One of the things I'd discovered lately, as I've probably related, was the joy of finding .mp3 versions of radio series online, whether on file sharing services or on Usenet.

I started out, comprised of equal parts liking the performances and also of having seen Say Goodnight Gracie, searching for episodes of Burns and Allen. But I also was interested in other comedies and ended up with seven CDs full of The Jack Benny Program and increasing episodes of Fibber McGee and Molly.

Somehow in doing all these downloads, I seem to have fallen madly in love with the gang from Wistful Vista. Fibber's wordplay and Molly's patience are the main draws, but I must give major points to the creative way the Johnson's Wax commercials were worked into the text. Harlow Wilcox even managed to make a horror story out of furniture that hadn't been properly cared for in one outing. My favorite parts may actually be when the cast flubs a line and proceeds onward, giggling madly all the while.

Plus I discovered a certain unintentional nostalgia in the Christmas episodes. Back in the 70s one of my favorite Christmas specials was a syndicated animated effort called The Night Before Christmas (not Twas the Night Before Christmas, the Rankin-Bass special with the mice). This was a fictionalized retelling of how Clement C. Moore came to write "A Visit from St. Nicholas," with a musical version of the poem at the end. Lo and behold I discover that original arrangement was written for the Fibber McGee and Molly program and was sung annually by "Teeny" and her "friends."

Unofficial Fibber McGee and Molly Homepage (with downloads)

Fibber McGee and Molly FAQ

Wistful Vista

Meet Marian and Jim Jordan / The Chicago Years (check out the "Smackout" link!)

Fibber McGee and Molly Material

Historic Peoria

Radio Hall of Fame Listing

Scripts (scroll down)

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. . . . . noted and logged by Linda at 11:30:00 PM

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