Abyssinia, Henry you". In the 1920s and 1930s Abyssinia was the name for the country now called Ethiopia.) It is mistakenly said that this slang was frequently used by the Henry Blake character throughout his years on the show. In fact, whenever Blake would bid farewell, it was usually by saying "goom-bye", though Blake did use this term at least once. The highly controversial ending to the episode, which has since been referenced and parodied many times, prompted more than 1,000 letters to series producers Gene Reynolds and Larry Gelbart, and drew fire from both CBS and 20th Century Fox. After the
SS Abyssinia SS Abyssinia Abyssinia (1870) was a British mail liner originally operated by the Cunard Line on the Liverpool–New York route. She later served the Guion Line on the same route and the Canadian Pacific Line in the Pacific. In December 1891, "Abyssinia" was destroyed mid-Atlantic without loss of life by a fire that started in her cargo of cotton, further highlighting the danger in carrying both cotton and passengers on the same ship. With the success of , Cunard ordered a new fleet of iron express liners for the New York mail route. "Abyssinia" was the fourth of the five