Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964) s01e14 Episode Script

Move in.
Move in.
He'll get away.
- Aren't we too close as it is? - No, no.
We've got to get the harpoon in his back the moment he surfaces.
There.
He's coming to the surface.
Yes, and moving away.
Jimmy! Full throttle.
Come on, Son! Move! It's getting away.
Open it up.
Pour it on! Dad, we can't.
It's too dangerous.
We're too close.
Never mind! I'll handle it myself.
[Engine Rewing.]
Look at it! At least twice the size of any other whale that's ever been found.
Jimmy.
Hold her steady! Steady! - Are you recording? - Yes.
Audio.
[Heart Beating.]
- [Heartbeat Continues.]
- Listen.
The heartbeat of the biggest living thing on this planet.
[Man.]
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
Starring Richard Basehart David Hedison.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
Whales? Whales the Seaview's next mission.
Top-priority authorization just came through from Washington.
There must be a hundred regular whaling ships better equipped for this than the Seaview.
Why waste our time? Apparently Washington doesn't think it's a waste of time.
[Man On Intercom.]
Admiral.
- Nelson here.
- Dr.
Bryce is coming aboard.
Good.
Send him below.
"The Bryce Institute of Advanced Marine Research.
" Very impressive.
Walter Bryce is talent, authentic scientific talent.
He's a former student of mine brilliant.
He's now one of the world's foremost authorities on marine life.
- Admiral.
- [Murmurs.]
Ellen, I, uh I keep forgetting that now you're Dr.
Bryce too.
Now? Why, it's been 10 years.
- Ten years? - Mm-hmm.
- Can it possibly be as long as that? - Yes.
Oh.
Um, Ellen Bryce, Captain Crane.
- How do you do? - How do you do? The prettiest marine biology student that ever disrupted my classes.
They should never allow sailors to spend their sabbatical teaching in cooeducational universities.
- We're, uh, much too susceptible.
- [Chuckles.]
Harry, I must speak to you.
Walter will be here in just a minute and there are some things I have to tell you.
- Excuse me, Admiral.
Nice meeting you.
- I'm glad to have met you.
- Dr.
Bryce? - Yes.
- I'm Commander Crane.
- Captain.
Walter.
I had no idea.
- Your-Your letter said nothing about - [Exhales.]
And, Ellen, your son It was terrible.
When I heard about it, I wanted Please, Admiral.
We know you mean well but we've had a steady, nauseating diet of sympathy for the past six months.
But I interrupted you, didn't I? Please, go on with what you were saying.
You were telling the admiral something, weren't you, dear? Well Well, Walter knows how I feel about this trip.
I wish it could be postponed for a few months.
- He's just out of the hospital - And has a clean bill of health.
I'm almost a good insurance risk.
Now to the business at hand.
Somewhere here in the South Atlantic I happened on one of the great scientific finds of all times a huge a gigantic whale many times larger than any ever sighted before.
many times larger than any ever sighted before.
- Moby Dick? - Moby Dick was fiction, Captain.
This whale was very real.
The largest I've ever heard of was a sperm whale caught off the Bering Straits about, uh, 80 feet long.
- Oh, this whale is more than twice that size.
- That's incredible.
That would make it bigger than the largest dinosaur that ever lived.
It is probably the largest of its species ever to draw breath on this planet a vast storehouse of knowledge that must be unlocked.
Uh, Dr.
Bryce, do you have, uh, pictures of this giant whale? - Or a ship's log detailing all this.
- [Sighs.]
How about an eyewitness or two? Present company excluded.
I think Admiral Nelson will verify that we are scientists of some standing and not weekend fishermen bragging about the big one that got away.
You'll have to forgive Captain Crane, Walter.
Submarine commanders are a skeptical lot by nature.
Maybe so, but all this just doesn't seem like work for the Seaview.
Yours is the most powerful ship afloat.
We'll need every bit of power it has.
And it also doesn't sound like a cruise a woman should be taking.
I'm not going along on this trip to darn socks and to cook.
I've been assisting Walter in his research and experiments for many years now.
I assure you I'm very much an integral part of the mission.
