The DuPont Company of Wilmington, Delaware, makers of better things for better living through chemistry, presents the cavalcade of America. Tonight's star, Cornell Wilde. Tonight's DuPont cavalcade is called, Improvement Noted, and here, starring in the role of a lifelike at Denison, is Cornell Wilde. Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet, in describing the poverty of a poor merchant, talks of his being surrounded by, a beggarly account of empty boxes. How well that once might have applied to me. It was 1844, my little jewelry shop in Bangor, Maine was in bad shape. No customers, no future to look to, nothing but shelves piled high, a beggarly account of empty boxes. Lifelet. I'm here Lydia, down behind the counter. What are you doing there? Hiding from my creditors. I brought you lunch. Well let's eat it quick before the sheriff slaps an attachment on it. Oh, no customers today? Oh lots of them, for every store on the street but mine. Lifelet. Hmm? What's next Saturday? Oh, June 30th. It's something else. What? Our anniversary. And we're going to celebrate. How? Let's go home to Brunswick, after we close the store Saturday. It'll be a wonderful little vacation. Please? Oh Lydia, I'd like to go home to see mother and dad but. What is it? Aaron will be there, I had a letter from him yesterday. So supposing Aaron is there, don't you want to see your brother? Well I shouldn't feel this way about Aaron, he's done so much for me but while he overpowers me when I'm with him, he keeps telling me why I'm not a success, keeps harping on the fact that I have little ambitions while he thinks big, always big. Oh now you're being foolish. Oh sure I am Lydia. Oh it's ridiculous, of course we'll go to Brunswick for our anniversary, we'll have a wonderful time. It's no more than I expected, a lifelit. I told you not to set up that jewelry shop in Bangor. I told her you couldn't run a business of your own, I told her you'd wind up losing every cent you ever owned and I was right. Well it's all over, I'd rather not talk about it. Well I'll talk about it. You're too much like father, he's a failure and so are you. Why? Because you both think small, you're provincial, both of you. Aaron can't we stop all this? I haven't had time to think things out. I'm not like a rubber ball that bounces back after it hits the floor, I've got to have time to think. I came home to Brunswick for a holiday, let's not, oh let's talk about it some other time. You've got a wife to support and a baby coming. Well what do you want me to do? Come to Boston, I want you to run my jewelry shop, look after it. What about you? Aren't you going to be in the shop? Not unless I have to be. I've hit on a tremendous idea lifelit, something big, the kind of an idea that has meat on it. I've decided to manufacture watches by machine. By machine? All by machine. Do you think it can be done? It sounds almost impossible. Anything that requires a little push and ingenuity sounds impossible to you. I wish you'd let me think about it Aaron. I want a yes or no answer and I want it now. Alright I'll come to Boston. It's settled then. Well. So am I intruding? Lydia, come in. How could you ever intrude? When you walk into the room, the lights go on and the band begins to pledge. Oh, such fancy talk Aaron. Is that what they teach you in Boston? Never you mind about Boston Lydia, it's the place for a man to buff his brass. I was just looking for you a lifelit. Here he is and all yours. And all I can say is that the prettiest girl in Brunswick deserves better. I'll leave you two alone. What was Aaron saying? As usual he took pains to remind me that I was a failure. You shouldn't let him talk to you that way. I shouldn't? As far back as I can remember he's been able to dominate me. The whole family for that matter. He overpowers you. He doesn't overpower me. He never has. I wish I had your gumption Lydia. You do dear. If you only think you don't. Oh that's true. I'm sorry. Lydia for the prettiest belle in Brunswick you sure made a rotten choice. Hey another piece of chicken Aaron? No thanks father. Eh suit yourself. Lydia? No thank you. Lifelit? No thank you. Mother, are you in the mood for a little surprise? A surprise? For me Aaron? For you. In solemn recognition of all the years you've had to suffer the strain of the denison brood. A little present. Oh you shouldn't have done it Aaron. You're just too big hearted for your own good. Nonsense. Here mother it's for you. A lifelit pass along. Alright I. Oh. Oh I'm so sorry it dropped right out of my hand. Why are you always so clumsy? I said I'm sorry. Oh I hope it isn't broken whatever it is. So watch and you can rest assured it's broken. Well the box came apart right in my hand. Well I suppose it wasn't your fault. Happens all the time with those blasted boxes. I send to France pay top prices and this is the kind of junk they send me. Disgusting. I'm sorry here it is. Let me see. No just as I feared it stopped. Well I'm sorry mother I'll have to send you