The Invaders (1967–1968): Season 1, Episode 14 - Moonshot - full transcript
David is drawn into the space program by a series of coincidences that convince him of alien involvement. But why do the aliens want to put one of their own on a manned mission? Surely they can get to space whenever they need to. The answer may lie in the meaning of some photographs taken by an unmanned probe. Photographs that reveal some disturbingly regular objects on the moon's surface.
NARRATOR: The Florida Keys--
Two astronauts on
pass, marlin fishing
eight days before the launching
of the United States'
first moonshot.
Nothing?
What does it sound like?
(static)
Marlin Club, Marlin Club.
It's Major Banks, over.
Marlin Club.
Come in, Marlin Club.
(helicopter approaching)
That's all we need... fog.
What about it, Marlin Club?
MAN: I'm trying my
best to reach a mechanic.
Well, how long?
I don't want to
get stuck out here
with this fog rolling in.
Fog, sir?
Well, there's been no
fog reported on the Gulf.
Don't give me that
chamber of commerce bit.
With this fog
rolling in. It looks...
Cliff!
What happened?!
(groaning): I don't know!
(gasping, groaning)
Club... listen...
something's happened.
It's not fog...
Red... I can't... breathe.
Major Banks? Major Banks?
Come in, Major Banks.
Major Banks?
Come in, Major Banks.
NARRATOR: Starring Roy
Thinnes as architect David Vincent.
The invaders...
alien beings from
a dying planet.
Their destination... the Earth.
Their purpose... to
make it their world.
David Vincent has seen them.
For him, it began one lost night
on a lonely country road,
looking for a shortcut
that he never found.
It began with a
closed, deserted diner
and a man too long without sleep
to continue his journey.
(eerie whirring)
It began with the landing of
a craft from another galaxy.
(whirring intensifies)
Now David Vincent knows
that the invaders are here,
that they've taken human form.
Somehow, he must
convince a disbelieving world
that the nightmare
has already begun.
The guest stars
in tonight's story:
Peter Graves...
Joanne Linville...
John Erickson... Kent Smith.
NARRATOR: The
nation had been stunned.
The first screaming
newspaper stories spoke
of a fishing accident
and a strange,
inexplicable red fog.
Two men slated to walk
on the face of the moon
had unaccountably perished.
For David Vincent,
there was an answer,
terrifying in its implications,
and so he came
to the Florida Keys
to find the radio
operator who had heard
the vacationing
astronauts' final words.
(all clamoring)
Back up!
About this backup crew...
Is it still Lacava,
Daniels and Smith?
Yes. Now, look,
fellows, why don't we...?
What about that
red fog yesterday?
When can we talk
to that radio operator?
Fellows, the press
conference is inside, not here.
Aw, come on, McNally.
If it's like the one
we had last night,
it'll be just more conversation.
Security's been tracking
down the story all day,
and they'll give you the dope.
Now how about it, huh?
(all grumbling)
All right, fellows.
Take it easy, fellows.
One at a time.
Let's see your pass.
Your press card, sir.
I'm with the TV crew.
Then you should have a pass.
Well, I'm sorry.
I left it at the studio.
They put this press
conference together so fast.
You'll have to show me
some identification, sir.
Well, look, they're
getting started in there.
Sorry, sir. Orders.
All right. My driver's license.
All right.
David Vincent.
Now, come on. What is this?
I have to get in there.
You'll get in, sir,
as soon as I've
checked your name
with the security officer.
Wait here, please.
Have you told anybody
else about this?
Huh?
Did you tell anyone
else what you saw?
No, uh... no, sir.
I come here right
after it happened.
Nobody believed me then
and I guess nobody
believes me now.
Mr. Coogan, please, sit down.
I don't see the point,
if nobody believes what...
I didn't mean to upset you.
Sit down.
Look, I saw fog
out there... red fog.
It's coming down
from this helicopter
and, and, and I haven't
had a drink in six days.
This helicopter, did it have
any particular markings,
color, anything?
It looked like any
other helicopter.
Sir.
He did come.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, send Mr. Vincent in.
Oh, and Correll, you
take Mr. Coogan home.
He'll be in your charge.
All right.
Mr. Coogan.
(phone rings)
Riley.
Just a moment. I'll see.
Commander Smith's wife, sir.
Hmm? Again?
I can't talk to her now.
I think you better, sir.
She sounds very upset.
Hello, Angela.
I can't talk now.
I'll call you back.
Oh, but, Gavin, I've been trying
to reach you all afternoon.
Yes, I know, but
I've been tied up
with this investigation. I...
but, Gavin, you've
got to talk to me.
It's... it's about Hardy.
Angela, let me get back to you.
Look, I'm not in Houston.
When they told Hardy
that he was going up,
I knew I had to get to you
and I came in this morning.
Look, you've got
to help me, Gavin.
Look, Angela, I'll see you
as soon as I finish down here.
Now, leave your...
leave your number
with my office
and I'll call you.
It's Hardy. He's,
he's... Angela, please?
All... all right.
All right, but I'll
wait for your call.
(knocking)
That'll be all, thanks.
I'm Gavin Lewis, Security.
I know who you are.
I should tell you why I'm here.
I wanted to talk to
that radio operator.
What do you want
with him, Mr. Vincent?
Information.
Complete information
as to what he heard
on that ship-to-shore radio.
Well, you can get that
out of the newspapers
tonight, can't you?
I said complete information.
(briefcase latch opens)
I had a check run
on you, Mr. Vincent.
I know who you are and
what this obsession of yours is.
Men from another planet.
Aliens.
All right. That happens to
be your particular hang-up.
What's it have to do with us?
I know how those astronauts died
and what that red fog is.
I want to know why they died.
Well, they weren't
killed by men from Mars,
I can promise you that.
Happens that it was a
form of carbon monoxide.
Oh, yes. Red carbon monoxide.
Carbon monoxide you can see.
What is it with people like you?
One weird story
and every screwball
in the country thinks
he can get in on the act.
Even that old man
down on the beach
says that he saw a red fog.
(door opens)
Gavin, I can't
stall 'em anymore.
They want your statement.
Now, come on, will you?
All right, all right,
I'll be right there.
Where is this old man?
I'd like to talk to him.
No, no, no.
Till I have a chance
to check on his story,
nobody gets near
Mr. Coogan's place.
Nobody talks to him.
Now, you wait
here till I'm done.
You're holding me?
You're a smart man, Mr. Vincent.
You know I have no
authority to do that.
You're also smart enough
to be here when I get back.
(oscillating tone)
That's right.
And it's very
simple, Mr. Coogan.
If you really didn't
see anything,
what's there to
tell Gavin Lewis?
(monotone): Nothing.
I saw nothing.
I made it all up.
That's right, Mr. Coogan.
You made it all up
just to get your
name in the papers.
(car approaching)
You saw nothing.
Mr. Coogan?
(ship's horn blows in distance)
Mr. Coogan?
What are you doing here?
Gavin Lewis gave me permission
to talk to Mr. Coogan.
You have that in writing?
He said it wouldn't
be necessary.
Now, Mr. Coogan,
I'd like to talk to you
about what you saw yesterday.
Nothing.
I saw nothing.
I made it all up.
Mr. Coogan, look at me.
I made it up.
Mr. Vincent...
that's enough.
Maybe Lewis gave you permission.
Maybe he didn't
but that's all, buster.
You'll have to go.
Who's been here?
Who talked to him?
Nobody was here.
Nobody talked to him.
