 Lux presents Hollywood. The Lux Radio Theatre brings you Merle Oberon in Lydia with Edna May Oliver, Alan Marshall, Joseph Cotton and George Reeves. Ladies and gentlemen, your producer, Mr. Cecil P. DeMille. Greetings from Hollywood, ladies and gentlemen. In the words of a very sound philosopher, there's more than one way to skin a cat and there's more than one way to find good drama for the Lux Radio Theatre. Ordinarily, we wait until a picture or stage play becomes a hit before selecting it for the air. But we picked tonight's drama long before it became a hit. In fact, even before it became a drama. And for that we have to thank our evening star, Merle Oberon. At a rehearsal here many months ago, Merle told me the idea of a picture she was going to make. An idea that sounded so good, I put in my radio bid the very next day and that was even before the script was written. Under the practiced production hand of Alexander Corder, the idea became the screenplay, Lydia, which has just been released nationally. It's already a hit on the screen and that should be assurance it'll be a hit over your loudspeaker tonight. Especially with Merle Oberon playing her original role supported by four other members of the Picture Cast. Edna May Oliver, Alan Marshall, Joseph Cotton and George Reeves. This is Miss Oliver's maiden voyage on this stage and as one who gives a mental cheer every time she appears on the screen I feel like giving her a 21 gun salute tonight. In this play, the lovely Lydia McMillan makes her choice among four men who are in love with her. That might happen to any girl. What gives this story a new and original twist is that they all get together again many years later in a scene that's a bolt of dramatic lightning. Of course one reason that makes Lydia a fitting play for the Lux Radio Theatre is the fact that it's the story of a beautiful woman and naturally we believe that no story of a beautiful woman is quite complete without Lux toilet soap. Women are concerned with how they look from the age of eight to well I suppose must be eighty and that gives the male half of the world a great deal to be thankful for. Fortunately wherever women do care about their looks our product is always at hand. But I reluctantly suspect that there may be one or two women left in this audience who haven't tried it yet. If those lonely ladies will let Lux toilet soap speak for itself I'm sure they'll find it very eloquent and convincing. The curtain's going up now on the first act of Lydia starring Merle Oberon as Lydia McMillan Edna Mae Oliver as Granny Alan Marshall as Richard Joseph Cotton as Michael and George Reeves as Bob. The Lydia McMillan Foundation for the blind and crippled children of New York is being dedicated today. On the granite steps of the new building a woman stands quietly. She's near seventy and dressed in black. During all the speeches and applause she hasn't stirred from her place. Straight indignified she looks for all the world like a statue carved in bronze. Her name is Lydia McMillan. This institution was not built of stone and mortar. It was reared out of a human heart that has given itself to the service of mankind. Lydia McMillan it shall be our privilege and our honor always to serve the standard you have raised. I'm sorry sir but you can't see Miss McMillan now. But I'm an old friend I'm sure that she... It's quite impossible she can't see anybody. She'll be too tired. Tired? Who will be too tired? Do you think a few silly speeches can wear me down? Well sir what do you want? How are you Lydia? Congratulations my dear. Well well blow me down. It's Michael Fitzpatrick. Golly this is worse than the speeches I'll have to sit down. Lydia may I with all my heart in the rest of the world? Rose is on the mountain man. Are you going to give me another speech? Sit down. Truly this is an old bow of mine. Leave us alone please. Oh yes Miss Lydia. You haven't changed a bit Lydia. That's one reward of being a spinster. You don't change. You decompose but you don't change. Spinster. You never married? No. Too much work. Not enough allure. Nonsense. There were four of us that I know of. Four. Bob one. Frank two. Richard three. Well. What about me? Of course. Of course Michael four. Lydia now that you've seen me. Do you suppose it would start too much gossip if you and I were to meet now and then and hold hands a little with the past? I still like to set tongues a wagging Michael. But I'm busy till Wednesday. Call on me Wednesday and don't bring a chaperone. Remember Granny's cry Michael. Once aboard the Lugger and the girl is mine. Abort the Lugger Wednesday then. Goodbye Michael. Come in Miss Macmillan. Is that you Lydia? Hello Michael. I'm glad you came. Wild horses couldn't have kept me away. Come along. I've got a little surprise for you. Surprise. Michael you have a devilish look in your eye. What is this? There you are. How are you Lydia? Hello Lydia. Well well blow me down. May I present these two gentlemen? Bob one and Frank two. Is the Central Park West or the land beyond the moon? I expected this to happen after I was dead. To turn a corner and find you all seated together on a cloud strumming hard. It was Michael's idea Lydia. It was it's wonderful. I'm enchanted providing you're all real and not ghosts. But what are you doing in a dinner jacket at the star Bob? I'm the manager of a nightclub and I double in brass as bouncer. Bouncer? Yes that's where my football training still comes in handy. You frightened me Bob. You always did. The male rampant. The same vibrant overpowering Lydia. Frank. Dear Frank. I can see you now as I always did with every beat of my heart. I never missed one of your concerts Frank. If I could help it. Yes you always liked my music. I've always thought Lydia loved the sounds I made. They are the part of me she loved. Hey hey no fair Frank. No courting until after we've had some tea. Nonsense. I want to hear everything. Everything we thought about each other for 40 years. Go on Frank. I've only had one thought chiefly. Why didn't you marry me Lydia? For