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Comedy/sitcom jokes that people won't "get" anymore
- Thread starter johnbasalla
- Start date
C
cd637299
Guest
OT---
Bugs Bunny also was the center of attention in Canada, around 1999, where a woman (in Ottawa?) wanted a cartoon pulled (heck, maybe the whole show), when Bugs walked arm-in-arm with a pretty female bunny (who was actually a witch who transformed herself), then confiding to the viewer, "Sure, I know---but aren't they all witches deep inside?" The woman was infuriated.
It was determined that this was intended as merely a throwaway line, and the threatened action (lawsuit?) was tossed out.
Not that I support witches, Christian that I am....
cd
Bugs Bunny also was the center of attention in Canada, around 1999, where a woman (in Ottawa?) wanted a cartoon pulled (heck, maybe the whole show), when Bugs walked arm-in-arm with a pretty female bunny (who was actually a witch who transformed herself), then confiding to the viewer, "Sure, I know---but aren't they all witches deep inside?" The woman was infuriated.
It was determined that this was intended as merely a throwaway line, and the threatened action (lawsuit?) was tossed out.
Not that I support witches, Christian that I am....
cd
Because of this thread, I'm paying attention more to "dated references," and I've come to the conclusion that we underestimate how often this happens on new programs.
I was watching the latest episode of Justified last night. Raylan's nemesis wants to meet him later to fight and says "I'll put a limp in that Gary Cooper walk of yours." In fact, the episode was titled "That Gary Cooper Walk."
I have to wonder how many people under 45 have seen any Gary Cooper films. He died in 1961 when I was 9 years old. I know him only from old movies on TV, but those films have left the airwaves, for the most part.
I was watching the latest episode of Justified last night. Raylan's nemesis wants to meet him later to fight and says "I'll put a limp in that Gary Cooper walk of yours." In fact, the episode was titled "That Gary Cooper Walk."
I have to wonder how many people under 45 have seen any Gary Cooper films. He died in 1961 when I was 9 years old. I know him only from old movies on TV, but those films have left the airwaves, for the most part.
I think a very example of this would be a classic episode of I Love Lucy where Lucy gets Ricky to go on a radio show called Mr. and Mrs. Quiz.
At the beginning of the episode, Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel are all watching a movie on TV and everyone asks who the little girl in the movie is. Fred says Mary Pickford, Lucy says Shirley Temple, Ethel says Margaret O'Brien and I don't know what Ricky says who she is.
As everyone is listening to the radio show, a question is asked about the last state admitted into the United States and keep in mind it was 1952 when this aired. Lucy says it was Oklahoma while Ricky says it was Arizona (he was right, admitted February 14, 1912) and then afterwards Lucy says "Oh, I forgot about Alaska and Hawaii." which were 7 years away from becoming states.
And another question involved when the Internal Revenue Service gets your taxes and the answer was March instead of April.
Wonder how many now who watch this episode would know who Mary Pickford and Margaret O'Brien are as opposed to many who might know who Shirley Temple was as a child and young adult and as Shirley Temple Black ambassador and the other questions mentioned.
At the beginning of the episode, Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel are all watching a movie on TV and everyone asks who the little girl in the movie is. Fred says Mary Pickford, Lucy says Shirley Temple, Ethel says Margaret O'Brien and I don't know what Ricky says who she is.
As everyone is listening to the radio show, a question is asked about the last state admitted into the United States and keep in mind it was 1952 when this aired. Lucy says it was Oklahoma while Ricky says it was Arizona (he was right, admitted February 14, 1912) and then afterwards Lucy says "Oh, I forgot about Alaska and Hawaii." which were 7 years away from becoming states.
And another question involved when the Internal Revenue Service gets your taxes and the answer was March instead of April.
Wonder how many now who watch this episode would know who Mary Pickford and Margaret O'Brien are as opposed to many who might know who Shirley Temple was as a child and young adult and as Shirley Temple Black ambassador and the other questions mentioned.
