 Dedicated to the strength of the nation, now heard on more than 1,000 radio stations. Proudly we hail. Yes, proudly we hail, starring Wayne Morris in Sam Psychotron, The Cosmic Kid, the United States Army and the United States Air Force presentation. And now here is your producer, the well-known Hollywood showman, C.P. McGregor. Thank you, thank you. And greetings from Hollywood, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to your Theatre of Stars, where your Hollywood's finest motion picture and radio luminaries gather for your weekly entertainment. Wayne Morris is our proudly we hail star, who plays the part of a renowned newspaper cartoonist, the author of an irresistible force known as Sam Psychotron, The Cosmic Kid. The author finds himself in an adventure, paralleling the wild exploits of his Cosmic Kid brainchild, which makes for a lively comedy. We'll have the curtain for Act One after this message from Wendell Niles. The citizen says, I am proud to be an American. And the soldier says, I am proud to be an American soldier. The regular Army soldier is helping to maintain world peace and the security of his country. He is learning a worthwhile skill or trade. His education continues throughout his Army career, both on the job and off duty. The regular Army soldier receives high pay, and you young men can have the same. And last now, it's your U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Recruiting Station. Now, once again, our producer. It's curtain time, and here's Act One of Sam Psychotron, The Cosmic Kid, starring Wayne Morris as Johnny Spear. Our scene opens in the offices of the Star Syndicate, which supplies comic strips, cartoons and columns to a nation of newspapers. Today, the syndicate is in a turmoil. Hello, hello! Who's calling anyway? Gregory, this is Connor. Oh, yes, boss. We haven't got hold of Johnny Spear yet. What? They're responsible scoundrels. I'll fire them. Oh, boss, Sam Psychotron comic strip is our biggest feature. We can't fire the artist. Oh, I know. I care as much as you've gotten at least three months' advance drawings out of them. Yes, boss. Then shoot the originals over to my house. Your house? My two boys won't sleep till I find out how Sam Psychotron gets out of that snake pit. Oh, yes, that. Now, my theory is that Sam Psychotron... Very interesting, Gregory. Prepare and get his theory. Yes, sir. Five hundred comic strip artists in this country and I get Johnny Spear wished on me. Ms. Fisher... Yes, Mr. Gregory? Take a memo to the Bureau of Missing Persons. Subject, John Spear, brown hair, blue eyes, five foot elevens. That's who. Six feet. I'm an inch taller than you, Gregory. Oh, you are not an inch taller than Johnny. Johnny Spear. Why, you dirty low-dunk. Oh, Ms. Fisher, you may go. Oh, yes, Mr. Gregory. Now, you skunk. Where have you been? Up in Maine, my boy, in an artist's colony. Where's your next three-month set of comic strips? Do you mean that childish doodling that goes under the name of Sam Psychotron, the cosmic kid? Yes, the childish doodling for which we pay you two thousand clams a week. Didn't you do any work up there in Maine? I was painting. Well, then we'll put you in an office right here and get you to go right to work. You'll realize all our newspapers are down to just six days more of Sam Psychotron. Now, look, as of your last strip, Sam is in the snake pit surrounded by gorillas. Now, you've got to first get him out of there. He can stay there for all I care. Oh, that's very funny. I'm not kidding, Gregory. I'm retiring. You're retiring. Are you crazy? Gregory, I found myself on canvas. So I've taken all my money out of the bank and tomorrow I sail for the West Indies. Oh, I see. But okay, Johnny Spillett, who's the day? I don't know what you're talking about. Who did you meet up in Maine? Say, don't you ever give me any credit for doing my own thinking? No. I give you my word of honor. All this comes from my own soul. Oh, John, you said you'd only be a minute. We have so much shopping. Yes, yes, Eileen. Dear, would you mind waiting outside, please? No, no, no, no. You come right in, Mr. Ah, Glouster. Eileen Glouster. Eileen, this is Dick Gregory. Oh, how'd you do, Mr. Gregory? Sit down, sit down this glass. Thank you. So you met Johnny in Maine? Now, look here, Gregory. That's right. Three weeks ago. You know, I was composing poetry and John stepped on my foot and, well, one thing led to another and I discovered he's a great artist underneath it all. See, Gregory? So we're sailing to the West Indies, getting married and live there. John will paint, I'll compose. Isn't that terrific, Dick? You just keep out of it. Now tell me, Miss Glouster, have you thought about Sam Cyclotron and all this planning? Sam... Oh! You mean the trash, Johnny Scribbo. Oh, the trash. 