Original subtitles

( music playing )

ANNOUNCER:

Tonight's stars,,,

Elizabeth Hartman,

Alex Cord,

Joanna Pettet,

and Gale Sondergaard,

Good evening,

and welcome

to Night Gallery,

A potpourri of paintings

slightly tilt

and left of center,

As is the case

with our first selection,

This picturesque background

is rural America,

Its central figure

a young schoolteacher,

but this is where

the commonplace ends,

You're about to join

a roster of students

in a learning experience

quite without precedent,

The painting is called Dark Boy,

and this particular repository

is called the Night Gallery,

( music playing )

( birds chirping )

You can put her things

in the front parlor, Ernie,

We got you fixed up

on the ground floor,

Give you more liberty

to come and go,

Won't keep us awake

going up the stairs,

if you come in late,

I'm Miss Abigail Moore,

This is my sister Lettie,

Ms, Abigail is on the board

of education

and seein' as we're so near

the schoolhouse,

we had the other

teacher here, too,

May I ask something?

Why did the other teacher

leave so suddenly?

You can go right in,

April's been

so cold and rainy

we haven't got our peas in yet,

( children's chatter )

( chatter continues )

( bell ringing )

Good morning,

Good morning,

Good morning,

Good morning,

Is this your doll?

Okay,

( chatter )

FEMALE VOICE: Don't come,

Well, Mrs, Timm,

how did your first day go?

Oh, the children were darling,

Only they seemed so nervous,

Well, the teacher before you,

I don't think

she liked children,

She was as nervous

as a cat with kittens,

That's why she left,

Of course she was younger

than you, though,

Have you any children

of your own,

- Mrs, Timm?

- No, I never did,

My husband died not long

after we were married,

Well, 17 children,

that should keep me busy,

You had 17?

Yes, I counted them,

You had 16,

There are only 16 children

in this school district,

I had 17,

I noticed because

I had 16, all blondes,

and this one brunette,

A little dark boy,

He was in the fourth

grade, I think,

He seemed so lonely,

I couldn't help it,

I just wanted to hold him,

Sixteen,

My sister's on the school

board, She knows,

Anyhow, half the time

there aren't even 16,

Some of them have to help

their fathers in the fields,

Well, I must've miscounted,

How do you like

a one-room schoolhouse?

Oh, I like it, It's much better

than having all

the children regimented,

This way, they can move along

at their own speed,

We don't have any

fancy equipment,

Folks around here are poor,

Well, it's good

for the older children

to help the younger ones,

I was thinking

I'd go back tonight,

You're going back

to the schoolhouse tonight?

Yes, to get

my records organized,

You oughtn't to go at night,

- Why not?

- Miss Mason went at night,

- That's what started it,

- Lettie!

Anyway, why should

you work so hard?

I like to work,

it keeps my mind

off other things,

Why did you have

to open your mouth?

I opened my mouth because

it wouldn't be Christianly

not to open my mouth,

( owl hooting

and crickets chirping )

( owl hooting )

( owl hooting )

( mouths words )

( owl hooting )

( knock on door )

Come in,

We waited up because we thought

you might like a cup of tea,

Oh, how nice,

- And a cookie,

- Thank you,

Hmm, it's delicious,

How did your work go?

Oh, I just got

the class list together,

Checked the old records,

As long as you weren't

disturbed,

I suppose you made

a good progress,

Well, actually I was disturbed,

One of the boys

looked in the window,

but he wouldn't come in,

Which one?

That dark boy,

I've forgotten his name,

It takes a while, you know,

to get used to pupils

in a new school,

It must be lonesome working

in the school at night,

I don't expect you'll do much

more night work, will you?

The morning I left,

I got a note from someone,

It was just two words,

It said, "Don't come,"

Would you possibly know

who might have written that?

I wouldn't possibly know,

Would you possibly know?

No, I wouldn't possibly know,

( geese honking )

You know, I was thinking

last night

how long we go without laughing,

and that's too bad,

Some people,

they live all their lives

and they don't laugh,

Of course, I suppose some people

don't have much to laugh

about, hmm?

