 The Theatre presents James Cagney, Gene Cagney, and Betty Lynn. From Hollywood, the Mutual Network in Cooperation with Family Theatre presents the last straw, starring James Cagney and Gene Cagney. And now, here is your hostess, Betty Lynn. Thank you, George Crowell. Family Theatre's only purpose is to bring to everyone's attention a practice that must become an important part of our lives. We are to win peace for ourselves, peace for our families, and peace for the world. Family Theatre urges you to pray. Pray together as a family. And now to our transcribed drama, The Last Straw, starring James Cagney as Aaron and Gene Cagney as Martha. Over that way, son. You don't have to push. I can walk. All right. Walk yourself into Sergeant Aaron's office, son. Hello, Quinn. What's this? I found him asleep in a parked car. Oh. Well, since when is sleeping in a car such a terrible crime? At three in the morning and somebody else's car, it's close enough. Judging from the way he's dressed, he ought to have a better place to sleep. What's your name, kid? Don't call me kid. Oh, a very tough citizen, Quinn. He hasn't been what you'd call too cooperative, Sergeant. What's your name? I don't have to tell you anything. I haven't committed any crime. Quinn, maybe we'd better just throw him in the drunk tank and forget about the whole thing. I was thinking of solitary confinement myself, Sergeant. He seems kind of antisocial to me. Look, maybe I'm not very old. Maybe I was born yesterday, but not this morning. So you can stop trying to scare me. So I took a nap in the car. Unless the guy who owns the car wants to make a big thing of it, you've got no right to hold me. Well, thanks, Dad. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like you to teach my grandmother how to suck eggs. Huh? Never mind. Watch the story on him, Quinn. A radio car answered in 925A at Sunset in Dillon. Found him asleep in the back seat of a car owned by a Mr.... Mr. James DeCure. Officers checked with him. He didn't know the boy said if he hadn't done any damage to forget about it. And? Kid wouldn't give his name and address, so they brought him in on a 920C. Well, in case you're wondering, young man, 925A means a person is acting suspiciously in a car. It's not a criminal offense. A 920C is a missing child. The application may be a little bit backward, but it nonetheless applies to you. I trust since you are such a tough citizen, you will somehow bear up under the humiliation of being classed as a child. Now, since I've given you a lot of valuable information, suppose you tell us your name and address so we can return you to your happy home, and we can get back to police work. Instead of playing all night nursery. You're supposed to be a detective. Suppose you find out where my happy home is. You see what I mean, Sarge? Not too cooperative. Well, we usually try to save detective work for criminals, but you can have it any way you want, kid. And don't call me kid. All right, all right. That's just about enough. You've got no right. I said that's enough. If you feel you're getting too big for your britches, I am the guy who can cut you back down to fit them. With or without the badge. What do you have on him, Quinn? Uh, here, Sergeant, uh, handkerchief, comb, knife, glass case, fountain pen, wallet. And this book, it's the, uh, pocket history of political science. This address book was in the wallet. No cards? Student buddy card? Y membership? Anything? Nothing. Let's see the address book. Hey. You got something to say? No, sir. Quinn, start calling the people in this book. Work back to Frontier to get a fix on him. Then call us home and try not to alarm anybody. Right. You know, some of your girlfriends are going to think you're pretty hot stuff, having the big city police asking questions about you, boy. Uh, sure you don't want to make it easier? I, it won't make any difference. I guess I'll just have to change my plans a little. I hadn't counted on being picked up. You said that like a four-time loser, son. A four-time loser gets life. He has to live his life in prison. That's right. Maybe, in a way, I am, Sergeant. Pardon me, I, I believe you have my son here, officer. My name is Martha Reigns. Oh, yes, Mrs. Reigns, if you'll step this way, please. I don't suppose you know just why he's here. I mean, the officer I spoke to on the phone said... I'm the officer you spoke to on the phone, ma'am. Oh. You're all right, isn't he? He's fine, Mrs. Reigns. Yeah, right through here. Oh, he, he's in this office. No, ma'am, Sergeant Aaron would like to talk with you first. Sergeant Aaron, this is Mrs. Reigns. Oh, yes, oh, yeah. Uh, how do you do? How do you do? Quinn, uh, a chair