COLLINS: What does a big city mean to you?
You may think of soaring skyscrapers, monuments to man's creation.
But I think of the people, the one and the many.
No names, no faces. I'm one of the people, too.
I've got my routine, same as all of "em.
I rush for work, usually just in time to catch the last bus.
Always late, part of that last-minute crowd.
Yet, for all the similarity of our routine,
we're none of us the same.
We're as different as the print of our thumbs.
Ever think about the differences in people? I do.
Sort of a little game I play, a guessing game.
Guess what she's doing.
She's hoping to please the boss.
And now here's the boss. He doesn't look pleased.
And this beautiful young thing, on the threshold of life,
with her eyes full of dreams of romance and music.
No dreams here. Only tears.
And not even room for tears here. Only the shame of defeat.
And his hopes never end.
Well, he can dream, can't he?
Oh, well...
(SIGHING)
The game is over for today. No more guessing.
Now I've got to know about people.
This is where I work.
Familiar-looking place, isn't it?
Headquarters for the city's law enforcement agency.
Hi, Riley. Morning, Brown.
Swanson.
No, I'm not a policeman.
I'm not a detective either.
Not exactly.
Here, every man is a sort of specialist, an expert.
There may be some fragment of truth in the old saying
that it takes a thief to catch a thief,
but there's a lot more truth to the fact that, in this day and age,
it takes an expert to catch another expert.
And there are all kinds of experts.
Police psychiatrists, like myself,
experts at understanding people.
Morning, Doctor.
COLLINS: Morning, Herb.
(DISTANT SIREN WAILING)
-Anything exciting? -Just the usual.
(TYRES SCREECHING)
COLLINS: Like any other doctor,
I have my daily routine.
My patients are these men,
who blast their way into today's headlines with crimes of violence,
now being brought in for the morning show-up.
I get my first good look at them in the viewing room,
together with the detectives who are there to memorise every last detail
of their appearance, mannerisms, characteristics.
Some of them don't look so good.
And some of them don't feel too well. Frightened, and show it.
This one doesn't show any fear. He's a repeater.
For more than half his life, you and I have been supporting him
in reform school, prison and penitentiary.
He knows the routine well.
Here's one who doesn't know the routine at all. He interests me.
He's young. I may be able to help him.
OFFICER: John Larrapoe.
Armed robbery, assault with deadly weapons, resisting arrest.
How old are you, Larrapoe?
COLLINS: He's bitter,
the resentment burning out of his eyes.
He's been hurt. Hurt often.
-How old are you? -Eighteen.
-You ever been arrested before? -No.
You're not telling the truth. In the last six years,
you've been arrested nine times as a juvenile delinquent.
You're getting paid to know the answers, not me!
Take them away.
That's all for today.
Williams.
-Hello there, Doc. -Hello.
I see you were the arresting officer in the Larrapoe case.
-I'm interested in that boy. -Mm... You and me both.
Mm... I'm gonna recommend that he be sent
to the psychiatric ward of the county hospital.
Don't expect me to make that kind of recommendation
in my report to the DA.
Have you seen his medical history?
There's nothing wrong with Larrapoe a good stretch of hard labour won't cure.
-He's a bad boy. Mean all over. -People behave badly sometimes.
-Doesn't mean they're bad. -Yeah, yeah.
You're gonna tell me that there's a little bit of good in the worst of us.
Or maybe there's just a little bit of bad
deep down in the hearts of the best of us.
-Take yourself, for instance. -Oh, now, Doc, don't start on me again.
All right, well, then take me.
Now, if this kid's hand were bleeding or if he had a festering foot,
we'd wanna rush him to the hospital, wouldn't we?
But an inside hurt that's been festering for years,
poisoning him, that doesn't mean anything to you, does it?
What do you want me to do, feel sorry for him?
I don't want us hardening him into a hopeless criminal.
He's young. Something can be done for him while he's young.
He's a sick boy, mentally and emotionally.
I know, Doc. You think everything is in the mind.
-Well, most of it. -Is this in my mind?
Come into my office if you wanna discuss your mind.
Say, Doc, why should you care about a kid like Larrapoe?
Somebody has to care.
You know, Williams, I wasn't always in police work.
You never tried to bring one of these tough kids in, did you?
Did you ever hear of Al Walker?
Everybody's heard of Al Walker.
Sit down.
It wasn't too long ago, no more than a couple of years.
I was a professor of psychology at a state university,
small town near the Canadian border.
I rather liked lecturing to those youngsters.
(SCHOOL BELL RINGING)
But it was Friday, and like it or not,
I was very happy when the bell rang
and ended the class for the day.
It meant I could ease up and put my work aside, all of it
and head out for a few relaxing days
of fishing and hunting at our place on the lake.
Dig into that new book which I had to review.
Fred Linder, chemistry professor, dropped by to see me.
He had a cabin near ours, and we often hunted together.
My wife, Ruth, and son, Bobby, were there also.
Ruth was anxious to start
because we were having guests for the weekend.
And Bobby couldn't wait to get out into the open.
I had promised to take him along on our hunting trip,
and he was looking forward to it.
I had asked Fred to check my rifle.
