 Ladies and gentlemen, the railroad hour. Here comes our star-studded show train. American Railroads presents transcribed the charming Broadway musical Irene, starring Gordon MacGray and his guest star Dorothy Warren Scholl. Our choir is under the direction of Norman Luboff, and the music is prepared and conducted by Carmen Dragun. Yes, tonight another great musical success is brought to you by the American Railroads, the same railroads that bring you most of the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the fuel you burn, and all the other things you use in your daily life. And now here is our- And good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight we're bringing you the story of one of the loveliest young ladies in the history of the musical stage. Her name? Irene. And Dorothy Warren Scholl is here to play that unforgettable gal. I'm a fellow named Donald Marshall, and my hobby is collecting money. The whole thing opens right in the middle of a party at my Fifth Avenue mansion. And by the way, you're all invited. As you all know, our latest fad here on Fifth Avenue is genealogy. That means, of course, tracing our family backgrounds, climbing up our family trees until we find William the Conqueror. You know, sometimes you climb your family tree, and all you find is bark. That's called bonking up the wrong tree. In the art of genealogy, we find the pedigree of your family tree. And if it comes in all an ant, as a plant, we can make them. I'm interested in this new hobby. Really, it's so important to know who people really are. Oh, I don't know. But Don, reading always shows. Oh, incidentally, I have a business problem to discuss with you, Don, and I know you'll help me. Why, sure. You see, I've put a lot of money into a new shop, a Maudiste. Madame Lucy. I brought her from Paris, but nobody's heard of her yet. Well, what can I do? Well, the secret of this business is to get good-looking young girls to wear clothes where other people will see them. Then they inquire who made them, and the ball is rolling. Well, Bob, it's rather a delicate subject to suggest to a gal that she changed her Maudiste. She might think, uh, I didn't like her clothes. Well, I guess I'll think of something. I beg your pardon, Mr. Marshall. Yes, Clarkson? There's a girl from the shop about the seat cushions on the veranda. You remember you complained they were made too small. I'll be right out, Clarkson. Excuse me, Bob. Yes, yes, of course. It's okay to me. Well, hello. Hello. Mr. Marshall here wished to complain about the cushions. Clarkson. Yes, Mr. Marshall. Uh, Clarkson, you can go. But the complaint? I have no complaint. Yes, sir. What's your name? I'm the girl from the shop by Reno Dare. I know your name. It's Marshall. You know you're one of the loveliest girls I've ever seen? Oh, no, not in this old shirt waist and this 98-10 half. I hope you don't mind. But I've been peeking at all the really lovely girls at your party. Those gowns. Oh, they're dreamy. Gowns don't make any difference. Oh, yes, they do. I had a gown once. It was Alice Blue. One of the women who comes into our shop gave it to me. It was just a cast-off. But do you know that it originally cost $85? Well, now imagine that. I took it home and pressed it and fluffed it up and, oh, I felt like a princess. Well, where's the gown now? It's gone. I wore it out. It just faded away. Oh. Oh, I wish you could have seen me in it. It was so wonderful. I even used to put it on a hanger. My ones had a gown. It was all... Sounds wonderful. Oh, clothes make a lot of difference to a girl. Even if I do live on 9th Avenue, I love beautiful things. I've got a great idea. My mother says I should be careful when strange young men get ideas. Well, now don't worry about that. Listen, I'm going to see that you get not $85 dresses, but $300 dress. $300 dress? Why, you're going to look like a million dollars. And it won't cost you a penny. Oh, gee. Now, listen closely, Irene. Have you ever heard of Pygmalion and Galatia? They are vaudeville teams? No, no, no. He was a sculptor and she was a statue. But she was so lovely and so fascinating that he fell in love with her. He decked her out in the most beautiful raiment. And she came to life. And they loved each other forever after. Oh, I don't believe it. We're going to deck you out, Irene, with gowns and jewels and hats and slippers. You're going to be Cinderella. You're going to be Galatia. Oh, gee whiz. How much do you make a week at the shop? $15. Well, you're making $25 a week right now. And all you have to do is wear beautiful clothes, go to parties, and tell everybody you bought