Duffy's Tavern
May 4, 1951
The show is announced as being transcribed and part of "Friday's NBC All Star Festival". It has three fairly high powered sponsors including Chesterfield, Anacin, and RCA.
As the show characters are being introduced Bert Gordon is now referred to as the "Mad Russian". He is also referred to in the shows as "Russian"
like from the Eddie Cantor shows.
The actual show starts with the theme of "Irish Eyes Are Smiling", the phone rings and it's as usual Duffy calling Archie. Duffy has just celebrated his wedding anniversary by taking Mrs. Duffy to the El Morocco Club. He saw a South American lady there spend over a thousand dollars for the evening, and he want's that kind of money spent at the tavern. He describes Senorita Cabana as the wealthy heiress.
Archie gets more information about the lady from Miss Duffy who tells him that the Senorita hit the mother lode of a mine in South America. Archie thinks it's terrible that she hit her mother when the poor lady was loaded. However, he calls her at the hotel and is told she is taking a siesta. Archie asks them to dry her off and
bring her to the phone.
During the phone conversation he tells her that the place is in the Spanish part of town on El Third Avenue and the Bowery. He describes the place as "Casa Del Duffy" and it has a great South American floor show. Finally, the Senorita promises to come over that evening.
Archie asks for Miss Duffy's help again as he want's a South American young guy to help the Senorita spend all her money at the
Tavern. He says he needs a South American gigolo and Bert Gordon shows up saying he could play the part. He says that in Spain he was known as "Don Ask", and goes on to describe how he was once a bullfighter. At the end of the bull fight he says he picked up a bugle. Archie wants to know why. "Because it was time to blow!", says the Russian. When Miss Duffy finally gets a word in she tells Archie about Bobby Cappo, Latin American singer who is a
South American Sinatra.
Archie calls Universal Studios to find Bobby Cappo and pretends to be someone of importance. During the call there is another reference to the movie, "The Man With My Face". This is at least the third time they mention this film. There is also a reference to the fixing of basketball games which was going on at that time.
The first commercial comes in at this point and it's Bob Hope and Bing Crosby telling about Chesterfield cigarettes.
Back to the show and Archie has been trying to "Spanish up" the tavern. With not much success. The singer Bobby Cappo arrives and talks in very heavily accented English. He might have been speaking phonetically by his pronouncing of some words. Archie thinks he has a Brooklyn accent. Miss Duffy wants to be introduced and Archie says "Cappo meet kaput". She asks him if he is an actor
. He says that he is. She then asks if he's been investigated, a reference to the McCarthy Era. She also argues with Archie that she has the same measurements as Carmen Miranda, but not in the same places.
An Anacin commercial comes in and breaks the action.
When the show resumes the Senorita has arrived. When she speaks Archie thinks that she has a Brooklyn accent as well. Immediately he tries to get her to begin spending money and offers
her a case of champagne. However, she refuses until she sees the "great South American floor show".
Archie tries to open the show with some South American jokes. He says he dated two South American girls, Polly and Molly, he was cold to Polly, but hot to Molly.
There is no response, so he asks if he laid an egg. Miss Duffy tells him it was a South American omelet.
Finally Bobby Cappo sings, in Spanish. Afterwards Archie
introduces him to the Senorita. The Senorita admires him, and says he's not like other stupid "Americanos". Bobby doesn't like her attitude. She goes on to put down the Brooklyn Dodgers and Bobby wants to hit her with a pop bottle. Archie breaks them up, but the Senorita is mad and leaves the tavern. Archie is upset with Bobby because of all the money he's now lost. Bobby replies that she
should have picked on the Giants which starts a fight with Archie.
Afterwards Archie says that this is the last show as they are closing the Tavern for the summer. He thanks everyone in the cast including Mrs. Ed Gardner, his wife, who starts the applause.
A final commercial ends the show. After which is a network plug for the show, "The Man Called X", starring Herbert Marshall. Rex R
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