 Family Theater presents Victor Jory, James Gleason, Jean Cagney, and Francis X Bushman. From Hollywood, the Mutual Network in Cooperation with Family Theater presents Victor Jory, Jean Cagney, and Francis X Bushman in Jewels of the Queen. To introduce the drama, here is your host, James Gleason. 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. Tonight, Family Theater takes great pleasure in presenting Jewels of the Queen, starring Victor Jory as Christopher Columbus, Jean Cagney as Queen Isabella, and Francis X Bushman as Father Juan Perez. You're notched the days with your knife on the rudder sweep, Rodrigo. How many since we sailed with this lunatic? 67. As far as I'm concerned, that's exactly 67 too many. Could we turn back now, Emilio? I don't know. So far in the main, the winds have favored us. It'd take us twice as long to get back home. Father, we could try if we killed the first mate. Sanchez is tough. That wouldn't be easy. But if we all jumped him at the same time, what could he do? Then we'd have nobody but the captain to deal with. Who's talking about dealing with the captain? What sort of dealing would you have with him? Back to your quarters. We meant no harm, Captain, but we're afraid. We only thought if maybe we could talk with the captain. Well, we only hope that... Did I turn back? I couldn't turn back even if I wanted to. Our food and water would be gone long before we could recross that sea of tangled weeds, but we would be calmed so many days. Yet if we did have enough of everything, I'd never give the order to put about. We're all dead men. You will be if you fail your duties aboard this ship. If the captain please, how much longer must we sail? Men, there's land ahead. Two days, three days, four at the most. Less than a week more of salt, beef, and ships, biscuits, and you can feast on the fruits of a tropic land. And don't forget the Queen's Prize to the first of you who cites this land. Now back to your quarters. Master Sanchez, see that all is made snug for the night. Two days since the lads almost threatened mutiny, Master Sanchez, and still no sight of land. I wonder how much longer we can live. A light? A point of the starry sky. Yes, a light. Yes, Master Sanchez, if the water begins to show dangerously, we'll anchor to the daybreak and then go ashore. You, Manuel Alonso and Vicente, my brave and steadfast lieutenants, you will accompany me. Sancho has the boat ready. Let's go over the side. You first, Manuel Alonso. Now you, Vicente. Now bend your backs, men. What a beautiful land. Tall palms of high sandy beach. And look, Manuel Alonso. Look at those brilliantly colored birds flying about the treetops. Can it be the Indies, Captain? What else can it be? Easy now, men. I can't wait for the boat to touch the shore. Follow me, Manuel Alonso, Vicente. I, Christopher Columbus, native of Genoa, am now subject to their gracious majesties, King Ferdinand and Isabella, his queen, hereby take possession in the name of these monarchs. This land, found by me. It was in the spring of 1491. For seven long years I had followed a phantom, five years in Spain and before that, two years in Portugal. The court was at Santa Fe, ten miles from Granada where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were preparing for the siege of that last and most wonderful seat of the Moorish Empire in Spain. And again I made the plea for ships and men so many times in the past. Again Isabella forced from the reluctant Ferdinand his consent to have another junta or council of wise men examine my claims that I could reach the riches of the Indies by sailing westward. It was autumn before a decision was reached. A herald of the king entered my chilly quarters in Santa Fe. I am directed by His Majesty to convey to you the findings of the junta, convened for that purpose. Never mind the formalities, man. What are its findings? Six long months and my patience is wearing thin. I am directed by His Majesty to declare to you that your petition is denied. His Majesty adds, however, that he hopes to go into the matter at some time when the present urgency of war shall have been abated. Today I trudged down the long, dusty road that led from Santa Fe. As night overtook me, I saw in the distance the buildings of the monastery of our Lady of Rabida. The prior, father, swan, Perez de Marquina gave me a hearty welcome and asked, Have you come from far, my friend? From Santa Fe, good father. And where are you going? If I may ask so personal a question. Whoever. My son is there with his aunt. You intend to stay at Welver? No. My son and I are going... Well, who knows where we'll be going? France, England, perhaps. It makes no difference. It makes no difference just so long as it's out of Spain. You speak of Spain with bitterness, my friend. Why shouldn't I? I can make Spain the richest kingdom in all Christendom. Instead of land bankrupt from wars with the heathen moors, Spain can be filled with gold, the jewels and spice and treasures of the Indies. And only I can do it. The sun has been overly warm today, my friend, and doubtless you're tired from the exertions of your long journey. You too, father. Think that I'm a madman. No, no, no, my friend. I think only