What do you have
in that pocket, officer?
You have five seconds, mister.
You all right, sir?
Correll?
What happened?
I'm all right. I'm all right.
Correll?!
Riley, get on the radio.
I want him found. Yes, sir.
All right, what the
devil's going on here?
You knew I'd come, didn't you?
You set it up.
I asked you a question, Vincent.
I expect an answer.
So do I.
Was Correll part of the setup
or was killing me his idea?
Doing what?!
He tried to kill me.
He's one of them.
He's an alien.
You want proof?
Look at him.
Just talk to him.
Correll wiped everything
out of his mind.
Mr. Coogan, tell
him what you saw.
You saw the red fog, didn't you?
Nothing.
I made it all up
to get my name in the papers.
Mr. Coogan, you told...
COOGAN: Nothing.
I saw nothing.
Mr. Coogan!
I saw nothing.
You'll never find Correll.
He's done his job.
Well, I haven't done mine.
All right, Vincent,
we'd better talk.
Come on.
Let's get back to town.
Sorry, sir, we're
closed for the night.
I've got this briefcase
for Mr. Lewis.
I'll just put it in
his car, okay?
Help yourself.
Well, that's a big help.
Medical report shows
there's nothing wrong
with Charlie Coogan.
Did you really think it would?
Oh, sure, sure, he
was brainwashed, huh?
Lewis, either you
believe me or you don't.
Well, maybe I don't
want to believe you.
Maybe, I... Maybe what?
You know, I think it's
about time you level with me.
You've given me just enough
information to keep me curious.
You practically sent me
to Charlie Coogan's place.
Why?
You know what I did before
I was a security officer?
You were an astronaut...
One of the first.
That's right.
I was training for the moonshot.
Same one that's
going up this week.
A couple of months ago,
I was driving home
from the space center...
Top physical shape;
nothing wrong with me.
I was listening to the car radio
and all of a sudden,
the radio went dead.
After that, I don't
remember anything.
I don't remember getting
home, going to bed...
nothing until my call service
woke me up in the morning.
And I didn't feel well...
and when they checked me out,
they found that my blood
pressure had gone crazy.
Consequently, they washed
me out of the space program.
But I knew... I knew
that there was nothing
wrong with my blood pressure
and when I tried to tell them,
when I tried to make them see
they treated me like I was
some section-eight case.
I lost a night out
of my life, David.
I want to find out where
that night went, and why.
Maybe you have the answer.
Nope.
We're not going to find it here.
Whatever it is, it must
be at the launch site.
That's a long ride.
We better get going.
You're lucky,
another five minutes,
I would have taken
off for the night.
David, it doesn't make sense.
If an astronaut is
shoved aside like I was,
or if he's killed,
the moonshot still goes up.
They could kill ten men
and the program still goes on.
Maybe they're not trying
to stop the program.
Could be something else.
Like what? What are
you going to look for
when we get to the space
center, one of these... aliens?
And what's he going to do,
come up and introduce himself?
You told me yourself
that they look the
same as we do.
There are ways of
recognizing them.
First of all, they have to
regenerate themselves
and they have an awkwardness
about the hands.
There's a...
mutated fourth finger
and the fact that they
have no heartbeat.
The fact that...
What was that?
David, what in the
name of heaven!?
Good morning, Riley.
You'd better hurry, sir.
Lacava and the others are
leaving for the airport in an hour.
All right.
Vincent's staying
at my apartment.
Make sure that he
gets a security pass
and I want him at that airfield
by the time the plane lands.
Vincent? Yes. Right.
And get ahold of
McNally's office.
Ask him to send over
any material they have
on the backup crew...
Film, everything.
Oh, excuse me, sir.
I took the liberty...
It's Commander Smith's wife.
She's waiting in the office.
Oh, thanks.
If anybody asks where
Vincent's staying... don't know.
Yes, sir.
Hi, Angela.
I'm sorry I didn't
call you last night.
I couldn't.
Oh, that's all right.
Are you all right?
Mm-hmm.
Uh... Gavin.
Hardy will be going up.
There's no question?
None.
Well, I don't think
he ought to go.
I don't know why, but I...
I think there's something
wrong with him.
With him, or with you?
No, no. Now that it's definite,
that they've set the day,
are you sure that it's not
just your nerves, hmm?
You know me better than that.
This has been
going on for weeks...
for months even.
Last night, I called
him... deliberately...
And I told him that we'd
be seeing each other;
that we were going to
spend the evening together;
and he wasn't even jealous.
Well, then, maybe we've
all grown up, haven't we?
No.
How can I make you understand?
What does it mean that he
has complete lapses of memory?
He can't remember
the simplest things,
the places that we've gone
or... or the friends
that we knew, or...
or... even how I
like my martinis...
Angela, Hardy went through
a great deal in Vietnam,
but if there were
anything wrong with him...
Physically or emotionally...
The doctors would have
found it out months ago.
Now, stop worrying, will you?
(knocking)
(whispers): Excuse me.
The others are ready to leave
for the airport now, sir.
Um... right there.
I'm sorry, Angela.
I've got to leave.
It's all right... I'll leave.
McNally called me
this morning anyway.
He wants me to be at the
airport when Hardy lands.
They want photographs.
You know, the brave
astronaut's wife.
Can you come to the
house tonight to see Hardy?
Please, Gavin.
I'll try.
Thank you.
Good-bye.
Now, you can have all the
pictures you want, but no interviews.
The boys have just a few
hours before their first briefing.
They're not going to
want to spend them
answering questions,
you understand?
Did you have any trouble?
No.
Anybody follow you?
Good hunting.
Hi. Hi.
MCNALLY: Come on,
now, give 'em some room.
You'll get your pictures.
Let's have one with the girl.
Come over here just a minute.
Colonel Lacava...
Remember, no
questions... Just pictures.
Mr. Smith, would you
look this way, please?
Try that again.
All right, fellows, I think
you've got enough for now.
Now let's give 'em a
chance to get some rest.
They've got a heavy schedule
with the medics this afternoon.
Would you please step out front?
No more questions.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Can
you give us something?
MCNALLY: One
question at a time, please.
PHOTOGRAPHER:
Mr. Smith, look this way, please.
Come over here just a minute.
Colonel Lacava.
This way.
Colonel Lacava.
Hardy! Hi, Angela.
Well, I don't think I've ever
envied anybody so much in my life.
Oh, the way you pushed for
me, the things you taught me,
I wouldn't be doing
this if it weren't for you.
Well, I like to pick
my own replacements.
Look, you get your rest
and I'll... I'll try to
look in on you later.
Any time.
Bye, Gavin. Bye, Angela.
Doctor!
Could you give us
some background?
Who's that man?
Hmm? That's, uh, Owens,
one of the medics. Why?
Check him.
He's been with the
program ever since it started.
Gavin, check him.
(doorbell rings)
(cup clatters) Oh...
No, lie down, darling.
I'll get it.
Hey...
I'm the one who's
supposed to get the jitters.
Yeah.
(doorbell rings)
Well, I guess they're here.
Go on, let them in.
I'll be right out.
Hardy... Oh, come on, honey.
It'll be all over in
a couple of days.
Now, come on, let them in.
(doorbell rings)
The shepherd
rounding up his flock.
Oh, hi, Tony.
Is Hardy ready for his physical?
Oh, he'll be out in a second.
Uh-uh... bags.
Droopy eyes.
You're beginning
to look like a wife.
Oh... Don't.
I'll see if he's ready.
