Ghost Ship (1952) - full transcript

[intriguing music]

[joyful music]

[car brakes]

Do you think this is the right place?

-Looks derelict to me.
-Oh, it's the place, all right.

Most junkyards look derelict these days.

People are too darn broke
to keep up yachts.

-Which boat is it?
-Not boat, honey. Ship.

Well, ship, then.
What's the difference, anyway?

Look, honey, a ship
is a vessel you can go to sea in.

A boat is a smaller craft,



one that you can haul
on board a ship, like a lifeboat.

Well, why are fishing boats called
fishing boats and not fishing "chips"?

-Eh? [he laughs]
-Ships!

-You've never heard of a fishing ship.
-No, honey. Fishing vessel.

Pity I wasn't a Wren instead of a WAAFS.

You'll learn, sweetheart,
as soon as we've bought the boat.

-[man 1] Excuse me.
-Ship!

-[man 1] You looking for someone?
-Yes, the yacht advertised for sale.

Yes. Good afternoon. I'm the manager here.

We did advertise a yacht this week,
but I'm afraid it's gone.

[both] Aw…

Some people came down yesterday
and practically decided to buy it.

All this trip for nothing.

Would you like to have
a look at the vessel?



I mean there's nothing fixed yet.
No money's changed hands.

She's a nice little yacht,
and really a very good buy.

Well, if there's still
a chance of buying her,

we'd like to see her.

Yes, this is it.

Two Baxter diesels
completely overhauled this year.

There's some mistake.
This isn't the boat we saw advertised.

It's the only one
we've advertised the last month.

-It was in theYachting World.
-No, no.

The one we're interested in is
a steam yacht in theDaily Telegraph.

-Oh, that one?
-You still got it?

Yes, we've still got it,
but I think that would suit you better.

Why not have a look at it?

If you make an firm offer now,
I can telephone the owner at once.

Look, mister, this isn't
the sort of thing we want.

We're interested in the steam yacht.

-You're not another journalist, are you?
-No, I'm not a journalist!

I'm a timber trade representative.
My headquarters are in Canada,

but we've been living in the States
for the last few years.

That's my card.

-Now, my firm sent me to England.
-We got tired of living in apartments.

As my husband's an ex-sailor,

we thought we'd buy a yacht
big enough to turn into a home.

This one we saw advertised
seemed just the thing.

-Is she still for sale?
-Yes, she's still for sale.

-Can we see her?
-Yes, if you want to.

It's what we've driven down for.

-[eerie music]
-[manager] That's her.

-Can we go on board?
-Yes, if you want to.

There's a watchman aboard.

[he shouts] Mansel!

Mansel!

This lady and gentleman
are interested in buying the yacht.

Will you show them around?

I won't come aboard, if you'll excuse me.

I'll see you
when you've had a look around. But…

I still don't think she'll suit you.

At the risk of being obvious,
that's a very peculiar gent.

Anyone would think
he doesn't want to sell the boat.

-Vessel.
-Ship.

[she laughs]

I wonder why he asked
if you were a journalist.

Search me.

[heavy footsteps]

Fantastic!

What a shame to let
a fine old ship get into such a state.

Hm… Maybe we should go back,
I think that man was right--

Don't let this put you off.
The mess is soon cleared up.

Look at those decks. It's teak.

All that woodwork is all teak.
It'll scrape up like new.

It'll mean a lot of hard work,
but boy, it'll be worth it.

-[Mansel] Afternoon, sir.
-Afternoon.

-Are there leaks in the deck head?
-None as far as I know, sir.

-How often do you have to pump her out?
-Don't have to.

There's no leaks in the hull, sir.
She's iron.

-Lowmoor.
-[he whistles] That's terrific!

What does that mean?

She's made of a special kind of iron

you can't get nowadays.
It practically lasts forever.

-Can we go below?
-Yes. She's in a bit of a mess.

This was the dining room.

The lounge is down below.

If you want a look at it,
I'll take the cover off the skylight.

-There's no electricity working.
-Yeah, do.

[footsteps]

[tin can clatters]

Do you know, darling? I think
this could be made very comfortable.

-Do you really think so?
-Yes. Don't you?

Yes, sure I do!

I think she's a fine old ship,
just what I'd hoped.

But I didn't think
you'd be so enthusiastic.

I was a bit put off by the outside,
but this is a room!

I understand that.
I can see the possibilities.

Take that down, put the settee in there.

New curtains, new fittings,
a mirror over the bar.

Darling! You're wonderful.

[she laughs]

Well, that's very interesting.

-Thank you very much.
-Thank you, sir.

Sorry it's in such a mess, sir.

They've spent no money on it
for nearly two years.

-How long have you been watchman?
-Ever since she's been here.

-How long is that?
-Nearly two years.

If you're thinking of buying
and need a hand, you might think of me.

-Yeah, I'll keep you in mind.
-Thank you, sir.

He's got a hope!

Imagine me giving a job to a guy
who keeps his ship in such a state.

[heavy footsteps]

I was afraid you were wasting your time.
I knew she wouldn't suit you.

-You're quite wrong, mister.
-I think we can make her very comfortable.

I think you're making a great mistake.

I don't get this.
Don't you want to sell the vessel?

Well, if you ask me frankly,
to two nice young people like yourselves,

no!

What do you mean?
Is there something wrong with her?

-Do you know her name?
-Yes. "Cyclops".

-What's that got to do with it?
-Don't you ever read the papers?

-There was enough fuss about her.
-Will you quit being so mysterious?

We've just come from America,

we've only been in this country
two months.

We've seen nothing in the papers,
and I'm not a journalist.

Yes, I was forgetting that.

Come to my office, I'll tell you about it.

Is there something
fundamentally wrong with the ship?

You can judge that for yourself. This way.

-When was she built?
-[manager] 1912.

