01x19 - The Purple Testament

Episode transcripts for the TV show "The Twilight Zone". Aired: October 1959 to June 1964.*
Watch/Buy Amazon  Merchandise


Collection of fantasy and suspenseful stories.
Post Reply

01x19 - The Purple Testament

Post by bunniefuu »

[eerie music]

(male narrator)
There is a fifth dimension

Beyond that
Which is known to man.

It is a dimension
As vast 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.

[expl*si*n]

[g*nf*re and bombs]

[machine g*n f*ring]

Keep those trucks coming!

Close it up!

I said close it up!

(male narrator)
Infantry platoon, U.S. Army,
Philippine Islands, .

These are the faces
Of the young men who fight.

As if some omniscient painter
Had mixed a tube of oils

That were at one time
Earth-brown, dust-grey

Blood-red, beard-black,
And fear, yellow-white.

And these men were the models.

For this is the province
Of combat

And these
Are the faces of w*r.

Evening, captain.

Ain't it a crummy night?

Rough?

We've got the bridge,
Whatever they want it for.

Here you go.

Japs have got naval g*ns
Stuck in the ground.
They're zeroed in.

That bridge gets it
Every three minutes.

[expl*si*n]

If the general wants to know
Where the Jap fleet is

It's dug in
On the road to Manila.

Sergeant,

Who'd we lose?

Lots of wounded.

Maybe ten, twelve.

Four dead.
[suspense music]

Hibbard, Horton,
Morgan and Levy.

All right, sergeant,
Bed them down.

Check with the mess.

Make sure they got
Hot coffee and a meal.

If they're not hungry,
Eat anyway.

Yes, sir.

"A" company,
First platoon, chow down!

Fitz,

Sir?

Look, I have got me a bottle
Of Philippine tu pa in my tent.

Now it's not exactly
Bottled in bond

But you'd be surprised what
It does to a man's outlook.

Come on.

Cheers.

[a*tillery
Whistling overhead]

[expl*si*n]

Bad day, huh, Fitz?

A lot of wounded,
Four dead.

All in two
And a half hours.

wounded, four dead.

Anything special
About the four?

Anything special?

What do you mean?

Well, Fitz,
We've lost four men before.

We've lost eight and ten.

You seem to be taking this
A little harder than usual.

I just wondered
If there was something

Special.

These four men
Were all under .

Does it have to be
More special than that?

No, but this has
Gotten to you, Fitz.

More than I've ever seen.

I'd just like to know why.

You're a perceptive man, Phil.

It's the mark of a good
Officer, isn't it?

To ward off trouble
By anticipating.

Are you gonna give me
A hard time?

I don't think so, Fitz.

You're a good officer.

You got guts and brains.

But something
Has gotten to you.

I told you,
I'd like to know what it is.

Would you?

Hibbard, Horton, Morgan, Levy.

k*lled in action,
Luzon, P.I., January .

So?

So you want to know

What's gotten into me, Phil,

I wrote those names
Down yesterday.

I wrote them down
Before we went up.

Why did you write down
The names, Fitz?

Well, we had a weapons check

And I looked into their faces

And those four men

[a*tillery
Whistling overhead]

[expl*si*n]

Feel better?

I looked into forty four
Faces yesterday morning

And when I got to those four,
There was something special

A light or something.

I can't describe it to you.

There isn't any description.

I looked into their
Faces and I knew.

I knew this
Was their last day.

I knew they were
Going to get it.

I knew, and there

There wasn't
Any doubt about it.

Well, that's, uh,

That's funny.
That's real funny.

I haven't slept much.

I keep wondering

Is this the way
It's going to be?

If every time I stand
In front of a platoon

Am I going to be able
To look down the line

And know which ones
Aren't coming back?

Fitz, when did you write
These names down?

You're sure it was yesterday?

You're sure it wasn't today
On the way back in the truck?

Yesterday.

Yesterday morning,
I swear to you.

I wrote those
Names down yesterday.

Well?

(man)
I can't tell, captain.

The stuff you've given me
Is inconclusive.

I looked up his records.
He's never been wounded.

Looks like a pretty
Steady customer,

No evidence of battle
Fatigue or anything.

Why he should su dden ly get
This weird idea is hard to say

But we better run some checks.

He believes it.
You hear him tell it

You almost believe it yourself.

I'd appreciate you
Taking a look at him.

He's a good man.

He's one of the best
Officers we've got.

I'll do what I can, captain.

He's here now, you know.

