The Invaders (1967–1968): Season 1, Episode 4 - Genesis - full transcript
Sgt. Corman, a motorcycle cop, stops a couple of young men in a station wagon with a headlight out. When he hears a strange noise, he asks to look inside their car; what he sees drives him mad. Later, David Vincent asks to speak with him at the hospital. Corman's physician, Dr. Grayson, wants David to stay away from his patient. Corman's boss, Lt. Greg Lucather, who blames himself for what happened, agrees with the doctor when he learns of David's reputation as a kook. Corman's wife, however, agrees to let David see her husband. What David eventually learns leads him to a sea lab, which he discovers has been taken over by the aliens.
(tires squealing)
Look at those crazy kids.
One headlight.
They're mine.
I'll see you, Sam.
Okay.
(siren wailing)
(siren stops)
Let's see your license.
What'd we do?
Get out and I'll show you.
Leave your lights on.
We were only going
30 miles an hour.
I mean, we were
both watching here.
Out.
That'll cost you.
You're careful
and you try to
drive like an old lady
and get stopped for a headlight.
(muffled heartbeat)
What's that?
Oh, it's nothing.
Look, officer,
please... Open it.
Listen, it's a girl.
It's a nice girl and she just...
she got a little
oiled up at the beach
and, I mean, we're going to be
in enough hot water
with her old man
as it is, you know?
I said open it.
Okay.
(pulsing heartbeat)
What is it?
What is it?!
(tires squealing)
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:
John Larch Carol Rossen
Frank Overton.
A police officer has seen
something so terrifying
that he had been
driven to hysteria
and from hysteria to
the thin edge of madness.
His incoherent words describing
a creature not of this world
and a strange metallic
disc bring David Vincent
to this Rhode island city
and Officer Hal Corman.
But why can't I stay
with him and talk to him?
You're his psychiatrist...
Believe me, he won't respond,
Mrs. Corman, even if he hears you.
His mind has put up a barrier
to shut out whatever
happened to him.
Now we have to find a way
to reach through that barrier
to bring him back to reality
without frightening him
without driving him
deeper into himself.
How?
Well, we can't do it here.
We don't have the facilities.
I have papers for you to sign
that will give us permission
to take him where he'll
get the help he needs.
No. I won't let him go
to one of those places.
Joan... Joan, you have to.
For Hal's sake, you do.
All right.
Do what you have to do.
We'll go to my office.
You'd better stay
here, Lieutenant.
She needs someone to blame.
Just be patient.
I'll wait for her down the hall.
Hello. Yes?
A friend of mine
Sergeant Hal Corman
was brought in last night.
Is he allowed visitors?
No, I'm afraid not.
You think I could see
his doctor for a moment?
Pardon me.
I'd like to talk
to you, please...
over here.
Name?
David Vincent.
Identification.
Where were you last
night, Mr. Vincent?
Here's an airplane ticket.
Flight 402 this morning.
What's this all about?
One man knows what
happened to Hal Corman...
What he really saw.
That's the man driving
that station wagon
on the beach road last night.
I'm going to find that man.
You're looking in
the wrong place.
Why would he come here?
Why did you come here?
I know most of Hal's friends.
I've never seen you before.
Well, let's just
say I'm interested.
The driver of that
wagon would be, too.
Tell you what, Mr. Vincent.
I'm going to hang on to this
till I check with the airline.
Where are you staying?
The Shoreham.
Okay.
You'll hear from me.
Oh, Joan, let me take you home.
Thank you.
I can get home.
I want to help Hal.
Look, will you do me a favor
and not help him anymore?
Just leave him alone.
Joan, I told you how sorry I am.
It's a little late
for apologies.
If it hadn't been for you...
if you hadn't talked Hal...
Joan, do we have
to rehash that again?
Why, Greg, what's wrong?
Six months ago,
you were so proud.
You and your protégé were going
to take this town
apart, clean it up
and to heck with
the city hall boys.
Nothing happened to you, Greg
nothing at all, but
Hal lost everything...
His rank, his future.
Now... Now... blame me.
If it hadn't been for you,
he wouldn't have been
on that beach patrol last night.
He'd have been at a
desk at the precinct.
You can run away from it, Greg,
but you can't change the truth.
(doorbell rings)
Yes?
Mrs. Corman?
I'd like to talk to you
about your husband.
Haven't you people
written enough about him?
Why can't you just...?
I'm not a reporter.
My name is David Vincent.
Now, your husband
had an experience
that I might know
something about.
If I could talk to him,
maybe I could
help him and myself.
What kind of an experience?
Could I have five
minutes to talk to you?
Please?
All right.
(typing)
This doesn't make sense.
What's it supposed to mean?
Just what it says.
David Vincent's
some kind of a kook.
Claims that aliens
from outer space
are trying to take
over the earth
and he was on flight
402 this morning.
(phone rings)
Hello.
Yes.
Uh-huh.
Uh, just a minute, please.
Hey, Greg, Dr. Grayson.
Says Joan Corman's
brought this Vincent guy
over to the hospital.
Dr. Grayson?
Lieutenant, you'd
better get down here.
Yes, this Vincent's
with her now.
If I don't let him
see her husband,
she'll have him
taken out of my care.
Well, can she do that?
Well, of course, she can do it.
She committed him voluntarily.
Well, if nobody stops her,
I will not be responsible
for what happens.
Oh, uh, if the
Captain asks for me,
you don't know where I am.
Uh, Greg, wait a
second, will you?
You know,
if it hadn't been
for the Captain,
you'd have been
busted just like Hal was.
