Since the "Tribune" syndicated Sidney Smith's popular comic strip "The Gumps", which had successfully introduced the concept of daily continuity, WGN executive Ben McCanna thought a serialized version would work on radio. He suggested that Gosden and Correll adapt "The Gumps" for radio. The idea seemed to involve more risk than either Gosden or Correll was willing to take; neither was adept at imitating female voices, which would have been necessary for "The Gumps". They were also conscious of having made names for themselves with their previous act. By playing the roles of characters using dialect, they would be able to conceal their identities enough to be able to return to their old pattern of entertaining if the radio show was a failure.