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 story-- 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.

Examine if you will two sculptures of different sizes.

Obviously, this one is larger than this.

But is it really?

Now you can see they're exactly the same size.

Remember this illusion as you make your judgments

on our stories tonight.

We'll tell you which are true and which

are false at the end of our show, but keep this in mind

in measuring the amount of truth.

Very often, size matters.

This is always a site you'd rather not see, a memorial

to a recently departed one.

Often, they're displayed in front of places

that the deceased was associated with,

a school, a church, a community center.

Matt and Denise Russell have just

lost their son Danny, a victim of a cowardly hit and run.

They want a memorial placed at the deadly intersection

to remind people of the potential danger.

And like their son's memory, what

they're about to experience will live in their hearts forever.

PHILIP DUNCAN Danny Russell

was only nine years old when a hit

and run snuffed out his life.

And I bet the creep didn't even look back.

There were no witnesses and no suspects.

All I had was a chip of blue paint

from the fender of Danny's mangled bike.

Hey, Philip, thanks for doing this.

No problem.

How are you two holding up?

It hasn't been easy.

Still no leads?

No, nothing.

Sorry.

I think he's ready for us.

PHILIP DUNCAN I'd become

very close to Matt and Denise Russell, Danny's parents.

So when they asked for my help, I couldn't refuse.

They'd lost their only child, and they simply

wanted to erect a small memorial tomb at the site of his death.

But first, they had to get past civil servant Andrew Burke.

Mr. And Mrs. Russell, I can't possibly approve

your request for a memorial.

If-- if we started doing this type of thing,

there'd be memorials going up all over town.

But Mr. Burke--

I'm sorry for your loss.

But my hands are tied on this.

Mr. Burke, where Danny was killed

is a very dangerous intersection.

People speed through there all the time

running that stop sign.

Now if they saw a memorial and knew a child died there,

maybe they'd slow down.

You're making me look like a very bad person,

Detective Duncan, and I'm not.

I feel your pain.

But you-- you don't understand the amount of work and money

that goes into getting an approval

on this type of request.

Mr. Burke, we're more than willing to pay

for whatever costs come up.

Good.

That's good.

It's not the hard part, though.

The hard part is getting the special permit.

So how do they get the special permit?

They would need an executive waiver,

and those are very difficult to get.

I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you on this.

Now, you'll have to excuse me.

I'm going to be late for a meeting.

I'm sorry.

Thank you all for coming in.

Just a second.

You're just going to brush us off like that?

Can't you see these people are hurting?

I see that, and I understand.

But what you're asking for would set a very dangerous precedent.

Now I really am late.

Dangerous?

Dangerous.

This building's just full of bureaucratic weasels like him.

nothing but double talk.

Well, you did your best, Phil.

Ah, I did nothing.

I keep letting you people down.

That's not true.

You have been a rock to us both.

I don't know what we would have done without you.

I just want to find the person who took your boy away.

Thank you.

Thanks for trying.

Just when I thought it was all over,

something unexplainable happened.

A permit signed by the mayor approving a memorial

for Danny Russell turned up on Andrew

Burke's desk the following day.

Burke thought the Russells and I went to the mayor,

but we didn't.

The permit simply appeared, and no one knew how it got there.

I found out later that the mayor didn't even remember signing.

Thank you all for coming today.

My wife and I want to thank Mayor Cousins for approving

this memorial to our son Danny.

We, uh, hope that this memorial will serve as a reminder

that a young life was taken here for no reason.

Maybe it will save other parents the agony of such a loss.

And we'd, uh, especially like to thank

Detective Phil Duncan for all the support he's given us.

My wife and I would now like to officially dedicate

this memorial in our son's memory.

PHILIP DUNCAN To this day,

I truly believe there was something

that was not of this world about the wind that day.

It just came up out of nowhere and started

blowing, strong, warm wind.

Strange for the month of November.

What that wind did next will be talked about in 32nd District

long after I'm gone.

I'd never seen anything like it in my life.

Nobody had.

The blue car running that same stop sign.

That was when I got to thinking.

It didn't seem possible, but I decided to check it out anyway.

I ran the chip of paint through the lab

and came out a match to the blue paint

I found on the fender of Danny Russell's bike.

