1. The Big Tall Wish
First Aired: 8 April 1960
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2. There is a fifth dimension.
Beyond that which is known to man.
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3. It is a dimension as vast as space.
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4. And as timeless as infinity.
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5. It is the middle ground
between light and shadow...
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6. between science and superstition.
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7. And it lies between
the pit of man's fears...
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8. and the summit of his knowledge.
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9. This is the dimension
of imagination.
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10. It is an area which we call:
The Twilight Zone.
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11. In this corner of the universe a
prizefighter named Bolie Jackson.
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12. 183 pounds, and 90 minutes away...
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13. from a comeback at St. Nick's Arena.
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14. Mr Bolie Jackson, is an aging,
over-the-hill relic of what was.
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15. And who now sees a that he has left
too many pieces of his youth...
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16. in too many stadiums for too many
years before too many yelling people.
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17. Mr Bolie Jackson, who might do well
to look for some gentle magic...
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18. in the hard-surfaced glass
that stares back at him.
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19. Feeling good, Bolie?
Take the tiger tonight, Bolie?
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20. I'm gonna take the tiger, Henry.
I'll give him a left then a right.
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21. Then pick him up by the tail.
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22. And throw him into the ninth row.
- You're looking good, Bolie.
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23. You're looking sharp.
- You gonna watch?
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24. You fooling? I'll yell so loud you'll
hear me all the way to St. Nick's.
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25. You know, a fighter don't need
a scrapbook, Henry.
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26. Anyone know where he's fought.
You read it in his face.
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27. He's got the whole story
cut into his flesh.
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28. St. Louis, 1949.
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29. Guy named Sailor Levitt.
Real fast boy.
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30. Here, and this, Memorial Stadium,
Syracuse, New York.
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31. Italian boy.
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32. Fought like Henry Armstrong.
All hands and arms.
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33. Just like a windmill,
All over you.
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34. First time I ever got my
nose broke twice in one fight.
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35. And then move South, Henry.
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36. Miami, Florida.
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37. That boy got me up
against the ring post.
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38. He did this with his laces.
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39. Tired old man.
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40. Tired old man trying to catch a bus.
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41. And the bus is already gone.
Left a couple of years ago.
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42. Arms heavy.
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43. Legs like rubber.
Short of wind.
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44. One eye almost gone.
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45. There I go, running down the street
trying to catch that bus to glory.
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46. You are going to catch the tiger
tonight. I'm gonna make a wish.
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47. I'm gonna make a big, tall wish.
You ain't gonna get hurt none either.
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48. You hear, Bolie?
You been hurt enough already.
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49. And you're my friend.
You're my good and close friend.
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50. You have quite a boy there, Frances.
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51. Talks like a little old man.
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52. I'm his good and close friend.
That's what he tells me.
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53. Real, real intense.
I'm his good and close friend.
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54. Well, you're real good to him.
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55. Taking him to ball games all the
time. And taking him for walks.
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56. Take care of yourself.
Don't get hurt none.
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57. I'll work hard trying not to.
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58. I'm gonna make a wish. I'm gonna
make a wish nothing happens to you.
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59. So don't you be afraid.
Understand? Don't you be afraid.
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60. Oh, go on.
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61. That boy's got you in a shrine.
- Who? A scared old man who don't...
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62. remember nothing except
how to bleed?
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63. I don't fit no shrines, Frances.
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64. But you tell him, how much
I'm obliged to him for his wish.
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65. He's all the time wishing.
Why, just the other night he...
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66. What?
- Oh, I needed $15 for the rent.
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67. He said he was gonna make the big,
tall wish. That's the biggest wish.
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68. He don't waste that on just anything.
Only with the most important kind.
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69. That was last Friday. A woman I did
some nursing for sent me a check.
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70. A check for $15.
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71. Little boys with their heads
full up with dreams.
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72. And when do they find out, Frances?
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73. When do they suddenly find out
that there ain't any magic?
