Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–1962): Season 7, Episode 26 - Ten O'Clock Tiger - full transcript

Good evening ladies and gentlemen,

since you are accustomed to hearing
my brother Alfred, at this time,

I shall allow him to make his usual
announcement,

you may carry on Alfred.

Thank you kind sir,

I agreed to take part in
this observed charade,

only because I was assured it would get
us a booking on a certain,

Sunday night variety show,

however I’m not sure it's worth it,

since watching us is rather a limited
form of amusement,

we have provided you with
some alternate entertainment,



here it is.

TEN O'CLOCK TIGER

Well Arthur what do you know?

I know I can't afford to
be seen with a known crook,

boxing commissioner is very sensitive in
this state.

-We could talk in the dressing room.
-Talk about what?

How you could turn 50 into a couple of
grand just for the price of a phone call,

we only got a few minutes left
to post time at Valencia Park.

-Get lost.
-The horse's name is Sweet Sloop,

if you don't know a
bookmaker in this town,

you can call New York
for a dollar 20 cents,

like I said the horse's
name is Sweet Sloop.

All right wake up you blubbery slob.

Too late to call your bookmaker now,



-hey the soldier, how is he these days?
-Oh...

He's alive and breathing,

but you can say the same
thing for an acre of beets.

You're so kind about it Arthur,

when's he gonna fight again?

He fights Buster Bigelow Tuesday night
in the local arena.

How do you think you make up?

He'll make out like general custer,

you want to kiss the dead?
anyway is a friend of yours.

No not personally, he doesn't know me,

but gosh I must have seen him fight
old 10 or 12 times in the old days,

boy he was a great one when he had it.

Sure so they're all, they were
all great when they had it.

In the first race at Valencia Park off
and running at 1:16 eastern standard time,

the winner by seven and a
half length Sweet Salute...

Target Bright was second
and Molest Me Not was third.

Why didn't you say the
race was rigged?

It wasn't Rick Arthur, just the winner,
he got special attention.

You mean the horse got a treatment?

Yeah yeah that's a nice word for the
treatment.

Ah, now maybe you could have gotten away
with it 20 years ago,

but not today, not the way they go over
those horses before and after every race.

In the first race of Valencia Park
the official time for the six furlong sprint,

was one minute and
10 seconds flat a new track record,

Sweet Salute paid 88 and 40
cents to win,

52 to place and 28 to show,
Target Bright paid...

How about that?

-a new track record.
-A pig like that,

in 20 minutes they'll be
giving a saliva test,

to everybody in the state
including the governor.

I won't make any difference Arthur,

nothing's going to show up in the
laboratory test,

this was my masterpiece.

-You gave the horse
the treatment? -Oh no no,

the formula is mine,

but you know yourself, there's
not a racetrack in the country,

that'll even let me look through the fence,

I gave 100 units of the stuff, that, that's
enough for one treatment to a groom I know,

today was like our test flight.

Well what about this groom?

What about him?

I gave my last hundred bucks and a
clean syringe,

I had to know how this stuff would
work under actual racing condition.

You trusted the guy?

Well Arthur sometimes it can't be avoided,

and anyhow the way I had it figured I
couldn't possibly get caught.

-Come on, come on.
-And now listen Arthur,

this formula is absolutely harmless when
administered to any form of mammal,

it works for 90 minutes, it doesn't show
in the bloodstream or the nervous system,

Arthur what I’m trying to tell you,

is even if they do hold an
investigation at Valencia Park,

why it'd be like frisk and
a mausoleum picnic for booze,

we could do business together.

-Could we, why? -Because you're
as hungry as I am,

and a contact man that knows the
answers, is an absolute necessity to me.

Horses ain't my specialty,
and besides I don't like jail,

the only livestock, I know anything about.

-No Arthur, no.
-Why not he's a mammal Amy.

Yeah but that don't make him a horse.

Just try picking up his feet bill
sometime.

-Now you wait a minute...
-Now just a minute,

did you or didn't you say
this stuff was harmless?

-Well as far as I know.
-All right then, think ahead,

think ahead to next
Tuesday night at 10 o'clock,

could this fat sheep
turn into a roaring tiger,

say he's half the fighter he used to be,

Knockbuster Bigelow, boom,
right into the mezzanine seats,

oh could we pick up a beautiful dollar,

got stuff with you?

