Clair Schulz
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 1300 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. Features of the second revised and enlarged edition include additional entries from the early years of the program and five appendices (one tabulating all openings of that famous hall closet). Clair Schulz, a dedicated listener to vintage radio recordings since 1974, served as Archives Director at the Museum of Broadcast Communications and contributed to the MBC’s Encyclopedia of Radio. He is also the author of an episode guide to The Great Gildersleeve. On the Screen, On the Air, On My Mind, a collection of his writings about motion pictures and radio programs, has been published by BearManor Media.
