 United States Army and United States Air Force presentation. Now here is your host, the well-known Hollywood showman, C.P. McGregor. Thank you, thank you. Greetings from Hollywood, ladies and gentlemen. And welcome again to your Theatre of Stars, where each week we present a drama we hope you'll enjoy. Those of you who saw The Swordsman, remember our lovely young star, Ellen Drew, a welcome premiere indeed to a technicolor picture or a radio production. You'll hear Ellen Drew is Catherine Bond and our drama entitled The Bryn Mard Girl, the story of a girl who lost all the wonderful illusions she had of the man she loved that found happiness. Act one in a moment, but first, Wendell Niles. Highly trained, competent men, these are the essentials of an up-to-date Army and Air Force, and your regular Army and U.S. Air Force are endeavoring to be just that. They're carrying on a widespread program of research and development. They're selecting intelligent, mentally and physically fit young men and giving them the best training in the world. But only with an up-to-date Army and Air Force can we maintain peace at home and abroad. Now here at the microphone, our producer. And now act one of the Bryn Mard Girl starring Ellen Drew as Catherine Bond. New York has its share of them, I suppose. People who for one reason or another seem out of place, seem not to belong. Such a girl was Catherine Bond. Had you seen her, you would have said that she was lovely. And by her bearing, you'd probably have remarked that she didn't belong in the drab, rooming house run by Mrs. Proust. On the morning our story begins, things were not all sweetness and light with Mrs. Proust or with Kathy. They certainly weren't. My rent happened to be due. You know, even for such miserable accommodations, one pays rent and me the thirty cents of my purse. I wanted to slip down the stairs and out the door unnoticed. I didn't want to sing. Mrs. Proust, my landlady, has the memory of an elephant in ears like radar. But I took my courage and carefully tucked my latest Arthur James novel under my arm and started down the stairs. For a moment I thought I was good for a touchdown, only to be tackled on a five-yard line. Morning, Kathy. Good morning, Mrs. Proust. You were so quiet in the stairs, I most missed you. You did? Yes, I did. There was very little hot water this morning, Mrs. Proust. Certainly I'm out of cool. They're delivering some today. Oh, well. I hope you're not finding it too uncomfortable here. Oh, no. Not at all. I must say the cool coming today will have to be paid for with more than a promise. From a Bryn Ma girl. I'm sorry I'm late with my rent, Mrs. Proust. I assure you I'll pay you Saturday. Well, you assure me much more when you pay me on time. Where will you get it? I'm going down there now. Where? Bankruptcy Court. Oh, Bankruptcy Court. Well, now, dearie, I had no idea it was that bad. Oh, not that. I'm working there. I got a job there just last Monday. Mrs. Proust was very demanding. I was glad I had my job. Perhaps if I watched my money carefully, I'd be able to get out of that house and into something better. Yes, I was grateful for my new found job in Bankruptcy Court. And I worked hard. They put me in the firing department. I worked alongside a girl named Sadie. Well, how do you like it by now? I like it all right. Hmm, can't you talk to a person? Do you have to be so up to date? I'm just busy. Well, you don't have to work your fingers to the bone, you know. I didn't realize I was, Sadie. Well, you're setting a bad example for the rest of us. All right. Did you just happen to know that Mr. Evans had his eye on you all morning? Was he really? Ha, as if you didn't know. Say, you're getting so involved in my affairs, you're filing those histories in a wrong cabinet. I am not. You're pardoning you most certainly. Oh, come on. Now, don't tell me. What's this? What's this? What's going on here? Oh, I don't like her shouting at me. Let's have no disturbance, no tempers, loud voices, bad manners. Now, what is all this, please? I'm sorry, Mr. Evans. I just don't like this sort of thing. I mentioned to Sadie that she was filing those histories in a wrong cabinet. What's that? In the wrong cabinet? She's not. Well, yes, she is. No, she isn't. She's absolutely right. Sadie? Yes, Mr. Evans. You'll have to pay more attention to your work. And you, Miss... Bond. Catherine Bond. Yes, Miss Bond. You know, I've liked your spirit ever since you came into the office. I like people with background. Keep up the good work. That was nice of him. Sadie could have murdered me, I guess, but she asked for it. Besides, I didn't really mean to get her in trouble with Mr. Evans. I just got tired of hearing her talk. That noon at lunch, I had a chance to read a chapter of my new Arthur James novel. And I remembered an inspired line. Man's destiny is good and the gracious shall lead