Podcast Summary: Amos & Andy – “Cabin in Connecticut”

Podcast: Harold’s Old Time Radio
Date: September 5, 2025
Original Airdate: May 10, 1953
Episode: “Cabin in Connecticut”
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio

Brief Overview

This episode presents a classic “Amos & Andy” story steeped in humor and well-paced scam-reversal, set around the time-honored premise of a get-rich-quick real estate scheme gone comically awry. The Kingfish attempts to offload his dilapidated Connecticut cabin to Andy, resulting in a string of escalating deceptions, mistaken windfalls, and comeuppances. Through farcical salesmanship, rural misadventures, and a final reversal at the hands of Sapphire, the episode showcases the wit, chemistry, and timing that made the show an enduring part of radio’s golden age.

Key Discussion Points & Episode Structure

1. Setting the Stage: Discovering Old “Valuables”

[02:41 – 04:25]

• Sapphire and her mother return with papers and “valuables” after being evicted from their safety deposit box.
• The only true item of value, according to Sapphire, is a $2,500 engagement ring.
  • E (Sapphire's Mother): “The only thing valuable in here is Mama’s $2,500 engagement ring.” [02:56]
• The Kingfish tries to defend the worth of some war bonds and especially the deed to a neglected cabin in Connecticut.
• A botched real estate deal in the past is recalled, where Kingfish missed out on profits from a big hotel when he held out for too much.

2. The Kingfish’s Sales Pitch to Andy

[05:11 – 08:27]

• Kingfish hears Andy plans a $400 camping trip to the North Woods.
• Utilizing exaggerated dangers (sleeping bag mishaps, wild bears, rattlesnakes), Kingfish persuades Andy to reconsider the trip.
  • B (Kingfish): “Camping in the woods is all right for the experienced hunter and trapper, but it’s sure death for the tender feets who don’t know nothing ...” [06:10]
• With Andy’s interest piqued, Kingfish offers a “cozy cottage in Carefree Connecticut” for $400—the price Andy was going to spend on camping.

3. Amos’ Warning & The “Pig in a Poke”

[09:00 – 09:18]

• Amos warns Andy not to buy without seeing the property:
  • B (Amos): “Don’t let him sell you no pig in the poke.” [09:15]
• Andy vows this time “if he tries to sell me a pig in the poke, I’m gonna give him a poke in the puss!” [09:18]

4. Kingfish Seeks Advice; The Plot to Deceive Andy

[11:02 – 12:21]

• Kingfish complains to his friend Calhoun about Andy wanting to see the property.
• Calhoun proposes they let Andy believe the cabin is part of the nearby luxury hotel, with access to all its amenities.
  • G (Calhoun): “Suppose Andy were to think that the cabin was part of the hotel property and he was entitled to all the hotel facilities.” [12:03]
• Kingfish cooks up a plan to show Andy the Monmouth Hotel, then steer him to the ramshackle cabin.

5. The Cabin’s Reality

[13:17 – 17:07]

• Andy is suitably impressed by the hotel—until the journey to the “cabin” entails crossing barbed wire, a highway, and a drainage ditch.
  • C (Andy): “Holy mackerel, what a trip ... We hopped over three barbed wire fences, skipped across a four lane highway just ahead of a Mack truck and jumped over that drainage ditch...” [14:31]
• The cabin is in near-ruin: no amenities, holes in the roof, bathroom far away.
  • C (Andy): “The way that’s falling apart, I ain’t gonna be able to commune with the rain, the wind, the flies and the mosquitoes without ever leaving the house.” [15:03]
• Kingfish claims “ignorance is nine points of the law” to avoid refunding Andy.
  • B (Kingfish): “You done paid me the money ... Don’t forget, ignorance is nine points of the law.” [16:53]

6. A Letter, a Reversal, and a Surprising Sale

[17:24 – 18:36]

