An American Tragedy: OTRR Our Miss Brooks Singles (April 3, 1955)

“An American Tragedy” is an episode of OTRR Our Miss Brooks Singles, the old-time radio show, first broadcast April 3, 1955. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Miss Brooks, an English teacher at Madison High School, spends a weekend at Crystal Lake with her boyfriend Philip Boynton and principal Osgood Conklin, who has invited them to his cabin. Miss Brooks and Mr. Boynton are on a rowboat outing, and the worried Mr. Conklin keeps an eye on them. Harriet Conklin and Walter Denton also appear in the story, along with the ideas of an American tragedy and Mr. Conklin's poem Keep Your Head. The episode, from the OTRR Our Miss Brooks Singles series, was first broadcast on CBS Radio on April 3, 1955, with Eve Arden in the title role, Gale Gordon as Mr. Conklin, and Richard Crenna and Jeff Chandler in the cast.

Madison High School and Crystal Lake, where Mr. Conklin's cabin stands

Characters: Miss Brooks, Philip Boynton, Osgood Conklin, Harriet Conklin, Walter Denton, Mrs. Davis

Listen for: Mr. Conklin's worry about the outing and his poem Keep Your Head

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.