What happens
Fred Allen opens his program with his regular cast, including Harry Von Zell and bandleader Peter van Steeden, and sets up a running joke about the previous week's broadcast. He questions the staff and a studio visitor about how the last show was received, but the answers are mostly absurd. The sponsor asks for a faster pace, prompting a quick restart with singer Winnie Murray, followed by a discussion with Portland Hoffa. Later, guest Bert Lahr arrives and struggles to be funny. The transcript ends partway through their conversation.
A radio studio during a live broadcast of the Fred Allen Show in New York.
Characters: Fred Allen, Harry Von Zell, Peter van Steeden, Portland Hoffa, Minerva Pious, Winnie Murray, Bert Lahr
Listen for: Allen's exchanges with the staff about last week's show and the sponsor's demand for speed, plus his conversation with guest Bert Lahr.
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.