 Remember a hallmark card when you carry enough to send the very best. The stickers of hallmark cards bring you an unusual true story on the Hallmark Hall of Fame. Distinguished host, Mr. Lionel Barrymore. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Hallmark Hall of Fame, where we offer you true stories about real people. As the sound of my voice reaches you tonight, so do the efforts and heartbreak of a very brave man. Dr. Lee DeForest, the father of radio, is inventive genius in the field of electronics, open for all the world and all the ages, the invisible empire of the air. We call radio. Here's a remarkable story of one man's victory over complete despair. You only heard from Justin Moon, and you'll meet some very special guests later in the broadcast. Now, here's Frank Goss. Valentine's Day next week is the day when you express your feelings and your good taste through Valentine's. You can do both if you choose Hallmark Valentine's. You'll find the loving messages you want in the simple, unaffected words you would use. And humorous Valentine's, but designed with the good taste you demand. And the Hallmark on the back will tell your friends that on Valentine's Day, too, you'll carry enough to send the very best. Lionel Barrymore appears by arrangement with Metro Golden Mayor, who celebrates their 30th anniversary at your favorite theater, with the long, long trailer starring Lucille Ball and Dezionez. And now, Mr. Barrymore brings you tonight's story on the Hallmark Hall of Fame. Right car is pleasure, right thought. Class reunion in New Haven, Connecticut, June 1906. Like all reunions, the day has been filled with hilarity, pledges of eternal friendship, banquets and speeches, nurses. Gentlemen, gentlemen. Gentlemen, as I recall, this was and still is the hungriest class ever graduated from Yale University. Officially, and on behalf of the faculty and trustees, it is my distinct pleasure to extend to all of you a cordial welcome back. Ten years ago at this time, most of you were quivering in anticipation of your final examination. And I would guess, I would guess rather, I'm certain that in the ten years you've been away from here, all of you have discovered that life has a way of holding final examinations more frequently than they ever occurred on this campus. On this unserious event of your tenth reunion, I mentioned this serious aspect of living by way of introducing one of your fellow classmates. Not only do you and I know him, but the world knows him now, his fame is well earned. For he and he alone is responsible for the fact that American wireless telegraphy leads the world. Gentlemen, I give you, your comrade and classmate, Leader Forrest. Thank you, sir. I didn't prepare a speech for tonight. That's alright, Lee. You just tell us how we can become inventors. Well, I'd say you need three things. First, an idea. And secondly, a landlord who isn't too good at accounting. And thirdly, and this is the hardest, find a stomach that can go without food. And that's about all I have to say. Well, that isn't all we have to say, Lee. I think I speak for every man here at this diseniove when I say we're very proud of you, Lee. Thank you, sir. Gentlemen, Lee DeForrest. I'll find you out here. Hello, Professor. Well, Lee, is it good to be back in New Haven? Hearing voices, seeing faces, shaking hands. No man could feel more gratification than I feel, isn't it? Being honored by all my little friends? No, no, no. It was our honor, Lee. We're a world-famous inventor now. And I'm a little famous too. You'd be surprised how many freshmen come here and ask me if I was the one who taught Lee DeForrest. Seriously, Lee, you are an inspiration to every man in this school. You started with nothing more than your two hands and an idea. Now you're at the pinnacle. Your own inventions and patents and wireless telegraphy and your own company, too. Well, it sounds impressive, Professor, but it's not exactly my own company. I'm the director of the American DeForrest wireless telegraph company. A lot of other people involved in it, too. I leave the business pretty much up to them. What's the future going to be now, Lee? Well, I was thinking of that, Professor. Often on, I've had a chance to work on an idea I have of transmitting the voice. The voice? You mean like a wireless telephone? Yes. I think it can be done. Voice? Music, even. You ask me, Professor. You haven't changed a bit, Lee. You just described something that would be a miracle if it ever came about and you sounded as though you were going to finish it off tomorrow morning with a breakfast. It would be a miracle. And maybe it's just a dream. A very good dream, Lee. Let me through. Gentlemen, I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. Oh, Lee, I'm sorry, I'm late. George, he's mimicking the newspaper. Yeah, yeah, I thought they'd be around. Mr. DeForrest has no statement to make right now. Come on, man. No statement. No statement. Come on. What is it, George? Well, look worried. Oh, there's trouble, Lee. I didn't want them