the way. And when I returned to work, surprise. Mr. Evans called me into his office. You sent from me, Mr. Evans? Yes, Miss Bond. Sit down, won't you? Sit down. Thank you. What are you reading there? Arthur James. Oh. Well, not on office time, please. Oh, no, Mr. Evans, I just returned from lunch. What you do in your lunch hour is your own business, of course. Now, Miss Bond, I want you to know, you've only been here a short time, but I've admired your work tremendously. Thank you, Mr. Evans. I'll have to confess something to you. What's that? In your card filing this morning, you broke the office record. Oh. 987. The morning only. I know the record's authentic. I counted every one of them. Oh, happy day. But now, Miss Bond. Yes, sir. Our girl at the information desk out front has left us. Married? They do, you know. Yes. And I thought you were so... Well, you're so... Oh, gracious. Oh, that's it. That's it. Gracious. Well, thank you. You're very kind. If you want the job, that's your... Oh, thank you. I just want you to remember this one thing, and don't forget this. We want the name and address of every person applying here for our record. Yes, Mr. Evans. And I'll carry on, and goodbye. The word of my promotion got around the office pretty fast. You know how those things are. And Sadie lost no time in getting over to congratulate me. Nice going, Toots. Thank you, Sadie. No hard feelings about this morning. Oh, that. Oh, that's forgotten. I could just claw you for it. Really, Sadie? Mm-hmm. You don't let any grass grow under your feet, do you? Should I? No. No, I suppose not. How do you like it here at the information desk? So far, I find it fascinating. You would. What do you mean? Well, this misguided unfortunate humanity coming in here to demand another legal chance to spend the wheel of life. Fascinating process. I didn't mean it that way at all. Oh? Well, anyway, Toots, nice going. But I don't envy you. You don't? No, you get to greet them. You see them when they walk in a disillusioned despair. The scars of battle's lost. Now, me, I prefer the filing department case and the slate clean. You don't really mean that, Sadie. No, I don't. I wanted this job. I'm sorry, Sadie. I've been here longer than you and I deserved it. Oh, I'll get even with you, Kathy. I'll get even with you. Such a pleasant soul. I was sorry we had to rock us with Mr. Evans and Sadie was involved, even if she did deserve it. That evening at home, I stopped down in the living room to make Mrs. Proust happy. Here's my rent, Mrs. Proust. Oh. Well, now, thank you. Does money always do that to you? Well, it's a struggle getting by these days, but I must say you're a girl of your word, Kathy. You're the only Bryn Maugh girl I've ever had. But I'd recommend them to anyone. Well, that's very big of you. Thank you. Oh, I mean it. Oh, what's the book under your arm, dear? A new novel by Arthur James. Oh, you read a lot, don't you? I've read everything of his. Why? I like him. Does he paint beautiful pictures with words so that you can lose yourself in them? More than that. He has excellent taste. He's discriminating, and he writes that way. Oh, listen to her. Well, you asked me. But more than that, he's strong. I saw him once, very close. He stood as close to me as you are now, this very moment. I'll ever forget that. Mm-hmm. You know what, dearie? I think you have a crush on him. Mrs. Pulse can be terribly dull sometimes. The next few days at the office, I was very busy at the information desk. But one day in between queries, Myrna, one of the girls who worked there, came over. Oh, hello, Kathy. Myrna. How's the new job going? I like it. I, um... I understand. You and Sadie had quite a tizzy the other day. Oh, that. It was nothing. Oh, to Sadie, it was. But don't mind her, Kathy. She wanted your job because of the little racket she runs. What do you mean? Well, bankruptcy can be news, you know, provided there's a name involved. And Sadie has a direct wire to the newspaper. Oh, but I'll run now. Here comes someone. May I have some information, please? Oh, of course. I'm here to file for bankruptcy. Where do I begin? Oh, oh, no. No, what? Well, you don't mean it. I do. Not you. Listen, what is this? Well, you're Arthur James, aren't you? Yes, yes, I am. The author? Supposedly. Oh, I've read all of you. Thank you, Myrna. I'm afraid I... I think you're wonderful. Very kind, but I didn't exactly come to this office seeking compliments. Oh, oh, I'm sorry. I know you must have a serious problem. Well, how do we go about this? Well, we ordinarily have a preliminary discussion. All right, with whom? Why, with me, if you'd like. You mean both of us and that information booth? Oh, no. No, but... Well, it's almost noon. We could have lunch. I had automatically written Arthur James' name down on the preliminary application. I put it to one side in the information booth. I was stepping