Harold (Hal) Peary

Harold (Hal) Peary was born on July 25, 1908. He was an American comedian, singer, and radio, film, television, and voice actor. He was best known for portraying Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, a recurring character on the radio series Fibber McGee and Molly, who later had his own spin-off series, The Great Gildersleeve, the first successful spin-off in American broadcasting history.

His real name was José Pereira de Faria, and he was born in San Leandro, California, to a family of Portuguese descent. Peary began performing on local radio stations in 1923, according to his memoirs, and had his own singing show, The Spanish Serenader, in San Francisco, California, before moving to Chicago, Illinois, in 1937. While still in San Francisco, he played "various roles" on Wheatenaville, a program broadcast by NBC beginning on September 26, 1932.

In Chicago, his radio work reached its peak with his character Gildersleeve, McGee's neighbor, on Fibber McGee and Molly. The character actually had several names and occupations before settling on Throckmorton Philaharmonic Gildersleeve, a manager at a lingerie factory. Peary also worked on a horror series, Lights Out, and on other radio programs, but his success and fame as Gildersleeve were the basis for developing his own show with his character.

Peary's Gildersleeve became popular enough to warrant a spin-off series. Johnson's Wax, which sponsored Fibber McGee and Molly, also supported a test recording of The Great Gildersleeve, and Kraft Foods was the sponsor of the new show. Gildersleeve was transplanted from Wistful Vista to Summerfield with more than just a change of location—he was now single (the character had a wife on Fibber McGee and Molly who was never heard from), and he was now a water inspector instead of the owner of Gildersleeve's Girlish Girdles.
The Great Gildersleeve premiered on August 31, 1941, and enjoyed continued success for the rest of the decade. Lurene Tuttle played Marjorie; Walter Tetley, a veteran of Fred Allen's Town Hall Tonight and other programs, played Leroy; Lillian Randolph played the housekeeper, Birdie; and Earle Ross as Judge Horace Hooker. Other actors who appeared in the series included Richard LeGrand as Peavey, Arthur Q. Bryan as Floyd, Ken Christy as Police Chief Gates, Shirley Mitchell as Leila Ransom, Bea Benaderet as Eve Goodwin, and occasionally Gale Gordon as Rumson Bullard.

Peary also had the opportunity to sing in some episodes of the show, such as in "Mystery Voice" (October 5, 1942). In addition, Peary starred in four feature films based on his Great Gildersleeve in the 1940s, being the only member of the radio cast to appear in the film adaptations.

In 1950, however, Peary's run as Gildersleeve came to an end. He then began a new sitcom for CBS, The Harold Peary Show, also known as Honest Harold. The series starred Joseph Kearns as veterinarian Dr. Yancey and Shirley Mitchell as Florabelle Breckenridge. The Harold Peary Show only aired for one season, with a total of 38 episodes.

In addition to his four Gildersleeve films, Peary appeared in Walt Disney's A Tiger Walks (1964) and Elvis Presley's Clambake (1967). He also worked in television, appearing in the Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Lover's Gamble" (1965). He also had roles in several sitcoms, including Blondie, the television version of Fibber McGee and Molly, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Petticoat Junction, The Brady Bunch, and The Addams Family. In the 1970s, Peary filmed a popular television commercial for the Faygo brand.

Peary worked as a disc jockey at radio station WMGM in New York, and from 1953 he hosted an hour-long show from Monday to Saturday.

As a voice actor, he participated in many animated productions by Rankin/Bass Productions, Hanna-Barbera, and others, also filming commercials for Gibraltar Savings and Loan, Charmin, Red Goose Shoes, and Challenge Dairy.

Harold Peary died on March 30, 1985 in Torrance, California, from a heart attack. He was seventy-six years old. His remains were cremated, and his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.