to get at you first. Was it that bad? The company's going under. The people who've been running things haven't been doing such a good job. Well, I can't believe that, George. We've got more orders for equipment right now than we can sell. Oh, that isn't it. There's been some manipulation and mismanagement. But how? When you went to England on those installations, they began to promote DeForrest stock in a big way. Now they've oversold it. Oversold? Yes, it's their way out of a jam. Yes, but my name's on the company. I'm afraid they also control all of your patents. Looks like you'll have to go along with them. No, I don't. I don't have to go along with anybody, George. I'll resign. Lee, you've worked and starved. Your inventions are what made that company. I can't do anything else, George. I won't be party to anything like that. Oh, really? Now, gentlemen, we can make this brief. This letter came to my office this morning. I hereby tender my resignation as Vice President and Director of the American DeForrest Wireless Telegraph Company, the same to take effect immediately, and it is signed Lee DeForrest. Dr. DeForrest is a very straightforward man. He's apparently unsympathetic with our views of expansion. He enclosed all of his shares of stock with the letter of resignation. Mr. Chairman. Yes? What about the patents on all the equipment? Naturally, those come with the stock. All that we are interested in retaining? It's a matter of fact all but one, which is now pending. Let's see, I have... Oh, yes, here we are. This is something he calls an Audion Detector. And I never heard of it. What is it? Oh, it's some sort of an amplifier he's worked on now, then for a wireless telephone. Completely impractical. The engineers have assured me this little gadget is of no value to our organization. Now to the question of financial compensation. Yes. How much is it going to cost us to get rid of him? I don't think we should give him over $50,000. The financial aspects have already been solved. Dr. DeForrest has received $1,000 for his services to the company paid in full. And so much for Dr. Leda Forrest's career, gentlemen. In just a moment, we return to the second act of the Hallmark Hall of Faith. The other day I was trying to decide who gets the biggest thrill out of Valentine's Day. Probably children, I thought at first. Did you ever know a youngster who didn't cherish his Valentine's for weeks? And then I remembered Aunt Jane and how she lines her Valentine's up on the mantle and tells you all about each friend who sent one. Yet Valentine's Day was made for sweethearts, for young lovers and husbands and wives. And I finally decided that this delightful day of remembering each other is a joy for everyone from two to 80. And that's why Hallmark card to design hundreds of different type Valentine's. You'll find Hallmark Valentine's to carry chuckles to friends your own age. Sentimental Valentine's that bring a flood of warm memories to older dear ones. Children's Valentine's, entertaining as a toy. And of course for that special someone deepest in your heart, only a Hallmark Valentine says just what you want to say, the way you want to say it. So tomorrow visit the fine store where Hallmark cards are featured. You will find the right Valentine for everyone, from grandmother to little grandson. And the Hallmark on the back will say too that you cared enough to send the very best. And now Lionel Barrymore brings you the second act of our true story a phenomenon of radio was scarcely more than a dream in the mind of Linda Forrest when his world crashed about him. Heartbreak and disappointment were not new to him, but success had been sweet. And the new heartbreak and disappointment was particularly bitter. I can remember it wasn't many years ago they used gas instead of electricity for those signs. Remember? Yes, I remember. Oh, I see you have the place all cleaned up. Not very big, but you should be able to get some work done here. Lee? Hmm? Lee, you can't just sit there looking out the window. Lee, they didn't take everything. No, they didn't. I still have one patent. And you've always had faith in that idea of a wireless telephone. Lee, I know how hard you work and I know what you've lost, but this isn't the end. After all, you're only 33. You're a world-famous inventor. And if you don't want to go to work on this disamplifying idea, you can take your pick of any job with the big electrical companies. Well, you know more about wireless than any man alive. Just give yourself a chance. Hey, Lee. I wish I'd never seen any of it ever. I'll drop in tomorrow, Lee. Good night. How do you do, sir? I'm John Hogan. You are? Yes, sir. I wrote you a letter, Dr. DeForest, about working for you as your assistant. I wonder if I could talk to you about it. Oh? Didn't you get my letter, sir? Yes. Yes, I got it. But what was it exactly? I forget. Well, I want to go to Sheffield Scientific School at Yale. The same as you, sir. I want to be an inventor. I am no longer with the company, boy. I don't have any facilities. I