Monsters (1988–1990): Season 1, Episode 7 - The Legacy - full transcript
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]
[GROANING]
Honey, it's family hour.
There must be something on.
Oh, wow!
Candy critters.
Oh!
Oh, great!
It's Monsters,
our favorite show.
Shh, it's starting.
[LAUGHING]
[BATS SQUEAKING]
[DOOR CREAKING]
[WATER RUNNING]
[SIGHING]
Okay.
Where were we?
[BLOWING]
October 25th.
I moved in here
about a week ago.
Until now, I've had
no real assurance
this was his house.
All I've had to go on
were some...
vague old letters
and the real estate agent's
educated guess.
But this afternoon,
buried in a dank closet,
[CHUCKLING] under years
of forgotten junk,
I found the proof I needed.
It's like...
someone put the box there
for me to find.
I am now convinced
that I found his private
Hollywood retreat.
A sanctuary,
where he secretly worked
on his most
memorable characters.
I'm about to embark
on a journey
which will lead me
to the source of his genius.
A journey into the mind
of the great,
the immortal...
[KNOCKING AT DOOR]
Oh! Pristine.
My angel.
Dale.
[CHUCKLING]
This neighborhood
gives me the creeps.
Yeah, it's great, isn't it?
I can't believe you'd rather
live in a dump like this
instead of...
Instead of your place.
It could be our place.
It would always be
your place.
Besides, what better place
than this to write my book?
I mean, can't you feel it?
The spirit is everywhere
in this house.
Those make
lousy cooks, Dale.
They're even
worse in bed.
[CHUCKLING]
Is a ghost gonna be able
to compete with that?
I almost forgot.
Oh, wait till you see it.
[SIGHING]
[LAUGHING SOFTLY]
So I came all the way
over here for this?
Can't believe
I let them talk me
into wearing
this eyeshadow.
Look.
F. Pierce, Debbie.
Fulton Pierce!
It proves this house
was owned by Fulton Pierce.
Pierce, Pierce.
Damn it, Dale, that's all
you ever talk about anymore.
Debbie.
We are talking
Hollywood mythology here,
one of the greatest
film actors
who ever lived.
Fulton Pierce.
Just a name,
a phantom from the past.
But that's the point.
No one really knows
who he was.
Ah, don't you see?
We're talking Hollywood's
most enduring legend/
It's like...
what really happened
to Marilyn Monroe,
or what caused
James Dean's crash?
Who was the real
Fulton Pierce?
[LAUGHING]
I got to go.
What?
There's a reception
down at The Biltmore
for the new marketing director
of New York Woman.
Um, my agent wants me
to make an appearance.
I thought...
maybe you'd
spend the night.
Are you kidding?
Not in this house.
Feel like there's someone
always staring at us.
Debbie, please,
I need you.
You're my inspiration.
Honey, with my inspiration,
you can't even finish
your PhD thesis.
What makes you think
you can write a book?
[SIGHING]
This book is
my future, Deborah.
Our future.
And Fulton Pierce
is going to help me write it.
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING]
Where did you find this?
DALE: In that
little cottage I rented
up in Beachwood Canyon.
I was just 16
in Precious Baby's Breath
when I met him.
My friends thought
I was loony.
Well, he was over
twice my age.
Damn, he made
the world magical.
Guess the neighborhood's
changed a lot since.
[SIGHING]
Kiddo, you can't
begin to know.
Miss Montgomery,
every serious fan knows
about his films,
his characters.
Now there's a lot of them
who can even duplicate
his makeup techniques.
A lot of people
drive cars
who don't know
how they work.
Exactly.
How did he hide himself?
I don't mean...
how he made himself
look like the role
on the outside.
I wanna know...
how he became the role
on the inside.
If I knew that, kiddo,
I'd know his secret.
All I can tell you
is, kiddo,
he'd spend hour after hour
in that little cabin.
Staring at himself
in the mirror.
Talking himself into...
Quasimodo, Dracula.
Vampire?
So, tell me.
Why did he keep putting off
that role until so late
in his career?
