Original subtitles

The world of the real and the unreal is a fascinating one.

"Beyond Belief--

Fact or Fiction" hosted by James Brolin.

We live in a world where the real and the unreal

live side by side, where substance

is disguised as illusion, and the only explanations

are unexplainable.

Will you be able to separate stories of truth

from fantasy tonight?

To do so, you must break through the web of your experience

and open your mind to things "Beyond Belief."

This is a Chinese bronze mirror.

Its origins go back to before the time of Christ.

One side is a polished mirror, the other side

a detailed design.

But when you shine it on the surface,

the image on the back side is projected through the mirror.

Now how could things like this happen?

Tonight's stories ask the same question of you.

How can these tales of the impossible happen.

Some of our stories did happen and were

inspired by actual events.

Others are plots of pure fiction.

At the end of our show, we'll tell you which are which.

And by the way, in our stories inspired by actual events,

we've changed names, dates, and some details,

but we have kept one thing the reflection of strange truth.

A marriage of convenience is a term reserved

for the upper crust of society.

It implies people who aren't really in love,

but stay married for reasons of appearance,

finance, material things, like, expensive silver candlesticks.

And to be really good at such a marriage requires deceit.

Well, John was very good at deceit.

In fact, there's a homicide detective

who will tell you that John was truly the type

who could get away with murder.

The Fender murder was my 52nd homicide case.

Alison Fender was a wealthy heiress

from a family whose name you'll find frequently

on hospitals and colleges.

Good night, Woofy.

Alison spent lots of evenings

alone with guys like Johnny Walker and Jack Daniels.

Her husband, John, always seemed to find a reason to disappear

three or four nights a week.

But tonight, Alison was going to tell him to disappear for good.

Hello, darling.

How are you this evening?

I'm really tired.

I think I'm going to go upstairs and go to bed early.

See you soon.

Perhaps you'd like to explain these credit card receipts

from the Capitol Hotel.

Oh, they were for the entertaining

I had to do for your foundation last week.

Oh, and I'm certain you were alone.

Alison darling, that was always

part of our understanding.

No, there was no understanding.

I will not have you make a fool out of me, John.

And I will not be told what to do.

You will when I'm paying the bills.

Alison, you must be really tired tonight.

Let's talk about this tomorrow morning, shall we?

I've made a decision.

I see you're drinking again.

And I'm sure you don't want to say or do anything

you'll regret in the morning.

No, no, no.

It won't work this time, John.

I'm filing for divorce.

Alison, darling, darling, don't you

know how much I love you?

That I would do anything for you.

Anything.

In all the years we were together,

did you ever, for just a moment, think about me?

Always.

I always thought about you first.

Not as a wife.

I'm not blind, John.

I've been financing your affairs for years.

And I won't do it anymore.

Alison, you can't really mean that.

I'll do or say anything tonight.

No, John, it's over.

It can't be over.

We're joined at the hip, remember?

Not anymore.

Have you forgotten?

I'm president of your company.

You're fired.

I'm also chairman of your foundation.

Not for long.

After tomorrow, you're nobody.

John.

What are you doing?

No, John.

No, don't do it!

John, no!

Say goodnight, Alison.

It was about 10:00 PM when the maid came back.

Mrs. Fender, I'm back.

Madam?

Madam, is there anything you--

Ohhh!

Oh, no.

Oh, no.

Then it was my turn to arrive on the scene.

How long have you worked for the Fenders?

Next June, it will be 17 year, since the madam

married Mr. Fender.

And where's Mr. Fender tonight?

I don't know, sir.

He's seldom home in the evening.

I can't believe she's gone.

I know this is tough for you, but I just need to ask you

one more question, all right?

Would you say the Fenders were happily married?

They're polite to each other.

Mr. Fender has-- how do you say?

A separate life.

Margaret, what's happened?

Oh, Mr. Fender.

Mr. Fender, I, uh, I'm very sorry, sir.

My god.

Alison.

How?

We think it was a burglary.

