 Ladies and gentlemen, the railroad hour. And here comes our star-studded show train. Tonight, the Association of American Railroads presents the famous Franz Leher operetta, the Merry Widows, starring Gordon MacGray and his guest Dorothy Kirsten. Our choir is under the direction of Norman Luboff, and the music is prepared and conducted by Carmen Dragon. Among the millions of listeners to our program tonight are the many members of the National Association of Travel Organizations, which is now holding its 13th annual convention in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The railroads are happy to salute these men and women who do so much to make travel the great experience it is. And now, here is our star, Gordon MacGray. Thank you, Marvin Miller. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Music Tonight, the beautiful and glamorous Dorothy Kirsten is the beautiful and glamorous Mary Widow, Madame Sonia. Jack Kirkwood plays Baron Popov, and I am Prince Danilo, attached to the Marsovian Embassy in Paris. Where is Prince Danilo? That's Baron Popov, the Marsovian Ambassador calling me. Where is Prince Danilo? You see, I'm absolutely indispensable to him. Where is that no good bomb? You see, I'm indispensable. Rally-wasting assignment that wretched nightclub, Maxime. Messenger, go down to Maxime, see if you can locate Prince Danilo. Well, if that's where they're going to look for me, maybe that's where I'd better be. My native land is calling me to come and work from one to three, though as there isn't much to do, I only come at half past two. Diplomacy exhausts a man, and I do all the work I can, but never ever get too bad until I paint this town quite red. With all my lovely Maxime girls, I give them cash instead of pearls. So all my blondes and brunettes say, come out with us tonight and play. We dash off to Maxime's. We're fun and frolic beans. While all the girls I flatter, they laugh and kiss and chatter. Lo lo do do you, you. Clo-clo-ma-clo-clu-clu. It really doesn't matter. I kiss the first. Smile so sweetly, I catch and kiss them neatly. Clo-clo-clu-clu. Until I forget. Prince Danilo, I'm shocked. Send these girls away. I must talk to you about affairs of state. Well, that's all girls. Go-go-clo-clu. Shoo-shoo-clu-clu. Now, Baron, what seems to be the trouble? Prince Danilo, our native land in Marsovia is in the sour of greatest peril. We are broke. But the Marsovian government has supported entirely by income taxes from its citizens. What happened? Last year, there was only one citizen in Marsovia who had any income to tax. Yes, yes, the banker. Mr. What's his name? Well, it's no matter. He's dead anyway. But his widow was here in Paris making googly eyes at Frenchmen. The Frenchmen are making googly eyes right back at her and her 20 million. Now, if she marries a Frenchman, her fortune will no longer be taxable in Marsovia and our poor, dear native country will be busted. Roger. However, if the widow marries a Marsovian citizen, their 20 million will remain in our dear Marsovia and everything will be, if you'll pardon the expression, hunky dory. Well, that pretty well covers the plot. What do you expect me to do? You've got to put something in the pot, boy. How? Why, by marrying the rich widow. Why don't you marry her? Oh, how can I? Oh, yes, yes, that's right. You're married, unfortunately. You have no idea how unfortunate you are. Look, Baron, can I meet this merry widow before I marry her? Of course. She's guest of honor at an embassy party tonight. There she is. See how the Frenchman throng about her. I'll dance with all of you the evening, young. Oh, good Lord. What's the matter? That's Madame Sonia. I can't propose to her. Why not? Oh, Baron, I can't tell you, but there's a very good reason why I shouldn't marry Madame Sonia. There's an even better reason why you should. Very well. Very well. If you insist. I will sing for you. It's an old legend from my native land of Marsovia. This is against my better judgment, Baron. But I'll do it for Marsovia. Oh, it is such a charming city, this Paris. The Nile. Do you remember my name, Madame Sonia? I've tried to forget it. Now, please, Sonia, let's not be harsh. Harsh? After all, you left me waiting at the church. It wasn't my fault. It was my uncle. Your uncle thought I wasn't good enough for you. Anyhow, I'm rich now and a widow with everything I want. Do you have love? Oh, luckily, I don't believe in love. You believed in mine once. Now, really, Prince Danilo, do you imagine we can pick up where we left off? At the church door? Now that I'm worth 20 million, do you think your uncle might approve of me? Now, please, Sonia, try to forget the past. Waltz with me, the way we used to. Always kiss your partner at the end of a walk? If I'm in love with him. Oh, come now, Danilo, you're not in love with me. You're in love with my money. Do you think I'm like all these Frenchmen who swarm about you? All men are alike. May I have the next dance? If you wish. Good. I shall auction it off. You wouldn't dare. Gentlemen! Gentlemen, your attention, please. How many of you would like a dance with a merry widow? I have the next dance. Who will pay 10,000 francs for a dance with Madame Sonia? Not a single bid? Well then, I shall have to dance with her myself. It will be your last dance with me, Danilo. Oh? I'm marrying a Frenchman. I don't believe it. Tomorrow I shall be the wife of Monsieur de Jolidon. Oh, no. He's proposed to me and I've decided to accept him. Well, what do you have to say to that? There's an old Marsovian song that says much more than I could say. There once were two wrong, but never is there no doubt The princess was an happy never. Embassies and merry widows. I've done with lovers' deeds. The girls will laugh and greet me. They will not trick and cheat. I've had enough of you. His boyhood dreamed by becoming an engineer on the same railroad. In those days, James Oliver Burns was excited over recent developments, which we have long since taken for granted and which his father never dreamed of, like freight train airbrakes and automatic couplers. In turn, his son, William Alfred Burns, is as much at home in the cab of his modern diesel, guiding it through a freight yard full of such modern marvels as car retarders and automatic