 The Cavalcade of America, sponsored by the DuPont Company. Tonight, Charles Lawton stars in Grandpa and the Statue, a warm human story of the most famous pin-up girl in the world. On The Cavalcade of America, sponsored by the DuPont Company, maker of better things for better living through chemistry. Better things that include DuPont nylon, DuPont cellophane, DuPont plastics. The soldiers coming back from overseas strain their eyes through the mists of New York Harbor, and then their eyes light up when they see her. She's a handsome statue-esque lady whose figure is still beautiful, although this year she's celebrating her 59th birthday. She's the Statue of Liberty, and tonight's Cavalcade play is written about her. About her and a crusty old gent from Brooklyn named Monahan, who learned to love her. Charles Lawton is our star tonight in another of the roles that have made him one of our favorites. The DuPont Cavalcade presents Charles Lawton as Monahan in Grandpa and the Statue. Our story begins today in a giant army hospital overlooking New York Harbor. On the fourth floor, a young man sitting in a wheelchair is looking out a window, just looking. After a while, another young man in another wheelchair rolls over to him, and they both look. You want to play some checkers with me, fella? Not right now. Okay. You want to go feeling blue? Well, I'm not blue. Well, all you do most days is sit here looking out this window. I come from around here. This view reminds me of things, my young days. Yeah, you are Brooklyn, aren't you? My house is only a mile away. And so? Hey, tell me, are you looking at just the water all the time? No, I'm curious. I don't get a kick out of this view. There's a Statue of Liberty out there, don't you see it? Oh, that's it. That's nice to look at. I like it. Reminds me of a lot of laughs. The Statue of Liberty? Yeah, my grandfather. He got all twisted up with the Statue of Liberty. That's so. What happened? Well, my grandfather was the stingiest man in Brooklyn. Mercy Les Monaghan, I used to call him. Well, how'd he get twisted up with the Statue of Liberty? Well, way back in 1885, around there, they were living on Butler Street. Butler Street, Brooklyn practically runs right down in the river seat. Well, one day, he was sitting on the front porch, reading a paper he borrowed from the neighbors, when along comes this man, Jack Sheehan, who lived up the block. Good afternoon, dear Monaghan. How is Sheehan? How are you? Fair, fair. And how's Mrs. Monaghan these times? Warm, same as everybody else in summer. Are you there? I've come to talk to you about the fund, Monaghan. What fund is that? The Statue of Liberty fund. Oh, that. It's time for us to come to grips with the subject, Monaghan. I am not interested, Sheehan. Now, hold on for a minute. Let me tell you the facts. This year, Frenchman has gone and built a fine Statue of Liberty. Of course, the Lord knows how many thousands to build. All they're asking us to do is to contribute enough to put up a base for the Statue to stand. I am not interested. No, no, no. Before you answer me, people all over the whole United States are putting in for it. Butler Street is doing the same. We'd like to hang up a flag on the street corner, saying, Butler Street, Brooklyn is 100% behind the Statue of Liberty. And Butler Street is 100% subscribed, except for you. Will you give us a dime, Monaghan? One dime and we can put up the flag? I am not throwing me good money away for something I don't even know exists. Now, what do you mean by that? Have you seen this Statue? No, but it's in a warehouse. And as soon as we get the money to build the pedestal, we'll take it and put it up on that island in the river. And all the boats coming from the old country will see it there. And it'll raise the hearts of the poor immigrants to see such a fine sight on the first look at the country. And how do I know that it's in this warehouse at all? You can read your paper, don't you? It's been in all the papers for the past year. The papers? Last year I read in the paper that they were about to pave Butler Street and take out all the holes. Would you turn around and look at Butler Street, Mr. Sian? All right, I'll do this. I'll show you the statue. Will you give me a dime, Dan? Well, I am not saying that I would and I am not saying that I would not. But I'd be more likely to if I saw the thing as large as life. I would. All right, then. I'll take you to the warehouse. Come along. And do you see the Statue of Liberty or don't you see it? I see it all right, but it's all broke. Broke? They brought it from France on