Ain't That a Knee-Slapper: Rural Comedy in the Twentieth Century

Chapter Four: Feudin’, Fussin’, and A-Fightin’

- 94 Feudin ', Fussin', and A-Fightin' S ome historians—but by no means all of them—believe that, in many ways, decades cannot always be defined in ten-year increments, such as 1930–39, 1950–59, and so on. Instead, they feel, decades can be more accurately measured by dividing them according to historical events or even pop culture . This line of thinking designates the 1930s as beginning with the stock market crash of 1929 and ending with U.S. involvement in World War II in 1941. That event would mark the beginning of the 1940s, which would end culturally at the conclusion of the war in 1945—or, possibly, the 1948 presidential election, in which Dewey did not defeat Truman. The 1950s would stretch until the Kennedy assassination in 1963, and the 1960s would extend until the Watergate era of 1973–74. Confusing, isn’t it? At any rate, movies released in 1940 somehow seem to belong to the previous decade. We have already examined the live-action Li’l Abner film and others that were released that year because they and their subject matter were products of the 1930s, but before diving headfirst into a global conflict, we need to get another couple of matters out of the way. You will recall that way back when, we mentioned that Lum and Abner had temporarily left the air in March 1940 so Chester “Lum” Lauck and Norris “Abner” Goff could make their first movie. That film was finally released by RKO as Dreaming Out Loud in August Chapter Four - 95 1940 . Appropriately, it had what the press lauded as an “all-Arkansas premiere,” with celebrations taking place in Little Rock, Hot Springs, Fort Smith, and Lauck and Goff’s hometown of Mena all within a few days’ time. Dreaming Out Loud differs markedly from subsequent Lum and Abner films. Although audiences undoubtedly went to see it because of the pair’s radio comedy reputation, what unreeled on the screen turned out to be a fairly serious story with the two Pine Ridge storekeepers adding some comedy scenes to keep things moving. The main plot deals with the town’s need for a mobile medical unit, as the old local doctor (played by Frank Craven) suffers a stroke as a result of overwork and can no longer perform his duties. Adding to Lum and Abner’s problems is the fact that Effie Lou, daughter of town drunk Wes Daniels (the ubiquitous Irving Bacon), is killed by a hit-and-run driver—and if the town had had the proper medical facilities, she might have lived. Wealthy old Jessica Spence (Clara Blandick, best known as Aunt Em in The Wizard of Oz) has Lum and Abner’s first movie, Dreaming Out Loud (1940), had less comedy and more drama than their future films. Feudin’, Fussin’, and A-Fightin’ - 96 the needed moolah to make this dream a reality, but because the old doc jilted her affections years ago, she has become bitter and refuses to do anything that would help him. Her beautiful niece, Alice (Frances Langford, who sings the title song), and Alice’s young brother, Jimmy (child star Bobs Watson), are caught in the middle, especially since Jimmy saw the hit-and-run and knows that the “death car” belonged to his Aunt Jessie. Is all of this sufficiently tear-jerking? Amid it all, Lum and Abner have not only comedy scenes but genuinely touching ones as well, as they demonstrate the same humanity as portrayed on their radio programs (which were not always yuk-it-up fun and games either). They demonstrate their true acting ability in moments such as when they comfort the griefstricken alcoholic Wes Daniels after his daughter’s murder; Wes gives up drinking on the spot and becomes a deputy constable, with his main thought being to track down Effie Lou’s killer. In one of the more lighthearted moments, Lum and Abner’s never-ending checker game is interrupted by a phone call, and while Lum takes down an order, Abner continues playing, controlling both sides of the checkerboard. He gets into such a loud argument with himself over whether he is cheating that Lum cannot hear the customer on the phone. Dreaming Out Loud differs from all the future Lum and Abner movies not only because of its dramatic plot but also because none of the other characters from the...