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Jimmy Durante's
Secret Farewell
Message
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"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, know otherwise. The folks in this town will tell you that she
was a real person with a real name--and a fascinating story besides. They
claim that Mrs. Calabash was really a local woman named Lucille "Lucy"
Coleman.
In 1940, Lucy was 28 years old and ran a restaurant in
Calabash, then a tiny seaside community bordering South Carolina. Durante
and his touring 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 chit-chat. "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!).
As Durante and his group were walking out the door after
their meal, he turned to Lucy 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. By the time of Durante's death
in 1980, it had become one of his trademarks, almost as recognizable as
his big "schnozzola." 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 somewhere."
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." 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.
Obviously, neither Durante nor Ms. Coleman shared any
kind of personal relationship with each other. However, this particular
case is worthy of note because it points out one of the sweeter sides of
human nature shared by and between males and females. It's the magic
of a moment when two people, who would otherwise have no attraction for
each other at all, share a connection that becomes a memory for a lifetime. |
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Divorced
After Her
Religious
Conversion
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Ted Turner &
Jane Fonda
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Wealth & Hollywood
Separated Because
She Becomes a
Born-again Christian
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Cable TV mogul Ted Turner and his wife, actress Jane Fonda,
have been married since December 1991.
Their separation announcement stated, "While we continue
to be committed to the long-term success of our
marriage, we find ourselves at a juncture where we must each take some
personal time for ourselves. Therefore, we have mutually decided to spend
some time apart,"
Since her marriage to Turner, Fonda has kept a low profile
and retreated from filmmaking. Her last film was 1990's Stanley and Iris.
The marriage of the liberal-minded Fonda to the conservative
Turner surprised many. Fonda's still reviled in some quarters as "Hanoi
Jane" for her pro-peace activism during Vietnam, while Turner's drawn criticism
from the other end of the political spectrum for spearheading censorship
campaigns against films like "Bastard Out of Carolina" and David Cronenberg's
"Crash."
Fonda was formerly married to director Roger Vadim and
politician Tom Hayden. She has two children, Vanessa and Troy, and Turner
has five children from his previous two marriages. According to the New
York Daily News, Fonda remained in Atlanta, where the Turners have made
their home, to be near her daughter Vanessa and her first grandchild.
The separation between media mogul Ted Turner and his
wife, Jane Fonda, was prompted in part by Fonda's stunning embrace of "born-again"
evangelical Christianity, sources close
to the couple told WorldNetDaily.
Friends say the path of Fonda's spiritual conversion began
two years ago when her chauffeur began witnessing to the actress about
his faith in Jesus Christ. At first, Fonda was reportedly troubled by those
conversations. Later, she began to welcome them and attend church with
her chauffeur.
"Her faith is very real, very deep," said one insider.
"Of course, with any celebrity conversion, the pressures can be enormous,
But she is serious about her faith and regularly attends Bible study and
church."
The idea of radical political activist Jane Fonda embracing
Christianity was sure to create a stir. Fonda has been a high-profile political
target because of her open support in the 1970s of Communist North Vietnam.
She has been an outspoken supporter of abortion on demand, and Turner once
attacked Christianity as a "religion for losers."
Yet, insiders say Fonda's spiritual faith, since then,
has matured in a way that affects her entire worldview. Recently, for instance,
she refused to "meditate" at an environmental conference, suggesting to
those involved that they would be well-advised instead to "pray to Jesus
Christ."
Since making this declaration, Jane has indeed followed
through and has gone on to play movie rolls that best showcase her amazing
talents as an actresss.
This is a case of someone who matured through
their relationships to finally realize that the intangibles of life are
of immeasurable value. As a result, her newfound faith has not only
brought her personal fulfillement but also revolutionized her understanding
of what it means to be in a truly loving primary relationship.
This online resource applaudes her having publically made
her profession of faith and supporting it with the testimony of her actions.
If more people in the entertainment industry were to do so, the impact
would be positively amazing and interpersonal relationships would be much
more understood. |
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The mission of this not-for-profit website is to promote clear insights
and toleration regarding the many variations of primary relationships that
exist in our world. We ask for neither acceptance or approval but
hope that each visitor who reviews the pages of this site will leave them
with a better understanding of the numerous cultural, historical, preferential,
religious, sexual, and sociological approaches to coupling that have always
existed and will continue to exist as long as there are at least two human
beings living on this planet. If the effort put into creating and
maintaining this site results in others coming to the realization that
the basic human need to love and be loved takes on many forms which are
accepted by those who practice them, whether right or wrong as determined
by the personal belief system of others, then it will have served it's
purpose well. |
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