Love Quote by Tallulah Bankhead

Bankhead’s genius here is the way she turns sex into scheduling comedy without draining it of heat. The line is a flirtation that arrives wearing a wristwatch: “at five o’clock” gives desire the crispness of an appointment, a knowing wink at modern life’s obsession with timetables. Then she detonates the premise with the punch: “If I’m late start without me.” The joke isn’t just promiscuity; it’s power. She’s staging herself as both indispensable and delightfully expendable, the rare persona who can afford to be blasé about her own starring role.

The subtext is Bankhead’s cultivated public image - aristocratic drawl, high-voltage charisma, a reputation for appetite in every sense. In a culture that policed women’s desire, she makes the audacity sound casual, even managerial. That’s the sleight of hand: her boldness doesn’t present as a manifesto; it’s tossed off like backstage banter. The listener is invited to laugh, but also to admire the nerve - and to feel implicated in the fantasy of a world where pleasure is cooperative, abundant, and unembarrassed.

Context matters: the quip comes from an era when celebrity functioned as both shield and stage. Bankhead could say what other women could only imply, wrapping transgression in comedic timing. It works because it’s double-edged: a sexy invitation, a punchline about her own unreliability, and a wink at the idea that desire doesn’t wait politely for anyone - not even Tallulah Bankhead.