Editing Fibber McGee and Molly (section)

==Television==
After the last of the ''Just Molly and Me'' radio shorts ceased production, there were two attempts at getting the McGees onto television. Only one came to fruition. The ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' TV series began production on March 15, 1959, for broadcast beginning in September 1959. Initial press releases stated that Jim Jordan Jr. would be the director,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Program notes|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1959/1959-03-09-BC.pdf#page=121&search=Fibber+McGee|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|page=119|date=March 9, 1959|access-date=October 23, 2019|archive-date=October 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013042307/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1959/1959-03-09-BC.pdf#page=121|url-status=live}}</ref> but he became a consultant, along with the radio show's original creator, Don Quinn. [[File:Cathy Lewis 1959.jpg|thumb|[[Cathy Lewis]] as Molly McGee in 1959.]] The TV version was produced by [[William Asher]] for NBC (and co-sponsored by [[Singer Corporation]] and [[Standard Brands]]). Neither of the Jordans, nor Phil Leslie (the head writer by the end of the radio series), took part in the series. The decision was made to recast both roles, with younger actors [[Bob Sweeney (director)|Bob Sweeney]] and [[Cathy Lewis]] as Fibber and Molly respectively; Lewis had previously played Jane Stacy, a very similar [[straight man|straight-woman]] character, on the radio version of ''[[My Friend Irma (radio-TV)|My Friend Irma]]''. Bill Davenport served as head writer for this series. The only radio alumnus to appear as a regular cast member was [[Harold Peary]], who took the role of Mayor La Trivia.<ref name=marsh>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8KztFy6QYwC&dq=%22Mayor+La+Trivia+Harold+Peary%22&pg=PA470 |first1=Tim |last1=Brooks |first2=Earle |last2=Marsh |title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows – 1946–present |year=2007 |page=470 |publisher=Ballantine Books |section=Fibber McGee and Molly |isbn=978-0345497734 |access-date=28 June 2018 |edition=Ninth |archive-date=October 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013042309/https://books.google.com/books?id=w8KztFy6QYwC&dq=%22Mayor+La+Trivia+Harold+Peary%22&pg=PA470 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The TV version's main asset was character comic Bob Sweeney, who caught the spirit and cadence of Jim Jordan's "Fibber" delivery, alternating between cheerful, boastful, and fretful. Veteran screen actor [[Addison Richards]] made a good foil as Doc Gamble. The series had solid comedy situations, and might have succeeded as a typical domestic comedy if the characters had been named anything ''but'' Fibber and Molly, but it could not replicate the flavor and humor of the original ''Fibber McGee and Molly''. The TV series did not survive its first season, ending its run in January 1960. The pilot episode and at least three episodes of the television series have lapsed into the public domain.

The second TV venture only got as far as the planning stages. NBC approached [[Jay Ward]], producer of the ''[[Rocky and Bullwinkle]]'' TV cartoons, to film a series of half-hour ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' cartoons. This was probably an attempt by NBC to reactivate its property to compete with ABC's then-new cartoon sitcom ''[[The Flintstones]]''. Ward declined, and NBC's ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' franchise finally came to an end.