What happens
Gildersleeve prepares for a night at the opera in Summerfield, fussing with his tuxedo, shirt, and opera hat while his household scrambles to help him dress. Leroy is sent on errands and reminded to practice his music. At the Summerfield Opera House, local officials give speeches before the performance of Tannhauser, and Gildersleeve, Floyd, and Mrs. Munson take their seats in a box above the crowd. The evening's visitors chat about the show as they head out into the cold, and Gildersleeve gives a short speech of his own. The story follows Gildersleeve and his friends through the evening, centering on Gildersleeve's pride in the event and his reflections on music. The Great Gildersleeve is a long-running NBC comedy series, and this episode aired on December 16, 1945. Harold Peary, Willard Waterman, Lillian Randolph, and Lurene Tuttle star.
Summerfield, the Gildersleeve home, and the Summerfield Opera House in December 1945
Characters: Gildersleeve, Leroy, Marjorie, Bertie, Floyd, Mrs. Munson, PB, Judge Hopper
Listen for: Gildersleeve's fussing over his opera hat and the mix-up with Leroy's magic tricks, and Mrs. Munson and Floyd's bickering in the opera box
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.