don't think you'd be interested in my future work. I wish you'd give me a chance, doctor. Just a week, maybe. Just to be around you. I told you I'm not in wireless telegraphy anymore. I know, sir. But once you said that wireless telegraphy was only at the beginning, that there's a lot more to be done with etherwaves besides sending and receiving. Where'd you hear that, son? I've read everything you ever said, Dr. DeForest. So have a lot of others, just like me. Well, I... I'm sorry if I bothered you, doctor. Good night, sir. Good night. Yes, sir? Why are you so interested in wireless? Oh, I guess anybody would be interested in those waves out there. We can't see them, but they can do wonderful things for us. Of course, I don't understand too much about it. But I say it's a miracle. How old are you, son? Seventeen. You want to work with the miracle? Yes, sir. Son, you come back here tomorrow morning. We'll start in together. The basic problems to devise and develop the proper electromagnetic ear. If it can be made sensitive enough, it'll not only pick up telegraph signals, but also spoken words. Will that ever be possible? Well, if we can heat those incandescent gases properly. Well, you showed me the gas test. Yes, and that's impractical. So's carbon. At least in this form. Can we use a carbon filament? I'm a lamp manufacturer, doctor. Yes, I know that. But could you possibly consider a little job like this? Now, I want an incandescent lamp shaped in such a way as to hold this carbon filament. And this small plate and an optimum amount of gas. Can you do it? Well, I suppose I can try. What's it going to be? I hope it's going to be a vacuum tube detector. A vacuum tube today? What's that? You ready, John? Yes, sir. Is the filament glowing? Yes. Let it heat a little more. It should be all right. And, uh, tap the microphone. Are you tapping it? Yes, or I am. No, wait. And I'll try again. Hear anything? No. Maybe we weren't connected right. No, no, no. The connection's all right. There's something else. Something's missing. Well, we'll just have to keep trying. Yes, sir. It's what you want. It's me. Doctor, do you forest? Oh, what are you doing here at this hour? Mr. McCandless, can you make me another tube? Well, I can't at this hour, Doctor. I'm telling you that's right now. Mr. McCandless, listen to me. This is very important. I want a different shape on the tube. May I come in? Thank you. Now, something like this. Some industry, you see? I see. And then I want to add a third electrode. The two just are not going to do what I want them to do. Oh, they are. That's too bad. Well, don't you see, Mr. McCandless, a third electrode located as close as possible to the filament will increase the sensitivity. It will. Yes, of course it will. That's what'll make all the difference in the world now. Now, Quinn, can we have it? You mind if I get some sleep first? And then tell you. Celebrate New Year's Eve. Yes, I almost forgot. It's almost midnight now. Yes, sir. Well, John, I suppose you'd rather be any place, but you're working. I'd rather see how this works than be anywhere else. Good boy. Come on. Over here? I mean, I'll move it off of that corner. This all right over here? Yeah, that'll do it. Have you got a handkerchief? Yes, sir. Take it out. No. What do you want me to do, sir? I'll give you the count. Drop it on three. What? You know, if this is as sensitive as it should be, we ought to be able to hear a handkerchief drop. But, doctor, you... It's heating up. No. You ready? Ready. One. Two. Did you hear it? Did you hear it, sir? I heard it all the way over here. A handkerchief dropping. You mean it works? You mean... You mean it works? It does work! My voice came all the way across the laboratory. And if it could cross the laboratory, it could... It could cross an ocean eventually. It could go around the world. A way to communicate not with just one person, but thousands of them at the same time. With this... With this, a whole world could be as close as... as this switch. It's a miracle, sir. Thank you, John. Thanks for your help. This boomed across the laboratory back in the New Year's Eve in 1906. And the little glass tube that laid the flowers had worked so hard, perfecting became the basis upon which every radio and television set in America today is founded. Truly, Dr. Lee de Forest can be called a father of radio. And tonight, to join in our segment, are two distinguished gentlemen who can truly be called the fathers of radio entertainment. Ladies and gentlemen, Freeman Garzden and Charles Correll. You also know him as Amos and Andy. Now, here's the gentleman you know best is Amos, Freeman Garzden. Thank you, Lionel. It is really our pleasure to be here tonight to pay tribute to Lee de Forest. I doubt if any man in modern times has done more to bring joy and entertainment to America and to the world than has Dr. de Forest. Don't you agree, Charlie? Yes, I certainly do. And you know, Lionel, Freeman and I started in radio back in 1925. In those days, we realized the true miracle in