for the lady. Yeah, right away. Would you sit down? Oh, thank you. That'll be all, Quinn. Yes, ma'am. What, uh, what seems to be the trouble, Sergeant? We checked missing persons, Mrs. Reigns. You hadn't notified them about your boy. I didn't know he was gone. We had a little spat, and he stormed out of the house right after dinner last night. I just assumed he'd gone to see one of his friends, and I thought perhaps he'd gone to a movie with one of them, you know. You live in San Bernardino? That's right. But couldn't I... What was the nature of this quarrel you had with your boy, Mrs. Reigns? Oh, now see, yes, Sergeant. I appreciate you finding my son, but I don't believe it gives you any right to interfere. Slow down, Mrs. Reigns. Slow down. I have a few children myself. As a matter of fact, my oldest daughter is just about your age. I'm not trying to pry it, nor am I trying to make more out of this than there is. Then if you don't mind, I have a few rather important plans for today, so if you'll just tell John I'm here, Sergeant. Well, he knows you're here, Mrs. Reigns. Well, then why isn't he... Is he being detained for something? Oh, the fact of the matter is... he doesn't want to see you. He doesn't want to see me. You want to tell me what the fight was about? Well, I don't really remember. I don't think it was anything too important. Something about some course he wanted to take at school, I believe. Not according to Jack, Mrs. Reigns. His name is John, Sergeant. Again, not according to Jack. After Officer Quinn located you, the boy and I had quite a talk. He's a pretty fine kid and smart. I'm perfectly aware of my son's good quality, Sergeant. Now if you'll let me speak to him, I'm sure we'll be able to iron this out without any further police assistance. Mrs. Reigns, your boy graduated from high school before he was quite 15. John's always been a brilliant student. According to him, you insisted on his doing extra schoolwork, taking classes in the summertime. Well, insisted is hardly the word. I may have suggested a few things, but I'm sure that if he seems a little advanced, it's only because he wants me to be proud of him. Mm-hmm. He also told me you vetoed his choice of a career, and that without even mentioning it to him, you selected a college not of his choice, in fact opposed to his choice, enrolled him in it and even selected his course of study even before you told him he was going to college. Really, Sergeant, these are family matters. They certainly don't concern you. They certainly do concern me. They started concerning me the minute he was brought into this police station. You raise your voice and pound your desk in the trial here. And since you are, Mrs. Reigns, have you ever heard the expression, the devil is nothing but a sick angel? Well, criminality is nothing but a sick part of society. Police departments have only to deal with sick people, frustrated people. What has all this to do with my son? I'm no psychologist, Mrs. Reigns, but I can see this. At home, your son has been pushed too far in directions not of his choosing, and that's frustration. Sergeant, are you going to bring my son to me or must I call my attorneys? Here's the phone, Mrs. Reigns. But before you call, just remember, I'm not holding him. He just doesn't want to see you. Want me to dial the number for you? No, no. Oh, Sergeant. Sergeant, what's wrong? Where did I go wrong? I don't know, Mrs. Reigns. But now that you've admitted you were wrong, we might have a chance for arbitration. Sergeant. Yeah? Located the boy's father at the athletic club, he came right over. Is he outside? Yeah, you want me to bring him in? Ask him to wait, will you, Quinn? Sure thing. Sergeant, does he, uh... does he want to see his father? Do you want to see his father? Did you hear me, Mrs. Reigns? I, uh... I heard you, uh... No. No, I don't want to see him. It's the same with Jack. He says the action is directed against both of you. The action? Jack calls it a divorce action. He says he's divorcing you and Mr. Reigns. How is she? Dearful. They're both right outside in the waiting room. Don't you even want to talk to them? There's no point in it, Sergeant. They are your parents, you know. Yeah, I know. So they make mistakes. They're only human. Well, don't get me wrong. I'm not holding a grudge or anything. And the mistakes, well, I forgive them. Oh, well, that's mighty big of you. Well, no, that sounded wrong. I didn't mean it to sound that way. What I mean is we're just incompatible, and that's all. I don't want to just object them to any more mental cruelty. Boy, I've run into some screwy situations, but this one tops them all. Look, Sergeant, you say I should