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The Great Gildersleeve, a sitcom aired on NBC Radio from August 31, 1941 to 1957, was a spin-off from another popular comedy series Fibber McGee and Molly, or FMAM. It centered on the story of Throckmorton Philharmonic Gildersleeve, who was also the main character of the FMAM. Harold Peary, a popular radio and television personality, was given the lead role. The Great Gildersleeve, which was well-accepted back then, was sponsored by Kraft Foods for its product called Parkay Margarine.

In its first three years on air, The Great Gildersleeve was heard for 30 minutes, and then reduced to 15 minutes from 1954 up to its last episode. Although it was actually pretty different from its parent show, The Great Gildersleeve became as successful as FMAM. In fact, it was dubbed as one of the funniest shows ever aired on the radio.

Old Time Radio's first bona fide spin-off, Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve was one of the most popular of the oddball characters that lived in Wistful Vista, the home of Fibber McGee and Molly. He moved to Summerfield, where he and takes on an instant family in the form of Leroy and Margerie Forrester.

Harold Peary had made Gildersleeve into a multi-faceted character.He was shrewd,but in ways that rarely worked out like he planned. He was a ladies man, but mainly in his own mind. He was a public-minded neighbor, but always seemed to be getting into arguments and entanglements with them. The boys down at Floyd Munson's barbershop knew he was a singer, but often he seemed more an opinionated blowhard. And he was a loving uncle to his niece and nephew.

Walter Tetley played Leroy as a classic young wise guy nephew whose "ah, Unk" line was famous. Margerie (first played by Lurene Tuttle, Louise Erickson in the mid-`40s and then Mary Lee Robb) was the all-American girl-next-door type, and had the level head in the family. Birdie was their family cook and maid, played by Lillian Randolph. She ran the house with wit and warmth, while letting the men think they were in charge.

Catching Gildersleeve in his latest scheme were the druggist Peavey with his "I wouldn't say that, Gildersleeve" Rumson Bullard was Rumson Bullard, the pompous, rich neighbor across the street. Gale Gordon played both Mayor LaTrivia and Fogg Williams. Earle Ross was Judge Hooker. Arthur Q. Bryan was Floyd, the barber.

Gildersleeve wasn't married, but had several ladies he was interested in, namely the Widow Ransom. She was a southern belle type, but she also had a cousin, Adeline Fairchild, who got interested in the successful, if somewhat pompous Gildey.

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Please enjoy these 553 old time radio episodes:

