There is nothing wrong with your television set.
Do not attempt to adjust the picture.
We are controlling transmission.
If we wish to make it louder,
we will bring up the volume.
If we wish to make it softer,
we will tune it to a whisper.
We will control the horizontal.
We will control the vertical.
We can roll the image,
make it flutter.
We can change the focus to a soft blur
or sharpen it to crystal clarity.
For the next hour, sit quietly,
and we will control all that you see and hear.
We repeat,
there is nothing wrong with your television set.
You are about to participate in a great adventure.
You are about to experience the awe and mystery
which reaches from the inner mind to...
Somewhere south of the Mongolian border
and north of the tropic of cancer,
in that part of the world we call the orient,
a slumbering giant has shaken itself
to wakefulness.
Passed over in most histories
as a nation forgotten by time,
its close-packed millions in the short span of 20 years
have been stirred to a fury by one man:
Li Chin Sung.
A benevolent despot in his homeland,
Sung stands as an irresponsible threat to peace
in the eyes of the rest of the world.
William Lyons Selby,
candidate for the presidency of the United States.
Predicted by every poll, survey, and primary
to be a certain winner in the forthcoming election.
Your excellency,
this is major Ho Chi-Wong.
I am honored, excellency.
He has committed to memory
every known detail of Selby's life.
Physically, he fits the candidate's size exactly.
The radial measurement of the skull is identical.
The same is also true, the neck, the biceps,
the forearm, the chest, the waist,
etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
The weight and the height are the same.
The eyes and hair, to the naked eye, identical.
And, uh, the voice?
Selby, on tape: But an America on guard,
An America that remains the guide and bearer
for the steady march
towards peace of all free people
cannot, indeed, will not...
But an America on guard,
an America that remains the guide and bearer
for the steady march towards peace of all free people
cannot, indeed, will not...
And, uh, fingerprints?
We have devised this cast for that purpose.
In 1953, Selby was involved in a minor hunting accident,
which resulted in the loss of the third finger
of the left hand, at the second joint.
Entirely healed.
Proceed.
The fluid I'm about to inject
will, after a time lapse of 40 to 70 seconds,
cause the cells of the musculature,
fat, the cartilage,
dermis and epidermis of the body,
to become malleable in molecular arrangement
for a period of... 2 minutes.
During this time,
the outer covering of the body
will become entirely plastic.
This will allow us to change the outer configuration
instantly and at our will.
And change back again, if we so desire.
So!
Your excellency,
you're about to witness the most unique achievement,
that has come from years of research
and experimentation in molecular plasticity.
Proceed.
My flight was late.
Does that affect our plans?
Not at all.
We should be in downtown Chicago
within 30 minutes. Here's a report on Mr. Selby.
How current is your intelligence?
He is under constant surveillance,
and we have maintained hour-by-hour log
of his activities since his arrival.
Has there been any change in his itinerary?
None. He arrived on schedule this morning,
and he, uh, plans to leave tomorrow evening.
You have done well. I see no reason
why we should not proceed as planned.
Thank you, excellency.
Exactly where is the candidate
at this moment?
His speech at the stadium is scheduled to end at 11:30.
He should be just reaching his suite at the Carleton Plaza.
Happy to see you.
Very nice.
Yes, I'll be glad to do it.
All right. All right. Go on.
That's all right. He'll talk to you later.
Hi, fella. How are you? It's good to see you here.
I need to talk to you. He'll be right back.
Here's the room, Bill. Bill, it's over here.
Yes, my dear.
Yeah.
Well, what time do we go on the air?
OK. I'll have him at the station by 5:45.
Yes, without fail.
OK, Chuck.
All right, bye-bye. See you then.
Whew.
That is an ugly mob out there.
Yes, but it's our ugly mob.
And most of them are of voting age, dad.
Oh, uh, bill, I just talked to Crowley
at station WAGB-TV, New York.
And he's got you all set up for
the open forum show, 2 weeks from Monday.
That's election Eve. Couldn't be better.
What about washburn?
Oh, he'll be on a week earlier.
