 Presenting the story of Canine Joe, featuring Everett Sloan on the cavalcade of America, sponsored by E.I. DuPont and the Morrison Company of Wilmington, Delaware, maker of better things for better living through chemistry. Before we begin our play, here's news of a new inner-soul material for stitched down shoes. This recent development of the DuPont laboratories consists of a combination of cellulose and leather fibers bound together with synthetic rubber binder. This new product has many of the properties of leather, including high resistance to the effects of perspiration or moisture. It'll make possible additional supplies of new shoes, particularly women's and children's shoes. And now for this evening's play. This evening cavalcade brings you the story of a Canine warrior, a dog named Joe, written by Arthur Miller from factual reports of the part played by dogs in the war. Only today newspapers all over America carried pictures showing our war dogs helping to route the Nazis out of Normandy. Ours is the story of another war dog, Joe, as told by his trainer Private Potts, United States Army. Joe was a colleague that not only understood what you were saying, but also read your mind and, according to Potts, very nearly made a jerk out of the whole United States Army. The DuPont company presents the story of Canine Joe with Everett Sloan as Private Potts on the cavalcade of America. This is Private Potts talking, or Pottsy as they call me around the kennels. I know it may be silly for a person to make believe he knows what a dog is thinking, but after you've gone through battle with a collie like Joe and you nearly got killed with him, there are certain things you know about him, intimate things. After a while you get to believe you know what he's thinking, and I believe I know that about Joe. When Joe was still a civilian, he lived in the house of Mr. and Mrs. Gware. I met them when I got back from overseas. To start the story from the beginning, Joe was snoozing by the radiator one called Night, a nice quiet Wednesday evening. Mr. Gware reading his book, Mrs. Gware knitting, but to Joe something was wrong. It was Wednesday, you see, and they'd given him a bath. All day the atmosphere had been strained. A bath on Wednesday? He couldn't get it. And he didn't like how sad Mrs. Gware looked at him every few minutes. So he got up and walked over to her and put his long head on her lap. Hi you Joe. What's the matter? Look at the way he's looking at me, Henry. Why, he looks normal to me. No, I'll bet he knows. Oh, bunk, stop moaning over him. We made up our minds and it's too late to change now. All right, Joe, quiet Joe. I guess this is him, Susan. I don't know if I can do it, Henry. It's too late to back out. Now pull yourself together. Come in, sir. Good evening. I'm Mr. Wilson. Good evening. Let me have your coat. Oh, thank you. Can I get you some hot tea? Oh, no, thanks. I like this weather. Makes me feel young again. Well, he certainly is a fine-looking animal. Like to give him a once over, if I may. Sure, go right ahead. Stand up, Joe. Hmm, fine dog. Ever any distemper? Oh, yes. When he was a pup, it was awful. But he pulled through fine, Susan. He did, sir. It doesn't seem like me. He doesn't like strangers. He does, too. He simply... Does he bite? Well, no, not exactly. He bites bill collectors in the mailman. He does. Well, no, he didn't bite them exactly. Well, he's very careful about letting people near the house. That's all. Then he bites. Well, yes, I guess he does at that. Well, that's fine. Fine? Yeah, we don't like him too friendly. Have you taught him anything? Oh, not very much. He carries the paper in every day, Susan. Does he? Will he obey command? Oh, sure. Watch now. Joe, sit down. Can you get him all the way down without touching him? All down, Joe. All down. Splendid. What else? Oh, nothing I can think of right off. Well, there is one more thing. He blows ashes off the rug. What's that? He blows ashes off the rug. Henry smokes the guy, as you see. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Guilty as habit. But, uh, I'm sure the army will be happy to have him. The army. Him, the army. After all the burglars he kept out of that house, the thousands of dollars he saved them. Well, he would have if there had been any burglars. But the army now, that's gratitude. And he always used to say man was the dog's best friend. Well, anyways, Joe goes to the radiator, broods a little, and sleeps. Unbeknownst to him, I also am asleep 300 miles away in camp. We don't know it yet, but a mutual waterloo is awaiting us. We meet. It's this colleague right here, soldier. Yes, sir. His name is Emily. Let's see. Yes, here it is, Joe. Now, he just finished his basic training. He will start now to get to know his habits and his temperament. From now on, you're responsible for him. He's responsible for you. Yes, sir. Now then, it's all yours. We're going to try the McCombat dog out of him. Just keep in mind that Sunday you might depend on him to save your life. So act accordingly. Yes, sir. See me later if there's any question. Any question? 