August 29, 2007
Historical Bathroom Humor Posted by Frederick E. Allen at 12:45 PM EST Apropos of the matter of Sen. Larry Craig, there’s a 1985 book of Hollywood interviews, People Will Talk , by John Kobal, that contains this historical anecdote, from the actress and bonne vivante Tallulah Bankhead (thanks to Andrew Sullivan’s blog for digging it up): “There was the time she was in Washington for a Democratic Convention honoring her ‘divine friend, Adlai Stevenson.’ . . . And during a long speech by some senator she had to go to the john, but found when she was settled in for the duration that there was no toilet paper at hand. ‘So I looked down and saw a pair of feet in the next stall. I knocked very politely and said: “Excuse me, dahling, I don’t have any toilet paper. Do you?” And this very proper Yankee voice said: “No, I don’t.” Well, dahling, I had to get back to the podium for Adlai’s speech, so I asked her, very politely you understand, “Excuse me dahling, but do you have any Kleenex?” And this now quite chilly voice said: “No, I don’t.” So I said: “Well then, dahling, do you happen to have two fives for a ten?”’”
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