Which is what? To get an electrocardiograph of the largest most powerful heart beating on this planet with this the core of the sending device which we planted in that whale.
[Heart Beating.]
[Heartbeat Continues.]
What were you, uh, gonna tell the good admiral when I walked in on you? Nothing to hurt you, Walter.
Believe me.
Oh, Walter, why did you have to do this endangering all these lives? They don't have any real idea of what they're getting into.
It doesn't matter.
Nothing really matters anymore.
- Nothing except that whale.
- You're talking nonsense! Am I? You can't deceive me.
We've been too close.
And you can't expect me to stand by and watch you destroy yourself.
Ellen, I am warning you.
Stay out of things that you do not understand! But I do understand.
Walter, I know what you're really after.
And I'm going to find a way to stop you.
- Stop me? - Yes.
I don't know how, but I'm going to stop you before you destroy everything.
That looks like an ordinary electrocardiograph machine.
Yes, it is.
We just made it bigger and stronger to record the extra electricity the whale's heart generates.
- Electricity? - Electricity, driving impulse it's all the same.
A mammalian heart expanding and contracting in a steady, unfaltering beat all of which we will record right here.
A heart that would nearly fill this room a heart that must weigh all of two or three tons.
And a heart that will still be beating just as strongly six months or a year from now.
Never tell a scientist to put off an experiment even for a day let alone six months or a year.
You've been married to Walter long enough to know that.
Yes, you would think so, wouldn't you? But you're still a bachelor, Admiral.
When you've been married as long as we have, you'll learn that [Scoffs.]
Well, you never really do learn about women, do you? See anything? Not even a medium-sized tuna let alone the granddaddy of all whales.
This is the captain.
Come to a new heading of 281 degrees.
All ahead one third.
I've just ordered a new course at 2-8-1 degrees.
Now, uh, here's our location.
We're in whaling waters now.
We'll be where your cruiser was wrecked at approximately Captain.
Contact bearing 1-7-1.
Range: 6,000 yards.
Mr.
Morton.
Do you see anything at bearing 1-7-1? [On Speaker.]
Aye, sir.
There she is.
[Exhales.]
It's not half the whale we're after.
Did you get a look at it, Lee? - It's one of the biggest whales I ever saw.
- Ours is twice that size.
These immense creatures their hearts pounding strongly enough to power hundreds of tons, and we're all courting heart attacks to power hundreds of tons, and we're all courting heart attacks when we get 15 or 20 pounds overweight.
I found a giant of the species.
Think of all that heart could tell us.
Think of all that knowledge out there waiting for us.
What do you mean waiting for us? The last time, just before its attack I was able to attach an electrode to it an electrode specially built for rugged underwater use.
It's probably sending out signals right now.
Sending out an E.
K.
G.
on the biggest heartbeat in the world.
Yes.
And when I record that E.
K.
G.
and evaluate it along with my other research There's no imagining the advances human heart research could make with this information.
Exactly.
[Morton On Speaker.]
There's a whaler coming up 3,000 yards off our port beam.
She's after that big one we just saw.
All right, Chip.
Keep an eye on it.
[Man Shouting In Spanish.]
That one might not be it, but there's a whaling fleet out there.
Your whale could be cut up in the hold of their factory ship right now.
No, it's not.
It can't be.
Sparks.
Raise the captain of that whaler.
I want to talk to him.
[Spanish.]
Preparen, apunten, ¡fuego.
! ¡Cuidado.
! Thank you, Captain.
Good hunting.
Your whale's still out there.
The captain says he spotted it a month or so ago due southwest.
He tried to get his crew to go after it, but they weren't having any part of it.
He said he couldn't blame them.
He's been whaling for more than 30 years and he never saw anything half its size before.
Now, here's where you saw it last.
Yes, a little over six months ago.
Here's approximately the position where the whaling fleet spotted it.
- [Walter.]
About 30 days ago.
- Whales are the same as all other mammals.
They They're creatures of habit.
They move in predictable patterns, the same as some of us do.
Yes.
Currents, past migrations, natural habitats they all have a bearing on the whale's pattern.
