 The curtain rises on Act Two of the Fool on Horseback starring Dennis Morgan as Andrew Best. We rejoin Professor Andrew Best and his friend Homer Gilbert as they step from Homer's car in the driveway of Charlotte Purdy's country estate at Willow Hill. Charlotte is on the front steps to greet them. Oh, there you are, Homer. Hello! Hello, my dear Charlotte. How are you? Just fine. Where's your friend? He's right here. Andrew! Here I am. I... Oh, hello. Charlotte, I want to meet Professor Andrew Best. I know Professor Best remotely. I had no idea that they... Professor Best's wife, who also knows him remotely, is one of my guests. What a charming coincidence. Well, I can think of coincidences that have charmed me more. Now, Charlotte, it was all my fault. I apologize. Mrs. Purdy, Homer, for everyone's sake, I'd better turn right around and go home. Professor Best, I'm sorry to be so ungracious, but Nancy is a friend of mine, and she has certain fixed ideas. Nancy's ideas, Mrs. Purdy, are not fixed. They need fixing, and that's what I'm here to do. Professor, I want you to know that you're welcome to stay, but I will not have Nancy hurt. Believe me, I have no wish to do that. Homer, I've already put you and the Professor in together, so we'll leave it that way. Talbot will take your things up. Come along and meet the others. All right, Charlotte. Well, so far so bad. Nonsense. We're going great guns. All right, let's go in and watch the barometer go down. Oh, there you are. Come along, I want you to meet everyone. Folks, Homer Gilbert, I think you all know. Oh, hi. How are you? And someone whom perhaps you haven't met, Professor Andrew Best. Hello. We have a real scientific man with us tonight. I do believe we have someone here who even understands the Einstein theory. Understand it. I can read between the lines. Good heavens, Nancy. Charlotte couldn't have known he was coming. Nick, don't leave me. No, I'm sure she didn't know. Homer brought him. But Andrew knew I was here. Nancy, I would like to have a word or two with that husband of yours. Well, Mr. Veeder, there's no time like present. That's only one word, Veeder. Won't you have another? Good evening, Nancy. Andrew, I... Nick, would you leave us alone for just a moment? Don't go far. I will be right back. Excuse me, Professor Best. Delighted. Likeable chap. Why did you come here, Andrew? Well, I dropped in to tell Homer, as my lawyer, that you and I, I mean, well, what more was there to tell him? You told him we were about to separate? Yes, something like that. Then why did you come here tonight? Oh, curiosity, I suppose. Well, I hope your curiosity is satisfied. Now, please, I shall be glad if you don't address another remark to me while you're here. Certainly. That's your wish. Nick. Right here, Nancy. Come along. Oh, Veeder. Excuse me, Andrew, I will be right back in a moment. Yes? What is it? I should like to remind you for future reference, Veeder, that the lady is still my wife. Hello, Charlotte. Hello, Homer. Oh, it's a great party, Charlotte. Homer, the older I get, the less I feel I really understand people. Nancy's professor is perfectly charming. I'm glad you like him. Oh, I'm not the only one. Everyone's crazy about him. That's not universal, though. Nick Veeder would like to throw a dozen knives at him. Nick, my dear, is a desperate character. Oh, Nancy seems pretty desperate, too. She is. That's why she can stand, Nick. Only desperate women like desperate characters. Uh, getting back to the professor. That's just exactly what I'm about to do. Come along. Let's both go over. Oh, you don't want to join in that. He's telling Mary Jeffries and others about Helen of Troy. Homer, that's what I've always wanted to hear. Real McCoy about Helen of Troy. Andrew, you were a great success. I think you've adequately shown Navel as she. Andrew, you're not listening. I'm sorry, Homer. I was thinking. All the time downstairs, I kept thinking. Nancy's right. I bordered to death, neglected her. Maybe you'll reach a point in a relationship like marriage when you can't get back where you once were with each other. I don't believe it. You're a bachelor. What do you know about it? More than you think. Besides, I know Nancy. Well, I know Nancy, too. You'll have a more cheerful outlook in the morning, Andrew. Come on, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow is the day of the hunt. I know. Tonight, you've made a great hit with Nancy's friends, and tomorrow, there's only one more hurdle to get over. There will be many hurdles. Fences, ditches, and hedges. What? My horse will have plans for zone to go over them. Hello? How do you feel? Payless, of course. I know how you look. How do you feel? I feel pale inside, too. Good morning, Professor. Good morning. Why don't they start, Homer? We will soon. McDermott is the master. And now on, he is the boss. The trail has been laid down for the hounds, and we'll ride when the horn gives us a signal. Good morning, Professor. Good morning. Where's Nancy? Over there would be the door. Homer. Homer, I'll never make it. And this dumb beast I'm on knows it. Oh, nonsense. Hang on. The horse will do the rest. Just hang on, Andrew. Now, come along. We're moving out. Good luck, Andrew. We're still together. I wasn't between the horse and I. Where's Nancy? Right behind us. The doctor said I could speak to you. Are you in great pain? I