No, I-I mean it, Angela.
Why don't you and Peggy
go to a movie tonight?
Don't just sit around
thinking about it.
Yeah, maybe I will.
No maybes. Do it.
Hardy. Tony's here.
Be out in a minute.
(buzzing)
(knocking)
ANGELA: Hardy.
(knocking)
Hardy?
I'll be right out.
LACAVA: Come on,
friend, this is a rush deal.
Remember? Those
medics won't wait all night.
That's just what I'm doing.
I'm getting ready
for the medics.
Be ready in a minute.
Anything on Owens?
Owens is a medical technician.
He was born in Detroit,
and we can account
for almost every day since then.
Checked his file myself.
Well, they could
have phonied that.
We've got to find something.
We're running out of time.
Well, then why waste
it looking at this film?
David, if you think that one
of the astronauts is an alien
or all three of them, forget it.
They've been checked
and rechecked.
We know who they are,
where they were born, when...
when they blow their noses
and scratch their backs.
The aliens want this
moonshot to go up
and they want this special
crew to be on it. Why?
Why would they go
through so much trouble?
Just to stop two men
from walking on the moon?
Shut the blinds, will you?
Now, you're holding
back something.
I'm shooting in the
dark unless you tell me
the real objective
of this moonshot.
You can read it
in the newspapers.
They have four
columns on it every day.
If this were simply
a walk on the moon
your people would
have postponed the flight
and given the backup
crew more time.
Now, why do they have
to get off tomorrow?
David, I've told you
everything that's unclassified.
I'm security officer,
remember that?
Now, do you want
to see this film or not?
(projector whirring)
I had them slice
off the front part
about the rocket itself
and just send me the
material on the men.
ANNOUNCER: The
moonshot thus becomes
the most significant
step forward thus far
in America's manned
space program.
Three astronauts have
undergone intensive training
in preparation for this key
project, but only two will
actually land on the
surface of the moon.
The man chosen to
remain in the capsule
is Marine Lieutenant
Colonel Martin Daniels
born in New Haven,
Connecticut, April 16, 1931.
Daniels is the youngest
man to have flown
59 combat missions
in the Korean War.
The second member of the crew,
Lieutenant Colonel Tony Lacava,
one of the two men who will
walk on the face of the moon.
The only surviving member
of the original moonshot crew,
Lacava was born in
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
March 27, 1929.
Now captain of the team,
he can be considered the
grand old man of the crew.
Grand old man.
The most recent
member of the crew,
Navy Commander Hardy Smith,
born in New York
City, January 1, 1935.
Commander Smith volunteered
for special duty in Vietnam,
where he earned the
Presidential Medal of Valor
and the Purple Heart.
While still in Vietnam,
he was selected
for the astronaut program.
Shown here with his wife
immediately after his
return to the United States,
Commander Smith
underwent medical treatment
before reporting to
the space agency.
Stop the film.
Stop it right here.
What's the matter?
His face.
That first picture we
saw wasn't Hardy Smith.
Oh, relax.
I'm telling you, it
wasn't Hardy Smith.
No, the first
picture that you saw
was taken of Hardy pre-Vietnam.
Now, he came through
that whole bloody mess
without a scratch,
but getting ready to come home
his hotel in Saigon
caught a terrorist bomb.
The way you see him now...
Well, the, uh, plastic
surgeons did a pretty good job.
Now, do you want to
look at the rest of this?
No.
We've got something.
Hmm? I'm lost.
There is an alien on the crew.
What? You've got to be kidding.
Hardy Smith.
I know Hardy Smith.
I... trained with him.
I'm a close friend
of his family.
No... no.
You've really gone
off the deep end.
All right, who was the first man
assigned to the
moonshot program?
Tony Lacava. He still is.
Well, scratch him. If they
wanted to get rid of him,
they would have
done it right away.
Now, who ranked next?
Come on, who came after Lacava?
I came next.
And you had that strange
experience you told me about...
When you started having
trouble with your blood pressure.
That's right.
And then Banks
and Howell, right?
Right.
They're both dead.
Now, the crew is Lacava,
Daniels and Smith.
And that can't be Hardy Smith.
They didn't change his
face with plastic surgery.
They got rid of him.
They substituted a man
you call Hardy
Smith... an alien.
I know Hardy Smith.
Good Lord, maybe
that's what she meant.
Maybe that's why she
thinks he's changed...
Why she doesn't understand him.
It's not the same man, is it?
There isn't any purpose. What...
why send an alien up?
Well, they're probably
afraid of something
that those reconnaissance
photos showed on the moon.
Now, if that's security
don't tell me about it
but go to the man
who's in charge.
Have Smith
investigated; stop him.
Oh, this is all wild guesswork.
We-We don't have any evidence.
There's got to be
something in his file...
Maybe his medical records.
Now, we have 12
hours before liftoff.
You've got to find something.
Lord help us if we're wrong.
(door closes)
Gavin, you and I have
worked together a long time.
That's the only reason
I've listened to you.
I'm sorry you won't
accept the fact
the boat engine was defective
and that deputy was just a
poor slob who went AWOL.
Stan, no matter what
you think, investigate.
I'm right, I want you
to find out that I'm right.
I'd rather find out
what's driving you.
What made you come
up with a story like this?
Because you're in
charge of this phase.
And you can stop
him. There's still time.
Now get his records,
do something.
Before we go any further, I
want to ask you something
about you and Angela Smith.
Ah, now wait a minute.
And I want an answer.
This friendship of yours...
That's all it ever
was, friendship.
Hardy Smith didn't think so.
It's no secret; it's
here in the files.
Before he went to Vietnam
he was getting
pretty touchy about it.
Stan, there was never
anything and you know it.
Hardy Smith didn't.
He's calmed down now,
and I thought it was all over.
But is it, Gavin?
Is that why you're coming
to me with this wild story?
Why you're even
trying to get him
knocked out of the moonshot?
Don't you understand?
That is not Hardy Smith!
MAN: Control.
Would you send in
a medical technician
with Commander
Smith's records, please?
Yes, sir.
Stan...
those structures we've
seen on the moon...
The ones in the
reconnaissance photos...
Lacava and Smith
are the only ones
who will be able to say
whether they're natural objects
or manmade or alien-made
or whether they
represent a threat to us.
Martin Daniels can't
because he'll be in the capsule.
Now, if anything
happens to Lacava
we'll have to accept
Hardy Smith's word.
Will we?
No matter what report
we get back this time
we'll be sending other crews up.
But by then they may have
accomplished their purpose.
Your aliens?
Ah, Stan, I know that
makes me sound insane.
I know it, but...
(intercom buzzes)
Yes.
The medical
technician's here, sir.
Hold him a minute.
Gavin, you say these
aliens aren't like us...
They're made in some way
so they have no heartbeat.
That's right.
Send him in.
(knock on door)
Yes, sir?
Did Commander Smith have
another physical
checkup last night?
Well, yes, sir. He's
had several checks
since he began
preparations for the moonshot.
No problems? No abnormalities?
No, sir.
Respiration? Heart?
He's in perfect
physical condition, sir.
He's lying.
He's one of them.
He's what? He's an alien.
Look at him... look at his hand.
That'll be all. Stop him!
That'll be all.
Stan, he's an alien!
You can't let him go!
All right, Gavin!
Ever since you
raised that commotion
after your illness
I've been debating
whether to take you
off the program entirely.
I'm afraid I'm going to
have to call Washington
and drop the
problem in their laps.
