Sunday, January 30, 2022

Great Gildersleeve - New Secretary "Leila" (06-03-45)

New Secretary "Leila" (Aired June 3, 1945)

Actor Harold Peary played the character during its transition from the parent show into the spin-off and later in a quartet of feature films released at the height of the show's popularity. On Fibber McGee and Molly, Peary's Gildersleeve was a pompous windbag who became a consistent McGee nemesis. "You're a haa-aa-aa-aard man, McGee!" became a Gildersleeve catch phrase. The character was given several conflicting first names on Fibber McGee and Molly, and on one episode his middle name was revealed as Philharmonic. Gildy admits as much at the end of "Gildersleeve's Diary" on the Fibber McGee and Molly series (10/22/40). He soon became so popular that Kraft Foods — looking primarily to promote its Parkay margarine spread — sponsored a new series with Peary's Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve as the central, slightly softened, and slightly befuddled focus of a lively new family.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

June 3, 1945. "New Secretary Leila" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay, Kraft Mustards. Gildersleeve hires Leila to be his secretary, not the best idea in the world! Claude Sweeten (music), Harold Peary, John Whedon (writer), Lillian Randolph, Louise Erickson, Richard LeGrand, Sam Moore (writer), Shirley Mitchell, Verne Smith (announcer), Walter Tetley. 29:48. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

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