The Old Lady Shows Her Medals

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Tonight Lady Esther celebrates one of the truly great occasions in the history of the Screen Guild players. Two distinguished theatrical families contribute their talents to a famous play by a delightful and witty author.

Lady Esther brings you Miss Ethel Barrymore, Mr. Lionell Barrymore, and Mr. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and J. M. Barry's play The Old Lady Shows or Metals. And since most good plays have a preface, here is Mr. Barrymore with ours.

Mr. Barrymore. You know, most playwrights have an attitude. They'll tell you no one completely understands their characters. Not even the actors who read the lines, who so speak put the flesh upon a skeleton of words.

Well, we have a brilliant author tonight and a most distinguished cast. I don't mean to broke a discussion, but after all we want to do this play for you, so I'm sure that Ethel and Doug won't mind if Mr. Barry speaks up occasionally and has his little word or two, and that being mutually agreed upon, I think it's time that we let the author

set the scene. The place is London during the war, the war to end all wars, you know, the one before the last one. The three nice old ladies and a criminal who was even nicer are discussing the war over a bit of refreshment.

Mrs. Dower, the hostess, who also happens to be our criminal is the first to speak. Hey, do you have another dish of tea? Yeah, you notice she calls it a dish of tea, which shows that she's scotch.

That's not her crime. Thank you, Mrs. Dower. I believe I will. A very tired, unsure. So will I. These nice old ladies are London charwomen, professionally called charwomen and, or simply ands, which mean that their care tag is too.