June 26, 2024 • 58 mins
The Mercury Theatre on the Air was a captivating radio series created and hosted by Orson Welles. This weekly hour-long show featured live radio dramas performed by Welles’s celebrated Mercury Theatre repertory company. They presented classic literary works, accompanied by music composed or arranged by Bernard Herrmann.
The series began in July 1938 and aired on the CBS Radio network. Notably, their broadcast of “The War of the Worlds” on October 30 caused quite a stir, allegedly leading to panic among listeners. After this memorable episode, the Campbell Soup Company became the show’s sponsor. The Mercury Theatre on the Air concluded its run on December 4, and shortly thereafter, The Campbell Playhouse took its place.
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Remember that times have changed, and some shows might not reflect the standards of today’s politically correct society. The shows do not necessarily reflect the views, standards, or beliefs of Entertainment Radio
The series began in July 1938 and aired on the CBS Radio network. Notably, their broadcast of “The War of the Worlds” on October 30 caused quite a stir, allegedly leading to panic among listeners. After this memorable episode, the Campbell Soup Company became the show’s sponsor. The Mercury Theatre on the Air concluded its run on December 4, and shortly thereafter, The Campbell Playhouse took its place.
Listen to our radio station Old Time Radio https://link.radioking.com/otradio
Listen to other Shows at My Classic Radio https://www.myclassicradio.net/
Entertainment Radio | Broadcasting Classic Radio Shows | Patreon
Remember that times have changed, and some shows might not reflect the standards of today’s politically correct society. The shows do not necessarily reflect the views, standards, or beliefs of Entertainment Radio
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:11):
For seventeen weeks, past Orson Wellsand the Mercury Theater on the Air have
brought you mister Wells's own dramatizations ofliterary classics, both of the past and
from our own time. On allbroadcasts but one, the presentation has been
a single narrative. On one occasion, the Mercury Players offered in dramatic form
three of the world's great short stories. The success of that experiment led to
(00:35):
nationwide requests for other brief narratives ofcontrasting emotional appeal, and so tonight,
in their eighteenth broadcast, Orson Wellsand the Mercury Theater on the Air bring
to life two famous short stories,each dealing with a different fundamental human emotions.
The authors are Joseph Conrad and ClarenceDay. Tonight, mister Wells will
(00:56):
not only appear in several parts,but will also speak for the two authors
as narrator. And here, ladiesand gentlemen, is the star and director
of the Mercury Theater to tell youabout the first presentation, mister Orson Well
Good evening, there was a mancalled Karshionovsky, an agitator for Polish freedom
in the fifties, who was exiledby the Tsar. On the journey,
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his child was taken iel, andwhen he begged an official to let him
stop on his way to nurse it, the official said, not to bother.
What's one baby's life among all thesethousands, said the official. If
it's dying, leave it behind.Luckily this expedient was found unnecessary, and
the happy ending of the story isthat little Joseph Konrad Karshanovsky lived to drop
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his last name and to learn thatcareful, fortunate English which he practiced for
the everlasting glory of our literature.Tonight we present you with a dramatization of
one of the best regarded and mosttypical of the works of Joseph Conrad.
The Heart of Darkness could be describedas a deliberate masterpiece or a downright incantation,
(02:08):
a fine piece of prose work.At the least. Its best aspects
are an artful compound of sympathy forhumankind and a high tragical disgust. Its
successful contrivance of mood hides its craftas an octopus hides in its own ink,
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and almost we are persuaded that thereis something, after all, something
essential waiting for all of us inthe dark alleys of the world, aboriginally
loathsome immeasurable and certainly nameless. Theyaw swung to her anchor without a flutter
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of the sails, was at rest. The flood had made, the wind
was nearly calm, and being bounddown the river, the only thing to
do was to come and wait forthe turn of the tide. The sea
reach of the Thames stretched before uslike the beginning of an interminable waterway.
(03:47):
In the offing. Sea and skywere welded together without a joint. The
air was dark above graves End.Farther back still it seemed condensed into a
mournful doom, brooding motionless of thebiggest and greatest town on Earth. Then,
(04:08):
in the darkness, my friend Marlowspoke, it's also always been one
of the dark places on the earth. His remark didn't seem at all surprising.
Marler was a sailor, was justlike him. I was thinking of
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very old times in the Romans.First came here nineteen hundred years ago,
some decent young citizens in Toga,perhaps too much dice, you know,
coming out here to men was fortune, land of the swamp, marched through
the woods and in some inland postsfield the savagery, the other savagery,
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the closed around him, a growingregrets, belonging to escape the power of
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disgust, the surrender, the hate. I don't know if I ever told
you I was in such a place. Once there I met a man just
like that. A long time ago, I had a job with a concern
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at the time, a treaty ofsociety in Western Africa. One of their
captains had been killed in a scufflewith the natives. He did a man
to replace him on one of theriver boats, and they weren't particular whom
they took. I left in aGerman steamer. She called their report on
the way. Thirty days before Isaw the mouth of the Big River.
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The coast was the edge of acolossal jungle, so dark green as to
be almost black. The sun wasfierce, the land seemed to bliss'em
and drip with steam. Here andthere, grayish white specks showed up,
clustered inside the white surf, witha tin shed and the flagging and all
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around chum. You know, it'sfunny, mister Barlow. Where some people
will live for a few francs amonth looks like a dreary country, captain,
no mistake. I wondered what theconsort those fellas when they go up
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country. I expect to see thatsoon. Uh, don't be too sure.
Last year I took up a manwho hanged himself on the road.
He was a sweet hanged himself.Why h who knows? Son was too
much for him of the country.Perhaps there's your company station. I'll send
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your things up four boxes, yousaid, so they were good luck to
you. Boy, A captain,a man dollar, one man, more
balls. Gonna be a mean barbyou there? You who did you have
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a car when you go, ohbarmber, really you got you go?
You got car? And they gocar barn. He sure can and he
can he he can. Look uhbamber you boooo? You book you.
As I climbed up the steep hillto the company station, I met a
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white man in such an unexpected eleganceof get up. In the first moment
I took him for a sort ofvision. I saw a high starched collar,
white cups might have packet jackets,snowy trousers. See a clear necktie
and varnished boots. No hat,air part had brushed and oil under a
green lined parasols. The mad yesand the company's accountant hit a kick into
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my office. A bum you boo, you wok on you bo uh flu
really saturn you get? Yeah,what's that you're don't disturb your still an
agent from up country either? Wouldyou just leave him there? There's no
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plats to put him. And too, he's there as long as me he's
alive. He's in nuisance all around. He'll grow distract my attention, specifically
enough to guard against cleric lerrors inthis country. So I suppose a who
you are going into the ivory country, mister Maloe. Interesting, I've gathered
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that impression already for my part.I like books, better entries and all
that. And by the way,uh, you met mister Kot up there.
You know who is mister Kurtz.Mister kok is the agent at the
father's station in he sends down moreivories and all the others put together that
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just make him a valuable man tothe company. H Indeed, he'll go
far, very far over the headsof many of us. That's what I
won't go into detail. Uh.When you seems to court, please tell
him that everything is there is notrespectorate. I I'd write him, but
you can't tell. You might gethold of a debtor. A central station.
Oh, I got this sick man. I don't know. It's all
(10:01):
right. He doesn't see it.You mean oh no, no, no,
no, not yet, yes,yes, yes, this uh,
this means the courts. He's avery remarkable person. Next day I started
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for the Central Station. Two hundredmiles inland, halves, halves everywhere,
spreading over the empty land, throughthe long grass, through thickets, down
and up, chili ravines, upand down stony hills, ablaze with heat
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and solitudes, great silence around andabove. On the fifteenth day, I
came in sight of the Big Riveragain. Hovel into the Central Station was
on a black water surrounded by scruband forest. There was a pretty border
of smelly mud on one side,and the three others enclosed by a crazy
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fence of rushes. White men withlong sticks in their hands appeared languidly from
amongst the buildings. They made noeffort to welcome me, in fact,
paid no particular attention to my arrival, except for a casual glance. I
walked up to the largest hut inthe enclosure. How do you do?
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My name is marlow Captain Marlowe withthe river boat. Oh yes, you've
been a long time coming, Marlowe. Your boat is wrecked, Captain.
What did you say, sir?Ray A bottom was thrown out on stones
and she sank near the south bank. Let everyone behaved flendily. You will
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have to fi shut out. Itwill be some time before you will be
able to make the fish, butthe river for some months. In fact,
while that's unbelievable, we will believeit. When you see her,
I want you to have a lookat her. Let me know how soon
you'll be ready for you, sir. I'm the manager here, the company's
manager. This situation here is grave, very grave. I don't yet know
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who is dead and who is alive. And with the boat laid up,
we don't know how things stand.But there are rumors, grave rumors.
But a very important station is inJeopardo, and mister Kurtz, our manager,
is ill Courtz. I think Iheard his name down on the coast.
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So they talk of mister Kurtz downthere, do they? They don't.
