: (l-r) Art Samuels, Charles MacArthur, Harpo Marx, Dorothy Parker and Alexander Woollcott
Born on this date August 22 in 1893, was one of the wittiest people ever, Ms. Dorothy Parker! Here’s some background on Ms Parker for those of you who don’t know her and considering she died in 1967, that may be many of you! From Wikipedia:
Dorothy Parker (August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles.
From a conflicted and unhappy childhood, Parker rose to acclaim, both for her literary output in such venues as The New Yorker and as a founding member of the Algonquin Round Table. Following the breakup of the circle, Parker traveled to Hollywood to pursue screenwriting. Her successes there, including two Academy Award nominations, were curtailed as her involvement in left-wing politics led to a place on the Hollywood blacklist.
Dismissive of her own talents, she deplored her reputation as a “wisecracker”. Nevertheless, her literary output and reputation for her sharp wit have endured. Continue Reading
I have been a fan of the Marx Brothers for a long time and I discovered the Algonquin Round Table by reading a biography of George S Kaufman who wrote the screenplay for A Night at the Opera, one of the Brother’s best movies. The Roundtable was an amazing group of people again from Wikipedia:
The period that followed the end of World War I was one of gaiety and optimism, and it sparked a new era of creativity in American culture. Surely one of the most profound — and outrageous — influences on the times was the group of a dozen or so tastemakers who lunched together at New York City’s Algonquin Hotel. For more than a decade they met daily and came to be known as the Algonquin Round Table. With members such as writers Dorothy Parker, Harold Ross (founder of THE NEW YORKER) and Robert Benchley; columnists Franklin Pierce Adams and Heywood Broun, and Broun’s wife Ruth Hale; critic Alexander Woollcott; comedian Harpo Marx; and playwrights George S. Kaufman, Marc Connelly, Edna Ferber, and Robert Sherwood, the Round Table embodied an era and changed forever the face of American humor. Read More
The group consisted of some brilliant and very funny people and Dorothy Parker more than held her own with the men of the table!! Here are some of my favorite Dorothy Parker lines……..
“You can lead a horticulture, but you can’t make her think.”
“Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone.”
“If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy.”
“One more drink and I’ll be under the host.”
You can read a bunch more in this article at Mental Floss:25 of Dorothy Parker’s Best Quotes
Thinking back the George S. Kaufman book I read was George S Kaufman:An Intimate Portrait by Howard Teichmann. Teichmann also wrote a book about another member of the Algonquin Roundtable Alexander Woolcott, which is around here in the house, hum, I wonder where???? Anyway Happy Birthday, Dorothy Parker and thanks for the witticisms!!