Dr. James T. Callow publications
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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
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Ghost Belief
A ghost won't enter your house if a camel's bones are buried beneath the doorstep.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original letter of the Boggs Number [B429] has been crossed out and replaced with a P.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; BONES ; Camel ; GHOST ; House ; Protection ; PROTECTION AGAINST EVIL FORCES ; SUPERNATURAL
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Ghost Spirit Phantom Specter |
Jokes
A man walked into a rest-room and seen a ten dollar bill laying on a table. As he picked it up and started to put it ini his pocket he heard a weird voice say: "I'm the ghost of Betty Grable and I say the ten dollar bill stays on the table." The man grew frightened, threw the ten dollar bill back on the table and ran out.
Another man walked in , picked up the ten dollar bill and started to walk out. Again the voice came and repeated the same line. The man laughed and put the ten dollar bill back on the table and walked out. A third man came in and picked up the ten dollar bill and put it in his pocket. As he was leaving he heard the haunting voice say: "I'm the ghost of Betty Grable and I say the ten dollar bill stays on the table." The man smiled, and said: "*I am the ghost of Davy Crockett, and I say the ten dollar bill stays in my pocket!"
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs Added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [B667] crossed out and replaced with B660
Editing marks for spelling errors. ( crossed out an errant tin the word laughed).
Where learned: Myself
Keyword(s): Anecdote ; BATHROOM ; Betty Grable ; Davy Crockett ; GHOST ; GHOSTLY VOICES ; Jest ; MONEY ; Voice ; Wit
| Subject headings: | PROSE NARRATIVE -- Jest Anecdote |
When Mrs. Bergen poured me a cup of hot tea, she said "Look at all the money that I gave you." The "money" refers to all the air bubbles which accumulate in your cup and gather at the center, which look like silver change is one stretches his imagination.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs and BN added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [N446 f578.4] crossed out. Nothing Replaces them.
Submission card located in a pile marked To Be Classified.
Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; FARMINGTON ; Shiawassee Apartments ; Farmington Place
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; COIN MONEY ; Fortune Telling ; MONEY ; SUPERSTITION ; TEA
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Use of Object BELIEF -- Use of Object Food PROVERB -- Proverbial Apothegm Maxim |
Entry filtered.
Custom
Relations Between Friends:
When presenting a knife or cutting implement to a friend for a gift, you should include a penny, to guarantee that your friendship won't be severed.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: Myself
Keyword(s): COIN MONEY ; CUSTOMS ; FRIENDSHIP ; GIFT ; GIFT PENNY FRIENDSHIP ; MONEY ; Penny ; SOCIAL RELATIONS
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank |
Custom
RELATIONS BETWEEN FRIENDS:
WHEN ONE GIVES ANOTHER A SHARP OBJECT, THE GIVER MUST GIVE A PENNY ALONG WITH THE OBJECT. THIS MUST BE TO KEEP THE FRIENDSHIP ALIVE.
Where learned: UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT
Keyword(s): COIN ; COIN MONEY ; CUSTOM ; FRIENDSHIP ; GIFT ; GIFT FRIENDSHIP PENNY ; Penny ; SOCIAL RELATIONS
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank |
Date learned: 11-02-1970
Prank
In LeRoy, N.Y. a common prank would be to call a person on the telephone and tell him you were from teh water department. You would ask him to fill up his bathtub, since the water was to be off for the next day. The pranksters had no connections with the water department, and people would be without use of bathtubs for the night.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: Myself
Keyword(s): Bathtub ; Diversion ; Entertainment ; PRANKS ; TELEPHONE PRANK ; Water Department
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Entertainment Diversion |
Ethnic: German
Prosperity Belief:
It is an old German belief that if you eat herring and shake coins in a tin box, you will not go hungry and will always have money.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P740, P880] crossed out/replaced with current classifications.
Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; COIN ; ETHNIC ; FOOD ; fortune ; GERMAN ; Herring ; LUCK ; MONEY ; PROSPERITY
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Fish BELIEF -- Fate Destiny Luck Chance |
Entry filtered.
Ethnic Joke: Hollander
Hollander Joke:
When the Hollanders bury their dead, they bury them standing up with the top half sticking out of the grave. These are used as the tombstones.
Submitter comment:
This joke was told to me by a boy from Flanders.
Hollander jokes are typical in Belgium.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs and BN added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Written in the bottom left of the card: Does this imply that the Hollanders are cheap? A response in different handwriting (probably the collector's): YES!!
