Studio One: "Under the Volcano" (Aired 1947-04-29)

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
Release Date: February 16, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features the inaugural broadcast of Studio One on CBS, bringing an hour-long dramatic adaptation of Malcolm Lowry’s acclaimed novel Under the Volcano. Set in Mexico on the Day of the Dead, the story explores the last day in the life of Geoffrey Firmin, a British ex-consul, whose tragic struggle with alcoholism, love, and loss drives the narrative. Through haunting dialogue, vivid atmosphere, and a deft interplay between personal and political turmoil, the adaptation delves into the complexities of human frailty, hope, and the shadows cast by the past.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction & Setting

• Setting the Scene: The drama opens with Jacques Laruel and a narrator describing the unique atmosphere of the Mexican town of Quauhnahuac ("Guanahuac"), hinting at its intoxicating blend of beauty and chaos ("18 churches, 57 cantinas").
  • “But this is the old Mexico I love, with the sun coming down, when all the men began to sing, all the dogs to shark.” (Narrator, 03:52)
• Establishing the Themes: The Producer/Host introduces the adaptation as a story about a man and "the dark tyranny of alcohol", but also a "positive statement on basic human values and human hope." (04:44)

2. The Consul's Descent: Personal Tragedy & Isolation

• Firmin's Lost Year: Jacques recalls the events of a year ago and the hold of memory, beginning with an unmailed letter from Geoffrey to his estranged wife, Yvonne. This letter reveals his inner torment and self-perceived damnation.
  • “I sometimes think of myself as a great explorer who has discovered some extraordinary land from which he could never return... But the name of this land is hell. It is not Mexico, of course, but in the heart.” (Jeffrey, 06:22)
• Yvonne’s Return: Yvonne comes back unexpectedly, seeking some kind of reconciliation. There is an air of hope, but also deep exhaustion and mistrust on both sides.
  • “But he was not last night here, your friend, the consul, with the…with the horrible drunkenness, the sickness of himself.” (Narrator, 04:17)
• Dialogue of Denial & Hope: As Yvonne suggests they reclaim their former life, Geoffrey waffles between the promises of sobriety and the comfort of destruction.
  • "Tomorrow, perhaps I'll slow down... Maybe I'll get down to work again and finish my book." (Jeffrey, 21:37)
  • "Yes, who knows?" (Yvonne, 21:48)

3. The Fractured Triangle: Relationships & Regret

• Interpersonal Strains: Yvonne, Hugh (Geoffrey’s brother), and Jacques become entangled around Firmin’s disintegration. Past affairs, unspoken hopes, and underlying tensions surface.
  • "You shouldn't be going to all this trouble, Jacques." (Yvonne, 32:46)
  • "I'm afraid of today. What can we do with him?" (Yvonne, 28:10)
• Observing From Without: Both Hugh and Jacques try, in vain, to help Geoffrey or Yvonne, but each is trapped in their own impotence or self-interest.
  • "Why aren't you back home trying to rest and sober up? Yvonne looks tired out." (Jacques, 34:36)
  • "I'm thinking of Yvonne, not you." (Jacques, 34:29)
• The Unbridgeable Gap: Geoffrey's isolation is heightened by rejection of help and an increasing severity in his drunken lashing out.
  • "All because you haven't got the wisdom and the simplicity and the courage—yes, the courage—to take any of them to. Look here, Jeffrey. What have you ever done for humanity...?" (Hugh, 44:19)
  • "On the contrary, I choose hell. I choose it because I like it. I love hell. I can't wait to get back there. In fact, I'm running. I'm almost there already." (Jeffrey, 45:46)

4. Mexico as Mirror: Shadow of Fascism & Spiritual Desolation

• Political Unrest: The background is rife with hints of international tension—fascist “vigilantes,” German influence, and journalists investigating anti-Semitic campaigns. This elevates the personal despair to a broader sense of world crisis.
  • "Mexico is full of German agents right now. Anyhow, Hugh heard about these monkeys while vacationing on the ranch and came after the story." (Jeffrey, 15:06)
  • "Just let a real war come along. And then see how bloodthirsty chaps like…" (Hugh, 43:26)
• The Symbol of the Volcano: The volcanoes—ever-present, threatening, and beautiful—serve as both literal and metaphorical backdrops to the characters' inner eruptions.
  • "You know, there simply isn't another view in Mexico like this one from the portia. The volcano scowling out there beyond the ravine. Look at El Popo." (Jeffrey, 16:30)