his radio, but today we've come to accept it as a part of our daily lives. Tonight's show in many ways will serve to remind us that men like Lee de Forest have helped build our American way of life. Well, thank you, Freeman and Charlie. And say, if I'm not mistaken, aren't you first doing a bit of biography on your own show next Sunday? As a matter of fact, we are, Lionel. On our ex-all show next Sunday, Charlie and I are going to dramatize our own life story. Well, that should be fun for everyone. And we'll all certainly be listening to Amos and I in six weeks. Meanwhile, thank you for joining us on the hallmark of our frame here tonight, Freeman Garzden and Charles Currell. Even often, ladies and gentlemen, that a man's privilege to know the full measure of his achievement in his lifetime. However, not so with Lee de Forest. Today, at the age of 80, when the past of most men is far behind them, Dr. de Forest still looks to the future. Daily, he reports for work at his laboratory to fashion, among other things, a gas-operated television set, which he hopes to leave to the school children of the nation as a memorial demonstration of how gas can produce electricity. It's called the Thermocouple Principle. The thermal file will be installed in the television set of Dr. de Forest's own make and placed on permanent exhibition in Chicago. With Dr. de Forest, life apparently begins at 80. Life can begin at any age, Mr. Barrymore, as long as the man is willing to meet the challenge of the fast-moving world around him, even though the pitfalls and obstacles are great. This is Lee de Forest. Looking back now from the safe distance of nearly half a century, I realize that it is often those very pitfalls and obstacles that have made my life interesting to me. But the most profound thing I have learned is that truth is absolutely independent of advantage or desire. My thanks to you, Mr. Barrymore, and to the makers of Hallmark cards for the honor you have paid me tonight. About this time on Sunday evening, I imagine you mothers of young children begin to think of the long week ahead and wonder how you'll keep the youngsters quiet and entertained, at least part of the time. Well, I have a perfect solution. Let the make some Hallmark make-your-own Valentine's. It's wonderful fun and constructive, too. These Hallmark make-your-own Valentine's are simple punch-outs that don't require scissors or a pace. You can buy sets for different ages, separate sets for boys and girls, too, and the finished Valentine's are as cute as any you buy. For little tikes, there are big animal Valentine's that stand up. Some have movable parts like the bunny whose ears flop. Then there are fancier Valentine's friends that teenagers, even grown-ups, enjoy making. Beautiful old-fashioned Valentine's with lacy hearts, cupids, and rose buds. You will recognize these sets of Hallmark make-your-own Valentine's by the Hallmark and Crown on the package, the symbol that says, when you carry no to send the very best. And now, here again, is Lionel Barrymore. It's been a great pleasure and privilege to honor Dr. Lee DeForest tonight, for as you know this program and the television Hallmark Hall of Fame were singled out for commendation when the National Association for Better Radio and Television announced that Mr. Joyce C. Hall, president of Hallmark Cards, had won the Dr. Lee DeForest award last year. So we feel a particular fondness for the name of DeForest, as well as a great respect for all he's done. Now, Frank, tell us about next week's program. Next week, Mr. Barrymore, the Hallmark Hall of Fame is proud to present Miss Jane Wyman, starring in a true story about Mary Todd Lincoln. Oh, well, that sounds delightful, Frank. By the way, I believe you have a special announcement. Here's an important announcement from the makers of Hallmark Cards. Boys and girls of high school age can win big cash prizes for themselves and for their schools in the Hallmark Hall of Fame Contest. All you do is nominate a person for the Hallmark Hall of Fame and tell in a brief essay why you chose that person. See the February 3rd issues of Scholastic magazines for full details on the rules and cash prizes for the Hallmark Hall of Fame Contest. Until next week, then, this is Lionel Barrymore saying good night. So lonely in stores that have been carefully selected to give you expert and friendly service. Remember a Hallmark card to carry enough to send the very best. Our producer directors will improve. Our script tonight was written by E. Jack Newman. Featured in our cast were Paulie Baer, John Daener, Vic Perrin, Lawrence Dubkin, Sam Edwards, and Howard McNeer. This is Frank Goss saying good night to you until next week at the same time, when we'll present the true story of Mary Todd Lincoln starring Miss Jane Wyman. And in the weeks to come, the stories from the lives of Simon Boulevard, Bernard Baroup, and the story of nurse Edith Cabell starring Miss Helen Hayes on the Hallmark Hall of Fame. Here's Radio Network. This is KMBC, Kansas City, Missouri.