a boat. They had to take it apart, didn't they? You've got a second-hand statue. That's what you've got. And I'm not paying for a new one when they've shipped us something that's all smashed to pieces. No, just a minute. Just a minute. Visualize what I'm about to tell you, Monon. Get the picture of it. When this statue is put together, it's going to stand 15 stories high. Could they get a thing 15 stories high into a four-story building such as this is? Use your good sense now, Monon. What's that over there? Well, that tablet there in her hand. What's it saying? I put on my spectacles. July. I-V-M-D-C-C-L-X-X-V-I. What's all that? That means July 4th, 1776. It's in Roman numbers, or very high class. What's the good of it? If they're going to put up a sign on her, they ought to put up Welcome All. That's it. Welcome All. They decided July 4th, 1776, and July 4th, 1776, it's going to be. All right, then. Let them get their dime from somebody else. Monon! No, sir, I'll tell you something. I didn't think there was a statue, but there is. She's all broke. It's true. But she's here, and maybe they can get it together. But even if they do, will you tell me what sort of a welcome to Emmy grants it'll be? To have a gigantic thing like that in the middle of the stream, and in her hand is July-I-V-M-C-D-C-V. Whatever that is. That's the date the country was made. The devil with the date. A man coming in from the sea wants a place to stay, and not a date. And if the statue's there to welcome, let her say welcome. Not this MCD. All right, then, Monon. But all I can say is you've laid a disgrace on the name of Butler Street. I'll put in the dime for you. Don't connect my name with it. A swindle is all it is. In the first place, it's broke. And in the second place, if they do put it up, it'll come down with a first high wind that strikes it. The engineers say it'll last forever. And I say it'll topple into the river in a high wind. Would you look at the inside of her? She's all hollow. I've heard everything, no, Monon. Just about everything. Goodbye. What do you mean goodbye? How am I to get back to Butler Street from here? You've got legs to walk. I'll remind her that I come on the trolley. And I'll remind you that I paid your fare. And I'm not repeating the kind of sin you've stranded me. That was Grandpa. That's why I have to laugh every time I look at the statue now. Well, did he ever put the dime in? Well, what happened was this. His daughter's got married and finally my mom put me out in Butler Street. I got to be pretty attached to Grandpa. Naturally, I wasn't very old before he began working on me about the statue. And even though the statue had been standing for more than 30 years by then, I believe nearly everything Grandpa had to say about it. Wake up. What are you doing up? Shh. This'll do it, boy. This'll do it. The first thing in the morning, we'll go down to the docks and I'll bet you may like that Mr. Sheehan's statue is smashed down and laying on the bottom of the bay. You go to sleep now. We'll have a look first thing. People will have to get their dimes back, won't they, Grandpa? Slow down. I can't walk so fast. Not only will they get their dimes back but Mr. Sheehan and the whole crew that engineered the collection are going to rot in jail. You mark my words. Here, now, we'll take a short cut around this shed. She's still standing, Grandpa. She is that. I don't understand it. That was a terrible wind last night. Terrible. Maybe she's weaker, though. That must be it. She must be hanging by a thread. Of course, that's why they put her out there in the water so that when she does fall down she won't be flattening out a lot of poor, innocent people. Do you feel that? The wind is starting to blow again. Would you look at the sky blackening over? Do you feel it coming up? You take your last look at the statue, my boy. If I don't mistake my eyes, she's taken a small list to Jersey already. Oh, it's getting kind of embarrassing for me on the block. I kept promising the other kids that when the next wind came, the statue would come down. We even had a game. Four or five kids are standing in a semicircle around one kid who was a statue. The statue kid had to stand on his heels and look right into our eyes. Then we'd all take a deep breath and blow on his face. He'd fall down like a stick of wood. Well, they all believed me in Grandpa until one day. We were standing around throwing rocks at an old milk can. Hey, what you doing? I'm going someplace tomorrow. I know, church. Watch out, I'm throwing. I mean, after church. Where? My old man's taking me out on