"# Power to serve the nation's defense #" "# Equipment to serve the nation's industry #" "# Appliances for greater convenience #" "# In the nation's homes #" "# Whatever you need #" "# Whatever you do #" "# You can be sure #" "# You can be sure if it's Westinghouse #" "# Westinghouse #" "[ Thudding, grunting ]" "Good evening." "I'm Charles Collingwood." ""An Almanac of Freedom"" "is the title of a remarkable book by Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas published today by Doubleday  Company." "It's a book about the slow growth of the habits and attitudes which have made us free men." "It would be as impossible to dramatize this book as it would be to dramatize the Constitution of the United States." "But Reginald Rose has distilled from "An Almanac of Liberty"" "that moving spirit of freedom in which it was written and has shaped from that spirit alone an original teleplay for Studio One." "It's the spirit of "The Prayer for Liberty"" "by Rabindranath Tagore, with which Mr. Justice Douglas closes his book and which reads in part..." ""Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, where knowledge is free, where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit, where the mind is led forward by thee" "into ever-widening thought and action -- into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake."" "[ Dramatic music plays ]" "[ Clock ticking ]" "[ Telephone ringing ]" "[ Irish accent ] Hello?" "WOMAN:" "Now, let me tell you something," "Mr. Whatever Your Name Is!" "This had just better be the right extension." "They've been switching me all over this building, but all over it." "I mean, how difficult can it be to find out where to get a dog license?" "Hello?" "Hello." "His name is Sweetie -- S-w-e-e-t-i-e -- and he's a Pomeranian." "And I don't know why I need a license for him at all." "I mean, you can hardly see him." "The license bureau is extension 21." "Oh, for heaven's sake!" "[ Ticking continues ]" "[ Fingers snapping ]" "Hiya, Mr. Neary." "How's it going?" "Hey, where is everybody?" "Thought they were all supposed to be here." "[ Snapping continues ]" "Hello, Miss Church." "Harmon." "Oh !" "Hey, cut it out, Susie!" "Gee, I'm sorry, Mrs. Church." "She shoved me." "I couldn't help it!" "Can't catch me!" "Can't catch me!" "Can't catch me!" "La la la!" "[ Grumbles ]" "MIKEY:" "Get you!" "[ Ticking continues ]" "OTTILIE:" "I do hope this won't take too long, Horace." "You know I have to fix Billy his luncheon after he gets home from school." "There aren't very many people here, are there?" "Well, if it isn't the illustrious president of our City Council!" "Hi, Horace." "Well, Matty, my love." "Where's George?" "He'll probably come straight over from the store." "Looks as if there will be a crowd." "Even Mrs. Church is here." "What time is it?" "HORACE:" "10:24 on the nose." "Why did we have to come here, Horace?" "Excuse me." "Ottilie's holding a seat for me." "HANK:" "Hi, Harmon." "WOMAN:" "I still have loads of chores." "Morning, Mr. Sweetser." "SAM:" "I know." "This won't be long." "Howdy, Mr. Sweetser." "Hello." "Hello, Mike." "Susie." "Mr. Neary, Mrs. Church." "Harmon, who let you in?" "Hi, Dad." "Sorry I'm late." "[ Foreign accent ] Ah, Dr. Slattery." "How are you?" "Tired." "How are you, Mr. Nathan?" "Thanks, fine." "Oh, Phil, would you look at me?" "I forgot to take off my apron." "How come they made it for 10:24?" "It's such a silly time." "I mean, why not 10:30?" "GEORGE:" "But whatever it is," "I don't think it was such a good idea pulling them on Saturday morning." "Busiest day of the week at the store." "Well, how are you, Ben?" "I'm okay." "Thanks, Mr. Wilkinson." "Say, how'd you like your ad in the paper today?" "Well, it looked okay." "Listen, I didn't think very much of your editorial, though." "Pardon me, please." "[ Ticking continues ]" "Why, the nerve of that man." "Did you see him, Ben, huh?" "Good morning." "Good morning, Principal." "Oh, hello, Horace." "Ottilie." "Hello, Susan." "How's my favorite girl?" "Hello, darling." "Sorry I'm late." "Listen, this isn't a funeral or something, is it?" "What the heck is supposed to be going on?" "Okay, so I'll sit down." "[ Grunts ]" "[ Sighs ]" "Well, what is supposed to be happening?" "I don't know." "Listen, you were the one that told me to be here at 10:24." "I am not." "I never told you any such thing." "Why, Matty, you mentioned it to me right after breakfast." "You left the house before I woke up." "Did I?" "[ Indistinct talking ]" "HARMON:" "All right!" "Let's start the show!" "[ Rhythmic clapping ]" "Matty, who told you to be here?" "I'm trying to remember." "What's it all about, Walt?" "Something to do with the school?" "Not that I know." "It's probably something Horace Sweetser dreamed up." "HORACE:" "Oh, nothing with me." "Who knows what's going on around here?" "Somebody ought to know." "I got better things to do this