Jacuzzi of the Gods!
A Jacuzzi is a
trademarked brand of hot tub; they also make whirlpool tubs, luxury showers,
swimming pool equipment, and more. Chariots of the Gods is a book written
by Erich Von Daniken, in which he postulated that the pyramids of ancient Egypt
were built with extraterrestrial assistance.
War is not good for monsters and other living things.
A paraphrase of
an anti-war slogan from the Vietnam War era: “War is not healthy for children
and other living things.” It has since become a pop-culture catchphrase, with
all sorts of variations depending on the user’s political inclinations (e.g.,
“The Drug War is not healthy for children and other living things.”).
Stop Monster Island—I want to get off!
Stop the
World—I Want to Get Off
is a stage musical that opened on Broadway in 1962 and ran for 555 performances.
It was written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley; Newley also starred in the
show. It was turned into a movie in 1966, which starred Millicent Martin and
Tony Tanner.
Huh! Spiny Norman.
Spiny Norman was
the name of the giant hedgehog that stalked Dinsdale Piranha in the Piranha
Brothers sketch that aired on Monty Python’s Flying Circus. A sampling of
the relevant dialogue:
Interviewer: Was there anything unusual about him?
Gloria: I should say not. Dinsdale was a perfectly normal person in every
way. Except inasmuch as he was convinced that he was being watched by a giant
hedgehog, whom he referred to as Spiny Norman.
Interviewer: How big was Norman supposed to be?
Gloria: Normally he was wont to be about twelve feet from nose to tail,
but when Dinsdale was very depressed, Norman could be anything up to
eight hundred yards long. When Norman was about, Dinsdale would go very quiet
and his nose would swell up and his teeth would start moving about and he’d
become very violent and claim that he’d laid Stanley Baldwin. Dinsdale was a
gentleman. And what’s more, he knew how to treat a female impersonator.
Screamers!
A screamer is a
type of firework that emits a high, piercing whistle when it goes off.
A film by Ingmar Bergman.
Ingmar Bergman
(b. 1918) is a writer/director/producer/actor who is one of the most highly
respected filmmakers of the 20th century. His films include The Seventh Seal
(1957), Persona (1966), and Cries and Whispers (1972).
He stole Wayne Newton’s suit.
Wayne Newton (b.
1942) is a singer who has only had a few radio hits, most especially 1963’s
“Danke Schoen.” But in Las Vegas he is one of the most popular entertainers in
the city’s history, earning $1 million per month at his peak. He filed for
bankruptcy in the 1990s but quickly recovered financially.
Let’s do some shooters.
A shooter is a
small alcoholic drink, usually no larger than one to two ounces, that is meant
to be drunk in one shot—hence the name.
Hey, is this stuff 3.2?
3.2 beer, a.k.a.
“near beer,” is beer that is 3.2 percent alcohol, as compared with
regular-strength beer at 5 to 7 percent. It is the only kind of beer that is
available on Sundays in many Midwestern states in the Bible Belt, including
Minnesota.
The bull!
Schlitz malt
liquor for years used the image of a bull bursting through a wall to sell its
products.
“A quake!” No, a quisp.
Quake and Quisp were two brands of kiddie cereal in the 1960s. Although they
were both manufactured by the Quaker Oats Company, the cartoon spokesmen (a
space alien for Quisp; a miner for Quake) carried on a mock rivalry in
commercials, which were animated by Jay Ward of Rocky and Bullwinkle
fame.
“Roxanne!” You don’t have to put on the red dress!
A paraphrase of the song “Roxanne,” by The Police. Sample lyrics: “Roxanne/You
don't have to wear that dress tonight/Walk the streets for money/You don't care
if it's wrong or if it's right.”
Come on, Flipper, save him!
Flipper is the
dolphin star of a series of movies and TV shows that were released between 1963
and 2000. Although Flipper was a male, the part was actually played by several
different female dolphins over the years.
Hey, this is better than the Dells!
From the
MST3K Amazing Colossal Episode Guide: “... that paradise of water
playlands, that miniature golf hot-bed—the Wisconsin Dells.” The Dells is a
middle American resort complete with go carts, miniature golf courses, water
rides, and a host of other icons of wholesome family fun.
I think Billy’s gonna be a boil in the bag dinner
soon.
Boil in the bag
meals are a staple of campers everywhere: a foil pouch containing a mélange of
precooked food. Boil for five minutes or so, and you have a ready-to-eat meal—no
muss, no fuss, no pots to scour. Several companies, including Uncle Ben’s, also
make boil-in-the-bag rice.
Plunge don’t care what you put down there.
Plunge is a
brand of liquid drain cleaner, like Drano or Liquid Plumr. I assume this was an
old advertising slogan for the brand, but I was unable to confirm this.
Niagara Falls. Slowly I turned, step by step, inch
by inch ...
This phrase
comes from an old vaudeville routine that has been used by many comedians.
Abbott and Costello used it in a 1944 film called Lost in a Harem; the
Three Stooges did a version the same year in their Gents Without Cents;
and a third version appeared in an I Love Lucy episode. The author
appears to be a vaudeville comedian named Joey Faye (1909-1997).
This week, Moses, starring in Don’t Raise the Bridge,
Lower the River.
Moses is a
biblical figure, the Jewish leader who in the Old Testament guided his people
out of slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land. Don’t Raise the Bridge, Lower
the River is a 1967 movie starring Jerry Lewis as an American con man trying
to run a scam on the British. It is based on the novel of the same name.
We’re gonna need a Tucks pad the size of Tokyo.
Tucks medicated
pads are premoistened pads soaked in a solution of witch hazel. They are used to
relieve the itching and burning sensations associated with hemorrhoids.
[Sung.] In the land of tofu queen ...
This may be a paraphrase of a line from the Allstars’ “Land of Make Believe”:
“Superman will be with us while he can/In the land of make believe.”
Welcome to Death Valley. The driver is either gone or
is missing.
Death Valley
Days was a TV
western that aired from 1952 to 1975. From 1965 to 1966, it was hosted by Ronald
Reagan, in his more lucid, pre-presidential days. Reagan left the show to become
governor of California.
At least they have Yusef Lateef on the flute here.
Yusef Lateef is
a jazz musician known for his skill on the oboe as well as the bassoon, the
flute, and several more obscure instruments such as the argol and shanai. He has
played with Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Gillespie, among others.
I
think it was shot blue for night.
Shooting “day
for night” is a common photographic technique in movies in which exterior scenes
are filmed during the day using special blue filters on the camera that makes
the scene appear to be taking place at night. The goal is to save money, since
night shoots are considerably more expensive than daytime shoots.
It’s Oscar Wilde!
Oscar Wilde
(1854-1900) was a Victorian poet and playwright best known for his stage
comedies Lady Windermere’s Fan and The Importance of Being
Earnest, as well as for his legendary wit. Wilde was one of the central
figures in the Aesthetic movement of the late nineteenth century, which
emphasized the importance of beauty and art. Although he had a wife and
children, he was accused of sodomy over his close friendship with Lord Alfred
Douglas and sentenced to two years of hard labor. He died a few years after his
release from prison in 1897.
