Original subtitles

"Beyond Belief, Fact or Fiction"

hosted by Jonathan Frakes.

Tonight, your challenge is to separate what

is true from what is false.

Five stories, some real, some fake,

can you judge which are fact and which are fiction?

To find out, you must enter a world

of both truth and deception, a world that is "Beyond Belief."

Sometimes you have to check things out from all angles

to understand the big picture, like these photos.

They appear to be snapshots of nature

animal and plant life, all of various species and families.

Let's take a step back to view the big picture.

Now you can see a truly endangered species,

your television host, dependent for survival

upon the Nielsen family.

The lesson found in this picture within a picture

can guide us in judging our stories tonight

some may seem one way to you on first look.

Step back, you might find a whole new perspective.

We'll tell you which stories are true

and which are false at the end of our show.

By the way, if you miss the big picture tonight, don't despair,

Just put on your best face.

Ever visited a truckstop?

Those special places along the highway

that truck drivers adopt as their favorite eating

spots on long hauls.

They're usually famous for their atmosphere, great coffee,

sausage, eggs, and apple pie.

There's a of folklore about truckers.

They're supposed to be experts on food,

driving, life, and friendship.

Trucker Dan Weaver is about to learn a lot more about all it.

My driving buddy, Hal Dickey, is closer to me

than my own father.

We met once a week at our favorite truck stop.

Hal Dickey and I had a lot of great get-togethers.

Hey, Dan.

Henry.

This is one I will never forget.

Lori, could you, uh, bring me--

Here you go, sugar.

Two donuts and a cup of Jo.

After five years, you finally know what I always order.

It's absolutely amazing.

Well, you know, you got yourself a world class safe food

crowd happening here, Dan.

I'm not going to be the one to break that streak.

Say, Dan, whatcha going to do, start without me?

Hey, Hey, hey, good to see you, buddy.

You OK? - Yeah.

Saved you a seat.

I thank you.

Looked outside for your rig, Hal.

Where the hell are you parked? - It's up the road.

You in trouble?

Gloria!

What's a guy got to do to get a donut in this joint?

Well, the way you tip, no wonder she ignores you.

Hey!

Dig in.

Oh, sweetie, coffee and two glaze, would you?

What's wrong with those?

Oh, I see, you think you got cheated,

because they got holes in them?

Funny, just bring me another round.

Yeah, OK.

Fine with me, Gloria, don't say hi.

Is she in a mood today or what?

Boy, what's he so weird about?

Mmm, mmm, Hal, I need your help.

I've been up half the night out of my mind.

It's a real dilemma, and I'm just torn.

All right, this is that truck you've been looking at.

So you wondering if you can afford it or not?

Oh, no, no.

I can't decide to go with the speed

options or the towing package.

And this is the dilemma you've been wrestling with?

Yeah, it's a big decision.

I've been wanting something I could tow a boat or a trailer

with.

But on the other hand, do I want to give up highway speed?

Hmm.

And I already decided to go with the oversized tires

and chrome wheels, so that's not an issue for me anymore.

Well, that's a relief.

Boy, you sure are a motor mouth today.

What the heck is that supposed to mean?

What are you doing?

Hey, Hal, no, look, seriously.

Now I need your advice you know.

What the heck am I going to do?

To be honest, I'd say it's time to get

your priorities straight.

So you're leaning towards the towing package.

You know, you know, I had a hunch you'd go that way.

Save your money.

That thing hasn't been working for a week.

Gloria, one dance for the road.

Watch it, Buster.

I didn't do nothing.

I'm working on one of my migraines.

You picked the wrong day to mess with me.

Gloria, I didn't mess with you.

That was him.

Him?

You need to take some time off, and you

need to keep your damn hands to yourself, or else.

Why didn't you say something to her?

You're getting me in trouble here.

I'm trying to keep you out of trouble, Danny boy.

You know, I'd better go out and come back in,

because you lost me on the curve.

You asked me how you ought to spend your money.

I know you haven't saved a dime.

And before you commit yourself to six years of payments,

you ought to put a little something aside for your wife.