Now, you going to keep on
operating like a one-man army,
and you're going to
wind up without a job,
without a pension...
with exactly nothing.
Yeah.
Joan, why can't you
get it through your head?
You've read the report
and he doesn't even deny it.
I don't care what the
report says about me.
The facts behind it are true.
That's why I'm here.
GRAYSON: Mrs. Corman,
we know little enough
about the human mind.
This man knows nothing.
One wrong word
and he can push your
husband so far into his own world
that we'll never be
able to reach him.
And one right word and
Hal might come back to me.
Can you guarantee me that much?
I'm not going to argue
with you anymore.
Do we see my husband or
do I take him out of your care?
Hal, we're going to help you.
Please help us.
Do you understand?
Hal, you, uh... you
don't know me...
but I think we have
something in common.
We may have been through
the same kind of experience.
Hal, try to remember
the metal disc...
the metal disc you
talked about last night...
a metal unknown to us.
Warm, very warm.
And when it touched
you, it began vibrating.
Someone held this disc
in the palm of his hand
and tried to press
it against your neck.
Is that what happened?
It's all right, Hal.
Now, if that's what
happened, you're not alone.
I've seen it, too.
Now, Hal, try to remember...
You saw something last night.
What was it?
What did you see?
What was it, Hal?
Hal!
Now all of you get out!
Hal!
I said get out!
He heard.
I know that he heard.
What happened?
Hal! Hal!
Push that buzzer by
the door and get out!
(sobbing)
(door lock buzzes)
Vincent!
Boy, I should have filed
some charge against you.
Stopped you before
this happened.
I got through to him.
Sure, sure.
Tricks. What kind of
a crackpot are you?
What do you want?
The truth and I found it.
It's up to you to dig up a
lead on that station wagon.
Until I find something
to book you on,
I'm gonna stay
right on your neck.
Fine, I might
appreciate that later on,
but you better put a
guard on Hal Corman.
You're out of your mind.
I got through to him.
If it happens
again... If he talks...
His life's not worth a cent.
Do you understand that?
He's seen them.
They can't afford
to have him talk.
You've got to guard him.
I want you out of here now.
Lieutenant, that
metal disc he saw...
all they need is one minute
alone with him in that room
and he's gone.
It'll look like a
cerebral hemorrhage.
And they'll do this?
I know what I'm talking about.
Go on back to
your hotel and wait.
I'm not done with you.
Even if you don't believe me,
you better put a guard on him.
(knocking on door)
David Vincent? Yes.
You'd better come
with me to the station.
Why?
Hal Corman is dead.
How?
Cerebral hemorrhage.
(sighs)
Straight ahead.
(tires screeching)
Hey!
What's going on?
Look, I want this
whole area clear.
But it's my hotel.
Those were shots. What happened?
Shots? Uh... no.
A can of gas
went up, that's all.
Look, I want
them all out of here
till I check the damage.
Now, come on, will you?
All right, folks, back upstairs.
Nothing here now.
Just go back upstairs,
nothing to worry about.
It's all clear.
You okay?
Yeah, I'll be all right.
All right, then would
you mind telling me
what I saw happen a
couple of minutes ago?
Well, you told them...
A can of gas went up.
Don't be funny, Vincent.
You know what you saw.
What you want to
believe is up to you.
What we have to find out
is what Hal Corman saw.
This is the car.
Well?
Who was that man I shot?
It wasn't a man.
Well, you have a report
on me... A complete file.
You know what I've
been tracking down...
Invaders from another planet.
You just saw one die.
I found this in the front seat.
A ticket stub for the
Ninth Street ferry.
It's stamped last night.
We can trace it.
While you're at it,
the owner of the car...
Female, 28... Selene Lowell.
And thank you, Lieutenant.
I said I'd be glad
you were on my neck.
I was.
I came here to pick
you up after Hal died.
He didn't just die.
He was murdered.
(sighs)
Well, I'd better
stop by the station,
have them check the
stub and pick up the wagon.
Selene Lowell, huh?
Oh, Vincent...
now, remember,
this is police business
and I'm probably
sticking my neck out
by letting you in on it...
so don't louse me up, huh?
Oh, pardon me, can you tell me
where I can find Miss Lowell?
You go all the way
around the bend,
take your first
exit to the right.
She's outside by the fish tank.
I am not hysterical!
You're tired... we all are...
But there is nothing wrong.
Ken, please.
Are you so afraid if I
say anything to the police
about Dr. Lanier's
disappearance...
If it gets into the papers...
That it'll jeopardize
your precious grant?
Selene... now...
just give me a chance to check.
Are you Miss Lowell?
Yes.
I'm Lieutenant Lucather
and this is Mr. Vincent.
Excuse me.
Now, you said on the phone
that you found my station wagon.
Where was it?
You mean you didn't
even know it was missing?
Well, no.
Everybody uses it.
The keys are
always in the ignition.
Well, then somebody here could
have been driving it yesterday.
Oh, absolutely not. No.
Miss Lowell, we have proof
that the car was used last night...
A ticket stub for the
Ninth Street ferryboat.
Oh, please, what
aren't you telling me?
What happened to him?
Who, Miss Lowell?
Well, I said I
wouldn't say anything,
but I guess I have to.
Dr. Lanier is missing.
He's the head of the Sea Lab.
Last night while we
were working, he felt ill.
He went home.
This morning I checked...
We live in the same building...
But, uh, there was no answer.
Well, all right, Miss
Lowell, after we finish here,
why don't we go
down to headquarters.
