Original subtitles

[eerie music]

(narrator) There is a fifth dimension

Beyond that which Is known to man.

It is a dimension As vast as space

And as timeless As infinity.

It is the middle ground Between light and shadow,

Between science And superstition.

And it lies between The pit of man's fears

And the summit Of his knowledge.

This is the dimension Of imagination.

It is an area Which we call The twilight zone.

[snoring]

In this corner of the Universe a prizefighter Named Bolie Jackson.

One hundred and Eighty-three pounds, and An hour and a half away

From a comeback At St. Nick's Arena.

Mr. Bolie Jackson, Who by the standards Of his profession

Is an aging, Over-the-hill Relic of what was,

And who now sees a reflection Of a man who has left too many Pieces of his youth

In too many stadiums For too many years

Before too many Screaming people.

Mr. Bolie Jackson,

Who might do well to look For some gentle magic

In the hard-surfaced glass That stares back at him.

[crack]

Feeling good, Bolie?

Feeling sharp? Take the tiger Tonight, huh, Bolie?

I'm gonna take the tiger, Henry. I'll give him a Left then a right.

And I'm going to the Stomach, then pick him Up by the tail

And throw him right up Into the ninth row.

You're looking Good, Bolie. You're Looking sharp.

You gonna watch?

You fooling? I'll yell so loud

You'll hear me All the way to St. Nick's.

[laughs]

You know,

A fighter don't need A scrapbook, Henry.

Anyone know What he's done, Where he's fought,

You read it In his face.

He's got the whole Story cut into His flesh.

St. Louis, 1949.

Guy named Sailor Levitt.

Real fast boy.

Here, and this, Memorial Stadium, Syracuse, New York.

Italian boy.

Fought like Henry Armstrong. All hands and arms.

Just like a windmill, All over you.

First time I ever Got my nose broke Twice in one fight.

And then move South, Henry.

Miami, Florida.

That boy got me up Against the ring post.

He did this With his laces.

Tired old man.

Tired old man Trying to catch a bus

And the bus is Already gone.

Left a couple Of years ago.

Arms heavy.

Legs like rubber. Short of wind.

One eye almost gone.

There I go, Running down The street

Trying to catch That bus to glory.

Bolie, you are Going to catch The tiger tonight.

I'm gonna make a wish.

I'm gonna make A big, tall wish.

And you ain't gonna Get hurt none either. You hear, Bolie?

You been hurt Enough already. And You're my friend, Bolie.

You're my good And close friend.

You have quite a Boy there, Frances. You got quite a boy.

Talks like a little Old man, you know?

I'm his good and close Friend. That's what He tells me.

Real, real intense. I'm his good and Close friend.

Well, you're good To him, Bolie.

Real good. Taking him to ball Games all the time

And taking Him for walks.

Take care of Yourself, Bolie. Don't get hurt none.

I'll work hard Trying not to.

[footsteps]

I'm gonna make A wish, Bolie.

I'm gonna make a wish Nothing happens to you.

So don't you Be afraid, Bolie.

Understand? Don't you be afraid.

Oh, go on.

Bolie, that boy's Got you in a shrine.

Who? A scared old man who Don't remember nothing Except how to bleed?

I don't fit No shrines, Frances.

But you tell Him, Frances, You tell him

How much I'm obliged To him for his wish.

He's all the Time wishing.

Why, just the Other night he--

What?

Oh, I needed $15 For the rent.

Henry said he was Gonna make the big, Tall wish.

That's the biggest wish. The big, tall wish.

He don't waste that On just anything.

That's what he calls The most important kind. That was last Friday.

And a woman I did some Nursing for on the island Sent me a check.

A check for $15.

Little boys.

Little boys with Their heads full Up with dreams.

And when do they Find out, Frances?

When do they Suddenly find out

That there Ain't any magic?

When does somebody push Their face down on the Sidewalk and say to 'em,

"Hey, little boy, It's concrete.

That's what the world Is made out of, concrete."

When do they Find out that you Can wish your life away?

Good luck Tonight, Bolie.

Sure, Frances.

We'll be Waiting for you.

Tell him I'll See him later.

Hey, Bolie.

Good luck, baby. You can take him.

Take him for me.

Best of luck, Bolie. We'll be watching.

