Lum and Abner 44-10-31 (0714) Discuss Halloween Pranks

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode: Lum and Abner 44-10-31 (0714) Discuss Halloween Pranks
Date: October 26, 2025
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio

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Episode Overview

This episode transports us to Pine Ridge on Halloween night with beloved characters Lum and Abner. Through witty banter and nostalgic storytelling, they reflect on Halloween traditions, mischievous pranks (old and new), and how perspectives on youthful hijinks shift with age. The episode is rich with gentle humor, small-town Americana, and the warm camaraderie between the two leads.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

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Setting the Scene: Halloween Night in Pine Ridge

• [00:03] Narration: It's Halloween evening; Lum is in costume (as a ghost) visiting Abner.
• Their conversation opens with broad, humorous observations about dogs, costumes, and the spirit of the season.

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The Halloween Spirit: Caution vs. Celebration

• [01:37] Lum: Points out Abner's change of heart about attending the local Halloween party.
• [02:04] Abner: Declares his intent to "keep some of these boys out of devilment tonight," vowing to uphold his job as the deputy town marshal against reckless pranks.
  • Quote: "I don't aim to put up with none of their carrying on tonight. They just might. And I turned this town upside down as last year and I don't aim to stand for it again." ([02:09])

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The Difference Between Harmless Fun and Real Mischief

• [03:17] Abner: Expresses concern about destructive pranks but admits non-damaging fun is fine:
  • Quote: "Ain't nothing funny about that but tic tacing and carrying jack O lanterns and one thing and another's all right." ([03:17])

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Swapping Old Halloween Stories

• The core of this episode is Abner and Lum trading tales of boyhood mischief, realizing they weren’t so different from the current generation:
  • Putting boards on Grandpappy Spears’ chimney to smoke everyone out ([03:42]-[04:03])
  • Turning loose horses and mules to force partygoers to walk in the snow ([04:09]-[04:20])
  • Dumping stove wood into a well, making poor Mr. Vess clean it out and carry water from a creek ([04:31]-[04:54])
  • Hitching Doc Murphy’s horse backwards to a buggy, causing a big commotion ([05:04]-[05:40])
  • Throwing shell corn at windows to scare people eating supper ([05:57]-[06:13])
• Their tone is light and self-deprecating, with frequent laughter about the consequences and the eventual discipline they received.

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Reflection and Change of Heart

• As they reminisce, Abner’s initial hard stance on Halloween pranks softens considerably.
  • Quote: "You know, mighty easy to forget when you start getting older. You forget some of the stunts you pulled yourself." ([07:49])
• They conclude the younger generation might even be less mischievous than their own:
  • Lum: "No, they're getting more civilized, I reckon." ([08:02])
  • Abner: "Oh yeah, they don't tear up property like they used to. I'll admit that." ([08:04])

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Decision to Join the Fun

• The episode closes with Abner deciding to suit up and join Lum at the party, letting the children have their fun:
  • Abner: "Just let the youngins have all the fun they want to tonight." ([08:21])
  • Lum: "They ain't gonna hurt nothing." ([08:35])
• The good mood is interrupted by a phone call reporting pranks at Lum's house — a playful full-circle ending.

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Notable Quotes

• Abner: "I catch every one of them youngins doing a thing tonight that he or until I'm going to throw him right smack in jail." ([02:28])
• Lum: "Halloween don't come but once a year." ([02:23])
• Abner: "You look like a ha." ([01:20])
• Lum: "Ghost. G O S D. Ghost, not goat." ([01:30])
• Abner: "His carried water from the creek for months there." ([04:52])
• Lum: "Nothing too ornery for you to do that." ([04:29])
• Abner (nostalgic): "Walking over old times this way. Might not makes me want to get out and do something tonight." ([06:27])
• Lum: "I got up the next morning to hitch up my team and my wagon was gone. I started looking for it and blamed if I hadn't worked all night helping put my own wagon up on top of the school." ([07:27])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:03] – Opening narration; Halloween in Pine Ridge
• [01:37] – Abner explains why he isn’t at the party
• [02:04] – Abner asserts duty as deputy marshal; hard line on pranks
• [03:17] – Drawing line between harmless fun and real vandalism
• [03:35] – Recollections of childhood pranks begin
• [05:04] – Hitching Doc Murphy’s horse backwards story
• [07:14] – The "wagon on the schoolhouse" prank and its twist
• [07:49] – Realization: today’s kids not so different
• [08:21] – Abner relents: joins the party, lets pranks happen
• [09:10] – Phone call: Lum’s front gate being pranked (circular humor)