Hi-keeba!
A reference to
Show 104, Women of the Prehistoric Planet.
I have just been liberated by the power of Vicks!
Vicks is a line
of over-the-counter cold and flu products, including Vicks VapoRub, Vicks
Nyquil, and Vicks 44. Again, I believe this is an old advertising slogan, but I
was unable to confirm it.
No, Mommy! Not the kabuki mask, no!
Kabuki is a
traditional form of Japanese theater that combines singing, dancing, and mime
into a highly stylized art form. Actors (all kabuki performers are male) wear
spectacular costumes and elaborate makeup.
Well, I hope he doesn’t ruin Wayne Newton’s jacket.
See note on
Wayne Newton, above.
Go, Speed Racer!
Speed Racer
was a Japanese animated show that first aired in the United States in 1967.
Speed himself was the teenage son of a car designer who, in addition to winning
races, solved crimes and foiled supervillains.
[Sung.] Ma, he go-go, ma he go-go, ma he
go-go-go!
In 1997 the show Speed Racer was remade under the title Mach Go Go
Go. The actual lyrics to the theme song, which are paraphrased here: “Mach
go go/Mach go go/Mach go go go!”
Let’s see: Boy’s Life, Popular Science,
Highlights ... My own autopsy report?!
Boy’s Life
is the official youth magazine of the Boy Scouts of America. Popular Science
is a monthly magazine about science and technology, aimed at a general audience.
Highlights is a children’s magazine that has been published since 1946.
Those are Pop Rocks, you idiot!
Pop Rocks are a
kind of candy that come in small paper packets; when eaten, they “pop” and fizz
in the mouth. Although the fizzing effect was perfectly safe, achieved by
incorporating small pockets of carbonation in the candy, rumors quickly spread
on playgrounds across the nation that eating Pop Rocks while drinking soda would
cause your stomach to explode.
Hey, it’s Bluto! –Aarh, Popeye.
Bluto was
Popeye’s arch-nemesis and his chief rival for the hand of the strangely rubbery
Olive Oyl in the series of short cartoons. He first appeared in the cartoons in
1932, but for a time, thanks to some copyright confusion over who owned the
rights to the Bluto name, he was called Brutus.
Good thing he had the Funmobile.
The Funmobile
appears to be the car driven by Ronald McDonald, the spokesclown for the
McDonald’s chain of fast-food restaurants.
Now shut up and finish your Laffy Taffy, kid.
Laffy Taffy is a
kind of candy produced by Willy Wonka. It comes in a variety of flavors: banana,
cherry, chocolate, grape, orange, sour apple, strawberry, and watermelon.
You know, I think they got this shot from the old
Jackie Gleason Show.
The Jackie
Gleason Show
aired, in various incarnations, between 1952 and 1970. It starred comedian
Jackie Gleason, best known to later generations for playing Ralph Kramden on
The Honeymooners.
According to Dr. Hellstrom, these bugs will take over
the world.
A reference to
the 1973 science-fiction novel Hellstrom’s Hive, written by Frank Herbert
(Dune). The book tells the story of a scientist who runs an underground
experiment involving human-insect hybrids.
He’s a maniac, a maniac, and he’s dancing like he’s never
danced before. He’s a steeltown boy, on a Saturday ...
This is a
paraphrase of the song “Maniac,” performed by Michael Sembello on the soundtrack
to the 1983 movie Flashdance. Actual lyrics: “Just a steeltown girl on a
Saturday night, lookin' for the fight of her life .../She's a maniac, maniac on
the floor/And she's dancing like she's never danced before.”
We just created Jennifer Beals.
Jennifer Beals
(b. 1963) is an actress who got her big break playing the lead in the movie
Flashdance (see note, above). Two years later she starred in the title role
opposite Sting in The Bride, a reworking of Bride of
Frankenstein.
Now, this controls his kung-fu grip.
In 1974, Hasbro
introduced a new feature on its popular G.I. Joe dolls: the “kung-fu grip,”
which consisted of soft, flexible rubber hands, as opposed to the rigid plastic
hands previously used for the dolls. The phrase made its way into pop culture,
turning up on television shows and in movies and songs, such as the following
from Sublime’s “Caress Me Down” (warning: unsubtle innuendo ahead): “So she
told me to
come over and I
took that
trip/And then she
pulled out my
mushroom tip/And when it
came out it
went
drip
drip
drip/I
didn’t
know she had that G.I. Joe
kung-fu
grip.”
“You bet your life.” Say the secret word, and
win a hundred dollars.
An imitation of comedian Groucho Marx in his role as the host of the television
game show You Bet Your Life, which aired from 1950-1961 (Marx had
also hosted an earlier radio show by the same name). Each episode had a “secret
word,” and if a contestant unwittingly said the word, a small duck would drop
down from the ceiling with a hundred-dollar bill in its beak as a reward.
I’ll sell AT&T, buy a little more of American ...
AT&T is an
American telecommunications company. It was founded in 1899 as the American
Telephone and Telegraph Company. By 1939 AT&T had a near-total monopoly on phone
service in the U.S.: it controlled 83 percent of telephones, 98 percent of
long-distance service, and 90 percent of phone manufacturing. In 1982, after the
federal government brought an antitrust suit against the company, AT&T split off
its local telephone divisions into separate companies but continued to offer
long-distance service. The breakup presaged the “telephone wars” of the 1980s
and 1990s and loosed a barrage of advertising that had many consumers longing
for the days of monopolies.
Hey, HAL is reading your lips!
HAL 9000 is the
name of the homicidal computer in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. In
one scene in the film, HAL discovers that two astronauts are planning to pull
the plug on him by reading their lips. Legend has it that the name HAL was
derived from IBM, then the chief manufacturer of computers (the letters H-A-L
come directly before the letters I-B-M in the alphabet), although author Arthur
C. Clarke has denied this.
Down the bunny trail.
Probably from the song “Peter Cottontail.” Sample lyrics: “Here comes Peter
Cottontail/Hoppin' down the bunny trail/Hippity hoppity/Easter's on its way.”
Oh, baby, when we see love and find love and make
love, baby ... –That’s a good Barry White there. –Thank you.
Barry White
(1944-2003) was a soul singer known for his gigantic frame and deep, gravelly
voice. Songs like “You’re My First, My Last, My Everything” and “Can’t Get
Enough of Your Love, Babe” were huge hits in the 1970s. White died at the age of
58; he suffered from kidney failure and had had a stroke two months before his
death.
Now we can listen to their cable all day. I
think they get the Nashville Network.
