 Oh, uh, waiter. Yes, sir? I'll have some sliced chicken, some potato salad, and a bottle of cold, perhaps blue ribbon. Yes, sir. Finest beer served anywhere. From Hollywood, perhaps blue ribbon. Finest beer served anywhere. Proudly present. Green Directors Playhouse, production Yellow Sky, director William Wellman, star Gregory Pag. Hollywood Screen Directors present a story written in the Western Sands. The popular motion picture Yellow Sky starring Gregory Peck and introduced by the director of the film, Mr. William Wellman. Our guest screen director tonight has created more than individual motion pictures. He has created entertainment for a generation, bringing scores of hours of adventure and drama to the screen, as the director of such memorable pictures as Wings, A Star is Born, The Story of G.I. Joe, The Oxpo Incident, and tonight's adventure, Yellow Sky. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. William Wellman. A century ago, the frontiers of the West sounded as siren called to men who were strong and tough and ambitious. And sometimes they were lawless with a swaggering contempt for justice. Today, the frontier still sounds its call to adventure in the tales of its time and people. We heard that call when we filmed tonight's story. Now here it is for the first time on the air, Yellow Sky, starring Gregory Peck in his original role of stretch. In the flat pan of the desert, the ghost town of Yellow Sky hugs the seared brown dust, sinking it into its own barren loneliness to escape the sun. In the deserted quiet, nothing lives. Nothing stirs until... Grandpa! Grandpa! There's men coming! Five men coming across the desert! I can't... I can't go on. Keep going. Bull Run's right. First of use is nothing but desert. No water for two days, but horse is useless. Keep going. There's an end to this sand somewhere. You find it for a stretch. You got us out of here. Hold on. Stop. Now listen to me. Dude, lengthy. Bull Run. Warress. Nobody forced you to come. You've stayed near the side of this desert. Let the army troops hang you for bank robbers. Maybe it would have been better than this. Then maybe you should have stayed, lengthy. You're the boss, Stretch. You're the leader. This was your idea. That's right, dude. Now come on. Stretch! Up there on the rise. Look behind you. There's nothing but sand. I saw her all right. A woman with a rifle. Top that rise. Bull Run's going crazy. Now he ain't all that crazy, not yet. I'm having a look up there. Look at lengthy. Wetting his lips and nothing to run him with. Just thinking about that woman. Lengthy's a ladies' man, Warress. May I'm a gambler. And being a gambler, I'll just bet that Stretch gets first call on anything we come across. Money, water, or woman. Ain't that right, lengthy? Oh, he ain't so tough. Someday I'm gonna... Oh, no, you won't, lengthy. Stretch is smart and you're not. You won't do anything. Yeah? What about you, dude? That's different. I'm smart. Maybe smarter. Look, Stretch is waving at us. Come on. There's a town. You sure picked a good one, Stretch. A dead one, a ghost town. Water. There ain't no water. Shut up! There's a sign. Yellow sky. Fastest girl in town in the territory. It's a fitting place to die, isn't it? Nobody's gonna die. Well, keep going, Stretch. There she is, the girl. I'll put up your gun. We don't mean no harm. Where'd you come from? Across the sink. We need water. Bad. What are you running away from? We want water, ma'am. Not talk. Well, there's a spring here between those two buildings. You hear that? There's water. Water. Come on, Bull Run. Get on your feet. You ain't gonna die now. Go on, Drink. But stay away from my house. I told you to stay away from here. I just wanted to pay you a friendly visit. Thank you and your grandpa for the grub. You would have taken it anyway. That's right. Yeah, we're used to taking what we want. Now, why do you always have to be toting that rifle around? I don't trust you. Well, you can trust me, but them others. They're talking about you. Saying how pretty you are. Wouldn't trust them. Animals. You're all animals. Well, at length, he's gonna come prowling around. A girl like you, you're sort of a challenge to a fellow like him. You get out of here. I'm gonna shoot you. I don't like women who act so high and mighty. I think I better take that toy away from me. Outlaw, you dirty outlaw. Well, now I wouldn't go stirring up no trouble with that girl. Ha, ha, ha. Oh, that's quite a punch she's got there. Come in mighty handy when she gets married. Ha, ha. Oh, Mike's as tough as a pine nut. I ought to know I'm a grandpa. Mike, huh? Well, you're taller good. Yeah, me and the Apaches. Apaches. Oh, fine people, supposing you understand them. Any of them around here? Oh, from time to time. Now, you run along, young fella. If you and your friends need anything else before you hit the trail, you come and tell me. Yeah, sure we will. They've seen you. Grandpa, what did you treat them so nice for? I know what I'm doing. Fight them and right away they get suspicious. You just leave this to me, Mike. Get the horses. We're pushing on. I said move. We're leaving. Dude's got other ideas. What kind of ideas? Gold. Here? You're crazy. It doesn't make sense. The