Some Dragnet - Great Gildersleeve trivia

Barton Yarborough, who played Friday's partner Ben Romero, died suddenly on December 19, 1951.

The trivia begins with the eventual replacement: Ben Alexander, who didn't take over until about 8 months later.

Alexander was suggested to Jack Webb by Cliff Arquette, who had worked with Alexander on the Great Gildersleeve show.

Cool, quick trivia

Q: William Waterman was a rising radio star in the 1940's, yet he was told there would be no way he could ever play bit parts on Fibber mcGee and Molly.  Why?

A: Because he sounded too much like The Gildersleeve character. (As a matter of fact, he later took Gildersleeve's place on The Great Gildersleeve.)


Q. Without looking it up, how old was Walter Tetley when he began the Gildersleeve show as "Leroy?"

A. Would you believe 27 years old? He was born in 1915.


FACT: The Cliff Arquette story grows stranger and stranger. I just read that on April 13, 1936, Arquette played a character on Fibber McGee and Molly called, "Wallingford Tuttle Gildersleeve."

FACT: Fibber opened the closet 83 out of 128 times during the closet gag on Fibber McGee and Molly.

FACT: The first adult western was Hawk Larabee, starring Elliot Lewis and Barton Yarborough.  There are about 10 know surviving shows on the internet.