But don't worry about him.
After your show,
they won't even remember his name.
Oh, and if you still
have any doubts about the outcome,
just take a look at this.
I ran into an old buddy from U.P.I.,
and he gave me this copy.
It'll be in all the morning editions.
A compilation of every poll
and survey to date.
They all pick Selby, by wide margins.
Let's take a look at that.
According to this, it's all over but the voting.
Forget it.
The only polls that ever elected anybody
were the ones where they count ballots.
Ask Truman or Dewey.
No, greatest mistake we could make
is to get overconfident.
Or overtired.
I want all of you to get out of here
and let my father get his rest.
Just one little cup of coffee?
Nope. I'm going to my room, too.
I promised my hard-working husband
I'd call him, and it's 12:30 already.
I'll talk to you in the morning, Chuck.
You're doing a wonderful job.
Look at the material I have to work with.
Good night, everybody.
Good night. Good night.
Now, you get
a good night's sleep, Bill.
I'll see you in the morning.
Good night, dad.
Good night, dear. Say hello to Bob for me.
I will. Sleep well.
Mobile operator, please.
Yes?
About 2 minutes. I will remain here.
You are to call immediately if there's any difficulty.
Now.
After the others had left, I undressed and went to bed.
I couldn't go to sleep right away,
so I decided to work on tomorrow's speech.
Suddenly, my bedroom door burst open,
and this wild man came rushing at me,
shouting, "you'll never be president!"
As he reached for my throat,
I managed to get my foot on his chest
and pushed him away.
He was off balance for a moment,
and I had time to reach under my pillow for the gun.
When he came at me again, I fired.
Had you ever seen him before?
Never.
Dad, we must get someone to guard you.
This could happen again.
Oh, I assure you, it won't.
Bill, the police-beat reporters
have been out there for 20 minutes.
And now the wires have men covering.
They want to see you.
I'm not going to see them, Phil.
I want you to go out
and play it down as much as you can.
Anybody else would be
grabbing for headlines, Bill.
That's just what I don't want.
If the American people
voted for me out of sympathy,
because of what happened here tonight,
I'd rather lose. I mean it.
Is there anything I can get you, dad?
Oh, thank you, dear. No. No.
I'm all right. I'm fine.
Thank god. We might have lost you.
I didn't even know you carried a gun.
Gentleman, I'm afraid our time
is running out.
Just one or 2 more questions, please.
Mr. Scott?
Uh, Mr. Selby...
Through the miracle of electronics,
a presidential candidate
can now see himself as others see him.
What a sobering experience.
I'd like your specific feelings
on this matter.
Gentlemen, please understand.
Summitry does not mean appeasement.
Nor is it a magic cure for anything.
I simply feel that when 2 heads of state
meet in good faith across a conference table,
they must at least gain
a better understanding of each other,
and, quite possibly,
they could accomplish something for peace.
Mr. Schumacher?
Mr. Selby, it's been a long time
since we've had an eligible bachelor
in the white house.
If you're elected, is there any...
You know, by tomorrow at this time,
we should have a pretty good idea where we stand.
Well, I'll borrow from Calvin Coolidge
to answer that.
"No comment! And don't quote me!"
Tomorrow at this time,
we're going to be toasting
a new president,
and a new vice president.
No question about that.
The question is, which 2 men shall we be toasting?
Well, I give you the winners:
"S" and "P." Success and prosperity.
Thank you, my dear.
You shall be amply rewarded for your loyalty.
Bill, tomorrow, after you finish casting your ballot,
why don't you come on out to the farm?
We can spend a nice, quiet day.
Maybe get in a little hunting.
We can watch the results later on TV.
It's a great idea. I'll be there by noon.
But, dad,
you didn't touch your zabaglione.
And I asked them to serve it
especially for you.
Yes. Yes, I know.
But the women's vote has a way of slipping
from a candidate when the press
starts to call him, um, chubby.
Oh.
Glad we came out today, Bill.
I've got a feeling we're not going to have
too much time for this sort of thing.
