MFX:

ORGAN ... FOR A BRIEF INTRO, THEN ACCOMPANIES SINGER--

SINGER:

(SINGS) Who's that little chatter box?
The one with pretty auburn locks?
Whom do you see?
It's Little Orphan Annie.

She and Sandy make a pair,
They never seem to have a care!
Cute little she,
This Little Orphan Annie.

Bright eyes, cheeks a rosy glow,
There's a store of healthiness handy.
Mite-size, always on the go,
If you want to know--
"Arf", says Sandy!

Always wears a sunny smile,
Now, wouldn't it be worth the while,
If you could be
Like Little Orphan Annie?

MFX:

ORGAN CONTINUES IN BG ... FADES OUT AT [X]

ANNOUNCER:

(JOVIAL) Here it is! Five forty-five on Orphan Annie's birthday, and so far, Annie hasn't the slightest suspicion of the big surprise party we're going to have on her tonight.

(HARD SELL) But first! [X] Attention, everybody, please, because tonight's the night when you're going to hear all about the big surprise that's coming for you! Yes, sir! The most beautiful and thrilling surprise Annie's ever had for her radio friends. Something absolutely new and different from anything you've ever heard over the radio before! So get your pencil and paper quick so you don't miss a single word of the big news I'll be telling you the very minute the adventure's over tonight.

(JOVIAL AGAIN) But now for Annie's big surprise party. You remember Joe is keeping Annie away from the farm so she won't catch on, and all Annie's school friends have arrived for the party already.

BIZ:

CHILDREN CHATTER NOISILY AND RUN ABOUT ... CONTINUES IN BG

ANNOUNCER:

You can hear the noise they're making in the Silo kitchen, running around Mr. and Mrs. Silo, and, listen, there's Potato Face talking now.

POTATO FACE:

Hey, Squinty! Look at my new [scarf?]!

SQUINTY:

I saw it in school today. It looks like a checkerboard!

MRS. SILO:

I declare to goodness! Not so much noise! Not so much noise!

MR. SILO:

(CHUCKLES) If Annie's anywhere within a mile of the house, she can hear the lot of ya, most likely.

GIRL 1:

When's she coming, Mrs. Silo?

GIRL 2:

Yes, Mrs. Silo, when will she be here?

MRS. SILO:

Are all the children here?

GIRL 1:

Yes, ma'am, everybody from school! The only one that wouldn't come was Mike Gool.

MRS. SILO:

He didn't come, eh?

JIMMY:

Aw, he's just a sore head!

POTATO FACE:

Joe Corncast and I had to give him a good lickin' today so he wouldn't give the secret away to Annie.

MRS. SILO:

I declare to goodness!

GIRL 1:

It served him right!

GIRL 2:

When's Annie coming, Mrs. Silo?

MRS. SILO:

Well, Joe promised to have her here by twenty minutes to four.

GIRL 1:

Oooh! It's almost twenty minutes to four now!

MRS. SILO:

Yes indeedy, I know it is!

POTATO FACE:

Hey, Jimmy! Take a look out at the window! See if you can see Joe and Annie comin'!

JIMMY:

Okay!

MRS. SILO:

Now you children can all hide in the parlor, and when you hear Annie and Joe inside, you can come runnin' out and holler "Surprise!"

GIRL 2:

All right, Mrs. Silo.

JIMMY:

Hey, get ready everybody! Here they come!

MR. SILO:

Sure enough! Get under cover there, everybody!

BIZ:

CHILDREN CHATTER EVEN MORE NOISILY AND RUN ABOUT

MRS. SILO:

I declare to goodness! Hide, all of you, hide! Hurry up! Hurry up!

MR. SILO:

Yes indeedy, get hidden, you children!

BIZ:

DURING ABOVE CHILDREN HIDE ("Hurry up!" "Sssshhh!" "Be quiet.") AND FALL SILENT

MR. SILO:

(BEAT, QUIETLY AMUSED) Heh heh heh heh. Looks like we're all ready now, Ma.

MRS. SILO:

Pa! That tablecloth! Pull it straight! All the presents are hidden there. She'll see them when she comes in!

MR. SILO:

Sure, sure, Ma, sure.

