 dedicated to the strength of the nation. proudly we hail calling Pat O'Brien in a man of influence United States Army and United States Air Force presentation now here is your host the well-known Hollywood showman C.P. McGregor thank you, thank you very much and greetings from Hollywood ladies and gentlemen welcome to your theater of stars for all your motion picture favorites join us in plays we know you'll enjoy our star is that great film favorite Pat O'Brien the title of our zany comedy a man of influence we'll have the curtain for act one in just a moment but first here is Wendell Niles with an important message choose the career that offers all five the U.S. Army offers you these five keys to a successful future one, a career of service to country two, the right kind of job for you three, continuous training for planned advancement four, lifetime security five, travel and recreation yes men, choose the career that offers all five find out about the five keys to a successful future at your nearest U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force recruiting station and I'll once again your host C.P. McGregor the curtain rises on act one of a man of influence starring Pat O'Brien as Bill Archer you all know fellas like Bill Archer he's the guy who lives next door to you and thinks pretty much of himself especially in front of his long-suffering wife Marge and his son Junior right now the Archer's have just finished lunch and Bill is saying Marge that was a swell lunch thank you dear now if you and Junior will remove your overfed bodies to the living room I'll clear away these dishes alright come on Junior when your mother speaks like that she means business oh gee dad can I try once more to bounce my spoon into my glass oh now look you'll never do it that way son hey give me that spoon okay see you gotta come down with some force then the spoon will jump right under the glass now watch uh oh mom's brand new drinking glass Bill no dear I broke a glass oh yes dear oh Bill come on Junior let's get out of here you see women don't understand how we men do things women does that include me yeah of course gee dad why is it I'm always a man when you do something wrong but I'm just a kid when I do something wrong well son that's because well uh say Junior did I ever tell you the story about the time I captured the gorilla in the wilds of Africa gee no I didn't know you were ever an African dad sure sure you know I really felt sorry for that gorilla that morning I'd gotten up without having any breakfast and I was feeling pretty mean and this poor gorilla had the tough luck to run into me on a day like that ha ha ha weren't you scared scared I just reached down picked a man eating cracker down on the Amazon and I hit that gorilla right over the head with it but the Amazon is in South America huh oh there oh well you see the gorilla ran quite away before I could catch up with him Bill yes dear do you want me to help you with the dishes and break another glass oh no no thanks I wish you would do something for me these books I got from the lending library are due would you take them back for me well of course dear oh is all this famous the librarian still complaining about her feet and her back and her head and everything oh yes yes the poor soul you know she asked me if you had any influence with the telephone company telephone company oh well I certainly do have influence but I yes but she wouldn't say what she wanted oh now Bill promised me you won't do anything rash if if she should ask you for a favor or something now honey don't worry your pretty little head about yours truly I'll be my usual self that's what I'm afraid of come on junior I'll take a walk with your old dad sure those men are gonna stick together don't we ha ha ha yeah that's right see you later Marge bye mom goodbye dear oh god son isn't this a beautiful day sure is dad you know I think this is the nicest season in a year yeah you know we're lucky junior it's almost winter all over the nation and here we are in sunny California oh it must be bitter cold back east but here you get up in the morning and the first thing you see are the fragrant flowers peeking into your window yeah of course you can't smell them until you knock the icicles off well yes at night there is a little breeze but it's really not cold it's just crisp yeah I know dad I forgot to cover up the canary last night and he sure felt crisp this morning no junior you're always exaggerating all the canary got was a little chill maybe but when I opened his cage this morning he flew into the pressure cooker and he won't come out oh well he'll be all right oh speaking of birds son just look at all the birds around here in these trees hey dad look at that one up there on that limb the one with the big eyes where? up over there what kind of bird is he? Junior sometimes you're a disappointment to me you want to know these things why do we have that big encyclopedia at home? to stick the bills from the grocery in yeah but I mean besides that now I've studied the nature chapter in that book and that's the reason I won't have any trouble telling you what kind of a bird that is happens to be a whip-a-will a whip-a-will? that's right and the song sounds just like his name now you stand perfectly still I'll see if I can get him to sing okay whip-a-will whip-a-will I bet he's getting ready to answer you oh that's nothing but an all I bet he flew off saying who well no he just didn't understand the question that's all you know come on here's Miss Beemish's landing library I wonder what she wants you to use your influence for I don't know yet but I'm sure I can help her let's go in okay but I hope she doesn't talk our ears off about her aches and pains oh hello there Mr. Archer hello Junior hello Miss Beemish