Retro Radio Podcast

A study in American political optimism. America is full of opportunity, but the pendulum swings from prosperity to poverty, from success to failure. Its up to the industry of the individual to find his success. Roll the clock forward 20 years, and D’Toukfel is in jail as a political prisoner. Democracy in France has failed to a dictator.

He remarks that men want to be free, but they want to also be led. In doing so, they vote away their freedoms. Influence has most impact when it’s directed to the masses, not leaders.

What seems to make democracy work? Faith in man’s perfectibility, poised, religious, and very enlightened. Having a balance of equality and liberty. There needs to be a national morality, with free institutions. Rather than a dictator, or a despot, it needs self governing, self regulating bodies. Absolute equality under one man isn’t liberty, though it may be democracy if that’s what the people voted for.

Liberty needs to be in regard to valuing mankind, not the liberty of a ruler. Democracy needs a system of justice, law, order, religious belief. Is libertyy defined as the love of freedom, or simply the hate of a master? Liberty should be with no master from government, but being mastered by God and the law.

Liberty in a democracy means you’re not entirely independent, and not entirely free, giving up certain freedoms to stay balanced, and becoming successful and great.

Love letter woes have corrected themselves, but Lum is still cooking up ideas on making the widow Abernathy fall in love with Prof Sloane.

With grandpap’s help, Abner writes a letter to inquire about a field of jumping beans in Mexico.

Maybe he should ask about a field of frijoles instead. What does he plan to do with his beans once he grows them? Using the almanac, grandpap and Abner figure how much his income will be once he harvests them. Darn it, just Abner’s luck. It’s going to put him over the $25k income limit the government imposed.

Lum arrives with news. It turns out Prof Sloane was already sweet on widow Abernathy. Lum is off the hook of her affections, but where does he stand in getting rid of the school teacher? A new development emerges in a new observatory that is to be built, and named for Lum.

Apparently about 10 episodes are missing. We don’t know what came of the empty house with the light on, but we learn that Mr Corwin is missing. He was robbed of payroll envelopes, and told to leave town by a masked man. Today, Annie goes to the Wigglesworth farm with the marshal to learn more about the disappearance. She, Joe, and the marshal rush to the location at the breakneck speed of a raging… 18MPH. It’s all the old motorcar can stand!

The worried Mrs Wigglesworth doesn’t shed much light on the case, just that it isn’t like that nice young man to not come back to his rented room at her farm. She would have called for the marshal sooner, but she doesn’t have a phone.

Bill Corwin was at the Silo farm last night. What did he have to say? Why are Joe and Annie holding back? The marshal just wants to do his duty, but how does Bill Corwin’s disappearance, if he did in fact disappear, have anything to do with the robbery? This thing is getting serious. Did Bill just go on a fishing trip in the row boat, or is there something afoot?

A mix up in sending a love letter has Lum worried. Will Prof Sloane think he’s in love with him? Will the widow Abernathy love the wrong man? Will Cedric be referred to the 6th grade? If the school board gets wind of the wild romance, they may want to vote Lum out of office, and run him out of town instead.

He frets at having no woman, no job, and having to leave town, and go to Mexico.

Abner volunteers to join his friend in disgrace. Besides, he’s looking forward to owning a jumping bean farm. Wouldn’t those things be kind of hard to pick? What with all that jumping going on.

As Lum frets, Abner grows more excited about the jumping bean farm. Should he write Mexico to see if they have any for him. Cedric enters with some not very wonderful news. What did Prof Sloane have to say about advancing him in school? Cedric’s misfortunes may be good news for Lum.

As D’Toukfel and Beaumont get ready to depart, they are guests at a party. What have they learned in the past year of travels? Beaumont is impressed by the frontier, and diversity of wilderness and civilization trying to stake its claim. So far the wilderness is winning, but settlers keep invading.

Industry, presses, use of technology to advance the progress of men. Steamboats, communications are both technologies where their limits are insufficient for the rapid expansion. Everything a men sets his hand to do in the new land seems to succeed and prosper.

