The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985–1992): Season 1, Episode 2 - The Playground - full transcript
Charles Underhill lives in the suburb with his young son Steve, but he does not allow Steve to play in the nearby playground with other children. Charles has a childhood trauma with the bully Ralph and his friends, and he frequently sees his ghost challenging him, until the day he decides to go to the playground with Steve and face the wounds of his past.
[music playing]
RAY BRADBURY
[VOICEOVER]: People ask,
where do you get your ideas?
Well, right here.
All this is my
martian landscape.
Somewhere in this room
is an African veld.
Just beyond, perhaps, is a small
Illinois town where I grew up.
And I'm surrounded on every
side by my magicians toy shop.
I'll never starve here.
I just look around, find
what I need, and begin.
I'm Ray Bradbury.
And this is--
Well then, right now,
what shall it be?
Out of all this, what do
I choose to make a story?
I never know where the
next one will take me.
And the trip-- exactly
one half exhilaration,
exactly one half terror.
[music playing]
[children laughing]
[clanging]
Leave me alone!
Get away!
Get away!
Leave me alone!
Get away!
Get away!
Get away!
Leave me alone!
Whoosh.
[hiss]
Ah!
Dad, your guys
aren't fighting back.
Well, let's play some
other kind of game.
This game's my favorite.
All right, let's play it then.
OK, here we go.
Hey, you too.
Time to finish breakfast.
Wanna finish breakfast?
Let's finish breakfast.
Come on, let's go.
Steven, you clear up
your toys before we go.
Aw, Aunt Carol.
He's desperate for
attention, Charles.
He gets attention.
I'm a 72-year-old housekeeper.
He should have friends
his own age, not just you.
He needs to learn how
to adapt to get along.
He'll be OK.
You've done a fine job
with him since Mary died.
I'm his aunt, not his mother.
I have a career.
Next month, I'm getting married.
I won't be here to take
him places anymore.
I'll take him places.
How many times have you
taken him to the zoo?
We have a playground
just up the street.
You've never even
taken him there.
You know I don't want
him going to that place.
He needs this, Charles.
He needs to learn how to play
the way little boys play.
You can't be his
best friend anymore.
He'll never learn
how to adapt, to fit
in, just like you haven't.
Please, Dad, could we?
All right, I'll check it out.
Tonight.
All right!
I'll drop Steve
off at Mrs. White's.
Here, Dad.
Well, thank you very
much for bringing
me my briefcase, Mr. Underhill.
Thank you.
Thank you, sir.
Thank you.
CHILDREN [SINGING]:
He played one.
He played knick
knack on my thumb.
With a knick knack
paddywhack, give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played two.
He played knick
knack on my shoe.
With a knick knack
paddywhack, give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.
CHILD: No, I'm not!
[children chattering]
Get him!
Get him!
Get him!
Get him!
You've had enough!
[scream]
[crying]
[scream]
Let go!
Leave me alone!
[crying]
Get him!
Get him!
Stop!
[creaking]
Something's wrong
with that playground.
CAROL: Charles.
Something very odd there.
It's just a playground.
Take a look.
I have.
Take a closer look.
I don't like it.
It's a zoo.
It's a menagerie
full of animals.
You haven't been near a
playground in 20 years.
Now you promised.
You promised to take
him there tonight.
Please, Dad?
You're it.
You're it.
No, come on.
Let's go to the store.
Yeah, I'll beat you there.
[children chattering]
Wait.
Wait, wait.
Wait right here.
Dad, now?
No, shh, wait.
[children laughing]
Can I play now, Dad?
CHARLES: No, wait.
Dad, I wanna play.
BOY: Charlie.
Charlie.
Who are you?
Come on in and play, Charlie.
How do you know my name?
Charlie.
Let's play tag.
You're it.
[children howling]
Get away!
[growling]
[rip]
[children laughing]
Get away.
CHILDREN CHANTING: Charlie.
Charlie.
Charlie.
Daddy, I wanted
to play tag too.
BOY: Come back soon, Charlie.
Come back soon.
Impossible.
No way.
Ridiculous.
Horrible.
Awful.
Calm down.
Sure, calm down.
You should've seen it,
smelled it, heard it.
The playground stinks.
Tennis shoes.
Blood.
Dirty bandages.
