Retro Radio Podcast

For some time Alice has been after Phil to join an exclusive country club. Phil isn’t keen on hanging out with the kind of stuffed shirts who belong to clubs. But when he realizes he has been rejected, Phil takes offense. Frankie has his own rejection letter, but its from the military. To deal with his troubles Phil sings, Southern Fried Chicken Blues.

Claiming to be a direct descendant of Indian royalty, and being in the country before any of the blue bloods, Phil has renewed determination in jointning the club. Resorting to sneaking in, they encounter Julius, who teases them on their lack of class.

While Alice waits in front of the club, she sings, I’m in Love. Phil and Frankie finally get back on track, and are in time to meet Mr Scot. Will the sponsor help with a good word to join the club? Alice turns on the feminine charms, and Mr Scot agrees. They still have to pass the board, and win them over.

Admiring a presentation of flowers, Connie endures the poetic buttering up from Walter Denton. They review the latest in school gossip, and Walter’s trouble with the principal, Mr Conklin. At school we find that after selling an old car with no engine, Conklin plans to flee town to go fishing at Crystal Lake. Will he relent on Walter’s unreasonable punishment for holding hands with Harriet Conklin? Tex Barton is still around, and with connections to the local draft board, Walter uses his friend to plan a prank.

Isn’t Mr Conklin a little old to be drafted, and is the military situation so bad off to require his services once again? The patriotic principal prepares to answer the call of duty, and asks Connie to handle a few affairs for him before facing the draft board.

Note: the second half seems to be missing, but the first part seems to stand nicely alone. We can only imagine the comedy of errors, blustery slow burns, and mix ups that get resolved in the missing second half.

One of the strangest mysteries that faced the famous Wild West marshal, was when he had to chase himself around the territory surrounding Santa Fe. Road agents have been terrorizing stage coaches, daring Wild Bill to come tangle with them.

Disguised as a pair of dusty old cowhands in the area, where nobody knows them, Bill and Jingles are as good as being undercover. What’s all this? A story of Wild Bill already being on the job, and working the case alone? Jingles has all he can do to stay in disguise. First, its time to ride down a bandit. The clues Bill finds sends him back to town… fast.

Gunplay threatens to break out between the real, and the fake Wild Bills. Though our heroes find themselves behind bars, it just may help them. Jingles is as confused as a June bug in a whirlwind after the escape from jail, but Bill’s plan is about to pay off big with a stage coach robbery, and blazing six guns.

Preparing to travel to New York, and the opening of his new film, Buck Benny Rides again, we join Jack at his home. Rochester sings, and gets the bags packed. Mary Livingstone arrives to tease Jack about his fashion choices. Mr Billingsley is on hand as Jack’s new boarder, and sees him off. Dennis Day sings, I’m Too Romantic.

Traveling to the station, Jack has his cabbie stop at a drugstore. Though the clerk is not Frank Nelson, he still gives Jack a hard time in picking u; what he needs. How did he get from demonstrations of shaving, to alarm clocks? Jack hops back in his cab, and Phil Harris plays some traveling music.

In the train station, the gang joins Jack, including Verna Felton to see off her radio son, Dennis Day. Don’s mom sees him off as well, and doubles as a mid show commercial.

Note: Though Ronald Coleman is mentioned as Jack leaves, he won’t actually appear in the show for a few more years to come. Also the train conductor may call out crazy destinations, but it isn’t Mel Blanc.

Deaths have doctors and specialists confused. Examining personal affects, Jim Brandon, and his lovely secretary, Fern Collier may find the fever epidemic is actually an epidemic of murder. Elsewhere, we learn of plans for extortion and more deaths. Who is behind the reign of terror, and why?

In his lab, Jim has run tests, and is learning on his own about the deadly elements of science, and how they might be used for mass destruction. Will he find the important clue he needs to prevent the next killing? He thinks he has what he needs to build his case, and presents an idea to the cops.

Following the movement of stolen cash, Jim and Fern keep close tabs on it, and the resulting payoff. Things get rough, and soon the Avenger needs to swing into action. Invisible or not, does the bad guys have a weapon that will do him in?

A nerdy engineer demonstrates a new invention. As part of the team, he doesn’t know exactly how It works, just in generalities. He explains the room sized computing device that spans 3 rooms, and took years to build the mechanical brain.

Reporters are skeptical. What is the machine good for? How does the computer nerd know the complex equation is accurate? Wouldn’t it take 20 mathematicians 10 years working the formula, just so they could verify it? What if there was an error, wouldn’t the error be duplicated and magnified? When a simple addition problem fails, the embarrassment hits the headlines. Is the machine mad at a comment the nerd made about it?

