 Transcribed. Ladies and gentlemen, the railroad hour. And here comes our star-studded show train. Tonight, the Association of American Railroads presents the great Victor Herbert musical hit, The Red Mill, starring Gordon MacRae, and his celebrated guest, Miss Risa Stevens. Our choir is under the direction of Norman Luboff, and the music is prepared and conducted by Carmen Dragon. Yes, tonight another memorable musical is brought to you by the American Railroads. 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 MacRae. Thank you, Marvin Miller, and good evening to everyone. Well, on stage tonight is one of the happiest shows ever to hit Broadway, The Red Mill. Picture lovely Risa Stevens in the costume of a Dutch girl in the charming village of Kotvik, Anzee. As for me, well, I'm gonna slip into a checkered vest, clap on a straw hat on my head, call myself Kid Conn. You know what my buddy's name is? Conn Kidder. It all begins in another old Dutch village named... Let me see if I can pronounce it. New York! Hey, Conn, what do you want to go to Europe for? Romance, boy, romance. The European girls will be crazy about you. Oh, not so fast. There are plenty of lovely dishes right here in good old America. If the spare afternoon you should happen to have and you start on a leisurely stroll up Fifth Avenue, there is where, with haughty air, you'll see them as outfits and laces and sables and holy drop-decks always fine. They're sweet and fair in London or in... Just the same kid, I'd like to make the trip. Yeah, you could go to Paris and marry a French Countess. Or go to Holland and marry a Dutch Duchess. What is a boat sail? Tamara. You know something, pal, we gotta find a place to eat tonight. Sleep, too. It's gotta be cheap sleep. We're broke. Tell you what, let's ask that little froy line over there. Okay. Hey, Mabel. Yes? Were you addressing me, gentlemen? Uh, do you have any idea where we could sleep tonight? Well, I don't know. Well, how about that red mill? I better be real warm and comfortable. Yes, very cozy. You, too, and the ghost. You mean the mill is haunted? Every night at midnight the ghost of a poor unhappy ride walks through the mill, searching for her lost lover. Thank you and good night, red mill. Hey, what's your name? Gretchen. Tell me, why do you look so Gretchen? Tomorrow is my wedding day. Tomorrow, by this time, I shall be the wife of that fat old governor of Zealand. If you don't love him, why marry him? My father is forcing me. Oh, now look, a pretty girl like you shouldn't worry. Of course not. The Rover boys are here. Right. Hey, got an idea. Yeah? She can't marry the governor of Zealand tomorrow if she marries me right now. Why, you hardly know me. You think of a better way to get acquainted? Why, I'm falling in love with you at 80 miles an hour. Yeah. And wait till he shifts into second gear. I don't understand how this has happened so far. You haven't seen very many musical comedies, have you, girl? Well, frankly, I've been waiting a long time for somebody handsome and young and exciting to come along and sweep me off my feet. So... If you'd say that you love... Say, Gretchen, where do people go in this country when they want to get married? To the Burgamaster. Oh, but my father's the Burgamaster here, so we'll have to go to the next town. Just one moment, my fine young friend. Oh, father! Have you forgotten, my dear Gretchen, you are not marrying this silly young American, but his excellency, the governor of Zealand. Just a minute. You're pretty high-handed, Mr. Virgo, mister. Back where we come from, a little old New Yorker girl can marry anyone she chooses. This is little old Catwagon Z. And Gretchen, since you seem to be so fond of this old red mill, I think I shall lock you up here overnight. No! And here you shall stay until the governor arrives to lead you to the altar. Oh, father, please, I'm frightened. Come, come. In you go. Now, wait a minute, wait a minute. You can't lock her up. You can't do this. You can't force her to whine. I guess he can. Good day, gentlemen. I think I've seen that guy someplace before. Yeah, on a beer mug. Hey, what's that? Just the old mill turning, I guess. Looks just like a skeleton, doesn't it? Leaving its arms in a moonlight. I want to go home. But, Conn, the girl I love is inside there. But the boy I love is outside here. Gretchen? Hey, Gretchen, are you all right? Gretchen! She's gone. Hey, look, look, there's somebody up there in the tower of the mill. Listen. Have you seen the ghost? Ask if she's got a friend. I've one. I can't see your face in a moonlight, Gretchen. But I know that you're as lovely as the moon beams themselves. Get Gretchen out of there. I got an idea. Look, watch the blades in the mill. Now, suppose you grabbed hold of one of the wings when it sweeps close to the ground. Uh-huh. Hang on to it, swing on up, and rescue Gretchen out of the tower window on the way down. Uh-uh. Then I'll do it. Let's go to the next town and get married. And I'll stay here and stall the burger master. Good. When he unlocks the door tomorrow morning, he's gonna find nothing but echoes inside the old red mill. Let's suppose you must pay $2.35 today for products and services that cost you only a dollar in 1939. But that the price at which you are permitted to sell your services has gone up from $1 in 1939 to only $1.45 today. That in brief is what has happened to the railroads. The wages, prices, and taxes they must pay have considerably more than doubled in the last dozen years, while their average revenue for hauling a ton of freight a mile has increased by less than one half. As a concrete illustration of what happens when revenue lags so far behind expenses, consider this fact. The cost to the railroads of providing the nation's transportation this year will be about $1 billion more than it would have cost to do the job at the price and wage level of only two years ago. Yet the additional revenue the railroads will earn from the most recent freight rate increase, the only one allowed since 1949, will amount to only a little more than half that huge increase in costs. And these steadily rising operating costs, unfortunately, are burdening the railroads at a time when they are doing everything possible to expand their carrying capacity and improve their efficiency as much and as quickly as possible. Today, then, it