I'm sorry, Gavin, but
I'd be less than honest
if I let you think you'll be
with the program much longer.
Stan... That's all.
ANNOUNCER: Commander Smith
volunteered for special duty in Vietnam,
where he earned the
Presidential Medal of Valor
and the Purple Heart.
While still in Vietnam
he was selected for
the astronaut program.
Shown here with his wife,
immediately after his
return to the United States...
We're licked, David.
I did everything I could.
I even saw Owens in there.
He had that kind of
hand you told me about.
But Stan Arthur
wouldn't buy any of it.
I'm sorry.
In one hour, that crew reports
to the takeoff area
and at dawn the shot goes up.
We still have some time.
Where are you going?
To see the one person
who can prove
Smith's an alien...
his wife.
(knocking on door)
Mrs. Smith?
Yes.
I'm David Vincent, a
friend of Gavin Lewis.
Oh... well, what do you want?
I want to talk to you
about your husband.
May I come in?
No, I'm sorry, but I...
You going away?
Yes... I'm going
back to Houston.
What business is it of yours?
On the morning your
husband's being shot to the moon
you're not even going
to watch the liftoff?
No. I don't want to watch it.
You're running away.
Why?
Leave me alone.
You know, don't you?
You know that's
not your husband.
It's not Hardy Smith.
(sighs)
Liftoff is less than
three hours away.
You're the only
one who can stop it.
You must help us.
This is what it's
all about, isn't it?
Hey, Hardy!
Care to join us?
In a minute. You two go ahead.
Gavin.
More than anybody in the world
you're the one
I owe all this to.
I know.
How about riding up with me?
No, thanks. My job is down here.
Well, listen, old buddy, if
something should happen
you take care of Angela.
STAN: I don't know
what else to say to you.
You have a two-and-a-
half hour launch window.
I hope there aren't
any snags, any tie-ups
but if there are...
There may be one tie-up, Stan.
I think I'm getting cold feet.
That's why we built
in the abort switch.
We thought you would.
Well, my job's finished,
once you lift off and
Houston takes over
and, uh... well, like I said...
I don't know what
else to say to you.
Tony.
Martin.
Hardy.
I don't believe it.
It's because of the shock.
It's because of what
happened to him in Vietnam.
You know I'm not wrong.
Would Hardy Smith do the
things you say he's done?
Behaved to you the way
you say he has behaved?
Why didn't you report it?
Report what?
Report what?!
That he couldn't remember
the people that we'd met
and that he, he always
changed the subject
when we talked about the past?
Or that he'd...
he'd changed his tastes in
a hundred different ways?
His taste has not changed.
He hasn't changed.
He's one of them!
Them?
No.
I won't believe it.
Now, go away.
It's not just the mission!
Somebody's going
to be killed up there.
Do you understand that?!
You can stop it!
You're the only
one who can stop it.
Well, what you're
asking me to believe...
Gavin Lewis believes it.
He knows.
Don't just take my word for it.
Prove it for yourself.
You can still get
through to Hardy.
Now, there must be
something you can ask him,
some test you can
put him through.
Call him.
Please call him.
(dialing)
I hope somebody
remembered a pack of cards.
I'm going to run
out of conversation
before we get halfway there.
That'll be more of a
miracle than the flight.
Commander Smith?
It's the governor
with a reprieve.
Ask him not to forget me.
Commander Smith.
Hardy?
Hi, sweetheart.
I was beginning to
think you wouldn't call.
I was afraid I couldn't
get through to you.
I just called to...
I wanted to wish
you luck, Hardy.
We'll need it.
Well, that's the
only reason I called.
I just wanted to say
good luck, Hardy.
Thanks, hon.
Now I know we'll be all right.
Good-bye.
What is it?
I wished him luck.
And?
Hardy's superstitious.
He always has been.
He's like a child
about that one thing.
Nobody... but nobody
wishes him luck.
It's not Hardy.
(dialing)
Operator, the
blockhouse, please.
Flight administrator.
Yes, Stan Arthur.
I don't know whether
I want that clock
to slow down or speed up.
(buzzing)
Control.
Who is this?
Roberts. May I help you?
Oh, but I asked to
speak to Mr. Arthur.
Please, put him on.
Well, I'm sorry,
that's impossible.
If you could call
back after liftoff...
No, this is Mrs. Hardy Smith.
Do you understand?
Mrs. Hardy Smith.
Now, this is an emergency.
I-I don't know,
Mrs. Smith. Uh...
Oh, please, for the
love of God, put him on!
Angela?
Gavin.
Gavin, you've got to stop him.
I have proof... it's not Hardy.
Stan! Come here!
Take this... Hardy's wife.
Yes, Mrs. Smith, what is it?
I haven't time to explain,
but that man that
you're sending up...
He is not my husband.
What?
He's an impostor, uh... a phony.
A part of some terrible plot.
Please, Mr. Arthur,
before anyone else
is murdered, stop him.
That man is not Hardy Smith.
I'm his wife. I know.
STAN (over P.A.):
Commander Smith.
Report to control immediately.
Commander Smith!
Report to control immediately.
Commander Smith.
Commander Smith.
Commander Smith!
Commander Smith!
Contact the technicians.
Tell them to hold him.
Commander Smith!
Report to control immediately.
I'm sorry, Commander,
we're going to have to...
The countdown has been stopped.
There has been an emergency.
All technicians are ordered
to leave the service
tower immediately.
Repeat: The countdown
has been stopped.
TV ANNOUNCER:
Ladies and gentlemen,
we are trying to get
word from mission control.
As you heard, the
countdown was stopped
and as far as we can
ascertain, it never was restarted
but the space
vehicle has lifted off.
As you can see, the moonshot
has actually blasted off.
The space vehicle is
now about three miles
over the ocean and we are
still awaiting word from control
as to what happened.
It looks like the vehicle
is in trouble.
The vehicle has exploded.
We have no word
from mission control.
As far as we know, the
astronauts were not aboard.
(Angela sobbing) And as
soon as we can get word
as to what caused the
liftoff and the explosion
we will relay the
information to you.
I would like to repeat, however,
as far as we know, no astronauts
were aboard the space vehicle.
This morning, a craft out there
powerful enough
to reach the moon.
Now, nothing.
Well, as Tony Lacava
says, "You can't win 'em all."
Who said we lost?
We don't have any proof.
And what we saw in those
reconnaissance photos...
The structures...
They're still up there.
Well, my guess
is they'll be gone
by the time the next
moonshot goes up.
It's taken the aliens a year
to get a man into the program.
They can't do it again.
Now, they'll probably have
to destroy that installation,
whatever it is.
If they do, we've won.
For now.
(knock at door)
Excuse me, sir.
Mrs. Smith's waiting downstairs.
Oh, fine. Tell her
I'll be right down.
Uh... anything on Owens?
No, sir, he's disappeared.
Oh, this is the statement
McNally's going to give
to the press conference.
The official version.
"The official version."
Thanks, Riley.
Hardy Smith... hero's death.
Eh, they still don't
buy your invaders.
See, privately, they feel
that Hardy went berserk...
Pressure and so forth.
"There will be a
major investigation."
That could take months, maybe
even years.
Well, we just have
to wait and see.
Well, we did
all we could and I'll keep
trying, I promise you that.
Well... can't keep a
press conference waiting.
What about you?
What happens after
the press conference?
Oh, I'll be here.
They know there
was a conspiracy,
and no matter who
they blame it on
at least now they
know I haven't flipped.