that we should talk about this matter later after you've had something to eat and drink. That will be all to virtue. You may go now. I fear I've dined not wisely, but too well. Our Lady of Rabida welcomes the Wayfarer who is hungry and thirsty. Captain Clubbus, the statement you made when I greeted you has refused to leave my mind. Since that fateful day when the infidels captured Constantinople, the overland route to Cathay and the Indies has been closed to trade. How then would you bring their riches to Spain? Not on camels, good father. On ships. One ship can carry the burden of a thousand camels. You would sail around the tip of Africa to the east? No, no, no, I would sail to the westward. Since the time of Ptolemy, all men of true knowledge have known that the earth is round, the Indies must fly at the opposite shores of the western sea. What of this with their majesties, Ferdinand and Isabella? For five years. Look at me, look at me, Father, my hair is whiter than yours. That's what five years of waiting and hoping has done to me. They showed you no encouragement. Some. The queen, I think, has vision. But the king calls in his councils of so-called wise men, and talking to them is like talking to a herd of goats. They even look like goats' father with their whiskers bobbing profoundly in unison every time one of them states that what I propose can't possibly be done because it's never been done before. You interest me very much, my friend. Unless you object, I should like to learn that Dr. Garcia Hernandez to hear you. The last time I was in Italy, Dr. Hernandez, I had several long discussions with Toscanelli. He figures the circumference of the earth at 18,000 miles. I have a suggestion to make. Let us all three go to Palos and confer with Captain Manuel Alonso Pinzon. If Pinzon were to agree with you, I might be of some slight assistance. What do you think of Captain Columbus's theory, Master Pinzon? I'm inclined to agree with him. In my own voyages to the westward, I've seen many things adrift which couldn't possibly have come from any shores we know. Yes, what, for instance? Well, once off the Azores, we found the body of a dark-skinned stranger floating in the sea bound to a palmetto log. A native of the African coast? I don't think so, good father. It might have been the action of the water, but his skin seemed to have more of a reddish cast. Several other times we've picked up bits of wood that were carved in curious patterns such as I've never seen in Europe or anywhere else as far as that goes. Well, Dr. Gonzalez always thought it was inevitable that other lands must lie around the great body of water to the west. If there's land on one shore, why not on the other? How far would you estimate that other shore to be, Senior Columbus? If Toscanelli's figures are accurate, not more than 700 leagues past the Azores. A possible voyage for a fleet of well-found ships provided they had a leader who would not turn back. Would you go with me, Captain Pizon? This man intrigues me, good father. If the treasures of the Indies should lie to the west... There would be enough for all. Spain would be the richest nation on earth, and we... Well, we would know honour and glory such as few men have known before. Of course, there's always the chance we would simply vanish and never be heard from again. What can we do if the good queen knew the truth? She could never permit this glorious plan to be lost to Spain. Must be brought to her attention again. Her Majesty has had many chances to hear it in the past and has heard it. But she couldn't have appreciated its immensity. All right, that's what I'll do. I was once a confessor, you know, and she'd never let any letter of mine go unread. With all due respect for your skill and plan, good father, I... I can only ask her for an audience with what you and Master Pizon have told me. It may be that I can convince her. Perhaps I can where you, Captain Columbus, have failed. Perhaps I can. Or do not know, but I can try. I have received word from Father Juan Perez de Marquina. Please convey to him my greetings and inform him that I should be glad to receive him as soon as he can come to Santa Fe. But, Father, the Hunter has declared that a westward passage to the Indies is impossible. May I remark that your Majesty is too clear of judgment to be swayed by the dictum of the learned men who, could it be, for selfish reasons of their own, have been unable to place credence in what I'm sure Her Majesty believes? Tell me, Father, who is right? Columbus or our royal consulate? I do not know, Your Majesty. No one knows for certain. But this man, this Columbus has for nothing if he fails. If he wins, think how the names of King Ferdinand and his Queen Isabella will ring through history's pages. The wealth of the east added to the Spanish crown. The decision must be yours, Your Majesty. You alone can add to Spain the fame and fortune that a new and shorter passage to the Indies must inevitably bring. You alone, my daughter, can return this glorious land of ours to God. I can make no promise but this, Father. I will see Columbus again. If the money can be found, he shall have the ships and men he needs. I have a message for Captain