THE STORY: An old and proud family, the Dales of Dalesford, Connecticut, is faced with a major crisis which threatens to disrupt the traditions upheld by their ancestors. Instead of giving up, the spirits of the Dale ancestors return to combat the un-American forces which seek to break up the family. The living members of the family—with the help of their ancestors—try to keep their old house from falling into the hands of supernatural apparitions (a captain in the World War, officers of the Civil and Revolutionary Wars, Moll Flanders and Harriet Beecher Stowe) that mingle with the living family in scenes that both impress and amuse.
Mr. Rice’s play is a triumphant affirmation of the American democratic ideal.