310126 - La Mariposa

Recording Status:  Recorded, in circulation

This night’s broadcast of Empire Builders was a story called “La Mariposa.” In Spanish, this means “The Butterfly.” The air-check recording of this broadcast has been circulating for many years on the internet, but sadly has a variety of incorrect names attached to it. Most often, you will find it referred to as “Joaquin Murietta.”  Other variations of the wrong episode title include “Juaquin Murietta” (Joaquin spelled with a “u” instead of an “o”), and an even more bizarre variation, “Joachin Noriega.” Joaquin Murietta (1830-1853) is in fact a character in this story, and is a real figure from early California history. The exploits of Joaquin Murietta (alternately spelled with two r’s and/or two t’s) live on in mostly undocumented legend, and provided the basis for the original story of Don Diego de la Vega, a.k.a. Zorro.

As I’ve written about previously, the Great Northern Railway succeeded in generating some new buzz about Empire Builders by running a radio script contest in the late summer of 1930. The contest was conducted through several NBC affiliates in major cities that were (mostly) on the mainline of the railroad. One major market not on the GN’s mainline that was nevertheless included in the contest was San Francisco, California. This was run through NBC affiliate KGO, and garnered at least 189 entries from contest hopefuls. One of the submissions, which took first place in the KGO contest, came from a woman named Emilia Joyaux Clapham (1899-1965). She was a resident of Berkeley, California, and had in fact attended the University of California in that city. It appears she earned a Masters degree in History.

This photo of Emilia Clapham appeared in the January, 1931, issue
of the Great Northern Goat magazine.
Author's collection

The GN radio script contest was open to all comers, amateurs and professionals alike. It appears Emilia Clapham achieved professional status as an author, although I don’t know for sure if this was before or after submitting her script for Empire Builders. The record shows that she filed for copyright for quite a number of scripts for radio and possibly theater. Some of the copyright notations from the early 1930s show an association with Charles P. Hughes. Coincidently – or perhaps not at all – Hughes was the host at that time of a very popular radio program called “First Nighter.” A significant connection between Empire Builders and First Nighter is that Don Ameche appeared regularly on First Nighter beginning in 1930, overlapping his work on Empire Builders. Some of Clapham’s copyrighted stories match up with presentations on First Nighter, including some of the stories they used in their 1932 and 1933 seasons. A few examples include:

·       “Filibuster” (First Nighter episode 320909)

·       “Range War” (First Nighter episode 320916)

·       “The reporter from the News” (First Nighter episode 321209)

·       “Trade Winds” (First Nighter episode 330224)

It’s possible Clapham’s success with the Empire Builders radio script contest propelled her work into the spotlight enough to open other doors. Then again, she may have already established herself in that regard. The earliest copyright entry I came across was for a play she wrote in the spring of 1930, prior to the GN script contest.

One other revelation from the copyright records is that Clapham apparently wrote at least some of her work under the masculine pseudonym “Michael Doran.” I suspect it was sometimes easier for a woman to be published in those days when she was perceived to be a man, although at least in the case of the Great Northern’s script contest, the majority of the winners were women, which tends to disprove that limitation where the railroad was concerned.

As for Clapham’s inspiration for the story of La Mariposa, it’s likely she was influenced by various writings about Murietta, including a book published in 1928 called “The Crimson Trail of Joaquin Murietta,” written by Ernest Klette, in which it was said that Murietta met his doom in or near Mariposa County, California.

In the case of this broadcast of Empire Builders, I am fortunate in having both a digital recording of the original broadcast as it went out over the air, and a copy of the printed continuity for the show. I will use the continuity for the bulk of my review of the story, adding some detail from the recorded audio as needed.

As usual, Empire Builders opened with their signature musical entrance, and Ted Pearson came to the microphone to start the show.

ANNOUNCER:     The Great Northern Railway presents E M P I R E  B U I L D E R S !

(MUSIC UP, A AND B. SEGUE TO SPEEDING TRAIN EFFECT. FADE TO ORCHESTRA WHICH FADES FOR CREDIT).

ANNOUNCER:      Empire Builders tonight takes you through the eternal springtime of Washington and Oregon to the perpetual summer of California … down to the Mother Lode country in the foothills of the Sierras – to the “Land of Gold, in the days of old, in the days of ‘49” –

The story opened with the Old Timer talking to a couple onboard the Empire Builder train. The Old Timer had to explain what the “Mother Lode” in California was all about. He explained that it was the name of a famously rich vein of gold that was discovered in California during the Gold Rush. The Old Timer mentioned an infamous character in early California history, and the man and woman on the train begged for more.