The Nashville
Network, a.k.a. The National Network, a.k.a. Spike, is a cable channel that has
taken several forms in its lifetime. As The Nashville Network, or TNN, it
specialized in Dukes of Hazzard reruns and monster truck rallies; as The
National Network, it focused more on Star Trek reruns. In 2003 it
announced it was refocusing and transformed itself into Spike, the network for
men, with shows such as Stripperella, an animated show about a stripper/superheroine.
“Seatopia.” Seatopia run. –Run, topia, run.
A parody of the old “Dick and Jane” children’s books, which were standard
reading textbooks from the 1930s to the 1960s. They included such simple,
repetitive phrases as “See Spot run. Run, Spot, run.”
One problem, though—you caught us in the middle
of our production of La Cage aux Folles.
La Cage aux
Folles was
originally a French stage play by Jean Poiret; in 1978 it was turned into a
film. In 1996 an English-language version, called The Birdcage, came out
starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. The story centers on a middle-aged gay
couple who run a notorious nightclub; one of them has a son from an early
liaison with a woman, and the son now wants to get married to the daughter of a
conservative politician. The gay couple thus has to pretend to be straight and
come up with a “wife” for the father. Hijinks ensue.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. cam.
The Man from
U.N.C.L.E. was a
TV series that aired from 1964-1968. The tongue-in-cheek spy series starred
Robert Vaughn as Napoleon Solo, the top agent for the United Network Command for
Law Enforcement, who battled the evil forces of the Technological Hierarchy for
the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity, or THRUSH.
Say, these Klan meetings have really lightened up.
The Ku Klux Klan
has been a couple of secret organizations over the years; the first was founded
just after the Civil War as a vigilante group designed to retain white supremacy
in the South by intimidating newly freed black slaves. It had disappeared within
twenty years. But in 1915 the group was revived, inspired by the film The
Birth of a Nation, which portrayed the original KKK as a noble band striving
to protect civilization from depraved African-Americans. The official uniform of
Klan members was a set of white robes and a pointed white mask, used to conceal
the identities of the members. The organization peaked at a membership of about
4 million in the 1920s but had once again died out by the end of World War II.
There was another brief resurgence of the Klan in the 1960s in response to the
civil rights movement; today its membership is probably only a few thousand, and
it has fragmented into several small and competing groups.
Now that Twyla Tharp has joined the Klan, Anna
Kisselgoff should give them a good review.
Twyla Tharp (b.
1941) is a popular American dancer and choreographer who ran her own dance
troupe from 1965-1988, when she disbanded the group and joined the American
Ballet Theatre. Anna Kisselgoff is the well-known dance critic for the
New York Times.
These Bob Mackie gowns are fabulous!
Bob Mackie is a
fashion designer known for spectacular and outrageous outfits that have clung to
the bodies of some of America’s most famous divas, including Diana Ross, Cher,
Madonna, and Bette Midler. He has also worked in costume design on films,
television shows, and stage plays.
I’m Dorf.
Actor Tim
Conway, known for his comic turns on such television series as McHale’s Navy
and The Carol Burnett Show, has produced a series of mock
instructional videotapes in which he stars as a dim Scandinavian named Derkus
Dorf. Titles include Dorf on Golf and Dorf Goes Fishing.
And it’s the June Taylor lynchers.
June Taylor is a
choreographer who worked on television shows from the 1940s to the 1960s. Her
“June Taylor dancers” were a regular feature on the old Jackie Gleason Show.
Remember, Ziegfeld’s in the house tonight!
Florenz Ziegfeld
(1867-1932) was one of Broadway’s greatest choreographers. The Ziegfeld
Follies, a series of musical revues, were some of Broadway’s most successful
shows during the first three decades of the 20th century. Ziegfeld also
choreographed the musical Showboat (1927).
“Today, Seatopia.” Tomorrow, Broadway.
“Today, [fill in the blank], tomorrow, Broadway!” is a common phrase, designed
to suggest that although the current venture is humble and its scope is limited,
widespread fame and success are just around the corner. I was unable to
determine the origin of the phrase, however.
We’ll harm them ...
This is a take
on the line “I’ll harm you!” uttered by comedian Joe Besser (1907-1988) in his
persona of Oswald, a bratty character he portrayed on The Abbott and Costello
Show (1952-1953).
At least send us a lava lamp or something. Please!
Lava lamps are
an icon of 1960s culture, featuring a diamond-shaped glass tube filled with
colored water and a waxy ooze that, when heated by a light bulb, flows around
the lamp in undulating patterns that are extremely fascinating to people under
the influence of mind-altering chemicals. They are manufactured by Haggerty
Enterprises.
If Siegfried and Roy got a wakeup call, I think it
would look something like this.
Siegfried and
Roy are a perennial Las Vegas draw, performing their magic show with their
famous white tigers and lions seven nights a week.
Jules Podell presents Jubilee 90!
Jules Podell was
for decades the manager of the Copacabana, a restaurant/nightclub in New York
that drew crowds of celebrities both to its stage and to its audiences. Martin
and Lewis performed there, as did Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Lucille Ball, Connie
Francis, Nat King Cole—the list goes on and on.
It’s Edward Scissorhands!
Edward
Scissorhands was the hero of the 1990 Tim Burton movie by the same name. As
played by Johnny Depp, Edward was a gentle outcast whose hands, made from
scissors, made it impossible for him to ever touch another person. The film was
a rather heavy-handed metaphor for our inability to connect with the people
around us.
And his arms look like the
Chrysler Building!
The Chrysler
Building, built from 1926-1930, is a New York City skyscraper whose distinctive
spire is considered the epitome of Art Deco architecture. It was designed by
William Van Alen and was briefly the tallest building in the world, until the
Empire State Building trumped it in 1931.
I did this act with David Copperfield in Reno
and got standing O’s all week.
David
Copperfield (b. 1956) is a well-known magician and illusionist who has starred
in a series of television specials since the 1970s. Among his more famous
stunts: making the Statue of Liberty disappear and walking through the Great
Wall of China.
Thank you—I’ll be in Atlantic City next week with funny man Jimmie Walker.
Jimmie Walker
(b. 1947) is an actor and comedian who is best known for his role of J.J. Evans
on the television series Good Times, which aired from 1974-1979. His
catchphrase “Dy-no-MIITE!” became famous.
If
I could only get to my utility belt! I invented it, you know. Batman stole it
from me.
Batman, a
superhero staple of comic books who has also appeared in movies, on television,
and in animated shows, wears as part of his costume a belt around his waist
known as his utility belt. The belt has pouches containing various gadgets that
help Batman in his crusade against crime. These gadgets vary, but examples
include the Batarang, a boomerang shaped like a bat, and a reel of super-thin
cable to help Batman climb walls and swing from rooftops.
We’ve been performing Houdini’s Metamorphosis for years, and now we both end up
tied in a box!
