The Jackson Hospital Plan (Aired November 30, 1948) Life with Luigi was a radio comedy-drama series which began September 21, 1948 on CBS. The story concerned Italian immigrant Luigi Basco, and his experiences as an immigrant in Chicago. Many of the shows take place at the US citizenship classes that Luigi attends with other immigrants from different countries, as well as trying to fend off the repeated advances of the morbidly-obese daughter of his landlord/sponsor. Luigi was played by J. Carrol Naish, an Irish-American. Naish continued in the role on the short-lived television version in 1952, and was later replaced by Vito Scotti. With a working title of The Little Immigrant, Life with Luigi was created by Cy Howard, who earlier had created the hit radio comedy, My Friend Irma. The show was often seen as the Italian counterpart to the radio show The Goldbergs, which chronicled the experience of Jewish immigrants in New York. THIS EPISODE: November 30, 1948. CBS network. Sustaining. Luigi joins "The Jackson Hospital Plan"...it's only two cents per day! Five minutes later, Luigi's in the hospital! Alan Reeds blows one of his lines but recovers nicely. J. Carrol Naish, Alan Reed, Jody Gilbert, Cy Howard (creator, writer, producer), Hy Kraft (writer), Wilbur Hatch (music), Bob Lemond (announcer). 30:26. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.