Beyond Belief - Season 3, Episode 11 - Full Episode | Forensic Files

beyond belief fact or fiction hosted by jonathan frakes tonight your challenge is to separate
what is true from what is false five stories some real some fake can you judge which are fact
and which are fiction to find out you must enter a world of both truth and deception a world
that is beyond belief truth and illusion often blend together the examples are all around us
for instance this structure some might call it a box others are square still others are cube but what is the
reality mass of confusion tonight you will view a number of stories and your challenge is to view them
decide which are inspired by actual events and which are a mass of lies remember it
won't be easy because if you've watched us before you know we don't always play fair and square
[Music] step right up ladies and gents keep your eye on the little p which shell is it on
anyone can win this simple game of observation let me guess you've chosen this one
[Music] too bad care to play double or nothing fast eddie gleckin grew up running games
like this and he loves what he does not for the excitement or the thrill of the gamble no fast eddie loves to cheat
people out of their money he's a cold calculating unfeeling human being and where those qualities will lead him
is about to be revealed [Music] jenny was the ex-wife of fast eddie gleckin eddie was the owner of a cheap
tavern and a rundown section of brooklyn where i attended bar he was the kind of guy who would cheat
his best friend out of a dollar and brag about it afterward i should know i was his best friend
what are you doing here i told you never to come down i know but i came to get the money you owe me eddie i owe you
nothing and you're nothing to me you were a mistake that's it you owe me five months back
alimony and child support is the law oh okay i tell you what to do hire yourself a lawyer
and sue me and then in a couple of years we'll go to court and you'll lose don't you care about
your kids i care about me eddie gleckin not those brats they're your kids so get out of my face
[Music] hello lady oh sorry man you lose wanna go again no no no thanks i'm all tapped up come
on come on somebody here can play me huh i can't win all the time i'm in for a hundred
maybe where did you come from i've never seen you in here before you want to play the game or not sure
sure i play the game you seem pretty sure yourself [Music] you lose you cheated eddie what are you
talking about i saw you i run a fair game here you can ask any one of these guys thomas
why don't you tell yeah sure eddie's a nice guy again i'll be back and then we'll play by my rules
[Music] hey what are your rules you'll see [Music] for the next two weeks fast eddie
couldn't win at anything craps poker three card money whatever the game he lost big time he didn't know how but
he really believed that that beautiful babe at the bar had put the jinx on it come on come on you'll never do it
let's go eddie come on eddie come come on come on damage here's ten more come on
[Music] there's enough money down here let's go you're gonna come hey eddie you gotta snap out of this
look it's just a string of bad luck happens to everybody a boss high card wins for buck huh
jack you can meet them [Music] king hey hey you won my man he's back yeah back eddie's luck returned it was just like
before when he couldn't lose no one could beat him and there was no sign of that good looking chick anywhere
[Applause] i'm so sorry to do that to you hey eddie what are you doing here i'm not giving you any money so you
might as well get out eddie please the baby's sick and he needs to see a doctor i don't have any money you gotta help us
out you gotta i can't believe you came down here i can't believe you came down here take
it easy eddie [Music] you're embarrassing me in front of my customers now if you don't get out of
here right now i'm gonna call a cop and you know they're all buddies of mine how would you like for the kids to come
visit you in jail huh is that something you'd like [Music] you i let you start winning again eddie
you had your chance for redemption but you failed the test what are you talking about i had a
little streak of bad luck all right it's over so get out of my bar [Music] it's 100 000 i'll risk it all against
your tavern [Music] what's a game you flip heads i win tails you lose [Music] what are you doing eddie shut up
heads i win tails you lose heads i win yes i win eddie what did you do heads i win tails
you lose that's the oldest sucker bet in the world man what's wrong with you man i don't know i
couldn't help myself [Music] congratulations jenny the tavern's yours what i want it fair and square and i'm
giving it to her wait a minute who are you i gotta know maybe i'm the patron saint of abused
wives there's one thing for sure eddie you'll never win at anything again fast eddie gleckin only lived another
two weeks he threw himself off the brooklyn bridge who was the mysterious woman who seemed
to hold eddie's fate in her power was she really an avenging angel acting on behalf of eddie's ex-wife
or was she a clever manipulator able to trick eddie into believing he could never win again
and what about that last bet every gambler knows that heads i win tails you lose is an impossible wager