WOMAN:               Oh, do tell us a story, Old Timer!

OLD TIMER:         Well, I was jest a-figgerin’ on that. Did you ever hear o’ Joaquin Murietta?

MAN:                     Murietta? Yes, indeed. He was a bandit, or something, wasn’t he?

WOMAN:               Bandit! But I wanted a romance!

OLD TIMER:         You’ll get plenty o’ romance in this story o’ Joaquin Murietta, all right, ma’am. It was one summer night, back in the’fifties, an they was quite a crowd gathered in Dad Barnes’s Saloon an’ Ee-lite Palace o’ Chance in Sonora, - down Stockton way. The roulette wheels was a-clickin’ right merrily, an’ ‘round in the corners poker-faced men was a-dealin’ faro an’ monte …

The radio play transitioned to a scene in an old west saloon. Some men were having a conversation, laced with disparaging remarks about the outlaw Joaquin Murietta. One of the men came to the defense of Murietta, who he revealed had been a friend of his. The man was on old settler named “Truckee Jim,” and he said Murietta had come up to California from Mexico when he was just 18, then settled peacefully in the area to pan for gold. Jim suggested Murietta only became an outlaw after he had been persecuted unjustly. But one of the other men brought up the fact that Murietta had almost been captured and strung up just days ago in nearby Stockton.

JIM:                        (SERIOUSLY)  Yeah, – t’was all on account of a woman too (PAUSE) worst of it was he blamed the wrong woman for the whole business.

STRANGER:          How was that?

JIM:                        Wal, – I tell you. I was sittin’ at the door of my cabin t’other night, when I heerd a horse a comin’. I look up and darn ‘f t’aint Joaquin.

The radio play then segued again to a new scene where Murietta rode up to Jim’s cabin. After some initial chit-chat, Jim tried to impart some friendly wisdom on the younger Murietta and encouraged him to return to Mexico where he could settle down in peace and quiet. Murietta dismissed the thought by stating that he’d “gone too far to turn back now.” The talk of a rope around Murietta’s neck caused the bandito to change the subject – he said he was in love. After describing the object of his affections in glowing terms, Jim commented on how Murietta’s horse looked tired, and asked if he’d been riding long. Murietta offered up quite off-handedly that he had just come from a little town up north where he had held up the saloon. Not much gold, he admitted, but at least a little walking around money. No doubt, the law was warm (if not hot) on his trail.

Back to the scene at the saloon, Jim and the stranger continued their assessments of Murietta. Jim explained that while he had been talking with Murietta at his cabin, there was another conversation taking place elsewhere, at the same time. It was between Don Jose, a wealthy landowner, and the sheriff. It was revealed that Don Jose Aguilar’s daughter, the beautiful Maria (and object of Murietta’s affections) had previously promised the sheriff that she would serve as bait to lure Murietta into a trap to be arrested. Her father was furious, but Maria was predictably impetuous and insisted on following through with her promise to the sheriff. But then the discussion turned to whether this was in fact Joaquin Murietta who was showing such interest in Maria.

SHERIFF:       Are you sure that he is Joaquin? Has he ever told you?

MARIA:          No – he has never told me his name, but I know. Many times, have I heard the whispered greeting of the peons; always they call him, “El Patrio”. It is he, Senors.

SHERIFF:       (GRIMLY)  El Patrio! The Mexicans all over California know Joaquin by that name! Looks like we’re going to get him this time. Well, we’ll be waiting for your signal tonight, Senorita Maria.

MARIA:          We shall be under the oak tree in the corner of the garden, – when he sings the love song, you will come.

SHERIFF:       You are doing California a great service, Senorita Maria.

MARIA:          (PROUDLY)  Pardon, Senores. What I do, – it is not for your “Gringo” government. I do it for Juancito, my brother, whom this Murietta has kill last year.

Oh, dear. Such treachery afoot. All for a good cause, though, I suppose. Well, we’ll see . . .

The sound effects boys were instructed in the continuity to supply the same segue as before to bring the scene back to Truckee Jim’s cabin. A young woman named Juanita came riding up with a breathless warning that the sheriff was laying a trap for Murietta at the fandango in Stockton. Before he was willing to accept what she said, Jim let on that he was a little leery about who exactly she was.

JIM:                An’ jes’ who are you, Sister?

JUANITA:      I am Juanita, the dancer, Senor; some call me La Mariposa, the Butterfly.

JIM:                Oh, shore – I’ve heard of you. Too bad, – you’re just a little late, Joaquin has already gone on; you must hev passed him.

