 Remember a Hallmark card when you carry enough to send the very best. Hallmark cards bring your roof hussy in Forty Odd by Mary Bard on the Hallmark Playhouse. It brings you Hollywood's greatest stars in outstanding stories and presents as your host one of the most distinguished actors of the American Theater, Mr. Lion O'Berry. Tonight we're going to tell you a story about birthdays. Now, this happens to be a subject on which I am a great authority, because I've had quite a few of them myself. I like birthdays. I figure with birthdays is safety in numbers. However, I'm not sure that our lovely guest, Miss Ruth Hussie, feels that way in tonight's story. We always look forward to having Ruth Hussie on the Hallmark Playhouse because we consider her one of our most capable and versatile leading leaders. And now here's Frank Goss from the makers of Hallmark cards. When you're looking for a way to say something to someone you care for, look for a Hallmark card and you'll find the card you want to send. Because Hallmark cards are designed to say what you want to say, just the way you want to say it, with the good taste you demand of anything that bears your signature. That's why Hallmark on the back of a greeting card has come to mean you cared enough to send the very best. Lionel Barrymore appears by arrangement with Metro Golden Mayor, producers of The Clown, starring Red Skelton, Jane Greer and Tim Considine. And now here's the first act of Mary Bard's 40 odds, starring Ruth Hussie. I've slept all night. The restless hours had been spent in passing the years in review, and the parade was ragged and dissatisfying. And now the gray light of the November morning was creeping in the room, bringing with it a day that had to be faced. I had been listening to the badly muffled sounds of preparation downstairs. I usually enjoyed the little ceremony, but not this year. I braced myself against the footsteps approaching the door. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, Queen of the Day. Oh, thank you, Jim and children. This is very sweet, although I'm quite capable of getting my own breakfast, you know. No, not on your birthday. It's practically a law around here, particularly on your 40th birthday. Are you really 40 today, Mommy? It looks that way, Heidi. Oh, boy, I've got the prettiest old mother. That's a nice thought. Well, honey, at least you're still alive. Children, it may come as a startling bit of news to you, but in some circles your mother and I are still considered young people. Oh, Daddy, Heidi didn't mean that you... Of course she didn't, Sally. Your daddy was just trying to comfort me with a reminder that I'm almost as old as he is. Yes, but you'll never catch up with me. Have some coffee, dear. People of our age need a little hot stimulus in the morning. Thank you, Jim. That's the trouble with having a doctor for a husband. You never get any sympathy. Say, kids, how about the present? Oh, Mother, Heidi and I... Well, we couldn't get much, but... Here, happy birthday. Why, Sally, how nice I... Oh, the telephone pad. It's because you spend so much time on the phone myself. Look what I've got for you, Mommy. I made it myself, here. Goodness, how heavy. It's because it's grey. Oh, Heidi, it's simply beautiful. What is it, dear? Well, it started out to be a cat, but after the teacher stepped on it, I decided to make a statue of you, but I guess it isn't very good. On the contrary, it's a very remarkable likeness. Honey. Oh, Mother, what's the matter? Nothing, nothing at all. What am I supposed to do, turn hands, springs to prove to you I'm enjoying my birthday? Look, you kids scoot on downstairs and set the breakfast table. I want to talk to your mother alone. How do you want your eggs this morning, Daddy? I think I'll try having them in a plate this time, Sally. No, no, Daddy. Well, Mrs. Jane? All right, you needn't give me that bedside manner. Well, I... I didn't sleep well last night, that's all. Mm-hmm. Touch your feminine birthdayitis, is that it? I suppose it is. Oh, look, darling. Yesterday, you were 39 by the calendar. Today, you're a year older by the calendar. As a doctor, I'm not too impressed with the difference. Well, it's not quite as simple as that for a woman. Jim, what am I? I'm not a young girl anymore. But when I think back over the last 10 years, what have I done? I haven't grown. I knew more when I got out of college than I know now. And if I didn't know anything, I was at least young and didn't feel like falling asleep at 9.30. And looking like an idiot when people start talking about... about Pakistan or... I don't even know where Pakistan is. You want a diagnosis? Yes, yes, I do. Well, you now have two children successfully raised at the point where they can make breakfast. It's slightly inedible, I'll admit, but it can be called breakfast. You no longer have to step high when you carry in a load of clothes for fear you'll crush one of them underfoot. Now, for the first time, you've got some leisure. And for no good reason at all, you're afraid of it. So when Faith Morgan or Maggie Roberts call you on the phone, it's