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Memorable Moments

• Lum’s confusion between “ghost” and “goat.” ([01:20]-[01:30])
• Self-mocking about old pranks — nostalgia softening attitudes toward the kids’ behavior.
• The twist where Lum helped put his own wagon atop the schoolhouse ([07:27]), highlighting both the good-natured mischief and the passage of time.
• Abner’s journey from no-nonsense lawman to nostalgic prankster eager to rejoin Halloween fun.

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Tone and Takeaways

The episode maintains a cheerful, neighborly, and gently self-deprecating tone. Through storytelling, it explores intergenerational attitudes about holiday pranks, finds humor in past mischief, and ultimately advocates for letting kids have harmless fun. The warmth and wit of Lum and Abner provide a comforting, timeless glimpse into small-town America.

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Recommended segment:
For a taste of the show’s best humor and nostalgic warmth, listen from [03:35]-[05:40] as Lum and Abner swap their wildest boyhood Halloween stories.

Transcript

[A]

And now let's see what's going on down in Pine Ridge. Well, this is Halloween and the old fellows have dropped everything else to join in the activities of the holiday. As we look in on the little community today it's evening and we find Lum attired in a ghost costume, knocking on Abner's door. Listen.

[B]

Hello. Get away from here, Blue. Get away. Abner, come out here and get this dog before I bust something over his head. Abner, get away from here, Blue. Dad blame it. You got no sense at all.

[C]

Here, here, Blue. Blue, get back under the house here before I beat the daylights out of you. Ain't you ashamed of yourself, running out here and barking at folks? Who is it? What do you want?

[B]

It's me, that's who it is. Get away from there, Blue.

[A]

There he is.

[C]

For the land sex. I never knowed you lumped all that rigging on. Come on in. Let me see how you look.

[B]

Well, get that dog back here.

[C]

Oh, come on, he ain't gonna bother you.

[B]

No, he wouldn't. Both wouldn't do no more than taking a Take a leg off a feller.

[C]

Why, he couldn't bite you if he wanted to. He ain't got a tooth in his head.

[B]

Long granny's. He don't need no teeth. Then he bristles up and comes at a feller. That way he scares the daylights out of.

[C]

Oh, he puts up a good bluff, banners everything that comes on the play.

[B]

Well, he ought to have sense enough to know who I. I've known him ever since he's a pup.

[C]

Well, there wouldn't nobody know you in that outfit you got on long if you ain't a sight. You look like a ha.

[B]

I'm a ghost.

[A]

What?

[C]

You ought to have some horns and whiskers.

[B]

Ghost. G O S D. Ghost, not goat. Oh.

[C]

Well, come on in. Come on in. Let me look at you.

[B]

Ain't you going to the party?

[C]

No, no, I better not go, I reckon. Woman and papa, they went over there, but I decided I couldn't make it.

[B]

Here, let me get this pillar case off my head. I can't see nothing.

[C]

You don't look much like a pillar.

[B]

I cut some holes in here to see through this thing. Slipped around to where they're clean running the bag. Feel my way over here.

[C]

That's a pretty good get up he got on there. Lum, I never would have knowed you. Never would have knowed you. I don't believe you wouldn't have.

[B]

I thought you said this afternoon you was Going to the party?

[C]

Well, I was sort of even on going, but then I got to studying about it and just allowed. I better get out here and try to keep some of these boys out of devilment tonight if I could. I don't aim to put up with none of their carrying on tonight. They just might. And I turned this town upside down as last year and I don't aim to stand for it again.

[B]

Oh, well, they're just having some fun. Halloween don't come but once a year.

[C]

That's just once too often, too. I catch every one of them youngins doing a thing tonight that he or until I'm going to throw him right smack in jail.

[B]

Oh, they don't mean no harm, Abner.

