What happens
Jack Benny is worried because his co-star Mary Livingstone has not arrived for the broadcast of the Jack Benny program, a Lucky Strike show first heard on NBC in 1948. Before the studio rehearsal, Benny's valet Rochester drives him to the studio and handles his sandwich orders while Don Wilson, Dennis Day and Phil Harris go about their own business. Benny calls Mary's home and cannot reach her, and when word comes that she cannot appear, the cast must find ways to fill the time. The episode features Benny's usual banter with his cast and a visit from opera singer Dorothy Kirsten. The story is told through a series of comic exchanges around the studio.
The NBC studios in Hollywood, on the day of the Jack Benny program, before the broadcast.
Characters: Jack Benny, Mary Livingstone, Rochester, Don Wilson, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Dorothy Kirsten
Listen for: Benny's growing worry over Mary's absence, Rochester's sandwich mix-ups, and the unexpected guest appearance by Dorothy Kirsten.
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.