12 years, I work in a dog kennel. Now they put me in the army and where do I land? Dogs. Don't growl at me, Collie. I'll bite you quicker and you can curl your lip. Yeah. Let me get this leash loose and we'll see how much sense you've got. Okay, let's go now. 12 years in the kennel and I land up with the dogs. Come on. Looking back at it now, I realized that Joe saw right away he was going to have trouble with me. I know just how he felt. Here he spent all his life with people. He gets in the army and where do they put him? With people. Well, one day a lot of trainers lined up at the edge of the woods with our dogs and then one by one we started through. I watched him as we walked. I could see he didn't know what was up. Here it was just a plain ordinary woods and broad daylight and I was crouched over walking on my toes. He absolutely couldn't get it. Suddenly a guy we call an aggravator comes at Joe waving a flexible stick. At this point, a dog is supposed to get mad. He's supposed to blow up. He's supposed to be insulted. But Joe, no, you dope Adam. Get him. Joe. What's the matter with your dog, Potsy? No fighting him. I don't think you aggravated him enough. Listen, if I can't aggravate a dog, nobody can aggravate a dog. Look at him sniffing at that butterfly. I don't get it. He looks like a dog over tear an elephant apart and still, you know, I don't think he's mad at anybody. Yeah. To watch some of these here dogs, you wouldn't know there was a war on. It's peculiar. I got a letter from his owner this morning and the guy says to see that Joe is tied up when any mailman come by. He can't stand mailman and bill collectors. Don't say. Well, I'm glad I didn't meet him in civilian life. You know, I was a bill collector for eight years. Hey, hey, watch out. Oh, he's Joe. He's got my sleep. Cut it out, Joe. Cut it out, you beautiful dog. Hey, Joe. That's when I realized about Joe. He was as smart as I was. The only thing that worried me was that we weren't in a war against bill collectors. Well, the next day, I wish we was. We were on a five mile hike with our dogs that day and we were on our way back to camp. Hey, Putzy, what's the matter with Joe? What do you mean what's the matter with Joe? Look at him. He's way behind. He's limping bed. Oh, not so. Hold up a minute. What do you matter? All right, Joe. Hey, boy. Come here, boy. All right, boy. Take it easy. Take it easy. Let's see the poor. Probably picked up a sharp pebble or a thorn. I don't see anything. Hey, Mac, you take a look there. Oh, nothing's there. Maybe he strained his leg, huh? Really think so? Come on, Joe. Get on my back. Come on. You ain't going to carry him in this heat, are you? What do you want me to throw? Let him limp four miles? Geez, heavy. Hey, wait a minute, Putzy. Remember that time we were all supposed to swim the river with the dogs that cold day? What of it? Just reminding you what Joe did. Remember how he picked up the Major's helmet and put it in his rowboat and the Major was so happy about it he rode Joe across and you had to swim in those ice cubes? Just reminding you, Putzy. Yeah, but he's limping. You all couldn't think of a thing like limping just to get a ride back to camp? I don't know. It's a very hot day, Putz. Well, if he's gold-breaking this time, well, he ain't. That's all. All right, hold on, Joe. And all I can tell you is this better be the McCoy. Let's go, Mac. There's a water tower, Putz, we're practically home. I'm dead, Mac. He's been gaining weight on my back. Hey, you want to get down, Joe? All right. Easy. That's the dog. Why, you? Record the animal private. Is he limping or is he running like a gazelle? Joe, you dirty dog, you. Oh, if it wasn't that I'd lose my good conduct medal, I'd murder that dog right now. Why must he always be making such a jerk out of me? Hey, Putz, he just played still dirty. All right, give it to me. I'll put it in again. What's the matter with you lately, and, Knifus? I'm okay. It's just that dog of mine, that Joe. He's got me rocking. I ain't