The NYPR Archive Collections
The Constant Invader, Industrial Resurveys
( Associated Press )
Tom, a machinist, finds out that his manufacturing plant is requiring all workers to have x-rays to check for Tuberculosis. When the day comes, Tom is absent. This absence becomes suspicious when two of his coworkers, who work on the same machine, are diagnosed with TB. Ms. Milligan at the TB Association suspects Tom is also infected with the disease when she discovers that Tom quit his previous job in anticipation of getting a chest x-ray. When Burt, the Union Shop Steward, confronts Tom, he quits. Eventually, Burt convinces Tom to get the x-ray which shows that he is indeed a carrier, "...everybody here works as a team, and that's the way we've got to carry on through in this fight against Tuberculosis!" At the sanatorium, Tom confronts his co-workers, and all is forgiven.
The narrator Ray Milland explains, "In industry, we call it the resurvey, but with all our vigilance and planning as a nation, the final responsibility is ours as individuals. By realizing that responsibility we can someday win complete victory over the constant invader!"
Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection
WNYC archives id: 150741
Municipal archives id: LT4771
This is a machine-generated transcript. Text is unformatted and may contain errors.
This is the story of the constant invader. What is time the hands on a watch the numbers on a calendar the thing with which we count our age it can be all these things but it can be to our good friend or a terrible enemy friend or enemy we as individuals often have the choice and the responsibility here is a story of one man's mistake told you now by the distinguished star Mr RAY My land. Maybe you have never worked in a great manufacturing plant but if you have you know the kind of teamwork it sometimes takes someone skilled men to shape decision parts in steel that help make America's industrial greatness old timey I know for such a man working with three other skilled machinists in the grinding Department of the player manufacturing company. The other men liked old Tom though he hadn't been with them more than a year they respected to still an experience they had the spirit of a team and doing their job well until one day something happened. The beginning of a chain of events which made a big difference in all their lives to begin that deadline which. As they sat around over their lunch pails but rarely the union shop steward came up to them with some important news. Jack Fisher says you guys are going to finish up on that spring job this afternoon that right is sure she's a get one more cook to make it if afraid these you know make a mistake. Like what's cooking but your Remember last year about this time the tuberculosis Association moved into the plant with their Moby Alexa Ray unit took chest X. rays of everything. Well they're moving in tomorrow morning to do another survey of everybody again I'll come for it if they X. rayed our chests last year that Miss Miller going to explained it to all of us shop stewards She's the gal from the TB Association she says they try to do these surveys every year now maybe chess where clear year ago tiny but in a year's time any one of us may have picked up the disease you're a member there were twenty one active cases found last time I remember already she will just come back the other day anyway I'm putting you guys on the schedule for your X. rays tomorrow morning at eight Thomas and with us last year you guys explain to him what it's all about OK perfect time to have an X. ray. That mobile unit came over where I went last year I had an X. ray this is a good idea she said OK make you feel good when you know you're no got of these tuberculosis and that's right yeah just get me to death until I got my report back and I was twenty one guys rather that must've been tough but they were lucky I know what he should be. What happened but I want to wait of the sanatorium get some of them are still there getting well as I say R.T. and I think one other already by the work you mean the plant Hello jobs farm sure sure what do you think he asked Union had an agreement before they even came in to take the X. rays along with the plant we got to fund to take care of things financially while getting OK again I hear some of might be able. Come back to their old line of work but they'll find him something well if he blows jets back to the old granny. The more we're going to get it. Eight You guys we only got to look at good from a number five I look good good there for this Mr Milligan She's a nice A good so everybody take it up tonight OK. All right boys now move right along you have to be on hand for this by now just hand your card to the nurse as you go into the name please tiny get I mean Anthony GARY HART Oh yes yes yes you can take it with you please and your name Fred Brown Brown. Friend here we are me I'm Michael Antonio Julie missed me again. With the tommy gun of his is supposed to be here maybe got in ahead of us got missed by Thank you I don't think is a get to the pitch before she says just open up and someone didn't come maybe not is it Tommy on of his work on the number five along with us is a no man the since the last DIA don't know who this is America's is a free country you know want you know think. This America is a free country but what one man did not realize is that the price of individual freedom is individual responsibility the name of Tommy out of stood on the records of the player manufacturing company is the one man in the organization who would not have a chest X. ray that here. Miss Miller going to talk to a union and try to persuade him he wouldn't give in. And when the results of the X. ray reserve we were all in in the office of Dr Harper the plant medical director Mr Milligan I think the results this year have been very gratifying where we had twenty one cases last year when he discovered three this time I saw the larger X. rays which are. One of them the reports on the other two has minimal lesions all of them well we've gotten in touch with each man's private physician they will be hospitalized I wanted to talk to you about their contacts doctor public health nurses found a history of early exposure and Legan's family but the other two Michael plus Julie and Anthony get hot we can't seem to find out where they got the disease Dr Harper this man Thomas Young off you mean the one who refused to have an X. ray this year yes when he told us he then next day last year in one of our surveys I thought I remembered something well I looked up our records last night and is he telling the truth yes he had an X. ray last year at Finch only the