State of the Union Page #14

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ma'am.

In the Republican Party,

we count only

in the convention,

which reminds me:

when I was a small boy...

Well, I'll see you later,

Judge.

It has been a pleasure

seeing you again.

Who is he?

He is a newspaper man,

a friend of my husband's.

Bourbon for you, sir?

You read my mind.

I bet he can't

read my mind.

Sazerac, I believe.

Lulubelle, your reputation

is getting too well-known.

You know how to make

a Sazerac?

I think so.

If he only thinks so, Jeff,

you better make that Sazerac.

Yes, indeed, sugar pie.

That's my job.

I'm especially glad

you were able to come tonight,

Mrs. Alexandar.

Won't everyone sit down?

I'm afraid we women

are going to be outnumbered.

When I go out

with the Judge's

Republican friends,

I am always outnumbered.

I make it a point

to tell my hostess

right off

that while Jeff's

a Republican,

I am a Democrat.

But you can speak freely.

You Republicans

can't say anything

about the Administration

mean enough

for us Democrats

down South.

Would you like

a little martini?

Mmm-mmm.

Just an idea.

Hello, Grant.

Where've you been?

Hello, everybody.

I am sorry, I am late.

You been rehearsing

your speeches? Hello, Bill.

Nobody told me not to dress.

On you it looks good.

Well, Judge.

Grant?

You're not going

to drink that thing, are you?

You're in the program,

you know.

Mary, you should know...

Grant, this is

Mrs. Alexandar.

Hello, Mrs. Alexandar.

Mr. Matthews.

Handsome, isn't he?

You're the first good reason

I've ever seen

for voting Republican.

I told your wife

I was a Democrat.

I understand

they're a necessary evil.

Well, you know us Southerners,

we vote Democratic down home

but we've got an awfully

good Republican record

in Congress.

One minute to go.

Is Sam Parrish here yet?

No.

Why isn't he?

What's the matter?

Can't you do your job?

Something's got to be said

about the South tonight.

You take Richmond...

Do I have to take it again?

Jeff?

Yes.

This is the best Sazerac

I've ever had.

Fix me another one,

honey, right away.

All right.

Hello, Kay.

Ready to go?

Destination White House.

Yeah, well,

we can hope, can't we?

How many people

listening tonight?

Between 15 and 20 million.

Is that all?

Well, it's enough.

Stand by, everybody.

Twenty seconds.

Tell them 20 seconds.

Twenty seconds.

All right, everybody.

Now on your toes.

Nothing must go wrong.

Good luck, Grant.

Thank you.

Good luck, Grant.

Hold it. Five seconds.

Ladies and gentlemen,

we invite you to history.

Ladies and gentlemen,

this is a paid

political broadcast.

Paid for, not by

any political group

or organization,

but by thousands

of public spirited citizens

who have taken this method

of insuring that their voice,

the voice of the people

shall be heard.

Jeff, honey, if I've got to

listen to speeches,

you better fix me

another Sazerac right away.

Yes, honey.

...in factories, in schools.

Voicing his opinions

of the problems

besetting our nation

and frankly outlining

his ideas of how

they should be met.

No politician, this,

selling a bill of goods,

no candidate for any office,

instead a private citizen

fulfilling what he saw

as the duty of a citizen.

The result:

a stirring demonstration

of democracy in action.

All over the country

spontaneously, unsponsored,

hundreds of Matthews

for President Clubs

sprang up overnight.

And tonight, in more than

400 American cities,

men and women are gathered

together in the American way

in halls, tents,

town squares,

in their own homes...

Where's Grant Matthews?

Where's our next president?

Who are you?

They have contributed

their dimes and their dollars

to pay for this telecast.

This is their program.

This is, in truth,

the voice...

Where's your speech?

Right here.

Relax, fella.

All you gotta worry about

is a third term.

Where's Mary?

She's in the library.

Hello, everybody!

Sam.

Late as usual.

Mary.

Sam.

I could eat you

with a spoon.

Nobody told me not to dress.

Isn't that what

you're after, Bill?

Put evening clothes on labor

and let the rest of us

go without.

Gosh, no.

Don't give me anything.

I have been celebrating

all afternoon.

Great gosh Almighty.

Do we have to listen

to Ed Lauterback?

That's better.

Hello, Miss Thorndyke.

Where did you get to

that night in Detroit?

I looked all over

the banquet hall for you.

I didn't go to the banquet.

I thought that's why

you were in Detroit,

to hear Grant's speech.

Were you in Detroit

when we were there, Kay?

You must've seen her, Mary.

She was on her way up

to your suite.

I'd just left you, remember?

No, I didn't

see Kay in Detroit.

You must've dropped in

to talk to Grant about

his speech on big business.

Well, what Grant said

about big business

that night was all right.

Especially about high tariff,

eh, Bill?

Yeah.

So you changed Grant

in Detroit?

Sam, did you get

that finance report

I sent you?

Yes, and it's a rotten job.

You let me handle

money matters from now on.

Hello, Judge. You drinking

with both hands now?

Hello, Sam.

These are for Lulubelle.

Sam, you're on.

How am I doing?

I am so hungry

for some good Republican talk

I brought you two.

Jeff,

you're an angel.

I'll take one of those, Judge.

Mary, what are you

doing with that?

If we're going to have

a high tariff, I might as well

get a little high myself.

For Pete's sake,

those are liquid dynamite.

Too bad I didn't

have some in Detroit.

Jim,

there's something I want...

Jeff, darling, make me

another one right away.

Yes, honey.

Would you make another one

for me, too?

Yes, sugar.

I mean, ma'am.

My, my. They're very strong,

aren't they?

Surely.

What's in them?

I don't know.

You've been drinking these

for years and you've

no idea what's in them?

Never bothered to ask,

but it makes you feel good.

That's all I know.

I do hope Mr. Matthews

is including those paragraphs

I gave him about the Italians.

Their vote is so important.

If you favor Italy,

won't that loose you

the Abyssinian vote?

There are about 17 Abyssinians

in the United States.

And only three of them vote.

Good. Then we don't need

to worry about justice

for the Abyssinians.

Abyssinia?

That's up north, isn't it?

Where did those come from?

Mary, remember you have to

go on the air.

If this weren't my house,

I could tell her some place

she has to go to, too.

Of course, in this election,

the Polish vote will be

the most important.

I thought the Poles

voted in Poland.

We are talking

about Polish-Americans.

Can you be both?

More power to you, honey.

Thank you.

They are full of it,

aren't they?

Surely.

For Grant Matthews

has long known and loved

the clean, rich smell

of fresh turned Earth.

His hands have labored

in the soil.

And helped it bear rich fruit.

Grant Matthews,

like another great Republican,

Abraham Lincoln,

is of the earth

and of the people.

He has not forgotten either.

He knows that a prosperous

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