 Family Theater presents Jeffrey Hunter and Barbara Rush from Hollywood the Mutual Network in cooperation with Family Theater Presents a matter of time starring Jeffrey Hunter Barbara Rush will be your hostess 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 Now to our transcribed drama a matter of time starring Jeffrey Hunter as Jim Reese Kempo Airport Tokyo This is the second time I've been here the first time is back in 51 Kempo didn't look very good to me but tonight Tonight it's the prettiest place in the world So long as I never see it again, and I'm going to make sure I don't Name rank sorry lumber Corporal James El Reese 161 004 Right Lot of zeros there corporate. Yeah. Yeah Like I used to tell my top kick if I had four more of them in my number I could go over the hill and you never even miss me So you still got your sense of humor how they treat you other Reds. Yeah Like they treat everybody stinking Well, you had it for home at last Say hello to the states familiar. Yeah, I'll do it Any seat in particular anyone but the pilots Thanks, Sarge. Good luck to you. Same to you Papers and ticket, ma'am This is Samuel a Gunderson, that's right is Colonel Gunderson traveling with you ma'am. No No, he's not reason I ask is this is a two-person permit the Colonel is going to use his part of it now The Air Force will credit him with Colonel Gunderson won't be coming back He was killed in action Sorry ma'am Can I get aboard the plane now? Oh, yeah, of course any seat ma'am take your choice. Thank you Oh sergeant, what time do we arrive in Manila about 7 30 tomorrow ma'am. Thank you not at all Your papers, sir. Yeah, sure Is this anyone priority flood? My no, but it's the best you can do in the next 12 hours Senator congressman then we'll be in San Francisco by Thursday morning easy Off the record sergeant that soldier ahead of the lady who just boarded the plane There's been a prisoner of war as me. That's right. Yeah, that's so I know the look There's a Pw to myself back in 43 over here, sir. No ETO German Just wondered the boy looked pretty mad at the world Well warrant you sir. Not that man Even if I was I've learned a few things and then Your papers are all in order mr. Stiles. Oh, thanks We take off some about five minutes, sir Go papers, ma'am. Here you go soldier Miss Jean Holly. Yeah tricky, huh? It used to be Williams, but my agent says everybody's Williams. Hey, I remember you don't I Poussin wasn't why you not Daryl Zanik Yeah, yeah was Poussin with the accordion and the ventriloquist I as we say murdered them in Poussin You sure got a great voice. Well for that you get my special underwater autograph You're going home for good now good as I can make it soldier You're okay miss Holly You'll play a coconut grove. I'll be ringside. I'll be looking for you. Hey, when this gal get airborne about two minutes Better get comfortable. Oh, I'm going home. That makes me comfortable enough. Well. See you soldier I looked around at the rest of the people in the half-empty transport as we left the ground at Kempo And then I shut them out of my mind See that was a deal I'd made with myself as soon as the Reds told us we were going home Shut out everything and everybody that reminds you even a little of this nightmare until you step off the train at Syracuse Well, that was the deal But trouble is people just won't let you keep that kind of a deal with yourself Cigarettes under I No, thanks. No ladies No, thank you. I'll take one if you don't mind. Oh by all means. Yeah, thanks. I Guess you're pretty glad to be headed home a couple. Yes, sir Let me introduce myself since no one else can learn styles house of representatives Hey a congressman, huh? Just a freshman You're miss a Holly Jean Holly glad to know you miss Holly Don't believe I got your name cover It's race Jim Reese Cover just about everyone but you ma'am My name is Gunderson If you don't mind I I have a splitting headache. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that miss I've got some aspirin right here in my briefcase. Oh, no, no, thank you. Well if you need any there right here Been over here long congressman in just a few weeks inspection tour So all I thought it'd be with me when I first signed on to do a little singing. Oh, you an entertainer That's what my agent keeps telling me that we've been touring the basis since last March. That's a great work You show folks are doing over here a little enough How about you corporal I Understands you were a PW. That's right You mind if I don't talk about it I know how you feel soldier things like that you just want to forget I want to anyhow, it's only natural Don't be surprised though if you change your mind about that later wanting to talk about it Not me mister. That's the way I felt after the last war 18 months in German