The Incredible Hulk (1978) s04e15 Episode Script
Interview with the Hulk
You're Dr.
David Banner.
No, I'm not.
Oh, yes, you are.
I want your story.
(HULK ROARS) You're almost describing an animal.
I'm describing the creature's primal state, which takes over whenever there are moments of great anger.
How would you like to shoot some film of the Hulk for the 6:00 news? (ROARS) NARRATOR: Dr.
David Banner, physician, scientist.
Searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have.
Then, an accidental overdose of gamma radiation alters his body chemistry.
And now, when David Banner grows angry or outraged, a startling metamorphosis occurs.
(ROARS) The creature is driven by rage and pursued by an investigative reporter.
Mr.
McGee, don't make me angry.
You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.
The creature is wanted for a murder he didn't commit.
David Banner is believed to be dead.
And he must let the world think that he is dead until he can find a way to control the raging spirit that dwells within him.
(ROARS) Okay, let's break for lunch.
Lunch, everybody.
McGEE: Fletcher, we have to share this closet till they finish remodeling, so could you please refrain from polluting our air? FLETCHER: Oh, stop yelling.
You ever heard of noise pollution? I think it's worse than my smoking.
Fletcher, nothing is worse than your smoking.
Except maybe my spending $500 to quit smoking.
McGee, they've stopped hammering.
You can quit screaming.
(LOUDLY) I am (LOWERING VOICE) not screaming.
You know, I think I could like this job, if I could only get used to the mental cruelty.
Oh, Fletcher, why don't you just be quiet and finish your story? What do you got this week? "The Hidden Diseases In Your Rug.
" Sounds like a shoe-in for the Pulitzer.
Oh, stop sniping, just because your Hulk has disappeared.
He didn't disappear.
He just hasn't been seen for a couple of months.
Yeah, it's hard to see something that's not there.
Fletcher, you just do your story, and let me do mine, okay? Yeah, my story, my story.
(GRUNTING) Roberts knows what I can do.
I'm 46 years old, I'm on probation.
Say, uh, have you got a match? (STAMMERING) Excuse me.
I hate to break up the flow of creative genius, but I need to talk with you, Jack.
Thank you.
Come on.
Now, Mark, what is he, my punishment for exceeding last month's expense account? How did you guess? (SIGHING) How long till I'm rid of him? MARK: Maybe sooner than you think.
Unless he gets his act together.
Steinhauer's not sure he can still cut it, you know.
He's putting a lot of pressure on Fletcher to produce, and fast, so you quit worrying about him.
Have I got an assignment for you.
Oh, Mark.
Quintuplets were born last night on the South Side.
Now that's the kind of story The Register does best.
It's timely Timely BOTH: It has heart.
Mark, you really want me to drop the Hulk for five ankle-biters whose only distinction is that they're born in volume? (LAUGHING) Precisely.
Aw, give me a break.
Wait a minute, if you want, I'll just tell Steinhauer that you're too busy.
No.
No, no, no, it's all right.
But you have got to promise you'll let me loose the minute they sight the Hulk again.
MARK: And you'll have the scoop of the decade and the New York Times begging for your byline.
Believe me, Mark.
The Hulk story is going to pay off some of these days.
Some of these days, some of these days.
What about now, huh? Right now, I'm gonna buy your lunch, okay? Lunch sounds good.
Okay.
Let's go.
(TELEPHONE RINGING) Oh.
Hello.
OPERATOR: Call for McGee.
Is he there? No.
He's not here.
Tell her to call back.
It's collect, long distance.
Operator, wait a minute.
She says it's urgent.
What does she want? She claims she saw the Hulk.
Does she sound like a kook? Not compared to some of the crazies who call.
All right, I'll accept the charges.
Go ahead, ma'am.
STELLA: Thank you kindly, operator.
Hello, this is Jack McGee.
Mr.
McGee, we've never met, but I'm a big fan of yours.
I'm calling to tell you that I think I've seen this, um A Hulk you write about.
Hey, where are you calling from? Atlanta, Georgia.
All right, um What's your name? Verdugo.
Miss Stella Verdugo.
And your address? 4251 Wayflower Avenue, apartment 3C.
Listen, Miss Verdugo, I'm gonna catch the next plane to Atlanta.
I'm waiting, Mr.
McGee.
Bye-bye.
Goodbye.
I just don't understand how you couldn't have seen something.
You were the only man out here.
What makes a hole that size that nobody sees or hears? And what am I gonna tell Mr.
Fischmann? Why don't you just tell him the truth? Tell him you don't know.
Butler, I'm sure sorry you're leaving.
You're a good worker.
Hope it's got nothing to do with this mess.
Well, this mess is partly my responsibility to help clean up.
Better get to it.
MAN: Hey, coming through here.
Make way for the man with the load.
Wow.
Ernest Hemingway has gone to lunch.
Oh, give him a chance, Jack, will you? Mmm-mmm, bread and butter.
You know, Emerson Fletcher was the best.
Remember his story on the Salk vaccine? That was a milestone.
(SIGHING) He could take the most complex science story and make a fifth grader understand it.
Seen any of his recent stuff? He knows he's losing it.
You know, it's eating him up inside.
Emmy is bitter.
He's a bitter man.
The guy is bitter.
He has a right to be.
Losing a daughter will do that to you.
(SIGHING) True.
Uh-oh.
What's this? "Urgent family business, Fletcher.
" Another excuse to miss a deadline? I'll deal with Fletcher.
Hey, you've got a story to get out.
"The Quints That Ate Chicago.
" (SIGHS) (LAUGHING) You can do it.
Thanks for lunch.
(CHUCKLING) Okay.
