 Remember a hallmark card when you care enough to send the very best From Hollywood the makers of hallmark greeting cards bring you mr. James Hilton inherited Paul is the story of silent night on the hallmark playhunt Each week hallmark brings you outstanding stories chosen by one of the world's best known authors Mr. James Hilton Here is a Christmas message from the folks at hallmark and the friendly stores where hallmark cards are sold a Special hallmark Christmas card from all of us to all of you that comes with real sincerity and brings our friendly greetings, too So to the wishes you've received please add our wish for Christmas cheer And by the way, it's sure been grand to have you with us through the year And now it is hallmark's pleasure to present the distinguished novelist mr. James Hilton Good evening ladies and gentlemen. This is James Hilton tonight on our hallmark playhouse We tell you the story of how that wonderful Christmas song silent night came to be written 130 years ago This story was told recently to a writer named Heta Pauly by the grandson of the man who wrote the music of Silent night Christmas the year of our Lord 1948 1,948 years from the miracle of Bethlehem Christmas the birth date of the prince of peace The birth date of hope and faith the birth date of a miracle in Bethlehem three kings Nelton proffered gifts from the east Since Bethlehem many gifts recorded and unrecorded have been created of man's love of God and humbly offered in his honor What you are to hear tonight will tell you of one such gift offered by two humble men 130 years ago this Christmas week This too is the story of a miracle that was born one silent night We are going back now through the arches of the years back 130 Christmas Eve's to meet a man named Joseph Moore Father Joseph Moore Those voices you can just barely distinguish are all voices that have said Merry Christmas through the years Their sentiment remains and lingers on the Christmas air like a blessing And now we are in the Austrian Alps in a small village the year is 1818 in the center of the town near a swift flowing stream Stands a whitewash church with a tall red top steeple There are the church bells They have a special joyousness tonight as all church bells seem to have on Christmas Eve Come now. We'll meet Father Moore He's in his study and his heart's a little heavy because the church organ has broken down and there'll be no music for the Christmas service Good evening Father Moore. Oh good evening. Come in come in. You don't know me father But I'm in your parish. I've come from one of the charcoal makers families a Child has been born to them tonight and they beg that you come and bless the baby that it may live and prosper Have I time to go and return for my sermon? Yes father Well, then I'll go at once So it was that on Christmas Eve of the year 1818 father Joseph Moore followed a woman up the rocky foothills of the Alps to a simple hut and blessed a baby on Christmas Eve Seems like a miracle that her child should be born this night Birth itself is a miracle God has blessed her with a beautiful son On the most holy night of the year And God has blessed me by guiding me here Transfixed transfigured He thought of the baby and of the sacred night and words began to stir and form themselves within him Round yarn virgin mother and child Round yarn virgin mother and child Holy infant So tender and mine How simple is the coming of a miracle to a stable in Bethlehem to the heart of a man After father Moore had solemnized the mass He sat all night in his study Writing down the words that filled his heart and when dawn came he took the poem he had written to France Gruber Father, this is a fine poem. I I rather heard it is a song Franz. I thought you might set it to music Thank you father. I Should like to try and so the words that father more had heard on Christmas Eve became music to France Gruber on Christmas Day And before nightfall he came to father Moore's house. I Written the music father. I wrote it for guitar and voice rather than the organ After all we have no way of knowing when the organ can be used. Please sing it Let me hear it few days after Christmas came the organ builder Carl. Maura. Well now father more mr. Gruber I think I have the organ and working order now The mice had eaten holes in the bellows, but this leather patch should solve all your problems. May I try it? Well, go ahead Franz and I wrote it at Christmas. I've never heard a song like it. Would you teach it to me? I know people would like to learn it down in the Zillertal. We'll be happy to teach it to you What way France we will be honored was born on Christmas night started its journey out into the wide world Carl, Mooraka took the song down into the Zillertal Silent night was on its way from a small church high in the Alps to the cathedrals of the earth All sang well But of them all the ones with the most beautiful voices were the four Strasser children Caroline Joseph Andreas and Amelie and The organ builder worked painstakingly to teach them the song On Christmas Eve. They stood in the doorway and sang it as a Christmas gift for their parents. Thank you, mr. Mooraka, I I hoped in the spring when mr. Strasser takes the gloves to sell at the fair in Leipzig Perhaps he would find a way for you to sing the song there We aren't good enough to do that. We could never do it. Why do you want them to sing the song there mr. Mooraka? Well To me this song is almost like a song from heaven The words came to father Moor on Christmas Eve the melody to the schoolmaster gruber on Christmas Day They gave it to their parish and then it was given to me to carry down into