About the Log
This log was compiled from a variety of sources. I have attempted
to make it as accurate as possible but there can be no assurance that
the information presented here is 100% correct. I'll go out on a
limb and say that it most certainly is not 100% correct but we
keep trying.
As a starting point, I used the log found on Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio
Logs webpage. I noticed very early on that Jerry's titles did
not jibe completely with the log I had received with a set of reels of
the series which I obtained from a long-time
collector, Gary Mercer. Consequently, since I was trying to
name mp3 files, I usually chose the name that best fit the constraints
of the file naming format. Sometimes I even made up a new title
of my own. I know there are folks having a mild coronary at that
thought but before you go ballistic, take a look at this:
As you can see, a third and very important source for the information
contained in this log is the script collection held by the Wisconsin Historical Society.
These
scripts
were
donated by... Well, you can see for yourself:
But, back to that first page. Notice that the scripts do not have
any official titles. I confess, I did not look at every single
script but none of the scripts that I did look at had an official title
- only a number. The numbers appeared to be serial in nature but
there were a few scripts which had numbers on them that seemed to bear
no relationship to their chronological order. Consequently, I am
at least slightly suspicious of script numbers for any scripts which
haven't been verified. There is still work to be done.
However, all of the scripts that I looked at did have air-dates on
them. In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, I have
accepted those air-dates as correct for purposes of this log.
Examination of the scripts has allowed me to fill
in unofficial names for many of the shows where earlier logs
indicated that the title is unknown. There have also been a few
instances where a "best guess" was apparently made in determining where
a show should be placed, chronologically. Examination of the
scripts allows the correction of a few resulting errors.
One of the biggest controversies regarding chronological placement of a
Gildersleeve program has been regarding a program unofficially entitled
"Laughing Coyote Ranch" which has previously been identified as episode
161 with
an air-date of March 18, 1945. The scripts tell a different
story. Episode 161 (so identified on it's cover page) involves
the events that ensue when Leila thinks she hears a burglar in the
night and it is apparently a "missing" episode. The version of
"Laughing Coyote Ranch" that is in circulation has Willard Waterman in
the lead role which almost certainly dates it post 1949. My "best
guess" is that it is from the post Kraft sponsorship years and,
consequently, not included in this log..
A fourth source was the log on the website of one of the pre-eminent
collectors in the hobby, J.
David Goldin. His log is a source of some frustration as he
indicates that he has six (well, five and a half, anyway) shows which I
have not been able to find anywhere else. His descriptions of the
shows jibe with the scripts so there is little doubt that he has
them.. But he doesn't sell OTR anymore and an inquiry from
me about any possible trade was politely declined. His collection
is reportedly now owned by Radio Spirits but my inquiries to them have
gone unanswered entirely.
So, our best guess tells us, depending on how you count them, that
there are approximately forty-two missing Great Gildersleeve episodes
from the years that Kraft sponsored the program. Five and a half
of those shows are held by David Goldin leaving thirty-six and a half
unaccounted for as of this writing. SPERDVAC
reportedly has a few WW2 era Gildersleeve disks that are so badly
damaged they cannot be transferred to other media. Many of the
rest were originally recorded on glass based transcription disks and
are, therefore, likely lost through breakage. American Radio
Theater has embarked on a project to re-create many of those "lost"
shows. Missing programs are indicated on the log in red
type. An asterisk appended to the MISSING* notation indicates
that the program has been re-created by ART and will ultimately be
offered as part of their podcast. And we're working on more every
day.
I welcome any additional information and corrections. Please
contact me at
