The Great Gildersleeve

My favorite old-time radio program

I have always found writing to be a delightful pastime, and my initial intention was to establish my writing career by publishing a book that was inspired by my beloved old-time radio program, "The Great Gildersleeve."

When I mention old-time radio (OTR), I am specifically referring to the Golden Age of Radio, which was a period when radio held the primary position as the leading electronic medium for home entertainment in the United States. Individuals frequently listened in to their preferred radio broadcasts, while families gathered to listen to the home radio set in the evening. The era of commercial radio transmission began in the early 1920s and continued until the 1950s, when television progressively replaced radio as the preferred medium for scripted programming, variety, and dramatic shows. A diverse range of innovative entertainment formats and genres emerged for the nascent medium, several of which subsequently transitioned to television. These included radio plays, mystery serials, soap operas, quiz shows, talent shows, daytime and evening variety programs, situation comedies, live sports commentary, children's programming, cooking shows, and numerous others.

I discovered old-time radio during my time as a teenager in Chicago. Charles "Chuck" Schaden, a Chicago-area broadcaster and historian, hosted a radio program titled "Those Were the Days" on local radio from 1970 to 2009. Schaden played recordings of classic old-time radio programs and conversed with radio personalities about the early days of broadcasting. The program was initially broadcast on WNMP/WLTD in Evanston in 1970. It was subsequently transferred to WNIB, Classical 97 in Chicago from 1975 to 2001. Since 2001, it has been broadcast on WDCB 90.9 FM, a public radio station in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

During the weekend, I would listen to the program while enjoying a leisurely cruise around the city with my boyfriend. We were both old souls at heart and we loved long car rides. We had a variety of favorite programs that we enjoyed listening to, such as Adventures by Morse, The Bickersons, Fibber McGee and Molly, Inner Sanctum Mysteries, The Jack Benny Program, The Life of Riley, The Mercury Theatre on the Air, The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show, Sam Spade, The Shadow, The Whistler, Dragnet, Duffy's Tavern, Lights Out, Suspense, and so much more. But of these, my particular favorite was The Great Gildersleeve.

The Great Gildersleeve is a radio sitcom that aired from August 31, 1941 to 1958. Originally penned by Leonard Levinson, it stands as one of the earliest spin-off programs in the history of broadcasting. The series revolved around Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, a recurring character from the radio sitcom Fibber McGee and Molly. The character made his debut on October 3, 1939. Actor Harold Peary previously portrayed a character with a similar name, Dr. Gildersleeve, in earlier episodes. The Great Gildersleeve reached its peak of popularity during the 1940s. Peary portrayed the character throughout its evolution from the original program to the spin-off, and subsequently in four highly successful feature films that were released during the height of the show's popularity.

The Great Gildersleeve made its debut on NBC on August 31, 1941. The story is set in Summerfield, where Gildersleeve manages the estate of his deceased sister and brother-in-law, who were reportedly killed in a car accident. He also takes care of his orphaned niece and nephew, Marjorie and Leroy Forrester. The household also includes a cook named Birdie.

Lillian Randolph as Birdie and Harold Peary as Gildersleeve

In 1950, Harold Peary was convinced to transfer The Great Gildersleeve to CBS, but, sponsor Kraft declined to approve the move. Due to his contractual obligations with CBS, Peary was prohibited from making appearances as a leading performer on NBC. However, Gildersleeve continued to be a series on NBC. As a result, Willard Waterman was hired to replace Peary as Gildersleeve. Meanwhile, Peary embarked on a new series on CBS that aimed to replicate the Gildersleeve show by changing the names.

Willard Waterman

The Great Gildersleeve, like many other radio shows that were still being broadcasted at that time, underwent a gradual yet significant reformatting process in the early 1950s. In November 1954, following a prolonged summer break, Gildersleeve underwent a reformatting process and transformed into a 15-minute daily sitcom. Only Gildersleeve, Leroy and Birdie remained on a continuing basis. All other characters were seldom heard, and gone were Marjorie and her family as well as the studio audience, live orchestra and original scripts. The series finally ended its run in 1958.

During the course of my book research, I encountered numerous individuals who were engaged in the old-time radio industry, including Mary Anna, the wife of Willard Waterman. I even had the chance to participate in Chuck Schaden's radio program to discuss my forthcoming book.

My script was finalized after years of research, and it included several original photographs that were provided by Mrs. Waterman. Charles Stumpf, an established author in the old-time radio field, offered to evaluate my manuscript before it was circulated to a variety of publishers, which I accepted due to my youth and inexperience in the industry. Mr. Stumpf, who had promised to assist me, and Ben Ohmart instead published a book entitled "The Great Gildersleeve." This caught me off guard. My manuscript formed the basis of their book.

Overwhelmed and disheartened, I refrained from writing for several years. Fortunately, in 2016, I overcame my depression and successfully produced my first book, which is a comprehensive travel guide to Japan titled "A Blogger's Guide to Japan." So far, I have authored and edited a total of twelve books. I am pleased that I managed to overcome that adverse encounter and pursue an alternative path to achieve my goals.

The Great Gildersleeve remains one of my all-time favorite programs, and I continue to enjoy listening to old-time radio.