Made him uneasy.
Ah, he was hard to be with.
Something about that role,
that character.
It was...
Seductive.
Evil.
Let me tell you
something, kiddo.
You're moving into
dangerous territory.
Fulton Pierce
could do things
no actor before
or since could do.
And it took its toll.
He died a young man.
I suppose that's the price
one pays for genius.
And what are you
willing to pay
for a mere glimpse of him?
Oh, God!
I just can't get started.
All my ideas sound
contrived, superficial.
I mean, how do you
describe magic?
That's what it was.
A reservoir of magic
he could tap into
whenever he needed
to become someone else,
a power beyond him.
Here.
In this house.
It happened here.
I know it, I can feel it.
Somehow a creative force
took over.
He called upon it.
And it came.
[KNOCKING AT DOOR]
Debbie.
Well, at least
you remember my name.
I wasn't expecting
to see you.
Don't let your enthusiasm
get to me.
I didn't mean that...
What about
tonight's dinner?
I forgot.
Deb. Debbie...
You've got to understand.
I've been so wrapped up
in the Pierce book.
Right now,
I just can't think
of anything else.
Well, I see
you're getting a lot done.
I'm, uh, still
on the research phase.
[DEBBIE SIGHS]
Dale, we can't
go on like this.
You are becoming obsessed
with this stupid book
you're supposedly writing.
I mean, who cares?
I'm not trying to write
a bestseller, damn it.
I'm trying to get respect.
Respect.
And when I get finished...
If you get finished.
Dale, you've got
to make up your mind.
What?
Fulton Pierce or me?
No.
What did you say
just before that?
Make up your mind.
"Make up your mind."
That's it.
Make up your mind.
That's the key!
Somehow he learned
how to make up his mind.
What are you
talking about?
Make up your mind.
You said,
"Make up your mind."
I mean it too.
Yes.
I know you do.
And now I can.
Don't you see?
You solved my problem.
You brought me
the inspiration
I said you would.
I don't understand.
You don't have to.
All you have to know
is that I love you very much.
Oh, Dale.
All I ever wanted
was to be with you.
I've been so lonely.
Everything's gonna be fine.
I'm gonna finish this book.
And we're gonna be together.
Dale?
Dale?
[GASPING]
[EVIL LAUGHTER]
[DALE PANTING]
DALE: This is how...
[LAUGHING]
This is how he did it.
[GASPS]
Oh, my God, Dale.
What's going on?
What's happening to you?
[SOBBING]
[GASPING]
How are you feeling?
Well, I don't exactly feel
like singing a little song.
Do you remember anything?
Remember?
Remember what?
Dale, you got
to leave this house.
You got to come home
with me. It's...
Forget about this book.
Forget about it?
Are you out of your mind?
I know how he did it.
I know how he became
one of the greatest actors
of all time.
He's gonna make me famous.
[CHUCKLES] No more pompous
department heads
hiding behind their tenure.
No more lectures
to stinky little rich kids
who think
Nightmare on Elm Street
is a great film.
[LAUGHING]
No more...
"This is
Debbie Curzon's boyfriend."
[DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES]
[THUNDERCLAP]
[GROANING]
Let's see.
We were discussing
the soul of an actor.
Yea, that's right, okay.
[SIGHING]
Is it only
the trained professional
who can shed his personality
in favor for another's?
Pierce certainly understood
the emotional chaos involved,
and he was able to master it.
Master it from the inside...
out.
But what if we all have
that capability within us?
What if we all
had the power to mutate
from one character
to another
in a lifetime of roles?
What if we all have
that power
hidden inside?
Would we have the will
to control it?
What if I...
[CRYING]
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING]
[THUNDERCLAP]
[GROANING]
[OMINOUS MUSIC CONTINUES]
[GROANING]
[GRUNTING]
[SCREAMING]
[SOBBING]
Dale?
[GLASS SHATTERING]
[KNOCKING]
DEBBIE: Dale, open up.
It's me!
[WIND BLOWING]
Dale, let me in!
