 The Great Gilder Sleeves It's the Great Gilder Sleeves starring Harold Perry Now let's join the Great Gilder Sleeves. It's Saturday morning breakfast is over at Gilder Sleeves house and Leroy, where do you think you're going? Not so fast young man. Have you cleaned up your room? Well, probably. I would like to know which part you believe you've cleaned up I glanced into it on my way down to breakfast and I cannot understand how any human being could inhabit such a room How can you get into such a mess? I don't know. Well, I know because you just drop everything on the floor take off your clothes drop them on the floor finish the paper drop it on The floor books on the floor papers on the floor towels on the floor Who's oh? Hello, Ben. I must go. I didn't see you sitting there Sorry, we have to go through these little domestic matters. Oh, that's okay We understand each other I guess so What's been doing here? Well, get started on your own Have you practiced the piano? This morning Leroy while we're fresh We go through this every week my boy, I should think you learn I'll get at it Getting to be the worst day of the whole week Boys Well, Ben haven't seen you in quite a while good to see you. Well, you've been keeping yourself. Oh, I don't know It's that darn job. I guess it takes up a lot of time. Yeah, it's about so Wonder if you'd pardon me while I make a phone call. Just make yourself at home here, man. Oh, sure The dickens Just sitting around like that I thought I'd order the roast for tomorrow. I'll be through in just a minute buddy. Yes, I'll wait You needn't wait buddy. I'll call you in there. Hello. I'll call you birdie. Okay, miss. Let me know Hello, he's miss Piper there, please. Oh Well, I'll call her later Yes, this is mr. Gillis Hello, Dr. Needham. How are you? Didn't recognize your voice Well, I wanted to talk to miss Piper about them We Roy's piano lessons, but I can call her some other time Sorry to bother you You bet doctor. Goodbye All right, Brittany come and get it. Oh Ben Let's see you're waiting for Marjorie. Yes, sir Thought she might like to jump in the car and drive down the bees myers with me Got to pick up the tire. Oh, yes, I had a flat they're putting in the boot Well, it's Marjorie. Oh, she has some stuff. She has to finish that. I'm just waiting. I see Well, good morning, guilty. Oh, hello, John What's on your mind come in hang up your chair and take a half My friend I've been working for you like a dog the last half hour working for me who hired you What are you talking about? Why in the name of heaven didn't you meet Leela Ransom's train this morning train? Why George? I forgot all about it Could you meet her? Certainly? I met her. She's a client of mine You're going to have to do some explaining guilty if you want to get back in her good graces You needn't raise your voice judge. Oh Didn't see you there Ben. Hi judge. Hi You guilty I run right over there now and start apologizing tell her that you were tied up or something I forgot judge. I told you that forgot you've got that young woman on your mind Then I Wonder if you'd mind the judge and I have something confidential do it Would you mind sitting in the dining room for a few minutes? Oh, that's okay. I'll sit anyway What were you starting to say judge guilty? I'm a good friend of yours I hesitate to speak about such a personal matter. You didn't hesitate just now. Come on say it I dare you to say it guilty. That's not the spirit as I say I'm bringing this up as a friend Now you and this Piper girl stop I will not have her referred to as this Piper girl In fact, I take it as a personal favorite you've refrained from mentioning the lady's name at all very well The fact remains that you're making a fool of yourself guilty the whole town's talking about you and Lee Roy's music teacher That's ridiculous. I've hardly seen the girl besides I Well our whole relationship is something you couldn't possibly understand a peculiar and unique relationship is that it? No It's just beautiful. That's all Just so happens. She's a very fine pianist. Well to me and to all the other decent people in town It's just an old fool chasing after a child Kindly leave my house mr. Hooker immediately I Got go now Lily B. I heard the doorbell ring. I'll call you later. Are you talking about me? No, sir. I Didn't think you were May I use the telephone now, please? Yes Wonder who Bertie was talking about Well, she couldn't possibly have heard hello miss Piper there. Oh never mind. I'll Yes, this is mr. Gillis Lee Hello, I could meet them They're really sorry to keep bothering you all the time. I Well, no doctor. Don't bother. I'll call her again. You bet. Goodbye As he recognized my voice every time Darn it makes a follow feel. I don't know. It's like he could see over the phone Ben Are you still here? Yes, sir. I'm still here All right, George. I had no idea Marjorie must be I'll call her now. Don't rush your mr. Gillis. Leave. I've got all day That's nonsense Marjorie come down here at once You'll just leave you liable to make a sore. You don't have to make a boy No young lady has any excuse to keep a young man waiting for three hours. He got Yes, indeed. We're Ben's been sitting here for hours waiting for you to go somewhere. What's the idea? Oh 1130 I'm afraid I can't go after all Ben. I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was so late Well, that's okay. It is not okay. Oh, please mr. Gillis. Leave. It's okay with me. I'll see you around mark. Okay Drop in soon again, Ben. Glad to see