Cultural References Guide for Animaniacs (1/2)
Will Bell
CULTURAL REFERENCES GUIDE for ANIMANIACS (CRGA)
plus other RANDOM RAMBLINGS from ALT.TV.ANIMANIACS
Version 1.2 of 12/11/93, covers episodes AN101 to AN150
Edited by Will Bell (be...@cs.tamu.edu). Email comments to me.
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THIS IS PART 1 OF TWO PARTS, COVERS AN101 .. AN125
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INTRODUCTION:
As the title indicates, this document tries to be a compilation
of "interesting" things posted to alt.tv.animaniacs. Normally this
will include an explanation to the hundreds of obscure references
thrown at us, notes of DYNs in the background, and other notable facts.
I am trying to glean everything off the net that is "interesting" in
my opinion. I hope that you too will find it interesting and fun to
read. If not, then you can start your own guide. :)
This means that anything posted to a.t.a is fair game for inclusion
in this file! If you wish your material to be excluded or anonymized
then let me know.
In an effort to be complete, and also because the definition of
"obvious" varies from person to person, I am including even the
easiest-to-get references. Please don't be offended by them.
NOTE: Some people are posting some very wacked-out thoughts to a.t.a.
I reserve the right to decide what I think is or isn't a reference.
In general, "definite" and "probable" references will be used, and
"far-fetched" will not. Examples:
+ Candie typing the same sentence over and over is definitely
a reference to *The Shining*.
- Wakko saying Captain Ahab looks like Ernest Borgnine is probably
a reference to *The Poseidon Adventure*.
x The "Tilton" hotel could be a far-fetched reference to the
televangelist Robert Tilton (more likely to Hilton hotels).
The first two are used, and the last is not.
You will probably also want to read the Animaniacs Future Episode List
(AFEL), the Nifty Animaniacs Reference File (NARF!), and the Animaniacs
Episode Summary (AES). These should be available for ftp from
utpapa.ph.utexas.edu:/pub/animaniacs, or ask me via email for help.
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GUIDE TO SYMBOLS:
+ == I am 100% sure of the origin of this, or at least the original
poster of it convinced me
0 == I have not confirmed it, but I believe it is right.
? == I have not confirmed it, and am not sure. Would like confirmation.
- == Just some random thought that someone posted. Or some junk.
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CONTRIBUTORS are noted with their initials in the text. Thanks to all.
The list of names has been moved to the end due to its length.
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What is "TTA"?
- Tiny Toon Adventures. The cartoon produced from 1990-1993 by Warners
and Steven Spielberg. Many of the staff of TTA moved to Animaniacs;
the characters make cameos every so often. Many fanboys of TTA are
also fanboys of Animaniacs. (or vice versa).
General notes on the characters:
+ Wakko's voice is modeled after Ringo Starr. We have it on VERY good
authority, probably the best possible authority. (WBB)
- Dennis Falk insists that it is closer to George Harrison.
- Skippy and Slappy together reminds me a lot of Shorty and Bugs in the
cartoon "Rabbit's Kin", and it isn't just the fact that they have been
colored the same way and have the same relative sizes. (PH)
+ Ralph the Guard has appeared a few times in TTA.
+ The genesis of "NARF" was that TTA director & storyboard artist Eddie
Fitzgerald *did* and does say that particular thing...though personally
I always heard it as "neff!". Further, "Pinky" started out as a
mouse-caricature of Mr. Fitzgerald, though through various redesigns
it's morphed a bit afield from him. (AS)
+ The Brain's voice is supposed to be a parody of Orson Welles's voice
cf. "War of the Worlds". As well, the facial features of The Brain
and the older Welles are pretty similar, too. (AS, MF)
+ Runt's "definitely" shtick is a parody of Dustin Hoffman's performance
in the movie *Rain Man*. (WBB)
+ Mary Hartless appears in a number of cartoons; she is a parody of
Mary Hart, real life host of *Entertainment Tonight*. Of course,
she may have been superseded by Leeza Gibbons. (I don't follow
that show.) (WBB)
Marx Brothers ideas:
- Yakko as Groucho does the wordplay ("Yeah, sure. Take all the umbrage
for yourself.") (MB)
- Wakko combines Harpo's physical gags ("Would you expand on that?") with
Chico's talent for misinterpreting words and taking them too literally
("What's on your mind?" "My hat.") (MB)
- Fortunately, Dot doesn't look much like Margaret Dumont. (JB)
- The Marx Brothers have inspired a number of gags and lines in the show.
Suggested movies: DUCK SOUP (1933), A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (1935). (WBB)
Theme song quibbles:
- "I'm almost certain it's 'pay-for-play', a show biz reference. In
pay-for-play, actors are paid for only the episodes in which they
perform." (RWA)
- "I believe the phrase *is* 'pay-or-play', and refers to the contracts
given to folks with sufficient clout that they get paid even if the
show or film doesn't get made." (MB, SS)
- That's why the toons are singing so happily and waving their contracts
proudly. A pay-or-play contract is a Good Thing and something to
brag about. (SS)
+ The official Warner word is "OR". (SS)
+ Mike Farren did an analysis of that bit and: "What did I find?
There's a beat from the orchestra simultaneous with the 'or' in
'pay-or-play'. That's what sounds like an 'f', but if you filter
that out, and just play the voices, it's 'or'."
- Now, most of the holdouts have convinced themselves that it REALLY
IS "or". (WBB)
Other notes of interest:
+ Kathryn Page is Tom Ruegger's secretary, but she obviously has
a lot of other responsibilities too! ;-) (PH)
- I'm surprised nobody's got the real reason YW&D make an appearance
in each short being chased by the lot guard. It's really very simple.
You see, it's a.... (drum roll).... "RUNNING" GAG! (RJR)
- (Dumber than advertised!)
+ The mysterious birds appearing with the Hip Hippos are "Tickbirds":
A kind of bird that lives on Hippos and eat bugs off of them, helping
the Hippos by ridding them of pests, while getting a free meal.
You will almost NEVER see a Hippo without a Tickbird (In the wild,
at least.) (GM)
+ Kathryn Page does not drive a Jeep, nor does she train hamsters. Her
gag credits are simply meant to be humorous, and have no hidden
meanings whatsoever. (PH)
+ The episodes DO NOT have names. (unless there is only one cartoon
shown). (PH)
+ The episodes do not have official production numbers either. They are
simply referred to as Show #1, Show #2, etc... (at WBA) or AN101,
AN102,... (at Fox) (PH)
+ There is NO abbreviation for the name Animaniacs used at WBA. (PH)
- The search continues for an abbreviation of "Animaniacs". Possible
solution: "Enough with the abbreviatin' already!" (WBB)
Voice Actors:
+ Rob Paulsen (Yakko, Dr. SNS, Pinky), aka Arnold & Concord on TTA.
Yakko's voice is very close to "Ruffie", a Raffi parody from the TTA
short "Ruffled Ruffie". He also does voices for Taz-Mania and the
Turtles, among many others. (WBB)
+ The voice artists are only allowed one credit per short, however if
they played different characters in different shorts of the same
episode, they may have more than one credit for the episode. (PH)
+ [Rob Paulsen] will never be listed in the voice credits as Dr. SNS
because he is already listed every time as Yakko. Apparently there
are no cartoons with Dr. SNS in them that do not also have Yakko
speaking. BTW, notice how Scratchansniff is spelled, with "an" in the
middle. (PH)
+ Jess Harnell (Wakko) -- ? (Never heard of him.)
