ANNOUNCER:
And now MY LITTLE MARGIE, starring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell.
SOUND:
APPLAUSE
MUSIC:
THEME ... THEN BEHIND ANNOUNCER--
ANNOUNCER:
Well, once again the jolly Yuletide season is here and the spirit of Christmas spreads its gaiety and warmth across the land. In the Albright apartment, Margie's father checks over his Christmas list.
VERN:
Ah, let's see now. Aunt Edith, a watch; Uncle Ernest, handkerchiefs. Now what about your Christmas list, Margie?
MARGIE:
Well, I didn't save too much money this year, so last night I sat down to write a list of all the things I could afford to buy. I had a blank sheet of paper in front of me. ...
VERN:
And how did you come out?
MARGIE:
Looks like it's gonna be a white Christmas. ... Gee, and I had my heart set on buying you a real expensive gift.
VERN:
Oh, that's all right, Margie. I'll be just as happy to get a present that costs practically nothing.
MARGIE:
I don't have enough money to buy you one of those, either! ...
VERN:
By the way, what are you gonna give Freddie?
MARGIE:
I'll give you a hint. It's wool, and I knitted it myself, and it goes over the head, and has three arm holes. ...
VERN:
Three arm holes?
MARGIE:
Yeah, I must have made a slight mistake somewhere along the line. ...
VERN:
It sounds like you dropped a couple of stitches and forgot to pick them up.
MARGIE:
Anyway, it'll be a perfect fit for Freddie.
VERN:
(CHUCKLES) Has Freddie got three arms?
MARGIE:
Well, the last time I went out with him, it seemed like he had a dozen. ... What are you gonna get me, dad?
VERN:
Oh, I don't know yet. I'll have to do some last-minute shopping. But I can assure you it will be something nice.
MARGIE:
And expensive?
VERN:
Never mind.
SOUND:
DOORBELL BUZZES
MARGIE:
(CALLS) Come in!
SOUND:
DOOR OPENS
FREDDIE:
Hi, Margie; Mr. Albright! Happy Yuletide!
MARGIE:
Well, hi, there, Freddie.
VERN:
Hello, Freddie.
FREDDIE:
(OVERLY ENTHUSIASTIC) Say, Mr. Albright, you look great! You've got that glow of youth in your cheeks! Why, you look twenty years younger!
VERN:
Freddie, are you building up for a touch? ...
FREDDIE:
(DEFLATED) How'd you know? ...
VERN:
I can see right through you.
FREDDIE:
Oh, well, that's because I've got an empty stomach. ... I haven't eaten all day; I was too busy shopping for Christmas.
MARGIE:
Freddie, did you get anything to go in my stockings?
FREDDIE:
What for? I'm satisfied with what's in 'em now! (LAUGHS) ...
VERN:
Do you mean to say that you didn't get Margie anything?
FREDDIE:
I was only teasin' about not gettin' you a present, Margie. But I do want to be practical about it. Before I buy anything I'd like to find out what you want.
MARGIE:
Oh, well, as long as you've asked me. Let's see now. Oh, I know. I could use a pair of mules!
FREDDIE:
Mules?
MARGIE:
Yes.
FREDDIE:
How about a pair of horses? ...
VERN:
Oh, that's silly. Now, what would Margie want with a pair of horses?
FREDDIE:
What would she want with a pair of mules?
MARGIE:
Well, there are plenty of uses.
FREDDIE:
Name one.
MARGIE:
Well, for example, it's late at night, maybe I'm reading in bed and I decide I want a sandwich.
FREDDIE:
Sandwich?
VERN:
Yes, so she goes out to the kitchen.
MARGIE:
That's where the mules come in. ...
FREDDIE:
(CONFUSED) You mean you fix a mule sandwich? ...
MARGIE:
Of course not. I use the mules to go from my bedroom to the kitchen! ...
FREDDIE:
You go by mule?! ...
MARGIE:
You could say that. I keep the mules under my bed.
FREDDIE:
Under your bed?! ...
MARGIE:
Freddie, what's wrong with you?
FREDDIE:
What's wrong with me?! You keep mules under your bed and you want to know what's wrong with me?! ...
VERN:
Freddie! Freddie, do you mean to say that you don't know that mules are women's slippers?
