Senator Beauregard Claghorn of Charleston South Carolina, was a popular
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
character on the "Allen's Alley" segment of
The Fred AllenFred Allen , born John Florence Sullivan, was an American comedian whose absurdist, topically pointed radio show made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the so-called classic era of American radio.His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and...
Show beginning in 1945. Succeeding the vaguely similar but not nearly as popular Senator Bloat from the earliest "Allen's Alley" routines, Senator Claghorn---portrayed by Allen's announcer,
Kenny DelmarKenneth Howard "Kenny" Delmar was an American actor active in radio, films and animation.-Radio:...
---was a blustery
SouthernThe Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, Down South, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States...
politician whose home was usually the first at which Allen would knock.
Senator Beauregard Claghorn of Charleston South Carolina, was a popular
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
character on the "Allen's Alley" segment of
The Fred AllenFred Allen , born John Florence Sullivan, was an American comedian whose absurdist, topically pointed radio show made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the so-called classic era of American radio.His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and...
Show beginning in 1945. Succeeding the vaguely similar but not nearly as popular Senator Bloat from the earliest "Allen's Alley" routines, Senator Claghorn---portrayed by Allen's announcer,
Kenny DelmarKenneth Howard "Kenny" Delmar was an American actor active in radio, films and animation.-Radio:...
---was a blustery
SouthernThe Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, Down South, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States...
politician whose home was usually the first at which Allen would knock. Claghorn would typically answer the door with, "Somebody, ah say, somebody knocked! Claghorn's the name, Senator Claghorn, that is. I'm from the south."
Claghorn had an unshakable obsession with the South, and would proudly voice his disdain for the north in humorous ways. For instance, the Senator refused to ever wear a "
Union suitA union suit is a type of one-piece long underwear. Created in Utica, New York, United States, it originated as women's wear during the nineteenth-century United States clothing reform efforts, as an alternative to constricting garments, and soon gained popularity among men as well...
" or drive through the
Lincoln TunnelThe Lincoln Tunnel is a 1.5 mile long tunnel under the Hudson River, connecting Weehawken, New Jersey and the borough of Manhattan in New York City.-History:...
when he visited New York, and he claimed to drink only out of
Dixie cupsDixie cups may refer to:* Dixie Cup, a brand of paper cups* The Dixie Cups, a 1960s American pop music girl group...
. The Senator even rebuked Allen for saying the word "no" in his presence, saying "N-O.. That's North abbreviated!!"
Some of the Senator's other anti-Northisms included (but were not limited to):
- "When I'm in New York I'll never go the Yankee Stadium!"
- "I won't even go to see the Giants unless a Southpaw's pitchin'!"
- "I refuse to watch the Dodgers unless Dixie Walker
Fred E. "Dixie" Walker was a right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees , Chicago White Sox , Detroit Tigers , Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates...
's playin!"
- "I won't go into a room unless it's got Southern Exposure"
- "When I got the Chicken Pox, they were southern fried!"
- "The only plant life I have around my house is a Virginia Creeper!"
- "Son, bend down and kiss my Jefferson Davis button!"
When Allen was finally able to get a word in edgewise on the Senator, he would ask him a topical question, to which Claghorn would respond with a rapid stream of talk, shouting, repetition, and punnery. After a quip, the senator would laugh uproariously, and utter one of his two catchphrases: "That's a joke, son!" or "Pay attention now, boy!"
Claghorn would also make frequent jabs at Allen, using analogies which would astonish the audience in their ability to paint a picture. After a tirade of invective from Allen, Claghorn responded by advising Allen that "Your tongue's waggin' like a blind dogs tail at a meat market." A torrent of laughter from the studio audience followed such exchanges.
Delmar debuted Claghorn on the Allen broadcast of October 5, 1945, and the character stayed through the show's end in 1949, when the series transitioned from "Allen's Alley" to a "Main Street" segment to accommodate Allen's final sponsor,
Ford Motor CompanyThe Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
. In one episode, Allen asked the Senator what he was doing to remedy his sleep problem; the Senator said he crooned himself to sleep with his southern lullaby, which went thus:
-
- "Rock-A-Bye Small Fry, on the cotton tree top,
- when the Southern wind blows, your cradle will rock,
- when the wind's from the North, I say, baby you'll bawl,
- for down will come cradle, tree and you all!"