morning than sit around and gab." "MAN:" "Yeah." "Someone must have called this meeting for a specific reason." "Now, well who was the first one here?" "I was." "Oh?" "Harmon." "Who told you to be here?" "I think it was Mrs. Church." "It was not." "You can't go accusing me of anything of the kind." "I never mentioned it to a soul." "I was lying in my bed." "I just thought of something." "Mr. Neary was here before me, sitting right where he is now." "Well, how about it, Mr. Neary?" "Oh, I'm just in here to dust." "Uh, this place gets very dusty." "Then all of a sudden, instead of dusting, I sat down." "And he walked in here." "That's all I know." "I'm supposed to be dusting." "What do you suppose this is?" "Well, how should I know?" "Maybe it's just a coincidence." "OTTILIE:" "Well, now, look." "We couldn't have all just walked in here by ourselves." "Everybody knew what time to be here." "I mean, somebody must have " "Ottilie." "How about you, Ben?" "You're on the paper here." "You're supposed to know what's going on in downtown." "What about this?" "You got me, Mr. Sweetser." "Maybe there was a town meeting scheduled." "No." "That's ridiculous." "I'd have known about it if there were." "Ben, we haven't had a town meeting in here in well over 30 years." "Maybe it's something with the children." "A practical joke or something." "No, I don't think the children know anything." "Let's find out." "Susie, do you know anything about this?" "No, Mr. Sweetser." "Mikey told me to be here." "At least I think he did." "I did not, you big liar." "You told me!" "Don't you call me a liar, Mikey Lester, or I'll smack you one." "You and what army?" "Now, now, now." "Stop it." "Stop it." "Stop it, children." "Stop it." "Now, let's be quiet." "Since nobody here knows what this meeting is about," "I don't see any reason why we should stay here any longer and squabble about it." "Let's just call it a mistake." "It's a beautiful day out, and I'm sure we've all got better things to do." "MAN:" "I'm for that, Horace." "Very strange, George." "Why 10:24?" "How did everyone know?" "Oh, I don't know." "Forget about it, Matty." "It's over." "Come on." "Let's go." "HORACE:" "Oh, uh, wait a minute, everybody." "Uh, as long as we're all here together," "I figure this is a good time to remind you about the Patriots' Day boxed supper a week from next Saturday." "Now, let's all get out there and remind ourselves that we're 100% good Americans." "[ Cheering ]" "Let's make this the greatest Patriots' Day ever." "[ Cheering ]" "Well, look at that." "It's pouring outside." "How do you like that?" "Not 10 seconds ago, the sun was shining." "For heaven's sakes." "And I've got on a new dress." "I'm not going out in that, George." "BEN:" "It can't be raining." "My paper says "fair."" "[ Laughter ]" "Oh, very funny, Ben." "Well, Matty, I've got to get back to the store." "I'll see you later, dear." "[ Thunder crashes ] -[ Gasps ] George!" "MAN:" "Hey, that was pretty close." "And how, it was." "Let's wait, George." "Please." "I guess we all better stay here, folks." "Looks like quite a storm." "WOMAN:" "Come back here." "You kids." "Did you hear me?" "I want you to come back this instant." "[ Thunder crashes ]" "HANK:" "What the heck is he doing here, anyway?" "[ Thunder rumbles ]" "Hello." "How do you feel?" "Better, thanks." "Well, that's good." "My name is Ben Phillips." "John Carter." "It's nice to meet you." "Uh, I was a little surprised to see you walk in here this morning." "Why?" "Well, these people haven't treated you very well." "Uh, how long have you been in town?" "A week." "What kind of work do you do?" "Anything." "I heard there was a housing development going up here." "I thought there might be a job." "I was the one who, uh, ran out and snapped that picture of you yesterday." "I know." "Well, why did they do it?" "I don't know." "No idea?" "None." "I wish I did know." "Listen, everybody." "Being all together like this is something that only happens in Ridgeville at bingo parties and funerals." "[ Laughter ]" "Well, uh, anyway, seeing as we are all here, maybe there's a question some of you can answer for me." "A man was beaten up in our town by a mob last night." "Now, he doesn't know why it happened." "He knows why." "No, he doesn't know why it happened." "I saw the tail end of it." "Oh, there must have been 10 or 15 people in on it." "Most of them are right here in this room." "I would like to know why it happened, a mob attacking one man that way." "What was the reason?" "He deserved every bit of it." "And more." "What's the matter?" "Don't you know about him?" "Know what?" "He's a dangerous guy." "Right, Mr. Sweetser?" "I'll buy that." "I don't think we need his kind around here." "What kind is that?" "Well, if you don't know what I mean, Ben..." "I'd like to know what Ridgeville's coming to, mobbing a stranger just like that." "Now, listen, Ben." "Ridgeville