Original subtitles

For best IPTV provider, please visit: WWW.IPTV.CAT For best IPTV provider, please visit: WWW.IPTV.CAT

[ Dramatic music playing ]

For best IPTV provider, please visit: WWW.IPTV.CAT For best IPTV provider, please visit: WWW.IPTV.CAT

[Narrator] This is Washington D.C.,

And in the files of the central bureau,

there is a story so strange in its implications

that it defies ordinary classification.

It is the story of a handful of people,

who in the course of one desperate night,

held back a wave of panic and pandemonium.

It began after sundown...

Time, 7:15...

As Flight A coast patrol from Travis Field

was returning to base.

When the nightly Air Force transport

pointed north toward Japan

via the great circle route.

While, at sea, the Navy and Coast Guard

maintained their usual round-the-clock vigil.

And from the equator to the Arctic,

the radar network swept the skies

with eyes that never sleep.

Time, 7:19.

An unidentified object was picked up

200 miles southwest of Point Barrow, Alaska.

7:27...

Unidentified object confirmed at Fairbanks, Alaska.

Heading: south-southeast, 170 degrees.

Height: 75,000 feet.

Estimated speed: 5,000 miles per hour.

White warning.

[ Siren blaring ]

7:39... unidentified object

200 miles due west of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Course: 170 degrees.

Height: 60,000 feet.

Estimated speed: down to 3,600 miles per hour.

Yellow warning.

[ Siren increases in pitch ]

7:54...

First interceptor flight airborne.

Point of interception...

80 miles due west of San Francisco, California.

7:55...

Unidentified object past point of interception.

Red warning.

[ Siren increases in pitch ]

8:11...

Morro Bay, California.

Height, 50,000 feet.

Estimated speed: 2,000 miles per hour.

8:15... Santa Monica, California.

Height: 10,000 feet.

Speed: 1,200 miles per hour.

8:18...

All traces of unidentified object gone.

Red warning lifted.

[ Siren stops ]

By 8:25, at the Los Angeles branch

of the communications commission,

reports of strong interference

with radio and television reception

began to pour in from the beach area.

The monitors went to work immediately.

Mobile units were ordered to converge

on the vicinity of the disturbance.

Pinpoint direction-finding devices

began to trace the trouble to its source.

- This is Mobile 1. Hazen speaking.

We're at Ocean and Beacon Way.

Interference strength 2...

Bearing 27 degrees. Over.

- Mobile 1 from Center... Roger. Over.

- [Man] Mobile Center from Mobile 7. Over.

Go ahead, Mobile 7.

- This is Mobile 7.

We're at Pacific Center and Beach 4.

Interference strength 3, bearing 39 degrees. Over.

- This is Mobile Center. Roger.

Stand by.

Mobile 1 and Mobile 7 from Mobile Center.

Point of interception, estimated 3 miles north surf.

Repeat... 3 miles north surf. Acknowledge.

- This is Mobile 7. Roger.

- Mobile 1. Roger.

- Mobile 7. Roger wilco and out.

Ok, Charlie, let's get moving.

Yes? What is it?

- Take me to a phone, quick. I need an ambulance.

- What's the matter?

- My husband and Pete out there on the picnic grounds

just above the beach, they've been hurt.

- Well, this is a communications car.

I'll phone it in from here.

Mobile 1 to Central. Over.

[ Radio feedback ]

You make that out, Charlie?

- Not a word.

- Mobile 1 to Central, I can't read you. Repeat.

[ Beeping ]

They must be getting us all right.

Mobile 1 to Central...

Have an ambulance sent to beach and surf.

Emergency... Two men hurt. Acknowledge.

[ Radio feedback ]

Roger and out.

I'm sure they'll be here soon.

Now, tell us what happened.

Oh, this man... he just kept coming at us. It was awful.

- Who? - I don't know.

He was wearing a suit like a diver.

Hurry, please. They're hurt.

- Charlie, you'd better wait here.

I'll go down and take a look.

[Narrator] The young woman's hysteria became obvious

as they reached the picnic grounds at the beach.

There was no sign of the mysterious intruder,

and little could be done for her husband and their friend

until the ambulance arrived.

- Well, so you beat us to it.

- Not exactly. A dame waved us down.

There's been some trouble in the picnic grounds.

- I thought I saw an ambulance down there

when I came around the bend.

- Yeah, we had a job calling for it. Couldn't reach Central.

- That figures. Reception's dead in the whole area.

I haven't been able to read 'em for the last 10 minutes.

- We must be pretty close

to the center of the interference right now.

How do you figure it?

- Let me see the chart.

Here it is.

At Pacific Palisades she read 123.5.

Then she went down to 88.2 at the junction.

Should make it 45 even here.

- Well, not quite. I've got 44.7.

I'll check it again.

- Hi, fellas. How are you doing?

- Oh, we're just taking another reading now.

What happened down there?

- The police took the girl and one of the guys to the station.

- What about the other one?

- He's on the way to the morgue. That was her husband.

- You're right on the button, Charlie. 44.7.

- Report back to central if you find anything else.

[ Starts engine ]

Charlie, grab that portable detector, will you?

- Got it right here.

- I'll pick you up right here in about an hour.

- Where are you going?

- Police asked me to drop by the station, sign a report.

I'll see you later.

- If you don't, you know where to look for the body.

[ Dramatic music playing ]

- Like I said, we were just starting to eat,

and we heard something tracking through the sand toward us.

I looked up and couldn't see anything.

Then Betty screamed.

- At what?

I thought you couldn't see anything.

- At first we couldn't.

Then this... this guy started toward us.

- What kind of a guy?

- How should I know?

He was wearing some kind of a helmet over his head.

