The Lonely Goatherd Blog

And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats - Matthew 25:32


Up to the minute notes on the current state of free thinking and free living: Kentucky moonshine - original analysis and reporting from MoreThings, and all round pop culture museum of sight and sound - photo galleries, mp3 and video downloads.

Al Barger and MoreThings - getting people's goats since 1998.

Live free or die!
----


I stand with Israel






More Things


MoreThings Home


Culpepper Blog Home



Music Sustains the Soul

Video Fan

God and Country

Free MP3 Downloads

Free Video and Movie Downloads

Barger for Senate archive

Holla Back!

Morethings Stats

Site Feed



What's a libertarian?








Links
To explicitly state the obvious, these external links go to interesting and provocative websites, but they speak for themselves. I don't necessarily agree with anything they say - especially that no-goodnik Richard Marcus.
************

HORNING 2008
Andrew Horning for Indiana Governor 2008


Michael Yon reporting from Iraq

Michael Totten reporting from Iraq

Accordian Cowboy

Glen Boyd's Thoughtmare

TV Guide

Bad Eagle

Baldilocks

Mark Steyn

Kole Hard Facts of Life

Richard Marcus - Beady Eyed Lyin' Canadian

Michael J West - Pop Music Supergeek

RoBlogPolitics

Buckdog

Samizdata

The Memory Hole

Rate a cop

Wikileaks

Mortgage REIT Blog



All original content on MoreThings.com copyright 2008 Albert Barger or the respective authors


October 20, 2002

 

Can't you see what I'm trying to say? I love you.
Margaret Dumont was born October 20, 1889.

She gave priceless performances as the precisely perfect foil for Groucho Marx. The wife of a millionare, she basically was the haughty, aristocratic society woman that she played in seven Marx brothers movies, and numerous others, including WC Fields' Never Give a Sucker an Even Break. As such, she supposedly never did quite get the jokes, which only contributed to the effect.

Her top moment of immortality came as Mrs. Gloria Teasdale, the foolish rich widow so smitten by Groucho's Rufus T Firefly despite his constant insults that she insists on having him made dictator of Freedonia. Thus she set up the greatest political comedy in movie history [well, maybe second to Dr. Strangelove].

Her reactions carried more weight than her dialogue. You could spend a fair amount of time studying the stew of loving gazes, puzzlement and vain attempts at maintaining her haughty matronly bearing as Groucho poured out long streams of insults mixed with patently phony declarations of love.

Rufus T. Firefly: Not that I care, but where is your husband?

Mrs. Teasdale: Why, he's dead.

Rufus T. Firefly: I bet he's just using that as an excuse.

Mrs. Teasdale: I was with him to the very end.

Rufus T. Firefly: No wonder he passed away.

Mrs. Teasdale: I held him in my arms and kissed him. [Her dramatic reading of this line was particularly hysterical.]

Rufus T. Firefly: Oh, I see, then it was murder. Will you marry me? Did he leave you any money? Answer the second question first.
-------------
PS A reader responds: In Simon Louvish's marvelous book Monkey Business, he writes that Margaret Dumont's performance as a straight lady was better than we suspected. She worked for years in burlesque and vaudeville before marrying the millionaire so the likelihood that she didn't get the jokes was small. She hid her vaudeville origins because when she returned to stage in 1920, she wanted to appear to be a more bookable 31 (she was actually born on October 20, 1882). So she pretended to be born higher class origin rather than just married into it. The fact that Groucho appeared to believe that she didn't get the jokes says that the ultimate joke was on Groucho.

Al again: I'm no expert on Dumont. All I can say is that she was some kind of piece of work. If she was capable of fooling even GROUCHO MARX, then she was really good.


posted by Al at 10/20/2002 09:52:00 PM

Link Soup
morethings master photo gallery index MP3 new album releases lyrics sammy davis little richard photos buddy holly pictures fats domino images chuck berry pictures 01/ 02/ 03/ 04/ 05/ 06/ 07/ 08/ 09/ 10/ 11/ 12/ 01/ 02/ 03/ 04/ 05/ 06/ 07/ 08/ 09/ 10/ 11/ 12/ 01/ 02/ 03/ 04/ 05/ 06/ 07/ 08/ 09/ 10/ 11/ 12/ 01/02/  03/ 04/ 05/ 06/ 07/ 08/ 09/ 10/ 11/ 12 01/ 02/ 03/ 04/ 05/ 06/ 07/ 08/ 09/ 10/ 11/  12/01/ 02/ 03/ 04/ 05/ 06/ 07/ 08/ 09/ 10/  11/  12/08/ 09/ 10/ 11/ 12/ la 24 lucille ball images clint eastwood pictures lena horne images team america pictures robert mitchum photos bruce springsteen pictures  mariah carey pictures ann coulter photos george clooney images  loretta lynn pictures beatles pictures white stripes pictures andy griffith pictures kill bill pictures beverly hillbillies pictures robin williams frank zappa pictures jerry lee lewis pictures richard pryor photos june carter johnny cash pictures vic mackey shield pictures u2 photos four seasons images james cagney images elvis presley pictures country music blog dolly parton pictures olsen twins photos tom petty photos tori amos pictures joaquin phoenix images David Bowie photos Quills movie images reese witherspoon pictures rolling stones photos fiona apple images kim novak images ray charles photos marx brothers pictures prince rogers nelson pictures blazing saddles images  sinead o'connor images  eddie murphy photos aretha franklin photos south park  pictures homer simpson images bob dylan pictures elizabeth taylor photos madonna images saturday night live pictures jewel kilcher photos willie nelson images hee haw pictures james brown images pete townshend photos tina turner pictures dixie chicks photos elton john images emmylou harris images guns n roses pictures paula abdul pictures jodie foster photos amy winehouse eminem frank sinatra photos van halen images satan blondie photos merle haggard images rocky horror pictures monty python



 

Powered By Blogger TM