Good evening and welcome to Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
Please excuse me if I speak rapidly.
I have a very short fuse.
Tonight's play is a period piece
which takes place when space travel
was limited to this primitive means.
They say the trip is very comfortable.
It's just the landing that leaves something to be desired.
I shall be in orbit for about 25 minutes,
during which you will be able to watch our play.
I shall see you at its conclusion...
...I trust.
I'd known Owl Creek all my life.
As a boy, I'd learned to swim in it.
As a young man, I'd brought my horses to it to drink.
And now, in this year of 1862, I was to die over it.
Further out. Another foot.
Now that's better. Now tie down the other end.
I'm sorry, Mr. Farquhar, we're not quite ready.
Well, I expect I can wait.
Thank you, Mr. Farquhar.
Today I die. Yet, last night, just 12 hours ago,
I was safe and secure in my own home.
Safe and secure.
You ain't touched your soup.
No. No, I'm not really hungry, Hattie.
You got to eat anyhow.
First thing you know, you won't have strength enough
to get out of bed in the morning.
It isn't any good being here on my own.
I know what it is.
I felt the same way after Josh went.
And I tell you there's only one way to get through it.
You got to make up your mind you're going on.
Just like you always did.
Thank you, Hattie.
Anybody home?
Yes, sir. What can I do for you?
This well of yours looks mighty good. I'm fightin' a powerful dry.
Well, I expect we can fix that.
Where did you get that game leg?
Unless the army gets awful hungry for men.
This your place here? Yeah. 150 acres.
Got a dispatch for General Van Dorn, can't seem to run him down.
Well, you're in the wrong neighborhood. He left here a week ago.
Whole kit and caboodle? Yeah. Headed for Holly Springs, last I heard.
What about the Yankees?
The onliest thing a man can say about them is they ain't heading north,
not if they can help it.
Yeah, they're strung out from luka to Memphis,
every one of 'em's nose is pointed towards Vicksburg.
What about their communications? Railroad.
Yeah, but I heard the railroad was out.
Well, they're fixing it. They got 2,000 men working.
Pushed all the way to Owl Creek Bridge.
Owl Creek Bridge? Why, that's only five miles away.
Yeah, within a week, you're likely to have a whole yard full of them here
pestering you for a drink like me.
Now they ain't gonna get the same kind of service.
Yankees don't need no service. They just help themselves.
Sergeant, suppose someone was to burn down that bridge at Owl Creek?
That'd put 'em out, all right. Likely to hold the move up on Vicksburg
till they got it fixed.
They don't intend on letting anybody do it though.
They got a whole company of men guarding that bridge alone.
Yeah, but suppose someone was to figure a way to get past that company.
Somebody who knew the country.
Now look, mister, you find something else to occupy your mind.
There's a notice nailed on every tree
for a quarter mile around that bridge.
Any civilian caught prowlin' around the railroad
is gonna be hanged on the spot.
Now, you take my advice and stay home
and take care of that bad knee.
No offense, mister. You get out of this scrap with a bad knee,
you're a lucky man.
What all he want?
Hattie, you remember when I was a boy,
you used to take me to the piney woods around Owl Creek.
With Josh.
First, you'd pick me a bunch of wild flowers,
then you and Josh'd go down to the creek to catch crawfish.
There was an old trail that used to lead past the turpentine still.
You remember that, Hattie?
'Course, I do.
It seems to me a man could go up that trail
without ever coming near the road.
And he'd come out of the woods just below the railroad bridge.
Wouldn't he, Hattie? What's goin' on in your head?
Ah, nothing. I just got to wondering if that trail would still be there.
Well, course it is. The field hands from the Connolly place still use it.
Thank you, Hattie.
I wouldn't give you a pass through our lines
for a thousand dollars in gold.
If we want that bridge, we'll holler for Bedford Forrest
and get it done right and not call in some amateur.
Now, sit down and have a drink and let's talk about something sensible.
Now look, Jeff. Bedford Forrest couldn't get near that bridge.
There's 40,000 Yankees strung out along the railroad.
You figure you're better at burning bridges than we are?
I didn't say that. But I reckon I could get through
where a regiment of cavalry couldn't.
You always were a dreamer.
I tell you, I'm gonna try it, Jeff.
And I tell you, I'm not going to let you.
Jeff, will you listen to... No. Let me finish!
That country's swarming with Federal troops. You told me so yourself.
And the odds are much too great for me to let you take the risk.
Besides, you did your part at Shiloh,
and Melissa needs you worse than we do.
By the way, does she know about this?
No, Jeff, you never let me explain. You didn't tell her?
Don't you think you owe it to her?
Don't you think you owe her that much? What do you think she'll do?
