[eerie music]
(male presenter, off)
There is a fifth dimension
Beyond that which
Is known to man.
It is a dimension
As fast as space
And as timeless as infinity.
It is the middle ground
Between light and shadow,
Between science
And superstition,
And it lies between
The pit of man's fears,
And the summit
Of his knowledge.
This is the dimension
Of imagination.
It is an area
Which we call
The twilight zone.
[people laughing]
Let's see you pay
For your drink
In your own
Inimitable fashion, huh?
A song, Denton.
How about it?
How dry I-- ?
Come on now.
Come on, Denton.
Get up.
Come on, Denton.
? How dry I am ?
Charlie, can't you
Break that up?
? Nobody knows ?
I don't like it
Any more than you do.
The misery they give
That guy out there.
? How dry I am ?
? Nobody cares ?
? How dry I am ?
[people laughing]
[smash]
[people laughing]
Come on, let's go in
And have some music, men.
[men laughing and whooping]
(male presenter, off)
Portrait of a town drunk
Named Al Denton.
This is a man
Who's begun his dying early.
A long, agonizing route
Through a maze of bottles.
Al Denton,
Who would probably give
An arm or a leg
Or a part of his soul
To have another chance.
To be able to rise up
And shake the dirt
From his body
And the bad dreams
That infest his
Consciousness.
In the parlance of the times,
This is a peddler.
A rather fanciful-looking
Little man
In a black frock coat.
And this is the third
Principal character
Of our story.
Its function,
Perhaps to give Mr. Al Denton
His second chance.
How you doing, Al?
How do, Miss Smith?
You packing a g*n now?
This isn't mine.
I found it
Right over there.
Somebody must
Have dropped it.
You were pretty good
With a g*n in your
Day, weren't you?
That was a long
Time ago, Miss Smith.
Well, you know something?
This is the first time
I've held a g*n since--
I can't remember
How long it's been.
Too much of that,
Isn't it?
Yep.
Why, Al?
Why do you have
To drink so much?
I really don't know.
I just got
The habit one day
And kept to it.
[all talking at once]
Wait a minute, boys.
Here we go again, fellas.
Let's hear
Our little songbird.
Hey, Denton!
(whistles)
(Dan)
Three choruses
Of "How dry I am."
Let's hear it!
Al, don't do it.
He'll give me a drink,
Miss Smith.
The devil with him.
I can give you one, too,
And you won't have
To do that for it.
? How dry I am ?
? Nobody knows ?
? How dry I ?
(Dan)
All right.
Come on, rummy.
Go on and get your drink.
You been a good boy.
Wait a minute, Denton.
Hey, gunner!
(chuckies)
Hey! Where did you
Get the a*tillery?
I-- found it
I found it
Right over there
In the street.
Is that a fact?
(Dan)
Hey.
Bet it's a long time
Since you used one
Of those, huh, rummy?
Yeah. A long time.
Maybe you could
Use it now.
Yeah. Maybe you
Could even outdraw me.
No, I wouldn't know
How to use it anymore.
Well, let's
See you try.
Come on.
You and me
Will draw.
(Miss Smith)
All right, cut it out.
It's not funny anymore.
Get away, Liz.
We're having
A showdown here.
Come on, gunner.
Dan, stop it!
Dan, Liz
Is right.
Go on back
To the bar.
Can't you see we got
Private business here?
Listen, Dan.
Come on.
Come on out here.
Come on, rummy.
Come on!
(Dan)
I'm going
To give you
A break, rummy.
I'm going to do it
Left-handed.
Miss Smith,
Tell him.
Please tell him.
Please, Miss Smith.
Explain to him--
Miss Smith,
Please tell him
It was an accident.
I don't want any trouble.
Mr. Hotaling.
(Charlie)
That was
sh**ting, Al!
Come in
And get a drink.
It's on the house.
(Charlie)
Did you get
Your eye back, Al?
You been practicing
Or something?
I ain't seen
sh**ting like that.
Since I don't know when.
Against hotaling too.
(ai)
It isn't even m ine.
(Charlie)
Drinks on the house!
Hey, rummy!
Face me, Denton!
It was an accident,
Mr. Hotaling.
I'm gonna get this
Right in your stomach.
Dan, give him
A break.
I didn't mean to--
(al)
I didn't even mean to--
I didn't even mean to--
Mr. Denton,
Maybe you'd let us
Buy you a drink.
What did
You call me?
Uh, I didn't
Mean no offense.
I just asked you
What you called me.
Nothing. Nothing,
Mr. Denton.
I didn't
Call you anything.
That's what
You called me.
Mr. Denton.
He called me
Mister, Charlie.
Here you are, Al.
(al)
No, thanks.
I've had enough.
I think I'll go out
And get a shave.
And don't call me
Rummy anymore!
Al?
I think
Everything's going
To be all right now.
Understand?
Charlie says you're
As good with a g*n now
As you ever were.
That's what
Charlie says, huh?
I was good.
I was real good.
I was so good
That, once a day
Someone would
Ride into town
To make me prove it.
And every morning
I'd start my drinking
A few minutes earlier
Until one morning
The guy who asked me
To prove it
Turned out to be
years old.
I left him
There on his face
Right there
In front of the saloon.
(Al)
I left him there,
Bleeding to death
With my b*llet in him.
I guess it'll start
All over again now.
Every fast and fancy man
Who owns a g*n
Will come riding in
Down that street.
Only this time,
It'll be me face down
Bleeding to death.
I think I'll go in
And get a shave.
I want to look proper
On the day I die.
