Original subtitles

All right, hold it. Let's hold it right there.

Come on, Private Fuzz. Can't we take a walk?

You're gonna take a walk. Right back to that home you came from.

We came from the planet Ralph.

We're just cutting across the Glen's front yard.

You're not gonna wake him up for that. Back to the house.

We'll see what's going on. Back. Come on. Let's go.

This is your friendly neighborhood wake -up service.

It's now 2 a .m. Sunday morning. You better wake up.

Somebody stepped on your grass.

Sorry to wake you, miss, but I caught these three coming from your house.

You must be the snake when they weren't in this house.

You sure?

Of course. My parents are upstairs sleeping, and I've been downstairs wide

awake.

So I know there's been no one here.

Starring William Conrad, with guest stars John Larch,

John Rubenstein, Louise Latham,

Keith Andes, Diane Hull.

Tonight's episode, A Deadly Quiet Town.

Compulsion.

I suppose everybody has a compulsion of some sort.

I sometimes think that nature invented the pistachio nut as a device to control

the compulsion to eat. You know, by the time you get them shelled, you've lost

your appetite.

Are you telling me those kids were under compulsion to do what they did?

Or what they didn't do, depending on whether we believe the private patrolman

your daughter.

Mr. Cannon, those creeps definitely broke into my house.

Took a vase from the bedroom.

Slashed my jacket.

Which, of course, makes absolutely no sense at all.

Maybe the fact that it doesn't make sense makes sense.

I don't understand that.

Well, you know, when I look at a picture straight on and don't get it, I try

looking at it sideways.

I think we've got to ask ourselves a question.

Why did your daughter lie?

He must have told her to.

Larry, the head freak.

Larry.

Bollinger? Yes.

Yes, he runs those kids.

The whole group of young people from the best families in town.

I think he's some sort of a mystical being, a god, a prophet at the very

It's incredible.

Anyway, my wife and I have made up our minds we need a private detective.

But we don't want to engage one in our own town.

Well, gossip, that sort of thing.

So we're turning to you.

To do exactly what?

Susan only comes to us once on a blue moon when she needs a square meal.

The rest of the time she's at that ranch where Bollinger and those kids hang

out. Mr. Cannon, we want you to bring our daughter home.

Manhandling teenage girls isn't exactly my specialty.

I don't mean use force.

Just show Bollinger up for what he really is.

It's common talk in town that he's done all kinds of criminal things or

instigated them, but nobody can prove it.

Susan's a sweet girl, a good girl.

She'd walk away from Bollinger if she knew the truth about him.

Mr. Glenn, you know, the truth is like the rain. It doesn't care who gets wet.

I'll gamble on that. Just get enough on Bollinger to break up his whole sick

cult before something serious happens.

This jacket that you neglected to tell the police about.

From the looks of it, somebody was standing within a few feet of your bed

holding a deadly weapon.

In my book, something serious has already happened.

Do we honor anything in our past?

No.

Is it not so?

Is it not so?

Is it not so?

Is it so?

Does that matter to us?

No.

In all our yesterdays, is there one day that is still alive?

former self of Susan Glenn.

Live!

Live!

And let the powers of darkness remind you that even the word live, when

the letters are turned around, becomes evil.

What the day makes live, the night makes evil.

Is it not so?

Susan.

Do I know you?

My name's Cannon. I'm a student of ancient rites and rituals.

But that's a new one on me.

You don't look like a student, Mr. Cannon.

Well, you don't look like something the night could make evil.

No, that.

It's a ritual Larry invented.

It has what he calls an ultimate meaning.

Oh, I see.

Did my parents ask you to come here?

Well, I guess I'm just not the right shape to be mysterious, am I?

Yes, they did, Susan.

She doesn't have any parents anymore, mister.

She was born again today.

You see, now she's Sister Lilith, first wife of Adam.

No kidding.

You know, as I understand it, Adam's first wife tempted him with a chocolate

malt.

You really think it's serious?

Listen, Susie.

Anytime you catch me inhaling a double malted in the line of duty, you know

serious.

Cheers.

I don't want to hurt my parents, Mr. Cannon.

I love them.

Why don't you go home to them then?

I can't.

It's like I just don't belong there anymore.

I'm too big for my bed or something.

I want to find out who I am and where I belong.

And you think Bollinger can help you with that?

You know, Susie, you're not a child anymore, listening to ghost stories

fire in a summer camp.

Let's see how really grown up you are.

What were those kids doing in your parents' home last Sunday night? And why

you lie about it?

Well, it was a ritual Larry designed as an act of faith.

