Act II Theater

. . . . He follows his dream
with mind and heart.

And when it becomes a reality,
it's a dream come true for you and me.

So, there's a great big beautiful tomorrow
shining at the end of every day.
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow,
just a dream away! .

[It's a hot Summer night. The scene opens on a 1920's kitchen. Once again, scrimmed backdrops on stage-left and stage-right conceal secondary sets. Father sits in a kitchen chair amidst the conveniences of the Roaring Twenties. The kitchen is now totally electrified with wires running every-which-way.]

Contrast the concept model with the actual scene

Whew! Hottest Summer we've had in years. Well, we've progressed a long way since the turn of the century, twenty years ago. But no one realized then that this would be the "age of electricity." Everyone's using it! Farmers. Factories. Whole towns! With electric street lights we don't worry so much about the youngsters bein' out after dark. And what a difference in our home.

We can run as many wires as we need in any direction for Mother's new electrical servants: electric sewin' machines, coffee percolators, toasters, waffle irons, refrigerators and they all go to work at the click of a switch. [On cue, all of the appliances and electrical gadgets begin to run at once.] Take it easy! You'll blow a fuse! [On cue, all of the appliances and electrical gadgets stop.]

[The dog growls at someone in the audience.] Buster! Leave 'im alone!

[Lights come up in scrimmed side theater at stage-left to reveal Mother still hard at work, doing the ironing this time.] Well, the days of luggin' heavy hot irons from an old cook stove to an ironing board are gone forever. And with an electric iron and electric lights, Mother has something to do to fill in her evenings. Now it's no problem at all to get my collars smooth, right Mother?

[Lights come up in scrimmed side theater at stage-right to reveal son listening to a phonograph while Grandpa tunes in his crystal set radio.] Oh. By the way. We've got a phonograph now and there's a new kind of music called "Jazz" that all the youngsters go for. With his crystal set, Grandpa can get big-time entertainment from distances up to a hundred miles away. [The high pitched whine of static is heard through the set.] Now that's called static. [Lights fade on stage-right scene.]

You know? There's something progress can't improve on ... it's called romance. [Lights come up on the porch to reveal a couple silhouetted.]

Here's "Dad" plugging his electrified kitchen of the '20s in GE's Carousel of Progress. the "audio-animatronic" figures are uncannily lifelike.

Source: News Colorfoto by William Klein and Richard Lewis, New York Sunday News, June 13, 1965

[Chuckling] Mother broadcast the time signals long before radio got the idea.

[Buster growls at the person in the audience again.] Cut that out, Buster!

Well, we've got indoor plumbing now. Saves a lot of walkin'. In our new bathroom we've got a ... a house guest. Cousin Orville. [Lights come up in the scrimmed side theater at stage-left to reveal Cousin Orville reading the paper while reclining in a claw-foot bathtub -- a fan whirls at the foot of the tub blowing air over a large block of ice.] As usual, he's taken over the coolest spot in the house. I will say one thing for him though ... Orville's rigged up somethin' pretty clever. He calls it "air cooling."

Too bad he's not reading the "help wanted" ads!

[Realizing he's the subject of discussion...] No privacy a'tall around this place!

Cousin Orville scene concept model

.There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
shining at the end of every day.
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow,
and tomorrow's just a dream away.

Man has a dream
and that's the start . . . .

Click to rotate to the Act III Theater