Your Coca-Cola Bottler presents Claudia, based on the famous play and 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. Mama, we're almost home good. I have a feeling this car is going to collapse any moment. I'm never going to travel again with so much stuff. You two women remember that. This isn't stuff. This is boxes and the leases and luggage. All the more reason. Foof you. Foof yourself. You'll see. I mean it. How's the baby? Oh, having a wonderful time. He's sound asleep. He has the right idea. Oh look. Hey look, we're going by the old schoolhouse. It's so quiet. Where are all the... Claudia, this is the 30th of July. School's out. Well for heaven's sakes. When we left Eastbrook, school was in. My goodness, the schoolhouse looks very forlorn without anybody around. Claudia, sit still. You want to end up in the ditch? Oh David darling, you drive so beautifully. You wouldn't drive into a ditch, would you? Wouldn't I though? I'm half tempted. Everything's so much greener than when we left. Look at that field of corn. It's shoulder high. And its silk is coming out of its ears. Must be almost ripe. Oh, I'm glad we're getting back to Eastbrook. Corn on the cob, my favorite dish. What's your favorite dish, David? You, when you're asleep. You really like me better than an ear of corn? An ear of Claudia, any day. Oh that's sweet. This is quite a trip to Eastbrook. Just seems so today, Mother, because we're all crowded up in this car. Don't forget, I do this back and forth every day and think nothing of it. The happy commuter. That's me. I love trains but I'd hate to go back and forth and back and forth. It doesn't get you anywhere. It gets me to New York, gets me home, gets me to New York again. Nuff, nuff, nuff. I get the idea. Oh look, Mama, quick look. Jared Tucker's house. Just as rickety's when we left it. Rickety-er. That's a fine way to talk about your benefactor. He didn't benefact us, he just sold us his farm. Exactly what I meant. A pretty price too. We'll be in hock for for the rest of our lives. I am flattered by your opinion of me as a breadwinner. No insults meant, darling. And I even forgive Jared Tucker. He gave us back the walnut tree, didn't he? Oh, country's so quiet. I've forgotten how wide, peaceful, and serene it is. Look at that field of corn stretching as far as I can see. A little brook following the road. The birds singing like crazy. It's hot like in New York but it isn't the same. It's sort of a cooler hot. Oh, David, how'd you know it was going to be so perfect up here? It's only perfect because you think it is. I hope our son grows up to think it too. He'd better. I'll knock his teeth out. That's a nice pretty way to talk. Is Gertrude going to be at the house when we get there? I doubt it. I called her just before we left New York. She said she wouldn't be here this afternoon. She'd come back this evening and get dinner for us. Good. And you want Gertrude to greet us at the door? I sort of like the idea of coming home quietly, walking into a still house. Never would be still with Gertrude around. She's a tornado, that woman. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. And feeds you so well. I know what mama means. I feel that way too. Look, it's the beginning of our land. Mama, the stone wall from here, it's ours. You needn't get so excited about it. It's been yours for months. It feels even more ours now because we've been away. Because we're going to raise our son here. Talk about him as if he were a vegetable. He is. Look at him. Could you call him anything else? He's a very attractive little vegetable. A very wet little vegetable. David always looks on the wet side of things. Mama, look, see that walnut tree standing on top of the hill? It's as if it was turned this way. All its branches reaching out to us. Such sentiment. Isn't it awful? Oh David, go slow. Please go slow. I've been waiting for this for weeks and I don't want it to be over in a minute. Oh, there flies the old crow. Everything looks just the same, only more so. Told you, stop leaning across me, you're going to crush Bobby. Let him take care of himself. David, not so fast. Then he's slower and we'll stop. Then I'll never get this car started again. It must be exhausted carrying all this load. I can't see the house, David. Behind those trees there. There, there it is. There's a corner sticking out. Funny approaching it in the summer so different than in the winter. We used to see it for miles down the road. Now all those fir trees are in the way. I see it. It's a sweet little house. It's home. Well, here we are. I thought we'd never get here. Yep, here we are. Well, old's out that's getting out. That's me. That's me. Ouch. My legs. I'll never be able to walk again. Here, give me Bobby, Mama, while you get out. I'm alright. There we are. Better than ever now. Yeah, feels pretty good to be back, doesn't it? It feels perfect. Funny how I seem to have forgotten every other place I've ever lived in. I've lived here less time than any other place and still when I think of home, this is it. Me too. Now, Skadoodle, I want to get you in the house. Don't rush me. Whoops, I'm sticking to the seat. It's so warm. Well, the place seems to be in pretty good shape. Gets along well without us, doesn't it? As a matter of fact, I think it gets along better without us than we do without it. Grass needs an awful lot of cutting. I sort of like it a little wild. Not this wild. Oh, hiya Bluff. Come on, old boy. Look at him racing down on me. Come on, old boy. He recognizes me. Come on, you darn tootin' idiot. Come on, old boy. Hope he won't scare Bobby. Bobby's just too bad. Bobby better get used to him. We had him long first, didn't we? Hey, boy. Down, down. Down. You want to knock me over? My goodness, you're strong. I'm almost as strong as you are. Oh, Bluff, your tongue is so wet. Take it easy. Take it easy. Nothing to get so excited about. Bluff, old boy, good to see you. David, he's gotten enormous. When's he going to stop growing? No, he's still a pup. Some pup makes Bobby look like a sparrow. Get away. Get