 Family Theatre presents Jeanette Macdonald and Ward Bond. Cooperation with Family Theatre presents Ward Bond in Bret Hart's classic, The Outcasts of Poker Flat. To introduce the drama, your hostess, Miss Jeanette Macdonald. Thank you, Charles Arlington. The purpose of Family Theatre is to bring to your attention a practice that must become an important part of our lives. If we are to win the peace for ourselves, peace for our families, and peace for the world. Family Theatre urges you to pray. Pray together as a family. Bret Hart came to California when still a young man, and to earn a living engaged in a number of trades, finally finding his ditch as a contemporary of Mark Twain in writing for newspapers and magazines. Hart's varied experiences and journeys furnished inspiration and material for his tales of the frontier. And at the time of the gold rush, he was hailed as the new prophet of American letters. Hart's writings of the days of 49 became classics, not only in America but abroad, for his tales introduced characters and locales that were completely new. It is with real pleasure that we present Ward Bond as ocherst and Howard Culver as Tom Simpson. In Bret Hart's, The Outcasts of Poker Flat. My name's Tom Simpson. Innocent Tom Simpson, they called me because, well, a friend of mine gave me that name. I got a story I want to tell you about some people. Some people that I... that I love to heap. I reckon you could say the whole thing started about a month ago. November 23rd, 1850. I'll never forget that date. I'm sick and tired of talk. Let's run the black sheep out of poker flat. John Ochers won $1,000 from me over the poker table last night. And Ochers ain't even a local man. Come clean from Roaring Camp to take our money. Him and his fine manners. And while we're cleaning the house, what about that dance hall singer at the gold nugget, the Duchess? A shooting freak has started over her and the only dentist in 300 miles was killed. Ben's shop had two good horses, Russell, from him only last week. All this lawlessness today just ain't moral. We'll hang that gambler. No, there's been considerable hanging, Jim. Besides, I won a little from Ochers. Let's just run him out of town, him and a few others. Well, if you ship the Duchess, kick out Omar Shepton too. That ugly face of hers make a man sick to his stomach. Yeah, that Uncle Billy, that drunken old sluice robber had gone a long time ago. Come on, let's round him up. We'll take Ochers last. Oh, and be careful. That gambler's a desperate man when the chips are down. Right after that, John Ochers stepped out onto the main street and was right busy trying to keep the flying red dust off in his boots. And all of a sudden, he noticed there was something mighty different about poker flat. Hmm, peculiar. Quiet as Sunday morning. And here it is only Saturday. Groups of the boys standing around, talking. Good morning, gentlemen. Think so, Ochers. Hmm. And here comes what looks like a posse. Reckon thereafter, somebody, likely it's me. Well, they've got Mother Shepton, Uncle Billy, and the Duchess on mules. And they're leading my five-spot horse. Yeah, Reckon, it's me they want. We're inviting you to get out of poker flat. Invite, he says. Get that gambler. They invite you with guns. Shut up, Duchess. I wasn't planning on riding out this morning, but it's plain to see you gentlemen hold the winning cards. All right, five-spot. Oh, easy boy. Let's ride. Riding hard and riding fast, you might make Sandy Hook by night, which is real unfortunate for Sandy Hook. Shut your trap, you there. You gave us no supplies, Wheeler. You got whiskey. You got a gun. That's more than any of you deserve. You think I ain't glad to see the last of you? There's not a man among you to stand, though, cursed alone. All right, Duchess, that'll be all. Get out and stay out. First one that tries to come back to poker flat gets shot on sight. That understood? Understood. Come on, boys. Ma Shepton, everything's been said. Come on, we'd better make tracks if we hope to make Sandy Hook by night. That's how the outcasts left poker flat. Reckon only John O'Cursed knew the stakes in the game he was playing, because he knew about the Sierra range that lay between them and Sandy Hook. It wasn't long before they'd ridden out of the warm foothill weather and was riding high up on a mountain trail. Then they come to water, broken