good for an hour or two hours or as long as you can stretch it. Just to kill as much time as you can. You know, darling, I think I have something that'll help you. What, Jim? One of my birthday presents for you. Hey, it was met as a joke, but maybe it isn't real. All right, let's have it. Here, an egg timer. A little three-minute hourglass to put beside the pole. When the sand runs out, you hang up. Jim, I think you're mean. Here's your real present. Ten years ago, you admired a green silk negligee you saw in the store window. Remember? Well, we can afford it now. Happy birthday. Oh, my. Well, let's see. Give me a minute. Oh, Jim, it's lovely. It's too lovely. It's silly for me to wear something like that. Now, really, it is. Mary, don't say things like that just to hurt yourself. Oh, look, honey, I'm due down at the hospital. How about a date tonight? A real old-fashioned dinner and dancing date. Get a sitter for the children and we'll celebrate, huh? All right, darling. I'm sorry. Of course, Jim was perfectly right. After all, I was only a day older than I'd been the day before. It couldn't make that much difference. Or could it? I stood in front of the full-length mirror and tried to look at myself as though I were a third-party a detached, impersonal, and thoroughly realistic third-party. My eyes turned slowly to the wedding picture that it stood on our dresser for... for so many years. I hadn't really looked at it for some time. I shouldn't have at that moment. I'd always quietly assumed I still looked like that. Of course, I didn't. And I had the inescapable feeling that the change had all taken place somewhere... was somewhere implausibly between yesterday and today. Then I looked over on the rumpled bedspread and saw Jim's lovely birthday gift. That pale green silk negligee played it as an impractical and completely wonderful. And I laughed. Jim and the children had been so sweet and it tried so hard, but what had gotten for me was the long, gray face. They deserved better than that. Squaring my shoulders, I marched out of the room to get the day going. I got the children safely off to school... Have a nice birthday, Mom! Goodbye, girls! I got the breakfast dishes washed and stacked and got the beds made. I got loads started in the washing machine and got the vacuum cleaner going. I was all through by 11 o'clock. You were ahead of me until the girls were through with school. Nothing but time. Now, Mary, don't be a telephone slave. Don't waste your life on the telephone jabbering with Faith Morgan or Maggie Roberts. All right. Where's that egg timer? Okay, telephone. Three minutes. Hello. Hello, Mary, this is Maggie Roberts. Oh, hello, Mag. It's your happy birthday. You poor thing. Oh, my goodness, doesn't time fly. It just makes you sick at heart, doesn't it, Mary? Well, not really, Mag. Just a second. I've got to turn over the egg timer. Got some eggs on? No, no, no. Go ahead, Maggie. What will you say? Call to 45 minutes. I don't know what we talked about, really. I did realize, however, that that egg timer was no help. Oh, dear. I bet that's Faith Morgan. Hello? I'm sorry. Mrs. J is not here. I was telling you good. Like that one. Or did I? Now, I had nothing to look forward to for several hours. The house was very still. But suddenly, I felt I just had to see Jim. It was near lunchtime, so I decided to run down to his office and ask him to go out to lunch with me. The nurse said he was busy with the patient, so I sat down in a waiting room. A moment later, a spelt brunette entered, wearing a dress that must have popped straight out of vogue. In a neatly manicured voice, she announced herself to the nurse and then sat down beside me. I tried to guess her age, but that figure and that smooth walk had me baffled. Have you been coming to Dr. J for some time? Oh, well, not exactly, but I've known Jim for ages. Oh, you have? In fact, we went to college together when I called him for an appointment. Jim simply insisted on taking care of me. How nice. Are you an old patient of him? Old? Well, um... I'm just wife. You're Mrs. Jay. Well, I never would have guessed you were the type of girl Jim would marry. Oh, I don't mean... No, of course you don't. You must be so happy with him. Jim is so viking, so absolutely viking. Viking? Hi, honey. Miss Dawson told me you were here. I'm sorry, but I can't get out for lunch today. There just isn't time. Oh, hello, Candy. I'll be with you in a second. Said you too, ma'am. Candy Lawrence, this is my wife. We've been chatting. Good. I wish you'd have called me, Mary. I would have shifted appointments around, but we still have our date for the night, haven't we? Oh, yes, yes, of course. Fine. Candy, let's have a look at you and see what's wrong. Honey, I'll see you later. So pleased to have met you this day. Yes, so am I. So she was a college contemporary of Jim's. Well, that meant she was older than I was. But that figure and that cool poise, I shouldn't have come. I felt very silly and very much alone as I went down in the elevator by myself. And fast as the elevator dropped my stomach, beat it to the ground when