can take care of itself." "We've gotten along fine for a lot of years." "We're 100% Americans here, and that's just the way we're going to stay." "Right, Horace!" "So you can sit down, Ben, and mind your own business." "We'll take care of our town." "MAN #1:" "That's telling him, Mr. Sweetser." "MAN #2:" "You bet your life." "[ Thunder crashes ]" "The clock stopped." "What time is it, Horace?" "I've got 10:24." "My watch must have stopped too." "10:24?" "But that's what the clock says." "Who's got the time?" "I have 10:24." "That's funny." "My watch must have stopped when I walked in." "This thing won't start." "Neither will mine." "It stopped at 10:24." "What is this?" "I can't get mine going, either." "Look at that." "10:24 right on the nose." "So is mine." "That's the time it was when I came in here." "What's happening, George?" "What is it?" "Easy." "Take it easy, Matty." "Come on." "Who's got the right time here?" "Come on, come on." "Somebody speak up, will you?" "My watch won't start." "It's stopped at 10:24." "I'm frightened, Horace." "What's wrong?" "Quiet." "All right, uh, let's take it easy, folks." "Uh, now, has everybody's watch stopped?" "Aaah!" "[ Indistinct shouting ]" "Don't lose your heads!" "Don't lose your heads!" "Calm down!" "Quiet!" "Listen to him." "Calm down!" "I'm gonna telephone for the time." "[ Thunder crashes ]" "WOMAN:" "When you hear the tone, the time will be 10:24 exactly." "[ Tone sounds ]" "ANNOUNCER:" "Now that you've seen part one of "An Almanac of Liberty,"" "let's turn to our Westinghouse program and Betty Furness." "FURNESS:" "Poor kid " " She's gonna be late for her date." "She never guessed it would take so long to press that skirt." "She has to dampen the cloth and then bear down hard." "And it still doesn't look right." "Before her next date she better get herself one of these wonderful, brand-new Westinghouse open-handle steam or dry irons." "It's so efficient." "This Westinghouse iron is far superior to other steam irons and for a very good reason." "You see, some irons have just a couple of steam vents here at the tip of the soleplate." "Then other steam irons have a couple more like that." "But look, the Westinghouse has 15 steam vents way down the soleplate." "Now, that's what makes a big difference in ironing time." "You see, here is the width of the steam path made by that first iron." "That's pretty narrow, isn't it?" "And here's the second one." "It's a little wider but still not wide enough." "But just look at the steam path made by the Westinghouse steam iron ." "It gives you more steam over a wider area." "And that means faster and better ironing and pressing." "You actually save strokes on every single piece that you iron." "I'm gonna use this aluminum cookie sheet here for a brand-new purpose because I want you to see that wider steam path in action." "Now, just watch." "There." "See?" "You get faster ironing and better dampening." "And then when you roll it back like that, the steam stops automatically." "Actually, this is two irons in one because when you want a dry iron, you just flick that dial to "dry."" "You really don't know how easy and fast ironing can be until you own this wonderful new Westinghouse open-handle steam or dry iron." "It's now only $17.95." "See it at your dealer tomorrow." "And remember..." "[ Dramatic music plays ]" "ANNOUNCER:" "We return now to Westinghouse Studio One and "An Almanac of Liberty."" "WOMAN:" "When you hear the tone, the time will be 10:24 exactly." "[ Tone sounds ] 10:24 exactly." "It can't be." "I came in here at 10:24." "I set my watch by the radio this morning." "George, did you hear me?" "It's the watch you gave me." "I set it by the radio!" "Call again, Horace." "Phil, what is it?" "The rain." "The blackness." "All morning it's like I'm walking in a dream." "You know what I mean?" "Yes." "I know." "Call again!" "Take it easy, George." "Give me the telephone." "You can't get it calling once." "Give it to me!" "There's no sense in getting overexcited, Mr. Wilkinson." "Don't you ever tell me what to do." "But ever." "WOMAN:" "When you hear the tone, the time will be 10:24 exactly." "[ Tone sounds ]" "Did you hear that?" "Dial the operator." "Did you hear it?" "What kind of craziness is this?" "Take it easy, George." "Dial the operator." "Did you hear it?" "Everything has stopped." "Don't be ridiculous." "No." "I told you before." "Everything has stopped." "I can feel it." "Dial the operator." "What does she say?" "I can't hear." "Quiet, Mrs. Church." "WOMAN:" "Operator." "Hello, operator." "Would you give me the time, please?" "WOMAN:" "When you hear the tone..." "Operator?" "Hello, operator?" "Operator?" "!" "There." "There, did you hear it?" "Everything's stopped." "Just like I said." "Everything has stopped." "I'm getting out of here!" "Cut it out!" "Cut it out!" "Get ahold of yourself." "What are you trying to do?" "We've