20 million people read Sam Cyclotron every morning. My syndicate supplies it. And nobody can draw Sam like Johnny. Nobody. Well, that proves he's a genius. Come, Johnny. Yes, darling. He's no genius. He's just a good cartoonist and you're gonna ruin him. I? Look here, Gregory, you can't... John, I'll handle this. Mr. Gregory, for years you've buried this fine, sensitive artist under what? What, I ask you? An adventure comic strip. That's right. I've been buried. I'd like to be buried under the salary you get. All the money in the world can't pay for wasting this boy on cheap blood and thunder Scribble. That's right. Cheap blood and thunder Scribble. From now on, John is through with this moronic nonsense. I'm sick of Sam Cyclotron and his impossible escapes from gangsters and gorillas and pirates and magicians. John, from now on, it's a life of real romance. Come, darling. I'm coming, dear. Johnny, Johnny, a life full of romance. Sam Cyclotron's got out of worse traps than this. We'll put my stuff here. Point, darling, my poetry on the shelf, please, where I can reach it. Hello there, you dog. Oh, look. It's Dick Gregory. Hiya, Greg. Well, I see you're all ready to sail. Now, Mr. Gregory, if you don't mind, I'll give you a ride to sail. Now, Mr. Gregory, if you've come here to snare it on... It's not that all. I just came to apologize for my unsympathetic attitude yesterday. Oh, really? It is. I'm sick of Sam Cyclotron myself. Johnny, you know you're right. Always getting into impossible scrapes and getting out by miracles. And I can get away from it all myself. Why, Greg, I never thought you felt that way about it. Oh, I always have. Underneath it all. I want to get away. Well, why don't you do what we're doing? That's just what I was thinking. Chuck everything down to the West Indies myself. There, you see, you just have to get away from civilization to find yourself. I was so right. Absolutely so. Will you two take me on the trip? What? Take you? Just a hitch to Cuba and then I'll go my way. What do you say? Oh, we'd love to, Mr. Gregory, really, but there's really no time. That's right. We're leaving in half an hour. So, well, I got a cab waiting on the pier with my truck. Hey, Joe, bring it down and go to the West Indies. Oh, this is the life. Nothing but sea and sky. Ah, skimming over the briny deep, the ocean cradles us to sleep. Ah, that's for my last word. Oh, that's beautiful. Isn't it, Johnny? Oh, yeah, yeah. Hey, uh, have you noticed a small motorboat behind us? Oh, darling, we've passed so many boats. Yeah, but this boat's been trailing us right from Sandy Hook. Look, they're coming closer. Two men on the boat. Oh, just trying to pass us, that's all. They're trailing us from Sandy Hook. Yes, that's all. They're trailing us. Oh, the next thing you'll have them doing is jumping into our boat and holding us up. Oh, what a fantastic idea. Well, that's the sort of thing that happens in San Cyclotron, the cosmic kid all the time. Just cheap blood and thunder-scribbling. Hello there. On your boat. Hey, they're coming alongside. Stick through them, Dick. I don't like their look. Hold on since they mean it. Call them, buddy. We're coming aboard. Oh, Johnny, he's got a gun. You ain't kidding. This is a hold-up, sister. Dick, start the boat. Get your hands off the wheel, bud, and get over there with the others. Yes, sir. Now go down to this ferry, bud. Go through the cabin while I hold these birds here. Okay, killer. This is impossible. It's like something out of Sam Cyclotron. Good. I mean, now look. I've got an idea how to get rid of these men. Now listen, when I give the signal, you and Eileen throw yourselves hard on the deck, and that'll rock the boat, and that fellow will lose balance and I'll tackle him and take his gun away. Hey, that's just how... Just how Sam captured the river of Pirates last Sunday in the color section. You see? You don't have to go to the West Indies to