Ask Molly McGee, part I

girlfriday poses the question:
did TV kill the Radio star?

For most, yes. For others, no.

Some never tried to transition into television, some tried and failed. A lucky few found success on the small screen.


George Burns and Gracie Allen are probably two of the most likable people to ever have careers in Hollywood. It would only make sense that the television version of their radio show would be so successful it would last for eight years.



The Jack Benny Program ran for an impressive 15 years on television.



Impressive, until you consider that his radio show ran for 23 years. To put in perspective, when he started the show, America was in the first years of the Depression; when he ended it, Eisenhower was president. He was still kickin' it on the radio when I Love Lucy and Ozzie & Harriet were airing on television. When his TV show ended in 1965, Beatlemania was still sweeping the nation. From Prohibition to LBJ. He was a part of American pop culture for that long.

Suspense? Dragnet? The Lone Ranger? All great contributions to the world of television that were birthed on radio.

Fibber McGee & Molly and The Great Gildersleeve, both hugely popular on the airwaves, only lasted a season on the telly. These are only two examples of what was typically the trend when shows tried to make the jump.

Of course TV was the ultimate cause for the demise of radio, which makes sense, and is just what happens in a world of advancing technology. Certain stars transcended radio. Their popularity couldn't be confined to the radio. America accepted them into their hearts, and weren't ready to let them go just because the medium they had met them on was fading into the past. Some stars were not so lucky. Faces made for radio, I guess they would say.

If you were pleased by this answer, and wish to have your own question answered, post them in the comments section. Molly McGee will do her best to answer your queries, that she will.