 From Hollywood, the Hollywood Radio Theater. In Breaking the Sound Barrier, ladies and gentlemen, your producer, Mr. Irving Cumming. Greetings from Hollywood, ladies and gentlemen. Last year at the Academy Awards, it came as a surprise to know one that the Oscar for Best Achievement in Sound went to London Films for their magnificent picture, Breaking the Sound Barrier. There is also a love story in this excellent United Artists release. So we have lovely Dorothy Maguire as the young wife who is unsympathetic towards her husband's overpowering obsession to fly faster than sound, and starring as her brilliant but domineering father, that fine actor, Robert Newton. Now, Breaking the Sound Barrier, starring Robert Newton as John Richfield, and Dorothy Maguire as Susan. In England, 1944, the years of conflict have given rise to a tremendous airplane industry in which no name is more distinguished than Richfield Aircraft. It's early evening. Two callers have just arrived at the Richfield mansion. John Richfield's daughter and her new husband. Well, darling, still frightened? Petrified. Hmm, fix a drink for yourself. Father may be a while yet. Riley said he's in the study, meeting with some engineers. Yeah, sure, that's all right. Oh, but of course. Imagine running into Phil Peel. Why didn't you tell me Phil was working for your father? Darling, I didn't even know you knew him. Oh, wait until you meet his wife. Nice, right? Hmm, they don't come any better than Jeff. Tell me again, who was the old boy who showed us around the works the one I thought was your father? Will Sparks, his father's chief designer, sweetest man in the world. Tony, what are you looking at? That photograph on the table. Your brother? Yes. I'm so hard to believe. Chris dead almost a year. It was so unnecessary, Tony. So terribly unnecessary. Darling, please, those accidents happen all the time. You still don't understand, do you? Chris wasn't meant to fly. He knew he wasn't. But surely your father would have understood. Would he? Or would he have called Chris a coward? Sue. Chris was determined to fly for father's sake. He crashed the first tiny solos. I left this house the day after the funeral. You never told me that. Oh, I've seen father in London half a dozen times. But this is the first time I've been home since Chris was... Susan! We're in here, father. Father, this is Tony. Thank you for coming there. Thank you both for coming. Are you here? Yes, sir. You will spend your leave here, of course. It's a very short leave, sir, just a couple of days. Oh, I'm sorry. But I'm very glad to meet you at last, Tony. I must say I'm surprised that Susan's falling for a flyer. Well, time for dinner. Let's go in. You, uh, you like this house, Tony? Yes, sir. It's quite a place. I hope the painting's interest you. There's some of them quite well known. Of course, Susan hates them all. Too old-fashioned. Well, sit down, sit down. Now, dearly father. Where she gets her taste from, I don't know. Certainly not from me or her mother. Mother like modern painting very much. Eat your soup, Tony. It's getting cold. Oh, yes, sir. Ah, that is Susan that same sound. What? For years? Same sound? This afternoon, sir, it works. I assumed they were testing something. Oh, we're testing something, all right. You're a member of the family now. I don't suppose it'll do any harm for you to have a look at our little secret. After dinner, we'll drive out to the test bed. Listen. I think that's the most exciting sound they've ever heard. It isn't only the sound that's exciting, Tony Boy. Wait till you see it. Wait till you see it. Now, then, Tony, this is a sort of control room here. Dials and gadgets and whatnot. But what we've been testing, well, that's on the other side of the glass panel. We stand here and we watch. Watch what? I can't see a thing. Turn on the lights, Will. Yes, sir. Well, now you see it. But, but what is it? It's the aircraft engine of the future. Without a propeller? No propeller. Then how does it keep the aircraft in the air? By propulsion. Jet propulsion. Extraordinary. Yes. But like all great inventions, from the wheel to radar, quite simple. Did you say simple? It looks complicated, yes. But the beauty is how little there is orbit and how much power comes out of it. I'll stand back and I'll signal them to turn it off. Oh, here, we'd better wear these. Here? Guards, you'll be grateful for them. This is what you heard at dinner miles