 Lux presents Hollywood. Lux Radio Theatre brings you Franchotone and Anne Baxter in Five Graves to Cairo with Otto Preminger, J. Carol Nash and Portunio Bonanova. Ladies and gentlemen your producer, Mr. Cecil B. DeMille. Greetings from Hollywood ladies and gentlemen. All the world loves a lover and all the world loves a mystery. Tonight we make everybody doubly happy by combining romance and mystery in Five Graves to Cairo. And we have the same stars who made millions of hearts skip a beat with their adventures in that Paramount picture. Franchotone and Anne Baxter. This week we borrowed Franchot from the cast of the new Paramount hit True to Life. The studio Grapevine has a way of picking up advanced tips on promising pictures and my spy is all reported that producer Charles Brackett and director Billy Wilder had created a tramp of suspense in Five Graves to Cairo. So we had our bid in for the radio rights before the shooting had even finished. The setting of the play is the Egyptian Desert at the high tide of the German advance and the people are a British soldier, a young French girl and a rather well known Nazi general, Marshal Irwin Rommel. We invite you to join our hero in matching wits with the Marshal and turn your ingenuity on the strange secret of the Five Graves in the African sand. As a prime example of American ingenuity, I point to an Air Force Sergeant in New Guinea who has sent his mother in Kentucky a snapshot showing his tent with a box of luxe flakes in a prominent position. He's made a mattress by stuffing a sheet with grass, built a table and chair and rigged up a washing machine out of a discarded oil drum. And he writes that with luxe flakes, this unique washing machine beats washing on a board by quote, two gallons of sweat, unquote. Our thanks to his mother for this late communique from New Guinea. We turn now to North Africa as the curtain rises on the first act of Five Graves to Cairo, starring Franchotone as Corporal Bramble and Anne Baxter as Moosh, with Otto Preminger as Marshal Rommel, J. Carol Nash as Farid and Fortunio Bonanova as General Sebastiano. In June of 1942, the British Eighth Army was defeated in Egypt. Tobruk had fallen. The victorious Rommel in his Africa Corps had mounted an offensive that was pounding the British back step by step toward Cairo and the Suez Canal. On the desert, between the British and the German lines stood the town of Sidi-Halfaia, a blaze with heat which rose in waves from the dead street and the dead buildings. No creature moved, no sound was heard. And then far across the desert, a figure wove its way through the scorching sand. His uniform hung in tatters from his bruise and bloody body, and yet he stumbled on, falling, crawling on his hands and knees. From a window in the Empress of Britain Hotel, the native proprietor, watched the figure approach the town, watched with wondering, fearful eyes. Moosh! Moosh, look! What is it? He is coming here, a British soldier. This is Divisional Headquarters. I said, is this Divisional Headquarters? No, no, this is Hotel, sir. I wish to speak to the commanding officer quickly. But, but, but the British have gone, sir. What the matter with him, Farid? Fever, Sunstroke. Listen, the British have... Corporal John Bramble reporting, sir, Royal Tank Regiment stationed at Tobruk. You've been in Tobruk, sir, hottest blister in the Devil's Hill. We joined operations last night near Bir-Hakim, looked like a frolic, sir. We thought we had those German tanks on the run. Then, the 88s. Listen, please. Very clever, this blasted-hair rumble, 30 shells a minute. Oh, yes, sir. We pulled out all right. The rest of the men in the tank were killed. Ever see a five-passenger hearse, sir, doing the Lamberth Walk? Listen, please. The British are not here anymore. They left. Fitch dead. Yes, sir, but no English here, sir. O'Connor dead, all of them, driving themselves to their funeral. That's service, sir. Moosh, Moosh, bring water and salt. He has got to get out of here. Is there transportation back to Tobruk? No, sir, there is no more Tobruk, sir. They've taken Tobruk. Listen, this is the Hotel Empress of Britain in city Al-Fayah. You must leave. The Germans are on their way here now. Oh, hello, miss. Women at headquarters now. Sir, sir, please. Where's the commanding officer? I was speaking with the commanding officer. No, sir, please. I must rejoin my outfit. Hey, but, Steppen... Mister, listen. The Germans, they are here. Our new guest. O'Connor, I've got to find them. Mister, get up. Get up. He's unconscious. Mister, wake up. Moosh, what can we do? I will put him behind the desk. I wouldn't do that, Farid. No, but where else can I put him? Right where he is, in the middle of the floor. Oh, no, no. They'll see him. They'll shoot him. I will drag him behind the desk. Help me. Please. Yes, help me. I will not help. I must hide him. There. Ah, I would not want them to shoot him. Farid, you fool. They will find him and then they will shoot you too. Shoot me? Shoot me? No. Oh, no, they... Let's go. Let's go to the hotel. Oh, oh, Salam aleam. Good afternoon. Perhaps we're a little late for tea. Tea? Well, well, you see, see, the cook... Is this a tea time? Huh? Who, please? The Empress of Britain. I did not name the hotel, Lieutenant. That was the name when I bought it, Lieutenant. Let me see. Have some notes here. My name is Farid. Yes, yes, sir. My name is Farid. Egyptian. Oh, yes, sir, yes. But only because my parents were Egyptians, sir. Nothing wrong with Egypt. Oh, no, no, no, nothing, Lieutenant. Except too many English and too many flies. Yes, yes, Lieutenant. We've been killing the English-like flies. Later we will kill the flies like the English. Oh, yes, yes, Lieutenant. You have a native cook with the name of Barik. Terek, sir. Terek, yes, sir. But he ran away this morning with the British to Alexandria. You have a wife. Oh, yes, yes, sir. But she ran away too, sir. With the British to Alexandria? Oh, no, no, no, no, sir. With the Greek to Casablanca. That's a maid with the name of Marie Jacqueline. Oh, is that you? Yes. They call me Mouche. French citizen born in Marseille. Is that right? Yes. Informed of everything. There's a waiter here, Alsatian, with the name of Paul Davos. Yes, sir. He was killed, sir. But by you, sir, in the bombing when your planes came over last night, you know your beautiful planes. They're fluked. You, Mouche, what is a French maid doing in Egypt? Housework. What is the matter with housework in Paris? In Paris, there