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>>John Bradshaw:
This is "It Is Written."
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I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
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Among the songs you
hear playing at Christmas
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when you're out shopping
or listening to a playlist
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of Christmas tunes,
you're almost certain to hear
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"Have Yourself a
Merry Little Christmas."
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It's been
recorded hundreds of times
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by some of the most
acclaimed recording artists
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in modern music history--
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Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra,
Bing Crosby, Tony Bennett--
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even the Muppets.
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You'll find it
on Christmas albums
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recorded by more recent artists,
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such as Michael
Bublé and Josh Groban.
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It began as a
show tune of sorts.
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"Have Yourself a
Merry Little Christmas"
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was written by a
man named Hugh Martin.
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And while the
song lives on today,
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the story behind the
melody isn't often heard.
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It's a story about Christmas,
about fame and fortune,
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about illness and depression.
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It's a story about
friends who become family.
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But mostly, it's a
story about encountering God
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and coming to
learn that knowing Him
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is infinitely more meaningful
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than all the glitz and
glamor that life can offer.
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Hugh Martin was born in 1914.
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Like many musicians whose
names have appeared in lights,
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his love of music began
when he was a small boy.
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His mother made
frequent trips to New York,
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and she'd come home
to Birmingham, Alabama,
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with stories about the
newest music she'd heard,
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which encouraged Hugh to one
day visit the Big Apple himself.
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As an aspiring pianist,
20-year-old Hugh took a trip
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to New York
City with his mother,
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and he met a woman
named Helen Morgan,
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one of the major
Broadway stars at the time.
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For Hugh it was
like a dream come true.
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Back home, he
became a well-known pianist
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and singer, but he knew that
if he wanted to make it big,
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New York was the place to be.
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Finally, the day
came when Martin,
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with only a
little cash in his pocket
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but with a heart full of
desire, made the big move.
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Like many other
working musicians in Manhattan
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in the 1930s and '40s,
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he struggled to
make a name for himself
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while playing as many gigs with
as many groups as he could find.
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It was the Golden Age of Music,
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and while motion
pictures were on the rise,
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Martin was a
creature of the theater.
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He later wrote, "The
theater was flourishing,
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"scores of playhouses were open
and playing to good business.
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"Plays and musicals made sense,
with a beginning, a middle
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"and an end--an end
that more often than not
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"left the
theatergoer satisfied, fulfilled
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"and edified. The
musicals flowed with melody,
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"even when the
libretto didn't make much sense.
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"And the weightier plays
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"profoundly
comforted the afflicted
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and afflicted the comfortable."
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Along the way,
Martin met Ralph Blane,
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one of a wave of aspiring
young musicians in New York.
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By the late
1930s, the pair became
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one of the great
American songwriting teams
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for both stage
and movie musicals.
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In 1937 Martin started
a four-person vocal group
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he called "The Martins,"
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choosing Blane as one of
the singers of the group.
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In 1939 they caught their break
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when they were called to join
Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney
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on the stage of the
Capitol Theatre in New York
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for appearances MGM had
organized to help promote
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the opening of the
film "The Wizard of Oz."
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It was the kind of opportunity
Hugh had been hoping for.
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And it thrust him
into the limelight.
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Garland and
Rooney were huge stars.
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This was the big time.
00:04:04.64\00:04:08.18
Martin and Blane
collaborated for years,
00:04:08.21\00:04:10.21
and his chance to meet
and work with Judy Garland
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led to exciting opportunities.
00:04:13.15\00:04:15.55
Martin looked up
to Garland, writing,
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"There is little doubt in my
mind that the greatest singer
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"of pop songs in my lifetime,
00:04:20.62\00:04:22.92
and possibly in anyone's
lifetime, is Judy Garland."
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As a result of
working with Garland,
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Martin and Blane
received an offer from MGM
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to work for the
studio as songwriters.
00:04:33.44\00:04:36.91
At the time, MGM was the
dominant Hollywood film studio--
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and the most profitable.
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Just prior to the offer,
the songwriting duo had success
00:04:43.48\00:04:47.62
with their first stage
musical, "Best Foot Forward,"
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which was
choreographed by Gene Kelly,
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another giant of
the stage and screen.
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Hugh Martin was making it big.
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And at MGM he again crossed
paths with the woman he called
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"the Queen of the
Lot," Judy Garland.
