 Presenting America's most beloved play, The Green Pastures on the Cavalcade of America sponsored by Dupont, maker of better things for better living through chemistry. At this season of the year, when the men and women in half the world turn once again to the age-old hope and vision of their faith, perhaps the more devoutly in this troubled year of 1941, the Cavalcade of America brings you for the second Christmas time a simple moving story of that faith, The Green Pastures. We choose it because it is the story of a faith that is a bright promise and a source of strength for all. Mark Connolly wrote it more than ten years ago from Rourke Bradford's book, Old Man Adam and His Chilling. This truly American classic as a stage play and a motion picture has brought joy and inspiration, laughter and tears to audiences throughout America. At this holiday season, Dupont again presents on the Cavalcade of America The Green Pastures by Mark Connolly with the music of the Hall Johnson Choir. Juano Hernandez again portrays the role of Deload. Sunday morning in a sleepy Louisiana town, a corner in a Negro church, ten children and an elderly preacher. In the seventh day, Deload rested. Now, children, that's the general idea of what the Bible's like. What the world looked like when Deload began, Mr. Descher? How you mean what it looked like? Callow mean who wasn't New Orleans then. There wasn't nobody in New Orleans. On the counter, there wasn't no New Orleans. There was nothing on the earth at all. Case for the reason, there wasn't nothing except heaven. Who was around then? Nothing but angels? Angels and cherubs. All day long, they had picnics and fish fries and bile custard and 10 cents cigars for the Adoles. Now, heaven being Deload's pet place, he done fixed it up nice. Yes, sir. I bet that was a grand place, all right, with all them picnics and fish fries. As we can, they got to be catched, ain't they? We can't just say, come on, fish, hop and depart. Is you all seeing that baby of mine around here? There he is, sitting up there on that clown. Well, I declare that baby must got in blood in him. You lie down here. You want to be put in the sin book? Now, you hear me? I'm going to fly up there and slap you down. You better get him down here quick, sister. Go here, come, Gable. Good morning, Gable. Good morning, angel. I wonder can I interrupt the fish fry and give out the Sunday school charge? All right, cherub. Fly right over here by me. Not in, cherub. Why are you here? Because we so good. That's right. Now, who's the big boss? Our dear lord. That's right. Now, here's your charge. Uh-oh. Wait a minute. Gangway. Gangway for the lord God Jehovah. Is you been baptized? Send me, lord. Is you been baptized? Send me, lord. Is you been baptized? Send me, Lord. Send me, send me, send me, Lord. Do you bow, mighty Lord? Send me, Lord. Do you bow, mighty Lord? Send me, Lord. Send me, Lord. Send me, send me, send me. Let the fish fry proceed. Little buyer, cost that Lord. Thank you kindly, Gabe. This looks nice. How's the fish fry going? Fine, Lord. Oh, why don't you shouters give us one of them old time jump ups. Anything you say, Lord. So high. My Lord is so high. Oh, what's the matter, Lord? I ain't just sure yet. There's something about this custard. I can taste the eggs and the sugar, but oh, I know what is. It needs just a little bit more firmament. It's all the firmament us had, Lord. Ain't another drab left in the jug. That's all right. Yeah. I'll just ride back and pass a miracle. Quiet, angels. Let it be some firmament. And when I say let it be some firmament, I don't want just a little bitty dab. Let it be a whole mess of firmament. Oh, my. But then we got to make a place to dream it off. Look at Leonetta. She went to the skim. Well, you angels keep quiet and I'll pass another miracle. That's always the trouble with miracles. When you pass one, you got to ride back and pass another. Let there be a place to dream off this firmament. Let there be mountains and valleys. And let there be rivers and bayous to dream it off in two. As a matter of fact, let there be the earth. Do you see it, Lord? Yes, Gabriel. Looks mighty nice, Lord. Yes. Doesn't make it mighty nice for my country. It's a good earth. It ought to have somebody to enjoy it. Gabriel? Yes, Lord. I'm going down there. Yes, Lord? You'll be my working boss here while I'm going. You know that matter of them two stars? Yes, Lord. Get that fixed up. And that sparrow that fell a little while ago, 10 to that. OK. OK, Lord. Now, angels, I'm going to pass one more miracle. One of the most important miracles of all. Let there be man. Good morning, son. Good