FREDDIE:
(PAUSE) Ohhhhh, those kind of mules. ...
MARGIE:
Did you think we meant--? (GIGGLES, MERRILY) Freddie, you're impossible!
FREDDIE:
(FORCED CHUCKLE, UNCONVINCING) I was only kidding. I - I knew it all the time. ...
VERN:
(UNCONVINCED) I wonder.
MRS. O:
(ENTERS) [?], everybody! Merry Christmas!
VERN, MARGIE & FREDDIE:
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas, Mrs. Odetts! (ET CETERA)
MRS. O:
Ooooh, I'm so excited! A girlfriend of mine called me and invited me to a Christmas cocktail party this afternoon!
MARGIE:
Well, that's nice.
MRS. O:
Oh, she's going to introduce me to two charming gentlemen. She said their names were Tom and Jerry. ...
VERN:
Well, have a nice time, Mrs. Odetts.
MRS. O:
Thank you. Oh, and, Margie, could I borrow your backless strapless cocktail gown?
VERN:
Mrs. Odetts, how can you wear Margie's gown? You're much heavier.
MARGIE:
It'd be skintight on you.
VERN:
It'll be pretty slinky.
MARGIE:
I say it'll be slinky! One good slink and you'll be slunk! ...
FREDDIE:
Yeah, you'd better think before you slink! ...
MRS. O:
Oh, well, you know me. I like to live dangerously! ... Oh, Mr. Albright, before I forget, here's your Christmas present. Put it under the tree.
VERN:
Oh, thanks, Mrs. Odetts, I-- Hey. Hey, wait a minute. This package is marked "Do not open until New Year's."
MRS. O:
Well, it's such a miserable present I didn't want to spoil your Christmas. ... Oh, what a Christmas I had one year! My sixth husband was so thoughtful. He showed me a picture of a gorgeous full-length mink coat and asked me if I'd like it.
VERN:
And is that what he gave you?
MRS. O:
Yes! A picture of a mink coat! ... (WITH DISAPPROVAL) And I had to buy the frame myself! ...
SOUND:
DOORBELL BUZZES
MARGIE:
(CALLS) Come in!
SOUND:
DOOR OPENS
TIMMY:
Hello, Miss Albright!
MARGIE:
Oh, it's Timmy the newsboy!
TIMMY:
I brought your afternoon paper.
MARGIE:
Well, thank you, Timmy.
TIMMY:
Well, so long, and Merry Christmas!
VERN:
Oh, wait a minute, Timmy. Here's something for you for Christmas.
TIMMY:
Oh, gee! A brand-new five-dollar bill! Aw, thank you, Mr. Albright. Now I'll be able to buy mom a Christmas present.
MARGIE:
Well, what is Santa Claus going to bring you, Timmy?
TIMMY:
Oh, well, Santa Claus hardly ever comes to our neighborhood.
MARGIE:
Why not?
TIMMY:
It's too poor. I wish I could see Santa Claus sometime. I'd like to ask him a question.
VERN:
Oh, what's that?
TIMMY:
Well, when he goes to sleep, does he sleep with his beard inside the covers or out? ...
MARGIE:
(AMUSED) I'll ask him for you, Timmy.
TIMMY:
Aw, gee, thanks. Well, so long, everybody! Merry Christmas!
ALL:
Merry Christmas, Timmy!
SOUND:
DOOR CLOSES
MRS. O:
Poor kid. It's a shame. Christmas and no presents.
MARGIE:
Yeah.
VERN:
It certainly is a shame. Christmas was meant for kids.
MARGIE:
Dad? As long as you haven't bought my present yet, I'd just as soon skip it. Let's take the money you were going to spend on me and buy toys for the kids in Timmy's neighborhood.
VERN:
Well, Margie, if you feel that way about it, I'll double what I was going to spend.
MARGIE:
(SIGHS HAPPILY)
MRS. O:
I'd like to contribute something, too. Here.
FREDDIE:
Me, too. Here.
MARGIE:
Oh, thanks. Well, come on, dad. Let's go shopping before the stores close.
VERN:
All right. I have to stop at the office first to see Mr. Honeywell. Oh, I feel good about this because I know just how those kids feel. I was poor once, you know.