MRS. SILO:

Quick, quick, we don't want her to suspect anything! Oh, my goodness, whose hat is that over there on the windowsill?! Throw that in the bedroom, Pa! Annie's got sharp eyes. She'd notice if there was anything wrong.

MR. SILO:

Oh, I'll get it, Ma.

MRS. SILO:

(SIGHS, CALMS DOWN) There, now I - I think everything's all right.

SFX:

JOE AND ANNIE'S FOOTSTEPS ON PORCH

MR. SILO:

Just in time, too, Ma. There are the youngins comin' now!

MRS. SILO:

Sure enough.

SFX:

DOOR OPENS ... THEN SHUTS BEHIND--

JOE:

Aw, gosh, Annie, I'm sorry I couldn't find it.

ANNIE:

Oh, I'll bet there never was a beaver there.

JOE:

Honest, there was, Annie. Peter and Paul told me. They said they saw him startin' to build his house. We just didn't look in the right place, that's all.

MR. SILO:

What's the matter there, you youngins?

JOE:

Aw, I was gonna show Annie a place where a beaver's buildin' his house, and when we went over there, we couldn't find it.

ANNIE:

Mrs. Silo?

MRS. SILO:

(JUMPY) Uh-- Uh-- What's the matter, Annie?

ANNIE:

Leapin' lizards! What's the matter with ya?

MRS. SILO:

(UNCONVINCING) Me? Why, there's nothin' wrong with me!

BIZ:

CHILDREN EMERGE FROM HIDING

ANNIE:

What's that?!

CHILDREN:

Surprise! Surprise, Annie! Surprise!

ANNIE:

Leaping lizards! Golly! Jumpin' grasshoppers!

CHILDREN:

Happy birthday! (ET CETERA)

MRS. SILO:

Now, children -- all together!

CHILDREN:

(SING) Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday, dear Annie!
Happy birthday to you!

BIZ:

CHILDREN LAUGH AND CHATTER

GIRL 1:

Happy birthday, Annie!

ANNIE:

Leapin' lizards! I - I don't know what to say!

SQUINTY:

Hey, hey, how about poundin' on her back?!

POTATO FACE:

A [tag?] for every year!

CHILDREN:

(AGREEABLE) All right! (ET CETERA)

ANNIE:

No, no! You can't all pound on me! You'll break my back! Nothin' doin'!

MRS. SILO:

Reach under the table there, Pa, and get out the presents!

BIZ:

CHILDREN AGREE ENTHUSIASTICALLY

ANNIE:

Jumpin' grasshoppers! Are there presents too?

JOE:

Course there are! This is a regular party!

CHILDREN:

Hooray for Annie! Hooray!

MRS. SILO:

That's right, Pa. Put 'em right up here on the table.

ANNIE:

Sufferin' mackerels! Are those all for me?!

BIZ:

CHILDREN SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT

ANNIE:

Golly, I never had a birthday party like this in all my life!

MRS. SILO:

Well, for mercy's sakes, Annie, start openin' 'em up and see what's inside of 'em! (LAUGHS) I'm as anxious to see what they are myself! Uh, look at this one here with the foreign-lookin' paper around it, and those funny postage stamps.

JIMMY:

Oh, I know what those are! I save stamps. Those are Chinese stamps!

BIZ:

CHILDREN MURMUR EXCITEDLY

ANNIE:

Now, who could this be from? Oh, golly! Look, it's from [Mott Gee?]! There's his name up there in the corner.

CHILDREN:

Who's he? [Mott Gee?]?! Who is he?

ANNIE:

Oh, he was a real nice Chinaman that Joe and I met over in China.

CHILDREN:

Ohhhh.

ANNIE:

Now, how do you suppose he found out when my birthday was?

MRS. SILO:

Well, what is it, Annie?

BIZ:

CHILDREN GASP, AND OOH! AND AHH!

MRS. SILO:

Oh, my goodness! It's a beautiful silk kimono!

GIRL 1:

That's beautiful, Annie!

GIRL 2:

Yes! Isn't it grand?

ANNIE:

Gee! That was nice of Mott Gee. Hey, Joe, help me open some of these. It'll take me all day to open 'em all!

JOE:

Sure, Annie. Look here, here's one from Mr. Montague.