He must be a very unusual man, quite so, a very unusual
man, very successful too. Youcan understand my anxiety. You should be
ready to start in three months,Yes, three months. That ought to
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do the affair. When Darren lookedat my battered, twisted tin pot steamboat,
she rang under my feet like anempty biscuit tin kicked along the gutter.
I didn't realize at the moment howaccurately the manager had estimated the time
required for the affair. As hecalled it, weeks of waiting, weeks
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of waiting for a box full ofrivets to come up from the coast.
And in those weeks I saw thestation full of white men with long sticks
in their hands, strolling aimlessly about, like a lot of faithless pilgrims bewitched
inside a rotten fence. The wordivory rang in the air with whispers and
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with sighs. You'd think they werepraying to the great God Ivory. You've
never seen anything someone read in mylife. One evening I happened to be
in the hut of the assistant manager. I noticed on his table a small
sketching oils representing a woman draped andblindfolded carrying a lighted torch. Tell me,
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did you paint this? Oh no, that was printed by mister Kurtz
in his station more than a yearago. Mister Kutz printed it while waiting
for meetings to go to his tradingfor Oh, mister Kurtz. Mister Kutz
is the chief of being a station. For he's a prodigy. He sends
down more ivory than any of ourother agents. Besides that, he's an
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emissary of pity and science and progressand so so he comes here a special
being. So today mister Cutts isthe chief of the best station. Next
year he will be assistant manager twoyears more. And ah, but I
just say, you do know whathe will do in two years time.
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You're one of the league and captain, Oh, I know what I'm talking
about. Have my own eyes totrust you read the company's confidential correspondence.
What do you mean, mister Kurtz'sgeneral manager, you won't have the opportunity.
Well, the Rivets arrived just intime to make good the manager's prediction.
(15:09):
In three months, almost to aday, I set out to the
interior to relieve mister Kurtz. Atthe inner station, heavy Sluget, there
was no joy in the brilliance ofthe sunshine esteemed deeper into the jungle.
The roll of drums behind the cordonof trees kept the distant, constant tremor.
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I had to keep getting at thechannel, watching for sucking stones.
Ripped the life out of a tinpot steam bowl, and he drowned us
all kill. The drums went onbehind us, ahead of us on all
sides of steamer toiled along slowly onthe edge of a black and incomprehensible friend,
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the prehistoric man's churching us strains ofus, welcoming m hoop of tag.
Not far below the inner station,we came upon a hut of reeds,
and then flined the melancholy pole withthe unrecognizable tatters of what had been
a flag of some sort to theflying manager and I, who went ashore,
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found the flat piece of boards withsome sated tensile writing on it.
Red. Hurry up the inner stations, coach puts. There was a signature,
but it was allegric, not put. What do you make a discussion
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someone, I say, of course, of course, of course. We're
only eight miles from court now ariseight miles of seams come low after this
morning. The first approach the stationby daylight what court may need it.
You may be in trouble. Ihope not. It wouldn't sit well with
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the company if something happened to misterKurtz before we reach. If you'll only
concern what the company thinks us,what do you mean how about Kurt?
Don't you want Kurt to come back? By Captain Marlowe for the next ordinary
notion? Of course we want misterGood to come back, such a remarkable
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When the sun rose next morning,there was a white fog, very warm
and clammy and more blinding than thenight. It stood all around us like
something solid. At eight or nine, perhaps it began to lift, as
a shutter lifts. We had aglimpse of the growing multitude of trees of
the immense matted jungle, with theblazing little ball of the sun hanging over
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it. At last, the opaquewater, still and treacherous, was dimly
visible from the wheelhouse, where Istood beside my pilot. The company men,
there are our pack of suits,whiter than the fog, stood on
the deck below me, under covereverything. Can't you get up on the
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ways. The natives of the rockstake the choice side the river kept them,
We say on sarge. Oh,even the king gave my head.
What those pier watch half team below? You got POWs, thads and colors
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on your side, pilot, greatpilot below plate. Wait, here's something
to do more than your confounded guns. U oh are you up there?
(20:00):
Captain? All right? Well,thanks to your target reractors. Well,
well we beat them off. Youbeat them off, Steve Whistle, beat
them off. Don't smoke, Milly, reckless, Captain Marlowe, you behaved
admirably. Everyone behaved admously, admirably. A credit to the company. Well,
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pray they got one of the crew. Yes, it is on the
dead for the devil. He's gotan arrow sticking through his chest. Give
me a hand with his dog.Stay there, it's got a steel sift.
Strange, there's no steel in theBelgian congo. I wonder if,
by any chance, mister cool,the rich course was becoming an obsession with
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me. The current was more rapidnow. The steamer seemed her last gas,
a third wheel, flocked, languidlayer. I taught myself listening always
to the next seat of the end. I expected the rext thing to give
up every moment, like watching thelast flickers of the light. Last,
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we drew in the sight of theweary store, but there was a peering
that rose to a slight low overlookingthe river. The inner station was a
long, tumble down building which ona hill, half buried in the high
grass, with a thick meshed junglehanging over its rotted roof. I stopped
the engines. The boat drifted slowlyto the slimy bank. We let out
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the anchor, change the stump ofthe tree. As soon as the gangs
like this lower, the company's managerand these three satellites set out with their
brisk a fish and see told thesilent house of Kurtz. After the moment,
I became aware of a strange,ragged figure on the wall. Hello,
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down there, happy, come uphere to the pilot house, coptain,
I'm glad you've come. If becomingtime, how is mister Kurtz.
Mister Kurtz says still, mister kurtyou were just attacked by natives on the
river. They had simple people stay, meant no harm. It was one
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of mister Kurtz's little jokes. Nowallow me to introduce myself. Take us
off Russian the son of an archpriest. Government of temper, the great
pleasure to talk with the white man. Captain. Don't you talk with mister
Kurtz. When you don't talk withthat man, you listen to him.
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Mister Kurtz, Captain has enlarged myWe talked of everything, everything. He
made me see things, and eversince you've been with him a course on
the contrary. But he also Ihad to wait for days before he would
turn up. It was worth waitingfor though. Sometimes what was he doing
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exploring or what? Oh? Yes, of course he's discovered many villages of
late too, and they're like showexactly in what directions? Dangers to inquire
too much? Most of these expeditionswith Ivory. He had no goods to
trade with for that time, didn'tThere's a lot of good Cottridges left even
yet You mean you raided the country, not alone. Courts got the tribes
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to follow him, setting for theiradorance. They think him with God.
They worship him with Ivory, becausewhat can you expect. He came to
them with thunder and lightning. Youknow they've never seen guns before. He
could be very terrible. You can'tjudge, mister Kurtz as you would ordinary
ment. Now, U just togive you an idea. I don't mind
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telling you. He wanted to shootme too one day, but I don't
judge him shoot you before you.Well, I had this small lot of
vibey and he wanted to this andwouldn't hear these, And he said he
shoot me and that I gave himthe ivory and played out he gave him
the right. What would I do? Well, I didn't say it us.
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I couldn't leave him. I alsotake it back with him, and
he would say yes, and thenhe would disappear on another ivory hunch to
get himself among these teachers, toget himself him you know. But the
man he's mad, he don't saysuch things to hear. I followed the
frightening glance of a rush into thehouse above the shore. I saw that
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the round knobs that stood on stakesby puts his door with not ornamental,
but with somebolley food for thought andalso for vultures. It would have been
even more impressive of those heads onthe stakes if their faces had not been
turned to the house. Suddenly,around the corner of the house a group
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of meadives appeared. Though they hadcome up from the ground. They rated
waste peep in the grass, anda compact body bearing an improvised stretcher in
the mist. Now at last iristhe sea coats behind the stretch of two
of the agents carried his arms twoshot guns, a heavy rifle and a
light revolver carbine, its thunderbolts ofthat typical dutiful right now, I knew
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what I watched, but not merelywith the popular mister Kurtz and the inner
station with the last younger rights.For one who had the gun at supreme,
being dark warm of the wilderness,breathed out an immense sword of naked
men, a black circle that risedand stamped around the small white center of
frightened Europeans. In the rear ofthe strange procession came a moving chain of
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black bodies, carrying on their shouldersthe gleaming white ivy stretcher was carried up
the gang plank from the pilot's deck. I looked down on the long,
gaunt figure of Coots, hollow cageof his ribs. The tall skeleton had
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like the eye was fall looking gun. Could a gun there? A moment
later the manager came up to thepilot's bread but Captain Marlowe. Yes,
I think we should see mup assoon as the ivory is loaded. It's
not telling about these natives. MisterKurtz is the courts either than a sick
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man. We've done or we couldfor him, though, haven't we.
But there's no disguising the fact thatmister Kurtz has been more harm than good
to the company. There is aremarkable quantity of ivory. But these methods
have been on sound. We'll callit unsound method without doubt, don't you
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no methods at all? But hegot the ivory. I considered mister Kurtz
a remarkable man. He was,he was the most remarkable man. So
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we swung downstream, and thousands ofeyes from the jungle followed the splashing river
demon beating the water with its terribletail, breathing black smoke into the air
through the dense forest. The browncurrant ran swiftly out of the heart of
darkness, bearing us down towards thesea with twice the speed of our progress
upstream. And Kurtz's life was runningswiftly too, ebbing out of his heart
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into the sea of inexorable time.Evenings when the boat was anchored, and
I was free from the wheel.I went down to Kurtz's cabin on the
third night. I found him weakeningfast. Yes, how I was nice,
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mister Kurtz, weird enough to beback at my station that praises mine.