I'll be here.
(door closes)
NARRATOR: In the far reaches
of outer space, the invader
reorganizes his plan for
the conquest of the Earth.
He's been delayed, but
he hasn't been beaten.
Two astronauts on
pass, marlin fishing
eight days before the launching
of the United States'
first moonshot.
Nothing?
What does it sound like?
(static)
Marlin Club, Marlin Club.
It's Major Banks, over.
Marlin Club.
Come in, Marlin Club.
(helicopter approaching)
That's all we need... fog.
What about it, Marlin Club?
MAN: I'm trying my
best to reach a mechanic.
Well, how long?
I don't want to
get stuck out here
with this fog rolling in.
Fog, sir?
Well, there's been no
fog reported on the Gulf.
Don't give me that
chamber of commerce bit.
With this fog
rolling in. It looks...
Cliff!
What happened?!
(groaning): I don't know!
(gasping, groaning)
Club... listen...
something's happened.
It's not fog...
Red... I can't... breathe.
Major Banks? Major Banks?
Come in, Major Banks.
Major Banks?
Come in, Major Banks.
NARRATOR: Starring Roy
Thinnes as architect David Vincent.
The invaders...
alien beings from
a dying planet.
Their destination... the Earth.
Their purpose... to
make it their world.
David Vincent has seen them.
For him, it began one lost night
on a lonely country road,
looking for a shortcut
that he never found.
It began with a
closed, deserted diner
and a man too long without sleep
to continue his journey.
(eerie whirring)
It began with the landing of
a craft from another galaxy.
(whirring intensifies)
Now David Vincent knows
that the invaders are here,
that they've taken human form.
Somehow, he must
convince a disbelieving world
that the nightmare
has already begun.
The guest stars
in tonight's story:
Peter Graves...
Joanne Linville...
John Erickson... Kent Smith.
NARRATOR: The
nation had been stunned.
The first screaming
newspaper stories spoke
of a fishing accident
and a strange,
inexplicable red fog.
Two men slated to walk
on the face of the moon
had unaccountably perished.
For David Vincent,
there was an answer,
terrifying in its implications,
and so he came
to the Florida Keys
to find the radio
operator who had heard
the vacationing
astronauts' final words.
(all clamoring)
Back up!
About this backup crew...
Is it still Lacava,
Daniels and Smith?
Yes. Now, look,
fellows, why don't we...?
What about that
red fog yesterday?
When can we talk
to that radio operator?
Fellows, the press
conference is inside, not here.
Aw, come on, McNally.
If it's like the one
we had last night,
it'll be just more conversation.
Security's been tracking
down the story all day,
and they'll give you the dope.
Now how about it, huh?
(all grumbling)
All right, fellows.
Take it easy, fellows.
One at a time.
Let's see your pass.
Your press card, sir.
I'm with the TV crew.
Then you should have a pass.
Well, I'm sorry.
I left it at the studio.
They put this press
conference together so fast.
You'll have to show me
some identification, sir.
Well, look, they're
getting started in there.
Sorry, sir. Orders.
All right. My driver's license.
All right.
David Vincent.
Now, come on. What is this?
I have to get in there.
You'll get in, sir,
as soon as I've
checked your name
with the security officer.
Wait here, please.
Have you told anybody
else about this?
Huh?
Did you tell anyone
else what you saw?
No, uh... no, sir.
I come here right
after it happened.
Nobody believed me then
and I guess nobody
believes me now.
Mr. Coogan, please, sit down.
I don't see the point,
if nobody believes what...
I didn't mean to upset you.
Sit down.
Look, I saw fog
out there... red fog.
It's coming down
from this helicopter
and, and, and I haven't
had a drink in six days.
This helicopter, did it have
any particular markings,
color, anything?
It looked like any
other helicopter.
Sir.
He did come.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, send Mr. Vincent in.
Oh, and Correll, you
take Mr. Coogan home.
He'll be in your charge.
All right.
Mr. Coogan.
(phone rings)
Riley.
Just a moment. I'll see.
Commander Smith's wife, sir.
Hmm? Again?
I can't talk to her now.
I think you better, sir.
She sounds very upset.
Hello, Angela.
I can't talk now.
I'll call you back.
Oh, but, Gavin, I've been trying
to reach you all afternoon.
Yes, I know, but
I've been tied up
with this investigation. I...
but, Gavin, you've
got to talk to me.
It's... it's about Hardy.
Angela, let me get back to you.
Look, I'm not in Houston.
When they told Hardy
that he was going up,
I knew I had to get to you
and I came in this morning.
Look, you've got
to help me, Gavin.
Look, Angela, I'll see you
as soon as I finish down here.
Now, leave your...
leave your number
with my office
and I'll call you.
It's Hardy. He's,
he's... Angela, please?
All... all right.
All right, but I'll
wait for your call.
(knocking)
That'll be all, thanks.
I'm Gavin Lewis, Security.
I know who you are.
I should tell you why I'm here.
I wanted to talk to
that radio operator.
What do you want
with him, Mr. Vincent?
Information.
Complete information
as to what he heard
on that ship-to-shore radio.
Well, you can get that
out of the newspapers
tonight, can't you?
I said complete information.
(briefcase latch opens)
I had a check run
on you, Mr. Vincent.
I know who you are and
what this obsession of yours is.
Men from another planet.
Aliens.
All right. That happens to
be your particular hang-up.
What's it have to do with us?
I know how those astronauts died
and what that red fog is.
I want to know why they died.
Well, they weren't
killed by men from Mars,
I can promise you that.
Happens that it was a
form of carbon monoxide.
Oh, yes. Red carbon monoxide.
Carbon monoxide you can see.
What is it with people like you?
One weird story
and every screwball
in the country thinks
he can get in on the act.
Even that old man
down on the beach
says that he saw a red fog.
(door opens)
Gavin, I can't
stall 'em anymore.
They want your statement.
Now, come on, will you?
All right, all right,
I'll be right there.
Where is this old man?
I'd like to talk to him.
No, no, no.
Till I have a chance
to check on his story,
nobody gets near
Mr. Coogan's place.
Nobody talks to him.
Now, you wait
here till I'm done.
You're holding me?
You're a smart man, Mr. Vincent.
You know I have no
authority to do that.
You're also smart enough
to be here when I get back.
(oscillating tone)
That's right.
And it's very
simple, Mr. Coogan.
If you really didn't
see anything,
what's there to
tell Gavin Lewis?
(monotone): Nothing.
I saw nothing.
I made it all up.
That's right, Mr. Coogan.
You made it all up
just to get your
name in the papers.
(car approaching)
You saw nothing.
Mr. Coogan?
(ship's horn blows in distance)
Mr. Coogan?
What are you doing here?
Gavin Lewis gave me permission
to talk to Mr. Coogan.
You have that in writing?
He said it wouldn't
be necessary.
Now, Mr. Coogan,
I'd like to talk to you
about what you saw yesterday.
Nothing.
I saw nothing.
I made it all up.
Mr. Coogan, look at me.
I made it up.
Mr. Vincent...
that's enough.
Maybe Lewis gave you permission.
Maybe he didn't
but that's all, buster.
You'll have to go.
Who's been here?
Who talked to him?
Nobody was here.
Nobody talked to him.
What do you have
in that pocket, officer?
You have five seconds, mister.
You all right, sir?
Correll?
What happened?
I'm all right. I'm all right.
Correll?!
Riley, get on the radio.
I want him found. Yes, sir.