you any time. Thanks any time at all, Ben So long been so long Hey, goodbye margin Well, that's a fine way to treat anybody I must say I Say that's a fine way to treat anybody Are you referring to me? Who do you think I'm referring to well who wants to drive down to be smirks for heaven's sake? What a dumb idea if you didn't want to go you might have told him so in the first place Instead of making him hang around here for three hours cooling his heels Nobody made him if he hasn't got anything better to do I could have told him you had no intention of going Why can't he take a hint for heaven's sake? That's the trouble with Ben. That's all he ever wants to do is just hang around Besides he's too old. Oh That's this That's the silliest statement. I ever heard Ben old 23 or 24 maybe well he is Well, he never wants to do any of the things the other kids do he's always trying to get serious my dear life is serious Ben's been in the Navy. He knows that I'm yet for heaven's sake. I want to enjoy myself a little while. I've got my youth I don't want to start getting serious not yet. That was somebody years older than I am Four years five at the most well six maybe Why are you throwing Ben at me all of a sudden? I'm not throwing Ben at anybody. I'm just defending him That's all I'm saying just because he's a few years older than the others. Well Uncle Mort, you're not fooling me. What's that? You're not defending Ben. You're defending yourself What do you mean? You just don't want people to think you're too old to be running around with Miss Piper that's all You want them to think it's all right for somebody older to go around Where did you get the idea? I'm running around with Miss Piper. Oh really uncle Mort everybody in town is talking about it Who is what do they say? Never mind what they say just Just as I thought no one said anything They do it's a lie Anybody says anything. Oh, well, they're just a lot of nosy partners. What do I care what they say? I'll give all you do is think about yourself. What about Miss Piper? You don't seem to care if the whole town is laughing at her laughing. I should think you'd be embarrassed. I'm embarrassed Uncle Mort, how do you think she must feel? You're 44. She's 20. How would you like it if people called you an old fool's bobble? Who said that laundry laundry you come back here Bobble see they can't say that about her. She's fine. She's good. She has her whole life before her. Well, I Well, her happiness is everything mine is George I've got a good mind to call her right up and tell her so No, no, that's not the way that can only lead to heartache Face it old man. You've got to give her up bravely unselfish You've got to give her up and she must never know Never know how you love it. It's a far far better thing I do than I have ever done before Who said that I don't know who said it, but I know how he felt The great gilder sleeve and Leila ransom will be back very shortly back to gilder sleeve Poor gilder sleeve victim of a tragic love a love He cannot declare a love that can never be for the first time he has had to face this simple truth Joe Anne is 20. He is 44. His own niece is throwing it in his face He was missing from dinner this evening without a word to anybody he threw on his overcoat and stalked out of the house He walked and he walked Aimlessly pans rammed down in his pockets and staring straight ahead Down lakeside Avenue across on cherry up Haven Hurst over on Woodruff and on down Lachman on and on till he came to the outskirts of town Meanwhile the Sun had said now all that is left is the afterglow There stands gilder sleeve Staring into the dark waters of his own reservoir while thoughts even darker struggle in his head That would be the coward's way out Besides it's cold No gilder sleeve. You'll just have to face it Life must go on Be brave. Oh boy. Be gay She must never know No one must ever know She oh what the heck Hey Here today and gone tomorrow Welcome to your sight for sore eyes. Get your hat. We're going to the movies. Well, I wonder when I was to have the honor Don't give me any backtalk What if I don't care to go to the movies and we'll stay right here Sorry, I couldn't get to the train Leela, but you know how it is really I don't know why even let you in the house because I'm irresistible I'd hardly call you that but you're certainly unpredictable. Oh, you don't know how unpredictable I can be I just don't give a hand Chocolate I must say you yank you certainly make yourself at home. That's us And is that a love seat? Certainly. It's a love seat. Why aren't we sitting on it? Come here What the heck, I don't know what's got into you the devil I guess I don't care what I do Not hard to know you when you love things about a kiss. What the heck? That's a matter. Well, I've never had anyone speak to me like that never never asked you for a kiss Oh, well certainly gracious hundreds of them But never will never like that. I mean after all I'm not a follower beats around the bush get an idea bingo I don't care. What the heck Okay, shall talk into the wrong girl. Well, now wait a minute. Leela. What are you sore about? Down where I come from a gentleman just doesn't rush up to a lady and ask if I kiss like order in a loafer brand Well, I'm sorry. Leela come on back and sit down. I'll try to be nice You haven't asked a thing about me what I've been doing all these months or how is my auntie poo or anything How is your auntie poo? She's fine Yeah, she seems to have recovered completely After I waited on all