 Remember, a hallmark card when you carry enough to send the very best. Right from Hollywood, the makers of hallmark greeting cards bring you Claude Jarman Jr. in Mary O'Hara's My Friend Flicka 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. A few years ago, there was published in this country a book whose freshness and charm made an instant appeal to the American reading public. This story is My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara. And I suppose you'd think of it inevitably if you were asked for the short list of the best stories about animals. And its high quality doesn't really surprise me because that's usually the result when you put two things together, good writing and personal experience. Mrs. O'Hara is a very good writer and she speaks from a wealth of knowledge since for the past 15 years she has lived on a ranch in Wyoming. That intimate understanding is what appeals to me and I'm sure you'll find that Flicka steps or perhaps I should say canters easily into the gallery of famous American fiction heroines. Tonight, we have the great privilege of presenting a winner of a special Academy Award, Claude Jarman Jr., in the character of Ken. Yes, how about a few words from you about Hallmark? 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. And on the back of every card is the identifying Hallmark that says, you cared enough to send the very best. Hallmark Playhouse starring Claude Jarman Jr. in Mary O'Hara's My Friend Flicka. There's a prologue to the story that took place a year before the tale properly begins. Young Ken and Big Gus, the Swedish ranch hand, were walking across one of the big pastures of the McCloughton Ranch when... Look, Gus, down in the gallery, there's Rocky. Dad's been hunting for her for weeks. I bet she got a coat. She doesn't want us to come no closer. Look, there by the stream, Gus. There's the coat. Yes, look at the little flicka. What does flicka mean, Gus? That's Swedish for a little girl, Ken. Garly, she's beautiful. There they go, down the gallery. Someday I'm coming back for you. Someday you're gonna be my friend, Flicka. Report cards for the second semester were sent out soon after school closed in mid-June. Kenny's was a shock to the whole family. Nell, just as a matter of curiosity, how does a boy go about getting a zero in an examination? Now, I don't know what I'm gonna do with him. He's a dog gone to his kit for losing and busting and forgetting. And now this report card. Rob, give Kenny a coat. He wants one so badly. No, he doesn't deserve a coat. I don't believe in bribing children to do their duty. He needs to succeed at something. How it's too far ahead of him. It's hard to have a brother who's bigger and smarter and is wits about him. It wouldn't be a bribe. Oh, what would you call it? Rob, things have gone on too long with Ken never coming out at the right end of anything. I think if he had a coat of his own, trained him, rode him, and if he achieved anything with a coat, I think it would show in everything he did next year. Think it over, Rob. I got plans for you this summer. I'm gonna give you a coat. A spring coat, dad, or yearling? Your father means a yearling coat, of course, Kenny. I'll be even up with Howard. That's right. Yes, and you can have a week to decide the coat you want. I know the one I want, sir. Oh, do you? I'll take that yearling filly of rockets. The sauro with the cream tail and mane. You mean the one that got tangled in the barbed wire? Yes, sir. You know, I've said repeatedly that's the worst line of horses. They've got the mares, the hellions, and the stallions out, lords. They're untamable. Outtamer. I saw her again this morning. You always said rocket was the fastest horse on the ranch. Well, this morning she outran rocket, and banner, too. It's pretty good for a filly to outrun both of her parents. She ran right past me, and she looked at me, and it was almost as though we spoke to each other. Oh, you'll never make a friend of that, filly. That line of horses is beautiful, and they're fast, but let me tell you, this young man, they're local. You want to change your mind, dear? No, Mother. All right, Ken, if you're determined to be bullheaded about it. Has she ever been named, Rob? No. I've named her. Her name is Flicka. All right. She's out with a band of yearlings on the saddleback. You and Gus and I will ride out tomorrow morning and hunt for her. Any sign of the filly, Gus? No, it's pretty hard to see anything in this fog. Dad, there she is. See down there below the bank. All right, now, don't move. If she scrambled down this bank, she'd scramble up again if we weren't here. I think we've got her. I can rope her in from here, boss. Might as well rope her hair into the corral. She can't get up past us and neither she can't get down. All right, look, she's aware of danger. See how she's going to the edge of the precipice? Suppose she tries to go