Lum & Abner: Classic Small-Town Comedy

Newspaper Reports on Abner: Big Promises, Bigger Trouble

Originally Aired: February 20, 1935
Newspaper Reports on Abner: Big Promises, Bigger Trouble
With Squire Skimp running Abner’s campaign, the election stunts escalate—culminating in a newspaper headline announcing Abner’s $180 donation to the public library, a contribution he never actually made. As Lum and Dick Huddleston puzzle over the news, they uncover a trail of exaggerated promises and shady maneuvers, including Abner jumping from a belfry into a fire net to impress child voters. When Lum realizes Abner gave Squire the insurance check to cash—and the donation matches that amount exactly—he races to confront Squire, fearing the worst.
Keywords: “Lum and Abner newspaper donation,” “Squire Skimp misuses insurance check,” “February 1935 radio episode,” “Jot ’Em Down Store election,” “Horlicks flashlight campaign,” “Abner jumps in safety net,” “Pine Ridge political schemes”
Cast: Chester Lauck (Lum), Norris Goff (Abner), Clarence Hartzell (Dick Huddleston), Earle Ross (Squire Skimp), Carlton Brickert (Announcer)

Squire to Cash Check: A Favor with Fine Print

Originally Aired: February 19, 1935
Squire to Cash Check: A Favor with Fine Print
As the Jot ’Em Down Store election nears its chaotic climax, Abner—now fully under the spell of Squire Skimp’s campaign schemes—hands over a $200 insurance check for Squire to cash on his behalf. The only catch? It’s tied to a phony arm injury, and Lum warns Abner that trusting Squire with money is like handing a fox the keys to the henhouse. Despite the tension, Abner stays loyal to his campaign manager, even as Lum and Cedric brace for the inevitable trouble that’s bound to follow.
Keywords: “Lum and Abner insurance check,” “Squire Skimp campaign plan,” “Jot ’Em Down Store president race,” “Horlicks flashlight promotion,” “February 1935 Pine Ridge radio,” “Abner fake arm injury plot,” “small-town radio comedy”
Cast: Chester Lauck (Lum), Norris Goff (Abner), Earle Ross (Squire Skimp), Clarence Hartzell (Cedric, Dick Huddleston, Grandpappy Spears), Carlton Brickert (Announcer)

Restocking the Store: Shortcuts and Shenanigans

Originally Aired: February 18, 1935
Restocking the Store: Shortcuts and Shenanigans
With two truckloads of new merchandise delivered to the Jot ’Em Down Store, Lum is eager to stock the shelves—but Abner’s chaotic system of stacking canned goods upside-down and mixing unrelated items has Lum pulling his hair out. As Lum struggles to maintain order, Abner’s efforts to save time only cause more headaches. Meanwhile, the presidential race heats up when Abner hires Squire Skimp as his campaign manager, promising a sudden and dramatic turnaround in the polls.
Keywords: “Lum and Abner store restocking,” “February 1935 radio episode,” “Squire Skimp campaign manager,” “Horlicks flashlight offer,” “Jot ’Em Down Store president race,” “canned goods chaos Abner,” “Pine Ridge radio comedy”
Cast: Chester Lauck (Lum), Norris Goff (Abner), Clarence Hartzell (Dick Huddleston), Earle Ross (Squire Skimp), Carlton Brickert (Announcer)

Abner Hires Cedric: A Sign War Escalates

Episode Title: Abner Hires Cedric: A Sign War Escalates
Originally Aired: February 15, 1935
 
Abner Hires Cedric: A Sign War Escalates
After falling behind in the Jot ’Em Down Store presidential race, Abner hires Cedric Weehunt to parade around town with a hand-painted campaign sign in hopes of regaining voter support. But Lum, not to be outdone, sneaks in some edits to the sign himself—turning it into a shared endorsement for both candidates. As the two vie for Pine Ridge’s support, Lum milks his fake injury for sympathy votes while the townsfolk shake their heads at the increasingly ridiculous antics.
 
Keywords: “Lum and Abner campaign sign episode,” “Cedric Weehunt hired by Abner,” “February 1935 radio comedy,” “Jot ’Em Down Store presidency race,” “Horlicks flashlight promotion,” “Lum fake injury sympathy votes,” “Carlton Brickert announcer”
 
Cast: Chester Lauck (Lum), Norris Goff (Abner), Clarence Hartzell (Dick Huddleston), Carlton Brickert (Announcer), Clarence Hartzell (Cedric Weehunt)