But even so,

it would help a little,

Oh, my,

What a wonderful horse,

I mean, he has six legs,

Think how fast he could go,

And I love

the field of flowers,

Turnips,

They're yellow turnips,

( door closes loudly )

Are you the new teacher?

Yes, I'm Mrs, Timm,

I'm Tom Robb,

I brought my boy over, Edward,

I don't care much about

his coming to school,

but the law says he has to come,

So here he is,

- Hello, Edward,

- Hello,

He won't be regular

because I need him some days,

Yes, I know,

And I don't want him

on any ladders,

understand?

Well, I'm sure

we won't have to put Edward

on any ladders,

Would you like to stay

and visit school,

Mr, Robb?

No, thank you, ma'am,

Well, perhaps your wife

would like to come

and visit sometime,

She died three years ago,

Oh, I'm sorry,

That's all right, ma'am,

You wouldn't know,

( door closes )

( owl hooting

and crickets chirping)

Won't you come in?

I've been looking back

in the school records

and I guess your name

is Joel, isn't it?

You've been in the fourth

grade for two years,

Don't you want to learn faster?

How did you hurt yourself?

You fell off

a ladder, didn't you?

Here in school?

Come closer, Joel,

Are you afraid of me?

I'm not afraid of you,

If you can't come to school

in the daytime,

I could teach you at night,

Why don't you come inside?

Joel!

Joel!

( knock on door )

Come in,

You shouldn't have waited up,

ABIGAIL: Oh, not at all,

We wanted to make sure,

You make me feel guilty

keeping you up,

LETTIE: Well, we have

our responsibilities,

It's a quiet, peaceful night,

isn't it?

Hmm, beautiful,

Full moon,

And you weren't disturbed?

Who would have disturbed me?

Except, of course,

for that fourth grade boy,

What boy?

That dark boy,

He looks like Tom Robb,

must be his son--

or his brother's son,

I told you, Abby,

You'll have to move

the schoolhouse

or else build a new one

somewhere else,

- Shh! Shh!

Go on, Mrs, Timm,

Oh, at least tonight I managed

to talk to him a little,

He seems so pathetic,

So eager for affection,

But he's shy, I suppose

he misses his mother,

Oh!

( sobbing )

What did I say?

Did you happen

to know the teacher

that taught here before you?

Miss Mason?

No,

No, but I think

she sent me this note,

I'm sure she did,

Poor woman,

I'm afraid we did her

a great injustice,

What injustice?

And why should she warn me?

Ms, Abigail,

you're hiding something,

That is not right of you,

( rooster crowing )

TOM: Easy now, Dolly,

Whoa!

Edward, pick up that nest,

Dolly, you son of a gun,

you stop that,

( Tom talking to Dolly )

You want a good

hidin', Dolly?

Easy, now, Hold it,

( birds chirping )

( knocking on door )

TOM: Dolly, whoa,

Get around now,

Hello, Edward,

Good morning, Mr, Robb,

Are you getting

your spring crops in?

I need Ed today,

he can't come,

I didn't come about Edward,

I came about Joel,

Who?

Your other boy, Joel,

The one with the scar

on his forehead,

Why are you tormenting me?

Why can't people

leave us alone?!

I'm sorry if I said anything,

Didn't they tell you?

Don't you know my boy,

Joel, fell off your ladder

in the schoolhouse

and cracked open his head?

No, No one told me anything,

He died two years ago,

But I've seen him,

I saw his face

outside the window,

I talked with him,

I saw the scar,

It was Joel, wasn't it?

Yes,

It was, I see him, too,

But he never speaks,

he never comes close,

He just haunts me,

You're afraid of him,

Maybe that's why he came to me,

I'm not afraid of him,

( softly crying )

JUDITH: Why didn't you tell me

the schoolhouse was haunted?

Who says it's haunted?

I've never been through anything

like this in my life,

I don't even believe

in these things,

Well, then don't,

Then it isn't haunted,

But it is,

That's why Miss Mason left,

She must have seen Joel Robb,

Melons need strong fertilizer,

The stronger the fertilizer,

the sweeter the melons,

The least you could

have done was warn me,

Why didn't you tell me

that the schoolhouse

was haunted?

