Double-talk

For Pig Latin-like "code", double talk, see Gibberish (language game).
Not to be confused with Doublespeak.

Double-talk is a form of speech in which inappropriate, invented or nonsense words are used to give the appearance of erudition and so confuse or amuse the audience. Durwood Fincher has made a career of perfecting the art of double-talk, giving interviews on national TV programs and writing a biography of his experiences, calling himself "Mr. Doubletalk".[1][2] Other comedians who used this as part of their act included Al Kelly,[3] Cliff Nazarro,[4] Danny Kaye,[5] Irwin Corey,[6] Jackie Gleason and Stanley Unwin.[4]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Okamoto, Sandra (2010-02-26), "Durwood Fincher, a former Hardaway High School teacher, now known as "Mr. Doubletalk," will be on "The Mike Huckabee Show" Saturday", Ledger-Enquirer, http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2010/02/26/1031453/durwood-fincher-a-former-hardaway.html, retrieved 2012-12-21 
  2. ^ "Durwood Fincher, Mr. Doubletalk". http://doubletalk.com. Retrieved 2012-12-21. 
  3. ^ Vaudeville, Old & New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America, 1, Routledge, 2007, p. 621, ISBN 9780415938532, "... Al Kelly was synonymous with double-talk." 
  4. ^ a b Dick Vosburgh (17 January 2002), "Stanley Unwin", The Independent, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/stanley-unwin-729675.html, "In the 1930s, "double-talk artists" enjoyed a brief craze in American show business. Comedians such as Jackie Gleason and the long-forgotten Cliff Nazarro and Al Kelly spouted nonsense words like "kopasetic", "franistan", "strismic" and "kravistate". Their double-talk was usually used to hoodwink a stooge and was delivered briskly, loudly and aggressively. Britain's Stanley Unwin, however, delivered his own brand of double-talk in the most benign way" 
  5. ^ Encyclopedia of twentieth century American humor, 2000, p. 246, ISBN 9781573562188, "Danny Kaye was a master at tongue-twisters, doubletalk, and dialects." 
  6. ^ Corey Kilgannon (April 14, 2008), "A Distinguished Professor With a Ph.D. in Nonsense", The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/14/nyregion/14comedian.html