A little emergency fund like I got.

I don't need no emergency fund.

My wife, like you, has never been able to hold on to $1.

So I set up a bank account.

She doesn't even know about it.

Each week I put away a little.

Well, if something ever happens,

how is she even going to know about it?

Ah, you're clued in now.

Anything ever happens to me, you let her know it's there.

And you ought to set something aside

for your wife just in case.

I'm young, I'm a good driver, nothing's going to happen.

You never know when it's your time.

Now you're spooking me worse than Gloria.

And all this is off the subject.

What about my truck?

What about your family?

That's dispatch.

I'd better check in.

Yeah, you go make your call.

I'm wasting music here.

Oh, yeah, yeah, no, I can make Jersey City

by 4:00, no problem.

Yeah, I'll call you when I get in.

Gloria, this is Barney.

A big rig--

Yeah, I got it, Barney.

I'll pass it along.

Well, where'd he go?

- Who? - What do you mean, who?

Hal.

Dan, I don't know how to put this, but, um, Hal's rig was

in a crack up down at the I-80.

It was real bad.

Well, what are you talking about?

He was at the table with me.

I just got the call.

Hal didn't make it.

I'm really sorry.

I know how close you two were.

Poor guy.

He's been acting out ever since he got here.

At that moment, I needed

to make sense out of something that made no sense at all.

The whole afternoon, Gloria was acting like Hal was invisible.

Maybe he was to everyone but me.

But just like Hal asked, I let his wife know

about the money he'd put away.

And sure enough, she had no idea it even existed,

just like Hal said.

As for me, let's just say I finally

got my priorities straight, thanks to my weekly visit

with my driving buddy.

Was Dan actually visited by the spirit of Hal

or was it just his overtired mind playing tricks on him?

But if Dan was only imagining things, how could

he have possibly known about Hal's secret bank account?

Was it something Hal told him years ago that

became part of a hallucination?

But if Dan was hallucinating, who ate Hal's food?

If we're seeking the truth, should we stop here

or should we keep on trucking?

We'll tell you whether this story

is true or false at the end of our show.

Next a life is changed by the strange power of a magical box

on "Beyond Belief, Fact or Fiction."

The charm of a music box.

These intricately crafted objects

can cost anything from a few dollars to thousands.

But in most cases, the importance of these items

is found in their sentimental value.

Music boxes are often special gifts

given to us by special people.

Ellen Lippard has an emotional attachment to a music box

she's never owned.

She's only seen it in a movie.

The movie had a happy ending, but

the ending in store for Ellen is completely unpredictable.

Some things just can't be explained.

Take the vacation that changed my life.

It was my birthday week, so I decided to visit my best

friend Gail in California.

Gail and I had been close since grade school,

and I hadn't seen her since she moved away several years ago.

Eating lunch in the sunshine in February, Ellen,

promise me you won't let this get out to the people

back home. We'll be overrun here.

Our little secret.

This town really is paradise.

Yeah, I love it.

Ladies.

Oh, thank you.

Hey.

The only thing that would make it more perfect

is if I was here with--

A guy.

Wow how politically incorrect.

Sad but true.

I love you, but--

I think you're still carrying the torch for Ted.

Ted.

It's been six months, El.

It's over, really.

We've been friends since we were kids,

and I got to tell you, that's about

the most pathetic, least convincing

denial I've ever heard.

When we were still seeing each other, I don't think either Ted

or I truly appreciated the good times we had together.

He's really a terrific guy.

It's just sometimes we get into these stupid arguments

over nothing.

Maybe it was me, I don't know.

Anyway, that's why we broke up, another stupid argument.

What was it about?

Well, that's the really funny thing.

I don't even remember.

Have you been out dating much?

No one serious.

Whatever happened to old Ted?

I wish I knew.

He took the first out of town job he could get.

Something in sales I heard.

Anything to get away from me, I guess.

Hey, if you guys argued as much as you say--

It wasn't always that.

Well, still, you're probably better to be rid of the guy.

I guess.

Unbelievable.

What?