Have no right to take me away. He's that marriager, that stupid
scoundrel. He wants my ivory.He's blocked me the way time. Don't
excite yourself, mister Kurtz. Yoursickness sick, sick, not so sick
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as you'd like to believe. Nevermind, and I'll carry out my ideas.
Yet I will return'em. I'llshow you what can be done here.
You with your little peddling notions.You're interfering with me. I will
return. I have more to dothan die here in this stinking jungle.
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You're not going to die, mister, Well, of course I'm not going
to do. I I too muchto accomplish. Close the shut over you
that like? Did you close theshut of mister Mornow, Cause the shutter
is closed tighter, tighter. Ican't stand the light I tell you in
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m shot him. You have inyou something that is really providable. The
methods you use aren't important. II was driven no matter. The humans
take care of the motives, misterMorrow, right, motives always. That's
the thing that chose that. Becausethe manager that knocks a fool or draw
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me to it. She pride intomy boxes when I was not looking.
He destroyed me with the company.But I was the company. I there
was the company. I sent themmore ivory, more ivory. That's what
they wanted. I bey you.You must be classed the ivory that the
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light. Shut up that light.It's the ivory. The ivory. Oh,
horror, horror they day. Soonafter dawn, they lowered his body
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into a muddy hole in the bankof the Murky river. It started downstream
again. Among his belongings was apacket of letters and the photograph of a
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girl. Six months later, thoseletters and the picture took me to a
house and network I stood before himmahogany door on the first floor. You,
mister Marlow Steve, come in.I I have a certain letters for
you. Yes, you were hisfriends, he must have been, if
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he gave you ed he sentured me. Yes I was his friend. Who
was not his friend? That wouldhurt him? Speak Once the drew man
told me about what his best eswas, the gift of the great Could
you have had him? You know? Yes, I know all the gift,
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all of his promise. The boyis greatness of his generous mind,
his noble heart. Nothing, thenames, nothing to memory you and you
can always remember Aim. What isexample? The man looks up to him
and goodness shown then everywhere. Ibelieve in he more than anything I else
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I do. I I've know himso long in silence, m excident you
live to the last, the veryenemies. I heard his very last words,
the teaching I want, I wantsomething, something to live in,
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the last word, to live with. Don't understand I loved him, I
love the m I love them.The last word is can I sirs?
Your name? My friend? Marlowsees the story was over. Nobody moved
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for a time. Well, we'velost the first of the ebb. I
raised my head. The offing wasbarred by a black bank of clouds.
The tranquil waterway leading to the uttermostends of the earth flowed somber under an
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overcast sky and seemed to lead intothe heart of an immense darkness. Orson
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Wells and the mercury Hitter on theair. Have just brought you an original
dramatization of the Heart of Darkness byJoseph Conrad, with Orson Wells as the
author. Anders course, the ColumbiaBroadcasting System and its affiliated stations are presenting
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Orson Wells and the Mercury Theater onthe air in two famous stories dramatized for
radio. And here again is Orsonwell Our radio adaptation of Life with Father
is nothing more than a selection ofour favorites from among those tales that Clarence
Day swore were true about Clarence DaySenior. Life with Father is of course
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too good for us and too goodto resist. As radio writers, we
promise not to touch, but dojust let us read it to you aloud.
And finally, may I say thatany similarity in the following broadcast to
persons in real life is just asit should be. Up to the late
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eighteen nineties, we live in oneof the long rows of comfortable looking brownstone
houses on Madison Avenue. Father wentdowntown each morning on the sixth Avenue elevated,
but Mother felt that horse cars werebetter. She didn't like the certain
cinders from the steam engine that pulledthe four passenger cars, and the two
of the whistle made her nervous.No telegraph poles were allowed on Fifth Avenue,
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but they stood in long rows onother thoroughfares. We had wires in
our house, but they were good. Honor stole fashioned wires, and to
make them work we had to pullthem. Was none of this dangerous stuff
called electricity in them. Electricity wastoo risky a thing to put in a
home. All we knew about itwas that there were electric battery batteries and
the eden muse, which could anddid give anyone who paid twenty five cents
(38:39):
a shock. Telephones has been invented, but like most people, Father hadn't
installed one. Messenger boys were quiteenough of a nuisance, suddenly appearing at
the door and expecting an answer,but they came only a few times a
year, and a telephone might ringevery week. Little by little, Oliver
telephones came into use and asked aboutten or fifteen years. Right of still
(39:00):
having misgivings, Father got one thatwas put on a wall on the second
floor where everybody could hear its loudbell from the first I can assure you
it made trouble. I'll go,I'll go, I'll answer the curis thing.
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Hello, Hello, speak up?Can't you hang it? What is
it? Who are you? Ican't hear why you're saying. I can't
hear a Blansted word. Tell yougive me that telephone. No, you
don't know how you I will notgive you this. I will not give
you this telephone. You let mealone. I'm trying to find out who
the devil this person is. Hello, I say, hello, there you
hear me? Who are you?Hello? What's that? Oh to you?
(39:45):
Missus Nichols? Yeah, missus Dayshere? How are you? Oh?
You wish to speak to Missus Day? Oh? Very well? And
wait a moment, Ben, ain'tBenny, it's for you. It's Missus
Nichols. Why don't you answer thetelephone yourself? My dear. One day,
a friend of mine, a girlwho had moved to live in a
(40:05):
settlement house downtown, telephone to inviteme to lunch with some visiting Russians.
Father answered the telephone, Hello,Hello, Yes, this is it today?
Speak up? Hang it? Don'tmumble at me or you what I'm
the lunch I've had lunch next Friday, wife. I don't want to lunch
with you next Friday. No where, Why do you say in Remington Street
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they're civil. Yes, my nameis Clarence Day, and I told you
that before. Don't repeat lunch withyou and Remington Street? Good lord,
I never heard of anything in mylife Russians. I don't know any Russians.
No, I don't want to either. No, I haven't changed.
I never changed. What goodbye?Madam flashed? I think that was a
(40:52):
friend of mine, father, afriend of yours. Oh, that sounded
to me like some impudent peddler's wife. This time argue is about lunching with
her somewhere down in the slums.I can't stand. If that's all I
have to say, I'll have theconfounded thing taken out. One day,
(41:15):
when I was about ten years oldand my brother George eight, father suddenly
remembered an intention of his to haveus taught music. Now, there were
numerous things he felt every boy oughtto learn, such as swimming, blacking
his own shoes, and bookkeeping.He now recalled that music, too,
should be ensuited in our education.He held that all children should be taught
(41:38):
to play on something and sing,oh oh oh, the father. I
can't sing. It's very simple.Clarence. Of course you can sing.
It's the master expression for child.Father, I have no ear. You
(42:01):
know what I tried to learn afear in this game? No auray ah
olah a lave no, now yousing it all come to you. But
(42:27):
father, I can't nonsense, myboy. What do you know about it?
You can and can't do. Justdo whatever I tell you and you'll
be all right. Once again?No, no, no, no,
no, I'm sorry, father.I don't understand exactly. Don't understand.
Don't understand what it is perfectly simple. You just sing no noa follow me.
(43:00):
But father, you see your voicematches the piano. I don't know
how to make mine. All right. I'm trying to learn one note at
the time. If you can't singthe whole scale to sing? Do once
again, don't mean anything. It'sa note. Don't understand a note in
(43:21):
music track? Enough? Do do? Claire? What are you doing?
What am I doing? Vinny?Can't you hear what I'm doing? I'm
trying to teach your oldest son tosing, Claire. Can't you hear how
it sounds? You? Please goaway, my dear, and leave me
alone with my son. If hisvoice is painful to you go where you
(43:42):
can't hear it. Ya shit,I will not be interfered with. I'm
sick and tired of being systematically sportedand hinted in my own house. Can't
stand another moment I think I can'tteach him. You feed you. You
only have to come right back downagain. Soup bean put on the table.
I don't want any dinner. OhClaire, please get oyster soup.
(44:07):
Don't want any So we sat downfrightened at table. Mother, my brother,
George and I. The soup wasa lifesaver. It was more like
(44:29):
a stew, really, milk andoyster juice and big oysters. I put
lots of small hard crackers into mineand a slice of French toast. The
hot toast, soaked and soup wasdelicious. Only there wasn't much of it,
and his father particularly liked it.We had to leave it for him.
Father came down in the middle ofit, still offended, but he
(44:52):
ate his full share. Father wasoften offended when he tried to teach us
boys things, but not as badlyas when he tried to teach mother.
