WIST Quotations

Coward, Noël -- “The Stately Homes of England” (1938)

Dave — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 14:07:34 +0000

The Stately Homes of England,
How beautiful they stand,
To prove the upper classes
Have still the upper hand.

Noël Coward (1899-1973) English playwright, actor, wit
“The Stately Homes of England” (1938)

Satire on Felicia Hemens, "The Homes of England" (1849).

Coward, Noël -- Private Lives, Act I (Amanda) (1930)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Extraordinary how potent cheap music is.

Noël Coward (1899-1973) English playwright, actor, wit
Private Lives, Act I (Amanda) (1930)

Coward, Noël -- The Vortex, Act 1 (1924)

Dave — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 00:12:42 +0000

BUNTY: It’s such fun, being reminded of things.
NICKY: And such agony, too.

Noël Coward (1899-1973) English playwright, actor, wit
The Vortex, Act 1 (1924)

Coward, Noël -- Diary (1956-06-03)

Dave — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 08:08:12 +0000

How foolish to think that one can ever slam the door in the face of age. Much wiser to be polite and gracious and ask him to lunch in advance.

Noël Coward (1899-1973) English playwright, actor, wit
Diary (1956-06-03)

Coward, Noël -- Letter (1959)

Dave — Thu, 16 Jun 2016 17:33:52 +0000

As one gets older one doesn’t feel quite so strongly any more, one discovers that everything is always going to be exactly the same with different hats on.

Noël Coward (1899-1973) English playwright, actor, wit
Letter (1959)
(Source)

More frequently paraphrased (as in The Film Daily in 1964): "As one gets older, one discovers everything is going to be exactly the same -- with different hats on."

Coward, Noël -- Quoted in Leonard Lyons, “The Lyons Den” syndicated column (16 Aug 1954)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

The only advice I ever give actors is to learn to speak clearly, to project your voice without shouting — and to move about the stage gracefully, without bumping into people.

Noël Coward (1899-1973) English playwright, actor, wit
Quoted in Leonard Lyons, “The Lyons Den” syndicated column (16 Aug 1954)

Variants attributed to Coward:

"You ask my advice about acting? Speak clearly, don't bump into the furniture and if you must have motivation, think of your pay packet on Friday."
"Just say the lines and don't trip over the furniture." [Dick Richards, The Wit of Noël Coward (1968)]

Alternately, another Lyons Den column (24 Jan 1955) quoted Lynn Fontanne, in talking about her acting style with her husband Alfred Lunt:

We read the lines so that people can hear and understand them; we move about the stage without bumping into the furniture or each other; and, well that’s it.

Coward and Fontanne were good friends, and may well have discussed the concepts here previously, or shared the idea one to the other.

The quote is also attributed to Lunt, and to Spencer Tracy.

More discussion about this quotation: