Does anyone know who Mrs. Robsinson really was?

Question

All right, I know I'm being lazy and not doing my homework like I should, but I was wondering about a song by Simon and Garfunkle, "Mrs. Robinson", they mention her in the song and I was wondering if she was a real person. I mean, I know of the other people like Joe Dimaggio, but I was curious about her.

I think she's a real person, because once my boyfriend got sick after he ate my cooking, and my roommate looked at me, raised his beer and said, "Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson."

I sound really stupid, but I don't care at the moment, I would really like to know who she was.

Answer 1

She's a character from a famous old movie in which an older wife seduces this young man 16-20yrs I forget. I think your friend may have said this because mrs. robinson was a shady character and I think tried to poison her husband in the movie, not sure though....I remember she was kinda shady.

Answer 2

It was originally going to be a song about Mrs. Roosevelt. Simon and Garfunkle were approached to do a song for the movie The Graduate, and they changed the lyrics to Mrs. Robinson for the movie, and that is also how it was released on their album.

Answer 3

I heard a long time back that Paul Simon 'adjusted' the lyrics to the song to fit the movies. That name, which is Ben's fictional lover in the movie, is probably one of those adjustments. If not, Paul's not telling. After The Graduate, references to Mrs. Robinson as a euphemism for an older lover, a secret older lover, or a predatory woman crept into the vernacular.
In an interview once, Simon reported that he enjoyed placing inside references in many of his songs for the entertainment of those closest to him--who would recognize those references. One of them--Silverbird--was a nickname for his significant other at the time, who was complaining about a few silver-grey strands she found in her hair. B.

Answer 4

"Mrs. Robinson" is a song written by Paul Simon and first performed by Simon and Garfunkel. When released as a single, it hit number one in the U.S.; their second hit after The Sound of Silence. An early version of the song appears in the motion picture The Graduate (1967) and its subsequent soundtrack, while the complete song debuts on their album Bookends (1968).

"And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson,

Jesus loves you more than you will know"

In the film, listless recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) has an affair with an older married woman, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft). The song was not completed for the film; only snippets are heard as incidental music. When the film and the music became popular, Paul Simon put the snippets together into a complete song.

According to a Variety article by Peter Bart in the May 15th, 2005 issue, The Graduate director Mike Nichols had become obsessed with Simon & Garfunkel's music while shooting the film. Larry Turman, his producer, made a deal for Simon to write three new songs for the movie. By the time they were nearly finished editing the film, Simon had only written one new song. Nichols begged him for more but Simon, who was touring constantly, told him he didn't have the time. He did play him a few notes of a new song he had been working on; "It's not for the movie... it's a song about times past — about Mrs. Roosevelt and Joe DiMaggio and stuff." Nichols advised Simon, "It's now about Mrs. Robinson, not Mrs. Roosevelt."

The lines:

"Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?

Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you"

are perhaps the most memorable. Paul Simon, a fan of Mickey Mantle, was asked on The Dick Cavett Show by Mantle why he wasn’t mentioned in the song instead of DiMaggio. Simon replied, "It's about syllables, Mick. It's about how many beats there are."

For himself, DiMaggio initially complained that he hadn't gone anywhere, but soon dropped his complaints when he realized that he gained new fame with baby boomers because of the song.

In a New York Times editorial in March 1999, shortly after DiMaggio's death, Simon explained that the line was meant as a sincere tribute to DiMaggio's unpretentious heroic stature, in a time when popular culture magnifies and distorts how we perceive our heroes. He further reflected: "In these days of Presidential transgressions and apologies and prime-time interviews about private sexual matters, we grieve for Joe DiMaggio and mourn the loss of his grace and dignity, his fierce sense of privacy, his fidelity to the memory of his wife and the power of his silence." Simon subsequently performed a live version of Mrs. Robinson at Yankee Stadium in DiMaggio's honor in April of the same year.

Answer 5

Mrs. Robinson was a character in the movie "The Graduate". It's the first time snippets of this song were ever heard, and wasn't completed until after the movie had been released.

Answer 6

Mrs. Robinson was the name of the character in "The Graduate," played by the late Anne Bancroft, who seduces Dustin Hoffman...she's the mother of his girlfriend...the song was written for the movie soundtrack...I think the name was purely arbitrary, despite Paul Simon's tendency of using celebrity names and things in his songs

Answer 7

mrs. robinson refers to the character mrs. robinson played by anne bancroft int the movie 'the graduate'

simon and garfunkle had already written the song using the name mrs. roosevelt, but they changed it for the movie

good movie, worth watching

Answer 8

Mrs. Robinson was an older woman that seduced a young Dustin Hoffman in the '60's movie, The Graduate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Graduate

Simon and Garfunkel created the soundtrack for the movie, which also included other monster hits, solidifying their place in American pop culture:

http://www.sonymusicstore.com/store/catalog/MerchandiseDetails.jsp?selectionId=003180&sms=extsite-simonandgarfunkel

Answer 9

there was this movie called the graduate back in the late 60s. mrs robinson was one of the main characters and the song was featured in the movie.

Answer 10

A totally fiictional character; they were referring to Mrs. Robinson in the film "The Graduate"