away. Ready? Ready? Watch. You wanted to see me, Dad. Sit down. Have some breakfast. Thanks, but I told you I'd wait for her. You're leaving very early, aren't you? I've got to get down to the plow. We'll both be gone before I get back. I wanted to say goodbye. Thank you. Also, there's something here I'd like you to see. This box. Go on, open it up. Just a model of an aircraft. What about it, Tony? Model 901. It'll be in the air in another six months. Well, prepare us. Speed. The sort of speed we've dreamed about. What's our landing speed? Too high, but we're working on that. Well, goodbye, Tony. It's nice to have you in the family. Thanks. The war's going to be over someday, Tony. You have any plans? A few. A lot will depend on how few feels about them. I want you to know that there's always a job at the ridge for you. Huh? What sort of job? 901, perhaps, and the others to come. You mean test pilot? Something like that. You write to me and let me know. Good luck. Something I can do for you, Mr. Ridgefield. Yes. You can talk to me, Will. Your last orders were to talk to no one and finish my work. Your work is finished. 901's ready for test. Ancient history. I've started on 902, remember? All we need for 901 is the right pilot. And I've got him. Your new son-in-law. Not so new any more. It's been almost a year. But how did you know? Susan and I correspond. We have for years. Then you know that they're coming home. That they're going to live with me. Yes. You'll prove, I guess. I understand he's a fine pilot. No other comments? No other comments, Mr. Ridgefield. I know one will be in very good hands. Thank you, Will. Mr. Ridgefield's waiting for you in his office, and Mr. Sparks wants to see you, too. Now, how was it? She's a beauty, this 901. You take her flat out? No, nothing like it. Oh, pity. I thought perhaps you'd be the first man to get through the sound barrier. Just between us, Will, there ain't no such thing. You ought to check up on your supersonics. Not to mention the comic books. What's so ruddy peculiar about the speed of sound? We all know exactly what it is, don't we? 750 miles broad ground level. Exactly. If we go any slower than that, we can hear ourselves going. If we go faster, we can hear ourselves coming. It's a mere matter of acoustics. See you later, Phil. It's always a piece of cake, isn't it? I think your father was rather pleased. Now, what was your day like? As a matter of fact, pretty good. Tony, I've got the most wonderful news. Not just one good of news, but two diss of news. Well, one's not really quite so wonderful as the other, I'll start with the less wonderful, shall I? Well... You know that little house on Andrew's corner? Sir? I think we can have it. It belongs to that fellow Franklin, doesn't it? Yes, but he's leaving. But this place isn't so bad, is it? It's a bit large, of course. But don't you see, darling, if we had a place that really belonged to us... But what about your father? He'd hate us leaving you. He'll hate you leaving him. He'll hate his daughter leaving him, too. Darling, don't you know by now how father and I really feel about each other? I know you don't always see eye to eye. Oh, eye to eye. He's always despised me for not being born a son. Darling. It's true! Just as later on, he despised Chris for not turning out to be the son he wanted. Oh, I can't despise him in return, Tony. You see, I admire him tremendously for what he's done. As for what he is... Well, all I can say is it's best that I should live outside his house. What was the other wonderful piece of news? Oh, that. It'll keep. Later, dear. I'll tell you later. You know what's excellent, Susan. Thank you. Well, I'll tell Charlotte, father. After all, she's the cook. Now then, Tony, where were we? We were talking about... Bappeting, Dad. Were there any other symptoms besides this Bappeting? And I noticed that the controls got hard at Mach 0.85. Not the funny way. What altitude? 18,000, I believe. We are just on the fringe of the problem. What problem, father? Supersonics. The sound barrier? Ah, that's a newspaper phrase. Oh, you mean there isn't a sound barrier? No, no, there's a barrier, all right. It's spread out on either side of the speed of sound, roughly between Mach 0.85 and... Mach? What Mach? Mach was an Austrian scientist. He gave his name to a method of measuring speed. You see, darling, we no longer fly at miles per hour. We fly at Mach numbers. For example, for subsonic speeds, the number is less than one. It's like 0.80. Get it? No, not at all. And for supersonic speeds, we could say that the Mach reading is, well, 1.33. But what makes a barrier? Is it sound? Well, it's a sort of combination. It's air. There is a limit to the speed at which air itself can move out of the way of the projector. Limit? What limit? Speed of sound. 