#the algonquin round table

[theoscarsproject]

The Ten Year Lunch: The Algonquin Round Table (1987). Surely one of the most profound and outrageous influences on the times following World War I, was the group of a dozen or so taste-makers who lunched together at New York City's Algonquin Hotel.

It feels like there's a great TV series in here somewhere as the eclecticness of the characters and the genuinely pretty fascinating lives of these writers plays out, but it doesn't quite come together in this patchy, thinly made documentary. A bummer because there's something pretty delightful about a group of talented trendsetters and commentators meeting daily for lunch throughout the Jazz Age. 4/10.

[newyorkthegoldenage]

The Marx Brothers left vaudeville and stepped up to the legitimate theater in 1924 with a show called I'll Say She Is. Unlike their subsequent shows such as Animal Crackers and The Cocoanuts, it was never turned into a movie, although one historian has said that "Every Marx Brothers film contains material and situations that can be traced back to I'll Say She Is." Groucho called it "probably the funniest show we ever did."

I'll Say She Is toured for a year and a half before arriving on Broadway in May, 1924. No one expected it to succeed; the Broadway engagement was just a sop to the brothers, who had been threatening to leave the show unless it went to New York.

But the critics loved it. "It is a bright-colored and vehement setting for the goings-on of those talented cutups, the Four Marx Brothers," wrote Alexander Woollcott in the New York Sun, who went on to single out Harpo for special praise.

Maybe it was being on Broadway that led the brothers to bill themselves, in the program, as Herbert, Leonard, Julius H., and Arthur Marx. Not that anyone was fooled.

The show ran for 313 performances, which was excellent for the time. The brothers were lionized by New York society, and Harpo was invited to join the Algonquin Round Table.

Above: Harpo, Groucho, Zeppo, and Chico, with Lotta Miles, in the sketch called "Napoleon's First Waterloo," in which Groucho played Boney. Source: illsaysheis.com

Below: a handbill from the performance of November 17, 1924. Source: NYPL

[utilitycaster]

a funny thing to do when someone says they're feral about something is to arch an eyebrow and say "funny, I didn't realize you'd ever been domesticated."

[fayegonnaslay]

Tallulah Bankhead with fiancée Count Tony de Bosardi, 1928.

[tilbageidanmark]

[aclaywrites]

[pier-carlo-universe]

“La cura per la noia è la curiosità. Non esiste cura per la curiosità.” – Una frase geniale di Dorothy Parker che oggi più che mai ci insegna a restare vivi. Scopri la sua storia su Alessandria today.

[ersahtz]

I want an algonquin round table except nobody I know irl is as funny as I am

[the1920sinpictures]

April 30, 1922 Members of the Algonquin Round Table rented the 49th Street Theatre, New York City, for a one night performance and invited their friends to a satirical revue. Above are the program and two photos of Tallulah Bankhead as she appeared that evening. Check it out, it's one hell of a cast!

[dabiconcordia]

“This is not a novel to be lightly tossed aside. It should be thrown with great force.” From a review by Dorothy Parker:

In 1968 the author Robert E. Drennan printed a version of the joke in his book “The Algonquin Wits” which collected humorous remarks attributed to members of the Algonquin Round Table.

[swanno-arts]

random limbus oc ramblings again under the cut yayy

Instead of the usual motto, LCB-F's motto is "FACE THE REGRET, SAVE THE SINNER"

Season names from Canto I to VI: Grand Opening (Parker), Closing Time (Yossarian), Subterranean Alien (May be tentative, Quail), Minutes of Hate (Winston), Tabula Rasa (JS), Doomsday (Time Traveller).

Time Traveller and Winston are British, Parker, Yossarian, Quail and Charlie are American, and JS is British-American.

While JS' name will never come to light canonically, I did think of several possible names. First name - Johnathan, John, Johann, Jedidiah, Job. Surname - Strauss, Schneider, Sawyer, Sainsbury, Smith (not in relation to Winston). So any combination of both.

After JS' name (and family name in extension) was redacted, Latro didn't switch back to her maiden name. No clear reason yet, but maybe she has spite over her parents.

JS and Latro has 5 kids. 3 sons (born as triplets) and 2 daughters. No names for them yet. The eldest two both work for Devyat, the third for Zwei (allegedly). The eldest daughter just finished her Masters degree while being a Grade 7 Fixer and the youngest was just starting college before the incident.

Half of Canto V-F: Let's jump papa together with mama

In Mirror Worlds, JS and Latro either work side by side or against each other. Blank Slate JS implies Latro being The One Who Grips while The One Who Grips JS implies Latro being the Blank Slate. JS' The City Sweeper ID implies all his family members being Sweepers.