[C]

Let him go.

[B]

Let him have a good time.

[C]

I'm the deputy town marshal here and it's my job to protect folks's property. This thing of just letting youngins in this community run wild just caught his. Halloween has got to stop. It's a reflect on my office, that's what it is.

[B]

Reflect on your office.

[C]

Why, sure it is. Folks will be jumping me all day tomorrow. Somebody has took their front gate off or wanting me to locate a wagon they pulled off or.

[B]

Oh, they don't blame you with it.

[C]

Not on Halloween night they do too. They'll go look after all their houses and see if the young UN's don't bother nothing while they're gone.

[B]

Well, they ought to take it in the Halloween spirit. No use to get mad about it.

[C]

Well, they do, though, of course, the.

[B]

Young un's oughtn't to do no damage to nobody's property. Ain't nothing funny about that but tic tacing and carrying jack O lanterns and one thing and another's all right.

[C]

I don't see no sense in any of it. Just looks like the young un's here late years have just went plum hog wild.

[B]

I don't know. Is there any worse now than they ever was?

[C]

Abner Ain't no worse.

[B]

When most of us was growing up, we was might nighs bad.

[C]

No, no, no, we weren't. No, we weren't.

[B]

I don't suppose you recollect who them three boys was that went over to Grandpappy Spears house when he was having that Halloween party years ago and climb up on top of the house and laid boards on top of the chimney and smoked everybody out of the house, do you?

[C]

Lord me? I might laugh.

[B]

Yeah, Coach. Yeah.

[C]

I never seen folks pile out of a house so fat in my life that. Michaela, we Hunt and me.

[B]

That's just who it was.

[C]

Don't you know though, long before we done that, we. We unhitched the teams that was tied out in front of the house and turned the horses and mules loose right down the big road everybody had to walk on.

[B]

Yeah. Forgot about that.

[C]

O. It was freezing cold. Snowing was amen. That was my idea, I believe. I thought that stone up, I think.

[B]

Yeah. You used to be a sight on Halloween.

[C]

Oh, I had some good eyes.

[B]

Nothing too ornery for you to do that.

[C]

No. You recollect the time long we went over the old vesses and throwed all this st. Wood down there. Well, every sick of it.

[B]

Poor old Vess had to get up the next morning. Bor he would from his neighbors before ever could start a fire.

[C]

Funniest thing about it old Vess had to go the expense of having his well cleaned out just ruin his drinking water. Might not.

[B]

Oh, yeah, he was mad enough to buy it.

[C]

Oh, his carried water from the creek for months there.

[B]

Tried his best to find who done that. Said if you ever found out who done it, he'd loam to the high court.

[C]

Yeah, he'd have done it too. That's just how honoring cranky that varmint was.

[B]

But the funniest thing we ever done to my notions was the time we. The time we hitched old Doc Murphy's horse up backwards in the shafts to the buggy.

[C]

Doc Murphy?

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I don't believe I recollect that.

[B]

Well, you was there. You helped do it. Well, don't you know? We passed by somebody's place and old Doc was making a call there and we had no more and got his horse around backwards in the shafts till he come out today.

[C]

I recollect now he never taken no notice. It was a dark air. And he crawled up there and give that horse a lick with a buggy whip. And he run that buggy backers right into a real fence. Stumped old Doc right there.

[B]

Turned the buggy over and like to broke Doc Murphy's neck.

[C]

Oh, it did. It did.

[B]

Now that was hor. That was mean Doc or that took that horse whip and give us a good licking for that.

[C]

Well, there's another thing. Too little I'll tell you. Licking in them days is something you never forgot right away when they give you a whipping, you stayed whooper. Sometime when I say that I just.

[B]

Called a mine Abner. The time he slept over bad voices.

[C]

They all sat there at the table eating supper. And we taking a big handful of shell corn and throw it up again. A dining room winter like they scared them to death.

[B]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking about. I never will forget it. Never will forget it.

[C]

You know, little Zuler was just fixing to take a drink of milk and it scared her so bad she throwed that glass right in there Grandpa's face.

[B]

Well, you know dad false had a big mouthful of grub and Betty likes to joke beating him on the back had him laying down on the kitchen floor.

