What happens
Fred Allen hosts his comedy variety program, sharing jokes and sketches with his regulars, including Kenny Delmar and Portland Hoffa. Allen discusses summer vacations for radio comedians and the arrival of the new 1949 Ford, which is promoted with a musical number by Al Goodman's orchestra. Allen's guest, disc jockey Jack Eigen, is brought in from the Copacabana nightclub, where the two trade complaints about quiz programs and soap commercials, with sketches illustrating each. Further segments poke fun at daytime serials and the endless troubles of a family. The broadcast is a light mix of topical banter, satire and music, aimed at a 1948 audience.
A New York radio studio in June 1948, with a later visit to the Copacabana nightclub.
Characters: Fred Allen, Kenny Delmar, Portland Hoffa, Jack Eigen, Mrs. Nussbaum, Senator Claghorn, Mr. Moody, Mr. Cassidy
Listen for: Fred Allen's satirical sketches about quiz programs, soap commercials and daytime serials, and the musical description of the new Ford.
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.