 presents Barbara Hale and Michael O'Shea. The Mutual Network in Cooperation with Family Theatre presents at 155 pounds starring Michael O'Shea and now here is your hostess Barbara Hale. Thank You Tony Lafranco. Family Theatre's only purpose is to bring to everyone's attention a practice that must become an important part of our lives if we are to win peace with ourselves, peace for our families and peace for the world. Family Theatre urges you to pray, pray together as a family. And now to our transcribed drama entitled at 155 pounds starring Michael O'Shea as Ben Rocco. You're running through a lot of very interesting, you might even say peculiar people and you hear stories and awful lot of stories. It's what you might call part of the job. People bring their troubles to a bar and a lot of them want to talk. I listened. Virgil didn't want to talk. Hit me a little strange at first too because he sure looked like a guy with a problem. Come in wearing a long face and he climbs upon a stool near the register. Right away I sizes him up for a guy who's gonna try drinking his troubles away. So what is he ordered? Give me a ginger ale. Ginger ale? Yeah ginger ale, nothing, not just ginger ale. Happens once in a while. I fixed him his ginger ale and went on about my business. Long about midnight to join up these out. But Virgil, he stays right there. He was waking on his fifth ginger ale and just staring at the bottles behind the bar. Once in a while he'd look at his watch, nod his head, then he'd go right on back staring at the bottles. I was beginning to get under my skin. So I strolled down, put an elbow on the bar right in front of him. On the wagon, Mac? Pardon me, what did you say? I said, on the wagon? Oh, yeah, yeah. See, I owe it to Flavia to get their sober. A wife, huh? No, girlfriend. Oh, really, you really don't solve nothing. Drink, I mean. Oh, no, I see what you mean. No, it don't solve nothing. Guys all the time come in with problems trying to drown them. Don't work. Yeah, I know what you mean. You should try solving them that way. I figured you for that guy when you come in. I thought, here's a guy with a problem. First he's gonna tell me all about it, then he's gonna get stoned. I'll have to send him home in a cab. Stoned, just for having a couple of drinks there? Yeah, drunk, you know. Oh, drunk. Thought you meant something else. Help you, Annie, to tell me what's on your mind, Mac? Oh, that's very kind of you, buddy, but it's nothing. I can't solve myself, though. Thanks anyway. You know what I mean? I just thought, you know, you might want to talk, and in my line, you get used to listening. No, I wouldn't want to bore you with it. No, I wouldn't be bored. No, believe me, not to do. No customers might help to fast the time. Yeah, well, you might find a little hard to believe. Mac, you know, I hear some of the stories I hear. I notice you keep looking at your watch. Oh, yeah, well, that's all part of it. You know what I mean? I'm leaving for ancient Rome in a few minutes. Ancient Rome. I want a guy says he's going to Rome. That's interesting. But when a guy says he's going to ancient Rome, make sure you stop and think. I fixed the guy on a ginger ale. I drew myself a beer and we both moved to a booth. So as we sit down, he holds a battered newspaper clip and out of his wallet and he shows it to me. Wanted. Young man with no friends or relatives seeking adventure, travel, grandeur to take journey and report on findings must be responsible and way less than 155. 155 pounds. Yeah, that's that's what attracted my attention. See, I answered that ad. You want to hear what happened? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I do. Well, see, the address mentioned is this one. The laboratory is in the same building that this bar is in. Well, when I answered that ad, I was well, I was pretty much down on my luck. In fact, you could say I was well on my way towards being a bum. No, I'm still a little surprised I got the job. Well, anyhow, you see when I went up to be interviewed, just why do you think you fit the requirements, Mr Rocco? What do you mean why? You want a responsible guy who weighs in less than 155 pounds, right? That's me responsible. Mr Rocco. Have you been drinking? Well, I had a short one an hour or so ago, but are you an alcoholic, Mr Rocco? Look, buddy, just because a guy has a I what kind of interview is this? Are you? Now, look, you got no right. Mr Rocco, this, this is not the kind of a job we could trust to just any bum that happened along and you do look very much like a bum to me, you know. Well, if I look like a bum, then why don't you go get somebody else? Because Mr Rocco, you're the only one who answered the ad. Oh, are you an alcoholic, Mr Rocco? Okay, I am not a alcoholic, but you might say I'm training to be one. Training? Yeah. See, I was engaged to a girl, but she wanted a big guy. So she marries my best friend. Couldn't stop thinking about that girl started hitting the bottle. Then I started hitting people. Now, when you're a professional fighter, that's, that's