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. Claudia, watch how you hold David's suit. The trousers are dragging on the street. That's all right, Mama. We're on our way to the cleaners. I've got my money's worth. The way cleaners clean these days, I wouldn't allow anything to get dirtier than absolutely necessary. You know, I said I'd dress spotless the other day and it came back with three spots. That's a pretty good score. David would like to get the suit back by the weekend, Mama. Do you think I'd dare tell him? Not a chance. Say, what time is it, Mama? Six thirty. Gosh, almost time to meet him at the station. Were we bright to park the car there? Mama, can you believe it's November? Claudia, your conversation's getting more like a Mexican jumping bean every day. It's my mind, Mama. It works faster than my tongue. Nothing works faster than your tongue. Hey, look who's down there. See in front of the bakery? I don't see anybody. Jessie Mason, Mama. And who is Jessie Mason? Her husband who ran into David's car. Oh, poor thing. She's a nice looking woman. She certainly doesn't look like herself. On anybody else, that'd be a catty thing to say. Oh, you think I haven't got enough sense to be a cat? No, not enough petness. Mrs. Brown, do I detect a compliment? You do not. Well, I certainly didn't expect one. Mrs. Mason certainly looks different since I met her in Dr. Berry's waiting room the morning of the accident. She sees you. I'd love to talk to her, but I'll never get to the cleaners and be on time to meet David's train, too. Hello there, Mrs. Norton. Hello, Mrs. Mason. I thought it was you. Good to see you. This is my mother, Mrs. Brown. Good evening, Mrs. Mason. Hello. Claudia, I tell you what. You give me David's suit and I'll take you to the cleaner. You can just go right onto the station. I have about three minutes before the train. By the time you get there, it will be three minutes. Give me the suit. I'll walk you down to the station, Mrs. Norton. I'm going that way. Good. Well, here's the suit, Mama. I'm just the maid of all work, Mrs. Mason. I'll bet you love it. Yes, I suppose I do. Well, I'll meet you in front of the drugstore, Claudia. Yes, Mama. And Mama, tell those cleaners David wants his suit on Friday. All right. Hey, she's good-looking, your mother. I think so. She looks the way she should look for a mother. For a grandmother, too. Yeah, that's right. I wonder if my mother would have looked like that. My mother died when she was 28. Pretty tough on her. Pretty tough on you. Oh, it didn't seem to bother me much. I didn't know what I was missing. I was just a kid. I couldn't have stood growing up without Mama. Mrs. Norton. Yes? How's Mr. Norton? Oh, he's fine now. He's really fine. He's back to work and everything. Gee, that's swell. He's been kind of on my mind. He has? Yeah. I've been feeling I ought to call on him. Should have come up to the house and seen him after he got out of the hospital. I owe him an apology, I kind of thought. You owe David an apology? Yeah. Well, if it weren't for me, he wouldn't have ended up in the hospital, nearly getting himself killed. I don't see how you had anything to do with it. Well, George was my husband, wasn't he? Oh, he wasn't much of a guy, and I didn't think very much of him, but his name was Mason. It's my name too, so I figured I'd kind of owe Mr. Norton an apology for George. Well, David's all right now. And you don't hold anything against me? Against you? Of course not. Look, none of this was your fault. The fact that Mr. Mason ran into David's car on a rainy morning. George was drunk. I know. Yeah, he was drunk. At eight o'clock in the morning, gets himself killed and leaves me a widow. But he's dead now. So what's the use of holding it against him either? Well, David knocked bitter, and neither am I. I sure am relieved that everything turned out okay for you. So am I. Yeah, poor old George. He sure made a mess of things. I guess I wasn't much of a help, but I got so fed up. All I wanted to do was have my fun and call it a day. So now George is someplace, wherever they go when they're dead, here I am. Funny, ain't it? It's awful. Oh, it's not so bad. I understand you've taken a job. Yeah, I'm a companion to that blind lady who lives up the hill. Such a beautiful house. And she can't see it. No one has everything. Some of us do. You just think so. You know, I didn't realize you were so young. Well, I'm not as young as I used to be. And I don't mean just hours and days. Yeah, that morning in Dr. Barry's office, I didn't realize you were so young. You seemed so calm and cool. I felt very, very old. And I was screaming my head off. I don't know what come over me, but I was just screaming. I think it was because I hate everything so much. George, for doing this to me and everything else. I couldn't scream. I wished I could, but I just couldn't. Yeah, well, that's the way people are. One person screams out a hate, and the other just keeps quiet out of love. You'd think it would be just the opposite, wouldn't you? Mrs. Mason, David and I were wondering if... if you'd come up to the house sometime. We'd love you to see the baby and have you visit us. You mean you want me to come up to your house? We certainly do. Well, well, it sure is nice. I don't know if you'd have the time. Do you think you would? Time's one thing I got plenty of. Yeah, yeah, I got time. I only work eight hours a day, and that leaves 16. Oh, I got time. Well, then it's settled. Oh, there's a