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74. When does somebody push their
face down on the sidewalk and says:
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75. 'Hey, little boy, It's concrete.'
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76. 'That's what the world is
made out of: Concrete.'
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77. When do they find out that you
can wish your life away?
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78. Good luck tonight, Bolie.
We'll be waiting for you.
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79. Tell him I'll see him later.
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80. Hey, Bolie.
Good luck, baby. You can take him.
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81. Take him for me.
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82. Best of luck, Bolie.
We'll be watching.
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83. Try it, Bolie.
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84. Feels okay?
- Feels good, Joe. Thanks.
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85. He's all ready.
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86. Butt it out, will you, Thomas?
I wanna breathe.
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87. You hired me for the night.
Me and the cigar.
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88. I said butt it out.
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89. Feisty little old man.
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90. The older they get, the louder they
talk and the more they want.
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91. And less chance they got to get it.
- How did I get you tonight?
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92. I'm a bargain.
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93. I'm a expert on has-beens.
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94. I seen your boys.
Catches, aren't they?
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95. Guaranteed two rounds each.
Shovel them in, shovel them out.
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96. Sew them together for the next time.
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97. That's the only way to do it, champ.
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98. A month or so from now maybe
I'll sign you at the back door.
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99. Why not? You're long gone, Bolie.
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100. Wait till after tonight.
You'll wanna get in the stable, too.
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101. Just guarantee two rounds.
Two, three prelims every month.
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102. You can do that standing
on your head. Can't you?
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103. I thought the smell came with the
cigar. You wear it all over you.
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104. You stink, Thomas.
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105. You tell 'em, champ.
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106. Jackson, ten minutes.
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107. He'll be there.
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108. What about tonight?
What do I watch out for?
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109. I've only seen this boy fight once.
That was a couple of years ago.
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110. I ain't never seen him.
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111. You've seen him fight six,
seven times in the past year.
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112. You piece of garbage, you.
You're betting on him, aren't you?
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113. He comes in here for a dirty $20.
And bets on the other guy.
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114. I may be a bum in ten minutes, but now
I'm gonna fight a beautiful round.
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115. You touch me and I'll have you
up for ten years. I swear to you.
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116. Lay off me, you cunning freak.
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117. Let me look at that. Sit down.
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118. Wasn't enough spotting
'em all those years?
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119. Wasn't enough how you gotta go in
the ring with four busted knuckles?
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120. Okay, Jackson, you're on.
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121. Well?
- Well, nothing. Let's do it.
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122. Oh, poor little Henry Temple.
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123. I've given him two strikes
on all his magic.
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124. Whose?
- Nothing.
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125. There ain't no such thing as magic.
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126. There's another left.
Another right.
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127. Jackson's knees are wobbling.
Bolie Jackson is definitely hurt.
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128. Consiglio moves in on him.
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129. He jabs him to the right.
Jackson is down.
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130. Bolie, Bolie, Bolie.
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131. One, two, three...
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132. Four, five, six...
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133. Seven, eight...
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134. Nine...
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135. Ten.
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136. You done dandy, Bolie.
- Hey, Joe, you were wrong.
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137. Just bruised, I guess, huh?
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138. Gee, it hurt like anything
But somebody said I got him with it.
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139. Couldn't have been broken after all.
- Who said it was?
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140. You said.
Jeez, felt like it, too.
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141. Could feel the knuckles coming
right up to the bandages.
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142. I could have sworn it was broke.
And then when he knocked me down...
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143. What? When he what?
- When he knocked me down, Joe.
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144. When he knocked me down.
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145. I don't even remember getting up.
Suddenly, there he was at my feet.
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146. We must have been in
different arenas together.
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147. You didn't get knocked down, Bolie.
You was never off your feet.
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148. I wasn't?
- No.
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149. You carried this
one all the way, baby.
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150. Joe. I wasn't off my feet?
I didn't go down?
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151. Read about it in the papers.
Good night, old-timer.
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152. I'm proud of you.
