Original subtitles

Good evening.

Just a bit of do-it-yourself.

I'm breaking up an old closet and I'm about to put in the cornerstone.

I saw this as an opportunity to provide future generations with a picture of our

culture. Therefore, I am placing a few significant items inside the stone.

Naturally, I have included several of the current hit records in their

original tongue, a supply of plastic credit cards, some low-calorie chewing

gum, a frozen TV dinner. By the way, in order to conserve space

and at the same time demonstrate our scientific know-how, all of these items

have been placed here in concentrated form.

all one has to do is to add water.

Of course, in order not to take chances, I also placed five gallons of water in

the cornerstone.

Obviously, that too is in concentrated form, so concentrated, in fact, that I

don't seem to be able to find it.

All of us at one time or another sit in judgment of ourselves, but never in

quite the sense that the hero of tonight's story did.

We were also planning to place a copy of the weekly television schedule in here,

but we were afraid by the time this is opened, future generations would have

lost the art of reading.

So we are putting in the following bit of film instead.

Why, hello, Mr.

Davies. Having a nice weekend?

Mm-hmm.

Yes, Lola.

Me too.

Want a beer?

Want to sit down and talk to me?

You know, I don't think I ever talk to you outside the drugstore, except say

hello passing in the street.

Have a beer.

I can't drink them all, and they're getting hot.

Come on.

Good night.

Why, Mr.

Davies, what would Jenny say?

What Jenny wouldn't say, no.

Imagine Jenny saying nothing.

Don't do that. Don't do it. Don't laugh so loud.

You're hurting me. I'm going to tell your wife you're hurting me.

I wasn't going to do nothing. Now, don't you scream like that anymore, because

they'll hear you.

Now, you're not going to tell Jenny, are you?

Well, I was just going to kiss you. You kiss everybody else in town.

Now, you aren't going to tell, are you, Lola?

Mrs. Davies!

No,

you can kiss me.

Why you Okay,

stay there and sleep them I got me a nice boat here. I'm gonna roll me all

around the lake If you ain't at the car when I take this boat back and dock it

you can find your way back to town You hear me?

Ginny?

Oh, George, George, wake up. We got company.

Howdy, Sheriff Walter.

Howdy, Ginny, George.

Where's Pauline?

She's at Susie's party.

What brings you out to lake today, Walter? First warm Sunday of spring.

Can't keep away from the lake. Gotta take the boy boating. Can we go on, Dad?

Yep, but get a good one.

Come on, Jack.

And get an extra pair of oars.

Where, uh...

Where are the boys going, Walter?

They're cutting across the boathouse.

Would you like some chicken, Sheriff?

I fried up three nice chickens, just the good pieces and the necks. George loves

necks. There's also some white meat there, too.

Thank you.

George, here's that nice fat neck you were eyeing before church. You want it

now?

Anybody in jail this week, Sheriff?

Jenny, you ask Walter that every time you see him. I know that. I know what I

asked. Is there, Sheriff?

Nope, Jenny.

It's been a quiet month.

Only criminal in our town is time.

He's a criminal everywhere.

I wish you could lock old man time up.

That would be all right, wouldn't it?

We'd just send old man time to electric chair.

George, you sure you don't want this neck? It's your last chance. I'm gonna

eat it up.

You want some nice homemade ice cream and cake, Walter?

No, thanks, Jenny.

You wanna take a little walk, George?

See what kind of a boat the boy's got?

We walk around the edge of the lake, we'll meet him.

No, Waller, no, I think... You know, I think Jenny and me better get all this

stuff packed up. We don't want to be late for church tonight. What are you

talking about? It's all packed up.

Look at my dad!

Sheriff Walder! Sheriff Walder!

Sheriff Walder, we found a dead woman below a pendular in the woods. She's

dead. A dead woman?

Of course, it had to be a man. Just had to be. All you have to do is find out

who that Lola's escort was today.

Sinful woman like that Lola.

Even with her dead, the mere mention of her name leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Now, you finish up your supper, George, and get down to town.

Why? Well, to talk to Walter and find out who done it.

Did, Mama, not done.

Don't you correct your mother.

Well, now, Walter be down at the jail up to his neck in trouble.

A team of wild horses couldn't keep the sheriff out of that beer joint tonight.

