 Your Coca-Cola bottler presents, Claudia, based on the famous play and novels by Rose Frankin Brought to you transcribed Monday through Friday by your friendly neighbor who bottles Coca-Cola Relax and while you're listening refresh yourself. Have a Coke And now Claudia Goop for heaven's sakes will you stop drooling now? Come on. Come on. You can eat better than this. Now look Bobby open your mouth Come on. Papa be home any minute. I don't intend to spend another second with you then. Oh No, you you hoodlum. Oh Look at it. Oh Meal all over the place Yeah, you certainly have that child of ours under control David you mean he's dropping. I mean he's watching You're just lucky that he threw the oatmeal on the floor not at you Hello boy Anytime you want to throw oatmeal you just go right ahead and throw it smear it all over the place And let yourself start being bossed by a woman. Would you please mind leaving my kitchen in this minute, mr. Norton there give me the rag. I'll help Where where a fritz and birth away go away go on. Yeah, this is not man's work I gave fritz and birth of the evening off You did yeah You mean that we're all alone here. Don't you love it? We're supposed to go out to dinner tonight nonsense. I have a cooking in the stove right now Cooking in the stove or not. We're supposed to go out to dinner tonight. Not in our Claudia. Listen to me I'm listening darling for the last time I repeat to you. We are supposed to go out to dinner tonight. All right Who are we supposed to go out to dinner with tonight with? Friend of mine Johnson from college who lives down your Stanford? Well, I don't know anybody Johnson who lives down your Stanford and you know it I told you I met him on the train if I hadn't seen him for years and that he invited us to dinner when two weeks ago Be still Bobby Well, we can't go. That's all there is to it. We can't go, but we have to go we can't I made fritz and birth to go out Do you mean to say that you forgot all about it? Of course I forgot of course Of course, so that's the kind of woman. I mean that's the kind of woman you met. I wonder how I forgot very simple You didn't remember You hush Not far you why'd you remind me darling? What I said, why didn't you remind me this morning? Why should I remind you? Well, it's the least you could have done He's your friend Or could it be mr. Naughton that you know all right. All right. All right. I'll confess I I forgot to But that doesn't change her having to go. Ho-ho the great man forgot I ran into Paul Johnson on the train tonight and Well, you can guess the rest darling. I'll never mind you if you forgot to but he you to invite us just for tonight This is too much. Well, it was two weeks ago Why'd you have to insist that fritz and bertha go out just for tonight because I have an Infallible instinct for doing the right thing at the wrong time. I'll take no insults from you Well Come on. We'd better go upstairs and get dressed Besides it'll be nice for you to know some people who who live not too far away I'm not interested in people who live not too far away. Well, nobody cares what you're interested in It'll be nice anyway It's no reason to look so morose and put up on do I live morose I always wanted to look morose and tragic What do you do? Listen, David now we have to talk seriously. All right It's all very fine to say we have to go but we can't we cannot leave the baby alone. He's too young Oh, I see he needs somebody to talk to him. Exactly And he doesn't know how to use the phone yet to call up in case something happens. Oh, I see. Although nothing ever does happen Still you have to he uh He ought to be able to take care of himself by now the backwards child. Isn't he? Well, what do we do? I don't know What do other people do? I don't know they get a sitter. I guess I don't look so blank A sitter You know a sitter to sit with him Well, they didn't have sitters in my day. It's a new profession grandpa Well, just where does one go to? Find one of these sitters. I don't know. We never had one. I'm gonna get somebody to sit on him We've escaped sitter so beautifully with mama and fritz and bertha here all the time You know, we certainly are lucky and we said it will be late if we don't decide on who is going to sit soon Now david, we can't get just anybody, you know, of course. We can't get just anybody. We've got to get somebody around here We must have somebody we know lots of people Who could we get Gertrude? Gertrude fine fine Gertrude's in philadelphia. I'll think david think i'm thinking who are our neighbors our neighbors Because I can't get a stranger especially the first time. Surely can't let me see let me see Way you women pamper your children neighbors rob them of all their independence from the day they're born. You got to have a sitter I'm breaking you guys. You got to sit david. I know I know the lila tocker She knows the house. She knows the baby. She lives right down the road. What do you think? Oh, that old woman. No, she's only 78 Well, you mean you're going to trust my son with a woman who is 78 years now who's robbing who of independence What what would she know now? I what would she do if he started to cry? She'll know what to do and what makes you think he'll start crying Anyway, delilah is a grown woman. Also. She has instincts. I don't trust instincts Especially delilah's instinct. Well can't be helped delilah it is and we're lucky if she will too Hey david take my shoes out of the closet while I call up delilah. Would you heavens? I hope she can come over tonight I'm all dressed Lila ought to be getting here any minute now We certainly were lucky she could come. I don't I don't know what I'd have done if she couldn't david What what would we have done if she couldn't? I don't know. What's the difference? There she is. No, I'll go down. Let her in Tucker here My delilah's voice certainly has changed at me david. It's mr. Tucker. Where are you young and big? Oh, we're upstairs mr. Tucker. Come on up. I'm coming. David. What's jarad Tucker doing here now? I don't know, but we'll soon find out My My sister delilah said her chillblains kicked up. Oh, that was a chill plane. I says it was cold feet Didn't want her to break her promise to a neighbor so I come instead you come to sit with your baby You none other Well, that's