What happens
Duffy's Tavern is preparing for a Christmas Eve party when Charles Coburn, a monocled actor, is invited down to play Santa Claus. Ed Gardner's Archie, the narrator-like employee, and the tavern's cheap proprietor Duffy spar over decorations, gifts and the holiday spirit. Archie hangs mistletoe and tries to persuade Coburn to take the role, while young Wilfred Finnegan questions whether Santa Claus exists. The story is still unfolding in this part, and the scene closes with Duffy's gift to Archie and talk of what Christmas is really about. Shirley Booth and Florence Halop appear in the early scenes as the tavern's regulars and family members.
Duffy's Tavern, a bar in New York, decorated for Christmas Eve
Characters: Archie, Duffy, Charles Coburn, Sophie, Charlie, Wilfred Finnegan, Eddie
Listen for: Charles Coburn's arrival at the tavern and Archie's attempt to persuade him to play Santa Claus
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.