Now, you eat up and get down there.

choke yourself you got plenty of time

i'm

number one suspect i ain't got no witness to what i was doing just what

was you doing leo well checking fences in the back pasture but nobody seen me

at least i didn't see anybody see me ah there ain't no sense looking any further

there's the man who did it

Now, don't let them tease you, George.

They accuse everybody who comes in of it.

Hey, George, you were out at the lake, though, weren't you? Mm-hmm. Well,

didn't you hear anything or see anything?

No, no.

Now, here's a couple of men who can tell us something.

Howdy, Judge Higgins. Dr. Vance. Hi.

Leo, I don't see any checker players tonight. What's wrong, George?

Too much excitement.

Ah, there's never too much excitement for a fast game of checkers.

I'll take the red ones.

Town is heated up, though.

Like someone set a match to them.

Everybody's scared.

Women all staying in.

Well,

we got them.

Resisted arrest and everything.

Come on, guys.

You about through?

You ain't gonna get no new pillow. Nothing to eat, neither.

And you'll have to sleep on what's left of that bed.

You let me out of here.

Slow me down!

Now, you stop that, DJ. You stop that.

Hey, hurry, Walter.

Wait a minute.

This is not a scare.

George? The phone?

George? I hear it. I hear it. Well, get up and answer it.

Yes, I hear it.

We must be wrong.

Hello?

Yeah, yeah.

Oh, no, no, no, no, Dr. Vince.

Well,

I can be there in about five minutes.

I know, doctor. We got it.

Yeah, yeah. Bye.

Well, I got to open up the store and take some stuff to the jail because J

.J.'s been acting up and they need something to quiet him down.

Here we go.

We'll sell Helen down right now.

You ain't going to stick me with that thing. I ain't no horse.

You come in here, I'll kill you.

I'll kill you.

Hold his arm up.

Careful now, Dr. Lance. He'll take a hunk out of your hand.

Ow!

Boy,

you are a horse.

Never had a horse to bite me any harder.

Hold on to him for a minute.

I'm holding him.

Why, it's you and him, George. He needs you. You can sit on my stomach.

I'm through peeing.

didn't kill her, boys.

Mr. Davies, you know I didn't kill her, don't you?

Oh, I loved her.

Poor little Lola.

I was the only one who loved her.

Really honest, couldn't love that silly little baby girl.

He's not playing possum. I gave him enough to knock out an elephant.

Boy, he's got a devil in him.

Strong as a mule.

No doubt in my mind he's the murderer.

He's a real killer.

No need for a trial.

Waste of money. Money and time.

Too bad we have to take him to the state penitentiary electric chair.

We still had hanging. We could do it ourselves.

Right outside the front door, huh, George?

I guess so.

Sheriff's office.

Hello?

Hello?

Hello?

J.J. didn't kill Lola.

It was someone else.

Who is this?

You must listen now and believe me.

J.J. is innocent.

Well, if he didn't do it, who did?

Me. Who's me? Who is this?

Now listen, if you don't tell me who this is, I'm going to hang up. I got too

much to do to stand around here listening to crank calls.

It was me.

Who?

Who?

George Davis.

George Davis.

Don't get your back up.

Well,

J.J. is out on bail, all right. I've told you. He's already got himself

another girl, Alice Morse, down from the mountain.

Same type as he is, wearing shorts on the street.

His mother showed up this morning with the money.

She's been washing it out in a long time in this town, but I didn't have any idea

she'd saved up that much.

Well, I'm not taking my stuff to her anymore.

So, he'll be out on the street until the trial, a whole month with the murderer

in the streets.

Judge Higgins should have set the bail higher.

Well, Judge Higgins ain't so dumb letting J.J. out on bail.

He's hoping he'll do something to give himself away. Everybody knows he done

it. The judge just wants him to tip his hand, cap the evidence perfect.

He'll do it all right. He'll trap himself somehow. They always do.

I wish you'd mind me and get a glass that ain't cracked. I don't want you

swallowing no slivers of glass.

A sliver of glass is a man's best friend.

Do you want me to open you up another one, J.J.? Go ahead.

I don't know what I'm being punished for, but the Lord is severe.

That's the way they're going to fry me more.

Don't do that, JJ. You're making a stink.

Don't you answer, JJ.

Just be another threat. Don't you answer.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

You answer this one.

Oh, no, won't you? Go on, answer it.

Fenton residence.

Um, um, somebody wants to talk to you, JJ.