another when I get back to Boston. That's alright Aaron. I had the same trouble with my jewelry boxes in Bangor. Seems kind of silly to send all the way to France just for boxes. Well there's no place else to get them father. No one makes jewelers boxes in America. If anyone did they'd find a pretty market. Well somebody ought to do it. That's right. Why don't you do it father? Me? Yes. I'm a cobbler. That's my trade. Not a box maker. Seems to me you're not a very successful cobbler. Hey Jerusalem don't you ever say that to me Aaron. I am a cobbler. I am a mighty fine cobbler. It ain't my fault that them inventors have come up with a shoe making machine that's putting me out of business. Father father have some tea. Don't offer me tea when I'm in a temple woman. Alright alright I don't want to start an argument. You started an argument the minute you walked into this house. Wearing machine made shoes. Thought I didn't notice today. Fronting your shoes in my face. That's what you've been doing. Well I've had enough. Where are you going? I'm going out. And I ain't coming back into this house until Aaron takes off them shoes. You get angry too quickly father. Eh I've got reason. Aaron had a good idea there you know. What idea? Make boxes. You too a lifelet. I'm a cobbler. Now father we're both in the same boat flat broke. Well we'll find something. Or maybe this is it. You're handy with tools you can make boxes. Look here I've spent a little time soaking this box apart. Nothing but a rectangle of heavy paper with four corners cut out. Then the edges are folded up on a piece of paper pasted around to hold them that's all. Not interested. If you went to work with maybe a dozen sheets of paper at a time and cut out the corners all at once you could turn out a lot of them. You still got to cut out the corners by hand? Not if you figure out a machine to do it. A machine? You could make one. Try it father why not? I won't do it. Well if you, if you did do it, if you made some money out of it even a little you wouldn't have to depend on Aaron. Well that's what I call a sensible argument. Will you do it? I'll do it. How many can you turn out do you think? I don't know. But if it's a way to show up Aaron never you fear. I'll turn out paper boxes faster than a man with no teeth can spit tacks. Alive, Willis. Here help me. Hurry. Olivia. Oh dear. What are you doing lugging all these packages? They came to Boston this morning from Brunswick. I'll pick them up. They weren't heavy I thought I could manage them. From father? Oh must be the first shipment of the boxes he's been making. Let's take a look. Where's Aaron? Oh out on his big deal. Oh been busy? No. Had one customer in this morning for a watch but he wasn't satisfied with anything I showed him. Well these boxes are pretty nice aren't they? Oh they are. Give me that little watch on the counter. Let's see if the size is right. Oh and some tissue paper. Thanks. Oh it looks so pretty. It's just right too. Father's done a good job. Oh excuse me a customer. Yes sir can I help you? I'm the man who was here before remember. Oh of course. All right where's that watch you showed me? One of the other stores. Have anything any better? Now if I was in New York I could get something really first class. Here you are sir. Huh? Oh you mean you got some more in after I left eh? Oh I know. Well then why didn't you show this to me before? Oh well I did sir. Well I don't know what you did to it but it certainly looks a lot better than when I was here before. I'll take it. Oh very well sir. How much? Oh same price. Well all right fine. Thank you. That's quite all right. Good day. Lydia. Did you show him that watch before? Of course I did but this time it was in father's box and it looked as good as it really is. I think that's funny. Now I'm convinced. About what? You'll see. I'll show you. I'll show you. I'll show you. I'll show you. I'll show you. I'll show you. I'll show you. I'll show you. I'll show you. I'll show you. You'll see. Hand me some of those boxes. Now you stay here and mine the store Lydia. Mined the store? How can I? Of course you can. Anyone can sell watches. I'll be going out to sell boxes. Here he comes now Aaron. A life a life Ly neutron. So there you are. It's no more than I expected. The minute I turn my back your off on some fools Aaron. It hasn' been a fool's Aaron. I've been trying out. I've been trying to sell some of father's boxes and I've sold them. Look here, a handful of orders. The blazers with boxes. But it was your own idea. It was just something I said on the spur of the moment to keep father quiet. But it's a good idea. It's a piddling idea. How much do all the orders you have add up to? Sixteen dollars. I make more than that selling a single watch. Pennies. You're playing with pennies. The trouble with you is that you haven't got a head for business. You just... That's enough. All my life I've been listening to you say that. All my life I've been listening to it and almost beginning to believe it. But