• 5 years ago
Not Rated | 30min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, TV Series | Episode aired 9 June 1959

Two rival jockeys compete for the top spot at a racetrack, but one of them has an unexpected brush with the supernatural that may give him the edge.

Director: John Newland

Writers: Merwin Gerard, Don Mankiewicz, Lawrence B. Marcus

Stars: John Newland, Ben Cooper, Walter Burke
Transcript
00:00The amazing drama you're about to see is a matter of human record.
00:08You may believe it or not, but the real people who lived this story, they believe it.
00:15They know.
00:16They took that one step beyond.
00:33It can of course happen anywhere.
00:36That brief encounter with something never to be entirely explained.
00:42It's happening now, here in Memorial Hospital.
00:46It's very late and most of the patients are asleep.
00:49Most of the staff is off duty.
00:51And most of the lights are out.
00:54But the lights never go out here on the fifth floor.
00:57For here, 24 hours a day, life begins...
01:08And ends.
01:22I'm afraid we'll have to ask you to leave now, Mr. Berryman.
01:28I thought we didn't have regular visiting hours on this floor.
01:33Well, we don't, but your doctor feels that...
01:37Mr. Berryman, it's from the press.
01:43It's a long time since I've talked to a gentleman of the press.
01:48Mr. Watson, we don't want you to talk and thrash around and get exhausted.
01:52All right, all right.
01:55Let's sit down.
01:58Maybe I should go.
02:00Nonsense, I'm a dying man.
02:02That gives me some rights around here.
02:08Now sit down.
02:12You have five minutes, Mr. Berryman.
02:23Is she gone?
02:24Yeah, yeah.
02:26Good.
02:32I wasn't kidding, you know.
02:35I'm down pretty close to the end of the string.
02:41Oh, I don't know about that.
02:43I do.
02:48Well, what paper did you say you're from?
02:52Chronicle.
02:53I do feature stuff.
02:56And when they told you Ronnie Watson was about to pop off at Memorial,
03:06and why don't you drop by and do a piece on him, what did you say?
03:13Now, I want the truth.
03:17Well, I...
03:20You tell me the truth.
03:23I said, who the blazes is Ronnie Watson?
03:32I knew that.
03:36You don't look like a horse player.
03:42Did they tell you about me, I mean?
03:47All of it?
03:50Did they tell you one year I wrote 345 winners?
03:59And that time I made $400,000 in stakes in three weeks?
04:09And the time I made a million in three months?
04:13They told me.
04:15Did they tell you about that time in California?
04:20Look, Mr. Watson, I think you better take it easy.
04:23No, no, no.
04:25I'm all right.
04:28I'm all right.
04:32I'm going to have a long rest in just a little while.
04:38And before that, I've got to find someone who'll believe me.
04:45Believe you?
04:47About what?
04:49Nobody ever has.
04:53Sam said no one ever would.
04:59But somebody's got to believe me.
05:02Someone's just got to believe me.
05:05Well, I think I'd better get the nurse.
05:06No, no.
05:08I'll be good.
05:10I'll be good.
05:11Please sit down.
05:12Please, please, please.
05:21See?
05:27Sam Berry.
05:30Sam Berry was one of the greatest jockeys who ever lived.
05:36He was my friend.
05:39I was only 20 years old.
05:43And I was the scariest young jockey on that Ohio wheel.
05:47Outside of Sam, there was only one person in the whole world
05:53I really care about.
05:55It was a girl named Rita.
05:57I thought she was quite a girl.
06:00I thought you were my girl.
06:02I can see you better from here.
06:07Berry rides Flyboy in cap.
06:10My, what a famous man.
06:12And all the headlines.
06:13Sure, the racing form.
06:16Too old fashioned in a ginger ale.
06:19One of these days.
06:20I know, one of these days.
06:24You're really going to win on Flyboy tomorrow, huh?
06:26It's essential.
06:28Unless you get too cute with that daddy's choice.
06:31Are you kidding?
06:32The way she quits in the stretch.
06:33If I can save second money,
06:35that trainer will be the happiest man alive.
06:41Well, Flyboy's got to win for a lot of reasons.
06:44Sam, you said afterwards.
06:46So I changed my mind.
06:48She's got a right to know.
06:50Well, maybe, but...
06:51A right to know what?
06:52What is this?
06:53Take it easy, kid.
06:54Take it easy.
06:55I'll tell you.
06:58Tomorrow's my last race.
07:00As of tomorrow night, I'm ex-jockey Sam Berry.
07:04What?
07:06You must be kidding.
