 Family Theatre presents Gene Peters and J. Carol Nash. The Mutual Network in Cooperation with Family Theatre presents Genius from Hoboken starring J. Carol Nash. To introduce the drama, here is your hostess, Gene Peters. Thank you, Tony Lafranco. 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 drama, Genius from Hoboken starring J. Carol Nash as Giuseppe. Sometimes a man will sell his whole life for a song. Such was the case of Giuseppe Faustino, a barber from the old country. Giuseppe came to the United States a good many years ago and for no particular reason, settled in New Jersey in Hoboken. Like most Italians, Giuseppe had one reigning passion, music. And when he could take time off from his little barber shop, Giuseppe could always be seen at the opera or at the local concerts. Then Giuseppe met Wood and married Maria. And of course nothing would do but a first-class honeymoon at Niagara Falls. It was while they were there that Giuseppe told his bride of his life, St. Bishop. This is so beautiful, Giuseppe. All of my life I dreamed that I would be married to someone like you and that I could have a honeymoon at Niagara Falls. Then are you happy, Maria? Yes, so happy. Aren't you? Well, sure. And that's what a man is born for. To marry, have a final wife like you. Someone wanted to love and live with and to have a family with you. Giuseppe. First of all, Maria, big, strong boy. That's the way it should be. And you know what we're going to call him? What did you say, Pi? Abraham Lincoln of Fostino. Because after name means freedom all over the whole world. Yeah, that's what we're going to call him. That is what you wish, Giuseppe. Yes, Maria. Now I have everything a man needs in his life. Everything that is except the one thing. What is that, Giuseppe? Can you believe this? All in my life I've wanted to do something. Deep down inside of me, this thing keeps saying to me, Giuseppe, you got a great talent. You must give this talent to the world. What is that talent? The creating of rich, fine violins. Violins, Giuseppe? Yes, that's what it is, violins. It burns inside of me till I almost go crazy with the desire. No, no, Maria, don't look at me like I'm crazy. I mean it. Think of it the name. Strativarius. He's a non-respected all over the world, he's the greatest artist of his profession. And that's what I want to do, Maria. I want to do that because creating the violins is so great that I want to do that. To give the world the finer music, it so deserves it. A hobby, like collecting stamps or butterflies. Butterflies? No, no, no, no, that's not a hobby. Maria, it's real. It's my reason for being here on the altar. I know it. Well, there's no money in that, Giuseppe. Well, no, no, not the right way perhaps, but someday when I have become an honor, all the famous artists come to me. Me, Giuseppe Faustino of Hoboken. But, Giuseppe, you know, can I do that? But now you have me, your wife, and soon maybe a little family. They'll have to be taken care of. Oh, I know that, Maria, my dear one. I said then, not right now. You know, I had the five hundred dollars I saved up before I met you, but I wasn't going to try then, but now we married and poofed. It's no more five hundred dollars. Is that to make you unhappy? Oh, no, no, Maria. It always is you I shall always want. But someday I'm going to make the violins. A year passed and Maria and Giuseppe were completely happy and very much in love. The barbershop prospered. Another year went by, and Giuseppe felt that he was nearing the financial goal he had set for himself in order to become Giuseppe Faustino of Hoboken violin maker. One night he was sure of it and shortly after dinner. Was it such a good dinner, Giuseppe? You're smiling, it's all. Yes, Maria, my dear, it was a wonderful dinner. But now I'm going to tell you why I was smiling. I think... I think I'm almost ready to start making my violins. Dan, what do you think of that? Would you give up at the barbershop, Giuseppe? Well, of course, I'm making the violins. It takes a time. You just kind of fool around a little bit with it. Giuseppe, sit here, next to me. All right. That's it. You know, I'm afraid that you shall have to let the violins go a little bit longer. Longer? No, no, no, Maria. Time is the right thing just now. I've worked a hard day. I've taken a good care of you. I've seven enough for money. No, no, I can't let the violins go no longer. I'm going to start the tomorrow. No, no, no, Giuseppe, you did not let me finish. It seems that you will have to continue in the barbershop. You... you're going to be a father. Well, Maria, me? I'm going to be a father? You really mean we're going to have a little family? Yes, Giuseppe, we are. Well, what do you know about that? Giuseppe, you're hurt? Angry? Angry, I don't know. No, Maria, you're talking crazy. That's what I want, the little boy. A little boy we're going to call Abraham Lincoln of Faustino. I should say I'm not the hurt one, Maria. You're looking at the happiest man in the whole of the world. Oh, Giuseppe, the suffering. No, no, no, no, no, Maria. You've got nothing to be afraid about. That's what I want, a little Abraham. The violins, they can wait. Here, what do you want? It's the time. Doctor, yeah, yeah, yeah, Maria. I'm