Tracing Quotations
Noel Coward? Frank Sinatra? Margaret McManus? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The popular English playwright Noel Coward apparently once suggested that he welcomed any amount of criticism as long as it was unqualified praise. Would you please help me to find a citation? Quote Investigator: In January 1956 Noel Coward was interviewed by journalist Margaret McManus …
Continue reading “I Love Criticism as Long as It Is Unqualified Praise”
Spencer Tracy? Noel Coward? Alfred Lunt? Lynn Fontanne? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Some actors engage in elaborate rituals when preparing to perform a role. But the funniest advice about acting that I have ever heard avoids all pretensions. Here are three versions: 1) Speak clearly, and don’t bump into the furniture. 2) Learn your …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Know Your Lines and Don’t Bump Into the Furniture”
George Bernard Shaw? Winston Churchill? Randolph Churchill? Noel Coward? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The sharpest example of repartee that I have ever heard about was a famous exchange between George Bernard Shaw and Winston Churchill about a pair of tickets to a play. Shaw: I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my …
Continue reading “Here are Two Tickets for the Opening of My Play. Bring a Friend—If You Have One”
Noël Coward? Winston Churchill? W. Somerset Maugham? Joe Drum? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: After major news events people often start exchanging jokes related to the subject matter. The recent tragic cruise ship accident has caused two versions of a comical anecdote to enter circulation. The punch line has been attributed to the statesman Winston Churchill …
Continue reading “None of This Nonsense about Women and Children First”