 Ladies and gentlemen, the railroad hour. And here comes our star-studded show train. Tonight, the Association of American Railroads presents the great Broadway musical hit, Connecticut Yankees, starring Gordon MacRae, and his guest star, Jenny Sims. Our choir is under the direction of Norman Luboff, and the music is prepared and conducted by Carmen Dragon. Yes, tonight another great musical success is brought to you by the American Railroad. The same railroads that bring you most of the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the fuel you burn, and all the other things you use in your daily life. And now, here is our star, Gordon MacRae. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Well, tonight I'll be Hank Barrett, the Connecticut Yankee, and Jenny Sims will play a couple of girls named Sandy. Now, we don't expect you to believe that this story really happened, but wouldn't it be fun if it did? I ask you, Sandy, is there a law in the state of Connecticut that says you have to get married? Oh, Hank, I've got to go through it. Well, then just change the starting lineup. Scratch the bridegroom and enter me instead. Well, Mervyn would be mortified. Mervyn, how can you marry a guy who does parlor tricks? Well, Mother likes him. Oh, Sandy, this isn't the Dark Ages. Nowadays, you don't marry to please your folks. You're supposed to follow your heart. I took one look at you. That's all I'm at. Kiss me, Sandy. While I'm in the other room, entertaining guests, I find this man kissing my future wife. Well, you're not the only one who does parlor tricks, Merv, old boy. Oh, you bounder, you thief, you... Mervyn, just put down that bottle. Careful, Merv. We'll teach you battle. Come again. We'll teach her a passage of arms for land or lady. Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Quit poking me with that stick, Sam. Say, how long can you stay fresh in that can? Barlet, thou art the captain of Sir Cyclombole de Zuris. Light of King Arthur's table round. This guy's as nutty as a fruitcake. Now, look, Saggy, I don't know where I am or how I got here, but tell me one thing. What's the date? Verily, it is November the 27th. I mean, what's the year? Everyone in Britain knows the year. It is 528 AD. Oh, brother. Thou lookest woe be gone. You'd lookest woe be gone, too, Saggy. I just slipped and skidded 14 centuries. Now, Saggy, what is this place? It's the banquet hall of the castle of Camelot. Who are all these jokers in the tin tuxedos? Verily, the knights of the table round. Here's the flag of the day. Here's the dragon of the day. We drink to fight and fight to drink to fun. To the born, here's the toast. To the rose and the fairytale. Here's the toast. To the rose and the fairytale. Did I ever get myself into a mess like this? Hey, Sandy! Thickest thou to me? Yeah, what are you doing in this lunatic asylum? Pursuit. Thy words are passing stream. You know what? You look just like a girl I'm going to fall in love with about 1400 years from today. Look, what do they call you? Alice Sandy. Alice Sandy, huh? Mind if I call you Sandy? Sandy? It has a fair and winsome grace. So do you. You know, Sandy, you're quite a dish. Dish? I'm sorry, baby. If we're going to do much talk, I guess we'd better do it your way, huh? Would hold my hand? Yeah, darn tootin' thy woods. Thou swell, thou witty, thou sweet, thou grand woods kiss me pretty. Woods hold my hand, both thine eyes are cute too. What they do to me? Hear me holler, I choose a sweet lullaby losing thee. So rich in a hut and kitchen, I'm sure would do. Give me just a plot of not a lot of land. Thou swell, thou witty, thou grand. For a night, thou seekest strangely, but somehow very pleasing to me. Could I try thy ballad? Forsooth, girl, forsooth. Thou do what they do to me. Thou hast never dug this gyre before? Never, Fair Knight, never. Thou art certainly a very heft chick. Give me just a plot of not a lot. At the King, Sandy? Barely, tis King Arthur. And yonder beside him is the King's mighty and terrible magician. Mervyn. Yeah, he's a mighty terrible magician, all right. Not Mervyn, Barlin. Oh, he had to change his name, huh? Oh, King, and it pleases your majesty, we shall bring forth the fearsome fire devouring dragon which has been captured in the royal forest. Me? It pleases us, Merlin. Bring forth this monster. Come, Barlet, kneel before the King. Who are you pushing? Who are you pushing? Forsooth, he is a dreadful looking creature. Well, I've been sick. Oh, shall he be disposed of, your majesty? Well, let him be burned at the stake. Oh, now, wait a minute, fellas, aren't you getting a little hasty with the hot foot? He will burn at Hainu. Very nice, Sandy. Yeah. What's the date? November 27th. In the year 528th? Yes. I remember reading in the World Almanac. Yeah. There was a total eclipse at the sun. Eclipse at the sun? Mm-hmm. What mean is these strange words? Oh, you'll find out. Now, lookie here, King. If you try to go ahead with this weenie roast, I'm going to have to get tough. I'm going to blot out the sun. What's this? Blot out the sun? Dismantle Chateauro, King. Even I, the mighty Merlin, cannot perform such magic. But say, it does seem to grow darker. Look! The sun has swallowed us. Oh, thank the day... What is the magic of them? That they will take away the sun. Hey, come on! What are you doing with lightning and thunder? They need my word and I will grant them to me only give us back the sun. Okay, King. Here's the deal. From now on. I'm your Prime Minister. Granted. And my title, shall be The Boss. I dub thee, sir Bartz, when you sweep away this night, break the enchantment. I hope I can remember the magic words. He in just a moment. Soon now most of us will be wrapping gaily decorated Christmas parcels and mailing colorful Yuletide cards to friends and relatives all over the United States. It's always a good feeling to know that all the shopping is over and everything's in the mail. Headed on the way to bring cheer in this joyous season of the year? From now until Christmas the volume of mail is expected to reach more than 6 billion pieces, an all-time record of Yuletide mail. And it is the case the year-round, 99% of all mail moving from one city to another will be handled by the railroads. As the tide of mail begins to rise at Christmas time, it takes a lot of advanced planning