1946 Duffy's Tavern Radio Show NBC PROMOTIONAL Apron Over 200 Stars PLEASE READ For Sale

Please read the entire description of this item in order to ascertain its history and condition.
Duffy's Tavern Radio Show: Premiering in 1941, Duffy's was a weekly half hour radio comedy program set in a local tavern. It starred Ed Gardner as Archie the bartender.The show was a tremendous success and ran until 1952. Almost every, but not all, episodes featured a guest star who would drop in for a drink and interact with the Archie and his regulars. Since this was radio, Mr. Gardner would get into character by standing behind a small counter, wearing a porkpie hat and a white apron. He felt that it made the performance more believable.
The Original Apron: Each week, either at rehearsal or after the show, Mr. Gardner would have his guest star or stars sign the apron. After the show, he would bring the apron home, where his mother would embroider over the signatures to preserve them. I believe the embroidery contributes to the bold appearance of the signed names. Years after Mr. Gardner's death in 1963, his widow sold the original embroidered apron at sale. It is believed to be in the home of a collector in the Midwest.
My Research: I acquired this item over 7 years ago at an sale. I have been researching it on and off ever since. Through my research, I was able to contact a gentleman who spent 20 years researching Mr. Gardner and the Duffy's Tavern show for a book he was writing about it. In my correspondence with the author, he told me that in all his years of research, he had never come across any promotional apron, nor had he ever seen one available for sale. He speculated that it could be a prototype that was never produced. Or perhaps it was produced in a limited number for radio executives. In any case, this is a rare if not one-of-a-kind item.
Condition: The fabric is rather thin and not of the quality or density that one would find in an actual apron made for wearing. It appears to be linen, although there are no labels present. The tie strings are quite thin as well. The signatures are an exact duplication of the original apron with the exception of a few that were replaced by the NBC promotional text. I believe the displaced names are Florence Halop, Reg Price or Prince, and "The Sponsor". This apron is 77 years old and is stained and discolored, likely from age and storage. It had been folded flat when I found it and I've kept it folded since. As shown in the photos, there are creases where the folds are. There are no rips, tears or holes. The apron measures approximately 33" X 33" (not including the strings).
The Promotion: The apron reads "Duffy's Tavern 9PM E.S.T. Wednesdays on N.B.C." The move to N.B.C. occurred in the fall of 1946 which was Season 7. This apron was designed to promote the show moving to Wednesday. As stated above, the gentleman who wrote the book on Duffy's Tavern had never come across any promotional apron. So this likely one-of-a-kind or one of a very few.
The Names: There are over 200 names on the apron. It is virtually a Who's Who of celebrities including actors, actresses, comedians, singers, dancers, sports figures, politicians, businessmen and more. Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Ginger Rogers, The Lone Ranger (Bryce Beemer), Orson Wells, Lucille Ball are just the tip of the iceberg! I will provide a list of the names that I could read. There are a few that are illegible. While the actual signed but embroidered apron resides somewhere with a collector, this is the next best thing.Although they are not the actual original signatures, there will likely never be a compilation of this many celebrity names on a single item again. It is an amazing piece of old time radio art that should be framed and preserved!
Shipping:Free shipping. This will be shipped folded and flat and well protected in a Priority Box and fully insured.

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