 Family Theatre presents Robert Ryan and Jane Wyatt. From Hollywood, the mutual network in cooperation with Family Theatre presents the first morning starring Robert Ryan as Nick. And now, here is your hostess, Jane Wyatt. Family Theatre's only purpose is to bring to everyone's attention a practice that must become an important part of our lives if we are to win peace for ourselves, peace for our families, and peace for the world. Family Theatre urges you to pray, pray together as a family. And now to our transcribed drama, the first morning with Robert Ryan as Nick. It had started very slowly, very naturally. Because when you were waiting after midnight for a son or daughter who was out too late, they're never out too late all at once. At first, they're just overdue. And then after an hour or so, when they really are late, you start making mental lectures to them until by the time the second hour and then the third has passed all very slowly, very naturally. You discover you've stopped delivering mental lectures. Because you aren't peeved or impatient any longer. You're just scared. Maybe, maybe he decided to spend the night with Walt. Walt? The Wilkins boy. And why didn't he call us? He might have thought we'd gone to bed. We'll always go to bed when our 15-year-old son stays out till three in the morning. I'm just trying to think of possibilities. I know, honey. I'm sorry. Rocks. What? Rocks. What a great thing to collect. It couldn't be bottle caps or postage stamps. It's got to be rocks. Well, we encouraged him. We like him to be outdoors. Don't be gentle. I encouraged him. Well, you were right to skip, isn't it, baby? I just didn't want him molly-coddled. I know, Nick. So what starts out to be hiking in the hills turns into climbing up mountains. Oh, Skip's a good climber. Sure, he's a good climber. But where is he? Three in the morning. Do you think we should call the Wilkins? They're probably as worried as we are. Well, Skip said there were two other boys driving up with him this afternoon. In what? One of those hot rods? I didn't see the car. That's probably what happened. Fool things are put together with string and solder. You think maybe they had engine trouble on the way home? I wouldn't be surprised. And that's where yours truly, Nicholas Hatch, draws the line around here. No hot rod or cold rod or anything like it. And I don't care if Skip begs himself for it. Here he is now. I'll get it. You tell him I'm sore. Plenty sore. Hello? And to get home right away. Yes. Yes, Walt. Hey. What? What's wrong? Just a minute, Nick. But... But didn't you look for him? All right, Walt. Yes. Yes, thank you. What is it? He didn't come back with them. Didn't come back? They got separated climbing down. You mean Skip's still up in the mountains? Walt and the others looked for him in hollard, but he didn't answer. Nick, stop there. Not take it easy. Maybe he fell. That was how it started with a phone call. I don't remember the exact sequence of things after that. We called the police and the forest rangers, and I talked to the other boys who'd been with Skip until he turned off down a side trail by himself just to have a look. I remember there was a broadcast, too. Not just a police broadcast, but a general alarm saying that Skip was missing in the mountains and for people in those parts to be on the lookout. And I remember those things took all of the next morning and most of the afternoon because it was nearly five o'clock when the phone call came in from the forest ranger. This old man saw it down in this ravine. Oh, seven, eight o'clock this morning. He didn't think much about it, thought it was something campers had thrown away. Bundle of clothes or something like that. Until he heard on the radio about your boy being missing. He didn't have a telephone, so he had to come all the way down here to town. He's not sure, of course. It may be just that. Bundle of clothes. But he thought he'd better report it. Bundle of clothes. If that's what it was. Then all these people standing along the edge of the ravine were wasting their time. The state troopers, the ambulance men, the group huddled around the dying fire, some of them with cameras at their knees, they'd come on a wild goose chase. Unless the bundle of clothes turned out to be Skip. You get any sleep, Mr. Hatch? No. No, Doctor. How about the missus? She's over in the car. Should be getting light before long. We'll start down as soon as it does. Doctor, if... If that is Skip down there... Take it easy. I mean, if he just banged up his ankle or something like that, he'd get through the night all right, wouldn't he? The cold up here isn't that bad. If he's just shaken up... He's a tough kid. A lot of guts. It won't be long now, Mr. Hatch. I know he must have taken quite a spill. Almost 200 feet. Well, there's Spraboke and Brush up there at the top. They could break his fall. Yeah. I, uh... I think I'll go back to the car, see how Catherine is. I'll let you know as soon as they're ready to start down. Will you do that? Yeah, of course. Now, try to get a little rest yourself. Yeah. Honey. I'm awake, Nick. Get me sleep at all? No. When are they going to go down? As soon as it's light. It won't be long. I keep thinking how brave he is. Isn't he, Nick? You bet he is. Like when he had his tonsils out. He came out of the ether and all he said was, that was a dirty trick. Yeah. Remember the time he got his fingers slammed in the car door? Sure. I