He was a wizard at any kind of mechanical repair,
and we all took advantage of his talent.
He said he'd tinker with it and put it info shape.
And then, as I was putting my books and papers together,
I noticed the afternoon newspaper.
I remember that moment quite clearly
because those headlines were my first introduction to Al Walker.
Nothing like a ride in the country, huh, Warden?
You and me have been indoors too much.
-Have any trouble, Al? -Nah. Worked like a charm.
Didn't it, Warden?
-Did you do what I told you? -Don't I always?
How about Larry and the boat?
Never mind him.
Well, we get to the lake just after dark.
-We wait there until he comes. -Where do we wait, underwater?
There's an empty shack by the lake, an all boarded-up place.
-We hang out there till Larry comes. -Empty shack, huh?
-Well, it's perfect. -How close is the next house?
-Right nearby. -Anyone live there?
-Sure. -Who?
A guy named Collins, college professor.
Lives there with his wife and kid.
Maybe a cook. They come up every weekend.
That's where we're staying.
-But the people... -We can take care of them.
First place the cops would look would be an empty shack.
Yeah, that's right.
Say, Al, what about the warden?
Yeah.
Warden, here's where you get off. Stop the car, Mike.
So long, and thanks for the help.
Oh, Warden.
I've got something for you.
It's prison property. You'd better take it along.
(GUNSHOT)
Al, you didn't have to do that.
-Wonderful shooting, Andy. -We ought to get him a silver trophy.
(CHUCKLING)
I'll settle for another cup of coffee.
Here it is, Andy.
Owen, see if you can find a good dance record.
Sure.
FRANK: It's good to be here.
Nothing like a weekend in the country.
But what my husband means is a weekend in an easy chair.
(MUSIC PLAYING ON PHONOGRAPH)
-Another cup for you, Frank? -No, thanks.
-Thank you, dear. -Like to dance, Laura?
Doesn't she always?
Laura's unhappy because I can't rumba.
Maybe you ought to learn, Frank.
Are you advising me as a friend or as a doctor?
Haha. Certainly not as a rumba dancer.
(CHUCKLING)
Maybe I'll get Owen to teach me.
It's a little stuffy in here. I think I'll get some air.
-Is that the paper over there? -Yeah.
LAURA: I'm sorry, Ruth.
Frank is his usual charming self.
I ought to apologise to Owen.
I wish Laura hadn't brought Owen up here.
Oh, she's gone through these flirtations before.
They're harmless.
Come on, dear. Let's throw some darts.
-(SCREAMING) -None of that.
Somebody screamed.
Yes. It seemed to come from over...
-(GASPING) -Get up, both of you.
(MUSIC CONTINUES PLAYING)
Put 'em up.
Dr Collins.
BETTY: Get over there. There.
LAURA: Frank.
Never mind him. Up against the stairs.
Come on, you too.
Turn around.
-Bobby's... -(SHUSHING)
Okay, frisk 'em.
-What is this? -Who wants to know?
-Is this all of 'em? -Yes.
Turn that thing off.
All right, put your hands down.
-You Collins? -Yes. You're Al Walker.
-College professor, huh? -That's right.
Who are all these people?
This is my wife, our weekend guests, and our help.
-You a teacher, too? -I'm a businessman.
-What's your line? -Writer.
-Reporter? -No. I... I write books.
Teachers and writers, screwballs.
Your wife?
No.
Any more servants?
Never mind him. Speak for yourself.
No.
Are you expecting anyone else tonight?
-No. -Just a minute, dear.
One of the neighbours is dropping by later.
Yeah?
I could telephone him, tell him not to come.
Sure, and tip him off that something's wrong, huh?
Save those brainy ideas for your students, Professor.
-What if he walks into all of this? -That's his tough luck.
-Listen, you... -Take it easy.
It's okay, Mike.
-What's on your mind, mister? -I want to know what this is about.
-Oh, you do, huh? -You're making a getaway, Walker.
We all know that. Where do we come in?
If this is a hold-up, take what you want and get out.
When I want advice, I ask for it.
Now, get this, all of you.
I'm waiting for someone to pick me up.
It may take an hour, it may take two, but he's coming.
And until he does, I'm staying.
Now, if you're all quiet and do like I tell ya,
there won't be any trouble.
But if you get outta line... somebody's liable to get hurt.
Mommy?
-Bobby! -COLLINS: That's my son.
I thought you said this was all of 'em.
-But Al, he's only a kid. -Shut up.
-Al, please... -Shut up, I said.
Let her go.
Oh, it's all right, Bobby.
Let's get organised. Where can I see the lake from?
-Right here. -No, no. Upstairs.
The guest room.
-And the road? -Upstairs.
What room?
The nursery.
Okay, Pete, take these characters on up the guest room.
Not you, Professor. You're staying down here with me.
Okay, Mike, put 'em in the nursery.
(PHONE SWITCH HOOK CLINKING)
OPERATOR: Hello?
Ask for the time.
OPERATOR: Hello? Hello, number, please.
Hello? Hello, number, please.
Good evening. Can you tell me the correct time, please?
OPERATOR: Oh, hello, Dr Collins.
The right time is 8:15.
