 Ladies and gentlemen the railroad hour and here comes our new summer show train Right the Association of American Railroads inaugurates a series of new musical plays and operettas created especially for the railroad hour and Starring Gordon MacGray and his charming guest Dorothy Warren show Our choir is under the direction of Norman Luboff and our music is prepared and conducted by Carmen dragon Yes tonight and every Monday night the world premiere of a new operetta 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 MacGray Thank You Marvin Miller and Dorothy Warren show will sing the role of Mary Parker in beautiful dreamer by Lawrence and Lee And I shall be an old friend of yours named Steve You wouldn't recognize his face and you never shook his hand, but Steve is a good friend of yours just the same You've met him in melodies like this No This isn't by Stephen Forster it can't be he only writes sad songs. Oh, no, he used to write happy music many many years ago Who is this man? I don't know Excuse my appearance. I'm a customer. I'll take that song young lady. You needn't wrap it I had no idea this music story catered to I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come in here. No, please. Let me help you well Do you have a song called? Come where my love lies dreamy. Yes, may I sing it for you? Be very kind of you. Here it is. Let me see now the key is e-flats Oh Foster songs is it really your favorite you see it's it's my song don't expect you to believe oh, but I do I do believe you mr. Foster the way you sang that melody It's been hard times lately here. Take the music Thank you my child you look thin Are you hungry? No Please let me tell my grandchildren that I once had a lunch and guest named Stephen Foster another bowl of soup mr. Foster Well, it'll warm you up. You know, that's the trouble with New York City too cold in the winter too hot in the summer That's the trouble with friendship You either have too many friends or none at all Why are you so lonely mr. Foster? Was there a girl a girl? Of course There was Jane who you never wrote a song about Jane Katie Bell Laura Lee Nellie Bly don't you remember? It's not the way it goes that's the way I wrote it But Jane thought it was too public that way. It's too public that way Steve But Jane I thought you'd be pleased. I'm not a lady of the car Steve I'm your wife, and I don't want your love for me to be a commodity in six sharps Every minstrel company and every showboat from Pittsburgh to New Orleans singing about Janie Janie with a light brown hair I won't have it Steve. All right. I'll change it then But every time you hear it my darling my bride remember It was written for you. We just decided to go our separate ways I'm not a very good provider. I'm afraid You see Jane and I loved each other But I guess we just weren't very good friends. I'm sorry mr. Foster. I Don't know what's happening to me So many of my songs are about dreaming It's coming now, so I can't tell the dreams from the truth I don't know if I'm honestly here talking to you or if it's just in my mind I'm all swallowed up in dreams. I Can't tell the truth from the lies and the real from the unreal I'm lost halfway between real life and dream life Help me find my way And for the second act of beautiful dreamer in just a moment Wednesday the 175th anniversary of America's declaration of independence has deep meaning for all of us For on that day the birthday of our nation We will again pay tribute to brave men who demanded an end of tyranny men who declared a new liberty Which guaranteed freedom of thought and action for everyone? This belief inspired those who declared their independence and who fought bitter years earning it opening the way for the establishment of democracy in the United States Under our democratic system we Americans produce more and live better than any other people on earth This is due first to the institutions, which our forefathers gave us But the fact that we enjoy such plenty as the world has never known before and such as is known nowhere else today is Also due in part to transportation which made it possible for America to be truly united In the beginning mighty stretches of wilderness separated the people of one coast from those on the other and inland Communities were able to gain only a foothold With the coming of the railroads However, our continent was kept a unit politically and made a unit commercially for the first time in thousands of years of recorded history It was possible for an entire continent to be welded into a unit The early railroads moved constantly into the wilderness opening new areas creating markets for the products of farms mines and forests and Supplying those pioneers who operated them little shops became large factories Small towns became cities When America got her railroads, she started to grow and nothing could stop her and because the railroads and the nation have grown together The railroads on this independence day Again pledged to do their part to keep America strong to go forward with it To the great destiny that lies ahead Now here is the second act of beautiful dreamer starring Gordon Macrae as Stephen Foster and Dorothy Warren should as Mary Parker Help me find my way Mr. Foster Why don't you try to think back to the happiest time of your life? Happiest time yes, try and remember when you had no cares nothing to be afraid of everything smiles and music There was a time like that when I was young Lord how young I was Jane and I took a river trip on one of the old paddle wheelers all the way to New Orleans Was our honeymoon really? It's our honeymoon Steve come out and watch the lights go by on the shore I've been working on a song dear another song. Oh, what's the point of it Steve? Oh, your little jingle is a nice for parlor entertainment, but well I do wish you had a