He could've been a deep-sea diver or anything.

- All right. After you saw this diver, what happened?

- Well, we jumped up.

Ed... that was Betty's husband...

Yelled at him to stop. But he just kept coming.

I never saw anything like it.

He didn't say anything. He just kept moving in.

- Then you say he attacked you?

- We didn't give him a chance.

Ed grabbed a piece of wood and took a swing at him.

That didn't stop him. He caught the end.

That's... that's all I remember.

- Just because a man's taking a walk,

that's no reason to slug him.

Besides, you don't look like a guy who frightens so easy.

- How would you feel if somebody with a crazy helmet

with pipes sticking out of it came at you in the dark?

Look, I know this sounds... sounds crazy.

But there wasn't any head in that helmet.

- No head?

No head at all?

- It's the truth.

- I think you need some coffee.

- I don't want anything.

[Hazen] If it's all the same to you, Lieutenant,

I've got to pick up one of my men at the beach.

- Ok, thanks for coming down, Hazen.

Hope I didn't put you out.

- No trouble. So long. You, too.

- All right, let's start at the beginning.

How well did you know the dead man...

And his wife?

- Betty and I went to school together.

I knew Eddie a year.

- How long were they married?

- About a year.

- Wasn't her husband a little older than she?

- I don't know.

- But you said you and Mrs. Evans went to school together.

And you never discussed anything personal with her?

- She did mention he was older, yes.

- How much? - 15, 20 years.

What difference does that make?

- That wasn't too hard, now, was it?

Where do you live?

- 629 1/2 East Palm Court. Why?

- That's where the Evans live, isn't it?

- Yeah, I board with them.

- You do, huh?

Now, Mrs. Evans is a...

Good-looking woman.

- What are you trying to say?

[ Telephone rings ]

[ Ringing continues ]

- Lieutenant Bowers.

Where?

Yeah, I got it.

I'll leave right away.

There's been another murder...

Near the beach.

Keep an eye on this guy until I get back.

- What are you... - You'll stay right where you are.

At least until Mrs. Evans feels well enough to talk.

- What do you want from her?

- Oh, I just want to see if your story checks with hers.

After all, you went to school together, remember?

[ Siren blaring ]

You say there were no witnesses, huh?

- None yet.

- Anything missing?| - I don't think so.

The cash register wasn't touched.

- Get a breakdown of the inventory as soon as you can.

What about fingerprints?

The boys are working on them now.

- Sorry I'm late.

- What kept you so long?

- The Lieutenant asked me to hang around a while.

Well, what's the score?

- Ah, looks like one of those things.

Pretty girl, older husband, young boarder.

The kid claims some guy without a head knocked the old man off.

- You don't say. Anything else?

- Yeah, he had a diver's outfit with horns.

- No? He's gonna have to do better than that.

- How are we doing?

- I took a reading about ten minutes ago.

The radiation is going out with the tide.

What about the radio phone?

- It's working fine again. I just got a call from Central.

They said Mobile 7 picked up

some new trouble northeast of here.

- Here we go again. - Hop in.

- So long.

- Who reported this murder?

- There he is there. Lives next door.

His name is George Nelson.

- Hey, Mr. Nelson! - Yes sir?

- Come here, will you?

I'm Lieutenant Bowers, homicide. You found this body?

- That's right. He must've just locked up for the night

when this happened.

- How do you know that?

- Well, he usually does around this time.

What were you doing here?

I was sittin' home, watchin' the fights on tv,

And all of a sudden, the thing started acting up.

- What has that got to do with it?

- Of course, you don't know the set.

It wouldn't work at all when I came home to supper.

Then, all of a sudden, it cleared up fine.

So, I thought, "Well, I'll get set"

"to look at the fights again,"

and, all of a sudden, out it goes again.

So I thought maybe the battery station down here

was overcharging the circuit,

so I came out to take a look, that's all.

- Hey, don't you ever quit work?

What's up this time?

- Another murder.

What are you doing here, Hazen?

Same as before,

still trying to track down that signal interfer...

- Hey, uh, does that stuff work on TV, too?

- It has been for hours.

- What'd I tell you?

What's the matter?

- Seems his set went on the blink.

- Well, at least we know we're on the right track.

How'd you make out with that boarder?

[ Laughs ] He's still sticking to his story...

The guy had no head.

- Well, I'll be seeing you. So long.

- Right. Come on, Charlie.

Come on.

[Narrator] And so the communications team

resumed its mission

to track the mysterious interference to its source.

Via accurate readings taken at regular intervals

by stationary and mobile units,

it was determined that the disturbance was moving

in a northeasterly direction.

By 10:34, Mobile Center had pinpointed the disturbance

at the edge of the Huntington oil fields.

Units 1 and 7 were instructed to close in.

- Hey Charlie, do you see what I see?

- Yeah, the oil field.

Let's hope our trouble's burning up.

- Well, there's only one way to find out.

- Look, Sarge... two murders and an explosion

in one precinct is big news.

Now, come on, you can't pin it all on the young boarder.

Or can you?

- Very funny.

- Yeah?

- I'm Hazen of the communications commission.

- Oh, the Lieutenant's waiting for you.

- Thank you.

- Who's the wheel?

- You heard the man... Communications commission.

- Oh, hello, Hazen.

Hope you didn't mind leaving your job long enough

to come down here.

- As a matter of fact, I needed a break.

We've been on the go since sundown.

- I'll bet you'd like a cup of coffee.

- You got a deal. - Here.

- Thanks. - Right.

- What's on your mind?

- Well, just a hunch, but let me show you something.

First, right here tonight,

a murder was committed at the beach,

and you were on the scene before I even knew about it.

