 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 Makes me homesick You know sometimes you make me feel that if I hadn't up and married you you would still be at school Learning my reading writing and arithmetic. I'm pretty good at reading and writing and pretty bad at arithmetic. Well, it's a man's work anyway Say to mr. Reynolds say to meet him in front of the school at nine o'clock. That's what he said Well, he's late Select man, you know that really is a funny name to call David just what would you call mr. Reynolds? What he is mayor? I guess well, then why do you call it? I don't they don't like to call him mayor Because in the early days when they were really practicing democracy up here in New England they they didn't like titles They didn't like man to get too big for their breaches David this mr. Select man mayor of East Brook Reynolds has arrived Good morning, mr. Reynolds You hear on time certainly admire people who are punctual we were waiting for you you say that pleasant man But you said like I was late by George I am late five minutes past nine Got held up a more Tucker down the street Mort's out of work and his wife was out the vitals and his kids is out of shoes and more It was out to go fishing. I exchanged him a shovel for his fishbowl and set him on the town truck Mrs. Mort Tucker will have something to eat besides fish and the little tuckers will have shoes and the town of East Brook We'll get some road mending done what Tucker's a good man in the end of a shovel. He's got what it takes strong back Oh Mort's all right, but he's kind of shipless Well, that's us. Don't be shipless There's the site for the new school building across the street Just what kind of a building did you have in mind mr. Reynolds? Oh, you've got yourself an Architech. He's a good Architech smart man sort of sits back Let's him come up with his own ideas and George Reynolds is just as smart as the next man Well, that's very flattering mr. Reynolds, but I'm pretty busy at the moment I don't know whether I should undertake a new job or I'll have the time to undertake it most elastic thing There is mr. Norton his time you may have to stretch it a bit, but the world's full of time just plum full of time I learned a lesson years ago, mr. Norton when you want to get a job done you go to a busy man He'll get it done for you. Well, you seem to have disposed of my life pretty completely mr. Reynolds There's one point to be determined Just what kind of a building do you want to erect and would I be the best man for the job after all? I never built a school before very many as has mr. Not an awful lot of schools mr. Reynolds not to school building Mrs. Norton and that's a certain how many of my schools there's a fine point of distinction there mr. But you must have some ideas in mind mr. Reynolds a few a few and got a piece of paper here with the details on it 500 children 500 so many towns growing mrs. Norton Tides growing nobody ought to be aware of that more than you Seems like every young couple in the town when they got nothing better to do they up and have themselves a child I guess there's not much better They can do makes for a good thrive and grow in town a school for 500 children This year paper sort of lays out what we decided we need so many rooms an auditorium Gymnasium playgrounds. It's all here, but a new fangled thing I don't hold with all of them, but they say it's progress playgrounds and gymnasium's and auditoriums are necessary to a good school Mr.. Reynolds can't be just school room so they say mr. Norton I'm a little old-fashioned I guess I got some ideas about a school Well, that's what you'd better talk to me about mr. Reynolds your ideas There was a wise man once said the greatest school there is is a log Yep, that's just what he said a log Yeah a log with a student on one end of it and a great teacher on the other Couldn't be no finer schools and that mark Hopkins said that whole mark did a smart man Well, we got kids enough and logs to spare But we're sort of shy on great teachers for the other end of them might be a little drafty and damp in this Ideal school of yours mr. Reynolds might be might be but a good education is worth a little inconvenience Awesome ever we ain't got enough teachers to go around on that system So we'll build us some rooms and then we can set pretty kids on this Imaginary hypothetical log and the best teacher we can find on the other end and just what style of Architecture do you have in mind mr. Reynolds that young man is up to you at your department But I am it'll be something I like when we get through I think I've got the idea You don't care very much what it is as long as you like it It would be a way of stating it mr. Norton But I have an idea. We'll see eye to eye on things. That's why I'm talking to you And if we don't I can be convinced if a buddy can make me think I'm wrong Well, that's fair enough David doesn't aim East Adam mean anything to you two young people you mean here in Connecticut Yeah up on the Connecticut River. Yes, David. We drove through there one day this spring. Yes I remember we did the road bears left up over the hill. Yeah, we stopped there and filled up with gas Did you notice the little red school house back in the fields on the edge of the bluff matter of fact being an architect I did notice it low sweeping roof look like it had been built over 18th century. That's right He didn't go up and look at it. No, we were in a hurry to get back home That's too bad, and you didn't see the sign up there on the side of it. No No, we didn't But I hardly think the style of architecture could be adapted to the building that you have in mind for Eastbrook Look like a one-room school house every school house is a one-room school house. I ain't talking about styles Architecture I'm talking about building a school. I think I'm beginning