Tracing Quotations
Wolcott Gibbs? George Bernard Shaw? Margaret Case Harriman? Alexander Woollcott? Ivor Brown? Frank Case? Peter Fleming? Brooks Atkinson? George S. Kaufman? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A wit once travelled to the opulent country estate of a friend and was shown the surrounding grounds which were well-manicured and extensively landscaped. Several large trees had been …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: This Just Shows What God Could Do If He Had Money”
Dorothy Parker? Hudson Six Owner? Alexander Woollcott? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous wit Dorothy Parker was once asked to create an epitaph for her tombstone. Apparently, she crafted several different candidates for inscription over the years: 1) Excuse My Dust 2) Here Lies the Body of Dorothy Parker. Thank God! 3) This Is …
Alexander Woollcott? W. C. Fields? Frank Rand of St. Louis? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The candor of my favorite saying makes it wonderfully humorous. Here are three versions I have seen: Can you track this down? Reply from Quote Investigator: In the past, this saying has been attributed to the noted wit Alexander Woollcott …
Who Said the Quote: Dorothy Parker? Richard Henry Little? Alexander Woollcott? Who was the Polyglot: Winifred Stackville Stoner? Merle Oberon? Question for Quote Investigator: My question differs from most. Here is a quotation of admiration with a stinger that I would like you to investigate: That woman speaks eighteen languages, and can’t say “No” in …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: She Speaks Eighteen Languages, and Can’t Say “No” in Any of Them”
Alexander Woollcott? Karl Harriman? Marie Belloc-Lowndes? Nancy Vincent McClelland? Kenneth Herford? Question for Quote Investigator: I recently watched an excellent British film from the 1950s called “So Long at the Fair” and was fascinated by the plot. When I searched the net I discovered that I was not the only person intrigued by the story. …
Continue reading “Legend Origin: The Vanishing Lady and the Vanishing Hotel Room”