Two Weeks to Live... Starring old time radio guys Chester Lauck and Norris Goff, moved to the movie screen. And of course, Frank Pangborn as Mr. Pinkney. They inherit a railroad, and decide that being conductor is more fun than being president of the company. Then they are off to the big city for the wheeling and dealing of running the railroad. Lots of fun puns and quick one and two liners! The sound and picture quality are pretty rough, but these disks were probably copied after the copyright ran out (?). Lots of adventures, gags, fun characters that come and go. There IS a pretty good (if silly) plot line here, but it really doesn't matter... we're just along for the gags, jokes, punchlines. A fun watch, even if you never heard their radio shows back in the old days. Lots of outdoor location shots, and downtown LA. Too bad that as of today, none are listed in Locations on IMDb. Also liberal use of backdrops. Very Beverly Hillbillie-ish, but still a lot of fun. This is interesting, even just for historical reasons. If you haven't heard of them before, check them out at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lum_and_Abner . This is just one of a bunch of films they made in the 1940s.Directed by Malcolm St. Clair, who worked with ALL the biggies - Mack Sennett, Laurel & Hardy, Joan Crawford, Clara Bow.

Lum and Abner head to Chicago to get the deed on the railroad line Abner has inherited, and for some reason, Abner is mistakenly identified as dying. This leads to encounters with a lot of wacky folks, most notably a window washer accompanied by the ghost of his dog. More like a series of vignettes or a compilation of shorts rolled together into a feature, "Two Weeks to Live" has a lot of funny moments but no real purpose. Franklin Pangborn adds his usual touch to the film as a building manager scared of being sued by Abner for falling down his stairs. But overall, the film seems like some second rate script that Laurel and Hardy would have turned down.

Chester Lauck and Norris Goff made the characters of Lum&Abner household names, in their time they were as famous on radio as Amos&Andy. Both men were fortunate in that they looked like the characters they played on radio so making films was a smooth transition for them. During the height of their popularity in the Forties before television they made a few films and Two Weeks To Live is one of them.These two gentle rustics, proprietors of the local grocery store in Pine Ridge Arkansas find out that Abner has inherited a railroad and they start dreaming big. Turns out it's just a Hooterville Cannonball type line that carried ore from a gold mine that Abner's uncle owned back in the day that's long played out. In fact when probate and taxes are done they owe money. And they've sold right of ways to the various farmers back in Pine Ridge and they're in some deep debt now.To pay it off they engage in various schemes as the plot moves from one crazy situation to another. Abner even gets a diagnosis mixed up with a man with Two Weeks To Live hence the title. Lum starts using Abner the way Crosby used Hope in those various Road pictures. They also get involved with saboteurs, a crazy mad scientist who wants to send one of the boys to Mars in a rocket, and a window washer with an invisible dog.The production values aren't much, the film looks like it was shot with a brownie camera, still it's quite amusing. Lum&Abner were the predecessor for the Beverly Hillbillies, Andy Griffith and all sorts of television with a rural red state setting. Their naive and gentle humor is still amusing.

The movie has Abner inheriting a railroad from his uncle in Chicago and Lum having the idea that they should buy the rightaway from local areas so the train can run through Pine Ridge, using the money from local citizens. When the two reach Chicago, they find out the train is something to be better used for scrap. Abner then slips down the lawyers stairs, and is taken to the doctor. The results of Abner's diagnosis are mixed and then mistakenly learns he has two weeks to live. Abner then takes on a series of dangerous stunts in order to pay back the money to the Pine Ridge citizens. The movie has its moments and interesting characters, but strictly this is an OK B picture used to capitalize on the radio series. Worth watching if you like the show. Rating, 6 out of 10.