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. Mr. Bonney, how's the play going? So far so good. Knock wood. Oh. Keep your fingers crossed too. They're crossed already. Got to remember to uncross them when I go out on the stage. Boy, you seemed to like the second act, didn't they? Well, they didn't walk out. It's so different playing in front of an audience. Everything goes so much better. Personally, I could do without opening night. It is too bad you can't open a play on the second night, isn't it? Hey, don't you go on pretty soon? Another minute or so. I don't like to stand too near the stage. It gets me sort of nervous. Don't be nervous. You're doing okay. Almost over. It's my one more scene of victory and I'll be through. Oh, don't forget to bring the cocktail glass on stage with you. I hate having to hold it. My hands are shaking. It's one of the nice things about being on the stage. The audience can't see your hands shaking. Oh, they can unless I spill everything that's in the glass. Don't say things like that. We better go down to my entrance. I'm almost done. Hey, props. Bring Claudia her cocktail glass. And Joe, bring down the spotlight slowly. We're up too high. Look, the Victoria manors look beautiful. I wish I looked like that. Well, if you did, I wouldn't trust you for two seconds. Anne! Anne, could I draw this terrorist dissent? That's you, Claudia. Get out there now and for Sam's sake, act! I'll try. Anne, do you hear me? This is it. Oh, there you are at last. Here I am, Stephanie. You wanted to talk to me. You bet I wanted to talk to you. What is it? You stand there looking me in the eye and saying, What is it? What is it, Stephanie? I want you to leave this house. I want you to leave this house and never, never come back. I thought that's what you were going to say. I've been expecting it for a long time. I'm ready to go, Stephanie. It's funny. You're my sister, but somehow when I look at you, all the love and all the memories we shared are all gone. I'll go. You had all this planned, didn't you, Anne? I don't know. I don't know anymore what I'd planned or even what I meant to do or what I meant to say. All I know is that I'm ready to leave and I don't care if I never come back. Anne, where are you going? I bought a ticket for New York this morning. If you like, I'll let you know where I'm staying. Anne, do you need some money? I don't need anything. You've taken away the only thing I ever really needed. I love Guy Stephanie. I love him more than you'll ever be able to love anybody. But you've won him. He's yours. I wish you luck. You're going to need it. Pretty words. Goodbye, Stephanie. You're very proud. Yes, I am. I'm very proud. For the first time in my life, I'm not afraid of you, and I feel I can manage without you. Goodbye, my beautiful sister. Anne, Anne, don't go. Don't leave me, Anne. Oh, Guy, I know you're... Claudia, let's step over here by the door so we can talk. I was coming out on the terrace to pick up my newspaper and I saw that you were busy. Well, honey, I certainly didn't have to worry about you. Oh, I can't believe I'm all through. I feel as if I'm waking up out of a dream. Ah, you weren't asleep. Nobody does what you did, unless they're very, very conscious. Half the time I was out there, I felt like... like another person. Was it really all right? Well, you heard the applause, didn't you? When you went off stage? Was that for me? Well, of course. What did you think it was for? I didn't know. It was for you. You were that good. Frankly, I didn't know you had it in you. Had what? Well, let's call it spunk. But it was so easy, I didn't even think. I just did it without. Well, one piece of advice. Stay out of Victoria Manor's way if you're smart. And after what you did out there, you are smart. That's not true, Guy. Oh, yes it is. And I'm not such a fool as to put my life in your hands. Guy, you're not thinking of what you're saying. And have no right to come between us in the first place. Just look at Victoria Burn. She's looking so angry about it. I've never seen her play the scene this way, have you? I cannot imagine why. Much. What do you mean, why, for heaven's sakes? Well, I'll tell you something. A leading lady doesn't like to have her play stolen, and especially not by a trick. Stefani, I don't know what you're talking about. I wasn't trying to steal her play. Tell my mother that. Well, oh well. Anyway, it's almost over. The opening night's almost over. In a minute, Dave, it'll be here. Is that all that you can think about? If you were married to him, that's all you could think of, too. Let's listen to the curtain line. I've been asked, Anne, to come back and live here. I assure you, I'm not afraid of that. There's no reason why the three of us can't be together. Guy. Guy, listen to me. Guy. Guy, don't go away. Guy. Oh, Guy. Guy. What a quiet the audience is. Music to my ears. Curtain. Okay, everybody on stage for curtain calls. Everybody get out there. Come on. All right, take it up. Down. All right, one more for the company. All right, everybody on stage. Take it up. Down. All right, Guy. Take it up. Down. Turn next, Claudia. Up. Yes, go. Down. All right, Victoria. Take it up. Down. Okay, that does it. Bring up the house lights, and everybody was swell. Claudia. Claudia, I want to talk to you this instant. I've got to go to my dressing room. Victoria, David's waiting for me. See you in a moment. If it isn't little kitten Cornell herself. Hello, darling. Oh, Dave, I couldn't wait until the play was over. Why didn't you come back to see me between acts? I didn't come back because you didn't need me. You were better off alone. How'd you know that? Because I love you. That