This music box.

Ted and-- Ted and I looked everywhere for one just

like it.

I first saw it in this movie-- a Charles Bronson film.

Charles Bronson?

Was there like a bomb in the music box?

Did-- did the little dancer shoe tiny machine guns?

It was actually a romance called, "From Noon till 3:00."

Charles Bronson spends a few romantic hours

with this young widow played by--

what's her name, his wife?

- Jill Ireland. - That's her.

Anyway, they dance together in this movie

and the woman owned a music box just like this one

with a dancing couple on it.

It was so neat.

You're getting me all teary-eyed.

Ted and I probably hit every antique store

and jewelry shop in Baltimore trying to find one of these.

Never had any luck.

Honey, Ted's out of your life.

Don't torture yourself.

Forget the music box, OK?

It's all settled.

Good.

I'm going to buy it.

What do you think?

A little birthday gift from me to me.

If you've sunk to buying yourself birthday presents,

you definitely need a boyfriend.

Charming piece, isn't it?

Unfortunately, it doesn't work.

The figurines, they don't dance anymore.

Take my advice on this one, Hon.

You buy a broken music box, it's only going to remind

you of a broken romance.

You're probably right.

Thanks.

I know just what somebody in your frame of mind

needs right now.

There's an ice cream parlor in the next block.

Oh, that could help.

Um-hmm.

Ellen, you have to admit, I was right.

Don't you feel like a new woman?

Gotta be the double fudge mocha.

Gotta be.

I'm about to do something really stupid.

Does this have some connection with Ted by any chance?

Ellen, I don't know if you've noticed,

but whenever Ted comes into the conversation,

the word stupid pops up a lot.

I'm going to buy the music box.

Well, maybe not.

Oh, I'm so, so sorry, dear.

The music box was just sold.

You're kidding.

I told the young man it didn't work.

And I told her it didn't matter.

Hello, Ellen.

Hello, Ted.

Gail, I don't think you've met.

This is unbelievable.

I'm sorry.

I didn't have a chance to get it gift wrapped.

Happy Birthday.

It's perfect.

It's the best present I've ever gotten.

Like I always say, some things just can't be explained.

Is this a romance rekindled by the Fates,

or is there a more cynical explanation.

Perhaps Ellen's girlfriend, Gail, set up the entire chance

encounter with Ted.

But did she plant the music box, too?

And how do you explain the broken music

box suddenly playing?

Is this story of a couple reunited

by the waltzing figures on a music box real?

Or are we just dancing around the truth?

We'll tell you whether this story

is true or false at the end of our show.

Next, a pawn shop becomes the scene of a nightmare on "Beyond

Belief, Fact or Fiction."

Storefront symbols.

That's the barbershop, the drugstore, a pawn shop.

Now while the first two are familiar to most of us,

the pawn shop is less widely understood.

Here's how it works.

If you need a quick cash loan, you take something

of value, say, your $300 watch.

A pawn broker might give you, say, $100 cash for your watch.

He keeps the watch, you get a claim ticket.

To get your watch back, you must come back

in the agreed upon time, pay back

the $100 plus an additional finance charge.

If you fail to return in the agreed upon time limit,

the pawnbroker is free to sell your watch to someone else.

This whole exchange process is very

important to our next story, a story in which

a young man named Ron Morrison finds he's

holding a ticket with Fate.

I never thought I'd be doing

business with a pawn shop.

But I got myself into bad money trouble,

so I pawned the watch my folks gave me for college graduation.

It probably cost them $1,000.

All I got for it was $150 cash.

Lucky for me, my buddy, Jerry, came through with the money,

so I could get the watch out of hock.

Here you go, $150, still hot from the ATM machine.

You saved my butt, man.

Gee, here I thought I was saving your watch.

Come on, let's get this over with.

Hi, how are you? I'm here for a pick up.

Yeah, nice watch.

I remember it.

You remember it, come on, what are you talking about?

A fella came in and bought it yesterday it says here.

What?

No, there must be some kind of mistake.

Can you check the number again?

See, I called two days ago for an extension.

