friend of mine.
He told me i could cut a couple of hours off my trip to albuquerque by taking the back route.
Nice scenery, he said, no traffic.
If i'd have gone the way i know, i'd be home by now.
You mean you're lost.
Yeah, that's what i mean.
Say, you couldn't show me the way to a big highway around here, a nice, big highway with a lot of signs? Oh, ah, you just go back to the fork, take the other road to bredon.
That's about 80 miles.
And when you get there, ask somebody for a map.
Nice little town you got here.
What do you call this place? Peaceful valley.
It's peaceful, all right.
Is there a restaurant around here? Up there, up the street, but it's closed.
You'll be better off in bredon.
Well, i know, but i'm hungry right now.
So is my dog.
Well, i'm sorry.
We don't get many visitors here.
Well, i can see why.
That'll be $4.
42.
Here's a tenner.
I hope i got change.
Here you go.
Rollie, shut up.
Rollie, rollie, come back here! Not yet.
Wait a minute.
Nine rollie, get away from that cat! Ten, right.
Rollie? Hey, kid, what'd you do to my dog? Nothing.
What do you mean, nothing? I was standing right here.
I saw you.
You leave me alone! Listen, i'm not going to leave you alone till you tell me what you did to my dog! You've seen them.
Little towns, tucked away far from the main roads.
You've seen them, but have you thought about them? What do the people in these places do? Why do they stay? Philip redfield never thought about them.
If his dog hadn't gone after that cat, he'd have driven through peaceful valley and put it out of his mind forever.
But he can't do that now, because, whether he knows it or not, his friend's shortcut has led him right into the capital of the twilight zone.
You scared my little girl.
Well, that makes us even.
Your little girl scared me.
What do you mean by that? Just what i said.
Now, look, i don't know what she did, but she made my dog disappear.
What?! Look, she pointed some kind of a machine at my dog, and he disappeared.
Are you feeling all right? No, i never feel all right when i see that kind of thing.
It makes my blood pressure rise.
Easy, now, mister.
Let's look around the yard.
He's bound to be here somewhere.
What's his name? Rollie.
Rollie's his name.
Here, rollie! Here, rollie! Look, he was standing right you look around there.
I'll go out back.
Now, don't worry.
We'll find him.
He couldn't have disappeared.
Well, that's what i'm trying to tell you.
He did.
Here, rollie! Rollie? Rollie.
Rollie? Come on, fella, come on.
Where you been, huh? You've been a bad boy, haven't you, huh? Rollie, rollie, rollie.
Well, where was he? In the back.
I guess he must have found another cat.
Uh, yeah.
Yeah, sure.
Well, thanks a lot.
That's all right.
The way sissy disappears sometimes well, i know how you must've felt.
Uh, sissy's your little girl? Yeah.
Look, what was that thing she had in her hand? What thing? Well, it was a brown box and a kind of a wire with a little deal over here, uh now, wait a minute.
Don't tell me i imagined that.
Oh, no, no.
It, um oh, it must have been her radio.
All right.
Well, i'm sorry i bothered you.
Come on, boy.
Come on, rollie, get in here, get in here.
Did you see all that? All what? Never mind.
Hey, bredon's the other way! I want to talk to dorn.
He's not here.
Well, you better find him.
It's important.
We've got an outsider and he saw something.
Now, you just take it easy, rollie.
I'll find you a steak somewhere.
I'm sorry, but we don't have any openings.
Oh? Now, why is that? Well all the rooms are taken.
Oh.
Well, i guess everyone's out, then.
Well, the keys yes.
Everybody's out.
Well, i wasn't looking for a room, anyway.
I was just looking for a restaurant.
I'm sorry, but it's closed.
What, you mean you only have one restaurant in peaceful valley? Yes, sir.
Well, where do you eat? At home.
What about the guests? Well, they do eat, don't they? L-i have to go now.
Look, just a minute, miss.
My name is philip redfield.
I'm a reporter.
Now, if i begin to sound a little nosy, i suppose it goes with the job.
You don't mind, do you? No.
Well, maybe you can tell me something.
Ever since i landed here in peaceful valley, people have been trying to get rid of me.
Now, why is that? Well, we just don't get very many outsiders here.
So i heard.
Yet you manage to fill up a hotel.
I'm sorry, but i really have to go now, and i think you should, too.
Well, you better get your subscription to the paper renewed.
A lot of things have happened since '53.
Thanks for everything.