is important that the railroads be permitted to charge for their services a price more nearly in line with the general level of prices, that the railroads like you must pay for everything they need. And here's another important fact to bear in mind. Railroad freight rates, always a small part of the cost of most things you buy, are today even smaller when compared to prices generally than they were before World War II. And freight rates that would more realistically reflect current conditions would still leave freight charges one of the best bargains in America today. We're ready for act two of Victor Herbert's The Red Mill, starring Gordon McRae and his guest star, Riza Stevens, with Jack Kirkwood as the burger master. No more moonbeams, just dawnbeams, sunbeams. Gretchen, you look even lovelier now than you did in the Starlight. Tell me, have you said that to many girls? Oh, sure. I never met her before. You see, until I met you, Gretchen, I never really wanted to settle down with one girl. So in America, I change girls 365 times a year. What? Every day a different girl? Why not? I don't eat the same egg every morning for breakfast. Oh, 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 For I always find a way to make them smile No doubt I should have married long ago It's the proper thing to do, you'll all agree Find any fun in wasting all my... 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 on girls 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 No doubt I should have married long ago It's the proper thing to do, you'll all agree I never could find any fun in wasting all his ladies' day with me That was before I met you Now every day is his Gretchen's day for me Oh, that's wonderful I'm only worried about what's going to happen when my father unlocks the old red mill Oh, my buddy will take care of him, all right Oh, good morning, Mr. Burgamaster Good morning What brings you out to the mill so early? Just checking up on my daughter Well, it's too late, she's already checked out What? Where is she? Gretchen, where are you? Gretchen! I must find her, I'll spare no expense No expense? I understand Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are in this country visiting I believe I'll hire them Sir, let me get them for you I'll get Holmes and Watson on this job for you right away Mr. or Mrs. Connor? We aren't Mr. or Mrs. yet We couldn't afford to get married, Connor Boy, have I got the cure for that Put on this costume quickly I don't get it I'm going to be Sherlock Holmes and you're going to be Dr. Watson We'll collect a fee to find this lost girl enough to get you married Will we go after we're married? Oh, I know a wonderful spot I have an idea, you're thinking of the same place I am You can stop being Romeo and start being Dr. Watson We've got some plain and fancy Sherlock-ing to do Tell Dr. Watson how do I look? Very big astreet, very big astreet, Mr. Holmes Gentlemen Ha ha! You are the burgamaster of Katwinkan Z That's amazing! How did you know me, Mr. Holmes? Oh, elementary, elementary, my dear burgamaster I want you to meet my assistant and eminent colleague The celebrated Dr. Watson I am delighted to make you a... From the way he talks, he must be British If he were any more British, he couldn't talk at all Now, Mr. Holmes, Dr. Watson How much will you charge to find my daughter? Well, sir, our price depends on the difficulty of the job Is your daughter young and beautiful? Oh, yes Well, then it will be very expensive Because, you know, beautiful young girls are very hard to find these days And how much shall we charge, Dr. Watson? Very much, sir Dr. Watson says, and I quote Five hundred and fifty Five guilders It's a deal Here's the money But I demand that you bring my daughter to this very spot No later than four o'clock this afternoon In time for her wedding to the governor of Zeeland Quick, Dr. Watson, go get married Mr. Holmes, in 15 seconds it will be four o'clock If you don't produce my daughter by then I'll have you thrown in jail Mr. Burgamaster, I don't think you like me Your time is up, you swindler Just a minute Listen Is that my daughter? Mr. Burgamaster, do you believe in the ghost in the old red mill? Certainly not Then that's your daughter Gretchen, your just in time for your wedding to the governor Ah, there's been a little change in plans, Mr. Burgamaster You see, I've been going around with Mr. Kammer On windmills Yes, and we liked it so much we got married Oh, why you... I think the Burgamaster has just blown a gas Gretchen, let's get away from here Will we go? Well, may I recommend a wonderful spot called Manhattan? Could someone from Holland be happy there? Well, Peter Stuyvesant liked it In old New York, in old... Kirkwood, Peter Leeds and our entire company The Red Mill with music by Victor Herbert And book and lyrics by Henry Blossom Was dramatized for The Railroad Hour by Lawrence and Lee The Railroad Hours brought to you each week at this time By the American Railroads You got your Christmas shopping done yet? Man, it won't be long, you know The Santa comes a calling And as you go in and out of the stores Looking for gifts for the youngsters And the rest of your loved ones Remember this The wealth of the wonderful presents That tempt your eye in every shop window Like the everyday items on your weekly shopping list Are made possible by the continent-wide Low-cost mass transportation service Of America's railroads Now, here again, as loved by the Americans Now, here again, as lovely Reza Stevens Wonderful going around with you tonight, Gordon On the windmill Well, any time you want to be rescued, Reza, honey, let me know Who's the damsel in distress next week? Nadine Connor Oh And she's going to be the lovely Rosalie And we'll be singing the music of Romberg and Gershwin Oh, sounds wonderful Good night, Gordon Good night, Reza, come back soon All aboard By the looks as though we're ready to pull out And so until next week, this is Gordon McRae Saying goodbye to all of you And especially to my dear grandmother The Red Mill was presented by Special arrangement with the Tams Whitmark Music Library Gordon McRae can be seen in Warner Brothers' Starlit 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, keep tuned for your Monday night of music on NBC Proceeding was transcribed Next, Lily Ponds, guests on the telephone hour On NBC