We surrender your will, your consciousness completely, so you can

beyond.

Very well spoken, Susan.

Let's go.

The young lady isn't finished.

Matter of fact, why don't you sit down and have a chocolate moment? You look

like you could use one.

I'm finished.

Nice meeting you, Mr. Cannon.

Thank you, Susan.

Mr. Cannon, we welcome open -minded observers out at our ranch.

But not hostile intruders. Now, that's private property out there. If I were

you, I wouldn't trespass anymore.

Really?

Well, that's kind of a shame, because I was thinking about inviting the police

out to see one of your little shows.

Oh, the police won't bother us, Mr. Cannon.

Believe me, I know.

See, the chief's my father.

I bet he doesn't advertise it.

I think I'm getting some bad vibrations from you, Cannon.

Young man.

When I start to vibrate, you won't have to think.

You'll know.

Bye, Susie.

Bye.

Look, Cannon, I've been on the police force here for 25 years and chief for

And I don't have any need for any...

Private investigator to help me keep the peace.

Well, you did invite me to sit down, didn't you?

And when you're shaped like I am, you picked this off this place.

Be my guest. Thank you.

Oh, how about some coffee?

No, thanks. I have to watch my liquids.

The only other thing I have to watch are my solids.

Now, let's see.

Speeding, more speeding, more speeding.

Curfew violation.

Well, Bollinger must have been a lot younger then.

Well, we booked a lot of curfew violations.

But as a result, you can hear a pin drop after 10 o 'clock in this town.

How about a knife?

There's nothing in that file to justify any charges against Larry Bollinger.

Liquor store breaking and entering violation.

Well, the Bollinger Kid just happened to be in the neighborhood.

No indication that he broke in.

Anyway, nothing was stolen.

One week later, somebody broke in again.

This time smashed every bottle in the place.

Never found out who did it.

All right, you can rest assured it wasn't a heavy drinker.

Ah, here's something.

College chemistry lab.

Explosion, fire.

The professor was killed, huh? Yes, he was working with propulsion chemicals.

And then we got an anonymous tip that Larry Bollinger had a grudge against the

professor. What for?

Low grades.

What's the difference?

There's nothing, absolutely nothing, to tie Larry Bollinger in with that

explosion.

about the kids that the private patrol picked up at the Glenn house, hmm?

Yeah, well, the private patrol says one thing and the Glenn girl says another.

How am I supposed to know?

Why don't you ask your son? He might know. He was there, wasn't he?

Father is only a title after kids reach a certain age.

Yeah, I know.

I wonder how it works.

Do the fathers resign, or do the kids just quit?

Now, look, Hannah.

All those kids hanging out with Bollinger are mostly over 21.

They make candles and sandals and paper flowers.

Little boy -girl hanky -panky.

But I wasn't hired to change the world.

Yeah, I know. I was a cop myself.

Well, I'm telling you, decent kids from the best families in town.

Decent kids don't go around molesting old men, do they?

What?

Here.

Harry Smith claims that he was molested by the Bollinger Group last week.

A skid row, I know. A human derelict. How can you molest a derelict?

Did you ask him?

Of course we asked him. But with that type of individual, there's a

communications problem.

Well, you should be happy I'm in town, then.

I'm a communications specialist.

You a cop?

No, I'm not a cop, Harry.

You're not a cop?

Well, you don't have anything against the cops anyway, do you? I understand

went to pay them a visit last week.

Last week?

No.

No, I haven't been in the tank since... I don't remember when, honest.

I don't mean the drunk tank.

You wanted the police to register a complaint.

You said some kids molested you.

Don't you remember?

Why did they do that? Why?

What did they do?

Harry, you can tell me.

I don't know why they made me do that.

I don't know why.

What did they make you do, Harry?

They made me dig my own grave.

My own grave.

In the cemetery.

My own grave.

They were a bunch of devils, that's what they were.

Had you seen any of them before?

Would you know them?

I had some children once. Did you know that?

No, I didn't.

Oh, it was Freddy.

Georgiana.

I know you've got a busy schedule, but would you do me a favor and say that you

can get a couple of square meals in the next day or so?

You're doing that for me.

All right, what is this?

What gives?

Okay, if you don't want to talk to me, stick around a couple of minutes. You

talk to the police.

Uh, just a voice in the night.

You hear voices in the night, don't you, Cannon?

What do you want?

I don't want to kill you, Cannon.

But I can. I think you know that now, don't you?

Come on, get to the punchline. I love a good laugh, too.

Just leave town, Cannon, and don't stir things up.

Just get out, now.

Because I can kill you any...

