The Twilight Zone (1959) s04e13 Episode Script

You unlock this door with the key of imagination.
Beyond it is another dimension- a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind.
You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas.
You've just crossed over into the twilight zone.
And here we have the famous temptress from ancient egypt- cleopatra.
Her captivating beauty almost brought about the destruction of caesar and mark anthony.
If you will follow me and now our next group.
Ourpiece de resistance, if i may say so.
Here you will find the most infamous, black-hearted killers of all time.
It is not for the faint-hearted.
So if there are any who would prefer to remain behind no? Very well, then.
Oh.
Did i startle you? This is martin senescu- curator of murderers' row.
You all right, honey? Sure, it's just they're so real.
And i, i thought there's nothing to be afraid of.
They're just a lot of wax.
Perhaps not, young man.
Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of the man standing next to you? This is albert w.
Hicks, a mate on the oyster smack v.
A.
Johnson.
A gentle man.
Yet one day in 1860 off the atlantic coast, he murdered his entire crew.
Killed them with an ax exactly like this one.
Why did he go mad? What made him change? And here here we have burke and hare, the monsters of their time.
But do they look like monsters? This is how they suffocated their victims.
It was called burking.
Think of the agonies they endured.
Which one's he talking about? Oh, sir, all of them.
All of them.
Surely, it is horrible to be murdered, as our victim here could tell you if-if she could talk.
But to murder! To take a life with your hands again and again and not be able to stop oneself.
Can you begin to imagine the horror of that? No.
Tell us about it.
Well, i cannot.
But somewhere in the world now, at this very moment there is someone who can.
Yeah? Who? Well, no one knows yet, but if his torment is great enough and he kills as these poor creatures did, then future generations will know.
For he'll be here immortalized in wax.
Remembered as you and i will never be.
This is henri desire landru.
One can see the agony that he, too, must have felt as he was driven to strangle the life from disappointed spinsters and lonely widows.
Landru was a master of the garrote.
And he used a waxed cord identical to the one he holds there.
Get away from there! Those figures are not to be touched.
They're too rare and valuable.
Besides the museum can't be held responsible for what might happen to you.
Now, here we have another soul in torment.
Jack the ripper.
Who was he? And which- of all the faces that moved about london's whitechapel district- which one was his? And why did he feel driven to kill those pathetic drabs with one sweep of the knife you see here? I'm afraid we shall never know.
And as we look at hicks, burke and hare, landru and jack the ripper we see men, as you and me.
And we can only guess what devils pushed them to their bloody fate.
Thank you.
Boy, let's blow this creepy joint.
Martin lombard senescu, a gentle man, the dedicated curator of murderers' row in ferguson's wax museum.
He ponders the reasons why ordinary men are driven to commit mass murder.
What mr.
Senescu does not know is that the groundwork has already been laid for his own special kind of madness and torment- found only in the twilight zone.
Martin? Yes.
I'd like to talk with you.
Oh, well, i'll be through in a moment.
That can wait.
What i have to say is rather important.
All right.
You know, mr.
Ferguson, landru needs a new suit.
This one is ten years old, and it shows it.
Is something wrong? Well, yes and no.
I think we'd better discuss it in the office.
Is it something i've done? Or haven't done? No, nothing like that.
Uh, sit down, martin.
Martin, i'm abandoning the museum.
Hmm? Abandoning? I'm afraid so.
Oh.
Is this a joke, sir? No.
Oh, mr.
Ferguson.
You can't do that.
You mustn't.
Uh, i know how you feel, martin, believe me, i do.
But i'm afraid there isn't any choice.
I don't understand.
I've been offered a large sum for this property.
Some people want to build a supermarket here.
A supermarket? Here, let me get you a drink.
It'll help settle you.
No, no, no.
No.
Please, i don't when i first opened the museum 30 years ago, i never dreamed i'd see this day.
But the day is here, martin.
And we will just have to face it.
We've been together a long time.
I know.
You're the best employee a man could ever have.
The way you've run the murderers' row exhibit- why, i don't think you ever missed a tour.