No, I didn't know.

He's in the ward visiting

One of the boys
From his platoon.

I'm fine, lieutenant.
How's the rest of the boys?

Oh, they're all fine.

Porky got a piece
Of shrapnel on his finger

You know porky, that's about
As bad as he ever got.

[coughs]
He's a lucky kid.

That he is.

And you're not
Doing too bad.

You get that all patched up
And you'll be going home.

That's not so hard
To take, is it?

No, sir.

It sure isn't.

No, no.
Thank you, sir.

Could you lay it
Down over there, lease?

I won't be needing
It for a while.

Uh, listen, Smitty, I got
Some stuff to do so I'll
See you tomorrow.

You take it easy,
You hear?

Yes, sir.

Uh, anything you need--
You got stuff to read?

All I need.

Okay, you take
Care, Smitty.

Thanks for coming, lieutenant.

Good-bye.

Good-bye, Smitty.

[suspense music]

You okay, lieutenant?

Yeah. I--

Yeah, I'm okay.

He's dead.

Just like that.

They go awful
Quick sometimes.

Awful quick.

Fitz?

I was up seeing Smitty.

Yeah, I know.
I read his tag.

Doc said he's
Going to be okay.

No, he isn't.

I took a look at his face.

I took a look at his face,
And I knew.

And a minute later,
He's gone.

Same thing?

Same thing.

The look.

The funny--
The funny light
Or whatever it is.

And I knew,
And I knew.

Fitz, I can't
Explain this, but--

I don't want
You to explain it.

How can you explain it?

How can anybody
Explain it?

I just want you
To believe it, captain.
That's all I want from you.

I want you to believe it.

(paramedic)
Bed five, sir.
Smith. He just d*ed.

I'll have
A look at him.

For what?

(Fitz)
There's nothing
To look at but a body.

He's dead.

And I knew
He was going to die

'cause I read it
On his face.

Go on back,
Corporal. I'll
Be right in.

So you knew,
Lieutenant?

You bet I did.

I tabbed four men
The other day.

That's odd,
Don't you think?

(Fitz)
Odd? That's
Not odd, captain.

Odd when is you go
days on the line

And you don't
Lose a man.

That's odd!

Odd is when you walk
miles and you don't
Get a blister.

Now you're talking odd!

This isn't odd, captain.

This is nightmare.

This is a lousy,
Dog-faced, lying officer

Who can see death
On people's faces.

(doctor)
You're a dog-faced,
Lying officer

Who's cracking under
The strain from having
Done too much

And felt too much.
Finally having to
Succumb to it!

I'm five
For five, captain.

How many coincidences
Add up to a fact?

How many men
Do I have to tab

As the least likely
To succeed?

How many more faces
Do I have to look into?!

What I want to know

Is what does it take
To make you guys realize

That somewhere
Along the line

I picked up a talent
They don't teach at O.C.S.

One thing you might do

While you're waiting
And scratching

You might put
Tape over my eyes
Or poke them out

Or do something
Where I won't
Be able to see

So I won't
Have to look
At any more faces!

Now we spearhead
The att*ck moving
Across at the point

Followed by Baker
And Charlie and company.

Now, at this point
To the east,

Some Filipino
Guerrillas will be
Crossing the river by boat.

Now their job
Will be to knock out
Any and all Jap g*ns

In that side of the river.
So that we should be able
To move across the bridge

Against only
Small arms fire.

We've got about
minutes before
We load up the trucks.

Give your platoons
A good briefing.

Make sure that each man
Has a belt, five grenades,
Six a*mo clips,

And no backpacks.

All right.
That's it.
Good luck.

Captain,

You still want my platoon
To take the point?

I don't know yet, Fitz.

I think that probably--

[suspense music]

What's the matter, Fitz?

Are you well enough
To take the platoon?

Now, Gunther thinks
You'd be better off

With three weeks
Back at division.
I agree with him.

This thing will take
A few hours but it
Will be messy.

Captain, you better not go.

Why, Fitz?

[suspense music]

Yeah.

It's on your face too.

If you go,
You won't be coming back.

Fitz, get
Your platoons set.

You've only got
About minutes left.

Please--

I'll tell you
What we'll do!

We'll talk about it
When we get back. We'll
Have a drink to it.

We'll drink
To an illusion,
To a couple of coincidences.

Now that's it, Fitz!
I'll see you at the trucks!


Captain, you won't be
Drinking to anything.

'cause you're
Not coming back!