Why did you call us last night when it happened?

For the time I could have made the call, it was all over.

Well, look, can you identify any of them?

Well?

I'm not sure.

Well, any wild guesses to match that wild story?

I don't make wild guesses. I've seen too many innocent people sweating on their

hot lights.

Do you think...

My son was among those kids.

I don't make wild guesses about police chief's sons, either.

I do know one thing for sure, that that was no harmless little street corner

game that those kids were playing.

And meanwhile, back at the ranch, more crimes are being plotted, right? Right.

And when was the last time you bothered looking out there?

Now, I'm a policeman. Are you saying I close my eyes? You are, sir, a city

employee in a town that takes great pride in its image of peace and

Well, I give you one old wino down on Skid Row, alias Harry Smith, who has a

completely different picture of your lovely little town. Skid Row winos have

kinds of pictures in their heads.

And I've got one piece of information for you, for your personal file.

Yeah, I found out how you molest.

A human derelict.

You make him dig his own grave, and if that isn't sick, I don't know what is.

Hallucinating, probably.

No!

No, he was crying.

And you can trust the memory of a man like that?

Why don't you look it up in your files? It only happened a week ago.

You sure do rock a boat when you step in it, don't you, Cannon?

I can't help that.

I've been chubby all my life.

That's correct, Mr. Cannon.

Professor Renford was working with propulsion chemicals when the accident

happened.

Dangerous, I suppose, huh? Well, not on the proper hands.

I was working along the same lines as Professor Renford myself.

I still am.

No chance of any of this blowing up now, is it?

Certainly not.

The whole wing was destroyed by the fire, huh?

Virtually. You'd certainly never tell me by looking at it now.

You would if you looked at the departmental budget. It cost a half a

dollars to rebuild.

You can imagine what a loss like that can do to salaries and promotions.

I myself am still only an associate professor.

That's too bad.

You're positive that it was an accident?

If you're looking for student revolutionaries or building burners, you

find them on this campus, Mr. Cannon.

Well, I'm glad to hear that.

I understand that Larry Bollinger wasn't exactly an Einstein in the lab.

Who? Larry Bollinger.

Professor Renford flunked him, I was told.

Oh, that strange Bollinger boy.

Yeah, that strange Bollinger boy.

Some of the students seem to think that Larry held a grudge.

If you're suggesting that Larry Bollinger had anything to do with the

well, I'm afraid he just wouldn't know enough chemistry to blow up the place.

Wouldn't you think that Professor Renford would have known enough not to?

Well, apparently not.

He had a previous accident, you know.

What? What was that?

Another explosion followed by a fire, which Professor Renford was able to put

out by himself before any great damage was done.

So, you see, there was a certain element of incompetence.

Professor, how far apart were these two fires?

Exactly a week.

A week to the day.

Well, Larry is a very sensitive and thoughtful boy.

He's very devoted to me, you know. Yeah?

I forgot. Did you say that you know Larry, Mr... Cannon, Frank Cannon.

Well, we only met once, just briefly.

Oh, well, then you can't really know Larry.

I suppose not.

He's... Well, he's very devoted to me, you know.

I'm sure he is.

Mr. Bollinger passed away several years ago, I understand.

Yes. My Larry is Mr.

Bollinger.

What does Larry... What does Mr.

Bollinger do these days?

I know he stays at a ranch.

Oh, yes, that's a special project of his.

Larry has always been interested in creative things like that.

Like what, Mrs. Bollinger?

He's always had a lot of friends, you know. Well, that's only natural.

He was an excellent student.

He was never flighty and girl crazy like so many young men, you know.

Yes, I'm sure he wasn't.

The ranch where he carries on these special projects, who owns it?

It belongs to the Bishops.

The son is a good friend of Larry's.

Mrs. Bishop died, do you know?

Oh, no, I didn't know that.

And Mr.

Bishop married this young floozy from Las Vegas.

They just travel, travel around.

Really?

Oh, can I get you a drink?

Oh, no, no, no, thank you.

I gain weight when I read the labels on the bottles.

Oh, that's a shame.

Well, especially when you like a drink like I do.

Larry has a really marvelous physique. I guess you notice his marvelous body

that he has.

Mother, you're embarrassing me.

Larry, darling.

Are you keeping a new boyfriend from me?

Well, you're a silly boy.

No, it's Mr., uh... Cannon.

Yes, we met.

Oh, here, let me fill up your drink for you. You see what I mean, Mr. Cannon?

Now, we don't have all kinds of money like some of Larry's friends, but it's

Larry who has to fight off the girls. Oh, come on now, Mother. You know you're

my girl.