+ Tress MacNeille (Dot, Hello Nurse, Marita), aka Babs on TTA. Tress
MacNeille does numerous other voices in current cartoons.
+ Chick Venerra, John Mariano (Pesto, Bobby) -- ?
+ Maurice LaMarche (The Brain, Squit), aka Dizzy on TTA and Dad on
Taz-Mania
+ Frank Welker (Ralph the Guard, The CEO, The Announcer, Flavio,
Chicken Boo, Buttons, Runt, etc), aka Gogo on TTA, Abu from *Aladdin*,
and creator of just about every weird animal sound known to modern man.
Frank has done toon voices for the past 25 years.
+ Nancy Cartwright (Mindy), better known as Bart Simpson
+ Sherri Stoner (Slappy), writer extraordinaire for TTA, Mermaid model,
Slappy writer, is there anything this gal cannot do?
0 Nathan Ruegger (Skippy), it helps to have friends in high places
(dad Tom Ruegger is the producer)
+ Bernadette Peters (Rita), a real live singer doing real live singing!
Best Animaniacs Anecdote I've ever read:
The Fox-TV affiliate in Dallas, KDAF-TV channel 33, had a transmitter
failure during the last week of November 1993. From an article in "The
Dallas Morning News":
There was a bright spot of sorts during the 77 1/2-hour shutdown.
From 4:30 to 5 p.m. Monday, when the Fox cartoon series "Animaniacs"
regularly airs, more viewers watched Channel 33's blank screen than the
competing syndicated "Xuxa" children's series on KXTX-TV (Channel 39).
The Nielsens say Channel 33 had a 0.6 rating (almost 11,000 homes)
during that time period; "Xuxa" had a 0.4 rating (7,200 homes).
Thanks to David DeSimone for providing this.
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Number : AN101
"Newsreel of the Stars" --
0 Hamton (from TTA) appears on a model sheet in Termite Terrace. (WBB)
+ The wooden bungalow used by Warner animators in the 30's and 40's
was known as "Termite Terrace". (MikeB)
- The two animators working at the bottom of the screen are, and I'm
guessing, Chuck Jones (left) and Tex Avery (with Nurse)? Perhaps even
Friz Freleng (with added moustache) is one of the people running from
the building? (ST)
+ Historical nits: The studio was not the "WB cartoon studio" in 1930.
It was the Harman-Ising Studio from 1930-33, the Leon Schlesinger
Studio from 1933-45 and only the WB Animation studio after that. The
studio is also shown as occupying "Termite Terrace" which was not the
case until 1935. (DAG)
"De-zanitized" --
+ "Don't Tell Mom, the Babysitter's Dead" was a moderately bad
1991 Warner movie starring Christina Applegate. (WBB)
"The Monkey Song" --
+ Watch for Dr. SNS to do a take on: Macaulay Culkin's famous
*Home Alone* pose and Edward Muntch's *The Scream*. (MP)
+ The original version of "The Monkey Song" was recorded by Harry
Belafonte from Harry's _Jump Up Calypso_ album, which was not available
on CD last time I checked. If somebody out there has it on cassette, I
would love to get a copy -- it's been about 15 years since I've heard
this song! (GF)
"Nighty-Night Toon" --
+ The voice (Jim Cummings) is intended to be an imitation of
Sterling Holloway (Winnie the Pooh's voice). (WBB)
+ Mr. Skullhead is a character from TTA, appearing in both of the
"Elmyra's Family" episodes. (WBB)
+ The story/subject is a parody of "Goodnight, Moon". (AS)
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Number : AN102
"Yakko's World" --
+ Several countries were omitted from the lyrics. Robert Armstrong will
gladly point them out to you.
+ Palestine and Tibet are technically not countries. (GF)
"Cookies for Einstein" --
- A story floats around (maybe an urban legend) about Einstein and
Cookies: a little girl brought him cookies (which he wasn't allowed
to eat) in exchange for him doing her math homework. (GM)
- Einstein published his theory of Special Relativity in 1905. There's
no explanation of how the Warner siblings managed to be there when he
invented it, since they were supposedly "born" in the 1930's. (PH)
+ It now appears that the Warners have arbitrary control over time. (WBB)
+ Einstein actually won the Nobel prize for his description of the
Photoelectric Effect. (AD)
+ E=mc^2 is not the relativity formula, it's the mass/energy conversion
formula. (RD)
+ There is a (famous?) photo of Einstein sticking out his tongue with
his hair messed up, cf. Wakko's photo. (DD)
+ Einsteinian math: S=BLT, H20=Wet, P=BM3 (What is this?) (NDR)
"Win Big" --
+ Infundibulator. Anyone remember Kurt Vonnegut Jr, and the
Chrono-synclastic Infundibulum? Trivia quiz: which story? (NDR)
+ One book had the author, "H. Pettibone" on it. He is listed
in the credits under Background Art (Hugh). Also "T. Craig"
and "Boyer", also both in the credits. (NDR, AS)
+ As P&B walk up the "Farmers Almanack" page, single-frames advertising
"Crazy Kexx's Cider-powered Rototiller" (or similar). Kexx is a
model designer. (NDR, AS)
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Number : AN103
Unique song line -- "Come Back Shaney"
+ It is a play on a line from the Western movie SHANE. As the title
character is about to leave town, a little boy implores him to,
"Come back, Shane!" (TF)
"H. M. S. Yakko" --
+ The cartoon is a takeoff of Gilbert & Sullivan's operettas
*The Pirates of Penzance* and *HMS Pinafore*. (BW, WBB)
- Gilbert and Sullivan wrote them back in the late 1800's. *Pirates*
was redone as a Broadway play & a movie in the 1980's. (MF)
+ "Cartoon individual" song is stolen from *The Pirates of Penzance*'s
tune "I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General" (BW, WBB)
+ Carving on boat reads "Cap'n Mel is a meany". (WBB)
"Slappy Goes Walnuts" --
+ I could tell exactly what tune Slappy would be playing when I saw the
dynamite under the xylophone. This is obviously a gag borrowed from
"Show Biz Bugs". (PH)
+ The significant thing about "Show Biz Bugs" is that the "Those
Endearing Young Charms" gag was actually done with a xylophone, like in
this cartoon. I think all the other times it was done with a piano,
like in "Ballot Box Bunny". And, for what it is worth, the gag was
also done (with piano) in the 1944 B&W Private Snafu cartoon "Booby
Traps". But this probably isn't the first appearance of the gag
either. (PH)
+ For those who are unfamiliar with it, "Bonkers" is a cartoon about
Bonkers the Bobcat (who sounds like, and sort of vaguely looks like
Roger Rabbit) which premiered the week before Animaniacs did.
