I Bury the Living (1958) Movie Script
1
Welcome, sir.
Welcome to the Immortal Hills.
Thank you.
It's all by way of making you feel
right at home, Bobby.
Mr. chairman.
Come along, sir.
After you.
This is your place now, you know?
Of course, it isn't as if you
was any stranger here, Bob.
Yes, but somehow this place
all looks different to me,
like I never saw it before.
Well, maybe I never had to.
It's cold as an icebox in here.
Oh, that thing hasn't
worked in years.
Cement halls, the wet,
you know...
Makes the air a wee bit crisp, you see.
Won't bother you none
once you get down to work.
Well, I'm not sworn in yet.
Oh, that's only for show, sir.
Now, let me see if I've got the list
of committee men right.
First, chairman Robert Kraft, yourself.
Now Mr. Honegger, treasurer,
your uncle George, secretary,
and, of course,
Mr. Trowbridge and Mr. Bates,
making five in all, right?
Right.
You canna find me at any time.
My dwelling's straight across the boulevard,
opposite the gate.
Makes it nice, living so close to my work.
Now, would you like to see the sights, sir,
give the roof a chance to catch the heat?
Hmm.
If you care to make a tour,
it's a bit warmer outside.
That's quite a map.
Oh, yes, sir, that's a map
of the entire cemetery
down to the wee-est speck of dust.
Here we are, and here's
my shed with the rose stone,
and there's the gate
you come in.
Certainly kept it up to date,
there's the new mausoleum
on here, already.
Aye. Oh, yes, sir.
This map's going to be
a big help to you, Bobby.
Suppose you got a customer
and you want to know
what ground we can show him,
this is where the map comes in.
One look, and quick as a wink,
you know who's where and what's what.
It's them pins that makes it so easy.
The black ones stand for
the ones that is already there,
and the white ones for them as has made
their arrangements
for the future.
Now, for example,
here's my place.
Lovely, isn't she, Bob?
There.
Sun in the morning, but, eh, gets those trees
to give shade in the afternoon heat.
McKee, you've been on
this job now, 40 years, right?
Aye.
Well, I guess
the committee's right,
it's high time we retired you.
Nothing to worry about,
full pension.
You'll draw the same
check every month.
I'm to be paid for nothing from now on?
No, you're to be paid
for 40 years of devotion,
and that's something.
Anyone in mind to replace you?
Oh, aye, uh, why I hadn't a given it
much thought, sir,
but, uh, why?
There must be plenty of young
and hard-muscled toughs
who would give
their eyeteeth for my shoes.
It's a lovely place to work.
You're outside
near Mother Earth.
Well, let me know if, uh,
you find somebody, huh?
Oh, aye, I will.
Yes, sir, that's quite a map.
Pardon me, sir.
I just wanted to show you
where we keep this,
in case of emergencies.
No need to worry, though,
we haven't had none, yet.
Oh, you expecting visitors, sir?
No, but that sounds like Stu Drexel.
Oh, aye!
Drexel and pretty Beth Ferris.
I heard they was promised.
Looks like they're hitched.
She finally caught me, Bob.
Bethie, many happy
returns of the clay.
Stu, that's a great place
you picked for a honeymoon.
Oh, marriage has
made me conservative.
How 'bout it, Mrs. D.?
Can I carry you
over the threshold?
I still don't think it's so very funny.
I think it's positively awful,
if you really want
to know the truth.
Aw, Bethie, don't be that way.
What's the trouble?
How would you like to get a cemetery plot
for a wedding gift?
Now, Bethie, you know pop
never meant it for a present.
It's just a formal legal sort of thing.
You see, dad left part of my inheritance
in trust for when I got married.
One of the provisions was that
myself and my wife
had first-class accommodations
here at the Immortal Hills.
Doesn't cost us a cent,
but we have to buy the plots
before the bank will let me have the cash.
You know dad,
he never did consider me
much on responsibility.
He was a very smart man.
Oh, aye, that he was.
And though a bonny bride
should have her thoughts
far from doom, it's a lucky girl
whose father-in-law provides
from the beyond
for her future.
Isn't he sweet?
Thanks, Scotty.
Bob, give us a couple near the old man, will ya?
And call Owens at the bank
in the morning
so I can cash a check.
I don't think it's funny at all.
From the last administration, sir.
Folks get a wee bit rocky when
they come out here, sometimes.
Best to be prepared.
Down the hatch.
- Thank you.
- Mm.
Oh, over here, that's where the Drexel bunch is.
Ah, it'll get so you'll love it out here, Bobby.
It's a fine and green and lovely place.
A fine place to slip away
from the cares of the world.
Slip away and live a wee bit.
"As retiring chairman of the Immortal Hills
Cemetery management committee... "
- George, I haven't got...
- Sh!
"It is now my very great
pleasure to announce...
- I don't even...
- Sh!
The appointment
of Robert Kraft,
president of Kraft
Department Store... "
Now, George, don't shush me.
You railroaded me into this.
Now, wait a minute, Bob.
It's your turn.
Last year was his turn.
The year before, it was mine.
Nobody refuses to take
the chairmanship.
Pardon us, Henry.
"President of Kraft
Department Store... "
Why?
Why?
Nobody ever has.
It's just not done, son.
Well, can you give me one good reason
why I should take over
the management
of a whole big cemetery
when I'm up to my neck in my own business?
"As retiring... "
Hold it. Of course I can.
Tradition, particularly for us Krafts.
You always harp on dignity, honor, prestige.
Well, how do you
think we got it?
Because your great grandfather,
your grandfather,
and your father served on
every community project,
board, and committee that was ever created.
They served for free.
But they did it for business.
That's what a fine family has
to do in this town.
And you can't refuse to do it
without losing a lot of respect
from our customers.
And another thing...
It's just not done.
Well, pass me over
till next year.
I'm up to my ears.
Bob, do you realize
you're talking about
only a few hours a month,
at the most?
McKee, the caretaker, handles everything.
All you do is show up
once a week
and sign the checks.
- It's getting late, George...
- Proceed, Henry.
Raise your right hand.
Well, what about Bill Honegger?
Raise your right hand.
"Do you, Robert Kraft,
swear to discharge the duties
and responsibilities of this office
faithfully and completely,
to the utmost of your abilities?"
I do.
Congratulations, Bob.
See ya.
- So long, Henry.
- Thanks, Mr. Trowbridge.
Thank you, Uncle George.
Uh, okay, Miss Lane,
you can put through his calls now.
Thank you, Mr. Watson.
I'll ring him for you now.
Hello.
There's a guy named Watson
on the phone, says it's urgent.
- Do you know him?
- Of Olds and Watson?
Of Olds and Watson, you know.
Oh, the undertaker. Swell.
Hello.
Well, thank you very much, Mr. Watson.
I'll do the best job I can.
Yes, sir.
Aw, you're kidding.
Well, sir, uh, don't worry about it.
I'll take care of it myself.
I'll be there within an hour.
Yes, sir, thank you.
Well, what about this ad?
Have to wait, I'm sorry.
Well, now, call McKee.
You don't have to go up there every time.
This is different.
Somebody prominent?
Stu Drexel and his wife.
Stu and Bethie?
No.
Hi.
Hi, Jess.
McKee, this is Mr. Jessup
of The Milford Herald.
Hi. Jessup, Jessup...
Oh, the West Slope,
between the Pattersons and the Finleys.
What else is new?
You were my big news for the day.
"Asked about plans
for the coming year,
Kraft revealed the Immortal Hills will install
a drive-in bar to stimulate additional trade."
I'm stuck with the obituary detail.
Boy, it's cold in here.
McKee, let's get that heat on
no later than tomorrow, huh?
We'd better get ready
for the interment.
Aye, that'll be done, sir.
And you better change the Drexel pins,
black instead of white.
Oh, they already
got black pins, sir.
Oh? Who changed them?
Well, now, the last I remember
was the very day
they come out here
to give you the order,
and you stuck in two pins.
Yeah, I guess that's right.
I must have picked up the wrong color.
Hmm?
Oh, nothing, it's just a little weird, that's all.
What?
Well, the kids came out here
right after they tied the knot,
and they bought a couple of plots.
Stu was complying with
some technicality in his trust.
And it was all very cute.
We had a couple of laughs,
and afterwards,
I jabbed two pins in the map...
White pins, I thought,
just to make it official.
Now I hear today they've been killed,
and the map's had them on
the blacklist all the time.
Okay, so what?
Oh, nothing, it just made me
feel a little eerie,
that's all.
I think he means
he marked the young couple
for death, sir.
Yeah, I guess that was it.
That must have been
the feeling I had.
Boy, it's funny what'll go
through a guy's mind,
isn't it?
Do me a favor, McKee.
If he starts fooling around
with those pins again,
be sure he stays away from the West Slope,
between the Pattersons and the Finleys.
Indeed, I will, sir.
Hi, Annie.
What are you doing out here?
I had a luncheon date, but I was stood up.
I know a nice little place down the street.
I just might take
you up on that.
I won't hold my breath.