morning, Lord. What's your name, son? Adam. Mm-hmm. Let me take a look at you, Adam. Yeah, he's a nice job. But wait a minute. Something missing. Oh, I know what it is. You need a family. Yes. What is a family, Lord? I'm going to show you. Eve. Yes, Lord? Now, you is all right, Eve. Eve, you take care of this man. Adam, you take care of this woman. You belong to each other. Drink the water from the little brooks and eat the food that's hanging for you in the trees. And that is in all but one tree. That one, there. Yes, Lord. Thank you, Lord. I've got to be getting along now. I've got 100,000 things to do for you. Take your next breath. Just be the kind of children I want you to be. Leave the tree and say, don't you let nobody train you around, train you around. There, I get that by the only important business this morning, Lord. Ain't nothing new is to remind me of, Gable. The prayers, Lord. The prayers? For mankind, you know, down on earth. Oh, yeah, yeah, the holy earth. I ain't been down there since that rascal Cain killed his brother, Abel. Maybe I ought to go down again. I need a little holiday. Might do you good, Lord. I think I will. What time is it by the sun and the stars? Exactly half past, Lord. Well, take care of yourself, Gable. I'll be back, Saturday. That's nice. Nice and quiet. That's the way I like Sunday to be. But now, that is so good. And here, stop that. What's the matter with you, country boy? Well, it's my sweet night. Yeah, yeah. Don't you know this is the Sabbath? That's no kind of song to sing on the Lord's Day. Who cares about the Lord's Day anymore? People just use Sunday now to get over Saturday. Use the awful sassy little girl. I come from sassy people. We didn't speak mean of the day. Ain't nobody ever told you that you're on the road to hell? Sure, that's what the preacher's saying. What I happen to know at the present time, I'm on the road to the picnic grounds waiting for my sweet papa. Oh, yeah, he is now. Hello, sugar. Who's your traveling man? What's your name, son? Sobham Water Country Boy. What is your name, son? Kane Six. I was afraid so. Is the other young men's all like you? The gals don't think so. Let's go, sugar. So long, hard pocket. There is my sweet mother. Bad business, bad. Well, the birds is going about their business, all right? Yeah, that's fine. And how's you little flowers making out? We OK, Lord. Yes, you is. And you look very pretty. Goodbye. Goodbye, Lord. It's only the human beings that makes me downhearted. Oh, Lord. I've got to get them groceries, please, please, please. Well, now, this is more like it. It's nice to see people on their knees praying, even if it is outdoors. Oh, Lord, the smoke house is empty. Oh, Lord, let me see that little six. Wham! That is frame. Oh, God, that's the eight glasses. Gambling. Here, let me look at them. And with frozen dice. Get out the way, big boy. There's a down the half, so you can't go big. I'd rather have my earth people with a bunch of channeled catfish than a wood with mankind and his sin. I just can't stand sin. Morning, brother. Can I walk along with you? Why, certainly. I declare you look like a good man. I try to be. I'm the preacher here. I don't think I've seen you to the meeting. I just come to town a little while ago, and I've been pretty busy. What's your name? My name's Noah, brother. My house right over yonder. That's where I stand on the porch. Good morning, sister. Morning, brother. You preacher too? I am, in a way. Then you got to stay for dinner. It'll be ready in about five minutes. Hurry on now, honey. But I'll just go out around back and call Shem, Ham, and Jeffrey. Won't take long. Today's our son's. They live just across the way. You got a fine wife, Noah, and you is a good man. I wish to as more people like you. The town is top-heavy with sinners. The whole district's wide open. You know, that makes for loose living. Noah, what's the most rain you ever had around these parts? Well, last April, the water come down for six days steady. And the river got so small, it bussed down the levee up above Freeport. What would you say? Was it a rain for 40 days and 40 nights? I'd say that was a complete rain. Noah, you don't know who I is, do you? Your face looked easy, but I don't think I recall. I should have seen the glory. No, I'm going to destroy this world, all but you and your family. Now, look here. I want you to build me a boat. And I want you to call it the Ark. And when it's done, I want you to take two of every kind of animal and bird that's in the country. Take seeds and sprouts, put them on that Ark. We's going to start all over again after 40 days. Let there be a