 represents Stephen McNally and Charlie Ruggles. From Hollywood, the Mutual Network, in cooperation with Family Theater, presents The Cliff, starring Stephen McNally. To introduce the drama, here's your host, Charlie Ruggles. Thank you, Tony Lafranco. 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 are 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 drama, The Cliff, starring Stephen McNally as Joe. I got to thinking more and more about the mountains as Helen and I drove south along the post road. They're big here, right on the ocean, big and endless. You can drive through them for hours and the picture's always the same. A steep, rocky wall rising up on one side of you and a sharp, sudden drop falling away on the other. And far below the Pacific, foaming in through the shoals like angry Quicksilver and spraying itself up the cliff side. We just come round a curve and started downhill and I noticed the steering wheel was tugging to the left. Is anything wrong, Joe? Oh, it feels like the left front tire's going flat. Sure they check them? Yes, they checked everything, tires, battery, gas. We'd better pull off the road and have a look. Is there any place we can? Yeah, I think so. There, down at the foot of the hill. There on the left, it's one of those little observation areas. Doesn't look very roomy. Oh, sure it is. You could park a dozen cars down there. Joe, you're getting awfully close to the edge. Okay, okay. There, feel safe? Mm-hmm, woo. Look at those rocks down there. Just about. Did I put the emergency on? Honey, you went on to lock the trunk while I get my coat off. I'm gonna have to change the spare. You think it'll take long, Joe? Oh, no, I don't think so. 10, 15 minutes. I certainly hope we're off this coast road before it gets dark. Oh, we'll make it. Don't worry. Some weekend vacation, eh, Mrs. Cross? Oh, dandy, Mr. Cross. Just dandy. Oh, don't tell me. What's wrong? Part of the jack seems to be missing. Oh, no. Oh, yes. That black iron gizmo that you set on the ground under this. Well, we can't change the tire without it. Is there anything else you could use to brace it? No, we'll just have to flag someone down on the road and borrow a jack. Say, there's a car coming down the hill now. Oh, thank heavens. Come on, honey, let's wave him in, huh? Yeah, yeah. There's a real crate that car, some 20 years old, more junk hanging on it than I ever saw in my life. I thought the driver and old fellow was all alone, but as he swung off the road and pulled up to where Helen and I were standing, I saw he had a little boy, all about eight years old, I guess, riding next to him in the front seat. His arm is wrapped around a little pocker spaniel. What's the trouble, folks, out of gas? No, we've got a flat and part of my jack's missing. I think we can fix that up. I got one in the back you can borrow. Oh, that's wonderful. Well, I'll take nothing of it, ma'am. These mountains are a bad place to get stuck after dark. Uncle Jack, can I walk? OK, Sandy, but you and Nemo keep away from the cliff over there. Sure, Uncle Jack. You've got to keep right after him. Oh, don't we know it? You've got children of your own? Two of them. Our oldest, Jimmy, is about the same age as your nephew. Oh, Sandy's not my nephew. He's my grandson. That Uncle Jack business is his idea. He doesn't have an uncle, and he's always wanted one, so I was elected. Oh, here, can I give you a hand with that? OK. You've really got things jammed in here, eh? Ah, there it is. A little rusty, but I think it'll do with the work. Well, I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't come along, Mr. Keifer, ma'am. John H. Keifer. Oh, and I'm Joe Kraus, and this is my wife, Helen. Glad to know you, sir. Not nearly as glad as we are to know you. I'm happy Sandy and I could be of any assistance. See, where is that young scamp anyhow? He and the dog were playing over there by the road a few minutes ago. I had him in one corner of my eye most of the time, but... Well, I know he didn't come anywhere near the edge of the cliff. I would have seen him. Sandy! Sandy! You suppose he might have wandered down the road? No, I... I told him often enough about not getting out in the highways. Say, isn't that a path or something over there? Back by the road, leading down into the rocks. Let's see. Sandy! Sandy! Can't understand why he doesn't answer. The minute the old fellow said that, I knew we were into something. You