Father was always trying to teach motherto keep track of the household expenses,
Claire, I do try on mysoul. I almost believe you don't know
what system is. You don't wantto know either. Not here forristas here
(45:15):
in my notebook, I see thatI gave you six dollars in cash on
twenty fifth of last month by anew coffee pot. Yes, but you
broke the old one. You threwit right on the floor. I am
not talking about that, Bennie.I'm simply endeavoring to find out from you
if I can. It's so sillyto break a nice coffee pot, Claire.
And that was the last of thoseFrench ones. I spent four and
(45:36):
a half dollars for that new umbrella. I told you I wanted, and
you said I didn't need a newone, But I did very much.
And that must have been the weekI paid it just toobin for an extra
two days washing. So that makessix to fifty. That's another six fifty
cents you on me. I don'tknow you anything, Vinny. You have
managed to turn our coffee lot forme. You umbrella for you? Is
(45:59):
this sort of things? Not keepaccount books at all. Father's side and
got out his pencil and wrote newumbrella for the notebook sort of thing left
him very discouraged. Father got annoyedwith us when he didn't stay well.
(46:30):
He usually stayed well himself, andhe expected us to be like him,
and not some faint and slump onhis hands, and thus add to his
burdens. All this talk about germsa lot of new fangled nonsense. When
I was a boy, there wereno germs that I knew of, And
if they do exist, what ofit. I'm as healthy as they are.
(46:50):
Many blasted germs wanna have a tryat me? Bring'em on.
Aside from coals, which she hadvery seldom, his only foes were sick
headaches. One of these headaches started, Father laid down and shut his eyes
tight and yelled. The severity ofa headache could be judged by the volume
(47:16):
of sound he put forth. Hisideas seemed to be to show the headache
he was just as strong as itwas, and stronger when he and a
headache went to bed together. Theywere a noisy pair. From father's point
of view. Mother didn't know howto handle an ailment, even when she
had a cold. He became fretful. He pished and pulled to himself and
(47:37):
muttered that it was silly. Usuallycame up from office about five or six,
and then he'd look around the houseto find Mother. Made his home
feel queer and empty to him.When she wasn't there. Go up to
a room. The smell of witchhazel was in the air, mixed with
spirits of camphor. On the bed, huddled under an afghan, Mother lay
(47:58):
still on the dark. Anny,are you there? Anny? Go away?
What go away? Oh? Goaway? Good lord Claire? What
(48:19):
is it? Won't you please shutmy door again? After supper, he
didn't seem to know what to dowith himself, so he'd go up and
stand at the foot of mothers.Said, look gloomy, what is it,
Claire? Nothing? Nothing, Well, for mercy sakes, don't stand
(48:42):
there looking like that, Claire,What do you mean looking like that?
Oh? Go away. When peopleare sick, they like to see you
smile or something. I never willget well if you stand there and stare
at me that way. Please shutmy door quietly this time and leave me
alone. Father came downstairs. Helooked more cheerful. Well, well,
(49:07):
my boy, mother's all right again. Which is not a bed but sounds
much better. This evening one evening, father found mother worrying because Aunt Emma
(49:29):
was sick with influenza. Oh,pooh, there's nothing the matter with Emma.
You can trust people to get anyailment whatever that's fashionable. They hear
a lot of other people having it, and the first thing, you know,
they get scared and they'd have itthemselves, and they go to bed
and send the doctor, the doctoror poppy cock, well the claire dear,
if you were in charge of them, what would you do instead?
(49:50):
Cheer him up? Cheer him up. That's the way cureum. How would
you cheer them up? Darling?Right? All right? Tell him bah.
One late afternoon, when father camehome from downtown, he found his
home very much upset. Our cookhad walked out and left us. I
(50:15):
was a child of four, mybrother George two, and there was a
new baby. Besides, mother wasill. She hadn't been able to leave
us to go to an agency,and she was no hand in cooking herself.
The outlook for dinner was poor.One he intend doing, Vinny,
what's become of us? Yeah?Why don't you go down to the club
for one? Ridiculous club? Iwon't do it any time. I can't
(50:37):
have my dinner my own home.This house is for sale. I'm ready
to sell the place this very minuteif I can't live here in comfort,
and we'd all go and sit undera palm tree and live on breadfruit and
pickles. We'll try to get oneagency in the morning. Play see what
I can do the morning. Goodheavens, where at this place? I'm
(50:57):
going there right now, So Father, let's put on his hat and gloves
and started out to the agency.There was nobody in the place except a
woman sitting at his dest Good day. Where are they? Where do you
keep them? I'm asking where doyou keep them? The girls? You're
in there, but the clients arenot allowed in that room. If you
would tell me the kind of positionyou wish me to feel for you,
(51:19):
I'll have one of them come out. We don't go out. You simply
mustn't go it you. Father hasthrown open the door and gone in.
There sat a crowd of girls,young and old, sickly and brawnie,
of all shapes and sizes. Fatherpointed his cane at the little woman in
the corner, who sat there withhonest, gray eyes, shrewd looking and
quiet. I'll take that one,sir, I don't even know what position
(51:40):
you cook? Cook, but Margaretdoesn't wish to be a cook. You
can cook, can't you give cook? For one family? Of course you
can cook. I knew it onceshe could cook. You're going to take
it anyhow, whether if she cookedor not. What day would you wish
her to come? And would youplease give me your name name? Why
should I give you my name?Come on, Margaret, you come right
(52:00):
home with me now, goodbye,ma'am. Margaret followed father back, and
he set her right down to thekitchen to cook dinner. I don't know
why people make such a fuss aboutengaging you servants. It seems simple enough
to me, as it was too. Margaret stayed with us twenty six years,
(52:30):
and Margaret was just the kind ofcook father wanted. Lots of cooks
can do rich dishes, well,Margaret couldn't. But she cooked simple,
everyday dishes in a way that madeour mouths water. Father set her apple
pies were the most satisfying ever tasted. Her warmed potatoes was so delicious he
(52:52):
sometimes make a whole dinner of them. Yet even Margaret sometimes miscalculated. A
large royal looking steak would be setbefore which, upon being cut into,
would turn out to be underdone.Father's face would darken with disappointment. He
would raise his foot under the tableand stamp slowly and heavily, three times
(53:13):
on the rug. At this solemnsignal, we could hear Margaret leaving the
kitchen far below. Margaret, Yes, mister days Margaret, at sake,
(53:38):
oh the Lord jestice and face.She would then seize the platter and make
up off of it too, better. It's the best way she could.
Father would gloomily wait and eat afew vegetables and pour our fresh glass of
Clarets. But sometimes the dish cameup. It was so perfect that Father's
face would sprinkle with pleasure, andwith a wink at us, he would
(53:59):
summon Margarets. Margaret, Yes,mister day Margaret, that frick of sea
chicken is good. Margaret would turnher wrinkle face aside and look down and
(54:24):
pushed the flatto n out for father, the saint get to use, and
you said, get along with you. The flator couldn't say that, Father,
didn't the scene of him go alout and jump back down. The
doctor yes, without ever a woodin the end. Father had to get
(54:45):
used to another cook because Margaret died. But Offen meals Father talks to how
good are things always take to?Well, that's hide as good of anything
nobody could say it compared with Margaret. I wish she could hear you.
If anybody was ever sure of goingto heaven, I know it was Margaret.
(55:06):
Yeh, look her up when Iget there, have a take care
of me. But Claire, it'sthe matter. Well, Claire, there's
Margaret must be in some special sortof heaven. She was so good.
You'll be very fortunate, Claire toget to the same part as Margaret.
H Oh, make a devil ofa row for help. The micro Columbia
(55:45):
Broadcasting System has presented the eighteenth WeeklyHour featuring Orson Wells and the Mercury Theater
on the air. In just amoment, Orson Wells will return to the
microphone with an announcement regarding his futureplan. Meanwhile, a word about the
night's production of two famous stories.Mister Wells spoke for each of the authors
(56:06):
as narrators. In the Heart ofDarkness by Joseph Conrad, Ray Collins was
featured as the narrator. Captain Marlowe. The accountant was played by Alfred Shirley.
The assistant manager George Coloris, thesecond manager, Edgar Barrier, the
agent William alland Courts's intended bride,Anna Stafford Cherkossov Frank Reddick. Courts by
(56:28):
Orson Wells and the African music wasdirected by Asadata Daftora Horton, whose drummers
have been heard in the Africans dancedrama Kai Kunkore and mister Wells's production of
McBeth. The Excerpts from Life withFather by Clarence Day, which concluded the
program, featured the mother Mildred Natwick, the Employment office manager Mary Wicks,
(56:51):
Margaret Alice Frost, the boy ClarenceArthur Anderson Father Orson Wells. The orchestra
was conducted by Bernard Herman and DavidTaylor supervised the production for CBS. This
is dan Seymour speaking Next Sunday nightat eight o'clock Eastern Standard Time. Orson
Wells and the Mercury Theater on theAir will bring to life a modern story
(57:13):
of romantic adventures, the story ofa man will lost the great love and
you could have no clients and nosleep until he found that love again,
the famous novel One Night Sup andnow again the star and director of the
Mercury Theater orson wells, ladies andgentlemen. I'm happy at this time to
(57:35):
announce it's starting Friday, December ninthfrom nine to ten pm, and each
Friday thereafter we have the Mercury Theaterwill be sponsored over most of these stations
by the makers of Campbell's Soups GoodNight. This is the Columbia Broadcasting so
For seventeen weeks, past Orson Wellsand the Mercury Theater on the Air have
brought you mister Wells's own dramatizations ofliterary classics, both of the past and
from our own time. On allbroadcasts but one, the presentation has been
a single narrative. On one occasion, the Mercury Players offered in dramatic form
three of the world's great short stories. The success of that experiment led to
(00:35):
nationwide requests for other brief narratives ofcontrasting emotional appeal, and so tonight,
in their eighteenth broadcast, Orson Wellsand the Mercury Theater on the Air bring
to life two famous short stories,each dealing with a different fundamental human emotions.
