Fibber Gives Up Cigars

Originally Aired: October 8, 1940

Fibber McGee & Molly #256, "Fibber Gives Up Cigars,"

In this episode, Fibber McGee finds himself in the doctor's office complaining of headaches and general malaise. After a thorough examination, the doctor delivers his diagnosis: Fibber must quit smoking his 25 daily cigars completely for one week and adopt a bland diet. While Fibber reluctantly agrees to the treatment, Molly knows her husband all too well. The doctor privately gives Molly a secret weapon—a bottle of medicine that, when added to coffee in small doses, makes tobacco taste terrible. He warns her to use only three drops at a time.

No sooner does Fibber leave the doctor's office than his willpower begins to crumble. Despite handing over his cigars to Molly for safekeeping, Fibber quickly finds an excuse to duck into a drugstore, where he purchases a cigar and secretly orders a whole box of El Ropos to be delivered to the Elks Club. As he tries to rationalize smoking "just one drag" to prove his willpower to Molly, it becomes clear that his attempt to quit will be anything but easy.