Lum & Abner: Classic Small-Town Comedy

Almost All of Abner’s Merchandise is Gone

Originally Aired: March 11, 1935
In Lum & Abner #61, “Almost All of Abner’s Merchandise is Gone,” the swap-crazy president of the Jot ‘Em Down Store is finally facing the consequences of his barter bonanza. Abner’s side of the store is nearly empty, his shelves traded away for a dizzying assortment of livestock—rabbits multiplying out of control, a goat eating the neighbors’ laundry, and even the prospect of acquiring a talking parrot. As Lum warns that all this business is no good without profit, Abner insists he’ll make it all back when he sells his menagerie. But the feed bills pile up, circus animals need care, and complaints pour in about wandering livestock destroying gardens and clotheslines. By the end, with his animals running loose and angry neighbors calling for the constable, Abner’s “swap plan” finally seems more trouble than it’s worth. It’s a riotous episode of rural chaos, slapstick business, and classic Pine Ridge predicaments.
Cast:Chester Lauck (Lum Edwards), Norris Goff (Abner Peabody), with supporting voices including Cedric and Pine Ridge townsfolk
Tags:LumAndAbner, oldtimeradio, 1930scomedy, JotEmDownStore, PineRidge, radiohumor, vintagebroadcast, bartergonewrong, Horlicks, ruralcomedy, animalchaos, classicradio, vaudeville, storeempty, runawaylivestock, GoffAndLauck

Broken Down Circus Comes to Pine Ridge

Originally Aired: March 8, 1935
In Lum & Abner #60, “Broken Down Circus Comes to Pine Ridge,” the swap fever in the Jot ‘Em Down Store reaches a peak as Abner’s bartering bonanza fills the back lot with everything from possums to pigeons—and even a half-dead horse from Snake Hogan. Pine Ridge gets wilder as a broken-down circus rolls into town, desperate for credit, and Abner strikes a $200 deal to supply the whole show (with a “first mortgage” on their lions, monkeys, and camels). Meanwhile, townsfolk trade anything they can carry for groceries, and Dick Huddleston warns that Abner’s generosity may put him out of business. As Lum and Cedric struggle to keep up with Abner’s ever-growing menagerie, the chaos of a circus in financial distress threatens to leave everyone feeding the animals all winter. Packed with barter gags, rural logic, and slapstick commerce, this episode is a Pine Ridge classic.
Cast:Chester Lauck (Lum Edwards), Norris Goff (Abner Peabody), supporting voices including Dick Huddleston, Cedric, Grandpappy Spears, and Snake Hogan
Tags:LumAndAbner, oldtimeradio, 1930scomedy, JotEmDownStore, PineRidge, radiohumor, vintagebroadcast, circuscomes, Horlicks, ruralcomedy, bartermania, storechaos, SnakeHogan, classicradio, vaudeville, GoffAndLauck

Abner Swaps with Snake Hogan

Originally Aired: March 7, 1935
In Lum & Abner #59, “Abner Swaps with Snake Hogan,” the swap-crazy president of the Jot ‘Em Down Store is busier than ever, trading groceries for anything folks can bring—from possums and coons to goldfish and white mice. Abner’s collection of livestock grows to include three possums, a coon, and over sixty rabbits, but the highlight is his deal with Snake Hogan, swapping $50 worth of groceries for a half-dead horse that can barely stand. As Lum and Dick Huddleston look on in disbelief, the swap scheme spirals out of control, turning the store into a barnyard circus. Meanwhile, Abner’s generosity with credit (including a disastrous deal to feed a stranded circus troupe) brings business but threatens his bottom line. By the end, Abner finds himself in hot water—not just with creditors, but also with Ike Reynolds, whose best hounds were swapped away by his wife! It’s pure rural chaos, brimming with Pine Ridge humor and hard-learned lessons in country commerce.
Cast:Chester Lauck (Lum Edwards), Norris Goff (Abner Peabody), supporting voices including Dick Huddleston, Cedric, Grandpappy Spears, and Snake Hogan
Tags:LumAndAbner, oldtimeradio, 1930scomedy, JotEmDownStore, PineRidge, radiohumor, vintagebroadcast, swapstore, Horlicks, ruralcomedy, SnakeHogan, circusdeal, barnyardbarter, classicradio, vaudeville, GoffAndLauck

