Hello and welcome to the Runlet and Baldachi Report. Over the past few months, we've had some pretty incredible people on our show. We had Senator George Mitchell, a majority leader, who brought peace to Ireland. We had Secretary of Defense William Cohen. We had B.B. Bewell, who had relationships with some of the most famous men in show business history, including Mick Jagger, Jack Nicholson, Steve Tyler, just to name a few. When I say relationships, I do mean relationships. And we also have, of course, our good friend Gianni Russo, the Hollywood godfather who starred in the movie The Godfather, and now owns the name The Hollywood Good Godfather. But today we have, I think, the most special guest we could ever have on this show. Why? Because this man is over one century. He's lived over one century. He's 101 years old, born in 1922. He's seen it. He's done it. He's been there. I don't know how many wars he's been through, how many depressions and recessions, and how many presidents. But tonight we have someone on our show that I think is just going to be over the charts. Rod, thank you so much for coming with us. Rod McConnell and your daughter, Kristen, with you. Good evening. Thank you. And of course, I'm not going to ask you your age about Rod. You are 101. You must have been 55 or 60 when you had her. Thank you. Thank you.  Rod, I'm going to start off with my first question. Yesterday when we chatted about the show, I said, what's the first thing you remember? You said, well, I remember in the first grade coming home from school but avoiding a house because some of the bad kids were there. And you know that's a similar memory that we all have. But what I want to ask you, Rod, is that what was your favorite subject in grade school? Oh, boy. Recess. Yeah, to get out of work, I guess. Okay. And Rod asked you this. So you were born in 22 and the stock market crash was 29 if I'm not mistaken, right? Correct. Do you remember the stock market crash? Did your life change when the country went into a depression? Not a bit. Really? How was that, Rod? Not a bit. Well, we didn't have much to begin with. Okay. The market itself was something I wasn't acquainted with. I didn't mean much to me nor my folks. That was something they wouldn't deal in. They wouldn't know about it. But the times were tough prior to that. But the early days, I don't remember that we changed our life any. Why did you grow up, Rod? Yeah. Where did you grow up? Where? In Des Moines, Iowa. Okay. So in the middle part of America, you lived on a farm? No. My grandparents were on a farm and I was, as a youngster, I spent my summers on that farm. It was about 70 miles from Des Moines and they'd call me there and I'd stay with Grandpa and Grandma as a farm and work. Rod, so born in 22, that means you graduated from high school in about 1940 or so. Am I correct? That's exactly right. And how many kids were in your class? Do you remember? When I graduated, there were 300 in our high school. Okay. That was one of the larger high schools in Des Moines. There were four high schools. And then you went to college where? I went to, I did go to Case Western Reserve but that was not immediately following high school. Okay. What happened in the interim between high school and going to college? I worked at various jobs. I worked in 1940. The year I got out, I went down to Missouri and worked at a building and army camp. One of the larger ones is still running right now. What were you doing there? I was driving a turnip, a dirt mover and working in the warehouse. Okay. This is prior to World War II? That was prior to the war, yes. Right, yes. And when you were born, World War I had just ended basically, but you were right around, as you graduated from high school, you're starting to watch World War II. What do you remember about that as you became a senior in high school? What do you remember about Hitler and all that stuff? Do you remember hearing about him? Oh yes, yes a lot. Yes, you bet. We followed that pretty closely. We had newspapers and the big thing was to go to Pathé News at the theater. Okay. And there would be a matinee on Saturday for ten cents, we would go. Right. And they'd have the news on and a cowboy show or two and a cereal. Well, Rod, you know I'm 77 and I remember going to those shows. The cereals with Flush Gordon with Tarzan and Bombard the Jungle Boy. And one of my friends was in a movie, the Nioca and the Tigermen with Clayton Moore, the lone ranger. And you were paying ten cents and Rob and I were probably paying 25. Yes. What was your favorite candy when you were growing up? Do you have a favorite kind of candy? I ate a lot of penny candy. Yes, me too. What was your favorites? And I don't know, I think it still is probably the orange slices. You had the orange slices and the spearmint leaves, right? And the spearmint leaves, too. And the chocolate hershey, little stars that they had. Rod, just to kind of go back a little bit, prior to World War II, first of all, did you serve in the war at the time? Were you two young? I went in one year after it began. It began in December of 1941. Correct. And then you went in for one year? I was in for three plus years. Right. And what was your rank? Yeah, what did you do? What branch? Well, I had various ranks. I was discharged as a PFC, private first class. But I had some various ranks, depending on where I was. Where were you doing during the war, Rod? Well, the large part of my time was spent in the United States to begin with. Okay. And a lot of it was spent between Missouri and New Jersey. I was in both places a number of times. You said in New Jersey, were you at Fort Dix? I was discharged from Fort Dix. And you said in Missouri, were you at Leonard Wood? Fort Leonard Wood? Well, Leonard Wood was where I went to work. Okay. And what the industry was, or basic training, and my first assignment was in another encampment in Missouri. It was a signal core encampment. Okay. And I stayed there for a while. And then I went to Fort Monmouth. And then I asked to get into the air core. Okay. And how did that work out? It worked out wonderful for me until I got through college. And then the bulge started. And we were to have gone to there, of course. And from various services, we had a lot of volunteers in my flight. And they went back to Colorado. And I never saw them again, of course. When you say the bulge, what are you referring to? You used the term. You mean the Battle of the Bulge? The Battle of the Bulge. Okay. In Europe. Okay. Well, Rod, when I came out of the U.S. Army, I came out at a higher rank than you are, sir. I came out of corporal. Yeah. And I'm very proud to have served. Rod, with you today is your daughter, Kristen. Yeah. But you were married 74 years? Yeah. Yes. And so you had four children, correct? And Kristen is your youngest? She's a young. Yes. And Kristen, you recently worked at my alma mater. And the alma mater of Bill Cohen and George Mitchell. So you couldn't be more in tune. You worked at Bowdoin, didn't you? I did, yes. And what did you do there? I was the director of the Bowdoin College Children's Center. And how many years did you serve in that capacity? About nine years. Nine years. Yeah. And as Rob said, then you knew Barry Mills. Yes, I did. Yeah. And did you go to Bowdoin Functions? Did you go to plays and stuff like that? Oh, yes. Oh, so you immersed yourself into it? Oh, there was a lot. They offered a lot to take advantage of. Good. How about the Main State Music Theater? Yes. One of the best. Yes. And I'll tell you, one of my best times was ice skating. Yes. In their new hockey arena. Yes. And we could skate for free over our lunch hour. We did a lot of that. And oftentimes I was the only one there. Oh, so you had the whole arena to yourself? I had a lot of imagination going on there. Oh, that's fantastic. By the way, I love to ice skate. I do ponds around here. Yeah. I don't skate as much anymore. Yeah. Ice skating is a lot of fun. So you're in the very famous arena because Bowdoin's hockey team has been one of my best friends. Not as good as Mainz. What's that? Not as good as Mainz. But that's okay. Well, yeah. As a Main graduate, I am. Rob, what's amazing is back when I was in high school, Main didn't have a hockey team. They had the basketball. Bill Cohen beat them. Okay. But Main didn't have a hockey team. Then all of a sudden they got hockey. Stephen King's going to the game. You got the guy that went to play for the Ducks or something. Oh, yeah. All career. Yeah. Main is a great team. But Rod, so you've lost three of your children, correct? That's correct. I'm so sorry. And that must have been hard to go through. I mean, most people, they outlive their children. Yeah. And one of the things that I know about you because we've chatted about it is that you have been a lifetime golfer. You were a good golfer back in the day. You told me you worked at a golf shop, didn't you? Where was this? Where? That was in Dubois, Iowa. Okay. When did you first take up the game of golf? Paul was in the service. I came home and the country club invited us out to the golf course to play around the golf and have lunch. I was home on leave. The only time I was back to Dubois, in fact, while I was in the service. I had carried. Me too. And earlier on, but I had never, I thought that was pretty much a waste of time. But that was good money. I think it was 75 cents. 75 cents? Yeah. They were paying that when I was a caddy 30 years later. Well, I carried Dubois and you got a dollar. That's right. Yeah. A bag on each shoulder. Yeah. That was at a different country club. In any case, then I really got excited about it after I got home and was home for just a short while before I was in playing golf. Did you ever take any lessons, Rod? Yeah. Did you ever take any lessons? You know, for a fact, I never took a lesson. And what's your handicap? Yeah, right. We need to know. Well, my handicap at best was around eight. Yeah. There you go. Yeah. That was in my good days. Yeah.  Yeah. And by the way, you were playing with those old clubs. You know, the clubs that paid were... The mashies and the... Yeah. You know, the woods today are like 13 inches wide and stuff. You would have broken power with the clubs of today, Rod. Oh, sure. Well, the best set of clubs I ever had were... They were good clubs. There's a set of them, in fact, in the museum in the... where Iron Byron is in New Jersey. There's a set there. Oh, yeah. Yeah. They were woods and they were quite mashies, but I had some mashies. Yeah. That's a term we don't use anymore. Oh, mashies. That really tells you your age. Who was your favorite golfer? Yeah. Who did you... Who was your idol? Well, it just about has to be Nelson or Byron Nelson. How about Bobby Jones? Or Hogan. Hogan, of course. And Jones, it's very hard to say. Yeah. Just like picking an old boxer. Sure. Yeah. It depends. Did you ever see any of these guys? Oh, I've seen a lot of them. Tell us about that. Yeah. Well, it's pretty thrilling. We ended up being in California when they made sure we went to the AT&T. And we did that for years, Barbara and I. Yeah.  