the Statue of Liberty boat. You're not going up in the statue, though. Are you? Sure, that's where we're going. But you'd rather get killed. Suppose there's a high wind tomorrow. My old man says that statue couldn't fall down. If all the wind in the world and John L. Sullivan hit it at the same time. Is that so? Yeah, that's so. My old man says it's the only reason your grandpa's saying it's going to fall down. It's because he's ashamed he didn't put a diamond for the pedestal. Here are my grandpa and say he didn't warn him. Hey, George. What? Would your old man take me along? No, ask him. Maybe he will. Are you crazy, Jack? Ask him if he'll take me to where, George. Mike, what's the matter with you? Me too, George. I'll ask my mom for the dough. Joe, you don't believe it. Me neither. I don't really think your grandpa knows what he's talking about. He don't, huh? I read the weather report for today. The weather report? Yeah, it says fair and cool. What happens? Well, I was wondering. No, I always see the water every day where I go down to the docks to play. But I never sat on it. I mean in a boat. We might take the carriage to the Jersey side. We might do that. Yeah, but there's nothing to see in Jersey. You can't go to Europe tomorrow. No, but couldn't we go toward the ocean? Just toward it. Toward it? What is in your mind, boy? What is it now? Well, I was just wondering. Oh, you want to take the Staten Island ferry. For that's in the direction of the sea. No, grandpa. Not the Staten Island ferry. You don't mean to say that you want to take that little boat? Boy! All the other kids are going tomorrow with George's old man. You don't believe me anymore. I do, grandpa. But gee. You don't, because if you did, you'd stay clear of the Statue of Liberty for the love of your life. But, grandpa, when is it going to fall down? All I do is wait and wait. You've got to have faith. But almost every kid in my class wants to see it. Now the ones that didn't are going tomorrow. And they all keep talking about it. And all I do is, well, I can't keep telling them that it's a swindle. Oh, I wish we could see it, grandpa. It doesn't cost so much to go. As long as you put it that way, I'll have to admit that I'm a bit curious myself as to how it's managed to stand upright so long. I tell you what I'll do. Bar and wind. We'll chance it tomorrow. Oh, Graham. But if any person should inquire of you where you went, you'll inform them that we went to Staten Island. Are you on? Okay, sure. Staten Island. We'll take the early boat then. Now, mum's the word now. But if old man sheen hears that I went out there, I'll have no pace from the thief for the rest of my life. We're listening to Charles Lawton as Monaghan in Grandpa and the Statue on the Cablecade of America sponsor of Better Things for Better Living through Chemistry. As we come to the second act of our play, Grandpa Monaghan has been talked into his first boat excursion to visit personally the Statue of Liberty. But he's still clings to his belief that the slightest blow will topple her over. Nice riding out on the boat, ain't it, Grandpa? I never said there was anything wrong with the boat. The boat's all right. Are you sure that George's father is taking the kids in the afternoon? Yeah, that's when they're going. Gee, look at those two seagulls. Look at them spoof. Hey, they caught a fish. What I can't understand is what all these people see in that Statue, that'll keep a boat like this full, making the trip year in and year out. To hear the newspapers talk, if the Statue was gone, we'd be at war with the nation that stole it the following morning early. All it is is a big pile of French copper. The teacher says it shows we got liberty. If you've got liberty, you don't need a Statue to tell you that you've got it. And if you've not got liberty, a Statue's going to do no good telling you that you've got it. It was a criminal waste of the people's money. And to prove me point, I'll ask this fellow right over there what he sees in it. You'll see what a madness the whole thing was. Mr. Huh? I beg your pardon, I'm strange here. Could you tell me why you're going to the Statue of Liberty? Me? Well, I'll tell you. I always wanted to take an ocean voyage. This is a pretty big boat. So on Sunday, sometimes I take the trip. Better than nothing. Thank you. So much for the great meaning of that Statue, my boy. We'll talk to this lady standing at the rail. Young lady, if you'll pardon the curiosity of an old man, could you tell me in a few good words what it is about that Statue that brings you out here? What Statue? Why, the