Original subtitles

Specific gravity 3.62.

That looks good. If it remains stable, we may have something.

Specific gravity 3.62.

All right, get ready to start test series number one.

Hydrogen generator pressure?

Normal.

All right.

Start number one. Begin in five seconds.

Five, four, three.

Start.

Start the exhaust fans.

The exhaust.

Oh, no, no, no. Wait till all the gas is exhausted.

Doctor?

Now, Paul.

Such are the hazards of scientific research.

And strange as it may seem, this is not the end, but only the beginning of the

ordeal of Dr.

Cordell.

Our leading players are Mr. Robert Vaughan, Miss Kathleen

Crowley,

Mr. Robert Ellenstein, and Mr. Russ Conway.

Speaking of chemistry, this thriller is a mixture of one part scientific

possibility, one part imaginative melodrama, and two parts pure

terror.

These are the hazards of science.

Just lie quietly now.

I've just given you an injection of adrenaline.

No, no, lie still.

Are you all right?

Mm-hmm.

Your notes?

They're safe.

When is it, Doc?

Ten minutes ago, he had no discernible heartbeat, and now it's normal.

How do you feel, Frank?

Other than a splitting headache, I feel all right.

Can I get up?

Come on.

Well,

you better phone Washington, Doctor, and tell them to run the rest of these

tests.

I guess we've got a new problem to solve now.

What's that?

This mask is supposed to protect against any known gas.

And it failed me completely in there.

Are you sure it's working correctly?

Well, we both checked it before I went in the cage. It's routine.

But it must be defective. If it isn't, you know what you're suggesting.

Not suggesting.

I'm telling you.

Some new kind of gas was generated by this fire.

Well, we've spent two years trying to find an antidote for nerve gas, and then

suddenly we stumble on even a more frightening problem, a gas against which

our best equipment is completely useless.

A new gas?

Well, there must be some other explanation for what happened to you.

Well, you gave me a physical examination less than a month ago. Was I a candidate

for a heart palpitation or a sudden blackout?

No. Let's face it, Doctor.

What we can discover by accident, others can discover too, or possibly have

already discovered.

I can see tentatively that you've run onto something unique.

I'll report it to Washington and send this gas mask along to be checked.

Do you have any idea what combination of chemicals occurred during the fire?

Well, yes, but it would take weeks, months even, to check out all the

possibilities. Oh, Frank.

I guess I bounced a little harder than I thought I did. You're going home.

Now, no work until I say so. Now, no arguments. You're going home.

Lois, you'll drive him. There may be more after effects.

I'm more likely to have after effects from her driving.

Mind your manners, Doctor.

You're a little too fragile to be bounced again.

Come on.

She never got over being champ of her judo team.

You two go along.

I'll see that everything's secured here.

Here we are, Doctor.

Your bachelor digs.

I'll see you to the door like a proper escort should.

I say, what did you put in those drinks?

Adrenaline and oxygen.

A real gas, sir.

Well, I've certainly had a wonderful evening, Miss Walker, but I really must

say good night.

Oh, well, it's a shame to break it up so early.

Couldn't I come in for just a few minutes?

No, I don't think so. Oh, just for a cup of coffee.

No, no, no.

Or something.

Well, I hardly know you, Miss Walker.

I've been acting like a selfish little heel.

Frank, forgive me.

I'd be worried if you weren't disappointed.

So am I.

Believe me.

Well, that's all I wanted to hear.

Darling? What happened? I don't know.

Suddenly the sound of that little bell almost drove me out of my mind.

My heart began to pound and every sound was horribly amplified.

Oh, you're still a little shaky from that accident at the lab.

Yeah, I guess that must be it.

Come on inside and into bed.

And you stay there until I phone you tomorrow.

All right, good night.

Good night, darling.

Dr. Cordell?

Dr. Cordell?

Dr. Cordell, are you in there?

Doctor?

Yes, Mrs. Eve.

Didn't you hear your phone?

It's been ringing for the past 20 minutes.

Miss Walker's been trying to reach you.

All right, thank you. I'll call her right back.

Darling, are you all right?

Yes.

Why didn't you answer the phone? I had to call Mrs. Heath.

