# Fibber McGee and Molly - "The Mystery of the Missing Garbage Can, Part 1" (Old Time Radio, 1955)

An episode of [Fibber McGee and Molly | Old Time Radio](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1858238532), 15 Aug 2026, 15 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74039673/a1494f029d53cd25_mastered.mp3

Fibber McGee and Molly presents “The Mystery of the Missing Garbage Can, Part 1,” originally broadcast on NBC on January 31, 1955. This archival episode is identified as episode 1087 and features Jim Jordan as Fibber McGee and Marian Jordan as Molly McGee. When a household garbage can disappears, Fibber takes it upon himself to investigate. This opening chapter of a comic domestic mystery finds the McGees beginning a search that will continue in subsequent broadcasts. Originally heard during the series’ later 15-minute weekday format, the episode captures Fibber and Molly in a compact mid-1950s adventure. Fibber McGee and Molly presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:36 Original Broadcast 14:56 Closing Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: A household garbage can has disappeared, and Fiber McGhee takes
[0:04] Speaker 1: it upon himself to solve the mystery. From NBC's later
[0:08] Speaker 1: fifteen minute weekday run, comes Fiber McGhee and Molly, with
[0:12] Speaker 1: Jim Jordan as Fibber and Marion Jordan as Molly. This
[0:17] Speaker 1: is the Mystery of the Missing Garbage Can, Part one,
[0:20] Speaker 1: episode one thousand eighty seven, originally broadcast January thirty first,
[0:25] Speaker 1: nineteen fifty five. Fibber's search is only beginning, with the
[0:29] Speaker 1: domestic mystery set to continue in the broadcasts ahead. Here
[0:33] Speaker 1: is the original broadcast.
[0:36] Speaker 2: It's time for Fiber McGhee and Mollie.
[0:45] Speaker 3: Sundays through Thursdays, NBC brings you Fiber McGee and Molly transcribed.
[0:50] Speaker 3: The show is written by Phil Leslie and Lenn Levinson
[0:53] Speaker 3: and directed by Max Huttle. Let's listen to Februar and
[1:03] Speaker 3: Mali for a moment before we get into our story.
[1:05] Speaker 4: McGee, If you happen to be downtown tomorrow, there's a
[1:08] Speaker 4: sale on at the bond time.
[1:09] Speaker 5: Whoop, whoop, hold it, hold it, kiddo. Isn't there a
[1:11] Speaker 5: safer way to save money than bargain hunting there is.
[1:14] Speaker 4: If you're thinking about the Prudentials new low cost Preferred
[1:17] Speaker 4: Whole Life Plan.
[1:18] Speaker 5: I'm thinking about it, Molli, and I admit, if people
[1:21] Speaker 5: want more family protection for their life insurance dollar, the
[1:24] Speaker 5: Preferred Whole Life plan is for them. It's really low cost.
[1:28] Speaker 5: And to qualify you just have to be between the
[1:30] Speaker 5: ages of twenty one and fifty nine, in good physical shape,
[1:34] Speaker 5: in a non hazardous occupation, and need ten thousand dollars
[1:38] Speaker 5: or more of additional life insurance.
[1:39] Speaker 4: And when we say Prudentials Preferred Whole Life is low cost,
[1:43] Speaker 4: we mean.
[1:44] Speaker 5: It particularly when you think about what this plan will
[1:46] Speaker 5: provide income for the family if something happens to Dad
[1:50] Speaker 5: or if things go okay, Money toward a care free,
[1:53] Speaker 5: independent retirement for mom and pop.
[1:55] Speaker 4: How about seeing your prudential agent tomorrow. He'll be glad
[1:58] Speaker 4: to show you how to make your family future more
[2:00] Speaker 4: secure through the Prudential the Company. With the strength of Gibraltar.
[2:15] Speaker 2: Ladies and gentlemen, you're about to witness the beginning of
[2:18] Speaker 2: a most unusual and baffling police case. The mystery of
[2:21] Speaker 2: the missing McGee garbage can.
