 Your Coca-Cola bottler presents Claudia based on the famous play and novels by Rose Franken Brought to you transcribed Monday through Friday by your friendly neighbor who bottles Coca-Cola Relax and while you're listening refresh yourself. Have a coke and now Claudia Say David, you know, it's freezing this morning now. Please wear your muffler. Please. I will not wear a muffler You think it's cold now and it's hardly Thanksgiving while you're doing it's when I worry about that then David You'll catch your day. I don't need a muffler and that's that all right. Be a great big strong man. Have it your way I intend to Listen, you don't have to rush off to the station already Carl take a few minutes to warm up this morning, and if the cars cold think what you'll be without your muffler All right. All right. Don't look at me like that. I didn't say anything this button was loose. Oh Well, I'll sew it on tonight darling. You showed it on last night. That's why it's loose now listen Goop tell Roger to come out with you tomorrow night, then he'll be here and ready for Thanksgiving day I'll bring him back with me good. I Don't mind having him at all. Do you know not at all? I thought we were going to be alone I know but when he called last night, I just had to apologize Roger's almost family David if it weren't for him, we probably wouldn't be living in this house. He discovered it remember I remember I Think it's going to be a lovely Thanksgiving You and mama Bobby Roger and me that's still a cozy little family, but no one else David what? We're not being Selfish wanting to be alone. Are we no, of course not. It's all right. It's even normal normal You make it sound so dull. Who wants to be normal? Isn't that Jared Tucker going up to the barn? Yeah, yep, the old man himself He certainly gets around. I hope that when I'm 98 86 98 what's the difference 12 years? I just hope I get around that well Okay Brides a grasshopper with a touch of rheumatism David open the window. Let's take a morning to Come on down the house. We'll give you a cup of coffee Two hours of that is high time you had another cup of coffee. Come on in come on in latches off the front door If ever the figure of independence was caught all in one man, it's Jared Tucker And I think he needs or wants anything except his freedom I don't suppose he's all that crusty, but he's got a good thick coat of it and a muffler Please notice David if Jared Tucker can wear a muffler now listen. All right. I didn't say anything darling Of course, he's only 86 so Jared Tucker here Come on. I'm a sucker warm yourself. Oh, the weather sure is trying to take a bite out of me today Yep, the wind blowing across the field at breakneck speed it is there where it's heading for but sure is whipping along Yeah, you must be freezing a little bit of weather never hurt me. Nope. Buck you up. That's what does buck you up Oh backs me down. Oh, no, I don't go along acting frail Mrs. Norton Just get out there and bite the wind back. I say look at it in the face and say blow Oh What are you doing up and around so early mr. Tucker? Oh heck this ain't so early Maybe you're wondering what I'm doing crossing your field at quarter-dates of a Tuesday morning. No, not at all You have the right of way on this land anytime you like mr. Tucker. That's right neighborly thought yep You know, I ain't a Mike. Sorry. I sold this house to you. You're coming along finest neighbors Yes, indeedy pretty soon. They won't know you from a Yankee now. That's what I call a real cop I was amblin up to the barn to see your man Fritz a grain man from the other side of Bridgeport Get me a good deal on feed yesterday thoughts might like to get in on to it You know a bargain when you see it mr. Tucker. Thanks. Well, I never let anybody spend a penny when they can hold on to it Penny in my pockets a lot better off than the penny in somebody else's yep. That's where it is It's what I always tell Delilah. Oh, tell me. How is your sister? She's up to her ears getting ready for Thanksgiving. Oh my sister's up to her ears and packing her belongings. That's what's here Oh, yeah, she's stolen a gear aimed to take herself a little trip Is that right? You mean she's not going to be home for Thanksgiving not my aunt share up near Waterbury way She holds one of them there big Thanksgiving clam bakes every year We young ones all supposed to turn up, but it's it's kind of dull business. So Delilah and me we take turns I go up one year. Delilah. She goes up another only I ain't been in the last eight Well, that's not a very fair bargain for a fair man. Is it? Well, it's like this Delilah. She's the youngest one the whole lot So for the privilege she goes to Waterbury. Oh, I said sides Sides women like sitting around looking at other people in their families and saying that they're a lot handsomer and better off than Their cousins and nieces and aunts and uncles and nephews So I'll get so spiffy done It thinks she was gone off to the fair to buy a cow or something so I just let her go Tucker, don't you don't you kind of mind being alone on Thanksgiving? Oh, I don't hold for no celebrations fetishes ain't for me. I feel like eating turkey I go out to my yard and kill a turkey and I eat it. Oh dear I don't need to set apart no day in the year for that that's Molly cutler. That's what there's funny I thought you'd sort of like Thanksgiving. It's a New England tradition and you're something of a New England tradition Yourself, Mr. Tucker. Well, that's where it is with me. I take my pleasures alone by myself I'll spend Thanksgiving just like any other day. Yep. Feed me pigs feed me cows feed myself I'll leave all that sitting around the table stuffing yourself with indigestibles to Delilah and you others I don't mind being alone. No, no, not a bit. Well, as long as you don't mind David and I were just saying how wonderful it's going to be up here with our whole family You know, it's our first night's giving on the farm sentiment that's all these sentiment in Bosch, Claudia He thinks he does protest too much Speak up speak up. Well, I don't like folks talking in front of my back. Oh, we weren't just because I finally got my own teeth Finally, they wore out don't mean that I'm deaf. Don't it my ears ain't wore out. No, by the way How are you teeth? I'm learning to handle them