The patio doors were broken, and we think he got it that way.

And there might have been a struggle.

There was a necklace broken, pearls

were scattered around the room.

We're going to need you later, sir,

to go through her effects to make

sure nothing else is missing.

Alison.

Sir, I know this is very difficult.

But now is not the time to see her.

OK.

I'm very sorry, sir, but I'm going to have to ask

you some questions, all right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Want to sit down?

Were there any problems in your relationship?

Problems?

I don't understand your question.

I'm sorry I have to keep asking these questions,

sir, but let me put it to you another way.

Would you say you had a good marriage?

Yes, we were inseparable.

And, of course, you already said you were out all evening,

and there's someone who can verify that.

Yes! Yes.

Yes.

For the hundredth time.

Sorry, sir, I know this is difficult for you,

but let me let me just ask you one more thing.

I really want you to think about this, all right?

Is there anyone you can think of who

might want to hurt your wife?

No.

Everyone loved Alison.

She didn't have an enemy in the world.

Why would anyone want to do something like that?

Oh, I don't know, sir.

There's been a lot of burglaries in this neighborhood

in the last couple of months.

But, you know I find this really strange.

What's strange?

If the perpetrator came in through this door,

you know, he'd have to come across the garden,

you'd think that there'd be some dirt.

But there's nothing. Not a speck.

Will that be all, detective?

I've had a very trying day.

Of course, I understand.

Don't you worry.

We'll catch whoever did this to your wife.

I really appreciate that, detective.

Thank you.

I don't need to show you out, do I?

Thank you.

I was bluffing with that line about the dirt

from the outside, and he knew it.

I had nothing on him.

I was going to have to look for someone else

and close the book on John Fender.

Woofy, good night, Woofy.

John, don't do it.

John, no.

John, don't do it.

No.

Don't do it.

What do you know?

The bird was a stool pigeon.

Could this story really happen?

Would a hardened police investigator

really put any weight on the squawking of a talking bird?

Then, again, one of the most highly publicized murder trials

of all time presented an argument

based upon the mournful wail of an Akita dog.

Was our story based on an actual event or simply

a clever piece of fiction?

Was this story true or false?

We'll tell you at the end of our show.

Next a diner where the special of the day is murder.

On "Beyond Belief, Fact or Fiction."

Signs like these are all too common on our streets

these days.

Does anyone actually ever think of inviting the people

who hold these signs to dinner?

Well, our next story is about a couple who did just that.

You see they had compassion for the homeless.

Of course, one man's compassion is another man's poison.

That's my wife, Lizzie, the most kind-hearted woman

in the world.

I guess that's why I never told her the truth

about our son, Bradley.

Shoo.

Horace, shoo.

I got the letter saying that Bradley was killed

in action over 25 years ago.

I never showed it to Lizzie.

She still thinks he graduated college and then

forgot all about his parents.

That's what I want her to think.

The truth would kill her.

There, that's what it needed.

Sorry, not open.

We close at 9:00 on Sunday.

Come back tomorrow.

Well, they must be smelling that good roast we've got going,

which I'd better check on.

Besides we both had something to live for now,

our master plan.

Come on, come on, come on in here.

Come on, come on, don't be afraid.

Lizzie, looked so happy when I brought the young man in.

Well, well, who have we tonight?

Lizzie, this here is Kyle.

Kyle.

What a lovely name.

Didn't our Bradley have a friend in junior hockey league named

Kyle?

Yeah, only it was a surname I think, Kyle.

I expected Lizzie to bring up Bradley.

She always did.

Oh, it'll warm him up inside, you see.

He's been sleeping under a sofa, a thrown out sofa in the alley.

Poor thing.

You just make yourself comfortable.

Jake will get you warmed up on the outside,

while I look after those insides.

She's a peach, huh?

You know, we've been married 52 years this spring.

Well, well, well, she did it again.

Ever see something look that nice?

That's parsley all around.

I don't even do this for the customers.

She doesn't.

I'll get the potatoes.

Thank you, sweetie.

