Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–1962): Season 7, Episode 17 - The Faith of Aaron Menefee - full transcript

Good evening ladies and gentlemen,

and welcome to what we modestly call,

the greatest show on earth,

becoming an animal trainer is not
difficult at all,

anyone who has raised children already
possesses the proper humility,

our star performer Gordon,

will now jump from this stool,

to this one,

I think you will appreciate
his performance more,

when you realize that Gordon is a flea,

he's getting ready, by the way Gordon,



is the one in the blue trunks,

there he goes,

well done,

as for those trunks,

he can pick them up when he returns,

now for a riddle:

what has no legs,

is a bit thick,

definitely does not fly
and is one minute long?

here is the answer.

THE FAITH OF AARON MENEFEE

You got a sick car there,

don't get out, leave the engine running.

We're 60 miles from a special meeting
and late.



It's the carburetor, you can shut it off
now,

seems like it was just worked on but
whoever did it sure messed it up.

How long will it take to fix?

I can do it
while you wait.

How much will it cost?

Oh about
two dollars should do it.

Two dollars?

I hope I didn't upset you.

well it's rare indeed to be
upset by honesty two dollars,

indeed why most mechanics usually
hit me for eight, ten dollars.

Sure because they don't like their work,

they gotta charge more,

me I love engines, look in here now.

What's wrong?

Nothing, at least twice nothing be helped,

it's an ulcer,

I’m on milk, potatoes and prayer
to heal it but...

I don't believe you really know who I am,
do you?

Otis Jones,

Gila Jones they call me,

200 radio TV stations coast to coast
carry my faith meeting.

I don't hold with radio and TV,

from what I hear, there's a load of
central stuff on them,

drinking and killing and sinful women.

There is no sin no temptation
on my show, just healing brother,

-do you have faith brother?
-I’ve prayed, yes,

-I pray to my knees with skin raw. -Take my
hand,

go on, take it,

now let the power,

pour into you,
let it pour,

there,

there.

Allow me.

YSou got faith brother,

you come to my meeting tonight,

and I’ll
turn all my power on you,

and heal you from this day henceforth,

daughter,
the address please,

-Emily Jones this is uh...
-Aaron Menifee.

Aaron Menifee,

come along, yeah?

-You've got to have faith sister.
-Oh I do I do.

Turn around,

now let me soothe
with the power of love,

now hold your head high,

hold it proud sister in faith,

now let me unbind,

and set you free of this
agony,

do you feel power sister?

I do.

Say the power is in me.

-The power is in me.
-Say I am healed.

I am healed.

Walk tall sister, show them your
pain cleanse face,

- show them, hallelujah.
-Hallelujah.

Thank you, next,

now is brother Menifee in the house?

Aaron Menifee,

Aaron Menifee.

that's me,

Come forward brother,

what is your affliction?

-Ulcers sir.
-Do you hear that?

this big good-looking young man and the
prime of life,

is being eaten away by a sickness that
defies man's medicine,

and yet, he has the faith to come before
me and seek deliverance,

do you believe he can be healed?

Aaron Menefee, do you believe you can be
healed?

-I can be healed.
-Then bend your head,

bend your head, and make sure that your
faith is as strong as my power,

do you believe?

-I believe. -Then seize this hand seize it,

we will let the other hand descend,

to drive the evil out,

drive it out,

I’m healed, I’m healed.

Say it again brother,

-cried aloud in your jubilation.
-It's gone it's a miracle.

Do you hear that?
do you hear that brothers?

Or sisters and borthers It's gone,

it's gone, my paine it's gone,

I'm healed, I'm healed,
I'm really healed.

My oh my,

all these faith offerings,

dump it brother, dump it,

Did you see him daddy? first time a healed
person ever got so grateful he just took,

the basket out of my hand and run through
the audience asking for faith offerings,

-look.
-You're really grateful huh?

-I’m healed.
-So is my car, you did a fine job,

how would you like to go to work for me,

be my chauffeur.

You mean really? all the time?

All the time.

I bet he's the kind of young
man would give back half his salary,

each week as a faith
offering to help some sinner.

Oh I will,

I will.

What kind of a life is that?

an auto mechanic for
a traveling tent show.

-Chauffeur.
-Mechanic, working day and night,

and for less money than Abe Nolan pays
you at the gas station,

making a holy show yourself at those
meetings,

and living with a bunch
of swindling strangers,

you'll find out what it's like boy.

Doc Buckles, I’ve been called
and I’m following the call.

