How HELLO DOLLY! Landed Carol Channing on Richard Nixon's Enemies List

Icon of stage and screen Carol Channing certainly has a number of accolades to her name, but the one she declares special pride in is the face that she was once among the names on President Nixon's 'Enemies List'.

Nixon's White House Counsel John Dean described the Enemies List as a way 'we can use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies.' On the list, however, was an odd grouping of people that included sports stars, actor Paul Newman, and Barbra Streisand.

Channing's addition to the list came, according to The Daily Beast, when she used her celebrity to represent political causes. Her fame was tied closely to her role as Dolly Levi, and the headlining song from the show was used to further the Democratic cause.

Republicans pulled the song 'Hello, Dolly' from pop culture and attempted to use in support of Senator Barry Goldwater, singing 'Hello, Barry,' but liberal Jerry Herman quickly invoked copyright laws.

The song was reappropriated for the Democrats at the 1964 convention and Channing came on stage singing 'Hello, Lyndon.' The song was distributed and Channing caught Nixon's ire. He was further inflamed by her friendship with the Kennedy family, which may have been the real root behind the Enemies List the whole time.

To read more about Channing and her role in politics, visit The Daily Beast here.