Ask them what they want.

Well, JJ wants to know what you want.

Oh.

Oh, yes. Well, thank you.

Yes, I'll tell him.

There's somebody that says there's a friend, JJ.

That you're being watched and that the judge is out to trick you.

And for you to be careful.

And for the life of me, I don't know who it was.

Yeah, I bet that was a friend.

Well, I'm going to be more careful.

I'm going to be smart.

Come on, Alice.

JJ, where are you going?

Out of the county.

Out of the state.

They warned you about jumping bail.

Ma, I jump or I fry.

I jump.

Oh, hi, Walter.

Working kind of late, aren't you, George?

No, no.

See, I had to get out and order for some vitamins, and I wanted to get them down

to the post office, so I'd go out first thing in the morning.

Well, I'm going right by there. That's out of your way. I'll save you the trip.

No, no, thank you, Walter. I was kind of looking forward to walking.

7-3, calling 1-4.

Excuse me.

Walter?

You there?

Walter?

Walter here. That you, Pete?

Well, he done it, Walter.

He drove out of the county toward the state line.

He was traveling fast, but I was right on his tail, and I got him with the help

of the state police.

I thought so. I'm on my way.

Well, I think Mr. J.J.'s cooked his own goose.

I think his flight is an admission of guilt.

All right, George, I got work to do.

You scared me to death not answering me like that. Why didn't you answer me,

George?

Who'd you think it was? The murderer?

Well, these days you never know.

You sick? Got indigestion?

Hmm.

You been drinking?

Did you see Judge Higgins in town?

Well, then, you don't know the wonderful news.

Seda Arvin called me up tonight and said that you have been selected to serve on

the jury of the murder trial.

You're going to get your official summons tomorrow. Seda made it out and

mailed it this afternoon.

I'm so proud of you, George.

It's about time you got into politics.

Seda says so, too. It's a great honor.

First murder trial any of us can remember.

Reporters coming down from everywhere.

It's going to be your chance to deal out justice, George.

To see if this terrible criminal gets his just desserts.

Still another item to go into the cornerstone as a specimen of life today.

One station break.

Next we demonstrate the obvious.

That the cornerstone of commercial television is not television,

but the commercial.

The laceration of the tissues of the neck, the fracture of the right horn of

the thyroid cartilage, and finally the deep bruising, all indicate a violent

struggle.

Oh, uh, there's one thing more.

She had a mark on the side of her face.

Looked like somebody had slapped her several hours before.

Your witness.

No questions, Your Honor.

Martin knows he's guilty.

Judge Higgins.

Yes, Judge?

Could I ask Dr. Vince here a question?

You know, I've lived here all my life, and I know that when you're on a jury,

if there's something you don't understand, well, you can ask questions,

and with the judge's permission, of course. Now, and there's a couple things

here I don't understand.

You know, and if we make a mistake and we ain't right in our judgment, well...

Order! Now you all calm down.

All right, George, ask your question.

Well... Through me, George.

Yes, yes. Well, with your permission, and I'd like to ask Dr.

Vance... George, say the witness.

Well, with your permission, and I'd like to ask the witness, if Lawler... George,

say the victim.

Thank you, Judge. Well, then, with your permission, I'd like to ask the

witness... if the victim struggled and defended herself?

I've already answered that in my paper, Your Honor.

Well, if she defended herself and it was a violent struggle, like the doctor

said, well, then wouldn't the accused have marks or scratches or something on

his body?

You know, Lola was known for her long red fingernails.

There were marks on the accused, on the left hand and the right forearm.

Scratches, obviously caused by fingernails.

Judge, could I ask a question of the accused?

Go through me, George.

Oh, well then, would you ask J.J. if he's got any explanation about the

scratches the doctor found on his forearm?

Did the accused understand the question?

Oh, yes, sir.

Yes, Your Honor.

Yeah, oh.

Oh, Lola scratched me, all right.

But that was earlier in the morning.

I already told the doc so.

Well, we had this little fight, see, and... Well, she scratched me.

Well, shoot, I got scars everywhere.

Is that all, George?

For right now, thank you, Judge.

He sat up on the boat.

And he just looked at me, kind of a nasty look, like I'd messed things up.

Then he started rowing away.

I watched him because I thought there was something awful funny.

And then he rode over to the cove there where the body was.

