Squire to Start Rival Theatre

Originally Aired: June 6, 1935 In Lum & Abner #124, “Worrying About Squire Starting Rival Theater,” the fallout continues after Squire Skimp’s failed bid to become a partner in the Pine Ridge Planetarium. As the dust settles, Abner remains steadfast in his refusal to include Squire, while Lum frets over the threat of a competing picture show. Squire’s threat sends Lum into a spiral of confusion—complete with talk of “hands being tied” and “axes over their heads”—leaving Abner to conclude that his partner’s mental state might be slipping. But when word comes that Squire has rented the lodge hall and secured chairs for his own theater, it becomes clear: the competition is real, and the first shots in Pine Ridge’s cinema war have been fired. A hilarious and frantic episode of worry, metaphors gone wild, and rising stakes. Cast: Chester Lauck (Lum Edwards), Norris Goff (Abner Peabody), voices of supporting characters including Dick Huddleston and Squire Skimp Tags: LumAndAbner, oldtimeradio, 1930scomedy, JotEmDownStore, SquireSkimp, PineRidge, radiohumor, vintagebroadcast, rivaltheater, Horlicks, PlanetariumPlot, vaudeville, classicradio, pictureShow, stubbornAbner, theaterwar, metaphormixup, lodgehall, cinemaShowdown