them in Madame Lucy's. Oh, it's like a dream. Remember, it's our secret. We'll start the ball rolling right now. Bob, hey, Bob, I think I have the answer to your problem. I'm putting my foot down. Oh, Mother. Why, a girl in this very tenement house with a model for clothes and hat. And it was her ruin. She got used to fine feathers and wanted to be a fine bird. Well, you know what she turned into? An old crow. All right, Mother, all right. And didn't I have enough experience with your old man? He had to get a job in a distillery. Oh, daughter, did he love his work. Like everything they made. Never hurt him until it killed him. Going with that black look on your face. Just out to sit on the fire escape. Oh, gee, I guess all a gal can do is dream. I shut my eyes and my ears. This isn't a fire escape at all. It's the rampart of a castle. We build our castles in there. Garbage cans over there. And that isn't Mr. Mahouly's washing flapping in the wind. It's Mr. Marshall. Don, on a white horse come to serenade. There's a cat. What Mama says? I'm going to be that galatee, a gal. Cats and gloves, underthings, overthings, everything. Now this town is ever seen. Oh, mademoiselle O'Dea. Do you have a color preference? Oh, yes, blue. Alice blue. Love my problem, ladies and gentlemen. Such boy. You always said that yourself. Reading always shows. Don, which O'Dea family is that? Uh... The O'Dea's. You don't mean it. Yes, I do. Well, Don, I tell you, she's so fascinating that I'm positively falling in love with her. All the other men at this party seem to have the same idea. Just listen. Gentlemen, gentlemen, please, one at a time. Oh, I'm having a lovely time. And it says it should be, Miss O'Dea, because we all think you're the loveliest girl in the world. Gentlemen, I thank you. I only hope that at midnight I don't turn into a pumpkin. Just a moment. In short, the answer was the railroads. The magic key which unlocked and opened up for settlement, cultivation, and development, the new lands west of the Mississippi. Yes, and today, America's railroads are still the cornerstone of transportation in this country. They move more tons of freight more miles than all other forms of transportation combined and do so at a lower average charge than any other form of general transportation. And just as the rich dividends which the Louisiana Purchase have paid the nation could not have been realized without the construction of the railroads, so the country could not continue to prosper and develop without the continuing existence and efficient operation of the railroads, the nation's number one form of transportation. Two of the Lawrence and Lee version of Irene, starring Gordon MacGray as Donald Marshall and Dorothy Warren-Schold as Irene. Our business is booming. Every woman in town is buying her clothes at Madame Lucy's and all because Irene has been the toast of every party. Well, I'm happy that you're happy. Oh, you have no idea. I, uh, I'm in love with the girl, too. I've asked her to marry me. Yeah? What did she say? She said she'd let me know. And, uh, meanwhile, I've been investigating her family tree. Oh. What'd you find? Well, I've had the top genealogy expert make out a chart. Paid him $500. Don, it proves she's an aristocrat. $500. Bob, if you paid a thousand, they would have said her father was the Prince of Wales and her mother was Queen of Romania. You, uh, don't approve of genealogy? What good is a fancy family tree? Makes you feel like a potato. This part of you is underground. Well, all right. Here's your dear history, all on this scroll. Let me have that. Uh, I'll be right back. Irene. Oh, Irene. I'm right here, Mr. Marshall. Oh. You having fun? Oh, yes. I wish it could last forever. You know, I've kept a diary, so if anything happens, I'll have something wonderful to read about, at least when I'm an old lady. You know what I have here? A history of your family. Oh, dear. Does it tell about Pop and the Distillery and about Uncle Gus and the Jersey cops? Oh, no, no. Look, it's all about queens and princesses in Ireland. It's all poetry. Oh, it's like a fairy story, and I'm in it. Once a king of Normandy When a queen of Arcadee Then they settled or The shameless came then Kathleen Sham was born in then Ireland Michael came before In a little bit of solemn sweetness Irene, a dainty slip of rare completeness Manor is a magnetism Eyes of youth inviting Dancing by with glancing eye The plush of her exciting siren The sorghum captures hearts to charm them Careful, don't beware They're followed by her scent Up she goes, down she goes Everybody's pet Nearer far there you are Captured in