Oh.
George told me about Beth and Stuart,
and I just had to see you.
Made me think how lucky we are,
just to be alive and together.
Oh, Ann, this is Mr. McKee.
This is Miss Craig, my fiance, Andy.
- How do you do?
- Miss.
Would you be wanting me
for anything else, Bobby?
No, thanks, Andy.
Bob.
Hmm?
What's wrong?
Oh, nothing.
I'm just a little depressed, that's all,
but you'll take care of that.
Ann, I kept wishing we could
keep our appointment.
Oh, rendezvous, if you don't mind.
- Your gray flannel is showing.
- Yeah.
Actually, do you know what
made me turn around
and come here instead of going home?
Mm-mm.
Well, I was driving along, feeling rejected,
and then, all of a sudden,
I saw you very clearly in my mind.
Bob, it's just that you're too attractive.
After all, president of a department store
and in charge of the Immortal Hills?
Irresistible.
I saw you and I heard you.
"Lunchtime, Annie."
That's what you said, distinctly.
"Lunchtime, Annie"?
Well, I can do better than that, I hope.
Oh, you did.
You said...
"I want you, and I need you" and...
And a whole lot of lovely things
I'd be embarrassed to repeat.
Yeah.
You know, just about the time
you were seeing me,
I had you on my mind.
That's amazing.
No, I mean it.
And I don't blame you
for not wanting to repeat
what I was thinking.
Oh.
Darling, we'd better go to lunch.
Or get married.
Or I can just as easily join Jess
at that little spot
down the road he spoke of.
We regret the management
does not permit exchanges
once the merchandise
has been purchased.
Then I'll freshen up.
Immortal Hills, Kraft.
Hi, Carl.
No, terrible.
No, I'm sorry, the funeral's been
confined to the immediate family.
Yeah, all right, Carl.
I'll see you later.
No, not...
Oh, Ann, you're right.
What?
You're right.
We are lucky to...
Lucky to be alive and...
With each other.
Come on.
Hey, ho, nobody home
meat nor drink, nor money have I none
- still I will
Hey! Bobby!
Be happy
hey, ho...
Ah, I picked this Drexel stone for class.
Fine and rich and swirly.
I'm a granite man, myself.
Bobby!
Bobby, I've got a surprise for you...
You found your replacement.
Oh, well, no, no, not yet,
but I'm scouting the countryside.
This is far sweeter.
This is what I call getting things done.
Oh, McKee, you should
have been an executive.
Ah.
Hey, best take off your coat, Bobby.
You'll be getting overheated.
Fairly quiet this week, only one passing.
Now, if you'll just sign these.
Let's get rid of these flowers.
Oh, aye, they smell a wee bit sickly.
I was hoping to keep them
for the burial this afternoon.
Oh, you need much help?
Oh, no.
This is just an average funeral.
They don't come like the Drexel doings
every day, thank the Lord.
McKee, this bill for W. Isham, what's it for?
Why, he's the lad for this afternoon, Bobby.
Oh, no need to look so sad.
Will lsham was the same aged lad as me.
Oh, there's something that
I've been meaning to tell you.
Mighty queer it strikes me, Bob.
I went to the map just after we got the news
to change Will lsham's pin to black.
It was already black.
Looks like there might be something...
creepy about that map.
Changing pin colors,
without human assistance, no less.
I changed Mr. lsham's pin, Andy.
You... but, Bob, you haven't
been here since he died.
Jessup, please.
I know, I changed his pin
before he died, not after.
Jess, it's Bob Kraft.
Can you come over
here right away?
No, I'm at the cemetery.
That map's nothing
but an old piece of paper
hanging on the wall.
All you do when you
stick pins in it
is to make holes in the paper.
White pins, black
pins, safety pins,
it doesn't make
any difference, see?
Well, look, it's unfortunate
that it worked out this way,
but coincidences are
part of everyday life.
Some are funny,
some are pretty odd,
but this one isn't even good enough
to make the back page
of the shopping news.
That's all it is, Bob, coincidence.
Yeah.
You're right, Jess.
Thanks.
That's okay.
Sometime when I've tied
on a real head-bender,
you can do the same for me.
What's your trouble?
Well, nothing, but I've...
been through all this before.
The grass and the quiet...
and that sound.
I never knew what it was.
It's the sound of a name
being cut into a headstone.
Yeah, I've... I've heard
of people who thought
they'd been through
the same bit before
in their dreams.
I think it's even
happened to me.
What would you say if I told you
this happens to me regularly,
ever since I was a child,
sometimes as often as
every other week?
I'd say you were sensitive
or exaggerating.
"Third-floor sportswear...
$9,280 gross."
Compared to $8,500
at the same date last year.
Hmm.
Basement sportswears...
I'm gonna call Bates and Honegger
and Trowbridge right now
and tell them I'm quitting.
Don't worry, George.
Nothing drastic
will happen to the store.
My mind's made up.
You mean mixed up.
I've lived in Milford all my life,
and I can't remember any man
who ever let that place
get the better of him.
Why, when I was chairman,
I'll bet I stuck
the wrong colored pins
in that thing a dozen times.
If I ran out of one color,
I... I used the other.
You've only been down there
a couple of times.
George, I put black pins in the map
for the Drexel couple
the day they were killed.
Now, I didn't think
anything of it at the time.
And then I took a white
pin out of the map,
quite at random,
and I put a black pin in its place,
and today I find out
the old man it belonged to
died during the week.
Bob, that's terrible.
For Heaven's sake, Bob,
everybody loves a ghost story.
Where's your sense of humor?
You don't really believe
that stuff you're telling me,
do you?
No.
But I still think I may be learning
something about myself.
Where are you going?
Oh, I think I'll just take
a run out to the cemetery.
What for?
Sounds like it might be fun.
After all, I've been
trying to find some way
to wipe out our
competition for years.
Good night, George.
You want to take my car?
All right.
Won't be but a moment, sir.
Now, don't bother, McKee.
I think I've got it.
Oh, that'll be all, McKee.
Is everything all right, Bobby?
We'll see you later, Andy.
Well, the place hasn't changed a bit
since I was chairman.
A few more pins in the map.
Black ones.
White ones, too.
Sit down and relax, Bob.
I think I can get this whole thing
cleared up for you.
What are you gonna do?
I'm going to convince you
that there's nothing out here
for you to worry about.
George, let's forget this.
Uh, Bob.
I said I'm just going
to convince you.
Well, George,
suppose you took Henry
Trowbridge's white pin out
and put a black one in its place,
and tomorrow morning
he turned up dead.
There's not a chance.
Well, I know not a chance,
but suppose by some
weird coincidence,
it happened.
Now, it's happened to me
three times already.
I deal strictly in facts, son.
I don't go for this coincidence bunk.
But if Henry Trowbridge
even looks a little peaked tomorrow,
you can resign, and I'll back you up.
Now, Henry Trowbridge...
Let me see if I remember.
George, I just mentioned
Henry as an example.
Now, you're not gonna use him.
Why, Henry's as good
a choice as anybody,
considering he directly preceded you
as committee chairman.
Wait a minute, George.
You, uh, better let me put the pin in.
If you do the honors
and nothing happens,
it won't be quite as conclusive.
By all means, let's not diverge
from the established pattern.
But I'll have you know, I was no slouch
when it came to pinning
the tail on the donkey
when I was a kid.
Uh, no reflection on Henry.
Go ahead, Bob.
You better call Henry
and tell him what we did.
Eh, he'd only think we were kidding.
No, he'd believe you.
Then he'd call my physician,
and he'd reserve a nice,
quiet room for me
at Providence Hospital.
Let's keep this quiet, my boy.
Henry can't complain.
After all, if his term had
run a week or so longer,
he might be having
the willies instead of you.
Hello?
Hello, Mrs. Trowbridge,
this is Bob Kraft.
What are you doing up so late?
Uh, nothing serious.
Uh, I just meant to call Henry earlier,
and, uh, it slipped my mind.
Uh, put him on, will ya?
Oh, if he's watching a movie
and enjoying it,
uh, ask him to call me back
during the commercial.
No, no, Bob.
Just hold on, and I'll get him.
He's upstairs reading in bed,
but I'm sure he's not asleep.
Well, I hate to disturb him.
You just hold the wire, Bob.
Hello, Henry?
Oh, he's...
He's not breathing, Bob.
I've got to call a doctor.
I understand.
I'll hang up right away.
I'm... terribly sorry.
Hey, ho, nobody home
meat nor drink, nor money...
Wait here. This won't take long.
Morning!
How do you do, sir?
Well, I don't understand it.
Jess said he'd be here in 20 minutes.
I'm sure he's on his way...
Lieutenant Clayborne.
So that's it, huh?
Sure big enough.
There are the black pins, eh?
We're, uh,
particularly concerned with these four.
Isham, and the Drexel couple
and now Trowbridge.
Let me get this straight, Mr. Kraft.
You say that every time
you stick a black pin in the map,
people turn up dead?
That's right.
Well, go ahead, lieutenant.
