What happens
Chester A. Riley, a California war worker, tries to become a closer pal to his son, Junior, who wants to quit school and go to work. Riley's efforts to join Junior and his friends include an invitation to a bowling-night outing, a walk to the movies and an uninvited hike. Junior's friend Marilyn Morris appears during an evening out, and Riley's attempts to keep up with the boys keep leading to trouble. The series, The Life of Riley, aired on March 18, 1945 on the Blue Network and ABC and NBC, with William Bendix in the lead role alongside Paula Winslowe, Hans Conried and Alan Reed.
Los Angeles, California, during the Second World War, in and around the Riley home, a bowling alley, a movie theatre and a wooded area on a hike.
Characters: Chester A. Riley, Junior, Peggy, Gillis, Marilyn Morris, Ken Niles, Bob
Listen for: Riley's attempts to bond with Junior and the comic fallout from his efforts, including the hike and the movie-theatre scene.
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.