Another Grammar Lesson (But just for fun this time)

Dragon Drop

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Back in the 1950's, Stan Freberg wrote several satirical comedy skits released as records. One was a parody of the police show "Dragnet" and became a well-known "Christmas oldie" -- Right, the story about a man being arrested for not believing in Santa Claus! :)

It included this notable passage:

We questioned the guy who didn't believe in Santa Claus, a guy named Grudge.
Joe: It says here your name's Grudge, right?
Grudge: Yeah.
Joe: You said you didn't believe in Santa Claus?
Frank: It's hard to believe what you said. Did you really say that?
Grudge: Sure I said it. How do you know there's a Santa Claus? You got a picture of him?
Joe: No, no mug shot.
Grudge: Any fingerprints?
Joe: No, no latent prints. I just know, that's all. It's like saying there isn't an Easter Bunny.
Grudge: That's another guy there ain't no of.

In those days there were still a lot of schoolteachers and parents who were fanatical about English grammar, and I suspect they were probably having heart attacks when they heard that. In my 66 years living in New York I've heard plenty of bad English, but I've never heard anyone say "there ain't no of." I guess Freberg just made it up, as a "parody" of bad English!

And BTW, the voice-actors who did Freberg's skits included some of the same ones who later did voices on the Rocky and Bullwinkle show.
 

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