- Go on.

- Right after that there was another murder, right here,

and we bumped into each other again, right?

- Yeah.

- Now, I just got back from the oilfields, here.

There was a big explosion

and I saw one of your units cruising around.

- That was number 7.

I got there a little later.

What are you driving at?

- I don't know yet.

Hazen, is it possible that our work and your work

might be related in some way?

- Maybe.

Let me follow you down the line

and we'll add it up together.

- Good idea.

- You know, my job is primarily concerned

with the detection of any kind of interference

where communications are concerned.

- Yeah.

- You might have something there.

We've been tracking some kind of disturbance

right down the line from the beach to the oilfields,

just like you've got it marked off here.

- Well, then I'm right.

- Only we haven't found our trouble yet.

- So, does this kind of, uh, interference happen very often?

- Never anything like this.

It's on the move all the time.

- Could be some ham with a transmitter in the car.

- It's not a transmitter.

We don't get a definite disturbance,

just... just interference.

- Hmm.

And you have no idea of what it is, huh?

- Not yet. How are you making out?

- Not so good. You were here when I questioned that boy

about the murder at the beach.

- Did you get anything more out of him?

- Yeah. Come on with me. You might want to see this.

Oh, I see you're just about done.

Thanks. You can go now.

- Are you sure this is what the man looks like?

- What do you say, Betty?

- Well, just about.

Only I think the tubes were a little lower down.

- But you still insist there was no head inside the helmet?

- I'm positive there wasn't.

- What about you?

- Well, it was dark. I couldn't swear to it.

- Thanks. That'll be all.

- You mean we can go now?

- Yeah, for the time being.

Just stay close to home. I may want to see you again tomorrow.

- We'll be there. Come on, Betty.

- Kind of changed your mind about those two, haven't you?

- Yeah, I guess I have.

Hey, Lou, bring in the old man, will you?

- Don't tell me you believe this story

about this... this whatever it is.

- I know. It sounds as phony as it ever did.

But... oh.

Sit down, will you, please?

You're the, uh, watchman at the Huntington oil fields?

- Oh, yes, sir. I've been with the company for over 22 years.

- Will you tell Mr. Hazen here exactly what happened?

- Well, sir, like I said before,

I was just closing the gate for the night

when I saw this fella coming up.

I was never so scared in my life.

- Yes, go on.

- Well, it wasn't the man so much

as the suit he was wearing.

Well, he wouldn't stop when I hollered at him.

He just pushed his way right in there through the gate,

and walked right up to the tank.

- You carry a gun. Didn't you try to stop him?

- Oh, no, he was much too close to the tank.

I was afraid to shoot.

So, I thought I might call for help.

Just as I got to the shack,

The tank blew up.

Oh, you should've seen the sight. You had to...

- Uh, sir, can you give us a description of this man?

How would you say he was dressed?

- Well, sir, like I said before,

He wore a sort of a... a sort of flier's, uh, outfit...

With a helmet attached to it.

- How tall was he?

- He was a giant of a man.

And... and he had tubes sticking out of that thing,

that helmet he wore.

- Er, can you tell us what his face looked like?

- Huh. Well, sir,

though he got pretty close to me,

I could swear the man had no face.

- If you saw this man again, would you recognize him?

I mean by his outfit.

- Oh, I'll never forget that sight if I live to be 100, sir.

- Would you say this is the man?

- Wait. Sure. That... that's him.

- Thank you very much. You may go now.

- All right, sir. Thank you.

- Well, Hazen? What do you say now?

- Beats me.

The descriptions check all right.

This could be some kind of flying suit,

high altitude equipment.

- Yeah, that's what I've been thinking.

How do you explain that stuff about the missing head?

- No, we can discount that.

These people were frightened.

It was night, nobody really took a close look at him.

- I guess you're right.

But whoever he is, that outfit doesn't look like one of ours.

- Of course he could have been dropped by parachute.

- You mean sabotage? - Worth checking.

I think we'd better wire a report to Washington,

See what they say.

- You can use our teletype.

I'll tip off the L.A. police to be on the lookout

for something unusual.

- Hey, wait a minute. What about the press?

- Oh, I don't think they know too much now.

We'd better keep it that way for a while at least,

till we find out whether our friend is still around here.

- Well, if he is, I think we can find him for you.

My hunch is that he's... He's carrying something around

that's causing all this disturbance,

whether he knows it or not.

- Yeah. Kill that page one lead.

They let the boarder and the girl go.

Hm? How do I know?

Maybe the Lieutenant thinks

that the guy in the flying suit knocked off her husband.

Mm-hm. Nah.

No, no. Not a chance.

Not a chance of an exclusive on that picture.

They're making a blanket release in the morning.

Mm? Oh, there's a guy from the communications commission

in there now.

Yeah. I'll call you back later if there's anything new. Ok.

[ Knocking ] Hazen: come in.

- Sorry to interrupt you, Lieutenant.

- Yeah, what is it, Jim?

- This teletype came for you.

- Oh, thanks, Jim. We're waiting for it.

That was fast.

Well, here's our answer.

- Looks like they never sleep in Washington.

Says to contact a Major Andrews,

care of Dr. Wyatt,

director of the Griffith Institute.

- It's kinda late.

Maybe I'll give him a call.

- While you're at it, I'll go out in the car,

- And check into Central. - Ok.

- Well, that's the story up till now.

We got in touch with Washington,

they told us to contact you here.

- Hmm. Very interesting.

What do you think, doctor?

- When I see something like this, I understand why

you gentlemen might have thought sabotage was involved.

- Lieutenant, are you sure

there were no traces of this saboteur,

this x-man, found after the explosion in the oil field?