the net Artifity which Irene oh dares Irene, a little bit of solemn sweetness Irene, a dainty slip of rare completeness Manor is a magnetism Eyes of youth inviting Dancing by with glancing eye The plush of her exciting The sorghum captures hearts to charm them Careful, don't beware They're followed by her scent Up she goes, down she goes Everybody's pet Nearer far there you are Artifity which Irene oh dares So nice, I wish it was true I wish it was for real I hate masquerading when I'm with you But I'm the one who made it all up That pig guy Pig million? Yes Did his gal ever have to go back and be a statue again? Or could she keep on pretending she was a girl and keep on being in love with him? You know something, I think he was the one who had to pretend because she was so very beautiful But he never thought he was worthy of her Charlie You're still in the sunlight Of your gentle smile Oh, Bob, what's up? Well, the party's almost over and I'd like the last dance with the most beautiful girl here I'm awfully sorry, Bob. I promised it to Don You know, I always said the last part of the party was the most fun of all I wouldn't change your disposition though I may have the intuition You're not so much to me that I should care But did you show a little gratitude in me? Oh, didn't you? Lookin' shenanigans Just exactly what's going on here Oh, Mother Mother Mother, how did you get here? That fine Irish cab driver who snoozes on the corner of 8th Avenue told me where you've been hiding off to my fine lady So this is why you quit your job in that shop to mix with these swells I'll come home with you right now, Mother I should think so Get out of those fine feathers and come back to Roost on 9th Avenue Irene Don't say anything, Don, please Well, this certainly changes the whole picture I obviously can't marry you now Well, nobody asked you to What if a guy like me stood in line and waited and maybe someday if she thought he was good enough for her then, well, maybe she'd want to go through life with him Do you hear that, Mama? Mr. Pygmalion here is asking me to marry him It sure sounded that way You have lovely ears, Galatier That's saying to preserve it Look at them two They're in love Oh, yes, Mama And it's just like in a fairy tale Lovely Dorothy Warren's show will be back in just one moment In the meantime, our thanks to Jeanette Nolan, Tom McKee and to our entire company Irene with music by Harry Tierney booked by James Montgomery and lyrics by Joseph McCarthy was dramatized for the railroad hour by Lawrence and Lee The railroad hour is brought to you each week at the same time by the American Railroads Marvin Many factors work together to make the Louisiana Purchase pay the natural resources of the territory the ventures of the pioneers the vigor and determination of the settlers and the initiative and ingenuity of men and women by the millions but it's safe to say that none of these factors nor all of them together could have produced a magnificent result we see today had they're not coming to being at just the right time a system of high volume low cost self-supporting transportation by rail and it is equally safe to say that the productiveness and prosperity of the purchase could not continue without the continued services of the railroads Thank you Marvin and now here again is our delightful guest Dorothy Warren-Scholl Thank you Gordon Oh it was really great fun Well Dorothy we liked you so very much that we want you to come back next week and the week after that and the week after that Invitation accepted What are we singing next week? You just listen Sounds like music for a love story, Gordon That's right Dorothy We're gonna do a brand new musical version of Sir James M. Barrie's wonderful romance Quality Street Can I be Phoebe Throssell? Well you can be Phoebe Throssell if you let me be the dashing Captain Brown Sounds like it'll be fun on Quality Street See you Monday Gordon Good night Dorothy All aboard Well dear friends it looks as though we're ready to pull out and so until next week in the railroad hour premiere of Quality Street this is your friend Gordon McRae saying Good night The green was presented transcribed by special arrangement with the Tams Whitmark Music Library Gordon McRae may soon be seen co-starring in by the light of the silvery moon in Technicolor A choir was under the direction of Norman Lubeau and our music was prepared and conducted by Carmen Dragon Until next week this is Marvin Miller saying good night for the American Railroad Now stay tuned for your Monday night of music on NBC Tonight the voice of Firestone features Eleanor Stieber on NBC