Rollie.
Are you all right, sir? My dog is dead.
I don't know how this could've happened, i there wasn't a car around anywhere.
Perhaps it was a rock.
Well, wouldn't it be around somewhere? Well, you could've knocked it into the woods.
Come along, mr.
Redfield.
We've got to get you to a doctor.
We'll take care of your car.
What about my dog? Well, we'll take care of your dog, too.
You have nothing to worry about.
Wait a minute! Wait a minute, i don't want to go back to your town! Well, you have to be examined.
I'm all right.
You don't know that.
There could be internal injuries.
If anything happened to you, it would be on our conscience forever.
Come along.
We insist.
No, w-wait wait, now.
There you are, good as new.
We certainly haven't been treating you very well, have we, old fella, hmm? Come on.
Here.
Come on.
Is this a doctor's office? In a way.
Thank you, gentlemen.
You can leave now.
Mr.
Redfield.
Please sit down.
How do you feel? Terrible.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Perhaps it would help to learn your dog is well.
My dog is dead.
Oh, no no, no, merely stunned.
He's really quite happy now.
How do you know? Mr.
Swanson- one of the men who helped you- called in.
He thought you'd be pleased.
Well, i am if it's the truth.
My, you do have a suspicious nature, don't you? Oh, uh forgive me.
Ny name is dorn.
I'm the mayor of peaceful valley.
The gentlemen to my left: Mr.
Connelly, mr.
Evans, my associates.
Which one is the doctor? Doc? Oh, oh, oh, of course.
But you don't really need a doctor, do you, mr.
Redfield? Because if you did, we'd get one here immediately.
Please sit down.
We'll try not to detain you long.
Then you couldn't go anywhere in a wrecked car, now, can you? We'd just like to ask you a few questions, if we may- uh, just a few.
Perhaps you'd like to begin.
Mr.
Redfield, it's been reported you saw something unusual in the yard next to the gasoline station.
Would you please tell us about it? My dog chased a cat.
The details, please.
Well, that's it.
Are you quite sure you saw nothing more? Yes.
Mr.
Connelly, your question.
I was simply wondering, mr.
Redfield, why you told the girl at the hotel that people were trying to get rid of you.
Now, wait a minute, look.
What is this, some kind of a quiz hour?! My car is out there wrecked somewhere.
I'm already a day late for work.
Your car's being repaired.
By who, that station attendant? Why, he couldn't even find the gas tank.
It is being repaired.
Uh, just a few more questions, please.
I understand you mentioned you're a newspaper reporter by occupation.
So? Oh, noble calling but limited.
I suppose you have that novel in the planning stage.
Who told you about that? No one, but isn't it a fact that most reporters aspire to be novelists? I wouldn't know.
Are you married? No.
Engaged? No.
Now, look one last question, please.
Did you indeed come to peaceful valley by mistake? I mean, no one knows you're here? No, no one knows i'm here.
But i'll tell you this: A lot of people are going to know i was here.
Oh, dear.
Now, what's the story on this place? My dog didn't disappear chasing a cat, and my car didn't crash into any rock.
Now, what did happen? Come back in an hour, mr.
Redfield.
Perhaps then you'll get the answers to your questions.
All right, i will.
Where's the phone? There's one at the hotel.
You think it's wise letting him go like that? He'll be watched.
Well, gentlemen it's happened.
It had to, eventually.
No! It didn't have to.
And it wouldn't have if we kept our wits about us, but we didn't.
We were so complacent, so infernally sure of ourselves and complacent.
Dorn.
Mr.
Evans, would you explain the point of keeping the hotel open and the restaurant closed? Well, now, i don't think doesn't it seem more likely that there would be more inquiries for food than for rooms? There hasn't been either in over 16 years.
You see? Complacency.
And i'm as much to blame as anyone.
If only the little johnson girl hadn't been so careless.
If only fredericks hadn't acted suspiciously at the gasoline station.
If only i hadn't panicked and raised the wall! You had to.
There wasn't any choice by then.
So now an innocent young man who hasn't done anyone any harm must suffer for our mistakes.
How do you get long distance on this thing? You just pick it up, but you hello, operator? Operator, get me long distance.
But what? Nothing.
Operator.
Operator, i want to put through a call to albuquerque.
The number's chapel 77205, and i want it to be station to station, please.
Just a moment.
That's quite a mirror you got.
It makes you feel really welcome.
Have you talked to dorn? Yeah, i talked to him.
