Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: Aldrich Family – Roadside Stand

Date: March 10, 2026
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
Show: The Aldrich Family
Original Writer: Clifford Goldsmith

Episode Overview

This classic episode of The Aldrich Family drops listeners into the bustling world of Henry Aldrich—a typical American teenager of the pre-television era brimming with entrepreneurial schemes. The story centers around Henry and his friend Homer's ambitions to raise money for a down payment on a car by starting a roadside stand. Their earnest efforts spiral from homemade drinks and dog-washing, to an unintended foray into hospitality—complete with houseguests, health scares, and mild family chaos.

Key Discussion Points & Story Highlights

1. Dog Washing & Lemonade (01:05–05:03)

• Scene: Aldrich kitchen, afternoon.
• Henry and Homer are washing Mr. Brown’s dog (Smoothie) as a way to earn 35 cents, but keep getting distracted by making lemonade.
• Comic Bickering: Who gets to squeeze lemons, whose turn on the juicer.
• Mrs. Aldridge expresses gentle exasperation about chores left unfinished.
• Quote:
  • "Mother, you know how warm you get chasing a dog." — Henry (02:25)

2. Entrepreneurial Scheming: Toward a Roadside Stand (05:03–06:11)

• The boys brainstorm ways to earn the remaining $3 for their car. Dog washing leads to the invention of a bizarre fruit punch using everything from pineapples to cantaloupe.
• Discussions about business plans, setting prices for various dog sizes, and even the idea of patenting their strange punch.
• Quote:
  • “How about patenting it?” — Henry (05:41)
  • “Could we patent a thing like this?” — Homer (05:42)
• They float the idea of opening a roadside stand—even in the cold of December.

3. First Night at the Roadside Stand (07:53–13:22)

• Henry and Homer bravely set up shop. It's bitterly cold, business is glacially slow, and the location is questionable.
• Their stand offers ice-cold punch and hot dogs—neither of which appeal to the few passersby on a winter evening.
• Homer's complaints about the cold and the meager income contrast humorously with Henry's dogged optimism.
• Quote:
  • "If we've only sold 25 cents worth since 3 this afternoon, we're never gonna sell $4 worth this late." — Homer (08:58)
• A series of mistaken requests—customers wanting oil, coffee—showcases their inexperience.

4. The Unintentional Bed & Breakfast (13:22–17:50)

• A stranded family (the Jacksons and grandkids) pulls up late at night looking for a place to stay.
• Henry, eager to please (and make a buck), offers them accommodations at his own house without his parents’ knowledge.
• Comic Confusion: Mrs. Aldridge worries about footsteps and mysterious deliveries, as Henry sneaks groceries in for guests.
• Quote:
  • “He lives in one of those real estate developments where all the houses look alike. ...he got up the next morning, he found he’d slept in the wrong house.” — Sam Aldridge (19:04)

5. Breakfast Chaos & Identity Crisis (17:50–22:54)

• Morning brings confusion as Mr. Jackson treats the Aldrich home like a real inn, demanding service and griddle cakes.
• Sam and Alice Aldridge are bewildered by the presence of a stranger who seems convinced they run a boarding house.
• The family suspects the “guests” are unwell; Sam is urged to gently show them the door.
• Quote:
  • “Personally, I’d say the fellow was lost and doesn’t know it.” — Sam Aldridge (22:26)

6. Medical Mayhem & Business Propositions (22:54–27:31)

• The Jackson grandchildren develop a rash, prompting a doctor visit—and fears of a measles quarantine.
• It’s discovered the rash is likely caused by strawberries (from the boys' experimental punch).
• The Aldrich home becomes a temporary quarantine, to Mrs. Aldridge’s distress.
• Meanwhile, Henry and Homer discuss expansion (taking in more guests, building cabins), but are met with laughter by the adults.
• Quote:
  • “Henry, is there anything you and Homer didn’t put in that punch?” — Sam Aldridge (26:14)
  • “From now on, for every idea you get, I’ll pay you $1 not to use it.” — Sam Aldridge (28:14)

7. Resolution & Comic Denouement (27:31–28:30)

• After the medical scare passes, Sam Aldridge cheekily calls in a sign order for “Rooms for Rent” to be placed at Will Brown’s house, dodging future guests himself.
• Henry asks if they can at least build cabins in the yard and is offered money by his father to not pursue his constant schemes.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "They need a more delicate soap." — Homer, on washing thoroughbred dogs (05:03)
• "How would they know where we live?" — Homer, patenting plans gone awry (05:53)
• "We're farther away from getting our car than we ever were." — Homer, after a failed hot dog sale (11:19)
• "This isn’t a gun, it’s a hot dog." — Henry, to bewildered motel seekers (12:04)
• "I just want to say that business is very good." — Henry, ever the optimist (15:38)
• "Sam, are we in the right house?" — Alice, confusion reigning (21:21)
• "From now on, for every idea you get, I’ll pay you $1 not to use it." — Sam Aldridge (28:14)

Timestamps: Key Segments

• [01:05] – The boys plan to wash the dog and make lemonade
• [05:03] – Entrepreneurship brainstorm: dog washing, fruit punch, roadside stand
• [07:53] – First attempt at the roadside stand, cold and frustrating
• [13:22] – Accidental "hotel" guests, the Jackson family arrives
• [17:50] – Breakfast confusion, Aldrich parents learn they've hosted strangers
• [22:54] – Medical concerns and threat of quarantine
• [26:07] – Real cause of rash revealed (strawberries in punch)
• [27:31] – Sam’s plot to redirect guests to Mr. Brown’s house
• [28:14] – Sam offers Henry $1 per unused business idea

Tone & Style

The episode delivers warm family humor, gentle generational ribbing, and slapstick, all bathed in the optimistic, can-do attitude of 1940s/50s radio comedies. Henry’s innocent schemes and the dignity of the mildly baffled adults are played in a rapid-fire, spirited tone, full of misunderstandings and affectionate scolding.

For New Listeners: Why Listen?

This episode is a textbook example of the cozy, tightly-scripted chaos that made The Aldrich Family a mainstay of radio comedy. It offers not only laughs and nostalgia, but a window into the inventive, misguided energy of adolescence—and the gentle tolerance of family life in America’s radio golden age. Whether you’re a vintage radio buff or a first-timer, “Roadside Stand” exemplifies the charm of pre-TV familial storytelling.