-How's your family? -Fine, thank you. Good night.
Funny, aren't you? Very funny.
Tough, huh?
Pete, take these two dames down to the cellar and tie 'em up.
There are too many women around here anyway.
Take the rest of them upstairs then get me some food.
Get going, tough guy.
OFFICER ON RADIO: WPBX to cars 39, 68 and 78.
Escaped convict Al Walker reported on Highway 62
headed for lake district.
-What's wrong, Officer? -Driver's licence, please.
-What are you doing with this? -Well, it's hunting season.
I'm Professor Linder of the university. I live near here.
SHERIFF: What do you got, Bill?
Found a rifle in this man's car, Sheriff.
-Why, hello, Professor. -Hello, Sheriff.
We're looking for an escaped convict.
-Al Walker? -Yeah.
You and Dr Collins going hunting again?
Yes. In fact, this is his rifle. I'm taking it to his home.
Well, if you run across Al Walker, shoot first and ask questions later.
I'll do that, Sheriff.
Good night.
What's the time?
Eight forty-five.
What's eating you?
-Nothing. -That's what I mean.
You haven't got the jitters like everyone else.
I'm taking you at your word, Walker.
My word?
You said you are waiting for someone.
If we behaved ourselves, nothing would happen to us.
I'm behaving myself.
Where do you want it, Al?
Over there.
What's keeping Larry?
Oh, quit worrying, honey. He'll be along.
It's still early.
Yeah, yeah, it's early.
I didn't expect him much before ten o'clock.
He had to wait till dark, you know.
-Come on, eat something. -I don't want it.
You said you were hungry. Now, you eat.
It's gonna be a long night.
I'll take something up to the boys.
What are you looking at?
Haven't you ever seen a guy eat before?
You interest me, Walker.
Can't help thinking of you as a case.
What do you mean, a case?
A patient.
I'm a doctor, you know, a psychiatrist.
A psychiatrist.
We had one in the pen.
I thought you said you were a teacher.
I'm both. I teach psychology.
You know what I think?
Anybody that goes in for that stuff is a little barmy himself.
-One thing puzzles me, Walker. -Yeah, what?
Why didn't you lock us all up in the cellar?
Suppose the cops come or somebody else.
I want you all handy so they find everything in order.
See what I mean?
That's fine organisation.
Good tactics, excellent planning.
-Mind if I do some work? -Work?
I have to review a book. It's in the bookcase.
You stay where you are. I'll get it.
Which one is it?
Third shelf, at the very end. The one with the red binding.
Get away from there.
What do you think you're doing?
My briefcase. I need my notes.
Any time you want anything, ask for it.
I'll try not to be too much trouble.
"One day, Johnny went to the circus.
"It was a big, three-ring circus.
"And there were clowns and acrobats and animals.
"And there in the middle of the centre ring
"was a large floppy-eared elephant.
"It was the biggest living thing Johnny had ever seen.”
Say, mister...
It's all right, Bobby.
Come on, go to sleep now.
Good night.
What's this game like? Checkers?
Not exactly. It's more complicated.
It requires a great deal of patience.
Who's this, Man o' War?
It's called a knight.
It's very important if you use it properly.
How'd you hurt your hand?
I'm sorry.
Hey, Al
There's a car coming. It's turning into the driveway.
Send everybody downstairs except the kid.
Betty. Get upstairs and take care of the kid.
Right.
That must be Fred Linder, the neighbour I told you about.
All right, over there, all of you.
Mike, cover the kitchen that way.
Pete, take the dining room.
Now, look. Act natural, like nothing's happened.
(COCKING GUN)
I'll be watching you.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Good evening, Andy. I'm sorry to be so late.
-Good evening, Fred. -Well, here it is.
First, I was delayed at the university. We were experimenting.
Good evening, Ruth.
Hello, Fred.
I hope I'm not intruding.
Oh, no, no. Of course not, Fred.
-I haven't met your guests yet. -Oh, excuse me.
Mr and Mrs Stevens, Mr Talbot, this is Fred Linder.
-How do you do? -How do you do?
-Hello. -Glad to meet you.
Is there anything wrong, Andy?
COLLINS: Everything's all right, I assure you.
(CHUCKLING)
On my way, I was stopped by the police.
They are looking for an escaped convict.
Do they think he's around this neighbourhood?
-Yes... -I was about to turn in.
I know you're tired, too. We must get an early start
-for that hunting tomorrow. -That's right.
I'll see you first thing in the morning.
Oh.
Andy, why don't you turn this in for a new one?
The trigger is broken.
It's almost impossible to load.
That's far enough.
Put that gun down.
Trigger's broken, huh?
We'll try it and see.
Walker.
We'll do a little experiment.
Experiments are in your line, aren't they, Professor?
-Walker! -(GUNSHOT)
(GASPING)
Don't anyone move.
Mike. Get outside.
Somebody mighta heard that shot.
And get rid of this guy's car.
(SCREAMING)
REPORTER ON RADIO: During the day, Al Walker has blazed
a bloody trail of murders so brutal and fiendish
that the whole nation stands aghast.
