04x27 - The Waxwork

[bunniefuu]

Good evening.

This is called a rack.

A kind of medieval chassis law.

The victim lies down

and his limbs are fastened
to the rollers at each end.

The body is then gradually stretched to...

...and passed the breaking point.

They were quite droll in those days.

You see a Latin inscription

placed so the victim can't read it.

Nunc potes altior quam illam.

Meaning now you can
be taller than she is.

Tonight we're presenting a
play entitled "The Waxwork".

First however, we have the th
century equivalent of the rack.

Now, please no screams.

After all, this hurts me
more than it does you.

Here's a shilling.

- She's wax, sir.
- She's wh-? What?

God bless. Wax.

It happens all the time.

It's a comfort.

Would you care for a souvenir booklet?

- Ah yes.
- Then two shillings.

I'm looking for Mr. Marriner?

His office is over there.

Hold on.

I believe you'll find him next door.

Oh, thank you.

Don't move!

Please! Please, watch what you're doing!

Albert! Albert!

He shouldn't be left here.

Albert, he shouldn't have
been left here, it isn't safe.

Take him out, if you please.

Yes.

You really must be more careful.

What are you doing here, young man?

The public isn't allowed
in this part of the building.

My name is Raymond Hewson.

I'm from The Illustrated
Weekly This World.

I wrote you about
doing a feature story?

Yes.
Yes, I remember.

Well, shall we have another
look at this? Come.

May I?

I'm afraid that's rather
out of drawing.

Yes I er, I turned your letter
over to Mr. Roberts,

our public relations man.

Yea, I spoke to Mr. Roberts
yesterday, but er...

Well I simply had to see you,
so I...

I took the liberty of finding
my way up here.

Yes, that's a liberty you have
not ought to have taken.

I wanted to persuade you to let me
spend the night in the m*rder*r's Den.

Oh, I'm sure Mr. Robert has told you
that would be quite impossible.

I have an idea for a very interesting
layout with photographs.

Be good publicity for you.

Well I mean not that your famous
museum needs it of course.

You know, in order to
become an artisan in wax,

One must turn oneself into

a combination artist and surgeon.

One must...

...one must learn the relation
between bone and muscle.

The... the precise strain

which movement places
upon tendons and joints.

You see?

Ya. I called my article
"A Night with Marriner's Murderers".

Ah, would you now.

Ya, a heading like that,
it would attract a lot of readers.

Sure to cause a lot of interest.

I'll take that.

Herbert.

I want you to see this.

She is removing the lines and bubbles
that the mould leaves on a cast.

Well, everybody knows that the
Marriner Waxwork is perfect.

Wrong.

It's the imperfection...

the blemish...

the wrinkle...

The thousand signs

by which nature writes the
diary of a human life.

May I?

Mr Hewson,

why is it so important to you to spend
the night in my m*rder*r's Den?

Well I ah...

Perhaps I better give
you the real reason.

You see...

- Well I like to gamble.
- Ah.

Cards or horses?

Cards.

Well the other night I lost
a good deal of money

to a Englishman, I
know him very slightly.

A man called Dicky Morrison.

Well, to cut the story short

I gave him a check which
I knew would bounce.

That is a criminal offense, you know.

He notified me yesterday that he
intends to prosecute my second pay.

Now my, my editor wants
this story very badly.

I know that if you let me spend
the night here, write my article,

I can earn enough to pay the debt.

Mr Hewson, you put me
in a very difficult position.

Her Majesty looks rather well
today, don't you think?

Why is that sir?

Each one of our wax figures

gets a beauty treatment every months.

And the er, the Virgin Queen
has just returned from hers.

Good day Mrs. Knowles.

How is your rheumatism?

Much better.

Thank you, sir.

No, no, no. It's quite alright.

You noticed that
hair is put into a wax head

one strand at a time.

Look Mr. Marriner. My job, my future,
everything, depends on...

Now look young man.

I can't be made to feel responsible
for your predicament.

Haven't you any friends?

You mean friends I can borrow from?

Is that your definition of friendship?

No, the answer's no.

Actually, see I've only been
in London for a few months.

This is the young man that you have
an encounter with a little while ago.

His name is Bourdette.

Or was.

Yes I'm afraid he'll be the last star
boarder in my den of murderers.

Oh why?

Well, any day now

Parliament will pass a law putting
an end to capital punishment.

This fella was ex*cuted
this morning and so

obliged as in the nick of time.

He was a barber...

...by day.

By nights...

...a m*rder*r,
ten times over.

And always...

...with a razor.

I know, I...

...I covered his trial.

I lost a bet on him too.

I bet he wouldn't be convicted.

Oh? Why do you think that?

Oh, I don't know.

He used to practice mesmerism.

I see. And you thought he
might mesmerize the jury?

Or the witnesses?
Or perhaps even the judge?

I know it sounds ridiculous but

he had extraordinary eyes.

Yes.

