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Series: Lux Radio Theater
Show: The Phantom of the Opera
Date: Sep 13 1943

CAST:


The Lux Team:
ANNOUNCER, John Milton Kennedy
HOST, Cecil B. DeMille
GIRL, who talks to herself
LIBBY COLLINS, Hollywood reporter
2ND ANNOUNCER

Dramatis Personae:
ANATOLE (Nelson Eddy)
CHRISTINE (Susanna Foster)
CLAUDIN, the Phantom of the Opera (Basil Rathbone)
RAOUL, police inspector


VILLENEUVE, the maestro
FERRETTI, the singing master
PLEYEL, the publisher
GEORGETTE
AUNT BERTA
BIANCAROLLI, the diva
MARIA, her attendant
1ST STAGEHAND (2 lines)
FRANZ LISZT (3 lines)
2ND STAGEHAND (3 lines)
WOMAN, in audience (2 screams)
GERARD (2 lines)
and opera CROWDS

ANNOUNCER:

Lux presents Hollywood!

MUSIC:

LUX THEME ... THEN IN BG

ANNOUNCER:

The Lux Radio Theatre brings you Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, and Basil Rathbone in "The Phantom of the Opera," with Edgar Barrier. Ladies and gentlemen, your producer, Mr. Cecil B. DeMille.

MUSIC:

THEME ... UP AND OUT

SOUND:

APPLAUSE

HOST:

Greetings from Hollywood, ladies and gentlemen. A Broadway first night thrills the few hundred people who can enjoy the play. A Hollywood premiere is exciting for the few thousands who gather to see the stars. But opening night in the Lux Radio Theatre belongs to the millions, the millions in American homes and camps from coast to coast. And it belongs to our boys in uniform beyond the seas, who join us for the first performance of our tenth season. The real adventure is not in the lights or the crowds, but in the historic privileges of the theater, in hearing a famous star score again in a brand new role, and in the joy of discovering a new star. All that is yours tonight, when we present Nelson Eddy and Susanna Foster in their new Universal Technicolor success, "The Phantom of the Opera." And with them, in one of the theater's most interesting parts, we bring you Basil Rathbone. It's the first of a big parade of stars and plays that will challenge your attention and our ingenuity. Tonight's play has the thrill of mystery, the gaiety of comedy, and, to stop everything else, one of the great singing voices of our day, the romantic baritone of Nelson Eddy. And if that isn't the right way to start the Lux Radio Theatre off on another season, I don't know how to find it.

We hope to make this season the best in our history and we're counting on you to help us make it the best. By help, I don't mean just buying Lux Toilet Soap -- I - I think you'll do that anyway, because you know how good it is -- but backstage in this theater, we need your help in selecting plays. We want you to tell us what stars you'd like to hear. Everybody has a personal preference, and you give all the orders for our command performances. Your loyalty to Lux Toilet Soap has kept this curtain going up for nine years. Your reward has been a fine product, and the finest plays and stars we could discover.

And now, the thrill of another opening night, as the curtain rises on the first act of "The Phantom of the Opera," starring Nelson Eddy as Anatole, Susanna Foster as Christine, and Basil Rathbone as Claudin, with Edgar Barrier as Raoul.

MUSIC:

BRIEF INTRODUCTION ... THEN BEHIND ANATOLE--

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) In the year Eighteen Eighty, the old Paris Opera stood like a giant torch in the heart of the city: a thousand windows ablaze with light. But there were shadows, too: shadows that flitted high in the gallery over the great stage, shadows that lingered in the sub-cellars, far beneath the street where the black sewers of Paris ran sluggishly in the dark. But we were not concerned with these things, or so we thought at the time. We of the opera knew only the light of the dressing rooms, the bright gaiety of the stage. I suppose it all began the night we sang "Martha." The house was crowded, enthusiastic. There were no shadows for us that night.

MUSIC:

SNEAKS IN DURING ABOVE ... INTRO TO "LASST MICH EUCH FRAGEN," THE DRINKING SONG FROM FRIEDRICH VON FLOTOW'S OPERA "MARTHA" ... THEN ACCOMPANIES ANATOLE

ANATOLE:

(SINGS THE SONG IN FRENCH ... ACCOMPANIED BY CHORUS ... FOR ABOUT A MINUTE AND A QUARTER)

MUSIC:

SONG ENDS

SOUND:

OPERA AUDIENCE APPLAUDS

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) No, there was no warning that night. No hint of the strange things that were about to happen. But I noticed at the finale that Christine was not on stage for the curtain call -- Christine DuBois who sang the role of Nancy. It was not like her to miss the finale of the act.

MUSIC:

SNEAKS IN DURING ABOVE ... THEN UP, FOR OPERA FINALE

ANATOLE:

(SINGS THE FINALE IN FRENCH ... ACCOMPANIED BY CHORUS ... FOR ABOUT A HALF MINUTE)

MUSIC:

FINALE ENDS

SOUND:

OPERA AUDIENCE APPLAUDS ... THEN CROSSFADE TO POST-OPERA CROWD MURMURING ITS APPRECIATION

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) Backstage, when the curtain had fallen, I saw Christine hurrying to her dressing room.

CROWD:

AD LIBS ("Oh, it was wonderful!" "I never heard anything so beautiful in my life." ET CETERA) ... THEN MURMURS MORE QUIETLY, IN BG

ANATOLE:

Christine! Christine, wait!

CHRISTINE:

Yes, Anatole? What is it?

ANATOLE:

What happened to you? You weren't on stage.

CHRISTINE:

(HESITANT) Why, I - I--

ANATOLE:

You weren't ill, were you?

CHRISTINE:

Oh, no, no.

ANATOLE:

You're all right? You're sure?

CHRISTINE:

Of course, Anatole. Do I look all right?

ANATOLE:

Ah, you look lovely. What happened?

CHRISTINE:

Well, I had a visitor. Somebody wanted to see me.

ANATOLE:

Oh?

VILLENEUVE:

(APPROACHES) Mademoiselle DuBois?

CHRISTINE:

Oh, good evening, Maestro.

VILLENEUVE:

Mademoiselle, I understand that you were entertaining a gentleman backstage during a performance. Is that true?

CHRISTINE:

(EMBARRASSED) Yes, Maestro.

VILLENEUVE:

(STERN) You are not the greatest soprano in the world, Mademoiselle -- not yet -- so you will please not take liberties. (MOVING OFF) See me later, in my office.

CHRISTINE:

Yes, Maestro. (CONCERNED) Anatole, what will he do?

ANATOLE:

Don't worry, he's just barking again. (INTERESTED) Who, uh, was the gentleman?

CHRISTINE:

Well, he - he's an old friend of mine.

ANATOLE:

(DRY) But not so very old.

CHRISTINE:

(CHUCKLES) No. He's Inspector D'Aubert of the Sûreté.

ANATOLE:

Inspector? You mean a policeman?

CHRISTINE:

Well, he's not an ordinary policeman.

ANATOLE:

Oh, does he sing?

CHRISTINE:

(CHUCKLES) No, he's a graduate of the military academy at Saint-Cyr.

ANATOLE:

How much does this man mean to you?

CHRISTINE:

Well, I'm not sure.

ANATOLE:

Christine, it - it's not like me to preach, but someday you'll have to choose between your career and what's called a normal life. You can't do justice to both. I think you'll find that music has its compensations.

CHRISTINE:

In other words, you don't think I ought to have supper tonight with Raoul.

ANATOLE:

Er, no.

CHRISTINE:

But with you, Anatole -- that would be all right?

ANATOLE:

(CHUCKLES) Definitely.

CHRISTINE:

(CHUCKLES) We'll see.

MUSIC:

TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND ANATOLE--

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) There was another man that night who missed Christine's appearance during the finale. His name was Erique Claudin, a violinist. He was a strange man, this Claudin -- quiet, almost shy, but a brilliant musician. When Christine came from Villeneuve's office, Claudin was waiting in the passage.

CLAUDIN:

Good evening, Mademoiselle.

CHRISTINE:

Good evening, Claudin. Monsieur Villeneuve will see you now.

CLAUDIN:

Thank you, Mademoiselle.

CHRISTINE:

Good night.

CLAUDIN:

Oh, Mademoiselle, may I speak to you for a moment?

CHRISTINE:

Certainly.

CLAUDIN:

You, uh-- You weren't on the stage tonight for the curtain call.

