 hallmark card when you carry enough to send the very best tonight from Hollywood the makers of hallmark cards bring you the first in their exciting new series of broadcasts on the hallmark hall of fame each week hallmark will bring you true to life stories of actual persons who in their own way have contributed to a better world for all of us to live in presented on the hallmark hall of fame by our distinguished host mr. Lionel Barrymore and welcome to the hallmark hall of fame let us know the Bible says but to praise the famous we must know them truly you do know the heroes of bronze and marble and monument and song but too many heroes men and women alike have gone unsung without applause they earned fame without receiving it those people who service sacrifice and devotion achieve great things too little known to us hallmark respectfully dedicates this hall fame and tonight hallmark honors Henry Miller Shreve as we tell the true and exciting story of the man who fought in superboards to bring steamboat to the Mississippi and push the frontier back and now here is Frank Goss from the makers of hallmark cars when you want to remember your friends there's one way to be sure the card you send receives an extra welcome look for that identifying hallmark on the back when you select it for words to express your feelings and designs to express your good taste let the hallmark on the back be your guide for that hallmark tells your friends you cared enough to send the very best Lionel Barrymore appears by arrangement with Metro Golden mayor producers of the bad and the beautiful starring Lana Turner Kirk Douglas Walter pigeon and Dick Powell and now here is Lionel Barrymore with your hallmark hall of fame river steamboats their pilots skippers the ledsman eternally taking soundings in the tricky waters Mississippi where the Robert E. Lee raced the natures while America waited on the livery waited for the Robert E. Lee mocking rips mortars all energy and tearing an American right down to their kills and how many of us know about the man who was responsible for steamboats and their mighty commerce on the father of waters listen to the war can do the bar post above St. Louis 1810 how many right now but dad wants the walnut gun stock he was looking at and the neat foot oil and I believe excuse me one river pilot can you help me sir well excuse me oh I beg your pardon miss barge men will bar a load of first down the river from the Ohio you're what I need a pilot from here to New Orleans you'll need more than that I never heard a trade coming down this far from that far first gonna carry trade from New Orleans the Great Lakes and back he's my father would you like to speak to him yes I wouldn't his name Alonzo Blair I'm Henry Miller Shreve come with me Henry Miller Shreve is many things in 1810 the river was a yellow noose to trap ships and men and he guides an immense 95 tons this time he has a wife with him Mary be near the shore and that's what we are and I'm proud of Fulton thought so New Orleans just handsome as tub that ever drew fresh water shows and snags and and currents and flood and sunken wrecks and shifting channels and all yes the reefs and we can't avoid them or break a boat to match wood don't you believe in a merry I just say let's do it now we're young and tough and can swim timber topples in the stillness of the new world timber for a new ship Fulton had his folly but Henry Miller Shreve had his tub of steam at last the steamboat enterprise they kindly to steam or steamboats I'm not a bit worried you know not a bit I'm embarrassed is me I'm worried Mr. Henry Miller Shreve that's right Sergeant orders from General Andrew Jackson sir General Jack you're not under military orders let me read it Mary powerful British fleet has landed an army near New Orleans ma'am General Jackson has been attacked Chomet below here on the river guns and ammunition down the river to show men unload your cargo for Louis I'm afraid Louisville have to wait you may find some British guns commanding the river above your destination sir one pass gun for an unarmed steamboat at night of course ma'am Henry you'll wreck the enterprise on our first trip that case we build another enterprise wouldn't we marry somehow for General Jackson Sergeant puts about in the swirling treacherous river beats cautiously towards Chomet few miles below New Orleans dark not a sound from the steel engines not a light warn the men not to stir their fires spark from the stacks we may be dead men I said tiptoe on the yellow water Henry Miller Shreve your ship and your dream may die by gunfire tonight all by Mississippi mud tread lightly enterprise go softly softly softly I do think so beyond any possible enemy gunfire this blind drifting is dangerous a bit longer mr. Gillis a bit longer but the river is notorious here some day I mean to prove that steam can tame the Mississippi I'll need my boat for that what if we lose her to the show and I lose her to the shows not to gunfire very well nowadays it seems to be a common complaint among parents that there aren't enough constructive pastimes to keep the children busy during their free hours as one mother put it they dance and sing and paint and school but once they're home they try to annihilate each other with space guns well that may not be the case at your house but you know there is one easy way to teach the youngsters to use their hands and to be thoughtful of others at the same time just supply them with hallmark make your own Valentine kits each of these colorful kits contain several Valentine's the youngsters can make with ease you can choose from simple punch-out designs or Valentine's that actually move after they're put together or Lacey hallmark Valentine's with little figures and pop out springs best of all they cost just 29 cents 59 cents or 79 cents a kit including mailing envelopes you'll recognize hallmark make your own Valentine kits by the familiar hallmark and crown on the package the symbol you always look for when you carry enough to send the very best in enemy guns and the treacherous river in dead darkness Henry Miller Shreve's enterprise brought the badly needed arms to Jackson's army then with a war over and cargo is loaded onto the idle enterprise excited preparations for the long anticipated attempt to reach Louisville by steamboat to rubble bursts again ready to cast off again that tragedy may hold progress in the river for a fatal generation Fulton's New Orleans failed Mary who shall succeed you Henry America has no time to lose were a small new nation in a society of giants we must grow strong quickly or fall again into the yoke of powerful I believe that Mary but this is Mrs. Shreve madam sir I am here in the interest of Mr. Robert