Original subtitles

[panting] Goo-- Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

I have just been competing in a six-day bicycle race.

I’m quite proud to say I finished first.

I quit after five minutes.

Fortunately, the bicycle seems to have been invented

by some realist who knew how often he would have to push it.

For those of you who do not care to watch bicycling,

we have a pageant presented by a group of traveling players.

But first, this solo from a strolling troubadour.

They went out about, oh, an hour ago.

Right.

OK, Sergeant, I guess that does it.

-It’s all yours. -[door closing]

Yes?

Is there something we can do for you?

-I don’t know. I hope so. -What’s your trouble?

Well, a rather startling thing just happened to me.

I found myself walking on the street,

just a few blocks from here.

I hailed a taxi to... take me to where I wanted to go

and when I started to tell the driver...

I suddenly found I didn’t know where I wanted to go,

or where I was or...

or how I got there.

I didn’t know who I was.

I seem to have forgotten everything.

Amnesia, City Hospital.

Right.

You look in your pockets? For identification, I mean.

Driver’s license, wallet, letters...

I looked. There’s... nothing.

No money?

-[man] Nothing. -Well, he’s not a vagrant, lieutenant.

Not with those clothes.

Well, let City Hospital worry about it. That’s their problem.

Officer... what will they do with me?

Oh, don’t worry about it.

They’ve had a great deal of experience in cases like yours.

You’ll be in good hands.

Just do what they want you to do and everything will be all right.

-Will it? -Sure.

Sergeant, have them send a wagon for me.

Can’t spare a car on Saturday night.

Line’s busy. Looks like they are getting a head-start on us tonight.

Well, keep trying.

-Goodnight. -Goodnight, sir.

Well, young man, what can we do for you?

Is-is this the place you are supposed to come when you’re lost?

Yes.

Where are you lost from?

From?

I mean where do you live.

Well, no place exactly.

That is, we sort of travel around.

We? Who is we?

Me and my dad.

Well, uh, what’s your dad’s name?

Same as mine, Michael Holland.

Only everybody calls me Mickey.

Well, Mickey, where can we find your father?

I mean, where can we reach him?

I don’t know.

Wh-Where did you lose him?

I mean, where did he lose you?

Well, we were riding in the car

and I was sleeping in the back seat.

And he stopped for gas and I was thirsty,

so I got out for a drink of water.

And when I came back, he was gone.

I-I guess he didn’t see me get out

and thought I was still sleeping in the back seat

and just drove away without me.

Well, Mickey, we can send out an alarm for him and have him stopped.

Now, uh, what kind of a car is it?

I mean, what color, what license number.

Well, it’s kind of dark-colored, hmm...

Blue or black, that’s all I know.

We-We just got it.

Well, I guess we can’t pick him up on that.

We’ll have to wait until he misses you and reports you’re lost.

But in the meantime, we’re gonna put you someplace

where they’ll take real good care of you.

-Juvenile Hall. -[officer] Right.

Well, if I don’t see you before, I’ll see you tomorrow.

Goodnight.

-[Shaw rotates the dial] -Bye, lieutenant.

-Hi. -Hi.

Yes, it’s Sergeant Shaw, police headquarters.

We got a lost child here. Can you pick him up?

No, I’m afraid we can’t send a police car.

OK, I’ll hold him until you raise some transportation.

Oh, wait a minute.

I’ve got an amnesia case here for the City Hospital,

maybe your driver can drop him off, it’s on the way.

Right.

Oh, come on, cheer up.

It’s not like you are being sent to jail.

You’re going somewhere where they can do you some good, both of you.

-I hope so. -[Shaw] Sure.

Can-Can I sit down? I’m kind of tired.

Sure, take the load off your feet, both of you.

But not there. These are more comfortable.

Right through this gate.

There you are, gentlemen. Just make yourselves at home.

-[woman arguing] -[officer] Come on.

-Come on now, Maggie. -Just one drink.

-One. One. -We’ll... uh...

We’ll give you a drink... some black coffee.

Come on. Come on, Maggie.

Is she drunk?