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
[EVIL LAUGHTER]
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]
[GROANING]
Honey, it's family hour.
There must be something on.
Oh, wow!
Candy critters.
Oh!
Oh, great!
It's Monsters,
our favorite show.
Shh, it's starting.
[LAUGHING]
[BATS SQUEAKING]
[DOOR CREAKING]
[WATER RUNNING]
[SIGHING]
Okay.
Where were we?
[BLOWING]
October 25th.
I moved in here
about a week ago.
Until now, I've had
no real assurance
this was his house.
All I've had to go on
were some...
vague old letters
and the real estate agent's
educated guess.
But this afternoon,
buried in a dank closet,
[CHUCKLING] under years
of forgotten junk,
I found the proof I needed.
It's like...
someone put the box there
for me to find.
I am now convinced
that I found his private
Hollywood retreat.
A sanctuary,
where he secretly worked
on his most
memorable characters.
I'm about to embark
on a journey
which will lead me
to the source of his genius.
A journey into the mind
of the great,
the immortal...
[KNOCKING AT DOOR]
Oh! Pristine.
My angel.
Dale.
[CHUCKLING]
This neighborhood
gives me the creeps.
Yeah, it's great, isn't it?
I can't believe you'd rather
live in a dump like this
instead of...
Instead of your place.
It could be our place.
It would always be
your place.
Besides, what better place
than this to write my book?
I mean, can't you feel it?
The spirit is everywhere
in this house.
Those make
lousy cooks, Dale.
They're even
worse in bed.
[CHUCKLING]
Is a ghost gonna be able
to compete with that?
I almost forgot.
Oh, wait till you see it.
[SIGHING]
[LAUGHING SOFTLY]
So I came all the way
over here for this?
Can't believe
I let them talk me
into wearing
this eyeshadow.
Look.
F. Pierce, Debbie.
Fulton Pierce!
It proves this house
was owned by Fulton Pierce.
Pierce, Pierce.
Damn it, Dale, that's all
you ever talk about anymore.
Debbie.
We are talking
Hollywood mythology here,
one of the greatest
film actors
who ever lived.
Fulton Pierce.
Just a name,
a phantom from the past.
But that's the point.
No one really knows
who he was.
Ah, don't you see?
We're talking Hollywood's
most enduring legend/
It's like...
what really happened
to Marilyn Monroe,
or what caused
James Dean's crash?
Who was the real
Fulton Pierce?
[LAUGHING]
I got to go.
What?
There's a reception
down at The Biltmore
for the new marketing director
of New York Woman.
Um, my agent wants me
to make an appearance.
I thought...
maybe you'd
spend the night.
Are you kidding?
Not in this house.
Feel like there's someone
always staring at us.
Debbie, please,
I need you.
You're my inspiration.
Honey, with my inspiration,
you can't even finish
your PhD thesis.
What makes you think
you can write a book?
[SIGHING]
This book is
my future, Deborah.
Our future.
And Fulton Pierce
is going to help me write it.
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING]
Where did you find this?
DALE: In that
little cottage I rented
up in Beachwood Canyon.
I was just 16
in Precious Baby's Breath
when I met him.
My friends thought
I was loony.
Well, he was over
twice my age.
Damn, he made
the world magical.
Guess the neighborhood's
changed a lot since.
[SIGHING]
Kiddo, you can't
begin to know.
Miss Montgomery,
every serious fan knows
about his films,
his characters.
Now there's a lot of them
who can even duplicate
his makeup techniques.
A lot of people
drive cars
who don't know
how they work.
Exactly.
How did he hide himself?
I don't mean...
how he made himself
look like the role
on the outside.
I wanna know...
how he became the role
on the inside.
If I knew that, kiddo,
I'd know his secret.
All I can tell you
is, kiddo,
he'd spend hour after hour
in that little cabin.
Staring at himself
in the mirror.
Talking himself into...
Quasimodo, Dracula.
Vampire?
So, tell me.
Why did he keep putting off
that role until so late
in his career?
Made him uneasy.
