I Bury the Living
Title and credits run over a section of granite headstone. We pull back to reveal a cemetery and are shown text, "Science has learned that man possesses powers which go beyond the boundaries of the natural. This is the story of one confronted by such strange forces within himself." Robert Kraft (Richard Boone) and the caretaker, Andy McKee (Theodore Bikel) walk to the Immortal Hills Cemetary office building. Bob Kraft has taken over the chairmanship of the cemetery and is briefed on the routine by Andy. Bob notices a map on the wall of the cemetery. Andy explains that a black pin on a plot indicates someone buried and a white pin indicates a sold plot not yet occupied. Bob asks Andy, "McKee you've been on the job now forty years, right?" Andy replies, "Aye," in his Scottish accent. Bob informs him he is to be retired and assures him he will draw the same monthly paycheck. Bob asks Andy for a replacement recommendation. Andy walks over to the desk and pulls a gun. He tells Bob it is available in case of emergencies. A young couple drive up to the office. It is Stuart Drexel (and uncredited Glen Vernon) and his new bride Elizabeth (an uncredited Lynette Bernay). A provision in Stu's inheritance is that he buy a plot for him and his wife before he can draw part of his trust from the bank. Beth is not amused by the entire situation and lets her new husband know. They drive off and Bob goes back to the office. Upon his return, Andy greets him with a shot of liquor. He explains that the previous chairman left it to sooth customers needing fortification to get through the burial process of a loved one. Bob places two pins on plots in the Drexel area of the cemetery.In his Department Store office, Bob, his Uncle George Kraft (Howard Smith) and the outgoing chairman, Henry Trowbridge (an uncredited Russ Bender) go through the formal process of swearing in Bob Kraft as the new chairman. Bob is not happy with the "honor", claiming he is far too busy to take on the role. But Uncle George insists, explaining that it is a family and company tradition and that it is his turn. While it is done pro bono, it is expected because three previous generations of Krafts did. It only entails a few hours a month of work. The caretaker takes care of day to day operations. As soon as he is sworn in he gets a telephone call from the local undertaker. He is told that Stu Drexel and his new bride, Beth, are dead.At the cemetery office, Bob and Andy are going over some paper work when the local newspaper reporter, Jess Jessup (Herbert Anderson) walks in. He tells Bob and Andy he is on the obituary detail, and complains the office is cold. When Bob tells Andy to change the Drexel pins from white to black, Andy informs Bob that they are already black. Bob dismisses it saying, "I must have picked up the wrong color," when he marked the plots. Bob mentions the mistake made him feel eerie. Andy adds, "I think he means he marked the young couple for death, sir." Jess jokes that if any more pins are used to stay away from his area of the cemetery. As Jeff leaves, Bob's fiancée, Ann Craig (Peggy Maurer) arrives. She lightly complains that she was stood up for their lunch date. Bob and Ann quickly make up. Bob goes back to the map and randomly places a black pin on a plot. He looks to see his choice. A black and white pin sits on the "W. Isham" plot. He pulls the white pin out. The phone rings and he informs the caller that the funeral is for immediate family only. Ann returns to the office and they embrace and kiss. They leave the cemetery office.William Isham (an uncredited Cyril Delevanti) is repairing a teddy bear in his shop. He finishes stitching a section. As he is installing the eyes he collapses and dies. At the cemetery, Andy is finishing the Drexel marble headstone. Bob asks Andy if he has found his replacement. No is the reply, but Andy does show some progress in another area. He has fixed the space heater. Bob reviews the paperwork and notices an invoice for the funeral of William Isham. The pair walk over to the map and Andy tells Bob that he was going to change the white pin to black, but noticed it was already black. Bob tells Andy he changed the pin. Bob calls Jessup at the newspaper office. He informs Andy he change the pin color before the man died. Jessup reassures Bob that there is nothing supernatural. It was just a coincidence.Uncle George and Bob are going over store figures when Bob blurts out that he is quitting the chairmanship. "I'm going to call Bates, Honegger and Trowbridge right now and tell them I'm quitting." He reminds his uncle that three incorrectly placed pins accounted for three deaths. Uncle George laughs out loud. He tells Bob he is going out to the cemetery to put some black pins on the map to wipe out the competition. The two drive out