He's a great guy.
My dog vanishes, my car crashes into thin air, and he wants to know if i'm writing a novel.
Hello? Yes.
I'm sorry.
The circuits are busy.
All right, miss.
Will you keep trying and call me back? My name is redfield.
Well, i see they haven't gotten back.
Pardon me? Your guests.
Oh, well, no.
That's because there aren't any guests.
Isn't that right? You really should've left, mr.
Redfield.
Well, i tried to, but my car smashed into a rock that wasn't there.
How do you suppose that happened? L-i don't know.
What is your name, or is that a secret, too? Ellen marshall.
Well, ellen, i want you to contact me as soon as my call comes through.
Now, this is important.
Will you do that? Yes, of course.
Where will you be? I'm going to check on my car now, and i'll be at the mayor's office in a couple of minutes- probably starving to death.
Rollie! Rollie, how are you, boy? Huh? How are you?! I had you counted out, did you know that, huh? How are you, rollie? I fed him.
Well, thanks, but what about my car? It's pretty banged up.
Well, i know, but you were supposed to be trying to fix it.
Didn't anybody tell me.
Well, i'm telling you! I can't do anything unless it's official.
Well, look, all right, it is official- about $200's worth of official if you get it fixed as soon as you can.
Sorry.
Well, you're going to be sorrier.
Come in, mr.
Redfield.
I thought you told me my car was going to be repaired.
Please sit down.
I don't want to sit down! I want to know why nothing's been done to my car, why it's just sitting out there.
Primarily because you won't be needing it anymore.
Oh, no? Well, why? Because you are never going to leave peaceful valley.
Twilight zonewill continue after station identification.
You are never going to leave peaceful valley.
You see, the situation is rather complicated, mr.
Redfield.
Although we hold no brief against you personally wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
Sure.
I think i got this thing figured out.
Oh? Well, sure- peaceful valley is a town full of lunatics, and you guys head the list! Now, what do you mean, i'm not ever going to be able to leave here? Just that.
Well, who's going to stop me? We are.
There's nothing you can do, mr.
Redfield.
Well, how's this? Now let us continue.
What did you? How did i get in this chair? You were disassembled over there and reassembled there with this.
What is that? I'm afraid you wouldn't understand, mr.
Redfield even if you were a physicist, which you are not.
Let us say it is a device by which we move things about.
All things are collections of atoms with spaces in between.
Even you, mr.
Redfield.
And atoms are in a given mathematical arrangement.
This device breaks them up, stores them and puts them together again in the same order.
That's ridiculous.
Perhaps, but it saves a lot of time when you want to move furniture around.
Dorn.
Yes, mr.
Evans.
Let's get this over with.
I'm sorry.
You sensed a story in this town, mr.
Redfield, and you were right.
You turned off onto the road to peaceful valley.
You saw certain things that defied logic.
People began to behave oddly, and you became curious, so so we had to stop you.
And now we must do even worse, because, mr.
Redfield, you stumbled upon the best-kept secret in the world.
What secret? Our gift, mr.
Redfield, bestowed upon the people of this village 104 years ago.
A man came to peaceful valley, from what land or what planet, nobody knows.
He was a brilliant scientist many hundreds of years before his time, but he was also wise, as you shall see.
From his brain came equations the likes of which no one had even seen or dreamt of not on this planet, at any rate.
Of course, i cannot tell you what they are.
Mr.
Redfield, you are aware, i trust, that the basis of this complicated thing we call life is energy.
It's a frightening and mysterious force.
The scientist's equations unlocked this force, and from it came the greatest power for good or evil the universe has ever known.
He decided to entrust his secrets- his equations and the machines that he had built- to three men he had selected, and he instructed them to give the benefit of this power to the people of peaceful valley for their comfort.
But under no circumstances were they to release the secret to the outside world.
It was to remain in peaceful valley until humanity learned the ways of peace.
That is your story, mr.
Redfield.
You see why we cannot allow you to leave us.
No, i can't say that i do.
Perhaps if we showed you.
Mr.
Redfield.
This is the original desimulator, somewhat larger than the one we moved you around with upstairs.
More or less the same principle here, but with a big difference.
It works in what we call the time dimension.
It has many, many uses.
For example mr.
Evans.
Mr.
Connelly, would you hand me the letter opener? Don't be frightened, mr.
Redfield.
Come with me, mr.
Redfield.
On this console, among other things, we have a duplicating machine, but not like others.