are one million French chambermaids. There is only one Mouche in city of Alphaya. The cook ran away this morning to Alexandria. Why didn't you? What for? You will take Alexandria? You will take Cairo? Naturally. Cigarette, please. You have some? Yes. Thank you. Write it for me, please. Your hands are very small. It's been a long time since I have seen such a small hand. Thank you. You, Farid. Yes, sir. How many rooms in this hotel exactly? This is the largest hotel, sir, between Alexandria and Benghazi. How many, I said? Sixteen, sir. Sixteen. What rooms? Oh, yes, yes. Of course, everything the best. How many? Two. One that works. Maybe you would like to see the room. Full of bed bugs, I'm sure. Oh, yes, yes, sir. Every one of them. Yes, yes, sir. Full of bed bugs. We always are. Oh, no. No, no, no. No, no, no, no, sir. We have absolutely no bed bugs. Not one, sir. Never mind. Bed bugs broken down bathrooms and all. We're taking over the Empress of Britain as our temporary headquarter. Yes, yes, sir. A great honor. I expect your fullest cooperation. But there will be any irregularities. You will be held responsible. Our complaints are brief. And we make them against the nearest war. Yes, sir. That's all he had to warn us. He's warning you. I'm only a servant here. The room's immediate adjacent to the good bathroom will be occupied by the German High Command. Yes, sir. The one at the bathroom that doesn't work goes to the Italian general. The Italian general? I will inspect the rooms now. Oh, good, good, yes. Miele. Yo, hello, Tannick. The bad man's in my home. Undersoken. Yo, hello, Tannick. Oh, mate. Yes? If I make final arrangements about the quarters upstairs, which is your room? We're down to all. Next to the one you assigned to the Italian general. Oh. Well, if that worries you. I'm not afraid of general. You're not? It's Lieutenant's I'm afraid of. I see. Oh, go, go, go, right up, sir. I will be right there at once. All right. We do not enjoy waiting. Mouche. The man behind the desk. Get him out of here. Yes. Ah, mister, mister, you. Mouche. He's gone. What? He's gone. Oh, where? Oh, thanks to Allah. Of all the miracles, that was the most miraculous miracle. Shut up. He must have waken and gone out the back. Oh, Allah be praised. Well, he's gone. That's all. He was never here. We had nothing to do with him. If any questions are asked. Listen. They shoot. Oh. That's even better. There will be no questions asked. They found him. Poor fellow. Such a nice fellow. Well, maybe it is for the best. Cigarettes. All right. Yes. Yes. I am getting them. I have some right here in my room here, sir. Cigarettes. Cigarettes. Fui, where did I? Shut that door. Oh. Shut it quick. Oh. How did you get in here? The window. I woke up downstairs behind the desk. Yes. I heard a German talking. They are here now. Well, how did I get to this hotel? You had a sunstroke. I put you behind the desk. That is all I know. Except they shot you. Well, they shot an Italian soldier for stealing drinking water. Sir, but, sir, you cannot stay here. You understand? You cannot. You have to leave, sir. Please. Of course. Why not ask that German officer to call me a taxi? Sir, please. I found these clothes on the bed and these shoes. Who's are they? They belong. Listen. Oh, they are here. The general staff. Please, sir. Get out, please. Sorry. I can't. The Africa Corps doesn't get me. The desert will. Whose clothes are these? I'm wearing. They belong to our waiter, sir. Waiter? What happened last night when room 14 blew into the cellar, sir? One of these shoes is bigger than the other. Was he lame? Yes, sir. A crippled foot. What was this waiter's name? Paul Davos. Davos? Yes, sir. Good. He was never killed, understand? Huh? Oh, but he was Alsatian. He was old, sir. Then I'm Alsatian and he was my age. Yes, but, sir. Hand me those shoes. No, please. Mush. Mush. He is alive. Because of the earth from the outside. Mush. He wants to stay here as Davos. Tell him he cannot help me. Only for a few days until the British come back. Until the who come back? The British? That's right, the British. Since when do the British come back? You don't like us? No. And if Ferry doesn't tell the Germans, I will. I thought you were French. Yes. I had two brothers in the French army. I don't care when the British decided to evacuate their troops. What did they do with the French? They left them on the beaches to die or to be captured. Who told you that? Laval? Waiting out into the water, begging the boats to come back for them. Did the British come back today? I'm only a chambermaid. If somebody rings for me, I come. If it's only a towel, they want. An extra pillow. Not life. Oh, wait. Give me just five seconds before you call the Germans. Five seconds, that's all. What do you want to tell me about? Blood, sweat, and tears? Pencil. Here is Pencil. This is the address of my wife in London. Oh, they are ringing from the lobby. The Germans. I want you to mail this note to her when you can. But you'd better get out of those clothes. They will shoot you for a spy. They'll shoot me in my uniform, too. They're thrifty with their drinking water. Put my dog tag inside. My wristwatch for my older boy. I wish I had something for the younger one. Well, now that we've disposed of the tears, any time Madam was out. Didn't you hear the buzzer? I was just coming. Hi, who is this man? He was... What's the matter with you? Who is he? Answer. He's our waiter. What waiter? Our waiter, sir. We always had a waiter. My name is Davos. I'm not stationed. I thought he was killed. Only buried alive, sir, when I came to it. Seemed as if the whole hotel was on top of me. It took me eight hours to dig myself out. So you're Paul Davos. Yes, sir. Come with me. Me, sir? Yes, you, Davos. We'll have a little chat downstairs. Yes, sir. Stop here a moment. Yes, sir. You know, I'd almost believe you were a waiter. I... I am a waiter. That's a special kind, eh? You play your part well. Come along. The field marshal will wish to speak to you. To me? Of course, to you, who else? He's working in the lobby now. Remember to address him as your accent. I will take another message. Yes, sir. This is to the Fuhrer. Your Excellency. My Fuhrer. I have today crossed the Egyptian border. I am now marching on to Alexandria and Cairo. Then I'll take the Suez Canal. Nothing can save the 8th British Army from a colossal catastrophe. They say the Red Sea once opened by special arrangement with Moses. A similar mishap will not occur this time. I