The case was finally solved.

I thought I was working it alone.

But I guess I had a partner.

How do you explain this series of coincidences?

A mysterious last minute permit granted by the mayor

suddenly appears.

A change in the weather kicks up winds strong enough

to blow the wreath into the air, and

the car it knocks off course belongs

to the hit and run driver.

It seems that the hand of fate may have reached in to ensure

that justice was done.

Will you remember this story as being

built on a series of lies?

Or have we erected a memorial to the truth?

We'll find out if this story is true or false

at the end of our show.

Next, a quiet night at home is interrupted by terror on Beyond

Belief, Fact or Fiction.

Have you called a plumber to your home lately?

Some of them charge more than doctors.

And you usually don't have time for a second opinion.

Jeff and Sarah Cummings are about to have

a crisis that no plumber can possibly fix.

In fact, they won't just be living in an apartment

with plumbing problems.

They're about to live in a state of fear.

My husband and I loved

our old brownstone apartment.

We enjoyed it so much we hardly went out anymore, especially

when the weather was bad.

Do you hear something?

The rain.

No, there's something dripping in the bathroom.

I think we got a leak.

Maybe it's just the faucet.

Yeah, let's hope that's all it is.

It's just so annoying.

Good.

You were right.

It was just the faucet.

One of us didn't turn it off tight enough.

Oh, I don't believe it.

It's dripping again.

I guess one of us didn't turn it off tight enough.

Funny.

Jeff, just like it drip.

It's not bothering me.

Yeah, well, it's bothering me.

I can't concentrate.

That should do it.

Ah, I got it this time.

Mm, my big, strong man.

There's no faucet you can't handle.

Mm, put that book down.

Wait now?

Oh, no, Jeff, it sounded like something broke.

Jeff, I thought you said you turned it off.

Yeah, I did.

I don't get it.

How could it come back on?

OK, there is definitely something wrong.

Jeff, that came on all by itself.

I know.

What is going on here?

I'll call a plumber in the morning.

I was too upset to sleep.

Jeff tried to calm me down, but--

It was probably just a build up of air in the pipes.

Do you really believe that?

Well, what else could it be?

Jeff.

It's just air in the pipes.

That's all it is.

I've never heard pipes sound like that before.

It's like there's something dying inside the walls.

OK, let's go.

How is this happening?

The drains must be clogged.

Jeff, you're getting water all over the place.

There's nothing wrong here.

Shut it off.

I'm trying.

Do you think it's over?

I don't know.

There's water everywhere.

We better check on the tenant under us.

I bet it leaked through.

I'm going to go wake up the super.

That is the weirdest thing I've ever heard.

I know.

I just couldn't turn it off.

Nothing happened in your apartment?

No.

You didn't hear the sound of the pipes?

No.

I mean, all I heard was the rain outside.

This whole thing is so bizarre.

Mrs. Flores?

It's Roy.

I know it's late, but we got a plumbing problem.

Mrs. Flores.

There's something wrong here.

She's always here.

Mrs. Flores?

Mrs. Flores!

Call 911.

Agnes Flores, the widow who

lived below us, had suffered a heart

attack that night while she was drawing a bath for herself.

If our plumbing hadn't gone haywire,

we never would have found her in time to save her life.

Jeff and I thought it was just a weird coincidence, until we

got back to our apartment.

What a night.

Let's go to bed.

It sounds like running water.

Now what?

How do you account for all of this?

It Was just a case of bad pipes?

If so, how do you explain the fact

that Jeff and Sarah never had any other problems

with the pipes before or since?

And how 'bout the word thanks that appeared

on their bathroom mirror?

Was it really there or just an optical illusion?

Did the downstairs neighbor somehow

send an unconscious cry for help through the running water?

Is this the story of plumbing with a mind of its own?

Or is it just another pipe dream?

We'll find out if this story is true or false

at the end of our show.

Next, a portrayed artist selects an unusual new subject on

Beyond Belief, Fact or Fiction.

What can you learn from looking at a portrait?

Some believe through the genius of an expert artist,

you can actually see the soul of the subject,

that by gazing at a portrait long enough,

a story actually begins to form in your mind.

This picture has a fascinating story behind it.

