 Remember a Hallmark card when you carry enough to send the very best. From Hollywood, the makers of Hallmark cards bring you another inspiring true story. On the Hallmark Hall of Fame, to the true dramatic story of an actual person who because of his courage and achievement is honored tonight on the Hallmark Hall of Fame. Presented by our distinguished host, Mr. Lionel Barrymore. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Hallmark Hall of Fame, where each Sunday night we dramatize a true story for you, a true story about real people to whom we respectfully dedicate this Hallmark Hall of Fame. Those men and women who service, sacrifice and devotion have made our own lives better, but about whom we know all too little. For instance, have you ever wondered who invented the photographic film? Was it some great scientist or technician? No. It was a minister named Hannibal Goodwin. Lesson then to the true and inspiring story of the Reverend Hannibal Goodwin as we honor him tonight on the Hallmark Hall of Fame. And now, here's Frank Goss from the makers of Hallmark cards. When you're looking for a way to say something to someone you care for, look for a Hallmark card and you'll find the card you want to send. Because Hallmark cards are designed to say what you want to say, just the way you want to say it, with the good taste you demand of anything that bears your signature. That's why Hallmark on the back of a greeting card has come to mean you carry enough to send the very best. Lionel Barrymore appears by arrangement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, producers of the Technicolor picture Young Vess, starring Gene Simmons, Stuart Granger, Deborah Carr and Charles Lawton. And now, Mr. Barrymore brings you the first act of our Hallmark Hall of Fame. Civilization began when the first man carved images and symbols into a rock to record the future, the history of his time. Then the centuries brought forth the artists and the painters and finally the camera was invented, the miraculous little black box that will enable mankind to keep a permanent, life-like record of its rise and its progress. But the first photographs are blurred and imperfect and less taken on glass plates which are too easily shattered. Great scientists and technicians have been to the task of finding an answer, one that will be transparent and flexible, but they meet with endless failure, decades past. Here is 1883. Let us turn now to a church in New Jersey. Evening Bible class has just ended with the Reverend Hannibal Goodwin and he's walking home with an old friend. Well, Paul, how do you like my church? Remarkable. I can't remember when I've seen so many interested children in one group Hannibal. Yes, those bright, young little faces. Where did you get those glass Bible slides? I've never seen anything like them. I made them. You made them? I thought you'd bought them someplace. I could never afford that. But they were needed to teach the children, so I made photography my hobby. That slide of David and Goliath, it looked so real. It was poured by members of the congregation. My wife, Rebecca, made the costumes and I took the photograph. All the others who made the same way. My life's worked to date, Paul. I don't understand you, Hannibal. You could have been in New York with me, a successful attorney, and instead... Instead, here I am an aging minister and a poor church. Oh, no, I didn't mean it to sound like that. I know that, Paul. Rebecca, dear, we're home. I'm in the kitchen. Where shall we put these boxes of Bible slides on the mantlet? Oh, no, no, no. They go in here. Right in the center of the big table in the study where they're not liable to be knocked over. Quite know what I'd do if anything ever happened to those slides. They're so fragile. Too bad they can't be made of something other than glass. Every laboratory in the country has been trying. I tried myself about five years ago. You? Trying to be an inventor? What do you know about it? Very little, I discovered. Spent all my spare hours on it for almost a year. But I began to feel I was neglecting my church and my people, so I stopped. Whatever you two doing in there, stuff is ready. Coming. Come on, Paul. That smells good, Rebecca. Just good solid lamb stew. Use it there, Paul. You must be starved. Oh, it's wonderful to see you both again. May I give thanks, Hannibal? I'd be very pleased. Dear Lord, we thank thee for this, our daily bread, and for all thy bountiful goodness. The scene of warmth and reverence is this good hall. But God's will is done in strange ways. The Bible tells us that. Midnight, that night. A strange sleeplessness as the moonlight sips through the curtains. Noises, too. Sifting to the bedroom of Hannibal Goodwin. From somewhere inside the house. Hannibal, what's the matter? What is it? Shh, I'm going down. Don't be alarmed, my dear. I'll be all right. I thought I heard a sound downstairs. Yes, so did I. Something falling. I'll come down with you. I have nothing. Come on, I'm scared. Have we? For something we can sell? Why, they're only boys, Paul. Young thieves. Come on. He would send those boxes on the table. Bring them over here. Oh, my slides, Paul. My Bible slides. Somebody's coming. All