pledge you herewith my word as a soldier. Signed field marshal Irwin Rommel. Her Excellency. What is it? Her Excellency, this man is Paul Davos. Davos? Well, Davos. Why in the name of the devil didn't we get proper information about the British withdrawal? Why? They told me in Berlin you were a competent man. Is that competent? Well, you're excellency. With the field marshal's permission, he's been buried in the cellar ever since last night. He couldn't very well have used the laundry communications. The field marshal will find he has a good record as an advancement. We use them as a waiter in Danzig, in Waterdam, and in Athens. Cognac. Yes, Your Excellency. Of course, no one in this so-called hotel is the slightest suspicion that you have been working for us. No, Your Excellency. You will continue here as a waiter until we can get you through to your new assignment. Yes, Your Excellency. Cairo. Thank you, Your Excellency. I'd rather like to think of myself as a vulture who flies ahead of the stucas, limping a little. Rather well said. Three glasses. Yes, Your Excellency. I suppose you'll be glad to escape from this sand trap. I will indeed, Your Excellency. How do you find a British intelligence service? Not very intelligent. Not an inkling about Professor Kranzstatter. I beg your pardon, Your Excellency. Professor Kranzstatter, the Five Graves. Oh, of course. No, no, Your Excellency, not an inkling. Well, we shall take that big fat cigar out of Mr. Church's mouth and make him say hail five times. Rather well said, Your Excellency. The cognac. Who is that singing? General Sebastiano, Your Excellency. Italian opera? I have always despised it. Yes, Your Excellency. You will drink with us, Davos. Speak hail to victory. To victory. To victory. Avanti! Yes? General Sebastiano, I've come with a request. Yes, yes, yes. What request? A request that the general cease singing. Who made such a request? The gentleman of the German staff. I'll tell the gentleman from the German staff. Among them, Field Marshal Rommel. Oh, very well, very well. But I ask you, can a nation that belches understand a nation that sings? Ah, no, sir. I'm getting very sick of these Germans pushing Italian soldiers into the front lines without letting their general in on their staff meetings. They steal the food packages my family sent me. They are censoring my letters, in fact. As we say in Milano, we are getting the short end of the stick. I have even been given a bathroom that does not work. Why? Because it was assigned to you, General Sebastiano. Oh, no, the kick in the face. They let us die, but they don't let us wash. Well, what did we expect? As we say in Milano, when you lie down with dogs, you wake up with pleas. That's right. Wait! You... you haven't heard anything. You understand? Of course not. From so far away, how can I hear what they say in Milano? Good, good. I can fill a general's wash based in the morning. Please, please. My orderly is in the hospital with measles. German measles. Come in here. What is it? The key. Lock the door. What do you want, Farid? Look, I found his papers, Davos' papers. He has three passports. See? A Danish, a Swiss one, and a Romanian. Let me see how I look. What a kindly face. I'd never suspect myself. Now, how was I ever to know he was working with the German's glove-in-glove? He came here two years ago. What do you know about Professor Krohnstetter? Professor Krohnstetter. Yes, I think I know that name. Yes? Or do I know? Maybe I do not. Well, what about graves? Graves? Graves, graves, graves. Whose graves? All right. What did Davos have to do with the laundry? Oh, with the laundry. Nothing, sir. Nothing at all. Moosh, let me in. Moosh, come in quickly. Moosh knew him better than I did. Didn't you, Moosh? Who? Davos. What of it? We were talking about the laundry here. Where does Davos come in? I do the laundry. All alone? Sometimes he helped me put it out to dry. Flat on the sand, perhaps? Bedsheets, towels, washcloths all nicely spread out for the Messerschmitts? What Messerschmitts? Well, it's my guess, mademoiselle, that you've been washing some sort of alphabet. A towel could be a dash or washcloth a dot. But don't you see a sheet could mean 10,000 men in a towel? Petrel takes coming through. You suspected nothing? No. Bedsheet and a dash and a... Say that slower, please. It's perfectly simple. The Germans were smart again and the British were stupid. Why not call us naive, mademoiselle? We use sheets just to sleep on and towels for drying hands. Your hands will need a lot of towels. Moosh, please, why fight? He will not be here long. He's going away. Aren't you, sir? No, I'm not. Huh? But, sir, I heard it with my own ears from the kitchen. They're sending you to Cairo, sir. You will be safe. Oh, yes, of course. I limp into British headquarters in Cairo with this clubfoot of mine. Where have you been, Corporal Bramble? Oh, nowhere in particular. I spent a day or two with Rommel. Rommel? Field Marshal Rommel, sir. You mean to say you were under the same roof with Rommel? That's right, sir. And? And what, sir? You didn't leave him with a bullet in his head and his head in the puddle of blood. Oh, dear, he's talking so fast again. He's talking foolish. Perhaps Corporal John J. Bramble, formerly with a four-square insurance company, always rather afraid of the manager, out of 120,000 men in the Army of the Nile that it should be this J. J. Bramble. It does sound foolish. I'm scared. I'm all scared inside. What do you think I am? It's just that I happen to have drawn a black ball. But we haven't drawn it. Side and eye. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. We haven't. And we saved your life. Didn't we, Mush? I know their wife crying and two little boys. Some words came out of my mouth. And I'm very grateful. But you won't be involved, either of you. I'll work it out. You will work it out. In the morning, his Excellency will ring for breakfast. Room number five, black coffee and bed, he told me. No one else in the room. I'll have my revolver beneath the napkin. It'll all happen very quickly. Perhaps as he drops in his second lump of sugar. So that's all you want? Yes. Because it's good for England. Oh, I don't imagine it'll win the war. It'll knock the breath out of him for a while. Well, you are not going to do it. Because it doesn't fit in with my plans. Understand? What plans? Why do you think I stay down here in this filthy place? I was waiting for them. Understand? No, I don't understand. Because I want to do business with them. Business? I see. That's not very attractive, mademoiselle. What do you think of me? I don't kill that. I advise you to postpone your business, mademoiselle. Mine is much more important. You'll stay in this room tonight. I'll sleep here in the chair. When room number five rings in the morning, remember, I take in the breakfast. Do we understand each other? Good. Trancheau Tone and Baxter Auto Pendenger, J. Carol Nash and Fortunio Bonanova will return in the moments in act two of Five Graves to Cairo. But first, Mr. DeMille has a very important message for you from our government. I want to step out of character for a moment and tell you about a drama in real life. A drama of medicine and which sulfur drugs and tannic acid, insulin and opiates are saving lives every day on our battlefront. You can have a part in that drama simply by saving used fat. Undramatic, unimportant? The Office of Price Administration thinks it's so important that beginning today you will receive two meat ration stamps for every pound of used fat you turn into your butchers and take them proudly. It's your government's way of saying thank you for this important war work. How do you go about saving fat? Well, kitchens are something of a mystery to me, so I'll let a housewife tell you in her own words. Mr. DeMille, I think it's wonderful that our government is giving us two extra meat stamps for every pound of used fat we turn in. We've been trying more and more to help win the war in every way we can, and we know how important saving used fat is, but just the same, we're mighty glad to get those extra ration stamps. So we say thank you, Uncle Sam, and we'll show our appreciation by turning in every single bit of used fat. There isn't much mystery about saving fat. Simply start with a tin can. Any size will do. Please don't use cardboard or glass. They may tear or break. Every time you have any drippings you can't use in cooking, pour them into your tins. You may have grease left over from bacon or sausage or fat you've skimmed from stews and soups. Pour it into the can and keep it in the icebox so it will stay solid. Don't throw away any of the blackened grease in your roaster or frying pan. It contains pure glycerin, just what the government needs. When the tin is full, take it to your butcher. He will pay you at the rate of four cents and two meat ration stamps for each pound. Yes, friends, it's as easy as that, but it's one of the most important war jobs you'll be called on to do this winter. Won't you do your share? Every tablespoon full counts. We pause now for station identification. This is the Columbia Broadcasting System. Act two of Five Graves to Cairo, starring Franchotone as Corporal Bramble and Anne Baxter as Moosh, with J. Carol Nash as Farid, Otto Preminger as Marshall Rommel and Fortunio Bonanova as General Sebastiano. In a little room just off the kitchen, Moosh and the British Corporal wait the summons from the German Field Marshal. Farid is quiet. A dark, silent shadow in the far corner. They're calling for you, mademoiselle, room number three. Farid is looking out for you. Farid won't do, obviously. They say Rommel keeps his Africa core in hot houses before he sends them out to the desert. Must be quite some time since they've heard a woman's voice. Well, mademoiselle, I think this is the time for an additional bit of information. I lied to you. I had to say something quick and effective to soften your heart. I haven't any children. I haven't any wife. I've never been married. Really? Can you forgive me? Thank you. Ah, here's a request from the Italian General. How about the Italian General? Not the Italian General. How about the Major with the Monaco? Not the Major with the Monaco. Who are you waiting for, mademoiselle? Number five. Good night, mademoiselle. Good night. Number five. You slept very soundly, Monsieur. Wait, wait, where are you going? To answer it. Moose, wait! Hey, where's my gun? I took it from you, Monsieur. I said you slept soundly. Moose, come back here! Good morning, Your Excellency. Where's the waiter? I'm peeking around my feet. Put the tray on my lap. Sugar, Your Excellency. I don't like women in the morning. Go away. Don't you understand English? Go away, I said. No. No, Your Excellency. I stayed down while this place was bombed. I could have run away. I waited for the German troops. I waited for Your Excellency. Why? I wanted to talk to Your Excellency. Two steps back, please! Now what do you wish to say? It's about my father, Your Excellency. He's in Germany. Continue. I had two brothers. One was taking prisoners. He's in a concentration camp in Wittenberger. The other was killed. Fighting the Germans. They were just boys. Their classes were called. They had to go. They didn't hate the Germans or anybody. Of course, nobody hates the Germans. Proceed. What I wanted. I know that one word from you, Your Excellency. He was wounded. He's lost one arm. He can't even work for you. He's useless. Maybe I'm not. If there is anything I can do. You're suggesting some sort of bargain? This is a familiar scene. A reminiscent of bad melodrama. Although usually it is not the brother for whose life the heroine comes to plead. It is the lover. The time is midnight. Place the tent of the conquering general. Blushingly the lady makes her proposal and gallantly the general grants her wish. Later the lady very stupidly takes poison. In one Italian opera, the two even go so far as to sing a duet. Schweigler! If I had any tears left, maybe you'd listen. There will be no duet today. Schweigler! Yes, Your Excellency. Take this woman out of my room. He's not an enemy of yours. He's only 19 now. A boy. And he's dying. Petitions for the release of prisoners must be addressed to the commander of the prison camp. They must be submitted in triplicate. You can have the Red Cross right and then they are the Quakers. But everything must be submitted in triplicate. We can use paper in Germany. A great deal of paper. Take her out. Yes, Your Excellency. You ought to keep out of this room from now on. Yes. Who do you think you ought to open your mouth to him? Are you crazy? You'll get a little crazy if you think about something all the time for a long, long time. It is so stupid. Never ask a very big man for a very small paper. Sometimes a lieutenant can be of more use. Or are you still afraid of the lieutenant? No. I know people in Berlin who can pull some wires. I will meet you tonight and we will talk. Thank you. Lieutenant