What happens
Anatol, a Viennese man-about-town, spends the winter pursuing love affairs in the city at the turn of the century, told through the recollections of his friend Max. On Christmas Eve he meets a stranger on a snowy street and helps her carry her parcels, and he begins to wonder what a modest suburban woman might want from a present. Later, at a restaurant, Anatol confides in Max that he is ready to end a long romance, and the two friends discuss how best to do it. The episode is based on Arthur Schnitzler's play The Affairs of Anatol, adapted for The Mercury Theatre on the Air, with Orson Welles in the title role. It aired on 1938-08-22.
Vienna, at the turn of the century, in winter, moving from snowy streets and shops at Christmas to a restaurant in February.
Characters: Anatol, Max, Mimi, Anna
Listen for: Anatol's friend Max, who recalls the winter's events and listens to Anatol's confessions.
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.