got over how he made a sucker out of me yesterday on my back five miles in that hot sun. And no sooner does he get a smell of the camp than he runs off free and easy. Only he's just an executive type, Putz. He's got you out with it. He's a bad dog. And still he fascinates me, that blue ribbon gold brick. I'm even suckling up to miss him now that he's gone. Gone? Where's he going now? He ain't got the stuff for a combat dog. They're washing him out. Well, good riddance. Good riddance. That's what I thought, and I guess I meant it. But it just wasn't in the cards, but Joe to go out of my life easy and simple. Two days later, I find out Joe's training to be a messenger dog. And, uh, who's teamed up with him? Do I have to tell you? And things went along for a few weeks, and then one day when I was on KP, in comes the sergeant. Tension? When you finish cleaning up in here, start packing up. Be ready to ship out by morning, as you are. Well, I guess we're off, Putz. Snap out of it. What's the matter with you? Mac, I'm just wondering what that gold brick collie is going to do when he sees Japs a German shooting at him. What do you mean? What could he do? Brother, it wouldn't surprise me if he crossed the lines and gave himself up. You mark my words before he's through, that dog is going to make a joke out of the whole United States Army. I raise a nickel. How many more of these hot nights are we going to have on this ship? Who knows? Then I'll tell you. You're hot. Yeah, hot. He must be on the equator. Why are you always so discouraged, Putz? I don't know. I guess it's the dogs do it to me. People shouldn't let dogs get the best of them. Listen, you're in the middle of the ocean. Any day now, we'll be crashing the beach and you're worried about... You don't know collies, Mac. I bade, clipped, and shampooed maybe 10,000 dogs. And the only one who's got a mind of his own is the collie. For hundreds of years, his ancestors have been hurting sheep. They're dogs who always owned their living. A collie isn't working man down through history. But look at Joe here. All his life, his people have been working for him. Handing him his food and a platter. Giving him everything nice and easy. If he wants to ride in a car, he rides in a car. If he wants to sleep, he sleeps. I don't know. The American dog is soft. And I'm just wondering what he's going to do when it starts getting top... Attention! Make ready to board your barges. Take guests in parking positions on main deck. Snap into it now. You are listening to the story of Canine Joe, featuring Everett Sloan on the Cavalcade of America sponsored by E.I. Dupont de Nemours and Company of Wilmington, Delaware. Maker of better things for better living through chemistry. The story of Joe, a member of the K-9 Corps, is told by Private Potts, the dog's combat partner. As our play continues, Joe, a collie, has finished his initial training as a messenger dog, and he and Private Potts, played by Everett Sloan, are on the deck of a troop transport. The enemy beach a quarter of a mile away. It was almost morning. Joe stood at my heels, sizing up the deck. A big mob of men were standing around in the open air. Joe kept noticing their shoes, naturally. Some of them kept tying their laces three and four times. And those shoes kept shifting and moving and never standing still. And there was a certain smell in the air. It wasn't water smell. It was land. But a funny kind of land Joe had never smelled before. I held onto his harness, and I could feel his skin trembling. Orange, you're a barge. On the double now. We climbed into the landing barges. Once I let go of his harness, and he practically made me grab on again. He never let me move a foot away. The barge lowered down, and in a minute we were on the water. All right now, Joe, take it easy. Take it easy. He looked at me like something terrible was going to happen. His heart was knocking at my leg. I felt like I was going to choke looking at him. Down, Joe, down. Oh, look, if you screw me up this time, I'm going to fix your wagon. Easy now, easy. Down, Joe, down. Now he smelled a new thing suddenly. He looked all over the deck of the barge. It was getting stronger. Then he knew, blood. A man was lying on the bottom of the boat, and he was wrapping up his shoulder. Ready, Joe. Come on, ready. We're almost there. Get the baits and spread out. Pots, stay with me. Pots, where are you? Right here, sir. The water's pretty cold, sir. You're dog under control? He's all right so far, sir. Swims like a spaniel. Hug the sand, Pots. Down, Joe. I'm sending