All right, what the
devil's going on here?
You knew I'd come, didn't you?
You set it up.
I asked you a question, Vincent.
I expect an answer.
So do I.
Was Correll part of the setup
or was killing me his idea?
Doing what?!
He tried to kill me.
He's one of them.
He's an alien.
You want proof?
Look at him.
Just talk to him.
Correll wiped everything
out of his mind.
Mr. Coogan, tell
him what you saw.
You saw the red fog, didn't you?
Nothing.
I made it all up
to get my name in the papers.
Mr. Coogan, you told...
COOGAN: Nothing.
I saw nothing.
Mr. Coogan!
I saw nothing.
You'll never find Correll.
He's done his job.
Well, I haven't done mine.
All right, Vincent,
we'd better talk.
Come on.
Let's get back to town.
Sorry, sir, we're
closed for the night.
I've got this briefcase
for Mr. Lewis.
I'll just put it in
his car, okay?
Help yourself.
Well, that's a big help.
Medical report shows
there's nothing wrong
with Charlie Coogan.
Did you really think it would?
Oh, sure, sure, he
was brainwashed, huh?
Lewis, either you
believe me or you don't.
Well, maybe I don't
want to believe you.
Maybe, I... Maybe what?
You know, I think it's
about time you level with me.
You've given me just enough
information to keep me curious.
You practically sent me
to Charlie Coogan's place.
Why?
You know what I did before
I was a security officer?
You were an astronaut...
One of the first.
That's right.
I was training for the moonshot.
Same one that's
going up this week.
A couple of months ago,
I was driving home
from the space center...
Top physical shape;
nothing wrong with me.
I was listening to the car radio
and all of a sudden,
the radio went dead.
After that, I don't
remember anything.
I don't remember getting
home, going to bed...
nothing until my call service
woke me up in the morning.
And I didn't feel well...
and when they checked me out,
they found that my blood
pressure had gone crazy.
Consequently, they washed
me out of the space program.
But I knew... I knew
that there was nothing
wrong with my blood pressure
and when I tried to tell them,
when I tried to make them see
they treated me like I was
some section-eight case.
I lost a night out
of my life, David.
I want to find out where
that night went, and why.
Maybe you have the answer.
Nope.
We're not going to find it here.
Whatever it is, it must
be at the launch site.
That's a long ride.
We better get going.
You're lucky,
another five minutes,
I would have taken
off for the night.
David, it doesn't make sense.
If an astronaut is
shoved aside like I was,
or if he's killed,
the moonshot still goes up.
They could kill ten men
and the program still goes on.
Maybe they're not trying
to stop the program.
Could be something else.
Like what? What are
you going to look for
when we get to the space
center, one of these... aliens?
And what's he going to do,
come up and introduce himself?
You told me yourself
that they look the
same as we do.
There are ways of
recognizing them.
First of all, they have to
regenerate themselves
and they have an awkwardness
about the hands.
There's a...
mutated fourth finger
and the fact that they
have no heartbeat.
The fact that...
What was that?
David, what in the
name of heaven!?
Good morning, Riley.
You'd better hurry, sir.
Lacava and the others are
leaving for the airport in an hour.
All right.
Vincent's staying
at my apartment.
Make sure that he
gets a security pass
and I want him at that airfield
by the time the plane lands.
Vincent? Yes. Right.
And get ahold of
McNally's office.
Ask him to send over
any material they have
on the backup crew...
Film, everything.
Oh, excuse me, sir.
I took the liberty...
It's Commander Smith's wife.
She's waiting in the office.
Oh, thanks.
If anybody asks where
Vincent's staying... don't know.
Yes, sir.
Hi, Angela.
I'm sorry I didn't
call you last night.
I couldn't.
Oh, that's all right.
Are you all right?
Mm-hmm.
Uh... Gavin.
Hardy will be going up.
There's no question?
None.
Well, I don't think
he ought to go.
I don't know why, but I...
I think there's something
wrong with him.
With him, or with you?
No, no. Now that it's definite,
that they've set the day,
are you sure that it's not
just your nerves, hmm?
You know me better than that.
This has been
going on for weeks...
for months even.
Last night, I called
him... deliberately...
And I told him that we'd
be seeing each other;
that we were going to
spend the evening together;
and he wasn't even jealous.
Well, then, maybe we've
all grown up, haven't we?
No.
How can I make you understand?
What does it mean that he
has complete lapses of memory?
He can't remember
the simplest things,
the places that we've gone
or... or the friends
that we knew, or...
or... even how I
like my martinis...
Angela, Hardy went through
a great deal in Vietnam,
but if there were
anything wrong with him...
Physically or emotionally...
The doctors would have
found it out months ago.
Now, stop worrying, will you?
(knocking)
(whispers): Excuse me.
The others are ready to leave
for the airport now, sir.
Um... right there.
I'm sorry, Angela.
I've got to leave.
It's all right... I'll leave.
McNally called me
this morning anyway.
He wants me to be at the
airport when Hardy lands.
They want photographs.
You know, the brave
astronaut's wife.
Can you come to the
house tonight to see Hardy?
Please, Gavin.
I'll try.
Thank you.
Good-bye.
Now, you can have all the
pictures you want, but no interviews.
The boys have just a few
hours before their first briefing.
They're not going to
want to spend them
answering questions,
you understand?
Did you have any trouble?
No.
Anybody follow you?
Good hunting.
Hi. Hi.
MCNALLY: Come on,
now, give 'em some room.
You'll get your pictures.
Let's have one with the girl.
Come over here just a minute.
Colonel Lacava...
Remember, no
questions... Just pictures.
Mr. Smith, would you
look this way, please?
Try that again.
All right, fellows, I think
you've got enough for now.
Now let's give 'em a
chance to get some rest.
They've got a heavy schedule
with the medics this afternoon.
Would you please step out front?
No more questions.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Can
you give us something?
MCNALLY: One
question at a time, please.
PHOTOGRAPHER:
Mr. Smith, look this way, please.
Come over here just a minute.
Colonel Lacava.
This way.
Colonel Lacava.
Hardy! Hi, Angela.
Well, I don't think I've ever
envied anybody so much in my life.
Oh, the way you pushed for
me, the things you taught me,
I wouldn't be doing
this if it weren't for you.
Well, I like to pick
my own replacements.
Look, you get your rest
and I'll... I'll try to
look in on you later.
Any time.
Bye, Gavin. Bye, Angela.
Doctor!
Could you give us
some background?
Who's that man?
Hmm? That's, uh, Owens,
one of the medics. Why?
Check him.
He's been with the
program ever since it started.
Gavin, check him.
(doorbell rings)
(cup clatters) Oh...
No, lie down, darling.
I'll get it.
Hey...
I'm the one who's
supposed to get the jitters.
Yeah.
(doorbell rings)
Well, I guess they're here.
Go on, let them in.
I'll be right out.
Hardy... Oh, come on, honey.
It'll be all over in
a couple of days.
Now, come on, let them in.
(doorbell rings)
The shepherd
rounding up his flock.
Oh, hi, Tony.
Is Hardy ready for his physical?
Oh, he'll be out in a second.
Uh-uh... bags.
Droopy eyes.
You're beginning
to look like a wife.
Oh... Don't.
I'll see if he's ready.
No, I-I mean it, Angela.
Why don't you and Peggy
go to a movie tonight?
Don't just sit around
thinking about it.
Yeah, maybe I will.
No maybes. Do it.
Hardy. Tony's here.
