A doctor examines an unconscious man in an examining room, feeling his collar bone and lifting his eyelids. David Vincent is waiting outside the room and asks the doctor how the man is as the doctor exits the room. He says he has a mild concussion and may have a broken collar bone, but will know more when the X-rays are developed. He asks if the man is a relative, but Vincent says he found him on the road and may have been hit by a car, adding that he was the first doctor he could find.
The doctor's wife comes out of another room looking perturbed, saying he'd better come in there.
Vincent goes into the exam room and looks at the unconscious man and then leaves.
In the developing room, the doctor's wife points to two abnormal chest X-rays, saying it's the same on both. Vincent enters and asks what the doctor found, and he responds by joking that his friend seems to have no bone structure, and assumes something is wrong with the plates. Vincent doesn't think so, but the doctor says they'll make another set.
He goes to get a closer look at the X-rays while the doctor returns to the exam room. As he enters, the man sneaks up behind him, placing a lighted disc on the back of his neck, and the doctor goes down.
Vincent tells Mrs. Thorne that she doesn't know how important the X-rays are as they exit the room, and then see the injured man leaving the exam room. Mrs. Thorne tells him he shouldn't be out of bed and asks where her husband is. He tells her he's inside and he thinks he had a stroke. She runs into the room and the man attempts to get past Vincent, who tries to block him but is thrown aside. The man goes into the room to get his X-rays, but Vincent struggles with him. He grabs a scalpel and lunges at Vincent, who throws him up against a table, causing him to impale himself on the scalpel. He falls to the ground, glows red and vaporizes. Vincent removes the plates from the X-ray illuminator.
Starring Roy Thinnes as Architect David Vincent
Guest Stars:
Sally Kellerman as Laura Crowell
James Callahan as Dr. Harry Mills
and Special Guest Star:
Ed Begley as Dr. Samuel Crowell
Act I
A small town doctor has died and his patient has disappeared, but now David Vincent has evidence, X-rays that can prove the presence of alien beings here. Evidence that he can turn over to a government research project at a prominent Illinois university.David Vincent arrives at an airport terminal and checks his watch. Two men approach him and Dr. Crowell introduces himself and Professor Harrison, who's says he's thankful he brought them the X-rays and suggests they go to his office.
They enter the Science building at Monroe University. Inside, Professor Harrison is excited to look at the alien X-rays, asking Vincent if he's sure they're authentic, who says he was there when they were taken. He says it's the proof they've been waiting for and Dr. Crowell says it's certainly not a human structure. Vincent remarks that he read about Dr. Crowell's government grant into his project for UFO research and thought it was one place where his sanity wouldn't be questioned. Harrison asks what his plans are and Vincent says he is staying at a hotel and intends to take the 10 am flight out the next day. Harrison says Crowell will drive him to his hotel and tells him to keep in touch in case they need an affidavit later. He assures him they'll guard the X-rays with their lives. Vincent responds it's no problem since he has a duplicate set in his luggage. Crowell and Harrison exchange a look.
After Crowell and Vincent leave, Harrison makes a phone call, saying it's Argyle at Harrison's office and that Vincent has another set of X-rays, adding that Vincent is at the Hammond Hotel.
The next day, Vincent takes a taxi from the Hammond Hotel. As he gets in the car, he tells the taxi driver to take care of his luggage, who puts it into the trunk next to an identical piece of luggage. When they arrive at the terminal, the driver goes to the trunk to hand him the other piece of luggage, but Vincent sees both suitcases in the trunk and shoves the driver, dropping the one he was handed back in the trunk and grabbing the other one. The driver takes off and Vincent enters the terminal.
He goes to a payphone and calls Dr. Crowell, who asks if there's been another delay. Vincent asks what he's talking about and Crowell asks if he's arriving tonight and he says he'll be arriving in a half hour. At Crowell's office, he shows Vincent the wire he received saying he'd be a day late, but he says he never sent it. Dr. Crowell's daughter asks if his little, green men sent it, and Vincent says they're not little or green, and they look very much like her...or him. She asks if he could be one of them, and her dad admonishes her.
The doorbell rings and Dr. Crowell goes to answer it as Laura Crowell flirts and asks David to light her cigarette. He observes a scar on her hand below her fourth finger and she remarks that he really believes in all this stuff. He says her father does too and she responds that her father has been taken in by a lot of crackpots.