00:05:03.63\00:05:07.47
And it was there
that Hugh would pen
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one of the most
beloved Christmas ballads ever
00:05:09.10\00:05:12.54
for a new film in
which Garland was starring.
00:05:12.57\00:05:16.01
But as big as that
was, just around the corner
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there was an even bigger
engagement waiting for Hugh,
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bigger than MGM,
00:05:22.75\00:05:24.12
and grander than performing
with the Queen of the Lot.
00:05:24.15\00:05:28.26
It was a meeting with royalty,
a life-changing encounter
00:05:28.29\00:05:33.63
with the King of the universe,
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how God changed a songwriter's
life, in just a moment.
00:05:36.00\00:05:40.67
¤[upbeat music
swells and ends]¤¤
00:05:40.70\00:05:47.71
>>Announcer: For 2,000
years it's been the hope
00:05:49.78\00:05:52.38
of the Christian church.
It's a major theme of the Bible
00:05:52.41\00:05:55.42
and the focal point of
the book of Revelation:
00:05:55.45\00:05:58.22
the return of
Jesus to the world.
00:05:58.25\00:06:00.52
Call now for your free copy
of "The Soon Return of Jesus."
00:06:00.56\00:06:04.86
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00:06:04.89\00:06:07.30
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00:06:07.30\00:06:09.26
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00:06:09.30\00:06:11.93
That's 800-253-3000.
00:06:11.97\00:06:14.84
Or visit us
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00:06:14.87\00:06:18.21
>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on "It Is Written."
00:06:20.64\00:06:23.28
Sometime before 1944,
Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane
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received the call
from MGM to write the music
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for the film
"Meet Me in St. Louis,"
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which produced a
couple of hit songs.
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And although both Blane
and Martin received credit
00:06:34.46\00:06:37.63
for composing the song, it
was Martin who wrote the melody
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known today as "Have Yourself
a Merry Little Christmas."
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At first, it
wasn't well received.
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When she heard the
song for the first time,
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Judy Garland
refused to record it.
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She said, "The audience
will think I'm a monster."
00:06:53.74\00:06:57.75
It was written to
feature in a scene
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in which a man tells his family
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they must move from
St. Louis to New York City.
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Garland's
character comes home to find
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her little sister heartbroken at
having to leave her home behind.
00:07:07.32\00:07:11.79
So, she sings her sister a song:
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"Have yourself a merry little
Christmas. It may be your last.
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"Next year we may all
be living in the past.
00:07:21.84\00:07:25.61
"Have yourself a
merry little Christmas.
00:07:25.64\00:07:27.58
"Pop that champagne cork.
00:07:27.61\00:07:30.15
"Next year we may all
be living in New York.
00:07:30.18\00:07:32.88
"No good times like the olden
days. Happy golden days of yore.
00:07:32.91\00:07:37.22
"Faithful friends
who were dear to us.
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Will be near to us no more."
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And so on to,
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"So have yourself a
merry little Christmas now."
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Not the jolliest of songs.
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You can understand
why the superstar Garland
00:07:47.96\00:07:50.23
wasn't keen on singing it.
But after protesting strongly,
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Martin rewrote the words
and created the Christmas song
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still heard 80 years later:
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"Have yourself a
merry little Christmas.
00:08:00.54\00:08:03.31
"Let your heart be light.
00:08:03.35\00:08:05.68
"Next year all our
troubles will be out of sight.
00:08:05.71\00:08:09.32
"Have yourself a
merry little Christmas.
00:08:09.35\00:08:11.39
"Make the Yule-tide gay.
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"Next year all our
troubles will be miles away.
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"Once again as in olden
days, happy golden days of yore,
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"faithful friends
who were dear to us
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will be near to us once more."
00:08:23.83\00:08:26.50
And ending with
those well-known words,
00:08:26.53\00:08:28.80
"So have yourself a
merry little Christmas now."
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And so was born a Christmas song
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that would still be getting
airplay eight decades later.
00:08:35.21\00:08:39.41
Hugh Martin's
name was now on par
00:08:39.45\00:08:41.85
with the greatest songwriters
of the Golden Age of Music.
00:08:41.88\00:08:46.32
But that wasn't
the end of the story
00:08:46.35\00:08:48.32
for "Have Yourself a
Merry Little Christmas."
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Nor was it the
end of Hugh's story,
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because God was about
to make His big entrance.