Harry Houdini
(1874-1926), the professional magician and escape artist, used to perform a
famous trick with his wife, Bess, that he called Metamorphosis. In
Metamorphosis, one of them would be locked in a trunk, and within seconds the
two would seem to change places—the one in the trunk now onstage, and the one
onstage now in the trunk. Houdini did not invent the trick, and many magicians
after him have duplicated it, but his superb showmanship ensured that it will
forever be associated with him.
Now
we can watch The Importance of Being Earnest on video.
The
Importance of Being Earnest
is a play, first produced in 1895, written by Oscar Wilde. It is generally
considered his finest work. The play is a satirical farce that tells the story
of two young men who have adopted lying as a way of life: one has invented an
imaginary friend named Bunbury, who affords him an excuse to escape London for
the country, and the other has invented a brother named Earnest that allows him
to visit London to see his sweetheart. Hijinks, misunderstandings, and romantic
liaisons ensue. The play has been adapted for film and television several times,
the most recent version being released in 2002.
This is my Kraft American Singles machine. It’s Swiss!
Kraft American
Singles are heavily processed, individually wrapped slices of cheese that are
popular among the elementary-school lunch crowd.
Operation, the goofy game for Japanese Oscar Wilde look-alikes.
Operation is a
classic children’s game produced by Hasbro, in which players use tweezers to
remove plastic “organs” from tiny cavities in the “patient.” If the tweezers
brush sensors around the edges of the cavities, a buzzer sounds and the player
loses his or her turn. See note on Oscar Wilde, above.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much. Elvis Presley.
Elvis Presley
(1935-1977), the King of Rock and Roll, was one of the most popular musicians
from the 1950s until his death in the late 1970s. He was a teen idol in the late
1950s, helped usher in the era of rock and roll, became a movie star, created an
enormous and opulent home at Graceland in Memphis, developed problems with drug
abuse, and finally died of a heart attack at the age of 42.
Yukio has left the stadium.
The phrase
“Elvis has left the building” stems from a concert given by Elvis Presley (see
above) in 1956 in Shreveport, Louisiana. Ten thousand screaming young fans
crammed themselves into a building on the fairgrounds, and after Elvis’s set,
although there were other performers waiting to go on, headed for the exit en
masse. The host of the show, Horace Lee Logan, took the microphone and said,
"Please, young people ... Elvis has left the building. He has gotten in his car
and driven away. ... Please take your seats." The phrase soon became part of the
Elvis mythos and was repeated at many of his later shows.
Meanwhile, B.J. and the Bear go to Japan.
B.J. and the
Bear was a
television series that ran from 1979-1981, about the adventures of a trucker (B.J.)
and his pet monkey (the Bear).
In
Breaking Training.
The Bad News
Bears in Breaking Training
was a 1977 film about a Little League team that travels from California to
Houston to play the local champions at the Astrodome. It was the second film in
the Bad News Bears series.
Now, I’m going to read you part of Picture of Dorian Gray, and I want you
to be honest with me.
The Picture
of Dorian Gray
is a novel by Oscar Wilde (see above) first published in serial form in 1890. It
tells the tale of a young and handsome man who somehow retains his youth and
beauty, while a portrait of him becomes steadily more raddled and hideous,
reflecting Dorian’s moral bankruptcy despite his outer beauty.
Either these drapes go or I do. I’m having trouble living up to my china.
According to
some sources, Oscar Wilde’s last words were “Either those curtains go or I do.”
Other versions give conflicting accounts of his last words: “Either that
wallpaper goes or I do,” or “I suppose I shall have to die beyond my means.”
Similarly, the wording varies somewhat between sources, but Wilde was reported
to have said, “I find it harder and harder every day to live up to my blue
china.”
Sounds like the Allman Brothers are doing the background music. –I think that’s
Duane Allman on the motorcycle. Or maybe it’s Berry Oakley.
The Allman
Brothers Band, consisting of Duane and Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley,
Butch Trucks, and Jaimoe, released several blues-rock albums in the early 1970s;
the third, titled Live at the Fillmore East, went gold only a few
days before Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident. A year later, a
motorcycle accident also killed Oakley.
You
know, I think Peter Bogdanovich shot this sequence here.
Peter
Bogdanovich (b. 1939) is a director known for such films as Mask,
Daisy Miller, and The Last Picture Show. He is also an actor
who has appeared in The Sopranos and 54, among others.
Suddenly, we’re watching Mannix.
Mannix
was a television series starring Mike Connors (b. 1925) as Joe Mannix, a private
eye in Los Angeles who indulged in frequent car chases, shootouts, and
fistfights. It aired from 1967-1975. Mike Connors (under the name “Touch
Connors”) appeared in Show 503, Swamp Diamonds.
You
know, in France Mike Connors is considered a genius. –Mike Connors? –Is Mannix!
See note about
Mannix, above.
The
man who drove down Everest.
The Man Who
Skied Down Everest
is a 1975 documentary about Japanese skier Yuichiro Miura, who, armed with a
parachute, skied down the Lhotse Face of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest
mountain. In 2003 Miura, now 70, became the oldest person ever to reach the
summit.
I
haven’t seen this much action since Herbie Goes to Mexico!
This is a
reference to the 1980 film Herbie Goes Bananas, about a lovable VW Bug
that helps its owners crack a Mexican counterfeiting ring. It was the fourth
movie in the series, which also spawned a TV show.
You
know, in France Dean Jones is considered a ...
Dean Jones (b.
1931) starred in several of the Herbie movies, as well as the TV series (see
above). He appeared in many Disney films during the 1960s and 1970s, including
That Darn Cat! and The Shaggy D.A.
Hey, guys, it’s Steve McQueen!
Steve McQueen
(1930-1980) was a tough-guy actor during the 1960s and 1970s, starring in action
films like The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, and Bullitt.
Eat
a peach, dude!
Eat a Peach
was the Allman Brothers Band’s fourth album, recorded before Duane Allman and
Berry Oakley’s deaths (see above) but not released until afterwards.
Gary Busey is back on the bike!
Gary Busey (b.
1944) is a wild-man actor who has appeared in more than a hundred movies and TV
shows. In 2003 he starred in a reality show for Comedy Central called I’m
with Busey. In 1988 he suffered nearly fatal head injuries in a motorcycle
accident.
Look out, Herbie!
See note about
Herbie, above.
Winged freak? Wait’ll they get a load of me.
This is a line
from the 1989 film Batman, spoken by the Joker (played by Jack
Nicholson).
Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed. Ready to go.
This is a line
from the 1966 television series Batman, starring Adam West as Batman and
Burt Ward as Robin. (Robin is reporting that the Batmobile is ready to move
out.)
I’m
not pretty, but I get me there.
“It’s ugly, but
it gets you there” is an old Volkswagen advertising slogan from 1969.
Now
why is Pavarotti holding these guys hostage?
Luciano
Pavarotti (b. 1935) is a widely respected and popular operatic tenor who has
been performing regularly at the Metropolitan Opera since 1971. He has also
toured widely in concerts and made numerous television appearances.
Everybody run! Pink Lady and Jeff are back!