got kids in here." "Now, calm down." "Phil, this is something I don't understand." "What did we do?" "What did we do?" "I don't know." "MIKEY:" "Look at that!" "Huh?" "Mr. Busby." "He's standing there like a statue!" "Yeah, it's Al Busby right enough." "Look at him." "Half in and half out of the pickup truck." "He's not moving." "Let me in there." "Let me in there." "Al!" "Al Busby!" "Listen!" "Al Busby!" "Rain beats in his face." "He doesn't even blink." "Just stands there, frozen." "Just like I said." "Everything has stopped, Matty." "Time is standing still." "I told you before, Matty." "Matty?" "Matty, didn't you hear?" "I told you before." "I want to go home." "All right." "Come on." "Sit down." "Take it easy." "I mean, it's stopped." "MIKEY:" "Why?" "Shh." "Quiet, Mike." "MIKEY:" "No." "No kidding " " Why?" "We don't know why, Mikey." "[ Thunder crashes ]" "I didn't want to come here." "I didn't have to come." "Might as well stay here." "What are we going to do?" "I don't think there's anything we can do except talk, maybe." "People never seem to get much of a chance to talk to each other anymore." "We're prisoners here." "Time has stopped for everyone but us." "If we knew why " "Look, will you shut your mouth?" "Maybe you can understand a thing like this." "Maybe you know what's going to happen to us." "If you could explain..." "I can't either." "I guess none of us can." "Perhaps I can ask you a question." "I don't know any of you here." "Why did you want to hurt me?" "You hit me in the face." "I never saw you before in my life." "Why did you do it?" "You know why." "The things you said." "Things no good American ought to say." "MAN:" "That's right, Hank!" "I ain't ashamed for hitting you." "I'd do it again." "What things did you hear me say?" "Oh, don't start giving me any of that." "Mr. Wilkinson told me plenty." "He heard you say that " "Mr." "Wilkinson?" "Yeah." "What do you want?" "What was it I said that offended you?" "You really want to know?" "Everything about you offends me." "You're a troublemaker." "You talk too much." "I don't like strangers." "And particularly I don't like strangers that criticize and disagree." "Is that why I was attacked?" "You bet it is." "Listen, folks, there's an element creeping in our town that's no good." "They criticize everything." "They have radical ideas and infect good, honest people with them." "Believe me, we got to watch it." "Now, that's all I can tell you." "Now, listen, mister, I'm warning you." "Excuse me." "Just a minute." "I'm not finished yet!" "Maybe you shouldn't finish." "Phil..." "Talk to a man the way you did?" "Who gave you the right?" "What's the matter with you?" "That's Mr. Wilkinson." "There." "You see?" "You see what I mean, folks?" "That is our tailor." "You see what's creeping into our town?" "Believe me, we've got to watch it." "I'm begging you." "We've got a store here." "He comes in " " Mr. Wilkinson." "There is an example." "That is the element, folks." "Look who he's defending." "And you know what he is?" "What I am?" "Maybe you've got a definition." "I'm a tailor, and I'm a man." "What else?" "Tell me." "Listen, Mr. Wilkinson," "I don't like anyone to tell me that I'm an "element."" "I may press your pants, but we are both the same." "Me and you." "We were born the same way, and we'll die the same way." "And in between, we've got a right to be respected, me as well as you." "Him as well as both us us." "Don't you forget it." "MAN:" "The nerve that guy has." "GEORGE:" "Huh." "Did you hear?" "Did you hear him, Ted?" "Yes, sir." "Harmon, the man's out of his mind, obviously." "Sam, look." "Look at this other fellow here." "Thank you." "Walks right over to his little friend, see?" "Oh, look, folks." "Listen." "Did it ever occur to any of us here to find out who this man really is -- I mean what he actually is?" "Did it?" "Perhaps the police here " "George." "Haven't you said enough?" "No, Matty." "I haven't said half enough." "You're making a fool of yourself." "That is my wife." "That is my lovely wife." "Matty, did you hear what that man just said to me?" "I heard." "It's still 10:24." "When do you think it'll be 10:25?" "What's going to happen to us?" "We'll die!" "No, no, no, Matty." "No, no, no, no." "[ Thunder crashes ]" "Its him!" "That man!" "It's him, sure as we're all sitting here waiting to die." "He's a peculiar man, do you hear me?" "A peculiar man." "Look into his face." "It's his doing." "I can feel it." "The lightning and the thunder." "The midnight when God in heaven knows it ought to be noon." "I tell you, he brought us here." "Each and every one of us." "Mary, behave yourself." "He snapped his fingers and he rolled his eyes, and we trooped in here like flock of lambs led to the slaughter!" "NEARY:" "Stop it, or I'm gonna slap you one." "The devil sits in this room!" "Mary, you'll be getting yourself a stroke or something." "Sit