Jimmy Durante
Who was ‘Mrs. Calabash,’ that Jimmy Durante always said goodbye to?
“Goodnight Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are.’
What are some catch phrases you remember from tv shows gone by?
Mrs. Calabash where are you?
Jimmy Durante made this mysterious women’s name his signature sign-off during the 1940s. But did she really exist?
By Ted Tyson
Scarborough, Ontario
“GOOD NIGHT, Mrs. Calabash–wherever you are!”
For years, Jimmy Durante ended his radio and television shows with that unusual sign-off. Most people thought the mysterious Mrs. Calabash must have been some fictional character that Durante dreamed up just to tease his audiences. But longtime residents of Calabash, North Carolina believe otherwise. The folks in this town will tell you she was a real person with a real name–and a fascinating story to boot. They claim that Mrs. Calabash was really a local woman named Lucille “Lucy” Coleman.
In 1940, Lucy was 28 years old and running a restaurant in Calabash, then a tiny seaside community bordering South Carolina. Durante and his touring entertainment troupe are said to have stopped in for supper one night. It may have been the genuine homespun friendliness of the young restaurant owner that prompted the gregarious Jimmy Durante to beckon Lucy over to his table for some short chitchat. “I’m going to make you famous,” vowed Durante, thinking she recognized his well-known face. (In fact, at that moment, she didn’t even know who he was!) Lucy’s daughter, Clarice Holden, says she will never forget what happened next.
SECRET SIGN OFF
“As Mr. Durante and his group were walking out the door after their meal,” Clarice recalls,”he turned to my mom and said, ‘Good night Mrs. Calabash.’ ”
It wasn’t long afterward that this popular entertainer began signing off his radio shows with a similar message. For years, audiences enjoyed this rather lighthearted farewell mystery. By the time of Durante’s death in 1980, it had become one of his trademarks, almost as recognizable as his big “schnozzola”. But while that sign-off may have remained a mystery to most folks, Calabash residents believe it was Durante’s way of saying to Mrs. Coleman, “Hi, Lucy–I remember you, if you’re still out there now.”
Lucy Coleman passed away in 1989, nearly 50 years after her meeting with Jimmy Durante. Calabash residents note that Lucy recognized the significance of Durante’s little secret message but preferred to stay out of the limelight. She had no desire to claim credit as the real “Mrs. Calabash.” “Mom was a very private person,” recalls Clarice, “She didn’t speak much about her ‘Mrs. Calabash’ entity, and declined all interviews and all invitations to appear on television.”
Apparently, Durante’s popularity was so great that he could immortalize a prim Southern restaurant keeper. But neither he nor anyone else could get her to talk.
Jimmy Durante..Young at Heart
|
|
Jimmy Durante Schnozz Alert Magnet $2.00 This magnet features classic comic actor Jimmy Durante and his magnificent schnozz. Goodnight Mrs Calabash, wherever you are…. |
|
|
Sleepless In Seattle: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack $3.28 A romantic’s collection if ever there was one, this cachet of songs graced the equally heart-tugging film. King of the Croon and Swoon, Nat King Cole’s “Stardust” is probably the most obvious of the young lovers’ themes here. Louis Armstrong and Jimmy Durante, ordinarily not the most romantic of sorts, prove themselves worthy contenders with “A Kiss to Build a Dream On” and “As Time Goes By,” resp… |
|
|
As Time Goes By: Best of $6.92 Mrs. Calabash would be pleased. Thanks to the appearance of \As Times Goes By” in Sleepless in Seattle”… |
|
|
You’ve Got Mail: Music From The Motion Picture $4.11 The latest Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan movie directed by Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seattle) about two coworkers who hate each other at work and unknowingly fall in love on the Internet features an extremely eclectic soundtrack that’s less technologically advanced than its movie’s premise. There’s no gratuitous raving or computer-buzzing techno, just pensive singer/songwriters and oldies that tug at the hea… |
|
|
Photo Jigsaw Puzzle of JIMMY DURANTE (1893-1980). American entertainer. Durante with Buster Keaton in from Granger Art on Demand $24.99 Photo Puzzle, JIMMY DURANTE (1893-1980). American entertainer. Durante with Buster Keaton in. JIMMY DURANTE (1893-1980). American entertainer. Durante with Buster Keaton in the 1933 film, What! No Beer?. Chosen by Granger Art on Demand. 10×14 Photo Puzzle with 252 pieces. Packed in black cardboard box of dimensions 5 5/8 x 7 5/8 x 1 1/5. Puzzle image 5×7 affixed to box top. Puzzle pieces printed o… |
|
|
PHANTOM PRESIDENT – DVD – GEORGE M. COHAN Legendary songwriter and vaudevillian George M. Cohan made his first appearance in a sound film with this satiric musical comedy. Theodore Blair (Cohan) is a politician running for president; while he has talent and intelligence, he’s unfortunately as exciting as warm milk, and he is not doing well on the campaign trail. Blair’s staff discovers Doc Peter Varney (also played by Cohan), a ball-of-fi… |
|
|
The Rudolph, Frosty & Friends Sing Along $0.01 Sing along video featuring songs from the animated Christmas classics Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Santa Claus is Coming to Town… |
|
|
On an Island With You [VHS] $13.59 … |
|
|
Two Girls & A Sailor [VHS] $7.95 Two Girls and a Sailor is another of those all-star, no-plot wartime musicals turned out by the bushel basket in the 1940s. Its lack of nuance does not lessen its entertainment value in the least. Gloria DeHaven and June Allyson play a couple of well-meaning sisters who stage their own USO shows in their apartment for the benefit of visiting servicemen. They’d like to expand their show, so GI Van … |
|
|
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World $7.72 Features include: •MPAA Rating: G•Format: DVD•Runtime: 161 minutes… |
