 Your Coca-Cola bottler presents Claudia based on the famous play and novels by Rose Franken 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 Come on get conscious will you this is a dress rehearsal remember all right You kids now get out of the wings no talking backstage and don't smoke unless it's a part of the business that you rehearse All right, not try and act as if you knew what you were doing All right, let's go on from there. You know mama. I don't blame Varnie for getting his dander up It's not going at all. Well, is it maybe this is the way dress rehearsals go David? Maybe From the looks of things I doubt it. Thank you. So do I It's pretty bad. I'm starting to wish we hadn't come Feel pretty much the same between you and me your daughter is no actress and I don't blame it on me She's not my daughter anymore. She's your wife. She's my wife. All right. You ought to stick to being a wife Are you going to tell her all heavens? Yes, she comes Looks all right This is her big scene Hope she gets through it alive and hardly bear to look here Stephanie you wanted to talk to me you bet I wanted to talk to you louder please I'm in the eighth row and I can't hear half of what you're saying There's no point in saying the lines at all if you can't be heard. All right, go on You can stand there looking me in the eye and saying what is it? What is it Stephanie? I want you to leave this house I want you oh line please All right, where's the proctor? What is this a rehearsal or a picnic? Oh, oh never mind never mind. All right. Go ahead. I've got all the stupid stupid author How can I memorize these thread from nosy eating banal loop the goobriest cliches is just impossible Do you might look just say the lines that you have and don't argue? All right. All right. All right here goes Yes, I want you to leave this house. I want you to leave this house to never come back I thought that's what you were going to say. I'm ready to go You're my sister, but somehow when I look at you all the love and all the memories we shared they're all gone You had this old plan didn't you Anne? I I don't know I Don't know I Don't know you don't know your part. That's the trouble. She knew it last night. Even I know the line Well, if you know the line, of course you do you've got the script in your hand. I haven't got it in my hand I'm sitting on it. The line is I don't know anymore what I had planned Go ahead. I don't know anymore what I had planned or what I meant to do or what I meant to say All I know is that I'm ready to leave and I don't care if I never come back Where are you going? I bought a ticket for New York this morning. If you like I'll let you know where I'm staying and Do you need some money? I don't need anything. You've taken away the only thing I ever really needed I love guys happening. I loved him more than you'll ever be able to love anybody But you have one and he's yours. I wish you luck You're going to need it pretty words. Oh Jim that's so inadequate. I need something else here something I can get my teeth into something with emotion with with bite Look just get your teeth and the lines you have and we'll worry about additional lines later Please go on. Do you know what those don't say it? All right pretty words Yes, goodbye You're very proud. Yes, I am proud very proud for the first time in my life I'm not afraid of you and I feel I can manage without you. Goodbye my beautiful sister and Don't go. Don't leave me Please that's enough as much as I can stand. Well David. What do you think of that? Mercy that was absolutely terrible You're going back to see her you bet I am the pleasure is all yours. What are you going to say to her? And exactly what I said to you. Well, I don't be too hard on her David Compliment won't help her mother. Maybe the truth will all right That's all for now. Take a ten minute break and everybody back on stage. I want to go over some notes that I made on the run-through Relax if you can Don't suppose it went very well did a chin What's terrible? You'll have to do a lot better opening night if you want to take this show in in New York And I mean it All right, no relax everybody ten minutes and then everybody back on stage that includes backstage too David you run along alone. I want to call up the house and ask Bertha if she needs anything for dinner Mrs. Brown, I have a sneaking feeling that you are a coward. I do not deny it or make any excuses Well I'll go on back then Any message for your daughter? What does a mother say at a time like this? A mother? What does a husband say at a time like this? See where is it I can never find my way around These places we should put numbers on the door Oh here dressing room eight. Oh David Norton Come to see your little wife. Oh, hello Miss Mannet. That's right. Well What do you think of her? Well, it's it's hard to judge a performance on its first dress rehearsal. Well, I think she's very Interesting in the part. Yes, very interesting and really potentially a very sweet little like this Hmm what worse could you say? But I think she'll get by Here's a cigarette. Cigarette? Yes. I think so your brand Thank you You know, we're all in there pitching for Yes, I I know Thank you you are Going to be around just a little while, you know, I think if you and I talk this over between us We might be able to help Claudia So do drop into my dressing room before you go. Yes, I I will and Mr. Norton Please don't be too hard on her Bye-bye It's only your husband. Oh, aren't you gonna kiss me? Hello with all that Stuff on your face. Oh, it doesn't come off. All right. I like kissing you Not an advertisement for lipstick David you look as if you have a headache. I'm not surprised Have you one? No Well, then you didn't come on. Take off your makeup. Let's go home. Well, aren't you gonna tell me how I was? I'll take off your makeup plenty of time to talk when we get home Can I come in? Oh come in, Mr. Varney. Oh Hello, Lotton. Hello Varney Dead anybody got a chair for me to drop on. Yeah, right over there Well, that was the first dress rehearsal We are sure not going to get far this way. Is it so terrible and lady I think it's time you and I had a little talk Just as you say remember I'm I'm only your husband. Got