Their mean little
faces with green jelly
running out of their noses.
That's it.
Spare me the graphic details.
Steve goes nowhere
near that pit.
Look, Charles,
Steve is almost six.
He's got to learn
about the real world.
He'll be starting school soon.
If that's the real world,
he'll never survive it.
Hell, I'd rather
get him a tutor.
God, I wish there was some
way I could stand in for him,
take the shots for him.
You can't protect him forever.
I can try.
There's nothing any of us
can do about the real world
except live in it.
You survived.
Barely.
Steve will too.
You're just not holding
up your end, Charlie.
I mean, you're letting
us all down here.
Insurance is a very
competitive business,
and, I mean, it's
dog-eat-dog out there.
It's sink or swim,
Charlie old man.
Bob.
Tell me.
Yeah, Charlie?
How do you raise a boy?
Jeez, I don't know.
What?
I mean, you find a cement
mixer, you throw him in,
you let it run for five
minutes, you take him out.
I don't know.
Listen, Charlie,
maybe you're just not
cut out for sales, huh?
Maybe you should
think about what
I was saying about transferring
to accountants, huh?
You think about that, Charlie?
Charlie?
[children chattering]
CHILDREN: Get him!
Get him!
Get him!
Carol.
Hello, Charles.
What are you doing?
-I brought him out to play.
-Play?
You call that play?
[laugh]
There.
You see how happy he is?
STEVE: Daddy, can we
come back tomorrow?
BOY: How you doing, Charlie?
Good to see you again.
What the hell?
Ralph?
What are you talking about?
A bully.
When I was a kid.
He used to wait for me
on the corner every day.
Come on, Charles.
We've gotta go home for supper.
RALPH: Stick around.
Ralph.
Is that you?
Dammit, Ralph!
What are you
waiting for, Charlie?
[laugh]
[clanking]
CHILDREN CHANTING: Charlie.
Charlie.
Charlie.
No, leave me alone!
Don't do that!
Don't do that!
No, no!
Leave me alone!
Don't touch me!
Don't touch me!
Leave me alone!
Don't do that!
Don't do that!
[laugh]
How do you like that, Charlie?
Get him!
Get him!
Don't let him get away!
Dad, let me in!
Dad, let me in!
Dad, let me in!
Charles?
What's wrong?
I heard a noise.
Charles, it's 3:00 AM.
Do you remember the door?
What?
The front door.
What are you talking about?
Sometimes, after
school, I would
run from him, hoping to find
someplace in the house to hide.
But Mom and Dad
were still at work.
And the front door was locked.
And I was trapped.
And those mean little faces
were always there, waiting.
So I ran.
I ran to the playground, trying
to find someplace to hide,
to escape.
But there was no escape.
I began to crawl inside
my mind to get away.
The more they punished me,
the deeper inside I went.
Charles, I'm sorry.
I just can't stand
there and do nothing.
[click]
[creak]
[leaves rustling]
[clanking]
[children shouting]
CHILDREN: Get him!
Get him!
Ralph?
Is that where you are?
Are you here?
Ralph?
Listen to me.
Tomorrow, I'm going
to bring Steve here.
I want you to leave him alone.
I won't let you touch him.
[clattering]
[crack]
We're going to the
playground, Steve.
All right!
It's cold.
Come here.
When we get there, I
want you to listen to me.
Do exactly what I
say, you understand?
Nothing to be afraid of there.
You're a big boy, and
I know you'll be brave.
Like you, huh, Daddy?
That's right, just like me.
We're going to have to
face ourselves sometimes.
I'm going to be the daddy.
That's right, you're
gonna be the daddy.
I'm going to be the daddy.
Right.
I'm the papa.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the papa.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the papa.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the papa.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the papa.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the papa.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
CHILDREN CHANTING: Charlie.
Charlie.
Charlie.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
Who are you?
You are Steve.
You are me.
You are me.
You are Steve.
I am Steve.
Yes.
Yes.
RALPH: Charlie.
I am Steve.
I am Steve.
I am Steve.
I am Steve.
I am Steve.
I am pa.
I am pa.
I am pa.
No.
I am Steve.
Ralph.
Ralph, it is you.
I am Steve.
I am Steve.
I am Steve.
I am Steve.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
You are Steve.
[shout]
I am Steve.
