Life with Luigi

Situation comedy (1948 - 54)

Originating on radio as The Little Immigrant, Life With Luigi is the story of a gentle Italian and other immigrants from Germany and Scandinavia taking US citizenship night school classes. Their new home is Chicago, and their heartwarming encounters with American ways makes this show as contemporary now as it was post WWII, or at any time in the 19th or 20th centuries. J. Carroll Naish, veteran character actor of stage and screen, makes Luigi Basco come to life in each and every show. He is a perfect Luigi!

The cast is stellar: Hans Conried is Schultz, a German with more of an upright and straightforward manner. Alan Reed is Pasquale, Luigi's friend and sponsor who has already made a success of himself in America, as a restaurateur. Jody Gilbert plays Pasquali's chubby daughter, Rosa. Mary Shipp is Miss Spaulding, the teacher of the night class. Joe Forte is Horowitz, and Ken Peters is Olsen, Luigi's classmates. Gil Straton is Jimmy, who is Luigi's partner in a small antique business that Luigi has opened, as he grew up on the outskirts of Rome and has always loved the past and its glories. But his eyes were on the New World, and now, that new world is his own.

Cy Howard, creator of My Friend Irma, created the show. Both shows share a sincere human-interest type of human comedy. The characters become our friends, and we share in Luigi's joy and sadness as he works to become a fine American citizen.

Will Pasquali persuade Luigi to marry Rosa? Will Jimmy and Luigi thrive in the antique business? Each week Luigi writes a letter to his Mama in Italy, and begins to tell her (and so the show begins for the listener) just what is happening to him in Chicago, USA.

And that is the way the show ends, with the letter, and he closes with love. That is the way this heartwarming old time radio show is done - with lotsa love. If you like Luigi, you'll love Irma on Cy Howard's other program, My Friend Irma!