Bon Mots, Wisecracks, and Gags

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Bon Mots, Wisecracks, and Gags: The Wit of Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, and the Algonquin Round Table Kindle Edition by Robert E. Drennan (Editor), Heywood Hale Broun (Introduction)

I've heard about the Algonquin Round Table, or the “Vicious Circle,” over the years, but only in passing and without a clear idea what it was. What I learned from this book is that the Round Table was a group of witty New York writers, drama critics, actors and sophisticates who met at the Algonquin Hotel's dining room starting in the 1920s. The Algonquin eventually installed a round table for them to sit at.

I take it that this group of twenty or so would talk about their work, gossip and make jokes at each other's expense. It sounds like a nice affair that it would be fun to eavesdrop on.

The Round Table was known for their wit and some of their quips have become famous. Some of those quips have passed into the general culture, but this book shows that there were many, many misses. A lot of the jokes seem dated, too insider, and often not witty at all.

On the other hand, Dorothy Parker was a master of the double entendre:

“Asked why she had named her pet canary Onan, Mrs, Parker explained, “Because it spills its seed upon the ground.”

“One evening Mrs. Parker arrived late to a party given by Herbert Baynard Swope, and observed the guests engaged in some sort of group amusement. Swope explained that the guests were “ducking for apples,” and Mrs. Parker reflected, “There, but for a typographical error, is the story of my life.”

“On being shown a plush Manhattan apartment by a real estate agent, Mrs. Parker complained, “Oh, dear, that's much too big. All I need is room enough to lay a hat and a few friends.”

“Mrs. Parker once said of a Katharine Hepburn performance: “She ran the whole gamut of emotions, from A to B.”

“Book review: “This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.”

“As a writer of book reviews, Mrs. Parker experienced many tedious moments, but her most difficult times came when forced to review novels of “sensational” appeal. On this occupational hazard she once commented: “It's not just ‘Lady Chatterley's Husbands.' It's that, after this week's course of reading, I'm good and through with the whole matter of sex. I say it's spinach, and I say to hell with it!”

“Reporting on a Yale prom, Mrs. Parker said, “If all those sweet young things present were laid end to end, 1 wouldn't be at all surprised.”

I've heard a lot of those in various contexts.

This is one by Aleck Woollcott that I've heard without attribution:

“All the things I really like to do are either immoral, illegal, or fattening.”

However, there is a lot of chaff to get through before finding wheat.

Also, there seems to be a lack of proofreading or transliteration errors, which I'm willing to overlook.

I appreciated the introduction to this legendary cultural phenomenon. I'm amazed at how shallow it was.