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Although Hugh would
continue to write for MGM
00:08:58.83\00:09:01.24
and share the stage many
times over with Judy Garland,
00:09:01.27\00:09:05.51
it was in 1960 that
his journey would take
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a very different turn,
one that would quite literally
00:09:09.31\00:09:13.28
change his life
from that point on.
00:09:13.31\00:09:16.99
While crossing the Atlantic
for an engagement in London,
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Hugh suddenly became very ill,
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so ill that he wasn't able
to sleep or keep any food down.
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He fell into such a
deep depression that
00:09:26.83\00:09:28.70
he committed himself to a mental
health facility in London.
00:09:28.73\00:09:32.57
One day he wandered to
the basement of the facility
00:09:32.60\00:09:35.80
and found a chapel.
00:09:35.84\00:09:38.01
There he became what
he described later as
00:09:38.04\00:09:41.88
"a small terrified child."
00:09:41.91\00:09:44.78
He prayed a desperate prayer:
00:09:44.81\00:09:46.11
"I don't even know that
there is a God. But if there is,
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"if you can hear me, please,
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please, pull me
out of this miry pit."
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It was the first time
he'd ever spoken to God
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in a real and meaningful way.
00:10:00.33\00:10:02.76
There, in a cold dark basement,
00:10:02.80\00:10:05.67
far from the stage
and lights and glamor,
00:10:05.70\00:10:08.44
Hugh Martin had an
encounter with God,
00:10:08.47\00:10:11.61
the impact of which wouldn't
be fully felt until years later.
00:10:11.64\00:10:16.81
When he got well and
returned to the States,
00:10:16.85\00:10:19.81
he continued to write songs.
00:10:19.85\00:10:21.92
Then 14 years after that initial
illness, he fell ill again
00:10:21.95\00:10:26.99
and was admitted to
St. Vincent's Hospital
00:10:27.02\00:10:28.99
in his hometown of Birmingham.
00:10:29.02\00:10:31.46
As he tells the story,
when he and his brother arrived
00:10:31.49\00:10:34.00
at the hospital, he heard
a voice, which said clearly,
00:10:34.03\00:10:39.00
"Hugh, share your room."
00:10:39.03\00:10:41.84
Arrangements had
already been made for Hugh
00:10:41.87\00:10:43.81
to have a private room.
00:10:43.84\00:10:44.94
But when he heard
the voice a second time,
00:10:44.97\00:10:47.94
he insisted they
check with reception
00:10:47.98\00:10:49.54
to see if he could share a room.
00:10:49.58\00:10:51.45
He was told it couldn't be done.
00:10:51.48\00:10:52.78
The hospital was full, and
things couldn't be changed.
00:10:52.81\00:10:56.55
But then the phone rang,
00:10:56.58\00:10:57.62
and Hugh heard the lady
at reception say, "Really?"
00:10:57.65\00:11:01.12
A shared room had all
of a sudden opened up,
00:11:01.16\00:11:03.49
and Hugh was
admitted to a double room.
00:11:03.53\00:11:06.39
He wrote in his autobiography,
00:11:06.43\00:11:08.56
"My roommate turned
out to be William Lester,
00:11:08.60\00:11:12.10
"an assistant pastor
00:11:12.13\00:11:13.77
in a local...Seventh-day
Adventist Church."
00:11:13.80\00:11:16.71
He said, "I was surprised,
more than that, impressed.
00:11:16.74\00:11:20.61
"I felt I had been led to that
room for a specific reason....
00:11:20.64\00:11:24.01
"It seemed
orchestrated from above:
00:11:24.05\00:11:26.21
"the mysterious
Voice in the foyer,
00:11:26.25\00:11:28.32
"the sudden availability
of a room for two patients,
00:11:28.35\00:11:31.35
"the unusual
coincidence of my roommate
00:11:31.39\00:11:33.49
"being a devout Christian, most
of all, his genuine reverence.
00:11:33.52\00:11:38.69
"Put them all together
and it seemed undeniable
00:11:38.73\00:11:42.23
that it was the most
important day of my life."
00:11:42.26\00:11:45.60
He had many
meaningful conversations
00:11:45.63\00:11:47.77
with Pastor Lester, and
becoming convicted of the truth
00:11:47.80\00:11:50.84
of Scripture, he gave his
life completely to Christ.
