Wisconsin Public Television University Place  20000 Leagues Under the Sea   September 29, 2012 UP776   cc § §  >> Narrator: This is Studio One coming to you live from the Forum in the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. [applause] Tonight, we bring you the 9XM Players in a re-creation of Jules Verne's science fiction classic "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."  But first...  Ladies, when your hands have spent too much time underwater, you want relief. And nine out of ten ladies we've asked favor Lux Soap when it comes to turning dishpan hands into soft, beautiful, caress-able hands. Other soaps can leave hands puckered up, rough, and blotchy, whereas Lux, with its rich creamy suds and lovely lime scent, brings out the natural oils that add luster and brilliance to your skin. Yes, the next time you're doing the dishes, think beauty, think Lux.  And now, our Studio One production of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."  [loud crash] [people screaming]  >> Professor Aronnax! >> I am here, Conseil! Perfectly safe for now! So, you were also thrown overboard by that blast of water! >> Not exactly. When I saw you fall into the water, I jumped. >> Oh, my faithful servant! Take the rest of the day off! >> Ha-ha! I wonder, what I should do with all that free time. >> May I suggest swimming back to the frigate? I might even join you. 

>> How lovely! Well, then, after you, Professor. >> But where the deuce is it? Where is the Abraham Lincoln? >> Regarding that, sir, I have bad news. >> We're adrift in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. How much worse can it be? >> Well, sir, just before I jumped into the water, I heard the helmsman say that the screw and the rudder were smashed. >> Smashed? >> Yes, chewed to shreds, by the monster's teeth, I suppose. >> So they can't come back for us? Then we're lost. >> Oh, I don't know. We still have several hours of life in us. >> I suppose so. And what can we accomplish in those few hours? >> Brush up on our swimming! >> Do tell! But, you know, our clothes are dragging us down. 

>> Then with your permission, sir, I'll cut yours off for you. >> Sort of reverse tailoring. Well, then, have at. Just don't cut-- Wait, hold on. What's that? >> Well, there is saltwater in my eyes, but it looks very much like a woman sitting on the back of a sea monster. >> We've been at sea too long. Hello, there! >> Hello yourself! Would you like a ride? >> Madame Revere! Where did you come from? >> The same place you did, of course. The frigate Abraham Lincoln! But I seem to have landed much closer to the narwhale, or whatever it is! [banging sounds like hollow iron] >> If it's a narwhale, it's a new species, with iron scales. Lucky that you landed so close to it, otherwise your skirts would surely have dragged you to the bottom of the sea. >> Except that... 

>> Except that? >> Except that it headed right for me and allowed me to climb onto its back. >> A curious narwhale indeed. Do you-- [hollow iron banging sounds] >> Am I dreaming? >> Not at all, sir. It's Ned Land, swimming this way, fast as a tadpole. >> Wouldn't I love to have my harpoon right now! [hollow iron banging sounds] >> It wouldn't do you much good. >> Permission to come aboard, Madame Revere! >> By all means. Let's make it a party. >> This is all well and good unless this beast goes underwater again. [hollow iron banging sounds] [knocks on hollow iron] >> There seems to be some kind of hatch here. [footsteps coming up iron stairs] [Marie screams] >> Who are they? >> It's hard to tell when they're wearing masks. 

>> I'll take them on one at a time! >> No, we need to go inside with them. This thing is going down. [footsteps descending stairs] [hatch closes] [sub dives]  >> Spectacular! >> Zut alors! We will surely drown! >> No, no, not at all. >> Thank goodness! >> We'll suffocate. >> That's not consoling! >> We're going under the sea! So beautiful and so frightening! >> We're about to embark on a sea change, into someplace rich and strange. § §  >> Under the circumstances, rather elegant, don't you think? >> If you're referring to the furnishings our abductor has provided, I'd say, yes. >> Now if only we had some air. A bit stuffy in here, wouldn't you say? >> It would be a fancy trick to bring in fresh air when we're underwater. >> Well, whoever the designer is, he's obviously a clever fellow. So he probably knows how to heat chlorate of potash and absorb the carbon dioxide by caustic potash. 

On the other hand, he could do it the simpler way and every 24 hours, rise to the surface like a giant cetacean. >> A cetacean? >> A whale or a porpoise, that kind of thing. >> Our host has omitted no detail. Look at the dinner service. Every spoon, fork, knife, and plate has the letter "N" engraved on it. >> And the motto "Mobilis in Mobili," which means "Mobility in a Mobile Medium." >> Rather full of himself, isn't he? >> What do you suppose his plan is? His plan for us? >> I have a plan for him. [footsteps approaching] Watch this. [hermetic door opening] [scuffle] >> All right, you little bottom-feeder! Take us back up to the surface right now, if you know what's good for you! >> Well done! >> Easy, Ned. We don't want to kill him. >> Let go of him, Mr. Land. 

And you, Professor Aronnax, would you kindly listen to me? From your conversation, I gather that English is your chosen collective language, and so we'll use that. And now I greet you, Madame Marie Revere, American soprano. Magnificent in "La Traviata." New York. Some ten years ago, wasn't it? >> That's right! You were there? >> I was. And having seen you perish once as Violetta, I wasn't about to let you slip away again, not when the Nautilus was responsible for your peril in the first place. But what were you doing aboard the Abraham Lincoln? The newspapers reported that you had been lost at sea after your third farewell tour. >> And so she was. >> My husband and I were on our way to a concert in Manila when our boat struck a coral reef and sank. In the confusion, I found myself alone and adrift. >> I am sorry for your loss. 