Fulton inventor of the steamboat who also holds the exclusive franchise to operate his steamboats on the Mississippi River I hadn't heard of that if you persist in your attempt to reach Louisville Mr. Fulton will bring legal action but if I succeed it will be to his advantage so far your steamboat has killed a number of its crew it also supplies to our troops Mr. Fulton is convinced that your present project can only end in failure that will cast discredit on the steamboat well then perhaps I have more faith in the steamboat than it's inventor Mr. Shreve you will be enjoying from moving your boat from this war to Louisville you will be arrested a working toward the same goal each according to his own conscience if I were in Mr. Fulton's place I might do just as he is doing and he would do just as I propose to do we're that close in spirit and just what do you propose to do for the present good evening cargo along the river it's now a never shuddering its way northward yellow Mississippi great war slithering over the plains Memphis Henry you hear what everybody said flood waters at Louisville it's been getting worse and worse fighting the current in the high water that's your boat to marry medicines blankets lots of things and they all can be used up there Mary Louisville's cut off if we do the river will have started to fall disease and hardship at their worst you get lost in those waters there won't be a true channel anywhere blind allies and dead ends everywhere you will hang the boat up on a reef and and break in to and rod in the river it's your boat to then the mighty oh I water slick and featureless and deadly night the widening flood waters are a shoreless sea unearthly and desolate then just around the bend wherever the bed may be in that waste of water Louisville head and the worst to come why aren't we getting faster soundings from that lightsman Mr. Gillis keeps fouling his line and submerged trees and fences we can't founder now the people of Louisville have heard our whistle they're counting on us I know that for myself Mr. Gillis selfie no time to reverse it now Andrew Jackson himself Robert Fulton is a very powerful man Mary couldn't arrest us up in flooded Louisville but he came back here to open in the Mississippi River to the steamboat and an immeasurable commerce on the river you're further charged with bringing aid and comfort to the United States forces at New Orleans as though sir this was not enough you then committed the offense of turning your vessel about to bring relief and life to the stricken people of Louisville but that's how I read it station and humanity to an American frontier you were sure the progress and prosperity of America on both shores of the Mississippi perhaps as far as both will be among the first to applaud your service to America and future of America on the Mississippi excuse me a moment general certainly sir mr. Gillis had to calm us and the building of America he did more he invented a snag boat to clear the rivers of sunken logs and other obstacles with this boat he cleared the tremendous log jam that had blocked the Red River of Louisiana for hundreds of years during that time he camped at parents bluff where today stands the thriving city of Shreveport a city named for the man who we honor tonight on the hallmark I'll be back in just a minute to give you a little preview of next week's story but first here's a word from Frank gosh who's been reading some love poems that's right mr. Barrymore the other night as I browse through my family books I came across a volume of love poems by James Whitcomb Riley it was an old volume long on a print and nestled between the pages was a handmade Valentine someone had written on it in a round childish hand to the only girl in the world from your devoted Jimmy now I assume Jimmy was one of my grandmother's young Swains because in those days all Valentine's were made by hand and sent only to the object of one's affection today of course our habits have changed most of us like to remember our relatives and close friends as well as our husband or wife or sweetheart on February 14 and it's such an easy thing to do when you can choose from the big collection of hallmark Valentine's at your favorite store you'll find there's a hallmark Valentine that seems custom made for everyone dear to you gay amusing ones to bring a smile to the lips and a tug of happiness to the heart and you can be sure of it the hallmark on the back of every Valentine you may or will carry an extra message for it means you carry enough to send the very best and now here again as mr. Barrymore you know as I was listening to Frank I was reminded of one of my very favorite quotations Leibniz once said to love is to place one's happiness in the happiness of others yeah and I suppose that's the one main purpose of Valentine's Day just to stop a moment and let our friends and relatives know we love them just one little gesture in a busy day in this troubled world that sure needs a lot of the spirit of love yep Valentine's Day is a day to place our happiness and happiness brother mr. Barrymore whose story are we presenting on the hallmark Hall of Fame next week oh oh you've got me philosophizing about the spirit of love in my neighbor and all that stuff well I almost forgot well next week we have another true-to-life story this time about a woman a remarkable woman whose courage and bravery were dedicated to the saving of lives at sea her name was Ida Lewis and her inspiring story is an exciting one which we'll call woman against the sea hope you'll all be here listening our hallmark Hall of Fame is every Sunday our producer director as William Gaye our music was composed and conducted by David Rose and our script tonight was adapted by Milton Geiger until next Sunday then this is Lionel Barrymore saying good night that are sold only in stores that have been carefully selected to give you expert and friendly service remember a hallmark card when you'll carry enough to send the very best Henry Miller Sree was portrayed by Lamont Johnson with Barbara Eiler as Mary Polly Bear as the storekeeper Tom Tully as the sergeant James McCallion as the sheriff Ted DeCorsia as Andrew Jackson and her Butterfield as Mr. Gillis every Sunday hallmark cards presents two great programs for the whole family's enjoyment the hallmark Hall of Fame on radio with host Lionel Barrymore and on television with Miss Sarah Churchill consult your paper for time and station this is Frank Goss saying good night to you all until next week at the same time when we present another true-to-life story of actual persons who in their own way have contributed to a better world for all of us to live in next Sunday we honor Ida Lewis on the hallmark Hall of Fame