CHRISTINE:

(AMUSED) Everyone in the theater seems to have noticed that. It's really quite flattering.

CLAUDIN:

Why weren't you there?

CHRISTINE:

What?

CLAUDIN:

Oh, please forgive me, but I - I've been here so long that you-- That everybody, everything connected with the opera is so much a part of my life.

CHRISTINE:

Of course, but Monsieur Villeneuve is waiting.

CLAUDIN:

Yes. You weren't ill, were you? You're not in any trouble? Oh, it's impertinent of me, I know, but--

CHRISTINE:

No, it isn't. You're very kind. And I'm not in trouble. (MOVING OFF) Good night.

CLAUDIN:

Christine!

CHRISTINE:

(OFF, SURPRISED) Monsieur?

CLAUDIN:

Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry, I - I shouldn't have called you Christine. I'm sorry.

CHRISTINE:

(OFF) Good night.

CLAUDIN:

Good night, Mademoiselle.

SOUND:

BEAT, AS CHRISTINE DEPARTS ... THEN CLAUDIN KNOCKS ON DOOR

VILLENEUVE:

(BEHIND DOOR) Come in.

SOUND:

DOOR OPENS

VILLENEUVE:

Oh, Claudin.

CLAUDIN:

Yes, Maestro?

VILLENEUVE:

Close the door, please.

SOUND:

DOOR CLOSES

VILLENEUVE:

You know why I sent for you, Claudin?

CLAUDIN:

I think so, Maestro. I've brought my violin.

VILLENEUVE:

Take it out of the case, please. Claudin, for some time now I have sensed discord in the violin section. It was not until tonight that I definitely located the source of the trouble. Let me hear you play, Claudin.

CLAUDIN:

Yes, Maestro.

SOUND:

VIOLIN ... BOW ON STRINGS

CLAUDIN:

What shall I play?

VILLENEUVE:

Anything you please.

CLAUDIN:

Yes, Maestro.

MUSIC:

BRIEF VIOLIN SOLO ... "LULLABY OF THE BELLS" (a song written for the film by Edward Ward and George Waggner) ... TEN SECONDS

VILLENEUVE:

Wait a moment. What is that?

CLAUDIN:

A little song. A lullaby from Provence, where I was born.

VILLENEUVE:

Oh, it is very nice, very charming.

CLAUDIN:

I've written a concerto on the theme. I--

VILLENEUVE:

(INTERRUPTS) Yes, yes, charming, Claudin, but too simple. Suppose instead you let me hear the opening movement in the third act of "Martha." (BEAT) Well?

CLAUDIN:

(BEAT) It's no use, Maestro. Something's happened to the fingers of my left hand.

VILLENEUVE:

I see.

CLAUDIN:

(A LITTLE DESPERATE) Perhaps it's only temporary, Maestro. Perhaps it will get better.

VILLENEUVE:

I hope so. In the meantime-- I'm sorry, Claudin, very sorry. You've been with us a long time.

CLAUDIN:

Twenty years! What am I to do, Maestro?

VILLENEUVE:

I know it's hard, but no doubt you've saved enough to retire on.

CLAUDIN:

(GLOOMY) Yes, yes, of course.

VILLENEUVE:

And in appreciation of your long service, I shall arrange with the directors to have a season ticket issued to you.

CLAUDIN:

(CHUCKLES DARKLY, DRY) Thank you, Maestro.

MUSIC:

TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND ANATOLE--

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) There are things I can tell you now -- things I didn't learn until months, even years, later. Claudin had no money put aside; he lived in a miserable garret in the Paris slums. He was cold in the winter and often hungry. What money he earned was used for just one purpose, to provide singing lessons for Christine DuBois. She knew nothing of his sacrifice for her. It was a secret known only to Claudin himself and Signor Ferretti, the singing master.

FERRETTI:

My dear Claudin, if you don't mind my saying so, you're a fool.

CLAUDIN:

(INDIGNANT) Signor Ferretti!

FERRETTI:

For three years I've taught Christine DuBois, and you have paid. Why? How can a man of your age hope to interest a girl as young as--

CLAUDIN:

Signore, please! We agreed never to discuss my motives.

FERRETTI:

Very well. So now you have been dismissed from the orchestra. You can no longer pay for her lessons, is that it?

CLAUDIN:

Yes, Signore, but I - I hoped that you would continue to instruct her.

FERRETTI:

What?

CLAUDIN:

Just for a while. I'll have money soon. A concerto I've written. I've taken it to Monsieur Pleyel; it's going to be published.

FERRETTI:

(SKEPTICAL) Yes, yes, I know. Every violinist has written a concerto.

CLAUDIN:

Then you'll go on with the lessons, Signore?

FERRETTI:

Why should I? Why should I assume your burden? The girl means nothing to me.

CLAUDIN:

But her career means a great deal to me, Signore -- more than anything else.

FERRETTI:

I'm sorry for that -- really, sir. I will let her come a few times, then I will tell her she no longer needs me.

CLAUDIN:

But that isn't true!

FERRETTI:

Perhaps not.

CLAUDIN:

Signore, if you will give me just a little more time--

FERRETTI:

You will have time, Claudin, when you have money. Come back when Monsieur Pleyel has bought your concerto.

MUSIC:

OMINOUS TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND ANATOLE--

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) For weeks Claudin haunted the publisher's office, but always it was the same story: Monsieur Pleyel was too busy to see him. One evening, just at dusk, Claudin forced his way past the manager, up the stairs, into Pleyel's study.

MUSIC:

SWELLS ... OUT WITH--

SOUND:

THUMP! AS DOOR BURSTS OPEN

PLEYEL:

Who's that?!

CLAUDIN:

(URGENT, DESPERATE, ANXIOUS) Monsieur Pleyel?!

PLEYEL:

What are you doing here?

CLAUDIN:

I've been waiting to see you since this morning.

PLEYEL:

Didn't they tell you I was busy? Georgette, more acid, please.

GEORGETTE:

Is this the bottle?

PLEYEL:

The blue one, dear. Pour it in the tray, and be careful, dear.

SOUND:

CLINK! OF BOTTLE ON TRAY ... ACID POURED

CLAUDIN:

Monsieur Pleyel?!

PLEYEL:

(PREOCCUPIED, IGNORES HIM) This should be the best etching I've ever made, Georgette.

CLAUDIN:

Monsieur!

SOUND:

RATTLE OF TRAYS

PLEYEL:

(EXPLODES) Will you please be careful?! Those trays contain etching acid! Would you like to burn the skin from your hands?!

CLAUDIN:

I'm sorry, Monsieur, but my manuscript-- I must find out about my concerto.

PLEYEL:

Georgette, would you mind giving the fellow his manuscript? You'll find it on the table, if it's anywhere.

GEORGETTE:

(TO CLAUDIN) What is your name?

CLAUDIN:

Claudin. Erique Claudin.

SOUND:

RIFFLE OF PAPERS ON DESK

GEORGETTE:

Claudin? I don't see it.

CLAUDIN:

No, no. No, it wouldn't be there. It's a large manuscript in a portfolio.

GEORGETTE:

Well, I'm sorry, but I don't know where it is.

CLAUDIN:

Oh, but it must be here.

GEORGETTE:

Well, if it is, it'll turn up. You might call again in a few days.

CLAUDIN:

(ALMOST TEARFUL) But you don't understand, Mademoiselle, it's the only copy I have. It represents two years work.

PLEYEL:

(ANNOYED) You heard what the lady said. Get out!

CLAUDIN:

But it was brought into this office. It must be here. It must be found.

PLEYEL:

Did we ask you to bring your manuscript to us, Claudin?

MUSIC:

SOLO PIANO, SLIGHTLY OFF ... PLAYS "LULLABY OF THE BELLS" ... CONTINUES IN BG

PLEYEL:

Perhaps some employee has thrown it into the wastepaper basket, where it probably belongs. Good night.

CLAUDIN:

Listen! That piano! That's my music! Someone's playing my music!

PLEYEL:

I thought I told you to get out!

CLAUDIN:

Thief! You've stolen my music. Thief!

SOUND:

SCUFFLE ... CLAUDIN STRANGLES PLEYEL ... THEN IN BG

PLEYEL:

Help!

MUSIC:

PIANO OUT

GEORGETTE:

Let him go! Let him go!

CLAUDIN:

You've stolen my music. Thief! Thief!