I thought of Candy Lawrence. But I knew that if I was in love with Jim at 20, I must be twice as much in love with him at the right, young age of 40. Have you ever seen a little girl's eyes light up when she sees a dollhouse? Well, now you actually can thrill some little girl you know by sending her a dollhouse in an envelope. Yes, it's the new Hallmark dollhouse, another Hallmark card that's both a card and gift, and wait till you see it. It's painted in gay colors and topped by a bright red shingle roof. And the Hallmark dollhouse has 14 pieces of furniture, including a TV set and a refrigerator and range. First, the child will have a wonderful time assembling this Hallmark house. It's very easy to do. It requires no paste or scissors. And then she'll spend many happy hours in the charmed land of make-believe playing house. The roof, the roof rather, lifts right up so she can arrange and rearrange the furniture to her heart's delight. To go with this Hallmark house, there are appropriate messages for special occasions, like a birthday or a please get well quick or a careful hello suitable for any day. For no matter what the occasion, the Hallmark dollhouse is a card and a gift every child will love. You'll find it all folded, complete with envelope and ready for mailing at the fine stores that feature Hallmark cards. And this exciting combination gift and card costs only one dollar. You'll recognize the Hallmark dollhouse by the familiar Hallmark on the back. The same Hallmark you look for on a card when you carry enough to send the very best. Now back to Lionel Barrymore in the second act of 40 odds, starting roof-huzzy. Not only her advanced age, but also what appears to be a rival for her husband's attention, one candy Lawrence. I thought about candy Lawrence the more weight I seemed to put on. By 2 o'clock I'd gained a good 20 pounds or so it seemed to me. I didn't know what to do. So I did the next best thing. I dropped in on Maggie Roberts. And that's about it, Maggie. After seeing that slick 40-odd specimen today, I came to borrow a potato sack from me for my dinner date with Jim tonight, preferably one with a high neckline. Why don't you try exercise? I exercise enough. You've got to do it scientifically. Now I go to a health salon three times a week, particularly when Fred and I are going out for the evening. It turns me up and keeps me wide awake. I'm going to call Mrs. Duke and we're going down there right away. All right. I began to get cold feet when they handed me a pair of long-grey drawers and a long-sleeve gray sweatshirt. This get-up made me look about as fetching as a bundle of old clothes waiting for the good will truck. But then the memory of Candy Lawrence bobbed into my subconscious. Those streamlined limbs. That negligible waist. I've gritted my teeth and trotted out to the gymnasium floor. All ready, girls? Now you do just exactly what you really do. Music! My twist has in turn the angrier I got, mostly with myself. What did I need exercise for? By and one hour of housework, I did more twisting and turning at home than Maggie ever dreamed about. Beat red and puffing like a steam engine. I finally hauled myself back into my civvies and ate myself back home. I was late and the children were home already, gorging themselves on peanut butter and mustard sandwiches. Hi, Mommy! Holy cow! What's the matter with you? You look awful. Oh, don't be ridiculous, Sally. But you do, Mom. Nonsense. Girls, do you have to mess up the kitchen this way? No, clean it up, Mother. You don't have to worry about a thing. This is your birthday, remember? I remember. Now you go and lie down for a while. Lie down? Why should I lie down? Good heavens, you think I just dropped in on you for a visit from the old lady's home. But, Mommy, you look tired. Oh, Heidi, stop it. Did Daddy call or anything? No. Was he supposed to? No. Of course he wasn't supposed to. I guess I was just hoping that he would. The two children looked at each other with maddening understanding and then back at me. And I decided I would go and lie down for a while. I felt I just couldn't stand on my feet for another instant. I tried to fall asleep. I guess I did. For a while, anyway. Today's her birthday, you know. Hello. Candy is an old college job. The candy went to college with me. Yes, Jim. I understand. Candy is a... What? A Pakistan candy. Pakistan is a large, large, large... Oh, Jim. ...and far, far away. Please, Jim. Please, I just want... Don't want you to make any arrangements. No. Goodbye. But I couldn't bear the thought of going through an evening of a gaiety I didn't feel. Slightly misspelled that they had gone after their respective brownie and scout meetings. The house was oppressively quiet. So I went for a walk to clear my head and do a little thinking. As I passed the grocery store, the butcher waved a chop at me in greeting. Oh, I wasn't without friends. And then I stopped at a store next to the butcher shop and went in. Is there something I can do for you? Well, I'm not sure exactly what I want. Well, have you read this yet? It's the most recent bestseller. I... I