- 3 hours ago
Rattlers is a 1976 horror film starring Sam Chew, Elisabeth Chauvet, Tony Ballen, Dan Priest, Ron Gold, Darwin Joston, and Gary Van Ormand. The film was produced, directed and co-written by John McCauley. Harry Novak, head of Boxoffice International Pictures was the executive producer. The film features an early score by Golden Globe nominated film composer Miles Goodman.
Storyline: A large number of chemically altered rattlesnakes become vicious killers in this made for TV chiller. The film is set in the Mojave Desert and centers on Dr. Tom Parkinson, a noted herpetologist, who has come to investigate a series of strange deaths that began with two dead children who were found near their parents' campsites.
Sequel
Dustin Ferguson directed a sequel, Rattlers 2, starring Mel Novak, Brinke Stevens, and Dawna Lee Heising. It premiered on After Hours Cinema on WGUD-TV January 8, 2021.
Credits:
Sam Chew as Dr. Tom Parkinson
Elisabeth Chauvet as Ann Bradley
Dan Priest as Colonel Stroud
Tony Ballen as Sheriff Gates
Ron Gold as Captain Delaney
Al Dunlap as General Hinch
Dan Balentine as Pilot Hawkins
Darwin Jostin as Palmer
Gary Van Orman as Woodley
Cary Pitts as Sergeant
Eric Lawson as Guard
Richard Lockmiller as Deputy
Jo Jordan as Mother
Scott McCarter as Rick
Tipp McClure as Steve the Plumber
Celia Kaye as Woman in Bath
Travis Gold as Timmy
Alan Decker as Doug
Bob Merchon as Howard
Ancel Cook as Sam the Janitor
Matthew Knox as Pilot
John Landon as Hines
Storyline: A large number of chemically altered rattlesnakes become vicious killers in this made for TV chiller. The film is set in the Mojave Desert and centers on Dr. Tom Parkinson, a noted herpetologist, who has come to investigate a series of strange deaths that began with two dead children who were found near their parents' campsites.
Sequel
Dustin Ferguson directed a sequel, Rattlers 2, starring Mel Novak, Brinke Stevens, and Dawna Lee Heising. It premiered on After Hours Cinema on WGUD-TV January 8, 2021.
Credits:
Sam Chew as Dr. Tom Parkinson
Elisabeth Chauvet as Ann Bradley
Dan Priest as Colonel Stroud
Tony Ballen as Sheriff Gates
Ron Gold as Captain Delaney
Al Dunlap as General Hinch
Dan Balentine as Pilot Hawkins
Darwin Jostin as Palmer
Gary Van Orman as Woodley
Cary Pitts as Sergeant
Eric Lawson as Guard
Richard Lockmiller as Deputy
Jo Jordan as Mother
Scott McCarter as Rick
Tipp McClure as Steve the Plumber
Celia Kaye as Woman in Bath
Travis Gold as Timmy
Alan Decker as Doug
Bob Merchon as Howard
Ancel Cook as Sam the Janitor
Matthew Knox as Pilot
John Landon as Hines
Category
π₯
Short filmTranscript
00:00:24Hey Mary, bring us a couple more beers, would you?
00:00:28Mom, can we go play in the canyon? We'll be back before dinner, I promise.
00:00:33No, it's almost dinner time now, and it's really too near dark for you guys to go wandering off.
00:00:37Oh, come on, Mom. It's not very far. It's just over here in the rocks.
00:00:42Well, you'll have to ask your father.
00:00:44Okay.
00:00:45Hey, wait a minute.
00:00:48Here, take these to your father.
00:00:51And no sips.
00:01:00Oh, thanks, boys.
00:01:03Dad, can me and Doug go play up in the canyon for a few minutes?
00:01:06Doug says he knows whether it's a real-life skeleton.
00:01:09A real live skeleton, huh?
00:01:13Okay, but you make sure you're back in time for dinner.
00:01:15We will. Thanks, Dad.
00:01:20Did you really see a skeleton?
00:01:22Uh-huh.
00:01:23And a real one, too.
00:01:24Oh, man.
00:01:26Oh, you did not.
00:01:27I was here with you, remember?
00:01:29And I didn't see anything.
00:01:31This was this morning, before you got up.
00:01:33I got up ready to catch some lizards.
00:01:36Heck, climbed up this ledge.
00:01:37Who's just laying there?
00:01:39What ledge?
00:01:40Up there.
00:01:41Oh, there's nothing up there but rocks.
00:01:44I don't see any skeleton.
00:01:46You can't see it from down here.
00:01:47I told you.
00:01:48It's on a ledge.
00:01:50Okay.
00:01:50I'll bet you $5 there's nothing up there.
00:01:53And if you're wrong, you better pay off.
00:01:56Don't worry.
00:01:57You'll see.
00:01:59Come on.
00:02:00Hurry up.
00:02:01It's getting dark fast.
00:02:02They'll be mad if we're not back in time for dinner.
00:02:05Maybe we should wait until tomorrow.
00:02:07I don't like it out here in the dark.
00:02:09I figured you'd try to back out of it.
00:02:12Now remember, you made a bet.
00:02:13Now come on.
00:02:15Okay.
00:02:15I'm coming.
00:02:20Did you see anything else up here?
00:02:22Besides the skeleton?
00:02:24I didn't get a chance to see.
00:02:26Why not?
00:02:27Because I was scared.
00:02:29Oh, there's nothing up there.
00:02:31You're just trying to keep me from moving the bet.
00:02:35Okay.
00:02:35Then you go and look.
00:02:36Uh-uh.
00:02:38We're in this 50-50.
00:02:40And besides, the only skeleton can kind of hurt you anyway.
00:02:43Now come on.
00:02:49Help!
00:02:50Help!
00:02:52Help!
00:02:52Help me!
00:02:55Help me!
00:03:31Good morning, Tom.
00:03:32Oh, good morning, Dean.
00:03:39Morning, Dr. Parkinson.
00:03:40Oh, Sue, I read your term paper last night.
00:03:42Very good.
00:03:50Attention, all Zoology II students.
00:03:53Professor Carey's Wednesday classes will meet in room 421.
00:03:56Oh, hi, Tom. Anything good today?
00:03:58Good morning, Howard. I'm not sure.
00:04:00I've got a letter here from the Mojave County Sheriff's Department.
00:04:02Oh, what'd you do, murder somebody or forget to pay a parking ticket?
00:04:07Oh, hell, another one from the phone company.
00:04:11I thought I paid that thing.
00:04:12I'll be damned.
00:04:13Oh, bad news?
00:04:14Oh, good.
00:04:15They need an authority on rattlesnakes,
00:04:17and they're willing to pay me $200 to go out there and consult with them tomorrow.
00:04:20What would I do with my classes, though?
00:04:21Oh, the hell with your classes.
00:04:23Let your teaching assistant take them.
00:04:24That's what they're there for.
00:04:25Besides, the university doesn't pay $200 for teaching three classes.
00:04:29That's for sure.
00:04:31Hey, what's the latest word on your federal grant?
00:04:33Well, it's been approved, but the funds haven't come through.
00:04:35And, of course, we've only got ten days before the spring break.
00:04:37Well, I'll be glad when you get a lab of your own
00:04:39and take all those snakes out of the bio lab.
00:04:42Look at the willies walking through there at night.
00:04:44What are you worried about, Howard?
00:04:46Rattlesnakes give you warning before they strike.
00:04:48Well, I think I'll stick to working with birds.
00:04:50They don't strike at all.
00:04:52I'll see you later.
00:04:53All right.
00:05:02Good evening, Sam.
00:05:04Your cart always gives you away.
00:05:07This is no cart.
00:05:08This is my security blanket on wheels.
00:05:12You know something?
00:05:14I don't like working around Dr. Parkinson's snakes.
00:05:21I don't blame you.
00:05:23Another late night tonight, huh?
00:05:24I've got to finish up some data on an experiment.
00:05:27Are you still working on the one where the pigeons go through the maze?
00:05:29No, this one's a little bit different.
00:05:31Come on in. I'll show you.
00:05:40Over here we have some pigeons living under normal conditions.
00:05:43This group over here has been subjected to variations in light and temperature.
00:05:47One day it's hot and dark.
00:05:49The next is cold and light.
00:05:51This chaotic type of environment creates stress.
00:05:54Well, so far the results indicate that the birds under stress eat a lot more.
00:05:59In human terms, they get fat.
00:06:01I could have told you that ten years ago.
00:06:03Oh?
00:06:04Yeah, I'm married to one of those fat pigeons.
00:06:06Well, hopefully these studies of pigeons will lead to a cure of obesity in humans.