old man and the girl living here alone. I've been looking around. Found half a dozen cradles and a big sluice box down there in the canyon. That's abandoned junk just like everything else around here. There's a shack there, too. Patchy's been living in it and I could smell them. Stronger than Fox's, Den. There's too much money laying around in banks for us to be worrying about any little dab these people got. Maybe it ain't so little. That's for me to decide. Dude's doing some deciding too, Stretch. You figure you're the boss now, dude? Personally, I don't care whose boss. As long as we get that gold. That's the way we all feel. All right. Supposing they got gold. I'm the one that's saying how we'll get it. Now you're talking. Maybe I ought to have a little talk with a girl alone. Keep your hands off her, lengthy. We don't want no trouble like that. Oh, that ain't no trouble. I'm warning you all of you. Leave the girl alone. Now let's see about that gold. Don't suppose there's no use telling you fellas we ain't got no gold. Well, somehow we wouldn't believe you, Grandpa. Thieves. I should have shot you when you came. Soon, I guess you'd be twisting my arm. Well, I don't want that. I might as well tell you. You're a smart man, Grandpa. Yellow sky was a silver town. Silver peated out. Mike and me, we figured there might be gold. Moved in when the others left. And we struck it all right. Where is it? Gold's a mighty dangerous thing when you want it just for greed. We was going to reopen the town with it. Oh, we ain't so greedy. We'll make a deal. Supposing there's enough for all of us. Now what kind of a deal was you figuring on? 50-50. We'll split. Well, that sounds fair enough. Seeing as how things are. How much? How much is there? Counting to dust, about 50,000 maybe. 50,000? Grandpa, I don't tell him no more. Where is it? Casting the mouth of that old silver mine on the hill. When we seen you coming, we knocked out a few of the timbers. It's buried now. You'll have to dig for it. Like I said, Grandpa, you're a real smart. You made a right good deal. You stay away from me. Oh, now, is that any way to talk to a man who's been digging hard for gold all day? Are lots of girls would be glad to have Link to come calling? Leave me alone. I'm going in the house. Not yet, you need. You're staying with me for a while. Not good, leave her alone. You just need used to men. Link, leave her go. You don't own me, Stretch. I got a right to come call. I said leave her go. Ah, she's worth nothing anyways. I told you no one was to bother the girl and keep your hands away from that gun. I wasn't. I know you wasn't. Now get out of here. All right, Stretch. This time. You all right? I guess so. Thanks. Oh, wait a minute. Where are you going? Inside with Grandpa. He's worried sick. About what? Running off with all the gold and leaving us nothing. I gave him my word, didn't I? I made a deal. The word of an outlaw? Look, I come from good people. Maybe I ain't no angel. Seems like I always been chasing or being chased. Now that's the only way I know. Brought up on the frontier, my ma was killed by Indians. My old man shot down in a gun fight. They'd be real proud of you, wouldn't they? All I know is they taught me to stick by my word and I'm sticking to our deal. I swear that on my ma's memory. Maybe you're telling the truth. Or before you go in. No. Now you're just like the other one. Let me go. Now you can go. If you want. I... Say. You kind of enjoying it. I shouldn't have let you touch me. I shouldn't have... Stretch? Dude. What are you doing here? Just looking. That's going to a lot of trouble, isn't it? All that swearing and promising just to get one female. She believes me. She's crazy and I figured. Come on. We got a lot more digging to do tomorrow. The screen directors play house production of Yellow Sky starring Gregory Peck with Gloria Blondell and introduced by the director of the film Mr. William Wellman. Our in Chicago. The elevated trains are roaring overhead. You collar soggy and shirt sticking to your back. Step out under the boiling pavement. Underfoot the hot tar bends like rubber. What a scorcher and no relief in sight. Wait a minute. What's that little blue sign in the window? Oh brother. Perhaps blue ribbon. Finest beer served anywhere. Yes, during these hot July days, you're just one of millions of men all over America to whom that perhaps blue ribbon sign means welcome relief. Or perhaps blue ribbon does something more than quench your thirst. It gives you taste. Blue ribbon taste. The kind of taste you can't get anywhere else in the world except in that perhaps blue ribbon bottle. And fortunately, you can get that blue ribbon bottle all over the world. Yes, you hear it everywhere in Chicago and Cheyenne and Charlestown and Chattanooga. Perhaps blue ribbon. Finest beer served anywhere. Your taste will tell you why. Now back to our screen directors production of Yellow Sky starring Gregory Peck. Them shovels ain't for leaning. Now the sun don't help man. Don't know his dickens worth it. Now we get this gold walrus. We won't have to work no more. Oh wait, I almost got the mouth of the mind clear. Maybe they're lying to us. Maybe they're in no gold here. They ain't lying. We made