Cultural References Guide for Animaniacs (2/2)
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 2 OF TWO PARTS, COVERS AN126 .. AN150
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Number : AN126
"Babblin' Bijou" --
- No noteworthy comments so far.
"Potty Emergency" --
+ Note "MST3K" lettering on the spaceship in the terrible movie.
For those not "in-the-know" this refers to Comedy Central's show
"Mystery Science Theatre 3000", a show which makes fun of terrible
movies (like the one the Warners are watching). (WBB)
0 I believe that the "Abyss Boy" is a reference to History of the World,
Part I (French Revolution). (JT)
"Sir Yaksalot" --
+ King Arthur is a parody of Richard Harris who starred in the movie
version of Camelot. (BW, CB)
+ Also note that the narrator is imitating Richard Burton who starred in
the Broadway version. (CB)
+ Merlin is a caricature of hippie ex-magician Doug Henning, who had a
stage show called "Merlin" back when he was still popular and was fond
of saying "it's maaaagic!". An anvil is appropriate. (BW, CB)
+ The Japanese out-of-sync generals are from Godzilla (and some scenes
with the dragon resembled Godzilla). (BW)
+ In the War Room, the fellow with the out-of-control arm is Dr.
Strangelove, from the Stanley Kubrick movie of the same name. (MB)
+ Raymond Burr, who appears in the war room, was dubbed into *Godzilla*
to make it more palatable to American audiences. (WBB)
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Number : AN127
"You Risk Your Life" --
+ A parody of Groucho Marx's 1950's game show "You Bet Your Life".
The show is close to Groucho's format, except with his a duck came
down and the players won money if they said the secret word. And
of course there was no cheezy live-action applause. :) (WBB)
+ The female contestant is a dead ringer for Elmyra's Mom, but she isn't
named Duff. (WBB)
"I Got Yer Can" --
+ The can used to contain "Acme Diet Walnut Soda".
+ The scene with Candie typing the same line over and over refers to
a scene in *The Shining* where Jack Nicholson does the same thing.
(WBB)
"Jockey for Position" --
+ Horse names:
. Flamiel -- The Warner Writers favorite word
. Isle of Yap -- a Gyp-parody category (from "Win Big")
. Phar FigNewton -- a combo of a famous horse named Phar Lap and
Volkswagen's word "fahrvergnugen"
. Leggo-my-Egoiste -- a combo of "Leggo my Eggo" (waffles) and
the "Egoiste" cologne that had the cool commercial. (WBB, RWA)
Dot's Poetry Corner -- "Fuzzy Wuzzy"
+ Ed Asner is the bald guy who played Lou Grant in "The Mary Tyler
Moore show" and "Lou Grant". (WBB)
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Number : AN128
"Moby or not Moby" --
+ "Captain Stubing" was of course the captain on "The Love Boat." (WBB)
- The Ernest Borgnine comment may refer to his starring role in
another sea tale, *The Poseidon Adventure*. (WBB)
+ The Warners mention *Star Trek IV* in their song to Ahab. Apparently
whales had a large part in saving Earth in that movie. (WBB)
+ The "Don't Kill the Whales" song is sung to the (familiar?) tune
"(What Shall We Do With A) Drunken Sailor". (SS)
- Starbuck looks a lot like Scotty of Star Trek. (RJR)
+ The "stroke" bit -- as in "stroking one's ego", the sycophantic things
that Y,W,&D were saying to Ahab. (SS)
+ Ahab sees Pinocchio in the whale because in the movie, Pinocchio had to
rescue Gepetto from being stuck inside a whale. Saw that one coming a
mile away. (WBB)
+ Ships are: SS Minnow, the Titanic, and the Edmund Fitzgerald. (WBB)
+ "The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald" was a song in the 70's, by
Gordon Lightfoot. About a Great Lakes ore ship that sank and
everybody died. Tres depressing material for a hit tune. (SS)
"Mesozoic Mindy" --
+ The opening sequence (everything up until Mindy emerges from the
bushes) is a shot-for-shot swipe from the "Rite of Spring" sequence of
FANTASIA. In FANTASIA, the dinosaurs are reacting in terror to the
approach of Tyrannosaurus Rex. Apparently, Mindy is at least as
frightening. (DT)
"The Good, the Boo, and the Ugly" --
+ Title, of course, refers to the 1969 Clint Eastwood flick, "The Good,
The Bad, and the Ugly", the third of Sergio Leone's popular
"spaghetti westerns". (WBB)
+ "The Man With No Personality" == Clint Eastwood's character in
these movies, Man With No Name. (WBB)
+ The two characters eating the pasta were caricatures of Eli Wallach
and Lee Van Cleef, Mr. Eastwood's costars in *TG,TB,ATU*. (RJR)
+ Ending lines refer to two other Clint Eastwood movies:
. A Fist Full of Feathers == *A Fistful of Dollars*
. A Few Feathers More == *For A Few Dollars More* (JR)
0 *A Fistful of Dollars* was the movie which established the
spaghetti western, so called because these movies were made by
Italian directors (released in Italy?) (WBB)
+ Chicken Boo was crowing the love theme from *TG,TB,ATU* at the
end. (MS)
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Number : AN130
"Hot, Bothered, and Bedevilled" --
+ Note in the opening Baghdad shot that all the people were waving
toilet plungers. (RD)
+ One form of torture in hell is forcing people to watch reruns of
"The Facts of Life" (WBB).
+ Six Flags over Flushing pokes fun at the chain of Six Flags theme
parks. (WBB)
+ Some shots taken at Thomas Brothers... for those of you outside of
the area, Thomas Bros. maps are _the_ way to get around cities in
California. (RD)
+ Dot's full name is Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca
Banana Fanna Fo Fesca the Third. (WBB)
+ The whiny protest singer is a parody of Bob Dylan. (PH)
+ Yakko talks to his siblings in a Jim Kirk manner near the end. (PH)
+ The voice of Satan was done by Ron Perlman, known for his work in
"Beauty and the Beast" (the TV version!) and "Phantom of the Opera".
(WBB, JC)
"Moon over Minerva" --
+ The use of Claude Debussy's "Arabesque" in the intro music
is itself an obscure and obtuse cultural reference to Debussy's best
known composition, "Claire de Lune" ("Moonlight" in french...). (DF)
+ Full moons are 29.53059 days apart, and not 28 as Wilford said. (PH)
+ The dancing frog refers to Chuck Jones's famous cartoon,
"One Froggy Evening". (WBB)
+ The voice of Wilfred was provided by Peter Scolari, who we all remember
from those great shows "Bosom Buddies" and "Newhart". (WBB)
"Skullhead Boneyhands" --
+ The Mr. Skullhead theme was originally sung by Elmyra in the TTA
episode "Take Elmyra Please". (TEB)
+ An obvious parody of *Edward Scissorhands*, right down to the
funky-colored houses with a mysterious castle at the end of the
block. (WBB)
+ "I was going to marry him" refers to Winona Ryder's aborted marriage
to Johnny Depp. (Winona played the Blond, and Johnny played Edward
in *ES*) (WBB)
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Number : AN129
"Draculee, Draculaa" --
+ In case there exists a person who never saw "Sesame Street", that
show features a Dracula-like muppet called "The Count" whose job
is ... wait for it ... to teach kids to count to 20. (WBB)
+ "I've seen *Witness* twice" -- a reference to the 1985 Harrison Ford
movie where he hangs out with an Amish family.