00:06:10I hope it's before I end up with a 500 pound canary.
00:06:15Has Dr. Parkinson been in yet?
00:06:17Not yet.
00:06:18Let's hear him go home.
00:06:20Yeah, not when there's work to be done.
00:06:22Maybe eight hours a day behind a broom and a gold watch after 30 years isn't so bad.
00:06:28At least I get to go home.
00:06:30Of course, I don't make so much money as you.
00:06:32Well, if you're measured by per hour, I'm sure you make more than I.
00:06:35Don't let my wife hear you say that.
00:06:38Or she'll figure I'm actually rich and switch from french fries to imported chocolate.
00:06:46See you tomorrow, Professor.
00:06:48Good night, Sam.
00:07:00Yeah, that wasn't so bad, was it, eh?
00:07:02Hey, you know you're getting fat, eh?
00:07:17Four more ounces, Mabel.
00:07:19Hey, yes.
00:07:21Pleasingly plop, eh?
00:07:49Howard, are you still here?
00:07:52Howard, don't move.
00:07:53One of my cobras is out of his cage, and he's right behind you.
00:07:56Now, I want you to stand perfectly still.
00:07:58I'm going to move in behind him and try and distract his attention.
00:08:00Just don't make any sudden moves.
00:08:04Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
00:08:07Pick them up, pick them up.
00:08:08Howard, keep those birds still.
00:08:10I'm having trouble keeping myself still.
00:08:15Freeze, Howard.
00:08:16Do as I say.
00:08:20I said freeze.
00:08:23Tell it.
00:08:23I think I'm going to pass out.
00:08:25You do, and you'll be dead in a matter of minutes, Howard.
00:08:30My knees are getting weak.
00:08:32Concentrate on something else.
00:08:33Concentrate on your pigeons.
00:08:38Hurry.
00:08:41Hold it, Howard.
00:08:47You got them?
00:08:50Almost.
00:08:52It's him.
00:08:54It's him.
00:09:01Easy, baby.
00:09:05Easy.
00:09:10I got him.
00:09:13I got him.
00:09:27Howard?
00:09:29Howard.
00:09:31Howard.
00:09:31You can move now, Howard.
00:09:35Come on, Howard.
00:09:36Howard, are you all right?
00:09:40Yeah, I think so.
00:09:43But I'd feel a lot better if you'd get some locks in those snake cages.
00:09:47Or better yet, take them with you to the desert when you're going.
00:09:52By the way, when are you going?
00:09:53In the morning.
00:09:55In the morning.
00:09:55Come on, I'll buy you a cup of coffee.
00:09:59You better make that a drink.
00:10:01A double.
00:10:13Then they told me that you were the man to see about rattlesnakes, and since you were
00:10:16in L.A., I thought you might be able to help us.
00:10:18Well, I hope I can, Sheriff.
00:10:20Frankly, I was expecting to see some dried-up old desert rat with snakebite scars all over
00:10:24his body.
00:10:25Harry, open up the ball, will you?
00:10:27No, I've been bitten twice, and believe me, Sheriff, that's enough for me.
00:10:30It doesn't hurt to be over-cautious when you're dealing with any kind of venomous snakes.
00:10:34After seeing these two kids we brought in, I sure agree.
00:10:37There was an old man we found in the desert last month I wish you could have seen.
00:10:41All swollen with the same type snakebites as these.
00:10:45At least we thought they were snakebites.
00:10:47Maybe you can tell better after you look at these.
00:10:52Strictly closed coffin stuff.
00:10:54We've been holding off releasing their bodies to their families for burial until you had
00:10:58a look at them.
00:11:03Mind if we get some air?
00:11:05Sure.
00:11:06Thanks, Harry.
00:11:15Sorry about the smell in that place.
00:11:17I wasn't that so much as seeing those kids all disfigured like that.
00:11:20I'll tell you something, Sheriff.
00:11:22I've handled hundreds of snakebite cases, but nothing like this.
00:11:26Then it definitely was snakebite, huh?
00:11:28What was it, a rattler?
00:11:30Well, judging from the breadth and depth of the punctures, I'd say it was definitely a
00:11:33rattlesnake, but more likely a number of them.
00:11:37Isn't it kind of strange, those kids being bitten so many times?
00:11:40And what about that old man?
00:11:41Well, it's not at all uncommon for a dozen or even a hundred rattlesnakes to gather in one
00:11:46place, but they usually only do it during hibernation.
00:11:48Is there a map of where the bodies were found?
00:11:50Yeah, sure.
00:11:51Now, let's see.
00:11:52Yeah, we found the old man right about in here, and the kids around there.
00:12:00And you didn't find anything unusual around where the old man was?
00:12:03Coffee?
00:12:04Thanks.
00:12:06Now, one thing did seem strange.
00:12:08He had a horsehair rope around his bedroll.
00:12:11You know, I didn't think a snake would cross that.
00:12:13That's just an old miner's tale, Sheriff.
00:12:15We've tried that stuff in the lab, and it doesn't bother him at all.
00:12:19But what is unusual is the fact that he apparently was attacked in his sleep, which is highly
00:12:23unlike the behavior of a rattlesnake or any other reptile, for that matter.
00:12:27Why is that?
00:12:28Well, reptiles just aren't naturally aggressive.
00:12:31Even a rattlesnake won't attack unless you get too close.
00:12:34You know how far away you can hear the rattles.
00:12:36I'm surprised the old man didn't hear them.
00:12:38I've just never heard of a rattlesnake making an unprovoked attack on a man before.
00:12:42Well, it sure looks that way.
00:12:43I'll tell you, I'd like to take a look at that canyon where the kids were found.
00:12:47You think we might be able to get out there, Dank?
00:12:49Well, I'm going to be tied up in a meeting in about a half an hour, but one of my
00:12:52deputies
00:12:52will take anywhere you want to go.
00:12:53That'd be great.
00:12:54Maybe we'll find some more clues.
00:12:56Well, I sure hope we get rid of those snakes so we can have a little peace around here.
00:12:59You know, if it isn't the board of supervisors on my back, it's the newspapers hounding me for
00:13:03a story.
00:13:04Now, what do you mean?
00:13:04Well, I'll do my best.
00:13:14I think it's the right road, but it's hard to tell from the map.
00:13:16I thought you guys knew this area inside out.
00:13:19Not me.
00:13:19I've just been on the force a year.
00:13:21Grew up in Alabama.
00:13:22What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?
00:13:24Never heard of a Mojave County officer being shot.
00:13:26And the money's not bad.
00:13:28So here I am.
00:13:29Got a good looking wife, two kids, the car is paid off, and we just bought a boat.
00:13:33Sounds like you got it made.
00:13:34Yeah.
00:13:35Well, it has its ups and downs.
00:13:37Dave, here's the canyon up here on the left.
00:13:40You think you can get in there with this car?
00:13:42Yeah, most of the way.
00:13:55Hey.
00:13:56This is exactly what are you looking for.
00:13:58Anything looks out of the ordinary.
00:14:00Well, this whole thing looks out of the ordinary.
00:14:03Night, like some nightmare.
00:14:05The old lady screaming out of her mind in the old man.
00:14:07Sitting there, staring off in the space.
00:14:09Anybody check that ledge up there?
00:14:12No, but there wasn't even snakes around here that we could see.
00:14:14All right, I'm going to have a look up there.
00:14:16Why don't you check in all around here and see what you can find.
00:14:21Come on, Nick.
00:14:22Good to see what you can find.
00:14:41Let me go.
00:14:46Let's talk about your λΉ que.
00:15:33Whoa, man. It's only me.
00:15:36I'm sorry.
00:15:42You ready to go?
00:15:44Yeah.
00:15:45Find anything?
00:15:46No, nothing. You?
00:15:47I found this piece of cloth up on that ledge.
00:15:50Now, it looks like it's got bloodstain on it.
00:15:52If the blood type matches those kids,
00:15:54then we know they must have been killed up there
00:15:56and rolled down to where the parents found them.
00:15:58Yeah, but you didn't find any snakes.
00:16:00I figured they must have run across the rattlesnake den.
00:16:02What?
00:16:03I always thought that some dens were underground, you know, like snake pits.
00:16:07Usually, but like last summer's, this water skier in Texas lost it going into a turn.
00:16:13By the time the boat came around to pick him up, he was lying face down dead.
00:16:18Must have fallen into a nest of dental water moccasins.
00:16:21Because he had snake bites all over his body.
00:16:23Hundreds of them.
00:16:24Sure know how to run a guy's weekend.
00:16:26What's that? What are you doing this weekend?
