Amos & Andy - The Marriage Counselor
Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Date: March 28, 2026
Theme: Classic comedy and misunderstanding in married life, featuring a guest counselor
Episode Overview
This episode of Amos & Andy centers on the Kingfish's domestic woes after a failed business venture leads to marital discord. Seeking to rescue his marriage, Kingfish—assisted by his loyal friend Andy—turns to the comedic marriage counselor, Mr. Robert Benchley, for guidance. The episode weaves classic misunderstandings, slapstick, and wordplay, centered on a ruined shirtwaist, gossip-fueled suspicions, and the struggle to win back trust.
Key Discussion Points and Highlights
1. Seeking Expert Help (00:35–03:24)
- Kingfish and Andy visit Robert Benchley:
They approach the renowned author and marriage expert for solutions to Kingfish’s troubles with his wife.
- Benchley’s abstract view on marriage:
- Benchley: "Marriage is a lot different than living life as an individual. In marriage, we have two great forces, isn't that right?" (01:54)
- Kingfish quips: "In my case, Ms. Benchley, it's just one great force and one guy getting pushed around." (02:02)
- Comic metaphor:
Andy compares Kingfish at home to "a butterfly fighting a P38," highlighting the imbalance (02:08).
2. How It All Began: The Laundry Scheme (03:28–08:03)
- Flashback to business venture:
Kingfish enlists Andy (and Lightning) in a laundry scheme, trying to profit from outsourced laundry work due to "shortage of manpower and woman power" (03:56).
- The disastrous washing incident:
- Lightning's washing machine destroys a client’s shirtwaist.
- Kingfish suggests, "We get Lightning to do it. You see what we do, we make him our own personal subsidiary." (04:37)
- After the shirtwaist is ripped, Andy says, "Here’s a little piece of sleeve I got here." (07:37)
3. The Cover-up: A Shopping Fiasco (08:03–11:11)
- Attempting to replace the shirtwaist:
Kingfish and Andy try to describe the ruined blouse to a salesgirl, with comical results:
- Andy: "There was some junk on the collar...some more junk on the cuffs..." (09:15)
- Kingfish: "As near as we can figure it out, she ain't in the horse class. On the other hand, she ain't exactly no Shetland pony." (09:55)
- Gossip chain:
A bystander (Sarah) overhears Kingfish say the shirtwaist is "for some other woman," sparking rumors (10:41).
4. Marital Fallout and Gossip (11:11–12:32)
- Sarah tells Sapphire (Kingfish’s wife):
- Sarah: "I seen your husband buy a shirt waist in the Globe department store and he told the clerk it was not for his wife, but for another woman." (11:46)
- Sapphire: "I'm leaving that woman chaser this very day." (12:01)
5. Return to the Counselor: Types of Wives, and Attempts at Reconciliation (13:35–18:09)
- Exploring wife ‘types’:
- Benchley humorously identifies types: "the 'what has she got that I haven't got?'...the jealous type" (14:25).
- Kingfish insists, "She is the pack up and move out type." (15:01)
- Kingfish’s plea to Sapphire:
- Kingfish: "I ain't never looked at another woman. Believe me, honey, you was the light of my life." (15:40)
- Sapphire: "Not no more, honey. This is the eclipse." (15:49)
- Sapphire’s skepticism endures:
- Kingfish: "If you ever knowed me to lie to you, I'm—no, no, don't answer that." (17:26)
6. Confusion Deepens: Lightning’s Loyalty (18:09–18:40)
- Sapphire questions Lightning about the laundry story:
- Lightning sticks to the cover: "No, we wasn't in no laundry business." (18:21)
- After Sapphire leaves: "I sure can keep a secret." (18:38)
7. Giving Up the Laundry Business (19:08–20:31)
- Kingfish, seeking his wife’s trust, resigns from the scheme:
- Kingfish: "I had to get myself a steady job that's gonna make my wife happy." (19:45)
- The laundry manager, Mr. Oakley, praises the replacement shirtwaist, not knowing the full story.
