Patti page! So let's give her...
♪ You are my special angel ♪
♪ Sent from up above ♪
Mom? Dad? I'm home.
Aaahh!
Good morning.
'Morning.
Now, I know
That many of you are not that interested in entomology 23a.
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 23a, beats me.
I've suggested, "introduction to bugs."
"Meeting the little creatures."
Anything but entomology 23a.
But one thing is sure, by the time you've finished this course,
You will know that man is just one species in this world,
In the universe.
And we're gonna 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
That do things you 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, Louie.
Hungry?
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.
Ugh.
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 gotta go back.
Sorry about your mother.
I know I never met her, but I'm sorry.
You look real good.
I was in the islands for 2 weeks.
The Bahamas.
Good-Bye, Charles.
Take good care of Elizabeth.
Sure.
Phalangium Opilio.
Daddy Longlegs.
Tropisternus lateralis.
Uh, 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, you're 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!
One time, it went on like this for two weeks!
If you'd like to try back later...
Thanks.
Hi, Morgan.
Hello, Elizabeth.
Hi, Morgan. Hello, sir.
Ah, just make sure she gets to school on time.
Certainly.
And tell my mother I'll call in a couple of days.
Of course, sir.
Bye, honey.
Don't worry.
Bye, daddy!
Quiet!
Take it easy.
Sit. Stay.
Yes? Howdy. You want a room?
Yeah.
That'll be $7 a night.
$7?
Mm-Hmm.
No, please.
Cash only.
Out of $10.
I'm here looking for the Newmans.
Newman? My name is 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, mister...
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.
Her mother just passed away. Alma Newman?
No, I uh...
I know all the Newmans in, uh, 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.
Ah, come on.
What's the matter with you, anyway?
You all right?
Listen, I gotta go look around. You stay here for a while.
No. Stay.
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 some time.
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.
Louie!
Shouldn't have brought the dog in the first place.
Louie! Louie!
Yo.
Fuel pump. Take a couple of hours.
2 hours?
Half an hour.
I'll wait over there.
♪ I don't have... ♪
♪ I don't have anything ♪
♪ Since I don't... ♪
Just coffee.
Nothing to eat?
Coffee.
♪ I don't have anything ♪
♪ Since I don't have you ♪
My dog is gone.
♪ I don't have happiness ♪
Anybody seen a dog around?
♪ When you walked out on me ♪
♪ In walked your memory ♪
Brown husky?
♪ And I don't have... ♪
Guess not.
♪ I don't have anything ♪
♪ Since I don't... ♪
Nice car.
You wanna tell me what happened?
Well...
maybe you'll think of something on the way.
No.
Use the key.
Yes. Could I have a blt? Room 2121.
Marie Farell, move right up on stage
And we'll get carol to come up with you over here.
And we'll make a deal.
Stand over here, on my right-Hand side.
Right over here.
Where ya from, Marie?
... Huntington beach, California.
Room service.
Room service?
I'll just leave it on the table, sir.
Ahh!
We've arrived in New York, sir.
Did you have a nice trip?
Yeah. Great.
Hello.
Hello?
Ah, mother, it's me. Have you heard from Margaret?
No. No, is everything all right? Didn't you find her?
No. Ah, how's Elizabeth?
Oh,
She's fine. She's still sleeping.
It's awfully early.
Yes, I know. L-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, ah, 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.
Ah no, the boundaries of the universe,
And 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 the 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 your apartment and see a movie.
Charles, you never surprise me.
Thanks, Henry.
Believe me, Margaret will call.
Mrs. Benjamin.
Ah, this is Charles Bigelow.
Dr. Hollister gave me this number.
Yes?
I saw something.
Well, come on in. I'm on the 8th floor.
Okay.
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?
4 years.
What happened? Why did you get divorced?
Ah...
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.
Look at them and tell me if you see anything that reminds you
Of the creature you saw last night on the road.
No.
I'm sorry, Mr. Bigelow.
It's 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 a-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 Cribben.
World's tallest woman basketball player.
She was in training.
Then there was this, ah, 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 the Pulitzer prize committee, right?
Well, what can I do for you?
Do you have a cigarette, by any chance?
Ah, no, 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.
Mr., Ah, 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.
Ah, 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 passe.
Finished?
All right.
It fired at me. It was like a-A laser beam.
It struck my car. It was 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... 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, fellas.
Hello. Avon calling.
You're new wave, right?
Uh, pardon me?
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?
Uh, I'm sorry. I don't understand.
Well, then let me put it this way... I don't want any!
Oh, but, uh, please if you'd...
if you would just let me familiarize you with some of our miraculous products,
It could change your life.
Well...
not today.
Are you all right?
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.
What a lovely apartment.
Thank you. The bathroom's over there.
Just around the corner.
Thank you.
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-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?
Ahh!
Tim?
What?
You know, I... I think there was a letter that came with this photograph.
So?
Well, could you find it?
With this filing system?
Come on, Tim.
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?
I thought we should have that drink.