00:16:28Water skiing.
00:17:15I'm sorry, Ma. I'm new mufflers. Dad helped me put them on.
00:17:18Well, they don't sound too new to me.
00:17:20Will you try to keep it down a little?
00:17:22Okay.
00:17:23Then wash up your hat.
00:17:24Supper's almost ready.
00:17:26Tell your father to wash up, too.
00:17:27He's down feeding the horses.
00:17:29Well, run on down and hurry him along or you'll both be having cold supper.
00:17:33Okay.
00:17:48Come on, Duke. Let's go get Dad.
00:17:52Come on, Duke. Come on, boy.
00:17:58Duke.
00:18:00Duke.
00:18:00Duke, wake up, boy.
00:18:00All right.
00:18:56All right.
00:19:08All right.
00:19:36Dad, is that you?
00:19:47And that's it for today's farm report.
00:19:50Now back to more beautiful...
00:19:52Rick, for the Lord's sake, be careful.
00:19:55Funny enough we need without you always breaking what little we got.
00:19:59Did you wash your hands?
00:20:01Rick?
00:20:08Rick!
00:20:13Luke!
00:20:16Oh!
00:20:17Oh!
00:20:18Oh!
00:20:20Oh!
00:20:22Oh!
00:20:24Oh!
00:20:25Oh!
00:20:27Please!
00:20:30All right, now to compensate for the lack of the cochlea,
00:20:34the tongue picks up acute auditory vibrations
00:20:37and sends them to the bottom of the mouth, to the Jacobson organ.
00:20:41You can see.
00:20:44Oh.
00:20:45There, we'll take a break and get back to the auditory system in a minute.
00:20:52Herpetology, Tom Parkinson.
00:20:54Yeah, Tom, listen, this is Sheriff Gates.
00:20:56Oh, hi, Sheriff.
00:20:57Yeah, something's come up out at Frank Samuel's place.
00:21:00The barn's been burned, the whole family's been killed, and even the livestock.
00:21:03Guess what? Looks like the snakes again.
00:21:06I've been talking to the board of supervisors about hiring you to help us finish up this case,
00:21:09if you're interested.
00:21:11Oh, I'm interested, all right. What would I have to do?
00:21:13Well, listen, you're really going to have to get on top of this thing
00:21:15and find out where those snakes are so we can get rid of them.
00:21:18Of course, they're going to want a written report on what you come up with
00:21:20and some photos for documentation.
00:21:23Well, that seems like a lot to do.
00:21:25I'm going to be tied up with classes here until Friday,
00:21:27and even then I don't know whether I can handle it.
00:21:29I'm not very good with a camera.
00:21:30Well, say we got you somebody to handle photography and help you with the paperwork.
00:21:34When do you think you could start?
00:21:37Friday morning at the earliest.
00:21:39Classes are over Thursday, and then we've got ten days off for the spring break.
00:21:43Good.
00:21:43Okay, if there aren't any problems, then I'll look for you in my office on Friday, say, about what, noon?
00:21:47Yeah, that's fine with me.
00:21:48Okay, thank you, Sheriff. Bye-bye.
00:21:52All right, let's get back to that auditory system.
00:21:58Hi, Rogers. How are you?
00:22:00Hey, how are you doing?
00:22:01All right. Sheriff in?
00:22:03Well, he should be here any minute now.
00:22:04But now, if you've got an appointment, he usually runs consistently seven minutes late.
00:22:07Yeah, I used to have a watch like that.
00:22:09Hey, how was your water skiing last weekend?
00:22:11Great skiing, man. And no water moxies.
00:22:14Glad to hear it.
00:22:15Hi. Is Sheriff Yates in? I'm Ann Bradley, photographer.
00:22:19Not my photographer.
00:22:21Well, all I know is that it has something to do with research documentation in the desert.
00:22:25Oh, well, I see you two have met.
00:22:28Tom, Ann, come to my office, and we'll go over everything.
00:22:38Sheriff, the mayor called twice. I want you to call him right back, and Mrs. Carmichael...
00:22:42Okay, okay, I'll take care of it. Okay.
00:22:45You can see what it's been like around here.
00:22:48Ann, I told you we had a job for you in the desert.
00:22:51Now, you'll be working with Dr. Parkinson here.
00:22:53Now, he's with the University of California, helping us to investigate a series of accidents.
00:22:58Now, he's going to be in complete charge of this phase of the investigation, and he'll fill you in on
00:23:02all the details, okay?
00:23:04Now, I hope you don't mind roughing it.
00:23:07Do I have a choice?
00:23:09Not really. There won't be any motels where you're going.
00:23:12Besides, we're very short on funds. In fact, we can't afford either one of you, really.
00:23:16But Dr. Parkinson here has agreed to work for a nominal fee, and they tell me that he's the best
00:23:20in his field.
00:23:21What is his field?
00:23:22Herpetology.
00:23:24What's that?
00:23:25Reptiles. I specialize in rattlesnakes.
00:23:28How charming.
00:23:30That's what this thing is all about.
00:23:32Now, Tom has all the details, and he'll fill you in, okay?
00:23:36Look, Sheriff, can I talk to you for a minute?
00:23:38Outside.
00:23:39Look, Tom, if it's about...
00:23:40It's important.
00:23:42Okay, I'll meet you in the hallway.
00:23:44Be right back, Ann.
00:23:52I can't take that girl out there. I mean, I've got to have somebody that can at least take care
00:23:55of themselves.
00:23:56Look, Tom, look, I know how you feel, and I agree with you, but this is the only way I
00:24:00could swing it.
00:24:01Look, you know we're short on funds.
00:24:04Every damn women's lib group is on our backs about job equality, and this girl has worked for us before,
00:24:10and she's really strictly a pro.
00:24:12Look, she spent two years in Vietnam as a press photographer, and she'll be able to handle herself okay.
00:24:18Yeah, well, I hope you're right.
00:24:20Believe me, she's a better photographer than most of the men we've used, and a hell of a lot prettier
00:24:24from them.
00:24:25Sheriff, it just came in.
00:24:30Uh-oh, more trouble.
00:24:32A glider pilot came down near Silver Lake last night.
00:24:35They had him at the hospital here in town.
00:24:37He, uh, he says he was attacked.
00:24:40Attacked?
00:24:41By snakes.
00:24:42So then I realized that if I stayed with the press, I'd be doing the same thing ten years from
00:24:47now,
00:24:47because all the promotions and executive positions are held down by men.
00:24:51Oh, come on now, I can't believe that they're all...
00:24:53Sure, there are office jobs for women, like typing, taking shorthand.
00:24:57Or do you want to work at a switchboard eight hours a day saying,
00:25:00Hello, Mr. Jones.
00:25:01Just a moment, Mr. Jones.
00:25:03Uh, excuse me.
00:25:03Could you tell me where David Ellister's room is?
00:25:06Certainly.
00:25:09That's room 148, just down the hall, sir.
00:25:14Dr. Chopra, Dr. Chopra.
00:25:17Now, those women seem very happy in their jobs.
00:25:19Sure.
00:25:19How many men can you find to change sheets or empty bedpans?
00:25:23Oh, come off it.
00:25:25Tell me, doctor, how many professors in your department are women?
00:25:30None, but that doesn't mean there couldn't be.
00:25:32See, you're just like the rest of them.
00:25:34The reason there aren't any women in good jobs is because the jobs don't exist.
00:25:38Yeah, well, I'm sorry, I can't agree with that.
00:25:40Of course you can't, because it's men like you who make it that way.
00:25:44And boy, men make all the choices.
00:25:46Oh, is that right?
00:25:47Yes.
00:25:48Well, let me tell you something, young lady.
00:25:50If I had my choice in the matter, you'd be sitting on your liberated ass back in that sheriff's department
00:25:54instead of out here with me where you don't belong in the first place.
00:26:03Look, I'm sorry.
00:26:05I didn't mean to blow up at you like that.
00:26:06But what I meant was you have your job and you should be happy.
00:26:11Oh, I'm happy.
00:26:13Dr. Levinson.
00:26:14Excuse me, you David Ellister?
00:26:16Sure am.
00:26:17I'm Tom Parkinson.
00:26:18Hi, Tom.
00:26:19Ann Bradley.
00:26:20Hello.
00:26:21Well, hello.
00:26:22You two with the press or something?
00:26:24No, we're working with the sheriff's department.
00:26:26We're investigating some snake bite cases.
00:26:27And I understand you were attacked by snakes?
00:26:29God, you'd better believe it.
00:26:30There must have been 50 of them.
00:26:32Well, could you tell us exactly what happened and Miss Bradley will take notes.
