The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962–1965): Season 1, Episode 9 - The Black Curtain - full transcript

good evening ladies and gentlemen  

i'm pleased you can spend this hour 
with me quiet please if you don't mind

i have some very interesting pets on sale here 
for yacht owners i would suggest an albatross  

they are intensely loyal 
and will follow you anywhere  

circling for hours over the spot where your ship 
sinks for those of you with swimming pools if your  

friends and neighbors are taking advantage of your 
generosity may i suggest one of two pets the ever  

popular hammerhead shark or the siamese crocodile 
both are quiet but efficient they can clear a pool  

as fast as a tv commercial can empty a room 
which brings us to this next item a pet peeve  

me

there he comes this is endsville manny knows 
you ain't gonna see me but don't miss huh

you have the time mister yeah



hmm

so

put him over there take it easy mike what 
happened a couple of bovine chicks mugged them

gonna get you something

he must live around here i've seen 
him in here a couple of times before

sorry you've got quite a wallop

what happened i got out i was paying you my fare

i felt dizzy how's that again well i 
i told you i was feeling kind of funny  

you trying to say that you 
was in my cab what do you mean

oh look mac if you're trying to cook 
up some kind of an insurance deal  

forget it you are my passenger

i had a bundle uh a package with my  

army uniform inside two punks slugged 
you out there you saw a twitter window

you were taking me to city hall



i was gonna meet my girl we're gonna be 
married at one o'clock in the morning

you're not the same driver 
you could make book on that  

you must have had some bachelor party i 
better call a doctor no no i'm all right now  

i think we ought to call the police no no no i 
think they couldn't have gotten away with anything

i'll report it in the morning that's your skull  

i keep telling everybody this is no neighborhood 
for walking at night i i got to get to my girl's  

place she'll be worried what's your name 
phil townsend where's your girl riverdale  

it's quite away from here will you take me 
there look mac that's what i get paid for

you said your name was phil townsend yes

i was just discharged from the service 
this morning i went to buy some clothes

can we go please

remember i picked them up right here

that's funny i i thought there 
was a vacant lot over there  

thanks a lot forget it i'm sorry about 
what happened but i thought you were  

some kind of a nut or something 
i don't blame you for that nice

virginia

virginia it's me phil

what's going on out there

virginia virginia what do you want

tell your friend to be quiet 
mr green we got other tenants  

i don't even know the guy mr fisher who is it

who do you want it's me mr townsend who 
virginia's fiance there is no virginia here  

virginia morrison she introduced us last weekend 
we were supposed to be married today you are  

drunk go away no no i'm i'm not hey take off 
buddy before i call the cops what kind of  

a place is this i gotta get up at six o'clock 
he ain't drunk he got a clap in her head he's  

looking for his girl virginia morrison i guess 
i must have forgotten what your pardon morrison  

she's not here anymore look i know she 
must be mad at me but if if you could  

just tell me where she went can't you help 
the guy out i look if she left an address

she must think i stood her up she 
probably gone to some friends or something  

sure what was he in a fight i was mugged ain't 
you afraid of getting cold or something i  

never catch nothing other guys that get 
pneumonia this is the address she left

it ain't far come on  

all right frank i'm coming

get out of here jenny something happened 
to me i don't care just get out of here

what are you doing here whose place is this what 
do you want from me now what do you mean now

that's my baby it's time for a feeding  

my husband may be coming home any minute 
now you have to leave your husband what  

husband we were supposed to be married 
today what are you talking about phil

i haven't even seen you for three years

wow

three years i took a taxi to meet you at city hall

that's all i remember phil you can't stay 
here you don't know what my husband is like  

i'm looking for three years of my 
life well you won't find them here

must have lost my memory

didn't you even try to find me oh yes

i went to the police do you have any idea what 
that was like the whispers to each other the funny  

smiles it happens all the time miss no hospital 
reports nothing in the morgue some people just  

get nervous and they disappear on their wedding 
day you believe i'd leave you like that no so i  

went to a private detective i borrowed everything 
i could to pay him my furniture my car my salary  

but who is he i gotta see him talk to him no you 
can't do that why not because he can't help you he  