You think I'm a crackpot,
and I hope you're right.
I just want to prove it
beyond a reasonable doubt.
"Stuart and Elizabeth Drexel,
D.O.A., emergency receiving hospital,
result of highway collision."
"William lsham, cause of death...
cerebral hemorrhage."
"Henry Trowbridge... coronary thrombosis."
Well, the rule is this...
Where no evidence of homicide exists
on initial investigation,
the matter will be dropped.
Investigated and found nothing.
Sorry.
Jessup.
What's new?
Or should I say, real?
Nothing like murder,
if that's what you're after.
I'm sorry Bob saw fit to
disturb you, lieutenant.
No harm done.
What do you make of it, Jess?
I keep telling him it's just coincidence.
Yeah.
If I were you, Mr. Kraft,
I'd take a week or two off,
take it easy.
You'll forget all about it.
If you're gonna use this story,
kindly refrain from
mentioning my name.
I know.
Lieutenant Clayborne,
with an "e" on the end.
Boy...
Didn't think four deaths
could appear so flimsy
to a policeman.
You never should have called the police.
Clayborne's one of the best.
Any other guy might have looked
for a big, heavy book to throw at you.
Yeah, maybe you're right.
On the other hand,
maybe that thing's dangerous.
Really dangerous.
Or maybe the element
of danger is in a man.
In me.
Bob.
Is there something
different about me, Jess?
I'm really beginning to wonder.
Hey, buddy, if there is
anything to this map bit,
don't go blaming it
on nameless forces.
Maybe somebody's
trying to scare you.
Could be you got
an enemy or two?
Somebody using
your desk, George?
Oh, he came in to keep
me company, darling.
That was very sweet of him.
Oh, darling, you must be dead tired.
I'm all right, Ann.
- No sleep, and then to have to go back
out there again...
- I'm all right!
There's no crime in needing a good rest.
George, I've got
some correspondence
to take care of.
I've already taken
care of your mail.
And I took the liberty of
making reservations for you.
Flight 33 leaving for Miami at 5:45.
My pal, Sanford, owns
one of the finest hotels
on the beach...
George, thanks, anyway.
There's nothing I'd rather do,
but I can't possibly go now.
Bob, I gave you my word
that if anything
happened to Henry,
you could resign.
I talked to Charlie and Bill Honegger,
and they understand completely.
It's all fixed, son.
The situation's changed.
Until this thing's cleared up,
I'm not about to resign.
Oh.
Now, will you tell the others?
Ask them to meet me here
in my office,
7:30 tonight.
It's awfully short notice.
The committee can't just
ignore what's happened.
I guess you're right.
Darling.
Ann, I'm sorry.
- I didn't mean to snap at you.
- Oh.
Now, why can't you resign?
Well, because...
Well, possibly something real, unreal...
I don't know...
is waiting to kill one of us
every time I jab a
black pin into that map.
Bob, if you're talking
about Henry Trowbridge,
the poor man died
of a heart attack.
Heart disease is the country's
number one killer.
Maybe not in Milford.
Oh, Bob, you can't
mean that that map
is literally killing people?
No, Ann, maybe it isn't the map.
Well...
What about the other day?
You saw me, you heard me...
"Lunchtime, Annie.
I want you. I need you."
Bob, I was obviously
trying to bring a little...
a little romance
into our very dull
and dismal lives.
No, Ann, don't try
to deny it now.
I do deny it!
Bob, I love you. I'm...
I'm not in any sort of
occult thrall to you.
Hey.
Can't you take a joke?
All right, then, I was lying, too.
Does that bring you
back to reality again?
Bob?
I think we better
take advantage of...
of those plane tickets.
George's Mr. Sanford
could be best man.
The offer's awfully attractive.
I love you so much.
Ann, if you're gonna cry,
do it someplace else.
Now, Bob, it's real simple.
We're willing to play ball with you.
If you want to remain
chairman of this committee,
we wouldn't think of
trying to dissuade you,
because we have
confidence in you.
Full confidence.
All the confidence
in the world, Bob.
Now, all we want before
we break this up
is a promise from you,
Mr. chairman,
that before you turn in tonight,
you'll go out to the cemetery...
Now, let me finish.
You'll go out there
and change my white pin to black,
and Charlie's and George's.
Just as simple as that.
And then go home and go right to bed.
No, sir.
You're not the committee, Bob.
You're only our chairman with a duty
to carry out the will of the majority.
We feel that you should do as Bill said,
because it'll put an end to this business
once and for all.
Otherwise, we'll
do the resigning
right here and now.
Well, let me sleep on it.
Let's all sleep on it.
I don't think you people realize
what might be involved here.
Motion defeated, tonight.
Well, your devotion
to the principle of majority rule
moves me deeply.
Okay.
Then, good night.
All right, Charlie.
Here goes nothing, George.
Who is it?
It's me, Bobby. Open up.
I seen your car lights
from my window
driving through the gate,
so I come a runnin'.
You needn't have
bothered, McKee.
You put in a full day already.
Now, I'll see you tomorrow.
No, no, no.
B... Bobby, please,
Bobby, listen.
When you locked and bolted this place,
I said to myself,
"Now, there's a man
who knows his business."
That's what I said.
"He may not know everything,
what's behind it,
but he knows when
a thing's to be fooled with
and when it's to be left alone."
"There's nothing to fear
with a man like Bobby Kraft
at the wheel,"
that's what I said.
Well, that's fine.
Now, you run along home
and don't worry about a thing.
Nothing's going
to happen to you.
N... no. Please.
Bobby, lock this door again
and send yourself home,
or else, who can answer
for what may happen
to the whole miserable lot of us?
It'll have to be open sometime.
If I don't do it, they'll get
somebody who will.
Now, good night, Andy.
Good night.
Andy, go home.
[Picks up phone.]
Hello?
Is this the Immortal Hills Cemetery?
What do you want, Jess?
Bob?
Why didn't you answer me?
I've been looking
all over town for you.
I'm calling from your place now.
What are you doing
at the cottage again?
Haven't you had
enough for one day?
Jess, I think I've done
something terribly wrong.
For the love of Pete,
what are you talking about?
Well, we had a meeting
of the cemetery committee
after closing tonight.
Bill Honegger, Charlie Bates,
and George, everybody.
And they voted to make me
come out here to the cemetery
and stick black pins in the map
for each of them,
just like it was some
kid's nightmare.
So I did it.
Jess, there's a black
pin in that map
for Charlie Bates and Bill Honegger
and George.
And if anything happens to them,
to any of them,
it's my fault, nobody else's.
Nothing's going to happen
to them, Bob.
As a matter of fact, I think
they did you a big favor.
I've never heard
of a coincidence
involving three people
dying all at once.
By tomorrow at this time,
this whole big worry of yours
will be nothing
but a lot of hot air.
Yeah.
Well, I hope you're right, Jess.
I guess there's
nothing for me to do
but see this thing through, huh?
I think I'll check on 'em myself and see...
Bob?
Bob?
Honegger, Bates, and George.
Six-six-six.
Desk.
Lieutenant Clayborne, please.
Homicide.
This is homicide,
Sergeant Greer.
Uh, Lieutenant Clayborne, please.
Not here. Can I take a message?
Sergeant, uh, this is, uh, Bob Kraft,
Kraft Department Store.
Oh, sure. Wait a second.
Wait a second, and I'll check.
Uh, Mr. Kraft, are you
calling on police matters,
or is it just
something personal?
Well, uh, it's a little
bit of both, sergeant.
Try him at Adams,
one-three-one-one.
Thank you.
Adams, one-three-one-one.
Adams, one-three-one-one.
Adams, one-three-one-one.
Bill Honegger, Adams,
one-three-one-one.
Adams one...
- Desk.
- Get me Homicide.
Yes, sir.
Homicide.
This is Bob Kraft speaking.
I can't get through to that Adams number.
So?
Clayborne's at that number,
and it's imperative
that I speak to him right now.
Well, sir, uh...
Just a second, sir.
I think he's reporting
in on another line.
I've been trying get you,
but your lines are busy.
Hang up, and I'll call
you back right away.
Something happened
to Bill Honegger?
Hello?
It's Jess, Bob.
Jess, uh, I'm expecting
a call from Clayborne.
He, uh... hang up, call me
back in 10 minutes.
Clayborne's with me.
Let me talk to him.
He's not here now. He's...
What's wrong, Jess?
Bill Honegger's dead.
Soon as I found out,
I routed Clayborne
out of the sack
and filled him in
on the whole wild story.
We were over at Honegger's
in 10 minutes
with two squad cars detailed
to cover Charlie Bates
and your uncle.
How did Honegger get it?
He didn't.
That's the trouble.
What?
Poor guy just dropped dead.
Nothing out of the ordinary?
Bates?
Charlie Bates?
They found him in his apartment.
Say it.
No homicide.
Just stopped breathing.
George?
George, yeah...
I called and told him
about Honegger
before I left for
Clayborne's.
By the time
the police got there,
George had already left.
Oh, they'll find him, Bob.
