The Twilight Zone 1x05 - Walking Distance

7/27/2019 The Twilight Zone 1x05 - Walking Distance

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TEE TYrITIGET ZONESeason One

"Walking Distance"by

ROD SERTING

Air Date: October 30, 1959


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THE TWILTGHT ZONE . WAIKING DTSTANCEOriginally Broadcast October 30,79s9EXT. SKY INTGHT]Shot of the sky. . . the var ious nebulae and planet bodiesstand out in sharp, sparkl ing rel ief. As the CAilERAbegins aSLOWPAN across the Heavens--

NARRATOR'S OrCE (O.S. )There is a f i f th dimension beyond thatwhich is known to man. I t is a dimensi-onas vast as space and timeless asinf inity. I t j-s the middle groundbetween l ight and shadow -- betweenscience and superst i t ion, and it l iesbetween the pi t of man's fears and thesummit of his knowledge. This is thedimension of imagi-nation, I t is an areawhich we call The Twj-l ight Zone.

The CAMERAhas begun to PAN DOWN ntil- it passes the horj-zonand is f lush on the OPENINGSHOr (EACH WEEKTHE OPENINGSHOTOF THE PLAY)EXT. SMALL TWO PUMPGAS STATTON [DAy]Long shot looking beyond it up the road A small red foreigncar approaches toward the CAMERA,slows down, then pullsinto the gas stat ion. At the wheel is l, tart in Sloan, a man inhi-s middle thirt ies. He shuts off the ignit ion after stoppingthe car by one of the pumps. closes his eyes for a moment/then looks at the attendant who's working on an engine partin front of the stat ion. Mart in presses down on the horn twoor three times, angry, impatient ca1ls for service. TheATTENDANT -ooks up at him, very slowly and deliberately putsthe engine part down. Mart in honks once more.

ATTENDANTWhenever you're f in ished, mister.MARTINwhat about some service?ATTENDANTWhat about some quiet?

3. Close shot }, lart i-n As he suddenlv unbends. Hi-s f eaturessd9, he bi tes his 1ip.

(CoNTINUED)


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J.CONTINUED:

ATTENDANTft ' l - l - take about an hour.MARTINA11 r ight .(he turns to look toward theroad )That 's Homewoodup ahead, isn' t i t?ATTENDANTYep. A mile and a quarter.MARTTNI used to l ive there. Grew up there asa matter of fact . f haven't been back intwenty -- twenty-f ive years.

7. Track shot Mart in As he takes a few steps away from thepump, half way to the road, his back to the attendant.MARTINTvrenty -- twenty-f i-ve years. And thenyesterday af ternoon f . . . f just got inthe car and drove. Reached a point whereI t we11. . . I had to get out of New york.One more board meeting, phone ca1I,report, problem--(he laughs but the laugh comesout in a strained, sick ki-ndof way)f 'd have probably jumped out of awindow.

8. Close shot Mart in He lets his face relax, embarrassed bythe intensity of the tone. He turns to look at the attendantagain.I4ARTINWalk ing distance, is i t?

MED. CLOSE SHOT ATTENDANTATTENDANTAbout a mi le and a hal f .

CLOSE SHOT MARTTNMARTIN( sof t ly )That ' s wal-kj-ng distance.

( CONTTNUED


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4.CONTINUED: 2)

11. Pan shot over to mirror over the cigarette machine wesee Mart in 's ref lect ion on the road in the middle of a longwalk of f into the distance.LAP DISSOLVE TO:72. Ref lect ion of Mart in in drugstore mirror As he's justentering.INT. DRUGSTORE ULL SHOT THE ROOMA soda jerk narned Charl ie sits on a stool behind the fountainreading a magazine, occasionally taking a drag of a cigarwhj-ch he puts back into an ashtray under the counter. Thesubt le suqgest ion of the room is that i t 's old-fashioned.The equipment is from twenty years ago. The ads are notf lamboyantly o1d, but as a part of a whole -- they lookdj-f ferent in a subtle way. Mart in walks into the store, looksaround brief ly, smiles at what he sees, goes over to thecounter, nods at the soda jerk who puts the cigar down andrises, walks to a point opposite him behind the fountai-ncounter.

