Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Rasho-Mayo

ME: According to legend, when actress Virginia Mayo was signed to Goldwyn, she was still known as Virginia Jones. Mulling over a name change for her in the commissary, Sam Goldwyn heard a waitress shout out an order she had just taken:"One Virginia Ham sandwich. Hold the Mayo." Causing a light bulb to go off over Goldwyn's head:"Eureeka! That's it! From now on, you're Virginia Mayo!"

ALAN: Bill, that makes a good "Goldwynism," but actually, according to Virginia's obits, the Mayo goes back to when she joined the Pansy the Horse act, replacing the original girl whose name was "Mayo" and the various promoters of the tour didn't want to change the programs and other printed material and made her use that name.

ME: Oh, Alan, you're no fun.

GREGG: I think you're both wrong. In A. Scott Berg's bio of Goldwyn, Berg says that upon choosing her name "she borrowed her brother-in-law's surname." But Goldwyn was known for his "Goldwynisms" and I like the story you mention better, Bill.

ME: Thanks, Gregg. Me, too. Whatever the genesis, take a look at this clip of Mayo and tell me, Is she hot or wot?

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