The Twilight Zone (1959) s01e24 Episode Script

[eerie music.]
(male narrator) THERE IS A FIFTH DIMENSION BEYOND THAT WHICH IS KNOWN TO MAN.
IT IS A DIMENSION AS VAST AS SPACE AND AS TIMELESS AS INFINITY.
IT IS THE MIDDLE GROUND BETWEEN LIGHT AND SHADOW, BETWEEN SCIENCE AND SUPERSTITION.
AND IT LIES BETWEEN THE PIT OF MAN'S FEARS AND THE SUMMI OF HIS KNOWLEDGE.
THIS IS THE DIMENSION OF IMAGINATION.
IT IS AN AREA WHICH WE CALL THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
YOU'RE LOOKING AT ACT ONE, SCENE ONE OF A NIGHTMARE, ONE NOT RESTRICTED TO WITCHING HOURS AND DARK, RAIN-SWEPT NIGHTS.
PROFESSOR WALTER JAMESON, POPULAR BEYOND WORDS, WHO TALKS OF THE PAS AS IF IT WERE THE PRESENT, WHO CONJURES UP THE DEAD AS IF THEY WERE ALIVE.
THE U N ION SOLDI ERS BU RN ED ATLANTA, BUT I ASSURE YOU, THEY TOOK NO PLEASURE IN THEIR WORK.
THEY WERE FORCED TO I BY A MAN THEY HATED MORE THAN THEY COULD EVER HATE THE REBELS.
AN UG LY, SU LLEN, U N BELI EVABLY BRUTAL MAN NAM ED WI LLIAM TECU MSEH SH ERMAN.
TO GIVE YOU A MORE COMPREHENSIVE IDEA OF THIS GREAT HERO, LET ME READ YOU A FEW EXTRACTS FROM THE DIARY OF MAJOR SKELTON.
THE DATE IS TU ESDAY, SEPTEM BER 1 1, 1 864.
"THE CITY WAS OU RS.
"THERE WAS NO NEED TO DESTROY AUG HT, "SAVE THAT WHICH COULD BE OF USE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST US.
"BUT SH ERMAN WAS DRU N K WITH VICTORY.
"HE HIMSELF STARTED THE AWFU L F I RES.
"THE F I RES THAT DESTROYED THAT GREAT CITADEL OF G RACE AND BEAUTY.
" (narrator) IN THE VIEW OF THIS MAN, PROFESSOR SAMUEL KITTRIDGE, WALTER JAMESON HAS ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE THAT COULDN'T COME OU OF A VOLUME OF HISTORY, BUT RATHER FROM A BOOK ON BLACK MAGIC.
WHICHIS TO SAY THAT THIS NIGHTMARE BEGINS AT NOON.
VERY VIVI D, WALTER.
YOU HAD ME ON THE EDG E OF MY SEAT.
THANK YOU, SAM.
I BEG IN TO SEE WHY THESE LECTU RES OF YOURS ARE SO POPU LAR.
IS THAT WHY YOU SAT I N? WELL, PARTIALLY.
TELL ME SOMETHING.
WHO IS THIS MAJOR SKELTON? OH, JUST A LAWYER WRAPPED INTO A M IST.
U H, WHAT REG I MENT? H U N DRED AND TWENTY THIRD IN FANTRY.
I MUST SAY, THE STORY OF HIS IS A FASCI NATING DOCU MENT.
MAY I SEE IT? I, UH, I DON' SU PPOSE I COULD BORROW IT.
I NEVER LEND BOOKS TO ABSENT-MINDED PROFESSORS.
REMEMBER THE LAST TIME? YES.
YOU'RE RIGHT.
ANYTHING WRONG, SAM? NO.
COULD YOU COME FOR DIN N ER TONIGHT? WHOSE I NVITATION? YOURS OR SUSAN NA'S? M IN E THIS TIME.
SAY, 7 :00? ALL RIGHT.
GOOD.
[crickets chirping.]
REALLY, DARLING, M UST YOU ALWAYS BE ON TIME? ALWAYS.
PLEASE.
REMEMBER, YOU'RE A Ph.
D.
NOT YET, I'M NOT.
THERE'S A LITTLE MATTER OF AN EXAM INATION.
REMEMBER? A TECHNICALITY.
