There Ain't no Sanity Clause!
I admit it, I am a Marxist. Today I will name names, Groucho, Chico and Harpo. Contrary to what we read in history books, Marxism commenced on the upper East side in the 1880's. It took off in the 1920's when the leaders came to a viaduct.
Groucho:
Now here is a little peninsula, and here is a viaduct leading over to the mainland.
Chico:
Why a duck?
[more back-and-forth between the two ... ]
All right, why a duck? Why a duck, why-a no chicken?
Groucho:
Well, I don't know why-a no chicken. I'm a stranger here myself. ...
I became a marxist in the early 1971. A high School friend convinced me to watch A Night at the Opera. This also convinced me to become a lawyer.
Groucho Marx: Now pay particular attention to this first clause, because it's most important. There's the party of the first part shall be known in this contract as the party of the first part. How do you like that, that's pretty neat eh?
Chico Marx: No, that's no good.
Groucho Marx: What's the matter with it?
Chico Marx: I don't know, let's hear it again.
Groucho Marx: So the party of the first part shall be known in this contract as the party of the first part.
Chico Marx: Well it sounds a little better this time.
Groucho Marx: Well, it grows on you. Would you like to hear it once more?
Chico Marx: Just the first part.
Groucho Marx: What do you mean, the party of the first part?
Chico Marx: No, the first part of the party, of the first part.
Groucho Marx: All right. It says the first part of the party of the first part shall be known in this contract as the first part of the party of the first part, shall be known in this contract - look, why should we quarrel about a thing like this, we'll take it right out, eh?
Chico Marx: Yes, it's too long anyhow. Now what have we got left?
In 1972 I had the pleasure of seeing Groucho's last live stage performance at Carnegie Hall.
After the show, my friends and I waited by the stage door for Groucho to come out. Out came Robert Klein, Dick Cavett, Woody Allen, but no Groucho. My parents who came to pick us up, informed us, after waiting an hour in front of Carnegie Hall that he walked out the front door accompanied by his 30 year old girlfriend unfettered by fans. Even at 82 he got the best of everyone.
Friends and family ask when will I get over this childish obsession. I hope never, they still make me smile. They still can lift me from a depression.
Groucho with his sarcasm:
I have had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it.
Harpo's silent, brilliant physical comedy and mischievous innocence:
and Chico's puns:
Driftwood: We got a contract...
Fiorello: You bet.
Driftwood: ...no matter how small it is.
Fiorello: Hey, wait, wait. What does this say here? This thing here.
Driftwood: Oh, that? Oh, that's the usual clause. That's in every contract. That just says uh, it says uh, "If any of the parties participating in this contract is shown not to be in their right mind, the entire agreement is automatically nullified."
Fiorello: Well, I dunno.
Driftwood: It's all right, that's, that's in every contract. That's, that's what they call a 'sanity clause.'
Fiorello: Ha, Ha, Ha. Ha. Ha. You can't fool me. There ain't no Sanity Clause!
I guess for me there will never be a Sanity Clause!
Groucho:
Now here is a little peninsula, and here is a viaduct leading over to the mainland.
Chico:
Why a duck?
[more back-and-forth between the two ... ]
All right, why a duck? Why a duck, why-a no chicken?
Groucho:
Well, I don't know why-a no chicken. I'm a stranger here myself. ...
I became a marxist in the early 1971. A high School friend convinced me to watch A Night at the Opera. This also convinced me to become a lawyer.
Groucho Marx: Now pay particular attention to this first clause, because it's most important. There's the party of the first part shall be known in this contract as the party of the first part. How do you like that, that's pretty neat eh?
Chico Marx: No, that's no good.
Groucho Marx: What's the matter with it?
Chico Marx: I don't know, let's hear it again.
Groucho Marx: So the party of the first part shall be known in this contract as the party of the first part.
Chico Marx: Well it sounds a little better this time.
Groucho Marx: Well, it grows on you. Would you like to hear it once more?
Chico Marx: Just the first part.
Groucho Marx: What do you mean, the party of the first part?
Chico Marx: No, the first part of the party, of the first part.
Groucho Marx: All right. It says the first part of the party of the first part shall be known in this contract as the first part of the party of the first part, shall be known in this contract - look, why should we quarrel about a thing like this, we'll take it right out, eh?
Chico Marx: Yes, it's too long anyhow. Now what have we got left?
In 1972 I had the pleasure of seeing Groucho's last live stage performance at Carnegie Hall.
After the show, my friends and I waited by the stage door for Groucho to come out. Out came Robert Klein, Dick Cavett, Woody Allen, but no Groucho. My parents who came to pick us up, informed us, after waiting an hour in front of Carnegie Hall that he walked out the front door accompanied by his 30 year old girlfriend unfettered by fans. Even at 82 he got the best of everyone.
Friends and family ask when will I get over this childish obsession. I hope never, they still make me smile. They still can lift me from a depression.
Groucho with his sarcasm:
I have had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it.
Harpo's silent, brilliant physical comedy and mischievous innocence:
and Chico's puns:
Driftwood: We got a contract...
Fiorello: You bet.
Driftwood: ...no matter how small it is.
Fiorello: Hey, wait, wait. What does this say here? This thing here.
Driftwood: Oh, that? Oh, that's the usual clause. That's in every contract. That just says uh, it says uh, "If any of the parties participating in this contract is shown not to be in their right mind, the entire agreement is automatically nullified."
Fiorello: Well, I dunno.
Driftwood: It's all right, that's, that's in every contract. That's, that's what they call a 'sanity clause.'
Fiorello: Ha, Ha, Ha. Ha. Ha. You can't fool me. There ain't no Sanity Clause!
I guess for me there will never be a Sanity Clause!