Abner Gets the Rolling Store out of the Blacksmith

Originally Aired: August 16, 1935 In Lum & Abner #175, "Abner Gets the Rolling Store out of the Blacksmith," the partners face a peculiar predicament when they discover their new rolling store can't be extracted from Caleb Weehunt's blacksmith shop. The local blacksmith has completed construction of their store on wheels, but he built the entire contraption inside his shop without considering how to get it out. When Lum and Abner arrive to claim their new business venture, they find only Caleb's son Cedric working at the anvil, as Caleb himself is home napping and insisting the delivery problem isn't his responsibility. Desperate to open for business before a shipment of groceries arrives that evening, Lum telephones Caleb to negotiate a solution. The blacksmith suggests tearing down his shop and having them build him a new one, which Lum suspects is a scheme Caleb has wanted for fifteen years. Various impractical ideas emerge, from lifting the store through the roof with a block and tackle to digging an elaborate tunnel underneath the building. With time running out and their rolling store trapped inside, the partners must find a way to free their new business venture without breaking the bank or demolishing the entire blacksmith shop.