Pink Lady and
Jeff was a
notoriously terrible 1980 television series, widely considered one of the worst
TV shows of all time. It starred comedian Jeff Altman and Japanese pop musical
duo Keiko Masuda and Mitsuyo Nemoto, a.k.a. Pink Lady. Keiko and Mitsuyo spoke
barely any English, and the humor frequently slid over the edge into racism,
with lines like “You just like me for my sexy round eyes.”
They’re going all the way to make sure McCartney doesn’t bring any more dope
into the country. –You mean Linda?
In 1980, British
musician Paul McCartney was arrested at Tokyo International Airport for
possession of marijuana. His wife Linda and the other members of his band Wings
were questioned but not detained. Nine days later he was deported and his
11-date concert tour had to be canceled.
It’s amazing what they’re doing with HO scale these days.
HO scale is the
standard scale used for model trains, slot-car racers, and other scale-model
vehicles. The exact scale ratio is 1:87.1.
Hey, General, where you going? –I’m going to Berlin to personally shoot that
paper-hanging son of a bitch!
This is a
paraphrase of a famous line from a speech by General George S. Patton
(1885-1945). Patton was the commander of the Third Army in World War II; his men
helped defend France in the Battle of the Bulge and subdue Germany at the end of
the war. He was known as “Old Blood-and-Guts.” The full quotation:
"Sure, we want to go home. We want this war over
with. The quickest way to get it over with is to go get the bastards who started
it. The quicker they are whipped, the quicker we can go home. The shortest way
home is through
Berlin and
Tokyo. And when we get to Berlin, I am personally going to shoot that
paper-hanging son-of-a-bitch Hitler just like I'd shoot a snake."
Saigon. I can’t believe I’m in a model of Saigon.
This is a
paraphrase of a line from Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 movie Apocalypse Now,
spoken at the beginning of the film by Martin Sheen: “Saigon. Shit! I’m still
only in Saigon.”
Now
I sing La Traviata.
La Traviata
(1853) is an opera written by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901). Considered one of his
greatest works, the opera tells the story of a courtesan, Violetta, who falls in
love with a young man and promptly dies of tuberculosis.
Chinese fire drill!
The phrase
“Chinese fire drill” is used to describe a large number of people rushing about
frantically with no clear purpose, accomplishing nothing.
They’re gonna attack the monster with a Fresnel light?
The Fresnel
light is a focusable spotlight with a rippled glass lens called a Fresnel lens.
It is named after the lens’s inventor, French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel
(1788-1827).
Hey, the “ups” man is here.
Probably a
reference to UPS, the package delivery service.
Boy, all this and they still can’t get the Comedy Channel.
The Comedy
Channel was the original name of cable channel Comedy Central, where the first
seven seasons of MST3K aired.
Hoover Dam!
Hoover Dam, at
726 feet, is the tallest concrete arch dam in the United States. It is located
on the Colorado River at the border between Arizona and Nevada. It is used for
irrigation, flood control, and power generation.
I’ll be joined by my pals Ben Vereen, Hal Linden, and Anita Gillette.
Ben Vereen (b.
1946) is an actor, singer, and dancer who has appeared in numerous stage and
screen productions, including Roots, All That Jazz, and
Tenspeed and Brown Shoe. Hal Linden (b. 1931) is best known for his
portrayal of Barney Miller on the TV series of the same name, which ran from
1975-1982. Anita Gillette (b. 1936) is a stage and screen actress who has
appeared in Bob Roberts and Moonstruck, among others.
Scooby-san!
An imitation of
Shaggy from the Scooby-Doo animated TV series, which first aired in 1969.
Shaggy was voiced by Casey Kasem, the well-known syndicated DJ.
A
bridge too far? Not for me!
A Bridge Too
Far is a 1977
film, directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Dirk Bogarde and Robert
Redford, about a failed attempt by the Allies during World War II to capture
several German bridges.
“Roxanne!” You don’t have to wear that dress tonight!
See note on “Roxanne,” above.
What, your AA medallion?
In Alcoholics
Anonymous (AA), members are frequently given medallions to commemorate
anniversaries in the group—one year, five years, ten years, and so on.
Uh,
if someone could tell Raymond Burr he’s late ...
Raymond Burr
(1917-1993) was a burly actor best known for his role as Perry Mason, in the
television series of the same name. In 1985 he appeared in the American version
of Godzilla as reporter Steve Martin, with his scenes added into the
original Japanese version.
I
can’t take it! Calgon, take me away!
“Calgon, take me
away” is a longtime advertising slogan for Calgon scented bath products, which
include bubble bath, body lotions, and more.
To
everything, burn, burn, burn.
A paraphrase of
the Byrds song “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season).” Actual
lyrics: “To everything—turn, turn, turn/There is a season—turn, turn, turn.” The
lyrics are in turn taken from Ecclesiastes 3:1: “To everything there is a
season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.”
Hey, you’re listening to Laser 104, so tune it in and rip the knob off.
This is clearly
an imitation of a radio station ID, but there does not appear to be an actual
station called Laser 104.
Hey, look, it’s Ugly John!
Ugly John was
the anesthesiologist in M*A*S*H. He was played by Carl Gottlieb in the
feature film and by John Orchard on the television series.
Incoming wounded! Attention all personnel.
This was a
frequently repeated line on the television series M*A*S*H, which aired
from 1972-1983. It was spoken by the P.A. announcer, who was played at various
times by Todd Susman and Sal Viscuso.
I
wonder if McLean Stevenson is on that chopper.
McLean Stevenson
(1929-1996) played Lt. Col. Henry Blake, the commanding officer of the 4077th,
on the television series M*A*S*H from 1972-1975. When the actor decided
to leave the show, the writers had Blake’s plane shot down over the Sea of
Japan.
I’ve got a date with death.
A Date with
Death is a 1959
film starring Gerald Mohr as a hobo who assumes the identity of a dead policeman
and goes up against a gang of racketeers in a small desert town.
Hey, he’s doing the Monster Mash! You know, Mash with asterisks ...
“Monster Mash”
was a smash hit song in 1962 by Bobby Pickett and the Crypt-Keepers. Pickett
went on to release a few more singles but never again attained the popularity of
his first outing. See notes on M*A*S*H, above.
Saturday the 14th—I
hate that movie.
Saturday the
14th is a 1981
horror film parody starring Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss.
They’re playing Chinese chicken—or is it Peking duck?
“Playing
chicken” is a game popular particularly among young boys. There are a number of
variations, but a pretty typical version is for two boys on bikes to ride
head-on at each other at full speed. The first one to lose his nerve and swerve
to avoid a collision, or “chicken out,” loses the game. Peking duck is a Chinese
dish consisting of roasted duck pieces covered in sauce and wrapped in a
pancake.
Get
him some lithium.
Lithium is a
drug used to treat manic-depressive disorder.
Tora tora tora!
Tora! Tora!
