Help! mysql problem

Hi there, I've got a quick question concerning PHP and mySQL. I've got a fresh server with recent versions of Red Hat Linux, mySQL, PHP and apache. My problem is that when I call mysql_pconnect, my PHP code hangs and doesn't proceed. I can't check mysql_error because it doesn't go beyond this point. I know that mysql is running and the PHP code prior to this statement works just fine. The mysql account is operating correctly from the prompt and I'm using all of the default values for PHP and mysql config. Has anybody had this problem before and can somebody please offer me some suggestions? Thank you!!! - Scott