CHARIIEWhat '11 i t be?MARTTN(pushing down a kind ofexcitement that comes from

bei-ng back j,n thj-s place )You stiI l make great chocolate sodas?Three scoops?CHARLTE( looking at hjm al i t t le f ish-eyed)How's that?},IARTIN(laughs sof t ly , and al i t t l-e apologetical ly )I used to spend hal f my l i fe in thisdrugstore. f grew up here. The onething I remember always ordering --that was a chocolate ice cream sodawith three scoops and it was tencents too.

The soda jerk l-ooks at him a lit t Ie qui-zz:-cally then shrugs,turns, starts to f ix the soda. Every now and then he looksat the ref lect i-on of Mart i-n in the mirror. Mart in is ]ookinqaround the room.(coNTTNUED


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5.CONTfNUED: 3)

MARTTNYou know, you look famil iar to me,as i f f 'd seen you before.CHARLIE(shrugsf got that k ind of a face.MARTINft 's been a long t ime. Twenty years.That 's when I l_ef t here.( then he laughs atsome coll-ect ion ofsecret thoughts)t wish I had a buck for every hour Isat at this fountain though, fromqrarmar school right through third

year high.( then he turns andlooks toward thefront door)The town looks the same, too.(he turns back toCharl ie )Rea11y amazi_ng, you know? In twentyyears to look so exactly the same.The soda jerk st irs the soda, carries j-t over to him, putsit down in front of him, takes a paper napkin, Iays it-alongside.

CHARLIEThat '11 be a dime.Mart in starts to f ish in his pocket, then stops abruptly,then incredulouslv--

MARTINA dime?(he holds the soda up)Three scooos?CHARLIEThat 's the way we make them.},IARTIN( aughs )You 're gonna l_ose your shirt . Nobodysells sodas for a dime anymore.CHARLIEThey don't? Where you from?

(CONTTNUED)


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ACONTINUED: (4)

I\.TARTTNNew York.(he takes a sip ofthe soda, spoonsdown some ice cream)You make a great soda.

He takes another swig from the soda.CHARLIETaste okav?MARTTNWonderful .

There's a few slurping sounds from the bot tom of the glassas the last of the soda disappears. Mart in puts the glassback on the counter, looks around again.

MARTINFunny. How many memories you connectwith a pIace. I always thought if Iever came back here -- i t 'd probablybe al l changed.(he looks around thestore )But i t 's just as i f f 'd lef tyesterday.(he rises and goes tothe f ront door, staresout at the st reet)Just as i f I 'd been away over night .

(he turns back, smi lestoward the soda jerk)I 'd almost expect Mr. Wilson to besi-t t ing in the stock room and sleepingjust l- ike he always did before hedied. That 's one of the images Ihave. OId Man Wilson sleepj_ng in hisbig cornfortable chaj-r in the otherroom.(he points to the far door atthe other end of the roomrthenreaches in his pocket, takesout a dol l_ar bi11, takes i tover to the counter, puts J_tdown )Thanks very much.

(CONTTNUED)


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7.CONTINUED: 5)

CHARLIE(stares at the bi t l )That 's a buck!

MARTIN(smi1es, taps theglass then makes amotion to i-ncludethe whole room)That. . and this, i t 's worth i t .He turns, walks back to the door and goes outs ide. The sodajerk shakes his head as i f just not understanding thecomprexi ty of that man, takes the grass, puts i t in the sink.In doing so he notices a couple of open syrup containers,checks them, then walks over toward the door at the far endof the room. THE CAI{ERABEHIND HII{ now, looks toward theroom where a whj_te haired man sits dozing in a big o1d-fashioned chai-r.

CHARLTEMr. Wilson?The o1d man opens his eyes, takes a deep breath, smacks his1ips, rubs his jaw -- part of a r i tual- of waking up.

WILSONYup, Charl ie?CHARLTEWe're gonna need some more chocolatesyrup, Mr. Wj_lson.

WILSON( nods )I ' l l_ order some this af ternoon.Then he winks, grj-ns, closes his eyes and goes back to sleepas we:

DTSSOLVE TO:EXT. RESIDENTIAI STREET LONG SHOT LOOKING DOWN TH E STREETMartin comes into the frame, his back to the camera. Hestops, then turns prof i le to camera to fook from househouse. There's a smile on his face as i f th is too wereof a memory that aI1 f i t ted into place. parr15. Track shot with him As he warks down the street studyingthe houses, nodding occasional ly .