find life. Yeah. Yeah, it sounds awful dangerous. Sam came through, so can we. Yeah, but I... Now tell Eileen when I say, now, that's the signal to drop. Hey, killer, look at this box. Full of the green stuff. The dollar bills say there's a couple of grand here. Are you kidding? There's $50,000 there. That's my money. I took it out of the bank. Oh, boy. Now. Oh, yeah. You hit me. Sure thing, Gregory. Yeah, but you're not... I know I'm not supposed to, but I did, Gregory. You're double-crossing me. Double-crossing you? And he knows your name. Sure, sure. This mug paid me $500 to hold up your boat. What? Then I was supposed to let him capture me and Bugs and bring us back to New York. And he was gonna let us escape there. Gregory, you load down... John, I knew he was a snake. The minute I saw him. Hey, Johnny, I just wanted to convince you that life could be as blood and thunder as your comic strip. That's why I faked all this, so you'd come back to the job and... Oh, so that's why you came along. You're dirty. Hey, shut up. This ain't no fake no more. This ain't no fake. What do you mean? Not when there's $50,000 in it for me and Bugs. You cannot get away with this, killer. By as soon as we get on land... Don't say you'll ever get, tell me. You mean that you... Sure. No witness. Just drop your overboard. Then we shoot him in the water, right, killer? No mess, no bother. You wouldn't dare. For $50,000, come out of your dream, world sister. We'll take the big guy first. Come on. Jump over the big blood... No, no, don't. He's the car tuner to draw Sam's cyclotron. Now, if you shoot him, I'll lose my job. Brother, if that was the worst thing that's gonna happen to you, you'd be a very lucky guy. Jump in, big lad. Hey, wait a minute. You, the guy, draw Sam's cyclotron, the cosmic kid? Yes, yes, I am. Well, tell me. How's Sam gonna get out of that snake pit with them gorillas laying for him upstairs? Well, uh, I, uh... I haven't figured it out myself yet. Well, start now. Hurry up. Oh, I need some time. Okay. We'll shoot the dame and your friend while you think about Sam. Oh, no, no, no. Don't shoot them now. It'll distract me. You know, killer, this ain't no spot to shoot people. They'd be washed up unsure from here. Okay. Tie them all up, bugs, and shove them in the cabin. We'll shoot them in the evening and out for them. In the meantime, big lug, you figure how Sam gets out of that snake pit. And remember, if he gets one scratch on him, it'll be too bad for you. We'll talk briefly from our story Sam's cyclotron, the cosmic kid, starring Wayne Morris to bring you an important message from your government. There's no getting around at high school graduates. Aviation is the career of the future. And here's how you can have your pick of aviation specialties in the U.S. Air Force. As a high school graduate, you can make your choice of aviation technical training even before you enlist. Once accepted for the Air Force School of your own choosing, you're guaranteed that training. Doesn't that appeal to you? You can specialize in such things as radar, airplane mechanics, communication, control tower operations, all of that. And you can make your choice of communication, control tower operation. In fact, you have 40 different schools to choose from. You'll have the opportunity to become an expert in your line with advancement depending on your own efforts. Yes, an Air Force career is well worth considering high school graduates. Just ask any Air Force man how he likes his job. Or better still, let your local recruiting office tell you about a career in the U.S. Air Force. Call them today. The curtain rises on Act 2 of Sam's Cyclotron, the cosmic kid starring Wayne Morris as Johnny Spear. And now in our story, we find that Johnny Spear is trying to get away from his comic strip, has run into a predicament as bad as anything he ever invented for his cartoon hero. His girlfriend and his syndicate editor are in the same boat. Oh, Johnny, to think in a few short hours, our bodies will rest at the bottom of the ocean. Of course, her greatest work undone. A great painter who hasn't painted a picture yet and a rat. That's nothing to what old man Carter is gonna call me Monday when he finds me and Johnny gone and no more Sam's Cyclotron. Ooh. Wow. Why did that guy have to tie me so tight? Your circulation stopped? Stop. It's going