Corey's Ramblings: February 2019

Here is my fourth entry in my Librarians on Old Time Radio series. After two episodes featuring crimes and one featuring the old American West, I think it is only fitting that we feature one of the comedies. Sometimes the comedies do not translate well to modern sensibilities and tastes, but they are part of the genre and definitely part of the culture at the time. And since immigration is such a common story in the news these days, spending a half an hour with Luigi Basco might be in order.

Downtown Chicago (Chicago, Illinois - May 6-8, 2014)

Wrigley Building in Chicago - May 2014

From 1948 to 1953, CBS Radio featured a weekly half-hour situation comedy telling the story of a recent immigrant to the United States in the times after World War II. The program is Life With Luigi, a comedy series staring J. Carrol Naish in the title role. It was the brain-child of Cy Howard and starred J. Carrol Naish plays the title character, Luigi Basco, who was spending his new life in Chicago. Character actor Alan Reed (maybe best known as the voice of Fred Flinstone) plays Pasquale, Luigi's sponsor and best friend. Each of the episodes starts off this the same opening - as announcer Bob Stevenson would say:

We invite you to enjoy life – Life with Luigi – a new comedy show created by Cy Howard and starring that celebrated actor, Mr. J. Carroll Nash with Alan Reed as Pasquale.

A year ago, when Luigi Basco left Italy to start his new life in America, he promised his mother that he would write and tell her about his adventures. So now let’s read Luigi’s letter as he writes to Momma Basco in Italy.

The episode we are featuring first aired on May 1st, 1951. Luigi starts off (as he does each week) with his letter to Momma Basco and was talking about a great picnic they went to back in the old country. Then it goes to their citizenship class as it often does. But all the students, immigrants from all over Europe, could not remember who wrote the Village Blacksmith (it was Longfellow). What had the students all worked up? They were all going to Riverview Park that coming Sunday, and everyone had two tickets. So who were they going to bring? Would Luigi bring Rosa? Nope, he needed a real date...but where?

He finds a date in a place he was not expecting - the library. He had to go there after class to return a book that was overdue. It did not take him longer to read, but he was lending the book to others. He seemed to be running his own private library. But talking with the librarian led to small talk - and the next thing you knew, Luigi had a date to the park. Sure they took advantage of making all the librarian jokes you can think of - they do have a certain charm. But when Pasquale finds out that he is not taking Rosa, he places a bet that he would not get a kiss that day. And things do not end exactly as Luigi might have wanted, but they were good in the end. The cast includes J. Carrol Naish, Alan Reed, Mary Shipp, Joe Forte, Ken Peters, Hans Conried, Jody Gilbert and was written by Mac Benoff and Lou Derman.

While a comedy, I think they always respected the characters and what they did to come to the States. There were a number of programs that had immigrants as major characters, but this is one of the best known. Kinda interesting when you listen to the episodes today. I hope you enjoy.

A Date with a Librarian (Life With Luigi - May 1st, 1951)