me I've wondered that about myself a million times. You get a girl right up to the altar and she evaporates. Out of my life too. Out of all our lives. Suddenly and forever. Was there a reason Lydia? There was. What was the reason? I think we're old enough to be very honest. That can mean only one thing. It was a man. Someone you loved. Yes. I'm surprised he isn't here. You mean Richard? Yes. I sent for him. He may still come. So there's still a missing ghost named Richard. I knew it. You're jealous. Never tell a man the truth until after 90. Oh your tea Lydia. Tea, Michael. I hate tea. You like this tea. There's a little grog in it. Granny's grog. Lovely. The first cup of tea you ever gave me was June the 30th, 1897. June the 30th, 1897. Oh yes, I remember. It was the afternoon of my first ball. And it was that afternoon that I saw you for the first time, Michael. You were standing at the foot of the stairs in Granny's old house. You were talking to your father. His father? Didn't you know? Michael's father was our butler. And a very fine old gentleman he was. You must have thought me very rude, Michael. For I remember bounding down the stairs like fury. Yelling at the top of my lungs for Granny. Are you? Miss Lydia, you'll have to be quiet. Your grandmother's in there with the doctor. Oh golly, what a nuisance. There's no more wrong with Granny than there is with me. Miss Lydia. There isn't James. Golly, everyone knows it. I'm going to show her my new dress. Isn't it beautiful? Granny! So that's Miss Lydia. A self, Michael. It's astonishing the way people change when they grow up a little. Now, don't be impatient, Michael. You shall meet her just as soon as I've presented you to Mrs. McMillan. I don't care to be presented to Mrs. McMillan, Father. I've nothing in common with these people. I've got other plans for us. And I want you to resign. Are you offering me another position, sir? I'm very serious, Father. So am I. I've been a father but once, Michael. But I've been the butler in this house for 35 years. And I leave it to you, which is the stronger habit. Father. Get out of my house. Get out of my house. I wouldn't set foot in it again if I lived to be a million. Never. And I'll see that you don't change your mind, you fakes or bones. You're as healthy as a bartender, madam. But you're spoiled. Self-indulgent. Get out. Good day. Get out. Castor, if you lend lover, I'll pull actual. claims his a doctor. Doesn't know his elbow from a barrel of rum. Telling me my liver is perfect. I ought to run him out of Boston. Granny, will you please look at my dress? Are you trying to tell me that that shameful thing you have on his address? But Granny. You look as though you were ready for the bathtub upstairs with you. Put something on. Cover up those shoulders. Oh! There's nothing wrong with showing your shoulders. If I can't wear what other girls wear, I'll not go to the ball. I'll go to bed and stay there and never get up. Just lie there and die. Killed by a nasty cruel grandmother. Oh, you little idiot. If you start crying, I'll break you. Don't flatter yourself. Nobody's going to cry. Good. Now go sit down. Now James, who is this young man and what does he want? I've permitted ma'am to present my son, Dr. Michael Fitzpatrick. A doctor, eh? I just get rid of one and another descends on me. I've spent 37 years of my life trying to get a little relief from a liver. Oh! Oh! Oh! There's the pain again. Right there. May I see your tongue, ma'am? What for? Please. I may be able to tell something while you're having your seizure. A lot of good that will do. Say, ah. Huh? Oh. Ah. Ooh. Ah. Ah. See anything? Relax, please? Ah. Well. Very obvious. What is? Gastroenteritis acute. I have that. Definitely. Well, well, well. First step, first medical, I've met who makes sense. Gastroenteritis, eh? Acute. Well, well. I know what I got it to. The sea swallowed tons of seawater in me, youth. It out my liver. That's what killed Captain McMillan, my husband. Miss Lydia, Lydia, come here. I want you to meet our new family physician. That's the name again? Michael Fitzpatrick, ma'am. Oh, yes, James's son. As fine a father as a man ever had. James, I want something to eat. I have the tea ready, ma'am. Tea, I hate tea. With a chaser of grog. Ah, that's better. Well, Granny, what about my dress? May I go to the ball, or do I go to bed? Go on, go to the ball in that mermaid suit. You wouldn't have dared wear it in my youth. But men have changed. Their blood has cooled. Once aboard the Lugger and the Gal is mine. You don't hear that anymore. Well, come on, James, come along, ma'am. Yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am. I want some of that petty defogra that gave me the pain yesterday. I feel so much better today that I don't think it'll do me any harm. Golly, she had me upset a while, the old pirate. That's all she is, nothing but an old pirate. But I love her. I really do. Oh, Dr. Fitzpatrick. Yes, Miss Lydia. Do you think $10 is a lot of money? Well, I. Do dance, doctor. Yes. Oh, how nice. Here's your ticket. What ticket? To the ball. You must come even if you can't dance. $10, please. $10? Mm-hmm, for the ticket. Oh, of course. Let's see. Now, one, two. Two. Four. Four and five is nine. Nine. Golly, but you have a lot of money, haven't you? Yeah. I'll take the rest and change. Yes, there you are. Ten. Thank you. Now, you must stay and have a cup of tea. Granny, Dr. Fitzpatrick is staying for tea. I remember that afternoon. For me, it was love at first sight. It wasn't for me, Michael. I'm afraid it was only the McMillan, Averess, and Cunning. You see, there was a prize offered for the girl who sold the most tickets. And I still had one left. Oh, Lydia, how are you? I never forgot that ball, Lydia. Yes, do you remember the ballroom? My breath stopped when I went in. Oh, I've seen a great many ballrooms since. None as wonderful as that one. Wasn't so wonderful for me. You danced every dance with Bob. Yes, Michael. I was very sorry for you. But you see, I was very much in love with Bob. This