down." "Sit down." "[ Crying, muttering ]" "I don't know what's come over this woman." "Most of the time, she's quiet." "Maybe she's not so wrong." "Who is that guy?" "That's right." "What's his name?" "His name is John Carter." "What's on your mind, Harmon?" "How do we know his name is John Carter?" "He acts strange, like Mrs. Church says." "I don't like the looks of him." "Maybe the old woman knows what she's talking about." "What are you saying?" "He's the only one sat here in his seat when we were all leaving, like he knew we'd never get out." "That's right!" "But wait a minute." "TED:" "What do you mean, wait a minute?" "I tell you, men, I'm gonna search him, find out who he really is." "That name John Carter's a phony if I ever heard one." "Come here!" "Get your hands off him!" "Well, now I've seen it." "A disgusting sight." "Now, just a minute, Mr. Phillips." "Call me Ben!" "Maybe you'll understand me better." "Look around you, Harmon." "Do you see any trees?" "Brother, this is no jungle." "This is your town hall." "And you're supposed to be a human being in it." "What are you afraid of, Harmon?" "Dying?" "Listen, Harmon, if you die, he dies too." "He's the same as you." "And while you're alive, you're gonna respect his rights." "Did you ever hear of that word?" "Rights?" "Nobody's gonna search this man." "He's not guilty of any crime, and he hasn't committed any crime." "And what he has in his pockets and in his head are his own." "So you can sit down and cry and bite your nails if you want to, but don't touch this man." "He's afraid too." "And so am I." "[ Indistinct talking ]" "HANK:" "You gonna let him get away with that, Mr. Sweetser?" "[ Thunder crashes ]" "Let me tell you something, Ben Phillips." "Maybe you can talk these boys back into their seats, but you're not gonna buffalo me." "You've been shooting your mouth off in this town long enough, and I'm sick of it!" "MAN:" "Brother, you can say that again!" "You've been up there defending a dangerous man." "I say it's just like you to do it." "It goes with that rabble-rousing trash you're printing in your newspaper." "You're a radical, Ben Phillips, and I say you shouldn't be allowed to print the stuff you run." "And if we ever get out of here, you're not going to print it!" "I'll see to it that the good people of this town strike you proper, Mr. Phillips." "We'll get a committee that'll " "Listen, I don't think you ought to." "Ought to what?" "Well, I think you're wrong." "I mean, what's printed in the newspaper is supposed to be the truth." "I'll give you a smack." "Sit down in your seat, mister!" "No." "Billy, what are you doing?" "I'll smack you in a minute!" "Everyone else is talking." "Why can't I say something?" "Every man can speak his mind." "Isn't that right, Mr. Sweetser?" "BILLY:" "Okay." "You know wherever they don't allow the newspapers to print the stuff they want to print, why, that country ends up by going down the drain." "I can prove it to you six different ways." "That's why we have freedom of the press around here." "I mean, listen, if that's just phony stuff from a book, then what am I wasting my time studying it for?" "But if it's real, then maybe we ought to remember it." "I don't know." "You're always talking about freedom when you got a speech to make." "What's the matter, Dad?" "Don't you believe in anything you say?" "Honest, I'm ashamed a little." "Billy..." "I don't know about you, Sweetser, but if that was any kid of mine," "I wouldn't waste my time talking." "I'd take a cat-o'-nine-tail to him so fast, it'd make his head spin." "Talking to his father like that." "That what you teach in your school?" "Sam Hunt, you stay out of it." "Be quiet!" "Well?" "What about it, Falion?" "Is that your idea of what a good education means?" "Why don't you teach the kids some respect for their folks?" "They're supposed to learn that at home, Mr. Hunt." "Ha!" "There's smart answer for you." "Listen, Mr. Principal, I've seen these kids of yours around town." "I've heard them talk." "I tell you, it's enough to touch to a decent citizen sometimes, with their carping and their criticizing." "They're even talking politics!" "Somebody ought to smack them down." "And while they're doing it, they ought to run a thresher through that school." "Mr." "Hunt " "Don't interrupt me!" "Letting kids like that read the stuff they've got there in these times." "Yes, I've seen some of the books." "They ought to be carted out and burned." "These kids are being exposed to foreign ideas." "And nobody tells them they're bad ideas!" "Is that your idea of teaching them to be good 100% American?" "Are you through?" "Yes, I'm through." "Now let's hear the double-talk." "No double-talk!" "Sympathy." "I'm sorry for you and people like you who speak out in favor of fear and ignorance." "I'm sorry for you because you're afraid." "I'm not afraid to punch your head in!" "Stop it!" "Now, you've