When I was growing up in the 1950s and 60s, radio was just one of those historical things that my mother and the other grown-ups were always talking about, like the Depression and World War II. My mother couldn’t hear a squeaky door without mentioning Inner Sanctum, and, every time she looked in my messy closet, I had to hear about Fibber McGee’s. My grandmother talked about the Old Country, and my mother talked about radio and the War, which I guess was her Old Country. I listened to all of this with a sort of amused tolerance, and the bored superiority of the young.
Several years ago, long after my mother had died, I impulsively ordered a set of Great Gildersleeve cassettes from a mail-order catalog. I really don’t know why. I grew up watching television, not listening to the radio, and have only the very vaguest memory of The Great Gildersleeve as a television program– just the name Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve floating around in my unconscious mind, and the title “Water Commissioner.” But it happened to be a particularly stressful time in my life, and the set of cassettes, whose cover had a picture of a night sky over a quiet neighborhood, looked comforting.
When the set arrived, I began listening to them in order, starting with the first episode from August 31, 1941. I found myself fascinated both by the program itself, and by the historical context. Listening to the programs from that autumn, I could feel the building tension of those last weeks before America entered the War. As December 7 approached, I felt strangely burdened with my knowledge of what was about to happen. I wanted to somehow warn the characters, the actors, the audience. I had heard about the shock of Pearl Harbor often enough from my mother and aunts, but somehow listening to the episodes from that fall made me appreciate a little more what it must have been like for them to hear that news, which was going to change all their lives forever.
Listening to the wartime Gildersleeve episodes, with their frequent references to buying War Bonds, rationing, collecting scrap metal, etc., gave me a better understanding of my parents and their world. My mother would have been about the same age as Marjorie, and I love the episodes where her tastes in music and entertainment collide with her uncle’s. In later episodes, when Marjorie marries, has twins and cares for them in a thoroughly modern way, arguing with her mother-in-law over “demand” feeding, I saw the context of my own babyhood.
And so, in many ways, listening to the Great Gildersleeve for me is based on my interest in social history, as well as a way to feel connected to my parents, who died young, before I has a chance to listen more appreciatively to their stories. But I also just like the show, and like the people.
This website is my tribute to the program, and it’s very much a work in progress. I add to the Episode Guide as I listen to more programs. The annotations are subjective– I think that you can tell which episodes are my personal favorites. The section on the Cast of Characters also needs a lot of work. As I listened to the program, I was surprised to meet so many old friends from my childhood television viewing: Richard Crenna, from the Real McCoys; Gale Gordon, from The Lucy Show; Bea Benadaret, from Petticoat Junction; and Hans Conried, whom I remembered fondly as Uncle Tonoose on the Danny Thomas show.
I hope that you enjoy this web site, and that it will add to your enjoyment of The Great Gildersleeve!
When are your Great Gildersleeve programs going to be available. I used to love them
alan
I actually found your site while searching to see if anyone besides me would have taken a photograph of a door at the Boston Public Library. To my facination, I found not only a door at the BPL, but also a full photo of the Melrose Public Library which is in my neighborhood. Needless to say, like you, I have always been facinated with the internet and just the myiriad of links that one can follow, sometimes, never knowing where you started. Thanking that this is not a forrest and one can in fact find their way out. I am very fond of the North Areas of Boston. Everyone always refers to them as the North Shore, no matter where you refer to but I don’t. Hamilton / Wenham / Ipswich / Newburyport are all places I frequent (with my camera) as often as possible. I am very much into music – playing several instruments and photograpy and am from your “era”. I found your site on flickr and blog to be very intereeting and just thought I would leave a comment somewhere where you might find it.
I will hopefully be touring Hamilton on Saturday afternoon, with my camrera and will of course addd photos to my flickr site as well which is http://www.flickr.com/billg_02176
My Fondest Regards,
Bill Girolamo (Melrose Ma)
I am crazy to find the album: Stories for Children, Told in His Own
Way by the Great Gildersleeve -1945. If anyone knows where I can
purchase this album, I would be most appreciative in getting any
information that I can.
Thank you!
Sue Marie Stevens
love the site! Keep up the good work.
just to let people know Itunes has some amazing old (40′s-50′s) radio show repeats including gildersleeve/suspense theatre/the shadow, etc.
under the radio station selector. scroll down to talk/spoken word. Click on Antioch 1710 it’s amazing. enjoy!
I grew up just as the programs on old time radio were moving to television. And from early 1954 to late 1955, I lived as an American dependant in Germany where my father was stationed courtesy of the US Army.
In Germany at that time there was no American TV, and after a month I didn’t miss it. I listened to American radio programs on Armed Forces Radio, read more books, and played with my friends.
The Great Gildersleeve has always been one of my favorites. I love the characters, especially Mr. Peavey. I loved his observations and especially when Gildersleeve would say, “Peeeee Veeee.”
The show is still as funny today as it was 60 years ago. Thanks for the website.
Although the Great Gildersleeve (Harold Peary)was unknown to me other than hearing my grandfather, dad, and uncle mention him years ago, over the last 5 years I’ve come to appreciate his great comedy by listening to his program over a radio station on Sunday evenings when I lived near Washington DC and seeing his movie’s on TCM. My uncle gave me a jar he found at a antique mall a few years ago that advertises the radio show on the lid. Every time I see my uncle or talk to him by phone, I greet him with Gildersleeve’s laugh, “hello, little pal,” “Oh, Leeee-rroy,” or Peavey’s line “Now I wouldn’t say that.” Now I remember seeing him on Love American Style, Petticoat Junction, and the Brady Bunch. As Fibber McGee and Judge Hooker would say, “He’s a pompous windbag.” My favorite movie with him is “Here We Go Again” which has the all-star cast of Peary, Lucille Ball, Fibber McGee and Molly, Edgar Bergan and Charlie McCarthy, and Neil Hamilton although all of his work was great. There’s a book about The Great Gildersleeve written by Charles Stumpf and Ben Ohmart. Thanks for keeping Gildy alive!
I’m only 42 but listen to old time radio on the internet because my parents and grandparents loved it. I’m listening for the same reason that you got into it. My parents are still around, thank God, but I miss my grandparents and their siblings dearly. It’s my way of being connected to them. This is a great site. Thank you for putting it together.
Perfect! Been listening to Gildy for many years, discovered him in the early 80s via old time radio shows on the local a.m. radio. Since then I have found all the episodes on the internet and have a huge OTR radio collection I listen to daily. Thanks for the episode guide! These shows are SO much better than the “garbage” put out these days!!!