Is There Any Truth To Urban Legends?

[Wildest Bill]

Since this is the "staight"dope message board I couldn't think of place better than this to ask about Urban Legends.

Well here they are...

Did anybody ever get ran down and killed by a gang for the headlight thing?

Did anyone ever get killed by a guy with a hook for a hand in otherwords a handy hook? :D

Did anyone ever get a kidney stolen by a good looking girl they met at a bar?

The reason I ask this is because of the old saying that there is always some truth in any rumor.

Oh I almost forgot, what about the gerbal thing and Richard Geere ?(I gotta know the "straight dope" on this one.?

[Tymp]

http://www.snopes.com

[Keeve]

Originally posted by Tymp
http://www.snopes.com ditto

[lissener]

Originally posted by Keeve
Originally posted by Tymp
http://www.snopes.com ditto I agree

[Wildest Bill]

Thanks that is a neat site. And it definetely covers everything.

[Tymp]

Originally posted by lissener
Originally posted by Keeve
Originally posted by Tymp
http://www.snopes.com ditto I agree
Well, there’s no danger of this thread getting tossed over to GD.

[Phobos]

Originally posted by Tymp

Well, there’s no danger of this thread getting tossed over to GD.



I agree. :)

[whitetho]

For completeness sake, I'd also like to point out that Unca Cece has also covered a couple of these topics, to wit: Have guys awakened after a party to find their kidneys stolen?" (http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_255.html) from Triumph of the Straight Dope and Is it true what they say about gerbils? (http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_216b.html) from More of the Straight Dope.

[Edward The Head]

about the gerbil thing, I got sent a picture of a woman and a mouse. actally it was 4 pictures of a woman and a mouse with the mouse slowly dissapering. but then we all know that pics can be doctored up.

as for the stolen kidney's maybe it started out as some sort of fingernail transplant ring and got embellished from there.

[RM Mentock]

Originally posted by Tymp
Well, there’s no danger of this thread getting tossed over to GD.

Gotta add http://www.urbanlegends.com/ though, and then there's this neat little site (http://www.straightdope.com/columns/index.html).

[iampunha]

If they are Urban Legends, odds are they are false.

[SuaSponte]

However, the Newlywed Game UL is TRUE!!!!!

::GD&R::

[Cartooniverse]

Originally posted by iampunha
If they are Urban Legends, odds are they are false.

Well, most are. I was delighted to learn that the author of "Peter Pan" DID INDEED create the girl's name, "Wendy".

Cartooniverse

[iampunha]

Originally posted by SuaSponte
However, the Newlywed Game UL is TRUE!!!!!


*sound of statement flying over my head* Huh?

Cartooniverse . . . as I don't think many of my friends would believe me of I said "My friend Cartooniverse said so" care to give us all a site for that assertation?

[wring]

"point of order" iampuna - that was Sua Sponte who made that assertion, then followed it with a duck and cover.

Cartooniverse asserted that the name "Wendy" came from the story Peter Pan. I'd always understood it to be a diminuative of the name "Gwendolyn" or "Wendolyn". So, wouldn't mind a cite on that, either.

[Avumede]

Originally posted by SuaSponte
However, the Newlywed Game UL is TRUE!!!!!

::GD&R::

Yep, it appears so, even though the alt.folklore.urban FAQ has for years maintained that it is false. In fact, it still says it's false. Someone really needs to update that thing...

[Chronos]

Snopes, on the Newlywed Game comment (http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/newlywed.htm)

To sum up, the parts of the story which make it interesting are true, but the details differ from most of the common UL versions.