All language subtitles for The Twilight Zone (1959) - S02E25 - The Silence (1080p BluRay x265 ImE)

[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]

NARRATOR: You're traveling
through another dimension.

A dimension not only of
sight and sound, but of mind.

A journey into a wondrous land whose
boundaries are that of imagination.

That's the signpost up ahead.
Your next stop, the Twilight Zone.

I can tell you, gentlemen, the most

idiotic thing occurred
in the market today.

Just idiotic. I've been doing a
little dabbling in the syndicate.

It has some oil holdings in
the western part of Texas.

Jack Brewer handles our
New York operation for us.

Anyway, he came on the floor
today. I just happened to be there.

This was about 10:00, 10:30 this morning.

He has a sheaf of papers
in his hand he waves to me.

Now, I can assure you if there is
anybody that I don't want to see

before noon on any given
day, it is Jack Brewer.

He's a raucous sort, a little crude,
nouveau riche. You know the type.

Charlie, old man, you don't
mind if I sit here, do you, boy?

Well, well, where was
I? Oh, yes, Jack Brewer.

He, uh, walks across the floor
to me and with an intense voice,

a voice absolutely
shaking with intensity.

He sidles up to me and he whispers,

he's got the most miserable
habit of whispering sotto voce,

so that everyone in the world can
hear him. Anyway, he says to me,

"Jim, I gotta scrape
up a quarter of a million,

and you're the only one that can handle
it for me." This is Brewer speaking to me.

A quarter of a million dollars! And I
am supposed to scrape it up for him.

I mean, I am supposed to scrape it up
as though it were some kind of residue

that could be literally
scooped up off a floor!

To make a long story short, he arrives
at the busiest time of the morning,

absolutely the busiest
time, and he says to me,

"Jim, I've got an opportunity to corner…"

I just got your letter.

Sh! Our young friend
is discoursing again.

I looked a little askance at him

because the boor wouldn't know a corner
of the market from a railroad roundhouse!

The only thing worse than his
talking so much is his transparency.

In about 30 seconds, Alfred,

he will very nonchalantly ask for a
loan from anybody within earshot.

As a matter of fact, just
last week he asked me

for the loan of a quarter
of a million dollars.

The letter you sent me is the most
incredible thing I have ever read.

Archie, we're old friends.
I must tell you that…

My communication to you, Alfred, was
not as an old friend, but as my lawyer.

Is the wager I have in mind legal?

No wager is legal in this state.

Well, is it against the law,
then? Anything criminal in it?

I don't see anything criminal in it, no.

Alfred, that is exactly what
I wanted to hear from you.

-[RINGS BELL]
-[MAN CONTINUES TALKING]

Franklin, would you take
this note across the room

to young Mr. Tennyson over there.

You tell him it's from me.
Ask him to read it immediately.

Why, yes, sir.

NARRATOR: The note that this
man is carrying across a club room

is in the form of a proposed wager,

but it's the kind of wager
that comes without precedent.

It stands alone in the
annals of bet making

as the strangest game of chance
ever offered by one man to another.

In just a moment, we'll
see the terms of the wager

and what young
Mr. Tennyson does about it.

And in the process, we'll witness
all parties spin a wheel of chance

in a very bizarre casino
called the Twilight Zone.

Do you know what I
could do with a quarter

of a million dollars in a deal like this?

Well, I can tell you this. I
could treble it, quadruple it.

With an initial investment
of a quarter of a

million dollars, I could
take this plastics…

Excuse me, Mr. Tennyson. A
note for you from Colonel Taylor.

Just put it down somewhere, Franklin.

Excuse me, Mr. Tennyson, his instructions
are that you read it immediately.

I beg your pardon?

Acts like he had seen a ghost.

This is… This is absolute nonsense.

What about it, Tennyson?

Is this some kind of a joke? I
mean, really, Colonel, if it is a joke,

it suggests a sense of
humor quite beyond me.

It is not a joke. You know
me reasonably well, Tennyson.

You know that humor is perhaps the
least developed aspect of my character.

I am quite serious.

Would you mind terribly, Tennyson,

if I acquainted the members
with my proposition?

Well, that's your business,
Colonel, quite your business.

But I do believe that you will
make yourself highly suspect.

I'll take that risk.

I propose a wager to Mr. Tennyson here.

The wager is to take the following
form. I will bet him $500,000.

[MEN MURMUR]

That he cannot remain
silent for one year.

The wager carries with
it the following conditions:

He will be placed in
a room for observation

by me or by anyone
of us, at our discretion.

He will be furnished with anything
he desires by way of diversion.

But he will not be able to speak
one single word for 12 months.

Not one single word.

He will make his wants known

in writing, not by voice.

What about it, Tennyson?

Well, may I ask what is
the reason for this wager?

What I'm about to say might
horrify the average person,

but to someone as insensitive as
you it probably won't mean a thing.

I dislike you intensely, Tennyson.

It goes much beyond the ordinary distaste

I feel for someone without breeding,

without principles, without manners.

