Are you, Adam Graham.

The very same And this is my old time Radio Snackwagon.

Welcome to the Old Time Radio snack Wagon, where we serve up a bite sized portion of old time radio.

And now here's your snack wagon host Adam Graham.

This week we're bringing you a Thanksgiving themed snack courtesy of O Henry.

During his life, o'henry wrote almost four hundred short stories.

The one that he is remembered for today more than anything else is The Gift of the Magi and we brought you a reading of that back during the Christmas of twenty twenty three.

But this is another one of his short stories.

This was adapted by the Elini Radio Guild, which we'll talk about for our program.

The original Airnate is November twenty six, nineteen forty six, and here now is two Thanksgiving Day, Gentlemen.

Day Thanksgiving Yelini Radio Guild presents not the usual Thanksgiving story, but one by O Henry, an ending such as only Oh Henry can give it.

It's his famous short story Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen, adapted especially for this program by Elizabeth Springer and Dave Boyer, both journalism students here at the University of Illinois.

So our coast, your Thanksgiving Day.

There's one day which is entirely ours.

There's one day when all we Americans go back to the old home to eat turkey and crunch sellary and marvel at how much nearer to the ports the old pomp looks now than it used to.

Thanksgiving Day is a national institution, and in more ways than one, it's the only day in the year except Christmas, when we recognize that part of America which lives across the tracks, the one day other than Christmas, when philanthropists perform their duties about the hunger of the poor, a hunger they think afflicts the poor only at such extended edimors.

Our story begins in one of those comfortable bourgeois mansions in most any city, except that this is New York City, and Gladyson Headier what we must frankly refer to as old Mads.

There now, glad if I think we can put the coffee on of yet, doesn't it look beautiful?

I do declare I'd like to sit down.

Did that Thanksgiving tablem now, Gladys, Oh, I really didn't mean it, Heady, I was.

Just thinking it is beautiful.

It's the turkey does done to a turn, oh, Marie, Marie, Yes, coming up, Marie.

You may put the coffee on too, perk now and prepare to serve, Yes right away, mam all right, gladys, let's go down to the streets and bring the first unfortunate looking man we find.

I think this is the most fun of anything we ever did, don't you, glad Oh, yes, it's so exciting.

It's so good to be able to be a service in the world, especially on a daylight Thanksgiving when poor people are so hungry.

We'll be right back, Marie.

Don't forget to make the coffee strong, yes, mom, and I'll put the slate in the warming of him to mom.

Mmm, mighty good min's pie that, ma'am, mighty goodness.

Would you have another piece?

Mister?

What did you say?

Your name was, Pete?

Ma'am Stuffy Pete.

My friends call me stuffy.

Everybody calls me stuffy.

Just call me stuffy, Marie, Marie, Yes, uh, Marie gets this, mister Stuffy.

Another piece of mince pie, A big piece, yes, he Patty.

Don't say too much for my appetite, Mamerton.

It's them juicy fiddle to turn out.

Oh, mister Duffy, you really like.

My It's food for the gods, ma'am.

That's what it is, food for the god.

Oh what, mister stuff I just remembered something two limbs from mister Stuffy, Marie, And yes matter, mister Stuffer.

I just remember, ma'am, I gotta go meet a guy.

Well, we don't like to detain if they're having a point with someone.

I don't like this even run and member, but I just remembered, and it's very important.

Well, if you have to go, Marie, will you have mister Stuff's cot please.

It's sure been good, mammon, a fella like me enjoyed with me like that toiky and stuff and cranberry and sweet taters and oysters on the shell.

And mince pie and all the fictions of geez, it's sure works.

Well, we'll thank you, ma'am.

Take especially for the mince pie, and mammon, it's.

Sure good bye, mister Stuffing.

It's been delightful.

Mister Stuffy.

Wasn't that a thrill?

I'm too glad?

And he did like my mint pa.

Yes, mister Stuffy was certainly the right man to be charitable because did you notice.

Cloth lin shred and his cold nothing but tap.

I do hope he has a princess next night, the post is going.

He can't imagine.

He was probably an excuse to le.

He did seem a little uncomfortable bladder.

He did eat a lot, didn't he my why I never saw?

