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. Now you listen to me, David Norton. You can't help being in this hospital and you're going to be here several days more so you might as well just sit back and enjoy it. I'll sit back and I'll even lie back, but I won't enjoy it. Honestly. Just because you're stubborn. Well, did you enjoy being in the hospital when you had the baby? I loved it. I did too. All the lovely attentions I received, nurses running in and out. And they didn't make half as much fuss about me as they did about you because you just happened to be a man. Not such a bad looking one, that. You don't have to flatter my ego. I'm not. Any other day you'd agree with me, only today you're in a bad humor. Well, you would be in a bad humor too. You are a fine sport, you are. I am. All you have is a silly little broken collarbone and hangover from a concussion. You ought to be very grateful. Well, if that's all I have, why can't I go home? Oh, darling, I hate you to be in the hospital, but I just keep knocking wood that you are. Could have been so much worse. It shouldn't have happened in the first place. Well, it wasn't your fault. The other man skidded into you. He's dead. David, it wasn't your fault. No, it wasn't. You don't have to keep telling me. The fact remains that he's dead and it's not a nice thing to think about. David, you're not going to brood about it, are you? Why shouldn't I? A little anyway. Because you're not the brooding kind of a man. Only hens brood and you're a rooster. Yeah, one sock dollager of a rooster. Oh, shut up. Now, that's a nice way to talk to me, a bedridden convalescent. Well, it's the only way you deserve being talked to. Complaining because you have to spend a few days in this lovely sunny room being pampered and the rest will do you good. I'm not tired. Maybe you would be if you weren't in bed. That's one way of looking at it. As a matter of fact, you look so comfortable. I almost wish I were here, too. If you were, I wouldn't mind so much. Now, that was sweet. Well, am I not always sweet? So, so. If I could turn over, I'd show you something beautiful. The nurse said I have the most stunning black and blue marks between my shoulders. The shape of South America. Oh, South America's a lovely shape. We'll have to go there some day. You just get well. That's all I care about. And Mama and the baby and Fritz and Bertha, it's all they care about, too. Have you spoken to Roger today? Oh, yes. Just before coming over. What did he say? He says everything at the office is going on fine. He's managing beautifully. Aren't you pleased? Yeah, delighted. There's nothing like being dispensable. Now, Roger didn't mean it that way and you know it. I suppose not. I'm glad he's managing without me. Hurts, doesn't it? Well, how would you like it if I told you everything at home was going beautifully when you weren't there? You do tell me. You tell me that all the time. It's different with a man. Yes, everything's always different with a man. David, listen, you should hear how the telephone at home rings all day. People from all over Eastbrook telephoning to find out how you are. People I didn't know even know we knew. Let's go back and try that again. Now, let's see. People I didn't know. I knew. I knew. That's all right. Forget it. That's nice. Okay. That's great. You get the idea. David, listen, do you want me to bring you any books to read or some pickled calves' feet maybe? Sick people always eat pickled calves' feet. I wonder why. I'm not sick and I don't like pickled calves' feet and I can't set up yet and it's sort of difficult to read books. Maybe tomorrow. You'll be home before you know it. Oh, sure. The car's still at the garage. The man says we'll have it next week. I guess I can't tell you anymore not to drive so recklessly. I guess I won't have a leg to stand on. Not a leg? I guess from now on you're the boss at the wheel. Now, that's a bright thing for you to be saying. Very brilliant. Mm-hmm. How long have you been driving? Two, twelve, thirteen years. How many accidents have you had? One's enough. One little accident that wasn't even your fault in thirteen years. That's a pretty good record, I'd say. I haven't even been driving thirteen months, so don't you start making pretty speeches about me being a better driver. Am I not allowed to even make pretty speeches? Oh, darling, I love you and I want you to be happy. Come in. Why, Mr. Tucker. Oh, there, Mrs. Naughton. Hello, there, son. Well, this is a surprise. Just thought I'd amble over and give you my howdy-doody. Here's some posies Delilah sent. Oh, wonderful. I'll take the flowers down the hall, Mr. Tucker. I haven't put in a vase. Oh, they're just some posies. No need to make such a fuss about them. They're beautiful, so stop insulting them. Well, I can't let a lady carry her own bundles. Here, hand them over. If you insist on taking them down the hall, I'll carry them for you. There's no need, really. I can see this gentleman is spoiling you while I'm away. Hand them over, Mrs. Naughton. You're so gallant, Mr. Tucker. Be right back, son, just escorting your wife down the corridor away. I don't blame you. I'd rather be with Claudia than with me any day. No, not I. I'd rather be with you. I'm tired of being with me. See you, David. Well, I sure handled that pretty smooth, didn't I? What do you mean? Well, I aimed to have a private chat with you before I started talking to your husband. Don't think he suspected, though, did he? Even I didn't suspect. Oh. Chivalry is such a natural part of your character, Mr. Tucker. I'll come to the point straight away. How is he? Well, outside of being slightly discouraged, he's fine. But Dr. Barry warned me he'd be a little depressed. You didn't need no doctor to tell you that. No man, if any, is a man, likes to be incarcerated in one of these here hospitals. And, David, least of all. Them medicos get you flat on your back. As soon as they meet a man close enough to see the whites of his eyes flat on his back, he goes. Yep. That's why I stay away from them. I do. They'd kill a man with a tension award. Oh, I know. I ain't never gonna let one of them fellas give me the nonsense. I never did see the insides of a hospital till my daddy was brought in to breathe his last. And that was over his dead body, figuratively. So you said. Yep. I knew the minute he crossed the sanctu- sanctimonious doors of a hospital, he'd breathe his last. And breathe his last. He did, he did. Well, that certainly is