Good night, Vienna

 

Good night, Vienna

JayCee used this phrase in a comment she left recently on a blog post. It reminded me instantly of the ITV television series, ‘Rising Damp,’ about the lives of a penny-pinching landlord, Rigsby, and his tenants. It was broadcast from 1974 until 1978.

Rigsby, had a cat called Vienna, which was variously treated affectionately or despised, depending on the way Rigsby’s life was unfolding. When he put the cat out at night, he would say, ‘Good night, Vienna,’ suggesting that if Vienna met difficulties, it would all be over for him.

The phrase came from a radio operetta of 1932, called ‘Goodnight, Vienna.’ The operetta was later made into a film. Originally, the expression indicated a romantic farewell, but it gradually changed to mean, ‘It’s all over,’ ‘It’s finished,’ ‘That’s it,’ and became a part of British slang.

It was also the title of Ringo Starr’s 1974 album, ‘Goodnight Vienna,’ for which John Lennon wrote the words.

It’s similar in meaning to ‘Goodnight, Irene,’ the song written by Lead Belly (Huddie Ledbetter) in the 1930s. A one-time friend of ours was called Irene, and she hated it when anyone sang it to her. She took it as a personal insult.