- Tom Duggan
Thomas Duggan Goss (professional name: Tom Duggan) (1915 – 1969) was an
NBC and ABC radio and televisioncommentator in Chicago and Los Angeles and a crusader against Chicago mob involvement in boxing and politics.Early life
Thomas Duggan Goss was born in Chicago on
August 20 ,1915 . Duggan was also his mother’s maiden name.In 1943 he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served in the 3rd Marine Division in the Pacific in WWII. Toward the end of the war he took part in Armed Forces Radio in China, and developed what would become a lifelong interest in broadcasting.
After the war he became an announcer for station KIST in
Santa Barbara, California under the name of Tom Goss.NBC Chicago
In 1949 he went to work for the
NBC radio (WMAQ) and television (WNBQ) outlets in Chicago as Tom Duggan - a name he would use for the rest of his career. His nightly 15 minute television sports commentary on WNBQ at 10:30 quickly gained popularity.Duggan constantly spoke out against Chicago mob figures and corrupt politicians in the International Boxing Club (IBC), the governing body for professional boxing.He continually railed against
James D. Norris and his partnerArthur Wirtz about the mob’s influence in boxing.Eventually, Duggan alleged on-air that Norris had threatened to kill him. Both Norris and NBC demanded an apology, and when Duggan refused he was fired.
The
Chicago Tribune reported that “the station and newspaper offices were swamped with phone calls protesting Duggan’s dismissal.”cite news | title=Tom Duggan Affair Reaps Whirlwind of Fan Protests | date=March 1, 1953Letters published in the Tribune included the following:
“Tom Duggan – Unafraid. A voice crying in the wilderness! St. George and The Dragon! So Long Tom – we’ll all crawl back into our safe little shells now we’ve had or brief moment in the sun”
“Whether you like Duggan or not, what this country needs is more young guys telling whoever and whatever they think needs a little airing."
“If Tom Duggan tomorrow would enter politics and run on the Democratic ticket for Mayor of Chicago, his popularity would push him in with a landslide."
A petition was also circulated throughout Chicago, calling for Duggan's reinstatement.
ABC Chicago
With NBC refusing to re-employ him, Duggan accepted a job with rival broadcaster ABC as a nightly commentator on WBKB (now
WLS-TV ).Duggan has been described as:
"...loud, abrasive, and at times unpredictable. Perhaps best described as the
Morton Downey, Jr. of his day, Duggan also had ties to the Chicago Mob, an association that made Quinlan nervous, especially when Duggan would "predict" a Mob hit on the air and two or three weeks later that hit would come to pass." [cite web| title=Interview with ABC Manager Sterling "Red" Quinlan.| publisher=Chicago Television| first=Steve| last=Jajkowski| year=2002| url=http://www.chicagotelevision.com/RED.htm| accessdate=2007-08-01]To take advantage of his recognition for his anti-mob stand, ABC proposed that Duggan host a special presentation on Chicago mob boss
Tony Accardo , revealing his links with organised crime.ABC sought the co-operation of the
Chicago Crime Commission and State and local law enforcement to compile material and protect Duggan should there be retribution for the show. However, staff at ABC and various law enforcement officials opposed the show." [cite web| title=Interview with ABC Manager Sterling "Red" Quinlan.| publisher=Chicago Television| first=Steve| last=Jajkowski| year=2002| url=http://www.chicagotelevision.com/RED.htm| accessdate=2007-08-01] .The concept was abandoned following a meeting between ABC manager Sterling Quinlan and Accardo himself at the "Tradewinds" lounge.Instead, Duggan hosted a talk show screening from 11:10 until midnight on weeknights. It was the first all-talk show on television." [cite web| title=RECALLING CHICAGO DAYTIME TV OF A MUCH DIFFERENT ERA.| publisher=Chicago Television| url=http://www.chicagotelevision.com/studs.htm|] .The show canvassed many issues, but Duggan also continued his attacks on alleged mob influence in boxing. Viewers could call in and submit questions to a “girl Friday” who then read them to Duggan. Fearing attack by mobsters, Duggan also began carrying a gun." [cite web| title=Interview with ABC Manager Sterling "Red" Quinlan.| publisher=Chicago Television| first=Steve| last=Jajkowski| year=2002| url=http://www.chicagotelevision.com/RED.htm| accessdate=2007-08-01]
The nighttime show became so popular that Duggan was also given an afternoon audience participation show and a Saturday evening variety show. All three shows outrated their competitors at the time.
In 1955, Duggan strongly supported the first election campaign of
Richard J. Daley . Daley would go on to become Chicago's longest-serving Mayor.Contempt of court
Also in 1955, Duggan was sentenced to jail for ten days for contempt of court after commenting on a divorce case being heard by Cook County Judge Daniel A. Covelli. [cite web| title=After 45 Years, Illinois Supreme Court Opinion Still Reeks| publisher=Metropolitan news Company| first=Roger M.| last=Grace| year=2002| url=http://www.metnews.com/articles/perspectives080802.htm| accessdate=2007-08-01]
Duggan's name had been mentioned in the case after a private detective alleged the wife in the case had slept with Duggan. Duggan denied the allegation on-air and went on to allege that the husband in the case was associated with the mob.
Judge Covelli found that Duggan was in contempt of court for making allegations which would reflect poorly on witnesses. Covelli himself would subsequently be identified as a protégé of Chicago's First Ward mobster
Pat Marcy . [cite web| title=No More Greylords?| publisher=IPSN| first=Richard| last=Lindberg| year=1994| url=http://www.ipsn.org/greylord.html | accessdate=2007-08-01]Duggan would later receive a full pardon from Illinois Governor
Otto Kerner, Jr. Move to Los Angeles
On February 9, 1956, Duggan resigned from ABC and relocated to Los Angeles.
Roger M. Grace wrote in a column,
“In retrospect, it appears that Tom Duggan, a colorful and controversial talk show host and commentator in Los Angeles in the 1950s and ’60s, had been chased out of Chicago, where he was exposing corruption, by a judge who was himself linked with underworld figures." [cite web| title=Judge Who Silenced Mob-Bashing Commentator Had Mob Connections.| publisher=Metropolitan News Company| first=Roger M.| last=Grace| year=2002| url=http://www.metnews.com/articles/perspectives080902.htm| accessdate=2007-08-01]
Duggan hosted television shows on
KCOP-TV ,KTLA andKTTV , and wrote a newspaper column for theLos Angeles Herald-Examiner . In 1967 he commuted between Los Angeles and Chicago for 10 months to tape a program for Chicago television.He appeared in a number of movies including "But Not for Me" [cite web| title="But Not for Me"| publisher=Internet Movie Database Inc.| year=2007| url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052662/| accessdate=2007-08-01] with
Clark Gable , and "Frankenstein 1970 " withBoris Karloff .Death
On May 28 1969, Duggan was involved in a serious traffic accident. He died the following day, and was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery. Pallbearers included Los Angeles Mayor Sam Yorty and actor
Jimmy Durante .References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