"Phranken-Runt" --
+ The bride-o-frankenstein character is a takeoff of Madeline Kahn's
character in *Young Frankenstein*. (many)
- I still say the "walkies" bit refers to Barbara Woodhouse, the famous
British dog trainer. (WBB)
- The songs, especially the bride-o-frankenstein's song, are reminiscent
of songs from *The Rocky Horror Picture Show* and *Little Shop of
Horrors*. (WBB, RWA)
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Number : AN131
"O, Silly Mio" --
+ The opera singer sings pieces from Bizet's *Carmen* suites.
"Puttin' on the Blitz" --
+ "Definitely 147 rocks" -- the first concrete reference to
*Rain Man*. (WBB)
"The Great Wakkorotti: The Summer Concert" --
+ Today's belching was to the tune "Dance of the Hours" by Ponchielli.
Should be well known to cartoon fans everywhere, since it was used in
*Fantasia* (remember the dancing ostriches, hippos, elephants, and
alligators?) (MB)
+ This song is from the opera "La Giaconda". (SCL, DF)
+ This is also commonly known as the tune to "Hello Muddah, Hello
Fadduh", by Allan Sherman. (RWA)
Kathryn Page credit -- "Zamboni Driver"
+ A "Zamboni" is a machine used to resurface ice skating rinks. (WBB)
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Number : AN132
Unique song line -- "Dana Delany" --
+ She's best known for her roles in "China Beach", "Wild Palms", and
"Housesitter". In Wild Palms she was James Belushi's wife, who was
killed by Angie Dickinson's character. In "Housesitter" she was the
ex-girlfriend that Steve Martin was trying to win back. I never saw
"China Beach", so I don't know who she played in it. (DD)
"Chairman of the Bored" --
+ Restaurant name of "Impetago" is probably a combo of the icky skin
disease (impetigo) and a trendy LA hangout (Spago). (WBB, MB)
+ Cameos in restaurant --
0 Cher, Sugar, Jack Nicholson -- a reference to Cher's commercials
for Nutrasweet
0 Arnold Schwarzenegger (?) and a ham
+ Dustin Hoffman, Michael Richards (as Kramer from "Seinfeld"), and
Meryl Streep. Hoffman and Streep starred in *Kramer vs. Kramer*.
Get it? :) (WBB)
+ Morgan Freeman and Clint Eastwood's dialog is lifted straight
from *Unforgiven*. (SFO)
+ Marlon Brando talks about Columbus (Brando had a bit part in
*Christopher Columbus* for which he was outrageously paid)
to Tom Selleck. (WBB)
+ The "Free at Last!" line is a reference to M. L. King's famous speech;
not moving to the back of the bus refers to Rosa Parks. (CA)
+ Ben Stein performs Pip, and is rather famous (and also, unfortunately,
rather typecast) for portraying terribly boring people. Probably his
most famous bit is "Bueller... Bueller..." from *Ferris Bueller's
Day Off*. (WBB)
+ Should anyone want to see the complete text of Pip's rambling tale,
I can provide it via email, courtesy of The Mystic Mongoose.
"The Planets Song" --
- No noteworthy comments so far.
"Astro-Buttons" --
- No noteworthy comments so far.
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Number : AN133
"Noah's Lark" --
+ "Shecky" Hollander and "Boom-Boom" Stoner are mentioned again.
Their claim to fame is writing the TTA short "Lame Joke". (WBB)
+ Noah is a parody of Richard Lewis. (many)
- He even had the one-hand-out-in-space mannerism. (DM)
- Lewis's bit is being a Jew, being a hypochondriac, and whining.
That's about it. (RD)
+ Indiana Jones tells Noah what an ark is, then Tasmanian Bushmen
chase him away (to the tune of the *Taz-Mania* theme.) (WBB)
+ Noah's "What's an Ark?" is probably a reference to Bill Cosby's comic
routine on that same subject. (VT)
+ Buster and Babs (of TTA fame) are the two bunnies. (many)
+ Squit carries the olive branch back to the ark.
"The Big Kiss" --
- No noteworthy comments so far.
"Hiccup" --
? Jogging in the park: Dustin Hoffman?, David Letterman, Macaulay
Culkin, and his two HOME ALONE 2 pursuers (Joe Pesci and Daniel
Stern). (RWA, WBB)
+ Musketeers -> Mouseketeers, which is why Pesto brings up Annette
Funicello. (Hey, it took me a few seconds to realize this :) (WBB)
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Number : AN134
"Clown and Out" --
+ Jerry Lewis shtick for the third time. See more comments on Lewis
at "Hello Nice Warners" and "Hearts of Twilight".
+ "You'll never laugh alone" == "You'll never walk alone", a song
by Patti LaBelle & the Blue Belles (#34 in 1964) . The Muppets did a
version of it too. (RDB)
+ "Nice and Chubby Baby" appears to be more nonsense thought up by
our friends in Sherman Oaks.
- "The Clown is not a spider" is probably a reference to Stephen
King's *It*. It features as the 'abominable creature which must be
destroyed', a giant spider who appears to the children it kills and
eats as a white-faced clown. The spider lives in a sewer. (SL)
+ On Mars, the clown entertains mini Marvin-the-martians.
+ Last words on "Freundleben": Freundleben isn't Jerry Lewis, it's a
parody in broad terms of what Lewis sounds like in his gibbering bits.
Rather like using "pastafazool!" to indicate Italian. I've definitely
heard Lewis do bits which had the same rhythm, tempo, and feeling as
"Freundleben", but, as I said, he's usually saying something like "Nice
Lady!". Translate that into Lewis' accent, and you'll get the idea -
"Nawycelaydee!" and "Fruendlayben!" are *very* similar in tone. (MF)
"Bubba Bo Bob Brain" --
+ Willie Ray Cyprus == Billy Ray Cyrus
+ "Empty Hollow Head" == "Achy Breaky Heart", Cyrus's terribly annoying
hit song that swept the nation
+ Glenn Campbell sings a takeoff of "Wichita Lineman" (the telephone
repairman song). (BrettM)
+ Garth Brooks and Crystal Gayle emcee the awards ceremony.
+ Kenny Rogers sings a parody of "The Gambler".
+ Dolly Parton is the guest on the TMN talk show.
+ "Yee Haw" is a parody of that great corny show "Hee Haw".
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Number : AN135
Opening --
+ The opening title with the swirling word "SPECIAL" was stolen from
the old "CBS Special Presentation" title. (SS)
"In the Garden of Mindy" --
- Script errors: telepathy cannot be used to move objects, that's
telekinesis. (SK)
"Katie KaBoo" --
- No noteworthy comments so far.
"Baghdad Cafe" --
- No noteworthy comments so far.
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Number : AN136
"Critical Condition" --
+ The two movie critics, Lean Hiskill and Codger Eggbert, are
of course parodies of real-life critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.
+ The three clips are indeed from the classic WB cartoons. They are
even available on (separate) laserdiscs from Warner Home Video.
0 Richard Gere & Cindy Crawford attend the premiere.
Others claim it is Dustin Hoffman and Julia Roberts. (WBB)
+ Clint Eastwood follows the above two.
+ MacLaine watch III: Shirley the Loon and Shirley MacLaine attend
Spielberg's movie.
+ The movie is *Jurassic Park*, more or less.