Schweigler! Yes? Major is waiting for you in the lobby. We have just brought in five prisoners. British officers. You must not go down there. Do you hear? It's all right. They're not from my outfit. They'll never recognize me. It is not that. I know that once Colonel Fitzhume lived in this hotel, he knew Davos. Go back to your room. Stay there. All right. Davos! Uh-oh. Yes, sir? You'll need it downstairs. You'll serve drinks for the others. Uh, yes. At once. Yes, sir. At once. May I serve you something, sir? Our friend's the British, Davos. Yes, sir. Is that Davos? Oh, Davos. It seems that I neglected to tip you when I was here. Why, you and... That's quite all right, Colonel Fitzhume. I really didn't expect you to remember me, sir. Oh. What will it be, Colonel? Cognac? Sherry? Whiskey? Uh, whiskey for me and a little soda. The whiskey's over here, sir. Will you help yourself, Colonel? Thanks. Who are you, intelligence? No, sir. Brambles, sir. Royal tanks. Just happened in on this, so to speak. Where is Davos? Davos is dead. He was a German agent. Go on. I have a plan, sir. What plan? If I can get hold of a gun somewhere and then get Ronald alone. No, none of that. Isn't it sporting to shoot a sitting field marshal? Dead field marshals tell no secrets. What secrets, sir? You have their confidence. You have your freedom. There's a bigger job. Yes, sir. Stand by. And no ill-considered heroics. Understand? That's ordered. Yes, sir. Gentlemen, the field marshal requests the honor of your company at luncheon. Coffee ready? Cream? Sugar? Where's the sugar? Five is getting it down in the cellar. I'm disappointed in you, Mouche. Having set out for a field marshal, I didn't expect you to settle for a lieutenant. What is it to you? Well, now that you're down to a lieutenant's, how about a corporal? Let me remind you, this foot of mine is only camouflage. Eight coffees. Ah, obviously I'm in the wrong army. You are. And I'm getting what I want, so shut up. That's a very agreeable mouth you're casting before these swine. Mouche. Mou-mou-mouche, I've seen him. What's the matter, Farley? I-I've seen him. Who? Davos, his body in the cellar. His hands stretched out like this all yellow with the fingernails white. Davos. I thought he was way down under everything. Me too, but when I climbed over for the sugar, the wreckage started giving away like apples, and there was his hand all yellow in the fingers. Quiet. What did you do? I piled the rubble over him more and more. That Davos could have been more cooperative and died further away. I better get the coffee in there. Yes, and you'd better give Farley a large cup too. Later we can find more suitable arrangements for the gentleman in the cellar. Gentlemen! Gentlemen, I understand that not long ago when the question came up in the British Parliament as to who should be entrusted with the supreme command of the Allied forces in Africa, some member suggested my name. Well, that's quite possible, Field Marshal. The British sense of humor is unpredictable, you know. You are first becoming a legendary figure. Yes, they say everything possible about me. That I'm a magician, a puller of rabbits out of hats, the man who can saw Africa in half. They also say that you entertain captured British officers by giving them lessons in strategy. Better a lesson too late than no lesson at all. Two more salt cellars, please. Davos, salt cellars. Yes, sir. Gentlemen, I have before me North Africa from Tripoli to Cairo. Ela Gaila, Benghazi, Sidi Barani, Alexandria, Cairo. Now, gentlemen, the subject being vast and my time brief. Why don't you ask me what puzzles you most? Suppose I give you 20 questions. That's uncommonly generous of you, Field Marshal. Certainly is. Are you there, Davos? Yes, sir. You'll be a branding, will you? Yes, sir. All right. Who will start? May I? How many men have you got in North Africa? Not as many as you. Well, gentlemen, if you count in the Italians... Nobody counts in or under Italian. I'm so sorry. Field Marshal, in February when we had you at Agadar beer, we had an idea they sent your best troops to Russia. You gentlemen have six senses. We have only five, but we use them. We must rely on preparation. For instance, we knew the Dutch would open their dykes, so we started building rubber boats. 50,000 of them as far back as 1935. What did you do in 1935? Took your wives on little pleasure trips, snapped their photographs, plucking Edelweiss in Switzerland. German wives found themselves being photographed on bridges across the Vistula and in the neighborhood of the fortifications of Brussels. Next question. Field Marshal, now that you've pushed ahead 500 miles, aren't your supply lines getting a little taut? They are very taut. And yet you expect to take Cairo? In six days, I have my reservations in Shepard's Hotel. Without supplies, how can you do it? Yes, Field Marshal, how? I'm speaking for the Britishers. I'm sorry. Gentlemen, it is not the supplies which reach us. It is we who reach the supplies. Is that clear? Not quite. You reach the supplies. How? Preparation, gentlemen, preparation. In 1937, two years before this war started, we dug supplementary supplies into the sands of Egypt. A number of depots under your very noses, thousands and thousands of gallons of petrol and water, ammunition, spare parts for our tanks, waiting for us. Under our very noses, eh? Where? Yes. Where? Where? I gave you 20 questions, gentlemen. That is question 21. We'd gladly trade you Rudolph Hess for the answer to 21. You may keep him, gentlemen. My time is short. I hope you enjoyed your lunch. Davos, is the gentleman's car ready? Yes, Your Excellency. Thank you, Davos. Davos, I'm afraid that tip will have to wait till after the war. Don't worry, sir. You're a good man, Davos. I hope I know my job, sir. You do, I'm sure of it. Petrol ammunition. What is it? Are you looking for something? Yes, water, petrol, ammunition. Right here on the table? Between this spot and Cairo. You sure? Buried right under our noses. How could they do it? How? Who? The Germans. You're sick again, sir? Not a bit, thanks. But this is pepper and salt cellar, sir. I know. And you are looking for water, petrol, ammunition. That's right. Well, how could it get in here? That's what I'd like to know. Oh, dear, rumble on top of us. The man, you are supposed to be dead underneath us and you're making riddles. I will put these things away. Clean off the table, please. Six days, he said. That means he'll be in Cairo Sunday, perhaps. Hey, hey, hey, that