 Remember a hallmark card when you care enough to send the very best Tonight from Hollywood the makers of hallmark greeting cards bring you a mr. Gene Herschold in Huns Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans on the hallmark playhouse Each week hallmark will bring you Hollywood's greatest stars in outstanding stories chosen by one of the world's best known authors The distinguished novelist mr. James Hilton Good evening ladies and gentlemen, this is James Hilton tonight on our hallmark playhouse We are privileged indeed for we shall not only tell a story that has endeared itself to generations But we shall present it in the words and voice of the man best suited by reason of his own endearing qualities to pass that pleasure on to you For this is the treat we have a tale by Hans Andersen told by Gene Herschold Hans Andersen we all know as the Danish writer whose stories have been trans countless millions of readers of all ages and Gene Herscholdt we all know as a great American who doesn't mind in the least being called a great Dane But there's more to it than this Mr. Herschold translated these tales of Andersen from Danish to English and I personally am very proud of the two volumes He presented me with some years ago Mr. Herscholdt's labor of love took some ten years and it's not only the latest translation of Hans Andersen But it's also the only complete one ever made The story Gene will tell us is that very beautiful one the wild swans And now Frank gas isn't it your turn to say something for a Christmas greeting your friends will long remember make your selections now From the complete hallmark collection on display at the friendly store where you buy hallmark cards Whatever your taste whatever your budget you'll take special pride in sending hallmark cards And on the back of everyone is the identifying hallmark that says you cared enough to send the very best Hallmark Playhouse darling Gene Herscholdt in Hans Christian Andersen's the wild swans once upon a time Far far away where the swallows fly when we have winter They lived at King who had 11 sons and one daughter Elisa They were all great little love and they were very happy until one day many years after the mother's death Their father married a wicked queen who did not treat his poor children at all well She sent little Elisa to live in the country with some peasants and Before long she made the king believe so many falsehoods about the princess that he took no further interest in them And so one night while the princess were asleep the queen stole into their bedroom She walked from bed to bed with a small vial in her hand One drop on each of their foreheads one two three four six eight nine ten Eleven so the queen transformed the princess into 11 magnificent swans It was so early in the morning that the sister Elisa was still asleep when they flew over the pest and hot was she was staying They howled over the roof crying loudly and craning their long necks and flapping their wings, but Nobody saw them or heard them And at last they were forced to fly on High up near the clouds and far away into the white world and Elisa grew up in the forest Lonely for her brothers and dreaming of the day when she could see them again She was lovely When the wind stirred the heads roses outside the hut it whispered to them Who is prettier than you? And the roses always answered Elisa She was fair start to fair And as she grew she was more and more the princess that every woman should like to be and every man should like to One day a trial of her father's palace brought word of the disappearance of her brothers and Warned her that she must never return to the palace or the queen would surely kill her So she left the hut in the pestance who had been kind to her and started out into the world in search of her brothers By day by night she wandered and the birds guided her by day and the fireflies by night It is hard to say how long she'd been wandering when she met the old woman Good morning You're a long way from home Sit down and rest a moment You'll not find those you seek at this hour You know whom I'm seeking have you seen eleven princes riding through the forest? No But yesterday I saw eleven swans all Wearing golden crowns. They were swimming in a river not far from the sea Eleven swans you've come a long and weary way Have you still faith that you will find those that you see yes, I'll find them and I'll help them I don't know how but some way I'll find them and I'll help them then come with me And I'll guide you to the river that will lead you to the sea So Elisa came to the sea And just at sunset she held up arms to the sky and like a white ribbon unrolling in the air Eleven white swans with gold crowns on the heads flew towards her And as the Sun yawn pulled the sea up over his head The swans two of the feathers and there were the eleven brothers she had searched the land to find Elisa Elisa we've talked constantly of what it would mean to see you again to have our arms around you and to hear your voice I've been so lonely for all of you. I didn't even know you were to the palace until a few weeks ago Every day we are forced to fly about disguise as wild swans But at night when the Sun goes down we take back our human form the moment the Sun goes down the very moment And so at sunset we must always look about us for some sort of firm foothold Because if we were flying at sunset we would be dashed down to the earth immediately. Do you live here? No, we live on the other side of the sea on the other side. Yes, it's it's beautiful country, Elisa Just as beautiful as this But we must cross the ocean to reach it. You see we're allowed to come here to our homeland only once a year And we can only stay 11 days It's our great sorrow and yet our only source of happiness to come here when do you return in the morning? I'll go with you. How can we take you? We have neither ship nor boat we can carry her look I can lift her with one arm Surely the wings of all of us should be strong enough to carry her across the sea. It's a long and dangerous way I'm not afraid. Please. Please take me with you Spend the entire night making a net of client willow bark and tough rushes When it was