MELLON ON TV: I know you're lost.
And I know you need help.
And I'll send it to you, COD.
Reverend Mellon's Miracle Kit belongs in your home.
It's only $9.
95 for the record or $12.
95 for the eight-track stereo or cassette.
Write me today at Post Office Box 5.
STELLA: Just a minute.
Hello, Miss Verdugo.
I'm Jack McGee.
My, that was fast.
Well, the miracle of jet travel.
Oh, well, come on in, Mr.
McGee.
You don't look nothing like your picture.
I was ill when it was taken.
But I am Jack McGee.
Well, make yourself at home, Mr.
McGee.
Thank you.
Lemonade? Sounds fine.
I've been reading your paper ever since it began, Mr.
McGee.
Especially lately, all those stories about the Hulk.
I never thought I'd be the one to get the reward.
I'm truly flabbergasted.
Well, thank you.
Tell me, Miss Verdugo, exactly what you remember about yesterday.
I'd returned home from the market and I just happened to see this fellow down there in the loading dock.
Hmm.
I was using these.
It's not that I'm the prying kind, you understand.
It's just, he looked as if he'd been hurt and I thought I should get a closer look.
I mean, you understand? Oh, yes, I understand.
Well, he was there all by himself, loading this large crate, and then suddenly it fell on him and then it happened.
Well, he changed.
(STAMMERING) He turned green, and he got huge, and his shirt all split, and then he roared.
(ROARING) It was terrifying.
And beautiful in a way.
Well, what did he do then? Oh.
Have you ever seen a tornado, Mr.
McGee? This man who became the Hulk, could you describe him? I don't have to describe him, there he is.
The one in the blue shirt.
Use these.
Oh, my God.
It's Dr.
David Banner.
He's alive.
Charlie, Emerson Fletcher.
Are you still a starving stringer? How would you like to shoot some film of the Hulk for the 6:00 news? Yes? Oh, my name is Fletcher.
I'm a writer.
The Journal of American Science.
Emerson Fletcher? Yes.
I want your story.
There must be some mistake.
If you'll excuse me.
Oh, no, no.
No, no.
There's no mistake.
You're Dr.
David Banner.
No, I'm not.
Oh, yes, you are.
Doctor, I wanna talk with you.
I'm sorry, Mr.
Fletcher, we have nothing to talk about.
Look, if you let me in, give me a chance to explain myself to you I won't reveal your true identity.
But if you don't talk with me, I'll be forced to go to the authorities, and I'm sure they'll be very interested in talking with a dead man.
Thank you.
So, this is how you get your stories.
Oh, no, this isn't my usual style, but I need this interview and I think it can help you, too.
If you really wanna help me, you can get out of here right now and leave me alone.
The scientific world deserves the real story, not some exploitive exposé in a gossip rag.
What's the point? The point is that your story will be read by the very people that can help you.
Your colleagues in the scientific community.
The facts, I am sure, will stimulate research towards a possible cure.
Don't you realize that a wealth of resources will become available to you? That's conjecture.
Well, my experience tells me that your associates will rally to your assistance.
I, of course, will go along with whatever appropriate conditions that you require.
No pictures, and your identity shall be protected.
Hmm.
How can I believe you? Well, I have a reputation of telling the truth.
Do we have an agreement? All right, but I get absolute approval of the story before it's published.
Oh, yes, it's your story.
(TOOLS WHIRRING) (TELEPHONE RINGING) McGee.
Oh, hello, Doctor.
How does it feel to be famous? (CHUCKLES) Yeah, I'll bet.
Let me write it down, how's How are all five little Good.
Good.
And the happy mother, how is she? (CHUCKLING) Yeah, well, we were all surprised.
Can you slow down a little, Doc? I'm trying to find a notepad here.
Uh Look, Doc, can I call you back? Hi.
(EXCLAIMING) Come in.
Come in.
Don't stand on ceremony.
My door is always open, Jack.
Mark Mark, Mark How are the quintuplets? Do you have any idea where Emerson Fletcher might possibly be? Probably at home with his wife.
His wife's not even in town.
Did you put him out on assignment? No, I didn't put him on an assignment.
What assignment? That's what I wanna know, because wherever he is, he has got my Hulk file.
What would he want with that? I asked myself that same question.
The only answer I can come up with is somebody somewhere has seen the Hulk.
Oh, come on, Jack, sit down and relax, will you? He doesn't even believe in the Hulk.
I think that he just got converted.
DAVID: I really believed it was my fault.
I've never felt so helpless.
Why do you blame yourself for your wife's death? You just told me it was physically impossible to save her.
But there are exceptions.
How do you explain the actions of a mother so desperate for the safety of her own child she is capable of lifting a car off of him? Now, to a layman, that would be a miracle.
YOUNG GIRL: Daddy.
Daddy.
(BREATHING HEAVILY) I became obsessed with finding the key to the inner strength that all people have.
Were you successful? No.
Well, at least not at first.
You see, Elaina and I That's my colleague, Dr.
Elaina Marks.
We tested people who had experienced abnormal strength during periods of extreme stress.
And we discovered that every subject demonstrated that strength during periods of high-level gamma activity from the sun.
Mmm-hmm.
What did you do then? I decided to expose myself to high-level gamma radiation, to try to duplicate their phenomena.
What safeguards did you utilize? Oh, the usual.
I only made one mistake.
I didn't take human error into account.
Now, I had regulated my intake very precisely, but the machine itself was not calibrated properly and I accidentally absorbed over two million units of gamma.
You're lucky you're alive.
Well, what about the side effects? There were none.
At least, not at first.
But as I was driving home that night, it was a terrible evening, it was raining and I had a blow out.
