The year 1921 was a busy one. Albert Einstein was lecturing in New York about his new Theory of Relativity, Charlie Chaplin's movie The Kid was released, Babe Ruth became the all time HR champ with #120, New York's Walter Kerr Theater opened, Turkey made peace with Armenia, President Harding dedicated the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery, Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie received its premiere on the Great White Way and on January 31st in California, Broadway legend Carol Channing was born. That's right. This inimitable Broadway personality is celebrating her 90th birthday these days!
Carol Channing, who made strong impressions on audiences when she appeared in Lend An Ear, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Show Girl and a whole host of plays by George Bernard Shaw, was nominated for an Academy Award and received a Golden Globe Award for her supporting role in Ross Hunter's Thoroughly Modern Millie, and received the Tony Award as "Best Actress in a Musical" for her endearing performance as Dolly Gallagher Levi in Jerry Herman's Hello, Dolly! in 1965. Miss Channing played the meddlesome Dolly for well over 5,000 performances on Broadway and on tour-never missing a single scheduled performance. Only Yul Brynner's King of Siam comes close to that staggering accomplishment. She additionally holds the honor of being named to Richard Nixon's "Enemies List" because of her liberal viewpoint.
Carol Channing is also the recipient of two other Tony Awards: one for "Best Variety Show" as a result of the special production she did with Pearl Bailey in 1968 and a "Lifetime Achievement Award" that was bestowed upon her in 1995. All three Tony Awards are cherished possessions of the actress.
Reached by telephone in the Modesto, California home she shares with her husband Harry Kullijian, Channing was chipper and only too happy to talk about her past accomplishments as well as the projects she is presently involved in. Kullijian joined in on the conversation which was scheduled to last 20 minutes but ran on for over an hour with lots of laughs and affectionate reminiscences filling the phone lines across the continent. One thing becomes obvious from the first few moments of the chat: both Carol Channing and Harry Kullijian are very much in love.
"I'm very happy right now," says Channing, "I'm doing just what I wanted to do. Harry thinks it's wonderful if I can paint, or dance but I'm a lousy cook. I can't scrub the floor I don't know how to get it clean and the house is a mess!" All of this is a bit disheartening to a public who thought that Broadway's Dolly Levi was "a woman who arranges things: like furniture and daffodils and lives!" Miss Channing and her husband howl with laughter when that's mentioned. She then dryly comments, "Those words have a familiar ring to them. What are they from?" and there's more laughter.
The reference to Hello, Dolly! brings about observations on the Kennedy Center tribute to the show's composer and lyricist, Jerry Herman. Kullijian comments, "The only problem with that show is that they didn't let Carol sing enough of ‘Hello, Dolly!'. I think that was one of the greatest, if not the greatest songs that was ever created by Jerry Herman. It works on so many levels. It beautifully fits the moment in the show and is also quite effective in Louis Armstrong's hit single of it. Each actress who has played Dolly has put her own unique twist on the number and each of them has been wonderful."
When Miss Channing is asked about the persistent rumors that Patti LuPone will be taking on the role of Dolly in the show's next Broadway revival, she comments, "How wonderful! She'll be terrific! She'll be a different Dolly, for sure, but that's the way it should be. Everyone who plays the part should make it her own. I just discovered what it was all about after doing the role over a span of time. All the artist does is re-create what was already created -only through his or her own eyes. That's what makes it come to life. Pearl Bailey and every one of those Dollys played the part through her own eyes and many of them were wonderful! I played the role the way I saw it through my eyes."
