Lum and Abner 350121 Matrimonial Bureau Swamped With Mail

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Horlicks, ideal for invalids and convelescents. Just the kind of food a sick person needs.

The announcement has gone out over the partyline. Match making and advice to the love lorn. Now it’s all that can be done to keep up with the flood of mail from ladies looking for a man. Wow, just think what these guys could do if they were still alive in the age of the Internet.

The two friends read several letters, and try to think of advice to give to their customers. One glaring problem is the lack of men customers. Then Lum gets a brainstorm and sends out pictures of Abner. Hey, a great idea, if only Abner weren’t married.

Horlicks drama: Mom tells dad that Johnny has good news. He made the sports team, and he owes it all to taking Horlicks to build up his muscles.

Historical Note:

Horlicks was invented by two British men who immigrated to America, William Horlick (1846-1936) and his brother James Horlick (1844-1921).

Despite their immigrating to America and inventing Horlicks there, it actually became more popular back home in Britain. They had intended it to be an infant food, but it became more popular among adults (though in India, it became popular for children.)

James Horlick and William Horlick were from Gloucestershire, England. James was a chemist, working for a company that made dried baby food. He invented some food formulas for the company, and got the hankering to set out on his own. William, his younger brother, had previously emigrated to America in 1869. In 1873, James decided to join him in Chicago. That same year, they started their own company (J&W Horlicks) to make a malted milk drink for infants. They called their product “Diastoid.”

By 1875, they needed to move to a place that was larger, so they moved to Racine, Wisconsin. Their new factory was a small, one storey wood building, with seven windows in each side.

Their slogan was that they made ” Horlick’s Infant & Invalids Food.”

–Historical note is from:
http://www.practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/pages/horlicks