History

of

"Lum and Abner"

This is a copy of a research paper I wrote on "The Lum and Abner Show". I used very many sources in this paper, some from books and some from people. Special thanks to Ron Ross and all of those who contributed their "two cents" worth. If you would like to make a copy of this, please email me asking for my permission.
Randy

On February 9, 1902, Chester H. Lauck, "Lum" of "The Lum and Abner Show", was born in Alleene, Arkansas. His counterpart, Norris Goff, "Abner" of "The Lum and Abner Show", was born just a few miles away in Cove, Arkansas on May 30, 1906.    The two met when their familes moved to Mena, Arkansas, where they were neighbors.  While growing up, Norris Goff received the nickname "Tuffy" when someone commented on how tough he was for his size. Both grew up working with their fathers, Lauck in a saw mill and Goff in a grocery wholesale house. (Yes, he did sell groceries to the real Dick Huddleston in Pine Ridge, then Waters).

The two also went to college together at  the University of Arkansas in 1923. After attending college, they returned to their hometown of Mena, Arkansas to marry childhood girlfriends and settle into stready jobs.

In 1931, a man named Cam Arnoux heard that the two men had a very good blackface act.(Similar to Amos and Andy.) Mr. Arnoux set up an audition for them at KTHS, a radio station in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on April 18, 1931. At the last minute, they decided to play two hillbillies since there were already many blackface acts. Chester decided to play "Lum Edwards," and Norris chose to be "Abner Peabody." During the audition, a technical difficulty occured, making the station leave the air, but the program would later be broadcast. After five broadcasts in Hot Springs, Arnoux set up an audition for the two at NBC. At the auditon, they were offered a 13-week contract with Quaker Oats as their sponsor, and they accepted it. On July 27, 1931, "Lum and Abner" replaced one of NBC's programs for two weeks while the show's performers were on a vacation.

Real people who lived in the small village of Waters, Arkansas (soon to be Pine Ridge) inspired many of the characters on the show, such as Dick Huddleston, Uncle Cling Welhete, and Ed Goble. "Lum" was real careful about money and legal matters, but also very gullible. His counterpart, "Abner" was the whining gambler who loved to play checkers. Although people only heard the voices of Lauck and Goff on the radio (usually), they each had many different voices. Lauck played the characters of Lum Edwards, Granpappy Spears, and Cedric Weehunt.  Goff played Abner Peabody, Dick Huddleston, Mousey Grey, and Squire Skimp. Lauck and Goff rarely used their scripts, except on the rare occasion that a guest appeared. They usually just ad-libbled through most of the show.

In June 1932, their Chicago contract with Quaker Oats expired. Lauck and Goff then returned to Mena where a party was held in their honor.

May 1933 brought a new sponsor to the boys, the Ford Motor Company. After about a year, it expired. But in early 1934, the Horlick's Malted Milk Company became the show's new sponsor. The Horlick's contract lasted for about five years.  The Horlick's Company helped "Lum and Abner" produce many premiums to promote the show, including three almanacs, issues of the Pine Ridge News, along with others.

For the show's fifth aniversary and Arkansas's 100th aniversery in 1936, Dick Huddleston plotted that the village of Waters, Arkansas name be changed to Pine Ridge as a sign of appreication of the publicity they gave Arkansas. This became official on Sunday, April 26, 1936.

After the Horlick's Company did not renew their contract in 1938, the Postum Company picked up the show.   This contract lasted until early 1940.

After the Postum contract was dropped, "Lum and Abner" picked up their longest lasting sponsor, Miles Labs aka Alka-Seltzer.  This sponsorship lasted for a whopping EIGHT years!  This is where most of the "Lum and Abner" programs that still around came from.

When Alka-Seltzer did not renew their contract with the show, "Lum and Abner" would go through some changes that some people say "killed" "Lum and Abner".  In 1948, the format of the show changed from a fifteen minute "soap opera comedy" to a thrity minute "one-act dialogue". Other changes made to the show were the addition of writers, sound effects, and a live orchestra and audience. An interview with Ron Ross, showed that he perferred the fifteen minute format to the thirty minute format because "it was an ongoing series that you could listen to over a period of several days...similar to a soap opera." Many people were not happy with the chage in the show.  One of these people was Norris Goff.  He thought that the show was dropping in popularity, which it was.  But, his partner Chet was one of the people who liked the show's new "sound".  There were many people who had many views the change of the show, some good and some bad.  After having little success with the new changes, the show changed back to what it was like before the chages on May 15, 1953.

After 6+ sponsors, nine announcers, three theme songs, seven movies, 3,737+ radio broadcasts, one and a half MILLION fan letters in on special week, and millions of laughs, the show went off the air on May 7, 1954. The show went off the air mainly due to the increase in television and Goff's failing heath.  Chester Lauck said "we only thought it would only last a couple of years, so we merely took a leave of absence from our jobs in Arkansas...we were more amazed than anyone when it went on a quarter of a century."

Hello, jot'em down store, this is Lum 'n' Abner. Lum 'n' Abner. Online. AOL. November 24, 1998. (www.lum-abner.com)

Ross, Ron, semi-expert on Lum and Abner. Peronsal interview. 23 November 1998.

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