right, boys. Stay right where you are. Come on, Harry. Oh, Lord, no. Get away, you young scamp. Let me go. Please, mister. Grab the other one, Hannibal. I won't run, mister. I didn't mean to do anything. I'll... I'll light the gas. Hannibal, what is it? Are you all right? Yes, dear. He is, but these urchins won't be. We didn't mean nothing, lady. I heard glass breaking. Oh, Hannibal, your Bible slides. Broken. All of them smash these young hoodlums. Summon the police. But they deserve anything. Oh, please, Paul. What's your name, son? Harry Burns, sir. And yours? Frank Jensen. Are you boys hungry? The Deccan. I can warm the leftovers from supper. Please. It won't take but a minute. You're going to feed them? Yes. They're thieves. There were thieves on Calvary, Paul. They infeed the soul. That's the only creed that Hannibal Goodwin knows. All that happens in the universe is God's will. But why should God destroy the Bible slides? Why destroy the things that permit little children to see the Bible brought to life in pictures? The question burns in Hannibal's heart as he watches the young intruders. Have you had enough to eat, boys? Yes, sir. Now we can talk. I'm going to ask a favor of you to make up for what you've done. Do either of you go to church? No, sir. I want you both to promise me that you'll come to my church each Sunday. Will you? Yes, sir. And if you're hungry or troubled at any time, you must come here and tell us. Yes, sir. Very well. You may go now. Sir, we... we never tried to steal anything before. It's the truth, sir. And we never will again. Bless you both. Good night. I guess we might as well go clean up those broken slides. We'll be back. We'll be back. I can't help it, Hannibal. Eighteen years of accumulating these pictures, one by one. All the things you've done without. It's God's will. That's all. God's will to smash your slides? We'll make others in time. Yes. We will. Not like these. What do you mean, not like these? My classes are going to have photographs that will not break. The kind that every Sunday school in the world should have. There's no material for such pictures. No, but there will be. I told you I tried to make such a thing once. Well, I'm... I'm going to try again. But you've admitted you're not an inventor. How can you hope to succeed where experts have failed? He must do what he believes to be right, Paul. But it is an impossible task. It's... It's like that slide we were talking about. David and Goliath. Don't you see? Yes, Paul. Yes. And you could have hardly expressed it more clearly. David and Goliath. Because with God's help, David won. And with God's help, so shall I. In just a moment, we return to the second act of the Hallmark Hall of Fame. Have you visited a family lately where preparations are going on for a high school or college graduation? Well, if you have, or if you're a part of such a family, you know how important the great day is. Boys and girls are being fitted for caps and gowns, and dads are dusting off their cameras, and mothers are planning special parties for the young folks. Yes, graduation day is a joyous day of celebration, when all of us love to wish happiness to our favorite young people. That's why I think you'll appreciate the new collection of graduation cards you'll find at the fine stores where Hallmark cards are sold. You see, there's a Hallmark graduation card that seems tailor-made for every young person you know. Pretty cards for sweet bureau graduates, handsome masculine cards for boys, and even special Hallmark cards for those who will enter a chosen profession after graduation. So one day soon, why not choose all the graduation cards you'll want to send this season. They're sure to bring a glow of pleasure to the receiver, and the familiar Hallmark and crown on the back of your card will add to that pleasure. For that Hallmark is always there when you carry enough to send the very best. Barrymore brings you the second act of the natural story of Reverend Hannibal Goodwin. A man suddenly finds in his hour a need. Hannibal Goodwin's a man of God, and he knows that somewhere in the great scope of creation are the materials to fill all of man's needs. Two years pass in fruitless labor before he calls upon John Hyatt, the inventor of celluloid. Years now, 1885. And so you thought that photographs might be made on celluloid, Reverend Goodwin. Yes, it's flexible, transparent. It won't shatter as glass does. It has all the desirable physical properties. Why do you smile, Mr. Hyatt? Well, only because I've heard practically the same words from several noted chemists. Celluloid does have the properties you mentioned, but it also has certain characteristics that are not favorable. For instance... Well, it's tricky. As soon as a coating of any kind is applied to make it sensitive to light, its tendency to curl is greatly increased. It becomes unmanageable. Nothing else will do, though. The answer must be in celluloid. Reverend, if you knew some of the men who have failed at this, the extent of their knowledge and reputation... It would not dissuade me. I must know for myself. All right, sir. Come with me. The storeroom's back here. Could I see the plant first? Whatever I can learn about it. Of course. This