Durwood Fincher, a former Hardaway High School teacher, launches his book tour in Columbus

The late Allen Funt of "Candid Camera" fame called Durwood Fincher "Mr. Doubletalk." Fincher, a Macon native, is the subject of a biography, "Once You've Stepped in Elephant Manure, You're in the Circus Forever," written by Ed Grisamore of Macon.

Fincher, who taught at Hardaway High School, will launch his book tour in Columbus on Aug. 14-15. The first book signing is 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Butler's Pantry, 2533 Auburn Ave. (706-561-1733). The second one is 2-5 p.m. at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Columbus Park Crossing, 5555 Whittlesey Road (706-653-7880).

The book is the story about a boy who grew up in a mill town and dreamed big and became a national celebrity. The book is accompanied by a DVD which features clips of Fincher's life, as well as his appearances on "The Today Show" and "Live with Regis and Kelly."

Now living in Atlanta, Fincher, represented by the prestigious Washington Speaker's Bureau, has been making America laugh for more than 25 years.

His first job after graduating from Georgia Southern University was teaching at Hardaway from 1969-74.

Fincher's inspiration for double talk came from Eloise Hope of Columbus, who worked at Aflac for years and made countless appearances confusing people with her double talk. He met her while teacher her sons at Hardaway.

Grisamore also has ties to Columbus. He had a college internship in the Columbus Enquirer newsroom. He is an award-winning columnist for the Telegraph in Macon, and has written six books. His eldest son, Joel Edward Grisamore recently graduated from Columbus State University with a degree in art.

This story was originally published August 4, 2009 at 5:59 PM with the headline "Durwood Fincher, a former Hardaway High School teacher, launches his book tour in Columbus."