name. Hmm? Here it is. That name. In the newspapers lining the drawer. What name? Well, you asked me about it, and I did not remember, you know. And here it is under the knives. For years I've been looking at it every time I put the knives away. What name? Professor Kronstetter. Let me see it. Here's his picture. The German archaeologist Professor Kronstetter. Fareed, you're a great man. Who? Me? Archaeologist, of course. Oh, we get them all the time in Egypt, digging up the old mummies. London Press, February 17, 1937. That's the year. What year? Preparations year. And just have a look at Professor Kronstetter. Who is it? Oh, yeah. That's him. His Excellency Field Marshal Rommel. It's so simple. A highly respectable group of German scientists arrived in Egypt to dig for tombs between the Libyan border and Cairo. What a convenient way to send a military mission to full authority to dig, dig, dig. Only they didn't dig anything out, they dug everything in. What, sir? Water, petrol, ammunition. Oh, not again, please, sir. Fareed. Now we know how. Yes, sir, yes. Well, you don't know where. There's still question 21. Is Davos here? Quiet. Yes, yes, here, sir. The Field Marshal wants to see you in his room. Come in, Davos. I have just received information that my advance columns have reached objective Y. Objective Y, Your Excellency, that's good news, isn't it? Yes. Everything works out according to my plans. I wish I could have told it to those Britishers at luncheon. Their digestion would have stopped completely. If I may be permitted, Your Excellency gave them a very brilliant lecture. They will remember Field Marshal Rommel or should I say Professor Kroenstetter? Thank you, Davos. For a moment I was really afraid Your Excellency might put all the cards on the table, tell them about the five graves. My tongue did itch. Such blind ignorance. I might have just as well shown them my map. With the exact location of the five graves? Come here, Davos. Yes, Your Excellency. Here's the map of Egypt. You, of course, know the answer. But would they have seen anything? Not a thing, Your Excellency. They have such complicated minds. They expect invisible ink, maps that have to be warmed over fires or held against the light to reveal secret pinpricks. Too simple for them, this. I'm trying to look at it with an Englishman's eyes. Not a clue, just an ordinary map. There's nothing here that could give them a hint. Is there? After I've taken Cairo, I shall send a postcard to number 10 Downing Street to the correct solution. Davos, all arrangements have been made for you. Yes, Your Excellency. You are leaving for Cairo this evening. You'll be taken by motorcycle to El Daba. From there a guide will get you through the British lines. This evening? At nine o'clock. That gives me six hours. For what? Oh, some things here. Unfinished business of no importance. You can expect me Sunday afternoon. We won't have any difficulty with objectives P or T, I'm sure. P or T, Your Excellency? It seems improbable. Have a lukewarm bath drawn for me in Shepherd's Hotel in Cairo. The Royal Suite. In the evening a command performance of the opera. Aida in German. Omitting the second act, which is too long and not too good. It'll be all, Davos. Yes, Your Excellency. May I come in? Yes. What time is it, Moosh? Upper six. Oh. I hear you are leaving. That's right. Moosh, if there were a local florist, I'd offer you an armful of white lilacs with my humblest apology. For what? I had an unpleasant idea about you, Moosh. Farid cleared it up. He told me about your brother. I'm sorry. It's all right. Now let's see. Fort Said? No. That's too far east. What are you doing? What is that book? The Tourist Guide. You know, Moosh, I not only have a club foot, I have a club brain. T.P. and Objective Y. Does that mean anything to you? T.P. and Y? Not a thing. It was maddening, Moosh. There was Rommel's map steric at me with everything in it. Eyes heavy, but I see not. T.P. Y. What's the key? Where's the answer? Say, that's a pretty dress. In Cairo, I wore it on Sundays. Drifting down the Sharia Ibrahim Pasha with a white parasol over your shoulder. There was a parasol that went with the dress. Where is it? In the shop. I could never quite afford it. The hand was real ivory. Maybe someday when I'm rich. Objective Y. Y. Listen, either you stop talking like alphabet soup, or you tell me. I've gone through this thing writing down the name of every village, every oasis, every landmark that begins with P or T. There are dozens of them, but there isn't a Y in Egypt. Hey, what have I said? Moosh, that's it, Moosh, that's it. What is it? Did you hear what I said? I said there isn't a Y in Egypt, but there is. There's a Y and a P and a T. I've got it, E-G-Y-P-T. The five graves. What five graves? The five supply depots of Professor Rummel. Of course, no invisible ink. Just the map of Egypt and printed across it. Egypt. And the letters, don't you see? Every letter marking a supply depot. Invisible because they're so visible all over the map. Just a moment. Since when was Rummel a professor? I must see that map again. I must get back into his room. Whose room? Raul's. No, please don't. You've had such luck so far. You can leave. You're safe. Why risk your neck again? What for? Thank you, Moush. Before you took pity on the neck of a married man, this time you know it's just my neck. Where's that agreeable mouth of yours? Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot. Wrong army. Well, I've got to get to those maps. Wait. They'll kill you. We'll see. Goodbye, Moush. And now, before Mr. Deleuze presents French Otone, Anne Baxter, Otto Pemenger, J. Carol Nash, and Fortunio Bonanova in Act 3 of Five Graves to Cairo. There's a thought I'd like to share with you. I read this about our soldiers. Only 50% of our army's time, only 50% is spent in actual fighting. So even our soldiers spend a lot of their time doing the unexciting things nobody hears about. Plain shores. Well, I'm afraid that's the way some women feel about keeping house. There are beds to be made every day. Cleaning and dusting. Cooking and dishwashing. Shores, yes. But a lot depends on how you do them. A successful businesswoman once told me about her first job. She spent every day filing cards all day long. It was so boring I could have screamed, she said. So every day I set myself to memorize a poem while I worked. Something that made the day seem beautiful. How about that for an idea while you're washing dishes? Next, make jobs like dishwashing