 Ladies and gentlemen, the Railroad Hour. Here comes our star-studded show train. Tonight the Association of American Railroads presents the world premiere of a new musical play on Wings of Song, starring Gordon MacRae and his celebrated guest, Dorothy Warren-Show. Our choir is under the direction of Norman Luboff and our music is prepared and conducted by Carmen Dragon. Yes, tonight another musical first is brought to you by the American Railroads, the same railroads that bring you the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the fuel you burn, and the multitude of other things you use in your daily life. And now here is our star, Gordon MacRae. Thank you, Marvin Miller, and good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Our Railroad Hour playwrights, Lawrence and Lee, have fashioned a new musical based on the life and music of Felix Mendelssohn. In our play, Dorothy Warren-Show is Cecile, and I am the composer, as we bring you on Wings of Song. Too much for you, was it, Father? No, no, Felix. Your music is better medicine than any doctor could prescribe. My son, how soon do you go back to Leipzig in an hour? I don't know if I shall see you again. Father, don't say such things. No, no. My going will simply be the passing away of a hyphen, nothing more. A hyphen? I begin life as the son of an illustrious father, and I shall end it as the father of an illustrious son. I am the hyphen between a philosopher and a musician, between Moses Mendelssohn and Felix Mendelssohn. I'd be lost in a wife. Now, how does one do that? With a magnet and a piece of string? Should I walk down the street tipping my hat and saying, Big pardon, Foylein, my name is Felix Mendelssohn. I'm 26 and I'm looking for a wife. Would you be so kind as to help me out of my difficulty by marrying me? No, my boy. You find love the way you find a theme or a symphony. You hunt for it, and when it comes to you, it is no less noble because you had to search for it. Father, I promise you I'll try. Good. Now, play something for me, Felix. Something I can remember always. Well, Father, here's a love song I've written. Perhaps one day I shall sing it to one particular girl. The wings of song love came flying with its lamp. Promise me one more thing, a monument, but not in bloodless tone. When you are ready, when you find the right theme, your grandfather Moses and I would like to be remembered with you in music. Will you do that? You know I hate parties. All you've made a criminal of yourself long enough is. But after all, my father is. Do you think your father wanted to spend all of your life in mourning? I don't know. And besides, our hostess has a lovely daughter. Forget about the hostess's daughter. Oh, there's the girl I want to meet. Well, uh... Uh, Mademoiselle. Oh, good evening. Uh, Mademoiselle, it is my honor to present Dr. Felix Mendelssohn Bartholde. Uh, Felix, this is Cecile Jean-Reyneau, the daughter of our hostess. Delighted. Oh, Dr. Mendelssohn, I'm honored. Um, Felix, I've heard that Mademoiselle Jean-Reyneau has a lovely voice. Oh, would you sing something for me? If I sing my favorite song, it says, Word by Heinrich Heiner. Music by... I'm sure the poet Heiner was in love when he wrote the words, and it feels as if the composer was in love to write such music. Oh, no. But he might be soon. Sounds like a private joke, Cecile. No. No, as a matter of fact, I was thinking of you. About me? And you laughed? Oh, it myself. For imagining, before I met him, what the famous Dr. Mendelssohn would be like. And what was that? Oh, very serious, very learned, and a very full of big words that tumbled out over a big, black beard. And you discovered that I am shy of words and of a beard, and you're disappointed. Oh, no. Oh, Cecile, I'm afraid that my music, such as it is, must speak for me. I'll tell you what this springtime means to me, when I'm with you. Let me sing to you a song. The sleeping world is waking to the sound of lovers' heart. Stay built till our smells into the warmth of May. A singing world repeats a song of spring. It's May, a month of sun and laughter. May and June is coming, a song of spring. The season flowers bring, the season made for two. Will you be my strength, my life, my love? Every springtime till I die. One can a bride leave the church to the music of a wedding march composed by her husband. Oh, my love, it is good to stay what we have done. I have kept one promise. There is one thing more, the monument to my father and to my grandfather. Someday, perhaps, I shall find it, as I have found you. Tag two of On Wings of Song, starring Gordon Macrae as Felix Mendelssohn and Dorothy Warrant-Scholl as his wife Cecil. And sighing more. A few again, but it's not right. With written Doctor Mendelssohn, what is written on paper