 Ladies and gentlemen the railroad hour and here comes our star-studded show train tonight the Association of American Railroads invites you to a review of some of the outstanding music from the railroad hour shows of 1950 starring Gordon McRae his guest Lucille Norman and the entire company. Our choir is under the direction of Norman Luboff and the music is prepared and conducted by Carmen Dragon. This special New Year's Day program is brought to you by the American Railroad the same railroads that bring you most of the food you eat the clothes you wear the fuel you burn and all the other things you use in your daily life and now here is our star Gordon McRae. Thank you Marvin Miller and good evening ladies and gentlemen well folks tonight is New Year's night time for looking back and the time for looking forward during the past 52 weeks of railroad hours we've had a great deal of mail from you telling us about your favorite shows and so tonight we're going to sing for you some of the songs you liked especially starting off with the song from the very first railroad hour of 1950 the operator was the Red Mill the song well one of the jauntyest that ever came from the eloquent pen of Victor Herbert every day is ladies day with me I'm quite at their disposal all the while and my pleasure it is double if they come to me in trouble I always find a way to make them smile doubt I should have married long ago the proper thing to do you'll all agree but I never could find any fun in wasting all my time it's a frightful thing to think of all the hearts that I have broken although each one fell in love with me without the slightest token though among my vulgar creditors I'm fearfully in debt it's because I have afforded anything that I could get but I must say I've enjoyed the best of what there is in life I've been lucky in my love affairs I've never had a wife and I don't begrudge the little dears those necklaces of pearls all the money that I've ever saved is what I've spent with me I'm quite at their disposal all the while my pleasure it is double if they come to me in trouble I should have married long ago the proper thing to do you'll all agree but I never could find any fun in wasting all the show that seems to be a plenty of favorite of yours is Walt Disney's interpretation of the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a lovely song that Snow White sings by a wishing well and here's Lucille Norma to sing the song you like the best from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs What a no secret Promise not to tell We are standing by a wishing well Make a wish into the well That's all you have to do And if you hear it echo we Wilburton Sullivan Modality our comedy highlight of the year I'll take a big deep breath and sing I am the very model of a modern major general from Pirates of Fanzan I am the very model of a modern major general I've information vegetable animal and mineral I know the kings of England and I quote the pike historical from Marathon to Waterloo and Autocatagonical I'm very well acquainted to it matters mathematical I understand equation for the simple and quadratical about my normal fear and I'm teeming with a lot of news Let's see what rhymes with news Ah snooze blues baby needs a new pair of shoes I have it with many cheerful facts about the swear of the hot pot to news Very cheerful facts about the swear of the hot pot Very cheerful facts about the swear of the hot pot Very cheerful facts about the swear of the hot pot to news Very good at integral and differential calculus I know the scientific names of beings and immaculous but still it matters vegetable animal and mineral I am the very model of a modern major general I'm not a vegetable animal and mineral I am the very model The history king others enter paradox I answer horticostics have a pretty taste for paradox I quote an elegiac all the crimes of heliogabalus and conics I can plop peculiarities Perabulous I can tell undoubted Raphael's and Gerard Dawson's oponies I know the fronking corners from the francs of Anastophanes and I can hum a fugue of which I've heard the musics dinner for Let's see what rhymes with dinner for Bore? Snore? Dinosaur? Ah, I have it And whistle all the air some maddened fernel not just dinner for And whistle all the air some maddened fernel not just dinner for And whistle all the air some maddened fernel not just dinner for Babalonic uniform and tell you every detail of Cadacacas's uniform And short and mad as vegetable animal and mineral I am the very model of a modern major general The musical highlights of the rareland hours 1950 season Make you need Judging from your letters one of our favorite shows of the last year Seems to be one of your favorite shows of any year Noel Cowart's haunting and unforgettable operetta Bittersweet So from that score here's one of the most beautiful songs we sang in 1950 Now I'm just arising a skill There is a time when Americans look to the future The year just ended has been one of solemn concern for all Americans Since last June our armed forces have been fighting with desperate courage To stem the tide of aggression in Korea Today our country is re-arming against the threat of another world war For the coming year we Americans are prepared to take up a notch in our belts And