00:26:35That is, if she doesn't mind.
00:26:37Well, I'd been airborne most of the afternoon.
00:26:39About 6.30 I radioed in for a tow because I didn't have enough lift to make it back to
00:26:43the field.
00:26:44Oh, I set her down, opened the canopy, got out, walked back by the tail.
00:26:49Well, and about that time I heard some kind of buzzing noises like those mariachi, you know, those things they
00:26:56use in the Latin bands.
00:26:57Then I saw the snakes coming along the ground right towards me.
00:27:01There were dozens of them.
00:27:04Well, I turned and ran for the cockpit, but there was one coiled on the ground in front of me,
00:27:08and I had to jump over him to get in.
00:27:11And I felt a sharp pain in my leg, and I knew he got me.
00:27:13But I dove into the cockpit, because by then the rest of them were right on my tail.
00:27:17My leg felt heavy, and as I pulled it in, I could see he was still hanging on to me
00:27:22with his fangs buried in my calf.
00:27:25I grabbed a hold of him, but he hung on like a vice.
00:27:28And then he let go, and he spun around, trying to bite me in the hand, too.
00:27:31He was thrashing his body all over the cockpit.
00:27:34I finally got him outside, threw him as hard as I could.
00:27:38He hit the ground, and I closed the canopy.
00:27:40What did you do then?
00:27:41Luckily, the tow plane arrived a few minutes later, brought me in.
00:27:45Boy, my leg felt like it was on fire.
00:27:47You were really lucky.
00:27:49You say there were 50 snakes?
00:27:51Oh, well, maybe not 50, but 20 or 30 anyway.
00:27:54They were all over out there.
00:27:56Tell me, did they move in a S-shaped manner, or kind of like a corkscrew?
00:28:00Oh, hell, I don't know.
00:28:02What do you need to know that for?
00:28:04Well, it'll tell us whether we're dealing with a Diamondback or a Sidewinder.
00:28:07Oh, yeah.
00:28:08Well, no, I'd say they seemed to come pretty much straight towards me.
00:28:11It's hard to tell.
00:28:12It was almost dark.
00:28:13I couldn't even describe the one on my leg, except that it was a rattlesnake and a mean one.
00:28:19Well, that's all right.
00:28:19You've been a big help to us.
00:28:21Appreciate it.
00:28:22Oh, uh, one last thing.
00:28:24I wonder if you could point out on this map where the glider landed.
00:28:28Sure.
00:28:29Uh, it was right there.
00:28:32Well, I'll tell you one thing.
00:28:34If I miss the field again after dark, I'm going to stay in the cockpit until the tow plane arrives.
00:28:39I know what you mean.
00:28:40Well, thanks again.
00:28:42Appreciate it.
00:28:43Glad to help.
00:28:44Well, say, if you'd like to go gliding sometime, just let me know.
00:28:48We'll do that.
00:28:50Good.
00:28:59I recorded the conversation.
00:29:00Did you want any pictures?
00:29:01No, I don't think so.
00:29:02Excuse me, sir.
00:29:03I have a form for you to sign.
00:29:05Well, we know where to get a hold of him if you do.
00:29:07Yeah, providing he doesn't kill himself on that glider of his.
00:29:10Yeah, or get attacked by any more snakes.
00:29:12Did you believe those things he was saying?
00:29:15I believe he's telling the truth, all right.
00:29:17It's the logic behind the attack that bothers me.
00:29:20I want to check out that area where the glider landed if we can get out there before it gets
00:29:24dark.
00:29:25EKG technician.
00:29:30You know what?
00:29:31What's that?
00:29:32I don't think we're going to make it by dark.
00:29:34I think you're right.
00:29:35It's not too much farther, though.
00:29:36You see those big rocks up ahead?
00:29:38Yeah.
00:29:38Is that where the glider came down?
00:29:40No, I thought we'd set up camp here tonight and check that out first thing in the morning.
00:29:43Well, it's not exactly the Hilton, but at least there won't be any smog.
00:29:48Or anything else, for that matter.
00:29:50Well, it's not so bad.
00:30:21Come on in.
00:30:25Finally.
00:30:26Do you know I called your office over four hours ago?
00:30:28I'm sorry, but my partner's been sick, and I've been going all day.
00:30:32What seems to be the problem?
00:30:33Well, there's absolutely no hot water.
00:30:36I can't even take a bath.
00:30:37Sounds like the pilot may have gone out.
00:30:39Which way is your water heater?
00:30:41I think it's in there.
00:30:42I don't know, really.
00:30:43I'm not very mechanical.
00:30:54My husband used to take care of these sort of things before we got divorced.
00:30:58Oh, I'm sorry.
00:30:59I mean, I'm about the divorce and all.
00:31:01You need to feel sorry for me.
00:31:03We never got along anyway.
00:31:05I'm probably better off without him.
00:31:06Hey, don't turn that off.
00:31:08He's trying to earn enough money to get out of here and move back to San Diego.
00:31:12Mom, we'll be mad at you if you don't turn it off.
00:31:14I don't care.
00:31:15I want to see it.
00:31:16David, I told you to turn that TV off and get ready for bed.
00:31:20Just a few more minutes.
00:31:21Excuse me a minute.
00:31:25Oh, Mom.
00:31:29You got that fixed yet?
00:31:31No, it looks like your regulator valve.
00:31:34Great.
00:31:35How much is that going to cost?
00:31:37Oh, they're not too bad.
00:31:38About $7.50 plus labor.
00:31:40It'll probably be about $20 altogether.
00:31:42I'll have to get under the house, though, to fix it.
00:31:45So, uh, is there an access someplace?
00:31:48There's some sort of thing out back, if that's what you mean.
00:31:54Okay, it'll take a while to fix this thing.
00:31:56So, if you want to get some hot water, you better heat something up on the stove.
00:31:59Okay.
00:32:01Okay.
00:32:11Okay.
00:32:15Okay.
00:32:22Okay.
00:32:24Okay.
00:32:27Let's go.
00:34:08David, is that you?
00:35:04Good morning.
00:35:05Good morning.
00:35:07Hey, you know, my things are still wet from last night.
00:35:10Well, don't worry. The sun will dry it out in no time at all.
00:35:13I believe it.
00:35:14Have you been up long?
00:35:16About an hour.
00:35:17I wanted to get this stuff set up before it got too warm.
00:35:20You take coffee?
00:35:21Yes, thank you.
00:35:50My mother had to go to work.
00:35:52I learned to do all the cooking.
00:35:54Oh, I'm no Betty Crocker, but my bacon and eggs are pretty good.
00:35:57Well, with that kind of a childhood, I'm sure you're better than I am.
00:36:02You know what I guess really bothered me was seeing my mother working in a factory for minimum wage.
00:36:08When I was little, I remember holding her hands, and they were so soft.
00:36:14But after a few years of working with those machines, they became calloused.
00:36:19And it seemed every night she came home, she aged another year.
00:36:23Well, I don't think you'll ever have to worry about that.
00:36:25I hope not.
00:36:27Oh, I don't want to be an old maid, but I don't want to give up my career either.
00:36:32Maybe you won't have to.
00:36:34You really like freelancing, don't you?
00:36:36I love it.
00:36:38Oh, you can starve in between jobs, though.
00:36:41Well, speaking of starving, we better eat and check out where that glider land,
00:36:44or we're both going to lose our jobs for the sheriff's department.
00:36:46Okay.
00:36:55Well, this looks like the place.
00:36:57Why don't you check around over in there?
00:37:20Here's some tire tracks.
00:37:23Yeah, there are a lot of footprints, too.
00:37:25I think this is the place, all right.
00:37:26So I was hoping to find some snake tracks.
00:37:29What do they look like?
00:37:31Well, they're little swirly lines, kind of like a riverbed.
00:37:38I sure don't see any.
00:37:40That's the trouble.
00:37:41First good rain or windstorm that comes along, they get washed out.
00:37:56What are you doing?
00:37:58I was just noticing, look here.
00:38:00Mm-hmm.
00:38:01This is where we are.
00:38:04Now, the kids were found right about here.
00:38:08When the old man was over here, the farmhouse is up somewhere in here.
00:38:13Mm-hmm.
00:38:13Now, if you draw a connecting line between all these points, look where it winds up.
00:38:20Fort Walton.
00:38:21But what's that?
00:38:22It's an old army base that they don't use much anymore.
00:38:25I doubt if we'll find anything out, but maybe we ought to check it out anyway.
00:38:28Somebody might have seen something unusual.
00:38:32Okay, but how about a picture first, huh?
00:38:34And a smile?
00:38:35Mm-hmm.
