 Ladies and gentlemen, the railroad hour and here comes our star-studded show frame Tonight the association of American railroads presents the enchanting operetta the Great Wall starring Gordon McRae and his lovely guest Lucille Norman Our choir is under the direction of Norman Luboff and the music is prepared and conducted by Carmen Dragon Yes tonight another memorable musical success is brought to you by the American Railroads the same railroads that bring you most of the food You eat the clothes you wear the fuel you burn and all the other things you use in your daily life And now here is our star Well tonight i am Johann Strauss the younger and lucille norman is the lovely terace as we bring you the great waltz Excuse me Would you tell froline terace, please that here strauss is here. Are you here? Oh, I just love your music I'm afraid you're thinking of my father. You see there are two of us. Do you compose too? Well sometimes a little shawney you're early racy. I've got news great news Here's strauss has just been telling us that he is a composer a very good composer Oh, it must be awfully difficult to find new melodies out of your head Music doesn't come from the head From the heart it's always there waiting for something to let it out Well a morning like this for instance a look in a woman's eyes And a tune is born Dark girls or fair my songs Leading me for a flutter there's a melody in every word you order every smile is like a song you sing to me Life shawney, what's the news? You're bursting with it racy Steinbrook has engaged me to conduct Sean at the new pay-to-health gardens Do you know what this is going to buy us racy? A marriage license. Oh shawney darling. I shall tell everyone in the audience. Please like his music It's so full of love Anybody who's ever been in love will know racy As my guide and the freight siley side, you won't tell your father about conducting Why racy? I think he's the reason you've never been hired in Vienna Your father is jealous of your talent the waltz king doesn't like any pretenders to his throne Your mistake can be I'm going to tell father then i'm going to do something. There's a very influential person I'm going to see to help protect you from your father People music racy keep playing. I knew you'd like it countess. Oh, it's a waltz that forces you to dance Does this one have work? Oh, yes countess. It's called only one hour Listen, and I can tell from the way you see that you're in love with the composer Oh, I am countess very much. Then I shall attend to the father You and I we shall concoct a little scheme, racy Now when does young mr. Strauss give you next music lesson tomorrow? I shall be there Play and sing some of this wonderful music. Perhaps an extra pair of ears you'll be listening Dear countess, where are we going to a bakery shop? Containing very rare delicacy A daughter who sings like a dream the daughter souter who composes magnificent songs Well, I'm always anxious to help young composers. If the more established composers I am interested in his Strauss Such as yourself You have played every capital of europe but mine It has always been one of my ambitions to play at the court of your country I think I can arrange that with my ambatador My countryman will be enchanted by the music of the waltz king It's curious how a title spoken in jest many years ago pleased It is richly deserved at any rate. I have never had to defend the title Look Who's that playing? That my dear hestrauss is my surprise He is a young man who may one day be your rival You may yet have to fight for the title of waltz king This is very interesting. I should like very much to meet you right through this door hestrauss Charlie Father, uh, your ladyship hestrauss Hello, lacy What was that you were playing shawney? Oh, I was just improvising father. Don't be so modest shawney It's a new waltz composed by your son hestrauss. It has a lovely quality. Don't you think you have a kind heart madame But let me see that music What Well, this is just a jungle against every established rule in form I thank you counters for speaking in my behalf But this is an old argument between my father and me I maintain you must write the music you feel But my father is traditionalist who feels one must write according to all the established rules But this beautiful melody About a great many things. I know nothing about one thing. I know a great deal that thing is music I was writing successful waltzes before this boy was born. Nevertheless My dear young man, I shall be there on your opening night to applaud you. What opening night? I haven't had a chance to tell you father But steinbrück has offered me a chance to conduct at the peterhof garden You're not sufficiently equipped to conduct. Why they tell you apart. I forbid you Father i'm going to conduct Well Are you going to force me to go to steinbrück and tell him you're incompetent to conduct father Herr strauss you wouldn't do that if my opinion means so little to my son that I must regard him as just another Musician and since he bears my name. I will not have him make a fool of himself on the platform It is my duty to tell them that's what I believe Listen Listen to this music Shawnee play it This is music that will live when every stuffy thing you've ever written is dead and forgotten here strauss Listen listen to some great music by the great Johann Strauss And for the second act of the great waltz in just a moment Hear that That's about the way the first railroad locomotive must have sounded when it made its first run back around 1830 And from the very first run of that pint-sized engine the railroads learned a lesson they have never forgotten For light as it was that first locomotive in america was too heavy for the track over which it ran And from that day to this it has been a basic rule in railroading that the locomotives and cars which are run Over any particular stretch of track or any bridge Shall not be heavier than can be carried without damage and deterioration Which would mean heavier expense in maintenance and repair What was learned so long ago about railroads is now being learned about highways There's an