stockade It changed though You get the picture and better perspective after a year or two and what goods that do you then? Well for one thing it teaches you that nothing in this world comes without a struggle. I've already had my struggle. Thanks Get somebody else the next time My husband had felt that way. He'd still be alive So what a lot of men he was killed in Korea, Mrs. Gunnison He was shot down three days before the truce was signed. Oh, gee. I'm awfully sorry I'm sorry too lady, but one war is enough for anybody. I Say the next time they try anything funny. We push the button and send them all up and smoke one thing It is sure to settle the argument in a hurry. I I don't know if it would or not You politicians are all alike. What comes over a guy when he gets to be a public figure Ten years ago. You were a soldier, huh? Captain thank her. Okay. Now when you came up against a column of German tanks you blew them up You got him out of the way. Didn't you? Oh, we tried to all right sure. But but what do we do now? Someone gets in our way and instead of knocking it out. Oh, we sit around and scratch our heads like a lot of professors But I heard it one of the engines Sounds like it's all right now I'm sure the pilot would send someone back to tell us if there was anything really wrong. Don't you think so? Carpenter yeah Yeah, you'd think so Conversation kind of died down after that One by one we dozed off I don't know how long I slept but it was still dark when I opened my eyes again Took me a couple of seconds to realize that the congressman wasn't sitting where he should have been And then I I noticed the sound of the engines Hey, what's going on? They've been missing like that for the last ten minutes. What styles he went up to talk to the pilot We've been running the storms. Oh, brother Will you look at it outside? As it black as a cat What do you say mr. Styles? We've been blown off our course about the entrance of the starboard engines practically useless The pilot says we've got a chance though if we can fly out of this storm Aren't they a radio contact with the base in the middle of a but the signal is pretty weak. Oh, you mean they may have to ditch this thing It's a possibility They think we'd better put on our lightbelts just in case Yeah, but how can we get out of here if we crash by the board? Take it easy miss Holly the loading doors come off. You see these levers on the side Yes, sir This looks like a life raft any idea how to blow it up. Oh, I think it oh Yeah, yeah, yeah, this is when you push it in. Oh same as the belts Yeah, but I wouldn't inflate it in here though. These things blow up pretty big big enough to hold all of us Enough to hold on to Outside the pilots turned on the slides can anyone see how close we are to the water The way the wind's blowing I I can't tell if it's spray or rain We'd better get ready. He's gonna ditch the plane. Do you know what he's gonna do? The pilot told me if he switched on his lights, that'd be the signal Right on top of you better give me a hand with these loading doors Hang on to that life raft so we hit because you'll never find it otherwise I Remember to go limp just a second before we hit The impact of the landing threw me against the wall of the fuselage But a moment later the sound of water rushing into the loading doors brought me around fast How about the women they're out in the water with a raft? It's not as rough as I thought here. Reach out your hand This thing's pitching pretty badly about the crew they'll be going out the front. Can you make it now? I'm all right Starting to get light in the east any broken bones corporal I don't think so We better look for the crew all right suppose we pull this ramp out around the wing first Then they get out See any sign of the crew Mrs. Gunnison Hold on to yourself honey. We we can't help it now Anyway, the storm feels like it's sliding up some I think you're right Hell you've got the slightest idea where we are No, but maybe Like it starting to get kind of light There'd be a few hours. We'll be able to see some of it. Mr. Stiles. Hey everybody Well, don't you see where I'm pointing. Oh, isn't that over there looks something along the horizon? I mean a boat or something. What is it? No, no, no that that that long long grey strip on the water. Can't you see? I see it. Yes, it's over there. It looks like a five bang. No It's too long It looks like a reef. Couldn't it be that? Yeah Yeah, yeah, that's more than a reef lady. That's land. That's what it is. It's land It was land an island a tiny twisted strip of curl somewhere on the Pacific But the Sun was high and hot by the time our life raft had drifted close to the island's northern tip Can you see any sign of life? anywhere Not a thing Looks like a big wind Hurricane maybe hit