A tall man.
Doesn't usually
Wear his g*n.
Blond hair.
Who does
That describe?
It describes a man
Named Al Denton.
He supposed
To be top g*n here.
Would that be you?
That would be me.
(messenger)
I got a message
For you, Denton,
Coming from
Pete Grant.
Well, let's hear
The message.
He'll be in town
Tomorrow night at : .
He'll meet you
Over in the saloon.
[suspense music]
You tell him,
You tell him
There's no call.
Tell Mr. Grant I'll
Be there tomorrow night.
I'll wait
For his pleasure.
It's just what it'll be.
[horses riding away]
It didn't take
Any time at all.
Just time enough
For one shave.
[metallic rattling]
Evening, Mr. Denton.
I can't use anything.
How's that?
I can't use anything.
You're a peddler,
Aren't you?
Oh, yes.
Dealer in everything.
Utensils, herbs,
Medicine, liniments
And tonics.
Farm implements, clothing,
And potions.
Oh, yes. Potions.
Kind of a sideline,
You might say.
Fate's the name.
Henry J. Fate.
And you're Al Denton.
And you're
Running away.
You shouldn't,
You know.
You shouldn't
Run away.
I shouldn't.
Yeah. I guess you're right.
I shouldn't run away.
I should stay here
And get sh*t to death.
I guess that's
What I should do.
Curse this thing.
Curse the moment I found it.
(Henry)
No, no, no.
Don't curse it,
Mr. Denton.
Use it.
Here.
This is one of my potions.
You might call it that,
Or an elixir.
Either way, it'll help solve
Your problem,
Mr. Denton.
I call that
My fast g*n developer.
Man who drinks that
Becomes the fastest
Of the fast.
You'll be able
To sh**t a hole
Through a silver dollar
In mid-air
At a hundred feet or better
Without even aiming.
It's guaranteed
To last for ten seconds.
Ten seconds?
And after that?
Well, after that,
The user's on his own.
Here. Try it.
Well, test
The merchandise,
So to speak.
Go ahead.
Proof of the pudding.
Go ahead.
Drink it.
There's your target,
Mr. Denton.
Go ahead. Draw on it.
Draw on it!
[g*nsh*t]
Six, seven,
Eight, nine, ten.
There you go,
Mr. Denton.
Now that g*n
Probably wouldn't be
Any more use to you
Than a bottle
Would be to a bull. Here.
Drink this
Two seconds after
: in the night.
Just at the moment
Mr. Grant walks
Into the saloon.
How much
Do I owe you?
Oh, there's no charge
For this.
You might call this--
Just a service.
That's what it is.
Just a service
Of Henry J. Fate
Just so you m ight
Remember sometime
The night fate stepped in.
[ticking]
You want
A drink, Al?
How about you, doc?
[suspense music]
That would be Grant.
[suspense music]
You Denton?
That's right.
I hear you're
Supposed to be fast.
You got a good chance
To find out.
I aim to.
(grant)
Step away
From the bar,
Please, Mr. Denton.
And draw.
This is
A push, boys.
No winner.
Yeah, you won't
Be sh**ting anymore
With that hand, Al.
Not anymore.
Couple of fingers
Are going to be
Stiff, too.
But that don't make
Any difference.
The way you
Stood up there,
That will be
Something to tell
Your grandchildren about.
And the way it looks
Now, you'll live
To have some.
Just like me.
You'll never be able
To fire a g*n
Again in anger.
You're blessed, son.
We've both
Been blessed.
He's lucky.
He learned
It early.
Did you
Get him, pete?
No more
Than he got me.
Mr. Henry Fate.
Dealer in utensils
And pots and pans
Liniments and potions.
A fanciful little man
In a black frock coat
Who can help a man
Climbing out of a pit
Or another man
From falling into one.
Because, you see,
Fate can work that way
In the twilight zone.
(male presenter, off)
Rod Serling,
The creator
Of twilight zone
Will tell you about
Next week's story
After this word
From our sponsor.
And now, Mr. Serling.
This motion picture
Projector and this film
Provide a background
On next week's story
When a most distinguished
Actress takes a journey
Into the twilight zone.
Ida Lupino stars in
"The Millimeter Shrine,"
A haunting story
Of a haunted woman
That I think
You'll find interesting
And perhaps shocking.
We hope you'll join us then.
Thank you and good night.
(male presenter, off)
Be sure to see
The fun filled family life
Of one of America's
Greatest entertainers,
The Danny Thomas show
Monday nights
Over most of these stations.
(male presenter, off)
Bought to you tonight
By the coffee with
The best of the coffee beans
Aroma, flavor,
But not caffeine.
New aroma-roast
Sanka coffee.
I shouldn't,
Well, just another
Little piece.
Girls, girls,
Let's discuss
Our benefit party.
Well, I love
Bridge-- oh, dear!
Girls, I shouldn't
Have used those
Paper napkins
They always slide
Off your lap.
Pardon this
Intrusion, ladies.
Oh, he has such
Darling manners,
The butler.
Madam, this occasion
Calls for Kleenex
Table napkins.
The napkins of quality
That won't slide
Off your lap.
Well, look! They do
Cling like cloth.
And notice,
Madam, Kleenex
Table napkins
Now come
In a new table
Server box,
Just fold back
In the center,
And you get two
Napkin servers, one
To keep on the table,
And the other
In reserve.
What a smart idea!
Hm, and they're
So soft.
I hate that
Scratchy kind.
Girls,
Kleenex table
Napkins really do
Cling like cloth.