know the feeling it gives you when you yell for one of your kids? You know he's close by and you don't get any answer? Sandy! We started down the path through the rocks, the three of us, Kiefer and the lead calling out to his grandson over and over again. Then the ground sloped a little, down alongside the observation area, and came to a sort of dead end up against the back wall of the cliff. It was like a pocket hollowed out into the rock. You could hear the so far below beating on the other side of it, but there didn't seem to be any way to get down to the beach, until Kiefer noticed a narrow cleft in the rock over to one side. Look, that must lead somewhere. It doesn't look wide enough for anybody to get through. Well, you can see daylight through it down lower. Sandy! Sandy! Yeah, he may have climbed down there. It doesn't look too steep, does it? Listen, that's Nemo. Nemo! Nemo, here, boy! Sandy! Sandy! Can you hear me? Little thing. Just take it easy, honey. He doesn't sound like he's hurt. He'll get you out, Sandy. Don't worry. We'll get you out. Did he fall? Can you see him? No. I think he climbed down to the beach, but... Look! Rock here's the little spaniel. How come he could get back here if the boy couldn't? Here, here, Nemo, fella. Here, here, fella. Oh, that's the boy. Golly, what am I going to do? What am I going to do? Easy does it, Mr. Keaton. We'll get him out of here. This cleft is open on the other end. If he's down on the beach, he's safe for the moment. No, no, he's not. The coast all along here is his shoulders and rocks. The tide's still out. That's why he's on dry land down there. But once the water starts to rise, it'll get him. There's no place he can go. Well, let's see how narrow this crack in the rocks really is. I can just... get one of my shoulders flattened out. Yeah, it's not a chance. Joe, maybe I could squeeze through. No, it's even narrower when you get inside, huh? You hold on, Sandy. We're coming, don't you worry. Is it dry where you're standing? Ask him if he can see up the cliff when he looks out toward the ocean. Sandy? Yes? Can you look up and see the cliff where you are? Butter! Have you got a rope in your car? Pull some clothesline and a few short lengths of horse, sir. But we can't get a rope down there to him from here. He could breach it. Well, I was thinking we might lower it down over the cliff, put a weight on one end of it, and then swing it in under the rocks to where he's standing. I don't think I got that much rope. It'll take almost 50 feet. Lord, I never should have let him get out of the car. Oh, now, hold on yourself. Hold on. How much time have we got before this tide starts coming in? Maybe, maybe an hour, maybe not that much. Well, you stay here and keep calling down to Sandy while we get the rope out of your car. If anyone drives by, we'll flag them down and send for a rescue squad. There isn't enough time for that! Whatever there isn't, that's why I'm going to get that rope. Helen and I climbed back up through the rocks to where the cars were parked. There wasn't a sign of anyone on the road as far as we could see in either direction. Kiefer was right about his rope. Even after I tied it all together, it was less than 30 feet long. And all the time I was working, I could hear him down in the pocket alongside the cliff, calling out to his grandson, trying to keep up the little guy's nerves. Joe, do you think he's on the beach right below us here? Well, he's below us, but probably over a little, that way. What if we could only see him? Not the way this cliff slopes out. That's the problem. See, I wonder if I... The face of the cliff sloped down and out for about 20 feet before it cut back under the rocks towards the shoreline. It was like a great big awning, hanging out over that section of the beach where Sandy was trapped. From the top of the cliff, the rope wasn't long enough to reach him. But if someone were to climb down as far as the edge of the slope, they'd be able to look over it and see where he was standing and maybe pick up enough distance so that the rope would reach him if it were dropped from there. But, Joe, there's nothing at all for you to hang onto. You don't need much. The surface is jagged enough for a foothold. Besides, the way it slopes, all I have to do is keep leaning back against it. I can't lose my balance. Joe, I don't want you to do it. You might fall. Honey, I'll have the rope around me all the