had your say." "Now shut up and listen." "You're not alone, Mr. Hunt." "There are many people like you who are afraid." "That's an unfortunate thing because this is the first time in 175 years that we have been afraid." "But fear is among us now, and it's nagging at us to burn the alien books." "I ask you why." "What have we to be afraid of?" "You yourself said that our democracy was the greatest system in history." "Well, can books overthrow it?" "Can knowledge destroy it?" "Can curiosity wreck it?" "Because if it can, then we're a dying race and freedom is an empty word." "But if it's strong -- and I know it's strong -- then I'll let those kids read every book they want to read." "And I'll discuss with them and trust them to pick out the best ideas because that's what freedom is!" "Now, let's understand one another." "Nobody makes me tell those kids there's anything anywhere that they cannot know." "'Cause I believe in what we've got, and you don't." "SAM:" "Hmph!" "If we had a child," "I'd be proud to send him to your school, Mr. Falion." "Likewise." "Well, I've heard rabble-rousing speeches in my time " "Horace, stop it." "[ Thunder crashes ]" "I've got a feeling that maybe there's a reason why we're here like this." "Maybe she's right." "Maybe we've done something." "All right, what have we done, Mr. Bleeding Heart?" "I'll confess to it!" "I'll yell it out loud for you!" "We beat up an innocent man." "Innocent?" "Why, Ben Phillips, that man belongs in jail, and you know it." "Then why don't you accuse him of a crime and let him face you?" "Why don't you see that he has counsel?" "Why doesn't he hear the charges against him?" "And why don't you see that he has a trial by jury?" "What country are you living in, Mr. Wilkinson?" "All right." "You go right ahead and dispense justice." "But it's still 10:24, we are still here, and he got us here." "All right?" "I'll let him face me with that, if he can." "Yes." "I say it again." "You got us here." "Now, what have you got to say to that?" "No one got you here." "You came of your own free will." "Don't you remember?" "And that is a lie." "Why are you so afraid?" "I'm not afraid!" "MATTY:" "George!" "[ Telephone ringing ]" "ANNOUNCER:" "And now let's pause for a moment and turn to our Westinghouse program and Betty Furness again." "FURNESS:" "Looks like that turkey's just too big to stuff into that old, cramped refrigerator of hers." "Well, that's apt to happen." "Your first home, a small family, and you buy a small refrigerator." "But the first thing you know, your family's grown but your refrigerator hasn't." "So why don't you get a refrigerator to fit your family?" "Turn in that old, cramped refrigerator on this brand-new, great big two-door Westinghouse." "Just look at all that room." "It's ideal for the family that really likes to eat." "And you'll see there's no trouble at all getting this huge 25-pound Thanksgiving turkey right in there." "What's more, this big, family-sized Westinghouse gives you a special place and a special cold for every kind of food." "I bet you're using more frozen foods than you used to." "Well, then this separate freezer is just made for you because it keeps 77 pounds of frozen food safely, firmly frozen." "And this exclusive meat keeper keeps 18 pounds of fresh meat days longer." "There's plenty of room in these handy rollout shelves and the two big vegetable humidrawers." "Then, over on the door, there's a special place for a dozen eggs, for cheese, snacks, a butter keeper, and even a bin for fresh fruit." "And what's more, this wonderful Westinghouse freezer/refrigerator does away with defrosting forever." "In fact, it's the only fully automatic two-door refrigerator made today." "It's completely frost-free." "You never have to defrost the freezer, and you never have to defrost the refrigerator." "Just imagine having this big separate freezer and this big separate refrigerator with the holidays coming on." "Isn't it just the kind of refrigerator you've been wanting for your family?" "What a wonderful Christmas gift it would make for the whole family." "A gift for a lifetime." "Go and see this and the other wonderful Westinghouse refrigerator values with big trade-ins and easy, easy terms at your dealer now." "And remember..." "[ Dramatic music plays ]" "ANNOUNCER:" "We return now to Westinghouse Studio One and "An Almanac of Liberty."" "[ Telephone ringing ]" "Hello?" "WOMAN:" "Now, let me tell you something," "Mr. Whatever Your Name Is!" "This had just better be the right extension." "They've been switching me all over this building, but all over it." "I mean, how difficult can it be to find out where to get a dog license?" "Hello?" "Who was it?" "It was a woman." "I don't understand." "What did she say?" "She called before." "A minute before everyone started to come in here." "This was the same call." "What are you talking about?" "The same