Duffy’s Tavern: A History of Ed Gardner’s Radio Program (hardback)

Soon after Duffy’s Tavern premiered over the radio in 1941, Hollywood celebrities flocked to the microphone for a guest appearance and accepted what was rarely heard of in network broadcasting: celebrities were roasted in the form of insults that were praised by critics and raved by radio listeners. Duffy’s Tavern was so popular it helped spawn a hit song, “Leave Us Face It,” an attempted newspaper comic strip, a number of premiums, and a U.S.O. Tour. Convicts at San Quentin voted it their favorite radio program. This book (700 plus pages) documents the entire history of the radio program, the 1945 motion-picture, the short-lived television program, the lawsuits, Ed Gardner’s personal life, contract negotiations and much more.