Tora! is a 1970
film that told the story of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during World War
II from both the Japanese and American points of view. (“Tora tora tora” was the
Japanese signal to launch the attack.)
Wow, who’s flying that thing? Henry Kissinger?
Henry Kissinger
(b. 1923) was the Secretary of State under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald
Ford and was one of the major architects of Nixon’s Vietnam War policy;
Kissinger orchestrated the U.S. secret bombing of Cambodia.
Hey, it’s a German air show!
In 1988, at an
air force base in Ramstein, West Germany, three Italian jets performing in an
air show collided in midair. One of the jets crashed to the ground among a crowd
of onlookers, killing 70 people and injuring hundreds more.
Wow, it really looks like a busy mall. –Riverplace.
Riverplace is a
shopping mall in Minneapolis.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
See note on
Elvis Presley, above.
Godzilla has left the stadium.
See note on
“Elvis has left the building,” above.
What’s that? Dad’s trapped? In a coal mine? Down in Dead Rock Canyon?
This is an
imitation of the television show Lassie, which aired from 1954-1974.
Lassie, the hyperintelligent collie, was constantly hastening to warn her owners
that various family members had fallen down wells or been trapped in cave-ins or
pinned under tractors. Lassie appears in Show 510,
The Painted Hills.
Now, my impression of Jack Nicholson in a Burger King.
Jack Nicholson
(b. 1937) is an actor who has appeared in dozens of films since he got his start
in B movies in the 1960s. His better-known movies include
Chinatown,
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Shining, and As Good As It
Gets. Burger King is a worldwide chain of fast-food restaurants.
I
can fly! I can fly! I can’t fly!
“I can fly! I
can fly!” is a line from J.M. Barrie’s stage play Peter Pan.
And
now, Godzilla will attempt to swim the English Channel.
Swimming the
English Channel, the 21-mile-wide stretch of water that separates England from
France, is one of the premier tests of athletic ability in the world, like
climbing Mount Everest. The first man to achieve the crossing was Captain
Matthew Webb, in 1875. In 1926 Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim
the Channel, incidentally setting a speed record that beat the best man’s time
by two hours.
Meanwhile, the Tenderloin of San Francisco.
The Tenderloin
is widely considered the worst neighborhood in San Francisco, California, the
stomping ground of prostitutes, drug dealers, and mentally ill homeless people.
Get
me! I paved paradise and put in a parking lot!
This is a
reference to the Joni Mitchell song “Big Yellow Taxi.” Sample lyrics: “They
paved paradise/And put up a parking lot/With a pink hotel, a boutique/And a
swinging hot spa.”
We’ll eliminate all the No-Pest Strips in Asia if you’ll just stop.
No-Pest Strips
are pest-control strips used to kill a wide variety of common pesky insects:
flies, roaches, ants, and so forth.
Meanwhile, on an episode of Then Came the Courtship of Bronson’s Father
...
This is a
reference to two television shows. The Courtship of Eddie’s Father was a
sitcom that aired from 1969-1972. It starred Bill Bixby as a widower struggling
to raise his young son alone. Then Came Bronson aired from 1969-1970; it
starred Michael Parks as Jim Bronson, a young man traveling across America.
Father, I wish I were you. –Well, hang in there.
The MST3K
Amazing Colossal Episode Guide
cites a similar exchange as being from Then Came Bronson (see
above),
saying, “It ran for one year ... Frank Conniff loved it.”
What, are they in a Roy Lichtenstein exhibit all of a sudden?
Roy Lichtenstein
(1923-1997) was an American artist who was one of the central figures of the Pop
art movement of the 1960s. He is best known for his paintings modeled after
comic-strip panels, which were painted to imitate even the dots that
characterized the cheap color printing process used by comic books.
Hello, Shoil. –Was that an Oscar Wilde reference? –No, that was Shelley. Laverne
and Shelley!
See note on
Oscar Wilde, above. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) was a British romantic
poet, a close associate of Lord Byron and the husband of Mary Wollstonecraft
Shelley, author of Frankenstein. He drowned at the age of 29 when his
boat capsized during a storm. Laverne and Shirley was a TV sitcom that
aired from 1976-1983; it starred Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams.
That’s for Lady Windermere’s Fan!
Lady
Windermere’s Fan
is a play by Oscar Wilde about a mysterious woman’s efforts to break into London
society, shepherded by Lord Windermere, much to the dismay of his jealous wife.
And
that’s for a Picture of Dorian Gray!
See note on
Picture of Dorian Gray, above.
I’ll harm you!
See note on
Joe Besser, above.
And
that’s for Saint Joan! Oh, no, that was Shaw.
Saint Joan
is a play, first performed in 1923, about the life of Joan of Arc, the young
peasant girl who led the French armies against the invading English and was
burned at the stake for her pains. It was written by George Bernard Shaw
(1856-1950), an Irish playwright, critic, and essayist. Shaw was awarded the
Nobel Prize for Literature for the play, but he refused the honor.
Hey, everybody, Tinkerbell’s alive! Clap your hands, everybody!
A reference to a
scene toward the end of J.M. Barrie’s play Peter Pan, in which the
audience is asked to clap if they believe in fairies, in order to save the dying
Tinkerbell’s life.
Diamonds are a girl’s best ... ooh!
“Diamonds Are a
Girl’s Best Friend” is a song from the 1953 movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,
as performed by Marilyn Monroe. Sample lyrics: “A kiss on the hand may be quite
continental/But diamonds are a girl's best friend.”
Destroy the Love Boat. Kill Gavin McCloud.
The Love Boat
was a TV romantic comedy that ran from 1977-1986, about a cruise ship on which a
succession of washed-up guest stars found love every week. Actor Gavin McCloud
(b. 1930) played Captain Merrill Stubing on the show.
And
I hate the Exxon Valdez.
On March 23,
1989, the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker carrying 53 million gallons of
crude oil from Alaska, ran aground on a reef, spilling nearly 11 million gallons
of oil into Prince William Sound. The captain had been drinking earlier in the
day, and the third mate who was on duty when the accident occurred may have been
working for as long as 18 hours straight. Roughly 1,300 miles of beach were
contaminated, and estimates of wildlife killed by the spill include 250,000
birds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, 22 killer whales,
and billions of salmon and herring eggs. Cleanup efforts cost more than $2
billion.
Oh,
not Epcot Center! What about Captain Eo?
Epcot (which
stands for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow) is a Disney theme park
in Orlando, Florida, dedicated to visions of a utopian future. It opened in
1982. Captain Eo is a short film starring Michael Jackson and Anjelica
Huston. It debuted at Epcot Center in 1986.
There goes Universal.
Universal
Studios is a theme park in Orlando, Florida. (There are other locations as well,
but given the reference to Epcot Center above, it seems safe to assume that the
Orlando one is meant.) It features various rides and other attractions with
movie themes, such as Jurassic Park.
They’re using an Oscar Meyer wiener whistle to try to contact him.