Be out in a minute.
(buzzing)
(knocking)
ANGELA: Hardy.
(knocking)
Hardy?
I'll be right out.
LACAVA: Come on,
friend, this is a rush deal.
Remember? Those
medics won't wait all night.
That's just what I'm doing.
I'm getting ready
for the medics.
Be ready in a minute.
Anything on Owens?
Owens is a medical technician.
He was born in Detroit,
and we can account
for almost every day since then.
Checked his file myself.
Well, they could
have phonied that.
We've got to find something.
We're running out of time.
Well, then why waste
it looking at this film?
David, if you think that one
of the astronauts is an alien
or all three of them, forget it.
They've been checked
and rechecked.
We know who they are,
where they were born, when...
when they blow their noses
and scratch their backs.
The aliens want this
moonshot to go up
and they want this special
crew to be on it. Why?
Why would they go
through so much trouble?
Just to stop two men
from walking on the moon?
Shut the blinds, will you?
Now, you're holding
back something.
I'm shooting in the
dark unless you tell me
the real objective
of this moonshot.
You can read it
in the newspapers.
They have four
columns on it every day.
If this were simply
a walk on the moon
your people would
have postponed the flight
and given the backup
crew more time.
Now, why do they have
to get off tomorrow?
David, I've told you
everything that's unclassified.
I'm security officer,
remember that?
Now, do you want
to see this film or not?
(projector whirring)
I had them slice
off the front part
about the rocket itself
and just send me the
material on the men.
ANNOUNCER: The
moonshot thus becomes
the most significant
step forward thus far
in America's manned
space program.
Three astronauts have
undergone intensive training
in preparation for this key
project, but only two will
actually land on the
surface of the moon.
The man chosen to
remain in the capsule
is Marine Lieutenant
Colonel Martin Daniels
born in New Haven,
Connecticut, April 16, 1931.
Daniels is the youngest
man to have flown
59 combat missions
in the Korean War.
The second member of the crew,
Lieutenant Colonel Tony Lacava,
one of the two men who will
walk on the face of the moon.
The only surviving member
of the original moonshot crew,
Lacava was born in
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
March 27, 1929.
Now captain of the team,
he can be considered the
grand old man of the crew.
Grand old man.
The most recent
member of the crew,
Navy Commander Hardy Smith,
born in New York
City, January 1, 1935.
Commander Smith volunteered
for special duty in Vietnam,
where he earned the
Presidential Medal of Valor
and the Purple Heart.
While still in Vietnam,
he was selected
for the astronaut program.
Shown here with his wife
immediately after his
return to the United States,
Commander Smith
underwent medical treatment
before reporting to
the space agency.
Stop the film.
Stop it right here.
What's the matter?
His face.
That first picture we
saw wasn't Hardy Smith.
Oh, relax.
I'm telling you, it
wasn't Hardy Smith.
No, the first
picture that you saw
was taken of Hardy pre-Vietnam.
Now, he came through
that whole bloody mess
without a scratch,
but getting ready to come home
his hotel in Saigon
caught a terrorist bomb.
The way you see him now...
Well, the, uh, plastic
surgeons did a pretty good job.
Now, do you want to
look at the rest of this?
No.
We've got something.
Hmm? I'm lost.
There is an alien on the crew.
What? You've got to be kidding.
Hardy Smith.
I know Hardy Smith.
I... trained with him.
I'm a close friend
of his family.
No... no.
You've really gone
off the deep end.
All right, who was the first man
assigned to the
moonshot program?
Tony Lacava. He still is.
Well, scratch him. If they
wanted to get rid of him,
they would have
done it right away.
Now, who ranked next?
Come on, who came after Lacava?
I came next.
And you had that strange
experience you told me about...
When you started having
trouble with your blood pressure.
That's right.
And then Banks
and Howell, right?
Right.
They're both dead.
Now, the crew is Lacava,
Daniels and Smith.
And that can't be Hardy Smith.
They didn't change his
face with plastic surgery.
They got rid of him.
They substituted a man
you call Hardy
Smith... an alien.
I know Hardy Smith.
Good Lord, maybe
that's what she meant.
Maybe that's why she
thinks he's changed...
Why she doesn't understand him.
It's not the same man, is it?
There isn't any purpose. What...
why send an alien up?
Well, they're probably
afraid of something
that those reconnaissance
photos showed on the moon.
Now, if that's security
don't tell me about it
but go to the man
who's in charge.
Have Smith
investigated; stop him.
Oh, this is all wild guesswork.
We-We don't have any evidence.
There's got to be
something in his file...
Maybe his medical records.
Now, we have 12
hours before liftoff.
You've got to find something.
Lord help us if we're wrong.
(door closes)
Gavin, you and I have
worked together a long time.
That's the only reason
I've listened to you.
I'm sorry you won't
accept the fact
the boat engine was defective
and that deputy was just a
poor slob who went AWOL.
Stan, no matter what
you think, investigate.
I'm right, I want you
to find out that I'm right.
I'd rather find out
what's driving you.
What made you come
up with a story like this?
Because you're in
charge of this phase.
And you can stop
him. There's still time.
Now get his records,
do something.
Before we go any further, I
want to ask you something
about you and Angela Smith.
Ah, now wait a minute.
And I want an answer.
This friendship of yours...
That's all it ever
was, friendship.
Hardy Smith didn't think so.
It's no secret; it's
here in the files.
Before he went to Vietnam
he was getting
pretty touchy about it.
Stan, there was never
anything and you know it.
Hardy Smith didn't.
He's calmed down now,
and I thought it was all over.
But is it, Gavin?
Is that why you're coming
to me with this wild story?
Why you're even
trying to get him
knocked out of the moonshot?
Don't you understand?
That is not Hardy Smith!
MAN: Control.
Would you send in
a medical technician
with Commander
Smith's records, please?
Yes, sir.
Stan...
those structures we've
seen on the moon...
The ones in the
reconnaissance photos...
Lacava and Smith
are the only ones
who will be able to say
whether they're natural objects
or manmade or alien-made
or whether they
represent a threat to us.
Martin Daniels can't
because he'll be in the capsule.
Now, if anything
happens to Lacava
we'll have to accept
Hardy Smith's word.
Will we?
No matter what report
we get back this time
we'll be sending other crews up.
But by then they may have
accomplished their purpose.
Your aliens?
Ah, Stan, I know that
makes me sound insane.
I know it, but...
(intercom buzzes)
Yes.
The medical
technician's here, sir.
Hold him a minute.
Gavin, you say these
aliens aren't like us...
They're made in some way
so they have no heartbeat.
That's right.
Send him in.
(knock on door)
Yes, sir?
Did Commander Smith have
another physical
checkup last night?
Well, yes, sir. He's
had several checks
since he began
preparations for the moonshot.
No problems? No abnormalities?
No, sir.
Respiration? Heart?
He's in perfect
physical condition, sir.
He's lying.
He's one of them.
He's what? He's an alien.
Look at him... look at his hand.
That'll be all. Stop him!
That'll be all.
Stan, he's an alien!
You can't let him go!
All right, Gavin!
Ever since you
raised that commotion
after your illness
I've been debating
whether to take you
off the program entirely.
I'm afraid I'm going to
have to call Washington
and drop the
problem in their laps.
I'm sorry, Gavin, but
I'd be less than honest
if I let you think you'll be
with the program much longer.
Stan... That's all.
ANNOUNCER: Commander Smith
volunteered for special duty in Vietnam,
where he earned the
Presidential Medal of Valor
and the Purple Heart.