way, then. Now, I'll tell you all I know of its properties and uses. It's used to make fine varnish, carriage heels, certain types of windmills. What is there of science and chemistry in the study of the ministry? Nothing. Hannibal Goodwin wanders into the unknown maze without knowledge or help. Days and weeks and months go by. 1886 passes and 1887 comes. Work and prayer and marriage and become one. The minister labors long hours. His studies become a crude laboratory. Well, I see you've built a fire. Yes. The boys, Harry and Frank, they came by with some wood while you were shopping. Oh, I'm so glad we didn't call the police that night. They're both working now, doing well. And they've been to church every Sunday without fail. Yes. Almost four years now. Even Paul admitted you were right the last time he was here. Any progress today, dear? For me, no. For the celluloid, yes. Look at it. It seems to curl more each time, like a serpent getting ready to strike. Well, enough of the serpent for today. You come into the kitchen and have some good hot soup. All right. I'm so tired. I don't wonder, Hannibal. Frankly, dear, I'm worried about you. You don't eat or sleep properly. You... you... My dear, why are you crying? Well, it wasn't so right. Why don't you get the help you prayed for? Yeah, there, Rebecca. I know I shouldn't say such a thing. Why not? Why not? I was thinking the same thing today myself when I was in the chapel for afternoon prayer. I prayed like a child praise. As though I expected the heavens to open and an angel come down to tell me what to do. When you realize that an angel doesn't have to come, then it makes sense. Somewhere right at hand is the answer. If only you'll see it. I know. You want me to give up, would you? Oh, no. Oh, no, Hannibal. Our prayers will be answered. I feel it. Now, how about my supper? All right. I... What's the matter? I... I seem to smell smoke, something burning. You don't have anything in the oven? No. Strange smell. There's a man on the celluloid. Rebecca, it's a woman! Fire! The horse-drawn fire-carts come, neighbors armed with buckets confine the fire to the study and save the party. The smoldering room gives a final hiss and subsides into a black charred silence. Their work done, sympathetic neighbors drift away. Later... I'm sorry we weren't here to help when it happened, Reverend. You boys were fine. You helped a great deal. Maybe we could sort of clean the room out for you. Tomorrow we'll do, boy. That oak table was dragged out before it got burned too bad. Maybe Frank and me can sand it down and refinish it for you. We'd be very grateful, Harry, but you'd better go home now. Good night, boys. Good night. I'm sorry for what I've done to our home, Rebecca. What you've done? Oh, Hannibal, it was a simple accident. An accident that wouldn't have happened if that celluloid hadn't been lying about. This isn't like you, Hannibal. Must I teach you what you taught me? That everything is God's will? I know. But perhaps this is his way of telling me not to go on. Hannibal! I'll try to find another meaning, but I can't. I look for a sign, but there isn't any. All my work is destroyed. Not that it was any good, unless nothing. A man whose neighbors come to him as ours came tonight has accomplished a great deal in the only way that matters. You've just made me feel ashamed. It's for those same neighbors and their children that I've been doing this work. I can't stop. I have no... The help of the loyal neighbors, the studies rebuilt. The congregation's poor, but not in spirit. From their own humble homes, they bring odd pieces of furniture for the room. And again, from New York comes an old friend. Hannibal, Rebecca, why didn't you write and tell me at once? Surely there are things you needed, things I could have done. Thank you, Paul, but the Lord has been good. You can still say that and mean it, can't you? Of course he means it. We're alive and well, and all the damage has been repaired. Well, I am just taking a minute. I'll get it. Excuse me, Paul. Hannibal, why don't you let me do something for you? You'll never let me help you in any way. But please, let me give you the money to have a new set of glass Bible slides made for you, so you can give up these experiments. Thank you, Paul, but no. I must go on with what I've started. Hannibal, it's the boys. They fixed the oak table so beautifully. Oh, that's wonderful. You remember Frank and Harry, don't you, Paul? I most certainly do. It's at the table right there. That's right. Oh, Hannibal, isn't it lovely? We're glad we got a chance to do something for you. It wasn't hard. Look at that, Paul. How bright and smooth and the grain of the wood. We just needed a lot of sandpaper and a coat of good, clear varnish. We didn't even have to pay for it. When we told the fellow at the store what we wanted it for, well, he just said to tell you the varnish was a present from him. Varnish. Clear varnish. What's the matter with you, Hannibal? There's a varnish made of celluloid. John Hyatt mentioned it the day I went to see him. Well, what about it, Hannibal? Why is it so important? You remember how the celluloid I worked with kept curling when I tried to put a sensitive coating on it? Yes. I