this place Do you suppose we'd be safe trying to beach the raft near those shoals well the way the tide's carrying us I think we'll land beyond them. Yeah, look But there's a sandspit coming up past that cold We ought to hit about there Well, I'd hardly call this the garden spot of the orient but oh brother it sure looks good to me You know it It's strange. We haven't seen any search planes so far Well hasn't been four hours since we crashed and besides we were quite a ways of our course Suppose so. Hey a figure it could have been that storm we were in last night. It messed this place up so bad Suppose it's possible, but I didn't think it was blowing hard enough to do this much damage Yeah, not one tree that hasn't been ripped apart. Look at it. Here comes that sandspit Well, it's shallow enough here. I suppose we get out and pull the rest away corporal. Good enough Well, that's a nice day for a dip Feels good after cooking in that sun all morning. You swim all you want a corporal I'm waiting to see what kind of groceries this little island's got to offer. I guess we could all use a good meal and how Okay, let's give her one more good yank. Mr. Stiles. That'll beat you dry. All right You can't even hear any birds do you notice something about this place I Mean about the trees and the shrubs along the edge of the beach here just that they aren't very pretty Yeah, but I just figured out why They are green. Oh go on. So they're a little faded. No, no, no, but but they're almost brown Well, maybe they used to be green, but they aren't any more Well, there's not a green leaf or a plant in sight Well, don't you get autumn and winter down here in the islands like anyplace else I'm not like this. Let's take a closer look at some of this shrubbery Hey, look look here. This one for instance. I Never saw a leaves that big turn brown must admit it's odd this plant feels like Well, what happened? Well, you just crumbled to dust right in my hand. I saw it You mean the leaf and half the stark look such a nutter. Oh My gosh, you know, what kind of a plant crumbles like that just from from touching it I know it Must have been dead It looks the same as all these other plants you You mean they're all dead. Well, that's easy enough to prove look Everyone you touched it turned to dust. Yeah, but why haven't found one yet that doesn't all of them make the crumble just like Like ashes. I just saw anything like this. Well, they can't simply be Look, what is it? Look here? What is it our footprints coming up from the beach? What about them look how the pebbles have been crushed right down to powder Everywhere, we've stepped on them. You're right That's just quite sand underneath the pebbles. Do you think so look those are pebbles aren't they? Yeah, but I don't know I'll step on them Now look what's left when I lift up my foot Looks like phase powder Hey, what have we gotten into here? What gives with this island? I don't know It's like One big cinder We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the island everything the trees Plants vines all you had to do was touch him and they turned to dust It was nearly twilight when we got back to where the raft was beached Well congressman, what's our next move? I don't quite know miss Holly Oh, we still got some K rations in the raft that ought to hold us for another day or so and then what that's nothing We can eat on this island. Well regardless of that. We can't do anything don't morning I suggest we have some of those rations and try to get as much rest as we can until daylight You got my vote mr. Styles. Oh, come on. You want to give me a hand with the food Louise? This is styles yes, Jim What do you think it is? What do I think's happened here? Yeah I'm Not sure You know what I think I think this is where they push the button to test the new bomb I got to admit the thoughts crossed my mind. Well, I was in Japan. I saw Hiroshima Nagasaki Well, so did I just a few weeks ago. It wasn't nothing like this Nothing about it was like this. I know Nothing I've ever seen is Like this don't remember when I fell asleep that night We're short on matches and k rations. Don't need any cooking. So we just ate what we wanted cold and then we dropped off Maybe I'd been asleep. Oh half an hour or so. Maybe half the night. I don't know All I remember for sure is that when I woke up was still dark But I could hear the airplane clear as anything Hey, hey styles Listen, it's an airplane probably one of the searchlights girls Well, come on, we got a lot of fire. They'll never see us in this dark Gather up all the waves and brush it can find Okay, yeah, all right Fast as I can I'm trying to Oh, it won't catch I'm soaking wet What's wrong, it's so good so that's what's wrong. I'll take it easy I'm sorry to pay. We just wouldn't light that's