[Ads-l] "What do you mean we, paleface / white man / kemo sabe?"

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Here is another citation in 1956 that appeared about a month after the
citation Bill found. Arthur Godfrey broadcast the joke on his morning
television program. (The text is ambiguous; he also hosted a radio
program.)

Date: September 23, 1956
Newspaper: Sunday News (Daily News)
Newspaper Location: New York, New York
Article: Laughs from the Air
Author: George Maksian
Section 2, Quote Page 17, Column 3
Database: Newspapers.com

[End excerpt]
Arthur Godfrey was amused by this rib-tickler and repeated it for his
CBS audience the other morning: The Lone Ranger and Tonto were riding
along the plains when suddenly they saw some 500 Sioux Indians heading
towards them. They turned around only to find hundreds of Apaches. To
the left and to the right were the same. Then the Masked Man turned to
his faithful companion and said, "Well, Tonto, I guess we've had it."
"What do you mean WE--white man" the Indian indignantly responded.
[Begin excerpt]

There are several citations in 1957. The following interesting
citation used the variant phrase "'What do you mean by 'us'" instead
of "What do you mean 'we'".

Date: May 10, 1957
Newspaper: The Abilene Reporter-News
Newspaper Location: Abilene, Texas
Article: GOP May Launch National Magazine
Author: Leslie and Elizabeth Carpenter (Washington Bureau)
Quote Page 4B, Column 6
Database: Newspapers.com

[Begin excerpt]
Adlai Stevenson has a Lone Ranger story . . .

"The Lone Ranger said to Tonto: 'Well. Tonto, it looks like they've
got us this time!' Tonto's reply was quick: 'What do you mean by "us."
White Man?'"
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Sun, Jun 2, 2019 at 9:44 PM Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > In a follow-up blog post, he mentioned that Bridwell wrote a 1 page piece
> for Mad
> > Magazine in 1958 that featured the subject joke, and speculated that
> Bridwell had  > come up with it.
>
> Maybe he did, but way before 1958. I heard it as "What you mean 'we,' white
> man?" ca. 1946. A. "Guess what?" B. "What?" A. "Chicken butt." was around
> at the same time.
>
> On Sat, Jun 1, 2019 at 11:10 PM Bill Mullins <amcombill at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Background:
> >
> > Mark Evanier administers the Bill Finger Award for the San Diego Comic
> > Convention, recognizing a comics writer whom the jury feels is
> > under-recognized.  This year, one of the awardees is E. Nelson Bridwell.
> >
> > https://www.comic-con.org/awards/bill-finger-award-node
> >
> > In a follow-up blog post, he mentioned that Bridwell wrote a 1 page piece
> > for Mad Magazine in 1958 that featured the subject joke, and speculated
> > that Bridwell had come up with it.
> >
> > https://www.newsfromme.com/2019/05/25/more-about-nelson/
> >
> > Others have gone so far as to assert that the joke is, in fact, Bridwell's.
> >
> > https://www.cbr.com/comic-book-legends-revealed-329/ <
> > https://www.cbr.com/comic-book-legends-revealed-329/>
> >
> > (and this last citation even ends up in the first line of Bridwell's
> > wikipedia page:
> >
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Nelson_Bridwell ).
> >
> >
> > Apparently, none of these people actually looked that hard.
> >
> > _Los Angeles Times_ 16 Aug 1956 p 4.
> >
> > "Tonto and the Lone Ranger were riding across the prairie when suddenly in
> > the distance loomed 1000 wild, screaming Indians.  "What will we do?" asked
> > the Lone Ranger.  "We go this way," said Tonto.  In a few minutes another
> > 1000 Indians appeared ahead, charging them. "What will we do?" the Lone
> > Ranger asked again.  Tonto pointed toward a butte.  They were scarcely a
> > mile away when still another 1000 Indians charged around the butte, headed
> > toward them.  "What will we do?" the Lone Ranger asked.  Tonto gave him a
> > long, stern look.  "What do you mean 'we,' paleface?" he demanded."
> >
> >
> >
> > [
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> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
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> >
>
>
> --
> -Wilson
> -----
> All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint to
> come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> -Mark Twain
>
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