down. No, she won't. There, see, she's turning back. She's looking at us. All right, try and rope her, Gus. Yeah, boss. Missed. Well, I'll try another rope. Look at her rare up in the air. She's like all the rest of us. Here goes again. Oh, missed again. Dad, she's going down the precipice. Look at that. She's got her legs coated under her. She's rolling down. Oh, don't let her break her legs. Don't let her break her legs. Well, she's on her feet. There she goes. Straight for the other yearlings. She's like a fairy horse. She's stampeding the yearlings. Look at them going. Come on, we'll get behind them. Ten to one, they'll head for the barns in hope of oats. Come on. She's inside the barn. Just listen to her. I thought you'd never get a separate from the rest of the yearlings. She sure is a vile one. Plum loco. We'll leave her in the barn to think it over. After dinner, we'll come out and feed and water her and do a little work with her. The manger? Dad, how could she get up there? She climbed into the manger, see? Stood on the feed box, beat the glass out with her front hoofs and climbed through. I find her boss. She's out behind a stable, eating crammed from the hay wagon. Come on, Dad. Good colts you might have chosen. You had to pick this fool animal. You see, there she is. Look at her go. She's heading straight for the wire fence. If she's like her mother, she'll go right through the wire. I bet she'll go over. She jumps like a deer. No horse can jump that. There, she's going straight for the wire, all right? Dear God, please. She's almost to it. It turned her. It turned her. She's racing along the fence. Oh, Dad, she has got sense. She has, she has. She's looking to see if there's any way to get out. She's going to jump. Look away, can you, boy? Don't look. And she won't let any of us anywhere near her. The wire's got deeper and deeper into her. Oh, Dad, hide her, son. I know. Curse that wire anyhow. She's covered with lies. It's so deep. She's unconscious. Come on. I got my wire cutters. I cut her loose. I doubt if she pulls out of it. It's just as well. If it hadn't been this way, it would have been another. A local horse isn't worth a hang. Come on, son. I'll come in a minute, Dad. All right, suit yourself. I didn't mean to kill you, Flicka. Get well. Get well, get well. I put some grease on her cuts, Kenny. It helps to heal them up. Do you think she'll get well, Gus? Well, I've seen plenty. Horses hurt as bad as that. And there's just as good as ever. I go get the grease. Did you get all the wire cut off her? Yeah, yeah. I got it all. I'll be back, Kenny. Please, Liv. I didn't want to hurt you. I only wanted to love you. I just wanted to touch your neck. Like this. To put my face against yours. Like this. I just wanted to love you, Flicka. Moment, James Hilton will return to present the second act of my friend, Flicka, starring Claude Jarman Jr. But first, how would you like to have one of America's foremost artists paint your Christmas cards this Christmas? A card so unusual that your friends will show it to all who visit them during the holiday season. In this year's gallery artist series, Hallmark craftsmen working with over 50 foremost artists have created a unique and exclusive collection of priceless art from which you are invited to make your personal selection. There are delightful Christmas scenes painted by Norman Rockwell with the kindly understanding that has made him America's most beloved illustrator. Or open the Hallmark album at any page and what a treasure lies before you. Quaint and colorful winter scenes by Grandma Moses that recapture childhood memories. Turn more pages and you'll see lovable children by Alice Slesinger, the well-known illustrator of children's stories, surrealistic paintings by Salvador Dali, memorable sketches by Marcel Vertes and many of the old masters of the past. The gallery artist series is only one of five distinctive types of Hallmark personals awaiting your selection this Christmas. And remember, these are Hallmark cards. 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. And now back to James Hilton and the second act of Mario Herrera's My Friend Flickr starring Claude Jormon Jr. At last, Ken's mother had called him, taken him by the hand and led him away. As the moon mounted the sky, the howls of the coyotes yammered through the stillness. Flickr came back to consciousness with a deep, shuddering sigh. She gathered herself, made a sudden, plunging effort. It wasn't good for a filly to be helpless on the ground with a pack of coyotes nearby. When Ken reached her in the morning, she was standing broadside to the little sunlight eking her oats. Look at her, Dad. She's got wonderful points, hasn't she? You bought her, Ken. She's signed, sealed and delivered. Always choose them first. Set your heart on them, buy them points afterwards. That way you'll be a first-rate horseman. I think she's a perfect