Frank Lovejoy and Joan Banks star in an enjoyable Sam Pierce script about the various obstacles parents have when trying to rush to the hospital for the birth of a child. Their car gets a flat tire. Their eight-year-old son is in the back seat, adding to some of the concerns since they could not drop him off beforehand and he has to go to the hospital with them. Traffic roars past in each direction, a danger of any car repair on a highway shoulder. Torrential rain multiplies the hazard, and there seems no chance of escape from the raised concrete divider section of the road. The story is sentimental in many of its moments. The precocious eight-year-old, firmly corrected for some behavior at the beginning of the story, turns out to use those very “skills” and “knowledge” to save the day. Parents! They think they know everything!
The title was originally “Ivy’s a Lovely Name for a Girl,” but that was shortened before broadcast. That longer title was sent in the CBS publicity to newspapers, however.
The program was recorded on Thursday, May 28, 1959. Rehearsal started at 1:00pm and recording began at 6:30pm and ended at 7:00pm. Production edits and music were done in the days that followed.
The surviving recording is a mostly complete network recording, likely an aircheck, with narrow range and some other mild issues. It is still very listenable, and is likely the best and most complete recording that has been available of this episode in many years. It is hoped that a clean Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) transcription might be found in the future to allow for a better sounding recording to more fully appreciate the performances of the Lovejoys.
In the days after the broadcast, news that CBS was moving Suspense and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar to New York appeared in trade publications such as Variety and Broadcasting. This program was recorded three weeks earlier, and the staff and performers likely knew it was in process of happening except for some of the final details.
LISTEN
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mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP590621
THE CAST
FRANK LOVEJOY (Tom Peterson), Joan Banks (Linda), Richard Beals (Bobby), Sam Pierce (Doctor / Cop 1), Jerry Hausner (Cop 2 / Baby sounds), George Walsh (Narrator)
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