And the carrots, too, if you could.

So how long has it been since you had a real home

cooked meal, I mean?

It's been a real long time.

Never mind, I didn't mean to embarrass you.

I know your life must be very, very hard.

I could tell that Lizzie was

going to mention Bradley again, but this time I

had to head her off.

After all, we had the master plan to carry out.

Our Bradley used to drink milk like it was going out of style.

Right up until he--

Sorry, dear.

Enjoy, son.

He's dead.

From the looks of him, though, I'd

say his number was up long ago.

Now I know you two were just being kind,

but you really got to be careful.

The city's not safe anymore.

All right, officer, we'll try to be more careful.

Good.

Now, I'm not trying to scare you,

you understand, but in a way you were lucky.

Taking in strangers like this could have been one of you

ended up in that body bag.

Well we're done here.

Can I get you a cup of coffee?

No, I'm good.

Good night. - Good night.

And thanks.

Did you hear that?

The officer himself said that Kyle's number was up long ago.

I know.

I just hope what we're doing isn't wrong, taking

matters into our own hands.

Don't you ever wonder?

Well, of course I do.

Then I think of how we're helping them.

I mean, remember Annie?

And Howard?

Oh, and Peter with the sores all over.

Those sores.

How miserable they were.

And how happy they were after.

Some time later, I brought another young man back.

He seemed so hopeless, I couldn't wait

to relieve him of his misery.

Oh, dear, it's too cold to be without a coat.

Lizzie was so caring.

No wonder I loved her so much.

Thanks.

I used to have a coat just like this, I think.

He was pathetic all right.

Thank goodness he came into our lives.

He, uh, doesn't remember too well.

Poor dear.

I got hit on the head.

He can't even remember his real name,

ever since he got beat up and landed in the hospital.

Oh my, you must have had a concussion.

And the hospital didn't try to find out your identity?

They did, but I didn't stick around.

He says the needles in the IV bothered him.

Our Bradley didn't like needles either.

I'll go get the supper.

She's been a little touchy lately.

It was his birthday yesterday, our son.

It's been hard on us the way he never came back for a visit

since he went off to college 25 years ago.

Something happen to him?

No, just life, I guess.

How's that dinner coming, sweetie?

Coming right up.

Hold it.

Poor man, what a life he must have had.

Well, if it's any consolation his pain is finally over.

Hmm, dog tags, Vietnam vet.

Gillespie, Bradley.

I guess that letter from the government was a mistake.

Bradley never died in the war.

A cruel twist of fate.

How ironic that the young man's mental state never

let him think to check his own dog tags.

The link to his past was there all along.

Almost like the keys we spend so much time

searching for that turn up right in our own pocket.

Does this story of the kind-hearted poisoners

contain some morsel of truth, or do you

find it impossible to digest?

Was this story real?

We'll find out at the end at the end of our show.

Next, a sealed vault and a bizarre rescue that's

"Beyond Belief."

Precious stones.

They can be an expression of love

or the inspiration for theft, murder, even war.

But no wonder the rich and famous

have always been attracted to them.

Mr. Bromley wasn't rich and famous,

but he worshipped those who were.

And that's why he loved his job at Grace Jewelers.

But before this day is over, Bromley's life

will be transformed.

And he'll know the true meaning of the word "precious."

Looking back, I can't

believe what an effete snob I was in those days.

The way I fawned over our wealthy customers,

my dramatic approach to everything.

But I thought that's what they wanted.

Maybe you should consider the sterling sapphire.

We have had such luck putting that in the Victorian setting.

Oh, excuse me a moment.

I wasn't sure who was at the door,

but one look told me she was no wealthy customer.

What can I do for you?

Hi, I'm Amy Faraday.

The agency sent me about the bookkeeping job.

I'll call Mr. Donovan.

Oh, never mind, here he is.

Mr. Donovan this is the girl from the temp agency, Amy--

Faraday.

Oh, great.

Well, there's a ton of work on my desk.

Bromley, will you show Amy where she'll be working?