Statue of Liberty. Up ahead. We're coming up to it. Statue of Liberty? Is this a Statue of Liberty boat? Well, what did you think it was? Oh, my. I'm supposed to be on the Staten Island ferry. Where's the Ticketman? Ticketman? Where's the Ticketman? Gee whiz. Nobody seems to want to see the Statue. Just a clinch me argument. Let's talk to this fellow on the bench here. Would you tell me, sir, please, why you're going to see the Statue? Why, I can tell you in one word. In four days, I haven't had a minute's peace. My kids are screaming. My wife is yelling. Upstairs, they play the piano all day long. By the only place I can find is quiet, the Statue. Every Sunday, I beat it out to the island and sit next to her. Why, that Statue's my sweetheart. Because she don't talk. I guess you were right, Grandpa. Nobody seems to think it means anything. Not only doesn't mean anything, but if they'd used the money to build an honest room and house on that island, the Emma Krantz would have a place to spend the night. Statue of Liberty. Please keep your seats while the boat is docking. Statue of Liberty. Look down there, Graham. There's a peanut stand. Can I have some? I feel the wind coming up. I don't think we dare take the time. Look at that ship, way out in the ocean. I'll have to admit that it's quite a few. Don't let go of me hand down. Bunny, standing right here inside her head, I bet you we could almost see California. California is probably that grove of trees way over there. I've heard tell that it's beyond Jersey. I bet you when the ships come in, the people that see this almost before they see anything else. Well, I'll say that for it. Yes, you might be able to see it from a considerable distance. I suppose if they had to put up a statue, it's a good thing that it's a big one. But what's that, Grandpa? In her hand. July. I. V. D. That's it. That's what I told Sheehan. Don't you think they should have put welcome all on it instead of that heathen tongue? Maybe it means welcome all. No, that's the date of something or other. Do you feel her rocking? Yeah. She's moving a little bit. Listen, the wind. We better get down. Come along. Now this way. No, the stairs are this way. Come on. No, I told you. They're the old way. Now come on. No, get excited, Pop. She'll stand. She's swaying. Terrible. Well, that's all right. I've been up here 30, 40 times. She gives with the wind. Flexible. Enjoy the view. Go on. Did you say you've been up here 40 times? About that many? What do you find here that's so interesting? Well, it calms my nerves. It seems to me it would make you more nervous than you were. No, not me. It kind of means something to me. Might I ask what? Well, I was in the Philippine War back in 98. Left my brother out there. The Philippine War. Sorry I am to hear that. Was he a young man? Yeah, we were both young. This is his birthday today. His birthday? Yeah, the statue's about the only stone he's got. Well, in my mind, I feel it is, anyway. The statue kind of looks like what we believe. You know what I mean? Looks like what we believe? I don't know what you're talking about. Well, she's so big. Looks strong. Free. I just told the boy if they must have a stature, it's right she should be a big one. Looks out over these waters so calm, holding her light. You just know what looking at her. She's got a heart big enough for all the people in the world. Well, I can see what you're driving at. I never thought of it before. She has got a likely sort of face. No nonsense about it. A face a man could put trust in. Now, see now, me boy, if she had put it that way, I might have given him me dime. Dime? For what? I'm sorry, sir, that's a very long story. And we've got to get out of here. Now, come along, boy. Now, hurry, now, I want to get out of here. I feel terrible. I do, boy, that sheen, that fool. If he had a tongue in his head like that, gentlemen, you'd think that he... What does this say? That? Well, that's just a tablet, I suppose. I try to look at it with my spectacles on. Just a minute. To the best of me, believe that's a poem. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these the homeless, tempest-tust to me. I lift my lap beside the golden door. Dear me, it had welcome all on it all the time. Why didn't that fool sheen tell me? I'd have given him a quarter. Boy, will you go over there and he is a nickel. Go buy yourself a bag of these peanuts. Where? Go on, now, I want to study this a minute. And be sure the man gives you a full count. I'll be right back. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Well, I ran over and got my peanuts and stood there cracking them open, looking around, and I happened to glance over to Grandpa. He had his nose right up to that bronze tablet, reading them. And then he reached into his pocket and kind of spied around over his eyeglasses to see if anybody was looking. And then he took a coin out and stuck it in a crack of cement over the tablet. It fell out. Before he could pick it up, I got a look at it. It was a half a buck. He picked it up and pressed it into the crack, so it stuck. And then he came over to me and we went home. That's why when I look at her through this window, I remember that time and that poem. And I can still hear Grandpa saying, Send these the homeless tempest toss to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door. Oh, dear. It had welcome all on it all the time. Our thanks to you, Charles Lawton, and to all the other members of tonight's DuPont Cablecade cast. Here is a special report from Washington correspondent Phelps Adams to the New York Sun. In the face of sharply rising costs for materials, labor and taxes, American industry has saved the nation's taxpayers untold billions of dollars in the war production program. This fact was demonstrated today by the publication of the annual report of E.I. DuPont D. Nemoires and Company. Since 1940, this one company alone has produced more military explosives than were fired by all the Allied forces during the First World War. Yet in the present war, the company's manufacture of explosives constituted a much smaller proportion of its total war production effort than in the last. High tenacity rayon yarn for use in heavy-duty aircraft and truck tires, neoprene synthetic rubber, nylon with its wide variety of vital military uses, lucite transparent plastic used in modern warplanes, prion-12 fluorine refrigerant and basis of malaria-destroying aerosol, synthetic ammonia, finishes, heavy chemicals, dyes, and other organic chemicals, commercial explosives, pigments, photographic film, and DDT, the New Miracle Working Insecticide, were other products which this company produced for the war program. Total sales increased 116 percent. Operating taxes, including renegotiation, rose 173 percent. Prices of raw materials used increased 46 percent. Average hourly wages rose 42 percent. Prices declined 4 percent. While DuPont prices were dropping 4 percent, the index of all wholesale prices, as reported by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, increased 35 percent, unquote. These DuPont chemical prices and reductions were made possible by progressive improvements in manufacturing processes, larger volume of production and employment of additional capital. Continuing research in DuPont laboratories makes possible other price reductions in peacetime, in many of the products which come to you as DuPont better things for better living through chemistry. Ladies and gentlemen, a great honor has been conferred upon our DuPont Cavalcade program. The Committee of the George Foster Peabody Awards in Radio, administered by the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism, University of Georgia, have chosen Cavalcade of America as the winning radio program in the field of drama, the most outstanding romantic entertainment during 1944. On behalf of the DuPont Company, which sponsors these Cavalcade programs, we say thank you. We're deeply proud to have been awarded this great honor. Next week Cavalcade will bring you a radio play, which is at once a preview and a glimpse behind the scenes. The preview is of a new book, My Wayward Parent by Elizabeth Cobb. The glimpse is behind the scenes of a rollicking and thoroughly American family's life. The life of the beloved humorist, Urban S. Cobb. Paduca's first citizen was one of America's favorite storytellers, but he left it to his daughter to tell the story of his own life. Brian Donlevy and Dan Baxter will be our stars next week, when the DuPont Cavalcade presents My Wayward Parent, the story of Urban S. Cobb. Charles Lawton, star of tonight's DuPont Cavalcade, appeared through the courtesy of Benedict Bochess Productions, produces of Captain Kid, in which Mr. Lawton is star. The font of Sheehan was portrayed by Arthur Shields. It may soon be seen in the Warner Bros. production, The Corn is Green. The music was composed and conducted by Ramadan Brester. Our play was written by Arthur Miller. This is Gain Whitman inviting you to listen next week to My Wayward Parent, starring Brian Donlevy and Dan Baxter on The Cavalcade of America, brought to you by the DuPont Company of Wilmington, Delaware. This is the national broadcasting company.