"Gentlemen, Be Seated" is a

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

by American writer

Robert A. Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accu ...

. It was first published in the May 1948 issue of '' Argosy'' magazine. It was later included in two of Heinlein's collections, ''

The Green Hills of Earth "The Green Hills of Earth" is a science fiction short story by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. One of his Future History stories, the short story originally appeared in ''The Saturday Evening Post'' (February 8, 1947), and it was collecte ...

'' (1951), and ''

The Past Through Tomorrow ''The Past Through Tomorrow'' is a collection of science fiction stories by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, first published in 1967, all part of his '' Future History''. Most of the stories are parts of a larger storyline about the future r ...

'' (1967).

Plot summary

The story tells of a visit to a tunnel on the surface of the Moon which goes awry when a pressure seal fails, trapping three men (a supervisor, a reporter, and a tunnel worker). The title of the story derives from the way they plug an air leak while awaiting rescue: by sitting on it. The phrase "Gentlemen, Be Seated!" is the opening line of the interlocutor in a traditional

minstrel show The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of racist theatrical entertainment developed in the early 19th century. Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people spec ...

. It was also, at the time the story was written and while Heinlein attended, the opening line for all classes at the military and naval academies (as well as classes for officers at the various service schools) in the United States. The story might have been inspired by an episode in "

Baron Munchausen Baron Munchausen (; ) is a fictional German nobleman created by the German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe in his 1785 book ''Baron Munchausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia''. The character is loosely based on a real ...

": The ship sprung a leak. It was my good fortune to discover it first. I found it a large hole about a foot diameter. ... This noble vessel was preserved, with all its crew, by a most fortunate thought! in short, I sat down over it. ... My situation, while I sat there, was rather cool, but the carpenter's art soon relieved me.

References

External links

* 1948 short stories Short stories by Robert A. Heinlein Works originally published in Argosy (magazine) {{1940s-sf-story-stub