750 miles an hour. Or what we call Mach 1. At Mach 1, the air no longer can move out of the way. But why not? Because air just cannot move that fast. We believe that it piles up, that it forms a sort of barrier. Now, we don't exactly know what would happen to an aircraft in these conditions. No one in the world really knows. This morning, Tony flew close to the speed of sound. He approached that barrier. And that buffeting you were talking about, you mean the plane actually was being tossed around? Looks so grim, darling, just a bounce or two. But if you were happy at the speed of sound... Ah, yes. But some say that at the speed of sound, a plane would go out of control. Others say that it may break up altogether. But I don't believe it. I believe that with the right aircraft and the right man, we can force our way through this barrier and once through there is a world, a whole new world with speeds of 1,500 to 2,000 miles an hour within the grasp of man. And Tony here may be the first to see that new world. Why, Tony? Because he's the best pilot I know for the job. Hmm, meanwhile the Americans may beat us to it. Yes, they may. But we are two years ahead in jet engine development. I think it's between ourselves and Vickers and the Havel. I was talking to Will Sparks, Dad. He wants a name for 902. Any ideas? Yes. Flometheus. Flometheus? Who was he? He was a Greek god. He stole fire from Heaven. Oh, yes. He came to a sticky end, didn't he? He did. But the world got fire. How long before I can have a crack at this thing, Dad? Not long. But you've got a bit of homework to do first. You'll find some books upstairs in the observatory. Go out if you like. Thanks. I will. I'll be with you in a minute. How's the new telescope working, Father? Oh, it's good, but it might be better. Father, answer me a question, will you? Well? Is the ability to travel at 2,000 miles an hour going to be a blessing to the human race? Well, I should say that's up to the human race. As a number of it, I can't feel unduly optimistic. In fact, if that's all that lies beyond this barrier, what purpose is there in risking lives to pierce it? Well, I could talk about national security beating the potential enemy bomber, or flying to New York in two hours. But that's not the real point. The real point is that it's just got to be done. What purpose did Scott have in going to the South Pole? I wish I knew. By the way, Susan, Franklin tells me that you've been looking at his house. Yes. I've made him an offer on it. That house isn't suitable either for my daughter or my chief tester. Franklin won't accept your offer. How do you know? Well, my dear Susan, Mr. Franklin likes his present job very much, and I've no doubt at all he's quite anxious to keep it. Thank you, Father. Make a friend and you make an ally. There's a thought for you to keep in mind as many another American has. G.J. Watermull, a naturalized United States citizen, has done much to bring the fruits of democracy to his native country, India. As one of Hawaii's most successful merchants, Watermull, with his American wife, established the Watermull Foundation over 15 years ago to bring Indian students to America. The first year, they offered 14 fellowships paid for the student's passage to the United States and their tuition at the University of the Candidate's Choice and gave them $150 a month for two years' living expenses. Since the foundation was begun, industries all over America have offered their services to the Watermulls and helping Indians learn modern techniques in pediatrics, the control of epidemics, food canning, and the building of machinery. Through the years, the Watermulls have expanded their program to sponsor and exchange goodwill ambassadors between the United States and India. We should be especially proud of G.J. Watermull, who, as an American citizen, has proven to peoples of two nations that by helping others, you help your country. Now our producer, Mr. Cummings. Act two of Breaking the Sound Barrier starring Dorothy McGuire as Susan and Robert Newton as John Richfield with Lamont Johnson as