wouldn't make any sense to anybody but us. That's all it's supposed to make sense to. Darling, nothing's real but us. Mrs. Norton, you're getting makeup all over me. Kiss me and shut up. What's the idea of coming in here without knocking? Think nothing of it, honey. It's show business. And you know what you can do with show business. Why the devil can't you knock? I came in to congratulate Claudia for giving an outstanding performance, and what do I get? Insults. That was pretty good. Then I always knew she would be. Well, I'm not married to the girl, so I didn't know just what one could expect of her. And Norton, if she pulls tricks on you the way she did on Victoria Manners, ho, ho, ho. Ho, ho, ho, what? Playing innocent. You're not talking about me in front of my face? You bet we are. Good, I love it. A horde of people are outside who want to see you. And also, Victoria Manners. Who else? Julia and Hardley and Roger came up for the play. I didn't know you didn't tell me. I didn't want to make you nervous. Nothing would. David, when did you invite them? Oh, a few days ago. Oh, David, darling, then you really had faith in me. You weren't even afraid to have relatives in the audience. Oh, by the way, I saw Nancy Riddle outside, and we're all invited over to her house for a party. Wonderful. Hey, where's Mama? I think she's with Julia and Hardley. They're out front. Did she like the play? Everybody liked the play. Where I hit, and now my ulcers can relax. Doesn't anybody knock in the theater? No. Here you are, you little double-crossing. Hello, Victoria. You've met my husband, haven't you? Uh-uh. Don't throw that stuff on me. Palm yourself off as an amateur, as a beginner. Going around so sweet, so naive and innocent. And then playing that trick on me. Miss Norton, your career in the theater has ended. Finished. As long as I live, you'll never work again, and my maternal grandmother lived to be 103. Now, careful, Miss Manners. You're talking to my wife. Well, I don't know what you're talking about, Victoria. Oh, much you don't. The cocktail glass you held in your hand during our last scene. I was supposed to hold it, wasn't I? Yes, you were supposed to hold it. You weren't supposed to put it down on the back of a sofa. Well, you see, all of a sudden I realized my hands were shaking, so... I got sure everybody out front had noticed it, so I put the glass down on the sofa. Oh, you did? I... Well, I didn't want to walk across the stage to put it on the table while you were talking. My excuse. You put it down on the back of the sofa, and then walked off stage and left it there, teetering. Did I do that? And there it was, teetering through my most important scene. So, who was the audience watching? They're watching Victoria Manners in her most important scene in the play? No. Every last eye was fixed on that teetering cocktail glass that you planted that would steal attention away from me, you... You little dicks. Did I do that? You most certainly did, and it was beautiful. How awful of me. If I thought you'd have done that on purpose. And as for you, Mr. Norton, you staged-or Johnny, pretending that your wife desires for no one but you, you'd better watch out or she'll play a trick on you just the way she did on me. Well, don't think I'm not thinking of that. Now you'll just remember, Claudia, during the rest of this play's run. No more funny business. Come along, Jim. Coming, Victoria. Nice going, kid. She's quite emotional, isn't she? Yes, quite. Now look me in the eye, Mrs. Claudia Brown Norton. I'm looking at you, Mr. Norton. You did not leave that cocktail glass teetering on the sofa on purpose, did you? It was a pretty smart thing to do, wasn't it? Come on, confess. Confess what? Now that's not the kind of a girl you are, and I know it. What kind? There's not that much deceit in you. Oh, isn't there? There isn't. But you certainly had Victoria and Varnie fooled. I certainly did. Listen, if you ever tell them the truth about me, I'll break your neck. And if you ever pull any of those tricks on purpose, I'll break yours. Promise? You bet. Now, come on, hurry up, get ready. Let's go to the riddle party. Oh, a pox on the riddle party. My plans are for just you and me, darling, and the man in the moon. And for my money, a pox on the man in the moon. Every once in a while at a picnic, you'll hear the hostess say, I wish entertaining were as easy as this the whole year round. I'd give lots more parties. But entertaining can be that easy, summer, winter, spring, and fall, if you keep plenty of coke in the refrigerator. Then all you need to do is bring out bottles of ice cold Coca-Cola, and your guests will carry on from there. It's not formality, people want. It's pleasant, relaxed, good times. And coke helps bring everybody, young or old, the pause that refreshes. Well, put it there, Mr. King, we're in. I don't know about you, Mr. Varnie, but I counted on Claudia from the very start. Well, you know her better than I do. I didn't think she had the spunk in her to play such a trick on Victoria Manor's. Oh, Claudia's got a lot of spunk and a lot of heart, too. Yes, I knew that. Claudia's able to take everybody for their own value, no matter how different they are from the way she is. Jared Tucker, for example. He's that old farmer who lives down the road, isn't he? That's right. You'll be meeting him tomorrow night. You don't say. And it'll be some meeting. Take my word for it. So long, Mr. Varnie. I'll see you tomorrow night. 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. This broadcast of Claudia was supervised and directed by William Brown Maloney. And now here's a word from your friendly neighbor who bottles Coca-Cola.