The Great Gildersleeve debuted in 1941. The premise of the show was that Gildersleeve had moved to the city of Summerfield to take care of his orphaned niece Marjorie (Lurene Tuttle) and nephew Leroy (Howard Tetley). Being a bachelor, Gildy had his hands full raising two young 'uns, running Summerfield's water department, and having a life of his own which included time with the ladies and nights out with the guys.
The show ran as a half-hour comedy for thirteen years, after which it declined in tandem with radio comedy in general. (Willard Waterman replaced Peary in 1950.) The last live broadcast was in 1957.