going to hurry immediately. Don't go away. Well, stay right in the bed. If I don't move, I'm going to be right in the back. Little Abraham came into being, a fine, strong boy, just as Giuseppe knew he would be. Again, the month slipped by. Marie, born to be a mother, took on a beauty that was unearthly. And Giuseppe snipped on at the barbershop. Another year ticked off the calendar, and Giuseppe felt the vile in urge coming over him again. One evening, after young Abraham was safely tucked in his crib, Giuseppe sat smoking his pipe and looking at Maria. What are you thinking about, Giuseppe? My ambition. And how I long to see it become real. I know. It's so much a part of your life. You want it to very badly, don't you? Oh, Marie, I do, I do. I do so much. I can hear that my violins are singing into the night all over the world, bringing his joy to millions of people. And Maria, I think Maria, that's the... Giuseppe, don't say it. Please don't. I must, I'm a girl. And I know what it is you wish to say. You have enough money again. Yes, Maria, I do. Hold on to it, then, Giuseppe, we're going to need it. You don't mean that we... Yes, Giuseppe. And perhaps this time, it will be a girl, a girl, Giuseppe. That's nice. Oh, Doctor, Doctor, you weren't there so long enough to hear. I'm dying. Is this everything what I think? Yes, Giuseppe, everything's perfect. Congratulations, it's a girl. A girl, a girl, that's it. Justifying, it's wonderful. Her name is going to be Martha, justifying the father of the country. Thank you, Doctor, thank you very much. Another year slipped by, and Giuseppe took in a partner and expanded. Now, instead of just a little barbershop, he was the proprietor of the Hoboken Tonsorial Parlor. One night, after he closed the shop, he sat staring into a little book. That's 425. Over here's another 10, there's another 10, and there's a 25, and there's 18 in here. That's 488 dollars. How can I do it? That's going to see me through, I know. And now, for me, Maria, I know I couldn't be out. I'm going to tell it tonight. At last, Giuseppe Faustino, Hoboken violin maker. Did it today, Giuseppe? He did not tell me he started school. I know he's a smart boy, he's only two years old, but Maria, I can hardly... Of course, he didn't start to school. He fell down and skinned the end of his nose. Oh, is he going to grow on again? If that's all that ever happens to him, he's going to live it to be 100 years. Maria, I... Giuseppe, before you start, I have something to tell you. Please, Maria, this is important. It's in my violins. I've decided that now is the time to... you, you got something to tell me? Is it the... It's the what I'm thinking. What is it that you're thinking, Giuseppe? Well, if it's the what I'm thinking, then I'm... Yes, Giuseppe, you're going to be a father again. My mommy! Giuseppe, you've done it again. What do you mean, doctor? How long have you been trying to get to your violins? Many, many years, doctor, but never mind that. Martha, how is she? Oh, she's fine, Giuseppe. Maria, I mean, she's all right, too. Yes, and it's another girl. Is that a girl? What do you know about that? Oh, well, as long as the first one was a boy. What are you going to call her, Giuseppe? This one, this one, I think I'm going to call her Victoria. Doctor, she was a great queen, and a member of Victoria is going to be the same girl. Wonder how that's going to happen. Again, the months flew by, and... Congratulations, Giuseppe, it's a girl. A girl? Girls, girls, girls, all the way to girls. Well, Giuseppe, how's business at the Hoboken Town Surreal Parlor? Well, doctor, better than ever. That's the one thing you can count on. People always need a haircut, but tell me, how is it? Maria? Oh, she's fine, just fine. And the new addition, he's one of the strongest little boys I've ever seen. He's a boy, a boy, a boy at the last. That's the one I'm going to pray for, doctor. Yes, and that's why I ask you how you were doing at the barbershop. You're going to need a lot of business, Giuseppe. You're getting quite a family. Doctor, you know something? I think if I'm going to put you on a yearly salary, then I'm going to save her money. Giuseppe and Maria were happy with their brood. But the old ambition, which had been lying dormant for so long, once again came to life. And one night, just as he and Maria were finishing dinner... Maria, I have a something to tell you. Oh, another fight with your partner today? No, no, it's nothing like that. We never fought anyway. Arguments, yes, but fights, no. He was a very good friend of mine. Was a very good friend? What do you mean by that, Giuseppe? He's no longer my partner. What? Did you buy him at all, Giuseppe? That is wonderful news. No, Maria, it's just the other way around. He bought me out. But how much, Giuseppe? Two thousand a dollar, yes. That is a fair price. And what do you intend to do, Giuseppe? You know, don't you, Maria? Yes, Giuseppe, make a violin. In the days that followed, a new light came into Giuseppe's eyes. It became a changed man. Years fell away from him, and he seemed to straighten somehow and become younger. He was engaged in making his first violin. No, no, no, no, that's wrong. It's wrong, and I'm going to try