00:11:50.87\00:11:54.84
Going from the glamor of MGM to
a small inpatient hospital room
00:11:54.88\00:11:59.55
brought Hugh, a famous musician,
00:11:59.58\00:12:02.02
in contact with the living God.
00:12:02.05\00:12:04.99
His life in show business now
seemed to be far less important
00:12:05.02\00:12:09.12
and was certainly
unimportant in comparison
00:12:09.16\00:12:11.43
to the good
news of eternal life.
00:12:11.46\00:12:13.56
Suddenly the man behind the song
became the man God made new.
00:12:13.60\00:12:16.80
The old life was gone,
and a new life lay ahead.
00:12:16.83\00:12:20.24
Hugh devoted his life
to his faith in Jesus.
00:12:20.27\00:12:23.91
But even that
wouldn't be the end for Hugh.
00:12:23.94\00:12:25.94
Years later, as his name became
obscure and very little came
00:12:25.97\00:12:29.81
from his composer's pen,
he became part of a new family
00:12:29.84\00:12:33.68
that ended up caring for
him until the end of his life.
00:12:33.72\00:12:37.19
I'll be back with that
story, and with the man
00:12:37.22\00:12:38.95
who became Hugh's
friend, in just a moment.
00:12:38.99\00:12:42.66
¤[upbeat music
swells and ends]¤¤
00:12:42.69\00:12:49.66
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:12:52.07\00:12:54.10
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:12:54.14\00:12:57.17
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:12:57.21\00:13:00.78
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:13:00.81\00:13:05.05
You can send your
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to the address on your screen,
00:13:06.55\00:13:07.98
or you can visit
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00:13:08.02\00:13:11.82
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:13:11.85\00:13:14.66
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:13:14.69\00:13:18.83
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:13:18.86\00:13:21.83
>>John: Among Jesus' final
words to His closest friends
00:13:22.83\00:13:25.90
was a commission to
take the gospel to the world.
00:13:25.93\00:13:29.44
What would He say
to His friends today?
00:13:29.47\00:13:32.64
Don't miss "To
Seek and to Save."
00:13:32.67\00:13:35.71
Join me for reports and
insights from around the globe
00:13:35.74\00:13:38.88
and see what God is doing
00:13:38.91\00:13:40.05
to reach the lost
with the good news.
00:13:40.08\00:13:42.98
We'll visit It Is
Written mission projects
00:13:43.02\00:13:44.85
around the planet, and you'll
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00:13:44.89\00:13:48.12
in growing the kingdom of God.
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00:13:55.70\00:13:58.97
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>>John Bradshaw: Hugh
Martin was no stranger
00:14:53.52\00:14:55.22
to fame and fortune,
00:14:55.26\00:14:56.56
writing songs for and
working with some of Hollywood's
00:14:56.59\00:14:59.36
biggest names on both
the musical theater stage
00:14:59.39\00:15:02.26
and at MGM, the
fabled movie studio,
00:15:02.30\00:15:05.30
during the
Golden Age of Hollywood.
00:15:05.33\00:15:08.00
But it's the
second act of his life
00:15:08.04\00:15:09.87
which few people
know anything about.
00:15:09.90\00:15:12.54
What happened to
Hugh Martin after MGM?
00:15:12.57\00:15:15.48
Did he continue to
write and captivate audiences
00:15:15.51\00:15:18.21
with his music? In a way, yes.
00:15:18.25\00:15:21.52
What history records of
the first act of his life
00:15:21.55\00:15:24.85
pales in comparison to
what came after Hollywood.
00:15:24.89\00:15:28.66
A series of providential events
would lead him in the 1970s
00:15:29.66\00:15:33.03
to the town on Encinitas,
00:15:33.06\00:15:35.33
20 miles north of
San Diego, California.
00:15:35.36\00:15:38.33
By now, music had
changed enormously.
00:15:38.37\00:15:41.10
With the dawn of rock and
roll, much of the old movie
00:15:41.14\00:15:43.87
and theater music had
become a thing of the past.
00:15:43.91\00:15:46.98
And Hugh's conversion
had led him to make a choice
00:15:47.01\00:15:49.88
that not many in the
music industry ever make.
00:15:49.91\00:15:53.82
In Matthew 16:26 Jesus said,
00:15:53.85\00:15:56.58
"For what profit is it to a
man if he gains the whole world,
00:15:56.62\00:16:00.96
and loses his own soul?"
