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Hoax Letter Writers
This article covers various hoax letter writers. Henry Root Henry Root is the creation of writer William Donaldson who wrote to numerous public figures with unusual or outlandish questions and requests. The letters were published as ''The Henry Root Letters'' and ''The Further Letters of Henry Root'' and a compilation volume, ''The Complete Henry Root Letters''. The Henry Root character inspired the ITV (TV network), ITV mini-series, ''Root Into Europe'', starring George Cole (actor), George Cole. Others Other prank mail and reviewers include: * John Hargrave of Zug.com, who sent a letter to all US senators, posing as a child and asking them for their favourite joke. * Bill Geerhart, author of the book ''Little Billy's Letters'' (Morrow, 2010) * Ed Broth - also possibly the creation of comedian Jerry Seinfeld. * Robin Cooper who wrote ''The Timewaster Letters'' - the creation of Robert Popper. * Ted L. Nancy - the creation of comedian Barry Marder. * W. Morgan Petty - the pen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Donaldson
Charles William Donaldson (4 January 1935 – 22 June 2005) was a British satirist, writer, playboy and, under the pseudonym of Henry Root, author of '' The Henry Root Letters''. Life and career Son of Charles Glen Donaldson (1904–1956) and Elizabeth (née Stockley; d. 1955), Donaldson enjoyed a privileged upbringing in Sunningdale, Berkshire. His father was Managing Director of the Glasgow-based family shipping line, Donaldson Line, which until its sale in the early 1960s, was one of the largest passenger lines in the world. He was educated at Winchester College (where he first met Julian Mitchell) and Magdalene College, Cambridge. He spent some money supporting young writers such as his contemporaries Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath. He completed his National Service in the Royal Navy in the late 1950s, reaching the rank of Sub-Lieutenant. On his return to civilian life, Donaldson became associated with the set surrounding Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and worked as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Father Guido Sarducci
Father Guido Sarducci is a fictional character created by American comedian Don Novello. Sarducci is a chain-smoking priest with tinted glasses, who works in the United States as gossip columnist and rock critic for the Holy See, Vatican newspaper ''L'Osservatore Romano'' (sometimes mentioned as ''The Vatican Enquirer'', a take-off of the ''National Enquirer'' Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid). Description Novello created the character in 1973, after he purchased the outfit (consisting of big floppy black hat, white clerical collar, and a long, red-trimmed black coat with cape) for $7.50 at a Society of Saint Vincent de Paul#St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store. The character was featured in 1970s cartoons by the Underground comix, underground cartoonists Dave Sheridan (cartoonist), Dave Sheridan and Fred Schrier, appearing in person in the early 1970s on ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' and later in the 1975 ''Smothers Brothers'' TV show. His most ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nonexistent People Used In Hoaxes
Existence is the ability of an entity to interact with reality. In philosophy, it refers to the ontology, ontological Property (philosophy), property of being. Etymology The term ''existence'' comes from Old French ''existence'', from Medieval Latin ''existentia/exsistentia'', from Latin ''existere'', to come forth, be manifest, ''ex + sistere'', to stand. Context in philosophy Materialism holds that the only things that exist are matter and energy, that all things are composed of material, that all actions require energy, and that all phenomena (including consciousness) are the result of the interaction of matter. Dialectical materialism does not make a distinction between being and existence, and defines it as the objective reality of various forms of matter. Idealism holds that the only things that exist are thoughts and ideas, while the material world is secondary. In idealism, existence is sometimes contrasted with Transcendence (philosophy), transcendence, the ability ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Silence Dogood
Mrs. Silence Dogood was the pen name used by Benjamin Franklin to get his work published in the '' New-England Courant'', a newspaper founded and published by his brother James Franklin. This was after Benjamin Franklin was denied several times when he tried to publish letters under his own name in the ''Courant''. The 14 Mrs. Silence Dogood letters were first printed in 1722. History As a young boy, Franklin worked as an apprentice in his older brother's printing shop in Boston, where ''The New-England Courant'' was published and printed. Franklin never got anything he wrote published, so, at age 16, he created the persona of a middle-aged widow named Silence Dogood. Once every two weeks, he would leave a letter under the door of his brother's printing shop. A total of 14 letters were sent. The first letter began: The letters poked fun at various aspects of life in colonial America, such as this quote about hoop petticoats: The letters were published in ''The New-Engla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Grossmith
George Grossmith (9 December 1847 – 1 March 1912) was an English comedian, writer, composer, actor, and singer. His performing career spanned more than four decades. As a writer and composer, he created 18 comic operas, nearly 100 musical sketches, some 600 songs and piano pieces, three books and both serious and comic pieces for newspapers and magazines. Grossmith created a series of nine characters in the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan from 1877 to 1889, including Sir Joseph Porter, in ''H.M.S. Pinafore'' (1878), the Major-General in ''The Pirates of Penzance'' (1880) and Ko-Ko in ''The Mikado'' (1885–87). He also wrote, in collaboration with his brother Weedon, the 1892 comic novel ''The Diary of a Nobody''. Grossmith was also famous in his day for performing his own comic piano sketches and songs, both before and after his Gilbert and Sullivan days, becoming the most popular British solo performer of the 1890s. Some of his comic songs endure today, including " ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diary Of A Nobody
