 Your coca-cola bottler presents Claudia Claudia based on the 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 Mackenzie could have been a lot nicer. You think everybody in Eastbrook is like him? I hear you careful of these stairs darling. I will Niceness isn't what counts when you're picking out a general contractor Besides mr. McKenzie's nice enough. He's simply too busy. You were nicer. He wouldn't be so busy You were completely sure of that wouldn't be so greedy. He'd let somebody else He spoke to some of the building then he'd be able to do ours. Of course he'd be able to You heard him say he'd rather work for an architect like us us Course us. I've heard so much about building houses since we bought the fun that I'm ready to sit right down and Design a small cathedral all by myself You mean I can retire Still don't see why we can't make all the changes ourselves That's what I thought it was going to be like buying a house and moving into it You think I married you for a pioneer woman? I can just see you Mrs. Norton chopping down trees with a double-headed axe Clowing fields with a double-headed ox the one tad knocks the two heads I didn't care for him at all I was wrong. Did he have more brains than you never mind me? If you're so happy with the brains you've got why can't we build the changes ourselves? You told me it was going to be so uncomplicated. Let me out on the street. I need some air Dave that are we on our way to see another general contractor now we are But I thought mr. McKenzie was the best contractor needs The only one too. Hey, where do you think we are Mrs. Norton up in the north woods? This is a thriving metropolis the population of 87 2887 when did you ever count them? I looked it up in the almanac then it ought to be 2889 counting us I counted us already out of this little bunch of people. There's more than one general contractor There's mr. Willis. I think his office is above the hardware store. Why is everybody's office over something else? Really Eastbrook is just like a layer cake just Then there's the other one. What is what's his name? We saw a sign out on the way down to the center of town from the farm Paradiso isn't that a lovely name David? It means paradise. What a linguist you turned out to be it's a hidden talent David, you know, I think we ought to get mr. Paradiso to do our rebuilding. I don't know His place wasn't much of a recommendation That little bit of an old house with just a sign out in front and an old truck in the yard I I don't think he can have much of a reputation around here, but it's such a nice name Paradiso what's in a name? Everything you don't need any super sense to know that a man named Paradiso wouldn't build a house that leaps Plumbing that doesn't work. I'm glad you think so But when it comes to builders, I'm inclined to think that reputation is more important than a main David Sometimes you sound so stuffy. I'd rather be stuffy than chilly I'm not going to have someone we never heard of rebuilding our house such a marvelous and That I'm surprised you let anyone who wasn't born in 1760 touch it. We haven't seen mr. Willis yet. Maybe he was Oh, here's his place two three one main street Up we go more stairs only one flight I Don't know why all general contractors have to have their offices on the second floor I guess they'd be too busy on the street floor judged by mr. McKenzie. They're too busy already Here we are. That wasn't too bad, was it J. F. Willis and son general contractors. I Still take parties. I was a nicer name darling for the last time. I am not interested in names should be I bet you Go on in there Mr. Willis yes, sir our name is not We've just bought the old Tucker place on River Road. That's nice. Hope you like it. I hope so, too We're planning some alterations. I'm an architect and I've drawn up plans and specifications We're trying to find a builder who will contract five paradiso I'm not saying anything got all the work. I can handle but mr. Willis I switch I don't want to handle any more but mr. Willis things like they are now only crazy fellas and do any building You go see paradiso. He's crazy, but mr. Willis things have to be built I mean we have to have a house fix so we can live in it prices are high wages are high Materials are short and then only little jobs only a crazy man wants to hand it But you go see that paradiso. He's crazy. Is he a good builder things used to be different around here My dad and I used to build big places built one stone wall for a Colonel Armbrister. He's in his place Well cost more than a hundred thousand dollars Now they want you to work harder for twenty thousand dollars thousand David I didn't think it would cost that much. It isn't you better go see paradiso. I thought you said he was crazy He's crazy nor is he obstreperous and experienced unreliable Disrespectful and bright But he's the only builder in Eastbrook who ain't booked up for the next two years, and I hate to think why who cares why Come on David. It's such a pretty name Very little place isn't it maybe we ought to wait until next year to do You just got finished saying it's gonna leak all over the right if we didn't have a fix right away I never said any such a thing why David not it look yes, Mr. Paradiso now Hello, Mr. Paradiso. Oh Say I'm getting pretty famous. How'd you know it was me by the sign you like it on I'll build you one too Oh, we don't want a sign we want a bay window and an extension and the laundry and I want a Rolls-Royce and a yacht and a couple of great We have one day that he likes great day Mr. Paradiso, I merely want a general contractor mister You sure must one awful bad if you found me But I want you to know you found an awful good man. You seem to be very sure of yourself. I am why not? Come in the car and sit down with us unless we could go into No, maybe you'd better come in here fine with me. The only office I have is other people's cars Our name is not and we just bought the Tucker place, Mr. Paradiso. Well, congrats, Mrs. Norton You've got