Episode aired Dec 27, 1960
STARS: Mildred Dunnock • Harry Townes • Jack Weston
A man invents a pair of glasses that can see the truth in others and oneself. They lead to a series of suicides, murders, and tragedies for the wearers.
STARS: Mildred Dunnock • Harry Townes • Jack Weston
A man invents a pair of glasses that can see the truth in others and oneself. They lead to a series of suicides, murders, and tragedies for the wearers.
Category
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Short filmTranscript
00:00 When a man shuts himself off from his neighbors, when he conducts mysterious experiments behind
00:09 locked doors, there's bound to be talk.
00:12 There were those who whispered that old Dirk Van Prinn was a sorcerer, and worse.
00:19 He might never have been remembered at all had not his research led him to the discovery
00:24 of a most unusual formula for making glass.
00:33 Mr Van Prinn, it's Mrs Ames.
00:35 What do you want?
00:37 The silversmith left a package for you.
00:41 Just leave it outside the door, please.
00:44 Can I bring up your supper now, Mr Van Prinn?
00:48 Never mind, just leave the house.
00:53 You ought to take something, Mr Van Prinn.
00:56 I'll fetch up some nourishing soup before I go.
01:00 It's really no trouble.
01:02 You haven't had a bite all day.
01:04 Good night, Mrs Ames.
01:06 Yes, sir.
01:07 Good night.
01:08 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:11 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:14 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:17 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:20 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:23 (somber music)
01:26 (door creaking)
01:29 (door creaking)
01:31 (door creaking)
01:34 (door creaking)
01:36 (somber music)
01:55 (somber music)
01:57 (somber music)
02:00 (somber music)
02:17 (somber music)
02:44 - Dirk Van Pryn hanged himself before dawn.
02:48 His story might have ended there
02:50 if he'd had the courage to smash those spectacles.
02:54 But like many another scientist,
02:56 he couldn't bear to destroy his own creation.
03:01 Too bad, because years later, others tried them on.
03:05 In "The Cheaters," our story for tonight,
03:09 a junk man named Joe Henshaw,
03:11 played by Mr. Paul Newland.
03:15 A little old-fashioned lady named Marion Alcott,
03:19 played by Miss Mildred Dunnock.
03:23 Her nephew, Percy Dean,
03:25 played by Mr. Jack Weston.
03:29 And finally, a man who discovered
03:32 the real purpose of the spectacles,
03:34 Sebastian Grimm,
03:36 played by Mr. Harry Townes.
03:40 What they saw through those yellow, gold lenses,
03:44 they never forgot.
03:46 And neither will you, my friends,
03:48 because as sure as my name's Boris Karloff,
03:51 this is a thriller.
03:56 (dramatic music)
03:59 (dramatic music)
04:01 - What do you want to load up on more junk for?
04:23 Store's full of it now.
04:25 Just have a lot of raggedy old clothes
04:27 and busted-up furniture, that's what we'll get.
04:30 How much you bid?
04:31 - Not much.
04:34 - How much, Joe?
04:35 - $100.
04:38 - $100?
04:39 You promised me you would unload this crummy place,
04:43 get into a decent business.
04:45 - Maggie, would you take it easy?
04:46 The kid's coming.
04:46 - I don't care who's coming.
04:47 How are we ever gonna get out of here?
04:49 You keep spending every dime on more junk.
04:50 - No more, Maggie.
04:52 Not in front of the kid again, you hear?
04:53 No more.
04:54 - Hey, Joe.
04:55 - Hey, how are you, Maggie?
04:57 - Come on, Charlie.
04:58 - Here's your mail.
04:59 - Why don't you admit it, Joe,
05:07 and get yourself a pair of glasses?
05:09 - I see what I need to see.
05:12 - Yeah, maybe we ought to leave it that way.
05:16 Sit down, Charlie.
05:19 I'll pour you some coffee.
05:20 - Hey, that's great.
05:21 I didn't get a chance to get any breakfast.
05:22 - You wait on your own time.
05:24 Go get the truck.
05:26 - Okay, Joe.
05:27 Where are we going?
05:29 - Joe's bought another blind lock from the city.
05:31 - Maggie.
05:32 - Paid $100.
05:34 And I'll bet no other salvage operator
05:36 bothered a bit on it.
05:37 But my Joe's got sporting blood.
05:40 My Joe's a gambler.