better. They don't pop out on me the way they used to good hardly Nothing, I can't eat now there ain't I'm the boss. Oh, well, that's fine. Yep. I could do pretty good on the second join the turkey course mashed sweet potatoes with Marshmellers on top go down easy and not snapples and all the trimmings my teeth could handle them fine good Um, you said that you weren't going to have any Thanksgiving. Well, that's what said Of course, I've been thinking it ain't fair to my teeth when they're just learning to behave themselves Not to give them a chance kind of nice for them to set a chewing on holiday Dang shiny clippers get out of hand once in a while, you know David All right, go ahead darling. All right Say mr. Tucker enough. Why don't you set your teeth at chewing at our table Thanksgiving day? You mean there you extended me an invitation. That's exactly what we're extending. Well Wouldn't be neighborly of me not to accept no, it wouldn't we be very angry very hurt, too Well, wouldn't be able of me to do that to you neither would it? No, sir. It would not well Since I aim to be a fine neighbor to you folks. I'll do you the favor I'll come over and break bed with you on Thanksgiving. We certainly would appreciate that mr. Tucker now mind you it ain't that I can't enjoy eating turkey alone No, of course not ain't it. I'd be hurt if you didn't ask me they did I come over here this morning So should ask me. Oh, it's not mr. Tucker. It's just that well It wouldn't be the same without you certain toothiness wouldn't be the same without me, so I'll come yep I'll be here good one o'clock yep one o'clock now I'll handle up to your barn and take care of that feed business with your man Fritz thanks even things out between us You don't have to see me to the door. I can find my way out just like I found my way in all right See you on Thursday, mr. Tucker. I'll do my best to remember if I do I'll see you on Thursday All right Well, that settles it even independent Jared Tucker'd be lonesome all alone on Thanksgiving Which proves that a thick crust isn't as thick as it sounds He's a funny old codger. I don't blame him. What's the use of being independent if you have to be independent alone? I'm glad we asked him are that he asked himself. Oh, what's one more at the table anyway one more I don't mind much you bet you don't neither do I much but this one more is all are you speaking to me? Yes, I am save your strength. You're the one who's been doing all the inviting around here. Oh Okay, hello. Oh Hardly is it you Oh ship shape hardly and you Oh pretty well for me. Yes pretty well David. Oh hold on a minute. Hardly. Claudia's trying to say something as usual Give her my red card. Yeah, I will just a minute. I bet you 20 cents hard. He's going to be invited to Thanksgiving. I bet you Probably right He's a blood relative that's more than Jared Roger. So we're so let's not jump to conclusions Let's talk to hardly and see what he's doing Hello hardly sorry to keep you waiting. Oh, that's all right I'll tell you why I called so early. Hmm. I want to catch it home where you could consult with Claudia. Yeah, just a minute hardly He's coming to the point. Oh poor hardly. You want me to say no, don't you? Well, go on hardly. Well, you know Yes, we know Thursday's Thanksgiving. It's a good day for families to be together David Yes, there's usually I'm not much of a family man. You're not going up to Boston with Julia. No No, the last minute Julia decided not to go up either. Oh, it's an awful lot of trip for her. She's been feeling tired And so I thought perhaps Julia and I could this is it darling. This is it Well simply would you and Claudia come down to New York and spend the day with us you? You mean you're inviting Claudia and me You sound surprised. He's inviting us. Well, how about it? Well, um Well hardly it's we guess you were weren't having any celebration. Oh, well, we're not but Then let's be together. Oh, we wouldn't dream of it hardly Now you see we can't very well as Claudia's mother and the baby and besides We expect you and Julia up here No, but about it now. Now that you're not going to Boston you come here Of course you didn't of course you didn't we'll see you Thursday hardly. All right, you will see us thirsty right It'll be good being together. Goodbye David. Goodbye hardly well They're coming of course. They're coming darling. I'd be very disappointed if they weren't Who wants to be alone on Thanksgiving? We do mean we did We're certainly great ones for keeping our words to ourselves aren't we now we're even anyway I invited Jared and Roger and you invited Hartley and Julia. It'll be a lovely day David you're not sorry. Are you? No, just thinking The best laid plans of mice and men if you're having a young people's party during the Thanksgiving weekend Remember to put plenty of coke on ice or ice-cold Coca-Cola is as much a part of the social life of youth as music dancing or games Bring home a case of coke next time. You're at the grocers or service station I've seen Fritz about the feed and it's all set days David and Claudia certainly appreciate your advice mr. Tucker. Well, it should so I'm glad to give it to them They're they're right good neighbors. I don't even mind coming over Thanksgiving dinner ought to be a good one Yep, I hear say that that their birth of the Norton's God is a soft dogger of a cook Well, Bertha's not going to have her finger in this soup. She and Fritz won't even be around to help out on that day Well, he he didn't say nothing about going away. He doesn't know yet and neither does David But mr. Tucker, they'll both find out tomorrow. Mr. Norton. He won't mind. Well, that's what we'll find out Well, I'll be around nice to see you mr. Tucker drop in again Every day Monday through Friday Claudia comes to you transcribed with the best wishes of your friendly neighbor who bottles Coca-Cola So listen again tomorrow at the same time And now this is Joe King saying or a voir and remember whoever you are Whatever you do wherever you may be When you think of refreshment think of Coca-Cola For Coca-Cola makes any pause the pause that refreshes and ice-cold Coca-Cola is everywhere This broadcast of Claudia was supervised and directed by William Brown Maloney And now here's a word from your friendly neighbor who bottles Coca-Cola