out of bounds, but good. But it was for something I'd never dreamed would happen. That I would actually have the chance to help Arthur James. I called to Myrna and she ran over. Well, what is it, Kathy? I'm leaving a little early for lunch. Could you... could you cover for me? Well, I don't know. Oh, sure, I guess so. Oh, thanks, Myrna. At least I'll get somebody to relieve you. You're a peach. Shall we go, Mr. James? Very well. Now, Mr. James, I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Kathy Bond. How do you do? I'm a great admirer of yours. I suppose I've already indicated that. I guess I'm very fortunate in that respect. You don't sound at all convincing. I do have rather a problem, you know. Now, Mr. James, didn't you once write a wonderful line about man's destiny being good? I believe I did. And didn't you mean it? At the time, yes. But I've forgotten what it means. I don't mind having a mortgage on everything tangible I own, but when it comes to mortgaging my soul... Oh. Oh, I'm sorry. We pause briefly from our story The Bryn Maw Girl starring Ellen Drew to bring you an important message. Not everyone in the United States Air Force can fly the planes, but all members of the Air Force contribute to getting the planes in the air and keeping them in top condition. And they all learn some interesting and valuable phase of aviation. That's the essence of the U.S. Air Force aviation career plan. You young men with a high school education have the opportunity to select a career in aviation. And you make your choice without being obligated to enlist. You can choose such training as radio maintenance and operation, photography, control tower operation, or even carpentry, refrigeration, or electricity. After you've been accepted for the Air Force school of your choice, then you enlist for three, four, or five years. And men, that's just the start of a worthwhile career. So, why don't you investigate this grand opportunity right away? Ask at your local U.S. Air Force recruiting station. And now, act two of the Bren Ma girl starring Ellen Drew as Catherine Bond. It's the same day, and Kathy and Arthur James are at lunch. The celebrated author is telling Kathy his reasons for appearing in bankruptcy court. And Kathy is doing some very fast thinking. You can say that again. I was trying to work a miracle, just a small one would do. He was very handsome sitting there across the table from me. And it didn't seem true that this was really the first time, for hadn't he been there so often in my dreams? Only it wasn't the way I dreamed it, not at all. It's all very simple, Kathy. Is it? Very simple. I owe much more than I can pay. That always seems to be the problem. But more than that, Kathy, they're getting to me. I don't say that. They are. They're getting inside me. They're getting deep inside me where it hurts. Please don't say that. It's true, though. I haven't sold a line for two years. I haven't been able to write anything worthwhile. Arthur, I know how you feel. You understand, don't you? Yes. You do, and I know you do. Kathy, I don't know what I've ever done to deserve it, but God would allow me to know you. Please. I mean it. This isn't right. It wasn't meant to be. Arthur, who are your creditors? Well, they've actually resolved down to the Central Collection Agency, Mr. Feast. Good. Now we get to work. Work? Absolutely. Your job is to go all out on your publishers. You have an agency. Go after them yourself, and you just can't miss. You make it sound easy. It is easy. We're not throwing in the sponge, not yet. And you're not fighting for bankruptcy. It's fine with me, but what are you going to do? Work a miracle? A miracle has already happened. And the miracle had happened. That we should even meet. That he should need me. That he should want me. And I knew he wanted me. Oh, how I longed to tell him to make him understand. But there was so much to do. We said goodbye, and I hurried back to the office. I looked for the application form with Arthur's name in it. In the meantime, and with a wonderful feeling of confidence, I got Mr. Feast on the phone at the Central Collection Agency. Hello. May I talk to Mr. Feast? This is Feast speaking. Mr. Feast, I'm calling about Arthur Jane. And what about him? Well, I'm representing Mr. Jane. I want more time on his obligation. Time? You want time? Well... Listen, I've reached a limit in dealing with that screwball artist. How dare you talk like that? I mean it. Why, he makes more money than 10 men, but he's crazy with it. Why? I'm not so sure about that. Well, I am. Why, that man could owe $5,000 to some poor sucker of a creditor, and he is liable to go down to the settlement house on Tenth Avenue, feel sorry for the orphans, and donate them the $5,000. He can do it. Then he has. All right, Mr. Feast. But if you continue your insistence, I might remind you that Mr. James has recourse