SilentComedyMafia.com

On behalf of a friend, I'm trying to find the origin of the phrase "cut to the chase".

I had it in my mind that either Sennett or someone talking about Sennett used it as part of a shorthand description of his silent comedies: "Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, cut to the chase." As discussed over there on NV, I've found nothing to support my assumption so far.

The unimpeachable Wiki claims Hal Roach said it. This brings me here to ask the world's foremost authority on Roach if he can track it to the Lot O' Fun. Richard?

Jim

Jim Roots wrote:On behalf of a friend, I'm trying to find the origin of the phrase "cut to the chase".

I had it in my mind that either Sennett or someone talking about Sennett used it as part of a shorthand description of his silent comedies: "Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, cut to the chase." As discussed over there on NV, I've found nothing to support my assumption so far.

The unimpeachable Wiki claims Hal Roach said it. This brings me here to ask the world's foremost authority on Roach if he can track it to the Lot O' Fun. Richard?

Jim

This type of nonsense should stay over at Nitratevile. I don't think I've heard this garbled phrase utilized in this combination either. "cut to the chase" was a filmmaking quip that became a yuppie phrase in recent decades. Not a classic quote that I know of, certainly not an accurate description of Sennett's storytelling style, and not one I'm wasting the Holiday Season looking into for you Roots.

Happy Holidays.

RICHARD M ROBERTS