Hey, kid, you can have all the extensions

you want as long as the item isn't sold.

But that's not what you told me over the phone.

Look at the back of your ticket.

It shows you how we operate.

Obviously, there's been a misunderstanding on your part.

Wait, are we talking about the same watch?

Can you just check the number one more time?

Look, here's all the watches I got.

You see your watch anywhere?

You lied to me, man.

You know, I called and I asked you very

specifically about my watch.

Hey, this phone rings all day long.

Maybe I talk with you, maybe I didn't.

So now you're calling me a liar, huh.

Why don't we settle this like gentlemen.

Butt out.

I'll handle this guy, Jer.

Lookit, you were late with your payment,

the watch got sold, that's the way the business works,

end of story.

This is not the end of the story,

and you better believe that.

Kid, all I have to do is push three little numbers 9-1-1,

and the cops are hauling you downtown.

Come on, man, forget this jerk.

Let's get out of here.

Listen to your friend.

He's giving you good advice.

He's right.

Yeah, he's right about you being a jerk.

This isn't over, old man.

Oh, how am I going to explain this to my parents?

I think you were just ripped off, man.

Yeah, well, I need to get that watch.

See that sign?

You know what those mean?

Two to one you won't get it back.

Yeah, well, you know what?

We'll see about that.

The next day, I went back to the pawn shop.

There was a guy with a red cap checking out a gun.

You again.

I told you, kid, I ain't got your watch.

Yeah, will let's have a look.

Why don't you open the safe.

That's a good idea.

Probably got lots of other goodies in it, too.

Do what the man says.

Open the safe!

All right, just watch you gun.

You can have anything you want.

Just don't use that thing.

It must really be something.

I can use me a fancy watch.

Ron, man, then what happened?

What happened?

What happened is I woke up.

I'm sweating like a pig.

That dream was so real.

What do you think it means?

Your dream?

Yeah.

I don't know.

Don't eat spicy food before you go to bed.

It was just a dream.

It doesn't have to mean anything.

This was more than a dream.

It was too real.

I mean, you know what I think?

I think that pawnbroker lied to me.

I think it's some kind of scam.

I think he never sold my watch.

Because of your dream?

It sounds like a long shot to me.

Maybe.

But if it's a long shot, it's the only shot I got, right?

I'll be right back.

It was exactly like my dream.

What's this?

Open the safe and get my watch.

I know you still got it.

When you get the safe open, give me

the watch and all the other goodies you got in there.

Back out of here!

You're not stealing my watch.

I'll bet that thing ain't even loaded.

Two to one, you're wrong.

Whew.

Thanks, pal.

But you know, there's no shells in this shotgun.

I know.

I know.

Just like I know you still got my watch.

Even though I was right about the watch,

I'd never done anything as stupid as grabbing

that shotgun.

I was lucky, very lucky.

From now on, I'm going to keep out of money trouble

during the day and try not to dream at night.

Was it just happenstance that Ron had that dream?

How do you account for such strong similarities

between his dream and the actual incident in the pawn shop?

Was it a case of premonition?

Ron has never experienced one before or since.

And can you answer an even bigger question?

Did this story really happen or is it just another pawn

in our game of lies?

We'll tell you whether this story

is true or false and at the end of our show.

Next, a chance encounter becomes a moment of terror

on "Beyond Belief, Fact or Fiction."

From Adam and Eve to today's best selling novels,

the world's oldest story is boy meets girl.

That's why papers are always filled

with personal listings and people seeking relationships.

In addition, videocassettes where you can meet potential

Mates on tape and, of course, the internet.

You can now surf for a partner on a hope and a modem.

Sandy Bowman is running out of hope.

Tried every method of finding the right guy.

And now she's prepared to seek him out in ways

that are "Beyond Belief."

I don't know how I get myself in these situations.

It's not that I'm desperate.

Well, OK, I guess I am a little desperate.

Man trouble.

Here's the deal.

Relationships just don't seem to work for me,

at least not for very long.