[C]

Oh yeah, just a trumpet. Doggies walking over old times this way. Might not makes me want to get out and do something tonight.

[B]

Going around snow over little hallies and stuff like that.

[C]

Halloween I did love it. Did love it. I'm just a good mind to hunt me up a bunch of boys and giant up with them tonight. Lum.

[B]

Now wouldn't you look good out playing us at your age.

[C]

What nobody wouldn't know who it was. What do you say Lum? Let me get a sheet and dress up like ghost and we'll both go.

[B]

No sir. No sir, not me. I. I tried that a few years back.

[C]

You did, huh?

[B]

I was coming back home from a Halloween party one night and met a big bunch of boys pulling somebody's wagon down the road. Said he's going to put it up on top of the schoolhouse. So I told him I'd just go along and help him. Why sure brung back old times to me so.

[C]

Yeah, ain't tried that in ages.

[B]

So we taken the wagon all apart and got up on top of the schoolhouse and pulled it up with a rope piece at a time. Set it back up together on top.

[C]

I help do that once. That is a job.

[B]

Oh, hit taking us might now till daylight the next morning.

[C]

Why sure.

[B]

And the funny part of the whole thing. I got up the next morning to hitch up my team and my wagon was gone. I started looking for it and blamed if I hadn't worked all night helping put my own wagon up on top of the school.

[C]

Well, I do know that was a good one on you.

[B]

You take it all the way around there. I don't believe the young UN's this day and time are any worse than they was when we as kids growing up.

[C]

Well, no, maybe not. You know, mighty easy to forget when you start getting older. You forget some of the stunts you pulled yourself.

[B]

Thanks. Is I don't believe they're as bad nowadays.

[C]

I don't either. They might not be.

[B]

They wouldn't do some of the ornery things we done.

[C]

I don't Believe it.

[B]

No, they're getting more civilized, I reckon.

[C]

Oh yeah, they don't tear up property like they used to. I'll admit that. They've learned, I reckon that they can have just as much fun, maybe more just playing pranks that don't hurt nobody.

[B]

Yeah, that's what I say.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

Well, I go had your mind all made up to go out and arrest them and throw them the last one of them in jail.

[C]

Oh doggies. Well, I'm proud we got to talking it over. I'm just mightin myself. I believe I will dress up and go wear the party with you, Long. Just let the youngins have all the fun they want to tonight. Let em go. I don't care. Let em tear it out.

[B]

They ain't gonna hurt nothing.

[C]

Why, of course not.

[B]

It'd be a downright shame to bother on Halloween night when they're just playing little old pranks that don't hurt nothing.

[C]

Why sure. I ought to be ashamed of myself for even thinking about it. Yeah, I'll go along with you, Long, if you don' of course not.

[B]

Come ahead. Be glad to have you.

[C]

Yeah, well, just make yourself at home and I'll go back here and see if I can find a bed sheet to dress myself up in. No, but I better look around and find a pillar case. That's already got some holes in it though. Elizabeth about giving me a good whooping. She catches me cutting holding one of her good pillars sleeves. I'll find some back here somewhere.

[B]

Well, you better wait and put it on after you get out of the yard. That dog of yours will about take in after both of us.

[C]

Oh no, he knows me. Uh oh, there goes my ring. And that's more than likely some smart aleck making a complaint already about these Halloween youngins.

[B]

Well, just tell them that you ain't gonna bother the youngins.

[C]

I'll tell them. Hello? Yeah, this is him, but I.

[A]

Who?

[C]

Oh yeah, he's sitting right here. Just a minute here. Mom, somebody wants you.

[B]

Wants me?

[C]

That's what they said.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Hello? Yeah, this is Lum. Oh, hello, Charlie. Happy Halloween.

[C]

Glad that Lum helped me out of doing that.

[B]

Yeah, well dad blame their Henri Hyde. Charlie, run over there and see if you can find out who any of them is. I'll have Abner come over there and throw the whole bunch of them in jail.

[C]

What's that?

[B]

Abner? Get your coat and hat on. There's a bunch of them ornery boys over there at my place taking my front gate down and hanging it up in a tree. It.