Crowell returns with Dr. Mills, who says he hopes it's not another false alarm as they've had a lot of disappointments. Crowell says they stole Harry away from Stanford after the government gave them the go ahead and he's their best man. Laura asks Harry if they still have their tennis date of if Mr. Vincent's appearance cancels their plans. Mills says it is important and she tells David to enjoy his visit and leaves.
Mills remarks on the sacrifices scientists have to make and Crowell says she's fond of him, but wishes he understood her better, noting that she's changed and is different than what he expected. Mills says fifteen years is a long time. Crowell asks if he brought the extra set of X-rays and Vincent says he did. Crowell says he'll call Harrison and tell him he'll be over. While he's calling, Vincent asks Mills what he meant by fifteen years, and he explains that Crowell's been separated from his wife that long and Laura's been living with her mother in Europe and only just came back. Crowell gets off the phone and says the real Professor Harrison is waiting for them. Crowell offers to call a cab, but Vincent says he has a rented car that they can take.
They arrive at Harrison's office and Vincent removes the envelope containing the X-rays from his suitcase. Harrison tells Crowell he was on the phone to Washington and that they've been told they have two weeks to show they've made progress. Vincent shows them the X-rays and they marvel over them, asking who was present when they were taken. Harrison asks if Mrs. Thorne would come in and sign an affidavit and Vincent says he believes she would, saying he'll call and ask her to fly in tomorrow. Harrison says they'll also need an affidavit from him. He asks him to stay in town while the X-rays are being studied. Vincent asks him to take good care of the X-rays and Harrison says they'll be kept under lock and key in his office, assuring Vincent that he is the one who has the key. Before he leaves, Vincent tells Crowell he has questions for him and Crowell invites him to join him for coffee in the morning.
After he leaves, Dr. Mills says the X-rays are fantastic and wonders if the committee will believe them. Harrison says that any pictures can be faked and says the real question is whether they'll believe Mr. Vincent.
Well that was an exciting and eventful first act! I can't help wondering how some random alien happened to get injured and left out on the road for David Vincent to find, or how neither he nor the doctor bothered to check if the injured man had a heartbeat. Back in Episode 6, we could clearly see that aliens who were regenerating had a humanoid skeleton within, and while they could have evolved their human form, it's hard to imagine how they would appear human with the kind of structure seen on those X-rays. Well, who cares anyway since DV has got evidence! Again. That will probably go nowhere. Is Laura Crowell an alien who had surgery to correct her deformed pinky, or is she just a false flag?
Act II
David Vincent is having coffee at Dr. Crowell's house along with Dr. Mills, who says they believe him and his worries are over. Vincent disagrees and wonders how the aliens who impersonated them knew he was coming. Crowell says Harrison and the three of them were the only ones who knew about it. Vincent asks if he told his daughter but says he didn't, and Mills admits he told Laura. The phone rings and while Crowell leaves to answer it, Vincent asks Mills where Laura is. He says she's waiting at the tennis courts for him and he agrees to let Vincent go with him.
Crowell calls David to the phone to speak to Mrs. Thorne, who is at the airport. She asks if she should call a taxi to the university, but Vincent says they'll pick her up. Crowell says to take Mrs. Thorne to Professor Harrison's office and that he'll meet them there.
In the car, Mills says he doesn't look forward to explaining this to Laura, and Vincent offers to do it. Mills agrees to let him, and offers to pick up Mrs. Thorne. Mills drops Vincent off at the tennis courts and asks him to be diplomatic.
Vincent spots Laura talking with the alien who impersonated Dr. Crowell, who begins to run when he sees Vincent coming their way. David runs after him, but the alien gets into a car that drives off.
He goes back to Laura and asks who the man was, and she jokes about it being one of his aliens from Venus. She says she doesn't know who he was, that he asked her for directions to the administration building and ran when he saw him. She asks if he thought they were exchanging invasion secrets, and then apologizes for being hard on him, saying that her father, who is an important research scientist, is neglecting his work because he's hung up on UFO mumbo-jumbo and Vincent's encouragement doesn't help. He asks her why she thinks it's mumbo-jumbo, and she claims it's woman's intuition, which also tells her that Harry isn't coming.