Air Date	Title	Synopsis
11.15.1950	birdie sings	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Cheese. Who will sing the leading role in the Summerfield Festival? While fin...
11.09.1941	birdie quits	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay. Judge Hooker hires Birdie away from Gildersleeve! Marjorie is plannin...
06.03.1953	birdie may go to marjories	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Miracle Whip. Gildersleeve decides that Birdie would be happier working for M...
04.09.1947	bird watchers	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay. Gildersleeve has tea with Miss Piper, Leroy's new piano teacher. He l...
12.31.1944	big new years eve party	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay, Pabst-Ett. A quiet New Year's Eve at home for Gildersleeve and Leila ...
01.01.1947	big new years costume ball	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay, Kraft Frizz. Gildersleeve resolves to be a bad boy! Dressed as a pira...
11.25.1945	big football game	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay, Kraft Mustards. Gildy takes Leila to the big football game.
11.08.1950	better than bullard	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Cheese, Kraft Mustards. Gildersleeve tries to prove himself the better man th...
02.19.1947	bessies cousin substitutes for her	+ Sponsored by: Kraft American Cheese, Frizz. Prudence Kilpatrick becomes Gildersleeve's secretary ...
12.09.1953	bessie take gildy to a dance	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Cheese, Kraft Mustards. Gildersleeve's secretary Bessie asks him to take her ...
05.27.1945	bessie quits	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay, Pabst-Ett. Gildy finally fires Bessie, and is very sorry he's done so...
01.13.1946	ben sells life insurance	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay, Kraft Mustards. Gildersleeve tries to get Ben set up as an insurance ...
01.06.1946	ben returns from the navy	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay, Kraft Mustards. Ben is back from the Navy, but Marjorie isn't interes...
10.08.1947	beautiful visitor at the bullards	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay. Beautiful Ann Tuttle is staying at the Bullard's and Gildersleeve is ...
04.14.1946	bank robber loose	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Velveeta, Kraft Mustards. There's a bank robber and killer on the loose in Su...
07.16.1952	back yard camping	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Miracle Whip, Kraft Sandwich Spread. Gildersleeve and Leroy go camping in the...
03.28.1951	babysitting the twins	+ Sponsored by: Kraft. Gildersleeve and Leroy become baby sitters for the twins. The chairman of th...
11.02.1941	baby sitting	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay. Gildersleeve goes to visit an old pal and becomes a benefactor and ba...
09.08.1948	baby girl left in gildys car	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay, Kraft Mustards. The first show of the season. Gildersleeve finds a ba...
02.08.1942	auto mechanics	+ Sponsored by: Kraft. Gildersleeve is forced into giving a lecture about auto mechanics to the lad...
04.11.1943	auto accident with judge hooker	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Pabst-Ett, Kraft Parkay. Gildersleeve and Judge Hooker have a traffic accide...
05.26.1954	aunt hattie visits	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Miracle Whip, Kraft Mustards. Leroy's lack of discipline prompts a crackdown ...
02.18.1945	aunt hattie stays on	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay. Gildersleeve tries to promote a romance between Aunt Hattie and Judge...
06.02.1954	aunt hattie finally returns home	+ Sponsored by: Kraft Miracle Whip. How to get rid of Aunt Hattie. This is a quality upgrade, netwo...
N/A	bessies vacation

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I absolutely LOVE watching movies that include some of the more popular radio characters from days passed. I've seen a few of the Great Gildersleeve films

Josh

I have a great Gildersleeve question. I have heard that there were 1-2 Gildersleeve movies made. If so, anybody know where I could view them. Also, were there any tv shows with the original cast?

Joe

http://www.wbshop.com/.../the+great+gildersleeve+movie...

Tim

There were actually four of them made. They were released on DVD a year or so ago.

Tim

Willard Waterman is playing Gildersleeves. Peavy sounds kind of like the one in the radio show and so does the woman who plays Birdie. Not sure though. Haven't been feeling well so I've been watching them with the roku from the couch. Didn't check the credits.

Linda

TCM shows them occasionally. Recent showed Gildersleeves Ghost

David

He appeared in 7 films at RKO - four as part of his series, two with Jim & Mary Jordan,Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy and the other as Gildersleve in a supporting role, but not directly tied into the radio series. (as well as appearing supporting as Gildersleeve in a film each at Paramount and Republic, but also not tied into either Radio Series)

Steve

Gildersleeve runs for public office, he investigates a supposed haunted house and I forget the third.

Peter

The Great Gildersleeve on television is a Great Disappointment. Willard Waterman himself said that the man producing the series didn't understand the character & had most likely never even heard the radio show. There were 39 episodes produced & about a dozen or so are available on the internet. It's not quite as bad as the Fibber McGee & Molly TV adaption but it's in the same territory.

Tim

I'd not seen the TV series much, but just watching the opening, where he kindly pats a little boy's head as he enters his office, then he sees a lovely, curvaceous female he just about leers at her..Didnt make me feel comfortable. They could have done that differently..

Tim

Harold Peary the origninal Gildersleeve on radio was the one used in the 3 Gildersleeve movies which usually show up on TCM. He was a victom of the notorious radio raid of CBS radio on NBC comedians. He signed for the change thinking that The Great Gildersleeve which he had originated would follow him, but the President of Kraft Foods which sponsored him was an old mossback who had had programs on NBC since the late 30s was not ready to change networks. He kept The Great Gildersleeve on NBC and just hired another soundalike , Willard Waterman , to take his place. Peary starred in a CBS program called Honest Harold but he could not lure the Gildersleeve audience to follow him and it died in a year.