But what I'm going to tell you
concerns the last few years.

-I guess the Navy had her in the war.
-Hm…

-Were you in the navy?
-Yeah.

RNVR?

-Royal Canadian NVR.
-Ah.

After the war, she was bought
by a man named Martineau.

-Martineau?
-Yes.

Er… Do you…

Do you mean Professor Martineau,
the atomic scientist?

Yes, that's the chap.
You do know the story, then.

I don't know the story,
but I've certainly heard of him.

[manager] Hm…

That's how she looked
when Martineau bought her.

He stripped her entirely
and redesigned the whole layout below.

He fitted her with all sorts of gadgets,

even installed a system
of automatic gyro-steering.

Like they use in aeroplanes.

He so mechanised it

that he was able to run it
with only one paid hand: a steward-cook.

He had a friend
that used to run the engines.

With his wife, they'd cruise
about all over the place.

Are these gadgets still in her?

Some of them are. Others were
taken out by later owners.

Well…

One afternoon, about three years ago,

they were setting out for Deauville.

As a matter of fact, they were in the same
berth as the vessel's lying in now.

I watched them through that window.

[manager]At first, they decided not
to go as their steward was on leave,

but due to return that afternoon,
hadn't shown up.

It transpired later that,
luckily for him, he had lost his train.

However, finally,
they decided to leave without him.

Martineau used to handle her beautifully.

Turned her around, entered the lock,

steamed out of the harbour,
and disappeared out to sea.

That was the last anyone ever saw of him.

And the other two people on board.

-I don't get it. The ship's here.
-Well, let me finish the story.

That night, they didn't reach Deauville
or the next morning.

Several days passed
and there was no sign of them anywhere.

-Did she have a radio?
-Yes!

A powerful one,
but no signal was picked up.

All coastal stations
on both sides of the Channel

tried to contact her, but without success.

Was the weather bad?

On the contrary. We had one
of our rare spells of real summer.

At the end of a fortnight,
an enquiry was held.

It was decided that she must have
struck a mine and sunk immediately.

A small vessel like that would, you know?

Out there, there are still
a few odd mines knocking about.

When a life-buoy with the ship's name
on it was washed ashore, that settled it.

There was quite a fuss in the papers,
but in a few weeks it was all forgotten.

But a month later,
an extraordinary thing occurred.

[manager]Three fishermen

with a small motorboat
had engine trouble one night.

They got blown right outside
the usual traffic lanes.

When dawn broke,

they saw a large steam yacht
apparently hove to, quite near them.

They started pulling towards it for help.

If we can borrow a 3/8 gas tap
and a bit of copper pipe,

I can get her running in an hour.

Might get a tow from her.

Wonder what she's doing,
hove to, out here?

-Engine trouble herself, most likely.
-Very unlikely, she's steam.

Can't see any smoke coming from her.

-Give her a hail.
-Yes, I will.

[he shouts] Ahoy there!

Yacht ahoy!

[he shouts] Steam yacht ahoy!

[intriguing music]

Ahoy there!

Isn't anyone there?

I'm going aboard, Bert.

Make fast aft then come aboard yourself.

Right.

Sid? There's nobody about.

There's something funny going on.

Look at that door banging.

[water laps]

I think you're right.

Hello, below there?

Not a sound.

The funnel's cold.

-I don't like the look of this.
-Neither do I.

Let's take a look below.

I'll go forward. Ron, you go aft.

-Bert, down the engine room.
-Right.

Hello, below there?

Anyone below?

[eerie music]

[knocks on door]

[opens door]

[closes door]

-There's no one forward.
-Not a soul aft.

-Nobody in the engine room.
-She's deserted.

When you went down into
the engine room for the first time,

can you remember
the position of the controls?

I think the regulating valve was open
and the link gear in ahead position.

That would mean that when the fuel
in the gravity tank was exhausted,

the engines would be going ahead.

Yes, sir, it would.

Are you quite certain of this?
I mean, the position of the controls.

I think so, sir, yes.

-But you couldn't take your oath on it?
-No, sir.

I don't think I could.

Thank you.

[pen scratches]

The court will adjourn until tomorrow.

[eerie music]

Your name is… uh…

Thomas Selter.

-You're a Lloyds Surveyor?
-Yes.

Will you tell the court what you found

when you carried out
the inspection of the yacht "Cyclops"?

I found nothing the matter whatever.

The ship is in excellent condition
and very well found.

The machinery
and equipment are in perfect order.

Can you place the exact time
at which the vessel had been abandoned?

No, there's no means whatever.

Except the fact that when the engineer
of the fishing boat stated

that the engine had completely
cooled off when he went aboard,

it indicated that the vessel
must have emptied her gravity tank

at least three days before.

Why is that?

Because it would take
three days in this weather

for the engine and boiler to cool off.

Thank you.

As far as you could see,
had any attempt been made to lower a boat?

No, sir.

The boat pulls were coiled up
and hanging on the cleats.

-Were any life-buoys missing?
-Yes, one.

There were two life-buoys,
one each side of the bridge.

One was missing.

I understand there was
an automatic device which enabled

the ship to steer itself
on any pre-determined compass course.

Was this in operation?

Well, that's difficult to say

because there's a lot
of complicated switchgear on the bridge.

The fisherman admitted that he had changed
several of the switches

and he couldn't remember exactly

how they were
when they boarded the vessel.

I have just received a note

that a body has been recovered
from the sea at Bognor.

There is strong reason to suppose

it may be
that of the late owner of the "Cyclops"

and if so, it will have
great bearing upon this case.

I adjourn the court until
the identity has been established.

I'm very sorry we had
to ask you to come along, Mrs. Morgan.

But you know it was
of the utmost importance to us

that we knew--

How can you be certain
it wasn't Martineau?

