The Wild Wild West (1965–1969): Season 1, Episode 15 - The Night of the Fatal Trap - full transcript

There was never but one man

could surprise me with
my own calling card.

Jim?

Hey, did I keep you
waiting long, Frank?

Well, I've been occupying
the time constructively.

Good to see ya, Jim. What's new?

Oh, the president got
two more warnings.

Ah, it's gettin' to be a
steady thing, isn't it?

What now?

The state capital and Pinewood.

Why don't you take
the state capital?



I'll take Pinewood, huh?

All right.

See you at the capital.

Right.

Spells "prosperity," my friends.

And a new day is
dawning for Pinewood.

And so, my friends,
in just ten minutes,

the new spur line from Tucson

will make its first
stop in our fair city.

With the Tucson and
Tucumcari railroad

will come people, and
you know what that means.

Folks spell more industry,

and industry means prosperity

beyond your wildest dreams.



Now, ladies and gentlemen,
here is our own Zenobia Finch,

with a few verses appropriate
to this historic occasion.

Mr. Mayor.

O, Captain! my Captain!

Our fearful trip is done;

The ship has
weather'd every rack,

the prize we sought is won...

Now, what's this
all about, Mr. West?

Mayor, the government
has received a warning

that there's going to be
disaster in your town today.

A disaster?

Well, what sort of a disaster?

Well, we don't know, sir.

Who sent the warning?

Well, we don't
know that either, sir.

An anonymous message
warning of some unnamed disaster.

Sounds like somebody's
idea of a very bad joke.

Sir, the town of Cactus Falls
received a similar warning.

They thought it
was a... A bad joke.

The dam just outside
of their town collapsed.

It flooded all of Cactus Falls.

Well, a coincidence, no doubt.

My heaven, Zenobia's finished.

Mayor...

Oh, I want to thank you
for your concern, Mr. West,

but, uh, I'm sure there's
no cause for alarm.

The people of Pinewood

would do nothing to
mar this historic occasion.

They realize how
important this linkup

with the railroad is.

Oh, my goodness.

That train is
nearly at the trestle.

Trestle?

Yes, it's our new trestle,
just outside of town.

Trestle...

Thank you.

And now, my fellow citizens...

Come in.

Yes, Miss Simms?

This crate was just
delivered, professor.

Really?

That's odd. There's
no return address.

Did the messenger
say who sent it?

No, sir.

Hm. Odd.

Thank you, Miss Simms.

If you don't need me
anymore this evening...

Professor Winkler?

Professor, are you all...

Professor, don't!

No!

Don't, professor!

Open up!

Open up in there!

It just doesn't make any sense.

Winkler, Forbes, Pudney.

And you're sure that
Forbes is the man

who blew up the
dam at Cactus Falls?

I'm positive.

He founded that town, Jim.

He's a former
territorial governor.

Now, why in the world
would he do a thing like that?

Why would Pudney
blow up the trestle,

and why would Winkler
destroy his own artworks,

worth a million dollars?

I don't know.

Sure ain't nothin' in those
cards to help us, is there?

Hey, Frank, I failed
to mention one thing.

Well, don't spare me now.

Ethan Forbes' wife
swore she saw a raven

fly into the window
of Forbes' study

just before he left
to blow up the dam.

Another raven, huh?

What's the answer, Jim?

Frank, I'm not sure
I know the question.

Pull the curtains
first, gentlemen.

Mr. President, sir.

My apology, gentlemen,
for dropping in unannounced.

I felt it was best to
have complete secrecy.

I don't even want it known
I'm not in Washington.

May I present Colonel Chaveros,

special assistant of
Ambassador Ramirez of Mexico.

This is James
West, Frank Harper.

Colonel.

Mr. President.

Oh, by the way,

Artemus sends his
regards to both of you.

How is he bearing up under
his Washington assignment, sir?

The question is, how is
Washington bearing up?

I hear there's been a steady
influx of lovely young ladies

since Artemus has been
assigned to us there.

Gentlemen, the colonel
will explain to you

the reason for our visit here.

Colonel, tell them.

