All language subtitles for The Alfred Hitchcock Hour S03E01 Return of Verge Likens 1080p

- Good evening.

If you see three young
men with electric guitars,

please send them back.

They seem to have wandered off.

They can't be far, however,

for they are still plugged in,

all evident to the contrary.

I'm convinced that
music had charms

to soothe the savage breast.

For example, this set of drums

was made by a tribe
of Aborigines,

a people completely uncivilized,

yet they built every one

of these lovely instruments
out of human skin.

Of course when it
came to drum sticks

they were rather unoriginal.

They made these out of plastic,

which we supply them
at a modest profit.

Unfortunately we keep
running out of salesmen.

This evening's program is
not completely musical.

We also bring you a play.

It concerns violence and revenge

in a small mountain town.

The time, one minute from now.

- Now you drive
carefully, Stoney.

- All right, all right.

You ain't got no right, Fred.

- I got all the
right in the world,

this is my place.

Now I won't allow you to

talk out to Riley McGrath
like that in my place.

Now you go on home, Stoney.

Go on.

- Yeah, Fred, what is it?

- I'm awful sorry about that
disturbance, Mr. McGrath

- Ah, forget it.

Oh, you got some good
pickled pigs feet?

- Yes sir, fresh jar.

- Fine, fine, fine.

Hey, hey,

bring us a couple more beers.

- Yes sir, two beers coming up.

- Let's go man.

- Don't touch me, boy.

- Oh let him have his say.

- This is a free
country, Mr. McGrath,

wouldn't you say so?

That it's a free country?

- Yeah.

- And nobody's gonna stop me

from saying what I'm
gonna say to you.

- Get on with it.

- You may be fooling
everybody around here,

but you ain't fooling me.

I'm not going to sell.

I've worked too hard paying
for my hundred acres,

and no law of yours
is forcing me to sell.

- Get him out of here.

- Get away from me.

- Come on, Stoney,
get out of here.

- You're a crook.

- You get out of here now.

- I ain't afraid of
you, Mr. McGrath,

not like everybody
else in this state.

You're a liar.

- He's dead.

- Fred, call 634, get Sheriff
Reynold here right away.

If his wife answers,
find out where he is.

Tell her who you're calling for.

- Yes sir.

- Let's go.

- 21.

22.

- It's my turn.

- I didn't miss.

- You ain't never gonna miss.

I want a turn before
I have to go to sleep.

- Okay here.

That don't count.

I wasn't ready.

- Okay, that don't count.

- Don't eat up all
daddy's cornbread,

that's his supper.

- There's still two pieces left.

- There he is now.

- No, it ain't him.

Ain't the old truck.

Old truck makes more
noise than that.

- You Stoney Lichen's boy?

- Yeah.

What's the matter?

Where's my daddy?

- Both of you his boys?

You boys better come with me.

There's been an accident.

- Go on, Fred.

Mr. McGrath shot him, sure,

but old Stoney was
acting like a wild man.

- Mr. McGrath said
he had a couple

of beer bottles in his hands,

was coming after him
with these bottles.

Is that right?

- Yes, sir.

- You say it was self defense?

- Well he was coming
at him with his bottles

and he was drunk, yes, sir.

- My daddy didn't
have no gun on him.

If he had had a gun on him

and had pointing it at him,

then that would be
a different thing,

but it ain't self defense to me

when a man with a gun shoots
down a man that ain't got none.

- Well it seemed to
me like self defense.

- What was Riley McGrath
doing here in the first place?

- Well hew as just stopping by

on his way back from

an important political
rally in Charleston.

- Why didn't McGrath stay then?

- There was no real need
for him to stay here.

I went right to his home,

I questioned him there,

got all the information I need.

He was tired, upset, taking
handfuls of heart pills.

I told him to go to bed,
get a good night sleep.

You two boys do the same.

- That all you gonna do?

- Well son there's seven
people here all seen it,

they all tell the same story,

all willing to swear
it self defense.

- Come on, Verge.

- Here's the key to his truck.

His stuff is in his pocket.

Well here, here, take it.

- Had a good day,

sold about half of 'em.

- Look at all the money, Verge.

- Good prize too
today, about $10.

Now don't you cry, Wilford.

You hear me, don't
you cry on me.

- Hey Sheriff help!

Hey sheriff!

- Hey, hey that's enough.

You cut that out Liken.

- Turkey'll be ready by
the time anybody gets here.

Can't have folks sitting up
all night and not feed them.

- I don't know
nobody what'll come.

We never see nobody.

- Stoney never was social.

