Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–1962): Season 5, Episode 20 - The Day of the Bullet - full transcript

Good evening,

and welcome to half an
hour of free parking.

However, I no longer
park the car for you.

During the period I was
rendering that service,

we had the distinction of being the
only parking lot ever to be proclaimed

a disaster area.

Naturally, we cannot
assume responsibility

for articles left in the car.

So please take
your children with you.

Tonight's story is called,
"The Day of the Bullet."

And it begins at once.



So that's how he died.

In his big car,

wise in the way of the rackets.

He died last night,

but it was 35 years ago

that fate squeezed the trigger.

Thirty-five years ago

in Brooklyn.

Bath Beach, Brooklyn, 1925.

What a darb!

She's a beaut, all right,
but I bet she won't go 90.

Sure, she will. Easy.

How do you know?

I know it. That's how.



You can tell by looking.

Boy, you've got to admit there's
nothing can touch her in Bath Beach,

or Sheepshead Bay
or even Brooklyn Heights!

Sure, lggy. Sure, but
we better get going.

Hey, what
did I tell you, Clete?

The speedometer
goes to a hundred!

Hey, lggy, you know
what we ought to do?

Caught you this time,
you little brat!

Beat it, lggy.

Let me go.
We weren't doing nothing.

What's going on here? Joe?

These kids have been
snooping around.

We weren't snooping,

we were just looking
at your old car.

Ain't no good anyway.

Honest, we didn't
bust it or anything.

You know how I
feel about this, Joe.

I don't want nobody,
ever, getting this far again.

It won't happen again,
Mr. Rose.

Well, it's happened before.

I'll give them a shellacking
they won't forget.

You lay a hand on me
and I'll tell my pop.

He'll show ya.
You'll wish you was dead.

Lay off the rough stuff, Joe.

Yeah, you'd better

or my old man will lick you both
with one hand tied behind his back.

And he can do it,
can't he, Clete?

He sure can.
His dad can sure do it.

What's your name, kid?

Lggy, Ignace Kovacs.

My pop's a conductor on the
Bath Avenue trolley line!

Who are you?

Cletus Vine.

Your old man a conductor, too?

No, he works
in a bank downtown.

All right.

I'm gonna let you kids go.

But if I find you hanging
around here again,

I'll have Joe bust
your skinny necks.

Now beat it.

Well, get going.
You heard Mr. Rose.

That big gazoo,
he didn't scare me none.

He scared you enough
for us to shag six blocks.

My dime bank's getting full.

How much you got?

The bank ain't quite full yet.

When it is, I'll have enough.

Maybe even more
than ten dollars.

You've been saving plenty long,

but you don't know
how much you got?

I don't get it.

See, I don't want
to cut the can open,

but I figure it holds
at least ten dollars.

Boy, just wait
till I get that putter.

See me sink that, Clete?

Boy, that's the best
putter in the world.

Same kind as Gene Sarazen
and Bobby Jones uses.

Ah, you've never
even held a golf stick.

Who do you think
you're kidding?

Someday I'll own that putter.

I'll betcha.

But a putter's not enough.

You've gotta have
a driver and a brassie

and 30 jillion
other kinds of clubs.

You think you're telling me?

Sure, I'm telling you.

Well, I'll tell you
something, too.

First I'll buy that putter,

and then I'll buy
the next one and the next

until I got the best set of golf
clubs in Brooklyn, New York,

USA, North America.

- Iggy, where you been?
- Around.

I thought you wanted
to watch the game.

Hi, Mr. Kovacs.

Hi, Clete. When your
folks moving?

Tomorrow.

Where'd you play, Pop?

I got a pick-up game
down at the public park.

I'll bet you won.

Yeah, sure, we gave
them a real lacing.

Gee, Mr. Kovacs.
You always win.

I'll bet you could play for the Dodgers
if you wanted to, couldn't you, Pop?

I don't know. I'm getting
kinda old now.

Old? Why, gee,
you play every Sunday.

Look at Clete's dad, all he
does is read the papers.

Well, from what my mom says,

Dad never has been very active.

Well, to each man
his own taste, huh?

Yeah.

Come on, let's go home, lggy.

I'll bet if some tough
guy was beating me up,

you'd stop him,
wouldn't you, Pop?

Sure.

And you wouldn't care
who he was?