Señores, what has been
happening in your country,

the strange,
inexplicable behavior

on the part of such
men as Mayor Pudney,

Professor Winkler,
and Señor Forbes,

has also been taking
place in my country.

Several of my countrymen,
men of unimpeachable patriotism,

have engaged in
senseless acts of sabotage.

Just as with Pudney,
Winkler, and Forbes,

his countrymen have no
memory of committing any crimes.

Or any possible explanation
of why they committed them.

Well, gentlemen, we might
just as well get comfortable.

We've got a lot
of talking to do.

Well, gentlemen,
I guess that's it.

So we're agreed that someone
has found a way to make these men

behave in a manner
completely foreign to them.

The thing I do not understand

is why our
governments are warned

that a disaster is
about to take place.

Well, it appears
that they're giving us

a sort of a preview
of their power,

a demonstration, so to speak.

Whoever "they" are.

Exactly, Mr. President.

Someone has started a campaign

to sow fear and suspicion

among the people
of this country,

and of Mexico, by
destroying their confidence

in the leaders of
their communities.

What do they want?

I have a feeling we're
to find out soon enough.

Well, I've been expecting
some demand on me before this.

Jim, Ambassador Ramirez
is going to be in Nogales

day after tomorrow.

Now, I want you or Frank...

Both of you, to be
there to meet him.

Now, the colonel
here will be there too.

I want you to give him all
the information that we've got.

I want you to assure him
of our complete cooperation

with the Mexican government

in combating
this terrible threat.

This... This insidious
power, whatever it is,

whatever its purpose,
it's gotta be crushed.

Crushed quickly.

What's wrong?

It's a message for you, sir.

Well, it can't...

That's not possible.

No one knows I'm here.

Someone does now, sir.

What's the message?

It says Wolfville is next.

You check the mayor's office.

I'll get the sheriff. Let's go.

Hey, sheriff!

What do you want, Brass?

How about a little
something to eat

out of that $5,000
reward you got for us?

You'll get food
when it gets here.

Hey, Elmo. Look what was
sitting on the hitch rail out front.

Ain't that somethin'?

And he hopped right up on my arm

like he wanted to
come inside all that time.

Friendly critter, ain't he?

I guess I'll finish
cleaning up now.

You can go now, Bill.

What are you doing, sheriff?

No. No.

No, sheriff.

No, sheriff. No!

What's he up to?

I don't get it.

Looks like he's letting us go.

Why? I don't know.

But I ain't gonna stick
around to argue with him.

Let's get out of here.

These are the exact same glasses

that Pudney and Forbes wore.

And Professor Winkler.

And now Elmo Stone.

Now, that's just
incredible to me.

Elmo Stone is one of the most
dedicated lawmen in the West.

Before the war, he brought
the law to this territory

almost single-handedly.

He's waking up.

Frank. Yeah.

Frank Harper.

That's right, Elmo.

Jim West.

What are you doing here?

It's a long story, Elmo.

I... I don't understand.

Elmo, just a little while ago,

you tried to release
the Brass gang.

Release?

That's right.

They didn't get away.

They're back in
your jail right now.

Now, why in the world

would you try to
do a thing like that?

Well, I... I don't know.

I... I just don't know.

Elmo, we're interested in
those spectacles of yours.

How long have you
been wearing them?

Well, about, uh... About a week.

Fellow came through.

He was a traveling eye doctor.

Now, this eye doctor,
what was his name?

Um... It was...

Oc... Occularis.

Dr. Horatio Occularis.

He... He said he was
going through the country

introducing these
new kind of spectacles,

and said he'd give
me a pair of specs

if I'd wear them for a month
and then write him a letter

and tell him whether
I liked them or not.

Well, why were you
chosen for this free trial?

Well, because I'm
the sheriff, I guess.

Because he said he usually
went to the town's leading citizen.

Oh, that fits.

Go on, Elmo.

Well, that's about it.

He tested my eyes

and adjusted and fixed
the spectacles for me

and left town.

W-what kind of a
test did he give ya?

Well, he put some drops in them

and then had me look
into this... This machine.

It was kind of like
a magic lantern.

