Tracing Quotations
Studio Report? David O. Selznick? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The celebrated movie star Fred Astaire was known for his charm and his extraordinary dancing, but his initial screen test was a disaster. Hollywood legend claims that the studio report evaluating Astaire contained the following line: Can’t act. Can’t sing. Slightly bald. Can dance a little. …
Continue reading “Can’t Act; Slightly Bald; Can Dance a Little”
Christopher Marlowe? Laurence J. Peter? Evan Esar? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Christopher Marlowe was a brilliant poet and dramatist of the 1500s whose works influenced the luminary William Shakespeare. I was astonished to find the following statement attributed to him: Money can’t buy love, but it improves your bargaining position. In my opinion, this expression …
Continue reading “Money Can’t Buy Love, But It Improves Your Bargaining Position”
John Lennon? Philip Norman? Bill Harry? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Today paparazzi stalk celebrities, and gossip websites shriek about every misstep or manufactured scandal. But the struggle of living in a fishbowl is not new for well-known individuals. In the 1960s after the Beatles became famous, John Lennon reportedly feared that he would cause pandemonium …
Continue reading “The Price of Fame Is Not Being Able to Go to the Pub for a Quiet Pint”
Clark Kerr? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The most candid and blunt statement I have ever heard attributed to a university administrator was reportedly spoken in the 1950s: The chancellor’s job is to provide parking for the faculty, and athletics for the alumni, and sex for the students. Is this a genuine statement from the straight-laced …