00:16:00.99\00:16:03.56
In Matthew 6:24,
Jesus makes clear
00:16:03.59\00:16:06.09
that you cannot serve
both the world and God.
00:16:06.13\00:16:10.17
"No one can serve two masters,
00:16:10.20\00:16:12.20
"for either he will hate
the one and love the other,
00:16:12.23\00:16:14.97
"or he will be devoted to
the one and despise the other.
00:16:15.00\00:16:18.14
You cannot serve God and money."
00:16:18.17\00:16:21.14
Hugh was deeply
convicted by those words
00:16:21.18\00:16:23.55
and others like them, and he
chose to serve God and only God.
00:16:23.58\00:16:28.55
If it meant giving up
the world he'd known before,
00:16:28.58\00:16:31.12
he reasoned it was well worth it
00:16:31.15\00:16:32.95
to finally find
eternal life in Christ.
00:16:32.99\00:16:35.96
Although show business had made
him famous and earned him money,
00:16:35.99\00:16:38.96
he realized that while he had
it all by the world's standards,
00:16:38.99\00:16:43.23
he was still missing the
one thing that mattered most.
00:16:43.26\00:16:47.20
Like Paul wrote in
Philippians, chapter 3, verse 7,
00:16:47.24\00:16:49.94
"But what
things were gain to me,
00:16:49.97\00:16:52.14
"these I have
counted loss for Christ.
00:16:52.17\00:16:55.21
"Yet indeed I also count all
things loss for the excellence
00:16:55.24\00:16:58.78
"of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus my Lord,
00:16:58.81\00:17:01.45
"for whom I have
suffered the loss of all things,
00:17:01.48\00:17:03.59
and count them as rubbish,
that I may gain Christ."
00:17:03.62\00:17:08.32
It was around 1975
00:17:08.36\00:17:10.46
that Hugh began attending
a little church in Encinitas.
00:17:10.49\00:17:14.30
One day, a woman named Elaine
Harrison noticed an older man
00:17:14.36\00:17:17.83
coming to church all by himself.
00:17:17.87\00:17:20.50
Dressed in a long army overcoat
and wearing a black gaucho hat,
00:17:20.54\00:17:25.34
he carried a cane and sat
right up on the front row.
00:17:25.37\00:17:29.01
Elaine noticed that
he came and left by taxi.
00:17:29.04\00:17:31.88
Wondering who
this lone stranger was,
00:17:31.91\00:17:33.82
Elaine introduced herself
00:17:33.85\00:17:35.18
and offered him a
ride home after church.
00:17:35.22\00:17:38.22
That ride turned into
a weekly shuttle service.
00:17:38.25\00:17:41.89
By this time Hugh had suffered
from more health problems
00:17:41.92\00:17:44.63
but mentioned to Elaine that
they didn't affect his work.
00:17:44.66\00:17:48.13
Asking what work he did,
00:17:48.16\00:17:50.37
she was surprised to
learn he was a songwriter.
00:17:50.40\00:17:54.20
When she asked if she
would know any of the songs
00:17:54.24\00:17:56.30
he'd written, Hugh
rattled off a few titles.
00:17:56.34\00:17:59.24
Elaine couldn't
believe who she'd been driving
00:17:59.27\00:18:00.98
for the last few weeks.
00:18:01.01\00:18:02.38
She couldn't
wait to tell everyone
00:18:02.41\00:18:03.68
that the man attending
her church was Hugh Martin.
00:18:03.71\00:18:07.38
Elaine and her husband, Fred,
became fast friends with Hugh.
00:18:07.42\00:18:11.09
And feeling sorry that he
was alone and had no family,
00:18:11.12\00:18:14.66
they offered to have him stay
with them for a month or two.
00:18:14.69\00:18:18.06
That month or two
turned into more than 25 years.
00:18:18.09\00:18:23.70
Hugh stayed with Fred and
Elaine until his death in 2011.
00:18:23.73\00:18:29.44
Elaine essentially
became Hugh's manager,
00:18:29.47\00:18:31.34
handling his correspondence,
publications, and engagements,
00:18:31.37\00:18:34.21
and more.
00:18:34.24\00:18:35.51
Two years after Hugh
died, Elaine passed away.
00:18:35.54\00:18:38.71
Her husband Fred still
lives in southern California.
