Lum and New Deal with Squire

Originally Aired: March 22, 1940 Lum #273, "Lum and New Deal with Squire," tensions rise in Pine Ridge as Hollywood prepares to arrive for the filming of a motion picture featuring the town. Lum becomes preoccupied with impressing the visiting movie stars, particularly a young actress whose photograph has caught his eye, much to Abner's amusement. Meanwhile, the crafty Squire Skimp sees an opportunity to profit from the production. He reveals that the original store rental contract he signed with Lum and Abner needs modification since the movie company requires exclusive use of the building during filming. What follows is a heated negotiation as Squire attempts to extract more money from the partners while dangling the prospect of the movie deal. The wily businessman starts at fifty dollars a month, but Lum counters with an outrageous two hundred dollars demand. Despite Abner's warnings to be careful, the back-and-forth haggling intensifies with each side trying to outmaneuver the other. As the episode reaches its climax, a deal appears close at hand, but the question remains whether Lum and Abner have outsmarted Squire or walked straight into another one of his schemes.