a match. Yeah, sure cigarette. Oh, here's one. Well, yes, Mr. Varney Claudia What happened to you? What do you mean? I thought you were going to be good in this part I thought you were going to be fresh and young and simple I thought the audience was going to be on your side and you came out on that stage and nothing happened No electricity. No excitement. No surprise. No, nothing No, no, no, no nothing at all You look as if you felt you didn't belong there. You look like a sleepwalker You looked as if you had to keep remembering your speeches. I did you just Yes, you did. You looked as if you'd stumbled on a stage by mistake. Well, I didn't feel that way I was I was starting to feel it was going pretty well. I'll take it from me. It didn't go very well It didn't go really well at all the whole thing reeked now Wait a minute old man your star miss Victoria manners isn't one jot better. That has nothing to do with well Why don't you go ball her out one thing at a time? You don't dare ball her out So you're taking it out on Claudia. You don't have to personally. I thought Claudia was pretty darn good You don't say I do say what's more? I'll have you know, I'm not prejudiced I'm always the first one to hop on her when she's wrong I think she has a difficult part to do and she's not getting any help from the other actors on the stage either you don't say It's awfully sweet, but shut up. I'm talking now Go ahead if she did look lost and helpless and uncertain and that's in the part The point is my dear man that Claudia is not supposed to look confused But the part that she's playing is supposed to look confused. Oh hogwash David you're being awfully sweet. I'm not being sweet. Husbands should not be allowed in the theater They're a plan in the neck. They're worse than mothers. I agree with you But I'm here now and you asked me to come to this dress rehearsal It's not my idea if you don't like Claudia in this part. I'll I'll take her right home with me You can find yourself another actor David. I told you to shut up. So now I'm getting my orders from you No, you're darn right. You are I think it's high time You start stop picking on my wife just because you don't dare pick on Victoria Manners you ask me She's the one that's terrible. It doesn't matter how terrible she is. She's still the leading lady Just as I thought you scared to tell her well, I'll tell her for you. You dare say one word Well, I'll think about it But how would you like playing a scene opposite Victoria Manners mr. Varney? She'd be pushing you into the corner stepping on all your lines moving in on your speeches She'd do everything she could to distract you and take the audience's attention away from you I am only a director all I'm trying to do is put on a play just put it on fairly well So that the audience doesn't hood us out of the theater or sit on their hands when the curtain goes down What do I get? Aggravation and ulcer that's for my wife mr. Varney. I think you're pretty darn lucky. She's in your place. Oh, well What's the difference? I just came in here to give her a mild criticism. So she'll give a better performance and Well, honey, all I can say is it must be wonderful to be married to a man who's in love with you Well, I'll see you on the stage if it isn't too much trouble So long nothing no hard feelings. Oh, no, no hard feelings But any time you want to take over the direction of this play mr. Norton, it's all yours Well, I guess I told him a thing or two David you were wonderful Magnificent. Yeah, I was at that. That was quite a performance. I guess why didn't you tell me sooner? Tell you what that you thought I was so wonderful But when you came into this dressing room five minutes ago, I thought you're gonna say I was terrible You had such a such a headache. He looked about you Can't tell you how relieved I am that you think I'm so good thought you were good Mama and I thought you were terrible Barney's absolutely right everything. He told you was the honest truth. You mean I wasn't any good I said you were terrible. I don't earth made you think you were any good You did well, you didn't think I was going to agree with Barney. Did you while he was insulting you? You don't think I'm going to stand by and let another man criticize my wife and say Absolutely, nothing then you you didn't mean what you were saying how many times do I have to tell you? Oh my gosh All right now young lady. It's up to you and if you make a liar out of me I will bring you well. You've made a liar out of yourself already. No, I haven't you just get good And that's all there is to it. That's all You make it sound so simple Darling, you can't get good. I know it Or I wouldn't have bothered lying for you. Oh, David. It's not easy, but it's so wonderful to try to live up to you Even if you're one of those women who likes to shop there are moments in the course of a buying trip when your patients and energy run out At such times you'll do well to look about for one of those friendly red coolers that invite you to shop refresh Pause for ice-cold coca-cola and it'll be easier to finish shopping Coke helps to restore your good humor. It brings everyone the pause that refreshes Did you watch the dress rehearsal mr. King? Oh, I eavesdropped on part of it. Miss Manners. Well, what did you think? Well, I'd rather not say then you agree with David I'll give you my opinion after the opening night on Monday. That's the only time. It's really fair to judge an actress Suppose Claudia will be so nervous on Monday. It'll be even less fair to judge her then we'll see First things first, you know, well be sure to come around backstage to say hello. I will 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 Monday at the same time And now this is Joe King saying or if wire and remember Whoever you are whatever you do wherever you may be when you think of refreshment think of coca-cola For coca-cola makes any pause the pause that refreshes and ice-cold coca-cola is everywhere The parts of Claudia and David on this program were played by Catherine Bard and Paul Crabtree and the entire production is supervised and Directed by William Brown Maloney and now here's a word from your friendly neighbor who bottles coca-cola