FREDDIE:
You were?
VERN:
Yes, I remember one Christmas I wanted a new sled and my father told me if I wanted it, I'd have to go out and earn the money for it myself.
MRS. O:
It must have been hard for him to tell you that.
VERN:
Oh, no. I was twenty years old at the time. ...
MUSIC:
BRIDGE
HONEYWELL:
(GIVING A SPEECH) And so, my faithful employees, on this Christmas holiday, I--
SOUND:
OFFICE DOOR OPENS
VERN:
Hello, Mr. Honeywell.
HONEYWELL:
Oh, hello, Albright; Margie.
SOUND:
OFFICE DOOR CLOSES
MARGIE:
Mr. Honeywell, who were you just talking to as we came in?
HONEYWELL:
Talking? Oh! Oh, I was just rehearsing my Christmas speech.
MARGIE:
Christmas speech?
VERN:
Oh, yes. Yes, every year Mr. Honeywell gives a lovely speech to all the employees.
HONEYWELL:
I hope the employees like it. I want the people who work for me to love me.
VERN:
Oh ho, they do. You know that picture of you that's hanging in the outer office?
HONEYWELL:
What about it?
VERN:
Well, they hung a piece of mistletoe over it.
HONEYWELL:
(PLEASED) They did? Well, well, well!
MARGIE:
Yeah, and I think the switchboard operator kissed your picture.
HONEYWELL:
Oh? What makes you think so?
MARGIE:
Well, when we came in, she was looking at it and I heard her say, "What a kisser!" ...
VERN:
Oh, Mr. Honeywell, I hope you don't mind if I take the rest of the day off. Margie and I are going shopping for some toys for the poor kids we know.
HONEYWELL:
No, not at all, not at all.
SOUND:
KNOCKING AT DOOR
HONEYWELL:
Er, come in!
SOUND:
OFFICE DOOR OPENS
RONALD:
Hello, Uncle George!
HONEYWELL:
Oh, hello, Ronald. Albright, Margie -- this is my nephew Ronald Weatherby the Third. He's my sister's boy.
MARGIE:
How do you do, Ronald?
VERN:
Hello, Ronald.
HONEYWELL:
Yes, Ronald's my only nephew. Say, Albright, why don't you take Ronald shopping with you? He might want to pick up a few things. Charge it to my account.
VERN:
Oh, we'd be glad to take Ronald along.
MARGIE:
'Course!
SOUND:
PHONE RINGS ... RECEIVER UP
HONEYWELL:
(INTO PHONE) Hello? -- Oh, I'll be right out.
SOUND:
RECEIVER DOWN
HONEYWELL:
Excuse me, folks. (MOVING OFF) Have a nice shopping spree, Ronald.
RONALD:
I will, Uncle George.
SOUND:
OFFICE DOOR SHUTS AS HONEYWELL EXITS
MARGIE:
Well, now, Ronald -- have you decided what you want to get? How many kids do you have on your Christmas list?
RONALD:
One. Me. ... Any other silly questions? ...
VERN:
But, Ronald, what are you going to do about your father and mother?
RONALD:
What can I do? I'm stuck with 'em! ...
MARGIE:
If this kid is a bundle from heaven, they're gonna lose a lot of customers up there.
VERN:
Ronald, don't you have any friends that you want to play Santa Claus to?
RONALD:
What's with this Santa Claus stuff? That's for squares!
MARGIE:
Well, I can see we're going to have a pleasant afternoon. Come on, let's go.
MUSIC:
BRIDGE
SOUND:
DEPARTMENT STORE BACKGROUND (MURMUR OF CROWD, CHIME OF ELEVATORS, ET CETERA)
MARGIE:
Hey, Ronald -- look at all the nice toys in this store.
RONALD:
(DISMISSIVE) It's a bunch of junk. There's nothin' in this store that I haven't already got at home, and better!
MARGIE:
Oh, we know a lot of poor kids who would love some of these toys. How would you like to buy some for them?
VERN:
If you did, Ronald, you'd be like a little Santa Claus to them.
RONALD:
Again with the Santa Claus stuff. Why don't you two grow up? I wish I could decide what to buy for myself.
MARGIE:
How about a new set of teeth?
