As they increased in number, Algonquin manager Frank Case moved them to the Rose Room and a round table. The Round Table members often played poker in the hotel and with a winning hand; Ross won a generous sum of money which he used to finance the magazine. The Algonquin Round Table in caricature by Al Hirschfeld. Members of the Algonquin Round Table considered themselves the most sophisticated thinkers in twenties’ America. Algonquin Round Table, also called The Round Table, informal group of American literary men and women who met daily for lunch on weekdays at a large round table in the Algonquin Hotel in New York City during the 1920s and ’30s. Wised up by the tragedy of World War I, in which many members served, they were adepts of mindless leader-worship and self-importance. Benchley's disjointed parody so delighted those in attendance that Irving Berlin hired Benchley in 1923 to deliver the Report as part of Berlin's Music Box Revue for $500 a week. Think who was writing in those days—Lardner, Fitzgerald, Faulkner and Hemingway. A number of Round Tablers were inveterate practical jokers, constantly pulling pranks on one another. Among them were Dorothy Parker, Alexander Woollcott, Heywood Broun, Robert Benchley, Robert Sherwood, George S. Kaufman, Franklin P. Adams, Marc Connelly, Harold Ross, Harpo Marx, and Russell Crouse. Dorothy Parker was a member of a fascinating group of witty NYC writers, critics and actors that formed --organically-- as a practical joke, originally: The Algonquin Round Table. [10] The group also played charades (which they called simply "The Game") and the "I can give you a sentence" game, which spawned Dorothy Parker's memorable sentence using the word horticulture: "You can lead a horticulture but you can't make her think."[11]. Not all of their contemporaries were fans of the group. This brought Round Tablers widely into the public consciousness as renowned wits. Acts included: "Opening Chorus" featuring Woollcott, Toohey, Kaufman, Connelly, Adams and Benchley with violinist Jascha Heifetz providing offstage, off-key accompaniment; "He Who Gets Flapped", a musical number featuring the song "The Everlastin' Ingenue Blues" written by Dorothy Parker and performed by Robert Sherwood accompanied by "chorus girls" including Tallulah Bankhead, Helen Hayes, Ruth Gillmore, Lenore Ulric and Mary Brandon; "Zowie, or the Curse of an Akins Heart"; "The Greasy Hag, an O'Neill Play in One Act" with Kaufman, Connelly and Woollcott; and "Mr. Whim Passes By—An A. Gathering initially as part of a practical joke, members of "The Vicious Circle", as they dubbed themselves, met for lunch each day at the Algonquin Hotel from 1919 until roughly 1929. But the historical reality of the Algonquin lunch bunch is more interesting than the fable. Parker and Benchley in particular remained close up until his death in 1945, although her political leanings did strain their relationship. One of the founding members of the Algonquin Round Table, Dorothy Parker began her career as a theater critic working for Vogue and Vanity Fair. Frank Case was asked what happened to the group. "[20] Some members of the group remained friends after its dissolution. Others made lasting contributions to the realms of stage and screen — Tallulah Bankhead and Eva Le Gallienne became Broadway greats and the films of Harpo and Benchley remain popular; and Parker has remained renowned for her short stories and literary reviews. [28] Known for her sharp and witty phrases, her affiliation with The Round Table helped grow her fame and daily newspapers were publishing her phrases. Service - Algonquin Round Table is a serpent 's tongue and a Round became... 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