[eerie music]
(male presenter)
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.
Her name is the
S.S. Queen of Glasgow.
Her registry: British.
Gross tonnage: , .
Age: indeterminate.
At this moment,
She's one day
Out of Liverpool.
Her destination: New York.
Duly recorded
On this ship's log
Is the sailing time,
Course to destination,
Weather conditions,
Temperature,
Longitude
And latitude.
But what is never
Recorded in a log
Is the fear that
Washes over a deck
Like fog and ocean spray.
Fear like the throbbing
Strokes of engine pistons,
Each like a heartbeat,
Parceling out every hour
Into breathless minutes
Of watching,
Waiting and dreading.
For the year is .
And this particular ship
Has lost its convoy.
It travels alone
Like an aged blind thing
Groping through
The unfriendly dark
Stalked by unseen
Periscopes of steel
K*llers.
Yes, the Queen of Glasgow
Is a frightened ship,
And she carries with her
A premonition of...Death.
Lights in the salon.
Let's blackout down there.
Sir?
They'll be finished
Serving dinner
Soon, sir.
You'd best go in
If you want to eat.
Thank you.
Yes, sir.
Thank you.
Are you Lanser?
Yes.
Jerry Potter.
We looked for
You at dinner.
Saw your name on the purser's
List. We were wondering
Where you were.
The captain wasn't able
To join us tonight. Come
Over and have dessert.
Thank you, no.
I'm not hungry.
How about some
Coffee, sir?
Thank you, I would
Like a cup of coffee.
Here's your seat
Right over here,
Mr. Lanser.
The more the merrier.
We could do
With a bit
Of merriment.
I'll do the honors.
This is Major Devereaux.
How do you do?
And his secretary,
Miss Stanley.
Are you heading
Home, Mr. Lanser,
Or away from home?
Why, I'm...Heading
Away from home.
Um, what do
You do, Lanser?
Me?
I saw your name on the list.
I tried to figure out
What you looked like.
It's a game I play.
I try to connect
A face with a name.
I thought probably
You were an old
Language professor
From Oxford
Or something.
Ah, here comes
The captain.
Oh, no, no, no.
Please, don't get up.
I haven't much time.
I just wanted to say
Hello to some of you.
I do apologize
For not being able
To get down to dinner.
We have a miserable
Fog out there,
And I thought it best
To take my meal
On the bridge.
And the rest of
The convoy, captain,
Are they in sight?
They would have to be
Three feet off the bow
To be in sight, major.
That fog out there
Is very thick.
We have some hopes
Of making contact
With them tomorrow.
I'd feel much safer
If we were in convoy.
I can almost see
Those wolf packs--
Isn't that what
You call them?
Converging on us.
There'll be no wolf
Packs converging on a
Single ship, Major Devereaux.
The principle of the
Submarine pack is based
On the convoy att*ck.
The gentleman is quite correct.
Our principal danger would lie
In a single submarine.
I'll tell
You something.
I'd rather they go
After us in one of
Those pocket battleships.
That you can see.
Not a skulking,
Crummy tin fish
A couple of miles
Under water.
If you're being followed,
You'll see the sub,
Mr. Potter.
It will surface.
They won't use all of
Their torpedoes on us.
Not when they consider the
Thousand yards and shell us
With impunity
And sink us at will.
You'll forgive
Me, mister--
This is
Mr. Lanser, captain.
Mr. Lanser, but you
Sound rather like
A u-boat commander.
Forgive me. That
Was clumsy of me.
I hope I didn't
Get any on you,
Miss Stanley.
Oh, no, you didn't get any
On me, but you did quite a
Job on yourself there.
That's quite
All right.
It'll stain, sir.
I said it's all right!
(steward)
Yes, sir.
As you say, sir.
Can I get you some
More coffee?
No, thank you. That
Won't be necessary.
All right, sir.
Won't you please sit
Down, Mr. Lanser?
Well, I think we can
Start to get better
Acquainted now.
First of all, I hope
You're all as comfortable
As possible.
This ship was not designed
To carry passengers.
And I hope you'll bear
With any little
Inconveniences.
Mr. Potter, I understand
That you're with the
American government?
w*r production board.
And where is
Home, Mr. Potter?
Chicago, Illinois.
The windy city.
I'll tell you
I'll be glad to
Get to see her, too.
And you, Mr. Lanser?
Where is home for you?
Home?
Uh--
I was born in Frankfurt.
Frankfurt? Frankfurt,
Like in Germany?
Yes, Germany.
How long had you
Been in England?
How long? Uh--
Not very long.
And not long at all.
Uh, please forgive me.
I'm not feeling
Well today.
I think I'd better
Go to my cabin.