And you'd try to lick him.

Well, I'd sure try, Son.

After all, a guy can only try.

What if you can't lick him?

Well, getting hurt's
not important, Clete.

I keep telling lggy, the main
thing is just don't be scared.

Did you eat?

Yeah. Did you?

Yeah.

All packed and
ready to go, huh?

The movers are coming,
Dad says, at crack of dawn.

Boy, I'm glad I'm not moving.

At first I was glad.

Now I'm not.

Scared? Nah.

What do you take me for?
A baby?

What do you want to do?

You name it.

I don't care. You name it.

Maybe we ought to
try to pick up some change.

You could use it,
yeah, in the city.

Over at Dyker Heights
golf course?

Yeah, let's fish
for golf balls.

Okay, but I got to
get home early.

Moving and all that stuff.

Hurry up, Clete.

If that old caretaker sees us,

we'll be in lots of trouble.

Ah, phooey on the caretaker!

He don't own those balls,
they're lost.

Besides, it's a public
golf course, ain't it?

Well, ain't it? Sure, it is.

But that old caretaker can still
cause trouble if he wants to.

Hey, lg, I think I feel one.

You sure? Yeah, I think so.

Right under my toes.

Boy, that ball's nearly
like brand new.

Bet it's worth a quarter.

I don't know about a quarter,

but it's sure worth a dime.

You hear that?

The caretaker
making a check-up?

Don't matter who it is. They'll
report us if they see us.

Look out!

Do you think I'm one of these
lousy, small-time bootleggers

you can double-cross
for the fun of it?

Hmm? Do you?

This is who I am.
I'll show you.

It ain't fair. It ain't fair.
Two against one.

Besides he's littler than them.

They're grown ups.

It's not like they
show in movies.

It's awful.

They're yellow. That's all.

Dirty yellow skunks.

Hey, where are you going? Where
do you think you're going?

I'm going home.
That's where I'm going.

But that guy's hurt. You're
just gonna let him stay there?

Sure, I'm gonna
let him stay there.

It's none of my business.

You saw what happened.

Do you think it's all right
to beat up a guy like that?

I don't know. It's none
of my business.

Besides I gotta get home.

My folks will be sore
if I don't get home on time.

All right, if that's
the way you feel.

Hey, Mister.

Are you hurt?

Get out of here,
you little sneaks.

Get out of here.

Did you see that guy? Did you
see what they did to him?

Come on, I'm gonna tell the cops.
The cops!

What do you want to get
mixed up with cops for?

What do you care
what they did to him?

For Pete's sake!

Because they beat him
up, didn't they?

And the cops can stick them in jail
for 50 years if somebody tells them.

Yes, they can.

And I'm a witness. I saw what
happened and so did you.

So you're a witness too.

I don't like it.

And I didn't like that guy either.
So what do I care?

Besides, cops make me nervous.

Let that guy tell
the cops about it.

It don't make any difference
if you like the guy or not.

He can't tell the cops.

Why not?

Didn't you see how scared
he was of Mr. Rose?

You think it's all right
for Mr. Rose to go around

beating up anybody he wants to

and nobody does
anything about it?

Hey!

I get it now.

Mr. Rose.

What about him?

He pushed you
and me around, too.

You'll fix him.

Gonna back me up?

Sure, I'll be a pal.

What have I got to lose?

I'm moving tomorrow.

Hey, Sarge, these two kids
said they've seen an assault

over at Dyker Heights.

We ain't had no report.
Chase 'em home.

That's what I figured, too.

Except the little one here
won't shut up.

What's wrong with your ears?

Nothing, Sarge.

Except the guy mixed up
in this is named Rose.

What's that?

A guy named Rose.

You don't know anybody
by that name, do you, Sarge?

Drives a big car.

All right, kid.
What's bothering you?

My pal here and me,

we seen Mr. Rose and that big
galoot chauffeur of his named Joe

beat up a little guy over the
Dyker Heights golf course.

They knocked him silly
and threw him in a pond.

You're a pretty wise kid.

What do you mean? I saw it.

Clete saw it, too.
He'll tell you.

I do the telling
around here, kid,

and I'm telling you, you got an awful
big mouth for someone your size.

That's just what
I told him, Sarge.

He ought to have more sense than to go
around trying to get people in trouble.

