 For over six years, Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve built a solid fan following as Fibber McGee's comical nemesis and next door neighbor on the radio serial, Fibber McGee and Molly. But in 1941, writers decided that Gildersleeve was a strong enough co-star to stand on his own. So they conveniently moved him away from the slapstick suburb of Wistful Vista (where Fibber McGee and Molly lived) and settled him in Summerfield, an outlying town where he met and began to raise an orphaned niece and nephew, Marjorie and Leroy. The Great Gildersleeve is counted among the earliest true "sitcoms" and it is considered radios first great spinoff show. With the addition of Marjorie and Leroy (played by Lurene Turtle and Walter Tetley), a fresh start in a new town, and Gildersleeve's immediate interaction with a bunch of fun townies (The family cook, Birdie Lee Coggins; Judge Horace Hooker; and eligible widow, Leila Ransom name a few.), The Great Gildersleeve managed to establish its independent radio voice early on. Before long, the Gildersleeve name was golden in Summerfield. In Wistful Vista, Gildy owned a corset company--Gildersleeve Girdleworks. In Summerfield, he became the town Water Commissioner. In Wistful Vista, Gildy passed most of his time arguing with Fibber. In Summerfield, he was a responsible parent, patron, and even patriot. The show lasted over a decade and spawned three feature films with Harold Peary in the role he originated. In 1950, however, Peary was replaced with Willard Waterman after Peary lost a legal dispute with NBC wherein he fought to retain the rights to the Gildersleeve name and character. # # # FIRST BROADCAST: August 31st 1941 LAST BROADCAST: March 21st 1957 SPONSORS: Kraft Foods CAST: Hal Peary, Willard Waterman, Walter Tetley, Lurene Tuttle, Marylee Robb, Earle Ross, Lillian Randolph, Richard Legrand, Forrest Lewis, Hans Conried, Arthur Q Bryan, Una Merkel, Shirley Mitchell, Tommy Bernard, Gale Gordon, Dick Crenna, Bea Benaderet ANNOUNCERS: Ken Carpenter, John Wald, Jay Stewart, John Hiestand, Harlow Wilcox PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS: Fran Van Hartesfeldt, Karl Gruener, Cecil Underwood WRITERS: John Whedon, Sam Moore, Virginia Safford Lynne, Andy White SOUND EFFECTS: Floyd Caton, Virgil Reimer, Monty Fraser ORCHESTRA: Jack Meakin The Great Gildersleeve – 1941-1958 [512 Episodes]
FREE BONUS EXTRAS!! Few people are aware that after the phenomenal success of Fibber McGee and Molly and The Great Gildersleeve, Harold "Hal" Peary went on to create his own show on CBS called The Harold Peary Show. There were 38 weekly episodes in all featuring "Honest Harold." All 38 episodes are also included. CAST: Harold Peary, Gloria Holiday, Joseph Kearns, Mary Jane Croft, Parley Baer. SCRIPTS: Gene Stone, Jack Robinson, Bill Danch DIRECTOR: Norman MacDonnell MUSIC: Jack Meakin ANNOUNCER: Bob Lamond [38 Episodes]
The radio episodes on this disc are recorded as digital audio files commonly referred to as "MP3's" and require a computer or MP3 player (like your smartphone) to play them. The type of DVD referred to in this listing is a computer disc used to store and transport these files to you. We put many of our titles on DVD because they're able to store 7x the data as a CD and provide the most episodes for your dollar! Since this is a DVD, it will not play in a CD player. It requires a DVD-equipped computer or home DVD player capable of playing MP3s. The simplest way to see if your computer has a DVD drive, is to look for the DVD logo on the face of the drawer that slides out. If the DVD logo is not visible, you probably have a CD drive. Buy with confidence from our store for even more great radio programs. To purchase multiple items from our store, just continue your shopping spree, adding titles to your cart, then pay only once you've finished. Payment: is totally secure using your credit or debit card. Online payments received before 5:00pm EST receive same day shipping. Shipping/Handling: Order tracking updates are provided by eBay when order ships - either the same or next business day. Orders that utilize the 'economy' shipping method may not include en-route tracking. International import duties/customs fees (if any) are the responsibility of the buyer.  THANK YOU FOR LOOKING! |