how could eddie have possibly accepted was he under some spell or by that time was his spirit totally
broken are you prepared to make an informed decision about whether this story is true or false
or you're just going to flip a coin we'll find out whether this story is true or false at the end of our show
next a photographer learns the true meaning of the words ghost town on beyond belief
fact or fiction western towns have mostly disappeared from the american landscape these days
have been bulldozed to make room for strip malls and freeways some have been saved as tourist attractions
history preserved to sell beer t-shirts still others stand deserted no horses move down their empty streets
no people walk through their swinging doors thomas l fergus is about to happen upon the strangest of western settings
in fact you might say it's a location that truly deserves the name ghost town i've been traveling around
the southwest shooting photos of ghost towns for a national magazine when my truck blew a radiator hose
i couldn't have picked a better place they were having a cold spell but somewhere around 115 in the shade
i knew one thing i had to get out of the heat no signal i wasn't surprised i never
work when you really need him i really needed water now i was getting dizzy and i wasn't sweating anymore
and everywhere i looked i saw nothing but sun [Music] somehow after almost fainting i got my
second wind according to my map i was only a few miles away from a ghost town called
red ridge i was hoping there was a gas station there or a phone that worked [Music]
i found red ridge but there was no gas station and not a tourist in sight the town looked completely deserted
[Music] i couldn't believe it i heard people inside and i thought i could finally get
some help boy was i wrong my uh truck broke down i was wondering where the nearest gas
station is where did you get those clothes wearing your skivvies in public [Music]
skivvies [Laughter] oh i get it you're shooting a movie here huh you're joking i meant no harm i didn't i didn't mean
to offend you weird very weird that's carlos hi y'all what do you have a cold beer we got beer but it ain't cold
fine i'll drink anything my truck broke down i really need to find a gas station do you mind if i use
your phone my what your phone your telephone why do i have to explain everything here
that'll be two bits for the beer [Music] what is this come on it's a 20 bill man you got gold silver
no i don't then you don't get no beer look you can keep the change just give me something to drink please
i've been baking under that sun for the last two hours and nobody's making any sense here yeah
well he can play tricks with your mind son it's not the heat [Music] excuse me this can't be something something's
wrong here what year is it [Music] it's 1848 what year you think it is can't be 1848 that's more than 150 years
ago this can't be happening who are you people why are you doing this to me what's
going on here [Music] you understand me boy [Music] i'm not trying to cause any trouble i
just want to get out of here all right i'm going to call a friend i'm going to have him pick me up
you'll never see me again i promise drop your weapon now this is not a weapon this is a phone you call people with it
see [Music] let's go boy i woke up the next morning in a jail cell at first i didn't know where i was
then it all started coming back and then i heard the truck engine sheriff sheriff let me out of here
[Music] i am so glad to see you wait a minute you're the bartender from that saloon
bartender i don't think so that saloon hasn't been open for over 100 years but there were people and music it was
1848 and they they didn't know what a 20 bill was and then the sheriff shot me and hey
take it easy have some water then he said the same words the bartender said the heat can play tricks with your mind
son just want to get my truck fixed and go home hop in take you to a gas station probably
suffering from heat stroke happens all the time out here it just seems so real what is it nothing
just an old cell phone as you might have guessed the photos thomas took never came out
was he the victim of heatstroke doctors tell us prolonged sun exposure and dehydration can cause a person to
hallucinate but then how do you explain the bullet hole in his phone could this whole experience have been a
practical joke played by a board movie crew if so where were the cameras the crew
and the lights or maybe it was one of those old frontier days celebrations or just maybe thomas cross some line
where the past and present are indiscernible as indiscernible as day from dusk love from hate or fact from fiction
we'll find out whether this story is true or false at the end of our show next mysterious sights and sounds in an
old attic on beyond belief fact or fiction not long ago millions of american women
worked proudly as seamstresses some worked in giant warehouses others out of their own homes
but all shared one thing in common pride and respect for their work byron tompkins grandmother was a gifted
seamstress and although her clothes adorned some of the most beautiful women in the world
she herself struggled every day to provide a good life for her family she's gone now and life is bumpy for her
grandson who's married facing struggles of his own but perhaps it's time for byron
