Jim Jordan

Jim Jordan and his wife Marian developed one of radio's most durable comedy partnerships. The Peoria-area performers married in 1918, toured in vaudeville and worked through years of uncertain engagements before finding success in Chicago radio. Their programs evolved into Fibber McGee and Molly, which began nationally in 1935. As Fibber, Jim played an enthusiastic storyteller and schemer whose confidence almost always exceeded his knowledge. The fictional home at 79 Wistful Vista became the center of a richly populated comic community, and the crashing hall closet became one of broadcasting's best-known sound gags. Jordan's performance depended on timing and chemistry with Marian rather than simple punch lines. The series continued in different forms through 1959. After Marian's death, Jim largely retired, later voicing the albatross Orville in Disney's The Rescuers. Jim and Marian Jordan were inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1989.