call." "Exactly the same call." "It was like she was making it for the first time." "[ Screams ] Look at the clock!" "NEARY: 10:23." "GEORGE:" "No." "That's impossible." "MAN:" "My watch says 10:23." "Well, so does mine." "What is this?" "Start your watch." "I can't." "Start it!" "Start it!" "I'm trying!" "Do you hear me?" "[ Gasps ]" "What do we do?" "Where do we go, Ted?" "Well, don't you hear me?" "[ Weeping ]" "Originally, I picked up the phone at 10:23." "MAN:" "No, look, look." "This just can't be." "We're all going out of our minds or something." "WOMAN:" "When you hear the tone, the time will be 10:23 exactly." "[ Tone sounds ]" "I didn't hear." "What was it?" "I didn't hear." "It's gone back a minute." "It's 10:23." "It can't." "I wasn't even here at 10:23." "I was down the street." "MIKEY:" "Look!" "Mr. Busby's gone!" "MAN:" "What?" "[ Thunder crashes ]" "What's happening?" "I see him." "Up towards Elm." "His truck is stopped in the middle of the block." "He's frozen at the wheel." "He was here before, right in front of the window." "He hasn't gotten here yet." "What is it?" "In heaven's name, what has happened?" "Well, I guess time has moved backwards a minute." "And then it stopped again for everyone else but us." "We're here talking, but for everyone else, there's nothing." "But why?" "Why has it happened?" "I don't know." "It happened just as we hit that man." "We didn't hit him!" "George did!" "George is the same as all of us, Ottilie." "We struck a man without any reason." "That's a step backward." "What are you talking about?" "!" "I don't know, but I think maybe I can see it now." "A man looses a fraction of his freedom each time he's attacked like that, and so do we." "And when we try to trample down freedoms that have taken centuries to establish, it's like time is moving backward instead of forward." "I think that maybe what's " "OTTILIE:" "Stop it!" "That's insanity." "You keep making up these fantastic things." "It's not our fault." "It's not!" "Horace?" "Horace, do something." "Look at me." "I can't stand much more of this." "BILLY:" "Take it easy, Mom." "If someone has a better understanding, please let him speak up." "[ Thunder crashes ]" "All right." "I don't pretend to understand this, and I'm not gonna try." "I don't know what he's got to do with it, but it's something." "Don't be a fool, Mr. Sweetser." "We're going to throw him out of here if we have to break his neck." "[ Indistinct shouting ]" "You can't do that!" "Don't you see?" "This is our problem, not his." "We can't get rid of it by punishing him." "Don't tell me that!" "I'm not gonna listen to you." "All right, men." "Come on, now." "Let's do it." "All right." "What are we waiting for?" "Hank!" "Come on!" "Ted!" "Come on!" "Hank, boy, on your feet!" "We're all together in this." "Hank, do as I tell you." "Follow me." "Go away, Mr. Sweetser." "Harmon." "Harmon, come on." "This is the answer." "We'll nail him to the wall, boy, and this thing will be over." "Now just don't stand there." "You don't have to think." "Just follow me." "Ted." "Ted, you're with me, aren't you?" "Oh, I don't know, Mr. Sweetser." "Well, are you or aren't you?" "Answer me." "Answer me!" "No, Mr. Sweetser." "I'm not." "All right." "I don't need you!" "Do you hear that?" "!" "I don't need you!" "Sam." "Sam, listen." "We can stop this thing right away if..." "Who's with me in this?" "We've got to do this!" "Look at the clock on the wall and you'll know why." "We got to get this man!" "Now..." "Now, there's me, and there's George Wilkinson." "Who else?" "OTTILIE:" "Horace!" "I said "Who else?"" "All right, George." "Come on." "MATTY:" "No!" "You leave him alone." "George, do you hear me?" "Yeah, Horace, I hear you." "Then come on." "Wait a minute." "Listen, Horace." "I think trying to " "You think what?" "Oh, don't mumble, George." "Talk to me!" "Do you want to help me in this or don't you?" "!" "I guess I don't." "Okay!" "He didn't do anything." "He was alone." "It's a very strange thing." "Very." "Phil, why are we here?" "I don't know." "There must be a reason." "Things like this don't happen without a reason." "Is it a dream, George?" "No, Matty." "It's no dream." "MRS. NATHAN:" "It must be something." "It has to be something." "I say God help us." "What is it, Ben?" "All of us here together." "Maybe it's the day." "I don't understand, Ben." "Why today?" "What day is this?" "It's Saturday." "A Saturday in December." "What's the date?" "Oh, December 15th." "Tomorrow..." "Tomorrow I'm gonna be 9." "That's how I know." "December 15th." "Is that a special day?" "Who knows." "What do you mean by special?" "Did something happen on December 15th?" "Maybe that's it." "Maybe something happened on this day." "At 10:24?" "At 10:24 A.M." "Maybe we did something wrong on this day, Ben." "Maybe it's a day on which we did something right, something good." "December 15th 1789." "What's