I'm sorry. I guess I was dead to the world.

How are you feeling?

Fine.

In fact, great.

That's wonderful.

I'll pick you up in ten minutes.

And don't bother with Mrs. Heath's orange juice and that lumpy oatmeal.

You're buying me an expensive brunch downtown.

A brunch?

Well, it's nearly noon, sluggard.

Mrs. Heath, what's happened?

Good Lord.

Who'd do a thing like that to a helpless little bird?

Those fiends. Those vicious fiends.

They killed little Billy just to get even.

To get even?

Because I reported them to the juvenile authorities.

Roaming the streets after curfew.

The neighbor kids?

All right, you go on inside, Mrs. Heath.

I'll take care of Billy.

No, I'll do it.

I'll put him where the cats won't find him.

He was always so afraid of cats.

You mean that you actually were brewing moonshine right beneath your chemistry

professor's nose?

Right under his red nose. I always felt the old boy was wise to us. He was

probably sampling the stuff after class.

No wonder you weren't kicked out in your freshman year.

It's a miracle I didn't poison the entire undergraduate school.

What started me reminiscing must be something to do with this brunch

business. You know, that is a scandalous deterioration of good, staunch, orthodox

habits combining breakfast with lunch.

Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad.

Do you know I nearly lost you last night?

But today you're wonderfully alive and bright again.

Why, you're almost fun to be with.

Cigarette? I guess I have been a little difficult to get along with lately, but

for some strange reason, despite the job we're facing, I feel positively

stimulated.

Match, darling?

Come on.

We got work to do.

Another night session?

Well, I can take it if he can.

Any progress?

Oh, nil.

Three weeks trying to recreate that gas, and I've got nothing but circles under

my eyes.

How is he feeling?

Well, I think he's overworking.

It's like a compulsion.

It's almost frightening.

Maybe I'd better take another look at him.

Ask him to come around to my office first thing in the morning.

Good. Good night. Good night, Doctor.

Lois? Yes?

In the future, please don't shut off the intercom.

I'm sorry.

I was afraid Dr. Bronner's chitchat would bother you.

It bothers me a great deal more for me to know you're talking about me behind

my back.

It wasn't anything sinister.

He just stopped in to see how you were feeling.

I'm in perfect health.

You're not an M.D., doctor, so stop diagnosing yourself.

Incidentally, um, Dr. Brawner wants to check you over.

All right, Frank, that's all for tonight. Come out of there now.

Frank?

Well, that was a stupid thing to do, wasn't it?

You should take the hint.

That was a typical fatigue symptom.

I'm sorry if I frightened you.

No, forget it.

Seems that all I'm doing these days is apologizing.

Well, at least you're not ignoring me.

You're quitting?

No, you go on ahead. I want to go over these notes some more. There's still

something wrong with our procedure.

Go ahead, please.

All right.

Good night. Good night.

Excuse me. I'm lost, I think.

What are you doing in here?

I'm new on the campus. I thought the library was in this building.

I'm so sorry.

All right, just a minute.

How did you get in here?

What? How did you get through that door?

I just walked through it.

I said I was sorry.

It was open? Yes.

And you didn't see this sign, of course. Oh, I didn't notice. What's your name?

Susan Baker. And you just walked through this door?

Well, yes, I saw a light down here and I just... And it was open? Yes. Well, it

couldn't have been open. It's always locked.

It locks automatically.

Well, I don't know about that, but it really was open.

I'm sorry, Miss Baker.

It needs adjusting. I'll point you to the library. Thank you.

Here's that building on the other side.

I'm positive of it, Lieutenant.

She's the same girl I saw when I was leaving last night.

What time was that, Miss Walker?

Oh, about ten.

And you say she was headed for this building?

No. No, I said I saw her heading in this general direction.

Oh, right.

Dr. Cordell?

Frank, this is Lieutenant Butarek of the Homicide Squad.

How do you do?

We were about to go looking for you.

What for?

Well, Mrs. He said you left about an hour ago.

Oh, well, I was driving around. I wanted to think.

Would you mind telling me what time you quit work last night?

Well, I don't know. I would imagine it was about an hour after Dr. Walker left.