The authors are Joseph Conrad and ClarenceDay. Tonight, mister Wells will
(00:56):
not only appear in several parts,but will also speak for the two authors
as narrator. And here, ladiesand gentlemen, is the star and director
of the Mercury Theater to tell youabout the first presentation, mister Orson Well
Good evening, there was a mancalled Karshionovsky, an agitator for Polish freedom
in the fifties, who was exiledby the Tsar. On the journey,
(01:19):
his child was taken iel, andwhen he begged an official to let him
stop on his way to nurse it, the official said, not to bother.
What's one baby's life among all thesethousands, said the official. If
it's dying, leave it behind.Luckily this expedient was found unnecessary, and
the happy ending of the story isthat little Joseph Konrad Karshanovsky lived to drop
(01:46):
his last name and to learn thatcareful, fortunate English which he practiced for
the everlasting glory of our literature.Tonight we present you with a dramatization of
one of the best regarded and mosttypical of the works of Joseph Conrad.
The Heart of Darkness could be describedas a deliberate masterpiece or a downright incantation,
(02:08):
a fine piece of prose work.At the least. Its best aspects
are an artful compound of sympathy forhumankind and a high tragical disgust. Its
successful contrivance of mood hides its craftas an octopus hides in its own ink,
(02:28):
and almost we are persuaded that thereis something, after all, something
essential waiting for all of us inthe dark alleys of the world, aboriginally
loathsome immeasurable and certainly nameless. Theyaw swung to her anchor without a flutter
(03:25):
of the sails, was at rest. The flood had made, the wind
was nearly calm, and being bounddown the river, the only thing to
do was to come and wait forthe turn of the tide. The sea
reach of the Thames stretched before uslike the beginning of an interminable waterway.
(03:47):
In the offing. Sea and skywere welded together without a joint. The
air was dark above graves End.Farther back still it seemed condensed into a
mournful doom, brooding motionless of thebiggest and greatest town on Earth. Then,
(04:08):
in the darkness, my friend Marlowspoke, it's also always been one
of the dark places on the earth. His remark didn't seem at all surprising.
Marler was a sailor, was justlike him. I was thinking of
(04:29):
very old times in the Romans.First came here nineteen hundred years ago,
some decent young citizens in Toga,perhaps too much dice, you know,
coming out here to men was fortune, land of the swamp, marched through
the woods and in some inland postsfield the savagery, the other savagery,
(04:55):
the closed around him, a growingregrets, belonging to escape the power of
(05:20):
disgust, the surrender, the hate. I don't know if I ever told
you I was in such a place. Once there I met a man just
like that. A long time ago, I had a job with a concern
(05:43):
at the time, a treaty ofsociety in Western Africa. One of their
captains had been killed in a scufflewith the natives. He did a man
to replace him on one of theriver boats, and they weren't particular whom
they took. I left in aGerman steamer. She called their report on
the way. Thirty days before Isaw the mouth of the Big River.
(06:08):
The coast was the edge of acolossal jungle, so dark green as to
be almost black. The sun wasfierce, the land seemed to bliss'em
and drip with steam. Here andthere, grayish white specks showed up,
clustered inside the white surf, witha tin shed and the flagging and all
(06:30):
around chum. You know, it'sfunny, mister Barlow. Where some people
will live for a few francs amonth looks like a dreary country, captain,
no mistake. I wondered what theconsort those fellas when they go up
(06:53):
country. I expect to see thatsoon. Uh, don't be too sure.
Last year I took up a manwho hanged himself on the road.
He was a sweet hanged himself.Why h who knows? Son was too
much for him of the country.Perhaps there's your company station. I'll send
(07:17):
your things up four boxes, yousaid, so they were good luck to
you. Boy, A captain,a man dollar, one man, more
balls. Gonna be a mean barbyou there? You who did you have
(07:46):
a car when you go, ohbarmber, really you got you go?
You got car? And they gocar barn. He sure can and he
can he he can. Look uhbamber you boooo? You book you.
As I climbed up the steep hillto the company station, I met a
(08:07):
white man in such an unexpected eleganceof get up. In the first moment
I took him for a sort ofvision. I saw a high starched collar,
white cups might have packet jackets,snowy trousers. See a clear necktie
and varnished boots. No hat,air part had brushed and oil under a
green lined parasols. The mad yesand the company's accountant hit a kick into
(08:35):
my office. A bum you boo, you wok on you bo uh flu
really saturn you get? Yeah,what's that you're don't disturb your still an
agent from up country either? Wouldyou just leave him there? There's no
(08:58):
plats to put him. And too, he's there as long as me he's
alive. He's in nuisance all around. He'll grow distract my attention, specifically
enough to guard against cleric lerrors inthis country. So I suppose a who
you are going into the ivory country, mister Maloe. Interesting, I've gathered
(09:18):
that impression already for my part.I like books, better entries and all
that. And by the way,uh, you met mister Kot up there.
You know who is mister Kurtz.Mister kok is the agent at the
father's station in he sends down moreivories and all the others put together that
(09:39):
just make him a valuable man tothe company. H Indeed, he'll go
far, very far over the headsof many of us. That's what I
won't go into detail. Uh.When you seems to court, please tell
him that everything is there is notrespectorate. I I'd write him, but
you can't tell. You might gethold of a debtor. A central station.
Oh, I got this sick man. I don't know. It's all
(10:01):
right. He doesn't see it.You mean oh no, no, no,
no, not yet, yes,yes, yes, this uh,
this means the courts. He's avery remarkable person. Next day I started
(10:28):
for the Central Station. Two hundredmiles inland, halves, halves everywhere,
spreading over the empty land, throughthe long grass, through thickets, down
and up, chili ravines, upand down stony hills, ablaze with heat
(10:48):
and solitudes, great silence around andabove. On the fifteenth day, I
came in sight of the Big Riveragain. Hovel into the Central Station was
on a black water surrounded by scruband forest. There was a pretty border
of smelly mud on one side,and the three others enclosed by a crazy
(11:11):
fence of rushes. White men withlong sticks in their hands appeared languidly from
amongst the buildings. They made noeffort to welcome me, in fact,
paid no particular attention to my arrival, except for a casual glance. I
walked up to the largest hut inthe enclosure. How do you do?
(11:35):
My name is marlow Captain Marlowe withthe river boat. Oh yes, you've
been a long time coming, Marlowe. Your boat is wrecked, Captain.
What did you say, sir?Ray A bottom was thrown out on stones
and she sank near the south bank. Let everyone behaved flendily. You will
(11:56):
have to fi shut out. Itwill be some time before you will be
able to make the fish, butthe river for some months. In fact,
while that's unbelievable, we will believeit. When you see her,
I want you to have a lookat her. Let me know how soon
you'll be ready for you, sir. I'm the manager here, the company's
manager. This situation here is grave, very grave. I don't yet know
(12:16):
who is dead and who is alive. And with the boat laid up,
we don't know how things stand.But there are rumors, grave rumors.
But a very important station is inJeopardo, and mister Kurtz, our manager,
is ill Courtz. I think Iheard his name down on the coast.
(12:37):
So they talk of mister Kurtz downthere, do they? They don't.
He must be a very unusual man, quite so, a very unusual
man, very successful too. Youcan understand my anxiety. You should be
ready to start in three months,Yes, three months. That ought to
(12:58):
do the affair. When Darren lookedat my battered, twisted tin pot steamboat,
she rang under my feet like anempty biscuit tin kicked along the gutter.
I didn't realize at the moment howaccurately the manager had estimated the time
required for the affair. As hecalled it, weeks of waiting, weeks
(13:22):
of waiting for a box full ofrivets to come up from the coast.
And in those weeks I saw thestation full of white men with long sticks
in their hands, strolling aimlessly about, like a lot of faithless pilgrims bewitched
inside a rotten fence. The wordivory rang in the air with whispers and
(13:43):
with sighs. You'd think they werepraying to the great God Ivory. You've
never seen anything someone read in mylife. One evening I happened to be
in the hut of the assistant manager. I noticed on his table a small
sketching oils representing a woman draped andblindfolded carrying a lighted torch. Tell me,
(14:05):
did you paint this? Oh no, that was printed by mister Kurtz
in his station more than a yearago. Mister Kutz printed it while waiting
for meetings to go to his tradingfor Oh, mister Kurtz. Mister Kutz
is the chief of being a station. For he's a prodigy. He sends
down more ivory than any of ourother agents. Besides that, he's an
(14:28):
emissary of pity and science and progressand so so he comes here a special
being. So today mister Cutts isthe chief of the best station. Next
year he will be assistant manager twoyears more. And ah, but I
just say, you do know whathe will do in two years time.