Don't worry.
I'll be waiting for word about George.
Let me know.
Well, Bob, I see you followed
our wishes to the letter.
Come on, now.
I'll drive you home before
you catch pneumonia.
You three men made
a terrible contribution
to this town tonight,
whether you meant to or not.
I'm not going anywhere,
Uncle George.
I'm staying right here.
Well, I'll... I'll admit that, uh...
What with, uh, Charlie
and Bill going so suddenly...
Charlie and Bill and Henry
and lsham and Beth and Stu.
Stop looking at the map.
You're looking at it!
I'm looking at you.
And we're both waiting, aren't we, Uncle George?
Waiting to see if you escape.
Escape dying?
Nobody escapes that, my boy.
The only question is how long?
The only question is does a man die
in his own time or in the map's?
So far, everyone's
been forced to conform
to its schedule.
Everyone but you.
That puts me back on schedule.
My own schedule.
Well, if it makes you feel any better.
Let me tell you something...
From now on, if you want to see me,
you're going to have to
come down to the store.
I won't make another special trip
on your account.
The next time I see you, George,
we'll both be right here.
Desk.
Homicide.
Homicide.
This is Robert Kraft
out at Immortal Hills.
Clayborne speaking.
Lieutenant, my uncle just left here.
I think under the circumstances,
the least you could do
is put a man on
to watch over him,
no matter how ridiculous
the situation seems to you.
Thanks a lot, Mr. Kraft.
We'll take care
of it right away.
He's wearing an overcoat
over his robe and pajamas.
We put a description on the wire
quite some time ago.
Then, you do think
there's danger.
Sergeant, Kraft, George M.,
driving East on Bunker Hill.
Probable destination,
Manor Apartments...
We'll have your uncle
safe and sound
in 10 minutes, Mr. Kraft.
You'll hear from me.
Are you sure your uncle
was out there tonight?
You didn't just think
you saw him?
I told you he just left here.
That was two hours ago
and no sign of him anyplace.
I put out an all-points
after the first hour.
He's not on the road,
and he's not home.
Hold the wire, lieutenant.
You better come out, lieutenant.
He's still here.
O, where have you
been all the day?
Randal, my son
o, where have you
been all the day?
Andy!
Someone
I been out huntin', mother
I been out huntin', mother
make my bed soft, mother
make my bed soon
for I'm sick...
Andy!
McKee, I'm gonna
burn that stuff
in the greenhouse
if this heater doesn't
work by tonight.
Bobby, it took a whole
lifetime of collection
for me to get
the whole caboodle here.
And see here, you haven't
even touched your food.
Man, you've got to eat
if you want to keep above the ground.
Ah, lights for me, Bobby.
Of course, I cannot answer
for what happens after sundown.
Better wait in the car.
Irresistible, huh?
Aren't I crazy?
Completely.
I'll never change, I'm afraid.
Annie, uh, I'll see you later?
Bob, please.
I take it back.
What?
That day in the car...
I did see you,
and I did hear you.
I really did.
I should never have denied it.
It's all right, Annie.
I'll see you later.
Do you have a party
named Jacob Mittel
someplace on the map?
M-i-t-t-e-l.
The importer? Sure.
You know him?
Yeah.
We contact the French
designers through Mittel.
As a matter of fact,
he's in Paris now.
Better strike him out.
Jay?
Go ahead.
How did he die?
He isn't dead.
At least, not yet.
I know what you're
thinking, Mr. Kraft.
You're thinking
that we tricked you
into killing Jacob Mittel.
Well, you're 100 percent right,
so try to relax, huh?
This one's on the police.
You see, Jacob Mittel's
in the prime of life.
No previous major
illnesses, no record,
life expectancy exceptionally good.
He's in Paris with
all that ocean water
to protect him from this mess.
Up until now,
all the deaths
have been confined
to the local area.
If it strikes somebody
on another continent,
then, we've really
found something.
I knew I should have
gotten rid of those
pins four days ago.
Even the map.
The whole thing. Out!
What I want to know
is what are you
going to tell the
District Attorney
is responsible for these deaths?
We gave this case a real
full-dress investigation,
Mr. Kraft.
Questioned you and
all the other suspects
and witnesses until
the point of comedy.
Found nothing.
No motive, no opportunity,
no suspect, no crime, no weapon.
Except seven pins went in...
And the seven people died.
Not one... seven.
Who put in those pins?
You did. All seven.
Other chairmen and so on
have been putting pins
in that map for years
and nothing happened.
But... with me...
It isn't impossible for
a certain kind of man
to be endowed with powers
that nobody had ever
dreamed he could have.
A lot of scientists claim that.
Maps and pins can't kill alone,
the power of a human brain
has to be behind them.
Like in the Indies,
I guess.
Those voodoo dolls
you hear about.
Witch doctor sticks
pins in the thing
until the guy in question
is jinxed into dying.
Of course, I...
I know you didn't mean
to kill anybody.
I have to get back.
You'll hear from me
the minute we get word.
I think I best be
running along, too.
Bob...
I think so.
I destroyed them.
Something in me killed them.
Something in me...
But I... I couldn't refuse the job.
[Scoffs]
Not a man with my reasoning power.
Power...
If I have the power of death
using the black pins...
Then I must have
the power of life
using the white ones.
[Rumbling]
[Rumbling]
This is the cemetery.
That's right.
This is Rosemond Mittel.
Rosemond, I don't... yes.
Can't you hear me?
This is Rosemond Mittel, Jay's wife.
Rosemond. Yes.
I... just received a cable, Bob.
Can't you hear me?
You just received a cable
from Paris, France.
That's right.
I'll read it again.
"Regret to inform you,
Jacob W. Mittel died in
Hotel Royale."
"Body awaits disposition."
"Signed, American embassy,
Paris, France."
That's right. He died there.
Died in Paris, France.
Died.
Jacob W. Mittel.
Impossible.
Impossible.
He cannot be dead.
What? What?
You still think that
thing's the killer?
Or your own puny power, Mr. chairman?
The only power you
or that map ever had
was me, so as far as killing goes...
You... you marked them
for death, Mr. chairman,
but who did the deed?
Andrew McKee.
Oh, Andy, why?
You and your high and
mighty committee,
turning out a man with
40 years of service
on the grounds.
40 years.
I told you, Andy, a full pension.
It isn't a cash that
keeps a man going, lad,
what keeps his feet
on the ground,
and keeps him on the job
till the Lord makes him quit.
The Lord...
But nobody else.
This is my house, my lands,
my activities.
Aye, we come a long dark road
to put this gun to your head, Bob.
Andy, we never tried
to take anything
away from you.
Aye. I made sure of that.
I snuck up on each one
of them in turn
when they was alone
and held them fast,
like so, until they went.
Aye, even big old
George, your uncle,
left as easy as a baby.
Mittel?
That doesn't explain
what happened to Mittel.
Mittel's dead.
Will you stop that
confounded talk, man?
That map's naught
but a doodad, you fool.
There's nothing to fear here.
That map.
Andy, talk about
something else, quick.
It's important.
You're finished with talking.
Finished you are,
with maps, and pins...
Black and white.
Talk about
something else, I said.
It's important.
Right now.
Talk about anything else.
Now!
Why?
Because I caused you
to kill those people.
Andy, you better get
this straight right now.
You heard that lieutenant.
It's possible for some people
to have things inside them
that make other things happen.
Nothing is impossible
for a man like that
if he thinks about it hard enough.
I know you, Andy...
You're no killer.
I made you do it.
You thought me
into killing them?
Then they could
all be back.
Andy, I never knew it.
How do you
account for that?
That noise.
Can't you hear it?
Andy. Andy, stop.
There's nobody.
They could all be back.
They could all be back.
St0p!
Kraft,
don't let them get inside.
They're coming.
You shouldn't have stuck
in them white pins, Bobby,
but now it's too late.
Too late.
I only killed five.
You gave me only five.
Not the young Drexel couple.
Go away. Go away.
Leave me alone.
Go away. Go.
Save me, Bobby.
He's dead, lieutenant.
All right, forget
the normal procedure.
Get him out of here.
Exhibit A.
He really didn't need it.
They died of fright
first, just like he did.
You're forgetting
about those seven trips
to the mausoleum, lieutenant.
Seven bodies, seven trips.
They helped.
Lieutenant, uh...
Jacob Mittel, uh, died in Paris?
No, that was a plant,
Mr. Kraft. Mittel's all right.
Sorry we had to
put you through this,
but it was the best way
to make McKee
come out in the open.
Uh, Mrs. Mittel stayed up
all night at headquarters
waiting for us to call in.
Our radio car is posted just outside.
We signaled her to phone you
and tell you that lie
about her husband.
Am I getting through
to you, Mr. Kraft?
Well, not quite yet.
We watched him, Bob.
He actually managed to...
unearth all seven of them.
Wonder what got into him.
It was those white pins.
It was.
Oh.
- Annie, I've lost my overcoat.
- Hmm?
Oh, where?
Which one?
I'll get it.
No, never mind.