+ I wonder if anyone got one of the more obscure gags: The "World of
Walnuts" song was a parody of the old "Disney's Wonderful World of
Color" theme. Like Slappy sez, "Now THAT'S comedy." :-) (TF)
+ They also parodied the "kaleidoscope" background behind opening
titles. (BW)
- The whole bit with the wolf looks distinctly Averyish, but in a way as
to parody Avery's parody-laden style. (RWA)
+ During a transition shot over to the dog's house, there is a brief
shot of a Museum, with the name "UTTAM Art Museum". I finally noticed
that one of the StarToons production team is Uttam Kumar. (NDR)
+ Lionel Hampton was a big-band leader and famous vibraphone
(a xylophone-like instrument) player of the 40's and 50's. (WBB, CB)
"Yakko's Universe" --
+ The last segment, "Yakko's Universe" [is] borrowed from the Monty
Python movie: "The Meaning of Life" - the song right after the scene
where the guy "donates" his internal organs. (PH)
+ It is called "Galaxy Song" in the credits of *TMoL*. (PH)
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Number : AN104
"Hooked on a Ceiling" --
+ Title is probably a reference to the 1970's tune
"Hooked on a Feeling" by B. J. Thomas. (RWA, JB)
+ Recurring musical theme is Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an
Exhibition". (WBB)
+ The narrator in the circle was patterned after John Houseman. (RDB)
+ "Ceilings, nothing more than Ceilings" == parody of "Feelings" by
Morris Albert. (RWA, JB)
+ Dogs playing poker -- famous cheezoid cheapo paintings from some time
ago. Doesn't EVERYONE have one of these prints lying around
somewhere? (WBB)
+ Paintings with the big-eyed kids were a popular style some years ago,
alas. (SS)
+ These paintings were originally credited to Walter Keane and his wife,
but it was later proven, more or less, that Mrs. (Margaret) Keane was
the true artist. (MB, MF)
+ "He prefers the YOUNG Elvis" -- refers to the well-publicized poll
taken by the United States Postal Service regarding which image of
Elvis to put on his commemorative stamp (young vs. old -- the
Warners picked Old, the Americans picked Young) (WBB)
- The matador painting (half visible to the left of the dogs playing
poker), the dogs playing poker, the Keane kids, and the portrait of
Elvis are all classic examples of tacky art. (MB)
+ E.T. of course refers to Spielberg's famous movie.
+ The pose used for E.T. and Elliot is a wonderful combination of
Michelangelo's "hand of man touches hand of God" scene on the Chapel
ceiling and the "ouch" scene from "E.T." (MB)
+ "Mikey" (he likes it!) refers to the old Life cereal commercials.
+ "His Eminence" == Steven Spielberg, of course (WBB)
- The voice and model for Michelangelo was Kirk Douglas. See
Ren & Stimpy for more parodies of Douglas. (AS)
- Michelangelo looked like Charlton Heston because ol' Chuck starred in
1965's "The Agony and the Ecstasy", which was about, you guessed it,
Michelangelo painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. (DD)
- I know Charlton Heston starred in "The Agony and the Ecstasy".
I know it would make more sense for Michelangelo to be played
by Heston. I *still* say that toon looked and sounded like Kirk
Douglas. (MB)
- Well, youngster, Spartacus was played by Kirk Douglas, right? But, ol'
Kirk also played Van Gogh in "Lust For Life", while Chuck Heston was
Michaelangelo in "TAatE", both movies based on Irving Stone novels,
and well, nevermind, I've completely lost my point. (SS)
- Charlton Heston [also] played Ben-Hur in "Ben-Hur". Maybe the idea is
that Heston got mixed up and wore the Ben-Hur costume to play
Michelangelo.... But it is Heston, not Douglas. (DWT)
- Glad to finally clear that up. :)
"Goodfeathers: the Beginning"
+ Goodfeathers == Goodfellas (1990 Martin Scorsese movie)
+ Pesto == Joe Pesci
+ Bobby == Robert De Niro
? Squit == ??
- I don't think Squit really has all that much in common with Ray
Liotta's character in "Goodfellas". (MB)
- Squit's voice is a dead-on imitation of Ray Liotta. Including the "as
far back as I remember" line that starts Goodfellas. (AS)
+ The Godpigeon == The Godfather (Bird resembles Marlon Brando)
- Goodfeathers is funnier if you watch Goodfellas, the Godfather movies
and Raging Bull. A lot of the parodies of Scorsese's style (like the
animated moving background to emulate the infamous 5-minute long
steadicam shot in Goodfellas) will make more sense. (AS)
- Pesto's blowing up routine ("are you calling me a ________?!?") is from
Goodfellas as well -- that's one you gotta see the original to get the
impact. (AS)
- Bobby's "You _____ with me?" bit is from "Taxi Driver". (MB)
- "Badabing..." is something James Caan says in Godfather Part I. (AS)
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Number : AN105
Unique song line -- "The Rain in Spain-y"
+ Dot is dressed up as Eliza Doolittle from *My Fair Lady*. (SThomp)
+ It comes from _Pygmalion_, by George Bernhard Shaw, by way of
_My_Fair_Lady_, the musical adaptation. It's part of a pronunciation
lesson. Originally: "The Rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain." (RWA)
+ The song "The Rain in Spain" does, indeed, come from the musical "My
Fair Lady", and is by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. "My Fair
Lady was first produced in the late 1950s. "My Fair Lady" is based
directly on the play "Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw, which was
written and first staged somewhere in the early part of this century.
"The Taming of the Shrew", which was written by William Shakespeare
a few hundred years before Shaw was born, has nothing to do with
any of this. (MB)
- Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" is often cited as the basis
for "Pygmalion", which basically contemporized Shakespeare's
writing for the day. "My Fair Lady" is an adaptation of "Pygmalion".
With "The Taming of the Screwy", the process has come full circle,
referencing back to Shakespeare. (RJR)
- Mike Farren says: "The Taming of the Shrew" and "Pygmalion" have so
little in common that to consider them linked at all requires a stretch
of the imagination that only Wakko's neck could allow. (MF)
- Never let it be said that this guide does not provide you, the reader,
with EVERY LAST DETAIL! (WBB)
- Did you know that "The Last Detail" was a movie starring Jack
Nicholson? (MF)
"Taming of the Screwy" --
? Hollywood caricatures: The reporter is Mary Hartless from
Entertoonment Tonight; Robert Patrick as T2; Geena Davis & Susan
Sarandon as Thelma & Louise; Celebrity with 'Y' baseball cap is Spike
Lee ['Y?' Y not?]; Bea Arthur and Danny DeVito (as the Penguin);
Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci are Lethal Weapon trio; Bald woman
is Sigourney Weaver, and the Alien is herself; Dot's other pet is a
mutant Jerry Lewis; Michael Keaton as Batman; Jack Palance; Slappy
calls Luke Perry (Johnny Depp?) a very mature Johnny Quest; Michelle
Pfeiffer as Catwoman; "Thing" from the Addams Family appears in a
glass of milk; Wayne & Garth (Mike Myers and Dana Carvey); Beauty and
the Beast; Whoopi Goldberg with Billy Crystal; Kid with annoying voice
is Urkel (Jaleel White); Guy with mallet is Gallagher; Madonna.
(MH, PH, RJR)
+ Yakko and Mr. Kato's conversation:
Yakko - Tokyo wa totemo omoshiroi tokoro desu ne.
[Tokyo is a very interesting place.]
Kato - Zehi irasshite kudasai.
[Please come (to Tokyo).]
(Kato uses Zehi to mean "must", but is still asking please.)
Yakko - Mada iki-basho ga areba ne.