all right. It's all right. It wasn't your fault What kind of an island is this anyway? Everything honest just dead everything but us We'll be that way ourselves soon If we don't get out of here, all right It'll be daylight in a few hours. Let's pack up the rations and put them in the raft We'll leave it son up We pulled away from the island later that morning and watched it grow smaller and smaller as a tide carried us south For three days and two nights we drifted and then late afternoon of the third day We saw a plume of black smoke on the horizon For about an hour we watched it grow larger and then smaller until every one of us thought we were saying things But it was real a real Dutch freighter In fact the only man on board who spoke any English at all was a ship's doctor Now that's that should make your back feel a little better. Oh boy That sure does Thank you doc. No you sir your eyes. They still burn a little bit. Yeah, let me make stronger the solution some more Nah, and I'll just keep on soaking the murder now corporal. Go ahead. You were telling me about that island Oh, well doc, I tell you I never saw such a place I Wonder if the doctor would mind getting me another towel for my neck these salt soaked through this Oh, surely not at all. No, I have to fetch some my linen cabinet is all out of the big one Sorry to put you to all this bother doctor. No, not at all. I must see how the ladies are feeling besides I'll be back shortly. What's wrong, mr. Stiles? Well, it's just a hunch Jim, but I don't Think we should say anything about the way the island was, okay, but I All right, I don't see what's the difference. I mean the whole world knows that we got the new bomb. Well, it isn't that it's the island itself Well, what do you mean? I'm not sure it's one of ours, but Well, it's gotta be now. That's just it. It doesn't have to me doesn't have to be at all Things have happened pretty fast in this part of the world during the last few years. Yeah, but Wouldn't we know about it if if they'd used one of these islands for a test you and I yeah Not unless we were told It's just a thought I could be wrong. I sure hope you are. I said oh, I but it Doesn't really change things much in the long run. You figure they'll have the new bomb eventually Don't you I guess so You've seen what it can do now Jim, but I I never thought anything could do that Let me ask you something then I Don't know you haven't even heard the question yet. I Know what it is The next time they try anything funny What I still push the button This is Barbara Rush again an Interesting question to ask of oneself is this simple little one What was the best prayer I ever said in my whole life? The most sincere one the one that came out the most naturally The best prayer like the best love is the constant one It burns brighter at times, but it always burns It comes into the mind Well, like the recollection of the constancy of a beloved friend or husband or wife It asks the petition simply as a child asks his father or mother for another little piece of bread or cake It is the rise of gratitude within us for the sudden realization That we are fortunate in what life has given us It's like our exclamation and appreciation of the sudden appearance of beauty as When the sun rises in purple to light a new day or sets in crimson and gold to mark the close of a finished day The best prayers are like that natural movements of the soul of all of us and Family prayer that is natural and the familiar thing in a family is one of the best of the best prayers Because it illuminates the very reason of a family and by illuminating it binds it together So that the family that prays together Stays together more things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of From Hollywood family theater has brought you a matter of time starring Jeffrey Hunter Barbara Rush was your hostess others in our cast were Gigi Pearson Jean Bates Ted D'Corsia Larry Dobkin The script was written by John T Kelly with music composed and conducted by Harry Zimmerman and was directed and transcribed for family theater by Luex Lansworth 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 is responded to this need and by the hundreds of stars of stage screen and radio Who gives 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 Lofrano expressing the wish of family theater that the blessing of God may be upon you And inviting you to be with us next Sunday over most of these stations when family theater will present the Thanksgiving hour a special hour-long program Starring Ethel Barrymore, Pat O'Brien, Keith Brazell, Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Nan Merriman, Marina Koshets, John Brownlee and the Roger Wagner corral Join us won't you? 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