Senator Claghorn, as portrayed by Kenny Delmar, in scene from It's a Joke Son, the Senator's only film appearance

Senator Beauregard Claghorn was a popular radio character on the "Allen's Alley" segment of The Fred Allen Show beginning in 1945. Succeeding the vaguely similar but not nearly as popular Senator Blunt from the earliest "Allen's Alley" routines, Senator Claghorn---portrayed by Allen's announcer, Kenny Delmar---was a blustery Southern politician whose home was usually the first at which Allen would knock. Claghorn would typically answer the door with, "Somebody, ah say, somebody knocked! Claghorn's the name, Senator Claghorn, I'm from the south." Image File history File links Kenny_Delmar_as_Senator_Claghorn. ... Kenny Delmar [1] (b. ... He has eyes like Venetian blinds and a tongue like an adder — radio/television critic John Crosby about humourist Fred Allen, portrayed here by caricaturist Al Hirschfeld. ... Kenny Delmar [1] (b. ... Southern United States The states shown in dark red are usually included in the South, while all or portions of the striped states may or may not be considered part of the Southern United States. ...

Claghorn's obsession was with the South, and he would proudly point out his refusal to wear a "Union suit", for example, or claim to drink only out of Dixie cups, or even to refuse to use the word "no" because it was an abbreviation for the North. When asked a political question by host Allen, Claghorn would respond with a rapid stream of talk, shouting, repetition, and punnery. After a quip, the senator would laugh uproariously, and utter one of his two catchphrases: "That's a joke, son!" or "Pay attention now, boy!" Men in union suits A union suit is a type of one-piece long underwear long favored by men in North America until recent times. ...

Delmar debuted Claghorn on the Allen broadcast of October 5, 1945, and the character stayed until 1948, when the show phased away the "Allen's Alley" segment into a "Main Street" segment to accommodate Allen's final sponsor, Ford Motor Company. Delmar continued as the show's announcer until its final broadcast in 1949. During this period, the character was often mentioned or parodied on other programs, especially that of Jack Benny, with fellow Southerner Phil Harris usually playing the part (and Delmar himself guesting in the role at least once). The most famous parody, which ironically has outlasted its source in public memory, is the cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn. October 5 is the 278th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (279th in Leap years). ... 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... now. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974), an American comedian, vaudeville performer, and radio, television, and film actor, was one of the biggest stars in classic American radio and was also a major television personality. ... A person originating from or residing in the geographical south of a country. ... Phil Harris (b. ... A cartoon is any of several forms of art, with varied meanings that evolved from one to another. ... Foghorn Leghorn is a large, Southern-accented anthropomorphic adult rooster appearing in numerous Warner Brothers animated cartoons, especially Looney Tunes. ...

The senator had a life outside of radio, however. Delmar played the character in commercials, in two records (I Love You, That Is and That's a Joke, Son), and a theatrical film. The movie, entitled It's a Joke, Son (1947), co-starred Una Merkel as Mrs. Claghorn, and the plot involved the senator running for office against his wife. Delmar even played a thinly veiled version of Claghorn, retitled Senator Hominy Smith, in the Broadway musical Texas Li'l Darlin. Ironically, however, Delmar recalled that after Warner Brothers copyrighted Foghorn Leghorn, he had to ask their permission to play the character elsewhere. In the 1960s, Delmar took his characterization and catch-phrases back as the voice of The Hunter, a character on the animated series King Leonardo and his Short Subjects; and, as the title character of another short cartoon series, The World of Commander McBragg. 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Una Merkel (December 10, 1903 – January 2, 1986) was an American film actress. ... Warner Bros. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... An animated series or cartoon series is a television series produced by means of animation. ... King Leonardo and his Short Subjects was an animated cartoon series released in 1960 by Total Television (which would later rename itself Leonardo Productions after the main character of this show). ... Commander McBragg was a cartoon character who appeared in short segments, first on Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales (1963), and then later on the Underdog animated television show from 1964-1973. ...

Sources

• Dunning, John. On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-19-507678-8