Abner Operating Store on Swap Basis

Originally Aired: March 6, 1935
In Lum & Abner #58, “Abner Operating Store on Swap Basis,” Pine Ridge witnesses a full-on store war as the divided Jot ‘Em Down Store becomes two separate businesses under one roof. Abner, now proudly operating on a “swap” system, will trade groceries for anything—cows, chickens, pigs, rabbits, or even a horse—while Lum sticks with cash and boasts “honest measurements.” The rivalry gets heated, with ropes down the middle, dueling telephones, and a frantic price war that sends flour plummeting from $1.15 to 30 cents in seconds. Grandpappy Spears, Dick Huddleston, and the rest of Pine Ridge get caught in the crossfire (and enjoy the bargains), as old friendships are tested in a rural retail showdown packed with one-liners and small-town logic.
Cast:Chester Lauck (Lum Edwards), Norris Goff (Abner Peabody), with supporting voices including Grandpappy Spears, Dick Huddleston, and Cedric
Tags:LumAndAbner, oldtimeradio, 1930scomedy, JotEmDownStore, PineRidge, radiohumor, vintagebroadcast, swapstore, Horlicks, ruralcomedy, pricewar, classicradio, vaudeville, storefeud, barnyardbarter, GoffAndLauck

Lum & Abner Divide up the Store

Originally Aired: March 5, 1935
In Lum & Abner #57, “Lum & Abner Divide up the Store,” Pine Ridge’s favorite partners take their feud to the next level as they split the Jot ‘Em Down Store right down the middle. With both men determined to run things their own way, the episode finds Lum and Abner painstakingly dividing up every can, bolt of fabric, and even the apples—often eating leftovers just to make things come out even. As tempers flare over counting methods and arm lengths used for measuring, Cedric gets caught in the middle (and nearly divided himself!). Rivalry and petty bickering turn into comedy gold, setting the stage for a two-store competition under one roof. It’s classic rural humor, small-town stubbornness, and the purest Lum & Abner spirit.
Cast:Chester Lauck (Lum Edwards), Norris Goff (Abner Peabody), with supporting voices including Cedric
Tags:LumAndAbner, oldtimeradio, 1930scomedy, JotEmDownStore, PineRidge, radiohumor, vintagebroadcast, storefeud, Horlicks, ruralcomedy, storedivide, classicradio, vaudeville, pettyrivalry, armmeasuring, Cedric, GoffAndLauck

Abner Wants to Start Trading Merchandise

Originally Aired: March 4, 1935
In Lum & Abner #56, “Abner Wants to Start Trading Merchandise,” the Jot ‘Em Down Store is in turmoil as President Abner unveils his boldest idea yet: swapping groceries for livestock, hay, and produce instead of cash. Lum, stuck doing the hard work and missing the days when he was in charge, is convinced the scheme will bankrupt them. As Abner calculates wild profits from an imagined chicken empire (forgetting you can’t hatch eggs and lay at the same time), Dick Huddleston and Lum try to talk sense into him. The situation boils over into an ultimatum: the store will be split down the middle, with each partner running his own half in open competition. It’s a hilarious, down-home showdown in Pine Ridge, full of misunderstandings, tall tales, and rural ingenuity gone awry.
Cast:Chester Lauck (Lum Edwards), Norris Goff (Abner Peabody), voices of supporting characters including Dick Huddleston and Cedric
Tags:LumAndAbner, oldtimeradio, 1930scomedy, JotEmDownStore, PineRidge, radiohumor, vintagebroadcast, storepolitics, Horlicks, ruralcomedy, chickenmath, classicradio, vaudeville, swapstore, splitthestore, GoffAndLauck

Squire Pays Abner $10,000 for Rights to Soap

Originally Aired: March 1, 1935
In Lum & Abner #55, “Squire Pays Abner $10,000 for Rights to Soap,” the Jot ‘Em Down Store’s new president, Abner Peabody, finds himself in hot water after impulsively buying 10 cases of “World Wonder Soap” from a smooth-talking salesman—and handing over $25 with only a receipt for proof. As Lum shakes his head at Abner’s business acumen, Pine Ridge erupts with talk about the soap’s magical cleaning powers and the suspicious sales demonstration that even fooled Grandpappy Spears. Enter Squire Skimp, always on the lookout for an easy profit, who offers to buy the exclusive territorial rights for the soap—ultimately handing Abner a windfall and a way out of his blunder. Packed with witty back-and-forth, misunderstandings about beds (and flower beds), and a classic Squire Skimp scheme, this episode perfectly blends small-town farce with rural charm.
Cast:Chester Lauck (Lum Edwards), Norris Goff (Abner Peabody), voices of supporting characters including Squire Skimp, Grandpappy Spears, and others
Tags:LumAndAbner, oldtimeradio, 1930scomedy, JotEmDownStore, SquireSkimp, PineRidge, radiohumor, vintagebroadcast, soapdeal, Horlicks, smalltownbusiness, ruralcomedy, classicradio, vaudeville, getrichquick, exclusiveagency, PeabodyProfit, GoffAndLauck