In any case, those were just beautiful courses. For me, they were so different. Still the Cyprus course out there. The Cyprus course, yeah. And that's a course that really, really impresses you. Yeah. But they're all just so beautiful. But I've seen tournaments everywhere from Vegas to every place but the east. Yeah. Every place but the east. I'm going to ask Dino to put up a picture of myself that I'm going to send to him because last night as I was preparing for this show, I came across a picture of myself in the newspaper, Bangor Daily News, which is where Rob is from, as a caddy in the first Paul Bunyan golf tournament. And I'm standing there with a club over my head like Paul Bunyan. I'm so proud of that. I caddied in that tournament, made $20, $5 a round. And I want to ask you something, Rod, about golf. I told you about a game that I came up with, Gallery Shot, which I've talked to Rob about. And what you said was that you're able to concentrate on the next shot. When you played golf, did you ever play for money? Did you ever compete for money? Even with your friends? We did. Every round we played golf. Yeah. And what would you play for? How much? Well, it was just like a quarter. Yeah, okay. Big bucks. Big bucks. Well, we had some private bets then too. Yeah. But that was, you know, five bucks was a big bet. Sure. Well, I'm proud to say that Rob and I were Cumberland County bar champions. That's right. With my dear friend and our dear friend, Ken Alshule. Ken Alshule. I think Seth Goodall was the other guy. Correct. He was our ringer. Yeah, ringer. So I just want to ask you about your occupation. You went into the phone business, correct? Yes. And I have information that you installed the first phone, or the phone on Harry Truman's train car. Did you do that? That is true. And what year would that have been? Oh, boy. All right. Well, he was in there around 40 or so. He was after, well, 45. After President, probably the first election after our Democrats, Mr. Roosevelt died. Right. Yeah. And so that was 45. So it would be 46 in that area. Right. 47. And did you see him? Probably 47. Did you actually see him? On the train? I did. You did? Tell me about it. I was just close to him. Really? I, well, the situation was that he was running for president, of course, and he was coming through Des Moines, and I would receive the call. I was working someplace and was told to get down to the Rock Island railroad station and set up a line for the president. And that's all I had to do, just get a line into the train. Now, of course, he was campaigning off the trail in the way of a Rock Island rocket off the balcony, off the back end of it. And I didn't know, I couldn't get any information. That's all I had to go on was I'd go there. Well, I asked everybody down there, of course. And no one seemed to know what track. And I just called the artist board and asked them to send me two installers, outside installers, with all the drop wire they could find. That's a drop wire. It's just a heavier wire that goes outside. And we proceeded to wire from the terminals under the tracks. We got permission to do that finally. And tried to get a line, at least one line in a track, and sometimes two, because the train, we didn't know where it was going to stop. We didn't know much of anything. And so they wired the number, telephone number out to us in the terminal from the office. And we proceeded to get that thing set up. And when the train came in, of course, the three of us were all set. We were set. We did get some other help in there, too, because we were... How long did you spend with Truman? How long did you actually spend with him? Oh, just enough. I went in, I took the phone in on the end of this wire. And they guided me in there. And I heard him say, where's that boy with that phone? And I said right here, I don't remember for sure what I said. I probably still don't know what to say. Here it is. Were you... I mean, what did it feel like to meet a president of the United States like that, Harry Truman, as a young man? You all met John of Kennedy, but go ahead. What was it like to meet Truman? It was fantastic. Yeah. Well, it was surreal because he's one guy I sure did like. Yeah, yeah. You liked him. Rod, I want to ask you this question, and I'm sorry to keep charming in, but what did you think when you heard the news that Truman had allowed a bomb to drop on Hiroshima? What did you think about that when you heard that? What was your reaction? My situation was such that I was with a group of guys that we were on a special assignment, and we just hugged each other. And we felt that we were headed for Tokyo. That's where we were going to go. That's where you thought you thought that's where you were going to go? Yeah, I did not even think about just the way it affected people and what it did. We had no clue as to the power of that thing. We thought we did. We thought we did, but we didn't. We did not. And after we thought it through, it was a little different, but you say immediately, we were so happy because we just thought the war was going to be over. And you wanted that war over? That's what happened.  Yeah, no. Over the course of your 101 years, you were born when Warren G. Harding was president. When I was born in 52, Harry Truman was president. I still can't believe it. But I had to go back to Warren G. Harding and on and on and on. Who was the first president that you voted for? Me. Paul Roosevelt. Franklin Roosevelt. So were you a Democrat or were you a Republican? At the time, I wasn't anything. And I still am not, really. But in any case, Roosevelt. Yeah, we thought a lot of him. My grandparents did, too. They loved him.  And so I was going to throw out a few trivia questions. I'm going to throw out this trivia question for you. And we've got prizes for you, by the way. Can his daughter also answer? Yes, you can help if you'd like. Rod, I'm going to refer to one of the greatest singers of all time. He became very popular in the 50s. He was a rock and roll singer. He was from the south. He was part of the million-dollar quartet. He was just an incredible rock and roll singer, very well-known throughout the country, born in a small town called Faraday, Louisiana. Would you please tell me who that famous rock and roll singer is? From the south. Yeah. I wasn't an Elvis. Oh, I'm sorry, Rod. It was Jerry Lee Lewis. Elvis was Tumblr. A couple of Mississippi. Jerry Lee Lewis. I knew it. But you know what he said, though? He said, it wasn't Elvis. In other words, instead of, oh, that was Elvis. I got a couple more for you. So far, you're all for one. No, no. Well, along the music, along with the music, you grew up, Rod, with listening to, you know, really watching the change from being Crosby, Frank Sinatra, to Elvis, to the Beatles, to et cetera, et cetera. Any thoughts on that or how music has changed and who is your favorite musician of all time? Who do you like to listen to? Well, the best singer for me was being Crosby in his today. Yeah. There's no doubt about his voice for me. But I loved all of it. I liked Dean Martin. I sure did. I liked Perry Como. Yeah. And Jerry Lee Lewis, I liked. He died, you know, he was recently. Yes. He was big in Iowa. Oh, yes. Yeah. Jerry Lewis was big in Iowa. And of course, Iowa is where, as we know, Buddy Holly passed away. Yes. That's exactly right. And when that happened, Rod, when you, that was about in 1959, you were now 26 years old. Were you all living in Iowa at the time? Yeah. Yes, I was. And so, do you remember getting the news that Buddy Holly had died in a plane crash? Oh, yes. And what did you think? Well, it was a tragedy. Yeah. Have you ever been to the surf ballroom, by the way, in Clearlake? Have you ever been to the surf ballroom where he was supposed to play? Oh, yeah. I have, yes. You've been there? Yes, of course. Yes. Yeah. Carter Lake was pretty close to ours. Do you remember who you saw there when you went? Bigger pardon.  Oh, no, I don't. I think they had some bands. Yeah. They had some bands that used to travel through some of the old bands. Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman. Yeah. Right. Because we had, we did, we were surprised well with the large bands. They came through frequently, and we had the Coliseum and so on. Did you ever play an instrument, Rod? I never did. Never did. Did you ever sing? I can't play the radio. He's also a comedian. Yeah. Yeah. Justin, getting to you. Yes. You're born in whatever.  No, no, no, no, no. Yeah. I've earned it. It's okay. Trust me, you do not. I know your age and trust me, you don't. Don't count. You were in the 50s and the 60s, and so who were your favorite artists have been? Because they've been around the 50s and 60s as rock and roll started coming to play. Who was your favorite? Oh, in the 50s, I liked whoever my sister's like then. And that would have been? I think it was Buddy Holly. Yeah. I think he was a very big one. Yeah. Yeah. How about Bobby Raidell, a friend of mine? Oh, yes. And you love Bobby? Bobby Raidell, yes. And he used to come to Des Moines a lot and play in the ballroom there. Yes. So Val Air, I think it was called. Sure. Did you ever see him? I never did. My sister did. And by the way, my other dear friend, Brenda Lee, they had won the radio yesterday. They taught 50 artists of the 60s. Beatles were number one. Yeah. And Paul was Brenda Lee. Really? Yeah. Yeah. In terms of record sales back then. Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I went to, right out of high school, I went to the University of Northern Iowa. Okay. And, but completed my education at the University of Idaho. Okay. Later. Yeah. Yeah. To just continue with music a little bit. Yeah. So you're, I'm not going to get into your age at all. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And beginning to listen to some of the new rock and roll of Rolling Stones and all of that, which I grew up with. Yeah. What did your dad think when you, when, about the Beatles and some of the rock groups that were, that you liked? Would he also, did you also appreciate some of the music your daughter listened to, Rod? Well, I liked the music that they had. You did. I like it today. He didn't give you a hard time about, what is this crap? No, no, no, never. Very, always very supportive of any interest that we had. Even if he didn't like it, we wouldn't have known it. Okay. Cause he wouldn't. That's wonderful. He was very supportive. So, and, so when growing up, there's four kids, you're the youngest. You have a dad that's very busy in his job. And you folks moved because Rod, I, I know that you went to a town, you moved to a place that I am very fond of, cause I still have a cousin in law who lives there. My dear cousin, Chuck Clark, lived in St. Louis, Peace Bowl. And you lived there for, for how many years? Dad went when he was about 17 or 18. I got you. Okay. Yeah. So that was long before. Okay. So, that's a beautiful town, beautiful area.  