What happens
Luigi Basco, a newcomer from Italy, collects money for a recreation center for neighborhood children. His reluctant friend Pasquale refuses to give, and Luigi tries to win him over with a Mario Lanza record. Pasquale's attitude toward kindness is bitter and cynical. Luigi's letter to his mother shows him buying the album at a Chicago music department store, where he meets Mario Lanza, who is signing records. The transcript ends before the story is resolved.
A neighborhood in an American city, with a night school class, a record store, and a music department where Mario Lanza signs albums.
Characters: Luigi Basco, Pasquale, Mario Lanza, Rosa, Mr. Weiler, Mr. Stevens
Listen for: Pasquale's refusal to donate and his bitter views on kindness, and Luigi's efforts to change his mind with a Mario Lanza album.
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.