I didn't know the body was there then, but he got out and he stood there,

looked down at what he had done.

I seen it all.

Come to think about it, I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't see one of her

feet.

Yes, George?

Judge, you know, listening to Jess, I don't get a clear picture of this whole

thing at all. I think that you ought to take us out to the lake and let us have

a look at the scene of the crime.

I think so, too.

Very well.

The jury will be taken to the scene of the crime tomorrow morning. Next

witness. I call Elsie Grissom to the stand.

Miss Grissom, would you tell this court what it is that you do?

I own and run the Happy Home Hotel.

And you rented a room to the victim, Lola Penderwall? I did, but I never

would have if I ever suspected that... Well, she wasn't so bad till she met him

when he came back from the penitentiary. He was a devil to her.

I sometimes heard them talking together very late at night.

Would you tell this court what it is that you heard?

Well, I heard them fighting.

Their relationship was very stormy, laced with a generous amount of liquor.

The morning of that Sunday, they had a quarrel. It woke me up.

The gist of it was she wanted to go out to the lake and go swimming.

You promised me, she kept saying. You promised me. And then, that's what I

heard. Oh, louder than that, though.

About like that. A couple of times, too.

And then she cried and cried and cried as if her heart would break.

Later on, they went out. On an outing from which she did not return alive.

Elsie, after you listened to all this, did you happen to see J.J., the accused,

leave with the victim?

I certainly did.

He had his arm around her.

He had his arm around her?

Did he look like a murderer to you with his arm around her? I mean, Elsie, did

that thought ever enter your mind that he was about to kill her?

No.

Would the star juror care to give me some justification for his behavior?

What behavior?

What behavior?

The behavior that has brought down ridicule and scandal over our heads.

What are you talking about now, Jenny?

Have you gone deaf and blind?

Unplug your ears. Open your eyes.

George Davies, the most respected, highly thought of citizen in this town,

protecting this infidel, this murderer.

No wonder you get indigestion. Oh, not hush, Ma. You're gonna wake up Pauline.

Oh, poor, poor Pauline. She don't dare leave the house.

Her father... Her father's done nothing but observe the oath he took as a juror.

That oath don't tell you to sit up there and play games. You're there to see that

a murderer is guilty.

Jenny, I tried every way possible to get out of this duty.

Well, I was literally forced, because I'm so respectable, to sit judgment.

And I refuse to condemn a man with such slim evidence.

Make a mockery of justice.

Justice will be done, Jenny.

JJ will get what he deserves.

I'll see to that.

Joe!

What's that note say, George?

I don't know, Jenny.

I don't know, but... It's George.

Since when you become a friend of killers?

This is for JJ.

You... Better be sure... he gets it.

I still don't see how Jess could have seen JJ get off that boat, because it's

already out of sight.

You know, it's still about half a mile from the cove where Lola was killed.

Is that right, Judge?

That's right.

I swear I thought I could have seen it.

Well, you did swear it, Jess, but it wasn't true.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

Will the accused please stand and face the jury?

Will you please state the verdict?

We find the accused, J.J. Fenton, not guilty.

I think he's lost his mind.

I don't understand it, but I will never have a prescription filled there again.

Poor Jenny.

Hey.

Well, thank you, George.

you clean it up?

Thanks.

Well, one package of gum, that's all we've sold in three days since your

brilliant show on the trial.

We've been boycotted.

I only did my duty. You should hear what people are saying about you and your

duty. And as for your friends and your jury, they give you all the credit.

Well, what have I done, Jenny? You know, have I committed a crime?

You...

You act like you like to see me electrocuted. A couple of shock

treatments wouldn't do you any harm.

Just why were you so anxious to get J.J. off?

I was only anxious to see that justice was done. Well, no justice was done.

That murderer is still loose.

Can I help you?

Yeah.

I want to thank you.

Oh, you want to come in the back?

Stay here.

Now, JJ, well, I just wanted to thank you.

Why'd you do it?

Oh, I... I sure do appreciate it.

But I ain't sure you did me service or disservice.

As far as they're concerned, I'm still the local killer.

I've taken spite out of my mother.

Last night somebody tried to burn the house down.

Well, I... I just put her on the bus, sent her to see her sister.

telling what's going to happen next.

Of course, they fired me at the mill.

A good old Frank Williams, he offered me a job killing chickens.

Killing chickens?