Some would say unbelievable.

How it came to be and what happened

as a result of its existence are about to unfold.

Goodbye.

All right, I'll see you next week.

I sold my first painting

when I was 12 years old.

It was to my Uncle Ben, but it was a start.

Since then, I've been lucky enough

to have showings in top galleries

in this country and Europe.

One Saturday, I went down to the local park near my studio

to do some sketch work, as I often did,

and that's when I saw her for the first time.

The old woman looked so lonely and sad,

yet there was such a great strength

and beauty in her face.

And her eyes were so intense and so knowing, I had to paint her.

I'm sorry for staring.

I'm Beth Abrams I'm an artist.

I have a studio right down the street.

I'd love to do an oil painting of you.

Why would you want to paint a portrait of me?

I'm old and tired.

Paint the children.

They're still beautiful and full of life.

I have enough paintings of children.

I'd like to paint you.

You have an amazing face.

It's just a face.

I'd rather not.

Well, it's up to you, but I think you'd be

pretty happy with the painting.

I could pay you for your time.

Do you have tea at your house?

Tea?

I have so much tea I don't know what to do with it.

Do you have chamomile?

Mostly chamomile.

I love a cup of tea in the afternoon.

So do I. What's your name?

Call me Tants

Hello.

Hello.

That first day with Tants,

I worked as fast as I could.

I-- I didn't want to exhaust her.

She wouldn't take her coat off.

I don't think she was cold.

She just didn't want to part with it.

Are you all right?

I'm fine.

Stop worrying.

We can take a break if you want.

I don't need a break.

And don't paint so fast.

You might make a mistake and miss a wrinkle.

There was something about those eyes

that were mesmerizing to me.

They were hard to capture, but they

had a deep strength that went beyond her sad, lonely face.

Your chamomile.

Thank you.

I just love a cup of tea in the afternoon.

It's a habit I developed from my father a long, long time ago.

I'd sit on his lap, and he'd tell me stories

about when he was a boy.

He would hold my teacup so I wouldn't burn myself.

I still remember those stories and my father.

- That's a beautiful memory. - I have some.

You noticed my mark.

Yes, I did.

I was for three years a prisoner at Auschwitz.

The camp was liberated one day before I was to die.

I lost my whole family--

my parents, my husband, my darling little daughter.

Everyone I loved.

I'm so sorry, Tants.

I keep the mark so the world will

never forget what happened.

Don't cry, [non-english].

I've cried enough for both of us.

Always remember as long as there's life, there's hope.

I began spending a lot of time

with Tants, not only for the painting,

but just to be around her.

I made her smile, and we made each other feel good.

There was a strong connection.

It was like I'd known her for a lifetime.

Beth?

Ma?

Hi.

You're back.

How was your cruise?

Wonderful.

Your father finally relaxed a little,

and, uh, I caught up on my reading.

So, how's your work going?

Ah, pretty good.

I've got a show coming up in late April in Manhattan.

I'm a little worried I won't be ready.

Oh, you'll be ready.

That's how you motivate yourself,

by making yourself crazy.

You know, ma.

Do you like it?

Who is this woman you painted?

Just someone I met in the park.

Ma, what's wrong?

Those eyes.

I know.

She has the most beautiful eyes.

Who is she?

An interesting old woman I met in the park.

Her name is Tants.

Tants.

Yeah.

Can you take me to see her?

My mother was holding

my hand so tight that it hurt.

I asked her what was wrong.

There she is.

She wouldn't tell me.

She just wanted to see Tants.

Tants?

Mama?

Is it really you, Silvila?

My little baby.

Yes, mama.

It's your little Silvila.

You're alive.

I thought--

I know.

I know.

I thought you were dead, too.

BETH ABRAMS My mother

was one of the lucky children who

escaped from Germany just in time to avoid

the concentration camps.

Her parents were sent to Auschwitz,

and according to the records, they both died there.

But the records were wrong.

Tants was my grandmother.

The woman known as Tants moved in with her long lost daughter

and lived out her days in peace and comfort.

Was this family reunited through mere happenstance?

Or was some greater power at work here?

We'll find out if this story is true or false

at the end of our show.

