Episode Summary: Eddie Bracken Show 45-05-06 Ep015: To Barrow a Pig

Overview

This episode of The Eddie Bracken Show, aired originally on May 6, 1945, invites listeners into a lighthearted misadventure featuring Eddie’s attempt to help his friend Connie win a scavenger hunt—by borrowing, dressing, and transporting a pig with a "red nose." The story is full of classic situational comedy from the Golden Age of Radio, woven through rapid-fire dialogue, slapstick setups, and a parade of memorable mishaps.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting Up the Scavenger Hunt

• [02:39-04:18] Connie asks Eddie for a big favor related to her scavenger hunt: “A pig with a red nose.” Eddie protests the absurdity, but after some back and forth, he agrees.
  • "If it was anything but a pig with a red nose!" – Eddie [03:34]

The Plan: Lipstick and the Bus

• [04:54-06:08] Connie arranges for Eddie to borrow a pig from Mr. Waddlewaite’s farm. Eddie is to paint its nose red with lipstick and bring it back via the city bus.
  • "All you have to do is stop by my house, get an old lipstick... paint the pig’s nose red and bring it back on the bus." – Connie [05:09]

Complications Multiply: Rehearsals & Requests

• [06:33-09:32] Eddie seeks a lipstick, encountering Mr. Monahan and Barbara, who agree to come along. Musical comic interlude as Monahan attempts a rehearsal for the Lodge’s minstrel show, pressuring Eddie and Barbara to hurry back after the pig errand.

Babying the Pig

• [12:43-14:08] At Mr. Waddlewaite’s, Barbara and Eddie clothe the pig in adorable baby clothes in hopes of smuggling it inconspicuously on the bus, prompting mock-parental banter:
  • "Oh, Eddie, we’ll look just like proud parents... just like I’ve always dreamed." – Barbara [13:51]
  • "Who wants a pig for a son?" – Eddie [14:11]

Chaos on the Bus

• [16:53-21:18] The pig, in its baby costume, causes confusion on the bus with a bemused and weary bus driver, fellow passengers’ meddlesome advice, and comedic struggles to keep the pig quiet and contained.
  • "He’s as lively as a little pig." – Woman Passenger, unwittingly accurate [19:48]
  • "He bites everything. He’s teething." – Eddie [20:40]

Comedy Escalates: The Great Pig Chase

• [21:33-23:19] When the pig escapes, Eddie and Barbara frantically chase it, only to accidentally attract a whole herd of pigs:
  • "Look at them! Hundreds of them. Do you see anything in Mr. Waddlewaite's pig?" – Eddie [22:38]
  • Second comedic escalation as every attempt to call "here, pig!" just brings more pigs.

Resolution: Loose Ends Tie Up

• [23:32-23:53] Connie finds the missing pig (still in its baby clothes) while Eddie and Barbara, exhausted, concede defeat.
  • "Was it dressed in baby’s clothes?" – Connie [23:44]

Minstrel Show Fallout

• [26:00–28:34] The pig incident tangentially ruins the lodge minstrel show rehearsal, with a running gag about the bewildered would-be singer Joe, who mistakes the costumed pig for a hallucination and gives up on the evening.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

The Pig with a Red Nose

• "A pig with a red nose... Now, after all, Connie, I don’t mind doing anything within reason." – Eddie [04:26]

Bus Driver’s Exasperation

• "What am I supposed to be, a mind reader?" – Bus Driver [11:11]
• "You haven’t any money. Will you get off this bus?" – Bus Driver [11:36]

Fake Parenting Comedy

• "How old is he, Mr. Waddlewaite?" – Barbara [12:43]
• "Not quite two months... But he’s very helping." – Eddie [19:46]

The Escaping Pig

• "Could somebody grab him? Come back here, please. Anybody want to get what he’s doing?" – Woman Passenger [21:12]

The Pig Parade

• "Look at them, hundreds of them. Do you see anything in Mr. Waddlewaite's pig?" – Eddie [22:38]

The Final Reversal

• "I found it... in front of Joe Orsondorf’s house." – Connie [23:47]

Important Timestamps & Segments

• 00:49 – Dreamy narrator’s introduction of Connie and Eddie
• 04:18 – The scavenger hunt favor: get a pig with a red nose
• 06:33 – Failed rehearsal, planning the pig-napping
• 12:43 – Outfitting the pig in baby clothes at the farm
• 16:53 – Smuggling the “baby” (the pig) back on the bus
• 21:33 – The pig gets loose and mass confusion ensues
• 23:32 – Connie finds the pig, ending the wild goose chase
• 26:00 – Minstrel show aftermath, punchlines about the pig incident derailing the act

Tone & Style

The episode blends frantic physical comedy with a good-natured, slightly absurd small-town warmth. Eddie’s earnest but bumbling attempts at problem-solving play against the sardonic voices of adults and friends, with plenty of laughter and self-deprecating banter. The gentle ribbing, slapstick, and quick-paced exchanges reflect the family-friendly, vaudeville-inspired humor of its time.

TL;DR

Eddie Bracken tries to help Connie win a scavenger hunt by borrowing a pig, painting its nose red, and dressing it as a baby—but a series of mix-ups with musical rehearsals, a grumpy bus driver, confused passengers, and a horde of pigs leads to comic chaos, ending with Connie retrieving the pig herself and Eddie stumbling late into the next farcical misadventure.