Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance - Question about old time radio

[Garson O'Toole]

Thanks to Bill and Wilson for responding.

Bill Mullins wrote
> Wisconsin State Journal | Madison, Wisconsin | Wed, December 12,
> 1945 | Page 6 COL 1
> "It is written that work never killed anyone but we know some fellows
> who are too timid to take any chances."

 This 1945 cite is great. This proverb may be viewed as a twisted
version of the base proverb "hard work never hurt [killed] anybody"
but the word "hard" has been deleted in Bill's example.

There is a collection called "Twisted Wisdom: Modern Anti-Proverbs" by
Wolfgang Mieder and Anna Litovkina that contains proverbs of this
general type. Here is an example of the base proverb that I located in
1850 that cites an 1844 newspaper. The phrase is already labeled an
"old saying":

Cite: 1850, Serpents in Hedges: A Plea for Moderation in the Hours
Employed in Business by Samuel Martin, Page 29, Ward and Co., London.

W. Herepath, Esq., M.P.
"It was an old saying that hard work never killed anybody; and he
believed that hard work in the open air and in a good atmosphere did
not do so much mischief as some persons imagined. Unfortunately,
however, the work required of the drapers' and other assistants was
not carried on in a good atmosphere. Must not continuous labour in
ill-ventilated and often crowded shops produce in the drapers'
assistant disease and premature death?" [Footnote dagger]
[Footnote dagger] Bristol Mercury, May 11, 1844.

Wilson Gray wrote
> On Tue, Aug 23, 2011 at 2:11 PM, Garson O'Toole
>> Charlie: It's made from _cereal_, the silly- belly, and the muddled alligator.
>> Edgar: No, no, that's the _cerebrum_, cerebellum, and the medulla
>> oblongata!
>
> "cerebrum" > "cereal"
>
> Evidence that this dates from the time when _cerebrum_ still bore
> stress on its initial syllable?

If I find an audio recording of the relevant episode I will try to
send you the relevant section for an analysis of the stress pattern.

Garson

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