You're counting chickens again.
You can't fool the American people.
They know the right man when they see him.
Hold it.
Hey, I think I smell some nice tender grouse.
Hey, that's the second time
in 20 years you hit what you aimed at.
I've had my fill of hunting.
Let's head back.
His slate has carried
in the South Dakota districts,
all through the entire farmlands.
Denver gives us Selby
and a plurality of...
Physician, keep thyself awake.
Oh, thanks, Ann.
I guess I should be awake when my father-in-law
officially makes it.
Western districts, plus California.
An overriding result
that certainly can be called a major victory.
Selby is way ahead. Moving ahead in Iowa.
Moving ahead in, uh, Kansas City...
What's the matter, Ted?
I just can't get over that shot
you made this afternoon.
Here's a bulletin coming in.
Wait a minute, this might be it!
Louis Price,
the governor's press secretary,
is heading for the microphone.
The governor has asked me
to read this statement,
which he has sent to Mr. Selby
in the form of a telegram.
"My warmest congratulations,
and best wishes to William Lyons Selby."
Yahoo!
Dad!
All right, everyone!
Thank you, boys. For all you did.
Now... now we've won the battle.
Let's win the war! Huh?
I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute
the office of president of the United States.
And will, to the best of my ability,
preserve, protect, and defend
the constitution of the United States.
Yes?
The vice president would like to see you.
Show him in, please.
Bill, I hope you don't mind. I wanted to...
Just a minute, Ted.
Let me get these out of the way.
Farm subsidy bill,
social security... Amendments.
With the congress behind us,
we can get things done.
You are with me in all this?
Yes, of course I am.
This is what I don't understand.
My memo on the summit meeting.
Something not clear?
You're going to meet with Li Chin Sung?
He's arriving day after tomorrow.
I think we both know what he's after.
Yes.
I expect him to offer to pull his troops
out of Ling valley.
Yes, on condition that we do the same.
That is one of the things we will talk about.
Do we pull out if Sung does?
If he makes that concession in the interests of peace,
we must do the same.
Bill, 6 months ago,
while we were campaigning in Dallas,
you gave me 5 solid reasons
why American strength in the orient
was as vital to our security as our missile program.
You said we could never negotiate peace from weakness.
Do you recall that?
Of course.
And now, you are considering pulling our troops out
just because Sung says he's going to?
I think it's a mistake to talk about it, absolutely.
Ted...
I'm proud to have you by my side.
You've got the guts to say what's on your mind
if you feel you're right.
I am right.
You're wrong. You're too rigid.
You feel that to bend is to break.
You equate change with weakness.
But by changing policy when change is in order,
we strengthen our position,
not weaken it.
Is your mind made up?
Nothing is decided.
I haven't even met the man, have I?
Well, Ted, I have the press conference.
We'll talk another time. Later on.
Ted?
Hi.
Can I get you a glass of milk?
No.
You gonna be ruining your health like this
while Teddy and I are visiting mother?
Oh, this summit meeting is like a knife.
I thought you believed in summitry.
Of course I do.
I'm just not in favor of giving away the Ling valley.
Well, suppose both sides do pull out.
No armies, no wars.
Oh, Ann.
Look, if Sung pulls out,
he moves back across the border...
500 miles.
If we pull out, we come home...
5,000 miles.
And in a day or a week or a month later,
Sung sweeps back into the valley,
and there's nothing to stop him.
Well, can you talk to the military?
Well, that's just it. I can't talk to anyone.
I'm the vice president.
Oh, I can discuss foreign policy.
There are times when I even help to shape it,
but I never, never criticize it.
It's so frustrating.
Now I know why they call the vice president
"the silent man."
And the day after tomorrow,
I've gotta shake Li Chin Sung's hand
and welcome him to our country.
It's a privilege to welcome you
to our country, sir.
I'm happy to meet you, Mr. Pearson.
I want premier Sung to meet all of you,
but he must be very tired after his flight
halfway around the world.
Ted?
Gentlemen, cocktails are being served
in the blue room, if you'll join me.