RONALD:
I've got a perfectly good set of teeth.
MARGIE:
I know, but at the rate you're going, you won't have them very long. ...
VERN:
Oh, Ronald, how about this little chemistry set here? It's guaranteed.
RONALD:
To do what?
VERN:
To blow up. ...
RONALD:
But I might get hurt.
VERN:
(THOUGHTFUL) Yeah, yeah, you might at that. How about the giant set? ...
RONALD:
Oh, boy! Look! A BB gun!
MARGIE:
Hey, Ronald, be careful where you aim that thing.
SOUND:
GUN COCKED AND FIRED! ... BULLET RICOCHETS!
MARGIE:
(DISMAYED) Oh, I told you to be careful where you aimed it! You hit the showcase!
RONALD:
I was careful. That's what I aimed it at! ...
VERN:
Who's going to pay for that damage?!
RONALD:
My rich uncle -- who else? (MOVING OFF) I'll go tell the clerk, the jerk. ...
VERN:
What a brat! I can't stand that kid, can you, Margie?
MARGIE:
Oh, I feel sorry for him. A kid who doesn't believe in Santa Claus is missing one of the greatest joys in life.
RONALD:
(OFF) Hey, Mr. Albright, turn around!
VERN:
Ronald, put down that water pistol! You might get somebody wet.
RONALD:
Aw, there's no water in it.
VERN:
Well, just the same I think you'd better let me have it.
RONALD:
Okay, I'll let you have it.
SOUND:
WHOOSH! OF WATER PISTOL
VERN:
... You - you got it all over my face! I - I thought you said there was no water in it!
RONALD:
There wasn't. I filled it with ink! (LAUGHS HEARTILY) ...
MARGIE:
(INHALES, FURIOUS) This is too much! Ronald, what you need is a good spanking, and I'm going to give it to you!
SOUND:
MARGIE SPANKS RONALD RAPIDLY BEHIND--
RONALD:
Ow! Ow! Say, lemme go! Ow! Ow! (WEEPS)
MARGIE:
There! Maybe that'll teach you a lesson!
RONALD:
I'm gonna tell my uncle about this! And you know what he'll do? (MOVING OFF) He'll fire your father, you wait and see!
MARGIE:
(BEAT) Gee, dad, I'm sorry if Mr. Honeywell takes it out on you, but I - I just couldn't help myself.
VERN:
I don't care what Honeywell does. That kid deserved a good spanking.
MARGIE:
Oh, what a spoiled brat!
VERN:
Spoiled? That kid is so moldy, he's ready to be made into penicillin. ...
SOUND:
APPLAUSE
MUSIC:
FIRST ACT CURTAIN
[COMMERCIAL OMITTED]
MUSIC:
SECOND ACT INTRO ... THEN BEHIND ANNOUNCER--
ANNOUNCER:
And now back to MY LITTLE MARGIE. Well, Margie and her father had a pretty rough time with Mr. Honeywell's spoiled nephew, but in spite of the trouble, they managed to buy a lot of toys for Timmy and the poor kids in his neighborhood. Back at the apartment Mrs. Odetts is helping them decorate the tree.
MARGIE:
Aw, the tree looks beautiful, Mrs. Odetts.
VERN:
Ah, let me put this little statue of Santa Claus on one of the top branches. (BEAT) There.
MRS. O:
It needs one more touch.
MARGIE:
What?
MRS. O:
Uh, Margie, do you have a candy cane?
MARGIE:
What do you want a candy cane for?
MRS. O:
When I decorate a tree, I always hang one on. ... It's a family tradition. ...
VERN:
That's not a tradition, it's a condition! ...
SOUND:
DOOR OPENS AS FREDDIE ENTERS
FREDDIE:
(ENTERS) Hi, everyone!
MRS. O:
Hello, Freddie.
MARGIE:
Hi there, Freddie.
SOUND:
DOOR SHUTS
FREDDIE:
I left word for Timmy to be sure to come over here after he finishes his paper route.
MARGIE:
Oh, will he be surprised when he sees these toys for the kids in his neighborhood.
FREDDIE:
(WITH DISAPPROVAL) Hey, who decorated that tree?
MRS. O:
I did. What's wrong?