yourself the finest house in the neighborhood. That's a real softbox, you know, we know it was built in 1760 I think it's the best house Adam Martin built and I suppose you know he built most of the good old houses around here No, we didn't know you can do some wonderful things with that house if you get the right architect and the contractor with a real imagination Where are you gonna get the architect my husband is the architect professional or amateur? I don't like amateurs amateur David Don't be silly. He's even a partner architect, Mr. Paradiso. That's fine. When do we start to work? Well There's just a few things we have to decide first, aren't they? Don't you even want to see the house before you take the job or don't contractors bother with that anymore? You've only just bought this place and you're beginning to sound like a man who's lived in Connecticut for 80 years You must have been talking to some of the other builders around here if we hadn't Mr. Paradiso We never would have come to you. Yes, we would we saw the sign Do you mean that one of those fellas sent you to see me? Mr. Willis recommended you Mr. Willis recommended me Why that crusty old gullet? I didn't think he had it in him Then it's all settled David. What is he gonna start? Nothing settled. We haven't even told him what we're doing here I know what you're gonna do How do you know it took us days to decide? No, I've seen the house You're gonna break out the dining room wall and put in a big day with casement and that's right And you're gonna take the cellar throw out that old heating unit put in a new small one and use the rest of the space for a Playroom I wish you'd been with us the other night when we were deciding We would have saved an awful lot of time and if you like that house as much as you ought to you're probably going to Build an extra wing for the kids. Well, I I must say that's pretty much what we had in mind Here's some of my blueprint Well Well, I haven't got time to really look them over but Just with one look at the way you've laid out the studying of that Bay I see you know something about how those old houses have got to be treated. Oh With a little respect. We want to be respectful But not chilly you seem to respect them yourself. Mr. Paradiso. I do we've got a lot to learn from them, too We should think of these old houses as buildings that were put up for people to live in not like most people around here think Something just kind of cute David. That's just what you said when you first saw the salt box I like your sentiments. Mr. Paradiso. Have you got any sample of your performance my performance? Mr. Norton? This is my hands. I was a carpenter before the war. I built a lot of houses here for the other contractors Now I want to build them for myself I want to look at them and know These houses are good in sound because Paradiso built them. I Understand your feelings, but after all this is this is very important thing for us It's our first house. That's why I'd like to do it for you, Mr. Norton because it's a very important thing for me It's my first house, too. David. I just know excuse me, Mrs. Norton Look, I can't promise you bargain basement prices for fixing up your cellar, Mr. Norton But I do understand that nobody would want to pay a man as much for his first job as he'd get for the 10th or 20th Well, I wasn't thinking of the price so much. Mr. Paradiso. Well, if you're thinking of the workmanship, you can stop thinking My father was a carpenter in Italy and his father, too. When I make a house. It's because I love it I love it enough to be tough with it and make it do the kind of things it has to do for the people who are gonna live in it I've got to love it. So I'll be proud of what it does You know, I think you love that house the same way my husband does. If I didn't, Mrs. Norton, I wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot abs Oh, I know what that means. That's what making funny marks an old bean. I know what it means, too It means you have very good eyes. Eyes? Oh, you mean I know a nice name when I see one on a sign It's nothing very wonderful about that. But it isn't everybody, Mrs. Norton, who knows Paradiso when they see it That's meant to be a pun, I guess. It's more than that. It's a record It's the first time I've been able to make a joke about my name before the people I'm talking to, Megan My name means Paradiso So my wife told me. I just put that sign up. Yes, they do. Are you gonna put up a sign for us, too? You want me to do the work? We do. Now it's my turn to say that we've a lot of things to decide still. Well, we uh We won't have any trouble deciding about them I want you to take the prints and and you can give us your estimate tomorrow. That's the way people ought to talk Listen, Mr. Norton, we won't have any trouble about anything It's the first house you've owned for yourself, and that's the first I'm going to work on for myself Enders for a sign. Well Your house will be the sign because it's going to be the finest thing anybody in Connecticut ever saw You see I want everybody in Nutmeg County to look at your house Mrs. Norton and see for himself that this is where the Norton's found Paradiso These broadcasts are adapted for radio by mania and Roger star and the entire production is supervised and directed by William Brown Maloney You can hardly blame the young folks for wanting to go out if they don't find amusement and refreshment at home But give them good company good books give them plenty of ice-cold coca-cola and they're usually more than willing to stay put In fact, they seldom ask for anything more Isn't it good to think that youth's favorite drink can still be had for only five cents a bottle? Mighty little to pay for such wholesome refreshment. You'll agree 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 joking saying or it were and remember Whoever you are whatever you do Wherever you may be When you think of refreshment think of coca-cola for ice-cold coca-cola makes any pause The pause that refreshes