Called?

you were called to rid
yourself of lustful thoughts,

by rolling around naked
in the snow one night.

so as I had to pull you through
pneumonia,

you were called to bust up Glenn Lyman’s
rabbit traps every time he set him out,

so he had to go to jail twice already
for doing that,

seems like every time you're called it
means trouble for you Aaron.

My body was healed.

Look, you never had an ulcer,

you ain't got one now,

trouble is ever since you were a kid your
dad's filled you so full of his hell fire,

and speaking,
of strange tongues and fear of the devil,

that no wonder he's got your
stomach all tied up in knots,

and this Otis Jones is no better than
your pop he can't cure anything.

Whatever I got, could you ever cure it doc?

Goodbye Aaron.

Goodbye doc,

if I pass this way again I’ll drop by
and say hello.

We moved along town by town,

and the faith offerings kept pouring
in like the great flood itself,

from people who wanted the healer good
work carried on,

it was a fine time,

but then the trouble
began,

what trouble?

Emily Jones the healer's
daughter,

she was everywhere,

the devil rose up terrible in my mind,

I broke into sweats,

I had to take cold bears to rid the
devil from my mind,

Aaron Menefee, what you doing?

that's three times today you've been
soaking.

You, you keeping count?

Aaron, you'll catch your death a cold,
get out,

get out, do you hear?

it's a fine afternoon,

you're gonna take
me for a row in a boat,

or you're fired,

the healer's daughter
speaking,

fired unless,

well?

I’ll be right there.

Miss Emily,

the devil is in me.

The devil's in us all, Aaron.

Yes but he says to me,

feel that wind.

It's a fine wind.

Listen to them birds.

-Find singing.
-Yes but then he says,

hold her hand,

touch her hair.

I’ll help you Aaron.

Oh thank you.

Miss Emily that's no help at all.

The good book says arise my love,
my fair one, and come with me,

there's a legal and holy way of doing it.

You mean get married?

Do you have any objections to matrimony?

I don't guess I have but,

I never thought
that I was ready for it.

You're 25 and long overdue that's what
those thoughts have been trying to tell you.

Emily what's the healer gonna think
about this?

everything I am I owe to him we must ask
his blessing.

Aaron and pau's only child,

let's skip off first and get married
and then ask for his blessing.

No that'll be sharp in the serpent's tooth,
we can't do it that way.

We can't?

No,

now it's got to be done right or not
at all.

Testing one two three,

one two,

isn't that fine brother Bish?

find your microphone,
brand spanking new loudspeakers,

brother Menefee,

how do you like the new
equipment?

you may, you may leave brother Bish,

Emily,

child, what are you two been up to?

Sit down Emily.

You got something to say
brother?

-Sir could we talk private?
-I can hear you fine,

now stay where you are,

well...

Well, the fact is we're going to be
married.

No sir, that is not a fact, that is a
desire the fact is you want to get married.

Well yes.

There is a lot of difference
between wanting and having brother.

Sir I leave it up to you whether I’m
worthy or not,

although I have hopes that you'll
see it in the way miss Emily and I do.

Brother Menefee you are one of
the worthiest souls that I know,

but there's a lot more to it than that,

Emily my only begotten child is
heir to all that has come my way,

and believe me a lot has
come my way this past year.

If you're saying Aaron wants to marry me
for my money,

you can take my word for it he doesn't.

I do not say that,

what I do say is that I’ve
got a mighty big proposition,

on my hand share a mighty big proposition,

what were the offerings from the meetings,
the national hookups, and the book sales?

it will take a big man to step
into my shoes.

If you're talking about
Charlie Bish I wouldn't marry him,

if you're the last man on
earth he makes my skin crawl.

All right, all right,

not Charlie Bish,

but someone with his talents,

when the power came down to me,

I reaped a mighty harvest,

tax free,

now someday Emily that will be yours,

worthy as brother Menefee,
may be he is not the right man,

for your wedded maiden partner,
I cannot give my blessing.

I have faith in you healer,

but it's a tough role
you've given me to hoe,

no woman ever made me feel the way miss
Emily does.

As long as I am on earth I reign over
Emily,

when I’ve gone to glory, then she is free
to walk on her own path,

but that won't be for a long time brother,

a long time,

not with the way my health is and the
power that is in me,

so I suggest that you
hold that long row,

and keep your eye peeled for another
woman,

now if you'll excuse me I have work to
do,

brother Bish come back in here please.