The same can be said when GSN was known as the Game Show Network and they would air a lot of the classic game shows, such as "Match Game 7?'' Or "The Hollywood Squares". When they played the Match the Stars portion at the end of each game and if the answer was "Bill _______", the person I was watching with would often say "Bill Clinton", in which I would remark, "Bill Clinton" was an unknown in 197something. They were also amazed at how small the prize money was back then.
There were a number of 60's TV shows that hint about "the President" by making some reference that contemporary viewers immediately knew was in reference to Lyndon Johnson--but would probably draw a blank from younger viewers in 2013. For example, in the epilogue of "Dizzoner the Penguin," in November 1966, Batman--having foiled a plot by the Penguin to become mayor of Gotham City--first receives a call from the Republican party about running for President. He then receives one, obviously from the Democratic party asking the same question, in which his closing line is: "But I thought your party had a candidate for 1968?"
bpatrick said:
Not to mention the "governor" was named Stonefellow, instead of (Nelson) Rockefeller.
An episode of the Flintstones has Fred mistakenly being thought of as a baseball prospect. The two scouts who make that call were "Leo Ferocious" and "Casey Strangle." Viewers back then knew it was in reference to Leo Durocher and Casey Stengel, but it would sail over the heads of kids that now watch it on TV or DVD.
The producers of The Dick Van Dyke Show had to make an abrupt edit of the epilogue of the December 4, 1963 episode. The episode involved the Petries getting a maid, which didn't work out. In that final scene, Rob brings home a turtle that had the Petrie family's faces painted on its shell--by the maid. Dick Van Dyke's original line was, "We look just like the Kennedys." Aired 12 days after JFK's assassination, the line was changed to a comment about the turtle's longevity.
Tom and Jerry: both of them like soap operas; Tom's favorite
is "Nine Lives To Live," while Jerry's is "As The Cheese Turns."
(At this point, only the youngest viewers may not get
the joke, since "As The World Turns" ended in 2010 and "One Life
To Live" in 2012, but it will draw blank stares in time.)
And back to "Batman," didn't Dennis James and Allen Ludden once
appear as news-anchor team Chet Crumley and David Dooley?
I see the point about the change in that Dick Van Dyke episode,
but while JFK was alive and in the White House, Rob and Laura Petrie
were often compared to JFK and Jackie (especially Mary Tyler Moore,
who had a hairdo similar to Jackie's). Still, it was a smart decision,
given the time, to cut the Kennedy reference.
is "Nine Lives To Live," while Jerry's is "As The Cheese Turns."
(At this point, only the youngest viewers may not get
the joke, since "As The World Turns" ended in 2010 and "One Life
To Live" in 2012, but it will draw blank stares in time.)
And back to "Batman," didn't Dennis James and Allen Ludden once
appear as news-anchor team Chet Crumley and David Dooley?
I see the point about the change in that Dick Van Dyke episode,
but while JFK was alive and in the White House, Rob and Laura Petrie
were often compared to JFK and Jackie (especially Mary Tyler Moore,
who had a hairdo similar to Jackie's). Still, it was a smart decision,
given the time, to cut the Kennedy reference.
bpatrick said:
They appeared in the same episode that Batman makes the comment about the 1968 Presidential election.
Along those same lines, Carol Burnett did a recurring soap-opera parody on her show called As the Stomach Turns. Some can be found on YouTubebpatrick said:
M
Mario500
Guest
BD Sullivan said:
I'm sure many folks of any age now would not understand the references, especially folks with little or no interest in baseball.
Well they may not get the joke entirely I think most people would know who Leo Durocher and Casey Stengel are by following the plot. You may not know WHO they are, but you would know they are either baseball players or managers or big shot involved with baseball.
It's like when on the Brady Bunch they had Wes Parker, the plot tells you who he is, but a lot of the thrill is lost because most young people won't know how BIG a baseball star he was. But while you lose that "Wow" factor, the plot isn't less because of it.
