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Lum and Abner - Three Episodes 1935
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April 14, 2008 08:14 PM PDT

Getting this posted a little late. Technical difficulties and flaky web connections. It has been a while since we made a visit to Pine Ridge. Keith has snipped out some commercials and crammed in 3 episodes of Lum and Abner for today's show. Here's a little background. The series was an ongoing story and had overlapping storylines. In weeks prior to the episodes we will hear today, Lum and Abner have had a falling out and split their merchandise at the Jotem Down Store. Abner decides to barter and accept livestock for payment on goods. His business ideas are hurting both lum as well as Dick Huddleston, the town's other store owner. Listen to the show and see how things are working out. As this part of Lum and Abner's ordeal is coming to a close, Abner manages to get involved with a circus that rolls into town, but that is a story that will have to be continued in future podcasts.

Time Machine ready.
Setting the dials.
year. 1935.
date. March 8, 11 and 12.
Lum and Abner. Three Episodes from March 1935.

As 1935 kicked off, Lum and Abner have found themselves being conned out of their store by their nemesis, Squire Skimpe. They manage to raise the money to restock their inventory for the Jotem Down Store, but there are some conflicts over how to run the place. They decide to split all their merchandise and operate two stores under the one roof.

With all that said, in the featured episodes, Abner has been trading livestock for his products and causing problems for both Lum and Dick Huddleston. Things are about to come to a head when a circus comes to town and Abner gets involved with it. Abner, of course has just about stretched as far as he can, and eventually he and Lum partner up again. But what about the circus? That will have to wait for future podcasts, but I'll post the ongoing story. It gets pretty interesting.

Lum and Abner was a pair of good old boys from Arkansas. They ran a general store and seemed to be successful at it more by luck than skill. and despite their frequent tendancies to start other businesses or get rich quick schemes. They hit the airwaves in 1932, just four years after Amos and Andy hit the scene. Just like Amos and Andy these two voice actors and writers, wanted to do a similar act where they put on black face and presented their characters as African Americans. The studio chiefs, wisely, didn't want a copy cat program. The show was pitched again with the white actors performing as white characters and a hit radio program was born.

The shows had an ongoing story line that spanned over several episodes. Stories overlapped and some lasted longer than others. Through the years, some stories would repeat, but the characters might take on a different part in the retelling of the incident. For example, just before the shows in today's podcast, Lum and Abner were involved in operating a match making bureau. After noticing a lack of photos sent in by men, Lum decides to make copies of Abner's picture and send them out. Imagine the trouble and confusion that could cause. In a later season they decide to run their matrimonial bureau again. This time Abner gets the idea to send out photos of Lum and some of the other male characters in town. See what I mean?

I did something I don't like to do normally. Snipped off commercials and some opening and closing music. With presenting three shows in one, I felt it would play better that way. In its early years, Lum and Abner was sponsered by Horlick's Malted Milk, both in powers and tablets. The miracle food of the century. If you were weak and sickly, it made you strong and husky. If you were overweight, it helped you shed pounds. It was a healthy snack for kids, a quick pick me up for kids and adults. When the owner and founder of Horlick's passed away in 1936, the sponser would change to Postum, another healthy food product. The Horlick's company is still around, but they are a supplier of food products to other businesses, and not directly to the general consumer.