 Your Coca-Cola bottler presents Claudia based on the famous play and novels by Rose Franken Brought to you transcribed Monday through Friday by your friendly neighbor who bottles Coca-Cola Relax and while you're listening refresh yourself. Have a coke and now Claudia anything the matter Hartley anything the matter. I should say not Everything is superb wonderful Static No, I'm glad you have country relative. I always was David why is it? I sleep better in the country. I eat better in the country. That's because you don't live in the country David How about another cup of coffee? I don't mind about do that's true. Claudia Hardly comes up to the country spends a day with his farmer brother, and he has absolutely no worries. What worries of you Must I count them so early in the morning? Yes, David. Go on be explicit. Well, hardly I worry that the pipes aren't going to burst summer. They don't burst in the summer if pipes could mine would Then I worry that the cow isn't fed properly. We haven't got a cow dope. That's really why I worry Some place somewhere in the state of Connecticut. There's a cow for me. Where I don't know exactly where so I Can't do anything to see that she's gotten the proper care. So all I can do is worry. That's a nice realistic approach to things What other fantasies are on your mind David? Well my fields aren't tilled my barn isn't completed my driveway has to be Regravelled and marred may rain. No wonder you look so well. Those kind of worries will keep you young man It's the old story about the grass on the other side of the fence. What about it? It's greener Don't you believe a word David saying he hasn't got a thing on his mind except problems And they don't have a thing to do with living in the country even problems can't seem so serious up here when you're a Million miles from no place exactly 53 miles from Times Square and 42nd Street It's a million miles when you've gone the 53 While the sky looks different up here everything feels different look at us We're having breakfast and there are no morning newspapers on the table. That is one thing that is always rather Irritated David likes to read the papers at breakfast So he doesn't have to talk if I could have breakfast every day without having to read about the stock market or the threat of war Or conditions in Europe. I think I could really enjoy the meal If I could come home every night to Eastbrook from Wall Street the prices stealer the fluctuation on the cotton market They wouldn't worry me at all. He's making me feel as if I were a lighthouse keeper Living on a small bundle of rock completely remote from the outside world. That's the luxury of it David You're not exiled when necessity calls you hop in your car and there you are Boiling in the cauldron with the rest of us But afternoon comes and you're away freed independent living your life alone back here The outside world beyond your fences and it's up to you whether you choose to cross them or not I do not choose but there is a choice and that's the beauty of it and today I'm exerting my right to choose. I shall not go into New York. You won't. Oh, how wonderful After all it isn't every day my one and only brother gets back from Europe comes up to see us Oh, I don't want you to put yourself out for me. I will not don't worry. I'm putting myself out for myself I'm going to hide myself away in the spare room and work on some plans for the freight terminal How is it coming along? So far so good. Although it's been quite a headache Well, we won't disturb you David whenever you're ready to cloister yourself. Just say the word. All right I say the word now Will you excuse me? Of course delighted. Claudia and I shall have a fine talk While you work and my wife sleeps. I'll show you the phone. That's what I hope you'd suggest Don't let her run around too much. Don't you worry about it. Where do you want to begin, Hartley? Right out the front door. I've been itching to get my nose into some of this morning country air There you are. The door opens, the curtain rises, our farm stretching as far as your eye can see And I was traveling through Europe just days ago walking through the ruins of capital cities Watching the hunger lines Hearing the cries and complaints of a destroyed civilization. I try to imagine what and where the perfect world would be I Think perhaps you found it. I think perhaps we have too hotly Here for all those who want it. Oh there, Mrs. Norton. You're up with the roosters this morning No, I'm up with my brother-in-law. Mr. Tucker. You're having some visiting relatives, eh? But now you're sorry this far made another hundred miles from New York Oh, that's a nice thing to say right in front of the visiting relative. I'm just starting to show Mr. Norton around the farm. Why don't you join us, Mr. Tucker? You know a lot more about it than I do Well, I don't want to be intruding. Wasn't here on your land to snoop in, mind you. Come June mornings with the mis-line on the road I kind of like to climb up on the crest of that hill behind your house It gives me a feeling in my bones to see the world gathering up on the doorstep. Keeps fellow young. Stand up on a hill Top of a hill is the center of things, you know. The center of things, eh? I thought I'd be running away from the world up here. The world, Mr. Norton, is really run from places like Eastbrook See that ribbon road stretching out down there beyond the farmhouse. Yes, I see it. That there's River Road That's the road we live on. To my way of thinking and to them what knows is right The world is really run from River Road. You don't say it. I do say it, do. There are two ways of life, Mr. Norton. The city way and the country way. Broadway versus Main Street. Wall Street versus River Road Broadway and Wall Street don't run the world. They ain't even in the middle of it. Why, they don't even know what the world's all about They're so busy busy just just stayin' alive. Just just just fighting for air. I must say I can't quite go along with you on that Well, I haven't even seen the morning newspaper up here. We don't have to read the morning newspaper, Mr. Norton We know what's in it. We're the ones that's in it. So what's use of reading them? Look here, Mr. Norton. Do you know your congressman? My congressman? Well, of course I know him. He's uh, what's his name? I voted for him three times. I see. What's his name? How