-[Maggie] Just one. -[officer] All right, come on.

I’m afraid so.

[Maggie] Look, just let me go, huh?

I’ll go straight home. That’s-- I-I promise!

Like you promised the last time and then went straight back to Dunnigan’s Bar.

No, no, no. This time I will.

Sure you will. I’m going to see to that.

-Take her home. -No, if he takes me home,

all the neighbors-- wha-what--

all the neighbors are gonna see him, right?

And Lizzie says if a cop ever takes me home again--

All right, Maggie, tell you what I’ll do.

I’ll call Lizzie and have her come down to pick you up herself.

OK, Perry, I’ll handle it. You get back to work.

Sure.

[Shaw rotates the dial]

[coins clinking]

-Is that a hat? -So long, Maggie.

It’s a policeman’s helmet.

The kind they used to wear a long time ago.

-[door closes] -Say,

that’s one thing you remember.

Hmm?

[Shaw] Not bad for a starter.

Tell me, what else do you remember?

It’s all right, sir. You just let it come by itself.

Yeah, this is Sergeant Shaw, police headquarters.

We’ve got your sister down here. You want to come and pick her up?

[chuckles] Don’t worry, I won’t let her get away.

And take your time, there’s no rush.

We never close.

Oh, me!

Well,

hello, darling.

Hello.

What’s your name, huh?

-Mickey. -Mickey.

Oh, that’s a pretty name for a boy.

-Pretty? -Yeah!

I think it’s beautiful, don’t you?

-No. -Sal, Sergeant Shaw.

Send over about six, uh, coffees and, uh...

Say, how about some food, you two? You hungry?

Well, um...

I bet you could force yourself.

How about you, sir? I bet you don’t remember the last time you ate.

No, but I...

don’t feel very hungry.

Yeah, but I bet you could force yourself too.

Sal, make it about, uh, four hamburgers and, uh...

a bottle of pop. That should do it.

Boy, I ought to get lost more often.

[laughs]

You know what? If I had a kid like you,

I’d never lose him.

Would you like to be my little boy?

I’d just hug you and kiss you--

Keep away from me!

OK, Maggie, come on. Leave him alone.

-I was only going to love him. -I know.

-I wasn’t going to hurt him. -You just sit down.

Was I? I wasn’t going to hurt him...

It’s just a lost kid, Maggie.

[sobbing]

[sighs] Mickey,

tell me, where was your dad headed?

What town?

I-I don’t know.

[Shaw] Well, didn’t he say?

I can’t remember. I’d tell you if I did, honest.

Must be fun.

Traveling around the country with your dad.

Yeah, sure is.

-What does he do? -He...

He’s an engineer.

He builds bridges, dams, big things like that.

Sounds exciting.

With all that time outdoors, you must have

plenty of chances for hunting and fishing.

Do you like to fish?

I remember I did when I was a little boy.

Yes. There was a stream on my father’s farm.

There weren’t too many fish in it,

and I hardly ever caught any.

My father used to laugh at me for wasting my time.

But my mother didn’t.

She said

that hope was a wonderful thing.

And that fishing wasn’t just a matter of catching fish.

My mom’s dead.

I don’t even remember her.

I’m sorry, Mickey.

My mother died too when I was a little boy.

I thought you couldn’t remember anything.

Hmm? God, bless my soul.

Yes, I am remembering, aren’t I?

Yes, there was a farm.

Perhaps there still is.

It’s all so vague...

When was it?

Well, you’re not a farmer now. Not with those hands.

Must have been a long time ago.

Yes, it must have been a long time ago.

There was a marshland, with ducks in it.

And one hawk in particular.

I called him Bloody Sam, he used to prey on the ducklings.

He’d come swooping down, he’d pick up a duck, and he’d fly away.

But he’d come back soon,

very soon, for another duckling.

Why didn’t you get a gun and shoot him?

I was too young for a gun.

I asked my father to kill the hawk,

but he said that the hawk was only doing

what he had to do in order to live.

And besides, he made off with the rats and the mice.

I’d sure have done something.

There didn’t seem to be anything I could do.