little beauty. Dad, do you think she's local? Ken, no one can tell until we see how she responds to training. How can I train her? What shall I begin on? Well, first you gotta win her confidence. You're her whole world. Make her like it. Give her love. Give her companionship. Give her your voice. Talk to her. Make her so dependent on you, so used to you coming and you're going. Well, that she can't help turning to you. You see, Ken, you don't have to restrain and discipline her because her wounds are doing that already. You are on her side against her weakness and pain. A horse can tell you a lot of things, son, if you watch. Pay attention to all the little signs. The way it moves its body. The ears, the eyes, the little winnies. That's its way of talking. There's a may of terror, scream of rage. Winnie of nervous and patience. That's a very funny sound. The knicker of longing or hunger or friendliness or delight or recognition. You must learn her language. She'll learn yours. Just never forget that they can understand everything you say to them. Everything, Dad? Everything. I'm Ken. I'm your friend, Flika. I'm so sorry. So very sorry you're hurt. And I hope it doesn't hurt you anymore. I'm going to give you everything you need and I'll be with you. So you won't be lonesome. Flika, I love you. Please, let me pat you. Don't draw away from me. Just let me... Oh, Flika, Flika. I understand your language. Please try to understand mine. Rob, I'm taking polices down to put on Flika's wounds. Maybe they will help. I hope so. How do you feel this morning, Flika? Oh, I know you hate to wear those polices, but Mother says they'll draw all the poison out of you and then maybe you'll be all right. Do you understand me, Flika? Do you? Oh, Flika. Thank you for putting you here. Thank you, Flika. Ken, touch her now, Rob. And I really believe she watches for you. She's getting thinner and thinner. I know. I'm going to get some serum from the dock for her. We'll see what that'll do. Flika, if you could only see yourself hopping around on three legs, you'd have a leg. I know it hurts, though. And I'm so proud that you hobbled to the fence to meet me every morning. Flika, your other leg will be well soon. And you and I will fly like the wind to the very top of the mountains. Oh, Flika, won't it be wonderful? You do understand my language now, don't you, Flika? You do understand. Rob, I don't know what we're going to do. The horse gets thinner and thinner every day. It's burning up with fever and Ken doesn't seem to know it. He goes out taking care of her, talking to her, living for her. I don't know what we're going to do. There's only one thing we can do. We're not going to let an animal suffer like that on my ranch. We're going to have to put her out of her misery. Dad cheats her. Oh, cheats all her roots in her hay. And she hobbles to the gate to meet me. She's my friend now. She likes me. I know that, son. And it's a fine thing to have a horse for a friend. But you see, she's dying. She's been dying all these weeks. No, she has it. She has it. She's been fighting to live. I will not allow an animal to suffer a lingering death. Dad, the Winchester's missing from the gun case. I know some things are awful hard to take, son. We just have to take them. I have to, too. Flicker! Flicker! Oh, your skin's so hot. It's true, isn't it? All this time you have been dying. And I thought, oh, Flicker. Gus, you've got the Winchester. Well, I... I thought maybe I would get some cotton tails for a stew. I know. Dad told me. When are you going to do it? In her little fire, Kenny. Gus, don't do it tonight. Wait a morning. Just one more night, Gus. Well, in the morning then, but... it's got to be done, Kenny. Your father gives the order. I know. I won't say any more. But don't do it tonight. All right, Kenny. Flicker. Oh, my Flicker. All right, mother. Come back, Flicker. Just as soon as everyone's asleep. Did you fall when you were drinking? Here, let me try and pull you out. If I could just get a foot up, you're so heavy. Can't you help, Flicker? Can't you? I can't move you. Oh, God, give me more strength. Please help me to pull it out. Oh, Flicker, I can't move you. I can't move you. What'll I do? Well, I can hold your head out of the water. Here, let me sit down here in the creek bed. Now I'll hold your head in the lamp. That's better, isn't it, Flicker? That's better, Flicker. Are you still alive? Are you? Flicker. Mother, Flicker. The fever's all washed out of her. She's gonna be all right, Gus. Feel her skin. The fever's gone. Pull her out of the water, Gus. I couldn't. Yeah, her skin is cool, all right. And the fever is gone. Flicker, I pulled you up. Gus, I... I can't seem to get up. I picked you up, little Ken. I picked you up. You'll be all right now, Flicker. What do you say, Dr. Scott? Well, Mrs. McCloughton, I'll do everything I can, of course. I'll send some medicine out of the