Have you ever had the feeling that you knew what
someone was going to say just before he said it?
Or have you ever walked into a strange room
and had the sensation that you'd been there before?
Well,
if you have,
you've taken a small step beyond.
Now watch a giant step.
We're about to go beyond the gay,
grinning face of the circus
into the very private world of the flying Petruccios,
Aerialus unsurpassed.
One night about 5 years ago on the high trapeze.
Something happened.
It was a performance for which no tickets were ever sold.
But one man saw it.
All right,
that's OK.
Now,
let me see your wrists,
Mario.
I can do it myself.
You like or see them.
Why don't you stop treating me like I was 6 years old?
Please stop worrying.
Hey,
hey,
here's Papa I worry about,
you know,
those wrists,
they gotta catch him.
Oh.
His arrests are OK.
The rest of him not so OK.
Lay off.
Oh,
come on,
you two fighting again.
Ifila.
If Papa would just mind his own business,
I'd give him a father's advice.
He doesn't listen.
That's his funeral,
Carlotta.
That,
that fancy wife.
I'm happy you didn't forget we got a show to do today.
Paula
She got a lot anywhere.
Yeah,
right outside.
She's yakking with that redheaded fellow,
you know,
the guy who takes care of the.
Hey,
got out there.
Come,
we've got to get ready.
So I'm ready.
In old country,
women don't talk to every bomb that passes in town.
Old country,
old country,
old country.
Take a look at the map.
This is the USA.
So in the USA they got no regard for,
no,
no respect for family,
family name.
I don't mean nothing.
Please,
please eat,
eat your chocolates.
Amazing Petruccios are at it again.
What were you doing out there?
Check with the FBI.
How many times do I have to tell you I don't hand out timetables?
No it's got ar.
Could be I married the wrong Patruccio.
She does not mean anything.
She just got crazy sense of humor,
you know,
nice crowd out front.
No one sitting on their hands.
I'm not gonna stand for this no more.
No more making eyes to every man that passes.
No more telling your own bride,
but she was.
Everybody's laughing behind our backs.
Everybody's saying,
a poor Mario.
She's gonna be a good wife,
or out she goes.
Don't tell me out she goes.
She's my wife.
You do like I tell you,
I don't count on it.
I hope the blood is dry by the time I have to catch you.
No
he does not mean that.
No,
he doesn't mean it.
He lost his temper,
that's all,
like you,
Gino.
Come on,
come on,
Jenny.
I don't think they come on.
And gentlemen
I must ask for complete silence
as the flying Patruzzios attempt their death-defying feat,
which has made them
the toast of seven continents.
You will notice they are removing the safety net
from the center ring.
And now may I call your attention
to the platform,
80 ft above,
where Senorino Petruzio is about ready for his plunge into space.
Across the ring,
his son Mario will attempt to catch him.
Again,
I ask for silence.
They are about ready,
so I must implore every one of you
to remain absolutely silent.
Papa Mario didn't mean that.
know.
It's OK,
that's kind of a.
OK
The
Well,
he's going to live.
Oh,
see.
00,
thank you,
Doctor.
Not yet.
Don't thank me yet.
He's paralyzed.
Every nerve,
every muscle in his body.
He can't talk,
he can't turn his head.
How long he will be like that?
I don't know.
And that like um.
Strong like a boy I'm 2.
He's awake now.
You can see him for a few moments.
Oh,
you come in.
Oh we made it to the side that I been doing that for us.
We go,
eh?
We go see Papa.
Mario,
you are the oldest son.
You,
you go in first,
eh?
Come on,
Mama,
come on,
Mama,
he thinks I dropped him.
Papa,
don't think nothing.
You go in first.
But mama,
go in.
Yeah
How have you been?
Walking
That was sure a dumb thing to do,
running off like that.
I couldn't help it.
How does he look?
Well,
if you ask me,
it would have been better if he'd had died.
Don't talk like that.
I saw him.
You didn't.
He's like a mummy or something.
shut up.
I tell you,
it gives you the creeps just looking at him.
I said,
shut up.
Look,
Buster,
it's been a pretty tough night for all of us,
but just don't get smart with me because I won't put up with it.
You're not that big a bargain.
Remember that.
Carlotta,
I'm sorry.
I,
I couldn't go in to look at him.
I knew what I would see in his eyes.
Carla,
I didn't drop him.
Well,
who said you did?
His eyes would say I did.
But
Uh.
I heard you were here,
Mario.
Welcome home.
I was just picking up a few things.
I asked Carlotta,
but
she was busy.
I went to visit your dad the other day.
Did your mom tell you?
You know,
no one ever accused CC Higgins of being a betting man.
But I've got a $20 bill that says Senor Gino Patruzio
is gonna be back up on that trapeze within a year.
Every time I call the hospital,
it's
always no change.
Oh,
don't give me that no change.
I saw that old Latin sparkle in his eyes.
What's the hurry?
You got lots of things to take care of.
Oh,
come on,
Mario,
Give me a break.
I'm not trying to push you,
but
when you're coming back to work.
Sorry,
Mr.
Higgins,
no more to that for me.
It's been 3 weeks.
Every Thursday,
there's been a paycheck,
just like you were still bringing in the customers.
Mr.
Higgins,
I.
How long can that go on?
Fair's fair,
boy.
Now,
a week from Wednesday,
we're moving on to Chicago.
I want you and Paul and Collada to be with us.
I wouldn't go back on the trapeze if you gave me the whole circus
and let me wear a parachute.
