It Conquered the World

Unidentified object.

The plane should have been out of this area 20 minutes ago.

Transcontinental flight 17 is off course.

Will you hold us that?

No, I'd be clear before launching.

Three minutes, 30 seconds.

You'd better be clear.

I hear that satellite costs us 9 million bucks.

It'd be just great if she sideswiped an airline.

Three minutes, 15 seconds.

The skies are clear.

Three minutes.

Power on.

And man is finally ready to move into space.

General Talbinson, I'd like to have you to meet Dr. Anderson.

I assume you two gentlemen have known of each other.

Doctor, it's rare to meet so illustrious a physicist.

Thank you, General.

I'm pleased.

But I'm sure you're just as distressed at my presence here as Secretary Platt.

Oh, I wouldn't say distressed.

No, certainly not, Mr. Platt.

We're all in the state of high hilarity.

And we'll all wind up in a state of high mortality

if you don't call off his satellite project.

How many times have I told you?

That's impossible.

Not nearly as many times as I've warned the government against such a course.

I said it when I was head of the perpetual missile program.

I said it before that when I was working on the Manhattan Project in War II.

Don't tell me you haven't read my papers on the subject.

You've had a remarkable career, doctor.

Every degree imaginable.

By the way, just what are you doing at present?

Retired, I understand?

That's one way of putting it.

The world is full of fat heads, Mr. Secretary.

Fool to overflow it.

I've got a great deal of respect for you, Dr. Anderson.

But this has not convinced me the satellite is a menace to the safety of the world.

What happened to the first one?

The small one.

It exploded in its own orbit.

Anyone know why?

Nobody?

I know why.

It was a warning.

I anticipated that fully three years before the satellite was launched.

Uh, doctor.

You said something about the other planets, wanting to keep the Earth in its place.

to keep her out of the skies.

But there's no life in the other planets of this system.

I'm not arguing theory, General.

I'm only telling you this.

Alien intelligence watches us constantly.

It will see this satellite of yours and know something must be done.

I'm here to ask you, to bake you, to save your own world.

Well, Doctor, this has become just an academic question.

In about eight seconds, the sphere will be launched during the countdown right now.

Claude's pie is delicious.

Did you bake it yourself?

Oh, sure.

An old family recipe my grandmother sold to the bakery.

Tom, do you want some more?

Only half a gallon this.

What are you acting so smug about?

It look like a man of just inherited Texas.

You might not be too far off in the sense.

Tom?

Yes, dear.

I know.

I bet you finally decided you were wrong about the satellite.

Hardly.

It's my greatest interest in life.

Second greatest.

Well, been up there for three months now, nothing horrible has happened.

80 feet in diameter, 1,070 miles high and circling the earth at 16,000 miles an hour.

Oh, look.

Can't you two talk about anything else?

I'm getting tired of hearing about nothing but satellites,

isotopes, conical graduations, and all the rest.

Maybe you've got something in space medicine I could use for a headache, huh?

Oh, you have got something up your sleeve.

What is it?

I can't tell you, Paul.

My wife won't let me.

She thinks I'm crazy.

The whole world thinks you're crazy, maybe even me.

Now what's the big secret?

Well... Tom, please.

Honey, this is too big.

But you promised.

Paul will understand.

Maybe nobody else on earth, but Paul will understand.

I'll try.

Come into the other room.

Don't take it so hard, Claire.

See what you've got.

Come on, I'll wash and you wipe.

Where is one by the kit?

It'll be just a second.

I've got a second.

There, do you have any idea what you're listening to?

London Philharmonic?

It's Venus.

Huh?

Why not?

We've bounced signals off the moon's surface.

There's no reason that Venus shouldn't radiate impulses.

I don't mean the static.

Can't you hear it the other thing?

What other thing?

Listen to it, Paul.

Listen to the voice.

Paul Nelson here.

Well, that's impossible.

Yes, I'll be right down.

Something wrong at the installation?

It's gone.

What's gone?

The satellite.

It took off on a direct tangent of the space.

It's vanished.

He'd better get over there.

Joan.

What is it, Paul?

Some trouble at the installation we have to run.

Good night, Claire.

Good night.

I know what you're thinking, Tom.

I don't appreciate it.

I've always thought Tom was a little long, but tonight he went too far.

It's a genius.

Too much so, but I got more important things to worry about.

Let's go.

Let's go.

Meet Jane, Sergeant.

Oh, sir.

I think maybe the general ain't so happy tonight.

Raise the gate of the audio.

We might hear something.

It's a four decibel now.

The scientific achievement of the century has disappeared.

We've got to find it.

You promised.

If this keeps up, I think we should get it turnstile.

It's back.

Maybe the instruments failed and maybe they didn't.

Anyway, we're going to find out.

Sorry, Doctor.

Well, it wasn't your fault, Ellen.

I'll be sure you get the reports to Washington before morning.

Yes, sir.

Tell them we're bringing the satellite down for full examination.

Yes, sir.

Can you handle recovery procedure all right by yourself?

I'll have to do is wait till she's at 43 north, push a couple buttons.

Secretary Platt is gonna wanna know where she went and why.

That means examination of every instrument on board.

If anything else goes wrong, call me at home.

Good night, doctor.

Good night.

This is Anderson.

Acknowledge.

Where are you?

Yes, yes.

It's true, I am your only friend.

and nobody else even knows you exist.

But they will.

It'll be the greatest day in the history of mankind.

Come to bed, Tom.

He's here, darling.

He drew the satellite to his world, to Venus.

And now he's back within an hour.

He's inside that circling laboratory just waiting to come down to us, to save us.

Please come to bed.

You'll feel better in the morning.

I'm signing off now.

I'll reopen contact after sunrise.

Don't let it get a hold of you, Tom.

You've dreamed and imagined for such a long time.

Don't let your imagination bring itself to life.

This is no image, darling.

It's what I've been predicting for years.

And this is good.

Instead of evil, I was by one uncertainty.

Well, don't think about it now.

You need some sleep.

I'm going to stay by the set tonight.

Whatever you say, Tom.

Good night.

Good night.

You're positive, you know what you're doing?

Oh, I think we can manage without wrecking it too much.

Well, what am I worried about?

I'm not paying for it.

They're ready, Mr. Secretary.

All right.

Nothing to do now, but bring it down.

I've got the car waiting downstairs.