Today is the 74th anniversary of recording The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1944).
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” with Robert Benchley. Recorded for CBS on Dec. 20, 1944. Based on the 1939 short story by James Thurber, this … Read the rest
Dorothy Parker and the Earlier A. A. Milne Business
With A. A. Milne back in movie theaters today, it’s time to revisit the beef that Dorothy Parker had with the author. The feud was flamed by her mentor, Franklin P. Adams, always known as FPA.
It’s common knowledge about … Read the rest
Heywood Broun on Babe Ruth in 1922
With baseball season around the corner, let’s look at one of the many Algonquin Round Table links to the game. In the world of New York newspaper columnists in the Jazz Age, Heywood Broun stood out from the rest. His … Read the rest
Algonquin Round Table Conversation, January 31 at New York Public Library
The New York Public Library has launched the Community Conversations initiative. On Wednesday, January 31, 6:30 p.m., the Mid-Manhattan branch will host a lecture and conversation “Literary Life in New York: Then and Now” to focus on the Algonquin Round … Read the rest
Walk in the Footsteps of the Vicious Circle
The first public walking tours of 2018 will be in January and February. The walks are led by Kevin C. Fitzpatrick, author of The Algonquin Round Table New York and A Journey into Dorothy Parker’s New York.
F.P.A. Diary Entries For His Birthday
Franklin P. Adams wrote his diary from 1911-1941; by his estimate more than two million words. It began June 11, 1911, in the New York Evening Mail. The column was called Always in Good Humor. On January 1, 1914, F.P.A. … Read the rest
Donald Ogden Stewart in Hot Water
On This Date October 19, 1942: The FBI file on Donald Ogden Stewart is more than 1,000 pages. I conducted a Freedom of Information request several years ago to get it all. The government kept tabs on him for 30 … Read the rest
Harpo Marx Humor
On This Date 1955: Harpo Marx in Leonard Lyons syndicated column 29 Aug 1955.… Read the rest
Crazy for Games, Sports, and Puzzles
Sports and leisure were important to the Round Table. They loved professional sports—with baseball and boxing being the chief attractions. F.P.A. was an amateur tennis star. Their leisure time was taken up with parlor games, mind-benders, word play, and gambling. … Read the rest
Video Interview WRNN
Video interview on WRNN TV in New York. Andrew Whiteman interviews Kevin C. Fitzpatrick on the history of the Vicious Circle. Filmed at the Algonquin Hotel. … Read the rest