We didn't really know,

Miss Mason said she saw him,

But we thought she was crazy,

So we got rid of her,

LETTIE:

We knew that you saw the boy

the first day you got here,

because the children

all ran home

and told their parents

that you had spoken

to an empty seat,

I suppose now

you'll want to leave,

I don't know,

We've done you a wrong,

But we didn't tell you

because we need you,

The children need a teacher,

There's a stagecoach

for Missoula,,,

tonight,

I think I'll see Joel once more,

Then I'll decide,

Two years of it,,,

they all said I was crazy,

They ran Miss Mason out,

they'll run you out, too,

( sighs )

I'd better go now,

No, don't go,

If you could just get used

to not being afraid of him,

He's lonesome, that's all,

and so are you,

and so am I,

I can't let you walk home alone,

If you don't mind, I'd like--

I'd like to walk you home,

I don't mind,

( crickets chirping,

owl hooting )

( door opens )

Hello, Joel,

Did you come to learn?

Shall we read a story tonight?

Well,

this is about a small boy

lost in a giant forest,

You see how small he is

against the trees?

It's a called

"A Distant Light,"

"Jamie could not remember

"how long he had been lost,

"It seemed

he had been walking forever

"and going deeper and deeper

into the forest,

"until day no longer

distinguished itself from night,

"He was not afraid,

"Perhaps in the very beginning,

"but not any longer,

"Nor did he feel alone,

"for there were many animals

to keep him company

"and it wasn't long

before he learned

"to speak to them,

"Chipmunks chattered endlessly,

"and usually about nothing,

"Wolves were serious indeed,

"While the warthogs

always seemed to be complaining,

"If the darkness

would only go away,

"how perfect

everything would be,

"And then one day,

"or perhaps it was night,

"Jamie noticed

a pin point of light

"shining between the trunks

"of two great trees,

"a light that grew bigger

"as Jamie began to run

"towards it,

"run with a swiftness

"he had never known,

"until the light was brighter

"than any,,,

",,,he'd ever seen,

A light untouched by darkness,"

Your father's come

to take you home, Joel,

TOM: Joel,

remember how,,,

when you were out in the woods

I'd whistle to you like,,,

a whip-poor-will?

And you'd whistle back?

Why don't you do it now, Joel?

Every night, I whistle to you

from the back porch,

JUDITH: Won't you

come home with us, Joel?

( owl hooting )

- Joel,

- Joel?

Joel?

JUDITH: Joel,

( bird call )

( bird call )

( return bird call )

( return bird call )

I presume that most of you

in moments of weakness

or in spasms of compassion

had picked up a hitchhiker,

The story behind this item here

has to do with a man

who stops his car

and invites a stranger in,

And such a stranger--

the kind that makes you wish

you had taken a bus

or stayed in bed,

It's title,

"Keep in Touch,

We'll Think of Something,"

JOE: No, lady,

I promise you

there is no kangaroo

outside your window,

I don't have to send

a patrol car,

I guarantee it,

There is no kangaroo

on any rooftop

in San Francisco,

Wait a minute,

how old are you?

You have a deep voice for ten,

you know that?

It's probably

just a funny shadow,

It did what?

Kangaroo just went meow,

About my car, detective,

- JOE: What about it?

- She can't have gotten far,

It's a little sports car,

green, yellow fog lights,

There can't be many of them

on the streets

at 3:00 in the morning,

You drive around

a lot at this time?

ERIK: Hardly,

I'm usually up at 5:00,

I just couldn't sleep tonight,

Right,

And why do you usually get up

at 5:00, Mr, Sutton?

I'm a pianist, detective,

I get up at 5:00,

practice for two hours,

It's just a habit,

Picking up lady hitchhikers--

is that a habit, too?

No,

I've never done it before,

You told the officer you stopped

at a liquor store,

When you came out, she was gone

and the car with her,

Right,

Liquor stores

aren't open at 2:00 AM,

Uh, it wasn't for liquor,

it was for a paper,

There was a newspaper

vending machine

in front of the store,

JOE: Okay, Mr, Sutton,

If we find your car,

we'll have a man call you,

ERIK: What about the girl?

Aren't there mug shots

I'm supposed to look through?

She beat you up or something?

Let's just worry about the car,

all right?

