 Family Theater presents Otto Krueger, Keith Brazell, and William Lundigan. From Hollywood, Family Theater presents Abeloni Bolt, starring Keith Brazell and Otto Krueger. William Lundigan will be your host. Family Theater's only purpose is to bring to everyone's attention a practice that must become an important part of our lives if we're to win peace for ourselves, peace for our families, and peace for the world. Family Theater urges you to pray, pray together as a family. And now to our transcribed drama, Abeloni Bolt, starring Otto Krueger as Yonkel and Keith Brazell as Jim. In the dictionary under the word Abeloni, you will find the definition, any of a genus of gastropod mollusk having a shell of slightly spiral form with a row of apertures. The shell is lined with mother of pearl. There isn't any more. For old Noah Webster was never one to spend an unnecessary word. And what did he know of the hardships and dangers the men of the Abeloni fleet face when they sail from San Pedro to pry this toothsome delicacy from the rocks and ledges in the twilight depths of the blue Pacific? This is the story of Yonkel Stepanovich, born in Yugoslavia, captain and owner of the Abeloni boat, star of the Adriatic. It also concerns his sons, Pete and Mike, his daughter Maria, and the man who loves Maria, Jimmy Stanton. Most of all, perhaps, it concerns courage. The raw courage which enables a man to rise above himself and face an unknown and ghastly horror. Mike, guess what I just seen, Mike? Wait, wait, I'll make this shot. Okay, shorty, what was it? I just seen your sister Maria with Jimmy Stanton. They just come out of the movies. I didn't know he was back. He's been back a couple of days. Pooley told me he got discharged. Pooley says he never got to Korea. He was probably so scared all the time they didn't dare send him. I don't know. Pooley just said they kept him in Japan. Now he's back in Pedro. I'll take care of him. What's that sister of mine seeing that drip like him anyway? I don't know, Mike. Maybe it's because he went to college. College? She's been nuts about him ever since we were all in high school. All the time he was away, she wouldn't even go out with any other guys. Didn't I ask her for a date? Didn't she hand me the old deep freeze? Yeah, I remember. Was he driving a car? No, no, he ain't got one. He was walking her home. How long good you see him? Maybe 10 minutes, maybe 15. You'll be coming back this way, huh? You want me to get the rest of the gang? We could do a job on it. I don't need a gang. Well, I was just asked. Any time I need any help taking care of that mama's boy, it'll be snowing in Pedro on the 4th of July. Okay, wise guy. Mike, hey, I didn't recognize you first year. I'm glad to see you. I was going to look you up tomorrow. So I looked you up instead. Now, listen, punk, I've got one thing to tell you. Stay away from Maria. Wait a minute, Mike. You heard what I said now. Stay away from her. So that's the way it is. What if I told you I intend seeing Maria any time I want to? You haven't gotten nervous enough. You really think so, Mike? I'll show you what I think. All right, if you ain't yelling, get up. Why should I? I'm not going to fight you, Mike. You're yelling. Forget one thing. I just got out of the army. So what? I won't fight you because I'd probably cripple you for life in 30 seconds. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Your dad and Pete wouldn't like that. It wouldn't be any good to them on their abalone boat anymore, and your sister wouldn't like it either. That's the main reason I won't fight you, Mike. Your sister and I are going to be married. What's this I hear about you whaling Jimmy and beating him up? Did he tell you about it? No, he didn't surely tell me. Did he tell you I hit Jimmy and I couldn't get him to fight? Fight, fight. That's all I ever hear from you and that bunch of hanging around with. Listen, Mike, you may be my brother, but let me tell you this. With the judo Jimmy learned in the army, if he wanted to hurt you, he could have broken every bone in your body. He could try any time he wants to. He doesn't want to. He's too much of a gentleman. Which is something you'd never understand. You wouldn't have a chance against him. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Just because you're a great big brave diver on Papa's boat doesn't mean that you can come up... What is this I hear? Why do I hear my son and daughter quarreling? Because Mike thinks he's too fresh. He thinks that he's... Silence! You man and woman? You're chattering Meg Price. All right, you are my son, Meir. Speak first. Okay, Papa. Maria wants to marry Jimmy Stanton. I didn't say I wanted to marry him. You did too. Silence! But Papa... I am still strong enough to take sick to you, Meir. Now, what is this talk of marriage? Look at Mike's knuckles, Papa. Look how they're all skinned. He did that last night when he hit Jimmy Stanton. You... You hit him, Meir? Sure I hit him. Yeah. Well, he said something bad to you. Of course he didn't. I talk now to your brother, Meir. All right. He hit you first, Meir. No? No. You hit him first. Yeah. Right? Because he took Maria to the movies and took her home. Is this true, Maria? Sure it's true. Why not? Well, you didn't ask me if I would permit it. Oh, look, Papa, this isn't the old country. This is the United States. I'm an American and I'm over 21. I work for my own living. It's time I married. Maria. I mean it, Papa. But you are too young. And we are family. You, Maria, Peter, Meir, and I younger your father. Now, enough of this fighting. Well, then tell Mike to lay off Jimmy Stanton. This young man here, Mike, he will not fight. Perhaps he's afraid. Oh, don't fool yourself. He could take that brother of mine and tie him into pretzels. He could not. He could too, and you know it. Silence. You. You think you love this Jimmy Stanton, Maria? I know I do. I've been crazy about him ever since I was a freshman in high school. Yeah. He loves you? Yes. And I don't know what to say. I mean, Grigory Abranovic and I, we had hoped you would marry his Alexander. Oh, well, I wouldn't marry him if he was the last man on Earth. What's the matter with Alex? He's a good guy. I don't love him. I love Jimmy Stanton and I want him to be my husband. Very well, very well, Maria. I will meet your young man. I will talk with him. And if he is not brave man, I will make him loving Stark and San Pedro so he will leave and you will not marry. There is never coward in Stanton of each family, eh? No coward will marry into family. Pop's all right. Jimmy, he's really swell, but he's awfully old fashioned. I'll get along with him. Wait till I tell him about my new job. 90 a week to start with ain't hey, baby. I'm so proud of you. Pop wouldn't admit it, but he's prejudiced against you. He heard how Mike knocked you down and he didn't fight back. Well, you know why I didn't. Well, I know, but he's got the idea. Maybe you were afraid. Well, that's one thing about everything else he can't take. Back in those Montenegrin mountains where he comes from, coward didn't last very long. You wish to marry my daughter Maria, Mr. Stanton, eh? Yes, I'm in love with her and she is with me. Yeah, that's what she has told me. You know it is duty of husband to protect wife always and against all dangers of every kind. Of course. Eh, yes. And I must be sure of man who marries Maria. Eh, I would make test. Well, what did you have in mind, Mr. Stepanovich? Now it takes brave man to go down deep in the ocean. My sons, my patron, my meal, they are brave men. They are divers on my boat. Listen, Pop, if you think for a minute... Wait a minute, Maria. Listen to your father. Three days from now, my boat, Star of Adriatic, goes to St. Nicholas Island where we die for pink abalone. Now, they will be deep. That's 50 to 70 feet. I'll be on board, Mr. Stepanovich. Well, you can't, Jimmy. How about your new job? It'll wait. This is more important. Now, uh, how long will it take me to learn to be a diver, sir? Eh, that will depend on you. It's not easy. I don't go for this at all, Pop. Just because Pete and Mike are crazy enough to take their lives in their hands and they dive when they could have good jobs assured. I... Uh, you will have three days to change your mind, Mr. Stanton. Let's say, look, Jimmy, we could take a bus to human tonight and be married in the morning. Nah, that wouldn't settle anything. Your dad would still be suspicious of me, and he'd always hate me for marrying you without his consent. But you don't realize what deep diving in the ocean is like. Pete and Mike have told me there are all kinds of awful things down there. My eels, an octopus, and sharks. Now, look, Pete and Mike are still alive, aren't they? Yes. Look, I will be too. Don't worry. He is late, ma'am. No, no. Here he comes. Where does he think we're going? He's loaded down like we're going to be gone six months. Well, we must be patient with him, ma'am. We must show him no favors, but we must be fair. Hi, Mr. Stepanovich. Hi, Mike. Yeah, come aboard, Mr. Stanton. What's in all the packages? Oh, my diving gear. I just bought it. Your diving gear? Sure, I got a face mask and swim fins and an aqua lung. The salesman said I could stand her water for an hour with an oxygen tank this size. You might as well leave that junk on the dock. No, no, no. Keep it. Keep it, Mr. Stanton. Well, what's the matter with it? That kind of stuff's for amateurs, for skin divers. Unstar of the Adriatic, we use regulation diving suit, Mr. Stanton. At 40 feet with that kind of an outfit, you get the bend so bad you'd be double up like two in a hammock. The bends? Yeah, they are caused by sudden release of