What happens
Chester Riley, a cheerful family man, has saved a hundred dollars for a two-week vacation with his wife Peg and their children. At the bank he discovers his savings have dwindled to two dollars and nineteen cents after a string of withdrawals. On the street he meets Thomas Malloy, an old Brooklyn friend who works as a gardener, and Malloy offers Riley his cottage. Riley and his family drive to the cottage, which turns out to stand inside a state prison farm. The Life of Riley was a radio comedy series, and this episode aired on June 26, 1948, with William Bendix as Riley, Paula Winslowe as Peg, Hans Conried, and Alan Reed as Malloy.
Brooklyn, a bank, and the Escadero State Prison Farm in California
Characters: Chester Riley, Peg Riley, Thomas Malloy, Junior, Bob
Listen for: Riley's reaction on discovering that the cottage is part of a prison farm
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.