What happens
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello open their new Wednesday night program on ABC from the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, part of the network's family of shows. Costello arrives late after a reckless drive, and the two comics bicker their way through the studio, with Abbott's attempts to learn the names of the producer, engineer and sound man turning into a long verbal routine. Their new singer, Susan Miller, is introduced, and Costello flirts with her while the pair trade jokes about the network and the contract they have been given. The stage is set for the first broadcast of the series, as the duo settle into their new home on the network.
Hollywood, California, at the El Capitan Theater and ABC studios on the opening night of the new program
Characters: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Susan Miller, Donald Ware, Connie Haines
Listen for: Abbott's repeated questions about who the producer, engineer and sound man are, and Costello's flirting with the singer Susan Miller
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.