What happens
Anne Thurston, a young pianist who gives lessons to earn her living, arrives late at Alex Bjorkman's studio, where she hopes to meet the celebrated conductor Franz Roberti. Franz, a famous conductor, is distracted by his teacher's commitments and dismisses Anne, who is hurt by his indifference. Anne sits in on a rehearsal and tries to win Franz's attention with her concerto, while Franz struggles with the demands of his career and his own sense of pride. Their tense first encounters reveal an old connection from their student days and a growing pull between them, as Anne's modest circumstances and Franz's celebrity pull them in different directions. This is an episode of the Lux Radio Theatre, broadcast on September 11, 1944, starring Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles in a radio adaptation of the film Break of Hearts.
New York City, a music studio and concert hall, with later scenes at a restaurant and a lodge near Lake Louise
Characters: Anne Thurston, Franz Roberti, Alex Bjorkman, Johnny
Listen for: Franz's cool dismissal of Anne at Bjorkman's studio, and the tension between his fame and her quiet pride
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.