Thread creep:--

Snopes says Did the "pooch in pursuit of the ball" tragedy really happen to someone of Capote's acquaintance? We'll never know now that the man is no longer with us (Capote died in 1984) and therefore can't direct us to his hapless unnamed friend for confirmation. Events could have unfolded as described, but it's equally likely this skilled storyteller wove the tale out of whole cloth, or that in true urban legend fashion he picked up the story from someone else, then personalized it when reaching for an amusing tale to entertain folks with by starring "a friend" in the main role. But whatever involvement Capote had with this tale back in the early 1970s, the story itself has gone on to be told as true about countless other people and thus qualifies as an urban legend.

I certainly can't verify the truth of Capote's story, and I did think at the time that it was too good a story to be true. But the show did exist, whether Snopes can verify it or not. They probably could if they really wanted to chase it down, because I definitely remember that Elaine May was on the show, she did say what is attributed to her (typical Elaine May humor, and she got a big laugh with it), and she is still alive and kickin'. She may very well remember.

Don Firth