Tony. It's the same night, hours later, but only now has Tony put aside the books on supersonic and turned out the light. Tony? It's you. I thought you were asleep long ago. Oh, I've just been thinking a little. For one thing, darling, about Mr. Franklin's house, I bet the field would just love that house, Tony, Justin Thiel. You change your mind about it? In a way. They're such nice people. Do you think Thiel could afford it? I think so. He's a good pilot, Thiel. I'll be due for a reason. Good. I'll tell Jess about it in the morning. Tony, if I should ask you something, will you try not to use PCK talk for a moment? I'll try not to. Well, I did go see the doctor this morning. You? When? End of December. Oh, darling. Oh, darling. Oh, how very clever of you. You'll save money on a little birthday present. Certainly not. Even if you arrive on Christmas Day, you'll still get too lost. That's right, darling. Say he. A psychologist, Jeff, I know. Is there something in there, Thiel? Tony, it must be you. Is there? The new plane, the sound barrier. Must it be you? Yes, darling. And please, must. Couldn't someone else? No. It's all mine now. Oh, I promised myself when you took this job. I'd never nag you about it. And really, I wouldn't mind if you'd just gone on testing planes. But I find now I'm married not only to a test pilot, but an explorer as well. A bit unfair, Tony. Really, it is. Darling, I hate it. You owe it to him now, too. I know I do. I gotta sleep. You two need your rest. I hate to bother you, Dad. I know you're busy. Come in, Tony boy. Come in. Problem? I don't know, Wayne. I, uh... I just heard about Jeffery de Havilland. Yes, pity. Great pity. Just what did you hear, Tony? Not very much. He was killed when his jet plane exploded. They know what happened? No, they'll never know. What speed was he making? The faster she had achieved anywhere on Earth. The plane disintegrated. There's nothing left to tell. He must've had something. He hit the speed of sound. Well, Tony, it looks as if I might've been wrong that you can't get through this sound barrier. That was a great aircraft flown by a great pilot. Yes, I know. Well, do we go on or do we stop? That's... For you to decide, isn't it? Yes, I suppose it is. I wanted to know how you feel about it. Could we get the full report on de Havilland's accident? I've already requested it. If I could look at that, it might help us. Well, see you at home, Dad. You? Ready, darling? Jenna's waiting, so is your father. That's enormous, Tony. I've been waiting for you to mention it first. Mention? Okay. Jeffery de Havilland's been killed. Yes. He was killed doing exactly the sort of thing you're going to do. Well, no, not exactly de Havilland. It's quite possible you know that we've got a better aircraft. You really believe that? You. I had better say it at once. I am going on with this. Why, Tony? I just feel it's got to be done, that's all. By you? Yes, by me. Was he married? I believe he was. Is there anything I can say that will stop you, Tony? No, Sue, nothing. Don't you see, I can't let them down now. Let them down? Is there any thought in your mind of letting me down? For the baby? Sue. If only I could understand, Tony. But I can't, you see. I can only see a great wall in the sky, strong enough to smash an aircraft to pieces. And beyond it, nothing. Nothing at all. Sue, I have meant to speak to Dad and ask him whether I might give up the job, but don't you see what he has felt about me if I had? I've heard those words before, Tony. My brother said them to me the night before he was killed. He was also afraid that father might think he was a coward. It's not that. I simply don't want him to think I'm racking on a job because someone else got killed doing it. Why don't we go downstairs? I can't face him tonight. I can't. Darling. Oh, no, just leave me alone, Tony. Please. Leave me alone. Well, where's Susan? She's not feeling very well. Lieing down, I believe. You know, when I first started flying, some people, religious people, thought what we were doing was wrong. They thought we were breaking the law of nature. Sounds ridiculous, of course, but they used to say that if God had meant us to fly, he'd have given us wings. Well, this sound barrier, people might feel again that God put it there for his own good purposes. But it cannot be broken. And it would be wrong to try. Now, I wouldn't blame anyone who believed that. I wouldn't blame them at