The Bashful Bachelor (1942)

On March 19, 1942, RKO Radio Pictures released the second film starring the Old Time Radio comedy team Lum and Abner. The Bashful Bachelor (1942) starred Chester Lauck as Lum Edwards and Norris Goff as Abner Peabody, the owners of the Jot’Em Down Store in Arkansas.

In this film (affiliate link), longtime bachelor Lum Edwards wants to become a hero to impress Miss Geraldine, so he can finally propose to her. Lum spends most evenings in Miss Geraldine’s parlor listening to the radio or reading a book.

Lum’s quest includes tying Abner to the railroad tracks and inadvertently running off true bandits he mistook for imposters hired by Abner. Besides Lum’s quest, Abner has also traded for a horse, which may actually be a race horse.

Chester Lauck was born in Arkansas on February 9, 1902. After graduating high school with his future partner Norris Goff, they began doing hillbilly skits on the radio. These skits led to their show Lum and Abner being picked up by radio stations. Several radio networks hosted the Lum and Abner Show through the years.

The team also made seven movies. In a twenty-five year career, Lauck, who wrote most of the team’s material, only ever played the character Lum Edwards. Lauck passed away on February 21, 1980 a few weeks after his 78th birthday. Lauck is buried in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Will Lum finally marry Geraldine? If you have 75 minutes, you can find out. Let me know what you think of the film. You can leave a comment or ask a question about this or any post on my Facebook page, Twitter profile

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