[If it's still there.] (AM)
+ I showed the episode to a friend of mine who is a native speaker, and
he translated the last line as, roughly, "If there is still a place
for me there," or, "If there is still room for me there." There is no
direct translation becuase, as many suspected, this is an in-joke with
Tokyo residents. It is a reference to the crowded and generally
run-down condition of most of the city. He complimented the script
writers on their knowledge of Japanese culture. :) (TF)
? One voice, Mr. Kato, was credited as Bob Ito. Could this,
perchance, be Robert Ito, of Quincy and Buckaroo Banzai fame? (RJR)
+ On the first run of the show, "Joe P.", "Danny D.", "Jack P.", and
"Spike" were cited in credits. Second (and presumably future) runs
have replaced these with "Star #1", "Star #2", "Star #3", and
"Star #4". You tell ME why. (WBB)
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Number : AN106
Opening intro --
+ A parody of the theme song of "Flipper".
"Temporary Insanity" --
0 Note pictures of famous WB toons on the walls of the CEO's office.
(Buster, Elmyra, Hamton, Batman). (RWA)
"Operation: Lollypop" --
- No noteworthy comments so far.
"What are We?" --
- No noteworthy comments so far.
Ending Tag -- "I can't think of the ending of this show.
I can't think of anything else!"
+ This refers a piano gag in the Marx brothers' film *Animal Crackers*.
Chico is playing the same music over and over until he confesses,
"I can't think of the finish." To which Groucho replies, "That's
strange, I can't think of anything else." (WBB)
+ Wakko makes a Googie here (see AN 123 for more details).
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Number : AN107
"Piano Rag" --
0 Did you notice John Rhys-Davies? Solly from the Indiana Jones
movies and the Russian KGB head in the Bond movie "License to Kill",
as well as others. The voice of Tympannini! (RJR)
"When Rita Met Runt" --
- No noteworthy comments so far.
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Number : AN108
Opening intro --
+ Parody of Gilligan's Island theme, of course. (WBB)
"The Big CANDY Store" --
+ Sign at "Burt's World of Cheese" says: "Yes, we _will_ cut the
cheese!" (RD, SM)
+ Other shops: Tammy's Galaxy of Yarn, Sy's Universe of Big Galvanized
Drywall Screws, and of course Flaxseed's Totality of Candy. (SM)
+ The Candyman song is spoofing the famous Sammy Davis Jr. tune. (WBB)
+ Football team is from "Notre Lame". (WBB)
"Bumbie's Mom" --
+ Bumbie == Bambi, of course. (WBB)
+ Bumper == Thumper, one of Bambi's pals. (WBB)
+ Old Yello == Old Yeller, another Disney movie where the animal
gets shot. (WBB)
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Number : AN109
Unique song line -- "Shirley MacLaine-y"
- The Warner writers seem to have some obsession with Shirley MacLaine.
First in TTA, and now here. (WBB)
"Wally Llama" --
+ Wally Llama == Dalai Lama (celebrated wise monk of Tibet)
+ MacLaine watch II: Shirley asked Wally Llama a really dumb
question. (WBB)
"Where Rodents Dare" --
0 Where Eagles Dare. A war movie about Allied forces invading (you
guessed it) a high-in-the-mountains castle (the Eagle's Nest) inhabited
by Nazis. I might have my references slightly off here, but that's
the movie we're supposed to think of. (RD)
+ THX-1138 is an old science fiction movie, by either Lucas (I think) or
Spielberg - it's one of the 1984 big brother type movies. (RD)
+ THX-1138 was George Lucas' award-winning student film from his USC
days and was later remade as his first feature film. (TK)
+ The world leaders in the Brady-Bunch-like news graphic are:
Fidel Castro Queen Elizabeth George Bush
??? Manuel Noriega Yassir Arafat
Boris Yeltsin Mihkail Gorbachev Dan Quayle (SM)
+ The man frozen in the lab is a caricature of Brian Mitchell
(Storyboards.) (AS)
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Number : AN110
"King Yakko" --
+ Perry Coma == Perry Como (and just about as exciting, too)
+ Large Wooden Anvil == Trojan Horse
+ Numerous references to the Marx Bros. movie *Duck Soup*.
+ Yakko definitely took on the mantle of Groucho Marx in this one.
"Citizens, I stand before you because if I stood behind you, you
couldn't see me." is a classic Groucho line. (BC)
- Yakko's bit: "Straight to you with no middle-man: I *am* the King":
His words and the inflection in his voice *very* closely imitate a
very annoying series of commercials on TV in the LA area for
Paul "the King of Big-Screen", a television salesman. The ads show him
wearing a crown, and the commercials always end with him saying, "I
*am* the King." It is a joke that I imagine only Los Angeles residents
would pick up on. (RayD, AS, BW)
+ Wakko, when the prime minister offers her hand, sticks his leg into
it -- an often-used Harpo Marx gag. (RWA, WBB)
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Number : AN111
"No Pain, No Painting" --
+ We open with Picasso painting on everyone's favorite, Dogs Playing
Poker. (MB)
0 All Picasso's previous paintings appear to be Red Skelton-style "sad
clown and/or happy clown" paintings. (SM)
+ The picture that cross-dissolves from a drawing to a painting at the
end is a caricature of Rich Arons (producer.) (AS)
"Les Miseranimals" --
+ A parody/tribute to *Les Miserables*. (WBB)
- I have got a long posting by John Payson comparing the tunes in this
cartoon to the actual lyrics to Les Miz. Email requests. (WBB)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN112
Unique song line -- "Citizen Kane-y"
+ Reference to the movie of the same name. Yakko holds up
"Rosebud" the sled. (WBB)
"Garage Sale of the Century" --
+ Title spoofs the name of a cheezoid game show, "Sale of the Century".
(WBB)
+ Buster, Babs, Taz (from "Taz-Mania") and Batman (from BTAS) appear in
a crowd scene. (many)
"West Side Pigeons" --
+ A tribute/parody of *West Side Story*. (WBB)
+ The dance happens at a "Leonard Bernstein Memorial Concert".
Bernstein is the late composer of *West Side Story*. (WBB)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN113
"Hello Nice Warners" --
+ The name is a takeoff of "Hello Nice Lady!" (RD)
+ Man with bowtie == Jerry Lewis, of course (WBB)
- Paul Rugg actually does a pretty good job of doing Lewis's voice. (RD)
+ "Three little maids from school" is from *The Mikado*. Someone at
Warner is obviously a Gilbert & Sullivan fan. (WBB, BW)
+ Jan Murray was a comedian and game show host of the 1950's. He and
Lewis became close friends when they co-starred in the 1970 bomb
"Which Way to the Front?" (WBB)
+ Dot is painting on Edward Muntch's "The Scream". (ST)
+ Stanislavski was a famous acting teacher who invented the technique
known as the Method acting style. (SS)
+ With the Stanislavski Method, the actor is supposed to "feel" the
character and "become" the character, and let actions flow naturally
from internal motivations. (FL)
+ The "Stanislavski Moment" was the tiny pause while the Jerry
Lewis-type person was "getting in character" for the scene. (RD)
- Believe me, if you've ever had the misfortune of seeing a Jerry Lewis
movie, this short was incredibly hilarious. It makes the ending
understandable as well. That was the French national anthem playing in
the background - they consider Lewis a comic genius. The water tower
closing was a Lewis reference as well. (RD)
0 The shoe store bit takes place at "Imelda's Shoes". Imelda Marcos,
ex-ruler of the Phillipines (?) was known for owning thousands of
pairs of shoes while her people suffered poverty and starvation. (WBB)
+ "Old Screamer" == another shot at *Old Yeller*. (WBB)
+ Illinois Smith == Indiana Jones, of course (WBB)
"La Behemoth" --
+ Title refers to "La Boheme", the cartoon may parody this
famous opera by Puccini. (WBB)
"Little Old Slappy from Pasadena" --
+ The song was a real song by Jan & Dean (#3 in 1964). (WBB, RDB)
+ Slappy drives a Dodge Viper (Dodge is mentioned by name in the song).