this time I'm not letting you badger me into believing I can't do what I know I can. Aaron, please let me work out my own salvation. You are listening to the DuPont Cavalcade of America. Starring Cornell Wilde as Eliphil at Denison. Sponsored by the DuPont Company. Makers of better things for better living through chemistry. The DuPont Cavalcade continues. Starring Cornell Wilde as Eliphil at Denison. In those days, in the 1850s, it was hard to convince businessmen that American boxes could stand up to foreign imports. But with Lydia beside me I kept pushing ahead. Pretty soon the orders were mounting up every month higher from Providence, New York, as far west as Pittsburgh. Shipments were falling behind and so one weekend Lydia and I went up to Brunswick to see if father could speed up deliveries. Eliphil it is. I do the best I'm able. I have worked out a machine to cut out corners. Your sisters, Julia and Matilda, along with all the girls in town I guess, spend all day pasting the things up. Your father's been working awfully hard Eliphil it. What more do you expect of me, miracles? You've got to move out of Brunswick, set up a factory nearer to where I am in Boston. Move out of Brunswick? Wait, where else would I find such a good house in Brunswick? You've got to do it. Never. Well alright then, father here's my offer. Let me buy you out. I'll buy out your interest, your machine, everything. What do you say? Name your figure. Eh. Well? Where are you going to get the money? I'll borrow it, I'll get it. What's the figure? Eight thousand dollars. Very well. By Andrew Dennis. What? I never dreamed I'd see the day when you'd try to skin flinch your own son. Once on my own, rarely on my own, things began to happen rapidly. I set up a little shop in Boston, and slowly I built up my business, the Denison Company. Hiring first one worker than another, soon I was able to expand. Travel as far away as New York for orders. The trips were exciting. But of course getting home was even better. Liddy, Liddy, over here. Oh it's good to have you home again darling. Oh it's wonderful to be home. How are the children? Just wonderful. Let me get my valise. Porter, may I have my bag please? Yes sir, just as soon as I can find it sir. Here's my baggage check. Baggage check ain't no good. The tags are all torn off. It's a mess like this every time a train pulls in. Yes I can imagine. Them paper tags are so thin, the cords pull right out of them. Which bag is yours sir? Huh? Oh, oh, the brown one over there. Sure now. Yes sure. It's yours then. Thank you. The carriage is right over there. Liddy, I've got a favor to ask. Yes? You take the rig home with my bag. I'll be along later. Oh but you've been away so long darling. I know but I want to stop by the shop to see Metcalf and Stratton. Well, will you be late? I don't know, maybe not, it depends. On what dear? Depends on how long it takes to figure out a simple idea. Now gentlemen, why shouldn't we branch out into something else besides making jewelry boxes? Well, here's our chance. It's in line with what we're doing. A tag. A shipping tag. A tag that won't pull off if someone gives it more than a cross look. Well. Now let's sit down. The three of us are going to get the bag. Can't we do it tomorrow? My wife expects me home. She has an awful temper. We don't leave this office until we work it out. All right, here's an old type shipping tag. Look at it and study it. If you want to keep peace with your wife Metcalf, figure out how to make a shipping tag that will stay put. If you want to keep peace with your wife Metcalf, figure out how to make a shipping tag that will stay put. You're life will end. It's past midnight. When I think of what my wife is going to do to me. We figured out a hundred things that won't work. Parchment costs too much. Metal costs even more. Metal eyelets around the hole in the tag would tear through even quicker than the cord does. It's such a simple thing. Why can't we find the answer? Uh, heavier paper? No, it won't do. The string would still pull through. What's stronger than a piece of paper? Two pieces of paper. Very funny. Very funny. Wait a minute. That's not so funny. That's what I meant. Two pieces of paper are stronger than one and three pieces would be three times as strong. Why can't we do this? Come here. Look at this tag. Why can't we take a round patch of heavy paper, a round patch with a hole in the center, take it and paste it over the hole in the shipping tag, paste one on each side. That would give us triple strength. No. Why not? It's, uh, well it sounds too simple. A thick paper washer, both sides. There's something wrong with it. What? I don't know. Well, there's nothing wrong with it. Metcalf, get hold of a machine tool, man. Have them design a cutting press that'll shape the washers. Then build the machine. Build a dozen of them. Now wait a minute, Mr. Dennison. Hold in the reins. This company has just been getting by as it is. We haven't a penny surplus. Where are we going to