[2:30] Speaker 5: Caper got underway this afternoon at around two. They were
[2:33] Speaker 5: taking minutes. I came out the back door and walked
[2:38] Speaker 5: towards the yelling. The sun had a wintry smile, like
[2:42] Speaker 5: comforty bollguard during a mad love scene. Nice shivered, Sure
[2:48] Speaker 5: is cold? Less, Oh high, mister McGhee, sious, I'll be
[2:52] Speaker 5: with you as soon as I dumped this debris in
[2:53] Speaker 5: our garbage Can you tie that? Why? What's the miner,
[2:56] Speaker 5: mister McGee? I can't see our can. That's funny. You
[2:59] Speaker 5: see it anywhere else? Our can?
[3:01] Speaker 6: No, no can see can. Ah, it'll probably turned up, though.
[3:07] Speaker 5: It'd better turn up. That was practically a brand new
[3:09] Speaker 5: garbage can. That's a darn funny thing. You know what
[3:12] Speaker 5: was here last night? You suppose somebody stole it? Less
[3:15] Speaker 5: will say, now, come to think of it.
[3:18] Speaker 3: By one o'clock last night, I did hear some people
[3:20] Speaker 3: talking out here in the alley, and there was a
[3:23] Speaker 3: car motor id lit.
[3:26] Speaker 5: A clue at last, I thanked Less walked back in
[3:30] Speaker 5: the house to talk things over with my mom. Hey, Molly,
[3:34] Speaker 5: somebody's gone and stole our garbage bucket. Somebody's wife our
[3:37] Speaker 5: brand new garbage can that you got down to Bontain
[3:39] Speaker 5: last month, it's been stolen.
[3:41] Speaker 7: Oh, it'll probably turn up dary.
[3:42] Speaker 4: Maybe somebody picked it up by a mistake, or maybe
[3:44] Speaker 4: the garbage man carried it off by accident.
[3:47] Speaker 5: Or maybe somebody stole it. Hand me the phone. Thanks,
[3:50] Speaker 5: who you call it? Police? Who else? Hello? Operator? Give
[3:53] Speaker 5: me the police station. This is pippermjeev. Where's Molly? It's murder.
[3:57] Speaker 7: I'm not surprised.
[3:57] Speaker 5: Ah's every little thing where it is. Eh. Let's say
[4:01] Speaker 5: your cousin on the basketball team, he was high man
[4:04] Speaker 5: in the game saturday.
[4:05] Speaker 7: Huh how good for him? How many points did he score?
[4:07] Speaker 5: Didn't score any well?
[4:08] Speaker 7: How could he be high mann?
[4:09] Speaker 5: He's eight foot six. He just stands with his head
[4:12] Speaker 5: in the bucket so the other team can't get the
[4:13] Speaker 5: ball through. And what say murt? Police station's busy. Huh,
[4:16] Speaker 5: Well when you get him, have the guy in charge
[4:18] Speaker 5: of Larson. He called me back, Well you thanks, gonna
[4:20] Speaker 5: call me back good in about fifteen minutes. You ever
[4:28] Speaker 5: take ten in the way the telephone? Rang I hurried
[4:33] Speaker 5: to answer it.
[4:34] Speaker 7: Seventy nine wistful vista my McGee speaking.
[4:36] Speaker 5: But my wife had beaten me to it.
[4:38] Speaker 7: It's for you McGee.
[4:40] Speaker 5: Hello, you want f McGee.
[4:42] Speaker 6: Oh he wants me. Who you, Detective, Lieutenant Dolan.
[4:46] Speaker 5: Oh, yeah, you're the guy in charge of thieves, ain't you.
[4:49] Speaker 6: I'm in charge of apprehending thieves.
[4:50] Speaker 8: If that's what you mean.
[4:51] Speaker 5: Yeah, well you do loot. I want you to come
[4:54] Speaker 5: out to our house and investigate the disappearance of our garbage.
[4:56] Speaker 6: Can speak louder please, It sounded like you said garbage.
[4:59] Speaker 5: Can precisely, My dear Dolan. You've been having a wave
[5:03] Speaker 5: of hot garbage can test lately.
[5:05] Speaker 6: Oh you've been having a wave of hot flashes lately.
[5:07] Speaker 5: What you mean by that? Buster?