wonderful Bob, darling. Yep, hunky dory. I just love dancing with you, Bob. I'd like to keep on dancing with you forever. Wouldn't it be wonderful? Well, we'd sure get tired. Oh, Bob, you're so funny. I can feel the muscles in your arms. I bet you could pick me up and carry me off as a viable feather. I could carry 20 like you. That's in playing football. But I don't want you to carry 20. Just me. Bob, dance out towards the terrace. I want to look at the stars. The night is perfect, isn't it? Uh-huh. I didn't know there was so much happiness in the whole world. And it'll never go away, Bob. It will always be like this. Moonlit nights and gardens. Do you love me madly, Bob? Do your fingertips buzz like mine? Oh, Bob, Bob, look how beautiful the sky is. Millions and millions of stars, like the poem. The night is a thousand dies and the day but one. Yet the light of the bright world dies with the dying sun. The mind is a thousand dies and the heart but one. Yet the light of a whole life dies when love is done. Yep. Patrick. Why, I miss McMillan. May I come in? I hope I'm not disturbing you. Not at all. Is this a professional visit? Of course not. Oh, I like your office. This is my laboratory. Well, I like it. Michael, do you believe in equal rights for women? Or do you believe that women as slaves chattels no more than cows in the pasture? Answer me that. Oh, women slaves? Why, of course not. Then you're on my side. Oh, what's happened? Oh, Michael, it's shameless of me to say this, but I'm in love and Granny hates him. Hates him? Hates who? Bob, Bob Willard. She's packing me off tomorrow to Virginia to visit my silica's and Mary. But I'm not a slave. I'm not going to be shipped off in a crate. Lydia. Oh, I know all scientists are cold-blooded. What's that thing, Michael? That's a microscope. Oh, but you're different. You're not a scientist, really. I mean, I mean, you love me, don't you? In your own way, of course, like a brother. And you're going to help me, aren't you? Certainly. Oh, thank you, Michael. You see, we're going to elope. Elope? Tonight. We've already made an appointment with the Justice of Peace and Quincy at 8 o'clock. And what do you want me to do? I have it all figured out. Granny is taking me to some silly lecture this evening, and you're to come to the house in about an hour, look at my tongue, and say that I'm very sick and must go to bed. Granny will go alone, and I'll get out of bed in a loop. Will you excuse me while I put on my coat? Michael, where are you going? I'm going to tell your grandmother the truth. You despicable sneak. Never mind what I am. You wouldn't dare. I'll dare anything to keep you from wrecking your life. Wrecking my life? You hypocrite. I can see it through you, you nasty toadie. You want to stand in with Granny so you can get ahead. I thought you were my friend. I am. All right, then, you lackey, servant's blood. That's what you have. I'll marry Bob anyway, tomorrow the next day or sometime. And Granny, you and all her butlers, come stop us. Young lady, explain yourself. Where have you been? I'm sorry, Granny, but I had a dizzy spell, and I had to sit down on a bench on the common. Dr. Fitzpatrick to see you, ma'am. Oh, Dr. Fitzpatrick. He's never been more welcome. Where are you going, Lydia? I don't want to see him. Said you were sick. You stay right here, young lady. Good evening. Well, Michael, how are you? I'd like to speak to you alone, Mrs. McMillan. Oh, Michael. Never mind me. Have a look at Lydia. She came staggering home like a pelican. I'm all right, Granny, really. Nonsense. We all have the McMillan liver sticking out your tongue. No. May I see it, please? No. Lydia, don't behave like a brat. Paul seems fast. What do you think? Is it a liver? Possibly. Oh. Her eyes are a little yellowish. It's a liver, all right. I think she should be in bed. Oh, Michael. All right. She can stay in bed until tomorrow morning, but not a moment longer. We're leaving for Virginia. Now get up to your room, young lady. Yes, Granny. Good night. Good night, Michael. Thank you. Thanks for what? Looking at your tongue? It'll probably send me a whacking big bill. Get upstairs. Yes, Granny. Well, Michael, where's your pain? What? You look like a sick cow. I'm sorry. I know. You're in love with her, aren't you? I suppose I am. Well, don't look so glum. Ted McVillain didn't get me without a fight. He fought like a tiger shark. Once aboard the lager, and the girl is mine. Breed is dead, I guess. James, James, see that Miss Lydia's bags are packed for the morning. Liver or no liver, she leaves at dawn. In just a few minutes, Mr. Demiddle and our stars, Merle Oberon, Edna May Oliver, Allen Marshall, Joseph Cotton, and George Reeves, will bring us Act 2 of Lydia. And now your attention, please, for a special message. Lux Toilet Soap announces a 1 cent sale. Now, for the first time, and a limited time, you get a cake of Lux Toilet Soap for 1 cent when you buy three cakes at the regular price. Only hurry, ladies, hurry. This amazing offer won't last long. Don't miss out on this unbeatable beauty bargain. Those of you who use Lux Toilet Soap regularly know it is a real beauty bargain any time you buy it. For Lux Soap is a wonderful aid in keeping complexions soft and smooth, appealingly lovely. It's the gentle white soap 9 out of 10 Hollywood screen stars use. They found they can depend on its creamy, rich, active lather to care for their precious complexions. Active lather is gentle, but it's thorough. It removes stale cosmetics, every trace of dust and dirt in a twinkling, leaves skin feeling soft and smooth, fresh as a delicate gardenia. You want the charm of a lovely appealing complexion? Now's the time to try Lux Toilet Soap and see how well Hollywood's beauty soap works for you. All this makes Lux Toilet Soap seem like a real luxury, doesn't it? Well, Lux Soap is a luxury, but it costs so little, it's thrifty to buy. Thrifty to use, too, because it lasts and lasts. And now it's a greater bargain than ever. So hurry, hurry, stock up on Lux Toilet Soap now, while the special