When she's in the desert, she ends up racing the Road Runner.
'Roadrunner' was the name of the high-performance Plymouth of the '60s.
They were a Charger R/T variant and were the terror of the tracks until
the mid-'70s. I do believe this race was intentional as the Plymouth
Roadrunner is the only car named after a cartoon. (MikeB, LoA)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN114
"Mime Time" fillers --
+ Tom Bodett is an Alaskan native who's done some writing and radio work,
and his real claim to fame is those Motel 6 commercials. "We'll leave
the light on for you." That was him in today's episode. It's amazing
the people they get. (RD)
"La La Law" --
+ This cartoon is a spoof of the TV show "L. A. Law".
"Cat on a hot steel beam" --
+ Title refers to "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof".
+ "Green Bean" is of course a reference to Popeye's Swee' Pea.
+ Tom and Jerry clones appear.
+ Marvin the Martian cameo on the moon.
+ Cartoon makes fun of numerous other cartoons where someone/something
gets out on the high steel to walk around while the other characters
try to rescue him/her/it. (BW)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN115
Unique song line -- "Andromeda Strain-y"
+ A reference to the Michael Crichton novel of the same name. (WBB)
- Note that Crichton's novel had little to do with space travel, even
though the scene implies this. "Andromeda Strain" was a code name
of a suspicious organism that came from space, and the bulk of the
novel focuses on earthbound attempts to study it. (WBB)
"Space Probed" --
+ "Turn out that light!" is a reference to countless WWII era cartoons
which used that same phrase. This refers to the mandatory blackouts
of cities to prevent against night bombing. (WBB, AS)
+ Missing celebrities: Elvis Presley, Amelia Earhart, Bigfoot,
Jimmy Hoffa (WBB)
- Yakko's pedicure bit is probably a reference to Bugs Bunny's
monster manicure in "Hair-Raising Hare". (WBB, RWA)
- Better yet, it could be a reference to the the hairdresser bit Bugs
pulled on Gossamer in "Water, Water, Every Hare". (MB)
- The 'toe' bit comes from hundreds of sci-fi stories in which the human
race has evolved into nothing but a big brain with a incredibly tiny
body. (RWA)
- I thought that TOE came from the acronym "theory of everything",
especially because that is written on The Brain's blackboard during the
P&TB promos. (PH)
+ Seen in the waiting room: Marvin the Martian, Darth Vader, and
Jean-Luc Picard. (BW)
+ "Jane, stop this crazy thing!", refers to the ending sequence of
*The Jetsons*, complete with Jane Jetson alien! (BW)
"Battle for the Planet" --
+ The Duffs are watching Brain's pirate broadcast. (ST)
- When Brain credits Desi Arnaz with the three-camera system, he's not
only funny, he's probably accurate. "I Love Lucy" was the first TV
show that, instead of setting up and filming each scene with a single
camera, the way most movies are made, performed the whole show in order
with three cameras rolling, and the director switching between the
cameras. (MB)
Kathryn Page credit -- "Bobbie's sister"
+ Bobbie Page is a production assistant on Animaniacs. (WBB)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN116
"Chalkboard Bungle" --
+ "Blackboard Jungle" was a 1955 movie starring Glenn Ford as a teacher
Two of the students are Sidney Poitier and Jamie Farr (billed as
Jameel Farah). At the end, of course, he wins the class over and they
give him a present at the end. "Stand and Deliver" is done in the same
way. (DR, TMA, WBB, Leonard Maltin)
+ "Mrs. Flamiel" refers to Jerry Lewis's favorite nonsense word
(in this show, anyway). (WBB)
"Hurray for Slappy" --
+ The newspaper that Slappy shreds has pix of Buster, Babs, a disfigured
Plucky, and a headline about "Elvis living in WB water tower!" with
the King and YWD. (TK)
+ Newspaper headlines:
. ELVIS ALIVE! LIVES IN WATER TOWER WITH WARNER BROS. AND SISTER DOT
. BUSTER BUNNY TOO COOL?
. PLUCKY DUCK CON MAN?
. BABS SHARES HER BEAUTY SECRET (SM)
- "Slappy the Slap-Happy Squirrel" could be taken from a character
appearing in 1950s MGM Cartoon Comics named "Screwy the Screwball
Squirrel". (DAG)
"The Great Wakkorotti: The Master and his Music" --
+ Wakkorotti == Luciano Pavarotti
Kathryn Page credit -- "The Shepherd"
? This has got to mean something.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN117
"Good Idea, Bad Idea" bits --
+ Tom Bodett returns. See "Mime Time" above.
"Roll over, Beethoven" --
+ From the song of the same name by the Beatles. (RWA)
+ More accurately, Chuck Berry. The Beatles covered it in 1963. (DF)
+ DYN: the busts of Frank Sinatra and Elvis in the introductory camera
pan. (RWA)
+ Vienna sausages for lunch are "apropoo" because Beethoven lived and
worked in Vienna. (MB)
+ Dot's lounge singer bit was not Jessica Rabbit, but a parody of
Michelle Pfeiffer's character in "The Fabulous Baker Boys". In the
film, she sings "Makin' Whoopee", in a sequinned dress, on the piano.
Dot's version is, "He's writin' hooey". (JB, SM)
0 "Maybe a sunflower will cheer him up" -- Van Gogh had a famous
painting called "Sunflowers". It was recently auctioned off to
Japanese investors for $40 million, the largest amount ever paid for
art (to date). (WBB, BW, RC)
"The Cat and the Fiddle" --
+ Stradivarius was, of course, a famous violin maker. (MB)
Ending Tag -- "Clap on, Clap off, Clap on, Clap off, clap on, show's over!"
+ This is taken from a commercial for a product called the "clapper".
Clapping your hands causes a power toggle on whatever you plugged
in to it (a lamp, normally). (WBB)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN118
"Pavlov's Mice" --
+ Pavlov wanted saliva to study (his Nobel prize was for digestive
system research) and wasn't really interested in conditioned response,
per se. (ES)
"Chicken Boo-ryshnikov" --
+ Obviously a take on Mikhail Baryshnikov, the famous ballet dancer.
+ In the audience in a previous shot (silhouette only) are, from
screen left Bob Sledge, Dave Kuhn, Fred Gardner (partially obscured),
Mike Milo and Kevin Frank. (AS)
"Nothing but the Tooth" --
+ Shriners actually ride in little cars like these in parades. (RD)
+ Rasputin wasn't hypnotizing the Czar, but since he was the only
person who could treat the Czarovich (Prince heir apparent) for his
hemophilia, the Czar pretty much did everything Rasputin wanted. I
guess that was too gruesome an idea for a cartoon, and both would have
taken too much background material to be worthwhile. Rasputin's
hypnosis may have been an "Aladdin" reference, too. (ES)
+ Anastasia was the daughter of the last czar.