Walter

I love Gildy, but the relationship that Fibber & Doc create is the best.

Scott

It still blows my mind that THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE was written by the grandfather of the guy who created BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER.

Lan

The Supersnipe Gildersleeve story was a pretty faithful adaption of the episode from January 10, 1943 - "Fibber McGee & Molly Visit".

Tim

Gildersleeve has always been my favorite comedy shows.

Andrew

Listen to Gildersleeve! The earlier episodes are very similar to Fibber; the quick barbs, jabs & one liners. But, as Harold Peary was allowed to develop and soften his character it became a whole different show. It is absolutely delightful and my whole family's favorite!

Michelle

Una Merkel as Adeline, Leila's cousin

Mike

I like The Great Gildersleeve!

Edwin

when I was little my parents had a 78 rpm album of fairy tales told by the Great Gildersleeve. I remember getting very excited to be allowed to listen to it.

Deborah

One of my favorite OTR shows

Jim

Gildersleeve is my favorite

Marc

What a great show.

Chris

I'm a big fan of Gildersleeve Christmas episodes. Now I need to discover his Halloween special!

Dainel

Great show!

Sink

I heard an interesting show it was a remember when kind of show with "Gildy" going over his history of acting and the shows he was in. Throckmorton was a name of the street he was living on at the time. That's how he came up with that name.

Chris

I really have come to love this dear character.

Brain

It is a beautiful and poignant story.

Susan

The Great Gildersleeve

Mike

It is a beautiful and poignant story.

John

I listened to the Gildersleeve one last night! Wonderful!

Dennis

The Great Gildersleeve is a good show i like it very much.

George

I like that show very much.

Eleizabeth

I love Great Gildersleeve

Tracy

I like Gildersleeve. He was GREAT

Greg

The Great Gildersleeve radio show was a spin-off of the Johnson’s Wax Program with Fibber McGee and Molly. Harold Peary played the title character throughout the 1940’s. The first show was broadcast on August 31, 1941, sponsored by Parkay Margarine. In a wartime broadcast, a fantasy comic book club was mentioned. Gildersleeve’s nephew Leroy did not put his comic books away to the annoyance of his Uncle Mort. One comic in particular was mentioned, “Captain Wonderman.” This character was a knockoff of Captain Marvel. A child, who with the mention of the word, “ALAKAZAM”, would turn into the world’s strongest man, complete with a cape. In this issue he was battling Nazi saboteurs. A membership club was also mentioned requiring 10 cents for admission. Also mentioned was a daily “Captain Wonderman” radio show with the sound effect of a diving airplane in the opening. In the next broadcast, the comic was mentioned again when Leroy received rabbits he ordered from an ad in the comic book.

Liz

In 1941, The Great Gildersleeve made its radio debut. One of broadcast history's earliest spin offs, the series was based on a character from Fibber McGee and Molly.

Mike

This situation comedy spun off of Fibber McGee and Molly. Harold Peary played Gildy on Fibber McGee, and in The Great Gildersleeve from 1941 to 1950, then Willard Waterman took over the role from 1950 to 1958 when it ended. It was always broadcast by NBC, and it was sponsored by Kraft from 1941 to 1954. While I'm a Fibber fan, Gildy is my favorite radio situation comedy.

GREAT GILDERSLEEVE

I absolutely love the show!

Cheri

One of the best radio comedy shows.

Jeff

I am listening to Gildersleeve in chronological order I notice a big difference between episode 31 and 32 in that the latter suddenly introduced the main characters we associate with the series with no prior buildup. In research I found up to 32 the writer was Leanard L.Levinson and with 32 the writer is John Wheaton.. Not finding dates I surmise that 31 was the last episode of the year and 32 started a new season.

Walt