Vincent smiles and she tells him he should smile more often, saying he's very attractive and thinks they could be friends. As she sweeps her hair to the side, he asks about her hand and how she got the scar on her fourth finger. She tells him she got it in a riding accident and asks if it's supposed to mean something. He then asks her if she told anyone else about his coming there, and she says she didn't. She asks if he trusts anyone, and then says she'll come clean, saying that she fingered him to the Invaders, the guy she was talking to was her contact, and she got the scar falling out of a spaceship. She suggests he go play his games with her father, Harry and Harrison.
Harry Mills arrives at the airport to pick up Mrs. Thorne. He introduces himself, saying Mr. Vincent asked him to pick her up. She hesitates, but then gets into the car and leaves with him.
Vincent is in Crowell's office, asking how long his daughter has been living with him. Crowell says it's been two months and confirms for Vincent that he hadn't seen her for 15 years before that. He asks if he ever saw a photo of her from that time period and Crowell expresses displeasure with his questioning. He asks about the scar on her hand and Crowell says he refuses to listen. He admits he hadn't seen a photo of her since she was eleven, but insists she's his daughter. He adds that when he starts seeing aliens under every bed, he starts questioning his sanity. Vincent checks his watch and Crowell apologizes, saying he knows they're fighting the same war. He tries to reassure him that he has allies and some real proof now. Vincent says there may be an end to the war when Mrs. Thorne authenticates the X-rays and he gets them to Washington.
Dr. Mills and Mrs. Thorne enter and they go to meet Professor Harrison in his office. Vincent introduces her and Harrison shows her the X-rays. He says he'll have his secretary make a transcript of her statement and she says she has no statement. She claims that they aren't the same X-rays she developed in her husband's office. Vincent asks what she's talking about, but she says she's never seen those X-rays before. He grabs one to show to her, saying she pointed it out to him herself, but she says he's wasting his time, and that she won't sign an affidavit she knows is not true. Vincent accuses her of lying and demands that she tell the truth, but Harrison says to let her go, and Crowell adds he can't force her to sign an affidavit, since it would be meaningless. Harrison asks if she's certain they are not the X-rays she expected to find, and she says she's positive. As she goes to leave, Vincent asks what happened, and she tells him that he made a mistake and that's all that happened.
Mills says they won't give up and that they still have Mr. Vincent. Harrison asks if he still says they are the correct X-rays, and he confirms they are. He says they'll have to build their case on his testimony alone.
Mrs. Thorne exits the Science Building and gets into a taxi with the alien who impersonated Harrison. He asks if it's alright and she says it is. He asks if she's sure and she gets irritated, saying she swears it's alright.
Will the real alien please stand up? So, if Crowell, Mills, Harrison, and Laura were the only ones to know of David Vincent's arrival, then one of them is an alien. With all of DV's focus on Laura, it seems unlikely that she'll turn out to be the guilty party. He should have realized the aliens got to Mrs. Thorne and been more tactful in dealing with her. I expect she'll suffer a brain hemorrhage before she returns home.
Act III
Mrs. Thorne observes alien Harrison as he peruses the paperback books in the airport gift shop, pretending not to see her as she makes her way out of the shop.
 |
| "Night of Horror" is the title he is perusing. |
David Vincent enters the airport and alien Harrison hides behind the paperback book stand. He walks over to Mrs. Thorne and asks her what happened. She asks him to leave her alone. He says they murdered her husband and she's helping them. She says she knows, and he asks her to help him. She looks in the direction of alien Harrison and says she can't. He asks if they threatened her and if it was Dr. Mills that did it, but she says no. Her plane departure is announced and she gets up to go. He says he's only asking for a name, but she says she's not a very brave woman, and leaves.
He goes to a pay phone to make a call to Professor Richard Kurawicz, as alien Harrison sneaks by him. He holds the door open for Laura Crowell as she enters the airport.
Vincent gives Harry Mills' name to Kurawicz and asks him to call him at his hotel or at Professor Harrison's office at the university. He sees Laura waiting at the information desk and walks over to her. He asks if she's looking for someone and she shushes him, saying you never can tell where the Invaders might be. She explains that Harry asked her to go to the airport to see if he was there. He asks what he wanted and she says that he wants him to meet him at the deserted Grandville power plant. He thanks her and leaves as she brushes her hair aside to show off her Y-shaped scar.