Christopher Columbus. I am Captain Columbus. Thank you. Come at once to Santa Fe, my friend. The wise and virtuous Isabella has heard me and believed. She summons you to court. Consult with her about your plan. Once the grace of God be upon you and may the prayers of our Lady of Rebeda accompany you upon your way. But even after the intercession of Father Juan Perez with the Queen, my task was not an easy one. I was certain my dream was great and so perhaps were my demands of Ferdinand and Isabella. The Count of Talaferra, a favorite of the court because of his honesty, which was unimpeachable rather than his brains which were hardly more than ordinary, was asked by the Queen to interview me. The principal point that I can see that remains to be settled is an agreement upon what payment will be yours in the event of your success. I have already... I know. And I must confess that your demands, Captain Columbus, seem, shall I say, exorbitant. That too, I may add, is the opinion of their Majesties. I'm sorry, Your Excellency, but I can't ask less than I'm asking. Their Majesties risk a few ships. My risk will be... well, my life if I fail. Very dramatic, shall I say, Captain Columbus, but hardly practical. Their Majesties feel that the questions of rewards and honours would come more properly after your success when you would find their Majesties. Not, I assure you, ungrateful. Their Majesties feel that it is hardly respectful to the Crown for you to insist so strongly upon, shall I say, a monument when there is no assurance that you will ever return to claim these rewards. Then why do we quibble? I'm not asking for anything more than what I'll need unless I'm successful. Your Excellency, if I'm wrong, if I fail to return to Spain, I promise you I'll never claim a single title nor ask for any reward. If I'm right, well, the little I ask is a mere pittance. You can be sure of that. I'm sorry. I've made up my mind. Then let me tell you very frankly, Captain Columbus, that you'll never have the opportunity to succeed. Or even to try. What did he say? The man is quite impossible, Your Majesty. I would never have thought it. He seemed so sincere, so... May I suggest, Your Majesty, that he is not of Spanish birth. It was not until he had failed in Portugal that he came to Spain to attempt to, I ask your pardon for the expression, and vagal Your Majesty's into further depleting the Treasury, which has suffered so severely, but justly may I add, by the wars which still continue. Talavera, is the Treasury actually as low as His Majesty my husband would have me believe? Your Majesty, it contains no money at all. Then... then you may inform Columbus that our negotiations are at an end. Welcome, Captain Columbus. Welcome, my friend, to La Rabida. You're on your way to Palos, perhaps, to confer with Master Pinzon about your expedition, huh? I've come to La Rabida to thank you for all your help, Good Father. And to say goodbye. There isn't going to be any expedition. What? Her Majesty has exercised a woman's privilege and changed her mind again. Or it has been changed for her by that self-seeking idiot, Talavera. I think the latter, my friend. Tell me what happened. I didn't listen to my demands. I refused. He hinted of Her Majesty's displeasure. What happened after that, I don't know, but I suspect that he tickled her royal ear with two words I have heard most frequently at court during the past six years. No money. Oh, what a shame, my friend. Well, I shall order my mule to be ready at daybreak. For what purpose, Good Father? Why, to return to Santa Fe. I know little of the gentler sex, my friend, but I shall test the maxim you expressed a few moments ago that the privilege of a woman is to change her mind. You are most welcome, Good Father Juan Perez. Has everything been done for your comfort? I thank you, Your Majesty. Nothing has been left undone for my physical comfort, but my mind is sad. It is sad for my friend, for the most visionary man in all of Europe, for Christopher Columbus. Please, Good Father, the subject is distasteful. Was it distasteful when we spoke about him first? No. Then why should it be distasteful now? Give me leave to speak freely. Your Majesty knows I've always held her best interests at heart. I am listening. A grievous wrong has been done to a great man. A far more grievous wrong has been done to Spain. Is it not true that His Excellency the Count of Tullivera has made you believe that Christopher Columbus has no right to the honours and the rewards for which he has asked? When Tullivera tried to reason with him, he refused to budge an inch. And why should he, Your Majesty? If he is successful, no reward on earth can be equal to what it deserves. Think what it would mean. Remember for a moment, my daughter, the wretches of the earth. Then think of the treasures of heaven. Think of the millions of lost souls and the Indies to whom we have never been able to bring the word of God and the message of Jesus Christ, His Son. Yet if this man is right, men of God with the thousands will leap at the chance to bring that true faith to these unblessed unfortunates. When you face Almighty God, my daughter, as we all someday must, will you boast that you