GRGR: Those Frenchmen

[Paul Mackin]

On Mon, 7 Feb 2000, davemarc wrote:

> Tonight, after watching the millennial Mary and Rhoda reunion, I listened
> to Sophie Tucker on vinyl singing "Fifty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong."
>  I checked the date on the recording.  Turned out to be April 15, 1927
> (Okeh).  That's about four years earlier than the Texas Guinan reference
> given by Weisenburger.

Hi David-

Isn't it almost certain that the Pincher was picking up on the earlier
"forty million (for deMille) frenchmen can't be wrong" saying, rather than
on Texas Guinan, the song, or the Hollywood musical, all of which had uped
the population to 50 million? The mention of Guinan later in the book
might have led Steve W. to think she was the source of P's inspiration.

Hard to explain the inflation to 50 million. For the period in question 
the number might have been in the neighborhood of 40 million. Didn't hit
50 to around '68.

'Course in France more than half the population are women.

Or am I missing the point?

			P.