Lum & Abner: Classic Small-Town Comedy

Originally Aired: June 20, 1938
Lum #49, "Lum to Leave for England on July 3rd,"
Lum excitedly shares his travel plans with Abner at the Jot 'Em Down store, having just purchased tickets for a steamboat voyage to England departing July 3rd. After selling his half-interest in the store to Squire Skimp for $1,000 to fund his claim to an English estate, Lum has used $500 for attorney fees and the remaining $500 for an all-inclusive tour package. The trip covers everything from train fare to New York, steamboat passage, hotels, meals, and transportation throughout Europe, which means Lum won't need to carry any money abroad. He'll spend four days in London before the tour continues through other European countries including Holland.
As Lum enthusiastically describes the itinerary to Abner, the conversation meanders through topics like the famous Dutch boy who plugged the dike with his finger. Abner questions the logic of the story, wondering why the boy didn't simply use a stick or cork instead. Despite Lum's grand plans, Abner notes that only four days in London might not provide enough time to settle the estate business that prompted the entire journey.

Originally Aired: June 17, 1938
Lum #48, "To England Via Siberia,"
Lum has sold his interest in the Jot 'Em Down Store and is making plans to travel to England to claim an inheritance awaiting him there. After studying a map with Abner, the two believe they've discovered a revolutionary route: driving to England via the North Pole, which would minimize water crossings. However, as Abner discusses the plan with others in Pine Ridge, concerns begin to mount about the feasibility of their proposed journey.
Meanwhile, tensions simmer between Abner and Squire, who now runs the store with Lum. Squire complains about Abner being late and not working hard enough, while Abner grows increasingly unsettled about the partnership. When Abner meets with Lum to discuss the trip, he raises troubling objections learned from Mose Moots at the barbershop: frozen radiators near the North Pole, no filling stations in Siberia, and the peculiar problem of six-month-long Arctic nights that could drain their car battery. The conversation takes an absurd turn as Abner contemplates opening a filling station and tourist camp in Siberia, complete with ice igloos for lodging.

Originally Aired: June 15, 1938
Lum #47, "Lum's Ocean Voyage,"
In this episode, Lum visits the Jot'em Down Store, now renamed Skimp's Cash Store after Squire Skimp purchased his half interest in the business. Abner, who still owns fifty percent of the stock, has been reduced to little more than a clerk under Squire's strict management. The new owner forbids sitting down, prohibits loafing, and runs such a tight ship that even Jake is considering quitting. Abner has secretly penciled his name onto the store sign in small letters, afraid to make them any bigger lest Squire discover his act of defiance.
Meanwhile, Lum continues planning his upcoming voyage to England and enlists Abner's help to examine a globe map at Squire's desk. As they study the route from Pine Ridge to New York and across the Atlantic Ocean, Abner grows concerned about the journey. He warns Lum that the ocean is much bigger than it appears on the globe and worries about him finding his way, even with hundreds of other passengers aboard the ship.

Originally Aired: June 13, 1938
Lum #46, "Squire Renames Store," finds the Jot 'em Down Store under new management after Lum has sold his half interest to Squire Skimp to raise money for his claim to an English estate. Abner is now stuck working alongside the pushy Squire, who immediately begins transforming the sleepy country store with aggressive sales tactics and relentless merchandising displays. Squire drives Abner ragged, insisting he arrange special displays, limit employee Jake's lunch breaks, and greet every customer with a hard sell on everything from flour to canned plums.
When Lum drops by for a friendly visit, he's shocked by the changes. Squire immediately tries to sell him items he doesn't need, and Abner complains bitterly about the constant pressure to push merchandise. The transformation becomes comically evident when Abner unconsciously launches into a rehearsed sales pitch about California blue damson plums packed in maple sugar syrup, using the exact language Squire has drilled into him. The once easygoing general store has become a high-pressure sales operation, leaving both Lum and Abner to wonder what they've gotten themselves into.

Originally Aired: June 10, 1938
Lum #45, "Raising Money for Trip,"
Lum faces a tantalizing opportunity but a significant obstacle. After receiving letters from New York attorneys claiming he may be heir to a fortune left by Samuel Edwards in England, Lum needs to raise five hundred dollars for a retainer fee to pursue his inheritance. Convinced he's a "full-blooded Englishman" and rightful heir, Lum desperately searches for ways to raise the money. He proposes selling the Jot 'em Down Store to his partner Abner, arguing they can rely on their matrimonial bureau business instead. Abner firmly resists, pointing out the store is his only guaranteed way of making a living and reminding Lum that their third partner, Squire Skimp, hasn't done any work yet takes a third of the profits.
When Squire Skimp arrives at the store, Lum sees a potential solution and eagerly greets him with talk of a business proposition that could double his money. Despite Abner's warnings about getting entangled in financial dealings with the shrewd Squire, Lum begins explaining his inheritance situation, setting up what promises to be a risky negotiation.