awfully sweet of you mr. Tucker. I certainly do appreciate your neighbor Oh, but think nothing of it. There's always a first time for everything A first time You uh, don't think I go around making a profession of babysitting. Do you? Oh, mr. Tucker. We trust you implicitly Bobby Meet mr. Tucker. Oh David You hush up say He's kind of puny for a baby. He is not he's enormous for seven months Fact remains I'd be scared to touch him Well, the truth of the matter is that he uh, he looks puny to me too, mr. Tucker But I'll tell you a mother's eyes Are like a magnifying glass I go right ahead get acquainted with him mr. Tucker for the night. He's yours. I don't want no part of him I he ain't no bigger than a drowned weasel That's kind of homie But he's kind of cute in a way though. I guess say uh, is he delicate? Well, he'll break if you drop him on his head mr. Tucker, but otherwise he's not particularly delicate I ain't the kind of a man who likes to pick up babies That's a relief. I'm warning you. I believe in being strict with him. I don't believe in sparing the rod No, my patty gave me plenty of good whelans made a man of me. Yes, did Yeah, stop worrying. Oh you young fella. I ain't aiming to whel you yet not till your moth turns your back Say you got any directions for me? Well, we'll uh, we'll put into bed before we go and Pray he sleeps and we'll give you our telephone number. That is where we'll be in But but if he cries mr. Tucker Well, if he cries mr. Tucker, you might have to pick him up. Never What would he go and cry for? Well, he might be thirsty or he Well, you you might have to change his trousers changing ma'am. I'm 86 years old and I ain't changed the baby's trousers to this day Ain't no time for me to start changing trousers. No Well, it's it's never too late mr. Tucker A man of your age mr. Tucker so young so full of life. Why why this will be a new experience for you I think you're welcome ma'am. I ain't old, but there's some things a man just don't do Oh now mr. Tucker not men like you and I Why uh, we do everything I guess we do Well, it could be if you give me a slight demonstration. I might swing it, but I ain't I ain't gonna let it become a habit I'm warning you. We wouldn't dream of letting it become a habit mr. Tucker Well, come on. We'll go on the nursery and show you around Things the man's got to do for his neighbors Say, uh, mr. Norton, you won't go spreading the word around with you. I wouldn't want people to know No, mr. Tucker. I know exactly how you feel Besides if I did spread the word around you'd be so in demand as a babysitter We'd well we'd never be able to get you back for ourselves. So We'll keep this just between you and us now see that you do young fellow see that you do We are and I'll I'll just put bobby right to bed and he'll sleep before you know it won't you Hey, he sure is puny if you don't stop saying that I'm not gonna see what folks seeing babies I'll take a seven month pig or seven month horse or seven months cap Any day to a seven month baby baby chicks when they're born they're dang sight cuter than baby babies is Still, I guess what must be must be that's all yes, and I'm afraid that this must be Say you reckon I was ever a baby like this one mr. Norton I reckon you were I can't remember it can't remember it for a being not for a being no Well, I guess this baby don't believe he'll ever be like me Well the jokes on him Now he's all tucked in ready to sleep any further instructions, ma'am Oh, oh, oh, yes, you you've got to let the cat let the cat come in and the dog go out And the baby's hot water bottle is on the side of the stone Oh, and don't give the baby more than two puffs of your pipe that's as much as he's allowed Or if you don't watch out he'll beat your checkers. He's very bright. Hey now you're pulling my whiskers So skiddle to leave me to my chores here go on now. Oh, mr. Tucker. We have a nice lace shawl It belonged to to Claudia's grandmother. Oh, yes Now if you'd like it over your head and I had some knitting to be done If you if you want to finish it and there's a rocking chair downstairs in the living room It'd be just right you could put your feet up by the fire Would you like some slippers get going? I says you're far or loose my good nature now Oh, mr. Tucker, you're the perfect neighbor and the perfect babysitter too Then I'll let you folks in on a little bit of a secret know what I love secrets If there'd be anything I hate Anything I can't appreciate or warm up to ma'am. It's babies David Do you do you honestly think we should yep? I hate babies almost worse than anything Why look at this here piccioni puny baby he I'll be goddamn He's smiling at me. Why you sly little conchie you come here come to grandpa kitschy kitschy kitschy kitschy February is a hospitable month two birthdays of great men to celebrate to say nothing of saint valentine's day If you're planning a party or you think friends might stop in to visit Have your grocer or service station attendant put a case of coca-cola in the car next time you're out Coke makes party giving easy friendly and pleasant Well, joy, it looks like our babysitter is none other than jared tucker his self. Yes, you feel safe, david I wouldn't leave the baby with him if I didn't You know what I'm wondering about is uh Do you think mr. Tucker is safe? Well, mr. Tucker, I see what you mean Taking care of a baby for the first time is a pretty rattling affair You're telling me and between us it isn't the first time for me anymore, but it's still rattling You know, I almost wish it were tomorrow already So I could find out just what's going to happen between bobby and jared patience. It's almost tomorrow Then I'll see you then I'd better be hustling now have fun Every day monday through friday claudia comes to you transcribed with the best wishes of your friendly neighbor who bottles coca-cola So listen again tomorrow at the same time And now this is joe king saying or if war and remember Whoever you are, whatever you do, wherever you may be When you think of refreshment think of coca-cola Or coca-cola makes any pause the pause that refreshes and ice cold coca-cola is everywhere This broadcast of claudia was supervised and directed by william brown maloney And now here's a word from your friendly neighbor who bottles coca-cola