Old Man River - Summary

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It shows how the members of a family manage to escape when their house is surrounded by floodwaters. Amy and Betty are at home with their neighbours Rose and Sara.  Their parents are away from them and it keeps raining for three days.  There is a cloudburst and the melting of the snow causes the river level to rise.  It is late afternoon. Jim Hall a 17-year-old neighbour comes to rescue the children.  He organizes a disaster rescue team and keeps things ready for an emergency. Tom Peters and Miss. Marsh comes there in a rescue boat.  With their help, the children are rescued. The play focuses on the importance of acting during a crisis and First Aid awareness. The children help one another and stay calm till help arrives. The significant role played by the Red Cross is also highlighted in this play. It was a day when the rain is so heavy that it flooded the area. A group of friends were stuck inside a house called for help. The rescue boat came but one of the girls broke her leg pretty badly. So, the nurse helped them with the first aid and then took her to the hospital. Another boat was sent to rescue the remaining children at home. The characters in the Play are - Amy Marshall who is 17 years old. She is the eldest child in the family. She is in charge of her sister Betty Marshall. Her mother has gone out with her brother Dick to the dentist. Her father was away in Chicago on business.  Her mother is not able to drive back to home because the bridge between their home and town is underwater. Rose Field is staying with them and she is excited to stay in the Marshall residence. Jim Hall is another neighbour who comes to check on the children. He shares with them the news that it is a cloudburst (is a sudden heavy rainstorm) and the river is rising fast. The Burnett Dam, which is in the neighbourhood, is destroyed. Jim is the one who motivates and encourages the children to stay alert. He tells Amy not to show that she is scared. He also asks her to get all the things together like water, food, blankets, coats, lights etc. His experience comes from the days he has served on the Junior Red Cross emergency squad during the war. He tells Amy that one safe place where they can take shelter in the attic (space found directly below the pitched roof of a house) Rose Field’s sister follows her and she is caught in the waters. Jim goes out to rescue her. Jim climbs on to the roof and starts waving the flashlight. He hopes that someone will see the light and rescue them. As the water level rises all the occupants of the house huddles together in the attic. Mr Peters, a member of the Red Cross Disaster Committee and Penny Marsh arrives in a boat to rescue them. Dorothy Deming’s play is about life in times of crisis. American nurse and children's writer. She is the author of books like Anne Snow Mountain Nurse.