On the flip side, some throw away lines are very funny but lost through dates. Like on the Munsters when Herman, tears apart the field after normal (at least to him) play, Leo Durocher says, when asked "What do we do with him?" "I don't know send him to Vietnam?"
So the references can be dated as long as you can get the jist of the plot.
It's like when on the Brady Bunch they had Wes Parker, the plot tells you who he is, but a lot of the thrill is lost because most young people won't know how BIG a baseball star he was. But while you lose that "Wow" factor, the plot isn't less because of it.
On the flip side, some throw away lines are very funny but lost through dates. Like on the Munsters when Herman, tears apart the field after normal (at least to him) play, Leo Durocher says, when asked "What do we do with him?" "I don't know send him to Vietnam?"
So the references can be dated as long as you can get the jist of the plot.
C
cd637299
Guest
^ The mention of Leno now reminded me to mention this one.....
When Carson Productions put together "Carson's Comedy Classics," 30-minute reruns, it was important to put it together and run it quickly....
Many jokes became dated after CCC ran much later. I remember seeing a CCC rerun maybe 15-20 years after it ran originally. Johnny made a crack about Elliott Janeway. Who? you ask. He was an economist popular in the early-mid 70s.
Euell Gibbons was the target of many a Carson joke as well. You can Google all this stuff
cd
When Carson Productions put together "Carson's Comedy Classics," 30-minute reruns, it was important to put it together and run it quickly....
Many jokes became dated after CCC ran much later. I remember seeing a CCC rerun maybe 15-20 years after it ran originally. Johnny made a crack about Elliott Janeway. Who? you ask. He was an economist popular in the early-mid 70s.
Euell Gibbons was the target of many a Carson joke as well. You can Google all this stuff
cd
Earl Butz and Anita Bryant were also frequent targets of Johnny's monologues. And for a while, they couldn't do a Carnac sketch without mentioning Chuck Barris and/or Howard Cosell. How-wud is still referenced a lot in sports media, but outside of Letterman, and maybe Bill Maher(or Dennis Miller if he had his own show again), I couldn't imagine a current talk-show host mentioning Howard.
Fortunately, Don Rickles is still with us, and occasionally appears with Dave and Jay, or he'd have been on this list a while back. Jokes about Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Paul Williams, 'Smokey and the Bandit', etc., are pretty far over younger viewers' heads these days.
Bill Cosby has almost reached a point where he's known more for his scolding diatribes against 'today's African-American youth' than for 'The Cosby Show'..and anything he did prior to that('Fat Albert', 'I Spy') is nearly forgotten.
Fortunately, Don Rickles is still with us, and occasionally appears with Dave and Jay, or he'd have been on this list a while back. Jokes about Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Paul Williams, 'Smokey and the Bandit', etc., are pretty far over younger viewers' heads these days.
Bill Cosby has almost reached a point where he's known more for his scolding diatribes against 'today's African-American youth' than for 'The Cosby Show'..and anything he did prior to that('Fat Albert', 'I Spy') is nearly forgotten.
C
cd637299
Guest
^ "I Spy" can be seen on Cozi TV if you have it, but I know there aren't many Cozi affiliates at this time....
As to the late Cosell, he was a frequent "___________" on Match Game, whenever the answer called for an obnoxious celebrity. And of course GSN ran MG into the 21st century! Despite that, MG was one of GSN's highest rated shows for a long time.
cd
P.S. BTW, kudos to johnbasalla for starting this thread....this can go quite some time!
As to the late Cosell, he was a frequent "___________" on Match Game, whenever the answer called for an obnoxious celebrity. And of course GSN ran MG into the 21st century! Despite that, MG was one of GSN's highest rated shows for a long time.
cd
P.S. BTW, kudos to johnbasalla for starting this thread....this can go quite some time!
Gibbons (who was still alive at the time) also got a mention in Larry Groce's (who?) 1976 hit, "Junk Food Junkie."cd637299 said:Euell Gibbons was the target of many a Carson joke as well. You can Google all this stuff
Match Game is still popular for the "Dumb Dora" questions.cd637299 said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXPRtEFjZaA
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