We were going every year after I retired. We were going before I retired. We used to take a month of February and go. But I, I, I was out there by myself. I was just a kid out there. I went out there when I was probably 18 or just barely 18. I'm pretty sure that's what I was because I had been to Missouri to work and I came home and went immediately out there because there was still no work that I wanted to do. And I wasn't going to stay in Des Moines and work on a farm. Yeah. So, I was out there and I came home because the war started. I, I came back, left the job. I took a leave of absence from the Western Electric. You may know that company. And that's where I began the telephone work. And, and Rod, you said that you retired. Would you retire at age 96 or 97? How old were you when you retired? Oh, I was 60 when I retired. Okay. I retired at 60. I retired at 60 so I could work at the golf course and play golf. Right. That's wonderful. Which is, by the way, you also went to I-RIN to install equipment for the AT&T and I ran. What year was that? You did that? 77, 78, 79. Okay. I came back because of the, they took it over. The, the uprising. Right. And so, and so you were there just prior to the I-RIN situation, which, by the way, Rosalind Carter just passed away. Jimmy Carter was. Yes, she is. And I'm going to give you another trivia question, Rod. There was a big main tie to Jimmy Carter, a huge tie to the state of Maine with Jimmy Carter and including the I-RIN situation. I'm going to ask you, what is the tie to the state of Maine about Jimmy Carter? Do you know what it is? I wouldn't, I have a clue. Oh my God, I'm so sorry, Rod. Go ahead, Rob. Ed Muskie? That's right. Secretary of State would have been Ed Muskie back then. That's how George Mitchell got it. You owe for two on that one, buddy. Did you get on the show? Did you know, did you, did you know Muskie? Let me ask back up just a bit. You like, you like Muskie. I didn't know Muskie. He was a big guy that's all I knew. Yes, he was. Yes, he was. When did you guys move to Maine? How did you end up here? I ended up here because my daughter and my daughter Chris was here. I moved here because I was alone. My family disappeared from Iowa. Yep. And the last one left a year ago. I left there a year ago. We were on our way here, really. One time, Barbara and I because she was failing and I was too. Anyway, we planned on coming and didn't get here, the two of us. So finally, I made the move last, a year ago, last August. So I'm new to Maine. Okay. Well, welcome. Yes. And the thing is, Rod, another thing is that you, you cannot see, the lights in the studio, you can see, correct? I mean, you can see the lights here, but you can't see figures, correct? Right, right. Yet, you skied, have skied within the last five years. Where did you ski? downhill skiing. Oh, I skied in, in, in Des Moines. They have ski slopes. They do? Yeah. I was very healthy. I thought, oh, I was healthy. That's an abrasive. That's right, that's right. Yeah, I skied. Yeah, I did. How long have you not been able to see, Rod? I'm 17 years, almost, December will be 17 years. So obviously, you haven't been playing golf. I did play golf. How? Because the way I skied, I guess. Pretty bad. Pretty bad. But I continued to play golf. I played by last round of golf, nine hole, or what about for nine? I, probably a year ago, well, it's been two years now. That's incredible. Yeah, I was. That's amazing. A year I was 100. I skied, but I had. God bless you. You skied at age 100. That's going to be a Guinness Book of Rockets thing. No. Well, I played, I played golf. You played golf at a high. Yeah. Well, I had to have someone, someone take me, drive me there, drive the cart. And they had a program in Des Moines, and it was great for me. How did you shoot? Terrible. Yeah. I did what...   Well, I did make a birdie. I've got a good friend. You got a birdie? Yeah. I made one with Ben Schwartz in Des Moines. He brags about it, and I just let him go. I think that's great. But, oh yeah, I played with he and his wife. With who? Who was this? Yeah. Who did you play with, Ron? A fellow where I lived in the home in Des Moines. A friend. Yeah. Ben Schwartz is his name. He was a toy operator. Yeah. He owned toy stores. But I met him there, and he was great. Ron. That's amazing. Getting back to your health. Your sight, not good, but your hearing. Your hearing seems to be just fine. Is your hearing good? It's not wonderful. It's better than mine. Well, I'm not sure. Well, I have a hearing aid. Yeah. But your mind is as sharp as a tack. Derry? Yeah. You have to work at listening. Yes. Me especially, Ron. They did a show on Nazism today, and I ranked 9 out of 10 on that one. Okay, I'm not surprised. But that's okay. Anyway, it was fun to do that. Rod, you, 101. It's incredible. You look fantastic. And it's so great to meet your daughter. Sitting back, you listen to the news. You listen to what's going on in the world. What are your feelings about where we're headed as a country? Any thoughts about that? Because you've lived through world wars. You've lived through assassinations. You've lived through civil rights, unrest, protests. This one out? What are your thoughts in terms of where we are as a country? Are you still optimistic about? I am that. You are? Yes, I am optimistic. We have to be. We just have to be. That's the way I lived. I've lived my whole life being optimistic and positive about... It's just a positive world for me. And I had a wonderful situation with my family. My wife particularly, of course. And there was a positive attitude. I haven't changed on that. Not a bit. I disagree with a lot of people about some things. But I have to be still about some of those things. Because I'm more critical and more pointed. And you get a little older and you say things that you probably shouldn't say. But really, there's a... I don't know the answers. I sure don't know the answers. I think I do. I think I'd like to replace some people with me. But it's a little late. Interesting. Oh, yeah. Rod, people always ask this of people that are your age. They say, what's the secret? What's the secret to your longevity? I have a glass of wine every night or whatever.  Constant positive attitude, no matter what. Well, I just think you have to be.  Well, you have to be. But much of the world population is not. Well, since I've been around Chris now here pretty closely, we used to talk a lot, of course, before I came here. And there are some things that are better off if I try to avoid getting too involved in thinking. And adjust your thinking to maybe avoid some of those things. And I still listen to everything. I'll listen to anything. But don't dwell on it. You also read a lot. He reads a lot. Chris, you wrote that as one of your comments about him. That you read a lot. And Rod, you gave me a book about golf. And by the way, folks, I was in Rod's home yesterday. First of all, outside, most beautiful red tree I've ever seen. But home is immaculate. You walk in. It's 20 times needed in my house. And I just was so impressed to know that you like to read. And you also note, Kristen, that you and Rod went and you say Disney World here, but I'm afraid you're wrong. The year was 1958. Disney Land. Which I've also been to. So when you went to Disneyland, Kristen, in 50, which changed the world, by the way. You know that did. By the way, I consider it one of the greatest human beings ever to be Walt Disney. I said that. I was at Disney World.  What was your favorite ride at Disneyland? Oh, gosh. Oh, gosh. Did you do the Matterhorn? Was the Matterhorn there? Yes. Terrifying. Yeah. It's not a, it's not a, it's a scary ride. Yeah. It is a scary ride. Probably my favorite at that point was the teacups. Yes. Oh, of course. Yes, the teacups. Of course. And Rod, I got to ask you, what was your favorite ride? What was your favorite attraction at Disneyland when you went? I don't know. I think probably the boat. The boat that we were on the boat. The Liberty Belt. The Liberty Belt. It goes around. The Big White Boat. Yeah. Yeah. That's one of my favorites. Yeah. And by the way, Rod, you would be almost, you would be about the same age as Snow White. Well. That movie, that movie came out. And you would have known her personally, I think. Yeah. Well, I was a pretty cocky guy because I lived in California. Sure. And so, but we traveled a lot about, Disneyland opened in 55. That's right.  That's great. Rod, to go back to reading, what are you, what books do you like to read, Rod? Well, I'm reading, I've been reading for a long time. J. Edgar Hoover right now. Okay. Yeah. And a little of that. In the meantime, I'm reading other books that I've gotten. The golf book that you talked about. Charlie Charles, I can't remember his last name. The writer that was injured so young. And on the, he wrote for the, he wrote a column out of New York Times, I think. And we used to get that in the morning. Yep. And so, I... How do you read? Yeah, yeah. Do you do audio books? How do you read? Yeah. I have a reader and I place a book in the reader. It photographs and repeats back to me. Oh, wow. So, you listen to it? I listen to it. And then I... And what's the voice? What's the voice sound like? Well, the voice is varied. They have different voices.  Yeah. Female. It's like you're pulling like anything today. They can vary that voice. I'm going to get you a copy of my daughter's and my audio book. A Broadway actor did it for us. Anyone else? That audio book. The old book Full Circle is an audio book. Yeah. And I'd like to have you listen to it. I'm with the library. The state library for the blind. So, I get audio books all the time. I'm reading those all the time. Wonderful. Good for you. Yeah. Rod, I got one more trivia question for you that I'm done. You're so fine. You're not doing too well. There's a very famous singer, Judy Gallant. I'm sure you know her. Judy Gallant did a performance of a song that they considered to be perhaps one of the greatest performances ever done. They mentioned it. It was done in the 60s. And whenever they talk about it, it was a hit, by the way. Whenever they talk about it, they say this was one of the greatest performances ever done by Judy Gallant. What would the song be that Judy Gallant sang, Rod? Well, of course, the most famous to me is up somewhere over the rainbow. Right. Is that your guess, Rod? I guess. Is that your answer? Is that your final answer? Well, I'm sorry, Rod. It was Putting on the Ritz. I would have been with Rod on that one. That was a trick question. They all were trick questions. The musky one was the worst one. Well, I wouldn't have picked that at any time. I never would have either, Rod. You know, the only reason I said it, because I heard it on the radio the other day, the guys said, ladies and gentlemen, let's consider me one of the greatest performances of all time. They still play it on YouTube and stuff. It's Judy Gallant, Putting on the Ritz. By the way, a famous actor also did that in the movies. You are going to get this one. He was a famous actor, handsome man, big ears, had big ears that stuck out and was in one of the most famous movies of all time. And that would be Clock Gable. Well, the ears would give that away. Clock Gable. Yeah. Clock Gable had big ears. Oh, they stuck out. Remember the cartoons? Remember you see the cartoons that they used to do bin cross, the Looney Tunes and the Clock Gable with his ears out there. You're showing your age, Rod. No, I'm too young. Rod, what do you think of social media? What was your reaction? The technology advances in your 101 years is just remarkable. As long as I can see, it didn't bother me. But today it does. Talk about that, Rod. Today it does. Why does it bother you? Yeah. Well, I guess because I don't believe half of it. Good. And the other half is junk. I don't know. I just bothers me. I think there's way too much time spent on it. And I don't think the result is really good. I think it's caused as much trouble as television has. Yeah. I used to like television too, but that's seen so much. Although I still like television. I still like to listen to it. What's some of your favorite shows, Rod? I don't have any anymore favorite shows. Basketball games, golf, baseball, and football. And basketball is a little quick for me. And by the time I find out what team is playing, it's over. Are you a Red Sox fan? Well, he is now. I have to be now. But growing up, did you watch Major League Baseball? I mean, Babe Ruth was playing when you were... Well, I went to ball games. Did you ever see Babe Ruth in person? I never saw Babe Ruth. I know. What teams did you see play, Rod? Well, Cardinals and Cardinals. Stan Musio? Yeah. We saw them in Arizona. We have the Cubs. We've seen the Cubs too. The Cubs AAA, we had that in Des Moines. Oh, you did? So those players were shifting back and forth. And we've been to the winter camps in Arizona on the way to California or back and stayed there. That is a great vacation, by the way, to spend your time at the Red Sox winter camp. And whichever team you pick, yeah. Rod, do you ever remember hearing or watching Wink Mountain Dale? Oh, yes. Yeah, well, he's a friend of mine. Yeah, he is. And his wife's a friend. And she dated Elvis. And I've also met Priscilla Presley, who now they have a movie about her. And I love dropping names, Rod, because every time I do, somebody's able to talk me. Gianni Russo, my God, we asked if he knew the Pope. He goes, I'm wearing a cross given to me by Saint John Paul. How about Putin? I know him too. So can you tell us who might have been one of the most famous people you ever met? Other than Truman, of course. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Any other famous people that you might have met? Other golfers. Well, talk about some of the golfers. Ben Hogan, Sam Snead. Well, yeah, both of those two. And then, of course, Art of Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Yeah. And the kid from Southern California. Tiger. Well, no, Tiger.  Yeah, okay. Do you consider him the greatest golfer of all time, even beaten Nicklaus, the greatest golfer of all time, Tiger Woods? You can't say he is. You can't say he's not. Yeah. But I don't know. Record-wise, you can't say he is. Right. Jack Nicklaus. Absolutely is. And so he had a good chance. And I'm sure he would have made it. But he didn't. Well, I just read today where he's coming back. Did you hear that, too? Yes, I did. It's not on the 30th. Right. At his tournament. One of his tournaments. I love Tiger Woods because, first of all, I saw him play one day and I hit my grandson with me. And it was a practice round at the TPC. And Tiger looked over at my grandson and winked at him. And they just warmed my heart that he did that. He did that. He was good. And I had his autograph because I represented his law firm and they got me his autograph. I wanted to meet him. And I did. I walked with him when he won his last tournament at Papoutic right here in Gablesburg. That was the last tournament he won. And I said, Arnie, I think you're going to win this. He goes, you know, I think I am. And he did. He beat Billy Casper and Gary Playa. Yeah. It was a great event. Palmer is one of the greats. But you were living when Walter Hagen was playing. Yeah. He was ending up. Gene Saracen. Gene Saracen. Yeah. Oh, yeah.  And when you played Rod, you scored well. So did you ever cheat? No. I'm going to say no.  No. I do. That's a different story. Well, I may have cheated here the last year. Yeah. Yeah. I might have forgotten. I stroke her, too. Oh, sure. Yeah. You shot a 14. You put it down as a 12. Yeah. To say never. Rod, if you were going to give a young boy or girl who was interested in taking up golf one tip, and you've been playing for a long, long time, and you were a low handicap golfer, and you've seen all the greats, what would the tip be?  What's your biggest tip? What would it be? Well. What works for you? If you could concentrate, concentrate. Yeah. If you can. Yeah. You have to. But you have to. You have to. Well, Rod, we're getting ready to wrap up.  You didn't do too well on the trivia. And so, but I got some prizes for you to take home, Rod. This first one, Rod, is something you're going to like. This is called the knapsack. You slip this over your head, and you can take a nap in church, whatever, and nobody knows. And you get complete privacy. I think that's called the knapsack sleephood. Take a nap anytime, anywhere in a meeting. Worship services or sports. That's something I think that you will enjoy, Rod. I know. And then we have this one for you, Rod. This is, you're going to lead you. This is the cabacue. This is an exhaust barbecue grill.   Another gift for you here from us folks here. And last but not least, Rod, is a book called The Road to Success. The Road to Success. It's about two inches. Yeah. And the thing is, Rod, it's very short because you're not going to need it very much. So we gave you the short version to have this. And we just want to thank you so much for coming on the show. What's this right here? Yeah. We got a few. Oh, that was going to be This Is Your Life because we thought we might do it. Ladies and gentlemen, Rob and I do want to announce to you folks that this will be our prop on one of our series that we're going to do here on this station. And that is we plan to do This Is Your Life going back to the 50s. Famous show by Ralph Edwards. And Rob and I are now working on who is going to be the first one to be the subject of This Is Your Life and will air probably sometime after Christmas. We still have a couple of minutes, Rod. I'm checking the clock. I think we got a couple more. Another question. Rod, what keeps you going? Getting up out of bed every day and just facing another day.  Well, probably the thing. Right now, the thing that you were talking about earlier is that I don't know the answer to. I just get up hoping and thinking about the things that could and probably will have to happen. And they're going to happen. Or the election. Anything that's news that's good news. Right. Anything that's good news. And I eat well. You do. Yeah, like what, Rod? What's your favorite food? Anything Chris will make. Oh, my God.  So what is it that you usually serve a gentleman like this? Oh, gosh. Spaghetti with some sheep. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes. Fried chicken, yes, big. Is your chicken better than Kentucky fried chicken? Yes, it is. It is? Yes, it is. I bet. My mom's. That was my favorite meal growing up as a kid. Fried chicken. Absolutely. Good comfort food. How about a glass of wine or a whiskey at night? Yeah, you have a drink. Really? Two or three. Two or three? Okay. Yeah. I look forward to that. Wait a second. Two or three? Encouragement. I like that. Now I'm encouraged. I look forward to that. That evening thing is I look forward to it. Good. We do as well. Yeah. I start slow and stay slow. Yeah. Yeah. And Rod, you have any pets? No pets. No pets? You could though. You could have a cat, right? I love animals. I always have them until I couldn't see them. Yeah. They'd be on a trip. I have a landlord who has a cat. So I see her. Okay. She comes to visit a lot. The cat. The cat does. Oh, I see. That's a landlord. But the cat. Yeah. He's talking to you. There is nothing better in the world than a wonderful daughter or wonderful son. My daughter Nikki, my niece Liz, I have people in my life like a daughter, my caretaker Emily, I have people in my life. And I want to compliment you because if someone said to me, what do you think is the secret to Rod's longevity? I'd say having met his daughter, I would say her. Oh, okay. Thank you. Rod, I have been such a delight to work with.  Well, we're going to wrap up now, folks. And Rod, you know, we were going to get you a birthday cake and put 100 candles on it. But our show is only an hour long. We don't have the budget for 100 candles. That's right. We knew you. I can't thank you enough, my dear friend. You've become a dear friend of me in my neighborhood. We're going to put an ad in the Cape Courier so they all watch it. And the people of Cape Elizabeth can see their most distinguished citizen. Ladies and gentlemen, we will be back with another big star where Rod and I are talking about possibly going to England where we've got some big hitters we're going to try to interview. Thank you very much for watching the Runlet and Baldachi Report. Thank you.


Hollywood, California, Monday, June 15th. Radio theater from its new home on Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, California, brings you Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler in Berlesque. Lux presents Hollywood. Tonight you will meet such great personalities as Al Jolson, Ruby Keeler, Cecil B. DeMille, Daniel Broman, George Barnes, and many others. Among the many distinguished guests in our brilliant audience tonight, I see from here one of Paramount's directors, Mr. Chester Franklin and his wife. Mr. Franklin is the director of Sequoia, the picture now in production. And also, Catherine DeMille, Lloyd Pantages, Francis Langford, Eileen Pringle, and Gloria Swanson. Welcome, all of you. This entertainment is presented by the makers of Lux toilet soap, the beauty soap used by nine out of ten screen stars, and by attractive women everywhere. As producer of the Lux Radio Theater tonight, and each Monday from now on, we welcome back Hollywood's famous pioneer director, a man who has made 62 of America's great motion pictures, and has started more great stars on their careers than any other producer in Hollywood. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Cecil B. DeMille. Greetings from Hollywood, ladies and gentlemen. Less than a decade ago, the movies were voiceless. Stars as celebrated as Wallace Reed, Rudolph Valentino, Theta Bara, Lillian Gish, and Francis X Bushman had millions of admirers who knew them only as silent shadows. We spoke of our business as the silver screen, but its silence was golden for many an actor and director. Then a man came along who had been built on Broadway as the greatest entertainer in the world. With his first film, The Jazz Singer, he not only made pictures talk, he made them sing, and he made me make museum pieces of my faithful old silent cameras that had ground out so many successful feet of film. Then he made another picture called The Singing Fool, and then he fell in love. She was a charming little Irish girl. In three months, they were married. Their marriage is one of which Hollywood is most proud. They have each scored separately in the theater, on the screen, and over radio, but we present them tonight for their first appearance together on the air. In lights above the entrance of the Lux Radio Theater is a glittering legend, and excited crowds along Hollywood Boulevard tonight read the words Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler in Berlesque. And now for the first act of Berlesque, in which you'll hear Al Jolson as Skid Brown and Ruby Keeler as Bonnie Smith. We're backstage at a Berlesque show, playing a small town in the Middle West. It's a few minutes after the opening, and Lefty Moore, the stage manager, is standing in the wings, hurrying the chorus girls onto the stage. Come on, on stage, come on, come on, the orchestra's almost over. Get a move on, you'll be in. Now, now, the race horses got braised. I gotta come with you. You don't worry me, no, I'm the nerve of that guy.  