Intangible attitudes like equality, and political views are more in line with what D’Toukfel noticed. However he keeps noncommittal. There’s so much, he may have to write a book to capture it all. Discussion of topics such as immigration, character, the quality of the statesmen in government, and more are touched. Is American democracy really about equality, or about supremacy? A review of how a poor farm boy can elevate himself to high rank in society, by meeting the right people, is shared. In the end D’Toukfel claims there is no absolute in politics and governing bodies. Newspapers are so bad, they’re good, strengthening associations, and helping break the tyranny of the majority. ‘

D’Toukfel marvels at juries made of ignorant men, acting from prejudice, not from common sense. The sovereignty of the people in judging a man’s neighbor, not judging the law. Is it government by the mob? A lack of systematic uniformity somehow makes America work.

Out to get rid of the new school teacher, Prof Sloane, Lum thinks the schoolmaster would flee if the widow Abernathy was after him with romantic intentions. Today he and

Abner compose a love letter to her.

The gents iron out what to say in the anonymous love letter. With such phrases as: How are you? Hope you are fine. this torrid letter of romance might make it hard for the widow to know who exactly sent it.

Cedric enters, but he’s too busy with his school work to compose love letters. Meanwhile, Abner takes dictation as Lum composes to both Abner and Cedric. This is a mix up waiting to happen.

Assorted fun as Keith presents a few comedy shorts. Sliced and diced for your listening enjoyment.

7.26 Playlist:

* Fibber McGee and Molly – Latrivia refuses to leave, Uppington the humanitarian, and Harlowe visits with a Retrobot assist 411028.

* Jack Benny – Buck Benny 361129.

* Bud and Lou with Alan Ladd – Spoof soap opera, Blossom Fink Girl Street Cleaner.

* Gene Autry – Pat Butrams New Recipes and the song Friendship.

* Bob Hope -In North Africa 431211.

* Fibber McGee and Molly – 1 Mayor won’t leave, Old Timers Punchboard 411028 .

* Mousey Is Furious 411218 .

* Happy Postman – Expresses Joy With Gracie 1945.

* Fibber McGee and Molly – 6 Wallace Wimples unsentimental wife, Mayor Latrivia finds discarded letters, who really wrote them 411021.

* Crinkle Meyer Cracker Program Spoof.

* Falstaff – Why A Hen Lays An Egg 430516.

A widow has kept a vigil on the Northern coast of Maine, keeping a lamp lit for her long lost husband, drowned at sea. A stranger comes to her, claiming to have been the sole survivor of a shipwreck. Has she caught a spy? Phoning to Dick Harding, Liza explains her suspicions.

Leaving Dick to interview the man on his own, he learns he really is a spy. What’s the nature of his secret project? The local men are challenged to take up the dangerous task of watching for enemy submarines off the coast. Will the rustic fishermen rise to the challenge? Nazi’s find they have their hands full when they capture a feisty, 70 year old sea captain.

An old time militia of minutemen is formed when the call is rung out at the church bell. The motley band of volunteers knows the sea and coast like the back of their hands, and are more than willing to respond to Dick’s guidance in defending their homeland. Can the citizen militia hope to capture the submarine?

In the precinct office, Captain Canelli sets the stage in the typical day of uniformed police officers. Reports from patrolmen are interupted by a woman who enters to claim that she just shot her husband with a shotgun. The doubtful police go to check out the crime scene. As they find the body, the audio stops.

Hey, I know it’s short, but I thought the story was a good one, cutting edge for the 1950’s, and some decent acting. Too bad we don’t find out the outcome, and whether the cops have more on their hands than a straight forward killing where the murderer is a brute and deserves their punishment.

Grandpap reads tidbits from the almanac to Abner. Some how, grandpap thinks Abner knows the fat men who won a bicycle race. Lum reports that though it’s the first day of school, Prof. Sloane let the scholars out early.

Lum wants help studying up a way to make the teacher resign. Others in town love the new teacher, and want him to stay around. Lum may have a hard time of it. Maybe if they convince Prof. Sloane the school house is haunted.

The talk about ghosts gets even grandpap lured into the conversation to twist Lum’s words. What do ghosts, fat men, bicycle races, or hand ball have to do with anything? Everything… and nothing at all.