MOVIE-RADIO - AmericanRadioHistory.Com

Whimsical Mayor:
Airlanes' Mayor La Trivia (Gale Gordon
away from the mike) of Wistful Vista, radio
abode of the incomparable Fibber McGee and Molly, looks very meek and
amiable, but his quips on the air pack a wallop that leave an indelible
impression on the minds of listeners. Belt- buckle speech on recent Fibber
show, in which he opined "if we expect our boys to belt the Japs over
ebotoJrapns by Gene Leste
there, we have to buckle down over here," is a good example. When not
concerned with mayoring the Wistful Vistaites, La Trivia (above) absorbs
ideas with which to befuddle Fibber and Molly; takes forty winks after
this arduous task of tussling with unfamiliar phrases; later rehearses, with
gestures, speech he will deliver at Wistful Vista Chamber of Commerce.
The Fibber McGee and Molly program is heard Tuesday nights on NBC
home. And don't make excuses -oh,
I'm not blaming you, Mother. You've
had your hands full taking care of
me. But -what about this woman,
Kay? I thought she was supposed to
look after the children."
"She does look after them, John."
"Not very well, I should say. Letting
Bud stay out all hours of the
night. Oh, Mother, everything is so
strange around here lately -"
"How? What do you mean ?"
"Well, for one thing, having that
woman around the house. And -that
child! I keep forgetting he's her little
boy. He's such a cute little tike and so
much like Bud used to be. I -I almost
feel sometimes as though he were
my own."
Mother Fairchild caught her breath.
What if John should fall upon the
truth in some such roundabout way?
Was that why Kay had tried to keep
Billy away from his father?
Mother Fairchild finally got the
invalid quieted just as Kay returned
despondent and worried. Bud still
wasn't home. Kay called the only
friend she knew to turn to in time of
trouble -David Houseman.
David came as soon as he could get
away from the office. He and Kay sat
before the fireplace in the living -
room and Kay served hot coffee and
sandwiches. David told Kay that Andy
Clayton had gone to Turtle Flats to
look for Bud himself.
Kay shivered as though with cold
and David poked up the fire, sending
sparks shooting up the flue. He threw
another log on the embers and soon
there was a blaze.
"There, how's that ?" he asked.
"Better. Oh. David, if we could only
do something! It's waiting that's so
hard. Just to sit and -I wish I'd gone
to Turtle Flats with Andy. I've a notion
to get the car out and drive
down there now. I could talk to Pop
again."
"Pop won't be there. He leaves the
store at eleven-thirty."
"Well, I could talk to McKinney
myself. Maybe McKinney would pay
more attention to me than he will to
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Andy. Maybe I could make him understand
how a mother feels." Then,
as though to herself, Kay added, "Or
a stepmother."
David protested. "Forget that, Kay.
Bud thinks as much of you as if you
were his mother -you know he does."
"Yes, and that makes it worse. A
mother is supposed to take care of her
children. Andy will telephone here,
won't he, if he learns about Bud ?"
"He said he'd get in touch with me
the minute he left McKinney's office."
"Just where is McKinney's office,
David ?"
David walked to the fireplace,
picked up the tongs and pushed a log
back into a more firm position in the
fire.
"Well, Kay, McKinney has two
offices," he said, putting the tongs
back in the rack and lighting a cigarette.
"One of them is in that place
he runs. That's more or less open to
the public. And the other's down in
that old warehouse next to the railroad
tracks."
"That's a queer place for an office,
David."
He laughed. "I disagree with you,
Kay. It's a very clever place for an
office. The kind of people McKinney
deals with like to come and go without
being seen. And they can do it
down there in that maze of tracks and
old freight- sheds. Look, honey, you're
shivering again. Look, lean back
against the cushions." Kay leaned
back and smiled up at David. "There,"
he said, "now relax a bit. Now I'm
going to hold your hands ... yes, I
am. And you needn't pull away. I'm
not making love to you, I'm simply
getting your hands warm. They're
cold as ice . . ."
For a moment Kay felt contentment
despite her worries. David was
so considerate.
I -I do presume terribly on our -
our friendship, don't I, David ?"
"No. You don't presume at all. And
it isn't friendship, darling. Not on
my part. And -if you're referring to
tonight and your sending for me-
I love it. There's no place I'd rather
(Continued from Page 7)
be than here with you. Don't you understand,
Kay? I love to have you
depend on me. It -well, it makes me
feel as if I were just a little bit important
to you."
Later that evening Andy Clayton
called and said that Boss McKinney
denied any knowledge of Bud's
whereabouts. Clayton said he was
convinced that McKinney was telling
the truth and had said he was doing
his best to locate the boy. David finally
took his leave and Kay went back
to sit by the open fire. She stared
into the dying embers, lost in her
thoughts and worries when, suddenly,
she woke herself from a fevered doze
and realized that the first finger of
dawn was poking at her through the
window. She rose wearily. She had
to face another day.
Mid -morning and Bud still was
missing. Kay's fears increased by the
hour. If there was only something
she could do! But there was nothing,
nothing except wait helplessly for
news. She paced the floor between
the living -room and hall and looked
almost angrily at the telephone. Why
didn't it ring?
She was almost startled a half -hour
later when the telephone did ring.
She almost jumped with fright, but
hurried to lift the receiver.
"Hello. Hello," she spoke frantically.
Then she heard a strange, hoarse
voice answering hers. She'd never
heard that voice before, she could
swear. It sounded as though it was
coming from a great distance away.
"Mrs. Fairchild ?" the voice asked.
"Mrs. John Fairchild ?"
"Yes. Yes. Who's calling ?" Kay
couldn't keep a note of hysteria from
her own voice.
"I have a message for you, Mrs.
Fairchild." Kay knew it was a man
talking, but he sounded far away -
far, far away.
"Oh, yes? What is it ?"
"Listen carefully, please."
"I'm listening."
"Tell your husband that as soon as
he sends in his resignation as mayor,
his son, Bud, will return home."
"What? Oh .
" There was the
sound of a phone being placed back
on a hook at the other end of the
wire. Kay clicked her phone frantically,
but the line had gone dead. Peg
came into the room and found Kay
staring off into space still holding the
receiver in her hand.
"Kay!" she cried. "Kay, it wasn't
bad news ?"
"No," Kay replied in a dazed voice.
"that is I -I don't know -"
"Kay, tell me-is Bud all right ?"
"Yes, Peg. I -I guess so. The man
said, 'Tell your husband to resign as
mayor and his son will return home.' "
"Oh, Kay, then he is safe. Bud, I
mean. I'll tell Grandma and we'll
write out the resignation and get
Dad to sign it. And then -"
"Wait a minute, Peg. Come back.
We can't do that."
Peg, who had started to leave the
room, returned and asked why they
couldn't write the resignation.
"I mean," Kay said slowly, "we
can't ask your father to sign a resignation.
Because -he has forgotten he's
mayor!"
"Oh, but -"
"And if we give him a resignation
to sign hell know he's forgotten. And
the doctor said -"
"Oh, but Kay, we've got to. We've
got to think of Bud."
"Yes, but -"
"We can't let him come to harm."
"We can't let your father come to
harm either, Peg."
"Kay, you mean? Oh, Kay, you
mean we've got to choose between
Bud -and Dad ?"
"I -I don't know, Peg. It -it looks
that way."
(To be continued)
Read this exciting story, adapted by
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