We'll be with you shortly.
We're making very good progress.
Within 3 weeks, American troops
challenging you to the south
will be withdrawn.
Excellent.
And, uh, the missile bases?
I feel that we should be patient
at least until the fall.
Before we move in that area.
Mm-hmm.
Your judgment is sound, Chi-Wong.
I leave that detail in your hands.
Thank you, sir.
And now, we're ready for the second phase.
Final preparations are very nearly completed.
We should be able to make all the other substitutions
within the next few weeks.
Roy Lindley, Mercury Steel Corporation.
Webber Norton, Secretary of Labor.
Gerald Fontaine, New York Chronicle.
Herbert Mead, Broadcasting Corporation of America.
And, uh, Whelan, Rudolph, Clark, Warner.
And not a single shot will have been fired.
An Archer is known by his aim,
not by his arrows.
And what about the Pearson substitution?
You will have your new vice president
by morning.
Who's there?
It's us, Bob and Carol.
Hey. Well, this is a surprise. Come on in.
I hope you're not angry at us for dropping in
without phoning first. We won't stay long.
No. I'm delighted.
Whenever Ted and Ann are away,
I begin to hear noises. Can I get you some coffee?
Not a thing, Ted. Thanks.
Well, uh...
There's something we must talk to you about.
Well, come on.
It's dad.
Something...
Something seems wrong with him.
A lot of little things.
By themselves, none of them amount to a thing.
But put together,
they give me the strangest feeling.
Well, uh, what kind of things?
For one thing, Bill has always been
vitally interested in my research.
He used to mention it to me.
The Apollo project I've been working on
always fascinated him, yet it's been months
since he's even mentioned the subject.
And personal things...
Tastes in food,
attitudes about people we've known...
His attitude towards us.
It's tough to put into words, but, for example,
Carol's dad always took a proprietary interest
in our lives.
In a nice way, he sort of tried to run things.
He meddled.
But it was a lovable kind of meddling.
And now?
He's polite.
He remembers all the right anniversaries
and birthdays.
But it's as if he turned to stone.
Suddenly, I don't love him anymore.
What was that?
What was it? Did you see him?
Look, did he just resemble you?
Or was he like a mirror image?
Bob, I saw him.
It wasn't someone who looked like me.
I tell you, it was me. I was looking at me!
How is that possible?
I don't know.
You'd better tell Frank Summers about this
first thing in the morning.
Wait a minute. Do me a favor.
Don't say anything to Summers just yet.
Why not?
Think about it a minute.
People don't look identically
like other people unless they're identical twins.
But what if...
What if a person were made to look like someone else?
How? Plastic surgery?
The Russians have been conducting experiments
in molecular rearrangement in living organisms
for some time.
And they've been very successful.
Just exactly what does that mean?
I think I may have the answer, Ted.
What time do you get to the office?
Usually around 8:00.
Good. Come on, Carol.
I've got a day's work ahead of me tonight.
Oh, Ted, I don't think
that you ought to stay here tonight.
Why don't you come to our place?
Oh, I'll be all right, Carol.
I don't think he'll try it again.
I hope not.
Heh heh. Thank you, dear.
"Report on molecular rearrangement
of subcutaneous matter on the rhesus monkey."
How's that for a title?
Here.
"A few seconds later, I was able to manipulate
"and reshape the flesh of the monkey.
"The speed with which the tissue entered a plastic state
"seemed to be in direct proportion
to the strength of the serum."
Assuming the serum has been developed
several steps further,
they, or someone,
would have the means to completely reshape
the physical features of anyone.
A man!
Perhaps Bill Selby.
Then it's possible the assassination attempt
in Chicago was not foiled by Selby.
It was planned to appear that way.
Selby is dead, and the man in the White House is... who?
Can you arrange to have a dental appointment
placed on Selby's calendar?
Yes.
If the man in the White House
is an impostor...
His teeth will give him away.
Yes?
I'm just reminding you
of your dental appointment tomorrow.
Cancel it.
I'm sorry. I can't accept it.
