The Great Gildersleeve NBC · September 12, 1951

The Great Gildersleeve 51 09 12 (412) County Fair Comes To Summerfield

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# The Great Gildersleeve - County Fair Comes To Summerfield

Picture the autumn of small-town America: the brass band strikes up on the town square, prize ribbons flutter in the crisp breeze, and the unmistakable aroma of kettle corn and fresh apple cider fills the air. When the county fair rolls into Summerfield, Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve finds himself at the center of delightful chaos. Will the vain gadabout successfully manage the fair's operations, or will his grandiose schemes and romantic misadventures turn the whole affair into a slapstick spectacle? Tune in as Harold Peary's mellifluous voice guides us through a whirlwind of mistaken identities, competitive spirit, and the kind of good-natured trouble that only the Great Gildersleeve can manage to create.

Since its 1941 debut, *The Great Gildersleeve* revolutionized radio comedy by focusing on a single, well-drawn character rather than sketch-based humor. Harold Peary's creation—a blundering yet irresistible Southern gentleman perpetually entangled in romantic and civic schemes—captured the hearts of millions of listeners seeking warmth and laughter during the war years and beyond. This 1949 episode exemplifies the show's magic: it's deeply rooted in the American experience of county fairs and small-town traditions while maintaining the fast-paced comic timing that made Gildersleeve a household name and earned the show multiple Emmy-like accolades of the era.

Step back into 1949 for twenty-five minutes of pure, unadulterated radio comedy. The Great Gildersleeve awaits—where the stakes are modest, the mishaps are grand, and every program promises the kind of innocent hilarity that made radio's golden age truly golden.