 A hallmark card when you carry it up to send the very best. His greatest stars in outstanding stories and presents as your host one of the most distinguished actors of the American theater, Mr. Lionel Barrymore. Tonight we bring you the story of a young couple who fall in love at first sight with a farmhouse in New England. As we present January 4th by Bellamy Partridge and William Rose. The name of this particular farmhouse was greatly enough, Lazy Corners. And it dates back to the days of George Washington. As a matter of fact, the farmhouse in our story was modeled after Bellamy Partridge's own house in eastern Connecticut. And as our guest tonight on Hallmark Playhouse, we are most happy to welcome one of Hollywood's most charming and talented actresses, Irene Dunn. Strangas from the makers of hallmark cards. When you want to remember your friends, there's one way to be sure the card you send receives an extra welcome. Look for that identifying hallmark on the back when you select it. For words to express your feelings and designs to express your good taste, let the hallmark on the back be your guide. For that hallmark tells your friends, you cared enough to send the very best. Lionel Barrymore appears by arrangement with Metro Golden Mayor, producers of Above and Beyond, starring Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker with James Whitmore. And now here is the first act of January Thaw, starring Irene Dunn. Out to here concerns a certain Margie and Herbert Gage and the house in Connecticut. The Gages had been house hunting for months with no results at all. And then all of a sudden, one Sunday afternoon, they drove around the corner and there it was. Just the house they'd been looking for. Coming up the hill, you don't see the old house all at once. You get a little bit at a time. So instead of being suddenly overwhelmed, you succumb gradually. The house is just the color of the rich Connecticut countryside. It was built originally for a tavern. It stands close by the roadside beneath the sprawling branches of a giant maple. Side by side, the house and the tree have grown old together. They've taken the buffettings of two full round centuries, or maybe a little more. The moment Herbert and I saw it, we felt we'd reached the end of our seeking. We had come home at last. Now, Mr. Gage, Mrs. Gage is an honest real estate agent. I have to tell you, there's no point in getting out of the car here. You wouldn't want this house. Herbert, what do you think? Well, you couldn't live in this place. It's in ruins. Now, I've got three other places to show you. Mr. Spindler, why are you trying to keep us from looking at this house? Isn't it on your list? Well, it's on my list, all right. And there'd be a good commission in it for me if I sold it to you. But you wouldn't buy it, so why waste the time? Well, what's the matter? Is the price too steep? No, the price is all right, but there's a flaw in the title. What is it? Oh, Herbert, let's not sit here all day arguing. Let's look at the inside and see what we think of it. All right, let's look at it. The house was perfect. Oh, it had fallen on some evil days. There's no question about that. It needed repairs. It needed painting. But there were huge hand-hewn timbers and a big, expansive, heartwarming fireplace. And there were floorboards with wrought-iron nails that had heads as large as pennies. Each room had its own character, its own individuality. I wandered happily in and out of the mentally-arranging furniture, putting up drapes, lighting fires. I picked the room that would be for Herbert and me, the room for our 10-year-old daughter, Sarah, and the guest room. Well, I can certainly see by your face that you like it. Oh, Herbert, I love it. I never dreamed we'd find anything so wonderful. And now, look here, I don't like to keep striking the one sour note, but this house has a flaw in the title. Well, what is the flaw? Well, sir, old Jonathan Rockwood sold this property to the power company. Now, the power company wasn't interested in the house, all they cared about was the hundred-hard acres of land back there, lots of water on it. Well, old Jonathan wouldn't sell unless they bought the house too. And, furthermore, reserved for him and his wife, the right to live here as long as they live. Well, where are the Rockwoods now? Nobody knows. They took off in these parts about five years ago. Nobody's seen hiding a hair of them since. Well, if there's some place we could write them, they must have left some sort of forwarding address. If they had, the power company would have contacted them a long time ago. They've had more than one offer for this place. It's a mighty, pretty flaw, isn't it? You go a long way before you find a better one. You mean, if we bought this place without contacting the Rockwoods, they could come back and throw us out anytime they wanted. Well, that would be a matter for the law to decide. Well, we certainly couldn't buy it under those circumstances, could we Margie? No, we couldn't. Could we, Herbert? You could drive in, talk to the town clerk about it tomorrow, I suppose, wouldn't hurt none to talk to him. No, I don't suppose