I-I seen one in Kansas City,
in a penny arcade one time.

You know, a little black
box that you look into,

and you crank the handle,
and the pictures move.

Uh-huh. That's a kinetoscope.

Now, did this Dr. Occularis
say where he was going

after he left Wolfville?

No, no, but he did ask
me if I knew anybody

in any of the towns around

that might be willing to
take him up on his offer.

You know, like a mayor
or a judge or a sheriff.

So I gave him Hiram's name.

Well, who's Hiram?

That's Hiram Sneed.
It's my brother-in-law.

He's mayor of San Pablo.

San Pablo?

Yeah, just this
side of the border.

Do you know it?

Heh. Well enough.

Sat in on a stud poker
game there one time

that ran on for
three straight days.

Best I could do was break even.

Well, sounds like
maybe I ought to, uh,

ride on down there and
meet this Mayor Sneed, huh?

I'll join you there
as soon as possible.

As soon as I finish my
business here, Frank.

All right.

I'll wait in San Pablo
till I hear from you, Jim.

Bye, Frank.

Elmo, take care of yourself.

All right.

Hey, sheriff!

What kind of a
jailbird do you call this?

All right. What's
this all about?

A raven.

That's the one that
Billy brought in last night.

Billy found him out on
the hitching post outside

and said he acted
real tame-like.

Maybe he belongs to somebody.

He does, to Dr. Occularis.

I think he expected
it'd return to him

after it served its purpose.

You mean he was trained,
like a... Like a homing pigeon?

That's what I mean exactly.

Get on your feet.

Wha...? Who are you?

I said get on your feet.

What's the meaning of this?

Unhand me, you ruffian!

Come on, Occularis.

Occularis?

You can read, can't you?

And who, may I ask, are you?

And by what right do
you come into this camp,

manhandling me in this manner?

Ow!

Now, don't move.

No! Let go!

What do we have here?

I don't know anything
about all this, honest!

Calm down.

Honest, I don't know
anything about all this.

If you've got some
problem with him,

don't mix me up in it.

I got plenty of
troubles of my own.

Who is she?

I have no idea.

That's right. He doesn't.

I just hid in the
wagon to get a ride.

You just got in the
wagon for a ride?

Well, I didn't have much choice.

There I was, in
Burrow Flats, broke...

it didn't look like there was
much future there for me,

so when he came through...

Well, any place is
better than Burrow Flats.

What's your name?

Laurette.

What's yours?

All right, Laurette.
Get on the wagon.

We'll take you to Wolfville.

Occularis, you say?

Dr. Horatio Occularis?

That's right, Mr. Sneed.

Does that name
mean anything to you?

Yeah. Yeah, it sure
does, Mr. Harper.

Well, what?

Well, I got it right here.

Now, just hold on, now.

What is it that you got?

I got a letter. He
sent me a letter.

Well, maybe you
could just tell me

what was in the letter.

What? Oh, well, let's see now.

As I remember, he said he
would be here on the 15th.

I remember the date,

'cause it was just two
days before our big fiesta.

Fifteenth? Why, that's today.

Why, sure it is.

I sure hope he shows up.

He promised me a
free pair of glasses.

He'll be here, Mr. Mayor.

Are you sure?

I'd hate to miss out
on those glasses.

I'd be willing to bet on it.

Why don't you wait here.

I see you caught
up with him, Jim.

No, sheriff. Surely you've
mistaken me for someone else.

No, no, you're the one.

I protest.

I've never seen
you before in my life.

Oh, come on, I...

It's not gonna do you any good.

On the contrary, I expect it
to do me a great deal of good.

What...? What happened?

His gun was rigged
to fire backward.

Fire backwards?

Sheriff, he didn't
have this gun on him

when I captured him.

I frisked him.

Well, then how...?
How did he...?

The girl.

What girl?

Looks like I'm gonna
have to find out.

Come in, come in.

I'm addressing Mayor
Sneed, I presume.

Yeah, that's me, all right.

What can I do for ya?

Dr. Occularis.
Dr. Horatio Occularis.

I wrote you a letter from
Wolfville a few days ago.

I trust you received it.

