Zinger: My dear, the final 't' is silent as in Harlow (1945)

[Garson O'Toole]

Many thanks for your response Sam. I now see a relevant cite in August
28,1934 in the Dallas Morning News. But the event, if it happened,
would be still earlier. I will look a bit more.
Garson

On Sat, Jul 14, 2012 at 6:23 PM,  <sclements at neo.rr.com> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       sclements at NEO.RR.COM
> Subject:      Re: Zinger: My dear, the final 't' is silent as in Harlow (1945)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> A few years back I think I found a significatly earlier cite than 1945.  I sent it to Fred, but not to the list.  I don't have it at hand, but you can ask Fred for it.
>
> Sam Clements
>
> ---- Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>> An anecdote featuring Margot Asquith and Jean Harlow climaxes with a
>> zinger from Asquith. The Yale Book of Quotations, the Oxford
>> Dictionary of Quotations, and Cassell's Humorous Quotations each give
>> a 1973 citation for the story. Here is a version of the tale in 1945:
>>
>> Cite: 1945 July 31, Springfield Republican, Lady Asquith, Page 6,
>> Column 3, Springfield, Massachusetts. (GenealogyBank)
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> There was also the story, possibly apocryphal but certainly
>> characteristic, of her visit to Hollywood. She was described as
>> encountering a popular young screen actress of the period who insisted
>> on addressing her as "Margot," ignorantly pronouncing the final
>> letter. After this had happened several times Lady Asquith riposted,
>> "My dear, the final 't' is silent as in Harlow."
>> [End excerpt]
>>
>>
>> Cite: 1948, Mixed Grill by Sir George Leveson Gower, [Second and
>> enlarged edition 1948; first edition was 1947], Page 52, Frederick
>> Muller Ltd., London. (Verified on paper)
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> JEAN HARLOW, a pretty young film star, was a friend of Anthony
>> Asquith, who is a film producer. She asked Margot to call her "Jean",
>> and presently asked whether she might call her "Margot", (rhyming to
>> forgot"). "Certainly not!" "But why not? Of course I know that you are
>> older than me and more important; but still - as you call me 'Jean' .
>> . ." "That's not the reason." "But, then, what is it?" "Because it's
>> not my name." "But I see you everywhere described so." " Yes, but not
>> pronounced so. It should be 'Margo', without the 't'; just as your own
>> name is 'Harlow'."
>> [End excerpt]
>>
>>
>> Cite: 1965 June 03, San Mateo Times, Lyons Den by Leonard Lyons, Page
>> 32, Column 2, [GNB Page 38], San Mateo, California. (GenealogyBank)
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> One of the Jean Harlow legends in London is about her being introduced
>> to Margot Asquith. Miss Harlow immediately starting addressing her by
>> her first name, and mispronounced it as "Margott." It was, "Believe
>> me, Margott," and "I tell you. Margott." The British lady resented
>> this informality and said: "It's Margo. The 't' is silent — as in
>> Harlow."
>> [End excerpt]
>>
>>
>> Nigel Rees, Fred Shapiro and others have mentioned the possibility
>> that the anecdote was based on an encounter between Jean Harlow and a
>> different Margot, i.e., Margot Grahame instead of Margot Asquith. Here
>> is a relevant citation in 1995:
>>
>> Cite 1995: Hollywood Babble On: Stars Gossip About Stars by Boze
>> Hadleigh, Page 52, Birch Lane Press Book of Carol Publishing Group,
>> Secaucus, New Jersey. (Verified on paper)
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> If you must know, I was a platinum blond bombshell before Jean Harlow
>> was. I went to Hollywood [from England], and there I met Miss Harlow.
>> Now, my first name is pronounced Margo, but twice Miss Harlow
>> mispronounced it Margott, with a t. I really had nothing against her,
>> but I must have been irritated, for I said, "It's pronounced Margo.
>> The t is silent-as in your last name...."
>> -Margot Grahame
>> [End excerpt]
>>
>> Garson
>>
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