(14:48):
You're one of the league and captain, Oh, I know what I'm talking
about. Have my own eyes totrust you read the company's confidential correspondence.
What do you mean, mister Kurtz'sgeneral manager, you won't have the opportunity.
Well, the Rivets arrived just intime to make good the manager's prediction.
(15:09):
In three months, almost to aday, I set out to the
interior to relieve mister Kurtz. Atthe inner station, heavy Sluget, there
was no joy in the brilliance ofthe sunshine esteemed deeper into the jungle.
The roll of drums behind the cordonof trees kept the distant, constant tremor.
(15:56):
I had to keep getting at thechannel, watching for sucking stones.
Ripped the life out of a tinpot steam bowl, and he drowned us
all kill. The drums went onbehind us, ahead of us on all
sides of steamer toiled along slowly onthe edge of a black and incomprehensible friend,
(16:18):
the prehistoric man's churching us strains ofus, welcoming m hoop of tag.
Not far below the inner station,we came upon a hut of reeds,
and then flined the melancholy pole withthe unrecognizable tatters of what had been
a flag of some sort to theflying manager and I, who went ashore,
(16:38):
found the flat piece of boards withsome sated tensile writing on it.
Red. Hurry up the inner stations, coach puts. There was a signature,
but it was allegric, not put. What do you make a discussion
(16:59):
someone, I say, of course, of course, of course. We're
only eight miles from court now ariseight miles of seams come low after this
morning. The first approach the stationby daylight what court may need it.
You may be in trouble. Ihope not. It wouldn't sit well with
(17:19):
the company if something happened to misterKurtz before we reach. If you'll only
concern what the company thinks us,what do you mean how about Kurt?
Don't you want Kurt to come back? By Captain Marlowe for the next ordinary
notion? Of course we want misterGood to come back, such a remarkable
(18:00):
When the sun rose next morning,there was a white fog, very warm
and clammy and more blinding than thenight. It stood all around us like
something solid. At eight or nine, perhaps it began to lift, as
a shutter lifts. We had aglimpse of the growing multitude of trees of
the immense matted jungle, with theblazing little ball of the sun hanging over
(18:21):
it. At last, the opaquewater, still and treacherous, was dimly
visible from the wheelhouse, where Istood beside my pilot. The company men,
there are our pack of suits,whiter than the fog, stood on
the deck below me, under covereverything. Can't you get up on the
(18:53):
ways. The natives of the rockstake the choice side the river kept them,
We say on sarge. Oh,even the king gave my head.
What those pier watch half team below? You got POWs, thads and colors
(19:22):
on your side, pilot, greatpilot below plate. Wait, here's something
to do more than your confounded guns. U oh are you up there?
(20:00):
Captain? All right? Well,thanks to your target reractors. Well,
well we beat them off. Youbeat them off, Steve Whistle, beat
them off. Don't smoke, Milly, reckless, Captain Marlowe, you behaved
admirably. Everyone behaved admously, admirably. A credit to the company. Well,
(20:22):
pray they got one of the crew. Yes, it is on the
dead for the devil. He's gotan arrow sticking through his chest. Give
me a hand with his dog.Stay there, it's got a steel sift.
Strange, there's no steel in theBelgian congo. I wonder if,
by any chance, mister cool,the rich course was becoming an obsession with
(21:04):
me. The current was more rapidnow. The steamer seemed her last gas,
a third wheel, flocked, languidlayer. I taught myself listening always
to the next seat of the end. I expected the rext thing to give
up every moment, like watching thelast flickers of the light. Last,
(21:26):
we drew in the sight of theweary store, but there was a peering
that rose to a slight low overlookingthe river. The inner station was a
long, tumble down building which ona hill, half buried in the high
grass, with a thick meshed junglehanging over its rotted roof. I stopped
the engines. The boat drifted slowlyto the slimy bank. We let out
(21:49):
the anchor, change the stump ofthe tree. As soon as the gangs
like this lower, the company's managerand these three satellites set out with their
brisk a fish and see told thesilent house of Kurtz. After the moment,
I became aware of a strange,ragged figure on the wall. Hello,
(22:11):
down there, happy, come uphere to the pilot house, coptain,
I'm glad you've come. If becomingtime, how is mister Kurtz.
Mister Kurtz says still, mister kurtyou were just attacked by natives on the
river. They had simple people stay, meant no harm. It was one
(22:34):
of mister Kurtz's little jokes. Nowallow me to introduce myself. Take us
off Russian the son of an archpriest. Government of temper, the great
pleasure to talk with the white man. Captain. Don't you talk with mister
Kurtz. When you don't talk withthat man, you listen to him.
(22:57):
Mister Kurtz, Captain has enlarged myWe talked of everything, everything. He
made me see things, and eversince you've been with him a course on
the contrary. But he also Ihad to wait for days before he would
turn up. It was worth waitingfor though. Sometimes what was he doing
(23:17):
exploring or what? Oh? Yes, of course he's discovered many villages of
late too, and they're like showexactly in what directions? Dangers to inquire
too much? Most of these expeditionswith Ivory. He had no goods to
trade with for that time, didn'tThere's a lot of good Cottridges left even
yet You mean you raided the country, not alone. Courts got the tribes
(23:44):
to follow him, setting for theiradorance. They think him with God.
They worship him with Ivory, becausewhat can you expect. He came to
them with thunder and lightning. Youknow they've never seen guns before. He
could be very terrible. You can'tjudge, mister Kurtz as you would ordinary
ment. Now, U just togive you an idea. I don't mind
(24:07):
telling you. He wanted to shootme too one day, but I don't
judge him shoot you before you.Well, I had this small lot of
vibey and he wanted to this andwouldn't hear these, And he said he
shoot me and that I gave himthe ivory and played out he gave him
the right. What would I do? Well, I didn't say it us.
(24:29):
I couldn't leave him. I alsotake it back with him, and
he would say yes, and thenhe would disappear on another ivory hunch to
get himself among these teachers, toget himself him you know. But the
man he's mad, he don't saysuch things to hear. I followed the
frightening glance of a rush into thehouse above the shore. I saw that
(24:53):
the round knobs that stood on stakesby puts his door with not ornamental,
but with somebolley food for thought andalso for vultures. It would have been
even more impressive of those heads onthe stakes if their faces had not been
turned to the house. Suddenly,around the corner of the house a group
(25:26):
of meadives appeared. Though they hadcome up from the ground. They rated
waste peep in the grass, anda compact body bearing an improvised stretcher in
the mist. Now at last iristhe sea coats behind the stretch of two
of the agents carried his arms twoshot guns, a heavy rifle and a
light revolver carbine, its thunderbolts ofthat typical dutiful right now, I knew
(26:00):
what I watched, but not merelywith the popular mister Kurtz and the inner
station with the last younger rights.For one who had the gun at supreme,
being dark warm of the wilderness,breathed out an immense sword of naked
men, a black circle that risedand stamped around the small white center of
frightened Europeans. In the rear ofthe strange procession came a moving chain of
(26:23):
black bodies, carrying on their shouldersthe gleaming white ivy stretcher was carried up
the gang plank from the pilot's deck. I looked down on the long,
gaunt figure of Coots, hollow cageof his ribs. The tall skeleton had
(26:47):
like the eye was fall looking gun. Could a gun there? A moment
later the manager came up to thepilot's bread but Captain Marlowe. Yes,
I think we should see mup assoon as the ivory is loaded. It's
not telling about these natives. MisterKurtz is the courts either than a sick
(27:11):
man. We've done or we couldfor him, though, haven't we.
But there's no disguising the fact thatmister Kurtz has been more harm than good
to the company. There is aremarkable quantity of ivory. But these methods
have been on sound. We'll callit unsound method without doubt, don't you
(27:32):
no methods at all? But hegot the ivory. I considered mister Kurtz
a remarkable man. He was,he was the most remarkable man. So
(28:47):
we swung downstream, and thousands ofeyes from the jungle followed the splashing river
demon beating the water with its terribletail, breathing black smoke into the air
through the dense forest. The browncurrant ran swiftly out of the heart of
darkness, bearing us down towards thesea with twice the speed of our progress
upstream. And Kurtz's life was runningswiftly too, ebbing out of his heart
(29:12):
into the sea of inexorable time.Evenings when the boat was anchored, and
I was free from the wheel.I went down to Kurtz's cabin on the
third night. I found him weakeningfast. Yes, how I was nice,
(29:33):
mister Kurtz, weird enough to beback at my station that praises mine.