05:41 Huh, Joe?
05:42 - Where is the stuff?
05:44 - The old bleaker house.
05:46 - The bleaker?
05:47 Well, that place is 200 years old.
05:48 - Wife's been bad luck since before the first war.
05:51 - Will you keep your mouth shut?
05:52 You just do your job and let me run my business.
05:54 - Wait a minute, Joe.
05:55 I didn't say anything.
05:56 Did I say anything, Maggie?
05:58 - You leave Charlie alone.
06:00 You want to pick on somebody, pick on me.
06:02 - I'm warning you, not again in front of the kid.
06:05 - Hey, hey, you two, knock it off, huh?
06:08 Maybe Joe's got a good idea.
06:09 - Fat chance.
06:10 - Well, I heard of a salvager one time
06:12 that found a half a million dollars
06:13 in war bonds in an old house.
06:15 - Confederate war bonds.
06:17 (laughing)
06:18 - Will you get the truck?
06:20 - Yeah, sure, Joe.
06:21 - Keep your eye on him, Charlie.
06:22 If he finds anything in that dump, I want to know about it.
06:25 - That's fine talk from a wife.
06:33 Maggie, will you listen?
06:38 I bid that place because Della had it down at City Hall.
06:41 It tipped me off.
06:43 Della had it set up in the attic.
06:46 There was some old furniture.
06:47 Maybe there's some real antique pieces.
06:50 - Charlie's waiting.
06:51 - Maggie, you gotta take a chance once in a while.
06:55 Maybe your luck will change.
06:56 - From bad to worse.
06:58 - Look what's happened to you, Maggie.
07:00 Ever since I hired that kid,
07:02 you've been treating me like dirt.
07:03 - Oh, don't start that again.
07:05 - All right.
07:08 We'll settle this later.
07:10 (sad music)
07:14 (door creaking)
07:16 (door creaking)
07:19 (door creaking)
07:22 (door creaking)
07:24 - It's gonna cost you money to haul this stuff to the dump.
07:51 - Who asked you to worry?
07:53 (metal clanking)
07:55 (metal clanking)
07:58 - That's it.
08:23 (metal clanking)
08:26 - Hey, maybe the valuable stuff's in here.
08:39 (metal clanking)
08:43 (metal clanking)
08:46 - Joe, look at all these old books.
09:07 Maybe there's some rare editions here.
09:10 (paper rustling)
09:13 Looks like another load for the dump.
09:18 Maybe we can get something for this old desk.
09:24 Some deal.
09:31 - You ought to sue the city, Joe.
09:32 Advice from you I don't need.
09:35 - Maggie's gonna froth and froam when she hears about this.
09:37 - Why don't you go and tell her?
09:39 Go on, get out of here.
09:41 (metal clanking)
09:42 Get out.
09:43 Okay, Joe.
09:44 (metal clanking)
09:49 (somber music)
09:52 (door slamming)
09:59 (somber music)
10:02 (metal clanking)
10:14 (somber music)
10:22 (somber music)
10:24 - What's all this?
10:44 - Happy birthday, darling.
10:46 - But it's not my birthday.
10:48 - Oh, please don't spoil it, Joe dear.
10:52 I know your birthday was last week and I forgot.
10:55 Now I wanna make it up to you.
10:57 And Joe, I'm sorry for the way I acted this morning.
11:01 - You're sorry?
11:05 What's happened?
11:06 Did that kid tell you I found a basket full of diamonds
11:09 or something?
11:10 - Charlie said it was nothing but rubbish.
11:12 And all of a sudden I realized
11:14 how disappointed you must have been.
11:16 And how rotten I've been.
11:19 Rotten and unselfish, Joe.
11:21 And I'm sorry.
11:23 - You know, maybe I haven't been so easy to live with either.
11:29 - Ha, go wash up now.
11:32 Then you'll be ready in a little while.
11:44 - Where'd you get those funny old cheetahs, Joe?
11:47 - Uh, the beaker place.
11:48 - Oh, you'll ruin your eyes wearing somebody else's glasses.
11:53 - What happened to the other letter, Maggie?
11:55 There was four here this morning.
11:58 - It's only a bill from the gas company.
12:00 I took care of it for you.
12:02 (somber music)
12:05 - You old fool.
12:07 You hadn't been too cheap to buy a pair of glasses.
12:10 I'd have lost the pleasure of fleecing you.