finished Elisa laid down upon it and went to sleep And when the sun rose and her brothers again became sworn They lifted the net in the bills and flew high up to where the clouds were Elisa found herself in a strange land on the other side of the ocean in front of the large cave That was the home of her brothers After they had eaten the letter to the nook was she was to sleep I've had many a wonderful dream on that bed Elisa We'll see what you dream of there tonight I only wish I could dream how to set you free That's the prayer of my life now To set you free Who led me to the river Elisa's hand with nettles that burned like it was broad daylight When close at hand was she had been asleep Grew in nettle like those of which she had dreamed She started to work immediately Great blisters rose on her hands and arms, but she endured them gladly She crushed each nettle with a bare feet and spun the green flax She finished one shirt and said to work on the second one And then suddenly cutting across the hot afternoon She heard the sound of a hunting horn on the mountain side and dogs coming closer and closer She made a bundle of the nettle she had gathered and run into the cave with it A moment later she heard the dogs and the voices of people just outside And several huntsmen came into the cave And one of them was the tall handsome king of the land He stood for a long time looking down at Elisa Hello Waiting for her to say something She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen Elisa stared at him wordlessly Who are you? What are you doing here? Elisa shook her head Her brothers still live once in their lives depended on her silence The young king held out his hands to her If you're as good as you are fair I'll put a golden crown upon your head And give you my finest palace to live in Come The young king picked Elisa up in his arms She tried to fight him off with the bundles of nettles But it was no use Carried her out and mounted his horse with her in his arms Great silent tears still falling from eyes But not one sob escaped her Not one sound My dear don't you realize No harm is going to come to you I only want to make you happy You're not my prisoner I am yours The king rode off down the mountain with Elisa in his arms and all his huntsmen galloping behind them And had sundown to road into his splendid city This is my kingdom And now It's yours But Elisa's heart Had raced back to the cave on the mountain site and her anxious eyes were searching the heavens Until her brothers could ride into their own kingdom There could be no kingdom for her James Helton will return to introduce the second act of Hans Andersen's wild swan starring Jean Herschelt But first Wouldn't you like to have several boxes of assorted Christmas cards to have on hand for filling out your lists and to take care of last minute editions? You'll find a complete array of hallmark boxed selections to choose from at the friendly store where you buy your hallmark cards And just because they are hallmark cards doesn't need a mean that they have to be expensive for example For only 50 cents there's a box titled Christmas in the country with 12 colorful Christmas winter scenes that would delight anyone Then there is the hallmark family box that contains 22 different Christmas cards for only one dollar And there's a special box for the kitties so appealing they will want to keep a set themselves Among the many other hallmark box selections are old time prints by courier and ives Colorful Christmas scenes painted by Norman Rockwell with the kindly understanding for which he is famous Verses by edgar a guest america's favorite poet winter scenes that recapture childhood memories by grandma moses And in the grandma moses collection There's a large reproduction of one of the subject for you to frame and keep And remember when your friends receive these fine cards and look on the back as you did They'll see the hallmark and know you cared enough to send the very best Now we continue with part two of hands anderson's the wild swans Starting gene her short led a lisa into his palace And he had his handmaid and stick on satins and laces He put jewels before her and all the treasures of his kingdom But nothing could make her eyes sparkle or her lips smile And then finally the young king led her to a small room adjoining a bedroom On the floor lay the bundle of flaxi had spun from the nettles And from the ceiling hung the shirt that she had already finished When a lisa saw them hope rose up joyously inside her And she smiled And then she went down on her knees and kissed the king's hand He lifted her to her feet gently my dearest my darling You're all i ever hoped to find on earth Or dreamed to find in heaven Will you take my name and my heart And my kingdom king held out his arms to her And a lisa looked into his eyes and saw a shining future And so she put her hand in his And that was her promise And the wedding bells rang for days and days made the glory of the air And eleven white swans flew over the city Their wings outstretched in benediction And so it was That a lisa endured the physical pain of the nettles and the flax and the mental anguish of loving and Not being able to speak of her love Night after night when the king slept she stole away to that small room And if he noticed that her hands were blistered and raw each morning He never asked for an explanation Night after night she worked And to her the burning nettles Had the silken softness of feathers of swans At last One night when she was at work on the seventh shirt She saw that there was not enough flax left to finish it And she remembered the words of the old woman and went out alone Alone through the dark shadowed palace alone through the frightening blackness of the gardens Were those footsteps following her or was it only the day She didn't dare pose to look back alone through the long empty alleys Alone through the deserted threatening streets Alone into the church yard Alone to the very edge of the graves to gather nettles While the ghost and the ghouls and the witches circled around her Faster and faster and faster trying to snatch the living bread from her She kept her eyes on her task and she prayed as