 Family Theatre presents Maureen O'Hara, Stephen McNally and Howard McNear. Mutual Network in cooperation with Family Theatre Incorporated brings you Stephen McNally and Howard McNear in Edgar Allan Poe's classic, The Goldbug. To introduce the drama, your hostess, Maureen O'Hara. Thank you, Jean. This week, Americans are honoring the 100th anniversary of the death of one whose contributions to American letters seem destined to live forever. For in Baltimore 100 years ago, Edgar Allan Poe died after a short and stormy span of 40 years. In tonight's tale, we bring you one of the analytical stories of Poe, which started a whole new era of modern writing. For his logical step-by-step recreation and solution of a problem is the basis of the present-day mystery with which we are all familiar. It is a story that reflects the earlier and possibly the happier years of Poe's life. Based upon his years in the army, when he was stationed at Fort Moultrie, South Carolina, and where he often wandered the shores of Sullivan's Island. It is this island that serves as the setting for our story, and it is my pleasure to present Stephen McNally as our narrator, Edgar, with Howard McNear as William LeGrand in The Goldbug. Often in our work, we lawyers see the end product that results when man senses suddenly desert him, leaving his body prey to the lashes of his emotions and his soul to an even greater scourge. And once, once it seemed I saw the beginning of this awful force, a force that turns man into beast, that erases from his consciousness all but the galling prods that drive him ever faster to his dreadful doom. It started that day when I returned to Sullivan's Island. It's a lonely island in the fall of the year, and never before had I experienced the chill winds as I did that October day when I returned after months spent in Charleston. My law practice being somewhat slack during the preceding week. I had decided to come down to visit once more with the master of Sullivan's Island, my friend William LeGrand. LeGrand I had known in older days when he could still welcome the sight of people's faces. Before he made his decision to abandon the city life that had brought him only successive disasters, disasters provoked by the tragic strain of insanity in his family. We had been closer in those days for he was then of more open mind. But of late I remembered only how volatile were his expressions and how capricious his moods. As I neared the heart, the sight of the smoke coming from the chimney prompted me to run, and I was soon at the door. There was no one there save me. And wherever my astonished glance fell, it encountered a riot of disorder among the usually meticulous furnishings. As I stood there, wondering whether it were the defections of LeGrand or Jupiter that could have caused this neglect, I heard a welcoming voice outside and turned to await LeGrand. Good luck for me. Jupiter, come see who's here. It has been a long time hasn't it, William? It's good to see you again, Mr. Edgar. This island has a need of company. Come do sit down. We have much to talk about since all these months have passed between us. I'll set the pot to boiling. Some hot tea will take the chill off this weather. That, Jupiter, is an excellent idea. Edgar, I would rather see you than anyone I can name. I have most extraordinary news. I found a truly rare treasure. Some of the Captain Kid treasure chest that every charlatan swears is buried hereabouts or a new species of bird life, my friend. You are much closer with your second guess, Edgar. In fact, I found a most amazing specimen today. You must look at it tomorrow. Why must you keep me in suspense until then? Show me this wonder of yours. I wish that I could, but not knowing you'll be here. I'll let one of the officers from the fort have it overnight. He is a naturalist too. Oh, but I must really return to Charleston tonight. I have a case coming up tomorrow. Why not tell me about it and I'll come down again next week to see it for myself. I see it, you must, for you'll not believe me when I tell you. Today I wandered over near the west beach and suddenly I thought I saw a golden glint in the sand there. I found it to be a scarabius, the like of which no man has ever seen. I confess, I'll never understand your fascination with these weird insects. You naturalist must all be insane. Never say that word insane again, do you hear? It has an evil sound. It makes me... There, now. You don't need to be upset, Mr. LeGrand. Forgive me, William. I'd forgotten about your family. Leave me. I meant no harm. Yes, but I am sorry, but you know how distasteful my memories are to me. Please, continue about the beetle. I don't know yet what it looked like. I tell you, there was never one like it. Pure gold in color and heavy as a stone. And only about as big as a hickory nut. But even I have seen yellow beetles. Oh, not like this, I can assure you. It has two strange jet-black spots near its head and another near the tail. Oh, but here, I'll sketch it for you. Ah, let's see now. I know I have some blank paper here somewhere. Well, there's a piece sticking out of your pocket. Oh, is that... Oh, yeah. Yes. Oh, this is the paper I used to wrap the scarabias in. Oh, well. It looks as though it were real parchment. Hey, Jupiter found it for me. And I'll tell you again, neither of them will bring good luck. Mark my word. Ah, poor