No, no.
Oh! I never did, never.
How many more days? None.
This was the last.
They begin wrecking the building next week.
No more tours? None at all? I had to agree to it.
What about the figures? I haven't decided yet.
Mr.
Ferguson, we can open another museum.
We can move everything somewhere else.
We don't have to give it up.
No, no, i'm not as young as i once was.
Uh, i need a rest.
Fanny and i talked don't, don't i'll do the work, i mean it.
You won't have to do a thing.
Not a thing! I appreciate that, martin, and i know you'd be a great help, but it would be foolish.
But why? Why would it be foolish? Let me show you something.
We are passe, martin.
People aren't interested in wax museums anymore.
Here.
Look through it- it's all in there.
Our attendance figures.
Our gains, but mostly our losses.
This last year has been the poorest of all.
You'll also find a news story about the closing of the grand guignol.
A sign of the times- the handwriting on the wall.
Grand guignol.
Uh, sure you won't have a drink? No, thank you.
You, you see, martin, the outside world offers them fears we could never match.
The ovens at belsen and dachau have ruined our chamber of horrors.
People are blase, sophisticated.
They think they've outgrown the need to be frightened.
They live in fear day in, day out.
It, it's the world, martin.
No, no, martin it would be foolish to open another museum.
Mr.
Ferguson, maybe maybe the location is wrong.
Or maybe maybe it's the way we have the figures exhibited.
You remember how the people came when we worked out the ripper's arm? Yes.
Oh, but that was years ago.
Mr.
Ferguson you're not thinking of destroying them, are you? They're meant to live forever.
Martin, i tell you, i don't know what i'm going to do! You're forgetting something.
Forgetting something? What? Come with me.
Please.
Martin! Martin.
Mr.
Ferguson.
Please.
Look at him.
Just look at him.
Look at his eyes.
Can't you see the shy, frightened little choir boy that he once was? Can't you see the bookkeeper who so longed for freedom? Why, even the flesh feels real.
Why, it's like flesh.
And look at the mouth.
Just look at the mouth.
Isn't it about to say something? Why, landru was an eloquent man.
He was full of tenderness.
And it's there! It's there- it's caught right in the mouth.
Martin, what are you trying to say? Mr.
Ferguson, you seem to have forgotten that these figures are the work of the great henri guilmont- the only ones he created outside of europe.
No, i haven't forgotten that.
Mr.
Ferguson? I want to buy them.
That's ridiculous.
I don't think i could bear it if these figures were destroyed.
It would it would be like losing five close friends.
I won't destroy them, martin, i give you my word.
But-but where would i store them? I could put them in my basement.
Yes, it's a perfect place.
Oh, for heaven's sake, martin.
What would emma say to having the figures of five famous murderers in her basement? Emma wouldn't mind, she would understand.
And i would put an air conditioner in there, i tell you that.
And a heater, for the colder days.
I would take care of them.
Just as i always have.
They should be here by now.
You haven't eaten your breakfast.
And they'll get here when they get here.
I'm not hungry.
How long are we going to keep them? I have plans to open my own museum.
But i'll have to buy them from mr.
Ferguson first.
Supposing something happened to them.
You know, it's not like moving furniture.
They should have let me ride with them.
What if they drop one? Is everything all right? Uh you, uh, martin senescu? Yes.
Everything's okay.
Ah no bumps? Huh? Any bumps? No.
No bumps.
Oh, it's getting warm.
Huh? I said it's getting warm.
You see, they're delicate.
They can't take more than 80 degrees.
Oh.
Huh-huh.
All right wait.
Easy, please.
Easy.
Easy! Easy, easy, oh, please.
Please, don't jiggle it.
That's it, easy.
That's-that's it.
There, there.
Fine.
Here, sign here.
All right.
One, two, three there.
Hmm.
Well, emma here they are.
Landru is in here.
Jack the ripper is in here.
Ooh, emma, emma, it's going to be like opening christmas presents.
I didn't think they were going to be so big.
Oh, well, no, that's just the boxes.
The figures themselves are as big as we are.