wish he wasn't so skinny. It doesn't leave him much to go on. I feed him. Feed him. But he never seems to get any fatter. He's... He's a tough kid and he knows the mountains. Nick. Look. Hmm? It's starting to get light. I went back to where the men were gathered at the head of the trail that led down along the sharp wall of the ravine. The young ranger in charge of the rescue party was having an argument with one of the newspaper photographers. I'm sorry, Mr. You just can't go. Now, look, sonny, one of us has to go and I've been elected. The trail's dangerous. I have to take Doc and a trooper to handle the stretcher. I'm sorry. You're no sorryer than I am. We can't get no pictures sitting around at fire. You're not going to be happy and no shoes. I wouldn't be happy climbing mountains and no kind of shoes. But do I have to be happy? Search yourself. Oh, Mr. Hatch. Yes? It may take us a while to get him back up here. If it's the boy, so don't get worried. I'm going with you. I can't tell you not to, but you may have a little trouble. It's our business. If I were you, I'd stay here. No, you wouldn't. We formed a line at the foot of the trail, the ranger first, then the trooper carrying a pack that must have been the basket stretcher, then the photographer and the doctor. And at the very end, skips dad. At the last second, I heard Catherine. You can't come, honey. Nick, listen. They didn't even want me along. All right. But I want you to do something on your way down there. I want you to promise. Sure. I want you to pray. All right. I mean it, Nick. You used to pray. I said all right. Hey, Billy, get started, Mr. Hatch. Go ahead. I'm right behind you. Please, Nick. I promise. There isn't anything else to do now. We started down along the edge of the ravine. In the first faint changes from darkness, the mountains were towering shapes, a little greener than the olive green sky. Pray. I'd forgotten every prayer I ever knew, except now I lay me. Skip used to say that one. Every kid in America said it. And God bless mama and papa and prince and all my friends and relations and make me a good boy. Amen. Maybe Skip had remembered it. A boy like Skip wouldn't cry, so maybe he prayed. Not that his dad would know about a thing like that. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Big pardon, Mr. Hatch. Excuse me, doctor. Just talking to myself. It sounded for a moment there like you were praying. Sure it did. I might as well have been saying Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe, my soul to keep. Don't believe in it, huh? Sure I believe in it. It goes on all the time like measles or murder. It just doesn't work. I could give you an argument on that. Don't bother. I come from a long line of prayers who never had a prayer answered in their lives. But they could always give you an argument. Your wife seems to think it might help. Katharine's never been inside a church in her life. Well, it's never too late to try. Don't kid yourself. It's a bad joke. If I should die before I wake, you know what would happen if you should die before you wake? What? You'd be dead, doctor. That's all. Trail made a sharp bend around a spur of the hill. The grade was steeper now, and on the left was a sheer drop, maybe 150 feet, straight down. If a boy fell down onto that rock through the wash, he'd get hurt. To say nothing of two nights' exposure. Pray. Ask God to take care of Skip. God, please take care of my son. I haven't asked you for anything lately, and you never came through when I did. But I'm in a spot now, so I'll try the old abacadabra once more if I can manage it. Pray. Just like all the other times I prayed and you never came through, like that time in high school when I got arrested. I wasn't speeding off, sir. Who says you were? That's your driver's license? It's right here, somewhere in my wallet. That's a pretty nice car you're driving. Yeah, it's my old man's. A new LaSalle. Hasn't gotten 500 miles on it yet. Well, that's why I wasn't speeding. You've been drinking, kid? Oh, no, no. You just let me smell your breath, huh? Well, it's just a couple of bottles of home brew. I'm okay. You're sozzled. Come on, Sonny, I'm taking you in. I prayed to you that night, didn't I? Prayed the cop wouldn't take me to jail. Wouldn't tell my mother. All the good it did. And that old judge on the bench, staring down at me the next morning, you sure answered that prayer. For weeks I woke up seeing the old buzzard's face. Got me so scared I wouldn't even go out with a gang anymore. Every time they were after me to go on a beer bus to swipe a car, I saw the old judge. Hey, Mr. Hatch, look out. I'm losing my balance. I got you. I'm all right. He put his foot down on that tumbleweed. You look like solid earth to me. I must have been dreaming. Everything all right back there? Yes, we're okay. I just lost my balance for a minute. Hey, how much father is it? I'm pooped. It's about 15 minutes. Want to take a little rest? No. Let's keep at it. Okay. Just look where you're going, Mr. Hatch. Going to be tough getting your stretcher back up here. It'll be tough getting me back up here, Doc. With or without pictures. That's funny. I was just thinking. My wife is going to be sore if I do or if I don't. What about my wife, Catherine, waiting back up at the head of the trail, trying to imagine what we're doing this minute and what we'll do when we find out whether the bundle of clothes is skip or not. Catherine wishing