Fibber McGee and Molly TV show. Molly's Political Career 1960. NBC network.
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- čas přidán 14. 04. 2023
- Great comedy fun, as the long running radio series moved to the television screen. The town wants Molly to run for councilwoman. A political career could ruin their family life, as Fibber discovers. Air date April 26, 1960. Starring Bob Sweeney as Fibber McGee, and Cathy Lewis as Molly McGee. This television sit-com only ran for 26 episodes. The episode poses an interesting look at the woman's role in marriage in the early 1960's. You'll recognize many TV "regulars" in this episode. The end credits are missing, so if you identify some of the actors please comment. Transferred for 16mm b-w film.
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I recognize three of the guest stars: Howard MacNear(Floyd the barber from Andy Griffith show), Paul Smith (From the Doris Day Show) and Jack Weston. Cathy Lewis went on to play Mr. Baxter's sister on the early 60s show "Hazel".
Excellent...thanks for helping on this!!
@@MoviecraftInc She was Mr. B's snooty sister Aunt Dierdre!
Cathy Lewis also starred opposite Marie Wilson on the radio and television versions of “My Friend Irma”.
Recognize Mayor LaTrivia? That's Hal Peary who played Fibber's neighbor Gildersleeve in the radio version of Fibber McGee and Molly who eventually got his own spinoff as Gildersleeve.
@@MoviecraftIncRecognize Mayor LaTrivia? That's Hal Peary who played Fibber's neighbor Gildersleeve in the radio version of Fibber McGee and Molly who eventually got his own spinoff as Gildersleeve.
Superstation WGN aired this for a few months in 1990 as a lineup of blackout proof programming due to Syndex. This aired on the national superstation feed on the timeslot Ch 9 Chicago aired WKRP in Cincinnati.
Thank you!!
You're welcome!
My mom’s fav show
Reta Shaw, who played Molly's mother, is best known as the Banks family's cook, in "Mary Poppins".
Another actor from the missing credits identified..Thanks!
Also the housekeeper on "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" with Hope Lange in the 1960s
She was Aunt Hagatha on later episodes of Bewitched
Andy Griffith episode “Convicts at Large” Rita Shaw played “Big Maude”.
One of the highlights of the show is the inclusion of Harold Peary, the first (and greatest) Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve (aka The Great Gildersleeve). Bob Sweeney went on to greater fortune as the director of the original Hawaii 5-O series.
I am a old time radio fan...have listened to dozens of episodes...this is goodish...
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I've really enjoyed many of your videos, and this one was very enjoyable to watch, too. Thank you. 🙂 (Chase)
Awesome, thank you!
🙂🙂🙂
Thanks. Never seen this. I always appreciate your rare uploads. I know the radio show fans did not accept this show, which I can respect, but Cathy Lewis and Bob Sweeney are pretty good.
Glad you enjoyed it
Fiber mgee and molly sure was popular d. W.
Superb ...
Hal Peary (Gildersleeve) as Mayor La Trivia?!
Thank you for adding to the credits!
and Paul Smith and Elisabeth Fraser as "Roy & Hazel Norris" (rhey appeared frequently).
My guess is that the Gildersleeve character, having spun off years before, was owned by somebody else. Probably Kraft Cheese, the radio sponsor. So they weren't allowed to use it anymore on Fibber McGee. Besides a couple of guest appearances by Harold Peary, it was never used on the Fibber McGee radio show either, after it was spun off.
"THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE" became a separate radio series in the fall of 1941. NBC, however, owned both, and produced a syndicated TV version starring Willard Waterman {the second Gildersleeve} in the 1955-'56 season.
@@fromthesidelines I heard an interview done in the 70s with Harold Peary (I think Chuck Shaden's show) where he explained why he left the Gildersleeve show. He said it was because he wanted some ownership stake in it otherwise he didn't have any real security. I kind of remember that he said Kraft had an ownership stake, but I'm not sure. He also had an interesting take on why Gildersleeve didn't work on TV. He said that Willard Waterman, who was about 6'5", because of his size, came across as more menacing than bumbling & humorous and that it was almost impossible for a man that big to be funny (if you could see him, which, obviously, you couldn't on radio). I guess unless it was a comic villain, like Mike Mazurki sometimes played. Gildersleeve, to be funny, had to be short & fat--like Harold Peary.
Love your channel .please post more of the show “ this is Alice “ also can you post some old time Christmas shows ?
Some more This Is Alice are in the works!
Originally seen on NBC's daytime repeat anthology, "COMEDY PLAYHOUSE", on April 19, 1960 {when the series left prime-time in January 1960, there were seven "leftover" episodes; they were "burned off" in April, then repeated later that summer}.
Guest starring in this episode are Jack Weston, Howard McNear, Reta Shaw, and George Ives.
Cathy Lewis and Bob Sweeney were cast based on their vocal similarity to Marian and Jim Jordan, who did the radio series.
But the millions of longtime radio listeners found that the TV versions looked nothing like the homespun, suburban radio versions that they'd seen in their minds' eyes, and in all the promo materials for the radio show.
By 1960, the Jordans were too old, and Marian was too ill, to play the roles on TV. But the network didn't even try to find actors who looked like them. It "modernized" the characters, to appeal to viewers.
It really missed the mark with Cathy, who had a coldness about her, no matter what role she played. And she'd played many, many roles on the radio. She was at her best when playing vicious, reptilian characters with an icy coldness. She's too sophisticated for the role of Molly.
I enjoyed the episode as a funny 50's sitcom, but I imagine the Fibber McGee and Molly fans just couldn't take the change in cast, as you pointed out.
WHAT vocal similarity to Marian & Jim Jordan? That Sweeney and Lewis can speak? When I close my eyes, Sweeney and Lewis sound nothing like Fibber and Molly.
Cathy Lewis also did a lot of comedy. Most famously on "My Friend Irma", but lots of other shows, including, if I recall correctly, as one of Gildersleeve's girlfriends on that show. In a way I can see the thinking in casting her as the sensible Molly because of the way she played the sensible friend of the ditzy Irma. But I don't think the show was going to work any way by 1960. It was a decent try, and the show isn't bad unless you're comparing it to the radio original. (Also they were missing Don Quinn's writing which was a big, big part of the original.)
Cathy Lewis was also snobby on "Hazel"When She played the Part of Diedre the sister of Hazel's Employer George Baxter,I thought she was Downright nasty
Bob Sweeney & Cathy Lewis were good choices if you couldn't get the real Fibber & Molly. Problem is the radio show wasn't really a situation comedy. It was more like vaudeville, with Fibber & Molly in whatever situation and then you'd have each of the other weekly characters (Gildersleeve, Mrs. Uppington, the Old Timer, Wallace Wimple, Mayor LaTrivia, etc.) drop in and do their weekly routine, each a variation on their well known characters. It was a very radio format and don't know if it could have worked on TV. Fred Allen had the same problem with his Allen's Alley. It was made for radio and didn't work on TV when they tried it.
LOVE Jack Weston
Great actors both, but they are NOT Fibber McGee and Molly. Jim and Marian Jordan were Fibber McGee and Molly. Bob Sweeney and Cathy Lewis may have the voices, but they're still not Fibber and Molly.
It’s not the same.
Doesn't have the charm or the pace, or the appealing characters of the radio show. Even Hal Peary, who was a successful side character in the radio show, doesn't connect here. (Not that he has the time.) Of course, the plot hasn't aged well either.
Thank you!!