down log cabin, and the Duchess give up. I can't ride no farther, Campbell. I just gotta rest a while. You gotta rest. What about me? I say let's get off and give the women a chance to rest like they want. Don't throw up your hands now before the game's played out. I'm played out. We're only halfway to Sandy Hook. The worst of the ride is still to come. Well, go on, then. Without me, I'm staying here till I feel better. You ain't no cowboy. The Duchess a cowboy? Stay here for a little while. But only a little while. Water the mules over there. Don't let them drink too much. Better tell them. Better tell them to come to be to you. Here's Ma Shepton and Billy have much more whiskey. I won't be able to get them up in their saddles. Hold on a minute, Gantler. Why? Oh, I was just gonna ask you if you'd join me in a drink. No thanks. You and my business don't go together, Duchess. But you ain't in business now. Where are you? Am I what? Can't you ever forget the cards, Gantler? Do you always have to keep a cool head? The stakes are pretty high in this game, Duchess. We mean. We're going to get pretty cold. Pretty hungry if we don't reach Sandy Hook by night. Sandy Hook, Sandy Hook. Is that all you can say? Oh, come on. Have a drink. We'll be riding pretty soon. You never did give me a tumble, but I watched you. Ever since you come to Poker Flat, Gantler? Different from the rest you was. Real quiet-like, polite and clean. I used to dream what it'd be like kissing you. Better save some of that whiskey, Duchess. You may need it later. You know good trap. The best years. The best years of my life are gift to Poker Flat. And what happens? Kicked out I am. Kicked out like a manger and a dog. Kicked by men I know like they was my own sons. Blast their mangy eyes. Mother Shipton. Let me alone. Men. I hate them. Uncle Billy, we've got to ride now. Hey, you down there. John Ocherst. Is that you? Who is it? It's me, Tom Simpson. Don't you remember? Simpson? The innocent? Well, of course. You sat in on the game with me last time I was in Sandy Hooker. That's right. I haven't lost every nickel I had to you. $40. But you give it back to me after. You can't gamble with a cent, Tommy. I hope you haven't tried it since. No, sir. I've got responsibilities now. It's funny me running into you up here, Sierra Way. Funny. It depends on your point of view. But how is it you're traveling to Poker Flat alone? I ain't alone, Mr. Ocherst. Hey, Piney. It's all right. Come on in. Bring the pack mule. All right, Tom. Why, why not your female voice? You remember Piney Woods, Mr. Ocherst? Oh, boring. To tell the truth, I don't. She used to wait table at Temperance House. Oh, I see. I love her. We've been engaged a long time, but her pa don't like me, so we're running away to Poker Flat to get married. Married? No, ain't that romantic? Here I am, Tom. Here, let me help you down, darling. Now, Piney, I might be proud to have you meet up with Mr. John Ocherst. Miss Woods, it's a pleasure. Mr. Ocherst? Why, I feel like I know you already, Mr. Ocherst. Tom told me how he gambled at cards with you, how he lost, and how you gave his loosens back to him. Ocherst! Hand it back! I was wondering, ma'am, if it wasn't for Mr. Ocherst, Tom and me wouldn't be all open now. They wouldn't have had the money. Well, Luke who's coming to the party? Who's she? Duchess, this is Piney Woods and her fiancee, Tommy Simpson. They're going to get married in Poker Flat, you think? And we couldn't have met up with you folks at a better time. How's that? Well, Piney was getting pretty tired, and here we find a good camp and you folks, Mrs. Ocherst. Mrs. Ocherst? The Duchess? Quiet, Billy. You'd better ride on, Tommy. This isn't a proper camp. We have no provisions. Oh, my pack mules loaded with grub, Mr. Ocherst. Yeah, and we can throw some pinebows over that old cabin for a roof to shelter the ladies, and us men can shift for ourselves around the fire outside. It's little enough to offer, Mr. Ocherst, after what you've done for Tom. Well... Ah, stay on, Ocherst. My poor old bones is aching worse than ever. It'll be real pleasant to shop around the bridal couple. What do you say, Duchess? What difference does it make where we stay? Oh, you will stay? Yes, Tommy, but only for tonight. We'll leave in the morning. You've got to travel a far different trail than you. You and your piney. So, me and