Kiss you on both cheeks and wish you luck?
Send you off with maybe one chance in 10 of... Shut up, Jeff!
I won't shut up!
What about Melissy? And what about that young one of yours she's carrying?
Seems to me her time is almost here.
Well, ain't it?
Her time's come and gone. What do you mean?
She died a week ago. The baby, too.
Oh, Peyton. I'm sorry.
Now don't you see? I have to do something.
I can't just live out the war in that empty house.
I plan to take the Rienzi road.
There's a trail that leads off it, through the piney woods...
You want to be killed? Is that it?
Because you would be, you know.
I've had to send so many of my friends to be killed already.
Jeff, please.
Don't move, mister!
I told you to stay at home. You should've listened to me.
Throw that thing down.
Now come along.
The rope, it's worn and frayed. Maybe it'll break.
Oh, but I'll drown then. That's worse.
Unless, I could get my hands free.
You've done very well up to now, Mr. Farquhar. Keep it up.
Lift your eyes, Mr. Farquhar. Look at the sky.
You've done very well up to now, Mr. Farquhar. Keep it up.
Lift your eyes, Mr. Farquhar. Look at the sky.
Maybe the rope will break. Maybe the rope will break. Maybe the rope will break.
Break. Break. Break.
Loosen the rope. Loosen it.
Loosen the rope, it's choking me. Choking me. Choking.
There he is.
Come on!
That bank! Over there!
Downstream! Keep going! Downstream!
The other side of the creek!
Dogs. Dogs. But how did they get ahead of me?
... he told the deputy
Josh.
Go out and bring me Laz'rus
High Sheriff, he told the deputy
Go out and bring me Laz'rus
Bring him dead or alive Oh, Lord
Just bring him in dead or alive
Josh.
Josh. You're alive! Yes, Mr. Farquhar.
When the old mill burned down we thought you went with it.
Hattie grieved herself sick. Yes, Mr. Farquhar.
Josh, you've got to hide me.
Josh, please, they're coming for me.
Who's that? The Yankees.
What they want with you? They want to kill me.
That don't make no sense at all, men wanting to kill each other.
That the most nonsensical idea I ever heard of.
Men wanting to kill all the time. What for?
Oh, Josh, please! They're right over there.
Nobody's gonna kill nobody if I got anything to say about it.
You come along with me, Mr. Farquhar.
Where to, huh? Never mind. Just follow me.
Po' Laz'rus, he told the deputy
Give me a cool drink of water
Po' Laz'rus, he told the deputy
Give me a cool drink of water
Josh, where are we going? You wanna go home, don't you?
Yeah, but I don't know this trail.
You just ain't seen it before. Just stop and listen.
See there? The hounds are gone!
You just trust old Josh. I'll get you home, safe and sound.
Feel death inside me a'burnin'
And then, they took po' Laz'rus
They laid him on the counter
And then, they took po' Laz'rus
They laid him on the counter
And they walked away, oh, my Lord
Look...
They're gone, Mr. Farquhar. They're gone.
And then, po' Laz'rus' sister
Run and told his woman
And then, po' Laz'rus' sister
Run and told his woman
She come a'screamin' and a'cryin'
And then, po' Laz'rus' woman
She come a'screamin' and a'cryin'
Says that was my only man...
Josh, look. That picket post.
They don't mean us no harm, Mr. Farquhar.
Josh, those are Federal troops.
You remember when Mass Connolly cotched you in his apple tree?
You thought he was gonna tan your hide, remember?
What did he do? He just laughed.
Now you unruffle your feathers. Just keep going along with Josh.
Po' gal, po' Laz'rus woman
She laid down her sewin'
Po' gal, po' Laz'rus woman
She laid down her sewin'
Her heart full of trouble and pain
Why didn't they see us, Josh?
Her heart full of trouble and pain
High Sheriff, he told the deputy
Laz'rus he done gone home
Gone home to stay at last, Lord
Gone home to stay at last
Josh, I've got to rest.
You want to go home, don't you? It ain't much further now.
Laz'rus he done gone home
High Sheriff, he told the deputy
Laz'rus he done gone home
Gone home to stay at last, Lord
Gone home to stay at...
Josh!
Melissa!
All right, Corporal. You can cut him down now.
My experience with the cannon turned out to be a humiliating one.
How would you like to be publicly labeled a "dud."
Well, here among the other war surplus I have found this.
It contained the plans for the defense of Atlanta,
and was given to a Union spy with instructions to eat it if he were captured.
Those were formidable men.
However, the art of espionage was a highly developed one
even back in Civil War days.
Preheat oven to 350, bake for 20 minutes and serve.
Now until next time, good night.