What happens
Fred Allen hosts his Town Hall Tonight variety program from the Town Hall, as a crowd of listeners files in for the broadcast. Peter Van Steeden's orchestra opens the show with a lively number, and Allen introduces himself with a rapid, florid patter routine. Between musical numbers, Allen reads a mock news bulletin about a bird seed mix-up and then a series of comic satirical items, including a doctor's theory about enlarged foreheads, a gasoline tax in New York, and a Washington court ruling on parental discipline. The segment that follows is a comedy sketch about theatrical troupe managers pursuing an unusual business deal. The transcript breaks off before the episode's full run of material is complete.
The Town Hall, a broadcast variety program with an audience gathering to see the show.
Characters: Fred Allen, Harry, Peter Van Steeden, Mr. Lapita, Beverly, Tyrone Shapiro, Blossom Lord Vogel, Mr. Dope
Listen for: The opening patter, the mock news bulletins, and the theatrical troupe sketch with Mr. Lapita and his company.
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.