00:18:38.75\00:18:42.18
I sat down with Fred and asked
him to give me some insight
00:18:42.22\00:18:44.72
into Hugh's sunset years.
00:18:44.75\00:18:47.02
>>Fred Harrison: The
world had sorta [clears throat]
00:18:47.06\00:18:50.29
dropped off all the,
uh, Golden Era composers,
00:18:50.33\00:18:55.16
uh, Gershwin, Kern, etc.
00:18:55.20\00:18:57.53
and, uh, taken over by Elvis
Presley and Chubby Checker.
00:18:58.53\00:19:03.44
And he really
didn't have any work.
00:19:03.47\00:19:05.01
He didn't have any
particular contacts.
00:19:05.04\00:19:07.38
He lived in, uh, Leucadia,
and, uh, he lived in an area
00:19:07.41\00:19:11.91
which was adjacent to
the little shopping center
00:19:11.95\00:19:14.12
in the middle of Leucadia.
00:19:14.15\00:19:16.02
Went out one night, and,
uh, either the truck driver
00:19:16.05\00:19:19.99
didn't see him, or he didn't see
the truck, and he was struck,
00:19:20.02\00:19:22.62
and, uh, broke his hip
and broke his shoulder.
00:19:22.66\00:19:26.13
Subsequently, he was
hospitalized and had surgery
00:19:26.16\00:19:29.96
at, uh, Scripps Encinitas.
00:19:30.00\00:19:33.00
And when it came
time to be discharged, uh,
00:19:33.03\00:19:36.40
at that time there was
not a rehab setup at all.
00:19:36.44\00:19:39.34
You were given the date
when you could be discharged
00:19:39.37\00:19:42.61
and go home--which he did,
00:19:42.64\00:19:45.48
except that my wife
found that out and, uh, said,
00:19:45.51\00:19:49.72
"Oh, you can come
recover at our house
00:19:49.75\00:19:51.62
for a few days or a week."
00:19:51.65\00:19:55.22
Uh, which he did. And,
uh, he never left. [chuckles]
00:19:55.26\00:20:02.10
>>John: So tell me
what this man was like.
00:20:02.13\00:20:04.13
What was he like
as a, as a person?
00:20:04.17\00:20:06.63
>>Fred: He was very quiet,
very humble, not outspoken,
00:20:06.67\00:20:09.14
not boisterous. He was a
very private, humble individual.
00:20:09.17\00:20:14.78
>>John: Did it, did
it appear to you that,
00:20:14.81\00:20:16.64
that fame affected him?
00:20:16.68\00:20:18.48
>>Fred: None whatsoever.
00:20:18.51\00:20:20.02
[chuckles] At least
it wasn't obvious at all.
00:20:20.05\00:20:22.85
I mean, he was not
a public individual.
00:20:22.88\00:20:25.65
He did not put himself out.
00:20:25.69\00:20:27.02
He did, he did not
even appear at these places.
00:20:27.06\00:20:30.33
He would promptly run off
the stage when they were done.
00:20:30.36\00:20:33.13
He did not stay
around to sign autographs,
00:20:33.16\00:20:36.06
to make, uh, chat-chat
or say anything at all.
00:20:36.10\00:20:39.30
>>John: Did you get to
see how faith was something
00:20:39.33\00:20:41.50
that was important to him?
00:20:41.54\00:20:42.97
>>Fred: Well, he
was very spiritual.
00:20:43.00\00:20:44.57
There was no question of that.
00:20:44.61\00:20:46.74
He, uh, always had
morning and evening prayers.
00:20:46.78\00:20:50.18
His lifestyle consisted
of prayer and Bible study,
00:20:50.21\00:20:54.75
and, uh, then he would,
uh, occasionally had a--he had
00:20:54.78\00:20:59.45
a voluminous correspondence,
and he wrote a lot of letters.
00:20:59.49\00:21:04.16
And, uh, and then, I think,
resting, and, uh, that was it.
00:21:04.19\00:21:09.20
I mean, he was just
very happy and, and content
00:21:09.23\00:21:11.73
with the lifestyle that he
lived as long as I knew him.
00:21:11.77\00:21:16.14
>>John: Hugh Martin
achieved his childhood dream
00:21:16.17\00:21:18.44
of performing and writing songs.