I've read all the self-help stuff, done couples counseling,

worked on my inner child, meditated,

and prayed in every religion known to man, all

without a bit of luck.

Then my friend, Marsha, had a strange suggestion.

She recommended this woman, sort of a--

now, don't laugh-- a gypsy fortune teller.

Her name was the strangest thing of all, Mrs. Hatchagin.

Hello.

Hi.

You've come a long way.

Yes, yes, I have.

How did you know?

Out of state license plates.

Come in.

You were the youngest in your family.

All sisters.

That's right.

All married.

Except you.

No ring.

You were engaged last year.

It didn't work.

It never seems to work.

I'm starting to believe--

I'm afraid, really, that I'm never

going to find the right guy.

That's why I came here, to have you see what you can see.

Will I find him?

No.

Wow.

That is because he is destined to find you.

You've been too busy looking to be found.

When she said that,

so much seemed to make sense.

My own desperate search for the right man,

forcing relationships, trying so hard to make something work.

It wasn't the answer I was hoping to get,

but it put everything into focus.

I was too intent on finding love,

instead of keeping my heart open and allowing love to find me.

Several days later, I was driving out to the country

to visit my friend, Marsha, to tell her all the details

of my talk with Mrs. Hatchagin, Including the best news of all,

that Mrs. Hatchagin saw someone special coming into my life

very soon.

I didn't realize just how soon.

I'd never picked up a hitchhiker in my life.

Sorry, but this guy was gorgeous.

Besides, here was a fella trying to find someone for a ride.

Maybe I was the one he was looking to find.

You saved my life.

I borrowed my buddy's car, and can't change a flat.

There's no tire iron or a jack.

I'm Chad.

- Sandy. - How are you doing.

Hi.

I could check the trunk.

That would be great.

Uh, let me just park.

I really appreciate it.

Thanks.

I think it's under the mat here.

What are you doing?

Just checking to see if you've got a cell phone,

so I can call my friend.

I'm really late.

You don't mind, do you?

Give me my purse back.

I'd like-- I'd like to go now.

I can't do that.

It'll ruin all my plans.

Get in the trunk.

We're going to take a little ride.

Where you going?

Where are you going?

You shouldn't have done that.

Now I'm going to have to punish you.

Don't worry.

You got a cell phone, call 9-1-1.

You sure you're going to be OK?

Yeah, I'll be fine.

I am fine thanks to you.

I'm just glad I found you in time.

What did you just say?

I'm glad I found you.

Yeah, you did find me, didn't you?

I'm sorry.

I think-- am I missing something?

No, no. I, uh, it's nothing.

I don't know your name.

Oh, Steve.

Sandy.

Steve Hatchagin.

Hatchagin, really.

I know, it's a pretty unusual name.

Actually, I've heard it before.

No kidding?

No kidding.

Do you want to get a cup of coffee?

I'd love to get a cup of coffee.

Yeah.

This experience went way beyond coincidence.

It was Steve's mother who had predicted

I would find the perfect man.

I mean, that he would find me.

Thank you, Mrs. Hatchagin.

Was this just a chance meeting?

Or is it possible that the hiker had seen Sandy getting

a reading from his mother?

Maybe he was waiting for the right moment

to introduce himself, but then how could

he have known exactly where Sandy was going to be?

It wasn't her idea to go into the woods.

Now, it's your job to judge this tale.

Is it a story of boy meets girl or fact meets fiction?

We'll tell you whether this story

is true or false at the end of our show.

Next, we learn what secrets are contained in the Horn of Death

on "Beyond Belief, Fact or Fiction."

It's not always easy to guess exactly what

certain items are used for.

Take this device.

It looks like a miniature space capsule

or perhaps a small torpedo.

It's actually an early air conditioning

unit for automobiles.

This part would fit into your open window

while the fan unit would circulate

the air inside your car.

Now, how about this?

Could it be a stapler?

Hole puncher?

In fact, it's a cherry pitter.

One easy step and you can eat a cherry that's both pit

and worry free.

The object in our next story is a bit more exotic,

its use a bit more unusual.

