After she became a stage star, she would often dismiss adoring audiences who kept demanding curtain calls by saying "That's all there is—there isn't any more!" This became a popular catch phrase in the 1920s and 1930s. Many references to it can be found in the media of the period, including the Laurel and Hardy 1933 film "Sons of the Desert", and Arthur Train's 1930 Wall Street Crash novel "Paper Profits". It is sometimes recalled on modern day radio stations annually every August 15 when Ethel's birthday is mentioned.