Did you hear about the murder? A co-ed named Susan Baker?

Yes, I did on the, um...

Radio.

As near as we've been able to tell, the last person to see Miss Baker alive was

your associate.

She was headed for this building.

Did you see her, Dr. Cordell?

Oh, no, I don't think so.

She might have wandered into your lab.

No, that's impossible. This corridor has a double lock. We three have the only

keys. That's right, Lieutenant.

You haven't answered my question, Dr. Cordell.

No, I didn't.

Where did you find her?

Just across the way in the shrubbery.

Poor thing.

What he did to her.

You saw her?

I asked Miss Walker to identify the girl.

I see.

I guess that's all for now.

Thank you.

Goodbye, Lieutenant.

What a horrible thing to have happen.

Well, doctor, I believe you wanted to examine me this morning.

Don't tell me you're actually submitting without a fight.

Well, you two seem determined that there's something wrong with my health.

I think if you have any after effects from that gas, we ought to know it.

All right, come on now. Let's get it over with.

Well... You can get dressed now.

Well...

How long do I have to settle my temporary affairs, Doctor?

Get dressed.

I don't want you catching pneumonia on my account.

Come in.

Excuse me, Doctor.

Oh, come in, Lieutenant.

Before I leave, I'd like to get your opinion on something that's bothering

me. What's that, Lieutenant?

You remember those deep scratches on your ear lobes?

Well, you were right. She was wearing earrings.

And the killer did tear them off.

My men just found one about 30 yards from the scene.

Apparently, the killer dropped it.

What kind of a psycho would ignore her wristwatch and the money in her purse

and just take a worthless little thing like this?

That's very difficult to say, Lieutenant.

Possibly a trophy of the kill.

Yes, but why not her scarf or something more personal?

Why earrings?

Who knows?

Perhaps it has a hidden psychological meaning for the killer.

A symbol which released some deeply suppressed homicidal urge.

What do you mean?

Suppose that in his infancy, he had been terrorized by an older child, a sibling.

Terrorized with a toy bell.

Such a repressed nightmare could lie dormant for years and then suddenly

explode in seemingly senseless violence.

It's all a matter of chemistry, brain chemistry.

Well, how so, Doctor?

Well, human behavior is a direct result of the chemical balance of the cerebral

cortex, that portion of the brain which controls our higher mental functions,

particularly moral judgments, the ability to choose between right and

wrong.

You mean a sudden change in brain chemistry could turn a normal man into a

killer? Yes, exactly.

Well, suppose your theory was correct.

Do you mean you could restore the moral balance of a man by restoring the

chemical balance of his brain?

Possibly, if one only knew what elements were involved.

And otherwise?

Otherwise, he must go on killing.

Supper is served, master.

Sammy Fong says there's actually chicken in the chicken chow mein tonight.

Would you like me to send in the menu?

Oh, Frank, come on, let's not let it get cold again tonight, please.

Can't you see I'm trying to concentrate?

So am I, oh, my neglected feed box.

Is that all you can think about, food?

I have a vague remembrance of something called sleep.

Listen, you don't have to put up with it.

I mean it. You can quit any time you like.

All right, I know you're bush, Frank, but don't say any more.

Just don't say any more.

I haven't stuck my head out of that cage for two weeks.

And I'm no closer to the answer than I ever was.

Now, do you think you're helping me by these constant interruptions? This is

supposed to be a laboratory. We're here to work. We have a job to do.

You're darn right. A man-sized job, and there's no room for adolescents who

can't stand failure. All right, that's enough, Lois.

Oh, no.

No, I've held this in much too long.

Do you know, at first, I was even proud to share in your work. Well, I even felt

a little corny twinge of patriotism when I went without food or worked into the

wee hours.

But this past week, Frank, I come to realize that you're not killing yourself

for the same reason that I am.

And what's that supposed to mean?

It's become a personal thing with you.

Ever since that accident, you've been on a one-man rampage. You act as if the

whole world would disintegrate if you couldn't find the antidote to that gas

tonight. Lois, you don't know. I know that science and ego make lousy

chemistry.

What did you do, Doctor?

Slug the lady?

Thought I saw tears.

