"Feets Don't Fail Me Now"

[Fred Shapiro]

I am trying to trace back the expression "feets, don't fail me now."  This
is often said to be a catchphrase of Mantan Moreland in the Charlie Chan
movies, but apparently that is an urban legend.  Moreland may have used it
in his nightclub act.

My home access to ProQuest Historical Newspapers is screwed up right now.
Can anyone tell me the earliest occurrence of this phrase on ProQuest?
Also, any other insights into the history of the expression would be
welcome.

Fred Shapiro


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Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
Associate Librarian for Collections and     YALE DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS
  Access and Lecturer in Legal Research     Yale University Press,
Yale Law School                             forthcoming
e-mail: fred.shapiro at yale.edu               http://quotationdictionary.com
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