to bankrupts. Well, I'm not afraid of that either. Good day. Well, if I weren't a lady, I might have put him in his place. But Mr. Feast had set me down a little. I was further upset when I couldn't find that application with Arthur's name on it. I finally called Murna over. Well, what is it, Kathy? Was everything all right at noon? For sure. I covered for you until your relief came. Oh, relieve me. I'm looking for something and I can't find it. Oh, well, uh, Sadie. Sadie? Uh-huh. Evan Sennerem, do you know she must have eyes in the back of her head? Why? She wanted to know all about you and that man who took you to lunch. And what he was doing in here. Not really. Well, what about him, Kathy? If he really a famous author. Excuse me, Murna. Hello. Hello, Kathy. This is Arthur. And believe me, you are wonderful. What do you mean? I just talked to a publisher with whom I've occasionally done business. He's very hot on a story I submitted a long time ago. Oh, that's marvelous, Arthur. He's coming over to my place tonight. I wanted to perhaps I could pick you up. Oh, yes, I'd love to come. Will seven o'clock be all right? Of course. Kathy, I can't tell you how grateful I am that you've spirited me out of there today. Why? Well, that's a very straight-laced businessman. He wouldn't like bankruptcy at all. Besides, I think I'll manage a good price on this material if they don't know how badly I need the money. Oh, Arthur. There's no reason for anyone to know I was there in the bankruptcy court, is there? No, Arthur. I hope not. I'll see you tonight at seven. Take over here in a minute. Will you, Murna? I've got to talk to Sadie. Okay. Sadie. Hello, Kathy. May I speak to you for a moment? Sure. You relieved me at lunch. Did you see an application there? I don't know. No, what was the name? Never mind. It doesn't matter. Could it be this one? James Arthur James? Oh, give me that. Oh, I didn't know it was that important to you. Don't let your imagination run away. I did, though, isn't it? He's that very famous author, isn't he? Why do you ask? You know all the answers. What's happened to him? How do I know? Oh, you ran off to lunch with him, didn't you? What is he doing in bankruptcy court? Well, if you must know, he's down here doing research on a new book he's writing. Oh. Oh, so you put his name on an application blank just to get him in the spirit of things. That's a laugh. Sadie, please forget all about this. Forget it? Well, you don't know how much is involved. Maybe I don't. But I do know this. James means plenty to you, and I've been waiting so long, Kathy, to even things up. So long. I wanted to scream. I wanted to drop something heavy on her head. Sadie did have a direct wire to a newspaper gossip column that would ruin everything for Arthur. When I got home that night, I very quickly found out that she did. Mrs. Proust, who memorizes the gossip columns, met me at the door. Oh. Good evening, dearie. Oh, Mrs. Proust. Must have been quite an exciting day for you, dear. What do you mean? Well, it's in the papers tonight. That author you admire so much. Go on bankrupt. Well? Yes. Well, I wonder what happened to him. He was down at your place, wasn't he? As a matter of fact, he was. Must be true then. And furthermore, he's picking me up in about 15 minutes. I'll have to hurry. Excuse me. Your landlady's an inquisitive, soul, Kathy. She's more than that. She said you were the only Bryn Maw girl she ever had. You didn't tell me you went there. That's a long story. Right now, I'm trying to figure out what we'll say to your publisher. What's his name? Peck. Mr. Peck. Well, you said he was such a straight-laced businessman. Yeah, he really is. Then how will we handle Mr. Peck if he knows that you've considered Pankruptcy? Oh, why don't you have to come down at all? I'm glad I did, Kathy. I am too. I didn't mean it like that. I just want everything to work out all right. Maybe Peck didn't read a newspaper. Let's say a little prayer to that. Oh, come in, Mr. Peck. Thank you. This is Miss Barn, Mr. Peck. How do you do? Hello, Miss Barn. Well, Arthur, I'm not even going to take off my coat. I have some tough news for you. Hello. Okay, shoot. Everyone down at the office thinks your book is sensational. If you'll drop down tomorrow, we'll draw things up any way you want it. Oh, Arthur, congratulations. Well, that's great. Well, that's it. Can't you stay a little while, Mr. Peck? No, no, I have a dinner engagement, and I'm late now. I'll see you to the door. Oh, by the way, Arthur, is what I read in the papers true? No, Mr. Peck. Not now at any rate. I rather hope we might be coming along at the right time. Get you out of a hole. You see, I've been there myself. Well, we celebrated that night. A wonderful celebration. Dinner, and we danced, and later on that evening, the moon seemed to dip down especially low, as if it were our own personal magic