You are my special angel
- Special angel - Special angel
Sent from up above...
- Above - Above
Mom, Dad, I'm home.
- How you doing? - Fine. Hi, how are you?
- Good morning. - Good morning.
Now, I know many of you are not that interested in Entomology 23-A.
Neither was I when I first started.
You're probably taking it because it happens to meet the science requirement
of this great liberal arts university
or because it meets at a convenient time of the day.
Why they call it 23-A beats me.
I've suggested "Introduction to bugs..."
"Meeting the little creatures..."
Anything but Entomology 23-A.
But one thing is sure.
By the time you finish this course,
you will know that man is just one species in this world...
In the universe...
And we're going to meet some of the others.
Some of them are quite spectacular in their abilities,
appearance, talents, and longevity.
We're going to meet some creatures who do things you've never dreamed possible.
Really.
Well, we have to start somewhere, so, lights...
Camera.
I offer you the ephemeroptera.
Hello?
Who is this?
Elizabeth.
Is your mother in? May I speak with her?
She's out right now.
Okay, thank you. I'll call back.
Hi, Louis.
You hungry?
All right.
Come on.
Charlie, you left the door unlocked again.
Very dangerous.
I know it. I know it.
He drinks beer with his dinner now.
We going to the movies?
Yeah, we could.
Will you get it?
Thanks.
May I ask who's calling?
His ex-wife and his daughter.
Please come in.
Daddy! Daddy!
Hi, Elizabeth. How's my little girl?
- Fine. - That's great.
What happened?
I have to go to Centerville for a few days.
I have to leave Elizabeth with you.
Sure. It's all right.
What happened?
My mother died.
I've got to go back.
Up! Up!
Sorry about your mother.
I know I never met her, but I'm sorry.
You look real good.
I was in the islands for two weeks. The Bahamas.
Goodbye, Charles.
Take good care of Elizabeth.
Sure.
Phalangida opilione.
Daddy-longlegs.
Tropisternus lateralis.
That's a dry beetle.
Water beetle.
Oh, oh.
Oops.
Close.
Yeah.
I can't understand why we haven't been able to reach mother for the last four days.
I keep thinking we're gonna hear from her.
What do you want for dessert?
Ice cream.
Maybe she's not coming back.
Sure she is, honey.
She'll be back.
Operator, are you sure there's no way to get through?
I'm sorry, sir. All the lines for Centerville are down.
You'll have to try later.
But I've been trying this number for days now.
The West Side has been off like this for two weeks.
If you'd like to try back later...
Thanks.
Hi, Morgan.
Hello, Elizabeth.
- Hi, Morgan. - Hello, sir.
Just make sure she gets to school on time.
Certainly, sir.
And tell my mother I'll call her in a couple of days.
Of course, sir.
Bye, honey.
Don't worry.
Bye, Daddy.
Be quiet.
Take it easy.
Sit. Stay.
Howdy. You want a room?
Yes.
That will be 7 bucks a night.
7 bucks?
Mmm-hmm.
Oh, please, cash only.
Out of 10.
I'm here looking for the Newmans.
Newman? My name's Newman.
Arthur Newman.
Oh, maybe you know my wife Margaret.
Your wife?
Margaret Newman?
Yeah.
I'm afraid not.
I'll need your name and address, Mr...
Bigelow.
Well, maybe she left before you got here.
No, I've lived here all my life.
Maybe you've got the wrong town.
I don't think that's possible.
Now, her mother just passed away...
Alma Newman.
No, I've... I know all the Newmans in Centerville.
I've never heard of her.
Uh, how long are you planning on staying, Mr. Bigelow?
I'm just gonna look around.
I presume you don't mind.
Oh, no. No.
Is that dog staying, too?
Yes, well, uh, maybe you'd better take the room out back.
Here you go.
And, Mr. Bigelow, please keep that dog locked up.
Oh, come on.
What's the matter with you?
Are you all right?
Listen, I got to go look around.
You stay here for awhile.
No.
Stay.
Uh, let me ask you, do you know if Alma Newman lives around here?
No, sir.
Any of you guys ever hear of the Newmans?
Well, I hear Paul Newman might be dropping by sometime.
That's funny. Real funny.
Hey, Dad, we know our neighbors,
and like we said, nobody by the name of Alma Newman lives here.
I didn't mean to break up all your fun.
Louis?
Louis!
Shouldn't have brought the dog in the first place.
Louis! Louis!
Yo. Fuel pump.
Take a couple hours.
