[Ads-l] Zilch

[Peter Reitan]

"Just as we begin to get it settled in our mind that Ed Wynn is our favorite actor, Frank Tinney comes back after a year's absence and we are thrown into an emotional turmoil again. . . . The end [of the show, "Daffy Dill"] came during the sentimental number called "The Coachman's Heart," in which Joseph Zilch, Mr. Tinney's mysterious off-stage friend, was represented by his widow in the dental personality of Marion Sunshine."

Life Magazine, volume 80, September 14, 1922, page 20 (HathiTrust).

> Date: Tue, 9 Feb 2016 17:05:53 -0500
> From: adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM
> Subject: Re: Zilch
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> 
> ---------------------- 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: Zilch
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Excellent citation, Bill. O. O. McIntyre also helped popularize
> "Minnie Zilch" with his widely-syndicated column, apparently. Here is
> a column in 1927 from O. O. McIntyre stating that the character name
> "Joe Zilch" was used as a convention on Broadway.
> 
> Date: September 10, 1927
> Newspaper: Charleston Gazette
> Newspaper Location: Charleston, West Virginia
> Column: New York Day by Day
> Columnist: O. O. McIntyre (McNaught syndicate)
> Quote Page 4, Column 3
> 
> [Begin excerpt]
> Broadway has two mythical characters--Joe Zilch and Joe Doakes. They
> are blamed for many things and accredited with great wonders. Then
> there is George Spelvin. the program name used by an actor for one of
> two roles he portrays.
> [End excerpt]
> 
> Michael Quinion's article suggested a link to college slang.
> 
> [Begin excerpt]
> This name may have come from college slang of the 1920s, in which Joe
> Zilsch was the archetypal average student. . .
> [End excerpt]
> 
> Garson
> 
> 
> On Tue, Feb 9, 2016 at 1:43 PM, Mullins, Bill CIV (US)
> <william.d.mullins18.civ at mail.mil> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Mullins, Bill CIV (US)" <william.d.mullins18.civ at MAIL.MIL>
> > Subject:      Re: Zilch
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Slightly earlier for "Joe Zilch"
> >
> > Mt Carmel PA _Daily News_ 16 Jun 1925 p 2 col 3 (from O. O. McIntyre syndic=
> > ated column "New York Day by Day") (Newspapers.com)
> > "Frank Tinney used to have a comedy name which brought many chortles.  He u=
> > sed it as a peg upon which to hang an occasional wheeze.  It was Joe Zilch.=
> >   This was real -- the name of a husband of a girl in the show.  She recent=
> > ly divorced him and said among other things she was tired of the comedy nam=
> > e."
> >
> > _Variety_ 10/7/1925 p 9 col 3
> > "We have been an ardent Vreeland fan ever since he first started his theatr=
> > ical comment column in the "Herald," yet if we met him on the street we wou=
> > ldn't know him from Joe Zilch."=
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
 		 	   		  
------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org