FREDDIE:
Oh, look for yourself. You have too little on top and your lower limbs are out of shape.
MRS. O:
Let's not get personal, buster! ...
MARGIE:
(AMUSED) Never mind him, Mrs. Odetts. The tree is beautiful.
VERN:
We forgot one thing.
MARGIE:
What?
VERN:
Who's going to play Santa Claus?
FREDDIE:
I will!
VERN:
You?! Why, in a red suit you'd look like a dehydrated beet! ...
MARGIE:
It's too late to get a Santa Claus outfit now anyway.
MRS. O:
Say, why don't I mix up some Tom and Jerrys while we're waiting? Er, let's see now. Is it two Toms to one Jerry? Or one Jerry to two Toms? ...
SOUND:
DOORBELL BUZZES
MARGIE:
(CALLS) Come in!
SOUND:
DOOR OPENS
MARGIE:
(NERVOUS) Oh, it's - it's Mr. Honeywell and Ronald.
HONEYWELL:
(GRIM) Albright, my nephew tells me that Margie spanked him.
VERN:
Well, you see, Mr. Honeywell, we were in the--
HONEYWELL:
(INTERRUPTS) Never mind the explanations. Is it true?
MARGIE:
(BRAVELY) Yes, Mr. Honeywell, it's true. And what's more, I'm glad I did it!
HONEYWELL:
(BEAT) So am I! ...
RONALD:
(OFFENDED) Uncle George!
HONEYWELL:
(SAVAGELY) Shut up, you little brat! ... I've wanted to give him a spanking for a long time, but I was afraid my brother-in-law would belt me! ...
MARGIE:
Ronald, I hope you're not angry at me for what I did.
RONALD:
(WITH RESERVED DISDAIN) I prefer to consider it a closed issue.
VERN:
Well, anyway, Ronald, we'd like to have you stay and join our Christmas party.
RONALD:
I might as well. I have nothing else to do anyhow.
HONEYWELL:
Of course we'll stay.
MARGIE:
Er, how do you like the Christmas tree, Ronald?
RONALD:
I've seen better. ... Say, who put the statue of Santa Claus on it?
VERN:
I did.
RONALD:
How corny can ya get?! ...
FREDDIE:
(INCREASINGLY OVER-THE-TOP) Ronald, I'd like to tell you a story. It's about a man who didn't believe in Santa Claus either. It's called "A Christmas Carol." This fellow was a mean old character named Scrooge. He had a man workin' for him and this man had a little boy named Tiny Tim. Tiny Tim is puny and sickly! He's undernourished and his room is cold and bare! It's terrible!
RONALD:
(BEAT) The way you tell it, it's horrible. ...
MARGIE:
Freddie, I'm afraid you distorted the story a little.
FREDDIE:
I told it exactly the way Mickey Spillane wrote it! ...
VERN:
Freddie, I've got news for you. "A Christmas Carol" was written by Dickens.
FREDDIE:
Oh, yeah, that's right. Henry Wadsworth Dickens. ...
MRS. O:
Yoo hoo, Mr. Honeywell!
HONEYWELL:
Hm?
MRS. O:
Look what I'm standing under!
HONEYWELL:
What?
MRS. O:
The mistletoe. (GIGGLES WILDLY) ...
MARGIE:
Mrs. Odetts, stop it -- you're shaking the ornaments off the tree.
MRS. O:
(HINTS BROADLY) Well, Mr. Honeywell?
HONEYWELL:
(EAGER) Okay, Mrs. Odetts -- pucker up.
MRS. O:
I'm puckered! ...
HONEYWELL:
All my life I've been savin' my kisses for a woman like you.
MRS. O:
Well, get ready to lose the savings of a lifetime! ...
HONEYWELL:
Well, here goes. (LONG PAUSE, THEN A PLEASURABLE GROAN)
SOUND:
BODY THUD!
MRS. O:
... Well, don't stand there! Help me pick him up! ...
FREDDIE:
Margie? Margie, lets you and me take a stroll under that stuff. That's livin'!
SOUND:
DOORBELL BUZZES
MARGIE:
(CALLS) Come in!
SOUND:
DOOR OPENS
MARGIE:
Oh, hello, Timmy.
TIMMY:
Hi.