Try it, Bolie.

Feels okay?

Feels good, Joe. Thanks.

He's all ready.

Butt it out, Will you, Thomas? I wanna breathe.

You hired me For the night, Bolie baby.

It's a package deal. Me and the cigar.

I said butt it out.

[crowd yelling]

Fe isty little old man.

The older they get, The louder they talk And the more they want.

And the less chance They got to get it.

How did I get You tonight?

Oh, I'm a Bargain, Bolie.

I'm a expert On has-beens.

I seen your boys.

Catches, aren't they?

Guaranteed two Rounds each.

Shovel them in, Shovel them out.

Sew them together For the next time.

[chuckles]

Well, that's The only way To do it, champ.

A month or so from now Maybe I'll sign you At the back door.

Why not? You're long Gone, Bolie.

You've had it. Wait till after tonight.

You'll wanna get In the stable, too.

All you have to do Is guarantee two rounds.

Two, three Prelims every month.

Why, you can do that Standing on your head.

Can't you?

I thought the smell Came with the cigar. You wear it all over you.

You stink, Thomas.

You tell 'em, champ.

You tell 'em.

[man knocking] Jackson, ten minutes.

He'll be there.

What about tonight? What do I watch out for?

I've only seen this boy Fight once. That was a Couple of years ago.

I ain't never seen him.

You watched him fight. You've Seen him fight six, seven Times in the past year.

You piece Of garbage, you.

You're betting On him, aren't you?

It ain't enough He sells flesh By the pound.

He comes in here for a dirty $20. Supposed to help me And bets on the other guy.

I may be a bum upstairs In another ten minutes

But now I'm gonna fight A beautiful first round.

You touch me and I'll have you up For ten years.

I swear to you, Bolie, I'll fix your wagon good. Lay off me, you cunning freak!

Let me look At that. Sit down.

Wasn't enough Spotting 'em all Those years, Bolie?

Wasn't enough how you Gotta go in the ring With four busted knuckles?

Okay, Jackson, you're on.

Well?

Well, nothing. Let's do it.

Oh, poor little Henry Temple.

I've given him Two strikes on All his magic.

Two strikes.

Whose?

Nothing.

There ain't no such-- [groaning]

There ain't no Such thing as magic.

[people yelling]

[punching]

(announcer) There's another left. Another right.

Jackson's knees are Wobbling. He's hurt.

Bolie Jackson is Definitely hurt.

Consiglio moves in on him.

[people cheer]

He jabs him To the right. Jackson is down.

Bolie, Bolie, Bolie.

One, two, three,

Four, five, six,

Seven, eight,

[no audio]

Nine.

[silence]

Ten.

[audience yelling]

You done dandy, Bolie.

Hey, Joe, You were wrong.

Just bruised, I guess, huh?

Gee, it hurt like anything But somebody said I Got him with it.

Couldn't have been Broken after all.

Who said it was?

You said. Jeez, felt Like it, too.

Could feel the knuckles Coming right up to The bandages.

I could have sworn It was broke.

And then when he Knocked me down--

What? When he what?

When he knocked Me down, Joe.

When he knocked me down.

I don't even Remember getting up.

The next thing I knew, There he was at my feet.

We must have been in Different arenas together.

You didn't get Knocked down, Bolie.

You was never Off your feet.

I wasn't?

No. You carried this One all the way, baby.

[chuckles]

Joe! I wasn't Off my feet?

I didn't go down?

Read about it In the papers.

Good night, old-timer.

I'm proud of you.

Beautiful, Bolie, Beautiful.

You were Just great, man. Just wonderful.

You we great, Bolie, We've seen you on Television.

That was a right. That was the real right.

Hey, what do you Say, Henry Temple?

You are a tiger, Bolie. You are a real tiger.

Did it look okay?

Just like a champ.

You know something? That boy must have Hit me so hard

It knocked all the Hurt right out of me.

I don't remember A doggone thing, Henry.

I must have really Been punchy for A second

'cause I thought He had me on my back.

And there I was, Lying there,

Looking up At the ref waving His arm down on me,

Staring at the light, Blinking my eyes.

There must have been Some kind of a dream Or something 'cause--

Henry?

Henry, I never Went down.