I guess you scientists have your squalls just like the common herd, huh?

What do you want, Lieutenant?

Look at this door.

Help yourself.

This it?

The gadget you had your maintenance man fix the day after the murder.

It's on his worksheet, Doctor.

Adjusted pneumatic door closer for Dr. Cordell.

So? Your associate came through this door shortly before the girl was killed.

If the door didn't close completely... It did.

You seem very certain of that.

Of course I am. I checked it completely when I closed up for the night.

That girl couldn't have wandered in here if that's the idea you're still

belaboring. Just closing out every possibility, Doctor.

Are you getting anywhere?

We figure the killer's holed up somewhere.

But he'll go on the prowl again.

That type has to.

Type?

You didn't see what he did to the girl, did you?

No.

I wish I hadn't.

I'll be seeing you, Doctor.

Got another glass?

Lois was just in to see me.

She tells me you haven't been out of here in days.

Frank, as a friend, not as your boss, but as a friend,

go home.

Take the rest of the week off.

Perhaps with a fresh mind, you'll be able to see through to the answer.

All right.

Look.

Suppose you never rediscover this mysterious gas and its antidote.

Don't you imagine that the other side has dozens of weapons that we don't know

about, and vice versa?

Very well, then.

I accept your resignation, Dr. Cordell.

This isn't a snap decision, Frank.

But the day that you became personally involved in this problem, you ceased to

be a scientist, and this is work for a scientist.

Uh, you'd better stop by my office tomorrow. We'll have to think up some

face-saving excuse for your resignation.

Wait.

What do you want me to do?

I want you to get out of this hole and rediscover how good it is just to be

alive in the world.

You've got two choices.

Either resign or go fishing.

Well, you could go on a honeymoon.

Okay, kids, now I want to hear this one.

Ready?

We figure the killer's holed up somewhere.

But he'll go on a prowl again.

That type has to.

But he'll go on a prowl again.

That type has to.

That type has to.

That type has to.

What? This is the night clerk, Mr. Jones.

You, uh, want me to send you up another bottle?

No.

What day?

To the police.

I, Dr. Frank Cordell, am the murderer of the two coeds.

When you read this, I will be already dead.

I must destroy myself before I kill again.

Once the terrible sickness takes possession of me, I am unable to stop

myself from killing.

It started after I was exposed to an unknown gas which my associate, Dr. Lois

Walker, and I have been trying to recreate.

Lois.

I've got to warn her about that gas.

Night, clerk.

Get me Pendleton College, extension 93, please.

Just get out of that lab now, do you hear me? Don't go on with those

experiments. Darling, listen to me. I found it.

I've isolated the element from... Lois, don't go on with it.

Why? You don't know what you're fooling with.

Frank, are you here?

Someone just came in. It's Dr. Brawner and that police lieutenant.

Look, I'll put Dr. Brawner on.

No. Don't tell them you heard from me. Do you understand?

I've got to talk to you first. You're in great personal danger.

That gas, it's more hideous than we dreamed there are effects.

I can't explain on the phone, but I've got to talk to you. Frank, you are ill.

I've got to talk to you somewhere alone.

Now, where can I meet you?

The chapel.

No one will be there now.

All right. Meet me there. And don't say anything to anyone.

I, um... I'd rather she didn't know what you suspect.

After all, it's only circumstantial.

It's quite a coincidence, Doctor.

The very day you brought up the idea that a simple little bell could trigger

the killer, Cordell holed up in this lab.

He ate here, he slept here.

But you can't suspect a man for being dedicated to his work.

She's leaving.

Lieutenant. Good evening, Miss Walker.

Can I help you with anything, Doctor?

No, I was just showing the lieutenant your lab set up.

Oh, I see.

Well, in that case... Lewis.

Yes?

If you should happen to hear from Dr.

Cordell, let me know right away, would you please?

Yes, of course I will, Doctor.

Good night.

Good night.

Just because he stayed here working, that's no

reason for him to be a suspect.

Was he afraid of what he might do if he went out, Doctor?

No, that's impossible. If he was afraid to go out, why would he allow me to send

him on a vacation?

I don't know anything about that.

But if you need proof, I found it hidden in his room.

Thank you.