Press to Print Store Bills: Lum and Abner (May 14, 1942)

“Press to Print Store Bills” is an episode of Lum and Abner, the old-time radio show, first broadcast May 14, 1942. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Lum and Abner find an old printing press left behind by the reformed Dogeny Smith and decide to print their own store bills to pressure customers into paying their overdue accounts. Lum and Abner go over the account book with their customers' names and amounts owed, and they start drafting bills. Lum has Abner read off each debtor, and Abner strikes some debts from the list out of sympathy. Grandpa Spears refuses to be counted out of his usual election job, citing a worry about earning too much money.

Pine Ridge, the general store and library in the small community

Characters: Lum, Abner, Grandpa Spears

Listen for: The bills are printed with a misspelled town name, and Lum and Abner worry that customers will go searching for the nonexistent town instead of paying.

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.