You're not going

to look for her?

For a car heist?

What kind of police work

is that?

Normal, realistic,

run of the mill,

understaffed police work,

Now, if you heard

this woman talking

about using your car

for a bank job

or if she attacked you

or pistol whipped you,

why we go for an APB,

but she didn't,

So let's just go for the car,

all right?

And this way, Mrs, Sutton

won't have to worry

about you picking up

strange ladies

in the middle of the night,

JOE: Okay,

your car turned up

three days ago in Oakland,

Tonight you can't sleep again

and you go for another cruise,

You park above the bay,

go for a stroll,

ERIK: When I returned to my car,

she was waiting for me,

hiding,

Same broad who swiped

your car last week,

follows you, hits you

over the head with a pistol,

and cops the car again,

It's a weird story, Mr, Sutton,

She could've gotten

my name and address

from the registration,

She could've--

what do you call it?

Staked out my house,

- Why?

- I don't know,

But I certainly don't like it,

Maybe your wife saw her,

Are you gonna tell her

about this?

My wife and I

have been separating

for some time, detective,

I'm going away on tour

in a few weeks

and she's already moved out,

Got herself a little place

in Sausalito,

And this lady that's after you,

she's got nothing to do with it?

Nothing,

Show him the pictures,

Well?

How many we come up with,

Mr, Sutton?

Not one,

Not even close,

Well, we'll dust your car

for prints

the next time it turns up, okay?

No,

That's not good enough,

Just because you haven't got her

in your books

doesn't mean she's not

in San Francisco,

What do you expect me to do?

Just take it easy?

Cool my heels?

Stop worrying about her

stepping out of shadows?

What if she decides to pull

the trigger next time

instead of just busting me

over the head?

Okay,

You be me,

What do I do now?

Get me an artist,

No, uh, no, her bottom lip

is fuller,

It's fuller,

That's--That's it,

Um,,,no, no, the corners,

they go down too much,

It's too hard,

JOE: She steals your car,

she pistol whips you,

and you're afraid

she's gonna kill you next,

and you're telling Wally

he's got the corners

of her mouth too hard,

On the other hand, Mr, Sutton,

I can see

why you gave her a lift,

But why in the world

were you getting a newspaper?

( laughs )

Will this be good enough?

To pick her up?

Sure,

It's good enough

to hang in the Louvre,

Ain't it, Wally?

What's wrong?

He can wait for you, lady,

but he can't wait

two hours,

I'm sorry, Mrs, Foster,

Don't be silly Alfred,

that's all right,

Excuse me, lady,

but I'm gonna have

to ask you to come down

to the station with me,

- Where is she?

- Talking to her lawyer,

One of the best,

Her name is Foster,

Claire Foster,

Her husband's in construction,

It doesn't make any sense

to me at all,

ERIK: But she fits

the description though,

Perfectly, or I wouldn't

stick my neck out,

Both night she says she was

with her husband,

Problem is, he left

for Venezuela this morning,

So I booked her,

I can't hold her

more than a couple of hours,

Ruthy? Okay, bring them in,

All right, when I call

your number, step forward

into the light, please,

Number one,

Back, please,

Number two,

Back, please,

Number three,

Back, please,

Number four,

RUDY: Back, please,

Number five,

So let's make it official,

RUDY: Back, please,

Well?

She's not up there,

Sutton!

Mrs, Foster,

I'm sorry to put you

through this,

but you can see

why you were picked up,

Well, it's me,

- I don't understand,

- Neither do I,

but evidently it's not you,

Sergeant,

they found Sutton's car,

His prints were the only ones

on the wheel,

He just walked out of here,

he can't be far,

- Get him back now,

- I don't understand,

Why has he done this?

That's what I want to know,

If he's filed a false report,

you got a civil action

against him,

Now, if you want me

to see your lawyer

- about this, I'll,,,

- No, no,

I'd like to talk to him first,

Do you know me from somewhere,

Mr, Sutton?

From somewhere?

Yes,,,

but I've never had the pleasure

of meeting you in person,

In person?

