McGee and Molly

Fibber’s Black Eye

Originally Aired: November 12, 1940
Fibber McGee & Molly #261, "Fibber's Black Eye,"
Fibber arrives home in the dark and accidentally walks into a door, giving himself a spectacular black eye. When Molly turns on the lights and sees his shiner, she's immediately skeptical of his explanation. Despite Fibber's insistence that he really did bump into the door, Molly assumes he got into a fight, perhaps with their neighbor Gildersleeve, during his day spent downtown discussing politics. The more Fibber protests his innocence, the less Molly seems to believe him, creating an awkward situation as he tries desperately to convince her of the truth.
As the McGees head to the doctor's office to have the eye examined, Fibber becomes increasingly self-conscious about his appearance. They encounter various neighbors and acquaintances along the way, including Old Timer and the enterprising little girl who's running a baby buggy parking lot with Willie Toops. Each person they meet comments on Fibber's impressive shiner, making him feel more embarrassed and causing him to duck into doorways to avoid further humiliation.

Election Day

Originally Aired: November 5, 1940
Fibber McGee & Molly #260, "Election Day," finds the McGees serving as election officials at their home at 79 Wistful Vista, eager to win a $250 prize offered by the Good Government Club for achieving 100% voter turnout in their precinct. As citizens like Nick Depopoulos arrive to cast their ballots, Fibber attempts to maintain his authority as "Judge McGee" while Molly reminds him to stay nonpartisan. Between voters, the couple engages in their typical comic banter, with Fibber launching into a rambling story about his circus days and a friend named Charlie who supposedly played a cantaloupe in parades. With only 22 more voters needed for a perfect turnout, the McGees tune in to receive real election returns from the NBC newsroom, hearing early results from the Roosevelt-Willkie presidential race.
Throughout the episode, various Wistful Vista residents stop by to vote, including the ever-confused Mr. Flanagan, who wants to bring his 16-year-old son to vote because listening to campaign speeches has supposedly aged him five years. The McGees balance their official duties with their characteristic comedy, all while keeping one eye on winning that coveted prize money.

Notre Dame Vs Army

Originally Aired: October 29, 1940
Fibber McGee & Molly #259, "Notre Dame Vs Army,"
Fibber McGee attempts to load his jalopy with an enthusiastic crowd of friends heading to see the big Notre Dame versus West Point football game. The McGee car becomes increasingly cramped as Mrs. Uppington, Gildersleeve, Billy Mills, Nick Diopoulos, Harlow Wilcox, the Old Timer, Mr. Boomer, and Molly all squeeze in. Nick brings a chunk of ice for the radiator in case it overheats, Mrs. Uppington settles onto someone's lap, and the Old Timer wedges himself into the luggage compartment. The seating arrangements lead to comedic complaints and wisecracks from the overcrowded passengers.
Just as everyone is finally situated and ready for their road trip, Fibber discovers the car won't start. He frantically tries to get the engine running while his increasingly impatient passengers offer unhelpful commentary. A young girl appears and observes the chaos, eventually solving Fibber's problem with an embarrassingly simple solution that reveals the real reason behind his mechanical difficulties.

Gildersleeve’s Diary

Originally Aired: October 22, 1940
In Fibber McGee & Molly #258, "Gildersleeve's Diary," Fibber stumbles upon a golden opportunity for mischief when he discovers that neighbor Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve's personal diary has been accidentally thrown out with the trash. Despite Molly's earnest pleas that reading someone else's diary would be a terrible invasion of privacy, Fibber can't resist the temptation to unlock its secrets. The situation grows more complicated when Gildersleeve himself arrives at the McGee home, nervously searching for something he's lost. When he casually offers Fibber a key that might open a briefcase, Molly and Fibber must scramble to hide the diary they're concealing.
As Fibber dons gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints and dives deeper into the diary's pages, he uncovers entries spanning decades of Gildersleeve's life, from humorous mundane observations to surprisingly prescient predictions. Meanwhile, young Teeny drops by and engages Fibber in a conversation about fairy tales that reveals how much the precocious girl has outgrown children's stories. The stage is set for potential embarrassment and comedy as Fibber possesses intimate knowledge of his neighbor's private thoughts.

Missing Screwdriver

Originally Aired: October 15, 1940
In Fibber McGee & Molly #257, "Missing Screwdriver," Fibber drags his entire tool chest up from the basement into the living room, creating chaos as he desperately searches for his missing screwdriver. He can't fix the broken light socket in the cellar without it, and he can't use his jackknife because he broke the point off using it as a makeshift screwdriver. As Molly watches him dump the contents of his tool chest across the floor, revealing an absurd collection of broken gadgets and forgotten projects, Fibber insists he needs the screwdriver for a special repair project he wants to keep secret as a surprise for her.
The situation grows more complicated when the elegant Mrs. Uppington stops by and accidentally steps into an old camera, then nearly gets caught when Fibber himself gets trapped in a bear trap from his collection. Despite Molly's exasperated suggestions that he simply buy a new screwdriver at the hardware store, Fibber remains stubbornly determined to find his original tool, leading to increasingly ridiculous complications.