After checking the systems, and subsystems, the machine refuses to work, until the nerd is going to be out of a job. Then it speaks to him. Will the reporters believe the new turn of events? The machine refuses to speak with others present, but the female reporter may be onto something when a matter of jealousy is detected.

PS: Did this guy just invent Siri? Nah…

When a rich stranger from Detroit came to town, Lum and Abner were surprised to see Phinus with him. Abner’s poppa has been waving money around, but hasn’t said where he got it. He doesn’t seem like the big business type to Lum. Abner speculates that his poppa has more cash than he has been showing. Might this be a counterfeiting ring?

Looking out the window, Abner describes the scene on the street, with Phinus and the rich man. Is the situation making Lum jealous that it couldn’t be him rolling in the dough? Phinus arrives, and we find he has $10 bills, and when Lum inspects them, they’re the real thing.

What can Phinus tell the gents about BJ Webster, the rich stranger? Phinus describes the fancy buttons on the inside of the limousine. What line of work does BJ do? Lum just can’t get it out of his head that this is some kind of fly by night scheme. What kind of directorship does Phinus have?

As Lum takes a phone call, he reports he has to run out to the boarding house for a business conference. Abner gets caught up with his poppa about the kind of work he’s doing, and how long he thinks it might last.

Audio has spots where it cuts out, but only near the beginning, otherwise it’s good. Maybe a touch slow.

Jim Anderson is opposed to borrowing, and he’s vocal about it at the breakfast table. Kathy wants to know who her dad called a lamebrain, while Betty is in drama mode and adores the sunny morning. Jim’s griping turns to class pins, and being gerateful for what you have. How is the missing waffle iron cord related to Bud’s missing algebra book? Borrowed items continue to frustrate Jim when a bicycle with a broken handlebar turns up in the basement. Holy cow, jumping creepers, gee whiz the kids are upset to have to stop their borrowing habits. Jim is suddenly caught up in his own borrowing mess with Hector.

Missing items begin turning up. How should Jim reconcile with Hector? Be dishonest? Truthful? An apology is a good start. Complications set in for Jim, and a missing sprayer, but is Kathy telling the truth about the bike in the basement? A long line of borrowing, and not returning makes Jim more guilty in the matter than any of his kids.

Margaret has the answer to Jim’s sprayer problem. Has everyone learned their lessons? After the bicycle mystery is solved, Jim reads statistics on automobile accidents.

Robbery Detail. A little old man in the neighborhood is beaten senseless, and its time to find the one who did it.

Though the man was seriously beaten, and his lost cash was significant, he doesn’t want to press charges. Is there anything the cops can do if nobody wants to file a crime report? Joe Friday is concerned that if it happened once, what’s to stop it from happening again? He and Ben assure him they can help against the protection racket that is clearly taking place.

There’s enough to go on, and soon Joe has the district attorney involved in the investigation, And takes on new shape. In voiceover, Joe describes finding the suspects, and the case as it develops. It doesn’t put a stop to the brutal beatings in town.

Interviewing the latest victim in his hospital room, the cops get a clearer picture of the details in the beating. Has information about the case leaked out that might have caused this latest assault? On the surface, the cases seem unrelated, but Joe finds connections the more he continues to dig into them.

The robbery trial has opened, but the witnesses have disappeared. The search goes on, even after the trial has been dropped due to lack of testimony. Months pass, and one robber is put behind bars. More time passes, and the pattern of robberies appear again. In voiceover, Joe describes the case progress through months of mundane work. Finally, an informant comes forward with a break in the case.

Every time a job is lined up for Phinus, something always seems to happen to keep him from it. Today, Lum and Abner discuss some of the missed connections. At least the job matching keeps the gents busy. Lum’s expression of finding a needle in a haystack, confuses Abner.

What kind of job is that for his poppa, finding needles? What if there ain’t even a needle in there to begin with? While Lum returns to hunting for jobs in the defense industry, Abner figures he knows how to find that needle.

Wonderful world! Cedric enters, and tells about a stranger over at sister Simpson’s boarding house. Curiosity begins to get riled up with Abner, but Lum preaches to him on the evils of being a gossip. A fancy car, and a chauffeur, and a crowd at the barbershop is all gathered around.

Lum can’t resist, and phones Mose at the barber shop. Is the man as rich as the gents have been speculating? All that is known is the gent is from Detroit, and in town on business. The description of the scene on the street is impressive, but who is that other feller with the rich stranger?