Jupiter. Seems to see spectres at every hand these days. He would have had me leave the scarabias at the beach. It's bad luck. You'll see it too, Mr. Edgar. Once you look at that beetle, come, will you, make your drawing. Let me judge for myself. Yes, I will answer. Though I must confess, I've never seen Jupiter so overrun. Ah, yes. Now I'll draw this and you'll see it. And the dots here and here. Now, Edgar, look at this. Ah, this is a strange one. I never saw anything like it before, unless possibly a skull or a death's head. A death's head, yes. Possibly the markings on it would give that appearance, but it does not really resemble one. Perhaps so, but I feel the grind you are no artist. Edgar, I draw very well. I should at least. I've had good training and I'm not exactly a blackhead. Then you must be joking for... but this is a very good skull. And where are the beetles and tenons? Oh, very well. I should not have drawn it after all. Then we wouldn't have gotten to this argument. Argument, will you? You know very well what I mean. Here, I'll toss the accursed thing in the fire. What? What's the matter? What's the point? Where is this? Well, upon my word. What this cannot be. You must forgive me, Edgar, but I have work to do. At Jupiter's sea, Mr. Edgar, back to Charleston. I'm sorry, but right now I... I must be alone. And leave I did. For from that moment when he first glassed at the porch when he snatched from my hands, he was lost in concentration. To be honest, I was of no good humor that night as with Jupiter I picked my way through the darkened island to the boat landing. But by the morning I was absorbed in my work and so was greatly surprised when an excited Jupiter arrived at my office with an urgent request from Legrand that I return immediately to Sullivan's Island. What can be the matter with Legrand, Jupiter? He was in good health last night. He hasn't complained of any pain, but he's sick just the same. Is he confined to bed then? He won't sleep a rest at all. He just wakes at his desk and then rushes out of the house and starts measuring things. Measuring things? What things? Practically anything. He just walks this way and that way, counting his footsteps and making all kinds of figures on the slate he carries. What can he possibly... It's the Berg, if you ask me. That's what it is. That old Goldberg bit him. Oh, no, really. That's nonsense, Jupiter. Only a fever he has contracted. You'll see. Here, you go in alone, Mr. Edgar. I'll wait outside. Very well, Jupiter. Jupiter, did you bring Edgar? Jupiter's waiting outside, will you? I think the poor man fears for his life. What's happened? Come in, come in, come in. I thought you would never get here. You, Jupiter, come in. You will be quite safe. Edgar, I need you here, especially if I am to further the views of fate and the Goldberg. Good time, my friend, but first we have work to do. Oh, here now, William. You mustn't excite yourself. Sit down and begin from the beginning. Yes. Remember last night when I handed you the paper with my drawing on it? Of course. And now, look what happened to it. Nothing has happened to it than I can see. It's the same skull-like drawing you made for me last night. Oh, well, now. Turn it over. Oh, but this is the drawing of the beetle. I can see the antennae. Precisely. And on the other side is the skull, brought out from the old parchment by the fire last night. But, where did it come from? It's witchcraft, I tell you. That Goldberg has an evil spell. Remember I told you I used it to pick up the Goldberg? We found it in the sand near the beetle. Oh, then the drawing must be a very old one. The parchment looks well worn. Yes, that's true. Now, last night after you left, I heated the whole thing over the fire and I found the message upon it. Oh, William, there's no message here. Oh, yes, well, wait, you should see here. Let me put the paper in this pan of water and replace it over the fire again. Yes, you should see. You mean the heat will bring out the... Many of these old parchment can be restored through the use of heat. Now, when you handled it last night, the heat from your hands combined at the temperature of the room to bring out the message. Well, look, it's beginning to show up now. There's a picture on it. It's an animal. Ah, precisely. And what do you think it is? Well, it... it looks like a goat, I believe. Ah, so I thought. But if you will look closer, you will see it is... a kid. So? Oh, come, come, come, come. First, the skull, then the picture of a kid. Now, surely you need no further clues? So we have pirates and a goat. I failed to see my any reason for your excitement, unless you're trying to conjure up a plot worthy of a two-penny thriller. Oh, not a goat, I have just said. It was a kid. Surely you heard of Captain Kidd? Oh, I guess, then. Oh, the pirate, of course. Well, I see the pictures where the signature should be. Ah, yes, and now look at the paper. Between the signature and the skull at the top. Ah, yes. What are you seeing? Nothing yet. No, wait a minute. Wait a bit. There are lines coming up. It... Well, it is a message. Look. Read them. Now, I can see something. It's a number. And there are some more. Oh, but the whole thing is numbers. Of course, come. You must read them to me. Begin from the top and read across. Well, well, well, begin, begin, begin. This may be worth a