Ah! Here's something.
On this card, we have a statement giving the atomic structure of a ham sandwich on white bread with mustard.
Of course, we have larger machines for the bulkier items, but this will give you an idea.
I believe you said you were hungry, mr.
Redfield.
Well, not anymore.
Look, what was that thing i ran into out there? Oh, you mean in the car.
I'm, uh, sorry about that, but we had to stop you.
It was an energy field: A wall of loosely-packed atoms, so to speak.
Purely an emergency device.
This lever operates it.
Come with me, mr.
Redfield.
And these are the sacred papers, as we call them the equations from which everything you see came about.
Well, i think i could use a drink.
Do you have any idea what you have down there? Of course.
And you mean you don't intend to share it with the rest of the world? Oh, good heavens, no.
Why? Well, i've already explained, mr.
Redfield.
The world isn't ready.
But peaceful valley is? Well, obviously.
We have no war here, no crime, no violence, no greed.
Unlike your world, we live in peace.
We use the power for good, not for evil.
Well, how can you be sure the rest of us wouldn't? Come, now, mr.
Redfield, the history of civilization has been written in blood.
But that's because people wanted things! With that power with this power, they would destroy the universe.
They're children.
But this one machine- it could stop sickness and sufferings.
It could cure disease.
Well, couldn't it? Yes.
And you just let people well, don't you have any conscience about it? Yes.
That is why we will not release the secret.
The same power that could be used to heal sickness can also be used to destroy the innocent.
You see, one secret would lead to understanding the rest, and that could be the end of the world.
I don't believe that.
Think, mr.
Redfield! Think! What did you do with professor einstein's primitive equation, e = m c squared? It could have been used to bring waters to the deserts to feed starving millions.
Was it? It was used to destroy countless thousands of human beings.
So you're just going to sit on your secrets, use them to make ham sandwiches and roadblocks?! Ham sandwiches and roadblocks are a bit better than total destruction, wouldn't you say, mr.
Redfield? Let's get on with this.
You're a bunch of hypocrites! You talk about us, but what do you do when you want someone out of the way? What do you do?! The same as we do! You eliminate him! Be quiet! No.
He has a point, mr.
Evans.
It's just what i've been pondering.
If we kill this man in what way do we differ from the outsiders? But we do it out of necessity, not out of choice! Thank you, adolf hitler.
It is for the good of the world.
We have nothing against you.
It's the law.
We cannot go against the law! And let him who discovers the secret be eliminated.
You can be eliminated in one of two ways: Through death or through assimilation.
The choice is yours.
Will you die, or will you join us? You mean live here the rest of my life? Exactly.
Become one of us.
It really won't be so bad.
We'll provide you with a fine house built to your specifications, plenty of food, time to write that novel.
All your wants seen to.
Nothing or everything, eh? Substantially, yes.
What will it be? Everything.
Welcome to peaceful valley.
And this is your study.
I'm sorry about the typewriter, but we couldn't find a card for anything newer.
Don't worry, though.
It'll work fine.
And dorn promised that you'd have a new one.
Look why are you going to all this trouble? Oh, because dorn asked me to.
And-and because i wanted to.
Yeah, but why? Because l-i don't want you to think that l-i'm unfriendly.
I'm not.
In fact, i think you and i could be very good friends, mr.
Redfield.
Do you play chess? Is something wrong? No, no.
Well, don't you like the house? L-i tried to make everything nice for you.
Ellen, i like it.
It's beautiful.
Are all the other houses in town this beautiful? On the inside.
Well, i'm afraid you've wasted your time on me.
Why? Because i'm not staying here.
Of course you are.
And what's that supposed to mean? Well, if you keep thinking like this, you'll have no choice.
Dorn won't trust you.
Well, he trusts me now, doesn't he? Well, doesn't he? I'm leaving mr.
Redfield's house.
If-if you get hungry or if you want anything, just call me.
I showed you where the button is.
Ellen, wait.
You're not like the others here.
Yes, i am.
No.
You're-you're different.
You're a human being.
Rollie, get down.
Get down.
Get down.
Yes.
Mr.
Redfield? Yes? On your call to albuquerque the circuits are still busy.
Come in.
Hello.
I, um i brought you a new typewriter ribbon and-and some, uh, erasers.
Have you started your novel yet? No.
Why not? I don't know.
Maybe i don't concentrate so well in a prison.
I don't understand.
Well, you ought to; you got the same problem.