Next, an unseen power becomes part

of a political campaign on Beyond Belief, Fact or Fiction.

There's nothing noisier or more

spirited or competitive than an old fashioned

political campaign.

No matter how it turns out, it's democracy

in action, flaws and all.

Senator Wilton Quigley represents the flaws

in the system, and he's represented

them brazenly and arrogantly for over four decades.

In that time, he's handled every young challenger

to his Senate seat with ease.

But this is Quigley's last hurrah,

and this time, his opponent may be fate itself.

Hey, Senator Quigley!

We love you!

Wilton Quigley.

I'm running for US Senate again.

I'd appreciate your support, son.

CAMPAIGN MANAGER I was

hired to run the re-election campaign

for Senator Wilton Quigley.

Senator Quigley had been a member of the US Senate

for the past 40 years.

Senator Wilton Quigley, ma'am.

I'd appreciate your support.

During that time,

he racked up one of the worst voting

records in Senate history.

I'll be working for you in Washington.

God bless you, son.

He was often absent

during critical votes, and when he was there,

he only voted for bills that he was paid to vote

for by his wealthy backers.

Just want you to know I'm for the little guy.

Right before I signed on,

Quigley had agreed to a televised

debate with his young opponent Dave Bridges,

and Bridges was sharp.

Good to see so many of my supporters here.

I'm looking forward to my debate with my opponent, Dave, uh--

Bridges.

On top of everything,

Quigley's memory was beginning to fail.

I give you my word, I'll go easy on him.

CAMPAIGN MANAGER He'd

forget what to say at times and often confused his words.

That's why he hired me.

I was one of the best spin doctors in the business.

We arranged for the debate to take place at the oldest hotel

in the state, the Hunnicutt.

It's where the senator stayed the first night he was elected

to the Senate 40 years ago.

And for 40 years, he considered it his good luck hotel.

He insisted that only good things

happened at the Hunnicutt.

Good evening.

My name is Judith Bartell.

I'd like to call the room to order

and thank you for being here this evening to witness

this very important debate.

I would like now to introduce the two

candidates running for the seat in the United States Senate.

Please welcome the honorable Senator Wilton Quigley.

And Mr. Dave Bridges.

The senator was worried

about his memory problem.

So we planted a tiny receiver in his ear

so I could feed him answers from our hotel suite.

I'd done this before with other candidates,

and it was foolproof.

Stop scowling, Senator.

You look too angry.

Good.

That's good.

The first question goes

to the challenger, Mr. Bridges.

Mr. Bridges, do you believe that big industries

should be allowed to set their own pollution standards?

No I don't.

That's something my opponent has always ignored.

If I were elected, I would immediately push to toughen

our state's environmental laws.

Under Senator Quigley's leadership,

our state has compiled one of the worst environmental records

in the entire country.

It's been a health hazard for all of our citizens,

and I believe a change is needed.

Thank you, Mr. Bridges.

Thank you.

Senator Quigley, same question.

Good question, Judith.

Say, "My opponent is absolutely wrong."

Say it-- "My opponent is absolutely wrong."

My opponent is absolutely right.

What are you doing?

You just agreed with him.

Say, "I have always put the health

of the people ahead of the interests of big business."

As your US senator, I've always

put the interests of big industry ahead

of the health of the people.

What are you doing?

Wait.

That's not what I meant.

You're not listening to me.

OK.

Calm-- calm down, senator.

Calm down.

Touch your chin if you can hear me.

Senator Quigley, would you like

to retract that last statement?

Yes, yes.

Say yes.

Say, "I was misunderstood.

I have never been in the back pocket of big business."

I was misunderstood.

And I've always been in the back pocket of big business.

No, you-- this can't be happening.

I didn't mean that.

What-- what I meant was I--

I-- I think it's time for a change,

and I believe that you would be the best

man to make those changes.

Thank you, senator, for that endorsement.

Wait, wait.

I didn't mean that.

I just don't understand what happened.

I repeated every word I heard you say,

and other words kept coming out of my mouth.

I can't believe you endorsed Bridges.

I didn't mean to.

It just came out.

It's over, senator.

You've basically conceded the election to him.

I don't wanna go out like this, looking like a damn fool.

Yeah well, so much for your lucky Hunnicutt Hotel.

