1926, Poem recorded by Dorothy Parker and provided by the Dorothy Parker Society. Content ©2013 the Estate of Dorothy Parker/The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. All Rights Reserved. This work may not be used for any commercial purposes. For more information, visit the Dorothy Parker Society, dorothyparker.com.

Dorothy Parker - Story

Dorothy Parker (1893—1967) was a writer, author, poet, screenwriter, and champion for social justice. Her 1929 short story “Big Blonde” stands out as a favorite of fans, and of hers. The tale of Hazel Morse, a dissipated party girl and model, the novella was instantly popular. It earned the O. Henry Award for outstanding short story of the year. It is read by Lauren Bacall, notable New Yorker like Parker. Bacall (1924—2014) was a consummate actor. She is perhaps best known for her films To Have and Have Not (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), and Murder on the Orient Express (1974). Bacall recorded this version of “Big Blonde” about 1994 when she was 60 years old.

Dorothy Parker

Lauren Bacall Reads Dorothy Parker's "Big Blonde"

Black Tie

Poem of the Week; weekly radio assignment

Afternoon by Dorothy Parker

Performed by Merritt Hicks

About the Book

Months after her boyfriend dumped her, Georgia can still hear the insults he hurled at her. Boring. Predictable. Tame. Tired of feeling bad, she's ready to change her image and go a little wild. What better way to prove her ex wrong than a hot night of adventure at the secret campus kink club?

In the shadowy den of the club, she unexpectedly runs into Logan Mulvaney, her friend's little brother. A player extraordinaire too hot for his own good, he may be younger, but the guy is light-years ahead when it comes to the opposite sex. Now he's telling her to go home—"good girls" don't belong there!

Georgia is tired of having others define her. She's going to teach Logan a lesson he won't forget—one white-hot, mind-wrecking kiss . . . that leads to another . . . and another . . . and. . . . Realizing she's in way over her head, Georgia runs.
Only Logan won't let her go. Everywhere she goes he's there, making her want every inch of him. Making her forget who she is. Who he is. And just how wrong they are for each other.

WILD by Sophie Jordan

Actress-Director Lee Grant reads Dorothy Parker’s poem Chant For Dark Hours in May 1976. Grant won an Oscar for the comedy Shampoo (1975), for Best Supporting Actress. This was recorded in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California Library. 

To learn more, read The Algonquin Round Table New York: A Historical Guide (Lyons Press) by Kevin C. Fitzpatrick. Poem copyright ©2014 The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. All Rights Reserved. For more information, visit algonquinroundtable.org.

Dorothy Parker - Lee Grant Reads Chant For Dark Hours

Recorded at Spin Studio, Long Island City, 2/16/24

Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight

"The Drugs Don't Work"

All this talk of getting old
It's getting me down my love
Like a cat in a bag, waiting to drown
This time I'm comin' down

And I hope you're thinking of me
As you lay down on your side
Now the drugs don't work
They just make you worse
But I know I'll see your face again

Now the drugs don't work
They just make you worse
But I know I'll see your face again

But I know I'm on a losing streak
'Cause I passed down my old street
And if you wanna show, then just let me know
And I'll sing in your ear again

Now the drugs don't work
They just make you worse
But I know I'll see your face again

'Cause baby, ooh, if heaven calls, I'm coming, too
Just like you said, you leave my life, I'm better off dead

All this talk of getting old
It's getting me down my love
Like a cat in a bag, waiting to drown
This time I'm comin' down

Now the drugs don't work
They just make you worse
But I know I'll see your face again

'Cause baby, ooh, if heaven calls, I'm coming, too
Just like you said, you leave my life, I'm better off dead

But if you wanna show, just let me know
And I'll sing in your ear again

Now the drugs don't work
They just make you worse
But I know I'll see your face again

I'm never going down, I'm never coming down
No more, no more, no more, no more, no more

The Drugs Don't Work (The Verve Cover)

"Observation" by Dorothy Parker, read by Sari Forshner

My name is Kevin C. Fitzpatrick and my work is tied to New York City history. I'm the president of the Dorothy Parker Society, and run dorothyparker.com. I have a background in publishing and television. 

I'm the author of A Journey into Dorothy Parker's New York, Under the Table: A Dorothy Parker Cocktail Guide, and The Algonquin Round Table New York: A Historical Guide. I edited Dorothy Parker Complete Broadway, 1918-1923, as well as The Lost Algonquin Round Table. 

In my spare time, I'm a licensed New York City Sightseeing Guide and have been leading walking tours for 20 years. I give tours of Manhattan, Governors Island, Cypress Hills National Cemetery, and Woodlawn Cemetery.

Dorothy Parker - Story

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