-The face was hardly…
-Please, don't.

I know it's not Professor Martineau,
I'm absolutely certain.

You see, the professor had a bad burn scar

on the right arm.

It was caused by an accident
with some acid when he was a student.

-This poor man hadn't got it.
-Are you sure about this scar?

I was the professor's housekeeper
for 14 years.

Yes, it caused quite a stir at the time.

But no further evidence came to hand.

After dragging on for two weeks,
the enquiry came to an end.

It was generally thought that two of them
had drowned trying to rescue the third.

Anyway, after a while,
it was all forgotten.

It took the heir, Martineau's nephew,
over twelve months to get possession.

Why so long?

You see, because Martineau's body
was never recovered,

a lot of legal proceedings
had to take place

before death could be presumed
and probate proved.

That took about six months

and another six months settling
the fisherman's salvage claim.

She's been here for over twelve months
before we could offer it for sale.

Did the new owner do anything with her?

No. He sold her to some people
who were going to run pleasure cruises.

At least, that's what they said.

But between you and me,
I think they were smugglers.

Whatever they were doing

couldn't have been a success.
They sold her after the first trip.

Maybe they made enough money on the first
trip to be able to afford to retire.

[he scoffs]
Possibly, but I don't think so.

After that,
she changed hands several times,

but nobody kept her for long. And then,

word seemed to have got about.

When you say, "word got about,"

do you mean that word got about
that she was an unlucky ship?

-Rather more than that.
-I don't understand you.

-They say here that the yacht is haunted.
-[eerie music]

Are you serious?

Man, these aren't the Middle Ages!

I'm only telling you what people say.

Do you believe she's haunted?

Yes. I do!

[man 2] Now this is interesting!

Have you seen ghosts aboard?

-No. But I've smelt one.
-[he bursts out laughing]

Go on! I like having my leg pulled!
What did it smell like?

Cigar smoke.

That's the only manifestation
you've experienced?

Yes.

So just because
someone smells cigar smoke,

the ship is haunted
and nobody will buy it?

-Oh, there are other things as well.
-What do you mean?

Oh, I really don't know.

I haven't taken any interest.

You know something?

I think
there's something else behind all this.

-What do you mean?
-Forget it.

Listen, young man,
I don't give a damn who buys that yacht.

I'll be glad to see the end of it.

What I told you was for your own good.
Go ahead, buy it!

But don't say that I didn't warn you!

Sorry, mister,
didn't mean to offend you but…

stories of ghosts, well… [he chuckles]

…they don't cut much ice with us.
We just don't believe them.

-Who are the agents for the yacht?
-We're acting for the owner.

I'm prepared to make an offer,
subject to survey.

I'll write you later this week.

Thank you for the story,
and thank you for your advice.

If there's nothing in it, why was he
so keen on putting us off the boat?

Ship! He seems
quite a decent sort of chap.

There's something very fishy
going on somewhere.

He's got a mighty good reason
for wanting to keep that yacht here.

Probably got something
to do with smuggling.

[woman] Darling,
maybe we should forget all about it.

[man 2] Gosh no!

All this Frankenstein talk,
we'll get it dirt cheap.

Okay, you're the boss!

[engine starts]

[motor revs]

That's all satisfactory, sir.

It's a lignum vitae continuous liner,
apparently recently renewed.

Should last you years without trouble.

-You haven't got much else to do?
-No, sir, I'm pretty well finished.

You'll get my report in a couple of days,
but I can tell you now,

if you do decide to buy it,
you'll be getting a fine little ship.

They knew how to build yachts
when this was built.

You're satisfied with the boiler?

Nothing to worry about there.

I'd keep up the organic treatment
if I were you.

Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks.

-Honey, we're going to buy it.
-Do you think it's all right?

-Looks more like the Queen Mary to me.
-[he laughs] Don't you worry.

Afternoon, Mr. Leach.
Found any holes in her bottom yet?

You needn't have
any fear about her bottom.

She'd frighten you to death
before she'd ever drown you!

What do you mean?

She's such a sea-worthy vessel

that she'd weather storms
that would frighten the life out of you.

That's right, ma'am.

You've seen
all those flashy-looking ships over there.

Well, this boat here will still be

a fine seaworthy vessel
when they're on the scrap heap.

I agree with you, Mr. Leach.

I'd like to thank you
for the interest you've taken.

I'm going to wait for your report,
I'm going to make my offer today.

[seller] Well, she's all yours.
I congratulate you on your bargain.

[man 2] Thank you.
I'm very pleased indeed.

Can't wait to start working on her.

[joyful music]

Here's the varivalve
I was talking to you about, sir.

Oh, yeah.

Go ahead and get a new one.

Better to fix it now
than have trouble at sea later.

Very good, sir.

Honey, how's it going?

-Oh! It's a vile job!
-Hey!

-Oh!
-[he laughs]

You're supposed to put the paint
on the boat's bottom! Give it to me.

[she chuckles]

That cheap engineer is tops.
He's taken a real interest in the job.

Got the engine room
looking like the inside of a watch.

He seems a nice man.

What about the deck hand?
Have you found anyone yet?

No, I haven't.

No local man seems to want the job.

Hm! Looks as if you'll have
to take on Mansel after all.

My British friends would say,
"Not jolly likely!"

[she laughs] I don't know,
you could do a lot worse.

Since you gave him that painting job,
he's working really hard.

I don't want him, honey.

-Darling--
-Look, baby.

The only sailor who'd employ
a guy like that would be Popeye!

If you still want the job, it's yours.

Carry on like with the painting,
and we'll get along fine.

Thank you, sir.

I've been with her so long,
it's like home, sir.

-You'll find I'll give every satisfaction.
-I'm sure you will.

You start on the payroll
from tomorrow, Bo'sun.

Thank you, sir.