I believe, I do believe, I believe in him,

I believe in him, I believe in him.

Aaron I’ll never marry anyone else I’ll
wait for you all my life if I have to.

Emily,

come in here
Emily.

So we traveled the circuit,

and at last came full round
again to my old hometown.

A. BUCKLES M.D.

Doc?

Who is it?

Aaron Menifee.

Oh hello Aaron.

What do you mean 'hello'?, I come to visit.

Not tonight Aaron.

Not tonight?

I I’ve been away a long time I
come here special now,

doc I got problems.

We all got problems.

I don't know what yours is,

but this is mine.

Doc what's going?

You sure picked a
fine time to come barging in Aaron.

Who's he?

-what does he want here?
-He's a friend,

let him be,

no good making trouble for
everyone just because you're messed up,

I examined you,

told you god's honest
truth,

your legs are paralyzed.

-Cut up.
-Your legs are paralyzed,

and nothing can be done for it,

not by
me or anyone,

is there another doctor in this jerk
water stop?

-No.
-A lie, a lie.

Mister I wouldn't risk my
everlasting soul by one lie.

All right, all right,

but who do you go to
around here if you're hurt bad,

don't tell me everybody
uses this little quack.

You can't walk?

I can't, I can't walk, can't know do you
think I’d be sitting here if I could I can't, no.

-And you really want to.
-Want to?

-Want to? -Oh doc, doc sometimes
I think it's for all day...

-What's with him?
-Oh do excuse me doc,

brother, doc is a good man, even if there
are lots of things outside his powers,

but I can take you to someone whose
power has never failed,

he healed me when, he couldn't.
I’m sorry doc,

he heals all those who come to him no
matter what their affliction,

-it's true. -You realize who this is? this
is Vern Byers,

-he's been shot by the police he's a killer.
-Where is this guy, that's funny yours?

Five minutes away.

That's a thousand dollars,

pick it up,

that's to bring this doctor friend of
yours here,

tell him there's another thousand
waiting for him when he gets here,

all right?

Brother, the healer
won't take payment for his work,

-but if this is a faith offering... -Go call
it what you want bring him here.

Aaron,

I told you there's nothing anyone
can do to help,

he can't be cured, his spine's been damaged,
now you keep out of this Aaron,

-and you keep this healer
friend ears out of it too. -Hal,

Lock this quack up!

go on now!

Wait a minute,

where shut the door,

now listen,

I killed the doctor at crescent city that
operated take the bullet out of me,

and left me so I can't walk.

Brother Byers, he heals all those who
come to him.

Listen again,

I’ll kill any man that takes my money
and doesn't put my legs right again,

-do you heard?
-Have faith brother.

Healer, healer Jones,

healer Jones,

oh praise glory you're here,

healer there's a man here needs your
help for a friend of his.

At this hour it must be mighty serious.

It's serious, look at this faith offering
one thousand dollars,

and there's more where that came from.

-Brother Bish add this to the talent.
-Yes.

-I guess this is about the biggest single
evening we've ever had. -Thousand dollars?

-Now where is the sinner?
-I’ve got the car,

I'll take you there
healer but you better hurry.

Yes I’ll hurry, thank you daughter, thank you.

-Healer?
-Yes, yes.

There's a worrisome thing
about that center up there.

Now brother you're not going to tell me
my business are you?

Oh no sir it's just this sinner,

though he needs your power he's short on faith,

he smell a firing
brimstone, healer,

he's a fearful sinner all the way.

Brother Menefee you're ignorant,
anyone who can make a faith offering,

like the one you just gave me is ready
ready for my power to enter him.

What Aaron means...

Healer...

Oh thank you brother but I don't figure
to need your company, long on this mission,

bell, well,

now brother just,

what is your affliction?

So much for life and death under the big top,

by the way, the police finally caught up
with the Vern buyers,

but not before he had done in
Otis Jones,

my final appearance in a moment,

but first,

to convince the cynicals
that Gordon does exist,

he will now jump through this hoop,

this always happens,

I must remember to use thinner paper,

but as Gordon would say:
that's show business,

which reminds me,

you have seen the show now
we give you the business.

Good evening,
good to have you ringside again,

Gordon was miffed as a result of the
accident with the hoop and has disappeared,

he first changed into street clothes
however,

so he will be much more difficult to
find,

he's wearing a dark gray flannel suit,

pearl gray felt hat, a blue necktie,

and three pairs of suede shoes,

now until next week at the same time,

good night.