[Ads-l] Quote Origin: I Never Forget a Face, But I=?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=99ll_?=Make an Exception in Your Case

[Ben Zimmer]

On Fri, Jan 31, 2025 at 6:21 PM mr_peter_morris at outlook.com <
mr_peter_morris at outlook.com> wrote:

>
> https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Hollywood_Reporter/CFVCuIBIiPoC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22never+forget+a+face%22+%22an+exception%22&dq=%22never+forget+a+face%22+%22an+exception%22&printsec=frontcover
>
> ... I'm sure I know you . I never forget a face . " " Neither do I , "
> answered Lyons , " but I'm going to make an exception in your
> case . Horsefeathers , second reel .
>
> Hollywood Reporter, circa 1935 or 6, usual caveats
>
> Horsefeathers was a Marx Brothers movie, but checking a
> transcript it doesn't seem to include the quote.
>

That quote appears to be in an article entitled "Harpo, Chico, Groucho and
Scenario" by George Oppenheimer (begins on p. 61). However, Google Books
evidently combined two items here. The first part is the Dec. 28, 1935
issue of Hollywood Reporter (with "USSR Quits 'Inspired' Pix" as the
headline on the front page), but that has a different periodical appended
to it. I checked that issue of Hollywood Reporter on ProQuest and the
Oppenheimer article isn't there (the issue only has 8 pages).

Oppenheimer, by the way, has a screenwriting credit for the 1937 Marx
Brothers movie "A Day at the Races."



> =======================
>
> Here's another early cite, November 28 1936
> Motion Picture Herald
>
>
> https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Motion_Picture_Herald/LVbLJb9z-wcC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22never+forget+a+face%22+%22make+an+exception%22&dq=%22never+forget+a+face%22+%22make+an+exception%22&printsec=frontcover
>
>
>
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> From "ADSGarson O'Toole" <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Date 29/01/2025 19:34:46
> Subject Quote Origin: I Never Forget a Face, But I’ll Make an Exception
> in Your Case
>
> >Here is a match for the quip in the subject line which appeared in the
> >syndicated Hollywood gossip column of Sidney Skolsky:
> >
> >[ref] 1936 November 18, Daily News, Hollywood by Sidney Skolsky, Quote
> >Page 62, Column 1, New York, New York. (ProQuest) [/ref]
> >
> >[Begin excerpt]
> >Groucho Marx, on meeting a prominent actress, said: "I never forget a
> >face--but I'm going to make an exception in your case."
> >[End excerpt]
> >
> >This citation occurred a bit before the 1937 citation in "The New Yale
> >Books of Quotations". Here is a link to the updated QI article:
> >
> >https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/04/26/forget-a-face/
> >
> >Feedback welcome
> >Garson
>

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