Have no right to take me away. He's that marriager, that stupid
scoundrel. He wants my ivory.He's blocked me the way time. Don't
excite yourself, mister Kurtz. Yoursickness sick, sick, not so sick
(30:00):
as you'd like to believe. Nevermind, and I'll carry out my ideas.
Yet I will return'em. I'llshow you what can be done here.
You with your little peddling notions.You're interfering with me. I will
return. I have more to dothan die here in this stinking jungle.
(30:26):
You're not going to die, mister, Well, of course I'm not going
to do. I I too muchto accomplish. Close the shut over you
that like? Did you close theshut of mister Mornow, Cause the shutter
is closed tighter, tighter. Ican't stand the light I tell you in
(30:48):
m shot him. You have inyou something that is really providable. The
methods you use aren't important. II was driven no matter. The humans
take care of the motives, misterMorrow, right, motives always. That's
the thing that chose that. Becausethe manager that knocks a fool or draw
(31:11):
me to it. She pride intomy boxes when I was not looking.
He destroyed me with the company.But I was the company. I there
was the company. I sent themmore ivory, more ivory. That's what
they wanted. I bey you.You must be classed the ivory that the
(31:37):
light. Shut up that light.It's the ivory. The ivory. Oh,
horror, horror they day. Soonafter dawn, they lowered his body
(32:00):
into a muddy hole in the bankof the Murky river. It started downstream
again. Among his belongings was apacket of letters and the photograph of a
(33:04):
girl. Six months later, thoseletters and the picture took me to a
house and network I stood before himmahogany door on the first floor. You,
mister Marlow Steve, come in.I I have a certain letters for
you. Yes, you were hisfriends, he must have been, if
(33:28):
he gave you ed he sentured me. Yes I was his friend. Who
was not his friend? That wouldhurt him? Speak Once the drew man
told me about what his best eswas, the gift of the great Could
you have had him? You know? Yes, I know all the gift,
(33:51):
all of his promise. The boyis greatness of his generous mind,
his noble heart. Nothing, thenames, nothing to memory you and you
can always remember Aim. What isexample? The man looks up to him
and goodness shown then everywhere. Ibelieve in he more than anything I else
(34:17):
I do. I I've know himso long in silence, m excident you
live to the last, the veryenemies. I heard his very last words,
the teaching I want, I wantsomething, something to live in,
(34:42):
the last word, to live with. Don't understand I loved him, I
love the m I love them.The last word is can I sirs?
Your name? My friend? Marlowsees the story was over. Nobody moved
(35:35):
for a time. Well, we'velost the first of the ebb. I
raised my head. The offing wasbarred by a black bank of clouds.
The tranquil waterway leading to the uttermostends of the earth flowed somber under an
(35:58):
overcast sky and seemed to lead intothe heart of an immense darkness. Orson
(36:22):
Wells and the mercury Hitter on theair. Have just brought you an original
dramatization of the Heart of Darkness byJoseph Conrad, with Orson Wells as the
author. Anders course, the ColumbiaBroadcasting System and its affiliated stations are presenting
(37:07):
Orson Wells and the Mercury Theater onthe air in two famous stories dramatized for
radio. And here again is Orsonwell Our radio adaptation of Life with Father
is nothing more than a selection ofour favorites from among those tales that Clarence
Day swore were true about Clarence DaySenior. Life with Father is of course
(37:30):
too good for us and too goodto resist. As radio writers, we
promise not to touch, but dojust let us read it to you aloud.
And finally, may I say thatany similarity in the following broadcast to
persons in real life is just asit should be. Up to the late
(37:55):
eighteen nineties, we live in oneof the long rows of comfortable looking brownstone
houses on Madison Avenue. Father wentdowntown each morning on the sixth Avenue elevated,
but Mother felt that horse cars werebetter. She didn't like the certain
cinders from the steam engine that pulledthe four passenger cars, and the two
of the whistle made her nervous.No telegraph poles were allowed on Fifth Avenue,
(38:16):
but they stood in long rows onother thoroughfares. We had wires in
our house, but they were good. Honor stole fashioned wires, and to
make them work we had to pullthem. Was none of this dangerous stuff
called electricity in them. Electricity wastoo risky a thing to put in a
home. All we knew about itwas that there were electric battery batteries and
the eden muse, which could anddid give anyone who paid twenty five cents
(38:39):
a shock. Telephones has been invented, but like most people, Father hadn't
installed one. Messenger boys were quiteenough of a nuisance, suddenly appearing at
the door and expecting an answer,but they came only a few times a
year, and a telephone might ringevery week. Little by little, Oliver
telephones came into use and asked aboutten or fifteen years. Right of still
(39:00):
having misgivings, Father got one thatwas put on a wall on the second
floor where everybody could hear its loudbell from the first I can assure you
it made trouble. I'll go,I'll go, I'll answer the curis thing.
(39:21):
Hello, Hello, speak up?Can't you hang it? What is
it? Who are you? Ican't hear why you're saying. I can't
hear a Blansted word. Tell yougive me that telephone. No, you
don't know how you I will notgive you this. I will not give
you this telephone. You let mealone. I'm trying to find out who
the devil this person is. Hello, I say, hello, there you
hear me? Who are you?Hello? What's that? Oh to you?
(39:45):
Missus Nichols? Yeah, missus Dayshere? How are you? Oh?
You wish to speak to Missus Day? Oh? Very well? And
wait a moment, Ben, ain'tBenny, it's for you. It's Missus
Nichols. Why don't you answer thetelephone yourself? My dear. One day,
a friend of mine, a girlwho had moved to live in a
(40:05):
settlement house downtown, telephone to inviteme to lunch with some visiting Russians.
Father answered the telephone, Hello,Hello, Yes, this is it today?
Speak up? Hang it? Don'tmumble at me or you what I'm
the lunch I've had lunch next Friday, wife. I don't want to lunch
with you next Friday. No where, Why do you say in Remington Street
(40:30):
they're civil. Yes, my nameis Clarence Day, and I told you
that before. Don't repeat lunch withyou and Remington Street? Good lord,
I never heard of anything in mylife Russians. I don't know any Russians.
No, I don't want to either. No, I haven't changed.
I never changed. What goodbye?Madam flashed? I think that was a
(40:52):
friend of mine, father, afriend of yours. Oh, that sounded
to me like some impudent peddler's wife. This time argue is about lunching with
her somewhere down in the slums.I can't stand. If that's all I
have to say, I'll have theconfounded thing taken out. One day,
(41:15):
when I was about ten years oldand my brother George eight, father suddenly
remembered an intention of his to haveus taught music. Now, there were
numerous things he felt every boy oughtto learn, such as swimming, blacking
his own shoes, and bookkeeping.He now recalled that music, too,
should be ensuited in our education.He held that all children should be taught
(41:38):
to play on something and sing,oh oh oh, the father. I
can't sing. It's very simple.Clarence. Of course you can sing.
It's the master expression for child.Father, I have no ear. You
(42:01):
know what I tried to learn afear in this game? No auray ah
olah a lave no, now yousing it all come to you. But
(42:27):
father, I can't nonsense, myboy. What do you know about it?
You can and can't do. Justdo whatever I tell you and you'll
be all right. Once again?No, no, no, no,
no, I'm sorry, father.I don't understand exactly. Don't understand.
Don't understand what it is perfectly simple. You just sing no noa follow me.
(43:00):
But father, you see your voicematches the piano. I don't know
how to make mine. All right. I'm trying to learn one note at
the time. If you can't singthe whole scale to sing? Do once
again, don't mean anything. It'sa note. Don't understand a note in
(43:21):
music track? Enough? Do do? Claire? What are you doing?
What am I doing? Vinny?Can't you hear what I'm doing? I'm
trying to teach your oldest son tosing, Claire. Can't you hear how
it sounds? You? Please goaway, my dear, and leave me
alone with my son. If hisvoice is painful to you go where you
(43:42):
can't hear it. Ya shit,I will not be interfered with. I'm
sick and tired of being systematically sportedand hinted in my own house. Can't
stand another moment I think I can'tteach him. You feed you. You
only have to come right back downagain. Soup bean put on the table.
I don't want any dinner. OhClaire, please get oyster soup.
(44:07):
Don't want any So we sat downfrightened at table. Mother, my brother,
George and I. The soup wasa lifesaver. It was more like
(44:29):
a stew, really, milk andoyster juice and big oysters. I put
lots of small hard crackers into mineand a slice of French toast. The
hot toast, soaked and soup wasdelicious. Only there wasn't much of it,
and his father particularly liked it.We had to leave it for him.
Father came down in the middle ofit, still offended, but he
(44:52):
ate his full share. Father wasoften offended when he tried to teach us
boys things, but not as badlyas when he tried to teach mother.
Father was always trying to teach motherto keep track of the household expenses,
Claire, I do try on mysoul. I almost believe you don't know
what system is. You don't wantto know either. Not here forristas here
(45:15):
in my notebook, I see thatI gave you six dollars in cash on
twenty fifth of last month by anew coffee pot. Yes, but you
broke the old one. You threwit right on the floor. I am
not talking about that, Bennie.I'm simply endeavoring to find out from you
if I can. It's so sillyto break a nice coffee pot, Claire.
