 All from Hollywood, ladies and gentlemen, this is C.P. McGregor speaking, and welcoming you to another performance of your War Department program, Proudly We Hail. Through the courtesy of the Hollywood Coordinating Committee, we present the distinguished actor Mr. George Murphy, as the star of our show, A Song Is Born, written by Tom Petty with music by Eddie Skravanik. Jimmy Kennedy is in a jam. Jimmy's a songwriter gone stale, and that puts Arthur J. Berry, the movie producer right behind the eight ball, for Mr. Berry must have a song for his new show, but right now. But Jimmy... Sure, sure. I know, Mr. Berry. I promised you a tune, but I got a half-time. What do you think I am? A jukebox? Something you can walk up to, drop a coin in the slot and get a song? Look, I write them when I feel them. Well, you better start getting that feeling. This is your last chance with me, Jimmy. All right, all right, Mr. Berry, go ahead. Twist my arm. I'd twist your neck if I thought it would help. What's the matter with you, Jimmy? Oh, everything, Mr. Berry. I got no place to work. My apartment's a manhouse. Yes, but you're a bachelor. You live alone. Sure, sure. But the place is filled with people day and night, drop-ins, moochers. I can't hear myself think. Hey, maybe I can fix that. My wife's out of town. I'm staying at the club. Why don't you move out to my house in Beverly Hills? Beverly Hills? Hey, wait a minute. Could be you got something there, pal? No. No, it's no good. The birds would keep me awake. It might be a good idea to stay awake. I've got to have the song by tomorrow night. You got a piano out there? I have a baby grand, although I don't know why they call it a baby when it set me back a couple of grand. Well, even at that price, it's probably out of tune. But I'm out of tune, too, so it might be just the right combination, huh? Okay, you talk me into it. It's a deal. All right, I'll give you the keys and you can go right out. We'll let the servants go, so you'll have to look out for yourself. Oh, don't worry about that, Mr. Berry. I never eat anything when I'm working on a song. You never will if you don't write this one, and tomorrow night show a deadline, Jimmy. You're holding up production. Now, look, can I help it if I'm not a Hollywood genius? I'm betting you are. I'll call you in the morning to see how the song's coming. And if it doesn't come, I'll give you a report on the birds. Who said anything about working? I stayed awake all night waiting for this phone call and listening to your birds. What are they, cuckoos? There's all the only cuckoo out there. I'm not so sure about that. Hey, wait a minute, there's somebody at the door. You can't get rid of one. You better bring a magician with you. Goodbye. That guy makes me nervous. He still thinks I'm a jukebox. Hey, that sounds like a baby. Hey, who's out there? Oh, I didn't expect to find anyone here. Well, pin my ears back and shut my mouth. It is a baby. You act exactly like you never saw one before. Mrs. Berry said you'd be at the club. Well, I'm not. And Mrs. Berry isn't here. Well, of course she isn't. I saw her in San Francisco yesterday, and she invited me to use the house for the week. I'm Judy Watson. I hope I'm not putting you out, Mr. Berry. I'm not Mr. Berry. Oh. Oh, well, Mrs. Berry said the servants had gone. And I'm not the butler either. I'm Jimmy Kennedy, and Mr. Berry invited me to use the house, and I was here first. Oh, well, there's no reason why we should stand here glaring at one another. I won't be in your way if it's a big house. It's not that big. We'll work it out. Look, will you hold the baby while I bring my bags in? Wait a minute. A hauling a baby's not in my department. I'll get your bags. Oh, it's silly. The baby won't bite you. Well, I might forget and bite the baby. Look, just leave the others in the hall and bring me the little black bag. OK, little black bag coming right up. Say, say, does it yell like that all the time? It's not an it. It's a he. And he's crying because he's hungry. Oh, well, I guess that's your department. I'll go out. Oh, no, you won't. You're not going anywhere until you help me feed the baby. Now, look, sister, I've done a lot of things in my life, and some of them I'm not too proud of. Say, what kind of a mother are you? Feed them yourself. Well, now, there's no need to get upset, Mr. Kennedy. Look, if you'll show me the way to the kitchen, I'll heat the baby's bottle, and you can go on doing whatever it is you do. He's got a bottle. He's got a bottle, a little kid like that, and you want to heat it? Well, certainly. You