Behind the Green Door

[Wilson Gray]

On Aug 1, 2004, at 6:58 PM, Baker, John wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Baker, John" <JMB at STRADLEY.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Behind the Green Door
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>         Safire's discussion of "green door" may be incomplete, but I
> don't know that it's wrong.
>
>         I notice an earlier story entitled "The Green Door," printed
> in the 1/25/1890 issue of Littell's Living Age (available on Cornell's
> Making of America), where it was reprinted from an unspecified issue
> of Temple Bar.  The author's name is not given.  In this story, "green
> door" once again suggests mystery and romance, as it is the door to
> the home of a lady of mystery.
>
>         I also note that the phrase was used in Thackeray's novel, The
> Newcomes (1855), where it seemingly is associated with business:
> ""Confound it! there are wine-vaults under the chapel!" answers
> downright Charles. "I saw the name, Sherrick and Co.; offices, a green
> door, and a brass plate. . . .""  Of course, this may just be one of
> the many references to a door that happens to be green.
>
> John Baker

> FWIW, I first came across the phrase, "Behind The Green Door," in
> 1965. It was the title of a sheaf of about a dozen mimeographed typed
> pages containing a pornographic short story that clearly was the basis
> for the later porn flick of the same title. It was also the title of a
> later, rather innocuous pop tune whose success was, no doubt, at least
> partially due to the notoriety of the porn flick.

-Wilson Gray

>