[suspense music]

[wails]

[far away explosions]

Lieutenant?

What about it?

Everybody says
You can tell.

Everybody says you know
Who's going to get it

And who isn't.

Well, how about it,
Lieutenant? Give us
A break, huh?

Come on, lieutenant.

It ain't fair--
You knowing!

Knock it off, Freeman.

(captain)
All right, sergeant.

Now look, somebody
Started this wild gag

And somebody
Will get b*rned for it.

There's nobody
In this company

Who's a mind-reader.

Including Lieutenant
Fitzgerald.

(captain)
All right, lieutenant?

Yeah. That's right, sir.

All right,
Sergeant, let's go.

Yes, sir.
Let's go!

(sergeant)
Okay, load 'em up.

Let's go!

In the trucks!

In the trucks, everybody!

[explosions]

Close it up!

All right, close it up!

Okay, first platoon,
Fall in.

Forget about extra details.
Let's do it the same.

Yes, sir.

Come on,
Hurry it up.

Fall in.
Roll call.

Verall.

(Verall)
Here.

Ashbar.

(Ashbar)
Here.

[roll call continues]

(commander)
Fitz.

Just thought
I'd drop around
And congratulate you boys

On the good job you did.

Thank you, sir.

The odds fell
On our side.

Must be all those
Right-handy job on those g*ns

And you fellows
Walked right across.

Right across.

That's fortunate.

The air force
Must have picked off

At least six or seven
Of those s.

Of course those g*ns
Were operating.

That might have been
The longest bridge

You've ever been on,
Or the shortest.

sn*per fire,
That's all you had?

Yes, sir,
sn*per fire.

Mm-hmm.

We lost one man.

Oh, that's a pity.

He was a good man.

You were good friends,
Weren't you, Fitzgerald?

So much for Mrs. Riker's
Lovely wedding.

Seven happy years.

Two fine sons.

Man, w*r stinks.

(sergeant)
Lieutenant?

Captain Gunther
Wants to see you.

Lieutenant, you are
To report back to division.

Back to division?

Yeah. They want
To look you over.

It'll be a nice couple
Weeks rest for you.

Take your gear with you.

Okay.

Thank you, captain.

[suspense music]

(soldier)
Lieutenant Fitzgerald?

The jeep's ready
To take you back
To division, sir

Any time
You're ready.

Lieutenant
Fitzgerald?

What?

This your bag, sir?

Yes, that's my bag.

May I put it
In the jeep
For you, sir?

Thank you very much.

Well, sir,
We're ready

Any time you are.

[suspense music]

Well, it's
A little bouncy, sir

But it sure
Beats walking.

You're
Going back
To division?

Yeah.

Further back I get,
The better I like it.

You're taking
The convenient road?

Yeah. There's a bridge
Up there on the highway.

The engineers
Think they've spotted
Some mines up the road

They haven't
Dug them up yet

So stay close
To the shoulders.

I want you
To take good care

Of the
Lieutenant here.

Sergeant, I'm the
Most careful driver

In the United
States Army.

If I can lift this
Here jeep and walk
Tippytoe carrying it

Believe me, brother,
I'd do it.

Lieutenant,
You may as well
Get comfortable.

I guess we got about
A four-hour ride

Ahead of us.

Do we?

I doubt it.

[suspense music]

[soft harmonica playing]

You play that
Pretty good.

One hand.

[loud expl*si*n in distance]

Did you hear that?

Thunder?

I don't think so.

It sounded more like
An expl*si*n.

[suspense music]

Maybe it was thunder. Yeah.

That's what it was--
Probably thunder.

[plays harmonica]

(male narrator)
From William Shakespeare,
Richard the Third,

A small excerpt,
The line reads,

"He has come to open
The purple testament

Of bleeding w*r."

And for Lieutenant
William Fitzgerald--

"A" company, first platoon,
The testament is closed.

Lieutenant Fitzgerald
Has found 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 alternate sponsor

And now, Mr. Serling.

Next week,
On the twilight zone

We offer you the unbelievable
Along with an explanation.

Three men visit
A strange new world

With people, cars,
Houses, the works.

But something's
Wrong in the scene.

Something very abnormal
Amidst the normal.

You'll see what I mean
When next week we bring you
"Elegy" by Charles Beaumont.

It stars Cecil Kellaway.
Thank you and good night.

(male presenter, off)
Kimberly Clark invites
You to watch Steve McQueen

In "Wanted Dead or Alive."

Saturday nights over most
Of these same stations.
Post Reply