00:39:04Morning.
00:39:05We're working with the sheriff's department.
00:39:06I'd like to see the commanding officer, if possible.
00:39:08Now, that would be Colonel Stroud.
00:39:10Could I see your identification, please?
00:39:12Yeah.
00:39:20I'm sorry, but no one's allowed on the base without a security clearance.
00:39:23But I could call his office, let him know you're here.
00:39:26I'd appreciate that.
00:39:29Yeah.
00:39:36There's a Dr. Parkinson and a Miss Bradley to see the colonel.
00:39:40They're with the sheriff's department.
00:39:42Right.
00:39:43Okay.
00:39:51You'll find Colonel Stroud's office in the building end up ahead.
00:39:54You can park up there in front, but be sure not to go beyond that fence.
00:39:57That's a restricted area, okay?
00:39:58Okay.
00:39:59Thanks a lot.
00:40:19Good morning, Colonel Stroud.
00:40:23Right this way.
00:40:30You must be Dr. Parkinson's.
00:40:33Right.
00:40:34My assistant, Ann Bradley.
00:40:35How do you do?
00:40:36I understand you're with the sheriff's department?
00:40:38Well, not exactly.
00:40:40We've been hired by the sheriff's department, though, to investigate some cases of snakebite death.
00:40:43I see.
00:40:45You want to know about Billings?
00:40:46About who?
00:40:47Billings.
00:40:48Corporal Billings.
00:40:51Uh, my man who died of snakebite.
00:40:53Isn't that why you're here?
00:40:55Well, frankly, Colonel, uh, the sheriff never told us anybody had been killed here.
00:40:59We normally don't report any deaths to the civilian authorities unless it involves a crime
00:41:03or a civilian personnel.
00:41:04Well, tell me, did your medical officer find more than one snakebite on a man's body?
00:41:08You didn't have to be a doctor to see that.
00:41:10You look like a pincushion.
00:41:11Well, didn't that seem rather unusual to you?
00:41:14A lot of things that go on seem unusual to me, and I'm sure no commanding officer likes
00:41:18losing any of his men.
00:41:20But it does happen.
00:41:21I lost one of my officers two months ago.
00:41:24He took his own life with a shotgun.
00:41:27Not very nice either, but what can you do?
00:41:29How long ago was this man Billings killed?
00:41:31Two weeks ago, about the 22nd.
00:41:33Well, I guess his body's been shipped home?
00:41:35Of course.
00:41:36But if there's anything you need to know, I'm sure you can find it in his, uh, 4211.
00:41:414211?
00:41:45Form 4211 Certificate of Death.
00:41:47Not much to represent a man's life, but that's what we have.
00:41:51You're sure he died of snakebite?
00:41:54Well, it sure as hell wasn't the flu.
00:41:56It was unusual, the number of bites he had.
00:41:59Must have been nearly a dozen.
00:42:02You know exactly where the body was found?
00:42:04About a half a mile from the base.
00:42:06Almost due east.
00:42:09Well, now, the time of death indicated here was just after midnight.
00:42:12What was he doing out there at that hour?
00:42:14Can I offer you a drink?
00:42:17Pure alcohol.
00:42:19Dryest martinis in town.
00:42:20Oh, thanks.
00:42:22Uh, the colonel probably wouldn't want you to know this, but Billings had a girl in Barstow,
00:42:28and apparently had been going over the fence several nights a week.
00:42:32I still don't see how he got past the patrols, or I'd go myself.
00:42:37Patrols?
00:42:38Security patrols.
00:42:39They patrol the perimeter to make sure no one gets into the base at night.
00:42:43Or out of it either.
00:42:45Last year, they caught two kids taking parts off a truck.
00:42:48Someone even tried to steal a helicopter.
00:42:51That reminds me, I was going to ask Colonel Stroud about borrowing a helicopter.
00:42:55What do you think my chances would be?
00:42:56Not very good, really, but it depends on his mood.
00:43:00Well, there's the phone.
00:43:01See for yourself.
00:43:02Just dial 236.
00:43:13Colonel, is Tom Parkinson again?
00:43:16Yeah, I'm in their office now.
00:43:17Did you find out anything?
00:43:18Well, it seems to be good with the other cases we've had.
00:43:20They're all multiple snake bites.
00:43:22Well, I hope you can get rid of those snakes.
00:43:24You could be a big help to us if you would, Colonel.
00:43:27I always try to help the civilian authorities when I can.
00:43:30What can I do?
00:43:31Well, I need a helicopter and a pilot for about an hour to check some spots.
00:43:34You'd save us days of climbing and driving.
00:43:36Well, it's not a general practice to lend equipment to civilians.
00:43:40But I think we'd make an exception in this case.
00:43:43I really appreciate that, Colonel.
00:43:44Go down to the landing pad.
00:43:46And I'll have the duty pilots run out right away.
00:43:49I'll get right down there.
00:43:50And thank you very much again.
00:43:51Bye-bye.
00:43:56Well, looks like I caught him in a good mood.
00:43:58How do I get down to that landing pad?
00:44:00Just go out the door and to the right.
00:44:01You can't miss it.
00:44:03Okay.
00:44:03What about me?
00:44:04I'm not going?
00:44:05Well, why don't you stay here with Captain Delaney, that is, if he doesn't mind?
00:44:10Mind?
00:44:11Listen, Professor.
00:44:13Anytime you want to leave me alone with a sexy-looking young thing like Miss Bradley here, fine with me.
00:44:20Well, I thought maybe she could photograph the death certificate in the area where Billings was found.
00:44:24You don't mind taking her out there?
00:44:26Well, I'd be glad to, but I can't desert the infirmary.
00:44:28That's okay.
00:44:30If you'll give me directions, I'll just take the jeep.
00:44:32You don't mind going alone?
00:44:33No, I don't mind.
00:44:35All right.
00:44:36See you later.
00:44:36Thank you very much.
00:44:38Okay, we'll need a map.
00:44:46Now, this is the base road here.
00:44:50You follow it out to the Sea of Gully.
00:44:53Follow the gully out about a half a mile.
00:45:19Follow the gully out about a half a mile.
00:45:25Check this out.
00:45:33Don't you?
00:45:39You're married.
00:45:40Die loaded.
00:45:45Don't you?
00:45:48You're married.
00:45:52Don't you?
00:45:52Don't you?
00:45:52That's a ballgame.
00:45:54Give me two assists.
00:45:55container, move, grab it.
00:46:21That's a hell of a sensation up here, huh?
00:46:24You like that, huh?
00:46:25Yeah, I think if we head out in this direction, we'll pass over my campsite.
00:46:29And there's a road about three miles out.
00:46:32That's 127.
00:46:37Let's follow it out to the end.
00:46:38There's a canyon out there.
00:46:40Well, this thing really moves out.
00:46:42Oh, we have faster ones.
00:46:43Of course, you got the fastest pilot in the West.
00:46:46I believe it.
00:47:06Hey, we're coming up on that canyon.
00:47:08You want to land in it?
00:47:10No, let's just circle around slowly if you can.
00:47:13You got it.
00:47:18I don't think there's anything around here.
00:47:19Why don't we just head on due east, okay?
00:47:22Check that out.
00:47:24I don't know what it is you're looking for.
00:47:25Man, there's nothing out here but sand and mesquite.
00:47:28Hey, I got seven more months to do, and then I never want to see any sand again.
00:47:33Unless maybe at the beach.
00:47:35You're going to give up flying, too?
00:47:36Are you kidding?
00:47:38I'm just giving up the uniforms and the regulations.
00:47:40Hell, man, I'm the best pilot they got here.
00:47:43Like last month, they get this big emergency rush job to bury this container out here.
00:47:48You see, George, we want you to treat this thing like it was an egg.
00:47:52Man, I feathered those blades, set that thing down so soft, didn't even know it was moved.
00:48:30Man, I feathered those blades, set that thing down so soft, didn't even know it was moved.
00:48:55Man, I feathered those blades, set that thing down so soft, didn't even know it was you.
00:48:56Wait a minute.
00:48:56Did you say something about burying something out here?
00:48:59Yeah, but it was further west of here.
00:49:03Well, what was it you buried?
00:49:04You got me.
00:49:05Whatever it was, it's under about a ton of concrete now.
00:49:09What do you mean?
00:49:10It was this old mine shaft they put it in.
00:49:12I lured it down in, and they covered it up with cement.
00:49:15Could you fly me over there?
00:49:17Well, I can try, but it won't do much good.
00:49:20It's all covered over by now, and we'd never find it.
00:49:23Of course, I'm sure Colonel Stroud can tell you where it is, though.