not so good. If I use my fist on anybody in the state, it's a sock with a deadly weapon. How long ago did this all happen, this romantic trouble? Hey, talkative. Look, maybe it's my turn to ask a few questions. What kind of deal is this? It's time travel. Did you say time travel? That's right. We are going to send you to Rome in the year 134 AD. Yeah, well, what are you going to do? It's been nice talking to you. Wait, wait a minute. Mr you're daffy. What makes you think so? Mr Time travel is a science fiction gimmick. Sure, it's used in stories, but in real life, it's just, it's just, well, it's impossible. If you're thinking of paying me for some trip in a, in a kind of a, so long. Wait, wait, wait, I'll, I'll even pay you if it doesn't work. Even if it doesn't work? That's right. How much? $1,000. 10 crisp $100 bills. Here, here, you can. 1000 bucks, huh? What have you got to lose? Sounds like this guy was a real crackpot. Yeah, that's the way I figured a bit of 1000 bucks. What are you going to do 1000 bucks? Well, then what happened? Well, I decided to go along. Naturally. Well, he took me in another room and he gives me a toga. Toga? Yeah, it's a, it's a flowing kind of a loose fit and garment Romans wear. War, war. And he gave me a pad of note paper and a handful of pencils. Hey, how's your memory? 2020. Oh, well, come along. What are jazz for? You may not be able to use the notepad, you know, my machine will transport human tissue, but I'm not at all sure about other things. Then you mean that I wait a minute. You mean his bathrobe? It might stay. Yes, yes. And it's not a bathrobe. It's a toga. Oh, now wait a minute, buddy. What are you so concerned about? What am I concerned about? You're talking about plucking me down the middle of ancient Rome without a stitch of clothes. Don't you say you were sure the whole thing wouldn't work? Well, yeah, I suppose that's right. Then don't worry about it. Well, here it is. Beautiful, isn't it? Yeah, it's a doll. This is your time machine. I prefer to think of it as a chrono port. And look, buddy, if by some queer quirk of faith, this thing works and I am. Oh, believe me, you haven't a thing to worry about. You see these gauges and dials? Yeah, they're set to move you into the Bath of Hadrian, a public bath house on a warm summer afternoon in the year 134 A.D. Now, it might prove a little embarrassing if your toga went with you, but not at all otherwise. You're still worried. Well, it isn't as if I were actually worried. It's just, all I mean, a thing like this could never, you don't know. Absolutely right. Yes. Now, sit right here. Yeah. Oh, my dear, traveling through time. It's ridiculous. You couldn't. Hey, what are you doing? Just trapping you in so you won't fall out. Fall out, man. I've fallen off stools, but I never fall off a chair my whole life. Well, this is, this is a rather special change. Hey, now look, buddy, wait a minute. I take it. What is this? A gag? Now, this is not a gag. And if you listen to me for just a minute, I'll tell you what I'm paying you for. Well, start telling. Now, you're about to go on a wondrously fascinating trip. But this is an experiment. Depending on how much success we have with this little journey, we will plan other journeys. Keep your eyes and ears open. Take notes if you can. You won't have to worry about language. The Corona Porter takes care of that. Now, don't stay more than no 12 hours. In the event you want to come back earlier than that, just go to the spot you arrived at and wait. The machine will be going down automatically every hour to bring you back. Any questions before I pull this? Yeah, yeah. Look, if this is going to be such a wondrously fascinating trip, why did you advertise for a guy with no friends or relatives? Why don't you take the trip yourself? Well, as I said, I mean to put you in one of the public baths, but a few feet one way or the other might put the traveler in the center of a marble pillar. A marble pillar or a tree. A tree, yeah. Now, wait just one minute, buddy. Don't pull a thing because I want to tell you I'm quitting. Let me out of the thing. I'm afraid it's too late now. Boom, voyage. Man, that was a sensation. I'll never forget. I saw that switch come down and then things started to get fuzzy and the whole room felt like it was turning around slowly. First it was slow, very slow and then I got faster and faster and faster and then I felt myself holding out to the chair straps and then all of a sudden the straps were gone and the chair was gone and things started to come back into focus. Only I was no longer in any office anymore. I am hanging in the air about 20 feet over the water in about the biggest indoor plunge I ever saw in my whole life. I remember hanging there while things came back into focus. Everybody was watching me like in a nightmare. Then when everything came into a good clear picture, I fell. Did you see that dive, Tershus? Remarkable, Senator Grecus. Remarkable. Here, here, here, here, I'll give you a hand. I'll help you out of the water. Thank you, buddy. Oh, I