good morning Miss Beemish now are you on this bright and cheerful day oh I ache all over yeah I was afraid of that uh what seems to be wrong I just don't have any pep have you ever tried those breakfast foods that give you a pep Miss Beemish oh yeah I've been eating a breakfast food for weeks now it's supposed to pep you up when you get your money back didn't work no and I ate 20 packages too well at least you can get your money back I haven't got strength enough to carry back all those empty boxes oh I almost forgot here's the two books Marta's been reading said they were fine oh thanks she also said you wanted me to do you a small favor if I can oh yeah maybe you could help me you see my telephone is up on the balcony of the store and every time it rings I have to go up there to answer it I bet I go up those stairs a hundred times a day up and down up and down down and up up and down down and up Miss Beemish yes yes that is the problem well maybe you could get a long piece of cord on the phone that would reach downstairs well that's why I'm so tired you see up and down down and up up and down down down and up everybody out main floor wow Junior don't be impertinent well anyway that's what I wanted to ask you about I know you have a lot of influence in the community oh well yes I suppose I do have I know the phone company will connect a long cord for me but they'll charge me extra and I just can't afford it so if you could use your influence I'd be ever so grateful Miss Beemish your worries are over as you so aptly put it I am a man of influence I'll say dad has influence you used them on the butcher yesterday Junior never mind that what happened with the butcher well dad was getting tired of the cuts of meat we got at our house then he went down and had a big fight with the butcher and he really told him off well I guess I was kind of rough with him and dad said the butcher would have to give him the best steak in the store or else what the butcher give him a black eye and some chopped meat and the black eye and the quiet son quiet well I hope I'm not putting you to any bother Miss Archer bother not at all I'll get in touch with the head of the phone company one of my very best friends oh wonderful I knew you'd come through for me always glad to extend a helping hand Miss Beemish your phone cord will be connected in no time it won't cost you a cent if I do say so myself when I guarantee to get something done it's practically accomplished yeah but until then Miss Beemish it wouldn't hurt if you practice sliding down the banister oh please Junior nobody asked you alright come on we'll go back home now and I'll make some phone calls on this deal goodbye Miss Beemish goodbye oh you wonderful man oh Bill I know you mean well but darling you're always telling people that you can help them out of difficulties what's wrong with what I told Miss Beemish in the first place you don't know anyone with the phone company oh why do you always handicap yourself Marge I may not know anyone at the phone company but it's a sense they know me that's an additional handicap but Marge Miss Beemish is all alone there in a little lending library and well she is sort of helpless and she really needs somebody to look after and since this is a job for men naturally she turned to me that's what I mean doesn't she know any other men darling you're dealing with a phone company and you know you've had some trouble with them yourself well you mean that bill for December I paid that well now they seem to want their money for December 1949 that is so unreasonable well I am a little behind in my payment don't forget you're the one who's asking a favor dear yeah well that's right well I'm a man of influence around here why should I be afraid of them I'm a taxpayer I'll go out in the hall call the manager right now I'm sure glad I have this payphone for them they have a lot of argument on long distance calls number please oh hello operator this is Bill Archer operator I didn't call you for any of your smart remarks thank you get me the manager of the phone company never mind just get me the number operator will you please keep out of this hello Mr. Wagner well I have a lady friend well her name is Miss Beemish and she's rather shy and what I mean is she has a telephone but she's not very happy the way it is now and what she's like is a new connection no no no you don't understand I didn't mean that you see she runs a landing library and her phone is upstairs and she'd like to have it fixed so she can bring the phone downstairs oh she's a pillar for it yes yes I know she could do it that way but well I was hoping I could use my influence with you so the phone company was doing for nothing you're still there Mr. Wagner yes I'm still here well what's the matter bill for December 1949 oh that lift Mr. Wagner about that Bill the reason I haven't paid it before is because I have a complaint to make yes you see during that month I made a local call to a business friend of mine as I understand that I'm allowed to talk for three minutes for a nickel well the operator cut me off before I was finished I did not you did too right in the middle of my conversation on this business deal I was dead that's not the point I still have the equivalent of two minutes coming to me very well Mr. thank you Mr. Wagner you're welcome Mr. about that favor I asked of you maybe the company can send someone over I'll see what I can do well well I'll be waiting to hear from you so long pal yes I am a man of some influence around here after all hmm well I tell Marge she certainly will be proud of me we pause briefly from our story a man of influence starring Pat O'Brien to bring you an important message from our government high school graduates the US Army offers you a brand new career opportunity