again. From early in the morning until late at night, Giuseppe worked on that first violin. His method was one of trial and error. Slowly, the instrument took shape. The sound box, the neck, the bridge. Magically, they all fitted into a perfect whole. And to Giuseppe, it was the most thrilling violin in the world. One night very late. Maria, Maria, come on, I wake up. What is it, Giuseppe? I wake up, and Maria is finished. Look, look, Maria, my first violin. Isn't that beautiful? Look, look, I'm going to finish you. It's so bright, and yet, you have a soft look it has to. Think of it, Maria. All the fine music of the Holy Universe is wrapped up right in here. All the music of the great composers. They can all be heard on these four strings, and I did it. I made this, Giuseppe Faustino. I did it, Maria. Maria, I take you tonight. I'm the happiest man in the whole world. Giuseppe, something has to be done about Martha. She needs a new dress badly. She feels so strange about even going to school. Well, I had the new dress she's going to have, but she deserves it. Martha's a good girl. But when, Giuseppe? Well, perhaps tomorrow. Giuseppe, when will you be finished making this violin, the one you're working on? This one? You know something? I think this is the finest one I have yet made. Yes, I know it is. But when will it be finished? Why is it going to be finished tonight? And when it's finished, Maria, it will be my masterpiece. Good. Because we need money, Giuseppe. Not just tomorrow, but we need the money right now. And there will be no more violence until we get it. So Giuseppe put away his dreams and returned once more to his place as number one barber of the Hoboken Tanzorio parlor. Little by little, he put his family back on his feet. But his mind was ever on his precious violins. Now, life became a humdrum, a fair indeed for Giuseppe Fausti. Giuseppe, you've a hard lead in a bite. Is something wrong? Wrong, no, no, no, it's nothing wrong. I just seem to be so tired of these nights that ex-partner of mine, Aguido, what a business he's doing now. He's putting on a chair today. He did. How many does that make now? Ten. Eleven with me in a number one chair. Yes, Giuseppe, that's where you belong in a number one chair. No. It's not the way I belong. I know what you mean, Giuseppe. That's... that's our doorbell, Giuseppe. I don't mind, but it's so late and nobody's ever... Aren't you going to say who it is, Giuseppe? All right, all right. Good evening, sir. Can I help you? It's just possible you can. Is this the home of Giuseppe Faustino? Yeah, sure, I'm a Giuseppe Faustino. That's the man I'm looking for. My name is Brandt, Alexander Brandt. Alexander Brandt? Alexander Brandt? No, no. He's the greatest violinist in the world. No, no, no. It can't be, it must be some mistake. No, Sr. Faustino. There has been no mistake. I've come to see you. You and your violins. You see, I've heard about them. Light this away, master. Light this is so bad. I hope you're going to forgive me. Just a little bit more over here. That's right. That's my workshop. Apologize. Isn't that so clean? To think the great Alexander Brandt would honor me with his presence. No nonsense, Mr. Faustino. It is quite unnecessary. Now, the violins. You see, I heard about your work quite by accident. One of the musicians in the Philharmonic is one of your customers. Gets his hair cut quite short, I believe. That's right. He was telling me about your life's ambition. I know what you mean. He's a second of violinist section. You see, Mr. Faustino, I own two Stardivare and one Guinelli. The finest violins in the world. Lack something. And for the last 20 years I've been on a search. A search for something I'm not quite sure exists. What's that, the maestro? I'm not certain. It's a song. A symphony. Perhaps it's life itself. A certain note, a ringing richness that typifies all that is real in the world. I can't quite define it, but somewhere, somehow, I must find that in the violin. So far, I've been unsuccessful. I've looked all over the world, but nowhere can I find that tone in the violin which I seek. May I see yours? Mine? I'm honored, the maestro, but it is a violin that just is something a little fellas have made. They don't compare with what instruments he oversees. That's just it, Mr. Faustino. You never can tell. And now, let me see them. Here, maestro. This is my first violin. I'm afraid this is not so much. At the time, I thought it was the most wonderful thing I've ever made, but now I'm not sure. Your first? This is incredible. Why, this is exquisite workmanship. Maestro, thank you. Ah, this one. Now, what is this? Never have I seen such a violin. Such craftsmanship. Such consummate craftsmanship. From where did this come? That's a minor. It's the last one I made. I'm very proud of that one. And, well, you should be. It could be compared to one of the masters of hundreds of years ago. The texture of the wood, the seasoning. I have never seen anything like this. Maestro, that one is my favorite. I see no mark. Your name. It doesn't appear anywhere. Well, no, I'm never putting a name or no mark on anything. Well, Sr. Faustino, I thought you were an established violin maker. No, no, sir. It's a nothing. It's like my