Yes, stuff, he did eat a lot, everything from oysters to manse pine, seconds on most things.

As he stood on the front steps of the Old Maid's Hoss was a name, when his a moment, when his name fitted him perfectly, and his waistline bows, and his breath came short.

His legs could barely wriggle as he turned towards his meeting place several blocks away.

Because stuff, he really did have a rendezvous, and he shuddered at the realization of what it meant.

I say, way, yes, sir, I want everything to be just right, just as always.

Don't worry about a thing, though, and.

Don't spell to porsons.

Lots of white meat and dressing.

He doesn't get a dinner like this except once a year, once a year for nine years.

It's become an institution.

Yes, a real tradition.

Yes, you see, Stuffy Pete had forgotten when Hetty and gladders descended upon him every Thanksgiving Day for nine years, he'd met the old Gentleman promptly at one o'clock.

The old Gentleman was a staunch American patriot and considered himself a pioneer in American tradition.

In order to become picturesque, we must keep on doing one thing for a long time without ever letting it get away from it.

That was how the old Gentleman felt about this annual Thanksgiving dinner.

The rendezvous with Stuffy was becoming an American institution, just as the old Gentleman had said to himself.

And Stuffy, who had a rather sensitive.

Heart for a bomb, realized that he, Stuffy, was the very basis of the institution.

His Thanksgiving appetite was not his own.

It belonged to the kind old Gentleman by all sacred rides.

And so, in order to maintain the time out of division Stuffy, he forced himself to shuffle toward the meeting place.

He waddled into the restaurant.

Our good afternoon, sir, exactly on time.

Good afternoon, waiter, We are ready sit down, sir, Thank you.

Ah.

Here come the oysters, man, I am glad to perceive that the vicissitudes of another year have spared you to move in good health about the beautiful world for that blessing alone.

This day of Thanksgiving is well proclaimed to each of us.

And now you are going to be provided with a dinner that should make your physical being get caught with the mental and waiter bring the.

Crewe tns with the soup.

Yes, sir, what a guy he hands that same shield or that same bum every Thanksgiving nine years in a row.

Now the old bum shows us thanked by coming in woosing.

Yes, Stuffy was woozy, the turkey woozy.

The waiter heat the table high with holiday food, and Stuffy with a side.

It was taken for the expression of hunger, raised his knife and park and valiantly went about maintaining a very important part of American Thanksgiving tradition.

No more courageous hero ever fought his way through the rants of an enemy again oyster soup, turkey, chopped vegetable and tied.

All of them somehow disappeared before him as fast as Stuffy could stuff.

Them in.

Gorge, nearly to exploding.

When he came into the restaurant.

The smell of more food had almost caused him to lose his honor as a gentleman, but he rallied like a true knight.

He saw the glow of beneficent happiness on the old gentleman's face, a glow one was from the very combustion inside Stuffy himself, and he had not the heart to see it.

Waning in our stuff, he leaned back with the battle one.

Thanks kindly, sir, Thanks kindly for a hearty meal.

It's just my heart's good to see a man like that.

Well, I'm sure glad you've got play out of it, sir.

So we be on our way, yep, thanksgiving his finny reckon, we best get gone.

Ok Here, let me hit you.

I'm okay, just a good and steady on me.

Ten too much dinner on an MG stomach.

That's probably all it is, sir.

Here we are.

Stuffy in The old gentleman parted company at the door, just as they had eight other times before.

The old gentleman went south and Stuffy went north.

Stuffy made it to the corner, and there he turned and stood for one full minute.

Then he seemed to puff out his rags an arrow puffs out of his feathers and fell to the sidewalk like a sunsticken horse.

Sometime the young surgeon and the driver cursed softly at stuck his waves.

They loaded him as a van.

You'd better pray of him getting more.

Damn.

I wish what happened to him, Doc haunted, Yeah, loaded drascal?

Isn't he?

Yeah?

I thought he was drunken purse nor smell of whiskey of bear though, what do you think, doc?

Apoplexy better not be anything expensive.

A bank account that goes with this case doesn't provide a private room and a special nurse.

Maybe another heart case could be even unconscious.

His heart was pounding through the stethoscope as if he were running up a hill.

