[Ads-l] Groucho--really?

[Stephen Goranson]

Nice finds, Bill.

Stephen


________________________________
From: American Dialect Society <...> on behalf of MULLINS, WILLIAM D (Bill) CIV USARMY RDECOM AMRDEC (US) <...>
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2017 11:15 AM
To: ...
Subject: Re: [ADS-L] Groucho--really?

_Binghamton [NY] Press_ 2 Dec 1948 p 21 col 6 [fultonhistory.com, newspapers.com]

>From Phil Willon's column, "All in Fun"

"Outside of a dog, a policeman is a boy's best friend. Inside of a dog, a boy isn't likely to meet one anyhow."





_Binghamton [NY] Press_ 6 Sep 1950 p 25 col 3 [fultonhistory.com, newspapers.com]

>From Phil Willon's column, "All in Fun"

"Outside of a dog, of course, a diamond is a girl's best friend.  Inside of a dog, you can't see it anyhow."



[Nashville, TN] _The Tennesseean_ 23 Nov 1952 p 8 col 1 [newspapers.com]

>From Red O'Donnell's column, "Top o'the Mornin'"

"Clever comic Jimmy Husson's observation:  "Book is man's best friend, outside of a dog.  Inside, it's too dark to read anyhow."



_Somerset (PA) American_ 29 Aug 1953 p 4 col 8 [newspaperarchive.com]

"A book is man's best friend, outside of a dog and inside a dog it's too dark to read."



Comedian Jimmy Husson worked a lot in the Pennsylvania area in the 1940s-1950s; this cite could have originated with him as well.





First Groucho cite:

_Philadelphia Daily News_ 5 Apr 1973 p 25 col 3 [newspapers.com]

"Groucho Marx on friendship:  "Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.  That's because inside a dog, it's too dark to read." "







> -----Original Message-----

> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of ADSGarson O'Toole

> Sent: Monday, March 13, 2017 4:37 PM

> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU

> Subject: Re: Groucho--really?

>

>

>

> ----

>

> John Baker wrote:

> > Of course, as previously discussed on ADS-L, "Inside of a dog it's too

> > dark to read" is not an authentic Marxism either; as far as we know,

> > it came from Jim Brewer, a kid who contributed it to Boys' Life in

> > 1954 (well, the contribution was probably in 1953).  And "Why a duck"

> > was spoken by Chico (though written by George S. Kaufman).  "I do not

> > care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members" was

> > attributed to Groucho personally in 1950, so seems reasonably

> > plausible as an authentic quotation.

>

> LH initiated the discussion of the Groucho attributed remark "Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read" back in 2010. I created a QI entry and

> credited "Top-notch researcher, John Baker" for locating the "Boys' Life" citation.

>

> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__quoteinvestigator.com_2010_09_08_dog_&d=DwIGaQ&c=imBPVzF25OnBgGmVOlcsiEgHoG1i6YHLR0Sj_gZ4adc&r=uUVa-8oDL2EzfbuMuowoUadHHcJ7pjul6iFkS5Pd--8&m=-y_H8oq_E7hQJsyNz20HD3z9S52SNr1xK_M-IQ9WFwQ&s=VQdZE4dk3IKp6bmNkC6cShbG9XaeKCcFMCcBFissygI&e=

>

>

>


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