ANNIE:

Well, open it up and see what that is.

JOE:

Oh, gosh, Annie, here's one I'll bet you'll want to open yourself.

ANNIE:

What is it?

JOE:

Here, it's just a little package.

MRS. SILO:

Who's it from, Annie?

GIRL 2:

Yeah, who's it from, Annie?

ANNIE:

It's from Daddy Warbucks!

BIZ:

CHILDREN GASP, AND OOH! AND AHH!

MRS. SILO:

I declare to goodness!

ANNIE:

Look at the stamps on it! It's from some foreign place, too!

JIMMY:

Let me see 'em, Annie. Oh, gosh, those are from Czechoslovakia!

GIRL 2:

Czechoslovakia?! Where's that?!

JIMMY:

That's a country in the middle of Europe!

MRS. SILO:

Open it up and see what it is, Annie. See what Mr. Warbucks sent ya.

ANNIE:

I am, Mrs. Silo.

SFX:

PAPER UNWRAPPED

ANNIE:

Oh, here's a box!

MR. SILO:

Oh, it must be inside there!

ANNIE:

No, there's more paper in here.

SFX:

PAPER CRUMPLED

ANNIE:

Oh, golly! There's a little box inside all this paper! I can feel it!

MRS. SILO:

Well, get it open, Annie. See what it is.

SFX:

PAPER UNWRAPPED

ANNIE:

Here it is, Mrs. Silo!

MRS. SILO:

I declare! A little box like that? Why, it looks to me like jewelry. See what's in it, Annie.

ANNIE:

Leapin' lizards! Look! It's a ring!

CHILDREN:

(MURMURING EXCITEDLY) A ring! Gee!

MRS. SILO:

Well, for mercy's sake! Isn't that a beauty? Come here and look at it, Pa. Take it out and put it on.

ANNIE:

It's got a beautiful big stone in it, too!

GIRL 1:

Gee, that's a grand ring!

ANNIE:

How does that look? Just look at the way that stone shines and sparkles!

MRS. SILO:

Oh, that's beautiful.

BIZ:

CHILDREN MURMUR AGREEMENT

GIRL 2:

Oh, I wish I had one like that.

MR. SILO:

Here, look. Look, Annie. Why, there's printin' on the ring, right next to the stone here. (BEAT) Hm! I thought so. See what it says here? It's got October on one side of it and - and the word "HOPE" on the other side. Hope's the birthday sentiment for October.

MRS. SILO:

Let me see, Pa.

MR. SILO:

And that rose-colored stone in there must be your birthstone, Annie. Sure, that's what it is. That's a rose zircon. And it's a beauty, too! That's the birthstone of October -- (CHUCKLES) I remember all of 'em.

ANNIE:

Leapin' lizards! That makes it my own personal birthday ring! Daddy's a peach to send me such a swell present!

MRS. SILO:

(CHUCKLES) He certainly is! And now -- let's see what else you got.

SFX:

TRANSITIONAL PAUSE

ANNOUNCER:

(JOVIAL) Hey, wasn't that a grand surprise for Annie? And did you ever hear of such a keen birthday present as the beautiful ring she got from Daddy Warbucks?

(HARD SELL) But now -- attention, everybody, please! Here's the big news of the big surprise that Orphan Annie has for you! Because now we are going to give every one of you boys and girls a chance to get a birthday ring just like Annie's! A ring with your own birthstone in it! So it'll be your very own personal birthday ring! And, believe me, it's a beauty! Perhaps one of the most expensive-looking rings you've ever seen! Absolutely different from any ring offerred on the radio before! Now, just listen to how different it is!

First of all, this birthday ring Annie will send you is a genuine gold-plated ring! Yes, sir, it's finished in genuine twenty-four-karat gold plate! And, on top of that, it has a special rose-gold finish -- just like they're putting on some of the finest gold jewelry these days! Another thing, this Orphan Annie birthday ring is a big ring -- like the ones your mother and father wear! It's five-eighths of an inch across the front, and made up in a very stylish modernistic design, like the most expensive rings! And, what's more, this Orphan Annie birthday ring is an automatic fitting ring! So no matter how big or small your finger is, it will fit you exactly right.

