
Jerry of the Circus - Tom Joins the Circus - 09/22/1937
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Jerry
Gary of the circus. Now for Jerry of the circus.
Jason
Well, all through now, Mr. Stanton?
Mr. Stanton
Yes, sir. I think we covered everything pretty thoroughly.
Jerry
That's good.
Jason
Well, that's all then, huh?
Mr. Stanton
Yes, I think that takes care of your share. The rest will be up to the court that retries the case.
Jerry
Well, then, if that's all, we'd better be getting back to the lot.
Mr. Stanton
That's all. And thank you again for your cooperation.
Jason
Not at all.
Jerry
All right.
Jason
Come on, Tom. You ready, Jerry?
Jerry
Mr. Randall, here's Tom.
Tom
I'd like to ask something.
Sergeant
Well, go right ahead.
Tom
Mr. Stanton.
Jerry
Yes?
Tom
Do you think it would be all right? Well, I mean, could I see Mr. Platt before I leave?
Mr. Stanton
Well, now, I don't know. Just what do you want to see him for?
Tom
I want to ask him some questions.
Mr. Stanton
Well, what about, son?
Tom
About my dad. I think he knows something about dad. And, well, I'd like to find out.
Mr. Stanton
I'm not so sure you'll get a reply. He's been acting very nasty, but you can try.
Mr. Platt
Sergeant.
Sergeant
Yes?
Mr. Stanton
Take this boy back to that fellow platt in cell 15.
Sergeant
Yes, sir. Come on, son.
Mr. Stanton
Just go with a sergeant. Through that door, son.
Tom
Thank you.
Jerry
We'll wait here for you, Tom.
Tom
Okay, Jerry? I won't be long, Mr. Randall.
Sergeant
Take your time, Tom. Right through this door, son.
Tom
This is sure a big jail, isn't
Sergeant
it, M.
Tom
Why do you lock that door behind us?
Sergeant
Got to, son. Unless that door is locked in back of us, I can't open this next one here.
Tom
Oh,
Sergeant
well, here we are. Platts in the third cell on the right. You can talk to him through the bars. I'll wait here for you.
Tom
Thanks.
Sergeant
You can just have a couple of minutes with them.
Tom
I won't be long. Mr. Platt.
Mr. Platt
What do you want?
Tom
It's time, Mr. Platt.
Mr. Platt
Well, you heard me. What do you want?
Tom
Please, Mr. Platt, won't you tell me where my father is?
Mr. Platt
I don't know.
Tom
But you've had letters from him.
Mr. Platt
Go on, beat it.
Tom
I'm going to Florida. Mr. Platt, do you think my father Is there?
Mr. Platt
Maybe.
Tom
Well, is he?
Mr. Platt
He might be.
Tom
But where'll I find him? There?
Mr. Platt
That's not such a big place. Look for him.
Tom
I'm sorry Mr. Platt, I. I mean the.
Mr. Platt
Shut up. Go on now and beat it.
Sergeant
Come on lad. No use talking to him.
Tom
Okay. Goodbye Mr. Platt.
Mr. Platt
Beat it.
Sergeant
Not much use trying to get anything out of that man. He's got a 20 year sentence ahead of him. He's not in such a good humor.
Tom
Well, it wouldn't hurt him to talk to me a little.
Sergeant
They all act like that. My boy,
Tom
This is the first time I've ever been in a jail.
Sergeant
Let's hope it's the last time for you. Yeah, jail's a good place to stay out of. It's too bad Platt was so mean.
Jerry
Didn't you see him, Tom?
Tom
Uh huh.
Jason
Did you get any questions answered?
Tom
Yeah, but he was awful mean.
Jason
Well, I expected as much. You ready now?
Tom
Yes, thank you, sir.
Mr. Stanton
It's all right, son.
Announcer
Goodbye.
Jerry
Goodbye.
Mr. Stanton
Goodbye Mr. Randall.
Sergeant
Goodbye Mr. Tantal.
Mr. Stanton
Goodbye Jason.
Jason
Bye.
Mr. Platt
Good luck boys.
Jason
Now come on boys.
Jerry
Should we?
Mr. Platt
What?
Jerry
Walk back to the grounds?
Tom
Well, I haven't got much time. We'll have to hurry because I gotta get a lot of vegetables ready for salad.
Jerry
I think we better take a cab.
Jason
Oh, there's one, Mr. Randall.
Jerry
Let me call him.
All right, go ahead, Jerry.
Taxi. Oh, taxi.
Cabser.
Jason
Yeah. Yes. To the circus ground.
Mr. Stanton
Yes sir.
Jerry
Do you like to ride in cabs, Tom?
Tom
Well, this is the very first time in my life I ever rode in one.
Jason
Oh, no fooling, honest.
Jerry
Well, how do you like it?
Tom
Sure is keen, huh?
Jason
What did you ask Platt, Tom?
Tom
Well, I wanted to know where my father was.
Jerry
Wouldn't he tell you?
Tom
No sir, that is not exactly.
Jerry
What do you mean?