07:07You can't quit now.
07:08Not when you're right on top.
07:10I'm not on top.
07:12I'm just a little over the hill.
07:14I'm in the bushes because...
07:16I just couldn't get mounts in the big time.
07:18Well, that's no reason to quit.
07:21It's just too tough, that's all.
07:24Too tough making weight.
07:25Too tough getting out of the sack before daylight.
07:28Too tough coming out of the gate.
07:30And too tough going for that little opening on the rail.
07:34Yeah.
07:35I just can't believe it.
07:37It's not going to be the same without you.
07:40Well, I'll come around to see you every once in a while.
07:43See how you ride.
07:44See that you do everything I taught you and do it right.
07:46Or else I'll call you dirty names like the rest of them.
07:50Well, you taught me a lot, Sam.
07:52And I'll remember it.
07:53Well, I just wanted to be sure that there'd be a boy who still knew his way around the track after I quit.
07:59Well, what are you going to do?
08:01There's a little place in Jersey.
08:03Bar and grill joint.
08:04The restaurant.
08:05Real nice.
08:06I figure with my name on the door, it'll draw.
08:09Sounds like you need a lot of money.
08:11Twenty thousand.
08:13Well, I got ten saved up.
08:15I figure Flyboy will be about two to one.
08:18Twos for my ten will get me thirty.
08:20That's enough to buy the joint and live on while the place gets started.
08:23Yeah, if you bet at all.
08:27I already did.
08:29And Maggie, yours is the only one who could give me any trouble.
08:32But like you said, she'll quit in a stretch.
08:37So that's the big secret, huh?
08:39How come you knew first?
08:41Well, there's one other thing.
08:43One other reason really why I'm quitting.
08:47I'm getting married.
08:52Oh, yeah.
08:54Oh, I think that's great.
08:55No, really great.
08:57I was worried about you being lonely away from the track.
09:00But with two of you.
09:01Well, who's the girl?
09:02Do I know her?
09:04Yeah, you know her.
09:06Well, what's the matter?
09:07Come on, who is she?
09:11Me.
09:16Sorry, kid.
09:17Really sorry.
09:19We didn't mean for it to happen.
09:22Look, I've gone over this thing in my mind a dozen times how to tell you.
09:27It just wouldn't have worked, Ronnie.
09:29Honestly, it wouldn't have.
09:30Shut up, shut up, shut up!
09:32Well, you don't have to get so upset.
09:34I'm not upset.
09:37These things happen all the time.
09:39A guy's got a girl and a guy's got a friend.
09:42I am your friend, Ronnie, believe me.
09:46Sure you are.
09:49Only you're my rich, successful friend.
09:51Who won't have to ride horses for a living anymore because you're going to own a nice big saloon.
09:57And that'll suit you just fine, won't it?
10:01Ronnie.
10:14Lying awake all night hadn't cooled me off one bit.
10:17I kept hearing Rita saying, it wouldn't work with us.
10:20It would have worked fine if I'd had some of Sam's money.
10:25Sam Barry, favored to win on Flyboy.
10:28Sam, my friend.
10:31My good friend.
10:51At the start, I got the jump on the rest of the field and began to take a good lead after the first quarter.
10:58I was out there winging, but we had a long way to go.
11:02It was a dry, dusty day.
11:04Behind me, there was a cloud of dust.
11:06I knew that somewhere in it was Sam Barry waiting to make his move.
11:30I had a good lead with a quarter to go, but I could feel the horse starting to shorten its stride.
11:35I went to the whip at the top of the stretch, but he bore out.
11:38I could hear something coming on the inside.
11:40I didn't have to look to know it was Sam Barry on Flyboy.
11:43And then I saw him begin to make his move on the inside.
11:46I still had a strong lead, but Sam on Flyboy was coming at me fast.
11:53A hundred yards out and I knew he had me.
11:55He yelled something at me, I didn't hear what he yelled.
11:58All I heard was him telling me how Rita and he hadn't meant to fall in love.
12:02What I did was wrong, I know it.
12:04But it was dusty and they didn't take movies of races in those days.
12:07And seeing him going by me, I just had to do it somehow.
12:10I never even thought of doing it.
12:12I just did it.
12:13Grabbed his saddle block, threw his horse off stride.
12:16It worked perfectly.
12:18And Sam ate my dust as we went across the finish line.
12:31You must have seen what happened.
12:35We've had fouls claimed before.
12:38Barry, take off that hat.
12:42Barry here says that Watson pulled his saddle cloth in the stretch run.
12:45He was clawing at me all the way.
12:47You just keep quiet, boy.
