The Day The Earth Stood Still–part 6

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Klaatu and Professor Barnhardt agree the “demonstration” should take place at noon the following day. As Klaatu departs the Professor is uneasy, and almost wishes the “demonstration” would not take place.

When Klaatu gets back to the boarding house he finds resumes the character of Mr. Carpenter. Once inside he finds everybody ill at ease. Some people are trying to play cards, Helen Benson, mother of Bobby, is leafing through a magazine. Tom Stephens has asked to marry her so she already has a lot on her mind. Mrs. Crockett almost collides with Mr. Carpenter while passing through the dining room.  He sits beside Helen and tries to ask a question. When words fail him he shakes his hand nervously. Helen supplies the word he’s searching for. “Jittery is the word”. She adds “Bobby’s the only person I know who isn’t – Jittery”.

The space man still has not been caught, Gort is still standing by the space ship, and the space ship alone is a rather uncomfortable reminder that all is far from normal in Washington D.C. Helen asks about the gov’t agent, and Mr. Carpenter barely launches into his answer only to have the doorbell ring. Tom Stephens has come to collect Helen. They’re going on another date. Tonight Tom’s in a bad mood, He’s annoyed that Helen isn’t ready and waiting for him, plus he admits to being tired of hearing about “Mr. Carpenter”.

Helen quietly files that little piece of information in her head for future reference. Mr. Carpenter hears Toms complaints, says good evening to Tom, and slips upstairs. Helen quietly admonishes Tom for acidic behavior. Before leaving she goes upstairs to check on Bobby. Mr. Carpenter is helping him with his math homework. When Helen appears she goes into his room and asks that Bobby stop doing his homework and get ready for bed. Bobby sits on the bed, undoes one shoe, and lets it fall to the floor before there’s a knock at the door. It’s Mr. Carpenter with a question. “Bobby — have you a flashlight?”. Bobby goes to get his, and informs Mr. Carpenter “It’s a real Boy Scout flashlight”. Not quite sure why anyone would need a flashlight inside a house he asks Mr. Carpenter why he needs it. “Why — the light in my room went out. Thank you, Bobby. Goodnight.”. To Bobby that seemed like a good answer – until he noticed the light in Mr. Carpenter’s room still worked.

Then Mr. Carpenter appeared, and Bobby ducked inside his own room. His mind was on fire with thoughts. Why did Mr. Carpenter lie to me, why is the light is his room still working, and what does he need my real Boy Scout flashlight for ? Before Mr. Carpenter moved he checked that nobody was watching him. Satisfied that nobody was he turned off lights in his room, closed the door, and went downstairs. Quietly Bobby watched as Mr. Carpenter went through the front door. As Mr. Carpenter reached for the door Bobby darted into his room, put the shoe he had taken off back on, and put on his jacket.  Mr. Carpenter was like a man on a mission. looking this way and that, going up and down side streets.  Bobby wanted to know where he was going, but more than anything he wanted his real Boy Scout flashlight back ! Before he knew it he was back at the same park that housed the spaceship and Gort.

Bobby remembered the Army had built some sort of temporary structure for the space ship and Gort. Mr. Carpenter moved quietly towards the wall that had a small window in it. He moved quietly like a cat. When he was in position he used the flashlight to shine light in front of Gort. Using a code Gort knew, was instructed to dispose of the guards. Slowly Gort walked towards the soldiers who watched in bewilderment.

Gort reaches out, grabs them, and violently pushes them together. They aren’t killed, but just knocked out. Seeing this Bobby is terrified, but screws up the courage to follow along the wall to the tiny window.

Not quite believing his own eyes, he watches as Mr. Carpenter speaks to Gort, then enters the space ship. Not quite sure what to do next he runs as fast as his legs will go back to the boarding house in sheer terror and fright.

Mr. Carpenter walks through the ship, eventually arriving at an area covered

with dials, and seemingly ordinary lights. He contacts someone and outlines his plan, yet he does this in language we cannot understand.

Bobby is back at the boarding house. He’s confused, terrified, and angry. A person he thought was his friend has disappointed him in the worst way imaginable. His mother Helen, and Tom return from their date. Helen is more than surprised to discover her son still up, sitting in a chair, with a foul look on his face.

“Bobby–! What are you doing up at this hour?”. Bobby proceeds to tell his mother just what has transpired. Helen thinks her son has been dreaming of the space man, the space ship, and Gort. “I like Mr. Carpenter — but I’m scared, Mom”.

“Mustn’t be frightened, darling — It was just a bad dream. Here – we’ll prove it to you”. Surprised at his degree of insistence she asks Tom Stephens to go upstairs to fetch Mr. Carpenter. She tries her best to convince her son it was all a bad dream. Bobby is very disappointed with Mr. Carpenter, and now his mother is making a truly horrifying night a great deal worse. He gives her a really dirty look than says “I’d never call you a liar”. While Helen tries to push the “bad dream” theory Tom does some unauthorized snooping. He knocks softly at Mr. Carpenter’s door. Getting no answer, he tries the door, pushes it open and peers in. Then he steps into the darkened room. Tom snaps on the light and looks around the empty room. Glancing around, Tom’s eye is caught by a flash of something bright on the floor below the dresser. He stoops down and picks up a fair-sized diamond. He studies the stone curiously from various angles, and holds it up to the light. Thoroughly puzzled, he keeps the stone in his hand, switches off the light and goes out. Like any good Retriever he goes back down stairs to show off his discovery. “He’s not there. But look what I found in his room”. Helen asks if it’s real. Tom’s expression says he doesn’t have a clue. Then Bobby pipes up that Mr. Carpenter has a lot of diamonds, then digs into his pocket to show them two more. Tom offers up the simplest theory available. “I think he’s a crook”. Not knowing what to believe Helen has Bobby sleep in her room. As Bobby starts up the stairs she notices his shoes are soaked. Bobby has the last laugh. “Yeah — the grass was kind of wet”.