Yeah, uh, I got it, all right.

It's around here somewhere.

Anyway... Excellent.

Then you know the
purpose for which I'm here.

Uh, yeah.

Ya... You want to give me
a pair of new glasses... free.

Now, your letter
said "free," right?

Exactly, your honor.
Without charge or obligation.

All I ask is that you
try them for 30 days,

and then drop me a
line letting me know,

frankly and honestly,
how you like them.

A letter which you will permit
me to use as a testimonial

when I make the new lens
available on the open market.

Is that agreeable to you?

Yeah.

Never passed up
an offer like that.

You sure? There's
no strings, now?

Absolutely free.

Now, if you will
permit me, Mr. Mayor,

I will get the equipment that
I need for the examination.

Uh... doctor!

It won't hurt, will it?

The examination?

My dear sir, you won't
know anything is happening.

How nice.

There we are.

Now, if you'll just
step over to the table.

Mayor Sneed?

Now, if you'll just look
into the kinetoscope

and turn the handle
as rapidly as you can.

Like this?

Very good.

Faster, Mayor Sneed.

Faster.

Excellent.

Well, look at that, would ya.

I never.

That's lovely.

You may stop now, your honor.

Mayor Sneed?

Mayor Sneed.

Your honor.

Mayor Sneed.

What?

You may stop now.

Oh.

About those glasses
I promised you.

Oh, yes, my free glasses.

Oh, not now.

But I think you will find
an occasion to use them.

I don't know how I'll
ever thank you, doctor.

I just don't know how.

Oh, you'll find a
way, Mr. Mayor.

I know you will.

Mm.

Hi, Frank.

Hey, Jim.

I just talked to Mayor Sneed.

Oh, well, then he told you

that I had a visit
from Dr. Occularis.

You had a visit from
another Occularis.

The one that conditioned
Sheriff Stone is dead.

Dead?

You mean there's more
than one of those guys?

There may be several,

but we'll know the answer to
that when we talk to your man.

Well, that's gonna be
a little hard to do, Jim.

He's left.

Left?

You mean you didn't arrest him?

Well, why should I?

He hadn't done
anything unlawful.

Hey, you know,

I never thought I'd
have so much trouble

getting Hiram Sneed's
ring off my finger.

Well...

Frank, we've gotta find
him and bring him back here.

I'm going to kill you, Mr. West.

Now, Frank...

Frank, put that gun down.

Who is Frank?

Why do you call me that?

My name is Sneed. Hiram Sneed.

I forgot. Of course, Mr. Sneed.

You were told
to kill me by Dr...

By Dr. Occularis.

Occularis?

Did he say anything about...

About Frank Harper?

Frank Harper?

Yep, yep. Supposed
to kill him too.

Why don't you,
uh, kill him first?

Got to kill Frank Harper.

Feeling better, Frank?

Oh, a little better, I think.

Till I remember how close
I come to killing you, Jim.

You know, I-I still can't...

I still can't quite understand

how Occularis could have
gotten me under his control

without my being aware of it.

Well, we know these glasses
have something to do with it.

And his eye drops, and
the... The kinetoscope.

And then the
appearance of the raven,

it seems to trigger
off the desired reaction

in a person who's
been conditioned.

There's a brilliant
mind behind this,

but, uh, I'm sure it's
not those eye doctors

that call themselves
"Occularis." It's...

What's the matter, Jim?

Laurette.

Hey, Jim.

Hm. Well, for goodness
sake, look who's here.

I bet you wondered
where I ran off to.

I'd like to speak to
this lady alone, please.

Go on. Go on.

Come sit down.

You've got some
explaining to do.

Why don't you buy me a drink,

and I'll tell you
the whole story.

Because I'm not thirsty.

Oh, I guess you're angry

'cause I didn't wait
for you in Wolfville.

That's right.

Well, you know, a funny
thing happened there.

I was sitting on the
wagon, waiting for you,

and I didn't know
how long you'd be,

and along came this
fellow headed for San Pablo.

He was awfully nice, and
when he offered me a ride...

Well, I never cared much
for Wolfville, anyway.

I know why you left.

Well, I just told you why.

