Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–1962): Season 7, Episode 35 - The Children of Alda Nuova - full transcript

Good evening ladies and gentlemen,

and welcome to one of the
seven wonders of the world,

it was through this tower,

that the ancients
left us one important word of wisdom,

when scrubbing floors,

never put all the furniture
on one side of the room,

I believe you will rejoice with me,

when you hear that the people of Pisa,

have resisted the offers,

from the head of a chain of
american pancake restaurants,

the city fathers were quite willing to
paint the building,



to resemble a pile of hot cakes,

but the thought of syrup
cascading down the sides,

was too much for their sensibilities,

instead,

they are having serious negotiations,

with a pizza company
that submitted a higher bid,

naturally here on Alfred
Hitchcock Presents,

we never allow commercial considerations,

to interfere with art or vice versa,

here is a one minute
example of the latter.

THE CHILFREN OF ALDA NUOVA

Hey look at bright guy,
ordered bourbon, didn't I?

B-O-U-R-B-O-N, bourbon.

What do you bring me this stuff for when
I ordered bourbon?



They don't have bourbon here, only scotch,

he just didn't understand you.

Huh, all right scotch then,

hey,

you're an american.

Yes I am, Ainsley Crowder.

Uh, Frankie Fane,

have an american
cigarette.

Oh, thank you very much,

-they're pretty expensive over here.
-I hope so.

See, that's a very nice lighter.
-Do you like it?

made for me, special,
18 kilate gold,

hey you talk that italian pretty good.

Well not really it should be a lot
better than it is after three years.

three?

I've been here six weeks, I've made
any headway with a language at all,

I can't move from this street, I'II go
nuts if I don't move.

And why do you stay then?

What do you want to know for?

Well I mean if you don't like it,

why don't you move on or
at least go back home?

Well I will.

yeah sure, oh well
just that I,

I can't right now.

Yeah, yeah...

How much of Rome have you seen?

Oh I took some of them bus
trips,

you know,
what a bunch of tourists yapping,

ain't that terrific?

ain't that wonderful,

I never saw so many churches in all my life.

Have you seen the
Coliseum and the Forum?

-Yeah I saw that stuff the first week.
-What'd you think of the Coliseum?

Be great to have a season pass to the place.

Have you ever thought of
visiting places outside the city?

Uh, who needs it.

Why? what'd you have mind?

Well Ostia
for example,

uh the ancient seaport of Rome.

you can still see the old
harbor and the old warehouses.

Yeah...?

Tarquinia it's fascinating, it's
where the Etruscans used to live,

before the latins came and took over.

You really go for this
antique stuff don't you?

Very much,

I had to wait years to get
over here,

I'm working for my doctorate in
archaeology.

Oh,

okay, I got it worked out,

you and me we're gonna go to those
places and you're gonna tell me about it,

that way
I'II know what I'm looking at.

Oh no I can't get away I'm much too busy.

I'II make it worth your while.

I'm sorry,

I could tell you the places to go.

Ah,

oh, okay tell me about it,
oh wait a minute,

write them down for me, huh?

Oh here I I've got a card.

now let's see there's,

-there's a Ostia...
-Yeah...

Palestrina,

now these are just day trips,

Tarquinia,

of course you'll need a car.

So I'II run a car.

Now a place where tourists
never go is Alda Antica,

Alder Antica.

Alder Antica?

Old Alder it means.

Oh...

Very few people have even heard of it,

think of it,

a ruin abandoned by the
romans 100 years before Christ,

and itself built over the site of an
ancient etruscan city,

it has remained unpopulated ever since.

Oh what do you know.

But before you get there you'll have to
pass through a village down the hill,

which is inhabited, called Alda Nuova.

Duova, new?

New Alder,

of course 'New' means 10th century,

now mind you it's just a short trip,

but there the clock turns back to something
really different,

you look up at roman
and etruscan ruins,

but you'll be standing in the dark ages.