The Oscar Meyer
wiener whistle was a small plastic whistle shaped like a hot dog, with four
finger holes to play different notes.
Did
he eat Wonder Bread? He’s growing in twelve ways. He’s making the most of his
Wonder years.
An old slogan
for Wonder Bread boasted that it helped “build strong bodies twelve ways.”
Just call me the Orkin man.
The Orkin man is
the longtime advertising mascot of the Orkin pest control company.
It’s Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity.
From Here to
Eternity is a
1953 film starring Lancaster as an army sergeant who falls in love with his
captain’s wife (Kerr). The scene in which the couple makes out in the surf on a
beach has become iconic, endlessly imitated and parodied.
Rat Patrol. In
color.
Rat Patrol
was a TV series set in North Africa during World War II, which aired from 1966
to 1968. At the beginning of every episode, the show bragged that it was being
broadcast “In Color!”
It’s the Cox Mustang. Comes complete with control line, fuel, engine, blow plug
...
The Cox Mustang
is a type of small radio-controlled plane.
Cato, get off of me.
An imitation of
Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau, the bumbling protagonist of the Pink
Panther movies. In order to keep his reflexes sharp, Clouseau had ordered his
servant Cato (played by Burt Kwouk) to attack him on a regular basis.
Hawkeye! Trapper! What the Sam Hill are you doing out there?
Benjamin
“Hawkeye” Pierce and “Trapper” John McIntyre were the protagonists on the
television series M*A*S*H. (In the film version they were joined by
Augustus “Duke” Forrest.) They were played respectively by Alan Alda and Wayne
Rogers in the TV series and by Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould in the movie.
Get
your face in the frame, Pugsley.
Pugsley Addams
was the young son in The Addams Family, a TV series that aired from
1964-1966. He was played by Ken Weatherwax. In the 1990s film versions based on
the series the part was played by Jimmy Workman.
He’s got a foreign object!
In professional
wrestling, a “foreign object” is an object that is not allowed in the ring, such
as a folding chair, brass knuckles, or other potential weapons. For some reason,
however, there continues to be an ample supply of folding chairs stored near
wrestling rings.
It’s the SS Godzilla, in The Wackiest Monster in the Navy!
The Wackiest
Ship in the Army
is a 1960 film starring Jack Lemmon as a lieutenant who takes command of a ship
full of misfits during World War II.
It
looks like Dumbo gone horribly wrong.
Dumbo
is a classic animated Disney film from 1941, about a young elephant whose ears
are so large he can use them to fly.
Gorgo was ugly too!
This is a take
on the classic taunt: “Don’t be sad, don’t be blue, Frankenstein was ugly too!”
Gorgo is essentially a 1961 English Godzilla movie, about a sea monster
discovered off the Irish coast who wreaks havoc on London. It was given the MST
treatment in Show 909.
[Sung.] I won’t dance/Don’t ask me.
This is a line from the song “I Won’t Dance,” which has been performed by
Frank Sinatra and Will Young.
I’m
Charlton Heston for Comtel.
Charlton Heston
(b. 1924) is an actor and political activist who has appeared in such movies as
The Ten Commandments and Planet of the Apes. He is a
longtime spokesman for the National Rifle Association. There are a number of
companies called Comtel, but I suspect the one referred to here is the one based
in Michigan, which describes itself rather vaguely as “a sales and service
company serving the Midwest states.”
You
will bow down before me, Jet Jaguar. –Do you expect me to talk? –No, Jet Jaguar,
I expect you to die.
This is a
paraphrase of a famous exchange from the James Bond movie Goldfinger
(1964). The relevant dialogue:
Bond: Do you expect me to talk, Goldfinger?
Goldfinger: No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die.
Well, it’s about time, Mr. Mark Spitz. Have a nice swim?
Mark Spitz (b.
1950) is considered the fastest swimmer of all time. In 1972, he won seven gold
medals at the Munich Olympics, setting a new record. Afterwards he went on to a
lucrative, if brief, endorsement career.
I
have come here to chew sushi and kick butt. And I’m all out of sushi.
This is a
paraphrase of a line from the 1988 horror flick They Live,
starring “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. The actual line: “I’ve come here to chew bubble
gum and kick ass—and I’m all out of bubble gum.”
I
know what you’re thinking: Do I fire flames six hundred feet or only five?
This is a
paraphrase of the famous line from the 1971 film Dirty Harry, starring
Clint Eastwood. The full line: “I know what you're thinking: Did he fire six
shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've
kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful
handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask
yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?”
I’ll tell you one thing right now—you’re never gonna find me in a Sun Classic
picture.
Sun Classic
Pictures was a film production company that was owned by the Schick Razor
Company. They were known for movies about paranormal phenomena, such as In
Search of Noah’s Ark.
Listen, you don’t want to die, and I don’t want to have to kill you.
The closest I
could find to this line is a quotation from the 1988 film Silverado:
“Now, I don’t want to kill you, and you don’t want to be dead.”
You
know, this kind of reminds me of when we beat up Rodan.
Rodan
is a 1956 Japanese monster flick about a mysterious flying creature, kind of
like a giant pterodactyl, that is discovered underground and promptly begins to
trash Tokyo.
Which one of those monsters is playing the Jew’s harp?
A Jew’s harp is
a small instrument that is played by holding it between the teeth and plucking
it with a finger. It has been around since at least the 16th century. Why it is
called a “Jew’s” harp is unclear.
I
like you. I think I’ll kill you first.
A paraphrase of
a line from the 1985 Arnold Schwarzenegger film Commando. The entire
exchange:
Sully: Here’s twenty dollars to get some drinks in Val Verde. It’ll give
us all a little more time with your daughter.
Matrix: You’re a funny man, Sully. I like you. That’s why I’m going to
kill you last.
The
Marines are here. Tell it to the Marines.
“Tell it to the
Marines” is a phrase implying that the speaker does not believe what he or she
has just been told (i.e., tell it to the Marines, because I ain’t buying it).
The origin of the phrase would appear to be from an early 19th-century novel
called The Post Captain, in which a character was fond of saying,
“You may tell
that to the Marines, but I'll be d----d [damned] if the Sailors will believe
it!”
Hurts, don’t it?
There are two
possibilities for the source of this quip. One is a line from the 1989 film
Road House, starring Patrick Swayze. The other is the old schoolyard prank
in which a kid asks another kid if he would like a “Hertz donut.” When the
unsuspecting victim eagerly assents, the prankster punches him (or twists his
nipple; there are variations) and says, “Hurts, don’t it?”
I’ve had worse! Come back and fight like a man!
This is a
paraphrase of a couple of lines from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy
Grail, from the scene in which King Arthur (Graham Chapman) faces off
against the mysterious Black Knight (John Cleese). The first exchange:
Arthur: Now stand aside, worthy adversary.
Black Knight: ‘Tis but a scratch.
Arthur: A scratch? Your arm’s off!