wouldn't want him to take his milk cold, would you? I don't care how he takes it. I'd boil it if I thought it would stop his yelling. His milk's already been boiled. Fine, fine, that's an idea. Maybe I ought to get boiled. Look, quit shouting. All I ask you to do is show me the kitchen. All right, it's down there at the end of the hall some place. Here, I don't care whether you like it or not. You've got to hold the baby while I heat his milk. I need help. Hey, hey, wait a minute. I might drop a. Answer the front door. Boku birds, babies. I came out here to find a quiet place to work. Oh, hey, Judy. Something's happened to the baby. Well, answer the front door first. Who are you, the baby's father? Oh, me? I never seen that kid before. Well, what do you want? I'm the piano tuner. A piano tuner when I need a plumber. OK, come in and start tuning. Our story starring George Murphy will continue immediately following a message from the parents of a young man who was recently enlisted in the new regular army. Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Bateman of Baton Rouge, Louisiana wrote the following letter to the commanding general Fort Lewis Washington, where their son was stationed. It reads, dear sir. This note is for the purpose of expressing the appreciation of the parents of private John W. Bateman, for the training and development that he has received at your post. He is leaving that post on May 10. And I understand will be sent to Denver for further training. I disliked to take him out of the university and put him in the army. But I want to say now to you that if all boys fare as well as he has, they would be better men in every respect to get the kind of training he has received. He has never reported any unkind treatment. He has never had a bad meal to eat. And he has never mentioned in all of his letters any incidents and condition to complain about. We are all for this kind of military training. And Fort Lewis is tops, thanking you and your associates. And the letter concludes, yours very truly, Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Bateman. The babies have found some canned goods, fixed up a tasty luncheon, so Jimmy feels pretty good. If he's late with the song, he can blame it on the piano tuner. And it looks like he's going to be late. Say, you know, that's pretty good eating. You know, when I open a tin, the stuff tastes just like it came out of a tin. What'd you do to it? That's a little secret. Known as the woman's touch, Mr. Kennedy. Jimmy's the name. You can't very well call a fellow mister when you're living in the same house with him and cooking his meals. All right. Jimmy, it is. But this is your last meal. You're moving. What? Oh, no, that's impossible. Your friend Mr. Berry's got me locked in here until I finish a song for his new show, and I haven't even started. Well, so you write songs. I think that's wonderful. Oh, no, no. That's the biggest mistake you've made today. It's an awful way to earn a living, spending all your time trying to rhyme words with love and bliss and moon. Oh, why don't you try some new words? Write a new song. There hasn't been a new one written in 50 years. You know, writing a new song is like trying to find a word to rhyme with orange. I know there isn't such a word, but you could write something bright and fresh. You know, original. Yeah, I know. I thought I could too, till this morning. No, I'm fresh out of ideas, Judy. Every brain in this old pumpkin of mine is just as dry as a dust bowl. Well, I've got lots of ideas. Maybe I can help. Oh, hold the baby. Yeah, yeah, that's the baby all right. He's a noisy little guy, isn't he? Well, I've got to get to him. He couldn't be hungry. Maybe he's got an idea for a song. Oh, stop being. Oh, Jimmy, hurry. He's holding his breath. I'm right here. Oh, look, look, Judy. Look at his face. He's turning blue. Well, call the doctor. Call somebody. Do something. Did he ever hold his breath before? Oh, how would I know? I don't know anything about babies. What? You don't know anything about babies, but you got one. Look. Look out. Look out. He's going to let loose. Oh, Jimmy, I'm scared. Oh, what do we do? Well, now, wait a minute. I noticed something just now. He only yells when he starts kicking. Does that mean anything, Judy? Oh, Jimmy, he might have prowled. Oh, folks, I got your panatone good as new. Oh, thanks, pal. Say, do you know anything about babies? Well, I ought to. I got five of my own. Oh, yeah, I hear him yelling. Is anything wrong with him? I don't know. She doesn't know. Well, he might be dying. Yeah, he might be