I was having a very difficult time changing the tire, and then I I scraped my hand.
(SCREAMING) I got very angry.
FLETCHER: What happened? I don't know.
I never know.
I I blacked out.
The next day, the police found the car.
It was in the bottom of a ditch and it was demolished.
So, Elaina and I decided to try and recreate the circumstances, but this time in a laboratory under controlled conditions.
I mean, the rain and the lightning.
Well, did it work? No.
No, not the way we thought it would.
It was very, very late, and I fell into a restless sleep.
(SCREECHING) I couldn't forget the accident with Laura.
Elaina must've sensed something was wrong.
Dr.
Banner began rapid eye movement, indicating dream state.
Considerable agitation and heavy increase in both GSR and EEG responses.
Especially the beta frequency.
I think he's having a nightmare.
(SCREAMING) There seems to be some malfunction in the EEG.
Dr.
Banner himself has (SCREAMING) (ROARS) David.
He has just smashed the control console.
Now he's reaching for the steam pipe.
Two inches of steel.
He's ripped that out.
Now he's trying to get through the first hatch.
The locking wheel has broken off, it can't get through the hatch.
(POUNDING) (ROARS) It seems to be driven by this blind rage to escape.
I think it's going to.
Oh, no.
Elaina told me later what I What the creature had done.
I felt so helpless, so powerless.
Daddy, make it stop hurting.
Make it stop hurting.
Hmm? Are you all right? Oh, mmm-hmm.
(SIGHING) Judy, it's Jack, again.
Listen, are you sure that Fletcher didn't get any calls here yesterday? Yeah, I'm sure.
Okay, well, how about calls to this office? Only one, and that was for you.
Me? Yeah, at 12:15.
I didn't get any Didn't Fletcher tell you about your collect call from Atlanta? No, he didn't, not a word.
Well, you got a pencil handy? I'll give you the name.
Yeah, sure, shoot.
Stella Stella Verdugo.
Verdugo.
Who the hell is Stella Verdugo? Sorry, Jack, I don't know.
No.
No, it's fine.
Judy, do me a favor.
Would you call the phone company? Let's see if we can trace this one.
Okay, Jack.
Thanks.
It seems our friend picked up a travel voucher for $160, which I did not authorize.
(SIGHING) Well, he's smart.
He left the destination blank.
Signing my name was not smart.
Let's call the cops.
Wait a minute.
Well, you're into a forgery matter here, Mark.
Just a minute.
That's the kind of publicity The Register does not need.
Okay, look at it this way.
How far can he go on $160? How far? How far? How do I know? You're the investigative reporter.
You find him.
Me? After the explosion at the lab, I ran.
I haven't stopped since.
And I can't.
Not until I find a cure.
DOCTOR: We're doing everything that's humanly possible.
(BREATHING HEAVILY) DOCTOR: There is no known cure.
(ECHOING) DAVID: Then I heard about Dr.
Caroline Fields in Hawaii, who was doing research with hypnosis in therapy.
I remember reading about her work.
She had a high cure rate.
Yes.
With two exceptions.
She and I.
Oh, I'm sorry.
She had a terminal illness.
We had no illusions, but did decide to collaborate to help each other.
We were married the week before she died.
A hurricane had hit the islands.
(GROANING) I had to get her to the hospital.
(LOUDER GROANING) She was in such terrible pain.
It was more than she could bear.
David! Oh, David! Carol! Carol! (SCREAMING) (GROANING) (SCREAMS) Carol! Carol! (CAROLINE GROANING) At least we never gave up trying.
(EXHALING) She died in my arms.
YOUNG GIRL: Daddy, I wanna go home.
Oh, sweetheart.
Daddy? You'll go home.
Daddy, please.
I wanna go home.
Soon.
I think we both need a break.
Do you mind if I, uh, go outside and get some fresh air? No.
No, go ahead.
Wait.
I'd like to thank you.
This has been bottled up inside me for such a long time.
It's such a relief to be able to tell someone that understands technically and still has sensitivity and compassion.
This must be very difficult for you.
Mr.
McGee.
Yoo-hoo, Mr.
McGee.
You haven't forgotten our little arrangement? No, Miss Verdugo, I haven't forgotten our little arrangement.
Frankly, I'd have thought you'd been able to catch the Hulk by now.
I almost deposited you at his door.
I'm surprised a woman of such infinite charm has so little patience.
Your fulsome praise doesn't deceive me, Mr.
McGee.
I'm no fool.
Neither am I.
I assure you, Miss Verdugo, you'll get your reward.
My paper is not in the habit of cheating sweet, little old ladies.
Goodbye, Mr.
McGee.
And then I experimented with every kind of serum, trying to find an antidote to prevent my metamorphosis.
I thought I could control the creature by reducing the brain's primal impulses, so I injected myself in hopes of building up the brain's intellectual capabilities.
Unfortunately, it backfired.
The primal side became totally predominate, altering the character of both me and the creature.
The only comforting thought I've had throughout this three-year ordeal, however tenuous it may be, is that the creature would not kill because I would not kill.
But this time, it could have been different.
Fortunately, the dark side Hulk was unsuccessful, and I later found an antidote to the serum, and the creature's behavior returned to normal.
What about the creature's destructive nature, which has been so widely reported? Well, from what I can gather, the creature has never wantonly destroyed anything or seriously hurt anybody.
Apparently, he is motivated to deal with whatever frustrates or angers me.
And I can't tell you what it's like every time I Come back, wondering, "What has he done?" You're almost describing an animal.
In a way, I am.
I'm describing the creature's primal state, which takes over whenever there are moments of great anger.
But he seems to be pure instinct, without reason or intellectual understanding.