one cent sale is on. Now, our producer, Mr. DeMille. Act two of Lydia, starring Merle Oberon as Lydia McMillan, Edna Mae Oliver as Granny, Alan Marshall as Richard, Joseph Cotton as Michael, and George Reeves as Bob. Michael, Bob, Frank, and Lydia, three old men and an old lady, looking back 40 years. Over their tea, they talk of things long past, of love and sorrow, of joy and despair, of great plans made, and schemes that went astray. We were to be married that evening, Bob and I, by the justice of the peace in Quincy. We were there, Bob and I, but the justice never came. He had been delayed, it seems, making up a will for a dying man. And we sat in his parlor half the night. Bob had arranged a wedding dinner for us in a little hotel just out of town. We went there to wait for the justice. It was snowing, cold, and the hotel itself was the drearest I had ever seen. Come on, honey, drink it down, drink it down. Thank you, but I don't want any more. It's champagne. Bob, I don't want it. Please don't you have any more, either. Why not, it's all paid for, isn't it? Sure it is. Here's to you, Lid, the prettiest girl in Boston. Bob, it's awfully late and I want to go home. Well, I didn't leave the rest of that bottle, I should say not. Oh, Lydia, I wish we were married right now. I'm awfully glad we didn't get married. Huh? What do you mean? I thought it would be so romantic to elope. And now I see what it really means. When I marry, I'll get married in a church where I've always dreamed, and the beautiful white gown that my granny wore. What do you mean when you get married? You're going to marry me, aren't you? Bob. Tomorrow. Bob, please take me home. What do you want to go home for? Bob, let me go. You're having fun, aren't you? I want to go home. Bob, you're hurting me. You know I love you, don't you? And you love me, too. Bob. So why not be happy, eh? Let me go. Let me go. What's the matter with you? Hey, hey, come back. So I ran away from you, Bob, out of the hotel into the snow. You're blushing, Bob. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I've been repenting that night for 40 years, treating a girl like that. A girl who loved me. Nonsense. It wasn't love. But if a man hadn't died that night in Quincy, I would have married you, Bob, and ended up running a nightclub. But as it turned out, something else happened that night. A little thing. One of those little things that sometimes change a whole life. As I ran out of that hotel, I threw myself into a carriage, standing at the curb. Here, here, just a moment. Take me to Commonwealth Avenue, Boston. I beg your pardon, Miss, but this is, or rather was, my carriage. Can you spare a moment while I pay the driver? Thank you. Here you are, driver. Much obliged, sir. Beauty and distress, driver. Beauty and distress. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Beauty and distress. I was to hear those words again, for you see, that man, young, handsome, dashing. That man was Richard, a missing ghost. And I was the first. Yes, Bob, you were the first. It lasted a long time, the funeral of first love. Granny used to worry about me. I had no appetite. I never went anywhere. Now, she's not going to offer it with us. I don't know what to do with that girl. Still moping over that puddin' head, Bob, little idiot. It's only puppy love, my dear Sarah. We've all had it. She makes me sick. I bring her to New York, drag her to balls, theaters, throw men at her. But no, all she does is flop up in from time to time just to show she's alive. Now, now, what's all that? It's a parade. More of the boys off to Cuba, I suppose. Granny, Granny Michael is with them. What? Michael, he's going to war. Granny, please, I'd like to see him before he goes. James is going to see him. May I go with him? Of course, really long. Oh, thank you, Granny. James, James, wait, I'm coming with you. Sarah, dear, are you really going to let her go with James? Well, why not? Well, I must say you should draw the line somewhere. He's a servant. Yes, have you ever heard what I was before I married Captain McMillan? I have never believed it. Throw me down, you silly old woman. I was selling fish in my father's fish market. And that's how I met Captain McMillan. He was looking for a bloater. Oh, Michael, I've eaten so much. And I've never been happier in all my life. My last prescription for you before I leave for the war is a steak every evening, baked potatoes and a stein of beer. I'd be as fat as that blonde lady there when you come back. Just so you wait for me. I've loved you, Lydia, since the first day I saw you. Michael, if it's real, it'll last. And you can tell me about it when you come back. Not now, please. And while you're away, I'll grow up, Michael. I've been sitting on a show for all my life like a little China doll. But that's over. Well, hello. Oh. Haven't we met before? Of course, beauty and distress, remember? Quincy House, Quincy, Massachusetts, last December. I never forget a face, especially a pretty one. Listen, if you think you can- Michael, please. Don't worry, old man. No offense intended. Well, Miss, I'm glad to see you looking more cheerful. And you're the fellow who caused the disturbance I take it. I can always tell what a woman is crying about. For two pins, I'd knock your block off. Haven't got two pins, old man. Goodbye, beauty and distress. Michael, we'd better go. You're supposed to be at the pier. I can still see you at the rail of that boat, Michael, and Richard standing behind you. For he was in uniform, too. I waved to you, and he pretended it was for him and waved back. Oh, Michael, you were very annoyed with Richard that night. Curious. I thought when I sailed away, I changed your life. But instead, it was that stranger at the rail who was doing that. Tell me honestly, did you fall in love with Richard then when he was waving at you? Dear Michael, at the moment of your heroic departure for Cuba, I wasn't aware of either you or Richard. The only male who meant anything to me then was Johnny. I don't remember any Johnny. Johnny who? It