12:15 - Huh?
12:16 - If you hadn't been too busy to buy a pair of glasses,
12:19 I'd have lost the pleasure of spoiling you.
12:23 Enjoy it while you can, Joe.
12:26 Tomorrow you'll be dead.
12:28 - What?
12:31 - Enjoy it while you can, dear.
12:32 Tomorrow you'll be dead tired from hauling all that rubbish.
12:37 - What did you say the other bill was from?
12:41 - From the gas company.
12:43 (somber music)
12:46 - They wanna buy this property, Joe.
12:50 For a lot of money.
12:52 - Happy birthday, Joe!
12:54 I brought you a jug of your favorite poison.
12:57 - And if this doesn't kill you, I will, ape man.
13:02 - And if this doesn't fill you up, I'll flip, man,
13:04 'cause it cost me a bundle.
13:05 (laughing)
13:11 - What's the matter, Joe, you sick?
13:13 - Come on, what you need's a little drinky.
13:16 How about it, Maggie?
13:17 - Oh, I don't know, Choi, the doctor said--
13:18 - Hey, come on, it's his birthday.
13:20 - Just one, then.
13:22 - You should have been an actress, baby.
13:31 - Fill his right to the top, honey.
13:33 The quicker we get him drunk,
13:34 the quicker we get him over to the old house.
13:36 - Hey, come on, Joe.
13:38 Here's pie in your eye.
13:41 - Many happy returns, darling.
13:44 - The three of us are going on a midnight treasure hunt, Joe.
13:52 - You're gonna have a nasty accident, darling.
13:56 - If I tumble down the stairs, don't kid me,
13:58 I'll clobber you with a board.
14:00 You'll leave the same kind of marks.
14:03 - Come on, have another one.
14:05 - Charlie, I said just one.
14:06 - Oh, come on, don't be a party pooper.
14:10 - Honey, this is one party I wouldn't spoil for the world.
14:15 - You're beautiful, Maggie.
14:16 In a few hours, you'll be all mine.
14:19 - I never thought it would be so exciting.
14:22 Gee, I love you, Charlie.
14:24 - Charlie, you got an education?
14:32 - Sure.
14:34 - Why does a...
14:35 V-E-R-I-T-A-T-I-N
14:40 A-S.
14:40 What does that mean?
14:43 - Well, it's very tough.
14:44 It's Latin, it means truth, truth.
14:47 - Where you going, Joe?
14:51 - Oh, I'm gonna put the truck in the garage.
14:53 - Oh, wait a minute, Joe, look, sit down, will you?
14:55 I mean, look, I ought to get a truck, huh?
14:58 - No, you get your fancy clothes on.
15:02 It's too bad.
15:03 (footsteps)
15:05 (crashing)
15:18 - Look, what does he mean, too bad?
15:21 I got my fancy clothes on, too bad.
15:24 - Who knows what that stupid old coat means.
15:27 - Maggie, wait a minute, honey, wait a minute.
15:31 I'm not sure.
15:32 - You're losing your nerve.
15:33 - Oh, no, no, it's only that...
15:35 - It's only what, darling?
15:38 - Maggie, Maggie, what you do to me?
15:42 (piano music)
15:56 (suspenseful music)
15:59 (screaming)
16:05 - Joe, why?
16:23 Why?
16:23 - Cheaters!
16:30 Cheaters!
16:33 - You don't do something like this
16:34 just because your wife's been cheating on you, Joe.
16:38 (gunshots)
16:41 (suspenseful music)
16:44 - I'm not imagining it, Clarence.
17:06 She's put something into my tea.
17:10 I'm not a complete fool,
17:11 no matter what Olive and Ed would think,
17:13 I know when my tea's been drunk.
17:15 'Cause today's Thursday, her bridge club
17:20 meets downstairs every Thursday,
17:22 and every Thursday after lunch, I get so sleepy.
17:25 I have to stay in bed.
17:26 Oh, any sibbleton can see why she doesn't want me.
17:32 She's afraid I'll meet her friends.
17:35 They'll speak my mind.
17:38 You know, I'm not ungrateful.
17:41 I'm completely aware of the sacrifice Olive and Ed would
17:46 have gone to to come here and look after me
17:48 since Mr. Alcott's death.
17:51 But there's no excuse for keeping me a prisoner
17:53 in my own home.
17:54 I'm hungry, Clarence.
