The Long Night

This town here is Youngstown, Ohio.

This is Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

This is Gary, Indiana.

This is -- well, it actually doesn't matter very much

since our story might occur anywhere...

Since it's a story about some average human beings

living in an average American town such as this

somewhere near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line.

On that high ground over there is the better residential area,

where you'll probably find everyone who really counts...

While over here, in the older part of town,

is where the census taker has to do most of the counting.

Once, Allegheny Square used to be the center of town,

and so the grand army of the republic

put up a monument to the 9.I.S of 1865.

The boys used to hold many a reunion

in the old travelers hotel,

but that was a long time ago --

Almost as long ago as world war ii,

except for someone like Frank Dunlap,

ex-staff sergeant, U.S. marine corps,

who knows every inch of the old square he played in as a boy

and every square inch of the old house he was born in

and where he now rents a room

from the Overpeck family on its third floor.

What happened?

Who's there?

What's the matter?

Who is it?

Somebody fell.

Mr. Tully!

Somebody fell!

Mr. Tully!

I'm the janitor there,

but I was in my tailor shop on the first floor

when I heard the shot.

Move out of the way, folks.

Come on, boys. Let's go.

What happened?

At first, I thought it was a backfire from a car.

Who fired the shot?

Who killed who? Anybody know?

Mr. Tully, the janitor,

said a blind veteran killed somebody.

He went crazy berserk.

Yeah, lot of vets go crazy, you know,

for no reason at all.

Well, I don't see how he could kill anybody if he's blind.

Maybe he didn't kill anybody.

Maybe he killed himself.

Who -- the blind man? Oh.

I don't know.

I was just going up to my room, like I said.

Where? What floor?

The third floor.Okay. Go on.

And then from the top landing, the fourth floor,

well, all of a sudden...

Who is he? What happened?

Okay, okay.

You know, you shouldn't have moved the body.

Here's his stuff.

Oh, he was still breathing.

We thought we ought to get him down off of the steps.

He only just died a few minutes ago.

Anybody see him before it happened?

I saw him go up the top floor about an hour back.

Officer: Top floor?

All right, you people. Who lives up there?

Well, Joe Adams lives in the front room,

and Bill Pulanski -- he has the rear.

But bill has been on the swing shift this week.

He's been gone since 3:00.

Well, then he must have been visiting this, uh...

Uh, Joe Adams.

I guess so.

What do you say, shives?

Okay, let's go up.

All right. One side, folks.

Coming through.

Out of the way.

We haven't got all day.

Out of the way.

Clear the way. We're coming through.

Move out.

This is it, I guess.

Open up.

Joe: Leave me alone.

It's the law.

You heard him. Open up!

I said, "leave me alone"!

Oh, look, buddy, we just want to talk to you.

I don't want to talk to you or anybody.

I want to be left alone, understand?

You better beat it, fellas.

Listen, you coming out or not?

Now get out of here!

I'm going down, Ned. How about you going up on the roof and taking a look?

Okay. You go get the boys.

Come on, kid. You better get inside.

Yes, sir.

Joe?

The other one -- he went up on the roof.

What happened to you, Joe?

Nothing, kid. Nothing.

Hello, sheriff.

Okay, shives. What's going on?

Well, like I told you on the phone --

Yeah. Where's the chief?

He ought to be on his way over now, sheriff.

I just phoned him over at the county courthouse.

Got that grand-jury hearing, you know --

Very important. I know.

I know how important he is, your chief of police.

Let's go, sergeant.

All right. Break it up. Come on.

Hey, look here, Mr. Hudson --

You really ought to turn that thing off.

After all, under the circumstances,

it's not very respectable.

Respectable?

I suppose you call it respectable for people

to go around shooting each other like that guy up there.

Okay, young fella.

This is sheriff Meade talking.

Come on out now, and come out with your hands up.

Don't try to play dead in there, or you soon will be.

Joe: Leave me alone, all of you.

Get away from that door.

Let's go.

Okay, Adams. You're asking for it.

Better leave a couple of men here. Right.

All right. Get back. Stay back.

Looks like it's taking the whole army to pinch one guy.

How's the general staff figure to get in --

A frontal attack? I don't know.

That's up to the sheriff.

You know what I'd do if I were you?

Find a nice soft spot in that there asphalt

and start digging yourselves some foxholes.

Sergeant, I want everybody cleared from around the house,

inside and out, at least for a while.

Right away, sheriff.

Come with me.

So, he won't come out, eh?

Okay.

Let's see.

How about that roof there, the hotel?

How do you think that'll line up from over there?

Man: I think it ought to be pretty good, sheriff.

Joe: "Come out with your hands up."

Okay, sheriff. So, I'm out.

Now what?

Explain, huh?

How can I explain what I don't understand myself?

Oh, sheriff, you wouldn't understand,

and nobody else would.

It's done. That's all there is to it.

Talking to yourself, huh?

Ah, they say that's a sure sign.

All these people.

What do they want here?

That's right.

They want to know what it's all about.

Welcome home.

Home, sweet home.

What difference does it make now?

What difference?

Yeah, a lot different tonight.

Gosh, who would have thought anything like this?

I sure didn't.

Never thought that first time, that morning.

Maybe I had that old Indian sign on me.

Or maybe it was bound to happen.

Come on, Joe! It's getting late!

Hi, bill. Hiya.

Maybe it was like bill always says --

"while there's life, something's bound to happen."

Maybe right from the start, I wanted something to happen.

Okay, so what happened by the numbers?

One thing into another.

Fascinating, huh?

A lot of supermen come down from Mars.

Hey, what's this -- somebody's birthday?

Yes, I...

Yes, I-I believe it is.

Wouldn't be for a guy called Joe?

No. Why? Is your name Joe?

Yeah. Too bad it isn't my birthday.

My name is Jo, too.