[5:09] Speaker 6: I mean this is a police for It's not the
[5:11] Speaker 6: sanitation department. We don't fool around with vanishing incinerators, missing rubbies,
[5:15] Speaker 6: disappearing debre or gone garbage.
[5:17] Speaker 5: But this was abanable if your.
[5:19] Speaker 6: Garbage was valuable, mister, come down and.
[5:21] Speaker 5: File a property report. Ooh, and we'll.
[5:24] Speaker 6: Send you out to this eat domb LEGI identify it,
[5:26] Speaker 6: but I'll bring along a couple of witnesses who can
[5:28] Speaker 6: square at yours, and after we've run usual investigation, you'll
[5:31] Speaker 6: probably get it back. If I were you, I just
[5:33] Speaker 6: forgot the whole thing and make a fresh start.
[5:35] Speaker 7: Goodbye.
[5:38] Speaker 5: Well for the ball said no huh in four or
[5:41] Speaker 5: five thousand words, Yes, and by George, this thing is
[5:45] Speaker 5: getting my backup. That's what this thing is getting my back.
[5:47] Speaker 5: We'll see about it. If somebody can steal a guy's
[5:49] Speaker 5: personal properly like this and may not get.
[5:51] Speaker 4: It back or no, McGee, it only costs three to
[5:53] Speaker 4: ninety eight ilcohol a bon ton and arder.
[5:55] Speaker 5: And no, no you don't. I'll run my own investigation,
[5:58] Speaker 5: missus McGhee. Ah, I wasn't a member of the volunteer
[6:01] Speaker 5: Civil Defense Police squad at one time? For nothing? Was I?
[6:03] Speaker 7: Yes, you were? You never got a cent for it.
[6:05] Speaker 5: I got experienced, though. I know the ins and outs
[6:08] Speaker 5: of the criminal mind, my dear, the haunts and hideouts
[6:10] Speaker 5: of the lawless.
[6:11] Speaker 7: Oh, now, don't go getting mixed up in a lot
[6:13] Speaker 7: of trouble.
[6:14] Speaker 5: You don't you trouble your curly little mind. I know
[6:16] Speaker 5: what I'm doing. I'm just going downtown and mosey along
[6:19] Speaker 5: skid row, going to case the pawnshops and look for
[6:22] Speaker 5: a fence who handles hot garbage cans.
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[7:43] Speaker 5: I slung off Oak Street on the thirteenth skin drull
[7:49] Speaker 5: dead red, and clouds shut off the sun like an
[7:51] Speaker 5: unpaid lightning. All around were the sullen, broken faces of
[7:57] Speaker 5: sullen broken man. I went on watching and pretending not
[8:02] Speaker 5: to watch, walking and pretending not to walk, when suddenly
[8:06] Speaker 5: a heavy hand you ever take twenty pounds fell on
[8:10] Speaker 5: my shoulder. Hello, niggee, what are you doing in this
[8:12] Speaker 5: dirty neck of the wood. Oh my gosh, you scirt me.
[8:15] Speaker 5: Doc Hey, what's the idea creeping up on a guy
[8:17] Speaker 5: like a sup of woolen underwear? What's the idea of
[8:19] Speaker 5: you sneaking from doorway to doorway like a kid playing
[8:21] Speaker 5: Cops and robbers? That's exactly what I'm doing, doc only
[8:24] Speaker 5: I'm not playing. Somebody stole our garbage? Can stole it
[8:28] Speaker 5: our brand new garbage can. Well, if you're looking for
[8:31] Speaker 5: a replacement, sonny, I wouldn't recommend skid row. Why don't
[8:35] Speaker 5: you try this to heights. You can snag a much
[8:37] Speaker 5: handsomer garbage pail in that neighborhood than you can't hear.
[8:40] Speaker 5: I'm not here to steal a replacement. You a big
[8:42] Speaker 5: slander slinger. I'm down here sleuthing around to dig up
[8:45] Speaker 5: a clue. And where's ours at? Oh? Fine? You think
[8:47] Speaker 5: one of these characters is gonna stroll by with it
[8:49] Speaker 5: on his arm? Maybe? No, I don't think on his arm.