I think I can find it myself.
Welcome, sir.
Welcome to the Immortal Hills.
Thank you.
It's all by way of making you feel
right at home, Bobby.
Mr. chairman.
Come along, sir.
After you.
This is your place now, you know?
Of course, it isn't as if you
was any stranger here, Bob.
Yes, but somehow this place
all looks different to me,
like I never saw it before.
Well, maybe I never had to.
It's cold as an icebox in here.
Oh, that thing hasn't
worked in years.
Cement halls, the wet,
you know...
Makes the air a wee bit crisp, you see.
Won't bother you none
once you get down to work.
Well, I'm not sworn in yet.
Oh, that's only for show, sir.
Now, let me see if I've got the list
of committee men right.
First, chairman Robert Kraft, yourself.
Now Mr. Honegger, treasurer,
your uncle George, secretary,
and, of course,
Mr. Trowbridge and Mr. Bates,
making five in all, right?
Right.
You canna find me at any time.
My dwelling's straight across the boulevard,
opposite the gate.
Makes it nice, living so close to my work.
Now, would you like to see the sights, sir,
give the roof a chance to catch the heat?
Hmm.
If you care to make a tour,
it's a bit warmer outside.
That's quite a map.
Oh, yes, sir, that's a map
of the entire cemetery
down to the wee-est speck of dust.
Here we are, and here's
my shed with the rose stone,
and there's the gate
you come in.
Certainly kept it up to date,
there's the new mausoleum
on here, already.
Aye. Oh, yes, sir.
This map's going to be
a big help to you, Bobby.
Suppose you got a customer
and you want to know
what ground we can show him,
this is where the map comes in.
One look, and quick as a wink,
you know who's where and what's what.
It's them pins that makes it so easy.
The black ones stand for
the ones that is already there,
and the white ones for them as has made
their arrangements
for the future.
Now, for example,
here's my place.
Lovely, isn't she, Bob?
There.
Sun in the morning, but, eh, gets those trees
to give shade in the afternoon heat.
McKee, you've been on
this job now, 40 years, right?
Aye.
Well, I guess
the committee's right,
it's high time we retired you.
Nothing to worry about,
full pension.
You'll draw the same
check every month.
I'm to be paid for nothing from now on?
No, you're to be paid
for 40 years of devotion,
and that's something.
Anyone in mind to replace you?
Oh, aye, uh, why I hadn't a given it
much thought, sir,
but, uh, why?
There must be plenty of young
and hard-muscled toughs
who would give
their eyeteeth for my shoes.
It's a lovely place to work.
You're outside
near Mother Earth.
Well, let me know if, uh,
you find somebody, huh?
Oh, aye, I will.
Yes, sir, that's quite a map.
Pardon me, sir.
I just wanted to show you
where we keep this,
in case of emergencies.
No need to worry, though,
we haven't had none, yet.
Oh, you expecting visitors, sir?
No, but that sounds like Stu Drexel.
Oh, aye!
Drexel and pretty Beth Ferris.
I heard they was promised.
Looks like they're hitched.
She finally caught me, Bob.
Bethie, many happy
returns of the clay.
Stu, that's a great place
you picked for a honeymoon.
Oh, marriage has
made me conservative.
How 'bout it, Mrs. D.?
Can I carry you
over the threshold?
I still don't think it's so very funny.
I think it's positively awful,
if you really want
to know the truth.
Aw, Bethie, don't be that way.
What's the trouble?
How would you like to get a cemetery plot
for a wedding gift?
Now, Bethie, you know pop
never meant it for a present.
It's just a formal legal sort of thing.
You see, dad left part of my inheritance
in trust for when I got married.
One of the provisions was that
myself and my wife
had first-class accommodations
here at the Immortal Hills.
Doesn't cost us a cent,
but we have to buy the plots
before the bank will let me have the cash.
You know dad,
he never did consider me
much on responsibility.
He was a very smart man.
Oh, aye, that he was.
And though a bonny bride
should have her thoughts
far from doom, it's a lucky girl
whose father-in-law provides
from the beyond
for her future.
Isn't he sweet?
Thanks, Scotty.
Bob, give us a couple near the old man, will ya?
And call Owens at the bank
in the morning
so I can cash a check.
I don't think it's funny at all.
From the last administration, sir.
Folks get a wee bit rocky when
they come out here, sometimes.
Best to be prepared.
Down the hatch.
- Thank you.
- Mm.
Oh, over here, that's where the Drexel bunch is.
Ah, it'll get so you'll love it out here, Bobby.
It's a fine and green and lovely place.
A fine place to slip away
from the cares of the world.
Slip away and live a wee bit.
"As retiring chairman of the Immortal Hills
Cemetery management committee... "
- George, I haven't got...
- Sh!
"It is now my very great
pleasure to announce...
- I don't even...
- Sh!
The appointment
of Robert Kraft,
president of Kraft
Department Store... "
Now, George, don't shush me.
You railroaded me into this.
Now, wait a minute, Bob.
It's your turn.
Last year was his turn.
The year before, it was mine.
Nobody refuses to take
the chairmanship.
Pardon us, Henry.
"President of Kraft
Department Store... "
Why?
Why?
Nobody ever has.
It's just not done, son.
Well, can you give me one good reason
why I should take over
the management
of a whole big cemetery
when I'm up to my neck in my own business?
"As retiring... "
Hold it. Of course I can.
Tradition, particularly for us Krafts.
You always harp on dignity, honor, prestige.
Well, how do you
think we got it?
Because your great grandfather,
your grandfather,
and your father served on
every community project,
board, and committee that was ever created.
They served for free.
But they did it for business.
That's what a fine family has
to do in this town.
And you can't refuse to do it
without losing a lot of respect
from our customers.
And another thing...
It's just not done.
Well, pass me over
till next year.
I'm up to my ears.
Bob, do you realize
you're talking about
only a few hours a month,
at the most?
McKee, the caretaker, handles everything.
All you do is show up
once a week
and sign the checks.
- It's getting late, George...
- Proceed, Henry.
Raise your right hand.
Well, what about Bill Honegger?
Raise your right hand.
"Do you, Robert Kraft,
swear to discharge the duties
and responsibilities of this office
faithfully and completely,
to the utmost of your abilities?"
I do.
Congratulations, Bob.
See ya.
- So long, Henry.
- Thanks, Mr. Trowbridge.
Thank you, Uncle George.
Uh, okay, Miss Lane,
you can put through his calls now.
Thank you, Mr. Watson.
I'll ring him for you now.
Hello.
There's a guy named Watson
on the phone, says it's urgent.
- Do you know him?
- Of Olds and Watson?
Of Olds and Watson, you know.
Oh, the undertaker. Swell.
Hello.
Well, thank you very much, Mr. Watson.
I'll do the best job I can.
Yes, sir.
Aw, you're kidding.
Well, sir, uh, don't worry about it.
I'll take care of it myself.
I'll be there within an hour.
Yes, sir, thank you.
Well, what about this ad?
Have to wait, I'm sorry.
Well, now, call McKee.
You don't have to go up there every time.
This is different.
Somebody prominent?
Stu Drexel and his wife.
Stu and Bethie?
No.
Hi.
Hi, Jess.
McKee, this is Mr. Jessup
of The Milford Herald.
Hi. Jessup, Jessup...
Oh, the West Slope,
between the Pattersons and the Finleys.
What else is new?
You were my big news for the day.
"Asked about plans
for the coming year,
Kraft revealed the Immortal Hills will install
a drive-in bar to stimulate additional trade."
I'm stuck with the obituary detail.
Boy, it's cold in here.
McKee, let's get that heat on
no later than tomorrow, huh?
We'd better get ready
for the interment.
Aye, that'll be done, sir.
And you better change the Drexel pins,
black instead of white.
Oh, they already
got black pins, sir.
Oh? Who changed them?
Well, now, the last I remember
was the very day
they come out here
to give you the order,
and you stuck in two pins.
Yeah, I guess that's right.
I must have picked up the wrong color.
Hmm?
Oh, nothing, it's just a little weird, that's all.
What?
Well, the kids came out here
right after they tied the knot,
and they bought a couple of plots.
Stu was complying with
some technicality in his trust.
And it was all very cute.
We had a couple of laughs,
and afterwards,
I jabbed two pins in the map...
White pins, I thought,
just to make it official.
Now I hear today they've been killed,
and the map's had them on
the blacklist all the time.
Okay, so what?
Oh, nothing, it just made me
feel a little eerie,
that's all.
I think he means
he marked the young couple
for death, sir.
Yeah, I guess that was it.
That must have been
the feeling I had.
Boy, it's funny what'll go
through a guy's mind,
isn't it?
Do me a favor, McKee.
If he starts fooling around
with those pins again,
be sure he stays away from the West Slope,
between the Pattersons and the Finleys.
Indeed, I will, sir.
Hi, Annie.
What are you doing out here?
I had a luncheon date, but I was stood up.
I know a nice little place down the street.
I just might take
you up on that.
I won't hold my breath.
Oh.