- Hiskel and Eggbert quotes about "very realistic" and "good special
effects" about JP were from their actual review of the film. (Cor)
"The Three Muska-Warners" --
+ Yakko's check was only for $3.00. (WBB)
+ Yippee, Yappy, and Yahooey were the dog musketeers who were trying to
protect a king. One of Hanna-Barbera's more forgettable toons
IMHO -- not that they were bad or unfunny, just fairly bland. (PS)
+ When "Wakkos" calls out his name, he's wielding a swordfish instead of
a sword. In the Marx Brothers movie "Horsefeathers", the password to
get into a speakeasy (that's a Probihition-era illegal bar, in case you
didn't know) is "swordfish". Harpo gets in by pulling a swordfish out
of his coat. (MB)
- Apparently the Viper/Wiper gag was the basis of an entire G. I. Joe
episode. (RWA)
+ The closing parodies the classic closing from the old Jackie Gleason
Show. JG would come out dressed in robe, as if he just removed his
last costume, and talked to the audience, introducing the guests and
regulars. The ubiquitous coffee cup is the giveaway. Rumor had it
that it was filled with more than just coffee! (RJR)
+ Sheila McRae (Alice Kramden), Jane Keane (Trixie Norton) and Art
Carney (Ed Norton) were the original cast of the Honeymooners. (MB)
+ Also, the line "Miami Beach audiences are the greatest audiences in the
world!" is a direct quote from Gleason. (MB)
+ Later episodes of the JG show were shot in Miami. (WBB)
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Number : AN137
"Dough Dough Boys" --
+ "Dough boys" are WWI American GI's. (RWA)
+ The two generals are named General Store and General Admission. (WBB)
"Boot Camping" --
+ Dot is wearing a inflatable ring with Plucky's head on it.
+ The barber was "borrowed" from Mayberry RFD -- he even makes a comment
about Opie. (DD)
"General Boo-regard"
+ The Clark Gable reference is to "Gone With the Wind." Oddly enough,
Gable was shown as a northerner here, although he was a southerner in
the movie. He also never wore a uniform or fought in the trenches -- he
was a profiteer. (DD)
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Number : AN138
"Spell Bound" --
- DYN: One of the trees in the opening pan looks like Rita; One of the
towers of the castle looks like a milk bottle; Sign: Welcome to
Camelot -- Ask about our Round Table; Stylized 'W' (for Warner?) over
the main gate. (Cor)
? Merlin's incantation: Sonny Tufts, Sonny Bono, Lorna Luft, Yoko Ono;
Paula Abdul, Chip 'n' Dale, Hillary Clinton, Quentin McCale.
. Sonny Tufts is ?
. Lorna Luft had a bit part on Trapper John MD (and... ?)
Lorna Luft is Judy Garland's daughter. (and... ?)
. Quentin McCale is ?
+ Merlin's recipe for pie is: Sift one pinch powdered spider nostril,
1 maggot's armpit, 1 smoked tapeworm. Set aside. Blend grumph from
a troll's belly button, 2 goat's hoof-jam. Add powdered mixture.
Puree until creamy. Add fruit to taste. (Speeeew!) (WBB)
+ Table of contents page from Merlin's spellbook: Tabby Cat turned into
dog; Tabby Cat turned into duck; Tadpoles, magic uses of; Tahoe, how to
win at Blackjack; Take over the World spell; Vultures turned into
frogs; Wombat powder, uses of; Zebra gizzard soup. (JC)
+ Some of the stuff on Merlin's reagent shelf: Squid Brain; Powdered
Spider Eggs (or Iegs?); Eye of Newt; Bat Wings; Toad lips; Generic
Bile; Ishtar Box Office Receipts (empty, of course); Schmaltz; Sugar;
Freeze-Dried Flea Brains, Aqua Velva?. (JC)
+ Merlin's second incantation: I win, you win, Edwin Newman, Lee of
Kathie, Regis Philbin.
. Edwin Newman was (is still?) an NBC news reporter.
+ The Warners have stolen a Dean Martin singing harp. (WBB)
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Number : AN139
"Smitten with Kittens" --
+ The old lady in "Smitten With Kittens" was a *perfect* Ruth Gordon
tribute. If she weren't dead, I'd have sworn it *was* her. Go see her
in "Any Which Way But Loose" or "Any Which Way You Can", where she
plays Clint Eastwood's mother -- I think you'll see more than a slight
resemblance. (DD)
"White Gloves" --
- No noteworthy comments so far.
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Number : AN140
Opening intro -- "Casablanca" --
+ A very nice rendition of Bogie in the plane bit of *Casablanca*. Just
a couple of slight changes in Bogie's speech, but otherwise exact. (RWA)
"Fair Game" --
- The announcer, Ned Flat, sounds VERY much like the Ned Flanders
character from the Simpsons. The similarity of names suggests this
was done on purpose; Harry Shearer can do a number of distinct
voices. (WBB)
"The Slapper" --
+ Another parody of "The Clapper" -- see AN117
"Puppet Rulers" --
+ Meany and Treacle were a send-up of the old Beany and Cecil puppet
show (later cartoon show) by Robert Clampett. BTW, I thought it was a
pity that the puppeteer didn't look like Clampett, or even Stan
Freberg (the voice of Cecil). (BW)
+ Cecil was a "sea-sick sea serpent", and Beanie was a little kid who
hung out with him. Meany looked just like Cecil, not counting the
nasty expression, and Treacle parodied Beanie very well, including the
hat, the hair, the squinty expression, and the too-sweet personality.
Treacle, by the way, is a kind of molasses, so it certainly fits. (DD)
+ As for the bit with Einstein: Freberg's autobiography mentions an
anecdote about Einstein interrupting a meeting just so he could watch
Time for Beany. (BW)
+ All the kids in the audience resemble Ralph Phillips. Ralph was
featured in Chuck Jones's famous cartoon "From A to Z-z-z-z". (BW)
+ A little Bill Clinton buys his ears at Bubba's. (WBB)
+ Little Bill looks up at the TV to see President Kennedy say "Ich bin
ein Noodle Noggin." This is another reference to Kennedy's famous
gaffe (see AN121).
- When Pinky says that they missed the disco era, Brain gets angry for a
few seconds while they play a few measures of Mussorgsky's "Night on
Bald Mountain", which was released on the _Saturday_Night_Fever_
soundtrack (in a disco-fied version, of course) as "Night on Disco
Mountain". (DM) (Too close to be a coincidence IMO. -WBB)
+ P&TB interrput "America's Funniest Furniture" to announce their
comeback. (JJC)
+ Marvin T. Martian is on the side of the building posing with a
basketball. Obviously a reference to the Nike ads. (ST)
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Number : AN141
Opening Intro --
+ Obviously a total takeoff on those milk council "Milk: It Does a Body
Good" commercials, where the kid who's snubbed turns into a total
hunk/babe because he/she drinks milk. (RD)
"Broadcast Nuisance" --
+ Title is a takeoff of the movie *Broadcast News*. (WBB)
+ The Warner's cafe is probably called "Sam 'n' Ella's", but they
make it sound like Salmonella (a bacteria found in spoiled food).
(RS, WBB)
+ Dan Anchorman probably got his name from Dan Rather, but he is
obviously a caricature of ABC's Sam Donaldson. (WBB)
+ The "We're Beatrice" is from the Beatrice company campaign about eight
years ago, when they were emphasizing how all their subsidiary labels
were part of the Beatrice megacorporation. Beatrice was trying to get
some publicity -- either to ward off a takeover, or make them more
attractive to one. (RD, RDB)
+ "Duonne Sewer" == Diane Sawyer, Donaldson's co-host on their
show "Primetime Live".
