Tracing Quotations
George S. Kaufman? Scott Meredith? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Bright remarks are often misattributed to famously witty individuals such as Dorothy Parker. An exasperated fellow humorist once said: Everything I’ve ever said will be credited to Dorothy Parker. Would you please help me to locate a citation and tell me who said this? Quote investigator: …
Continue reading “Everything I’ve Ever Said Will Be Credited To Dorothy Parker”
Dorothy Parker? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The notable wit Dorothy Parker constructed several epitaphs for herself. I am interested in the following: Here Lies the Body of Dorothy Parker. Thank God! When did she craft this fateful expression? Dear Quote Investigator: QI has already examined a collection of epitaphs that have been ascribed to Dorothy …
Continue reading “Here Lies the Body of Dorothy Parker. Thank God!”
Dorothy Parker? Tiffany Thayer? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The popular 1932 movie “I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang” was about an innocent man who was sent to prison and escaped from a chain gang. A humorist wrote a scathing review of an erotic book which suggested that the shoddy novel should have …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: I Am a Fugitive From a Daisy Chain Gang”
Dorothy Parker? Bennett Cerf? Richard Martin Stern? Playboy’s Party Jokes? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous wit Dorothy Parker had trouble controlling her use of alcohol. According to legend she was asked about her experiences at a party, and she replied: One more drink and I’d have been under the host! Parker’s line was …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: One More Drink, and I’m Under the Host”
Lilian Braithwaite? James Agate? Walter Winchell? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A prominent drama critic in London once told a top actress that she was the second most beautiful woman in the United Kingdom. The critic expected her to ask for the identity of the most beautiful woman, but she wittily replied that she would …
Continue reading “Repartee Origin: You Are the Second Most Beautiful Woman in the United Kingdom”
Coco Chanel? Gracie Allen? Joan Rivers? The McGuire Sisters? Polly Bergen? Nancy Abraham? Maggie Daly? Helen Hennessy? John Robert Powers? Beatrice Molinsky? George Burns? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Fashion sense is always subjective, but many agree that wearing too much jewelry looks gaudy and ostentatious. The style maven Coco Chanel supposedly gave the following …
Tom Waits? Steve Allen? John Prine? Dorothy Parker? Fred Allen? Carlton W. Berenda? Herb Caen? Lew London? Joshua Baer? Dr. Rock? Randy Hanzlick? Graffito? Question for Quote Investigator: The following wordplay is popular with drinking enthusiasts. Here are two versions: (1) I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy. (2) …
Dorothy Parker? Oscar Wilde? Alexandre Dumas? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: While streaming an elaborately expensive television series I encountered a gratuitous scene with scanty clothing. I was reminded of this witticism: Nothing succeeds like undress. This quip has been attributed to Dorothy Parker. Would you please explore the provenance of this remark? Quote Investigator: The …
Alexandre Dumas? Ralph Waldo Emerson? William J. Snelling? Jacques-François Ancelot? Jules Janin? William Pulling? Alphonse de Lamartine? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: One success often leads to another success in a chain of achievement, opportunity, and good fortune. A popular adage expresses this idea: Nothing succeeds like success. This phrase has been attributed to several French …
Dorothy Parker? John Keats? Richard L. Jenkins? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A prominent witty woman once described three qualities she desired in a man. He must be handsome, ruthless, and stupid. This viewpoint has been ascribed to poet and critic Dorothy Parker. Would you please help me to find a citation? Quote Investigator: Dorothy Parker …
Continue reading “I Require Only Three Things of a Man. He Must Be Handsome, Ruthless, and Stupid”