 The Cavalcade of America. Sowing Thomas Mitchell in direction home on the Cavalcade of America, sponsored by the DuPont Company. Maker of better things for better living through chemistry. But first, here is Gaines Whitman. Before we begin our play, here is news about DuPont Z-Land durable repellent finish. Is your raincoat a washout? It is if it's lost its water repellency at the cleaners, leaving you damp and uncomfortable during stormy weather. The next time you buy rainwear or snow clothes, be sure to look for the tag that says fabric treated with DuPont Z-Land durable repellent finish. Unlike ordinary water repellents, Z-Land withstands many washings or cleanings. It's an example of what we mean when we say DuPont better things for better living through chemistry. The DuPont Company presents direction home starring Thomas Mitchell as Jerry Sweeney on the Cavalcade of America. Radar. The magic eye that saw ships, planes and submarines long before the human eye could detect their presence was a wartime weapon of both defense and offense. Tonight's story tells of one instance in which radar saved rather than aided in destroying. It begins in December of 1941 in the Brooklyn flat of Jerry Sweeney. Jerry, age 58, late of the United States Navy, is reading the Sunday paper. That's the end of it. The end of it, I tell you. The end of what, Dad? The end of sitting back and saying, let them fight it out in Europe. I'm telling you, Eve Darlin, that as sure as I'm a foot high and as sure as my name is Jerry Sweeney, we're going to be ranked under this wall. Oh, now, Dad, don't get so excited at what you're reading the paper. Oh, don't get so excited, she says. No, I'll sit back and smoke my pipe and remember there's a couple of thousand miles of motion between us in Europe. Well, you just mark your father's words, those couple of thousand miles will shrink until they ain't no bigger than the East River. Oh, darling, you're so serious these days. Look in the headlines, and you can see that these times are no laughing matter. All right, all right, all right. I suppose that boyfriend of yours is coming by again this afternoon. Yes, Everett should be here any minute. Yeah, the great Mr. Matthews. Still secret and important, no doubt. Dad, for heaven's sake, every time Everett comes over, you start an argument. There's no argument, sweetheart. To have an argument, there must be two sides to the question. That boyfriend of yours hasn't got a leg to stand on. Eve, darling, look at the boys already in uniform, all fine lads. And this Everett of yours still sits around twiddling his thumbs. And look, sit down, sit down, I want to talk to you. All right, what is it, darling? Well, I don't know how to say it. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Yeah, I think I know what's coming. I've been dreading this moment, and I'm afraid my answer is no. Dad, please. Now look, sweetheart, there's no one in the world wants to see you happy more than your old father. You're singing and you're laughing as music to me ears. You know that, don't you? But that's why I want you to like Everett. Mind you, Eve, I'm not saying I dislike the man. It's just that I, well, I don't want a daughter of mine, marrying a man that keeps her mom about himself and what he's doing for a living. Especially as a girl who's hoping to marry. But it's a time, Dad. He's doing secret work. How long do you think I could have kept the secret from your mother, rest her soul? She'd have brained me. Oh, Everett's work is confidential, very important. He's doing work for the government. And why doesn't he wear a uniform? Does he tell you anything about it? You don't even know where he works. Now do you. Answer me now. You don't know, do you? No. No. But I have faith in Everett. I love him. And, well, Dad, if you value my happiness like you say you do, then you just can't say no. Well, no. No, I can't very well. Now can I? Oh, now that's Everett. Please be nice to him. Promise me. Well, you just go let him in and I'll be listening to the radio if I can get the blame thing to work. All right, all right, coming. Morning, dear. Oh, flowers. Thank you, darling. And Canada back up your father. Have you softened him up, darling? Well, I tried to a few minutes ago. He's in living room trying to get the radio to work. Mm-hmm. Shall I beard the lion in his den, then? No, it's as good a time as any. Oh, wish me luck, darling. And you better leave the front door open just in case. Uh, good afternoon, Mr. Sweeney. Oh, it's you. It is. Well, I'll stand there like a nox. Come over by the radio and sit down. Uh, thank you. You're supposed to know something about these confounder confounders, aren't you? Yes, sir, that's my business. And why won't this thing play? Well, let me have a look. It works when I want it to. I'll see what I can do. We might try plugging it in. Well, I'll be... Oh, well. Well, plug it in, plug it in. Now let me hear what you came in to ask me. Oh, you mean... Yeah, well, uh, Mr. Sweeney, I, uh... Oh, come