00:21:18.47\00:21:21.14
Then after working in
New York City and Hollywood,
00:21:21.18\00:21:23.81
he started a new life
00:21:23.85\00:21:25.35
as an unassuming
follower of Jesus Christ.
00:21:25.38\00:21:28.95
He continued to play,
00:21:28.98\00:21:30.59
but instead of
bright lights in big cities,
00:21:30.62\00:21:33.15
he accompanied Christian singers
in far more humble locations.
00:21:33.19\00:21:38.06
And the popular
Christmas song that Hugh Martin
00:21:38.09\00:21:40.43
had given the world
so many years before
00:21:40.46\00:21:43.13
now seemed to
him to be incomplete.
00:21:43.16\00:21:46.70
He wanted the song to
reflect his faith in God
00:21:46.74\00:21:50.14
and what he believed was
the true meaning of Christmas.
00:21:50.17\00:21:54.04
The result was "Have Yourself
a Blessed Little Christmas,"
00:21:54.08\00:21:59.81
the third version of the song:
00:21:59.85\00:22:02.98
"Have yourself a
blessed little Christmas.
00:22:03.02\00:22:06.22
"Christ the King is born.
00:22:06.25\00:22:08.92
"Let your voices
ring upon this happy morn.
00:22:08.96\00:22:12.99
"Have yourself a
blessed little Christmas.
00:22:13.03\00:22:15.80
"Serenade the earth.
00:22:15.83\00:22:17.97
"Tell the world we
celebrate the Savior's birth.
00:22:18.00\00:22:21.80
"Let us gather to sing to Him
and to bring to Him our praise.
00:22:21.84\00:22:27.64
Son of God and Friend of
all to the end of all our days."
00:22:27.68\00:22:32.28
And ending with,
00:22:32.31\00:22:33.85
"Have yourself a
blessed little Christmas now."
00:22:33.88\00:22:39.12
An extraordinarily talented man
00:22:39.15\00:22:40.99
who achieved more as a musician
than most people could hope for,
00:22:41.02\00:22:44.96
and he came to
understand that his talents
00:22:44.99\00:22:46.80
had been given to
him by his Creator.
00:22:46.83\00:22:49.50
Near the end of his
autobiography, he wrote,
00:22:49.53\00:22:52.20
"Sharing the
Palace stage with Garland,
00:22:52.23\00:22:55.27
"Arthur Freed musicals at
MGM, hit shows on Broadway
00:22:55.30\00:22:59.41
"with long lines at the
box office and rave reviews
00:22:59.44\00:23:02.38
"from the newspapers--none of
these could ever hold a candle
00:23:02.41\00:23:06.51
"to a good
old-fashioned camp meeting
00:23:06.55\00:23:08.55
"with all the stops pulled out,
00:23:08.58\00:23:10.92
'Give Me That
Old Time Religion!'"
00:23:10.95\00:23:14.39
Hugh Martin figured
out that his secular career
00:23:14.42\00:23:16.93
didn't satisfy the
longing of his heart.
00:23:16.96\00:23:20.23
And there are many people
in that same situation today.
00:23:20.26\00:23:22.80
You might be one of
them. Success is good.
00:23:22.83\00:23:26.67
But success without
Christ isn't success.
00:23:26.70\00:23:30.41
If God gives you success
in your career, your vocation,
00:23:30.44\00:23:33.21
that's great-- unless it isn't.
00:23:33.24\00:23:36.54
There are many people who have
allowed success to lead them
00:23:36.58\00:23:39.05
away from faith, away
from their commitment to God:
00:23:39.08\00:23:43.42
athletes and artists and
musicians and business people
00:23:43.45\00:23:46.15
and professionals, having
success and not having Jesus.
00:23:46.19\00:23:49.82
It simply isn't worth it.
00:23:49.86\00:23:52.33
Think of Jesus,
the divine Son of God,
00:23:52.36\00:23:56.16
the Creator of the
world, the One who said,
00:23:56.20\00:23:58.97
"The Son of Man did not
come to be served, but to serve,
00:23:59.00\00:24:03.14
and to give His
life a ransom for many."
00:24:03.17\00:24:06.37
He could have lived in a palace.
00:24:06.41\00:24:08.38
He could have been
popular and powerful,
00:24:08.41\00:24:10.01
but His primary objective
was to glorify His Father.
00:24:10.05\00:24:13.21
That was it.