Well, i'll have to be very careful with the uncrating.
Mr.
Senescu? Yes.
The movers said you were down here.
Where do you want the air conditioner? Ah there.
Put it in that window, over there.
You see it? Oh, okay.
All right.
Martin- you bought an air conditioner? Yes, the figures can't stand heat.
We had to have it.
Well, how much did it cost? Well don't worry about it.
Well, i am worried about it.
And i'm also worried about how i'm going to do the laundry with all this lying around oh, emma, you can't you can't do the laundry here.
The the humidity! I mean, you don't have a decent shirt to wear, and it's been a week since i look, go to the laundromat.
Just take it anywhere, but leave me to my friends, please.
You cleaned that cape last week.
Brushed it, you mean.
It's going to need cleaning and pressing pretty soon.
In fact, all the clothes are going to need it.
It's almost been a year.
Martin the truth of the matter is, they all need new clothes.
The ripper comes off worst, do you know that? Why, his coat is torn right over there.
Martin! What is it? We're not buying them any clothes.
Oh, but emma, it's not just buying.
It's tailoring.
You see, they have bodies that have i don't care about their bodies! You don't mean that, do you? Yes, i do.
Honestly, martin, you've been paying more attention to thesemurderers than you ever did tome.
Oh, emma, that's not true.
Then why do you spend every minute of the day and night down here? Don't you see? This is the work of guilmont.
It's a trust.
Why, they're masterpieces.
All right, so they're masterpieces.
You told me they'd only be here for a few days.
But they've been here for weeks.
Don't you realize that? I've been nice about it, martin.
You can't say that i haven't.
But how long am i going to be locked out of my own basement? Oh, emma! I'm sorry, dear, i am.
But i didn't lie.
I thought that they'd just be here for a short while.
I really did.
But i can't seem to find anybody who's-who's willing to finance the museum.
But how can you find anybody, if you spend all of your time down here? But i've phoned, and these people do you know these people never even heard of guilmont? Can you imagine? What, what's that? It's the electric bill.
You'll see how much it's costing us to keep the air conditioner running day and night.
But you know it has been hot down here.
Oh.
That is high, isn't it? I just wish i could figure out how we're going to keep on paying it.
Martin, there's no more money in the bank.
I know, but don't worry.
Please, i'll find a way.
There must be somebody, somewhere.
Mr.
Ferguson.
Hmm no.
Martin, why not? You told me yourself that he loves these things as much as you do.
And isn't it really up to him to take care of them? Emma, i don't know anyone in the world i have more respect for than mr.
Ferguson.
But i wouldn't trust him with those figures.
I don't think he could take care of them right, and i wouldn't be able to sleep if i so, we're stuck with them! Stuck? What do you mean stuck, emma? Oh, please, it's an honor.
It's a privilege.
For you, maybe.
But what about me? How do you think i feel? Every time i come down here and look at them, i just about have a heart attack.
The way they stand there and stare at me, they're frightening! But emma they're supposed to be frightening.
Let me tell you this.
When you live with them as long as i have, you come to love them.
Love them? Yes.
And then they cease to be strangers, and you want to say good morning! How'd you spend the night, jack? And then it seem emma? Emma! Emma? Oh if only one of those people he's been talking to would lend him enough money to open the museum, that would make everything all right.
Now, emma, listen to your brother.
Nobody's going to put money into a crazy scheme like that.
Old ferguson knew what he was doing, all right, when he sold out.
He got martin to take care of all those crazy dummies, and he's not even paying him for it.
Pretty shrewd.
What we've got to do we've got to get martin away from those things.
Does he have them all? Only a few.
Well, how come? I mean, ferguson had two or 200, didn't he? Well, these are special.
Some man in europe made them.
I don't know how they could be so special, if they didn't cost anything.
They are to him.
This is the first time anything has come between us.
Ihatethose murderers! You come on.
We're going to go talk to him right now.
No, no, dave, it wouldn't do any good.
Okay.
Then you talk to him.
But here's what you do.
Don't talk to him the way you have been.