on, darling, we've had our differences. But Eve's heart and happiness are more to me than just an old man's fancies and whims. Well, uh, I guess you know that I love Eve. Well, who could help but love a girl like Eve? Yeah. Well, I, uh... Well, the radio's coming on. Japanese planes have attacked our great naval base at Pearl Harbor. What's that? Apparently came from carriers that sneaked up during the night. Did you hear that? Yeah. There has been undisclosed damage to certain ships of the fleet. The enemy air base was also attacked. The many planes destroyed on the ground. What's that there? Our further news stay tuned to your NBC station. That's a bomb-quill hopper. Well... I guess the old man wasn't so wrong after all, huh? I told you so. I've seen it coming. We should have done something about it. We did, Mr. Sweeney. We did everything in our power to get ready for it. Everything, all that spit and nonsense. The water's been leaking through the hole in the dam for a long time. Now it's finally torn it down. It means we're at war. What do you do, Everett? Do? Well, I hadn't thought about it. Why hadn't you thought about it? It's about time you did. Well, it all depends on... On what? How you feel. Please, Dad, don't, not now. All right, but it seems to me that now's the time to be making up our minds. Not saying it all depends. Mr. Sweeney, I never told you this before, but the work I've been doing is for the war we knew was coming. It's important. Secret work. Scientific. Scientific, my foot. Wars are fought with guns and blood, heart, and fists. Not with test tubes and gadgets I think it's in a laboratory, a glass office. This is a scientific war, Mr. Sweeney. It'll be won in a scientific laboratory. Go on with it. That's not for me. I'm going on and getting it. Dad, what are you going to do? Do. For 30 odd years I was at sea in the last war and after. For those years I learned the sea and ships. And we've been eating ships in this war too and men who know them. That's what I'll do. And I'll not sit in a glass office and paddle about science. Look, Mr. Sweeney, I'm not... You have your views, Mr. Matthew, and I am mine. They don't jive that's all. Dad, you're being silly. I'm with them and with God's help I'll keep being silly. I'm going out and do whatever able-bodied, red-blooded American should be doing. I'm joining up. Darling, where's your father? Oh, he's asking madly around town trying to enlist. Of course, no one will have him. Well, 58 to the low. Um, Everett. Yes, sir. Everett, why won't you tell me what kind of work you do? I'd like to, he believed me, but I just can't. Well, if you'd only tell me what you're doing, it's not true anything to make Dad understand. Look, I've told you before, I do highly important work. It's strictly secret. All I can say is it has to do with electronics. But what is that, is that... I can't tell you, Eve. Even if I could, you wouldn't understand. It's very technical. Something that may shorten the war by months, maybe years. Oh, here comes Dad. I think you better go. Oh, no, he's not going to scare me out today. I'm no trouble, no argument. Oh, are you there? Oh, are you so? You're sounding salty. Well, I'm feeling right salty this evening. How do you like to get up? Dad, I accepted you. I thought the Navy turned you down. Good evening, Mr. Swinney. Sure, the Navy did turn me down, but it's able seamen are needing to sail the ships of the Merchant Marine. Merchant Marine? That's me, the Merchant Marine. Blow the man down, boys. Be careful, darling. You're no longer a young man. A man is no older than he feels at his heart. So long as there's fight lifting him, a man is young. How old are you, Mr. Matthews? Old enough, Mr. Swinney. Good. Then be kind enough to remove yourself while a fighting man bids good-bye to his loving daughter. Very well, sir. I'll wait in the other room later. All right. Mm-hmm. Dad, you're not leaving right away. That I am, Eve, darling. It's men they're needing these days to man the ships that carry the supplies. But why do you have to go? Now, at your age, it's just... Somebody's got to fight the war. We can all be timid little men with big brains, heightened in glass offices. Dad, I worry about you every minute you're gone. Yeah, I'll be thinking of you, Eve. When do you sail? Dad, I can't tell you. Even if I knew, I wouldn't be a liberty to say. I've got to be on board this very night. Oh, dear. Oh, no, no. Brace up, girl. The mother'll ever let me see tears. She may have cried after I left, but never when I was even. I don't mean to cry, sir. I know. Oh, I know. Now, buddy, girl, put the luck of the Irish out and be back. Don't forget, her Swinney's have a family leprechaun that looks out for us and speeds us safely back to port. Oh, come on now. Smile. And that's it. Come on. You've got to help me pack my seat bag. Okay. And our girl. And don't forget, be praying for me, but be saving your tears for those that need them. Eve, darling. Oh, why