Two hours?
Half an hour.
I'll wait over there.
Just coffee.
Something to eat?
Coffee.
My dog is gone.
Anybody seen a dog around?
A brown husky?
I guess not.
Nice car.
You want to tell me what happened?
Well, maybe you'll think of something on the way.
No.
Use the key.
Yes, could I have a B.L.T.? Room 2121.
Room service.
I'll just leave it on the table, sir.
We've arrived in New York, sir.
Did you have a nice trip?
Yeah, great.
Hello?
Mother, it's me.
Have you heard from Margaret?
No.
Is everything all right?
Didn't you find her?
No.
How's Elizabeth?
She's fine.
She's still sleeping.
It's awfully early.
Yes, I know.
I'm sorry.
I'll see you both after class.
Bye.
Charles!
Please, Henry, don't give me a hard time about this.
Some Southern Illinois state trooper
picks me up in the middle of the night on the highway.
The car I'm in has no doors, no trunk.
That's when I need imagination.
You know, Charles, I've been studying the stars
for over 60 years.
When I first came to Columbia,
we didn't even know the existence of some of the planets in our solar system.
Now we travel to them, take snapshots.
No, no, the boundaries of the universe,
the laws that govern the world have changed so much in my time.
But a bug-eyed monster blowing up cars somewhere in the Midwest?
Forget it, Charlie.
It seems to me, Charles, you've got two choices.
I can give you a phone number of a woman I know.
She works for the government.
She listens to all these stories for a living.
Or?
Or you can try and forget the whole thing,
go back to work, later go home, clean the apartment, and see a movie.
Charles, you never surprise me.
Thanks, Henry.
Believe me, Margaret will call.
Mrs. Benjamin.
Uh, this is Charles Bigelow.
Dr. Hollister gave me this number.
Yes?
I saw something.
Well, come on in.
I'm on the eighth floor.
Okay.
Well, this is odd.
According to what we have, no one has lived in that town since 1958,
when it was destroyed by a tornado.
You say your ex-wife comes from that town?
Yes.
How long were you married?
Four years.
What happened? Why did you get divorced?
Uh... I don't think that's any of your business.
All right, Mr. Bigelow. I'm going to show you some drawings.
These are renderings of the most commonly sighted aliens.
I want you to look at them and tell me if you see anything
that reminds you of the creature you saw last night on the road.
No.
Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Bigelow.
Just a little joke we have around here.
Why don't you come with me?
We receive reports of all kinds of phenomena here.
As a scientist, you'll be interested to know
that most of them turn out to have very rational solutions.
Just last year we had, uh, a rash of phone calls
about a 50-foot woman in Oregon.
She only came out at night, running down the highway.
Running and running...
We checked it out.
Andrea Criban, the world's tallest woman basketball player.
She was in training.
Then there was this small town in Louisiana,
where it rained on the same 10-block...
Look, I didn't say it was raining in Centerville.
Mr. Bigelow, if there was something out there,
don't you think we'd know about it?
I'll have the marine show you out.
Thanks.
Betty Walker?
Yes?
My name is Charles Bigelow.
I'm a Professor at Columbia.
Columbia? That sounds serious.
You're from a Pulitzer Prize committee, right?
Well, what can I do for you?
Do you have a cigarette, by any chance?
Uh, I quit.
What's on your mind?
- Did you write this article? - Yes, I did, if you can call it that.
Well...
I saw one.
What?
I saw one of these.
Tim, could you come here a minute, please?
I'd like you to hear this.
Mister, uh, Bigelow here
has just seen an alien.
Hi, Mr. Bigelow.
Go on, Mr. Bigelow.
Okay, it was in Illinois, in Centerville.
It was standing on the side of the road.
I drove right past it.
Uh, it looked just like this.
It had these smooth, obsidian eyes.
Wait a minute. Let me guess.
You were hypnotized.
You were taken aboard a flying saucer,
where they placed you on a silver table and examined you.
You even have tiny marks all over your body to prove it.
Look, Mr. Bigelow, we don't pay very much for alien stories anymore.
Two-headed dogs...
That's very big.
Two-headed dogs maybe, but aliens are... passé.
Finished?
Mmm-hmm.
All right. It fired at me.
It was like a laser beam. It struck my car.
Very powerful.
Is that "laser beam"?
I know it sounds ridiculous, but it happened.
All I want to know is, where did this picture come from?
It was just in the file with some old letters.
No one's supposed to believe this stuff.
She made it up.
