Molly’s Chinchilla Coat

Originally Aired: February 27, 1940

In Fibber McGee & Molly #237, "Molly's Chinchilla Coat," Molly is eager to show off her new Siberian chinchilla fur coat around the neighborhood, despite Fibber's protests that it's too warm for such extravagant outerwear. When Fibber needs a button sewn on his shirt, Molly realizes she's out of white thread and must run to the ten cent store, giving her the perfect excuse to parade around town in her luxurious new purchase. As the McGees head out, Molly gets her wish when they encounter the snobbish Mrs. Uppington, leading to a deliciously catty exchange where compliments barely mask mutual disdain and barbed insults fly beneath a veneer of politeness.

The couple then runs into their neighbor Mr. Gildersleeve, who notices that Fibber appears to be catching cold in his insufficient turtleneck sweater. This sparks the typical contentious banter between Fibber and Gildersleeve, with Fibber defensively insisting he's a lifelong snappy dresser and launching into one of his trademark tongue-twisting alliterative monologues about his sartorial prowess, leaving everyone breathless.