Lum Has the Lead: Campaigns, Confusion, and Calamity

Originally Aired: February 14, 1935
Lum Has the Lead: Campaigns, Confusion, and Calamity
With the race for president of the Jot ’Em Down Store heating up, Lum pulls ahead in the vote count—much to Abner’s confusion and growing paranoia. Convinced Lum said something behind his back during a party line speech, Abner misinterprets an offhand comment about “the last shot” and prepares for a duel. Their argument spirals into a chaotic gun-grabbing scuffle, all while Dick Huddleston and the town try to keep the peace—and the Horlicks flashlight promotion rolling.
Keywords: “Lum and Abner election episode,” “February 1935 Pine Ridge radio,” “Jot ’Em Down Store presidency,” “Horlicks flashlight promotion,” “Abner misinterprets Lum threat,” “radio comedy misunderstanding,” “Carlton Brickert announcer.”
Cast: Chester Lauck (Lum), Norris Goff (Abner), Clarence Hartzell (Dick Huddleston), Carlton Brickert (Announcer).

Dick Huddleston Gets Lum Out of Jail: A Friend Steps Up

Originally Aired: February 13, 1935
Dick Huddleston Gets Lum Out of Jail: A Friend Steps Up
After being wrongly jailed for “robbing” Abner’s house, Lum is rescued by his old friend Dick Huddleston, who posts bail after learning the truth behind the misunderstanding. Abner confesses that Lum never broke in—the door was left open so Lum could retrieve an insurance check before Elizabeth could cash it and land Abner in real trouble. As Lum struggles to repair his reputation and rejoin the race for president of the Jot ’Em Down Store, Abner’s sympathy campaign—complete with fake bandaged arms—continues to dominate the town’s votes, forcing Lum to take to the party line himself to rally support.
Keywords: “Lum and Abner jail episode,” “Dick Huddleston bails Lum out,” “February 1935 Pine Ridge radio,” “Horlicks flashlight promotion,” “Jot ’Em Down Store election,” “Lum party line speech,” “small-town misunderstanding comedy.”
Cast: Chester Lauck (Lum), Norris Goff (Abner), Clarence Hartzell (Dick Huddleston), Carlton Brickert (Announcer), Earle Ross (Squire Skimp).

Lum Is Arrested: A Friend Falls Hard

Originally Aired: February 12, 1935
Lum Is Arrested: A Friend Falls Hard
In this pivotal and heartbreaking episode of Lum and Abner, the consequences of small-town suspicion come crashing down as Lum, once Pine Ridge’s most respected citizen, finds himself locked up behind bars.
After their failed attempt to quietly return the fraudulent $200 insurance check, townsfolk discover a piece of cloth matching Lum’s torn pants at the scene of the supposed “robbery.” Outraged and eager for justice, the community—led by Squire Skimp and Ezra Seastrunk—forces Abner, as acting constable, to arrest his own best friend.
Now sitting in the cold jail, Lum reflects bitterly on how quickly friends have turned into accusers. Even loyal figures like Dick Huddleston have voiced disappointment. Only Abner and Grandpappy Spears remain by Lum’s side, trying in vain to secure his bond.
As if Lum’s shame wasn’t enough, Squire and Ezra deliver a final humiliation: a demand that Lum resign as President of the Pine Ridge School Board. No longer trusted as a leader, Lum faces the collapse of everything he has worked for—all because of a lie meant to protect Abner.
Meanwhile, the flashlight election rolls on, and Abner’s popularity soars as voters rally behind him—though Abner’s heart breaks watching Lum suffer for a crime he didn’t commit.
A moving meditation on trust, pride, and the brutal cost of rumors, Lum Is Arrested marks one of the most emotional chapters in Pine Ridge history.
Keywords: "Lum and Abner Lum arrested episode," "February 1935 Pine Ridge jail," "Horlicks flashlight promotion drama," "Squire Skimp and Ezra Seastrunk," "Lum resigns school board president," "Lum and Abner friendship tested," "small town betrayal story radio."
Cast: Chester Lauck (Lum), Norris Goff (Abner), Clarence Hartzell (Grandpappy Spears, Ezra Seastrunk), Carlton Brickert (Announcer), Earle Ross (Squire Skimp).

