What happens
In 1875 London, Benjamin Disraeli, a rising statesman, argues in Parliament for a bold imperial policy against William Gladstone's objections. At a party at his home, his wife Mary and their friends discuss his plans, while Clarissa and Viscount Charles Diefen face a romantic misunderstanding. Disraeli sees a chance to buy controlling shares in the Suez Canal, which needs bank backing and must be secured quickly before Russia can act. This is the Lux Radio Theatre's adaptation of the play Disraeli, starring George Arliss and Florence Arliss with Pat Patterson, broadcast on January 17, 1938.
London, England, 1875, including the House of Commons, a London party, and Disraeli's office at 10 Downing Street
Characters: Benjamin Disraeli, Mary, Lady Beaconsfield, Clarissa, Viscount Charles Diefen, Sir Michael Probert, Hugh Myers, Count Bozzano, Mrs. Travers
Listen for: Disraeli's speech on England's imperial future and his plan to buy the Suez Canal shares
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.