Duffys Tavern

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.

If you have ever been curious as to why there is a the in the Bronx or how the borough came to be named, look no further. Bill Twomey reveals the ins and outs of Bronx history as no one else can, and he does it in over 200 stories so you can read as much or as little as you like whether you have a few moments or a few hours. Find out the origins of the various communities of the borough and the stories of the many celebrities and interesting people who call the Bronx home. Whether you came from West Farms, Hunts Point, Glason Point, Throggs Neck, or Riverdale, there are stories here to entertain and educate you. Freedomland, Parkchester, Fort Schuyler, the Concourse, Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Zoo, and tales of old Baychester will remind you of a bygone era. No community is left out of the fascinating book that will make you the guru of all things Bronx.

Martin Scorsese's The Departed barely touched on his story. Now radio talk show sensation, crime reporter, and Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr takes us into the heart of the life of gangster Johnny Martorano in Hitman. For two decades Martorano struck fear into anyone even remotely connected to his world. His partnership with Whitey Bulger and the infamous Winter Hill Gang led to twenty mob murders—for which Johnny would serve twelve years in prison. Carr also looks at the politicians and FBI agents who aided Johnny and Whitey, and at the flamboyant city of Boston which Martorano so ruthlessly ruled. A plethora of paradoxes, Johnny Martorano was Mr. Mom by day and man-about-town by night. Surrounded by fast-living politicians, sports celebrities, and show biz entertainers, Johnny was charismatically colorful—as charming as he was frightening. After all, he was, in the end...a hitman. The paperback edition of Howie Carr's riveting true-crime story includes a new epilogue detailing Whitey Bulger's dramatic June 2011 capture.. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

For everybody "raised on radio"—and that's everybody brought up in the thirties, forties, and early fifties—this is the ultimate book, combining nostalgia, history, judgment, and fun, as it reminds us of just how wonderful (and sometimes just how silly) this vanished medium was. Of course, radio still exists—but not the radio of The Lone Ranger and One Man's Family, of Our Gal Sunday and Life Can Be Beautiful, of The Goldbergs and Amos 'n' Andy, of Easy Aces, Vic and Sade, and Bob and Ray, of The Shadow and The Green Hornet, of Bing Crosby, Kate Smith, and Baby Snooks, of the great comics, announcers, sound-effects men, sponsors, and tycoons. In the late 1920s radio exploded almost overnight into being America's dominant entertainment, just as television would do twenty-five years later. Gerald Nachman, himself a product of the radio years—as a boy he did his homework to the sound of Jack Benny and Our Miss Brooks—takes us back to the heyday of radio, bringing to life the great performers and shows, as well as the not-so-great and not-great-at-all. Nachman analyzes the many genres that radio deployed or invented, from the soap opera to the sitcom to the quiz show, zooming in to study closely key performers like Benny, Bob Hope, and Fred Allen, while pulling back to an overview that manages to be both comprehensive and seductively specific. Here is a book that is generous, instructive, and sinfully readable—and that brings an era alive as it salutes an extraordinary American phenomenon.

A Recovery Road Less Traveled Kathleen S. had tried just about everything to quit drinking. Nothing worked. A binge drinker who felt she was already living on borrowed time (two of her brothers died of addiction-related causes in their 40s), her life and health were rapidly breaking down. Then one day she heard a radio advertisement for a treatment program that promised to take away her cravings Much of the addiction treatment in the U.S. is based on AA attendance and working a twelve-step program. Physicians, the court system, insurance companies, and members themselves often look at AA as the only legitimate mode of recovery from substance abuse. This book describes another program. This book says it all. Staying sober has been a piece of cake for me since Schick Shadel. Chet Ten years ago I, too, walked the hallways of Schick Shadel Hospital. I share Kathys thankfulness for a life without alcohol and cravings, and for the loving care we received from the staff when we were patients. I validated my complete trust in the success of Schick Shadels treatment when I became the majority owner of the Hospital almost ten years ago. Kathy validated hers with the writing of this insightful and motivational book. Jim Graham I am glad that one of our patients, Kathleen S, wrote a book about the treatment from the patients perspective. This book is written factually, with warmth and humor. I hope it will encourage others to give up their addiction and regain their lives again. James W. Smith, M.D., Chief of Staff, Schick Shadel Hospital

Wouldn''t it be helpful if you knew what the future holds? You could get a jump on your future life and problems. Other than your own personal issues...family, friends, career...there are four issues that will effect your future financially. You''re going to retire some day...possibly live 20 to 25 years in retirement. The four issues that are important, whether you''re rich or poor, whether it''s an individual or entire country, are: 1. Social Security 2. Medicare 3. Health Care 4. Oil /Energy All four are currently in crisis. All four are inter related, or int

The author recounts his more than 6,500-mile journey across America, during which he visited the sites of famous rock star deaths and experienced philosophical changes of perspective.