Okay, flash the orchestra. A-B-R-U. What do you want, Bonnie? Has Skid come in yet? No, no, not a sign up. I've been in all of his hangouts, but I can't find him. Did you try the pool rooms? I just sent Jimmy. A nice spot Skid's put me in. The show started and my Jeep comic ain't here. I gotta kill that bird. Oh, he'll turn up, Lefty. I've been working with Skid for almost four years now, and I never know him to miss a cue. No, I know, but it's coming so close to him. There's been this turn in my hair gray. You know, you want to do something about that guy, Bonnie? What? Well, it ain't none of my business, but why don't you marry him and have it over with him? What are you stalling them for? He'd settle down if he was married to you. You think so? Why, sure, sure, Skid's nuts about you. He'd do anything you tell him. Oh, I don't know. We're supposed to be engaged, but he don't listen to me much now. How do I know he'll be any different later? Well, if it ain't the wonderin' boy himself. Hi, Lefty. Hiya, Bonnie.  Sure. Never keep the public waitin'. That's my motto. Well, now that's nice of you.  Will you? You're on in five minutes. Okay, Lefty. Well, Bonnie, I the kid. All right, I guess. Nice time to be showin' up. What's the matter? He ain't soared me, I guess. Would it do any good? I had a baby. Come on, you'll be late. You gotta change your clothes. Well, you know me, Skid the fireman's child. I can dress slidein' down a pole. Where have you been? Who, me? I've been playin' pool. I suppose you couldn't make a shot thinkin' of me eatin' all alone. I told you after the matting I wasn't hungry, didn't I? Just thirsty, huh? No, and I wasn't thirsty, neither. I just went out to get a little air. Oh, some nice pool room air. Oh, cut it out, will ya, Bonnie? Did you have anything to eat? Yeah, I had a couple of hot dogs. Well, that's fine, that is. How do you expect to be funny on hot dogs? I'm gonna send Jimmy out at intermission for some soup. But I don't want no soup. You'll eat it and like it. All right, all right, I'll eat it and like it. Get well you're gettin' to your makeup. I'm in leftist. See ya later, Bonnie. Okay. Cut a lookin' door. That day Marko was lookin' for him just before she went on. Again? Yeah. Why don't you take a poke? Ah, she's not worth it. What she wanna see Skid about? To say goodbye, I guess. Goodbye? Is she gone someplace? Looks like don't tell me he ain't hurt. Heard what? Marko's leavin' the show tonight goin' with a Manhattan folly. Oh, Broadway, huh? Yeah, I could kill her. Well, there's one consolation for me. She won't be around Skid anymore. All right, girls, all right, now make your change. Hurry up, will you please? Come on. Look at her comin' off the stage, puttin' on the dog already. Hello, Miss Marko. Hello, Miss Marko. Do you hear my number? No, I was spared that. Oh, you're not jealous, are you, Maisie? Why, you slink-eyed pony-eyed. I wouldn't hit her. I just wanna hear a yelp. Hey, what's goin' on here? Nothin', Bozo. Maisie's startin' to scrap again? Of course not, Bozo. It's just a friendly argument. Sounded like the Battle of the Mars. Where's Skid, Bonnie? Did he get in yet? Uh-huh, he's downstairs puttin' on the putty nose. Yeah, that's a break. I was afraid I was gonna have to play his part, too. Say, Bonnie, your cattle king is out front again. Oh, is it? Yeah, he's a boy he is. This is the sixth time he's been in to see the show. He's fell hard for you, Bonnie. I'll have to see him sometime. He's the only following I ever had. When Marko here was singin' he, he was the only one I ever had. He was the only one I ever had. When Marko here was singin' he, hey, where did she go? Oh. Marko, she was standing here a second ago. Yeah, until she heard where Skid was. She's probably downstairs by now gurgling her font farewell. I've just puttin' on my makeup. Good. How's the house, Marko? Well, a little cool. Oh, they'll warm up. Way like it up there and take a few falls from him. I don't know why it is, but the audience always likes to see a guy fall flat on his pants. Bonnie ain't it? Yeah. Oh, Skid. What? You comin' to see me off tonight? Say that's right.  Well... Gosh, I don't know, Marko. I'd like to go down to see you off, but I gotta date with Bonnie after the show. No, Bonnie. Skid, why don't you get wise to yourself? What do you mean? That kid's no good for you.  No place. Well, she's holding you back and you don't know it. Holding him back? Oh, say, don't you believe it, Marko. Bonnie's okay. Why, anything I am, I owe to her. And listen, when she says the word, we're gonna get hitched. Oh, yes? Well, it's your funeral, Skid. Ah, now, you're all wrong, Marko. Bonnie's the best thing that ever happened to me. Holy mackerel, that's me, excuse, hello, Marko. Try to see after the show. Hurry up, Skid. Come on, hurry up. Will you? You're on. Okay, baby, I'm panicking. Why would I fall like that?  Hello, Grandma. Yeah, I thought maybe you'd want to take care of it. Hand it over, Maisie. I'll get it to him later. Hmm. Wonder who's broke now. Maybe somebody's cashed in or an accident. No, nothing's wrong. Telegrams for Skid are only touches. But that one's heavy. It feels important. They're always important to the guy that sends them. The last one would be coming down in a minute. A couple more like that and he'll come down through the ceiling. Well, say, did you hear about Marko? Something else? Yeah.  Get in the earlier train. Why? Don't ask me. Say, I'd better scram. I'm due for the baby number. Hi, Maisie. Kill me. I'm on the move. Sure. Skid, come in here a second. Well, honey, did you hear me panic him? Did you hear those laughs? Yeah, and I heard the falls, too. Listen, I tell it. What are you limping for? Who, me? I ain't limping. You heard yourself, didn't you? No. You did. Oh, Skid, when are you going to cut it out? What? What are you doing with the falls? They're in my routine, ain't they? That doesn't mean you have to break your back, does it? Oh, Bonnie, you got to make up your mind of one thing. I'm a hope comic. Don't waste no time trying to clean me up because I'd feel fluff. Say, when I was a baby, the first thing I reached for was a custard pie. What's the use of kiddin' all your life? Ain't you never going to be serious? Don't you want to get ahead in this game? What do you mean, get ahead? We're workin' all the time, ain't we? I ain't hangin' around Broadway makin' touches, am I? What do you mean get ahead? I'm talkin' about you gettin' where you belong. Broadway. Boy, have I had your talent. Why, there ain't nothing could stop you if you decided to step out. Say, how do you know I'd be so good? I could be a big flop, too, in a real show. There's the tipper. You're scared. You're yellow. Say, how many times are you going to pull that one out of me? How many times are you going to make me?  Yeah, and I'll leave it to you, Lefty. Ain't he a slap for sticking in burlesque? Shouldn't he be framing new stuff that'll get him somewhere? Yeah. Shouldn't I be George White and have my own show and sit in a box office? I can't get steamed up over his Broadway stuff.  What does it get you? It gets you a lot of jack to begin with. But Bonnie's right, Skid. It's time you were stepping out. For instance? Well, for instance, Earl Carroll had a scout out for St. Paul to see you last week. Earl Carroll? Well, yeah, sure. He came back after the show and asked me all about you, Skid. Hey, didn't you hear from him? I ain't heard a tumble. Well, I guess you ain't. Oh, you'd have told me. But you'll hear from him, and when you do, grab it, kid. Wait a minute. What's the matter? The telegram. What telegram? It came for you. Here, open it, open it. All right, take it easy. It's probably just another touch that'll set me back about 50 bucks. I remember one time... Well, what is it? Holy mackerel, listen. Have a chance to place you when Manhattan Follies open next week. Stop. Is there any way you can get out of your present engagement? Stop. Can get you $500 a week or maybe more? Stop. Leave salary to me. Stop. Great chance. No comedy and short present. You'd have to be here by Sunday for rehearsal. Max Levy. Max Levy, the big agent? Well, I'll be. Well, there you are. Somebody's kidding me, I guess. Somebody's kidding me, you mean? That's right. Say they didn't mention Bunny, Lefty. What's the idea? I guess I can answer that. I know all the answers. What's the matter, honey?  Say, what are you bawling me out for? Get out. Will you, Lefty? Huh? I want to speak to this guy alone. Okay. Say, what's the idea of all this temperamental stuff, Barn? If the telegram ain't a fake, it's a chance you've been raven about, ain't it? Your chance, all right? Your chance to be in the same show with that little hypocrite you were nuts about when I was in the hospital in Des Moines. Who? Who? You know, Don Wellho. Oh, you mean Marco? Yes, Marco, Marco, Marco. That's who I mean. Why are you crazy? Why, this tele... What's this telegram got to do with Marco? And so you didn't know. What show is Marco joining? Why, she... Hey, that's right. It's the same show, ain't it? That's a coincidence. Yes, more than that. It's a conspiracy. What do you mean by that crack? I mean, the whole thing's a frame up between you and Marco.  Oh, this telegram wasn't a surprise to me. You're crazy, do you think that? Yeah, pleasant surprise. Holy mackerel, will you take a tumbley yourself?  Jealous? Of what?  Say, if you were to fall for a girl that meant anything, I'd wish you luck.  Well, you can stop blowing off steam and cool off, because why? Because I ain't going. Who said you wasn't going? I said it and I settled it. Oh, it does. Since when does what you say settle things? Well, let's settle this one. Oh, come on, Bonnie, let's forget it, will you? We'll stick together, kid, and as soon as you say the word, we'll take a walk over to the licensed bureau. What do you say? That's us, I guess. Especially, Bonnie. I know. Well? Skit, I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it. Sure. Kiss me, Skit. Oh, honey, gee, will I? Hold me tight. Tight, Skit. It'll be a long time before we see each other again. Well, I ain't going, Bonnie. Oh, yes, you are.  What's Bonnie? Will you do the best you can, Pete? Come on, Skit. Okay. Well, it's about time.  I'll be seeing you out there. Watch the left. I'll get on the entrance. Yeah? Get some of the Pax Skit's bags. He's leaving right after the show. Okay. I'll take care of it.  Okay. Well, well, look who's here. Little Lucy Twinkle Does. How are you, Miss Twinkle Does? I beg your pardon. What for? What did you do? Oh, you think you're smart, don't you? Smart. When I was a little boy in school, I took the first prize. You did? Yeah. The teacher told me to take it and made me put it back. Oh, boy. Dad's digging up the old ones. Oh. Did you ever hear about the man who liked Oxtail too? Oxtail? Ha! That's going too far back. I hear you're going to a party tonight. Yeah, I'm going to a party tonight. Would you like to come along? There'll be a million left. So we have a good time? I will.  I don't like kissing. Why? It breeds germs. Come on, lady. Let's get sick. Have you played kissing games before? Sure. The last part I was through, we played a game called player play. How do you play it? Well, they blindfold the boy and it reaches out for the girls. The first one he catches either has to give him a kiss or a handkerchief. How did you make it?  