- [first lines]
- Prologue narrator: This is Alfred Hitchcock speaking. In the past, I have given you many kinds of suspense pictures. But this time, I would like you to see a different one. The difference lies in the fact that this is a true story, every word of it. And yet it contains elements that are stranger than all the fiction that has gone into many of the thrillers that I've made before.
- the last caption: And what happened seems like a nightmare to them - but it did happen...
- Lt. Bowers: How do you explain it?
- Christopher Emmanuel 'Manny' Balestrero: I made a mistake.
- Lt. Bowers: And so did the hold up man. And it happens to be the same mistake.
- Rose Balestrero: Every time we get up, something comes along and knocks us right back down again.
- Christopher Emmanuel 'Manny' Balestrero: That's life, honey. That's the way it is.
- Rose Balestrero: He even gave me a little lecture on evolution on the side. It seems the human race is growing smaller jaws and having fewer teeth. But the teeth are ahead of the jaws and so everybody has more teeth than they know what to do with. That's why I have four impacted wisdom teeth.
- Christopher Emmanuel 'Manny' Balestrero: You look just about perfect to me. If evolution can produce you, it's doing pretty good.
- Robert Balestrero: It says here Mozart wrote it when he was 5. So I should be able to play it, I'm 8.
- Gregory Balestrero: I'm 5, so I should be able to write it.
- Rose Balestrero: Don't you see? It doesn't do any good to care. No matter what you do, they've got it fixed so that it goes against you. No matter how innocent you are or how hard you try, they'll find you guilty. Well, we're not going to play into their hands anymore. You're not going out. You're not going to the club and the boys aren't going to school. I've thought it all over, sitting here. We're going to lock the doors and stay in the house. We'll lock them out and keep them out.
- Dr. Bannay: She's living in another world from ours. A frightening landscape that could be on the dark side of the moon.
- Lt. Bowers: Is your name Christopher Emmanuel Balestrero?
- Christopher Emmanuel 'Manny' Balestrero: Yes, it is.
- Lt. Bowers: I want to speak with you. We're police officers.
- Christopher Emmanuel 'Manny' Balestrero: What about?
- Lt. Bowers: We'd like you to come down to the precinct and help us out a little.
- Rose Balestrero: They wanted to punish me, because I'd failed him and then let him down. I did everything all wrong. Well, didn't they arrest him, because they thought he was guilty? Oh, no. No, they knew he wasn't guilty. I was guilty. They were after me. They were after me, and they'll get me. It's no good trying. It's useless.
- Rose Balestrero: You think I'm crazy, don't you? Don't you? Well, you're not so perfect either. How do I know you're not crazy?
- Christopher Emmanuel 'Manny' Balestrero: I just can't believe that Rose... I can't let her go.
- Dr. Bannay: She's living in another world from ours. A frightening landscape that could be... on the dark side of the moon.
- Christopher Emmanuel 'Manny' Balestrero: And I'm not there?
- Dr. Bannay: You're there, and the children are there... but not the way you are. Monstrous shadows that say hateful things. Now, she knows she's in a nightmare... but it doesn't help her to know. She can't get out.
- Rose Balestrero: [to her husband, visiting her in the hospital] That's fine for you. You can go now.
- Christopher Emmanuel 'Manny' Balestrero: It's the arithmetic I like, honey. I guess it's the musician in me. You know, musicians are always fascinated by mathematics. They can't read, but they can figure.
- Rose Balestrero: It would be nice if you could win us about $300.
- Christopher Emmanuel 'Manny' Balestrero: In my experience, I always pay for what I get.
- Rose Balestrero: If I can just think where to begin. My husband plays the bass fiddle at the Stork Club...
- Lt. Bowers: What do you make a week at the Stork Club?
- Christopher Emmanuel 'Manny' Balestrero: Eighty-five.
- Lt. Bowers: That's the take-home pay?
- Christopher Emmanuel 'Manny' Balestrero: Yes.
- Giggly Girl: Mr. Lamarca died - and Mrs. Lamarca, I don't know where she is. That was about three months ago.
- Frank D. O'Connor: I'm going to ask you to consider the probabilities of this case. And I'm going to ask you that when the proof is all in to see if you don't say to yourself that this is a tragic case of a mistaken identity.
- Christopher Emmanuel 'Manny' Balestrero: Tell you what we'll do. This evening, we'll take time for music lessons. Bob'll have a lesson on the piano and Greg on the harmonica.
- Gregory Balestrero: Mine first!
- Christopher Emmanuel 'Manny' Balestrero: Each lesson will be fifteen minutes, and Greg's...
- [phone rings. He picks it up]
- Christopher Emmanuel 'Manny' Balestrero: Hello...? Hello, Mother.