- And the only reason any of us know that is because many (including,
apparantly, the producers of "Unsolved Mysteries") believe that she
alone survived the execution of her family by the Bolsheviks, (in 1918
or 19, I think) to emerge years later in a German asylum. This, by the
way, is why Wakko's reference to the Czar "I see nothing but good
things in his future" is so darkly hilarious! (CA)
+ Rasputin wasn't fired. He was first poisoned with enough arsenic to
fell a couple of horses. When that didn't work, they shot him a few
times, then tied him up and threw him in the river. The autopsy said
he drowned. (TEB)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN119
Unique song line -- "Where's Lon Chaney?" --
+ Lon Chaney, Sr. (known as "The Man of a Thousand Faces" due to his
expertise with makeup) played Quasimodo in the 1923 film version of
HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, and also starred in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. (DT)
+ Lon Chaney, *Jr.* was contemporary with Karloff and Lugosi. Junior not
only created the role of THE WOLF MAN, but he also played most of the
classic Universal Studios monsters: Dracula in SON OF DRACULA,
Frankenstein's Monster in GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN and the Mummy in THE
MUMMY'S CURSE. He did *not* play Dr. Jekyll. (DT)
"Meatballs or Consequences" --
+ "Robert's Rules of Death": _Robert's_Rules_of_Order_ is a good-sized
tome describing parlimentary etiquette. (RWA)
+ The Franklin Mint is well known for producing a number of totally
useless pieces of wannabe art, including many expensive chess sets.
The civil war chess set is one of them. (WBB)
+ The checkers game is a direct reference, and the deadpan voices &c. an
overall stylistic reference to the 1956 Ingmar Bergman film *The
Seventh Seal*. (LC)
+ *Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey* stole the idea, too. (WBB)
"Dot's Poetry Corner" --
- Possibly modeled after "Bullwinkle's corner", but probably just
a general reference to the "beat" coffeehouses of the 50's and 60's.
(Note finger-snap applause and funky music.) (MB, WBB)
"A Moving Experience" --
+ The woman who didn't want them to leave the jungle was "Geena Embryo".
This refers to Jean Embrey, who works at the San Diego Zoo and was on
Johnny Carson a lot with monkeys and other furry friends. (SM)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN121
Unique song line -- "Eisenhower Mamie"
+ Ike's wife was Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower. (WBB)
"Four Score and Seven Migraines Ago" --
+ "Ich bien ein Gettysburger" -- refers to JFK's famous flub at a speech
in Berlin (Ich bien ein Berliner == I am a jelly doughnut.) (WBB)
+ Many other quotes from FDR, Churchill, Truman, etc. (TK)
+ Parody of TTA theme:
W: "I'm wacky," D: "and frankly," Y: "this war has got me cranky."
YWD: I'm proud to be a Yankee. How're ya' doin' Gettysburg?" (WBB)
- When Yakko delivers his version of the address, he's doing a Jimmy
Stewart impression. I don't know if Stewart has ever played Lincoln,
as Henry Fonda and Raymond Massey have, but he did star in "Mr. Smith
Goes To Washington." This may be another weird cross-reference, as
with Michelangelo. (MB)
"Wakko's America" --
+ Things on Wakko's America Map: The Space Needle in Seattle, The
Hollywood Sign, The Grand Canyon & The Colorado River, Saguarro Cacti
in Arizona, The Rocky Mountains, The Mississippi River, The Capitol
Building, The Empire State Building, The Appalachian Mountains, Mt
Juno in Alaska, Old Faithful, A fish with sunglasses in Florida. (GM)
"Davey Omelette" --
+ Title refers to Davy Crockett, of course. (WBB)
"The Flame" --
+ More nepotism: Luke Ruegger voices the Flame. (WBB)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN120
Opening intro --
+ A parody of the intro of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." (WBB)
"Hearts of Twilight" --
- (See other Jerry Lewis comments at "Hello Nice Warners".)
+ The cartoon is a parody of *Apocalypse Now*. (many)
+ The title is a parody of *Heart of Darkness*, the Joseph Conrad
novel that *Apocalypse Now* was based on. (many)
+ Also, the documentary on the making of Apoc. Now is titled "Hearts of
Darkness". (SS)
+ The weirdo songs (This is the beginning, this is the middle, etc).
spoof the song 'The End' by the Doors, who did much of the music for
*Apocalypse Now*. (SL)
- Yeah, but the lyrics ("This is the middle--the middle of the story...")
were a blatant knock-off of a similar Monty Python routine. (TF)
+ "Universe Studios" -- pokes fun at Universal Studios theme park and
its King Kong, Earthquake, and Stunt Show attractions. (RWA)
+ "The Wretched Clown" is a reference to that unreleased movie of
Jerry's, about a clown entertaining kids in a Nazi death camp. (RWA)
+ YW&D were sent to stop a director who was going horribly over budget;
Coppola went very far over budget with *AN* and had the studio very
worried. He also managed to bankrupt his own Zoetrope studios. (JR)
+ The scene with Wakko on the roof of the cart (performing Tai-Chi like
moves) parody the opening of *AN* which shows Martin Sheen doing
likewise in his hotel room until he smashes his mirror. (JR)
+ Yakko's narration was in the same tone as Sheen's character. (JR)
- The trip (backwards) through the Universe Studios tour probably
parodies the stop made in *AN* at the last bridge where there is chaos,
and no one knows who is in charge. (JR)
+ The photographer was a *great* parody of the journalist (Dennis
Hopper's) character. In the movie he talks to Sheen's character about
how Kurtz (parodied by the Jerry Lewis character) is doing gods work,
and he shouldn't be stopped. (In the movie Kurtz wants to be stopped -
killed - to end his own maddness) (JR)
- Janet reads *The Plain Dealer* while riding in the car. (FNF)
+ All agree that "Froyn laven" and "flamiel" are just nonsense words
with no real meaning, just general parodies of Lewis's shtick.
(German: Freundleben == "friend life") I checked a Yiddish dictionary
and came up with nothing. (WBB)
+ At the end, the Warners run over Jim Morrison (of the Doors).
- Amazingly enough, both "Eek! the Cat" and "Taz-Mania" also did
spoofs of *AN* about this time. (WBB)
"The Boids" --
+ Parody of Alfred Hitchcock's famous scary film, *The Birds*, and
features pretty good caricatures of Hitch and Tippi Hedren. (WBB)
+ Here, "Universe Studios" appears because most of Hitch's films were
released through Universal. There is also an Alfred Hitchcock
attraction at Universal Studios Florida. (WBB)
+ "Norman", the clapboard guy == Norman Bates, the killer from *Psycho*,
another scary Hitchcock film. (WBB)
- Why does the crow have a Jack Nicholson voice? (RWA)
+ The man who was helping [Hedren] into the car was presumably meant to
be Rod Taylor. The two birds in the cage are the lovebirds Hedren's
character purchases as a joke on Taylor, and indeed the humans do take
them along at the end. (DT)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN122
"Guardin' the Garden" --
+ The announcer here is "The Voice of ABC", Ernie Anderson. He is
currently the announcer for both of ABC's "America's Funniest..."
shows. Email me for RJR's interesting history of this guy. (WBB, RJR)
- The animators did a delightful spoof of the deliberately placed
branches, etc. to avoid showing genitalia and breasts. (RWA)
- As they walk out of the scene, Adam throws the branch away! (RJR)
+ Fuzzy Zueller is a golf pro. (RWA)
+ The front of Slappy's door step says "GO AWAY." (RJR)
- The snake hops and sounds like the snake from the video arcade game
Q-Bert! (RJR)
+ The duck playing miniature golf was Little Plucky, for all you
non-TTA fans. (WBB)
? God was voiced by Malachi Throne (who is this?) (WBB, RJR?)