Total innocence, like a child.
But because of his immense strength, people confuse his motives.
(CHUCKLING) You never read about his human side.
Monsters sell papers.
Which is exactly why I don't trust reporters, present company excepted.
But reporters like Jack McGee.
Ever since that day in the cemetery, I knew I would always be just a story to him.
It appeared that no one survived the lab explosion except the creature, so McGee assumed that it had killed Elaina and David Banner.
That's why he continues chasing the creature and me, his John Doe.
Part of me died that day.
Fletcher? Fletcher.
I'm sorry.
I've been running, too.
The circumstances don't matter.
Sometimes running doesn't get you very far, does it? (SIGHING) Emerson? Excuse me.
I was thinking of something else.
Shall we continue? Yeah.
OPERATOR: National Register.
I wanna speak to Jack McGee's boss.
Who did you say, ma'am? To Jack McGee's boss! One moment, please.
(TELEPHONE RINGING) Hello.
STELLA: Hello, is this Mr.
Mark Roberts? No, it's not Mark Roberts, I'm I'm calling from Atlanta about your Jack McGee.
Look, lady, you wanna take a deep breath here? He promised me that I'd get the $10,000 reward! I can't understand a word you're saying.
I said that Jack McGee is taking advantage of one of your most faithful readers.
Well fine, but it just happens that I am Jack McGee, and I haven't been in Atlanta for seven years.
So why don't you just settle down and start from Your newspaper's cheating me out of what's rightfully mine, sir.
And that's just about the lowest thing that one human being can do to another.
Well, what's your name? Stella.
Stella? Verdugo.
Stella Verdugo? Uh, yeah, address? 4251 Wayflower Avenue, apartment 3C.
Yeah, okay, listen, Stella, do me a favor.
You stay right where you are.
Okay? I'm gonna take the next flight to Atlanta.
And you swear I'll get the reward if you catch the Hulk? Yeah.
I promise.
Oh, it's lovely doing business with a true gentleman.
You know, you asked me what I was doing these last couple of years.
Did you ever read an article that I wrote about a radical cure for cystic fibrosis? Hmm.
Yes, yes.
As a matter of fact, I remember there was quite a bit of controversy about that.
Yes, I faced the acid test of its worth.
You see, my little girl had cystic fibrosis, and as you know, there's no known cure.
I wanted to change that for her, so I volunteered her for this new treatment.
I knew it was a gamble, but I was very optimistic.
And you lost.
Lisa was only eight.
(SIGHING) You know, when I first came to your door, I didn't know what to make out of this Hulk.
After all, a large green man running amok is not exactly my kind of story.
But I believe in you, Doctor, and I'm gonna help you.
Where are you going? To help.
Stella Verdugo? You're Jack McGee.
The one and only.
Please, come in.
ANSWERING MACHINE: Hello, this is Charlie Jameson.
(SIGHING) I'm out on assignment now, but I don't wanna miss your call.
So when you hear the tone, please I just knew that man wasn't you.
Is this him? I just knew that the real Jack McGee couldn't be so deceitful about something that was rightfully mine.
You mean the reward? Well, that's conditional upon capture of the Hulk.
How do you expect to do that, Mr.
McGee? I mean, not to be disparaging, but you're not exactly Mr.
Charles Atlas.
(CHUCKLES) Well, there's this.
(GASPING) It's all right, it's a dart gun.
It shoots an animal tranquilizer.
It's just meant to paralyze it temporarily.
Oh.
I see.
What about the Money? (SOFT CHUCKLING) All right.
This check's made out in the amount of $10,000.
All that's missing is a signature.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR) Something wrong? (SIGHING) What's the matter? Oh, Doctor, I have a confession to make.
Yes? After my daughter's death, it was difficult for me to work.
I lost my credibility and I just about gave up.
Now, I'm trying to write again, for myself, for my marriage.
I took the only job I could get.
A newspaper offered me a fresh start.
I was hoping your story would restore my respectability.
Yes.
Well, I'm not proud of what I've done.
See, I work for The National Register.
But I intend keeping my promises to you.
Mr.
Fletcher, these are my tapes.
You can't go out there.
There's a TV news crew on the way.
What are you talking about? How in the hell could you John.
John, open up.
(KNOCKING AT DOOR) Look, Stella, call the police.
Tell them that we have trapped a wanted criminal.
McGEE: John! Come on, John, before that news crew out there turns you into the 6:00 freak show.
Mr.
McGee, could you possibly spare a dime? (STAMMERS) McGEE: John! Hurry! Hurry! McGEE: Get out of my way! (GRUNTING) (GROANING) Let go of me.
Fletcher, are you crazy? (HULK ROARING) (GASPING) Oh, my.
(ROARS) (ROARS) Up there, Charlie! Get it! REPORTER: Look at that thing! (ROARS) REPORTER: Careful, Charlie, careful (JAMMING) (ROARS) (ROARS) Get down! (GRUNTING) Oh, my.
Do be careful, Mr.
McGee.
(ROARS) (ROARS) (STELLA SCREAMING) Let's go.
Oh, my.
Oh, my.
Oh, my.
Oh, my.
Now, Mr.
McGee, about the reward.
Does this count as capture? No.
STELLA: Well then, Mr.
McGee, perhaps you'd consider a partial reward? No.
Well, still, it was beautiful.
(CHUCKLING) Oh, yeah, Stella, it's always beautiful.
McGEE: Fletcher, what did he tell you? He didn't tell me anything.
Oh, come on, you spent two days alone with the man who turns into the Hulk.
Now who is he? What did he say? No, our conversations are privileged information.
But it's my information.
It's my story.
Now come on, Fletcher.