Ah, he was hard to be with.
Something about that role,
that character.
It was...
Seductive.
Evil.
Let me tell you
something, kiddo.
You're moving into
dangerous territory.
Fulton Pierce
could do things
no actor before
or since could do.
And it took its toll.
He died a young man.
I suppose that's the price
one pays for genius.
And what are you
willing to pay
for a mere glimpse of him?
Oh, God!
I just can't get started.
All my ideas sound
contrived, superficial.
I mean, how do you
describe magic?
That's what it was.
A reservoir of magic
he could tap into
whenever he needed
to become someone else,
a power beyond him.
Here.
In this house.
It happened here.
I know it, I can feel it.
Somehow a creative force
took over.
He called upon it.
And it came.
[KNOCKING AT DOOR]
Debbie.
Well, at least
you remember my name.
I wasn't expecting
to see you.
Don't let your enthusiasm
get to me.
I didn't mean that...
What about
tonight's dinner?
I forgot.
Deb. Debbie...
You've got to understand.
I've been so wrapped up
in the Pierce book.
Right now,
I just can't think
of anything else.
Well, I see
you're getting a lot done.
I'm, uh, still
on the research phase.
[DEBBIE SIGHS]
Dale, we can't
go on like this.
You are becoming obsessed
with this stupid book
you're supposedly writing.
I mean, who cares?
I'm not trying to write
a bestseller, damn it.
I'm trying to get respect.
Respect.
And when I get finished...
If you get finished.
Dale, you've got
to make up your mind.
What?
Fulton Pierce or me?
No.
What did you say
just before that?
Make up your mind.
"Make up your mind."
That's it.
Make up your mind.
That's the key!
Somehow he learned
how to make up his mind.
What are you
talking about?
Make up your mind.
You said,
"Make up your mind."
I mean it too.
Yes.
I know you do.
And now I can.
Don't you see?
You solved my problem.
You brought me
the inspiration
I said you would.
I don't understand.
You don't have to.
All you have to know
is that I love you very much.
Oh, Dale.
All I ever wanted
was to be with you.
I've been so lonely.
Everything's gonna be fine.
I'm gonna finish this book.
And we're gonna be together.
Dale?
Dale?
[GASPING]
[EVIL LAUGHTER]
[DALE PANTING]
DALE: This is how...
[LAUGHING]
This is how he did it.
[GASPS]
Oh, my God, Dale.
What's going on?
What's happening to you?
[SOBBING]
[GASPING]
How are you feeling?
Well, I don't exactly feel
like singing a little song.
Do you remember anything?
Remember?
Remember what?
Dale, you got
to leave this house.
You got to come home
with me. It's...
Forget about this book.
Forget about it?
Are you out of your mind?
I know how he did it.
I know how he became
one of the greatest actors
of all time.
He's gonna make me famous.
[CHUCKLES] No more pompous
department heads
hiding behind their tenure.
No more lectures
to stinky little rich kids
who think
Nightmare on Elm Street
is a great film.
[LAUGHING]
No more...
"This is
Debbie Curzon's boyfriend."
[DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES]
[THUNDERCLAP]
[GROANING]
Let's see.
We were discussing
the soul of an actor.
Yea, that's right, okay.
[SIGHING]
Is it only
the trained professional
who can shed his personality
in favor for another's?
Pierce certainly understood
the emotional chaos involved,
and he was able to master it.
Master it from the inside...
out.
But what if we all have
that capability within us?
What if we all
had the power to mutate
from one character
to another
in a lifetime of roles?
What if we all have
that power
hidden inside?
Would we have the will
to control it?
What if I...
[CRYING]
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING]
[THUNDERCLAP]
[GROANING]
[OMINOUS MUSIC CONTINUES]
[GROANING]
[GRUNTING]
[SCREAMING]
[SOBBING]
Dale?
[GLASS SHATTERING]
[KNOCKING]
DEBBIE: Dale, open up.
It's me!
[WIND BLOWING]
Dale, let me in!
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
[EVIL LAUGHTER]
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]