 Pardon my Southern accent, I'll tell you the story as Dave Eaves, Buchanan, Georgia, County seat of Haroldson, population in 1945 exactly 504, just a dot on the map, the bus doesn't even stop at Buchanan. That's why Dave Eaves, back from the Navy this spring of 1945 is walking the last few miles home. Where are you going, sailor? Buchanan. Why Dave Eaves? Mr. Bell. Up in Dave, I'll give you a lift. Well, welcome home. Thank you, sir. This is my lucky day. What are you doing over in this part of the county, Mr. Bell? Fishing. I sneak away from a business every few weeks. It was a couple of hours drive. So, you're back to visit Buchanan? No, sir, back to stay. Will you drop me off when we come to Freddie Woodruff's farm? I want to say hello. Right, isn't it? Later right now, Dave. You're looking for a job, so they tell me. Oh, that's too bad. Well, I'm so crazy to see the old gang. George Bentley, Sandy, Phil Turner, Hardy McAlmon. Well, I understand McAlmon's back from the service, and he's still around, but none of the others are. You're kidding. Now, Dave, things have changed since you went away. I don't live here myself, and it's been a real blow to watch it happen. I was saying to my wife the other day how much I hate to see all the boys leaving Buchanan. Well, sir, I'm not leaving. Good for you, boy. You got some plan? I've got a dream. I hope it's a good, solid dream with its feet on the ground. In the ground, Mr. Bell. Say, there's Billy Cohn's place. Will you let me off here? The place is boarded up, Dave. Billy's left town, too. Oh, I'll drop you off at Hardy McAlmon's. Father-lover Mike Dave, why didn't you let a fellow know you were coming? Well, the Navy didn't give me much notice, Hardy. Anyhow, I got here. Mr. Bell gave me a lift. Well, you old son of a gun, it's great to see you. How long you staying? Hardy, I've been looking forward to this moment for three years. Sometimes I didn't think I'd make it, but I was lucky. I'm back. I got my health, and I'm raring to go. Yeah, I couldn't happen to a better guy. Where do you think you'll go, Dave? Birmingham? Atlanta? I mean to go to work. Yeah, but where? Here, of course. What's the matter with you, Hardy? You're gonna work here in Buchanan? Yeah, and I know just the place. The finest spot in all Georgia to raise cotton. Cotton? Yeah, cotton. Every day at sea, I dreamed of cotton. If it got so, I even loved the old river. Davey, I got a letter on my desk here. You better take a look at it. Now we'll take up the correspondence later, boy. I want to show you that piece of land. Come on. This is it, Hardy. The place I remembered. The spot I've dreamed of. You mean this useless hunk of land? It's not useless. I'll raise the prettiest crop of cotton in all Georgia on this trip. And that's your dream? Yeah. Looks like it's time to take up that correspondence right now, boy. Listen, Dave, I had a few pipe dreams myself till I saw this survey from the Department of Agriculture. Survey? They've been checking up around here. Go ahead, read the bad news. Give it to me without the trimming. Okay. The land's no good. It says so right here. You might as well go back to the Navy. You're nuts. The soil's used up. It's worked out. You can't grow cotton anymore. You can't make a living in these fields. Then I'll grow something else. Corn or grain. Dave, Dave, it's in the letter here. The land's dead. Finished, don't you get it? Howdy, I spent three years dreaming through gunfire. I walked five miles with a couple of heavy bags. I'm home and I want to stay. I was born to this land and I've got to find something I can raise on it, even if it's only truck vegetables. Okay, okay, boy. I know how you feel. You're not the first one to get this disappointment. I'm glad you're staying, Dave. Come on over to Charlie Newton Stone. I'll buy you a coke. These coke's wrong me, boys. Thanks, Charlie. I always set them up for you when the boys come home and then when they leave. Only I'm home to stay, Charlie. Well, I'm glad to hear, Dave. You don't know what you'll find to do around here. Cannons turned into a real ghost town. Well, drinks on the house, Charlie. Yes, that entitles me to free coke with the boys. Come over, there, honey. Everything's free around here, but money. Josh, yeah, Dave, what's happened to your farm? Oh, give that up and cotton drop from 14,000 bales to 3,500. Well, then what do you do for a living these days? Well, now I get a great deal of pleasure out of Whittlin. Of course, you wouldn't call that a livelihood, but I get a few pennies made by them old days. You? Whittlin? Why not, boy? You don't need no equipment but a knife, maybe an old razor blade. You mean live wires like Phil Turner and Butch Riley are spending their days whittlin'? Oh, them boys all left town. Girls, too. No sooner they get out of high school than their owner bus, Liggity, spittin' for the city. How is it you're still around, Hardy? Oh, I still got the gas station, Dave. People stop occasionally on the road going through. And I had a dream. Eve's here was gonna raise cotton on that condemned acreage down there. He ain't gettin' his thing out of that land, son, unless you want to raise seaman. Yes, you get self mighty good