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early in the 18th century, and later that century to Williamsburg, Virginia. It became an American culinary craze, however, during the 1920’s • “night at Coney” – The world’s most famous amusement resort, located in Brooklyn and facing the Atlantic Ocean, Coney Island in the late 19th century featured elegant vacation hotels and restaurants. By the 1930’s it had evolved into a garish and tawdry oasis for city dwellers • “Irene Bordoni” – (1895–1953) This charming Gallic Broadway star with flashing eyes was the wife of producer E Ray Goetz, an old friend of Porter. In 1928, she starred in the musical Paris and introduced Porter’s “Let’s Do It” • “blop” – If Porter’s superlatives are the “top”, one can only imagine how he regarded the “blop” • “hot tamale” – Mexican delicacy • “Ovaltine” – This popular malted cereal drink was launched in Berne, Switzerland, by Dr George Wander and introduced to America in 1904. Originally called Ovomaltine, the name was later shortened for America and Britain. On April 6, 1931, Ovaltine inaugurated Little Orphan Annie, based on the famous comic strip, the first, regular children’s radio series. Every child in America had or longed for an Ovaltine shake–up mug, a decoder, or some other premium offered by the program • “dam at Boulder” – The highest concrete arched dam in America, it was named for Republican President Hoover. Construction began in 1931. In 1933, with the election of Democrat Roosevelt, the name was changed to Boulder Dam. Its original name, Hoover Dam, was restored in 1947 with a new Republican majority in Congress • “Mae West’s shoulder” – She had two – both very attractive • “G.O.P” – The Republican party was formed in 1854, largely to prevent the extension of slavery into the new western territories and states. Its first nominee for President lost in 1856. The Republicans had better luck with Abraham Lincoln in 1860. In time, this grand new party became known as the Grand Old Party, or G.O.P. • “Arrow collar” – The Arrow Collar man was born in 1905, when illustrator Joseph Christian Leyendecker (1874–1951) was asked by Cluett, Peabody & Co to create an advertising campaign for Arrow-brand detachable shirt collars. The aloof, devastatingly handsome Arrow shirt man became the object of near fanatical adoration and actually received thousands of fan letters, sending the sales
of Arrow shirts and collars soaring • “Coolidge dollar” – A term synonymous with pre– Depression prosperity. Ironically for those who did have money during the Depression, the 1934 dollar was worth far more because prices had plummeted in these lean years • “O’Neill drama” – Eugene O’Neill (1888–1953) was America’s pre–eminent playwright during the 1920’s, but his vogue proved short–lived and ended in 1933 with Ah, Wilderness! Following Porter’s 1934 reference, O’Neill had no new play on Broadway for a dozen more years • “Whistler’s mama” – The celebrated portrait painted by James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834–1903) is officially entitled Arrangement in Black and Gray: The Artist’s Mother • “Camembert” – A popular soft cheese named after a village in Normandy, Camembert has been with us since the 12th century. No wonder it smells so bad • “the nose on the great Durante” – Jimmy Durante (1893–1980), the beloved comedian and ragtime pianist, and known for his prominent schnozzola, possessed the most celebrated theatrical nose since Cyrano • “Whitney Stable” – The familiar candy-striped black and cherry colours of the Whitney stables heralded the largest (and one of the oldest) string of horses in America • “Saks’s” – Andrew Saks opened his first New York store at Herald Square in 1902. His son Horace took over in 1912 and spent the following decade making Saks synonymous with stylish, gracious living. In 1923, Horace sold the store to his friend and business rival Bernard Gimbel for $8,000,000 in Gimbels stock. On September 15, 1924, Gimbel opened Saks Fifth Avenue, its name a shrewd combination of a fashionable emporium and a fashionable street; a name now renowned around the globe • “Drumstick Lipstick” – Not even Robert Salvatore, the resident expert of Hollywood’s Max Factor Beauty Museum, knows the meaning of this enigmatic phrase. Perhaps, like the identity of the killer in Charles Dickens’ The Mystery of Edwin Drood, it is lost to the ages • “Irish Svipstick” – In 1930, the Irish government approved a lottery as a means to raise funds for hospitals, mental institutions and homes for the poor and aged. The Irish Hospitals Sweepstakes swiftly became the largest international lottery, with most of the money coming from the United States, where tickets were sold illegally • “Waldorf salad” – Its name derived from the first Waldorf
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