-Oh… Bo'sun?
-Yes, sir?

Have you heard any stories
ashore about the yacht being haunted?

Ah! There were stories.
I never listen to such nonsense.

Quite right.

You've never seen anything of that sort?

No, sir, no.

The people at the yard
weren't very keen on me buying her.

Do you know why that could be?

No, sir.

Does much smuggling go on around here?

Smuggling, sir? No, sir.

-Why, sir?
-Oh, nothing.

Carry on, Bo'sun.

Thank you, sir.

[she blows]

[singing mockingly]
♪I'm Popeye, the sailor man♪

Peep, peep! [she laughs]

[joyful music]

[she hums a tune]

-[he shouts]
-[she gasps]

[she bursts out laughing]

-[engineer] Steam on the whistle, sir.
-Okay.

Margaret!
I'm going to try out the foghorn.

[she shouts] Wait for me!

[indistinct shouts]

[steam hisses]

[whistle blows]

[he bursts out laughing]

[adventure music]

[indistinct chatter]

Now, quiet everybody!

-[piano keys]
-[chatter dies down]

I want to propose a toast.

I want you all to drink to the health
of the commodore and his charming lady.

And to the success
and good luck of the "Cyclops."

May they always have
fair winds and a good landfall.

[everyone] Fair winds and a good landfall!

-Speech, Guy, speech!
-[he laughs] Thank you, George.

I'm not much of a hand at making speeches.

[shouting] Hear, hear!

[he laughs]

I'd… Well, we'd like to thank you all
very much for coming along.

This ship means a lot to us.

It's our first real home
since we've been married.

Margaret's been wonderful.
She's worked alongside me

every bit as hard as I have.

[he sighs] Thank you.

[sings drunkenly] ♪And so say all of us♪

-[chuckling]
-[indistinct chatter]

[guest] Wonderful show, Commodore.

What's it feel like to be an important
yacht owner, complete with a big cigar?

I'm not very important.

-I don't smoke cigars. Can't afford them.
-You can't tell me that!

I smelt them as soon as I came below.

Havanas too. Where'd you get them?

What do you mean? I don't smoke cigars.

As far as I know,
nobody's smoked a cigar down here.

-But my dear--
-[guest 2] Guy, do your stuff.

Here's some more dead men.

-[indistinct chatter]
-Excuse me, sir.

The chief would like a word with you.

-Now?
-Yes, sir.

Something wrong?

-I don't know, but he seems a bit upset.
-Okay.

Excuse me, boys and girls.
Crisis in the engine room.

-[indistinct chatter]
-Do you know…

I think the time has come
for me to do my horn pipe.

Shut up, Bernard. You're tight.

Very possibly, Vera. The horn pipes…

are highly appropriate!

[indistinct chatter]

Let me get to the chap at the wheel!

Now, my dear old fellow.
What is your name?

-Henry.
-I'm delighted to know you, Henry.

-How do you do?
-You needn't bother to sit down.

-No.
-Now, can you play the horn pipe?

-Horn pipe?
-Let's have a bash.

-[plays jolly piano tune]
-[sings gibberish]

-I say, Henry…
-[piano stops]

Do you think you could play it
just a little bit slower?

-Oh, slower?
-I'm out of breath already! [he giggles]

[shouting] Ladies and gentlemen,
the sword pipe!

[he resumes jolly tune
and sings gibberish]

-Henry.
-[piano stops]

-We don't want any ha-cha-cha stuff.
-Oh, don't we?

I have made
a very special study of sword pipes.

Yes, I expect you have.

I don't think there's a chap at this party

who knows as much as horn pipes about me!

-[girls giggle]
-I shouldn't think there is!

[slurred] There's no need
to be "argutamentative" about it!

-I wasn't being argumentative.
-Yes, you were!

You just said there wasn't
a horn pipe at this party

who knows as much about me as I do!

-[girls giggle]
-I didn't!

[he resumes jolly tune and gibberish]

-Henry, look.
-[piano stops]

Who is writing this horn pipe?

You or me?

-You!
-Right!

Well, kindly take the tempo from me.

-Aye, aye, sir!
-Ready? One, two…

[jolly tune at a slower pace]

[everyone sings along]

Congratulations, chief,
you did a wonderful job.

I tried to get down to see you earlier,
but all these people…

Are you satisfied?

There's nothing
the matter with the machinery.

No, I guess the trouble will be
to find enough to keep you busy.

You won't have to, sir.

I'm sorry to have to tell you.
I've got to leave.

Leave? But why?

It's my wife, sir.

I've just had a telegram.
She's been taken bad.

Oh, I'm terribly sorry to hear that.
What's the matter with her?

I… don't rightly know, sir.

Well… It's probably
not as bad as you think.

There's no reason to talk of leaving.
Take a week off, see how she gets on.

I think I better go, sir.

With a wife like this,
I ought to get a job nearer home.

It's a long way from here to Aberdeen.

Well, of course, you must please yourself

but seems a heck of a pity after
all the work you've put in down here.

Aye, sir… It does.

-I guess you want to go tonight.
-Aye, sir.

Okay.

Come see me in half an hour,
I'll have your money ready.

Thank you, sir.

[Margaret] Well, they didn't leave much.

The whisky's gone,
there's about four gins left.

[she laughs] And two cigarettes.

Never mind, I suppose
they enjoyed themselves.

Yeah, I guess they did. [he sighs]

What's the matter, darling?

The chief's quit.

Whatever for? He was such a good man.

-He is good.
-Why's he leaving, then?

Apparently, his wife's been taken ill.

I didn't know he had a wife.
He never told me about her.

-What's wrong with her?
-He doesn't know.

He got a telegram
when we came into the berth this evening.

[he sucks his teeth] Anyway, he's gone.

What are we going to do?

Try and get that one from Dundee.
I'll send him a wire.