especially designed for men who like fast action and real responsibility men without prior service may now enlist directly in the infantry field artillery armored cavalry Corps of Engineers or the anti-aircraft artillery whichever branch you choose the Army's new career guidance plan gives you the chance of a lifetime to go up steadily and surely as you demonstrate qualities of initiative and character and you'll have job security that means a lot and retirement benefit too visit your local US Army and US Air Force recruiting office soon find out about the hundreds of career specialties which make the Army a great outfit find out about the exciting and important duty assignment you'll win in such fields as radar guided missiles or electronics see for yourself how many recreational sports and travel privileges the modern soldier enjoys you'll see why America's finest men choose US Army careers then make the Army your career you owe it to your future the curtain rises on act two of the man of influence starring Pat O'Brien is Bill well Bill has promised Miss English she will have a long extension cord put on a telephone but so far he has only succeeded in getting the telephone company to agree to send someone over to talk about it right now Bill and Marge are out shopping and junior is sitting in the front room the manager of the phone company is just pressing the door buzzer hello hello young men Mr. Archer live here my name is Wesley the father called me about a business matter well I don't usually make personal calls I happen to go right by your house my way home well that'll be right back you better come in and wait for it thank you have a chair all right well you're a young Archer I guess you're getting near the age when you'll be using the telephone a lot calling up for dates I hate girls yeah I see it must be your father who's always using the phone yeah he does use it a lot but oh boy if the phone company ever finds out how many times he uses it when they don't know about it when the phone company doesn't know about it yeah you see that baseball bat hanging by the booth in the hall of course it doesn't always work but sometimes you can lift the receiver and hit the phone as hard as you can with the baseball bat and to the operator it sounds like a nickel you don't say it I'm not as strong as my father he can hit so hard it sounds like a quarter stick quite a blow you said it one night he called New York a long distance and he got blisters on his hand he used to bill so many times the neighbors thought he was practicing to drive an ice cream truck young man this is most interesting I happen to be Mr. Wagner manager of the phone company yeah well you, huh? manager of the phone company yeah what have we got to say to that I wish I was dead hi Junior I'm back got to call Miss B Mr. Teller something where's the baseball bat what do you mean not now I got to make it oh here's the bat please dad put that bat down it doesn't matter what you do Junior haven't you noticed that we got a visitor it's sitting right behind you this is Mr. Wagner that manager of the phone company phone company well don't just stand there Junior pitch me a baseball see here Archer your boy just told me all about everything I just look at that phone and send it out to a body in Fenderworks to have it straightened don't give me any excuses for that long chord you wanted for your friend Miss Beamish she'll be lucky now if she ever gets it good day Mr. Wagner I'm sorry dad I didn't know who he was when he first came in started talking about phones naturally I told him what fun we have here yeah miss Beamish now she'll never get a chord connected unless unless I fixed it myself oh dad you're not going to try to fix it yourself of course I am miss Beamish come on come on we got your little tool kit tell mother we're off to miss Beamish's what are you doing with all the inner workings of miss Beamish's phone laid out on the floor you remember which is which as I do let's see this green wire goes under the screw mark twice I know the green wire goes there but it won't stand and lets you use some solder we got any solder no well that doesn't matter little hole just as good my way hand me another bobby pin Mr. Archer I appreciate your taking this personal interest in me but don't you think we ought to send for a mechanic what and spend your hard-earned money a chance when Bill Archer's on the job things start humming I wish the phone would start humming so I could go home and stop worrying March please you know very well that mechanical things have always been my specialty I know Bill but this is the first time you've ever tattled a telephone what's the difference we bought that new refrigerator I connected it up myself didn't I yes for a week or so we had the only refrigerator on the block that defrosted on the outside well I told you I did that on purpose it keeps the kitchen so nice and cool oh here's Junior the screwdriver I sent him for thanks son let's see I have the cord attached I gotta figure out where to plug it are you sure you know what you're doing there Junior we've been all through that with your mother don't know why everyone seems so dubious I can fix things I fixed those wheels on your bike for you didn't I Junior work too didn't I no other kid I know has a bike with square wheels on it well I didn't have the tools I needed but don't forget those square wheels that come in mighty handy if they ever start building round sidewalk there the mechanism is set now to put the case on there now it looks to me like it's ready oh thank goodness will it work now of course it'll work Miss Beamish your phone is all set now of course we'll test it what do you like to call well old Miss McDonnell just moved and she gave me this new number here I wrote it