record shows that the film was on satisfactory and he was called back for another X. ray but Thomas Young quit his job at Finch and disappeared we have known where to find him until now Michael passed Julian Anthony Gary Hart had been working here on the same machine in close contact with Thomas Yana. Well I think it's high time we had a very serious talk with one Thomas Young off. Oh you see that X. ray you had last year prove nothing even of another X. ray had shown your lungs clear then you could have developed TB In the meantime Michael plus Julie and Anthony Gary Hart got their tuberculosis germs from someone through close contact over a period of time they didn't have TB last year but they have it now you try to tell me I gave like untied tuberculosis and we don't know what we'd like to find out and for your own sake you should have a chest X. ray crazy I'm not sick there's nothing wrong with me you don't have to feel sick to have to be on the look at it this way if you have TB an X. ray now can discover it and the sooner it is found the easier it is to cure you can't scare me I'm not going to have no X. ray and it's final. Word. You say you want to quit just at Tom anything wrong I just want to vacation I like to know if I get my pain a date by tomorrow at five sure if that's where you want to that's the way I want it. Why sure I knew he could Miss Milligan but I just thought maybe he did like the new men we got on number five with him since Mike and tiny left we think he quit because we've been trying to tell him to have a chest X. ray Mr Riley kind of silly reason ended he's done it before he heads thirty my container got their tuberculosis from someone they've been in close contact with We've checked every source and that narrows down the Tom ya know how maybe we're wrong in that shot of a gun you mean you think maybe he gave it to Mike and tiny and now can be sure with an X. ray Mr Riley if he has it every day he avoids finding out may mean added months to get him well again and if he gets another job at a plant which doesn't require an X. rays a condition of employment will go right on infecting some other guys we thought maybe you could find him and talk to him I know where he lives but Mike and trying to going it may be leaving for the sanatorium tomorrow the union is going to hear about this and right now we'll have it done at your clinic Miss Milliken within the next twenty four hours. Time. Open up. But he want I'm coming and I want to talk to you OK let's just say. You heard about Mike and tiny maybe yeah I have a doc HOPPER The plan says that somebody gave Mike and tiny tuberculosis. No I'm giving it to you straight. They can't figure anybody else that might have done it but you they want you to have an X. ray so they can find out for your sake as well as for the rest of us get out I quit did not you want to see me again Tom you've got to listen to reason Oh nobody's trying to hurt you we're trying to help you don't you see that if you have the sex I'm not going to have an extra and you can't make me have time and I've got to tell you this the boys at the Union know about this do you think another union man will work with you on any job knowing what happened to Mike and Tiny Tim but. You know I can't work outside the union that I got to work with the crew on the machines I know and that's that's black man it's not blackmail Tom it's self protection I look at it this way everybody here works as a team and that's the way we've got to carry on through in this fight against a brick yellow says well. Maybe a right but OK I'll have that X. ray. Told me I wouldn't believe it until he showed me the X. rays I could see it with my own eyes Miss Milligan I know Misty on off. I appreciate your get me into the sanatorium and coming out here with me it's my job to help you Misty on up just as we've always wanted to help you all the time now the nurse has your bag is in your room and it's just a couple of doors down this way I've been there already to visit is depressed Julian has to get hot oh wait a minute Mike and tiny. My going to be in the same room with them well it just happened that way has the room not. I can't talk to them Mike and Tiny I know now I probably gave it to them and all because I wouldn't have an X. ray last year French I could have saved them I could've saved myself months. I can see him telling those I know your own peace of mind don't you think you better at least talk to them he had. Yeah been runnin away from things right along. I guess I gotta step sometime go on in a low like Danny Oh yeah. OK tidy It's tough yeah I say I guess maybe you heard about me yeah yeah yeah we heard or she's a tough time but but are you going to be hokey Mr Milligan she say you got to be here with us just like us we going to be hooking. I want to tell you guys. I'm sorry for what I did I don't know what I was though and that's all. We forgive you we're all going to get we'll know all come back to work together one a number five a sure it's tiny tiny you tell the time she's OK Tommy It's alright we all make mistakes Thanks. Mr Milligan Yes. I think I'd like to stay with the boy. It wants everybody acting like a great to begin funeral we look iest gays in this world Sure sure we got to tuberculosis but we got a tuberculosis Association come right to where we work find that there's a devil to be with a X. ray before she isn't doing a lot of damage and love now we're going to get the well equipped old again I like it we work to get on to number five what do you say boys at this American She's OK yes. The first step in our planned attack upon this killer of men tuberculosis is to find the germ at work in the lungs of our citizens find it before it is gained the terrible foothold it sometimes makes cure difficult to find it before it has a chance to spread by contact to others whatever men work or live closely together the greatest danger lies more and more with the weapon of X. ray or tuberculosis associations and health departments are searching it out in our cities in our schools in rural communities in industry. With X. ray units we have taken the offensive care of the attack to the gym but the job is never done regular chest X. rays are the only answer in industry we call it the reserve but with all our vigilance and planning as a nation the final responsibility is ours as individuals by realizing that responsibility we can someday when complete victory over the constant invader. The constant invader narrated by Ray Milland written and directed by Hugh chain with musical direction by Ben is presented by your tuberculosis Association to show you the part you have to play in the constant fight against tuberculosis.