did Dad have to go? Isn't there something I can do? Something you can do. You should ask me that. Yes, I know. Eve, dear, believe me, it'd be easier for me to be in uniform, but it just isn't in the cards. They won't let me. Well, they're going to let me. What do you mean? Just as soon as the mistman's open, I'm joining the way. Eve, I know just how you feel, and I'm not going to try to change your mind. But there's one thing I'd like to ask. When you enlist, try to get in radar. Then maybe you'll understand how important it is and why I'm sticking to the job in the laboratory until it's finished. Here at Sea Dodging, suffers from Liverpool to Mermen's. A rack of a book and a sweet music and a year. Yeah, right you are. Time out. Here we are. Come on, Betty. I'll show you the coziest flattened Brooklyn. Are you sure your daughter would object to you dragging an old shipmate home with you? No. I could always find a snuggler at the seamen's rest. Uh-oh, look, sweetie. Coming down the stairs. It's one of them lady-saters with spikes. Well, I'll be. Dad, I had your home. Oh, Eve, darling. Oh, darling. Oh, my baby, my dear sweet darling girl. Don't let me freeze my eyes on you. Glory to you, child. What's the meaning of this get-up? I'm in the way, Dad. And an officer she is. An officer. An ensign. Well, blown me down. Thirty odd years I sailed and came out a cheap boat and my slip of a daughter is an officer. Now! Now you see what the Navy's coming to? I don't think I've met your friend, Dad. Oh, this is Benny Jarvis. My daughter, Eve. Is this where I'm supposed to salute? And if it is, this is where I shall go. Oh, no, Benny, we'll just shake hands. Women officers! Too much for me. I'm going to the seamen's rest. Oh, come back, Benny. Go on, you stubborn old bum. Show your manners. Have no mind, darling. Even in that uniform, you look good to your old father. Oh, darling. You look so tired. And why not? Seven voyages and each one worse than the last. But we're getting the supplies through. You should be here at home. Look, girl, I'm only 59. No age for a man to sit with his nose in the paperwell with a war going on. That's been awful, darling. It's been hell, darling. Plain hell. Wolf packs of subs and devils from the sky. But I'm here in one piece. Home in my old flat. Thank the Lord. Oh, uh, just a minute, Dad. You may not like this, but, uh, Evert's here. What? That white-furthered friend of yours? I thought you put the run on him. Well, I did, Father, but I was wrong. Well, if he's here, I'm not going in. Yes, you are. No, I'm not. I'll go back there. Oh, no, you don't. You're going to stay right here until you hear whatever it has to say for himself. You were listening to Thomas Mitchell as Jerry Sweeney in Direction Home on the capital gate of America, sponsored by the DuPont Company, maker of better things for better living through chemistry. As our second act begins, Jerry Sweeney of the United States Merchant Marine has come home from a year at sea. His daughter Eve, now an ensign in the waves, is about to tell her father something that may not make his leave so pleasant. Evert's here. Well, Dad Sweeney of all people, welcome home. Don't be calling me, Dad. I'm no father to the likes of you. Oh, well, I'm sorry, Mr. Sweeney. Seaman, Sweeney, to you. Evert is with the Navy, too, Father. And why any in the uniform? Well, you see, he... Well, that is... Evert's trying to tell you that I'm a civilian employee of the Navy. Civilian employee? Who ever heard of such a thing? Either you're in the Navy or not. Now, which is it? Well, officially, I'm not. You see, I'm... Don't tell me anything. I'll go. My sea bag is still packed. That won't be necessary, sir. I'm due back at the laboratories. Oh, still a glass office chair warmer, eh? Mr. Sweeney, the job I'm doing is an important one for the Navy. If you won't listen to a reasonable explanation, then there's no use of my wasting time and breath. I'll see you at the shop, Dad. Evert, don't be upset. How can I help it with such a stubborn old bird breath? Mr. Sweeney, I'll see you after the war. Well, he's getting some smoke about him. He'll be one to fight if he keeps that up. Dad, don't you realize that whatever it's doing is important? So important that no one will realize it until after the war? Look, Eve, I've seen fine young lads choking an oil and burning, soaked in blood and drowning with the agony of salt water in their lungs. While the man you're defending sits in his glass office. He even has the gall to sit idle while the woman he intends to marry is in uniform. Now, Dad, please, please calm you down. The very sight of that chair warmer... Well, I had to think my daughter would stand for the likes of him. Where are those old pipes of mine? My dandadrone. Fine, how do you do when a man comes home to... Hey. What's this? Oh, well, Father, I wanted to tell you... Well, now, now, ain't this fine then, Dandy? A wedding certificate and married to that white feather bird. But, Father, I