The Tyler Public Library returns to the golden era of radio broadcasting Thursday, Nov. 5, at 6 p.m., when the Printed Page Players read aloud episodes from “Fibber McGee and Molly” and “The Great Gildersleeve.”
Fibber’s Closet and The Great Gildersleeve’s Thanksgiving Show were first broadcast during radio’s heyday in the early 1940s. At the time, family entertainment revolved around a piece of furniture about the size of a picnic basket as, every day shortly after sunset, Americans would pull their chairs up to the little box and escape from the news of a world at war.
Fibber McGee and Molly is one of the longest-running comedies, 1935-1959, in the history of American radio. Many people still refer to household clutter as "Fibber McGee's closet," conjuring up the show’s running gag of an avalanche of bric-a-brac clattering down as the door of an overstuffed closet is opened.
Fibber McGee and Molly was one of the earliest radio comedies to use regular characters including Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve - the pompous next-door neighbor who became a consistent McGee nemesis. The Great Gildersleeve was one of broadcast history's earliest spin-off programs and may have been the first broadcast show to be centered on a single parent balancing child-rearing, work and a social life.
The public is invited to attend the monthly readings in the Taylor Auditorium, 201 S. College. As with all Library offerings, the events are free and no reservations are required to be an audience member. For more information contact the Library at (903) 593-READ [7323] or by email at programs@tylertexas.com.
The Tyler Public Library houses over 200,000 items and has almost 20,000 cardholders. Nearly 58,000 people visited the Library from January to March of 2009, and more than 60,000 items were circulated. In addition, two dozen Internet access workstations are in constant use seven days a week.
Information on this and other City of Tyler events is listed on our website at www.CityofTyler.org on our Twitter page at www.Twitter.com\TylerEvents; or become a friend of Tyler Happenings on www.Facebook.com.