[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.
A commonplace,
If somewhat grim,
Unsocial event
Known as a
"Necktie party."
The guest of dishonor,
A cowboy named Joe Caswell,
Just a moment
Away from a rope,
A short dance several
Feet off the ground.
And then the dark
Eternity of all evil men.
Mr. Joe Caswell,
Who when the good lord
Passed out a conscience,
A heart of feeling
For fellow men,
Must have been
Out for a beer
And missed out.
Mr. Joe Caswell
In the last
Quiet moment
Of a violent life.
Reverend.
No need, I ain't
Interested in prayers.
And your immortal
Soul, Caswell?
Are you
Interested in that?
It's my mortal neck
That concerns me now.
And it's gonna be your
Pleasure to see that it's
Stretched a couple feet.
Since that book
Ain't going to help,
Might as leave
Make it short and
Get it over with.
Judge?
You got anything
To say? It's your
Right, you know.
That's my right,
Is it, judge?
The young fellow I put
A hole in had too much
Mouth, not enough brains.
I'd invite him out
Again tomorrow if I had
It to do all over again.
You sh*t my son
In the back, Caswell.
And that's a long country
Mile from an invitation
To a showdown.
Now, that's all
You got to say,
I got this to add.
I'd like it
To take a while.
I'd like you to
Feel it, Caswell.
The more you kick, the
More justice I figure
There is in the world.
Well, I'll do a
Jig for you, pappy,
Just like a puppet.
How about it,
Can't we get it
Over with?
I can tell you this, Caswell.
You're an evil person.
You're a disease.
And when we hang you,
It's a service.
All right, get on
With the job.
Oh, my dear god.
What happened to him?
Try to relax.
You're going
To be all right.
I'll explain to you
What's happened.
[raspy voice]
Where am I?
You're a long
Way from home,
Old friend.
A very long way.
[raspy voice]
Where?
You're in New York City,
Eighty years from
The last moment of
Your recollection.
How? How?
[gasping]
By this. This is
A time machine.
What's happened to you
Involves principles which
You wouldn't understand.
For the moment,
I don't know what
Your past was,
But you've got a most
Distinguished future.
You're the first
Time traveler in
The history of man.
And I'm going
To introduce you
To a whole new world.
And you're gonna
Tell me about
An old one.
(scientist)
At : the subject
Appeared desperately tired,
So I put him to bed.
After two hours
I've discovered
The following:
His name is
Joseph Caswell.
He tells me he was a
Trail boss on a cattle ranch
In the territory of Montana.
His last moment
Of recollection
Was November , .
He says he was
Riding herd when
Suddenly he blacked out.
He awoke to find
Himself on the cot
Of my laboratory.
He felt no
Sensations and--
Only in the last few moments
Did he seem to have any grasp
Of what has occurred.
There's one
Disturbing point.
There are the marks of
A rope etched deeply
Into his neck.
He has no
Explanation for this.
And I have one
Other observation
Hardly scientific.
I don't like his looks.
I don't like the
Eyes or the face
Or the expression.
I get a feeling
Of disquiet, I--
I get a feeling that
I've taken a th
Century primitive
And placed him in
A th century jungle.
And heaven
Help whoever
Gets in his way.
[door opens]
That's fire right
Out of the air.
I thought you
Were tired.
I am.
There's plenty
Of time to sleep.
And plenty of
Time for that.
Now I wanna look at
That world out there.
I wanna see if there are
Things out there like
You described to me.
Carriages without
Horses and buildings--
They're out
There, Caswell.
Things that you've
Never seen before.
Things you
Can't imagine.
[engines humming,
Horns honking]
[sirens wailing
And engines throbbing]
But some things
Don't change.
Ideas, concepts,
Things like
Right and wrong.
I know all about
Right and wrong.
Once there was a deputy
Sheriff in Dodge City.
Tried to b*at the difference
Between them into my back
With a wet rope.
I know all about
Right and wrong.
And what about
Justice, Caswell?
What about justice?
Am I supposed to
Know about justice?
More than most
Men, probably.
Right and wrong,
They can try to
b*at into you.
But justice, Caswell,
This came at the end
Of a rope, didn't it?
That's where you were
When I reached
Back into time.
You were at the end
Of a rope, weren't
You, Caswell?
Six or eight feet off
The ground, and I got to you
In that fraction of a moment
Before your
Neck was broken.
When you're dangling
At the end of a rope
It don't matter
Whether you're
One foot off the
Ground or one hundred.
You k*lled someone.
A whole territory full.
I stopped
Counting after .
Well?
I'm going to have
To send you back.
Back?
Back to where
You belong.
Back to that very
Moment, if I can.
And that's supposed
To be justice, huh?
I d*ed once
Already, mister.
I been to hell.
Now I'm back.
And those men that
You k*lled, Caswell?
