 The curtain rises on Act 2 of Back Home starring Richard Widmark as Joe Gort. Attracted by a news item, Joe Gort returned to his little home village of Newton, the wealthiest town per capita in the state, the town that had sent him to reform school at 14. Now, 20 years later, Joe has gone back to Newton to rob the bank and revenge himself on Judge Henning, who sent him up, by making the judge's daughter, Martha, fall in love with him. Joe's telling the story and he's racing against time, so I'll step aside. When I knew I had Martha hooked any time I wanted to make my move, I concentrated on the bank. And that was a cinch. You could set your watch, by the way, everybody working there alive. But the lunch returned and went home again. And the customers were almost as regular. It was a pushover. So I wired Jake and Marty to come on. When they hit town and came up to my room, Marty was looking for trouble, acting as though he thought he was Billy the Kid. And I was tempted to drive him out in that country and put one through his head. I've been trying to calm him down, boss, but I think he's blown his top. He was picking fights with everybody on the train. Why didn't you kill him? Well, I never thought of it. Besides, he might could kill me first. Any time, Jake. You either, Joe. Yeah. Yeah. You might check into that sometime, Marty. What's wrong with now, Joe? I've got other things on my mind, Marty. Yeah, Joe's thinking about dough, Marty. Important dough. Don't bother him with his small talk about killing. I like to talk about killing. Well, I think it's both gruesome and illegal. Now, let's stop it and talk some legitimate business. Hey, when do we knock over this bank, Joe? Tomorrow afternoon at closing time. If you can get that guy straightened out in time. Lay off me, Joe. I'm gonna chew you. Don't. Unless you feel real lucky. I do, Joe. Real lucky. Oh, why don't you two guys quit performing business by myself? Okay, Jake. Here's a setup. At a quarter or three, I'll go into the bank and start talking with Bob Rogers, a cashier. At five minutes to three, you two come in and... That Burns character sure knew what he was talking about when he made that crack about mice and men, didn't he? Anyway, after warning Jake to keep Marty in the room so he couldn't get us into trouble, I left to keep a date with Martha. We drove out into the country again and parked. Hey. Oh, I'm sorry, Joe. My elbow hit the horn. Oh. Why are you so nervous tonight, Joe? Well, I didn't know I was. You're certainly active. Well, I guess I've been thinking too much about business. Oh. Have you made your decision? Yeah. Are you gonna buy Dad's farm? I don't think so. Oh. I wish you'd reconsider, Joe. Dad has to sell the farm. He doesn't have to sell it to me, does he? No. Tell me that I was raised there and I'd like to raise my children there, Joe. Raise kids? Of course. We're gonna have three or four, aren't we? Well, I don't know. I guess I hadn't been thinking that far ahead. I have. The first one's gonna be a boy, Joe Jr. Yeah. How do you know the first one will be a boy? Because I have... I want the first one to be a boy. Do. A boy just like you. So that when he grows up he'll be successful and strong. Yeah. I bet you were a cute little boy, Joe. Yeah, sure. Everybody said I'd go a long way. And they sent me. What do you mean? Nothing. Look, why are we talking about kids? Well, it's a natural thing, isn't it? When people are going to be married. Yeah, I guess it is. We are going to be married, aren't we, Joe? Sure, sure we are, baby, just as soon as we get to the city. You mean we're not going to be married here at home? Well, no, I wasn't planning. You see, I figured we'd go to the city and see a friend of mine who's a JP or something, get married quietly, go on our honeymoon, then come back. Well, I'd rather be married here at home, Joe, with Dad performing the ceremony. Yeah. Yeah, I hadn't thought of that. Say that's a great idea, honey. That is perfect, him marrying you to me. I hoped you'd like it. Oh, I do, baby, I do. It's wonderful, even better than I'd planned. When will we tie the knot? Any time you say, Joe. Well, the sooner the quicker. How about tomorrow morning? Tomorrow? Sure, why not? There's no three-day law in this state. We'll get married in the morning. I'll take care of my business in the afternoon. We'll leave on our honeymoon immediately. But I haven't anything to wear. We'll buy your clothes as we go. The best shops, everything, first class. Money's no object. All right, Joe. Great. Come here. I hope we're doing the right thing, Joe. The right thing. Baby, it's perfect. Being married to you by your old man is everything I need. How's that for a laugh, huh? The judge who sent me to reform school performing the ceremony of marrying me to his daughter. Of course, he wouldn't know it till later but just thinking about it put me even with life right there. Now, the next morning after giving Jake and Marty last-minute warning to keep their noses clean, I met Martha in the county clerk's office. We got our license and we drove out to the Hennings farm. It's my turn to be nervous today, Joe. Why? Lots of people get married, especially in families. Yes, I know, but, Joe, are you sure you want to marry me? I was never more sure of anything in my life, baby. I'm glad. Glad one of us is sure. Why, what do you mean? Well, you're coming to Newton has changed my whole life, Joe. Before you arrived, I knew exactly where I stood, what I was going to do, almost what I'd be doing in five years, ten years, twenty. That'd be pretty dull, wouldn't it? Dull? Mm-hmm. Maybe, but still it gave me a feeling of security. I'm not very old, Joe, not very experienced, and I know that you're very exciting and different, and when we leave here, Joe, you'll be all I have. Yeah. Both Bob and my dad have warned me that I don't know you well enough to marry you. Then why do it? Because I can't seem to help myself. How old are you, Mother? Eighteen. Eighteen? I had a big party just two days before you came to town. Why? How old did you think I