Yes, I am Steve.
Welcome back to the
playground, Charlie.
[children shouting]
Get his hair!
[growl]
[howling]
[theme music]
RAY BRADBURY
[VOICEOVER]: People ask,
where do you get your ideas?
Well, right here.
All this is my
martian landscape.
Somewhere in this room
is an African veld.
Just beyond, perhaps, is a small
Illinois town where I grew up.
And I'm surrounded on every
side by my magicians toy shop.
I'll never starve here.
I just look around, find
what I need, and begin.
I'm Ray Bradbury.
And this is--
Well then, right now,
what shall it be?
Out of all this, what do
I choose to make a story?
I never know where the
next one will take me.
And the trip-- exactly
one half exhilaration,
exactly one half terror.
[music playing]
[children laughing]
[clanging]
Leave me alone!
Get away!
Get away!
Leave me alone!
Get away!
Get away!
Get away!
Leave me alone!
Whoosh.
[hiss]
Ah!
Dad, your guys
aren't fighting back.
Well, let's play some
other kind of game.
This game's my favorite.
All right, let's play it then.
OK, here we go.
Hey, you too.
Time to finish breakfast.
Wanna finish breakfast?
Let's finish breakfast.
Come on, let's go.
Steven, you clear up
your toys before we go.
Aw, Aunt Carol.
He's desperate for
attention, Charles.
He gets attention.
I'm a 72-year-old housekeeper.
He should have friends
his own age, not just you.
He needs to learn how
to adapt to get along.
He'll be OK.
You've done a fine job
with him since Mary died.
I'm his aunt, not his mother.
I have a career.
Next month, I'm getting married.
I won't be here to take
him places anymore.
I'll take him places.
How many times have you
taken him to the zoo?
We have a playground
just up the street.
You've never even
taken him there.
You know I don't want
him going to that place.
He needs this, Charles.
He needs to learn how to play
the way little boys play.
You can't be his
best friend anymore.
He'll never learn
how to adapt, to fit
in, just like you haven't.
Please, Dad, could we?
All right, I'll check it out.
Tonight.
All right!
I'll drop Steve
off at Mrs. White's.
Here, Dad.
Well, thank you very
much for bringing
me my briefcase, Mr. Underhill.
Thank you.
Thank you, sir.
Thank you.
CHILDREN [SINGING]:
He played one.
He played knick
knack on my thumb.
With a knick knack
paddywhack, give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played two.
He played knick
knack on my shoe.
With a knick knack
paddywhack, give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.
CHILD: No, I'm not!
[children chattering]
Get him!
Get him!
Get him!
Get him!
You've had enough!
[scream]
[crying]
[scream]
Let go!
Leave me alone!
[crying]
Get him!
Get him!
Stop!
[creaking]
Something's wrong
with that playground.
CAROL: Charles.
Something very odd there.
It's just a playground.
Take a look.
I have.
Take a closer look.
I don't like it.
It's a zoo.
It's a menagerie
full of animals.
You haven't been near a
playground in 20 years.
Now you promised.
You promised to take
him there tonight.
Please, Dad?
You're it.
You're it.
No, come on.
Let's go to the store.
Yeah, I'll beat you there.
[children chattering]
Wait.
Wait, wait.
Wait right here.
Dad, now?
No, shh, wait.
[children laughing]
Can I play now, Dad?
CHARLES: No, wait.
Dad, I wanna play.
BOY: Charlie.
Charlie.
Who are you?
Come on in and play, Charlie.
How do you know my name?
Charlie.
Let's play tag.
You're it.
[children howling]
Get away!
[growling]
[rip]
[children laughing]
Get away.
CHILDREN CHANTING: Charlie.
Charlie.
Charlie.
Daddy, I wanted
to play tag too.
BOY: Come back soon, Charlie.
Come back soon.
Impossible.
No way.
Ridiculous.
Horrible.
Awful.
Calm down.
Sure, calm down.
You should've seen it,
smelled it, heard it.
The playground stinks.
Tennis shoes.
Blood.
Dirty bandages.
Their mean little
faces with green jelly
running out of their noses.
That's it.
Spare me the graphic details.
Steve goes nowhere
near that pit.
Look, Charles,
Steve is almost six.
He's got to learn
about the real world.