as pleasant as they can be. Pour Lux Flakes into the dish pan. Turn on the water. See the rich, lively suds bubble up. That's a pleasure in itself. No slow-poke suds. No gray, greasy dish water. Best of all, when you finish that dish pan job, your hands will be as soft, smooth, and lovely as when you started. Changing to Lux takes away the red course look as strong so please. Scores of women found changing to Lux Flakes made their hands look nicer in just a few days. Use all the Lux you need to get good suds, but no more than you need. A little Lux goes a long way. It's really thrifty. Why not try the Lux way of doing dishes tomorrow? Now our producer, Mr. DeMille. After the play, we'll get some news on the off-stage doings of our stars. Now the curtain rises on the third act of Five Graves to Cairo, starring Franchotone and Dan Baxter with Otto Preminger, J. Carol Nash, and Fortunio Bonanova. In the Field Marshal's quarters, the British soldier bends low over the map of Egypt. E, G, Y, P, T. Each letter marking a supply depot for the German-Africa Corps. But now the sky overhead roars with flames. British planes returning to bomb C. D. Halpheier. You, what are you doing in here? Well, the maps, Lieutenant. I thought the Field Marshal's map should not be left behind. You did, eh? Very conscientious. Thank you, sir. Go on, get down the cellar. Yes, sir. Alex! Yes, Lieutenant? Tell me something, doubles. When we arrived here, I understood you had been bombed into the cellar. Is that correct, doubles? Yes, Lieutenant. This cellar, doubles? Yes, Lieutenant. And you dug yourself out, doubles? That's right, Lieutenant. You are sure, doubles? Quite sure. You are sure you are not dead, doubles? Come here. Over here behind the sugar barrel. Isn't it strange, doubles? It seems to be the body of a man. Yellow fingers and the club foot. Yes, so it is. Yeah, snap! Yeah! Why did you lock the door? Sit down there and listen to me. You'd better go. Sit down. Go, please. Lieutenant Schweigler is coming. Lieutenant Schweigler begs to be excused. He's dead. Dead? No screaming, please. You were shot. You killed him? Yes. Unfortunately, he ran across the lake, Mr. Devils. Unfortunately, no one knows about it yet, and they mustn't until tomorrow morning. If I read his full instructions, the body will be found down below in the sand outside this window. There'll be my waiter's jacket and my shirt with some blood on it, enough to prove I did it. Farid and you will work together. Farid and I? That's right. I need six hours to get through the German line. Why did you kill him? I said no screaming. Why? I'll tell you why, because a little piece of paper has to get through the British headquarters. See? Just a piece of paper with some pencil marks on it. E.G., Y.P.T. That's why Farid and you must cover up till I get there. Is that clear? Perfectly. You have killed two people. You have killed him and my brother. His only chance to get out alive. And now all you ask is that we cover up so you can get back to the British. Is that it? Like Dunkirk again? Well, what about Dunkirk? Yes, some were left behind. French, Polish, Belgian and British. Some? They had to be. The rest were to carry on. Carry on for what? Oh, they're not enough dead already. Oh, yes, there are a lot of dead moosh. In Tobruk, I saw them piled up with a hundred. That's a vast of all they lay ten deep. They were blown to bits under a pulse in the Prince of Wales. In Athens, they're dying of starvation, 400 a day. For what, moosh? So that somebody like you can hold out a tin cup to a victorious lieutenant begging for pennies with a penny? It's not one brother that matters. It's a million brother. It's not just one prison gate they might sneak open for you. It's all their gates that must go. All right. Talk. You talk such big words. You have a million brothers. I'm small. I have only one. And I want him to live if it cost a piece of paper. I see the Phil Martial himself. You're a wretch! How dare you! Maid! Come here. Your Excellency. Be quiet. It concerns your brother. I remember I advised you to approach his case through the Red Cross of the Quakers. You thought it wiser to approach it through a certain lieutenant. Did you? Well, I have just found out that this certain lieutenant has shown you some telegrams. Telegrams that were sent to Berlin and telegrams that were received from Berlin. They were never sent. They were never received. They are forgerous. Oh, no! You will wait for that certain lieutenant. I prefer to have him present. Your Excellency. We're schweigler. They have found him. He is dangerous, Excellency. He was shot twice. I see. Self-defense, of course. Maid. Speak up. Why did you do it? Because I thought I could make a bargain with him. Because he lied to me. Because he was dead. Because he was one of you. First, you made him forget that he was a German officer. Then you killed him because he was one. He was only 23. At 20, he was decorated important for his vigorous gallantry in action. At 21, he was commanding a tank company. Best aid I've ever had. The German officer. With a brilliant future. Yes. He might have become a field marshal with somebody on his knees before. Two steps back, please. Sway! A field battle. Well, what is it, Davos? Oh, your spy wants to speak. I will say what there is to say. I knew you'd work for them all these years, Davos. Get out of here, Davos. Get out. What is it, Davos? Get out! Your Excellency. There's no further orders on about to leave the Cairo. Nothing, Davos. Good luck. Yes. Good luck, Davos. Thank you. I read from here. Yes. Tomorrow morning, give them the proof that Davos did it. Understand? Uh-huh. And will you say to her, for me, God bless you. There's objective EG and Y, sir. They've used E and G already. Yes. Well, I doubt if they'll ever use Y or objective P or objective T. The English Eighth Army under General Montgomery is still pursuing the Africa Corps. From El Alamein, they have pounded their way eastward, step by step. Benghazi has been reoccupied in Sidi Barani. And today, the British forces entered Sidi Al-Fayyat. Come on, you wages. Keep moving. Hey, soldier. Who are these men? Italian prisoners. Millions of them. Keep moving, boys. Well, hello, General Sabasano. What? You know me? That's right. As we say in Milano, it's a wise man that drops the short end of the stick, huh? Who are you? Soon you can lie in your tub and get rid of the fleas. What fleas? The ones you caught from lying down with the dogs, as we say in Milano. Now