What happens
Luigi Basco, a newcomer to Chicago, wants to buy a special Christmas present for his friend Pasquale, the man who brought him to America. He saves money from his wages and keeps it in an envelope, but he loses the fifty dollars before he can buy the gift. His classmates at night school learn of his trouble and give him a fountain pen, and Pasquale, who had thought Luigi had forgotten him, has also been planning a surprise. Luigi's letters home to his mother in Italy tell the story as it unfolds in the days before Christmas.
Chicago, shortly before Christmas 1950, told through Luigi's letters to his mother in Italy and scenes at night school and at home.
Characters: Luigi Basco, Pasquale, Rosina, Mr. Schultz, Miss Balding, Mr. Bassett, Mr. Horowitz, Father Connie
Listen for: Luigi's letters to his mother, the scene in which he discovers the lost fifty dollars, and the classroom gift of a fountain pen.
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.