Original subtitles

(jazz music)

(jazzy dance music)

(people chatting)

- If any guy's got it coming, he does.

- You know it, definitely.

- Big slob.

"Get me a beer, boy," he says.

My father lets me use his hotel suite, I throw a party,

he comes uninvited, steals my girl right outta my arms

and then, "Get me a beer, boy," just like that.

- Well this'll fix him, but good.

In a few minutes, he'll be a walkin' zombie,

talkin' gibberish and makin' silly noises,

stuff like that.

- You sure?

- Why, sure I'm sure!

Of course, some wacky things can happen.

- Look, maybe we'd better not.

- Aw, come on, Howard,

you're not gonna chicken out on me now.

Look, I've watched Dr. Anderson administer this stuff

a dozen times, I've even acted as guinea pig for him myself.

First he'll start yawning,

and then he'll go ape for a while, like I said.

When it wears off he won't know what hit him.

- It couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

- Right.

And,

just to make sure.

(jazz music) (people chatting)

- One spiked beer, comin' up.

Hey, Duke, here's your drink.

- Later.

- Duke, I, I thought you wanted a cold beer.

- Later, boy.

Can't you see I'm busy dancin' with our girl?

Later.

- Hey, that's not meant for you.

- But I'm a terrible opportunist.

(laughing)

- That wasn't meant for you.

(sighing) (smacking lips)

- There!

- I saw you heist a beer, I saw ya,

I saw ya. - Delicious.

- Wouldn't save your buddy a swallow now, though, would ya?

- Just keep your eye on the kitchen door

and when our gracious host comes through with a tray, grab.

- Oh, thanks, you're a champ.

(laughing)

(jazz music) (people chatting)

- I'm sorry.

I can't seem to stop yawning.

- Thanks a heap.

- (laughing) I'm sorry.

- Well, you can't get that off that easily, dreamboat.

We'll dance those yawns away, come on.

- Why don'tcha try your sleepwalkin' in the bedroom?

- Sorry.

- Are you all right, Tod?

- Yeah.

- Would you excuse me for a minute?

- Yeah, yeah.

- Need character references, what's this all about, anyway?

- We're just curious, that's all.

- Well, he's a very nice guy.

He's a dreamboat.

And a gentleman.

- Yeah, yeah, sure, but is he a stable individual?

- What do you mean, is he stable?

A party full of kooks and he asks me if my date's stable.

- Well is he? - Stable?

Well, he and Buz are hired men for a construction company.

Every day they work 22 stories up.

Is that stable enough for you?

(guests chatting)

Come on, now, level with me, what gives?

- It was just a gag.

Ray and I--

- Harold.

Harold, come here.

Look.

(guests laughing and chatting) (jazz music)

He's one of those phlegmatic cats, out cold already.

- I was scared, really scared.

- Listen, are you two gonna tell me what this is all about?

- Do you know what this girl is talkin' about, Harold?

- Haven't got the slightest.

(guests laughing and chatting) (jazz music)

(fist thudding)

(Tod yelling)

(screaming)

(people talking)

(yelling)

(lamp clattering) (guest screaming)

- Tod!

(dramatic music)

Come on, let me through.

Come on, will ya, lemme through here!

(dramatic music)

(shoes swishing on ice)

(splashing)

(dramatic music)

- It was just a gag, Dr. Anderson, just a gag.

- Of all the idiotic, dangerous pranks.

Gimme the police.

- Wait a minute, wait a minute.

What do you need the police for?

- Please try to understand,

in some individuals, as little as one millionth of an ounce

of these experimental chemotherapy compounds

can induce a full-blown psychosis.

Hello, this is Dr. Bernard Anderson.

I wanna report that a Mr., uh...

- Tod Stiles.

- You stupid--

- Buz, please!

- Just a minute.

- [Buz] Stupid, stupid.

- Mr. Tod Stiles.

He's in an induced psychotic state.

He's at large somewhere in the city

and he's potentially dangerous to others and to himself.

- [Man] Okay, chief, there you go--

- Is that Tod Stiles, S-T-I-L-E-S?

Where are you calling from, Dr. Anderson?

- [Doctor] The Marriott Motor Hotel, city line, Monument.