( CONTTNUED)


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B.CONTTNUED: (6)

16. Track shot c loser on l , lar t in As he caf ls off the names ofthe houses.MARTTN

Van Buren. Wilcox.( then looking acrossthe street)Over there Dr. Bradbury. Mulroony.Then he looks back on his sj-de of the street again and stops.17. Med. Iong shot small boy Kneeling down in his front yardplaying marbles by himself . Mart in comes into the frame.18. Close prof i le shot Mart in He snj_Ies and then laughssof t ly .19. Two shot Mart in and the boy As the boy looks up at him.

BOYI t l_.

MARTTN(poj-nts to marbles)You pretty good?BOYAt aggies? Not bad.

I,IARTINf used to shoot marbles too. We gavethem special names.(he holds up hisf ingers to form acirc le )The steel k ind. . . the bal l bear ingswe got off streetcars -- we calledthem steelies. And the ones vou couldsee through -- they were clelr ies.Sti11 call_ them names like that?

The boy sl-owly rises, studying Mart in with great interest butwith a hint of t repidat ion. He nods.BOYSure.

MARTIN(points to the telephone pole)And over there we used to play hide andseek.(he smiles again.(MORE) (CoNTTNUED)


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CONTTNUED: 7)MARTfN (cont 'd)I t 's almost as i f he weredredging up these memories forhimself and putt ing them outinto theair )

Draw a c irc le around the old man's backand who's to punch i t .( then he laughs, shakes hishead, Iooks down at the bovagain) -Right on this street, too. Rightover there. And I used to l_ive inthat corner house down there.(he points)

The big white one.BOYThe Sloan house?

MARTTN(a l i t t le wide eyed)That 's r ight ! you st i l l cal l i t that?BOYSti l l_ call ir what?

MARTINThe Sloan house. My name,s S1oan. I 'mMart j_n Sloan. What 's your name?He holds out a hand. ?he boy backs away, fr ightened.

BOYYou're not Marty Sloan. f know MartySloan and you're not him.MARTINI 'm not , huh?(he reaches into his coatpocket , takes out a wal1et)Let 's see what the dr iver 's l icensesays, huh?

20. Close shot h is hands Opening the wal let .2r. Med. c l-ose shot Mart in As he fooks down at i t and thenhol-ds it out.

MARTINSee?

(CoNTTNUED


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10.CONTINUED: B)

22. Med. c lose shot Spot on sidewalk Where the boy was. He'sno fottg"r there. tvtart in looks off in the direct ion of theboy's 5xi t . His face is suddenly thought ful ' then he turnsana looks down the street and he starts to walk'23. Long shot Mart in As he approaches the camera. He's nowat the corner and he stops and studies the house in front ofhim, a big white two stoiy Victorian. A white fence surroundsit. He slowly reaches down and unlatches the front gate/walks up the front walk up the steps, stands by the frontdoor.24. Close shot his hand As it very slowl-y reaches for thebel l . He pushes the but ton. There'S the sound of footstepsfrom insibe. fhe door opens. A middle aged man stands there'He smiles warmly.

MANYes ?25. Close shot Mart in His eyes wide, his face goes white,and he just stands there, stock st i l l , s i lent ly .TWOSHOT

MAN(his sni le fading al i t t le )Yes? who di-d you want to see?MARTIN( hi s voice almost a wh j-sPer )Dad. Dad.

WOMAN'S VOICE(from inside the house)who is i t , Robert?I\,IARTIN(questioningly )Mom? Is that Mom?ROBERTWho are you? What do You want here?MARTIN(shaking his head withdisbelief and Yet emotionallYtorn by the sight of lovedones he's not seen in so manyyears )Why are you both here? How can Yoube here?

(coNTTNUED)


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11.CONTINUED: 9)

27. Med. long shot looking through the door As a womanappears behj-nd Robert. She looks questioningly from Robert tol,tarti-n.WOMANWho is it? What do you want, youngman?

ltart in takes a step toward them. His nervously shaking handsextend outward as i- f to embrace them.MARTTNMom, don't you know me? It 's l , tar t in.

WOI,IANMart in?(and then wide-eyes,f r ightened, to herhusband in a stagewhisper)He's a lunat ic or something.

Robert is about to cLose the door and Mart in st icks a footagainst i t .I{ARTINWait a moment. Mom, you mustn't befrightened of me. rhis is Mart in. f grewup here.