way down to the ledge. I won't take it off till I'm set, all right? Oh, no, Joe, please. Honey, it's all we can do. You better go and get Kiefer while I check this rope. We're gonna need him. By the time Helen came back with the old man, I had one end of the rope onto the back bumper of our car. I didn't want to put any of my weight on it, unless I really had to, because... Well, it was mostly clothesline. But Kiefer seemed to think it was whole sandy if we could get it to him. You're gonna need something to weight that rope with when you drop it to sand. Yeah, yeah. Have you got something like a big washer or something with a hole in it so it won't slip off? I think so. Wait a minute. I had an old steel brace with a bolt hole punched through one end of it. Good. Yeah, yeah. This ought to work. It's not too big, but it's plenty heavy. Well, as soon as I get down to the edge, you untie the clothesline from the bumper and drop it down to me, all right? Okay. But wait until I'm down there before you go and tell Sandy what we're trying to do. Do you really think you can get the rope to him from that ledge, Mr. Kraus? Sure. Sure I do. Or at least I couldn't see how it had hurt to say I did. I let myself over the ledge of the cliff without looking at Helen, because I knew that if she told me once more not to do it, I wouldn't. I started down, slowly, feeling for rough places with my feet. Stopping to rest every time I found one. All the time I kept my face pressed against the side of the cliff. My arms drenched out, hugging the rocky wall as hard as I could. I couldn't have taken more than a few minutes to get down to the edge of the slope. As I sank down to my knees and started to untie the rope around my neck, I noticed something. It started to get dark. Yeah, I'm okay, honey. We're going to have to hurry though, Mr. Keefer. There isn't much sunlight left. I know. I'll untie this end of the rope and drop it down to you. Can you see over the edge, Joe? No, I'm going to have to turn around first. I'll wait till Keefer drops the rope. But I'm okay down here. Don't worry. Here she comes, Mr. Kraus. Got it. Now, you better go back and tell your grandson what you're going to do. Tell him to walk out onto the beach toward the water as far as he can and look up. I'll explain what I want him to do. You've got that steel weight tied onto the rope real tight. Well, I'm going to put it on right now. Tell Sandy not to worry. Just do as I say. I will. Good luck, Mr. Kraus. Yeah, thanks. I took my time turning around towards the ocean. I didn't dare look down until I was sure I had my self-balance just right. Hunts low, almost sitting against the face of the slope. I finally felt secure enough to pull myself forward and look down over the ledge. The first thing I noticed was that the tide had started to creep in. There was a stretch of sand, or maybe seven or eight feet of it, that wasn't touched yet by the water. It was bounded on both sides by rocks that ran out into the surf. The rope was our only chance. Then as I was watching Sandy appear from under the canopy of rock below, took a few steps out of the beach and stared up towards the cliff. Right here, fella. Can you see me? Wave at me if you can see me. Yeah, yeah, that's what I'm going to do. Now listen to me. Pay closer attention so you won't make any mistakes, huh? I will. I'm going to lower this rope to you. Can you see it? I'll start to let it down now. That's just an iron weight to keep it from blowing around the air. It's kind of cute, huh? That's right, that's right. I'm going to give you a ride. You've ever been for a ride on a rope? That's right, all the way, all the way. And it's going to cost you ten cents, too. I always charge ten cents for my rope rides. Well, you don't have to, you don't have to. You watch me now. I'm going to show you a trick. I'm going to make the rope swing back and forth a little bit, see? Now, first it'll go out over the water like that. Then it'll swing back in toward you like that. And when it gets close enough... Can you reach it? But when it gets close enough, grab it with both hands, like a baseball. Now, here it comes again. Here it comes. Once more now. Now, grab it hard. Grab it hard. Hold on, hold on. He had it. The little guy was so proud of himself, he didn't even notice. He was standing in the surf up to his ankles. Yeah, you sure did get it. Now, can you loosen the rope through that hole in the piece