Editing Senator Claghorn (section)

==Description==
Claghorn had an unshakable obsession with the South, and would happily complain about the North in dry ways. For instance, the Senator refused to ever wear a "[[Union suit]]" or drive through the [[Lincoln Tunnel]] when he visited [[New York City]], and he claimed to drink only out of [[Paper cup#Dixie cups|Dixie cups]].<ref name=nytobit/> At one point when asked which state he represented, he noted it was in the [[Gulf of Mexico]], south of [[Alabama]].<ref name=nytobit/> The senator even rebuked [[Fred Allen]] for saying the word "no" in his presence, saying "N-O.. That's North abbreviated!!"

Some of the senator's other quotes include:
* "When I'm in New York I'll never go to [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]]!"
* "I won't even go to see the [[History of the New York Giants (NL)|Giants]] unless a [[Handedness|southpaw]]'s [[pitcher|pitchin']]!"
* "I refuse to watch the [[History of the Brooklyn Dodgers|Dodgers]] unless [[Dixie Walker]]'s playin'!"
* "I won't go into a room unless it's got southern exposure!"
* "When I got the chickenpox, they were southern fried!"
* "The only plant life I have around my house is a [[Parthenocissus quinquefolia|Virginia creeper]]!"
* "Son, bend down and kiss my [[Jefferson Davis]] button!"

When Allen was finally able to speak to the senator, he would ask him a topical question, to which Claghorn would respond with a rapid stream of talk, shouting, repetition and puns. After a quip, the senator would laugh uproariously and utter one of his two [[catchphrase]]s: "That's a joke, son!" or "Pay attention now, boy!" Claghorn would also make frequent jabs at Allen using colorful analogies that often resulted in loud laughter from the studio audience.

Delmar debuted Claghorn on Allen's broadcast of October 7, 1945, and the character remained until 1949, when the series transitioned from "Allen's Alley" to a "Main Street" segment to accommodate Allen's final sponsor, [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]. In one episode, Allen asked the senator how he was treating his insomnia, and the senator replied that he had sung himself to sleep with a southern lullaby:

::"Rock-a-bye small fry, on the cotton tree top,
::when the Southern wind blows, your cradle will rock,
::when the wind's from the North, I say, baby you'll bawl,
::for down will come cradle, tree and you all!"

In another exchange, Allen asked Claghorn whether Washington was helping to reduce an epidemic of [[Common cold|colds]] afflicting the country. Claghorn responded: "The senate, I say the senate reconvened just in time. I was glad to see Senator [[George Aiken|[George] Aiken]] back. Achin' back! That's a joke, son." Further discussion regarding cold remedies resulted in this exchange:

:Claghorn: I had a cold last week like to ruin my [[filibuster]].
:Allen: Ruin your filibuster? Well what did- (chuckling) what did you do?
:Claghorn: I took an old Southern remedy, son. I drank down two buckets of hot [[mint julep]].
:Allen: (astonished) You drank two buckets of hot mint julep and you still held the floor?
:Claghorn: Held the floor?! Son, I couldn't get up off'n it!

Allen's interview with Claghorn generally ended with him bellowing "So long! So long, that is!!" (usually over laughter and applause from the audience)

At the height of its popularity, the character was often mentioned or parodied on other programs, especially that of Allen's rival [[Jack Benny]], with [[Phil Harris]] usually playing the part. Delmar made a guest appearance on ''[[The Jack Benny Program]]'' in the role on February 12, 1950, months after Allen's show had ended. The most famous parody is the [[Warner Brothers|Warner Bros.]] ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' animated character [[Foghorn Leghorn]].