Beanstalk

Beanstalk is an episode of Down in Moonshine Holler.

Audio[]

Patreon exclusive.

Cast[]

WorkJuice Players[]

Guest Stars[]

Beulah - Linda Cardellini
Abner - Ed Helms
Narrator - Sara Watkins

Guest Musicians[]

Plot[]

Banjo and Gummy hop a Westbound train to find the Hobo Princess. After hopping off the train, they come across a rustic farmhouse with a pie cooling in the window and hobo signs etched on the fence which read that it's a hobo-friendly domicile. Banjo knocks on the door, though Gummy says that he knocked wrong. Beulah opens the door, and is suspicious that Banjo and Gummy say they're hobos as they did not use the hobo knock.

Beulah explains that she and her brother used to be hobos, but recently purchased the homestead. Banjo notes that Beulah is beautiful, and wonders if she is the hobo princess. Beulah says she encountered the Hobo Princess in north of South Dakota and she inspired Beulah to buy the homestead. She shows Banjo and Gummy their work cards, then introduces them to her brother, Abner, who had just arrived. Abner is a tall and large man, and speaks with a thick accent and a stutter.

Abner says he has a surprise for Beulah, and tells her how he took the deed to the farm into town to have it framed. While there, he met a man who traded him some magic beans for the frame, however, Abner forgot to take the deed out of the frame and thus he has now lost the deed to the farm. Beulah suggests maybe they are better off without a farm, but Banjo vows to get the deed back in return for an apple pie.

Banjo and Gummy head into town, and are met by the constable. They spot the trader, A. G. Caplan, and call him over, then tell the constable about the trade of the beans for the deed. The trader insists that the beans were magic beans. The constable, instead of arresting A.G., trades his life's savings for more beans and leaves. A.G. claims that the beans are more powerful the more stock you put in them, and that he has many satisfied customers. He claims he could make even Banjo content and one of the beans could lead him to the Hobo Princess. Gummy reminds Banjo not to be a rube.

Banjo insists the return of the deed, and A.G. agrees, in return for something of equal or greater value. Banjo waxes that he could trade the deed for money, but Gummy reminds him that the Hobo Princess would not accept him should he do so. Abner arrives with a goose that lays golden eggs, which he says he retrieved from a giant when Beulah threw the beans out the window and a giant beanstalk grew in their yard. Abner claims that he climbed the beanstalk, stole the goose, ran away and chopped down the beanstalk, and now there's a giant very hurt or possibly dead on the farm.

Abner tells Banjo and Gummy he and Beulah don't need the farm anymore, then thanks A.G. A.G., in turn, convinces Abner to trade the deed to the farm, a large sum of money and his clip-on moustache for the goose. Abner agrees despite Banjo and Gummy's objections.

Back at the farm, Abner reveals he is actually quite smart and the entire plan had been a ruse Abner and Beulah worked up from the beginning. At first the ruse was to just run a con on the conman Caplan. However, when Banjo and Gummy showed up, they were used in the con as well.

Beulah suggests that she and Banjo could stay together and live happily ever after, however his heart belongs to the Hobo Princess, and he and Gummy leave on the next train.

Notes[]

The introduction and credits refers to the title of this episode as "Tall Tales".

Continuity[]

This is the 29th episode of The Thrilling Adventure Hour.
The prior episode is The Adventures of Captain Laserbeam – Royal Pains.
The next episode is Tales from the Black Lagoon – The Year I Knew Too Much, with Patriot Brand Cigarettes - Elites (TAH #29.5) in between.
The previous Down in Moonshine Holler episode is The Lottery (TAH #23).
The next Down in Moonshine Holler episode is This American Wife - Interview with Banjo and Gummy (TAH #40).

Production[]

This episode was recorded at Largo on April 2, 2011 and released on July 24, 2011.

Writers: Ben Acker and Ben Blacker
Director: Aaron Ginsburg
Music: Andy Paley Orchestra