Your voice has become intolerable.

I sit here each night and the
sound of it makes me wince!

I cannot ask you to resign from
the club. I haven't got that right.

So it occurred to me that I'd be
willing to offer a large sum of money

just to have some quiet.

You see, Tennyson, you could
not possibly remain silent for a year.

It's not in your nature.

You're a shallow, talkative,
empty-headed ne'er-do-well.

And to remain silent would destroy you.

So what I assume will happen, you
will perhaps withstand the pressures

for three or four weeks,
maybe a couple of months

and then you will succumb.
That's, again, your nature.

In the meantime, I will derive,

oh, several months of exquisite silence.

[CHUCKLING]

Well, Tennyson,

does it appeal to your sporting blood?

Oddly enough, it does
appeal to my sporting blood.

Now, that, too, is patently ridiculous.

There's nothing sporting
about you, Tennyson.

I happen to know that you're
delivering your nightly financial folderol

because you're in desperate straits.

You've run through your inheritance,

your debts are insurmountable,

and you'd do practically
anything for money.

Except, perhaps, to
remain silent for a year.

If this were Europe, Colonel, or the
company were a bit more sophisticated,

I should be forced to invite you
out for the things you've said to me.

The ground rules here, however,
are just a little bit different.

I can either ignore
you or call your bluff.

Well, I choose to do the
latter. I accept your wager.

Uh, just a few questions.

Where am I to be incarcerated?

Well, in the old game room
downstairs. It isn't being used.

With the permission of the board of
governors, I'll have some work done on it.

You'll be in a glass-enclosed
living room and bedroom.

There will be microphones
placed all around the room

which you are to leave untouched.

Your every movement will be
recorded and so will your voice

when you decide to give up.

You will permit me or anyone
of us to observe you at any time.

When, uh, is this supposed to start?

Well, the room could be
prepared by tomorrow night.

I've made all the necessary inquiries.

You could enter any time after 10:00 p.m.

And so, at 10:00 p.m., June 3, 1962

you may leave the room.

At that time I will have a check
for $500,000 waiting for you,

assuming, of course, that
the impossible happens

and you're able to remain
silent for those 12 months.

I'll be back tomorrow night.

Uh, Colonel, I would like
to have that check certified

and placed on deposit in my name.

A photostat of it available and
witnessed by every member of this club.

That might be the usual procedure
in a fish market or a pawn shop.

But not in this club and not with me.

My credit is well-known so is my honor,
as every member here will vouch for.

There will be no check placed on deposit.

You'll have to take my word.

I see.

It's my courage against your credit.

Well, a year from tomorrow
night both can be proved.

Franklin, get me my coat.

Yes, sir.

Tennyson, I've known
Colonel Taylor for a long time.

This is not a capricious man.

I warn you, he is in deadly earnest.

Do you know my wife,
sir? Her name is Doris.

She's a lovely thing.
Frail, beautiful, fragile.

Like a cameo brooch, but her
tastes run to unfragile things.

Sizable baubles to sizable price tags.

She shops at Tiffany's the way
other women enter a supermarket.

My miserable misfortune is that I
happen to be very much in love with her.

I am also desperate in need of money.

I may sound melodramatic,
but it happens to be true.

Any time now, Mr. Tennyson. Any time.

[FOOTSTEPS APPROACH]

Oh, Mr. Tennyson's dinner, hm?

Yes, sir.

Is he eating well, appetite good?

Not very much up to a week ago,
sir, but he's eating very well now.

Well, that's nice. And I hope
he stays in perfect health.

I wouldn't want this experience
to damage him in any way.

Quite the contrary, sir. He
seems in excellent spirits.

And it's nine weeks now, sir. Nine
weeks today that he's been in there.

Nine weeks?

Well, that's really quite incredible.

I gave him four weeks possibly,
to hold out, six at the outside.

Nine weeks!

There's a little bit more gristle
there than I gave him credit for.

Will there be anything else, sir?

Oh, hello, Alfred. Franklin
told me you were waiting.

Only to pose this question to you.

Very succinct, Archie,
very brief. How long?

How long what?

How long are you gonna keep on
with this… this prolonged practical joke?

Well, not much longer.
Thank you, Franklin.

You should see our boy down there.

Four and a half months, not a
sound out of him. It's incredible.

That fop won't take it for another
month. This I'll guarantee you.

For your sake, I hope that's the case.

My sake?

You have the money, Archie?

I find that insulting, Alfred.

I'm sorry if it is.

I think he's gonna beat you, Archie.

I think that boy down there is
gonna remain silent for the entire year.

And I think you're
gonna owe him $500,000.

I just hope you've got it.

You can hear me, Tennyson, can't you?

I've been giving this
considerable thought.

You fulfilled your part
of the bargain admirably.

As a matter of fact, you have
completely surprised me, Tennyson.

But the fact is I feel the
whole thing has gone too far.

It's becoming inhuman.

I'm prepared to offer you $1,000 dollars

and you may walk out today.

Right this moment, if you choose.