Secret service has been at his side
from the day he took office.
I'd know if he was an impostor.
How?
He looks, he talks, he acts exactly like Selby.
He has become Selby!
Well, assuming you're right, where do we go from here?
The president or whoever he is
is the most carefully guarded man in the country.
How do we denounce him?
Before we attempt anything like that,
is there some way to prove that William Selby
is actually dead beyond any doubt?
My next point.
Buried in a grave in Chicago
is a man we believe to be Selby.
If we can make casts of that man's teeth
and match them against old x-rays of Selby's,
we'll have that proof.
Marshall?
I'll leave tomorrow.
You'll leave tonight.
We haven't got a moment to lose.
Who knows how many more they plan to replace?
Or already have.
Yes?
Mr. Lee has arrived.
Send him in.
I want to outline the plan one final time.
Do not fail again.
Pearson will be heading for the Columbia hotel
to pick up ambassador lacour
when you intercept him.
3 blocks from the hotel, we will stop his car,
make the substitution.
I will then continue in his place,
pick up the ambassador,
and bring him to your reception.
You have my anxious good wishes.
Thank you so very much for the opportunity
of chatting, Mr. President.
My door is always open to men of sincerity
and goodwill. Please come again soon.
Try to get me the vice president.
No, of course I don't mind.
If buttering up lacour will strengthen the alliance...
Good.
He's staying at the Columbia.
I told him around 8:00.
Mm-hmm.
He will talk your ear off, you know.
Well, if an ear will help, I'll be glad to give it.
Did your mother mind keeping Teddy tonight?
Oh, you know how she feels about having him stay over.
Hello?
Yes, Frank.
It's Summers.
He deserved so much more than that.
Thanks.
Did Marshall get the impressions?
There are no impressions.
The body was cremated on October 28th.
Oh, no.
Well, uh, I'd better go. I'll...
I'll see you at the reception.
That's him.
I hope you're not too angry at me
for sending Ted on a peace mission.
He is my right hand, you know.
That's what vice presidents are for.
May I have the first dance
with the president's daughter?
I wish your dear mother were here tonight.
Dad...
Would you mind if I sat down?
Why, of course not.
Is something wrong?
No, no, I'll be fine.
I know that I'm a poor substitute
for Ted, but shall we give it a try?
There is your Ted.
If you'll come this way, Mr. ambassador.
Ah, Monsieur Lacour. We are honored, sir.
A great many of my friends
are most anxious to meet you,
Mr. Ambassador.
Ted?
I want you to go over and stay close
to Bob and Carol.
What's the matter?
Just go.
Everyone!
Please stop where you are!
Please!
Come this way.
I want you all to look toward that door.
Ladies and gentlemen, you are witness
to the most monstrous act of international espionage
in modern history.
Frank Summers!
A few nights ago, an attempt was made
on my life.
It failed.
Tonight, a second attempt was made.
It, too, failed, thanks to Mr. Summers,
who's been at my side since the first attempt.
But we have uncovered something
far more treacherous than just an attempt on my life.
Through a new and almost incredible chemical process,
this enemy has succeeded in altering the human face
as you can see.
This man is not Ted Pearson. I am Ted Pearson.
Yet he is the exact image of me.
But there is more.
Far more.
Frank, take the President.
I accuse you of the assassination
of William Lyons Selby,
and assuming his identity for the purposes
of overthrowing the United States government.
You're not the president of the United States.
You're a murderer and an impostor!
Bob Carter, I'll need your help.
Put an end to your treachery
here and now.
Sir, you're the commander in chief now.
I can get S.A.C., Vanguard, on the phone in seconds.
Just give the order.
There will be no order.
To Theodore Pearson,
not even so monstrous a crime as the assassination
of William Lyons Selby justifies an act of war.
Because there is no war as we knew it,
only annihilation.
A great American has been killed
in the service of his country.
Now it is the job of those who continue to serve
to carry on, guarding our freedom
with dignity and unrelenting vigilance.
We now return control of your television set to you
until next week at this same time,
when the control voice will take you to...