But I'm glad you
followed me anyway.

What about the trick gun
you slipped to Dr. Occularis?

Trick gun? Dr. Occularis?

What are you talking about?

Murder.

Murder?

Me?

Come on. Let's go.

You're not arresting me?

I'm not inviting you to dance.

No, you're not, are you?

Permit me to introduce
myself, Mr. West.

I'm Professor Thaddeus Toombs.

Sit down, Mr. West.

Suit yourself.

It may interest you to know
that you're the first outsider

that has ever visited the
headquarters of Raven.

Raven, Mr. West,
is an organization

composed of
scientists like myself,

men possessed of learning
and talents undreamed of by...

lesser mortals, shall we say?

Men dedicated to
freeing the world

from the ignorant masses

and their vain and
small-minded leaders.

We shall, when we come to power,

rule the earth and its
inhabitants scientifically.

Our organization is
called Raven, Mr. West,

out of a mutual admiration
for that much-maligned bird.

I will detain you no longer.

You've been brought
here for one purpose:

to carry a message
to President Grant.

You will tell President Grant

there is no defense
against Raven.

Tell him we demand
unconditional surrender!

Jim. Jim, wake up.

Hey, Jim.

Hey, Frank.

What in the world
happened to you?

This lady friend
of mine, she, uh...

She drugged me.

Drugged you? Why?

She wanted to show me something.

There was this,
uh... This large room,

and there was this
man with a large head,

sitting on, uh, sort of a stage,

and then, uh, three
other men walked in,

and one of them said his
name was, uh, "Toombs."

Toombs?

Yeah. Professor Thaddeus Toombs,

and that he, uh...

He belonged to this
organization called the "Raven,"

and they had a message
for... For our president.

Well, go on.

That's all I can remember.

Then I... I must
have passed out.

Look, Jim, there must
be more to it than that.

Yeah, there was more.

Yeah, now I remember. Those...

Those dots and those lines,

the same geometric figure.

W-when I came to
in the room, Frank,

there was this...
This kinetoscope.

You think they used that on
you while you were unconscious?

They must have.

They must have conditioned me,

just like they did
you and all the others.

I'm a walking time bomb
for the Raven to use

whenever he
thinks it's necessary.

Now, look, Jim,

they must have got
you from here to that...

To that room somehow.

Why don't you look
around the saloon, here,

and, uh, I'll go pick up our
gear at the hotel, all right?

All right, Frank.

These piñatas must have worked

by some kind of a
preset trigger mechanism.

We'll never know for sure.

Yeah, I guess
you're right, Frank.

Why don't you go see
Ramirez in Nogales.

Raven's headquarters is
somewhere here in San Pablo,

or close by, and
I'm gonna find it.

Well, I guess it makes sense
for one of us to stay but, uh...

But you're worried
about me, eh, Frank?

Well, aren't you a little
worried about yourself, Jim?

Yeah, I was.

Was?

Frank, we're both
forgetting one thing.

If Raven had conditioned me,

he would have
given me the glasses.

That's right. He didn't, did he?

So I'm not a walking time bomb.

Well, that's, uh...
That's quite a relief.

Yeah. Frank, you've got
a long ride ahead of you.

You don't wanna keep
the ambassador waiting.

Why don't you get it on?

Okay, Jim. Good luck.

Good luck to you, Frank.

Hey, Frank. Yeah?

Why don't you keep Ramirez
with you until I get there?

Sure.

I understand.

Oh, pardon me, sir.

Why have you left your posts?

There's supposed to be
someone on guard in this corridor

at all times.

Oh, I have to go to my
meeting with Toombs.

Now, let me hear
reports on Philadelphia.

I am not interested in
Philadelphia, professor.

Tell me about Nogales.

Ah, yes, Nogales.

I am pleased to announce

that I've heard from
our colleague in Nogales

within the hour.

Well, well. Well,
what does he say?

That Ambassador Ramirez
has arrived in that city,

and that all is proceeding
according to plan.

I can say with
complete confidence

that due to our
operative in that city,

by this time tomorrow night,

the republic of Mexico
will be ripe for the plucking.