The Miracle of Morgan's Creek

- Hey, Doctor!

- I'm not a doctor. He's upstairs.

Hold the presses! Hold everything!

Hold it! Get me the state capital.

I've got to talk to the Governor immediately!

It's a matter of life and death.

- Hello. Mr. Governor?

- Yeah.

The editor of what? The Bugle? Yeah.

What town was that again? Morgan's Creek?

Is that in my state? Never heard of it.

You never heard of it?

By tomorrow morning,

Morgan's Creek will be...

- the most famous town in America.

- The world!

This is the last free phone in town.

Every room has been reserved...

- for 15 miles around.

- Thirty!

A 100 newspapermen are here

and 500 more are expected tomorrow.

A thousand.

- There's a shortage of food, telephones...

- Milk.

- Telegraph wires!

- Liquor.

- Transportation, policemen and everything.

- Tents.

We need a lot of help or they're going

to tear this town up by the roots.

We need state police...

- food, water, beds, blankets.

- Plumbing!

Wait a minute. Take it easy, will you?

What happened down there?

You got a flood or did you strike oil

or something?

- "Did we strike oil or something?"

- Tell him!

- No, Mr. Governor, we did not strike oil.

- Anybody can strike oil.

- We have not got a flood.

- Anybody can have a flood.

- What we've got, Mr. Governor, is...

- You got what?

- Yes, Mr. Governor.

- Shut up! Not you.

Are you sure of your facts?

This is important.

I wish I could be down there myself.

This is a matter of state policy,

state pride, national pride.

Hold the wire a minute. Get on this line,

take everything down in shorthand.

Get a map of the state.

Make sure that Morgan's Creek is in it.

If it ain't, maybe we could persuade them

to move over.

- Yes, Mr. Governor?

- Shut up! Not you.

Get me all the newspapermen.

I want to speak to the radio stations.

- What happened?

- Things like this gotta be guided.

Get right down to Morgan's Creek,

buy up a few choice corners...

some hotel sites, they'll need some.

And the bus franchises will be very valuable.

- Morgan's what?

- "Creek," like a little river.

- A little river should have a big dam.

- Why not? Give me the facts.

It's the biggest thing happening to

this state since we stole it from the Indians.

- Borrowed.

- Who's excited now?

I'll tell you all I know, Mr. Governor.

I started the whole thing.

I was writing my midweek editorial,

I was looking for a subject for it.

I'm rather famous for my editorials

in this part of the state.

He's going to tell us his life story!

And I noticed a few soldiers in the town.

- What an eye!

- What a bore!

It occurred to me

that the girls in the town...

and the soldiers around the towns would

make an excellent subject for my editorial!

All right, let's have it!

We're going to get it anyhow.

I was looking out the window

and there I saw Off. Kockenlocker...

our town constable,

directing traffic as usual.

Keep moving! Can't you see it says "Go?"

Get out of here!

We got to get some dates for that

dance tonight. You got any numbers?

Try the telephone company.

What do you think I am?

- Tough guy, huh?

- Tough enough, rookie!

Where do you get that rookie stuff?

Listen, cookie, I was in France

before you were housebroken.

Now, get off the street

and behave yourselves.

- What's all the trouble?

- There's no trouble.

I just don't like to be talked to

by rookies, that's all.

This is Mr. Kockenlocker, gentlemen,

a sergeant in the other war.

- It's all different now, Ed.

- It's all done with kindness.

Yeah. Come on, get off the street.

Quit blocking the traffic.

- Please.

- Please.

You get the idea, Ed?

It's more psychological.

- Good afternoon.

- Good afternoon.

Excuse me, were you looking for some girls?

- We certainly were.

- I know of one.

- I'll bet you do, sugar.

- It's Mr. Kockenlocker's daughter.

That crab?

She's one of the prettiest girls in town.

She works in Rafferty's Music Store.

Come on now, you got to beat it or buy

something before Mr. Rafferty gets after me.

- Will you come tonight?

- Sure, I'll be there.

All right, so long, Trudy.

- Save the first dance for me, will you?

- I'll flip you for it.

Save me the last dance.

- Hello, Trudy.

- Hello, Norval.

I'd like a package

of phonograph needles, please.

- Three Indestructos or 36 Ragons?

- It really doesn't matter.

- I think the Indestructos...

- Thank you, Trudy.

I passed by the lobby. They've got

three pictures playing at the Regent tonight.

I thought that if you weren't doing anything,

considering that I was also free...

I'm awfully sorry, Norval,

but I wouldn't be able to make it tonight.

I promised to go to the dance

for the boys that are going away.

- For the soldiers.

- That's right, Norval. I'm awful sorry.

You'd think they'd give a party sometime

for those who have to stay behind.

They also serve, who only sit and...

Whatever they do, I forget.

I'm sure they do, Norval.

I don't get to see you quite as much

as I used to, or as I'd like to, Trudy.

I'm awfully sorry, Norval.

Naturally, the camps, the canteens and

everything take up a lot of your spare time.

Naturally.

Why don't you come tonight?

The tickets are only 50 cents.

It isn't the 50 cents.

I wouldn't feel right not being in uniform.

- I guess nobody feels good about that.

- It isn't as if I hadn't tried.

- But every time they start to examine me...

- I know.

- And then...

- I know.

- The spots.

- The spots.

- Maybe some other time, Trudy.

- I'd be glad to, Norval.

Good night, Trudy.

You forgot your needles.

It really doesn't matter.

I haven't got a phonograph, anyway.

What are you looking at?

You wasn't thinking

of getting married, was you?

At 14?

I was thinking of going down

to the corner and having a soda.

I don't mean what you were thinking about

right now, I mean generally.

- Generally, yes.

- "Generally, yes" what?

Generally yes, I think about marriage.

What else do you think I think about?

- You do, do you?

- Anybody can think about it, can't they?

It doesn't cost anything to think about it.

It's only when you do it that it costs $2.

What costs $2?

You seem to know a great deal

about a subject far beyond your years.

- Like it says here in the paper...

- That's your subject, Papa.

You introduced it.

If you don't like it, ignore it.

Tell your sister

the house ain't paid for, will you?

She knows that, Papa.

You tell her every day.

Every day ain't enough.

What's she doing up there, anyway?

- Getting ready for the party.

- Getting ready for what party?

The dance, Papa.

You've got to kiss the boys goodbye.

It's a farewell party. A military affair.

- Good night, Papa.

- Just a moment!

What is this military

kiss-the-boys-goodbye business...

and where is it to be transacted?

Just like they always do,

in the church basement...

then the country club

and then kind of... Like that.

- Like what?

- That's all.

- Good night, Papa.

- Just a minute!

- What happens after the country club?

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