Tune in for a peek into the Jot ‘em down store

Chester “Chet” Lauck and Findley Norris “Tuffy” Goff were close friends who lived in the tiny community of Mena, Ark. They created two characters — Lum & Abner — almost by accident. After success at a local Lions Club show, in April 1931 the two men drove to Hot Springs, where they performed their comedy skit on KTHS radio. The response was positive and immediate. At the encouragement of the station manager, they polished their act and auditioned for NBC in Chicago.

Lauck and Goff signed a standard 13-week contract with NBC, but kept their jobs in Mena, simply taking a leave of absence. In 1932, they began a series of broadcasts from Cleveland that provided them with a national audience. Soon listeners throughout the country were tuning in each week to see what was happening at the Jot ‘Em Down store in the make-believe community of Pine Ridge, Ark.

Created by Southerners and set in the South, the program challenged the hillbilly stereotypes promoted by other radio shows and addressed issues pertinent to rural people. The program became a vehicle for addressing the ills triggered by the Great Depression, and audiences identified with the Pine Ridge community. It was the perfect program for the times and quickly became a staple on American radio.

Written by Randal L. Hall, managing editor of the Journal of Southern History at Rice University, “Lum & Abner” is supplemented with 29 previously unreleased scripts.

Although the series was often overshadowed by more popular and controversial programming, Lum & Abner lasted for more than two decades on network radio. This book is a great read, especially if you grew up with radio.