+ Wolf Spritzer == Wolf Blitzer of CNN Gulf War fame. (RD)
+ William F Yakkley == William F. Buckley, Jr. (RD)
+ "Ground Control to Major Tom" --> a direct quote from the 1969
David Bowie song "SpaceOddity". (SK + too many)
+ The 1983 Peter Schilling song "Major Tom" was likely a tribute to
the Bowie song. (too many)
+ During the part where Mr. Anchorman (SNL's Phil Hartman, BTW) is
flipped into the Godzilla movie, he is squashed by a very poorly drawn
Godzilla foot (with BIG claws). This is from Marv Newlin's excellent
animated short "Bambi meets Godzilla". (TEB, BW)
+ Bulk Logan == Hulk Hogan, has-been of the WWF. (RD)
+ "We are outta here!" This is (was) Dennis Miller's News schtick from
Saturday Night Live. (RD)
"Goodfeathers" theme --
+ A "That's Amore" takeoff. Dean Martin song. (RD)
"Raging Bird" --
+ A parody of the Martin Scorsese film "Raging Bull", which starred
Robert De Niro as a boxer. Perfect cross-reference. (WBB)
+ Carloota and the sparrow gang appear along the walls. (many)
+ Pretty Boy Robin == Stallone. The "Yo, Adriaaaan" is probably the most
quoted line from the Rocky movies. (RD)
+ "I couldda been a contendah! I couldda been someone!" is from "On the
Waterfront", with Marlon Brando, of course. (MF)
+ "Look at these wings... little girl wings." substitute hands and you
got a movie quote. (RD)
- Max the Manager is from Raging Bull, I think. "Ya bum!" Or is that
early Rocky? (RD)
- The freezer scene is like a Rocky IV (?) scene where he's out in the
snow beating up a side of beef hanging from a rope. (RD)
+ Running up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum -- that's a Rocky
reference, and that was Rocky. (RD, RC)
+ The "freeze frame hits" are from the Rocky movies. (RD)
+ "No way I'm goin' down, I don't go down for nobody!" -- Raging Bull
(RD)
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Number : AN142
"Can't Buy a Thrill" --
+ "Klaatu barada nikto" was the command told to patricia neal by michael
Rennie to gain the help of Gort. Gort was guarding the saucer,
and no one could get by him without knowing this. As far as I can
remember, there is no translation given. (EAN)
"Hollywoodchuck" --
- No noteworthy comments so far.
Ending tag -- "Sit, Ubu, Sit" --
+ Refers to the tag appearing on shows produced by Gary David Goldberg's
production company (Ubu productions). See, e.g., "Family Ties". (WBB)
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Number : AN143
"Of Nice and Men" --
+ Title refers to Steinbeck's famous *Of Mice and Men*. (WBB)
+ Most of the opening lines (except Brain's) are straight from OMaM, and
not just from those old LT/MMs. (RWA)
+ George and Lenny were from the book that the cartoon takes its title
from. Also, the fact that G&L were seen near a rabbit ranch is a
reference to how in the book _Of Mice and Men_ the great goal of the
pair is to own a rabbit ranch. Lenny's always asking, "Will I get to
tend the rabbits, George? Can I tend the rabbits? Can I? Can I?"
etc. They attempted to have Runt say this, I noticed, but it came out
"Can I *take care of* the rabbits, Rita?" (DAG)
+ The rat Rita met in the barn was stolen *directly* from the rat in the
Disney film "Lady and the Tramp". (DAG)
+ In case by some miracle no one caught it, I'll mention that John
Steinbeck, who wrote "Of Mice and Men", placed many of his stories in
and around Monterey. (DD, MF)
+ Referring to Rita's comment about Sondheim: many of the Animaniacs
tunes bear a more than passing resemblence to Sondheim songs,
especially the ones Rita sings. Listen to "What Are We?" again - pure
Sondheim, nobody else does phrasing like that - "Maybe we are dogs,
cute little dogs with ears" could have come directly from Into The
Woods, as could Rita's various "Mama" songs. (MF)
"What a Dump!" --
+ Refers to Bette Davis's famous line (which is used a few times by
Babs Bunny). (RWA, WBB)
+ The wide-angle pull-back shot of all the recycling containers in their
stacks that Buttons faces after losing track of Mindy. Straight out of
"Raiders of the Lost Ark": the scene at the end where the warehouse
employee pushes the crate with the Ark to where it'll be stacked and
likely forgotten. (JDB)
"Survey Ladies" --
+ The mall is labeled "The Maul". Joke? Foreign animators can't spell?
You be the judge. (RWA)
+ The whole bit with the taped mission and the self-destructing tape is
a direct reference to "Mission: Impossible." (WBB)
+ Oedipus Rex Clothery / Mother would hate it: obscure joke, ask your
parents. :) (WBB)
+ Freudian Slip / Makes his own: ditto.
+ Fifi La Fume is of course the famous skunk from TTA.
+ Little Plucky repeats his famous line ("Elelator go down the hole")
from the TTA short "???".
- In case anyone was wondering where this story concept originated,
taking a trip to the Sherman Oaks Galleria should answer the question.
The Galleria is located very close by the studio, and the Warner Staff
frequently visits for lunch/breaks. There is a permanent contingent of
maybe five or six predatory survey ladies roaming and hiding at the
tops and bottoms of escalators. They attack without mercy. (AS)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN144
"The Senses Song" --
+ MacLaine watch IV: you need a sixth sense to understand people like
SM who wear crystals they bought at the mall. (WBB)
- FYI, the melody is reminiscent - although not a duplicate - of Tom
Lehrer's "Irish Ballad". (A wonderful little ditty about a girl who
kills her family in a variety of unpleasant ways.) (TK)
"The World Can Wait" --
+ Pinky's girlfriend is Phar FigNewton (see "Jockey for Position" in
AN127). (WBB)
+ The bit with the loved feeding lines to the unloved was first done
in Rostand's *Cyrano de Bergerac* and redone in the Steve Martin
vehicle *Roxanne*. (WBB, RWA)
"Kiki's Kitten" --
+ Kiki throws a grass hut against the glass. A bushman climbs out of
it (to the "Taz-mania" theme).
- Kiki looks a bit like the female gorilla in the Bugs Bunny cartoon
Gorilla My Dreams. And behaves a *lot* like the male one... (BW)
- Koko is/was a female Gorilla. There was a psychiatrist that was
teaching her sign language. The Gorilla got quite proficient at it.
One day, the P-sychiatrist asked her what she wanted for Christmas.
The Gorilla responded that she wanted a kitten. She got one and was
happy. The kitten lived with the researcher at night and hung out with
Koko in the day. (SThomp)
- That's pretty much the story, though Koko eventually got a second kitty
to replace the first. KOKO'S KITTEN, by Dr. Francine Patterson, is
available via Scholastic Books (0-590-33812-9). (DT)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN145
Opening intro --
+ A parody of the theme from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". In that show,
MTM throws her hat in the air at the end of the song. (WBB)
+ DYN: the newspaper Dot's holding says: "Elvis seen again eating
burrito". (RWA)
"Windsor Hassle" --
+ The opening announcer is a takeoff on John Cleese, and we hear strains
of the theme from *Monty Python's Flying Circus*. (WBB)
+ The queen's use of the royal "we" causes the Warners to think she is
schizophrenic. So they call her Sybil, in reference to the famous
patient named Sybil who had 16 personalities. (Her story was also made
into a TV movie starring Sally Field). (WBB, JJ)
+ I did notice Elvis waiting in line (wearing some *thick* glasses) and I
believe Yakko was serving a steak to Granny from the old Merrie
Melodies cartoons! (MH)
+ The Queen Mum reminds us of: "gramma" from a "New Twilight Zone" skit;
Anne Ramsey (Momma in *Throw Momma from the Train*). (RJR, EAN, JJ)
"...And Justice for Slappy" --
- The cartoon is a take on the 1942 WB cartoon "The Trial of Mr.
