The Misadventures of Si and Elmer

The Misadventures of Si and Elmer follows the adventures of two elderly hayseeds who become detectives through a correspondence course from "The Snoop and Sneak Detective School" after "40 years of whittling in front of the general store." Si and Elmer portray all the entertainment industry's stereotypes of the time of country folk, but still manage to outwit the various villains, many of them city slickers, who underestimate their innate canniness. Perry Crandal played Si; reportedly, William H. Reynolds played Elmer, but I have not been able to document that.

The show is considered by many to be an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Lum and Abner, which aired from 1931 til 1954. The series dates from the early 1930s and appears to have been transcribed, as each episode closes with the announcer's telling listeners that "your announcer will tell you when you may hear the next episode."

For more information, see the Old Time Radio Catalog.

Series description provided by Frank Bell.