Marian Irene Driscoll Jordan (April 15, 1898 – April 7, 1961) was an American actress and radio personality. She was most remembered for portraying the role of Molly McGee, the patient, common sense, honey-natured wife of Fibber McGee on the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
radio series ''
Fibber McGee and Molly
''Fibber McGee and Molly'' (1935–1959) was a longtime highly popular husband-and-wife team radio comedy program.
The situation comedy was a staple of the NBC Red Network from 1936 on, after originating on NBC Blue in 1935. One of the most p ...
'' from 1935 to 1959. She starred on this series opposite her real-life husband
Jim Jordan
James Daniel Jordan (born February 17, 1964) is an American politician currently serving in his ninth term in the U.S. House of Representatives as the representative for since 2007.
A member of the Republican Party, he is a two-tim ...
.
Early life and marriage
Jordan was born Marian Irene Driscoll on April 15, 1898, in
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...
. She was the twelfth of thirteen children born to Daniel P. Driscoll, (1858–1916) and Anna Driscoll (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Carroll), (1858–1928). Driscoll's paternal great-grandfather, Michael Driscoll, Sr. (1793–1849), emigrated with his wife and children from his hometown of
Baltimore, County Cork
Baltimore (, ; , translated as the "Fort of the Jewels") is a village in western County Cork, Ireland. It is the main village in the parish of Rathmore and the Islands, the southernmost parish in Ireland. It is the main ferry port to Sherkin Isla ...
, Ireland in 1836 to the
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
area and then to
Bureau County, Illinois
Bureau County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 34,978. Its county seat is Princeton.
Bureau County is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, and the Hennep ...
in 1848.
As a teenager and young adult, Driscoll gave music lessons and sang in choir at the church which she attended. While at choir practice one day, she met a member of the choir named
James Edward "Jim" Jordan. The two were married on August 31, 1918.
They had two children together; a son and a daughter. The couple went on to have a long career in show business.
Their life as newlyweds started humbly. Marian became a piano teacher and Jim a mailman. Jim enlisted in the army and was eventually stationed in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
during World War I. He contracted a case of
influenza
Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...
during the
1918 flu pandemic
The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...
but survived. After the war ended, Jim stayed in Europe to do
Vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
performances for wounded soldiers.
Radio
Early radio career
Jordan was first heard on radio with her husband Jim in 1924 after a bet that Jim made with his brother. The couple's performance was a success. They began performing at WIBO, a radio station in Chicago where they earned $10 a week.
In 1927, Marian and Jim began their second radio show, ''The Smith Family'' which aired on WENR radio in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
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, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
.
The show was a great boost to their career, ending in 1930.
Collaboration with Don Quinn and ''Smackout''
In 1931, while in Chicago, the Jordans met cartoonist
Don Quinn
Don Quinn (November 18, 1900 – December 30, 1967) was an American comedy writer who started out as a cartoonist based in Chicago. According to sources, Quinn's career as a cartoonist was short-lived but his career as a writer began after he rea ...
. The three of them created the radio comedy ''
Smackout
''Smackout'' (originally premiered as ''Smackout – The Crossroads of the Air'') was an American old-time radio series and was arguably the first and earliest example of the situation comedy (sitcom) genre and format. The series revolves around ...
''. The series starred Marian as a gossipy green-grocer. Jim played the manager of the grocery store. Marian was known for her catchphrase, "He was smack out of everything, 'cept hot air."
The show, for which Don Quinn was head writer, was the Jordans' first nationwide success. It was also one of the first situation comedies (sitcoms).
"Smackout" ended in 1935 after its sponsorship was taken over by the Johnson Wax Company.
The Jordans and Don Quinn collaborated on the creation of a new show for Johnson Wax, ''
Fibber McGee and Molly
''Fibber McGee and Molly'' (1935–1959) was a longtime highly popular husband-and-wife team radio comedy program.
The situation comedy was a staple of the NBC Red Network from 1936 on, after originating on NBC Blue in 1935. One of the most p ...
''.
''Fibber McGee'' years
On April 16, 1935, Marian Jordan, her husband Jim, and writer Don Quinn, began broadcasting ''
Fibber McGee and Molly
''Fibber McGee and Molly'' (1935–1959) was a longtime highly popular husband-and-wife team radio comedy program.
The situation comedy was a staple of the NBC Red Network from 1936 on, after originating on NBC Blue in 1935. One of the most p ...
'', on the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
Blue Network
The Blue Network (previously known as the NBC Blue Network) was the on-air name of a now defunct American Commercial broadcasting, radio network, which broadcast from 1927 through 1945.
Beginning as one of the two radio networks owned by the N ...
Chicago radio affiliate
WMAQ. The series was a big hit. Marian played the role of Molly McGee, the patient and intelligent wife who supports husband Fibber McGee through various get rich quick schemes and misadventures.