of iron? It's just a big loop if you open it up. Yeah! You know, like hoppy users. Now, I want to put it over your shoulders. Put it over your shoulders. Then lift your arms up through it and pull it tight. You're sort of lassoing yourself here. You see? Yeah, that's it. Now, twist the rope around. Now, hold it straight. Hold it straight. Now, pull it tight under your arms from up here. That's it. That's it. You all set now? All right. All right now, just relax. Just hang limp now. And here we go. I felt the rope go tore as strain as I lifted Sandy into the air. My knees seemed to be clamped against the side of the rock. The rope wrapped around my hands. Bit into them like hot wire. I didn't dare look down anymore. I didn't dare think about that little boy dangling out over the shoulders below me. I just started to... I felt the knots. The rope moving up from the fingers as I rolled it up. One and another and another. I tried not to think how quickly I tied them. Or that one loose knot would mean... And I felt another. Another pain somewhere inside of me. I could hear Helen the old man Keith was saying. You can do it, Joe. You can do it, Joe. You can do it, Joe. You just got to do it. I just got to do it. I just got to do it. I just got to... I looked up from the rope and craneed my neck out over the edge. Here he was. Hanging in space. My foot below me. But I... I couldn't reach out for him without loosening my grip on the rope. My arms were so tired there wasn't any feeling left in them. Sandy. Sandy. You've got to help from now on. You've got to help, Sandy. You can't pull me up. No, not any further. I've got to hang on to the rope, see. Look. That's right. Up in the air. I can almost touch you. Almost. I'll lean forward and you grab around my neck. That's right. Lock your fingers tight now. Real tight. That's it. Hold on. I'll lean back and pull you up. Hang on. I can't. You're all right. Don't cry. This is nothing to cry about. Look. Look, if you keep on bawling, I'll think you didn't like your rope ride. Looks like we... looks like we attracted quite a crowd, huh? That was a pretty brave thing you did, Mr. Krauss. No, no. I've got kids of my own. I know what it's like. Well, I'm not a rich man. I haven't got much, but if there's ever anything I can do... Well... Well, yeah, there is something. I almost forgot about it in the excitement. Anything. Anything I got in the world. Oh, dear. Do you suppose I could borrow that jack of yours now? This is Charlie Ruggles again. I think all of us have heard the expression it is better to give than to receive. It means being kind, giving of ourselves and our services to others, performing those little acts of thoughtfulness and consideration that will make life more pleasant for those about us. This is Charlie Ruggles again. A kind word or act on our part will not only bring happiness and encouragement to others, it will do more. It will inspire others to be kind. In a home, in a family, kindness helps so much. Being constantly thoughtful and considerate of the feelings and needs of one another makes a home the happy and the sad. It makes a home the happy and the sad. It makes a home the happy and contented place it should be, a place where all are working together in peace and harmony. To be truly kind, we must forget ourselves, have our thoughts on someone else, someone who is the source of kindness, God. And our thoughts are lifted to God by prayer, family prayer. So to bring kindness into your home, with all the blessings that flow from it, pray together as a family. Pray together tonight. Remember, the family that prays together stays together. More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. From Hollywood, Family Theatre has brought you The Cliff, starring Stephen McNally. The Struggles was your host. Others in our cast were Vivi Janus, Tudor Owen, Dowl McKinnon and Billy Chapin. The script was written by John T. Kelly with music composed and conducted by Harry Zimmerman and was directed for Family Theatre by Joseph F. Mansfield. This is Tony LaFrago expressing the wish of Family Theatre that the blessings of God may be upon you and your home and inviting you to be with us next week when Family Theatre will present These Thy Gifts starring Stuart Stack and Pat O'Brien. Join us, won't you? Broadcasting Off The World originates from the Hollywood studio of the world's largest network. This is the mutual broadcasting system.