Beauty and the Bride (1953)

You know, life is wonderful when you're young and when you're in love. Let me tell you the story behind this letter. It began as the story of April Green about the nicest girl you've ever seen. Let's start with her family who lived not far from Rine. There were four of them, nice people and all named Green. Nothing was too much trouble for Mr. Green or too much bother. He was a successful farmer and a very good father. Mrs. Green was a terrific cook and a wonderful mother. Then there was Billy Green, April's brother. They're all thinking about April. She's upstairs now packing her clothes. We'd better meet April before she goes. Her family hopes she won't come to any harm. But they're sure of one thing. April is definitely going to leave the farm. April could be as pretty a girl as you've ever seen. But April thinks a lot of things are silly, like running after boys or just having fun. That's why she pulls her hair straight back and wears it in a bun. That's why she wears no makeup and says she doesn't care a thing about clothes. That's true as far as it goes. Really? I don't care a thing about clothes. Smearing powder on the end of my nose. Well, you might think about it. Change my hair, fix my face. Well, it would appeal to the rest of the human race. Look, sis, your father's worried, and so is your mother. Apparently, the only person to tell you about it is me, your brother. Sis, I I don't want to be rude, but honestly, there's not much point in being approved. Anyway, why be so nice and beautiful when with just a little effort, you could be so dogone beautiful? Well, that's the way it started. April Green went off to Reine. She was young and nice and well, pedantic. At the time, she wasn't even thinking things romantic. What she wanted was a job. April knew how to take dictation, and she could type 90 words a minute. She became a very efficient secretary for Robert Daring, a capable and rising young AR. Bob was a very eligible young man, but at the moment, April had no particular plan. At least not about Bob, but he had ideas. Not at the moment about April. Well, there it is, Miss Green. Not a great deal more I can do about it, I guess. Good luck. Thanks. I'm going to need it. Got a lot of stiff competition on this job. This is my first really big job, you know. What is your first name? April. Did you ever try smiling like that at yourself in the mirror? I mean, myself. Never mind. What do you say we take the rest of the day off? Well, you seem so interested in what I'm trying to do. I am very interested. Well, I'd like to show you what a real architect can do if somebody gives him the chance. The kind of thing I hope to do someday. Well, you'll do it. Thanks. I appreciate your confidence. Well, what do you say? All right, let's go. When April left the office, she was walking on air. She didn't even glance down at this picture. She knew it was there. She just didn't care. It's a picture of Bob's mother, the Mrs. Dearing. I'd better tell you one thing about Mama Daring. She simply will not live alone. Of course, Bob's a bachelor, but if you ever get married, well, there might be complications. At the moment, Bob's mind is on something else entirely. This is what Bob was thinking about. Designed by Frank Lloyd Bright, architects and sightseers come here from all over the world. Fascinated by the extraordinary way 15 floors are cantalievered from a tall central core. Full of beauty and functional, it's a tremendous achievement to support this great glass tower on a narrow 13t base. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] April had never seen anything quite like this before. She was dazzled from the moment they walked in the door. Not that she had very much to say. She just looked around in a lovely dreamy kind of way. What she saw was flowers and greenery. Inside the building was outside scenery. It's like a dream. Yes, but it's very practical, too. Do you know? Well, look who's here. Hello, B. I was hoping we'd run into you. April, this is Margaret Scott, an old friend of mine. April Green. Margaret and I are neighbors. You work here in consumer service, don't you? That's right. You think you'd have time to show us around for you, Bob? Why, of course. Let's go this way. Thank you. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] This display represents our three major lines. Industrial, maintenance, and household products. Oh, here's something I want to show you. This parketry floor was made in the first Johnson factory. Originally, we made only flooring, you know. And then to protect and beautiful our floors, we went into manufacturing wax. My mother has a floor of this. This is beautiful, isn't it? Over here are some pictures of our foreign plants. They are planned in England, France, Canada, Australia, and Brazil. Beautiful, fabulous place to make things out of wax. It seems funny. Now wait a minute. I know what she means. Wax may seem like pretty unexiting stuff till you really get to know it. It's almost indestructible. It isn't much affected by air or moisture. Naturally, that's what makes it so useful. Let me show you what I mean. Come on, Bob. I want you to see this, too. Most people have no idea of the wonderful things mother nature does with wax. Do you realize that plants and fruits have wax and suits and little flowers are ours conserving showers with wax? Apples shine when you rub them because nature has given them a coat of wax. Birds and animals are provided by nature with the protection of wax. That's what makes a duck waterproof. Many insects secrete a wax, bees, for example. Beeswax was used over 4,000 years ago to protect color paintings in the tombs of the pharaohs, preserving them down through the years. And now with modern science, we've