- They almost make it easy for you.
- Well, not exactly easy.
Well, we'll find it here, somewhere in this approximate area.
Mm-hmm.
Lee, set a course.
This is the captain.
Come to course 0-9-7.
I thought these, uh, nuclear submarines made better speed underwater.
I didn't think we were in a race.
You know, Lee, more speed wouldn't be a bad idea at that.
This is the captain.
Rig for underwater running.
I repeat.
Rig for underwater running.
- All right, Chip, dive the boat.
- Dive.
Make her depth 100 feet and keep her steady.
Mr.
Morton, all ahead two thirds when you reach 100.
- Make that all ahead full.
- All ahead full.
Walter? Look, it's not too late.
- Let's tell them to turn back.
- Turn back? - To what? The whole world is out there.
- Not for us.
What's happened has happened, and we can't change any of it.
The important thing now is to go on living, just the two of us.
I know what's driving you.
I've tried to fight it.
l-l I just don't know how.
But I do know I don't want to lose you too.
Oh, Walter, please, forget about the whale.
- Forget about it? - Yes.
Hunting it down isn't going to help anything.
He killed my son.
You want me to forget about that? Your son.
My son.
You're asking me to forget that he killed Jimmy? - It's just a dumb creature.
- He killed him! He's gonna pay for it! Why don't you put it in words? - You want the whale to pay for something you did! - No! - Yes.
Yes.
Admit it.
Say it out loud.
- No.
Listen to yourself.
Say it! It was you who kept driving us closer.
It was you who wanted to get closer to it! - It was you who killed Jimmy! - No! [Groans, Crying.]
[Whimpering.]
And And all the revenge in the world isn't going to change anything.
[Crying Continues.]
[Nelson On Speaker.]
Dr.
Bryce.
We're in its backyard within 20 miles of the last sighting of it.
[Sniffles.]
[Whimpers.]
We'll make contact on this heading.
I'm sure of it.
Steady as you go, Mr.
Morton.
- Soon.
Very soon now.
- [Man.]
I'm picking something up.
- [Pinging.]
- Range: 2,000 yards.
Bearing: 350.
- Take your heading from sonar, Mr.
Morton.
- Come to course 3-5-0.
- What's it sound like? - I don't know.
It's like nothing I've ever heard before and a lot bigger.
[Rapid Beeping.]
We're closing the distance very fast.
It should show up ahead of us any minute now.
Are you sure that electrode could still be transmitting? - Yes.
- Let's find out if it's your whale.
Sparks, pipe sonar through the system.
[Loud Heartbeat On Speaker.]
- [Heartbeat Continues.]
- Let's get to the observation towers.
Slow to one third.
At range 1,000, full stop.
[Loud Collision.]
- [Heartbeat Continues.]
- I take it all back.
There's nothing bigger than that.
We'll have to stay with him until his E.
K.
G.
is fully recorded.
We'll have to get some of that tranquilizer into it first.
Stand by, Chip.
I'll be right there.
- [Heartbeat Continues.]
- Ready at all stations.
Here we go, baby.
Open up, boys.
[Beeping.]
[Heartbeat Continues.]
Captain, it's changed course.
Coming ahead fast on a collision course.
- Right full rudder.
- Hard right rudder.
It's changed direction too.
Range: 1,500 yards.
And heading straight for us.
- Take evasive action.
- Left full rudder.
All ahead full.
Still on a collision course.
Prepare to fire.
Still dead ahead.
Range: 500 yards.
Hold her ahead and steady.
Pick it up on visual.
[Sonarman.]
250 yards.
Fire.
Collision.
Collision amidships.
Starboard side.
[Grunts.]
[Collision.]
Damage Control, report.
Report.
[Man On Speaker.]
Emergency power system now functioning.
Leaking badly in the forward torpedo room.
Also in Storage Hatches 3, 8, 12.
Anotherjolt like that one, and we've had it.
- You heard the man.
Let's get out of here.
- Right full rudder.
It's staying with us! It's gonna hit again! [Collision.]
[Man On Speaker.]
Secure all watertight hatches.