[8:52] Speaker 5: Maybe what I do think is it somewhere around this
[8:55] Speaker 5: neighborhood there's a hawk shop that'll buy anything, including hot
[8:58] Speaker 5: garbage buckets. And I'm going to find out which one
[9:00] Speaker 5: it is well. I wish you luck, Sherlock, and I'm
[9:03] Speaker 5: sure if such a ridiculous pace exists you'll find it.
[9:06] Speaker 5: Thank you, doctor, because if there was ever a man
[9:08] Speaker 5: equipped for a job, you're the man. Thank you doctor.
[9:10] Speaker 5: In fact, if I were organizing a posse to run
[9:13] Speaker 5: down stolen buckets, I'd make you head man. So good
[9:16] Speaker 5: luck bucket ahead to say I was burnt up, don't
[9:22] Speaker 5: quite tell the story. Like Jonah listing his occupation as
[9:26] Speaker 5: sea traveler. I continued down thirteenth Street, dismissing dot gamble
[9:31] Speaker 5: from my mind. I must have gone four or five blocks,
[9:35] Speaker 5: give or take a couple of miles either way on
[9:38] Speaker 5: a caught sight of a sign. Hmmm, Sam's used umbrella
[9:42] Speaker 5: and hand me down Miss Laney's store. We buy and
[9:45] Speaker 5: sell anything. Well, reasee my hide and call me oily.
[9:51] Speaker 5: This is the blaze. I sidled up to the door,
[9:55] Speaker 5: casual like we gave it the once over twice, the
[10:00] Speaker 5: ning my overcoat high around my chin. You ever take
[10:02] Speaker 5: a couple? I opened the door and entered inside of
[10:10] Speaker 5: the store was like being kissed by an elephant. Messy
[10:15] Speaker 5: out of the gloom loomed the character who reminded me
[10:17] Speaker 5: of a defective inner tube. Yes, what can I do
[10:20] Speaker 5: for you? Stranger? Oh? Hi, are you the fellow runs
[10:24] Speaker 5: this place? Yes, that's right. What can I do for you? Sir? Well?
[10:31] Speaker 5: I was thinking that is. I was wondering about garbage
[10:33] Speaker 5: cans now, not new ones, just nearly new ones. Much
[10:36] Speaker 5: of a market hereabouts. I mean, if anybody offered you
[10:38] Speaker 5: a batch of them, would you buy them? They'd be
[10:40] Speaker 5: worth while handling.
[10:41] Speaker 1: Huh, garbage cans, you said, garbage cans?
[10:47] Speaker 5: Yeah, sure, you know the kind they use for garbage.
[10:50] Speaker 5: You dealing them? Huh? No questions asking all stuff like that.
[10:53] Speaker 5: They're on account of my mo I guess you'd say,
[10:55] Speaker 5: I'm interested.
[10:58] Speaker 1: Suppose you come back in half an hour and see
[11:01] Speaker 1: my partner.
[11:03] Speaker 5: Oh you got a partner, silent partner. Okay, I'll be back.
[11:10] Speaker 5: I was on the scent at last. My hunch was
[11:12] Speaker 5: paying off. The next half hour passed the slows trying
[11:16] Speaker 5: to get a whale through a revolving door. I staked
[11:19] Speaker 5: myself out in a neighborhood drinkery, downing root beer after
[11:22] Speaker 5: root beer until it was time to float out and
[11:25] Speaker 5: meet Sam silent partner. A minute I returned. I knew
[11:32] Speaker 5: he was there too, because he came out from the
[11:34] Speaker 5: gloom and spoke.
[11:36] Speaker 8: You're the party interested in garbage cans.
[11:38] Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, that's right, what you're getting from medium sized,
[11:41] Speaker 5: almost new, hardly slightly used buckets these days with lids.
[11:44] Speaker 8: Of course, what do you care what we get from, buddy?
[11:47] Speaker 8: You're only interested in what we'd pay you farm, aren't you?
[11:49] Speaker 5: And now wait a minute, you're going too fast for me.
[11:52] Speaker 8: How many you got to sell? Buddy? Where'd you get them?
