Radium Girls (Roeder) 1:9 Cues & Lines (for personal use!!)

"...The incidence of illness should be highest in the laboratory."

And no one there is sick!

"You think they'd do that?"

CHARLIE!

[Enter Lee]

Charlie. [Show him the paper.] He has to be wrong.

"Drinker will never stand for this."

Drinker works for us! This is a proprietary report. What we do with it is our business.

"...Enclosed is our report."

Finally!

"I'll get some paper."

He has to be wrong, that's all. He's wrong.

"He must have overlooked something."

If we're suffering from a new ailment caused by radium, it should occur generally throughout the plant.

"Some kind of bacteria, perhaps? In the brushes?"

It can't be the radium. There are dozens of application plants across the country. And none has ever reported anything like this.

"But in view of the material in the literature..."

It's a mistake.

"Then perhaps it's some combination of the radium with the zinc."

Or something peculiar to our plant alone.

"The entire back yard is filled with tailings."

Radium is present in good amounts all over the property.

"We believe the trouble in your plant is due to the radium."

Radium?!

"They could shut us down for this!"

Scientists! Government men! They have no idea what it takes to run a business. Von Sochocky thought advertising was a dirty word. He laughed at the very IDEA of promotion. I can't tell you how many times I walked into that man's office and he turned a deaf ear to everything I told him. But, Charlie, we showed him. We showed him! Look at us! We are the world's largest single supplier of radium. The largest in the world! You know what it took for us to get here? Do you think I am going to stand idly by and let our good name be dragged through the mud?? [Hold out the paper to Lee.] Trust me, Charlie. [As Lee exits, try to calm myself.]

"One would expect."

Several hundred milligrams are in solution at all times in the big vats, several hundred milligrams in the ore, several hundred in crystallizing!

"One page?"

The most important page.

"What are we going to do? This tears us to pieces. How do we answer them?"

They want to see the report. [Flip through, looking for a page. Find it, tear it out, and show it to Lee.] We'll send them this.

"It can't be as bad as all that."

This can't be.

"Once they see what kinda shape yer in..."

This is impossible!

"But the Department of Labor, Arthur."

We just need time, Charlie. Just a little time!

"The Department of Labor wants to see the report."

Yes, I'm aware.