It's about to enter the world of antique dealer Hugh Santelli.

And exactly what this piece is used for

is about to be discovered by both Mr. Santelli and you.

I had thought I'd given up

all belief in the supernatural as a young man.

And as an adult, the profession I've chosen

doesn't allow the indulgence of such things.

I'm forced to deal in cold reality.

You see, I'm a mortician.

Hugh Santelli, dear fellow, ran an antique shop next door.

A boisterous gentleman, perhaps, but I was pleased to call

this [inaudible] man my friend.

I clearly remember the day and exact manner

our little wager began.

- You got it? - Got it.

- You got it? - I got it.

Don't say you got it if you don't.

I got it already.

A number of new pieces, I see.

Hey, how you doing?

Very well, thank you.

Good.

Yeah, yeah, the Peterson estate.

I bought everything that wasn't locked down.

Peterson, oh, yes, I handled the funeral arrangements.

We make a good partnership, huh?

You bury them, and I pick up all the pieces.

Yeah, they just don't make pieces of this quality

any more, huh?

Hey, I picked up an item you might be interested in,

a carved umbrella stand.

Whoa there.

Well, How's that for luck, huh?

One of the items I'm about to toss out almost does me in.

You You have no idea what this is, do you?

No.

Not the foggiest.

I've got the shade over there.

It still works.

But I don't know of an orchestra in the country

that could use one.

This is not a musical instrument, Santelli.

This is a death horn, once commonly used in my profession.

Run that by me again.

A death horn.

Decades ago before sophisticated medical procedures

were widely known, it was not unheard of for people

to be mistakenly buried.

Often they were comatose patients who

simply showed no signs of life.

Where does the horn fit in?

Many people had a fear of premature burial,

so they had one of these installed

in the casket reaching from the burial vault

to the surface of the ground.

You're kidding.

The theory went if you wake up in your coffin,

you give one of these a toot, and keep tooting until help

arrives.

Of course, modern medicine has made these items

as useless as a buggy whip.

Still, as an oddity of my profession,

I could take it off your hands for say, $25.

You gotta be kidding.

This little baby is off the wall enough for me

to sell to one of my--

how shall I say this--

eccentric buyers.

Oh, good theory perhaps, but if you tell them

what this item was really used for,

I'm afraid it will be a hard sell, indeed.

You forget who you're talking to.

I know only too well the curse of all things associated

with the death trade.

I needn't remind you of my dating history.

If I can sell antique bed warmers

to rich old ladies with central heating,

I could sell this puppy.

A foolhardy boast, I assure you.

Perhaps you'd care to back it up with a little wager.

Wager?

Happy to.

I tell you what.

If I don't sell this by the end of the week, it's yours.

Let's toss in dinner just to make it interesting.

Deal. One week from tonight.

Dinner at Piatti's.

I trust you like Italian food.

Don't eat your noodles before they're cooked.

Santelli went about the business

of trying to win our wager.

Mr. Yamaguchi, good to see you.

I have this very special, unique item

that was used here in America years ago in the funeral trade.

What about this nice stagecoach?

But this is one of a kind.

Your clients will adore it, solid brass.

It's called a death horn.

This is beautiful.

You see, in olden days, these were

installed in caskets when people were

sometimes buried prematurely.

And if you woke up buried alive, what you did was--

Huh, what do you think?

Hey, price is not a factor.

I'm willing to accept any reasonable offer, anything.

No sale?

See you tomorrow.

Good night.

Night.

Hi, Hon.

Yeah, I'm afraid you're on your own tonight.

Yeah, I lost a bet.

I've got to take to dinner.

Well, how do you think I feel?

Hey, it'll be fun.

Yeah, I'll be home as soon as I can.

I love you.

Aah.

Aaaah.

Santelli?

Santelli?

It was odd.

I had talked to Santelli not half an hour before.

I proposed meeting him at the restaurant.

He suggested we meet here at the store and drive together.

If he had changed his mind, why wasn't the door locked?

Santelli.

Is that you?

Hugh, dear god.

Though he still had a pulse, I felt I was looking

into the face of a dead man.

