“The public stayed away in droves”
American film producer Samuel Goldwyn (1879-1974) was known for his humorous misstatements or malapropisms that became known as "Goldwynisms." One famous "Goldwynism" was when…
“The real problem with reality is the lack of background music”
"The real problem/trouble with reality is the lack of background music" is a one-line saying that has been printed on many images. Authorship is unknown. "The trouble with reality is…
“The Royal Albert Hall is the only place a modern composer can hear his music twice”
London's Royal Albert Hall opened in 1871 and has long been known for its poor acoustics. "Meanwhile, the celebrated echo belonging to the Albert Hall has been tracked" was printed…
“The secret to dancing is pretending you have a wedgie and trying to get it unstuck without hands”
"The secret to dancing is pretending you have a wedgie and trying to get it unstuck without hands" is a jocular one-line saying that has been printed on GIFs. "The secret to dancing…
“The seven dwarfs couldn’t reach the tap to water the garden because of their high hose”
"Heigh-Ho" is a famous song in the Disney animate film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). "Heigh-hos" shouldn't be confused with "high hose," but there are…
“The show must go on” (show business adage)
"The show must go on" originally meant for the circus or a theatrical performance, despite all difficulties, the show must be performed as scheduled. The expression soon applied to any…
“The show must go wrong” (show business adage)
"The show must go on" is a show business adage from the 1860s. "The show must go wrong" is a variation of the saying that became popular in the 2000s. "The Show Must Go…
“The tune that old cow died on must have been written in beef flat”
"Beef-flat" sounds like "B-flat." "'The tune that old cow died on,' must have been written in beef flat. -- Whitehall Times." was printed in the Record of…
“Theater is a verb before it is a noun, an act before it is a place”
"Theater is a verb before it is a noun, an act before it is a place" is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying is credited to American modern dancer and choreographer…
“Theatre is life, film is art, and television is furniture”
"Theatre is life, cinema/film is art, and television is furniture" is an aphorism frequently used in the entertainment world. The saying has been put on T-shirts since at least January…
“There are no small parts, only small actors” (theatre adage)
"There are no small parts, (there are) only small actors" is usually credited to theater director Constantin Stanislavski (1863-1938) of the Moscow Art Theatre. English citations of the…
“There are only three ages for women in Hollywood - Babe, District Attorney, and Driving Miss Daisy”
American actress Goldie Hawn said as the character "Elise" in the film The First Wives Club (1996): "There are only three ages for women in Hollywood -- Babe, District Attorney, and…
“There are only two kinds of music—good music and bad music”
"There are only two kinds of music -- good (music) and bad (music)" is a saying associated with Duke Ellington (1899-1974) and Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) -- two composers who died in New…
“There is a frog driving east and a trombonist walking west. What can be surmised from this?”
A trombonist joke has been cited in print since at least 1992: "There is a frog driving east and a trombonist walking west. What can be surmised from this? The frog's probably on its way…
“There is many a good tune played on an old fiddle” (proverb)
"There is many a good tune played on an old fiddle" is a proverb meaning that something (or someone) old can still perform. It's not known who originated the saying, but it has been…
“There ought to be more dancing”
"There ought to be more dancing" is a saying that has been printed on many posters. "There ought to be more dancing" was cited on Twitter on February 17, 2009.…
“There was laughter back of the theater, leading to the belief that somebody was telling jokes”
The playwright and drama critic George S. Kaufman (1889-1961) has been credited with saying this about an unsuccessful comedic play: "There was laughter in the back of the theater, leading to…
“There’s no such thing as a bad audition” (performing arts adage)
"There is no such thing as a bad audition" is an adage popular with actors, musicians and other performing artists. If an audition doesn't go well, it's a learning experience.…
“There’s nothing wrong with show business that good shows won’t cure”
Newspapers.com 3 May 1932, Daily News (New York, NY), "Behind the News" by Sidney Skolsky, pg. 34, col. 1:There's nothing wrong with the movies that money can't cure.…
“They asked if I could sing solo—so low they can’t hear me”
"Solo" sounds like "so low." "Perhaps I may more properly say, my hearers, that each of these stars sing a solo—so low (as my respected friend John Gossin would say,)…