What the Butler Saw
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"What the Butler Saw entered British popular culture after the 1886 divorce case of Lord Colin Campbell and Gertrude Elizabeth Blood. The trial hinged on whether their butler could have seen Lady Campbell in flagrante delicto with Captain Shaw of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, through the keyhole of their dining room at 79 Cadogan Place, London. The phrase became a euphemism for sex, particularly in the context of a peep show, and was used as the title for a number of films and other entertainments."--Sholem Stein |
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The phrase can be found in the following titles:
- Film
- What the Butler Saw (mutoscope), an early 1900s soft-core erotic film
- What the Butler Saw (1924 film), by George Dewhurst, Edward Mouillot, and Edward Parry
- What the Butler Saw (1950 film), by Donald and Roger Good, directed by Godfrey Grayson
- What the Butler Saw (1987 film), adaptation of the Joe Orton play, directed by Barry Davis
- Television
- What the Butler Saw (The Avengers), 1966 episode of The Avengers
- Theatre
- What the Butler Saw (play), 1969 play by Joe Orton
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See also
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