Well, I won't keep you any longer.
You know, if you're in a hurry, you should have taken the stairs.
It's only 18 stories.
I'm sorry.
You know, we don't get very many visitors around here anymore.
At least, not since the Bigfoot story.
All right, I'm sorry. Here are your glasses.
I know, it wasn't that funny.
Come on, loosen up. I'm trying to be nice.
Don't change your personality just for me.
Oh, that's good. I like that.
Well, now that we're past the awkward getting-to-know-you phase,
let me buy you a drink.
Well, come back tomorrow.
Maybe we can find this photograph.
Hi, Earl. How you doing?
Well, not too well today. My Aunt Mabel died.
Well, you can't criticize her for that.
Oh, you know, Earl, that funny-sounding machine next to the sink
that's supposed to make my garbage disappear?
Uh-huh.
Well, it doesn't!
Well, I guess I'll be up later.
Okay, girls.
Hello. Avon calling.
New wave, right?
Uh, pardon me?
Well, the look. I mean, you're part of a band or something?
Uh, we have many fine products.
Oh, come on. Don't you people do any market research?
I'm sorry, I don't understand.
Well, then, let me put it this way. I don't want any.
Oh, but please, if you would...
If you would just let me familiarize you with some of our miraculous products,
it could change your luck.
Well... Not today.
Are you okay?
It's the heat.
Well, can I get you something to drink?
No. If I could just use your bathroom, my dear...
I guess it's okay.
You have a lovely apartment.
Thank you. The bathroom's over there, just around the corner.
Thank you.
Hello?
Hello? Are you okay?
Is there anything I can do?
Would you like me to call someone?
Jesus, Earl, you scared me.
Well, the door was open.
Look, Earl, I know this is going to sound ridiculous,
but I think a strange woman's locked herself in my bathroom.
Well, Betty, how'd she get in there?
Earl, I let her in.
Well... I'll have a look.
Thanks.
Earl, you know what I was thinking?
Maybe we should call the cops.
Earl?
Miss Walker, could you come with me for a minute?
You know, there's one thing that bothers me.
Normally, when someone's been electrocuted...
There's a body.
Where's the body?
Tim?
What?
You know, I think there was a letter that came with this photograph.
So?
Well, could you find it?
This filing system?
Come on, Tim.
All right, all right, all right.
I'll see what I can do.
Excuse me.
Is there something wrong?
No. I've just been working here too long.
What do you teach, anyway?
Entomology.
Insects.
What do you want?
Thought we should have that drink.
She said she was an Avon lady, for Christ's sakes.
You know, one of those well-scrubbed Midwestern faces...
Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plains.
Hmm, or Illinois.
I know.
Go on.
I let her use my bathroom. That's it.
That's the last I saw of her.
But if I run into her again, I'm going to be ready.
You know what I think?
Yeah, I know what you think, and I don't want to hear it. It's just too creepy.
Listen to me!
I think they followed me.
I led them right to you.
Anyway, you published that photograph.
I wonder what they want.
You know, several times during the last few days, I thought I was going mad.
Nobody wants to hear this.
But I'm a scientist.
I know what I saw.
I just want somebody to believe me.
I believe you, Charlie, I really do.
Although let's not tell anybody, you know what I mean?
Let's just forget it.
I mean, I don't want to walk... Walk around saying
there was an alien in my apartment who gobbled up my supe.
It sounds ridiculous.
I want to forget it.
I want to go away for a long vacation and...
Oh, God, I want some dinner.
All right! That's nice.
Look at this!
Incredible. He's great!
I don't believe it.
He's not even looking at it!
Aw, sure.
Riverside Drive, please.
Hey, I'm going to play.
Hmm?
I don't dance.
What do you mean, you don't dance? Everybody dances.
This is quaint, too. Who's your decorator?
Well, you want a beer or some water or something?
No. A nice, soft chair would be fine.
My God, what was that?
It's not a pet, is it?
I hope it doesn't have a coy name.
No, uh, it belongs in that jar right there.
I just haven't been able to catch it yet.
Please, I can't take any more.
No more surprises, nothing unexpected, please.
I'll be right back.
Who is it?
Charles, it's Margaret. Open up.
Margaret?
What happened to you?
I tried to find you.
Oh, God, I'm so sorry.
Where have you been for the last week and a half?
I've got to talk to you.
Uh, you'll never guess what happened. My wife just returned.
You never told me you were married.
You told me other things, but not that you were married.
I'm not.
Why don't you check the dictionary under W-I-F-E?
