Original subtitles

(eerie music)

(male presenter, off) There is a fifth dimension

Beyond that Which is known to man.

It is a dimension As vast as space

And as timeless as infinity.

It is the middle ground Between light and shadow.

Between science And superstition.

And it lies Between the pit of man's fears

And the summit Of his knowledge.

This is the dimension Of imagination.

It is an area which we call

The twilight zone.

[car braking And engine revving]

[horn blaring]

When you're Finished, mister.

How about Some service?

When it's quiet.

[sighs] I'm sorry.

Fill it up, Will you?

Sure.

(male presenter, off) Martin Sloan, age 36.

Occupation, vice president, Ad agency, in charge of media.

This is not just A sunday drive For Martin Sloan

He perhaps doesn't Know it at the time, But it's an exodus.

Somewhere up the road, He's looking for sanity

And somewhere up the road He'll find something else.

Oil change and lube job. That what you want?

Yeah.

Take about an hour.

It's all right. I'm in no hurry.

That's Homewood Up ahead, isn't it?

Yep. About a mile And a half.

I used to live In Homewood.

Gew up there, As a matter of fact.

Haven't been back In 20, 25 years.

20, 25 years.

Yesterday I just got In the car and drove.

I had to get out Of New York City.

One more board meeting Phone call, report, problem

I would have jumped Right out the window.

That's walking distance, Isn't it?

Yeah. About a Mile and a half.

Yeah, that's Walking distance.

Yeah? What'll it be?

I don't suppose You still make

Those great Chocolate sodas, Do you? Three scoops?

How's that?

Well, I spent half my life In this drugstore.

Grew up here.

One thing I always Remember ordering

Was a chocolate soda With three scoops.

It was only a dime!

You look familiar to me.

Have I seen you before?

I got that kind of face.

Oh.

It's been a long time, 20 years to be exact.

Wish I had a buck

For every hour I sat at this fountain--

Grammar school right Through third year high.

Town looks the same too.

Pretty amazing, you know?

20 years to look So exactly the same.

That'll be a dime.

A dime? Three scoops?

That's the way We make 'em.

Well, you're going To lose your shirt that way.

Nobody sells sodas For a dime anymore.

They don't?

Where you from?

New York.

Mmm.

That's a good soda.

Taste okay?

Mmm, wonderful.

You know, it's funny

How many memories You connect with a place.

I always thought If I ever came back here

Everything would be All changed.

You know, Nothing recognizable.

Instead, it's just as if,

Just as if I'd left yesterday.

Just as if I'd been away overnight.

I almost expect Mr. Wilson to be In the stockroom sleeping

Just like he always did Before he died.

It's one Of the memories I have

Old man Wilson--

May god rest his soul.

Sleeping in his big Comfortable chair

In the other room.

Well,

Here you are.

Thanks a lot.

That's a buck.

Yeah.

It was worth it.

So long!

[suspense music]

(ciears throat)

Mr. Wilson?

Yep, Charlie?

We're going to need some More chocolate syrup, Mr. Wilson.

I'll order some more Of it this afternoon.

[suspense music And dogs barking]

Paul Cox, Michael Bradbury

Van Buren, Bruni.

(little boy) Hi.

Hi.

Hi.

Pretty good.

Maggie's not bad.

[sighs] I used to play Marbles. We used To give them special names.

The steele kind We called those "Steelies",

The clear kind That you could see through We called those "Clearies".

You still give Them special names?

Sure.

I used to play Hide and seek Over there.

We'd all circle Around the old Man's back

And we used to punch it.

See that house?

Right across the street? I used to live there.

Sloan house?

You still Call it that?

Still call it what?

Sloan house.

My name is Sloan. Martin Sloan. What's yours?

You're not Marty Sloan. I know Marty Sloan And you're not him!

Oh, I'm not? Well, let's just see.

What the driver's License says. Huh?

(woman) Bobby, come down From there. Bobby!

Bobby, listen to me.

Bobby?

Bobby, mind me.

Will you come down From that tree?