00:24:13.25\00:24:14.98
And although it took
him a few years to do so,
00:24:15.02\00:24:16.95
Hugh Martin figured that out.
00:24:16.99\00:24:19.69
You don't want to waste
that time. Put Jesus first.
00:24:19.72\00:24:23.46
Let Him take you to
where He wants you to go.
00:24:23.49\00:24:25.73
Do it His way and
you'll have no regrets.
00:24:25.76\00:24:29.40
Choose heaven. Choose eternity.
00:24:29.43\00:24:33.60
Paul wrote to the
church in Philippi and said,
00:24:33.64\00:24:35.90
"One thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind
00:24:35.94\00:24:39.44
"and reaching forward to
those things which are ahead,
00:24:39.47\00:24:42.14
"I press toward the goal for the
prize of the upward call of God
00:24:42.18\00:24:46.55
in Christ Jesus."
00:24:46.58\00:24:47.92
This Christmas,
press toward the goal.
00:24:48.92\00:24:52.25
Let your goal be a life
lived for the glory of God,
00:24:52.29\00:24:56.19
and have yourself a
blessed little Christmas now.
00:24:56.22\00:25:00.86
Before we hear the
song, let me pray with you.
00:25:00.90\00:25:03.83
Our Father in heaven, we
come to You in Jesus' name,
00:25:03.87\00:25:06.30
and we thank You that
You have given this world
00:25:06.33\00:25:08.94
the greatest gift
imaginable: salvation.
00:25:08.97\00:25:12.21
¤[soft orchestral music]¤
00:25:12.24\00:25:13.27
I ask, Lord, that You
would move in our hearts,
00:25:13.31\00:25:14.91
that we would put Jesus first.
00:25:14.94\00:25:17.21
May we have
Jesus now and forever
00:25:17.25\00:25:21.05
and be ready to meet Him on that
great day when He comes back
00:25:21.08\00:25:23.92
to take us home to
be with You forever.
00:25:23.95\00:25:26.22
We thank You, and we
pray in Jesus' name, amen.
00:25:26.25\00:25:30.76
¤[transition to "Have Yourself
a Blessed Little Christmas"]¤
00:25:32.76\00:25:38.73
[Javier
Gonzalez] ¤ Have yourself ¤
00:25:41.00\00:25:44.17
¤ a blessed little Christmas. ¤
00:25:44.21\00:25:48.68
¤ Christ the King is born. ¤
00:25:49.34\00:25:55.35
¤ Let your voices ring ¤
00:25:56.18\00:25:59.79
¤ upon this happy morn. ¤
00:25:59.82\00:26:06.83
¤ Have yourself ¤
00:26:11.47\00:26:15.27
¤ a blessed little Christmas. ¤
00:26:15.30\00:26:19.37
¤ Serenade the earth. ¤
00:26:20.38\00:26:26.55
¤ Tell the world we celebrate ¤
00:26:26.58\00:26:31.55
¤ the Savior's birth. ¤
00:26:31.59\00:26:41.16
¤ Let us gather to sing to Him ¤
00:26:42.16\00:26:49.47
¤ And to bring to Him ¤
00:26:49.50\00:26:53.14
¤ our praise. ¤
00:26:53.17\00:26:57.65
¤ Son of God ¤
00:26:57.68\00:27:00.98
¤ and Friend of all ¤
00:27:01.02\00:27:04.95
¤ To the end of all ¤
00:27:04.99\00:27:08.96
¤ our days. ¤
00:27:08.99\00:27:16.80
¤ Sing hosannas,
hymns, and hallelujahs, ¤
00:27:16.83\00:27:26.54
¤ As to Him we bow. ¤
00:27:26.57\00:27:33.05
¤ Make the music mighty ¤
00:27:33.08\00:27:37.72
¤ as the heav'ns allow. ¤
00:27:37.75\00:27:46.76
¤ And have yourself ¤
00:27:47.76\00:27:51.63
¤ A blessed little Christmas ¤
00:27:51.67\00:27:56.64
¤ now. ¤
00:27:56.67\00:28:02.18
¤ And have yourself ¤
00:28:03.11\00:28:07.08
¤ A blessed little Christmas ¤
00:28:07.12\00:28:13.09
¤ now. ¤
00:28:13.12\00:28:22.60
¤[music ends]¤¤
00:28:23.63\00:28:25.13