We're divorced.
Uh-huh, sure.
Where you going?
Home.
You don't understand.
You're right, I don't.
I'll call you tomorrow... Maybe.
Fine!
Charlie, where is Elizabeth?
She's at my mother's.
Charlie, there's something we have to talk about.
I was supposed to find out how things work here.
But instead I found a way...
The way I wanted to live.
And when it didn't work out with you and me,
there was still Elizabeth.
Now, Charles, now, now is the important time.
Now they want Elizabeth, too.
You've got to get to her.
You've got to hide her for the next couple of days,
until 9:00 on Sunday night.
I shot one.
And it had green blood, and I think they're on their way up here.
Is there any other way out of here?
Just the fire escape.
Well, you hurry. I'll stop them.
Go.
Get in!
Get in, for God's sake!
Now tell me I didn't see anybody in Centerville.
- Tell me nobody's living there! - Mr. Bigelow...
Come on, tell me! Come on.
Well, I can't do that. You know I can't do that.
Come on, tell me. I wanna hear you say it!
You've intruded on a very delicate situation.
Come on, Benjamin.
All right, I will tell you one thing.
We have an agreement with them.
We've known about them for a long time.
They provide us with certain advantages,
and we provide them with a place to live.
But it hasn't been easy!
We haven't had much choice at all.
Don't give us that. They're after us!
Charlie, who is this?
This is the government woman I told you about.
Hello. I'm Betty Walker.
I know who you are, Miss Walker.
Your article has caused us a lot of agony.
You know, these people don't know what a rag your newspaper is.
They actually take it seriously!
I don't know what they'll do next.
Well!
Driver, go to East 63rd Street.
They took her.
- Bigelow, wait! - Let's go.
Get 'em.
Put out an A.P.B. for the bridges and the airports.
What about the trains?
Nobody takes the train anymore.
Gate 27...
His name is Willie Collins.
What?
The guy who sent the photograph.
Oh, oh.
Look, he's in Illinois. Let's go and see him.
Charlie, listen to me. He knows about them.
This is where he is. I'm sure he can help us.
I hope you're right.
Well, she said the deadline was 9:00 p.m. Sunday.
It's 11:00 now.
Whatever it is, we have 34 hours.
They took the train.
I was on a train once.
It wasn't anything like this, of course.
Was that before you met Margaret?
Mmm-hmm.
Where'd you meet her, Charlie?
Cape Canaveral?
No. Uh, I met her in a bookstore...
Scribner's Bookstore.
Charlie?
Hmm?
Can I ask you the obvious question?
What?
Didn't you know she was...
Well, a little strange?
Well, she was difficult to live with, but so am I, and, uh...
She was a good mother. Is a good mother.
And she doesn't have to strike a match to light a stove.
Yeah, well, it was a talent she kept to herself.
This is it, Charlie.
Looks like some kind of hospital.
It's an asylum.
Dr. Milch, Dr. Anthony Milch, please call 261.
Dr. Stayman, Dr. Wally Stayman, please call 46.
He's a permanent patient, east wing.
Permanent?
Willie, you have some visitors.
Say hello.
Mr. Collins, I'm Betty Walker from The National Informer:
Do you remember you wrote us a letter?
Thank you, Nurse.
We just need to talk to you.
Come to see what kind of lunatic writes things like this, huh?
Interview the madman?
No.
I've had a lot of visitors like you through the years.
It stops being amusing after a while. It might be better if...
Look, they took my daughter.
Come with me.
They killed my family.
Sit down, please.
I was a young man then,
had just set myself up in business.
I had a family, just like most folks.
Oh, you can smoke here.
We were on vacation.
First one we took since the kids were born.
We drove across the country.
Wanted to see America.
Then one day, driving along,
must have been in the car since 6:00 in the morning,
my wife's complaining.
She wants me to stop.
The kids were driving her crazy,
like kids will do, making her mad.
Then she sees a town.
It was one of those perfect summer nights.
It was still light out.
There wasn't a soul around.
We saw a rooming house, decided to stop.
I must have gone over this a million times in my mind.
Why didn't I just go to sleep?
I don't know.
It's probably all that driving.
Anyway, I felt jittery.
Went for a walk.
I came to a church.
There was this sound,
very high-pitched.
It was like it was drawing me in.
The sound was coming from behind the altar.
There was an open door that led underground,
so I went down.
Alice!
Daddy!
Aah!
Daddy?
Willie.
Daddy.
Willie.
Daddy?