George told me about Beth and Stuart,
and I just had to see you.
Made me think how lucky we are,
just to be alive and together.
Oh, Ann, this is Mr. McKee.
This is Miss Craig, my fiance, Andy.
- How do you do?
- Miss.
Would you be wanting me
for anything else, Bobby?
No, thanks, Andy.
Bob.
Hmm?
What's wrong?
Oh, nothing.
I'm just a little depressed, that's all,
but you'll take care of that.
Ann, I kept wishing we could
keep our appointment.
Oh, rendezvous, if you don't mind.
- Your gray flannel is showing.
- Yeah.
Actually, do you know what
made me turn around
and come here instead of going home?
Mm-mm.
Well, I was driving along, feeling rejected,
and then, all of a sudden,
I saw you very clearly in my mind.
Bob, it's just that you're too attractive.
After all, president of a department store
and in charge of the Immortal Hills?
Irresistible.
I saw you and I heard you.
"Lunchtime, Annie."
That's what you said, distinctly.
"Lunchtime, Annie"?
Well, I can do better than that, I hope.
Oh, you did.
You said...
"I want you, and I need you" and...
And a whole lot of lovely things
I'd be embarrassed to repeat.
Yeah.
You know, just about the time
you were seeing me,
I had you on my mind.
That's amazing.
No, I mean it.
And I don't blame you
for not wanting to repeat
what I was thinking.
Oh.
Darling, we'd better go to lunch.
Or get married.
Or I can just as easily join Jess
at that little spot
down the road he spoke of.
We regret the management
does not permit exchanges
once the merchandise
has been purchased.
Then I'll freshen up.
Immortal Hills, Kraft.
Hi, Carl.
No, terrible.
No, I'm sorry, the funeral's been
confined to the immediate family.
Yeah, all right, Carl.
I'll see you later.
No, not...
Oh, Ann, you're right.
What?
You're right.
We are lucky to...
Lucky to be alive and...
With each other.
Come on.
Hey, ho, nobody home
meat nor drink, nor money have I none
- still I will
Hey! Bobby!
Be happy
hey, ho...
Ah, I picked this Drexel stone for class.
Fine and rich and swirly.
I'm a granite man, myself.
Bobby!
Bobby, I've got a surprise for you...
You found your replacement.
Oh, well, no, no, not yet,
but I'm scouting the countryside.
This is far sweeter.
This is what I call getting things done.
Oh, McKee, you should
have been an executive.
Ah.
Hey, best take off your coat, Bobby.
You'll be getting overheated.
Fairly quiet this week, only one passing.
Now, if you'll just sign these.
Let's get rid of these flowers.
Oh, aye, they smell a wee bit sickly.
I was hoping to keep them
for the burial this afternoon.
Oh, you need much help?
Oh, no.
This is just an average funeral.
They don't come like the Drexel doings
every day, thank the Lord.
McKee, this bill for W. Isham, what's it for?
Why, he's the lad for this afternoon, Bobby.
Oh, no need to look so sad.
Will lsham was the same aged lad as me.
Oh, there's something that
I've been meaning to tell you.
Mighty queer it strikes me, Bob.
I went to the map just after we got the news
to change Will lsham's pin to black.
It was already black.
Looks like there might be something...
creepy about that map.
Changing pin colors,
without human assistance, no less.
I changed Mr. lsham's pin, Andy.
You... but, Bob, you haven't
been here since he died.
Jessup, please.
I know, I changed his pin
before he died, not after.
Jess, it's Bob Kraft.
Can you come over
here right away?
No, I'm at the cemetery.
That map's nothing
but an old piece of paper
hanging on the wall.
All you do when you
stick pins in it
is to make holes in the paper.
White pins, black
pins, safety pins,
it doesn't make
any difference, see?
Well, look, it's unfortunate
that it worked out this way,
but coincidences are
part of everyday life.
Some are funny,
some are pretty odd,
but this one isn't even good enough
to make the back page
of the shopping news.
That's all it is, Bob, coincidence.
Yeah.
You're right, Jess.
Thanks.
That's okay.
Sometime when I've tied
on a real head-bender,
you can do the same for me.
What's your trouble?
Well, nothing, but I've...
been through all this before.
The grass and the quiet...
and that sound.
I never knew what it was.
It's the sound of a name
being cut into a headstone.
Yeah, I've... I've heard
of people who thought
they'd been through
the same bit before
in their dreams.
I think it's even
happened to me.
What would you say if I told you
this happens to me regularly,
ever since I was a child,
sometimes as often as
every other week?
I'd say you were sensitive
or exaggerating.
"Third-floor sportswear...
$9,280 gross."
Compared to $8,500
at the same date last year.
Hmm.
Basement sportswears...
I'm gonna call Bates and Honegger
and Trowbridge right now
and tell them I'm quitting.
Don't worry, George.
Nothing drastic
will happen to the store.
My mind's made up.
You mean mixed up.
I've lived in Milford all my life,
and I can't remember any man
who ever let that place
get the better of him.
Why, when I was chairman,
I'll bet I stuck
the wrong colored pins
in that thing a dozen times.
If I ran out of one color,
I... I used the other.
You've only been down there
a couple of times.
George, I put black pins in the map
for the Drexel couple
the day they were killed.
Now, I didn't think
anything of it at the time.
And then I took a white
pin out of the map,
quite at random,
and I put a black pin in its place,
and today I find out
the old man it belonged to
died during the week.
Bob, that's terrible.
For Heaven's sake, Bob,
everybody loves a ghost story.
Where's your sense of humor?
You don't really believe
that stuff you're telling me,
do you?
No.
But I still think I may be learning
something about myself.
Where are you going?
Oh, I think I'll just take
a run out to the cemetery.
What for?
Sounds like it might be fun.
After all, I've been
trying to find some way
to wipe out our
competition for years.
Good night, George.
You want to take my car?
All right.
Won't be but a moment, sir.
Now, don't bother, McKee.
I think I've got it.
Oh, that'll be all, McKee.
Is everything all right, Bobby?
We'll see you later, Andy.
Well, the place hasn't changed a bit
since I was chairman.
A few more pins in the map.
Black ones.
White ones, too.
Sit down and relax, Bob.
I think I can get this whole thing
cleared up for you.
What are you gonna do?
I'm going to convince you
that there's nothing out here
for you to worry about.
George, let's forget this.
Uh, Bob.
I said I'm just going
to convince you.
Well, George,
suppose you took Henry
Trowbridge's white pin out
and put a black one in its place,
and tomorrow morning
he turned up dead.
There's not a chance.
Well, I know not a chance,
but suppose by some
weird coincidence,
it happened.
Now, it's happened to me
three times already.
I deal strictly in facts, son.
I don't go for this coincidence bunk.
But if Henry Trowbridge
even looks a little peaked tomorrow,
you can resign, and I'll back you up.
Now, Henry Trowbridge...
Let me see if I remember.
George, I just mentioned
Henry as an example.
Now, you're not gonna use him.
Why, Henry's as good
a choice as anybody,
considering he directly preceded you
as committee chairman.
Wait a minute, George.
You, uh, better let me put the pin in.
If you do the honors
and nothing happens,
it won't be quite as conclusive.
By all means, let's not diverge
from the established pattern.
But I'll have you know, I was no slouch
when it came to pinning
the tail on the donkey
when I was a kid.
Uh, no reflection on Henry.
Go ahead, Bob.
You better call Henry
and tell him what we did.
Eh, he'd only think we were kidding.
No, he'd believe you.
Then he'd call my physician,
and he'd reserve a nice,
quiet room for me
at Providence Hospital.
Let's keep this quiet, my boy.
Henry can't complain.
After all, if his term had
run a week or so longer,
he might be having
the willies instead of you.
Hello?
Hello, Mrs. Trowbridge,
this is Bob Kraft.
What are you doing up so late?
Uh, nothing serious.
Uh, I just meant to call Henry earlier,
and, uh, it slipped my mind.
Uh, put him on, will ya?
Oh, if he's watching a movie
and enjoying it,
uh, ask him to call me back
during the commercial.
No, no, Bob.
Just hold on, and I'll get him.
He's upstairs reading in bed,
but I'm sure he's not asleep.
Well, I hate to disturb him.
You just hold the wire, Bob.
Hello, Henry?
Oh, he's...
He's not breathing, Bob.
I've got to call a doctor.
I understand.
I'll hang up right away.
I'm... terribly sorry.
Hey, ho, nobody home
meat nor drink, nor money...
Wait here. This won't take long.
Morning!
How do you do, sir?
Well, I don't understand it.
Jess said he'd be here in 20 minutes.
I'm sure he's on his way...
Lieutenant Clayborne.
So that's it, huh?
Sure big enough.
There are the black pins, eh?
We're, uh,
particularly concerned with these four.
Isham, and the Drexel couple
and now Trowbridge.
Let me get this straight, Mr. Kraft.
You say that every time
you stick a black pin in the map,
people turn up dead?
That's right.
Well, go ahead, lieutenant.
You think I'm a crackpot,
and I hope you're right.
