 Peary in his heyday as the Great Gildersleeve
| |
| Running time | 30 minutes (1941–1954) 15 minutes (1954–1955) 25 minutes (1955–1958)[1] |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | NBC |
| TV adaptations | 1955–1956 |
| Starring | Harold Peary Willard Waterman Walter Tetley Lurene Tuttle Louise Erickson Mary Lee Robb Lillian Randolph Richard Crenna Barbara Whiting Earle Ross Richard LeGrand Arthur Q. Bryan Shirley Mitchell Bea Benaderet Una Merkel Martha Scott Cathy Lewis Gale Gordon Mel Blanc Conrad Binyon Mary Costa |
| Created by | Leonard L. Levinson |
| Written by | John Whedon Leonard L. Levinson Sam Moore Paul West John Elliotte Andy White |
| Original release | August 31, 1941 – June 2, 1954 (30 minute episodes); 1958 (25 minute episodes) |
| No. of episodes | 552 (1940–1954)[2] |
The Great Gildersleeve was a radio situation comedy broadcast in the United States from August 31, 1941[1] to 1958.[3] Initially written by Leonard Lewis Levinson,[4] it was one of broadcast history's earliest spin-off programs. The series was built around Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, a regular character from the radio situation comedy Fibber McGee and Molly. The character was introduced in the October 3, 1939, episode (number 216) of that series. Actor Harold Peary had played a similarly named character, Dr. Gildersleeve, on earlier episodes. The Great Gildersleeve enjoyed its greatest popularity in the 1940s. Peary played the character during its transition from the parent show into the spin-off and later in four feature films released at the height of the show's popularity.
In Fibber McGee and Molly, Peary's Gildersleeve had been a pompous windbag and antagonist of Fibber McGee. "You're a haa-aa-aa-aard man, McGee!" became a Gildersleeve catchphrase. The character went by several aliases on Fibber McGee and Molly; his middle name was revealed to be "Philharmonic" on October 22, 1940, in episode #258, "Fibber Discovers Gildersleeve's Locked Diary".
"Gildy" grew so popular that Kraft Foods—promoting its Parkay margarine—sponsored a new series featuring Peary's somewhat mellowed and always befuddled Gildersleeve as the head of his own family.
- ^ a b Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 293–296. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
- ^ "Great Gildersleeve .. episodic log". www.otrsite.com. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
- ^ "Platter Chatter". The Indian Journal. Eufaula, Oklahoma. July 3, 1958. p. 2.
The Great Gildersleeve finally fades from radio after 17 years.
- ^ Our Neighbors in Wistful Vista