17:58 Diet?
18:01 Oh, poor.
18:03 My heart's perfectly normal,
18:04 it's just that I get a little out of breath sometimes.
18:09 If she comes, please promise me
18:13 you'll come back this evening.
18:16 Oh, bless you.
18:17 Bless you, Clarence.
18:19 At least I have one friend left.
18:22 - Enjoy your lunch, Mother Alcott.
18:30 Oh, I see you drank all your tea.
18:33 I wouldn't be disappointed if I had some.
18:36 - Dr. Richards would be disappointed, dear.
18:38 You know what he said about keeping up your liquid intake?
18:41 Sleepy?
18:42 - No.
18:43 - Oh, well you try closing your eyes for a little while.
18:47 If he can't nap, you just ring and I'll help you downstairs.
18:50 - I wouldn't intrude on your rich party, Olive.
18:53 - Oh, you'd be an asset to any party, Mother Alcott.
19:02 (gentle music)
19:05 (water running)
19:07 (gentle music)
19:10 (gentle music)
19:13 (door slams)
19:16 (gentle music)
19:19 (people chattering)
19:23 (gentle music)
19:25 (people chattering)
19:28 (gentle music)
19:46 (people chattering)
19:49 (gentle music)
19:54 (people chattering)
20:22 (gentle music)
20:24 - May I help you?
20:39 - These are lovely.
20:41 I don't see the color I require.
20:45 - What color are you looking for?
20:47 - Yellow, bright yellow.
20:49 - I'll see if we have any in stock.
20:52 (gentle music)
20:55 - Oh dear, no.
21:00 Those are horrid shades.
21:05 I'm afraid I'll have to inquire elsewhere.
21:09 (gentle music)
21:13 (water running)
21:15 (gentle music)
21:20 (gentle music)
21:31 (water running)
21:34 - Lovely little escort.
21:57 How much are you asking for it, Mr. Henshaw?
21:59 - It's sold, and my name's Bergen.
22:02 Henshaw's dead.
22:03 - Yes.
22:04 - Don't you read the papers?
22:05 He brained his wife and her boyfriend,
22:07 and the cops shot him.
22:08 The gas company owns this place now.
22:10 They bought it from Henshaw's relatives.
22:11 They're gonna put up an office building,
22:13 so I bought out his inventory.
22:14 - I see.
22:15 Do you mind if I browse around a bit?
22:17 - Help yourself, lady.
22:18 Oh, you see something you like, lady?
22:29 - Yes.
22:30 How much are these?
22:31 - Two bits.
22:35 (gentle music)
22:39 (water running)
22:41 - Oh, mother of God, we've been so worried.
23:07 It's almost seven o'clock.
23:08 - You know what the doctor said
23:09 about you going out alone?
23:10 - Where have you been?
23:12 If you must know, I've been fitted for some glasses.
23:16 - Why?
23:20 Aren't they attractive?
23:21 Don't you think so, Edward?
23:23 - Yes, yes, very unusual.
23:26 The perfect touch for that Halloween costume
23:30 the old bat's wearing.
23:32 Just the perfect touch for the custom look
23:35 everyone's wearing.
23:38 - I see you've been shopping again.
23:40 Daughtering old thief.
23:45 Now Edward will have to return all the junk you've stolen.
23:48 - It'll be the last time you'll make trouble for me,
23:51 old girl.
23:51 Your next trip will be to the morgue.
23:54 You look so pale, mother of God.
23:58 Let me take you up to bed.
23:59 - No, no.
24:00 I can manage for myself.
24:02 Oh, darling, we're already late.
24:06 You won't mind if Clarence brings up your tray
24:08 to you.
24:08 He phoned to say he was on his way.
24:10 - We'll wait for him if it makes you nervous
24:12 being alone, mother of God.
24:14 - I think we should wait.
24:16 - She'll be all right.
24:17 She'll probably make Clarence take her out tonight, Chloe.
24:21 Goodbye, mother of God.
24:26 Sweet dreams.
24:27 It'll be your last after tonight.
24:30 (somber music)
24:34 (door knocking)
24:37 - Miriam.
24:51 Miriam, it's Clarence.
24:54 Well, how's my best girl tonight, huh?
25:04 I hear you were out on the town this afternoon.
25:07 - Clarence, they're going to kill me.
25:09 - Now, now, now, Miriam, that's no way to talk.
