Squire Skimp Rents Store

Originally Aired: March 15, 1940 Lum #270, "Squire Skimp Rents Store," Excitement fills Pine Ridge as word spreads that a Hollywood motion picture company is coming to town to film a movie. Abner mans the Jot 'Em Down Store while trying to arrange a fishing trip, when Squire Skimp drops by with questions about the production. The talent scout Mr. Rosen has promised prominent roles for Lum and Abner, with plans to feature the store and other local landmarks like Uncle Henry Lunsford's property and the picturesque picnic ground down by the river. Abner mentions that Lum has been acting strangely, spending their store earnings on flashy Hollywood-style clothes and parading around town in checkered coats and yellow knickers. Squire Skimp suddenly presents Abner with an unusual business proposition: he wants to rent the Jot 'Em Down Store for twenty-five dollars a month, while allowing Lum and Abner to continue running it and keeping all their profits. When Abner questions how the Squire could possibly benefit from such a generous arrangement, Squire deflects and pressures him to sign an agreement immediately, warning that the offer might disappear if Abner waits to consult with Lum.