What happens
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, the leads of the Abbott and Costello radio series, first bicker over an insult and then, facing the cast's farewell gifts, try to buy presents for everyone on the show. Costello's haphazard shopping leads to a visit from a salesman, Mr. Kitsel, whose sample case is full of odd merchandise. The pair then take up their famous baseball routine, in which names like Who, What and I Don't Know become a long running confusion over who is playing first base. This broadcast first aired on NBC and ABC in 1944 and is a re-broadcast featuring music by Freddie Rich and his orchestra and songs by Connie Haines.
A radio studio on the Abbott and Costello show, with the cast preparing a farewell and a baseball routine that follows.
Characters: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Mrs. Niles, Mr. Kitsel, Connie Haines
Listen for: The Who's on First baseball routine, where Abbott and Costello argue over the names of the players.
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.