Original subtitles

I hardly know what to tell you about the next half hour...

Except that it has been reported as true

by those to whom it happened.

It has been investigated,

and no one, as yet, has been able to explain it

or disprove it.

Where is Sylvia Ackroyd?

Many have asked that question...

Her husband, her friends, the police...

Especially the police.

I'm not the first, nor will I be the last,

to visit this room.

It's Sylvia's room...

Now become one of the world's more celebrated bedchambers,

thanks to Scotland Yard's highly-trained clue seekers.

They began, as they usually do,

with personal effects.

With these dresses, all knit by hand.

Lonely hands.

The hands of a woman who had nothing else to do.

But where is Sylvia now?

Dead?

Well, not exactly.

Well, not officially.

That morning, the fourth of April,

was an important day.

It was her birthday.

Sylvia?

Her 40th birthday.

Good morning, my dear.

Harrison.

I have something for you.

You should have come down to breakfast this morning.

Essie did something triumphal with kidneys and bacon.

Kidneys make me nervous at the best of times,

let alone breakfast.

Now, do you mind signing here and here?

What is it?

It's a new stock I'm buying.

Now, now, please, dear... I'm in rather a hurry.

I'm sorry.

But I do like to be told about things now and again.

Well, I'll tell you later.

Incidentally, I won't be home for dinner tonight.

I didn't expect you.

It's Friday. You're always late Fridays.

Merely because Friday happens to be

the most opportune evening for filling business associates

with expensive champagne.

Of course.

As a matter of fact, I'm taking

Horton Bassler down to Sunnyvale.

Really?

You remember Horton.

He was with me during the war.

The three of us used to go out together in Paris.

He was with us...

the night we won that waltz contest at Bricktops.

That was such a beautiful, lovely night.

You have a very good memory, my dear.

I need it.

Shall I give Horton your regards?

Do.

Well... have a good day.

You, too.

Good day.

A good day.

What is a good day?

Mrs. Ackroyd, where are you?

I'm down here, Essie!

What are you doing down there?

Celebrating my birthday.

Oh, thank goodness. I've been wanting to get

this place cleaned up.

Ten years, this stuff's been lying around here.

All the things I had in Paris.

Ooh. The welfare people could use some of these.

Here's a perfectly good swea...

Oh, no, Essie.

This saved my life.

We didn't have any heat during the occupation.

Oh. Living in the past, when them things

could keep some poor kid warm.

Oh, Essie, look.

Our transmitter.

We used to send messages on that across the Channel,

and you don't know how... Junk.

You know, we really should send

some of these things to the hospital.

Hmm, my diploma from the Sorbonne before the war.

What's all this?

Oh, Essie.

Madame Saulon and I made these,

the day the Allies marched into Paris.

We-we dyed little strips of rags with red and blue ink,

and, oh, we waved them and waved them...

as the boys came marching up the Champs Elysées...

The day I met Harrison.

Oh, Essie, it was so exciting.

Well, it's over now.

Yes, it certainly is.

It's hard to believe it was even me.

What's this?

"A game for young and old."

Oh, well, that can go to the hospital.

No. Rid us of some of these clothes.

No, Essie.

Well, what is it?

Jeremy.

Jeremy.

Jeremy.

♪ ♪

Jeremy.

You remembered.

You remembered today.

Oh, bless you.

I needed it so much.

Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy.

Oh, Essie, that's not very big.

You're lucky to get anything,

sending me down at the last moment.

Three shops I had to go to for enough candles.

And I got, uh, lamb chops for your dinner.

Wonderful.

Wonderful.

Maybe I should get some more.

There's, uh, only enough for one.

No, that's right, Essie... Dinner for one.

I'll have it up here on a tray.

Sir?

Hmm?

I was wondering if you knew a man called Jeremy.

Mm. Doesn't that look good?

Uh, Jeremy who?

I don't know.

He came to call on Mrs. Ackroyd yesterday.

Jeremy, Jeremy...

oh, probably Jeremy Carlos from the Spanish Consul.

What'd he look like?

Well, I didn't see him.

He, uh, came when I was down at the shops.

Mrs. Ackroyd asked me to get her a birthday cake,

and it was when I got back... Oh, was it her birthday?

Heavens, Essie, why didn't you remind me?

Anyway, it was quite a party.

Well, good. I'm always telling Mrs. Ackroyd

she should have more friends... have a few laughs.

Well, there were plenty of laughs yesterday.

I could hear them even when I was down here

dusting the sitting room.

Good morning, darling.

Good morning.

It's all right, Essie, I'll help myself.

Oh, I'm so hungry this morning, I could even eat kidneys.

Scrambled eggs.

Oh, so they are.

