Squire’s Promotions Oil Well

Originally Aired: March 9, 1938 Lum #5, "Squire's Promotions Oil Well," finds Lum and Abner celebrating what they believe is a brilliant business maneuver. The pair has traded the oil rights on Abner's property to Squire Skimp in exchange for being released from their managerial contracts, which would have cost them ten percent of all their earnings for a year. Lum calculates they've essentially saved themselves $100,000 if their new motion picture company makes a million dollars. The duo is convinced they've outwitted the Squire, knowing full well there's no oil on the property—just a spot where Elizabeth spilled kerosene in the backyard. Meanwhile, production on their picture is temporarily stalled as they await the development of their first scenes, shot at Sister Simpson's place with actress Hortense Brogan. However, tensions emerge when Lum learns that his co-stars have complained about his unusual acting technique of backing away during scenes to steal focus from other actors. The strategy backfired spectacularly when Lum backed completely out of camera range during Sister Simpson's long speech, disappearing from the shot entirely.