I was never Off my feet.

Henry, I never Went down.

Henry, was I? Was I on my back And on my way out?

Nobody remembers it.

Nobody at all Except me.

I thought it happened, But it didn't.

I thought I was Lying there on my Back, being counted out,

And everybody Tells me that--

Bolie, I made The big wish then.

I wished you was Never knocked down.

I just shut my eyes, And I, I wished real hard.

It was magic, Bolie. We had to have Magic then.

Had to, Bolie. Nothing Left for us then. Had To make a wish.

There ain't no magic Or wishing or nothing Like that.

You're too big to have nutsy Thoughts. You're too big to Believe in fairy tales.

If you wish hard Enough, Bolie, It'll come true.

If you wish Hard enough--

Somebody gotta Knock it out of you.

Somebody gotta take you By the hair and rub your Face into the world

Till you get the taste and Feel of the way things Are, don't they?

Listen, kid, I've been Wishing all my life.

You understand, Henry? I got a gut ache From wishing,

And all I got To show for it is A face full of scars

And a head full Of-of memories

Of all the hurt And misery

I've had to live And sleep with all My miserable life.

Crazy kid, you trying To tell me you wished Me into a knockout?

You trying to tell me it Was magic that made me Get up off my back?

You're a little Kook, Henry. That's What you are.

How did I ever get mixed Up with you? I ain't Got enough trouble.

I got mixed up With some dopey kid--

If you don't believe, Bolie, it won't be true. That's the way magic works.

Listen. Listen, boy. There ain't no magic. No magic, Henry.

I had that fight Coming and going. I had it in my pocket.

I was the number one out There. It was me who done It. Me, Bolie Jackson.

Hittin' and Sluggin' and winnin'.

Winnin'!

Henry.

I can't believe. I'm too old.

And I'm too Hurt to believe.

I can't, boy. I just can't.

Now, Henry, there ain't No such thing as magic.

God help us both. I wish there were.

Bolie, you've Got to believe.

I can't, boy. I can't, boy.

You've got To believe.

I can't.

Please, believe.

I can't.

You've got To believe, Bolie.

Ten.

[audience yelling]

[audience cheers]

You should've Stood in bed.

How come you Didn't use your right?

He's in bed, Bolie.

Can I see him?

Sure. I expect He's waiting for you.

Bolie?

I'm real sorry.

Ah, I pulled A rock, Henry.

I threw a punch Before I should have.

Hit a wall. Busted my knuckles.

I went in with half My artillery gone.

You looked like A tiger even so.

You looked like A real tiger.

I was proud Of you, Bolie. I was real proud.

Bolie?

Now you go to sleep.

Tomorrow we'll go To a hockey game,

And we'll get Some hot dogs In the park maybe.

Sure thing, Bolie. That will be nice.

Bolie?

I ain't gonna make No more wishes, Bolie.

I'm too old for wishes.

And there ain't No such thing as Magic, is there?

I guess not, Henry.

Or maybe--

Maybe there is magic, And maybe there's Wishes, too.

I guess the Trouble is--

I guess the trouble is There's not enough people Around to believe.

Good night, boy.

Good night, Bolie.

(narrator) Mr. Bolie Jackson, 183 pounds,

Who left a second Chance lying in a heap

On a rosin-spattered Canvas at St. Nick's Arena.

Mr. Bolie Jackson, Who shares the most Common ailment of all men.

The strange and perverse Disinclination to believe In a miracle,

The kind of miracle To come from the mind Of a little boy.

Perhaps only to be found In the twilight zone.

(male presenter) Rod Serling, The creator of Twilight zone

Will tell you about next Week's story after this word From our alternate sponsor.

And now, Mr. Serling.

Greetings from The low-rent district.

Next week we follow the Fortunes and misfortunes Of Mr. Larry Blyden,

Who plays the role Of one Rocky Valentine

An itinerant second-story Man who's shot to death in An alley one night

And goes to His just rewards.

This little item Here being one of them.

This one you can watch With the tongue in Your cheek.

It's called "A Nice Place To Visit," next week on The twilight zone.

[eerie music]

(male presenter) Kimberly Clark Invites you to Watch Steve McQueen

In "Wanted Dead or Alive."

Saturday nights over Most of the same stations.