Then you can give us
a complete rundown on Lanier.
All right, I-I hope I
can be of some help.
Well, if you'll come with me.
Ken... that is, Dr. Harrison...
Is not going to be very happy
that I mentioned anything to...
That feeding should've
been done two hours ago.
Everything's been off
schedule for weeks around here.
Are you trying to
meet a deadline?
Trying, but I don't know
whether we're going to make it.
Well, that's why
it's so unreasonable
for Dr. Lanier to have gone.
Well, that new wing
has got to be finished in...
for some kind of a
meeting next week.
If this, uh, kind of work
you're doing isn't secret,
would you mind
telling me about it?
Well, if you weren't
policemen, I'd say no,
but, uh... well,
maybe you'll see
why we're under such
strict orders about publicity.
Publicity.
(chuckles)
Now, that is something
that we didn't even
have to worry about
under our last director
and then he had a heart attack
and Dr. Lanier took over the lab
and everything
changed... Everything.
Ken and I are the only ones
that are left from the old staff
and Ken...
Uh, let me... show
you something.
Do you know what that is?
No... but whatever
it is, you can have it.
It's life... created life.
Dr. Lanier has had
Ken experimenting
with primordial conditions...
The way the earth was
when lightning hit the sea
and first life was born.
We've been duplicating
these conditions
by sending electricity
through a mixture of sea water,
amino acids and other compounds
we know were in the sea then.
This is only on a
very small scale.
Now I'll show you
what our grant's giving
us the money to do.
This is the new wing.
Dr. Harrison is over there.
Mind if I wander around a bit?
I guess it's all right.
The size of that cable,
you could light a whole city.
Yeah, I guess you could.
You need all that power?
You have your own generators.
Well, I don't work here, pal.
I'm just with the power company.
You'll have to ask
one of the brains there.
I'm sorry to be so
abrupt, Lieutenant,
but I just don't have the time.
Ken, I'm going to headquarters
with Lieutenant
Lucather and Mr. Vincent.
I'll be back.
Selene, I wish you...
Don't worry about coming back.
We, uh, we're not
going to work late tonight.
I'll call you when we
find out what's wrong.
Sorry I couldn't be
more help, Lieutenant.
Thanks, anyway.
Naturally, I wish Selene
hadn't involved the police,
but she was right
to be concerned.
I've been afraid that Dr. Lanier
was pushing himself too hard.
The strain of rushing to get the
lab ready may have been too much.
And instead of worrying
about Dr. Lanier,
all I did was worry
about publicity.
You know, I should go
down to headquarters.
There might be something
I can tell the police
that would help find him.
No, Ken.
Your place is here.
Without the
knowledge he gave you,
without your skill,
he's lost, Ken.
He needs you.
He told you about
the meeting next week.
Those coming to that
meeting... my people...
Will not be able to reach their
goal without his contribution.
He's the key.
Do you understand, Ken?
If we lose Lanier...
His scientific genius...
Our timetable for this planet
will be set back
months, years...
That's why we came
to this laboratory,
why we put in the new wing.
For him, Ken.
For him.
What does he want me to do?
He wants you to bring him back
to give him human form again.
No, I'm sorry, but he
hasn't come back yet.
Well, sure, I'll have him call
you the minute he comes in.
Right. Uh, wait a second.
Oh, he just walked in.
Greg, it's Joan Corman.
It's the second
time she's called.
Thanks.
Yeah, Joan, what is it?
What's the matter?
Now, look, Joan,
just take it easy, now.
What?
Where, Joan?
Where did they come from?
All right, look, you...
you just take it easy.
Stay where you are.
I'll get back to you as
soon as I can, okay?
She's at home,
half out of her mind.
She'd been trying to
reach me for hours.
She's just given us the
lead we've been looking for.
Just before he died,
Hal told her where
to find the people
responsible for his murder.
Now, wait a minute. He told her?
Yeah.
There's a warehouse across
the river... Allyson Street...
Just one block from
the Ninth Street ferry.
The one we found the ticket for?
That's right.
Wait a minute, now.
A man in deep shock,
so deep that he blocks
out the whole world,
comes to just long enough
to give you the exact
information you need, right?
Yeah.
Huh? And his wife comes
to you with the information...
The woman who considers you
responsible for her
husband's death.
Now, come off it, Vincent!
It's a trap.
Trap? That was Joan Corman!
Check it out.
I don't have to. I know her.
It was Joan!
It could be one of them.
It's not hard for them
to duplicate her voice.
Now, if you go, you
could... I have to go!
If it hadn't been for me
and my stinking crusade,
Hal wouldn't have been
on the beach that night.
Mrs. Corman, please.
Are you sure about that?
No, no. Thank you.
That was Mrs. Corman's landlady.
She left town an hour ago.
She went to see her
husband's relatives in Illinois.
Do you know where
that warehouse is?
Yes, I could see
it from the dock
when I took
Dr. Lanier to the ferry.
Now, wait a minute.
Do you mean to tell me, you
were in that station wagon?
No, not last night.
It was... it was a week ago.
Dr. Lanier was feeling
sick just like he felt last night
and... he begged me
to get him to the ferry.
He said that his doctor was
somewhere across the river.
I know I should
have said something,
but, well, the way
everyone's been acting,
you know, nothing's
made any sense.
Mr. Vincent, what's happened?
Sergeant, I need some help.
What kind of help, Mr. Vincent?
Lieutenant Lucather is
in danger, grave danger.
Oh, he sure is.
When the Captain
gets through with him,
he's going to think it's danger.