pressure, Mr. Stanton. It's nitrogen, bubbles forming blood. Oh, many years ago, I have them once. They're very painful. And sometimes, you die. It ain't the going down. It's the coming back up to the surface and knocked you for a loop. You've got to come up slow and easy stages so you get used to the pressure getting less all the time. I see. Well, look, maybe I can return this stuff and get my money back. Not now. Not now. It's time we cast off, huh? No, this is the first lesson in learning to be a diver, Mr. Stanton. There will be many more. This is a bunch of hooey, Pop. Putting the suit on now. Why don't we wait till we get the sand necklace? We are teaching Mr. Stanton to be a diver. He must know everything about the equipment we use. Okay, okay. Let's get it over with. All right. Now, his lead weights unshoes, Mr. Stanton. They help the diver to descend, and they also keep him vertical in water. I see, sir. So, when helmet is bolted to neck plate, that's here and here. The suit is completely watertight and airtight. Now, this here, this is lifeline. This is the air hose. This here is telephone wire. This is from helmet to boat. So, here. Here is motor which pumps air through the hose to the diver. Over there. Over there is winch that pulls the diver to surface when he's ready to come up. It is slightly complicated. It's like piloting an airplane. You either do the right thing at the right time without even thinking about it, or else Undertaker's got another customer. Well, how soon can I dive, Mr. Stepanovich? Yeah, when I am sure you are ready. Now, you will watch everything we do. We will be at St. Nicholas before dark, and Petal will make first dive in morning. Going on deck, Jimmy. Everybody else is asleep. Oh, I'm just looking at St. Nicholas in the moonlight, Pete. Oh. It's rugged, but sure is beautiful. Yeah, I know. I never get tired of it. Say, I haven't had a chance to ask you before. Jimmy, what's the dope on this fight you and Mike had? It wasn't a fight. I wouldn't tangle it. I didn't want to hurt him. That's what I figured. What was it all about? Well, Mike seems to have the same sentiment your dad has. Neither one thinks I'd make Maria a good husband. What do you think, Pete? There's over 21. I don't believe in interfering one way or the other. Bob's idea of making a diver out of you is nuts. You don't really want to be a diver, do you? No, of course I don't. Look, I got a job that starts at 90 a week waiting in Pedro for me when I get back. 90? What are you doing here? Didn't your dad tell you, Pete? This is in the nature of a test of my intestinal fortitude. If I don't flunk it, he'll consider me as a possible son-in-law. I guess the old boy will never change. He and I had a whale of a fight when I married my wife. Her name was Cathy O'Brien. Oh, it's not exactly Yugoslav. Yeah, hardly. Now he thinks it's nobody like her and he spoils the kids till they're rotten. Well, don't worry about it, Jimmy. This is a new spot we've been wanting to try. We may find so many abalone so fast you'll never even have a chance to put a suit on. He's at 60 feet, Pop. 65. He's on the bottom now. Good. You put on these phones, Mr. Stanton. Do not take time off for a second. If he should meet danger, a second might mean difference between life and death. I understand, Mr. Stepanovich. Pop, Pop, I'm just... This is Jimmy Pete. Your dad gave me the phones for a few minutes. Oh, well, tell him I'm outside a big cave. I don't see any abalone here, so I'm going inside. All right, Mr. Stepanovich. Pete said there's a big cave and he's going inside. Well, God grant, this line will not foul. You tell him to be careful. Your dad says be careful, Pete. Pete says the cave's loaded with abalone. What? Well, here, let me have the phone. Here they are. This is now your father, Peter. What's that you say? We're rich, Pop. There's an inch of space in the whole cave. What is it, Peter? What is wrong, my son? Peter, Peter, what's happened? Octopus. You use your knife, Peter. Strike for the eyes. I can't. He nailed me from the back. Octopus. He got Pete? Yes, yes, yes. I will send you a help, Peter. You better pray for... Listen to me. Do not waste strength in useless struggle. Aye. Younger Stepanovich, your father has promised I will send you a help. Let me hear it. You will put on a diving suit and you will take out the prune and go down hand over hand to your brother and kill Octopus. You've blown your top. I ain't tangling with no octopus. You will do as I say. I can't, Pop. You don't know what you're asking me to do. I am not asking. I am ordering. Well, I won't do it. It is unfair to ask me to. Pete took his chances the same as I do every time I die. If it was me down there, you wouldn't send Pete. Silence! Howard, I will try to rescue my only son who now remains, Peter Stepanovich. No, Mr. Stepanovich. I'll go down