A Hundred Years A Million Laughs

Description by OLDIES.com:

The world-famous Friars Club thrives as one of the most beloved - and exclusive - entertainment organizations in the world. In celebration of the Friars Club's centennial anniversary, A Hundred Years, A Million Laughs by Barry Dougherty flings open the doors to the famously secretive organization's "monastery" in midtown Manhattan - and offers a front-row seat at legendary Friars Club Roasts, testimonials, Frolics, and other history-making antics.

A roll call of Friars Club membership reads like a who's who of American entertainment in the twentieth century: George M. Cohan. Enrico Caruso. Milton Berle. Jimmy Durante. Frank Sinatra. Bob Hope. Carol Burnett. Robin Williams. Barbara Walters. Billy Crystal. Drew Carey. Joy Behar. From ribald comedy to musical merrymaking, the show biz giants interviewed in A Hundred Years, A Million Laughs come clean with behind-the-scenes tales of what happens behind closed doors.

Starting with the club's humble beginnings in 1904, official Friars Club author Barry Dougherty reveals the group's ups and downs through the '30s and '40s, its golden age in the '50s and '60s, and its importance today to a new generation of comics and entertainers. With nearly 200 photos - many never before seen - and timeless Al Hirschfeld caricatures, A Hundred Years, A Million Laughs captures many of the world's favorite comedians in rare form as they perform for their peers. It's a must-have for fans of twentieth century American humor, show biz, and pop culture history.