Lum Is Nervous: Tracks, Trouble, and the Sugar Bowl Scandal

Originally Aired: February 11, 1935
Lum Is Nervous: Tracks, Trouble, and the Sugar Bowl Scandal
In this high-stakes follow-up to the insurance check debacle, Lum and Abner find themselves tangled in a deepening mess—complete with broken sugar bowls, stolen missionary money, and the threat of being run out of Pine Ridge.
After last week’s failed attempt to retrieve the $200 insurance check from Elizabeth’s sugar bowl, Lum is more rattled than ever. The townsfolk are gossiping, the missionary society is furious, and Lum’s attempt to hide his oversized shoe prints has backfired—literally cramming his feet into a pair of too-small shoes.
Trying to dodge suspicion, Lum and Abner retreat to the store, only to be hit with bad news: Elizabeth Peabody may have found a clue about who “broke into” her home. The problem? It was Lum—just trying to help return a fraudulent insurance payout. But with townspeople like Dick Huddleston loudly calling for justice and warning it must’ve been someone close to the family, the clock is ticking.
Meanwhile, the flashlight campaign continues to boom, with sacks of mail arriving and votes rolling in for the store’s next president. The contest between Lum and Abner is heating up—though Lum’s campaign is floundering in the shadow of a burglary accusation.
Tense, absurd, and full of the classic Pine Ridge charm, this episode mixes slapstick panic with a real sense of small-town justice closing in.
Keywords: “Lum and Abner sugar bowl robbery,” “Elizabeth Peabody mystery clue,” “Horlicks flashlight promotion 1935,” “Jot ’Em Down Store election drama,” “Lum oversized shoes joke,” “February 1935 radio comedy,” “missionary money mix-up episode.”
Cast: Chester Lauck (Lum), Norris Goff (Abner), Clarence Hartzell (Dick Huddleston), Carlton Brickert (announcer).

Insurance Money Misfire: Sugar Bowls and Schemes

Originally Aired: February 8, 1935
Insurance Money Misfire: Sugar Bowls and Schemes
In this delightfully tangled episode of Lum and Abner, the consequences of a little white lie come crashing down as an insurance adjuster arrives in Pine Ridge ready to settle a claim—for injuries that never existed.
Still pretending to have both arms broken from a fake car accident, Abner finds himself deeper in trouble when his wife Elizabeth—believing the story—files a claim and receives a $200 settlement check. Despite Abner’s protests, Elizabeth and her cousin Pearl are already planning what to buy with the money. The problem? Accepting that money constitutes fraud, and Lum knows it could land both of them in jail.
The panic reaches a peak as Lum and Abner scheme to get the check back before Elizabeth cashes it. The solution? A late-night mission to sneak into the Peabody kitchen and retrieve the check from the sugar bowl—where Elizabeth stores both missionary funds and household savings. With Abner’s arms still “injured,” Lum is stuck doing the dirty work himself.
Meanwhile, the election for President of the soon-to-be-reopened Jot ’Em Down Store heats up. Lum campaigns with flyers and school speeches while Abner tries to keep up—though he’s a little distracted by his looming legal troubles.
A perfect blend of slapstick, satire, and small-town chaos, this episode showcases why Lum and Abner remains one of the most beloved radio comedies of all time.
Keywords: “Lum and Abner insurance episode,” “Abner fake broken arms story,” “February 1935 Pine Ridge radio,” “Horlicks flashlight election promo,” “Jot ’Em Down Store president vote,” “sugar bowl insurance check scheme,” “Elizabeth and Pearl shopping plans.”
Cast: Chester Lauck (Lum), Norris Goff (Abner), Clarence Hartzell (Cedric Weehunt), Carlton Brickert (Announcer).

Lum Tells the Truth: No Broken Arms, No Sympathy Vote

Originally Aired: February 7, 1935
Lum Tells the Truth: No Broken Arms, No Sympathy Vote
In this hilariously tangled installment of Lum and Abner, the scheme to win the Jot 'Em Down Store presidency—and avoid trouble with Elizabeth—begins to unravel. With a phony story about Abner having both arms broken in a car wreck gaining traction across Pine Ridge, sympathy votes start pouring in from listeners sending away for the Horlicks flashlight.
But when Abner’s wife files an insurance claim on his behalf, thinking his injuries are real, the boys find themselves in hot water. Now, not only are they risking being caught by the insurance company, but also by the one person they fear more: Elizabeth herself.
To make matters worse, the mail is tipping the election heavily in Abner’s favor—thanks to voters feeling sorry for his (fake) injuries. Frustrated and desperate to clear the air, Lum takes to the party line with a surprise announcement: Abner’s arms aren’t broken at all. It was just a stunt to fool Elizabeth.
The result? Instant regret, as the party line lights up—and Elizabeth herself is on the other end of the call, burning up the telephone wire.
Packed with classic misunderstandings, escalating consequences, and the kind of backfires only Pine Ridge can produce, this episode perfectly blends small-town politics with big-time laughs.
Keywords: "Lum and Abner broken arms reveal," "Horlicks flashlight promotion 1935," "Elizabeth hears party line confession," "Lum exposes Abner’s fake injury," "Pine Ridge comedy radio classic," "Jot ’Em Down Store election scheme," "February 7 1935 Lum and Abner episode."
Cast: Chester Lauck (Lum), Norris Goff (Abner), Carlton Brickert (announcer), Clarence Hartzell (Dick Huddleston).