[11:54] Speaker 8: Where are they stashed away? Where'd you pick them up?
[11:56] Speaker 5: Say? Who are you asking all them questions? And where's sand?
[11:58] Speaker 8: Never mind him? Just take a looking badge, buddy. I'm
[12:01] Speaker 8: Lieutenant Dolan of the Thefty Tail Dolan. All I know
[12:04] Speaker 8: you most of the guys in your racket. Do Come
[12:07] Speaker 8: on along, buddy, We're going down a headquarters and talk
[12:09] Speaker 8: about those garbage cans you've been lifting.
[12:11] Speaker 5: Hey, now wait a minute. You think I've been stealing
[12:13] Speaker 5: garbage cans?
[12:14] Speaker 8: That's the general idea. Only when some guy named McGhee
[12:17] Speaker 8: call up and told me about it, I thought he
[12:18] Speaker 8: was off his rocker.
[12:19] Speaker 5: That McGhee, that's me.
[12:20] Speaker 8: Now you're off your rocker. Come on, come on quietly,
[12:23] Speaker 8: or I'll put the cuts on you.
[12:34] Speaker 3: Fever and Molly will be right back. Everyone called him
[12:38] Speaker 3: an ugly man. He wasn't really least why is not
[12:40] Speaker 3: when he smiled? That was the thought in Mary Todd's
[12:44] Speaker 3: mind as she prepared a snack for mister Lincoln the
[12:46] Speaker 3: first time he came calling. Don't miss Mary and Abe
[12:49] Speaker 3: Lincoln's captivating love story and the condensation of the best
[12:52] Speaker 3: selling book Love Is Eternal by Irving Stone. In the
[12:56] Speaker 3: February issue of Woman's Home Companion, read how this shot
[13:00] Speaker 3: backwoodsman proposed to marry why he didn't have the courage
[13:03] Speaker 3: to announce their engagement in the first part of a
[13:05] Speaker 3: condensation of Love Is Eternal. And in the same issue,
[13:10] Speaker 3: you want to read the never before told story of
[13:12] Speaker 3: Joan Crawford, the woman why I didn't hear three marriages
[13:15] Speaker 3: work out? Learn about her desire to have a family
[13:18] Speaker 3: and what she did when she found out she couldn't
[13:21] Speaker 3: read the story I've Never Told by Joan Crawford. Get
[13:25] Speaker 3: your copy of Woman's Home Companion today. You just can't
[13:28] Speaker 3: afford to miss it.
[13:39] Speaker 4: And I had to do quite a bit of explaining
[13:41] Speaker 4: to Lieutenant Dolan before I got you.
[13:43] Speaker 5: Out of that calaboose, Thanks Kittle.
[13:45] Speaker 4: I couldn't seem to make him understand why anybody would
[13:48] Speaker 4: spend the whole day looking for a lost garbage can.
[13:51] Speaker 4: And you know something, the more I tried to explain
[13:54] Speaker 4: it to him, the more I couldn't understand it myself.
[13:56] Speaker 5: It wasn't lost, it was stolen, and they're not going
[13:59] Speaker 5: to get away with it. Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll find that
[14:01] Speaker 5: garbage candy. Good Night, Good Night.
[14:04] Speaker 4: All.
[14:12] Speaker 3: Fibber, McGee and Molly is an NBC Radio Network production
[14:15] Speaker 3: transcribed with Arthur Q. Bryant as Doctor Gamble. Robert Easton
[14:19] Speaker 3: is less, Barney Phillips, the Sergeant Dolan and her bigroom
[14:22] Speaker 3: has second. Well you heard mister McGee. He's going to
[14:27] Speaker 3: stay with this case until he solves it. So tune
[14:30] Speaker 3: in tomorrow night for another thrilling episode in the Mystery
[14:33] Speaker 3: of the Missing Garbage Can.
[14:43] Speaker 5: Remember to laugh with the Great Guilder Sleeve. Tonight on
[14:46] Speaker 5: the NBC Radio Network.
[14:57] Speaker 1: That was Phibba, McGee and Molly in the Mystery of
[14:59] Speaker 1: the Missing Garbage Can, Part one. Until next time, Good evening,

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