25:11 - No, it's true.
25:13 - My, this looks delicious.
25:15 - Clarence, as trustee of my late husband's estate,
25:19 it's your duty to listen to me.
25:20 - Now, where would you like to sit?
25:23 Well, what's wrong with right here by the fire, hmm?
25:25 - I heard them say it.
25:26 I mean, I heard them think it.
25:29 I don't know, but I think it had something to do
25:32 with these spectacles.
25:33 - And after you've had your supper,
25:35 we'll go downstairs and watch TV.
25:38 Come along now, young lady.
25:40 Come, get your last meal.
25:46 I know just the thing to wet your palate, a little brandy.
25:54 Now, if you promise not to tell on me,
25:59 I'll go and find Edwards to canter.
26:02 (dramatic music)
26:05 - I'm going to need a drink
26:06 before I shove you down the stairs,
26:08 you senile old scarecrow.
26:10 - Clarence, who inherits when I'm dead?
26:18 - What an odd question to ask.
26:23 Well, you know, Edward and Olive provided
26:26 they maintain you in this house as long as you live.
26:29 - Which won't be long, Miriam.
26:31 And for arranging your fatal accident,
26:33 they're giving half to me.
26:36 - Oh, Miriam, you're ill.
26:40 You do need a stimulant.
26:43 I'll be right back.
26:44 (dramatic music)
26:48 (dramatic music)
26:51 - You know, there's one thing I've always admired
27:09 about Edward.
27:11 He keeps excellent brandy.
27:13 It's a status symbol for him, I suppose.
27:16 Really, he never touches it himself.
27:19 If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times.
27:22 On bend a little, Edward.
27:24 Live, live, live, live.
27:26 (laughing)
27:28 Well, you're not going to let your generation down,
27:30 are you, Miriam?
27:31 You know how to live.
27:33 But you're overdoing it a bit, you old hag.
27:37 What's wrong, Miriam?
27:40 Aren't you going to join me?
27:42 Oh, Miriam.
27:44 You're not going to let an old friend drink by himself.
27:47 Take it.
27:48 I don't want any trouble pushing you down the stairs.
27:51 (gagging)
27:53 - Miriam.
27:54 Miriam.
28:01 (laughing)
28:29 (laughing)
28:31 - To what is most precious between friends, Clarence?
28:39 The truth.
28:42 (laughing)
28:46 (laughing)
28:54 (yawning)
28:56 (sighing)
29:01 (giggling)
29:08 (laughing)
29:17 Here comes my lord.
29:19 Cha-cha.
29:21 Here comes my lady.
29:23 Nimble, namble.
29:25 (humming)
29:27 ♪ He's off to find himself a glass of wine ♪
29:31 (sighing)
29:34 Clarence.
29:36 You're not saying anything.
29:40 (glasses clinking)
29:41 Dear, sweet Clarence.
29:43 Always ready to listen to an old lady's troubles.
29:50 (yawning)
29:52 My head's going round and round.
29:55 Round and round.
29:58 (dramatic music)
30:03 (dramatic music)
30:05 - I still think we're rushing things.
30:32 - Oh, nonsense.
30:33 It's been nearly a year since Clarence and the old lady died.
30:37 People have found other things to talk about.
30:39 - I wonder.
30:41 - Well, they all accepted, didn't they?
30:43 - Well, they'd come once.
30:45 Out of curiosity, if for no other reason.
30:48 - Well, I couldn't care less.
30:49 As long as Thorgudson enjoys himself.
30:52 He doesn't know it yet, Olive,
30:53 but he's going to sponsor me into the Gentry Club.
30:56 I intend to be somebody in this town
30:58 and Thorgudson will be my advocate.
31:01 That's why I invited Sebastian Grimm and his wife.
31:05 - Sebastian Grimm?
31:07 That writer?
31:08 He's nothing but a--
31:10 - A dissolute founder.
31:12 Yes, that's how dear sweet Mother Alcott
31:14 would have characterized him.
31:16 Well, he's a necessary evil to my plan for the evening.
31:20 Just bad-mannered enough to get bored with our party
31:22 and suggest a poker game.
31:24 Thorgudson's weakness.
31:26 - But you hate gambling.
31:28 - Nevertheless, I intend to show Thorgudson
31:30 that I know how to lose like a gentleman.
31:35 - What?