those months hand and foot Remarkable. Oh, lady. Oh for goodness sakes. The doctor gave up completely three months ago I helped to make out a will and everything How'd you come out? How did I in the will? A will is a confidential document from Martin. Oh, pardon me What use have I got for a lot of old furniture? Oh, but let's not talk about wills and things like that. Let's talk about you Have you missed me? Yes, I have I'll bet you'll just say now. I'll bet you've had dozens of girls since I last no. No, I've been too busy One man. Oh, I'd rather you had dozens than just one Uh, by the way, how was Eve Goodwin? Eve? Well, I haven't seen Eve Goodwin in a month and that's a fact Really? She's so nice. Of course, she may be a little intellectual for you Oh, I don't know. I always admire people with brains. I admire them terribly, but for a steady diet Yeah, you're a better People have always shed to me all my life. Leela Child, you having a brain in your pretty little head But I don't mind. The boys don't seem to mind either Do you think brains are showing part in Strop Martin? In the long run, I mean Brains now Uh, you know, I'm glad I'm back Oh, I had a perfectly wonderful time down in Savannah, of course with parties and balls and folks entertaining for me every minute But I don't know all the time I was down there. I kept thinking of the good times I used to have up there Mostly with you Well, the long conversations we used to have in the evening And then the evenings without any conversation Evening when I'd play the piano for you and you'd sing Let's do that now No, no Please, Leela. Not the piano, please Leela, as a favorite of me, not the piano I declare Strop Martin. All you ever think about is spooning Thank you, Leela Oh, why does she do this to me? Strop Martin Just when I was trying to forget Oh, be a good boy now, please Give me strength That's a darling. Now sing pretty for Leela There's something on your mind. Tell Leela I've got to Leela. I've got to tell somebody Oh, you can tell Leela Well, uh, let's go over here and sit down I'll just sit on the rug here so you can talk to me. I like sitting on the rug anyway Now Leela I love sharing confidence, don't you? Head Strop Martin Leela, do you think it's possible for two people to be happily married one night? Oh, I do Strop Martin, definitely Here, I haven't told you yet What I mean is, do you think it's a mistake? Uh, do you think there's any hope for a marriage of May and September? May and September? Well, October In other words, do you think a few years difference in age is important? I'm asking you that as a woman I'm glad you asked me Strop Martin Because I'll tell you how I feel about that No, I don't think it's important You don't? It doesn't matter if a man is older The important thing is whether he really loves you Oh, there's no question about that Well, sometimes it's actually an advantage if a man is older Oh, you really think so? It means he's apt to be, well, kind and more experienced He's able to protect the better That's right, I never thought of that Oh, and that's not all Well, I don't know any woman who doesn't find older men more fascinating Than young ones who don't know anything Young whippin' snappers Exactly Oh, they may be fun to dine with and all that Gracious, I had a flock of them around me all the time I was in Savannah And they were just as sweet as they could be Just darling to every one of them But I don't know, there's something about a man After he starts to turn gray at the temple But you're always hearing people say that when a man Marries someone who's, well, younger than himself Strop Martin, the world is full of people Who are always minding other people's business What does it matter what they say? Yeah, yeah, what do they know? What does it matter what people think? It's love that comes You said it Love can conquer anything What a few years Leela, you're good Why, you were silly ever to worry about it Gracious, if I'd had the slightest idea You've given me new hope, that's why Yes, my George, I'm not so old I still got some big years left, plenty of them What a call What's more, I haven't got much use for any man Who'd let public opinion stand in the way of a girl's happiness That's because she happened to be a little young Is that her fault? Is that any reason to condemn her? Strop Martin, there's a little confession I could make If it would be any comfort to you Well, what's that? I told a little fairy I'm not really thirty-three I'm thirty-seven So you see, we're not really so far apart anyway Oh, Claude Well, I'll see you later Just doesn't understand me, that's all No, Joanne, she doesn't understand me either But she could If I were free to speak to her Hell, what's in my heart? Well, why shouldn't I? What am I afraid of, for goodness sake? Dr. Needham? I'll march right over there and I'll say to him I'll say, Dr. Needham, I'm in love with your house guest She's twenty and I'm forty-four What do you want to make of it? I guess you won't know what to say to that Here, Dr. Needham, I'm in love with your house best Good evening, folks Who's there? Is that you, Joanne? This is Mr. Gillersleeve I had to see me now or never Look here, Dr. House guest I mean, Dr. That's not Dr. Needham No Hi, Mr. Gillersleeve Ben! Have some lemonade Yes, won't you join us? No, no, no, thank you I just happened to be passing by Just thought I'd drop by and say hello Well, I said it Bye This is the United States Armed Forces Radio Service The voice of information and education