ANYWAY, YOU'RE GONNA BE A HOUSEWIFE.
THE DEVIL SHE IS.
I'M GIVING YOU MY DAUG HTER'S HAN D, NOT HER BRAI N.
SHE'S GON NA GET THAT Ph.
D.
-- IF I HAVE TO SPAN K H ER.
I KNOW.
DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE THE COOK AGAIN TONIGHT.
IN DEED, AND WHY NOT? WELL, I THINK IT'S TIME THAT I TRI ED SUSAN NA'S COOKING.
DON'T WORRY, YOU WI LL.
I'M SURE.
WELL, SHALL WE S IT DOWN? MY LADY.
I TAKE IT BACK, SAM.
SHE'LL NEVER BE THE COOK YOU ARE.
[chuckIes.]
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, YOUNG LADY? I'LL DO THE DISH ES LATER.
IT'S NOT THE DISH ES I'M TALKING ABOUT.
IT'S BOOKS AND STU DY.
UPSTAIRS.
BESIDES, WALTER AND I HAVE SOMETHING TO DISCUSS.
YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TREAT ME THIS WAY, ARE YOU? WORSE.
WHO KNOWS? YOU MAY HAVE TO SU PPORT US.
YOU OUGHTA BE ASHAM ED OF YOURSELF, SAM.
SUSAN NA'S ALMOS 30 YEARS OLD.
AND I'M ALMOST 70.
M M-H M.
MY MOVE, ISN'T IT? YES.
WHAT'S THAT FOR? LOOK AT THEM.
EXTRAORDINARY, ISN'T IT? THEY LOOK VERY MUCH ALIKE.
TWELVE YEARS AGO, THOSE TWO HAN DS.
TIME MARCH ES ON.
FOR SOME OF US.
WALTER, TELL ME SOMETHING, WILL YOU? OF COURSE.
HOW OLD ARE YOU? FORTY-FOU R.
I SEEM TO RECALL THAT WH EN YOU APPLI ED FOR A POS ON THE U N IVERS ITY STAFF, YOU LISTED YOUR AG E AS 39.
THAT WAS, LET ME SEE, 1 947, WHICH WOULD MAKE YOU 5 1.
COME ON, SAM.
ALL RIGHT, I'M 5 1.
TOO OLD FOR SUSAN NA? IS THAT IT? IN A SENSE.
WALTER, IN 1 947, I WAS 58.
I HAD MOST OF MY HAIR, ALL MY TEETH AND HARDLY A WRIN KLE.
LOOK AT ME NOW.
IN 1 2 SHORT YEARS, I'VE TURN ED INTO AN OLD MAN, WHILE YOU HAVEN' AG ED AT ALL.
IT HAPPENS THA WAY SOMETIME.
I KNOW, BUT WHY? DON'T ASK ME, SAM.
YOU'RE THE CH EM IST.
I TEACH H ISTORY.
YES, AND YOU TEACH IT VERY WELL.
YOU KNOW WHA THE STU DENTS SAY? THEY SAY IT'S ALMOST AS THOUGH YOU'D LIVED TH ROUG H THE PERIOD YOU WERE DISCUSSING.
I TRY TO MAKE IT I NTERESTING.
FAKE IT, YOU MEAN? YOU COULD CALL IT THAT.
YES, THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT.
BUT SOMEHOW, THA DI DN'T SEEM LIKE YOU.
YOU'RE SUCH A PRECISE SORT.
WHAT HAVE YOU GOT THERE? A BOOK OF PHOTOG RAPHS TAKEN BY A FELLOW NAM ED MATH EW BRADY DU RING THE TIME OF THE CIVI L WAR.
WELL, WHAT IS IT? YOU LOOK AS THOUGH YOU'VE SEEN A GHOST.
MAYBE I HAVE.
WALTER WAS-WAS YOUR G RAN DFATHER IN THE CIVI L WAR, BY ANY CHANCE? NO.
THEN I'D SAY WE HAVE SOMETHING OF A MYSTERY HERE.
HOW SO? YOU MADE ME CU RIOUS ABOUT THIS MAJOR SKELTON TODAY.
I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE I NTERESTING TO SEE WHAT HE LOOKED LIKE, SO I WENT TH ROUG HMY BRADY PICTURES, NOT REALLY EXPECTING TO F IN D ANYTHING.