In breaking out of prison,
this ruthless gunman killed two guards
and took along as a shield Warden Benson,
carrying him over the state line before murdering him.
The search for Al Walker continues with undiminished activity.
Hey, Al? You listening to the radio?
Never mind the radio. Don't let that kid get out again.
...Joined state and local police in the hunt for Al Walker.
(TURNING RADIO OFF)
You, uh, seem interested.
Would you like me to teach you the moves?
Ah, it's kids' stuff.
It's a game for intelligent people.
Besides, when you're tense,
there's nothing so relaxing as a good game of chess.
Or some music.
You're a pretty cool customer,
but you got sore when Mike clipped you.
I didn't like it.
You got a lot of nerve, Professor, jumping me for that gun.
(BACH PLAYING ON PHONOGRAPH)
You're a peculiar man, Walker.
What do you mean, peculiar?
You admire courage, you pretend to be afraid of nothing,
-yet you're afraid to face yourself. -I'm not afraid to face anything.
Why did you wanna Kill Professor Linder?
-He was gonna plug me, wasn't he? -But you'd already taken his gun.
He couldn't possibly have harmed you anymore.
I was gonna make sure that he never could.
That's not true. That's what you tell yourself.
I think you wanted to kill him
because something inside you was driving you to do it.
Some compulsion.
Compulsion? More of that screwball talk.
What are you anyway? First, you're a teacher,
then a doctor, then a professor, but always a screwball.
It's just the reverse, Walker. I cure screwballs.
You're a nut doctor, so what?
I'm the fella who keeps people from going nuts.
I don't get you.
Well, I'll show you. Pull up a chair.
I'll stay as I am.
Who's that?
Could be anyone.
Let's say it's you.
Now, this is where you do your thinking.
All the everyday stuff.
Eating, smoking, pulling jobs, planning getaways.
We call this the conscious mind.
You know everything that takes place up here.
But you don't know a thing of what takes place down here
in the lower part. We call this the unconscious.
Or the subconscious mind.
It's like the bottom part of an iceberg. Submerged beneath the sea.
It's there, but you don't see it.
What's more, the conscious, this upper part,
absolutely refuses to have anything to do with the lower part.
So to keep anything from pushing through,
the conscious builds a wall across here.
We call this the censor band.
Ah, that don't make sense.
Suppose a guy had those two parts in his head.
Why doesn't the top part know what the bottom part's doin'?
Because it's afraid of what's in the bottom part.
Afraid?
The bottom part is full of things that the top half wants to forget.
Things that you pushed into the lower part
when you were a child. Because they frightened you.
So what?
That's what makes my job necessary.
Sometimes the censor band doesn't do its work properly.
Thoughts and ideas creep into the top part
and make trouble.
You mean that could drive a guy crazy?
Sometimes.
It can do other things, too. It can even affect your body.
What kind of a line are you handing me, Professor?
Like your fingers, for instance.
I told you, lay off my fingers. They were hurt in a wreck.
No, they weren't, Walker. That was no accident.
They're paralysed.
(RECORD SMASHING)
Can you spare a match?
-Huh? -Match.
Go on. Go away.
(TUTTING)
Rather bad manners, Laura, don't you think?
Just a minute, wise guy.
Don't mind him. He thinks he's funny.
What's really funny is to watch you, the ladies' man,
shaking with fear before a small-time hoodlum.
What?
If you're gonna spend the night quarrelling,
-I'm gonna stay with Ruth. -Laura.
-Take it easy, Miss America. -Frank.
Maybe this'll quiet you down.
Any more shooting around here might attract the police
at one-thirty in the morning, don't you think?
One-thirty?
OPERATOR: Hello? Number, please.
-Hello, Ethel. -Oh, hello, Mrs Linder.
I... I want to speak to someone in the sheriff's office.
Sheriff's office? My goodness. Is something wrong?
I don't know. Would you connect me, please?
Yes, Mrs Linder. Hold on.
This is Mrs Linder out on Wakely Road.
I'm terribly worried about my husband.
He should have been home by nine o'clock,
and here it's almost two.
I'm afraid maybe something happened. Maybe an accident.
Can't do that.
Whoever thought of this screwy game?
That's a queer trick you've got, Walker.
Calling everything and everyone you don't understand
"screwy" or "screwball".
So what?
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
(CRICKETS CHIRPING)
(WHISTLING)
Did you see anything?
Nothing but those clouds. Looks like a storm's coming up.
Beat it upstairs.
You think anything happened to Larry?
Don't worry about him. He'll get here, storm or no storm.
-Tell Betty I want her. -Okay.
Anything wrong, Al?
No, a little punch-drunk, that's all.
-You oughta get some sleep, Al. -That's why I sent for you.
I want you to keep tabs on the professor.
Okay.
-Everything all right upstairs? -Sure.
That's no way to rest.
Go to sleep.
You stay where I can watch you, Professor.
Come on, Al. You gotta get some sleep.
-Do you have to keep staring? -Forget about him, Al.
Just take it easy.
You gotta sleep now.
It's all right, Al.
OFFICER ON RADIO: WPBX to cars 39, 68 and 78.
Be on the lookout for a light tan Mercury convertible,
A 1942 model, licence number LY347-22.