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The Day The Earth Stood Still–Part 3

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The Plot (Continued)

A couple of days pass, and Mr. Harley (with his ever present briefcase) return. And the news is not good. Country A will attend but only if the meeting is held in country B. Country B will not attend unless the meeting is held in country C. And country D will not attend unless the meeting is held in country A. Klaatu is annoyed and angered at the child like behavior being displayed, and astounded their very existence would take a back seat to their petty bickering. Mr. Harley make one more pitch for his president. “Now that you understand the situation more clearly, perhaps you’d like to discuss the matter with the President”. Klaatu still refuses to speak with the leader of any one nation. And to a certain degree he loses his temper. “I am impatient with stupidity. My people have learned to live without it”. Mr. Harley verbally wishes his people could do the same.

   

Klaatu moves to the window, looks the people below, and begins to really wonder if all the people on Earth are really so narrow minded. In a last ditch attempt to get his message across Klaatu makes a request of Mr. Harley. “Before making any decisions, I think I should get out among your people — become familiar with the basis for these strange, unreasoning attitudes”. Mr. Harley balks at that idea. “Under the circumstances I’m afraid that will be impossible. I must ask that you don’t attempt to leave the hospital. Our military people have insisted on this. I’m sure you’ll understand”. After Mr. Harley departs Klaatu shakes his head in wonder at the level of stupidity of this planet. He chuckles as he hears his door being locked.

A few hours later a  nurse delivering medication and a military policeman stand outside the room where Klaatu is. The MP tries to unlock the door, but finds it already unlocked.  He the and the nurse rush in. The bed is unmade and the room is empty. Klaatu has vanished. It isn’t long before word leaks to the press. Banner headlines about his “escape” are on newspapers all over Washington.

 

Radio announcers chatter wildly warning people of the escape. Mothers corral their kids, and usher them off the street. Commuter trains are stopped and searched.

At night we see a very ordinary looking man carrying a suitcase walking on the sidewalk. It isn’t long before before we see it’s Klaatu. As he passes the houses we hear radio and television reports about the escape, and about the alien. One report has him at eight feet tall. Another is a report of sightings in Chicago, Florida, and Des Moines. Another is drowned out by the sound of very nervous people chattering. He stops to observe sometime, and notices his coat has a tag on it that identifies its true owner. He tears the tag from the jacket and disposes of it

 

He notices one of the houses has a small sign in the window that says “room for rent”. He approaches the house now using the name “Mr. Carpenter”. A number of people are huddled around a television set. They are too engrossed in TV reports to notice him. He stands in the hallway waiting to see the owner of the house.

All of a sudden one the people who has been watching the TV report turns it off.  A woman, a Mrs. Crockett, and owner of the boarding house, complains that all the reports and tension are driving her crazy. Another person – a young boy, notices a stranger standing in the hallway. Klaatu, now going by the name of Mr. Carpenter, says he’s looking for a room to rent. Mrs. Crockett finds everything in order, and introduces Mr. Carpenter to the rest of the house guests. Mr.Carpenter is introduced to to everybody, and after the appropriate hellos and shaking of hands Mrs. Crockett is satisfied Mr. Carpenter will make a fine addition to the house. Of the people Mr. Carpenter meets that evening he will have the most interaction with Helen Benson (played by Patricia Neal) and her son Bobby (played by Billy Gray). Bobby starts peppering Mr. Carpenter with questions. He’s a bit excited by al the “space man” news and his mother sends him to bed.

The next morning everyone in the boarding house communes around the breakfast table. Mrs. Barley, a heavy set no nonsense woman, is plowing through the paper when she happens upon a cartoon in the paper.

She is far from amused. The radio is reporting, but does not report fact. It’s reporting pure conjecture. Where is the space man, why is he here. One theory is that he’s hiding out in the sewers which displeases and annoys Mr. Carpenter. Only Helen Benson offers any opinion of any importance. “This space man — or whatever he is. We automatically assume he’s a menace… Maybe he isn’t at all. After all, he was shot the moment he landed here. I was just wondering what I would do”. Mr. Carpenter makes a comment of his own which leads to some hilarity. “Perhaps before deciding on a course of action, you’d want to know more about the people here — to orient yourself in a strange environment”. Mrs. Barley crows sharply “There’s nothing strange about Washington, Mr. Carpenter”. Mr. Carpenter counters with “A person from another planet might disagree with you”. A small degree of tension is relieved, and for just a small moment thought are not on the space man.

Mrs. Crockett, who left the kitchen a few minutes earlier returns, and tells Helen Benson, that Tom Stephens is waiting for her in the hall. Tom Stephens sells insurance, and is fond of Helen and Bobby. Helen and Tom had planned to picnic together but admits to Tom he hasn’t got a sitter for him. Tom’s smile all but disappears. Then Mr. Carpenter volunteers to look after Bobby. Tom is all smiles again. Mr. Carpenter adds “Bobby and I had a fine time yesterday afternoon. We talked — and listened to the radio. I thought today he might show me around the city”. Helen is surprised, but given his optimistic attitude at breakfast, gives her consent. Mr. Carpenter suggests they ask Bobby what he thinks.  Helens likes Mr. Carpenter a bit more because he wanted to include Bobby in the conversation.

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