What happens
Fibber McGee experiments in his living room laboratory, searching for a substitute for sugar as wartime rationing looms, while Molly looks on with mounting skepticism. His efforts cause a string of mishaps and chemical smells around the house. Fibber's attempts to convert alcohol into sugar go nowhere, and he boasts of his work to the government and to friends. Visitors drop in, including the mayor, who is there to talk about sugar registration, and Mrs. Uppington, who is served tea with a secret ingredient. The story is part of Fibber McGee and Molly, which aired on NBC Radio on May 5, 1942, starring Harold Peary and Bill Thompson.
The McGee living room, which serves as Fibber's laboratory, in wartime America.
Characters: Fibber McGee, Molly McGee, Mayor, Mr. Wilcox, Mrs. Uppington, Mr. Wimple, Mrs. Wimple
Listen for: Fibber's chemistry experiments going wrong and the sugar substitute he tries on Mrs. Uppington at tea.
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.