talk to them. They're outside in the waiting room. That's right. Open the door, Crack. Okay. So? Can you see them? Yeah. Are they talking to each other? No. Then why should I talk to them? Oh, look, Jack. Yeah? I bought you a ham sandwich for breakfast, didn't I? Yeah. Yeah. I showed you pictures of all my kids, even the baby. Yeah. Well, we've had a couple of nice, friendly chats. At least I thought they were friendly. So in a manner of speaking, we're friends, buddies, pals. I hope so, Sergeant. Well, then, as a gesture of friendship, would you do me a favor? Would you talk to them? Okay, Sergeant, you win. Good. Quinn. Yes, Sergeant? Would you bring in Mr. and Mrs. Reims? Well, I'll let you be alone with them first. That wasn't part of the favor, Sergeant. Okay. Have it your way. Hello, John. Son. Mother, father. John, John, my son, how could you do this to me? To your own mother. Inspector, would you mind? Believe me, I'd like to. I asked him to stay. You asked him? That's right, Mrs. Reims. He did. John, I... John, I couldn't believe it when the sergeant... when he said that you didn't want to see me. I thought he must have misunderstood it. You're treating us pretty rough, son. And for all we are, your parents. Don't you see, Dad, those aren't the magic words. They don't solve anything. What's all this about divorce? Jack, you can't divorce your parents. Boy, can't divorce his mother? Always, father. Why not? Aren't you too divorced? Well, not really. I mean, not actually. And besides, it's different with us. It's only a separation, a legal separation. All right, then. I make this only a legal separation. But, darling, this isn't like you. It's so unnatural. You're supposed to honor thy father and thy mother. You talk about what's natural and you give me a commandment. Well, I just finished four years of religion in high school. If you want to talk religion. Well, because your husband and wife, you two are more closely related than I am to either one of you. A closer kinship. And that's a fact. My son. My son. It's more natural for me to be away from you than for you to be away from each other. John, you just can't leave. You can't just forget your parents. No, mother. I can't forget you. But I can leave. After all, son, you owe us something. I'll honor you, dad, but I made no promises to you when I was born. What do I owe you? Obedience. Love. Love, honor. What did you say, Inspector? Hmm? Oh, uh, love, honor, and obey. Nothing at all, Mr. Reigns. Is that what you want, John? Is that your price? You want us to try to be a family again? There isn't any price. You can do whatever you want. It wasn't easy being both mother and father to you, John. How have I failed you? Oh, mom. Now, Jack, you've come this far. You might as well get it out of your system. Well, in the sergeant's faith, when a boy is barked, what was that word again, Sergeant? Parmitzvah. It means when a boy comes into manhood. Yeah. When he comes into manhood, he makes a speech before his people. It always starts the same way. Ahed bin Akhamench. Today I am a man. Well, today I am a man. I don't want to be pushed or treated as a child anymore. I want to be respected as an individual and do my own thinking, form my own opinions, and make my own decisions. John, what are parents for if not to guide their children? I know I need guidance once in a while, but not all the time. What would this country be like, Jack, if every 15-year-old tried to buck authority? Pretty bad, wouldn't it, Sergeant? Oh, I hate to think about what would happen if every kid in the country decided to jump into long pants. I don't want to buck authority, Dad. I just want a chance to use my free will once in a while to do the things I want to do. Not just what other people want me to do. Is it bucking authority to want to be consulted on decisions about me? If I look like I'm trying to jump into long pants just because I want to pick my own studies and a career of my own choosing, well, I'm sorry, but that's the way it is. I'm not trying to hurt anybody. I just want to be my own man. That's all. Just my own man. Is that so unreasonable? No, Jack. That's not unreasonable. Did you... Did you feel I was pushing you, John? You do have a pushing way, Martha. Can't you see I was only doing it for your own good? I know that, Mother. We just have different ideas about what's good for me. That's all. I'm sorry, Mom, Dad. John, come home. I'll respect you as an individual and you can be your own man. You'll be free to do anything within reason. But please, come home. Give me another chance. No, Mother. But why? I don't think you'd do it. Did you give each other another chance? Sergeant. Yeah? Mind if I take