instructions and I'll be back to look in on him this afternoon. His temperature is 104. He's had a severe chill. He evidently sat in the creek all night. With his horse in his arms. The fever's left her. He'd put out of her when the moon went down. The fever's left her. He hasn't recognized anyone since Gus brought him here. Take his temperature every hour. If there's any change, call me immediately. Look at Gus. On the bank. She hasn't moved, boss. She's trying to get up. Look at her. Yes. She's getting strength again. We ain't going to kill her, boss. No. Now, Ken's gone too far to be let down. She's going to be all right. It was the water and that boy sitting there all night saying, I'm here, Flicker. Hold on. I'm standing by two of us together. Listen to her. Yeah, she's talking to Ken. She's telling him, hold on, Kenny. I'm standing by. He's been going on like that in the rain for hours. I don't know where she gets the strength. Is that Ken's horse? Yes, Dr. Scott. Mother? Yes, darling. Hello, Dr. Scott. Hello, Ken. Now, don't try to talk. Just take it easy. He's over the hump, Mrs. McLaughlin. The fever's broken. Flicker? Flicker's going to be all right, darling. Fever's gone. She's going to live. I know. She told me a little while ago. Hurry, Mother. Oh, hurry, please. You got that sweater buttoned up good. The first time you've been outdoors can't be too careful. Right up to my chin. Heavy snowfall. Don't know when I've seen the first snowfall so heavy. Now, here's the cap. You pull it down over your ears good. Flicker's waiting at the gate for you. You won't recognize her, son. She's a full two of two inches more in height. And she has a thick winter coat of long fur. When I came up through the pasture, she was galloping back and forth across it. Then when she saw me go into the house, she came over to the fence and waited. She's been doing that all these months, waiting for you to come out. You picked yourself a good horse, young man. Thank you, sir. Hey, wait a minute, young man. Now, don't you go a step outside without your mittens on. Yes, Mother. Just a few minutes now, son. You know what the doctor said. Take it easy at first. I'll only stay a few minutes. Gee, Flick and I got well together, didn't we? Go take a look and see for yourself. And James Hilden and Claude Jarman Jr. will return. First, may I invite you again to see the new Hallmark Christmas cards, now on display at the Friendly Store where you buy Hallmark cards. 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 fascinating Hallmark albums from which to select cards for imprinting with your name. And there are the many boxes of assorted Hallmark cards to take care of last-minute editions. Yes, whatever your taste, whatever your budget, there are Hallmark cards you take special pride in sending. And remember, 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 Hilden. Thank you, Claude Jarman, for a very sympathetic and moving performance. Thank you, Mr. Hilden. It was fun being cared. And now for the whole Hallmark family, who I'm sure enjoyed your performance. I have something special for you. You're a real American boy who loves the outdoors. And from your performance here tonight, we know you love animals. I sure do. So we want to present you with these specially framed reproductions of the gun dogs at work illustrations. They're done by the famous American painter Edwin McGarkey for the series of Hallmark cards for men. Thanks, Mr. Hilden, for these beautiful cards. I've got just the place for them in my room. And thanks to those nice Hallmark people, too. I always sort of wished I could have a collection of dog pictures like these. And now I have it. Thank again. You're welcome, Claude. And listen in next week to the Hallmark Playhouse, won't you, when we have a great surprise for you. Mr. Gene Herschel, the distinguished radio and screen star, will appear in Hans Christian Andersen's famous story, The Wild Swans. We feel sure that our presentation will delight listeners of all ages. And the following week, we have Stephen Lee Cox, my financial career, starring that financial genius, Mr. Jack Benny. So, until next Thursday, then, this is James Hilden saying good night. Tonight's story was adapted for radio by Gene Holloway, with music composed and conducted by Lynn Murray. Our director-producer is D. Engelback. Claude Jarman Jr. appeared by arrangement with Metro Goldman Mayer, producers of the Technicolor picture, The Three Musketeers, starring Lana Turner, Gene Kelly, June Allison, and Van Heflin. 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'll carry enough to send the very best. This is Frank Goss saying good night to you all until next week at the same time when James Hilden returns to present Gene Herschel in Hans Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans. And the following Thursday, Stephen Lee Cox, my financial career, starring Jack Benny.