I think you owe me.
I owe him.
(SIGHING)
David Banner.
No, I'm not.
Oh, yes, you are.
I want your story.
(HULK ROARS) You're almost describing an animal.
I'm describing the creature's primal state, which takes over whenever there are moments of great anger.
How would you like to shoot some film of the Hulk for the 6:00 news? (ROARS) NARRATOR: Dr.
David Banner, physician, scientist.
Searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have.
Then, an accidental overdose of gamma radiation alters his body chemistry.
And now, when David Banner grows angry or outraged, a startling metamorphosis occurs.
(ROARS) The creature is driven by rage and pursued by an investigative reporter.
Mr.
McGee, don't make me angry.
You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.
The creature is wanted for a murder he didn't commit.
David Banner is believed to be dead.
And he must let the world think that he is dead until he can find a way to control the raging spirit that dwells within him.
(ROARS) Okay, let's break for lunch.
Lunch, everybody.
McGEE: Fletcher, we have to share this closet till they finish remodeling, so could you please refrain from polluting our air? FLETCHER: Oh, stop yelling.
You ever heard of noise pollution? I think it's worse than my smoking.
Fletcher, nothing is worse than your smoking.
Except maybe my spending $500 to quit smoking.
McGee, they've stopped hammering.
You can quit screaming.
(LOUDLY) I am (LOWERING VOICE) not screaming.
You know, I think I could like this job, if I could only get used to the mental cruelty.
Oh, Fletcher, why don't you just be quiet and finish your story? What do you got this week? "The Hidden Diseases In Your Rug.
" Sounds like a shoe-in for the Pulitzer.
Oh, stop sniping, just because your Hulk has disappeared.
He didn't disappear.
He just hasn't been seen for a couple of months.
Yeah, it's hard to see something that's not there.
Fletcher, you just do your story, and let me do mine, okay? Yeah, my story, my story.
(GRUNTING) Roberts knows what I can do.
I'm 46 years old, I'm on probation.
Say, uh, have you got a match? (STAMMERING) Excuse me.
I hate to break up the flow of creative genius, but I need to talk with you, Jack.
Thank you.
Come on.
Now, Mark, what is he, my punishment for exceeding last month's expense account? How did you guess? (SIGHING) How long till I'm rid of him? MARK: Maybe sooner than you think.
Unless he gets his act together.
Steinhauer's not sure he can still cut it, you know.
He's putting a lot of pressure on Fletcher to produce, and fast, so you quit worrying about him.
Have I got an assignment for you.
Oh, Mark.
Quintuplets were born last night on the South Side.
Now that's the kind of story The Register does best.
It's timely Timely BOTH: It has heart.
Mark, you really want me to drop the Hulk for five ankle-biters whose only distinction is that they're born in volume? (LAUGHING) Precisely.
Aw, give me a break.
Wait a minute, if you want, I'll just tell Steinhauer that you're too busy.
No.
No, no, no, it's all right.
But you have got to promise you'll let me loose the minute they sight the Hulk again.
MARK: And you'll have the scoop of the decade and the New York Times begging for your byline.
Believe me, Mark.
The Hulk story is going to pay off some of these days.
Some of these days, some of these days.
What about now, huh? Right now, I'm gonna buy your lunch, okay? Lunch sounds good.
Okay.
Let's go.
(TELEPHONE RINGING) Oh.
Hello.
OPERATOR: Call for McGee.
Is he there? No.
He's not here.
Tell her to call back.
It's collect, long distance.
Operator, wait a minute.
She says it's urgent.
What does she want? She claims she saw the Hulk.
Does she sound like a kook? Not compared to some of the crazies who call.
All right, I'll accept the charges.
Go ahead, ma'am.
STELLA: Thank you kindly, operator.
Hello, this is Jack McGee.
Mr.
McGee, we've never met, but I'm a big fan of yours.
I'm calling to tell you that I think I've seen this, um A Hulk you write about.
Hey, where are you calling from? Atlanta, Georgia.
All right, um What's your name? Verdugo.
Miss Stella Verdugo.
And your address? 4251 Wayflower Avenue, apartment 3C.
Listen, Miss Verdugo, I'm gonna catch the next plane to Atlanta.
I'm waiting, Mr.
McGee.
Bye-bye.
Goodbye.
I just don't understand how you couldn't have seen something.
You were the only man out here.
What makes a hole that size that nobody sees or hears? And what am I gonna tell Mr.
Fischmann? Why don't you just tell him the truth? Tell him you don't know.
Butler, I'm sure sorry you're leaving.
You're a good worker.
Hope it's got nothing to do with this mess.
Well, this mess is partly my responsibility to help clean up.
Better get to it.
MAN: Hey, coming through here.
Make way for the man with the load.
Wow.
Ernest Hemingway has gone to lunch.
Oh, give him a chance, Jack, will you? Mmm-mmm, bread and butter.
You know, Emerson Fletcher was the best.
Remember his story on the Salk vaccine? That was a milestone.
(SIGHING) He could take the most complex science story and make a fifth grader understand it.
Seen any of his recent stuff? He knows he's losing it.
You know, it's eating him up inside.
Emmy is bitter.
He's a bitter man.
The guy is bitter.
He has a right to be.
Losing a daughter will do that to you.
(SIGHING) True.
Uh-oh.
What's this? "Urgent family business, Fletcher.
" Another excuse to miss a deadline? I'll deal with Fletcher.
Hey, you've got a story to get out.
"The Quints That Ate Chicago.
" (SIGHS) (LAUGHING) You can do it.
Thanks for lunch.
(CHUCKLING) Okay.
MELLON ON TV: I know you're lost.
And I know you need help.