Tom
Well, I asked him if dad was in Fordham and he said maybe.
Jason
Well, I guess you'll find him there all right.
Jerry
Well, let's hope so anyway.
Tom
I asked Mr. Platt where dad was in Fordham. He said to look for him.
Jerry
Well I. I think from that remark you can be sure your father is there.
Jason
Sure you'll find him. Don't worry, Tom.
Jerry
He didn't want to talk, did he? I mean Mr. Platt.
Tom
No, he acted awful mean.
Jason
I guess he's singing the years ahead of him in the penitentiary. Not a very happy outlook for him.
Jerry
Well, he's got it coming to him.
Jason
Yeah, you bet he has.
Jerry
Do you think Spike will join up with the circus again when he gets out of jail?
Jason
Well, he might. He told you he would, didn't he?
Jerry
Uh huh. He Told me that he thought circus folks were the grandest people in the world.
Tom
I think so, too.
Jason
Well, that's not far wrong. They're a pretty regular lot.
Jerry
Hey, lookit. They're the grounds already.
Tom
So soon?
Jerry
Uh huh.
Say, driver.
Mr. Stanton
Yes, sir?
Jerry
You better turn right at the next corner and go around to the back of the lot.
Jason
Yes, sir.
Jerry
Why did you tell him to do that, Mr. Randall?
Well, Tom here has to get to work, and that'll let us out just about the mess tent.
That's right.
Tom
Thanks, Mr. Randall. I don't want Leo to get mad at me.
Jerry
Oh, he wouldn't say anything if you were a few minutes late, Tom.
You don't want to take any chances though, do you, Tom?
Tom
No, sir.
Jason
Okay, boys, here we are. Hop out.
Tom
I sure got a kick out of that ride.
Mr. Platt
Yeah.
Jerry
Here you are, driver.
Mr. Platt
Thank you.
Jerry
Gee, here we are right in front of the mess tent. Come on, Tom, let's get to work.
Tom
Okay.
Jerry
All right, you boys go ahead. I want to talk to Jason here. See you later.
All right, Mr. Randall. And if you see Bumps, would you mind telling him I'm in the mess tent with Tom?
All right, Jerry.
Jason
See you later, boys.
Jerry
Okay. Goodbye, Jason.
Tom
I guess I better get to work on cleaning those things for the salad or I'll be late.
Jerry
I'll help you. Where are they?
Tom
Right in here. See over there in the corner?
Jerry
Oh, you mean that big pile of carrots and celery?
Tom
Uh huh. Better take your coat off.
Jerry
Oh, don't worry. I will roll up my sleeves, too.
Tom
Here's a knife.
Jerry
Okay. Now, where do I put this stuff when I clean it?
Tom
In that big kettle there on the ground.
Jerry
Hey, let's race and we'll get through faster.
Tom
Hey, that's a good idea.
Jerry
Ready? Uh huh. One, two, three, go.
Tom
J don't go so fast. You'll cut yourself.
Jerry
I'm watching. Don't you worry.
Tom
Say, how do you like this kind of work, Jerry?
Jerry
Oh, it's all right, but I'd sooner water the horses and help Whitey in the horse top.
Tom
Can I go along with you and help sometime?
Jerry
Sure, you get time. But you're always working the same time I am.
Tom
Yeah, I do guess that's right.
Jerry
Oh, don't worry, though. You'll see everything there is to see around the circus before we get to Fordham.
Tom
I sure hope I find dad there.
Jerry
Oh, you will.
Tom
But what if he isn't there, Tom? What'll I do then?
Jerry
Well, now listen. Don't even think about it until we get to Fordham. Your dad will be there and we'll find him.
Tom
But maybe he moved or something.
Jerry
I'll quit thinking about it. If he moved, we'll find out where he's going to. And then you can go wherever that is. Don't worry about it. You'll find him.
Tom
And you'll help me, huh?
Jerry
Of course I will.
Tom
Thanks, Jerry.
Jason
Hey, fellas. You in there?
Jerry
Oh, hi, Jason. Yeah, come on in.
Jason
Well, you two look like a couple of professional cooks.
Jerry
Oh, how come you came back here so soon? Dinner won't be ready for a long time yet.
Jason
Boys, I've got something to tell you.
Tom
Yeah? What is it?
Jason
Well, it seems like there's been something going on that we're not in on.
Jerry
What?
Jason
Now, you won't breathe a word of this to anybody?
Tom
No, siree.
Jerry
Of course not.
Jason
You promise?
Jerry
Sure we do. Don't we, Tom?
Tom
I promise.
Jerry
Go ahead and tell us, Jason.
Jason
Well, it's about the Major.
Jerry
Well, Major Might again. Well, what is it this time?
Tom
Who's the Major, Jerry?
Jerry
Oh, he's a midget. I'll tell you all about him later. Go ahead, Jason. What about the Major?
Jason
This is sure good.
Jerry
Hurry up and tell us so we can laugh, too.
Jason
The major has a crush on Carmen Bendini.
