McGee Shops For Clothes

Originally aired October 5, 1936, this episode finds Fibber in high spirits—and questionable wardrobe—as Molly marches him to the Bon Ton department store for a much-needed fall outfit. From the moment he parks by a fire plug “just this once,” chaos follows: a chatty “collegiate” bystander mistakes him for a floorwalker, an eager hat clerk cycles through pork-pie hats, sombreros, and even a sun helmet, and a tart debutante-turned-“Grandma” model bristles when Fibber tests what he thinks is mannequin hair. Musical interludes and in-store patter keep things bouncing along, including a turn from the Five Beats Band and crooning that leaves Fibber no closer to a necktie. From Harlow Wilcox moonlighting as a store detective to Manager Oliphant pitching polo coats, Molly somehow buys herself a hat, dress, gloves, purse, stockings—and even “borrows” Fibber’s overcoat pick—while he ends the day with a parking ticket from the chief himself. Complete with Johnson’s Glow Coat spots that promise “apply, let dry, oh my,” this lively romp delivers peak Fibber McGee & Molly department-store mischief, freshly transferred and polished for clear listening.