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153. Beautiful, Bolie.
You were just great, man.
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154. You were great, Bolie,
We've seen you on television.
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155. That was a right.
That was the real right.
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156. Hey, what do you say, Henry Temple?
- You are a real tiger.
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157. Did it look okay?
- Just like a champ.
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158. He must have hit me so hard it
knocked all the hurt right out of me.
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159. I don't remember a doggone thing.
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160. I must have been punchy for a second
'cause I thought he had me on my back.
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161. There I was, lying there, Looking up
at the ref waving his arm down on me.
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162. Staring at the light,
blinking my eyes.
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163. There must have been some kind
of a dream or something 'cause...
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164. Henry?
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165. Henry, I never went down.
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166. I was never off my feet.
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167. Henry, I never went down.
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168. Henry, was I?
Was I on my back and on my way out?
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169. Nobody remembers it.
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170. Nobody at all except me.
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171. I thought it happened,
but it didn't.
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172. I thought I was lying there on
my back, being counted out...
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173. And everybody tells me that...
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174. Bolie, I made the big wish then.
I wished you was never knocked down.
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175. I just shut my eyes, and I
wished real hard. It was magic.
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176. We had to have magic then.
Had to. Nothing left for us then.
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177. There ain't no magic or
wishing or nothing like that.
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178. You're too big to believe
in fairy tales.
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179. If you wish hard enough.
It'll come true.
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180. If you wish hard enough...
- Somebody gotta take you...
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181. and rub your face into the world till
you get feel of the way things are.
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182. I've been wishing all my life.
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183. I got a gut ache from wishing, and
all I got is a face full of scars.
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184. And a head full of memories
of all the hurt...
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185. and misery I've had to live and
sleep with all my miserable life.
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186. You trying to tell me you
wished me into a knockout?
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187. And it was magic that
made me get up off my back?
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188. You're a little kook, Henry.
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189. How did I ever get mixed up with
you? I ain't got enough trouble.
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190. If you don't believe,
it won't be true.
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191. That's the way magic works.
- Listen. Listen, boy.
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192. There ain't no magic, Henry.
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193. I had that fight coming and going.
I had it in my pocket.
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194. I was the number one out there.
It was me who done it. Me, Bolie.
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195. Hittin' and sluggin' and winnin'.
Winnin'.
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196. Henry.
I can't believe. I'm too old.
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197. And I'm too hurt to believe.
I can't, boy. I just can't.
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198. There ain't no such thing as magic.
God help us both. I wish there were.
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199. You've got to believe.
- I can't, boy.
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200. I can't.
- Please, believe.
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201. You've got to believe, Bolie.
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202. Ten.
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203. You should've stood in bed.
How come you didn't use your right?
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204. He's in bed, Bolie.
- Can I see him?
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205. Sure. I expect he's waiting for you.
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206. Bolie?
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207. I'm real sorry.
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208. Ah, I pulled a rock, Henry.
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209. I threw a punch before I should have.
Hit a wall. Busted my knuckles.
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210. Half my artillery was gone.
- You looked like a real tiger.
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211. I was real proud of you, Bolie.
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212. Now you go to sleep.
Tomorrow we'll go to a hockey game.
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213. And we'll get some hot dogs maybe.
- Sure thing. That will be nice.
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214. I ain't gonna make no more wishes.
I'm too old for wishes.
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215. And there ain't no such
thing as magic, is there?
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216. I guess not, Henry.
Or maybe...
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217. Maybe there is magic,
and maybe there's wishes, too.
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218. The trouble is there's not enough
people around to believe.
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219. Good night, boy.
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220. Mr Bolie Jackson, 183 pounds.
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221. Who left a second chance lying on
a canvas at St. Nick's Arena.
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222. Mr Bolie Jackson, who shares the
most common ailment of all men:
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223. The perverse disinclination
to believe in a miracle.
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224. The kind of miracle to come
from the mind of a little boy.
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225. Perhaps only to be found in
the Twilight Zone.
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