BW - EP126—006: April 1954—Gildersleeve's Dinner Party

Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio Broadcasting

Willard Waterman had been portraying Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve since the fall of 1950 when Harold Peary left the program. In the spring of 1954 The Great Gildersleeve was airing Wednesdays at 8:30PM eastern time over NBC. Kraft had sponsored the program since its debut in 1941. The show’s 5.8 rating was good enough for fourteenth overall, and NBC’s fourth-highest program. It easily beat out CBS’ 21st Precinct, airing opposite at the same time. On April 14th, Gildersleeve hosted a “Dinner Party for Bronco’s Boss.” Parley Baer played Mr. Hammond. In the fall, Gildersleeve shifted formats, becoming a weeknight fifteen-minute serial, before returning to a half-hour in the fall of 1955. The last Great Gildersleeve radio episode would air on March 21st, 1957. For more info on the show’s transition from Peary to Waterman, tune into Breaking Walls episode 120.