Oh.

Uh, can I fix you one, Mr. Shannon?

Uh, Cannon.

Thank you, ma 'am.

Well, is there anything we can do for you, then?

Well, I'm just trying to dig up a little information about a certain liquor

store that was broken into on two different occasions exactly one week

And on two chemistry lab explosions that happened exactly one week apart.

What's your question?

Well, I just wondered if possibly you could shed a little light on the

coincidences, if that's what they were.

Gee, Mr. Cannon, uh...

All I can tell you is what the old proverb says.

Practice makes perfect.

Oh, well.

Larry, we always make them so full.

Oh, well, a full life calls for a full glass.

Isn't that right, Mr. Kennett?

You know something, Mr. Bollinger?

I'll bet I can tell you where you heard that.

I'll bet you heard it from an old wino by the name of Harry Smith.

of Harry Smith with a knife wound on his back.

You can file it along with his mugshot for drunken disorderly.

Only you can label this one dead and gone.

Take it easy, Cannon.

Take it easy, huh?

You know, when you retire, they're going to give you a gold watch with take it

easy engraved on it.

Now, look, these guys kill each other over a 59 -cent bottle of musketeer. Oh,

no, you're not going to walk away from this one.

Now, Harry Smith ended up face down on my carpet because I was getting too

close. Too close to what?

You still don't get the picture, do you?

I don't deal in pictures. I deal in facts. All right, fact.

A liquor store was broken into exactly one week before it was demolished.

Fact. A chemistry professor was blown up and killed exactly one week after

another explosion took place in the same building.

Fact. Harry Smith ended up with a knife in his back exactly one week to the day

after he was forced to dig his own grave.

So I'm supposed to take your little calendar of coincidences and go out and

roust every kid on that ranch for murder? You're supposed to start

about what you are gonna do.

Is there anything to go on besides that old man's rantings? I mean, about... all

about digging his own grave?

Where's he gonna be buried?

Potter's Field.

Here you are, sir. Right over here.

You say they came in here during the night, huh?

It weren't my fault, sir.

No, sir, it weren't my fault. They snuck in.

You didn't see them?

Of course not. If anyone should ask you about this, just tell them that I was

busy.

Who is this?

You're fat and you're so slow, Mr. Cannon.

I'll tell you what I'll do.

If you really want to get everything together, I can give you names, dates,

places.

You just say the word.

In exchange for what?

Well, it'll cost you, Mr. Cannon.

It'll cost you.

Meet me down at Bronson's Pier and I'll tell you what it's going to cost.

When? Right now.

Right now.

This won't keep...

Well,

that makes two of us, buddy.

Mr. Bollinger, who shot that arrow?

Uh, I didn't shoot any arrows. Yeah, I know you didn't. You got a kick out of

watching your little slaves do things for you. Now, what's going on here?

I don't know what to tell you.

Don't.

Hey, wait a minute. Take your hands off me. What do you think you're... I ask

you what's going on here.

Will you get your hands off me?

I just come here for the fresh air like everybody else.

get through with you. The only fresh air you're going to get will be in an

exercise yard.

But what's it supposed to mean that a dummy was shot, no man was killed, or

that Professor Haynes had an accident?

What's that got to do with us? I'll tell you, Susan.

I'll tell you what it means. It means that two people have already been

on a precise one -week schedule after rehearsals.

And the shooting of the dummy has to do with me.

I'm supposed to be the fourth victim.

Now, would you like to ask me who the third victim's going to be?

No, I don't even want to talk about that. Ask me, Susan.

Who, me?

No, your mother and father.

Oh, no, don't tell me anything like that.

Breaking into your house last Sunday night was just a rehearsal.

The slashing of your father's coat was a dry run. Susie, don't you understand?

Today is Sunday.

It doesn't make any sense.

You told me once that it was a ritual designed by Larry, surrendering your

to live above and beyond.

I told you there's no harm in anything Larry wants us to do.

Thank God at least you don't know.

What sense would it make for Larry to want my mother and father killed?

What do you have?

That's what I've been asking myself.

Look, an old wino and a chem lab explosion, that's one kind of risk.

But when you murder two people like your mother and father in their own home,

that's another kind.

Look, Susan, is there anything you can possibly think of that might conceivably

be a reason?

No, there's no possible reason.

Susan?

I don't want you talking to him anymore.

Let's go inside.

No, Susan.

Don't go. He has no right to tell you what to do.

But he has.

I'm his wife now.

We were married on Friday.

Well, I've got news for you.

It takes more than candlelight and double talk and a funny ritual to get

in this state.

