Discussing "The Understudy : a Novel" and interviewing Elia Kazan.

Studs interviews Christopher Durang, playwright, about his plays. "A History of the American Film" is the highlight of the interview, which is playing at the Heron Theater in Chicago. Durang describes parts of the play and it's characters. He explains that it portrays the different eras and famous moments of movies and references real actors and actresses. Durang reads several times from the play, but all musical numbers are removed from this edited version of the original recording.

Studs interviews poet, writer, critic, and satirist Dorothy Parker. Topics of conversation are Parker's plays, being a critic, and the state of comedy and literature. The conversation includes references to Parker's plays "The Ladies of the Corridor" (1953) and "Close Harmony" (1924), and the lyrics she wrote for the 1956 operetta Candide. They also discuss the roles of Hollywood, television, and beat poetry in the cultural landscape. Other cultural figures mentioned include humorist/columnist Robert Benchley, sports columnist and short-story writer Ring Lardner, author James Thurber,

Terkel Talks with known English Dramatist Sir Arnold Wesker (part 1) about the economy of England. The talk begins with the subject of apprenticeship. This is a two part interview.