>> Thank you, but it was a very small loss. During our time alone together, I determined that Mr. Revere was a bigamist. I'm letting his other wife do the mourning. >> This Mrs. Revere was a thousand miles from land, in a lifeboat, when we brought her aboard the Lincoln. >> Well, madam, in any event, I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you a second time, and I'll do my best to make amends. Now to you, Ned Land, a Canadian harpooner. You seem to have found a creature your barb can't pierce. >> I wasn't expecting a tin can. >> Conseil, the ever loyal servant of Professor Aronnax. Loyalty is a trait I admire. 

I hope that you find yourself rewarded for it. You'll find that the Nautilus has much to offer. >> May I ask just one question, sir? How long-- >> In time all your questions will be answered. And now, Pierre Aronnax, Professor of Natural History at the Museum of Paris. It's a great pleasure. I admire your work. But why were you aboard the Abraham Lincoln? >> Since you read the newspapers, you must know that we were on a mission to slay the narwhale that's been sinking ships. >> And having discovered that it was not a narwhal at all, but a vessel, a submersible vessel, would your frigate not have been just as eager to destroy it with all hands? >> Um... I'm afraid you've put me on the spot. >> I suppose so. 

You see, then, that I have the right to treat you as prisoners of war? >> Strictly speaking, yes. >> And, in fact, I would have been within my rights to leave you up there on the deck of this ship while it dropped beneath the water, forgetting that you ever existed? >> Within the rights of a savage, but not those of a civilized man. >> I am not a civilized man, professor! Not by your definition at any rate. For reasons of my own, I've broken with society, and so I am not subject to its stupid laws. But since you're here, I'll take pity upon you, as I would almost any other creature out there. And so, you may remain on the Nautilus completely at liberty, with just one condition. >> A condition to which a gentleman, or a lady, can agree? >> Of course. It is just this. From time to time, I may be obliged to confine you to your cabins for hours, or perhaps days at a time, and in so doing, I absolve you from all blame for what might happen out there. Agreed? >> You mean, until you set us free? >> I do not. 

>> But you will be setting us free? >> You will be free to roam this better part of the earth with its vast treasures, both animal and mineral, no less, no more. >> Floating around in this iron cigar for the rest of my life?! That's too much to swallow. >> Then I suggest you start with the dinner the steward is bringing you. The bounty of the sea, all of it wholesome and nourishing. Long ago, I renounced the foods of earth and now I am never ill. And so it is for my crew. They are healthy to a man. Fillet of turtle, dolphins' livers indistinguishable from ragout of pork, cream based on cetacean milk, anemone jam. I leave you to it. >> One more thing, if you don't mind. 

Your name? >> To you, I am Captain Nemo. Bon appétit. § §  [footsteps] >> I suppose I should feel honored to receive a private tour of the Nautilus. >> The honor is mine, professor. As you can see, I have all of your books. >> Amazing. You must have 6,000 or 7,000 volumes here. >> More like 12,000. These names are the only ties that bind me to the earth. [hermetic door opening] >> Here we have the drawing room. 

[footsteps] >> Brilliant. It's brilliant. You must have every decade of painting represented, from the old masters to the moderns, and musical scores, Mozart, Beethoven, Gounod. >> And Bach, the composer who more than any other transcends the ages. >> And the specimens of undersea life. You have some that I've never seen, never heard of, I think. And the light, bright and steady, makes so much difference. >> Like all the light on the Nautilus, it's electric. >> And the pearls. Pearls the size of pigeons' eggs. 

They must be worth millions. >> Gifts from the sea, professor. All accessible to the Nautilus. >> Which is as great a mystery as the undersea world itself. >> A mystery to be revealed, professor. [footsteps] If you care to accompany me to my stateroom, I'll show you the soul of the Nautilus. § §  [footsteps] >> Here are the devices that control the navigation of the submarine. >> A thermometer, which gives the internal temperature, and a barometer to give the weight of the air and foretells changes in the weather. >> To the left is the hygrometer. >> To measure the dryness in the atmosphere. 

And the storm glass, the contents of which, by decomposing, announce the coming of storms. A compass, to guide your course. But what's this? >> A sextant, a different shape from what you're used to seeing. >> To show you the latitude by the altitude of the sun. And chronometers to measure the longitude. And these? >> The dial with the movable needle is the manometer. By registering the external pressure of the water, it gives us our depth. But the heart and soul of the Nautilus is electricity. >> How can that be? Electricity can generate only a small amount of power. >> You know what seawater is composed of. 

A thousand grams of water contain 96.5 percent water and about two percent chloride of sodium, and small amounts of chlorides of magnesium and potassium, bromide of magnesium, sulfate and carbonate of lime. So chloride of sodium forms a large part of the separable ingredients. I extract it from seawater and use it to compose my formula. I owe everything to the ocean. It produces electricity, and from it I derive heat, light, propulsion. In a word, the very life of the Nautilus. >> What about air? >> We take it in when we rise to the surface. But electricity powers the pumps that distribute it throughout the submarine. In the galley, we cook with electricity. We heat the water in the taps with electricity. 