JUANITA:      Oh no, Senor, I have come by the short way; but now I must hurry to stop heem. (She pauses a moment) Senor, he risk capture, and goes to the fandango because of one beautiful woman – that Senorita Maria Aguilar. How I wish that I were also beautiful.  (SIGHS)  Gracias, – adios.

I don’t know what “stinkbug” is in Spanish (“La chinche hedor,” maybe?), but you’d think they would have called her that, if she was as homely as she seemed to think she was. Maybe she was just being too hard on herself.

The next scene of the story had Joaquin Murietta on a hill looking down on the town of Stockton, and happily reveling in his imminent reunion with the lovely Maria. Being that this role was taken by the dashing young Don Ameche, and being that he was already beginning to display his talents as a “Latin Lover” (his ancestral lineage tracing back to Italy), it was decided to showcase his singing talent. The continuity indicated that Ameche was to sing a few bars of “Cielito Lindo,” although the song actually used in the broadcast appears to be something else entirely. I haven’t been able to identify it, but the melody of Cielito Lindo is what Frito-Lay marketing folks used for the old “Frito Bandito” television commercials back in the late 60s. I know – pretty lame cultural reference, but it’s what’s familiar to many of us. The melody of Ameche’s song – and what I can make out of the lyrics – appears to be vastly different from Cielito Lindo.

Amidst the impromptu hilltop warbling, La Mariposa rode up on Murietta. He heard her coming, but not knowing initially who it was, his first thought was to attempt a robbery.

JOAQUIN:      (TALKING TO HIS HORSE)  We shall let the traveler catch up with us, eh Diablo?  (SLAPS HORSE)  We can always use a little extra money.  (PAUSE)  Carramba, it is that ugly Juanita.  (To Juanita)  Why you follow me everywhere, Mariposa?

JUANITA:      (A LITTLE OUT OF BREATH FROM HER LONG RIDE). Do not be angry weeth me, my Joaquin. I come to warn you. You must not go to this fandango. The posse lie in wait for you there.

JOAQUIN:      (HAUGHTILY)  Joaquin goes where he wishes, muchacha! The “Gringos” are fools, – they shall never catch me.

Try as she might, Juanita (La Mariposa) failed to impress upon Murietta the grave danger that faced him at the cantina. He was both love-struck and cocky, and no threat of ambush by the gringos could deter him. La Mariposa had an obligation to show up at the fandango and perform, so she resigned herself to Murietta’s stubborn and impetuous determination, and rode with him down to the saloon. The sound effects boys ginned up some more good saloon noises, and with plenty of light-footed shoe tapping, La Mariposa concluded a spirited dance to the sound of an appreciative crowd’s rousing ovation.

Again La Mariposa tried to warn Murietta of the imminent arrival of the sheriff and his posse, but the suspicious bandito simply challenged Juanita’s motives. He could not see that she had fallen for him, but instead seemed to suspect her as a traitor.

Meanwhile, the truly treacherous Maria lay in wait, wondering why Murietta had not yet appeared at their agreed-upon rendezvous point. La Mariposa slipped out of the saloon and found Maria in hiding, confronting her and telling Maria she knew what she was up to.

At first, Maria denied Juanita’s accusations, but under a withering barrage of two or three of them, Maria finally crumbled and admitted to her treachery. She declared that she hated Murietta for killing her brother.

Suddenly, Murietta himself appeared in the darkness. La Mariposa tried to warn Maria not to reveal her true intentions, for if she did so, Murietta would surely kill her on the spot! Murietta coldly dismissed Juanita, who left the two alone. Maria then began spinning her web of deceit. She asked Murietta to reveal his true identity to her. Murietta asked her if, since she was obviously in love with him, she could forgive him his many sins. Maria quickly spun a few more strands of her elaborate web.

MARIA:          (SWEETLY)  Can you doubt me, Senor?

JOAQUIN:      (TENDERLY)  No, – you, I shall always believe. My name, – it is Joaquin Murieta.

MARIA:          (AS IF SHE IS SURPRISED)  Murieta?  (Pause)  Senor, no matter who you are, – I –

JOAQUIN:      (Interrupting)  You love me? Say it Maria.

MARIA:          (Amorously)  First you shall sing for me the song I like so well, – Cielito Lindo – then, – (Bitterly) then, – you shall know how much I love you, Senor.

As you see, the continuity again refers to "Cielito Lindo" as the song Don Ameche should sing, but the recorded audio drops a reference to the name of the tune that he actually performs. Dang! I was hoping the audio recording would reveal its name. Do you know it? Please let me know if you do.
 