love him. Say no more. I've had enough. Dad, come back here. Do you hear me? Come back here. You couldn't get me to spend one minute in this flat. I'm going back to the Trinidad and wait till she sails. Oh, darling, how's Anson Sweeney today? Anson Matthews is doing fine. Any work from your dad? No, not a word since he sailed last week. He's aboard the Trinidad. That's about all I know. Oh, well, I got the new radar scope installed in the test plane. Ready for the tryout. It'll be a good day for him this fall. Yeah, eyes are blind flying. Oh, I wish Dad could see this and know what you're doing. Well, he will someday. Oh, Matthews? Yeah. How close to ready is that plane installation of the new radar scope? Ready any time, Commander. I'm going to have to use it right now. They have a radio dispatch that a Liberty ship took a torpedo in the stern, just off the coast. Oh. There have been casualties, including the medical corpsman. They have to fly a surgeon out. What's the bearing? We have only an approximate fix and can't improve it. She's laying out there in the fog, maintaining radio silence to keep that sub from finishing her. One of the crews badly hit. They have to bring him back to the base hospital for X-rays before they can operate. So it's a matter of life and death. The radar scope's all ready. Finding that ship in the fog would be like hunting the proverbial needle in the haystack. Ah, we can do it. The installation's in and ready. We're waiting for the test flight anyway. Now you get to do it for keeps. You're sure it'll work? Positive. I'll let it better, or Seaman Sweeney's a dead duck. Seaman Sweeney? What's the name of that ship? The Liberty ship, Crinidad. Oh, it's Dad. Seaman Sweeney is Ensign Matthew's father, sir. Oh, I'm sorry. Commander, I know it's against the book, but is there any way that it could possibly go along? You see, Father and I... Hey, don't see how. Commander, we need Ensign Matthews. She's an experienced radar technician. Well, Lieutenant Peters, the pilot, is a pretty good job. If Ensign Matthews should happen to be aboard when you take off... Thank you, Commander. Come on, E. We'll check the radar while they're warming up the plane. Ensign the Lieutenant to the area from where the Trinidad was last reported. Okay. Hey, who's away? Radar technician. There's another reason for her being here. It's a good one, Lieutenant. Okay. Hey, this fog blanket is a good 4,000 feet thick. Think that radar gadget will work? I know it will. I can see how radar can pick up 1,000 planes in the air, especially if you know where they're coming from. But how do you expect to pick up one little ship on all this ocean? The principle's the same. For instance. Well, look, this generator keeps on sending out electronic waves. Yeah. They bounce back from the ocean or anything on the ocean, and we can read the outline on the scope here. Huh. Through all this fog? Yeah, through the fog. That's a good trick if you can do it. We can do it. Are you sure that scope is right? I know it is. Nothing's shown up. I don't see how you're going to pick up anything as small as a liberty ship in that thing. Look, watch the scope. Huh? Yeah. There is something. In the first quadrant. All right. Where do we get another sweep on the indicator? There. There it is again. It's got to be the ship. Lieutenant, circle over to the northeast. Right. Something else showing up on the scope. Hey, look. Be sure you're right. I can't see a thing in this fog. Okay. Start down. Yeah. And keep circling the way you are. Talk about blind flying. But you're not blind, man. You got eyes. Eyes you've never had before. Keep going down. We're below 2,000 feet now. Good. There's nothing else around but the twin of that. I hope it's the Trinidad. 1,000 feet. All right. Take it down to 500 feet. Sweep the section again. Still on the scope. That fog is down to the water, Matthews. Now what? Keep dropping. When you're 50 feet above the water, when you're sort of down. Brother, if you can find a liberty ship on this ocean without gadgets, I'll sit this baby down anytime you give the word. 100 feet. It came through just in time, Doctor. We were not ready to give up hope. That new radar scope brought us through, Captain. Our corpsmen have the situation under control. Dr. Hendrick. Yes, Ensign? What about my father, Doctor? I want the truth. Well, he's not a youngster, you know. That's not Irish hardest keeping him alive. If we can fly him back to the base hospital for X-rays, we should be able to operate and save him. Lieutenant, can you fly this patient to shore? Well, the radar got us here. You ought to be able to get us back. Where am I? You're aboard a Navy plane, Dad. We're flying you back to the base hospital. You're going to be all right, Doc. Oh, the luck of the sweeties with a little leprechaun in that bag. Oh, no. It wasn't a leprechaun. Worse, our man in the glass office. Our man in the glass office? What do you mean? Ah, man. Where's Everett? In the radar scope. Oh. Radar