What happens
Luigi Basko, a young Italian immigrant in America, is trying to build a social life and win over a girl named Shirley. Writing home to his mother, he describes a beach outing with his class, and then his plan to take Shirley out on a date. His friend Pasquale doubts his nerve, and Luigi is told that a first date at the movies is not the best choice. Instead he is persuaded to try dancing, and his lessons and nervous attempts to find the right partner lead to a series of mishaps.
Chicago, 1949, a city of dance halls, classrooms and a night school.
Characters: Luigi Basko, Shirley, Pasquale, Mama Basko, Rosa, Mr. Schulz, Mr. Harrow
Listen for: Luigi's letters to his mother, and the lively bickering between Luigi and Pasquale about how to court a girl.
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.