SOUND:
DOOR CLOSES
TIMMY:
Oh, gee, look at the tree! And look at all those toys under it!
MARGIE:
They're for you and your friends, Timmy.
TIMMY:
Honest?!
VERN:
Yes, Santa Claus left them here for you.
TIMMY:
You mean Santa Claus brought all these things?
MARGIE:
That's right.
RONALD:
What a square! ...
MARGIE:
Never mind, Ronald. Oh, uh, Timmy, this is Ronald Weatherby the Third.
TIMMY:
The Third?
RONALD:
That's right.
TIMMY:
You mean your father was a three-time loser? ...
VERN:
Why don't we go into the den? The boys can stay here and play with the toys.
SOUND:
ALL BUT TIMMY AND RONALD MURMUR AGREEMENT ("Yeah, that's a good idea.") AND MOVE OFF, EXITING
TIMMY:
What did Santa Claus bring you, Ronald?
RONALD:
Look, stupid, there is no Santa Claus.
TIMMY:
There is too! There he is up on the tree.
RONALD:
That's only a statue. I'll show ya.
SOUND:
CRACK! OF STATUE DROPPED
TIMMY:
(UPSET) You broke the Santa Claus! You broke Santa Claus!
MARGIE:
(ENTERS, ALARMED) Hey! What happened?
TIMMY:
He broke Santa Claus!
VERN:
Is everybody all right?
RONALD:
Oh, look! I see I cracked it! It's bleeding! (WAILS AND FAINTS)
SOUND:
BODY THUD!
MARGIE:
He fainted!
TIMMY:
(HYSTERICAL) He broke Santa Claus! He broke Santa Claus! He killed Santa Claus! He killed Santa Claus!
MUSIC:
SNEAKS IN DURING ABOVE ... FOR A BAD DREAM ... THEN IN BG
RONALD:
(FEVERED) I killed him! So what? They'll never catch me! They'll never catch me!
MUSIC:
OUT BEHIND--
VOICE:
(FILTER, GRIM) Ladies and gentlemen, a special bulletin. The boy who killed Santa Claus is still at large. We take you now to the offices of Albright and Albright, private eyes. ...
MARGIE:
(HARDBOILED, CLIPPED DEADPAN A LA "DRAGNET") My name is Margie Albright and I'm a female private eye.
VERN:
(THE SAME) That's an eye with a false eyelash on it. ...
MARGIE:
Anyway, the morning of the Santa Claus caper, we got up bright and early. It was a cold clear day, so we decided to walk to the office. It didn't take long because we lived in the back of the office. ...
VERN:
As we sat down at our desks, our assistant Freddie Wilson came in and said--
FREDDIE:
(DEADPAN) There goes the phone.
SOUND:
BEAT ... LOW BUZZ OF PHONE RINGING
VERN:
... Freddie has a sixth sense. Which is pretty good -- for a half-wit. ... I picked up the phone.
SOUND:
RECEIVER UP
VERN:
(INTO PHONE) Hello? This is Vern Albright, private eye. -- No, nobody can hear us. I'm listening with my private ear. ... What? What's that? Someone killed Santa?
MARGIE:
Any Claus? I mean clues. ...
VERN:
(INTO PHONE) We'll get right on the case.
SOUND:
RECEIVER DOWN
VERN:
Kris Kringle was bumped off.
FREDDIE:
I thought you said it was Santa Claus. ...
MARGIE:
Who done it?
VERN:
Some punk kid from uptown, Ronald Weatherby the Third. Come on, let's get going.
MUSIC:
ONE BRIEF SHARP CHORD FOR A TRANSITION
MARGIE:
We got our first clue in the park. We ran into our favorite stool pigeon. We asked him if he'd heard anything about the Santa Claus caper and he said--
PIGEON:
Coo! Coooooo! ...
VERN:
We asked him where we could find the killer and he said--
PIGEON:
Coo! Coooooo! ...
MARGIE:
We thanked him and slipped him something. We like to do business with that stool pigeon -- he works for peanuts. ...
VERN:
What'd you find out, boss?
MARGIE:
This Weatherby kid's hanging out at the Honky Tonk Ice Cream Parlor on the south side. It's run by a six-time loser named Florence Odetts. ... Let's get going.