+ The snake comments, "Colonel Mustard did it in the kitchen."
And then: "Or was it Miss Scarlet?" Both refer to that great
old Parker Brothers game "Clue". (WBB)
"Plane Pals" --
+ The gremlin pilots the plane in the opening shot. (RJR)
- In the terminal, scene approaching the ticket counter, look closely
at the characters in shadow. First two at the window look like
outlines of Abbott and Costello. Then, standing at the counter, some
distance behind Blowski, appear to be outlines of Fred and Wilma
Flintstone. These only appear for a few frames - freeze frame almost a
must. (RJR)
+ Airport poster #1: "Visit Beautiful Berwyn":
. A giant mushroom in the shot. (RJR)
. Berwyn is a suburb of Chicago, and was a running gag on a local
horror-host show ("Svengoolie") back in the early 70's. (DT)
. I suspect that the reference really had nothing to do with
Sven/Son of Sven beyond (possibly) an awareness factor. (DH)
. The mushroom comes from Berwyn's premier cultural event: The Houby
Festival (Houby is Bohemian for Mushroom). Included in this event
are the Houby Day Parade, the Houby Marathon, the Houby Horseshoe
Throwing Contest and the all-important Houby Queen Beauty Contest. I
am not making any of this up. (DH)
+ Airport poster #2: "New Richmond (Richland?), Wisconsin"
. At bottom: It's Fun. (RJR)
. The guy is wearing a wedge of cheese on his head. (RJR)
+ Airport poster #3: "Gary, Indiana", with smoke stacks.
. At bottom: It's Not So Bad. If you've ever driven through Gary on
I-90, you know how appropriate that picture is! :) (RJR)
+ Guy standing just to the right of the posters is wearing a Batman
t-shirt. (RJR)
- Plane passengers include: The Gremlin; Siskel & Ebert; Bull from
"Bully for Bugs"; Nun from the Candy Store; Urkel; Jack Palance(?);
Faboo belly dancer; One of the Rugrats in lower right corner; the Fat
Elvis; Charlie the dog (usually paired with Elmer or Porky); an Old
Elmer (traveling in disguise?); Charles and Di(?), two rows apart;
Woman next to Charles - Mature Little Orphan Annie (note eyes)
(MH, RJR)
+ "For Fleeing Villains Only" -- I believe this is in reference to a
skyjacker back in the 70's that escaped from the plane by parachute,
never to be caught. (TM)
+ A bank robber. D. B. Cooper. (RD)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN123
"Be Careful What You Eat" --
- For a long analysis of the lyrics and discussion on the veracity
of the ingredients, email me.
"Up the Crazy River" --
- No noteworthy comments so far.
"Ta Da Dump, Ta Da Dump, Ta Da Dump Dump Dump" --
+ Title is a reference to the familiar theme from "The Lone Ranger",
aka Rossini's William Tell overture. (WBB)
Wheel of Morality -- "The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind" --
? RWA says this is a reference to "some song." Any volunteers?
- When Yakko asks if the others know what time it is, Wakko's response
is "Time to make a Googie?" The face he makes while saying this
(puffed out cheeks, etc.) is in fact a fair imitation of a Googie, a
facial expression made famous by (wait for it) . . . Harpo Marx. (MB)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN124
"Warner's World of Baldness" --
- The "... for only $19.95" is probably a parody of Earl Scheib, who
uses ads like that for his chain of car painting outlets. (MB)
+ Yakko's final "I'm not just the president..." is a reference to the
TV ads for the Hair Club for Men (with Sy Sperling). (MB)
"Opportunity Knox" --
+ The last name "Perkins" is the most common name in the Elizabethtown
Kentucky area, which is a mere 10 minutes drive from Fort Knox. (RV)
"Wings Take Heart" --
- No noteworthy comments so far.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN125
"Disasterpiece Theatre" --
+ Title is a take on the PBS series "Masterpiece Theatre".
"Hercule Yakko" --
+ A general pastiche of mystery parodies:
+ "Hercule Yakko" == Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's detective;
+ Wakko is "Dr. Wakko" (refers to Sherlock Holmes stories);
+ Dot is "Number One Sister" (refers to Charlie Chan movies' "Number
One Son") (MB, TDB, RWA, WBB)
- Look for the (poorly-animated?) Colombo parody. (RWA)
+ When looking for prints, Dot finds Prince (the rock star). She refuses
to finger him. (WBB)
+ Dot's "Night at the Opera" comment refers to the very famous scene in
the Marx brothers movie of the same name. The Marxes are hiding out in
a tiny little stateroom, until one of the brothers (Chico?) decides
he wants dinner. Somehow this turns into having every possible ship
service called into this dinky little room, finally culminating in
Margaret Dumont opening the stateroom door and having everyone spill
out CRASH! (BW)
Rita & Runt theme song --
- Did anyone besides me understand the "[Lynn] Fontanne and [Alfred]
Lunt" reference in R&R's intro? It rhymes delightfully, and one
generally wouldn't group them with the other pairs listed. (DWT)
+ Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt were known for their Broadway work
in the 1910's through the 1950's. They were also married. (WBB)
"Home on de-Nile" --
+ Sonny Bono, the better half of Sonny & Cher, is indeed the mayor
of Palm Springs. (WBB)
+ "We're not worthy" is stolen from *Wayne's World*. (WBB)
+ Furrball (from TTA) is a rejected candidate for sacrifice. (WBB)
+ Cleopatra and Marc Antony are inspired by Liz Taylor and Richard
Burton (who played them in the flop 50's film). (CA)
- The "Who's Afraid of Cleopatra" song is a nod to "Who's Afraid of
Virginia Woolf", also starring Burton and Taylor. (CA)
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" --
- No noteworthy comments so far.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
END OF PART 1
============================================================================
============================================================================
DISTRIBUTION AND OTHER CAVEATS:
The Animaniacs characters and names are trademarks and (C) 1993 by
Warner Bros., Inc. This document is neither endorsed nor approved
by Warner Bros., Inc.
This document is a unique compilation of previously published material and
is (C) 1993 by Will B. Bell. This document, or any derivative works
thereof, may not be sold or modified in any way without express written
permission of the editor, Will Bell. This includes, but is not limited to,
translations into foreign languages, mass archival as on a CD_ROM,
inclusion in commercially published compilations (books), and uploading
this document to non-USENET services.
This document represents the collective effort of many USENET Animaniacs
fans. We appreciate your honoring of this policy.
--
Will Bell -- be...@cs.tamu.edu -- Live from the heart of Scenic Central Texas
"Ya das is Otto von Schnitzelpusskrankengescheitmeyer!
