The Great Gildersleeve, thanks to its writers and actress Lillian Randolph, did something that other shows either shied away from or could not do as successfully.
A singer, Randolph was often heard on Al Jolson’s radio show. Her big break in radio – landing the part of Birdie on The Great Gildersleeve – was due to a fortunate in-studio fall. When she heard that auditions were being for the part, she raced all the way through the studios at NBC until she burst through the door where the producers were casting the role and promptly tripped and fell on her face. Unscathed, she promptly laughed and stood up. Liking her tenacity and her laugh, Randolph was immediately hired and cast in the role.
While she was written to fit a stereotype early on, writers added dimensions to Birdie that Randolph took to immediately. Birdie proved to be spirited as the show progressed, able to stand toe to toe with Gildersleeve and usually prove smarter than him. She was not afraid to share her thoughts, but always did so in a respectful manner. She also proved to be the character that kept some semblance of order in the Gildersleeve family, filling various roles for each person in the house. This made the character appealing to all listeners and crossed racial boundaries others could not.
All listeners did not love Randolph’s Birdie. Ebony Magazine in 1946 criticized her for playing what many considered a stereotyped role. Writer Sam Moore and Randolph responded to this, stating that the Gildersleeve creators and cast took great care to not offend, taking such steps as not giving Birdie dialogue heavy with dialect. Randolph also believed that roles such as hers would have impact, allowing opportunities for other actors of all sorts where none had been before.
Listen in as Gildy, Judge Hooker, Birdie and everyone else in Summerfield make laughter and life happen in twelve original broadcasts of The Great Gildersleeve, Volume 14 as they originally aired, complete with Kraft Foods commercials and restored to sparkling digital quality.
#183 Helping Leroy With His Studies
Sunday, November 4, 1945 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Kraft
#184 Teaching Marjorie Domestic Arts
Sunday, November 11, 1945 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Kraft
#185 Falling Out of the Jolly Boys
Sunday, November 18, 1945 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Kraft
#186 Big Football Game
Sunday, November 25, 1945 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Kraft
#187 Gildy Stuck With Opera Tickets
Sunday, December 2, 1945 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Kraft
#188 Gildy Head of Opera Committee
Sunday, December 9, 1945 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Kraft
#189 A Night at the Opera
Sunday, December 16, 1945 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Kraft
#190 Christmas Eve at Home
Sunday, December 23, 1945 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Kraft
#191 New Year's Eve at Home
Sunday, December 30, 1945 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Kraft
#192 Ben Returns From the Navy
Sunday, January 6, 1946 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Kraft
#193 Ben Sells Life Insurance
Sunday, January 13, 1946 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Kraft
#194 Exposing a Phony Swami
Sunday, January 20, 1946 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Kraft