am Senator Grecus and this is Tershus Aureus, Centurion in the Praetorian God. Oh, pleasure. Name is Ben. Ben. Remarkable dive, Senator. Yeah, you're telling me. I wonder if you'd mind telling us just how you accomplished it. Yes, there seems to be nothing from which to dive which would have landed you in the exact center of the Teppadarean. Boys, you know how it is. If I told you you wouldn't believe it in the first place and then after all that, you know, it's a professional secret, you know what I mean? Professional? Or you're an acrobat? No, no, I'm a middleweight, you know, fight game, fight game. He looks a bit small for it, but he probably means he's a gladiator, Senator. What? Of course, after a dive like that, Tershus, where else would he have gotten the training but in the arena? Probably the palestria. The palestria? I never heard of the palestria, but I fought in Pittsburgh Arena a couple of times. You see, Tershus? Bits, right? Yeah, and I was pretty well known around a legion, stayed him out on the coast, but I did most of me fighting in a garden. The garden? Who's garden? Where are you from, citizen? Originally from Syracuse. Yes, I've heard of the place. It's on the coast of Sicily on the southeast. No, no, Mack, it's in Central New York State. Central New what? No, just a minute there. You boys mind telling me, where am I? Oh, where you are? Sounds as if you've had too much wine, citizen. Well, not lately. One meets interesting people in the Bath of Hadrian. The Adonis really is Rome. This is a very strange young man, Tershus. All roads lead to Rome and all kinds travel them. And the year, it's 134 AD, right? 134 by all the household gods, Tershus. What do you think of that? Too much wine, but it's... Yeah, well, is it 134 or ain't it? This is the year of Rome, 882. 882? Yeah, it's Oh, murder, somebody goofed. Perhaps a little walk in the sun would help you clear your head. And then, too, you must be uncomfortable in your wet clothing. Let's step out in the sun. Yeah, I'm still wearing this bathrobe. Oh, this is bad. This is real bad. She might make an interesting dinner, yes, Senator. Yes, let's play a little trigon sounding out. You get about five balls and we'll start the game, Tershus. Oh, you care for a little trigon, friend? Trigon. Well, I never heard of it, buddy, but I'll tell you the truth. At this stage of the game, I'll drink anything. Well, as it turns out, trigon is a kind of ball game and not what I'm thinking it is at all. It also turns out that these guys seem to be pretty interested in every word I say, which is a new thing to a guy with my background and my vocabulary. Pretty soon after it started getting docked to Senator Wooden, have it any other way than that I should be his guest for as long as I am going to stay in Rome. Benny Rocco has never been a man to turn down a few free meals. Oh, but I want to tell you the house. The house was a real surprise. Look like a museum kind of that is when it wasn't looking like something you'd only expect to see in cinema scope. Vases four feet tall with no flowers in them and pillars holding up nothing at all slaves running around with nobody chasing them. Bus of this guy and bus of that guy all over the place. I want to tell you say a nice little place you got here, Senator. How is that? I believe your new friend approves of your home, Senator. Yeah, yeah, but pretty elegant. Well, I hope you'll approve of the dinner as well. You know, I remember reading somewhere something about your Roman banquets. Roman banquets. Undoubtedly you were reading history. They began to decline in favor when Flavian became emperor and the custom fares is poorly under Hadrian. You don't say. That's very interesting. I expect Flavia the emperor. No, no, my daughter. She was named for him. I imagine she's planned a simple meal. I believe she said something about bacon and eggs and a few creams from your garden. I hope, Senator. I suppose that bacon and eggs in ancient Rome. Man, things are not getting any better. Flavia, my dear daughter. Hello, Tertius. Hello, father. This is his daughter. And the true master of the house. My dear, we have a guest. His name is Ben Rocco. Ben Rocco. Ben Rocco. Isn't Ben the Jewish word for prince? Are you a Jewish prince? Well, I'm afraid not. It's just a nickname, ma'am. Nickname? Yeah, you know, a short name. Make it easy on yourself. Real name is not so good. What might it be, Ben Rocco? Got a good hold of yourself, sister. Virgil. My father used to read books. Oh, that's a venerable name. If a little misplaced. Oh, very fascinating. Our guest is a gladiator, my dear. And from what he says, a very successful one. Oh, I've done a little time on the canvas. On the canvas? I don't believe we've had the pleasure of entertaining a gladiator before. Oh, you have so few scars. Well, I'm a little cut up around the eyes of some. I've had a good training. You know what I mean? Oh, I think this is going to be very fascinating. Shall we all go into dinner? Yes, yes, yes. Of course, dinner. Where were you trained, Virgil? Look, ma'am, I'd