solid copper seaman out there. A good solid dream with its feet on the ground. How's that? Mr. Bell said that to me this morning. Boy, he never referred to no cotton, son? A good solid Josh. Yeah? You're right. Maybe cement is exactly what we ought to raise. Cement? Are you crazy? Cement means billing. Billings mean business. Maybe it's no good for cotton, but remember that land, Hardy. It's dry, firm, flat, with plenty of room for trucks, strong foundations, not far from the railroad. What answers all those things? A factory. A factory? In a spot like that? Factory for what? I don't know what. We can find out after we build this. Son, you build in a factory before you get an industry? I want to build a factory in order to get an industry. Look, fellas, when there's no industry in a place, there's no payroll. No payroll, no business for the stores. No business, no town. Well, cannon's fading off the map. The bus driver can't see it anymore. Another few years, nobody'll see it. Yeah, but, Davey, who's going to use this factory? Josh, when we were kids, remember? You taught Hardy and me about Bluebird. Well, what's Bluebird's got to do with what we're talking about? Josh, you told us that a Bluebird hates to build its own nest. Yeah, I told you that. I said you got to build one part before you can get him to come. Well, I'm going to build a nest for a Bluebird, and it's going to be made of cement. A cement nest? For a Bluebird? That's right, a nest for a Bluebird. That's what we're going to build on our land, Hardy. In order to attract those Bluebirds, some letters had to be written. So, Eaves and Hardy sat up day and night writing to likely prospects. There were many encouraging replies, one in particular. Dear Mr. Eaves, in reply to your letter, it is our pleasure to tell you that this company is not unaware of the advantages of a factory in Buchanan. Perhaps in the future we might be in a position to discuss this matter more fully. Hardy, we've done it. We've caught ourselves a Bluebird. No, don't count your Bluebird before they're hatched. I wouldn't call that a commitment. It's good enough for me. Let's take a chance. Okay, so the factory has a tenant. Now all we've got to do is raise the money to build it. I got 30 cents, Dave. How much you got? Well, Mr. Parker, our architect and contract estimate we need around $85,000, sir. Well, all right, Hardy McKelvin. You raise $36,000 and the bank will pledge you $50,000 more. Okay, sir, it's a deal. That's pretty optimistic. You've shown me your 30 cents, but how much have you boys really got together? Well, Dave has a $200 government check in his pocket right now. Hardy's dug up twice that amount already. We're both going to throw in our savings. That's 600 more. And mind you, I haven't even looked in the pocket to my other pants. Can I cut, Mr. McKelvin? Yes, and as soon as you get through this, you'll get us. Yeah, I'll wait, Jim. Hello, Mr. Waters. Well, Hardy, what's this I hear about you and Dave Eve's trying to build up a factory? Now you hear all right, sir, and we need your help. Not me. Help for a place like this has to come from the outside. Who cares about the little fellow starting in business these days? Not the company's already going strong. Sure they do. Only you can't expect the big guys to push from behind unless you show some interest in getting ahead, unless you're up there at the wheel and stepping on the gas. Jim, can I have a hot towel? Yes, right away, Mr. Waters. Listen, Hardy, close your raise, your money. Close your bills, your factory. And suppose this company don't take over. It's stuck with a white elephant. White elephant's better than a dead lion. I'll go home with you. This town's been here a hundred years. I'm not going to get excited about it now. Besides, I'm trying to get a shave. Well, I don't know. Don't mind a free Coke now and then, but why should I give you any money? You shouldn't, Mr. Newton. I thought you might want to invest it. In a cockeyed scheme like this? It's not cockeyed. You're investing in fresh stock for your shelves and paying customers in the store. You're investing in Buchanan. As I see it, the light boat's pulling away from a sinking ship. Now, how about it, Mr. Newton? Charlie Newton, I thought you'd never get home to dinner tonight. Congratulations, my dear. I'm in business. You mean you're finally sold something at the store today? No, not a paper pin, but I'm still in business. As soon as it's built, I'm going to be a stockholder in an empty factory. Charlie, have you been drinking? Not that I know of, but I got a taste in my mouth like wine. I've got a taste of hope. That hope grew in the hearts of the people of Buchanan, and the factory grew with it as checks, money orders, and cash flowed in. The bank kept its word. The architect and the contractor went to work, and week by week, the modern structure of concrete and steel came to life. At last, it was ready, all set for a company to take it over. So, Hardy and Dave had a little celebration right out at the empty factory for the people of Buchanan who made this dream come true. Dave? Yeah? Boy, there's more excitement here tonight than this town's ever seen before. Yeah. Hey, look who's