Vincent arrives alone at the power plant and is observed by alien Crowell as he enters the building that houses alien equipment, control panels, and regeneration tubes. He turns off the lights and leaves.
Crowell is at home when Vincent calls to inform him that he's found an alien regeneration station at the old Grandville power plant. He says he's trying to reach Mills, who said he was going to meet him there, and Crowell says he's there with him. He says it's the best evidence for the congressional committee and asks how soon he can be there. He says they're on their way, and Vincent advises him to bring a gun.
Crowell hangs up and tells Mills that he told him not to sell him short, as he goes to get a gun from a drawer.
Crowell and Mills pull up behind Vincent, who is waiting in his car. Crowell asks if the police are there yet, and Vincent says it's a good idea, and asks where Mills has been since he was supposed to meet him there. Mills acts confused and starts to explain that he didn't, but Crowell interrupts them, saying they shouldn't stand there talking as there's a goldmine in there.
They enter the building to find all evidence of alien technology removed and replaced by old junk. Vincent says the regeneration tubes and control panels were in the room. Mills says it looks like the place has been deserted for years, just as the police show up.
Crowell tells Vincent that he's putting their entire program in jeopardy, and Vincent says that's what he wants. He says Mills asked him to meet him out there and Mills says it's not true. He says he made him look like a psycho, which makes the X-rays go out the window. Crowell says Harry has been with him every second and he never called him. Vincent asks where Laura is, and Crowell says she's probably at the university since he promised to show her the X-rays.
Vincent arrives at the university just before them and finds Laura in Harrison's office. She says she thought he was off chasing monsters and he says he bets she did, asking her what she's looking for.
Mills and Crowell arrive as Vincent pulls the key to the cabinet from her hand. She says she got tired of waiting for them and starting looking for the key. Vincent tells Crowell that she is not his daughter. He asks about the scar on her hand and she says she told him it was from a riding accident, but he says he believes it was from an operation to correct a mutated fourth finger. She is surprised that he is serious. He says if he doesn't believe him, he should check her pulse, as none of the aliens have a pulse or heartbeat. Crowell says it's nonsense, and Vincent says he'll have to take it himself. He tries to grab her arm, but Mills goes to stop him and she backs away. He throws Mills off and advances on her as Crowell pulls out his gun and tells him to get away from her. Vincent says she's the one he has to worry about, but Crowell says he's completely paranoid. Mills goes to call the police.
With all the flirting Laura Crowell did with David Vincent, you'd think he would have had ample opportunity to determine whether or not she had a pulse, instead of relying solely on a scar, and perhaps her penchant for wearing red, to know if she was an alien. It could be that the mental strain of chasing Invaders and trusting no-one is having a detrimental effect on his decision making abilities. I love the way those Invaders clean up quick.
Act IV
The police arrive at the university.Vincent tells Crowell and Mills that he doesn't know how to convince them, but asks to talk to Laura. Mills says she's in his office and will stay there until he leaves. A doorbell rings and Mills goes to let the police in. Crowell says he's sorry for Vincent and that he's a troubled man.
Alien Crowell and alien Harrison enter dressed as police. Vincent says they're not police and Crowell says he supposes they're aliens too, and Vincent says they are the ones who were impersonating him. They drag him out as he continues to yell that they're not the police.
Crowell says that the police are pretty rough, and Mills says it's their job. Laura meets them and asks if the police have come. Crowell says they have, but that he's going down to the station since he didn't like the way he handled him. He says he's a troubled man, that they encouraged him and should help him now. Mills asks him if he wants him to go with him, but he tells him to get Laura home.
Laura answers the phone in Harrison's office, explaining that Mr. Vincent is tied up at the moment, but that she'll take a message. Mills appears and listens in on the conversation. She asks the caller if he's sure, repeating Dr. Harry Mills, as she turns to see Mills. He grabs the phone away from her and hangs it up.
She asks him who he is, saying that Harry Mills was killed in an automobile accident a year ago. She accuses him of having someone imitate his voice to ask her to send Vincent out there because she wanted him to suspect her, and asks why. She hits a globe off the filing cabinet at him and dashes out the door. He chases after her.
She runs into a classroom and locks the door. Mills notices a key in the door and locks it from the outside, removing the key, telling her to stay there if she wants to. After he leaves, she finds out she's locked in.