I'm off to meet the Ruby dealers.

It'll be a couple hours but you can reach me in the car.

See you in the morning.

I love being in charge.

As for that odd woman from the agency, who had time for her?

Thank you.

It was near closing time

and procedure called for me to load and close the vault.

But there were still one sale to make that day.

It was Mrs. Rivers, a woman who knew how

to spend her husband's money.

Hello, Kimberly.

Hi, Mr. Bromley, I hope we didn't keep you waiting.

Of course not, Mrs. Rivers.

Let me get the watch.

It's exquisite.

Fabulous.

Sweetie, you can look, but don't touch, OK?

I'll be right over here.

Oh, wonderful.

Isn't it?

Oh, you are absolutely right, it's gorgeous.

The price is still hooked on to it.

Oh, boy.

I knew you would love it.

You have such good taste.

Oh, look, Pepper.

I have a matching necklace--

I was so busy stroking Mrs. Rivers and her dog,

I had no idea what Kimberly was up to.

She used to just stand in one place and cling to her mommy,

but she was older now and she liked to explore.

I never saw her walk towards the vault,

and I certainly never saw her go inside.

Beautiful, beautiful, will you just excuse me for one moment?

Why did I feel it necessary to close

that vault at that moment?

But that was me, a stickler for store policy.

See?

I really think that watch is you.

I love it.

Kimberly, come take a look at this.

Kimber-- Kimberly, where are you?

Have you seen my daughter?

I thought I heard her when I--

When you what?

Closed the vault.

Kimberly.

Oh, Kimberly!

Kimberly.

Mommie, mommie, help me.

My god, she's in there. Open it.

I can't.

Let me out.

What do you mean you can't?

Mr. Donovan is the only one who knows the combination,

and he's on the road.

I can't open the door.

I'll call his phone.

Help me.

Kimberly, Kimberly.

He forgot the phone.

Kimberly.

OK, come on.

come on.

What's happening?

Can you open it?

Here's the deal.

This is going to take all night to crack this combination.

The problem is, she's not going to last more than an hour

without more oxygen.

Can't you use a drill or something?

Even with the best tools, this will still take hours.

Just when everything seemed hopeless,

that strange woman from the agency joined our group.

Please, do something, someone.

I can open it.

How?

I can do it.

Just let me try.

Let her try.

Please, save my child.

I thought who was that woman?

Kimberly.

Kimberly, can you hear me?

I want you to put your ear and your hands against the door,

OK?

I'm afraid.

Please get me out.

I know, sweetheart.

We're going to play a little game, OK?

I want you to say the first thing

that comes into your mind.

OK?

Right or left, Kimberly?

Right or left?

Right.

Now, say the first number from 1 to 99

that pops into your head.

OK, 1 to 99.

32.

OK, again, right or left?

Left.

And another number from 1 to 99.

What's the number?

87.

Good, OK.

Now we need it again, right or left?

I feel dizzy.

Left.

Come on, sweetheart, stay with me.

We're halfway there.

1 to 99.

I don't know.

Yes, you do know, sweetheart.

You know the number.

You're the only one who knows.

Now come on 1 to 99.

63.

Good job!

OK, last time, right or left?

Right.

OK, 1-99.

One.

There was no click.

No, Kimberly, that's not the number,

we have to start again, OK?

Right or left?

Kimberly.

Kimberly!

Right 32.

Left 87.

Left 63.

Right one.

No.

Left one.

Oh, Kimberly, sweetheart.

Sweetheart, mommie's here.

The doctor's here now.

You're going to be OK.

Kimberly was going to be all right.

I don't remember ever really praying before that day.

But now I do it all the time.

I was so lost in my own thoughts I never saw her leave.

Where's the lady?

Yeah, where is she?

She saved my daughter.

She's right here, Amy.

I couldn't imagine who this was, but I'll never

forget what she had to say.

Hi, I'm Amy Faraday.

The agency sent me about the bookkeeping job.

A true act of heroism.