Oh, it ain't called the Hunnicutt no more.

What's that?

The Lincoln.

Yeah, the new owners changed the name 'cause they found

out old Honest Abe himself gave a speech

right here in this hotel.

Can you believe that, senator?

CAMPAIGN MANAGER Looking back,

it wasn't me feeding Quigley his lines that night.

It was Abraham Lincoln.

What happened here?

Did the spirit of Abraham Lincoln

actually seize hold of Senator Quigley

and force him to tell the truth?

Or did the senator just crack under the pressure

of one too many campaigns?

How do you explain his inability to say what he wanted to?

Was it the symptom of a failing mind?

In debating the veracity of this story,

will you vote for a victory for truth?

Or will you demand a recount?

We'll find out if this story is true or false

at the end of our show.

Next, lust and murder in a beauty salon on Beyond

Belief, Fact or Fiction.

The beauty salon--

how many secrets have been told here between stylist to client?

How many confidences have been shared or betrayed

in places like this?

Tiffany Sands is a beautician with a secret,

a secret she doesn't dare tell her client Eileen Wyatt.

And as for Eileen's future well-being, only

your hairdresser knows for sure.

So I thought SpaGo, you know?

Tiffany Sands had been working

as a hairdresser for Henri Benet Salon for the past year,

ever since she put her dream of becoming an actress on hold.

No.

No, we have to have the Golden Globes party at our house.

I mean, it's so much more personal that way.

You know, I had to agree with him.

I swear he is always right.

That's why he's such a good lawyer.

Eileen Wyatt loved having

her hair done by Tiffany.

They acted like a couple of old girlfriends.

The only thing that separated them

was a Beverly Hills dress and a few million dollars.

You're the best, Tiff.

Hey.

Reese and I are having a party on Saturday night.

Everybody is gonna be there.

I'd love it if you could come.

I would love to, but I'm busy.

Oh, too bad.

Well, maybe next time.

Yeah.

Reese What are you doing here?

I thought I'd come by and surprise you.

Aw, that's so sweet.

I don't deserve you.

Yeah.

Oh, hey, do you remember Tiffany?

Tiffany. Of course.

How've you been?

Fine.

So What do you think?

Do you like it?

Is too short?

Oh, honey, no, it's perfect.

It's beautiful.

You're beautiful.

Thank you, sweetie.

Hey, do you have time to do lunch?

Oh.

Honey don't tempt me.

I'm sorry.

I gotta run to another meeting.

Oh.

You know you work too hard.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

I love you.

I love you.

What?

I just can't stand this anymore.

Why?

I-- I thought everything was going great.

Well, it's not.

Look at us, the--

the laundry room a the salon?

Yeah, well?

I should be in your bed.

I should be your wife.

Tiffany We've been all through this.

I want you to divorce that cow.

- I can't do that. - Why not?

- It'll cost me a fortune, - So what?

You're rich.

I won't be once Eileen gets through me.

I don't care.

I don't want this anymore.

Come on, Tiffany.

Come on.

Can we just have some fun?

No, we can't.

Tiffany Tiffany, wait.

I got this for you.

Oh, Reese, this must've cost you a fortune.

It's just a fraction of what you're worth to me.

It looks like the Hope Diamond.

Does it come with a curse?

Oh, yes.

My wife.

That is some ring.

Oh, it's beautiful.

My boyfriend gave it to me.

He's an attorney, just like Reese.

Really, what's his name?

Gil.

Gil Grayson.

I don't him.

He must be a great guy to give you a ring like that.

He is.

He's the best.

Well, you should marry him, sweetie.

I'm working on it.

It was Tiffany's job

to close up that night, and she couldn't

get Reese off her mind.

She had to have him and his money all to herself.

You busy tonight?

Yeah, I am.

Oh, that's too bad.

I, uh, I just happen to be free.

I'm sure you'll find something to do.

Yeah, I'm sure I will.

All right, let's see if this baby works.

Hey, take it easy, OK?

Everything's fine.

Um, nothing so far.

It's probably just a short circuit.

Can you fix it?

Yes.

I can fix anything.

You know you're lucky you didn't have one of your rich clients

in here.

Woulda turned their brains to french fries.