00:49:25Okay, well, I'll tell you.
00:49:26I want to check a farm out that's out by Hinkley,
00:49:29and then we can head back in, all right?
00:49:31Right.
00:49:59Hinkley, Hinkley, Hinkley.
00:50:12Let me take a look.
00:50:35Well, if there was a snake in there before, it's gone now.
00:50:38Are you sure it's gone?
00:50:40Positive.
00:50:41But if you want a ride, I'll be glad to take you anywhere you want.
00:50:44No, that's okay.
00:50:46Thanks anyway.
00:50:47Probably just my imagination.
00:50:55I'd like to see Colonel Stroud.
00:50:59Well, I'm sorry, sir, but he's busy right now.
00:51:01That's all right.
00:51:02I'll wait.
00:51:05He may be busy for several hours.
00:51:07He asked not to be disturbed.
00:51:09Well, could you call him and tell him it's important?
00:51:11It'll just take a minute.
00:51:14Well, I can try.
00:51:17But he's not going to like this.
00:51:23Sir, Dr. Parkinson is back and insists on seeing you.
00:51:26He says it's important.
00:51:28All right, Sergeant.
00:51:29Send him in.
00:51:30All right.
00:51:31You can go in.
00:51:41Now, look here, Parkinson.
00:51:42I've gone out of my way to help you,
00:51:44but when you come barging in here insisting on seeing me,
00:51:46I think you're overstepping your bounds.
00:51:49After all, this is a government facility.
00:51:51The sheriff's department has no jurisdiction here.
00:51:53It has when you're endangering the lives of civilians.
00:51:56What are you talking about?
00:51:58Check the records.
00:52:00There's never been one civilian fatality
00:52:02or even an injury due to any of our aircraft or personnel.
00:52:05I'm talking about whatever it is you have buried in that mineshaft.
00:52:08Who told you about that?
00:52:10Well, it doesn't matter who told me or who's responsible.
00:52:12The point is, I want to know what's in that mineshaft
00:52:15because I have a feeling it may have something to do with these snakebite cases.
00:52:19Well, I don't see any connection.
00:52:21All we did was bury an old container in an uninhabited area.
00:52:25I'd think people would be glad to have that open mineshaft filled in
00:52:28before some kid fell into it.
00:52:30Exactly what was in that container?
00:52:33I'm sorry, that's classified information,
00:52:35but I can guarantee you there's no danger to anyone.
00:52:37Well, if it wasn't something dangerous,
00:52:39then why bury it in the first place?
00:52:41And why all the concrete?
00:52:42I don't have to answer your questions, Parkinson.
00:52:45And I see no evidence of anything we've done here
00:52:47that would cause you to ask it.
00:52:49Colonel, Colonel, people have been killed,
00:52:50and I'm trying to find out why.
00:52:52Now, all I want to know is where that mineshaft is located
00:52:55and what it is that's buried there.
00:52:57It's not as if I'm some kind of spy or something.
00:53:01Sergeant, Dr. Parkinson is leaving.
00:53:03Would you please escort him to the gate?
00:53:05All right, I'll go.
00:53:07But don't think you've heard the last of this
00:53:08because we're not going to be far away,
00:53:10and believe me,
00:53:11I'm going to find out what's going on around here.
00:53:21So then when I mentioned the mineshaft,
00:53:23he clammed right up as if he was scared or something.
00:53:26I think we ought to do a little probing around tomorrow
00:53:28if we can get back on that base.
00:53:30Captain Delaney might be able to help.
00:53:32He seemed pretty cooperative.
00:53:33I think he's cooperative because he likes you.
00:53:36Aha. Do I detect a note of jealousy?
00:53:39Well, aren't you going to ask
00:53:41what we were doing while you were gone?
00:53:42Well, I hope you were taking some pictures
00:53:44or the sheriff's not going to be too happy.
00:53:46No, actually, we were having a torrid affair.
00:53:49He swept me right off my feet
00:53:51and we made wild, passionate love
00:53:53right there between the cotton swabs and the aspirin.
00:53:57But we did it in the name of science,
00:53:59so I didn't think you'd mind.
00:54:00I don't mind, as long as he's your type.
00:54:03He's actually not my type at all.
00:54:05Did you know that his specialty was biomedicine?
00:54:09Really?
00:54:10Why would they put a biomed man way out here?
00:54:14Something strange about that base, too.
00:54:17All that security, and for what?
00:54:20Well, I did manage to get some pictures
00:54:22of those buildings they kept us out of.
00:54:24When we get back to camp, I'll process the film.
00:54:27Can you do that out here?
00:54:28Sure.
00:54:28I have a portable darkroom that works great in a tent.
00:54:31There's only one drawback.
00:54:33What's that?
00:54:33You have to wait until it gets dark.
00:54:41You wanted to see me, sir?
00:54:42Yes, Hawkins.
00:54:44You were the duty helicopter pilot this morning,
00:54:47is that right?
00:54:48Yes, sir.
00:54:48And you took Dr. Parkinson up?
00:54:50Is that right?
00:54:51Yes, sir.
00:54:55What I want to know is
00:54:59exactly where did Dr. Parkinson want to go?
00:55:02Well, let's see.
00:55:03First, he had me circle this canyon
00:55:05at the end of 127.
00:55:07Then we flew east for a while,
00:55:08and he looked around.
00:55:11Then we sat down on that farm that burned
00:55:13over near Hinkley,
00:55:14and came back.
00:55:15Do you know what he was looking for?
00:55:17No, sir.
00:55:18He didn't say,
00:55:19and I figured it was none of my business.
00:55:23Well, what about that old mineshaft?
00:55:26Did he ask about that?
00:55:28Yes, sir.
00:55:29I told him I didn't know where it was,
00:55:30and he should ask you about it.
00:55:32You know, Hawkins,
00:55:32divulging classified information to civilians
00:55:35is a court-martial offense.
00:55:36It didn't divulge anything, sir.
00:55:38I just took him out and brought him back.
00:55:40Well, from now on,
00:55:41I think it would be a good idea
00:55:43if he refrained from talking to Dr. Parkinson at all,
00:55:46and to forget that there ever was a mineshaft.
00:55:50Now, I realize that you only have
00:55:51a few more months of active duty,
00:55:53and I'd hate to see you spend that time
00:55:55at a lesser rank,
00:55:57but it could happen.
00:55:58I'm sorry, sir, if I said anything wrong,
00:56:00but I won't let it happen again.
00:56:01I promise.
00:56:03Let's make sure of that, eh, Hawkins?
00:56:04Yes, sir.
00:56:06That's all, Hawkins.
00:56:07You can go.
00:56:08Yes, sir.
00:56:20Hey, I'm sorry.
00:56:21I didn't mean to scare you.
00:56:22I was just watching you work.
00:56:23Look, it's bad enough being in here in the dark
00:56:25without having people sneak up behind you.
00:56:28Sorry.
00:56:29I just wanted to see these shots.
00:56:32I'm sorry.
00:56:33I didn't mean to yell at you.
00:56:35I guess I'm just starting to see snakes everywhere.
00:56:38Yesterday, I was sure there was one behind me.
00:56:40Where was that?
00:56:41When I was getting those pictures
00:56:42of where that soldier was killed,
00:56:45I got this feeling like,
00:56:47like someone is staring at you,
00:56:49only there wasn't anyone there.
00:56:51Well, it was probably just a...
00:56:52No, it was a snake.
00:56:53I'm, I'm sure of it.
00:56:56It was like something evil watching me.
00:56:59And then it was in the Jeep.
00:57:01All right, now don't go getting all upset.
00:57:02I mean, maybe you did see a snake,
00:57:04but you weren't hurt, were you?
00:57:05No, I'm all right.
00:57:08Look, I guess I'm acting silly,
00:57:10but I just can't help it.
00:57:13I don't think you're silly at all.
00:57:16It's been a long day,
00:57:17and tomorrow may be even longer,
00:57:18so I'm going to zip you up in here
00:57:20and you'll be perfectly safe.
00:57:22Okay?
00:57:22Okay.
00:57:32I'll see you in the morning.
00:57:44And then what did she say?
00:57:45She said,
00:57:46if you're so smart,
00:57:47what the hell are you doing in the army?
00:57:48I wonder what the hell
00:57:49I'm doing here myself sometime.
00:57:51I'll tell you,
00:57:52it sure beats combat duty.
00:57:53I'd like to get back to
00:57:54where there's some decent women,
00:57:56you know?
00:57:56You wouldn't know a decent woman
00:57:57if one crawled up and bit you.
00:57:59Oh, yeah.
