Tracing Quotations
Samuel Goldwyn? Herbert Fields? June Provines? Sheilah Graham? Alva Johnston? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn was famous for his creative and idiosyncratic use of the English language. Hollywood legend asserts that Goldwyn participated in a complex, protracted, and tense corporate negotiation in the 1930s. But he was unhappy with the final …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Gentlemen, You May Include Me Out”
Socrates? Sophocles? Plato? Cephalus? Russell Brand? David Niven? Kingsley Amis? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: There is an ancient and provocative simile that helps to explicate the irrational actions of infatuated males: The male libido is like being chained to a madman. To have a penis is to be chained to a madman. These words …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Male Libido is Like Being Chained to a Madman”
Robert Benchley? Mattie Barwick? David Niven? Question for Quote Investigator: You might enjoy looking into this confusing question. I have been searching newspaper databases for a project involving the Venice canals. The following humorous note appeared in a newspaper called the Miami News on October 30, 1958: Word comes from European traveler, Mattie (Mrs. George) …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Venice Streets Are Full of Water. Please Advise”