PLEYEL:

(GROANS IN PAIN AS HE IS CHOKED ... CONTINUES IN BG)

GEORGETTE:

You're choking him! Do you hear?! Let him alone! I'll burn you if you don't let him go! This is acid! I'll burn you!

CLAUDIN:

Thief! My work, my music!

PLEYEL:

(DEATH GROAN)

SOUND:

SCUFFLE ENDS ... BODY THUDS TO FLOOR ... THEN SILENCE

GEORGETTE:

(HORRIFIED) You've-- You've-- You've--

CLAUDIN:

My music! It was mine! He had no right!

GEORGETTE:

(ANGRY) You've killed him! You--!

SOUND:

SPLASH! CLATTER! OF ACID TRAY THROWN

CLAUDIN:

(BLOODCURDLING SCREAM) My eyes! My eyes! My eyes!

MUSIC:

DURING ABOVE, SWEEPS IN AND SWELLS ... THEN SUBSIDES ... THEN IN BG

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) In that room, a man lay dead on the floor, and Claudin stumbled down the steps, screaming in agony, the acid burning into his face.

CLAUDIN:

(SCREAMS IN AGONY)

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) Into the street he ran, with his hands before him, groping his way blindly through the darkness.

CLAUDIN:

(GROANS IN AGONY)

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) He was seen once, on the Rue de Jardin, and again in a dim street near the opera, and then he was gone -- lost in the black of the night.

CLAUDIN:

(GROANS IN AGONY TWICE, THEN HOWLS LIKE AN ANIMAL IN PAIN)

MUSIC:

UP AND OUT

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) There was a search, of course, but he was never found. It was not a thing that was close to any one of us. It was something you read about in the newspaper, shudder over for a moment, and then try to forget.

MUSIC:

GENTLE SOLO PIANO ... "LULLABY OF THE BELLS" ... IN BG

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) In a few days it was out of our minds completely, for Christine and I were rehearsing a new opera. One morning we were sitting at the piano in her home-- (FADES OUT)

MUSIC:

PIANO ACCOMPANIES CHRISTINE DURING FOLLOWING--

CHRISTINE:

(BRIEFLY AND WORDLESSLY SINGS THE MELODY OF "LULLABY OF THE BELLS")

MUSIC:

PIANO CONTINUES IN BG

ANATOLE:

That's very nice. What is it, Christine?

CHRISTINE:

It's a lullaby of Provence.

ANATOLE:

Provence?

CHRISTINE:

I was born there, you know. I've known it for years, ever since I can remember.

ANATOLE:

Sing it for me.

CHRISTINE:

If you like. (SINGS "LULLABY OF THE BELLS" FOR ABOUT A MINUTE)
Hear those bells ringing soft and low,
Bringing peace through the twilight's glow.
According to everyone, night has begun.
Turn from your weary toil; day's work is done.
Hear them ring while my love and I
Drift and dream to their lullaby.

MUSIC:

SONG ENDS ... PIANO OUT

CHRISTINE:

Well?

ANATOLE:

Oh, it's lovely, Christine.

AUNT BERTA:

(APPROACHES) Christine?!

CHRISTINE:

Yes Aunt Berta?

AUNT BERTA:

Didn't you hear the door? Monsieur D'Aubert is here.

RAOUL:

Good morning, Christine.

CHRISTINE:

Raoul! Good morning!

AUNT BERTA:

(MOVING OFF, SKEPTICAL) You see, Monsieur? They call this rehearsing. Rehearsing! Huh!

RAOUL:

Well, I'm sorry to intrude, but I must speak to you, Christine.

CHRISTINE:

But - but you see I'm busy right now, Raoul. Anatole has been helping me.

RAOUL:

(DRY) Yes, to rehearse. Yes. Monsieur's very kind.

ANATOLE:

Oh, not at all, Monsieur, I find it a pleasure. I'm Anatole Garron, of the opera.

CHRISTINE:

Oh, I'm so sorry. This is Inspector D'Aubert of the Sûreté.

ANATOLE:

Oh, the policeman!

RAOUL:

(CORRECTS HIM) Police inspector, Monsieur.

ANATOLE:

Ah, yes, of course. I've heard of you, Inspector. Your work must be very exciting.

RAOUL:

(DRY) Oh, not half so exciting as yours, Monsieur. It doesn't lend itself to self-expression.

ANATOLE:

Hm.

RAOUL:

Christine, I'd like to see you alone please. I'm here on business.

CHRISTINE:

With me?

ANATOLE:

What business could Mademoiselle have with the Sûreté?

CHRISTINE:

What is it, Raoul? If you don't mind, I'd rather Anatole stayed.

RAOUL:

Very well. Christine, do you know Erique Claudin?

CHRISTINE:

Why, yes.

RAOUL:

How well?

CHRISTINE:

Why, I knew him as a violinist in the orchestra. Oh, I met him a few times, in the foyer, on the stage, or outside the opera, but that's all. He - he acted a little strangely.

RAOUL:

Strangely? How do you mean?

CHRISTINE:

Well, I - I don't know. He just-- He just seemed eccentric, but harmless. I thought he was a rather kindly fellow -- until I read of the murder. What is it, Raoul?

RAOUL:

He was a kindly fellow, until he thought Pleyel was robbing him of his work, then something snapped and he became an homicidal maniac.

CHRISTINE:

But what has all this to do with me?

RAOUL:

Well, we found something in his room, Christine, that connects you with him. No doubt you can explain.

CHRISTINE:

What is it?

RAOUL:

This statuette.

SOUND:

STATUETTE PLACED ON TABLE

RAOUL:

As you can see, Christine, it's the image of you.

ANATOLE:

So that's what became of it!

RAOUL:

Be good enough to explain yourself, Monsieur.

ANATOLE:

Certainly. That statuette is mine.

RAOUL:

Yours?

ANATOLE:

Definitely. I made it. I intended to make you a present of it, Christine.

CHRISTINE:

How nice of you, Anatole.

ANATOLE:

Unfortunately, it disappeared from my dressing room.

RAOUL:

Hm. It's an extraordinary likeness. My compliments on your versatility, Monsieur. Christine must have posed for this many times.

CHRISTINE:

I never posed for it. Not once.

RAOUL:

You did this from drawings, Monsieur?

ANATOLE:

And from memory, Monsieur.

RAOUL:

Extraordinary memory.

ANATOLE:

Thank you, but it's a simple matter to recall Christine's face and figure. (DRY) I'm sure you have found it so, Monsieur.

RAOUL:

(AGREES) Mm hm. ... But what was the statuette doing in Claudin's room?

ANATOLE:

He must've stolen it. It's obvious.

RAOUL:

Is it? Speaking purely as an inspector of the Sûreté, I'm afraid even the obvious needs confirmation.

ANATOLE:

But as a man, Monsieur, I'm sure you can understand. Sitting there in the orchestra pit night after night, looking at Christine, Claudin probably fell in love with her. You admit that is possible, no?

RAOUL:

(AGREES) Mm hm. ... Christine, did Claudin ever seek more than a casual acquaintance with you?

CHRISTINE:

No. Never.

RAOUL:

Can you imagine so diffident a lover, Monsieur? Claudin was barely fifty.

ANATOLE:

No doubt he lacked -- fire?

RAOUL:

No doubt. ... Christine, this statuette is yours. I give it to you.

ANATOLE:

You give it to her?!

RAOUL:

Yes.

ANATOLE:

Well, that's interesting.

CHRISTINE:

(LAUGHS) I'll accept it as a gift from both of you. Thank you.

RAOUL:

Oh, you're quite welcome.

ANATOLE:

Hm! It seems I have the worse of this bargain. In the future, Monsieur Inspector: I detect, you model. In any case, that was a bad clue.

RAOUL:

Oh, not so bad as it seems. It enabled me to recover Mademoiselle's statuette. Is, uh--? Is that your carriage at the door, Monsieur?

ANATOLE:

Yes.

RAOUL:

Would you be good enough to give me a lift?

ANATOLE:

Well, um, which way are you going?

RAOUL:

Oh, it doesn't matter. As Inspector of Police I have business all over Paris.

ANATOLE:

Well, in that case, au revoir, Christine.

CHRISTINE:

Au revoir.

RAOUL:

You've been most helpful, Christine; most helpful.

CHRISTINE:

I - I hope you catch Claudin.

RAOUL:

Thank you.

SOUND:

DOOR OPENS

RAOUL:

Well, you ready, Monsieur?