31:37 Why, Edward, you look positively--
31:41 - Like Benjamin Franklin,
31:42 the symbol of wisdom and stability?
31:45 - Yes.
31:46 - Well, that's exactly the impression I wish to create.
31:51 Now, don't panic, my dear.
31:54 We have more money than most of them have right now.
31:58 It won't be long before they'll be courting our favor.
32:03 - Your servant, madam.
32:06 [chuckling]
32:09 [laughter]
32:15 - Your costume is very impressive, Dean.
32:17 - Well, thank you very much.
32:19 - I'd swear I was in the presence
32:21 of the industrious Benjamin Franklin himself.
32:23 Except for one flaw.
32:26 - What's that, Grimm?
32:27 - Every schoolboy knows that Franklin wore spectacles.
32:30 [laughter]
32:33 - He has you there, Dean.
32:35 Ben Franklin without spectacles
32:37 is like FDR without a cigarette holder.
32:40 - Ha ha!
32:42 Why don't we all go someplace where we can indulge
32:44 in Thorgudson's favorite form of larceny?
32:47 - Edward, why don't you men use the library?
32:51 - Well, all right, I--
32:53 I think I can find a stack of cards and some chips somewhere.
32:57 This way, gentlemen.
32:59 [laughter]
33:02 - Sorry, Dean, ace is full.
33:05 - Well, well, well.
33:07 Oh, I was positive I had you beat that time, Thorgudson.
33:10 - You lose your money like it had smallpox.
33:13 - Oh, it's the contest I enjoy, Grimm.
33:16 The give and the take.
33:18 Winning and losing, secondary.
33:20 [laughter]
33:23 - Hmm, spoken like a gentleman.
33:25 - I thought you men might like something from the buffet.
33:29 Oh, and Edward,
33:31 look what I found among Mother Alcott's things.
33:34 [chatter]
33:38 - Well, I'll be markable.
33:41 - Ah, does that satisfy your sense of historical accuracy, Mr. Grimm?
33:44 - Madame, I'm flabbergast.
33:48 - Ha, can't see much.
33:51 - Might improve your game.
33:53 Deal the cards, Thorgudson.
33:56 - I think I need more chips, Judge.
34:00 - Delighted to take your money, you fat little fool.
34:08 - Huh?
34:10 Delighted?
34:13 - It'll take more than a Patriot's costume to cloak your intentions,
34:16 you tedious little poseur.
34:19 - Ah, here's a laugh.
34:26 The word "very-taste" is engraved across these spectacles.
34:30 - Huh?
34:32 - Latin for "truth."
34:34 - Oh.
34:35 - Probably made with this honor in mind.
34:39 It is supposed to be your calling, isn't it, Judge Fluger?
34:43 - And what exactly is your calling, Mr. Grimm?
34:47 - I'm an unpublished author.
34:50 Unsung.
34:53 Unfulfilled.
34:56 A soul in search of the eternal verities of life.
35:00 And a decent hand.
35:03 - Hmm, three nines.
35:05 - That's more like it.
35:07 This time I'll give them a run for their money.
35:11 - Hmm.
35:13 Not even a miserable pair.
35:16 I'd better stay in for one bet, though.
35:19 Make Thorganson think he's forcing me out.
35:22 - The jerks.
35:24 They're all waiting for me to clobber them.
35:26 If they only knew I've held out a pair of aces from the last hand.
35:31 Aren't you going to look at your hand, Dean?
35:37 Wait till I tell the boys at the club how the stupid little climber
35:41 pretended to lose like a gentleman.
35:44 I wonder if he really did do away with the old lady.
35:48 What's he staring at me for?
35:50 Can he see the cards under my arm?
35:54 - Yes.
35:56 Yes, I see the cards under your arm, Thorganson.
35:58 Two aces.
36:01 - What did you say?
36:03 - You held them out from the last hand.
36:06 - Are you accusing Mr. Thorganson of cheating?
36:10 - I am simply stating a fact.
36:12 - You'd better retract that accusation, Dean, if you know what's good for you.
36:16 - It's all right, Judge.
36:18 It's the liquor talking.
36:20 Let's get on with the hand.
36:22 - No!
36:24 Nobody comes to my house and takes my money and laughs at me.
36:28 Oh, no.
36:30 Because I see you all for what you really are, all of you.
36:34 - Raise your arm, Thorganson.
36:36 Go on, raise it!