dying. Well, wait. Sounds more like something's hurting him. Yeah, I'll have a look. Change this, baby. Well, she did. I did. Why? Well, there's a pin sticking the kid every time he moves. Oh, that's mean. Well, here, here, I'll get it. Yeah. Well, feel better, kid? Oh, how do you like that? Gee. Hey, are you sure he's OK now? Oh, he's fine as silk. Hey, lady, don't ever leave one of them safety pins unhooked. Kids don't like it. Oh, you want to sign this bill for the piano, Mr. Oh, sure. Sure, there you are. And thanks for everything, pal. Oh, Jimmy, look. He's going back to sleep. Yeah. Yeah. It's a good thing, too. Young lady, there's a couple of questions I want to ask you about babies. This baby in particular. Now, I think you just better let me explain things. Hold it. Hold it. Don't move. Don't even breathe. Hold everything. I'm getting an idea. I feel a song coming on. Oh, I know. The baby gave you the idea. No, the piano tuner. I'll call it the piano tuner blues. Oh, but Jimmy, there's nothing romantic about a piano tuner. Well, there is about this one. He knows all about babies and grown-up ladies. But that doesn't even rhyme. Well, who cares it's close enough? I'm a songwriter, not a poet. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I've got another line. He can fix anything from a broken heart to a broken pot. Oh, that's even worse. I mean, it's corny. Well, of course. All hit songs have to have the old corn. That's what makes it a sure fire for a production number in Barry's show. Wait a minute. I've got the tune for it, too. I suppose it'll sound just like a piano tuner at work. What do you know? You've been reading my mind. There'll be a lot of zings and twangs and crashes and plenty of sweet notes. Come on, Judy. I need you for the romance. Come on, right now. We'll try it on the piano while I'm hot. I thought I told you to keep the front door locked. Well, if it isn't Mr. Barry. Hello, Jimmy. Hey, where'd you find this beautiful girl? Judy, why is she just strolled into my life this morning? Oh, are you Mr. Barry? Yes. You must be Judy Watson. And according to Mrs. Barry, you're her favorite girl. She's mine, too. She helped me find the song we've been looking for. I've been outside listening for 20 minutes. It's unnatural, Jimmy. And it goes right into the show. Oh, oh, oh, the baby. Oh, I forgot all about him. Well, who's baby? Well, Judy's, of course. Where'd you think I'd pick up a baby? Judy isn't married? Not married. I've been trying to tell him it's my sister's baby. I'm just keeping him today while she's looking for a house. Oh, so that's the answer. Mr. Barry, you better go see what the kid wants. You see, Judy and I have some unfinished business to straighten out, right, Judy? Right, Jimmy. And Mr. Barry, if you find any open safety pins, close them. This is George Murphy speaking. Before leaving you, I am honored to present the commanding general of the Army Air Forces, General Carl Spotz, who has an important message for us, General Spotz. Within the past year, the Army Air Forces have undergone a great change. Planes that gave us aerial supremacy over Germany and Japan now rest at storage airfields. Last year's airborne armadas face obsolescence. Jet propulsion, rockets, and nuclear fission have changed the military outlook of the world. Long-range striking power has become a primary weapon. Recognizing these changes, the Army Air Forces have set up the structure for a modern air force in being. The foundation of the structure is a vigorous program of research and development. The skeleton must be a highly skilled group of technicians. We were fortunate during the recent war. The air weapons available at the beginning of the war did not bridge the ocean surrounding us. Great Britain's heroic stand gave us two years to build up our own military forces. As we built, our air force rose from a fifth-rate power to world preeminence. Flying against Germany, our allied air forces obliterated the Luftwaffe and became a major factory in our victory. In the fight against Japan, our B-29 delivered the knockout blow. We are proud of our past achievements. But yesterday's valor cannot win tomorrow's war. Our national security, then, will depend to a major extent on maintaining a modern air force in being. Such a force, a breast of science and inconstant readiness, can stop threats of aggression before those threats materialize and destroy us. Thank you, General Spots. And I thanks also to Mr. George Murphy for appearing on this program. Proudly, we hail will come to you again over this station next week. Listen in.