[Ads-l] Goldwynism: I'm Sick and Tired of These Old Cliches. Let's Have Some New Cliches

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The remark in the subject line has been attributed to the famous
Hollywood producer Samuel Goldwyn. "The New Yale Book of Quotations"
has a pertinent entry under Samuel Goldwyn for "Let's have some new
clichés" on page 333 with a 1983 citation. The entry also noted that
"The Oxford Dictionary of Twentieth Century Quotations" suggested that
the remark was "perhaps apocryphal".

The earliest ascription to Samuel Goldwyn I found appeared in an
article by prominent gossip columnist Louella Parsons published in the
September 1948 issue of “Cosmopolitan” magazine. Parsons used the
initials S. G. when referring to Goldwyn:

[Begin excerpt]
I wouldn't, naturally, want to mention any names. But one of
Hollywood's most alert producers, whose initials are S. G. and who, a
little more than a year ago, got an Oscar for a particularly fine
picture, has lately been belaboring his writers "to come up with some
new cliches."
[End excerpt]

Two decades earlier in 1927, theater critic Harold E. Clurman wrote
about the emergence of "new cliches" in plays, but this usage was not
intended to be humorous.

The notion of deliberately creating and employing “new cliches” was
discussed by journalist Leonard Hall in 1936:

[Begin excerpt]
… we are busily trying to age some new cliches to fit these matters.
[End excerpt]

[Begin acknowledgement excerpt]
… thanks to Stephen Goranson who accessed the 1948 citation in "The
Observer". In addition, thanks to Vance Maverick who told QI about the
1927 citation.
[Begin acknowledgement excerpt]

Here is a link to the Quote Investigator article.
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2026/04/04/new-cliches/

Feedback welcome
Garson O'Toole

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