The driver, Frederick Linder, reported missing in vicinity.
The fella with the gun, the professor.
He was on his way to the Collins place.
-Do you think...? -Could be.
Maybe Walker. Come on, let's go, Joe.
(WHISPERING) He's been tossing like this
ever since he fell asleep.
You'd be tossing too if you had his dreams.
It's the same one all the time, isn't it?
How did you know that?
He seemed terribly afraid of falling asleep,
-the way he held on to you. -Yeah.
Sometimes he's like that.
Like a kid that's scared of the dark.
How long have you known Walker?
A long time.
Why?
Just curious.
Must be terribly lonesome for you,
waiting for a man who's in prison,
running around, hiding from the police.
Yeah.
I remember one time
when it got real bad with the cops.
I said to him, "Al, let's get outta this.
"Let's go some place and start over."
I thought maybe we could live like anybody else.
I couldn't make him do it.
I thought I'd leave him. I started to.
It was no use.
I couldn't.
Has he ever told you what this dream is?
Sure.
He tells me everything.
-I'd like to hear it. -What for?
Maybe I can help him. If I knew what he was dreaming about,
I might be able to stop his nightmare.
On the level? You could?
Go on. Tell me.
It keeps coming to him, regular.
Sometimes the way it scares him, he doesn't even wanna sleep.
He says it always starts with him walking along.
All of a sudden, it starts to rain, sheets of rain.
He tries to run away from it, and then right ahead of him
it starts to rain, too.
No matter where he turns, the rain keeps coming at him.
He can't get away from it.
Then, without knowing how he got there,
he's under an umbrella.
He hides under it because he's afraid of any of those drops touching him.
But there's a hole in the umbrella.
And some of the drops keep... They keep coming through.
Al tries to get out of the way. He knows they'll get him soon
if he doesn't do something to stop up that hole.
He's scared, but he raises his arm.
He's gonna try and stop those drops with his hands.
Something's gonna happen, he knows that.
But he can't keep his hand there because it hurts him.
His pain in his hand makes him wanna get out
from under the umbrella and run, blind, like some animal.
Only he can't.
Because when he starts to get out, he finds bars
all around the umbrella. Iron bars, just like in prison.
He can't get out. He's trapped.
Sounds kind of silly, doesn't it?
No, it isn't silly.
His dream has a very definite meaning.
It's tied up with something in his early life.
PETE: Al. Hey, Al.
Shh. Quiet. He's asleep. What's wrong?
-Car coming down the road. -Al, wake up. There's a car coming.
MIKE: Hey, Al
Hey, Al, they're stopping in front of the house.
Betty, get upstairs and take care of the kid.
Mike, stay up there and keep 'em quiet.
Pete, cover the kitchen from that door.
Now, look, Professor, you're workin' late, see.
Now get rid of 'em, whoever it is.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
COLLINS: Good evening, Sheriff.
What's the trouble?
Sorry to disturb you at this late hour, Dr Collins.
That's all right. I happened to be working late anyway.
We just received a report that Professor Linder is missing.
Professor Linder?
Why, he was here earlier this evening.
He left some time ago.
You remember about what time that was?
Around nine o'clock or thereabouts.
We were thinking it's just possible that the professor ran into Al Walker.
You heard about him breaking out of prison?
Yes, of course. It came over the radio.
Did anything unusual happen around here tonight?
No. No, not at all.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
Let's go, boys.
Thanks, Dr Collins. Sorry to have troubled you.
Not at all.
-Good night. -Good night.
(THUNDERCLAP)
Looks like it's gonna rain.
So what? So what if it does rain?
Rain seems to bother you, doesn't it, Walker?
I once had a patient that had a curious dread of the rain.
He used to dream about it.
Yeah, well, he must have been a screwball.
He thought he was going mad. I fixed him up all right.
What do you mean, you fixed him up?
I found out what he was really dreaming about.
What the rain really meant in his nightmare.
He was all right after that.
You know, Walker, there's a meaning to nightmares.
They're symbols of something in your subconscious mind.
The lower half of this sketch I drew for you.
-And ... -Is everything all right, Al?
Yeah.
-What's he been gabbing about? -I don't know.
He's handing me some line about nightmares.
He thinks he's a gypsy fortune-teller.
We were talking about people
who have the same terrifying dream over and over.
Unless they see a psychiatrist,
they sometimes end up by going insane.
You mean if they were to come to you, you could fix them up?
In some cases, yes.
Suppose they weren't crazy, though.
Just ordinary folks who kept having the same nightmare, over and over?
Like a cousin of mine.
He keeps dreaming the same thing, night after night.
Think you could help him?
COLLINS: If he really wants to be helped.
What sort of nightmares does your cousin have?
-BETTY: It's about a... -Keep quiet!
I was just gonna tell him about my cousin.
Nobody wants to hear about your... cousin.
-Go make some more coffee. -Sure, Al.
(DOOR OPENING AND CLOSING)
This wacky picture of yours is good for somethin' after all.
Makes a pretty good target.
Watch me peg that stuff in the middle.
That "censor band".
You coulda killed me with those darts.
Probably.
Why didn't you?