It's wrong to grow up
without making friends.

You boys never having friends,

when you die there's
nobody to sit up with you.

- I don't think he'd care.

- Look at this table,

how did this table get this way?

- Them's
mumbly peg holes.

Me and Verge and daddy play
mumbly peg on the table.

- Your mama had this table

brought all the way
from Charleston,

cost her nearly $50.

- That's the law.

- Liken, you'd be very smart
just to forget all about this.

Just stay here,
pick your peaches.

Nothing you can do.

- Verge.

Aunt Ida Mae and Aunt
Mary Jane are here.

They cooked up lots of food.

- I'll be right there Wilford.

Put some water on
the stove, huh?

I'm gonna need a bath,
county jail's mighty dirty.

You got fleas in
your jail sheriff.

Fleas and trained rats.

- Well I wouldn't do
anything to have to spend

anymore nights in there.

You had the comfortable cell.

- And the Lord speak unto Moses,

saying "Command the
children of Israel,

"that they bring unto
thy pure olive oil

"beaten for the light,
to cause the lamps

"to burn continually.

"Without the veil
of the testimony

"and the tabernacle
of the congregation,

"shall Aaron order
it from the evening

"unto the morning before
the Lord continually.

"It shall be a statute
forever in your generations."

- Verge.

Might as well go to bed.

- I'll go to bed tomorrow night,

after he's out of the house

and in the ground for good.

You go on and go to sleep.

- No, I ain't gonna leave
you sitting up alone.

- Aunt Ida Mae and Aunt
Mary Jane are here.

- They don't count.

- It wasn't self
defense, Wilford.

Daddy may have come at him,

but he wasn't gonna
hurt him none.

- No.

- He shot daddy just
like you'd shoot a quail.

- He said he was drunk, Verge.

- That don't make no difference.

Daddy's dead.

- I know, ain't nothing
we can do about it.

- Yes, yes there is something.

- Can't bring him back to life.

Can't make him be out in
the orchard in the morning

before the sun comes up,

calling us to come help.

- No.

Can't do nothing about that.

- That's what I said.

- But there is something,

something to do.

- Don't say that, Verge.

There's nothing.

Like mama, all gone.

- I'm fixing to do it, Wilford.

It's all I been thinking about

ever since I saw daddy
dead on that sawdust floor.

- What are you talking about?

- And he that killith any man
shall surely be put to death

and he that killith a
beast shall make it good.

Beast for beast.

And if a man cause a
blemish in his neighbor,

as he hath done, so
shall it be done to him.

Breach for breach, eye
for eye, tooth for tooth.

Chapter 24, verses
17 through 20.

- I don't know for sure
what you're saying, Verge.

- Saying I'm going to
kill Riley McGrath.

- Verge.

- Shh.

Now I done set my mind to it,

ain't nothing gonna stop me.

- Morning Mr. McGrath.

- Where you been, Verge?

Verge, I've been
waiting for you.

You been out possum hunting?

Verge, I'm talking to you.

I'm scared here all
alone at night, Verge,

you know that.

This is the third night this
week you've been gone all night

and I don't like it.

I had to get up and
sit out on the porch

till the sun come up.

- Know where Riley
McGrath is right now?

Sitting up in his office,

opening up his morning mail,

and drinking coffee.

Well about 10:00 he's
gonna go downstairs

to the Sigafoose Babershop,

get a shave and a shine.

That's the expensive
barbershop I showed you

on South side of the square.

Hair cuts cost $1.25.

Now, Wilford, Riley McGrath
has his hair cut once a week,

whether he needs it or not.

Then back up to his office
to do more dirty work.

About 12:15 he'll go downstairs,

get out, get something to eat.

He ain't got no favorite
place to have dinner,

but every Monday,
Wednesday and Friday

he has supper over to
Stonewall Jackson Hotel.

You should see that
hotel, Wilford.

He's got these big glass lights,

about the size of our trucks,

hanging all over the
place from the ceiling.

They just sparkling and
glowing like icicles.

Every Tuesday night
he goes and visits

a lady friend over by
the railroad station.

Saturday nights he goes

and plays poker over
at the common judges.

And every other Thursday he goes

and sees a Dr. Sanders.

He's got a bad heart, Wilford.

- How come you know so
much about him, Verge?

- I made it my business,

that's what I've been
doing for the past month,

following him around,

ever since the morning
after the funeral.

Oh he ain't seen me.

Don't know nothing about it,

but I wanted to
know where he was

every minute of every day.

I almost shot him this morning.