signaling devices as his father was in the cab of his high-stepping steam engine of bygone days. And today, when William Alfred Burns' son, Oliver James Burns, completes a day at the throttle of his passenger train and gets together with his father, he talks a language loaded with technical terms that weren't even heard of a few years ago. Yes, four generations of men in the Burns family have seen and contributed to the tremendous change that has taken place in railroading. As with each succeeding generation, the railroads have steadily grown more efficient, more economical, more essential to our welfare. And what of five-year-old Bobby Burns? If he fulfills his dream, what kind of a locomotive will he drive? What new railroad wonders will he see and contribute to? If he does take his place at the throttle of a locomotive of tomorrow, like generations of the Burns family before him, he'll be going places with America's number one form of transportation, the railroads. Now, here is act two of the Lawrence and Lee version of Leihar's The Merry Widow, starring Gordon MacRae as Danilo and Dorothy Kirsten as Madame Sonia with Jack Kirkwood as Baron Poppins. I find you in this low cabaret. Oh, hello, hello, Barry. You certainly made a mess of things. I trust you with an important mission, to marry Madame Sonia and save the Mar-Sovian treasury. And what happened? She's marrying a Frenchman tomorrow. I'm sorry I failed you, Barry, but it's impossible to figure out a woman. Yeah, I know. There's something wrong with all of them. When a man marries, he gets hooked with one that's either fat, homely, selfish, cruel, or expensive. Unless he waits. And if he waits, he gets hooked with a combination of all of them. For the women, for the women, How to win them, how to pray. That's an art I'm rather dim in, for there is no other way. Winning women, winning women. For the lovers, that's what nobody discovers. Not even an innocent. You may study her ways as you can, but a woman's too much for a man. It is deeper than diving for pearls. Orting girls, girls, girls, girls, girls. Her fair flaxen hair, eyes are blue. She's a long way to knowing for you. She is dark or she's fair. She may smile or may frown. Never mind you, we'll get done from. Women, women, women, women, women, women, women, women. You study her ways as you can, but a woman's too much for a man. It is deeper than diving for pearls. Orting girls, girls, girls, girls, girls. With a fair flaxen hair, eyes are blue. She's a long way to knowing for you. Never mind you, we'll get done from. Most interesting observation, gentlemen. Well, Madam Sonia, what brings you to Maxine's? I wonder, Baron Popov, what you say about the women. Does that apply to your wife? My wife? Ah, don't mention her hallowed name. She is a paragon of feminine virtue. Well, the paragon just ran off with a Monsieur de Joli dance. What? He's the Frenchman you're supposed to marry tomorrow. Oh, I just made that up. But if my wife has run off, then I am legally divorced. How's that? Under section four of the Marsovian Married Men's Protective Act. If your wife runs off with a Frenchman, you are legally divorced. How convenient. And now that I am free, I have the honor, dear lady, to ask you for your hand. In marriage? How else? Will you marry me, Madam Sonia? Oh, before I accept, I must tell you one teensy-weensy thing. If I marry again, I lose all of my property. All of your millions? Down to the last mill. Maybe I was a little hasty. There's no way to put something in the pot, boy. Is it true, Sonia? You lose all your money if you marry again? Yes. Well? Can't you guess what I want to say? Why not say it if you want to? I love you. And I love you. I've always loved you. Sweetheart. Now, wait a minute. You're going to marry her without any money? Of course. The man's crazy. But you understand. I lose my money because I shall give it all to my new husband. The woman's crazy. Oh, my guys, they're all right. I'm the one with grace. Don't you worry, Baron. At least the money remains in Marsovia, and the national treasury is saved. Tell me you love me again, Danilo. Not in words, my darling. Let me tell you with our own wands. I say not more. Lovely Dorothy Pearson will be back in just one moment. And meanwhile, our thanks to Jack Kirkwood, who was Baron Popport, and to our entire company. The merry widow with music by Franz Lehar, and book and lyrics by Victor Leon, Leo Stein and Adrian Rose, with English adaptation by Georges Edouard, 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, the snow that has already fallen in many parts of the country, reminds us that we'll soon be right in the middle of the holiday season. That means that those two busy helpers of Santa Claus, the post office department and the railroads, will soon be working around the clock to move mountains of Christmas mail. To make sure that your cards and packages are delivered on time, mail them early this year. Thank you very much, Marvin. And now here again, folks, is our lovely guest star, Miss Dorothy Kirsten. Thank you, Dorothy. You know, I can't stop walking. Well, you just walk back and see us again on December the 14th, Dorothy. We'll have some great Jerome Kern music to dance to. It's a date. Meanwhile, what's on the show train next Monday night? Well, you just listen. Chocolate soldier. Yep. I'll be a real devil with the ladies next week, with a cartridge felt filled with candy. Then Virginia Haskins will be with us to help sing that unforgettable Oscar Strauss score. Sounds like it's awfully fattening, but fun. We'll all be listening. Night, Dorothy. Good night, Dorothy. You were an enchanting merry widow. All aboard! Well, dear friends, it looks as already to pull out, and so until next Monday night, and the chocolate soldier, on behalf of the other members of the cast and of the American railroads, this is your friend Gordon McRae saying goodbye. The radio adaptation of the merry widow has been based on the original American production by Special Arrangement with Tams Whitmark Music Library, Incorporated. Gordon McRae can soon be seen in Three Sailors and the Girl in Technicolor. Our 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. Tonight, the voice of Firestone features Thomas L. Thomas on the NBC Radio Network.