That's too bad, Lanser.
I was hoping we might
Get up a poker game.
Perhaps later,
If you feel better.
Yes, perhaps later,
Good night.
Good night,
Mr. Lanser.
Good night.
Miss Stanley?
The fog carries a chill
With it, doesn't it?
Yes, yes, it does.
Have we met before?
I don't think so.
You'll forgive me.
You looked so familiar.
But for that matter,
They all did.
Mr. Lanser, are
You all right?
Yes, yes,
I'm all right.
It's just that I have
These crazy feelings.
What?
A feeling
Of doing things,
Saying things.
A feeling that you've
Done them before?
I know that feeling.
I've had it occasionally.
Being in a room somewhere
And being able
To swear that you'd
Been there before.
Even the conversation
Seems identical
To another time.
And the people?
Yes, and the people, too.
How odd.
I don't seem to recall.
I don't seem to recall
Getting on this ship
Or anything else
For that matter.
It's suddenly as if
I woke up and found
Myself standing on deck
And hearing your voices
Coming from the salon.
Like amnesia?
No, not really.
I know who I am.
I'm Carl Lanser.
I am Carl Lanser.
I was born in
Frankfurt, Germany.
I am in the--
In the what?
You were going
To tell me.
You were in
Something or other.
Who was I?
I don't remember.
Mr. Lanser, perhaps
If you got some sleep.
No, sleep couldn't help me.
I don't think I could
Get to sleep.
I feel as if--
As if... I'm
In a nightmare.
It's so strange.
I feel as if there's
Disaster out there.
Doom.
We are being stalked.
I know we're
Being stalked.
There is a sub
Out there, a u-boat.
I know.
I know it's there.
I know it.
Mr. Lanser?
I'm Lanser.
The captain's compliments, sir.
He wonders if you'd come
With me to the bridge.
He'd like to have
A few words with you.
Certainly.
Will you follow
Me, please, sir?
Thank you for
Coming up, Mr. Lanser.
I wonder if you'd mind
Answering a few questions.
No, no. Not at all.
First of all, would
You mind showing me
Your passport?
My-my passport?
Yes, if you
Don't mind.
Just routine, sir.
On our passenger manifest
It seems that your
Passport number was
Not put down.
I'm afraid I don't have
My wallet with me here.
I must've left it in my cabin.
It's all right. Sometime
In the next few days
You show it to me.
Are you all right,
Mr. Lanser? I mean,
Is there anything,
Well, anything that
You want to tell us?
There is very little that
I can tell you as I don't
Remember anything.
I don't really know
How I got on this ship.
I don't recall
Anything about it.
I seem to remember only
Odd, disjointed things.
I know for example
That my name is
Carl Lanser.
I know that I was
Born in Frankfurt.
Go on, Mr. Lanser.
Go on, go on, how?
It seems to be
All that I know.
Well, at the table
You seemed to show a
Remarkable working knowledge
Of German submarines.
Could that perhaps
Give you a thought?
I'm afraid it couldn't.
It doesn't seem to.
Go to bed, Mr. Lanser.
Have a good night's rest.
We'll talk tomorrow, you and I.
All right.
That's all,
Mr. Lanser.
Goodnight.
Goodnight.
Odd. Very odd.
I'd say that
He bears watching.
See that a steward is
Sent down to his cabin.
I want to have a look
At his passport.
Right away, sir.
I believe
That's it, sir.
Anything else
I can do to help?
Oh, I didn't see this.
w*r souvenir, sir?
Beg your pardon?
Uh, this, sir.
I was wondering if
It was a w*r souvenir.
w*r souvenir?
Uh, yes, sir.
German naval
Officer's cap.
Submarine commander,
As a matter of fact, sir.
Don't touch anything
That doesn't concern you.
Terribly sorry, sir.
I thought imight
Hang it up for you.
That won't be necessary.
I'll hang it up mys--
McCloud, captain here.
We've simply got
To have more revs.
If you can give
Me maximum speed
For more hours.
Captain, these engines
Needed an overhaul
Two months ago.
Instead of that,
They're getting
Worked to death.
All right, McCloud,
Do what you can.
Aye, aye, sir.
What do you think?
Pretty cheerful
Deal we've got here.
Reduce speed and give
Those engines a break and
We don't stand a chance.
Run them at maximum
And they'll seize up
Within two hours.
And they're out there.
God knows,
They're out there
Waiting like vultures.
Begging your pardon, sir,
But it's-it's very late.
They don't sound right.
Sir?
The engines.
They sound labored.
They always sound
Like that, sir.
You get used to it
After a bit on this tub.
Ha! You should hear
McCloud on the subject.
He's the engineer,
You know.