Almost shot him down,

just like you'd shoot
down an old quail.

Then I got to thinking
it ain't enough.

- Verge, you're
talking like a loon.

- I want him to know my name
when I kill him, Wilford.

I'll figure out a way.

- You're just gonna get
your own self killed.

Verge, you're all
the family I got.

- I'm gonna go to
bed now, Wilford.

- It ain't dark, Verge.

- I'm too tired to care
what time of day it is.

Wake me for dinner, will ya?

- We're having .

- Hey boy.

You looking for somebody?

- Yes sir, I'm looking
for Mr. Riley McGrath.

- Well he ain't in his office,

he's next door
having a hair cut.

- Thank you, sir.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, sir.

- There you are, Mr. McGrath.

- Hey you're 5/8ths
Indian Sigafoose.

- You want a scalping, sonny?

- No, sir I want to
talk to Mr. McGrath

if he'll talk to me.

- Oh I'm sure he'll
talk to you son.

A man like Mr. McGrath
never gets too imporrtant

so he can't talk to
fellas on the street.

Isn't that right, Riley?

- You know this boy Sigafoose?

- Never seen him before in
my life that I remember.

- You from around here son?

- Yes, sir, out North Road.

- How come I don't
recollect seeing you

around town before?

- Me and my brother,
we hardly ever get in.

- Yeah, well what is it?

Well come on, speak
up, what is it?

- Can I talk to you?

- I don't know, can you?

You're the one that's
finding it hard to do.

What is it?

- And five, 10 and 10 is 20.

Thank you mighty McGrath.

- Here buy your squaw
some wampum beads.

- You're too kind great
white father.

- My daddy was Stoney Likens.

- Is that so?

- Uh-huh.

- Well come on up to my office,

I have an appointment in
15 minutes with Judge Bean,

but I can give you
a minute or so.

- I sure appreciate it.

- Come along.

Now boy this matter was settled

in the last term of
Judge Bean's court

a week and a half ago.

Your father attacked me son,

I shot him in self defense,

and nobody regrets
that more than I do.

- I just don't want nothing to
happen to my brother, Verge.

- Nothing's gonna
happen to your brother.

- Something might.

Verge claims he's fixing
to kill you, Mr. McGrath.

It's all he's been talking
about for two weeks now.

- That's a foolish
thing to talk about.

How come you're
telling me about it?

- I thought if maybe you
were to send for Verge

and talk to him yourself,

you know explain how it was
self defense it might help.

Stubborn as he can be when he
sets his mind to something,

but he ain't dumb.

He's all the family I got left

except daddy's sisters,

and they live way out
past Pine High Valley.

- Where did you say you live?

- Beyond North Road,
about 20 miles out,

toward Appalachian Way.

- Not too fast now.

Beyond North Road.

- About 20 miles out.

Turn off Appalachian Way.

- Appalachian.

- Way.

- Nothing's going to happen
to your brother, son,

as long as he behaves himself.

However, I know how it
is to lose your daddy.

I lost my daddy two years ago.

I lost my mama eight months ago.

High blood pressure.

- Oh I'm sorry.

- Yeah the heart is
a delicate thing.

I know.

I know that death in the
family brings with it

certain unexpected expenses.

- Verge says we gotta
plant some cotton

to pay for daddy's coffin.

- Now I'm gonna do
something for you boy.

Something that I'm
not obliged to do.

Something I'm gonna do out

of the goodness of my heart.

something to spread a little oil

on these obviously
troubled waters.

Take it son.

Take it and go with my blessing.

- Thank you.

And he was real nice and he,

Verge he took me up
in his office then

and I talked to
him a little bit,

and he told me
about how his mama

just died of a heart attack.

And I told him--

- I know what you told him.

- Verge, I had to.

What would happen to me

if you don something silly

and they took you away

and sent you down in
the electric chair?

- That was a fool thing to do.

- Don't be made at me, Verge.

Look at what Mr.
McGrath give me.

Told me it was to spread
oil on troubled waters.

There's five 100
dollar bills there.

Five, Verge, I counted them.

- $500.

Well this makes
things a side easier.

- Huh?

- Saves a lot of fuss I reckon.

I hope you thanked Mr. McGrath
for the money, Wilford.

- I don't know
whether I did or not.

- Well I hope you did.

You weren't born
in a barn you know,

mama did teach you some manners.

But now I know exactly
what I'm gonna do.

I'm gonna write Aunt Idea Mae

and Aunt Mary Jane a note

and ask them to come back here

and take care of
you while I'm gone.

- What do you mean?

