Seized By The Indians

Originally aired May 3, 1937, this episode of Fibber McGee & Molly continues the Hollywood road trip saga as the McGees roll their trailer across the desert. Along the way, they discover stowaways—little Teeny, orchestra leader Jimmy Greer, and his entire band—before stopping at a dusty lunch stand where even the water comes straight from their radiator.

Fibber spins tall tales of his cowboy past as “Deputy Dealer McGee, the daredevil dogger of desert desperadoes,” while Molly contends with ham-and-eggs menus, prospector chatter, and Grandma “Foothill Fanny,” a trick rider who mistakes a catfish for a four-leaf clover. Things take a dangerous turn when Fibber offends the local tribe by asking to dance with the chief’s daughter, and he is seized for punishment. Only Harlow Wilcox, with a timely $700 payoff, saves McGee from being burned at the stake—just in time for him to discover it’s broadcast night.

Blending Western parody with slapstick peril, sponsor tie-ins to Johnson’s Auto Wax, and cameos from Joy Hodges, Elmo Tanner, and Jimmy Greer’s orchestra, this episode captures the wild misadventures of a road trip gone hilariously wrong.