Your Coca-Cola Bottler presents Claudia, based on the play of novels by Rose Franken, brought to you transcribed Monday through Friday by your friendly neighbor who bottles Coca-Cola. Relax and while you're listening refresh yourself. Have a Coke. And now, Claudia. Hello, hello. Blasted, I've disconnected myself again. Hello, hello, hello, hello. Is there an architect in the house? Hello, hello. There are two architects in the house and that's all there are. Roger, you're sitting at the switchboard again. I certainly am. Where's Lottie? Lottie is home taking care of her mother who has a bad cold in her chest. Oh, is David here? David certainly is here. Hello, David. I'm here too. A fine thing. Isn't a man's office sacred anymore? Well, if you're not glad to see me, Roger and I will walk right out and leave you here with the switchboard on your lap. Who says I'm not glad to see you? Nobody says. And I am delighted to see you, Claudia. Take off your coat, madame. What kind of a freight terminal do you want us to build for you now? Sit down. Have a cigar. Oh, I don't smoke cigars. Gave it up last week. I thought you seemed different. Your face looks absolutely empty. That's a nice way to talk to a prospective customer. No wonder you've only got one freight terminal to build. One is more than enough. If only Carrington would come to New York, our one would be underway immediately. Instead, he only phones and things are endlessly delayed now. We're expecting to hear from him any minute. That's awful. What's awful about it? Well, I was hoping you'd come and look at wallpapers with me. That's why I'm downtown. What do we want with wallpaper? For the house and the country. We hardly have a wall. That is the trouble with architects. No imagination. No imagination, eh? I suppose you've imagined something better than we have. I certainly have. Have you ever seen how hard it is to put wallpaper on a wall? My new system does away with all that. David, we should listen to this very carefully. Occasionally, good ideas come from highly improbable places. All right. Let's hear it. What is the Claudia Brown Norton system? I put up the wallpaper first, then paste the wall onto the back of it. Darling, it is visionary. What do you think of it, Roger? It is probably the greatest idea since the invention of the sky hook for hanging roofs. It's got striped paint beat a mile. You two sound like a vaudeville team. Darling, can you come and look at the wallpapers with me? Well, I'd love to, but you see, Roger has to go to the bank and we're expecting a call from Carrington. Somebody has to stay here to answer the phone. If I leave right now, you'll be able to get away sooner. See you very soon. Goodbye. I'll only be a few minutes. Goodbye, Roger. Say, David, the wallpaper place is right across the street. We'll go just as soon as Roger is back. In fact, we can go just as soon as Carrington calls. Good. I wish I could get him to come to New York. That's the only way we'll really get things ironed out. Oh, there he is now. Kellyanne and Norton, good morning. Give me that telephone. Mr. Norton, who is calling, please? Hand over that telephone. Mr. Kellyanne, one moment, please, Mr. Kellyanne. I'll see if Mr. Norton is in. Mr. Kellyanne. You don't say. I don't know what he wants. Hello. Hello, Kellyanne. What's on your mind? The bid. What bid? It's due today? Well, I'll rush it right down there myself. Yeah, thanks, Kellyanne, for reminding me. What bid, David? We're bidding on a school job with Kellyanne. Now, it looks like I'm going to have to rush it right down to the board. Would you like me to stay here? I'll talk to Mr. Carrington. Well, I'd hate to ask you to, but I think I wish you would. I don't mind, darling, if it'll help you out. Besides, Mr. Carrington's a very nice man. We always have lots to talk about. Certainly is lucky you showed up. Now, where is that bid? I think it's over here on this desk. Look at all the mess on that desk. Honestly, Lottie isn't here for one day, and this place looks like... Well, it looks like an office with two men in it. I was sure I left it over here. I'll help you find it. What does a bid look like? It looks like an envelope. That's what it is, an envelope. Well, there are a dozen envelopes here. You sure it isn't one of these? It isn't. I looked. David, look at all the things you have on these desks. Newspapers and blueprints. What are these things? Oh, specifications. Never mind them now. And look at all these advertisements and calendars. Don't you people ever throw anything away? Lottie's the admiral in charge of throwing things away around here. Would you like me to clean this mess up while you've gone? You can do anything you like when I'm gone. Only help me find that bid now. You sure it isn't one of these envelopes? I am positive. What's that one you have in your hand? It's one of the envelopes. Where did it come from? It wasn't there a minute ago. That's the bid, darling. Fancy, fancy. Now, give it to me. I haven't much time. Mr. Find-It-All, how long will you be gone? Half hour at the most. The board is right near here. So long. I'd better hurry. Goodbye. Oh, David. Now what? Wait for the traffic lights. I'll be right back. Hello? Hello? Oh, hello, Mama. How's your cold? You sure it's better? Yes, I'm in David's office. And it's lucky I came because he and Roger both had to go out. No, I won't touch anything. Only I'm going to clean up the place while they're gone. Isn't it awful the way men leave an office when there are no women around? Oh, all kinds of papers. I'm going to put them in the safe and lock them up. Yeah, I thought it was a sensible idea, too. I'll speak to you later. Goodbye, Mama. Now, I think I'll take a newspaper and do a crossword puzzle. One horizontal, six-letter word meaning South American tree. Oh, for heaven's sakes. One vertical, Siamese coin. Ninety-seven horizontal Turkish nobleman beginning with E, four letters. Let's see now. This is the most foreign puzzle. Hello? Hello, Roger. You're back quickly. Only twenty minutes. Where's David? Did Carrington call? He hasn't called yet. David