Where you going?

- I'm going to Charleston.

- To Charleston?

- Mm-hmm.

- Well what are you
going to Charleston for?

- Well I got me some
money, gonna go to shool.

- What kind of school?

- The kind of school
that's gonna teach me

how to kill Mr. Riley
McGrath the way I want.

- They got a killing
school in Charleston?

- Real slow

so he has to look at
my face for a long time

and he knows it's coming.

Well now you
promise me, Wilford,

if Mr. Riley McGrath comes
looking for you or me

you tell him I took that money

and I went to Charleston,

but you don't know
what I'm doing there.

You hear me, Wilford?

You don't know what
I'm doing there.

Cross your heart
and hope to die.

- Cross my heart
and hope to die.

You're gonna leave right now?

- Well the sooner I leave
the sooner I'll be back.

Now don't you cry on me.

- Will you send me some
picture post cards?

- I'll send you some
picture post cards.

Bye.

- Bye.

- We have not come to
the end of our play.

There is much more,

but we thought it
wise to stop here

in order to ease tensions

and break station.

- Just a minute lady.

I'll take it.

- Who's that for?

- It's for you, Mr. McGrath.

- Me?

Verge Likens.

Get the car.

- Yoo hoo, Wilford, mail came.

Yoo hoo.

Wilford.

Another card come
for you, Wilford.

- From Verge?

- Just like all the others.

- He write anything
on it this time?

- Not a word.

- Well he don't have to
write nothing on them,

just as long as he keeps
sending them to me.

- Seems to me like
an awful waste

of money unless you
fill it up with words.

- Look at these pokeweeds
I found under the hill.

We can have poke
salad for supper,

salt meat and cornbread.

- Sounds mighty good.

- Ida Mae looky here,

how good Wilford wiped
out all those knife holes

out of the table.

I swear a man in the
house without women,

you just never know.

You better get the greens on.

- That makes six.

One a month for six months.

Six months Verge been gone.

Seems about like
six years to me.

- You miss your
brother, don't you?

Who could that be?

- Maybe it's Verge.

- Likens family live here?

- I reckon we do.

- You Verge Liken?

- No, Verge ain't here.

You his brother?

- His brother, Wilford.

- Mr. McGrath wants to
talk to you, Wilford,

sent me out here to fetch you.

- You don't have to
go nowhere, Wilford.

- It's all right.

I talked to Mr. McGrath before.

I get to ride in that
big car out there?

- Sure.

- Be right back.

- There you are.

Let's go, Mr. McGrath's waiting.

- I wanna ride in the backseat.

- Sure.

Get in.

- Oh.

- That don't mean us.

- Oh.

- You know anything about that?

It's from your brother.

Where is he?

- He's in Charleston.

I got a card from
him this morning.

- What's his address
in Charleston.

- He never put one
on any of the cards.

Not been able to
ever write to him.

- How long has he
been in Charleston?

- The day you talked to me,

I came home, give him the money,

and he felt right then.

- What's he doing in Charleston?

Speak up.

- I don't know.

- What do you think your
brother's doing in Charleston?

- I hadn't thought about it.

- You wouldn't keep
anything from me, would you?

I wouldn't like
that if you would.

You have no idea what your
brother's doing down there?

- No, sir.

- I believe you boy.

You're a smart boy.

Fine, fine.

There ain't no reason for you

to keep a secret
from me is there?

- Huh?

- I said there's
no reason for you

to keep a secret
from me, is there?

Dede, see that Mr.
Likens is taken care of.

Drive him home.

- You sure got a wonderful car.

I never knew they put
air conditioning in cars.

- Give me another beer.

- Yes, sir.

- Get rid of that thing.

- Yes, sir.

- Wait a minute.

- Yeah.

- Can you turn on
the air conditioning?

- Sure thing.

- Did you forget something?

- That's just what
I was gonna ask you.

Where's your brother?

- Charleston.

- I know he's in Charleston,
what's he doing there?

- I don't know.

Ah, ah, no, no.

No, no, ow.

- Now where's your brother?

- Like I told you I don't know.

You can beat on me
till the sun goes down,

I told you everything I know.

- Good morning boys,

gonna be a great day, huh?

- Morning Mr. McGrath.

- Sharpen your
tomahawk Sigafoose

I'm in a big hurry.

- Got another 10 minutes
to go on Marsh here.

- Well I have to
be at the boys club

in half an hour.

I'm making a speech on
the flora and the fauna

of this great state of ours.

Think I can trust
young Mack here

to give me a good close shave?