all. Do you believe that, Tony? No. No, I don't. Well, we may as well have dinner. I'll have Riley bring a tray to soothe. Thank you. Come on in. Hello, Jess. I hope I'm not disturbing you. I've been shopping and just thought I'd stop by. Jess, I wanted to speak to Philip rather urgently. Is he home? No, but he'll be back quite soon, I expect. Was this Tony just now flying over our head? Yes, I imagine it was. That's the new one, Jess. 902 for me, she makes enough noise, doesn't it? Well, we finally got our furniture arranged. How do you like it? Oh, Jess, it's lovely. You know this is the house I set my heart on, don't you? Why ever did you want this house when you got that big face practically to yourself? I just did. Oh, here's Phil now. Oh, dear, I haven't even got the chops in the oven yet. Excuse me. Hello, darling. What's your rush? Kitchen. Hello, Phil. I was passing by and I thought perhaps... Well, it was a fine thought. Now, come on, come and sit down. Tony said you took the Prometheus up yesterday. How was it? Wonderful. Oh, why does everyone I'm fond of have to be a test pilot? Why can't they sit in offices like the rest of humanity? The rest of humanity doesn't know what it's missing. When Tony's lying these days, I try to go to the cinema. You can't hear the sound of the plane so clearly in there. Phil, how does Jess feel about all this? Well, I think she accepts it just as a job like any other. I wish I were like Jess. I'm not that brave, I'm afraid. Wait a minute. You have the baby. You'll forget all about it. That's what Tony says. When is he testing the Prometheus at full speed? I don't know. I think you do. But perhaps it's best you shouldn't tell me. What is he doing with it now? You're just a routine flight. Same for lunch, aren't you? You have me. I'd like to very much. She's saying for lunch, Jess. Well, of course. I mustn't worry, you know. There's no better pilot in the country than Tony. Phil, I believe that to have courage, one that's also have understanding, is only I could understand the purpose of it. You know, I don't think that sort of understanding comes from up here at all. Now come on, cheer up, Mr. Phil. What sort of night tan is an astronomer's dream about? Clear and sharp and a million stars. Is that a scope in focus? Yes. Take a look up there. What would I see? A galaxy of Andromeda. How far away is it? Oh, about 700,000 light-years. You mean what I'm seeing now is the way this galaxy looks 700,000 years ago? That's right. But then I'm looking into the past, aren't I? In a manner of speaking. Is there a way of looking into the future? Yes. How? Through the telescope. What you see there is past, present and future, all in one. The process of continuous creation. Stars die and stars are born. No beginning and no end. Yes. You can see into the future out there, all right. This observatory. It's a wonderful hobby, isn't it? Mm, far as the time. You never knew Christopher, did you? Yes, sir. Susan blames me for his death. I just wondered if you blame me, too. You can tell me the truth. Do you blame me, Tony? No. Well, good night, Tony boy. And about tomorrow, a full test? Yes. I was speaking with Will Sparks. He opposed the full test. Well, what is too much, don't you think? He said something about the plane still being nose-heavy. Oh, little, I suppose. It's about much, I know. But I told well I can correct that. Good. Happy landings, Tony. A piece of cake. Tony? Oh, sorry, darling. Later, now. I've been up gassing with the old man. Now you're flying tomorrow, again? It just seems we'll bumble around. At what time? At eight o'clock. I'll see that film at the palace. Looks like it'd go with you. It's quite good, I hear. Darling. Yes? About the baby. Do you mind if we call him John? I think I do. Good night. My love. What? Well, I didn't meet you ten years ago. Why? I've had ten years longer of being married to you. Oh, Tony. Ridgefield Tower. This is Glass Jar 1-0. Ridgefield Tower from Glass Jar 1-0. Come in, please. This is Ridgefield Tower. Go ahead. Tell Mrs. Ridgefield that I'm going up to 40,000. Tell old Will to... Roger, 1-0. They're both here in the tower. I might have known it. But I'd try our first at a marked number of about 0.9596. Roger. Coming in over the field now. At a certain level, 30,000 feet, conditions pretty near perfect. I've got another 10 to climb. Out. Straighten level. Outside air temperature, 50 below zero. Rebs, 12.5. ASI, 380 knots. There