- Fire department went over every inch of the area.

Didn't come up with a thing.

- Well, then, there's a strong possibility

that he might have perished in the explosion itself.

- I doubt that.

We're pretty well convinced

this man is carrying something

that's responsible for all the signal interference.

According to the last report I got,

there was a definite disturbance

about three miles east of the oil fields,

sometime after the explosion.

- Well, then, if he's alive you should be able to keep

an accurate check of his whereabouts.

- It's not that easy.

As a matter of fact, we lost contact

about three quarters of an hour ago.

- Maybe he realized you were trailing him

and got rid of whatever he had

that was causing the disturbance.

- In that case, there's nothing much

my department can do to help you.

- I guess it's up to us.

Unless you have some suggestions.

- Well, let me think out loud for a minute.

It might just be that what we've been talking about so far,

and this phantom as we'll call him,

ties in with what the doctor and I have been discussing.

- That is very possible.

- I don't know whether you know it or not,

but somewhere around 7:30 this evening,

our radar networks picked up an unidentified object,

off Point Barrow, Alaska.

They traced it clear down to Santa Monica

before they lost it.

- Santa Monica?

That's where we first picked up our radio interference.

- Yeah. Right at the scene of the murder.

- Well, then, if all these things tally up,

we've got some idea of how our man got here.

- You mean that he came in some plane?

In that case, somebody would have seen it

land and take off again.

Or did it crash?

- No.

No, we don't think it was a plane.

No rocket or jet that has been built so far

can obtain those speeds of 5,000 mph,

Particularly for such a great distance.

- Maybe we're on the wrong track altogether.

Couldn't your unidentified object have been a meteor?

They travel at a terrific speed.

Yes. Fast enough for most of them to burn themselves out

the moment they hit the Earth's atmosphere.

And did it occur to you

that meteors are not very likely to travel horizontally

all the way from the North Pole to California?

- But if it wasn't a meteor,

a flying missile of some kind,

how do you figure this phantom ties in?

- We're not sure that he does.

I don't care what you say,

but it doesn't make sense to me.

Anybody trained in sabotage would stay undercover.

This guy's walking around in a monkey suit,

killing people.

[ Knocking ]

- Excuse me, Dr. Wyatt,

is there a Lieutenant Bowers in here?

[Bowers] Yes. What is it, miss?

There's a Mr. Wakeman from the Chronicle here to see you.

- Wakeman here?

Now what does he want?

- Well, there's only one way to find out.

- Before you go, Lieutenant,

I don't believe you have met my assistant, Barbara Randall.

- Well, hello. - Hello.

- It's Mrs. Randall, Lieutenant.

- I'll be right back.

- Barbara, you know the major. - Of course.

- And this is Mr...

Hazen, the communications commission.

- How do you do?

- Well, I see you are working a little later tonight than usual.

- Yes, my husband's teaching a late class

and he won't be able to pick me up for a while.

Besides, I had some work to do in the lab.

- Well, at least you have lots of company.

- All right.

So I shouldn't have come up,

but I gotta get your angle on this beach murder,

and your whole department is shut up.

- Look, Wakeman, will you stop bothering me?

There's nothing to say.

If you've got an exclusive story

from that Evans dame and the boarder,

then you know as much as I do.

- Yeah, but that still doesn't explain anything

about the guy without a head.

Come on. Who is he?

- Your guess is as good as mine.

- You mean you let those two kids go without knowing that?

I don't buy it.

- Well, I did.

- Well, then, you must have an awful good reason.

I bet you're trying to tie it in with that other murder.

All right, Lieutenant.

Don't tell me.

I'll get my story somehow.

Oh. If you wanna know how things turn out,

read the Chronicle in the morning.

- That's right.

Now get in touch with Charlie and Mobile 1

and have them call for me here. Ok, fine.

- Well, did you come up with anything?

- No, we're just briefing Barbara here.

- It's just amazing the way you've been able

to put these things together.

- Don't kid yourself, miss, uh... Mrs. Randall.

It seems the press knows as much about it as we do.

- Well, let's hope they don't come to the same conclusions.

A few lurid headlines, and every fool in the country

will be seeing phantoms in spacesuits

and men from Mars all over the place.

- Yes, I can imagine.

And mass hysteria is difficult to check once it gets started.

- That's why we've got to move fast.

- Well, from the looks of things, I guess it's up to me.

I'll be in touch with you as soon as I hear anything.

See ya.

[Narrator] by 12:30am,

the dragnet was in operation.

Mobile units patrol the streets and countryside,

they covered an area 35 miles square.

Special and sensitive equipment was prepared for action.

Everyone on the job was ready to move

on the first signal from the communications commission.

- Monitor Corona to Mobile Center,

strength four, brickyard at 160th,

moving toward oil fields.

Contact your units.

Over and out.

Units 1 and 7 from Mobile Center,

units 1 and 7 from Mobile Center.

Strength four interference at 160th in the oil field,

Moving due east, close in.

Repeating strength four interference

at 160th in the oil field. Close in.

[ Siren ]

- We're here, Joe.

- Just got here. Trying to set this up.

- What gives, Hazen?

- He's in this area, all right. - I brought the Geiger counter.

- Thank you, doctor.

- Quite a walk over this oil field.

- It doesn't register as far as the oil field.

- I think we'll do better if we split up.

- Right, Lieutenant.

You two go that way, Lieutenant, out here.

Joe, you follow him.

Come on, doctor. And you...

Oh, forget it.

[ Geiger counter crackles ]

- Hey, Hazen. Look at this.

- Yeah. Points this way.

Hey, Joe.

Joe!

Hazen!

Hey, Hazen!

603.

- Very strong.