I don't kill sick people. I cure them.
That cousin she was talkin' about, that's me.
-Really? -Yeah.
Hey, look, you think you could fix it
so I wouldn't have that dream anymore?
Probably.
But you'll have to be completely truthful.
About what?
You'll have to answer some questions that might seem screwy to you.
But if you don't answer them, there's nothing I can do to help you.
All right, I can take it if you can.
How do we start?
First, describe the nightmare.
Well, it's been going on ever since I was a kid.
It's the same thing, night after... night.
But it doesn't make any difference how many times I have it.
It's... It's just as bad every time.
It starts with, uh...
Go down in the cellar and check those kitchen mechanics, will ya?
Okay, Al.
Nora, how is it now?
It's getting looser.
(SOBBING)
And for goodness' sakes, stop snivelling.
I can't help it. I'm too frightened.
Afraid of them?
If my hands were free, I'd teach them a lesson
they wouldn't forget for the rest of their lives.
(DOOR OPENING)
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)
Everything under control, girls?
How long do you think you can keep us here?
What's the matter? Don't you like it here?
You just wait, young lady. You'll get what you deserve.
The government knows what to do with people like you.
Now, look. Try and act like a lady even if it hurts you.
I'm kinda sensitive. And I don't like your attitude.
(SCOFFING)
One more word out of you, and I'll...
-You'll do what? -(WHIMPERING)
Stop your whining.
(WHIMPERING)
Or I'll have to gag you, and it doesn't taste very good.
He was no good. He had nothing to do with me, see?
He was your father. He must have had something to do with you.
-Is he still alive? -No. He died when I was a kid.
How old were you then?
I don't know. I was a kid, I told you.
What did he do? What was his work?
I told you he was no good.
He did nothing but hang around racetracks
and small-time fights and beat the daylights out of me.
Did he mistreat your mother, too?
No, not him.
They were like two lovebirds together.
Your mother still alive?
No. I buried her two years ago.
-Did she die peacefully? -Yes!
Say, what's she got to do with this?
She's dead, isn't she? And I hated the sight of her.
Now, leave her out of it. I don't wanna talk about her anymore.
It's no use, Walker. I can't do anything without co-operation.
Who isn't co-operating?
-You say you hated her. -Yes, I hated her.
Even when you were a child?
I guess when I was a kid I used to like her.
Till the old man would come home and start using me as a punching bag.
And was she fond of you?
Yeah, I guess so.
Always fussing over me.
Fussing over you?
Yeah, kissing me and stroking me, all that sort of thing.
You say your father was away when you were small.
Yeah.
And it wasn't until he came back that she stopped fussing over you.
Yeah, that's right. Every time he was around,
she wouldn't have anything to do with me.
And every time I tried to... Oh, this doesn't make sense.
Say, what's this got to do with my dreaming about rain, anyway?
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
All right, go on. Ask me more questions.
When were you first afraid you were going mad?
-Now listen, one more crack like that... -I'm trying to help you!
I was dumb to talk to you in the first place.
That book fascinates you, doesn't it, Walker?
You know how many times you've looked at it tonight?
-So what? -It was your interest in that book
that made me realise your constant fear of madness.
That's enough! Enough! No more questions! No more!
Sure. I can stop! I don't need the answers!
But what about you? It's your mind!
It's your madness!
Do you think pulling that trigger will stop your nightmares?
Frank, darling, don't you think you ought to get a little rest?
No, I'm all right, Laura. Thanks.
What time is it?
-It's almost three o'clock. -Three o'clock!
We seem to be breaking the world's endurance record
for an unpleasant situation.
It wouldn't be so unpleasant if you didn't go out of your way make trouble.
FRANK: I didn't have to go very far.
Now, look here, can't we discuss this matter rationally?
-Discuss what? -I'm a practical man.
I deal in stocks and bonds.
But it might be more interesting to deal in human lives.
Mine, for instance, and my wife's.
And her constant companion here.
-What's the gag? -I want our freedom.
For us and every member of this house.
And I'm willing to pay for it. Now, how about it?
Frank, don't cause any more trouble.
You stay out of this.
Ask him again, dear. Maybe he'll do it.
-So you want your freedom, huh? -Yes.
(DOOR OPENING)
How's the tough guy? Is he behaving?
He's talking business.
He wants to make a deal.
He thinks his life is worth money.
How much did he offer, two bucks?
What kind of a woman are you anyway?
How can you stand there, your hands covered with blood,
and joke about it?
Well, what's so hot about you, sister?
Frank, will you please ask Laura to stop?
You don't look like any angel to me.
You're so mean and miserable, I... I feel sorry for you.
You feel sorry for me? That's a laugh.
Pete found you out on the terrace,
not with your husband, but with... Romeo.
It doesn't take much to see the kind of life you lead.
Mine's not so bad.
I've got Al and that's all I want.
There's a great deal in what she says.
Loyalty's a rare thing these days. Definitely not enough of it around.
Where was your loyalty,
endangering your wife's safety with your wisecracks?
Are you trying to say you were concerned for me?
-Well, I... -Don't try to bluff, Owen.
You're not very convincing.
All you're worried about is your precious little life.