[hermetic door closing] >> The doors have tight seals. >> Hermetic seals, professor, as you might imagine in a submersible. [footsteps] >> Up there. Is that a lifeboat? >> Hardly necessary. It's more of a pleasure craft, a longboat complete with a telegraph to keep in touch with the Nautilus. We also have a canoe for more informal excursions. [hermetic door opening] [footsteps] [roar of engines] >> Here in the engine room, electromagnets work through a combination of levers and cogwheels to create rotary power capable of propelling the Nautilus at 50 knots. >> Fifty? Am I asking too many questions, captain? >> Not at all, professor. You may as well know everything since you are never going to leave the submarine. § §  >> Well, professor, now that you've had the grand tour, can you answer our number one question? How do we get off this thing? >> If Captain Nemo has his way, we don't. 

>> Not until we get back to civilization, you mean, to San Francisco perhaps. >> Madam, I mean not ever. >> But how can he keep us forever? It's uncivilized. >> Well, Captain Nemo will be first to tell you that he's not civilized, that his entire purpose is to renounce civilization. >> Well, two can play at that game. There was a way onto this ship. You can be sure there's a way off. I'm not going to be staring at these gray walls for the rest of my life. [electrical buzz] >> What's happened? >> Everyone, just stay where you are. I'm sure there's a way to get the lights back on. 

>> Not if this thing's about to pop. Not if it's the beginning of the end. >> Ah, the outside lights are on!  >> It's beautiful! Like liquid crystal. >> Well, Ned, you wanted to see something different, and now you are. You're seeing something that only a handful of humans have ever seen. And there they are, as if an honor guard for the Nautilus, all the species of the sea, diving and darting as if competing for a prize in grace, brightness, beauty and speed. [hermetic door opens] >> Gentlemen, perhaps tomorrow morning you'd like to join me in a little hunting party in the forests of the island of Crespo. >> I'm sure that I would. >> And I wouldn't mind tasting venison again. >> I hope you don't feel left out, Madame Revere, because I have something right here aboard the Nautilus that may appeal to you more than a hunt. 

>> I'm not much of a hunter. >> As a star of the French opera, you are no doubt aware of "Samson" by Rameau? >> With a libretto by Voltaire. It's one of Rameau's three lost operas. >> Lost to everyone up there, but not to the people of the Nautilus. I invite you to study it to your heart's content in my library. I believe you'll find many other things of interest in there. >> You have all these treasures, and yet... >> The opera, madam. I'll be very interested to hear your opinion of it after we've returned from our hunt. Gentlemen, my steward will come for you in 15 minutes. 

[hermetic door closing] >> This island, Crespo. A chance to get out of this sewer pipe, and it could be the chance we've been looking for. >> I doubt it, knowing Captain Nemo. § §  [hermetic door opening] >> Gentlemen, about your equipment. Underwater suits rigged with a pack of air, under a pressure of 50 atmospheres, India rubber tubes to convey the air to the diver's nose and mouth, and to expel carbon dioxide. Lights worked with a Bunsen pile based on sodium connected by wire to a lantern containing carbonic gas, wired to the diver's thumb to allow communication by code. >> Ingenious! >> What about hunting? >> For hunting, an air rifle so powerful that every bullet is fatal to the hunted animal. >> An air rifle? What kind of place is this island of Crespo? >> An undersea island with trees as large as those in any in the temperate zone, beneath which blossom real bushes of living flowers, where fish flies flip from branch to branch like a swarm of hummingbirds. >> When are we going to touch on a real island for some real hunting? >> Mr. Land, have you ever shot a sea otter five feet long, possessing a pelt to rival that of any terrestrial creature? Or a giant albatross larger than anything known to travelers in wooden ships? Our hunting is such that we provision the Nautilus entirely from the bounty of the sea and air. We have no need for your real islands. 

[loud scraping, metal crunching] >> What's happened? >> If you'll excuse me, I seem to have business on the bridge. [footsteps] >> Sacre bleu! We're going down! I hope we're not on our way to Davy Jones' Locker. § §  >> Say, ladies, do you get that sinking sensation when the man in your life catches sight of your hands? In just a moment, we'll tell you how you can please that special someone with beautiful, caress-able hands. But first...  You're listening to the Studio One production of Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," with the 9XM Players, coming to you live from the Forum of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery of the University of Wisconsin in Madison. This is Wisconsin Public Radio. [applause]  § § Ladies, when your hands spend too much time submerged doing dishes for those special people in your life, the result can be pretty unsightly. Yes, rough, raw, red dishpan hands are an embarrassment for everyone. But it doesn't have to be that way, right Dot? >> That's right, Hobart. When I've had my hands submerged in icky dishwater with heaven knows what floating around in it, I get a handle on things with a great big bar of Lux soap. 

Yes, Lux caresses my hands, makes them soft and beautiful. Remember that scene in "Gone with the Wind" when Scarlet O'Hara puts on a curtain and pretends it's a dress to impress Rhett Butler? >> Well, I... Wait, what page are we on? >> Well, it works! Until what? Until he catches a sight of those carrot-picking hands of hers, rough, raw, red claws that give away the game. >> Ah, I was hoping there would be a point to... >> Don't let that happen to you! Whether you're married to that special someone, or just want to be, let your hands be the first thing that catches his eye by caressing them with Lux Soap. Yes, Lux is more than just a way to feel clean. It's a way to feel beautiful. >> We return you now to Studio One and Act Two of Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."  § § [hermetic door opening] >> That crunching sound. Are we doomed, professor? >> No, we're grounded. According to Captain Nemo, the full moon will raise enough of a tide to float us off. 

>> The full moon. That's not for several days. >> Five to be exact. >> Five days. Five days grounded. This is our opportunity! >> Oh, maybe it would be if we were off the coast of England or France. But that's New Guinea over there. We wouldn't stand a chance. >> Professor, at least that island has trees, and under those trees are beasts, the bearers of cutlets and roast beef. I'm willing to take my chances with the Papuans, just to have a shot at something other than turtles and fish for dinner. 