This is no joke.
Oh, look, pal... All
the Lieutenant told me
when he called in was to turn
the girl's wagon over to her.
He didn't say anything to me
about listening to
your nightmares.
Now, the wagon's outside
and the keys are in it.
Do me a favor, will you?
Be my guest.
Show me where that warehouse is.
Dr. Harrison, the only way
I can get you that much current
is to change every
relay at the power station.
That means to
suck all the electricity
from the border to here
right through that line.
Now, that would blow
every transformer in the city.
Ken?
One burst of power.
I must have it.
Yes, but if the
power system blows...
Then... then our
generators can take over.
Go over to the power company.
Do it.
Now.
We're too late to
catch the last ferry.
Is there another way across?
There's a bridge
about a half mile down.
Uh... Mr. Vincent, I don't
know what's going on
and I think I'm entitled
to some explanation.
Well, I wonder whose explanation
you'll believe...
Mine or Dr. Lanier's.
Try me.
All right.
We're being invaded by
beings from another world.
I believe they've already
taken over the Sea Lab.
(heartbeat)
We're ready, Dr. Lanier.
Ken.
Yes.
Now.
Mr. Vincent... Give
me five minutes.
Either you're out of your mind
or, if everything
you've said is true,
we should be
going for the police.
Just five minutes.
You...
come with me.
For what it's
worth, I apologize.
Now you know.
What's that supposed to be?
This is a regeneration station
to keep themselves
in a human form
and to get rid of us.
Without leaving
a mark or a trace,
they can induce a
simple heart attack.
(grunts and groans)
ALIEN: Hold it.
Over there.
(buzzing)
(buzzing)
(electronic whirring)
Give me full force.
(electronic hum)
(gunshots)
(gunshot)
(gunshots continue)
The Sea Lab... quick!
What were those shots?
Just keep driving.
It looks like every
light in the city is out.
Well, those power lines
I saw at the Sea Lab
could draw enough current
to black out a
city twice this size.
But those lines
weren't connected.
The lab isn't even operating.
They have their own generators.
Maybe they have to develop
something more important
than a handful of jelly.
What are you talking about?
Dr. Lanier was sick last night.
A station wagon picked him up...
Took him to that
regeneration station.
The ticket stub
proves that much.
Well, something
must have gone wrong
because, usually,
when regeneration fails,
they die and they burn up,
but suppose something
else started to happen.
Like what?
Well, suppose he
started to slip back.
Suppose he was
losing his human form
and the regeneration
tubes didn't work.
Look, Hal saw something
that was so terrifying
that it drove him mad
and that something has
been at the Sea Lab all day.
Dr. Lanier?
Dr. Lanier.
(electrical crackling)
Hold the level.
Hold it.
That meeting next week
must be very important.
So must Dr. Lanier
or they wouldn't risk
blacking out a whole city.
Yes, but I don't understand.
Ken wouldn't work
with him... I know that.
Well, he may have no choice.
They might be controlling him.
It's working, Ken.
What do we need now?
Ken.
Nothing but time...
nothing but time.
Ten minutes.
Ten minutes!
(electrical crackling)
(electrical humming)
Is there another way in?
There's a door behind
the control room.
The stairway inside
leads directly to the new wing.
Distract that guard long
enough for us to get in that door.
Yes, but the
whole staff might...
Just let us get inside
that door. Go on.
One thing, Vincent... what
happens when we get inside?
If I'm right, you make
a quick phone call
and become a hero
back at headquarters.
And if you're wrong?
Do you know where a
51-year-old ex-cop can get a job?
Jimmy...
what are you doing
around so late?
Just waiting for my
ride, Miss Lowell.
Oh, well, why don't
you come with me?
I'll drop you off as
soon as I get Ken.
No matter what he said,
I know he's still working.
No, he isn't, Miss Lowell.
He left a while ago.
Well, I'm glad to hear that.
Well, you can just push
yourself so far, can't you?
You sure you don't want a ride?
No, thanks, Miss
Lowell, I'll wait.
Okay, I'll see you
tomorrow morning.
You wanted to meet Dr. Lanier?
There he is.
Grayson!
Now you know who
killed Hal Corman.
Make your call.
The salinity level...
Raise it! Raise it!
Doctor...
I told you to forget
about Miss Lowell.
You're distracting him.
Andy? Greg.
Let me talk to the Captain.
Open it.
Get them out of here.
Get them out of here!
It's all right, Ken.
No guns, no noise.
Cut the generators.
Cut the generators.
Kill him.
Don't, Ken!
You must... for Dr. Lanier!
Please!
(electronic whirring)
(whimpering)
(screaming)
You'll be needing this.
Oh, the return flight
isn't marked on it.
I'll be leaving in an hour.
Now, are you sure
you don't want me to
go with you to the FBI?
No, I'm not going there.
Why not?
I mean, after all this.
How is she?
Well, uh...
she's asleep again...
Having bad dreams, though.
They think she'll
have them for a while.
What did the doctor say?
Well, the doctor called
it a small breakdown.
She'll be here for
a couple of months.
Well... now, if
you'll excuse me, I...
I think I'll go home and
get some rest myself.
Will you ever tell
him what happened?
What good would it do?
Now, look, David,
she's had a breakdown
and he can't remember anything,
but you still got me.
I'm willing to
stick my neck out.
You'd only regret it.
The only proof we have
is that fire at the Sea Lab.
Now the power company says
that was due to a faulty relay.
How about some coffee?
Why not?