And I'll send it to you, COD.
Reverend Mellon's Miracle Kit belongs in your home.
It's only $9.
95 for the record or $12.
95 for the eight-track stereo or cassette.
Write me today at Post Office Box 5.
STELLA: Just a minute.
Hello, Miss Verdugo.
I'm Jack McGee.
My, that was fast.
Well, the miracle of jet travel.
Oh, well, come on in, Mr.
McGee.
You don't look nothing like your picture.
I was ill when it was taken.
But I am Jack McGee.
Well, make yourself at home, Mr.
McGee.
Thank you.
Lemonade? Sounds fine.
I've been reading your paper ever since it began, Mr.
McGee.
Especially lately, all those stories about the Hulk.
I never thought I'd be the one to get the reward.
I'm truly flabbergasted.
Well, thank you.
Tell me, Miss Verdugo, exactly what you remember about yesterday.
I'd returned home from the market and I just happened to see this fellow down there in the loading dock.
Hmm.
I was using these.
It's not that I'm the prying kind, you understand.
It's just, he looked as if he'd been hurt and I thought I should get a closer look.
I mean, you understand? Oh, yes, I understand.
Well, he was there all by himself, loading this large crate, and then suddenly it fell on him and then it happened.
Well, he changed.
(STAMMERING) He turned green, and he got huge, and his shirt all split, and then he roared.
(ROARING) It was terrifying.
And beautiful in a way.
Well, what did he do then? Oh.
Have you ever seen a tornado, Mr.
McGee? This man who became the Hulk, could you describe him? I don't have to describe him, there he is.
The one in the blue shirt.
Use these.
Oh, my God.
It's Dr.
David Banner.
He's alive.
Charlie, Emerson Fletcher.
Are you still a starving stringer? How would you like to shoot some film of the Hulk for the 6:00 news? Yes? Oh, my name is Fletcher.
I'm a writer.
The Journal of American Science.
Emerson Fletcher? Yes.
I want your story.
There must be some mistake.
If you'll excuse me.
Oh, no, no.
No, no.
There's no mistake.
You're Dr.
David Banner.
No, I'm not.
Oh, yes, you are.
Doctor, I wanna talk with you.
I'm sorry, Mr.
Fletcher, we have nothing to talk about.
Look, if you let me in, give me a chance to explain myself to you I won't reveal your true identity.
But if you don't talk with me, I'll be forced to go to the authorities, and I'm sure they'll be very interested in talking with a dead man.
Thank you.
So, this is how you get your stories.
Oh, no, this isn't my usual style, but I need this interview and I think it can help you, too.
If you really wanna help me, you can get out of here right now and leave me alone.
The scientific world deserves the real story, not some exploitive exposé in a gossip rag.
What's the point? The point is that your story will be read by the very people that can help you.
Your colleagues in the scientific community.
The facts, I am sure, will stimulate research towards a possible cure.
Don't you realize that a wealth of resources will become available to you? That's conjecture.
Well, my experience tells me that your associates will rally to your assistance.
I, of course, will go along with whatever appropriate conditions that you require.
No pictures, and your identity shall be protected.
Hmm.
How can I believe you? Well, I have a reputation of telling the truth.
Do we have an agreement? All right, but I get absolute approval of the story before it's published.
Oh, yes, it's your story.
(TOOLS WHIRRING) (TELEPHONE RINGING) McGee.
Oh, hello, Doctor.
How does it feel to be famous? (CHUCKLES) Yeah, I'll bet.
Let me write it down, how's How are all five little Good.
Good.
And the happy mother, how is she? (CHUCKLING) Yeah, well, we were all surprised.
Can you slow down a little, Doc? I'm trying to find a notepad here.
Uh Look, Doc, can I call you back? Hi.
(EXCLAIMING) Come in.
Come in.
Don't stand on ceremony.
My door is always open, Jack.
Mark Mark, Mark How are the quintuplets? Do you have any idea where Emerson Fletcher might possibly be? Probably at home with his wife.
His wife's not even in town.
Did you put him out on assignment? No, I didn't put him on an assignment.
What assignment? That's what I wanna know, because wherever he is, he has got my Hulk file.
What would he want with that? I asked myself that same question.
The only answer I can come up with is somebody somewhere has seen the Hulk.
Oh, come on, Jack, sit down and relax, will you? He doesn't even believe in the Hulk.
I think that he just got converted.
DAVID: I really believed it was my fault.
I've never felt so helpless.
Why do you blame yourself for your wife's death? You just told me it was physically impossible to save her.
But there are exceptions.
How do you explain the actions of a mother so desperate for the safety of her own child she is capable of lifting a car off of him? Now, to a layman, that would be a miracle.
YOUNG GIRL: Daddy.
Daddy.
(BREATHING HEAVILY) I became obsessed with finding the key to the inner strength that all people have.
Were you successful? No.
Well, at least not at first.
You see, Elaina and I That's my colleague, Dr.
Elaina Marks.
We tested people who had experienced abnormal strength during periods of extreme stress.
And we discovered that every subject demonstrated that strength during periods of high-level gamma activity from the sun.
Mmm-hmm.
What did you do then? I decided to expose myself to high-level gamma radiation, to try to duplicate their phenomena.
What safeguards did you utilize? Oh, the usual.
I only made one mistake.
I didn't take human error into account.
Now, I had regulated my intake very precisely, but the machine itself was not calibrated properly and I accidentally absorbed over two million units of gamma.
You're lucky you're alive.
Well, what about the side effects? There were none.
At least, not at first.
But as I was driving home that night, it was a terrible evening, it was raining and I had a blow out.
I was having a very difficult time changing the tire, and then I I scraped my hand.