>> And to walk on dry land. >> So be it. But don't say I didn't warn you that we have as good a chance at being the feast as having it, which may be why Captain Nemo has given us his permission to take a canoe and see the island. >> Well, if it's a dare, I say we take him up on it. § §  [footsteps on gravel] >> Have you ever felt anything more heavenly than solid ground beneath your feet? >> Two months. Two months in the Nautilus. It seems like a lifetime. This is heaven. >> Actually it's Gilboa Island. And it's full of breadfruit. 

>> Breadfruit! I hear it's very tasty cut in strips and cooked on coals! >> We can stay just long enough for that pleasure. And to gather some yams and cabbage palm on our way back to the boat. [birds singing] >> Such pretty birds. Too bad they don't taste as good as they look. >> I suppose you can eat them, can't you? >> If you're really desperate, and your teeth are very well attached. Parrots are not known for their taste and tenderness. >> To those who have nothing better, parrots will taste like pheasants. >> You'd spend your time better to get one of those birds of paradise, alive. >> I'll see if I can! >> Good! >> Whoop! Got one! >> Bravo, Conseil! You caught it bare-handed! >> Look at it closely, professor. You'll see that I don't deserve a scrap of credit. 

>> How so? >> Because this bird is drunk. Drunk as a lord. >> How can that be? Out here in the forest? >> It's been gorging on nutmeg. >> Nutmeg? >> [laughs] He can hardly fly, let alone stand. Isn't he pretty though? >> But there goes a much better catch! Some real eating meat! [electric gun zapping sound] >> What the devil are they? >> Kangaroo rabbits! >> Ooh! Steak tonight! [more electric gunshots] >> You got one, Ned! >> This is shaping up to be quite the feast! What say we stay here tonight, instead of returning to the Nautilus? >> What say we don't return to it at all? >> What say we return to it right now? >> What? >> We're under attack, gentlemen! I suggest that we drop everything and run for our lives! [loud war cries] >> Drat them for making us miss dinner! >> Better to miss dinner than to be dinner! Run as fast as you can! >> I don't have to run as fast as I can. I just have to run faster than you! >> This way to the canoe, gentlemen! [war cries grow distant] >> Oh, I never thought the Nautilus would look so good! [hatch opening] § § [footsteps]  >> Captain! >> Ah, is it you, professor? How did your hunt go? Did you get in any botanizing? >> A little more than we wanted, I'm afraid. We ran into some wild bipeds. >> Bipeds? What species have you unearthed? >> Savages, surely. Cannibals presumably. >> You don't say. 

Savages. Real wild men? Persons who have not yet enjoyed all the advantages of modern culture and education? >> Yes, exactly. >> Why are you so astonished, Monsieur Aronnax to meet savages when you set foot in a strange land? Where on earth are there not savages? And do you for a moment suppose them worse than other men, these people you call savages? How many did you count? >> A hundred at least. >> Rest assured, professor, that if all the natives of Papua were lined up on the shore, the Nautilus would have nothing to fear from their flimsy assaults. And now I ask you to respect one of the conditions that bind you to me. >> Which one? >> You must be confined to your cabin at once, you and your companions, until I see fit to release you. >> May I ask just one question? >> No, not one! And I demand instant obedience. § §  >> How long since the tide freed us from that rock, professor? >> I'm afraid I've lost track, Conseil. >> Why do you suppose he confined us to our quarters during that process? >> I don't know, perhaps because he thought we might take that chance to escape. >> Then where are we? >> Somewhere in the Indian Ocean, heading east. 

>> I'm afraid that poor Ned wants very badly to be off. But... >> Look! Captain Nemo has turned on the outside lights. >> He and his companions seem to be going on another underwater excursion. >> Accompanied by small fishes of all kinds. We appear to be at the edge of a great coral bed, what we call Flower of Blood in the Mediterranean. >> See how their lamps light up that long arcade of thickets. >> They're carrying something. They've laid it on the coral. >> A body. 

[gasps]  >> There's Captain Nemo, the one with crossed arms, kneeling in prayer. >> And so the Nautilus is not so invulnerable after all. >> No, like any other crew, this one has its weaknesses. And so does Captain Nemo. § §  >> So the sea pleases you, professor. >> Yes, it does, Captain. And I have found the submarine a most suitable boat for studying it. Your boat is a hundred years ahead of its time. What a shame that its secret has to die with its creator. >> This talk of mortality, I suppose it springs from the services you saw the other day. 

>> Who was it, Captain? What happened? >> It was a brave and heroic man whose time came too soon, because of an accident in the engine room. But I believe we were speaking of the sea, professor. I think you'll find the Mediterranean of particular interest. >> The Mediterranean? Do we not have several thousand miles to go before we see Gibraltar? >> Gibraltar, yes. The Mediterranean, no. >> You're talking in riddles, Captain. >> Not at all. I propose to enter the Mediterranean from the east. >> From the east? But the Suez Canal isn't completed, and won't be for at least another year. What are you going to do, drag the Nautilus across the isthmus? Or will your vessel sprout wings to fly over it? >> Neither, professor. 