backwards. Well, big blood, figure out how Sam gets out of the snake pit yet. Er, no, not quite yet. Well, you've got one more hour. Concentrate. Expect me to concentrate on Sam in one hour of work. Hey. Hey, wait a minute. Sam's Cyclotron is our way out. Yeah. You remember when Sam was tied in that African hut and the witch doctor was going to cut his heart out. Sam's Cyclotron in darkest Africa. I remember. Sam broke open his wristwatch behind his back. And with one of the little wheels from the inside, he cut open the ropes. That's the one. You're wearing a wristwatch, aren't you? Now, just a minute. That watch was my engagement present to Johnny. Never mind. Turn around, Johnny. Hey, big love. Time's up. You better... Get this gun, Johnny. I'll tie him up. Hey, what's going on? Number two on the hit parade. Imagine turning into criminals thanks to Sam. What a public of the angle. When we get back to New York... We're not going back to New York. We're not going back to New York. No, Mr. Gregory. We started for the West Indies and that's where we are going. We'll be very happy to let you and the two murderers off in Florida on the way. Yeah, but what about the comic strip, the syndicate? After all, it was Sam that saved us. If it hadn't been for you and Sam's Cyclotron, this wouldn't have been in danger. John and I are going to the West Indies and we don't care where you go. Well, let's go. Look, you two. Why do we have to stop at this island and waste a whole day? Because John feels the inspiration to paint here. That's why. You're certainly going to find time with the cargo we're carrying. Well, they're all tied up and Johnny's got the gun. I hate the idea of them alone on that boat. Look, Mr. Gregory, then go back to the boat and keep your friends from being lonely. You know, that would certainly suit me. All right. Then how soon do we start for Florida? Soon as I finish this canvas in about an hour. Oh, darling, I wish we could stay here forever. You painting masterpieces and me composing epics. Don't wonder. Hey, hey, hey. Our motorboat. It's heading for the sea. Oh, those ruffians must have broken loose. Hey, hey, stop that boat. Oh, that's all the bullet. Oh, well, I guess you two get your wish after all. What wish? The one about staying here forever, painting pictures and composing epics. How long have we been on this two-by-four island? This is the third day. Oh, the third day after tomorrow the last Sam Cyclicron strip is going to be printed. Now that old man carters in a street jacket by this time. Oh, imagine, imagine. No more Sam. Hey, Dick, where's Eileen? Over on the South Beach composing. You want to? Oh, no, no, no. I don't want her to see this. But why, Johnny? Comic strips? Oh, why, you've been drawing Sam. Yeah. You know, just to kill time. It's wonderful, my boy. That's what I'm going to see. Let me see. How do you get Sam out of the snake pit? Oh, well, uh-huh. He hypnotizes the snakes. Oh, that's terrific. Look, Dick, don't let Eileen know about it, huh? Oh, sure, I'll do that. I wish I could get this batch to New York. Uh, why don't you send it out in a bottle? Send it to the bottle. Oh, and have it picked up in 1970? Well, it's the only way to get off this place. What about the little motorboat the gangsters left when they escaped in New York? Oh, they smashed it good before they left. Only good thing left is an electric battery. Can't see around an electric battery, can you? No boats pass, no planes. We'll be here the rest of our lives. You know, it might have been better if the boys had shot us on the boat. You take a nice, cheerful, long view, don't you? Just practical. Does Eileen realize how we stand? I don't think so. She's finished five sonnets and an elegy since she's been here. I know she'll turn out a lovely in-memorium poem, I mean. Johnny, if we could only figure out what Sam would do if he were on a desert island. No, John, no! Something's wrong. Come on. Help, it's me! A snake! Oh, a snake. Well, if you're going to hypnotize it. No, you idiot. I'll kill it with a rock. Oh, John, look out! There. That does it. Oh, John, I was so frightened for you. All right, dear, you're safe now. Oh, what was it? A cobra or a rattlesnake? A cobra. Oh, just a harmless sand snake. Probably more scared than you were. I don't care. I love snakes. Oh, John, we've got to leave this place today right