While still in Vietnam
he was selected for
the astronaut program.
Shown here with his wife,
immediately after his
return to the United States...
We're licked, David.
I did everything I could.
I even saw Owens in there.
He had that kind of
hand you told me about.
But Stan Arthur
wouldn't buy any of it.
I'm sorry.
In one hour, that crew reports
to the takeoff area
and at dawn the shot goes up.
We still have some time.
Where are you going?
To see the one person
who can prove
Smith's an alien...
his wife.
(knocking on door)
Mrs. Smith?
Yes.
I'm David Vincent, a
friend of Gavin Lewis.
Oh... well, what do you want?
I want to talk to you
about your husband.
May I come in?
No, I'm sorry, but I...
You going away?
Yes... I'm going
back to Houston.
What business is it of yours?
On the morning your
husband's being shot to the moon
you're not even going
to watch the liftoff?
No. I don't want to watch it.
You're running away.
Why?
Leave me alone.
You know, don't you?
You know that's
not your husband.
It's not Hardy Smith.
(sighs)
Liftoff is less than
three hours away.
You're the only
one who can stop it.
You must help us.
This is what it's
all about, isn't it?
Hey, Hardy!
Care to join us?
In a minute. You two go ahead.
Gavin.
More than anybody in the world
you're the one
I owe all this to.
I know.
How about riding up with me?
No, thanks. My job is down here.
Well, listen, old buddy, if
something should happen
you take care of Angela.
STAN: I don't know
what else to say to you.
You have a two-and-a-
half hour launch window.
I hope there aren't
any snags, any tie-ups
but if there are...
There may be one tie-up, Stan.
I think I'm getting cold feet.
That's why we built
in the abort switch.
We thought you would.
Well, my job's finished,
once you lift off and
Houston takes over
and, uh... well, like I said...
I don't know what
else to say to you.
Tony.
Martin.
Hardy.
I don't believe it.
It's because of the shock.
It's because of what
happened to him in Vietnam.
You know I'm not wrong.
Would Hardy Smith do the
things you say he's done?
Behaved to you the way
you say he has behaved?
Why didn't you report it?
Report what?
Report what?!
That he couldn't remember
the people that we'd met
and that he, he always
changed the subject
when we talked about the past?
Or that he'd...
he'd changed his tastes in
a hundred different ways?
His taste has not changed.
He hasn't changed.
He's one of them!
Them?
No.
I won't believe it.
Now, go away.
It's not just the mission!
Somebody's going
to be killed up there.
Do you understand that?!
You can stop it!
You're the only
one who can stop it.
Well, what you're
asking me to believe...
Gavin Lewis believes it.
He knows.
Don't just take my word for it.
Prove it for yourself.
You can still get
through to Hardy.
Now, there must be
something you can ask him,
some test you can
put him through.
Call him.
Please call him.
(dialing)
I hope somebody
remembered a pack of cards.
I'm going to run
out of conversation
before we get halfway there.
That'll be more of a
miracle than the flight.
Commander Smith?
It's the governor
with a reprieve.
Ask him not to forget me.
Commander Smith.
Hardy?
Hi, sweetheart.
I was beginning to
think you wouldn't call.
I was afraid I couldn't
get through to you.
I just called to...
I wanted to wish
you luck, Hardy.
We'll need it.
Well, that's the
only reason I called.
I just wanted to say
good luck, Hardy.
Thanks, hon.
Now I know we'll be all right.
Good-bye.
What is it?
I wished him luck.
And?
Hardy's superstitious.
He always has been.
He's like a child
about that one thing.
Nobody... but nobody
wishes him luck.
It's not Hardy.
(dialing)
Operator, the
blockhouse, please.
Flight administrator.
Yes, Stan Arthur.
I don't know whether
I want that clock
to slow down or speed up.
(buzzing)
Control.
Who is this?
Roberts. May I help you?
Oh, but I asked to
speak to Mr. Arthur.
Please, put him on.
Well, I'm sorry,
that's impossible.
If you could call
back after liftoff...
No, this is Mrs. Hardy Smith.
Do you understand?
Mrs. Hardy Smith.
Now, this is an emergency.
I-I don't know,
Mrs. Smith. Uh...
Oh, please, for the
love of God, put him on!
Angela?
Gavin.
Gavin, you've got to stop him.
I have proof... it's not Hardy.
Stan! Come here!
Take this... Hardy's wife.
Yes, Mrs. Smith, what is it?
I haven't time to explain,
but that man that
you're sending up...
He is not my husband.
What?
He's an impostor, uh... a phony.
A part of some terrible plot.
Please, Mr. Arthur,
before anyone else
is murdered, stop him.
That man is not Hardy Smith.
I'm his wife. I know.
STAN (over P.A.):
Commander Smith.
Report to control immediately.
Commander Smith!
Report to control immediately.
Commander Smith.
Commander Smith.
Commander Smith!
Commander Smith!
Contact the technicians.
Tell them to hold him.
Commander Smith!
Report to control immediately.
I'm sorry, Commander,
we're going to have to...
The countdown has been stopped.
There has been an emergency.
All technicians are ordered
to leave the service
tower immediately.
Repeat: The countdown
has been stopped.
TV ANNOUNCER:
Ladies and gentlemen,
we are trying to get
word from mission control.
As you heard, the
countdown was stopped
and as far as we can
ascertain, it never was restarted
but the space
vehicle has lifted off.
As you can see, the moonshot
has actually blasted off.
The space vehicle is
now about three miles
over the ocean and we are
still awaiting word from control
as to what happened.
It looks like the vehicle
is in trouble.
The vehicle has exploded.
We have no word
from mission control.
As far as we know, the
astronauts were not aboard.
(Angela sobbing) And as
soon as we can get word
as to what caused the
liftoff and the explosion
we will relay the
information to you.
I would like to repeat, however,
as far as we know, no astronauts
were aboard the space vehicle.
This morning, a craft out there
powerful enough
to reach the moon.
Now, nothing.
Well, as Tony Lacava
says, "You can't win 'em all."
Who said we lost?
We don't have any proof.
And what we saw in those
reconnaissance photos...
The structures...
They're still up there.
Well, my guess
is they'll be gone
by the time the next
moonshot goes up.
It's taken the aliens a year
to get a man into the program.
They can't do it again.
Now, they'll probably have
to destroy that installation,
whatever it is.
If they do, we've won.
For now.
(knock at door)
Excuse me, sir.
Mrs. Smith's waiting downstairs.
Oh, fine. Tell her
I'll be right down.
Uh... anything on Owens?
No, sir, he's disappeared.
Oh, this is the statement
McNally's going to give
to the press conference.
The official version.
"The official version."
Thanks, Riley.
Hardy Smith... hero's death.
Eh, they still don't
buy your invaders.
See, privately, they feel
that Hardy went berserk...
Pressure and so forth.
"There will be a
major investigation."
That could take months, maybe
even years.
Well, we just have
to wait and see.
Well, we did
all we could and I'll keep
trying, I promise you that.
Well... can't keep a
press conference waiting.
What about you?
What happens after
the press conference?
Oh, I'll be here.
They know there
was a conspiracy,
and no matter who
they blame it on
at least now they
know I haven't flipped.
I'll be here.
(door closes)
NARRATOR: In the far reaches
of outer space, the invader
reorganizes his plan for
the conquest of the Earth.
He's been delayed, but
he hasn't been beaten.