Fibber McGee and Molly - Popular Culture

Popular Culture

• In The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, a 1971 TV movie that served as a pilot for the series The Waltons, Grandpa (played by Edgar Bergen) is seen listening to a 1947 Christmas episode of Fibber McGee and Molly, in which Teeny explains that she and her friends have been practicing their Christmas carol. (The scene is an anachronism, as the movie is set in 1933 - before Fibber McGee and Molly had even premiered.)
• In The Five Foot Shelf, a 1974 episode from the second season of the TV series The Waltons, the Walton family gathers around the radio to listen to Fibber McGee and Molly.
• In the NewsRadio episode entitled "Xmas Story", Jimmy James is said to own the rights to Fibber McGee and Molly, which he gives to Matthew Brock as a Christmas present.
• Given the popularity of the radio show at the time many catch phrases appear frequently in Warner Bros. cartoon shorts from the 1930s and 1940s, such as Molly's "T'ain't funny, McGee!" (Daffy Duck and Egghead, 1938 and Holiday Highlights, 1940), Little Girl's "I betcha." (The Sneezing Weasel, 1938), Mr. Old Timer's "That ain't the way I heared it, Johnny!" (Tortoise Wins by a Hare, 1943), and "Is that you, Myrt?" (Daffy the Commando, 1943 and The Wabbit Who Came to Supper, 1942). The Gildersleeve character was parodied in the 1945 Bugs Bunny cartoon Hare Conditioned, in which the rabbit distracts a menacing taxidermist by telling him that he sounds "just like that guy on the radio, the Great Gildersneeze!" The taxidermist responds with "I do?!" followed by Gildy's famous chuckle. The Gildersleeve voice in this cartoon was done by radio actor and voice artist Dick Nelson.
• Tex Avery's 1945 cartoon The Shooting of Dan McGoo has a scene where the villain tells the title character, "T'ain't funny, McGoo!" - then turns to the camera and says in disgust, "What corny dialogue!"
• In a scene from the 1973 film Paper Moon, set in the 1930s, the character of Addie is shown listening to Fibber McGee and Molly on the radio and urging Fibber not to open the closet door. (This is an anachronism, as the closet gag wasn't used on the show prior to 1940.)
• The show was frequently referenced during the "riffing" on Mystery Science Theater 3000.
• On an episode of NCIS, Abby Sciutto reprimands Timothy McGee with the line "T'ain't funny, McGee" as a nod to the show.
• On The Owl Box, a live web show of barn owls in San Marcos, California, which gained popularity in 2010, the two adult owls are named "Molly" and "McGee" after the show.
• In a hospital scene in the 1991 film The Rocketeer, a nurse and security guard are shown listening to the show on a radio.
• In Dublin City Centre In Ireland, there is a Bar named "Fibber McGees" located on Parnell Street which is known for its Heavy Metal and Rock music.