now. Oh, yes, that chance is there. What do you mean? I mean, we're marooned on this island. We can't leave today or tomorrow or next week or next year. We're stuck for good. I refuse to believe you, Mr. Gregory. You're just being melodramatic. Oh, okay. Go write on writing poetry. The seagulls around you are great lovers of poetry. We are not marooned. Are we, John? John? Well, go on, Johnny. Say something. What's the matter with you, Johnny? What are you looking at? John! This rock I killed a snake with. You see what it's made of? Looks kind of like glassy stuff. Yeah. It has quartz in it. A lot of pure crystal quartz. So what? You remember once when Sam Cyclotron was lost in a canyon while trailing the mysterious princess Tasha and he found that quartz mine? Sam Cyclotron in the heart of Asia. He took some of the quartz and some of his own stuff and rigged up a crystal shortwave sending set and radioed for help. Well, we've got quartz and the electric battery from the boat and some old wire. We can make an armature. Oh, yippee! I knew Sam wouldn't fail it. I'm stuck on this lousy little island back to New York, but when... Oh, my voice is shot to pieces. Ah, what's the use? The battery's dead. Do you think they hurt us, John? I doubt it. It's been raining for eight hours. That's rotten weather for a shortwave reception and with a crude outfit like this one... Oh, John, hold my hand. It's so awfully dark. Hey, hey, hey, hey. Did you hear that? What? It sounded like a boat whistle. I'm right. It is a boat. It's a boat. We're safe. My shortwave set worked, yay! Oh, darling! You're thinking of it with nothing but a piece of quartz and a battery and some junk. And Sam? Yeah, and my boy Sam. That's right. All right, now we can go on to the West Indies. Yeah, yeah, I guess we can. And I can get the comic strips blown in by Wednesday. What comic strips? Oh, well, you see, Johnny did something. I just wanted to kill some time between the paintings. Comic strips? Oh, John Spear, you promised me you'd never touch that stuff again. Well, but please, Aline, I couldn't help it. Hey, listen, listen. That boat was on. It's not getting strong enough. In fact, I think it's fading. Oh. Of course. We should have realized that they can't see us in the dark. They're searching blind. Should we make something or make a fire or trash them? With what? Everything on this island is wet. The only dry spot is this shelter we're standing in. Oh, gee, we've got something fast. Oh, John, we can't miss out. Now, I'll die if we do. I've got it. I've got it. I know what'll make a fire and a good one. What? Your paintings. They'll burn bright with all that oil. Oh, no, not John's paintings. Why, they're the beginning of his artistic life. Oh, no. Oh, yes. John. Now, you listen to me, Aline. I've had a taste of this artistic life and I think it smells. Oh, John. I'd rather be a live cartoonist than 20 million fans than a dead genius who nobody knows. Go ahead, Greg. Light the paintings and throw in my brushes and everything. I knew you'd agree. All I have to do is light it. So you're the trio that's been dancing up and down the airwaves, are you? I've been captain of this boat for 20 years and I've never heard such radio shenanigans as you three pulled. You mean you heard us distinctly, captain? Distinctly. Why, we couldn't hear anything else. I sent out a call to shore about those two gangsters and they've been picked up in a motor cruiser in Miami with a lot of money on them. That's my boat and my money. Straight work. And now, captain, if you just drop us off the next port we pass. Sorry, I make no detours. You'll have to come along with me to the West Indies before I'll drop you off. The West Indies? We don't want to go there. Oh, no. Oh, I don't know now, John. I still think it. Hello, Aline. I might as well break it to you now. The West Indies are full of snakes. Snakes? Oh, captain, let us off right here, please. Sorry, folks. I can't make any exception. But I've got to be in New York tonight. I've got a batch of Sam Cyclotron. You got what? Sam Cyclotron, comics. Oh, you wouldn't understand, captain. You mean Sam Cyclotron, the invincible? Yes, that's right. And this is the man who draws him, John Spear. Think of it. The man who draws Sam on my ship. Well, well. Oh, that's nothing. Well, I'd be glad to drop you and your friends off at any port