Winston and Parker are kind of a thing slash questionable. It's not a serious relationship at all. Yossarian joins in sometimes because he thinks it's funny /hj

Parker has consumed food sourced from human meat. It's a slightly common practice with The Ring, just as common as having human art exhibits. She actually complains about having more "ethically sourced" food when with the Algonquin Round Table.

Fun fact, deciding Parker was a Pointillist was completely made on random, before realizing she (the author) has the nickname Dot or Dottie.

If given the chance, Parker will 100% steal a sip of Enkephalin.

Nobody knows where Parker keeps getting her champagne from. Some speculate she has someone from the Algonquin Round Table to bring it to the bus every night.

Sometimes I think of Parker with Mellacarli's IG reels whenever she crashes out. I think she has her energy.

Time Traveller, looking at Dante: I desire you carnally (does not fully understand the context of the words he's saying)

Time Traveller vc: For the last time, young Quail, I do not run this DOOM thing you keep asking me of.

LCB-F gets a beach (read: U Corp) episode and everyone's unnerved that Time Traveller is just bare fucking naked. Which was fine considering he just have smooth barbie doll anatomy under there but STILL. Winston forces him to wear AT LEAST some shorts.

Which is also hilarious since Time Traveller does not touch the water even once. He's doing this solely because everyone else was.

Time Traveller will always wear some kind of hat in any Mirror IDs. He always hides a strange white flower underneath.

Time Traveller, stuck in B Corp's prison with the other Sinners after Winston betrayed them: Ah, this is a slight inconvenience. Anyways, cherry bomb. (is not a cherry bomb at all. sets the entire facility's alerts off)

Winston's Canto is hilarious to be honest. My guy really turned against the Sinners RIGHT AFTER the Canto that revealed one of them as a literal EX COLOR FIXER and STILL ASSUMED HE WOULD WIN.

Winston: fuck. how did you all beat my ass so fast. (Canto 5 revealing JS had Blank Slate) ah okay that makes sense.

Everyone's legally allowed to bully Winston over his Canto.

Quail DEFINITELY has connection to Blue Star (and related space themed abnormalities). During her Color Fixer time, she probably had conversed with the Star Luminary.

She may be coerced by the abnormalities to turn against other Colors and the Hana Association.

All the Sinners have some relation to the Smoke War, either directly or indirectly. Yossarian fought in it, JS supplied weapons and vehicles, Quail was contracted by K Corp as the Crimson Guardian to protect any K Corp personnel, Parker divorced her first husband after he became a war outcast, and Time Traveller had previously time travelled to it (which was the future during his time). EDIT: forgot abt winston, he edits out information abt the war

Unfortunately I cannot stop thinking about Yossarian being Indonesian. He has the energy and vibe.

YOSSARIAN'S CANONICAL NICKNAME IS YO-YO? 😭

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Natalie Ascencios's 2002 painting, A Vicious Circle, of the Algonquin Round Table. It hangs in the hotel today.

From left to right, standing: Robert Benchley, Franklin Pierce Adams, Robert Sherwood, Harpo Marx, Alexander Woolcott, Marc Connelly, Edna Ferber. Seated: Dorothy Parker, Harold Ross, George S. Kaufman, Heywood Broun. The Algonquin Cat is standing upside down at top left.

Photo: Natalie Ascencios via ascencios.com

[grandoldmovies]

Wild and a little bit Woollcotty for Christmas

Monty Woolley may have originated the role of the flamboyant, testy, obstreperous, and obnoxious Sheridan Whiteside in the Kaufman-&-Hart play The Man Who Came to Dinner, but Whiteside's real-life inspiration was the waspish, acerbic, and totally flamboyant critic-essayist-columnist-broadcaster and all-around acid wit Alexander Woollcott, the man who not only came to dinner but who practically invented the Algonquin Round Table (with a little help from friends like Robert Benchley and Dorothy Parker). Whiteside has been enacted by such able actors as Woolley, Clifton Webb, Ellis Rabb, and Nathan Lane; but even Woollcott himself took a bash at embodying his avatar onstage. The theatrical result, no doubt, must've been wild and woolly indeed.

More information on The Man Who Came to Dinner, and also on Whiteside and Woollcott, as well as on dinner companions Monty Woolley and Clifton Webb, can be found at my latest Grand Old Movies post for Christmas; click here for the dinner link. White tie not required, but bring an appetite.

[somewhereundertherainbow1973]

me and like the five or so other people who write crosby stills nash and young fanfiction are kind of like the modern day algonquin round table

[finehostay]

the algonquin round table but it's all my tumblr mutuals

[sweetfirebird]

Every year I watch The Man Who Came to Dinner and every year I go on a nerdy little tear about the Algonquin Round Table and Alexander Woolcott (and Monty Woolley) and the characters based on him including Sheridan Whiteside and how queer they are because of how queer he was (ace? aro? gay? homoromantic?) and yet somehow I never saw that picture of him that I just reblogged????