she worked And at last her back was full of the nettles She rose there and steadfastly faced the ghostly circle They moved about her faster faster in a never-tightening ring Her will as strong as a faith in God She walked steadily towards them and the terrible music clamored and then denoyed Through the circle She walked through and they fell back before She hurried home through the dawn She had no idea that someone had been watching her that night And even now one of the king's trusted ministers was hurling to tell him that his wife was a witch And that she had been received by the witches and ghouls at their revels and been permitted to leave unharmed I can't believe it. It is true your majesty. I saw the queen leave the palace I followed her to the edge of the church yard. I saw her rive and leave with my own eyes Oh so fair So lovely so good surely you must be mistaken. Look at her hands your majesty. I'll skewer own heart the answer It's true. Her hands are often sore and bleeding all witches hands are like that It's caused by the poisonous vapors and the potions they brew Could could a witch be as beautiful as she is a powerful witch may create almost any illusion. You know that your majesty, but The punishment for witchcraft is death by fire. I'll not sentence her then the people must judge her and sentence her It is the law let the people judge her if they like People judge her he said and the people did judge her They condemned her to die by fire She was led from the royal halls to a dungeon The jailer opened an iron door In with the analysis if you're witch enough to escape that fire in the morning You'll have no silks and velvets down here Use your bundle of nettles for a pillar use these coats of mail you've woven for your covers Lisa went to work immediately. She was completely alone But towards evening She heard the rustle of a swan's wings outside her window and she wept with joy to know that her brothers were close at hand Her fingers flew one time on faltering As the night deepened and then began to fade the next morning When elisa was to be burned as a witch all the townspeople came flocking to see her The cheeks were deadly pale And her lips moved in silent prayers as her fingers twisted the green flags Ten shirts lay at her feet and she walked away on day 11. Look at the witch mumbling Why don't you take her filthy sorcery away from her? How do you know what revenge? She's creating take her poison flax and tear at the bits. She may kill us all Has anyone the courage to take that flex from her hands They're in the sky Eleven swans It is a sign from heaven She must be innocent The 11 white swans flew down and met a ring around elisa with her flapping wings The mob drew back in terror Only the executioner stepped between the swans toward elisa But before he could reach her she hastily threw the 11 church over the swans She is innocent indeed said her eldest brother and he told them all that had happened And while he spoke They sent a process filled the air For every piece of wood that they had piled up to burn her was suddenly covered with red Fragrant roses and at the very top A single pure white flower shone like a star The king cut it and put it in elisa's hand My queen I loved you the first moment I saw you And I will love you forever And so the 11 princes went back to claim their kingdom And the king picked up elisa and rode back with her once again to the city And all was joy and happiness and celebration And as was the custom in those days They lived happily ever after James Hilton and gene hersholt will return but first May I invite you again to see the new hallmark christmas cards now on display at your friendly hallmark dealers If you prefer to select cards to fit each one on your list individually You'll find a hallmark card that says just what you want to say the way you want to say it There are hallmark albums from which to select cards for imprinting with your name And there are the many boxes of assorted hallmark cards Yes, whatever your taste whatever your budget there are hallmark cards You take special pride in sending and when your friends receive them and look on the back as you did They'll see the hallmark and know you cared enough to send the very best Here again is james hilton It surely has been a great pleasure to have you with us tonight gene hersholt And I think all our listeners will agree that your presentation of that great story Recaptured those wonderful moments of childhood that hans christian anderson intended even for us grown-ups. Thank you, mr Hilton It's a pleasure to be here and to work with you hallmark people You see, I believe we have more than a little in common Frankly, I get tremendous enjoyment from working with these stories for children Just as I'm sure that you folks at hallmark must get a great deal of satisfaction from knowing that Those wonderful dolls of the nations and your dolls from the land of make-believe give children so much fun and education Yes, I believe we have both aiming at the same thing a world of Happy children. Thank you again, mr. Hersholt. You're welcome anytime. We have open house here every week And our story next Thursday is adapted from the work of the great humorist steven leacock It's entitled my financial career It will be of special interest to everyone because it's a lesson in how to handle money And we are particularly fortunate in having as our guest a man who has a deep love and a great respect for all matters monetary That eminent authority on finance Mr jack benny So be sure to be with us on the hallmark playhouse next week for jack benny in my financial career Until next thursday then this is james hilton saying good night Jean hersholt who stars as dr christian on the vaseline program was heard on cbs every wednesday evening Look for hallmark cards that are sold only in stores that have been carefully selected to give you expert and friendly service Remember hallmark cards when you care enough to send the very best Don't miss next thursday at the same time when james hilton returns to present my financial career Starring jack benny This program came to you from the hallmark playhouse. 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