The Greatest Man In The World (Part 1, 1979)

[Music] in the spring of 1927 a handsome young man named Charles lynberg flew a light plane across the Atlantic for being the first to do so he won a prize and a permanent place in the history of Aviation perhaps the most interesting outcome of this Brave event was the intensity and feverish affection with which the world embraced its first International culture hero it was almost instantaneous the newspapers the advertisers the pr boys we'd call them the media today they all stood up and took notice and they've been busy creating and selling Heroes ever since a couple of years after lindberg's flight America's great humorist and cartoonist James Thurber explored this theme of image making in a story he called the greatest man in the world of the time Thurber wrote this piece around 1930 he'd been a news reporter and had spent a number of years on the staff of the New Yorker magazine developing his skills as a writer of comic fiction his stories are deceptively light comic fables with a wonderful foolishness as well as Keen insight into human nature thur is known for creating astonishing situations and remarkable characters like the hero of the greatest man in the world his name well the man's name is Jack smch that's his name and as the story opens the newspaper reporters have just begun to sniff out his amazing story [Music] d oh [Music] where's dismal Lane in a hurry I'm a reporter Mister Hot on the trail of a story a big story where's dis molain what paper do you work for journal heral the journal Herold A continuing insult the promiscuous breeding ground of distortion and lies if you work for the journal Herald I never heard of dismal lck hey you come back here [Music] [Music] [Music] hey I owe you a poke in the nose buddy what are you doing here PR what paper J Harold your as Herbert why don't you say so so did you ask I'm Ray smidgen it's my first assignment I'm the tag along and I was forewarned sorry about them forewarned is forearmed Mr smidgen you really feel that way about the journal Herold Mr smidgen you can't interview me I never talk to the Press Dr Charles Lewis gram I presume that's try Ames Herbert Journal car it's about time you almost missed the whole thing this is Jack smch the pilot I was number one Barnstormer and stunt pilot I can do the Triple Loop boys only from now on them tricks as peanuts Lindberg don't make me laugh ain't nobody seen no flying yet D don't you do that or I'll take you up and I'll push you over and you forgot your parachute and Doc if you need one and you ain't got one you won't don't need one again J my personal fuel take some photographs of the plane Mr smidgen how did you fix upon this mild mannered young a I put an ad in the paper surely you had more than one applicant I needed a man who could stay a week an alert 4 days therefore I sought above all a high degree of animal Vitality he doesn't look like a man who fall asleep and if he should he seems expended what are these cans attached to the plane I devised and in ingenious filtration system which thins gasoline to the point that the load and therefore the coefficient of drag is virtually non-existent and thus depending on how far you intend to travel thanks to my Brilliant Invention all you do is add auxiliary tanks so to demonstrate he's going to fly around the world hey Doc I'm done we got a nice tail win let's go you have the charts I got charts draining out of my ears hey you guys hey give me a hand hey you sack you want to be sliced into bacon stay right where you are don't move hey don't forget to drop the unused tanks into the river before you land sure thing doc I'll see you Thursday hey stay so long to my sweet okay hey Jack don't get so cocky you can't fly you just remember what I said ain't nobody seen no fly yet push you paluca p [Music] the junk Heap got off the ground you may refer to that if you must as the miracle of dismal Lane as for Jack smch the less said about him the better in short no story my li My Lies Over the Sea my body Lies Over [Music] the the governor of Illinois lies in critical hold on I've just been handed a bullet we have just received word that the young American Aviator Jack Smur has crossed the Atlantic on the first leg of a proposed round the world nonstop flight in a tiny mod no story e Herbert you and your side can go to Chicago tonight now drive over to Westfield Iowa Westfield where smurch grew up get the load down on him get back here Thursday before we go to press have you got that but get it [Music] you that sure he won't make it not a chance may be mistaken there's something about him got plenty of juice not juice Jin now Jack smch is a blow hard a loud mouth an idle bragard I think you'll make it [Music] appreciate it [Music] two coffees please no dust in mine hey we're looking for somebody who's supposed to live here Mrs Emma smurch you the law no fil collector no ma'am you found her you're ain't I just said so Mrs smch we've come all the way from New York because your son jack is going to fly a plane around the world without stopping nothing you could say about Jack smch could interest me is Jack's father around he don't live here no more know where we might find him number 165 Main Street Preston and if you see him you tell him I said he got what he had coming Mrs smch did Jack have any childhood toys that he cherished a sled or something he had a motorcycle when he was 13 would that be around here someplace no he drove it to a drugstore window drunk didn't stick around to see how bad was the damage do you have any childhood pictures of Jack that's only one we'll give it right back you can keep it this A merch as a mother how does it feel to know that your boy may pass away any time in the next few days May in fact already be dead the hell with him I hope he drowns in what scientists describe as an impossible machine that will not work the astonishing Intrepid Jackie smch hurdles across Europe like a thunderbolt wherever young smch is spotted in his tiny dragonfly 2 monoplane there's dancing in the streets yeah I'm Jake smurch what can I do for you uh we're from a newspaper we'd like to ask you a few questions about your son