Let George Do It

[Baker, John]

        IMDB lists movies named "Let George Do It" from 1938 and 1940,
both starring comedians named George (George Wallace and George Formby,
respectively).  I don't know if the better-known 1940 movie, from
England, drew the inspiration for its name from the 1938 Australian
movie, or if it was already a catch-phrase.  However, a 1938 date would
seem to preclude a WWII origin.


John Baker


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
Of Wilson Gray
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 11:34 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Let George Do It

I, too, remember this phrase as part of some campaign or other, back in
the 'Forties. It seems to me that it was some kind of put-down:
"Don't bother me about it! Let George do it!" But I wouldn't bet on it.
Unfortunately, for our purposes, it was something that I was too young
to have any real interest in, at the time. Google cites "Let George Do
It" primarily as the name of an old radiio show dating to 1940. However,
it also provides this quote from another source than the radio show:

"Fluoridation came about because most of us were content to '_let George
do it_' ...

-Wilson

On 3/21/07, sagehen <sagehen at westelcom.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       sagehen <sagehen at WESTELCOM.COM>
> Subject:      Let George Do It
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---------
>
> Seen in war protest demos:
> "Die for Oil?........Let George Do It!"
> "Let George do it" is very familiar, but where does it come from?
> Funny papers?  Radio comedy?  Was it part of some  campaign exhorting
> people to do something socially responsible in WWII?
> AM
>
> ~@:>   ~@:>   ~@:>   ~@:>

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