it would hurt to talk to him. At least we'd know the situation, Herbert. All right. You drive out and talk to him tomorrow, Margie, and then we can put the whole thing out of our minds once and for all. What can I do for you, ma'am? Oh, whether do I spoke to on the phone? I'm Mrs. Herbert Gage. Oh, yes. You wanted to know about the records on the Rockwood place. Well, I have everything ready for you. Now, here's the section that gives the Rockwoods the right of tenancy. Oh, I see. Um, isn't there any way of clearing up a claim like this? Well, there's two ways. You can buy the old folks off, or you can wait for them to die. But what if we can't find them? In a period of years, the law would declare them legally dead. You know, there's a nice little speculation here for some fellow who's nerve enough to take a gamble. The company don't want that house. They can't lease it because it's already under lease. They're not willing to spend the money to repair it. It's probably the only cheap colonial house in the country. And yet nobody wants to buy it. Yes, it would be a gamble, wouldn't it? Oh, the way I look at it. Everything in life's a gamble, more or less. But I'll tell you what I'll do. The name of the man over at the power company to talk to. Why, it wouldn't do any harm to talk to him. No. I suppose it wouldn't do any harm to talk to him. Why, no harm at all? Well, I guess that's the way things happen sometimes, that you keep saying, there's no harm in going just this far, and each time you wind up a little farther out, and suddenly you're in over your head. And you find yourself doing perfectly insane things, like signing papers and what's even more insane, signing checks. But we did it. Yes, sir, no pikers, we. We bought the land, the house, and the floor. And I might add, the purchase price was the smallest part of the investment. The house was in complete disrepair. And to get it in order took most of the money we'd saved. But slowly, slowly the house began to look the way I'd pictured it from the beginning. The carpenter, the painter, the glazer, the plumber came and went. And when the last of them had finally gone in early summer, the house was a home. Our home. And Herbert sat in front of the big fireplace with his pipe. Well, I must admit, the old place looks pretty good. Yes. I think it does myself. How do you like my new smoking jacket and my pipe? And dressing the part of the country's choir. What about lighting that pipe? Well, I don't want to rush into anything. I thought I'd just hold it a few nights and get used to it. Oh, Herbert, isn't it beautiful? Our own home. After all those apartments, our own home at last. Our own fireplace. And it cost $200 before it would burn a piece of kindling. Our own roof. Our own roof at five bucks a shingle. Our own floor. Our own floor at $10 a square foot. Oh, Herbert. You know you're exaggerating. And listen, by the time I paid the man that drained the floor and then the man that put in the new flooring and then the man that sanded the new flooring and the man that waxed the sanded new flooring, I'm not sure I got it even for $10 a square foot. Are you sorry you bought it? No, of course not. I'm just ribbing you. Even if I didn't love the house myself and I do, the look on your face tonight's worth every penny of it. We're going to be happy here. I know we are. You're going to do your very best writing. And I'd better get busy on it before the first of the month. Herbert, I think it's time to plan a little housewarming. You know just a few people we'd like to impress, like Mr. Harrison, your publisher and your agent. All right. When would you like to have this housewarming? Well, the guest room's ready now. I thought we might invite Mr. Harrison out for next weekend and maybe have a little party for him on Saturday night. Okay. We seem to be well settled now. Let's give a party. Saturday night the house was at its loveliest. The guest room had been decorated in a bright sunny yellow and there were bowls of blue delphinium on the table. Downstairs we had flowers everywhere. Roses, gladiola, daffodils. The rooms were lit by candlelight and firelight and they were warm and full of welcome. I stood looking at it. Oh, Mother, I think it must be the most beautiful house in the whole. Someone trying to make a f- This is our home. We live here. Don't you want me, Margie? Herbert. My name's Rockwood. I'd like to know how you happen to be occupying this property. Company. You mean to tell me the power of company sold you this property free and clear? I'm settlement. If you just come back on Monday, we can all sit down together and then we'll see what we can work out. You see, right now we're expecting yes. We aren't aiming to go anyplace else. We're aiming to stay right here. But you can't stay here. We haven't any place to put you. You aren't showing us out in the night. We got rights. We got papers to prove whom and possessions. Nine-tenths to the law. Come on, Matilda, let's go upstairs and get settled. Herbert. No, sit here. You can't do... We'll just take the blue bedroom. That's the one we've always used. The blue bedroom isn't blue in there. We have guests