a deal. That's a laugh. Us giving them a 50-50 split. Where's dude? That's what I'd like to know. Us working our guts out. He ain't no hand at working. He's nosing around town somewhere. We got this bull dip right out the rest of the dirt out of fall away. Come on. Gracious shovel's under. All right, here. Now. Cheyenne. She's open now. Come on, let's get that gold. Here it is. We got it. Sacks of it. Stretch. Sacks of gold. Come out of there. Come out of the mine. Look at it shine. I said come out of there. What's the matter with you? You think you wasn't interested in gold? Look. Look what's coming. Oh, it's just a sandstorm. No wind blown. Listen. Them horses. Holy Moses, the patches. That's what it looks like. They're heading for town. Well, I guess the old man ain't as loony as we figured. Oh, that sneakin' girl. Parony old Buzzard said the Apaches was friends of theirs. There must be about 40 or 50 of them. Where you reckon dudes at? He's probably hiding out in town. I aim to find out what's up. It's almost sundown. As soon as it's dark, I'm sneaking into town. What about us? Well, these rocks around the mouth of the cave make a good natural fort. Just don't go wandering around. Stretch must be right in the middle of them Apache devils by now. Look at their fires. Must be camp with the springs. What's that? Something's crawling over there. Don't shoot. It's me, dude. What's the idea of scaring us half to death? I've been down in yellow sky. Where's Stretch? In the town, seeing what he can find out. Oh, is that what he told you? You simple fools. Can't you see he sold you out? Stretch wouldn't do a thing like that. Suppose I told you Stretch and the girl were putting their heads together last night. Talking, planning. Him and the girl, huh? Yeah, Stretch wants that gold and he's not splitting in any more ways than he has to. I ain't worried about the gold so much as I'm worried about my hide. Then if you want to live walrus, you better move up on the ridge with me. You got your planted down here so those Apaches can move in and get you anytime they want. How does dude know? How does he know what Stretch is doing? Stretch is down in the town, isn't he? Figure it out for yourselves. Stretch! You got a surprise visitor. Quite a powwow going on out there. Apaches, they're our friends. All right, turn them loose on us. Some of your great friends are gonna get killed too. You'd think we'd turn the Apaches loose on you? On our own people? You're sent for them, didn't you? The truth is we didn't know their engines were within 50 miles of here. Now what are they doing in yellow sky? Well, it seems they've been having some sort of trouble back on the reservation and was out to kill. I told them if they'd go back piece of bull, I'd talk to the engine agent myself, try to get the troubles to care of. Well, what about us? I told them you was working for me. You can't understand that, can you? Why did he tell them that? Because my grandfather wants to keep a lot of people from being killed, even people like you. Oh. Well, is it... is it all right if I wait here until daylight? Yes, you can wait. They'll be gone by morning. Then you can go back and steal our gold. But I told you last night... I'm sorry about last night. I'm ashamed of myself. What are you fellas doing up here in the ridge? I told you to wait at the mine. I know, but don't hear... I'm still giving the orders, not due. We'll talk about that later. What about the Indians? They're gone. The old man told them to move out. For good? For good. Then I think we better load up and start moving. First, I want to get one thing straight. Our deal with the old man. Well, what about it? The old man played square. Sent those apaches back to the reservation if he hadn't. We all be laying around now making bones. So? So whether you like it or not, we're going to give them their share, like we promised. Look, Stretch, we've been friends. Why can't we talk it over? Like this! You got him, dude. He's rolling down the hill. No, he ain't got him. Just winged him. He's stuck behind that rock. Well, he can't stay there forever. We'll get him when he runs for cover. That'll keep him down while we flank him. Get down! That ain't Stretch's gun. That's the girl. Stretch, come on down. I'll keep you covered. That little rattlesnake. When this is over, I'm going to take care of her all by myself. He's getting away. He'll head for the house. Then why don't we just load up and get out? Yeah, and spend the rest of our days waiting for Stretch to stick a gun in our backs. Lengthy's right. When we leave yellow sky, we won't be worrying about meeting up with Stretch again. See anything from the back window, Mike? Nothing. Nothing on this side. It's been dark for nearly two hours. They'll be coming soon. Yeah, it's mighty quiet out there. Maybe they left. A dude might want to leave. He's just gold-crazy. But lengthy, he's got other things on his mind. Mike? Yeah, Mike. Here they are. That's Dude. We don't want your gunning for us the rest of our lives, Stretch. We know if we have a shootout, some of us are going to get hurt. So we'll do what you wanted. We'll split with the girl and the old man. Hand me that great blanket over there. Here it is. Now, this