never found out anything he never found a trace 
of you what would be the harm he's my husband

i was lonely and he was very kind to me

until after i married him

and then it started

he was just like the police that same smile  

the sly little questions about how 
things had been between you and me

after that it was any man i ever talked to  

i can't leave this house because he might 
telephone and come home and i won't be here

you've had a light for three 
years phil go back to it

go back to where

um

anything come to you

initials again dw a key to a place 
i don't remember 87 isn't change

it's a nice watch

to david with love root it's a ring of bell

well at least we know what the d stands for

she better take me to the 
police station maybe ruth  

whoever she is is looking for me a little harder 
than virginia did ain't you got any relatives no

hublings drugs that's where i drove 
you from you didn't get these tonight

could i live around there the 
drug has said he's seen you before  

look mac maybe i'm sticking my 
neck out you know what i mean  

i don't think the police are such a good idea well 
yeah you know the money the clothes you're wearing  

the watch it don't go with that neighborhood i 
don't get you maybe dw is in some kind of trouble  

i've never been in trouble in my 
life i'm not talking about you

i'm talking about him

black and hot charlie

let's get out of here

hey left your lights on i killed him for you

thanks the first time was maybe two maybe 
three weeks ago how often did i come in  

not more than half a dozen times i'd say that'll 
get a prescription filled uh anything with a  

name on it well you ever bought with cigarettes 
always at night he came in midnight till eight  

am that's my shift uh maybe you could talk 
to the day man and you ought to see a doctor

thanks if it helps any it seems to me 
you always come from that direction

what do i do knock on doors  

who am i where do i live i'd ask you to spend 
the night at my house but uh but my old lady  

she's okay you understand she gets upset easy

you've done enough ah want to get in touch with 
me call the company ask for mari mari epstein  

let me know how you make out huh sure what day is 
it it's friday no saturday already september 24th

virginia and i would have 
been married for three years  

now you never know that might have 
been wasting the problem you got now

after a good night's sleep you'll be a new man  

look there's a hotel over there it's cheap 
but clean everybody's known as john smith okay

okay thanks

uh  

here

come on let's go

one more one more time here we go

dave what are you doing here 
harlan followed me again i'll  

go back to your room please don't go 
you're just a few feet behind me dave  

are you roof what's wrong with you uh 
anything wrong there miss oh no no nothing  

he's a policeman will you please go i'm good to 
talk to you i'll come to you tonight now just go  

you remember the address of course i remember the 
dress don't tell me i want to be sure 431 frogs

uh wow  

oh why don't you get off my back i'll get off your 
back when you start doing some work around here  

couldn't even empty the garbage i don't eat 
here where do you eat i'd like to know with  

what you don't work horses work and mothers 
with sons like you my key seems to stick  

bernie come help the jones key gets stuck

after you

the keys are kind of tricky 
sometimes yeah it's a tricky world

leave it open a minute i'm kind of tired 
that's something i want to show you  

hmm  

now

hey what did you do that for i just wanted to 
see if it worked i found it in a parked car

here's something else i

found what do you want nothing unless 
you want to buy this picture i took  

careful you might ruin it it might be the 
only one there is this guy dw for instance  

never had a picture taken according to 
the newspaper clipping in the wallet

if you want to buy this one you just let me know

that was the first half of the alfred 
hitchcock hour now a word from the provinces

and now ladies and gentlemen we are about 
to begin the second half or flip side  

of the alfred hitchcock hour the first 
number will be a solo from our sponsor  

followed by the second half of our story

what are we hanging around for can 
you think of something better to do

you're a regular bundle of joy aren't you sure  

we're all gonna be rich look you really 
think you're gonna get any money out of  

that guy you leave it to me maybe 
there's a reward we can get no cops

hey

hey now that's nice you looking for us baby 
care to go to a party tonight miss we're gonna  

have seven violins and a dancing band and 
flowers and everything come on wait a minute  

it's your house yeah oh who is 
she i'll let you know right here

who is it ruth

oh honey

well excuse me

i don't know how to begin

but except for this afternoon

i don't remember ever seeing 
you before in my life my name

my real name is philip thompson 
that mean anything to you

i don't know what you're in with me or 
why so you want to walk out go ahead

but whoever you are i need you  

i'm trying to open a door it's been closed for 
three years and you're the only key i've got