coming. All right. We'll accommodate you by taking the front bedroom. Something like having a little house in the country is this. Nothing like having a little house in the country. The second act of January thaw in so's wedding or all how I'd like to be there for his birthday or then again maybe you think of old friends and wish you could see them. Well, the next best thing to being there in person is to send a hallmark card. That's because you can always find a hallmark card that says what you want to say just the way you want to say it. So it carries a touch of your personality across the miles and for a moment because the card looks and sounds like you sent it you seem to be there in person. And at the fine stores that feature hallmark cards you'll always find a large selection so you can choose just the right card for any special person any special occasion or any occasion made special by your thoughtfulness. You'll find too that the stores where you select your hallmark cards are such friendly places to shop because everyone there is thinking of someone else. So for birthdays, weddings, and get well cards or if you just want to send a friendly hello remember it's a hallmark card when you carry enough to send the very best. The Lionel Barrymore on the second act of January thaw starring Irene Dunn. All through the long weekend while they were trying to entertain their guests Rockwoods wondered about poking, examining, criticizing they slept in the gages bedroom ate the gages food and completely made themselves at home. The weekend was a perfect nightmare and the first thing Monday morning as soon as everyone had gone we phoned our lawyer Mr. Loomis. He drove out and right after lunch he went into the living room for a conference with the Rockwoods. Herbert and I waited anxiously for him. He was only with him a few minutes but it seemed like hours before he came out. Well, Mrs. Gage, I'm afraid the Rockwoods aren't interested in selling. You mean they just expect to take this house over after we put all our money in it? Do they think they're going to throw us out? Well, now the picture isn't quite as dark as that. They can't throw you out. They're papers that guarantees them any exclusive right to live here. In the eyes of the law, you have just as much right here as they have. Well, that's a big help. You mean we can all just settle down and be one big happy family? Well, temporarily at least, but that's impossible. Well, Mr. Gage, it's either that or move out. Well, we're certainly not moving out. We'll hold this fort if it takes all summer. That's right, Mrs. Gage. And don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes. What's that? What sounds like someone's moving the furniture upstairs? It certainly dismantles the house. Well, I guess it's joint tenants. They have a right to their own furniture, too. Well, this looks like the beginning of a long, beginning of a long, hard campaign. Life cut a heel in that stair carpet and almost had a bad fall. If you don't take that carpet up, you may have a damaged suit on your hand. They can't possibly toss this, but somehow they always did. Margie, do you know what the Rockwoods did while we were in town? They moved all my things out of the study and they've got an old kitchen stove in there and they're going to cook in there from now on. It can't go on like this. It was spring when those people arrived and now it's winter. And we're no closer to getting them out than we were in the beginning. The house is all jumbled up with furniture from rooms that the Rockwoods have taken over. The Rockwood chickens, the Rockwood cow, and the Rockwood horse have eaten up my garden. We have no place we can entertain anymore. The whole downstairs smells of cooking they do in your study. And I'd rather be back in a four-room apartment than live like this, Herbert. All right, Margie, that's all you feel. But if we give up, we'll be doing exactly what they want. I know we will. Oh, Herbert, there must be something we can do. Wait a minute. I'll pay a little visit to the town clerk this afternoon. The town clerk? Why? Well, I'd just like to take another look at the papers on this property. May I take these papers into the sheriff's office? Well, as long as you don't take them out of the building. Fang is showing just how it was subdivided. Now, here's the Rockwoods' claim. Emma had right, or have I made a mistake? Mm-hmm. Looks right to me, Miss Gage. I think I'd better take a ride out to the house with you and talk to the Rockwoods. You'd better revise her flaw in the flaw. What do you mean? She means that the Rockwoods are not fellow tenants after all, but trespassers. You're kidding. No, I'm not. It's all in the papers, but none of us thought to check them. Listen, Herbert, the power company divided this whole property up into parcels, and each parcel is numbered. And the parcel that the Rockwoods reserve the right to live on isn't the piece with the harster lot halfway down the hill. See, Albert, wait a minute. I thought if both parties made a mistake, it could always be corrected. As between the bodies, yes. But not to the prejudice of the third person who has