station. David will be coming in on the next train. There's a train that comes in for you every day, isn't there? Yes, the 635. Well, I hope it keeps coming for a long time. The 635. Regular as a clock. Well, it's nice to have seen you, Mrs. Norton. Yeah, I'm sure glad everything turned out okay. Where can I call you? Same house. It's in the book. That morning you said you were going to sell your house and move away, start all over again. No, I didn't sell it. I didn't move away either. Somehow I just kind of thought I'd like to hold on. Well, I'm glad you did. Don't you want to wait now and say hello to David? No, not now. It's your train coming in. I'll just amble along. I want to buy a chop before the butcher closes. Funny, buying just one chop. Well, I'll see you, Mrs. Norton. We'll call you. Oh, there's my train. David? David, I'm over here. Well, well. This isn't my wife. None other. I'm right here when the train pulled in. The eighth wonder of the world. Don't I get a kiss? Hello, darling. With all these people around. Well, I'm your wife. It's expected. David, it's so good to see you. Oh, dear, you're choking me. What kind of kiss is that? It's a kiss that's supposed to be a kiss. You're choking me. What kind of a day did you have? Is your head aching? One question at a time, please. Are you glad to be home? The air was heavy all day with the smell of burning leaves. I missed you so. Say, what's going on here? What's what's going on here? You'd think I'd been away for three months. Feels like three months. Aren't you glad to be home? Sure I'm glad to be home, but it isn't anything to get hysterical about. I think it is. David, are you tired? No, I'm not tired. Did you work hard? I'm so used to having you home the days just seem endless now. Well, a confession of love. You haven't kissed me yet. Where do you get into the car? That's what you always say, wait, wait, wait. Mama's right over there between two station wagons, and we're going to pick the car up in front of the drugstore. I don't see Mama. I meant the car. Say, you're a little mixed up tonight. I'm not mixed up. I'm not mixed up at all. What kind of a day did you have? You've asked me that five times, a perfect, simple, average day. Nothing unusual or extraordinary happened. You put me on the train this morning, I spent the day at the office, and well, here I am again tonight. That's the nicest part of the day. A day that don't ever leave me. I won't. Not until tomorrow morning. Not until the 8-12. I mean, really leave me. What makes you think I will? Well, I don't think you will. I just hope you won't. You're not making much sense. Oh, that's what you think. Here's the car. There, you parked it pretty well. Did you really park it in this narrow space? I got here first, I cannot tell a lie. The other cars climbed in afterwards. I was here early because of Mama and your suit. They're at the cleaners. Well, I certainly hope that Mama will be ready by Friday. She's telling them you want her by then. That ought to do it. Yes. You drive, darling. We'll pick her up, I'll push over. Hey, careful you don't hit your head getting in. You, wait a minute, you mean you want me to drive? You want to drive, don't you? Well, this is so sudden. For the past few weeks you'd raised all sorts of objections. No objections. If you want to drive, there's no reason why you shouldn't. Claudia, are you sure you're feeling all right tonight? I'm feeling wonderful. If you get a pleasure out of driving the car, you go right ahead. Every little pleasure counts. Since when? Since always. Come clean, since when? Since Jesse Mason was on the way to buy one chop. I was carrying your suit. One single little chop for her dinner. Say that again. David, hold me tight. Darling, is anything wrong? You look frightened. You're shaking. Come on, tell me, what's up? Nothing's up except your home and it must be terrible to be a widow. So that's it. Jesse Mason and the one chop and widowhood. How did she look? She looked all right, but she's lost her husband. No matter what he was like when she had him, she wasn't alone. And neither are you. Neither am I. Oh, David, now everybody's gone from the station. We're practically alone. We are practically. Lean over, Mrs. Norton. There's something Mr. Norton wants to say to you. Say it, David. Hello, darling. Whether you do your marketing on foot or by car, it can become a chore unless you relax and take it easy. One good way to do that is to pause and refresh with ice cold Coca-Cola. You'll probably find a Coke cooler right in your own food store. When you see that friendly red cooler, step up, drop in a nickel, and continue your shopping refreshed. Mr. King. Yes, Mrs. Brown. I'm sorry. I seem to be always interrupting you, but since you know all the answers. What answer do I know now? Did Claudia meet David at the train on time? She most certainly did, with arms and heart wide open. Good. I was afraid she'd be delayed. Meeting Jesse Mason didn't delay her. It just made her want to get to David faster, I think. She's a funny child. And say, I understand David's taking Claudia to a football game Saturday. Between you and me, Mr. King, Claudia's not very anxious. I don't blame her. I don't like football either, not at all. Well, that is too bad, Mrs. Brown. That is too bad. I don't like your tone of voice when you say that, Joe. Well, that's not the half of it. But before I tell you more, Mrs. B, let me take time to say that 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.