[he sucks his teeth] Oh, darn everything!

[engine runs]

-[manager] Good morning.
-Morning.

-I hear you're having trouble.
-Trouble? No.

-They say your chief's gone.
-Yes, his wife's taken ill.

I got a new one arriving today,
I'm on my way to meet him.

His wife's taken ill?
Is that what he told you?

Yeah, that's what he told me.

It's not what they say around here.
They say he hasn't got a wife,

that he left because he saw
a ghost in your engine room.

Who's saying that?

Just talk.

But don't say I didn't warn you.

[train brakes]

-Good afternoon, chief.
-[chief] Hello, sir.

-Had a good journey?
-Oh, not bad.

[thread snaps]

There!

-What do you reckon that is?
-A bow line!

A bow line?
Gosh, it looks more like knitting!

Here, let me show you how to do it.

Now…

The rabbit comes out of the hole,

goes around the tree,
and he goes back into the hole again.

There you are.

-Oh, you clever boy!
-[he chuckles]

I bet I know one knot you can't tie.

-Madam, there's no knot I can't tie.
-Right!

-Tie me a true lover's knot!
-[he chuckles] You win.

[she chuckles]
I'll show you how it's done.

First, you put your left arm around there.

Then, you put your right arm around there.

-And you tie the knot…
-Just there!

Oh, I adore you.

I'm rather fond of you.

But I'm worried about you
because I think you worry about things.

-How's the new chief turning out?
-He's fine, darling.

Not as smart as the old one,

but he'll be all right as soon as
he gets the hang of the engine room.

-There's one thing I wish you'd tell him.
-What's that?

That he mustn't
come downstairs, I mean, below,

in our part of the ship
when we're on shore.

Does he? How do you know?

Because he smokes a strong tobacco.

I smelt it down here
when we came aboard last night.

Are you sure? I didn't smell anything.

Quite sure.

-You never smell anything.
-[they chuckle]

-Will you tell him?
-Yes, darling.

He knows darn well
I won't have him in this part of the ship.

We're trying out the new pumps
in the morning,

so we'll have to raise steam.

-I'll tell him then.
-Promise?

Tomorrow, honey. I'm too busy right now.

[steam hisses]

[shouting] Ahoy, chief.
I want a word with you.

And I want several words with you!

And my cards, and my fare back to Dundee!

-What's eating you up?
-You know what's wrong.

You should have told me.

Don't pretend you don't know, because
the whole village's talking about it.

And now, I've seen it. And I'm off.

Twenty years, I've been to sea,
and I'm a God-fearing man.

You don't get me on any haunted ship!

No good ever comes to them,
nor to the folk that sail in them.

You haven't been honest with me,
mister, you should have told me!

-Have you quite finished?
-You can bet your life I've finished!

I'd never have begun if you'd told me
there were ghosts aboard!

[eerie music]

What a horrible man!
We're well rid of him.

Guy, do all yacht owners have
this trouble with their engineers?

I hope not.

In a way, I'm glad he's gone.
We'll have the ship all to ourselves.

Alone on the water, and a romantic moon.

What about Mansel?

I'll soon fix him.
I'll give him the evening off.

-Oh, has he?
-[she laughs]

[phone rings]

Hello, dear.

Hello?

Hello!

[eerie music]

I thought you were on the bridge.

No, I've been here
for the last ten minutes.

Someone's up there, they just telephoned.

Oh, it was Mansel. What did he want?

Well, he didn't say anything.

I just heard someone breathing
and then, they hung up.

And Guy, I've given Mansel the night off.

We'll soon see who it is!

-Don't leave me, Guy, I'm terrified.
-Take it easy, honey.

[eerie music intensifies]

-Darling, there's nobody here.
-[heavy footsteps]

Guy, look. Cigar smoke.

Where? I don't see any cigar smoke.

Honey? Darling, are you all right?

It's all right, darling.
Everything's all right.

There's nothing to be frightened about,
honest there isn't.

Guy, I'm so ashamed of myself.
I've never done anything like this before.

[she chuckles] I never thought
I was the fainting type.

But I'm terrified.

Guy, let's get rid of this boat.
That man was right.

There's something horrible
about this place.

Of course, darling.
We'll do anything you say.

We'll talk about it in the morning.

[joyful music]

Honey, can't you see?
The whole thing's obvious.

Nothing supernatural about it.

Somebody wants us out of this ship
and I'm going to find out why.

What about those stories?
They must come from somewhere.

Must be something in it.

That engineer was a decent sort of man.

-He wouldn't leave for nothing.
-He was a decent guy, all right!

But I'm certain somebody got at him.

If we clear out now,
we're just playing into their hands.

I'm not so sure.
The whole thing's rigged up and phony.

-What about that telephone call?
-That wasn't difficult.

Somebody could have climbed on board
and got onto the bridge.

-How could they?
-From the ship next door.

And they step back
before we have time to get up there.

It's all very well for you
to talk like that.

But what about that terrible smoke
that made me faint?

I don't mind telling you
I was terrified out of my life.

I'm not a person like that, am I, Guy?

No. Listen to me, honey.

What happened to you
is exactly what they wanted should happen.

All these stories we've heard
have so conditioned your mind

that you're ready
to believe almost anything.

I've seen nothing, I've heard nothing.

[he chuckles] Come to that,
I've smelt nothing! And why not?

Because I don't believe
in that sort of nonsense.

Well, I don't think it is nonsense.

What's more, I'm very frightened.

Honey, I didn't mean it like that.

But do try to see it objectively.

We've spent nearly all our money,
a lot of time and hard work on this ship.

I don't see why we should get
so frightened out of it so easily.

Please. Let's stay on it.

-For another week.
-Another week?

If at the end of a week,
I haven't got to the bottom of this thing,

I promise you, I'll sell the ship.