away. Do you want me to drop Bobby on his head? Thanks, boy. I've hurt Bluff's feelings. Are you going to introduce him, please? I'm going to introduce him properly. He gave me a chance. Yeah, give me the baby. Now be careful, David. Now don't you tell me how to treat my son. He and I have got a long swell. Now, come here, boy. Now, Bluff, I want you to meet young Master Norton. I want you to treat him gently for a while and not take advantage of the fact that he's a lot smaller than you are. I don't want you to roughhouse with him. I want you to keep an eye out for him. I'm going to make you responsible for him. He looks as if he understands. I bet he understands. He's much brighter than your son. What? Now, Bluff, you take care now and never let anybody who isn't supposed to come near him. You hear? Good Bluff. Well, Shakespeare's put in an appearance. I don't see him. Where is he? There, up in the air, on the branch of that tree. Show off. Shakespeare, come on down here and be sociable. Leave him alone. He's only a cat. And behaving exactly as a cat would, independent and snooty. Well, if he is a cat, he should behave like a cat. I wouldn't have him any other way. You stay right where you are, Shakespeare. Don't let Mama bully you. Well, let's go into the house. Give me Bobby, David. I'll keep him. That's right. You're his father. You can carry him over the threshold. He seems to be waking up. He's looking around. First intelligent expression I've seen on his face. Strange as it may seem, considering his parents, I think he's a very intelligent little boy. Thank you, Mama. Now, what makes you think that, Grandma? Oh, I think that he's saying to himself that he's a pretty lucky baby to be born into all of this. Oh, nonsense. I think Mama's right. Babies are very wise little animals. I think he has a sense that this is his house. This is where he's going to grow up to be a man. But listen to your old man, Bobby. Though there are walls that surround our acres, you're not going to grow up alone. The world you've been born into is a world of people. So many different people. When you're a little bigger and you can walk with me up to the top of this hill and look around, you'll see the lands of all our neighbors, one touching the other, and held together by a good wall. I remember the day we mended the wall with Matthew Warren. Matthew Warren is a good neighbor. If you stand for your rights, son, and allow your neighbors to stand for theirs, you'll never have any trouble with them. If you live your own life, Bobby, according to your best standards, and realize that the people next to you are trying to do the same, you'll never tread on their toes. That's not only for survival, is it, David? It's for a lot more. It's for freedom. Freedom to live the life you want to live. The only way you'll have that freedom is if you let the next man and the next man to him live the life he wants to live. The world isn't made up of people who let you live the life you want, David. There's so many who try and force their ideas on others. Unfortunately. But perhaps the day will come when tolerance is in the heart of every man. Then there'll be peace. It's individual men who make up the world, and the responsibility is with each of us alone. Just like that in a little community like this. Eastbrook wouldn't get along any better than the world does if each person didn't let the next one go his own way. Exactly. Lots of different kind of people make up Eastbrook. There are Jared Tucker, Matthew Warren's over there, George Reynolds, Dr. Barry, and all the others. Each one is different. The old and the young. The modern and the traditional. The ambitious and the lazy. And yet they all live together. And live together well. They are the world that you've been born into, Bobbie. This is your own private world. Some of these people will be your friends if you let them be. And a man has to grow up in a world of friends or he'll die in a world of enemies. This is the tradition you've been born into. A country where each person is allowed to carve out his own destiny. You will have to learn to live your own life and never borrow the goodwill of your neighbors. Have your own ambition, but with due respect for the ambition of your neighbors. That's a pretty tall order for a very small baby, David. It's the only order I'll ever give him. It's too bad, isn't it, that Eastbrook isn't the whole world. So many people and countries stand alone instead of touching each other as neighbors. Yet if a state, a land, a country can be made up of Eastbrooks, why not a world? Yes, why not a world indeed? So, come on now, son. Come on. You're home. Instead of going from one energy-consuming job to another, why don't you stop occasionally as people do in factories, shops, and offices and have an ice-cold bottle of Coca-Cola? The pause that refreshes is every bit as welcome to homemakers as it is to workers outside the home. Your refrigerator can be your private well-stocked Coke cooler, with a supply of refreshment always on hand for the family and all who come. Oh, well, it's a good feeling, Mr. King, back on the farm. Welcome home, Mrs. Brown. Thank you. Well, I guess I'd better get going. There's a great deal of work to be done. Gertrude will be along in a moment to help you out. She's a wonder woman, that Gertrude. Oh, dear. What's the trouble, Mrs. Brown? I just remembered Gertrude is not to be with us much longer. That's right. When are Fritz and Bertha coming up? The end of the week. Poor Claudia, she's going to have to tell the good Gertrude about it on Monday. I don't envy Claudia the job. Neither do I, and I'll be around Monday to see how she does it. So will I. So see you then, Mr. King. Bye, Mrs. Brown. 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 Monday 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. These programs star Catherine Bard as Claudia and Paul Crabtree as David. And the entire production is supervised and directed by William Brown Maloney. And now here's a word from your friendly neighbor who bottles Coca-Cola.