 Ladies and gentlemen, the railroad out, and here comes our star-studded Joe Prane. 90 Association of American Railroads presents the memorable musical hit, Chari starring Gordon MacGray and his guest, Margaret Stroman. Our choir is under the direction of Norman Luboff, and our music is prepared and conducted by Carmen Drag. Yes, tonight another great musical success is brought to you by the American Railroad, the same railroads that bring you most of the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the fuel you burn, and all the other things you use in your daily life. And now here is our star, Gordon MacGray. Thank you, Marlon Miller, and good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Well, sir, tonight on St. Patrick's Day, a scot from Syracuse named MacGray and a gal from Missouri named Truman will sing a famous Viennese Waltz in a Hungarian gypsy operetta, most of which takes place in Paris. But seriously, I should be a fellow named Irini, who likes to fiddle, and lovely Margaret Truman will be the charming Chari. My name is Irini. All my life, I have dreamed of two things, a girl and a violin. Often in the cool of evening, I have closed my eyes and seem to see the girl. I picked up my shiny, manufactured violin, an ordinary fiddle without a soul, and I've imagined it is one of the great violins of the world, a strata violin. When I had neither the girl or the strata, and I never realized that both of them were in the little gypsy village of Lawrence, father, in Central York. Father, where have you been? In the village, Chari. Well, flirting with the girl again, I suppose. Certainly not. Just letting them have a look at one of the world's geniuses. Oh, Papa, people don't like to hear wild gypsy tunes these days. They want to listen to the great composition to the masses. They're true violins, my child, does not play from notes, but from the heart. They're speaking of my violin. I think I should win it. You know my beautiful study, Paris. Why? You never play it anymore. But I must take care of it. One day a king or a prince may ask me to play, and I must be ready. Oh, dear. You're such a dreamer. And you try to be so practical. Oh, you don't fool me, Chari. You're my daughter, and you inherit my dreaminess. But to my violin, that is too worse. Chari, Chari! Yes, little neighbor. Give me your last, Chari, and tell me a story. All right. This story is a song, little neighbor. Once upon a time, you know, somehow it doesn't seem so once upon a time. This is an old, old legend that seems to be happening all over again. Sing both wise and mighty, had a daughter, Coy, who was she was in her 20s. Still, if you've followed many, few have thought her, but this will fall over. As their father pays to show, love is lost a few. Love is lost a few. Such a song deserves a kiss and a cheek. That dear lady was a kiss fresh from Paris. Yeah, it was fresh all right. Well, I'm waiting. Oh, you want another one? I want an explanation. Well, you see, I'm a stranger here, but I happen to hear you sing, and I couldn't help but sneak up behind you and kiss you. Run along, little neighbor. This seems like a dangerous man. See, I think he's pretty brave. I've always wanted to try it. Nor could I help hearing your song. Your father is forcing you to marry, and I want you to know that I'm on your side. You keep on your side. You know, of course, I took an awful chance sneaking up behind you like that. You might have had a husband. You're a very imprudent young man. Please leave. Oh, don't make me go. You know that I've wandered all over Europe, and everywhere the sky was dark, and the air was heavy, and the hills were black. And then I came into this garden, and, well, it was like a dawn. Which it gladly is not a risk. Very nice. Well, it seems to me I've found the girl I've been looking for, and now if I could only find the violin. Oh, violin. They told me an old Gypsy fiddler somewhere in this neighborhood had a beautiful violin. Strativarius. I can only get that old character to let me use it. Well, what's going on out here? Oh, this is my father, Polly Rock. Polly Rock? The famous Gypsy violinist? Why, I've heard of you, sir, and your wonderful music since I was a small boy. Well, now here, Shari, is a young man with taste. Shari? Shari. I knew you'd have a beautiful name like that. And who are you? My name is Arini, sir. I'm a fiddler, too, and I've been asked to play before the king, and a special command performance in Paris. But all I have is a creaky instrument that fights me. What do you play, my boy? That silly, stodgy stuff from notes? Or do you play the songs of the people from your heart? Well, from the notes, of course. Well, you have not yet learned the secrets. Tell me, sir, would you consider selling or lending me your famous fiddles? Don't you dare call it that. You see, the father always says a fiddle is a fiddle, but it's rather various as a violin. Yes, and as for selling it or lending it, I would just as soon sell my heart or I'll part with my right arm. Well, then, I have a better idea. Why don't you come to Paris and play for the king? Paris? Ah, that makes me think of the days and nights of my youth, especially the nights. How we waltz in those days. Papa, you said you were waiting for a king to command you to play again. Yeah, but I can't go to Paris. Though I am still young, the girls of my youth there are now grandmothers. Oh, it would hurt. Well, come to Paris and meet their granddaughter. Granddaughter? I'll talk about them. I will. No, no, I won't either. There are two other reasons, the gout and shoddy. We'll all go to Paris together. You take care of your gout and I'll take care of your lovely daughter. Shall we do it, shoddy? Oh, yes, copy, yes. Back to shoddy in just a moment. When you think of what railroads mean to your community and to your country, you may think of the employment they furnish or the purchases they make or the taxes they pay. But the most important thing railroads do is to run trains. For it is trains of cars running on the steel highways provided and maintained by the railroads themselves, which furnish the low-cost common carrier transportation service on which the agriculture, the industry and the defense of America are soundly