What happens
Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve organizes a sale of Christmas trees to raise money for a Christmas party for needy children, which school principal Irene Henshaw is hosting. Clarence Olson, an intern, has also offered to help her, and Gildersleeve sees him as a rival for her attention. The Jolly Boys Club sets up a lot to sell trees, and the men begin to argue over who will play Santa Claus at the party. The Great Gildersleeve, starring Harold Peary, Willard Waterman, Lillian Randolph and Lurene Tuttle, aired on NBC on December 23, 1953.
A small town in the days before Christmas, including Gildersleeve's home, Irene Henshaw's house, a Christmas tree lot on Fourth and Main, and the school gymnasium.
Characters: Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, Leroy, Bertie, Irene Henshaw, Clarence Olson, P.V. Jones, Chief Gates, Floyd Munson
Listen for: Gildersleeve's rivalry with Clarence Olson over Irene Henshaw, and the argument over who will be 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.