Why don't you just get out of town, JJ? You know, get out of town. Go far away

somewhere. That's just what everybody wants, isn't it?

To see me run.

Well, I ain't going to give them the satisfaction.

I'm going to stay and kill chickens.

And come fall, I'll get a job slaughtering pigs if I have to.

But I'm going to stay until a real killer is found.

Mr. Davies, you seem awful sure that it wasn't me who'd done it.

You must have some idea who did.

No, no, JJ.

Then help me to... find out who did it.

Please, help me.

Oh, JJ, your car.

No, kiss me. Don't kill me. I'm still the local killer.

Killer. Killer.

Killer. Killer.

Killer.

Killer. Killer.

Killer. Killer.

Killer. Killer. Killer.

What is it, George?

Walter, I've come to tell you the name of the man who murdered Lola.

Oh, you have, huh?

Regular Sherlock Holmes. Well, I hope you have the evidence to back it up.

Now, write down what I tell you.

I, the undersigned, George Davies, do hereby declare that I killed Lola

Penderwalder on the... Ha!

That's very funny.

I got scared, Walter.

Panic is strong. It freezes reason. Panic had made a murderer of me. See, I

choked her, and then I ran, taking with me the weapons of the act, my hands.

Now, that ain't funny. A joke's a joke.

And there's voices out there where I did it.

Voices?

George, do me a favor.

Go on home, huh?

There was voices, Walter.

Yeah. There was voices that did it. They seemed to be coming.

Well, don't you believe me? Well, sure I believe you. But I'm telling you the

truth. This is the best thing. Take it easy. Go on home. I promise.

This will calm him down.

Settle his nerves. I'll go right into the store and fill it out myself,

Doctor. Good night, George.

Oh, good night, Doctor Vince.

Pauline.

Honey?

Yes, Daddy?

George Davies, if you had wanted to kill me, you couldn't have done a better job.

If you had used a knife, you couldn't have caused more pain.

You not only had to smear my name in the name of your child with scandal and

ridicule... You had to dishonor us, too, by going mad.

Daddy, call Sheriff Walter and tell him you were only making fun.

I wasn't making fun, Polly.

My mama always warned me that she could see signs of insanity in his behavior,

in his background.

I know someone who'll believe me. You're not getting out of this house, George

Davies. You're not going to go around telling us.

Come on JJ, hang on.

Man, oh man, Alice.

This can't go on.

I'll go get the doctor.

Hey.

Leave the gun.

Who's that?

George Davies.

Come on in.

I had me some visitors, Mr. Davies.

Sit down.

one of them were you huh no you wouldn't do a thing like that you're my friend

the champion of my cause you saved me thanks to you i'm a

free man i can do what i want nobody would care no no no don't don't

do that i'm so miserable mr davies and i hurt

sometimes i think

I might have done it.

And I'm being punished for it, you know.

I might have done it.

J.J.

J.J., look at me.

Listen to me.

I killed Lola.

No, thank you.

That's mighty big-hearted of you.

But you leave me alone.

Go on, get out of here.

No, I swear it. I swear it. I killed her. You wouldn't kill a fly.

I don't want your lies to save me.

I'm not worth your burnt offering.

But this time, this time you can be a witness.

See?

This gun is mine!

Stop it!

Well, that's that.

Who's that in the car?

That's George Davies.

George.

George, what are you doing here?

Well, I come to visit JJ.

He's dead.

He killed himself.

Alice Moore says he's been talking about it for days.

Right through the heart.

Shows you were wrong.

He killed Lola.

It's with the gun and the fingerprints.

Alice touched it. Pete touched it.

I'm not going to bother dusting it for fingerprints.

It's even got mine on it.

I got eyes. I know a suicide when I see one.

Walter, I shot him. I killed him.

George, I know you're mixed up.

The whole town's in back here, rooting for you to pull out of this.

Dr. Vince said you need a rest.

You've been working too hard.

Let me run you home.

Take a hot bath get into bed.

Come on You

will

be comforted to know that George ultimately got his wish and was sent to

prison where he died a broken man One item I haven't mentioned, which I'm

placing in the cornerstone, is my dear sponsor's last will and testament. That

bothersome fellow seems to have mysteriously disappeared.

Never mention me in the will either.

Bother. Certain people are forever getting in a man's way when he's

working.

Now I can continue.

You may watch our final commercial and scenes from next week's story.