she knew how to pray or maybe praying without knowing how to at all. Or maybe you couldn't do that. Maybe prayer and needed practice and golf swing. Maybe you couldn't tune in just like that. On what you decided was nothing at all. But I used to tune in, didn't I? You remember me from a way back. Not just high school. Even later. Five years later. But you didn't come through that time either. She was all I wanted in the world and you wouldn't give her to me. Hi, Nikki. Sorry to be late. Gee, I'm star. Here, let me take your coat, Pearl. Where are we going tonight? Well, I thought we might take in a movie. Movie? Yeah, that one with Ben Bernays over at the hopper. Oh, Nikki, I thought you invited me out. I saw that movie three months ago, downtown. Well, to tell the truth, I'm a little low on cash tonight, Pearl. You've got enough to pay for the meal, haven't you? Of course I've got enough to pay for the meal, but good grief, every time we have a date, I have to go broke to prove I love you. Oh, Nikki, this is silly. I had two other invitations to go out tonight. One to the Blackhawk. I took you to the Blackhawk two weeks ago. I'm not saying you didn't. Just because I've been there once, shouldn't I go again? Of course you should go again, but... Pearl, let's get married. Married? I'll take you to all those places anytime you want. On what? Your salary? $35 a week. That's pretty good for these times. $35. We spent almost twice that much last week. So what? So how do you do it? That's so what? Compared to the other fellas I go out with, you haven't got a shirt on your back. I got money on my own. Go on. What do you do? Clean out your old man's wallet when he isn't looking? Okay, so I snitch a few bucks now, and then what of it? He wants to have it pretty bad. I've asked you to marry me. Yeah, and that's very sweet. Will you, Pearl? Oh, it's a big compliment. Please? I don't see as I can, Nikki. Yeah. I prayed about Pearl, too. First love. Night after night, I went down on my knees. My arms stretched out across the bed, asking you to give her to me on any terms. I still hadn't learned that you didn't answer prayers. Yo, Doc. Yeah? Come on up here, will you? Yeah, right with you. Now what? Looks to me like a narrow spot up there on the trail, Mr. Hatch. What's he want with a doctor? I guess just to have him up front in case they run across something before it widens out again. The photographer was right. For the next 50 feet or so, the trail was too narrow for us to walk face forward. We had to turn sideways and move like crabs. The earth at the mountainside rubbed against our shoulders and little clouds of dust went up and danced in the light. Pray. I prayed pretty hard the last time I stood in a line like this, didn't I? Funny spot to do your praying in a polling place. But I wanted that, too. I wanted to be mayor. And later that night, waiting at home with Catherine for the returns to come in, I prayed some more. Remember ten years ago? Are you sure you don't want me to turn on the radio, Nick? Nah, those figures will drive you crazy. Besides, they're old stuff by the time they broadcast them. Want me to call headquarters again? Bill said he'd let me know if there was any change. Let's play another hand to Rummy. All right. Your deal. Nick, I know how much you want to win this election, but... But what? Well, in a way, I almost wish you hadn't run for mayor. Why not? I thought I'd make a pretty good one. Well, of course you would. It's not that. Then what is it? Well, people in public office have to take such things. I knew that when I went into this. It's just part of the game. Maybe you knew it, Nick, but you haven't weathered it very well. I'm okay. You're not okay. I wish you could see what happens to you every time you read a critical editorial or someone makes a speech against you. Well, no one likes to be called names. Besides, it's just politics. They don't mean it. Why can't you let it roll off your back? I do. I do. It just takes a little time, that's all. I knew it, Nick. You're not just new at it, Nick. You're wrong for it. Now, listen carefully. I've had enough of that kind of talk in the paper. You're too thin-skinned, Nick. We don't like to see people get hurt. I don't see what that's got to do with it. Oh, that's probably Bill. Do you want to talk to him? No. Just take the figure. Oh. Yes, Bill. Mm-hmm. Let me write them down. And that includes the ninth and fifteenth words. Okay. Thanks, Bill. Yes, I'll tell you. How does it look? Johnson's pulled a little ahead again. Even counting the ninth and the fifteenth? Yes. You still haven't heard from the fourth word, though. What matter? We figured a little before. I know. Well, Jeff told you. Well, I guess that's it. Bill suggested that you send the telegram. You better. Telegram? To Johnson. Congratulations. That was the last time, was it? As for bread, you can get a stone. You keep books, so you ought to know. The last time I prayed for anything. Johnson beat me by almost 20,000 votes. Remember? Maybe the town ought to thank you for not answering my prayers. It's a sense they never had a mayor like Johnson. Even I voted for him the next time. And Catherine was right. I am to thin skin. So maybe even I ought to thank you. Not for answering prayers. You don't do much of that, but too. But maybe I ought to thank you. You say something, Mr. Hatch. You say something? Yeah. Yeah, I did say something. Is that anything