[she sighs]
All right, I suppose you're right.

-I'm sorry, darling, I'm just being silly.
-There's a girl.

If you're all right,
I've got a job to do in the engine room,

while there's still steam in the boiler.

I won't be long.

I'll be all right, I've got a lot to do.

[clothes rustle]

[clattering]

[clattering grows louder]

[clattering stops]

[eerie music]

Who the hell are you?

What are you doing on my ship?

It won't work this time, mister.

You can't scare me.

There's no good hiding, you know?

The only way out
of the engine room is up this ladder.

Come on out before I come and get you.

I'll give you one more chance.

Okay, mister, you've asked for it.

[eerie music continues]

[he sighs]

Guy, whatever's the matter?

-Gather our things, we're going ashore.
-Don't be so silly. What's the matter?

Margaret, I've made a terrible mistake.

The chief was right, you were right,
so was the yard manager.

Guy, what has happened?

I think I've seen a ghost.

-Oh no! Where?
-The engine room.

-What was it you saw?
-An ordinary man in a boiler suit.

How do you know it was a ghost?

-Because it suddenly vanished.
-It might have been a trick.

Impossible.

Margaret, he was smoking a cigar.

So, I was right.

Guy, what are we going to do?

Get rid of the ship, I suppose.

-Oh no, not after all we've done.
-What else can we do?

Well… What about the IIPP?

Hm?

That's the Institute
for Investigation of Psychic Phenomena.

That's a lot of phony nonsense.
What do you know about it anyway?

I read about it in a book.

Now, Guy…

Don't be angry, but I telephoned them.

They're sending someone down
this afternoon. An investigator.

-What can we lose?
-Ten pounds.

It's their fee.

[he chuckles]

I still can't believe it.

There must be something
phony or crooked somewhere.

Things like that just don't happen.

[indistinct chatter]

That looks like the gent.

We're off to see the wizard.

[Guy] Good afternoon, sir.

Are you with the IIPP?

-Er… IIPP?
-[Guy] Yes.

-[man 3] Er… I think…
-[children run down platform]

Hello! There you are! Hello!

Come along. Ruby, take my hand.

Here we go.

-[indistinct chatter]
-[train whistle blows]

It looks as if your friend
hasn't turned up.

[she sighs] We better go find out
what time the next train is.

[indistinct chatter]

[steam hisses]

-Excuse me. Are you from the "Cyclops"?
-Yeah.

-You're not…
-Yes, I'm Doctor Fawcett.

I watched your encounter with
the odd gentleman with some amusement.

I don't blame you.

People connected with our profession
are often regarded as witch doctors.

Gosh, I'm awfully sorry.

-This is my wife.
-Please don't apologise. How do you do?

-How do you do?
-Glad to know you.

Thank you.

[heavy footsteps]

-[Fawcett] What a fine yacht!
-[Guy] Not bad.

[tea cup clatters]

As a matter of fact,
I'm well "genned up" on this case.

-Here.
-Thank you very much.

I got hold of all the press cuttings

and also the verbatim reports
of the two enquiries.

I looked at them on the train.

I'm afraid that, uh…

I'm afraid that you're wasting your time.

The more I think about this thing,

the more certain I am
that I imagined the whole business.

No, I think you'll find
that your wife was perfectly right.

I can assure you

there's a very powerful psychic
influence around this ship.

This all-pervading smell
of cigar smoke, for instance.

-So you can smell it too?
-Yes, as soon as I came down here.

Why can't I smell it?

Because you don't have what we call
a "Clair Olfactory Perception."

Oh, yeah? What might that mean?

It's a psychic perception
that comes to a natural medium

through the sense of smell.
Your wife has it.

It's a very simple
and primitive characteristic.

What's most remarkable is that you

who are too insensitive
to receive so simple a phenomenon

experienced an actual materialisation.

It's one of the most advanced
forms of manifestation.

We'll find out about that later on.

He certainly did see something.

[Guy] Well, I thought I did,

but the more we talk about it,
the more ridiculous it all sounds.

Look, I've always believed

that there's nothing which hasn't got
an explanation in terms of common sense.

What else is science
if it's not common sense?

We know perfectly well
that so-called phenomena

are merely a matter of vibrations.

Look, I only believe in what I can see.

Is that so?

You mean because you can't
see or hear vibrations in the ether,

there are no radio or television programs
going on at the moment?

[Guy] I know all about that.

Then why do you refuse to accept
the fact that there are other vibrations

emitted from the human brain?

[Guy] Why should I?

How else do you account
for thought transmission?

Even you must admit
that is an established fact.

No, the vibrations are here.

It's simply a matter
of having a suitable receiver.

-[cups clatter]
-All this is far beyond me.

I think I see what you mean.

Thank you, Mrs. Thornton.

Look, I can show you a little experiment…

to help your husband understand.

-Might I move…
-Yeah.

-[cups clatter]
-I'll take it for you.

Thank you very much.

[cups clatter]

I feel like a conjuror
with his little box.

-[she chuckles]
-[box opens]

-[tools rattle]
-Well…

-You know what these are.
-[tuning forks clatter]

Just simple, ordinary tuning forks

giving out different
sounds and vibrations.

Now, listen to them.

-[he taps]
-[tuning fork rings]

[loud vibration]

-[he taps]
-[tuning fork rings]

[loud sharper vibration]

-[he taps]
-[tuning fork rings abruptly]

They don't all make a noise.
That one, for instance.

I can't hear anything. Can you, Guy?

[she gasps] Oh, don't!

Now, I can! It's tremendously loud!
You listen, Guy.

Gosh, that's fantastic!

It's inaudible until the vibrations
get right into your skull.

So, you find no difficulty
in accepting that as a demonstration

that there are several ways
of hearing things?