deluge. Go, then, go, then, go, then, go, then, go, then, go, then, go, then, go, then, go, then, go, then, go, then, go, then, go, then, go, then, go, then, go. You are listening to the Green Pastures on the Cavalcade of America sponsored by DuPont. Gabriel, I'm going to try a new scheme. That old flood didn't work. Send in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. A day's on the way, Lord. You run along, Gabe. Wait a minute. You're going near the big pit this morning. I could go. Well, just lean over the brink and tell Satan that he's a plain fool if he thinks he can beat me. OK, Lord. Then I'll spit right in his eye. Come in, gentlemen. You's all expected. Good morning. Morning. Sit down. Make yourselves comfortable. Thank you, Lord. Boys, I've been going along on the principle that mankind was something like angels. You could give him something. Then let him enjoy it. But he ain't built that way. Are you up here because you were good and you kept busy? Now, tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to give your descendants the best piece of property in the world if they's willing to work for it. Now, who does you think is the best to put in charge down there? Does you want the brainiest or the holiest, Lord? I want the holiest. I'll make him brainy. Well, my great, great, great grandson, Moses, a good boy, Lord. I know he is. I had him in mind all along. Moses, can you hear me in your heart? I want you to lead your people out of bondage and into the land of Canaan. Tell the troops to halt. What's the matter, Moses? I don't know. Forty years I've been leading you. And now I can't seem to walk no further. Joshua. Yes, Moses? What's the news from the Scouts? Good news. The river garden is right ahead, and Jericho is just on the other side. Moses, we are there. Hallelujah! Joshua, you're going to get to fighting men together and take that city before sundown? It's a big city, Moses, with walls all around it. We ain't got enough men. Oh, the Lord will take charge, Joshua. You tell the priests to march around the walls three times and then blow on their ram's horns. What about you, Father Moses? I'm staying behind. The Lord has got his plans for me. Goodbye, Aaron. Goodbye, Moses. Goodbye. Moses. Oh, Lord. Lord, it's you. Now I guess my work is done. Moses, you've been a good man. I ain't going to do you out of what's coming to you. Come on. You and me is going up this hill to your own promised land. But Lord, we can't be doing this. Of course we can. But Joshua and the fighting men, I told them to march around the walls of Jericho The priests and the ram's horns are blowing and then the Lord would tell them what to do. That's all right. That's all right. He's there. Listen, Moses. Now show you how he's helping them. Listen. The Jericho and the walls come from this land. That Lord is just with the ram. We did it, Lord! The walls is tumbling down. Wait a minute. If the Lord is with them, who is the share helping me up the hill? Your faith. Your God. The share. Did that scheme of the Lord's work? In all children, that scheme didn't work neither. Soon as they owned the land of Canaan, the people went to the dogs again. They built the wicked city of Babylon. And that was too much for the Lord to take. That was too much. Then one day, he couldn't stand it no longer. And when Gabriel came into his office, the Lord was mad, powerful, mad. When the Lord was the God of wrath and vengeance. I tell you, I can't stand it. I can't stand it no more. What's the matter, Lord? It's that old world down there. Sin. Nothing but sin. Every time I forgive them, they mock me. Now listen, you children of darkness. Your Lord is tired. Tired of the struggle to make you worthy of the breath I give you. So I renounce you. Listen to the words of your Lord God Jehovah. For there's the last words you'll ever hear from me. I repent of these people I has made. And I'll deliver them no more. I hate to see you take on this way, Lord. You look so blue sitting there at your death. Gabriel, even being God ain't no better roses. Keep quiet now. I'm listening. Listening to what, Lord? To a man down on the earth. Who is he, Lord? He's just one of the soldiers fighting to defend the wars of Jerusalem. They call him Hezbo. But to me, he's Adam, too, and Moses. And oh, why does he keep thinking I'm going to help him? In case you want him to, Lord. But I said no. Stop. You're talking to me, Hezbo. Do you hear? Keep your eye out for the enemy. Don't keep looking up to heaven that way. You's puzzling me. Don't you know you can't puzzle God? Listen, you want me to come down there very much. I'll tell you what I'll do. I ain't going to