Fibber Mcgee Molly On The Air

Fibber McGee and Molly was one of broadcasting's greatest triumphs, reaching its height during the 1940s when millions of Americans tuned in Tuesday evenings to hear radio's royal couple welcome the Old Timer, Gildersleeve, Mrs. Uppington, Mayor LaTrivia, Doctor Gamble, and other visitors who came calling at the most famous address in Comedyland, 79 Wistful Vista. A listening favorite in many homes from the Depression right into the space age, Fibber McGee and Molly was unique in that it aired in three different formats: thirty-minute productions, fifteen-minute episodes, and vignettes heard on NBC Monitor. This guide to over 1200 episodes covers all three formats of the series with entries listing date of broadcast, title, cast, summary, musical numbers, running gags, and comments designed to enhance the enjoyment of listeners and readers. This revised and greatly-expanded edition contains 300 additional entries (including 20 for which no transcription exists), more appendices (one tabulating all openings of that famous hall closet), and a new selection of photographs to complement the text.

Fibber McGee and Molly was one of broadcasting's greatest triumphs, reaching its height during the 1940s when millions of Americans tuned in Tuesday evenings to hear radio's royal couple welcome the Old Timer, Gildersleeve, Mrs. Uppington, Mayor LaTrivia, Doctor Gamble, and other visitors who came calling at the most famous address in Comedyland, 79 Wistful Vista. A listening favorite in many homes from the Depression right into the space age, Fibber McGee and Molly was unique in that it aired in three different formats: thirty-minute productions, fifteen-minute episodes, and vignettes heard on NBC Monitor. This guide to over 1200 episodes covers all three formats of the series with entries listing date of broadcast, title, cast, summary, musical numbers, running gags, and comments designed to enhance the enjoyment of listeners and readers. This revised and greatly-expanded edition contains 300 additional entries (including 20 for which no transcription exists), more appendices (one tabulating all openings of that famous hall closet), and a new selection of photographs to complement the text.

"Fibber McGee and Molly" was one of broadcasting's greatest triumphs, reaching its height of popularity during the 1940s when millions of Americans tuned in Tuesday evenings to hear radio's royal couple. Featuring rarely-seen photographs of the two stars and a gallery of original cartoons, this book shines a spotlight on what made the show successful.

Revised and expanded edition of Clair's Fibber McGee book.

Revised and expanded edition of Clair's Fibber McGee book.

When Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve bade farewell to Fibber McGee and Molly and left Wistful Vista on a train in 1941, no one could have predicted that he would be riding the airwaves with his own new show until 1957. But when one listens to episodes of radio's first spinoff, it becomes clear the The Great Gildersleeve succeeded because its likable and amusing characters were appealingly fallible, much like the folks each of us knew in our hometowns. This book is a guide to more than 500 episodes of The Great Gildersleeve that are in circulation and also to the scripts of 46 episodes for which no recordings exist. Background on the development of the program is included, and the appendices include a list of episodes as well as information about cast members, notable occurrences on the program, ratings, and the films and TV series.

A guide to references commonly used in speech and writing. Explains more than 900 allusions. Entries include examples from todays leading media. A must for serious readers, language lovers, and ESL students.

Now long out of print, John Dunning's Tune in Yesterday was the definitive one-volume reference on old-time radio broadcasting. Now, in On the Air, Dunning has completely rethought this classic work, reorganizing the material and doubling its coverage, to provide a richer and more informative account of radio's golden age. Here are some 1,500 radio shows presented in alphabetical order. The great programs of the '30s, '40s, and '50s are all here--Amos 'n' Andy, Fibber McGee and Molly, The Lone Ranger, Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour, and The March of Time, to name only a few. For each, Dunning provides a complete broadcast history, with the timeslot, the network, and the name of the show's advertisers. He also lists major cast members, announcers, producers, directors, writers, and sound effects people--even the show's theme song. There are also umbrella entries, such as "News Broadcasts," which features an engaging essay on radio news, with capsule biographies of major broadcasters, such as Lowell Thomas and Edward R. Murrow. Equally important, Dunning provides a fascinating account of each program, taking us behind the scenes to capture the feel of the performance, such as the ghastly sounds of Lights Out (a horror drama where heads rolled and bones crunched), and providing engrossing biographies of the main people involved in the show. A wonderful read for everyone who loves old-time radio, On the Air is a must purchase for all radio hobbyists and anyone interested in 20th-century American history. It is an essential reference work for libraries and radio stations.