I could have, why?

Something you said a minute ago about a
test flight,

why couldn't we have a test
flight right here in the gym?

I don't know.

He's going to work out with a sparring
partner in about 10 or 15 minutes.

-I’d have to think about it.
-Why?

because you hate money?

Oh come on Arthur,
layoff, it's a matter of dignity let's say,

the invasion of privacy is what I mean,

and the fact that he ain't a horse.

What's with all this high-class intellectual
talk, who are you supposed to be?

Atlas Stevenson?

Give me a pencil.

-How much he weigh?
-Uh 220.

The way I got it figured out, 100 units,

is just right for a horse
and top racing condition,

the average colt weighs about 1100 pounds,

-you say you weighs 220? -Oh give or take
a chocolate pecan sundae.

Comes out to about a fifth of the
quantity,

I’d say 20 units, any more
would be taking a chance.

Look, how you give him 20?

Injection, in the arm just
like vitamins.

Oh that's great, get it ready,
he don't nees a needle,

no we give vitamins to
these meatballs all the time,

all right soldier wake up,
come on wake up,

wake up,

he sleeps like a bear,
a season at a time.

-Funny I must have dozed off, huh.
-Very funny,

you know he can sleep in
a hammock full of cats,

soldier this is doc Murphy from Terre
Haute, who just happened to be passing by.

Oh nice to see you doc.

-Hello soldier.
-The doc's a fan of yours.

Oh that's nice,

I appreciate you dropping by doc.

You know the doc's got some new vitamins
they ain't even on the market yet.

Oh that's real nice, a professional
man taking an interest,

reminds me of a time in Cleveland I’m
fighting as a child.

Never mind about Ezzard Charles.

-I couldn't have lost to a nicer fella.
-Oh well you shut up?

-What I was going to say doc...
-Will you just,

don't talk us to death,

the doc ain't got all day,

you can't buy these vitamins
in the five and dime you know,

okay doc...

You give the doc your arm.

Never felt the doc,

I never felt a thing.

Save it for the workout.

Sure, hold it. Save it for the work
sure.

it's just that I feel kinda good.

Now listen soldier,

yesterday this orangutan
slapped you around like a pound of salami,

but today it's gonna be different,

today you're in charge,

now get in there and take him apart,

all right, let's go to work,

it's time.

Sorry Tipsy boy, you know what I mean,

I don't know what got into me.

-Yeah?
-It's me.

-They're all gone.
-Anybody see you come up?

Nobody that would recognize me,

-where's the soldier?
-He's asleep.

What else...as he always.

Do you suppose he
suspects anything?

How could he suspect anything when he,

ain't got brains enough to have a headache.

How much we make in cold cash, Arthur?

It's all right there in black and white.

3 500 and the tv, 2 800 plus some loose
change from the gate,

I bet it all except the loose change at
five to one,

so who needs horses?

from now on it's you and me
all the way bootsy.

Once he fight again.

He fights Luther Felix
in Chicago two weeks into night.

same tv producer, only double the money,

plus 30 of the gate, how about that?

Two weeks, he's gonna
need more time than that,

if he's gonna fight
anybody as tough as Felix.

Time for what?

For what?

well for his cuts to heal,

I don't care how sensational
he was in there against Bigelow,

you know he got sliced up pretty good.

So what?
he patches easy like grandma's quilt.

Oh come on Arthur you can't do that to
the soldier.

Why not? since when did that
meatball ever look like Robert Taylor?

All right you guys beat it,

-I want to talk to the soldier alone.
-This is a romance Arthur?

Yeah, get out of here.

All right soldier,

it's time to go to
work,

-it's time for our vitamins.
-Sure arthur, sure.

-All right. -I don't see doc Murphy around
no more Arthur,

he sure was a nice fella.

I’ll remember to tell him that.

You're a great fighter,

yes you are, all right let's go,

all right, jab, jab, hook, that up boy,

that's it oh you're a great fighter you're
the greatest fighter that ever lived,

you're a tiger, you got seven sets of teeth.

Ah well bootsy, back on the big time,

New York city,
layout like this it's the only place,

I feel at home, you know what I mean,

you know,
you wouldn't have to sneak in and out,

of here like a dishonest
milkman if you trusted me,

what kind of a partner are you? that has to look
at the books at four o'clock in the morning?

