Bedridden in his later years, George Kaufman was annoyed one night to find a radio program playing the first few bars of various pieces before fading them out. Unable to get out of bed to turn off the radio, Kaufman finally phoned the station.

When he identified himself as George S. Kaufman, the program's host, delighted to have a celebrity on the line, put him on the air. "What is your request, sir?" he asked. "I'll honor it right away." "My request," Kaufman replied, "is for five minutes' silence."