Wolf". The bit about the wolf skipping through the woods in a Lord
Fauntleroy outfit started here (and later re-appeared in "The
Turn-Tale Wolf," but with a different wolf). (DAG)
+ DYN: 'ROCKNROL' is the license plate on the catapult-car. (RWA)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN146
"Turkey Jerky" --
+ The turkey's gobble-song is "Turkey in the Straw". (WBB)
+ Wakko-coughing-bullets bit appeared in the 1944 Daffy vehicle
"Slightly Daffy". (DAG)
- Title possibly stolen from 1946 Avery cartoon "Jerky Turkey". (DAG)
- Seeing that Dot was playing the "Princess", I'm surprised she didn't
call herself Pocadot. (CB)
- I also see Miles Standish as styled after Gaston in Beauty and the
Beast. (CB)
"Wild Blue Yonder" --
+ Nepotism update III: Cody Ruegger voices "Birdie".
+ The plane was a F-117A Nighthawk, not a B-2 Stealth. Or in other words
it was a stealth fighter, not bomber. (RP)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN147
"Video Review" --
+ DYN: Poster in the movie store: "Coming soon- X-Toons!" with what
looks like Wile E. Coyote as Wolverine. (No, not the one from Buster
and The Wolverine!) (RWA)
- A natural continuation of the numerous similar cartoons made in the
40's. Perhaps the best known is Bob Clampett's "Book Revue".
- Way too many movies and actors to type in. From what I could see
the movies matched the actors accurately, with the few comedic
exceptions: Bugs Bunny is "Bugsy" (not Warren Beatty), Baby Plucky
and Daffy are "The Mighty Ducks" (not Emilio Estevez and friends),
Hello Nurse is "The Babe" (not John Goodman).
+ The "bombs" thrown at the dinosaur are: Heaven's Gate, Ishtar, Howard
the Duck, 1941, Leonard Part 6, and Dune. All were greatly hyped
movies that had great expectations but turned out to be flops.
(WBB, RWA)
"When Mice Ruled the Earth" --
- In "When Mice Ruled the Earth," the premise of H.G. Wells' having
invented a time machine, as well as the design of the machine itself,
were swipes from the 1979 film TIME AFTER TIME, with Malcolm McDowell
and Mary Steenburgen. In the movie, the vehicle also rotated as it
began its journey through time. Even the "tunnel" effect seen in WMRTE
is similar to the depiction of time travel in the earlier film. (DT)
- They weren't just "similar" they were identical! Right down to the dish
antenna to collect solar energy and the little key hole in the side
(which was not used in the cartoon). "Time After Time" is one of my
favorite movies so I was having quite a time spotting all the FX
references used. Especially good was the coloring effect used when the
ship disappears, this was exactly the same (it looked hokey and cheap
in the movie but was quite impressive for a cartoon!) (PC)
Ending Song --
+ The final song and ear-pulling refers to the ending of "The Carol
Burnett Show". Carol always tugged at her ear as a signal to her
mother that she was well. Mark Bernstein thinks it was a signal
to her grandmother. But you get the point. (WBB, MB)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN148
"Newsreel of the Stars" --
+ Today's instance of NotS is slightly longer than usual. Yeah, I know
you fast forwarded through it; you didn't miss much. (WBB)
"Mobster Mash" --
+ Title stolen from the novelty song "Monster Mash". (WBB)
+ The name of the cafe was Mario Puzzo's Restaurant. Mario Puzo (one Z)
is the author of several organized crime novels, including *The
Godfather*. (DS)
+ When the Warners are dressed as clowns and singing at the Godfather,
the song they were singing was a parody of "Speak Softly Love", the
theme from *Godfather I*. (BW)
"Lake Titicaca" --
+ There's a chance you already knew this, but Lake Titicaca, on the Peru-
Bolivia border, is the world's highest naviagble lake, at 12,507 feet.
It's not even the first time it's been mentioned in a cartoon, as
Donald Duck once visited the area (you might recall his misadventures
with a llama and a suspension bridge). (KJP)
"Icebreakers" --
+ In case you live in a cave, or maybe live outside the US, the person
that Rita and Runt were helping was Ross Perot. (WBB)
+ Geographical nits: none of the major rivers anywhere near Fairbanks
have a waterfall, and secondly, in the middle of winter, everything is
very well frozen and hence not navigable by boat. BTW, Fairbanks is
located right in the heart of ALASKA, at least 200 miles from Canada,
as estimated by looking at a map, and nowhere near any ocean. (BF)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN150
"Slippin' on the Ice" --
+ Parody of the famous Gene Kelly song "Singin' in the Rain". (WBB)
"Twas the Day before Christmas" --
? Sonny Tufts is mentioned again. Who is this guy?
"Jingle Boo" --
+ Another useless fact: DYN at the end of the line of kids waiting to see
Santa were a bunch of strange-looking adults who didn't have any kids
with them? They are a bunch of caricatures of the layout crew. (AS)
+ "He is the real Santa!" / "He's a chicken, he'll poke my eyes out!"
is an obvious ref to the movie "A Christmas Story" and the book on
which it was based, Jean Shepard's "In God We Trust - All Others Pay
Cash". (MF)
"The Great Wakkorotti: The Holiday Concert" --
- Notice liberal reuse of animation from prior TGW bits. (RWA)
"Toy Shop Terror" --
+ Finally, Warners uses the ACTUAL music from Raymond Scott's
"Powerhouse". Rush out and get the Raymod Scott CD if you like this
song. (WBB)
+ The old guy who owns the shop shows up in several 30's period cartoons
(note the eyes), usually as a shop owner. In one cartoon he's a
shoemaker. He usually plays a secondary role - in the shoe shop
cartoon, for instance, the brownies get all the screen time. And the
thing was reminiscent of the 30's cartoons in that everything was set
to music. (RD)
"Yakko's Universe" --
- This segment was re-used here because it has "a Christmas feel"
to it. (PH)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : AN149
"A Christmas Plotz" --
+ The Nth takeoff on Dickens' classic *A Christmas Carol*.
- There is probably significance to Slappy's demand for $464. Best
guess to date: it is the minimum amount that must be paid to a SAG
member with a speaking role in a movie. (JH)
- At the end, the close up of the bells ringing in the tower is just
like the ending of "It's A Wonderful Life". (DY)
"Little Drummer Warners" --
- This episode generated much discussion about overtly religious tales
and their place in afternoon TV, but little in the way of DYNs and
references (probably because there were none). (WBB)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number : ???
"Schnitzelbank" --
- "Oh du schoene Schnitzelbank!" translates as "Oh, the pretty
Hot-dog-bank!" (RWA)
- Actually, a schnitzel isn't a sausage at all, but a scalloped piece of
meat -- reference "Weiner Schnitzel", which is a Viennese version of
veal scallopini. Also, "schnitzelbank" is a separate word, referring
to a sort of workbench used by barrel-makers. (MF)
? Ronnie Simonds says this is yet another Marx Brothers reference.
Any more details, anyone?
