 And an often-mentioned wife simply disappeared, never to be explained. Instead, he would become an eligible and often overenthusiastic bachelor, serving as the legal guardian for his late sister's orphaned kids. Hey, I'm Greg Bell, and as I mentioned earlier, Fibber McGee and Molly didn't start its 1941-42 radio season until about a month after the great Gildersleeve debuted. So Perry, as Gildee, had to once again relive his departure from Wistful Vista.