- Give me a full description of the suspect, doctor.

Height, weight, color, age, identifying marks

and all particulars, please.

- They need a description.

- He's about 6'1"-- - 6'1".

- 185 pounds. - 185 pounds.

- Light brownish hair. - Light brownish hair.

- Green eyes and loaded with freckles.

- Green eyes, uh, lots of freckles.

- Okay, Doctor.

(distorted voice on radio)

- Attention all cars.

Be on alert for the following described.

White male, American.

Tod Stiles, 6'1", 185 pounds.

Light brown hair, green eyes, heavily freckled.

In middle 20s.

Last seen running from city line in Monument.

This man is in a psychotic state

and reported to be dangerous.

City line in Monument, Ed.

- [Man On Radio] Come in, five one--

- 22, 22, proceed to Marriott Hotel

at city line in Monument, meet a Dr. Bernard Anderson.

(siren wailing)

- Is that all you can tell me?

- When I got out to the fountain, uh,

I don't know, he, he disappeared,

he could've gone in a million different directions, he,

I don't know, he was just gone.

- Uh huh.

Doctor, what about this experimental stuff?

How does it work, uh, what can we expect from him?

- Anything, everything.

A whole range of human emotions.

- Well there must be some kind of pattern.

Some basic pattern.

- Yes, there is a basic pattern.

Even in microscopic doses,

these compounds can induce hallucinations,

psychotic state, both temporary, but,

roughly comparable to those of schizophrenia.

- Mm hmm, I see.

- Well I don't!

I mean, what's goin' on here?

These, these two idiots here,

give my buddy a glass of drugs,

makes him go out of his mind,

and you stand here and you talk and you talk and you talk--

- Well what do you suggest we do, I--

- Stop talkin' and get out and look!

- How?

- I don't know,

just get out and look. - Where?

- Where, that's for you to know.

- Well that's what I'm trying to find out, where and how.

- I'm sorry, go ahead, will ya?

- All right, Doctor, go ahead.

- Phase one has already taken place.

Yawning, intense drowsiness.

Sleep, a minute, an hour, depending.

Then, um--

- Explosions-ville.

- Yes, in this case, but not as a rule.

Possibly you had just angered him, a, a grievance, a,

an imagined grievance of some kind.

- [Ray] It's possible.

- It's very possible.

- What did I do?

- Look, you and you and you, shut up, all three of you.

Just shut up! - Murdock.

- Stiles should now be in the swiftly transitory phase two.

Patients describe this as a state of confusion,

a feeling of helplessness.

A sleepwalking, a nightmare,

lost in a great, mysterious cob-webbed world.

- But doctor, you said transitory.

- Yes.

- Well, transitory to what?

- Trouble.

While in this state, the uh,

really dangerous phases begin.

First the patient becomes euphoric, high.

A giant, 10 feet tall.

Unpredictable.

Uncontrollably happy.

At one with the world.

- How long does that,

that high stage last?

- Good question.

Total effect of the compound will last

from six to eight hours, depending on the individual.

And upon the amount administered.

- Six to eight hours?

You've gotta find him before then.

- Well, we hope to.

- In any event, I'd better be with you,

to administer the antidote.

This will cut short the effect, and

greatly ease any after-effects.

- Well, it's a big town, doctor.

What happens if we don't find him?

After the high period, what then?

- What goes up must come down. - Depression?

- First, paranoia, intense, terrible unreasoning terror.

Then depression.

In my own experience, I found that--

- You say, in your own experience?

- All of us working in the field have undergone at least 20

and many as 40 sessions with the compound.

And in the final phase of depression,

all of us, even the most stable,

have turned potentially suicidal.

(dramatic music)

(trippy music)

(tires squealing)

- What are you trying to do, get yourself killed?ú

(trippy music)

(ominous music)

(laughing)

(cans clattering)

(ominous music)

- [Man With Flashlight] Hey!

What are you doing down there?

(dramatic music)

(trippy music)

(footsteps echoing)

(dramatic music)

(panting)

(heart beating)

(heart beating rapidly and loudly)

(heat beating quietly)

(watch ticking loudly)

(clock ticking)

(clocks ticking and chiming)

(hammer ringing)

- Red hots, get your red hots here.