============================================================================
============================================================================
THANKS TO:
Chris Adamson (CA), Robert "The Mystic Mongoose" Armstrong (RWA),
Steve Back (SB), John D. Baker (JDB), Ron Bauerle (RDB), Mike Beebe (MikeB),
Will Bell (WBB), John Berger (JB), Mark Bernstein (MB), T. Erik Browne (TEB),
Cuyler Buckwalter (CB), Paul Carnell (PC), Joshua Carpman (JC),
Richard Chandler (RC), Justin J. Clark (JJC), Ben Cohen (BC),
Lori Corrin (LC), Ray Dawson (RayD), Dan Day (DD),
Tristan De Buysscher (TDB), Ron Dippold (RD), Adams Douglas (AD),
Jay Elmore (JE), Timothy Fay (TF), Michael Farren (MF), Bob Ferguson (BF),
Greg Fishbone (GF), David A. Gerstein (DAG), Mark Hadley (MH),
Josh Harrison (JH), Paul Hendry (PH), D Hosek (DH), Jim Joyce (JJ),
Erik E Katz (EEK), Gym Z. Quirk aka Taki Kogoma (TK), Steve Kramer (SK),
Vincent Krause (VK), Felix Lee (FL), Stephen Lignowski (SL),
Stephen C. Litterst (SCL), Bill Marcum (BM), Doug McBride (DM),
Avi Melman (AM), George "Toonatic" Mhyre (GM), Brett Middleton (BrettM),
Steve Miller (SM), Tad Morgan (TM), Erik A. Nielsen (EAN),
Synth Oberheim (SFO), Marc Pawliger (MP), John Payson (JP), Rick Pikul (RP),
Kevin J. Podsiadlik (KJP), Robert J Repas (RJR), Jim Richmond (JR),
Niles D Ritter (NDR), Dani Roloson (DR), Daniel Scheraga (DS),
Eric A. Schwartz (ES), Ronnie Simonds (RS), Sally Smith (SS),
Allen Smithee (AS), Mike Swaim (MS), Pete Stein (PS), Scott Tadman (ST),
Vince Taluskie (VT), David Thiel (DT), Scott Thompson (SThomp),
David W. Tamkin (DWT), John M. Turner (JT), Randolph S. Vance (RV),
Brandi Weed (BW), Michael Wojcik (MW), Daniel Yungk (DY)
"The Masked Avenger" (TMA), "Lord of Anvils" (LoA), "Corinthian" (Cor)
SPECIAL THANKS TO: Paul Hendry, for shipping me over 1 MB of stuff from
early days of a.t.a which formed the nucleus of this guide.
============================================================================
============================================================================
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!"
Mark Hadley
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>CULTURAL REFERENCES GUIDE for ANIMANIACS (CRGA)
>
> ? Sonny Tufts is mentioned again. Who is this guy?
>
(some movie about an aging football player (Victor, not Sonny)), and then
he was the *star* (Yeah, Sonny!) of _Cat Women of the Moon_ (1954), "Another
ludicrous entry in the travel-to-a-planet-of-barely-dressed-women subgenre,"
according to Martin & Porter's Video Movie Guide.
I had *no* idea they played "Cats" on the moon. =]
--
Mark Hadley |Wakko: "His face, how it twinkled!|The Brain: "We'll
had...@xanth.cs.orst.edu| His dimples, how merry!" | steal Santa's
My opinions are void |Dot: "His cheeks were like roses!"| sleigh and take
where prohibited by law. |Yakko: "His gut, that was scary!" | over the world!"
Timothy Fay
>In article <2ee8f2$h...@tamuts.tamu.edu>, Will Bell <be...@cs.tamu.edu> wrote:
>>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>CULTURAL REFERENCES GUIDE for ANIMANIACS (CRGA)
>>
>>"Twas the Day before Christmas" --
>> ? Sonny Tufts is mentioned again. Who is this guy?
>>
>Sonny Tufts was in _Easy Living_ (1949) with Victor Mature and Lucille Ball
>(some movie about an aging football player (Victor, not Sonny)), and then
>he was the *star* (Yeah, Sonny!) of _Cat Women of the Moon_ (1954), "Another
>ludicrous entry in the travel-to-a-planet-of-barely-dressed-women subgenre,"
>according to Martin & Porter's Video Movie Guide.
Sonny Tufts is a long-running Hollywood gag. He's is probably the only
actor who is famous for not being famous. His obscurity was his only claim
to fame, and the source of numerous jokes over the years. (I recall an
episode of the equally infamous "My Mother the Car," where Mother forced
her son--played by Jerry van Dyke--to sit through a Sonny Tufts film
festival at a local drive-in. The episode also featured a cameo by Tufts!)
--
Reply to: ava...@wings.micro.umn.edu
fayx...@maroon.tc.umn.edu
"My mental facilities are TWICE what yours are -- you pea brain!"
-Percival McLeach
Mark Bernstein
: "Clown and Out" --
: + "You'll never laugh alone" == "You'll never walk alone", a song
: by Patti LaBelle & the Blue Belles (#34 in 1964) . The Muppets did a
: version of it too. (RDB)
late 40s or early 50s. Music is by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar
Hammerstein II. (At least, I *think* that's the song you're talking about.
I haven't watched this episode since it first aired, so I don't remember
clearly what the clown sang.)
--
Mark Bernstein
ma...@cimage.com
Mitch McGowan
I must really be bored, but here goes... :-)
From The Film Encyclopedia by Ephraim Katz:
Tufts, Sonny. Actor. b. Bowen Charlton Tufts III, July 16, 1911, Boston,
to prominent banking family. d. 1970. ed. Yale. Determined as a child
to become a singer, he joined a church choir and while at Yale formed a
band, appointing himself the vocalist. after operatic training in New
York and Paris, he was auditioned at New York's Metropolitan Opera and won
a year's tuition for further voice training. Meanwhile, he supported
himself as a clerk and later as icebox salesman. In 1938-39 he landed
parts in two Broadway musicals and in 1939 he played a small supporting
part in a low-budget film "Ambush." After several years of singing in
night spots, he returned to the screen as a leading man. The year was
1943 and most male stars were away on military service. A college
football injury kept Tufts out of uniform and for a brief spell he became
a star. Tall (6 ft. 4 in.), blond, and blue-eyed, he typically played
amiable, easygoing, innocuous leading men. But by the end of the 402 his
screen career began to sag and he was soon reduced to secondary roles or
to leads in bottom-budget pictures.
In the 50s, Tufts was sued by several showgirls for allegedly biting them
in the thigh and unsuccessfully fought a drinking problem. He became a
camp figure. His very name became a joke and the mere mention of it in a
nightclub or on a TV talk show brought down the house in gales of
laughter. He made several unsuccessful bids at comebacks in the 60s
before his death of pneumonia.
Films: Ambush 1939; So Proudly We Hail, Government Girl 1943; I love a
Soldier, Here Come the Waves, In the Meantime Darling 1944; Duffy's
Tavern, Bring on the Girls 1945; Miss Susie Slagle's, The Well-Groomed
Bride, The Virginian, Cross My Heart 1946; Swell Guy, Variety Girl, Easy
Come Easy go, Blaze of Noon 1947; The Untamed Breed 1948; The Crooked Way,
Easy Living 1949; The Gift Horse/Glory at Sea (UK) 1952; No Escape, Run
for the Hills, Cat Women of the Moon 1953; Serpent Island 1954; The Seven
Year Itch 1955; Come Next Spring 1956; The Parson and the Outlaw 1957;
Town Tamer 1965; Cotton-pickin' Chickenpickers 1967.
--
And here, with his bird's eye view, and a brain to match, is Mr.
