This 1938 episode exists only in this fragmented form, which is really too bad. But at least we have this much. Recordings of this program are less plentiful than many others. Their rarity is one of the things I find attractive about them. It may also account for the legend of "Lights Out" sometimes overrunning the actual quality of the scripts. More's the pity, for what little we have of this one demonstrates the show was indeed capable of living up to expectations.

It's Tuesday, so that means it's Fibber McGee and Molly's day. In this episode Fibber and Guildersleeve get embroiled in a property line dispute and a surveyor is called for. Harlow really cuts it up in this one. It's more disorganized than usual. One gets the impression they treated the script rather broadly. That's part of the beauty of these early shows. In the latter half of the 1940 season we'll hear evidence of a clear attempt to tighten things up - probably on the insistence of the network who suddenly realized they had a most unlikely most popular program on radio on their hands. I'm sure they were laughing all the way to the bank. By the end of 1940, however, we'll return to the soundstage chaos we so love about this program.





That brings up an interesting problem here with presenting a whole year of programs in less than a year. As you can tell, we are still in Springtime in Wistful Vista. What I have decided to do is present an additional episode every Thursday, as well as the usual Tuesday one, until we get caught up. That should get us in line with radio reality by Summer's end. I surely don't want to miss any of this 1940 season which only seems to be lacking a few episodes - one of which I was able to find in script form, and posted earlier.

Gracie's presidential aspirations continue on this 1940 program.

Notable by their absences are Mary Livingston and Eddie Anderson. Jack explains his co-star and wife is still under the weather, and like Fibber without Molly (in 1939), a supporting guest is invited - in this case Orson Welles. But where's Rochester? He would be awfully darned funny up against Welles. Still, it's a fun program. Dennis Day gets his Irish up - can you imagine? Of course, it's all about Jack putting on airs. He wants Orson Welles to give him some acting lessons, so they work on "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" together, with the result being a groan - quite literally. Good fun from St. Patrick's Day, 1940.

This 1938 thriller is particularly well done.