Origin of "roll out the red carpet"

[Cohen, Gerald Leonard]

Whoops. Doug Wilson is of course correct in pointing out that the red-carpet treatment preceded actress Lily Langtry.  Mack Sennett's explanation  turns out to be of value only as an example of folk etymology.

Gerald Cohen

> ----------
> From:         American Dialect Society on behalf of Douglas G. Wilson
> Reply To:     American Dialect Society
> Sent:         Saturday, May 21, 2005 10:46 PM
> To:   ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject:           Re: Origin of "roll out the red carpet"
>
> >... Now to "roll out the red carpet" and what seems like a plausible origin of it that I noticed today:
> >
> >    _King of Comedy_ by Mack Sennett (Doubleday, 1954), p. 27:
> >'[Actress] Lily Langtry demanded that a carpet be laid down from her
> >dressing room to the stage in order to protect her flowing
> >petticoats.  The carpet was red and the legend of "Roll out the red
> >carpet" started right there."
>
> Let's assume that the event really occurred. Ms. Langtry began her acting
> career in 1881 (says the book).
>
> At MoA (Michigan) I see a book published in 1860 describing the Prince of
> Wales' visit to Montreal; a red carpet was extended to his barge for his
> use on his arrival.
>
> In the London "Times" from 1886 (quoted in the Kingston "Gleaner" on-line)
> there is a description of Queen Victoria's opening of the Colonial and
> Indian Exhibition, with a red carpet laid along her procession route.
>
> There are more such descriptions available.
>
> Is there any reason to suppose that Ms. Langtry's red carpet (seen by a few
> actors, stagehands, etc.?) was specifically immortalized while the other
> ones used in public by British royalty (seen by thousands and described in
> contemporary published accounts) were ignored or forgotten?
>
> -- Doug Wilson
>
>
>