In Summerfield, Gildersleeve was the guardian of his orphaned niece and nephew, Marjorie and Leroy Forrester, Marjorie was a teenager who seldom gave any trouble, but Leroy was a wise guy. Gildersleeve gave up the Girdle business and became the water commissioner in Summerfield….a job which required he do just about nothing at all.
He lived on Lakeside Avenue with their afro-american housekeeper, Birdie Lee Coggins (Lillian Randolph). He became close friends with Mr. Peavey, who owned the local drugstore. Directly across the street was the residence of Judge Hooker. Further down the street was Floyd Munson’s barbershop, where the five chief members of the Jolly Boys Club (Gildy, Peavey, Hooker, Floyd, and Police Chief Gates) gathered for conversation and harmony.

The Great Gildersleeve is abundant and available on recordings. The show was very well done. Listeners could hear the children grow up, be present at Marjorie’s wedding, share the birth of her twins. Leroy, Birdie, and Judge Hooker remain the same throughout the series. It was a happy show. When Waterman replaced Peary, the show still retained much of its appeal. The resemblance between the two men while on the air was remarkable.

This track and more like it can be found in "The Great Gildersleeve" Playlist