I mean, lay it right on the line.
You tell him it's either those stupid dummies oryou! Of course, if that doesn't work, there there is something else.
What? Well, um air conditioners do break down, you know.
Oh.
Oh, i couldn't do that.
Couldn't you? Emma.
Emma, where have you been? You walked out on me while i was talking to you.
Oh, emma, emma, i know you're angry with me, but i what can i do? I have to keep the figures in perfect condition.
I can't let them go or i thought you said we didn't have any money left.
I bought them with some money davegave me.
Dave! Oh, my my, my oh, martin! We can't go on this way.
Yes, i know.
Well i'll borrow some money from mr.
Ferguson.
Borrowing isn't going to help.
Well, then, i'll-i'll-i'll i'll mortgage the house.
That isn't going to answer our problem.
Martin, nobody knows better than i how much those figures mean to you.
But but what, emma? Emma? But i simply willnothave them in this house one minute longer! Why shouldn't mr.
Ferguson take care of them? They're his.
Well, why shouldn't he? That's what you really think, isn't it? Is that all they mean to you? Yes.
And i want you to call and tell him tomorrow morning.
Martin, once they're away from here you'll be a different man, you'll see.
You've been around those wax dummies for so long, you've forgotten how to be a human being.
No! What kind of a friend do you think i am? I can't desert them now, after all these years.
They need me! They'd be lost without me.
Martin! They're not alive.
They don't need anybody! Martin i want you to see a doctor.
A doc? Yes, just once.
Well, there's nothing whatever the matter with me.
I, i didn't say there was.
Then, what do i need a doctor for? Because, martin thereissomething the matter with you.
Well, what? But you haven't been yourself lately.
Well who have i been? I don't know.
Somebody i've never known.
But martin, staying down in that basement all day and talking to thosethings as if they were alive, it's not natural.
Emma that's my job.
I'm not the only husband in the world who brings his work home.
Don't you see? I don't want to talk about it anymore.
And you go back and you tell that brother of yours to mind his own business.
You hear me? Emma? Emma.
Emma? Emma? Emma, you down there? Emma? Emma, you down here? Emma? Emma.
Emma? Emma! Emma! Emma, what happened? Emma twilight zonewill continue after station identification.
Ah, i hate to put you here, emma, but what can i do? I know i should report it to the police, and i want to, but but who would believe me if i told them that you were killed by jack the ripper? You can see that, can't you? Besides if i went to prison- as i probably would- who would take care of the figures? No.
It's better this way.
Poor emma.
Too late to tell her anything now.
There.
That's the best i can do, emma.
Gas man! Well, hi, there, mr.
Senescu.
Doing a little patching i see.
Yes, uh floor must have been pretty bad, huh? It was starting to crack a little.
Well, i had to do the same thing in my basement.
That's the way it is with these old houses, you know.
Oh, yes.
Holy mackerel.
Be careful of the cement, please.
For a minute there i where'd you ever get anything like this? Well, they belong to mr.
Ferguson.
But i'm taking care of them.
They used to be in a museum, but it closed.
Boy, they're the most realistic things i ever saw.
You sure they ain't alive? Not all together.
Well, they could fool me.
Sure be a fine thing to have come halloween.
Something like this in the basement, you'd really throw a scare into people.
Man, oh man.
Even up close they, uh well, what's this? What? Whoever made these up, they thought of everything.
Even put blood on the knife.
Pretty good.
Well, i got to go.
But i want to tell you, you've got quite a layout here.
Hey, tell me something.
Don't they give you the creeps? I mean, being down here in the basement and all? Oh, no.
Uh, not when you know them as well as i do.
Oh, you're a card, mr.
Senescu.
Wait till i tell the wife about this.
Hey, do you think it'd be all right if i brought her over for a look at those things? Oh, i don't think so.
We'll be gone for a while.
Tomorrow? No, for days, and, uh, we don't know when we'll be back.
Oh.
Well, uh, i'll see you.
So long.
Bye.
Jack! I'm surprised at you.
I amreallysurprised.