5. Spiraling Out: Climax & Tragedy

• The Bull-Throwing & Brief Reprieve: The trio attends a local festival; Hugh rides a bull, eliciting a rare moment of levity. Yvonne pleads one last time for escape and renewal.
  • "Oh, Jeffrey, we could be happy, we could." (Yvonne, 41:22)
  • "Yes, we could." (Jeffrey, 41:26)
• Drunken Breakdown and City Night: Geoffrey’s drinking intensifies, leading to an emotional outburst, accusations, and his final flight into the night.
  • "I've got my own piddling little fight for freedom on my hands. Oh, do shut up, Jeffrey. Shut up ... I choose hell. I can't wait to get back there." (Jeffrey, 45:46)
• Fragmented Search: Hugh and Yvonne scour the town and cantinas for him in growing despair, punctuated by the encroaching darkness and violence.
  • "I'm becoming quite convinced now that he's in the Farido in Parian." (Yvonne, 47:02)

6. Endgame: Loss, Memory, and Meditation

• Consul’s Final Hours: Facing suspicious authorities, accused of being a spy and anarchist, Geoffrey is disoriented and robbed, increasingly disconnected from reality and the world.
  • "Take your hands off me and give me back those letters. You killed that Indian this afternoon. You tried to kill him and make it look like an accident. You're all in it." (Jeffrey, 57:35)
• Recurring Motif—The Letters: Rediscovery of Yvonne’s unsent letters forces reflection on lost opportunities, love, and regret.
  • "The letters. Jeffrey, her letters. The letters she wrote till her heart broke." (Inner Voice, 49:13)
• Descent to the Abyss: In a tragic echo, Geoffrey is killed by the authorities. The motif of the “garden”—and the line “It is not possible to live without love”—returns, closing in bittersweet meditation.
  • “They threw his body into the ravine—the abyss. Every time I see those little signs in the parks and gardens, I think of Jeffrey: ‘Do you like this garden which is yours?’” (Jacques, 60:19)
  • "We must make us, ourselves and our children worthy to inherit the garden and the earth." (Narrator, 60:48)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Despair and Hell

  • “But the name of this land is hell. It is not Mexico, of course, but in the heart.”
    — Jeffrey Furman (Consul), [05:59]

• On the Difficulty of Love

  • “Isn't it possible to live without love? It's still there, you know, like a sign.”
    — Jacques Laruel, [59:35]

• Yvonne's Heartache

  • “If you let anything happen to yourself, you'll be harming my flesh. ... For my life is irrevocably and forever bound to yours.”
    — Yvonne, [54:38]

• Choosing Destruction

  • “On the contrary, I choose hell. I choose it because I like it. I love hell. I can't wait to get back there. In fact, I'm running. I'm almost there already.”
    — Jeffrey, [45:46]

• Reflection on Inheritance and Destruction

  • “We must make us, ourselves and our children worthy to inherit the garden and the earth.”
    — Narrator, [60:48]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------|-------------| | Opening narration & Mexican setting | 01:02–04:12 | | The Consul’s letter (inner torment) | 05:43–08:32 | | Yvonne returns; reunion conversation | 10:17–16:13 | | Hugh and Yvonne discuss Jeffrey | 23:12–28:06 | | Bull-throwing festival & fleeting hope | 40:38–41:26 | | Consul’s breakdown in the cantina | 43:09–45:55 | | Search through night and cantinas | 46:27–47:46 | | Geoffrey’s confrontation with authorities | 50:45–58:57 | | Final reflection—Inheritance of the garden| 59:35–60:48 |

Overall Tone & Performance

The adaptation faithfully renders Lowry’s novel in a tone that is simultaneously poetic, bleak, and shot through with black humor. Dialogues are dreamlike, often circular, loaded with regret and longing. The performances, particularly as Geoffrey reels between tenderness, bravado, and despair, are powerful. The soundscape evokes the oppressive Mexican heat and festival chaos, moving seamlessly between personal crisis and political intrigue.

Conclusion

This episode of Harold's Old Time Radio offers a compelling, tragic meditation on addiction, existential despair, and the possibility—however faint—of redemption. The radio play adaptation of Under the Volcano immerses the listener in a lush, sensuous, and ultimately heartbreaking portrait of a man undone by his personal demons and the harshness of his world. The broadcast endures as a powerful artifact of both radio drama and twentieth-century literature.