Fibber Gives Up Cigars

Originally Aired: October 8, 1940
Fibber McGee & Molly #256, "Fibber Gives Up Cigars,"
In this episode, Fibber McGee finds himself in the doctor's office complaining of headaches and general malaise. After a thorough examination, the doctor delivers his diagnosis: Fibber must quit smoking his 25 daily cigars completely for one week and adopt a bland diet. While Fibber reluctantly agrees to the treatment, Molly knows her husband all too well. The doctor privately gives Molly a secret weapon—a bottle of medicine that, when added to coffee in small doses, makes tobacco taste terrible. He warns her to use only three drops at a time.
No sooner does Fibber leave the doctor's office than his willpower begins to crumble. Despite handing over his cigars to Molly for safekeeping, Fibber quickly finds an excuse to duck into a drugstore, where he purchases a cigar and secretly orders a whole box of El Ropos to be delivered to the Elks Club. As he tries to rationalize smoking "just one drag" to prove his willpower to Molly, it becomes clear that his attempt to quit will be anything but easy.

Returning From Vacation

Originally Aired: October 1, 1940
In Fibber McGee & Molly #255, "Returning From Vacation," the McGees arrive home at 79 Wistful Vista after their trip, only to discover disaster has struck. Their neighbor Gildersleeve cheerfully greets them and begins helping unload their car, but casually mentions a broken umbrella stand, a rehung dining room door, and a collapsed floor. As Fibber grows increasingly agitated, Gildersleeve reveals that water from an upstairs bathroom flooded through the ceiling, causing extensive damage to their home. The two neighbors nearly come to blows over the catastrophe before Molly intervenes and schedules their argument for the next day at eleven o'clock.
Meanwhile, their friend Harlow Wilcox stops by to welcome them home, and the little girl from across the street delivers surprising news. She announces that she's leaving the show after receiving other offers, with her agent Willie Toops representing her. The McGees are shocked by her sudden departure and her newfound Hollywood attitude, though they wish her well as they try to make sense of both their damaged home and the unexpected changes awaiting them.

Preparing To Leave On Vacation

Originally Aired: June 25, 1940
Fibber McGee & Molly #254, "Preparing To Leave On Vacation," Fibber is supposed to be helping pack for their summer vacation, but instead he's consumed with composing a musical number to impress Meredith Wilson, who will be hosting the summer replacement show. While Molly lugs heavy trunks to the car by herself, Fibber pounds away at the piano, convinced he's demonstrating true musical progress. When Gildersleeve happens by and sees Molly doing all the work, he's appalled by Fibber's treatment of his "frail little woman," though Molly insists she's perfectly capable.
As the couple attempts to finish their preparations, calling utilities and arranging for services to be shut off, they receive visits from their Wistful Vista neighbors. Mrs. Uppington drops by with a peculiar going-away gift of collapsible finger bowls for roughing it in the woods, complete with her trademark condescending wit. Through it all, Fibber remains stubbornly fixated on his symphony while chaos swirls around him and departure time draws near.

Fibber Models A Dress For Molly

Originally Aired: June 18, 1940
In Fibber McGee & Molly #253, "Fibber Models A Dress For Molly," vacation preparations take an unexpected turn when Molly needs help with a complicated dress pattern. After learning from her friend Mert that skirts are going to be two inches longer this season, Molly discovers her dressmaker is unavailable. Desperate to complete the garment before their trip, she convinces a reluctant Fibber to model the dress so she can check her progress. Despite his protests about his dignity and pride, Fibber eventually agrees to slip into the dress, though he insists on locking doors and pulling shades first.
Fibber's worst fears come true when visitors start dropping by, including bandleader Billy Mills and the irrepressible neighborhood girl Teeny. As Fibber repeatedly struggles in and out of Molly's dress, each interruption brings new embarrassment and comic complications. The situation grows increasingly absurd as Fibber tries to maintain his masculine dignity while wearing women's clothing, all while Molly remains focused on saving three dollars on dressmaker fees and perfecting her vacation wardrobe.

Wall Paper

Originally Aired: June 11, 1940
Fibber McGee & Molly #252, "Wall Paper,"
While window shopping down 14th Street in Wistful Vista on a lovely June day, Fibber and Molly stumble upon an auction at Needham's Wallpaper store, presided over by the fast-talking auctioneer Horatio K. Boomer. What starts as innocent bystander commentary quickly turns into disaster when the cunning Boomer manipulates their casual remarks into bids. Despite Fibber's protests and attempts to clarify they aren't bidding, Boomer skillfully twists every word they say into higher and higher offers, with the crowd as witnesses to the supposed transaction.
Before they know what's hit them, Fibber finds himself the reluctant owner of thirty rolls of flowered wallpaper for thirty-six dollars, thanks to Boomer's carnival tricks. With no way out of the purchase, Fibber decides to make the best of the situation by attempting to paper the living room himself, much to Molly's horror and skepticism about his handyman abilities.