[Ads-l] Phrase: drop-dead gorgeous - NYT obit for Richard Corliss and OED

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Based on extracted test, the article in Cue magazine with the phrase
"drop-dead-gorgeous costumes designed by Ray Aghayan" was probably a
review of the 1970 theatrical production of "Applause". The Internet
Broadway Database (IBDB) has the following information:

http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=3519&more=1

[Begin excerpt]
Applause
Palace Theatre, (3/30/1970 - 7/27/1972)
First Preview:          Mar 26, 1970          Total Previews:       4
Opening Date:         Mar 30, 1970
Closing Date:           Jul 27, 1972
Total Performances:          896
[End excerpt]

The lead role in "Applause" was played by Lauren Bacall according to
the extracted text from Cue and according to IBDB.

One of the snippets indicates that the section title "The Theatre"
appears in large bold letters on the page with the target phrase
(probably page 14). The article begins with "Applause --At the
Palace". The Palace Theater was the venue.

So the Cue issue was probably dated April 1970 or a bit later.

Garson


On Sat, Apr 25, 2015 at 8:14 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Phrase: drop-dead gorgeous - NYT obit for Richard Corliss and
>               OED
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Below is metadata and a link for a possible "drop-dead-gorgeous" match in 1970,
>
> Periodical: Cue
> Volume: 39
> Issues 14-26
> Quote Page 14
> Database: Google Books snippet view; data may be inaccurate; must be
> verified on paper
>
> https://books.google.com/books?id=Tz4QAQAAMAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=drop-dead
>
> [Begin extracted text]
> ... by the combustible production numbers, spectacularly staged by
> director/choreographer Ron Field, by Robert Randolph's sparkling sets,
> and by the really drop-dead-gorgeous costumes designed by Ray Aghayan.
> If you could only hum Lee ...
> [End extracted text]
>
> On Sat, Apr 25, 2015 at 4:42 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole
> <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: Phrase: drop-dead gorgeous - NYT obit for Richard Corliss and
>>               OED
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>  Ben Zimmer wrote
>>> I suspect we owe the coinage claim to a Wikipedia contributor editing
>>> Corliss's page, based on a misreading of the OED entry.
>>>
>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_Corliss&diff=prev&oldid=592380062
>>
>> Great point, Ben. Journalism, Wikipedia, and deadlines produce a
>> dangerously combustible mixture.
>> Garson
>>
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>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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