I have a good look at him and get.

Him into the receiving room.

I always have been anxious to get a good angina case I could work on without some muddling interference.

Turn here, driver, let's go down Fifth Avenue and turn on that siren.

I want this case under treatment immediately, right, Doc, Take.

It easy, old fellow.

He'll be all right.

We know what's wrong with you.

Nurse, bring the cardiograph a little closer.

Thank you.

Mm hmm and.

Ngiin all right over exertion, disease hard probably fifty years of bad living with your cheek and yes, I believe so.

The old boy probably hasn't a relative in the world.

I've been looking for a chance like this.

See how fast you can get the results on that blood count up there?

Thank you, nurse.

Your stomach just tremble.

Probably drink even if he wasn't drunk today.

You feel that one, nurse, be more careful.

Bump the patient like that's going stiff too.

Stuffy had fallen into the arms of Morpheus.

In short, he slept, and it wasn't Rigormortes setting in.

It was digestion.

But time did not stop with Stuffy's loss of consciousness.

Things were happening, and life went on.

A new patient came to the.

Hospital to take the bed next to Stuffy.

What's this new case, nurse?

There's no report yet.

He just came in.

Yes, what do you know about him?

Just picked him up.

He was unconscious when I got there, collapsed on a street corner.

He has a kind funny thing.

I picked him up just a block from where we picked up that old bum.

Must be an epidemic over there.

Here they lay the planks and the proper, the giver and the receiver, the the old gentleman, a stuffy sir, thank here, I want to get a champ to try out my angina tree.

And then all that old bum had was indigestion.

Where are you going fun the kitchen doesn't sue that old gentleman in the dead next to the plant.

Just tell me who hasn't had anything to eat?

Three days.

You've been listening to an adaptation of O.

Henry's short story too Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen, presented by the ALINEI Radio gil.

Actors in today's performance included a narrator Scott Shelton as Stuffy, Eugene Liner as Hetty as glad Us as the old gentleman, Jeene Resler as a doctor, John Ragnell as the driver, and as the nurse.

You're announcer Don Oliver.

This is the radio service of the University of Illinois.

Welcome Back.

Charming production really helped by O.

Henry's story.

It raises some interesting points about wealthy people thinking that those who are destitute are really only hungry two days a year, And then, of course you had the whole pompous ceremony with the old gentleman trying to make this a tradition.

But it's not harsh or bitter about it, and I think O Henry keeps in mind that these people are trying to do something nice, even if they're doing it in a silly way.

The story is a great example of the gentle art of poking fun at our culture in a way that makes people think, but isn't designed to undermine it.

It was decent, but a bit uneven, but there's a good reason for it.

The Illinois Radio Guild was a college radio production from the University of Illinois in Urbana, Champagne.

Each week, they'd hold auditions for the week's play, and those who made it for the auditions would stay for a rehearsal, do another rehearsal the next day, and then record it and it would be aired on Thursday, so a turnaround time of a little bit more than twenty hours between being cast and recording.

And this wasn't like a rep company thing.

The casting was open for each week's play each week.

Wellini Radio Guild was meant to promote audio drama, and it revived a concept when it was launched in April of nineteen forty six that the Daily Ilini said had been done years before, likely it had been preempted by the war.

The bulk of radio drama that survives today is the Polish performances on major network and syndicated productions.

But this reminds us that even during the golden age of radio, there was radio drama that was presented by enthusiastic performers who are inspired by the medium and people who make good audio dramas that are truly labors of love are another thing to be thankful for.

It's time for me to close up the Old Snackwagon, but don't worry.

We'll be back with another serving of old time radio goodness before you know it.

If you want to enjoy some of our longer form podcasts, you can feast away at my website at Great Detectives dot net.

Your emails are also welcome at Adam at Snackwagon dot net.

Radio Snackwagon comes to you from Boise, Idaho.

Your host is Adam Graham.

Sound production is by Ryn's Media LLC.

You can listen to past episodes of the Old Time Radio Snackwagon, as well as connect on social media at our website at snackwagon dot net.

Email suggestions for episodes to Adam at snackwagon dot net.

This has been the old time radio Snackwagon.

Until next time.

Goodbye,