Know-It-All. - Rocket J. Squirrel
Mitch McGowan | KALAMAZOO WINGS | MERRITT CENTENNIALS |
ham...@u.washington.edu | DALLAS STARS | NORTH MELBOURNE KANGAROOS |
The Mystic Mongoose
And, as is far too usual, I try and claim credit for stuff and annoy Will.
Sorry about it, Will, but I did call some of these...
>Number : AN127
>"I Got Yer Can" --
> + The can used to contain "Acme Diet Walnut Soda".
> + The scene with Candie typing the same line over and over refers to
> a scene in *The Shining* where Jack Nicholson does the same thing.
> (WBB)
Jack's line is "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". The thing is,
this is supposed to be his great novel, and then we see what he's done, and
realize he's a couple of maraschino cherries short of a fruit cocktail.
And the nuns from 'The Big Candy Store' are back...
>Number : AN129
>
>"Draculee, Draculaa" --
> + In case there exists a person who never saw "Sesame Street", that
> show features a Dracula-like muppet called "The Count" whose job
> is ... wait for it ... to teach kids to count to 20. (WBB)
> + "I've seen *Witness* twice" -- a reference to the 1985 Harrison Ford
> movie where he hangs out with an Amish family.
Dracula is voiced by none other than Dan Castella, the man who did the
voice for Homer Simspon. Azamatteroffact, the Count says a awfully Homerish
"D'oh"... And I know I wasn't the first to note this...
>Number : AN132
>"Chairman of the Bored" --
> 0 Arnold Schwarzenegger (?) and a ham
Hmmm.... I think my call.
> + Should anyone want to see the complete text of Pip's rambling tale,
> I can provide it via email, courtesy of The Mystic Mongoose.
And a brave anonymous soul- I didn't write it, and don't really want to
take the credit for it. I just took his text, did some tricky pasting and
formatting, and posted it.
>Number : AN136
>
>"Critical Condition" --.
> + Clint Eastwood follows the above two.
AISITR....
> + MacLaine watch III: Shirley the Loon and Shirley MacLaine attend
> Spielberg's movie.
AISITR....
> - Apparently the Viper/Wiper gag was the basis of an entire G. I. Joe
> episode. (RWA)
As well as tons of old campfire stories. Ancient gag. (many)
The Mystic Mongoose | ____________ |Best of IRC-
r...@gandalf.baylor.edu| / _______ |Lamprey & the Brain
Robert W. Armstrong | | ______ |Silence of the Lampreys
P.O. Box 83641 | | _____ |I Love Lamprey
Waco, TX 76798-3641 | \__ _____ |It's a Wonderful Lamprey
The Mystic Mongoose
With the usual blather followup from me:
>Number : AN138
>
>"Spell Bound" --
> ? Merlin's incantation: Sonny Tufts, Sonny Bono, Lorna Luft, Yoko Ono;
> Paula Abdul, Chip 'n' Dale, Hillary Clinton, Quentin McCale.
Hmmm.... Closer to, but can't recall exactly:
Sonny Tufts and Sonny Bono, Lorna Luft and Yoko Ono; (second line's right.)
Ohhh VCR mages... We have a check for you to run...
>Number : AN140
>"The Slapper" --
> + Another parody of "The Clapper" -- see AN117
"Can we watch something without Bob Saget?"- An obvious reference to 'Full
House' and 'American Funniest Home Videos', two often nauseatingly cute
shows that probably aren't Slappy's taste.
>Number : AN141
>"Broadcast Nuisance" --
> + Dan Anchorman probably got his name from Dan Rather, but he is
> obviously a caricature of ABC's Sam Donaldson. (WBB)
Primarily Sam, but of a lot of news anchormen in general.
>Number : AN143
>"Survey Ladies" --
> + Little Plucky repeats his famous line ("Elelator go down the hole")
> from the TTA short "???".
"Going Up".
>Number : AN144
>
>"Kiki's Kitten" --
> + Kiki throws a grass hut against the glass. A bushman climbs out of
> it (to the "Taz-mania" theme).
And no, to the best of our discernment, it is not Francis X. Bushlad from
Taz-Mania.
>Number : AN145
>"Windsor Hassle" --
> + The opening announcer is a takeoff on John Cleese, and we hear strains
> of the theme from *Monty Python's Flying Circus*. (WBB)
The opening 'Cartoon' Screen is lettered very Pythonesque, as well.
>Number : AN146
>
>"Turkey Jerky" --
> + The turkey's gobble-song is "Turkey in the Straw". (WBB)
I'd say (many). That was really patently obvious...
> + Wakko-coughing-bullets bit appeared in the 1944 Daffy vehicle
> "Slightly Daffy". (DAG)
And even earlier: I clearly remember a 1930's Porky& Daffy as French
Legionares 'toon with the same gag. I'll have to check on the title...
>Number : AN148
>"Icebreakers" --
> + In case you live in a cave, or maybe live outside the US, the person
> that Rita and Runt were helping was Ross Perot. (WBB)
And the "I quit! No, I don't! Yes, I do!" Was a refenece to Perot's
resignation and return to the race.
>Number : AN150
>"The Great Wakkorotti: The Holiday Concert" --
> - Notice liberal reuse of animation from prior TGW bits. (RWA)
All TGW cartoons are the same except for the scenes where Wakko actually
burps. This includes the introduction, Dot's mid-performance bit, and the
finale.
>"Toy Shop Terror" --
> + Finally, Warners uses the ACTUAL music from Raymond Scott's
> "Powerhouse". Rush out and get the Raymod Scott CD if you like this
> song. (WBB)
I hate to say it: AISITR... and had to say several times, because many
asked.
>THANKS TO:
<gobs and gobs of names deleted>
My word! Everybody's in this thing! I half expect to see Kibo next...
I don;t know how you can keep this up, Will, but keep going. You're doing a
great job. And sorry for the semi-egotistical comments yet again, but... I
want this thing to be accurate...
Timothy Fay
> Will Bell, be...@cs.tamu.edu writes:
>
>>Number : AN138
>>
>>"Spell Bound" --
>
>> ? Merlin's incantation: Sonny Tufts, Sonny Bono, Lorna Luft, Yoko Ono;
>> Paula Abdul, Chip 'n' Dale, Hillary Clinton, Quentin McCale.
>
>Hmmm.... Closer to, but can't recall exactly:
>
>Sonny Tufts and Sonny Bono, Lorna Luft and Yoko Ono; (second line's right.)
>Ohhh VCR mages... We have a check for you to run...
Also, that's Quentin McHale -- the name of Ernest Borgnine's character in
MCHALE'S NAVY.
Mark Bernstein
: "You Risk Your Life" --
: + A parody of Groucho Marx's 1950's game show "You Bet Your Life".
: The show is close to Groucho's format, except with his a duck came
: down and the players won money if they said the secret word. And
: of course there was no cheezy live-action applause. :) (WBB)
You applauded while you watched this? :-)
: "Moby or not Moby" --
: - The Ernest Borgnine comment may refer to his starring role in
: another sea tale, *The Poseidon Adventure*. (WBB)
More likely, it's a reference to "McHale's Navy", where he played a
Navy captain in WWII.
: "Spell Bound" --
: ? Merlin's incantation: Sonny Tufts, Sonny Bono, Lorna Luft, Yoko Ono;
: . Lorna Luft had a bit part on Trapper John MD (and... ?)
: Lorna Luft is Judy Garland's daughter. (and... ?)
A fair actress and singer, but not great at either. She probably wouldn't be
well known at all if she weren't Garland's daughter. Hasn't done anything
particularly noteworthy I can think of.