I came home with a tablecloth. Professor passed the gravy. Yesterday I heard a lover sigh. Goodbye. On me or mine. Seven times he got aboard his train. And seven times he hurried back to kiss his love again and whisper toot toot toot. Goodbye. Toot toot toot. Don't cry. The little choo choo train that takes me away from you. No words can tell how sad it makes me kiss me tootie and then do it over again. Watch for the mail. I'll never fail. And if you don't get a letter then you'll know I'm in jail. Don't cry, Tootie. Don't cry. Goodbye, Tootie. Goodbye. Swing it, baby. It could have been out front tonight. Keep, Bonnie, you were swell. Never mind that now. Well, Lefty? It's all fixed. Skid, you're fired. Huh? Can. What for? You're going to New York. I got two guys packing your bags and I just phoned for reservations. But wait a minute. I told Bonnie that I wasn't... Don't forget what you told me. I'm running this partnership.  Won't you? Sure. Every day, Bonnie. I'll be awful alone without you.  We ain't never been apart before. As soon as the season's over, I'll come right on. Maybe I'll be a flop and I can come back soon. You can't come back. You're fired. I didn't think of that. That ain't so good. Forget it. It's sink or swim now. I don't like the way you said sink. Well, how do you like the way I say swim? Well, I guess that's me. Gee, I don't know how to say goodbye, baby.  Oh, gosh, honey.  I love you, kid.  I'm lost already without you, Bonnie. So long, darling. I'll wire it and I'll write it. Every day, kid. Every day. Goodbye, Bonnie. As we pause in the Lux Radio Theatre's presentation of Balesque, starring Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler, I'm going to ask you to listen to a very interesting conversation. In this brief interval, we want you to meet one of Hollywood's youngest and most charming stars, Kora Sue Collins. Here she is now. Miss Kora Sue Collins, in person. Kora Sue, just how long have you been in Hollywood? I don't believe I know many movie people who are eight. What do you do with your time? Well, I've got my dow, the deal. I have to take care of her. Then there's Rusty. She's my dog. He's an Irish settler. And I train parachutes. Then I go horseback riding every day. But I do all that unlink when I'm not making a picture. Yes, I suppose you're too busy then. You think you'll keep on making pictures? Oh, yes. I want to be a grown-up star someday. Well, I think when you are, you're going to be a very pretty one. Thank you. I hope so. I'm taking care of my skin just like grown-up stars do with locked toilet soap. I've used ever since I came to Hollywood just like my friends and Joan Crawford and Joan Blondeau. That's the only kind of soap we have at our house. Motherlicent, and so does sister. Sister won't even take a bath without it. And either will fatigue you. That's very nice, Kora Sue. Thank you. And you're right in saying that Hollywood stars must have lovely complexions. They can't risk dullness, tiny blemishes, enlarging pores. In other words, cosmetic skin. These Hollywood stars, like most girls, use rouge and powder. But they avoid dangerous pore choking by using lux toilet soap. The soap whose active lather goes deep into the pores removes every trace of dust, dirt, stale cosmetics. Before you put on fresh makeup during the day, and always before you go to bed at night, use lux toilet soap. Buy several cakes tomorrow. We return now to Burlesque. The story of Skid Brown played by Al Jolson and Bonnie Smith played by Ruby Keeler. Several months have passed since Skid left to join the Manhattan Follies. Bonnie is still on tour with the Burlesque Company. In her room in a small town hotel, she lies huddled on the bed reading the morning paper. Her friend Maisie enters. Morning, dearie.  Yeah, a little. What's the idea? I couldn't sleep. Oh. Any word from Skidja? Not a line. Gee, I'd like to brain that guy. How long is it now since he wrote to you? Well, I don't know. About six weeks, I guess. Just a big Broadway man. Boy, success must have hit him right between the eyes.  It's something else this time, the thing I was afraid of. Markle? Yeah. I've been kind of following him in the Broadway gossip columns.  Let's see. Oh, yeah. Skid Brown who wows them each night at the Manhattan Follies is a wow to Sylvia Markle of the same show. They may be seen together every p.m. during the hot spots along the main stem. Well, that's that. Yeah. What are you going to do about it? Nothing. Nothing? What do you mean?  Sure. I guess I'll always be in love with him. But if Skid don't want me, well, I ain't the Kling and Vine tag. Oh, but listen, Bonnie. Excuse me, will you? Uh-huh. Hello? Pretty good. When? Well, all right, Harvey. Pick me up about 1130. Bye. Who was that? Remember the fellow we used to kid about the one we called the Catteling King? Yeah, sure. He used to sit in the front row every night. Well, that was him, Harvey Howell. He's a swelled guy, mazy and a real guy. He wants to marry me. Has he got any dough? I guess so. He owns a couple of ranches. A couple of ranches? Sure. He's taking me out after the show tonight. I promised him I'd give him my answer then. Want to dance money? Thanks, Harvey. But do you mind if I don't? I'm a little tired tonight. That's all right. Couldn't hear time to be leaving anyway. Yeah. Bonnie, did you think over what I asked you about? Getting married? I've been thinking about it, sure. Well? Harvey, I don't know how to say this, but you mind waiting a little longer?  I'm not in any rush. It ain't that I'm trying to stall or anything, but the show's moving back east, Harvey, and I want to see Skid just once more. Okay, Bonnie. You understand, don't you? Sure, I understand. Well, thanks, Harvey.  Hello, box office, Manhattan Follies. I'm sorry, we're all sold out for tonight. Eight weeks in advance. Okay. Hello there, Mr. Kent. Oh, hello, Skid. What are you doing? Counting up the shackles? Yeah. They tell me you want to see me, Mr. Kent. I do.  What's on your mind? You, Skid. Skid, I'm going to tell you something straight from the shoulder. Yeah. I've been managing Broadway shows for a long time, so you can take it from me and know what I'm talking about.  Oh, me? Don't give me that.  Those falls you were taking were on the level. They got laughs, didn't they? Sure they did, but that isn't the point. Skid, you've got this whole business right in your lap. You can sing, you can dance, you can make them laugh.  Drink them and show business, don't mix. That's all. What, Mr. Kent? Hello, Marco. Didn't end to see Kent? Yeah. What'd he say? Nothing much. Hmm, so you won't talk, huh? All right. What are you doing after the show tonight? I don't know. I kind of feel I did a little sleep for a change. Oh, come on with us. We're getting up a party to go to the hotspot. Oh, count me out, Marco. I want to stay home and write a couple of letters. Oh, I see. Who, too? Well, Bonnie, for one. I ain't written to her for such a long time. Honestly, I wouldn't blame her if she was sore as a boy like me. Listen, are you still thinking of that, kid? Why not? I thought that was over long ago. I know. Well, it ought to be. What are you going to do after she's married? Still write mash notes to her? After she... What are you talking about? She's going to be married to some rancher guy. Who said so? I got it from one of the girls in the troupe. She wrote me all about it. Married? Oh, there must be some mistake or something. There's no mistake. It's all set. Holy jeez. Why didn't she tell me? Why didn't she let me know? Ah, brace up, skid. The world hasn't come to an end. Why, you're Skid Brown, a big guy on Broadway. Why worry over a cheap little burlesque?  What?  Well, that's the way the wind blows, mister. Yeah, that's the way the wind blows. Now get out of here. Let me alone. I want to think. Hotel Carlton. Go ahead. Hotel Carlton. I'll see if he's in. Hotel Carlton. 707. Did you get that number? Oh, thank you. Hello? Hello, Wintergarden? I'd like to speak to Skid Brown, please. Yes, I'll hold the wire. Is he there, Bonnie? They're gonna look. I hope they don't find him. I can't understand why you're here. Hello? Skid? This is Bonnie. Yeah, Bonnie. Where am I? Why, New York, of course. Got in yesterday. Yes? I caught the show last night, Skid. You, um... You were all right. I'm at the Carlton. You want to come over after the show tonight? All right. I'll see you then. Bye. He's coming, huh? Yeah. What's Harvey gonna say? Bobby knows about it. He's coming, too. Hmm.  I can see that. Huh? Let's be Skid now. Want me to answer? I'll take it. Hey. Hiya, Bonnie. Hello, Skid. Step right in, boys. I meet Bonnie Smith, the greatest little trooper in the business. Hello, Bonnie. Well, I see. I didn't expect to see you. I've been traveling around with this guy and he's gotten me all tired of. Oh, getting old, Lefty. Getting old. Hello, Skid. Amazing. I live and breathe. He's like old times. Wait a minute. Where's Jerry? There I am. Girls, I want you to meet the greatest little song right in the world, Jerry Evans. Hiya, girls. Get over there at that piano, Jerry, and show him what's what. Oh, he's right there. Don't play it, friend. Where's a nice, comfortable chair? I want to go to sleep. Try this one, Lefty. Go to sleep. Say it. That's no way to start a party. Oh, no. Are you letting me alone? Softie, huh? Well, Bonnie, let's take a look at you. Gosh, you're looking grand. I'm all right. Well, that's well. I... I hear you're getting married, Bonnie. Yeah. Who told you? Oh, those things get around. I just want to tell you how glad I am. It's great. Simply great. Well, what's the matter? Nothing. Why do you look at me so funny first? I ain't said nothing wrong, have I? No, of course not. Well, what's the long draw about? Ain't a new guy treating you right? Sure, he's great. But what business is it of yours? What business is it of mine? Say, I suppose what happened to you is none of my business. I suppose I'm going to forget you're the only girl in the world I ever gave a hoot about. You have me and how many others. I got tired of being a mob scene.  Oh, lay off, Bonnie. I came here when you asked me to. I'm tickled at to see you.  You start riding me. I suppose you couldn't come alone. What was your afraid I'd do to you? You don't have me shake these guys with you. They've been with me ever since last night. Yeah. I suppose you're the king of the nightclubs now. Yeah, that's me. I'm giving all the little girlies a great big hand. You better go home early and get some sleep. You look rotten. Ah, forget it, Bonnie. We only live once. Say, listen, Bonnie. When are you going to marry this millionaire you were? You didn't tell me. Sometime in the fall, I guess. Well, what are you going to do till then? Going out to live in the ranch with him and his sister. You mean you're chucking show business? Yep. The old partnership's broken up, huh? Going to leave me to struggle on alone. The rate you're going, dear, you won't have to struggle alone. The nightlife will land you right out in the alley with the rest of the husband. Is that so? Yeah, that's so. Well, if I do get to gait her out of the show, they always need comics, dear, in as long as I can make them laugh, I'll be all right.  