(and then unable to understandthe enormity of the mystery)What 's the matter wi th you both? Don'tyou know your own son?Robert starts to push the door closed and l"lart in struggleswith hj-m, trying to keep it open.

MARTINDad, please. Mom, look at me. Dad.. .But the door is closed tight in his face now and he standsthere stari-ng at it . He takes a step back away from thedoor, turns to face the street , his face a mask now, total lyunable to comprehend. Then very slowly his eyes go downtoward the porch floor and the newspaper.28. Track shot As he slowly walks down the steps of the porchto the sidewalk.29. Long shot a L934 Roadster Si t t j -ng at the curb. A bigsign is pasted on i t .

(coNTTNUED)


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L2.CONTINUED: 10)"This brand new 1934 Roadster to be given away free at thelegion halI , Thursday night. Buy your chances now at thehigh school! "30. Close shot Mart in React ing.31. Close shot l -et ter ing "1934" On the sign.32. Cl-ose shot l, tart in As he sIowIy turns away to l-ook backtoward his house, staring at i t with a strange mixture ofhunger and disbel- j-ef .

FADE TO BLACKEND ACT ONEACT TWO

FADE ON:EXT. PARK [DAY] A LONG SHOT DOWNA TREE-LINED PATHIt 's warm and summery and occasionally kids f l i t by carryingcotton candy, ice cream cones, et al-. Turning the bend andbecoming visible facing the camera is Mart in- He wal-kssIowly, drinking in the sights and sounds as he does so. Offi-n the distance is the sound of a caI l iope, its t inny, rd9time dissonance so rich in nostalgia that Mart in has topause momentari ly and listen.34. Track shot with hirn As he wal-ks down the path taking inpassing sights l- ike an organ grinder, a cotton candy vendor,a Cood Humor man and children -- always children. The pathbranches off and at this fork Mart in stops and looks acrossat a cIear5-ng.

CUT TO:35. Reverse angle looking toward the clearing In the middleis a large band stand and pavil ion set up with chai-rs inpreparat ion for the night concert. Several boys play aroundi ts steps.36. Track shot Mart in As he walks toward the pavil ion. Hestands down at the foot of the steps and looks up at i t . Ayoung woman wheeling a baby carriage pauses close by- Theyexchange a look and the woman smiles.

I,IARTINwonderful p1ace, isn ' t i t?WOMANThe park? I t certainly is.

(CoNTTNUED)


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13.CONTINUED:

Martin l istens for a momentas the calliope music can sti1lbe heard. Martin jerks his thumb in the dj-rection of themusic,MARTINThat's a part of sunmer, isn't i t?The music from the merry-go-round.The cal l iope.

WOMAN( aughing)And the cotton candy. And the icecream. And the band concert.MARTIN(a l i t t1e dis jointed, unable toput into words the nostalgia

he's feel j -ng now)There isn' t anything quite as goodever. Nothing quite as good as sunmerand being a kid.WOMANAre vou from around here?

},IARTINNo -- what f mean is f used to be. fl ived just a couple of blocks away. Iremember this band stand. I used to sneakaway at night, 1ie over there on thegrass star ing up at the stars, I is teningto the music.( the recol lect ion ofthis feeds hi s memoryand makes him becomevoluble and excited)I played ball in that f ield over there.(he points)And that merry-go-round. Oh my goodness --f grew up with that merry-go-round.( then his eyes dart ing around,he points up to one of theposts of the pavi l ion)I carved my name on that post one sunmer.f \^/as eleven years o1d and I carved myname right on that--

37. F lash shot a sma1l boy About eleven. He has a pen kni feout and is in the process of carving something on the post.38. Track shot Mart in As he runs toward the post. The boylooks up frightened.

(CONTTNUED)


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14.CONTINUED: 2)He f l ings the knife away and backs off .MARTIN reaches thepost, grabs it and stares down at i t . CUT TO:39. Extremel-y t ight c lose shot the post In a boyish scrawlcarved in the wood is the name "MARTIN SLOAN.40. Med. shot Mart in whirls around to look down at the boy.

I,IARTINMart in Sloan? You're Mart in Sloan?The boy takes another step backwards, fr ightened by theintensi ty of Mart in 's look and voice.