ANATOLE:

(EXCESSIVELY POLITE) At your service.

RAOUL:

(THE SAME) Oh, after you, Monsieur.

ANATOLE:

Oh, after you, Monsieur.

RAOUL:

Thank you, Monsieur.

SOUND:

DOOR CLOSES

CHRISTINE:

(LAUGHS, AMUSED AT THEIR RIVALRY AND THEIR ALPHONSE-GASTON ROUTINE)

MUSIC:

TRANSITION ... LIGHT, THEN TURNING GRIM ... BEHIND ANATOLE--

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) We could laugh then, because the horror had not touched us. We didn't know that in the caverns of the sewer beneath the opera there was a shadow darker than the surrounding gloom -- the shadow of a man in a black cloak, his face hidden behind a mask. This was the man whose features had been burned and whose mind was on fire. Before long, that shadow was to envelop all of us.

MUSIC:

UP, FOR CURTAIN

SOUND:

APPLAUSE

ANNOUNCER:

In a few moments, Mr. DeMille and our stars -- Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, Basil Rathbone, and Edgar Barrier -- will return in Act Two of "The Phantom of the Opera." (BEAT) One way you can be sure of having the last word in an argument is to have an argument with yourself, as this young lady is doing, for instance.

GIRL:

(IN CONVERSATION WITH HER FILTERED SELF) I don't see anything the matter with my skin, really.

GIRL:

(FILTER) Doesn't look as nice as it used to look.

GIRL:

It does so! It's just that the light over this mirror's so bright.

GIRL:

(FILTER, SKEPTICAL) Hmmm.

GIRL:

Well, doesn't Johnny Brooks always tell me I have a complexion like a million?

GIRL:

(FILTER) Hasn't said so for a good long time.

GIRL:

Well, he's been away at camp, Smarty, that's why.

GIRL:

(FILTER) He's due for a furlough most any time now. Maybe you'd better start doing something about your skin. How about some real beauty care, instead of that dib-dab "lick and promise" kind of treatment you've been giving it lately?

GIRL:

Maybe I'd better. Yes, I will! I'll try those beauty facials screen stars use: Active Lather facials with Lux Toilet Soap every single day. If it works for the screen stars, it ought to work for me, too.

ANNOUNCER:

Well, she'll find it does work, this gentle complexion care used by nine out of ten Hollywood stars. You see, Lux Toilet Soap is a real beauty soap, with lather so rich and smooth and super-fine, it feels like a caress on the skin. Lovely screen stars tell you they take their Lux Soap beauty facials this way: They smooth lots of the creamy Active Lather well in, they rinse with warm water and splash with cold, then they pat their skin dry with a soft towel. Now, that's a very simple, easy care, but if you use it every day, you'll find that soon your skin feels softer, smoother; takes on a fresher, lovelier look. Why not get some Lux Toilet Soap tomorrow? You'll notice each satiny white cake is hard-milled; that means it lasts and lasts. And remember, it's patriotic not to waste soap. Use only what you need. Don't leave your cake of Lux Toilet Soap standing in water, and be sure always to put it in a soap dish that's dry. (BEAT) And now, Mr. DeMille returns to the microphone.

HOST:

Act Two of "The Phantom of the Opera," starring Nelson Eddy as Anatole, Susanna Foster as Christine, and Basil Rathbone as Claudin, with Edgar Barrier as Raoul.

MUSIC:

INTRODUCTION ... THEN BEHIND ANATOLE--

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) There was a master key at the opera house, and the night we were to sing "Amour et Gloire" the key disappeared. Other things had been stolen -- costumes, masks -- but now "the shadow" had entrance to twenty-five hundred doors. He could roam at will from the sub-cellars to the very top of the auditorium, where the great chandelier swung over the audience. There were some who swore they had seen this shadow flung on the walls of dim corridors, or crouching like a griffon on the high balconies over the street. And there were some who swore they had heard mutterings in the deep cellars, where the sewers ran black.

MUSIC:

CONTINUES IN BG

CLAUDIN:

(MUSES, TO HIMSELF) And so tonight, it is "Amour et Gloire." "Amour et Gloire," with Anatole Garron and the soprano Biancarolli. Biancarolli sings tonight, not Christine DuBois? Well, we shall see. We shall see.

MUSIC:

UP, FOR A BIG ACCENT, THEN OUT

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) It was strange the way it happened. In the third act, the libretto called for me to give Biancarolli a cup of wine. When she had drunk it, I thought for a moment that her face paled. She finished her aria and left the stage, but she was late for her next entrance. There was a wait.

MUSIC:

FOR CADENZA ... WRITTEN FOR THE FILM AND BASED ON THEMES BY CHOPIN ... IN BG

CHRISTINE:

(SINGS CADENZA ... THEN IN BG)

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) And then came the cadenza from off stage. I knew that voice! But it was not Biancarolli who was making the entrance. It was her understudy, Christine DuBois.

CHRISTINE:

(SINGS SOLO IN FRENCH FOR ABOUT A MINUTE, THEN IS JOINED INTERMITTENTLY BY ANATOLE FOR ANOTHER TWO MINUTES OR SO OF CHRISTINE SINGING SPECTACULARLY)

MUSIC:

THE CADENZA ENDS

SOUND:

OPERA AUDIENCE APPLAUDS ... SCENE FADES OUT ... TRANSITIONAL PAUSE ... SCENE FADES IN

BIANCAROLLI:

(FURIOUS) I tell you, I was drugged! I was perfectly well during the second act! You saw me, Maestro!

VILLENEUVE:

Madame Biancarolli, we realize that you--

BIANCAROLLI:

(INTERRUPTS) If you realize I was drugged, then tell that police inspector there to arrest the man who did it! We all know who it was -- Anatole Garron!

RAOUL:

I know nothing of the sort, Madame. I am a police officer, not a psychic. It is my duty to collect evidence without prejudice.

BIANCAROLLI:

Haven't you evidence enough?! Everyone knows that--!

RAOUL:

(INTERRUPTS) Madame, will you be seated, please? (TO ANATOLE) Monsieur Garron, is it true that you had the opportunity during tonight's performance to place the drug in Madame Biancarolli's glass?

ANATOLE:

Certainly, Monsieur Inspector. We all did.

RAOUL:

It becomes then a question of motive.

BIANCAROLLI:

The motive is very simple! Garron wanted to get me out of the way to make room for that little--

RAOUL:

(INTERRUPTS) Are you referring to Christine DuBois?

BIANCAROLLI:

I am.

RAOUL:

You heard, Monsieur Garron?

ANATOLE:

(DRY) Oh, yes, Madame is in good voice, and most explicit.

RAOUL:

Have you anything to say, Monsieur?

ANATOLE:

I deny Madame's accusation.

RAOUL:

Do you deny, Monsieur, that you had any motive in drugging Madame?

ANATOLE:

I deny that I drugged her.

BIANCAROLLI:

Monsieur Inspector, I do not understand your reluctance to make an arrest. You are not an examining magistrate.

RAOUL:

Can you substantiate your charge that Anatole Garron had a motive in drugging you and that the motive was Christine DuBois?

BIANCAROLLI:

Why, anybody with half an eye would be able to tell you--!

RAOUL:

(INTERRUPTS) Hearsay is not evidence, Madame.

BIANCAROLLI:

Then I'll go over your head. I have influence at the Sûreté. I was drugged tonight, to the point of death, and I insist upon the arrest of the criminal and his accomplice. And if you don't--

VILLENEUVE:

(INTERRUPTS) Uh, one moment, Madame, please. You've heard Garron deny that he drugged you. As the inspector says, there is no evidence to warrant an arrest. If you insist upon it, and fail to gain a conviction, you'll find yourself in a very difficult predicament.

RAOUL:

Yes. Quite right.

VILLENEUVE:

And no matter what the outcome, don't forget that your career is bound to the Paris Opera. Whatever scandal injures us, or any member of the company, will injure you as well.

BIANCAROLLI:

Are you suggesting that I forget the whole affair?

VILLENEUVE:

Yes. For your own sake as well as ours.

BIANCAROLLI:

Very well. That is, under certain conditions. I want a new understudy! Christine DuBois goes back to the chorus and stays for the two years my contract has to run.

ANATOLE:

No! I won't permit it. If any such arrangement is made, I'll--

BIANCAROLLI:

(INTERRUPTS, SMUGLY) My dear Anatole, I have not finished. I go a step farther. I suggest that we all forget that anything happened afterwards.

