Although it is not mentioned, the reason that silk--which came mainly from China--was so valuable in 1938 was that at the time the Sino-Japanese War was raging and silk supplies were at a record low.
Earle Hodgins was noted for his portrayals as traveling medicine men, snake oil salesmen and assorted long-winded phony professors and con men, since his first such role in the John Wayne western Paradise Canyon (1935). Although the names changed, Hodgins continued to play variations on this quack doctor character for the rest of his career.
This marks Sammy McKim's fifth of nine appearances in the Mesquiteers Western series, all in different roles.