In 1938, the show and Jordan would both suffer major changes. During this time, Marian was drinking excessively. She entered a rehabilitation center in suburban Chicago and tried to get sober. The Jordan children were in high school and college. "Molly" was written out of the radio show, and the program was renamed ''Fibber McGee and Company''. Those who knew Marian doubted that she would ever return to radio, especially after the show moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1939. However, Marian astonished everyone by travelling alone from Joliet, Illinois to Pasadena, California in March 1939. She was able to return to the character of "Molly," and some listeners considered her better than before.
The show received high ratings, from season three in 1938 until the end of its run. It also gave birth to a
spin-off. In 1941, a recurring character, Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, (played by
Harold Peary
Harold "Hal" Peary (July 25, 1908 – March 30, 1985) was an American actor, comedian and singer in radio, films, television, and animation. His most memorable role is as Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, which began as a supporting character on r ...
), began a new show called ''
The Great Gildersleeve
''The Great Gildersleeve'' is a radio situation comedy broadcast in the United States from August 31, 1941 to 1958. Initially written by Leonard Lewis Levinson, it was one of broadcast history's earliest spin-off programs. The series was built a ...
''.
The radio and television series ''
Beulah'' was also a spin-off of ''Fibber McGee and Molly''.
Marian Jordan's health began to deteriorate in the 1950s. This was the beginning of the end both for the show and for Jordan. The program officially ended in 1956 but the Jordans continued their roles as Fibber McGee and Molly in short skits on the NBC radio program ''
Monitor
Monitor or monitor may refer to:
Places
* Monitor, Alberta
* Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States
* Monitor, Kentucky
* Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States
* Monitor, Washington
* Monitor, Logan County, West ...
'' until October 2, 1959, when her poor health made her unable to continue. By the time Fibber McGee and Molly was adapted for television, Marian was too ill to reprise her role, and
Cathy Lewis
Catherine Lee Lewis (December 27, 1916 – November 20, 1968) was an American actress on radio, film, and television. She is remembered best for numerous radio appearances but also noted for making a number of film and television appearances in ...
took her place, opposite
Bob Sweeney as Fibber. Lewis's darker take on the character was a factor in the television series' cancellation after only a half-season.
Other works
In the 1920s, Jordan did a radio show in Chicago entitled ''Luke and Mirandy''. She played the role of Mirandy with her husband Jim as Luke. It was a farm-report program in which Luke told tall tales and face-saving lies for comedic effect.
Marian Jordan also appeared as Molly in six movies based on ''Fibber McGee and Molly.''
Personal life
Marian married
Jim Jordan
James Daniel Jordan (born February 17, 1964) is an American politician currently serving in his ninth term in the U.S. House of Representatives as the representative for since 2007.
A member of the Republican Party, he is a two-tim ...
on August 31, 1918, in
Peoria.
They were married for almost 43 years until her death on April 7, 1961. They had two children: Kathryn Therese Jordan, and James Carroll "Jim" Jordan. She was a Roman Catholic.
Illness and death
The deterioration of Marian's health began in 1938 during the run of ''Fibber McGee and Molly''. She battled alcoholism, and entered a rehabilitation center. She returned to radio in April, 1939.
In 1953, Jordan's health became progressively worse. She became exhausted and easily fatigued. A doctor suggested she take a long rest, but she refused, deciding instead to continue performing. The Fibber McGee and Molly program was then recorded from the Jordans' home in
Encino. The music was pre-recorded, and the commercials were no longer part of the show, but her failing health soon ended the Fibber McGee and Molly show.
In 1958, Marian was found to have an inoperable form of cancer.
Marian Jordan died at her home in Encino on April 7, 1961, of cancer. She and Jim Jordan are buried at the
Holy Cross Cemetery in
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most d ...
.
Honors
''
Fibber McGee and Molly
''Fibber McGee and Molly'' (1935–1959) was a longtime highly popular husband-and-wife team radio comedy program.
The situation comedy was a staple of the NBC Red Network from 1936 on, after originating on NBC Blue in 1935. One of the most p ...
'' was inducted into the
Radio Hall of Fame
The Radio Hall of Fame, formerly the National Radio Hall of Fame, is an American organization created by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988.
Three years later, Bruce DuMont, founder, president, and CEO of the Museum of Broadcast Communicatio ...
in 1989. Marian and Jim Jordan were inducted the same year.
Jordan also has a star for her contributions to radio on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...
at 1500
Vine Street
Vine Street is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California that runs north–south between Franklin Avenue and Melrose Avenue. The intersection with Hollywood Boulevard was once a symbol of Hollywood itself. The famed intersection fell into ...
.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Marian Driscoll
1898 births
1961 deaths
American radio actresses
Actors from Peoria, Illinois
Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
Deaths from cancer in California
Radio personalities from Illinois
Vaudeville performers