She said she was an Avon lady, for Christ's sake!
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 gonna be ready.
You know what I think?
Yeah, I know and I don't want to hear it.
It's just too creepy.
Listen to me!
I think they followed me and 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.
Only let's not tell anybody, you know what I mean?
Let's just forget it.
I mean, I don't wanna wal... Walk around saying
There was a... An alien in my apartment who gobbled up my super.
It sounds ridiculous.
I wanna forget it. I wanna go away for a long vacation and...
oh, god, I want some dinner.
All right!
This guy's amazing.
Look at this!
Incredible.
He's great.
I don't believe it.
He's not even looking at it! He's hot!
Don't quit! Hot.
Riverside drive, please.
Hey man, you can't quit! Hey, I wanna play!
I don't dance.
What do you mean, you don't dance? Everybody dances!
This is quaint, too.
Who's your decorator?
Well, do you want a beer, or, ah, 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, ah, he belongs in that jar right there.
I just haven't been able to catch him 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've you been for the last week and a half?
I've gotta talk to you!
Ah, 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.
What's the matter? I'm not!
Why don't you check the dictionary under W-I-F-E?
We're divorced.
Uh-Huh, sure!
Where're 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 the way.
The way I wanted to live.
And when it didn't work out with you and me,
There was still Elizabeth.
But now, Charles, now... Now is the important time.
Now, they want Elizabeth, too.
You've got to get to her!
You've gotta hide her for the next couple of days.
Until 9:00 on Sunday night.
I shot one!
A-A-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, 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 in dealing with them!
Don't give us that! Now, answer us!
Charlie! Who is this?
This is the government woman I told you about.
Hello, I'm betty walker.
Oh, 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.
Charlie!
They took her!
Bigelow, wait! Let's go.
Get them.
Aw, shit!
Put out an apb for the bridges and the airports.
What about the trains?
Nobody takes the train anymore!
Gate 27. Have a nice trip.
His name is Willie Collins.
What?
The guy who sent the photograph!
Oh... Oh.
Chicago! All aboard!
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?
Mm-Hmm.
Where'd you meet her, Charlie?
Cape Canaveral?
No, uh. Ah, I met her in a bookstore.
Scribner's bookstore.
Charlie? Mm-Hmm.
Can I ask you the obvious question?
What?
Didn't you know she was... 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, that was a, uh, talent she kept to herself.
This is it, Charlie.
It looks like some kind of hospital.
It's an asylum.
Dr. Gulch, dr. F.D. Gulch, please call 261.
Dr. Stegman, dr. Wiley Stegman, 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.
You've come to see what kind of lunatic writes things like this, hm?
Interview the madman?
Well, I've had a lot of visitors like you through the years.
It stops being amusing after a while.
It might be better...
Look, they took my daughter.
Come with me.
They killed my family.
Sit down, please.
I was a young man then.
I'd just set myself up in business.
I had a family. Just like most folks.
You can smoke here.
We were on vacation.
The first one we took since the kids were born.
We drove across the country.
Wanted to see America.
So one day, we're driving along.
We must've been in the car since about 6:00 a.m.
My wife's complaining and 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've gone over this a million times in my mind.
Why didn't I just go to sleep?
I don't know.
It was probably all that driving.
Anyway. I felt jittery. I 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.
It was coming from behind the altar.
There was an open door that led underground.
So I went down.
Alice?
Daddy!
Aahh!
Aaahh!
Argh!
Daddy.
Willie.
Daddy.
Willie.
Daddy.
I never saw them again.
I went home, tried to get some help.
You can guess what that was like.
My friends thought I'd become a serious crackpot.
Everyone else thought I was a mad killer
Who'd be hanged as soon as they could find the bodies.
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.
Dr. Pendergarten, 2027 east.
Dr. Thomas Pendergarten, 2027 east, please.
I guess I got somebody worried though,
Because they started following me.
I'd come home at night
And it felt like people had been in my house.
It was like they were playing a game with me.
So,
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.
Nurse?
Will you come here, please?
This man has been to Centerville.
He's seen the aliens.
Ah! That's right, Willie!
Visiting hours are almost over.
I'm going there right now.
I'll take him from here.
Say good-Bye 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!
Are 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 co-Eds!
I'm just a simple working girl,
Who's been making 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.
Unh.
Ahhh! Aw, shi...
You got a light? Hmm?
Never mind, never mind.
You're gonna need some help.
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've come to.
Probably millions of light years away, huh?
Oh, shit.
Sorry sir, no one is allowed beyond this point.
Bigelow? 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 shoot 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!
Back!
Get away! Get back!
Hold your fire!
Charlie.
As soon as you have the girl, I'll be there.
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!
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! Here we come.
Willie, please!
No, no, betty! Get back! 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.
Or don't you people understand English?
No! Willie, no!
Uh-Ugh!
Ahh!
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?
Please remain calm.
Betty?
There's no need to be afraid.
We're here to help you.
Well? Save me!
Are you ready?
How'd you get up there?
Don't ask.
She'll be back.