Newspaper Column

Originally Aired: September 19, 1939

Fibber McGee & Molly #214, "Newspaper Column,"

Fibber has landed himself a job as a gossip columnist for the Wistful Vista Gazette, filling in while the regular columnist takes a vacation. Eager to prove himself in the newspaper business, he throws himself into the work with characteristic enthusiasm, though Molly worries about the personal nature of gossip reporting. Her concerns prove justified when a gentleman arrives at the office brandishing a horsewhip, apparently angered by something Fibber has written. McGee hastily considers printing a blanket retraction before he and Molly make a quick escape out the back door.

The pair head to Will Hooley's Grand Terrace Cafe and Pool Room, the hottest nightspot in town, where Fibber hopes to dig up fresh gossip items for his column. After exchanging jokes with the Old Timer at the door, they settle in for dinner and ask their waiter to point out any celebrities. The waiter obliges by identifying debutante Brenda Axel Biddle and another notable patron across the room, but his final identification catches Fibber completely off guard.