to follow you mr. Reynolds Mr. Reynolds when my son goes to school I I want him to have all the advantages that we've accumulated through the years you have Mrs. Norton But what George Reynolds is worrying about is that we don't leave out any of the virtues and Advantages that don't appear on the surface, but I still don't see what the connection is between a one-room red school house And this big new school you're thinking about let mr. Reynolds go on for you I think he has something in the back of his mind He wants to say out of that little red school house Mrs. Norton for close to 200 years a lot of fine people came both in front of the teacher's desk and From behind but not because it was a one-room red school. No, but I know what mr. Reynolds means It was an idea and an ideal of education After the school house was a burning torch in the wilderness The core and the heart of the community and stood for equal opportunity and freedom and a way of life And it taught those things that were worth dying for to get and take heat You're still talking about just that little red school house. Yes, it's too bad you and mr. Norton didn't have climbed that hill and looked at That school house You know what you would have seen on the sign beside the door. What would we have seen mr. Reynolds the sign says In this building in the years just before the Revolutionary War Nathan Hale taught school Nathan Hale I've always thought of him as a story in a history book not flesh and blood a Neighbor almost and a little school house just a little way away in East Hattom He taught well ma'am. Yes, he taught some lessons worth learning and remembering Down the hill from the school house is a graveyard In it there's graze for a lot of men who studied at those lessons went out and died So that other men might not lose the chance to learn them too Yes, ma'am Lessons that men will die for it's pretty important lessons to teach mr. Reynolds buildings Just just buildings won't do that for men. Maybe maybe not But what goes into buildings will the individuals and the communities that get together and build their schools What their schools mean to them? That's where the lesson begins and I aim for we shouldn't leave that out of our new school I think I see what you mean Got us an honor roll here in front of the school a lot of gold stars Too many gold stars Read the names, Mrs. Norton Arnold Benjamin his people descended from the traitor Guess that that stayed bad cock Peter his people's got to farm up about two miles from you Canzoni Anthony his father works for the railroad Malewosky Eugene He lived just two farms below you went to school in the little one-room school house on the river road Rochemire hands Good boy They ran a little store on a farm father hardly speaks English mother doesn't speak it at all Good people. I guess you'd say they're good Americans too Reynolds George Mr. Reynolds Your son yes, Georgie He was a good boy, too. I See what you mean, Mr. Reynolds, but it's not easy to build the things you've been talking about with stone and mortar You do your part you make it an honest building Simple and honest and set it on the ground like it belong there and meant to stay there come hell or high water I'll try you do that and the community and all of us will try to do the rest Yes, we'll do our share and we'll make some fine citizens I'd like to have a share in this undertaking. No, ma'am. You're just bulging over with your share another kid to bring up The fine town and the fine country. I'd like to do more. We'll put you in the parent teachers association I guess I can almost qualify you qualify for the next meeting I don't know nothing about human nature or Expectant mothers, but you got specifications of what we want. Mr. Norton. You draw us up some plans and call me I'll try to make the kind of a school you want mr. Reynolds Fine man David This is a fine town and a fine country privilege to bring a child into it I just don't hold with the pessimists and the disillusioned people who say we've come to the end of the road David the road is just beginning those those gold stars on the honor roll The names be behind them that you were reading a few minutes ago They say that but sometimes you have to pay a pretty big price for walking that road Should we ever have to pay that price David? That's do our share Be sure that it will be worth it Mr. Reynolds looked at his son's name there and said Georgie He was a fine boy He seemed sort of certain that it was worth it This is the season for graduation parties for weddings all sorts of festivities And this is a good moment to suggest that coca-cola belongs at any party formal or informal indoors or out When you think of hospitality you think of coca-cola because coke makes people welcome any time any place How's your supply? Haven't you better get coke today? Fine young man that David Norton fine young man glad you like him mr. Reynolds He's going to build Eastbrook a fine school house. We're lucky to have him. You bet you are The Norton's really pleased living up in this part of the country very pleased. They feel it's home Though there are still a great many surprises for them. Mm-hmm on Monday, for instance, it suddenly occurs to Claudia that Mr. Reynolds, do you lock your door at night? Haven't no in 20 years and after Monday night. I don't think Claudia ever will again Locking the front door brings too much trouble locking the door brings trouble That's a new one. So I'll be around Monday so long mr. King so long mr. Reynolds as I was about to say Every day Monday through Friday Claudia comes to you transcribed with 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 all of war 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 These programs star Catherine Bard is Claudia and Paul Crabtree is David 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