What happens
Lou Costello learns from a letter that an African diamond syndicate has named the world's largest diamond after him, and he and Bud Abbott set off to claim it. Abbott and Costello are the stars of this comedy radio series, which aired on NBC and ABC. The episode is a broadcast of February 4, 1948. Early on, the pair are introduced through their everyday squabbles, including Costello's trouble with a restaurant waiter and Abbott's bickering with Costello's neighbor and their wives. Then the diamond letter arrives, and Abbott argues with Costello over how to divide the profits. The two plan a trip to Africa, with Costello's friend Johnny White hearing of the plan. Costello's remarks about a dehydrated water can add to the pair's bickering.
Hollywood, California, and later the African jungle
Characters: Lou Costello, Bud Abbott, Joe Kirk, Elvia Allman, Connie Haines, Johnny White
Listen for: Costello's claim that he is the owner of the largest diamond in the world, and the mix-up over the baseball diamond in Africa
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.