DUFFY'S TAVERN: A History of Ed Gardner's Radio Program

As the genially sarcastic, ever-hopeful Archie, Ed Gardner was a product of New York’s lower East Side along Third Avenue and was noted for his stupendous misuse of the English language. He would sling words and phrases around with blissful disregard for grammar and he showed a definite knack for handling malapropisms. His weakness tended towards gullibility in succumbing to any money making schemes… and beautiful women… especially rich ones. In real life, Ed Gardner was a brilliant and shrewd businessman. His insistence to add comedy to an hour-long infomercial helped save M-G-M studios from a financial disaster. Gardner quickly established himself as a successful producer for a variety of radio programs spotlighting Rudy Vallee and Robert L. Ripley. He often trusted his instincts and learned all about radio programming from experience, working his way up the ladder of success. What little he didn’t know about the craft he made up for in shrewd business deals. Towards the end of eleve