ESCAPE FROM LIMBO

[Music] That's where I'll be in an hour. Yeah, you'll have a seat full of buckshot. Come on, Pop. Pour it on. Pour it on. [Music] Henry, where's your [ __ ] skin calf? Daniel. Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] Come in, Henry. Hey, we've been expecting you. Bigalow's my name. I'm quite dead. So are you, Henry. Is this a joke? It's the oldest one of all. Am I in heaven? Oh, hell no. In hell? Oh, heavens no. Where then? Limbo. Limbo. Geographical location. The center of the earth. Climate dank. Atmosphere delightfully poisonous. What more could a dead man want? Is he going to help us in automobile accidents? He is not. They don't need any help. We could use him for natural deaths. We need help. Nobody dies a natural death anymore. No, gentlemen. I'm sorry, but we need him for railroad work. He knows something about that. Don't you, Henry? Soon you'll be hunting again. Not rabbits, railroad men. Sit down, Henry. Now, first, let's give you your general background, some telepathic pictures. Just uh stare at my forehead, Henry. [Music] Meet Tallop Thompson. A gold watch, a head full of women, and no money in his pocket. Never tangle with a railroad man, lad. Fill up my boiler. Hey, Beethoven. Uh uh. Play us your other two in in the baggage coach ahead. While the train robot works. [Music] tears. You couldn't tell he was a railroad man by his retiring personality or his watch. You could certainly tell by his hand. In the old days, that was a badge of honor obtained from the Lincoln pin coupler. While you weren't a railroad man unless you lost a few fingers, your leg, or for that matter, your life. Times were good for us then. The equipment was something. Those old steam horses used to send a lot of men down here. We had a field day with those cars, Henry. No place to hold on to worth talking about. Men fell off like flies. Breakaways were frequent. [Music] and playing in the package. [Music] All these things added up to hundreds killed, thousands injured. But for every 10 men we used to get, now we only get one. And there's no reason. Sure there's a reason railroading isn't the same. Nonsense. Oh, they bring me tales of new equipment and safety. But basically, we can kill just as many men as we used to in my day. I know it. And you're going to help, Henry. I won't have anything to do with it. Oh, I think you will. Ever seen this young lady before? Where did you get that? Then that's my wife, Ellen. Yes, Henry. She's very lovely. And you'd want her to stay that way. That's why you'll work for me. Because otherwise, you wouldn't want Ellen to look like this. Oh, it would be an accident. Ellen would fall asleep under a sun lamp. An infection would set in. No. Oh, please. No tears, Henry. It encourages the mildew. What do you want me to do? I want you to take this little box and go back. You see, lid opens automatically whenever a man is headed toward death or injury. slightly a good possible injury or even better full death. That's how you'll know the ones heading for limbo. The chance takers, the rule breakers, the fatalists, the ones who say, "Oh, well, if my numbers up, that's that." You know, I've been working for years to plant these attitudes that lead toward accidents. You'll only be in on the kill. But how? What will I be doing? be whispering a few last minute words of encouragement, distraction. The ones who are thinking along my lines will hear you. But why me? Why do I have to do this? They're my friends. Anyway, I'll be recognized. Oh, I hardly think so since no one will be able to see you or hear you except unconsciously. Well, Henry, take your choice. This or this? Oh, it doesn't matter. You haven't any choice is for the living. Dead men have no choice. Your transportation is waiting. Have a fatal trip. [Music] Is it a dream? Why don't I wake up? Obviously, it was no dream. I figured I'd better start my so-called work. First, I went to a humping operation. Checking the men, I realized that all were potential victims. And yet, there was no definite indication. They seemed to be working with assurance and complete knowledge of what they were doing. Car after car went down. Brakes were checked before starting. Brake clubs were okay and men kept a good grip on the car. Pant legs were tied. Nothing was left flapping to cause trouble. Then I got a good prospect. I decided he'd be the guinea pig. Could I help him get hurt? I had to find out. He was clowning around and only gave the most casual brake test. Give it a good start. Let it move. The brakes will hold. No tension. What a pity. Try harder. Don't be chicken. Ride it out. Got to unload, boy. All right. Get off. Get off. It doesn't matter how. Get off. Get out. Ow. [Music] [Music] But when I saw what happened, I felt sick. Did he fail to test that break because of me, or would it have happened anyway? It wasn't any proof. Or was it? There was no choice. I'd have to try again to be sure. I thought I had found a sleepy engine, but the automatic cab signal ruined any chance I had. Every time I turned around, some safety device stood in my way. So, I decided to look in on a flat switching operation. Don't think, just throw the switch. You know how to do it in your sleep. That was quite a movie you saw last night. Remember when Hope put Crosby in the rhinoceros cage? That's a boy. Don't look at the switch points. What a nice derailment this is going to be. [Music] [Applause] But was it my fault? If one more got it, then I'd know. I didn't have to wait long. A jammed lever. If he does it wrong and uses both hands, he'll lose his balance. [Music] So Piccolo was right. [Music] I'm sorry to call you back so suddenly, but I wanted to see how you were doing. Get any deaths? No. Well, what about injuries? You must have gotten a few injuries. Yeah, a few. Good. Good. Henry, did you work on the breakman? Those were the ones I got. Getting on or off cars? getting off. But I watched an awful