 transcribed ladies and gentlemen the railroad hour here comes our summer show train tonight the Association of American Railroads presents a new Lawrence and Lee opera at a longer goal starring Gordon McRae and his charming guest Dorothy Warren shows our choir is under the direction of Norman Luboff and our music is prepared and conducted by Carmen Dragon yes tonight another delightful musical first is brought to you by the American Railroad 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 now here is our star Gordon McRae thank you Marvin Miller and good evening ladies and gentlemen tonight Dorothy Warren show and I are going to tell you a tale you remember those wonderful golden days the Gibson girl was all the rage and if you had one of those strange contraptions called an automobile everybody would yell at you and do you remember the dances oh sure the slow graceful harvest time dances the mechanical moon in the dance pavilion would twirl around and make a million multi-colored raindrops that fell all around us every day nor a bays used to sing that life was good and we were young in a whole century lay ahead of us this is a story of long ago and it all began with two young fellas named Ned Delaney and Jack Fleming one June night they went serenading a girl's dormitory with mandolin in hand which is a window jack right here I think now look sing good will you this one's the peaches redhead and the whole dormitory okay here we go a one a two by the light of the silvery moon on a school to my honey our crew loves June this is your last chance to date us for the season Ned here and I are off for a whole summer in New Hampshire but tonight our Stanley Steamers waiting ready to chug you to New York what's in New York Coney Island oh come on the sun has scattered the clouds from side in the air for the kids on the sand or the that is talking of walking in June they're going and coming and slumming and humming their favorite summery tune each guy in his dick looking slick as a trick as they pose for a picture cartoon and they'll add me the fun on a Sunday at Coney Island in June there's coins and Kelly's for hot dogs and beer with a mustard and custard and corn off the air we'll bring the bells and to prove that we're strong and there will be near the future you all right dip sanded dip sanded dives what are the people race over to see people chase planning to have in June they're going and coming and slumming and humming their favorite summery tune each guy in his ticker cartoon obviously a suffragette yeah you better get out of here Ned we don't want to get trapped by a woman who wants to vote yeah what's the verdict dr. Bellin I'm afraid you've got a broken leg my boy broken leg I can still go up to New Hampshire can I my dear mr. Fleming you'll only be confined to your sofa for five or six weeks five or six weeks well that's the whole summer I'll go crazy please mr. Fleming be sensible oh why don't they shoot me doctor they shoot horses when they break a leg mr. Ned Delaney at the pines ride New Hampshire my dear sir I am writing to ask if you would do a doctor a favor I understand you are Jack Fleming's best friend will you write him and try to cheer him up he is now the most dejected young man in America yours very truly Thomas Dylan MD my dear Jack I wish I could come down to New York and cheer you up there is not too much to see up here in New Hampshire or cross away there's a large colonial mansion well what do you know a young lady's just appeared Jack it is a hammock over there and a hammock is very becoming when one is 18 and has flecks of gold in her eyes and a dress like a Dresden China shepherds she's beginning to sing and oh Jack you should hear her she has a voice like a major league angel will you suffer a jet anyway how's your leg make me more about that girl in the hammock would you what's your name who is she my leg oh it's better the sick posture shall be amused her names of Marjorie Marjorie dog and I've met her sure enough up close there are flecks of gold in her eyes and she likes everything that you like even the same song we sat in the moonlight and I told her all about you and almost by magic she began to sing that silly old favorite of yours well that's all for now about Marjorie dog does that make your leg feel better dear Ned your letters are curing me this may sound strange but I think that Marjorie dog somebody I've known in a previous existence especially the flecks of gold in their eyes I lie awake nights with my gaslight turned down to the size of a star thinking of the pines and in the house across the road I longed for a sight of that hammock and a Miss Marjorie dog have you ever had dreams while you were wide awake I seem to be walking down a long cool road the loveliest girl in the whole world is by my side Jastier Marjorie dog May I ask a favor Anything anything in the world Meet me here every night here where everybody's in love and no one ever breaks the lane Every night but how will I get there? What's the name of the place? What train do you take? Very simple Jack just turn your gaslight down to the size of a star Then slowly close your eyes and here you are The world's biggest breadbasket is rolling rapidly across the countryside Yes thousands upon thousands of railroad boxcars are busy at the job of helping turn the vast golden grain fields of the west into bread for the tables of America cereal for millions of breakfasts flour enough to bake a billion cakes much of the winter wheat harvest delayed by weeks of heavy rains is still to be moved and now the spring wheat crop of the northwest one of the biggest in years is starting on the long journey that ends up in your town on your table and making that journey possible from wheat field to towering grain elevator to huge flour mill and onto your local baker and grocer are the railroads that connect them all together at a cost of