The Jimmy Durante Show

Big-nosed, brash, and boisterous, beloved entertainer Jimmy Durante parlayed a career in vaudeville, nightclubs, and Broadway shows into a radio career highlighted by many successful programs throughout the 1930s and 1940s. After spending the war years paired with crewcutted comic Garry Moore, the Great Schnozzola went solo in 1947 in a hilarious series for Rexall Drugs that also featured Arthur Treacher as his sarcastic British butler, multivoiced character comedians Candy Candido and Elvia Allman, musical numbers by Peggy Lee, and a raft of well-known guest stars.

The 12 shows in this collection showcase Durante at his bigger-than-life best, complete with the fractured English, gravel-voiced musical numbers, and warmhearted buffoonery that made him a show business legend. Guest Eddie Cantor; Guests Victor Moore and Jo Stafford; Guest Lucille Ball; Guest Bing Crosby; Guest Dorothy Lamour; Guest Victor Moore; Guest Charles Boyer; Guest Boris Karloff; Guest Victor Moore; Guest Margaret O'Brien; Guest hosts Garry Moore and Red Skelton; Guest hosts Bob Hope and Victor Moore.