Channing Fumbles On “The View”
Did you see Carol Channing today on “The View”? (Episode to be posted here later today.) The 89-year-old actress looked quite elegant in a powder-blue turtleneck and white slacks. Her signature blond wig isn’t quite as blown-out as it used to be. She hobbled out on to the sofa between the show’s hen-hosts. I wanted her to be as elegant and funny as she used to be, back in the “Hello, Dolly” days. But it wasn’t to be. Her mind meandered. She held on to Whoopi Goldberg for dear life and was perplexed when someone mentioned Facebook. (There’s a campaign on that site, spearheaded by Lily Tomlin, to get Carol the Kennedy Center honors.) All in all, it’s good to see that Miss Channing is still alive but disconcerting that she’s so out of it. On the other hand, how many of us will make it to 89 at all? Fun fact: did you know that Carol’s maternal grandmother was African American?
What was that about Lady Bird Johnson and Emma Johnson, Whoopi’s mother? Is Mrs. Johnson still alive? Is Ms. Channing suffering from Alzheimers?
That wasn’t a wig Carol (Channing) was wearing. It is her own hair. She gave up wearing wigs entirely a couple of years ago. Yes, Ladybird has passed away as has Liz Carpenter her press secretary recently. Carol knows that, she was simply referring to the fact that Ladybird knew Whoopi’s mother and use to speak lovingly of her. At 89 she has more on the ball than most women half her age. You travel to four cities arrive in NY the night before at 10pm and get up early the following day to a schedule of 11 interviews and see how well you do.