ANATOLE:

For once, Madame, I don't understand you.

BIANCAROLLI:

(ARCHLY) Oh, but it's so simple. Nothing happened tonight. I was not drugged and Christine DuBois did not sing.

ANATOLE:

What?!

VILLENEUVE:

Madame, there are always critics in the house.

BIANCAROLLI:

You will send word to the papers that no mention of her is to be made.

ANATOLE:

You'll do nothing of the sort. It's ridiculous. Besides what about the public? Shall we send word to the public to forget that Mademoiselle DuBois was a sensation?

BIANCAROLLI:

If you are willing to ruin the opera for the sake of Christine DuBois, that's your affair, but you either do as I say, or I will charge both of you with trying to murder me. Do you understand that? Murder!

MUSIC:

BRIEF TRANSITION

SOUND:

DOOR OPENS ... THEN CLOSES BEHIND--

MARIA:

Ah, Madame Biancarolli?

BIANCAROLLI:

Good evening, Maria.

MARIA:

Oh, Madame, you were magnificent tonight.

BIANCAROLLI:

(CHUCKLES MODESTLY) Oh. My dress, please. You really thought so, Maria?

MARIA:

Oh, yes, Madame. The best I've ever heard you. Especially in the part with Garron. The cadenza, from offstage, it was so--

BIANCAROLLI:

(ANNOYED) Oh, you liked that, did you?

MARIA:

(PUZZLED) Why, yes, Madame, it, eh--

BIANCAROLLI:

(PLAYS ALONG) Yes. Yes, I was very good tonight. My dressing gown, Maria.

MARIA:

Yes, Madame. (STARTLED SCREAM)

BIANCAROLLI:

Maria!

MARIA:

(SCARED) Madame! Madame!

BIANCAROLLI:

What's the matter with you?

MARIA:

A man, Madame -- outside the window on the balcony.

BIANCAROLLI:

Oh, don't be a fool. How could a man--?

SOUND:

WINDOW SLIDES OPEN ... WIND BLOWS, THEN IN BG

MARIA:

(QUIETLY TENSE) Madame--!

MUSIC:

EERIE, IN BG

CLAUDIN:

(GRIM) Good evening.

BIANCAROLLI:

What do you want here? Who are you?

CLAUDIN:

I'm sorry. I cannot let you see my face. You would not be pleased.

BIANCAROLLI:

(DEFIANT) Take off that mask, Anatole Garron! You do not frighten me!

MARIA:

Madame, it is not Anatole Garron.

CLAUDIN:

I did not come here to frighten you unnecessarily. Only to tell you that Christine DuBois will sing tomorrow night.

BIANCAROLLI:

(MERRILY) Oh, ho ho, yes?

CLAUDIN:

You will leave Paris, Madame.

BIANCAROLLI:

(MOCKING) Leave Paris? You will see to it, of course?

CLAUDIN:

(COMING CLOSER) Yes, I will see to it, Madame.

BIANCAROLLI:

Get back!

MARIA:

Madame!

CLAUDIN:

Do you force me to reason with you, Madame?

BIANCAROLLI:

I will not leave! Get away from me!

CLAUDIN:

I am sorry, Madame.

BIANCAROLLI:

(BLOODCURDLING SCREAM)

CLAUDIN:

I am very sorry.

BIANCAROLLI:

(BLOODCURDLING DEATH SCREAM)

MUSIC:

FOR BIANCAROLLI'S DEATH ... UP AND OUT

SOUND:

CROWD MURMURS, CONFUSED AND ANGRY, IN BG

1ST STAGEHAND:

Anatole! Anatole!

ANATOLE:

What is it?

1ST STAGEHAND:

Madame Biancarolli and her maid -- they have been murdered!

MUSIC:

BRIEF TRANSITION

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) The opera was closed for almost a week. And then, from somewhere within the darkened building, a note was written to the directors.

MUSIC:

OMINOUS, IN BG

CLAUDIN:

(ECHO) Gentlemen, the opera must open very soon. Christine DuBois will replace Biancarolli, who chose to ignore my advice.

MUSIC:

UP, FOR TRANSITION

SOUND:

DOOR OPENS

ANATOLE:

Good morning.

AUNT BERTA:

(SKEPTICAL) Yes?

ANATOLE:

Is - is Christine at home?

AUNT BERTA:

Yes.

ANATOLE:

Well, may I see her, please?

AUNT BERTA:

(IF YOU MUST) Come in.

SOUND:

DOOR CLOSES

AUNT BERTA:

(MOVING OFF) I'll tell her you're here.

ANATOLE:

Thank you. (IDLY SINGS OPERA A CAPPELLA FOR ABOUT TEN SECONDS ... OUT WITH--)

RAOUL:

(APPROACHES) Beautiful, Monsieur. Beautiful.

ANATOLE:

Oh, I didn't see you, Inspector. Good morning.

RAOUL:

How's the opera business, Monsieur?

ANATOLE:

Well, very poor at the moment. (EXCESSIVELY POLITE) How's the inspecting?

RAOUL:

(THE SAME) Very good.

ANATOLE:

Splendid. Glad to hear it.

RAOUL:

Thank you.

ANATOLE:

Not at all.

RAOUL:

(CLEARS THROAT) Ahem.

CHRISTINE:

(APPROACHES) Good morning!

ANATOLE:

Oh, good morning.

RAOUL:

(SIMULTANEOUS WITH ABOVE) Good morning, Christine.

CHRISTINE:

(AMUSED) Aunt Berta told me you were waiting together. Did you amuse each other?

RAOUL:

(CLEARS THROAT)

ANATOLE:

(SIMULTANEOUS WITH ABOVE, YES AND NO) Mmm.

CHRISTINE:

(CHUCKLES) Good.

RAOUL:

May I have a word with you--?

ANATOLE:

(SIMULTANEOUS WITH ABOVE) Christine, I wonder if I might--

ANATOLE:

(EXCESSIVELY POLITE) Sorry, Monsieur.

RAOUL:

(THE SAME) After you, Monsieur.

ANATOLE:

After you.

RAOUL:

Thank you.

ANATOLE:

Christine, you and I--

RAOUL:

(SIMULTANEOUS WITH ABOVE) What I was going to say was-- ...

CHRISTINE:

(LAUGHS) One at a time, please. Anatole?

ANATOLE:

They're going to open the opera, Christine. You and I are going to sing together.

RAOUL:

You are wrong, Monsieur. I'm sorry, Christine. They are going to reopen the opera, but without you. Circumstances connected with the murder of Biancarolli demand that someone else sing the leading role in your place.

ANATOLE:

Really? You might be interested to know, Monsieur D'Aubert, that circumstances connected with the murder of Biancarolli demand that Christine does sing.

RAOUL:

Well, the police have changed that plan somewhat. We're going to draw the murderer out into the open by defying his warning. My men will be posted at every entrance and exit.

ANATOLE:

And probably miss him.

RAOUL:

(UNAMUSED) Ha ha ha. Monsieur, I am aware that your profession requires a certain self-assurance, but aren't you going too far?

ANATOLE:

Not at all. I happen to have a plan of my own for trapping the murderer.

RAOUL:

So you've turned detective, Monsieur?

ANATOLE:

I have.

RAOUL:

Oh, very well, if it amuses you.

ANATOLE:

I might add that my plan is strictly confidential.

RAOUL:

All I can tell you is that Lorenzi is to sing the role. And I am not in the least interested in your plan.

ANATOLE:

May I have a word with you alone, Christine?

RAOUL:

Yes, that's what I came for. May I speak to you alone, Christine?

CHRISTINE:

But I - I'm going out.

ANATOLE & RAOUL:

My carriage is just outside.

CHRISTINE:

Well, I - I'm not going right now. I mean, I'm going later.

ANATOLE & RAOUL:

I'll wait.

ANATOLE:

(DISCOURAGED) Yes. Yes, we'll both wait.

MUSIC:

LIGHT TRANSITION

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) We were certain now that the murderer was Erique Claudin.

MUSIC:

SOLO PIANO PLAYS PART OF "LULLABY OF THE BELLS," IN BG

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) The plan I had worked out took me to the home of a great pianist and composer. On the night before we were to open, I went to see Franz Liszt.

MUSIC:

PIANO FINISHES

LISZT:

Ah, very nice. But do you really think this Claudin could be tempted to leave his hiding place and risk his life merely to hear his own concerto?