would you like it if I told you I know my congressman personally? I was drunk up with him. If I know him Well, I know what kind of a man he is know the girl he married when he's sitting down there in Washington in the House of Congress I can depend on him to talk a certain way Because I I know the kind of me teach made up and I hear Mr. Tucker talk hardly it makes me wish I've been born in Eastbrook that have having just migrated up your fitting in Mrs. Norton You can't tell me that living up here isn't getting away from the world Why even in the middle of a war your doorstep could be peaceful talk about war say We're the folks who know what war is about Every boy that put on cocky up here in Eastbrook. I knew him Yep, knew him ever since he was a little thought knows father knows mother I seen them go down to the office there and sign up for the draft then I seen him get dressed up one fine morning leave town The whole time he was gone. I knew I knew I knew where he was and what he was doing and what was happening to him I stayed home sure and I growd McCorn and fed McAddle did my share to keep things going But I was with every one of the 300 boys from Eastbrook who went to war because I knew everyone up But he got say that yes, there is a difference watch their names in New York. That's more boys signed up and went off You didn't miss sitting next to them in the grains meeting. You didn't talk to his father every day See his hands shaking holding on to a letter it just received and you didn't know every boy who didn't come back He didn't go there and sit in on church service or wait up through the night with a wife who's having a child and Who had no husband who never would have him? You can have your cities you can have your feelings that your cities are the center of the world Just cause you're busy, but they ain't you're a very convincing are there mr. Tucker You say you're on Wall Street Well, who raises a corn that makes the market go up in the wheat and the cattle in the pigs They're the backbone of the country. You got a raised corn first Then you can buy or sell to your heart's content Maybe you just better stay in New York hot and take life easy. Maybe you're right. Of course. I'm right. I heard you Them ears of mine have been hearing for 78 years got pretty good at two. Don't miss a thing But I ain't finished look here at mrs. Norton. She's having a baby I'm afraid even somebody's eyes who haven't been seeing for 78 years could see that fine thing happened a baby Up here. We're all waiting to see him been watching and worrying along with mr. Norton for the past months Glad to see everything coming along fine What what what's what's a baby in the city nothing but a birth certificate? Seven million other people bustling around and nobody cares one birth certificate more or less, but up here Her baby is important. I've been thinking it was just an event between David and me Well, not up here. It ain't here. We know the baby's dad So we expect a lot of his boy cause his dad's a good man We're all waiting to watch this baby grow up and Get on a few years and then go down to the school house his dad's got built Even if he goes away and stays away for 20 years, maybe and then comes back. We'll know him We won't have forgotten him That's there that baby yours better grow up to be a fine boy or I'll show like the hide-off in him Now you know what you have to live up to That wonderful to know just what it is isn't it? Yes, it is I guess I woke up in a kind of dream this morning I didn't realize that the sun shining in my room was lighting up the pulse of the world I was wrong and that post is beaten fine and strong Mr. Notting never you fear as long as the world is made up of e-books a post will keep on a beat Well guess I'll be toddling along sure was nice to a bear to have listened to you talk, Mr. Notting. Yes was um, I'll see you again when you decide to get away from the outsides of things and come up here Man, it's funny the idea city folks get but can't blame them. They're soapy puddles and bamboos at all time Darling, what are you doing way up here? I told you not to clam around We're looking at the world on our doorstep David You see River Road down there winding peacefully as if it were surrounded by nothing but a great calm Don't fool yourself Your River Road is the crossroads of the world come nearer David something. I want to tell you What is it darling David you have any idea how nice it is That our baby's going to grow up right here in Eastbrook on the crossroads of the world Radio listening is a sociable pastime and it can be made even more sociable if you get out several bottles of ice-cold coca-cola That holds good whether you have guests or the families alone of an evening in fact You'll find coke is pleasant even when you pause during housework or your favorite daytime program Take a tip from me and listen refreshed Well, mr. King it looks as if Jared Tucker sold me a bill of goods really convinced you did he absolutely I've started feeling as if I'd never really lived before They tell you the truth. Maybe I haven't there are different ways to live. I suppose so Well, it's a glorious morning up here I think I'll walk across some fields and pick Julia bouquet wildflowers. Why she'd love it any wife would by the way Do you know why Claudia and David haven't raised a flower garden yet? Well, I I suppose they've had so much else to do first I suppose so but for me home isn't home without flowers living in the country Yes, and Claudia agrees with you and I have a feeling she's going to try and talk David into a few roses and Petunias, but that's for Monday. Let me know if she succeeds with I will I will mr. Noton on Monday. Bye. See you then As I was about to say Every day Monday through Friday. Claudia comes to you transcribed with the best wishes of your friendly neighbor who bottles coca-cola So listen again Monday at the same time And now this is Joe King saying or a foyer and remember Whoever you are whatever you do wherever you may be When you think of refreshment think of coca-cola Or coca-cola makes any pause the pause that refreshes And ice cold coca-cola is everywhere These programs star Catherine Bard as Claudia and Paul Crabtree as David and the entire production is supervised and directed by William Brown Maloney and now here's a word from your friendly neighbor who bottles coca-cola