(CHUCKLES) Didn't I tell you it was going to be a big surprise? Oh, but that's only the beginning! Here's the biggest thrill of all! Just wait till you see the beautiful birthstone that's set in this ring! It's a handmade, simulated birthstone, actually imported from Europe! Just like the stone that Daddy Warbucks sent to Annie. And your birthstone will just twinkle and shine and sparkle like everything because -- it's a big birthstone, and has forty-two facets, or sides, to reflect the light! -- just like a real jewel does. And your stone's set up high -- in a specially-designed modernistic setting -- where everybody can see it sparkling and shining when you wear it!

Now, just think of that! And, best of all, the ring you get will have your own particular birthstone in it -- because there are twelve different stones, a different stone for each month! For example, if your birthday comes in October, the same as Annie's, you'd get a beautiful simulated rose zircon in your ring! And the birthstone for November, the brilliant golden sapphire! Or, if you were born in September, you'd get a simulated sparkling blue sapphire as the birthstone in your ring! So, you see, there's an entirely different birthstone for every single month of the year! And Annie will see that you get the right birthstone for your birthday, to make it your very own personal birthday ring! Can't you just see how proud you'll be of that because your ring will be different from all your friends, unless they happen to have a birthday in the same month as yours!

And listen to what else Annie puts on this ring for you! Right next to the stone -- where everybody can see it -- it shows the month you were born in, spelled out right in the middle! And, on the other side of the stone, in the same way, it tells the sentiment that goes with your birth month! A different word for each one of the twelve months! For example, if your birthday comes in October, like Annie's does, your ring will say "October" right next to the stone, and on the other side of the stone, it will say "Hope," because that's the special birthday sentiment for October!

Boy, oh, boy, did you ever dream of having a big shiny gold-plated birthday ring like that for your very own?! You know, some rings that we've seen in the stores, with imported birthstones just like these, have sold for as much as two to four dollars! But you can't buy rings like these Orphan Annie birthday rings anywhere because they've been made up specially for Annie's radio friends -- you boys and girls who drink your Ovaltine regularly! And you can get this ring for only ten cents -- and one Ovaltine aluminum seal! Just think of getting a bargain like that! So send in right away!

And now, listen close, because I'm going to tell you exactly how to get one of these beautiful gold-plated rings with your very own birthstone in it. Now, here's all you have to do.

Just print your name and address plainly on a piece of paper. Next, put down your birthday month -- the exact month in which you were born! Now, that's very important so Annie will know what kind of a birthstone ring to send you. Then, just mail it in, together with all of the thin round aluminum seal from underneath the lid of a can of Ovaltine, and also ten cents in coin. Mail it to Little Orphan Annie, Chicago, Illinois. Or, if you live in Canada, mail it to Ovaltine, Peterborough, Ontario. That's all you do.

So, remember, you put three things in the envelope when you send in for your birthday ring. First, you put in a piece of paper showing your name, address and the month of your birthday. Second, you put in an Ovaltine aluminum seal. And third, you put in ten cents in coin. And then, just mail the whole thing in to Little Orphan Annie, Chicago, Illinois.

And say! I'll bet boys and girls everywhere will be sending in for their rings this very night! And you certainly want to be the very first of all your friends to wear one of these birthday rings! Remember, you don't have to wait for your birthday to come around! You can send in right away! -- so you can begin wearing your ring in a short time.

So ask your mother to get you a can of Ovaltine at her drug or grocery store because, even if you have some at home now, you'll be needing another can pretty soon anyway! And then, as soon as you get it, just take out all of that thin round aluminum seal, put it in an envelope, together with ten cents in coin, and a piece of paper, printed plainly, with your name and address, showing also the exact month in which you were born -- then mail the whole thing in to Little Orphan Annie, Chicago, Illinois. Or, if you live in Canada, mail it to Ovaltine, Peterborough, Ontario. And then Annie will send you your genuine gold-plated birthday ring! -- with your own beautiful imported simulated birthstone in it, just as fast as she can. So get busy right now and, don't forget, be here right on time Monday at five forty-five to hear the exciting things that will be happening to Annie next.

We'll see you Monday at five forty-five, then! Goodbye.

MFX:

ORGAN ... FOR A FINISH ... THEN PLAYS OUT