Letter Will Become Incriminating Evidence: Squire’s Legal Trap

Originally Aired: June 28, 1935

In Lum & Abner #140, “Letter Will Become Incriminating Evidence,” Squire Skimp turns a staged stumble at the Pine Ridge Planetarium into a high-stakes legal trap. Claiming injury, he files a $1,000 personal injury lawsuit against Lum and Abner—despite there being little to no medical evidence of harm. As the duo scrambles to avoid court, Doc Miller’s clean bill of health and Squire’s suspicious insistence on paying admission begin to paint a clearer picture: the fall was no accident. When a well-meaning letter of apology from Lum and Abner is presented as a confession of guilt, the stakes escalate. In a masterful stroke of manipulation, Squire offers to drop the suit… for a controlling interest in their movie theater.

This episode is a clever tale of small-town schemes, legal loopholes, and the consequences of seemingly innocent words.

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, smalltownschemes, courtroomdrama, Horlicks, fakeinjury, classicradio, vaudeville, legalcomedy, incriminatingletter, picturetheaterblackmail, GoffAndLauck