feasted while others starved? That Jesus Christ, our Saviour, was your comfort in life, your salvation in death, why do you deny that comfort and salvation to others? No, my daughter, I know you far too well. I fear you have been wrongly advised. Your own belief was better. I did believe in Him, Father. I do believe in Him. If no other way can be found, I myself will pledge my jewels. And I thank you, Good Father, for helping me to find myself. The docks of palace were crowded with people that sunny morning of Friday, August the 3rd, 1492. In the bay three pitiful ships were anchored. The flagship of Santa Maria carried a crew of only 52 men. Each of the others was so tiny that it had quarters for only 18 men. Captain of the Nenia was another member of the Pinzahn family, Vincente Yanez. And as the small boats plied their way back and forth from ship to shore, ferrying the last of the supplies and the crew, each boatload of men was greeted by the throng. Take a look at that tall lad. You'll never see him again. We'll never see any of them again. They'll be food for the fishes. When they reach the end of the world, they'll all fall off the edge. My sister's son is with them. Pedro, come back here. Even jail is better than sailing with this crazy man from Italy. What I can't figure is how Master Pinzahn got mixed up in this. He's always had plenty of good sense. He's not the kind of man to take a chance with the ships and men for nothing. I heard. I just heard, of course. This Columbus has the evil eye. Well, I wouldn't doubt it a bit. Well, that's what I heard. And the man that told me says that anybody Columbus looks at has got to do anything he tells him to. Well, he wants his brave man. As the last boat prepared to put out from shore, Father Juan Perez stood beside me and he smiled his benediction as he said, Neil, my son, you are called of God to do a great thing. The prayers of our Lady of Larabita will go up for you every morning and every sunset, and you cannot fail. For it is in my eyes that the light that never dies is in your eyes. Go, my son. Go with God. Christopher Columbus, native of Genoa, and now subject to their gracious majesties, King Ferdinand and Isabella, his queen, do hereby take possession in the name of those monarchs. This land, found by me and these gentlemen of my company on the morning of Friday the 12th of October in the year of grace 1,492. Let us kneel, my friends and companions, and return fitting thanks to him who alone could have led us thither. This is James Gleason again. Right from the start, the theme of family theater has been this. The family that prays together stays together. We have just heard while still in the season of Columbus Day that the discoverer of our continent was a praying man. From this script and from history, we know that the spiritual motive in both the discovery and settlement of our country was a big one. In fact, spiritual milestones mark every important step, the pilgrims, missions of California, Washington Praying at Valley Forge, and Declaration of Independence. But what is a country if it isn't a big group of families, or a family if it isn't the basic unit of society at large? Or to put it in another way, what is this brotherhood of man if it doesn't grow out of the fatherhood of God? Certainly in these times, threatening times for all of us, we are overlooking something. We are overlooking our biggest source of strength and mental comfort if we forget our good old American tradition of prayer. We know for sure that the family that prays together stays together. Isn't it fair to assume that if we multiply that by every family, none of us will get too far apart? And then, as a mighty federation of God-fearing families, we will also know for sure and please God from happy experience that the nation that prays together stays together. More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. From Hollywood, family theater has brought you jewels of the queen, starring Victor Jore, Jean Cagney, and Francis X Bushman. James Gleason was your host. Others in our cast were Norman Field, Stan Waxman, Tudor Owen, Louise Arthur, Jack Raymond, Guy Hamilton, and Baden Powell. The script was written by Jack Mitchell with music composed and conducted by Harry Zimmerman and was directed for Family Theater by Joseph F. Mansfield. This series of Family Theater broadcasts is made possible by the thousands of you who feel the need for this type of program, by the mutual network which responds to this need, and by the hundreds of stars of state screen and radio who give so unselfishly of their time and talent to appear on our Family Theater stage. To them and to you, our humble thanks. This is Tony LaFranco expressing the wish of Family Theater that the blessing of God may be upon you and your home and inviting you to join us next week at this time when Family Theater will present Loretta Young, Richard Widmark, and Jean Cagney in Talk About the Weather. Mr. Thomas F. O'Neill, Chairman of the Board of the Mutual Network, will be our guest. Join us, won't you? Family Theater is broadcast throughout the world and originates in the Hollywood studios of the world's largest network. This is the Mutual Broadcasting System.