43-02-12 The Plot That Failed

STARRING: BERNARDINE FLYNN AND CLARENCE HARTZELL

• Sade's been cleaning. Fletcher arrives with a sack. 
• Mr. Ruebush reminds Fletcher of Ray Bulletkiss from DeKalb.
• Sade suspects the sack contains a cowboy hat that had belonged to Vic.  She had plotted with Fletcher to take the hat to his friend Ernie as a gift, but Fletcher had run into Vic with Mr. Ruebush at the gas station.  Vic spotted the hat and asked Ernie where he got it. Vic offers to buy it for $5.00, and Ernie jumped at it.  Vic gives the hat to Fletcher to bring home.  Fletcher finds himself caught in two conspiracies at once.
• Sade admits she's licked – this round anyway.
• Fletcher mentions: Snorty Awkshawk in Belvidere – his 1st wife had a cousin in the uncorked Mucilage business.  Ernie Skofflaw, Fletcher's gas station friend. Lawman Chilkers in Sycamore. - compiled by Barbara Schwarz, edited by Jimbo Mason
  

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This is a bit of an odd episode as it's all about Vic and him obtaining a cowboy hat - yet Vic doesn't even appear in this episode.

There probably is a missing episode shortly before this one aired in February of 1942 where Vic once again comes home with a cowboy hat.

Sade mentions that "she's licked" this round (yet the title seems to say that Vic/Fletcher failed) - did Sade get the hat back from Fletcher?  Did the hat go back to Fletcher's friend, Ernie?  Surely the hat wasn't there waiting for Vic when he got home?  The notes don't tell us.

This is twice now where a sack is used to disguise or hide the hat.  It works neither time, although the other time, Rush helped in getting Vic busted.