I just want to prove it
beyond a reasonable doubt.
"Stuart and Elizabeth Drexel,
D.O.A., emergency receiving hospital,
result of highway collision."
"William lsham, cause of death...
cerebral hemorrhage."
"Henry Trowbridge... coronary thrombosis."
Well, the rule is this...
Where no evidence of homicide exists
on initial investigation,
the matter will be dropped.
Investigated and found nothing.
Sorry.
Jessup.
What's new?
Or should I say, real?
Nothing like murder,
if that's what you're after.
I'm sorry Bob saw fit to
disturb you, lieutenant.
No harm done.
What do you make of it, Jess?
I keep telling him it's just coincidence.
Yeah.
If I were you, Mr. Kraft,
I'd take a week or two off,
take it easy.
You'll forget all about it.
If you're gonna use this story,
kindly refrain from
mentioning my name.
I know.
Lieutenant Clayborne,
with an "e" on the end.
Boy...
Didn't think four deaths
could appear so flimsy
to a policeman.
You never should have called the police.
Clayborne's one of the best.
Any other guy might have looked
for a big, heavy book to throw at you.
Yeah, maybe you're right.
On the other hand,
maybe that thing's dangerous.
Really dangerous.
Or maybe the element
of danger is in a man.
In me.
Bob.
Is there something
different about me, Jess?
I'm really beginning to wonder.
Hey, buddy, if there is
anything to this map bit,
don't go blaming it
on nameless forces.
Maybe somebody's
trying to scare you.
Could be you got
an enemy or two?
Somebody using
your desk, George?
Oh, he came in to keep
me company, darling.
That was very sweet of him.
Oh, darling, you must be dead tired.
I'm all right, Ann.
- No sleep, and then to have to go back
out there again...
- I'm all right!
There's no crime in needing a good rest.
George, I've got
some correspondence
to take care of.
I've already taken
care of your mail.
And I took the liberty of
making reservations for you.
Flight 33 leaving for Miami at 5:45.
My pal, Sanford, owns
one of the finest hotels
on the beach...
George, thanks, anyway.
There's nothing I'd rather do,
but I can't possibly go now.
Bob, I gave you my word
that if anything
happened to Henry,
you could resign.
I talked to Charlie and Bill Honegger,
and they understand completely.
It's all fixed, son.
The situation's changed.
Until this thing's cleared up,
I'm not about to resign.
Oh.
Now, will you tell the others?
Ask them to meet me here
in my office,
7:30 tonight.
It's awfully short notice.
The committee can't just
ignore what's happened.
I guess you're right.
Darling.
Ann, I'm sorry.
- I didn't mean to snap at you.
- Oh.
Now, why can't you resign?
Well, because...
Well, possibly something real, unreal...
I don't know...
is waiting to kill one of us
every time I jab a
black pin into that map.
Bob, if you're talking
about Henry Trowbridge,
the poor man died
of a heart attack.
Heart disease is the country's
number one killer.
Maybe not in Milford.
Oh, Bob, you can't
mean that that map
is literally killing people?
No, Ann, maybe it isn't the map.
Well...
What about the other day?
You saw me, you heard me...
"Lunchtime, Annie.
I want you. I need you."
Bob, I was obviously
trying to bring a little...
a little romance
into our very dull
and dismal lives.
No, Ann, don't try
to deny it now.
I do deny it!
Bob, I love you. I'm...
I'm not in any sort of
occult thrall to you.
Hey.
Can't you take a joke?
All right, then, I was lying, too.
Does that bring you
back to reality again?
Bob?
I think we better
take advantage of...
of those plane tickets.
George's Mr. Sanford
could be best man.
The offer's awfully attractive.
I love you so much.
Ann, if you're gonna cry,
do it someplace else.
Now, Bob, it's real simple.
We're willing to play ball with you.
If you want to remain
chairman of this committee,
we wouldn't think of
trying to dissuade you,
because we have
confidence in you.
Full confidence.
All the confidence
in the world, Bob.
Now, all we want before
we break this up
is a promise from you,
Mr. chairman,
that before you turn in tonight,
you'll go out to the cemetery...
Now, let me finish.
You'll go out there
and change my white pin to black,
and Charlie's and George's.
Just as simple as that.
And then go home and go right to bed.
No, sir.
You're not the committee, Bob.
You're only our chairman with a duty
to carry out the will of the majority.
We feel that you should do as Bill said,
because it'll put an end to this business
once and for all.
Otherwise, we'll
do the resigning
right here and now.
Well, let me sleep on it.
Let's all sleep on it.
I don't think you people realize
what might be involved here.
Motion defeated, tonight.
Well, your devotion
to the principle of majority rule
moves me deeply.
Okay.
Then, good night.
All right, Charlie.
Here goes nothing, George.
Who is it?
It's me, Bobby. Open up.
I seen your car lights
from my window
driving through the gate,
so I come a runnin'.
You needn't have
bothered, McKee.
You put in a full day already.
Now, I'll see you tomorrow.
No, no, no.
B... Bobby, please,
Bobby, listen.
When you locked and bolted this place,
I said to myself,
"Now, there's a man
who knows his business."
That's what I said.
"He may not know everything,
what's behind it,
but he knows when
a thing's to be fooled with
and when it's to be left alone."
"There's nothing to fear
with a man like Bobby Kraft
at the wheel,"
that's what I said.
Well, that's fine.
Now, you run along home
and don't worry about a thing.
Nothing's going
to happen to you.
N... no. Please.
Bobby, lock this door again
and send yourself home,
or else, who can answer
for what may happen
to the whole miserable lot of us?
It'll have to be open sometime.
If I don't do it, they'll get
somebody who will.
Now, good night, Andy.
Good night.
Andy, go home.
[Picks up phone.]
Hello?
Is this the Immortal Hills Cemetery?
What do you want, Jess?
Bob?
Why didn't you answer me?
I've been looking
all over town for you.
I'm calling from your place now.
What are you doing
at the cottage again?
Haven't you had
enough for one day?
Jess, I think I've done
something terribly wrong.
For the love of Pete,
what are you talking about?
Well, we had a meeting
of the cemetery committee
after closing tonight.
Bill Honegger, Charlie Bates,
and George, everybody.
And they voted to make me
come out here to the cemetery
and stick black pins in the map
for each of them,
just like it was some
kid's nightmare.
So I did it.
Jess, there's a black
pin in that map
for Charlie Bates and Bill Honegger
and George.
And if anything happens to them,
to any of them,
it's my fault, nobody else's.
Nothing's going to happen
to them, Bob.
As a matter of fact, I think
they did you a big favor.
I've never heard
of a coincidence
involving three people
dying all at once.
By tomorrow at this time,
this whole big worry of yours
will be nothing
but a lot of hot air.
Yeah.
Well, I hope you're right, Jess.
I guess there's
nothing for me to do
but see this thing through, huh?
I think I'll check on 'em myself and see...
Bob?
Bob?
Honegger, Bates, and George.
Six-six-six.
Desk.
Lieutenant Clayborne, please.
Homicide.
This is homicide,
Sergeant Greer.
Uh, Lieutenant Clayborne, please.
Not here. Can I take a message?
Sergeant, uh, this is, uh, Bob Kraft,
Kraft Department Store.
Oh, sure. Wait a second.
Wait a second, and I'll check.
Uh, Mr. Kraft, are you
calling on police matters,
or is it just
something personal?
Well, uh, it's a little
bit of both, sergeant.
Try him at Adams,
one-three-one-one.
Thank you.
Adams, one-three-one-one.
Adams, one-three-one-one.
Adams, one-three-one-one.
Bill Honegger, Adams,
one-three-one-one.
Adams one...
- Desk.
- Get me Homicide.
Yes, sir.
Homicide.
This is Bob Kraft speaking.
I can't get through to that Adams number.
So?
Clayborne's at that number,
and it's imperative
that I speak to him right now.
Well, sir, uh...
Just a second, sir.
I think he's reporting
in on another line.
I've been trying get you,
but your lines are busy.
Hang up, and I'll call
you back right away.
Something happened
to Bill Honegger?
Hello?
It's Jess, Bob.
Jess, uh, I'm expecting
a call from Clayborne.
He, uh... hang up, call me
back in 10 minutes.
Clayborne's with me.
Let me talk to him.
He's not here now. He's...
What's wrong, Jess?
Bill Honegger's dead.
Soon as I found out,
I routed Clayborne
out of the sack
and filled him in
on the whole wild story.
We were over at Honegger's
in 10 minutes
with two squad cars detailed
to cover Charlie Bates
and your uncle.
How did Honegger get it?
He didn't.
That's the trouble.
What?
Poor guy just dropped dead.
Nothing out of the ordinary?
Bates?
Charlie Bates?
They found him in his apartment.
Say it.
No homicide.
Just stopped breathing.
George?
George, yeah...
I called and told him
about Honegger
before I left for
Clayborne's.
By the time
the police got there,
George had already left.
Oh, they'll find him, Bob.
Don't worry.