They d*ed with
No discomfort?
Mister, y-you're
Just talking words.
Justice, right
And wrong.
They sound good in
This nice warm room
With a nice
Full stomach,
Just a few feet away
From a soft bed.
They sound nice and
They go down easy!
But you just try 'em
On an ice-cold mesa
Where another man's bread
Or another man's jacket
Stands between you
And staying alive.
You get in this machine
Of yours and you go
Back to where I was,
And you talk about
Your law and your
Order and your justice.
They're gonna
Sound different!
Mister, I know
Your kind.
Your clean-faced, your
Johnny-come-lately dandies.
You come out in your
Warm trains rolling over
The graves of men like me!
I just hate
Your kind!
[tape recorder rewinding]
[over tape recorder]
And I have one other
Observation hardly scientific.
I don't like
His looks.
I don't like the
Eyes or the face
Or the expression.
I get a feeling
That I've taken a
th century primitive
And placed him in
A th century jungle.
And heaven
Help whoever
Gets in his way.
[car horn honking]
[horns honking]
[horn honking]
[tires screeching]
[ringing]
[ringing continues]
(operator)
There is overtime.
Please deposit cents.
Hello? Hello?
There is overtime.
Please deposit cents.
[swing music playing]
What'll it be?
[swing playing
On jukebox]
[music stops]
Expensive evening for
You, pal. That's
Gonna cost.
Hear me?
There's so much noise.
Look, buddy, if you
Don't pay for it,
I'm gonna have to.
So let's have
No trouble, huh?
If you got any--
Uh, easy, pal, easy.
Just bring me
One of those.
Well?
Nothing, pal,
No argument.
No argument.
What is that?
Where does the
Music come from?
That thing? That's
A jukebox, just a
Plain old jukebox.
You been in stir, buddy?
No, it's, it's just
That I need some sleep.
And those, those things
That are running around!
Things?
Those-those carriages
Without horses,
And-and the lights
Going on and off.
And the noise,
It's-it's like
Thunder all the time.
Buddy, why don't
You go home and
Sack down, huh?
And get a good
Night's sleep.
Take a couple of bottles
With you. That's what
You need is sleep.
Here, take these
Home with you.
Well, don't-don't
You know what that is?
It's a window.
Here, we'll-we'll give
You a demonstration, huh?
All right, hombre,
You got your
Chance to draw.
Now, you better
Make your move.
All right, cowboy,
You gotta pay for this.
Police! Police!
Police!
[car horn honking]
[horns honking]
[brakes screeching]
[woman screams]
[whistle blowing]
[people yelling]
[siren blaring]
[panting]
Mister, you--
Man, you--
Help me, please!
Help me!
I thought the
Place was empty.
Just move away
From the desk, cowboy.
What do you want?
What do I want?
What do you want,
Buffalo Bill?
Well, that's what I want.
Whatever is around loose.
Well, it looks like
You got here before me.
Saved me a little
Trouble. Thanks.
But I'm here now.
You know, I
Usually go to
Bed this early.
So with the place
Being dark, I figured
I'd be all alone.
You checked
The desk, did you?
I guess he don't keep
Much cash around here.
I figured maybe
A key to a drawer
Or something.
See? I expect he's got
A wall safe or something
Around here, don't you?
Hey, cowboy, I
Asked you a question.
Don't you figure
He's got a wall safe or
Something around here?
[groans]
[electronic whirring]
[electronic beeping]
[whirring increases in pitch]
[muffled]
Hey! Help!
Help, somebody!
Help me get out!
Help, help.
Help me. Somebody!
Help me! Help me!
Cut him down,
Hurry up. Cut him down.
That ain't
Joe Caswell.
That ain't the
Guy we hanged.
Look at his clothes.
What kind of clothes
Are they?
Who is it?
This is not
Caswell, reverend.
It's a stranger.
What kind of
Devil's work is this?
I don't know.
I don't know if
It is devil's work.
Did we hang an
Innocent man, then?
I hope not.
I pray to god not.
(narrator)
This is November ,
The aftermath of
A necktie party.
The victim's name,
Paul Johnson, a minor
League criminal
And the taker of
Another human life.
No comment on his
Death save this.
Justice can span years.
Retribution is not
Subject to a calendar.
Tonight's case in point
In the twilight zone.
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.
The man who lives
In this tenement
Is an aging fighter
Named Bolie Jackson.
Over the hill at age .
From leaving too much of
Himself in too many arenas
For too many years
Before too many
Screaming people.
And next week he looks
For a miracle, and he
Finds it in a little boy.
On the twilight zone
Next week, "The Big
Tall Wish."
Something very,
Very special.
I hope we'll
See you then.
[eerie music]
Be sure to the see the
Fun-filled family life
Of one of America's
Greatest entertainers,
The Danny Thomas show.
Monday nights over
Most of these stations.