................... so what is the origin of this phrase? "I would love to tell you, but then, of course, I'd have to kill you."
I imagine that phrase has been around as long as the concept of classified information has been around.
Thanks for the heads-up [don't you just love that phrase..?], Dan‽ Well funnily enough, IIRC, I heard the saying... If I told you, I'd have to kill you, or some such paraphrase, only a few weeks ago while watching an episode of M*A*S*H. I think it was the great and crazy Colonel Flagg who mentioned it, or perhaps Hawkeye Pierce suggests to Flagg that He could tell Pierce something but then Flagg would have to kill Pierce, to which Flagg agreed. Colonel Flagg was in military intelligence, which if you knew the character, was an absolute contradiction in terms. Now that was from the early 1970's, but I think the saying goes much earlier than that. It just didn't become common parlance until these days because people were better mannered before, and wouldn't say such things to friends or strangers, joking or otherwise.
Far as I can tell it was Dr Franklin to Sherlock Holmes. In the The Hound of the Baskervilles no less.
(Nigel Bruce) I say Holmes dashed clever what. Mumbles to himself exit stage right, "confounded fella comes over here...."
Well, as my forum name suggests, I'm a bit of Holmes devotee, although I really only love the short stories. I've read The Hound of the Baskervilles, in fact I've got the book on the shelf, and I'm pretty sure the line isn't in there. Can't guarantee it, as I haven't read it in years, but I don't think so. Besides, Holmes style Conan-Doyle characters don't say lines of that nature. EDIT: Oops, forgot to mention it. There is no character called Dr Franklin in the story. There's a Frankland. Perhaps you mean him..?
As it happens, I do know the answer to this one, and I suppose that I could tell you but......well, I am sure that you can appreciate my difficulty.
I thought it was from an oscar Wilde book but I am assured it was from the Hound of the Baskerville TSS. Let us know when you have read it again.
No it was from the original book Hound of the baskervills by Arthur Conan Doyle. (I've probably spelt his name wrong sorry if I have) You know, the guy that played in disguise for Pompey in goal. I saw the original film as a boy and all I remember about it in particular was the great dane with a mask over its head to make it look fierce. Poorest piece of makeover I have ever seen then and since. The dog fierce.....it was a soft as a doughnut.......
"It's a state secret," replied d'Artagnan, bluntly: "and as you know that, according to the king's orders, it is under the penalty of death any one should penetrate it, I will, if you like, allow you to read it and have you shot immediately afterwards." That quote is from The Vicomte de Bragelonne, by Alexandre Dumas. It predates Hound of the Baskervilles by some 30 years.
How right you are The three musketeers were written in the 1840's some 50 years before Doyles book. I hadn't realised the Musketeers books had been written so early. Although should have done as had to read the books was part of a my "A" level project. I certainly bow to your more superior knowledge on the subject and stand corrected.
Take a look at the title of this thread. It is not literally what was quoted but it means exactly the same thing.
Fran you are an absolute genius and I thought that would be quite difficult. I am now going to give up as you are all far too clever by half. I thought if I went for a picture that is not so easy to search on the internet but I did not count on our resident Ms Clever Cloggs.