: + Merlin's second incantation: I win, you win, Edwin Newman, Lee of
: Kathie, Regis Philbin.
: . Edwin Newman was (is still?) an NBC news reporter.
And Regis Philbin and Kathy Lee Gifford are the hosts of "Live With Regis
and Kathy Lee", an obnoxious but popular daytime talk show.
: "Smitten with Kittens" --
: + The old lady in "Smitten With Kittens" was a *perfect* Ruth Gordon
: tribute. If she weren't dead, I'd have sworn it *was* her. Go see her
: in "Any Which Way But Loose" or "Any Which Way You Can", where she
: plays Clint Eastwood's mother -- I think you'll see more than a slight
: resemblance. (DD)
Better yet, see "Harold and Maude". One of the all time great movies.
:
: "Raging Bird" --
: - Max the Manager is from Raging Bull, I think. "Ya bum!" Or is that
: early Rocky? (RD)
Sounds like Burgess Meredith's Micky from the Rocky movies to me. But then,
I haven't seen "Raging Bull".
: - The freezer scene is like a Rocky IV (?) scene where he's out in the
: snow beating up a side of beef hanging from a rope. (RD)
Rocky I
:
: Ending Song --
: + The final song and ear-pulling refers to the ending of "The Carol
: Burnett Show". Carol always tugged at her ear as a signal to her
: mother that she was well. Mark Bernstein thinks it was a signal
: to her grandmother. But you get the point. (WBB, MB)
No, Mark Bernstein is *sure* of this. Check any biographical material on
Burnett--she was raised by her grandmother, as her mother was an alcoholic.
:
: THANKS TO:
: Allen Smithee (AS)
I haven't been paying too much attention on a day to day basis to who's
been posting what, but I noticed in reviewing these files that "AS"
had made a lot of comments that only an insider would know. I looked to
see what the initials stood for, and found this.
Folks, "Allen Smithee" is a very well known name in Hollywood. It's a
pseudonym, registered with the Directors' Guild. If a director is
*really* unhappy with how a film or TV show turned out, doesn't think
it's his/her fault, and doesn't want to be blamed for it, s/he can
insist that the directing credit read "Allen Smithee".
I don't know who you really are, "Mr. Smithee", nor do I think you have
any obligation to tell us, but I think it's neat that you've given us
our very own, net-only Cultural Reference.
--
Mark Bernstein
ma...@cimage.com
Christopher Sedlack
AN 137
Boot Camping:
Also note the appearance of Private Snafu (I believe he's in the barber shop
scene).
AN 148:
Lake Titicaca:
The tune is much like "Food Around the Corner", which was sung by a flea in an
old Warner Brothers cartoon.
Chris Sedlack
csed...@uiuc.edu
Don Hosek
>>>"Twas the Day before Christmas" --
>>> ? Sonny Tufts is mentioned again. Who is this guy?
>>Sonny Tufts was in _Easy Living_ (1949) with Victor Mature and Lucille Ball
>>(some movie about an aging football player (Victor, not Sonny)), and then
>>he was the *star* (Yeah, Sonny!) of _Cat Women of the Moon_ (1954), "Another
>>ludicrous entry in the travel-to-a-planet-of-barely-dressed-women subgenre,"
>>according to Martin & Porter's Video Movie Guide.
> Sonny Tufts is a long-running Hollywood gag. He's is probably the only
> actor who is famous for not being famous. His obscurity was his only claim
> to fame, and the source of numerous jokes over the years. (I recall an
> episode of the equally infamous "My Mother the Car," where Mother forced
> her son--played by Jerry van Dyke--to sit through a Sonny Tufts film
> festival at a local drive-in. The episode also featured a cameo by Tufts!)
My personal favorite Sonny Tufts reference came in the Dick Van
Dyke show when Rob thought that he saw a flying saucer that said
"Sonny Tufts". This Van Dyke family must have a thing with Mr.
Tufts.
-dh
--
Don Hosek "The Only Solution is Love"
Quixote Digital Typography -Dorothy Day
909-621-1291
FAX: 909-625-1342
Robert J. Repas, Jr.
In a previous article, r...@gandalf.baylor.edu (The Mystic Mongoose) says:
> Will Bell, be...@cs.tamu.edu writes:
>
>> + Wakko-coughing-bullets bit appeared in the 1944 Daffy vehicle
>> "Slightly Daffy". (DAG)
>
>And even earlier: I clearly remember a 1930's Porky& Daffy as French
>Legionares 'toon with the same gag. I'll have to check on the title...
A little later, we have a bull who swallowed a rifle in "Bully for Bugs".
The bull's tail took on the outline of the gun. Every time he hit the
end of his tail on the ground, the "gun" fired a bullet from one of his
horns. Gave Bugs quite a run until he ran out of bullets.
Look closely and you'll see Wakko "bumping his butt" on the ground to
set off one of the rounds. Which is quite a feat considering that
muskets only carried 1 load. (*Smack!* Goodnight, everybody!)
--
-- "_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
--
Richard Chandler
Mongoose) writes:
> AISITR
What's that?
--
Aieeee!!! The return of the old .sig!
"Ride a motorcycle. Save Gas, Oil, Rubber, Steel, Aluminum, Parking Spaces,
The Environment, and Money. Plus, you get to wear all the leather you want!"
Rich Chandler, DoD #296
P. J. Remner
In a previous article, cz...@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Robert J. Repas, Jr.) says:
>Look closely and you'll see Wakko "bumping his butt" on the ground to
>set off one of the rounds. Which is quite a feat considering that
>muskets only carried 1 load.
And the last "bump" that you see, you don't see him make contact but you
do see that, ah, he's not hitting it with his butt. *OUCH*
But you're right, muskets carry one bullet, and take forever and a day
to load. Which means that Wakko could only shoot his load once and then
have to wait a while. :-)
> (*Smack!* Goodnight, everybody!)
Unless Yakko injected it anally... (Someone has proof! :-) )
--
Picard & Riker in '96: "Make it so" for the next generation!
performing controlled core dump...
performing controlled core dump...
Rick Pikul Phoenix
>The Mystic Monogoose writes:
>> AISITR
>What's that?
It stands for: As I Said In The Reviews (That right MM?), after all
the Mongoose does most of the daily reviews.
All replies to: rpi...@nyx.cs.du.edu, I'll get to them when I can.
Phoenix
The Mystic Mongoose
> mau...@claris.com (Richard Chandler) writes:
>
>>> AISITR
>
>>What's that?
>
>the Mongoose does most of the daily reviews.
Ayup. It's one of my perrenial mild gripes with the CRG- Facts get
mentioned with no credit, and I remeber saying them. It's not that
important, but It's one of my little pet peeves.
The Mystic Mongoose | ____________ |Contemplation is the
r...@gandalf.baylor.edu| / _______ |fornication of the mind.
Robert W. Armstrong | | ______ | -Gary Benson
P.O. Box 83641 | | _____ |And half of the 'net
Waco, TX 76798-3641 | \__ _____ |is impotent.
Geoffrey Sean Brandenburg
>
>Dracula is voiced by none other than Dan Castella
Dan Castellenata
> the man who did the voice for Homer Simpson.
When did he stop? :-) Other credits for Dan include Megavolt,
from Darkwing Duck, and the Genii in the upcoming Aladdin series.
--
| Sean Brandenburg | "It's better than a DuckTales episode!"
| gsbr...@acs.ucalgary.ca | -- Pinky
| se...@cpsc.ucalgary.ca |