BOYYes, s i r . But I d idn't mean nothin ' ,honest . Lots of k ids carve theirnames here. No kiddin' . I 'm not thef i rs t --

MARTTN(interrupts, tak ing a steptoward the boy)You're Mart in Sloan. Sure, that 's whoyou are. That 's the way I looked--The boy is at this moment terriblyf r ightened by the intensi ty on Mart in 'sface.He backs away down the steps and suddenly breaks into arun.MARTIN, his face contorted with excitement and discovery,cal- l-s after the bov.

},IARTTNMart in! Mart in, don't be fr ightened --Hy, Mart in--He starts to take a few running steps after the boy and thenstops just a few feet away from the pavj-I ion.4I. Long angle shot looking down He turns very slow1y to seethe woman star ing at him. There's a cur ios i ty on the woman'sface and almost an accusat ion. Mart in 's voice is hesi tantnow. He poj-nts in the direct ion of where the boy has run anddisappeared.

}4ARTTNI dj-dn't want to hurt him. I just wantedto talk to him.. . ask him some quest ions.I was going to tel1 him what would happento him.(now he closes his eyes t ight lyand runs a hand over hisforehead )(IIORE( CoNTTNUED


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16.CONTINUED: 4)

46. Close shot basebal l mit t He bends down and picks i t up.47. Med. c lose shot Mart in He puts the glove on his hand,pats out a pocket, smiles as he does so. Then he takes a fewsteps toward the house. A bike is parked close to the steps.luart in walks over to i t , touches it , r j-ngs the bell on thehandlebar. Then he looks up at his father who is staring at48. Close shot Robert He's interested now but not f r ightened.

ROBERTBack again, huh?rWO SHOT BOTH MEN

MARTIN( nods )I had to come back. This is my house.(he looks down at theglove in his hand)This is mine, too. You bought j-t for meon my eleventh birthday.

I tnen he looks up -toward hi sfather )what about the baseball that Lou Gehrigautographed? Where's that?50. Close shot Robert As he reacts. He takes the pipe out ofhi-s mouth, looks intensely at the younger man.

ROBERT( sof t ly )Who are you? what do you want here?51. Med. shot He str ikes a match and in the brief f l-are hestudies l , Iar t in 's f ace.

MARTTNI just want to rest . I just want tostop running for a whi le. I belonghere. Don't you understand, Pop? Ibelong here.ROBERT(his voice very gent le)Look, son, you're probably s ick.You've got delusions or something.And I don't want to hurt you and Idon't want you to get into any troubleeither. But you better get out ofhere or there wil l he troubl-e.

At thi-s moment Mrs. Sloan comes out.( CONTTNUED


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17.CONTTNUED:5)

MRS. SLOANWho you talking to, Rob--She stops abruptly, eyes wide, when she sees Mart in standingat the foot of the steps. She hurrj-ed1y goes over to herhusband.

MARTINMom, won't you look at me? Look intomy face. You can teLI , can't you?He takes a step up the porch. The woman shrinks back agai- nsther husband. tnRft l l 's face is in the l ight of the st reet 1amp.

},IARTINMom, just look at me. Please. Who amI? Tell me who I am.

MRS. SLOANYou're a st ranger. I 've never seenyou before. Robert, tel-I hi-m to goawav.I,IARTINYou've got a son named Mart j -n, haven'tyou? He goes to Emerson Publj-c School-.

The month of August he spends at his aunt 's farm nearBuffalo, and a couple of summers you've gone up to SaratogaLake and rented a cottage there. And once I had a sister andshe died when she was a vear otd.

MRS. SLOAN(fr ightened, to herhusband )Where's Mart in now?Mart in grabs her. He's beyond logic now, beyond car ing. Hehas one single preoccupation and this is to prove who he is.He grabs his mother.

MARTINI 'm Mart in! I 'm your son! You've gotto bel ieve me. I 'm your son Mart in.(with one free hand he grabs athi-s wallet and pulls it outand starts tearing into thecards and identif icat ioninside )See? See? A11 my cards are in here.A11 my j-dentif icat ion. Read them. Go(MORE(CoNTTNUED


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18.CONTTNUED:6)MARTIN (cont 'd)ahead, read them.(he tr ies to forcethem on her lPlease. They'11 show you--

The woman, desperately fr ightened, struggling to get away'suddenly hauls of f and slaps Mart in across the face. Thewal let s lJ-ps out of his hand and there's a deadsilence.MARTIN slowly looks up to look from one to the other.CUT TO:52. Close shot of each As they stare back at him.53. Med. group shot He s lowly turns away, walks back to thetop of the steps, looks down at the basebal l glove that he'slaid there.54. Track shot of him As he walks down the steps, down thefront path to the gate. He pauses/ looks back toward thehouse.55. Long shot the house His father and mother standing therewatching him. He opens the gate, steps out , s tands thereaiml-essly for a moment.56. Close shot Mart in As his head jerks up when he hears thesound of the distant cal l iope. I t grows louder and louderunti l i t is way out of proport ion, discordant, 1oud,shr j -ek ing, and he starts to run, shout ing as he does.

