John Larch credited as playing...
Dr. Eliot Rathmann
- Edward Hall: You mind if I walk around a bit? It's the only way I can stay awake.
- Dr. Rathmann: Stand on your head, if you think it'll help.
- [Hall laughs]
- Dr. Rathmann: What's funny?
- Edward Hall: You are. Are you sure you're a psychiatrist?
- Dr. Rathmann: Why do you ask?
- Edward Hall: I don't know. I guess I expected something different.
- Dr. Rathmann: Like an old man with a white beard and a German accent?
- Edward Hall: Maybe.
- Dr. Rathmann: I know. It's what everybody expects, and they're always disappointed.
- [Hall gets up from the couch]
- Dr. Rathmann: I thought you said you were tired?
- Edward Hall: I am. I'm the tiredest man in the world. You wanna know how many hours I've been awake? Eighty-seven hours. Almost four days and nights.
- Dr. Rathmann: And you can't go to sleep, is that it?
- Edward Hall: No, Doctor, not can't, I mustn't. I mustn't go to sleep because if I do I'll never wake up.
- Edward Hall: [stares at picture on the wall] Did you ever look at this picture, I mean really look at it?
- Dr. Rathmann: I think so, why?
- Edward Hall: Has it ever moved?
- Dr. Rathmann: No, not to my knowledge, anyway.
- Edward Hall: I can make it move.
- Dr. Rathmann: Can you?
- Edward Hall: Yes. But not really. When I was a kid, we had a picture like this in our house. Not the same thing, exactly, but pretty close. A boat. My mother used to tell me to look at it. She said if I looked at it long enough, it would move. All I had to do was keep looking at it. I didn't believe her, but the idea fascinated me. One night I spent a whole hour just staring at that silly boat.
- Dr. Rathmann: And did it move?
- Edward Hall: [slow response] Yes.
- Dr. Rathmann: Now you understand there's nothing strange about that, it was an optical illusion.
- Edward Hall: Yeah, I know. Except that after awhile I couldn't control it. Every time I looked at that boat, the sails would fill and it would begin to dip. I just couldn't stop it.
- Dr. Rathmann: Imagination is strong in a growing boy.
- Edward Hall: Yeah, I realize that. I realized it even then. But the point is I got just as scared as if it were really happening. The mind is everything. If you think you've got a pain in your arm and there's no physical reason for it, it hurts just the same, doesn't it?
- Dr. Rathmann: Granted.
- Edward Hall: [opens the window] Can I open this?
- [looks down]
- Edward Hall: Quite a drop.
- Dr. Rathmann: Mr. Hall, I'll ah... I'll have to close the window.
- [closes it]
- Edward Hall: I only wanted some air.
- Dr. Rathmann: Well I'll ah... I'll turn the conditioner up. It works best with the windows closed.
- Edward Hall: Did you think I'd jump?
- Dr. Rathmann: You might have.
- Edward Hall: Not a chance. I want to live. That's my problem.
- Dr. Rathmann: All right, Mr. Hall, suppose you tell me all about it. Everything. Start anywhere.
- Edward Hall: Okay, but I'm warning you. You're gonna think I lost my marbles.
- Dr. Rathmann: No, marbles can be found, Mr. Hall. Go on.