gone way beyond what nature does with plant or animal or mineral wax. Let me show you some things about the wax products made here in receipt for polishing things and keeping them clean. First of all, let's see some of the different kinds of natural waxes. My goodness, I had no idea there were so many different kinds. Well, fortunately for us, nature's been very generous. Probably we couldn't live without wax. But I want you to look closely at this display. These are only a few out of hundreds and hundreds of kinds. Rose wax, mimosa, flowers of lavender wax, and then there's Chinese insect wax and beeswax from Africa. Many of these aren't used commercially, but there are some that are important. Carnava all the way from Brazil and the wax from sugar cane. You know, with all of our experience with wax, we're still learning, developing new things every day. Over there in the tower is where the new products are born. It's all very scientific and somehow exciting to think of all the new things they're working on right now. All sorts of worksaving products yet to come. It means so much, especially if you're a woman. All this research just to make housekeeping easier. You know, paste wax is the granddaddy of all wax products. Naturally, modern manufacturing methods have greatly improved it. But don't overlook all the new types of waxes for special uses. Some clean as you apply them. Some don't have to be rubbed. Then there are waxes for industry and for agricultural products. You know, nowadays oranges and all kinds of fruits and vegetables are being protected with wax. And then there are all the hundreds of industrial uses. For example, wax lubricants for metal forming and metal cutting have helped greatly to increase production and improve the quality of metal products. But let's get back to waxes used in homemaking. The time and works saving waxes. Each new product must measure up to our own high standards. Science provides the controls and constant testing makes sure that each can or bottle will be uniform and do exactly what it's supposed to do. They call this quality control and it doesn't stop in the laboratory. Take floors for instance. There are many different kinds of wooden floors. There are cork floors, lenolum, asphalt, vinyl, plastic floors, and floors of rubber tile. We install these floors where we know they'll get heavy traffic. And then we keep on checking. We have our own kitchen where we test a special cleaning wax for this equipment. We have all kinds of equipment and surfaces. We test various waxes on fine wood paneling, wood carvings. Even the fireplace bricks are used as test surfaces. And the leather chairs or the making of really fine wax products is a lot more complicated than you would think. You should see our pilot plant. It's really a factory in miniature. The step between test tubes and production. Here we can reproduce every process in manufacturing and wax making is an exacting kind of manufacturing. When we're sure we're ready, then still with controls all the way, we go into production. [Music] [Music] [Music] Well, I think this gives you at least an idea how painstaking we are and why we're so happy about our work and our products. I simply had no idea. It's partly selfish, of course. We have a profit sharing plan, but it's much more than that. This is an unusual company. You know, it is an unusual company. But see, you're in the third generation of management by the Johnson family, aren't you? We're into the fourth generation and still trying to keep a promise to women around the world that they can depend on us for whatever is new and better in wax. Anything that'll make it easier to protect their things and keep them sparkling. Architecture and wax may be fascinating, but there's no use in procrastinating. That night when April went to bed, a lot of lovely thoughts went around in her head. It was all new to her this living in a blur. Why always be so nice and beautiful when just a little effort you could be so dogone beautiful? Those were the words of her brother Billy and for the first time they didn't sound the least bit silly. Why not? Why not? I think I'll try it. Her brother was right. A little makeup, new hairdo, some smart clothes, and April really was beautiful. That year, Rene had a beautiful spring. Bob bought a beautiful ring. Quite a thing. They planned to be married very soon and go to Paris on their honeymoon. They did get married. They had a beautiful wedding. Oh, children, you were wonderful. I'm so proud of you. We're going to have to hurry, honey, if we get that plane. Don't you go away. Here. Hello. Yes. Well, thank you. Well, thank you very much. Hi. Well, I I'll get right to work on it. Goodbye. Bob, what's happened? Robert, what's happened? I just got the biggest job of my whole life. That's wonderful. Yes, but they want the plans right away. There goes our honeymoon. Well, what do we do? Well, that's easy, children. Go when you're through. I'll tell you what you're going to do, my dear. I'll go away. You stay here. Oh, mother. That'll be wonderful. Poor April. She's bit brutally disappointed, but she doesn't want Bob to know. Pinkin. Emily, they've quit again, remember? Oh, I just can't get used to their not being here. Well, you just have to go and get them back. I'll go pack. Seems a shame, and I'm to blame. But just the same, it's your big chance, and it's a wonderful old house. It was a wonderful old house. It will be for us. I can take care of it. Do you think? I'm sure. It was a wonderful old house, but it had been too much for Timkins and Emily. April thought she could take care of it. But what a way to spend a honeymoon. There was nothing April could say. It was Mrs. Daring who went away. Bob went to work the very next day. It was a tremendous