my darling piney camped with Mr. Ocherst and the others. We made a snug camp in the rocks, ate a good supper, and I got out my accordine and we sat around the fire, watching the night roll in over the big pine trees standing tall around us. Stars winked down at us between blowin' clouds and a breeze moaned high in the trees. But around the campfire, it was warm and good. I aim to make a real comfortable home for Tom when we're married, Mrs. Ocherst. I'll make some curtains and crochet some doilies for the chairs and tables and maybe plant a garden for fresh vegetables. Oh, it's wonderful being married, ain't it, Mrs. Ocherst? Ah, I guess it'll be pretty wonderful for you, piney. That music's awful sweet, young man. Ain't hearin' music like that for must be a thousand years. Thanks, Mrs. Shipton. My Tom plays something wonderful. Don't you think so, Mr. Ocherst? Mr. Ocherst? Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, piney. I must've been wool-gathering. Must've been mighty important, wool. What were you thinkin' about, gambler? Oh, how sometimes a small bet pays off big. Like how? Like the time Tom says I helped him. It's payin' back big now. It's giving us all, Mars Shipton, Uncle Billy, you, Duchess, something we never had before. A few hours of rest, a few hours of peace. Talk like that and give us me the shakes. And speakin' of old devils. Where is Uncle Billy? I was just beginning to wonder. Innocent, strike up something lively. You bet, Mrs. Ocherst. He's takin' the mules. And my five-spot horse. Snowed in. There's no use breaking the news to the others till daylight. Might just as well let them sleep peaceful while they can. Uncle Billy didn't come back that day. Nor the next. The storm roared around us, and we was hard put to keep the fire goin'. The snow piled deep around the rocks and cabin. But Mr. Ocherst was calm as could be. And Piney made plenty of good hot stew, so we made out. But on the fourth night, we got feelin' kind of low. The storm died, sky cleared, but, well, even so it was bad. Nobody even felt like tellin' stories. It was then that Piney said... Tom, why don't you play our song for the folks? I... I don't know if they'd like it, honey. I think they would. You two youngins, tie on to some special kind of song for yourselves. It's a special kind of song for all of us, Mrs. Shipton. Tom. Well... All right, darlin'. Feel good, don't they? Find me any hymn, Duchess? I'll try anything once, gambler. This day come along. We'd had more snow drifts all around. Our food was runnin' terrible low. Mrs. Shipton was failin'. And then, that afternoon, she disappeared. Mr. Oakhurst went lookin' for her. Down the little trail, we'd kept clear to the canyon for a lookout. Marshipton. Mother Shipton. May all of you never rest. May your bones bleach in summer and freeze in winter. May the past torment you and the future failure. Mother Shipton. Oh, it's you, Oakhurst. What are you doing out here? Cussin' poker flat. Look at it down there in the valley. Calm, peaceful. Smoke horizon from the chimneys. They're warm down there, Oakhurst. Come on back to camp, Ma. I had a lot more cussin' to do. It'll keep. It's funny, ain't it? How calm and pretty a mornin' can look around here and be so dreadful. The snow can't last forever. We'll get out. No, no, we won't. We're prisoners here. It's no prisoners. We'll get out, Ma. It's no good, Oakhurst. It's no earthly good. Ma, Shipton. Carry me. I got you. Inside the cabin. Oh, what's happened? He's found her, but... Oh. You stay out here with Tom, Piney. That just go heat some water, some rocks, anything to get her warm. Come on, Gamble, come on, Piney. Now, you lay down here, Ma. Now, real easy. Safe in your own bed. Here, put my coat around you. I'm a goon, Oakhurst. Oh, no, no, you're not. Don't tell Ma Shipton what to do. Don't tell the kids, neither. Listen to me, Mother. You're gonna be all right. Do you hear? Check the bundle. How do my bed roll? Bundle? Yeah, let's open it. Food. Mother Shipton, it's your share of rations for a week. Give it... Give it to the child. You starved yourself. That's what they call it. I call it guts. Early Duchess. I couldn't sleep. Cold, I guess. Sit down. Doose of diamonds on Trey Club. You playing solitaire? Yes. Isn't that kind of unusual for a poker player? Ace of spades, up. Sometimes solitaire is the only game left for a gambler. All