reassuring. I ain't never let them rob me of my tonsils. I was born with them. I'll die with them. Well, I guess you'd better go in and see your husband now. Was that all you wanted to tell me? Just want to see the lay of the land. Mr. Tucker, I don't quite know how to tell you, but David is unhappy enough about being in this hospital without you. Speak up, speak up. What I mean is he sees all its bad points. What he needs is sort of to see the good ones. Oh, there ain't none. Well, I wish you could think of some. David had listened to them if they came from you, Mr. Tucker. Mrs. Naughton, I ain't no hypocrite. Could you just be a little... pretend the hospital is a fine place for him to be? Nope. Sorry. I couldn't lie that much. Even if it's important? Even if... I guess I'd better go put these flowers in a vase. I'll be back in a minute. I'll go in and cheer up your husband. Yeah, you'll cheer him up all right. Well, Mr. Naughton, I did me a little service to the fair sex and I'm back. Well, pull up a chair, Mr. Tucker. I must say it sure is something of a surprise to me to see you lie in bed this fine fall weather. It's something of a surprise to me too. This ain't a bad room, though. It ain't. Got a nice look out that window. Well, I can tell you exactly how many branches there are on that tree. Each tree. You don't say. You know, I was just telling your wife I'm a fool of a man, all right. How come? Well, here I've been going around and prodding myself that I ain't never set me foot in the hospital. That I ain't never let no medic go incarcerate. I mean, coax me into one of these here places. I was telling her that in all the years I never let anyone take care of me, save myself. Well, I think you have the right attitude, Mr. Tucker. Well, I wonder if I do. You know, I ain't the young feller I used to be. Oh, go on, Mr. Tucker. You're getting younger every day. Younger from the other end of the yardstick, maybe, but now I can feel my joints going rusty. And the blood running cooler in my veins. Of course, I ain't done in by a long shot. But I ain't never told this to nobody, but life catches up on you, son. It sure does. Well, I wouldn't complain if I were you, Mr. Tucker. I'm a good bit younger than you are. Here I am, flat on my back, while you're walking around on your own two legs. If I hadn't been hit by a car like you, young one, if I had, I'd be laying down too, but six foot under, yep. I'm thinking maybe since this is the autumn of the year and the autumn for Jared Tucker, maybe I ought to let the old guy get himself looked over. Dr. Barry, maybe, yep. You look fine to me. You never know. Trees look good on the outside and they're decaying on the inside. It can seem perfectly healthy, and yet parasites will be sucking out its strength. I mean, none of us is different from the other. Every now and then we've got to get the decaying parasites out of our systems. Say, what brought all this on, Mr. Tucker? Oh, just thinking. Just thinking as I watch you laying in bed so comfortable, so cool, looking so good and rested. I ain't seen you looking so good since first said eyes on you. I don't think I've had so much rest in the lump in my life before. Do you good? Do me good too, if I had sense for it. Maybe I ought to let myself get hit by a car. No, no, take my advice. Kind of forced me to slow up a few days maybe, even for a couple of weeks. Does man good to set his mind wandering? Nothing else to do but let it dream and think? Yeah, I have an awful lot of time for that. Young man, when I was a boy I had some sense. I used to lay down on the slope of a hill, neat a tree, chewing on a blade of grass, and I used to dream. Just lay there and dream, building castles. Then I started to hop and I kept right on hopping, still hopping. I look back now and the best moments in my whole life was when I was laying under that tree with a blade of grass in my mouth and dreaming. Got a half a mind to start dreaming now. Why, a man can be almost anything he wants to be if he gives himself time. I saw myself at John Paul Jones once. Another time I dreamed myself in Abe Lincoln. Then there was a day when the shape of a cloud was in the form of an elephant. That day I was one of them Indian potentates. Dreaming is a good way of passing time. I guess I've gotten out of the habit. Oh, we all do. We ain't got the sense to cut ourselves out a chunk of time just for dreaming. I hold it when there are dreams, when men can believe in them and want to live by them, the world's a better place. We've been hurrying so darn much lately I kind of forgot. That was a mighty good thought, Mr. Tucker. Well, you got a big chance, son. I haven't been looking at it that way. You had a beam in your eye. But you start ruminating and you won't be feeling so sorry for yourself. Yep, I've got half a mind, you're in your room. Getting myself laid up in one of these here beds, half my meals brung in by the pretty nurses. All dressed in white and just laying there staring out the window dreaming and rumoring. Well, you've almost got me convinced, Mr. Tucker. Danged if I got myself convinced. Yeah, but I sure do envy you. If when some member of the family wants to have a party you think it means a lot of extra work for you, here's a suggestion. Instead of making a fuss over company, just get a case of coke and make no other preparations. Everyone enjoys ice cold Coca-Cola and you'll enjoy party giving more if it doesn't ask too much of you in the way of cooking and table setting and dish washing. Wait a minute there, Mr. King, don't say another word. Why, what's the trouble, Mr. Tucker? Oh, nothing's the trouble, I just wanted to have a bit of conversation with you. Oh, I thought you had great news for me. No, nothing important. Say, I seen a doctor just now and he says it like it's not young David's going to be going home beginning of the week. Oh, that is news, great news. Think so? I was just convinced by him that a hospital's a fine place to be for a bit of time. Well, did he convince you or did you convince yourself? Well, I guess it's sort of work, sort of mutual. Yeah, I guess it did. Yeah, I guess I better be toddling. Pigs ain't getting fed this way. Well, see you later, Mr. King. Very soon, Mr. Tucker. 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, 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. The parts of Claudia and David on this program were played by Katherine Bard and Paul Crabtree. 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.