satisfaction to get that big job and get into action. This job would make possible a home of their own. Except that his mother would never consent to live alone. April knew what a problem she had to face. Two generations trying to live in one place. She hoped just by being persevering eventually to win over Mama Daring. So she vacuumed and she cleaned and she dusted. She got down on her knees and rubbed and scrubbed. Then she remembered something. All this research just to make housekeeping easier. And then April had a bright idea. She thought it was a wonderful idea. She felt better just thinking about it. Hello, Scott. Yes. I don't know if you'll remember me, April Dearing. Well, of course I remember you. You were the prettiest bride I ever saw. Oh, thank you, Miss Scott. I've been wondering about some of the things you said. I have no right to ask this. What's the trouble? Well, I think it would be just awfully nice if you could drop around maybe with some advice. I think I know what's on your mind. Don't let yourself get all unscrambled. This kind of thing is easily handled. Right. Goodbye. I'm doing the best I can, but it would take an army really to take care of this place. And no matter what I do to it, doesn't seem to make a bit of difference. It's a wonderful old house, but it's just too much for me. And those curtains. Well, let's start there. Let me see. I know Mrs. Dearing. I I don't think she'd want you to make any radical changes. Why don't you try this? There. That lets a little more light in. Oh, yes. I don't think you need these curtains at all. I don't either. I like it much better without them. Now, what's under that whole carpet? I don't know. Probably a lot of dirt. Let's take a look, shall we? It's a faded old dust catcher. Anyway, it would be nice if you could get rid of it. Looks like I was right. There was a grand old pocketry floor under the carpet. Cleaned up and waxed. It would look wonderful. But what about Mama Dearing? After all, this is still her house. Why don't you keep this floor waxed? That would make it look shiny and new, and you wouldn't have to scrub it nearly so often. That would be wonderful. It's one thing to make housekeeping easier, but they're talking about more than that. All right. You know, I guess it isn't such a bad kitchen. It could be a very cheerful room. Some bright curtains and a little wallpaper would help a lot. It sure would. And I don't think Mother Daring would mind. I don't either. Well, I don't know. Mrs. Daring has her own ideas. Maybe April is letting her enthusiasm run away with her. I'll start today. I'll start with the floor right here. [Music] [Music] Bob took one look at the kitchen and said it was beautiful. It was beautiful. Much easier to take care of. What his mother would think, well, he wondered. [Music] For April, the days flew by on a wonderful breeze. Thanks to Miss Scott, she felt she could now take care of the house with ease. It were only her house. These were only her things. Bob must have been worried, too. One afternoon, he surprised her. Here's the surprise. Timkins. If anybody knows Mrs. Dearing, it's Timkins. So, they asked him. It's a bit of a shocker, Mom, but I must say I must say you've done the old place up handsome. Thank you. Your mother will be pleased as punch, I think. We hope. Timkins is doing day work now. He says he can give us a day a week. How nice. May I try this thing, Mom? I have a kind of weakness, you might say, for gadgets. Of course. I was just going to use it in the hall. [Music] I beg your pardon. Tin, welcome home. What in heaven's name do you think you're doing? It was your idea to carpet this hall in the first place. You said it was too much trouble to take care of. We were behind times, if I may say so, Mom. They've taken the scrub and rub out of it today. Well, I don't know how you did it, Tin, but this floor is simply beautiful. Thank you very much. My curtains. Timkins, where are the children? In the kitchen, I think. Mom, but before you see them. Yes, Timkins. I've been doing a bit of thinking. You know, Emily and I are not happy with day work. Oh, how nice, Timkins. Yes, ma'am. After all, one of these days the young people will want to be out on their own. Oh, I couldn't possibly live alone. Certainly not. Babies are better off in their own home. Mom, babies? Yes, mom. All that yet, but David indeed. Well, not too much now. There. Surprise. Mother, I love being away. April, I might as well tell you straight away that I love what you've done to this house. It hadn't looked like this since Bob was a little boy. Even my curtains look better. Timkin seems to think it would be much easier to take care of. If you're too busy to take a proper honeymoon, Robert, you must be getting along well enough to get a place of your own. Well, yes, but I thought you wanted us here. Well, you said what? Nonsense. Emily, Kim, Kins, and I are much too old to have a flock of squalling babies underfoot. It It wouldn't be good for the babies either. Had you thought about that? Well, you may be right, Mom. Of course, I'm right. How's the big job, Robert? It's all finished. Good. Hipkins, my bags are still on the front porch. I'll fix them. And you better start packing yours. Okay, Mom. Bob, isn't it wonderful? Everything's wonderful. You're wonderful. Hey, wait a minute. [Music] Come here. Look what I did. That's all right, honey. Can't hurt anything. Just like that, huh? It's all there is to it. Not quite all. No. No. Well, there you have it. I knew things couldn't be better the moment I read this letter. They're in love. They're in Paris. And they're going to come back to a home of their own. The old house, well, it still sparkles from floor to raft. And I'm quite sure everybody will live happily ever after. [Music]