down hillside one three six seven okay call and surprise what was that is old Miss McDonnell there look we got it excuse me I can't understand this Miss Beamish your friend doesn't work in a fish market is she mercy no she's a vegetarian oh what's the dial the wrong number I'll try again I'm sorry I don't want a fish market well what's the matter with fish well nothing really but I goodbye I'll get the operator she'll help me well operator this is Bill Archer again there's nothing wrong with this line well yes I did attach a little cord to the oh that's what it is oh nothing Mr. Wagner I took it on myself to hook on a little piece of extension wire I'll take somewhere yes sir yes sir you've got the right number this time Miss Beamish sorry if I cause you any inconvenience Inconvenient she's capable and you've powered up the international service as far away as Hong Kong you're talking to Poland and you've even had my mother-in-law talking to me good Mr. Wagner we want people to be happy with our service we try to make our customers happy as we can for a slightest bit I'll pick out Miss Beamish's phone and yours too goodbye well Mr. Archer who was that you were talking to that? oh that was just an official I know pretty well about the company she was telling me how much they appreciated the fine job I did over here oh isn't Mr. Archer wonderful must be a thrill a minute living with a man like him isn't it Mrs. Archer you don't know the half of it Miss Beamish well Margie you and Junior go ahead I'll catch up with you later goodbye Miss Beamish Mr. Archer I just knew a man of your influence would be able to help me I can't thank you enough oh thank you Miss Beamish but uh my friend at the company wants his own maintenance men to put your cord in for you so when they come to do it just give them this ten dollars will you ten dollars yes I want everything to be squared off besides that it will more than pay for your long cord oh Mr. Archer you have a heart of gold yes I know well see you later you will? Marge Junior wait for me gee dad you're really smart aren't you you fixed the phone from Miss Beamish and you got me out of that little jam I was in with Mr. Wagner you're a wonderful dad for a fella that was nothing son didn't I ever tell you about the time when Boulder Dam broke down I fixed it with my own scout knife and this is where I came in yes sir there I was holding back 70,000 tons of auto with my left hand with my right hand I was keeping all the dynamo's going I tell you it took superhuman strength but I stood there for 12 hours and it finally came that's right dad the cooking falls in the final act of a man of influence our star Pat O'Brien will return for a curtain call after this timely message from Wendell Niles here's the message from the army registered nurses if you're a recent graduate in search of an exciting and rewarding career look into the advantages of a reserve commission in the army nurse corps there are now about 1100 openings for young nurses who can qualify for appointment you will serve in modern well-equipped army hospitals throughout the United States and you may be eligible for foreign service after one year as a commissioned officer with a pay and responsibilities of your rank you will enjoy nursing soldier patients with a stimulating atmosphere of army posts for full information write the surgeon general department of the army Washington 25 D.C. now once again your host C.P. McGregor and our star well Pat I really don't need to say it but I think you know how glad I am to welcome you back to our theater thank you C.P. I didn't realize how long it's been since I've done a show with you it's been about four years it's been hard on our fifth show that makes me a sort of a charter member I should be a T.F.C. by this time ordinarily but you forgot that little matter of enlisting I did that in 1917 I should have said semen second class well you can't skip drill for all those years and still make your rate alright I'll be back oftener we'll be looking for you and by the way I'd like to talk to you about your new picture the late Damon Runyon's Johnny One-Eye this is the fifth motion picture of the really great Runyon stories of course he always wrote about Broadway that is most always and it's people and his characters were typical of the big street now in this particular one there's a killer that's you and then Wayne Morris who plays Mr. Big and Dolores Moran she's a striptease artist and she's one of the most devastating dolls in the Damon Runyon gallery you know you can say that twice really C.P. Johnny One-Eye and I trust your listeners will go to see it our producer Ben Brogis well he knows how to make those Runyon characters come to life on the screen he didn't do so badly with that cast either well I'm certain our listeners will go see it well that's great I hope they do C.P. what is your next release going to be next week Pat and ladies and gentlemen the very lovely Ellen Grew will be our star we've a fine romance drama for her titled The Truck Driver and the Lady a story of a young couple who try to adjust their lives to lowered living standards and at the same time overcome constant opposition to the marriage by their parents great great I'll catch it and I'll see you again soon so on C.P. goodbye Pat we should have done this next week ladies and gentlemen when Ellen Grew stars in the story The Truck Driver and the Lady the next week then this is C.P. McGregor saying thanks for listening and Cheerio from Hollywood Pat O'Brien appears with the courtesy of the Hollywood Gordon and is ready which arranges for the parents of all stars in this program Grip was by Dick McKnight with the music of Eddie Dunn setting the program is transcribed in Hollywood for release at this time Wendell Niles speaking