-Now look here, Laura... -It would be best if you didn't say anything.
That's a good idea.
From now on, let nobody say nothin'.
-I can't remember. -You can.
-I can't, I tell you. -You're afraid.
Who is? I've never been scared in my life.
-You're scared right now. -It's that nightmare.
If I could only get some sleep, my head would clear up.
That's all it is.
You're running away from something you refuse to remember.
-What is it, man? What is it? -I don't know.
It's nothing, I tell ya. Nothing.
Your nightmare is caused by something that happened when you were a child.
Something you're ashamed of.
Al, you've gotta snap out of this.
It's after three, and there's no sign of the boat.
But the thought doesn't come to you in any ordinary way.
It comes disguised as a dream.
-Al, he's trying to scare you. -Shut up.
Everything in your nightmare is a substitute for something else.
The rain, the umbrella, the bars around the umbrella.
Now, if we could only find out what those symbols stand for,
we'll know what your dream means.
And you'll never dream it again as long as you live.
-What do you want me to do? -I want you to think.
I wanna find out what happened when you were a child.
-Argh. There was nothing. -You shut up and leave him alone.
Maybe I can help you think.
Listen, Professor, you're heading for trouble, I warn you.
Perhaps the memory that causes your dream
has something to do with your family, you mother, maybe.
We've been all through that, haven't we? We're finished with her.
-You're not. You never will be. -But she's dead.
She meant nothing to me when she was alive.
She was the only woman you ever really loved.
All the other women in your life were only substitutes for her.
What are you talking about?
Since your mother died, no woman has meant anything to you.
Think, Walker. It's true, isn't it?
One woman means no more to you than another.
Listen, mister, I warned you.
Now, get outta here!
It was your mother.
-Hey. What are you bawling about? -Forget it.
Okay.
How about you taking over for a while?
-I'll go down and talk to Al. -Haven't got time.
Go on, get back in there.
Leave it to Al. He knows what to do.
-No sign of the boat yet? -No.
That settles it, then. He ain't coming.
Let's forget about the boat and make a run for it
-while we still got the chance. -Take it easy.
What's the matter with you guys anyway?
You're all beginning to break.
PETE: I'm tellin' ya, we're in a spot.
-We gotta get out of here. -Al's figuring out a way.
You mean so's we don't have to wait?
Yeah. He wants you to go downstairs and take a last look around.
-And then he's got other ideas. -Sure, I'll go down.
-You'll stay here, huh? -Yeah.
Go down the back way.
Al's talking to the professor in the living room.
Do you love your husband?
Because if you do, you better make him shut his mouth.
He talks too much, and I don't like it.
-What harm is there...? -I said, I don't like it.
He's talking to Al deaf, dumb and blind down there.
Make him cut it out before I do it myself.
Because, when I do, I'll shut him up for good.
But why?
He's making Al act like he never did before.
He isn't the same.
What do you mean, he isn't the same?
He just threw me out of that room like I was poison to him.
You love him very much, don't you?
Tell me the truth, will ya?
What's your husband trying to do to Al?
He's not trying to drive him out of his mind, is he?
Oh, no.
It's my husband's job to save people's minds.
(SOBBING)
But how do we get out of here?
Here.
(WHIMPERING)
Get me a hammer. This latch is stuck.
Give it to me.
Give me the stick.
Don't... Don't leave me here. I'm afraid.
Stop bawling. I'm going to get the police.
Get me that box to stand on.
Hurry up, hurry up.
If you go out there, they'll kill ya.
Not if I see them first.
Now, you be quiet, and I'll be back with the police.
(SOBBING)
(CLATTERING)
(CRYING)
So you think I'm going crazy, huh?
Well, just because a guy can't remember,
that's no sign he's going batty.
Ever know a man to tell a lie so often he came to believe it himself?
Oh, you talk too much.
Gonna go right on talking till we find out what those dreams stand for.
What the rain, the bars and the umbrellas mean.
What comes to your mind when I say the word "bars"?
How can a guy think when you keep after him all the time?
All right.
Don't think this time.
Sit down.
Tell me the first thing comes into your head after I've spoken.
Suppose I were to say the word "black”.
What's the first thing comes into your mind? Black.
Nothing.
-You're holding back. -Well, I'm just tired, that's all.
Now, stop fighting it, Walker. You can't run away.
This dream's hounded you all your life, and it's gonna go on hounding you.
All right, go on.
-Black. -White.
-Hot. -Cold.
-Escape. -Getaway.
-Gun. -Bullet.
-Bars. -Prison.
-Prison? -Guards.
Standing all around me so I can't get out.
-Then what? -Nothing.
Cops standing all around me so I can't get out.
-Cops? You said guards before. -Well, I can't help it.
You said to say the first thing that came into my mind.
Are the bars like policemen around you?
No.
Yeah.
Only I can't see 'em very well.
Just their legs standing all around me.
That explains one of the dream's symbols.
The bars around the umbrella are the policemen's legs.
What do you remember about the umbrella?
What are you doing under it?
I was hiding.
Trying to keep the rain off with my hand.
Aren't you holding the umbrella?
No, it...
It seems to stand by itself.
Like it had legs.