I mean, you believed
that no sound came out of this fork

until I applied it to your forehead.

Right?

Now, I'll show you something else.

-Could I have a glass and a jag of water?
-Yes, sure.

-Now, do you hear anything?
-No.

Raise that glass to your lips, will you?

-Can you hear anything now?
-No.

Would you mind pouring some water into it?

Now, do you hear anything?

-No, nothing.
-Take a drink of water, will you?

That's extraordinary!

I can hear it now,
the moment my lips touched the water.

-Why is that?
-It's quite simple.

The water picks up the vibrations
and acts as a resonator.

The waves you can't hear
are picked up by the water.

And when you touch it,

they're transferred to you
on a wavelength you can hear.

-Ah, I begin to understand.
-You'll understand more in a moment.

Uh, Mrs. Thornton.

Do you value this glass? May I break it?

Yes, of course, it's only a cheap one.

[Fawcett] Watch this.

-[he taps]
-[tuning fork rings]

[he gasps]

I say… I must apologise for the mess.

-That's extraordinary!
-It's quite simple.

You've seen the glass pick up and store
vibrations when it had water in it.

And you've seen the glass destroyed
by vibrations inaudible to us.

What deductions do you draw from that?

-You tell me.
-Well…

Just as you've seen vibrations
stored in a glass of water,

so vibrations emitted by a human being
in a state of great mental emotion

can be stored
in some other inanimate objects.

Such as, the walls of this room,
practically anything.

These vibrations can be reproduced

by means of a suitable receiver.

Thus causing so-called psychic phenomena.

But we haven't got one.

You misunderstand when I say "receiver."

I don't mean
some sort of super wireless set.

Everybody is, in varying degrees,

a receiver of psychic vibrations.

Like the glass I showed you
in the experiment.

Now, you,
being a very materialistic person,

are less sensitive than your wife.

The medium who'll arrive later
is super sensitive.

[Guy] Oh!

So there's a medium coming down?

I didn't realise we would have a seance.

It's the only way to clear this thing up.

I went to a seance once.
It was a lot of malarkey.

Malarkey? Oh, yes.

There are
a lot of fraudulent mediums about.

And it's with exposing them
that my society is chiefly concerned.

I don't think you need
to have any doubts about Mrs. Manly.

I want to call this whole thing off.

Don't listen to him, Dr. Fawcett.
He's only being stubborn.

He doesn't want to call it off at all.

If everything you say is true,

how do you account for the fact
if I'm less sensitive than Margaret,

it was I who saw the thing?

And that you say is
a very advanced form of manifestation.

Perhaps conditions were
more favourable in the engine room.

Why did I see it only once?

The chief engineer was in there
for months before he saw it.

The only time it ever appeared
was when we raised steam.

What?

Of course!

What a fool I've been.

Why didn't I see that before?

Tell me. When you have the steam up,

does the temperature
in the engine room rise very much?

-It gets as hot as hell.
-Of course!

It's the heat that does it.

The greater the heat,
the more these vibrations are evident.

Has it ever struck you

how so many apparently inexplicable things
only happen in hot countries?

Nobody's seen
the Rope Trick outside India.

Voodoo's only practiced
in South Central America.

Firewalkers, fakirs, witch doctors,
all in tropical climates!

It's like developing
a photographic negative.

The hotter the solution,
the quicker the picture appears.

You win, Dr. Fawcett.

-You've got an answer for everything.
-Naturally.

Now, if you'll excuse me,

I think I'll go and meet Mrs. Manly.

Oh, just one other thing.

This seaman you have on board,
Mansel, you said his name was,

has he experienced
any of these happenings?

No, never.

Funny, I'd have thought
he was the type that would.

Well, he's been
on the ship over two years.

He'd hardly have stayed
if he'd been seeing a lot of spooks.

No, I suppose not.

-Will you excuse us?
-Yes, of course.

Thank you.

-This just can't be true!
-Shh, darling, she'll hear you.

I must admit, it isn't what I expected.

Look, let's cut out this stupidity.

-We can't, it's too late.
-Okay…

[Fawcett] Ah, Mrs. Manly.
Mr. and Mrs. Thornton.

How do you do?

I hope the journey
wasn't too much of a rush.

Oh, no. I'd go anywhere for the doctor.

[she chuckles] Besides,
I love a breath of sea air.

[Mrs. Manly sniffs]

[Guy] That's diesel oil.
We've been taking on fuel.

[Mrs. Manly laughs] Fancy that now!

Shows how much
we landlubbers know about the sea.

What a lovely steamer.

It's the first time I've ever been
on one owned by someone private.

Perhaps after the sitting, we could go
for a little sail? I'd love that!

We'll see about that. Shall we go down?

[heavy footsteps]

[Mrs. Manly chuckles]
This is a cosy little place, no mistake.

Fancy doing a sitting on a steamer!
Well, I never! [she chuckles]

[clearing throat]
I don't think this will take long, doctor.

There's a strong pull here,
a very strong pull.

I could feel it at once.

Just give me the low G.
That'll be quite enough for a start.

[Fawcett] I want you
to remain absolutely quiet.

Say nothing and make no violent movements.

No matter what you may hear or see.

I must impress upon you
that Mrs. Manly's state of health and mind

depend on her not getting a violent shock

as a result of anything you might do.

Yes, we understand.

Would you like me to draw
the curtains and put out the lights?

Good gracious, no! Whatever next!

You'll ask if the doctor's going
to blow a trumpet!

Right. You're ready?

Yes, doctor.
[she clears her throat] Quite ready.

-It's a lot of hooey.
-Shh, darling!

-[he taps]
-[tuning fork rings and vibrates]

-[eerie music]
-[tuning fork vibrates]

[Mrs. Manly breathes heavily]

-[vibrating continues]
-It's remarkable.

I've never seen her go out so quickly.