How did you manage all those murders without being caught by scotland yard? Why, any killer knows that you can't leave blood on a murder weapon! It's well, it's not a joke, jack, but it's a dead giveaway, now there.
It's good as new.
Now will youplease, pleasebehave yourself? I don't want to have to go through this again.
Emma? Martin.
Martin.
Anybody down there? Martin, if you're down there, open up.
Martin.
All right, i'm, i'm here.
Open the door.
I can't, dave.
Why not? Dave, i have a lot of, uh things piled up against the door.
I'm going upstairs.
You come around the back door to the kitchen.
You there, martin? Yes, uh coming, dave.
You got this place locked up like fort knox or something.
What's the big idea? Oh, we, uh we always keep the doors locked.
Where's emma? Uh, she's, uh, she's not here.
Oh.
It's probably just as well.
Why? Dave, what do you want? Uh, have you got an ashtray somewhere? Yeah.
Oh, here.
How's this? Uh, sit down, sit down, martin.
Dave, to tell the truth, i'm kind of busy.
I'll bet.
If you just tell me what you want, i come on, come on, sit down.
Sit down.
What is it? Emma came to see me yesterday.
Oh, yes, i, uh i know, she told me.
She did? All right, that'll make things easier.
Where did she go, by the way? She took a trip.
A trip? Where? To see my sister.
Oh.
You two have an argument? Well everything's settled now.
Well, i'm certainly glad to hear that.
She was sure upset when she talked to me.
Yes, i know.
You've got to admit you didn't treat her square.
You brought those dummies here and kept her out of her own basement.
Well it's all been changed.
Well, i guess i had you pegged all wrong, marty.
You got rid of 'em? Yes.
Must've been a pretty hot night last night, huh? What do you mean, hot? Pretty hot for a bunch of wax dummies, huh? What's that humming noise? Well, i i don't hear anything.
It sounds like it's coming from down there.
That's the air conditioner.
What are you trying to hand me? The door's locked.
Yes, i, uh i told you, you know i like to keep the doors locked.
Why is the air conditioner going if you got rid of the wax figures? Well, i was cleaning up, dave, and i just wanted to keep the place cool, that's all.
Look, you just came up the stairway, and you locked the door behind you.
Now, why? It's a habit.
I don't think so.
I think you locked it to keep me from going down there.
Now, you better open up.
Are you threatening me in my own house? You never got rid of them things at all.
And how about this sister of yours? How come emma never mentioned her before? Where does she live? Look, dave, i've had a very busy day.
I'm tired of answering questions.
Now, will you please leave? Okay.
All right.
Fine, i can take a hint.
I'll just be on my way.
You, uh you have emma call me if she comes back, you hear? Dave! Dave! Oh! Hicks, how could you? Martin.
Martin! Martin, are you there? Martin martin? Yes.
Oh, mr.
Ferguson.
Come in, come in.
Martin, how nice to see you! Nice to see you.
I'm sorry.
I didn't hear you.
The air conditioner's on.
Yes, it's nice and cool down here.
Yes.
There they are.
Yes.
And in perfect condition.
Martin, i can't keep it from you any longer.
What, sir? The best news in the world.
Martin, old friend, when i told you that nobody wanted to buy these figures, i was being too pessimistic.
The fact is, somebody does want to.
But not just somebody.
The marchand museum.
Oh.
Didn't you hear me? Yes.
Marchand's.
In brussels.
I can't imagine why, but aren't you pleased? Yes.
Mr.
Ferguson, look at the ripper.
I must say, martin, you have kept them up well.
Yes, now, you see, this needs fixing in here.
The threads are starting to fall out.
As a matter of fact, i think they all need new clothes.
Maybe it is too humid in here, after all.
We won't have to worry about that anymore.
Oh, and i asked emma to sew this rip up, but there's been so many things to do.
Oh, by the way, how is emma? Oh, she's fine.
You have a remarkable wife, martin.
There aren't many women who would put up with an exhibit like this in their basement.
She never complains.
Oh, have you been sleeping down here? Yes.
Oh! Mr.