Red hot?

- Water.

- Water?

You want water?

Pray for rain.

- The world's full of wise guys!

Guys that push and shove on the dance floor.

- Right, pal.

You're, you're absolutely right.

- Water.

- Sure, pal.

Sure.

Here ya are.

Ice cold, and fresh from the spring.

- More, please.

- Sure, pal, sure.

All you want.

(laughing)

(trippy music)

(dramatic music)

(siren wailing)

- [Uniform Cop In Front Of Car] Lieutenant Walker?

- Anything?

- No, you?

- He's some place within this 20 square blocks.

He's gotta be.

Now this is where he was last seen,

approximately 15 minutes ago.

Here we are.

Checked the cabs in this area.

No pick-ups reported.

Checked the bus schedules,

this time of night, the buses run only once an hour.

Now we know he's on foot.

The way I figure it out,

we divide the zone up into 10...

(traffic drowns out other sounds)

- You the guy that put the call in?

- You from the papers?

- No, I'm just a friend of his.

- Oh, I told the police everything.

- Well, I know, but-- - Well, whaddya want from me?

I told the police everything.

- I know but, well,

well, was he all right, was he in pain?

What did he look like?

- (laughing) What did he look like?

He looked like a kook, that's what he looked like.

- Did he say anything?

- I don't know, I was too scared to listen good.

- Well, why, what did he do?

- What did he do?

You see here?

That's where my Adam's apple used to be.

I tell you that guy's a psycho, a killer.

- [Cop] Murdock!

- Believe me, with that guy loose,

there ain't nobody safe in his bed tonight.

(jazz music)

- (laughing) You've been drinking.

- Sh.

(laughing)

(bar patrons chatting) (jazz music)

(laughing)

- Hiya, people. (laughing)

John, I'd know you anywhere!

- My name is Joe.

- The world's full of Joes and I love 'em all.

Shake, friend Joe.

- What were you tryin' to do, when you come in?

Bust a door off?

(glassware clattering)

(dramatic music)

- The Earth turns.

I just offered you the bright side of friendship.

There's also the dark side.

Choose!

(ominous music)

- What can I do for you, friend?

(laughing)

- I've been wandering a vast arid desert

between heaven and hell, and I've got a gigantic thirst!

What do you suggest for it, Joe?

- In this trap?

Beer.

- Beer. (laughing)

Oh, that's wonderful! (laughing)

It's marvelous!

I'll have a beer. (laughing)

With a martini chaser.

What'sa matter, friend Joe?

- Nothin', nothin', beer, with a martini chaser.

(ice rattling)

That'll be two bucks, friend.

- Help yourself.

(sighing)

(laughing)

I give you a toast.

A toast to friendship.

Here's to friends both near and far,

here's to woman, man's guiding star,

here's to friends I've yet to meet,

here's to those hero here I greet.

Here's to childhood, youth, old age,

here's to prophet, barred and sage,

here a health to everyone, peace on earth and heavens won.

(speaking foreign language)

Skol!

L'chaim!

(speaking foreign language)

Vivat.

Salute.

Salud.

Votre sante.

Delicious.

(laughing)

Again.

- Again?

- Again.

Only this time make it a Manhattan chaser.

- A Manhattan chaser?

- Two cherries! (laughing)

Friend Joe, you're staring again.

- Sorry, friend.

- What can I play for you, Shakespeare?

- Lover.

- You know it.

(piano music)

- God love the cheerful giver.

(laughing)

(sighing)

(laughing)

Here's a toast to music.

And the night shall be filled with music,

and the cares that invest the day

shall fold their tents like the Arabs

and silently steal away, Longfellow.

Delicious.

(laughing)

Again. (laughing)

(trippy music)

(jazz music)

(glass shards clattering)

(laughing)

And now!

A toast to ...

I seem to have run out of toasts.

What'll we toast to, friend Joe?

- Closing time.

- (laughing) Here's a-- - Something for the poor, sir.

- Hey! - Something for the poor.

Come on, oh come on and help them Ed,

you know me-- - Hey, hey, hey!

I told you, Maggie, I told you for the last time,

I don't want you comin' in here,

this time I want you out-- - Stop it!

A toast to you, Lady Charity.