coming in. Old Man Water. Hello, Mr. Waters. Sure glad to see you. It is all right for me to come in. I just wanted you to know that you and Hardy were right, and I wanted to give you this check. Maybe you could still use a little more money. Thanks, Mr. Waters. We sure can. I tell you the truth, I didn't want to be left out. You boys are doing a great job. I guess maybe every town needs a couple of fellas to do crazy things. I hand it to you boys. Yes, Tommy, what is it? A telegram for you. Just come. For me? Thank you. Well, go on, Dave. Open it. Okay. It's from the company that said it might take over the plant. Well, what do they say? We regret to inform you that after serious consideration, this company has decided to forego all plans for expansion in the immediate future. As our previous letter mentioned, we did suggest the possibility that we might not be in a position to develop our original interest. We sincerely regret that circumstances compel us. Well, Hardy, you were right. Okay, so I was right. What? What do we do now, Dave? Celebration's over, Hardy. You can tell everybody to go home. You are listening to the Dupont Cavalcade of America starring Lee Bowman as Dave Eaves with James Monks as Hardy McCallman, sponsored by the Dupont Company, makers of better things for better living through chemistry. Now we continue the Dupont Cavalcade starring Lee Bowman as Dave Eaves. Well, there they were, Dave Eaves and Hardy McCallman, a couple of veterans who figured all they had to do to get their home town of Buchanan, Georgia back on the map was to build a factory and bring in an industry. And it might have worked too. Everybody in Buchanan shipped in money to build that factory. And then the company they had counted on was unable to move in and they were left with an empty building. Well, they had to do something. They had to do something to keep them going crazy. So they went fishing. What do you got? Catfish. At least the fish is still biting, Hardy. Yeah, first luck we've had in a long time. Dave, what are we doing out here on the lake? Let's go home. Back to a factory full of echoes, a mailbox full of rejections, a phone that rings no. I used to like fishing. Yeah, me too. Well, got the motor, Hardy. Yeah, all right, Dave. But you know something? That last letter we got, I thought it sounded hopeful. Yeah, I remember. They said something about being aware of the advantages our town has to offer. Yeah, Whitland and fishing. What's the matter with that motor? I don't know, Dave looks like we're in trouble. Again? That's all we needed. It seemed to be out of gas. Here comes somebody. Maybe he can help us. Hey, boys. Hey, it's Mr Bell. How are you doing? We're out of gas, son. I'll give you a lift. Oh, thanks, Mr Bell. Here, catch this line. Okay. Got it. Shove off. You can let us off right up the road here, son. Thanks for the lift, Mr Bell. Thanks for the lift on the lake, too. You've come to our rescue twice today. Glad to oblige. Better get these fish home to Mrs Bell for dinner, she. What's that building? Well, I guess you haven't been down this road in a long while, sir. Oh, no, I haven't. You used to be an old one out cuttin' for you. What goes on here? It's a good idea to have a solid dream with both feet on the ground. Remember that, Mr Bell? Looks like you've got something mighty solid here, all right. Haven't you heard about the factory, sir? Sure, I heard. I thought you'd converted to an old barn or something. This looks like a brand new model plant. Good solid cement. Well, come on in and look around, Mr Bell. Just let us show you what we've got here. All right. Come on, boys. Let's take a look at this factory. How much space you got in here, boys? 16,000 square feet. That's oh, wow. Cement, huh? Cement and concrete and steel, Mr Bell. And good ventilation and light and a sprinkler system. Mm-hmm. Where's the railroad? At 600 yards up the road, sir. You can't miss it. You can run us far in here easy. There's a road right outside. State highway. Okay, boys. That's all. I got an idea. Hello. Is that you, Margie? Let me speak to the boss. Hello, Mr. Parrish. This is Bell in Georgia. I called because I've just stumbled on to something rather special down here. A little model plant in Buchanan. Enterprising people down here. Yes, it's set up real solid. Easy trucking, close to a railroad sighting, maximum light and air. Yeah. Send someone down to check. It's your turn to take it, Dave. Okay. Hello. Yes, this is Dave Eve. Who? New York calling. Clue at Peabody. Clue at Peabody. They are our shirt people. Yeah, that's right. They sent a man down here to look the plant over. Yeah. What was that again? When? I get it. Yes, I get it. You're sure. I mean, you're sure you'll take the plant over? You bet we can. 200 people? Yes, sir. Davey. Dave, you heard right. We're in. What'd they say? All we have to do is sign up 200 workers for the factory. Oh, but wait a minute, Dave. 200 people. There's only about 500 people in Buchanan altogether. So what? They all want to work, don't they? Let's start ringing doorbells. I hope this person's home. Yeah. Oh, hello, Mr. McCow. How do you do, ma'am? We're trying to get pledges for people to work in the New