What happens
Lou Costello decides he should play Napoleon in a Universal Studios picture, and Bud Abbott tries to talk him out of it. The episode is from the Abbott and Costello radio series, which aired on NBC and ABC; the original air date is May 2, 1946. Costello knocks on doors and canvasses neighbors to see whether they would like to see him on screen as Napoleon, and the replies are mostly unhelpful. Abbott, Costello and Ken Niles play the scenes, with Costello's self-regard and Abbott's exasperation driving the comedy. The conversations shift between the casting question and a series of small mishaps, and the segment ends with Costello attempting a dramatic reading of a Napoleon scene.
Hollywood, California, in the offices of Universal Studios and at neighborhood homes nearby
Characters: Lou Costello, Bud Abbott, Ken Niles, Tessie Tinfoyle, Scotty Brown, Mrs. Niles
Listen for: Costello's attempt at a stage scene as Napoleon, and his door-to-door canvass asking whether people would like to see him play the role
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.