If I'm late again...
well, I'm in trouble with
the Captain anyway,
but my conscience is clear.
I did what I had to do.
I found out what happened to Hal
and maybe I found out
a little more than that.
Coffee sounds good.
NARRATOR: One cup of
coffee, a few stolen minutes,
a last small gesture of defiance
for a crusader who
fought and won a crusade
and knows he can
never claim the victory.
Look at those crazy kids.
One headlight.
They're mine.
I'll see you, Sam.
Okay.
(siren wailing)
(siren stops)
Let's see your license.
What'd we do?
Get out and I'll show you.
Leave your lights on.
We were only going
30 miles an hour.
I mean, we were
both watching here.
Out.
That'll cost you.
You're careful
and you try to
drive like an old lady
and get stopped for a headlight.
(muffled heartbeat)
What's that?
Oh, it's nothing.
Look, officer,
please... Open it.
Listen, it's a girl.
It's a nice girl and she just...
she got a little
oiled up at the beach
and, I mean, we're going to be
in enough hot water
with her old man
as it is, you know?
I said open it.
Okay.
(pulsing heartbeat)
What is it?
What is it?!
(tires squealing)
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:
John Larch Carol Rossen
Frank Overton.
A police officer has seen
something so terrifying
that he had been
driven to hysteria
and from hysteria to
the thin edge of madness.
His incoherent words describing
a creature not of this world
and a strange metallic
disc bring David Vincent
to this Rhode island city
and Officer Hal Corman.
But why can't I stay
with him and talk to him?
You're his psychiatrist...
Believe me, he won't respond,
Mrs. Corman, even if he hears you.
His mind has put up a barrier
to shut out whatever
happened to him.
Now we have to find a way
to reach through that barrier
to bring him back to reality
without frightening him
without driving him
deeper into himself.
How?
Well, we can't do it here.
We don't have the facilities.
I have papers for you to sign
that will give us permission
to take him where he'll
get the help he needs.
No. I won't let him go
to one of those places.
Joan... Joan, you have to.
For Hal's sake, you do.
All right.
Do what you have to do.
We'll go to my office.
You'd better stay
here, Lieutenant.
She needs someone to blame.
Just be patient.
I'll wait for her down the hall.
Hello. Yes?
A friend of mine
Sergeant Hal Corman
was brought in last night.
Is he allowed visitors?
No, I'm afraid not.
You think I could see
his doctor for a moment?
Pardon me.
I'd like to talk
to you, please...
over here.
Name?
David Vincent.
Identification.
Where were you last
night, Mr. Vincent?
Here's an airplane ticket.
Flight 402 this morning.
What's this all about?
One man knows what
happened to Hal Corman...
What he really saw.
That's the man driving
that station wagon
on the beach road last night.
I'm going to find that man.
You're looking in
the wrong place.
Why would he come here?
Why did you come here?
I know most of Hal's friends.
I've never seen you before.
Well, let's just
say I'm interested.
The driver of that
wagon would be, too.
Tell you what, Mr. Vincent.
I'm going to hang on to this
till I check with the airline.
Where are you staying?
The Shoreham.
Okay.
You'll hear from me.
Oh, Joan, let me take you home.
Thank you.
I can get home.
I want to help Hal.
Look, will you do me a favor
and not help him anymore?
Just leave him alone.
Joan, I told you how sorry I am.
It's a little late
for apologies.
If it hadn't been for you...
if you hadn't talked Hal...
Joan, do we have
to rehash that again?
Why, Greg, what's wrong?
Six months ago,
you were so proud.
You and your protégé were going
to take this town
apart, clean it up
and to heck with
the city hall boys.
Nothing happened to you, Greg
nothing at all, but
Hal lost everything...
His rank, his future.
Now... Now... blame me.
If it hadn't been for you,
he wouldn't have been
on that beach patrol last night.
He'd have been at a
desk at the precinct.
You can run away from it, Greg,
but you can't change the truth.
(doorbell rings)
Yes?
Mrs. Corman?
I'd like to talk to you
about your husband.
Haven't you people
written enough about him?
Why can't you just...?
I'm not a reporter.
My name is David Vincent.
Now, your husband
had an experience
that I might know
something about.
If I could talk to him,
maybe I could
help him and myself.
What kind of an experience?
Could I have five
minutes to talk to you?
Please?
All right.
(typing)
This doesn't make sense.
What's it supposed to mean?
Just what it says.
David Vincent's
some kind of a kook.
Claims that aliens
from outer space
are trying to take
over the earth
and he was on flight
402 this morning.
(phone rings)
Hello.
Yes.
Uh-huh.
Uh, just a minute, please.
Hey, Greg, Dr. Grayson.
Says Joan Corman's
brought this Vincent guy
over to the hospital.
Dr. Grayson?
Lieutenant, you'd
better get down here.
Yes, this Vincent's
with her now.
If I don't let him
see her husband,
she'll have him
taken out of my care.
Well, can she do that?
Well, of course, she can do it.
She committed him voluntarily.
Well, if nobody stops her,
I will not be responsible
for what happens.
Oh, uh, if the
Captain asks for me,
you don't know where I am.
Uh, Greg, wait a
second, will you?
You know,
if it hadn't been
for the Captain,
you'd have been
busted just like Hal was.
Now, you going to keep on
operating like a one-man army,
and you're going to
wind up without a job,
without a pension...
with exactly nothing.
Yeah.
Joan, why can't you
get it through your head?
You've read the report
and he doesn't even deny it.
I don't care what the
report says about me.
The facts behind it are true.
That's why I'm here.