just rolls up about the size of a man. Keep back. I'm going to open the door. Stretch, don't. Keep your eye peeled and shoot for the gun flashes. That suits me, Dude. Hold your fire. I'm coming out. That sure is one shot-up blanket. Hey, Dude. It's at the door. It was a certain target. Good work, lengthy. Where are you? I can't see you. Over here. What's happening out there? That sounds like Dude took a shot at Lengthy. What do you want? Bleeding something awful. Tell him to come in. Bring him in and come slowly. Stretch. We thought Lengthy got you. Not this time. Put him down. Here. Stretch up. Don't hurt Stretch. I'm sorry, kid. Always what's happening out there? Yeah, they think they killed you. Then, Dude, he took a shot at Lengthy. Guess he figured Lengthy might want too much of the gold, but he only winged him. Where are they now? Dude lit out for the barn where we left the gold. And Lengthy? Following him. Stretch, where are you going? Out to the barn. I don't want Lengthy and Dude killing each other. That's a pleasure I'm saving for myself. Don't stretch, you can't. There's two of them. Leave them go, Mike. Right now, you've got a patient to tend to. Oh, man. Stretch, he wanted to split with you. Dude wanted it all. We listened to Dude. You shouldn't talk. Don't make no difference now. He said he came from good folks. Proud of it. I guess he ain't really bad. Not like the others. He ain't listening, ma'am. If I didn't know better, I'd say you was kind of concerned. Are you all right? Yeah, I'm all right. They ain't. Here. Take this. It's your gun. I'm through with it, Mike. Through? Well, what goods are gunning Yellow Sky, there ain't nothing left to shoot. You... You're gonna stay? If you and Grandpa let me. Yeah, Grandpa. Hot up the coffee. We're coming in. You have just heard the last act of Yellow Sky. In a moment, our star, Gregory Peck, and our screen director, William Wellman, will return to the microphone. Hollywood is supposed to be a town of tinsel and glamour, but all that chee-chee you read about is nothing but a publicity front. Actually, most of the movie stars are home-loving folks just like you and me, who get their greatest pleasures from simple things. Sitting in the backyard with friends and neighbors, cooking hamburgers on a charcoal grill, serving cold bottles of perhaps blue-ribbon beer, everything in perfect taste. Blue-ribbon taste. And it's that blue-ribbon taste that makes this internationally famous beer so popular here in Hollywood and all over America. Yes, you hear it everywhere. In Boston's famous seafood restaurants, in Minnesota's beautiful lakeside resorts, in Ohio's friendly roadside inns, perhaps blue-ribbon. Finest beer served anywhere. Your taste will tell you why. Next week on Screen Directors Playhouse, perhaps blue-ribbon beer presents for the first time on the air Kazba, starring Tony Martin and Marta Toren. And now, here again is the star of tonight's play, Gregory Peck. Thanks very much. But the actual star of the Screen Directors Playhouse is the director himself. So here's the man who was really responsible for putting yellow sky on the screen, director Bill Wellman. Thanks, Craig. It's always a thrill for a director to hear his picture turned into radio fair. But tonight's broadcast of Yellow Sky was more than an exciting experience. It brought back some scorching memories. I mean those blazing days on location under a sun that was fine for movies, but awfully uncomfortable for movie makers. So if, for a few minutes, my temperature zoomed, it's because of a grand performance by Gregory Peck and an excellent cast. Thank you and good night. And good night to you, William Wellman and Gregory Peck. Tonight before you go to bed, tie a blue ribbon around your finger. An imaginary blue ribbon, of course. Just to remind you that tomorrow is the beginning of another glorious weekend. Two whole days to relax. Don't forget to buy a good supply of perhaps blue-ribbon beer. Finest beer served anywhere. Your taste will tell you why. Yellow Sky was presented through the courtesy of 20th Century Fox, shortly releasing Slattery's Hurricanes, starring Linda Darnell and Richard Widmark, and Your My Everything, starring Anne Baxter and Dan Daly. Screen director William Wellman's latest picture is the MGM production Battleground. Included in tonight's cast were Gloria Blondell as Mike, with Paul Freese, Jack Edwards, Wally Mayer, Ken Christie, Sam Edwards, and Dan Riss. Yellow Sky, based on the novel by W.R. Burnett, was adapted for radio by Richard Allen Simmons. And original music was composed and conducted by Henry Russell. Screen director's Playhouse was produced by Howard Wiley with dramatic direction by Bill Karn. The portions of the program were transcribed. Listen again next week when PAPST Blue Ribbon Beer presents Screen director's Playhouse, production, Casbah, director, John Berry, stars, Tony Martin, Marta Toran. Screen director's Playhouse is brought to you by the PAPST Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Peoria, Illinois, and New York, New Jersey. And sent you away with the best wishes of the PAPST Blue Ribbon Dealers from coast to coast. James Wallington speaking. This is NBC, the national broadcasting company.