lot of guys take those cars down before I got one. Henry, no wonder you got only a few. Don't you know we get many more accidents from men getting off standing cars than from moving ones? Many more. You can see why. With a moving car, they really pay attention to what they're doing. But this man, not even a glance at where he's stepping. He assumes he's safe because the train isn't moving. A watch for that when you go back up. How about force play? I didn't see it. You weren't looking. You don't see it on the railroad like it was. They don't clown around. It's safety first. You're joking. Of course, I'm telling you what I saw. Then you'd better see something else. Don't tell me there isn't any horse play or thinking about women. The railroad men haven't changed that much. Henry, I suggest you get yourself a bucket and make sure that several kick it. And what if I don't? It would be an ugly reflection on your wife. I knew Bigalow meant business, but I seem to be jinxed. I found a breakman who' made a fine close clearance for himself by failing to push a car into the clear. It was close, but he made it. A young kid was having some fun that could have caused a beauty of an accident until one of his crew put him in his place. Then a passenger tried to imitate a trainman getting off before the train had stopped, but he made it. What was going on? Everybody started leading a charmed life. A man nearly got crushed, coupling with his back turned. I saw a guy putting both hands on a break club, but nothing happened. Finally, I did get a sail, throwing a switch on the foot. About as intelligent as sawing a limb out from under you, but it still happens. It might be funny if it weren't for Ellen. Ellen, that's where I'll look. For a man with a woman on his mind when he should have his mind on his job. Oh darling. Oh darling. Oh darling. You've forgotten something. What? You didn't kiss me goodbye. Dear. I'm already late. That's just too bad. Come on. gift. Oh dear, the neighbors. Anything else? Say it. What? I I love love you women. Goodbye. Oh, darling, you've forgotten something. Hey, Charlie. [Music] So long, Charlie. The casket closed. Yet he was killed. Then I was right. I had no influence on any of these accidents. Bigle is a fake. He can't hurt Ellen. I wonder what he'll say if I prevent a few deaths before I return to limp. [Music] Have you heard? Henry is wised up. He's trying to prevent accidents. What did he tell Mr. Bigalow? He said not to disturb him. He's planning a major disaster. But he'll be furious. Go tell him. I'm afraid to. Last time I gave him some bad news, he spouted fire and melted all my fillings. What are we going to do? If only we were alive, we could drop dead. But what's the matter with our train? I think we've been jame. Regardless of what you think, we got to set this car out. We started her out with a post office. Wouldn't be so much walking. Cheer up, ladder, old boy. Think of your prestige. You're the guardian of our rear end. How'd you get on this railroad? We ain't supposed to use child labor. Come on. Come on. Break it up. Little protection back there. There goes old keybone time. No wonder somebody once tell him of the invention of 15 mph. Why don't you? I buy you my tea. Why that guy hadn't pile into somebody's cabin is beyond me? Case tower boat. Where? No, no one's following you. Just T-Bone Finnegan. He just went by here like a broken field runner. I'll say you'd better get your flag out. What is it? Hot box on the 3814. Boy, they're sitting ducks. [Music] There's a train following you, you fool. Get back. Get back and flag it. You've got to go back. Father, can't you hear me? You're going to kill those men in the cabin. There's a train coming behind you. Behind you? That's funny. Can't you hear me? 3.at. [Music] [Laughter] Oh, it's you. You have just destroyed your wife. Who are you kidding? You can't touch the living. You have just committed the unpardonable sin of premonition. You could have caused five deaths. Come off of it. I couldn't have caused anything that wasn't going to happen. They brought it on themselves. And that casket nonsense. Whisper a few last words of encouragement. All that mumbo jumbo. That was a trick. Of course. But you believed it. Just as they believe they can never pull the accident rate down to zero. That's our greatest asset. That's why they never will. Take down your signal. You're all warned. What do you think you're doing? Cleaning up. The railroad's got your number. You can't do this. I'm doing it. You see this? The railroad has given each man a safety rule book. And what's more, they use it. They hold safety meetings. They have a whole department whose work consists entirely of stopping deaths. Yes. deaths and injuries. That's why your objection is clipping. Well, we're still killing and maming them. We always will. Not if every man get behind the safety program. You won't. You admit they made progress. I admit nothing. Then why do you get less injuries? They've been lucky. They've been planning to die to live. Oh, I wish I could show them your face now. Get away from me. This is accidental death. This is all you have to fear. This is the man who is killing you. [Music] Now, who looks like death? Henry, would you like to show them my face now? This is what I always look like. you because every man is his own murderer [Music] now. Who looks like death? Who looks like death now? You do, young man. He's been delirious for half an hour and trying to wrestle with me. I don't blame him. He's the man who killed me. Sounds like he thinks he's dead. You should have heard him. I haven't heard such language since I was in maternity. It's a good sign. Means he'll be all right. [Music] I heard you went off your rocker in the hospital. Oh, I was just a little delirious. Thought I was dead. Watching your fire sometimes. have felt the same thing. In a pig's eye, you old barnacle. Let's get going. [Music] Heat. Heat.