fortune. Hurry, hurry, hurry. One, eight, eight. Semicolon, question mark. Semicolon. And that's all. That's good. That's good. Now we have it. Have it? Have it? In Heaven's name, man, what good is a page of blurred figures? It's a message, don't you see? Well, of course, but what message? I'm as much of the dark now as ever. Come yourself, Edgar. Let us approach this with logic. Logic? What is logic as there in Goldberg's pirates and siphon messages? I ask you. Obviously, the message must be in English. Obviously. It could be in Hindustani if all these numbers are tell us. Now, the pun on the word kid could only occur in English. So if there is a message here, it must be in that language. Now, let's try a transposition cipher first. Of course, if it's in code, the fat is written in the fire. Well, what difference does it make whether the message is in code or cipher? Can it both be solved in the same manner? Indeed not. A code uses a set of symbols which stand for words, a set already agreed upon by the encoder. While these ciphers, they are numbers and symbols for letters. Now, come, come, come first. We must table them according to frequency. Well, I can tell it a glass. The 8's are most common. That's good. Then count them. They must be the E's. Why, how does that hold, will you? The E is the most common letter in nearly any given sentence. So the 8 must be the E. And after the E comes A, O, I, D, H, etc. Ah. But we'll worry about them later. There is the completed message. A good glass in the Bessup's hostel in the devil's seat 21 degrees and 13 minutes northeast. But this makes no more sense than the original. The words are there, but they mean nothing. Ask the Goldberg. It can tell you. Try to break it into sentences. See, in the manuscript, there are often places where the characters are run together. An uneducated man might do that as he was making sentences. Say, that might be it. For example, the first sentence would be A good glass in the Bessup's hostel in the devil's seat. But what does that mean? That is but one of the answers we must find, my friend. And I fear we will scour the countryside to do it. And scour, we did. For in the days that followed, LeGrand and I talked to each and every soul that lived about us. At every hand, we found the same answer. The same blank stairs, the same accusing glances that more than once began to convince me I had lost my sanity. Then LeGrand heard of an old crone who had lived in the vicinity for more than 80 years. We found the incredibly old woman, her cracking voice making our hearts race. She's thrown to recall facts of the generation's past. A man always come to me and I tell them what they wish for a price. Oh, yes, I always get a price. Name it then, Grandmother, and let's get on with it. Yes, you must forgive my friend. His impatience is only youth. Now, in the village, they said you knew the Bessops. There's been no Bessops here about for 50 years and more, son. And an unfriendly folk they were, too. Oh, did they live apart from the village then, grandmother? A hotel of Bessops hostel? Bessops castle, it is. You'll sleep cold tonight if you expect to stay there. Do you mean there is a Bessops castle? Where is it? I told you before, young man, meet my price and I'll tell you how to get to the place you seek. Well, name your price and it's met, grandmother. 20 good silver dollars. 20 dollars? Of course, grandmother. Here, hold out your hand. Oh, wonderful. 18, 19, and 20. Now, now for this Bessops castle. You must first go to Sullivan's island. The island, grandmother. Where do we go on the island? Up on the western shore of the island you'll find a lonely pile of rocks. And there, as you go along. We do now, William. This country is too barren to leave us a clue. Look down there below us. No, no, no, to the right a bit. What do you see? What? Why, it looks as though the waves had carved a chair out of the rock. Ah, precisely. The devil's seat, my lad. Give me the telescope. Here it is. Now, now what? Read the directions in the note. I'll use them to site where. It says 21 degrees and 13 minutes. That's good. Good. Next. North east and by north. That's right. Right. That's it. It brings the glass onto that tall tree. Tree? Well, then it's safe. Tree. Tree. Well, then it says main branch. Seventh limb east side. What do you see there? There's a rift in the branches. Quickly, what is it, William? What do you see? Ah, I don't exactly know. But, um... I think it's another depth here. That must be the tree, William. It towers above the earth. Yeah, we will soon find out. Jupiter, give me the spade and get ready to climb tree. Here, take the gold bug with you. No, sir, no, sir. What the heck's up there? Oh, what, by the gold bug? Oh, nonsense, man. Nonsense or not, I don't want anything to do with the gold bug. It's a hex. Well, if he's afraid of the beetle, William, why not let him go up without it? Oh, but he can't. We will need it once he reaches the place. Yeah, yes, up the tree within our Jupiter. Here, I'll give you a boost. Ah, it's a good lad. Keep climbing. Jupiter, stop there. Stop there a moment. What's the matter? How many limbs below you now? Count them. There's five. Go one higher, Jupiter, and sing out. I'm there now. Now work your way out on that limb as far as you can go. Happen, Jupiter. It's the skull nailed into this old wood. But that's good. That's good. Now listen to