(JOAQUIN BEGINS TO SING THE CHORUS OF THE LOVE SONG PREVIOUSLY QUOTED. JUANITA INTERRUPTS SONG)

JUANITA:      (EXCITEDLY)  Joaquin, you must go at once. The posse, – it is as I told you, they are at the gate.

La Mariposa was making one last, desperate attempt to save the man she loved, but Maria saw an easy opportunity to cover her own ill-intent by blaming Juanita for the arrival of the posse. When Juanita tried to protest in her own defense, the bandito turned on her with great cruelty.

JOAQUIN:      (FURIOIUSLY)  You dare speak of her? I keel you, – you traitor. Do not fear, Maria Mia, they shall not catch me.

JUANITA:      Your horse – he is on the other side of the wall – ready for you.

JOAQUIN:      (CRUELLY)  Ha! You think I trust you, eh? Some day I come back to you, Juanita, and remember – Joaquin, never forget. I give you thees to remember me by.  (SOUND OF BLOW AS HE STRIKES HER DOWN.) Dio bless you, Maria, mia, until we meet again. Adios.

Murietta took off, and when the posse arrived just moments later, Maria was quick to point them the way. But that crafty bandito escaped. The story then switched back to Truckee Jim and his audience.

(TRANSITION MUSIC UP AND FADE TO SALOON INTERIOR EFFECTS)

JIM:                That’s the story, boys.

STRANGER:  And they didn’t get him, eh?

JIM:                No, Joaquin is plenty smart.

FIRST MAN:  What happened to the Senorita Aguilar?

JIM:                I jes’ heard today, that Don Jose, her father, decided to go back to Spain to visit her kin-folk a while. They sailed from San Francisco a few days back.

STRANGER:  And Juanita?

JIM:                ‘Course the gal was all broke up after that fracas with Joaquin, so my wife’s got her up at our cabin fer a few days.

At this point, the “stranger” revealed that he was in fact a law man, and was intent on capturing Joaquin Murietta. The law man loudly declared it would be bad business for anyone to attempt to aid and abet the fugitive Murietta. One in the crowd took particular amusement in this warning.

JOAQUIN:      (HAS BEEN TAKING IN THE WHOLE STORY)  So, – a little argument about Joaquin, eh? Gracias, Amigo Jeem, I salute you as the only “Gringo” who understands Joaquin.

STRANGER:  (BLUSTERINGLY)  Who the devil are you, Sir?

JOAQUIN:      (ENJOYING THE SITUATION)  Me, Senor? – I am the most famous man in thees California – I am Joaquin Murietta – “El Patrio”.

Uh-oh… looks like we’ve reached a boiling point!

(THERE IS NOISE OF CONFUSION AS HE MAKES THIS STATEMENT, AS IF SALOON IS ABOUT TO BE EMPTIED)

JOAQUIN:      Softly, Senores, do not act like fools. My men are among you, – at the doors, – it would be very unwise. Please, let us see your hands in the air, no?

FIRST MAN:  (IN LOW VOICE TO THE STRANGER)  You’re gettin’ your wish, Mr. Ranger, – You’re seein’ Joaquin in action. Better take a good look, – you ain’t liable to git another chance after all the talk you let loose, this evenin’.

JOAQUIN:      (SOUNDS TO GIVE IMPRESSION HE IS LEISURELY LOOKING AND WALKING AROUND)

                        So, – Monte. I used to deal at Monte, myself, Senors; – but that was when I was very young and foolish, – before I went into an hones’ business. And you, Senor, the beeg, brave, Ranger. I think maybe I let you live until, – next time.

JIM:                (TEASINGLY)  Are ye aimin’ to go to Spain, Joaquin?

No, Jim – the infamous bandito had other plans. He was going straight away to fetch – and ride off with – the woman he loved.

JOAQUIN:      (LAUGHS)  No my friend, now, I go to visit your cabin to carry off the most beautiful Senorita in California. And you will stay where you are, Senores, my men will keep you company for a leetle while. Adios!

It seems the infamous bandito had come around in his thinking about La Mariposa. This set Jim to laughing. One of the men at the saloon asked him what was so funny.

JIM:                I was jest thinkin’ that there’s more’n one way to skin a cat. I seen Joaquin settin’ over there all the time. If I had told him the story, – ye might not hev believed me, but hearin’ it like he did, – Wal, I always liked thet Juanita, gal.

FIRST MAN:  It was true, – warn’t it?

JIM:                Sure it was true, as true as my name is Truckee Jim.

(TRANSITION MUSIC UP AND OUT – FADE FOR CLOSING CREDIT)

 

At this point, my copy of the continuity gives out. So for the closing credits, we’ll have to rely on a transcription from the available audio.

