Great Gildersleeve, Collection 2, The

Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve was a popular character appearing regularly on The Fibber McGee & Molly Show. On August 31, 1941, the character landed his own situation comedy show, The Great Gildersleeve, becoming radio’s first spin-off. Gildy moved from the town of Wistful Vista to Summerfield, where he raised his orphaned niece and nephew, Marjorie (originally played by Lurene Tuttle and followed by Louise Erickson and Mary Lee Robb) and Leroy (Walter Tetley). The household also included a cook named Birdie (Lillian Randolph). The Great Gildersleeve was the first show to be centered on a single parent balancing raising children, work, and a social life, accomplished with taste and genuine wit, often at the expense of Gildersleeve's slightly understated pomposity. Radio veteran, Hal Peary originated the role of Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve but left the series at the height of its popularity in 1950 giving way to Peary-sound-a-like and well-known character actor, Willard Waterman. Waterman continued in the radio role until 1957 and also played Gildersleeve in a TV version syndicated in 1955. Now, enjoy 12 half-hour comedy episodes of The Great Gildersleeve starring Willard Waterman. 2/14/51 “Leroy is Behaving Too Well” 2/21/51 “Marjorie Gives Birth to Twins” 2/28/51 “Trying to Name the Twins” 3/7/51 “Marjorie and the Twins Come Home” 3/14/51 “Deciding Between The Jolly Boys or a Date” 3/21/51 “Bronco Tries to Run the House” 3/28/51 “Gildy and Leroy Babysit the Twins” 5/2/51 “Spring Cleaning Judge Hooker’s House” 5/9/51 “Marjorie and Bronco’s First Anniversary” 5/16/51 “Boating Date with Kathryn” 5/23/51 “Bronco’s Family Visits – The Twins are Named” 5/30/51 “Leaving on Vacation to Half Moon Lake”