Hallowed ground for comics, the Friars Club lays claim to be the most prestigious entertainment organization in the world. Until this book, the Friars Club was a members-only hideaway. With A Hundred Years, A Million Laughs the Friars swing open the doors to the famously secretive organization's monastery in midtown Manhattan. Starting with the club's humble beginnings in 1904, 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 America's favorite comedians in rare form as they perform for their peers.