we go. Okay, we're out of it. At that speed, nothing serious. Everything normal apart from nosing down. I tried again. I hit 40,000 again for full go. 1-0 over. Tony. Something did happen all in order. But of course I corrected. I told you I was timing game in time. Okay, 40,000 straighten level. Hang on a minute now. There we go. In to dive. Very badly now. The control depth is fine. I can't... Hold up. Your father, he told you? No, Phil told me. He came after me. I was at the cinema. I could hear the plane when he took off. What are they doing over there? The wreckage. It's got to be cleared. I want to see. No, there's nothing to see. Just a great hall in here. My father. Is he here now? No, he was here. Well, now the boy's gone now. Oh, well. Well, well. I don't know what to say to you, Susie. I don't know what to say. I don't know where this went wrong. I can't further miss. Because I've got too old to be designing aircraft. What are you going to do? I don't know. I hadn't thought. I must go somewhere. No, Susie. Please don't. I'm thinking of your father. I know how things are between you, but don't leave him alone now. Not for a bit, do you think? I'm going now, Will. Don't blame yourself. Tony knew he was up against something he couldn't beat. Did he take you home? No. Not home. We'll see. No. No, I never want to see him again. Here's a story that has sort of a special tug at the heart when you hear it. An American soldier with a camera spotted a cute little Japanese boy playing outside the family home in northern Japan. He asked him to pose, and the boy did. The soldier went his way. One month later, tragedy struck at the household. A little seven-year-old boy was dead of influenza. His father realizing that there was not even a recent snapshot to remember his son by, remembered the passing serviceman, and he asked the United States Army for a copy of the picture. Ordinarily, that would seem like a pretty hopeless task to find among all the Army's picture-taking soldiers the one guy who'd taken that picture, but one man set out to do just that, VFC Stephen Tool of the 19th Infantry Public Information Office. He wrote letters. He broadcast over the radio searched Army records. Eventually, halfway around the world, he traced Sergeant Leroy McElvane in a little Kansas town. Yes, the sergeant had been in Japan during that time. Yes, his hobby was photography. Yes, he had pictures of little Japanese boys, some 4,500 of them. Pains-takingly, he searched through them, and he found the right one, the one that could make a grieving family just a little bit happier. This is a story that that community in northern Japan will not soon forget. Such acts by you and your friends today are shaping our world of tomorrow. Identification. The curtain rises on Act 3 of Breaking the Sound Barrier, starring Robert Newton as John Ridgefield and Dorothy McGuire as Susan, with Michael Pate as Philip. Three months have gone by, but Susan has not returned to our father's house, not even after the birth of a child. She's been living with her friends, Phil and Jaspeel, and now on a Sunday afternoon, she has a visitor. Thank you for letting me see him, Sue. He's a fine baby. You named him Tony? No, John. It's what Tony wanted, Father. Isn't he beautiful, Sir John? Oh, what a sweet baby. It is Sir John now, isn't it? Congratulations. It's quite a surprise. I hear the new airline is a great success. Well, we hope so. You've been telling me that you've built a new Prometheus, too. Yes, yes, we have. It's too good an aircraft to lose. But it failed. Will Fox told me himself. It failed. It wasn't the aircraft that failed. We failed. Will and I, Tony, all of us. The only difference being that Tony is dead. Goodbye, Sue. Goodbye, Father. If you'll walk out of the car with me, Phillip. Do you mind? Not at all, sir. Thank you. Phillip, I've decided to promote you. Chief, yes, Father. Thank you, sir. I'm very grateful. I want you to take out the new Prometheus every day for the next few weeks. Get used to her. Right. Well, goodbye, and thank you for allowing me to call. Oh, and Phillip? Sir? Not above match 9-0 until further orders. Your father's visit. But then I knew you would. I'm going to leave, Jeff. I think I've got that flat in London. Oh, now why this all of a sudden? I don't want my son to go up at Bridgefield in the shadow of his grandfather. Sue. Well, it'll be a while yet. Two or three weeks, I suppose. We'll