10/31/09  Less is More

"Can you tone down the subtlety?"  — Studio executive to director Harold Ramis.

      Now, Hollywood bigwigs have been straining the English language for a long time. Most famously by Samuel Goldwyn who is purported to have uttered the likes of...

"In two words, impossible"
"I had a great idea this morning, but I didn't like it."
"An oral contract isn't worth the paper it's written on."
"Gentlemen, listen to me slowly."
"I'm willing to admit that I may not always be right, but I am never wrong."
"Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist ought to have his head examined."
"If I could drop dead right now, I'd be the happiest man alive."
"That's the trouble with directors. Always biting the hand that lays the golden egg."
"Go see that turkey for yourself, and see for yourself why you shouldn't see it."
"Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day."
"I never put on a pair of shoes until I've worn them at least five years."
"I paid too much for it, but it's worth it."
"Put it out of your mind. In no time, it will be a forgotten memory."

      Whether he actually said all the things he's supposed to have said is debateable. As Yogi Berra cautioned the public about many quotes attributed to him, "I never said half the things I said."