substantial job like a Floorwalker or a bookkeeper then I'd really be proud of you Steve But listen to this one Janie and I I think you'll be proud of me Alabama with my banjo on my knee. I'm going to Louisiana my cooler for the sea It rained all night today. I left to weather it was dry. This one's so hot. I froze to death Susanna, don't you cry? Oh, Susanna, don't you cry for me? Well, I'm going to Louisiana with my banjo on my knee And we're going to Louisiana Jane. I wrote this song for us. It does have a nice little to it Steve Everything was killed. I thought I saw Susanna. She was coming down the hill The puppy cake was in her mouth. He was in her eye Said, I am coming from the south. Susanna, don't you cry. Oh, Susanna, don't you cry for me I'm going to Louisiana with my banjo on my knee Oh, Susanna, don't you cry for me We sell thousands of copies of your songs. I'd expect you to be a rich man Well, other people got rich from my songs, but I never did Somehow I just don't know how to sell things Once years and years ago I took one of my songs to the greatest mystery man of them all And I was shaking in my boots Yes, what is it, boy? Mr. Christie, I have a song I thought perhaps you could use in your show Sorry, boy, we only employ the compositions of established masters of the melodic art Mr. Christie, listen to my song, please, and see if you don't like it There's a piano sound. I'll give you two golden minutes of my valuable time Thank you, Mr. Christie Upon the P.D. River The heart is turning On the whole creation Sand for the old plantation And for the old folks in home Fluous piece of music, my boy But what's the name of that river? The P.D., sir Don't like it. How about the Azzoo? No, that's worse I have an inspiration. Make it Way down upon the Hudson River Well, it's supposed to be a Southern song True, true Well, my boy, there's a fine map of the Republic here in this atlas We shall pollute it together Let's see, there's the Rappahannock, Monongahela, the Susquehanna, all too long Say, here's a little river with an interesting name Here in Florida, flowing into the Gulf, the Suwani Still too long We could shorten it The Suwani River I like that The Suwani River I never saw the place in my life, but it's beautiful You don't suppose the folks in Florida will object to your changing the name of their river? Object? Way down there? Why, they'll never even hear of the song Listen, sir Way down upon the Suwani River Heart is turning Mr. Christie, you'd have to give me something Look here, boy, I practically wrote the words to the song Suppose I give you $10 for the right to declare that I'm the sole author and composer Please, Mr. Christie, can't you make it $15? Well, I'm a generous nature, but you drive a hard bargain, son, a hard bargain Could you be so foolish, Mr. Foster? Well, I needed the money Are you still writing melodies? If you could bring out a thrilling new song, why... Well, it could be the new beginning of life for you The way you say it, it almost seems possible What's that? Oh, it's just an old piece of brown wrapping paper With notes scribbled on it It's a song Yes, I keep hearing music, all mixed up with the dreams and the nightmares And I have to write it down Let me see the song Be published, Mr. Foster I don't even have music paper to write it down I'll copy it for you Then I'll give it to Mr. Waters at the music store You're a gentle heart and a dear friend Where do you live? In the back of a grocery store at $15 Please be there tonight, I'll bring you the copy Doctor, you must help me I went to his room and they told me an ambulance had brought him here Which of our patients are you inquiring about, Miss? My friend Stephen, a great composer You have the wrong place, Miss This is the charity ward There wouldn't be anybody like that here You must help me It's Mr. Foster, Stephen Foster We do have a forester, no first name indicated Let me see you Right this way There was no identification Just a slip of paper in his pocket that said Dear friends and gentle hearts It was the title for a new song Here Oh I'm afraid there's nothing anyone can do I can't believe this is Stephen Foster I thought he died years ago Perhaps he did Stephen Janie? Janie? You're just part of a dream And a riverboat That's part of a dream And a girl in a music shop A dear friend A gentle heart She wanted me to live again But she's just part of the dream, too Just part of the dream The American Railroads Railroads are at the very heart of America's Rearmament Program Look at any industrial city in America And you see a beehive of activity And in the midst of it all are freight trains Bringing in raw materials Taking out finished products Yes, those trains started mines and forests Run to mills and factories And then distribute the products Where they are needed in our civilian commerce Or for our national defense Because railroads do this essential job And do it with unequal efficiency It is important that they receive the steel And other materials they need To further expand their transportation capacity Gordon, you know, I can't tell you what a pleasure it is To be your leading lady this summer Well, it's a pleasure to have you, Dorothy And next week we're stepping up to the plate For a brand new musical based on the famous Casey at the Bat And we're going to tell the story of why Casey struck out See you next week, champ I'll be in the bullpen warming up my vocal cords All aboard! Folks, it looks as though we're ready to pull out And so until next Monday And our musical version of Casey at the Bat This is Gordon Macrae saying goodbye Gordon Macrae appeared through the courtesy Of Warner Brothers producers of Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train 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 now stay tuned for your Monday night of music On NBC