wrong? Wrong, no, no. That just did. Nothing's wrong. Take it easy. But it could have been all wrong if he'd given me what I asked for. Don't get excited. I should thank him. I just never saw it that way. If that cop hadn't arrested me and the judge didn't scare me half to death, I'd still be hanging out with those bums. What cop is that? And Pearl. Oh, brother, wouldn't that have been a marriage? Pearl. I'd have slit her throat in a month and hung for it. Look, I know you're under strain, Mr. Hatch. And never found Catherine. That'd be the worst part. The only woman in the world, and I never would have found her. Your wife. Or had skipped. Look, I know how you must... And at Mayor's job, wouldn't I have blown that to pieces? Of course. I must say I thought Johnson was a better man for the job. You were right. And... And he was right. He? All along. Every step of the way, and I never saw it. I never saw it once. Mr. Hatch, Mr. Hatch! What? What is it? We found him. Look down there. Yeah, it's the boy all right, Hatch. Oh, yeah. Yeah, you see? Right down there on the ledge. It's... Yes, it's Skip. We'll lower you down, Doc. Here. Put the rope around your waist. He's... He's just lying down there. He isn't moving. Take it easy. But he's so still. Take it easy. Maybe he's asleep. They buckled the doctor into the harness. It looked like a parachute harness and lowered him over the side. He swung and stumbled and clutched his way down the ledge. Dust and rocks bounced below him. When he hit bottom, he got up, shook himself, and went to bend over the small figure. From the trail, it did look like a bundle of old clothes. Red jacket, blue jeans stuffed into heavy hiking boots. One of them turned in at an angle. After a few moments, the doctor shrugged and waved at the ranger who was scrambling down a gully farther along. I guess he needs the ranger to help bring him up. I'm awful sorry, Mr. Hatch. Thanks. Do you mind if I snap a picture? No. Of course not. Because it's my job. Why... Why are they being so gentle? What? Putting him on the stretcher. Why are they lifting him so carefully? I don't know. They wouldn't do that, would they? Unless he was still alive? No, I wouldn't think so. They wouldn't. It's gotta be the reason. I knew Catherine was waiting at the head of the trail. But I was waiting here. I couldn't watch them bring him up. And then I had to watch. The ascent was like some nightmare, bright and terrible and blurred and unblank. And the same as in a nightmare, I couldn't scream for help. When I got it up the stretcher filled a width of the path and skip lay on it, his face turned to the sky. The doctor had knelt down and was holding my son's wrist between his fingers. It's there. Pulse. Awful fate. Awful week. But it's there. It was there, his pulse. And pulse meant life. If a man listened, a trained man, he could hear it. Maybe that was the answer to everything. Even prayer. Maybe after a man got through praying to God, he ought to listen in case God wanted to say something to him. I looked down at Skip again. His eyes were open. Hi. Hi, Dan. What do you say to a thing like that? You don't say anything. You might interrupt. You just keep listening. And if you keep on listening long enough, you might hear the voice saying, this too is my beloved son. And here again is your hostess, Jane Wyatt. All of us need something real upon which we can rely. Something that will encourage us and give us strength. Something in which we have faith. And that is the purpose of this program. To convince you that the greatest encouragement, the greatest strengthener, is faith in God. Faith in God expressed in prayer to him. Turning to God as a family in daily prayer is the real way to achieve happiness and confidence. For the home is the basic and most important unit of the nation. And family prayer by bringing God into the home, by making him a part of the family, will strengthen the family, and therefore strengthen the nation. Just as the family that prays together, stays together, so too a world at prayer is a world at peace. More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. From Hollywood Family Theater has brought you transcribed the first morning starring Robert Ryan as Nick. Jane Wyatt was your hostess. Others in the cast were Virginia Gregg, Charlotte Lawrence, Gilbert Fry, Leo Curly, Lawrence Dobkin and Michael Chapin. The first morning was taken from a story written by Adler Roger St. John published by the Cosmopolitan Magazine and was adapted and directed for Family Theater by John T. Kelly. Music was composed and conducted by Harry Zimmerman. This series of Family Theater broadcasts is made possible by the thousands of you who feel the need for this type program, by the mutual network which has responded to this need and by the hundreds of stars of stage screen and radio who give so unselfishly of their time and talent to appear on our Family Theater stage. To them and to you, our humble thanks. This is George Crowell expressing the wish of Family Theater that the blessings of God may be upon you and your home and inviting you to be with us next week when Family Theater will present The Wind is No Gentlemen starring Gene Lockhart. Pat Crowley will be your hostess. Join us, won't you? Family Theater is broadcast throughout the world and originates in the Hollywood studios of the world's largest network. This is the Mutual Broadcasting System. This is the Mutual Broadcasting System. Thank you.