12:49Watson said he did no such thing.
12:52From the 16th pole on, we couldn't see a thing because of the dust.
12:56We really don't know what happened.
12:58All we know is that one of these boys isn't being exactly candid with us.
13:01He's a liar, I tell you.
13:03He'd like to pull my top clean off.
13:05Saying don't make it so, Sam.
13:08But I see it this way.
13:10Both of these boys have got clean records, but Barry's been around a lot longer.
13:14I'd be inclined to take his word for it.
13:17Against mine with no proof?
13:19This isn't exactly a court of law, boy.
13:22And something did cause that horse to break stride.
13:24I'd vote to take the winner down and put Flyboy first.
13:28After all, what reason would Barry have to lie to us?
13:31You ask him how much money he's got bet on the race.
13:33He's got plenty of reasons.
13:35He's got $10,000 worth of reasons.
13:39How about that, Barry?
13:43That's my business.
13:45That's right. You don't have to tell us.
13:47We don't have to change those numbers around either.
13:51All right. I made a bet, a big one.
13:54I made the mistake of telling this louse about it,
13:56and he figured that gave him the right to foul me.
13:58If he was nobody, he'd believe me.
14:02You're not going to let him get away with it.
14:07Objection is not allowed.
14:09Winner stands as is.
14:12No! No!
14:16You dirty double-crosser.
14:19You liar scum!
14:22I hope you and Rita have a nice honeymoon, Sam.
14:27Use your strength, kid. Just you wait.
14:30Someday it'll happen to you.
14:32Someday you'll be telling the truth,
14:34and they won't believe you.
14:36They won't believe you!
14:44I went to the top, all right.
14:46After 10 years, I was right up there, including the penthouse.
14:50Thanks, Mr. Watson.
14:51Ronnie, you were great.
14:53I tell you, kid, you were absolutely sensational.
14:57Yeah, thanks a lot.
14:59You fellas don't mind if I open the windows now, do you?
15:04Look, will you be kind of careful when you take the cameras out?
15:06You know, this nice furniture here costs a lot of money.
15:08Thanks a lot.
15:10Walt, do me a favor, will you?
15:14If you get a chance, don't get me another one of these things, huh?
15:18What's the matter with you, kid? Are you nuts?
15:20You know the kind of people he usually interviews?
15:22Movie stars, big-shot politicians, scientists.
15:26You know what a break this is for a jockey?
15:28Look at my hands, Walt.
15:30They weren't this bad the first day I won the derby.
15:32Well, I must admit, I was a little shaky myself.
15:37You mean what I said about retiring, huh?
15:39Well, you might have told me first before telling 20 million strangers.
15:43After all, I am your agent.
15:47I've talked to you about it before.
15:49Yeah, but this time you sounded serious.
15:52I am serious.
15:54Yeah, but why, kid? You're at the top of the heap.
15:57The whole thing is just, well, it's simply crazy.
16:01Walt, do you remember a fella named Sam Barry?
16:04Sam Barry, sure. He was a pretty good boy.
16:08He was the best.
16:10You want a blast?
16:11Yeah, I'll have a blast.
16:13Make it bourbon.
16:14And you stick with the ginger ale.
16:16I know.
16:18Anyway, Sam talked to me once about getting out in time.
16:22Yeah, well, he should have taken his own advice.
16:25I just read somewhere a short time ago he was riding jumpers
16:29down at some crummy track in South America.
16:31Imagine an old man like that,
16:33probably working for $10 a race and a place to sleep.
16:38Well, something happened to change Sam's plans.
16:43Nothing's going to change mine.
16:47Ronnie, would you mind telling me why?
16:51I'm tired. It's that simple.
16:53I want to take it easy. I want to sleep late.
16:57I'd like to drink what you drink, only I can't do it and make weight.
17:01Okay, kid.
17:04Anything you say.
17:06I can't make a man keep on riding when he wants to quit.
17:11The only thing is, can you afford to quit?
17:15I've just about got it made.
17:17Not on the fees you haven't.
17:19Well, no, but I've been betting a little bit now and then over the past...
17:23Now listen, kid, I...
17:24Relax, will you?
17:26What are you, my conscience or something?
17:28Anyhow, I didn't pull any horses.
17:30I just bet on what I thought was sure-fire winners.
17:32Horses I was riding.
17:34Ones like Miss Sunshine tomorrow.
17:37Miss Sunshine?
17:38Oh, that's a little filly out in California I told you about and you said no.
17:42That's right.
17:43And when I did, the odds lengthened out.