promise you nothing. They ain't going to do nothing to help you. I'm just feeling a little low. And I'm only coming down to make myself feel a little better. That's all. I'm going down to earth again, Gabe. I'm going to talk with him. I'm just an old preacher from back in the hills. What you doing here? I heard you boys was fighting to hold Jerusalem. I just wanted to see how it was going. Well, it ain't going so good. They got you scared, huh? Listen, preacher, we ain't scared. We's going to be killed, but we ain't scared. How is it that you are so brave? Yes, we got faith. That's why. But God said he abandoned everyone down here. Who say that? Who dare say that of the Lord, God of Hosea? The God of Hosea? Who's he? How come you so puzzled? I don't know. Maybe I just don't hear things. You see, I live way back in the hills. Ain't the God of Hosea the same Jehovah that was the God of Moses? No. That old God of wrath and vengeance, we have the God that Hosea preached to us. He's the one God. Who's he? The God of mercy. Well, Ezra, don't you think they must be the same God? I don't know. Maybe it is. Close to God of Moses made Hosea. And I suppose Hosea never would have found what mercy was, unless there had been a little of it in God too. Anyway, he ain't a fearsome God no more. Hosea showed us that. Mercy. Well, how you suppose Hosea found that mercy? The only way he could find it. The only way anyone can find it. How's that? Through surfing. They can't lick you, kindy. I know they can. You better get out of here, preacher. If you want to carry the news to your people, it's almost daylight. You want me to take any message? Tell the people in the hills, there ain't nobody like the Lord God of Hosea. Thank you, Hezbo. For what? For telling me so much. I gotta go now. If they kill you tomorrow, I'll bet that God of Hosea will be waiting for you. I know he will. Goodbye, Hezbo. I guess I was gone so long, I was just way behind the time. Want the angels to stop singing, Lord? No, Gabe. Let them sing. They all heavy-hearted, Lord, because you feel so bad. They think it must be something serious. It is serious, Gabriel. Quiet, angel. Lord, is the time come for me to blow the trumpet? No, not yet, not yet. I'm thinking about something that boy said, how he and Hosea found something. What, Lord? Mercy. Through suffering, he said. Yes, Lord. I'm trying to find it, too. It's awful important to all the people on my earth. Did he mean that even God must suffer? Open the pearly gates. I want to look down on the earth again. He had him. They're going to make him carry that course up that high hill. They're going to nail him to it. Oh, that's a terrible burden for one man to carry. Mercy, through suffering. Yes, that's what he had in mind. In the mood of the green pastures, all of us pause at this season of the year to recount our blessings, to look forward with hope and faith. The 60,000 workers of DuPont pause, too, in this season and at this time to review what they have accomplished in terms of service to all and what they can hope to do in the future. We have added to our peacetime task of making better things for better living through chemistry, the wartime job of helping to make sure that we will enjoy those better things in the future, that we may have them in our time in the sort of world we choose to have our children live in. We pause to reflect that the freedoms which have brought us to this point in the advance of America are intact and cherished, that the spirit and soul of the nation are alive as never before and growing in unity in this trying time, that inevitably the day draws closer when humanity's prayers and hopes for a better, peace-loving world will be fully realized. That is the final blessing. And to the speeding of this day, the men and women of DuPont join in effort with men and women of goodwill everywhere. And to these people of goodwill, wherever they are, the old wish, the good wish, the earnest wish, a merry Christmas and a happier new year. Tonight's play on the Cavalcade of America was The Green Pastures with Juano Hernandez as de Lorde. The choir was under the personal direction of Paul Johnson. Next week, the Cavalcade of America brings you Paulette Goddard, one of Hollywood's most glamorous stars in The Gorgeous Hussie, a story of Peggy Eaton, the most famous woman in Washington during the administration of Andrew Jackson. Our story is based on the famous novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams. This is Clayton Collier on the Cavalcade of America, sending you best wishes and warmest Christmas greetings from DuPont. This is the National Broadcasting Company.