- We've lost trim.
! We're sinking.
! - [Crane.]
Damage Control, report.
! [Air Hissing In Chamber.]
- Curley, how does it look out there? - Not so good, Captain.
The emergency repair crew did as much as they could.
I hope it holds together for a quick trip to the nearest shipyard.
All right.
Thanks, Curley.
Chip, what's the latest from Damage Control? They plugged the forward leaks.
We can work up enough power to get to half speed.
The internal rib structure is as solid as a bowl of jelly.
They're still working on it.
We do any fast maneuvering, this old sub is gonna be the Sea and the View with both ends going in opposite directions.
- That bad, huh? - Worse.
Well, how does it feel getting pushed around by a fish? Fish? That's like saying Babe Ruth was just another baseball player.
- Where's the admiral? - I haven't seen him for a while.
He might be in his cabin.
Tell Navigation to start plotting a course for the nearest landfall.
Aye, aye, sir.
Navigation.
If you're looking for the admiral, I suggest you try the observation room.
- Thanks.
- Oh, Captain.
How are the repairs coming? As well as can be expected.
With luck, we should be able to make it back to port.
- To port? - To port.
But you can't.
This undersea mountain range we've fallen into it's the whale's natural habitat.
He's probably within a thousand yards of us right now.
Dr.
Bryce, this vessel's presently in no condition for any kind of simple maneuver let alone doing battle again with that monster whale of yours.
We're heading for the nearest port for repairs immediately.
As captain of this ship, it is my decision to make and mine alone.
I'd advise both you and Mrs.
Bryce to remain in your cabin until we're again safely under way.
- Mrs.
Bryce isn't in her cabin.
- Where is she? I thought I told you in the observation room.
This whole voyage is cloaked in this aura of respectability.
[Scoffs.]
For science.
- That's just what it's for.
- The Seaview is just an instrument.
And we're just pawns.
This trip is a vendetta a revenge against some dumb, unknowing beast.
Nonsense.
We're on the brink of a fantastic scientific achievement.
No.
You don't understand.
All he wants is revenge.
He doesn't care about heart research.
He doesn't care about anything, as long as he gets his revenge against that whale.
Even if that were true, the facts of the matter still remain we're right in the backyard of the biggest thing that ever lived on land or in the water.
- Please, you must - [Intercom Buzzes.]
- Nelson.
- [Man.]
They're still working on it, sir.
- Just stay with it.
- Harry, please, listen to me.
If you don't stop him, Walter will destroy everything.
Himself, you, me, the Seaview everything.
We still have rocket harpoons and more than enough nerve serum to paralyze it.
We're going to take a reading on that whale just as we set out to do.
I'm afraid not.
Admiral, I have to talk to you alone.
- Would you excuse us, please? - Yes.
Seaview's in no condition to continue.
I've ordered the crew to make ready to return to port.
Why didn't you consult me? Because I'm responsible for the safety of everyone aboard this ship.
Are you saying that I'm irresponsible? No, but Bryce is.
[Exhales.]
He's not thinking about science.
- He's thinking about himself.
- That's not true.
Admiral, we started out to do one thing and one thing only to help Bryce get a profile of that whale on an electrocardiograph.
In the process, we got badly damaged and we're just about ready to leak through every seam on this ship.
Now until we're repaired, we can't risk the life of everyone aboard.
We're so close.
We're right near the biggest thing that ever lived on this planet.
But don't lose sight of our mission.
We're not whalers.
Bryce came here to kill.
No.
He wants that research information for science.
- That's not true.
- It is! Maybe when we started out, but not now.
You're becoming just like him.
You want that whale almost as badly as he does.
- Have you read this? - Moby Dick? Every word of it.
I've been rereading it, and I've marked a passage here about Captain Ahab.
- I know all about Ahab.
- Read this.
[Sighs.]
"But be all this as it may "certain it is "that with the mad secret of his unabated rage bolted up and keyed in him "Ahab had purposely sailed upon the present voyage "with the one, only and all-engrossing object "of hunting the white whale.