Hennessy squad around the right flank. Knock off snipers. I'm going to break straight through here ahead. I don't want any jams picking us off in that jungle. Right, sir. Report to Sergeant Hennessy. We may need your dog to carry back message. Yes, sir. Get into the jungle. Stay up front with me, Pots. Okay, Sergeant. Come on, Joe. Now, don't do anything crazy, will you, Joe? Don't go for no rabbits. Just mind your own business, will you, Joe? Please, just keep quiet. We moved very slowly, eight of us together. Now it was my life. I realized that all kinds of smells were slamming into his nose. All kinds. Spider smells, monkey smells, snake smells all over the place. His mouth was watering. I wondered how long he would haul himself in. Once my leg brushed against him, he was shivering with the wonderful smells. It was torture for him and for me worrying about him. I kept hoping the wind would change and blow those smells away. Suddenly he stopped. His head was up. I crouched on the ground. The whole squad stopped behind me. I could hear the men spreading out. Something was ahead of me, not 20 feet away. I couldn't see anything, but Joe was very nervous. He moved forward two inches and stopped. I caught up. An ant was biting at Joe's ear, but I couldn't move my hand off my rifle. I could hear all the rifles around me coming up to the men's shoulders. Look, Potsy, he keeps pulling your back. He's all screwed up, Sarge. Everybody smells something. Look, he's pointing. Yeah, but where? He's moving his nose all over the lot. All of a sudden he wants to be a combat dog. Come on, he's a messenger. He don't know how to point at nothing but his meals. Let's go. Everybody's pointing, Potsy. He's sniffing all around. He ain't pointing. He's probably resting. That's all. Hey, wait a minute. Hey, Sarge, maybe we've run into a big concentration of jabs. No, they only have snipers spread out around here. The main concentration is always farther back. Look, Sarge, maybe he's waving his nose like that because there's not one jab, but a lot of them. Don't go forward another foot. Our orders are to clean out these snipers. There can't be a concentration as close as this. We're in the middle of a jab concentration, Sarge. We must be. I believe, Joe. I believe them, Sarge. Don't go forward. Forget it. We got orders. Come on. We're moving in. We started moving ahead. Joe kept holding back. He was ready to run away. I held him. His nose was practically flapping. I really didn't know whether to believe him or the sergeant. Maybe he had some gold brick plan in his head again. He was pulling my arm, trying to go back. Hennessy, I told you. It's coming from both sides. Yeah. Potsy, send that dog back with a message. Say we're ambushed. Need help. Okay. We ambushed. Need help. Okay. Let me slip this into his harness. Come on, step on it. There. All right, Joe. Get going. Will he go back with it? Don't worry. He'll get it back. Hey, you better get down, Hennessy. Oh, Potsy, where'd you get you? In the side. Spread out. Take cover. I have to leave you here for a little while, Potsy. What's that dog coming back for? Uh, me too, Joe. Stop licking me, you dope. Get going with that message, you crazy dog. Joe, for the last time, don't make a jerk out of me. Please, Joe, get away. Go. You'll be all right now, Pots. Oh, I, I feel fine. Thanks, Doc. Don't thank me. It's this cully of yours who brought you back. Oh, kiddin'. Sure. Dragged you 400 yards through heavy fire. Then he went back to the beach and brought up reinforcements. You did that for me, Joe? You never did learn to mind your own business, did you? Come here, boy. Come here. Well, you old gold brick. Get the energy to pull me 400 yards. And, by the way, you're both going home. Why is he going? Uh, he's got a limp, but, uh, we can't seem to find the trouble. You can? Uh, so you're limping, Joe. Well, uh, I sure hope it's not in serious. It wasn't. But whatever it was, he sure sold the vet on it. And when I got back to the States, I went to Joe's house to see how he was making out. There he was on his front lawn, Joe, and on a briefcase. Builds and receipts were all over the grass. Right now, all I want to say before Joe curls up by my radiator, oh, yeah, they wished him on me. He kind of pined for me, so I took him off their hands. Just look at him there. Every time he hears his name, he starts sitting up like he was getting another citation. Anyways, Joe is a changed dog. He went out there in the South Pacific while ignorant. All he thought about up to then was chasing mailmen, biting