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Great Gildersleeve

Description

Family sitcom follows Throckmorton P. as Summerfield water commissioner and guardian to Marjorie and Leroy.

The Great Gildersleeve is a radio situation comedy broadcast in the United States from August 31, 1941 to 1958. Initially written by Leonard Lewis Levinson, 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 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.

Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 4.0. Updated Jul 22, 2026.

Related Categories

Comedy

Showtimes

Original schedule

  1. 1941–19426:30 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · evening
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  2. 19426:30 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · evening
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  3. 19426:30 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · evening
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  4. 1942–19436:30 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · evening
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  5. 1943–19446:30 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · evening
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  6. 1944–19456:30 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · evening
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  7. 1945–19466:30 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · evening
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  8. 1946–19478:30 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · night
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  9. 1947–19488:30 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · night
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  10. 1948–19498:30 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · night
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  11. 1949–19508:30 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · night
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  12. 1950–19518:30 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · night
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  13. 1951–19548:30 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · night
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  14. 195410:15 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · night
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  15. 195410:15 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · night
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  16. 195410:15 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · night
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  17. 195410:15 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · night
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  18. 195410:15 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · night
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  19. 195410:15 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · night
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  20. 195410:15 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · night
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  21. 19568:00 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · night
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa
  22. 19578:35 PM ET
    NBC Radio Network · night
    SuMoTuWeThFrSa

Cast & Crew

J
John 'Bud' Hiestand
Announcer
J
John Easton
Announcer
B
Barbara Whiting
Cast
Frank Nelson
Cast
Jeanette Nolan
Cast
L
Larry Harmon
Cast
Olan Soule
Cast
Tyler McVey
Cast
V
Veola Vonn
Cast
C
Cecil Underwood
Director
F
Fran Van Hartesveldt
Director
F
Frank Pittman
Director
K
Karl Gruener
Director
Arthur Q. Bryan
Floyd Munson
Bea Benaderet
Eve Goodwin
Ben Alexander
Ben
B
Billy Mills
(1941-42)
Cathy Lewis
Nurse Kathryn Milford
C
Claude Sweeten
(into mid-1940's)
Earle Ross
Judge Horace Hooker
F
Floyd Caton
Sound effects
Forrest Lewis
Peavey (late in the run)
Gale Gordon
Rumson Bullard
G
Gloria Holliday
Bessie
Hans Conried
Oliver Honeywell
Harlow Wilcox
(on the audition, only)
H
Harold 'Hal' Peary
Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve (1941-June 14,1950)
J
Jack Meakin
(later 1940's)
J
James Gilmore Backus
Bullard (ca. 1952)
J
Jay Stewart
(1949-50)
J
Jim 'Jimmy' Doyle
(1949-50)
J
Jim Bannon
(1941-42)
J
John Laing
(1945-47)
J
John Wald
(1947-49)
Ken Christy
Police Chief Gates
K
Kenneth 'Ken' Carpenter
(1942-45)
L
Leonard Lewis Levinson
(1941-42)
Lillian Randolph
Birdie Lee Coggins
L
Louise Erickson
Marjorie Forrester (mid 1940
Lurene Tuttle
Marjorie (1941-44)
M
Mary Lee Robb
Marjorie Forrester
M
Monty Fraser
Sound effects
P
Pauline Drake
Bessie
R
Richard 'Dick' Crenna
Bronco Thompson
Richard LeGrand
Peavey
Robert Armbruster
(1950's)
Shirley Mitchell
Leila Ransom
T
Tommy Bernard
Craig Bullard
Una Merkel
Adeline Fairchild
V
Virgil Reimer
also: sound effects
Walter Tetley
Leroy Forrester
Willard Waterman
Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve (9-6-50 - 3-21-57)
W
William Randolph
-1941
A
Andy White
Writer
G
Gene Stone
Writer
J
Jack Robinson
Writer
J
John Elliotte
Writer
J
John O. Whedon
Writer
P
Paul West
Writer
S
Sam Moore
Writer

References

Hickerson, Jay. The 4th Revised Ultimate History of Network Radio Programming and Guide to ALL Circulating Shows.
Paulson, Roger C. Archives of the Airwaves (7 Volumes). The Old Radio Times.
Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill. The Big Broadcast 1920-1950. OtrrPedia Forum.
Lackmann, Ron. The Encyclopedia of American Radio.
Dunning, John. On the Air : The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Sperdvac Radiogram.
“RADIO PROGRAMS SCHEDULED FOR BROADCAST THIS WEEK.” New York Times, January 4, 1931.
“RADIO PROGRAMS SCHEDULED FOR THE CURRENT WEEK New York.” New York Times, October 6, 1929.
“Today's Radio Program.” New York Times, January 1, 1927.

Links

Evening Ratings: (1953-1954: #8)The Golden Age of Radio: Program 53 - August, 1974 - Mel BlancHarold PearyIntroduction/Theme SongEvening Ratings: (1955-1956: #7)Evening Ratings: (1945-1946: #11)Library FilesEvening Ratings: (1944-1945: #20)Shirley Mitchell preferred radio to moviesTheme - IntroductionEvening Ratings: (1954-1955: #10)Evening Ratings: (1949-1950: #20)Comedy Central by James F. WidnerOTRR at archive.orgJerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio LogsEditorial after Peary's death, 1985The Great Gildersleeve Episode Guideearly Shirley Mitchell bioWayback Presents the Gildersleeve ProjectCanny judgement boosted Great GildersleeveRichard LeGrande divorceMan with a villian's laughPhotosPhotos (1941)Various newspaper advertsPeary dies at 76Marylee RobbPhoto of Gildersleeve family, 1950Evening Ratings: (1946-1947: #19)Voice ChasersEvening Ratings: (1952-1953: #13)Announcement of the Great GildersleeveMany photos of Peary & Shirley MitchellNostalgia Pages Forumwayback.net

Broadcasts