Yes, I need an ambulance.

1800 Riverside, Santelli's Antiques.

I couldn't figure it out.

Here was Santelli in the middle of the floor,

but unmistakably I'd heard the sound of--

The paramedics arrived just in time.

Somehow the death horn had done its job.

If the horn hadn't blown, Hugh Santelli would surely have

died on the floor of his shop.

But what made the horn sound when

nobody was around to blow it?

Is it possible that some air current from a vent

caused the sound?

If so, how could it have been so loud and so strong?

Could it be that Hugh Santelli telepathically willed

the sound to save his own life?

Or did the horn itself summon some human like spirit

to perform the job it was built to do?

Is this story of the possessed antique based on fact

or are our writers just blowing their own horn?

Next, you'll find out which of our stories

are true and which are false when "Beyond Belief,

Fact or Fiction" returns.

Now it's time to find out which of our stories

tonight are inspired by actual events

and which are totally made up.

How about the truckstop that was visited

by the invisible spirit?

Was this true or false?

I say it's time to get your priorities straight.

So you're leaning towards the towing package.

You know, you know, I had a hunch you'd go that way.

Save your money.

That thing hasn't been working for a week.

Gloria, one dance for the road.

Watch it, Buster!

I didn't do nothing.

I'm working on one of my migraines.

You picked the wrong day to mess with me.

Gloria, I didn't mess with you, that was-- it was him.

Camp

You need to take some time off.

And you need to keep your damn hands to yourself.

You think we created this story?

You're right.

It never happened.

What about the romantic story of the couple

brought together by the mystical music box, fact or fiction?

What do you think?

A little birthday gift from me to me.

If you've sunk to buying yourself birthday presents,

you definitely need a boyfriend.

Charming piece, isn't it?

Unfortunately, it doesn't work.

The figurines, they don't dance anymore.

Take my advice on this one, Hon,

you buy a broken music box, it's only going to remind

you of a broken romance.

Does this sound like one we made up?

Not this time.

Our research shows it happened on the West Coast in 1995.

Let's take another look at the story of the young man

and the pawn shop incident.

True or false?

What's this?

Open the safe and get my watch.

I know you still got it.

When you get the safe open, give me the watch.

And all the other goodies you got in there.

Back out of here!

You're not stealing my watch!

I'll bet that thing ain't even loaded.

Two to one, you're wrong.

Was this story of a man trapped in his own premonition

based on a real happening?

According to our research, it happened in the Midwest

around 1990.

It's fact.

How did you judge the story of the young woman who

found her Prince Charming in the most

unexpected way, fact or fancy?

What are you doing?

Just checking to see if you've got a cell phone,

so I can call my friend.

I'm really late.

You don't mind, do you?

Give me my purse back.

I'd like I'd like to go now.

I can't do that.

It would ruin all my plans.

Get in the trunk.

We're going to take a little ride.

Where are you going?

Where are you going?

This story is based on a real event discovered

by our research staff.

It happened in Miami, Florida.

Let's take another look at the story

of the antique dealer whose life was saved by an unusual object.

This is a death horn, once commonly used in my profession.

Run that by me again.

A death horn.

Decades ago, before sophisticated medical

procedures were widely known, it was not unheard of for people

to be mistakenly buried.

Often they were comatose patients who

simply showed no signs of life.

Where does the horn fit in?

Many people had a fear of premature burial,

so they had one of these installed

in the casket reaching from the burial vault

to the surface of the ground.

Do you think this one really happened?

If you did, we whistled one right past you.

It never happened.

It's false.

Once again, we've demonstrated that fact

and fiction are like two colors side

by side in the same palette.

Dip the brush in one color at a time and the result

is a basic color.

But mix them together and you end up

with a combination whose color can only be

described as "Beyond Belief."

I'm Jonathan Frakes.

The stories entitled "The Music Box,"

"Two to One," and "Damsel" are true

based on firsthand research conducted

by author Robert Tralins.

For "Beyond Belief, Fact or Fiction,"

this is Don LaFontaine.