inescapable relationship between the strength of a highway or a bridge and the weight of the vehicles Which it can support This fact was scientifically demonstrated in a test conducted for 11 eastern state highway departments on a rigid paved road in maryland A road typical of many thousands of miles of america's highways The report on the results of that test issued last week shows that all other things being substantially equal The heavier the load the greater the damage With an increase of one fourth in the loads on single axles There was more than six times as much cracking of the pavement With an increase of 40 percent in the loads on tandem or dual axles There was more than 12 times as much cracking Yes highway engineers have learned by experience by observation and by scientific test That failure to protect highways and bridges from abuse and overloading means heavy damage and added costs Costs which must be borne by the general taxpayers and by all motorists who use the highways Fortunately, the steel highways of the railroads are built to take heavy loads And their maintenance and repair doesn't cost you or any other taxpayer a single penny And now here is act two of the laurence and lee version of the great wall Starring gordon mackray as yohan strouse the younger and lucille norman as racy With john mackentire and janette nolan as our featured players Is in the I don't want to go in. I know how you feel shawney It was terrible of your father to convince steinbrook not to hire you And why is he playing in your place? I don't want to go into the play to help gardens at all, but the counter said she planned a surprise Well, whatever it is. I shall have a little heart for it. Oh, come on in watching everybody dance and sing with chirisau Hello Good evening, carlis. Johnny the orchestra rehearsed your new walls this afternoon. It sounded beautiful. Did it? It felt good when I was writing it, especially when Oh, what's the use nobody will ever hear it? Don't be too sure Now if you'll excuse me, I have some important work to do don't go away All right, see if someday I should stand in a podium and conduct an orchestra which is playing my music Every downbeat will say your name, and everybody listening will know that, well, that your name is written on every note. Johnny, they're all calling for your father. Where is he? I don't know where he is. Has anybody seen Hersch Strauss? Countess! Yes, Hersch Steinbrook? Hersch Strauss was last seen entering your carriage. Well, all I know is the ambassador from my country suddenly wished to extend an invitation to the Walt King. I was good enough to lend him my carriage. Is it a very slow carriage, Countess? My coachman will take hours to the back streets of the city. Meanwhile, Vienna will get a chance to hear some wonderful new music. Countess! What can I do? They want Strauss, Hersch Steinbrook. Give them Strauss. This young man is ready to conduct the waltz. Brilliant, my dear, brilliant. Is it all right, Johnny? Oh, yes, yes, Hersch Steinbrook. Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please. The waltz king has been unavoidably delayed, so we have asked his son Johann Strauss the Younger to conduct. I entrust him to your kindness. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to play a new waltz of my own. It is called the Blue Danube. Countess, this is really the great waltz. Yes, Hersch Steinbrook. A few weeks ago, father, the son eclipses the father. Young upstart. Father, the doctor said you must not talk. Heart has been so filled with the music of Vienna that there's been no room for affection. Leave room in your heart for more than music. For people, for racing. I remember, father, you're a good musician, you're the light of me, the Blue Danube. The fine melody should be an E flat instead of D, more brilliant register. Father, relax, lie back. 152 waltzes, 24 galopses, six petillions, 32 quadrills, 13 polkers, 18 marches, the sum total of my life. A son who wrote the Blue Danube, a son. It seems strange that you weep, Shawnee. He was hardly a father to you. I am not weeping only because my father is dead racing, because Vienna has lost her greatest musician. Our thanks to Jeanette Nolan, who was the Countess, John McIntyre, who was Johann Strauss the Elder, to Isabelle Jewel, her Butterfield, and to our entire company. The Great Waltz with book and lyrics by Moss Hart and Desmond Carter, and music by Johann Strauss, was dramatized for the railroad hour by Lawrence and Lee. The railroad hour is brought to you each week at the same time by the American Railroads. Marvin, chances are the rich resources of most of the 48 states, the products of forest and farm, mine, mill and factory in every part of the country were needed to help fashion the comforts of your home and to tie together all those far-flung ingredients to help change, say, a giant tree into a gracious table takes a lot of railroad transportation. And because that's true of most everything you use, it's no wonder that railroads move more tons of freight, more miles than all other forms of transportation put together. Thank you, Marvin, and now here again is lovely Lucille Lawman. It was wonderful singing the Great Waltz with you, and what are you planning for the show train next week? We have an enchanting musical, Lucille, which has delighted theatregoers for a long, long time. Sigmund Romberg's tuneful, My Maryland, and Dorothy Kirsten will be Barbara Fritchie. You wouldn't miss it. Good night, Gordon. Good night, Lucille. You were wonderful. All aboard. Well, sir, it looks as though we're ready to pull out, and so until next Monday night, and My Maryland, this is Gordon Macrae saying goodbye. The Great Waltz was presented by special arrangement with Tams Whitmark Music Library. Macrae can currently be seen starring in Warner Bros. About Face. Lucille Lawman can soon be seen in the Warner Bros. production, Carson City. A choir is under the direction of Norman Luboff, and our music is prepared and conducted by Carmen Dragon. This is Marvin Miller saying goodbye until next week for the American Railroad. Now stay tuned for your Monday night of music on NBC.