HE JUST LICKED HIS EYEBROW

I told ONE dirty joke in my life and it was difficult to live down; today I do not remember the joke, but I do recall the punch line: "He just licked his eyebrow" because during the intervening years, several people have reminded me of the joke and would repeat the punch line to me to embarrass me.

This past weekend, Joyce, a friend I hadn't seen in years, and I were with a group of people and we were reminiscing. Joyce was telling the assembled group that I told the best jokes and she said, "I'll never forget the one you told, but I can only remember the punch line." I had a moment of anxiety as I thought that she was going to repeat THAT punch line, but she repeated a different punch line and she asked me to tell the joke. Fortunately, I remembered that joke. I heard the joke on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson when Roy Rogers was a guest and a young actress told the joke to Roy. It really has to be said aloud to get the full effect, but here goes:

One day Roy Rogers was passing a boot maker's shop and he saw the most beautiful pair of boots he'd ever seen. Roy just had to have those boots and he left the shop, proudly wearing them. On the way home it started to rain and as he was going from the stable to the ranch house, his new boots got muddy. Dale was waiting at the door and she told Roy he had to remove the boots and leave them on the porch. As Dale and Roy were having dinner, they heard a terrible caterwauling sound and Roy looked out the door just in time to see a cougar running away carrying his new boots in his teeth. Roy put on his other boots and jumped on Trigger and took off after that cougar. Roy returned a few hours later and he had that dead cougar strapped across Trigger's back. Roy's once beautiful boots were hanging out of the saddle bag, ripped to shreds.

Dale was at the door and as Roy approached, Dale sang out, "Pardon me, Roy, is that the cat that chewed your new shoes?" [Dale's question must be SUNG to the tune of "Pardon me, boy, is that the Chattanooga Choo-choo"!]

Joyce and I both said that we could never hear the song without thinking of the pun!