Where learned: BELGIUM
Keyword(s): BURIAL ; DEATH ; ETHNIC ; Funeral ; GRAVEYARD ; Headstones ; Holland ; Hollander ; Offensive ; Tasteless
James Callow Keyword(s): Hollander
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Ill humor Ridicule Mockery |
Play on Words
Thrones:
IN darkest Africa one time, there were some wicked men who terrorized the natives of the various tribes by exploiting them for their valuables. In fact, these men would go to the chief's hut and steal his throne, because they were usually adorned with gold and diamonds and all sorts of other precious stones.
Well, the word got around to one particular chief that thesemen were coming to his village. Not wanting his throne stolen, he had it hidden up in the attic of his grass hut. When the wicked men arrived, they only found a plain wooden chair as a throne. Thinking that this was not a worthwhile village profitably, they decided to leave. All of a sudden, without warning, the ceiling gave out, and the chief's magnificent throne fell to the ground in front of everybody. discovering this prize, the men packed it up and left the king with no throne.
The moral of this story: People who live in grass houses shouldn't stow thrones.
Submitter comment:
I heard this a few years ago, but I don't remember when. the informant has also slipped my mind. / I don't remember where or whom I heard this from.
Data entry tech comment:
Motif added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [S570] crossed out/replaced with current classification
Written underneath the BN: [Shaggy Dog - Pun Type]
Where learned: UNKNOWN
Keyword(s): DETECTION OF THIEF ; Fable ; JOKE ; PUN ; SHAGGY DOG STORY ; Throne ; WORD PLAY
| Subject headings: | PROSE NARRATIVE -- Formula tale |
Ethnic: Roman
Rome is the city of cats, stones and priests becasue all three of these are very plentiful. The cats can be found everywhere and are respected by the people and are feed [sic] by them. Cats are never killed and always cared for because it is said that the Roman spirit is reincarnated in them.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P752, B440] crossed out / replaced with current classification
Keyword(s): CAT ; DEATH ; ETHNIC ; Feline ; Priests ; REINCARNATION ; Roman ; Rome ; Soul ; STONES
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Mammal |
Proverb
Honesty is the best policy
Submitter comment:
As a youth
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Located in a pile marked Duplicates and Other Rejects
Keyword(s): HONESTY ; Lesson ; Maxim ; POLICY ; POLICY ; PROVERB ; Reward
| Subject headings: | PROVERB -- Proverbial Apothegm Maxim |
Proverbial Apothegm Maxim
Laugh and the world laughs with you - cry and you cry alone.
Submitter comment:
If you see things in a happy light, others will too, but if you are constantly bitter, you will find yourself alone in your grief.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Located in a pile marked Duplicates and Other Rejects
Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): Alone ; Cry ; Laugh ; Maxim ; PROVERB ; VERSE
| Subject headings: | PROVERB -- Proverbial Apothegm Maxim |
Proverb
Don't take any wooden nickels
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
The addition of BN V300 in the upper left hand corner.
Located in pile marked Duplicates and Other Rejects.
Keyword(s): COIN ; Fake ; MONEY ; Nickel ; Replica ; WOOD ; Wooden
| Subject headings: | PROVERB -- Proverbial Metaphor PROVERB -- Proverbial Apothegm Maxim |
Proverb
A penny saved is a penny earned
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [V200, V300] crossed out. Replaced with current classifications.
Located in pile marked Duplicates and Other Rejects
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT ;
Keyword(s): COIN ; EARNED ; MISER ; MONEY ; Penny ; Save ; Scrimp ; THRIFT
| Subject headings: | PROVERB -- Proverbial Metaphor |
Proverb
Penny wise, pound foolish
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [V600] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.
Located in pile marked Duplicates and Other Rejects
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT ;
Keyword(s): COIN ; Dollar ; MONEY ; Penny ; Pound ; Save ; Scrimp ; Spend ; THRIFT
| Subject headings: | PROVERB -- Proverbial Metaphor |
Proverb
One today is worth two tomorrows.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Located in pile marked Duplicates and Other Rejects
Where learned: HOME
Keyword(s): NUMBERS ; One ; Today ; TOMORROW ; Two
| Subject headings: | PROVERB -- Proverbial Apothegm Maxim |
Proverb
Irish Proverb:
A rolling Stone Gathers No Moss
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Located in pile marked Duplicates and Other Rejects
Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; GRAND RAPIDS
Keyword(s): Moss ; Movement ; Rolling ; Stagnant ; Stagnation ; STALE ; STONE
| Subject headings: | PROVERB -- Proverbial Metaphor |