help me

yes sir detective

private detective

have you ever seen this man

it's an old photo recognizer

nope you barely looked at it 
that's all i ever do mister  

even with the regular police i have 
two professions pharmacist and coward

foreign

you don't remember anything at all no

not even me

i told you i'm sorry that's all right 
i guess i always knew this would happen  

we used to talk about it sometimes when you you 
try to remember who you were before you came to  

work for my uncle i was afraid that when you did 
remember you might be in love with someone else

are you

i don't know i was

married no but three years or too long 
for the way to marry somebody else

how long have i known you

three years

well then i must have gone to work 
for your uncle but if it happened

how did i get there how did i get another 
name colin brought you he said your name  

was david webber when i found a shot at 
me who is he he's a private investigator  

my uncle hires him sometimes to get evidence 
in his cases huh private investigator

she had a private investigator to find me

is colin married his wife 
had a baby a few months ago  

he found me he found me don't you understand and 
he didn't tell her dave please don't call me that

all right now calm down if you get one of your 
headaches you don't know what you're liable to do  

what do you mean what i'm liable to do 
you know how you get i don't know anything  

honey honey please i'm sorry 
sit down and have a cigarette

here

i'm all right now go ahead

where do you want me to start a murder 
when did it happen about a month ago

newspaper clippings said that your uncle's 
place is in westchester you live there william

yes

i also said i was a bodyguard and why'd your uncle 
need a bodyguard he's a criminal lawyer he turned  

down a racketeer in a tax evasion case and there 
were some threats maybe that's how she was killed  

the man was convicted he's 
been in jail for over two years

but then then your uncle didn't need me anymore 
why did he keep me on because of me i guess

what was i to you

was past tense

i love you not that it matters now

sorry

it's a big house you had a separate 
apartment over the garage and that  

that's where her body was found

how could it happen it's like a  

black curtain i lived there somebody 
died there i can't even remember

the afternoon of the night it happened 
uncle bob gave you some errands to do  

he was in the study preparing a case waiting 
for carlin i could see that you were getting  

one of your migraine headaches the way that you'd 
get before you pass out i mean actually pass out  

well not always physically but mentally 
often oh three four times all told

anything else

you were

you smashed up your room once

maybe even more you know that's why it don't 
make sense for you to be laying out twenty  

thousand dollars for him captain [ __ ] easy 
guys why don't you take it out in the alley

i'm sorry i'm a little on edge problems 
at the school now this i'm sorry

nice show i guess i know how 
you feel i'll take the check

everything's gonna be all right will be as 
soon as i get to the bank monday morning  

don't worry about that goodbye captain

no it's not possible not there what is it john 
they're making a survey for a new freeway right  

through that old quarry you mean where george 
hurston they'll find it when they start digging  

they'll find it wouldn't it be almost a relief if 
they did relief the police will move in is that  

any worse than what we've been going through for 
three weeks got to find shirts and get him to move  

that body nope can't wait a minute please let's 
be reasonable we keep getting in deeper and deeper  

you've got to be all over when you paid off 
mr fargo now there's this there'll always  

be something to keep us on and if it doesn't 
happen we'll be expecting it to happen ocean  

view park that's where the sustenance are now i'll 
drive up there right away no john john go to the  

police yourself we've gone too far for that what 
could i tell them the truth and what if george  

panics and puts all the blame on me remember i 
was the one who killed roscoe in self-defense  

john oh darling you're an intelligent man how many 
times have you said the full truth can never hurt  

you tell that to your students it's different 
when it happens to head home i'm going to sherston

john nothing's gone wrong has it they decide 
to put a road through your old campsite they're  

making a survey and digging up the whole 
area right where roscoe's body's buried oh no  

wait wait nothing to worry about yet if they're 
just making a survey now it'll take weeks before  

they start digging we have to remove that body 
right away tonight it's saturday people are  

all over that place weekends i tell you what 
we'll go back monday night no i can't wait i  

wouldn't have a moment's piece take it easy 
john george is right monday would be safer  

