One of the most popular radio (see entry under 1920s—TV and Radio in volume 2) comedy programs in the 1930s and 1940s, Fibber McGee and Molly helped define the situation-comedy format. The two roles were created by Jim (1896–1988) and Marian (1897–1961) Jordan, a couple who had performed in vaudeville (see entry under 1900s—Film and Theater in volume 1) before their first radio appearance in Chicago, Illinois, in 1924. By the early 1930s, with the collaboration of writer Don Quinn (1900–1973), their act evolved into a comedy show called Smackout that was broadcast nationally over NBC. In Smackout, the Jordans portrayed the owners of a grocery store that was always "smack out" of everything.

The Fibber McGee and Molly show was first broadcast from Chicago on April 16, 1935, to mixed reviews. In the initial show, which alternated swing music with comedy segments, Molly and Fibber both portrayed...