ANATOLE:

Played by Franz Liszt himself? Do you doubt it, Maestro? Now, my plan is for you to play the concerto between the second and third acts, and then when he--

LISZT:

Well, so many crimes have been committed in the name of music, it seems only fair to use it now to avert one. I am at your service, Monsieur.

ANATOLE:

Oh, thank you, Maestro.

LISZT:

Most exciting, this detective work. Most exciting.

ANATOLE:

Well, it's more than exciting to me. I have the honor of being suspected of the crime.

MUSIC:

TRANSITION ... THEN IN BG

CLAUDIN:

(ECHO) Gentlemen, I have been very patient. Now I learn that Christine DuBois will not sing. Gentlemen, if Madame Lorenzi sings in her place, you will be responsible! Two are dead now -- only two. There will be more, gentlemen -- many, many more.

MUSIC:

UP, FOR TRANSITION ... WHICH LEADS DIRECTLY TO AN OPERA SCENE (WRITTEN FOR THE FILM AND BASED ON THEMES BY TCHAIKOVSKY) ... ABOUT TEN SECONDS OF A MALE CHORUS SINGING LUSTILY ... THEN IN BG

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) Lorenzi sang that night. Through two acts we waited, and nothing happened. An old worker at the opera house thought he saw a figure on the catwalk leading to the dome of the theater. It was the old man's duty to light the monster chandelier, a great heavy thing of glass and bronze held in place by chains. When the police searched the catwalk high over the audience, there was no one there. We began to feel secure. Christine had come to the theater, but she was safe in her dressing room. When I entered from the wings at the finale of the second act, I was thinking only of the opera.

MUSIC:

MALE CHORUS UP ... THEN ABOUT THREE MINUTES OF THE OPERA ... SUNG BY ANATOLE, ACCOMPANIED BY CHORUS

ANATOLE:

(SINGS IN FRENCH)

MUSIC:

OPERA SCENE ENDS

SOUND:

OPERA AUDIENCE APPLAUDS ... THEN IN BG

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) And then it happened. I saw the great chandelier begin to sway, high above. It swung to and fro like a giant pendulum. Others had seen it, too. A woman in the audience screamed.

WOMAN:

(BLOODCURDLING SCREAM)

SOUND:

APPLAUSE ENDS AS CROWD MURMURS WITH CONFUSION AND FEAR ... THEN IN BG

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) There was no time to get out of the way. The audience below was frozen, staring up at the monster of glass and bronze. And then it came hurtling down through space.

WOMAN:

(BLOODCURDLING SCREAM)

SOUND:

GREAT CRASH OF METAL AND GLASS!

MUSIC:

BIG ACCENT/TRANSITION ... THEN OUT

SOUND:

CROWD MURMURS EXCITEDLY, IN BG

VILLENEUVE:

Get doctors! Doctors! Get every doctor you can find in Paris!

RAOUL:

Watch every entrance! Let no one in or out except doctors and the injured!

ANATOLE:

(CALLS) Christine?! Christine?! Where are you?!

RAOUL:

She's in her dressing room.

ANATOLE:

No, she's not in her dressing room. I've been there.

2ND STAGEHAND:

I saw her, Monsieur. She went down the steps.

ANATOLE:

You saw Christine DuBois?

MUSIC:

SNEAKS IN ... OMINOUS, IN BG

2ND STAGEHAND:

Yes, Monsieur. Yes, Monsieur, she was going down the steps, beneath the storeroom. I called to her, but she did not answer.

ANATOLE:

Which way are the steps?

2ND STAGEHAND:

Over there, Monsieur. And there was a man with her -- a man in a cloak, with a mask covering his face.

ANATOLE:

(REALIZES) It's Claudin. She's with Claudin. (CALLS) Christine?! (MOVING OFF, CALLS) Where are you?!

MUSIC:

UP, FOR CURTAIN

SOUND:

APPLAUSE

ANNOUNCER:

We pause now for station identification. This is the Columbia Broadcasting System.

MUSIC:

FILLS PAUSE FOR STATION IDENTIFICATION

ANNOUNCER:

After a brief intermission, Mr. DeMille presents Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, and Basil Rathbone, in Act Three of "The Phantom of the Opera." (BEAT) And now, our Hollywood reporter, Libby Collins, with a fashion tip.

LIBBY:

Why, Mr. Kennedy, I thought our listeners would be interested in this little example of resourcefulness on the part of one of our famous stars. Screen stars must look chic and glamorous always, you know, but they're subject to the same wartime limitations as the rest of us. Take hairpins, for instance.

ANNOUNCER:

Why, Libby, even a mere man has heard that hairpins are almost as scarce as nylon.

LIBBY:

Alas, that's true, Mr. Kennedy. But Ida Lupino found some wooden ones that were lacquered in bright colors. "Much too pretty to cover up," Ida thought. So she parted her hair in back, pulled it up on top of her head, and, on each side of the part, set a row of the colored pins, to make a crisscross pattern. Looks cute as could be, too.

ANNOUNCER:

That sounds like Ida, Libby. She's as smart and bright as quicksilver.

LIBBY:

Yes, Mr. Kennedy, and she darts around Hollywood almost as fast. She has to, what with her studio work and the hours of war work she puts in. Not much time for beauty care, either. That's why she depends more than ever on Lux Toilet Soap for complexion loveliness. "My daily Active Lather facials are such a wonderful beauty aid," she says.

ANNOUNCER:

Busy women everywhere find that's true, Libby. Those Lux Soap beauty facials take just a few minutes a day, yet the creamy lather gives skin gentle, thorough care it must have to be soft and lovely.

LIBBY:

Yes, a few minutes every day to smooth the rich lather in, and you can just feel your skin taking on new freshness and beauty. No wonder Lux Toilet Soap is the beauty soap of the stars.

ANNOUNCER:

Reason enough why every woman owes it to herself to try it. Lux Toilet Soap is as fine a soap as money can buy. It's hard-milled. That means it lasts and lasts. Each cake is satin-smooth and fine. And if your dealer is temporarily out of stock due to wartime conditions, please be patient. He'll have more very shortly. Remember, Lux Toilet Soap is worth waiting for. Start your Hollywood beauty care soon. (BEAT) Now, our producer, Mr. DeMille.

HOST:

There's always excitement backstage after an opening, and you're invited to join us for a chat with our stars when the curtain falls. But now, here's Act Three of "The Phantom of the Opera," starring Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, and Basil Rathbone, with Edgar Barrier.

MUSIC:

INTRODUCTION ... THEN BEHIND ANATOLE--

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) Christine had gone with Claudin. The chorus that night had worn masks, and D'Aubert had arranged for the police to wear masks, too, so they might mingle with the crowd backstage. That was the way Claudin had enticed her. Thinking he was one of D'Aubert's men who had come to protect her, Christine followed him down the steps to the cavernous cellars.

SOUND:

CLAUDIN AND CHRISTINE'S FOOTSTEPS, IN BG ... ECHO EFFECT ON EVERYTHING TO INDICATE WE ARE UNDERGROUND

CLAUDIN:

This way, Mademoiselle. Hold tight to my hand, the steps are quite steep.

CHRISTINE:

Are - are you one of the police? Where is Inspector D'Aubert?

CLAUDIN:

He's investigating the cause of the accident. I'll look after you.

CHRISTINE:

But why do we have to come down here?

CLAUDIN:

Why? Don't you like it down here? It's very lovely, once you get used to it.

CHRISTINE:

Wait, please.

CLAUDIN:

Yes?

SOUND:

THEIR STEPS STOP

CHRISTINE:

Let - let me see your face. Take off your mask.

CLAUDIN:

Oh, no, no. No, my dear, I must never do that. Never.

CHRISTINE:

You-- You're not one of the police! (BREATHES HEAVILY WITH FEAR, IN BG)

CLAUDIN:

Don't be frightened. I'll watch over you. I've always watched over you, Christine.

CHRISTINE:

(GASPS, SCREAMS WEAKLY ... KEEPS BREATHING HEAVILY WITH FEAR, IN BG)

CLAUDIN:

No! No. No, you must not do that. You'll stay here with me, child.

CHRISTINE:

No.

CLAUDIN:

Won't you?

CHRISTINE:

No.

CLAUDIN:

It's been so lonely without you. But you've come to me at last, haven't you?

CHRISTINE:

No.

CLAUDIN:

Sing to me and I'll play.