He who bestows his goods upon the poor

shall gain as much and 10 times more.

Turn her loose.

- Lady Charity?

This old con artist is Tambourine Maggie.

She's been hustlin' this neighborhood for years.

- Turn her loose, friend Joe!

- All right.

All right.

But she's a no-good phony.

- God bless ya, sir, God bless ya. (laughing)

- Is it for a mission in India?

An orphanage in Tibet?

Medicine for darkest Africa?

- You ain't puttin' me on, Jack?

- No.

Tell me.

Please tell me.

- Well it's, it's like you said.

Yeah, like you said.

Medicine for darkest Africa.

That's it.

Medicine for darkest Africa.

God bless ya, sir.

God bless-- - And now,

by the faith, hope and charity, these three,

the greatest of these is charity.

Tonight we give to people less, less, and less fortunate

than ourselves.

Tonight we give them medicine--

- Hallelujah!

- Give.

- Sure, Mac.

(fist thudding)

- I'm going to give you one more chance

to be charitable.

(Tod hums "Bringing in the Sheaves")

- Oh, God bless you and keep you, sir,

God bless you--

- Wait!

We must give friend Joe a chance to contribute.

Friend Joe?

(till ratcheting)

(laughing)

- She's a phony.

She's takin' us all for prize suckers.

She's a phony!

(till ratcheting)

Here, here, take it.

Take it all!

And I hope the medicine they never get

cures everybody in Africa.

- Here, Lady Charity.

- Wait!

- Thank you.

From all of us, to you, Lady Charity.

- (sobbing) Oh, God bless you.

God bless you.

- No.

("Bringing in the Sheaves")

God bless you, Lady Charity.

(Lady Charity weeping)

- I swear,

every cent

every cent for charity.

God bless y'all!

- Hmm, well,

I know there ain't nobody in the joint left with a red cent,

so, the house is buying.

(bar patrons clamoring)

- Too much.

Just too much.

- From the song of the same name.

- I thought I'd seen it all, had it all, until tonight.

Can't explain.

You bring life into this crummy joint.

And love.

You knock me out, you really do.

- Romero reporting in.

I'm at Chestnut and Second.

What?

I don't believe it.

I don't believe it.

Who?

All right, give it to me once again.

Where is it?

13th and Chancellor.

Yeah, okay, I got it.

- What was that all about?

- Tambourine Maggie, an old witch who works a charity hustle

just walked into a station downtown

with a tambourine loaded with greenbacks

and said she wanted to give all the money to charity.

- So what? - Medicine for the

dear dying people in darkest Africa.

- I don't get it.

- Well she said that that money was given to her by a saint.

A freckle-faced, green-eyed saint.

Johnny's place.

(dramatic music)

- I don't care what you say.

That kid ain't no psycho.

He had more brains, more chutzpah, more moxie,

than any guy who ever bellied up to this plank.

And that's sayin' somethin', Mister.

Now, look, it's past closing time--

- Now, try to get this through that thick skull of yours,

will you?

He's in danger.

And every minute that passes, that danger grows.

Now we're concerned for him, we're trying to help him.

That man's a doctor and the other's his best friend.

- And you're a cop.

- All right, let's try it again. (sighing)

Where is he?

- I told ya, he took off.

- Where?

- I told ya, with Red.

- Where does she live?

- I told ya, I don't know.

- Well how long has this Red worked for you?

- [Joe] Two years.

- And you don't know where she lives?

- That's what I said.

- You're a liar!

- And you're a cop.

- All right, let's go.

(lock clicking)

(dramatic music)

- All right, Joe.

No more time, Joe.

No more question-and-answer games, just answers.

Where, Joe?

(glass shards clattering)

Where, Joe?

(knocking at door) - Murdock!

(knocking at door) (glass shards clattering)

Murdock, open this door!

- Joe, this is your last chance, where?

- [Romero] Murdock, open the door!

- 900 Maple, Apartment C.

- Murdock! (knocking at door)

- Thanks, Joe.

For the help.

(glass shards crunching)

(glass shards clattering)

(Tod and Red laughing)

(glass shards clattering)

- [Red] You're too much.

You really are.

(Tod shivering) What's the matter, dove?

- I feel cold.