get money to design and build the machines? Tell me where. How much money have you got, Stratton? Carfare hole. With ten cents to spare for tobacco. Metcalf? Well, I guess I've got about $5,000. Good. Get it. Get it tomorrow. I want you to come into partnership with me on this deal. We'll get this tag patented at once. We'll start up a new concern. Call it anything you like. As far as that goes, Dennison and company would be all right with me, but... Well, my wife... Well, your wife's going to be mad at you not getting home anyway, isn't she? I hope. All right, if you invest your money with me, all that she can do about it is be good and mad. So what's the difference? None. It's a deal. Ha ha ha. All aboard. Train for New York. Porter. Afternoon, sir. For New York. Remember me? Can't say that I do, sir. I came in with you from New York the other day. Yes, sir? I'd like you to do me a favor. All right. Try these this trip. What's that? A bundle of shipping tags. I got plenty of those. Oh, not like these. They're something special. Put one on that valise there. Now go ahead. Tie one on. Yes, sir. She's all tied on. Now try to pull it off. All right. Dog gone. Try again. Dog gone again. Pretty strong, isn't it? It sure stays put. Now those little heavy paper eyelets around the hole do the trick. Yes, sir. They sure do. Here. Here's a whole package of direction labels just like the one on the bag. Use them yourself. And give them to the other porters. Pass these tags along the line all the way between here and New York. See that the boys in New York get something to use on the Western Hall. Show them around. And tell them that if they want any more, the address is the Denison Company Boston Mass. A life alert. Aaron, I'm glad to see you. Come in, come in. Close the door. Hope I'm not disturbing you. Of course not. You seem to be doing pretty well. Oh, we are. This business has been growing like a cornstalk in August. Spreading out all the time, making all kinds of boxes now. Shipping labels, gum labels, wrappings. Everything that goes on the outside of what's inside. That's wonderful. We've got branch offices in New York, St. Louis, even in Chicago. It's even better. How have things been going with you? All fine. Fine. Tremendous. Matter of fact, I'm going to Spitsland next month to settle all the details of my watch deal. Oh, that sounds exciting. Oh, yes, it's a gigantic undertaking. But well, at the moment of life, I find I've slightly overextended myself. I was wondering if you possibly might be able to let me have a few hundred dollars to pay for my steamer passage. Just a temporary thing, you understand. I'll probably cable you the money the day I arrive in Surrey. Will 300 be enough? Oh, plenty, plenty. Of course, if you can spare more, it might be a slip up with my letters of credit. Four hundred dollars. Wonderful. And let us know how you make out. Don't worry about me. I won't. Well, I'll be going. Nice business you have here. Small, but just right for me, Aaron. Just right. What's taking you so long, Lydia? We'll be late for the theater. I'm sorry, darling. I've been rushing like a mad woman. It's this new hat. I had such a time getting it to sit straight. Well, do you like it? It's beautiful. And so are you. That's no way for an old married man to talk on his wedding anniversary. Now let me see how you look. Turn around. Well, how do the years fit? There's been an improvement. The patient has a chance. The patient's doing fine. He's had good care. Oh, Lydia, every, everything we have, the business, our home, this thing called happiness that we've come to know, it's been because of you. You've always stood with me. Sometimes you were the only one with me. That's because the prettiest girl in Brunswick made a mighty sensible choice. Thank you. Got a present for you. Take a look. Oh. Well, you never did get an engagement ring from me. It's a little late. Oh, lively. It's perfectly beautiful. It looks so luscious, so rich. Oh, it's magnificent. Well, I never thought I'd hear you rave about a simple bit of jewelry. Oh, darling, I'm not talking about the ring. I'm talking about the box. Ha ha ha ha. Thanks to the inspiration of men like Eliphil Adenason and thanks today to its companies, the inventors, engineers, and designers, America's packaging industry is one of the nation's largest. The men of this industry and all industry continue to share the privilege that was Eliphil Adenason's. The opportunity to experiment, to venture, and thereby serve their fellow citizens an essential right of freedom. Music Our thanks to Cornell Wilde and the Cavalcade players for tonight's story. And now Bill Hamilton speaking for the DuPont Company. Once you are grown up, you have just 32 teeth. It's up to you to make them last as long as you can. Years ago, when a tooth started to give trouble, the usual thing was to have it taken out. Traveling dentists used to go around, out in the country anyhow, in wagons. They set up a chair in the public square and pulled a tooth