Groucho Marx? Walter Winchell? George S. Kaufman? George Jean Nathan?
Question for Quote Investigator: A critic once provided a hilariously nonchalant evaluation of a theatrical production:
I did not like it, but perhaps this judgment is unfair. I saw it under adverse conditions — the curtain was up.
This statement has been credited to comedian Groucho Marx and playwright George S. Kaufman. Would you please attempt to determine the identity of the creator and the name of the show that was being ridiculed?
Reply from Quote Investigator: The first instance located by QI occurred in 1931 within the “On Broadway” column of Walter Winchell. The column featured Winchell’s specialized vocabulary, e.g., “collabed” for collaborated, and “niftied” for making a nifty or clever remark. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1
Funny crack that one…I mean when somebody asked George S. Kaufman (who collabed on “Band Wagon”) how he liked the “Vanities” show…“I saw it under bad conditions,” he niftied, “the curtain was up.”
In 1932 the Washington Post attributed the jest to Groucho Marx instead of Kaufman:2
Groucho Marx … never has written dramatic criticism, but when asked about a recent Broadway show, he declared, “I saw it under unfavorable circumstances. The curtain was up!”
Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.
Continue reading “Origin of a Theatrical Review: I Saw It Under Adverse Conditions. The Curtain Was Up”