MUSIC:
ONE BOOMING CHORD FOR A TRANSITION
MARGIE:
Well, this is the joint.
VERN:
Which of these kids is the Weatherby punk?
ODETTS:
(TOUGH GAL) What do you want, shamus? ...
MARGIE:
I'm looking for a little boy.
ODETTS:
I'm not puttin' the finger on anybody for any coppers!
VERN:
But he's the kid who knocked off Santa Claus.
ODETTS:
What? Santa Claus was bumped off? Oh, that's awful! Now I won't get the mink coat for Christmas! (BAWLS WILDLY LIKE A BABY) ...
MARGIE:
Now will you point him out for us?
ODETTS:
Yes. I'm not covering up for no Santa Claus killer! That's him over there in the corner -- the kid drinkin' Yami Yogurt over the rocks! ...
VERN:
(TO MARGIE) Come on. Let's take him.
SOUND:
THEIR DELIBERATE FOOTSTEPS TO RONALD
VERN:
Are you Ronald Weatherby the Third?
RONALD:
(TOUGH GUY) What's it all about, shamus?
MARGIE:
We're taking you in for the Santa Claus killing.
RONALD:
I'll confess! I'll confess! I killed him. I killed Santa Claus! I killed him. What are you gonna do with me?
SANTA:
(APPROACHES) Nothing! Nothing will happen to you, little boy. I'll see to that.
RONALD:
You! Who are you?
SANTA:
I'm Santa Claus.
MARGIE:
Santa Claus? But he killed you!
SANTA:
Killed me? Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho! Why, no one can kill Santa Claus! Because, you see, Santa Claus isn't just a person. Santa is a spirit: the spirit of jollity and happiness and good will among men. And no matter how many disbelievers and cynics there are in this world, they can never kill the spirit of Santa Claus.
MUSIC:
SYMPATHETIC ... IN BG
RONALD:
You mean nothin' will happen to me? And I'm forgiven?
SANTA:
Of course you are, Ronald my boy.
RONALD:
Golly, Santa -- you're wonderful. And I love you. And I believe in you! And I'll be a good boy from now on! (COMING OUT OF THE DREAM, INCREASINGLY QUIET) And I'll be a good boy from now on! And I'll be a good boy from now on. And I'll be a good boy from now on.
MUSIC:
FADES OUT AS DREAM ENDS
MARGIE:
(RELIEVED) He's coming out of it.
VERN:
(SYMPATHETIC) Are you all right, Ronald?
RONALD:
I'm all right. But I had an awful dream. I dreamt I killed Santa Claus. But I really didn't and Santa forgave me.
MARGIE:
Well, that nice.
RONALD:
I'm sorry I spoiled your Christmas tree, Timmy.
TIMMY:
Aw, that's all right, Ronald.
VERN:
Uh, Timmy, you'd better get started if you're going to deliver those toys tonight.
TIMMY:
Yeah. Boy, will the kids in my neighborhood be surprised when they see me! I'm gonna be a regular Santa Claus!
MARGIE:
(CORRECTS HIM) Pint-sized. ...
RONALD:
Say, Timmy, would you mind if I went along with you and helped ya deliver them?
TIMMY:
Oh, sure! Come on! Thanks! (TO ALL) Well, Merry Christmas everybody!
ALL:
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
SOUND:
DOOR CLOSES AS TIMMY AND RONALD EXIT
MARGIE:
(BEAT) You know, dad, this is the nicest Christmas I ever spent.
VERN:
Well, me, too.
MARGIE:
I - I think I'm going to cry. (WEEPS A BIT)
VERN:
Well, (CHUCKLES) that's my little Margie.
SOUND:
APPLAUSE
MUSIC:
CURTAIN
VERN:
And, from Margie and me, best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
MARGIE:
Merry Christmas, folks, and all the best to you.
MUSIC:
CLOSING THEME (1920 POP SONG "MARGIE") ... THEN IN BG UNTIL END--
ANNOUNCER:
MY LITTLE MARGIE, starring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell, is based on characters created by Frank Fox and is produced and directed by Gordon T. Hughes. Freddie is played by Gil Stratton, Jr. and Mrs. Odetts is Verna Felton. This program has come to you through the worldwide facilities of the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.