is nothing. It is the sound, the togetherness of the sound. The orchestra must be one man, one voice. You understand? That's enough for now, gentlemen. We'll rehearse again this evening. You've got your old fire back. But nothing new. I wrote that music when I was 17. Not anything since. Oh, Felix, where is it? Where will I find the theme I need? I've searched everywhere for it, all over Europe. Why does it elude me? You have to go away again, Felix. I must, my love. But all these concerts, all this traveling, you give away too much of yourself. Of myself? What have I really given of myself? What have I composed that has really touched people? It was worthy of my father's trust and end of your love. Oh, you are a master weaver of songs and spinner of melodies. It takes a long time to make a whole claw. Peace, my love. And patience. Remember the lovely shepherd song you wrote for me? Oh, when... I'm searching for her. Oh, you are tired, Felix. Yes, I am tired, tired and old at the age of 36. But do you know, Cecile, I was an old man at the age of eight, and I was dottering at 18. I should be in my grave by now. All my life stretches in front of me. And anticlimax, a terrible desert. Cecile, God save all the poor children who are too old, too young. Oh, stay with me, Felix. Don't go away again. You are my only joy, and I'll come back soon. Do you remember what the old folk singer said? I must go, I must go, wandering far from home. Far from home. Oh, my love will stay. I must go, I must go, but when I return. I return. Or the day after. Or whenever I find the monument, I must build it. I have found it. I searched all over the continent, and it was here all the time in our house and in every house. Well, Felix, what is it? Here. Look at it. And read it. In the beginning... God created the heaven and the earth. What a Bible, Felix. You mean you're going to set the Bible to music? No, not all of it. Just the story of Elijah, the angry prophet. And Elijah? Do you know the Passover ceremony? The festival of freedom when the children of Israel celebrate their deliverance from Egypt. At the dinner table, an empty chair is set aside for Elijah the prophet. Generation after generation of children at the table have waited in vain. And this music must tell them about Elijah. If they listen, they must hear his voice and they must see his face. A noble face, like my grandfather, closes Mendelsohn. Now, my darling, leave me for a moment. The themes are crowding into my head and I must set them down. Oh, yes, my love. Please, you father, because it is the best that is in me. Oh, my love, it is. It is a monument. Oh, here, this is for you. It's just one of the programs. Oh, on the back. There's something written on it. To the noble artist who, like a second Elijah, has revealed to us the gentle whispering of the breeze and the majestic thundering of the tempest. In grateful remembrance, Victoria Regina. Are you satisfied now, my Elijah? I'm happy, my love, but never satisfied. Not until I give wings to every song within me. The orange roll will be back in just one moment. And meanwhile, our thanks to her Butterfield, Tom McKee, and our entire company. Tonight's play with music was written especially 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, did you ever stop to think what you really get when you buy a railroad ticket? First and foremost, of course, you get transportation to where you're going. But you get lots more than that. You get rest and relaxation, for example, while someone else does all the work of driving for you. You get the convenience and comfort of air-conditioned dining cars and sleeping quarters. You get dependability for your train goes ahead despite bad weather. Yes, relaxation, convenience, comfort, dependability, and safety. You enjoy all those important extras in addition to transportation when you buy a railroad ticket. Thank you. Thank you very much, Marvin. Tell me, Dr. Mendelssohn, what are we singing next week? Well, we're going to do the world premiere of the new musical version of the great DuMaurier novel, surely, Dorothy. Is Sven Galli going to be here? Sven Galli and company. And some wonderful music, too. Like this. I love that one. I'll see you in Paris next Monday night, Gordon. All right, Dorothy, get set to get hypnotized, Miss Trilby. All aboard! Well, dear friends, it looks as if we're ready to pull out. So, until next Monday night, and the premiere of the new musical version of Trilby, on behalf of the other members of the cast and of the American Railroads, this is your friend, Gordon McRae, saying, Good night. Gordon McRae can be seen in Warner Brothers, the desert song 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 Railroads. Now, stay tuned for your Monday night of music on NBC.