Urban Legend: Mrs. Palmer on 'The Tonight Show'
Is an urban legend about golf actually a suburban legend? There's a story that's told about Arnold Palmer's wife appearing on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson . This would be Winnie Palmer, and the time was the late '60s. According to this legend, the following snippet was part of the conversation between Winnie and Johnny: Johnny: Do you do anything for Arnold before a tournament as a sort of good-luck charm or superstition? Mrs. Palmer: I kiss his balls. Johnny: Well ... I bet that makes his putter flutter. I've heard many people tell this story. Even had one friend who insisted that he watched it in real time. But there are a couple problems with the story. First, why would Carson have Arnold Palmer's wife on the show? Winnie Palmer was not herself famous. Second, nobody who knew Winnie can imagine her going on a talk show, nor - especially - coming anywhere near such a double-entendre. And, sure enough, a check of the Johnny Carson archives