push re-armament with all possible speed We are determined to produce guns and planes and tanks and munitions In quantities that will deter any enemy or combination of enemies from future aggressive acts As defense mobilization goes into high gear It is the job of the railroads to move men and material And to haul the raw materials, the food, the fuel, the supplies that are needed To make the munitions which our men must have To help speed this tremendous transportation job The railroads have the skill, the ingenuity and the experience gained during World War II And since the end of that war the railroads have spent more than five billion dollars To increase their transportation capacity and to improve efficiency Last year the American railroads put more new locomotives into service And during any other year in the past quarter century These new more powerful locomotives operating more efficiently And hauling the new larger cars Make it possible for the average freight train today to carry more freight And carry it faster than ever before During the year ahead the railroads plan to continue this billion dollar a year program of expansion and improvement Right up to the limit of available manpower and material At the same time with the continued help of shippers and government agencies They will get even more service out of every available car and locomotive Yes, 1951 is a year of challenge to all Americans And because we are free men we will meet that challenge For their part in 1951 the railroads are determined to provide the transportation service so essential To keeping our economy strong, our nation free And now back to Gordon McRae, his guest star Lucille Norman And the show train's trip through the musical memories of 1950 Many of the songs that you wrote us as being among your favorites Came from the railroad hour summer series During which we took you back through years that you had lived yesterday And told you the story of those years in words and amusing Well, sir, a song you like particularly came from the year 1924 And here's the wonderful calm and dragon arrangement of George Gershwin's great hit Lady Be Good From some of the greatest composers of opera Victor Herbert, Gilbert and Sullivan, George Gershwin And our next song is the work of a man who wrote not only some of the greatest music of his day But music that must live forever, Jerome Kern It's the song that introduced Marilyn Miller to Broadway Look for the silver lining from Sally Well, folks, we opened our 1950 fall and winter series With the first radio performance of the great Rodgers and Hammerstein hit Allegro And no review of 1950 would be complete without something from these two talented pens I'm looking forward to next week, Gordon, when you present your next Rodgers and Hammerstein show, Carousel Well, we certainly are, too, Lucy Miss Patricia Morrison, Broadway musical star, will be our guest And, well, the Carousel story and music ought to make a wonderful show But now, from Allegro, here's your favorite love song You Are Never Away You are never away from your home in life Never a day was based on a morning spring You're a star in the lace of a white You're no star that I sing But running through the year was the somber thread of current Thread that broadened and darkened as the last days of 1950 ran out And now, as the new year begins, the hopes and the prayers of the world are united In the hope and prayer for peace In the hope and prayer that we may find a common understanding That we may learn to live with one another in one world Gathering strength and knowledge from the experiences behind us In the hope and prayer that with faith and understanding We can solve the problems of this hour And all the problems of the future Please, God, may the new year truly be a happy one For you, for your friends, for your neighbors Your neighbors in your town, in your country Your neighbors in the world It's been a real pleasure for all of us to have been with all of you on this first day of the new year And on behalf of the American Railroads and all the members of our railroad, our family Let me extend best wishes for a truly happy new year Of course, we'll all be contributing in one way or another to an accelerated preparedness And like the rest of us, the railroads are going to do everything possible to help the national rearmament Since railroad transportation is such an essential part of any such effort The railroad program is to spend more than a billion dollars in 1951 To enlarge and improve every part of their plans And the result will be even more efficient dependable railroads With transportation capacity rising in step with the rising demands of national defense All aboard! Well, sir, it looks as though we're ready to pull out Remember, next Monday we're presenting Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel So until next week, this is Gordon McRae saying goodbye to all of you, especially to my mother and my wonderful family The scene starring in the Warner Brothers production, the West Point story Our guest star tonight was Lucille Normans, the script was written by Gene Holloway 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 Railroad And I'll keep tuned to your Monday Night of Music on NBC Enjoy James Melton on Voice of Firestone on NBC