The jury was in long before I got here, kid. Gosh, this is funny. You were telling me for years what a riot I'd be if I got a chance. You pushed me into my chance, and I clicked. And all the time I'm wishing that you were here to see me get away with it. You finally get here and see me, and we don't even talk about it. I don't know. I'm wondering if planning for things so long don't take all the kick out of me. I suppose nothing can be as good as well as good as you think it's going to be. No, I suppose not. Jerry, Jerry, play something lively. For sure. Hot dog, come on, Bonnie. Hey, it's you and me, huh? Hello, Harvey. Come on in. Thanks. Oh, I didn't know you were having a party, Bonnie. Come on and join us. This is Jerry Evans. How do you do? How are you? And let the more you remember him. Well, sure. Sure. How are you, Mr. Howell? Oh, sure. Sure glad to see you again. And I know you've heard of Skid Brown. Oh, yes. How are you? I certainly enjoyed your show last night. I don't know when I laughed so much. Thanks, thanks. But I wasn't so good last night. Well, that's what Bonnie said. But you seem good to me. It's awful hard to please Bonnie. You know that gag about my severest credit. Yeah, I've heard that one. Say, I hope I didn't stop your music.  For sure. What would you like? Well, I don't know any of the new songs. My favorites are all old, like in the gloom. Bonnie sang that for me once. Come on, sing it, Bonnie. Yeah, Bonnie, sing it, sure.  Say, what do we celebrate anyway? A wedding or a funeral?  Skid! Hey, mister, I wouldn't have spoken about that if you hadn't. In a way of speaking, I'm your successor, but I don't want to dwell on my good fortune, except to assure you that it will be my aim to make life happy for Bonnie. And I'm sure you'll be glad to know that. Sure, I'm glad to know it. Why wouldn't I be glad to know that Bonnie's gonna get along all right without me? But what I'm saying is, why can't we be gay about it? Why can't we have the wedding march played with pepper and ginger? And why can't I be given a bride away? Stop it, Skid! Why, why'll I stop it? Who's got a better right to be given a bride away? It shows us no hard feelings. Why do people get sore and crab when they lose out? Why don't they join the festivities? Come on, Jerry. Play the wedding march and play it fast. It's a dance and wedding, folks. Watch my smoke. Watch my smoke. Here comes the bride. Here comes the bride. We pause for station identification. This is the Columbia Broadcasting System. This is Cecil B. DeMille speaking to you from Hollywood. Al Jolson as Skid and Ruby Keeler as Bonnie return in just a moment for the conclusion of the Lux Radio Theatre production, The Lask. In the meantime, I'm going to have you meet one of Hollywood's most famous camera men. Most people think of a camera man as a fellow who puts his cap on backwards and grinds away at the crank of a camera. As a matter of fact, the first camera man never touches the camera. He's an artist who paints with lights and shadows, giving the screen depth and third dimension. The only cranks on a set today are the directors. The camera man who will speak to you is Mr. George Barnes of Warner Brothers Studio. He has photographed both of tonight's stars many times. Mr. Barnes. That's very gracious of you, CB, but folks, we don't really think directors are cranks. We think of them as fellow sufferers. You see, a camera man and his director are practically the only people who have to work every day if our picture is shooting. No actor appears in every scene. Mechanical crews can be changed, but the poor old camera man, he just goes on and on until he drops, or the director does. As Mr. DeMille says, a camera man's first job is lighting. Four ways than one, he has to show the stars in the best possible light. And right along that line is a point that comes right home here to the Luxe Radio Theater. A camera man has to make a girl look absolutely perfect. He has to take care of shadows, unusual contours, and other things that can't be helped. So believe me, we have no time for faults that can be helped, like a bad complexion. That's something the girls must take care of for themselves. And the way nine out of ten Hollywood stars do that is by using your Luxe toilet soap. It's the official soap at Mr. Deluxe Studio Paramount, and another great studios in Hollywood. And if you want to see how it works at Warner's, Mr. DeMille, well, just take a look at Ruby Keeler. Okay, George, that's a fine fade-out. The lights go up for the third act of burlesque, starring Al Jolson as Skid and Ruby Keeler as Bunny. Three weeks have passed, and we're in the office of Mr. Kent, the manager of the Manhattan Follies. Skid showing the signs of dissipation and looking very tired. He's coming in the door. Hello, Mr. Kent. Oh, hello. Hello, Skid. Sit down. What is this, Mr. Kent? Another temperance lecture? No, not this time, boy. I gave you your last lecture about three weeks ago. Well, what do you want to see me for? I'm writing you a check, Skid. A check? I ain't supposed to be paid today. And no, you're getting a check anyway. Your last one with this outfit. What? You heard me, Skid. You mean I'm Kent? That's right. I warned you, boy. I told you what was coming, you wouldn't listen to me. I'm sorry. Well, there's your check. Kent, huh? All right, so what? I can get another job like that. You wouldn't be so sure, Skid, and I'll tell you this. You'll never find one hanging around in the hotspots. Lay off, will you? I know what I'm doing. You didn't the other night when we picked you up singing the wedding march at the top of your lungs? Cut it out! Cut it out, you hear? Okay, Skid. It's none of my business. Just thought I might hand you a little advice. That's all. All right. I'm sorry, Mr. Kent. I guess I ain't myself these days. I don't know what's in the matter with me lately. I'm just a little shot pieces, I guess. But I'll catch on again, though. And when I do, I'll be back to see you, Mr. Kent. So long, Skid, and lots of luck. Come on, swing it. Where do you swing it? This is the rehearsal, not a funeral gift. Where do you give? Now, come on! Hey, lovey, listen, will you? Oh, what do you want? What do you want, Bozo? Don't you see I'm rehearsing the number? I know, but this is important. Skid is here. He wants to see you. Skid, where is he? Out at the same store. Gee, he looks terrible, Lefty. Like he ain't nothing in a week. I guess I'd better see him. All right, all right, girls. That'll be all for a while. I'll be back in a couple of moments, Skid. Okay. Skid. Oh, Lefty. Gee, Lefty, how are you? What's... what's happened to you, Skid? Where you been? Oh, just knocking around. After I got canned, I kind of hit the chutes. Oh, boy, you sure look it. Any prospects of a job? No, I've been looking around for a month, but I guess they don't want me, Lefty. Then I heard you was putting on a new show, and, well, I... I come around to see you about it. You... you want a job with me? Yeah, that's right. In burlesque? What do you say, Lefty? You got a spot for me? Oh, gee. I don't know, Skid. Oh, please, Lefty, give us a break, will ya? I needed bed, honestly, all for bed. What about the liquor? Liquor, say that. That's all over with, Lefty. That's finished. Yeah, well, it seems to me I've heard that before. It's on the level this time. Well, okay, Skid. I'll give you a chance. Thanks, Lefty. Now, listen, we open in a week. Do you think you can get on your feet on that time? Sure. All right, then. All right. Now, listen to me. Remember it.  Don't worry, Lefty. I'll be a new guy. Wait, you'll see. Rosa, did you find him? Yeah, I got him. Where was he? The usual spot. Holy smokes. How was he? Oh, bad. Three days before we opened, and he pulls this one on me. No, it's gonna be tough, Lefty. There's only one way out, and I gotta take it. Watch the dope. Now, look, I'll tell you what you do. I need to tell her Skid needs it, but tell her she's gotta get here right away. Okay, Lefty. Telegram, Lefty. Telegram, Lefty. Telegram, Lefty. Telegram, Lefty. Telegram, Lefty. Telegram, Lefty. Telegram, Lefty. Sit down, Bonnie. Sit down. Did I say it was great to see you? Yeah. Well, it's more than that. What's it all about? Skid. Of course, I knew it was Skid. What's happened? Haven't you heard anything about him since she was here last? Nothing. I read that he was out of the follies, but that didn't surprise me. He was heading for that when I saw him. Yeah, yeah. That afternoon, he danced out of your room. He danced himself right out of show business. He went on a grand bust, and he played since. Oh, I gave him a job, but he's been handing me an awful ride. Here I am. I'm opening tomorrow night, and up to now, he ain't rehearsed half of this stuff. Honest, Bonnie, I-I don't know which way to turn. I know what's in your mind, Lefty, and what you want me to do. So I'm going to save you the trouble of asking me. Huh? I'll do what I can. Oh, gee.  How long will you stay? Till you get your show right, and Skid gets right in there. Oh, thanks, Bonnie. Thanks a lot. Say, I-I don't know what I do without you. There he is now. Huh? Oh, gosh, look at him. Hello, Lefty. Skid. Where is the rehearsal, Lefty? Am I early? Yeah. Yeah, for tomorrow, you are. I-I was only... Oh, Skid. Huh? Who is that? Am I seeing things? Do you see her, Lefty? Sure. Sure I see her. Don't kid me. I've been seeing things lately. How are you, Skid? It's-it's really you. Oh, gee, Bonnie. Oh, don't, Skid. I'm all right. How are you, kid? Let me have a look at you. You're looking great. But you've been crying. No, I haven't.  I've seen you cry too often. But what are you doing in this dump? Come on. Why is Mr. Lefty, Mr. Lefty the fox? To get his rotten soul meat caught out of the grave. Well, I wasn't exactly the grace, Skid. Well, don't waste a minute around here, honey. I'll open all right. Nobody's got to worry about me. You know me. Skid, the fireman's child. I'm always there. Sure you are. But you've got to take care of yourself, Skid. You've got to start taping off now. Okay, Bonnie. You're the only one I ever knew that had any sense. Oh, you're not ashamed of me, Bonnie. I- No, Skid. I've been an awful sap, but don't ride me, will you? Bonnie, don't ride me. I won't ride you, Skid. That's right, Skid. I've listened to so many lectures, honestly. I carry my own slides.  