 Ladies and gentlemen the railroad hour here comes our star-studded show train Tonight the association of American railroads presents the celebrated Vincent humans musical great day Starring Gordon McRae and his lovely guest Mimi Benzel Our choir is under the direction of Norman Luboff and the music is prepared and conducted by Carmen dragon Yes tonight another great musical success is brought to you by the American railroads The same railroads that bring you the food you eat the clothes you wear the fuel you burn And the multitude of other things you use in your daily life The same railroads that bring you the finest in safe luxurious all-weather transportation at the price you can afford And now here is our star Gordon McRae Well, good evening ladies and gentlemen Tonight we have a delightful story and some thrilling music to sing as Mimi Benzel and I bring you great day Do you ever see a river rising a swirling angry river looking at the levees Waiting to flood across the farmlands waiting to kill and destroy Well, that's the way it was in the Mississippi the first time I saw New Orleans Are you Mr. Brent? That's right Jim Brent government sent me. Lord, are we glad to see you? Don't know what I can do for sure They said you could help us stop the flood. Look, mister. I'm just an engineer. I can't turn off the rain Folks are all praying the river won't rise over the levees. Yeah. Well, I'm praying right along with them Prayers helped sandbags helped We won the battle with the water that time But there was one mighty weak spot along the river at Judson Point I knew that one more big rain would send the Mississippi crashing through the levee to drown 10 000 acres Maybe I was extra anxious to stop any flood because the plantation at Judson Point belonged to a woman A beautiful woman named Nemilu Randolph How's the work coming Mr. Brent? Oh, hello, Miss Semmy Say, don't you think you know me well enough by now to call me Jim? Well, I suppose I ought to just in gratitude for what you're doing to help all of us Jim Well now things are beginning to look more hopeful on the river. Oh, I wasn't thinking of the river I was thinking of you miss emmy But it is just like an approaching flood starts so easily with little drops of water So easy to start so hard to stop Just like many other things What things for instance I think it'd be a lot easier to start loving you than to stop You mustn't talk about it. You have your work to do Tell me miss emmy You happy I don't know Jim In one way I I guess I'm happier than I've ever been in my life Is it for the same reason that I'm happy? I suppose when you're in love It's not very easy to hide Emmy If I sing when I should be talking if I dance when I should be walking I am not responsible For what I do without a scent in my pockets I keep pricing diamonds and lockets Does it mean I'm crazy? Yes crazy I walk about you're all I care to talk about now Waterkiss can be so important to me Don't give a... Oh Mississippi River with one hand tied behind my back It's the law emmy lou it's not my doing I know that judge But but I never thought it would be so soon And does it have to be a public auction? Your father owed money to almost everybody along the river emmy I guess a gambler always loses when the last cards are down So many memories here Sunshine on the water Summer rain that danced on the roof What will you do emmy? I don't know judge I'll have to get a job Maybe somebody take me on as an entertainer Oh you shouldn't try to go through life alone miss emmy None of my business I guess But that engineer fella Everybody around Judson Point knows he's in love with you Jim Brent I can't ever see him again Well I thought you might be in love with him Of course not And he's just found to me because he thinks I'm a grand lady The aristocrat of Judson Point Well I'm not am I judge? Oh emmy I I don't know what to say It's all right judge It's not your doing Good afternoon emmy God bless you Afternoon judge I'm not in love with Jim Brent I never have been Get those sandbags get all the manpower you can bust him And watch the levier judge in point that's the weak spot Yes sir Ever since the world began every black knight has been followed by a morning And if we work hard it can be a good morning A great morning We'll return for act two of great day in just a moment What makes people prefer to travel by train? Ask your friends that question and you'll get a variety of answers They'll talk about the comfort of train travel It's convenience and many other advantages But above all there's the comforting feeling the knowledge that when you travel by train You're taking the safest known way of getting from one place to another The railroads run every day about 25,000 trains For a total distance of nearly two and one third million miles These trains carry every day more than a million passengers On journeys totaling nearly 90 million miles a day They move every day freight equivalent to hauling more than 10 tons one mile For every man woman and child in the united states In doing this tremendous job the chances for accidents are almost infinite But the record of accidents in relation to the chances is infinitesimal How have the railroads achieved such an impressive safety record? To begin with the railroads are firm believers in build-in safety Equipment and facilities are engineered for the safest possible use and operation In the past 30 years railroads have spent for improvements to plant and equipment More than 20 billion dollars almost half of it spent in the eight years since the end of world war two That money of course