Old Time Radio Show of the Week

 The Great Gildersleeve

starring Harold Peary as Gildersleeve

This is one of my favorite OTR shows, its funny and I love the interaction each person has with Gildy (as he is called by Judge Hooker).  Of course I love Leroy played by Walter Tetley who was a almost a grown man but he was blessed with a voice that sounded way younger than he was or looked.   If you love Walter then The Phil Harris & Alice Fay Show is a great show for you to hear him as Julius the grocery boy.

This particular episode highlights Leroy and his interactions with Unc (his Uncle the Great Gildersleeve).  

Old Time Radio Show of the Week

The Phil Harris and Alice Faye Show

May 28th 1950

"Tickets To South Pacific"

Phil tries to get an extra two tickets to "South Pacific", Alice sings "A Wonderful Guy" and Phil sings "Let's Choo Choo To Idaho"

Old Time Radio Show of the Week

The Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show

May 18th 1952 

"Julius is Missing" 

Old Time Radio Show of the Week

The Great Gildersleeve

October 1st 1944 (Sunday)

"The House is Sold"

Gildy is tricked into selling his house and finds himself in need of a new house....quickly!

Old Time Radio Show of the Week

The Great Gildersleeve

September 9th 1945

"Leroy's New Teacher"

The first day of school in Summerfield

Old Time Radio Show of the Week

This week, we go back to June 14th 1950 for the final performance of Harold Peary as The Great Gildersleeve.   
Harold played Gildy for 13 years on radio, starting on "The Johnson Wax Program starring Fibber McGee and Molly" in 1939 as Throckmorton Gildersleeve 
In 1941 Gildy was "spun off" to his own show, Harold Peary stayed as Gildersleeve until 1950.  He left after the 1949-50 season and was replaced by soundalike Willard Waterman who finished with the radio version in 1957.  Waterman also played Gildersleeve on 39 episodes of the television version for NBC in 1955.

Dick Beals, OTR Star, R.I.P.

Today was the sad passing of another star of the Golden Age of Radio and television, Richard "Dick" Beals.

Not being the best at writing about these things I will leave it to the experts like Mark Evanier who posted this brief but good obituary on Mr. Beals

Mr. Beals was famous for portraying young boys on the radio and in cartoon due to his youthful voice and never going through puberty.  He and Walter Tetley were the most called upon voice actors when a young boy was needed but so was a professional actor with the perfect voice.  Mr. Beals most famously portrayed Speedy the Alza Seltzer mascot in the 50s and 60s.

Thanks to my friend and OTR podcast master Buck Benny we have both Walter Tetley as Leroy and Dick Beals guesting as little Ronnie on the Great Gildersleeve radio show from September 23rd 1953.


 Also, from Buck Benny's Podcast the first regularly schedule episode of Gunsmoke "Billy The Kid" which featured Dick Beals as a young William Bonny aka Billy the Kid,

 Cartoon Brew highlights Mr. Beals work in cartoons and commercials in the 50s and 60s

The Golden Age of Radio - The Great Gildersleeve

This episode of the Great Gildersleeve is focused on the nephew of Gildy, Leroy, who is portrayed by child impersonator and wonderful voice actor Walter Tetley.

Tetley was famous for his portrayals of young boys on radio including Julius Abruzzio on The Phil Harris and Alice Faye Show.  He had those concurrent roles on 2 of the most popular shows on radio.  He joined the Harris/Faye Show in 1948 and by the time it had finished its run on radio in 1954 he was nearly 40 years old.

He became well known to another generation of children from his role as Sherman the boy of Mr. Peabody on the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show segment "Mr. Peabody's Improbable History".