you like, Mr. Spear. Imagine having you on my ship. Well, well. Oh, captain, this is wonderful of you. If there's any way we can repay you. Well, you certainly can, Mr. Spear. Well, hey, just tell me. Well, I'd like to know, how does Sam get out of that snake pit with all those gorillas around? Oh, that's very simple, captain. He hypnotizes the snakes, then he lassoes the gorillas with them and ties them up. See now, ain't that wonderful? Oh, yes, captain, amen. Oh, John Deere, I'm beginning to realize that it does take genius to draw Sam Cyclotron. Darling. You know what I like about Sam? Nothing like it happens in real life. Yeah, no. You'd be surprised, captain. You'd be surprised. The curtain falls in the final act of Sam Cyclotron, the cosmic kid. Our star, Wayne Morris, will return for a curtain call after this timely message from Wendell Niles. There are several reasons why a young man joins the Army today. Maybe it's because of his desire to serve his country, or perhaps he is anxious to become established in a career with a future. Or it might be because he wants to take advantage of the many possibilities for further education while in Army uniforms. They're all good reasons and well worth you young men considering. And listen, if you're a high school graduate, you can select the Army training you want. That's right, you choose the Army technical school you want to attend and you make your choice before enlisting. You can't go wrong, men. Whatever your reason for enlisting, you'll find an Army career has plenty to offer you. Why don't you talk it over at your local recruiting station today? They'll be glad to give you complete details. Now once again at the microphone, our star, Wayne Morris, and our producer. Now that Sam Cyclotron, the cosmic kid, is headed for a full life of breathtaking escapades, we'll leave him with his hypnotized snakes and lassoed gorillas and get to the real life story of our star, Wayne Morris. In fact, Sam Cyclotron could have borrowed a page or two from the book of Wayne Morris, Lieutenant Naval Air Corps Fighting Squadron 15. Then he too might have wound up with two air medals and four DFCs. But we can bypass that too, can't we, CP? You bet we can, Wayne, but you are still in the reserve. Oh yes, sure. In times like these, we all keep our hands in. Let's see, you're a Lieutenant Commander now and you wear active also in the formation of the Reserve Squadron at Los Alamedas. Yes, and it's a fine outfit. I put in as much airtime as I can at Long Beach. Fact is that's one of the reasons I sold my own plane last week, aside from the expensive maintenance, because the Navy ships are so modern that yesterday's flight is out of date. We have some great equipment and that's the stuff I want to fly. Yes, and even then it's a full-time job. And by the way, how is that room-to-room radio amplifier system coming along in your home, Wayne? Oh, that's great. I'm going to be a bug on radio, recording and home movies. I've finally got the entire house wired with a speaker in every room. You can make toast on the living room speaker and on a clear day I can tune in on your theatre of the stars and a dining room toaster. Well, with 250,000 watt transmitters practically in your own backyards, that isn't such an achievement, even on a toaster. Wayne, thanks for being with us. Oh, it's a pleasure, CP. Tell me, what star steps into your proudly-behaved spotlight next week? Next week, Wayne, and ladies and gentlemen, we present the Hills of Home starring Don DeFour as a penurious young Californian, Douglas Clark. Clark finds himself in New York and Saratoga in pursuit of a distracting romance and a buyer for his 100-odd acres of invaluable land near Los Angeles. Where it is reported, the water comes up black. Oh, that's an interesting play, though. Your listeners should like it. And now, goodbye, CP. Goodbye, Wayne. Join us next week, won't you, ladies and gentlemen, when we present Don DeFour in the romantic comedy, The Hills of Home. Until next week, this is CP McGregor saying thanks for listening and Cheerio from Hollywood. Wayne Morris appeared with the courtesy of the Hollywood coordinator, the media which arranges for the appearance of all stars on his program. Remember, proudly we hail next time, present Don DeFour. This program is transcribed in Hollywood at this time, Wendell Niles speaking.