Dana Andrews March of Dimes Speech at a Birthday Ball
IT'S MY PLEASURE INDEED, TO PRESENT TO YOU, MR. DANA ANDREWS. MR. ANDREWS.
DANA ANDREWS: Thank you, Mr. O'Connor. I'm glad to have this chance to talk about the National
Foundation for Infantile Paralysis and the March of Dimes. I know that's the
usual thing to say, but I really mean it. Every time I heard the words
"Infantile Paralysis," or see a child wearing braces, I find myself seeing not
the crippled child, but one of my children, David, Kathy, or Steven. I can't
help wondering, What if it were Kathy?
Today those three kids have a special little game they play together, even if
Steven is only three. It's just one of those kids' games, makes no sense to
anybody but them, but what if Kathy were wearing braces? It takes three to play
that game. And how long would it be before Kathy lost the companionship of her
two brothers? And after that, what if she grew up handicapped?
Those thoughts aren't pleasant, but I guess you parents have all had them.
That's why I know you'll understand why I'm so glad to be taking an active part
in the support of the organization that can make such a difference in the lives
of children. Frankly I didn't realize how much difference the National
Foundation could make, until Mr. O'Connor mentioned all the things it has done
during the past ten years to keep our children from being crippled. It's been a
full, rich decade for the foundation.
It's been a wonderful one for me, too. It was just ten years ago, 1938, that I
got my first big break. I was studying acting at the time. I was studying
because I wanted to become one of those performers who got paid. But it wasn't
for the money alone. It was security I was looking for. I just wanted to be
sure that I could take care of my family.
My wife and I had plans, dreams, you know the kind I mean. There isn't a parent
who at one time or another doesn't think that his child can do just about
anything or be anybody he or she might choose. Oh, maybe not the President, but
certainly the best doctor, the best lawyer, the best scientist, the best banker.
The dreams vary, but it all boils down just to this. We all want our children to
have an easier time of it than we did, not to lack for a thing, to have every
advantage. In short, we want them to be happy.
Well, happiness means health, which brings me right back to that child wearing
braces, and that uneasy feeling. It's when I see a crippled child, or see one of
those pictures in the paper--I'm sure you've seen 'em. It's then that I feel a
chill run down my spine. It's then that I begin to wonder. Could it happen to
my children?
That's when the danger of infantile paralysis really hits home. That's when you
realize that polio could wreck every dream you ever had for your children.
That's when I really welcome the time when the March of Dimes rolls around. At
least I have a chance to do something constructive, something to see that my
neighborhood and every other community in the country is prepared with doctors,
nurses, physical therapists and hospital equipment to fight infantile paralysis.
After all, the thirty-two million dollars that the National Foundation spent for
care and treatment really came out of the dimes and dollars you and I contributed
every year. We also financed the thirteen-million-dollar research and
educational program we just heard about, which every day makes slow but sure
headway in the search for the cure and prevention of polio.
The National Foundation's ten-year record is one everyone can be proud of, but
let's not fool ourselves. The battle has just begun. As Mr. O'Connor pointed
out, a lot more remains to be done before we can throw out our chests and say,
"We've licked infantile paralysis."
And so today I'm not going to ask you to join the fight against infantile
paralysis. I don't think that's necessary. You know the fight must go on, and
that it's your duty to see that it does. Therefore, I'm merely going to remind
you to send your dimes and dollars to your local March of Dimes headquarters.
I'm not going to tell you, I'm merely going to suggest, that you join the March
of Dimes today. I'm not going to say, "Please be generous." I'm just going to
ask you to compare what you have to gain by giving as much as you can spare, with
what you have to lose, if infantile paralysis should invade your home.
Please do this, and I'm sure your March of Dimes contributions will be more
generous than ever before. Remember those hopes and plans you have for your
children. Remember, they have their whole life ahead of them. Remember their
happiness. What would happen if they were handicapped. Then what about those
plans for the future? Remember, and then protect those dreams you have for your
children, by joining the March of Dimes.
THANK YOU, DANA ANDREWS. THIS BROADCAST--