Originally Aired: June 8, 1938
Lum #44, "Lum's English Frame of Mind,"
Lum has received an exciting letter informing him that he may be the descendant of Samuel Edwards, who came to America from England in 1778, making him eligible for a share of a large estate the English government plans to divide. Convinced beyond doubt that he is one of the rightful heirs, Lum has already begun planning his move to England. When Abner arrives at the Jot 'Em Down Store, he finds his partner composing a real estate advertisement to sell his property, describing his modest forty acres as a "palatial home in picturesque setting" with beautiful gardens.
As Lum grows increasingly convinced of his English heritage, he begins to feel like a foreigner in America. He worries about learning to speak "the English language" and insists that he and Abner now think differently because they're from different nationalities. Abner tries to reason with his partner, suggesting that Lum wait until he has proof before making such drastic plans, but Lum remains undeterred, certain that his name proves his connection to the Edwards family and ready to embrace his newfound English identity.

Originally Aired: June 6, 1938
Lum #43, "Lum English Estate," Lum receives astonishing news from a firm of attorneys claiming he may be heir to a vast English fortune. The letter states he could be a descendant of Samuel Edwards, who came to America in 1778, and heir to the estate of William Jensen worth 30 million pounds sterling and stocks. Naturally excited, Lum has been showing everyone the letter and has already quit the store business, convinced his fortune is imminent. He's sent back information about all his ancestors and relatives, though he'll have to share the inheritance with other family members claiming their part.
At the Jot 'Em Down Store, Abner discusses the situation with Grandpappy Spears, who humorously mistakes the "30 million pounds sterling" for sterling silver teaspoons like the souvenir spoon his wife Elizabeth treasures. Meanwhile, their lazy employee Jake returns late from dinner as usual, prompting Abner to warn him that Lum is getting fed up with his lackadaisical work habits. The episode captures the excitement and confusion surrounding Lum's potential windfall as the Pine Ridge community buzzes with speculation about what this inheritance might mean.

Originally Aired: April 22, 1938
Lum #24, "Lum in Hiding from Birdie,"
Lum finds himself in a predicament of his own making when a woman named Birdie Collins arrives in Pine Ridge expecting to marry him. The trouble began when Abner sent out photographs of Dick Huddleston, Mose Moots, and Ezra Seastrunk to applicants of his Lonesome Heart Matrimonial Bureau without their permission. To keep one particularly eager woman from visiting Dick, Lum impulsively wired her claiming he had fallen in love with her picture and wanted to marry her. When Birdie immediately wired back that she was on her way, Lum panicked and went into hiding.
Now Lum is holed up in a barn loft while Birdie stays at Abner's house, patiently waiting for her intended to return from what she believes is a business trip. Abner attempts to manage the increasingly complicated situation as Birdie settles in, inspects Lum's furniture, and shows no signs of leaving. Meanwhile, Lum desperately tries to devise a plan to send her away, even suggesting he's moved to Alaska, while Lizabeth grows tired of their unwelcome houseguest and the entire town slowly learns of Lum's predicament.

Originally Aired: April 20, 1938
Lum #23, "Lum Patches Things Up," finds Abner in deep trouble after his misguided attempt to run a matrimonial bureau goes disastrously wrong. When Abner sends out photographs of married men including Ezra C. Strunk, Mose Moots, and Dick Huddleston to prospective brides, their wives discover incriminating letters in their husbands' pockets. Mrs. Moots threatens to leave with the children, forcing Abner to confess his scheme to prevent the marriage from falling apart. Now half the town is furious with him, and Abner sits in the Jotten Down Store with Grandpappy Spears, wallowing in self-recrimination.
As Abner and Grandpappy argue about who's to blame, nearly coming to blows with a chair, Lum arrives and reveals the full extent of the damage. Mose Moots has been reduced to a henpecked husband, forbidden from attending lodge meetings and forced to do all the household chores for the next two years just to keep his wife from leaving. With his business partner and the entire community angry at him, Abner desperately searches for ways to patch things up and restore peace to Pine Ridge.

Originally Aired: April 18, 1938
Lum #22, "Trouble Because of Abner," finds the partners facing the consequences of Abner's questionable business scheme for their Lonesome Hearts Matrimonial Bureau. With only female clients writing in and no male prospects to offer, Abner had the bright idea of purchasing photographs of prominent Pine Ridge men from Grandpappy's new photography business and sending them out to lonely women without the men's knowledge or permission. Now those unsuspecting bachelors, including Ezra Scrunks and barber Mose Moots, are receiving mysterious love letters from women they've never met and have no idea how these strangers obtained their names and addresses.
The episode opens with Lum and Abner enjoying a peaceful spring day on the store's front porch, lazily discussing the beauty of their mountain town and the previous day's Easter celebration. Their tranquil conversation is interrupted when Grandpappy arrives with troubling news about the responses coming in. While some men like Mose are flattered by the unexpected female attention, others are growing suspicious about the source of these letters, and the secret scheme threatens to unravel.