Really?

Oh, yeah.

There's enough voltage in here to turn

somebody's brain to soup.

So tell me, Ned.

Could you rig one up to do that?

Oh, yeah, easy.

Why?

What do you got in mind?

You see this ring?

Uh-huh.

It's worth $150,000.

I'll sell it and give half if you rig a dryer up

to do that when I turn it on.

You got anything that you wanna sweeten the pot with?

I think we could work something out.

Oh, I don't know.

Highlight?

Are you sure?

Will you relax?

It's gonna look great.

For sure?

Yes, for sure.

OK.

I trust you.

Hey, has that lawyer asked you to marry him yet?

Not yet.

But he might by the end of the day.

Really?

Oh, Tiffany, I'm so happy for you.

That's wonderful.

Thank you.

Listen, don't forget to send me an invitation.

I won't.

OK.

So it's time for the dryer, Eileen.

Oh, I hate sitting under those things.

Can you just blow it out?

No, Eileen, it-- it wouldn't process right.

Come on.

You gotta sit under the dryer, sweetie.

OK Fine.

OK.

It's a great retro model.

We just got it.

Lucky me.

So have a seat.

How's that?

All right?

Yeah, it's fine.

Great.

Goodbye, Eileen.

The fatal shock of electricity

traveled from the dryer to Tiffany's expensive ring.

When the repairman showed up that evening,

he was questioned by the police.

Eventually, he tripped up and confessed to rigging the dryer.

He then received a criminal conviction

in connection with the death of Tiffany Sands.

Was there really a curse on the diamond Tiffany was wearing?

Or was she just the victim of her own greedy treachery?

Does the story of the deadly diamond

sound like an out and out lie?

Or does it bear the ring of truth?

Next, you'll find out which of our stories

are fact and which are fiction when Beyond Belief returns.

Now let's look back at tonight's stories

and find out which ones are inspired by actual events

and which ones are totally false.

Let's review the story of the memorial wreath

that caught a killer.

Can it be that this story is fact?

Yes, it is.

This event was reported as taking place in the Gulf

Coast area in the late '80s.

Let's take another look at the couple whose night of terror

saved a neighbor's life.

This whole thing is so bizarre

Mrs. Flores?

It's Roy.

I know it's late, but we got a plumbing problem.

Mrs. Flores.

There's something wrong here.

She's always here.

Mrs. Flores?

Mrs. Flores!

Call 911.

Is it possible that this story is true?

Yes, it is.

There's a published report that a similar story

happened to a couple on the East Coast in the late '80s.

How 'bout the story of the reunion of a family

brought together by a portrait?

Ma, what's wrong?

Those eyes.

I know.

She has the most beautiful eyes.

Who is she?

An interesting old woman I met in the park.

Her name is Tants.

Tants.

Yeah.

Can you take me to see her?

Is this story based on a real happening?

Yes.

It happened in New York in the mid '70s.

What was your opinion of the dishonest senator who

was forced to tell the truth in the historic shadow of Abraham

Lincoln?

I repeated every word I heard you say,

and other words kept coming out of my mouth.

I can't believe you endorsed Bridges.

I didn't mean to.

It just came out.

It's over, senator.

You've basically conceded the election to him.

I don't wanna go out like this, looking like a damn fool.

Yeah, well, so much for your lucky Hunnicutt Hotel.

Oh, it ain't called the Hunnicutt no more.

What's that?

The Lincoln.

Was this story inspired by an actual event?

Not on your life.

It's a lie.

The story of the beautician who was

killed by her ill gotten expensive

ring, how did you judge that one?

I got this for you.

Oh, Reese, this must've cost you a fortune.

It's just a fraction of what you're worth to me.

It looks like the Hope Diamond.

Does it come with a curse?

Oh, yes.

My wife.

Is this strange lesson on the evils of greed and lust true?

Sorry.

It's a fraud.

Was it easy to find the truth among the lies tonight?

Or did they seem to blend together

and are impossible to separate?

Perhaps real truth can only be found

when you're willing to accept that very

often, it's beyond belief.

I'm Jonathan Frakes.

The true stories on tonight's show

where based upon firsthand research

by author Robert Tralin.

This is Campbell LANE.