I remember. Hello, hello. Arrivederci, General. Arrivederci. Arrivederci. Falla, laura, laura, le bionco versita. Move! Hurry. You'll come back. Oh, it is good to have you here again, sir. What happened? Where's Moush? Well, uh, maybe you would like to have number five this time, huh? With the good bathroom. Where is she? Tell me. There was a trial that morning. I brought in the evidence, as you told me. They found her innocent of shooting Shregler. Well? But, but they found her guilty of spreading enemy rumors. She kept on screaming in his face, the British will be back, the British will be back. They beat her, beat her. Then they, they let her out. One bullet would have been enough. Where is she? Out there on the desert. I put her with the other horses. Show me, Farley. Yes, sir. We buried her there. Perhaps I should bend down so you can hear me better. I brought you that parasol, Moush. In a shop, they swore it was real ivory. Let's hope so. It will give you some shade, until we can come to take you back where there are trees and leaves and rivers and dew on the grass. Don't worry, Moush. We're after them now. When you feel the earth shake, that will be our tanks and our guns and our lorries. Thousands and thousands of them. British, French and American. We're after them now, coming from all sides. We're going to blast the blazes out of them. We're going to pound and pound till the earth shakes like a great bell, till it rings with a new song. A better song. Oh, my God. In just a moment, our stars will return for a certain form. Listen. Did you count them? Ten. There are only ten more shopping days till Christmas. Ten days to get all the things you've put off till now. Well, fortunately, there's still time to buy bombs. And here's another gift the women on your list always appreciate. Langeries. And if you choose just the right type of slip or nightie for each person, it won't look like a last-minute selection at all. Try easy-to-pack-round jerseys for young army and navy wives living out of a suitcase. Oh, trimly tailored kinds for war workers or women in the arms services. A more elaborate laces out for the brides, you know. And if you can, include a small box of luxe flakes with your gift. Isn't that a good idea, Libby? Yes, it's a gift of extra long wear for Christmas undies. We all want our nice things to stay lovely a long time these days. If your dealer is out of luxe flakes, you might put a hint about luxe carrot to rhyme instead. A lot of luxe is on the way, and it is worth waiting for. You can be sure it will come to the rescue of our undies and stockings very soon. Now, here's Mr. DeMille with our stars. From Five Gates to Cairo, it's only five steps to the footlights and a curtain call for Franchotone and Anne Baxter. Thank you, CB. You're one of my favorite hosts. Well, thanks, Franchot. You're one of my favorite fathers. How's your son? He's probably one of the handsomest men in Hollywood, CB. Fathers always take the credit, and mothers do all the work. Oh, I don't know. I built the baby's crib. Good job. He likes it. I didn't know you designed furniture for a hobby, Franchot. My grandfather has a hobby something like that. He designs buildings. Have you heard of him, Mr. DeMille? Frank Lloyd Wright? Anne, even if he is your grandfather, one of the world's most famous architects might resent your calling his art a hobby. By the way, what's yours? Cooking. If I hadn't been happily married for more than 40 years, I might make an offer at this point. I mean, have you got a favorite recipe? Oh, yes, herb omelette. I'm quite proud of it. Well, let's have it. I'm sorry, but I can't give the recipe. I kind of make it up as I go along and never do it twice the same. That's a fun and cookie. You mean you'll never use a cookbook? Oh, yes. I collect them to read, but I don't always do what they say. Well, CB, maybe you'd better give us the recipe for next week's play. Mix carefully. Equal parts of music, comedy, and romance. And the result is the paramount hit, Dixie. And the stars, well, who else but Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour. It's the story of the first menstrual man, Dan Emmett, who gave us the great song Dixie. Bing will sing that and the other big hits of the picture. So don't miss Dixie next Monday night. I wouldn't miss it for anything, Mr. DeMille. Good night. Good night. Good night. We'll hope soon to say good-bye to Marshall Rama. Our sponsors, the makers of Lux Flakes, join me in inviting you to be with us again next Monday night when the Lux Radio Theatre presents Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour in Dixie with Barry Sullivan. This is Cecil B. DeMille saying good night to you from Hollywood. Five Draves to Cairo was presented through the cooperation of Paramount Pictures, whose current release is the Technicolor production, Riding High. Anne Baxter will soon be seen in the 20th Century Fox picture, The Sullivan's, and in the same studio's production of the Maxwell Anderson play, The Eve of St. Mark. Otto Preminger will produce and direct the 20th Century Fox picture, I Marry the Soldier. J. Carol Nash is currently seen in the Columbia picture, Sahara. Portunio Bonanova is currently seen in the Paramount picture for whom the bell tolls. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Christmas seal time again. Put Christmas seals in all your letters and packages during the holiday season, because every Christmas seal you buy helps the fight against tuberculosis. Third in tonight's play were Fred Mackay as Shregler, Edward Harvey as Fitzhume, and Charles Seal, Ed Emerson, Dennis Green, Norman Field, and Vernon Steele. Our music was directed by Louis Silver. This program is broadcast to our fighting forces overseas by International Shortwave Radio in cooperation with the Armed Forces Radio Service. This is your announcer, John M. Kennedy, reminding you to tune in again next Monday night to hear Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour in Dixie with Barry Sullivan. In these days of food shortages, don't be confused about vitamins. Give your family VIMS, the new money-saving vitamin mineral tablets, scientifically designed to help make meals complete. VIMS give you all the vitamins recommended by government experts, including those of the B complex. All the minerals commonly lacking, too. Get VIMS from your druggist, the qualified vitamin dealer. VI for vitamins, double MS for minerals. Get that VIMS feeling. This is the Columbia Broadcasting System.