THESE ARE THREE OF SH ERMAN'S STAFF OFFICERS.
THE ONE SEATED A THE TABLE ISIDENTIF I ED AS MAJOR H UG H SKELTON.
THAT PICTURE WAS TAKEN ALMOST 1 00 YEARS AGO.
YOU SHOU LDN'T HAVE KEP THAT RING, YOU KNOW.
IT'S A DEAD GIVEAWAY.
WHAT ARE YOU GETTING AT, SAM? OH, COME, WALTER.
YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M GETTING AT.
OH, YOU'RE JOKING.
J US BECAUSE I HAPPEN TO LOOK LIKE SOMEBODY IN A PHOTOG RAPH.
AND HAPPEN TO BE WEARING THE SAME RING AND HAPPEN TO HAVE THE SAME MOLE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF YOUR FACE.
WALTER, YOU AND I HAVE BEEN VERY CLOSE FOR 1 2 YEARS.
TELL ME THE TRUTH.
YOU-- YOU ARE THAT MAN I N-- IN THE PHOTOG RAPH, AREN'T YOU? YES.
[sighs.]
I'VE SUSPECTED A LONG TIME.
BUT IT SEEM ED FANTASTIC.
M M, IT IS.
YES.
HOW OLD ARE YOU, WALTER? YOU WOULDN' BELIEVE ME.
I CAN BELIEVE ANYTHING NOW.
ALL RIGHT.
LET'S SAY THA I'M OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE KNOWN THIS GENTLEMAN PERSONALLY.
PLATO? BUT THAT WAS OVER 2,000 YEARS AGO! I KNEW YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE ME.
NO, NO, IT'S--I ISN'T THAT, IT'S-- TWO THOUSAND YEARS.
HOW, WALTER? HOW? IN H EAVEN'S NAME, THIS IS WHAT MAN KIND HAS BEEN DREAMING OF.
SAM.
TELL ME THE SECRET.
I CAN'T TELL YOU THE SECRET, SAM, BECAUSE I DON' KNOW IT MYSELF.
I WAS LIKE YOU, SAM.
AFRAI D OF DEATH.
AND WHEN I THOUGHT OF ALL THE THINGS THERE WERE TO KNOW IN THE MISERABLE FEW YEARS THAT A MAN HAD TO KNOW THEM, IT SEEM ED SENSELESS.
AT NIGHT, EVERY NIGH I DREAM ED, AS YOU DREAM, OF IMMORTALITY.
ONLY IF A MAN LIVED FOREVER, I THOUGHT, COULD THERE BE ANY PO I N IN LIVING AT ALL? I TALKED TO PRI ESTS, PH I LOSOPH ERS.
THEN ONE DAY I MET AN ALCH EM IST.
TOLD HIM THESE THINGS.
HE SAID THAT HE COULD G RANT MY WISH.
ONLY, OF COURSE, IT WOULD COST A G REAT DEAL OF MONEY.
I WAS DESPERATE, I PAI D HIM HIS MONEY AND SU BM ITTED TO HIS EXPERI MENTS.
I REMEMBER VERY LITTLE ABOUT IT.
I LAY IN A COMA FOR MANY WEEKS, AND WHEN I REVIVED, I WAS ALON E.
THE ALCH EM IS HAD DISAPPEARED.
GO ON.
THERE'S REALLY VERY LITTLE MORE TO TELL.
I THOUGHT, OF COURSE, THAT THE EXPERI MEN HAD FAI LED BECAUSE I DIDN'T FEEL ANY DIFFERENTLY.
BUT THEN I SAW MY WIFE AND MY CH I LDREN AGING.
MY FRIENDS DYING.
THIS WAS SOMETHING THA I HADN'T CONSIDERED, YOU SEE? BUT SURELY THERE-- THERE'S SOME ANSWER TO THAT PROBLEM.
IS THERE? THINK ABOUT IT.
I TELL YOU THA SOM EHOW I CAN STOP YOU FROM AGING.
WHERE DO YOU WAN TO STOP, AT 30? THEN YOU WATCH EVERYON E AROUND YOU GROW OLD.