We're going to go under it. You see, a long time ago, nature constructed under that tongue of land what man this day is making on the surface. >> But the isthmus is said to be pure quicksand. How...? >> Not more than 150 feet below your quicksand, a stratum of solid rock begins. That's right, a subterranean channel which I have named the Arabian Tunnel. It takes us underneath Suez and opens in the Gulf of Pelusium. >> And you discovered this tunnel by chance? >> By chance and reasoning. I noticed that the Red Sea and the Mediterranean share a considerable number of species of fish. >> Tempting, but hardly conclusive. If you could have marked them in some individual way... 

>> That's just what I did. I passed copper rings through their tails and threw them back into the sea. >> And you found them again? >> Some months later, off the coast of Syria. And now, if you'd care to join me in the pilothouse, we'll try to make our passage. § §  [sub engines roaring] >> Is it safe to be going so fast through the tunnel? >> We have no choice, professor! Our engines are in reverse, but the current from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean is so strong, that we are, in effect, rafting on white water, except that we are under water. >> Twenty minutes we've been in here. The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last. >> Twenty minutes, professor! That's all it takes. Look there! The Mediterranean. 

§ §  >> I believe you've become enthralled with Captain Nemo and his Nautilus. >> I have not. >> I say you have. >> Have not. >> Have too. >> I have not. >> Have not. >> I have too. I mean, ah, so you have me. I used to play that game, too, when I was a child. 

>> In a way, we've all become children again. Children of the Nautilus. But you... >> I'm a scientist, madam. Of course, I find it fascinating to see creatures alive and interacting that we have only in poorly-preserved specimens, and creatures that we've never even imagined. It's as if we have traveled to another planet. >> So if Captain Nemo offered you your freedom this very minute, would you take it? >> This very minute? I...  I honestly don't know. And what about you? You've retired, given your farewell tour, and now you have a lifetime of music to enjoy at your leisure right here inside the Nautilus. >> With no one up there to hear it. 

That's where my audience is, up there, whether it's a hall packed to the rafters or just a husband, a real husband, or a child. It's not just the music. It's who you share it with. [footsteps approaching] >> Good news. >> We've been reconnoitering. >> The longboat. We've gotten a look at it. Once we're inside and the bolts are drawn, it'll shoot to the surface. And not even the pilot, who's off in the bow, will be any the wiser. >> Good, good. 

Keep an eye peeled for an opportunity. Just bear in mind that the least hitch will be the end of us. >> I'm very well aware of that. >> Now that we have everything settled, would you like to know what I think of our prospects? >> I would. >> There's not a ghost of a chance. >> But why? >> Because the favorable opportunity will never present itself. >> Why not? >> Because Captain Nemo knows that we want to escape. And you can be sure he'll be on his guard, especially when we're off the coast of Europe, if ever we are. >> We'll just see about that. >> Please, may I suggest that we drop the subject for now? >> When you see the chance, Ned, just say the word, and we'll follow. 

§ §  >> Ah, I sent for you, professor, because I thought you might want to see this. >> An underwater volcano, throwing a considerable stream of lava. >> A particularly significant one. Look more closely. >> Cut blocks of stone. Manmade. Arches and columns. What looks like a temple, its roof collapsed. Rather in the style of ancient Rome. >> And there, an aqueduct. 

>> A little superfluous now. >> An acropolis and a Parthenon. And traces of a wharf, an entire port, very ancient by the look of it. Where in the name of gods and fishes are we now? What is this place? >> You know, but you don't believe yet. Go ahead, say it. >> Atlantis? Here?! >> A surprise to those who believe in its existence, an even greater surprise to those who do not. A glorious place, of course. But we have a more mundane purpose for being in the neighborhood, as you will see shortly. § §  [hatch opening)  >> We've surfaced. It's afternoon, and yet instead of broad daylight, it's completely dark outside. 

Where are we? >> Underground. >> Now I know you're joking. >> Be patient. As soon as the lantern is lit, you'll have all the brightness you want. >> The light, blinding. And now I see. But where are we? Really. >> In the center of an extinct volcano. In a lake that connects to the sea via a channel that opens about ten yards beneath the surface of the ocean. This place is our harbor of refuge. 

Sheltered from all gales. >> Is that an opening I see up at the summit? >> Yes. Its crater, once filled with lava, vapor, and flame, now lets in air. >> But why do you need this refuge if the Nautilus is unaffected by the storms on the surface? >> You'll recall that the Nautilus needs electricity to make it move, elements to make the electricity, sodium to supply the elements, coal to manufacture the sodium, and a mine to provide the coal. And on this very spot, the sea covers entire forests embedded during the geological periods of the earth's history. They are now mineralized and transformed into coal. For me, they provide an inexhaustible mine. >> Your men are miners? >> They are. In diving gear, with pickaxes and shovels, they dig out the coal. >> Why are this cavern and its underground lake such well-kept secrets? >> Because when I burn my combustible for manufacturing sodium, the smoke escapes from the center of the hollow mountain and makes it look just like a live volcano, a place to be avoided. 

>> A twofold accomplishment. Very efficient. >> As the Nautilus must be. >> No one will ever intrude upon you here, in this place of bubbling mud pots, fiery eruptions, and noxious gas. § §  >> Say ladies, do you have a fiery eruption when the man in your life calls you and tells you he's bringing the boss home for dinner? We'll tell you how you can please even the fussiest guest with a simple twist to your entertaining. Let's listen in on Dot and Dee. >> I don't know what I'm going to do. >> What's up, Dee? You look like you've lost your best friend. >> No, maybe just my husband. He's bringing his boss home for dinner tonight, and I have no idea what I'm going to serve. 