The hawk would swoop, the ducks would quack wildly,

and the hawk would fly away with his dinner in his claws.

You know, Mickey,

I think that hawk taught me a great deal about life.

What?

Well, if the ducks had been strong

or stronger than the hawk, he wouldn’t touch them.

And I knew, if I didn’t want to get hurt,

I’d have to be big, and strong.

Well, you are not very big, for a grown-up.

Are you strong?

There are different kinds of strength.

Money and position.

Money and position, yes.

I went after them, and I achieved them.

How?

Huh?

How?

Oh, I don’t remember.

I don’t remember.

Hi, Sarge. Who’s all this for?

My hungry friends over there.

Here you are, men.

This may be your last meal, so eat hearty.

-Last meal? -In this place you never know.

-He’s just teasing. -Sure I am.

Don’t let me spoil your appetite.

Take the money out of Callahan.

Right.

Thanks, Callahan.

Would you mind explaining, Sergeant?

Huh? Oh, you mean about Callahan.

Well, I’ll tell you. He was the cop that used to belong to that helmet.

When he was alive, he’d always pass it around for some worthy cause.

Oh.

So, when he went on, it only seemed right

to leave the helmet there and, well you know, carry on the good work.

Uh-huh.

We all contribute

and whatevers in it is a special fund for cases like this.

[engine sounds and tires screeching outside]

All right, inside.

Hey, what about our sickles?

You leave them out here.

Suppose they get stolen.

Outside the police station?

So what’s so special about a police station?

You are about to find out.

OK, let’s go, inside.

OK, let’s go.

Let’s go.

Well, what do we have here?

Look, we didn’t break any laws. We didn’t do nothing.

No, we were just riding through--

Yeah, and this joker grabs us.

What kind of town you got here anyway?

They were coming from Mayfield.

Mayfield, huh? What were you doing there?

Well, you see, there’s a-- there’s a rally there, dad--

I’m not your dad.

And I know there’s a rally there.

I also know there’s been quite a lot of shenanigans going on.

Yeah, well, it got a little too rough for us, man.

That’s why we like, cut out, you know?

You sure you didn’t cut out one step ahead of the police?

-Oh, man... -No, they’re not after us.

[Shaw] All right, let me see your identifications.

Oh, boy, they call this a free country.

Absolutely free...

until you break a law.

Yeah, well, we didn’t break no law.

Are they gangsters?

Hi, Lieutenant, this is Sergeant Shaw at Farmingham.

We just picked up three motorcycles coming from your way.

Their names are Dewey Simms,

Larry Rowan and Marti... That’s a female, Lieutenant.

M-A-R-T-I.

Thomas.

You want them for anything?

I see.

OK, I’ll hold them until I hear from you.

Right.

Could you spare some of that coffee?

Of course, yes.

How about you, people, would you care for some?

There’s plenty of it.

-Sure, why not. -Thanks.

Thanks, kid.

Can your motorcycles go very fast?

[chuckles] Yeah, they go fast.

Say, you want a ride?

Oh, boy, now?

[chuckles]

Well...

I can’t go either.

What are you in for?

[Mickey] I’m lost.

And, uh, what’s your rap?

Rap? Oh, amnesia.

Amnesia. Sounds like a cold.

[laughs]

I wish it were.

[Larry] Well, you got hit on the head or something?

I don’t know.

[phone ringing]

Sergeant Shaw, police headquarters. Oh.

Hi, Lieutenant.

I see.

Thanks a lot.

OK, you three, you’re off the hook.

Take off.

So long, dad.

So long, kid.

-So long. -See you, Sergeant.

I’m sorry you have to wait this long.

Oh, that’s all right, Sergeant, this is very interesting.

-Yeah. -[motorcycles revving]

Yeah, we get all kinds here.

Drunks, delinquents, good ones, bad ones,

thieves...

and liars.

Thieves and liars...

You know...

lying is stealing in a way.

A liar steals the truth

and causes trouble for those who believe and act on what he tells them.

You...

you think I am lying?

Well, I am.

My dad didn’t drive away like I said.

He’s no engineer.