appreciate it if you just call me Ben, huh? Well, I guess you could say I did most of me training in the garden. In the garden? What a strange place for a gladiator to train. Right from the start, that Flavia and me hit it off, and I can tell you, it made me feel pretty good. I've never had a Flavia as a real doll, and it wasn't long before I was feeling the world as my age then. But the longer I talked, the more I noticed that this turtiest guy's nose is getting out of joint. And you predict that someday men will actually fly through the air? Well, that Greek was supposed to have done it. Now, what was his name? Oh, yes, it's just Icarus, made wings out of wax. He fly too near the sun, I believe. Well, it's not going to happen for a long time, but believe me, it's going to happen. Oh, and one other thing. Well, I tell you about the horseless carriages, uh, horseless chariots, I should have said. Bilge. Uh, how's that turtiest? Bilge. By Mars and Jupiter, I've never heard such swill outside a drinking bout. Do I see you swill turtiest? If you're such a prophet, my friend, tell us who our next emperor will be, or how long the army will be held to only 30 legions. Oh, look, I'm sorry, but I'm not too sharp on the history of ancient Rome. Gentlemen, gentlemen, please. Another time you say that ancient Rome. Rome under the emperor Hadrian is the most modern city in the world. Seats of civilization. Buddy, it was only a slip. I'm sorry. And I've been watching the way you've been smiling at Flavia. She's promised to me. I forbid you to fiddle her head with any more of your lies. Look, buddy, I have been not been lying and I'm sorry. I didn't know you two were engaged. We were promised to each other when I was only 13, Virgil. You mean you had nothing to say about the matter with this? Well, how can one fight custom? Then too, citizen Rocco, you say you've defeated 26 men in the arena. I'll call you a liar on that one too. Most guys couldn't take an insult like that. But a guy who fights pro, well, he kind of gets used to it. A fighter can get himself into a whole lot of trouble in some states using his fists at social functions. I figured maybe Rome was one of these places. So I just kind of smile and lean back and said the wrong thing. Look, I don't want to fight you, buddy, and I got a pretty good reason. But if you need one for the record, let's just say I won't fight you because it's, well, it's just not the Christian thing to do. Well, so when I said that, he looked kind of funny, like he didn't know whether I was kidding or not. And he turned and stormed out of the palace. I told you Tertius was a Centurion in the Praetorian Guard. Look, dad, I got nothing against the military. I was a soldier once myself. You don't understand, Virgil. Tertius has ordered to arrest all Christians, and you, dear Virgil, are a Christian. Oh. Well, so it turns out that the Senator is a real good Joe. In fact, he and his daughter are both Christians on the slide themselves, and so they're all forgiving me all the protection they can. And I'm all for taking it. After all, who wants to be lunch for a lion? Well, they kept me in a house for two days in Flavia. Well, she made me want to stay there forever. But a long towards evening of the second day, I began to remember something, and it made me kind of fidgety. What's wrong, Virgil? Are you worried about Tertius? Uh, bum. No, honey, it's... Well, look, I got something on my mind, that's all. Hey, you want to go out into the garden? Honey, I don't know whether I can tell you about it or not. Just speak your mind, Virgil. Shouldn't it be easier for you here in the garden? Well, you see right there, that's part of it, you could almost say. You, you think I feel more at home in the garden because I said I got most of my training in one. Honey, the garden I trained in was called Madison Square Garden, and it's a whole lot different from this one. You see, we, we just come from two totally different worlds, honey. Aren't you happy in this one? Kid, I've been happier here than I ever been in my whole life. But you see, I, I made a deal when I came here. A deal? Well, an agreement sort of. You see, a guy paid me a thousand bucks to make this trip and... I don't understand. I know you don't, but listen. This guy paid me a lot of money to make this trip, and part of the deal was that I was to remember and to tell him all about it, and that's what I gotta do. I gotta go back and remember and tell him about everything that happened. Oh, oh, I see. No, no, you see, you don't see. But believe me, kid, I'll be coming back. But this guy, he gave me something great, and, and, and, and I gotta give him what he paid for. If I don't, well, I'm, I'm just a bum. Will you come back, Virgil? Flavio, baby, you think I'll leave you alone with that slob turdious? Now, you may be promised to him, but you're my girl, and that's the way it's going to be. I'll come back, honey. Well, I borrowed a few quadrants, that's money in Roman, from Flavio, to pay the admission price for the Bath of Hadrian. And