to reap what his grandmother has sown my husband byron and i were deeply in debt after our restaurant went under
we were facing foreclosure on our house and figured the only way we might save it was to sell the antiques we inherited
from his grandmother lillian we really didn't want to it all meant so much to byron
but we had no other choice brunswick model c i think yes nice [Music] yeah so um so what do you think well
there is really nothing here of worth i can give you fifteen hundred dollars for the whole lot fifteen hundred
dollars or the sewing machine alone must be worth more than that that machine is a piece of history my
grandmother was a seamstress at mgm studios over 60 years ago and she made a lot of great costumes on that machine
well it might be worth a little more if it worked but i'm afraid in its present condition it
is just a piece of junk i'm sorry it works it works look you just have to know how to work it
please please mr tompkins you have my offer you may take it or you may leave it fifteen hundred dollars for my
grandmother's life we're gonna leave it fine okay [Music] mr montague yes we'd like to think about
it can we call you tomorrow of course think all you want you won't do better anywhere else i
guarantee it i'll walk you to the door i'm most kind [Music] that's weird i can't believe that 1500 bucks for all
that stuff and you know he's just gonna turn around and sell it for five times that much
byron i know it's not a lot of money but it will buy us a little more time i think your grandmother would
understand why is this happening to us first the restaurant now we might lose the house
[Music] i just don't get it sylvie you know these things happen to everybody but we'll get through we've done it
before i'll call mine to you in the morning and i just want to go to bed and dream of being rich
look look at this all my buttons fell off that's weird i'll sew them on for in the
morning but uh i kind of like the look [Music] sylvie wake up baby wake up listen listen ain't that strange now
yeah it's called a refrigerator but it's coming from above there it stopped now go back to sleep
[Music] that's not the fridge ah what happened you didn't drop these did you not me
it's coming from the attic i think that's where these came from oh my god what's going on i don't know
it must have started on its own happening oh you think it's gonna start up again i
don't know i didn't think it would start the first time [Music] that was weird what a trip
what is this what's gwtw i don't know was this always on the machine what's this oh
look at this gown it's gorgeous your grandmother was so talented what's this tag on the sleeve
oh my gosh byron you're not gonna believe this what vivian lee wardrobe gone with the win 1939.
[Music] gwtw we sold the dress and made enough money to get ourselves out of debt
[Music] is this story true was the sewing machine taken over by the spirit of byron's grandmother
or was it just some mechanical aberration that caused the machine to behave that way
but then how do you explain the gwtw could that really have been a random pattern
was that swatch there all along unnoticed by byron and sylvia is this story of a sewing machine that
takes on a life of its own the truth or have we just stitched together a series of lies
we'll find out whether this story is true or false at the end of our show next a sleepwalker brings a curse on his
family on beyond belief fact or fiction can't sleep that's why devices such as this one were invented
with a push of a button our ears can be transported to the soothing wash of the ocean's waves against the shore
or the tranquil sounds of the nighttime forest leon t woodward never gets a good
night's sleep anymore but leon doesn't merely toss and turn in his sleep he walks and his sleepwalking is
becoming increasingly frightening and destructive and as for his wife well let's say
leon's sleep disorder is starting to push her buttons my husband leon was struggling to keep
his business from going under we had a beautiful little daughter and what i thought was a happy marriage
but soon after our finances worsened leon began to leave our bed at night and go for walks
in his sleep leon would frequently trip over peggy's toys he even smashed her favorite dollhouse i
was worried he would break his neck what happened you you were walking in your sleep again
did you hurt yourself i don't think so leon we have to do something about this i know
i know of all the problems his sleepwalking caused leon felt most guilty about damaging our
daughter's dollhouse she loved that thing so much she spent hours painting and repairing it with
leon [Music] see daddy fixed it i told you it'd be all right thanks daddy now try not to be so clumsy
next time at least your dolls are all right that's the most important thing they all love you you know i love them
too i didn't know what to make of the expression on leon's face at that moment but i've never forgotten
[Music] it [Music] months passed and leon's condition worsened he began going on longer and
longer walks the doctors suggested that we put bells on his wrist so we could hear him
and thank goodness we did i couldn't take it anymore i even suggested a psychic healer named madame
tula she had the reputation for being melodramatic but i could put up with the theatrics
in exchange for some answers what's wrong what is it someone has cashed a dark and ancient