- That's it, doctor.

- It's leading this way.

- Come on!

[ Geiger continues crackling ]

[ Crackling grows louder ]

- It's this way. - Come on.

- Come on.

- Come on.

[ Crackling getting strong]

- Moving strong.

- Checks with me.

- Sure does. He's here.

We saw him.

There he goes!

Come on!

- The bridge.

- He's gotta be around here somewhere.

- Yeah. We gotta get on the roof.

- Go get a ladder.

- Look out!

- Let's cut him off. - Come on.

- Under here.

- Anybody see him?

[ Geiger crackling ]

There he is!

- We've got him now.

We'll give you ten seconds to come outta there starting now.

One, two, three,

four, five, six,

seven, eight, nine,

ten!

- We're going in. You guys, cover the door.

[ Crackling grows louder ]

- There's nobody in here.

- Impossible. We saw him come in.

- Maybe he went out of the window.

- He won't get very far.

Don't touch anything till we check the fingerprints.

- Oh, doctor, over here. He left his suit and his helmet.

- Hey. Let's spread that thing out so I can get a good shot of it.

- Get away, you fool. - What's the matter?

- For your information, that's a Geiger counter

and it says, "hands off."

- I think you'd better wait outside.

- I just have a job to do.

- So do we, and I'm afraid ours will have to come first.

- There's no radiation from the helmet.

But look at this.

- So that's what's been causing all the trouble.

Charlie, you know where we can pick up a

lead-lined box in a hurry?

- Well, Mobile 7 should have one.

They're right outside. I'll take a look.

- Hurry it up, will you? - Unbelievable.

Now, we all thought this phantom might be

carrying some device which was causing

all the signal interference,

But it's due to the very clothes on his body.

- That's not the only thing that bothers me.

Did any of you get a good look at his face?

- Not me, it's too far away.

- Well, I did.

Unless I'm mistaken, that helmet was empty.

- Hey, where am I gonna put this stuff?

- Oh, put it in Dr. Wyatt's station wagon.

- We'll take it back to the institute.

- Right.

- Got it? - Yeah.

- No, that's all right, you can handle that.

- Any luck? - Not a sign of him.

The boys are still searching the grounds.

For what? Nobody knows what he looks like

without that outfit.

- Don't bet on that, Major.

Reporter got a flash picture of him,

I just happened to borrow that film.

It's on its way to headquarters right now to be developed.

- Good. Send us a print as soon as you can.

- Sure. - Lieutenant...

Are you sure you don't want to come with us?

We want to make a few tests at the lab.

- I'd like to, doctor.

But you know the situation. I gotta get that guy.

Let me know how you make out, will you?

- Yeah, we'll do that. Sure.

- Good evening, doctor.

We're just on our way home and we saw you drive in.

- Good evening, Barbara. Hello, Bill.

I see we got here just in time.

Anything new?

- Lots of excitement, but that's all.

Major, you know Barbara's husband.

- Oh, of course. How are you? - How are you?

That's a nice-looking dog you've got there.

What's his name?

- His name? Venus.

- Say, Bill, I hate to ask this,

but something important has come up

and I wonder can we borrow Barbara for about an hour or so?

- I suppose so... - Of course.

Darling, why don't you go and do the shopping?

Here's the list.

The market's open all evening.

- I may as well. See you later, darling.

[ Dog barks ]

- I'll take the dog and tie her up.

- Thank you, Bill. Good night.

- Good night.

I'll give you a hand with it.

- Oh, thanks, doc.

Easy now. Look out for your fingers.

I've got it now. Don't drop it.

Venus, come back here! [ Dog barks ]

Venus, come back here!

Venus, come back here!

What's the matter?

There's no one in there. Come on.

See, Venus, look. There's no one in here.

Come on now, girl.

You know you're not allowed in there.

[ Dog barks ]

Venus, I said be quiet.

Come on, girl.

Now you stay right here, Venus.

Now, I don't want to hear one sound off you.

- You were right, doctor.

There are no fingerprints anywhere.

- What's all this?

- Hey, don't touch anything.

- You'd better put some gloves on.

Our friend Mr. X left this suit at the oil refinery.

You mean you were that close to him and you didn't catch him?

- I'm afraid so.

That's up to the police now.

Hand me those shears.

I want to cut off a piece of this material to work with.

[Wyatt] Say, better have those sharpened.

- But I just bought them. - Oh, well.

- Here. Try this knife.

- It still won't cut.

- Let me try.

This stuff is tougher than nylon.

What don't I try it over a Bunsen burner?

It doesn't burn, either.

Let's take a look at it under the microscope.

- Look, it's magnetic.

- Magnetic?

Radioactive.

And apparently indestructible.

- Thank you.

- What's the matter?

- You tell me.

Take a look at that weave.

- What weave?

There is none.

This material is one solid mass.

- May I see it?

Well, you're right. It must be some sort of plastic.

- No, I'd say it's a metallic substance of some kind.

- Well, I've seen a lot of interesting alloys,

but never anything like this.

Let's try an acid test.

- All right.

- Go ahead.

Careful now. It will only take a drop or two.

[Wyatt] it repels acid like a raincoat repels water.

- Why, there's no reaction.

- Well, major,

this looks as though

we are going to be here for a long time.

Now we have it.

The helmet is not radioactive, the suit is.

There is no doubt.

This spacesuit is conditioned to function above 63,000ft,

where human blood would boil,

resulting in the body expanding to twice its size

and death, of course.

- I know.

And it must withstand pressure and counter pressure.

Also it must be so super-charged,

it can function in thin atmosphere.

- Now, let's see what it is

that is left in this breathing apparatus.

- Well, how are you doing?