>> No problem! Why don't you do what I do? Begin that special meal with Roma wine. >> Roma wine? I never thought of that. >> Believe you me, in these days when quality ingredients can be hard to find and hard to afford, Roma wine has salvaged many a meal. Start with a glass of Roma Rosé and watch their eyes light up. >> Well, that sounds nice. >> And after the appetizers, a glass of Roma Fumé. It goes so well with cheese and crackers, olive dip and toast points. >> Mmmm, sounds delicious! >> You bet! And after that entrée, two tall brimming glasses apiece of Roma Burgundy. It's the perfect complement for Spam loaf or creamed alewife, or what have you. And just listen to that conversation flow! You might even sneak a glass for yourself. 

[both giggle] >> Don't mind if do! >> Then it's time for dessert. After the marshmallow lime Jell-O surprise, it's... >> A glass of Roma Sauterne. >> You're catching on! It's the perfect social lubricant for after the perfect dining experience. >> Gosh, thanks, Dot. I feel buoyed up already! >> Where are you going? >> I can't stop to talk now. I'm off to buy a bottle of each kind of Roma wine! >> Oh, I'd buy several! >> Say, ladies, I think Dot's onto something. Let's check in with Dee later in our broadcast to find out how that dinner comes to life... [laughter] With a little help from Roma wines, made mostly in California, from a special blend of the finest natural and other ingredients. [laughter] Get yours today! § §  And now, back to Studio One and Act Three of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." § §  >> Well, I don't think we need to worry about escaping to some European coast. 

>> I do believe Captain Nemo has lost his marbles. He's certifiable. >> Why? Because he broke through the ice and went all the way to Antarctica? >> No, because he claimed the whole place for himself. I think it was planting the flag with the big "N" on it that convinced me. >> Well, there's a thin line between genius and madness, Conseil. >> At least he got us out of there and into warm water again. Oh, what I'd give for just one night ashore in the Bahamas. >> How nice it would be to breathe the warm tropic air again. >> I thought I would never be warm again! This sunlight... >> What's that?! [gasps] >> Moving in the water! >> Is it possible? It looks like an octopoid, a cuttlefish, except that it's enormous. 

The tentacles alone must be... >> I think we've run aground! [footsteps] No, the screw has stopped turning. >> Correct, gentlemen, on all counts. Except that it's not just one cuttlefish. It's an entire infestation of them. And we intend to fight them, man to beast. >> Man to beast? >> Yes, it's the only way. One of them has its horny jaw tangled up in the propeller. >> Can't you just shoot it? >> I'm afraid that the Nautilus has turned you as bloodthirsty as the rest of us, madam. But no, the electric bullets won't meet enough resistance to detonate. 

We're going to have to rise to the surface and take them on with hatchets. >> And a harpoon, I hope! >> By all means, Mr. Land. Here's your chance. Have at it. [submarine rises to surface] >> Be ready! [footsteps] As soon as my second officer unbolts the hatch... [hatch opening] [tentacles slithering] [screams] >> Look out! The officer! The thing's got a hold of him! >> Cut the arms off! Cut the arms off before it squeezes him to death! >> Look at Nemo! He's cutting them off, one by one, down to the last arm! Just one more! [struggle] >> Ugh! The foul thing has sprayed me with ink! But at least it's gone! >> Now here comes another one! Watch out for the beak! >> Ah! >> Monster! Have my ax now! Right down your gory throat! Ah! >> And my harpoon! Right into your heart! >> You got it! >> I lost my harpoon! But I got it right in the heart! >> Actually, they have three of them, you know. >> Knowing that makes me feel just a little weak in the knees, professor! § §  >> The captain seems to have forgotten us, except perhaps for you, Professor Aronnax. >> I haven't seen him for days. It's almost as if he's been avoiding us. >> You know, this happened once before, after they buried that crewman on the ocean floor. 

>> Come to think of it, I believe you're right. And now the loss of the second officer in the fight with the cuttlefish. >> Now he's leaving land behind again, dashing to the north as eagerly as he dashed to the south before. But I'll be dashed, if I'll go with him all the way to the other pole. >> What choice do you have? What choice to any of us have? >> If he keeps on this course, he'll enter the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and that gulf leads to my hometown, Quebec. If we start passing that, I'll throw myself into the sea before I'll stay on this thing without trying to escape. It's in your hands, professor. >> Mine? What do you expect me to do? Talk to him? He'll just say what he's already said, that we're his guests for life, that the secrets of the Nautilus are to stay on the Nautilus. >> Then ask him again. >> What harm can it do? >> I miss even the gutters of Paris. 

I wish some ship would come and rescue us. >> Ah, but even if a hundred ships came with a hundred rescuers on each, Nemo would sink them all. There they would be, treading water for dear life. And then what would we have? >> Twenty thousand legs under the sea? [laughter] >> Professor, he's losing it. We all are. >> All right. I'll see what I can do, namely nothing. § §  [knocking] >> Captain? [hermetic door opening] >> You? What do you want? >> I want a few words with you, Captain. >> But I am busy, Monsieur Aronnax, as you can see. I've left you alone. 

Can you not grant me the same courtesy? >> Sir, I need to speak with you about a matter that can't wait. >> Really? Has the sea yielded some new secret? >> Every day, of course, but... >> Since you're here, professor, have a look at this. It's a manuscript written in several languages. It contains everything I know about the sea. With God's help, it won't perish with me. It ends with the story of my life. It will be found locked in an unsinkable case. The last survivor of the Nautilus will throw this case into the sea, and it will go wherever the waves take it. >> A wonderful idea, but a little haphazard, don't you think? Consider this. 