Ya das ist ein incredibly long name to have to try and say!"
Christopher Sedlack
Bob Dylan song, the one with "How many roads must a man walk down, before they
call him a man?" I'll check the title with my roommates when I see them.
Chris Sedlack
csed...@uiuc.edu
Mark Bernstein
: "When Rita Met Runt" --
: - No noteworthy comments so far.
which starred Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, who bear no resemblence to
Rita and Runt.
:
: Unique song line -- "Shirley MacLaine-y"
: - The Warner writers seem to have some obsession with Shirley MacLaine.
: First in TTA, and now here. (WBB)
MacLaine is well known as a believer in all sorts of New Age stuff
(reincarnation, etc.), which has gotten her a reputation as sort of
flaky. This makes her an easy target for stuff like this.
:
: "Four Score and Seven Migraines Ago" --
: + Parody of TTA theme:
: W: "I'm wacky," D: "and frankly," Y: "this war has got me cranky."
Wakko's line is "I'm lanky", not "I'm wacky". It's a reference to
Lincoln, who's often described as lanky.
--
Mark Bernstein
ma...@cimage.com
Mark Bernstein
Will Bell (be...@cs.tamu.edu) wrote:
: "The Big CANDY Store" --
: + The Candyman song is spoofing the famous Sammy Davis Jr. tune. (WBB)
While Davis was the one who had a hit record of the song, "The Candy Man"
was originally performed (and, I believe, written) by Anthony Newley, in
the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory".
: Number : AN122
:
: "Guardin' the Garden" --
: ? God was voiced by Malachi Throne (who is this?) (WBB, RJR?)
Damn, wish I had a good reference on hand. Throne has been acting
(including stage, film, and occasional TV) for *many* years, often
playing bad guys or, in recent years, patriarchal figures. No
specific credits come to mind at the moment, but if I come up with
any, I'll let you know.
--
Mark Bernstein
ma...@cimage.com
Christopher Sedlack
>Chris Sedlack
>csed...@uiuc.edu
The title of the song is, oddly enough, "Blowing in the Wind".
(still) Chris Sedlack
csed...@uiuc.edu
Robert J. Repas, Jr.
In a previous article, ma...@cimage.com (Mark Bernstein) says:
>
> Will Bell in the cultural reference guide states:
>:
>: "Guardin' the Garden" --
>: ? God was voiced by Malachi Throne (who is this?) (WBB, RJR?)
>
>Damn, wish I had a good reference on hand. Throne has been acting
>(including stage, film, and occasional TV) for *many* years, often
>playing bad guys or, in recent years, patriarchal figures. No
>specific credits come to mind at the moment, but if I come up with
>any, I'll let you know.
Malachi Throne's best known part was as Alexander Mundays (sp?) boss in
the television show "It Takes a Thief". He's also performed guest star
roles in many other television series...notably Star Trek: The Original
Series where he played the commander of the space station that Spock
diverted the Enterprise to in "Menagerie", the two part episode that
was compiled from the first pilot, "The Cage". I think his character name
was Menzies or Mendoza(?), although not sure on that. My ST Concordance
is missing. :(
He hasn't been seen lately, but he has been heard on Batman:TAS, as the
voice of Two-Face.
--
-- "_I'M_ the silly green duck with an ego the size of Cleveland!" - P. Duck
-- Bob Repas from the Great North Coast cz...@cleveland.freenet.edu
-- "Dumber than advertised!" - Yakko Warner
--
Mike Farren
>While Davis was the one who had a hit record of the song, "The Candy Man"
>was originally performed (and, I believe, written) by Anthony Newley, in
>the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory".
Are you *sure* about this? WW&tCF is a favorite of mine, and I don't
remember either "The Candy Man" (in it's insipid Sammy Davis Jr. version -
not like the original...) or Newley in that film.
Anyhow, on the subject of CRG's, here's a confirming bit for anyone who
cares: in "Home on De-Nile", the figure of Cleopatra has violet eyes.
Yep, definitely violet. Since E. Taylor is known for her violet eyes
(and damn nice ones they are, too, no matter what you think of what the
rest of her looks like), it's more evidence that it's the 60s "Cleopatra"
that's being parodied. Oh, yeah - also notice Burton/Antony's rendition
of "Who's afraid of Cleopatra", a takeoff on "Who's Afraid of Virginia
Woolf", in which, of course, Burton and Taylor also starred.
--
Michael J. Farren far...@netcom.com
"Remember that good diction reflects so well on you, so practice all
your vowel sounds by saying "AAAEEEEIIIIOOOOUUUUU!" - Animaniacs
The Mystic Mongoose
>ma...@cimage.com (Mark Bernstein) writes:
>
>>While Davis was the one who had a hit record of the song, "The Candy Man"
>>was originally performed (and, I believe, written) by Anthony Newley, in
>>the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory".
>
>Are you *sure* about this? WW&tCF is a favorite of mine, and I don't
>remember either "The Candy Man" (in it's insipid Sammy Davis Jr. version -
>not like the original...) or Newley in that film.
I'm not sure if he's the guy who sings it, but it is in the movie. It's
right near the start, sung by the proprietor of the store where all the
cildren buy their candy.
The Mystic Mongoose | ____________ |Best of IRC-
r...@gandalf.baylor.edu| / _______ |Lamprey & the Brain
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CWM
Wonka and the movie did include the song "The Candy Man," but Maltin
doesn't list Newley as part of the cast.
Personally, I remember the song, but I'm not sure who sang it - possibly
Jack Albertson?
Ron Bauerle
>Will Bell (be...@cs.tamu.edu) wrote:
>: "The Big CANDY Store" --
>: + The Candyman song is spoofing the famous Sammy Davis Jr. tune. (WBB)
>
>While Davis was the one who had a hit record of the song, "The Candy Man"
>was originally performed (and, I believe, written) by Anthony Newley, in
>the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory".
Huh? Where in the movie did that happen?
RDB
Bill Marcum
>
>Personally, I remember the song, but I'm not sure who sang it - possibly
>Jack Albertson?
>
Jack Albertson was Charlie's grandfather. Strange family--all four
grandparents shared one bed. I've got the movie on tape somewhere.
RIP...@delphi.com
the candy store where Charlie bought the bar with the golden ticket. I don't
know who played that role, but I'm fairly sure it was not Newley.
Malchai (sp?) Throne played False-Face in the Adam West Batman series, I
believe it is Richard Moll who voices Two-Face in BTAS.
Name withheld by request
Ron Bauerle <bau...@cs690-3.erie.ge.com> wrote:
>In article 42...@cimage.com, ma...@cimage.com (Mark Bernstein) writes:
>>: "The Big CANDY Store" --
>>: + The Candyman song is spoofing the famous Sammy Davis Jr. tune. (
>>
>>While Davis was the one who had a hit record of the song, "The Candy Ma
"
>>the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory".
>
>Huh? Where in the movie did that happen?
>
>RDB
>
Right near the beginning (the first song, I think). They're talking
about how mysterious Mr. Wonka is, and how he keeps churning out candies
though no one goes in and no one comes out. Cue song - in the candy
store, naturally. Cut to poor little Charlie, watching the kids play in
the store...
That's where. (grin)
Lis