by Nathaniel R
RASPBERRIES!
Carol Channing shouted that inexplicable fruit slang out with such gleeful fervor in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), that this fruit couldn't stop quoting it as a child. It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that Ms Channing has died just two weeks shy of her 98th birthday. Still, Carol wouldn't approve of a heavy heart. She lived a long full life and if she saw anyone frowning, she'd undoubtedly shake out that round white wig in a joy frenzy while shouting something insane to change the mood of the room...
Born in Seattle to a biracial father and white mother who were not in showbusiness, Channing was raised in San Francisco but found stardom on the opposite coast. She was a stage star by the age of 28, creating Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the iconic ditzy blonde role that Marilyn Monroe would ace a few years later on the big screen (albeit in a much different interpretation). Fifteen years later she originated the role that would become her signature Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly! for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Channing would perform the role periodically well into her seventies, though she wasn't able to transfer it to the big screen in 1969, despite already being an Oscar nominated actress (Thoroughly Modern Millie, 1967), because Barbra Streisand wanted it for a star vehicle.
Carol Channing on "The Love Boat" with Betty White. She had a recurring character named "Aunt Sylvia"
The lack of a substantial film career aside, she was hard to cast after all, she was a cross medium sensation. She lent her event-worthy razzle dazzle to all three actor's mediums: stage, television, and film, and found at least one signature role and beloved star turn in each: Dolly & Lorelei on stage, The White Queen on TV's Alice in Wonderland (1985), and Muzzy Van Hossmere in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) for the big screen.
I had the unforgettable pleasure of attending the premiere of the documentary about her Carol Channing: Larger Than Life at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2012 with Ms Channing in attendance. After the very fun doc ended --it's available to rent online so have at it -- a frail Carol stood up to speak to the crowd and proceed to tell us at least three anecdotes we'd just heard in the film. We didn't mind the repetition, laughing and smiling from ear to ear all over again. This Broadway Baby had just received a standing ovation and was essentially treating us to an encore.
There's no people like show people ... especially none that will ever be anything like Carol Channing.