- Mack's on vacation,

left yesterday afternoon
for California.

But it's okay, Mr. McGrath,

I hired a replacement
for a couple weeks,

tried him out
myself this morning.

I guarantee you Riley

he'll give you a
fine, fine shave.

- Sigafoose, how are
Mary and the kids?

- Mean as ever, all of 'em.

There you go Marsh,

you can see your ears now.

- What you looking for son?

- I'm fresh out of
towels, Mr. Sigafoose.

- There's tons of
towels out back.

I'll go get 'em for you,

you just tend to Mr. McGrath,

and see he gets to
the boys club on time.

- Mr. Sigafoose, we're
gonna need some bay rum

up here too.

- I heard you.

- What's your name, boy?

- Jones,

Odell Jones.

- I want a very close shave now.

- Well Riley, I
hope you appreciate

the quality of lather
he's whipped up for you.

- Fine, fine.

- You know, I could have
sworn I had an extra bottle

of bay rum in there.

Well I'll run up to the
drug store and get some.

- Mr. Sigafoose.

Mr. Sigafoose.

We're gonna need a big
bottle of witch hazel.

- I hear ya.

- I just wanted to save
him from making two trips.

- You didn't cut off
my side burn did you?

- No, sir.

- Make sure you don't.

- Yes, sir.

- You related to the Jones
that's got the fishing pier

on the big sandy?

- No.

- You sure look familiar.

- Well now Mr. McGrath I wanted
meet you for quite a spell.

Seen you once in a parade.

I've been told me some
folks I look like my daddy.

But he didn't wanna
take the blame,

said I look like my mama.

- Is your daddy the Jones
that got the hardware store

up Baltimore Street?

- Well no, sir, Mr. McGrath,

my daddy's dead.

He didn't have no fishing pier

or hardware store.

All he ever had was a
little piece of land.

100 acres in the bottom.

Real poor.

Had to work real
hard for that land.

Trying to put a
road through there.

My daddy wouldn't sell.

Who'd thought one

of those hot summer
days out there

picking peaches,
all that peace fuzz

itching all over your arms,

all that fuzz gets up your nose.

Who'd ever thought
that one of his boys

one day would be able
to go into Charleston

and learn a real fancy
trade like barbering.

Never had a store bought
hair cut his whole life.

He would have been proud.

In fact he only got to
Charleston once in his life,

before he married my ma.

- Charleston?

- Mm-hmm.

- You've been in Charleston?

- Best barber college around.

I was right lucky,
get hired like this,

first job I applied for
right out of school.

- You're not Odell Jones,

that's not your name.

- Hold on, Mr. McGrath,

you're gonna have to
sit still Mr. McGrath,

you know you jerk around
like that I might cut you.

Now that I got me a trade

I'm figuring on
saving my money up,

sending my brother, Wilford,

to the big city.

Open up a barber
shop of our own.

- Ah.

- Oh, Mr. McGrath,
please sit still,

I might slip and cut you

right through to the gullet.

Oh and, now Mr. McGrath
remember your heart.

Remember your heart.

- Open the door!

- Now I wouldn't say
nothing if I were you.

I'd just, I wouldn't cry
out or nothing like that.

Just sit real still.

- What's happening in there?

- Brought this razor with me

all the way from Charleston.

It's a hand owned Sheffield.

Now I spent the whole night
sharpening this blade,

Mr. McGrath, just thinking
about this moment.

I hope my brother thanked you
for the money, Mr. McGrath.

Your generosity springing
out of your gills

has made this all possible.

Now hold very still Mr. McGrath,

very still, 'cause
my name Mr. McGrath

is Verge Likens.

Verge Likens.

Verge Liken, Mr. McGrath.

Verge Likens.

Now this here is the
scary part, Mr. McGrath,

because that old jugular vein

is right about there.

- When I came back he
had this door locked.

- Open the door.

Likens boy.

- I'll be right there.

- Stay back.

- I found the bay
rum, Mr. Sigafoose,

it was in the drawer
with the scissors.

There you go, Mr.
McGrath, all done.

- He's dead.

You're under arrest.

- For what?

- Under arrest for
killing Riley McGrath.

- You can't arrest me sheriff.

- What do you mean
I can't arrest you?

- Well there ain't no law
against giving a man a shave.

Gave him a real good one too.

See for yourself.

There ain't a scratch on him.

- By the way, I know the
secret of these wigs.

They are actually earmuffs

so you don't have to
listen to your own music.

Next week we should be
back with another story.

And perhaps by then
my three companions

would have returned.

Until then, good night.