"Had any of his old acquaintances on shore "but half dreamed of what was lurking in him then "how soon would their aghast and righteous souls "have wrenched the ship from such a fiendish man? "He was intent on an audacious, immitigable and supernatural revenge.
" I'm going to tell the crew to get under way.
[Door Opens, Closes.]
Chip, get a report from the work crew up forward.
We head out as soon as they finish tightening up that rib section.
Damage Control, this is the exec.
Give me a report on that rib section repair.
Walter.
- What do you think you're doing? - Let me go.
I may never get a chance at it again.
Please let me go.
You understand.
You're the only one who does.
I can see it in your face.
Let me go.
I have to go after him! You played me for a fool.
When I started this trip, I had visions of thousands of doors opening in heart research.
But you used us all just to kill that whale.
[Air Hissing In Chamber.]
[Water Rushing.]
[Mouthing Words.]
Damage Control says we're as ready as we'll ever be.
Two buts though half speed is as fast as we can go and only surface running.
Hmm.
All right, Chip.
Let's take her up.
Continue on course.
Ahead one third.
Give my compliments to the admiral and ask him if he'd like to join me on the flying bridge.
Aye, aye, sir.
[Groaning.]
- Sir.
- [Moans.]
Let me help you to sick bay.
I'll be all right, Chip.
I have to get to the control room.
Admiral.
What happened? I've been hit over the head with a gun butt.
- Walter Bryce isn't aboard.
- What? He's back down on the ocean floor.
Reverse course and tell the engine room I want all the speed they can make.
Take a position and put us back down on the ocean floor in exactly the same place we were in before.
Belay that.
Admiral.
Those repairs are just temporary.
Damage Control says they may not hold up against underwater pressure.
We'll just have to take the chance they will.
And possibly trade It's not just a life, Lee.
It's-It's a mind.
Walter Bryce is a brilliant man, a dedicated man.
Harry.
Walter Bryce is insane.
It isn't easy for me to say this, but I've seen this thing coming on him ever since our son was killed.
His brilliant mind is twisted and his whole life is warped with this unreasoning thirst for revenge.
[Exhales.]
Well, whatever he is, he's a human being.
Lee, bring this ship about.
No.
You can't risk the life of every man aboard to try to save Bryce's.
There's nothing left to save.
He's down there where he wants to be.
But you can't leave him down there to die whatever he is, whatever he's done.
With his intelligence and the information he has he might be able to save millions oflives.
Chip.
Reverse course.
Hard right rudder.
Attention.
This is the captain.
Dr.
Bryce is still back there on the ocean floor probably near our last underwater position.
He has absolutely no chance for survival unless we go back for him.
Now as you all know, the work crews have only been able to make temporary repairs on the weakened rib structure.
- You're tellin' us? - Oh, brother.
It's only right that I tell you the damage control officer has advised me that our present condition makes even the most routine diving operation extremely hazardous.
But we do have a chance of making it.
And as slim as it is it's a chance we'll have to take.
All right, Chip.
Dive the boat.
Depth: 100 feet.
[On Speaker.]
Depth200 feet.
- [Sighs.]
- Hey, Curley, I just remembered.
Here's the 20 I borrowed from you six months ago in Hong Kong.
Thanks.
Thanks a lot! Depth: 300 feet.
Admiral.
Contact? About 200 tons of it.
- How close? - Sparks, pipe sonar through the system.
[Heart Beating On Speaker.]
[Heartbeat Continues.]
Nose camera.
He's harpooned the whale.
He's completely mad.
- He's going up.
- Follow him.
- We can't keep up with him now.
- Try.
Blow all ballast tanks fore and aft.
Surface.
[Muffled Screaming.]
[Screaming Continues.]
He's trapped.
There's not a prayer of reaching him.
The whale will sound any second now.
When it does, that's the finish.
[Screaming.]
You mustn't blame yourself.
Such a waste.
It's a terrible waste.
He was a good man, a fine scientific mind.
His whole life before him all wasted.
I could've done more to stop it.
No one could have stopped it.
He was dead before he ever set foot on this ship.
I know that now.
It's almost as though he died the very first moment he saw that whale.