AT 70? DO YOU WAN TO LIVE FOREVER THE WAY YOU ARE NOW? OLD, S ICK? IT'S BETTER THAN DYING.
NO, YOU'RE WRONG, SAM.
I WAS WRONG.
IT'S DEATH THAT GIVES THIS WORLD ITS PO I NT.
WE LOVE A ROSE BECAUSE WE KNOW IT'LL SOON BE GON E.
WHO EVER LOVED A STON E? I'M NOT A ROSE.
I'M NOT A STON E.
I'M A MAN! VERY OLD AND VERY FRIGHTEN ED.
OF WHAT, DEATH? YES, OF DEATH.
YOU'RE A FOOL, SAM.
I WANT TO DIE.
THEN WHY DON'T YOU? BECAUSE I'M A COWARD.
YOU? I HAVEN'T CHANG ED.
I'M THE SAME MAN I WAS.
I WAS A COWARD THEN, I'M A COWARD NOW.
I'M TIRED OF LIVING.
IN MY DESK I HAVE A REVOLVER, SAM.
AND EVERY NIGHT I TAKE I OUT AND PRAY FOR THE COU RAG E TO PULL THE TRIGG ER.
I CAN'T.
YOU MEAN TO SAY THA YOU'VE SU RVIVED OVER 2,000 YEARS WITHOUT AN ACCIDENT, WITHOUT BEING WOU N DED? SOME PEOPLE ARE LUCKY THAT WAY.
THEY GO TH ROUG H LIFE WITHOUT EVER BREAKING A BON E OR SEEING THE I NSIDE OF A HOSP ITAL.
OH, I'VE BEEN CLOSE TO DEATH, MANY TIMES, BUT NEVER CLOSE ENOUGH.
THANK YOU.
FOR WHAT? I THOUGHT IF A MAN LIVED FOREVER, H E'D G ROW WISER.
BUT THAT ISN' TRU E, IS IT? YOU JUST GO ON LIVING.
THAT'S ALL.
IT MUST BE LON ELY.
I SU PPOSE YOU'VE BEEN MARRI ED SEVERAL TIMES.
YES.
HOW LONG WITH EACH WOMAN, WALTER? TEN YEARS? F I FTEEN YEARS? I SEE.
SAM, I TRI ED TO RESIGN SIX MONTHS AGO.
YOU TALKED ME OU OF IT.
DO YOUREMEMBER THAT? YES.
I KNEW SUSANNA WAS FALLING IN LOVE WITH ME, AND I KNEW WHA WOULD HAPPEN.
IT'S HAPPENED BEFORE.
A FEW YEARS OF HAPP IN ESS AND THEN-- I TRI ED TO WARN H ER.
I DID EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO DISCOU RAG E H ER.
EXCEPT TELL HER THE TRUTH.
HOW COULD I DO THAT? SH E'D HAVE THOUGH I WAS MAD.
THEN WHY DIDN' YOU LEAVE? BECAUSE BY THEN IT WAS TOO LATE.
I WAS IN LOVE WITH H ER.
I NEED H ER.
EVERYTHING IS AGAINST IT.
ALL MY REASON AND EXPERI ENCE.
BUT THAT DOESN' MATTER NOW.
I DOESN'T MATTER.
IT DOES TO ME, WALTER.
I CAN'T LET YOU MARRY MY DAUG HTER.
(Susanna) AND WHY NOT? WELL, COME ON.
YOUR FATHER SEEMS TO THINK I'M TOO OLD FOR YOU, DARLING.
THAT'S THE S I LLI ES THING I EVER HEARD OF.
GOOD.
THEN YOU'LL MARRY ME TONIGHT.
I THINK YOU MEAN IT.
I DO.
YOU GO U PSTAIRS, PACK YOUR PRETTI EST THINGS.
I'LL PICK YOU UP IN 1 5 MINUTES.
BUT-- GO.
I'LL TELL H ER.
SHE WON' BELIEVE YOU.
NOBODY WOULD.
YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT YOURSELF BY TOMORROW MORNING.
(Woman) HELLO, TOMMY.
WHO ARE YOU? DON'T YOU RECOG N IZE ME, TOM MY? LOOK HARD.
LOOK INTO MY EYES.
YOU CALLED THEM THE MOS BEAUTIFUL YOU'D EVER SEEN ONCE, A LONG TIME AGO.