CHRISTINE:

No.

CLAUDIN:

We'll be together forever.

CHRISTINE:

No.

CLAUDIN:

It's beautiful down here.

CHRISTINE:

No.

CLAUDIN:

Beautiful. Come now, I'll show you. Come with me.

MUSIC:

OMINOUS TRANSITION

SOUND:

CLAUDIN AND CHRISTINE'S FOOTSTEPS ... THEN IN BG ... CHRISTINE IS STILL TERRIFIED, SOBBING WITH FEAR AND DISTRESS, IN BG

CLAUDIN:

This is the last turn. Just through the tunnel.

CHRISTINE:

(PLEADS) Monsieur--

CLAUDIN:

You're not frightened, are you?

CHRISTINE:

Monsieur--

CLAUDIN:

You know I'll not harm you, don't you? How could I harm you? I've always helped you, haven't I?

CHRISTINE:

(HUMORS HIM) Yes.

CLAUDIN:

Yes, what?

SOUND:

THEIR STEPS STOP

CHRISTINE:

You - you've helped me.

CLAUDIN:

Of course I have. Biancarolli knew. She wouldn't let you sing. She didn't know how much I love you. But now she knows. But it doesn't matter any more. Nothing matters, except you and me. Now you'll sing all you want to, but only for me. You will sing, and want to, won't you, my darling?

CHRISTINE:

(DESPERATELY) There - there's a piano in the opera foyer. We'll - we'll go up there, Monsieur. You can play and I'll sing for you.

CLAUDIN:

But you don't understand! We can't go back, ever. It was I who made the chandelier fall. I! For you, Christine.

CHRISTINE:

No.

CLAUDIN:

Though I warned them. I told them there'd be death and destruction if they wouldn't let you sing. Oh, come.

SOUND:

THEIR FOOTSTEPS RESUME, IN BG

CLAUDIN:

Come, my child. It isn't far now. Look, there. Look!

CHRISTINE:

(BRIEFLY IMPRESSED) Ohhhh. (CONTINUES SOBBING IN BG)

CLAUDIN:

Didn't I tell you it was beautiful here? You didn't know we had a lake all to ourselves. Look at your lake, Christine! You'll love it.

SOUND:

THEIR STEPS STOP ... LAP OF WATER, IN BG

CLAUDIN:

You'll love it when you get used to the dark. It's friendly and peaceful; brings rest and relief from pain. It's right under the opera house and the music comes down and the darkness distills it, cleanses it of the suffering that made it. Then it's all beauty, and life here is like a resurrection. I came here when my face was on fire. I found calmness in that dark water and comfort in the blackness over it. Then I heard you sing. I thought I'd died and that you'd come to me. Then the others sang and destroyed my heaven, so I destroyed them.

CHRISTINE:

You - you heard me? From here? (HER SOBBING SUBSIDES SOMEWHAT)

CLAUDIN:

Oh, yes. Why, this is my - my private auditorium. Strange air currents circle these passages; they catch the music as it flutters down like a living bird in a net. You can hear the opera almost as well as from the highest balcony. I heard it. Yes, just as I heard it when I first came to Paris. You're not afraid any more, are you? No, of course you're not. Then come with me; come.

MUSIC:

OMINOUS TRANSITION

SOUND:

FOOTSTEPS AND CHATTER OF POLICE AS THEY SEARCH UNDERGROUND FOR CHRISTINE (ECHO ON EVERYTHING) ... THEN IN BG

ANATOLE:

(CALLS) Christine?! Christine, where are you?!

RAOUL:

(CALLS) Gerard, bring a lantern here.

GERARD:

(OFF) Yes, Monsieur Inspector.

SOUND:

GERARD'S FOOTSTEPS APPROACH

GERARD:

(CLOSER) Here, Monsieur.

ANATOLE:

(CALLS) Christine!

RAOUL:

(TO GERARD) Come take these four men; search the passage to the left. Be careful now!

ANATOLE:

Do you have another lantern, Inspector?

RAOUL:

This is the only one left. You'd better stay with me.

SOUND:

POLICE NOISE FADES OUT, LEAVING ONLY ANATOLE AND RAOUL'S FOOTSTEPS, WHICH FILL A PAUSE, THEN COME TO A STOP

RAOUL:

We seem to have come to the end of the passage.

ANATOLE:

No, we haven't. Isn't that an opening in the wall there, to our left?

RAOUL:

Yes. Yes, it's a tunnel.

SOUND:

THEIR FOOTSTEPS RESUME

RAOUL:

Keep close to the wall, feel your way along.

ANATOLE:

There's just a narrow ledge. The sewer must run through here.

RAOUL:

There it is, just ahead of us.

SOUND:

LAP OF WATER, IN BG

ANATOLE:

Do you suppose he might have doubled back? He might be upstairs.

RAOUL:

Why should he be?

ANATOLE:

Liszt will be playing the concerto. He should be starting now.

RAOUL:

(DRY) Oh, yes, yes. That brilliant plan of yours. (CALLS) Christine!

ANATOLE:

Look out!

SOUND:

CRASH! OF CRUMBLING ROCK WALL ... ROCKS SPLASH INTO WATER ... LAP OF WATER, IN BG

RAOUL:

What happened?

ANATOLE:

I touched the side of the wall; the rock came away in my hand. The whole place down here's ready to crumble.

RAOUL:

Look. Look up there, just ahead.

ANATOLE:

Yeah. It looks almost like a lake.

RAOUL:

Hm. Come on.

MUSIC:

DURING ABOVE, SNEAKS IN ... EERIE, IN BG

RAOUL:

(CALLS) Christine!

ANATOLE:

(CALLS) Christine!

RAOUL:

(MOVING OFF, CALLS) Christine!

MUSIC:

UP, FOR BRIEF TRANSITION

CHRISTINE:

(STILL SOBBING, IN BG)

CLAUDIN:

You see, my child, this is my home: furniture from the storeroom, even a piano. Do you like it, my dear?

CHRISTINE:

Monsieur, please--

CLAUDIN:

Come, give me your cape, my child, and then I'll show you where you will sleep.

MUSIC:

FROM OFF, ORCHESTRA PLAYS CLAUDIN'S CONCERTO ("LULLABY OF THE BELLS") ... THEN IN BG

CLAUDIN:

(THUNDERSTRUCK) Listen! Do you hear? It's my concerto! They're playing my concerto! On the stage of the opera! My concerto! I'll play it, too; listen, child. It's for you! Yes, yes, for you!

MUSIC:

CLAUDIN'S MUCH CLOSER PIANO JOINS THE CONCERTO ... THEN IN BG

CLAUDIN:

Do you like it, my child? I wrote it only for you.

CHRISTINE:

Who are you?!

CLAUDIN:

Everything I have done has been for you. You understand that, don't you?

CHRISTINE:

Who are you?! Take off your mask!

CLAUDIN:

No, child, no. Listen to that music. Listen.

CHRISTINE:

(FRENZIED) Take off that mask or I'll take it off for you!

MUSIC:

DISCORDANT CHORDS ON CLAUDIN'S PIANO AS HE STOPS PLAYING ... CONCERTO CONTINUES IN BG

CHRISTINE:

(SCREAMS IN HORROR, THEN SOBS TEARFULLY, IN BG)

CLAUDIN:

Why did you do it?! Now you've seen my face! Well, look at it, look!

CHRISTINE:

No! No!

CLAUDIN:

You'll never live here now, will you? You'll hate me -- a loathsome creature; hateful, repulsive.

CHRISTINE:

No.

CLAUDIN:

And I wanted you to love me.

CHRISTINE:

Don't come near me!

CLAUDIN:

You see? You've spoiled everything.

CHRISTINE:

Go away from me! Go away!

SOUND:

DOOR BURSTS OPEN ... ANATOLE AND RAOUL'S STEPS IN

ANATOLE:

Christine!

RAOUL:

There he is. Get back, Christine! Stand back!

SOUND:

GUNSHOT!

CLAUDIN:

(DIABOLICAL LAUGHTER) You fools! You cannot kill me! Nothing can kill me!

SOUND:

OMINOUS RUMBLE OF CRUMBLING WALLS ABOUT TO COLLAPSE ... THEN IN BG

CHRISTINE:

Anatole! The walls! They're crumbling! They're going to fall!

ANATOLE:

Come over here, quick!

RAOUL:

Look out!

