In 1971 the prominent actress and playwright Ruth Gordon presented the tale during an interview: 1971 May 22, Democrat and Chronicle, Now People: Ruth Gordon, A Rare Bird by Brenda Badolato (D&C – Women’s Wear Daily), Start Page C1, Quote Page C2, Column 5 and 6, Rochester, New … Continue reading Parker reflected, “There, but for a typographical error, is the story of my life.” Swope explained that the guests were “ducking for apples,” and Mrs. Parker arrived late to a party given by Herbert Baynard Swope, and observed the guests engaged in some sort of group amusement. Drennan, Quote, Citadel Press, New York.
“Bayard” was misspelled as “Baynard”: 1968, The Algonquin Wits, Edited by Robert E. The following passage occurred in the section devoted to Parker. Drennan published a compilation of bright sayings attributed to members of the Algonquin Round Table under the tile “The Algonquin Wits”. “There,” she sighed, “is the story of my life.” Seeing guests in an odd position-obviously partaking of a new fad-Miss Parker asked what they were doing. Ford writes of the night Dorothy Parker arrived at a Halloween party given by Herbert Bayard Swope. (Verified with hardcopy)įinally, our favorite story of many a month appeared in a marvelous book, The Time of Laughter, by Corey Ford. Oddly, Amory recounted an expurgated version of the anecdote: 1967 November 4, Saturday Review, First of the Month by Cleveland Amory, Quote, Saturday Review Associates, New York. In November 1967, Ford’s book was discussed by the author and magazine columnist Cleveland Amory in the pages of the “Saturday Review”. “There, but for a typographical error,” she sighed, “is the story of my life.” “They’re ducking for apples,” her host explained.
Parker arrived at a Halloween party given by Herbert Bayard Swope, and inquired what the guests were doing. The following version of Parker’s remark was rather different: 1967, The Time of Laughter by Corey Ford, Quote, Little, Brown and Company, Boston.
In 1967 the tale appeared in “The Time of Laughter” by Corey Ford. The change probably referred to the transformation of “ducking” into a synonym for fornication.īelow are additional selected citations in chronological order Asked to join a group of merrymakers who were “ducking for apples,” Dorothy said, “Change one letter in that phrase and you have my life story.” (Verified with hard copy)Īt a subsequent Halloween party, Miss Parker spoke one of her wryest sentences. Emphasis added to excerpts by QI: 1957, Charlie: The Improbable Life and Times of Charles MacArthur by Ben Hecht, Quote, Harper & Brothers, New York. The book recounted the following anecdote. Dorothy Parker was Hecht’s friend and MacArthur’s lover. MacArthur and Hecht were successful writing partners who created popular plays such as “The Front Page” and “Ladies and Gentlemen”. Would you please explore this topic?ĭear Quote Investigator: The earliest evidence of Parker’s jest located by QI appeared in the 1957 book “Charlie: The Improbable Life and Times of Charles MacArthur” by Ben Hecht. Dorothy Parker? Ben Hecht? Corey Ford? Apocryphal?ĭear Quote Investigator: The famous wit Dorothy Parker apparently constructed a risqué quip when she observed people ducking for apples at a party.
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