GRAYSON: Mrs. Corman,
we know little enough
about the human mind.
This man knows nothing.
One wrong word
and he can push your
husband so far into his own world
that we'll never be
able to reach him.
And one right word and
Hal might come back to me.
Can you guarantee me that much?
I'm not going to argue
with you anymore.
Do we see my husband or
do I take him out of your care?
Hal, we're going to help you.
Please help us.
Do you understand?
Hal, you, uh... you
don't know me...
but I think we have
something in common.
We may have been through
the same kind of experience.
Hal, try to remember
the metal disc...
the metal disc you
talked about last night...
a metal unknown to us.
Warm, very warm.
And when it touched
you, it began vibrating.
Someone held this disc
in the palm of his hand
and tried to press
it against your neck.
Is that what happened?
It's all right, Hal.
Now, if that's what
happened, you're not alone.
I've seen it, too.
Now, Hal, try to remember...
You saw something last night.
What was it?
What did you see?
What was it, Hal?
Hal!
Now all of you get out!
Hal!
I said get out!
He heard.
I know that he heard.
What happened?
Hal! Hal!
Push that buzzer by
the door and get out!
(sobbing)
(door lock buzzes)
Vincent!
Boy, I should have filed
some charge against you.
Stopped you before
this happened.
I got through to him.
Sure, sure.
Tricks. What kind of
a crackpot are you?
What do you want?
The truth and I found it.
It's up to you to dig up a
lead on that station wagon.
Until I find something
to book you on,
I'm gonna stay
right on your neck.
Fine, I might
appreciate that later on,
but you better put a
guard on Hal Corman.
You're out of your mind.
I got through to him.
If it happens
again... If he talks...
His life's not worth a cent.
Do you understand that?
He's seen them.
They can't afford
to have him talk.
You've got to guard him.
I want you out of here now.
Lieutenant, that
metal disc he saw...
all they need is one minute
alone with him in that room
and he's gone.
It'll look like a
cerebral hemorrhage.
And they'll do this?
I know what I'm talking about.
Go on back to
your hotel and wait.
I'm not done with you.
Even if you don't believe me,
you better put a guard on him.
(knocking on door)
David Vincent? Yes.
You'd better come
with me to the station.
Why?
Hal Corman is dead.
How?
Cerebral hemorrhage.
(sighs)
Straight ahead.
(tires screeching)
Hey!
What's going on?
Look, I want this
whole area clear.
But it's my hotel.
Those were shots. What happened?
Shots? Uh... no.
A can of gas
went up, that's all.
Look, I want
them all out of here
till I check the damage.
Now, come on, will you?
All right, folks, back upstairs.
Nothing here now.
Just go back upstairs,
nothing to worry about.
It's all clear.
You okay?
Yeah, I'll be all right.
All right, then would
you mind telling me
what I saw happen a
couple of minutes ago?
Well, you told them...
A can of gas went up.
Don't be funny, Vincent.
You know what you saw.
What you want to
believe is up to you.
What we have to find out
is what Hal Corman saw.
This is the car.
Well?
Who was that man I shot?
It wasn't a man.
Well, you have a report
on me... A complete file.
You know what I've
been tracking down...
Invaders from another planet.
You just saw one die.
I found this in the front seat.
A ticket stub for the
Ninth Street ferry.
It's stamped last night.
We can trace it.
While you're at it,
the owner of the car...
Female, 28... Selene Lowell.
And thank you, Lieutenant.
I said I'd be glad
you were on my neck.
I was.
I came here to pick
you up after Hal died.
He didn't just die.
He was murdered.
(sighs)
Well, I'd better
stop by the station,
have them check the
stub and pick up the wagon.
Selene Lowell, huh?
Oh, Vincent...
now, remember,
this is police business
and I'm probably
sticking my neck out
by letting you in on it...
so don't louse me up, huh?
Oh, pardon me, can you tell me
where I can find Miss Lowell?
You go all the way
around the bend,
take your first
exit to the right.
She's outside by the fish tank.
I am not hysterical!
You're tired... we all are...
But there is nothing wrong.
Ken, please.
Are you so afraid if I
say anything to the police
about Dr. Lanier's
disappearance...
If it gets into the papers...
That it'll jeopardize
your precious grant?
Selene... now...
just give me a chance to check.
Are you Miss Lowell?
Yes.
I'm Lieutenant Lucather
and this is Mr. Vincent.
Excuse me.
Now, you said on the phone
that you found my station wagon.
Where was it?
You mean you didn't
even know it was missing?
Well, no.
Everybody uses it.
The keys are
always in the ignition.
Well, then somebody here could
have been driving it yesterday.
Oh, absolutely not. No.
Miss Lowell, we have proof
that the car was used last night...
A ticket stub for the
Ninth Street ferryboat.
Oh, please, what
aren't you telling me?
What happened to him?
Who, Miss Lowell?
Well, I said I
wouldn't say anything,
but I guess I have to.
Dr. Lanier is missing.
He's the head of the Sea Lab.
Last night while we
were working, he felt ill.
He went home.
This morning I checked...
We live in the same building...
But, uh, there was no answer.
Well, all right, Miss
Lowell, after we finish here,
why don't we go
down to headquarters.
Then you can give us
a complete rundown on Lanier.
All right, I-I hope I
can be of some help.
Well, if you'll come with me.
Ken... that is, Dr. Harrison...
Is not going to be very happy
that I mentioned anything to...
That feeding should've
been done two hours ago.
Everything's been off
schedule for weeks around here.