00:57:59At least I never saw you with one.
00:58:01You better take it easy on this stuff.
00:58:03After all,
00:58:04you are driving.
00:58:05Don't worry.
00:58:06We can always take a taxi home.
00:58:08Besides,
00:58:09there's no one out here but us.
00:58:10Who's going to tell?
00:58:12Well,
00:58:12if we did catch somebody
00:58:13stealing a cactus or something,
00:58:15all they got to do
00:58:16is tell the colonel
00:58:16his patrol was juiced.
00:58:18Yeah,
00:58:18cactus juice.
00:58:20Well,
00:58:21we haven't caught anybody yet,
00:58:22have we?
00:58:23No.
00:58:23Besides that,
00:58:24if we did get caught,
00:58:27at least we'd get off
00:58:28a night patrol.
00:58:29Yeah,
00:58:29we just might get on a little.
00:58:31What the hell was that?
00:58:33I don't know.
00:58:34Something in the road.
00:58:35It felt like a tire blew.
00:58:37Damn.
00:58:38I need to watch it.
00:58:42Hey,
00:58:42Woody.
00:58:43Hey,
00:58:44come here,
00:58:44look at this.
00:58:46That's flat,
00:58:47all right.
00:58:47Yeah,
00:58:48yeah,
00:58:48look,
00:58:48you see right here,
00:58:49look at those little marks.
00:58:51Oh,
00:58:51must have caught a board
00:58:52with nails or something in it.
00:58:53Man,
00:58:53I didn't see any board.
00:58:55You're going to say I'm crazy.
00:58:56You know all that talk
00:58:57about rattlesnakes around here?
00:58:58That looks just like a snake bite.
00:59:00Come on,
00:59:00no snake can bite through a tire.
00:59:02Man,
00:59:02they can bite through a boot.
00:59:03Oh,
00:59:04quit worrying
00:59:04and get the jack out.
00:59:10Here.
00:59:16Hey,
00:59:17you know,
00:59:18maybe we ought to call in
00:59:19for assistance.
00:59:20Hell no,
00:59:21it's only a flat tire.
00:59:24Come on,
00:59:25check the damn thing out.
00:59:26I'll get the lungs.
00:59:29Friday the 13th,
00:59:30too.
00:59:32Boy,
00:59:32you're really something else.
00:59:34I used to think
00:59:35you were bad
00:59:35about all your damn superstitions,
00:59:37but snakes biting through
00:59:39an eight-ply tire.
00:59:40It really beats them all.
00:59:44Wait,
00:59:45let's get
00:59:45around.
00:59:49Hey,
00:59:50what?
00:59:50Hey,
00:59:51what?
00:59:52What?
00:59:52What?
00:59:53What?
00:59:53Ah,
00:59:55John!
00:59:56Ah!
00:59:57Ah!
00:59:58Ah!
00:59:58Ah!
00:59:58Ah!
00:59:59Ah!
01:00:00Ah!
01:00:00Ah!
01:00:01Ah!
01:00:01Ah!
01:00:02Ah!
01:00:34Dr. Parkinson?
01:00:36What? What is it?
01:00:37Could you come to the base right away, sir?
01:00:38Captain Delaney sent me to get you.
01:00:41What is he, crazy? It's only 4 o'clock.
01:00:44There's been an accident.
01:00:45Palmer and Woodley on security patrol.
01:00:47Looks like they've been killed by snakes.
01:00:48All right, just give me a minute.
01:00:51What is it? What's going on?
01:00:53There's been another attack.
01:00:54Two soldiers this time.
01:00:56Maybe Stroud will listen to me now.
01:00:57You better get your stuff.
01:00:58We've got to get out of here.
01:00:59Okay.
01:01:04Oh, there you are.
01:01:06I'm sorry to wake you both up so early,
01:01:08but I thought you'd want to take a look at these men
01:01:10before I have to wake the colonel and tell him what happened.
01:01:12Just what did happen, you know?
01:01:14Not for sure, but it looks like they had a flat tire,
01:01:17stopped to fix it, and were hit before they could get away.
01:01:19Listen, you're not going to get in trouble
01:01:21for letting us in here again, are you?
01:01:22Look, don't worry about me.
01:01:24Let's just worry about finding whatever killed these men.
01:01:27All right, well, let's take a look at the bodies
01:01:28and get some pictures.
01:01:31Oh, my God, that poor man.
01:01:34I don't imagine he suffered much.
01:01:36The amount of venom in his blood,
01:01:38he probably died in a matter of seconds.
01:01:40Why is he so swollen?
01:01:41It's hematoma, like the swelling from a bruise.
01:01:45Rattlesnake venom always does that.
01:01:46It contains an enzyme that destroys the tissues and blood cells.
01:01:50How horrible.
01:01:51There are better ways to go, I suppose.
01:01:54The other man, Woodley, looks about the same.
01:01:57Captain, do you know the approximate time of death?
01:01:59About 0200.
01:02:01Now, it's 430 now.
01:02:02Do you think you could have a man take us out
01:02:03to where the bodies were found?
01:02:04Sure. Excuse me a minute.
01:02:06Hines!
01:02:07I want you to take Dr. Parkinson and Miss Bradley
01:02:10to where you found Palmer and Woodley.
01:02:12I'm hoping to get out there before the tracks get covered up.
01:02:15Usually they're covered up by the wind,
01:02:16but maybe this time we'll be able to find the nest.
01:02:18I hope so.
01:02:19Let me know what happens.
01:02:20I will.
01:02:21And thanks for all your help.
01:02:22All right.
01:02:27And I was supposed to relieve Palmer at 0400,
01:02:30but they never showed up, so we went looking for them.
01:02:33I wish we hadn't found them now.
01:02:34It wasn't too pretty.
01:02:36Snakebite rarely is.
01:02:37You think snakes did that?
01:02:38I've seen people bit before, and they didn't look like that.
01:02:41Man, those guys were torn all to hell.
01:02:43Well, we figure it was a number of them, not just one.
01:02:46I don't know.
01:02:47You can look for yourselves.
01:02:48Here's their jeep up ahead.
01:02:50Pull up alongside, and we'll have a look.
01:02:58My God, there must have been 20 or 30 snakes here.
01:03:01Ann got a picture of this.
01:03:02I didn't think snakes traveled in groups.
01:03:05Well, they don't usually.
01:03:06The only time I've seen them do it
01:03:07is when they're trying to defend a nest.
01:03:09Wait a minute.
01:03:09Back up here a minute.
01:03:13Easy.
01:03:21Recently fired.
01:03:22It was probably from Palmer's gun.
01:03:23It was on the ground near his body.
01:03:25The whole clip had been fired.
01:03:27Do you want me to keep going?
01:03:28Yeah, let's see where these tracks lead.
01:03:31Well, let's hope they don't lead us to where it led those men.
01:03:34That makes two of us.
01:03:46Looks like the tracks lead into that mine shaft.
01:03:50Well, let's take a look.
01:03:53You coming with us?
01:03:54No, thanks.
01:03:55I think I'll stay right here with the jeep.
01:03:57All right, let me borrow that flashlight of yours for a minute, will you?
01:03:59Sure.
01:04:02I thought the mine you were looking for had been filled in.
01:04:06Well, we won't know till we get inside.
01:04:07They may use those vertical air shafts.
01:04:10You mean we're going in there now?
01:04:13Well, sure.
01:04:13Why not?
01:04:15Well, I don't know.
01:04:15I just thought, uh...
01:04:17Oh, come on now.
01:04:17I was going to think you were pretty confident.
01:04:42I'm going to think you were pretty confident.
01:04:46Yeah, let's see.
01:04:46I don't know.
01:04:47I don't know.
01:04:47than what we find.
01:04:48Up ahead.
01:04:51This way.
01:04:53Wow, that's weird.
01:04:56Where does it lead to?
01:05:05Alan, let's get in this way.
01:05:08Okay, just a minute.
01:05:20Tom!
01:05:22Tom, wait!
01:05:34Tom, this isn't going to cave in on us, is it?
01:05:37I doubt it, but some of these timbers look pretty old,
01:05:39so I've got too weird.
01:05:46Watch this.
01:05:48Careful.
01:05:50Well, it looks like it goes down a couple of hundred feet.
01:05:54Wouldn't want you to fall in there.
01:06:09What is that?
01:06:11Come on.
01:06:21Get out of here.
01:06:32Get out of here.
01:06:33Get out of here.
01:06:47Hurry up.
01:06:48Hurry up.
01:07:03We're trapped.
01:07:04Don't stop now.
01:07:05Come on.
01:07:05We're almost there.
01:07:07I can't run any further.