i'm sorry eve you don't have to come with 
me i can find it myself john john wait wait  

i didn't realize that you were this upset 
i tell you what you do you go on home and  

forget all about it i'll take care of roscoe 
no we're in this together i've got the trailer  

i'm gonna have to take him and bury him somewhere 
else that's a risk why should you take it too  

i let you go through this alone once before this 
time i share the responsibility i said i'd do it

what i meant was that uh there's no need for 
you to stick your neck out i want to all right  

uh we better meet there then let's 
say uh nine o'clock nine o'clock  

charlie

so

hello oh john i've been so worried what did they 
say justin practically broke down he begged me  

not to go to the police don't let him influence 
you dear he's just worrying about his government  

job that's all i think it was something else i 
had a feeling he wasn't being straight with me  

he was so insistent on going there alone there's 
something he's hiding from us john please listen  

to me go to the police right now i'll go with you 
no not yet i'm going to meet tristan the quarry  

in just an hour i want to be sure well let me 
go with you both no stay there john please um

so is john here no he hasn't arrived yet

oh sally i thought i'd get started 
no sense just standing around  

what time you're supposed 
to meet john nine o'clock  

yeah we made a better time on the highway 
than we expected have you uh already yes

it's still only quarter to nine if i hadn't come 
he would have finished and left before john had a  

chance to arrive why not it wasn't a very pleasant 
job you ought to be glad you wanted to do it alone  

john said you wanted to do it alone i only 
wanted to do them a favor favor like the  

night you buried ray didn't wait for john that 
night either why not what were you afraid of

you didn't want y'all to see the body because 
you killed ray didn't you i've had enough of this  

we're clearing out of here right now 
no you're gonna wait for john you  

go start the car you get out of here well 
if i do i'm gonna go straight to the police

it's true isn't it you shot him

what's the matter sally see you ghost  

ah then you see you made all this 
fuss about nothing i wasn't even dead

you were all in this together 
this was just a horrible trick  

to blackmail us well i rather like to 
think of it as a good melodrama macabre  

grizzly but very effective hey let's 
get going patience george patience

after all mrs mitchell is one 
of the stars of our little drama  

we wouldn't want to cheat 
her of the clever daniel mall

i can't believe you planned the whole thing how 
did you manage to be right there when my boy was  

drowning ah the one flaw in my otherwise perfect 
script i simply called out to the boy and lured  

him into the deeper water suppose he hadn't 
gone then i had three alternative openings  

for my little planet fortunately the first one 
worked smooth as glass you didn't even save him  

in fact you might have killed him no no you 
you don't understand good dramaturgy there  

would never be a killing in one of my scripts 
oh come come captain no need to whisper give  

something to say speak up speak up okay ain't 
gonna wait for mitchell let's get rolling

oh captain faulkner this is mrs mitchell 
the captain is a senior member of our little  

repertory company confidentially he's a bit of 
a ham captain falcon how about your husband his  

sense of timing is atrocious now if only he had 
given the check to the captain say on friday  

we wouldn't have had to hang around here this 
weekend and play out the final scene for you  

and john the final scene should go so long and 
no longer this one's already gone long enough  

you'll never be able to cash that check when john 
finds out about this why why should john stop the  

check he has no reason to associate the captain 
with us and how could he possibly tie in the check  

with your disappearance and if he has an ounce 
of the actor in him he'd be so grief-stricken  

he won't even think of the money a captain eve 
you better start driving now take the cliff road

now sally we come to the final scene of our 
little planet i'm truly sorry it had to end  

this way but then except for the final 
curtain it's exactly the way i wrote it

kevin's you're all right yes i'm all 
right oh you did call the police you did  

i decided to take your advice for once i wish 
you'd taken mine and stayed away from here

you see i couldn't really let you kill 
me i told you saving lives was my hobby

oh you wouldn't be interested in buying 
a slightly used trailer would you

i think the lesson of our story is quite clear if 
a stranger offers to save your life think it over  

you may be letting yourself in for a great deal 
of trouble this concludes my part of the program  

next time i shall return with another story some 
scenes of which will be shown after this next  

and last commercial

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