And that was the last of thoseFrench ones. I spent four and
(45:36):
a half dollars for that new umbrella. I told you I wanted, and
you said I didn't need a newone, But I did very much.
And that must have been the weekI paid it just toobin for an extra
two days washing. So that makessix to fifty. That's another six fifty
cents you on me. I don'tknow you anything, Vinny. You have
managed to turn our coffee lot forme. You umbrella for you? Is
(45:59):
this sort of things? Not keepaccount books at all. Father's side and
got out his pencil and wrote newumbrella for the notebook sort of thing left
him very discouraged. Father got annoyedwith us when he didn't stay well.
(46:30):
He usually stayed well himself, andhe expected us to be like him,
and not some faint and slump onhis hands, and thus add to his
burdens. All this talk about germsa lot of new fangled nonsense. When
I was a boy, there wereno germs that I knew of, And
if they do exist, what ofit. I'm as healthy as they are.
(46:50):
Many blasted germs wanna have a tryat me? Bring'em on.
Aside from coals, which she hadvery seldom, his only foes were sick
headaches. One of these headaches started, Father laid down and shut his eyes
tight and yelled. The severity ofa headache could be judged by the volume
(47:16):
of sound he put forth. Hisideas seemed to be to show the headache
he was just as strong as itwas, and stronger when he and a
headache went to bed together. Theywere a noisy pair. From father's point
of view. Mother didn't know howto handle an ailment, even when she
had a cold. He became fretful. He pished and pulled to himself and
(47:37):
muttered that it was silly. Usuallycame up from office about five or six,
and then he'd look around the houseto find Mother. Made his home
feel queer and empty to him.When she wasn't there. Go up to
a room. The smell of witchhazel was in the air, mixed with
spirits of camphor. On the bed, huddled under an afghan, Mother lay
(47:58):
still on the dark. Anny,are you there? Anny? Go away?
What go away? Oh? Goaway? Good lord Claire? What
(48:19):
is it? Won't you please shutmy door again? After supper, he
didn't seem to know what to dowith himself, so he'd go up and
stand at the foot of mothers.Said, look gloomy, what is it,
Claire? Nothing? Nothing, Well, for mercy sakes, don't stand
(48:42):
there looking like that, Claire,What do you mean looking like that?
Oh? Go away. When peopleare sick, they like to see you
smile or something. I never willget well if you stand there and stare
at me that way. Please shutmy door quietly this time and leave me
alone. Father came downstairs. Helooked more cheerful. Well, well,
(49:07):
my boy, mother's all right again. Which is not a bed but sounds
much better. This evening one evening, father found mother worrying because Aunt Emma
(49:29):
was sick with influenza. Oh,pooh, there's nothing the matter with Emma.
You can trust people to get anyailment whatever that's fashionable. They hear
a lot of other people having it, and the first thing, you know,
they get scared and they'd have itthemselves, and they go to bed
and send the doctor, the doctoror poppy cock, well the claire dear,
if you were in charge of them, what would you do instead?
(49:50):
Cheer him up? Cheer him up. That's the way cureum. How would
you cheer them up? Darling?Right? All right? Tell him bah.
One late afternoon, when father camehome from downtown, he found his
home very much upset. Our cookhad walked out and left us. I
(50:15):
was a child of four, mybrother George two, and there was a
new baby. Besides, mother wasill. She hadn't been able to leave
us to go to an agency,and she was no hand in cooking herself.
The outlook for dinner was poor.One he intend doing, Vinny,
what's become of us? Yeah?Why don't you go down to the club
for one? Ridiculous club? Iwon't do it any time. I can't
(50:37):
have my dinner my own home.This house is for sale. I'm ready
to sell the place this very minuteif I can't live here in comfort,
and we'd all go and sit undera palm tree and live on breadfruit and
pickles. We'll try to get oneagency in the morning. Play see what
I can do the morning. Goodheavens, where at this place? I'm
(50:57):
going there right now, So Father, let's put on his hat and gloves
and started out to the agency.There was nobody in the place except a
woman sitting at his dest Good day. Where are they? Where do you
keep them? I'm asking where doyou keep them? The girls? You're
in there, but the clients arenot allowed in that room. If you
would tell me the kind of positionyou wish me to feel for you,
(51:19):
I'll have one of them come out. We don't go out. You simply
mustn't go it you. Father hasthrown open the door and gone in.
There sat a crowd of girls,young and old, sickly and brawnie,
of all shapes and sizes. Fatherpointed his cane at the little woman in
the corner, who sat there withhonest, gray eyes, shrewd looking and
quiet. I'll take that one,sir, I don't even know what position
(51:40):
you cook? Cook, but Margaretdoesn't wish to be a cook. You
can cook, can't you give cook? For one family? Of course you
can cook. I knew it onceshe could cook. You're going to take
it anyhow, whether if she cookedor not. What day would you wish
her to come? And would youplease give me your name name? Why
should I give you my name?Come on, Margaret, you come right
(52:00):
home with me now, goodbye,ma'am. Margaret followed father back, and
he set her right down to thekitchen to cook dinner. I don't know
why people make such a fuss aboutengaging you servants. It seems simple enough
to me, as it was too. Margaret stayed with us twenty six years,
(52:30):
and Margaret was just the kind ofcook father wanted. Lots of cooks
can do rich dishes, well,Margaret couldn't. But she cooked simple,
everyday dishes in a way that madeour mouths water. Father set her apple
pies were the most satisfying ever tasted. Her warmed potatoes was so delicious he
(52:52):
sometimes make a whole dinner of them. Yet even Margaret sometimes miscalculated. A
large royal looking steak would be setbefore which, upon being cut into,
would turn out to be underdone.Father's face would darken with disappointment. He
would raise his foot under the tableand stamp slowly and heavily, three times
(53:13):
on the rug. At this solemnsignal, we could hear Margaret leaving the
kitchen far below. Margaret, Yes, mister days Margaret, at sake,
(53:38):
oh the Lord jestice and face.She would then seize the platter and make
up off of it too, better. It's the best way she could.
Father would gloomily wait and eat afew vegetables and pour our fresh glass of
Clarets. But sometimes the dish cameup. It was so perfect that Father's
face would sprinkle with pleasure, andwith a wink at us, he would
(53:59):
summon Margarets. Margaret, Yes,mister day Margaret, that frick of sea
chicken is good. Margaret would turnher wrinkle face aside and look down and
(54:24):
pushed the flatto n out for father, the saint get to use, and
you said, get along with you. The flator couldn't say that, Father,
didn't the scene of him go alout and jump back down. The
doctor yes, without ever a woodin the end. Father had to get
(54:45):
used to another cook because Margaret died. But Offen meals Father talks to how
good are things always take to?Well, that's hide as good of anything
nobody could say it compared with Margaret. I wish she could hear you.
If anybody was ever sure of goingto heaven, I know it was Margaret.
(55:06):
Yeh, look her up when Iget there, have a take care
of me. But Claire, it'sthe matter. Well, Claire, there's
Margaret must be in some special sortof heaven. She was so good.
You'll be very fortunate, Claire toget to the same part as Margaret.
H Oh, make a devil ofa row for help. The micro Columbia
(55:45):
Broadcasting System has presented the eighteenth WeeklyHour featuring Orson Wells and the Mercury Theater
on the air. In just amoment, Orson Wells will return to the
microphone with an announcement regarding his futureplan. Meanwhile, a word about the
night's production of two famous stories.Mister Wells spoke for each of the authors
(56:06):
as narrators. In the Heart ofDarkness by Joseph Conrad, Ray Collins was
featured as the narrator. Captain Marlowe. The accountant was played by Alfred Shirley.
The assistant manager George Coloris, thesecond manager, Edgar Barrier, the
agent William alland Courts's intended bride,Anna Stafford Cherkossov Frank Reddick. Courts by
(56:28):
Orson Wells and the African music wasdirected by Asadata Daftora Horton, whose drummers
have been heard in the Africans dancedrama Kai Kunkore and mister Wells's production of
McBeth. The Excerpts from Life withFather by Clarence Day, which concluded the
program, featured the mother Mildred Natwick, the Employment office manager Mary Wicks,
(56:51):
Margaret Alice Frost, the boy ClarenceArthur Anderson Father Orson Wells. The orchestra
was conducted by Bernard Herman and DavidTaylor supervised the production for CBS. This
is dan Seymour speaking Next Sunday nightat eight o'clock Eastern Standard Time. Orson
Wells and the Mercury Theater on theAir will bring to life a modern story
(57:13):
of romantic adventures, the story ofa man will lost the great love and
you could have no clients and nosleep until he found that love again,
the famous novel One Night Sup andnow again the star and director of the
Mercury Theater orson wells, ladies andgentlemen. I'm happy at this time to
(57:35):
announce it's starting Friday, December ninthfrom nine to ten pm, and each
Friday thereafter we have the Mercury Theaterwill be sponsored over most of these stations
by the makers of Campbell's Soups GoodNight. This is the Columbia Broadcasting so
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