A fact the prosecution brought out.

And according to the evidence
developed at the trial,

he was said to have hypnotized his
victims before dispatching them.

Really quite humane of him, I think.

His eyes are extraordinary life like.

Well, in a wax figure,

the eyes are of the
utmost importance.

There.

As you can see Mr. Hewson,
this eye is definitely blue.

But you have no idea how difficult
it is to get the exact shade of blue.

Yes we take a great deal
of trouble with the eyes.

Look, Mr. Marriner, I don't seem
to be able to get through to you.

I, I got to write this article.
For the last time, please.

May I spend the night with
Bourdette and the others.

I shall have to think about it.

o'clock. We're close.

On me house.

Oh! Alright, Defoe.

Good luck, sir.

Thank you.

Harry's been with us
for over fifty years.

Before we had the fire in .

I like to remind you sir,
Mr. Marriner said "be sure, no smoking".

The wax, you know.

It's cold me enough down here.

Just right for these beauties.

Well, I guess I'll... find all the
information I need in this guide.

Well, if there's anything special you
want to know, I'll be glad to tell you.

Ah, here's an interesting chap.

Jack Shepherd, in the cell at Newgate
Prison from Wednesday, made his escape.

Good evening Mr. Hewson.

I trust everything is to your liking.

And I hope that you will be comfortable

locked in here with my little creatures.

Locked in?

What do you mean?

Who said anything about being locked?

My dear Hewson,

you could hardly expect me to leave these

these valuable creatures of mine unlocked.

Well of course I'll be here.

- Oh, but I'm afraid that I...
- I, I know it sounds silly,

but I have a kind of a funny
feeling about being closed in.

- Once when I was a...
- Claustrophobia?

Ya. Ya, something like that I guess.

The morbid fear of being
in confined places.

That's too bad.

Well I suppose we best
forget the whole thing.

No, no, no, I can't do that.

Alright, I'll stay.

Locked in?

Locked in.

Good night, Mr. Hewson.

t*rture was finally used in medieval times

as a judicial instrument for
the extraction of evidence

from unwilling witnesses.

It was also employed

as a form of trial to determine
guilt or innocence.

Petiot Marcel.

Guillotined in Paris th May .

Landrieu.

Morris.

Armstrong.

Set.

Bourdette.

But of course.

You're, you're the new boy.

You only arrived just yesterday.

'The figure of Bourdette'

'appears to be moving
menacingly toward me'.

Good evening.

You cannot move or speak
without my bidding.

But you can hear me perfectly well.

Something tells me that you are

shall we say nervous?

My dear sir, have no illusions.

I am not one of these
contemptible effigies.

I am the barber.

Bourdette himself.

I escaped.

I was walking passed this building

when I saw a policeman
eyeing me with curiosity.

And I did not know whether
he would recognize me or not.

So I decided to mingle
with the crowd in here.

And once inside

I realized I had an
ideal means of escape.

As you may understand,
this has been a tiring evening to me.

Unfortunately your attention
was drawn elsewhere.

And you were not looking at me,

so I could occasionally draw
a breath and ease my toes.

And now I'm looking at your throat.

You have a skinny neck, sir.

If you'll forgive the personal remark.

I like thick necks.

Thick red necks.

This is a little French razor.

They're not much used in England.

One strops on wood.

The blade, you notice,
is very narrow.

It doesn't cut very deep.

But deep enough.

And now, I must ask you the usual question
all the barbers ask their customers.

Does this razor suit you sir?

Could you please
lift your chin a little.

A little more.

Ah, perfect.

Thank you. Thank you.

I never heard a sound all night.

But when I opened the gate at o'clock
this morning like you told me to

there he was sitting in that chair.

He's dead alright.

What do you suppose cause
him to be sitting like that, sir?

You mean, as if awaiting
the attention of a barber?

Yes, looks like he was
waiting to be shaved.

The figure of Bourdette appears to
be moving menacingly toward me.

Power of imagination
amazingly strong.

I'm afraid we must

credit another victim to Bourdette.

Bourdette, sir?

Bourdette and an
overactive imagination.

But it couldn't have been Bourdette, sir.

He ain't never been here.

Well, you know as well as I do he
was only hanged yesterday, sir.

Well, look there, sir,
they're just bringing him down now.

So much for our museum memories.

In the earlier part of this program

I refer to the commercial

as the twentieth century rack.

Unfortunately our sensitive sponsor
mistakenly interpreted this as a veiled insult.

I certainly want to apologize.

Furthermore I'm going
to turn over a new leaf.

There, I feel much better.

Now, ladies and gentlemen,
before I return.

A moment ago I apologize for
comparing the rack as a commercial.

But I neglected to mention
to whom I was apologizing.

I think I shall leave it that way.

As for this charming device

it being returned to the athletic
department of Arcadia University.

I especially wish to thank
the Arcadia basketball coach

Stretch Mulligan for his generosity.

Good night.