the valley of the Zillertal I in turn give it to you to take the Leipzig Someone in Leipzig will take it on the next step of its journey Who knows little Amelie perhaps everywhere, but who in Leipzig? I don't know that either But someone will make him or herself known to you and the song from heaven will go on across the earth Will you take it to Leipzig and send it on its way? Oh, yes, of course we will Children sir, I'm Strasser from the Zillertal. This is my glove stand We're here at the fair to sell chamois gloves. Your children have beautiful voices mr. Strasser Yes, they sing every afternoon and the people stop to listen to them just as you saw today And do they also buy the gloves? Yes, I think it helps business in any case. It does not harm it It was their song that caught my attention Yes, I've never heard it before My name is Poland's I am the director general of music in the kingdom of Saxony the director general of music Yes, I wanted to ask you children if you would care to appear at a concert one of these days a Concert oh that would be terrible. I'm afraid they aren't experienced enough mr. Paul We must do it. We promise mr. Marocca. We've got to do it It doesn't matter if we aren't good as long as we sing it We'll we'll be happy to sing at a concert mr. Paulans Well, we may not be happy, but we'll do it good next Tuesday then at the gavante house There will be an orchestra concert perhaps at the close of the concerts You will honor us with this song the king and queen will be there Majesty your highness we are honored Well children don't look at the floor look at us we want to see your faces I think they have a slight case of fright your majesty. We don't want you to be afraid of us We have children just about your aid mr. Paulans has told us you sing a wonderful song that you call the song from heaven We're looking forward to hearing it if we just didn't have to sing it before all those people now Some of them are the same people you sang it for at the fair Your Majesty it's almost time for the concert to start with your permission Just close your eyes children and pretend you're singing at home and listening with them was the director of the Berlin Cathedral Choir It was he who heard the song in life-seek and took it on the next step of its journey To Berlin and the court of the emperor James Hilton will return to bring you the second act of the story of silent night You've been so busy buying gifts for others now Let me tell you about a Christmas present for you from the friendly store where you find hallmark greeting cards It's a hallmark date book. I have one in my hand now What a little beauty it is from the colorful chameleon the cover to the last pink and white page in the book It's just the right size to tuck away in your purse or keep beside your telephone and so useful You'll always be referring to it just inside the cover There's a place for your name and a list of important dates like Easter and Mother's Day Turn the page and there's a calendar for January 1949 with a space beside each date for jotting down things to remember Social engagements appointments anniversaries There's also room for names and addresses of people you'll want to remember during January and so for every month of the year Right through to December you'll find it especially valuable right now because at the back of the book There's a place for your next year's Christmas card list room for names and addresses and an easy way to mark Christmas card sent and Cards received you'll find so many uses for this handy hallmark date book Why not get your copy right away? It's yours without obligation a Christmas gift to you from the friendly store where you find hallmark greeting cards Now back to James Hilton and the second act of the story of Silent Night Those voices are the men of the Berlin Cathedral Choir singing for the Emperor on Christmas Day There's the Emperor in the royal pew singing with them. No, he stopped singing Look at his face. He's glaring at that hymn book What do you mean you don't know who wrote that song are you my concert master? Are you not my concert master? I am your concert master at the moment, sir. Look at this hymn book. Just look at this page. What does it say? Sir Silent Night, and what else does it say author and composer are known I want to know who wrote that hymn concert master you spoil my whole Christmas the trees the gifts even the dinner If a thing is unknown, I wish it made known. I want order in my hymn book I wanted as soon as possible. You would start out today in search of the name of the composer of Silent Night Yes, sir And so it was that concert master Ludwig Erich started out to trace the origin of Silent Night He went to big cities. He went to small villages. He talked to the young to the old long worrisome months kept pace beside him and At last even though he knew what he had to face in the anger of the king. He knew he had to give up He sat alone and disconsolate in a small village in near the Austrian border anything else, sir No, no, that'll be all songs in the bird I thought it was my own mind That's the song I've been hunting for who taught it to him. I don't know sir The travelers sold him to us the man said he had bought the bird in Salzburg in St. Peter's Abbey Salzburg well then I shall go to Salzburg To Salzburg to St. Peter's Abbey, which had been built a thousand years after the birth of Christ Concertmaster Eric walked through a dark pillard archway into a vaulted room and Stood where father Joseph Moore had stood so many times in the years gone by Silent night No, I have no recollection of it. How did you happen to come to us sir? I heard a