was Johnny who changed my life more than any of you. He was the little boy on the pier, a little boy in ragged clothes. They're just sailors. They're Marines. Have they got guns and everything? Oh, yes. Here, I'll hold you up. Is that better? Yeah, I can hear them better. What do they look like? Are they big? I can't hold you any higher. Can't you see them? No, ma'am. I'm blind. Oh, blind? Oh, yes. Yes, they're very big. They have red and blue uniforms on. Red and blue? I don't know what red and blue is. Well, red is like. It's like the sound of those big horns. Yeah? What's blue? Blue is. It's like. It's like. Don't you think I'd better take you home? The boy who changed my life. I took him home and saw the poverty and filth of the slums for the first time in my life. It was horrible. And then I had an idea, a home for blind and crippled children. It was only a few small rooms at first, hidden away in the midst of the tenement district. But it was a start. The children seemed to be happy there. And I know that I was. And then you came along, Frank. Oh, what a wonderful day that was. Just a minute, children. Do you want me, Mary? Yes, Miss Liddy. There's a gentleman to see you, a Mr. Frank Audrey. Frank Audrey, the pianist? I don't know, Miss. Ask him to come in, Mary. Children in the other room, please. I'll be right there. This way, sir. Thank you. How do you do? How do you do? My name is Frank Audrey. You may have heard of me. Of course I have. Won't you sit down? Thank you very much. I've heard of you and your work, too, of course. And I've wondered if you know what an important part music would play in it. I was hoping that perhaps, well, that you would let me be of some help. Of course I will. Oh, I don't know how to thank you. It's very nice of you, Mr. Audrey. Not at all. There's a piano in this room, isn't there? Yes, right over there. I thought so. I can usually feel them. They hum a bit. You mean that? Yes. I've asked the papers not to mention it. But like your children, I am blind, too. I can barely distinguish light from darkness. I live anew. Now, my specialty as a teacher of the blind would be music. But not music as such. I would try to teach them form and color. I think I can provide a picture book for their ears. For instance, we could have a class in what the stars look like. I made a great study of this matter. I've heard them bubble out in the sky at night like water in the spring. They're blue, like this. And then I think they would see what I see. And here, we turn a page in the picture book and come to the color red. You recognize it? It's the sun going down. Very impressive and instructive, I think. And much more fun than playing Chopin to people who can see everything but Chopin. Well, then we can have a class in what Ms. MacMillan looks like. Do you mind if I describe you without restrictions? Emotional? Very lovely. It's much too lovely for me. No. This is the way I see you. This is the way you are. Now you worked in that little place and how the children loved you for it. You gave them eyes, Frank. You showed them all the beauty and the wonder of the world. It was almost a year before Michael came home. The night he was to arrive, I was very excited. The children were all off to bed and we were waiting. It was a dashing Captain Michael Fitzpatrick just home from Cuba. You love him, Frank. Lydia, Lydia. There he is, Michael in here. Lydia. Oh, Michael, I'm so glad you're back. It seemed like a thousand years. More, much more. Michael, this is Frank Audrey. Frank, this is Michael Fitzpatrick. How do you do? I hardly need an introduction to you, Dr. Fitzpatrick. It's always Michael in this house. Well, go along with your hero, Lydia. Have a sleigh outside and a pair of horses. I'm ready. Good night, Frank. Excuse us, Mr. Frank. Good night. Have a good time. Good night. Well, and who's that? It's me, Ruthie. I want a drink of water. Oh, Ruthie. I understand your eyes are getting better. Did you see Miss Lydia tonight? She was awful pretty. Tell me, what does she look like? Is she dark or fair? Well, she has dark hair. And her eyes, what color are they? Blue. Blue. Yes, blue like you see. And did you see the man who was here, Dr. Fitzpatrick? What did he look like? Oh, he handsome. Oh, good night, Ruthie. Up to bed. Good night. Blue eyes and dark, tall and handsome. Never get to that, Don. Lydia, I was thinking, that fellow loves you too, Frank Audrey. Oh, Michael, you're mad. He loves you, I could tell. Michael, I've done a good lot of growing up while you were away. And I've almost made up my mind. Against me? Against marriage. I have my work to do. So much work that a lifetime isn't enough to do it. That doesn't worry me at all. It's a pre-marriage phase that all women go through these days. When you understand, I remain a spinster. And as far as I can see, I'll be one when I'm 90. Well, that will involve me in one of the longest court ships on record. Move over there. Look, Michael, that slave's trying to pass us. Don't let him. No one's going to pass us tonight. This is our night. If you want to race, why don't you get going? Hurry, Michael. Come on. Come on, you turtles. Oh, whoa. We'll ease him. Whoa, whoa, that. Look at him. He can't believe it yet. Too bad, old man. Jake's beating like a gentleman anyway. He's coming over. Oh, Michael. Yes? Look, do you remember him that night in the cafe? Hello. I'll do better next time. Oh, how do you do? How do you do? Gentleman in distress, hm? It seems so. Well, what about a dance for the loser? I gave Richard his dance, and he wanted more. He was like that. And then to at the end of the evening, we danced out of the room into the darkness. It was then that he kissed me. Well, well, well. It seems as though there are fellas in the world as bad as I am. Yes, Bob. He was worse. He was as bad and wicked and marvelous as they come. Oh, did you ever see him again, this devil on wheels? Oh, many times. What are you laughing about? It's quite wonderful. You all knew me so well, and even loved me. And yet you never knew me at