over a billion dollars a year for the past six years these railroads have put into service nearly 400,000 new bigger and better freight cars and 13,000 new more powerful and efficient units of locomotive power in fact since the outbreak of war in Korea alone the railroads have added 80,000 new freight cars to their fleet recently the Kansas Missouri floods put thousands of boxcars out of commission and disrupted carefully laid plans of building up a backlog of cars for the harvest but despite all that the railroads are going ahead with the job of marshalling the boxcars needed to handle this great movement from grain field to bread box in fact the railroads are the only form of transportation with the capacity and the organization to provide the kind of all season low cost transportation service America needs we're ready for act two of long ago Starring Gordon Macrae as Jack Fleming and Dorothy Warren Shull as the girl he's only seen in his green can't wait to get there I just can't wait those train wheels keep saying her name over and over over and over and over maybe if I close my eyes I can see her and hear her Hello Jack. Dear Jack. Hello Miss Marjorie Doe. That's it. Smile. It won't be long now. Where is she? Where's the Colonial House and Marjorie Doe? Look Jack. The house burned down and she was killed. No, no Jack. No. She ran off with another guy. I can't stand it. Jack, would you listen to me? Well what's wrong? Well Dr. Dillon wrote me that I should cheer you up and that's what I try to do. I had no idea you'd come up here. Ned. There isn't any Marjorie Doe. You made her up. I made her up. I thought you were my friend. Jack, please listen to me. Ned, Delaney, I hope I never see you again. You ever take me back to the station? This last I wrote you. 18 years. 19. I know it was long ago. I guess you heard I married Gert in a suffragette. The one we serenaded that night at the girl's dorm. Oh, it's true that Gert doesn't have flecks of gold in her eyes. Like the girl you made up, Marjorie Doe. But I love her. And she gets such a kick out of voting. Maybe you wonder how I got your address after all this time. Well let me tell you the miracle that happened on my front porch this very afternoon. My daughter bounded up the stairs with a young fellow in tow. And when I looked at him, my jaw must have dropped clear to my lap. Of heaven, it's Ned Delaney. What's that? Why, Dad, how did you know his name? Ned's never been here before. Edward Reginald Delaney. Is that right? Yeah, that's amazing. But there's a junior tack down to your name, isn't there? Yeah, that's right. Hey, gee, your dad's remarkable. Say, are you a mind reader or something, Mr. Fleming? No, no, no. No, no, no, no, no. I used to know your dad, son. He was my best friend once. Well, gee, I'll have to write him and tell him I met you. Oh, no, no, no, please. Give me his address, Ann, and let me write him. Well, sure, Mr. Fleming. We're taking a drive later, Dad. Just after dark, okay? We're going up to Coney Island. Coney Island? Have fun, baby. And that's how I happen to be writing to you, Ned. A voice out of the past. A voice of a miracle has happened. A miracle of two children meeting. Your image is out there on the lawn swing right now. Holding hands, no doubt, with my beauty. It's twilight. And way across the lawn, over the tops of the trees, the moons are just coming up. Good Lord. She's singing a song. A song that seems to be coming out of a dream. I guess the kids nowadays are latching on as they put it to the oldies. Was it yesterday? Or was it 10,000 years ago, Ned? There they are. Your kid and mine. Foolish and full of moonlight as all of us were. God loved them. Oh, I guess I didn't tell you my daughter's name. Gert never knew why I wanted to give her that particular name. But you know, Ned, and I know it's Marjorie. Marjorie Dahl Fleming. You see, she's no longer make believe. And if your Ned looks very closely, I'm sure he'll see the flecks of gold in her eyes. Lovely Dorothy Warnschel will return in just a moment. Meanwhile, our kind thanks to Newton Arnold, Lady Lee, Marvin Miller, and our entire company. Long ago, suggested by Thomas Bailey Aldrich's story, Marjorie Dahl was written as an operetta by Messers Lawrence and Lee. The railroad hour is brought to you each week, at this time, by the American Railroads. Friends, here's a message from the National Safety Council. A message about railroad crossing signs. Those signs to protect people from accidents. And the safety council says that such signs, like other traffic signs along the highways, are signs of life. So when one of these signs warns you of a grade crossing, obey the warning. And obey all the signs of life and live. Gordon, it was fun being both your green girl and your daughter in one and a half hour. Well, believe me, you were enchanting the arts in two generations, Dorothy. It was a great thrill doing the premieres of these new musicals, Gordon. Tell me, what are we premiering next week? Well, I guess I might get a meaty part next week, Dorothy, a lovely Irish legend. We're going to sing the music that comes right out of the heart of the greenest island on this planet. It's called Danny Freel, a legend of leprechauns and love. And our own folk singer, Katie Lee, will add to the Irish flavor. And I'll be practicing up on my Gaelic. Well, you're Dorothy, oh, who are on shoulder. All aboard! Well, sir, looks as though we're ready to pull out and so until next week, and our new operetta, Danny Freel. This is Gordon Macrae saying goodbye and good night. Gray can be seen in Warner Brothers on Moonlight Bay. Our choir is under the direction of Norman Luboff, and our music is prepared and conducted by Carmen Dragon. This is Marvin Miller saying goodbye until next week for the American Railroad. Now stay tuned for your Monday Night of Music on NBC. Hear the voice of Firestone next on NBC.