Fibber McGee and Molly

As a lover of Old Time Radio, I think this TV program is awful. Jim and Marian Jordan were not interested in doing the TV series. But the producers did assemble some names famous old names of show business:

Bob Sweeney, as Fibber. He had a natural comedic talent about him. He wasn't Jim Jordan. And I don't think he was trying to be Jim Jordan, either. He was part of the great Sweeney and March comedy team for many years.

Cathy Lewis, as Molly. She was much too serious for the role. She was a great actress. She made the perfect "straight man," and Molly McGee was a straight man, but not that straight. If you remember My Friend Irma, Cathy Lewis, as Jane Stacy, never was funny. Molly McGee, played by Marian Jordan, was funny on radio!

Barbara Beaird, as Teeny. If you remember the radio series, Teeny (or the Little Girl) only came in the house when Molly left the room, because Marian Jordan was Teeny. Barbara Beaird was too old (or too young).

Fred NItney was only talked about on the radio program. Seeing him on the TV show only made things more complicated. But it is nice to see Jack Kirkwood!

And Harold Peary as Mayor La Trivia... Hal Peary was Mr. Gildersleeve on the radio show, then that became radio's first spin off. Harold Peary was Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve... until he decided to have another radio show on another network (Honest Harold, the Happy Homemaker). Then Willard Waterman became T.P. Gildersleeve. And he tried it on radio a couple of years before this came out. Mayor La Trivia will always be Gale Gordon!!!!

I don't mean to be so harsh with my comments. It's just that the Fibber McGee and Molly show on radio was very special. And it should have been left alone. Still, though, if you are curious, it's worth looking at LIKE HOME MOVIES!!!

Because if you know the radio show you won't find them here. Oh, there are characters called Fibber McGee and Molly but there is almost zero resemblance to the originals. Characters we knew are gone.The running gags are all gone, even the hall closet is only used in the first episode and its off-screen. Hal Peary (Gildersleeve) is playing Mayor LaTrivia, okay, Gale Gordon was probably too busy but still. That LaTrivia is nothing like the radio version (of course it doesn't help that he's playing against non-Fibber & non-Molly) makes the character worthless. We have someone called Doc Gamble but he sure doesn't act like Doc Gamble - totally different relationship dynamic with McGee. And where did these bland next door neighbors come from - a cookie cutter? Teeny shows up only in the first episode - she was the lucky one.

At least Cathy Lewis could have done an Irish accent so sound like Molly. And how did the McGees become owners of commercial properties???

I gave it a 5 as its pretty mediocre fare for the times but t'ain't funny McGee.

The stars of the TV series were not the same as the hit radio series and it was not well received.

The Fibber McGee and Molly TV series never caught on, probably because it didn't have Jim Jordan and Marian Jordan, the original stars of the classic 1935-1959 radio show. People remembered the Jordans too well and could not accept other actors in the roles of Fibber and Molly.

This program should stand as a warning for all time: Success on one medium is no guarantee of success on another. I only managed to sit through one of these programs that someone was trying to use as an early-morning filler 20 years ago. Really awful. Not just because of the absence of Jim and Marion Jordan, but Don Quinn's masterful writing as well. What was clever on radio in the 1940s was tired shtick by the 1960s. Other blunders:Hal Peary - who played Gildersleeve-- is misused as Mayor LaTrivia. One hopes he was just hard up for the money. The lead actors are utterly forgettable. FM&M was NOT a sitcom, but clearly the suits behind this mess thought it was. They pulled the plug in less than four months, a very unusual move in the 60s. If you ever encounter it, it's worth a look-see only if you like to gawk at roadside accidents. T'ain't the way I heerd it! P.S. Go to the Internet Archives Classic TV section if you still want to see a sample of this show and judge for yourself.