Rights question

I'm not sure how else to title this other then as a "rights question"

One of my writing goals this year is to write one 10-minute play a month. This is an exercise for me firstly as a playwright and secondly, I've had a few teachers express interest in buying these from me for the forensics (competitive speech and drama) students and tournaments. Kansas (my state) Actives Association would recognize it as published IF I published these works on the internet, either through my website or something like Smashwords or KDP (I've got a few up already on SW, just to test the market) but there must be some kind of receipt of purchase and/or an active website.

So here comes my question.

One idea I've been kicking around this month is based on something Harlan Ellison SAID (not wrote). This is what he said:

When some jamook asks me this one (thereby revealing him/herself to be a person who has about as much imaginative muscle as a head of lettuce), I always smile prettily and answer, "Schenectady."

And when the jamook looks at me quizzically, and scratches head with hairy hand, I add: "Oh, sure. There's a swell Idea Service in Schenectady; and every week I send 'em twenty-five bucks; and every week they send me a fresh six-pack of ideas."

Click to expand...

funny quote, and I think a person could run with it as a writer, but do I have the RIGHT I guess to use this idea as a 10-minute play? If it was just a creative exercise, I'd do it in a heartbeat but I view all my writing (especially my drama pieces) as something I'd like to see move beyond just my page.

Anyone who knows Harlan, knows he's a bit of a...curmudgeon and isn't above suing or threatening lawsuits. So again, do I have the right to do this?

I hadn't heard the Dave Berry one, but glad to hear it's not wholly original to Harlan LOL I love Harlan and didn't want to piss him off.

my idea would be a harried 'idea man' dealing with working in an office that deals in ideas. I had a request to do something humorous (my last two have been quite serious) and I thought this could really be played up for laughs, describing the different ideas that come through the office. I was thinking something to the effect of "one of the strangest things I ever saw was a 12 ft monster with an octopus for a mouth who insisted I call him an 'Old One'. I sent him to a New York writer named Lovecraft"

Original? Not so much but I think it can be played for laughs.

EDIT: Thanks for the help btw. Meant to say that and I didn't

Thanks I had forgotten about that Newhat bit, thanks

Thank you so much, I had only ever heard this in conjunction with Ellison, so I'm glad I don't run the risk of pissing Harlan off