all. It wasn't I, you loved, but an imposter, an illusion. Well, that's not true, Lydia. You were very real. Oh, no. There was only one real me. And she lived only a little while in McMillan Port. You remember it, Michael? Yes, of course. It was an island off the coast. My grandfather had settled it. He built ships there and sailed them around the horn. I was born there. I was born there twice, and I died there once. Anyway, we went there, Richard and I, out of Boston in a little boat. There was a wind tearing across the bay and an ugly sea running. But Richard sat there at the tiller like the sailor that he was, grinning into the icy wind, looking as pleased as a little boy on a sled. We were wet and half-frozen when we arrived. Now where's that weather-beaten tire? Tying up the boat. Wasn't he surprised to see us, though, dear old Ned? Forget the stove going. I want steak, potatoes, and a wash tub full of hot coffee. Oh, Richard, you were marvelous beating into that gale. You look like a viking. Well, I am a viking, and I wish I had some dry socks. Come over here. Richard, you'll have to lose that habit of addressing me as though I were a gang of stevedores. Come over here, I said. You were all right in the oil. You didn't squeal once. I was terrified. I knew it. That's why it was fun. You admire me very much, don't you, Richard? Yes, you'll do in any wind. Come here, you stompet. Richard, Ned will be coming. Let him. I want to laugh. Then laugh? Oh, darling, darling, you're wet and icy and half-frozen. No. No, I'm not. No, you're not. The sea and the wind are inside you, but they're warm. Oh, Richard, it goes higher that night. For days, it's creamed over McMillan Port. And the sea was a fury of boiling whitecaps. There was no getting home, and I was glad. It was like heaven, though. Richard and I were together all the day. And at night, I could hear him in old Ned's shanty, laughing over the gale. I was never so happy in all my life, looking poor. A book? I feel like reading a poem. Oh, I'd love that. The McMillans don't seem to have been very lyrical. Darling. Darling, I'm so idiotically happy. I can't think. This must be different from what love usually is, don't you think? Yes. In what way? Tell me. Because it's you and I. Because we've got the same storm beating in our blood. We're like the upper and lower jaws of a wolf. We came together in the same bite, and we know the same taste. Look at you, you drive me crazy. You tear my heart out with your eyes. Stop it. No. Stop it. I want to read a poem. Why? Because I want to hear somebody beside myself moaning and howling with love. Oh, my darling, darling, are there other people? Is there a world somewhere? I don't know where I am. All I know, all I know is that you're going to kiss me. Richard. The wind's down. I'm going into the mainland. Richard, must you go? Let me come with you. No. I don't want you alone. Why? Because I want you to stay here. But darling, you've begun ages. No, I'll be back in six hours if the breeze holds. Please stay here, won't you? Very well, if you don't want me. I want you forever and ever. You do? Till I die, I'll always want you every minute. Oh, I'm such a fool. When you say that my knees melt, they really melt. Is old Ned going with you? Of course. He's on board now. Richard, I won't live until you come back. I won't be really gone. I'll always be here. If you get lonely, just look in any of these corners and you'll see me standing there, just like this. Darling, in that little boat they headed out to sea. I stood there thinking if the breeze dies down, he won't cast off. But the breeze didn't die. Not it, not it. Then I sat and waited by the fire. I started to pray that night for what I thought was happiness and kept on praying forever since. It was a long night, the longest in the world. Then a faint patch of white came into the cove that grew larger. The little boat was coming back. Old Ned was at the tiller. He had a strange look on his face, an old man's look who is sorry for life. He had a letter for me from Richard. The wind almost blew it out of my hand. If it had, it would have been better. Oh, so much better. He held the light and I read the letter on the windy pier. He was gone away, it said. His heart torn out of him. He was gone because there was another woman with a claim. Not his fault, it had happened a year ago. He was going back to see her. There were cries and tears in the letter. It might take a little while. Even a few months. I enclose a ring, my mother's wedding ring. And I'll send you another every month. Believe me, trust me. My heart's in McMillanport and I'll come back for it. Forgive me for the way I am going. Forgive him. He couldn't have borne the sight of my tears. Wait for him, he said. I think the letter did blow away after I read it. Yes, I don't remember ever seeing it again. It must have blown out of my hands into the sea. Initiation identification. This is the Columbia Broadcasting System. After a brief intermission, Mr. DeMille and our stars, Merle Oberon, Edna May Oliver, Alan Marshall, Joseph Cotton, and George Reeves will bring us Act 3 of Lydia. And now let's listen in on two young people who are dancing together. Good music, eh? Well, then the music always sounds good when I'm dancing with you, Jane. That's because you're so sweet. Sounds as though Jimmy's enjoying that dance. And no wonder, Jane's the kind of a girl that men like to be near. She's pretty, really charming. And part of her charm is that flower-faced look she always has. You see, she knows the importance of perfect, exquisite daintiness. Jane knows an easy way to make sure of daintiness, too. She's found out that her complexion soap Lux Toilet Soap makes a wonderful daily beauty bath, a beauty bath that leaves skin really fresh and sweet. She says, I wouldn't ever think of missing my Lux Soap bath before I go out for the evening. A bath with that smooth, creamy lather makes me sure of daintiness. I love the Lux Soap perfume, too. It leaves such a nice, delicate fragrance on my skin. Yes, fastidious