I,IARTINl"lart in ! Mart in, I 've got to talk toyou. Mart in.57. Long angle shot A s he runs toward the park.

DISSOLVE TO:EXT. PARK [NIGHT] LONG SHOT DOWN HE PATHIt is now l i t by st reet lamps. Off on the r ight is the l ightof the cal l iope and the music. On the lef t is the sound ofthe band j-n the pavil ion and over this are a thousand voicesand sounds of laughter, soda pop, popcorn poppi-ng -- thesounds of summer.59. Med. c lose shot Mart in As he steps out of the shadowsand comes into the periphery of Ij-ght thrown by one of thelamp posts. He looks t ired now and yet compel-l-ed. His faceis tense, n ervous, but gradual ly sof tens, as al l the soundsand the music penetrate his consciousness and once again hesuccumbs to the poignance that comes with nostalgia.

(CoNTTNUED)


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19.CONTINUED: 7)He walks down the path and pauses near the clearing to thepavil ion l istening to the mus -c.60. Cl-ose shot his prof i le As he l is tens and then smj- l -es. Hetakes a few steps into the cl-ear. i-ng, leans on a tree for amoment and slowly lets himself sink to the ground. He liesthere with his hands behind his head staring up at the sky,l is tening to the b and music. Pret ty soon quite unconsciouslyhe begins to hum the tune that the band is playing and he issuddenly aware of someone el-se humming the tune in a boyishtone. Start led, he boLts upright to a sit t ing posit j-on, looksto his r ight and there he sees Mart in the boy. The boy jumpsup with a hushed, fr ightened cry and begins to run.61. Long shot looking down the path As the boy races down itand disappears around the bend. There is a beat andthenMARTIN appears behind him running after him.62. Moving shot through the crowd Near the call iope as theboy pushes his way through people. A few feet behind himiSMARTIN. The boy reaches the t icket taker stand and tr ies tof orce hi-s way through.

TICKET TAKERNope, son. Not wi thout a t icket , youdon't .The boy whirls around staring at Mart j-n who has almostreached him now. He ducks under the turnst i le and jumps onthe merry- go-round. The t icket taker starts to shout andpoint toward hj-m when suddenly he's pushed aside by Mart j-n.63. Angle shot lookj-ng down on the merry-go-round As the manand boy thread their way past the horses that go up and down.64-61. Closer shots in between the horses First the boy'sface and then Mart in 's , f j - rs t covered by the horses as theygo up, then revealed as the horses go down. Each time theboy's face looks more and more petri f ied and frozen withfear and each time they appear and reappear Mart in is closerunti l suddenly we

CUT TO:68. Flash shot In this br ief moment they are now face toface with nothing between them.MARTIN hol-ds out his handspleadingly -- suppl icat ingly.

MARTINMarty, I don't want to hurt you,son. I just want to teII you something --Mart in! Please. Let me talk to you.Let me tel l you something.(CONTTNUED)


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20.CONTTNUED: (8)

69. Cl-ose shot the boy As he looks over his shoul-der. We seethe machinery of the merry-go-round from the moving platformon which the boy stands. Mart in takes a step toward him now.MARTINMarty, pl-ease son--

At this point the boy, frant ic, jumps toward the machinery.We hear his scream as weCUT TO:

70. Fl-ash shot Mart in As he too screams j-n pain and grabsh -s Ieg.7I. T ight cLose shot the merry-go-round operator 's face Hiseyes di late with horror. A woman screams.72. C1ose shot operator 's hand on the level As he pu1Is i_tback wj-th a giant squeaking sound.73. Angle shot looki-ng up toward the horses as people racetoward the center of the merry-go-round. Ad lib voices canbe heard over the din.74. Long angle shot looking down toward the area around themerry-go-round As the li t t l-e boy is gently carried out.75. Close shot prof i le of the l i t t le boy's body As he'scarr ied past . One leg looks misshapen under the torn, oi lytrouser Ieg. Across this leg we see Mart in who has pushedhis way to the front of the crowd and looks horror strucktoward the f igure of the boy.