these days and nights, the storm and all that, just wanted to tell you, you've been swell. You know, Duchess, you're a very beautiful woman. Me? Mr. Ockhurst, it's daylight. You didn't wake me up from my watch. I had work to do, Tommy. I'll go in the cabin and see how Piney's feeling. We'll be out to fix breakfast for you, boss. Tom? Yes, sir? I've got something here I want to show you. Snow shoes? But how? I made them from your old pack saddle last night. Now listen carefully, Tom. There's one chance in a hundred to save you a Piney yet. It's back there in poker flat. But you and down hill trail all the way. Even with snow, you should make it in two days. If you do, Piney will be safe. But you, I'll stay here. Morning, Tom, Mr. Ockhurst. Darling. Yes? I'm going for help. In all them high drifts, you'll never make it. Yes, I will. Mr. Ockhurst made some snow shoes. Take my coat, Tommy. What about you? I won't need it. I'll help you on with it, Tom. Button it. Every button was my love, honey. To keep you warm. To keep you safe. Oh, Piney. Darling. Young buck like him will be safe enough, Piney. I'd bet on that. Gambler, you going too? Only as far as the canyon look out. Piney. Oh, Tom. Duchess. Yeah, Gambler, what? Come on, Tommy, let's go. Kiss me. But he never would before. I know he'll come back. I know my Tom will come back safe. Mrs. Ockhurst, you're crying. Detect one another. If only Tom gets through, why doesn't the gambler come back? Piney. Yes, ma'am. Can you pray? Not like a preacher. But if love and Tom is like praying. Knowing friends like you and Mr. Ockhurst. Yes, ma'am. I reckon I know what praying is. Oh, if that's it. If love is enough, Piney. Then I can pray too. The storm died like it had never been at all. The moon was shining through broken clouds when I came back with help. Too late. We found them in one another's arms. Piney. Mrs. Ockhurst. We brushed the snow from their faces. And you couldn't tell who was youngest. And it looked so peaceful. So happy. Next we looked for Mr. Ockhurst. I'd left him at the rim of the canyon. Snow was lots deeper now. We couldn't find him anywhere. And then, all of a sudden, I saw a pin to a tall pine tree with a bowie knife. The deuce of clubs. Beneath this tree lies the body of John Ockhurst, who struck a streak of bad luck on the 23rd of November, 1850, and handed in his checks on the 7th of December, 1850. Hey, I was thinking about the way it sometimes happens that everything seems to go wrong. I mean, you have a definite plan of what you want, of how things should go, despite your best efforts, you can't make things go right. Well, in families, it happens that way too. Homes break up, families separate. No one plans it that way because no one plans unhappiness. But happiness can be all of ours for the making. We need God's help. Yes, all of us need God's help, and we can have it simply by asking. Ask, and ye shall receive. That's the power of prayer. That's the wonderful help that every home can have through family prayer. Daily family prayer means God is there in your home. It means the joy of sharing your happiness with others. It means God's blessing on your home. And with God's blessing, the family that prays together stays together. More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Has brought you Ward Bond and Howard Culver in the outcasts of Poker Flat with Jeanette MacDonald as your hostess. Others in our cast were Gloria Blondel, Martha Wentworth, Wally Mayer, Jane Webb, Tyler McVeigh, and Robert Bruce. Bret Hart's great American classic was adapted by Virginia Cook with music composed and conducted by Harry Zimmerman and was directed for family theater by Jaime DelVeig. This series of family theater productions is made possible by the thousands of you who felt 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 have so unselfishly given of their time and talent to appear on our family theater stage. To them and to you, our humble thanks. This is Charles Arlington expressing the wish of family theater that the blessings of God may be upon you and your home. And inviting you to join us next week at this time when family theater will present Martha Toran and Perry Kilburn in Treasure Island. Join us, won't you? Family theater is released throughout the world and originates in the Hollywood studios of the world's largest network, the Mutual Broadcasting System.