spell spell come on this is ridiculous you have been hexed mr woodward you are doomed to wander in the night
for the rest of your life you will leave your home one day and you will not return oh in a minute
this is crazy what can we do about it how do we break it i'm sorry there is nothing i can do listen
i'm never gonna leave you i love you [Music] for the next week i hardly slept at all
i laid awake every night making sure leon was still there next to me we even discussed securing him to the
bed but only as a last resort now i wish we had finally exhaustion took over and i fell asleep against my
will i'll never forgive myself for that i ran through the house listening for leon's bells
but i heard nothing this time leon was gone i feared madame tula's prophecy had come
[Music] true [Applause] i i can't think of anything else oh i did tell you that he was wearing
his striped pajamas didn't i i'm sorry but i have to ask this is there any reason
why he might leave you marital problems maybe no we have a perfect marriage it was the sleepwalking i am sure of it
well i'll file a missing person's report and we'll keep an eye on the hospitals if anything comes up
i'll let you know right away you will find him won't you let's hope he just comes home
hello hi mom no not a word i'm going crazy he could be lying somewhere hurt what am i gonna do
i love him so much what if that old woman is right and what if he's gone forever
mommy hey what is it honey i know where daddy is i'll call you right back where where is daddy come with me i'll
show you [Music] sweetheart you're really worried about daddy aren't you daddy said he never leave me
we'll be back and we have to believe that but he's here in my dollhouse look there in peggy's precious dollhouse was
a doll i had never noticed before see it's daddy [Applause] [Music] what's the reality here was there really
some supernatural force that caused the disappearance of leon woodward or was it all a scheme to skip out of an
ominous financial situation what about the doll that looked so much likely on was it always there and not
noticed until that day or was it something leon had made to leave behind as a comfort to his
daughter nor was it some strange curse that trapped the restless spirit of leon woodward
inside the walls of the child styles are you ready to decide if this tale of the strange some nambalist is real
would you like to sleep on it we'll find out whether this story is true or false
at the end of our show next a woman is terrorized by a gang of thugs on beyond belief fact or fiction
the neighborhood laundromat up until 20 years ago most people living in a big city cleaned
their clothes in store fronts that house machines like these it was a chore to be
sure but it was also a place where he could see friends catch up on some reading
or even strike up a new romance as appliances have become more friendly laundromats have become more scarce
still some hang on maria sanchez owns one such place her faith keeps her hanging on through
many obstacles like bad weather tough times and sheer terror i'd been working hard for the past year
trying to make a go of my late husband's laundromat i was raising five small children on my
own it wasn't easy business was very slow i couldn't talk the landlord mr flint into a fresh
paint job even though it might have attracted some new customers i felt sorry for mr flint he wasn't a
very happy man [Music] how you doing maria good afternoon mr flint i wasn't expecting you today i would
have to make an appointment i own the place i know i'm just surprised oh i got a bit of a surprise for you
i can't give you any more extension on your rent you're two months behind now in fact i
gotta bump it up another ten bucks mr flint i can't pay any more rent i'm having trouble paying what i own now
look maria i have expenses i got a business to run if you can't pay i'm gonna have to evict you
not that i'm gonna like doing it but uh that's the way it is evict me but this is all i have
how how will i support my children what will happen to them maria i can't solve everybody's problems i have enough
problems of my own mr flint why are you doing this we go so far back why are you making this so hard for me
you think life is hard for you alone dirtbags broke into my house last night they took some things that meant an
awful lot to me things i can't replace ever i'm sorry mr flynn what happened to you
it's a terrible thing i will pray for you hey maria save your prayers for somebody
who believes you got another week and that's it i prayed not only for the salvation of
myself and my children but i also pray to the holy mother for mr flint i asked for a small miracle that day
even though i knew they don't always come one never came for my husband ramon but
i never lost my faith [Music] that afternoon i filled the coin changer with my last hundred and fifty dollars
in change i was feeling very fearful about the future what was going to become of me and my
children i really needed a miracle but i got just the opposite i was about to experience a terrible
moment just stay away from me man there's nothing in these things this place is a toilet
you hear that lady he thinks your place is a toilet this one here you think baby i think
that's really rude don't you oh [Music] they were at the machines that i just loaded with change