Come on, Bobby.

Bobby, listen to me.

Come on, get down.

Bobby!

That's a boy.

Come on. Right here.

What am I ever Going to do with you?

Ah, it's wonderful, Isn't it?

The park?

Certainly is.

All right, Bobby.

That's part of summer, too.

Music from The merry-go-round, The calliope.

And the cotton candy, The ice cream,

And the band concert.

Nothing quite As good ever.

Nothing quite as good As summer and being a kid.

Are you from Around here?

No. Oh, what I mean is I Used to be a long time ago.

Lived a couple blocks away.

I played baseball On that field over there

And that merry-go-round-- Oh, my goodness.

I grew up With that merry-go-round.

I carved my name on that post On the bandstand one summer.

I was 11 years old And I carved my--

(Martin) Martin Sloan.

You're Martin Sloan?

Yes, sir, but I Didn't mean nothing. Honest.

Lots of kids Carve their name here.

No kidding.

I'm not the first.

You are Martin Sloan.

Of course you are.

That's the way I looked.

[suspense music]

Martin!

[rings doorbeii]

Yes?

Yes? Whom do you Want to see?

Pop.

Woman: Who is it, Robert?

Mom.

Is that mom?

Who are you?

What do you want?

Who is it?

You're both here.

How can You be here?

What do you want, Young man?

Mom, don't you know me?

I'm Martin!

Martin?

Must be a lunatic Or something.

You mustn't be frightened.

I grew up here, mom. Don't you know Your own son?

[bangs door]

(young man) Hi.

Like it?

It's got a rumble seat.

It's been a long time since I've seen a rumble seat.

Where you been, Mister? Siberia?

Pop just bought me this.

First brand-new car I've ever owned.

Th is? Brand-new?

First of its kind In the whole town.

Right out of detroit Yesterday morning.

Brand new? 34 Roadster?

Right out of Detroit?

Brand new?

[music intensifies]

[distant bell tolling]

(male presenter, off) A man can think A lot of thoughts

And walk a lot of pavements Between afternoon and night,

And to a man Like Martin Sloan,

To whom memory Has suddenly become reality,

A resolve can come just As clearly and inexorably

As stars in the summer night.

Martin Sloan Is now back in town

And his resolve is to put A claim to his past.

Back again, huh?

I had to come Back, pop.

This is my house And this is my glove.

You gave it to me On my 11th birthday.

And the baseball Autographed by Lou Gehrig.

Who are you?

What do you want here?

I don't know.

I just want to rest. I want to stop running.

I-- I belong here.

Don't you understand that? I belong here.

Now, look, You're probably sick.

You're having Delusions.

I don't want to hurt you.

I don't want you To get into trouble.

But if you hang around here, There may be trouble.

(woman) Robert?

(woman) Who were you Talking to?

Mom! Look at me.

You have A son named Martin, Haven't you?

He goes to Emerson Public School.

In the month Of August he spends

At his aunt's farm Near Buffalo.

A couple of summers

You've gone To Saratoga Lake,

Rented a cottage there.

Once I had a sister.

She died when she Was a year old.

Where is Martin?

I'm Martin!

You've got To believe me.

I'm Martin. You've got to believe me!

Look, here are My identification,

All my cards.

They'll tell you Who I am.

Look at them. Go on, They'll tell you.

[distant merry Go round music]

Martin.

Martin, I've got To talk to you.

Martin.

Martin!

Martin.

[merry go round music]

Martin.

Martin!

Martin!

Let me talk to you!

Let me tell you Something.

I don't want To hurt you, son.

I won't hurt you.

(Martin) I won't hurt you, son.

Martin!

Martin!

Martin!

Ow! My leg! My leg!

Martin!

Martin.

I only wanted To tell you

That this is a wonderful Time of life for you.

Don't let any of it Go by without enjoying it.

There won't be Any more merry-go-rounds.

No more cotton candy.

No more band concerts.

I only wanted to tell you

That this is A wonderful time for you.

Now. Here.

That's all, Martin.

