THE ADVENTURES OF SLUG AND HUMPHREY

Readers of When Next We Meet will be delighted to know they can actually hear one of the authors doing what she loved best, performing.

Beginning in the late 1940's May-Floyd Shumate began writing stories to read to her children.  The children grew up, however the writing never stopped.  Over a twenty year period she wrote 52 episodes of The Adventures of Slug and Humphrey which she read to radio audiences on the Mr. and Mrs. Shumate program.  May-Floyd was a former stage and radio soap opera actress on various Chicago network stations during the Golden Days of Radio era and was one of the best voice talents in the industry.  Beginning in the 1950's every Friday morning she would read an episode of The Adventures of Slug & Humphrey on the Mr. and Mrs. Shumate show bringing each character to life with a different voice.  In Des Moines, Iowa elementary school teachers would set aside class time so their students could listen.  In Rexburg, Idaho it was noticed every radio in every Main Street business was turned up on Friday mornings for Slug & Humphrey time.

Slug is a Wire Haired Terrier who ran away from his life as a famous show dog.  He is safe from discovery as long as he wears a pair of glasses which conceal his true identity, Briar Wire's Whipper Snapper Effingham the Third.  Humphrey is an elephant who became disgruntled with circus stardom and left to see the world.  He wears a hat about the size of a thimble and as long as it is in place no one recognizes him.  The two travel incognito on Humphrey's beautiful red scooter looking through 23 states for a place to live.  They eventually find a trailer house which fell off a truck into a Florida swamp and assemble it as surly alligators nip at their heels.  From then on they take their home with them wherever they go as they travel the country with their trailer hitched to the beautiful red scooter.  The scooter is powered by Humphrey's big elephant foot.  Slug sits on Humphrey's head to hold the former circus star's hat in place.

Only six of the 52 written episodes performed by the author were ever recorded.  (All 6 are on the Slug & Humphrey tape)

In 1979 daughter Leslie May Shumate, teamed with song-writers Travis Edmonson (Bud and Travis of the 1960's) and Gerry Glombecki, a favorite singer/songwriter of Tucson, Arizona night spots…and produced the six episodes featured on the Slug & Humphrey "Classic Series" cassette.  Jim Ameche, also a Tucson resident and one of the most sought after commercial voice talents of the time, graciously agreed to record the introduction for the series.  Ironically, although they were never acquainted, Jim and May-Floyd used to sit awaiting their time to perform on shows broadcast from the various network studios, in the same Chicago radio station hallways.

Now, years later, it's time for Slug and Humphrey to re-appear and entertain new generations of children of all ages, as well as giving When Next We Meet readers a chance to actually hear the woman who wrote such wonderful anecdotes in the World War II letters to her husband.