Darling... I'm sorry about yesterday.

What?

Your birthday.

Oh.

Well, darling, I forgot yours last year.

Anyway, I...

I thought you were just being tactful.

You know how women dread birthdays.

I was saying to, ah... I was thinking...

that's one advantage in not having any children.

You never miss an opportunity, do you?

I didn't mean it that way. I...

I just meant that this way

I can stay the same age forever...

Without suddenly finding I have a daughter

years older than I am.

Anyway, I'm glad you had a nice day.

I did. I did.

Essie tells me you had quite a party.

Who was here?

Oh... it wasn't really a party.

I just thought a-a birthday cake would be fun.

That man from the consul?

Who?

Carlos?

Carlos... Oh, no, Harrison.

Then who was here?

There was no one here.

Sylvia, what you do is your own affair.

I use that word judiciously.

Frankly, I don't mind, as long as you're clever enough

to keep it that way, but you must understand my position.

I will not risk adverse publicity.

I don't intend to find my name in the morning papers.

I hope I make myself perfectly clear.

Jeremy?

You know, Harrison thought I...

Oh, Jeremy.

Harrison, you're early.

Where did you go tonight?

Oh, I got bored with the house so I thought I'd dine out.

Oh, so you thought you'd dine out.

Yes, Harrison.

It's Friday... your night out.

I thought it was time for my night out, too.

And where did you go?

Paglino's.

Did you see anyone we know?

Yes, I saw the Bradens.

And did they see you?

They were sitting at the next table.

Well, you're going to tell Lilly Braden

right now how delightful it is

to have your cousin over here on a visit from France.

And that you... No, I won't, Harrison.

Because Lilly wouldn't know what I was talking about.

Yes, they did see me.

In fact, they asked me to join them,

because I was by myself, dining alone.

You're a liar as well.

How dare you!

Now, what about this afternoon?

Oh, haven't had time to type it up yet, sir.

Here you are.

Let's see...

"12:30, cold lobster and salad at the Dover Buttery.

"1:15, proceeded along Dover Street

"to Bailey's Gallery in the Prince's Arcade.

Made purchase of four pictures."

Did you see what they were?

Well, without getting too close, sir,

they looked like military prints.

Soldiers in different kinds of old-fashioned uniforms.

Yes?

"1:40, took taxi

"along to the Leicester Square Cinema.

An American musical starring Cyd Charisse and Gene..."

Did she meet anyone?

Uh, not today, sir.

And, uh, Mrs. Ackroyd left the cinema about 4:25

and took a taxi home.

No visit to the museum today?

No, not today, sir.

And all this time, she never talked to anyone?

Well, not to anyone, sir.

What do you mean?

Well, when she thought no one was looking,

she talked a lot, sir, in a... in a low whisper...

And laughing, sir. Oh...

Your wife laughs a lot, but always to herself.

I see.

Jeremy, why can't I see you?

Oh, you're always saying, "One day, one day."

It's maddening.

Jeremy, come over here to the piano.

This little figurine...

see if you can move it.

It's not ridiculous.

Well, then show me.

Push it over, please, Jeremy.

All right, it's silly, but-but I just want to see

if you can do something physical.

Jeremy, no!

Harrison paid a fortune for... Oh!

What'll I tell Harrison?

But how? I don't know how to play the piano.

But I can't.

All right.

What do I have to do?

Yes, yes.

I can feel your hands on mine.

Jeremy!

That's beautiful.

Look at my fingers.

You never told me you could play like this.

Jeremy...

Jeremy, please let me see you, just once.

I'll do anything.

Yes. What?

I promise.

This afternoon I'll go to Hartnell's

and buy the giddiest thing I can find.

You will?

Honestly?

Now, Jeremy, don't tease me.

I couldn't bear it if you... When?

Jeremy, tonight?!

What time?

Oh, Jeremy, I want to know how tall you are,

and the color of your eyes,

and what you look like when you laugh.

Turn that off! How could you?!

How could you?! How could you spy on me?!

Sylvia, for heaven's sake, calm yourself, Sylvia...

How could you?

Here, drink this.

It's pathetic, isn't it?

All these weeks, you've been suspicious.

Now you know.

I do have a friend.

Now you know why I couldn't tell you about him.

It wasn't because I was frightened you'd be jealous.

I wish you could have been.

If you were capable of jealousy, this wouldn't have happened.

I know one thing, Sylvia.

I know that you're ill. You need a doctor.

No!

You don't know anything.

I'll tell you.

Do you remember me?

I don't mean the... the heroine of the resistance

or anything like that... I mean me.

Me, the way I was.

Fun and pretty and enthusiastic about things.

Do you remember?