I'll be waiting for word about George.
Let me know.
Well, Bob, I see you followed
our wishes to the letter.
Come on, now.
I'll drive you home before
you catch pneumonia.
You three men made
a terrible contribution
to this town tonight,
whether you meant to or not.
I'm not going anywhere,
Uncle George.
I'm staying right here.
Well, I'll... I'll admit that, uh...
What with, uh, Charlie
and Bill going so suddenly...
Charlie and Bill and Henry
and lsham and Beth and Stu.
Stop looking at the map.
You're looking at it!
I'm looking at you.
And we're both waiting, aren't we, Uncle George?
Waiting to see if you escape.
Escape dying?
Nobody escapes that, my boy.
The only question is how long?
The only question is does a man die
in his own time or in the map's?
So far, everyone's
been forced to conform
to its schedule.
Everyone but you.
That puts me back on schedule.
My own schedule.
Well, if it makes you feel any better.
Let me tell you something...
From now on, if you want to see me,
you're going to have to
come down to the store.
I won't make another special trip
on your account.
The next time I see you, George,
we'll both be right here.
Desk.
Homicide.
Homicide.
This is Robert Kraft
out at Immortal Hills.
Clayborne speaking.
Lieutenant, my uncle just left here.
I think under the circumstances,
the least you could do
is put a man on
to watch over him,
no matter how ridiculous
the situation seems to you.
Thanks a lot, Mr. Kraft.
We'll take care
of it right away.
He's wearing an overcoat
over his robe and pajamas.
We put a description on the wire
quite some time ago.
Then, you do think
there's danger.
Sergeant, Kraft, George M.,
driving East on Bunker Hill.
Probable destination,
Manor Apartments...
We'll have your uncle
safe and sound
in 10 minutes, Mr. Kraft.
You'll hear from me.
Are you sure your uncle
was out there tonight?
You didn't just think
you saw him?
I told you he just left here.
That was two hours ago
and no sign of him anyplace.
I put out an all-points
after the first hour.
He's not on the road,
and he's not home.
Hold the wire, lieutenant.
You better come out, lieutenant.
He's still here.
O, where have you
been all the day?
Randal, my son
o, where have you
been all the day?
Andy!
Someone
I been out huntin', mother
I been out huntin', mother
make my bed soft, mother
make my bed soon
for I'm sick...
Andy!
McKee, I'm gonna
burn that stuff
in the greenhouse
if this heater doesn't
work by tonight.
Bobby, it took a whole
lifetime of collection
for me to get
the whole caboodle here.
And see here, you haven't
even touched your food.
Man, you've got to eat
if you want to keep above the ground.
Ah, lights for me, Bobby.
Of course, I cannot answer
for what happens after sundown.
Better wait in the car.
Irresistible, huh?
Aren't I crazy?
Completely.
I'll never change, I'm afraid.
Annie, uh, I'll see you later?
Bob, please.
I take it back.
What?
That day in the car...
I did see you,
and I did hear you.
I really did.
I should never have denied it.
It's all right, Annie.
I'll see you later.
Do you have a party
named Jacob Mittel
someplace on the map?
M-i-t-t-e-l.
The importer? Sure.
You know him?
Yeah.
We contact the French
designers through Mittel.
As a matter of fact,
he's in Paris now.
Better strike him out.
Jay?
Go ahead.
How did he die?
He isn't dead.
At least, not yet.
I know what you're
thinking, Mr. Kraft.
You're thinking
that we tricked you
into killing Jacob Mittel.
Well, you're 100 percent right,
so try to relax, huh?
This one's on the police.
You see, Jacob Mittel's
in the prime of life.
No previous major
illnesses, no record,
life expectancy exceptionally good.
He's in Paris with
all that ocean water
to protect him from this mess.
Up until now,
all the deaths
have been confined
to the local area.
If it strikes somebody
on another continent,
then, we've really
found something.
I knew I should have
gotten rid of those
pins four days ago.
Even the map.
The whole thing. Out!
What I want to know
is what are you
going to tell the
District Attorney
is responsible for these deaths?
We gave this case a real
full-dress investigation,
Mr. Kraft.
Questioned you and
all the other suspects
and witnesses until
the point of comedy.
Found nothing.
No motive, no opportunity,
no suspect, no crime, no weapon.
Except seven pins went in...
And the seven people died.
Not one... seven.
Who put in those pins?
You did. All seven.
Other chairmen and so on
have been putting pins
in that map for years
and nothing happened.
But... with me...
It isn't impossible for
a certain kind of man
to be endowed with powers
that nobody had ever
dreamed he could have.
A lot of scientists claim that.
Maps and pins can't kill alone,
the power of a human brain
has to be behind them.
Like in the Indies,
I guess.
Those voodoo dolls
you hear about.
Witch doctor sticks
pins in the thing
until the guy in question
is jinxed into dying.
Of course, I...
I know you didn't mean
to kill anybody.
I have to get back.
You'll hear from me
the minute we get word.
I think I best be
running along, too.
Bob...
I think so.
I destroyed them.
Something in me killed them.
Something in me...
But I... I couldn't refuse the job.
[Scoffs]
Not a man with my reasoning power.
Power...
If I have the power of death
using the black pins...
Then I must have
the power of life
using the white ones.
[Rumbling]
[Rumbling]
This is the cemetery.
That's right.
This is Rosemond Mittel.
Rosemond, I don't... yes.
Can't you hear me?
This is Rosemond Mittel, Jay's wife.
Rosemond. Yes.
I... just received a cable, Bob.
Can't you hear me?
You just received a cable
from Paris, France.
That's right.
I'll read it again.
"Regret to inform you,
Jacob W. Mittel died in
Hotel Royale."
"Body awaits disposition."
"Signed, American embassy,
Paris, France."
That's right. He died there.
Died in Paris, France.
Died.
Jacob W. Mittel.
Impossible.
Impossible.
He cannot be dead.
What? What?
You still think that
thing's the killer?
Or your own puny power, Mr. chairman?
The only power you
or that map ever had
was me, so as far as killing goes...
You... you marked them
for death, Mr. chairman,
but who did the deed?
Andrew McKee.
Oh, Andy, why?
You and your high and
mighty committee,
turning out a man with
40 years of service
on the grounds.
40 years.
I told you, Andy, a full pension.
It isn't a cash that
keeps a man going, lad,
what keeps his feet
on the ground,
and keeps him on the job
till the Lord makes him quit.
The Lord...
But nobody else.
This is my house, my lands,
my activities.
Aye, we come a long dark road
to put this gun to your head, Bob.
Andy, we never tried
to take anything
away from you.
Aye. I made sure of that.
I snuck up on each one
of them in turn
when they was alone
and held them fast,
like so, until they went.
Aye, even big old
George, your uncle,
left as easy as a baby.
Mittel?
That doesn't explain
what happened to Mittel.
Mittel's dead.
Will you stop that
confounded talk, man?
That map's naught
but a doodad, you fool.
There's nothing to fear here.
That map.
Andy, talk about
something else, quick.
It's important.
You're finished with talking.
Finished you are,
with maps, and pins...
Black and white.
Talk about
something else, I said.
It's important.
Right now.
Talk about anything else.
Now!
Why?
Because I caused you
to kill those people.
Andy, you better get
this straight right now.
You heard that lieutenant.
It's possible for some people
to have things inside them
that make other things happen.
Nothing is impossible
for a man like that
if he thinks about it hard enough.
I know you, Andy...
You're no killer.
I made you do it.
You thought me
into killing them?
Then they could
all be back.
Andy, I never knew it.
How do you
account for that?
That noise.
Can't you hear it?
Andy. Andy, stop.
There's nobody.
They could all be back.
They could all be back.
St0p!
Kraft,
don't let them get inside.
They're coming.
You shouldn't have stuck
in them white pins, Bobby,
but now it's too late.
Too late.
I only killed five.
You gave me only five.
Not the young Drexel couple.
Go away. Go away.
Leave me alone.
Go away. Go.
Save me, Bobby.
He's dead, lieutenant.
All right, forget
the normal procedure.
Get him out of here.
Exhibit A.
He really didn't need it.
They died of fright
first, just like he did.
You're forgetting
about those seven trips
to the mausoleum, lieutenant.
Seven bodies, seven trips.
They helped.
Lieutenant, uh...
Jacob Mittel, uh, died in Paris?
No, that was a plant,
Mr. Kraft. Mittel's all right.
Sorry we had to
put you through this,
but it was the best way
to make McKee
come out in the open.
Uh, Mrs. Mittel stayed up
all night at headquarters
waiting for us to call in.
Our radio car is posted just outside.
We signaled her to phone you
and tell you that lie
about her husband.
Am I getting through
to you, Mr. Kraft?
Well, not quite yet.
We watched him, Bob.
He actually managed to...
unearth all seven of them.
Wonder what got into him.
It was those white pins.
It was.
Oh.
- Annie, I've lost my overcoat.
- Hmm?
Oh, where?
Which one?
I'll get it.
No, never mind.
I think I can find it myself.