36:38 Two cards under your arm.
36:44 They were...
36:46 - There they are.
36:50 - There they are.
36:54 He hid them while we weren't looking.
36:56 - What do you say, Thorganson?
37:03 - What can I say without becoming a bad guest?
37:08 - You mean that Dean?
37:10 - Of course.
37:11 He gathered in the cards the last trick.
37:14 He hid those two aces because he wanted to embarrass me.
37:19 I can't imagine why.
37:21 - That's not true!
37:22 You're lying!
37:23 - Am I?
37:25 Did you see me hide those cards under my arm?
37:29 - No.
37:30 Nobody.
37:32 - Then how did you know they were aces?
37:36 - It's... it's a spectacle.
37:42 I...
37:44 I'm not certain what there is about them, but I just knew.
37:48 - There you are, Judge.
37:52 I leave the verdict to you.
37:55 - I think we all know who the cheater is.
37:58 No, he was the one that was holding out the two cards.
38:02 He's the cheater!
38:05 Well, admit it!
38:06 - What's it?
38:07 - Tell them!
38:08 Tell them!
38:09 Tell them!
38:10 Tell them!
38:11 - Really?
38:12 - Tell them!
38:13 Tell them!
38:14 - Dean!
38:15 - No, no, Dean!
38:16 Dean, no!
38:17 Stop!
38:18 - Tell them!
38:19 Tell them!
38:20 Tell them!
38:25 - I didn't mean to hit him so hard.
38:28 Well, do something!
38:29 Foggins said before he bleeds to death!
38:32 - Too late, I'm afraid.
38:36 - I'm sorry.
38:38 [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
39:04 - I admit that when I picked the spectacles off the floor, I was merely curious.
39:08 And then the inscription "Veritas" intrigued me.
39:11 And the exchange between Dean and Thorgensen.
39:13 When Thorgensen asked, "Did you see me put the cards there?"
39:16 Dean said, "No."
39:17 Thorgensen asked, "Then how did you know that they were aces?"
39:21 - And what did Dean say?
39:23 - These spectacles.
39:25 I'm not certain what there is about them, but I just knew.
39:30 Ellen, I tell you, I'm on to something.
39:34 I know!
39:36 You're saying it's just another of my harebrained projects?
39:40 I'll be bored with it in a few weeks.
39:42 Well, you're wrong.
39:44 You're dead wrong.
39:45 Look.
39:46 A rough draft of my new book.
39:51 Complete.
39:52 Except for the last chapter.
39:54 - Sebastian!
39:55 - Here's the villain.
39:56 Or the hero, if you prefer.
39:58 The cheaters.
40:00 That's going to be the title of the book, Ellen.
40:02 The Cheaters.
40:04 A book about a pair of glasses?
40:07 Ah.
40:08 These are not ordinary glasses.
40:12 I'm convinced that because these spectacles were misused,
40:17 five people met violent deaths.
40:21 Five people?
40:22 And I have them all documented, too.
40:24 Do you remember the Henshaw murders?
40:27 Yes.
40:28 The police officer that shot Henshaw stated
40:31 that when Henshaw came at him with a crowbar,
40:33 he was screaming, "The cheaters! The cheaters!"
40:36 That was the motive for the murders, infidelity.
40:39 No.
40:40 I don't think that Henshaw was referring to his wife and her lover.
40:43 And I don't think he was attacking the police officer.
40:47 He was trying to destroy the cheaters.
40:52 Oh, that's nonsense.
40:54 Nonsense, Ellen.
40:57 [Sighs]
40:59 Don't be so quick to reject the idea.
41:03 I also looked up the inquest in the Olcott murder.
41:09 Olive Dean stated on the day the old lady put the hat pin in Clarence Kramer's chest,
41:13 she'd been downtown,
41:14 and among the things she brought back with her was a pair of funny old glasses.
41:18 I talked to the man that took over Henshaw's store.
41:20 He remembers selling these very glasses to Miriam Olcott for 25 cents.
41:27 I still don't see the significance of them, Sebastian.
41:30 You don't?
41:31 Well, I'll tell you.
41:33 I believe that these spectacles enable the wearer to know the naked,
41:41 absolute truth about anything or anybody.
41:45 Have you tried them?
41:49 No.
41:50 Why not?
41:52 Because they weren't intended for mind reading.
41:56 I think they were intended for seeing the truth about oneself.