bullfinch sing the tune father the innkeeper told me the bird came from this Abbey No, we we don't allow any of our students to train songbirds here We consider it a cruel practice to deprive God's creatures of their freedom. I see Well, perhaps it was a mistake come here. It's late to have some dinner with us and then spend the night And this is young Felix group. Oh my ear. I'm gonna tell my father on you I was told about your inquiries concerning the bullfinch this young rascal trained him you trained it didn't hurt the bird Where did you learn that song that you taught him? The song you heard the gentleman the song My father wrote it your father. Yes, sir. Where is your father in the village of Haleen Haleen? Mr.. Prenstand it do you think you could arrange for this boy to have a day or two off so I could go with him to Haleen Well, you'll have to talk to the abbot, but I'm sure it can be arranged And now young Felix Gruber and concert master air are tucked in a fine sleigh behind a team of the abbey's finest horses The bells sing out galey across the clean crisp air and the snow crunches under the horses hooves Now they are going through the pass above Haleen and now they're skimming down the main street to the market square before the church And now they are pulling up before the small friendly house, which is the home of France Gruber And so it was at last concert master Eric sat with the composer of Silent Night Mr.. Gruber, I bring you and father more the compliments of the king in the whole country Father more is dead God rest his soul these six years past. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Yes Yes, he was a fine man Do you have all six stanzas to the song? I know we have only four Felix Help me the guitar, please Here father and above the music will be the names Gruber and more Concert master Erk walks out to the snow after dinner and as he walks He looks up at the snow-covered Alps that father more loved and France Gruber watches him from the window and wishes regretfully that Father Joseph more had been here to see his song brought back in triumph to the village of Haleen To meet a man named father Joseph more and the school teacher France Gruber and Carl Mouraca the organ-builder and the Strasse's and all the rest who had a part in Carrying the song from a village high in the Alps down into the world Yes, now it has bridged 130 Christmas Now it has been sung by the old and the young the rich and the poor It has been sung in every language in every country of the world It has become a prayer a Prayer that men can live together in one world as brothers and that there be indeed Peace on earth goodwill toward men You have heard the story of a miracle a Miracle that was born one silent night For James Hilton returns to tell you about our story for next week I'd like to tell you about hallmark new year's cards. They're as bright and gay as a new year's party They're a thoughtful expression of friendship and they're the best way I know to remember someone you may have overlooked when you sent your Christmas cards Remember these are hallmark cards when friends receive them and glance at the back as you did They'll see the hallmark and know you cared enough to send the very best Here again is James Hilton the story of silent night and the music you have just heard has all the beauty and joy and happiness of Christmas There's nothing anyone can add to it But I would like to introduce the man who's responsible for the splendid music you've just heard I know you'd like to meet him because so many of you have written us to praise his music He's Lynn Murray the musical director of the hallmark Playhouse whose work contributes so much to the success of our performances every week Lynn I personally want to thank you not only on my own behalf But for all our hallmark people everywhere for helping to make our Playhouse musically outstanding Thank you very much. Jimmy. You know, I enjoy working with you and all the rest of the people here It's very satisfying to be with people who are always working toward perfection But I suppose that's quite natural when you realize that our sponsors are the people who make hallmark cards You know, Jimmy writing music for a dramatic presentation has a parallel The making of greeting cards In our work, we try to compose the exact music to fit the story that is being told To underline every mood character and change of scene And hallmark greeting cards always seem to express the fitting sentiment for every occasion And by the way, I want to ask our audience to be sure to listen next week When we will dramatize your own book lost horizon with one of hollywood's finest actors herbert marshall And the following week it'll be our pleasure to present louis bramfield's mcleod's folly Starring robert young and now for all of us here in the playhouse for our director producer d engelback For gene halloway who dramatized tonight's story for the hallmark dealers whom you see in your own cities For everyone who is proudly a member of the hallmark family We wish you our friends a very very merry christmas until next thursday then this is james hilton saying. Good night Look for hallmark cards that are sold only in stores that have been carefully selected to give you expert and friendly service Remember hallmark cards when you carry enough to send the very best This is frank gauss saying good night to you all until next week at the same time when james hilton returns to present herbert marshall In lost horizon and the following week mcleod's folly starring robert young This program came through from the hallmark playhouse. This is cbs the columbia broadcasting system