Well I might as well go,
I'm in the dark here anyway.

What do want?

Yeah.

American tourist?

What it tells you?

Alder Antica, very famous, we're sure.

How do you talk english anyway?

American army teach me.

Just how far is it this uh Alda Antigua?

Two kilometers,

Yeah, okay.

Hey,

what do they want?

I'm going back to Rome.

Where are you going?

-Have you heard of a hunch?
-Signore, you have come far,

-now we show you... -You show somebody
else, I'm going back to Rome.

But why?

-is it you are afraid?
-Huh?

Are you afraid of a bunch of punks?
are you crazy?

Come on, no no no, only three,

three, three, hey you what's your name?

-Al. -Al, you in the front seat,
and two in the backseat.

-Two? -Two.
-Julia, Gina...

All right come on let's go.

It's very old.

Hey,

who's that guy?

Cesare,

the brother of the wife of my
brother.

What is it?

It's gone.

Where?

It's a tunnel, goes to the center of the
mountain,

comes out of the bottom,

there are five.

What are they for? I mean,

what were they for?

Enemies.

Attention signori.

It's all right kid thanks.

It's a dangerous.

Pretty easy wouldn't it?

I not understand.

What do you think you're doing?

hey give me that,

I got a lot of more cigarettes in the car

-Signori please.
-What do you want? -Money.

You can't leave without us,
we come with you, we go backwards.

Cesare harm to nobody.

Leave me alone,

what do you want from me? tell me,
I'II give it here.

Says you want the money, huh,

oh yeah, here,

there's plenty of money, you see, look at
it, come on pick it up it's yours,

come on pick it up it's yours,

uh chicken piece not good enough for you,

all right try this,

ah come on,

all right take it all, it's yours,

my lighter,

how about that?

my watch?

you wan't that?

help, help!

We uh,

founded there's a card in this
hotel room,

and uh these are the places you
suggested that he visit.

Yes that's right,

why, what happened to him?

Several other people in addition to the
police hope that you will help us find out,

the hotel which has unpaid the bill, the
company which has rented him the car,

and also your Department of
Justice.

-Oh really, why?
-Ostia Palestrina,

would you be good enough to
accompany me on a small,

archaeological expedition to Ostia
Palestrina, Tarquinia, Alda Antica?

-please.
-Of corse.

There's always the same, they saw nothing,
they remember and nothing,

it's a waste of time,

Look all brand new shoes.

His father bought them for him,

his brother gave them to him for a
present,

but they always have an
answer for everything.

Well should we go back to Rome?

Yeah we might as well,

His grandfather in Naples gave it to him?

That's what he says.

-You uh, you don't believe that, do you?
-No I don't,

I think we better take a look at our
Antiqua.

There's a car down there.

Do you do you recognize it or,

or the license plate?

I never saw it,
he rented it after I left him.

Ah did you see it go over the cliff?

No, I live in Alda Nuova,
never come to Antica,

Well what shall we do?

Go back to Rome.

Oh you're not going to
let them get away with it?

I will make out a report
to the interested parties,

but I don't think what can be done about it,

you cannot prosecute the whole villagers.

What's that?

There's believed to be
an ancient tunnel, signiore.

Well you said before the Department
of Justice inquired after him,

was Frankie Fane a
criminal or a murderer?

Oh that's that's possible,

but only incidentally.

How do you mean?

He was the chief of a group who sold
narcotics to a very special class of buyer.

What class of buyer?

Children,

high school children.

It seems to be catching,

which reminds me,

the authorities caught up
with the youthful pranksters,

in Alda Nuova,

by the way workers, designers
and painters,

are about to swarm over the tower,

and redo it completely,

in a minute I shall show
you how it will look,

after the renovation.

This is the way the tower will look
after the work is finished,

I'm sure you agree it will be a vast
improvement,

next week I shall return with another
story,

why don't you look in and see if I'm
improved,

until then, good night.