366     December 30, 1959
Bill, Carmel Quinn, Henry, Betsy

Quinn is an Irish-American singer and occasional humorist who was frequently heard and seen on various Arthur Godfrey radio and television programs. In fact, she was one of the few “Little Godfreys” who stayed in Arthur’s good graces throughout their showbiz careers.  She would later tour in regional productions of such musicals as Finian’s Rainbow and The Sound of Music.   Bess is in California preparing for coverage of the Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1.

[Miss Tsai and Ted Lee] of New York City: “We’re going to sing a duet from a Chinese opera…”  Miss Tsai: “I’m going to sing the male role” and Mr Lee: “I’m going to sing the female role”                 
It’s explained that centuries ago, women were not permitted on stage and men had to sing the female roles.  Even after that ban was lifted, some traditional female parts had become too complex for female singers, so men continued to sing them.  Here, Miss Tsai plays the General and Mr Lee plays the Princess in a selection from The Fourth Son Visits His Mother.   


Lynn Porter from Penn Yan, New York: “My Christmas dinner cost me $840…I flew to London for it!” 
Porter, a restauranteur in his small town in the Finger Lakes region upstate, joked that since his own establishment would be closed on Christmas, he needed somewhere else to have dinner. His meal at the Mayfair Hotel consisted of 16 creamed oysters, two Dover soles, roast Norfolk goose, a two-pound Christmas pudding smothered in brandy, black English tea, champagne, and liqueur.  Porter claims here that he didn’t get to eat most of it because a BBC camera crew was filming his meal and rushed him through the courses. The British knew he was coming (there were stories in London papers as early as December 19), but contemporary reports don’t mention that part of the story.  True or not, it sets up the celebrity segment to follow.   


Special guest Hermione Gingold pretends to be upset by the plight of Mr Porter from the previous segment, and her secret is that the show will send Henry Morgan to London to pick up a replacement dinner for the poor chap.  As usual, Henry has no idea, and what follows is several minutes of spontaneous silliness as he resists going on the trip.

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