My companions and I are willing and ready to devote ourselves to the preservation of your work. If you will just set us... >> Say again? >> For seven months now, we've been on board, imprisoned, uncertain of our future. What do you mean to do with us? Keep us here forever, buried alive? >> Monsieur Aronnax, my answer is the same today as it was seven months ago. Whoever enters the Nautilus stays in the Nautilus until he's carried out headfirst in a shroud. >> Then we're slaves! For the rest of our lives? >> Call it whatever you like. >> For heaven's sake, even a slave has the right to secure his freedom! >> Who's denying you that right? I am not. Have I ever tried to chain you by means physical or spiritual? Did I ask you to take an oath or give a bond? >> My dear sir, this is distasteful to us both, but since we've come this far, let's take it to the end. Remember that I'm not pleading just for myself. I suppose I could be content here for months longer, perhaps years, with my studies out there and my books in here. 

It's very different for Ned Land. Don't you suppose that the love of liberty will turn him to desperate schemes of revenge? Don't you suppose that he might try... >> It's no concern of mine what Ned Land thinks or tries. I didn't ask for his company. Nor do I hold him here for any profit or pleasure for myself. >> But as for Madame Revere...! >> She gave her final farewell tour! For once, let it be a farewell tour! [laughter] As for you, Monsieur Aronnax, you are one who understands everything, including silence. Let this be the last time you raise the subject. If there's another, I won't even listen to you. § §  >> And so, there you have it. >> Well, at least we know. 

That's something. We're not far from Long Island. This may be our best chance, regardless of the weather. >> Don't be so sure. You see out there? The cirrus clouds are being put to flight by cumuli. And the sea is rising. >> Even the birds seem to have flown away, except for the petrels. >> With land so close... [thunder crashes] >> It's as if the whole sky is on fire. >> Why doesn't he dive beneath it? >> We were caught short of air. 

He's refilling the reservoirs while he can. >> A choice between suffocation and a thrashing from the storm. That's Nemo for you. [submarine dives] >> We're diving, diving below it, but look at the direction. >> East, to put the storm behind us. >> Yes, the storm, and the coast of North America with it. § §  >> Eastward. Nothing but eastward, with no land in sight. And now for two days, these circles on the sea bed. Surely Captain Nemo has gone mad. 

And perhaps we'll go mad with him. >> He's been looking for something, and I think he found it early this morning. At first, it looked like a great mound of white shells, but slowly it took the shape of a ship, a ship lost to the sea a long time ago, a ship lying on its side in a deep, dreamless sleep. As the great poet of the sea, Jacques Couteau, would say. >> Jacques Couteau? Jack the Knife? >> I could make out the name of the ship, but just barely. It was the Avenger. I dared to ask Captain Nemo about it, and he said just one thing, that it had the best name in the world. >> The Avenger. >> Perhaps we'll never know who Captain Nemo is or where he came from, or where he's going. But more and more, I can see the man in him, and not just the scientist. 

It isn't mere hatred of mankind that shut him and his comrades within this submarine. It's towering wrath, which neither time nor custom can calm. >> What would you do if you could get off the Nautilus? Would anything change or would you go back to your old life? >> It's a crazy whim, the sort of daydream bred in captivity. But the first thing I would like to do is to hear you sing, Marie. >> Oh, I doubt that! But if that crazy dream does come true, I will be more than happy to oblige. [distant boom] >> That was cannon fire! [footsteps running] >> It looks like a ship of war. I say let it overtake us and sink this prison boat we're on. If it gets within a mile of us, I'm swimming for it. And I advise you to do the same. [loud cannon shot] >> That was close! Fat lot of good it will do us if they hit us. 

>> And that's just what they're trying to do! They've recognized the Nautilus and they're hell-bent on sending it to the bottom for good, with us on it! >> So the Abraham Lincoln returned to tell the tale, the tale of a fantastic vessel, more dangerous than anything else in the sea. Now on every sea in Christendom, they're hunting us down. [shots hitting the water, and ricocheting off the Nautilus] >> This is starting to get serious! We've got to flag them down, let them know that we're innocent bystanders! Hello! Hello! [footsteps] >> You fool! Shall I impale you on the spear of the Nautilus before I use it to destroy the enemy?! [growls] Ah! Ship of an accursed nation! You know me at last, do you? I know who you are without colors to tell you by! Look and I will show you mine! Get down below, all of you! [footsteps descending stairs] [hatch closes] >> Are you going to attack that ship? >> Yes, and sink it! >> You must not do that! >> Who are you to give me commands? And I advise you to withhold your judgment, Monsieur Aronnax. Fate has shown you what you should not have seen. The attack has begun. Down with you! To your quarters! >> For heaven's sake, show some mercy! >> I am the law and the judge of law! I am the oppressed and there is my oppressor, flaunting his feeble power! Through him, I have lost all that I have venerated and held so dear, country, wife, and children, father and mother. I saw them perish miserably. All that I have is there before me. Hold your peace! And for the last time, below with you! § §  [footsteps running] >> We will escape. >> Now you're talking. 

What vessel is she? >> I have no idea, but whoever and whatever she is, she'll be sunk before the night is over. In any case, it's better for us to perish with her than to participate in revenge that's beyond our power to understand. >> I couldn't agree more. If the Nautilus attacks her at the water line, we can get out. [sirens blare as submarine dives] >> So much for escape. We're going down like a stone. >> He's going to rip her belly out from below. [metal scraping, creaking] [Marie screams] >> What's happened? Everything's gone dark. >> We're passing through her, right through her belly. >> She's going down. 