I'M AFRAI D YOU'RE MAKING A M ISTAKE.
NO, TOMMY.
MY NAME IS JAMESON.
PROFESSOR WALTER JAMESON.
DON'T PRETEND.
I KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
AND WHO AM I? YOU'RE TOM BOWEN, MY H USBAN D.
YOUR H USBAN D? MY DEAR WOMAN, PERHAPS IF YOU'LL TELL ME WHO YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.
OH, STOP IT.
I SAW THE PICTURE IN THE N EWSPAPER AN NOU NCING YOUR ENGAG EM ENT.
I HAD TO COME TO SEE IF IT WAS TRU E.
IT IS.
I CAN'T EXPLAIN IT.
I ONLY KNOW IT'S HAPPENED.
I'VE GROWN OLD, AND YOU HAVEN'T.
NOW YOU'RE GOING TO MARRY SOMEONE ELSE AND LEAVE H ER, THE WAY YOU LEFT ME.
OH, LAU RETTE.
LAU RETTE.
I CAN'T LET YOU MARRY H ER, TOM MY.
YOU'RE M IN E.
[yeIIs.]
LAU RETTE.
TOM MY, IT'S WRONG.
YOU CAN'T GO ON H U RTING PEOPLE.
[gunshot.]
WHAT IS IT? WHAT'S HAPPENED? WALTER? HELLO, SAM.
I THOUGHT I HEARD-- ARE YOU ALL RIGHT? [weakIy.]
I DON'T KNOW.
IT DOESN'T MATTER.
E ITHER WAY, YOU'RE-- YOU'LL BE RID OF ME.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN? [grunts.]
I MEAN-- I'VE COME TO MY SENSESAT LAST.
TELL SUSAN NA THAT-- OH, NO, STAY AWAY.
YOU'RE H U RT.
I'LL CALL A DOCTOR.
NO.
YOUR HAN D.
IT'S HAPPENING.
AT LAST.
WALTER, WHAT IS IT? WHAT'S HAPPENING? OH, MY GOD.
[weak voice.]
NOTHING LASTS FOREVER, THANK GOD.
[groans.]
[quick, shaIIow breathing.]
[pained wheezing.]
DAD! WALTER! GO HOME, SUSANNA.
THAT SOUND WAS A SHOT! WALTER'S HURT! PLEASE, SUSANNA, GO HOME! [tussling.]
WALTER? H E'S-HE'S GON E.
WHERE? I DON'T KNOW, MY DEAR, I-- HIS CLOTH ES? DAD? WHAT IS THA ON THE FLOOR? DUST.
ONLY DUST.
(narrator) LAST STOP ON A LONG JOURNEY, AS YET ANOTHER HUMAN BEING RETURNS TO THE VAST NOTHINGNESS THAT IS THE BEGINNING AND INTO THE DUS THAT IS ALWAYS THE END.
(male presenter) ROD SERLING, THE CREATOR OF TWILIGHT ZONE WILL TELL YOU ABOUT NEX WEEK'S STORY AFTER THIS WORD FROM OUR ALTERNATE SPONSOR.
AND NOW, MR.
SERLING.
NEXT WEEK, AN EXCU RS ION TO MARS WITH RODDY MCDOWALL AND PAU L COM I.
TWO MEN TRYING TO PROVE A PO I NT.
A S IMPLE PROPOS ITION THAT MEN ARE ALIKE ALL OVER.
AND ON MARS THEY DISCOVER THAT THIS IS JUST WH ISTLING IN THE DARK.
PEOPLE ARE NOT ALIKE.
AND NEXT WEEK ON THE TWILIGH ZONE YOU'LL SEE WHY.
I HOPE YOU'LL BE WITH US.
THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT.
[eerie music.]
(male presenter) BE SURE TO SEE THE FUN-FILLED FAMILY LIFE OF ONE OF AMERICA'S GREATEST ENTERTAINERS, THE DAN NY THOMAS SHOW.
MONDAY NIGHTS OVER MOST OF THESE STATIONS.
THE TWILIGHT ZONE IS BROUGHT TO YOU TONIGH BY THE NEWES COFFEE SENSATION ON THE MODERN SCENE.
NEW AROMA-ROAS SANKA COFFEE.