Ferguson i came across this little item in this book that i was reading just before i fell asleep.
Martin mr.
Ferguson, do you remember how excited we used to get when we found out some new things about the figures? Martin, are you all right? Yes.
No, mr.
Ferguson.
It isn't so.
I'm not all right.
No? No.
Some strange things have been happening.
Strange things? Yes.
They haven't exactly been behaving themselves.
Who? Oh, come now.
Oh, it's true, i swear it.
You've no idea what they've been up to.
Oh, martin.
You've been so close sh! You've been so close to these figures for the past three months.
You're beginning toimaginethings about them.
No, no, it's not imagination.
Not at all.
Well, that's neither here nor there.
The point is you won't have to take care of them any longer.
But mr.
Ferguson, i want to take care of them.
I know you do.
And as i've said, i appreciate what you've done, but it's all settled.
Of course, there'll be a substantial reward to you for all the years you've cared for them.
Now, why don't you prepare us a cup of tea or something while i take some measurements.
The marchand people want some specifications i wasn't able to provide.
All right.
I'll make some tea.
Hmm.
I didn't think you were that wide.
Well, no matter.
Mr.
Ferguson, i brought you both the cream and the sugar.
I didn't know which one you want mr.
Ferguson.
Mr.
Ferguson! Landru.
It was you.
And hicks.
Hicks.
And burke.
And hare.
I know you didn't have any part in this, but you didn't stop it.
And you, landru, especially you.
And you, jack.
This time you went too far.
I gave you all the best years i had.
You wanted for nothing! I washed you.
I cleaned your clothes.
I bought you new ones.
It was always the right temperature for you, becauseimade it so for you.
And who defended you and who defended your deeds against the thousands who saw you? And when mr.
Ferguson sold the museum who spoke up for you? Who wanted you? Me! I was the best friend you ever had.
Now now, what have you done for me? You've murdered mr.
Ferguson.
He was the only, only man who was my friend.
He was my best friend.
And the books are right.
The books areright.
You are monsters, all of you you're heartless heartless monsters.
All of you, through and through.
I'm going to punish you all for this.
I'll break you into little pieces.
I'll turn up the heat so that you'll melt down into little pools of wax.
That's what i'm going to do.
It'll be no less than you deserve.
All right.
Now.
Which one of you is first? Which one of you is first? You! Landru.
Because you murdered mr.
Ferguson.
No! No, it was not i who garroted your friend, martin senescu.
No.
It was you! No, you killed him while i was upstairs making tea.
No! No, martin senescu, it was you- you murdered your wife.
You killed her while i was asleep.
It was you who used my ax to kill your wife's brother.
No.
Not so, martin senescu.
No, you're-you're the murderers.
No, no! You are the murderer, you killed them all.
No, you killed it was always you.
You're the murderers! No! Martin senescu.
You're the murderers.
It was you and here, ladies and gentlemen, we have jack the ripper- the one murderer who was never caught.
And now we come to a man who only recently became one of the most famous of all.
Martin lombard senescu a remarkable and certainly most versatile murderer.
Who knows what thoughts went through his mind as he dug the graves for his wife, emma, whom he killed with a knife his wife's brother, david, whose skull was split with an ax or his friend and employer for 30 years, ernest ferguson.
The new exhibit became very popular at marchand's.
But of all the figures, none was ever regarded with more dread than that of martin lombard senescu.
It was something about the eyes, people said.
It's the look that one often gets after taking a quick walk through the twilight zone.
Next ontwilight zone a trip back into time with albert salmi, john anderson and guest star julie newmar.
But this trip is very offbeat, very adventuresome and totally unexpected itinerary.
It's called "of late i think of cliffordville.
" You send me back in time.
Send back to cliffordville.
But i want to look exactly as i did then.
That's number one.
Agreed.
Number two, i want to have a memory of everything that's occurred in the last I don't want that memory impaired on bit.
Check again, mr.
Feathersmith.
I want it to happen right away.
Cliffordville.
This stop is cliffordville.
Cliffordville? The devil you say.