ANNOUNCER:          The Great Northern Railway, about this time next year, will be running its famous train, the Empire Builder, through the country of Joaquin Murietta. From Chicago to San Francisco and Oakland, via the Twin Cities and the Pacific Northwest. This fifteen million dollar extension in Northern California and Southern Oregon will make it possible to operate this deluxe train from the Mississippi to the Columbia River, then southward to the Golden Gate. But you can travel now the Great Northern way to California and visit the cities of Spokane, Seattle, Tacoma and Portland, enroute. The “Great Northern Way” is the smooth, clean, cinderless route. The Empire Builder – the standard bearer in luxurious travel – pulled by super powered oil-burning and electric locomotives, over a smooth, level roadbed. Fast schedules, with perfect comfort – dependable, on-time.

                                    Tonight’s playlet again featured Harvey Hays as the Old Timer, Don Ameche played Joaquin, Lucille Husting was Maria, and Bernardine Flynn was Juanita, “La Mariposa.” 

                                    This is Ted Pearson speaking. Empire Builders comes to you each Monday night at this time from the NBC studios in Chicago.

There were no further comments at the close of the program about the Old Timer’s Tour of Glacier Park, but Ted and the Old Timer had some discussion about it at the opening of the show, so bear with me a moment while we rewind to the start to pick up news of the tour.

ANNOUNCER:          Empire Builders tonight takes you through the eternal springtime of Washington and Oregon to the perpetual summer of California … down to the Mother Lode country in the foothills of the Sierras – to the “Land of Gold, in the days of old, in the days of ‘49” – But say, Old Timer – before we start this show tonight, I’ve just got to get the suspense over with.

OLD TIMER:              (CHUCKLE)  Well, sure, Ted – alright. Go ahead. What is it?

ANNOUNCER:          Well, I’ve been excited all week long over that Glacier Park vacation we talked about last Monday night.

OLD TIMER:              Well, now, Ted, yes, I’ve got …

ANNOUNCER:          You know, you said you’d figure out the cost of taking some of the radio audience out to Glacier National Park on a ten-day vacation, that we’d visit all the big hotels, and take horses and go way up in the mountains, and climb glaciers, and we’ll fish, and have big campfires at night, and we’ll …

OLD TIMER:              (CHUCKLE)  Now, now, now, Ted. Just you wait a minute.

ANNOUNCER:          Well, we’re going aren’t we? Say, Old Timer – don’t you dare back out on us! We’re really going to take that trip, aren’t we?

OLD TIMER:              You just bet your life we are, Ted! But, look here…

ANNOUNCER:          Why, Old Timer – you look sort of worried.

OLD TIMER:              Well, I – I guess I am sort of worried – and happy at the same time Ted. You know it kind of gets a fella, when he finds he has so many friends who’d like to spend their vacation with him. You know Ted, I – I can only take forty. Say, you should just have seen my mail. Ted, I’ve got trouble! Why I can’t begin to take all these folks. Why, I’d be taking vacations right up to next Thanksgiving time.

ANNOUNCER:          Good! That’s just fine!

OLD TIMER:              (CHUCKLE)  It’d suit me fine, too, Ted, out there at Glacier Park. You see, I’ve got other things to do.

ANNOUNCER:          Well – what are you going to do about it?

OLD TIMER:              Well, honestly, I don’t know, just yet. Anyway, we’re going on that vacation, Ted, and I’m gonna be right with you folks, every minute of that ten days. And I’m going to show you Glacier National Park, from Mike’s Place to Heaven’s Peak.

ANNOUNCER:          Oh-ho-ho, did you hear that folks? [Chuckles]

OLD TIMER:              [unintelligible] here. I’ll tell ya, Ted, uh, we’d better go on with the show, now. Maybe I can sorta get settled down by next Monday night and tell you where I’m at.

ANNOUNCER:          Well, then – we’ll go on with our show. Back to the Mother Lode country.

The Old Timer left the audience with a promise to provide everyone an update on how the railroad was going to handle the unexpectedly high response rate. This was to be discussed the following Monday, on February 2^nd. I have a copy of the continuity for that broadcast, but unfortunately it does not include the opening and closing commentary. I suspect, under the circumstances, last-minute revisions were inevitable as the GN folks sorted out how to proceed with the high demand to join the Old Timer at Glacier Park. Fortunately, a copy of the audio for this broadcast does exist. Unfortunately, it has not yet been digitized, so I do not have access to it at this time. When I do, perhaps I’ll be able to reveal more detail.

 

Until next time, keep those dials tuned to Empire Builders!