wife has said she's the one who called it a hobby. Oh, a hobby. Well, thank you very much. I'm afraid I shall have to be on my way. But it was very kind of you. Perhaps someday, when you're in town, you'd like to hear one of my concerts. Just ask for me. No, Maestro, Maestro, please. Before you go, just do me a little favor. I should be getting back to very well. What is it? This one. The last one I made. Play it for me. Play it just a little bit. You do that for me, please. You see, I'm a never, I'm a never heard of any of the violins. I'm a mad, I don't play myself. You don't play? That's true, Maestro, but you don't know how long I'm inside here. How long I want to listen to someone play one of them and you would be such an honor to have you be the first. Don't make no difference so what instruments are good, they're not, Maestro. Please, at least I'm going to hear it, please. Won't you play a little bit, please? But I... Oh, very well, I have a few moments. Why, that's amazing. What, Maestro? I can't believe it, but perhaps my search has ended. Faustino. Whether you know it or not, it has a genius in its midst. I don't understand it. Please, please. Let's sweep them up, I want to see that a number one that you look nice and neat and clean. Big shot, a big shot, coming into work in your best suit. Stand around like a boss, do no work. Is that anywhere to treat your old partner? Well, that's the way you did to me when I'm a first worker, what are you? Okay, okay, I keep my mouth shut. Just to think, Guido, just a year ago the Maestro just now I'm a famous. Yeah, yeah, famous. Now you don't cut the hay no more, just stand around and be a big shoot. A big shoot? How do you write, Guido? I work hard all my life for this the biggest barbershop in all the Hoboken, 18 inches. And a bar galley I sell in my violins. I got to write to be a big shot, huh? And no more haircuts for me, Guido. No sir, I'm going to live my life like a desigirales. Working a slave all the time, good afternoon, Sr. Faustino. Oh, Maestro, I didn't expect to see you. I had to stop off just to see you again. I can't set the Maestro, I heard about the concert last night. Biggest success ever? The greatest success in my whole career. Your violin made music never heard before. Oh, but let's talk about that later. Giuseppe, this shop of yours it's the most beautiful barbershop I've ever seen. Well, that's a thanks to you, Maestro. No, thanks to you, Sr. Faustino, for making me the greatest violin in the whole world. You're too kind. And now, Maestro, if you would do me just one little favor, it would make all my happiness complete. But of course, what is it? Well, you just said I'm going to make you the greatest violin in the whole world. Now, please, just sit in my chair, I'm going to take off my coat, and I'm going to give you the greatest haircut in the whole world. Gene Peters again. You know, it's an interesting art violin making. The luthier must select his woods with great care and age them until they're exactly right for carving. He must tool them patiently and skillfully. And then, he must select the varnishes that will give his violin the most beautiful finish, and at the same time, seal the pores of the wood to ensure pure, perfect tone from the finished instrument. For, no matter how beautiful the flaming or masterful the carving, the instrument can serve its eventual purpose well, it can have no real value. The right kind of work and the best ingredients must go into each violin in order to have the right kind of tone come out. There's a similarity between violins and raising a family. If parents want their children to grow up correctly and have complete and happy lives, they must see that they have the right ingredients. A good home life, an environment rich in love, a measure of security, and most important of all, a familiarity with God. Family theater urges you to pray together as a family to secure these things for yourselves and for your children. For through family prayer you bring God into your family. You invite his blessings on yourselves and your household, and you ensure that measure of security and environment of love that comes with family unity. For the family that prays together stays together. The values are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. From Hollywood Family Theater has brought you Genius from Hoboken starring J. Carol Nash. Gene Peters was your hostess. Others in our cast were Virginia Gregg, Ted D'Corsia, Norman Field, and Pat McGeehan. The script was written by Monty Masters with music composed and conducted by Harry Zimmerman, and was directed for Family Theater by Joseph F. Mansfield. This series of Family Theater broadcasts is made possible by the thousands of you who feel the need for this type of 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 Tony Lofrano expressing the wish of Family Theater that the blessing of God may be upon you and your home and inviting you to join us next week when Family Theater will present an international cowboy starring Adolf Manjo and Stephen Dunn. Join us, won't you? Family Theater broadcasts throughout the world and originates in the Hollywood studios of the world's largest network. This is the Mutual Broadcasting System.