they were using slugs instead of quarters it was like stealing the last money i had
i want you to go over there and hit them lady please stop you're hurting me hey guys look i'm winning vegas
[Applause] [Music] stay down don't move give me some of them old copper slugs man i want one too all righty
good luck ding ding ding ding ding you know you're very lucky you didn't get hurt man
these same punks have been going from town to town doing a lot of damage it was horrible i thought they were
going to kill me look at this place it's destroyed there's going to be thousands of dollars
worth of damage here i'm breaking the lease you're out of here but mr flint it's not my fault
this is what your prayers did nothing all that got you was more trouble i'm sorry you feel that way excuse me
mrs sanchez looks like they were putting these old coins in your change machine thank you let me see that
are there any more of these coins yeah they're in the machine [Music] i don't believe it they're all here
every one of them these are my coins your coins the robbery i told you about they took my coin collection old english
pennies they're worth a fortune but it wasn't the money it belonged to my father he gave them to
me when he died his fingers touched every one of these i thought they were gone forever
[Music] okay i'm gonna repair the laundromat for you you are you can stay here rent free
for as long as you're in business oh what [Music] you have no idea how much it means to me
to get these coins back your prayers did work it's my way of thanking you [Music]
thank you [Music] it was a miracle all right it was the first time i had ever heard mr flint
laugh is this story true because the same rare coins that were stolen from mr flint's
home have really turned up at the laundromat both places were located in the same
general area but what are the odds that those stolen coins would be just the right size for the coin mission
do you believe in this tale of the power of faith or on closer examination you find that it just doesn't wash
next you'll find out which of our stories are fact and which are fiction when beyond belief
returns now let's look back at tonight's stories and find out which ones were inspired by
actual events and which ones are totally false how about the story of the gambler whose
luck was changed by a woman with mysterious power fact or fiction what's the game
you flip heads i win tails you lose what are you doing eddie shut up if you thought this story was based on a real
life occurrence you're right it's inspired by a bar and grill where a similar story took place
in the late 70s it happened [Music] let's take another look at the man who found himself surrounded by the ghost of
the old west drop your weapon now this is not a weapon this is a phone you call people with it see
did you think this story really happened we gotcha partner it's a fake [Music] and what was your opinion of the sewing
machine that saved a young couple's on i don't know it future have started on its own
is this story inspired by an actual event not this time our writer has exaggerated the truth
and now let's have one more look at the sleepwalker who walked out of his family's life
daddy said he'd never leave me we'll be back and we have to believe that but he's here in my dollhouse look
did a similar story to this one actually take place yes it did in florida in fact when
author robert treylands investigated the story he was shown the doll that was the tiny
replica of the father it's fact [Music] how about the story of the laundromat that was saved by the power of a good
woman's prayers i can't give you any more extension on your rent you're two months behind now in fact i
gotta bump it up another ten bucks mr flint i can't pay any more rent was this story based on a real happening
according to our research this happened in the vicinity of our nation's capital it's inspired by an actual event
tonight we've attempted to demonstrate the similar nature of fact and fiction we must weigh the difference every day
and sometimes the only thing that tips the scales are circumstances that can only be regarded as beyond
belief i'm jonathan franks join us next week for more beyond belief fact or fiction
[Music] you

This episode features the following cases: Dead Beat Daddy, Ghost Town, The Sewing Machine, The Sleepwalker, Money Laundry.

Brief Summary

This episode features stories about gambling, ghost towns, a haunted sewing machine, sleepwalking, and a laundromat miracle.

Key points

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction. Tonight's challenge is to separate truth from lies in five stories.
Fast Eddie's Downfall. Fast Eddie Gleckin's gambling addiction leads to his demise after a fateful bet.
Ghost Town Encounter. A photographer's truck breaks down in a ghost town, leading to a surreal experience.
The Sewing Machine's Secret. Byron discovers his grandmother's sewing machine holds a mysterious power.
Leon’s Sleepwalking Curse. Leon's sleepwalking escalates, leading to fears of a dark prophecy.
A Mother's Love. A daughter expresses her deep love for her father, fearing he may be gone forever.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

You owe me nothing and you're nothing to me.

2:37WatchJan 20, 2021

Tension

60/ 100Some tension

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