to help Pete. Peter, Mr. Stanton is on way down with Harpoon. What's the matter with Mike? We do not speak of him, Mr. Howard. He would not go to help you. I don't want him, Pop. I don't blame him. Mr. Stanton, volunteer. The same guy you thought was yellow, huh? Yeah, well, I can only ask his pardon if he lives. He should be down to cave soon. Well, I hope he rams at Harpoon and the octopus. Oh, no. God be pleased. Octopus is dying, Pop. He's caught Jimmy with one of his tentacles. Your knife, Peter. Can you now reach it? Yeah, yeah. Take to the service. That's fast work. You call the Coast Guard less than an hour ago and here comes a helicopter now. Oh, man. You remember you didn't want to put in that ship to shore radio? Well, where'd we be now without it, huh? I know. I am old, Peter. Too old. Too old in my ways. Yeah. I go to see no more Star of the Adriatic. That's yours. Oh, I don't talk like that. You die on shore. Oh, poor guy. That's bad. One good thing he's knocked out. Yeah, yeah. If only he had held to the line and come up slowly. As long as you expect him to keep his head, it was his first time he's not a diver. I can make diver of him. Yeah, over my dead body. You will go with him, Peter. After he is decompressed, take him to best room in hospital. How deep was he? 65 feet with an aqua log. That could be a matter of opinion. Look, Doc, let's not waste any more time. Get him in the chamber and straighten him out. Hi, Pete. Hi, Jimmy. Well, how are you feeling? Swell. There's an awful lot I can say, kid. Thanks, you saved my life. Skip it. How's Mike? All the pieces. Pop kicked him out, says he never wants to see him again. No, that's no good. You know what they say, Pete? Where ignorance has blissed his folly to be wise. Look, Mike knew what it'd be like. I didn't. Right now, I don't think I'd try it again. Maybe you wouldn't. Maybe you would. Look, Maria and Pop will be here any minute now. You still want to marry my sis? I'm going to marry Maria. And do like I tell you. You know what a funny guy Pop is. You will let on like after all this. You don't want to marry Maria. You'll probably have him on his knees begging you to. I'll do better than that. I'll fix it. Hold it. I think I hear him coming now. Jimmy, darling, you're a fool. You're a wonderful, marvelous fool. Oh, hello, Maria. Hi, Mr. Stepanovich. Yeah, Jimmy. I cannot thank you on board. You could not hear me. Yeah, forget it. Younger Stepanovich never forgets my son. Wait a minute. Maybe I've changed my mind about wanting to marry your daughter. Jimmy, don't say that. Not want to marry her. I don't blame you. Stepanovich no longer is on that name. Yeah. Come, Peter. Come, Maria. We go now. Wait a minute. Pop. Look, I was only fooling. I'll marry Maria, but only on one condition. Yeah? But what is that? That the whole Stepanovich family, everyone has got to be at the wedding. And the only best man I'll even consider is Mike. And now your host, William Lundegan. You know if there really were a pot at the foot of the rainbow containing the greatest treasure in the world, do you know what that treasure would be? Happiness. Yes, happiness. The most priceless possession there is. I think if you get right down to it, every one of us agree that happiness is the one thing we really want. Lots of times we get a little sidetracked thinking that a new job, a new car, more money will bring us happiness. But deep in our hearts we know it won't because real happiness has nothing to do with wealth or material things. Happiness is a quality that comes from love, unselfish love, love of God, love of our husbands and wives, our children, our families. The road to happiness isn't a rainbow. It's a difficult path where we have to keep climbing, pulling, working all the time. But one thing that smooths the path is prayer. Family prayer. Try it and you'll see. Ask God sincerely and with complete faith in His understanding for His help. God is willing and anxious to help you. All you have to do is ask Him. So pray. Pray together as a family. For a family that prays together stays together. More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. From Hollywood, Family Theatre has brought you Abalone Boat starring Keith Brazell and Otto Kruger. William Lundigan was your host. Others in our cast were Alice Bacchus, Eddie Firestone, Whitfield Conner, Francis Urie and Guy Hamilton. The script was written by Jack Mitchell with music composed and conducted by Harry Zimmerman and was directed and transcribed for Family Theatre by Joseph F. Mansfield. This is Tony Lafranco expressing the wish of Family Theatre expressing of God may be upon you and your home and inviting you to be with us next week when Family Theatre will present another catcher in the family starring Pat O'Brien and Betty Lynn. Join us, won't you? This is the Mutual Broadcasting System.