8. Reflections on Marriage and Loss (20:33–21:36)
- Kingfish and Andy discuss missing what’s gone:
- Kingfish: "When my wife was with me...I didn't realize till she left me just how much I would really miss her." (20:33)
- Andy jokes: "Same way with me and money...when I got money, I don't miss it. And when I ain't got money, why, I miss it." (20:50)
- Kingfish grumbles, "You don't have to say what I say another way. Who you think you is, Shakespeare?" (21:19)
9. Does Hard Work Pay Off? (22:08–24:03)
- Kingfish's sacrifice:
- Kingfish works a grueling job: "I’ve been slaving 12 hours a day and working my fingers to the bone." (22:10)
- Andy: "He sure is. And he ain't got no subsidiary neither." (22:21)
- Marriage counseling as economics:
- Benchley presents a "graph" of marriage, correlating highs and lows to new marriages and home cooking—and a spike "when the husband's mother goes home." (23:05–23:45)
- "Or my secretary forgot to fill my fountain pen." (23:59)
10. The Truth Comes Out – and Reconciliation (24:11–25:47)
- Sapphire prepares to leave for good, the shirtwaist mystery is solved:
- Mr. Oakley delivers the new shirtwaist and innocently tells Sapphire of the replacement.
- Kingfish: "Here's the one that I bought, honey. That's it." (25:08)
- Sapphire: "I can't tell you how bad I feel for not believing you." (25:23)
- Kingfish: "Let's forget the whole thing and never talk about it again." (25:26)
11. Comic Coda (25:47–26:42)
- Benchley's final puzzlement:
- "If you're back together again and you're not fighting, why in the world do you come to a man like me for advice?" (25:55)
- Kingfish: "The job I took—when I tried to quit, the man said no. I was froze to it. Now, what I want to know from you is how can I unfreeze myself from the job?" (26:00)
Memorable Quotes and Moments
-
On marriage:
- Robert Benchley (to Kingfish): "Marriage is a lot different than living life as an individual. In marriage we have two great forces, isn't that right?" (01:54)
- Kingfish: "In my case, it’s just one great force and one guy getting pushed around." (02:02)
-
On ruined laundry:
- Andy: "I'd hate to wind up losing my shirt in my own laundry." (06:02)
-
On suspicion:
- Sapphire: "I'm leaving that woman chaser this very day." (12:01)
-
On miscommunication:
- Kingfish: "You don't have to say what I say another way. Who you think you is, Shakespeare?" (21:19)
-
On reconciliation:
- Sapphire: "I can't tell you how bad I feel for not believing you." (25:23)
- Kingfish: "Let's forget the whole thing and never talk about it again." (25:26)
Important Timestamps
| Timestamp | Segment/Event |
|-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 00:35 | Introduction of the marital problem and Mr. Benchley |
| 01:54 | "Two forces" – marriage as a stream (Benchley's metaphor) |
| 03:41 | Kingfish proposes the laundry business to Andy |
| 07:13 | The shirtwaist is destroyed by Lightning's washing machine |
| 09:15 | Description of the shirtwaist in the department store |
| 11:46 | Gossip leads Sapphire to believe Kingfish is unfaithful |
| 13:35 | Kingfish consults Benchley again after Sapphire leaves him |
| 15:40 | Kingfish’s emotional plea to Sapphire |
| 18:21 | Lightning maintains the secret to Sapphire |
| 19:45 | Kingfish quits the laundry venture for a "real job" |
| 22:10 | Kingfish's hard work and sacrifice |
| 23:05 | Benchley's marriage chart explanation |
| 24:54 | Shirtwaist delivered, truth revealed |
| 25:23 | Reconciliation between Kingfish and Sapphire |
| 26:00 | Kingfish asks for advice on how to "unfreeze" himself from his job |
Tone and Style
The episode maintains the signature warm, bumbling humor of Amos & Andy, steeped in misunderstandings, wordplay, and gentle satire of domestic life. The presence of Robert Benchley adds a layer of parody, poking fun at the 'psychoanalyzing' expert trend. The dialogue is brisk and clever, filled with one-liners, layered jokes, and somewhat absurd logic.
Summary:
This classic radio gem combines misunderstandings around a failed business, the hazards of gossip, and light-hearted marital strife. Kingfish's attempt to fix one problem snowballs into a marital crisis, only to be resolved in a comedic (if roundabout) fashion—with the help of a marriage expert whose advice ultimately pales next to honesty and a little luck.