Go on, you're getting it.
Where are you hiding?
Uh...
Some place on a dirty floor.
Had sawdust all over it.
What else do you see?
I see lots of smoke and...
bottles.
Saloon.
That's it, I hid in a saloon.
Yeah, but where did you hide? Under the bar?
You were under something.
No, I was under the umbrella. I...
No, it had legs.
It was a table.
Oh, this isn't right, is it?
Of course it is. You can feel when it's right.
Don't you see how it works?
Now we know the bars are the policemen's legs.
The umbrella is a table under which you're hiding.
Now, why are you hiding?
I don't know.
Afraid of the cops?
No, I'm not afraid of the cops.
I'm just afraid of the rain.
What does the rain mean to you?
Nothing.
I just hate it worse than anything.
Where do you see this rain?
When I see the rain, I think...
Ah, this doesn't make sense.
It doesn't matter. Tell me anyway.
When I think of the rain, I...
I think of the saloon...
and beer being spilled all over the floor.
Did you spill the beer?
No. No, I was under the table. But it was spilled, all right.
It came dripping down on me.
It was warm and...
red.
Blood.
That's it. It was blood.
It came dripping through the top of the table.
I remember now.
I hated him.
I took the cops there.
They promised me some dough if I'd take them to where he was hiding.
I was just a kid, see?
So I did it. We started down the street,
and I turned to look to see if they were following me.
They were.
We went into the saloon.
I saw him in the back of the room
sitting at a table, drinking and playing cards.
His back was to me when I came in.
The guys playing with him saw the cops
and got up slowly and left the table.
Then, all of a sudden, he stood up.
I got scared and dived under a table.
He stood there shooting it out.
Then, suddenly, I saw his knees buckle.
He staggered, and then he fell over,
right across the table I was hiding under.
He dropped his gun, and I picked it up.
I wanted to get out,
but they were all standing around. Cops all around me.
Their legs were in the way.
There must have been a crack or something in the top of the table
because I felt something wet drop on me.
Wet and warm.
I looked up.
It was blood. His blood.
I put up my hand. I tried to stop it, but I couldn't.
More blood came through, right on my hand.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's what did it.
The blood.
We got it, didn't we?
That's what the dream meant.
Yes. The bars are the legs.
And the umbrella was the table.
And the rain was the blood.
And I won't have that nightmare anymore.
Who was that man, Walker?
He was a heel. He lived across the street.
That man was your father.
You don't know what you're talking about.
You're lying, and you know it. It was your father.
You murdered your own father. That's what caused your nightmare.
All right. So what?
The shock of your father's blood on your hand paralysed your fingers.
Your sense of guilt kept them twisted.
He had it comin' to him.
After he was knocked off, I wasn't kicked around anymore.
I was head man.
From then on, we were alone in the house.
Me and my mother.
And, when she needed anything, I went out and got it for her.
Yes, that's what you wanted.
To take your father's place.
Sure I did.
I told ya, I wasn't kicked around anymore.
I plugged anybody that got in my way. Cops or anybody else.
Yes, with your father's gun.
Anyone who opposes you becomes your father.
Trying to take back his gun, trying to regain his power over you.
What do you mean?
Every time you kill a man, you're Killing your father all over again.
Am I gonna get that dream again?
You'll never have that dream again.
Tell the other men not to shoot unless they have to.
And to be careful of their fire. There are other people in the house.
Now, spread out and take cover.
Hey, Al
Cops outside. All around the house.
Toss me down that gun.
Get back to the windows and pick 'em off. I'll take care of this part of the house.
-You're crazy! -Do as I tell ya.
Why take chances? The police are here now.
This is a personal matter. Some unfinished business.
This is it, Walker.
You're surrounded, and you haven't got a chance of escaping.
So give yourself up.
-What are you gonna do, Al? -We're gonna blast our way outta here.
Al...
COLLINS: Don't do it, Walker. It's too late.
-Whaddaya, "too late"? -You're cured.
You know now, every time you Kill, you're murdering your father.
-So what? -You'll never kill another man. You can't.
So I can't kill anyone, huh?
Every guy I kill is my old man, huh?
Well, if they were all my old man, it'd be a pleasure.
-Al, don't do it! Don't do it! -Watch the fireworks, Professor.
Just to make sure. Get goin'.
Don't be a fool, Walker. You can't make it.
Keep going.
All right, stay there.
Hold your fire, men.
COLLINS: Walker would never kill again.
With proper attention earlier in life,
perhaps he would never have killed at all.
Only it was too late.
Well, that's the story of Al Walker.
Do we want Larrapoe ending the same way?
Not all deformities are visible, Williams.
Put the boy in an institution, give him psychiatric treatment.
I don't think he'll ever be another Al Walker.
Okay, Doc, I'll go along with you. I guess it's worth a try.
(SIREN WAILING)
(BRAKES SQUEALING)
COLLINS: There, with very little difference
in the basic human equation, goes anyone of us, or our kids.
Which one ends up an Al Walker and which one gets a chance
to come out a decent member of society
may very largely be up to us.
All some of them need is a break.
With a little understanding and guidance,
maybe we can salvage some of this waste.