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From: rjw@ptsfc.UUCP (Rod Williams)
Newsgroups: net.jokes
Subject: Re: Noel Coward joke
Message-ID: <235@ptsfc.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Dec-84 14:52:25 EST
Article-I.D.: ptsfc.235
Posted: Wed Dec 12 14:52:25 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Dec-84 06:35:14 EST
References: <421@digi-g.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Pacific Bell, San Francisco
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> 	Noel Coward was talking to Jean Harlow at a Hollywood party,
> where she invariably pronounced his name NoEL (like the Christmas greeting).
> He would correct her each time, but to no avail.  Finally, after he could
> stand it no longer, he told her, "Jean, the 'e' in Noel is as silent as
> the 't' in Harlow."

  That's not the *true* story I heard. My version has it that a certain
  Margot Asquith, daughter (?) of the British Prime Minister (whose first
  name has momentarily escaped me) was conversing with Ms Harlow at a
  Hollywood Party (maybe the same one :-)). Tiring of Ms Harlow's
  misuse of her name as 'Margaret', and appalled at the temerity of
  someone so *common* (and an ACTRESS too :-o) in using her first name at
  all, the formidable Ms A. put on her iciest glare and announced:
  "My name is pronounced Margoh - the 't' is as silent as the one in
  Harlow".

  Must have been quite a party. I wonder if it was at the same one that
  Tallulah Bankhead told Bette Davis to si...
-- 

Rod Williams
dual!ptsfa!ptsfc!rjw