a walk around the station? I mean, inside? Don't get lost. Remember, Jack, you're still a 920C. John, don't... I'll see you again before I go. All right, son. Well, I think maybe I'd better take a little walk, too. No, no, no. Wait a minute, Sergeant. What's wrong? You think he's trying to punish us? Punish you? What do you mean? I don't know. This whole thing's got me thinking in circles. Somehow, when he was talking to us, I felt... I felt he was only waiting for someone to make the right combination of words for everything to be all right again. You know, I felt that, too, Bill. He said, Dad, those aren't the magic words. I thought sure that when we offered to try to make a home again, to be a family again... Even I could see through that one, and I'm not as emotionally interested in this as he is. See through it, Sergeant. Well, wouldn't that be a fine family picture? You two long-suffering, self-sacrificing parents tolerating each other just to keep him home. I think he'd be better off if he got away. Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not for his leaving. He's just a child. Well, he's not ready to leave home yet, either. Ananimity. He'd be a stranger wherever he goes. Nobody to care. Nobody to take pride in his accomplishments. Nobody to point out the dangers or be scandalized at anything he does. Ananimity can be a dangerous thing for an adult, let alone a 15-year-old, no matter how smart he is. It's all my fault. Bill, it's all my fault. Oh, no, Martha. I'm as much to blame as you are. I don't want to be pushed, he said. Bill used to say that, too, Sergeant. You're a very strong woman, Martha. Oh, very strong. First I pushed my husband from me, and now my son. What's wrong with me? Mrs. Reigns, you probably just try too hard. Have you two been separated long? A little better than six months. Close to seven, Bill. I gather from Jack it was longer than that. Well, Sergeant, even before that, I guess I wasn't too much of a father to him. My job used to take me out of town a lot. And even when I was in town, well, I got pretty tired after a day's work. I remember. I used to come home with the end of a day, and go into a frazzle. That's when I pushed you, isn't it, Bill? Martha, all I wanted was a little peace and quiet. The man shouldn't have to go three rounds as soon as he walks in the door to prove who wears the pants and the family. We were talking about Jack. Well, what I mean, Sergeant, I'm not sure what I mean. Look, I don't think anyone can make a good decision when he's tired. I guess I always come home tired, so I just started leaving too many things for Martha to decide. A lot of those decisions concern Jack. And I was trying to be mother and father, but apparently I didn't even do a good job as a mother. Why? Because you try too hard? First, nobody can be both. Each is a specialized job. You couldn't be a child's father any more than Mr. Reigns could be his mother. Second, every woman wants to be proud of her men, her husband and her sons, so a little pushing is natural. But in your case, Mrs. Reigns, well, if you can't handle it, let it alone. But now, now it's too late. Oh, isn't there anything we can do? What do you mean, we? My Bill and... Bill and I. Martha, I'd like to try again. We can't make it work. We didn't give ourselves that second chance, did we, Bill? Maybe together we can get him to come home. And then we can be a real family again, the way we used to be. Will you talk to him? Martha, I... I've never been... That is, I think it might be better if neither one of us talked to him. But, Sergeant, how about it? Will you see what you can do? Sure. Just hold on. I'll see what I can do. How about it, Jack? I don't know, Sergeant. You don't know? They're gonna try again. Can you do less? They're going to end the separation? That's what they said. And they don't seem to be doing it for me. I wouldn't say so. Oh, what I mean is, do you... do you think they'd end the separation, even if I wouldn't come home? Oh, for Pete's sake, boy! What do you mean, Sergeant? You see, if they do it for me, it wouldn't work. But for each other, for themselves, well, then there's a chance. I got you. I think they mean it, Jack. I do. Now, how about it? What have we got to lose? Well, I guess you feel pretty important now, huh? Important? Those three went out of here looking like three brides. How'd you do it? I don't know. Everything seemed to just happen. Hey, look here, the kid left all his stuff. Wallet, knife, and this book, Pocket History of Political Science. That kid must have a head on him. He's no slouch. I was carrying paperback shoot-em-ups when I was his age. Now, look, he's got a section underlined. Let's