The Store’s First Day on the Road

Originally Aired: August 21, 1935

In Lum & Abner #178, "The Store's First Day on the Road," Lum and Abner's ambitious mobile store venture hits a major snag on its inaugural journey. Already handicapped by engine trouble that forced them to substitute horses for their motorized vehicle, the partners face an unexpected problem: every time their traveling store hits a bump or slant in the road, the canned goods come tumbling off the shelves onto the floor. As Lum and Abner stand by the roadside surveying the mess, they desperately try to devise solutions, from nailing boards across the shelves to gluing down display cans.

While the partners bicker and brainstorm increasingly impractical ideas, their driver Cedric timidly attempts to offer a suggestion. Lum and Abner repeatedly dismiss him, too caught up in their own schemes and philosophical discussions about perseverance and the proper way to look backward. The frustrated Abner even suggests giving up entirely and converting their rolling store into a stationary shop. However, when Cedric finally manages to propose slanting the shelves backward so the cans can't fall out, Lum naturally takes credit for the solution and orders them back to the blacksmith shop to implement the fix.