In another well remembered exchange, Claghorn responded to an inquiry by Allen as to whether Washington had done anything to aid in reducing an epidemic of colds currently afflicting the country. Claghorn responded that "The senate, I say the senate reconvened just in time. I was glad to see Senator Aiken back. Aiken back! That's a joke son" The reference of course to
George AikenGeorge David Aiken was an American politician from Vermont. A Republican Party, he served as governor of Vermont from 1937 to 1941 and as a U.S. Senator from 1941 to 1975...
, R-VT, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1941 to 1975. Further discussion regarding cold remedies resulted in this exchange:
- Claghorn: I had a cold last week like to ruin my filibuster
A filibuster, or "talking out a bill", is a form of obstruction in a legislature or other decision-making body whereby one attempts to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a proposal by extending a debate on that proposal....
.
- Allen: Ruin your filibuster? Well what did- (chuckling) what did you do?
- Claghorn: I took an old Southern remedy, son. I drank down two buckets of hot mint julep.
- Allen: (astonished) You drank two buckets of hot mint julep and you still held the floor?
- Claghorn: Held the floor?! Son, I couldn't get up off'n it!
Allen's interview with Claghorn generally ended with his bellowing "So long! So long, that is!!" (usually over laughter and applause from the audience)
At the height of popularity, the character was often mentioned or parodied on other programs, especially that of
Jack BennyJack Benny , born Benjamin Kubelsky, was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
, with fellow
SouthernerSoutherner or The Southerner can refer to:*A citizen of the American South, usually someone who identifies themselves as such*A member of the Sureños group of Mexican American street gangs....
Phil HarrisPhil Harris was an American singer, songwriter, jazz musician, actor and comedian...
usually playing the part (and Delmar himself guesting in the role on February 12, 1950, months after Allen's show had left the airwaves). The most famous parody, which ironically has outlasted its source in public memory, is the Warner Brothers'
Looney TunesLooney Tunes is a Warner Brothers animated cartoon series which ran in many movie theaters from 1930 to 1969. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and is Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. The regular Warner Bros...
classic animation character, Foghorn Leghorn.
The senator had a life outside of radio, however. Delmar played the character in commercials, in two records (
I Love You, That Is and
That's a Joke, Son), and a theatrical film. The movie, titled
It's a Joke, Son (1947), co-starred
Una MerkelUna Merkel was an American film actress.Merkel resembled the popular actress Lillian Gish, and her resemblance allowed her to begin her career as a stand-in for Gish in 1920's Way Down East...
as Mrs. Claghorn, and the plot involved the senator running for office against his wife. Delmar even played a thinly veiled version of Claghorn, retitled Senator Hominy Smith, in the Broadway musical
Texas Li'l Darlin. Ironically, however, Delmar recalled that after
Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Warner Bros. Pictures, or simply Warner Bros.—the shortened form of the former official, sometimes still used, formal corporate name: Warner Brothers
copyrighted Foghorn Leghorn, he had to ask their permission to play the character elsewhere. In the 1960s, Delmar took his characterization and catch-phrases back as the voice of The Hunter, a character on the animated series King Leonardo and his Short SubjectsKing Leonardo and his Short Subjects was an animated cartoon series released in 1960 by Total Television , sponsored by General Mills.-Plot:...
.
Dave SimDavid Victor Sim is an award-winning Canadian comic book writer and artist, best known as the creator of Cerebus the Aardvark.-Early life:...
adopted the same speech patterns for Elrod the Albino, a character in his independent comic bookAlternative comics defines a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to "mainstream" superhero comics which in the past have dominated the US comic book industry...
Cerebus the AardvarkCerebus the Aardvark, or simply Cerebus , is an award-winning independent comic book, written and illustrated by Canadian artist Dave Sim, with backgrounds by fellow Canadian Gerhard. Cerebus began in December 1977, and was concluded in March 2004, running for 300 issues and 6,000 pages. The...
; whether these were derived directly from Claghorn or from the cartoon rooster is unknown.
Sources
- Dunning, John. On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-19-507678-8