[she moans]

So cold…

Cold and dark down here.

So very, very cold.

[whispering] Cold and dark…

[in another woman's voice] It's no use,
Peter. We can't go on like this.

I can't stand another of these trips.

What are we going to do?

What I've been telling you
for months: come away with me.

What do we use for money?

-I've got some.
-Not enough.

-I'll get a job and earn some more.
-Don't let's fool ourselves.

Darling, we'll get along somehow.

If it wasn't for John,
how easy things would be.

-Don't keep talking like that.
-Why not?

Accidents do happen, especially on boats.

[he sighs] I wish
you wouldn't say such crazy things.

Why not make a clean breast
of the whole thing and ask for a divorce?

-He'd give you some alimony.
-For what?

Double-crossing him with his best friend?

[she scoffs] What do you think?

No. There's only one way to do it.

It's the easiest thing in the world
to fall over side at night.

Our story would be water-tight.

No one could possibly say
it wasn't an accident.

[whispering] You're mad.

What about the steward?

We'd have to think of an excuse
to leave him behind.

Yes, and leave ourselves wide open.

[gently] If you really loved me,
you'd find a way.

Perhaps you don't love me enough.

What do you think?

Hey, you two!
Haven't you found that paint yet?

[they sigh]

[paint can clatters]

-That's the stuff. Good man.
-Is Stevens aboard yet?

No, and in another
quarter of an hour, we've had it.

-We'll miss the last lock.
-There's another tide tomorrow.

But what will Johnson think
if we don't turn up in the morning?

Impossible to let him know.

I should never have let Stevens go.
Things like this always happen.

It's obvious the confounded man
has missed his train.

Do we have to wait?

If you're anxious to go,
I can take charge of the galley.

Leave word here.

When he turns up,
he came come in the packet boat.

-You really mean it?
-It wouldn't hurt me, for once.

I don't know.

Old Johnson's bound
to find something to do in Deauville.

Let him wait.

-Maybe we'd better go.
-Are you all ready?

-Yes, all warmed through.
-Then, what are we waiting for?

[shouting] Hey, lock-keeper!

Open the lock, we're coming through!

You there! Take away our gangway.

[bell rings]

[eerie music]

[engine runs]

[phone rings]

-Hello?
-Could you come up for a few minutes?

I want to put a washer on that tap.

Oh, about ten minutes.

Yes, all right, I'll come up.

[phone lands on floor]

[receiver clatters]

[footsteps]

There's nothing in sight.

-Keep her 120.
-Right, 120.

[footsteps]

[she blows]

Yes? Engine room.

Peter, come up here quickly!

What for?

Don't argue, darling.
Just come up here quickly.

-Yes? What do you want?
-Peter, this is our chance!

-What do you mean?
-You may never get another one like this.

-You can't be serious.
-I'm serious, all right!

This is the opportunity I've waited for,
we're not going to miss it.

But darling, you can't mean to… to…

Can't I?

What do you want me to do?

You mean, you'll go through with it?

-Fine.
-Now, listen carefully. This is the plan.

[Mrs. Martineau] And no one, absolutely
no one can say it wasn't an accident.

In about an hour's time,
we should be well clear of any traffic.

Are you sure you know exactly
what you're going to do?

Yes.

Go down to the engine room
before he gets back up here.

[footsteps]

[she gasps]

[ominous music]

[bullets clatter]

Ahoy, the bridge!

Switch on the automatic
and come down to have a drink.

We're clear of the traffic now.

Peter?

Hello, there. Peter!

There's a drink for you in the saloon.

I wonder who owns that converted
ML beside us in the harbour.

She was a nice job.

Yes, but under par,
like all conversions are.

Hmm, it looked very nice, anyway.

Well, I must go back to my engines.

Don't go.

-Yes, but--
-Sit down.

What's the matter?

When I saw by the compass in the cabin,
you were so far off your course.

I tried to ring you,
but the receiver was off the hook.

And I overheard everything you said.

What are you going to do about it?

There are a million things I could do.

I could hand you both over to the police.

Why should they believe you?

Yes. Why indeed?

Anyway, I have a much better plan.

You two want to be together.

So, you shall.

You mean you'll agree to a divorce?

No.

Then…

What?

Peter, when she'd got my money,

do you think my wife
would have stuck to you?

I'm sure she had other plans.

All your efforts would have been wasted.

Now, you will be together.

That's what you want, isn't it?

-To be together.
-Do go on.

I can't wait to hear
what you're going to do.

You know the disused
water tank under here?

[she screams]

[eerie music]

[music fades]

[machines whir loudly]

[eerie music]

[she sighs] Was it all right, doctor?

Did you find out what you wanted to know?

Ooh, I have a bit of a headache.

Could I have a cup of tea?

Yes, of course. Come with me, Mrs. Manly.

Is there a trap door on the floor here?

And a disused tank?

Will you get some spanners
to open it up with? And a torch.

-[heavy footsteps]
-[Guy shouts] Mansel!

Mansel!

Was it a good sitting?
Were you all satisfied?

Or did I tell you
something you didn't want to hear?

You don't look very well!

Tell me, Mrs. Manly,

is it true you don't remember

anything that happens
when you're in a trance?

No, dear, nothing.
Nothing at all, I'm glad to say.

I think you better go
and fetch the police.

Yeah, I will.

Don't tell Margaret. Not yet.

[gunshot]

What's that?

[eerie music]

[Guy] Gosh, it's Mansel!

[Fawcett] No!

Professor Martineau! Look.

He was quite mad, of course. Poor chap.

That's why he wouldn't
keep away from the ship.

What a terrible life he must have led.

So, it was him all the time!

Then, there never was any ghost!

What do you think?

There are more things
in heaven and earth, remember?

But I don't think
you'll have any more trouble.

[joyful music]