''The Diary of a Nobody'' is an English comic novel written by the brothers George and Weedon Grossmith, with illustrations by the latter. It originated as an intermittent serial in ''Punch'' magazine in 1888–89 and first appeared in book form, with extended text and added illustrations, in 1892. The ''Diary'' records the daily events in the lives of a London clerk, Charles Pooter, his wife Carrie, his son William Lupin, and numerous friends and acquaintances over a period of 15 months. Before their collaboration on the ''Diary'', the brothers each pursued successful careers on the stage. George originated nine of the principal comedian roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas over 12 years from 1877 to 1889. He also established a national reputation as a piano sketch entertainer and wrote a large number of songs and comic pieces. Before embarking on his stage career, Weedon had worked as an artist and illustrator. The ''Diary'' was the brothers' only mature collaboration. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RSVP (invitations)
RSVP is an initialism derived from the French phrase ''Répondez s'il vous plaît'', literally meaning "Respond, if you please", or just "Please respond", to require confirmation of an invitation. The initialism "RSVP" is no longer used much in France, where it is considered formal and old-fashioned. In France, it is now more common to use "Réponse attendue avant le ...", meaning "ouranswer is expected before ...". In addition, the French initialism "SVP" is frequently used to represent "S'il vous plaît" ("Please"). Variations The phrase "RSVP, regrets only", – or "Regrets only", is a popular modern variation that implies "if you do not reply, that will be taken as an acceptance." More specifically, if most invitations can be assumed to be accepted, a "regrets only" RSVP will reduce the communication required by both the host and their guests. The phrase "Regrets only" refers to the assumption that a declination will be worded with some variation of "We regre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Thorne (writer)
David R. Thorne (born 23 February 1972) is an Australian humourist, satirist, and Internet personality. His work has been featured on the BBC, the ''Late Show with David Letterman'', ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'', and ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien''. Thorne gained public recognition in late 2008 for an email exchange in which he attempts to pay an overdue bill with a drawing of a seven-legged spider. The exchange spread virally via email and social networking sites, leading to a surge of visitors to his website 27b/6 (27bslash6). 27b/6 features a collection of humorous emails and articles from Thorne's life. These and additional essays appear in Thorne's book, ''The Internet is a Playground''. Published by Penguin Group and released on 28 April 2011, the book debuted at number four on the ''New York Times'' Best Seller list. Thorne says that he has been a long-time fan of satirists such as Ross Amorelli, Mil Millington, Chris Lilley, and Shaun Micallef, stating that they ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neil Forsyth
Neil Forsyth (born 1978) is a Scottish author, television writer and journalist. Early life Forsyth grew up in Dundee, Scotland where he attended the High School of Dundee and his first writing appeared in a Dundee United fanzine. He graduated from Edinburgh University and held several jobs including as a nightclub promoter before working as a freelance journalist. He is also a graduate of the New York Film Academy. Books Forsyth's first book ''Other People's Money'' (2007) told the true story of the Scottish fraudster Elliot Castro. It received significant coverage and was well received though some newspapers questioned the book's moral purpose. "They thought it was wrong that we should profit from Elliot's crimes," Forsyth said, "But that's always something I protested against quite vigorously. Elliot was caught, and sentenced, and paid for his crimes." The film rights were purchased by the producers of ''The Last King of Scotland''. In 2014 it was reported the book ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Servant
''Bob Servant Independent'', renamed ''Bob Servant'', is a British television sitcom written and created by Neil Forsyth. The first series of six episodes was broadcast in 2013 on BBC4 and repeated on BBC2 Scotland, starring Brian Cox in the titular role and Jonathan Watson in the role of Frank. The show is set in Broughty Ferry, a suburb of Dundee. The second series, renamed ''Bob Servant'', was broadcast in 2014 on BBC1 Scotland and 2015 on BBC4. Plot When Broughty Ferry’s MP is decapitated in a car crash, the resulting by-election receives an unlikely candidate. Local cheeseburger tycoon Bob Servant ( Brian Cox) launches an eccentric campaign, managed by hapless right-hand man Frank (Jonathan Watson). Over the series, Bob and Frank battle with slick English candidate Nick Edwards ( Rufus Jones) and his wife (Pollyanna McIntosh) for the votes of a bewildered Broughty Ferry public. The series also sees appearances by Derek Riddell as a local minister, Greg McHugh as a radio D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The World's Stupidest Begging Letters''
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the most frequently used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words. It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with nouns of any gender. The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers. Pronunciation In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as (with the voiced dental fricative followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as (homophone of the archaic pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Orton
John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his death in 1967, was short but highly influential. During this brief period he shocked, outraged, and amused audiences with his scandalous black comedies. The adjective ''Ortonesque'' refers to work characterised by a similarly dark yet farcical cynicism. Early life Orton was born on 1 January 1933 at Causeway Lane Maternity Hospital, Leicester, to William Arthur Orton and Elsie Mary Orton (née Bentley). William worked for Leicester County Borough Council as a gardener and Elsie worked in the local footwear industry until tuberculosis cost her a lung. At the time of Joe's birth William and Mary were living with William's family at 261 Avenue Road Extension in Clarendon Park, Leicester. The same year that Joe's younger brother Douglas was born, 1935, the Ortons moved to 9 Fayrhurst Road on the Saffron Lan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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