Grouchy Marxist
The picture of you in the newspaper saying that, amongst other reasons,
you have come to London to see me has greatly enhanced my credit line in
the neighborhood, and particularly with the greengrocer across the
street ? TS Eliot writing to Groucho Marx on this day in 1964
Since the recent passing of Alistair Cooke, if you have been following the BBC radio as rabidly as I, you surely woulda caught this one (which I paraphrase)
I went to lunch with GM at a hoitey toitey Jewish social club. When I winced at the prices, Groucho say: “fear not, limey poser dude; it’s only dough. 10 grand is the ‘nitiation fee at this club, and for that you don’t even get a dill pickle.”
Then the waiter was all, “okay four eclaires and two coffees..” and Groucho was all “four Eclaires and two coffees ago, our forefathers… Skip the speeches and bring on dessoit!”
Then there was this fat chick and Grouch was all “shoot her!” and she looked back and was all “would you be Groucho?” and he was all “of course I would. And you would be? M. Monroe? Pay up, lady, you never make it.
Good lord I’ve heard that story like twenty times on BBC since his passing.
Morale: BBC is great at givin’ the news. But the rest of the stuff sometimes looks like the trappings of a diletante pizzeria.