Are you trying to
meet a deadline?
Trying, but I don't know
whether we're going to make it.
Well, that's why
it's so unreasonable
for Dr. Lanier to have gone.
Well, that new wing
has got to be finished in...
for some kind of a
meeting next week.
If this, uh, kind of work
you're doing isn't secret,
would you mind
telling me about it?
Well, if you weren't
policemen, I'd say no,
but, uh... well,
maybe you'll see
why we're under such
strict orders about publicity.
Publicity.
(chuckles)
Now, that is something
that we didn't even
have to worry about
under our last director
and then he had a heart attack
and Dr. Lanier took over the lab
and everything
changed... Everything.
Ken and I are the only ones
that are left from the old staff
and Ken...
Uh, let me... show
you something.
Do you know what that is?
No... but whatever
it is, you can have it.
It's life... created life.
Dr. Lanier has had
Ken experimenting
with primordial conditions...
The way the earth was
when lightning hit the sea
and first life was born.
We've been duplicating
these conditions
by sending electricity
through a mixture of sea water,
amino acids and other compounds
we know were in the sea then.
This is only on a
very small scale.
Now I'll show you
what our grant's giving
us the money to do.
This is the new wing.
Dr. Harrison is over there.
Mind if I wander around a bit?
I guess it's all right.
The size of that cable,
you could light a whole city.
Yeah, I guess you could.
You need all that power?
You have your own generators.
Well, I don't work here, pal.
I'm just with the power company.
You'll have to ask
one of the brains there.
I'm sorry to be so
abrupt, Lieutenant,
but I just don't have the time.
Ken, I'm going to headquarters
with Lieutenant
Lucather and Mr. Vincent.
I'll be back.
Selene, I wish you...
Don't worry about coming back.
We, uh, we're not
going to work late tonight.
I'll call you when we
find out what's wrong.
Sorry I couldn't be
more help, Lieutenant.
Thanks, anyway.
Naturally, I wish Selene
hadn't involved the police,
but she was right
to be concerned.
I've been afraid that Dr. Lanier
was pushing himself too hard.
The strain of rushing to get the
lab ready may have been too much.
And instead of worrying
about Dr. Lanier,
all I did was worry
about publicity.
You know, I should go
down to headquarters.
There might be something
I can tell the police
that would help find him.
No, Ken.
Your place is here.
Without the
knowledge he gave you,
without your skill,
he's lost, Ken.
He needs you.
He told you about
the meeting next week.
Those coming to that
meeting... my people...
Will not be able to reach their
goal without his contribution.
He's the key.
Do you understand, Ken?
If we lose Lanier...
His scientific genius...
Our timetable for this planet
will be set back
months, years...
That's why we came
to this laboratory,
why we put in the new wing.
For him, Ken.
For him.
What does he want me to do?
He wants you to bring him back
to give him human form again.
No, I'm sorry, but he
hasn't come back yet.
Well, sure, I'll have him call
you the minute he comes in.
Right. Uh, wait a second.
Oh, he just walked in.
Greg, it's Joan Corman.
It's the second
time she's called.
Thanks.
Yeah, Joan, what is it?
What's the matter?
Now, look, Joan,
just take it easy, now.
What?
Where, Joan?
Where did they come from?
All right, look, you...
you just take it easy.
Stay where you are.
I'll get back to you as
soon as I can, okay?
She's at home,
half out of her mind.
She'd been trying to
reach me for hours.
She's just given us the
lead we've been looking for.
Just before he died,
Hal told her where
to find the people
responsible for his murder.
Now, wait a minute. He told her?
Yeah.
There's a warehouse across
the river... Allyson Street...
Just one block from
the Ninth Street ferry.
The one we found the ticket for?
That's right.
Wait a minute, now.
A man in deep shock,
so deep that he blocks
out the whole world,
comes to just long enough
to give you the exact
information you need, right?
Yeah.
Huh? And his wife comes
to you with the information...
The woman who considers you
responsible for her
husband's death.
Now, come off it, Vincent!
It's a trap.
Trap? That was Joan Corman!
Check it out.
I don't have to. I know her.
It was Joan!
It could be one of them.
It's not hard for them
to duplicate her voice.
Now, if you go, you
could... I have to go!
If it hadn't been for me
and my stinking crusade,
Hal wouldn't have been
on the beach that night.
Mrs. Corman, please.
Are you sure about that?
No, no. Thank you.
That was Mrs. Corman's landlady.
She left town an hour ago.
She went to see her
husband's relatives in Illinois.
Do you know where
that warehouse is?
Yes, I could see
it from the dock
when I took
Dr. Lanier to the ferry.
Now, wait a minute.
Do you mean to tell me, you
were in that station wagon?
No, not last night.
It was... it was a week ago.
Dr. Lanier was feeling
sick just like he felt last night
and... he begged me
to get him to the ferry.
He said that his doctor was
somewhere across the river.
I know I should
have said something,
but, well, the way
everyone's been acting,
you know, nothing's
made any sense.
Mr. Vincent, what's happened?
Sergeant, I need some help.
What kind of help, Mr. Vincent?
Lieutenant Lucather is
in danger, grave danger.
Oh, he sure is.
When the Captain
gets through with him,
he's going to think it's danger.
This is no joke.
Oh, look, pal... All
the Lieutenant told me
when he called in was to turn
the girl's wagon over to her.
He didn't say anything to me
about listening to
your nightmares.
Now, the wagon's outside
and the keys are in it.
Do me a favor, will you?
Be my guest.
Show me where that warehouse is.