was? I don't know. Twenty-five, twenty-six. Who can tell at Dame's age from the time she's sixteen to she's thirty? How old's Bob? Twenty-three. Eighteen, twenty-three, and I'm thirty-four. Hey, how come Bob's cashier of the bank if he's only twenty-three? Oh, Bob's father used to be the cashier until he was killed during a bank robbery when Bob was sixteen. The bank gave Bob a job. Well, that was generous of him. This town sure takes care of its kids. Well, Bob's very grateful. I don't know how many times he's told me that if anyone ever tried to rob the bank while he was there, he'd die before he'd give up a cent. Yeah, sure. A lot of people talk that way when they don't have a Roscoe pushing their brisket back. What? People act differently when there's a gun against their ribs. Bob wouldn't. His father died fighting unarmed with a gun against his ribs. Yeah? Well, there's no explaining suckers. Come on, let's go in. Get your dad to tie the knot. When Martha opened the house door, I reached into my pocket and I felt the marriage license. Then, all of a sudden, I knew I couldn't do it, not to a kid like Martha. Newton might be able to send me over the road of fourteen, put Bob Rogers to work at sixteen, but Newton couldn't make me wreck Martha's life at eighteen. So I kissed her. Not the way I kissed her before, but the way I would have kissed her when she was really decent and ten years younger. And I said goodbye and turned and ran back to the car. All of a sudden, I was afraid. Remembering Marty and his yen for killing, I was afraid for Bob, afraid that Marty had forced Jake to go to the bank with him without waiting for me. And... I was right, wasn't I? Don't talk, Joe. Darling, please don't talk. There isn't a lot more. It doesn't hurt much, really. As I was saying, I was scared. I drove like the devil was sitting in the back seat. And just as I pulled into town, I saw Marty and Jake going into the bank. I raced up to it. I jumped out of the car, and I ran in here. Coming in out of the sun, I couldn't see anything at first. And then I saw Marty with his gun and Bob's ribs, and Bob getting ready to fight unarmed. I pulled my gun and I yelled, Marty, it's a boss, Marty. Who says he's a boss? I say so, Marty. Come away from that kid and I'll prove it. Okay, Joe, you ask for it? You'll have to do better than that, Marty. Get him, Jake, he's crazy. It's nice shooting, Jake. Thanks, boss. I knew we shouldn't have come without you. I told Marty, he shoots pretty good too, Joe. Off good. Oh, that's a story. I didn't get the bank. I didn't get even with Judge Henning. But maybe I did. I did get back home though, didn't I? Oh, yes, Joe. You got back home. And, darling, wouldn't you get well? Oh, my kid, I says I'm not going to get well. I don't want to get well. I've seen the other side of things for once. And I don't like my side anymore. What I can't understand, Joe, is why'd you stand there like a clay pigeon letting Marty shoot you to pieces without firing back? It just wasn't human. Sonny, I never carried a loaded gun in my life. I never cared for the things. Ritchie falls in the final act of back home. Our star, Richard Widmark, will return for a curtain call after this timely message from Wendell Niles. Young man, volunteer today for enlistment of the U.S. Army or the U.S. Air Force. The Army and the Air Force wish to meet their manpower requirements with a greatest possible number of volunteers. Hundreds of jobs in a wide variety of career fields in both the Army and Air Force are open to volunteers who can qualify. If you are single and between the ages of 18 and 34, get full details at your nearest U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force recruiting station today. So, back to our star and your host, C.P. McGregor. In the many years I've spent in Hollywood, I can honestly say that I know very few who have equaled your spectacular rise to success and whose position in motion pictures is any more secure than yours, Dick. Well, thank you, C.P. But you know, it was one thing to get into pictures and still another to keep from being typed after I made my first film, Kiss of Death. You want straight, dramatic roles. Is that it? Well, like any actor, I prefer to mix the roles if possible. Try and play a little bit of everything. And you have the talent to do them all well. Thank you very much. And from what I understand, some of the best producers and directors must have felt the same for you certainly had a wide selection of leads. Well, I think most of the plays I did parts in were pretty good even though there were some among them that were classed as artistic successes. Anyway, everything you did added up to experience and now you're capitalizing on it. But getting back to your motion picture work at 20th Century Fox, they aren't trying to type you, are they? Just the opposite. They've been great. For instance, in No Way Out, I play a very, very nasty character. Then in Panic in the Streets, I play a public health doctor. And in Halls of Montezuma, I play a marine lieutenant. Well, that gives you variety. How about the release dates on those films? I want our listeners to be sure and see them. Okay, fine. Panic in the Streets is now being released and I think next month No Way Out will be in the theaters. And as far as Halls of Montezuma is concerned, I think that's scheduled for release after the first of the year. Oh, but CP here, I'm doing all the talking. Let's hear something about your plans, huh? Well, Richard, my plans at the moment are many didn't buried and I think quite interesting. Oh, but right now in the booth, our director is signaling that the sands of time are running out, which leaves me with no alternative but to say, as I always do, this is CP McGregor saying thanks for listening and Cheerio from Hollywood. The courtesy of the Hollywood Coordinating Committee which arranges for the appearance of all stars on this program. Script was by Bill Hampton with the music of Eddie Dunstead. This program is transcribed in Hollywood for release at this time. Wendell Niles speaking.