Rivals, Leila and Grace, Meet: The Great Gildersleeve (February 4, 1953)

The Great Gildersleeve, old-time radio on Stupid Potato

“Rivals, Leila and Grace, Meet” is an episode of The Great Gildersleeve, the old-time radio show, first broadcast February 4, 1953. Listen free on Stupid Potato: no sign-up, no app.

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What happens

Gildersleeve escorts schoolteacher Grace Tuttle home from a movie while his other girlfriend, the Southern widow Lila Ransom, is out of sight, but he fears she will see him. He later invites Lila to dinner, and Leroy warns that the two women may compare notes. Gildersleeve tries to keep the women apart, but after Peavey helps him arrange an introduction, Lila and Grace meet at the soda fountain and discover they attended the same sorority. Their growing friendship sets Gildersleeve further on edge. The Great Gildersleeve stars Harold Peary, with Willard Waterman, Lillian Randolph and Lurene Tuttle, and first aired on NBC on February 4, 1953.

Summerfield, a small town

Characters: Gildersleeve, Leroy, Bertie, Lila Ransom, Grace Tuttle, Peavey, Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve

Listen for: Gildersleeve's attempts to keep Lila and Grace apart, and the moment they discover their shared sorority

Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.