Dr. Harrison, the only way
I can get you that much current
is to change every
relay at the power station.
That means to
suck all the electricity
from the border to here
right through that line.
Now, that would blow
every transformer in the city.
Ken?
One burst of power.
I must have it.
Yes, but if the
power system blows...
Then... then our
generators can take over.
Go over to the power company.
Do it.
Now.
We're too late to
catch the last ferry.
Is there another way across?
There's a bridge
about a half mile down.
Uh... Mr. Vincent, I don't
know what's going on
and I think I'm entitled
to some explanation.
Well, I wonder whose explanation
you'll believe...
Mine or Dr. Lanier's.
Try me.
All right.
We're being invaded by
beings from another world.
I believe they've already
taken over the Sea Lab.
(heartbeat)
We're ready, Dr. Lanier.
Ken.
Yes.
Now.
Mr. Vincent... Give
me five minutes.
Either you're out of your mind
or, if everything
you've said is true,
we should be
going for the police.
Just five minutes.
You...
come with me.
For what it's
worth, I apologize.
Now you know.
What's that supposed to be?
This is a regeneration station
to keep themselves
in a human form
and to get rid of us.
Without leaving
a mark or a trace,
they can induce a
simple heart attack.
(grunts and groans)
ALIEN: Hold it.
Over there.
(buzzing)
(buzzing)
(electronic whirring)
Give me full force.
(electronic hum)
(gunshots)
(gunshot)
(gunshots continue)
The Sea Lab... quick!
What were those shots?
Just keep driving.
It looks like every
light in the city is out.
Well, those power lines
I saw at the Sea Lab
could draw enough current
to black out a
city twice this size.
But those lines
weren't connected.
The lab isn't even operating.
They have their own generators.
Maybe they have to develop
something more important
than a handful of jelly.
What are you talking about?
Dr. Lanier was sick last night.
A station wagon picked him up...
Took him to that
regeneration station.
The ticket stub
proves that much.
Well, something
must have gone wrong
because, usually,
when regeneration fails,
they die and they burn up,
but suppose something
else started to happen.
Like what?
Well, suppose he
started to slip back.
Suppose he was
losing his human form
and the regeneration
tubes didn't work.
Look, Hal saw something
that was so terrifying
that it drove him mad
and that something has
been at the Sea Lab all day.
Dr. Lanier?
Dr. Lanier.
(electrical crackling)
Hold the level.
Hold it.
That meeting next week
must be very important.
So must Dr. Lanier
or they wouldn't risk
blacking out a whole city.
Yes, but I don't understand.
Ken wouldn't work
with him... I know that.
Well, he may have no choice.
They might be controlling him.
It's working, Ken.
What do we need now?
Ken.
Nothing but time...
nothing but time.
Ten minutes.
Ten minutes!
(electrical crackling)
(electrical humming)
Is there another way in?
There's a door behind
the control room.
The stairway inside
leads directly to the new wing.
Distract that guard long
enough for us to get in that door.
Yes, but the
whole staff might...
Just let us get inside
that door. Go on.
One thing, Vincent... what
happens when we get inside?
If I'm right, you make
a quick phone call
and become a hero
back at headquarters.
And if you're wrong?
Do you know where a
51-year-old ex-cop can get a job?
Jimmy...
what are you doing
around so late?
Just waiting for my
ride, Miss Lowell.
Oh, well, why don't
you come with me?
I'll drop you off as
soon as I get Ken.
No matter what he said,
I know he's still working.
No, he isn't, Miss Lowell.
He left a while ago.
Well, I'm glad to hear that.
Well, you can just push
yourself so far, can't you?
You sure you don't want a ride?
No, thanks, Miss
Lowell, I'll wait.
Okay, I'll see you
tomorrow morning.
You wanted to meet Dr. Lanier?
There he is.
Grayson!
Now you know who
killed Hal Corman.
Make your call.
The salinity level...
Raise it! Raise it!
Doctor...
I told you to forget
about Miss Lowell.
You're distracting him.
Andy? Greg.
Let me talk to the Captain.
Open it.
Get them out of here.
Get them out of here!
It's all right, Ken.
No guns, no noise.
Cut the generators.
Cut the generators.
Kill him.
Don't, Ken!
You must... for Dr. Lanier!
Please!
(electronic whirring)
(whimpering)
(screaming)
You'll be needing this.
Oh, the return flight
isn't marked on it.
I'll be leaving in an hour.
Now, are you sure
you don't want me to
go with you to the FBI?
No, I'm not going there.
Why not?
I mean, after all this.
How is she?
Well, uh...
she's asleep again...
Having bad dreams, though.
They think she'll
have them for a while.
What did the doctor say?
Well, the doctor called
it a small breakdown.
She'll be here for
a couple of months.
Well... now, if
you'll excuse me, I...
I think I'll go home and
get some rest myself.
Will you ever tell
him what happened?
What good would it do?
Now, look, David,
she's had a breakdown
and he can't remember anything,
but you still got me.
I'm willing to
stick my neck out.
You'd only regret it.
The only proof we have
is that fire at the Sea Lab.
Now the power company says
that was due to a faulty relay.
How about some coffee?
Why not?
If I'm late again...
well, I'm in trouble with
the Captain anyway,
but my conscience is clear.
I did what I had to do.
I found out what happened to Hal
and maybe I found out
a little more than that.
Coffee sounds good.
NARRATOR: One cup of
coffee, a few stolen minutes,
a last small gesture of defiance
for a crusader who
fought and won a crusade
and knows he can
never claim the victory.