17:46So today some clown out in Chicago that makes a house line hung out four to one.
17:50And another clown took the odds.
17:53Me.
17:54Suppose they've got another boy signed to ride her.
17:57I checked. They haven't.
17:59Look, Ronnie, it's 11 o'clock now.
18:01You mean to say that you're going to be riding tomorrow afternoon in California?
18:05It's only 8 o'clock in California, Walt.
18:08Now there's a sleeper plane out of here in an hour and a half.
18:11He can be five hours late and I still make the race.
18:15Oh, uh, by the way, what's the name of the fellow I'm riding for?
18:19Bear.
18:20Tex Bear.
18:22Look, Ronnie, I wish you wouldn't do this, kid.
18:25It's just crazy.
18:27Well, you wire Tex Bear and carry the stables at Capistrano Park and you tell him I'm on my way.
18:33And, Walt, don't worry about it, will you?
18:36Remember, we're living in an age of speed.
18:46I was getting ready for the post parade when I saw...
18:50Sam.
18:52Sam Barry.
18:55I couldn't believe it at first.
18:57He was too old.
18:59But why not?
19:01I was hearing of jocks in Europe who'd ridden in their 60s in one.
19:05It was Sam, all right.
19:07Sitting straight up in the saddle the way he always did in the post parade.
19:11Sam Barry.
19:12Riding a little black horse with four white feet.
19:17I wanted to talk to him.
19:19But I figured, time enough after the race.
19:32Then the race was on.
19:34And there wasn't time to think of anything else.
19:36It went just the way the trainer and I planned.
19:39I kept my horse in contention.
19:45Along the backstretch, the front runners started coming back to me.
19:49I had plenty of force under me as we turned for home.
19:52I knew I was going to win it.
19:54One horse came up fast.
19:56Somehow it didn't come as a surprise that it was the one with the white feet.
20:00Sam Barry's horse.
20:02Then it happened.
20:04He drifted out.
20:06I had to pull him up.
20:11By the time I got him back to running, it was too late.
20:14I finished fourth. Fifth, maybe. I don't remember.
20:26I told them what had happened.
20:28They just looked at me.
20:30When I finished.
20:32I know why he cut me off, but that's not the important thing.
20:35I had to pull up or we would have been killed.
20:38Gentlemen, please.
20:40Watson, I want to make sure we all understand each other.
20:44In the stretch, a dark horse with white feet drifted out.
20:47And when you tried to go inside,
20:49his jockey turned the horse in front of you, causing you to pull up.
20:53I know it cost me the race, but I had to. We both would have been killed.
20:56Yes, I think you've made that point clear.
21:01Just the stretch run, Charlie.
21:12This is the race you just rode, Watson.
21:14You see yourself there on Miss Sunshine taking the lead at the top of the stretch.
21:19There wasn't any other horse in front of you.
21:21Something's wrong.
21:23Now there, see?
21:25You drift out a little.
21:28I had to.
21:30There must be some mistake.
21:36That's enough.
21:40All right, Watson, let's stop kidding ourselves.
21:42We've all had our little joke.
21:44There wasn't any horse with four white feet in this race.
21:47You pulled that horse up for some reason of your own.
21:50No, I had to, don't you see?
21:52Sam did it. He must have done it.
21:54It's funny, he said no one would believe me.
21:56Sam?
21:57The other jockey was Sam Barry.
21:59Sam Barry? Have you lost your mind?
22:01I'd know him, wouldn't I? He used to be my best friend.
22:04Watson, what's the matter with you?
22:06There was an item about him in today's form.
22:08He came a long way to cut you off in today's race.
22:11What do you mean?
22:12Sam Barry was killed in the steeplechase in Uruguay yesterday.
22:16On a horse called Patas Blancas.
22:18White feet.
22:21No.
22:22No!
22:49You'll have to go now, Mr. Berryman.
22:51Yes.
23:06No one...
23:07No one has ever believed me.
23:12Now...
23:15I gotta know.
23:18Do you...
23:22Do you...
23:25I believe you.
23:51I believe you.
24:07Ronnie Watson is dying.
24:11Tomorrow, chemists and laboratory technicians will explore the physical reasons for his death.
24:18They will answer many things.
24:20But by no means all.
24:22For who in all the world could possibly explain vengeance that reaches beyond the grave?
24:29In a moment, a word about next week.
24:35Next week we will visit India.
24:37Still remote, mystical, mysterious.
24:39Even in the jet age.
24:41We will watch a young American couple as they are swept along in a drama that could only happen in India.
24:47Where the soul is considered infinite.
25:17THE END

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