I'm locked in the house.
You're locked in the town.
What's the difference? I can leave any time i want to.
Then why don't you? Well, why should i? Why should you? We have everything we need.
Except freedom.
Face it- if you were to go even a couple of steps outside of this town, why, they'd nail you.
Have you ever tried? No, but why should i want to try? What could the outside world have to offer that we don't have? That's not the point, ellen.
It's what you have to offer the outside world.
I mean, right now, at this very moment, thousands and thousands of people are starving.
Don't you know that? Well, you could feed them- you! They're suffering, and you could make them well.
They're breaking their backs ten, 15 hours a day.
Don't you know that? What do you care? No, let them starve, let them suffer, let them break their backs.
Let the children die because their mother can't give them any milk! What difference does it make to you?! You're happy! Is this really happening? All over the world.
Every minute of the day or night, somebody is dying alone.
Somebody that you could help.
Don't say that.
Why not? What difference does it make? But but what would you do? A terrible thing.
I'd take your secrets and give it to the world.
You mean you'd steal them and run away? Very fast.
But you promised dorn that look, ellen, i promised myself first.
I'd-i'd try and be some kind of a decent human being, maybe even try and help somebody out.
What's the use? You don't even know what i mean.
You never wanted anything you couldn't whip up in ten seconds in one of your little machines.
Once i did.
When i saw you leaving peaceful valley.
And i've thought about you since then, philip.
Even asleep, i've thought about you.
And it hurts.
I don't know why, but it hurts.
Do you know why? I think so.
Then what is it? We have machines for so many things, but i can't make this feeling stop.
And you won't, ellen.
Not on your machines.
Don't you people ever fall in love? I never have until now.
But-but now i want us to be together, philip.
Don't you want that? I could want that very much in a real world.
But not here.
Look, i'm sorry, ellen.
As long as i'm here in peaceful valley, i just want out.
I want us to be together.
All right, you wait here.
Put them back, mr.
Redfield.
No.
Do as i say.
Ellen, i want to tell you what happened back there.
It may change your mind about coming with me.
No.
Whatever it is, i don't want to hear.
You have the papers.
Well, i know, but have you seen them? No.
You see what would happen, mr.
Redfield, if we gave our secret to the outside world? The very first thing you'd do is make a weapon.
You'd kill with it.
You tricked me.
Yes.
And you everything a lie.
Not everything, philip.
She cooperated because she thought you would prove your good intentions as i did.
My colleagues were right.
You're just like the others.
If the end is just, so are the means, whatever they may be.
Pity.
You have just lost paradise, mr.
Redfield, and you don't even know why.
I did the right thing.
I'd do it again.
Of course.
Now you're going to do the same thing to me.
Not quite.
You will be executed, yes but not in the same way.
I've been studying the law, our law, and i believe i've found a way that will satisfy everybody.
I would have thought of it long before, but please, try to appreciate our position.
Try to imagine a state that has carried the death penalty on its books for hundreds of years and has never had to invoke it.
That is the case here.
You see, you were our first prisoner, so to speak.
You forced us to examine our law.
Good-bye, mr.
Redfield.
I'm sorry to do this.
I was becoming fond of you.
$4.
42 out of ten.
There's five, and five is ten.
Sorry, i, uh, must have dozed off there a second.
That's what happens when you drive too long.
Yeah.
You say bredon is back this way, huh? Shut up, rollie.
Anything wrong? No, no, i, uh thought i saw somebody i knew, that's all.
Wishful thinking, i guess.
It's a nice little town you got here.
We like it.
Can i just back in here? Yep.
You've seen them.
Little towns tucked away far from the main roads.
You've seen them, but have you thought about them? Have you wondered what the people do in such places, why they stay? Philip redfield thinks about them now and he wonders, but only very late at night when he's between wakefulness and sleep in the twilight zone.
We move next ontwilight zone into a shadowy area that treads a very thin line between flesh and fantasy.
You'll see a performance by dennis hopper that, even from my rather close-in perspective, strikes me as an exceptional one.
Our story is called "he's alive," and if this doesn't get you where you live, you'll find it close by in the suburbs.
Need medical attention? We don't need any.
Okay, jack.
Hey, jack! You forgot your, um your flag.
There'll come a day when guys like you will crawl on your belly just to salute this.
Who's out there? Who is it? A friend, mr.
Vollmer.
Come down, mr.
Vollmer.
Come down, and we will talk.