He just does odd jobs.

Working on roads, picking fruit...

things like that.

But we got along pretty good.

Until he met this...

Well, her name’s Diane.

She didn’t like me much.

Said I was always in the way.

And I guess he liked her more than me

’cause tonight, when we were passing through,

she said why didn’t he put me in a home for kids.

So he stopped the car in front of the police station

and told me to get out.

He said they’d take care of me

until he could come back for me some day.

But I don’t want him to come back!

[crying] I don’t care if he never comes back!

If he doesn’t want me, I don’t want him!

It’s all right, Mickey.

Maybe he’ll come back

when he’s had time to think it over.

I don’t care! I’d rather go to a home!

No...

I don’t want to go to a home either.

Is that why you didn’t tell the truth?

It’s all right.

-I understand. -[sobs]

I don’t want to go to a hospital.

I want to go where I belong.

Be with people I belong to, my family and my friends.

If I have any...

I don’t know.

I’m your friend.

Thank you, Mickey. That makes me feel better.

-Sure. -You remind me of another boy.

A long time ago.

My boy and... Madge’s.

Madge...

your wife.

Madge...

my wife.

Yeah, she’s gone.

Gone?

Huh?

Oh. [nervous laugh] That’s, uh...

That’s all I remember, that’s all I remember.

That’s too bad.

I guess you’ve had it, I’m not fooling around anymore.

-What do you mean? -I mean I’m not wasting time

or money sending you to a hospital.

I’m booking you as a vagrant and locking you up.

Locking him up? What did he do?

I’ll get to you in a minute. I heard what you told him.

I don’t like liars either and I’ll take care of you.

-The devil you will! -And who’s going to stop me?

-I will! -And who do you think you are?

I am Leonard Eldridge, that’s who I--

Hello, Mr. Eldridge.

I’ve heard of you.

I guess everybody in this state has heard of Leonard Eldridge.

I’m Leonard Eldridge.

Leonard Eldridge...

Tell me, Mr. Eldridge, what are you doing so far from home?

You live way over in Hartdale, in that big house overlooking the river.

Yes, that great big house.

That great big empty house with all those people,

none of whom mean anything to me.

All those people, servants, employees,

whose only interest in me is my... money.

But nobody, anymore,

who cares for me.

That’s why I left.

I couldn’t stand it anymore.

I...

[deep sigh]

I went looking for someone.

For someone...

-I don’t know. -Madge?

She died.

And my boy, our boy, he died too.

In the war, and after that there was no one, no one in the world!

I-I know,

like someone driving away

and leaving you there all alone.

Tell me, Mr. Eldridge, should I call your house

and have them send a car for you?

Yeah. Thank you, Sergeant.

What--? What about the boy?

Oh, well...

Well, does he... does he have to go to that home?

I’m afraid so.

Unless there’s... someplace else for him to go.

I have a place, lots of room.

Too much room for just... one old man, but...

if there was a boy in it, why...

that would be just right! What about it, Mickey?

You... you mean you want me?

Well, you said you were my friend,

and if friends stick together, they can’t get lost, can they?

-No, sir! -Is that all right, Sergeant?

All right? I think it’s fine.

We’ll work out the legal arrangements later.

Come on, son, let’s go.

Oh, and, Sergeant, we won’t wait for the car,

we’ll take a taxi.

And thank you, Sergeant.

Goodnight!

-Goodnight. -[Mickey] Goodnight!

Goodnight, Mickey!

[door closing]

Sergeant, I’m Harris. Juvenile Hall.

You got a lost child here and an amnesia case?

Oh, yes, I did have, but you’re too late.

Too late?

Yeah.

Better luck next time.

Those two got away.

I want to apologize for the lack of blood shed on tonight’s program.

We shall try to do better next time.

However, if all you wish is something to make your blood run cold,

we have commercials to do that.

Here’s one of them, after which I shall again pedal into view.

I have abandoned my bicycle.

I find the job can be done much better by hand.

Next week, we should be back again with another program,

based on authentic stories taken from the files

of America’s best television writers.

-Goodnight. -[honks horn]