has provided better service more efficiently and economically performed But there is hardly a dollar of all those billions which does not directly or indirectly contribute to safer operations Safety is more than a matter of safe machines. However, it is also a matter of safe men Men who are educated to use safe methods men who have absorbed the safety spirit Which is the number one rule in the railroad book Add them all together safe equipment comprehensive safety education and the greatest of all safety devices a safe man And you have the reasons for the railroads impressive safety record A record that every railroad man works to maintain and better every day of his career Now here is act two of the laurence and lee version of vincent humans great day starring gordon mackray as jim brent And mimmy benzel as emi lou randolph We worked all night the sky seemed to get blacker at the river more angry began to look as if the water was gonna win I saw an old man who'd lived in the riverbank all his many days and there was fear in his eyes He fell to his knees Oh lord protect our fields protect our homes This time keep working if the levy holds till morning Oh the lord the lord sent us the miseries no use fighting the lord The lord gave us hands to work with and the will to turn back the flood Don't give up men keep praying keep singing There in the east It's the sun Rains through the long nights over for praise god seem the worst of it men your homes are saved Your fields your children they'll be safe Where does the praying it was the praying that did it mr. Jim can't do anything without praying old man I think that goes for singing too. I've got to see a certain young lady because I got a special kind of song to sing to her Sir Sing tonight you've got to go on This is the biggest crowd we've ever had in the spanish casino All the river folks celebrate and cause they stopped to flood but he's out there Jim brent cause he's there the party's for him. He's a big hero I can't let him see me like this A cheap chorus good. You're ain't a queen of Judson point any longer emilu If you're going to earn your salt, you got to do your job now get out there and sing It's like this A very simple if I wanted my supper. I had to sing for it That's all I don't understand. Well, you'd like To have me do for you. I believe this is one of your favorites. Not anymore. I may have faith. Don't give up If we can conquer the whole mississippi river, your little troubles can't stop us now can they Remember what you told me judge You and all the property owners along the river still goes jim you can have any gift you want Our plantations would all be washed away if it weren't for what you've done Well, I don't want a gift only a favor name it Call up the public auction of the Judson point plantation You see if I want to buy it the young engineer doesn't have too much money in the bank and Afraid somebody might outfit me. It's done. Oh good Now if you'll arrange the terms, I'll take over the place You see I I want it to be a wedding present for a very great lady. Oh jim Yeah, that's going to be a wedding day Out there's gonna be a great event so I will return in just a moment Meanwhile our thanks to her butterfield john frank into our entire company Great day with book by john wells and william carry duncan lyrics by william rose and edward ellis q and music by vincent humans Was dramatized for the railroad hour by laurence and lee The railroad hour is brought to you each week at this same time by the american railroads marvin More than any other site you can think of a railroad freight train in action is an accurate symbol of america at its productive vest For in that freight train are the products of mine and mill forests and farm in every section of the country In it are raw materials of every kind on their way to factories all over america Rolling along before your eyes are the finished products of america's productive might on their way to homes and businesses from main to california from washington to florida Yes on those highways of steel paid for and maintained by the railroads move more tons of freight more miles at a More average charge than are carried by any or all other forms of transportation combined. Thank you, marvin And now here again is our delightful guest. Mimi benzel Thank you, gordon Oh, it was a great thrill to sing this endearing vincent humans music. You were wonderful. Mimi. You made everybody happy tonight More than you know The coin of praise. Oh really well. Tell me what's on the show train next monday night. You just listen And That sounds like something special for easter give that young lady an easter egg It's victor hermit's enchanting babes in toiland Lucille norman and i will be taking a well sort of a pre-easter trip to that magic land for kids of all ages Well, we'll all be listening. Good night. Good night. Mimi. Come back soon All aboard Well, dear friends, it looks as though we're ready to pull out and so until next monday night and babes in toiland On behalf of the other members of the cast and of the american railroads. This is your friend gordon macray saying good night Today was presented by special arrangement with the tam's wit mark music library Gordon macray can be seen starring in free sailors and a girl in technicolor A choir is out of the direction of norman lube off and our music is prepared and conducted by carmen dragon This is marvin miller saying goodbye until next week for the american railroads Now stay tuned for your monday night of music on nbc For an address by president eisenhower on the nbc radio network