see. Hmm, let me see. Hmm. Yeah. An example might be found in the formation of our own government, when the original states banded together for mutual assistance against an outside threat to their security. It may be true that in unity there is strength, but by the same token, unity is seldom brought about unless there is a need for strength. Quinn, I think I've been used. And I was the guy who was going to cut that boy down to fit his britches. What do you mean? You think he engineered this family reunion? All the way. No, I think you're wrong, Sergeant. He just wanted his own way, that's all. He didn't like the idea of his mother picking his school. No, no. That was just the incident that drove him to action. The straw that broke the camel's back, but it was a pretty big straw. Big straw? Hmm, the school he wants to go to was a seminary. The boy wants to be a priest. This is Betty Lynn again. Contributing to what we call a point of conflict in tonight's story, there were three separate problems. There was a mother who insisted on shouldering responsibilities which rightfully belonged to others. Responsibilities which in fact she was not even equipped to handle. There was a father who let his obligations to his family come second to those of his job. And there was a boy who was unwilling to see his world and his hopes destroyed simply because his home was out of balance. Actually I suppose you could say that there was the real problem. The home was out of balance. For in every family there should be three parents. The father, the mother and God. And the children in a family should be allowed to love and respect their parents as a unit. They should never be required to parcel out, to divide their love and their loyalties. When children are asked to divide such things, there can be serious psychological complication. The division of parental love is unnatural and nature therefore does not provide any set instincts or any methods by which children might handle such problems. If it's true that no man can serve or be loyal to two masters, then it is equally true that it would be even more impossible for a child. In our story Jack was faced with the problem of being forced to divide his love. His life was further complicated when he was told that he could not give the kind of love, the kind of loyalty he chose to his eternal father, God. It was this latest demand which was the last straw. It was this which forced him to action. Since nature offered no solution, he did something which under any other circumstances would have earned him a just punishment. He took matters into his own hands. He took a simple principle of political science, a principle proved many times in world politics and applied it to his own basic political unit, his family. Fortunately in our story it worked. Family theater is dedicated to family unity, but we do not recommend the study and practice of political science as a means of gaining this end. Instead we offer what you might call a system of preventive maintenance, for we believe that disunity in the family can be prevented through the daily inclusion of the third parent, God, in the family circle through prayer. For family theater recommends daily family prayer, the setting aside of a few minutes each day, perhaps after the evening meal or at bedtime, to ask the help of God and to thank him for his blessings. It's a practice which can assure you and yours of the best kind of home insurance. For the family that prays together stays together. More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. From Hollywood Family Theater has brought you transcribed The Last Straw starring James Cagney and Jean Cagney. Others in our cast were Herb Vigren, Martin Dean and John Stevenson. The script was written and directed for Family Theater by Robert Hugh O'Sullivan, with music composed and conducted by Harry Zimmerman. This series of Family Theater broadcasts are made possible by the thousands of you who feel the need for this type of program, by the mutual network which has responded to this need and by the hundreds of stars of stage screen and radio who give so unselfishly of their time and talent to appear on our Family Theater stage. To them and to you, our humble thanks. This is George Crowell expressing the wish of Family Theater that the blessing of God may be upon you and your home and inviting you to be with us next week and Family Theater will present counterplot starring Cameron Mitchell. Charlton Heston will be your host. Join us, won't you? Family Theater is broadcast throughout the world and originates in the Hollywood studios of the world's largest network. This is Mutual, the radio network for all America.