guess so. I really feel it more when the shock wears off. Oh, poor darling. Nancy, sorry I made a fool of myself. Oh, you didn't, darling. Homer told me how you came down here because... Because you... Because... Because I loved you. I couldn't let you get away. Oh, Andrew, darling. I can't see very straight. The place looks different. I had to bring you up to my room, and that's where you're going to stay. That was... That was sweet of you. Oh, darling, keep still. Don't try to move until you're well. What did the doctor say? He, uh... He won't commit himself yet. Where is the doctor? He's in the bathroom washing up. I'll see him when he comes down. If he says you can see people, all the others want to come up. They all admire you so much, Andrew. That's nice. Except one. Darling, Nick Vita never meant anything to me. You don't think he... No. I can almost feel sorry for him. You're a very lovely woman, Nancy. Andrew. Oh, I could kiss you for that, and I will. How could we ever have thought of splitting up? I know you'd feel you'd have to stick by me. Now that I'm cracked up, perhaps permanently. But I won't let you, Nancy. Darling, don't say such a thing. Of course I'll stay with you. Andrew, can't you see our marriage? You'll have a new meaning now. You'll need me. That's what was wrong. I had no place in your life. Oh, I'm tiring you. I'll be waiting right outside to hear what the doctor says. Come along, Professor. Up you get. Now, there's no need to mope around up here. Go downstairs and join your friends. You're perfectly well, you know. Doctor, I, you must talk, talk quietly. Sit down. I don't follow. You're perfectly all right. Doctor Cunningham, sit down. Thank you. Now listen, I'll be as sick as I like for as long as it suits me. Doctor, tell me, how are you doing down here at Willow Hill? Things pretty slow? Well, you know it's a very small town, and I'm doing general medicine. However, I'm highly trained in surgery, and this is not exactly what I planned on. What are you getting at, Professor? Just this. Would you like to meet Dr. Steven Yeager, Professor Lawson Woodhouse, Dr. Irving Klein? Well, they're well known. I'd be most honored. Well, they're all friends of mine, and they could be friends of yours. If I invited you to my house to meet them. Oh, it would be a wonderful experience. All right. And it's understood I can be as sick as I want. They're within reason. Fine, fine, fine. I'll keep you informed, Doctor, about the state of my health. This is all very regular. Doctor, you may allow the visitors in now. I don't pretend to understand what behind all this, but Professor Best would like to see you. Well, come along, everyone. We mustn't tire him too much. Oh, Andrew, you've had us all just sick with worry. Hello, Charlotte. Homer. What's the doctor say? What's the verdict? Well, I'm not as badly injured as the doctor first thought. I'll pull around in time. I'll be up and around for long. It all depends on myself. Doesn't it, Dr. Cunningham? Uh, yes, that's right. All I need is rest and quiet. All the stuff doctors usually say. And I'll see that he gets it. I am so glad to be alive. Well, get a different slant on things, I suppose. Peter, won't you come over here? Oh, I am so glad you are okay. I guess it is pretty hard to say, Professor. You know how I feel. Uh, I'd hate to know how you feel. Well, it was a shock. I am glad you are not going to die. You're a very lucky man. I am a lucky man. I have friends, loving wife. Such a loving wife, Andrew. A brilliant career. What else, Homer? You know. Oh, yes. Excellent legal advice. The kitchen falls in the final act of a full-on horseback starring Dennis Morgan. I'll return in a moment to tell you something about next week's star and story after this timely message from Wendell Niles. College-trained young men, here is your opportunity to become an aviation executive. You receive the finest aviation training in the world from the United States Air Force if you can qualify and are selected for aviation cadet pilot or navigator training. To qualify, you must be single between the ages of 20 and 26 and 1 half and have at least two years of college. When you successfully complete one year of training, you win your wings and a reserve commission in the U.S. Air Force. While on active duty, you have excellent opportunities to earn a regular commission. For complete details, visit your nearest Air Force base or U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force recruiting station right away. Remember, only the best can be aviation cadets. And I'll once again, your host, C.P. McGregor. Well, ladies and gentlemen, our play has been long and I see we must forego our usual informal chat with our star until the next comes our way. I don't want to take just a moment to tell you about next week's show. Victor Moutour will return to our microphone to star in a comedy romance titled Exchange Professor. Be sure to join us next week, ladies and gentlemen, for Exchange Professor starring Victor Moutour. Until then, this is C.P. McGregor saying thanks for listening and cheerio from Hollywood. We're here to see the Hollywood coordinated committee which arranges for the appearance of all stars in this program. The script was by Markin Stevenson, the music of Eddie Dunn-Steppen. The program is transcribed in Hollywood for release at this time. Wendell Niles speaking.