42:01 That's the real purpose of these glasses, Ellen.
42:04 That's what Van Prynne was after when he discovered the secret of this funny yellow glass.
42:10 Van Prynne?
42:11 According to our local historical society, he built the old house out on Bleeker Road.
42:15 His neighbors called him a sorcerer.
42:17 What do you suppose they'd have called Edison or Einstein or Fair May?
42:22 Know thyself.
42:24 Put them away, Sebastian.
42:26 What's the matter?
42:27 Afraid I'll put them on and see you for what you really are?
42:31 No, don't.
42:32 Don't worry, darling.
42:35 When I put these on, it'll be for something important.
42:40 Go and get your coat.
42:42 Where are we going?
42:44 Going out to the old house on Bleeker Road.
42:47 What for?
42:48 Atmosphere.
42:49 I want the authentic atmosphere.
42:53 When I report on Van Prynne's experiment.
43:00 By the way, Ellen, that's going to be the title of my last chapter.
43:11 Know thyself.
43:14 The city was supposed to tear this old place down last year.
43:38 But they didn't.
43:40 Sebastian.
43:41 What?
43:42 What happened to Van Prynne after he put on the glasses?
43:45 What difference does that make?
43:47 I want to know.
43:49 Sebastian, you still haven't answered my question.
44:07 What happened to Van Prynne?
44:09 Your desk is still upstairs.
44:11 And the same mirror that he used.
44:13 You've been here before?
44:15 This morning.
44:17 I'll answer your question.
44:25 He hanged himself.
44:27 Wait here.
44:38 Ellen.
44:40 I know you think this is a fool thing for me to do.
44:43 I have to.
44:45 It's the only way I have of satisfying my twisted sense of the dramatic.
44:50 You understand that, don't you?
44:51 Sebastian, please. Let's get out of here.
44:54 No, I've come this far.
44:57 You don't have to prove yourself to me or to anybody.
44:59 Darling, how would it look if I ended my book by saying I lost my nerve?
45:03 Oh, no, Sebastian, please. Please come home.
45:05 This is wrong.
45:07 It's unholy.
45:09 Imagine that's what Van Prynne's ignorant neighbors said, "It's unholy."
45:14 Well, if Satan's waiting up there, so be it.
45:20 No. Oh, no. Please.
45:24 Ellen.
45:32 Yes.
45:34 I know that the greatest men in every century have been hated and ridiculed by men like
45:39 Thorganson and Judge Pflueger.
45:42 Van Prynne knew that.
45:44 Oh, Sebastian, please come down.
45:46 So he made the cheaters to find out if he was one of the great ones.
45:51 Evidently, he was disappointed.
45:54 Wish me luck.
45:58 [Sighs]
46:01 [Sighs]
46:03 [Sighs]
46:05 [Clattering]
46:08 [Sighs]
46:10 [Sighs]
46:12 [Clattering]
46:14 [Clattering]
46:30 [Clattering]
46:32 [Clattering]
46:52 [Laughing]
46:54 Who's there?
46:56 Who's in this room?
46:58 Just you, Sebastian Grimm.
47:01 You're not afraid of your own voice, are you?
47:05 No.
47:07 So you want the truth about yourself, do you?
47:11 Yes.
47:12 The junk man, the old lady, and Edward Dean read only the minds of others.
47:18 Think of the agony they suffered.
47:20 They were afraid. They let their emotions get out of control.
47:24 But you're different.
47:26 You can master your emotions.
47:29 You even dare to look into your own mind.
47:33 Yes.
47:35 Very well, then. Bring the light closer.
47:39 [Clattering]
47:42 [Sighs]
47:44 [Dramatic music]
47:54 [Screaming]
47:56 [Crying]
48:08 Sebastian! Oh, give me a hand!
48:10 [Crying]
48:12 Sebastian!
48:15 [Crying]
48:18 [Crying]
48:20 [Somber music]
48:29 [Somber music]
48:31 [Somber music]
48:33 [Somber music]
48:35 [Somber music]
48:40 [Somber music]
48:49 [Somber music]
48:57 [Somber music]
48:59 [Somber music]
49:09 [Somber music]
49:18 [Somber music]
49:20 [Dramatic music]
49:34 [Dramatic music]
49:36 [Dramatic music]
49:38 [Dramatic music]
49:40 [Dramatic music]
49:42 [BLANK_AUDIO]