• Kingfish finds a letter, seemingly from the Monmouth Hotel, offering $3,000 for the land to expand their golf course.
  • B (Kingfish): “Holy mackerel. $3,000! And I done sold it to Andy for $400.” [17:44]
• Kingfish calls Andy to reverse the sale, but Andy coolly informs him he’s already sold the property to Mr. Theodore Nelson for $700.
  • C (Andy, triumphantly): “I done changed my mind about living up there and sold the place to a Mr. Theodore Nelson for $700.” [18:31]

7. Trying to Reacquire the Cabin

[20:06 – 25:27]

• Kingfish and Andy attempt to force Mr. Nelson out by scaring him, fabricating a story about an airport being built on adjacent land.
  • B (Kingfish, as airline manager): “We is building an airport in the cow pasture next to you here ... your place being at the end of our runway ...” [21:18]
  • C (Andy, as the "pilot"): “Coming into LaGuardia Field, I overshot that 17,000 foot runway again.” [22:54]
• Mr. Nelson is unfazed, so Kingfish offers increasing amounts to buy him out, eventually agreeing to pay $1,000 cash by morning.

8. The Final Twist: The Joke's on Kingfish

[25:40 – 27:09]

• Kingfish pays Nelson by pawning Sapphire’s mother’s $2,500 ring, anticipating the $3,000 hotel deal.
• When boasting about the profit, Sapphire reveals SHE wrote the fake $3,000 offer as a prank.
  • E (Sapphire): “I wanted to play a joke on you. I writ you that letter offering you the $3,000 and I signed it the Monmouth.” [26:25]
• The episode ends with Kingfish groaning at his final loss and Andy dryly noting their laughter will fade when they learn how Kingfish financed the buyback.
  • B (Kingfish): “I pawned Mama’s $2,500 diamond ring.” [27:10]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the folly of Kingfish’s real estate schemes:

  • E (Sapphire’s Mother): “Ya big fat-headed boob.” [03:49]

• Kingfish's inspired scare tactics about camping:

  • B (Kingfish): “The north woods is full of sleeping bags that’s been kicking around and screaming since last summer...” [06:53]

• Andy’s travel woes at the cabin:

  • C (Andy): “Gonna cost us three or four hundred dollars, but it’ll be worth it.” [05:55]

• On the decrepit cabin’s “amenities:”

  • B (Kingfish): “It’s designed that way. Ain’t it what they call Swiss cheese Modern.” [14:54]

• Triumphant reversal:

  • C (Andy): “I done changed my mind about living up there and sold the place to a Mr. Theodore Nelson for $700.” [18:31]

• The big twist revelation:

  • E (Sapphire, mockingly): “I writ you that letter offering you the $3,000 ... I signed it the Monmouth.” [26:25]

• Kingfish’s financial misfortune:

  • B (Kingfish): “I pawned Mama’s $2,500 diamond ring.” [27:10]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Opening scenario & cabin origin: [02:41 – 04:25]
• Kingfish cons Andy out of camping: [05:11 – 08:27]
• Amos warns Andy: [09:00 – 09:18]
• Hotel/cabin switcheroo plan: [11:02 – 12:21]
• Terrible cabin revealed: [13:17 – 17:07]
• Letter with lucrative offer: [17:24 – 17:44]
• Andy’s clever resale: [18:31]
• Scaring off the new owner: [20:06 – 25:27]
• Sapphire's big joke: [26:25]
• Kingfish’s final lament: [27:10]

Tone & Style

The episode delivers a delightful blend of rapid-fire banter, comic escalation, and the themes of hustle-and-bustle that characterized Amos & Andy. The dialogue is replete with period idioms and quick one-liners. The cast’s comedic timing and interplay keep the story fast-paced and vibrant—even as Kingfish’s increasingly desperate maneuvers paint him as a loveable rogue always outsmarted in the end.

For First-Time Listeners

If you missed the episode, rest assured: you’ll follow every twist. The plot lurches along with escalating comic stakes, culminating in a satisfying twist that lampoons Kingfish’s scheming nature, Andy’s naivete, and Sapphire’s sharp wit. This is vintage “Amos & Andy”—clever, colorful, and packed with situational comedy that stands the test of time.