What happened to me, Harrison?

I died.

It wasn't getting older that did it.

Harrison, I loved you very much.

Sylvia, you must... Just listen.

When I found out about you...

I should have fought to keep you, but I didn't.

I... I just gave in.

I stopped... I stopped living.

Until three weeks ago, Harrison.

On my birthday, something happened to me

and all of a sudden, I was moving again

and there was color and fun and...

and sunlight.

Because someone was showing me some affection.

Who?

Someone incredibly kind.

But who, Sylvia?

Do you know what a ouija board is?

A ouija board?

What are you talking about?

You remember when-when Pierre Dardet was captured,

um, and we couldn't get any messages across anymore?

Well, Madame Saulon had read a book on telepathy.

It seemed pretty farfetched,

but-but we were desperate enough to try anything.

The nights were long anyway.

So, somewhere she find a ouija board.

Well, you've seen them.

You-You put your hands on it, and they write messages.

It's a board.

Well, anyway, it didn't work, not for the purposes we wanted,

but we did make a friend.

Go on, Sylvia, go on.

Before God, I'm telling you the truth.

At first, the writings were-were meaningless.

But-But slowly, there was sense

and then... Jeremy.

Jeremy?

Yes, he was a soldier who fought for France in 1870, and...

Oh, I know this sounds unbelievable,

but I-I've checked it.

I've checked in every book in the library.

Everything he told us, it's all there.

His name, his regiment, where he fought.

I swear.

Go on, Sylvia, go on.

Well, we began to depend on Jeremy very much.

He used to tell us where we could find food from the Germans

and he-he warned us before the Gestapo made searches and he...

Best of all, he made us laugh.

Well, that's my lover.

A man who's dead 80 years.

Operator, would you give me the number

of the Beldon Nursing Home, please?

What are you doing?

4-5-6-1.

Harrison, Harrison, why are you calling that place?

I'm sorry, Sylvia. We need a doctor.

That's not a nursing home.

Hello.

Can I speak to the doctor in charge, please?

But you can't.

You can't.

Everything I told you is the truth.

Hello, Doctor?

This is Harrison Ackroyd speaking.

Could you come over to my house, please, as quickly as possible?

It's my wife.

Yes, we live quite nearby.

There's nothing the matter with your wife!

443 Queensgate.

As soon as possible, please.

I'm not insane! I'm not! I can prove it!

Sylvia? I can! I can! I can!

Sylvia. I... I can.

Jeremy promised...

Jeremy, you promised.

What time is it?

Almost 7:30.

7:30.

Jeremy...

Jeremy, please, I need you.

Harrison...

If you wanted to get rid of me so badly,

why didn't you tell me?

I would have given you a divorce.

This was a cruel way of doing it.

Sylvia, I don't want to argue at this moment.

I want to argue.

You can't see it clearly now,

but what I'm doing is the best for you.

You see, you need care.

No!

Yes, I do need care, but not from a doctor.

When the doctor comes,

I'm sure he'll make you understand better than I.

I won't see him!

You mustn't do this.

Harrison, please, don't do it.

I'm sorry, Sylvia.

Now, listen to me.

If you heard him, if you heard him, too,

if you heard his voice, if you saw him...

Jeremy?

Jeremy... Jeremy, you promised.

I never needed you so much.

Jeremy? Jeremy!

Sylvia!

Harrison, the tape recorder.

The piano.

Now, you know I can't play the piano, Harrison,

but you heard me play it on the tape recorder.

That was Jeremy.

If-If I can do it now...

Jeremy, help me.

Help me.

Help me! Help me! Help me!

Sir, the doctor's here.

Doctor, I'm Harrison Ackroyd.

That is my wife.

You can trust me.

You'll be happy where you're going.

Come on now.

Is it necessary for me to come with you, Doctor?

Not at all.

I'm sorry, sir.

Oh, don't bother to make up the fire, Essie.

I'll be going out almost immediately.

Oh, I hope the doctor's not having any trouble.

Sir... Mr. Ackroyd?

Yes.

I'm Dr. Werner.

Who?

Werner.

We talked earlier on the telephone.

From the hospital.

I've come for your wife.

Where is she, Mr. Ackroyd?

Where is she?

When she left this house,

Sylvia Ackroyd joined that bizarre band of human beings

who have simply vanished from this earth.

Finally, utterly.

It would be nice to believe that Jeremy did keep his promise.

He told her she'd be happy where she was going.

Wherever that may be.

In a moment, a word about next week's story.

Next week, we will take you beyond the gay, grinning face

of the circus, into the very private world

of the Flying Patruzzios, aerialists unsurpassed,

in a nightmarish performance for which no tickets were ever sold.