Ordeal on Locust Street, Episode 24

This episode was originally broadcast on Sept. 22, 1959

The story takes place in Boston. This is one of the episodes whose transfer quality is fairly poor, by the way. The younger girl is engaged to be married.

There's some kind of argument about someone named Jason, and reference made to a room that no one can see into.

This is the girl's fiancée. He says something about stories he had heard, and "just now he say for himself." He says that whatever he saw "belonged in the sea." It was sitting in a red velvet chair reading a book.

The woman explains that the individual in the chair was her son. He has some kind of disease from before birth that's not hereditary or contagious, according to the woman. The guy reacts in horror (which basically describes his acting ability; horrible. Truly horrible.) The fiancée runs off in revulsion (either to the creature, or to his acting ability, or lack thereof; either way, thank goodness he's gone.)

The father wants the boy sent away to some asylum or hospital or something. The woman refuses, and her husband says he will leave her if she doesn't send Jason, their son, away. Considering that the next scene shows a horse-drawn carriage, then the episode must be taking place a fairly long time ago, relatively, which means that, if her husband left her, the wife would basically be destitute.

She meets with some doctor that has had his license taken away for some reason. From their conversation it's apparent that Jason is an extremely intelligent person.

He explains to her about some kind of "mind-force" of which Dr. Mesmer was the first to have it, and he's known for hypnotism. He comes to dinner and hypnotizes the daughter.

The former doctor meets with Jason. The camera is from Jason's point of view so we have no idea what he looks like. Also, the film is quite dark in this part.

We see a part of Jason, his hands, which gives us a good idea of what the rest of him looks like.

The former doctor has been working for three or four months on Jason by this time. The husband comes back. He tells his wife that he's already arranged for Jason to go to a hospital in New York and there's nothing she can do about it.

The former doctor brings Jason into the room and its apparent he has been healed of the disfiguration.


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