What happens
Lou Costello is hired at Melonhead's department store and immediately runs into trouble. Late on his first day, he is put to work on counters and in the lingerie section, where his bungling makes a poor impression on his boss, Mr. Melonhead, and his partner Bud Abbott. Costello's attempts at salesmanship go badly wrong, from a misunderstood umbrella sale to a beauty kit and a weight-reducing machine. The broadcast is part of the Abbott and Costello series, first aired on December 13, 1945 on NBC and ABC, and stars Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, with Connie Haines singing and Joe Kirk and Elvia Allman in supporting roles.
Melonhead's department store in Hollywood, California, during the Christmas shopping season
Characters: Costello, Abbott, Mr. Melonhead, Lena, Mrs. Niles, Bessie Mae Mucho, Connie Haines
Listen for: Costello's misunderstandings of the umbrella and beauty kit sales, and the weight-reducing machine gag near the end
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.