Contextomy: As Old As the Republic Itself

Or at least our modern theatre industry.

As much as I support the current movement within the Drama Critics circle to rein in some wild recent examples of distorting critic-quotations, I can't help being amused by this piece of history I uncovered by chance in an old Saturday Evening Post I was researching.

From March 14, 1925:

SWEET ARE THE USES OF ADVERTISING

WHAT THE DRAMATIC CRITICS
WRITE

WHAT THE THEATERS PRINT

"A fair play, not as enjoyable
and stimulating as some
wonderful ones I have seen."

"...Enjoyable and Stimulating
...Wonderful"

"Good plot, but lacking in
genuine thrills and
interpreted half-heartedly"

"Good plot....
..... Genuine thrills"

"Magnificent hokum.
Brilliant audience was
half asleep."

"Magnificent...Brilliant audience"

Magnificent hokum indeed.

(The credited humorist, for those interested, is one Arthur L. Lippman.)