then I did the hardest thing I ever did in my life. I left. I kind of stuck to the back streets on the way there to avoid seeing turdious in those boys, and I, I was lucky. Right up until I was inside the baths and just about ready to climb into the tepidarium tank. You, gladiator, stop. Uh-oh, they get a devil and up he pops. How'd you find me, Hawkshaw? I've had enough of your insults, Christian. The name of the divine Hadrian Emperor of Rome. I arrest you for subversion and treason. You, uh, figuring out troll meat to the lions, are you? If I don't kill you myself. Oh, now look, buddy, oh, I don't want to hurt you. Why don't you just go play soldier out in the backyard? I'll show you how a Roman plays soldier. Don't you think you better go get some help for yourself? That was your last insult. I'm going to kill you. Shit comes at me like an angry gorilla, and that's what he made his first mistake. He grabbed out from my throat with his right. I bobbed and weaved to the left, hooked him in the midsection with right. He backed up a few feet, then he rushes at me, swinging with both hands. I popped him a few left jabs, and I fell his teeth breaking under my knuckles. Then one good solid belt right to the note, and I want to tie it up, but it is over. I jumped into the water, swim to the spot where I'd fallen in, and then things began going out of focus, and, well, here I am. Man, that's quite a story. What are you going to do now? I'm going back. I told the professor to work. He paid me off, and in a couple of minutes I'm going to pop upstairs, and he's going to send me back. Yeah, but what about this turdius? Who cares for that bum? Man, well, what about the lions? You're a Christian, and then no... What am I going to do, leave flavia at us, perspire it out alone? Sure, yeah, no. But what about the date being all balled up? The professor had things figured out on the Christian calendar instead of a Roman when you see what I mean, buddy. No trouble there at all. How about that? Well, I want to tell you it's been real nice talking to you, but I, I better be getting along, huh? Wait a minute, you, you sure you know what you're doing? Well, I think so. Well, good luck, Mac, and I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Hey, thanks. You know, you're real understanding. Well, that the, the guy walks out of my bar, never saw him again, and I'll have to confess for a long time I thought he was punchy. It happens to some fighters I heard. Then the other day in the library I happened to pick up a book on Roman history, ran across the mention of a gladiator named Rocco who lived during the reign of Hadrian. In the footnote it said that he was unique among those in his profession because he was a family man and also because he never killed those he fought in the arena. Makes you stop and think. Hello, this is Barbara Hale again. You know family theater receives many letters from its listeners. Most of them expressing gratitude for the message of faith and hope that this program tries to convey each week. But every so often we receive a letter which contains its own message of faith and when that happens we try to pass it on to you. The following is a short poem sent to us by a woman whose son was killed during World War II. It helped her then to bear the terrible burden of grief that such a loss inflicts and she feels it may help others look her today. The poem is entitled Resignation. He gave me a splinter from his cross and there I knelt complaining for I could not lift the heavy load with all my human straining and then as I raised my anguished eyes I saw my savior weeping that I could refuse to give my son back to his loving keeping and knowing now he was lent to me the loveliest of God's favors. I returned him to the savior's arms and rose to resume my labors. Just a parting reminder the family that prays together stays together. All things are brought by prayer than this world dreams of. You're transcribed at 155 pounds starring Michael O'Shea. Barbara Hale was your hostess. Others in our cast were Gloria Grant, Howard McNeer, Herb Vigrin and John Larch. The script was written and directed for Family Theater by Robert Hugh O'Sullivan with music composed and conducted by Harry Zimmerman. The series of Family Theater broadcasts is made possible by the thousands of you who feel the need for this type of program. By the Mutual Network which has responded to this need and by the hundreds of stars of stage screen and radio who give so unselfishly their time and talent to appear on our Family Theater stage. To them and to you our humble thanks. This is Tony Lafranco expressing the wish of Family Theater that the blessing of God may be upon you and your home and inviting you to be with us next week when Family Theater will present Stolen Symphony starring Hugh O'Brien and Anne Francis. Jimmy Durante will be your host. Join us, won't you? Family Theater is broadcast throughout the world and originates in the Hollywood studios of the world's largest network. This is Mutual, the radio network for all America.