(SCREAMING) I got very angry.
FLETCHER: What happened? I don't know.
I never know.
I I blacked out.
The next day, the police found the car.
It was in the bottom of a ditch and it was demolished.
So, Elaina and I decided to try and recreate the circumstances, but this time in a laboratory under controlled conditions.
I mean, the rain and the lightning.
Well, did it work? No.
No, not the way we thought it would.
It was very, very late, and I fell into a restless sleep.
(SCREECHING) I couldn't forget the accident with Laura.
Elaina must've sensed something was wrong.
Dr.
Banner began rapid eye movement, indicating dream state.
Considerable agitation and heavy increase in both GSR and EEG responses.
Especially the beta frequency.
I think he's having a nightmare.
(SCREAMING) There seems to be some malfunction in the EEG.
Dr.
Banner himself has (SCREAMING) (ROARS) David.
He has just smashed the control console.
Now he's reaching for the steam pipe.
Two inches of steel.
He's ripped that out.
Now he's trying to get through the first hatch.
The locking wheel has broken off, it can't get through the hatch.
(POUNDING) (ROARS) It seems to be driven by this blind rage to escape.
I think it's going to.
Oh, no.
Elaina told me later what I What the creature had done.
I felt so helpless, so powerless.
Daddy, make it stop hurting.
Make it stop hurting.
Hmm? Are you all right? Oh, mmm-hmm.
(SIGHING) Judy, it's Jack, again.
Listen, are you sure that Fletcher didn't get any calls here yesterday? Yeah, I'm sure.
Okay, well, how about calls to this office? Only one, and that was for you.
Me? Yeah, at 12:15.
I didn't get any Didn't Fletcher tell you about your collect call from Atlanta? No, he didn't, not a word.
Well, you got a pencil handy? I'll give you the name.
Yeah, sure, shoot.
Stella Stella Verdugo.
Verdugo.
Who the hell is Stella Verdugo? Sorry, Jack, I don't know.
No.
No, it's fine.
Judy, do me a favor.
Would you call the phone company? Let's see if we can trace this one.
Okay, Jack.
Thanks.
It seems our friend picked up a travel voucher for $160, which I did not authorize.
(SIGHING) Well, he's smart.
He left the destination blank.
Signing my name was not smart.
Let's call the cops.
Wait a minute.
Well, you're into a forgery matter here, Mark.
Just a minute.
That's the kind of publicity The Register does not need.
Okay, look at it this way.
How far can he go on $160? How far? How far? How do I know? You're the investigative reporter.
You find him.
Me? After the explosion at the lab, I ran.
I haven't stopped since.
And I can't.
Not until I find a cure.
DOCTOR: We're doing everything that's humanly possible.
(BREATHING HEAVILY) DOCTOR: There is no known cure.
(ECHOING) DAVID: Then I heard about Dr.
Caroline Fields in Hawaii, who was doing research with hypnosis in therapy.
I remember reading about her work.
She had a high cure rate.
Yes.
With two exceptions.
She and I.
Oh, I'm sorry.
She had a terminal illness.
We had no illusions, but did decide to collaborate to help each other.
We were married the week before she died.
A hurricane had hit the islands.
(GROANING) I had to get her to the hospital.
(LOUDER GROANING) She was in such terrible pain.
It was more than she could bear.
David! Oh, David! Carol! Carol! (SCREAMING) (GROANING) (SCREAMS) Carol! Carol! (CAROLINE GROANING) At least we never gave up trying.
(EXHALING) She died in my arms.
YOUNG GIRL: Daddy, I wanna go home.
Oh, sweetheart.
Daddy? You'll go home.
Daddy, please.
I wanna go home.
Soon.
I think we both need a break.
Do you mind if I, uh, go outside and get some fresh air? No.
No, go ahead.
Wait.
I'd like to thank you.
This has been bottled up inside me for such a long time.
It's such a relief to be able to tell someone that understands technically and still has sensitivity and compassion.
This must be very difficult for you.
Mr.
McGee.
Yoo-hoo, Mr.
McGee.
You haven't forgotten our little arrangement? No, Miss Verdugo, I haven't forgotten our little arrangement.
Frankly, I'd have thought you'd been able to catch the Hulk by now.
I almost deposited you at his door.
I'm surprised a woman of such infinite charm has so little patience.
Your fulsome praise doesn't deceive me, Mr.
McGee.
I'm no fool.
Neither am I.
I assure you, Miss Verdugo, you'll get your reward.
My paper is not in the habit of cheating sweet, little old ladies.
Goodbye, Mr.
McGee.
And then I experimented with every kind of serum, trying to find an antidote to prevent my metamorphosis.
I thought I could control the creature by reducing the brain's primal impulses, so I injected myself in hopes of building up the brain's intellectual capabilities.
Unfortunately, it backfired.
The primal side became totally predominate, altering the character of both me and the creature.
The only comforting thought I've had throughout this three-year ordeal, however tenuous it may be, is that the creature would not kill because I would not kill.
But this time, it could have been different.
Fortunately, the dark side Hulk was unsuccessful, and I later found an antidote to the serum, and the creature's behavior returned to normal.
What about the creature's destructive nature, which has been so widely reported? Well, from what I can gather, the creature has never wantonly destroyed anything or seriously hurt anybody.
Apparently, he is motivated to deal with whatever frustrates or angers me.
And I can't tell you what it's like every time I Come back, wondering, "What has he done?" You're almost describing an animal.
In a way, I am.
I'm describing the creature's primal state, which takes over whenever there are moments of great anger.
But he seems to be pure instinct, without reason or intellectual understanding.
Total innocence, like a child.