That's all I wanted to tell you.

God help me.

That's all I wanted to tell you.

I thought you'd like to know

The boy Will be all right.

Doctor says he'll limp some,

But he'll be all right.

Oh, thank god for that.

You dropped this At the house.

I looked inside it.

It tells a great Many things about you.

Your driver's license, The cards, the money in it.

It seems You are Martin Sloan.

You're 36 years old

And have an apartment In New York City.

It says Your driver's license Expires in 1960.

That's 25 years from now.

And the dates on the bills

Those dates haven't Happened yet either.

Then you-- You know, pop?

Yes, I know.

I know who you are.

I know you've come From a long way from here.

A long way and a long time.

But I don't understand How or why.

Do you?

No.

But you do Know other things, Don't you, Martin?

Things that will happen.

Yes, I do.

Martin.

Yes, pop?

You have to leave here.

There's no room, There's no place.

Do you understand that?

I see that now, But I don't understand.

Why not?

I guess because we Only get one chance.

Maybe there's only one summer To every customer.

That little boy,

The one I know, The one who belongs here,

This is his summer, Just as it was yours once.

Don't make him share it.

All right.

Martin.

Is it so bad Where you're from?

I thought so, pop.

I've been living At a dead run, And I was tired.

Then one day, I knew I had to come back here.

I had to come back And get on the merry-go-round

And eat cotton candy And listen to a band concert.

And to stop and breathe

And close my eyes And smell and listen.

I guess we all want that.

Maybe when you go back, Martin, you'll find

That there are M erry-go-rounds and band Concerts where you are.

Maybe you Haven't been looking In the right place.

You've been looking Behind you, Martin.

Try looking ahead.

Maybe.

Goodbye, son.

Goodbye, pop.

[cheerfui music]

Hi.

Oh.

Something for you?

Uh.

How about a chocolate Ice cream soda

With three scoops?

Three scoops? Sure I can make One for you

With three scoops, But it will be extra. 35 cents, okay?

Oh, 35 cents, huh?

How about old Ben Wilson Who used to own this place?

Oh, he died About 15, 20 years ago.

What kind of ice cream Do you want?

Chocolate? Vanilla?

Vanilla?

Oh, I-I've changed my mind About the soda

If you don't mind.

[groans]

These stools aren't made For bum legs, are they?

Hey. Did you get that During the war?

No.

Matter of fact, I got it Falling off a merry-go-round

When I was a kid, here.

And the freak thing--

Oh, a merry-go-round.

Hey, I remember.

They tore that down A few years ago.

Condemned it.

A little late, I guess, huh?

Huh?

A little late For you, I mean.

Yeah, very late.

Very late for me.

(male presenter) Martin Sloan, age 36

Vice-president In charge of media.

Successful in most things But not in the one effort

That all men try At some time in their lives.

Trying to go home again.

And also Like all men, perhaps There will be an occasion,

Maybe a summer Night sometime,

When he'll look up From what he's doing

And listen to the distant Music of a calliope

And hear the voices And the laughter

Of the people And the places Of his past.

And perhaps across his mind

There will flit A little errant wish

That a man might not Have to become old

Never outgrow the parks

And the merry-go-rounds Of his youth.

And he'll smile then too

Because he'll know It is just an errant wish

Some wisp of memory Not too important really.

Some laughing ghost

That cross a man's mind.

That are a part Of the twilight zone.

(male presenter, off) Rod serling, the creator Of the twilight zone

Will tell you about Next week's story after This word from our sponsor

And now, mr. Serling.

An excursion into fantasy On the twilight zone next week

As two distinguished Actors, mr. David Wayne And mr. Thomas gom ez

Appear in "Escape Clause."

The story Of a strang e contract Between a mortal man

And his satanic majesty.

A contract that ends Most surprisingly.

We hope you'll be Around to see what That surprise is.

Thank you and good night.

(male presenter, off) Be sure to see The fun filled family life

One of america's Greatest entertainers.

Danny Thomas show, Monday nights, over Most of these stations.