Nah. Sleep. I don't bother about sleep. Oh, gee, Bonnie, it's great to see you. I told you I'd be an awful sap without you. You never was a sap, Skid. You've got more brains than all the comics put together. You make mistakes, but who don't? Well, after all, Skid, fun's fun. Luffy's opening his first show tomorrow night. Without you, he'll be sunk. He's been too good a friend of ours for you to throw him. Gee, Bonnie, I don't think I could ever make it. Sure you can make it. I'm all shy, honey. Oh, honey, you can come out of it. You think I can? I know it. You wouldn't kid me, would you, lady? I would if I couldn't, Mr. I would if I could. Hey, where's your cattle rustler? You remember he got sore at me that day, didn't he? I know. Sure he did, for singing. Here comes your bride, remember? Yeah. Bonnie, gee, loosen this tie. I'll take care of them. Do you think? Bonnie, do you think I'd better postpone the opening? Let's try not to, Luffy. I'd hate to see you mop your first opening, and it wouldn't look so good for Skid either. Poor Skid. Oh, no, that's all right, Bonnie. There, there, that's all right. I'm all right, Luffy. Give me some water, will you? No, don't you think we'd better get him over to the hotel? No, let him stay here a while. Okay, I'll do back in a second. All right. Skid, look at me. You'll be all right, honey. Nothing can stop you. You'll be all right. You'll knock him dead. You ain't started yet. You'll be all right. You got a- How is he, Bonnie? All right. He died his way up from the dressing room. Well, he's on next. Do you, do you think he can do it? I hope so. Well, he almost painted in his last routine. How are you, Luffy? Oh, hi, Skid. You all set, baby? Sure. What, he's gonna be my song? Yeah. Cut the opening routine, Skid. No falls tonight. Go right into your number. Cut the fall, girl. Okay, Bonnie. You're the boss. You all right, Skid? All right, Skid, folks, thanks. For a minute, I thought I was back in Manhattan Follies. Luffy's swaying out there. He's gonna fall. No, no. He's okay, Bonnie. Well, I'm glad to be here. And right now, I'm gonna sing a little number for you. One, I like a lot. A little music, eh, Professor? Make it easy, Skid? I'll make it. Well, brag, people boast And consistently drink a toast To a place that a lot of them place At the top of the list. Are they wrong? Are they right? Is there a reason for their delight? I must live in doubt Till the day that is it true What they say about disease That the sun really shines All the time Magnolia's blossom That everybody's done You folks keep eating possums Till they can eat no more Is it true? What they say about swanning Is a dream by that stream So sublime Do they laugh? Do they laugh? Like they sing every song Is it true? That's where I, by that stream Do you think you can go on? Being all right? I can, Bonnie. If you stick my name.  I'll stick. For good? For good. Oh gee, Bonnie. What about your cattle rancher? Oh, it's all right. I explained it to him, skid. You see, when I left, I... Well, I had an idea I was coming here to stay. Oh, Bonnie. I'm crazy about you. I can't get along without you, sweetheart.  From now on, it's you and me together. For better or for worse? Yeah. Better for me and worse for you. Ah, there you go. Always clowning. Roland Ruby will be back in just a moment. We are honored tonight by the presence of Daniel Froman. DF, as we call him, produced the first play that my father, Henry C. DeMille, and David Bellasco ever wrote. It was called The Wife. When the play opened, it was a failure. Nobody came. Naturally, Mr. Froman decided to close it. My father and Bellasco had spent a year writing this play. All their savings were gone. They were desperate. So they went up to Mr. Froman's office. One took him by the throat.  So Mr. Froman kept the play running. He says they changed it to suit him. But in any case, it ran five years. It's a woman that the theatrical world knows and respects this pioneer of the theater. We revere him as an artist, philanthropist, and gentleman. The 85-year-old dean of the American stage, Daniel Froman.  Now I'm saying what I've felt ever since I was five years old. That was when I used to chase you out of the box office for annoying the treasurer. Now it hardly seems possible that you're old enough to have a radio program of your own. Now I am just starting in radio, D.F. Do you remember when I was just starting as a young actor at one of your companies? Yes, I remember paying you a fabulous salary of $40 a week. That included my wife's salary, too. But I was willing to work for any salary. For the man who started the baramos, Ethel, as I remember, was the first to join you, then Lionel, wasn't it? Yes. And then the two of them in their little brother Jack, Barrymore, to design our bill posters. But why don't you get him to design one for that big show you're producing on July 1st? The Actors Fund Benefit. D.F., it's been a privilege to have you here tonight. It's nice to be here, Cecil, and be part of your great enterprise for no theater. In history has reached so many people as your luxe radio theater. From your father and mother, you have inherited the highest traditions of the stage. And I know you are true to this trust. Thank you. My grand old gentleman, I have just written an article for a national magazine on the 10 greatest fools in history. Perhaps I should have made it 11 and included the singing fool, the character that Al Jolson made the most famous fool of all. For that picture, the singing fool broke every box office record of its day.  Ladies and gentlemen, the Jolson's. Al and Ruby, you have enjoyed wealth, fame and success, all the things most people dream about. Ah, but that's nothing, Mr. Mill, compared to the thrill I got when little Al Jr. spoke his first word. And what do you think was the first word he ever said? He said daddy. Uh-huh, no Al. He said mama. Did he? Well, didn't he? If you say so, I guess he did. But oh, that kid, good solid arms and back. Here's the ofusky, what a baby. Honestly, Mr. Mill, I don't like exaggeration. But you've never seen ten such wiggly little toes. Takes after his mother, doesn't he? Those twinkling toes of rubies. Well, but one way it takes after his daddy, great big strong knees, a born mammy singer. His toes from his mother and his knees from his father, his good looks, I suppose, from Lux. Yes, sir, just like his mama. She's a Lux lady, aren't you, Ruby? Of course I am. As a matter of fact, Lux soap is what makes all of Jolson so handsome. We've had countless requests for two things. A song by Al and a dance by Ruby. Unfortunately, we haven't time for both. So which shall it be? Oh, that's very easy, Mr. Mill. I'll decide that. We're going to have a dance by Ruby. Ah, just a minute, Al. I've decided. You're going to sing. Well, how are we going to compromise? Al will sing. Well, that's how it is. I guess you can see now, folks, why they call me Al Keeler. Pretty girl, like a melody that haunts you night. And a day like the strength of a haunting refrain. She'll start a part, a marathon, and run around your brain. You can't escape. She's in your memory by morning. A pretty girl is just like a pretty girl. A pretty girl is like a melody that haunts you night. And a day like the strength of a haunting refrain. She's in your memory by morning. Ladies and gentlemen, this is your announcer, Melville Rue. Mr. Mill returns in a moment to tell you about next week's play. The makers of Lux Toilets Hope wish to express their appreciation to our capable cast and to the great studios who have cooperated with us in presenting this broadcast. Our cast tonight included Wally Mayer, Victor Rodman, Eddie Cain, Rita LaRoy, Ines Seabury, Frank Nelson, and Lou Merrill. Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler appeared through the courtesy of Warner Brothers, as did George Barnes. Our producer, Cecil B. DeMille, comes to us from Paramount. Lewis Silvers, our musical director, represents 20th Century Fox. And Mr. Daniel Froman is in Hollywood as producer of the Actors Fund Benefit. And now, here is your producer, Mr. Cecil B. DeMille. Next week, our play is The Dark Angel. A vital romance played against a background of war. A dramatic triumph on the Broadway stage and twice successful on the screen. This unforgettable drama will be presented on the air by the same stars who thrilled us in its most recent movie version. Merle Oberon and Herbert Marshall. Our sponsors, as well as Miss Oberon, Mr. Marshall and I, cordially invite you to be our guests in the Lux Radio Theatre next Monday night. This is Cecil B. DeMille saying good night to you from Hollywood. This is the Columbia Broadcasting System.


The population of Fort Worth has grown more than 30% since the year 2000. The positive effect of that growth can be seen all around us. New buildings, new stores and restaurants, new businesses bringing new jobs and new neighbors that have added to the fabric of an already diverse and vibrant community. But with growth also comes growing pains. Our mobility and transportation challenges grow as fast as our population. Heavy traffic that shines a light on a lack of transit options and new roads and underscores roads and obvious need of major repairs and rebuilding. We face longer commutes to community centers and libraries as new development moves further away from established city facilities. Citizens are asking for more parks and public spaces near neighborhoods. The kind of community jewels that encourage more families to get out, get active and enjoy all that our city has to offer. Fixing those problems is the biggest challenge our city faces. How can the city find money for new infrastructure, facilities and parks? If it takes one billion a year to keep city operations running day to day. City leaders have been working hard to allocate more of our existing tax revenue to debt service to allow new construction to occur. What the city does is not all that different from what you might do at your home. We make a budget and for those projects that require additional funds, we take out loans. Low interest rates mean more money can be used for construction instead of loan repayment. Every year the city council and staff look at how much money the city is expected to bring in. From those numbers they put together a balanced budget that funds everything from after-school programming to public safety. A portion of that budget, however, is dedicated to paying back our loans known as bonds. To see where your previously approved bond dollars have been invested is as easy as following the orange construction barrels. We've added more parkland, constructed new city community facilities, libraries, fire stations and police stations. Any commuter can tell you, though, where most of the money is going, road construction. We are turning more dirt and foot worth than ever before but this is the final push before our current bond dollars run out. That's why city council has called for a bond election in May 2014. City staff's plan would raise more than 290 million for projects with the next bond sale. This new bond sale will help address much-needed mobility and infrastructure challenges. In order to determine which projects need to be at the top of the list, we have spent the last year talking to citizens and listening to what you have to say. We have used this input to develop a list of projects that will address some of our most urgent needs. These projects are part of seven propositions. If approved, Proposition 1 addresses our streets and transportation improvements. This includes streets, sidewalks, traffic signals and infrastructure improvements. Proposition 2 will provide funding for parks, recreation and community center improvements. This includes park improvements, athletic fields, playgrounds and trails. Proposition 3 will allow the city to construct and equip two new libraries. Proposition 4 will address fire safety and will provide the funds for two new fire stations. Proposition 5 will improve our municipal courts. By expanding the current facility, Proposition 6 will provide funding for a new field operations service facility and the design of a new vehicle maintenance facility. The purpose is to locate equipment and crews closer to work sites across the city. Proposition 7 will provide funding for the expansion of the Silcox Animal Care and Control Facility and the design of a new Animal Care and Control Facility. All of these propositions will also provide funding for public art throughout our city. No tax increase is anticipated with the passage of the proposals.