Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Learning Latin: look where it got me

Robert Charles Bentley (1889-1945), American humorist, editor of Vanity Fair, drama critic, published fifteen volumes of his collected humorous essays. Also an actor. This guy was very funny. Unfortunately in later years he succumbed to alcoholism.
Passing Ulysses S. Grant's tomb in New York, Benchley was seen to be scribbling something on the back of an envelope, which he slipped under the door of the monument. The note read: "Please leave 2 quarts Grade A and 1 pint whipping cream. U.S.G."

*****
A scene in one of Benchley's movie shorts required that he be strung up in a mess of telephone wires above a street. While waiting for the final camera, he said to his wife, Gertrude, "Remember how good at Latin I was in school?"

"Yes."

"Well, look where it got me."

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