He'll be starting school soon.
If that's the real world,
he'll never survive it.
Hell, I'd rather
get him a tutor.
God, I wish there was some
way I could stand in for him,
take the shots for him.
You can't protect him forever.
I can try.
There's nothing any of us
can do about the real world
except live in it.
You survived.
Barely.
Steve will too.
You're just not holding
up your end, Charlie.
I mean, you're letting
us all down here.
Insurance is a very
competitive business,
and, I mean, it's
dog-eat-dog out there.
It's sink or swim,
Charlie old man.
Bob.
Tell me.
Yeah, Charlie?
How do you raise a boy?
Jeez, I don't know.
What?
I mean, you find a cement
mixer, you throw him in,
you let it run for five
minutes, you take him out.
I don't know.
Listen, Charlie,
maybe you're just not
cut out for sales, huh?
Maybe you should
think about what
I was saying about transferring
to accountants, huh?
You think about that, Charlie?
Charlie?
[children chattering]
CHILDREN: Get him!
Get him!
Get him!
Carol.
Hello, Charles.
What are you doing?
-I brought him out to play.
-Play?
You call that play?
[laugh]
There.
You see how happy he is?
STEVE: Daddy, can we
come back tomorrow?
BOY: How you doing, Charlie?
Good to see you again.
What the hell?
Ralph?
What are you talking about?
A bully.
When I was a kid.
He used to wait for me
on the corner every day.
Come on, Charles.
We've gotta go home for supper.
RALPH: Stick around.
Ralph.
Is that you?
Dammit, Ralph!
What are you
waiting for, Charlie?
[laugh]
[clanking]
CHILDREN CHANTING: Charlie.
Charlie.
Charlie.
No, leave me alone!
Don't do that!
Don't do that!
No, no!
Leave me alone!
Don't touch me!
Don't touch me!
Leave me alone!
Don't do that!
Don't do that!
[laugh]
How do you like that, Charlie?
Get him!
Get him!
Don't let him get away!
Dad, let me in!
Dad, let me in!
Dad, let me in!
Charles?
What's wrong?
I heard a noise.
Charles, it's 3:00 AM.
Do you remember the door?
What?
The front door.
What are you talking about?
Sometimes, after
school, I would
run from him, hoping to find
someplace in the house to hide.
But Mom and Dad
were still at work.
And the front door was locked.
And I was trapped.
And those mean little faces
were always there, waiting.
So I ran.
I ran to the playground, trying
to find someplace to hide,
to escape.
But there was no escape.
I began to crawl inside
my mind to get away.
The more they punished me,
the deeper inside I went.
Charles, I'm sorry.
I just can't stand
there and do nothing.
[click]
[creak]
[leaves rustling]
[clanking]
[children shouting]
CHILDREN: Get him!
Get him!
Ralph?
Is that where you are?
Are you here?
Ralph?
Listen to me.
Tomorrow, I'm going
to bring Steve here.
I want you to leave him alone.
I won't let you touch him.
[clattering]
[crack]
We're going to the
playground, Steve.
All right!
It's cold.
Come here.
When we get there, I
want you to listen to me.
Do exactly what I
say, you understand?
Nothing to be afraid of there.
You're a big boy, and
I know you'll be brave.
Like you, huh, Daddy?
That's right, just like me.
We're going to have to
face ourselves sometimes.
I'm going to be the daddy.
That's right, you're
gonna be the daddy.
I'm going to be the daddy.
Right.
I'm the papa.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the papa.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the papa.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the papa.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the papa.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the papa.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
CHILDREN CHANTING: Charlie.
Charlie.
Charlie.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
Who are you?
You are Steve.
You are me.
You are me.
You are Steve.
I am Steve.
Yes.
Yes.
RALPH: Charlie.
I am Steve.
I am Steve.
I am Steve.
I am Steve.
I am Steve.
I am pa.
I am pa.
I am pa.
No.
I am Steve.
Ralph.
Ralph, it is you.
I am Steve.
I am Steve.
I am Steve.
I am Steve.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
I'm the father.
I'm the daddy.
I'm the pa.
You are Steve.
[shout]
I am Steve.
Yes, I am Steve.
Welcome back to the
playground, Charlie.
[children shouting]
Get his hair!
[growl]
[howling]
[theme music]