The Ritz-Carlton Hotels were created by César Ritz, with the Paris and London hotels being the most famous. The term “the ritz” became synonymous with extreme elegance. “Puttin’ on the Ritz” originally referred to people living in Harlem who dressed impeccably despite their poverty. The phrase now means dressing glamorously. The film Young Frankenstein illustrates that good clothes don’t necessarily make the person.
The ritz has several definitions that all derive from the same source, the creation of the Ritz-Carlton Hotels by famed hotelier César Ritz. It is best known for two European hotels, The Ritz in Paris and The Carlton in London. These hotels were the ultimate in luxury accommodations, and after Ritz’s death, the Ritz-Carlton Company was formed to open more hotels bearing his name across the United States. After the Great Depression, only one American hotel remained, the Ritz-Carlton in Boston, Massachusetts. Yet the recovering economy led the company, which changed hands several times, to build more hotels after the 1940s.
César Ritz European hotels were expensive, luxurious and impressive. Millionaires and globetrotting celebrities frequented them, and the term “the ritz” became synonymous with extreme elegance to the point of ostentation. The idea of “putting yourself on the ritz” remains firmly in the public mind thanks to Irving Berlin’s 1929 song “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” which then appeared in film the following year, and again much later in Fred Astaire 1946 film Blue Skies.
Wearing the ritz means dressing glamorously, in the latest fashion, and specifically wearing evening or very imaginative clothes. Tuxedos and prom dresses, especially made by designers, are elegant by nature. So are the designer clothes and glitzy, glamorous lives of the rich and famous.
Interestingly, Berlin’s original lyrics, which were later replaced by the more well-known Blue Skies lyrics, actually comment on a very different group of people than the wealthy. The lyrics refer to people living in Harlem who dressed impeccably despite their poverty, and the song reflects this poverty and the Great Depression sweeping the country. In the original Berlin interpretation, anyone could look elegant in good attire, and dressing well with few pockets was seen as an affectation.
Later, Berlin revised the lyrics to reflect the habits of the wealthy, dropping references to African Americans living in Harlem. However, initially, anyone could parade ostentatiously in elegant clothes. Even the words “puttin’ on” suggest adopting an affectation that doesn’t suit one’s social status. Also, the phrase “You’re setting me up” tends to mean “You’re not telling me the truth.”
For modern viewers, perhaps the most compelling illustration of how good clothes don’t necessarily make the man or woman is found in the film Young Frankenstein. When the young Dr. Frankenstein manages to reform his “monster”, he takes him on tour and the two perform in tuxedos singing Puttin’ on the Ritz. While the audience is initially awed by this show, they are soon throwing trash and vegetables when an exploding stage light scares the “monster”. This scene brings the idea of ”putting on” to its original usage, evoking the adage that you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
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