“The Great Gildersleeve” takes the microphone at Golden Age of Radio Thursday, Nov. 2, at 1 p.m. in the Fountain Hills Community Center.

Spinning off from the “Fibber McGee and Molly” program, Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve took the train out of Wistful Vista and rode the radio rails into the town of Summerfield and his own radio series beginning August 31, 1941.

When Gildersleeve or “Gildy” told the employees of the Gildersleeve Girdle Works that he’d be gone “as long as three days,” the McGees’ neighbor would remain in Summerfield (and his own radio series) for the next 16 years.

Hal Peary starred as “The Great Gildersleeve” for a decade and portrayed Gildy in a series of movies before he departed to star in his own short-lived series, “Honest Harold.” Willard Waterman took over the famous role September 6, 1950, and continued the role on radio through March 21, 1957, and for three seasons on television.

“The Great Gildersleeve” and other classic radio programs are archived in the Golden Age of Radio Bruce Florence Library, an extensive collection of timeless radio broadcasts on records, tapes and CDs.

Community Center membership is required to attend Golden Age of Radio meetings.

For more information, contact Bill Whittaker at 480-837-7961 or the Community Center at 480-816-5200.

From the twilight of the Jazz Age to the dawn of the Space Age, The Golden Age of Radio celebrates the reign of our first electronic medium, the then-modern miracle that brought news, entertainment and information into homes throughout a significant period of history.