Madeleine Renaldi's elderly mother lives for letters from her absent son Johnny, the troubled child she has always loved most. Mama believes Johnny escaped his criminal past, found honest work in California and is saving for a fur coat and a home where she can live with him. Madeleine knows the truth but protects the illusion: she reads the letters, destroys the evidence Mama should not see, goes hungry to buy the promised fur coat herself and lets Mama credit Johnny for everything. The truth finally arrives in a letter Mama brings to Dr. Christian to read aloud. Johnny has spent months in prison and is about to die in the electric chair. Realizing too late that Mama is hearing every word, Dr. Christian then explains Madeleine's sacrifice, including finding her praying in the snow for Johnny's soul. Mama understands that her daughter's supposed jealousy was love and courage, and chooses to keep sharing the comforting fiction with Madeleine rather than let the truth destroy what they have left.
This Dr. Christian broadcast aired on October 3, 1945. It is listed as episode 358 in the archive. CBS Radio Network carried the broadcast. The cast includes Jean Hersholt and Rosemary De Camp. Other credited names include Patrick Taylor as writer and Bob Anderson as announcer.
The surviving recording runs about 25 minutes. The broadcast is also associated with Vaseline Hair Tonic and Vaseline Petroleum Jelly.
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