had to take a bid someplace. A bid? Yeah. Oh, you must mean the school job bid. Oh, I thought that wasn't due till tomorrow. That's what David thought, too. But Mr. Kelly called up and David had to go rushing out. Well, it's a lucky thing you were here. Roger, do you notice anything different? Different? Oh, yes. All those papers. You cleaned them all up. That was nice of you, Claudia. It certainly makes a difference, doesn't it? A wide expanse of desktop. What's Mr. Carrington going to call you about? You never did tell me. Well, we hope it's for a last-minute checkup on the specifications. Oh? He's just about ready to put the break terminal out for bidding. Hello, everybody. Did Carrington call? No, not yet. Did you win? Win what? Win the bid, of course. We don't know yet. Well, if you don't know yet, then what was the big hurry? Roger, you explain it to her, will you, while we try to figure out why Carrington hasn't called yet. Well, what time is it? Let's see. I have quarter after one. Quarter after one? Well, it's an hour earlier in Chicago. We mustn't forget that. David, you didn't even say thanks for how nice your office looks. Well, it looks empty. Oh, without all the thanks, I guess. Well, that's Carrington now. Do you want to talk to him, or shall I? No, no, no, no. You go ahead. You go ahead. Hello? Hello? Yes. Yes, this is Killian and Norton. Chicago calling? Yes, yes, I'll take it myself. It must be Carrington. Now, you talk to him, David, while I find specifications. Now, they must be here somewhere. Fine, fine, fine. Hello? Yes, this is Mr. Norton. Yes. Yes, I'll speak to Mr. Carrington. Oh, hello, Mr. Carrington. David, do you have those papers? Excuse me a moment, Mr. Carrington. Haven't you got them? I think they're here on the table. Claudia, where did you put the specifications that were on the table? I'm sorry, Mr. Carrington, I'll be with you in just a moment. I cleaned up everything and put everything in the safe. Oh, no. You locked it. I don't know the combination. Do you, David? Me? I thought you did. I keep it written down. But I keep it in the safe. Well, try something, try anything. Come over here and help me, David. Claudia, Claudia, here. Take the phone and start talking. What about? Here, you have to clean the office. One moment, please. I think, I think, it starts with 75 three times to the left. To the left? I thought it was to the right. That's this way. Hello, Mr. Carrington. This is Claudia Naughton. Yes. Well, you must come to New York, Mr. Carrington. It doesn't open. Claudia, keep talking. I'm sure it goes to the left. 75. Yes, Mr. Carrington. When did you pass it? You got to pass the number. That's the stupid of it. Well, we'd love to see you again, Mr. Carrington. We just bought a house in Connecticut and we're going to have a cow. Well, it's a real old salt box. Yes, yes, yes, Mr. Carrington, with 78 acres and a brook. Three times to the left and twice to the right. David, I'm running out of things to say. It never happened before. Say anything. It won't open, David. You try it. But of course I mean it, Mr. Carrington. We'd love to have you come to New York. And then maybe you'll come off to Eastbrook with us and look at the house and... Wait a minute. What am I saying? Three times to the right. That's right. Twice to the left. That's it, that's it. 48. Is it coming? Oh, yes, Mr. Carrington. Claudia had to tidy up things. I don't see why she couldn't have put the safe away and left the papers where they were. I have been intending to throw this thing away for many years. Yes, Mr. Carrington, that's wonderful. Goodbye. Roger, Roger, I think we've got it. I heard something click. Take it easy, David. Be very careful. It's the crankiest old safe in the world. Let's see here. 47. That's it. 48. That's right. 49. There, there. Oh, there they are. There they are. Right on top. Specification. You talk to him, Roger. No, no, you go ahead, David. You talk to him. But he's gone. He's gone? Who's gone? Mr. Carrington. He hung up. Oh, no. Oh, yes. Oh, dear. Do you mean you ran out of things to say? I mean he decided to come to New York next week in person. And you know the funniest thing, he seemed to have forgotten why he called while he was talking to me. That I can understand. He's coming to New York? Well, that's marvelous. That's just what we were hoping for. Naturally. Naturally. Naturally. And now I am putting these specifications in this fine old safe. And then I'm locking it. And then I'm taking my two partners out to lunch. Shift your packages to the other arm, ma'am, when that bright red cooler hits your eye in the local food store. Stop for a few minutes, treat yourself to ice cold Coca-Cola, and it'll be a lot pleasanter to go about your business. Stands the reason you shop more comfortably when you shop refreshed. Hello there, Mr. King. Well, if it isn't Mr. Killian. You had quite a time getting that safe open, I see. But I suppose you should feel lucky that the safe didn't have one of those time locks on it. You'd still be waiting to get in. A time lock and Claudia? The combination is too much for me. She's a charming girl, but I don't think she ever got anywhere on time in her life. Claudia and David are going to have dinner with Aunt Louisa tomorrow night, you know, Mr. Killian. And I understand that Aunt Louisa runs her house as punctually as a railroad. Bet you twenty cents, as Claudia says, that she and David don't arrive at the right time. If they don't, well, I think I'll be listening to hear the consequences. And so will I, Mr. King. Goodbye. Goodbye, Mr. Killian. As I was about to say, every day, Monday through Friday, Claudia comes to you transcribed with the best wishes of your friendly neighbor who bottles Coca-Cola. So listen again tomorrow at the same time. And now this is Joe King saying au revoir. And remember, whoever you are, whatever you do, wherever you may be, when you think of refreshment, think of Coca-Cola. For Coca-Cola makes any pause the pause that refreshes. And ice-cold Coca-Cola is everywhere. And now here's a word from your friendly neighbor who bottles Coca-Cola.