- The gas in the helmet tank breaks down to 11% methane.

- Ordinary Marsh gas?

What's the rest of the formula?

- Oh, that's why I'm stuck.

I can't figure it out.

It just doesn't respond to any of the usual tests.

- Well, how could anyone exist on that combination of gases?

- You and I couldn't.

But apparently someone can.

- Doctor, are you trying to say that our x-man

doesn't breathe oxygen,

and hasn't the metabolism of a normal human?

- I really don't know.

From what we have seen,

he has some physical characteristics

which make him appear human.

But added to them is this fabulous radioactivity

that none of us could stand.

I am puzzled.

- I think the answer lies right here in this helmet.

Obviously he needs it to survive.

Otherwise he wouldn't have risked wearing it

where he was sure to be recognized.

As it is, he only took it off when he was cornered.

- If what you say is true, how can he exist without it now?

- Let me put it this way.

It's like a patient in an iron lung,

Sometimes one can be removed for hours at a time

without any ill effects.

- Exactly and I think the same principle applies here.

And that means sooner or later

he has to get his breathing apparatus back or die.

- I don't understand.

- Well, I've got an idea.

If we were to return this whole outfit to where he left it,

he might be tempted to come back for it.

[ Phone rings ]

- Dr. Wyatt speaking.

Yes, he's here.

- Oh, thank you.

- Hello, Major.

Still at it, uh?

- Mm-hm.

- No, we haven't got a thing, no.

The picture?

- Yeah, hold on.

He says the picture the reporter took of our man

didn't come out.

- I was afraid of something like that.

The radioactivity must have burned the emulsion.

- Hello?

No. No, we didn't find any fingerprints at all

on his clothes.

Did you find any?

[ Phone buzzes ]

Ah, too bad.

- Hello?

Will you wait there, please?

- We don't know what to make of this either.

Have you heard from the communication boys yet?

Well, let's hope they turn up with something.

- Major, excuse me.

- Hold on a second. Yes?

- It's Mr. Wakeman at the Chronicle,

he insists upon seeing you.

- He does? Where is he?

- I told him to wait in the lobby.

- Good... Hello?

Yes, our friend from the press is here.

Don't worry, I wouldn't dare let anyone in on anything.

At least not till we get something concrete.

Right. All right, I'll see you later.

Well, I guess I'd better see this newspaperman.

Wanna come along, doctor?

- I'll take a look.

- Oh. Haha.

Hello. Remember me?

- Certainly, yes.

- Nice lot of gadgets you've got here.

- We think so. - What's on your mind?

- Well, I was wondering if you might let me take

a couple of pictures of that suit you brought up here.

- I'm sorry, we can't do that.

- Oh. Well, now, look,

I got a wonderful picture of the guy running in the shack,

and the Lieutenant stuck his nose in my business

and what do I get? A blank.

- Is that you, doctor?

- Well, you must have some lead on this guy,

otherwise you wouldn't have brought that suit up here.

- Well, let's just say we were curious.

- Hello, Bill.

Back so soon?

- Isn't Barbara through?

- I don't know.

She's still in the lab. Why don't you go up and see?

- Thanks. I will.

Barbara?

Barbara, are you in there?

Bill, listen to me.

I'm not alone.

Someone is in here with me.

I can't see him.

He locked the door and has the key.

- I'll break the door down.

- No, Bill, don't. Please!

You'd better get help.

- You mean I've come all the way up here for nothing?

- I'm afraid so. Good night.

- Yes, good night, Mr. Wakeman.

- Good night.

- Doctor, major, come quick. - What's the matter?

- What's the matter? Where's Barbara?

- In the lab. The door's locked

and there's someone in there with her!

- I thought you said the door was locked.

- It was. She's gone.

- Cover the main entrance.

It's the only way anybody could leave.

- I will. - In that case,

we would have seen her on the way up.

- Then she must still be in the building.

- We'd better split up. I'll take the roof.

[Bill] Barbara!

Barbara! Barbara!

Barbara!

Barbara! Barbara!

Where are you?

Barbara!

Barbara!

Barbara!

Barbara!

Barbara!

Where are you?

Barbara!

Barbara!

Barbara! Where are you?

Barbara.

Any sign of her?

- Not yet.

- She must be around here someplace.

- You stay here, watch the main entrance.

And I'll check the basement. - Alright.

- She's not up there.

Where's the doctor?

- He went down to the basement. Here he comes.

You didn't find her?

- No. I'd better call the police.

- But there's no telling

what could happen to her in the meantime.

- Now, now, take it easy. We're doing the best we can.

- But she said she was locked in and she couldn't see who did it.

- Can you explain that?

- No.

Not yet.

[ Gasps ]

- Who are you?

Don't come near me.

I'm warning you, don't come near me.

Agh!

[ Phantom breathes heavily ]

Don't!

A code.

I - I don't understand.

You're trying to tell me

you need it to breathe and there isn't much left in the tank.

One, one-two.

One, one-two.

Three.

I'll write it down.

[ Phantom continues breathing heavily ]

One. One-two.

One.

One, two, three.

[ Barbara screams ]

[ Screaming ]

- That's Barbara. - In the lab.

[Barbara] No, please don't.

- She's in there.

[Bill] Barbara!

[Barbara] I can see his hand in the ultraviolet light.

Oh, try the door again, I'm sure it's open.

[Bill] Darling, are you all right?

- I think so. I'm looking for him.

I just saw him, so he must be in here.

[ Barking ]

- It's 30 feet to the ground.

He will be killed.

[ Dog continues barking ]

- It was frightening.

I couldn't see him. I - I didn't know what to do.

[Wyatt] Over here. Quick!