and precision teamwork to make sure that the mail continues to move with the same dependability it does every other day and night of the year. Weeks ago post office officials and railroad representatives met to lay careful plans for handling Christmas mail. Every phase of the plan was worked out, adequate car supply, plenty of locomotives and switch engines, sufficient manpower, location of cars in advance where they will be available when needed, and all the other details required to move a mountain of mail in a short time. Now the railroads are at work, carrying out the details of the plan. And as the mail starts to increase, they will run extra sections of trains and add extra cars to present trains. At busy terminals and stations all over the country, hour-to-hour developments will be carefully watched so that the flood of mail will continue to move. Yes, these are some of the reasons why the post office department and the railroads urge you to mail early this Christmas. And you can be sure that the all-season, all-weather railroads are doing everything possible to make certain that your parcels and cars are delivered to their destinations, swiftly, dependably, safely. Here is Act 2 of Connecticut Yankee, starring Gordon Macrae as Hank and Ginny Sims as Sandy. River Thames plant, now with manufacturer and new automobile called the Gwynevere 6 by order of Sir Boss. All right, Sandy, turn it on. And what does that call this miracle, Good Sir Boss? It's just a radio. Oh, radio? I was going to invent television, but I decided to wait for color. I flipped the switch, doc. Hey, day news, guys. This is MBC, the Middle Ages broadcasting company. What a chain mail with a pleat in the back. There was a dirty trick I'm playing on history. Sometimes I wonder. With all these magical contrivances, this all will ever have time for me. Why, Sandy, I have a meaning to ask you. Will you be Mrs. Sir Boss? Oh, barely in pursuit. I hope that means yes. Oh, barely in pursuit. I feel at home with you. You always spit on the knees that you sit on. That's why I feel at home with you. If we go, you flatter my ego. That's why I feel at home with you. You have a sensible, comprehensible, great respect for you. Hope a dash of it is a passionate hand. Something that's giving me reason for living. My dome with you. Your brain needs a tonic, it's still embryonic. That's why I feel at home with you. Here, Sir Boss. Sweet, Sir Boss. Handsome, Sir Boss. I never had a this good in Hartford. Sir Sagrimore, we think I cannot endure all this progress. I, Merlin, one invention of Sir Boss, have proved my undoing. Which? The bathtub. It has washed away all my personality. I have a plan to avenge ourselves upon this monster. Sir Boss is smitten with a damazelle called Tandy. Now suppose I give her a magic potion, which will make her love me. She's perfect to fall in love with me. I can imagine no fate more horrible. Thank thou and good night, Sir Sagrimore. Oh, behold, yonder is the maid. Ah, see her. She will shortly be thy bride. My pretty, thou shall drink this love potion. I beseech thee, mighty Merlin. Grant me one request before I drink. Let me bid farewell to Sir Boss. Oh, but Sir Boss is many leagues away. That is not possible. Can't thou long me a nickel? A nickel? Thanks, Jack. I can't say very much. Merlin is right outside the phone booth listening. But can't you do a prayer? Run off with my future wife. Who verily I shall harness my galloping stallion and charge to the rescue. Now hold your horses, Art. We're riding the Camelot in South Wales Railroad. All aboard. All the damazelle named Tandy, or Sir Boss will pulverize thee with a bazooka. Your Majesty, take the girl. Well, that's more like it. Oh, Sir Boss, bless thee for coming to my rescue. Hey, Sandy, why, why don't you open your eyes? I have drunk the love potion. I must need be certain that the first mortal I do look upon shall be my own true love. Well, open your papers, baby. Oh, fair, Sir Boss. Doth thou love me? I do. I do. Oh, love me. I do. I do. I do. Very good. I now pronounce you man and wife. What is going on here I'd like to know? Hey, wait a minute. That's Merlin. Not Merlin, Merlin. What is this preacher doing here? According to the laws of this state, these two are now man and wife. What? We are? Of course. You were unconscious, but you said I do on the right time. Oh, verily. Verily thou art a paragon of cleverness. There, damazelle. What kind of talk is that? Well, Sandy, there's just an extra special way of saying that. Thou's well. Thou with me. Thou sweet. Thou with me. Thou is acute to what they do to me. You be of what I feel so rich in a heart full of kisses. Our Ginny Sims, Joe Kerns, Ed Begley, Marvin Miller, Katie Lee, and our entire company. A Connecticut Yankee with music by Richard Rogers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart, and book by Herbert Fields was dramatized for the railroad hour by Lawrence and Lee. The railroad hour is brought to you each week at this time by the American Railroad. This week is a big one for more than 1,200 boys and girls from farms all over the nation. For these young folks are meeting in Chicago for the annual Congress of the National 4-H Club, the organization which is improving farming and adding to human values in rural communities throughout America. The railroads are glad to have played a part in the development of the fine work being carried on by these farm boys and girls, and will continue their cooperation in making more efficient producers and better businessmen of these farmers of tomorrow. What? Well, it looks as though we're ready to pull out, so until next week when we present the Firefly with Miss Dorothy Sarnoff joining Mr. McRae in the charming Rudolph Rimmel music, goodbye. A Connecticut Yankee was presented by Special Arrangement with the Tams Whitmark Music Library. Gordon McRae can be seen starring in the Warner Bros. production, The West Point Story. Miss Ginny Sims can be heard every Sunday in her own program, The Botany Song Shop. Our choir is under the direction of Norman Luboff, and our music is prepared and conducted by Carmen Dragon. This is Marvin Miller saying goodbye until next week for the American Railroad. And now keep tuned to your Monday Night of Music on NBC. Noah Steber sings on The Voice of Firestone. Hear her on NBC.