bill collectors, and keeping up with his female acquaintanceships. He went out there growling and griping, so he couldn't get along without those three luxuries. But let me tell you, friends, when he saw how those Japs were knocking those native people around, he must have come to his senses and buckled down. Why those Japs were treating those poor natives worse than dogs? Am I right, Joe? Speak up. Well, he ain't have a box much anymore. He thinks too much. Very serious type of dog these days. But who am I to criticize a dog that's got a lease on my life? Our thanks to Everett Sloan, who played private pots, and Brad Barker, who played the Collie Joe. Now, here is Ted Pearson speaking for the DuPont Company to tell you about an interesting medical development of the war. One medical development of this war holds out promise not only for human beings, but for animals as well. Everyone knows when you cut your finger the wound is more dangerous, more liable to get infected when your hands are dirty. But when a soldier is wounded, his skin and clothing are bound to be dirty. So doctors have developed a special mixture of sulfur drugs with urea to keep soldiers' wounds from becoming infected. The DuPont Company manufactures urea in peacetime for a number of uses. It goes into urum and fertilizer into coating compositions and into plastics. It's used as a cattle feed. It's used to change ordinary wood into a new substance with many new advantages. Now, mixed with the sulfur drugs, urea cleans wounds. Just how it works, science doesn't yet know. Some doctors believe it dissolves dead tissue cells. However, it works when the sulfur urea mixture is shaken into a dirty wound. The wound quickly becomes clean. And by increasing the solubility of the sulfur drugs, it makes them more effective where they otherwise don't work at all. You see also why this urea sulfur mixture holds so much promise for animals as well as human beings when the war is over. Horses, cattle, sheep, and dogs, when they hurt themselves, or suffer a wound, almost always create for the veterinarian the problem of dealing with a dirty wound. If urea can cleanse these wounds and at the same time heighten the effectiveness of the sulfur drugs, the lives of many, many animals will be saved. The technical staff of one large veterinary laboratory believes that the use of urea sulfur powder will largely do away with most other methods of wound treatment in veterinary practice. Veterinarians working in the field report that 16 out of 18 compound fractures treated with sulfur urea powder healed without any further medication. Human beings owe quite a few improvements in surgery and medicine to animals. The modern traction splint used in setting broken arms and legs, for example, was first developed for animals by veterinary surgeons. Now, a wartime development in wound treatment which has proved successful with human beings will benefit animals as well. Synthetic urea is a product of modern industrial chemistry. One of the DuPont companies, better things for better living through chemistry. Next Monday evening, Cavalcade presents Yankee from Olympus, the radio adaptation of Catherine Drinker Bowen's number one best-selling biography. Yankee from Olympus is the human story of the great American and brilliant jurist, Oliver Wendell Holmes. The story of a young man who came back from the Civil War to make the law his career. It's the chronicle of the growth of a great man who became a justice of the United States Supreme Court, a champion of the rights of all men, and an ardent advocate of the free expression of the democratic spirit. The Cavalcade Orchestra and musical score were under the direction of Donald Voorhees. This is Roland Winters sending best wishes from Cavalcade sponsor E.I. DuPont and the Morrison Company of Wilmington, Delaware. Money invested in war bonds now helps ensure a healthy, prosperous post-war America. The kind of America you want for your children as well as yourselves. Since so many Americans are making more money today than ever before, isn't it plain good sense to put some of this money in war bonds where it will serve as a reserve to be used in the future? Dollars invested in war bonds now can help ensure a college education for your children in the years ahead. Those dollars can also mean a down payment on a new house or the realization of many another peacetime objective. Buy war bonds regularly to help your country and to help yourself. The Cavalcade of America came to you from New York. This is the National Broadcasting Company.