Hours Shirt Factory here in Buchanan. Men and women alike. I wish I could help you, Mr. McCow. I'm expecting a baby. Oh, how do you do? I'm looking for Mr. John Emerson. Hey, what's that? Speak a little louder. I can't hear what you're saying. John Emerson. Yes, me, all right. Olders can fit it around these parts. Come on in, boys. Never mind, Mr. Emerson. Thanks. Where'd you get this one, Dave? Out of the county records. J. Horton. Hello, son. Hello. We're looking for J. Horton. Where's your folks? My mom is here, but she's back. Oh, I'm sorry. But where's J. Horton? Oh, that's me. We've called this town meeting tonight at the courthouse here because we've gotten an emergency. Artie McCowman and I have been working on it, but we can't figure any solution. Maybe you can help. Because if it wasn't for you, there never would have been a factory in the first place. Only one thing is, a factory is no good unless it can be used. Well, the arrow-shut people stand willing and waiting to put it to use if we guarantee 200 workers. The question is, where are we going to get them? I'll tell you where you'll get them. Who's that? It's Billy Coombs back from Atlanta. Yeah, I'm back. I guess Atlanta's a fine place to make a living, but it's not the same as home. And I know plenty of beginning boys who feel the same way as I do. Yes, and girls, too. Why'd they come on home, Billy? Because they don't know the town's change. That's why they don't know what a factory means. Well, then we've got to tell them what it means. If we get this factory going, we'll have a payroll coming in every week. That means amusements, restaurants, movies, schools. Listen, listen, most of you folks have invested in the factory already, but I'm going to ask for one more contribution from each of you here tonight. I want three cents. Yes, I want you to invest in a three-cent stamp. Every one of you people within sound of my voice has had someone leave our hometown. Your husband, your son, your daughter, cousin. So sit down tonight and write them a letter. Tell them there's no depression here. Tell them there's jobs waiting in a new factory. We've got what they want you tell them. Now, Buchanan has plenty to offer. It's a miracle, Hardy. 125 people. Yeah, sure it's a miracle. Only it's not enough. We'll get the others. Cluette, D-body wants to see names. Oh, they'll give us time. They gave us time. Our factory's no good to them or anybody unless we can supply the workers. We've got another hour before we have to phone. Another hour to find 75 people. And then we'd be rocky. Suppose one of them got sick or changed his mind. We can't fail now, Hardy. Not so close to the finish. Maybe you should have kept on dreaming about cotton, Dave. No. I was counting on the land then. No, I'm counting on people. Look at them out there. Half the town's been out in the square since dawn, waiting for the news. Yeah, I know, I know. Eaves. Dave Eaves. We're in here, Charlie. I got a message for you from the chief of police. Chief of police? Yeah, I just left him over at the factory. What's he doing there? Well, he's losing his mind. There's 300 people milling around, yelling for jobs. What are you talking about? Never saw half of him alive. Everybody in his brother's come back to town. Chief says for heaven's sake, get over there and take care of your property. We heard you. Come on, Hardy. That means us. Let's get to work. Buchanan, Georgia. 1950. Four short years later. Population up now, over 1200. Yes, Buchanan's doing nicely. Thank you. Folks are proud of their booming Arrow Shirt Factory. Proud of their town. Yeah, they kind of like the new fire truck, too. The new hospital. New bank accounts. And that supermarket that just went up. And Buchanan folks are proud of all its 12 new stores, as well as the 40 new homes, the new school, and the new theater. Yes, this is Buchanan, 1950. This is Lee Bowman again. This story is true, and those boys are still down in Buchanan, Georgia. Hardy McAlmon has six gas stations now, and Dave Eves is an executive in the Arrow Shirt Factory. Two young men had not even a small business, but they did have an idea and the courage and resourcefulness to back it up. They faced a challenge and with the help of big business, met it successfully. Our congratulations to Dave Eves, Hardy McAlmon, and the Fluid Peabody Company. Next Tuesday, in celebration of Washington's birthday week, the DuPont Cavalcade will present a glowing and deeply moving story of the fateful days at Valley Forge, when Washington and the foreign general Von Steuben battled to save the desperate American forces. Starring in the role of George Washington will be the dean of the American theater, Walter Hampton. Be sure to listen. Tonight's original DuPont Cavalcade was written by Doris Franco. Music was composed by Arden Cornwell and conducted by Donald Voorhees. The narrator was Ted Pearson. The program was directed by John Zoller. The DuPont Cavalcade of America comes to you from the stage of the Belasco Theater in New York and is sponsored by the DuPont Company of Wilmington, Delaware. Makers of better things for better living through chemistry. Next here, that precocious little Valentine Baby Snooks on B.C.