- You're kidding.

- No.

It's like the angel of death

just flew between me and the life-giving sun.

Suddenly I feel cold.

- You gotta be kidding.

You've got enough booze in you to start your own atomic war.

(Red giggling)

I made a funny, though.

- Sure, my own atomic war.

I feel like it's already started.

- It'll pass.

I'll snap into something more comfortable.

Crack us open another little bottle of champagne.

You're too much.

(Tod shivering)

(Tod shivering and whimpering)

Now that didn't take long, did it?

(eerie music)

You like?

(eerie music)

(champagne splashing and bubbling loudly)

(glass shards clattering)

What is it?

Dove?

(demonically laughing)

(Tod yelling)

(dramatic music)

(Tod sobbing)

(dramatic music)

- Car 12, car 12, calling in.

- [Dispatcher] Go ahead, car 12.

- Front and Florence Street, under bridge.

Believe have spotted psycho suspect Stiles.

Will keep him under surveillance.

- [Dispatcher] Okay, radio, assistance on way.

(dramatic music)

- Easy, Stiles.

Just take it easy, boy.

I'm your friend now, Stiles, just take it easy.

I'm your friend now, Stiles, just take it easy.

Come here, Stiles, just, take it easy.

Just take it easy, boy.

Easy, Stiles.

Easy, okay, okay boy?

Just take it easy.

Nobody's gonna hurt ya, Stiles.

Just take it easy.

(dramatic music)

- I know you.

You're tryin' to kill me.

(dramatic music)

(gunshots booming)

(tires squealing) (metal crashing)

(dramatic music)

- Where is it?

- The upper arm.

(gasping) This is car 22.

All police cars assist officer, please.

Come in, please.

A psycho runnin' loose with a gun

and this stupid thing goes dead.

Where's Murdock? - I dunno.

- Murdock!

Murdock!

(dramatic music)

(seabirds calling) (dramatic music)

(trippy music)

- Tod?

Tod!

Tod?

Don't.

Please, don't, huh?

Please don't, buddy, I love ya.

- [Tod] I wanna die.

- No no, no you don't.

- I wanna die.

Don't come near me!

I'm gonna die.

- No no, wait, wait.

Tell me about it, explain it to me, why, why?

- Consider, Buz.

The two greatest adventures

for mortal man:

being born and dying.

Now I want to experience the second.

I believe the greater of those adventures

is death.

- Well come on, you, you're young,

you've got a whole life ahead of you.

- No.

In this night I, I lived a lifetime.

A hundred lifetimes.

I saw God.

And the devil.

Locked in mortal combat.

Infinitely vivid.

Incredibly detailed.

I lived my whole life!

Back to the very

moment of my birth.

For me,

only one great adventure remains.

- Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Listen, now please try to understand,

you don't know what you're doing.

Tod, you remember the party?

Try to remember the party, the drink that you heisted,

the beer, remember?

Tod?

Tod, for God's sake, listen to me, will ya?

Try to understand.

Those screwball-loose kids, they put somethin' in your beer.

Some kind of stuff, that makes a guy go temporarily insane.

Please, buddy, just give yourself a little time,

that's all.

It'll pass, I promise you.

I promise you, it'll pass.

Wait a minute, wait, wait.

Remember you talked about the battle

between God and the devil?

You want the devil to win?

(dramatic music)

God doesn't want you to die.

He wants you to live.

He wants you to enjoy the, the good, sweet air

and the sky and the sun, and the life he gave ya.

God wants you to live, he wants you to live.

(dramatic music)

(Tod yelling)

(sweet orchestral music)

- 20 hours' sleep?

You're lucky, I haven't had more than four hours a night

since I left med school.

Perfect.

How you feelin', Tod?

- Perfect.

- Patient dismissed.

Come on, I walk ya out.

- [Loudspeaker] Dr. Vincent Bell.

- Thanks. - Take care of yourself.

- Bye, Doc, thanks.

- What was it you said?

The good sweet air, the newborn day,

the sun, the sky,

and the life he gave us.

(orchestral music swelling)

(jazz music)

- [Voiceover] This has been a Screen Gems

film presentation from Columbia Pictures,

Herbert B. Leonard, executive producer.

(orchestral music)