Look at her. Guns, netting, men. Going down. >> And Nemo's following her to be sure the job is done. [muffled explosion] >> What's happened? >> It's the compressed air in the sinking ship blowing up the decks. >> See now, she's going down fast. >> See her topmast, how the men have crowded up there. >> And the spars, bending beneath their weight, the mainmast... § § [footsteps] >> Captain Nemo... He seems to be in a world of his own. 

>> Returning to his cabin to savor the kill. >> Look, there on the wall of his stateroom, pictures of a young woman and two little children. Look how he stares at the pictures, and stretches his arms toward them as if they're alive. He's fallen to his knees. He looks as if his heart will break. >> We should leave. § §  [submarine surfaces] >> And so what is it, professor, where is Nemo going now? >> North, due north, at 25 knots. [hermetic door opening] >> We're going to get out of here, the times has come. >> What? Now? >> Tonight, while we're still on the surface. We haven't seen the captain for days, and the crew members have stopped watching us. 

The Nautilus is dying from the inside out. Nemo is glutted with vengeance. Will you be ready? >> To be sure. >> And you can count on me. But where are we? >> In sight of land. I took the reckoning this morning. There are hills just 20 miles to the east of us. >> What country is it? >> Can't tell. But whatever it is, it's Europe, and we can get there. >> I'm with you heart and soul, Ned. 

We go tonight, even if the sea swallows us up. >> The waves are bad, and the wind is blowing a gale. But a matter of 20 miles in the longboat of the Nautilus doesn't scare me. I stowed away some food and several bottles of water in it. Come on! >> I... >> What is it, Monsieur Aronnax? >> These wonders of nature. These works of art. The specimens of a thousand species unknown up there. I want to engrave it all in my memory. § §  >> Hear that? He's withdrawing into himself after the killing, the vengeance. 

>> Put on your warmest things. >> Let's go. [footsteps] [hatch opens]  >> He hasn't made it easy. The longboat's locked. We're going to have to unbolt it! [crew's cries of alarm] >> Don't tell me they've found us out! >> Take this knife! Get ready to defend yourself to the death. >> Wait! They're not stirred up about us. There's a maelstrom out there, a whirlpool. The biggest one on earth is off the coast of Norway. Feel the pull? >> Surely, Captain Nemo hasn't gone completely mad and steered us into it deliberately. >> Who can say? But the Nautilus is an instrument of his will, and if he wants to destroy himself, the Nautilus will be his means to do it. 

Feel the circle, the narrowing circle as we... >> It's too dangerous! Screw the bolts back on! If we stick to the Nautilus, we may live to have another chance. If we cast off now... [crashing waves] >> Too late! The bolts are ripping loose! Get in! Professor! >> Pierre! § §  >> That was the last I saw of the Nautilus. When I returned to the world of reality, I was lying in a fisherman's hut in the Lufoden Isles with my companions at my side. Will we be believed? I don't know. But I know that in ten months, we crossed 20,000 leagues beneath the sea. And what became of the Nautilus? Does Captain Nemo still live? I hope so. And I hope that a world of undersea wonders will lessen his lust for vengeance and that the secrets of science will one day benefit all mankind. § §  >> You've been listening to a live dramatization of Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," performed by the 9XM Players as part of the second annual Wisconsin Science Festival. 

[applause] § § Back with a final word in a moment. But first, let's listen in on our friends Dot and Dee. >> How did the dinner with the boss go? >> [moaning]: Oh... >> Oh, my, you don't look so well. What happened? >> I took your advice about the wine. We all got quite merry, and now I feel like my head's going to blow up. >> Well, you may feel bad, but you don't have to look bad. Just apply lots of Lady Esther mascara! But first you're going to want to wash off the old stuff with a great big bar of Lux Beauty Soap. Yes, Lux will cleanse and purge your pores for you just as it does for famous movie stars like Elsa Lanchester and Esther Williams. >> And Lassie no doubt. 

Oh... >> With Lux Beauty Soap, you can remove all of those stale reminders of a day or night you'd rather forget. Just work it up into a rich, creamy lather, apply, and rinse, and you'll feel younger and more beautiful instantly, soft and caress-able. Irresistible to that certain someone in your life. >> Give me a break! >> That Dee, always kidding around! Remember, ladies, you may not feel better, but you can look better with lots of Lux. [laughter] § § Our broadcast has come to you from the Forum in the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Our cast has included Coleman, as Professor Aronnax; Stephen Montagna as Conseil; Cynthia Woodland as Marie Revere; Eric Holz as Ned Land; and as Captain Nemo, Pete Bissen. [applause]  Dot is played by Michele Good. Jenny Maahs was Dee. The steward was Mark Staniszewski. 

The organist, Trevor Stephenson. [applause continues] The director was Michele Gerard Good. The foley artist, Britny D'Anda. Joe Hardtke was the broadcast engineer. And our production has also included Merle Hansen, Angie Whitiken, Tammy Whitiken, Elizabeth from the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, Ellen and Anne. For Wisconsin Public Television, Tina Hauser, Bruce Johnson and Lynn DeRolf. [applause] Special thanks to the UW School of Music, University Theater, Children's Theater of Madison, and Best Cleaners. I'm your announcer, Norman Gilliland. Old-Time Radio Drama continues after this on the Ideas Network of Wisconsin Public Radio. [cheers and applause]