miss you terribly. But surely you could find something a little nearer here. No. I don't want to be near him. You've been very good to me, Jeff. You and Theo. Thank you for everything. Well, just sit and stare. I'm thinking. Thinking of the new ship and what's to prevent it from crashing into the earth. Oh, cheerful old toad, aren't you? Well, seriously. Is it possible that at the speed of sound the controls are reversed? The speed of sound, I suppose, anything's possible. Why? Well, once during the war I put a spitfire under a flat-out dive. For no particular reason, just useful high spirits. I think now that I hit the sound barrier I remember that the more I pulled on the stick the harder the nose went down. Well, the same thing happened to me this morning. You're not supposed to do a high mock number. I know, I know, but I did. Both times I had the feeling that if I'd had the guts to push the stick forward instead of pulling back I could have come out without having to lose speed. Now what do you think? There's nothing in the books to suggest for one second anything. Once there were books that said the earth was flat. Yes. Yes, he's here. I'll tell him. For you, Bridgefield. I wanted in his office right away. I wonder what I've done this time. You used to steal your hours late for lunch. I had to see the old man. Oh, Phil, then you got it. Got what? For the raise, of course. Oh, you lasted. I forgot to ask him. I'm still beside her. Oh, really? What a husband. Now get out of my kitchen. I'll have your lunch in five minutes, Phil. Hello, Sue. How is the baby? This, uh, here you tell Jess you saw my father. Uh, yes. But did he want? You won't tell Jess, will you? No. He asked me to take the Prometheus out and reproduce exactly the conditions under which Tony crashed. Oh, could I have the bread, please? At the same speed. As fast as possible. Uh, the bread. Thanks. When? Tomorrow. Are you going to do it? It's not an order. I don't have to do it, Sue, but I must. Why must you? Well, I only know that if I don't, I never want to fly again. Well, I hope it isn't done to death, but we do have lunch around here at one. Well, it looks simply lovely. What is it? Fancy you're forgetting to ask for a raise. Oh, I shouldn't worry about it. Jess, it'll come through. Well, then it's safe to buy a new linoleum for the kitchen. Mm-hmm. Oh, thanks, darling. Really, you're quite bright, aren't you? Hello. Will, come in. Come in. What's this I hear about tomorrow? What tests for the Prometheus? All of them. Everything. Wasn't tourney enough for you? We learned a lot from Tony's craft. Just enough to know that to fly at the speed of sound is death. Haven't you ever heard of a pilotless aircraft? This problem can't be solved with pilotless aircraft. Not for years, anyway. What are a few years, one way or another? Important to me. I may not have so many of them. You've been knighted? What are you out to now? A peerage? You better get out, Will. I'm sorry for you, sir John. I don't know what evil it is for teaching you up, but it can't make life any too happy for you. We'll run the test tomorrow as scheduled. Good evening, Father. Good evening. You don't often give me the pleasure of seeing you these days. How's my grandson? He's very well. Good. You probably know why I've come to see you. Do I? Please, put off the test, Father. No. You're prepared to let still go the way of Tony. Well, we don't know the way of Tony. That's Philip's job tomorrow to find out how Tony was killed. And Tony was finding out how Jeffrey de Havilland was killed. And another pilot will be given the job of finding out how Phil was killed. And each time we'll learn a little bit more. So that one day in the distant future, Ridgefield will build an airliner that will go to New York in three hours. Two hours. And Ridgefield's shares will go up and up and up. My dear Sue, what kind of a man do you think I am? I don't know. I really don't know. What sort of a man with two deaths and his conscience could risk burdening it with a third? A man whose only human feeling is a passionate worship for a great pile of bricks and mortar called Ridgefield. If you were to tell me that only giving up Ridgefield and going back to where I started, I could find out what happens to an aircraft at the speed of sound. I'd say, all right, Sue, and my girl, it's a deal. I don't believe that. You make imaginary sacrifices for yourself. But it's other people's lives you really