Miss Foster, please, I--

I can't tell you how sorry I am

about this whole thing,

I want to apologize to you

and your husband,

And if that has to be

in the courts, well then,

that's the way it is,

But it's not all that terrible,

You just had me confused

with someone else,

Oh, no,

I couldn't confuse you

with anyone,

Martini?

Yes, please,

No,

you're the one, all right,

You're the one

I've been looking for

ever since I was in college,

I'd know that face anywhere,

The smile,

the way your hair falls

across your eyes,

your lips,

It's funny,

but we never touched,

not physically,

We just communicated with looks,

A kind of projected

understanding,

At parties across the room,

passing on the street,

Where has all this happened,

Mr, Sutton?

In my dreams,

I didn't understand

what you were talking about,

So you dreamed

I stole your car?

ERIK: No, no, not at all,

My dreams of you

were always beautiful,

Always extraordinary,

When you look at me

in those dreams,

even though you say nothing,

I'd feel such love

and understanding from you

that I'm sublimely happy

and capable of anything,

Well, if I look like

that woman, Mr, Sutton,

it's certainly

just a coincidence,

ERIK: Coincidence?

No, no, I doubt that,

I always use to think

that you were just somebody

I'd made up in my head,

but in the last few months

I've been going

through such torment

in my personal life

with only you in my dreams

pulling me through,

that I thought maybe

you really did exist,

that you were sending me

messages, that you'd been trying

to get in touch with me

for years,

So I drew up

a description of you

and went to

a private detective agency

and asked them to find you,

They laughed,

they said it would take

a fortune to even begin,

So, I got this brainstorm,

I decided to let

the police find you,

And even that wasn't

as easy as I'd hoped,

I'd finally had to bash myself

over the head

before Detective Brice

would make any real effort

to look for you,

You mean that

nobody stole your car?

You did all this

just on the chance

you might find me?

"Find me?"

- Why did you say "Find me"?

- What?

ERIK: Why didn't you say,

"Find the girl in your dreams,"

You said, "Find me,"

Claire,

Mr, Sutton,

ERIK: Please,

Erik,

All right,

Erik,

Now, I appreciate

the intensity of your dream,

I'd like to say

I had a matching one,

but the truth is I haven't,

Actually I've been married

quite contentedly

these last three years,

Contentedly or happily?

Stop it,

Stop picking away at me,

trying to manufacture things

that don't exist,

I'm sorry,

Really,

I am, too,

Forgive me,

I certainly don't want

to press any charges, Erik,

I'm sure my husband

won't either,

He's rather

a compulsive dreamer himself,

Not as pleasurably as you,

I'm sorry to say,

That would be interesting

for you, too,

See a psychiatrist and find out

what your dream means,

Walter never had

the faintest idea

what the strangling signified,

What strangling?

That's what his nightmare is,

That some man slips

into our bedroom

in the middle of the night

and strangles him,

It's not very pleasant,

He wakes up sometimes,,,

choking,

grabbing at the hands

around his neck,

The doctor says

he's trying to work out

some sort of guilt complex,

Guilt about what?

I don't know,

We don't talk these things over

quite as much as we used to,

In his dream he never sees

the man's face,

But there's a scar,

a long scar

across the back of his hand,

ERIK: Nothing,

You were hoping weren't you?

Hoping?

No, For what?

For this,

For it all to come true,

- No,

- ERIK: Yes, he's guilty

because he can't make you happy,

I have to go,

You're afraid of him,

He won't let you go

and you don't know how

to get out of it,

I,,,

I haven't been perfect,

He knows it,

There'll be a long fight,

ugly and scandalous,

He'll see to it

that I get nothing, Nothing,

What difference does that make?

Come with me,

I'm going on tour tomorrow,

Australia, New Zealand,

halfway around the world,

But he'll be back next week,

Who knows what he'll do,

Stay here with me,

- I can't,

- Oh, don't go,

I've got commitments,

but you'll be with me,

No, I can't,

Can't what?

Can't believe in a dream?

Can't see that some things

are just destined to happen?

Oh, Claire,

my sweet Claire,

Don't you see, you and I,

we're destiny's children,

We were meant to be together,

Don't worry, darling,

We can go on tour later,

You can stay at my place

till the stiches come out,

Everything's gonna work out

just perfectly,