purchased for value, which is your status in the case. Well, then, Sheriff, come on. See, that way at all. Well, I'd be glad to see the last of you with the shoes on the other foot. Well, put the bags in the wagon, Johnson. Let's get moving. Look, um, I've been thinking about this whole situation. Uh, where will you go now? Oh, we'll make out all right. We always have. Are you going to be able to put up some sort of house on your piece of land? We've been thinking of it. Well, you know, um, we've made a very nice apartment over the garage, and if you like to stay there in the meantime... Oh, thanks. We only want what's coming to us. We don't want no charity. Well, it wouldn't be charity. You could sort of oversee the property, help with the garden and things like that until you've got going on your own. Well, what do you think, Jonathan? That wouldn't be charity. Would it? No. We'd be earning our way. All right, Miss Gage, as long as you insist. Do you insist, Miss Gage? Of course I insist. From now on, we're going to be just one big happy family. So the Rockwoods moved into the apartment. We put the house back to rights again, and all was almost as it had been before. Well, my study's a study again. Carpet's back on the stairs, got our own furniture bag where it belongs, and I'm back in my smoking jacket with a pint. A country squire again. Everything turned out pretty well after all, didn't it, darling? Mm-hmm. I noticed you were down helping Jonathan on his house this morning. Mm-hmm. And Matilda was up showing you how to make Piccala, wasn't she? Yes, she was. Mm-hmm. You know, the Rockwoods turned out to be very good neighbors after all. We're turning into good neighbors, too. I think you're right. You know, Herbert, they didn't just turn out to be good neighbors. And neither did we. This wonderful house showed us. Oh, Herbert, I do love this house. Like $14.92, an important everyday date, like your sister-in-law's anniversary or the date of your best friend's wedding or the birthday of your godchild. Yes, dates that upset us so when we forget them. Well, if you made a resolution this year of 1953 to remember all these dates, the fine stores that feature hallmark cards have a present for you, a present that makes it easy to be thoughtful all year long. It's a hallmark date book for 1953. With this handy, per-size calendar booklet, you can jot down under the appropriate dates all the occasions you want to remember. Then just check your hallmark date book every week. There's also room in front of the date book for names and addresses, and there are lists of birthstones and flowers for each month, as well as the type of gift to send each wedding year. And remember, you can get your hallmark date book as a gift from the fine store where you buy your hallmark cards as a token of their friendship. Here again is Lionel Barrymore. Irene, that was just plain delightful. Well, I thank you, Lionel. I'm delighted to start my year off with an appearance on the hallmark playhouse. You know, Irene, you continue to amaze me. You're such a busy and versatile actress, comedian, dramatic star, singer. You're one of the best-looking gals I have, well... And yet, you still find time to be one of our most civic-minded citizens. You're a marvelous representative of our town. All of us in Hollywood are mighty proud of the honors you've earned for your civic activities. Well, thank you, Lionel. You know, I feel very strongly that, well, because we in Hollywood can reach so many fine people all over the country, it's in a way our duty to help in these nationwide causes. I personally consider it a very rewarding privilege. And, well, it's the friendly thing to do. Of course, I don't have to tell all of you on the hallmark playhouse how to be friendly, because that's exactly what hallmark cards help people do every day in the year. Oh, by the way, Lionel, I'd love to have one of those hallmark date books. Oh, that's a very easy wish to grant, I read. I'll see that you get one. Say, what's all this I hear about your growing money on trees? Well, that's just on the screen, unfortunately. It happens in my new film, It Grows on Trees. Oh, well, I'll certainly be looking forward to seeing it. And I'll be looking forward to listening to hallmark playhouse next Sunday. Who's your guest going to be? Our guest will be Ruth Hussie. And our story is a charming one by Mary Bard entitled Forty Yard. Our hallmark playhouse is every Sunday. Our producer-director is William Gay. Our music was composed and conducted by David Rose. And our script tonight was written by Gene Halloway. Until next Sunday then, this is Lionel Barrymore saying, good night. Hallmark cards that are sold only in stores that have been carefully selected to give you expert and friendly service. Remember a hallmark card when you carry it up to send the very best. This is Frank Goss saying, good night to you all until next week at this same time. When Hallmark Playhouse returns to present Ruth Hussie in Forty Yard by Mary Bard. And the week after that, Bellamy partridges big family starring Fred McMurray on the Hallmark Playhouse. This is the... This is KMBC, Kansas City, Missouri.