brought us out to your ship. Now, radar is taking you home. Oh, and I suppose this plane has nothing to do with him. Of course, Doc. But in his fog, the pilot could see nothing and the plane could go nowhere without radar. Oh. That's what's ever been working on these past three years. I see. Oh, I've been a stubborn old fool, Eve. When I see the lead, I'll tell him. Tell him now, darling. He's right beside you. Huh? He's what? Oh. Oh, so it's you, is it? Uh-huh. What are you doing on this Navy plane? I work for the Navy. Remember? Of course you do, son. And it's well aware of it I am. Finally. Well, it takes a good man to down the bitter pillow and own up to a mistake. I was wrong. Love was right as it always is. Oh, let me sleep. When I'm rested, son, I'll end in the air so you can tell me all about your radar. Radar. Leprechaun that show us the direction of home. Return to our cavalcade microphone in a moment. Now, here is Gaines Whitman. Like a little girl who had never seen a cow and thought that milk came from milk bottles. Most of us, when we think of meat, think of a butcher's counter. But our national meat supply includes 250 million pounds of wild game every year. Some farmers in the New England states, for instance, shoot a deer and hang it up to freeze for a regular thing every winter. Part of the family's supply. Venison, rabbit, pheasant, wild duck. How'd you like some roast wild duck? Listen to this recipe. Clean, wipe, and dry the ducks. Sprinkle generously with flour, salt, and pepper. Place a whole peeled onion inside each duck and place them in self-basing roaster. Batten with toothpicks two or three strips of bacon across each bird. If desired, ducks may be stuffed with wild rice dressing. Made by boiling wild rice and seasoning with salt, pepper, and chopped onions. Or use other favorite dressing. Cover bottom of roaster with water. Cover tightly and roast in oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for one and one-half to two hours, depending on the number and size of duck. Remove cover of roaster 15 or 20 minutes before taking from oven to allow skin to brown. Serve with orange sauce if desired. Now, let's see what orange sauce is. Here it is. Butter, flour, brown stock, salt, cayenne pepper, orange juice, and grated orange rind, two tablespoons of sherry or port. Melt butter and add flour and seasoning stirring until well-brown. Slowly add stock. Yeah, we'd better stop. It's hard to, though. So, here's baked peasants. Mixed game pie, fried rabbit and hushing pepper, royal venison, steaks and chops, caribou collops, roast bear, mulligan. I'm reading from how to dress, ship, and cook wild game, a 48-page book prepared by the Remington Arms Company and the associate of the DuPont Company. There are wild birds in our skies and wild game in our forests, thanks to the fact that America has learned the wisdom of conservation. Practical programs of restoration are so widely carried out and so constantly improved that a plentiful supply of game seems assured. A copy of the interesting Little Remington Book, how to dress, ship, and cook wild game, may be had by writing to the DuPont Company. Just enclose a dime and send your name and address to the video section, DuPont Company, Wilmington, Delaware. Good night and good hunting. Here is Thomas Mitchell. You know, in the cavalcade of America, some of the brighter stories are the true ones. Stories of men whose lives have given some special benefit to their country and their contemporaries. Next week, cavalcade will be telling one of the most rollicking of those stories, of a gay and gallant man who earned his living by writing for the newspapers. But whose lasting work was in writing poetry that all of us have loved. The man is Eugene Field and Henry Fonda will be on hand as your star in the delightful provocative radio play. I had a preview of the script, so I've made my plans to be listening. I hope you will be too, for you won't want to miss Henry Fonda as Eugene Field in Big Boy Blue on the DuPont cavalcade of America. Terrible as the war was, we have almost as terrible scourge still to contend with. The scourge is TB, tuberculosis, which during the war and still today is killing Americans at the rate of one every nine minutes. You can help the fight against TB by buying more Christmas seals this year than ever before. In tonight's DuPont cavalcade, Thomas Mitchell appeared through the courtesy of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation and can currently be seen in the motion picture production Captain Eddie. And Howard Duff was Everett. The music was composed and conducted by Robert Armbruster. A cavalcade play was written by Russell Hughes and Bernard Fine. The technical information about the use of radar in tonight's story was furnished by the US Army Signal Corps. This is Dom Collins inviting you to listen next week to Henry Fonda in Big Boy Blue on the cavalcade of America. Brought to you by the DuPont Company of Wilmington, Delaware.