me carefully. Find the left eye of the skull. Yes. Yes, I've got it. That's good. Now listen carefully. Take the gold bug and drop it through the left eye. Now drop it. Yes, sir. There it comes. Ah, there it is. Quickly, mark the spot. Jupiter, get back down here now. We've more work to do. Wait a minute. Hand me the measuring line. And now follow me and bring the speed. And use it with good will. For each stroke, it shall be a golden one. It shall be here. And my calculations must be correct. Oh, come, Willem. Let us rest now. We can dig again tomorrow in this light. Ah, yes, that's it. We'll come again tomorrow. Then we will find it, I know. Come along, Jupiter. Here, I'll help you up. Reach for my left hand. Yes, sir. Thank you. The left one. Oh, the other one, Jupiter, the other one. Jupiter, come here. Yes, sir. I'm coming. Now answer one question. And answer it immediately. Which is your left eye? Oh, it's this one. Oh, yes. Of course, I forgot. You've always had trouble that way. Come along, come along. Back to the tree. Ah, this game is not appropriate. Now, was the skull face outward? From the limo towards it? Uh, it was facing out. And which eye did you drop it through? Why, the left? Oh, yes, of course. Ah, the right one. Come, we must try again. Now quickly hold the cord. Oh, but it would only make a difference of an inch or two. Let's return to Maro, will you? Through an inch or two, you say. Look what happens when I run the line directly from the tree through the spot where the gold bug should have fallen. Why, it's yards to the right of where we were. Indeed it is. And there, our wager will find our goal. So come, let us dig again. It will not take long this time. We've found it, will you? Yes, we must have. Here. Then I may hand slide the bolt. Then we shall see who has been manned. Here, here, feel them. Feel them. They're real. There must be a fortune there in gold. And those jewels. William, we're rich. Oh, did we sleep that night? For in the firelight of the cabin, we sat amazed as we counted up the pirate treasure. Through it all, the grand chuckled, and wood from time to time glanced at me as though I were to share in his private chest. At length, goaded by my curiosity in his laughing glance, I asked for the explanation he knew must be forthcoming. And all made excellent sense until I asked him why he had insisted Jupiter carry the gold bug when he climbed the tree to the death set. He laughed again then. A rising laugh that made me catch my breath. It was for your benefit, my dear Edgar, to punish you. Well, no doubt I deserved it, but you sure as escapes me now. Come, come, come. Confess. Did you not doubt my sanity again? Well, no, no, of course not. I was only afraid that the excitement might prove too much for you. For my mind, you mean. You need not be tactful. You've doubted me all along. That is why the gold bug helped me. Only I understood its message. It was the gold bug who was our guide. Or perhaps you think it was... But who can tell? I ask you. Who can tell? Thank you, Stephen McNally and Howard McNear for your splendid presentation of the gold bug. You know, the gold bug was the first story of Edgar Allan Poe that I ever read. It holds a special place in my memories along with Tom Sawyer, Treasure Island, and all the other stories we first learned to love in grammar school days. Hearing it again on family theater calls back those days. The books we read, the songs we sang, the teachers we had, and the boys and girls we all knew so well. It's good that we have such memories, and it's only right that the memories should be happy ones. Especially do we have a right to the happy memories of our home life, our parents, our brothers and sisters? In fact, I'd say that parents owe it to their children to see that their childhood days are something that they will always look back to with gratitude and joy. To make better homes in America and to furnish parents with a workable, God-given formula for bringing happiness to their home, family theater recommends that you begin the practice of daily family prayers in your home, for you will find it to be true that the family that prays together stays together. More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Hollywood Family Theater has brought you Stephen McNally and Howard McNear in Edgar Allan Poe's The Gold Bug with Marina O'Hara as your hostess. Emperor Clemmie was heard as Jupiter with Martha Wentworth as the grandmother. Those classic was written by Arthur Sawyer with music composed and conducted by Harry Zimmerman, was directed for Family Theater by Jaime Del Valle. These Family Theater broadcasts are made possible by the thousands of you who felt the need for this type of program, by the mutual network which has responded to this need and by the hundreds of stars of stage, screen and radio who have so unselfishly given of their time and talent to appear on our Family Theater stage. This is Gene Baker inviting you to be with us next week at this time Family Theater will present Oscar Wilde's fantasy The Happy Prince starring Loretta Young and Vincent Price. Join us, won't you? Theater salutes the Newspaper Boys of America and reminds you that Saturday, October the 8th is National Newspaper Boys Week. Successful boys make successful men. This program came from Hollywood. This is the World Series Network, the Mutual Broadcasting System.