CUT TO:76. Long angJ-e shot looking down on the area pretty soon theplace becomes deserted and only Mart in stands there. Themerry-go-round slows down and keeps slowing down untj-l_f inal ly i t s tops. The l ights go out leaving the place inshadows.MARTrN walks through the turnst i le over to one of thewooden horses. He sees the boy's cap ly ing there and hepicks i t up.

MARTTN(very sof t ly and gent ly)I only wanted to tel l you. I only wantedto tel- l- you this j -s the wonderful t imefor you. Don't let any of i t go bywithout . . . wi thout enjoying i t . Therewon't be any more merry-go,rounds. Nomore cotton candy. No more band concerts.(MORE( CoNTTNUED


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2r.CONTINUED: 9)I,IARTIN (cont 'd )I only wanted to tel-I you that this isthe wonderful t ime -- now -- here! That 'sal l , MARTIN. That 's al l - f wanted to tel- lyou. God help me, that 's al l I wanted totel l you.

SERIES OF DTSSOLVES:77-80. Di f ferent angles The immobi le, s i lent wooden horses.The cal l iope, etc.

DISSOLVETO:EXT. I'{ERRY-GO-ROUNDNIGHT]It 's now very l-ate. The CAI{ERAPANS over for a shot of Mart insit t j-ng on the edge of the merry-go-round. One 1eg isstretched out st i f f ly in f ront of him.He looks up at the sound of footsteps.82. Long shot looking toward the turnst i le As his fathercomes into the frame and walks toward hj-m, stopping just afew feet from hiJn.TWO SHOT THE TWO MEN

ROBERTI thought you'd want to know the boywil l be al- l r ight. He may l imp somethe doctor says, but he' l l be al lr ight .II,IARTINf thank God for that .

Robert takes Mart in's waIlet out of his pocket, hands it tohim, then he takes a pipe out and l ights i t. And once againin the glare of the match the two men look at one another.ROBERTYou dropped this by the house. Ilooked ins ide.I,{ARTINAnd?ROBERTIt told quite a few things aboutyou. Driver 's l icense, cards, themoney in i t . I t seems that you'reInart in Sloan. You're thir ty-s ix yearso1d. You have an apartment in Newyork. (MORE

(CoNTTNUED


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22.CONTINUED: 10)

ROBERT cont 'd)(a pause)And it says your l icense expires in1960. That 's twenty-f ive years f romnow. The dates on the bil ls. Thosedates haven't eome Yet ei ther.84. Close shot Mart in As he stares at his father.

},IARTINYou know now then, don't You?85. TWOSHOT

ROBERT( looks at hi-m f or along moment, sof t ly)Yes, I know. I know who You are andI know you've come from a long waYSfrom here. A long waYS and. . . and aIong time. I don't know whY or how --do you?

Mart in shakes his head.ROBERTBut you know other things, don'tyou, Mart in? Things that wi l l happen.MARTIN(nods )Yes, f do.ROBERTYou also know when Your month andI . . . when we'11. . .MARTIN(in a whisper)Yes, I know that too.ROBERT(takes the pipe out of hismouth, studies it for amoment )Don't tel l me. There's a saYing."Every man is pu t on earth condemnedto die. Time and method of executionunknown." That 's a part of themystery we l ive wj-th. f t must alwaysbe a mystery.( then he r ises)

( CONTTNUED


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25/28

24.CONTINUED: 72)ROBERT cont 'd)when you go back. . . maybe you'11find that there are merry-go-roundsand band concerts where you are.Maybe you haven't l-ooked in the rightplace. You 've been looking behj-nd

you, Mart in. Try looking ahead.MARTTNMaybe. Goodbye, Dad.

Robert nods and starts to wa]k away. He stops by theturnst i leand turns.