He says that these engines
Was originally designed
For Lord Nelson.
It's five
After twelve.
Five past twelve.
: .
Beg your pardon, sir?
: .
Something's going
To happen at : .
Something's going
To happen, sir?
I don't know.
I really don't know.
Except--
Except : .
It sticks in my mind.
Tray to the
Bridge, please.
Just being
Made up, sir.
Be done in a minute.
I'll wait.
[engines stop]
The engines
Have stopped.
Why have the
Engines stopped?
It's probably
Just routine, sir.
Don't give me that
They've broken down.
Oh, I don't think
It's serious, sir.
You don't think
It'is serious?
Adrift in waters like these
Without any power, you don't
Think that's serious?
We're defenseless. We're
Absolutely defenseless!
Oh, they'll be repaired, sir.
We'll be underway again soon.
No, we won't be
Underway soon.
We will drift
Until : .
[engines start]
[engines stop]
The u-boat's coming.
We have to get
The engines started.
No, we must abandon
Ship. Yes! That's
What we must do.
We must abandon ship, yes!
We must abandon ship.
It's here!
That's the u-boat
Out there!
The u-boat's here.
The u-boat's here!
We've got to get out
Of here, everybody!
We have got to leave
The ship! Everybody!
They're going
To sink us!
Don't you hear me?
Are you out of your
Minds all of you?
There's a u-boat here.
I saw it. It's going
To sink us.
What do I have to do to you?
Do I have to grab you
And put you on deck?
Do I have to grab you
And put you in
The lifeboats?
Do I have to knock
You unconscious or--
Queen of Glasgow.
[groans]
Potter!
Miss Stanley!
Major Devereaux!
Captain!
Steward!
[sobbing]
Feuer, frei.
[machine g*nf*re]
[crying and coughing]
[g*nf*re]
[screams]
[coughing]
[screams]
[coughing]
Feuer, frei!
[explosions]
[humming]
[knock at door]
A good catch
Tonight, huh?
The Queen of Glasgow.
A , tonner.
Isn't that what
The registry said?
Yes, sir.
Oh, you have
Nerves, Muller.
No, not really, sir.
A little shaky, perhaps.
Why?
Nothing, sir.
Why?
Sir, there were people
On that ship. Women, too.
So?
Sir, we gave
Them no warning.
Oh, you'd have us
Give them warning, huh?
So their radio operator
Can signal his position
Which happens to be,
Incidentally, our position.
You have sentiment,
Muller, but no brains.
You're an old woman,
You know that?
I just--
I just found it
Difficult to--
To do what?
To reconcile the k*lling
Of men and women without
Any warning.
It makes me wonder
If we are not damned now.
[chuckies]
In the eyes of
The British admiralty
We most certainly are.
I mean, sir,
In the eyes of god.
Oh, you're not
Only a fool, lieutnant,
But also a religious fool,
And perhaps a mystic at that.
Suppose we are damned?
What will happen then?
I've had dreams
About it.
Perhaps there's a
Special kind of hell
For people like us.
Perhaps to be damned
Is to have a fate like
The people on that ship.
To suffer as
They suffered.
And to die
As they die.
You are a
Mystic, lieutnant.
We ride the ghost of
That ship every night.
Every night,
Herr kapitan,
For eternity.
They could
Die only once.
Just once.
But we could die
A hundred million times.
We'd ride the ghost
Of that ship
Every night.
Every night
For eternity,
Herr kapitan.
A ghost of that ship.
(male presenter)
The S.S. Queen of Glasgow
Heading for New York
And the time is .
For one man,
It is always .
Lights in the salon.
Let's blackout down there.
And this man will ride
The ghost of that ship
Every night for eternity.
This is what is meant
By "Paying the fiddler."
This is the comeuppance
Awaiting every man
When the ledger of his life
Is opened and examined.
The tally made and
Then the reward or
The penalty paid.
In the case
Of Carl Lanser,
Frmer kapitan leutnant,
Navy of the third reich
This is the penalty.
This is the justice
Meted out.
This is judgment night
In the twilight zone.
(presenter)
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, three men
Return from a flight
Into space,
Only to discover that
Their nightmare has
Just begun.
Rod Taylor, James Hutton
And Charles Ademan appear in
"And When the Sky was Opened."
What happens to these men
Once they're picked up
In the desert?
Well, that gives you
A rough idea.
You'll see next week
Onthe twilight zone.
Thank you,
And goodnight.
[eerie music]
Kimberly Clark invites you
To watch Steve McQueen
Inwanted dead or alive.
Saturday nights over
Most of the same stations.
Twilight zone is being
Brought to you tonight
By Kimberly Clark,
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