Duffy's Tavern
The Joe Hehn Memorial Collection
Duffy's Tavern was one of radio's most successful comedies, known for its telephone ringing opening and the line "Hello, Duffy's Tavern, where the elite meet to eat... Archie, the manager speakin'... Duffy ain't here... Oh... hello, Duffy." Archie would then bring Duffy up to date with what was going on at the tavern that evening. Ed Gardner created the series with Abe Burrows and also directed the writing. Gardner played Archie. No one played Duffy because Duffy never had any lines. The show had its regular cast of quirky characters, but the most intriguing aspect of the programs was its ability to attract a steady flow top guest stars from movies, radio, and the theater. The guests usually played themselves, as they tried to avoid or extricate themselves from one of Archie's crazy schemes. He was always trying to get rich quick or to attain a high degree of notoriety leveraging the guest's talent or fame. His malapropisms and mixed-metaphor commentary were byproducts of his attempt to sound more educated than he was. They were often priceless, well-written, and delivered with expert timing. Duffy's Tavern was created with Abe Burrows, who was the show's head writer in its early years. In later seasons, the writing staff would include stints by M*A*S*H writer Larry Gelbart, and Dick Martin, of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In . * * * These recordings are part of the Joe Hehn Memorial Collection. Mr. Hehn (1931-2020) was a pioneering collector of radio recordings when the hobby emerged in the 1960s. Digitizing his collection of reel tapes and discs is the effort of a wide range of North American volunteers, and includes assistance of some international collectors. The groups supporting this effort with their funds, time, technology and skills are the Old Time Radio Researchers and a small group of transcription disc preservationists who refer to themselves as the "The Knights of the Turning Table."
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.