The saving of a human life, yet, it seems impossible

that our hero defied the odds and came

up with the right combination.

And then, again, don't people win

million dollar lotteries every week

using this method of guessing?

And why does another woman with the same name

show up for the same job at the end?

What sort of agency was our hero working for?

Is there a more mystical explanation

for the opening of the vault, or is this

simply a combination of lies?

The truth about this story

will be revealed in our final act.

Next, we visit a garden of mystery

on "Beyond Belief, Fact or Fiction."

All gifts come with a price tag.

Maude and Jerome Metz have been experiencing episodes of ESP

lately.

Their visions only occur when they are in the beauty

of their rose garden.

But these visions are gifts with a price.

In this case, it's Maude's very life.

A grim reminder that every rose has its thorns.

This is the story of Maude and Jerome

Metz, a retired couple living in St. Petersburg, Florida.

They are miles from their son and daughter-in-law

in Minnesota, but they've been seeing a lot of them recently,

every time they step into their rose garden.

This is almost as lovely as you.

It's beautiful.

Isn't that gorgeous?

Thank you, darling.

How about a little waltz around here?

Lately, Maude has been having psychic flashes

in the garden but these episodes are

always followed by a violent headache and loss of strength.

Oh, oh.

What's the matter?

It's Freddie.

He's about to do something foolish.

He's going to mortgage his house.

He's going to put--

It was like all of Maude's visions.

She'd grow weak while Jerome would become

agitated with excitement.

We have to stop him, Jerry.

We have to stop him. Call him.

Yeah, I'll call him.

I'll call him.

Jerry, call.

Relax, relax, I'll call.

Freddie?

Don't do it, Freddie.

Don't do it.

Slow down, Dad what are you talking about?

You know what I'm talking about.

The business deal.

How do you know about that?

Nobody knows.

I haven't even told Doris about it.

Your mother and I know all about it.

We saw it.

This is a really big deal, Dad.

I'm not going to blindly jump into anything.

I checked it out, OK? Don't worry.

Wait a minute.

What do you mean you saw it?

What are you talking about?

It's our rose garden, Freddie.

Let's get some lunch, OK?

Several days later their daughter-in-law

in Minnesota is preparing to feed her baby.

A simple everyday act.

A 2 o'clock feeding.

What's about to happen cannot be explained easily.

Danny, can you come here and watch

your little brother, please?

OK.

Hi, sign here, please.

Danny?

Oh, it's OK, Mom, it's just a glass.

OK, but stay away from it.

Let me clean it up.

You OK?

Aww.

Oh, gosh.

Listen, if you want, you can go outside and play, OK?

OK.

Just stay out of the street.

Oh, I know, oh, yes.

Oh, baby.

I'm coming.

Jerome!

Jerry, come quick.

The baby's in danger.

There's glass in the baby's food.

We've got to call Doris right away.

Here we go.

Mmmm.

Hello.

Throw the food away.

Dad, I can't hear you.

The baby's crying.

Don't feed the baby.

Dad, I can't hear you, the baby's crying.

Hold on just a second, OK?

No, Doris, stop.

Don't feed the baby.

Dad, what are you talking about?

There's glass in the baby's food!

Oh, this headache.

Dr. Bennett said he will call w in regards

to the test results.

I just don't understand why it's happening to you and not to me.

Maybe it is an allergy.

Don't worry, Maude.

Everything will be all right.

You're sure, Dr. Bennett?

And there's nothing she can take?

But these are very special roses.

Yeah, all right, I understand.

I'll tell her.

The doctor had told

Jerome that Maude's condition was growing rapidly worse.

Tests had proven totally inconclusive,

and all they knew was that she always

became ill around the roses.

The doctor's advice, destroy the garden before the garden

destroys Maude.

For Jerome, the choice was clear.

The magic powers of the roses, or the life of the woman

he loved.

Hello, Freddie.

Dad, how'd you know it was me?

I just knew.

You remember that investment you told me to stay away from?

Dad, I can't tell you.

You saved my life.