that?" "December 15, 1789." "The Bill of Rights approved by Congress on this day." "I remember that 'cause I was in Mr. Falion's class." "The Bill of Rights." "Are you sure?" "BILLY:" "Well, I got an "A."" "What's the Bill of Rights got to do with us?" "We attacked a man for speaking his mind." "MAN:" "No, but he said evil and dangerous things." "No, he only said unpopular things." "And it's his right to say them." "What's happened to us?" "Where have our freedoms gone?" "This country was born free out of the blood of the oppressed." "They wrote our Bill of Rights." "Who in this room knows what it says?" "Freedom of speech, it says." "And freedom of the press." "And freedom of religion guaranteed to everyone." "Guaranteed." "What else?" "Speak up, or hold your tongue and be ashamed." ""Every man is secure in his person, his home, and his effects against search without cause or without sworn warrant."" "Right!" "And there's more." ""The people can assemble peaceably for any purpose whatsoever."" "Go on!" "Let's hear it loud!" ""You can't take away what a man owns without just compensation."" "And how, they can't!" ""No man can be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law."" "Life, liberty, or property." "You said it, brother!" "What else?" ""No man can be compelled to testify against himself."" "No man, no matter what." "Come on!" "Let's speak out." "You can't try a man twice for the same crime, right?" "Right!" "They can't!" "And that's not all." "Let's shout it out." "They got to let a man face his accuser." "And they've got to tell you what you're being tried for." ""Every accused man must have a lawyer to defend him."" "That's a must." "And a fast trial by jury." "And a fast trial by jury." "No excessive bail and no excessive fines." "And no man has to submit to cruel and inhuman punishment." "No man, Mr. Wilkinson." "No man." "Those are our rights, bought and paid for with the bones of our fathers." "Do you hear me?" "They're what make us free." "They're what make us strong." "They're what make us men." "As long as we've got those rights, we don't have to be afraid." "But when we start destroying liberty in the name of liberty, then we'd better run and hide -- each man from his neighbor and each father from his son -- because no one will be safe and no one will be free." "We've got this Bill of Rights." "It's written in blood and pain on a little scrap of paper." "Don't let anyone destroy it." "Not anyone." "Now, hear what I tell you." "Pledge your lives and your fortunes and your sacred honor to let every man, woman, and child walk erect and free until the day they die because that's our right." "And if we stand firm then it's indestructible." "I pledge..." "[ Woman gasps ]" "[ Clock ticking ]" "[ Horn honking ]" "Hey, I'll race you to the corner!" "[ Dramatic music plays ]" "[ Chorus singing ]" "ANNOUNCER:" "And now Betty Furness wants to ask you to help her." "Won't you help me do the dishes?" "Would you rather wash or dry?" "The rest of the family's having fun in the living room, but there's always the dishes to be done." "Well, you can join right in the family fun because there's no washing or drying dishes ever again when you own this wonderful" "Westinghouse automatic dishwasher." "What's more, it gets the dishes a lot cleaner than you possibly could because the water is especially heated by the dishwasher." "A new thermostat control assures a temperature so hot that your hands couldn't possibly stand it." "And that also means that all common disease germs are destroyed." "Now, this you'll hardly believe." "Right now, in most areas, your dealer will install a Westinghouse dishwasher absolutely free." "That's right." "You get a free installation under normal condition." "Now, there are four other" "Westinghouse models to choose from, including a portable dishwasher." "So get one and free yourself from that most tiresome daily task." "And remember..." "( Slow instrumental playing )" "ANNOUNCER:" "This is the song that leads three people to each other -- a disk jockey... a girl... and a killer." "( Music stops )" "Tune in in next Monday when Studio One presents..." "And introducing the song, "Let Me Go, Lover,"" "especially written for Studio One." "[ Dramatic music plays ]" "Westinghouse Studio One has been selected for viewing by America's armed forces overseas." "This is Paul Brenson saying good night for Westinghouse, who have made more than 40 million products for the American home." "And reminding you that Wednesday night, November 10th, on most of these same CBS stations," "Westinghouse presents "The Best of Broadway."" "Ethel Merman stars in the famous Broadway musical-comedy hit" ""Panama Hattie," with music by Cole Porter." "Also starring Art Carney, Ray Middleton, and Jack E. Leonard." "That's Wednesday, November 10th, on Westinghouse "Best of Broadway."" "Studio One originated live from New York City."