ANATOLE:

Get out in the passage! Under the archway in the passage!

CHRISTINE:

(BLOODCURDLING SCREAM)

SOUND:

MASSIVE CRASH AND RUMBLE OF WALLS COLLAPSING ... THEN REVERBERATION FADES ... THEN SILENCE EXCEPT FOR RAOUL, CHRISTINE, AND ANATOLE'S HEAVY COUGHING--

ANATOLE: Christine, are you all right?

CHRISTINE:

Yes.

ANATOLE:

Inspector?

RAOUL:

All right.

ANATOLE:

Claudin -- he's still in there under the rock.

RAOUL:

My shot must have started the cave-in.

ANATOLE:

Come, Christine, we'd better start back.

CHRISTINE:

But - but Claudin--

ANATOLE:

It's no use. It would take days to get him out. He's dead, Christine.

CHRISTINE:

(QUIETLY EMOTIONAL) It's - it's so strange. He said-- He said he wrote the concerto for me -- a song I've known since I was a child. Who was he?

ANATOLE:

He came from your district in Provence. Everybody there must have known that old folk song.

CHRISTINE:

He - he was almost a stranger to me, and yet, somehow I - I always felt drawn to him with - with a kind of pity and - and understanding.

ANATOLE:

His suffering and his madness will be forgotten. But his music, his concerto-- That will remain.

MUSIC:

BRIEF TRANSITION, WHICH QUOTES "LULLABY OF THE BELLS" ... THEN BEHIND ANATOLE--

ANATOLE:

(NARRATES) Christine went on to a great career and great fame. The night we sang together for the first time, the corridor outside of her dressing room was jammed with admirers. I had to force my way to her door.

SOUND:

CROWD MURMURS HAPPILY, IN BG

ANATOLE:

(PUSHES THROUGH CROWD) Excuse me. Excuse me. Thank you.

SOUND:

DOOR OPENS ... THEN CLOSES, SHUTTING OUT CROWD NOISE

CHRISTINE:

(SURPRISED) Anatole?!

ANATOLE:

Oh, you were magnificent, Christine -- incomparable, beautiful, a sensation!

CHRISTINE:

(LAUGHS) Is that all?

ANATOLE:

I've just begun. It would take days and years to tell you how wonderful you were. We're having supper tonight at the Café de l'Opéra.

CHRISTINE:

Well, I'm terribly sorry, Anatole, but - but I can't tonight.

ANATOLE:

Why not? Have you another engagement?

CHRISTINE:

Well, yes.

ANATOLE:

With whom?

RAOUL:

With me, Monsieur.

ANATOLE:

(REALIZES, UNHAPPY) Ohhhhh--

CHRISTINE:

(CHUCKLES)

ANATOLE:

That policeman?

RAOUL:

(CORRECTS HIM) Inspector of Police, Monsieur. How soon will you be ready, Christine? The carriage is waiting. I know Monsieur Garron will excuse me.

ANATOLE:

(DRY) How do you know?

CHRISTINE:

I have an idea. Why can't we three have supper together?

RAOUL:

(NO) Mm mm. I am not in the habit of taking baritones to supper. ...

ANATOLE:

And I don't care to be seen in public with the police.

RAOUL:

Christine, you'll have to make up your mind finally and irrevocably between the two of us.

ANATOLE:

Exactly.

CHRISTINE:

Very well. Will you gentlemen excuse me?

ANATOLE:

Of course.

CHRISTINE:

Thank you. Good night.

ANATOLE:

What?

SOUND:

DOOR OPENS, CROWD NOISE IN ... DOOR SHUTS, CROWD NOISE OUT

ANATOLE:

What did she mean, "good night"?

RAOUL:

Well, something tells me, Monsieur, that she has gone to meet her public.

ANATOLE:

Hmmm.

RAOUL:

Monsieur Garron, would you join me for a bit of supper at the Café de l'Opéra?

ANATOLE:

With pleasure, Monsieur.

RAOUL:

Think we can get through that crowd?

ANATOLE:

Certainly. After all, who'd pay any attention to a baritone and a detective?

RAOUL:

Quite right. Shall we go? Oh. (EXCESSIVELY POLITE) After you, Monsieur.

ANATOLE:

(THE SAME) Oh, no, after you, Monsieur.

SOUND:

DOOR OPENS, CROWD NOISE IN

MUSIC:

TOPS CROWD FOR CURTAIN, WHICH QUOTES "LULLABY OF THE BELLS"

SOUND:

APPLAUSE

HOST:

A new season of the Lux Radio Theatre has had a gala launching, and the first curtain calls of this season have been beautifully earned by Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, and Basil Rathbone.

EDDY:

Thank you, C. B. Our congratulations to you, on the beginning of the tenth year of this theater.

RATHBONE:

You remember what Tennyson wrote? "Men may come and men may go, but DeMille goes on forever." Or something like that. ...

FOSTER:

(CHUCKLES)

HOST:

Well, my recollection is it was a brook. But as long as we have stars like you three I'd like to go on forever.

FOSTER:

Let's hope Lux Soap does the same. You see, I really couldn't get along without it, Mr. DeMille. It's a wonderful complexion care.

HOST:

And Lux certainly cares for a lovely complexion in your case, Susanna.

FOSTER:

Thank you. Incidentally, Mr. DeMille, has Nelson told you about the chicken he has that lays the golden eggs?

HOST:

No, but I'd like about a dozen.

EDDY:

That'll be a hundred and twenty dollars, please.

RATHBONE:

That's pretty high for just ordinary old golden eggs, isn't it? Er, what kind of hens are these?

EDDY:

Houdans.

HOST:

Who what?

EDDY:

Houdans. They're a rather scarce breed. Someone gave me two hens and a rooster, and now they're all over the place. ...

FOSTER:

(CHUCKLES) Well, if the eggs are worth ten dollars apiece, doesn't it kind of choke you to eat one for breakfast?

EDDY:

Eat them? Say, the hens won't let an egg out of their sight. They want to set right away.

HOST:

Well, I hardly blame them. At that price, even a radio comedian wouldn't mind laying an egg. ... Where'd the hens come from, Nelson?

EDDY:

Somewhere around New Orleans. I plan to crossbreed the Houdans with my New Hampshire Reds and see what happens.

RATHBONE:

And when you become the Houdini of the Houdans I suppose you'll give up singing.

EDDY:

Well, the way those hens are eating now, I'm going to have to sing loud and often. ... What's your play next week, C. B.?

HOST:

Well, it's a drama of adventure in the air -- the RKO screen play, "Flight for Freedom" -- and our stars will be Rosalind Russell, George Brent, and Chester Morris. ... Rosalind Russell played the same part on the screen with brilliant success. A world-famous woman flyer, whose career comes to a climax in a mysterious trip across the Pacific. So don't miss "Flight for Freedom," with the takeoff at our usual time next Monday.

EDDY:

Sounds like a direct hit, C. B. Good night.

HOST:

Good night.

FOSTER:

Good night.

RATHBONE:

Good night.

SOUND:

APPLAUSE

HOST:

You made music at the box office tonight.

MUSIC:

THEME ... THEN IN BG

HOST:

Our sponsors, the makers of Lux Toilet Soap, join me in inviting you to be with us again next Monday night, when the Lux Radio Theatre presents Rosalind Russell, George Brent, and Chester Morris in "Flight for Freedom." This is Cecil B. DeMille saying good night to you from Hollywood.

SOUND:

APPLAUSE

ANNOUNCER:

The Universal screen production of "The Phantom of the Opera," in Technicolor, starring Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, and Claude Rains, with Edgar Barrier, will have its New York premiere on October fourteenth. Basil Rathbone appeared tonight through the courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio. Our music was directed by Louis Silvers and this is your announcer, John M. Kennedy, reminding you to tune in next Monday night to hear Rosalind Russell, George Brent, and Chester Morris in "Flight for Freedom."

SOUND:

APPLAUSE BRIEFLY ... THEN ABRUPT FADE OUT

2ND ANNCR:

Food shortages need not deprive your family of their vitamins and minerals. Just get Vimms. They're new and different. Vimms are pleasant to taste, whether chewed or swallowed whole. Vimms give you all the vitamins government experts say are essential, balanced in the formula doctors endorse. Three vital minerals, too. Get Vimms from your druggist, the qualified vitamin dealer. V-I for vitamins. Double M-S for minerals. Get that Vimms feeling! This is the Columbia Broadcasting System.