Black Knight: No it isn’t.
Arthur: Well, what’s that, then?
Black Knight: I’ve had worse.
The
second line, at the end of the scene:
Black Knight:
Oh, oh, I see, running away then. You yellow bastards! Come back here and take
what’s coming to you! I’ll bite your legs off!
This one? This one’s for Rocky V. I haven’t seen it, but I hear it really
sucks.
Rocky V,
the most recent installment in the series starring Sylvester Stallone (and,
given that it came out in 1990, probably the last), has Rocky retired from the
ring after the damage done to him by Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. Financially
strapped, he agrees to coach an up-and-coming young fighter named Tommy.
Come back! I’ll bite your legs off!
See note on
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, above.
You
know, it’s quiet. Too quiet.
This phrase is a
movie cliché, usually attributed to war movies (stubbly G.I. in trenches looks
out at no-man’s-land and says “It’s quiet. Too quiet” right before all hell
breaks loose). However, I was unable to track down the first appearance of this
phrase.
I
am going to kick your scrawny little ...
Again, “I’m
going to kick your scrawny little ass” has entered so widely into popular
parlance that I was unable to determine its origin. However, wrestlers seem
quite fond of it, particularly Bret “The Hitman” Hart.
You
know, those Chrysler Buildings really pack a wallop.
See note on
Chrysler Building, above.
I
am going to give you such a pinch!
This is a line
uttered by comedian Joe Besser (1907-1988) in his persona of Oswald, a bratty
character he portrayed on The Abbott and Costello Show (1952-1953).
Hey, I’m just crazy enough to do it.
The earliest
occurrence of this phrase that I was able to find was in the 1974 Mel Brooks
film Blazing Saddles, in the scene where Sheriff Bart takes
himself hostage:
Sheriff Bart: Hold it. The next man makes a move, the nigger gets it.
Olson Johnson: Hold it, men. He’s not bluffing.
Dr. Samuel Johnson: Listen to him, men. He’s just crazy enough to do it.
Fight! Fight! You never walked away from anything in your life! Now live! Live,
damn it!
A paraphrase of
a line from the 1989 movie The Abyss, starring Ed Harris and Mary
Elizabeth Mastrantonio. The actual line, spoken by Harris as he’s trying to
resuscitate the drowned Mastrantonio: “God damn it, you bitch! You never backed
away from anything in your life! Now fight! Fight! Fiiiight!”
Game over, man! Game over! Guess I’ll see you on the other side, dude!
This is a
paraphrase of a line from the 1986 film Aliens, spoken by Bill Paxton:
“That's it man, game over, man, game over, man! Game over! What the fuck are we
gonna do now? What are we gonna do?”
You
know, one day Johnny Cash will write a song about this.
Johnny Cash (b.
1932) is a country-western singer known for his black garb and his sympathy for
men in prison, for whom he frequently performs.
Don’t look at the Ark, Marian! Don’t look at the Ark! Don’t look at it, whatever
you do!
This is a
paraphrase of a line from the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark: “Marion,
don't look at it. Shut your eyes, Marion. Don't look at it no matter what
happens.”
Listen, next time you say go to Bolivia, we go to Bolivia.
A paraphrase of
a line from the 1969 movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring
Robert Redford and Paul Newman: “Kid, the next time I say 'Let's go someplace
like Bolivia,' let's go someplace like Bolivia!”
So,
you wanna play with fire, huh?
This may be a
reference to a line on the television series
Twin Peaks:
“You want to play with fire, little boy?”
Stop the noise! Stop the noise! It’s a madhouse!
“It’s a
madhouse! A madhouse!” is a line from the 1968 Charlton Heston film Planet of
the Apes.
What, have we cut to Spartacus all of a sudden?
Spartacus
was a 1960 film directed by Stanley Kubrick. It starred Kirk Douglas as the
slave who leads a revolt against the Roman Empire. In 1991 a restored version
was released that made explicit the previously subliminal homoerotic
relationship between Marcus Licinius Crassus, played by Laurence Olivier, and
Antoninus, played by Tony Curtis.
Our
monsters are flame-broiled, not fried, folks.
Burger King, a
fast-food chain that is the chief rival to McDonald’s, brags that its burgers
are flame-broiled rather than fried like Mickey D’s.
Hey, how about a nice Hawaiian punch?
“How about a
nice Hawaiian Punch?” is an advertising slogan for the fruit drink dating back
to the mid-1960s.
Here’s a little something I call the Linda Blair.
Linda Blair (b.
1959) got her start as a child actress, with her most famous role being the
little demon-possessed girl who spins her head around and vomits pea soup in the
1973 film The Exorcist. She went on to act in a number of B-movies.
I
can’t believe it, Wally Carbo.
Wally Carbo was
a wrestling promoter with the American Wrestling Association back in the 1960s;
he worked with Verne Gagne, promoting matches in Minneapolis and nearby towns.
I
can’t believe they’re playing the Elly May goes to the cement pond music in the
background.
Elly May was the
daughter on the television series The Beverly Hillbillies, which aired
from 1962-1971. She was played by actress Donna Douglas. The “cement pond” was
the Clampetts’ term for the swimming pool in their back yard.
Mrs. Wiggins.
“Mrs. Wiggins”
was the name of the incompetent secretary played by Carol Burnett in a recurring
series of sketches on The Carol Burnett Show, which aired from 1967-1978.
My
soul is soaring. You know, in a hundred years I just might get to like you.
–Isn’t that from Killdozer?
Killdozer
is a 1974 TV movie about a construction crew building an airstrip during World
War II who uncover an ancient evil spirit, which promptly takes control of their
heavy equipment and begins to wreak havoc. I was unable to confirm whether this
line actually appears in the movie, though I should note that in Show 213,
Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, the following discussion takes place:
Servo: And you know, it's a much circulated fallacy that in the movie
Killdozer, Clint Walker said, "You know, in a hundred years I may just get
to like you."
Joel: That's right, I've heard that one. And also, it's an often
circulated rumor that Brian Keith in With Six You Get Eggroll
said, "I've got a mad posh for hats," but he never did.
Well, he’s probably going to go home and buy some Bobby Short albums.
Bobby Short is a
cabaret performer who specializes in singing Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, and
other pre-rock-era composers. He has performed regularly at the Cafe Carlyle in
New York City since 1968.
Shane! Come back, Shane!
Shane
is a 1953 Western starring Alan Ladd as a retired gunfighter who unwillingly
gets drawn into a range war.
Sounds like Jerry Lewis is considered a genius in Japan, too.
Jerry Lewis (b.
1926) is a comedian and actor who got his start in the 1940s alongside Dean
Martin in the Martin and Lewis comedy team. He made an enormously popular series
of slapstick comedies in the 1950s and 1960s, including The Bellboy
(1960) and The Nutty Professor (1963). In 1984 Lewis was awarded the
Legion of Honor, France’s highest honor.