This kind,
it's the only time I can check up on you.

That's very funny,

now about the fight...

-What about? -Well is this about it,

he's not going to be in there with
just some humpty dumpty this time,

he's going to be in there with the
champion of the world.

-Yeah I know Arthur I’m listening.
-Well the point I’m trying to make is,

the soldier's a national sensation,

now we got to protect the
goose that lays the golden egg.

I notice how you've been protecting him
every time he climbs out of the ring,

he looks like he just fought a
freight train with his face.

It took him seven rounds to
take care of Sonny Fialco,

nine rounds for that irishman in San
Francisco,

I got an idea maybe he's building up a
tolerance for the stuff.

-What about it?
-There's this about it,

instead of giving him 20 units this time,

suppose we make it 30.

-Now wait a minute Arthur you know...
-The championship's worth a million dollars,

a million for you and a million for me.

-I don't like it.
-You don't like what?

Well I don't like getting
this last bit of mileage,

out of an old retread like the soldier,

sure he wins all right,

but have you noticed lately that
every time he climbs out of the ring,

his skull is lopsided and he's got
that same glassy look in his eyes?

-Oh tell me more.
-Well,

I say give the soldier a break, let him get
knocked out on the level quick and merciful,

and well then the poor clown can retire.

Will you say that again?

Look Arthur, I’ve been a crook all my
life same as you,

it's kind of embarrassing to get noble
all of a sudden.

Why don't you go take a nice warm bath.

Arthur, I’m trying to tell you we never
had it so good,

the soldier doesn't owe us a thing,

look, there was buster Bigelow,

Luther Felix, the irishman in San
Francisco, Sonny Fialco,

the soldier came through for us like a
four horsepower like, and do you know why?

because he had 20 units of that stuff
pumping around inside of him each time,

suppose he does win this fight,

just think of the punches he's going to
have to take with that open door style his,

think of a nice poor slob
like the soldier walking,

around on his heels for the rest of his life.

-Oh...
-Or going blind. -Oh...

you're breaking me up,

now if you don't want to have
a nice warm bath try some booze,

we've got only the best.

Let's let the soldier off the hook,

let him get knocked out quick and merciful
and then turn him out to pasture,

even if he ain't a horse.

Oh and another thing,

-after this there won't be any more.
-Won't be any more what?

The formula,

it was never mind.

You're lying.

No no I’ve spooked a lot of
horses in my time Arthur but,

as a chemist,

you turned me loose in a
drugstore and I could,

just about mix a chocolate ice cream soda,

I got this from Freddy
Piltz king of the spooks,

kind of a genius,

poor guy died in Leavenworth last year,

no Arthur, I’m leveling this time.

After this they're
they're in anymore,

you're on your own.

Oh and uh Arthur another thing,

don't give him more
than 20 units at a time.

-Is everything all right soldier?
-Fine, Charlie just fine.

He's got the nervous
system of an oyster.

You got 20 minutes soldier.

All right, come on you guys beat it,

all right come on look alive,

take off your robe it's time to warm up.

Sure Arthur, sure.

Ah it's time for your
vitamins.

-They're 20 000 people out there tonight,
you know that? -I know.

And you're fighting the champion of the
world, now get that through your head.

-He's a real nice fella.
-Who cares if he's a real nice fella.

-You want me to warm up now?
-No no wait a minute,

you know, this is for the
championship of the world,

few more vitamins,

can't do any harm,

all right soldier come on give me your arm,

now stand still,

you take care of that bum tonight you'll
be the champion of the world,

that a boy, oh jab oh jab,

cat boy, cat boy, jab.

jab, had it, that's it, that's a boy,

that's it if you flatten this thumb
tonight, you'll be the champion of the world,

all right come on jab,
jab, jab, oh that's it knock it off,

I said knock it off soldier,

what's the matter with you?
knock it off, soldier,

cut it off will you?

knock it off,

knock it off,

Soldier please.

He's dead.

That is the end of the story I think,

needless to say soldier was later
apprehended,

I don't know how you feel,

but for me the story is merely a
feeble overture,

to the greater music
provided by our sponsor,

after which Alfred and I shall return.

Alfred has been
strangely silent,

Alfred what are you up to?

Nothing, until next week,

good night.