What happens
Lum Edwards, a film star playing himself, waits in the shadows outside a schoolhouse in Pine Ridge for the premiere of Lum and Abner's new motion picture, The Bashful Bachelor. Lum and Abner are part of the Lum and Abner radio series, and this 1942 film, released by RKO, stars Chester Lauck, Norris Goff and Lurene Tuttle. Local residents gather for the event as announcer Don Wilson describes the arrivals over the air. Lum intends to give a speech after the others, but he is fussing about how the evening is going. Several visiting stars and townsfolk drift through the crowd, trading greetings and chatter. The premiere is hosted in the schoolhouse, and the crowd is eager to see the picture.
Pine Ridge, Arkansas, outside the schoolhouse on the night of the film's premiere
Characters: Lum Edwards, Abner Peabody, Mousey Gray, Don Wilson, Squire Skimp, Cedric Weravel, Louise Currie, Gail Patrick
Listen for: Don Wilson's live radio description of the premiere crowd and the arriving stars
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.