women everywhere depend on a Lux Soap beauty bath. They know that active lather carries away every trace of perspiration, dust, and dirt, leaves skin flower-fresh. They love the expensive Lux Soap perfume, a blend of 34 different ingredients. And yet this luxury is theirs for so little. Lux Soap is hard milled, too, so it can be used to the thinnest sliver, and it lasts and lasts. Why not get three cakes of this fragrant, smooth, white soap tomorrow? Now, Mr. DeMille returns to the microphone. Cotton rises on the third act of Lydia. To her three old friends of the past, Lydia has opened her heart wide. In her story, she's shown them a girl they never really knew, the girl she used to be. That letter from Richard, was that the end? Didn't you ever hear from him again? Not for some time. I waited as he had suggested. Only a little more desperately than he thought. And then at last, a letter came to Boston. It was a nice letter. The kind one gets once in a lifetime. It contained three more rings, and it said, he loved me. I remember the words to this day. Dream of you every hour. I'll be with you again on New Year's Eve at the Church of the Little Heart, the one you always talked about. We'll be married on New Year's Eve while the bells peel. Be there at midnight. I love you. New Year's Eve came at last. In a flurry of excitement, I was packing my bag to go to New York. Granny was with me. Well, young lady, I'm still waiting to hear. To hear what, Granny? Oh, you jazzy bell. Stop taunting me. What's he like? I'll bring him back from the church, and you can see with your own eyes. He's a sailor, eh? Yes. Well, that's very pretty, I must say. My granddaughter running off to marry a sailor I've never seen. A low, deck-swabbing rattle and a knitted cap and a scoundrel to boot. All of that? Some red-faced liar with a wife in every port. All of that? I can just see him now, heaving from side to side when he walks like a pelican. And you love this monster? Yes, Granny. And he loves you? Oh, yes. Are you going to love him for always? Till I die. Even if it turns out to be a scoundrel and a dog? Whatever he turns out. I shall love him for always, just as I do tonight. The church of the little heart. I was there when the bells struck midnight, the new year. And I was there much later, much later. When the dawn broke over the city, and Richard had still not come, Richard never came, never. You were very kind to me, Michael, in the months that came after. Still waiting for word from him? From whom, Michael? The strange gentleman from across the ocean who doesn't write to you. Lydia, I think it's time I said something. It's a phantom, an hallucination you're pining away for. Please don't, Michael. I have a right to talk. I've loved you a long time, Lydia. I want to live all my days with you. And I have more to offer than your phantom. I can offer you a home, children, and my love. Yes, I know. I love you, Lydia. You'll always love me. You know I will. Oh, Michael, Michael, I'm tired. So tired. Hold me. Hold me, Michael. Lydia, yes? A telegram for you, Miss Lydia. Oh, let me have it, please. The boy is waiting for Nancy, Miss Lydia. Michael? Well, Lydia, what is it? It's from your father. Granny's sick. They're afraid she... Mary, pack my bag. I'm going home. How is she? Is she any better, James? Oh, she's very much better, Miss Lydia. I'm afraid I was a bit hasty in sending you that telegram last night. Just what happened, Father? Well, she was in very high spirits last evening. She said to me, James, I have a feeling in my old bones that something very important has happened and that I finished a job. Soon after that, she was stricken. Did you call a doctor? Yes, yes, at once, Dr. Whitridge. Dr. Whitridge, that's our boss. Granny. Never felt better in my life. Granny, darling, I'm so glad to see you. Why, Lydia, Lydia, you're shaking like a leaf. What's that idiot, James, been telling you? Nothing, darling, we were coming anyway. Michael and I have some news for you. You are feeling better, aren't you? Good for another 50 years, even with Whitridge. I knew you, too, would come. I felt it in my bones. Well, out with it twins the wedding. Well, we haven't said any date yet. Moses on the mountain. You can't dilly-dally around with a girl like Lydia. Kneel her down, man, kneel her down. We'll set the date right here and now. All right. You'll be my father and my mother, Granny, and my maids of honour. Oh, good heavens, I almost forgot. We brought something for you, James. Thank you, Miss Lydia. It's something you're going to need in the very near future. Isn't he, Michael? Yes, he is. My first white waistcoat. To wear at the wedding, James. Do you think I might kiss you now for the first time, father? Not the first time, Miss Lydia. I had that privilege once when you were 18 months old. Well, come along, come along. Luncheon's ready, I hope. Yes, ma'am. Good. I have eaten a thing since this morning. Now then, your usual place, Lydia. You there, Michael? Yes. James? Yes, ma'am. I want a fourth service at the table. A fourth service, ma'am. I didn't know you were expecting guests. I'm expecting nobody. I want a fourth plate there for yourself. Come, come. Don't fall asleep. Sit down. Very good, ma'am. And call me Sarah. Maggie? Maggie, bring another service. No soup for James. He hates it. It's very kind of you to remember, ma'am. I asked you to call me Sarah. Thank you, Sarah. It's better. And unless you're very cold, James, I would suggest you remove your gloves at the table. Oh, yes, yes, of course. Oh, I beg your pardon, ma'am. Now we're all here as we should be. I've waited for this moment a long time. The ship all trim, the topsel's bellying out, and a good man at the helm. You, Michael. No fancy pirate with his whiskers in the wind, but a good man. Maggie, by coming into port, fetch some grog. By coming into port, and by going to drink to the health and happiness of our new captain, Michael Fitzpatrick. Michael. Granny. Catch her, Father. Oh, Granny, Granny. Granny died that night. I went away after the