wondered, do you have a good book on Pakistan? A row box with grim and deep determination. I hurried home to get there before the children returned. And putting my new purchases on a chair in the hall, I went into the living room. Mary! Darling, I came right home after your call. I'm terribly sorry. It was really my fault. Your fault? Why, Jim? Oh, I should have my head examined lecturing you on your birthday to begin with. That was a fine day. And I was so wrong. Were you? And then when you'd dropped in for lunch, I was so involved in my own office problems that... Problems? I didn't notice any problems. Unless you're referring to that college chum of yours. Is she a problem, Jim? Not to me. To herself. Oh? Some people grow, Mary, and some people try hard to stand still. Candy has a big secret. Her age. The older she gets, the bigger the secret becomes. So big that she has to surround it with a thousand lies that become harder and harder to support. Her figure, her hair, her walk. What do you prescribe? At 40 yards, she's empty. Confused. Neurotic. I asked her not to come back for another appointment. I may have hurt her feelings, but there's nothing I can do for her. Oh, Jim, I... I feel kind of sorry for Candy because... Well, I... I guess I'm the lucky one. How wonderful life really is. Mary, darling, I love you more every day. You know that, don't you? I just forgot it for a while, I guess. And I know something else, too. What? Well, if I live to be a hundred, and I warn you I have every intention of doing it, I'll never feel as old as I did on the morning of my 40th birthday. We had to define friendship in just one word. I think it would be thoughtfulness. Yes, thoughtfulness or the wonderful art of thinking of others before ourselves has been the essence of friendship from the beginning of time. And one of the nicest ways to be a friend is to remember our dear ones on their special days. On their birthdays or wedding anniversaries on the birthdays of their children. And that's why I want to suggest that you get a Hallmark date book for 1953. You see, the Hallmark date book is a handy, purse-sized calendar booklet. Beneath each day of the year, you can jot down all the occasions you want to remember. And you'll find lists of the birthstones and flowers for each month, too, and the types of gifts to send on each wedding year. In the front, there's room for names and addresses. So why not start the new year outright? Get your Hallmark date book tomorrow. It's a gift to you. From the fine store where you'll buy your Hallmark cards for friendship's sake. Here again is Lionel Barrymore. Thank you, Ruth, for a most charming performance. Well, thank you, Mr. Barrymore, for inviting me to appear on the Hallmark Playhouse. I enjoyed it very much. You know, I have two boys that are just about the ages of the girls in the night story. There's Johnny, who's eight and a half, and Johnny, who's almost six. Yes, yes, yes, I know, Ruth, I know. Now, let's see. Beside your busy family life, you fill your time in as a movie star, Broadway-leading lady, your appearances on radio and television. Now, tell me, Ruth, what do you do when you're spare time? Well, I don't have much spare time anymore, but I do share a hobby, Mr. Barrymore. Oh, what's that? Painting. Oh, who is that so? Perhaps someday I'll be fortunate enough to have one of my paintings reproduced on a Hallmark card. And by the way, I certainly want to remember to get one of those Hallmark doll houses. I know a little girl who just loved to have one for Valentine's. Well, Ruth, I want to help you remember that. So I'm going to see to it that you get one of our Hallmark great books in 1953 as a special present from Hallmark cards. It's a real handy reminder to carry in your purse, not only for Valentine's Day, but for all the important days throughout the year. Oh, thank you so much, Mr. Barrymore. Tell me, whom have you invited as your guest star next week on Hallmark Playhouse? Well, our star will be Fred McMurray. And our story is a charming bit of nostalgia by Bellamy Partridge called Big Family. Our Hallmark Playhouse is every Sunday. Our producer director is William Gay. Our music was composed and conducted by David Wells, and our script tonight was written by Lawrence and Lee. Until next Sunday then, this is Lionel Barrymore saying good night. Look for Hallmark cards that are sold only in stores that have been carefully selected to give you expert and friendly service. Remember a Hallmark card when you will carry enough to send the very best. Ruth Hussey is currently appearing in 20th Century Fox's Stars and Stripes Forever. The part of Jim was played by Frank Nelson. Others were Margaret Brayton, Betty Lugerson, and Whitfield and Barbara Jean Wong. Consult your paper for time and station of the radio presentation for Hallmark Television on the air. This is Frank Goss saying good night to you all until next week at the same time when Hallmark Playhouse returns to present Fred McMurray in Big Family to reach on the Hallmark Playhouse. This is the CBS Radio Network. This is KMBC, Kansas City, Missouri.