01:07:10Keep running.
01:07:24I never thought we could make it.
01:07:27I couldn't take another step.
01:07:31At least we found that den we were looking for.
01:07:38You know, you're crazy.
01:07:41Absolutely crazy.
01:07:44Or maybe I'm the one that's crazy.
01:07:47You know, I could be working in an office.
01:07:49For normal hours and better pay.
01:07:52But no.
01:07:54I have to do everything the hard way.
01:07:57Well.
01:07:59I'll tell you what.
01:08:00I've got to go over to the county reporter's office.
01:08:02To check out this mine.
01:08:06Maybe we'll catch a show.
01:08:08Have a big steak.
01:08:09How's that sound?
01:08:10That's the least I can do for you.
01:08:13Las Vegas?
01:08:14Really?
01:08:15Really.
01:08:16Okay.
01:08:18Okay.
01:08:21Okay.
01:08:36Bye-bye.
01:08:37Bye-bye.
01:08:44Bye-bye.
01:08:48Bye-bye.
01:09:51Well, it's probably just the wind.
01:09:52No, no, it's something else.
01:09:56All right, I'll go look.
01:10:12What is it?
01:10:15Snakes.
01:10:15There are dozens of them all outside the tent.
01:10:17Oh, come on, look.
01:10:18Come on.
01:10:25There's another one.
01:10:26Get it.
01:10:27It's fast.
01:10:34Get some tongs on.
01:10:34We've got to get out of here and make one for the teeth.
01:10:37Oh, oh, I think it's getting dark.
01:10:39Oh, oh, oh.
01:10:44Randall, Galliano, spread out.
01:10:45I'm going to check inside this tent.
01:10:47Oh, oh, oh.
01:10:50Oh, oh, oh.
01:10:52Oh, oh.
01:10:55Oh.
01:10:57You two all right?
01:10:58Get me that snake blanket over there.
01:10:59This is his headquarters.
01:11:00This is Patrol One.
01:11:01I never seen somebody say.
01:11:02It's Colonel Stroud on the radio.
01:11:04He wants to talk to you.
01:11:05Hey, I'll be back in just a minute.
01:11:07You tell Stroud that when I get her to the hospital, I'm coming over there with a sheriff.
01:11:10We're going to find out what's buried in that goddamn mine of his.
01:11:26Oh, doing your spring cleaning?
01:11:29What do you want, Delaney?
01:11:31I just came to watch the burning of Rome.
01:11:34I don't have time for your clunkin' antics today.
01:11:37Looks like you don't have much time left at all.
01:11:40But I told you, didn't I?
01:11:43I mean, they're not going to slap your hand this time.
01:11:47You violated the Geneva Convention.
01:11:50My God, you think the Russians or the Chinese care about the Geneva Convention?
01:11:54Hell, they've got biological stockpiles that make this place look like a toy store.
01:12:00But we've got CT3.
01:12:02And they'll never get that.
01:12:04Nobody will.
01:12:05Oh, your precious CT3.
01:12:09That was going to win the war without firing a shot.
01:12:15Well, look what it did to those snakes.
01:12:17Now, you know that was an emergency as well as I do, Delaney.
01:12:21We had a leaking canister in no time for safe disposal.
01:12:24Oh, and that's another joke.
01:12:27Your safe disposal.
01:12:30They dumped that stuff into the ocean, but what happens when the containers rush through?
01:12:38You saw what happened to the snakes?
01:12:41Can you imagine what it'll do to sharks and killer whales?
01:12:46You worry a lot for a lush.
01:12:59I only worry when I'm doing something wrong.
01:13:04And for the first time in four years, I'm not worried.
01:13:07I still have Fletcher's records.
01:13:10You don't think I'm burning them?
01:13:12You don't scare me with that anymore.
01:13:15He died four years ago.
01:13:18So you can't prove I was even drunk.
01:13:25It's just your words against mine.
01:13:29You're a lush.
01:13:30Everybody knows that.
01:13:32Now open the door.
01:13:35I'm sorry, Colonel.
01:13:37But I should have stopped you four years ago.
01:13:44I am ordering you to open the door, Delaney.
01:13:47I told you.
01:13:49You can't threaten me anymore.
01:13:52I've made my choice.
01:14:20Sheriff, what's going on around here?
01:14:22Oh, come in, Tom.
01:14:23Listen, I want you to meet General Hinch.
01:14:26This is Tom Parkinson, the snake expert I told you about.
01:14:28How do you do?
01:14:29Hello.
01:14:29Where's Colonel Stroud?
01:14:31Well, it looks like he shot and killed the medical officer and then took off.
01:14:34Delaney?
01:14:35Guard at the gate said he saw him leaving a little while ago with several gas canisters in his Jeep.
01:14:39We're trying to locate him now.
01:14:41I've flown in myself to suspend his command until we complete an investigation.
01:14:44Well, he's probably headed for that mine.
01:14:46We were heading out there ourselves.
01:14:48You want to join us?
01:14:48Yeah.
01:14:49We've got to get those canisters back.
01:14:52Exactly what was in those canisters, General?
01:14:55From what Sheriff Yates has told me, it looks like CT3.
01:14:58What's that?
01:14:59Colonel Stroud used to be a major figure in the logistics of biological warfare,
01:15:03and CT3 was experimental, sort of his baby.
01:15:06The project was never completed, though,
01:15:08and the colonel was transferred to our storage depot here.
01:15:11Yeah, well, what is CT3?
01:15:13Well, it's a new form of nerve gas designed to be dropped behind enemy lines
01:15:17where breathing it caused a manic behavior.
01:15:21Within a few hours, the enemy troops would be fighting and killing amongst their own ranks,
01:15:26and then our forces could move in easily and take over without firing a shot.
01:15:31Now, General Hinge believes that that's what the colonel may have buried in the mine.
01:15:34Well, it would certainly explain the behavior of those snakes, wouldn't it?
01:15:36I still don't see how it could affect those snakes when it's buried underground.
01:15:40Well, General, a mine shaft houses all sorts of desert life,
01:15:43and in this case, it just happened to have been a den of rattlesnakes.
01:15:46Come on, here's my car.
01:15:47Harry?
01:15:49Harry?
01:15:50Harry?
01:15:51Harry?
01:15:52Harry?
01:15:52Harry?
01:15:54Harry?
01:15:59He must be inside the mine up there.
01:16:01Let's cover the area.
01:16:03All right, I'll head up this way.
01:16:06He's got a gun.
01:16:25Hello, this is Sergeant Yates.
01:16:27I want you to give it up.
01:16:29Forget it, Sheriff!
01:16:30Give me that thing.
01:16:33Stroud, this is General Hinge from R-COM-36.
01:16:36I'm ordering you to come out of there.
01:16:38You're no colonel.
01:16:39You're no general from R-COM-36.
01:16:42I know you.
01:16:42You don't fool me, you commies.
01:16:44That's your cheap trick.
01:16:46Deceit in disguise.
01:16:53Dammit, he's got grenades.
01:16:54Look back.
01:17:15Now!
01:17:17Down!
01:17:19Down!
01:17:22Down!
01:17:23I don't know.
01:18:05How's that leg feeling?
01:18:06It feels a lot better.
01:18:07The pain's almost gone.
01:18:09At least it feels a lot better than my stomach.
01:18:12Why is it they always try to starve you to death in a hospital?
01:18:15I did get to lie on a nice, comfortable bed, though.
01:18:18I'd almost forgotten what it was like.
01:18:20I mean, you're not going to miss that desert air in that sleeping bag?
01:18:23No.
01:18:24Actually, I can't wait to get back home and breathe in a big lungful of good old L.A. smog.
01:18:29Listen to the sounds of traffic and people.
01:18:32You know you're a hopeless case.
01:18:33I know.
01:18:34I guess the only thing I will miss will be you.
01:18:37I've gotten used to your crazy ways.
01:18:39Well, you know what they say about crazy people.
01:18:41You hang around them long enough, you get crazy yourself.
01:18:45I believe it.
01:18:47I'll tell you what.
01:18:48I know this fantastic Chinese restaurant in L.A. where they serve seven-course dinners.
01:18:52And they don't care whether you're crazy or not just so long as you're hungry.
01:18:56Does that sound good?
01:18:57Sounds great.
01:18:58Just so long as there aren't any snakes.
01:19:00Hey, I promise.
01:19:01There won't be any more problems.
01:19:03Mine's gone.
01:19:04The gas is gone.
01:19:05So are the snakes.
01:19:06I hope.
01:19:38The gas is gone.
01:20:06The gas is gone.
01:20:36The gas is gone.
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