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
De Bono's invasion of Abyssinia De Bono's invasion of Abyssinia De Bono's invasion of Abyssinia took place during the opening stages of the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. Italian General Emilio De Bono invaded northern Abyssinia from staging areas in the Italian colony of Eritrea on what was known as the "northern front." Italian dictator Benito Mussolini had long held a desire for a new Italian Empire. Reminiscent of the Roman Empire, Mussolini's new empire was to rule over the Mediterranean and North Africa. His new empire would also avenge past Italian defeats. Chief among these defeats was the Battle of Adwa which took place in Abyssinia