But because of his immense strength, people confuse his motives.
(CHUCKLING) You never read about his human side.
Monsters sell papers.
Which is exactly why I don't trust reporters, present company excepted.
But reporters like Jack McGee.
Ever since that day in the cemetery, I knew I would always be just a story to him.
It appeared that no one survived the lab explosion except the creature, so McGee assumed that it had killed Elaina and David Banner.
That's why he continues chasing the creature and me, his John Doe.
Part of me died that day.
Fletcher? Fletcher.
I'm sorry.
I've been running, too.
The circumstances don't matter.
Sometimes running doesn't get you very far, does it? (SIGHING) Emerson? Excuse me.
I was thinking of something else.
Shall we continue? Yeah.
OPERATOR: National Register.
I wanna speak to Jack McGee's boss.
Who did you say, ma'am? To Jack McGee's boss! One moment, please.
(TELEPHONE RINGING) Hello.
STELLA: Hello, is this Mr.
Mark Roberts? No, it's not Mark Roberts, I'm I'm calling from Atlanta about your Jack McGee.
Look, lady, you wanna take a deep breath here? He promised me that I'd get the $10,000 reward! I can't understand a word you're saying.
I said that Jack McGee is taking advantage of one of your most faithful readers.
Well fine, but it just happens that I am Jack McGee, and I haven't been in Atlanta for seven years.
So why don't you just settle down and start from Your newspaper's cheating me out of what's rightfully mine, sir.
And that's just about the lowest thing that one human being can do to another.
Well, what's your name? Stella.
Stella? Verdugo.
Stella Verdugo? Uh, yeah, address? 4251 Wayflower Avenue, apartment 3C.
Yeah, okay, listen, Stella, do me a favor.
You stay right where you are.
Okay? I'm gonna take the next flight to Atlanta.
And you swear I'll get the reward if you catch the Hulk? Yeah.
I promise.
Oh, it's lovely doing business with a true gentleman.
You know, you asked me what I was doing these last couple of years.
Did you ever read an article that I wrote about a radical cure for cystic fibrosis? Hmm.
Yes, yes.
As a matter of fact, I remember there was quite a bit of controversy about that.
Yes, I faced the acid test of its worth.
You see, my little girl had cystic fibrosis, and as you know, there's no known cure.
I wanted to change that for her, so I volunteered her for this new treatment.
I knew it was a gamble, but I was very optimistic.
And you lost.
Lisa was only eight.
(SIGHING) You know, when I first came to your door, I didn't know what to make out of this Hulk.
After all, a large green man running amok is not exactly my kind of story.
But I believe in you, Doctor, and I'm gonna help you.
Where are you going? To help.
Stella Verdugo? You're Jack McGee.
The one and only.
Please, come in.
ANSWERING MACHINE: Hello, this is Charlie Jameson.
(SIGHING) I'm out on assignment now, but I don't wanna miss your call.
So when you hear the tone, please I just knew that man wasn't you.
Is this him? I just knew that the real Jack McGee couldn't be so deceitful about something that was rightfully mine.
You mean the reward? Well, that's conditional upon capture of the Hulk.
How do you expect to do that, Mr.
McGee? I mean, not to be disparaging, but you're not exactly Mr.
Charles Atlas.
(CHUCKLES) Well, there's this.
(GASPING) It's all right, it's a dart gun.
It shoots an animal tranquilizer.
It's just meant to paralyze it temporarily.
Oh.
I see.
What about the Money? (SOFT CHUCKLING) All right.
This check's made out in the amount of $10,000.
All that's missing is a signature.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR) Something wrong? (SIGHING) What's the matter? Oh, Doctor, I have a confession to make.
Yes? After my daughter's death, it was difficult for me to work.
I lost my credibility and I just about gave up.
Now, I'm trying to write again, for myself, for my marriage.
I took the only job I could get.
A newspaper offered me a fresh start.
I was hoping your story would restore my respectability.
Yes.
Well, I'm not proud of what I've done.
See, I work for The National Register.
But I intend keeping my promises to you.
Mr.
Fletcher, these are my tapes.
You can't go out there.
There's a TV news crew on the way.
What are you talking about? How in the hell could you John.
John, open up.
(KNOCKING AT DOOR) Look, Stella, call the police.
Tell them that we have trapped a wanted criminal.
McGEE: John! Come on, John, before that news crew out there turns you into the 6:00 freak show.
Mr.
McGee, could you possibly spare a dime? (STAMMERS) McGEE: John! Hurry! Hurry! McGEE: Get out of my way! (GRUNTING) (GROANING) Let go of me.
Fletcher, are you crazy? (HULK ROARING) (GASPING) Oh, my.
(ROARS) (ROARS) Up there, Charlie! Get it! REPORTER: Look at that thing! (ROARS) REPORTER: Careful, Charlie, careful (JAMMING) (ROARS) (ROARS) Get down! (GRUNTING) Oh, my.
Do be careful, Mr.
McGee.
(ROARS) (ROARS) (STELLA SCREAMING) Let's go.
Oh, my.
Oh, my.
Oh, my.
Oh, my.
Now, Mr.
McGee, about the reward.
Does this count as capture? No.
STELLA: Well then, Mr.
McGee, perhaps you'd consider a partial reward? No.
Well, still, it was beautiful.
(CHUCKLING) Oh, yeah, Stella, it's always beautiful.
McGEE: Fletcher, what did he tell you? He didn't tell me anything.
Oh, come on, you spent two days alone with the man who turns into the Hulk.
Now who is he? What did he say? No, our conversations are privileged information.
But it's my information.
It's my story.
Now come on, Fletcher.
I think you owe me.
I owe him.
(SIGHING)