[Barbara] The suit! It's disintegrating.

[Wyatt] This is amazing.

- Now, now, quiet down, Venus. Quiet down.

Down.

[ Dog continues barking ]

- Mobile Center from Mobile 1. Come in, please.

- This is Mobile Center. Go ahead.

- Get hold of Major Andrews or Dr. Wyatt at the institute.

I wanna talk to either one of them.

- Will do. Stand by Mobile 1.

- Dr. Wyatt speaking.

Oh, yes. Mr. Hazen.

Yes, we're still at it.

Lots and lots of excitement, but nothing definite yet.

Have you anything to say?

- The trouble seems to be just about gone.

We get a flash in the direction

of the observatory once in a while,

but I figure that's because of the outfit you're testing.

- Yes, Lieutenant Bowers ought to be here any minute.

Of course.

How long will it take you to get up here?

Good. See you then.

Thank you, gentlemen. Put it down here, please.

Barbara, would you mind plugging that cord in overt there?

Now you're going to see something very interesting.

I have to resort to ultraviolet light in order

to show you what little there is left of this spacesuit.

As you can see, it has reduced itself to this liquid

and it is in an evaporating stage.

The helmet is in the lab and still intact.

- This is amazing.

All the radiation in this suit would...

Why, it would be fatal to a normal human being wearing it.

Of course. And furthermore,

our respiratory system could never assimilate gases

such as we have found in that breathing device.

- Well, then, we have to assume our so-called x-man

carried his own atmosphere with him.

- Excuse me.

But as a matter of curiosity,

why do we refer to this thing as a him?

I thought it was invisible.

- Under normal conditions, yes.

Yet Mrs. Randall did see the imprint of a large foot,

and a masculine hand under ultraviolet light.

- How do you explain that?

- I don't know,

But the human body is composed of various elements

with a carbon base.

- Like coal?

- Yes.

Now, suppose we maintain the same chemical composition

In the body of the x-man,

but substitute silica for carbon.

- Silica? That's glass.

- Exactly.

Now, it is possible that a body with such a base,

if it was subjected to an atmosphere

foreign to its origin,

might appear invisible to our eyes.

- Are you trying to say, doctor,

that we're - we're not dealing with a human being?

- I didn't say that.

On the contrary,

all the evidence points in the opposite direction,

toward a superhuman

with an intelligence far superior to our own.

- How can you tell?

- First of all, Mrs. Randall saw that he has a hand

with digits like our own fingers,

and a thumb, opposing.

That alone is a sign of intelligence.

And he comes from a civilization

that has developed adequate space transportation

to enable him to travel to Earth.

We have nothing yet

that can reach even another planet in our own solar system.

- That could account for the unidentified objects

picked up by radar a few hours ago.

- My theory is

that this spaceship or whatever it was he came in,

operated on the principle of magnetic,

rather than atomic propulsion,

and that somewhere in the outer limits

met with a condition

where the Earth's gravity pulled it down,

and it fell into the ocean.

And that he managed to save his life and reach shore.

- You really can pick up any type of communications interference,

no matter how weak the signal may be?

- Sure thing. We were on his trail

from the minute he left the beach.

- I never knew you carried

such sensitive instruments in your car.

- What you told us is very interesting, doctor.

But I've gotta make an official report to headquarters.

Are you willing to be quoted that the

criminal we're after is a creature from another world?

- All I can say is

we know that our Earth is not the only planet

capable of sustaining life in one form or another.

You can quote that.

- All we've got to go by is some footprints and a hand.

It isn't much.

No fingerprints, no description, no nothing.

And we're after a killer.

- Has it occurred to you that our x-man

has no apparent motivation for his acts,

and might therefore not be an intentional criminal at all?

- You have a point there.

- Hey. Wait a minute.

Come to think of it, the young boarder we suspected,

he did say that the girl's husband

threw the first punch, so...

- So that could have been enough to provoke the strange creature.

And the same could have happened at the second murder.

- Sure. But what about the fire in the oil field?

- Evidently our man sensed the presence of some gases

which he thought might be utilized

in his breathing apparatus.

- Yeah, that could account for his presence at the oil refinery,

where something went wrong, causing the explosion.

- Too bad he got wise to us and took off his uniform,

or we'd have been able to catch up with him by now.

- No, he didn't utter a word,

But I'm convinced he was trying to convey a message to me.

He kept tapping out a code.

I - I wrote it down.

- Let me see that, please.

Doesn't make sense.

- Well, it may be based on some mathematical system

we know nothing about.

- But he was trying to tell us something.

Why did he run away?

[ Tapping ]

- What do you think of that?

- Yeah. Hazen must be crazy sending out stuff like that.

- I guess so. Try and get a hold of him.

- Yeah. Mobile 1 from Mobile Center.

Come in, please.

Mobile 1 from Mobile Center.

Come in, please.

Mobile 1 from Mobile Center.

Come in, please.

- Hey. That's Central calling.

You'd better stay here by the car. I'll go tell Hazen.

- Yes, Colonel Powell. Of course.

I'll mail you a complete report first thing in the morning.

Yes, sir. Thank you.

Oh, and I'm... I'm awfully sorry to disturb you so late at night.

Right. Good night, sir.

He's around here, this invisible guy.

He was in the car.

- How do you know?

- I was talking to Randall outside,

when I heard Central calling.

Before I could get over to answer,

I saw the door open and shut by itself.

- He's desperate.

- For all we know, he could be trying to send

a distress signal to his home base, wherever that is.

- Let's hope he doesn't get through.

We've got enough problems with just one of those guys.

- Well, at least we know he's around the vicinity.

It's obvious what keeps him around.