Abner Buys Ten Cases of Soap: The World’s Wonder Soap Comes to Pine Ridge

Originally Aired: February 28, 1935
In Lum & Abner #54, “Abner Buys Ten Cases of Soap,” Abner is riding high as the new president of the Jot ‘Em Down Store—and eager to prove his business smarts. When a smooth-talking salesman arrives in Pine Ridge with a pitch for “the world’s wonder soap,” Abner finds himself dazzled by a dramatic demonstration: axle grease vanishes from a silk handkerchief! Despite Grandpappy Spears’ skepticism and Cedric’s innocent confusion about the store business, Abner impulsively agrees to purchase ten whole cases, locking himself into a pricey (and suspiciously exclusive) deal. Meanwhile, the townsfolk gather to soak up the sunshine and debate the true secret to storekeeping profits. This episode sparkles with classic small-town misunderstandings, a traveling sales pitch, and Abner’s knack for falling for the latest scheme.
Cast:Chester Lauck (Lum Edwards), Norris Goff (Abner Peabody), voices of supporting characters including Grandpappy Spears and Cedric
Tags:LumAndAbner, oldtimeradio, 1930scomedy, JotEmDownStore, wondersoap, PineRidge, radiohumor, vintagebroadcast, Horlicks, salesman, exclusiveoffer, ruralcomedy, classicradio, vaudeville, impulsiveAbner, ChesterLauck, NorrisGoff, smalltownbusiness, soapdeal

Lum & Cedric Don’t Like Abner as Boss: Contraptions, Cracker Barrels, and the Iron-Handed President

Originally Aired: February 27, 1935
 
In Lum & Abner #53, “Lum & Cedric Don’t Like Abner as Boss,” the Pine Ridge Jot ‘Em Down Store becomes a comic battleground as Abner’s reign grows ever more eccentric. With Lum regretting his decision to step down, the store is now filled with Abner’s inventions—like a trick chair that dumps employees on the floor if they try to sit when a customer enters, and a proposed burglar alarm involving shotguns at every door. As Cedric and Lum grumble about sweeping, dusting, and Abner’s endless rules, even Abner gets caught in his own mousetrap, proving that no one (not even the president) is safe from his new system. Plans for a store sale are debated, but all anyone can really do is dodge Abner’s gadgets and survive the “new deal” until sanity returns to Pine Ridge.
 
Cast:
Chester Lauck (Lum Edwards), Norris Goff (Abner Peabody), supporting voices including Cedric and Dick Huddleston
 
Tags:
LumAndAbner, oldtimeradio, 1930scomedy, JotEmDownStore, Horlicks, PineRidge, radiohumor, vintagebroadcast, AbnerBoss, storecomedy, ruralcomedy, vaudeville, presidentAbner, trickchair, mousetrap, GoffAndLauck, Cedric, shotgunburglaralarm, classicradio, rulesgonewild

Jot ‘Em Down Store Re-Opens to the Public: Abner’s “New Deal” and the Rise of the Department Heads

Originally Aired: February 26, 1935
In Lum & Abner #52, “Jot ‘Em Down Store Re-Opens to the Public,” Pine Ridge’s beloved store swings open its doors under brand-new management: President Abner Peabody. Fresh off a dramatic election (and a behind-the-scenes handover from Lum), Abner seizes his moment—reorganizing the store with a flurry of rules, posted signs, and a comic flurry of department head appointments. Lum and Cedric quickly find themselves assigned a string of official-sounding (but humble) offices: Cedric as Snappy Deliver Service, Cat Feeder, Fire Builder, and Wood Carrier; Lum, to his horror, is officially designated the “Sweep Out Store” officer, tasked with opening and cleaning up each morning. As Abner’s “new deal” for the store takes shape, the lines between leadership and labor blur hilariously, offering a classic dose of rural satire, big ambition, and good-natured bossing that fans of the series love.
Cast:Chester Lauck (Lum Edwards), Norris Goff (Abner Peabody), with voices of Cedric and additional Pine Ridge townsfolk
Tags:LumAndAbner, oldtimeradio, 1930scomedy, JotEmDownStore, Horlicks, PineRidge, radiohumor, vintagebroadcast, AbnerPresident, storecomedy, ruralcomedy, classicradio, vaudeville, departmenthead, Cedric, LumGetsSwept, AbnersNewDeal, GoffAndLauck