Mills goes to Harrison's office and gets the key to the cabinet off the desk. He opens the cabinet.
Laura tries to find a way out of the room, but the windows are barred.
The alien police take Vincent to the Granville power plant. He asks them what will happen when he doesn't show up at the station, and is told they'll send back reports that he's under intensive psychiatric care. He says they'll never believe it, and is told that he's forgetting they have someone close to the program, and that he will convince them. Vincent is surprised to hear the pronoun 'he'.
They take him into the building and he grabs one alien's arm while he kicks the other one down the stairs, knocking him out briefly. He fights with the alien, and as the other one raises his gun to shoot him, he pivots the alien to take the bullet. He grabs the alien's gun and shoots the other one.
Mills drops the burning X-rays into a wastepaper basket in Harrison's office and leaves.
Laura is still locked in the classroom when Mills arrives and unlocks the door. He can't get in as the door is still locked from the inside. He tells her to open the door, saying he promises not to hurt her. He kicks the door in, and she trembles, holding a jar of liquid. He advances on her and she tells him to stay away from her. He approaches her and she says she has nitric acid in the bottle she's holding. He takes out a gun and points it at her, apologizing. There's a gunshot and he falls to the ground, glows red, and vaporizes.
Vincent goes to her and lays the gun down. She says it was only water and cries as she hugs him.
So, the alien police decided to take David Vincent back to where the real police had come out earlier that day to look for alien technology, and they didn't think his being shot to death there would look suspicious? I thought that was the whole reason why they weren't killing him to begin with, so it wouldn't draw attention to his cause. I suppose it was a good thing for them they weren't successful.
Epilog
Crowell hands the burnt X-rays to Professor Harrison, who says that he still can't believe that Mills was one of them. Crowell says he went to the police and that Mills never called them. He says that Mills was probably diverting most of the valuable information that came to them. Harrison says now they know they're here, but they still don't have tangible proof. Vincent says they have his affidavit, and Crowell says if Laura testifies to what she saw, they may be able to keep the program going a few more months. He asks her if she'll join their crackpot club and she says of course she will. Harrison says they'll hold up their end and offers support any time he needs a hand. Crowell says he should ask for an apology from all of them, and he'd get it. Laura offers to walk him to his car.
After they leave, Harrison tells Crowell they need to get their program moving again. Crowell asks him if he ever had doubts about what they were doing before that day, and Harrison says he guesses they all did.
There are millions who doubt; some who suspect; a handful who know. David Vincent seeks to reveal the dark face of the Invader, so that, before it is too late, the millions who doubt will know.
Co-Starring:
Virginia Christine as Mrs. Thorne
Ed Peck as Darrow
Martin Blaine as Argyle
With:
E.J. Andre...Dr. Henry Thorne
John Zaremba...Professor Harrison
William Quinn...Lieutenant Eaton
Barbara Dodd...Miss Fox
William Sumper...Cab Driver
Wilhelm von Homburg...Alien Patient
Invaders theme by:
Even more people know about the Invaders, though none of them seem interested in banding together to establish proof of their existence, but at least David Vincent got to hold hands with another pretty girl at the end of the episode. I enjoyed this episode because I have not yet tired of the recycled Invader plots that involve trying to guess who the alien infiltrator is, having DV get set up to look like a crackpot, and seeing concrete evidence providing proof of their existence destroyed. It was entertaining to see Sally Kellerman relish in making fun of David Vincent for his belief in aliens. It is always interesting to see what Invaders are made of, and it appears they are made of wires and beads. I'm not sure how they can move their arms around, though it's easy to see why they don't have a heartbeat. I just wonder what happens to all that liquor and coffee they like to drink. It seems as though it would go right through them. I wonder if Mrs. Thorne ever made it home safely. I guess we'll never know.
Tune in next week to see another Invasion of the Body Snatchers veteran, Dana Wynter, along with Don Dubbins and Fritz Weaver in "The Captive."
I don't like how David Vincent sets up so many people to be killed like the doctor in the teaser scene. It makes him SUPER unlikeable.
ReplyDeleteI mean, he at least could've given him a heads-up like, if he comes to, he could be dangerous. He might be cray cray. Nope. Collateral damage in architect David Vincent's wacky world. Maybe that doctor had a family, too.
ReplyDelete