- Of course. He's got to come back

for what little gas there is left in his helmet.

- And when he does...

- Please, the most important thing is to take him alive.

If we can only make them understand,

there's no telling how much science can profit.

- I'll go along with that, doctor,

but I've got to make sure that once he's cornered,

I'll be able to hang onto him.

- I think we're all agreed on that.

- All right, good. Then we must see it from his angle.

He's in an alien world.

No doubt we are as frightening to him as he is to us.

Now, the most important thing then is to keep calm

at all costs and do nothing to provoke him.

[Narrator] Immediately, a simple plan to trap the phantom

went into operation.

All obstacles to his entry were removed.

To erase any possible suspicion,

the doors were left unguarded

and inconspicuous electric-eye equipment was set up.

All this was connected to a makeshift control board,

which would immediately signal

the exact location of the trespasser.

Now there was nothing to do but wait.

The one road leading to the institute was blocked off

to make certain no outsider would upset the plans

or interfere in any way.

- What's the big idea?

- Sorry, nobody's allowed through here.

- Who said so? - Lieutenant Bowers' orders.

- Oh, is he up there?

- He might be.

- Well, you get word to him

that Joe Wakeman of the Chronicle is here.

[Guard] Sorry, bud, I can't leave.

- Ah. What about them over there?

Hey, you over there. - Me?

- Yeah. Aren't you the guy from the communications outfit?

Didn't I see you down at the oil fields a couple of hours ago?

- What of it?

- You got anything to do with this?

- Well, you'll have to ask Lieutenant Bowers about that.

- How can I if he won't see me?

- That's a good question.

[ Grumbles]

- Well, it's quarter to four.

- He's sure taking his time.

- Time is cheap.

- Yeah, but how long can you sit

on the edge of your chair like this?

- We will if we have to.

- I really hope this mechanism works.

- It will, unless he flies in between the wires.

- I wouldn't take any bets that he can't.

- Well, if everything else fails,

we still have Venus here to help us.

I'm certain she sensed his presence before,

that's why she carried on so.

- What's the matter, Lieutenant? Is this thing getting to you?

- Oh, no, no. I...

Just thinking about the public reaction to all this.

I have to give something to the press by morning.

- I hope we'll have something to say by then.

- Oh, by the way, when and if he does show up,

Barbara, you run over to the lab and keep an eye

on that gas tank and the helmet.

- I understand. - Good.

And I'll take one ultraviolet lamp,

and you take the other.

- Alright.

You know, ever since I was a kid,

I wanted to be a pilot.

Then after I got my wings and had had 75 missions,

I thought I'd seen everything.

Now, after all this, I know I haven't seen anything.

[ Beeping ]

- He's here. The back entrance.

- Let's head him off. - Remember now, take it easy.

[ Dog barks ]

[ Beeping ]

[ Dog barks ]

Slowly. This way.

[ Dog continues barking ]

I found him, I've got him!

[Wakeman] Cut it out.

Stop!

What are you guys trying to do?

- Well, it's the reporter.

- Yeah. It sure is.

[ Dog barking ]

[ Beeping ]

- How did you get in here?

- Oh, that don't make any difference.

Come on, what's up? What's going on?

[ Dog barks ]

[ Dog continues barking ]

- All right, Lieutenant, you'd better tell him.

I'll reset the wires.

[ Barking ]

[ Labored breathing ]

[Barbara] Don't be afraid.

We want you to live.

Don't you understand?

Can't you speak?

Can't you say something,

anything in any language?

Listen, everybody. He's in the lab with me now.

He's in the lab with me now.

[ Barks ]

Venus, be quiet.

The door's unlocked. Hurry.

He's having trouble breathing.

I don't think he can last much longer.

And please, don't let Venus get at him.

And walk in quietly.

- Quiet, Venus.

[Wyatt] It's unbelievable.

[ Labored breathing ]

[Major] You see, there's nothing to be afraid of.

Nobody wants to hurt you.

[Barbara] I tried to reason with him.

I feel he understands, but he can't speak.

- Wait a minute, I'll try his code.

I think I remember it right.

[ Tapping]

- Better plug in the ultraviolet light.

[ Phantom breathing heavily ]

Fool, you scared him.

Agh!

Look. There goes Venus.

[ Dog barks ]

[ Dog continues barking ]

- Look, Venus!

- He must be there.

- Come on.

- He's going to the roof.

[ Dog continues barking ]

- There, he's gone up the ladder.

- Take this. I'm going after him.

- The door!

- In here by the big telescope.

[ Dog continues barking ]

[Wyatt] Close the dome.

The switch is over there.

[ Dog barks ] The dog senses something.

- Quiet, Venus.

- Well, if he's in here, he'll never get out now.

- This is what I've been waiting for.

- Please, Lieutenant, this is our last chance,

we have to take him alive.

- Plug in the lamps. - There's an outlet here.

[ Barks ]

[Barbara] Oh!

I think he must be up there.

His whole body's there.

[Hazen] If I hadn't seen this with my own eyes...

[Bowers] What do we do now?

- Stand back.

- Amazing.

- This code again.

- Look. He's trying to speak

but no sound is coming out of his mouth.

- Look at Venus. She looks as though she hears him.

- Yes.

Dogs can hear sounds that we can't.

His voice must be beyond the range of the human ear.

Maybe he's screaming.

[ Gasping ]

[Barbara] He's suffocating.

The glowing. It's almost gone.

[ Screams]

- We won't need these lights anymore.

In death he has become visible as a normal body.

Look...

Why, this is amazing.

He is evaporating.

So he came here,

wherever from,

and right before our eyes,

his body went through the final phases of life.

Well...

It's morning.

[ Dramatic music ]