I never saw them again.
I went home, tried to get some help.
You can probably guess what that was like.
My friends thought I'd become a serious crackpot.
Everybody else thought I was a mad killer
who'd be hanged as soon as they could find the bodies.
Then, then I went to Washington.
I actually thought that they would help.
It was the shortest investigation in history.
Then I got proof.
That photograph.
I sent it everywhere.
It even took your paper 10 years before they printed it.
I guess I got somebody worried, though, because they started following me.
I'd come home at night...
It felt like people had been in the house.
It was like they were playing a game with me.
That's all.
I finally gave up.
This is my way of saying I surrender.
I'm no threat to them here.
I'm no threat to anybody here.
Nurse.
Will you come here, please?
This man has been to Centerville. He's seen the aliens.
That's right, Willie. Visiting hours are almost over.
I'm going there right now.
I'll take him from here.
Say goodbye to your visitors, Willie.
I'll be with you.
I don't know what to think.
A few days ago, my biggest worry was my telephone bill.
Well, don't come along with me, then.
You suggesting I take a room, set up shop in the east wing?
That's a good idea.
Let me explain something to you, Charlie.
You're a professor who devotes a major portion of your day
carving up bugs and flirting with coeds.
I'm just a simple working girl who's been making up stories like this
for The National Informer for years, and I'd very much like to see it.
Can you understand that?
Look, Betty...
I know, I know. Forget it.
You got a light, hmm?
Never mind. Never mind.
You're going to need some help.
Oh.
I'm just the guy who's gonna be able to give it to you.
I've been waiting for this for a long time.
Okay.
There she blows.
Of all the places they could have come to...
Probably millions of light years away, huh?
Oh, shit.
Sorry, sir. No one is allowed beyond this point.
Why is that?
There's been some trouble down the road.
Bigelow, is that you?
Miss Walker's in there too, I presume?
Hi, Mrs. Benjamin.
You two have been more trouble than you will ever know.
You can wait here with us for an hour.
Then it'll all be over.
What'll all be over?
It's all been negotiated, Bigelow.
They came here 25 years ago today,
and now they're leaving.
Don't move!
Are you crazy?
Hold your fire!
Back! I'll kill her. I'll kill her. I mean it.
You can't stop them.
Turn around.
Come on, Willie, come on. Give me that.
Here, take this.
Get in the car.
Don't shoot!
Okay. Come on now.
Back.
Get away!
Back!
Hold your fire!
Charlie...
As soon as you have the girl, I'll be there.
To tell you the truth,
I really don't expect to be seeing the two of you again.
Come on, Willie. We'll see you later.
Let's go.
She does not belong there.
Please let her stay. She's so very happy here.
It's time, Margaret.
Better get her ready.
Daddy! Daddy!
My dear friends, we send our greetings and congratulations.
You have reached the end of a long and arduous project.
When we were ﬁrst commissioned to do our study of this planet and its people,
no one thought we would accomplish so much in such a short period of time.
When the crisis struck, we were given a deadline, and we met it.
Some of you gathered the scientiﬁc information we require,
and others studied and participated in the social structure.
This has proven of great value,
although some of you may have become too involved.
But I'm happy to know you'll all be returning with us.
The information you carry with you will help our leaders to make a ﬁnal decision
as to our future and the future of this planet.
I understand that we have an addition to our group.
What an amazing and unexpected pleasure this news was for us here.
Let the little creature come forward. Let us see.
Little Elizabeth, come forward.
That's right.
Elizabeth! Come here!
Daddy!
Mr. Bigelow, your daughter is about to travel very far away.
It will be very difﬁcult for her to...
Willie!
Willie, hurry up!
Willie!
No, no! Betty! Get back. Get back!
Just give us the girl. We don't want to harm you.
No.
I really don't think you have much choice, ma'am.
Give her to us now.
The lady said no, fella.
Don't you people understand English?
No! No! Willie! No!
Aah!
Now don't you think you'd like to give us the girl?
No.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, Elizabeth.
It is time, Mr. Bigelow.
We are going to leave.
Daddy, I don't want to go!
Neither do I, honey.
Mommy, help us!
For the love of God, Margaret, do something!
Now!
Now, Elizabeth!
Do what Mommy told you now!
Please remain calm.
Everything is under control.
You're out of danger now.
- Betty? Betty! - Please remain calm.
There's no need to be afraid.
We're here to help you.
Well, save me.
Ready?
How'd you get up there?
Don't ask.
She'll be back.