based. The whole American economy is built up on the services of these trains. Trains which haul anything and any quantity for anybody in any season of the year and between all sections of the continent and do it with a minimum expenditure of manpower, money and materials. That's one of those facts in an ordinary times we just take for granted. But in times of emergency it comes to be a matter of real concern. Remember the time of Pearl Harbor when many folks seriously doubted whether the railroads could handle the country's tremendous military transportation demands, but they did handle them, moving 90 percent of all war freight traffic and 97 percent of all organized military travel. And now in another period of crisis and mobilization, the ability of the railroads to do all that may be asked of them again becomes crucial. To prepare themselves better for whatever may lie ahead, the railroads have spent in the past six years more than six billion dollars for new and better freight cars, for new and more powerful locomotives and for improved tracks, signals, yards and railroad facilities of all sorts. But the railroads still need more freight cars, more new locomotives, more improvements of all kinds. In securing these needed facilities, they are encountering difficulties both in getting materials and in earning the funds necessary to carry out their program of improvement, but you may be sure that the railroads will never stop trying to do all they can to meet the needs of our great country, whether in war or in peace. Now here is act two of Chari starring Gordon MacRae as Irini and Margaret Truman as Chari. And so we went to Paris. Polly Ross, his daughter Chari and I. How nervous we all were, for the famous gypsy violinist was to appear for the first time in 10 years to play his famous trot about it. I was a mere fiddle player delighted to take a back seat, but very happy because Chari was with me. We shouldn't have come to Paris Irini. I'm afraid something will go wrong. Now what can go wrong Chari? Oh, Papa isn't young anymore and I, well for the first time in my life I feel too young. Oh, listen. Listen to the sounds in the air. Listen to what Paris is saying to us. Young love is everywhere. Take it while you can. Yes, I hear it. Yes Chari, you must get ready for the command performance before the king of the sailors. I shall put on my Sunday best. Good. A marquee de cadeau. Mamoise Chari Ross. Now what's that she's wearing on her head of lampshades? Imagine anybody appearing at the round performance wearing a terrible color jacket long. In Paris, the city of Paris, and how can somebody wear those reds? How did she get in? Please, please. In my tiny village these are the bright colors we wear, but I see that Paris is no place for a girl from the country. It is now our pleasure to hear from one of the most celebrated violinists of our day. He had come out of retirement to play his famous Stadevarius, the man whose melodies we have heard about for so many years. And now we shall hear them with our own ears. Polly Rock. Go Polly Rock, play. Father, what's wrong? Your Majesty, I... Father, are you all right? Your Majesty, I cannot play. I have not played my beautiful violin in ten years. I've just kept it to look at, remembering my head's the lovely melodies of my youth. So you see, this Stadevarius is no good to me. I might as well smash it into a million pieces. Oh, no, don't, don't. Could I have it for just a moment, Polly? Take it, Serene. I give it to you. Tell me, Polly, is this the melody you were going to play? Why? It's the melody. How did you know it? That melody was never written down, only in my heart. It's the Stade, Polly. It's the spying. I always knew it was a magic violin. Stadevarius belongs to you now, Irini. To me, it was just a memory, but you have made it live again. My boy, we are most pleased. I thank you, your Majesty. All my life, I've wanted to play on a magic violin, and to hold in my arms a girl like Shari. No, Irini, you will be the toaster Paris now, but I'm only a village gypsy, and everyone laughs at me. My children, they will not laugh again, but I hereby bestow on you the title of the Count and Countess of Stadevarius. Now go, play, dance, and the whole world will be young again. Yes, the whole world will be young. Our thanks to the other members of our cast, to Francesx Bushman, Theodore von Elk, Dick Fields, and the entire company. Shari, with book and lyrics by Julius Wilhelm, Max Brunbaum, CCS Cushing and E.P. Heath, and music by Emerish Kalman, was dramatized for the railroad hour by Lawrence and Lee. The railroad hour is brought to you each week, at this time, by the American Railroad. You know, every minute of every day, someone, somewhere, calls on the Red Cross for help. The Red Cross is able to answer these urgent pleas, only through your help. When you contribute to the 1952 Red Cross campaign, you help make it possible for the Red Cross to maintain a disaster service, it services to the armed forces, and to veterans. It's blood bank programs, and many other activities. And now here again is our charming guest, Margaret Truman. Thank you, Gordon. It was delightful being here. Margaret, you are a wonderful Shari. Oh, thank you. You know, we're probably the only show on radio tonight that didn't sing Irish music. A happy Hungarian St. Patrick's Day for you, Margaret. Tell me, Gordon, what can we all listen to on next week's railroad hour? Well, you can listen to one of the great hits of our day, Margaret. Patrice Monzell and I will be singing the enchanting music of Kiss Me Kate. Wouldn't we? Good night, Gordon. Good night, Margaret, and come back real soon. Oh, the board! Well, sir, it looks as though we're ready to pull out. And so until next week, and Kiss Me Kate, this is Gordon Macrae saying goodbye. Shari was presented by special arrangement with Tams Whitmark Music Library. Gordon Macrae can be seen starring in Warner Brothers About Faith. Our choir is under the direction of Norman Luboff, and our music is prepared and conducted by Carmen Drag. This is Marvin Miller saying goodbye until next week for the American Railroad. Now keep tuned to your Monday night of music on NBC. Now the voice of Firestone brings you Christopher Lynch.