I had everything we owned tied up in that investment.

We'd have been out on the street.

I can't thank you enough.

And Dad--

Yeah?

Take special care of that rose garden.

How were Maude and Jerome able to see their children's

problems so far away?

Well, who hasn't received a phone call

from a mother who just had a feeling

you were sick and was absolutely right?

Or could the answer lie in the roses themselves.

Since ancient times, roses have been

connected with mystical and religious power.

In fact, that's where the Catholic rosary gets its name.

And what about our story?

Is it artificial, or does it have the smell of reality?

Was this story fact or fiction?

We'll find out at the conclusion of tonight's show.

Next, a tale of war with a surprise ending that's

"Beyond Belief."

In this next story, we'd like you to use your imagination

to picture two American soldiers stationed in Australia

during the Second World War.

They are driving in their Jeep on their way

to an antiaircraft station when suddenly an enemy

air attack is launched.

As the bombs fall all around them,

they somehow manage to weave their car out of harm's way.

Then, suddenly, a low flying plane

drops a huge shell directly onto the hood of their car.

It looks like certainly death.

But somehow they're blown clear of the vehicle

just as the shell explodes.

A few yards away, they see a roadside ditch and dive

into it.

And they hunkered down, and they stay under cover

while the bombs continue to go off.

After the attack is over, the two soldiers

come out of the ditch and they're visibly

shaken, but otherwise not hurt.

So looking at the wreckage of their Jeep,

they agree that it's a miracle that they both weren't killed.

And as they inspect further, they

find a large piece of shrapnel has

lodged in the driver's seat.

The soldier who'd been driving stares at the piece

of shrapnel in disbelief.

It has his father's name printed on it.

He later learns the explanation.

Years before the war, his father had

junked an old Chevy in which he had engraved

his name on the cylinder block.

And when the car was scrapped, the parts

wound up in Japan, a major market for steel and iron parts

in those days.

And when the war started, all the scrap metal in Japan

was sent to munitions factories.

Well, the parts of his father's car

were used to make that bomb that hit the Jeep.

A bomb that went off but somehow refused

to take the life of his son.

Is this story fictitious or a strange truth?

We'll find out at the end of the show.

Which of our stories tonight were inspired by actual events?

And which were figments of a writer's imagination?

Let's find out.

Our first story tonight was about a crime

of murder that was seen by an unusual eyewitness.

No, John. John, no!

Woofy, good night, Woofy.

John, don't do it.

John, no.

John.

Did you guess that this story is true?

Well, you guessed incorrectly.

This one never happened.

And what about the plot of the kindly diner owners whose

special of the day was poison?

I just hope what we're doing isn't wrong, taking

matters into our own hands.

Don't you ever wonder?

Well, of course I do.

Then I think of how we're helping them.

A story like that could have happened.

Who knows?

We made it up.

And then there was the story of the little girl,

the locked vault, and the unforgettable way

she was rescued.

Please, do something, someone. - I can open it.

There's no way a story like this could have ever happened,

right?

Wrong.

We took our inspiration from actual events.

And what did you think about the rose garden

that seemed to hold unexplainable visions.

Visions that threatened the very life of the woman who saw them.

Oh.

What?

Oh.

What's the matter?

It's Freddie, he's about to do something foolish.

He's going to mortgage his house.

He's going to put everything he has into this business.

But he doesn't know that it's a bad investment.

Freddie!

Don't do it, Freddie.

Don't do it.

Slow down, Dad, what are you talking about?

You know what I'm talking about.

Was this a story inspired by actual events?

Yes, it was.

Now let's look back on the story that I told you this evening.

Was it a work of fiction?

I'm afraid not.

It happened.

So how was your sense of reality tonight?

Three of our stories were inspired by real events,

while two were put there to deceive you.

"Beyond Belief, Fact or Fiction" will continue.

Join us next time as we cross over

from tales of complete fiction to the world of strange truth.

Good night.

Join us next time on "Beyond Belief,

Fact or Fiction."

this is Don LaFontaine.