It's going to be an early
spring this year, Tennyson.

You ought to see it.

In that time of the year when a
young man's fancy lightly turns…

Well, you know that better than I do.

And young ladies, too.

For example your wife.

She must be lonely for you, Tennyson.

Desperately lonely.

As a matter of fact, she… she has
been seen with other young men.

It's odd she hasn't
paid you a visit, isn't it?

Don't you think it's odd?

I happen to know you've written
her many notes requesting a visit.

She hasn't responded, even to the notes.

You may lose your wife, Tennyson.

I hope you're fully aware of that.

While you stay here behind glass,

the very reason for all your agony
may be slipping away from you.

Why don't you leave, Tennyson?
Why don't you leave right now?

It still might be possible
to save your marriage.

[ECHOING IN HEAD]
Tennyson, I saw your wife again.

She was getting into a
little European sports car.

There was a, you know, a
nice young fellow driving it.

Your wife, wife, wife,
wife, wife, wife, wife.

Today is April Fools' Day, Tennyson.

You remember April Fools' Day.
I think it was named for you,

for only a fool would stay
in there as long as you have

knowing precisely what's
happening on the outside.

Your wife, I mean,
Tennyson, your wife, wife, wife.

Tennyson, this nonsense must cease!

You've got to get out
of there. You really do.

Why, I could tell you some
stories about your wife.

How about it, Tennyson? I might
see my way clear to giving you $5,000.

That would pay off a lot of your debts.

And a little bracelet for your wife.

Something to compensate
for the months of loneliness.

How about it, Tennyson? $5,000?

Six-thousand dollars, Tennyson.

You're an idiot, you know that, Tennyson?

You're going out of your
mind in there. I know you are.

You're ready to crawl up the walls.

Listen, Tennyson, you cannot
stay in there one more hour.

Not another half hour.

MAN: I wouldn't have believed it.

A year in that room and
not one word out of him.

Two minutes is all the poor devil
has got now. Two more minutes.

Look at Archie. Not the face
of a happy man, would you say?

A rather monumental
occasion, isn't it, Archie?

Twelve months ago to the
moment you destroyed yourself

much as I told you you would.

Your little reminders
are gratuitous, Alfred.

Besides, it's not yet 10:00.

Whether it is or whether it isn't,

the destruction I'm talking
about has already taken place.

There have been ugly rumors, Archie,

things you've done to him.

Like little asides
innuendos, suggestions,

gossip about his wife.

You place such a
premium on honor, Archie,

but you haven't acted
like an honorable man.

Please, don't go to the trouble of
denying it. I'm sure much of it is true.

But the ugly affair has proved
two things hasn't it, Archie?

That that boy down there is
stronger than you gave him credit for,

and you are considerably weaker.

How could he have done it?
How could he have done it?

It's impossible!

[CLOCK BELL RINGS TEN TIMES]

You, uh, have me at a
disadvantage, Mr. Tennyson.

In a rather compromising situation.

You force me into a position of

rather distasteful candor.

The truth is I am a fraud.

I haven't any money.

I offered you $1,000. Then $5,000.

I would have had to go out into
the street to beg even that amount,

let alone a half a million dollars.

It's true that I have pride,

bearing, taste, exceptional breeding…

But I lost most of my
money some years ago.

Now you have forced me
to uncover the situation,

proving, Mr. Tennyson,
proving that of the two of us,

you are by far the more substantial.

And I will naturally resign. I will not
ask you to suffer my presence any longer.

Tennyson, you can talk, your time is up.

You can talk, gurgle, sing,
chortle, anything you want.

MAN: What's he writing? What is he doing?

Why doesn't he talk?

What does it say, Archie?

What did he write?

Why didn't he say something?

"I knew I would not be able
to keep my part of the bargain…

So one year ago I had the
nerves to my vocal chords severed."

[MEN GASP]

NARRATOR: Mr. Jamie Tennyson,
who almost won a bet,

but who discovered
somewhat belatedly that

gambling can be a
most unproductive pursuit

even with loaded dice, marked cards,

or, as in his case, some
severed vocal chords.

For somewhere beyond
him, a wheel was turned

and his number came up "black 13."

If you don't believe
it, ask the croupier,

the very special one who handles roulette

in the Twilight Zone.

PRESENTER: Rod Serling,
creator of The Twilight Zone

will tell you about next week's story

after this word from
our alternate sponsor.

And now, Mr. Serling.

Next week on The Twilight Zone
you'll sit in this courtroom

and you'll watch what is apparently
the standard, everyday turning

of the wheels of justice. But
because this is the Twilight Zone

don't be fooled by the readily
apparent, for when the judge enters,

the jury rises, the bailiff calls out the
case, all of this is the opening salvo

to one of our wildest journeys, yet.
Our program is called "Shadow Play,"

and it's written by Mr. Charles
Beaumont. It comes well recommended.

[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]

Hi, this is Ed Sullivan, reminding you
that the Colgate-Palmolive Company

also brings you star-studded
entertainment on our show

on most of these same stations.