ROBERT( genrly )Goodbye. . . son.86. Cl-ose shot Mart in As he stands there. He looks down atthe wal1et, taps at i t thoughtful ly with a f inger and thenslow1y puts it inside his coat. Then he turns and looks atthe merry-go-round.87. Med. long shot his p.o.v.Of the horses. The l ights go on suddenly, and there is thecreak as the merry-go-round starts to turn. He cl imbs up onthe platform and stands holding one of the posts that go upand down with the horses and starts to go around with it.BB. Pan shot with him as he moves 89. Pan shot of thecall iopeWhere the music 's coming from.ABRUPT CUT TO:90. Med c lose shot a juke box As i t b lares out rock-n-rol_l_.PULL BACK FORrNT. DRUGSTOREDAYIf t 's the same drugstore we've seen except now i t 's done inchrome, leather and f lash. I t 's plastered with advert j_s j_ngsigns, suggesting the purchase of everything f rom f i l teredcigaret tes to reducing pi l ls and t ranqui l izers. The sodajerk is no longer Charl- ie. Mart in comes j-n through the frontdoor. He walks with a st i f f gait and goes over to the sodafountain.

SODA JERKHi. Something for you?(CoNTTNUED)


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25.CONTINUED: 13)

The music now stops and the two young coupl-es go to a boothlaughing and tal-king. Mart in looks over at them for a moment,then turns back to the soda jerk.MARTINMaybe a chocolate soda, huh? Threedips ?

SODA JERKThree? I can make one with threedips for you. I t '11 be extra. Thir ty-f ive cents. Okay?MARTIN(smiles at him)Thir ty- f ive cents, huh?(his eyes scan the

room)How about old Mr. Wil-son? Used toown this place.SODA JERKOh, he died. Long t ime ago. Must befif teen -- twenty years. What kindof ice cream you want? Chocolate?Vanil- la?

IVIARTIN(looks at him formoment )I 've changed my mind. Guess r ' l - l -pass on the soda.(he r ises of f the stool , doj-ngso wj- th di f f icul ty , his st i f fIeg gett ing in the way)These stools weren't bui l t for bumIegs, were they?SODA JERKGuess not. Get i-t in the war?

},IARTINNo. No, as a matter of fact I got i tfal l ing off the merry-go-round whenI was a k id. Freak thinq. Fel l intothe machinerv.SODA JERKThe merry-go-round? Oh, yeah, I doremember. They tore that down a fewyears ago. Condemned it .( then with a smi le)A l j - t t le l -ate I guess, huh?

(CoNTTNUED


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26.CONTiNUED: ( 14 )

MARTTNHow's that?SODA JERK

A l i t t le late for vou I mean.MARTIN(looks away, verysof t ly)Very late. Very late for me.

He starts to walk slowIv across the room and out the door.DISSOLVETO:EXT. ROAD [DAY] LONG SHOT MARTTNWATKINGEXT. GAS STATTON DAY]As Mart in enters and we can see hj-m talking to the attendant.DISSOLVETO:94. The red car With Mart in in i t as i-t puI1s onto thehighway from the gas stat ion, pauses there.95. Med. close shot Mart in As he looks in both direct i-ons andin doi ng so lets hi-s gaze fal l on a roadsign.96. Close shot road s ign I t reads "Homewood - 7 l /2 mj- l -es."97. Close shot Mart in As he reacts. Just the br iefest momentof thought , then he puts the car into 1ow gear.98. Long angle shot looking down As the car slowly startsonto the highway. Over the disappearing car we hear theNarrator 's Voice.

NARRATOR'SVOICEMart in S1oan, a9 thir ty-s j-x . Vice president in charge ofmedia. Successful in most things -- but not in the oneeffort that al l men try at some t ime in their l ivestry ing to go home again. (a pause) And also l i ke al l menperhaps there'11 be an occasi-on. . . maybe a summer nightsome t j -me.. . when he'11- l -ook up f rom what he's doing andlisten to the distant musj-c of a call iope -- and hear thevoices and the laughter of the people and the places of hispast . And perhaps across his mind there'Ll f l - i t a l i t t l -eerrant wish. . . that a man might not have to become o1d --never outgrow the parks and the merry-go-rounds of hisyouth.

(coNTTNUED)


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21 .CONTINUED: 15)(a pause) And he' l l smi l -e then too because he' l r know it isjust an errant wish. some wisp of memory not too importantrea] Iy . some laughing ghosts that cross a man's mind. . . thatare a part of The Twil ight Zone.Now the CA-I'{ERAANS back down the road to the siqn that reads"Homewood - 7 L/2 mi les."

FADE TO BLACK.

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The Twilight Zone 1x05 - Walking Distance

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