for 50 cents. And sometimes they carried a banjo player along to raise a racket when the patient howled. There are some people to this day who have a tooth extracted if it begins to ache. This is changing for the better, however, thanks to the splendid educational work of the schools, the dental societies, and your local dentists. Nowadays, more people have their teeth fixed instead of having them removed. You enjoy food more with your own teeth, and your health may be improved, since bad teeth are the cause of many disabling diseases. We know now it's better to keep your own teeth as long as possible. Preventive dentistry is far wiser in the long run. One of your dentist's best aids in this preventive work is the x-ray. DuPont and other companies have spent years in improving dental x-ray films. These films make it possible for your dentist to x-ray your teeth and tell you what he finds in a matter of minutes. When your dentist suggests an x-ray, he's placing a great scientific invention at your service. It helps him to do the best job he can to help you. The small cost will be repaid many times over in longer life for your teeth, perhaps even longer life for you yourself. DuPont x-ray films, DuPont x-ray chemicals, both aids to your good health, are among the DuPont company's better things for better living through chemistry. Next week, the star of the DuPont cavalcade will be Ray Milan. Our play, Sir Galahad in Manhattan, tells the moving story of Dr. Marion Sims, one of America's great surgeons and humanitarians. Be sure to listen. Tonight's cavalcade was written by Irv Tunnic and Phil Lewis. Music was composed by Arden Cornwell and conducted by Donald Vorres. The program was directed by John Zoller. This is Cy Harris speaking. Don't forget next week, Ray Milan on the DuPont cavalcade of America, which comes to you from the Belasco Theater in New York and is sponsored by the DuPont Company of Wilmington, Delaware, makers of better things for better living through chemistry. Music Stay tuned to your NBC stations for the latest election returns. It is now 26 minutes past 8 o'clock in New York. This is Robert Trout speaking from NBC's election headquarters. In the House of Representatives, the Democrats have won 72 seats, all except 10 of these 72 in the South. The Republicans have won 11 seats and are leading in two other districts. 218 seats are needed for a majority in the House of Representatives. In the Senate, the Democrats have definitely elected five senators and are leading in the race for six others in addition to those five definite ones. The Republicans have not won any Senate seats definitely yet, but are in the lead for three other seats in the Senate. Altogether, the Democrats must win 18 to maintain their control. The Republicans must win 20 to win control. In the race for the governors, the Democrats have elected three governors and are leading in four other states. The Republicans have elected one governor and are leading in two other states. The totals there for the governors, 18 for the Democrats leading indefinite, six for the Republicans leading indefinite. A few details now, though the returns are too scattered to indicate anything at all yet. The early returns from the highly important state of Connecticut shows the Democrats leading in all three races. Senator William Benton, the Democrat, 46,000. Prescott Bush, the Republican candidate, 35,000. Senator Brian McMahon, the Democrat, 47,000. Joseph Talbott, the Republican candidate, 32,000. Democratic Governor Chester Bowles, 87,000. Republican Representative and candidate John Davis Lodge, 72,000. The Democrats leading in Connecticut. Very early returns. In Ohio, returns for Senator from only 43 of Ohio's election places give Senator Taft, 5,000. Joseph Thur Ferguson, 3,200. Those are very scattered returns. Of course, we'll have more definite results as the evening goes on. But so far, that is the top of the election results across the country. And across the country, we are finding the reasons why Election Day 1950 is seeing a record off-year vote. In Goshen, Indiana, Charles Howard arrived at the voting place today in an ambulance. His leg had been amputated after an auto accident last week. I lost my leg, said Mr. Howard, but not my vote. In Rochester, New York, James Hard showed up to cast a ballot, and it was the 85th time Mr. Hard had done just that. The nation's oldest Civil War veteran at the age of 109, Mr. Hard voted the first time in 1864 at Nashville, Tennessee for Abraham Lincoln. At the other end of the scale is Miss Aphrodite Fanalis, who voted today at the age of 20 in New York, where the minimum voting age is 21. But Miss Fanalis had the final say. She showed election officials an old law which states a person becomes of age for voting purposes the day before the anniversary of his birth. Miss Fanalis will be 21 tomorrow. Gosh, she said, I'm getting old. This is Locke with Doty, and that's the election news to now. This is NBC, the national broadcasting company. .