Do you know what those doctor's bills are going to be like?
Don't worry,
they'll be paid.
Walk out on me and I won't pay them.
Mr.
Petricio.
Sit down,
sit down.
You didn't answer half the questions,
Mr.
Petruzzo.
And they're stupid questions.
They made me nervous.
These job classification tests are very important.
They're an attempt to approach employment on a scientific basis.
Scientific.
A sees an airplane flying overhead in the northerly direction.
What are you gonna get in here?
A job watching airplanes?
The idea is to measure intelligence.
You advertise,
you get people jobs if they pay.
OK,
I got money to pay.
I don't want a bunch of stupid tests.
I want a job.
Have you done
any other kind of work?
I mean,
besides the circus.
I told you,
I've been working on a trapeze since I was 11 years old.
You haven't even answered the questions about education.
Once my mama,
she paid a bookkeeper with the circus to teach my brother and me how to read and write.
Frankly,
I don't know what to suggest.
I mean,
it's almost impossible without previous experience of some sort.
Uh,
there might be work as a laborer,
laborer.
The pay is very good,
sometimes as high as $3 an hour.
Hey,
mister,
I made $400 a week last year.
I got to pay you to get me a job for $3 an hour.
Perhaps you should go back.
Hey.
I didn't come here for no tests.
And I don't come here for no advice.
Gate
Cut up.
I thought maybe you
Uh,
I don't know what I thought.
I just feel rot.
Would you send up a bellboy,
please?
I almost visited Papa today.
It sure came close.
Look what I bought.
Italian cigars.
Boy,
they're like sticks of dynamite.
Does he love them?
And how's he supposed to smoke them?
It's just the idea of the thing,
like a peace offering.
Like I was thinking about him,
sit me up.
I bought cigars.
And I went down to 6th Street to catch the bus that goes to the hospital.
And I would tell the nurse who I was.
I'm Mario Patruzo,
the oldest son,
and I've come to spend an hour with my father.
And I would walk right down the hall,
no thinking about anything.
Right into room 612 and I would pull up a chair.
And I'd say,
Papa,
I bought you some of these lousy cigars so you could stick up the whole place.
That's not what I would say.
I would drop to my knees and I would say,
papa.
Say you know I didn't let you fall.
you know,
so I can live.
I could
I couldn't face it.
Come on in.
Right there.
Where are we going?
I'm going,
but you can watch me.
You can't.
Listen,
Buster,
It wasn't exactly a bed of roses,
even when you were one of the magnificent Patruccios.
Go home to mama,
Mario.
She'll make you a thick ministrone soup
and everything will be just fine.
Papa was right about you.
Papa said you were no good.
It's right.
Papa was right.
Oh
It's no good.
The man at the hotel said you'd probably be here.
They beat another.
Mama sent me.
Tell her I'm OK.
She didn't send me to see if you're OK.
We need some more money.
Here.
Tell her to buy herself 10 pounds fancy chocolates,
compliments of her oldest son.
That's all you have.
That's it.
That's the whole bankroll.
So what are we supposed to do?
Look,
I sent you 100 bucks last week.
That was 2 weeks ago.
What do you want?
Blood?
I tried to get a job.
Me too,
I tried,
and the mailman still keeps coming around,
still with around the clock nurses.
You should see the bill we got from the specialist who flew out here last month.
You've done him a lot of good,
huh?
He's a liar.
Hey Bob.
What do you want me to do?
Ask me something hard.
Call Mr.
Rigg in Chicago and tell her we are coming back.
No.
All right,
you tell me how we get the money.
Look,
I get a pain in my stomach just thinking about the trapeze.
Besides,
what are you talking about?
Look at me.
I'm out of condition.
I'm stale.
The exercise trapeze is still on a practice shelf.
It would take me months to get back my timing.
Mr.
Higgins said we can use it anytime we wanted it.
I can't do it.
You owe it to Pa.
I went to Pa.
I owe Papa one thing.
I only owe Papa one thing.
OK,
Papa.
Now it's your turn to drop a.
not there.
You drunk?
He caught me.
Papa,
he caught me.
What are you talking about?
Coming down,
you're drunk.
I tell you he caught me.
Look.
Look at the,
the catch bar.
For the love of God.
He's dead.
Isn't he,
Mr.
Petruccio?
He's certainly not dead.
They'll have him down from the examining room any minute now.
Oh,
thank God.
You know,
it was the strangest thing.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
He was sound asleep
and then
he sort of mumbled something.
And then he reached out his arms like that.
Oh,
but how could that be?
His arms are paralyzed.
Well,
I called the doctors right away and they took him right up to the neurosurgical room.
Excuse me.
Must have been your imagination.
He can't even move his little finger.
There are more de Dio.
Up
But.
Explain it.
What we can explain is like a
grain of sand in the Sahara of the unexplainable.
But we do have a talent for fastening labels onto everything we don't understand.
But does that lull us into thinking that by giving something a name,
we rob it of its mystery.
All right,
the word to describe what happened to Gino Pertuccio.
is by location.
The definition
Allowing the body image
to show itself
and even act
at great spatial distances.
How does that make everything crystal clear?
I thought not.
But then
Wouldn't it be terrifying
if everything
was known?
If there was nothing left for man to discover about his universe.
Or himself.
In a moment,
something about next week.
For next week,
we seriously suggest an adult audience only.
When we bring you a form of psychic experience.
Never before put on film.
It is called
The burning girl.