sacrifice. Do you think I felt nothing of Tony's death? What else can I think? Our ways are different in so many ways, Sue. I expect our ways of feeling grief are different, too. I don't suppose that you have anything more to say to me. Yes, I have. I'm taking John to live in London. Oh, indeed. You want me to think of you as a man with a vision. But that vision has killed both my husband and my brother. And while I'm alive, it's not going to kill my son, too. There are evil visions as well as good ones, Father. Goodbye. You sound surprised, Father. I am. I rather thought you'd already left for London. If I'd been a train, I would have left. There's one this afternoon. I do thank you for coming here. After our little talk last night, I didn't think you would. I can't imagine why you sent for me. At first, I thought you'd call the test off after all. But that was very foolish of me, wasn't it? That's still up there now, isn't it? Yes. Usually I go to the tower. But I can listen to what he has to say here just as well. Before you go up, I wanted to know what school you got done. And that's all you wanted to say? Good schools are not to a penny. You've got to think. Surely there's plenty of time. One for the tower, whether this is ideal. I'm going to make my first run level at full throttle. Still climbing. Susan, where are you going? Up to the window. I'm being silly again, aren't I? Thinking I could see enough. Leveling out now. Forty thousand. All right, all set. Sorry, Father. I can't take any more. No, no, don't go. Stay and talk. Don't leave me alone. One for the tower, still at Forty thousand. That speech is quite controllable. There was a slight thought, wing drop, nothing serious. Then have to use strimmer, J.P.T. now normal. What were we talking about? Oh yes, it was about schools, wasn't it? Yes. I'm starting my second run, 35 degrees. Cannot vision be evil soon. Can it, can it? I shouldn't have said that. It's a terrible thing to make a man die of everything he's ever lived for. If I've killed them both to nothing, it can't be true. Can it, can it? I'm not sure that I know. Father, do you hear me? It's all right. You won't tell anyone what happened in this office this afternoon. Do you think I would? Tower, I'd better get over this. Come in. Just what in the world are you? Oh good, I finally found you. Darling, I've been all over searching for you. Now what are you doing? I'm looking for my person. Will you please shut that door? Fine, talk. Yes, I just landed. I think I may have done it just broken through the barrier. Oh, well that's nice. You see, I simply had to find you because, well look, cheers to the nollium sample. Nations are having a very big special on the pattern, but if I don't... Now look, darling, I just... Well the point is, Phil, if we don't make up our minds, by tomorrow we'll have to pay the regular price. Oh darling, you do like the color, don't you? Yes, it's lovely, dear. It's quite fine. I'm looking at it. Oh Phil, will you please pay attention? I'm sorry, yes, it's fine. I'm... Oh good, that's lovely. Sorry I have to rush, but they closed soon, you know. Bye, darling, see you at home. Come in, father. I thought I heard a car. Raleigh said we'd find you up here. At the telescope, he said as usual. Let me see the baby. Maybe now. He's practically... He has a look of Tony. All right. What's this, father? Just a photograph of the moon. Oh, I never knew it could look so unfriendly. It's an unfriendly universe. Do you believe that? Unfriendly only because it's unconscious of our existence. That's a depressing conception. It doesn't depress me. In our fights with the universe it gives us clear samples. Must it always be a fight? Yes, I think it must. It wasn't the nothing that we've been given so many weapons to fight with. Such as? Imagination for one thing. Some people call vision, don't they? I wish you'd told me. Tell you what? How alone you must have been. Even Will has more imagination than I. You may need to be. I'm going to put John to bed. He's no right to be about as late as this. You mustn't keep your car waiting. The car's gone, father. We'd come home. Excuse me. Yes. Now Mr. Cummings with our star. And here they offer a curtain call. Dorothy McGuire and Robert Newton. And now I think it's your play the next week. Stick to the American or does it have a U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. Good night, and thanks for a wonderful evening.