was just wondering what would happen if I put a protective coat of varnish on the celluloid first. You mean that might keep it from curling? It might. It would protect it. Oh, Hannibal. Hannibal, is there anything I can do to help? Yes, Paul. Pray that I'm right. Did the varnish work? Yes, it did. The clear varnish was the thing that heaven and its strange roundabout way wanted Hannibal Goodwin to see. It didn't curl. Excitedly, he shipped it off to a laboratory for testing. And then the word came back. It was better than the scientists had ever dreamed possible. It was Paul who brought the good news on a Sunday morning in the anti-room of the church. The men in the laboratory are here right now. They're waiting in your study. Oh, Hannibal. Oh, darling. Heavenly praise, Rebecca. Is that all you can say? No, but this means a fortune. Yes, a fortune picture stories of the Bible for any Sunday school, no matter how small or how poor. I am talking about money, Hannibal. You better come back to the house right away. I'm sure the gentleman can wait until church services are over. But, Rebecca... You heard her. Now you come inside with us, friend, and help us give thanks. Come, Rebecca. Hannibal Goodwin opened a new frontier for mankind. His film truly revolutionized the art of photography and made possible in the years to come the development of the motion picture industry. What happened to the Newark minister who succeeded where the scientists failed? Well, he went on furthering the work of God and serving his fellow man in his country and bringing the Bible into picture form to youngsters all over America. Yeah. Well, next week we have a very unusual story to tell you on the Hallmark Hall of Fame when we honor W. Freeland Kendrick. I'll be back in a minute to tell you about this beloved man with a helping hand. But first, Frank got a sort of a romantic look in his eye. Let's listen and hear what he's got on his mind. What is so rare as a day in June, especially a day when a wedding is in the offering? Everyone enjoys wishing the happy couple well, friends, relatives, neighbors, and business acquaintances. And yet, in this day of small weddings, guest lists must often be limited. That's why I think you'll frequently want a beautiful Hallmark wedding card to speak for you. You know, you can choose Hallmark wedding cards that capture the mood of the occasion perfectly, gay ones, sweet ones, and dignified ones. For fine stores across the country, you can always find a Hallmark card that says what you want to say, just the way you want to say it. And because they do express your feelings so perfectly, there are many times you'll want to select a Hallmark wedding card to enclose with your gift as an added measure of thoughtfulness. For whether it comes through the mail or is tucked inside a gift, a Hallmark card always receives a special welcome. That Hallmark on the back means you carry enough to send the very best. And now here again is Lionel Barrymore. Well, thank you. Thank you, Frank. You almost made me sniff all the orange blossoms that are in the air this month of weddings. You know, folks are always giving newlywed couples all sorts of advice. Well, you know, what's one of my favorite pieces of advice? It was said by a fellow named Gerald Longo, and he put it this way. The last word is the most dangerous of infernal machines, and the husband and wife should no more fight together than they would struggle for the possession of a lighted bombshell. Yes, sir, we're all full of good advice. But, Frank, you know, I think the nicest and most appreciated thing we can do is for all our advice, well, to ourselves, and do what you suggest. Let a card carry our good wishes to the happy couple. Maybe along with a little gift, you know, if you want to. Well, now let's see. I'd better be telling you about the story of the Helping Hands. It's the true and heartwarming story of W. Freeland Kendrick, whose vision, foresight, and leadership brought about the founding of one of the finest hospital systems the world has ever known, the Shrine Hospitals for Crippled Children. Now, I know you won't want to miss that one, and don't forget to hold Mark Hall of Fame on television every Sunday, too, with necessarily Churchill as your hostess. Consult your paper for time and station. Our producer-director is William Gay. Our script tonight was written by Joe Merkott. Until Sunday then, this is Lionel Barrymore saying, Good night. There are sold only in stores that have been carefully selected to give you expert and friendly service. Remember a hallmark card when you carry enough to send the very best. Featured in our cast tonight were Ted Bacorsias, Reverend Goodwin, and Lillian Saban as Rebecca, with Paulie Baer, Howard McNear, Johnny McGovern, and Jeff Silver. Next Saturday is Memorial Day. Be sure to wear a bloody poppy to show you remember. This is Frank Goss saying good night to you all until next week at the same time when we present another true-to-life story of actual persons who, in their own way, have contributed to a better world for all of us to live in. Next Sunday we honor the founder of the Shriners Hospitals for crippled children, W. Thule and Kendrick, on the Hallmark Hurl of Fame.