jack he killed somebody no sir he's going to fly a plane nonstop stop around the world Jack Mr Smur can you tell us anything about Jack's interests as a boy well was he good in school no no no though he liked to read books about Great Men Legs Diamond Al Capone see school didn't make no difference to Jack cuz he was born with practical knowhow Jack could fix anything couldn't have been more than 16 when he had a job as an auto mechanic then one day hey smch mind the store while I'm out oh yeah sure thing [Music] Mac do you mean to say Jack stole that car Mr Smurf well I wouldn't put it that way Jack was like a an Explorer he took it cuz it was there after he left reform school Jack worked out at the airport took Flying Lessons Learned a parachute drop Jack dearly love to parachute drop I remember the day he taught his buddy IO Whiffle [Music] but uh what happened to the plane up in the air like that with nobody to Pilot [Music] it I often [Applause] wonder oh in the Clover this is number one and the fun is Just Begun roll me over lay me down and do it again jack smch I knew him well and just before smurch departed Westfield High for the last time they were very close and Jack left me a gift which I carry to this day he knifed you jack had strong opinions hello r r hello Jackie smch the Westfield Iowa X mechanics helper is still awake and a lot and continues to battle the experts as he captures the hearts and Imagination of common men the world over well coin's in conference oh no are we going to make the deadline suppose he goes to press before we get back he left word we're to proceed to Flushing and confront miss sweet PTI [Music] the first time I saw pal I knew he was someone special I was at work and the way he looked up to me it wasn't like the others it was more respectful like where were you working in Basque but Jack changed all that that's why I I'm where I am today folding flaps what does Jack's merch mean to you personally clean smelling breath when he holds me close even if he doesn't shave every day it just makes him feel closer somehow does he ever feel a trifle too close he does not sweat any more than he needs to if that's what you mean except one time I remember he pushed push me down and right there on the floor stuffy this is a family paper and then he fell asleep on top of me with the shoes on although not in a rude way does Jack have any other attributes you admire he's wonderful warm wholesome modest and regular in all his habits listen pal is tough he'll make it before he took off Jack said say so long to my sweet patootie he did the mister was he all right oh alive and well miss Duffy alive and well with the time being [Music] where's confence can't you say I'm in conference this couldn't wait 10 minutes never mind that gu that to break down the front page what's the biggest type you've got 144 Point nothing bigger how's he going man let go inside Sir Mr smid whatever you say Mr smid Bo this better be good it is get this Con General hooligan Jack smurch was barely 11 years of age when he commenced the first of many sojourns in a Preston Iowa reform school smch feared and despised by his fellow towns people give me that petty Larson Grand larsy assault with a deadly is this your idea of some kind of joke it's true every word of it the biggest scoop since Noah's Ark Herbert said I could take it right if I don't get an award for this there's no justice do you read the newspapers do you have even the vaguest notion of what a phenomenon we've got in our hands as soon as this congenital hooligan was spotted flying over Paris doing those figure rates around the Eiffel Tower all Europe went wild Stalin invited him to join the Communist Party Japan calls him the little Emperor right at this moment he's flying over San Francisco and they're all going wild if there was an earthquake there nobody would hear it if and when this congenital who touches down he's going to be the greatest hero in the land and you suggest that I I print this mudslinging this character assassination listen this is the truth I swear it young man what I print is the truth until I print it it's just sorted rumor hear sa didn't you bring back anything I can use well his girlfriend did tell us a nice story it seems during those hean days back in Westfield Iowa smurch took his AG at Grandma mother for a ride and as they soared aoft he gestured like this and warmly wholesomely with clean smelling breath he showed her what he claimed was the new world the world of the air age said first the country then all the continents would be interconnected by invisible Sky highways and all men would be brothers he didn't she didn't you made that up yourself so what I like it I guess I should mention the time that Smur saved his kid's sister from drowning great smch doesn't have a kid Sister what difference could that possibly make and and we'll we'll touch lightly on the incident when Smur shoved a toddling infant out from in front of an onrushing locomotive told her to drink milk stands cool there's no Railroad in Westfield Iowa I don't care it sounds good to me write it up Herbert bring back any photographs hey nasty looking fet isn't he just love to be retouched smidgen you keep your mouth shut about this one p body you and your position here is terminated defunct get it what are you sitting there for GA he's hatching his hat go on both of you get out of here close the door C Conlin here I've got some information on smch I think may interest you yes I can't help but feel a spontaneous swelling Pride when I see the whole world resounding with praise for this Noble son of our great nation we pray that all seeing Providence will continue to bless this intrepid journey of dauntless Jackie's merch we've been talking with irn Cod Secretary of State thank you Mr secretary that's it we're off the air [Applause] and that my colleagues is what we know of Jack merch in my opinion the record rather than being meager is too complete I stress again the urgency of ensuring the complete cooperation of everyone involved gentlemen I ask you to join me in your hearts as I petition the Almighty dear Lord let not his mother's prayer go unanswered to hell with him I be TR