funeral to McMillan Port. And Richard was there in every corner, grinning at me. That smoking ghost of a Richard. But I was too strong for him. I looked squarely in all the corners. I spent the nights there getting stronger all the time, learning to hate him. I laughed at him, at him and all men who think they can torment a woman forever. I was still there in McMillan Port. The night Michael came to bring me home. I think you've stayed away long enough. Why haven't you written to me? I didn't know what to say, Michael. I know a little what it is. It's unreal being in love with a ghost. It'll go away, Lydia. It's gone away. Then you can come back, and we can be happy. Please, listen, Michael. I came here to get strong and to decide about my life. I have decided. You don't love me. I do, in a way. But if I can't have all there is, I don't want less. And what is there, Lydia? There's love, Michael. Love that's part of the hot sun and the saltwater. It's like a feast that leaves you hungrier than a winter wolf. I've had it, Michael. I've known it. It's gone. It'll never be for me again. Never from this moment. I'm an old maid now, Michael. Old as if I were 90. And I'll die that way. Because I'm like all the greedy McMillans who ever lived. They could never take less. Always all there was or nothing. There's the story. That's the Lydia who lived a long time ago, 40 years ago. And that's all there is. Work, some memories of you, Michael, and you, Bob, and you, Frank, and a ghost. Dr. Fitzpatrick. Yes. Captain Richard Mason is here, sir. Richard? Yes. The Devil on Wheels. The ghost of McMillan for it. Show him in, please. In here, sir. Thank you. Dr. Fitzpatrick? Yes. I got a wire from you. Don't know you, but decided to come anyway. What's this reunion all about? Richard. So that's where you've been hiding all these years. Find that old face. It's too amazing, Richard. Old and crusty like myself. Don't you recognize her, Captain? No, I'm afraid I don't. What's the lady's name? My name? It doesn't matter, Captain. Excuse me. I'm sorry, Madam, if a strange person, isn't she? He didn't remember me. He was taken by surprise. Nonsense, Michael. He's forgotten me. You're not upset. No. I made a fool of myself, Michael. Not at all. You opened your heart to the men who loved you. No. None of you loved me, really. Bob loved a little idiot. Frank loved a vision that wasn't true. You, my dear, loved an angel. And Richard, Richard loved only Richard. I kept thanking as I was listening to you before. What was the real Lydia? Which one? The real Lydia? Dear me, there was no one real Lydia, Michael. There were dozens of them. Ask any woman they know. Every woman is wise and foolish, clever and absurd, good and bad, just as Lydia was. Your applause rings down the curtain on Lydia. And some acting we won't soon forget. Four great troopers return to the microphone now. Merle Oberon, Edna May Oliver, Alan Marshall, and Joseph Cotton. Thank you, Mr. DeMille. Naturally, I was delighted when you asked us to play Lydia here so soon after the picture was released. It's been a very enjoyable week. I would like to point out, sir, that you owe the presence of a certain lady here to Lydia. You are right, Mr. Cotton. Edna May Oliver's first appearance anywhere deserves celebrating. Well, how do you like the Lux Radio Theatre after giving it the once-over-light clean, Mr. Oliver? It's a theatre, Mr. Marshall. A theatre, the curtain goes up at the beginning and it comes down at the end. Give me some of those old tyrant granny Macmillan parts that get my teeth into and I'm happy. You have a date with another tyrant, Mr. Oliver, just as soon as we can find one. We'd like to make you as much at home here as Alan Marshall. Yes, you've practically moved in here to live, haven't you, Alan? Oh, I don't know. I wasn't here last week. However, two weeks out of three so far this season makes you pretty good. Good. They should have the key to the back door. I think you're right. But before we bring the curtain down for the evening, I'd like to say something about the product that makes these plays possible. I've used Lux soap regularly for a long time now, and I think it's a grand complexion, Care. When Lux soap is on trial, Mel, the result is sure. A jury of several million American women has already handed down the verdict. What play are you casting for next week, Mr. DeMille? That's a delightful comedy called Third Finger Left Hand. And I really don't need to tell you more than the names of our stars, William Powell and Myrna Loy. The play is adapted from the Metro Golden Mayor picture success. You'll hear Myrna Loy as a businesswoman who invents a husband for reasons of her own. When Bill Powell turns up claiming to be the husband, you can imagine Myrna's embarrassment and get a faint idea of the fun that'll be here next Monday night. Any comedy with Bill Powell and Myrna Loy is a must for me, Mr. DeMille. I'll be listening. Good night. Good night. Good night. Good night. We have a standing order for players like you for. Our sponsors, the makers of Lux toilet soap, join me in inviting you to be with us again next Monday night when the Lux Radio Theatre presents William Powell and Myrna Loy in Third Finger Left Hand. This is Cecil B. DeMille saying good night to you from Hollywood. Here is important news for those of you who live in communities not operating on daylight saving time. If you live in a community which does not operate on daylight saving time, you will hear this program beginning next Monday night, one hour later than here to four. Alan Marshall appeared tonight through the courtesy of David O. Selznick Productions, Joseph Cotton through the courtesy of RKO, and George Reeves through the courtesy of 20th Century Fox. Heard in tonight's play were Jeff Corey as Frank, Bruce Payne as James, and Dix Davis, Barbara Jean Wong, Verne Felton, Thomas Mills, Yuno White, Stanley Farrar, and Ferdinand Munier. Our music was directed by Louis Silvers, and your announcer has been Melville Rueck. This is the Columbia Broadcasting System.