Abner Sends out Photos

Originally Aired: April 13, 1938

Lum #20, "Abner Sends out Photos,"

Lum and Abner's matrimonial bureau hits a serious snag when they discover all their correspondence is coming from women seeking husbands, but they have no pictures of eligible men to send in response. The only photographs they've been distributing are of Lum himself, taken from a ten-year-old picture, and now even he has decided he's not interested in matrimony. When Lum returns from the county seat with fancy new printed forms for matching couples, Abner points out the obvious problem: they need more male candidates or risk losing their female customers entirely.

The situation becomes more complicated when they receive a scathing letter from Paula Reimer of Springfield, Missouri, who is distinctly unimpressed with Lum's photograph despite being told he's a millionaire who drives a big car. Her sharp-tongued rejection gets under Lum's skin, prompting a defensive reaction that suggests she's hit a nerve. In desperation, the partners turn to young Cedric, asking if he has any photographs they could use, only to discover he's saving himself for Clarabelle and his only pictures are baby photos.