I don't buy the story about Larry Kane being short. I know as people age they tend to shorten, but not like being stated on here. Reason being, I'm 5'10" now, I was 5'10.5" back in 1974 when I
met Larry Kane at a WFIL Helping Hand Marathon, and he was the same height as me back then. I still have the photo of us together as proof.
By the way, I remember Larry having a huge mole on the side of his nose.
As for Gardner, I heard his real last name is Goldman, changed to make him sound less ethnic on TV.
Back in the late 70s, him and his "crowd" hung at PT's (now Warmdaddys) in Old City. Gardner would slop down drinks and was known for being openly rowdy. Also rumored, he hung out with a guy named Bill that worked for City Hall, and they had a discreet "thing" going
Other times he was spotted making out with women against his Monte Carlo parked out front at closing time.
Of course, this could be all hearsay...
And I'm sure at his age, he's calmed down a lot.