together. At the cemetery, George pulls out Henry Trowbridge's pin. Bob insists he actually make the exchange then places a black pin on the map. Bob has a shot of booze and the two depart.Later that evening, Bob calls Henry Trowbridge at home. His wife answers the phone. It is 11:40 p.m. and Henry's wife informs Bob that her husband is not breathing. The body count is now four. The police drive up to the cemetery office. Lt. Clayborne (Robert Osterich) talks to Bob. Incredulous, Clayborne summarizes the situation, "Let me get this straight, Mr. Kraft. You say that every time you stick a black pin in the map, people turn up dead?" Clayborne reminds Bob that the Drexel couple were killed in a traffic collision. Isham died of a cerebral hemorrhage and Henry Trowbridge had a coronary thrombosis. He investigated and found nothing to suggest foul play. Bob starts to think it isn't the map, but he may be responsible.At his store office, Bob is informed by his Uncle George that he needs a vacation and George arranges one. Bob asks the committee be assembled that night at 7:00 p.m. Ann tries to reassure Bob it is a coincidence and suggests the vacation be turned into a honeymoon. That evening the committee members meet in Bob's office. Bill Honegger (an uncredited Ken Drake) and Charlie Bates (an uncredited Matt Moore) join Uncle George and Bob Kraft. Bill has a proposal to keep Bob as chairman. The committee demands Bob go out to the cemetery that evening and change Bill, Charlie, and Uncle George's white pins to black, then go home to bed. The motion is passed, and Bob makes the changes as ordered. Andy McKee stops by the cemetery office and tells Bob to lock the office and never come back. The phone rings. It is Jess, and Bob informs him of the three exchanged pins. He tells Jess if anything happens to any of them it is his fault. His attempt to light the portable furnace is unsuccessful. He calls the police and asks for Lt. Clayborne. The Desk Sergeant gives him the number where he can reach him, but the number is always busy. He finally realizes the phone number he has been dialing is Bill Honegger's. Jess calls Bob and informs him that Clayborne is with him and that Honegger is dead. He adds that Charlie Bates was found in his apartment dead. Bob is worried about his Uncle George and is surprised when George walks into the cemetery office. George tells Bob that he has proved his point. George pulls his black pin out of the map then leaves the office. Bob calls the police and asks that a policeman be assigned to watch his uncle.Clayborne calls Bob to inform him that George can't be found. Bob exits the office and finds his uncle in his car, still on the cemetery grounds. He is dead. He drives back to the office. He informs Lt. Clayborne he found his uncle. He puts the black pin back on the map on his Uncle's plot.The next day Lt. Clayborne returns to the cemetery with Jess and Ann in tow. Clayborne asks about one Jacob Mittel. Bob tells the policeman that he is a buyer for the store and he is currently out of the country on business. At the insistence of Clayborne, Bob puts a black pin on his plot. He is informed that Mittel is not dead. He is in Paris. This is a test. The police are setting up a trap. Bob voices his objections. Clayborne suggests Bob may have some unknown power, like voodoo in the West Indies.Overworked and overtired, Bob begins to hallucinate. He blames himself for the deaths. He concludes that if he changes the black pins back to white he can return the dead to life. With the floor heater broken by his own hand, he gathers paper and kindling to light a fire on the floor to keep warm. Out in the cemetery, the graves of the recently departed are starting to unearth themselves. Bob discovers this after he awakens in the smoke filled office. He snags his overcoat on one of the headstones. Leaving it behind, he runs back to the office. He retrieves the gun from the overturned desk. Before he has a chance to commit suicide the phone rings. It is the voice of Mrs. Mittel. She tells Bob that a cable arrived informing her that her husband died in Paris, France. Andy walks in and tells Bob it must be impossible. Andy confesses to Bob that he was responsible for the deaths. Andy was upset at being dismissed after forty years of faithful service. Andy picks up the gun and explains exactly how he killed each one. Andy doesn't believe Jacob Mittel is dead. The police burst into the office after Andy drops dead. Clayborne explains that Jacob Mittel is actually alive. The call and cable were set up by the police with the assistance of Mrs. Mittel. They watched as Andy dug up all seven graves. Bob and Ann leave the cemetery office together. We close with a slow zoom in on the map. It falls off the wall.
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