Jerry
You mean he likes her?
Jason
Likes her is putting it mild, Jerry. He's really taking a shine to her. And here's the funny part. He's been sending her flowers every day for the past week. Sending a lot of money on them, too. And writes some little note to go along with them.
Jerry
Note?
Mr. Platt
Boolean.
Jason
But what's funnier still is the fact that Carmen doesn't like it a bit. It's beginning to annoy her.
Tom
I thought girls liked to get flowers.
Jason
Carmen doesn't seem to like the idea so much, Tom.
Jerry
That's pretty good. All right.
Jason
Now listen. I've got an idea. We can have a little fun if we just keep it to ourselves.
Jerry
Okay.
Jason
You see all these vegetables here?
Tom
Yeah. What about them?
Jason
Let's make a big bouquet out of
Jerry
them and send them to Carmen.
Jason
Exactly. And with a little note. Or better still, I've got a. Tom, you can take the bouquet of vegetables into Carmen at dinner tonight and say nothing. She'll naturally think the major. Sentiment.
Jerry
Good idea, Jason. We can make a big bouquet of carrots and celery and beet tops and all sorts of things.
Jason
Not forgetting, of course, plenty of onions.
Tom
I'll pick out some nice things from this box here.
Jason
Good. And I'll get some of that green wax paper. And a nice big box from the florist uptown. We'll fix it all up so it'll look real.
Jerry
Hey, Jason, how did you get all that oil on your sleeve?
Jason
Where? Oh, gee, that's not so good. I guess I leaned up against something over by the generator. They're fixing it.
Jerry
What's the matter with it?
Jason
The men don't seem to know. But it's been acting kind of funny lately. They're trying to make it hold out until some new parts arrive.
Jerry
Well, that's not so good having the generator break down, is it?
Jason
I should hope not. If that generator goes bad during the night show, it would throw the whole circus into darkness.
Tom
Gee, that'd be awful.
Jerry
Especially while your act is on, huh, Jason?
Jason
It wouldn't be so good being in that steel cage with all my cats and not being able to see where each one is.
Tom
Would they jump on you?
Jason
No telling what they'd do, Tom. A jungle animal gets scared when they're not in familiar places.
Jerry
Well, they'd be in a familiar place in the steel.
Jason
Yeah, that's true, Jerry. But being in the dark would be something new to them. And they might get so panic stricken I'd have a hard time keeping them in order.
Tom
Well, let's hope the men get that generator fixed so the lights don't go out.
Jerry
It'll be awful if the big top went dark when Patsy or the Bendinis were working, too. I never realized how important lights were to the circus.
Tom
Here's a nice bunch of carrots with pretty tops on them.
Jason
Good boy, Tom. Yeah. Let's get busy with these vegetable bouquets.
Jerry
Okay. How about these onions?
Jason
Swell, Jerry, this is going to be fun. I just wonder how Carmen will take it.
Tom
Maybe she'll get mad.
Jason
I don't think so. But she'll most likely try to make the major think she's mad.
Jerry
You don't think Tom will get in trouble taking the box into Carmen at dinner, do you, Jason?
Jason
No, of course not. But we've got to remember this. Neither one of us is to tell any other, no matter what happens. Is that a bargain?
Jerry
The secret three, huh?
Jason
That's it exactly. Now, you boys go ahead with the bouquet. Make it a big one. Use every kind of vegetable you can think of. I'll be back in time to put the finishing touches on it and pack it nicely in a box.
Tom
Okay. We'll be waiting for you.
Jerry
Hurry up, Jason.
Jason
I will be back in a few minutes. Now, not a word to anybody, all right?
Jerry
Sure.
Tom
He sure is a lot of fun, isn't he?
Jerry
Sure. Is. But the fun will start when Carmen gets a big bunch of vegetables at dinner in front of the whole troop. I wonder what you'll say. I wonder what the Major will say when she accuses him of sending them to her.
Tom
Oh, boy.
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Tom
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Jason
Oh, no.
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Jason
Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.
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Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode Date: May 22, 2026
Episode Title: Jerry of the Circus - Tom Joins the Circus
This episode of Jerry of the Circus centers on Tom’s ongoing search for his missing father, Tom’s integration into circus life, and a lighthearted subplot involving a mischievous plan between circus friends. The story captures the warmth, camaraderie, and occasional mischief that comes with life under the big top, even as deeper emotional undertones play out.
The episode captures a blend of earnestness and childlike enthusiasm, gentle humor, and a sense of belonging. There’s a clear respect for friendship and community, mixed with a bit of playful mischief that is both innocent and clever—a hallmark of Golden Age radio storytelling.
"Tom Joins the Circus" is a heartfelt episode touching on themes of friendship, perseverance, and the unique family found among circus folk. Tom’s deep longing for his father is met with support from Jerry and Jason, who, in classic fashion, balance earnest moments with inventive fun. A subplot involving a covert vegetable bouquet prank infuses the tale with lightheartedness. Through it all, the resilience and merriment of circus life—and those who make it their own—shine brightly.