No, no, Mr. Cannon, it was perfectly legal.

You can check it with a county clerk.

But the power of the state and the strength of love have joined together.

Let no man put asunder.

Hello? Mrs. Glenn, this is Frank Cannon.

Oh, Mr. Cannon.

My husband's talked so much about you, I feel as though we've met.

Look, Mrs. Glenn, that's very nice, but right now we don't have time. Is your

husband home?

No, he's out playing golf.

All right, listen very carefully. Call the club, get a message to him to come

home as fast as he can make it.

Why? What is it?

Well, roughly, you've missed a big event in the lives of parents, Mrs. Glenn.

Your daughter's wedding.

You're not serious.

I don't believe it.

You better believe it. Your life may depend on it.

But Bollinger is now in line to inherit your money through Susan.

And he doesn't look like the type to stand in line very long.

Mr. Cannon, I can't follow you at all.

Don't try. Just tell your husband what I said. Do that second, though. First,

you call the police.

And meanwhile, I'm going to be on my way to your house.

Well, can't this wait till you get here?

to speak to Police Chief Lawrence, please.

Well, where is he?

Oh, golf again.

Golf isn't even an exercise anymore.

Look, this is urgent. Will you try to get in touch with him, please? Tell him

call me at Glenn's house.

Do you mean to tell me that you didn't call the police?

Mr. Cannon, I'm not usually like this, but as you said, we don't have the time

to be nice.

I didn't want to hire a private detective.

I only agreed because my husband said it could save spreading our troubles all

over town.

She thinks, basically, you must be wrong about the marriage.

It's common knowledge. Larry doesn't like girls.

You know, the only thing that keeps me from screaming right now is the fact

your week is up at 2 a .m.

Thank goodness it's still daylight.

And the fact that Larry may not like your daughter couldn't be too important

because he's bound to like your money.

Your phone's dead.

All right, here's what I want you to do. Go pack a bag.

I want to get the two of you out of this house as fast as possible.

Mr. Glenn, you go get your car out of the garage.

I'm going to go look around for a couple of minutes.

She wouldn't get married without even talking to us about it.

Grace.

Susan stopped talking to us a long time ago.

What's the matter?

My wife's car won't start. Neither will mine.

I don't know why. I drove it this morning. This year? Yeah.

You won't be driving it now. Come on, let's take my car.

I'll hurry great belong.

You better do it.

Or Bishop over there may be getting nasty with his knife.

Now listen to me.

You take your... He'll kill her.

He will.

Ever so gently, Mr.

Cannon.

Hand it over.

By the barrel.

I suppose you'd tell us what this is all about.

Oh, we don't know what it's about, Mr. Cannon.

We act on faith.

Do you know what faith is?

You haven't got any faith.

If you did, you wouldn't be so afraid.

All this faith and a creep like Larry Bollinger.

Shut up.

Sit down, Mr. Glenn.

You too, Cannon.

We've all got a few minutes left.

I suggest that you kids take your toys and split because the police are on

way here right now.

You hear that?

The police are coming.

You hear any sirens?

Which one of you nice people would like to be first?

Wait a minute.

Wait a minute.

You know, if that was your signal, don't you think maybe you better go out and

check with Larry as to who should be first?

Oh, don't worry, Mr. Cannon.

Everybody gets his turn.

Ladies first.

No, no, no. We'll give you anything.

All right.

Hold it.

John, put that gun down.

Now.

Shoot him, shoot him.

Hey.

Oh, good God.

I almost killed you, Dad.

My own father.

What am I doing?

Why does Larry make us do these things?

Why?

He makes us do it.

Yeah, he says it's not us doing it.

But it is.

It is us.

It's true, isn't it?

You just said that Larry instigated this whole thing.

But you said that again in the courtroom.

Stay right where you are, Larry.

It's all over. Your friend John Horne is blowing the Hussalonia right now.

Kill myself and they're going to blame you for it.

Want to watch?

Larry, don't do this.

Sired by fire.

Born of darkness.

But the day makes live, the night makes evil.

Larry, you're sick. Don't do this.

I'm sick?

What about them? What about all those kids with all that...

There's no way.

I'm not going to let you die and have half the kids in town wailing martyr

time the sun goes down.

Cannon, there's no way to express how we feel, what we owe you.

Ah.

Mr. Glenn, may I give you a small piece of advice?

Be very gentle with Susan.

There's no point throwing the baby out in the bathwater, as they say.

Cannon, I'd like you to come down and sort of help us with a report.

If you're going my way.

I was always going your way.

Do you know that?