For Pete's sake!
Don't you believe me?

I was right there
when it happened.

I was this close.

All right, kid.
You were that close.

Now beat it and keep
your big mouth shut.

I got no time to fool around.

Go ahead. Get out of here.

Well, I don't care
if you don't believe me.

'Cause there's plenty of other
people who'll believe me.

You just wait till
I tell my father.

You'll see.

Take the car and drive
over to Rose's place.

Explain it all to him and ask him
to come along back with you.

You get the kid's
name and address.

Yes, sir.

So bring along
his old man, too.

Right.

Warm up that bench over
there until I call for you.

Just wait till Pop gets here.

He'll show that cop
and Mr. Rose, too.

I got to get home.

We're moving tomorrow.

I seen it and nobody
can say I didn't.

And Clete'll back me up,
'cause he's seen it, too.

All right, you heard
the kid and his story.

So I'll put it to you
straight out, Mr. Rose.

Were you near that
golf course today?

I was not.

Of course not,

but you see what
we're up against here.

Oh, sure, I do.

You know something, Sergeant,

I don't blame the kid for
trying to get even with me.

'Cause he and I've had
a little trouble before.

What was the trouble, Mr. Rose?

Oh, nothing very serious.
Just...

Well, he and this other kid, here, are
always trying to hang around my car.

I guess he's just trying
to get square with me.

Well, what do you say,
Mr. Rose?

Oh, I say the kid's got
a lot of spirit.

Haven't you, sonny?

I ain't lying.

Honest, Pop.

We both saw it. Honest, Pop.

Pop!

Honest, Pop.

I mean, I wouldn't lie to you.

You just gotta believe me.

He was only a little guy, Pop.

And Mr. Rose nearly killed him.

Iggy, I don't want you going around
telling stories about people.

Do you hear me?

You heard your father,
didn't you, kid?

Sure, you did.

You and I understand each other
a lot better now, kiddo.

So there's no hard feelings.

No use holding
any hard feelings, son.

No use at all.

That's right, kid.

No hard feelings.

I tell you what.

Any time you want to drop over
the house and look at that car,

it's okay with me.

There's probably a couple of odd jobs
you can do around the house, too.

I pay pretty good.

You don't have
to worry about that.

Here, kid.

That'll give you an idea.

Now go on out.

Have some fun.

All right, you kids,
go ahead home.

The rest of us
got something to talk over.

Take it easy, lggy.

It's getting awful late.

My old man will whale me good.

Maybe I won't see you
again before I go.

So long.

It was all right.

I mean, it turned out
real good.

What did?

Well, Mr. Rose giving
you that dollar.

That's as good as 20
old, beat up golf balls.

Well, isn't it?

Yeah,

I'll bet it's as good
as a whole new golf club.

Come on down to Leo's with
me and I'll show you.

Oh, I can't. My folks
will be sore at me now.

Anyhow, you can't buy
a golf club for a dollar.

You'll need way more than that.

Think so?

Ten bucks!

Yeah, ten bucks.

Hey, that's a lot of dough.

You better give that to your old
man or he'll really jump on you.

My old man?

Do you know what I'll do
if my old man tries anything?

I'll tell Mr. Rose on him,
that's what.

And then you'll see.

You'll see.

You'll see.

You'll see.

You'll see.

In each lifetime

there is one day of destiny.

It may be a day of which none
of us is aware at the time.

Thirty-five years ago
fate squeezed the trigger.

The bullet has been waiting

in time ever since.

Today it struck, but that day,

long ago when
Iggy and I were boys,

was the day of the bullet.

Well, that's the way
the old bullet bounces.

I see some of you
are about to leave

in order to avoid that last
minute rush at the parking lot.

Please remain in your seats for
this important announcement.

I shall again be visible
at its conclusion.

Well, that's the way
the old bullet bounces.

I know many of you are asking

how I can afford
to offer free parking.

This is possible because
of a very lucrative sideline.

This combination
is quite economical.

I need only one lot

and the cars cost me nothing.

Naturally we pass
the savings on to you.

I've had difficulty only once.

I was attempting
to sell a man a car,

only to discover
he already owned it.

Until then,

he had been insisting
my price was too high.

Imagine his embarrassment.

Next time I shall be doing
business at the same old stand.

Your patronage
is kindly solicited.

Good night.