The Bad-Will Ambassador

The Columbia Broadcasting System presents Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater in a special series of broadcasts about the other Americans. Americans, this is Orson Welles. Two days after Christmas and the Sunday night at that.

You feel as though you're built we're trying to get a half an Elson on your waistline? Are you wondering where somebody who gave you something got it so you can take it back and exchange it for something you wanted instead?

As somebody in your household been heard to remark that it's been a nice Christmas, but she's glad it's over? Is your tree starting to shed? Yes? Yes, I don't care how many eggnogs you didn't have. You've got that Christmas hangover.

So have we. The incidents in the Mercury Theater of package tying thumb, Christmas tree decorating back strain and and Shoppers feet is just as great as in your family. Frankly, the script for this broadcast didn't exist until last night. We were all sitting around staring at each other. Our eyes glazed with Christmas cheer, numbly wondering how to get started. And there was a knock

at the door. And for the best way I know to start a story, we won't stop for sound effect because you can imagine it. That knock on the door. Somebody opened it and then came Mr. Martin Stone. Mr. Stone is a big man and his mouth had a place in it for a

cigar but the cigar wasn't there. He introduced himself and we gave him a drink and he told us this story. Now we're gonna try to tell it to you when we heard it. The story needs a name so we'll call this one the Badwill Ambassador.