lantern, and the stars were our stars. Beautiful, aren't they? It's glorious. Tell me something, will you? Of course. Everything that's happened is because of you. Why'd you go out of your way to help me? Why? Mm-hmm. I guess because I loved you. Yes. I've loved you for an awfully long time. I guess it began because I was so grateful to you. You were grateful to me? Yes. Do you remember a few years back, you gave the settlement house on Tenth Avenue a new dormitory? Yes. And they asked you to dedicate it, and you came down. Of course, but... I... I stood very close to you that day. It's your landlady, said Bryn Mawr. That's her sense of humor, or whatever you want to call it. I'm from the Bryn Mawr of Tenth Avenue. Yes, Arthur, I stood very close to you that day. You look so big and handsome and distinguished, and you spoke so well. And I was so grateful to you, too, because... Well, because I actually would not have had a roof over my head if I hadn't have been for you. Careful, darling. I promise you I'll take very good care of you from now on. If you'll let me. Oh, darling. You know that splendid line you wrote. Man's destiny is good. It's the truth. Yes, but there's more to it than that. And the gracious shall lead the way. You were the gracious, my darling. The gracious. The curtain falls in the final act of the Bryn Mawr girl. Our star, Ellen Drew, will return for a curtain call after this timely message from Wendell Niles. Veterans, take your choice. Yes, take your choice of these army outfits. The 2nd, 4th, 5th and 9th Infantry Divisions, 2nd and 3rd Armored, 82nd Airborne, and 2nd Engineer Special Brigade. UX servicemen of all the armed services will be placed in any of these units if you have served abroad after September 1, 1945. All these outfits are now stationed in continental United States. That's right. As long as your record is satisfactory, you'll stay with your unit for at least three years. Here's the list again. The 2nd, 4th, 5th and 9th Infantry Divisions, 2nd and 3rd Armored, 82nd Airborne, and the 2nd Engineer Special Brigade. So, veterans, if you'd like to serve one of these, go down to your army recruiting station right away. Choose the unit you want. Some of you will be able to qualify as non-coms, too. Quarters are filling up, so you'd better hurry while there are still openings. Now here again is our star, Ellen Drew, and our producer. That traditional gesture of appreciation in the theater, the curtain call, is most assuredly in order for our proudly-behaved star, Ellen Drew. Ellen, take a bow for a very sincere portrayal. Thank you, CP. I understand, Ellen, for finishing the swordsman with Larry Parks. You've really been busy there at home. That's right. What are you doing? Well, I'm redecorating my house, all by myself, too. In other words, you're painting yourself into corners these days. Well, so far I've always managed to end up at a door. That's what I used to say. Only one day, I found the door was two stories up. But, Ellen, I'm sure this redecorating will be of signal interest to the ladies of our audience. What kind of furniture did you choose? Period or modern? I chose modern. Blonde? Well, both blonde and lacquered. It's depending on the color motif of the room. Well, Helen, tell us, why did you choose modern furniture? Well, I think modern furniture is designed primarily for comfort and utility, and I'm just practical enough to like it that way. Fair enough. And the devotees of the period furniture say it's more attractive. As for me, I'll not take sides in the controversy, but rather say, thanks again, Ellen Drew, for paying us a visit. I enjoyed it very much, CP, appearing on the behalf of Army and Air Force Recruiting. But now, before I go, what's on your playbill for next time? Next week, we present that very talented and versatile actress of motion pictures, Louise Albritton, in the delightful comedy, A Day in Connecticut. It's the story of Helene Johnson, receptionist, who wanted to be Helene Johnson's model, stumbling block on very jealous fiance, William Dexter Van Norton III, known affectionately to his associates as Fatso. The matter in which Helen's problem is solved makes for a full half hour of fun. Well, I won't want to miss that, CP. Cut me in, and goodbye. Goodbye, Ellen Drew, and thanks again for visiting us. Join us next week, won't you, for a delightful comedy, A Day in Connecticut, starring Louise Albritton. And until then, this is CP McGregor saying thanks for listening, and cheerio from Hollywood. Ellen Drew appears with the courtesy of the Hollywood coordinator of the committee, which arranges for the appearances of all stars on this program. Scripted by Rich Hall, with the orchestra, under the direction of Eddie Scravanich. Don't forget, next week, Louise Albritton on proudly we hail. This program is transcribed in Hollywood for release at this time. Wendell Niles speaking.